Creature Feature: The Johanssen Witches

Though it wasn't the first time that we crossed the line to include some or our more outlandish characters on Birchwood Isle, the Johanssen Witches are the first time that we did it openly, with the introduction of the Archer Somers canon family. The family is filled up now with every character taken by a member of Birchwood Isle, but there are plenty of Johanssens left for members to pick up (as the canon families in this line are released).

The Johanssens aren't the only witches on the island, but their line is unique for several reasons that you might find interesting. If you'd like to consider playing a Johanssen witch as these characters become available, you'll want to read through this information before taking that leap. Members who have joined this line have asked for further information, and we hope that what we provide is sufficient to help you understand them.

Note that future "creature features" might feature other witch lines. Each has its own unique qualities!

You should know several things about the Johanssens from the beginning.

1. This is a female line of witches. Both female and male lines exist on Birchwood Isle. The Johanssen line is female. Each woman in this line is morally obligated to birth seven daughters. Other children (whether she has more than seven children or mixes with a male line to produce boy children) do not count toward the total of seven children.
2. These witches have active powers. Most of the Johanssen witches are pagans, and practice witchcraft the way that modern pagans do. However, they also have active powers which means that they have abilities in addition to their ability to perform spells. If you need a point of reference, Practical Magic is a good example of the types of powers Johanssen women possess.
3. Each woman has unique powers. In this line, most of the women have one or two active powers, and these powers are unique, meaning that not every woman will have the same powers as the other women in her family. The exception to this is the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter.
4. Every seventh daughter of a seventh daughter inherits the powers of her sisters. She will also inherit the active powers of every other witch who came before her. This is the reason that continuing the line is so important to the Johanssen witches. The youngest girl of the youngest girl will always be the most powerful.
5. The seventh daughter of the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter (etc) is not yet born. Saren Somers is the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter (Ruby Johanssen) and she has six biological daughters. At the moment she is pregnant with the seventh daughter in her line.
6. Abrielle Somers is currently the most powerful witch in the line. Nobody's quite sure why, except that a prophecy said she would have a very special child. She is now seventeen and pregnant with an unusual child. Most Johanssen women don't have boys, and Brieley is pregnant with a boy child. He is so powerful that she has absorbed the power from her baby.
7. The current line goes back seven generations. The seventh daughter of the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter hasn't been born yet. Saren Somers is currently pregnant with her.

Unless otherwise indicated, most of the witches in this line have moderate-to-strong powers, with Saren and Brieley Somers having especially strong powers. A small handful of the witches in this line have weak powers. Males in this line usually have no powers except under special circumstances.

There are currently four males in this line. They are two sets of twins  born to a set of twins: Monica's boys are Jason and Jamie Johanssen and her twin sister Bridget's boys are Ashley and Gabriel.

More families in this line are opening up regularly, and some spots are still available in the (Carissa) Johanssen-Rhodes family as well as in the Bridget Johanssen family. These branches are being written up as we speak, and will be released as canon characters.

Preference vs. Discrimination: What's the Difference?

Recently we were forced to ban a member we liked in part because of discriminatory behavior by this member. Thanks, in part, to this situation, we created a Diversity Policy for Birchwood Isle which lays out what we allow and what we don't allow in terms of discrimination against any group on our site.

On Birchwood Isle, we don't allow anyone to discriminate against anyone else for any reason. So while it may be an unpopular point of view, you cannot refuse to role play with a character for being straight, or white, or male, or wealthy, or cisgender, or any number of things.

You are permitted to have a preference in your role play! Some people prefer to role play with female adults, and some might have a preference for adopting female children. These are preferences, not discrimination. We highly recommend that you keep these types of preferences to yourself. Talking openly about preferences that exclude particular groups of people can be triggering to some people and is generally offensive to nearly everyone on Birchwood Isle. Elect to play with men instead of women if you want, but try not to post in your plot page (or other people's plot pages) that you don't want to role play with women.

If your preferences become discriminatory -- that is to say that if you prefer one group over the other so much that you cannot play with a particular group -- then that is discrimination, and this isn't going to be the right group for you: You'll be in violation of our discrimination policy.

Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of a class of people based on such things as gender, race, sexual orientation, etc. The key word here is prejudicial. 

If you choose to judge an individual (let's say my character/inner adult Josh Tanner) based on his gender (cismale) or his ethnicity (Samoan) without taking the time to learn about Josh as an individual, this is discrimination. 

While we understand the sexual nature of ageplay, and that your own orientation and preferences may relate to your preferences in a group such as ours, we also believe that inner kids are people too and that we cannot allow members to pick and choose people to play with based on discriminatory practices, policies, and behavior.

So you may prefer to play with women, but you may not refuse to play with men. 

If characters of a particular gender, race, or sexual orientation "trigger" you, let us know up front. We may be able to make accommodations, but more likely than not you'll find that this isn't the group for you.

Inner Kid Connection: Structure for Inner Kids

Of all the things that make us most proud of Birchwood Isle, our structure is at the top of the list of things we love about our island. Many ageplay groups provide little more than a forum and protective access which requires people to fill out an application before they can see the role play going on on the board. Inner kids are then able to post their stories, journals, or general calamities with little expectation of being cared for. 

While there are some very good forums of this type on the internet, we saw an opportunity and a  void where legit serious role playing groups were concerned, and since we felt that our inner kids would be best suited to more structure, we put the effort into forming a site where inner kids could be kept safe in every possible way.

The question that many people seem to ask is this: How does structure help keep my inner kid safe?

Our answer is simple: Inner kids feel safer when they have someone they can turn to and rely on in a crisis. Not only are both of our admins always available if you're having an issue on the site, but we provide guardianship for every inner child who comes to Birchwood Isle without his or her own parents. While we certainly don't adopt every foster kid who arrives on the island, we provide each of them with a guardian, a social worker, a therapist, a physician or pediatrician, a homeroom teacher, and for those over fourteen, the possibility of an employer as well. 

These support networks are incredible, and they are active at your request. Each of these characters is played by a staff member, and yes, we do keep up with the requested threads (at least for now).

This means that your inner kid will have a dedicated and trusted support staff.

When we talk about our "structure," this is what we mean. No kid comes onto the island to be ignored or to be expected to interact only with peers. We know each of our members individually, and we strive to get to know the inner children on Birchwood Isle as well.

To our knowledge, you're not going to find this anywhere else.

So while we might have some rules that other administrators find too "revealing" (we require all inners to be linked to one "alias" or "big person" for contact purposes, and we provide much of our basic information publicly to everyone, but not the bio forms, which frustrate some members), we do what we do for the protection of the individuals we serve at Birchwood Isle. After all, if it works for us, that means that on some level it works.

Birchwood Isle Changes sometimes, based on the needs of our staff and members. We will update you of any changes you need to know about.

In the meantime, you can...

Come Join Us!

How Your Character's Inner Thoughts Affect Other Inner Kids

This is a common problem that I've been dealing with for years now. I'd like to try to handle this topic with sensitivity to all involved, but I must begin by explaining something important about inner kid. I'll probably talk about this again in a later Inner Kid Connection, but it has a bearing on this topic.

Inner kids are often incredibly sensitive. I'll leave this post at that and allow you to read further when next week's Inner Kid Connection is posted.

Scornful thoughts or narration can affect an inner person of any age (child, teen, or adult) but it is especially harmful to emotionally-real inner children. The first time I witnessed this problem occurring, it was two inner children playing together, and one thought that the other was stupid (or similar thoughts, this was years ago now). The second child was deeply hurt by this inner commentary, but was unable to comment or defend himself because the words weren't spoken out loud.

Here's something that you should think about: If you wouldn't want somebody to do that to your inner kid, you shouldn't do it to their inner kid.

It's that simple. We all learned this in Kindergarten. If you wish to be treated with respect, then you should treat other people with respect. Anything you would not want done to your inner kid is something you shouldn't do to another inner kid (unless they've specifically asked for it). 

Going forward, I hope that our members can remember this.

Weekly Roleplay Tip: Making Readers See What You See

It is (unfortunately) no secret at Birchwood Isle that I have a lot of problems with "cute inner kids." I've had to address this issue so many times that it's become a tremendous embarrassment to me. "Cute" inner kids can be very triggering for me. I've tried to explain the problem on our forum, but since non-members can't see what I've written there, let me put it to you simply: Just because you think your inner kid is cute doesn't mean that she is cute, and you can't convince me that she's lovable or worth adopting by telling me how "cute" or "little" or "tiny" or "adorable" she is. The harsh reality is that your inner kid probably isn't as cute as you think that she is.

As I've come to understand what it is about the "cuties" that bothers me so much, I've discovered an important element of good role play: You need to make the reader see what you see. Instead of telling me that your inner kid is cute, show me. When I can see it, too, I'm more likely to love your inner kid the way that you want me to. Telling me she's cute repulses me; Showing me she's cute attracts me!

Obviously, therefore, this tip is quite personal for me. It's also been weighing on me for some time. Showing rather than telling will get you better results with nearly every adult role player.

First things first, simply stop telling me what you see. The key here is to stop telling that your inner kid is cute, or flirty, or pretty, or sweet, and illustrate it for me instead.

One of the most common errors that we see on Birchwood Isle is when a role player tells us what their inner kid is wearing. This is only a problem when done out of context or when it makes up the entirety of the post or when the clothing the inner kid is wearing is described as a "cute little red turtleneck." 

Leave whether or not the red turtleneck with the hearts on the collar is cute up to the person who is reading. Maybe they don't find red turtlenecks on seven-year-old little girls "cute" and your telling them that it is turns them off. Personally, I don't find seven-year-old little girls cute, so I'm going to take more convincing than the average person that your seven-year-old inner kid is cute.

So please don't simply tell me that she's cute. That's the fastest way to turn me off, and I tend to drop threads in which the other player "puts on The Cute."

I need you to show me.

The question is, how do you do this?

First, ask yourself what you want me to see. Do you want me to see how excited your inner kid is about going to the park? 

Then tell me how she's hopping from one foot to the other as she waits by the door for her guardian to take her to the car.

Do you want me to see that your inner kid is cold? 

Then tell me about how she's shivering and rubbing her hands together, or how her teeth are chattering as she bounces on her toes to keep the blood flowing.

Do you want me to see how lovable your inner kid is?

Then show me the way that she reaches for her guardian's hand when it's time to cross the street, without even being told to do so.

Showing instead of telling is an important part of writing good fiction, but it's especially important in a community in which the intention is to find a long-term partner for your character (either a parent or guardian, or sometimes even a sibling). Some of us (because I'm not the only one) don't like having The Cute shoved in our faces, but nearly all of us can experience an adorable inner kid as lovable if you show us rather than telling us.

Weekly Canon: Brigitta Hirsch

Brigitta Hirsh is the seventeen year-old daughter of Brynner and 

Claudia Hirsch of Birchwood Isle. She attends St. Jude's Academy,

 where she is a senior. Her nationality is Icelandic. 

She is currently open.

Who is Brigitta?

Brigitta is a biological child of a well-known (and well-liked) family on Birchwood Isle. She moved with her parents and twin brother and sister to Birchwood Isle several months ago and are just beginning to learn English. Her native language is Icelandic, and her parents are German and have taught Brigitta and her siblings basic German in addition to their Icelandic.

Her father believes that he is teaching the family the value of togetherness by moving them to a country where he believes they can help others, and Brynner works as a pastor on the island while also engaging in social work and a growing list of community projects. Brigitta is often pressured into engaging in these projects with her family, whether she wants to or not.

Unfortunately Brigitta is distracted by the boyfriend she left behind in Iceland. He has been stalking her regularly on the internet prior to the move, and she continues to fear him. Her obsession outlives his interest, however, and the stalking has stopped. Now it's Brigitta who is creating problems, though she continues to see her ex-boyfriend as the problem.

Who Should Play Brigitta?

The best player for Brigitta is an independent role player with an eye for character development. Both of her parents are active player characters played by the administrators of Birchwood Isle, and both of her siblings are currently available. A player who is interested in building stories through story arcs and in developing her character beyond what's given in her bio should do well with her. Parents might not always be available for play, so the right player will focus on telling her story through friendships and school whenever possible.

Why Would Someone Want to Play Brigitta?

First of all, she's well connected. As part of a biological family, she comes with both parents (already in play by Devin and Ava) and two siblings (boy-girl twins). She's the oldest in the family.

Furthermore, the Hirsch Family is connected to  both the church family on Birchwood Isle (through Fruit of the Vine Christian Church) and they work closely with the poor people on the island, meaning that they are heavily involved in community projects and get to know those who are less "well off." Other community activists will also be tightly connected to the Hirsch family, opening up opportunities for friendships for Brigitta.

How to Claim Brigitta

If you are interested in playing Brigtita, the first thing that you'll need to do is create an account on Birchwood Isle. We highly recommend that your first account username be your alias, as this will give you an "out" in case you change your mind about the character.

For canon characters, we will then move you into a user group that will allow you to create a "plot page" for Brigitta. Once this has been completed, we will complete her profile for you and approve your account so you can see the rest of the board!

You may wish to reserve Brigitta when you first register, to make sure that you get the full seven-day period to finish her bio. To do that, go to the Hirsch Family Page and request her there. We'll take care of making sure her name is crossed off on the list!

9 Reasons to Make Birchwood Isle Your Next Ageplay Home

If it's somehow not yet clear, we love Birchwood Isle! So does every member who has been polled on the subject, with a unanimous 5/5 star rating from our members. Clearly we have something going on that you can't find anywhere else on the internet, so what is it that makes Birchwood Isle unique? Why should you consider making it your next ageplay home on the web? 

Here are just a few reasons.

1. We're inclusive. Birchwood Isle has a place for people of all preferences, whether you want discipline or sexuality in your role play or you don't, whether you like to play little kids, teenagers, or adults, whether you are an exceptional writer/role player or are just starting out, whether your character is an emotionally-real inner kid or one of our canons. We are accepting of everyone who can follow our basic rules!
2. We provide every (inner) child character with someone to play with. Even if you choose to play a biological child in a canon family waiting for parents, your child character will always have at least a teacher and a doctor to interact with. Every child on the site has at least one adult in his or her support network. Child characters in foster care will be assigned a social worker, guardian, therapist, physician/pediatrician, and a teacher. Birchwood Isle doesn't ignore your inner kid!
3. We're personable. I've written before about the community at Birchwood Isle. Unlike most ageplay groups of our type, we have an ongoing out-of-character chat (via chatbox in the sidebar of our site or above the main board for guests). Our members are welcoming and personable, and most of all always anxious to talk to guests and new members! You won't find another site in this genre capable of greeting you the way you'll be greeted at Birchwood Isle!
4. Everyone plays together. We actively encourage our members to play with one another by using events to reward people for plotting with other members and planning threads with them. Our goal is to foster an environment in which members get to know one another personally and care for one another and one another's inner families. No environment is altogether clique-free, but we put every effort into making sure that everyone has a roleplay partner!
5. We have great events. Every month Birchwood Isle hosts a minimum of three events. Each of the three group foster homes on the island has an "activity night" which we play out monthly for those interested, and we also have community-wide events for everyone to participate in. Those participating receive an award for doing so (see below). Most months we also have an out of character event to encourage people to plot with one another.
6. Everybody loves awards! My co-administrator is a wonderful artist who creates graphic awards for the members who participate in the events and involve themselves in the contests. Who doesn't like getting an award added to their trophy case when they do something exceptional on the site? These are usually added monthly, though sometimes we get a bit of a back-log, since we like for them to be unique!
7. We encourage our members. Each week we post a "Weekly Encouragement" to lift up our members and to show them how much we appreciate them. These are words of encouragement for those who might be needing it, and also a way for us to point out areas where we'd like to see some particular character groups filled in. Members then have the opportunity to reply with their own form, to encourage one another or the staff!
8. Our characters are diverse. Though it's rare in ageplay, Birchwood Isle has a diverse cast of characters! They come from every race, many ethnic backgrounds, several genders (binary cisgender, binary transgender, non-binary and gender fluid), most sexual orientations (including asexual, demisexual, homosexual, heterosexual, pansexual, and bisexual), and socio-economic backgrounds. We truly are diverse.
9. We won't pressure you to play an adult. While we do encourage our members to make adult characters (and play them), we aren't going to force you to play an adult in order to take on another child character. You may play as many children as you want without a requirement to play an adult. Our files often say that we would like to see more adults and teenagers, but we don't carry any ratios unless absolutely necessary!

If you need one more reason, we'd love to have you at Birchwood Isle! Nobody's going to pressure you into being something you're not on Birchwood Isle, and we only ban for two reasons: Predatory behavior and discriminatory (racist or sexist) behavior. We're happy to have you with us!