Discuss your roleplay plans, relationships and plot points!

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Salt Shaker said:

Writing a relationships idea list !1!!! feel free to add on and build off these of course
Laika: Forming even surface-level bonds does not come naturally to Rashida, so the fact that Laika is not only her friend, but her mate is an incredible achievement. I don't see them being an overly romantic couple, functioning a lot like a team on most days, but that doesn't mean the love and affection aren't there - Rashida simply isn't one for grand gestures and I don't see Laika being that way either. Her love comes in small actions instead, such as grooming Laika and painstakingly plucking every last burdock from her pelt, flattening out beside her on sunny days to soak up the heat, and going on secret duo hunts to relive the old days before they had batches of mangy mongrels to rear. Rashida shows her love in small acts of service, quality time, and either talking or existing quietly beside the other. She thinks she and Laika make quite the pair and can get a bit overconfident when thinking about how they are simply the best duo in this region of the park.
Haru: Mixed feelings. She loves Haru of course, Haru is a yearling now and therefore she feels safe to start genuinely loving him because he's proven he can survive. Now that he's almost fully grown, she no longer has to groom and look out for him out of obligation and is free to do it because she's truly attached and bonded to him now. However, she carefully conceals a whole lake of worry for him. And, like any mother, she finds a whole bunch of little things to pester him about. She most often nags him about his posture, trying to get him to stand straighter, walk smoother, and look like Rashida's proper pup and not some -- some -- less refined wolf's, or something! She also gets anxious about how bold he is, finding herself both proud of his courage but also frightened by his recklessness, and if he's out adventuring too long she starts howling to call him back. Most of all, she worries about how naive and emotional he is, worried that the world and life's tragedies will take him by surprise and leave him in shambles. Of all her pups, she thinks she may be most nervous to let him strike off on his own when he's ready.
Ehcik: Like Haru, Ehcik is old enough now to where Rashida feels safe to love him. She likes that she can see some of herself in him, such as his patience and tendency to observe. However, she finds his submissiveness to be a little irritating, not wanting her son to be a complete pushover for the sake of other's feelings. Sometimes she oversteps and tries to shove him from his comfort zone. This mainly occurs during hunts, where she has begun to fall back and participate less in an attempt to encourage her yearlings to take the lead. Lately, Ehcik has been the main target of this as she wants him to become more confidently independent and make more executive decisions, but as of now, her work isn't as fruitful as she'd like. She knows he is very capable, she just wishes he'd realize and utilize this. Besides that, she likes how respectful he has grown to be, and enjoys going on small walks with him where she can try to subtly instill some confidence and life lessons to him. She may unknowingly come off as very preachy and very pushy to him, but her intentions are in the right place. Rashida doesn't want either of her sons to be unprepared and taken advantage of in the big, wide world. The only wolf they should be tucking their tails to is her and her mate and that's final!

Isla: Rashida does not choose favorites, but she clearly has some special affection for Isla, as Isla is her only daughter from her first litter to survive (as of now anyway). She feels a bit smug when she and her daughter are both strutting with their proud postures and heads high. However, Isla is not immune to Rashida's tendency to be a strict mother, and Isla probably has to put up with a lot of her mother pulling her aside and reprimanding her for 'undesirable teamwork skills'. Though she's proud of Isla's confidence and leadership abilities, she's also a bit wary that this may cause a power struggle because Isla seems to struggle with teamwork but excels at making quick leadership decisions. However, this is a worry at the very back of Rashida's mind. She's more focused on this year's pups and trying to coax her yearling boys into being more confident.

· Haru· Laika definitely believes her son is... a bit of an idiot. Well, maybe that's the wrong word. It's just that his intelligence is focused in unhelpful areas, maybe? Sure. A lot of his traits line upwith what Laika would consider... unwise. She's keen to try and 'fix' him like her mate, but in the end she knows Haru will always be this way. She values that he tries, at least. She doesn't view him as useless or anything, she just thinks his... talents may be better focused on something like taking care of the pups while more... capable wolves are hunting. Laika does manage to find some of Haru's traits charming, but she does hope he'll grow out of them.

· Ehcik· Laika wouldn't she hates any of her pups per se... but her feelings towards Ehcik come somewhere close to it. She thinks he's a wimp. His constant submission makes her oddly angry. As much as she always wants it to be evident she needs to be submitted to and respected- Ehcik almost takes it too far. He submits to everyone. It almost embarrasses her that her own offspring is so... submissive. Laika can't begin to understand where she went wrong raising him for him to think the best way for him to navigate life is with his tail between his legs.

· Rashida· Laika kinda views her relationship with Rashida of more of a 'business deal' than a real romantic relationship. Well, of course Rashida is one of her best friends, still, it's just that the romantic aspects feel pretty blurry as it stands. It's more like... co-parenting, to Laika. She definitely feels romantic feelings towards her mate but it's not that important to her. Of course, she's still affectionate towards Rashida. She does love her and very much appreciates any affection she recieves from her. Spending quality time, whether active or just laying around with Rashida is time well spent.

· Sunuka· Laika has learned not to grow attached to pups so young as Sunuka. Far too vulnerable. Not much can be said for how she views Sunuka. The pup is one of the most important things in the world at the moment, and Laika needs to spend every waking and non-waking moment protecting and feeding her. Yet, she feels so little for her. Sunuka is an obligation. Laika has, however, come to appreciate Sunuka's timidity. Her staying in the den more often than not makes Laika's job a whole lot easier.

· Isla· Isla's leadership skills can, at times, cause Laika's insecurities to rise. Who does she think she is? Telling everyone what to do? But, at the end of the day, Isla never seems to make any direct challenges to Laika, or Rashida, always holding great respect for her mothers. Isla does seem to just be trying to help her mothers out... and as much as it makes Laika's anxiety go haywire, she can appreciate the weight it takes off her own back. It is likely due to the anxiety Isla causes to Laika that Isla recieves the brunt of her outbursts. She's always on edge around the yearling and quick to snap at anything she's decided is too far over the line in terms of 'demonstrating her leadership skills'. She is fond of Isla but she can't shake the panic that wolves would prefer her as their leader instead of Laika- which is ridiculous.

· Arthur· Her little buddy! Her best friend! Laika is heavily protective over Arthur. She cements it into the head of her pack that if they touch a hair on Arthur's head she will NOT hesitate to tear them a new one. Arthur has been her biggest support since she left her pack, and neither of them would probably be where they are now- alive, even- without each other's company. Laika does find herself prone to babying Arthur a little, just because he can't do all the same things a wolf can. She has the tendency to take care of him like he's one of her own pups, because she's so used to having to protect him from whatever would decide to pick off a little coyote. She'll always clean him around his collar where he can't reach (although she is scared he's gonna poke her eye out with that thing one day). Everything aside, she's just glad her little buddy decided to stick around with her after everything. She would really miss him. Arthur is definitely the creature she's formed the deepest bond with and her favourite- ever. She may have a favoured pup, but even they won't come close to her favourite little buddy. Even though she likes to take care of him, she knows Arthur is more than capable of looking after himself. After all, a lot of his tall tales aren't really that far off. She likes to indulge his stories, especially to the pups. Sure, Arthur and her fought off like 4 wolves all on their own, why not?