#tuskclan

[clansbeforetime]

Parenting Styles

Due to the nature of key relationships in each clan, the parenting styles are uniquely different. Here is a brief overview of the standard relationships between parents and their cubs in each clan:

SunClan values the family, and their parents are the most involved. Cubs are raised by their parents and immediate family, and trained by them as well. Don’t let that fool you though, monarchs are still an important part of clan life, helping and guiding new parents along.

TuskClan believes in the popular saying of “it takes a clan”. Cubs are not really the direct responsibility of parents to take care of, and it’s less of a “my cub” situation and more of a “cub of the clan” thing. Monarchs take the lead in raising the youngest clanmembers, but the entire clan often shares their wisdoms and take turns watching and training each incoming batch.

BevyClan is arguably the least involved when it comes to parenting. Cubs are the sole responsibility of the monarchs, as their “first mentors”, as it is the monarch’s job and no one could do it better than them. It’s what they’re trained for, after all!

[clansbeforetime]

Clan Shapes

With vastly different environments to inhabit, the three Clans have all gravitated towards so-called "Clan Standards", what you'll most likely see, and the traits you're most likely to have, if you live in and have heritage from a certain clan.

TuskClan lives in the savanna, and with that they have adapted to the harsh sun and rather dry environment they call home. Darker fur under and around the eyes helps keep the glare of the sun from blinding them while hunting, and their pale coloration keeps them from absorbing too much heat. Build-wise, their fur tends to be short to help release heat, and their noses, paws, and ears tend to run slightly larger than average for the same reason. A mid-sized tail helps with changing directions on the fly during one of their great hunts. And while all sabers have the genetics in them to grow manes, TuskClan cats tend to sport the biggest and boldest of all the clans, leading to some unique styling and fashion trends among batches of TuskClan hunters.

SunClan made their home in the jungles, and everything about them is built to fly. Their pelts are known to be splotchy, spotted, and multi-patterned to help camouflage themselves. The average build of a SunClan cat is smaller and leaner than their neighbors, with long claws and tails that aid in their tree-climbing and branch-leaping activities. Sabers in SunClan also sport more developed and sensitive ears, to help them differentiate sounds in the crowded, noisy jungle they call home, and their teeth tend to be smaller and slimmer due to their more stealth-oriented approach to hunting.

BevyClan sabers spend much of their time in the waters of the Delta they made their home in, and have adapted to live as such. Stripes are the most common pattern of fur around these parts, to mimic the ripples of the water they live and hunt in. Their muscles tend to focus around the legs, for swimming, and their faces and tails are shorter to aid their lifestyles. BevyClan cats have many long whiskers to help with fishing, and most notably have developed webbed paws, which make them very fast and formidable in aquatic environments.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to send an ask! We're super excited to share more lore soon!

[clansbeforetime]

Character Spotlight: Applestar

Applestar | Former TuskClan Leader | She/Her AMAB | 83 Moons at Death (died 19 moons ago)

Art & Character Bio by relic_crown!

Old Applestar led TuskClan for generations. A stoic, mysterious sabre now remembered for her white mane and thunderous skill in battle, her legacy has aged into a warm fondness for a bygone era. Many of her contemporaries might feel like only they knew the "real" Applestar: though she was never the talkative sort, in one-on-one encounters she displayed a bright sense of humor and charm hidden under her usual solemnity.

Older sabres might also remember a tumultuous beginning to her leadership some seventy moons ago. When the Clan's preferred choice declined the deputy position, a young guardian who had only barely earned the second-place vote, Appledawn, was left to carry the weight of the Clan's future on her shoulders. The young saber vowed to serve her Clan dutifully as she begun her leadership training under Duckstar -- only for disaster to strike barely a season later, when a snake attack killed Duckstar and left Appledawn in line for the leader position at a young age.

A freshly crowned Applestar immediately faced a test in the form of conflict with SunClan. Tense words at Gatherings escalated into scuffles at the borders, then eventually a full-on declaration of war. The resulting struggle was the worst in the living memory of the Boabab Clans, and even cycles later sabres remember lost friends and argue over who was to blame for the war. Certainly Applestar, prickly and brand-new to leadership, didn't help matters -- but the fire of battle gave her the space to prove herself a skilled tactician and, with the support of her batch, an excellent orator.

By the time TuskClan emerged from the other side of the war, Applestar was firmly established in her place at their head. Though she never truly finished learning from Duckstar, the war taught her to lead; for better or for worse it shaped her leadership style throughout the rest of her life. Quiet and militaristic, she took a particular interest in TuskClan's guardians-in-training, always happy to step in and take younger cats under her wing. She made herself into a rock for the Clan to anchor itself to in the many moons of her time as leader.

Applestar's batch, the Butterfly Batch, formed a loose polycule as they aged and settled into roles as senior members of the Clan. In their prime, they were a golden standard of batch harmony: Applestar's success as a leader in her later years may be attributed in part or in full to the support of the other Butterflies. In this time Applestar had a child, who eventually earned the name Greenhowler, and found a close confidante in the form of her deputy Buffalostride.

By the time she died of a strange sickness that spread across the 3 Clans, nineteen months before the start of roleplay, Applestar knew she was leaving TuskClan in safe paws... but even in death, her shadow looms large over the plains.

[clansbeforetime]

how do the clans mourn and take care of their dead?

That's a great question! Each Clan has a different way of mourning their own, here's how it usually goes:

SunClan takes mourning extremely serious. The death of a clanmate means the death of a family member, and to some there is no greater loss. If the body is able to be recovered, it is laid in the center of camp where healers and the family of the deceased will take the time to decorate them in flowers. The Clan is allowed one last time to say goodbye to them, usually with stories and happy moments of their time during life. During this, they will weave flowers and vines into the lost saber's fur, as one final wreath and a signal that their story has come to an end. When that reaches an end, the Clan waits until the sun is highest in the sky to take the body out into the territory by a select group of guardians and the family to a spot with the largest, tallest trees. The deceased is then buried by their family members at the base (or underneath, if possible) a tree, the spot covered in flowers afterwards. This is when the vigil happens: the family of the deceased are given as much time as they wish to sit in vigil of their lost family member, watched by guardians from a distance for their safety.

TuskClan mourns the lost of individuals, as well as batches as a whole. When a member of a batch passes away, the remaining saber of the batch mourn deeply. If retrieving the body is possible, one of the lost saber's fangs is removed carefully by the healers, where it'll be added to the batch's cord in turn. The body is buried in the savanna and the Clan gathers around camp to share tales and memories about the lost saber, usually the batch of the saber being the ones to speak the most. Some batches may take to painting around their lost friend's grave, but that is up to the individuals. When all members of a batch pass away, their last member gone, the same happens once again. Except, this time, the batch cord will also be buried, signifying the end of that batch and that they may rest now.

BevyClan is a lot more diverse when it comes to saying goodbye to their lost Clanmates, but some traditions are often almost always carried out. If a deceased saber had the honor to mentor many apprentices, it's common for them to come together and tell grand tales about their mentor to the rest of the Clan. Their greatest achievements, how they were as a mentor and how they'll carry that with them forever. In case the lost saber had never mentored apprentices, their family and friends may step forward instead. It's also very common that mentors speak about any apprentices (former or current) they may have lost. If a cub is gone too soon, then the Monarchs step in and talk about their cubhood, as well as their parents, talking about what kind of saber they would've been had they not joined their ancestors. In some occasions, otters may also be present and mourn along with the Clan, but stay back out of respect. When goodbyes are said and stories finished, the body is taken to the southern part of the territory where the land is driest, and buried.

[clansbeforetime]

Lore Spotlight: Key Relationships

Lore Spotlight: Key Relationships

In the Clans Before Time world, we wanted to give the opportunity for players to explore all kinds of things with their characters, and one of the ways we decided to go about doing this was to provide clans with their own unique cultures and traditions! One of the foundational aspects of culture for each of our clans are what we call their “Key Relationships”, or the relationship that is seen as most culturally important to the clans.

SunClan values the immediate family. Parents, siblings, partners, and children are considered the most important relationships a saber can have in their lifetime. Rearing cubs is an honor many like to partake in, and mateships are seen as spectacular celebrations. Parents and older siblings tend to do the most work training apprentices, and a bit of who you are depends on your family.

BevyClan values the relationship between an apprentice and their mentor. This starts at the very beginning of a cub’s life, when they are given to the monarchs to raise. Monarchs are considered a cub’s “First mentor”, and generations of sabers tend to owe their wonderful cubhoods to a pawful of hardworking monarchs. After it’s time to leave the nursery, a new apprentice is presented with the most important moment of their life: getting their mentor. Mentors are meant to do more than train a cub into a hunter, they are lifelong advisors and counselors for their apprentices. Becoming a mentor is considered one of the highest honors in BevyClan culture, and reputation is often tied to it.

TuskClan values the peer-group. Cubs remain in the nursery until a sizable group, typically 4-6, are all ready to be made into apprentices, and they become what is known in the savanna as a “Batch”. A batch of apprentices are raised and trained together, to work and live as a mini-unit inside their clan. They will build a group nest together, and spend most of their time with each-other. Each batch gets their own “name”, after an animal in the savanna, which are continuously recycled as batches move beyond the elder’s den and head to the great savanna in the sky. A sabers number 1 loyalty, sometimes even above their clan, is their batch. A sabers batch is their family.

[clansbeforetime]

Trend Alert!

[Open the image for better quality!]

Like in any group of folks living together, fashion trends can come and go, changing over time as new ideas come around, old ideas coming back as “cool” and “retro”, and the clans of the baobab region are no exception to this!

One popular trend that has seen its share of rises and losses in popularity is tooth-staining! Temporary versus permanent staining, as well as particular styles, have all cycled through the clans of the baobab at different times! Individual clan opinions of tooth-staining, and personal opinions, seem to change with the cycles.

As the nature of trends coming and going is something that happens organically, there are no hard-set rules on exactly who is finding what kind of tooth-staining popular these days! That’ll be up to our wonderful cast of characters, so we can’t wait to see what the trends tell us!

Art by Admin Emerald!

Any questions? Don't hesitate to send in an ask! :D

[clansbeforetime]

Character Spotlight: Wormwoodwisp

Wormwoodwisp | TuskClan Hunter | He/Him AMAB | 31 Moons at Death (died 4 moons ago)

Wormwoodwisp, much like the plant that he was named after, enjoyed being out by the borders. His future ambitions included becoming a messenger for TuskClan, as he always enjoyed the wind in his fur and the way that running across the savanna put a burn in his legs. Wild and free in spirit, he was always looking for adventure, and telling stories to the younger sabers whenever he had a moment.

When it came to hunting, he was, well, an excellent runner, always ready to go whenever his batch wanted to go out. In the batch’s personal dynamics, Wormwood was the glue, always being a mediator between disagreements and taking the time to make sure everyone was on board with their plans. If he didn’t enjoy being a messenger so much, Wormwood had considered taking up a position as a clan monarch, and he kept that thought in his mind for the future, when he was too slow to do what he loved the best.

Because of that, it was common to see him around the nursery in his free time, specially when Sandcloud was expecting again. He was not very close to Slothkit when she came into the world, but seeing her every now and then always made him happy. Maybe he could help teach her how to be a good runner someday!

He never got that chance, though. The storms took him upward, along with two other members of his batch: Oakclaw and Mallowleap, leaving Hawthornpurr and Meadowcall to pick up the pieces.

Wormwoodwisp is connected to Slothpaw of TuskClan!

[clansbeforetime]

Species Spotlight: Elephants

The dry savanna of the Baobab region is where the mighty TuskClan makes their home, choosing to spend their time on more infrequent, but much larger, hunting practices.

One of these animals that TuskClan territory is home to, and arguably the most important to them, are the elephants that roam in herds. When it comes to big teeth, they’re just about as big as they get, and game recognizes game in the harsh savannas.

Hunting elephants is a time-honored tradition amongst batches of TuskClan sabers, seen as the best and biggest of catches, though don’t let that fool you. TuskClan cats are extremely careful about not overhunting any one kind of animal, especially the elephants, and their hunts are well-planned and well-executed.

As a keystone species of the savanna, elephants are ecosystem-changers that are best known for trampling down thick grasses and digging temporary watering holes around the otherwise dry land. TuskClan’s camp was created around such a watering hole (though this one is much more permanent) and in the leader’s cave, there sits a pair of decorated elephant’s tusks, said to have belonged to the very creature that brought Tuskstar to the clan’s new home.

Pictured Left to right: Crocodilepaw (player character), Boulderpaw (adopt), Slothpaw (adopt), Flutterpaw (adopt), and Cracklepaw (adopt), TuskClan's newest batch of apprentices! Art by the wonderful admin Emerald