Name: (You choose! I’m also open to other suggestions, haha) Smudge, Blueberry, Dandelion, Mushroom
Role wanted: Oldest sibling
Gender: Male
Personality: Putting it right out there - this cat has severe autism. After a premature birth, he was revealed to be extremely small and weak. He could do nothing but stay by his mother’s side, feeding and huddling into her warmth, for moons. As he gained strength and began crawling around, it was revealed that more about him was different than just his birth’s conditions. Such behavioral differences have evolved into what they are today.
This tom has an incredible memory and excels in hands-on activities. He’s constantly running about to experience the world, though has trouble if he isn’t in an orderly environment. Changes to his daily schedule tend to make him upset, and he has difficulty regulating his emotions. Stemming off of that, he had trouble reading expressions and maintaining conversation. His attention is constantly wandering, and even when he hurts others, words fail to soothe - he is extremely emotion-oriented when interacting with others, and has a great capacity for empathy. Though he struggles with regular communication, he can read strong emotions quite well (even if he gets confused when cats are more indifferent toward him), and responds to them accordingly - with cuddles. Though he’s somewhat judgmental and relies heavily on initial interactions to gauge the capacity for friendship in other cats, he is accepting toward most everyone. No, he isn’t the best at holding conversation and maintaining eye contact, not to mention his inability to pick up on social cues, but he’s trying his best (with gentle encouragement from his family, I’d imagine).
Beyond this, he’s, as mentioned, extremely smart. The issue isn’t with his ability to comprehend, but his ability to communicate with others, and follow instructions. He can often be found lost in thought, tapping his paws to some silent beat. Other stereotypies of his include jerking his head, counting the steps he takes, normally on his toes, and repeating sentences. Beyond his autism, he hasn’t been able to express much of himself, but it’s clear he is very passionate about his likes and dislikes. He finds himself frustrated when he isn’t able to communicate as clearly of other cats, but when he’s in his element, he tends to be filled with joy. Yes, he’s a complicated tom inside, but simple things leave him simply elated. Beneath the stifling layer of autism, he’s trying as best he can not to be a burden upon his family. He knows he’s only holding them back, but can’t find a way to ‘be better’, in his terms.
Appearance: Much like a Turkish Van, he is large, fluffy, and mainly white, with pale ginger markings on his head and tail.
Other/Plot Ideas: The premature birth lending to this tom’s autism would in turn make him the oldest - technically. Going through with this plan would leave the rest of the litter to be born on time, which is possible if the mom was bred multiple times, staggering the development of her kittens. The kitten resulting from a later breeding would be aborted - this cat. This is really up in the air based on what you, Shimm, the mom’s roleplayer, and the dad’s roleplayer have in mind for that aspect of the litter’s life, but I thought it would make for a wonderful little family dynamic! Beyond that, he has executive dysfunction disorder, and sensory processing disorder. I really don’t want to be depicting an autistic person incorrectly here, so if there’s anything that stands out to you as a red flag, please notify me. I’m working on a more in-depth depiction of the way autism has impaired him through the moons, though we’ll see if I ever finish. If it aligns with the rest of the family’s demeanors, I imagine him having one family member who he feels the most safe around - most likely a sibling to look after him, one who understands a bit more of what he’s going through, though we’ll see! Thank you for your time!
Mention: @
:Grimmlin: @
Shimm