#mapleshade has been training him for years

[warrior-cats-rewritten]

Sweetberry/Sweetpaw

A mostly white tortoiseshell molly with most of the colours near hear back legs and tail, tiny ears, pale green eyes, a torn ear, and a thick tail.

Sweetpaw's poisoning is now a more major event. More cats in Thunderclan end up sick, with Pinestar even losing a life due to it, and Weedwhisker dying. In pure desperation, Featherwhisker goes to Brambleberry and asks for help.

Due to a Shypaw's food poisoning death years back from Mapleshade's curse, Riverclan has become EXTREMELY vigilant about food poisoning and how to get through it. Brambleberry saves Sweetpaw, and Sweetpaw takes the name Sweetberry to honor her.

To say Thistleclaw does not take this well is an understatement. He berates her constantly, not that she almost died, he was worried, but that a "fish muncher" saved her, and she chose to honour her by taking up half her name. Names are sacred, and she has ruined hers. She might as well be half-clan.

Sweetberry goes as low contact as possible with him. She is done with her brother. Besides, she has a big dream! She wants to become a Camp Keeper, and have an apprentice. She doesn't get along with Smallear at all, and wants to do better than him.

She was Camp Keeper, head of the group before signing it over to Mousefur not long before Rusty joined Thunderclan. She is friends with Russetmoth and Silverbreeze, Willowpelt's parents, and when Silverbreeze passes away, she makes sure to help pass along the skill if Glyphs to Brackenpaw, temporarily becoming Glyphs Master to train him up, since she perfected Glyphs to be able to communicate easily with Silverbreeze, Willowpelt's mother, who was deaf.

Rosetail got to mentor Cricketkit, and Sunstar liked to pair sibling apprentices with sibling mentors (a trend that Bluestar, Firestar, and Bramblestar would mostly continue). If Featherkit had lived, Sweetberry would have gotten to be his mentor, the little tom having sadly passed from Fading Kitten Syndrome. Thistleclaw had got to mentor Tigerkit, and while Mistkit, his sister, did make it, she was given a different mentor due to Sweetberry having been suffering from a sprained leg at the time (something Thistleclaw still tried to make fun of her for, she just ignored him)

She finally get the apprentice she dreamed of when Brindleface's son, Tulipkit, becomes Tulip-paw, assigned to be mentored by Sweetberry. Though his apprenticeship is held for far too long due to Bluestar's deteriorating mental state, Sweetberry was always proud of him, and was overjoyed when he finally became Tulipfur.

She refuses to retire during The Darkest Hour, but during Graystripe's Clan (then) she finally takes the rest she has earned. She travels with the Clans during The Journey, helping Frostfur and Loudbelly make the trip, since no elders are getting left behind.

During Leafpool's Wish, she ends up with a nasty infection in her body, one that will not respond to treatments Leafpool gives. Sweetberry knows she will not last much longer, especially not when she sees her nephews and niece, Whitestorm, Redtail and Spottedleaf, outside the Medicine Den; and gives comfort to Leafpool by insisting that she feels okay, well enough to eat, even. Leafpool grabs her a sparrow, and after her meal, Sweetberry goes into the elder's den, sees her sister's spirit, and goes to sleep for the last time, getting up from her body as a younger cat, and walking to Starclan with her loved ones.

#warrior cats #warrior cats rewrite #wcr #warriors #character page #sweetpaw #sweetberry #thistleclaw #rosetail #willowpelt #mousefur #russetmoth #silverbreeze #brindleface #tulipkit #tulipfur #whitestorm #redtail #spottedleaf

[theanoninyourinbox]

Welcome Back! Without much further ado, @quaelgeist333 requested FreckleReed, @fernstarsblog requested Blind!ExShadowclan!Fireheart+DarkFur!Silverstream, and @goobiestar requested FTM!Goosefeather+Adderfang!

Special Bonus, all these are in the same AU!

In the first AU, Freckle and Reed have been secret dating since they both went after the same fish. They want kits, and Reedshine takes the L and flirts with Appledusk. And he gets obsessed, to the point that she feels uncomfortable. Back in Thunderclan, Frecklewish sets up her idiot brother with her best friend, and Mapleshade thanks her for being there for her. Shortly after Reed gives birth, she brings the kits to see Freckle, and Appledusk sees. In a jealous rage, he lures Freckle to the snakerock, but is also bitten. Thankfully, Ravenwing had a sign and saves Freckle, but her life is shorter. Some years after her passing, Riverclan is visited by the Thunderclan medicine cats, and Goosepaw takes the elder aside - your wife says hi. And when Stormkit falls, he is greeted not by an angry mother, but two new moms, who immediately spoil him with affection. They may also haunt Rainflower but they’ll never tell~

In the second AU, Wishfall, secretly the daughter of Yellowfang, leaves her kit at the feet of Whitestorm and Willowpelt, begging that he be better cared for, before passing into Starclan. Properly warned of Brokentail, Shadowclan banishes him, not knowing that Wishfall was even pregnant. The kit is eyeless, but has such keen hearing that no one objects to his training. On one trip to the river, he falls in, and is rescued by Silverpaw, the chimera daughter of Crookedstar. They fall fast and hard, and Silver survives her single kit just fine. Reedshine and Frecklewish are delighted by the new additions to the family - hey, marriage counts!

In the last AU, Goosekit is seen as a freak for her(?) eyes, but Adderpaw, feeling bad for her(?), reassures that they’re just Fancy, if they work they work! Don’t let those furbrains get you down! This activates Mega Crush Mode, which eventually turns into Mature Feelings when Adderfang defends and supports Goosepaw’s new Identity. He’s a dude, so what? After beating around the bush, Goosefeather confesses his affections, and Adderfang…thinks about it. He refuses to just rush into a serious relationship, but they essentially do Dates and get together. When Tiny is found, a kinder Tigerpaw, raised by a whole family of cats, takes him home to be safe.

Aaand Done! Enjoy!

#Hypokits #my art #warrior cats #warrior cats design #warrior cat design #warrior cats designs #warrior cats au #Frecklewish #reedshine #fireheart #firestar #silverstream #goosefeather #adderfang

[bonefall]

Skyheart's interesting too in that as Reedpaw's kin, her attitude towards him could vary. She could totally disown him and think he's a freak that shouldn't exist, but she might also be begrudgingly overly invested in his training too. Like since they're kin she thinks she might be able to at least redeem him despite his heritage into being almost as good as a normal riverclanner. Reedpaw's arc could mirror Crooked and Maples, ending with him going completely over her head when she refuses to pass him because he won't accept her shitty conditional acceptance

I LOVE what goes on in your brain, anon. Storing this analysis in the back of my head.

Especially that bit about Crooked and Maple and this situation sort of mirroring it... I'm changing Crooked's story rather significantly, so this could actually be a good place to re-home what's so good about the original story.

My redux of Crookedstar's Promise is Stormpaw's Demon, where Mapleshade is approached much more like a malicious entity. Stormpaw never trusted her to begin with, she only exists to torment him and his bloodline. It's not that the Mapleshade-False-Friend angle is bad, but it's more fitting to the story that I want to tell that Stormpaw's growth is centered.

So I could tell that story here, instead.

Skyheart framing herself as someone who will make him into a great warrior, that she's only doing all of this for his own good, that he deserves all of this because it's like beating the weakness out of him. That he has to promise her to always be loyal to his Clan, no matter what.

And, of course, he eventually realizes he will never be enough for her. Desperately trying to earn her approval for a full year past when he should have been made a warrior, loyally trusting that she would do right by him eventually as her standards changed every time. Finally, he brings that massive carp right to Leopardstar's den before informing Skyheart about it, relieved when his leader interrupts Skyheart's predictable failing and his apprenticeship is finally over.

Gleefully plopping himself next to Hawkfrost that night to tell him about how their plan worked, Hawkfrost promising that things would only get better from here.

I like Reedwhisker's life being a tragedy with brief moments of victory, this poor guy.

#Reedwhisker #Bonefall Rewrite #Bonefall TNP #Speaking of... still batting around the Shadow in RiverClan redux. I'll speak about it soon #Hawkfrost #Skyheart

[runn1ngn0se]

least fav wc novella or graphic novel?

no pressure!!

So I was going to do this big essay on why I disliked Goosefeather's Curse but that fell through and I left this ask to gather dust, so lets just get this out.

This book and Goosefeather's life feels so nihilistic. He goes through all this sufferings and it doesn't feel like he nor the reader get anything out of it. No leasons to be learned, appreciation to be gained or catharsis to be felt, just the feeling that "life sucks so why try". It just feels so hollow.

Goosefeather is an odd charatcer, being that hes so powerful, yet the fact he lives only in the pre-TPB era means that he is able to do barely anything with his powers aside from ensure TPB happens, and the fact he wasn't intoduced IRL till after PO3 (so Rock had already been introduced as our omniscient character) means he can't contibute much to the story going forward. This just leaves his powers feeling wasted, which in turn makes all the suffering his powers cause him feel like they were for nothing.

The pacing of this book is also wack. Credit where its due, I do genuinely like the start of the book where it slowly introduces his powers, with him talking to the old cats during the game of hide-and-seek, realizing that hes the only one who can see/hear them, and then learning that they'd been dead for years. Its a good reveal. Once he gets his med cat name though it just feels like the book has run out of material and just meanders about with random unrelated snippets like him getting Mapleshade training (that he never uses) and seeing Sunkit and Featherkit's futures until it finally hits the word count and abruptly ends with one last pointless horror for him to bear.

also StormTAIL x MoonPAW is the fucked up little cherry on top of it all, the real Erin special.

TLDR: "Pointless and narratively unfullfilling suffering" the book.

Least fav graphic novel is easier. Ravenpaw's Path is so "in one ear and out the other". I guess its harmless and even cute for what it is, but hardcore RavenBarely fans are the only ones I see getting much out of it, and even then they also the far superior Ravenpaw's Farewell.

#sorry this took so long #goosefeather #warrior cats

[mossolantern]

has there been a warrior cats MAP with The Pitiful Children yet? bc like i looked it up, and nothing popped up aside from a map call from 5 years ago, which to me is like "huh??? really??? that's all????" since the squip is so easy to see as like? any dark forest cat tbh. like it could so easily be Tigerstar and Lionblaze (i feel like so many people forget that Tigerstar like.. very temporarily trained him) or Hawkfrost and Ivypool, or Mapleshade and Crookedstar!

it could also be used for various aus or just concepts too!

one i like to imagine in particular is Tigerstar or maybe even Hawkfrost training Nightheart (though at the time he'd still probably be named Flamepaw) in cat hell and influencing his decisions even though TS and HF are both perma-dead! (just saying that if they were still present in cat hell, either of them could definitely use Flamepaw's victim complex and play into it to manipulate him!!!)

#moss talks #i got kitties on the brain <3

[wolfpackmuses-a]

❛  who did this to you?  ❜ / from Jayfeather to Crookedstar

From: Angsty Question Starters || Currently Accepting!

❝I think that entirely depends on how much you would want to know,❞ he replied to Jayfeather with a huff and winced as he felt more cobwebs being applied to his back.

He knew what had happened, it was absolutely clear in his mind who had done. All those years of training in the Dark Forest and all the years of being followed by Mapleshade, only for it to cultivate in a decision: Would he accept her bid to join them and go down a darker path? Or would he break away and have to face the consequences.

His choice was clear and now there were claw marks everywhere along his body, heavy wounds to his back from the fight that had nearly cost him a life in the process.

❝If you want a short answer, it's a cat from the Dark Forest. A cat named Mapleshade,❞ he muttered unwillingly, ❝But if you want to know what you can do to help, that would be nothing. My fate has been sealed and I can't change that now.❞

#the wolves are hungry (question answers - character); #the wolf is growling (ic - Crookedstar); #animal injury cw #animal injury tw #allnostalgic: Jayfeather

[an1malcannibal]

good hawkfrost bad brambleclaw au

#he just killed hawky because he was told to my starclan #mapleshade has been training him for years #goosefeather has filled his mind w so much weird shit #cuz goose is trying to ensure the prophecies are fulfilled no matter the cost #tiger kinda doesn’t make an appearance he is useless #warrior cats #warrior cats au

[goatpaste]

WC design/headcannon/ect masterlist- Part A

just a list of ALL my designs for headcanons, maybe some design updates, any other comments or AU ideas i have. on main characters and characters with no plot!

These are all the cats who name starts with ‘A’, posting these in alphabetical order to not overload just one list lol

all under the cut >:3

Acorn Fur

my Acorn Fur design changed slightly as she used to be more red saturated and i wanted her to not so much like my Red Claw Design

My biggest Headcanon for her is she absolutely didn’t listen to Moth Flight and ended up giving birth to two kit’s with Red claw as the father. they names are Rain Stone and Oak Stump 

Acornpaw

Acornpaw, ancient skyclan warrior

i like the idea of Acornpaw is a decedent of Acorn Fur and one of the last generations of her family that would remember her name

A warrior name i think would be nice for him is Acorndrop

Acorntail

Acorntail, ancient windclan deputy.

i can imagine he was named the way he was being smallest in his litter, losing his tail to a rabbit trap when he’s older

acorntail stick with being deputy for awhile but i can see either he even after training an apprentice can’t keep up with the duties and once again insist that Morningcloud is made deputy. oR acorntail becoming leader as Acornstar and morningcloud or her apprentice Quickpaw being made his deputy 

Adderkit

Adderkit, starclan kit who used to live in windclan and died by adder bite, named for it and was avanged by tallstar 

I imagine Adderkit was originally named Burrowkit born to Ashfoot and Deadfoot in their first litter with Eaglekit. Adderkit died on Windclans Journey to find a home after shadowclan chased them out.

Adderkit was very young when they died i picture their memory of their living life being EXTREMELY blurry, they know their windclan and they died by an adder. its why they renamed themself, and they barely remember who their mom and dad were.

Adderpaw

Adderpaw, ancient windclan apprentice who was around to the apprentice age limit code

Adderpaw was name for what a good few other ‘adder’ and snake named kits are named for, their tail wiggling around with its patterns look like that of a skinny snake.

Adderpaw Warrior name ideas, Addergrace or Addersnag

Algernon

not much to say beyond i think my design for him looks very funny lol

but my design for him is that he is leucistic

Applefrost

Applefrost, kid of appledusk and reedshine

Named after her piece of shit dad, and raised on one sided stories of him she loved her dad and wanted to be like him as she got older.

She was the first victim of Mapleshade’s hauntings, picking her because she was named after the man who hurt her family and she looks a bit like him. 

(applefrost isn’t normally greying on the bottom naturally, this is a side effect on spending so many years training one on one with mapleshade in the dark forest. My crookedstar design also has this) Applefrost knows the name mapleshade and was skeptic to talk to her at first, but opened up and tries to just take what advice she can get from the spirit. Even coming to sympathies with her through learning the truth of her father. 

Then one day Mapleshade stopped visiting her, thought Applefrost would never know what happened, there is a reason.

Applefrost was full grown, and so kind even in the face of the warrior who killed her father. And she looked so much like him, yes he ruined her life but maybe this was the price she payed for what she did, to forever feel pain over the lose of someone who didn’t love her. 

It was part that, and part..something about the way she looked at mapleshade, and something she said sent her memories flying back to her little petalkit who looked so much like her. 

Mapleshade would stop visiting applefrost and move on to another generation of their family. 

Applefrost would never tell her siblngs of mapleshade, but would come to disown her own father in starclan. even being friends with petalkit.

Applepaw

daughter of breezepelt and heathertail

mostly in here because i needed to up date her design

she hasn’t received her warrior name yet but should be close in the books

but a name like Applebite or Appleleaf

Ashfoot

Ashfoot,  windclan warrior, deputy and mother of crowfeather

i absOLUTLY love ashfoot

i picture her to be a very like ‘badass warrior mom’ she give tough love and you can’t help but totally admire her. She loves her son crowfeather, though if she is honest he tends to disappoint her with how he kinda doesn’t know how to behave

she gets followed around by herds of kits who want to be like her, and her past apprentice’s (which she has many of) call her sheriff (or mom, which is embarrassing but common and crow HATES it) 

Her and Deadfoot are VERY lovey dovey, she loves her sweet husband dearly and was distraught when he died. They were best friends growing up as apprentices together and were both name ‘foot’ in sign they always walked paw and paw, being well synced in battle and in life, they were just perfect for each other. so its easy to imagine when Deadfoot died it was like she lost half of herself

Ashfoot has a very long tail, just oh so slightly shorter than talltail, her family is known for their long tail (a trait passed down through being descended of windstar) Long tails are often called a symbol of power or royality in windclan. its very diserable and only tallstar’s tail was longer than hers. Her son crowfeather, and grandson jayfeather both take after thing ten fold with tails you could trip 10 cats with. breezepelt has a longer tail than average but no were near as long as theirs and it dOES kinda make him mad.

Ashfoot also loVES nightcloud, at first when crowfeather told his mom that nightcloud was having his kit’s she was super skeptical, not of nightcloud but of their relationship. she just saw right through it for what it really was. so she mostly didn’t talk to nightcloud for the two month’s she was pregnant, as to avoid getting involved.

but when Nightcloud gives birth and all of her kits but breezepelt die and she is DISTRAUGHT. Crowfeather isn’t helping and doesn’t seem to find any words that comfort her or not make her more upset, so like a big ol man child he turns to his mom and begs her to calm down nightcloud.

and its this moment that Ashfoot find’s herself completely bonded to Nightclouds side, looking at the dark she-cat crying over her lost kittens with her single son mewling for her. Ashfoot herself has had two litters both that only had one survivor, Eaglekit’s litter (eaglekit only made it to paw before he died) and now all she has is crowfeather. Ashfoot stay’s by the queens side and comforts her new daughter in law. 

Ashfoot and Nightcloud are close, even when her and crowfeather ultimately don’t work out. 

Ashfur

dont have much for him i guess

i hate him lol

i like him more than most other boy cats that i hate lol

he’s just a lil piss baby

iv updated his design a good bit, i thought his old design was really bleh but i havent been able to touch it up till now

i defiantly think him and brambleclaw shoulda been gay

i dont like him with squirrel, BUT if they’de been closer in age i think he and squirrel before ashfur became a fuckin crazy person they would have been better togeather than her and bramble that i don’t understand why she went back to bramble even if she didn’t get with ashfur

alsO i think the only ‘au’ i can like get into is like

Dustpelt mysteriously disappeared, presumed dead by thunderclan and never to be known what happened. Except between him and Ferncloud. id loVe a narrative of Ashfur kills dustpelt after watching the full grown warrior and mentor reefer to Ferncloud as beautiful, finding the behavior absolutely repulsive. Maybe ashfur ends up killing a few other cats who are like this and Ferncloud knows he killed dustpelt but maybe not the others. and it all ends up coming spilling out in the fire, this moment of the three and squirrel learn what he did but now he knows what they did, so their at a stale mate. but ashfur is becoming loser and more erratic in his behavior and hollyleaf kills him before he does something dangerous. 

#warrior cats #acorn fur #acornpaw #acorntail #adderkit #adderpaw #algernon #applefrost #applepaw #ashfoot #ashfur

[yoshifan4456]

all of em

 UUUH OKAY

Anemone: My favorite character is Oakheart. He was the first character I ever saw, and after that i kinda just stuck with him. It’s varied a bit over time, like at one point it was Riverstar and at another it was Onestar, but it mainly stays Oakheart, and if it wasn’t for him, i couldn’t have a favorite in the first place.

Aster: My least favorite is Rootpaw. I don’t like him. I get Moonlight and Tree having the power, but i wasn’t ready for a warrior to have it. I think he should have been a medicine cat, and I don’t like how he steals attention from his sister Needlepaw, who’s literally named after the cat who saved their mother’s life.

Bee Balm: My favorite is Bluestar’s Prophecy. I just like her story. My favorite part is when she keeps telling herself and the cats around her that Snowfur’s just “hurt” but she knows inside that she’s gone. It’s very sad.

Begonia: Fire and Ice’s reprint cover. I like the way the W kinda looks like the ear bent itself to make room for it.

Bluebell: I ship Longtail and Mousefur, Oakheart and Redtail, and Giofilms and Tim Allen.

Chrysanthemum: Apprentice. I don’t have a long lifespan. Besides, it’s better if I die now than at 87000 years old in the elders den with people i don’t know but are the great grandchildren of my kits like all boring characters that make it to the warrior status do.

Daffodil: Technically not yet. But I found it in March of 2017 and was fully invested by May.

Dahlia: Yes. [Stares at Mosskit, Cinderpelt, Firestar, Badgerfang, Moonflower, and a whole lot of others]

Daisy: GOLDENFLOWER. Nothing against Daisy but she’s just Goldenflower’s replacement (is big and yellow, has a flower in the name, is best known for the queen rank, lives forever, never gets to meet her important ancestors, and broke up with a brown cat that she outlived)

Gardenia: I’ve thought about it and have tried many times. But I keep coming back thinking it will be better. It never is.

Hydrangea: I think it’s Scourge. I always end up drawing a blank and saying Mapleshade for being Rainbowpelt’s main inspiration, but I think that Scourge did a better job.

Iris: My favorite ships are: 1. GrayxFire, 2. TallxJake, and 3. JayxBriar. My least favorite one is IvyxBlossom. I don’t get why people are so obsessed with it. However, I don’t like ThornxBlossom either because it’s kinda like child abuse and none of their kits matter to me.

Laurel: 1. The main characters stay main until they die*. I don’t like how Graystripe wasn’t important the moment Firestar’s dead body hit the ground. 2. Some characters (like Marshkit, Mosskit, Swiftpaw, and Juniperclaw) would get to do something/redeem themselves before their death or disappearance. And 3. SkyClan isn’t important. Get rid of SkyClan.

Lilac: TigerxFire. Kill it please.

Lily: Oakheart would be maple syrup, Bluestar would be Barqs, Blackstar would be a chocolate bomb cake, Swiftpaw is a Fruit by the Foot, and Onestar is a cinnamon roll.

Marigold: Not yet.

Morning Glory: I’ve peeked in there a few times, but i have yet to actually do anything on it.

Orchid: Making Firestar and Scourge half brothers and not giving each other knowledge of that. If Firestar had known, he would have probably spared his life and offered him a spot in ThunderClan. If he had accepted, then maybe a really great warrior would be made. I imagine he wouldn’t take in a mate, but who knows? I imagine he wouldn’t like anyone at first, but in time maybe he warms up to some cats. He would probably die in the Great Battle, fighting alongside his brother’s kin. He might go to StarClan, it depends if he actually started to believe in them, but no matter where he would go, he’d probably still keep his *purple* collar.

Petunia: My favorite arc is the Prophecies Begin because warrior Firestar is best Firestar. AVoS takes too much away. I hate it. (Sandstorm, Briarlight, Rowanstar, Needletail, Thornclaw and Blossomfall’s kits being born...)

Poppy: I like the hc that the dark forest cats are kinda just mist and attacking them temporarily separates their body.

Rose: (i don’t know what that means so i’m taking a guess) I name my characters creatively (like Clawmoon, Rainbowpelt, Whitedove, and Mittenstar), but sometimes i do more simple of names (like Graywhisper and Rabbittail).

Snapdragon: Leafpool is banished after Firestar finds about her incoming kits with Crowfeather. She shelters herself in a cave, where she meets Mothwing unexpectedly. She says Mistystar banished her because she has no use to the clan after Hawkfrost admitted he made up the prophecy. She helps Leafpool deliver her kits, named Bluekit (jay), Squirrelkit (lion), and Nightkit (holly), Brambleclaw believes that she might be telling WindClan secrets of ThunderClan, and goes to kill her. He is stopped by Mothwing and Squirrelflight (she breaks up with him), and Leafpool, Mothwing, and the kits are brought to ThunderClan because of injuries. Mothwing dies, and Firestar asks if she would still like to live in ThunderClan, to which Leafpool responds that she wants her kits to have good lives, and leaves back to the cave, living out the rest of her days alone. (she still assists in the birth of Moonlight’s kits; that’s still when she dies.)

For curious people, WindClan and ShadowClan aid in Bluewillow’s medicine training.

Sunflower: I don’t really like the hc that Squirrelflight is small. I see her as an absolute unit.

Tulip: CyAn

Violet: Fox lengths. like who tf went up to a fox and calculated the distance between its head and tail??

Wisteria: Yes and no. I don’t really know at all.

#Oakheart #Riverstar #Onestar #Rootpaw #Moonlight #Tree #Needlepaw #Needletail #Violetshine #Bluestar #Snowfur #Longtail #Mousefur #Redtail #Mosskit #Firestar #Badgerfang #Moonflower #Cinderpelt #Goldenflower #Daisy #Scourge #Mapleshade #Rainbowpelt #Graystripe #Tallstar #Jake #Jayfeather #briarlight #Ivypool

[sunnymoon-sunshine]

After having finally broken and read a Warriors book for the first time in years, I have been met with overwhelming joy at the familiarity behind the words and stories that make up the clans. Additionally, it sparked the inner need to analyze any piece of fiction I get my mittens on.

Mapleshade’s Vengeance is a fascinating short story in that I’m not entirely sure what they wanted to do with it in the end. The best summary I can think to come up with is that “Everyone is an awful cat, except Nettlepaw”. At times their motivations, once you dig through it, makes sense - and other times, it has absolutely no basis in common sense. It feels partially as if it is the perfect storm of bad circumstances, and partially cats acting in a way that the author is writing to push the story.

ThunderClan is filled with cats that are motivated by personal reasons, rather than that of any sound logic. This, however, I can forgive. It brings depth and points out the flaws of the clans. Oakstar, for instance, is emotionally motivated - he has lost his son to a clan they’ve long held a rivalry against, during a bitter and bloody conflict. His motivations in the story line up - he’s bitter against RiverClan, mourns his son, and has had his hopes raised and then ultimately dropped when the truth comes out - Mapleshade’s kits are not Birchface’s, but that of his apparent murderer. While it would have made much more sense to keep the kits, Oakstar does not run on logic. He is an emotional cat.

And frankly, his and Frecklewish’s reactions to Mapleshade’s lie makes an excellent argument for the addition that leaders should not have kits. If a medicine cat not taking on a mate or kits supposedly makes them unbiased caregivers, then it would only make sense that a leader - the one who ultimately makes decisions for the clan, and can even propose additions to the warrior code. Oakstar is the perfect example of an unbiased leader whose reaction could never have been unmotivated, because it involved that of his dead son.

That isn’t to say that Oakstar was a terrible leader in general, or that his reaction was entirely unjust. Just that it was emotionally motivated, as was Frecklewish’s.

On the subject of Frecklewish, that poor girl. She mourned her brother so hard to the point that she clutched onto Mapleshade’s unborn kits as if they were an extension of her brother. Mapleshade was justified in her heated reaction to this, “I will not have my kits judged before they have even begun their warrior training!”. The extent of this latching on of Mapleshade’s kits is both heartbreaking for them, and yet terrible for the kits involved. They never deserved their heritage shoved onto them, anyway, with such a strong insistence that they’re Birchface’s kits that Frecklewish shows dismay when none are to be named after him. Like, excuse me? I have this feeling that, if the truth had not come to fruition so quickly, the kits would have grown up knowing themselves mostly as an extension of their father. They were judged against Birchface at every step, by the Rabbitfur and Ravenwing and everyone else in the clan. For as much as she missed her brother, Frecklewish (and to some extent, Oakstar) show an alarming trend in viewing these kits less as children of Birchface, and more that they are extensions of Birchface’s legacy.

Which shows an interesting period in clan history. It isn’t only ThunderClan who shares this idea, but also Reedshine’s declaration that Appledusk will live on through his kits. Be it a case of the author writing it in to give the story more impact or not, the idea that this period of clan involved a much stronger emphasis on warriors living through their children is a period that doesn’t seem present in many other eras, save for the notable cats such as Tigerstar, Firestar, etc.

Mapleshade herself is likely the best written in the entire book. She’s emotionally driven, like much of ThunderClan. She’s sympathetic in her plight. And yet she’s selfish. For all Mapleshade is, for as likeable as she can be, she refuses to accept consequences for her actions. ThunderClan will accept these kits, she thinks, if they just get to know them. There will be no negative consequences because I did nothing wrong. She has dreams of grandeur, which ultimately, are born from the desire that her kits will be loved by both clans, which is unrealistic to say the least. Her idea of reality and what the inevitable is are two very different things. Even when her kits are dead, and she’s faced with so many realities at once - that RiverClan holds no love for her now departed kits, that Appledusk himself holds no love for her, and that ThunderClan has cast her out and RiverClan holds no obligation to allow her to stay - she denies it, and finds any way to make it someone else’s fault.

And to be fair, I should say that it is partially on the shoulders of ThunderClan that those kits died. However, the extent that Mapleshade went to enact her revenge on them, to shift the blame anywhere from herself and her actions, is both fascinating and terrifying in its extremes. And I wouldn’t say that it was carrying them across the river that led them to their doom. Mapleshade was pushed into a corner, and convinced that RiverClan would offer her a home when ThunderClan could not. And very likely, they would have at the very least taken in her kits. Ultimately, it was her affair with Appledusk, and the lies she allowed to fester that caused her to be banished from her own clan. The river did not kill those kits - it was their mother’s actions before that point that did.Mapleshade is possessive refuses to accept the reality of the situation she’s created. Her conviction when - after she murdered ThunderClan’s sole medicine cat and still found no peace - to target Frecklewish, “Frecklewish needed to pay for the lost kits, just as Ravenwing had done.”

Oof.

Though I will say, Mapleshade is entirely sympathetic. Her heartbreaking reaction to seeing her lost kits is a real, raw reaction. And I must say that, her losing her mind after her home cast her out, her children died, and her mate turned his back on her is something that is entirely realistic. They did Mapleshade dirty. She had done a great wrong, but she had her entire life ripped out from under her. It’s just that ThunderClan chose to do this to the literal worst cat. She may have done wrong, but ThunderClan’s decision to cast out her and her kits both led to the creation of something far more horrific than a break of the code.

Which leads me to the fascinating case of Ravenwing, the ThunderClan medicine cat. I’ve thought long and hard about him, and I still feel as if he is... far too neutral. He has no emotional stakes, in a story that is run on nothing but emotion. He has no reason, other than an old rivalry, to cast out the kits. Medicine cats are supposed to be neutral, and yet the basis of even casting the kits out is based on his suggestion that “reeds do not belong in the forest”. It feels very odd for a medicine cat, but odder still is that he is just so maddeningly neutral. He has no real emotional reason to do this, he’s calm and collected, just doing his medicine cat duties. Medicine cats are neutral enough that a RiverClan cat came to ThunderClan in their time of need, even during a bitter conflict. Ravenwing’s insistence that the half-RiverClan kits do not belong in ThunderClan, though they’re two months old and still on milk, is baffling. It would be a sound Oakstar decision, but not that of a Ravenwing, from what we see of him. He isn’t malicious, he’s just. There. A medicine cat. It would have made far more sense of he was acting on some kind of dislike for RiverClan, but the text reads as though he’d simply seen a sign and decided, oh, we don’t need silly half-RiverClan cats in our clan.

But even then, while not present in the text, it can be assumed that his actions are to protect ThunderClan, ultimately something to protect themselves from a scandal, and a refusal to allow Mapleshade to indulge in her lies. While he did push for her kits to be exiled, he did not want her to lie about the true identity of their father - something she never said aloud, but allowed to spread. It’s just, in a story filled with cats who act on emotion, he remains the one that seems to react on the basis of justice - which does his character wrong, I feel. It would be easier to empathize if he had some sort of emotional stake, like Oakstar or Frecklewish, but frankly, I agree with Mapleshade. He had a hand in killing her kits, by not standing up for the two moon old children who were being cast from the only home they had ever known. They could have grown up fiercely loyal to ThunderClan - they had all the makings for it. But they would always be scrutinized for their RiverClan father.

Speaking of Appledusk, I should make an amendment to my thoughts on Ravenwing. I said that every character made decisions based off emotion. That is a lie.

Appledusk thinks only with his dick.

I mean, that’s it. That’s the worst part of the novella. Appledusk gets forgiveness because Darkstar thinks he’s sorry? Excuse me? It’s understandable that RiverClan wouldn’t accept Mapleshade into their ranks - they had no reason to. She was not one of their warriors. But oh, my god, Appledusk seems slightly sorry because uh-oh, his cat weenie went flying around to ThunderClan and now his side hoe came to ThunderClan with his three dead kits because they’ve been exiled and he gets forgiveness because he’s sORRY? AND BECAUSE REEDSHINE’S LIKE, AW IT’S OKAY I’M SURE HE DIDN’T MEAN TO.

REEDSHINE, YOU COULD HAVE DONE SO MUCH BETTER. BOTH YOU AND MAPLESHADE COULD HAVE.

Appledusk didn’t deserve death, he deserved to be mauled.

I feel very strongly about this.

In the short story, it feels as if every character is motivated by personal reasons, which does it justice and also detracts. ThunderClan created their own problem, something that is seemingly not acknowledged anywhere else, though Mapleshade was no angel herself. The lies from her mouth and the heated reactions from ThunderClan created a force that would haunt the clans for generations afterwards, causing so much bloodshed and harm. While it has its problems, the Mapleshade’s Vengeance is an interesting look into an ancient ThunderClan, and the problems that arise when literally everyone is an awful cat except Nettlepaw.

And I conclude this with a thought that the ending seemed off. It doesn’t feel right for Mapleshade to be content with not seeing her kits ever again. From how fiercely she loved and missed those kits, I would have wanted to see a Mapleshade that would have clawed the moon out of the sky to see her kits again, no matter the cost.

Poor, poor Mapleshade.

#sunnymoon's rambles #warriors #warrior cats #mapleshade #mapleshade's vengeance #appledusk #oakstar #frecklewish #sunnymoon reads a thing! and then talks at length about the thing! #this was much more a rambling text than an actual analysis #but it has a thesis (sort of) and a beginning and conclusion so I'm counting it #many thoughts on mapleshade #many thoughts #hm #I would also like to share my thoughts on Goosefeather's Curse #but effort #tired #time to retire back to my life of solitude and neglecting this blog #in hindsight this could have done with more quotes and less telling #but c'est la vie

[cloverwcaus]

ThunderClan Succession: The Complicated Reigns of Oakstar and Doestar (Shadow Rising AU)

Leader line: Oakstar- Larchface (Birchface)- Goldenspots (Frecklewish)

Deputy line: Beetletail (Beetail)- Briarwing (Sweetbriar)- Thrushfang (Thrushtalon)- Ryepelt (Seedpelt)

Most of the details surrounding the end of Oakstar’s reign have been lost to history, but described below is what is still known to the Clans. Following the death of Oakstar’s son and heir Larchface fighting RiverClan over Sunningrocks, Oakstar named a kit, Larchkit, his heir, believing the kit and his siblings to be Larchface’s children. Their mother was a warrior by the name of Mapleshade, and while her younger half brother was ThunderClan’s sole seer, she did not claim descent from any bloodlines. It is unknown where the idea that she was the mother of Larchface’s kits came from, but it rapidly spread throughout ThunderClan, and even to the other Clans. When Ravenwing, the Clan’s seer, revealed the truth of Larchkit, Toadkit (Petalkit), and Patchkit’s heritage, however, Oakstar threw Mapleshade and her children out of the Clan. Unfortunately, we do not know how Ravenwing learned the truth. Perhaps Mapleshade confided in him, her little brother? We do not know. All three kits drowned that same day when Mapleshade attempted to seek shelter in RiverClan with their real father. Seeking revenge, Mapleshade murdered Ravenwing, Goldenspots, and her RiverClan mate, before dying herself. Much about Mapleshade is lost to us, including her motive for lying about her kits’s heritage. It is one thing to hide the fact they are half Clan, but another entirely to say they are the deceased heir’s children. We may never know the full story.

Following the death of his only other relative and child, Goldenspots, Oakstar named his deputy Beetletail his heir and began to train him for the responsibility. While deputies do prepare for the scenario when they assume the Clan’s leadership, Oakstar went above and beyond to make sure his Clan would survive. It was during this period that, Beetletail’s nephew, Thrushfang, had a litter of his own- two daughters named Doekit and Deerkit. Soon after their apprenticeship, Oakstar took Beetletail’s sister Briarwing as his mate, and, to the surprise and joy of the entire Clan, had another litter with her, Volekit (who would eventually become Volefoot (Mumblefoot), and was deputy under Doestar until his death) and Spiderkit (who would become Spiderwhisker (Squirrelwhisker), and would be the subject of a great scandal).

A terrible leafbare followed this happy news, however, and brought sorrow with its snow. Deerpaw died first, followed by Ryepelt and Briarwing in quick succession. Oakstar died next, and Beetletail the day after, but that awful leafbare did not stop, and Thrushfang passed soon after. Finally, the deaths abated, and left three competing heirs in its wake. Doepaw was an apprentice well on her way to warriorhood, the only surviving descendant of Beetletail. Volekit and Spiderkit were barely four moons old, though they were Oakstar’s own children. The succession was determined by a single fact, however: Oakstar had named Beetletail his heir, and had never gone back and made Volekit his chosen heir. So, at the time of Oakstar’s death, Thrushfang was his heir, and with Thrushfang’s passing, the leadership passed to Doepaw. Doepaw was made a warrior that very day, and Doecloud became Doestar, and the Clan moved on.

Leader line: Doestar- Harewhisker (Harepounce)- Poppyheart (Poppydawn)- Speckletail- Rabbitshade (Rabbitleap)- Falconsong (Fallowsong)

Deputy line: Volefoot- Spiderwhisker- Dovefoot (Windflight)- Juniperfoot (Daisytoe)- Littleshine (Littlestep)

Doestar was the mother of two daughters, Harewhisker and Falconsong, and each molly had or were expecting children. Harewhisker had three young warriors in Poppyheart, Speckletail, and Rabbitshade, and Falconsong was in the nursery expecting a litter of her own. Doestar, however, announced one afternoon that neither child would succeed her. Rather, a dashing young tom by the name of Foxheart (Pineheart) would be her heir. For many years, the reasoning behind this decision was unknown, questioned and debated over, until towards the end of his life during the reign of Bluestar, an old and frail Goosefeather told his apprentice about his vision. Goosefeather has been plagued by messages from StarClan his entire life, and when he received a vision showing a flame-coloured tom leading the Clan, he told Doestar, who acted quickly and interpreted it as a sign that StarClan desired Foxheart to succeed her. Volefoot died soon after this decision, killed fighting a fox that was threatening the Clan, and Doestar made Foxheart deputy. Shortly after, Falconsong had three healthy sons in Sparrowkit, Birchkit, and Flykit. Another terrible leafbare, complete with starvation and sickness, befell ThunderClan, and Doestar, too, passed. Foxheart became Foxstar, and the whispers of prophecy murmured in his ears. 

Next: The Reigns of Foxstar and Waspstar, and the Beginning of the Prophecy Leaders

#shadow rising #oakstar #larchface #goldenspots #beetletail #briarwing #thrushfang #ryepelt #larchkit #mapleshade #ravenwing #doestar #deerpaw #volefoot #spiderwhisker #harewhisker #poppyheart #speckletail #rabbitshade #falconsong #dovefoot #juniperfoot #littleshine #foxstar #goosefeather #halftail #birchwhisker #flyshade #long post #queue

[cat-in-a-basement]

The Last Hope Rewrite

For about 2 years now, I’ve slowly but surely been creating a rewrite of TLH that is meant to give a good story and send off to several characters. Not necessarily because I think I can make a better story, but because this idea to rewrite it has grown and grown, and I don’t want to back out of it now. I’m serious, I’m going to rewrite it.

That being said, I want to give a basic idea of things I would incorporate into the story.

Big wordy words below.

* The Dark Forest has been training all their afterlife to explicitly kill. Therefore, it should logically take the strength of more than one Clan cat to match the skills they have amassed.

*In that regard, Dark Forest trainees have also been trained by these same cat for the explicit purpose of killing. This can either work to the Clan's favor for cats that betray the Dark Forest, or greatly hinder them.

* The tunnels are a great place for cats who don't know how to get out to get lost in there. StarClan can't find them, and the Dark Forest doesn't know either. There are two cats who do know how the tunnels work, and they are ideologically opposed. Hollyleaf and Sol.

* Just as well, the cats can't always predict when it is going to rain...

* Why haven't we seen more psychological warfare from the Dark Forest? Tigerstar showed that he could send nightmares to Lionblaze already. If StarClan's power is waning, does that not mean the Dark Forest's power grows in it absence? Also, isn't Hawkfrost supposed to be a master manipulator?

* Adding to that, it could be highly advantageous for the Dark Forest to kidnap or kill a cat close to the Three in order to provoke them to act in their favor.

* Brokenstar tells Ivypool the Dark Forest is always watching them. A lot of people complain that Ivypool never tells Jayfeather anything about the DF trainees. So why not make that threat more present? Eventually Ivypool is going to slip up, and eventually she may have to do morally reprehensible things to keep her cover.

* Clearly the Dark Forest trainees have reasons for training in the Dark Forest. So what are they? Do they know about the resident's crimes? If they do, do they care?

* This is a war. Not a battle, but a war. So perhaps things shouldn't be so clear cut on who wins and loses. If the Dark Forest is far superior in skill, the war needs to reflect that.

* The Clans each have the own flaws. RiverClan likes to ignore their wrongdoings. WindClan gives up too easily. ShadowClan is too weak willed. ThunderClan thinks they are the hero. And StarClan...StarClan thinks itself as pure. So what do they do when RiverClan is faced with their monsters of the past? WindClan faces a situation where giving up means death? If ShadowClan falters in their loyalty or will they never rise again? ThunderClan can't solve everything? And StarClan is forced down from their pedestals?

* Just as well the Clans all have their unique territory. ThunderClan climb trees, RiverClan swim, ShadowClan have their swamps, and WindClan the open plains. Why not include this? Fights high in the tree tops, battles in the river and water, escaping and fighting in the swamps, ending up on the open plains, only able to rely on their speed to run fast enough to evade death.

* The Gathering is a sacred time where there is no fighting or bloodshed. I would find it satisfying and ironic to have the final battle set there.

* Firestar was famous for playing dead. Jay, Lion, Holly, Sedgewhisker and Heathertail all discovered they can escape the flooding tunnels by holes in the tunnels leading into the lake. Hollyleaf has a way of fighting the Dark Forest has never seen. Deathberries are poisonous and can easily be hidden in prey. The cats who have journeyed to the mountains know about covering their pelts with mud to hide themselves. There is abandoned twoleg nest cats have gone to when they were sick on ThunderClan territory. Tigerheart, Flametail and Dawnpelt all helped fake a sign from StarClan to make Blackstar believe in Starclan again. Why not use these points again to advance the story narrative?

* Some of the Dark Forest have grudges against the living. Mapleshade has vowed to destroy the lives of Appledusk's descendants. Crookedstar famously took that satisfaction away from her. Mistystar stood in Hawkfrost's way of becoming deputy. Sorreltail ruined Darkstripe's plan to keep her silent about meeting with Blackstar. Lionblaze told Tigerstar he was already dead, as to why he didn't kill him. Brokenstar's kit escapees, Brightheart, Brackenfur and Thornclaw are still alive. Clawface was killed by Graystripe. Thistleclaw might have a grudge against a few dead StarClan cats. Why not explore these possibilities?

* How would some Dark Forest cats react to learning their apprentices were traitors the entire time?

* Also, what rules says StarClan can't have cats go against StarClan, or Dark Forest cats go against the Dark Forest?

* What if the Dark Forest slowly eroded away the minds and sanity of its inhabitants? To the point that only the strongest of emotions remained.

* Some cats still hold terrible secrets. Eventually, these secrets will find some away of rising to the surface. 

* What do you do when you are banished from your Clan, yet a wanted traitor for defecting from the Dark Forest?

#warrior cats #rewrite #the last hope

[heather1815]

20 Warrior cats questions

I wasn’t tagged, but i really wanted to do this challenge.

1. How did you get into Warriors?

When i was, maybe around 12 or 13, i was browsing through youtube when i stumble upon the SSS warrior cat animated series. From there i watched other animated projects related to warriors, i had no idea what was going, then i did a little research and discovered the series. And just a year later, i finally got my hands on Into the wild.

2. Favorite Arc?

Well, i haven’t read Omen of the stars yet, neither Dawn of the Clans (But i want to read it soooo badly!) nor Vision of shadows. Which leaves the first three series to choose from. I’m going to go with The prophecies begin, just because how well it is written. Maybe it’s because it’s the first series, but even today the story still holds up. I was so excited to start reading Power of three, but was kind of disappointed by the amount of filler it was put in. And i was really interested in the New prophecy arc at first but after they reached the lake, it kind of dragged from there. So the first series it is.

3. Favorite Book? (excluding mangas, super editions, novellas)

Oh that’s a tough question!

I think it will be a tie between “The darkest hour” and “Long shadows”. The darkest hour was the epic conclusion to the first series, and everything before was building up to this big moment, and it was just so cool to see the four Clans uniting to stand against BloodClan. Though the only nitpick that i have is that it’s kind of lame that the big bad is killed off so easy just so we can get a new “surprise” villain. But Scourge is cool, and i like him. (Yeah, i know he’s overrated, but i still like him as a villain)

“Long shadows” in my opinion was the first true warriors book that i have read since the end of the first series. Don’t get me wrong, not to say everything else was bad before this book, it just didn’t keep my interest from beginning to end. Some conflict stuff happened here and there, but that’s it. So much stuff happens in “Long shadows” and none of it was filler. I remember every single detail that happened in that book. And of course, there is the great fire scene near the end and the cliffhanger ending.

4. Favorite Super Edition, Novella, or Manga?

Okay, i’m going to cheat a little here and pick one for each.

For favorite super edition, my personal favorite is Tallstar’s revenge. I love the way WindClan is portrayed in this book. Tallstar’s point of view is very interesting, especially when you notice the change when he comes back. His relationship with Jake, of course. I haven’t read all of them, i’m currently reading Firestar’s quest and it’s good so far. If i had to rate the super editions i read from my favorite to my least favorite, the order would be: Tallstar’s revenge, Crookedstar’s promise, Firestar’s quest (Again, i’m still reading it, but so far from what i have seen this is where i would rate it. May change the further i progress in the story) Yellowfang’s secret, and finally Bluestar’s prophecy.

My favorite novella is “Mapleshade’s vengeance”. I love how dark it is. How it shows the darker side of warriors, the way Mapleshade went from a loving queen to this tormented, sick and twisted cat with a thirst to kill everyone who wronged her. But the interesting thing for me, is that she isn’t doing this for herself. (For the most part) But for her kits.

And for the manga, well... the only manga i read was “The rise of Scourge”. So i guess this is my favorite! XD

5. Favorite Clan?

ShadowClan. As much as i love the development and culture of WindClan from Tallstar’s revenge, ShadowClan is the one that catches my interest the most. I don’t remember now from where i read it, but when i saw this: “It was often said when the Clans were in the forest, that the cold north wind of the mountains chilled the ShadowClan warriors' hearts.” I thought this was so cool. ShadowClan is often judged to be the “slytherin” of the series. The obvious bad guys/bullies, and i think they deserve more. I haven’t read VoS, but from what i have heard, they are once again in the tyranny of some rogue. Can’t they catch a break for once? I wish this Clan was represented better.

6. Favorite Character?

Only one? Can i mention several? This is warriors after all. There are lots of characters! Fuck it, i’m doing it anyway.

Hollyleaf, love her character arc and i ship her with Fallen Leaves. Jayfeather, his grumpiness is really appealing (Unlike some other cats that i know *Cough cough* Bluestar *Cough cough*) his point of view is very interesting and i was always looking forward to read his parts in the books. Brambleclaw, and i do say “Claw” rather than “Star” because i don’t know how he is as a leader. I liked his struggle to set himself apart from his father, and his relationship with Squirrelflight. Cinderpelt, she deserved better. Yellowfang, grumpy grandmother with sharp tongue (Too bad her character is ruined and tainted further on into the series) Crookedstar, he suffers and goes through so much and yet he still becomes such a great leader. Brokenstar, no i don’t like him in the way that i understand what he went through and his motives are justified. I like him for how cool of a villain he was. (I like villains okay?) He killed kits by training them too hard, he killed his father, he banished his own mother, and ruled over ShadowClan with threats. He was so diabolically evil, how can you not love it? Whitestorm, he was very cool as this wise and respectable warrior. Um... i think that’s it.

7. Least Favorite Character?

Raggedstar, Crowfeather, Rainflower, Leopardstar, and Onestar.

I hate everything about Raggedstar. His character, his relationship with Yellowfang, his actions. He’s so whiny, and really despicable. I don’t care if you have daddy issues or not, you don’t manipulate the one you love just because she decided to become something else.

Crowfeather had so much potential, and i originally liked him in the new prophecies series. But then he became cold and uncaring, and i guess you could make the argument that’s what the Erins were going for after his failed relationship with Leafpool. But he should have been more honorable! Actually be loyal to WindClan because he is loyal, and not because he has to. Taking Nightcloud as a mate just to prove his loyalty is such a mean move, because he essentially used her. And then when the truth comes out about the three, he completely shifts the blame solely to Leafpool, and gets away scotch free! He better get a good redemption in Omen of the stars or else... i’m going to get angry.

Rainflower, Terrible, terrible mother. I hate her so much.

Leopardstar, not much to say in this one. I just don’t think she’s a very good leader, nor did she do much of anything to deserve her position. And she got on my nerves.

Onestar, what’s there to say about this douche cat that hasn’t already been said? He was great as Onewhisker, then he got his nine lives, and i guess one of his gifts was the gift of being an ass because after he became leader his character decided to change and become a complete jerk for no reason. So much for keeping the peace between ThunderClan and WindClan, am i right Tallstar?

8. Most Aesthetically Pleasing Cat?

This is going to be kind of a strange one: Ivypool, even though i don’t know much about her i really like her design. I like tabbies.

9. Favorite Leader?

I like Blackstar. He’s grumpy most of the time, and yeah, he makes some bad decisions. But hey, so does all of the other leaders. I personally would not mind to see a super edition about him. He used to be the deputy for both Brokenstar and Tigerstar, and when the position passed onto him, he stepped up and became a honorable leader. I would like to see this change more closely.

10. Favorite Villain?

As much as i like Brokenstar, i have to go with Mapleshade. She’s the queen of the Dark forest basically. I think she’s still around, if i’m not wrong? But the way she has solely devoted herself to revenge, to even manipulate a kit into basically selling his soul to her at the cost of his loved ones lives, is pretty messed up. Also, can i say that we should have more she-cat villains in the series? We need more she-cat villains in these series. I am so tired of big scarred tabbies going around being evil and stuff. 

11. Favorite Medicine Cat?

Jayfeather. He’s a good medicine cat who’s not afraid to call out on StarClan’s bullshit when he has to. And he always does what is needed of him to fulfill the prophecy.

12. Overrated Character?

Bluestar. At this point, you are probably thinking i hate her guts, aren’t you? I don’t hate Bluestar, i don’t think i even dislike her. But the fandom treats her as if she is the greatest thing ever. If anyone so much as utters that they dislike her they are immediately showered with a storm of hate. How dare anyone dislike Bluestar? She’s fine guys, but she isn’t all that. Calm down. You can love her, of course you can, but we can dislike her too you know.

13. Underrated Character?

Dustpelt. I like his background development. He hated Firestar at first, and i guess he had a thing for Sandstorm. But then he met Ferncloud and discovered a softer side to him, and became a really loyal and devoted warrior.

14. Favorite Minor Character?

Longtail. He started off as a generic bully character, but he got development and managed to redeem himself in the end. Too bad he was put in the elders den. By a rabbit, of all things! (Which btw, why did the Erins send him off to the elders den for? I never got that) Also for honorable mentions goes to both Brackenfur and Runningwind.

15. Favorite Pairing?

I have so many! Fire x Sand - Good development, Squirrel x Bramble - i love me so love/hate relationships, Holly x Fallen -  They helped each other out and have a cute relationship, Willow x Crooked - They are adorable, and of course Tall x Jake - So precious.

16. Least Favorite Pairing?

Crow x Night - He used her, end of story (In fact, might as well put all Crowfeather pairings in here, their all terrible) Spider x Daisy - This was completely out of nowhere, and he was never there for her or their kits. Spotted x Fire - Forced.

17. Favorite Friendship?

Brambleclaw and Stormfur, they were very good buddies during their journey to see Midnight, and i’m glad they kept the friendship even long after.

18. Favorite Moment?

Bluestar’s death. I swear i don’t hate her guys! I just really liked this moment, and thought it was a good conclusion to her character. Her reunion with her kits is very emotional.

19. Most Tragic Death?

It’s a tie between Stonefur and Cinderpelt’s death. Stonefur kept fighting til his last breath in what he believed was right. In front of an audience no less! Cinderpelt, despite everything she went through, was not afraid to lose her life to defend Sorreltail and her kits.

20. Favorite Battle / Fight Scene?

The climax to “Eclipse”. Kind of out of nowhere, especially with the great battle against BloodClan in “The darkest hour”. But this battle is so suspenseful. It’s not kept in the point of view of one single character throughout the whole thing, it keeps switching between Lion, Jay, and Holly as different events keep on happening. It’s Wind and River teaming up to drive out Thunder, leaving them no choice but to team up with Shadow. The four Clans fighting against each other, only to be stopped by the sun being blocked out. It’s a great scene, and i get the chills every time i re-read it.

#warrior cats #warriors 20 questions tag

[silverhawk]

kdsldsaldsasmkdsk dsmkmdsf can i gush about like. the way i think of the dark forest for a moment because i have,,,, never comprised an entire list or anything of how i think abotu them and their relationships to one another so buckle up people this will be long and it’ll probs get 5 notes because everyone will be like “oh man there goes blaine w/ his stupid special interest characters” and ur totaly right

[youtube letsplayer voice] HHHHEREEE WE GOOOO

tigerstar - so tigerstar, by all accounts, would be considered the leader, but its not because he was exactly nominated or anything. he didnt accomplish as much as brokenstar had, he’s not the oldest in terms of the age he was before he died; he’s really only the leader because he’s the one who decided to ban others together and because he’s the most in your face about how dominant he is. he couldn’t handle someone being above him in rank and it shows. i’d like to think tigerstar has battled other cats who’ve tried to surpass him and he ruthless about it; he doesnt want to be second in command. it’s also a headache to consider even talking to him about it - brokenstar often calls him a kit or a ‘paw because not only is tigerstar much younger than him, but he acts like it. despite this, though, the members of the df who are younger in years than him and who have only heard about his poweress as a warrior admire the hell out of him. cats like snowtuft, sparrowfeather, and of course darkstripe trust him with their lives because they’re totally convinced that he knows what he’s doing and that he’s smart. the fact that he’s rather handsome still and still the best manipulator/talker there was helps, too.

mapleshade - now mapleshade to me is….not a leader. she’s not a leader anymore, she doesnt want to be. mapleshade is more of a lone wolf in my mind, but she is ruthless. she’s feared in the dark forest by everyone - including tigerstar, although he’d rather die than admit he was scared of anyone - but she has no need to become leader. she has a goal in mind of course, but she’s not interested in making friends. the only reason she’s apart of the dark forest circle is to get a means to an ends; tigerstar has a plan and a way to execute it, and mapleshade is like “well okay fine things did pick up with him here”. that doesnt mean she wont give him a hard time though; mapleshade & tigerstar respect each other as former thunderclan warriors who were powerful in their heyday, but as allies? no. mapleshade sees him as irresponsible and self absorbed, tigerstar thinks she’s lazy. the only cats who mapleshade would ever consider allies are those younger and smaller than her; sparrowfeather and darkstripe are close to her because they’re cats who need protection (she gives darkstripe a hard time tho)

brokenstar - the oldest in terms of years lived and he’s considered a huge veteran by cat standards. brokenstar is respected by the older df members (mapleshade, shredtail, clawface) who know that he’s more accomplished, decorated, and essentially more powerful than tigerstar. brokenstar doesn’t let tigerstar lead alone exactly, but he knows that tigerstar is an important ally to have; without him this wouldn’t have been accomplished. brokenstar is definitely that silent muscle of the group; he does things without telling tigerstar (killing beetlewhisker was a huge one; he did that on impulse and tigerstar was furious to not have been consulted) and he has his own chain of command par say. brokenstar is in no way afraid of tigerstar, but he’s a much weaker spirit than tigerstar is. his connection with starclan was never strong and it shows in the df; he’s fading in a faster rate than tigerstar is and it makes him angry. he’s extremely respected in the dark forest, in a way that’s different from tigerstar - it’s not out of fear or because they just have to get along with him, it’s because many cats see him as an accomplished and strong leader.

darkstripe - now darkstripe is, for all intended purposes, kind of the screw up of the group. he’s not a strong fighter and he’s not tough at all; he’s small and thin and he’s lost more battles than he’s won, in life and death. the reason he’s important? he is an excellent tracker and always has been. tigerstar told brokenstar that darkstripe can smell a drop of rabbit blood over the shadowclan border, and he almost can do just that; he’s excellent at hunting and tracking. darkstripe isn’t chosen to fight or to even train, but he’s used to scout out potential trainees all the time. he tries very hard though, he’s younger than many df members so he doesnt have the experience, but he sticks close to sparrowfeather and snowtuft and has friends in them, at least. he’s also the joker of the group alright; you can bet if theres ever a moment of seriousness, darkstripe shows up like “whaaats up with the long faces my dudes” and is promptly kicked out of the convo.

hawkfrost - now hawkfrost is the kid of the entire df. like he’s the baby and he hates it. he’s accomplished and fearsome, and he tries bossing around younger and lower ranked cats, but it doesn’t really hold weight. often when he attempts to tell snowtuft something to do, snowtuft is like “oookay” and then just laughs about it later liek really that kit is trying to be a big tough leader? hawkfrost is. well not very happy in the dark forest, nor is anyone; he knows that he failed in his plan and that the only reason he’s noticed is because of who his father is. he and tigerstar don’t,,,, talk as much as hawkfrost would like; i imagine that hawkfrost breaks his stoic character around his father, trying to get attention and some sort of affection, but tigerstar is so wrapped up in revenge plots its hard for him. many cats take pity on him for that, because it’s obvious he just wants his fathers attention; i can imagine clawface being like “hey go talk to your son for like two minutes i’ll take over this, go away”. hawkfrost is feared and respected, but he’s also the baby of the group and many think it’s sort of adorable how he tries to be a big baddy.

sparrowfeather - now sparrowfeather….has a complicated place in the dark forest. she’s not a warrior or a fighter; in life, she was actually a medicine cat. it shows in her fighting skill; she is a lot like darkstripe, having to pull stops and having to sneak her way around because she is simply not a good fighter. however, she’s respected for her medicine cat skills; she’s the only healer they have in the dark forest, and therefore her connection with the living world and her ability to get close enough to starclans border is stronger than anyone elses. she’s also as much as a joker as darkstripe; sparrowfeather has the same attitude as him, trying to make friends in a place where no one wants friends. sparrowfeather absolutely believes in making friends and allies to survive, which is why she sticks with darkstripe, snowtuft, and mapleshade so much - mapleshade is like a protector who is,,, very soft on sparrowfeather. yes mapleshade is in love with her. sparrowfeather has a tough warrior to keep her safe.

snowtuft - snowtuft is only a few moons older than hawkfrost, making him the second to youngest and it shows. he’s not tough or strong at all; he’s got this fluffy white coat and everyone takes note of it. with the older and meanest of the dark forest warriors, snowtuft is seen as a hindrance - “that white coat is going to get you killed in battle” “you can’t cake it down with mud or anything?” and he often avoids groups because he knows he’s small and can, quite literally, get stepped on. he hangs around sparrowfeather and darkstripe because, like him, they’re not very strong and the small ones got to stick together.

silverhawk - now silverhawk is not a fighter. he’s not tough; he comes from riverclan, and his silky fur and plump body show it. his reasons for being there, tho? silverhawk thinks he’s smarter than starclan themselves. he’s a little genius that one; he’s the planner of the group, and even tigerstar values his planning skills in retrospect to his. silverhawk is smart and was second in command when his leader during his lifetime used him to plan invasions of other clans. silverhawk doesn’t fight and no one forces him to, not anymore; he has his own space where he can lend tigerstar and brokenstar advice. he’s the nerd of the group and absolutely is respected for his skill.

thistleclaw - now thistleclaw has a complicated relationship in the dark forest. many younger cats respect the hell out of him for the fact that he’s tough and knows his way around a battle; he’s strong and just as much as a fighter as tigerstar and mapleshade, and he’s second oldest after brokenstar. however, it’s his relationship to tigerstar that stops him from being in a leader position; tigerstar is uncomfortable with letting his old mentor surpass him, and he can’t let himself be comfortable around him. thistleclaw doesn’t understand it, but he’s old and tired and lets tigerstar give him ideas and things to do. 

shredtail - an older member of the df whose probably just as scary and ruthless as brokenstar. shredtail does not give a fuck. not even tigerstar can really control what he wants to do. shredtail is rumored to have been a warrior from shadowclan, thunderclan - no one knows for sure, who murdered warriors in their sleep. no one can confirm it, and he changes the story every time. point is? you dont want to piss of shredtail. at all. he’s not exactly a joker or light hearted, but he’s not as quiet as brokenstar or mapleshade; he intimidates others and many are scared of him because of how unpredictable he is.

mMMmmmMMM well thats what i got for now!! i am. so sorry because this is sort of embarrassing, how much effort i put into this. oh well at least You Know Now how much i think about this kind of stuff, and this is how the dark forest goes for me so YEAHH

sorry mobile users

#barking #ok 2 rb / #i am. so sorry this is so embarrassing fdkmldsf #im so. ashamed

[cat-in-a-basement]

An Analysis on Mapleshade - Why (I Think) She is a Poorly Written Character

Before I start: This is not meant to ridicule or make fun of people who like Mapleshade's character. This is an analysis of why I think she is a poorly written villain and character. I do hope to get some people to see my point of view about this, but I also recognize I cannot force someone to see my point of view. You're not wrong for liking her. Just I'm not wrong about disliking her - she actually used to be one my favorite villains when she first was announced. Until her character was botched for me, that is. I know that sometimes we can mistake rants as personal attacks towards us, and so I want to make it very clear I am not judging or shaming you if you like her character. Hey, it may make you like Mapleshade even more. Who knows how the results for each individual will turn out.

Do we, as the fans, give Mapleshade too much credit for being intelligent, well-written and a strong female character? I was looking back (in my head - haven't read the books in years) to her plans and how she executed them, and all I can think is 'wow...that was ill-thought out and rash.'

However, a lot of the fandom seems to regard Mapleshade as this 'evil goddess' who is dastardly and evil with this tragic backstory for why. Her plans are viewed as intelligent and brilliant, and the fans clamor for another villain like Mapleshade.

I am going to point out what I remember from the books that makes me think she isn't that great. If anyone would care to give the exact quotes, feel free to. It is possible I might miss something.

First off, she plans this great revenge, but seems to have forgotten the reason why she did it in the first place. Her KITS. But, by plotting this revenge in the first place, she dashes her chances of ever seeing them again.

StarClan is not going to give Mapleshade her kits after she demonstrated she is a murderer and killer, and so Mapleshade has basically lost all rights to ever see them again. So that begs the rhetorical question, where on EARTH does that sound like a smart plan?!

In the hunt for vengeance, she forgets what she even fought for to begin with! I am aware that was the intention of her backstory, but it makes this great villain I saw from Crookedstar's Promise turn into a laughingstock because she isn't this dastardly or cool villain anymore (to me - opinion my vary).  It doesn't help that Mapleshade's Vengeance was poorly written and the only way the Erins could possibly seem to make Mapleshade sympathetic is if they made every other character jerks. So you're stuck with a character who has been greatly flanderized from her original portrayal, and you can't sympathize with any of the other characters, leading to 'audience-induced apathy'. The whole situation was so painfully like something that would come out of a revenge fanfiction and written so over-the-top that I just stopped caring. 

She goes on an emotional rampage without ever thinking things through and only focusing on vengeance - vengeance - vengeance. [Honestly, this is part of why I'm against revenge. It makes people turn into morons. Sometimes they forget the reason they are seeking revenge.]

Another thing I would like to point out is her reasoning and logic process of killing Ravenflight and Frecklewish. 

She kills Ravenwing because she assumes he must be a murderer because the cat is Lawful Good and chooses to follow the code. Thing is, Mapleshade did break the code, and Ravenwing is not necessarily in the wrong. The problem is, we're supposed to sympathize with Mapleshade when she did do something wrong, and vilify Ravenwing because he was doing his job. It's overall just bad character writing.

Don't get me wrong - Ravenwing was a jerk. But, that's what I'm expected to think about him. I'm not supposed to like or pity his death. Mapleshade, however, comes off as even more foolish because she decides that he has to pay for breaking the warrior code, and somehow that killing him means her kits will be avenged. We're, again, supposed to sympathize with Mapleshade, but her motives are just so shallow. No, I don't mean that her kits dying was 'shallow.' I mean that her motif of revenge was that she blamed Ravenwing when he was doing his job, and that killing him was supposed to be revenge. Again, I've read this same plot in fanfictions.

She kills Frecklewish because she (Frecklewish) 'let' Mapleshade's kits die. Mapleshade assumes that Frecklewish did this intentionally without rationalizing that ThunderClan cats are not trained to swim, RiverClan cats CAN swim, and that there was no way Frecklewish could survive that storm. Frecklewish even states she thought the RiverClan patrol would rescue them. So Mapleshade decides justice is blind, and lures the leader's daughter to Snakerocks where she'll be killed. 

Um, Mapleshade? Doesn't it seem kind of stupid to, I don't know, target the LEADER'S daughter? Said leader can easily form a patrol just to hunt you down as retribution, as said leader has that power. Did you ever think of that? Will I ever stop talking to the characters as if they exist? (Probably not) Did you not forget that your Clan has patrols, and it is stated that a patrol of cats HEARD your murder attempt? 

All of it was a botched attempt at murder with little thought put into it but the sake of revenge. That is not something a smart cat does. That is something a fool does in a rash decision.

Oh, and there is this to mention as well. Because her brother, Birchface, is the cat Appledusk killed, the fandom likes to think she let them drown on purpose, and ignores the fact she isn't trained to swim and there were RiverClan cats by as well. One: Frecklewish has every right to be upset at Birchface's death, and angry at Appledusk. Two: this does not mean she just 'had' to have let Mapleshade's kits die on purpose. Frecklewish was utterly horrified at what happened, and tried to explain that she thought that the RiverClan patrol would rescue them. We're expected to take Mapleshade's side, when it is irrational for her to think that a ThunderClan cat can swim during a storm. Really, she would have made more sense if she targeted the RiverClan cats. Even then, they may not have been able to reach the kits while a storm was raging either.

Then, we get to Appledusk. He's the source of her problems, so what does she do? She obviously gets to the end to kill him, finally getting actual revenge on someone who genuinely wronged her.

Nah, I'm kidding. 

She loses it and attacks Reedshine, aiming to kill HER. Appledusk only dies because he got in the way of Reedshine. What did Mapleshade even THINK? Miraculously if Reedshine was dead, Appledusk would love her again? If she killed Reedshine, Oakheart would experience what she felt? Mapleshade AGAIN attacks without a plan, and gets killed by an apprentice of all things, for her rashness and stupidity. It's just like an angry wife whose been cheated on targeting the other woman in the relationship instead of the guy who wronged her, and cheated on and betrayed her (Mapleshade) anyways. I would even be as so bold as to say that is the exact opposite of a feminist character. She's shaming the female instead of the male who wronged her. 

That's not all, however. It's just the majority of her stupid moments were in Mapleshade's Vengeance, which was written very poorly.

In the less poorly written Crookedstar's Promise, she doesn't have as many bad character moments. In all honesty, CP is probably her apex, as she is a viable threat here.

Then we move onto Omen of the Stars.

Mapleshade is first introduced attacking an apprentice - Ivypaw/pool - and trying to drown her for bumping into her (Mapleshade). 

First of all, that's a potential trainee you are trying to kill. The Dark Forest is not exactly a popular vacation spot, and your support is going to be small to begin with. You can't just off one and expect another to show up in its place immediately. It's akin to an overlord killing one of their minions for bothering them. I get it's supposed to be an introductory scene to this supposed great villain who attacks Ivypaw for bumping into her, showing her credentials as a villain, but it comes off to me as a petty cat who just does what she wants and acts like a petulant child...er, kit.

Secondly, you can't make enemies within your own ranks like that without consequences. If you abuse your underlings, eventually they will have experienced so much of it that they can turn against you. Mapleshade decides nah - forget that - let's abuse the underling. Why? Clearly it is to establish to the readers she is EVIL!

Throughout the series, Mapleshade has apparently geared up to get this great revenge - actually scratch that. Revenge means you were wronged. ENVY means you want what that character has. Schaudenfreude means you'll kill to get it. And this great revenge is against...Sandstorm. Sandstorm, who has no interaction with Mapleshade whatsoever and probably doesn't even know she exists. All because she was petty and wanted Sandstorm's life. We're supposed to feel sorry for Mapleshade, but honestly all I feel is an annoyance that Mapleshade is so childish (kit...ish?) she can't stand the thought someone has has the things she wants.

Now, I know I may get replies telling me things like: 'Mapleshade can't be blamed because she wasn't in her right mind. She clearly was not mentally well and so can't be blamed for what she did.' ‘For StarClan's sake, she was in grief!' ‘She lost her kits, don't you have any sympathy?! ‘She went through so much and is so strong for it!' 'She scared even Tigerstar, how is that not a good villain?'

So, yes, these hypothetical responses have been heavily exaggerated. I find it's best to argue the most exaggerated potential responses as you cover more ground that way and can counter the most hypothetically possible responses. Here are my responses to all these.

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'Mapleshade can't be blamed because she wasn't in her right mind. She clearly was not mentally well and so can't be blamed for what she did.' 

This one I see the most. Because Mapleshade was hallucinating her dead kits telling her to get revenge for them, this means she can't be held responsible because she wasn't in her right mind. If you say otherwise, you must be ableist and biased against characters with mental disorders. (This was added to give an extreme example of that ‘exaggerated response’ I was referring to.)

If you have a mental disorder, and you kill people because you wanted revenge against them, the court of law is not going to say 'Oh it's okay because they have a mental disorder. They're going to put the killer in a prison, where they (should) receive mental help. This is to protect everyone else.

Heck, I'll use myself as an example. Let's say I go into Walmart, and I stab somebody with a knife. It doesn't matter if I'm autistic. It doesn't automatically make me immune to the law. I hurt somebody, and I will go to prison for it. It doesn't matter if I have a disorder. I intentionally caused harm to another living being.

Mapleshade intentionally caused harm to three other cats (and more but let’s just focus on Appledusk, Frecklewish and Ravenwing for now). It does not matter if she has something wrong with her or not, she is still a murderer.

'For StarClan's sake, she was in grief! Grief makes us do some crazy things at times.'

Yep, can confirm. It still doesn't give an excuse to kill because of it.

'She lost her kits, don't you have any sympathy?!'

I was very upset about what happened to her kits. But, you know...it was Mapleshade who sent them to the river in the first place. I'm not saying she's all to blame, but that her rash actions lead them to the river, where they drowned. She is partly to blame. And yet, she refuses to take responsibility for it. She instead blames Frecklewish, who can't swim to begin with and thought the RiverClan patrol would rescue them. It is awful Mapleshade lost them. She has every right to grieve and mourn. She has every right to be angry. She has every right to scream bloody murder. But actual murder? Murder is not justified. Murder cannot be sympathized with. I understand she is in pain. But becoming a serial killer won't change anything. In the end, she loses everything because she decided to throw away everything for the sake of revenge. She can never see her kits again, and it is of her own doing. I cannot sympathize with a character who chose to throw everything away. 

'She went through so much and is so strong for it!'

I don't think so myself. Mapleshade struck me as a weak character, refusing to see her own faults and pinning everything on other cats so that she could remain sympathetic. At least, that's what I think Mapleshade's Vengeance was trying to do. 

'She scared even Tigerstar, how is that not a good villain?'

Yep, she's pretty darn scary. But that doesn't necessarily constitute a 'good villain'. She just has so many other weak character spots that her scariness gets old and worn out. She becomes just another generic villain.

-

So to conclude my not-so-professional argument,  Mapleshade is a poorly thought out villain who acts like a child and tries to put the blame on every other cat but herself. She is constantly doing things that are foolish or revenge driven, and hardly ever thinks about where she wants to go with her plans. Her reasons are petty at best, and she doesn't think about what the consequences might be, and how to point them in her favor.

I also think about how she's commonly thought to be a strong character. That made me think how dependent she was towards Appledusk, and how she targeted the female in the cheating relationship, who did no wrong to her, instead of Appledusk, who did wrong her. I think about how she hated Sandstorm because she had a good life. And, I thought to myself, this isn't a strong female character. This is a female character who gets petty over small things and is spiteful at other cats, then tries to pin the blame on them for having what she wanted.

#warrior cats #mapleshade #analysis #BC analyzes things #ranting #I'm on the chopping block now...