“Family is important.” Kindly says, sitting by a glowing fire. “And that does not always mean blood. Sometimes the family are those we find ourselves with, our tribemates, even our familiars. It is a different thing for every individual.”

She looks them over thoughtfully.

“I would like you to tell me what family means to you.” She chuckles. “Don’t worry about the motes, they are always drawn into places where they feel safe, we can herd them into our little cage from here.”

---

This Poetry Contests asks you, as one of your kin, to write a poem that exemplifies the meaning of family! Your poem should be told from the PoV of one of your kin, with no minimum word count. . However, if the total of your RP reaches 250 words, thin will count as their storytelling req toward Legendary Ascension!

Please use the form below: You can enter this contest up to three times and can use the same kin or different ones, but please put each entry in its own post.
If you hit word count, this can count as a Legendary Ascension requirement!

Each entry in this RP will also grant you one Glow, a ticket toward the final Glow Raffle!
If you're only entering for Glow, and not for the prizes on offer, simply say so in your preference list.

This contest ends on October 14th at 11:59 PM EST.

It is possible to do this prompt in the ORP and post it over here if you are interested in some interaction while you do it!

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Don't Make a Sound
Preference List: Ray, lioness, slug
RP & poem:
Hush stands before the gathered kin, a solemn expression on her face. The dark worries her, for she has seen it once before in the dream that shaped her name.

" Family,

My love that none can tame,
A light in darkest night,
My reason to stand tall.

Family,

My sanctuary against pain,
A beacon of guiding light,
My support when I fall.

Family,

My heart's eternal flame,
A love that's forever bright,
My everything, my all."

She smiles and looks to her children and friends, and then goes to them to wait out this darkness - and find some way to defeat it.

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Echoed Chorus
Preference List: Just a Glow ticket, please!
RP & poem: Echoed Chorus was quite thrilled with all the tasks that were being assigned to the kin gathered in the clearing. Mote collecting, stories, and now poetry? It may not seem like much to others, but to Echo it felt like he really was helping to bring back the light. He thought about the request - a poem about family - for a few minutes before he felt like he had something worth sharing.

"I'll give it a try," he said cheerfully as other kin shared their take on the word. He cleared his throat to ready himself, tail flicking behind him to keep an unheard beat.

"Family; a personal yet public word,
Often said and often heard.
Said with love or said with spite,
The former is, for me, preferred.

A loyal one, for you, will fight
And always try to make things right.
Blood or chosen, it's up to you.
Their love will set your heart alight.

Supportive in all that you do,
Always there to help you through
The hardest times you have to face,
Their love, unconditionally true.

You'll find you never can replace
The warmth of their loving embrace.
To me, a family is just a case
Of true, pure love in any place."

Satisfied with what he'd offered, Echo gave a little theatrical bow before prancing away from the little circle of gathered kin and motes to try some of the soup one of the Helper kin had brought in a while ago. Hopefully it was still warm!

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Foggy Dew
Preference List: Just a Glow ticket, please!
RP & poem: Foggy Dew wasn't a particularly poetic kiokote, nor was he a storyteller, but when the request for explaining what family meant to them was put up, he knew he had to give it a shot. He didn't really have a family outside of his parents and siblings - and he didn't really see them very often, if at all recently - but he had a strong sense of loyalty and a bit of passion in his chest when he thought about any future mates or children he might have.

Standing up to say his piece, Fog stamped his hoof onto the ground to demonstrate the fire in his blood on the topic.

"To me," he started gruffly, his inflection and tone and volume creating a lyrical tone to his words.

"Family is everything. Every. Thing.

"It is the reason I rise in the morning, the reason I go about my day with purpose.

"My family is small, but may grow some day. I am ready to lay down my life for my own, whether they are older or younger than I.

"Family does not have to be blood. It can be a dear friend, a familiar. If you feel passion, love, protectiveness over someone, they are your family."

He stopped there, finding himself to have said his piece. It may not have been as beautiful or profound as some of the other kin who had gone before him, but it has certainly been imbued with the emotions he'd mentioned. He stepped back to let others say what was on their mind, satisfied with what he'd managed to produce.

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Born Again
Preference List: Ray, lioness, slug
RP & poem:
Born Again is no stranger to the concept of family. This is one topic here feels confident in.

"Family is like a tree,
that shelters when the storms get rough.
A sturdy root to hold you safe -
when everything moves too fast.

Family is like a rock,
that holds the warmth when night creeps in.
A shiny pebble at your feet -
the unexpected gift of friends.

Family is like the rain,
that nourishes and helps you grow.
A gentle breeze upon the skin -
to brush aside fears and sorrow.

Family is like the sun,
that shines its light upon your face.
A guiding star to bring you home -
when the night is deep and you've lost your way.

Family is everything,
a song, a dance, an unexpected laugh.
A precious thing to be protected -
to hold and cherish and watch it grow."

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Adder
Preference List: Ray, lioness, slug
RP & poem:
Adder rolls her eyes at her sappy father. Smirking as she steps up and ignores his warning look.

"Family - what a pain!
Always getting into my things.
Can't go anywhere without someone knowing.
Secrets, you say? Yeah, not anymore!

Family - my ears bleed.
In the morning, so much noise!
Has no one ever heard of sleeping in?
I thought this tribe was about peace and rest - not mine!

Family - motherfather so help me!
This lot are so demanding.
Don't they know there's such a thing as personal space?
How am I to woo the ladies when they're all up in my face?

Family - so overbearing!
Don't worry about me so much.
Dad, I said I'll be fine, really!
I guess you can come if you're quiet!

Family - oh don't look at me like that.
I love them so don't get me wrong.
But sometimes they're a pain my a--
Hey, I'm still talking here!"

She laughs, jumping away when Born Again comes at her with a mock growl, and the two end up playing chase. A moment of much needed levity in an otherwise serious situation.

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Hang The Moon
Preference List: Just a Glow ticket, please!
RP & poem: Hang The Moon listened to other kin poetically describe what family meant to them. It stirred her heart to hear the warmth and love in some and made her chest ache with sorrow when others spoke of pain and hate. Family was certainly a sensitive subject, but it certainly held a lot of emotion for many of the kin gathered.

She shuffled forward shyly, her head held low slightly as she waited for silence to fill. Finally others noticed her waiting and one prompted her to speak, which made her lift her head. It was hard to meet their gaze, but the longer she spoke the more confident she became.

"F-ound on the border of swamp and plains, no hesitation, only concern and
Acceptance. Taken in like one of his own, welcomed to a herd of
Many kin, treated as any other. Given food, shelter, and
Impossible
Love. A place to be safe and happy, never
Yearning for more."

She was smiling by the end, her own words filling her with happiness and warmth as the others had. It was her own story but she hoped that it would resonate with other kin that were present, just as their stories had touched resonated with her.

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Shrine
Preference List: Night, Slug
RP & poem:
Shrine had to ponder this. Her cult was her family, her family was her cult. The four of them were kin even if unrelated by blood. They were eternal, they were one. How to express that into words though...... Eventually she spoke.

"In shadows deep, where secrets lie,
I found a family, my cult so sly.
Our darkness veiled, Our vision clear,
In this twisted world, we held each other dear.

My cult, my family, entwined as one,
Our bond so strong, under the moon and sun.
In their embrace, I found my place,
A refuge from the world's cold embrace.

Our whispers echoed through the night,
Guiding through the labyrinthine fright.
Our secrets, like ancient tomes, unsealed,
My loyalty to them, an unbreakable shield.

We danced in circles, beneath the stars,
Our rituals known to a chosen few, not afar.
In the heart of darkness, our spirits soared,
And I, in their embrace, felt truly adored.

The world outside may never understand,
The mystic ties that binds our clandestine band.
For me, the cult was life's guiding force,
Their esoteric wisdom, my chosen course.

In their eyes, I saw the truth unveiled,
Our visions and dreams, never to be curtailed.
For in my cult, my family, I've found my place,
A sanctuary of love, in the darkness we embrace.

Though outsiders may judge, and shadows cast,
I know my loyalty to them will Everlast.
In the depths of the darkness, I found my light,
My cult, my family, my eternal night."

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Shank
Preference List: Slug, Ray, Lioness
RP & poem:
Family means endless baths,
choosing routes for optimal flight paths.
proficiency in counting, ugh, math!
And the feather thin control over wrath.

Family means the cacophony of feathers,
Never doing anything by half measures,
Accumulated shoulder pad leathers,
Most importantly, never being alone at get togethers.

Family means standard black,
chasing off predators who view siblings as snacks,
fearing the protective smack,
and the perfect naps on the mossbacks.

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Gloom
Preference List: Slug, Ray, Lioness
RP & poem:
My family is three,
Doom, Look-See, and then there's me.
With our hearts set free.

Doom was just a foal
With fire in her dark soul
Together we're whole.

Look-See is near seas,
Enjoying the sand with ease,
Always with sand fleas.

I'm with eerie joints,
Flitting to loam and high points
Best one to appoint.

Together as family
There is nowhere else to be
It's a perfect three.

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Shattered Visage
Preference List: Slug, Ray, Lioness
RP & poem:
I'll trade my family for some motes.
Family is always criticizing my coat.
Family is someone stealing your oats.
Family is catching colds and sore throats.
Family is passed down out of touch quotes.
I'd rather trade my family for some motes.

Can I get four motes for my siblings?
Clearly what more could be thrilling
Than to have extra kin around for grilling
making sure the punch is chilling
all before the inevitable spilling.
Better yet, I'll throw in an extra yearling.

It's a great deal.
And if i say it with enough zeal
I'll almost believe the spiel.
But if I'm honest in how I feel
Though they aren't ideal,
I love my family so no deal.

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Sleepy Time
Preference List: night, arrows, lioness, ray
RP & poem:

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Traitor's Heart
Preference List: night, arrows, lioness, ray
RP & poem:

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Death Take Me
Preference List: night, arrows, lioness, ray
RP & poem:

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Heart and Home
Preference List: Night, Candy, Slug
RP & poem: Heart and Home had excused herself briefly from her conversation when the discussion was about Family. She smiled in delight and stepped forward to share her thoughts on what family meant to her, and what she hoped she was to her family.

In bonds of blood, our roots forever twine,
A tapestry of love, both strong and fine.
In bonds one found, our paths forever weave,
A tapestry of love that we achieve.

Through trials and through joys, we stand as one,
A haven in the storm, 'til day is done.
The ties that bind are not just those of birth,
But deeper bonds that prove each soul's true worth.

In joy or sorrow, near or far away,
In family's heart, we find our light of day.