Creating a cat In
vagrant stars
So you have read the lore and rules of Vagrant Stars and have decided that you want to enter a character? Fantastic! Creating a VS cat is as easy as finding cute cat videos on the internet. We'll walk you through the process so you'll be in the group in no time flat!
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Brief Note: It is REQUIRED of all members to join the Official Vagrant Stars Discord before they can participate in the group. Go ahead and click our server icon down there to join!
NOTE THAT YOU ARE ONLY ABLE TO HAVE FOUR CATS IN THE BEGINNING. YOU MAY EARN MORE BY PARTICIPATING IN EVENTS ARE BUYING ADDITIONAL CHARACTER SLOTS FROM THE MYSTERIOUS MERCHANT'S SHOP!
1. Anatomy
The cats of the clowders differ very slightly in their anatomy from the cats we know in our world. One of the most notable differences is their paws. VS cats have opposable thumbs and flexible toes, giving their front paws almost hand-like qualities. This allows them to do things like build houses, craft tools and accessories, and holding their loved ones' paws.
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VS cats are also able to briefly stand on two legs, though this is very uncomfortable and usually only done for a short time to get something out of their reach. Think of it like standing on your toes. Many performers, especially dancers, will stand on two legs for a much longer period of time, however are still four-legged when not performing.
Cats of the clowders can also sport a variety of hair styles! These can range from a small hair tuft to a full head of hair. Some cats leave their hair unkempt while others take time to style it. Go nuts and be creative!
Though they can only have natural colors, VS cats come in all different shapes and sizes! Don't be afraid to experiment and go wild!
You're allowed so much freedom when designing a clowder cat, you may be wondering what you ARE NOT allowed to do. Well, we do have a few restrictions for cats, but not that many so don't worry! Most of these restrictions are lore based, so please be sure to abide by them.
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1. Munchkins and Sphinx cats are NEVER allowed to be made.
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2. You may not make a male calico/tortoiseshell.
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3. Please make sure not to go past the average height lines on the application when deciding your cat's height. Cats taller than than than the tallest average height require a blessing from Oma. Cats shorter than the shortest average height line will be considered a munchkin and be asked to be made taller.
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4. You may not have a full chimera cat.
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5. Your cat must be somewhat natural colors and no wildly unnatural designs. Just simply make sure you don't submit a neon pink cat to us with stock star stamps all over it and you'll be fine.
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6. Your cat may not be wearing anything made out of cloth! With exception to newsrunners, we ask that you avoid giving your cat clothing in general. Try to stick to basic accessories! However, if you truly want to do something a little more complex, leather is a valid option. As long as the article is obviously leather.
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7. You may not give your cats any major disabilities such as full blindness or missing limbs without purchasing it at the Mysterious Merchant's Shop!
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Abide by these and you'll be just fine!
2. Naming Your Cat
The naming conventions of the clowder cats, while somewhat complex, are necessary due to the rules of magic. As such, each clowder cat has three different names: public names, true names, and cosmic names. We will thoroughly explain each one below.
Public Names
Public names are the first and often only name a cat is known by. Public names are not very symbolic or meaningful, for they are always named after what the cat's parents see directly after or in the week leading up to their birth.
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Good Examples of Public Names:
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Rising-Sun
Tall-Oak-Tree
He-Saw-A-Rat
Bird
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Here are a few examples of bad or iffy public names. We'll go through each one to explain why they're bad.
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Two-Cats-Making-Love
Please avoid inappropriate names.
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Flakes-Of-Fire
Not only is this name far too poetic, it is also impossible because fire is not present within the clowders.
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Sky-Grinning-Down
This name is too metaphorical. The sky cannot grin, so this name makes little sense.
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Oak-Claws
This is a common mistake we see with VS cat names. Please keep in mind that Vagrant Stars is NOT a Warrior Cats group and does not share its naming conventions. Oak-Claws is a good warrior cat name, not so much a VS name.
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Because many public names can be a little long, cats often shorten the names to one or two words. For example, a name like Clouds-In-the-Sky can be shortened to Cloud-Sky or just simply Sky. It is up to you for how your cat's public name is shortened.
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True Names
True names are the names given to cats shortly after their birth. They're usually deeply symbolic and heavily considered by the parents before the name is given. True names are very private, being shared only with close family and perhaps spouses. True names are, well, the cat's true name! Having their true name be so private protects them from curses and malicious magical forces. Your cat's true name may never be the same as their public name.
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Here are a few examples of true names:
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Strength-Of-A-Bear
Lion's-Soul
True-Joy
Second-Chance
Peace-In-Life
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Depending on the parents', children are often named after what they parents hope the children can attain. Other times, they are named for what they represent to the parents. Sometimes, the name just sounds pretty. It's up to you!
Cosmic Names
Cosmic names are not given by the parents, but rather by Oma herself. They are given to a cat who has accepted who they are and have realized their purpose in life. As a result, most cats don't earn their cosmic name until much later in their lives. Some never get them at all.
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Many cats, when retelling their experience, describe it as a sort of "Aha!" moment with a name coming from the depths of their mind. This is usually after a certain large accomplishment in their lives.
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Cosmic names are extremely personal to each cat, and if earned are often never shared with another soul except possibly a spouse of many years. They are considered one's direct link with Oma, and so should be carefully protected.
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Cosmic names can literally be anything (with exception to slurs and curse words in any language). Symbolic phrases, keyboard mashes, nonsensical made up words, etc. are all valid. You may even do things in foreign languages (bonus points if it's in German).
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Now that you have your cat's names figured out, it is time to choose their clowder!
3. Choosing A Clowder
Each clowder has a unique personality and culture that you should consider when choosing one for your cat to be in.
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We will rate how easy it is to join each clowder on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being extremely easy and 10 being very difficult.
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Deepwoods - 8
Deepwoods is very strict with its traditions and mannerisms. Being the oldest clowders, they have the most history and most cats have certain mannerisms, making this clowder harder to adjust to for new members.
Dullpines - 9
Because of the culture around the Spirits, there are several small details to the manners, culture, and even looks of Dullpines cats. This makes this clowder fairly difficult for first time users.
Green Forest - 5
While Green Forest holds the requirement that characters should not be of an evil alignment, users are relatively free to do what they like with their characters, making this clowder moderately easy to join.
Blue Lake - 3
Blue Lake is a fun and easy clowder, accepting pretty much anyone and everyone. This clowder tends to look down on those with more serious attitudes though, preventing it from being a perfect 1.
Redblood - 1
Because of Redblood's history, it is made of a mishmash of several different cats from several different origins. Members have virtually limitless freedom for their characters in this clowder, making it the easiest one to join.
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4. Choosing A Job
Clowder cats stay at home until they are teens. Then, they go and to get a job in whatever career they have decided they would like to pursue. While cats don't necessarily have to stay in the same job their whole lives, most do due to the difficulty of switching careers. Read up on each job and choose wisely for your cat!
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5. Making An Application
So, you have made your cat, you've chosen their names, their clowders, and their job! You've even joined the official VS Discord. What now? Well, it's time to slap that character onto an Official Vagrant Stars Application!
Be sure to download the correct version for your program!
For the drawn application, the instructions as well as the soul color chart are in the layers! Simply activate these layers as you need them.
Brief Note: The soul color is based on your character's alignment. Make sure to choose exactly one color from your character's alignment with no other colors in the soul color box.
If you need help deciding your characters alignment, you can ask a mod and/or take the VS Character Alignment Quiz!
For the drawn application, the written application, there two different templates you will use depending on which website you submit your character on. If you are joining from DeviantArt, the link the the drawn application also holds the written template. Simply copy and paste it into the description when you upload your drawn application and fill it out. If you are coming from Toyhouse, click on this button to go to the Toyhouse template. You will be submitting to the VS world on Toyhouse rather than the DeviantArt group.
Once you are done with both the written and drawn templates, submit them to the Approval Journal!
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