#i like battle of the clans nightwhisper's story the most

[the-owl-tree]

Hello!

I started reading the series this year out of pure curiosity so I'm very new to Warriors. I just finished the first four arcs of Warriors + The Apprentice's Quest and while there are a lot of things I didn't like about the series there's something about it that just makes me want to see what happens. In particular I liked OotS a lot and I'm really looking forward to the rest of AVoS,

My question is: is it worth reading any of the novellas, super editions or mangas as someone who has 0 nostalgia for the series? I have been told that they contradict a lot of things and/or retell things we already saw so they don't sound like a great time. Yellowfang and Hollyleaf are my favorites so far and I heard how bad Yellowfang's Secret was. I considered checking out Hollyleaf's Story but I'm not sure if it's worth my time after hearing all this.

it's a mixed bag and honestly up to what you find personally enjoyable in the series, wc side books have some good stuff and some bad stuff. if you like journey books then you'll like some of these, if you enjoy more dialogue than action then you'll like some, it really is up to preference! my own recommendations would just be to skip whatever doesn't sound interesting to you if you're not interested in reading everything lol but if you would like some recommendations:

(this got long sorry lol)

for super editions, bluestar's prophecy is a fine book, if you're interested in an in-depth exploration of bluestar's life and a better understanding of some bg characters in tpb then i'd recommend it! while the core conflict and relationships are weak when you think about it, i think it does well enough in selling the situation that you can give it some suspension of disbelief

crookedstar's promise is arguably the best written with great conflict and some great relationships. it's popular for a reason and i think it earns the hype it has in the fandom as a solid book. it's flimsy in some parts but it does better than expected when compared to usual wc books.

i'm tentative to put tallstar's revenge simply because i actually don't think it deserves a lot of the hype it gets lol the conflict is weak, the resolution is disappointing, and jake doesn't get nearly enough spotlight imo however if you like travelling books and want some more books that talk about windclan culture and history, i recommend this one simply for the worldbuilding!

uhhh for more like supplementary reading, firestar's quest is fine (with some creepy romance conflict) and does well enough for what it has to do. i haven't read hawkwing's journey (and haven't heard good things) so i can't comment too much on it but i think, even though i haven't read it, i would recommend tigerheart's shadow as both avos reading and a general understanding of his character for the newer arcs

everything else i havent read or did not like lol

for novellas, i actually enjoyed hollyleaf's story! it's a contained narrative about hollyleaf dealing with everything and if you don't mind a lot of talking and reminiscing with some not subtle writing, it's a decent character piece.

cloudstar's journey is a sombre novella and for that i recommend it, i love the interactions in it and the growing desperation of the characters. if that doesn't sound appealing to you, feel free to skip but if it does, then i recommend!

mapleshade's vengeance aka the scourge of fandom discourse is a fun read, absolutely recommend. it's nothing new or original but it's great to have a protagonist who just fucks shit up.

pinestar's choice another interesting read, pinestar as a character is divisive (for a lot of reasons) but on its own, i think it's really interesting. there's some great moments where he reflects on the clan and i wish there were more moments like that in the series!

blackfoot's reckoning what if god tortured you psychologically with your own memories? very enjoyable even if it isn't that meaningful in the long run

and moving onto the mangas, i actually recommend them all? i love graphic novels, manga, manwha, webtoons, etc. so i'm quite biased towards any visual book and will enjoy myself reading them lol but for more detailed thoughts:

the rise of scourge is a classic for a reason, solid villain origin story.

graystripe's adventure or whatever it calls itself is...fine, it's a fun little adventure trip that gets you invested in graystripe and millie's relationship as well as showing how he got home. if you want a low stakes adventure comic series, check it out.

ravenpaw's path is just a little post-bloodclan adventure for him. if you want to see more of ravenpaw and barley or see what happened to bloodclan after the darkest hour, check this out!

tigerstar & sasha is contentious series, some people like it and others don't. i enjoyed it as a bleak trio of novels, i genuinely feel so bad for sasha :( if you can get past the wonky art then i recommend it!

skyclan and the stranger is...mixed, it's got some nice background designs. if you like gorge skyclan or a certain eclipse antagonist then i'd recommend, just don't expect anything amazing.

a shadow in riverclan has a strong start, a weak ending, and some very confusing characterization if you read the new prophecy after lol i enjoyed feathertail's struggle and would recommend it simply if you want some acknowledgement for whatever the fuck happened in tigerclan

winds of change is an excellent standalone manga that highlights mudclaw's perspective during the windclan rebellion in tnp, it's enjoyable and while he's definitely not in the right, you do understand his perspective a little more after it.

exile from shadowclan is one i'd recommend just for the art, the way james barry utilizes shadow and the landscape is great and i found myself looking at the pages more for the artwork than the story at times! while it's wonky and has some...really weird choices, i'd just read it if you're interested more in brokenstar's reign over shadowclan.

aaannddd those are my recommendations! apologies it got a little long, i wanted to ramble lol i'm probably not the best person to ask since i havent read everything but i appreciate you reaching out nonetheless! hope you find something you like :)

[bonefall]

Just curious, is Russetfur still Raggedstar’s half sister in this universe or are they completely unrelated now? Also do you have anything on Boulder? He was always one of my favorite background cats

If they are half-sibs, it's not relevant! They won't know or care.

Chelford cats are matriarchal. Sires don't inherently play a role in the lives of their children, and seeking that sort of company is something a parent keeps discreet. Uncles and brothers fill the role of "father" in raising the kittens, with cats tracking their lineages through mothers

So Russet has no idea who her father is and doesn't care. Ngl, I also just... don't care about Hal lmaooo

(Imagine writing a super edition about one of your most popular characters, with a story that people have been begging to hear in detail for years, and then dedicating the entire opening to her shitty husband's daddy issues. Couldn't be me.)

Instead, Russetfur is related to the leader of BloodClan at that time. Brick is her sister. I might make Hal her uncle or older brother.

The conflict that occurs between BloodClan and ShadowClan at this time will cause the leader to be killed suddenly, triggering the Frenzy, the period of time during which a new leader is chosen. Pinestar is already having issues over in ThunderClan, and starts seriously thinking about leaving to go help out.

(Though it's certainly not his last straw.)

In any case... if Russetfur and her buddy Boulder had been having second thoughts about Clan life, getting the BloodClan Leader killed and burned the hell out of THAT bridge.

Anyway.

Russetfur and Boulder are in danger during TigerClan. Serious danger. They were loyal to Brokenstar and were safe as long as they were good warriors, but Tigerstar had his eye on them.

So, I feel they may have supported Deerfoot's Rebels, but deniably. I want Blackstar picking Russetfur to be heavily based on her participation, but I also need her to stay safe.

(Might end up having her escape and take refuge with Mistyfoot...)

Boulder is a lot more passive. I like him a LOT and want to expand his role a bit, just because... I Like Him. Literally just blorbo lmao. It's funny how the fandom consensus is just, "this guy's cool!"

I go back and forth on when Boulder's kids are born, and who they are. But he WILL be having kids

I'm set on Whitethroat being one of them, and leaning towards Wetfoot being another.

If Wetfoot is one of Boulder's kids, Firestar knows Boulder as a concerned dad. Wetfoot is going to get a bigger role as a friend in ShadowClan and Deerfoot Rebel.

In my head, Boulder likes the community of Clan life more than the violence, but because he's huge and served under tyrannical leaders he gets forced into battles he doesn't enjoy.

He massively regrets following Russetfur, honestly. He doesn't want to leave and go rebuild his reputation in BloodClan... but he also wishes he never came here.

In my heart, TPB is like the WORST period in this poor guy's life. Background character going through an absolute WRINGER

He's anxious for himself, anxious for his friends, anxious for his kids. Loses Whitethroat. Might lose Wetfoot to the Plague. Serves under TigerClan, terrified that if he isn't a perfect warrior he will get killed.

(And he's right. His fear is warranted. If Russetfur does something, like if I go with her being a refugee in ThunderClan, HE is going to get punished.)

And, of course, he is eventually used by Tigerstar to open up talks with BloodClan.

Even though he has Sasha, Nightwhisper, and Jaggedtooth to serve the same purpose... Tigerstar chooses Boulder.

He doesn't trust Jaggedtooth after he "fails" to contain the prisoners that escape to ThunderClan. He "proved" his loyalty by following his order to execute Deerfoot, but Jaggedtooth is now at the bottom of the pecking order.

Sasha is being reduced to a mate Tigerstar can control, even though she served as one of his mercenaries. He doesn't give her ANY agency.

Nightwhisper is a stupid tool, in Tigerstar's eyes. He does not respect his intelligence, just his eagerness.

So Boulder is chosen. He's smart enough to translate properly, fearful enough to do what Tigerstar says, has lived long enough as a Clan cat... and if he HAS any remaining kids, there is the implicit threat that if Boulder tries something funny, his child is who will pay for it.

After TigerClan ends, I feel like Boulder is desperate to retire early, but also feels like he can't ask for it. He's only survived this long because of his usefulness. It would be hard to trust that he can just... not serve, anymore.

If I can scrounge up more kits for ShadowClan (IT'S SO SMALL), I also would like him to end up having another litter mid-Po3.

Hopefully one of the kids of his first survived, so I can play around with the harrowing dynamic of, "Our dad is so much happier while raising you... I envy my younger sibling's childhood."

And on a final note, Boulder is probably going to get a Warrior Name during TPB. It doesn't really make sense that he just keeps his old one, unfortunately, when Clan Culture is at its most xenophobic and he's in active danger. He'll get Boulder back as a request between TPB and TNP.