Ashface

Ashface is currently the mediator of FallClan. She is very calm and easygoing with a permanently placid expression on her face, and she never seems perturbed by anything. A former kittypet with a unique neurological condition called synesthesia, her odd habits and unusual perception of the world cause most cats to regard her as quite strange. Although her eccentricities are harmless, a few of her Clanmates took to the habit of avoiding or mocking her for it. Ashface is well aware of why, but she does not make any effort to change her behavior. She is who she is, and if her Clanmates don't like it, then that isn't her fault.

## Relationships

### Friends

Emberglow & Wingbreak. Also Pikenose up until he died.

### Enemies

None. But Stormclaw used to not like her and Graydusk kinda used to bully her.

## Appearance & Personality

### Appearance

Ashface is a small and slender she-cat with a dainty frame and short fur that is soft and almost fuzzy, resembling down feathers in texture. She is 8.2 inches tall with her limbs and tail being ever so slightly shorter than average. She is a sandy-cream mackerel tabby with splotches of dark gray splashed across her pelt, most notably over the entire left half of her head and face. She also has a few white markings on her chest, paws, and on the tip of her tail. Her eyes are dark green and normally unfocused, looking either through or a little beyond whoever she is speaking to. She typically has only a single facial expression, and it's one of passive contentment. It is extremely difficult to make her perpetual small smile fade. Her ears, nose, and whiskers are always twitching as she absorbs the world around her, and she tends to move slowly and haltingly. She is perfectly capable of going at a brisker pace if need be, though.

### Personality

Ashface is a bit of an odd one. She is very calm and easygoing, and barely anything fazes her. There is a loose purr in her throat and a vague smile on her face more often than not. She is well-intentioned and actually quite social, very much enjoying company and partaking in activities with others. As much as she claims and acts like it does not upset her, she is in fact somewhat hurt whenever cats withdraw from or dismiss her. Being isolated so frequently has made her appear to be a little more detached and reclusive than she really is. She doesn't internalize it, though. She understands the mindset and is willing to accept it, as she is with most things. She has very little shame and does not feel any need to change her behaviors in order to be liked- not out of any sense of pride or even confidence, but simply because she does not feel like it is necessary. She is fairly absentminded and dreamy, too, and often loses track of conversations while she is in the middle of them. She's forgetful when it comes to small details and has no filter or social radar. She says whatever comes to mind- usually just observations or recollections and nothing judgmental. She phrases things in strange ways that come across as cryptic sometimes and does not fully recognize the ways in which she stands apart from others. She is acutely sensitive to other cats' thoughts and feelings, however, and when given the opportunity to, she excels as a mediator. She’s a kindhearted and gentle cat who would happily go out of her way to help anyone if she sees a chance to. She's kind of like a really weird therapist. We love her, though.

## Biography

(I will go back and rewrite everything in detail later :p)

### Early Life

0 moons: born as Aramis to some housecat named Persephone in midsummer. She has two brothers, Athos and Porthos. Who's their dad??? No one knows.

1 moon: nothing really happens. Aramis is raised with her brothers. Her mom is chill. Her owners are cool. She's a little slower than her littermates in developing, though.

2 moons: Families start coming over to look at the kittens. Then one day some people show up and take Porthos. What. The heck. Aramis doesn't actually understand this because she is a baby. But she wonders where her brother went. Then some people show up and take her, too, though, so she doesn't have to wonder for long.

3 moons: She has a new family now! Aramis is renamed Asha. She now lives in an apartment with some young couple. Great. There are two tiny lil dogs named Bella and Max. Asha likes them. She gets into all sorts of trouble. She adjusts.

4-8 moons: girl is literally just chilling. absolutely nothing happens. she gets to see snow out the window and thinks it’s cool. fun kittypet times. well, when she's 6 moons old she gets spayed. that's not fun. but y'know, aside from that. Oh, and there’s also one time where she accidentally gets her tail caught in a slamming door and it breaks. The tail, i mean. Not the door. That’s also not fun. It hurts quite a lot, actually. But she gets taken to the vet and they fix it and it’s fine within a couple of months. Good job, vet.

9 moons: the apartment room above hers floods and water gets everywhere. Asha freaks out and escapes by squeezing through an open window and jumping onto a fire escape. It really wasn't as bad as she remembers it as being, because her senses made it seem way worse and way more chaotic than it was. But hey, she's free and on the streets now! She also brings her favorite toy with her, a soft little stuffed orange fish.

10-11 moons: all the neighborhood cats bully Asha for being weird and she finds out for the first time that not everyone gets the funky colors and tastes and smells the way she does. she's fine with that. she thinks she can't go back home though and so she just strolls around for a while and gets her food from any kittypets willing to share theirs. some nice cat offers to let her stay with her in a curb drain, but asha thinks it’s gross in there and just wanders aimlessly instead, finding shelter as she goes. okay then.

12 moons: starts off the same, but soon she makes the mistake of asking a gaggle of rogues if she can have some of their food. they don't like that. they try to chase her out. it doesn't work, though, because she doesn't really understand the whole "running" thing. so they just attack her instead. it doesn't leave any lasting damage, but her collar does tear off. they also take her toy and don’t give it back even though she asks very nicely. so that's something. asha decides that she might as well go and just strolls out of twolegplace.

13 moons: uhhh travel montage. genius kitty survives off of nuts, roots, and berries for a moon because she can't hunt. she does find an injured bird at one point, though, so she just sits with it until it dies and then uses it for food over the course of the next couple of days. she also finds a dead rabbit in a briar patch and, despite her repulsion for eating fur, takes it with her to snack on for another few days. it does make her a little sick, but it's nothing bad. she decides to never eat furry things again, though. because that was *definitely* the problem and not the fact that it had already been dead for several days. totally.

### Mediator Life

14 moons: Asha finds FallClan! Hey hey! Sorrelseed sees her staring into the water and is like "???can i help you??" and asha decides to join because why not. and also because she is very very hungry and FallClan has fish. she introduces herself to milkweedstar and he has no idea what an "asha" is so he just names her ashface. ashface is fine with that. he also makes her the mediator because the old one just died and they need a new one and she seems chill enough. ashface is fine with that, too.

15-17 moons: girl is just chilling. she doesn't do much except get on stormclaw's bad side. she tries to fit into her role at first, but everyone thinks she's a weirdo and is kinda disconcerted by her and for the most part try to avoid talking to her. she doesn't really have any friends, no one has actually shown her how to swim or fish or anything, and she starts to wonder why exactly she's even here. she finds a little island by itself in the middle of the water and takes up a habit of just sitting there a lot of the time. it's not like she's got anything better to do. occasionally she does spend time with the elders, though. they're pretty nice to her and she gets along the best with wingbreak. wingbreak finds things for her to do sometimes and they have fun chatting abt psychology lol

18 moons: she befriends Emberglow! Win! Emberglow shows her how to fish and stuff! More win! Happy times! this is inspiring!

19 moons: now on a friendship high, she musters up the courage to approach pikenose, whose vibes had always interested her! they kinda hit it off! they bond over feeling alienated and ashface is absolutely floored when he says he thinks she's cool! they pep talk each other! they are cute! but on the less bright side, a new apprentice named graypaw shows up and starts being a jerk to her!

20-21 moons: just chilling! ashface learns about emberglow's past and gets a lupine flower from pikenose! stormclaw also decides to stop hating her! she's still learning how to fish and such! she's ignoring graypaw! she's doing great! you go ashface!

22 moons: sorrelseed notices that graypaw is bullying ashface and makes him apologize. he's very bad at it. ashface just finds it amusing. but other than that, more chilling! happy fun times with pike and em! yay!

23 moons: uh... plague starts. not ideal! ashface isn't really that bothered, though. the borders shutting down does not affect her specifically and she’s sure it’ll all be fine.

24 moons: spoiler alert- it is not fine. pikenose dies. suddenly ashface Is bothered. she is Very bothered by this, actually! they had kind of been sort of dating! emberglow loses her kind of sort of boyfriend, too, though, so they bond over that. bestie goals, i guess.

25-27 moons: nothing interesting happens. just stewing in a pool of grief and contrived optimism.

28 moons: emberglow tells her that she wants to leave the clans for a bit to try and find her sister. ashface is into this idea and decides to come with her, because heck it, she needs Some kind of purpose. so they set off!

29-31 moons: ash and em's excellent adventure!!!!

32 moons: they come to an unfamiliar twolegplace. ashface likes it. it seems to be promising. after some encounters with muffin and the crows, they end up finding Moon! they also watch Dodger die, which is kind of awkward, but oh well. Moon decides to come with them though and they start heading back the next morning woo!!!

## Other

### Trivia

* Her headcanon voice is somewhere between Felicity from Felidae and Imposter Iosefka from Bloodborne. I imagine her speaking very slowly and deliberately in smooth and velvety sorts of tones. She has a weird sounding voice, maybe a little creepy even, but it's still soothing.
* She was the first cat in ABW to have synesthesia. The second was a dude from the original roleplay named Gorseblaze, but he no longer exists.
* She was also heavily inspired by Whiteout from Wings of Fire.
* Her mother's owners named her and her brothers after the three musketeers.
* Her favorite food is still canned tuna. But if she had to pick a favorite fresh-kill, it would be trout. Her favorite color is green and her favorite flowers have been lupines ever since Pikenose gave one to her.
* Speaking of that, she still keeps that lupine in her nest in the warriors' den. It is shriveled and long dead by now, but she still holds on to it. Before leaving with Emberglow, she made sure that everyone knew not to throw it out with her moss. It was the first gift she'd ever received from another cat and it still means the world to her.
* Ashface also has a weird habit of dissecting her prey before she eats it. She'll scrape all the meat off the bones and eat it separately. Then she likes to split the bones open and kinda just... pick through them. She just finds it fascinating. At least she has a hobby, I guess.
* If she moves or speaks too quickly, she is sometimes overwhelmed by scents, sights, and tastes. The same thing happens sometimes when she blinks. Because of this, she usually moves lethargically, speaks slowly with odd pauses between her words, and does not blink often. She also hates bright lights and loud noises and has that thing where she sneezes after seeing sunlight.
* She is claustrophobic and has a fear of heights. She does not like to feel too closed in or too exposed.
* She doesn't enjoy swimming at all and refuses to walk on wood. Despite her apparent distaste for water, though, it has never once occurred to her to change Clans. She's fine where she is.
* She also has something of a tic where saying certain words will cleanse her mouth of unwanted tastes. Whenever she strings together words that don't feel right, she follows up with either "different", "hoot", or "ogle" in order to cancel them out. She prefers "different" over the others, though.
* Her love language is quality time.
* Oh yeah, the dogs at her old apartment? Bella and Max? So there was actually a two pet limit at the place. Bella and Max were both nearly identical little terriers though, so in order to get Asha the owners kinda just… played them both off as being the same dog. Whenever anyone came over, they would keep one of them hidden lmbo. They walked one dog in the morning and one in the evening and claimed it was the same dog going on two walks. It was kind of great. They did eventually get busted, but not until after Asha had run off so they were still technically at the limit by that point pfft
* She is canonically a goddess at Mario Kart. Don't ask.

### Quotes

*"Hello. Purple today?"*

*"I am sorry. I can't blame you for not wanting... to be around me. (...) I know I’m the only one who sees and feels the colors. I don’t get... it, either. But I’m a mediator, so I want to be helpful."*

*"Your... female parent... I take it she was not ideal?"*

**Emberglow:** *"I'm sorry cats have been so rude to you."*

**Ashface:** *"They don’t mean to be. It is natural, I think. When you see... something you do not understand, it makes you afraid.”*

**Ashface:** *"If you understood her motives, would that help you? Is there... anything to gain from it?"*

**Emberglow:** *"Not that I know of..."*

**Ashface:** *"Then it isn't worth dwelling on. She was most likely being selfish. Taking out bitterness on you. It’s sometimes used as a coping mechanism. But that doesn’t make it okay.”*

**Emberglow:** *"She seemed to think it was."*

**Ashface:** *"Of course. They rarely recognize that there’s anything wrong with what they are doing. When they do, they usually try to fight down the guilt by being even worse. But this isn't about your mother, it's... about you."*

**Emberglow:** *"What about me?"*

**Ashface:** *"With all that yellow, you’re clearly still thinking about her a lot. I want to... help with that. I know it’s hard, but I’ve done this before. It’s horrible to carry the... weight of experiences like those around with you for such a long time. I would like to help you.”*

*"Mm. I don’t talk to many cats anymore. I used to try, but it doesn’t... usually amount to anything. I make everyone uncomfortable. I can see why. I wish I didn’t, but it... is what it is. I'm just a bit too different from most others, it seems. You seem to have a... somewhat similar problem. At least... the colors indicate as much.”*

*"I suppose so. I’m rather good at... analyzing the minds of other cats, but when it comes to my own head, I haven’t the faintest clue what’s going on. StarClan must have given me the colors and tastes for a reason, though, so I’m trying to use... them to their fullest extent as a mediator. But I think you're a very interesting cat, too, Emberglow."*

*"Unfortunately, you are quite right. I must say, it makes me feel a... bit out of place, knowing how much everyone has lost. I haven’t suffered nearly as much as most wildborn... cats. I suppose I am lucky.”*

*"Taste. Bad. It happens. That’s why... I move and talk so... slowly. If I don’t, then sometimes..."*

*"You can lead the way, then. I... I don’t leave the camp very often, except for this one little island that’s close by. I go there sometimes. It’s nice, and no one is actively trying to... avoid me. Because I’m already alone."*

*"Stone. Stone is savory sometimes. Thank you." - (to Emberglow when she takes her to an island with stone instead of sand)*

*"Cod? I think... I’ve had cod before. Both as fresh-kill and as a kittypet. Some of the food they gave me had fish in it. It's good."*

**Ashface:** *"Oh. That's a shiny [fish]. Good job."*

**Emberglow:** *"I guess it is kind of shiny."*

**Ashface:** *"I like the shiny ones. They’re pretty. My colors don’t mess with them as much."*

**Emberglow:** *"You're welcome to have it."*

**Ashface:** *"Thank you."*

*"Before the flood, the only water I’d ever made contact with was the stuff in my water bowl. It was only a little bit, and it didn’t move at all. Oh, I tried to... drink some from the sink faucet once, but my housefolk didn’t like that. I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it eventually, though."*

*"It didn't feel like I did it right. It was... fast. I’m not sure how it’s possible to keep track of a fish through that." - (when she epically fails at diving for a fish)*

*"I think you're doing fine. I mean... I suppose I don’t have much to... compare this against, but — you know. Maybe this will be good practice for if you ever get... an apprentice.”*

**Pikenose:** *"Your senses sound advanced. That must be beneficial to your rank as a mediator. You sound like you've been gifted. Why wouldn't others like to interact with you?"*

**Ashface:** *"I don't fit in. I... act strange because of the... tastes, and it makes cats uncomfortable. They don’t understand it, and they don’t try to. I don’t understand it... either, really. And I don’t try to change anything. It’s just as much my... fault as it is theirs."*

**Pikenose:** *"It's not your fault. We're all different. And it's their problem if they think you're strange, not yours. You shouldn't be bothered if someone thinks you're strange."*

**Ashface:** *"It doesn't really bother me. I am used to it. But it does make me a little bit sad.* (…) *Wait, you... don’t think that I’m strange?”*

**Pikenose:** *"Everyone's different in their own way. Why would I discriminate you for being yourself?"*

**Ashface:** *"That's... a very nice way to say it. Thank you."*

*"Pikenose, if those are the only ‘bad’ things you can recall having... done, I think you’re fine. Besides, I am used to feeling bad. Don’t worry about... it.”*

**Pikenose:** *"I still feel bad."*

**Ashface:** *"Of course you do. That is because you are a... good cat. You have a good heart, Pikenose. You care about others more than yourself.”*

**Pikenose:** *"Th-thank you..."*

**Ashface:** *"You made me feel better about myself, so I... thought I may as well return the favor.”*

*"Change is difficult. It will take time. But if you keep at it, it.. always pays off in the end.”*

**Ashface:** *"The pink is starting to... come back. You are doing well. This is a good pink. It seems to be your main color, I think. Most cats have... one. I happen to like yours. It’s pretty.”*

**Pikenose:** *"Thank you...?"*

**Ashface:** *"Sure. There were... stripes earlier, too. And the colors were spreading a bit. That’s unusual. You’re... intriguing, Pikenose. In a good way. You should feel... good about it.”*

**Ashface:** *"You said you... like evergreens. For any reason in particular? I like maples because my... housefolk used to have one in their front yard. I would climb it sometimes when they let me outside.”*

**Pikenose:** *"They have a nice smell... evergreens... you can curl up under one and watch the world from under their leaves and branches... they won't judge you."*

**Ashface:** *"Yes. You are right. It sounds nice."*

*"It's alright. I am merely enjoying the texture."*

*"That’s what counts. Doing something even... when you’re scared. That’s bravery. You* are *brave, Pikenose. I doubt it was easy to... tell me about that, either. You seemed hesitant. But you did it anyways. You're a lot better than you give yourself credit for."*

*"There it is. The pink. It's... back now. I'm glad."*

**Graypaw:** *"I'm... I'm sorry for being, like, uh... stupid."*

**Ashface:** *"Oh, that's... perfectly alright. Different. We all are."*

**Ashface:** *"This feeling isn't good. Just... thinking about feeling better can make you feel guilty. But... but regardless, it ends up being alright."*

**Emberglow:** *"No. It really doesn't."*

**Ashface:** *"Maybe not inside. But the... world keeps moving. Life goes on. It doesn’t wait for you... to grieve. The world can be mean, but... in a way, that is almost comforting.”*

**Emberglow:** *"How so?"*

**Ashface:** *"Well, if... the Clan continues to move forward and function, it helps us to understand that not all is wrong. And we can begin to... recover, too. Now, it is still too fresh, of course. But... with time... we* will *heal. Everyone does. Myself, I take comfort in that knowledge.”*

**Ashface:** *"Now you are only... back to where you were before you became friends with [Larchflight]. Different. Except it’s... better, isn’t it? Because now you have memories to... cherish. Good memories. He wouldn’t want you to be sad, I don’t think.”*

**Emberglow:** *"H-he wouldn't..."*

**Ashface:** *"Neither do I. Neither do all of your Clanmates, everyone here. None of us want... to be sad right now. It’s natural, and it’s okay, but... keep in mind that the sadness only means you were happy to have him. So... I think it's best to be glad for that, even though it's painful."*

**Emberglow:** *"(...) You're FallClan's mediator! They need you here!"*

**Ashface:** *"Need me? I... don't think most of our Clanmates remember I exist, Emberglow. I don't have much to do most of the time. I doubt they will miss... me anyways. Someone else can temporarily fill the role."*

*"My... colors are rather simple. They appear, they move, they change. That is all. Different. Some are pretty and some are bad. But it shifts, and is never... entirely good or not.”*

*"I like rocks."*

*"Nothing is ever... gone, I don’t think. Not truly. If it existed once, it is still somewhere. Maybe in... pieces... maybe in a different form, but... something can't simply become* 'gone'."

**Emberglow:** *"I know what Stormclaw said, but maybe StarClan's wrong. What if they are wrong? What if Abyss doesn't actually know what he said he does?"*

**Ashface:** *"Or what if* you *are overthinking things? Just a little bit, perhaps?"*

**Emberglow:** *"Yeah. I probably am. I'll try to be quieter."*

**Ashface:** *"No, no. I understand that you’re nervous. It is better to let it out than to bottle it up. Just know that the worst... possible scenario is not always the most likely one."*

*"We do not have to do this. It is your call and it always has been. But I think it would be good for you. The truth is that we don’t know whether or not we will encounter your mother. But if we are serious about finding your sister, that is a risk we will have to be willing to take.”*

*"Worrying won't solve a thing."*

*“A housecat, most surely. Or a… ‘kittypet’, as you would say. Do you think any windows are within reach? I used to…* love *sitting in windowsills while I was a… housecat.* Different. *Perhaps we can contact them that way.”*

“This *is a window. And* that *was your reflection. Just like in water.”*

***Muffin:** “The black cats aren’t very friendly. Hope your sis wants t’see ya.”*

***Ashface:** “Thank you, Muffin. That…* does *sound like Moon, doesn’t it?”*

***Muffin:** “You live by the water? Like, on purpose?”*

***Ashface:** “It* is *strange. But have your… housefolk ever given you canned fish? Tuna or sardines? We can catch them fresh, straight from the water. We must do a bit of swimming, however. I am not… particularly talented at it. But* Emberglow *is like a fish herself.”*

*“I have never been to a… place like this before, but I can see why cats might… get* territorial *about living near here. It smells like there must be food inside.”*

*“This is… quite easy, is it not? Cats here are very nice. Very nice indeed. Different. So long as you… do not ask them for food. I suppose I… learned that the difficult way.”*

*“I would not stress it. Do not be unguarded, of course, but… neither should we act visibly suspicious of these cats. This is their turf and we are the strangers. So long as we make it clear that we are harmless, and rather lost in this area—* different— *they will do what… they can to help us and then send us on our way.”*