#DOTC is full of abuse apologia.

[bonefall]

I'm glad you're keeping the part where Thunder puts himself between Clear Sky and Grey Wing, willingly showing that he would rather die before letting Clear Sky kill his dad.

That's actually a Bones Addition. You just think it's canon because it literally should have been there from the very beginning. Thunder doesn't get between them at any point during the battle, he runs towards them only to get interrupted by 2 people trying to kill him.

First was Falling Feather, who Jackdaw's Cry then jumps on and dies fighting with, sister killing brother.

Second was Leaf, who's a diehard Clear Sky supporter and general bully.

In canon, Clear Sky stops the battle after Gray Wing says the line, non-fucking-sensically imo. Killing his BROTHER is too far, but killing someone who wasn't even attacking him? A noncombatant who said something mildly insulting? That wasn't. Rainswept Flower did the SAME thing Gray Wing did and still got bumped off for it;

“Is this worth it?” he heard Clear Sky hiss at Rainswept Flower. Scrambling to her paws, she faced him. “What do you mean?” Clear Sky flattened his ears menacingly. “Are you ready to die just to stop me from making borders?” Rainswept Flower curled her lip. “You’ll keep stealing land as long as we let you.” “Stealing land?” Clear Sky’s mew trembled with rage, “I’m just making sure my cats never starve.” Rainswept Flower’s gaze flitted around the lush slopes of the hollow. “How could any cat starve here? There’s so much. Wanting more is just greedy!” “How dare you!” With a snarl, Clear Sky leaped for her, grabbing her throat between his jaws. Her paws flailed desperately, lashing out at thin air as he shook her like prey. Then she hung still. Clear Sky dropped her, gazing coldly at her lifeless body. “You never understood. I’m not greedy. I’m just strong.”

-The First Battle, Chapter 20

Then in Clear Sky's pathetic wet beast scene, he stares down at Rainswept's corpse, and thinks "I was so angry I don't remember killing her :("

So how, exactly, does this same character keep his cool when Gray Wing says the same shit but worse?? Is he really so controlled by emotion that his logical processes flip off, or fucking not? Gray Wing was refusing to submit, lunging at him, calling him power hungry and taunting him that he would kill his own littermate for it, and THAT manages to get through Clear Sky's blood-poisoned head?

"ouuugh it's his brotherr that's why his personality completely changes for him" the fucking guy tried to have this same brother murdered in Sun Trail by Fox. The first book. He EXILED HIS OTHER BROTHER for having a broken leg because he, "didn't want to look biased"

Again; is he controlled by his fear and anger or not? Is this a man who would snap the neck of someone he cares about because he feels insulted, or not?

The answer is that the Erins are breaking their spines bending over backwards to try and keep him "redeemable" when he shouldn't be. He's whatever the plot needs him to be, but the most consistent character traits point towards Clear Sky being the kind of person who would never have wanted to change his ways.

So, they write Clear Sky ridiculously backing down for Gray Wing, calling off the battle and "coming to his senses" instead of having Thunder do WHAT HE SHOULD HAVE DONE and jump to his REAL dad's defense.

This is what I mean when I mention how firmly I feel that Clear Sky's Redemption Arc was a mistake. He works best as a villain, a fearful, proud, controlling monster, understood by his impacts on other characters rather than as a person the story should concern itself with sympathy for.

[warrior-cats-rewritten]

Best and Worst POV? My fav is Squilf and my least fav is rootspring

Good choices! I love Squirrelstar/Squirrelflight/Squirrelpaw myself. I thought her view was interesting and refreshing. Rootspring is only saved to me by his friendship with Shadowsight, and at least by Book 2, he is trying really hard to be kind to Bristlefrost. Sure, he comes off as weird about it so far, but it comes off to me like "autistic teenage boy is trying to penguin pebble and it is not going well"

As for my favorite POV? It has to go to... Ivypool.

Yup. Despite my love for Hollyleaf, quite a few parts of her story were very uncomfortable to a kid like me who was struggling with the catholic school system. Hollypaw and I were both told to stop asking questions, given rules that presented blatent double standards and both told by our parents that we were the Good Quiet Sibling who could keep our brothers in check.

But my favorite was Ivypool. Mean? Yeah. At first though? I wasn't angry. Ivypaw was a jealous kid, that was fine, and I have enough nuance to know that warrior ≠ full grown ass adult that shouldn't let anything effect them ever (which... Is stupid anyways, you still have feelings the split second you turn 18).

Her POV was tense, filled with paranoia, and...Actually a pretty accurate example of grooming and radicalization. I love the relationships she had with others and how much of a Cuddly Porcupine she is. She wants companionship but keeps pricking the people who get close to her.

As for least favorite?

Alderheart. Full stop. Whiny, stubborn, and a perfect example of Not Helping Yourself. If he wants to get better at hunting, he needs to practice the basics, but we never see this happen and the timeline is too close and too seen for him to have actually put a plan in place to be better than his Awful Bitch Sister.

The way he hates Sparkpelt for breathing (to the point his "anxiety" magically disappears when there's an opportunity to look beyter than her), the way he scorns any and all kittypets as an "acceptable" form of bigotry to the point he BLAMES THE DAYLIGHT WARRIORS FOR SKYCLAN'S COLLAPSE and yet the fandom and writers (especially the writers) coo over him like he's a precious, nervous baby.

Actually... Gray Wing and Clear Sky too. Thank you both for ruining what was a cool sounding arc and tricking the fans so badly that everyone calls DOTC "actually really good" like it isn't a misogynistic (which I guess doesn't matter now because misogyny is seen as "bigotry light" and no one cares) slaughter fest rife with colonialism, abuse apologia, and other bullshit.

Favorite other little POV was that snippet from Darkstripe during Sunset's prologue. It was our first big glimpse at the Dark Forest, and the ending line from it gave me chills, I could practically see Tigerstar's face fade away into the camp view as it came to a close and Chapter 1 began, his eyes fading but lingering slightly longer as the shot transitioned to Brambleclaw standing in the ruined camp.

It was cinema to me, okay? And Darkstripe being his pathetic, sniveling self really tied it together. Odd he seemed to be there for so long and not know what was going on. Or... Maybe he only just spawned? But why? In WCR it takes long because his trial takes AGES due to an... Incident... With a certain Bloodclan deputy, along with other cats who are going to be damned before him taking a while to wrap up, ah the legal system. But in canon, he seems new there.

Maybe he really is that naive.

[atdwarriorsau]

Part Two: The Tangled Mess of Canon's Creation Story

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CONTENT WARNING: Canon-typical abuse apologia, misogyny, colonialism, evangelicalism, ect. Also HUGE LEVELS OF SALT

Why Dawn of the Clans fails as a creation narrative.

Dawn of the Clans is objectively awful, for a myriad of reasons I can't get into now. I HIGHLY recommend @bonefall for detailed explanations of DotC many problems; also Moonkitti's Bumble video. I can't get into all of that now, so I'll just focus on DotC as a explanation of how the modern clans came to be.

Section One: Perspective.

Having a whole arc, dedicated to the founding of the clans, while it might work, I really feel it's to the stories detriment. It puts us too close. It removes the mysticality of the story, and leads to a story that drags. The founding of the clans does NOT warrant an entire arc. At least with the way it was written in canon.

The narrative seems to focused on giving Clea Sky new dead wives than actually giving us a compelling story about how the clans came to be. There are so many routes you could have taken with the story, had the authors wanted to commit. Did bigger groups split into smaller clans, maybe fringe groups combind under a oppressive force and stayed together. There are many interesting historical accounts of how cultures/settlements came to be, that you could borrow from.

One way to create this kind of story, is have it take place across larger stretches of time. Have an impersonal account of how the clans changed until we got to the point of the modern clans. This also allows for exploring clans, like Stormclan maybe was a larger clan that perhaps split into the modern Thunderclan and Windclan. What conflicts drew or forced groups together or apart? Maybe Thunderclan formed as a group of split-off Skyclan refugees, hence the name.

A story written like it is in canon could work, it just... doesn't.

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Section Two: Mountain Cats

Firstly, the Tribe Redux is coming soon, I prommy, so I won't get into it here, just... (some of) the founders being Tribe Cats is... bad.

Canon Dawn of the Clans is about colonialism. Full stop. The parallels are almost uncanny, and I'm pretty sure the authors being British have something to do with it (I'm Canadian I'm allowed to say that). While this could have been an interesting commentary and reflection on history, instead the authors decided this is a good thing, the colonizers are the heros. Simply saving the natives from a life of savagery. Hopefully I shouldn't have to tell you how awful that is. Seeing any group of the natives of the land try and stand up for themselves are painted as the villains, who are put down by the end of the story. And everyone conforms. The end.

Yikes.

One thing that really bothers me that I have to touch on is the out of nowhere fact that the Tribe Cats hate kittypets. They have never met a kittypet until Bumble. The native wildcats have not told the group about kittypets. There is no reason why Grey Wing should treat Bumble as a lower life form. They writing makes it out as if kittypet hating is something you're born with, an innate 'common sense'. This is stupid.

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Section Three: The clan formations are (mostly) boring

So. Here is what happens in canon.

The mountain cats come down. They just decide some cats want to live in the forest instead. That's it. The native cats don't get a say or the 'honour' of being assigned their own group. 'Oh those are just the nasty rouges that have lived here for generations, don't mind them' (again, where did the mountain cats learn this??) Wind Runner's kit dies and Grey Wing tries to evangelisize her, so she leaves (fair). It should be noted that the only native founder is Wind Runner (I ain't counting River Ripple). And River Ripple... shows up. Thunder splits off sometime between the last two books (the wiki WILL NOT tell me when this happens)

The dead spirits just decide that there must be five clans, and dying Grey Wing and his bay sons name them. Cool. After this nothing happens. Everyone just decides Grey Wing and his dead fetus sister are cool and like prophets and stuff, and stay stagnant for eternity. If anything this proves there has never been any clan individuality. Sure, some of the founders came from different places, but all that's lost when they decide to best the exact same as each other. Their culture never evolves.

This sucks. The clans have no chances to evolve. The only ways their culture change is the code (which needs its own post).

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In summary:

DotC is a heaping trash fire pulling in any of the small bits of good it had going for it. This is going to be COMPLETELY gutted. There is almost nothing left to save. Next post we'll finally get back to AtD, and what I'm actually going to do about this problem.

I'll have my work cut out for me.

bc im making one rn, do the clans have a creation story?

Oof okay this is gonna have to be a four-parter.

Directory:

Part One: Ancient Ancestors/Mythology

Part Two: Why DotC is ass The Tangled Mess of Canon's Creation Story

Part Three: A Basic Overview of the AtD Timeline

Part Four: The Founder's Stories

-☆◇☆◇☆◇☆◇☆◇☆◇☆◇☆◇☆◇☆◇☆◇☆◇☆-

Part One: Ancient Ancestors/Mythology

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Explained in this post, anything not directly stated in TPB is free game for me. I am a very big mythology nerd, so I allowed myself to add some stories and rituals that can fit inside canon.

One thing I've noticed is how often Lionclan and Tigerclan and Leopardclan are brought up in the first arc. And how seemingly ever following arc seemed to drop the premise entirely. I always thought that was such a shame because there were SO many interesting things you could have done with that concept.

In this fictional land the clans live in (not britain), big cats emigrated up north, eventually becoming the wild cats known now. (At least this is what the clans believe). Cats with lion/tiger/leopard traits are held in high esteem, and NOT naming a kit with these traits those names is seen as very weird ad probably a bad sign for the cats life.

There are no stories about specific big cats, they've just been relegated to specific stereotypes and roles for whatever narrative the elder needs to tell. It's like in certain folklores that use animal characters. The fox is always sly, the mouse always scared, the bear always tough, the owl/crow always wise.

Tigers are bold, strong, but also clever and quick. They are NOT 'the bad ones' who the writers equate with Shaowclan, because that is bad and sucks. Tigers are actually (irl) incredible swimmers, so Shadowclan AND Riverclan hold them in the higher esteem.

Lions are what inspired Thunderclan's somewhat unique and very intense ideal of 'nobility'. The 'kings' who do good by all, leading without question. In an older age, Skyclan held lions in the higher esteem as well, though that has long since faded. They are still basically Thunderclan's mascot to this day.

Leopards are beloved by Riverclan and Wndclan. While strong, they are not AS strong as lions and tigers, so Thunderclan and Shadowclan tend to brush them off. Leopards were rumoured to be fast as the wind, and favoured intelligence over raw strength.

The Old Clans, as the are known, are often put down by the older apprentices as being 'kit tales', but elder warriors know the wisdom these stories hold. Due to the vague nature of the stories, many older cats question whether or not they hold any truth, but understand the importance of these stories and know to let them be.

As for whether I, the author, have decided if they are true or not, well, I'll never tell : )

[bonefall]

Tbh I reread DotC in late 2022/early 2023 (I legitimately can't remember) and it struck me how awful Gray Wing was a lot of the time?

And like I found no one talking about it on Twitter, I felt like I had read I different series when people talked about how kind and perfect he was all the time (don't get me wrong, he has his moments, but it seemed like everyone ignored or forgot the bad).

Anyway, I came on Tumblr and I found your blog, and it has made me feel sane again, so I would really just like to thank you for that :)

Not to mention everything else you do on your blog, I love your au so much and how you're willing to go to bat for disabled and wronged woman characters. I look forward to every post :)

Thank u <3

Yeah Gray Wing is so... he's such an uncomfortable character, to me. I hate the way they basically use him to do Clear Sky apologia for the entire series, EXCEPT for when they need to zoom in on how much terrible pain and sadness Gray Wing is in for being Such A Nice Dude.

He's both a bully and a victim in the worst possible way. He'll get shoved around and insulted by Clear Sky and then immediately downplay how violent and shitty his brother is, and then say that Bumble was too fat to escape domestic abuse while commenting on how her death is sad even though he didn't like her. He's oblivious to any of the actual feelings of his four romantic interests, and then gets several chapters for man pain after the writers kill off three of them.

And the WORST is his parenting... They're desperately trying to stress how amazing and sweet and perfect Gray Wing is (even though he's not) for taking care of all these kids who are not his; but the CHILDREN don't return that affection. The MOMENT Turtle's kits know that he didn't knock up their mother, it's Tom, Tom, Tom.

I feel like "unrequited parental affection" is one of the most bizarrely uncomfortable things I can imagine, and yet, that's what they want for Gray Wing. They want to show how sad it is that he's so so full of love, and he doesn't really get it back. Baffling.

So, welcome! We serve Gray Wing Dislike here.

[bonefall]

THE BONEFALL DOTC NOTES

Because I can't keep my mouth shut and the Erins can't be trusted to write a good super edition.

So to start with, I'll remind all the kitties: The Bonefall Rewrite is a Fix-It Redux of the Warrior Cats series, attempting to keep major events the same while reducing or eliminating pointlessly uncomfortable aspects. It generally has Four Goals;

To make a more thematically consistent WC series, with consistent cat politics and a conclusive anti-authoritarian stance.

To grow the culture of the Clans, including building the groups they interact with into full societies in their own right.

To expand on supernatural elements, by giving StarClan more powers, renovating the Dark Forest, and even making entities that exist beyond the Clans.

To be cool as fuck. Totally radical additional action scenes, Bodacious familial drama, gnarly battles with cats retaining fighting styles. I'm fallin' ASLEEP! Won't SOMEONE blow up a bulldozer already?!

This is relevant because these principles apply heavily to all other arcs; but this is the one arc that I have promised to not stay faithful to.

That means that I will not feel bound to preserve major events of DotC. In any other arc, a major character death would be preserved and I would simply try to strengthen it as much as possible. Here? If I say Turtle Tail lives, she's LEAPING out of the grave like baby's first necromancy. If I say the Medicine Cat's Vow is completely different, Moth Flight is tripping over herself to do it for me.

Dawn of the Clans is the very origin of the Clan society I care so much for writing, and a point of endless frustration for me as a long-time fan who bought and read the field guides as they came out. I refuse to allow so much of the basis of the Clans be poofed into existence by StarClan.

I'm gonna write the mythological origin of the Clans that I always wanted, and utterly obliterate as much of the sexism and abuse apologia this arc is known for as possible. Chainsaw time.

Below the cut:

1. Events I DO want to keep 2. Big Redux Thoughts

Let's talk about the events I DO want to keep.

Clear Sky is the Antagonist

He's playing the role he was meant to. I have no desire to even try to "fix" his ridiculous 'redemption arc.' This is a controlling, brutal coward who covers up his insecurities in violence and tyranny. Skystar is the basis of the Might-Makes-Right culture that comes to be from this point on.

The Battle of Fivetrees

In the Bonefall Rewrite, there were once five trees at Fourtrees. The First Battle is integral to the mythology, and will involve a five-Clan battle of some kind.

Additionally, this site was now also an ancient shrine of some sort; the First Battle killed so many cats that it summoned One Eye.

One Eye and Star Flower

But... One Eye is now a God. One of four seasonal deities, along with Midnight, Rock, and Sol. Chronologically, this is his next appearance after Hollyleaf's Century. It's important to the rest of the rewrite that he is killed in this incarnation by a cat who is Tribeborn, not Clanborn, as he goes on to haunt the Tribe in the future as a result.

Star Flower serves him in a high position of some sort, but if she's the daughter of his vessel, a demigod, or a nature entity like Brokenstar hasn't been decided yet. In any case, she is safe and being expanded significantly.

River Ripple and the Park Cats

We're gonna have to see what River's super edition decides for him. We'll have a look at what it adds to the lore, what it subtracts, what it does right, and what we're nuking from orbit.

If his super edition makes the Park Cats show up as villains, I'm goring it like a bull. I am trampling it like a tap-dancing horse. I am preemptively blowing up the idea with my mind.

The Park Cats are, in any case, going to become a full culture that humans destroyed in some fashion.

Gray Wing' Adoptions and Asthma

He will be keeping all of his adoptions, especially of Thunder. In fact, I do not want him to have biokits. There's no need. He raised Pebble Heart, Sparrow Fur, and Owl Eyes. 4 kits is enough; Slate did not also need babies.

He is also keeping his asthma, retaining smoke damage.

Redux Ideas, both confirmed and tentative.

The Sun Trail

To begin with, the Tribe was not overpopulated. That is not the reason why they left nor the reason why they were starving. I'm rejecting an 'overpopulation' narrative on the face of it. These cats are too coded as people for me to ever accept it in this series.

Disgusting to see this idea in a series already teeter-tottering on the edge of being pro-eugenics by way of being so abelist.

Instead, there was a blockage of some sort in the Tribe river, the one that starts in the mouth of the cave. Drought lead to famine; it was beyond anyone's control.

Clear Sky and the Sun Trail Pioneers were seeking the water at the end of the dry river heading south. The Sun-scorched riverbed was a Trail.

Thunder has Three Legs; Jagged Peak Died

Clear Sky kicked his brother out into the wilderness for breaking his leg, an injury that should not have been deadly, because he hated the idea of 'burdens.' He condemns him to starvation. This is something that needs immediate consequence.

Gray Wing and Storm leave with him to keep him alive, but leaf bare claims him regardless. Storm's kittens are born weakened by the stress of this ordeal; Thunder, the only survivor, has a leg missing in the exact place where Jagged Peak broke his.

When Gray and Storm return seeking help from Clear Sky, he rejects his kitten in front of everyone. It's cruel irony, like the Stars are trying to teach him a lesson, and he rejects it.

THIS is when the Clans split, as the group fractures between the cats who refuse to accept their leader's cruelty, and those who stay in the bounty of the Forest and play by Clear Sky's rules.

I may be willing to spare Jagged Peak. But, narratively, I think it is stronger for Thunder to functionally take all of his roles and axe the redundant character.

The Medicine Cat Vow's Origin is Completely Different

In a nutshell; Moth Flight and her kittens were the original medics. The other Clans tried to steal them to have their own medics. In response, they went willingly, but vowed to each other to never have family to serve medicine above the Clan.

Generations later, during the exile of SkyClan, this Vow was corrupted, completely flipped on its head to justify controlling medicine cats who did not abide the personal vow, to shut them up about the Exile of SkyClan. It was not created in its modern form.

This law, in fact, directly creates Ripplestar's rebellion.

The Great Unfridgening

Of Bumble, Turtle Tail, Bright Stream, and Storm, at least three will survive.

Bumble is confirmed. If you want to kill her again you'll have to kill me too. I'm considering Turtle Tail still dying to retrieve her kittens from their abusive ex, so Gray Wing can adopt the kits and raise them with Bumble as a godfather.

Of Bright Stream and Storm, I'm considering both of them staying alive. They can get some foundational roles.

River Ripple Can't Just Hide

Bothers me that River Ripple is able to avoid carnage by staying behind the river for the most part. ALL FIVE CLANS will have to take part in the Battle of Fivetrees. He won't like it, but River's Clan WILL get dragged into it, kicking and screaming

Slash Gone

Society has progressed past the need for Slash's rogue group. It's One Eye's Cultists or Clan Conflict, or it's NOTHING. NO MORE RANDOM ROGUE VILLAINS. NO. NO.

Will some of Slash's rogues show up? Sure. As One Eye Cultists. And if they're organized they're organized under Star Flower. No more creepy ass Slash and his "promised bride," ick, ew, gross, no.