Lynxstorm ;; The Existentialist

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Name | Lynxstorm

Gender | Tom

Age | 13 moons

Rank | Warrior

Clan | MeadowClan

Beliefs| Lynxstorm does not believe in Starclan per se, however he does believe in a sort of Eastern-Philosophy-esque thing (in lack of a better word). He believes that through learning all that one can about the trade of a Medicine Cat one gains a level of introspection that other cats cannot hope to gain and, through this increased vision, one is able to see mentally further than they can physically, a gift which manifests as the illusion of dead cats informing them of things. Similarly, for leaders the cat who earns the right to become a leader has gone through so much trial and strife that he or she is able to have an increased physical durability, much like the monks who fast so well that they supposedly don’t have to eat for months at a time, and this durability is rationalized as nine lives given by a fictional spirit. So he believes in a sort of sixth-sense ability gained through intense work, but not a higher order or pre-intended point to the world. To him, it is all chance. He also disbelieves the idea of fate, or an afterlife.

Parents | Greystream, unknown ForestClan tom

Siblings | none

Other Kin | not yet/none

Mate | not yet

Crush | not yet

Kits | not yet

Apprentice/Mentor | not yet

Appearance | Lynxstorm possesses an almost comical amount of long, angora-coat fur. It bunches around him like an oversized winter coat, but he somehow manages to keep it organized so that it at least flows nicely. His tail has similar amounts of fur, and when he waves it about while walking he tends to leave an undignified trail of floating fur behind him, which he finds to be a highly offensive insult to his vanity. Therefore he tends to keep it stationary, curled over his back in a haughty, if uncomfortable, half circle. His grey, white, and brown layered coloration earned him is prefix of Lynx, and it provides nice camouflage. The white on him tends to hide beneath the alternating overcoat of grey and brown, and is barely visible beneath the long strands. His paws are broad, as is customary of a MeadowClan cat, and the increased amount of fur only increases the illusion-a look that also contributed to his prefix. His claws are not very blunted, as although he loves the underground, he is a bigger fan of stealing dens than digging them. The copious amounts of fur that spurt out from between his paws allow him to stay higher up upon the snow than his shorter furred counterparts. Lynxstorm is fairly average build, though he can appear much larger due to the insane fluffiness his pelt possesses. His face is rounded at the edges, but his snout juts sharply forward, looking like a blunted triangle from above, which accentuates the acerbic, intense look that his large yellow-green eyes give him. These eyes are widely set, and always burn with the passionate, intelligent force that Lynxstorm conveys. His ears are slightly tufted, and have a thick covering of long hair on the inside, which can sometimes get in the way of his hearing. His whiskers are barely visible, but when they are framed by light the stiff, erratically pointing sensory tools serve only to further the enrapturing, unwelcoming intensity of his gaze.

Personality | Lynxstorm is an intellectual, an existentialist. He is a thinker, and, like all existentialists, is guided by an intense passion. These two words will be used constantly in his description, for they (and existentialism) are some of his key characteristics. He is impetuous and rash in word and thought, but not in action, as he posses a surprisingly advanced view of time for someone so young-taking a stance on its passage that is customary of immortal or extremely elderly beings. This view coincides with his wish to not take any action that may produce lasting reactions he isn’t ready for to make him a more contemplative act-er. Lynxstorm is, as stated before, an intellectual, and an irreverent, if slightly spiritual, one. He urges cats to make the most out of their time here with little regard for whether or not they get to be with StarClan or not in the end-as he believes that once you’re dead, you’re dead. He also preaches an existential “no excuses”: your life is the direct result of your actions (i.e. StarClan doesn’t not like you, you just screwed up), a stance that contributes to his critical attitude and lack of sympathy.
Lynxstorm is Socratic in speech, a constant questioning, nagging force-but he also inserts his own opinions and rejects the idea of the rule of total logic. Lynxstorm is, clearly, very intelligent, but he is definitely not the cat to go to for advice. He is brutally argumentative, harshly critical, irreverent, irritating, and stubborn as a rock. Casual conversation does not exist for this intense debater, and no one is free from his insistent questioning and opionated views. He despises ignorance, and, although he is not guilty of this sin, his rock-like stubbornness often gives him the appearance of an ignorant “old dog”, set in his ways. Lynxstorm is, however, an embracer of change, but he often allows passion to override his other characteristics when he is interacting with other cats, not to mention the fact that his characteristic MeadowClan pride can blow up his ego to slightly overlarge proportions at times. His above-average intelligence also plays a role in his interactions with other cats, as his quick thinking and immense store of already thought out opinions and stances makes him a stimulating and draining conversation partner.
Lynxstorm enjoys the clan lifestyle and, having gone over the options and figured that as a rogue he would be living a far more subsistence life than his current one, he is loyal to MeadowClan, though only because of the fact that he loves the life it offers. This, however, does make him committed to its survival, but not so much to the well-being of his clanmates, with whom he hasn’t bonded with, due to an indifference towards social life.
Described as one might describe your typical cat, Lynxstorm is a proud, argumentative, loud, loyal, irreverent, thoughtful, and intense. Intense in conversation, in personality, in beliefs, in thoughts and in aura, almost any interaction with Lynxstorm will leave one exhausted and drained.

Philosophy | (this is important because, as an intellectual and an existentialist, his philosophies directly affect Lynxstorm’s daily life and his personality. Some repetition may be present if you’ve read the entire description.)
Lynxstorm is an existentialist, first and foremost. Not a purebred existentialist by any means, but that is his core outlook on the world. He has a dash of spirituality, he doesn’t believe in the concept of a transcendent soul, but he recognizes a sort of “sixth sense” ability level that can be achieved by some cats (see Beliefs). This, however, is as far as he will reach religiously- he doesn’t believe in an afterlife (after death you cease to exist) or a benevolent higher power. This disbelief in something beyond life causes Lynxstorm to urge cats to make the most of this life, with no regard for whether or not their actions here will allow them into StarClan, or heaven, or whatever, in the end (a more cat-like and culturally suitable version of the existentialists “beings have no existence apart from life on this world”). This does not, however, automatically lead to life without morals, but we will get to that later. Another key element of existentialism, the “no excuses” philosophy, is also accepted by Lynxstorm (see Personality). Absolute freedom and responsibility are present in the warrior’s mind in their basest forms, but he lacks the human political and social background that sets up much of the idea of existential freedom. The authentic lifestyle versus the inauthentic lifestyle are ideas that are present in vague forms in Lynxstorm’s mind, but they are more represented by “do”s and “don’t”s than existing as fully fledged distinct life paths-he may later develop a more advanced understanding of these. The above is about as far as Lynxstorm has gotten with existentialism, at least for now.
So far as morality and the “do”s and “don’t”s of life, a big theme for (Lynxstorm and the existentialists) is individuality and knowing oneself. He scorns the “herd phenomenon” and believes that when making a choice one should contemplate not only the logical pros and cons of each, but also what is the choice that is true to oneself. He also practices and preaches the idea of flexible values, that the prioritization and choosing of values is an essential personal process, and that no one can tell another person what his or her values should be. He also follow the existentialists in not discrediting emotions and advocating the “passionate life”, but he does distinguish between “flaring emotions,” which are impetuous and should be allowed to wear off, and “passions,” which are long-term, true feelings. MORE HERE

Skills | Lynxstorm is, first and foremost, intelligent. His quick mind and agile tongue are his favorite weapon, and he uses them often. As a warrior, he is a fairly good fighter because of his quick reflexes and minimal response time, but he has never had much interest or skill in hunting, tending to space off while he should be stalking prey. He is a good assistant to have if you want to track something, as although he is not very good at finding scent or marks, his vivid imagination allows him to step into the
“trackee’s” mind and give advice as to where he thinks it would have gone, which decreases the amount of time before the trail is found again. He has poor social skills, due to his acerbic and draining personality. He has good stamina as a runner, due to the long journey, but he has never been able to sprint.

History | Lynxstorm was born to a ForestClan queen, who had no permanent mate and simply selected the best toms to sire her litters (much like Morningflower of the first series). Lynxstorm was therefore never certain of his paternal heritage, and lacked a father figure. He was also born two moons into the journey, Greystream had gotten pregnant just as it began, and grew up siblingless and spending his formative moons walking and sleeping with a depleted and exhausted group of cat’s. This monotony time left Lynxstorm’s active mind was left ample time to think as he walked, was carried, rested, or snatched a few minutes of sparse solo playtime. Lynxkit’s loneliness was partially self-imposed, as he already had ambivalence towards relationships, but his distant mother and exhausted clanmates taught him not to be shy and rarely speak, but to be as loud, opinionated, and even insulting, as possible in order to get the attention of his audience. When Lynxstorm his apprentice age, the journey was still going on, but he managed to train whenever possible and became a fairly proficient fighter, but never was quite up to par in hunting. He learned as much as possible and hung around the elders and listened to them much of the time, but despite his eagerness his already present passionate questioning and deeply-rooted opinions caused most of the other cats to either actively dislike him or simply be neutral towards him, but his value of the individual overrode any desire to be liked, this isolation gave him still more time to think. When they arrived and broke into clans, he was in no mood to deal with outsiders who weren’t sure of the clan ways, and with his love for the underground and the peace it brought, he quickly chose MeadowClan. He was made a warrior four moons afterwards, when he was eleven moons old.