#Skyclan culture

[bonefall]

Do you think we could get a rundown of Skyclan leaders like you did for Shadowclan? From when the destruction of their forest territory started to when Skyclan broke up?

It would be a pretty short list, because of the massive interruption.

Leaders Flystar -> Cloudstar -> Spiderstar -> (RATS WE'RE RATS WE'RE THE RATS) -> Leafstar

Clerics Twigtail -> Fawnstep -> Brackenheart -> Oakstep -> (Unnamed Link) -> Pricklenose -> Skywatcher

You'll notice that the Cleric list doesn't have an interruption; that is because the Cleric took the role we eventually see Skywatcher in. They called them the Hub, after the center of a spiderweb. It was someone who would keep track of where all the dispersed cats were and pass on relevant news.

Modern Clerics evolving out of the Hub is why SkyClan's medics are so strange. They have some massive differences from a Forest Four Cleric.

There is no law against them having children. In fact, it's preferred that they did, as it's proof that they know how to care for other cats.

They can have mates, too. Echosong is actually casually the girlfriend of Leafstar.

They act more like a combined doctor/therapist than a doctor/priest. SkyClan clerics are here to treat physical and mental needs. Instead, the leader takes on more spiritual roles.

Anyway, leader succession guide;

Flystar

The destruction of the territory was happening before he was leader, but he took over when it started getting real bad in the Skyfall Era.

He was a HARDCORE kind of loyalist leader. We would know him today as a Hard Traditionalist, insisted his warriors pray harder and live better lives to prevent the destruction.

He invented the Law of the Wild, which we know as the law that bans becoming a kittypet. He did this in response to many of his warriors trying to live double lives.

Lived for a very long time, and oversaw the worst of the destruction, but Forest Four remember the story completely wrong.

The story is told that Flystar forestalled disaster with his hard ways, but Cloudstar was a weak, bumbling successor, who is ultimately blamed for SkyClan's exile.

In truth, Flystar died and left Cloudstar as a young successor. Cloudstar hadn't lost a single life or ruled for more than a year when the last acre of forest was clear-cut.

Flystar was a brown cat with black dapples on his face and chest.

Cloudstar

Gets done so, so dirty in the Forest Four history lessons. I have an entire scene dedicated to Firestar realizing that the story sounds pretty fucked up in Firestar's Quietus.

His first deputy was Buzzardtail, who was his best friend. They tried to keep the Clan together, wandering for years while looking for a new home.

In terms of personality, Cloudstar was a total worrywart. He was always preparing for the worst, and his ingenuity saved a ton of lives. He cared a lot for safety and making sure the travelers were procuring rations.

It still wasn't enough. He was a fantastic leader, soft, caring, beyond dedicated to his friends and family. Cats still died.

He was constantly missing his mate, Birdsong, and his kittens. He was notoriously amazing with the kits, often carrying them when they got too tired.

He was a big guy, too.

Displays the same vitiligo as Skystar and has a striking resemblance to him. Definitely a direct descendant.

His blotches loosely resembled an eye on his side, which ended up becoming... that.

Spiderstar

No Buzzardstar in BB. Buzzardtail died during the very long journey.

But Spiderflight knew him very well. He was her mentor.

Cloudstar died in the abandoned barn where the rats would eventually gather, every night.

Spiderflight had spent most of her life traveling, most of SkyClan had. She did not remember the old forest, just the general stretch of land that would become their Gorge territory.

She only knew what had been taken from her in stories. Kit's tales, to her, she'd been born on the move and that was where her heart was.

She picked up a lot from Cloudstar's resourcefulness. She'd always been close to the leadership, ever since she was young. Slotting into the role was easy.

Cloudstar never wanted to leave such a young successor, as Flystar had done to him, but he had no choice in the end.

She'd never been "good" at sadness. She didn't want to sit vigil in that barn with everyone else; it was too easy to give into despair if she didn't keep moving.

It was Spiderstar who settled SkyClan into the area, and she was the first Hub really. She just happened to teach Oakstep how to do it next.

Important since she only got three lives.

She had distinctive web-like stripes on her tabby body, a large "cape" over her shoulder of two big spokes connected by smaller strokes.

[brightblueflare]

SkyClan's Cultural Evolution

My intention was to made a post with the cultural differences of the Clans. However, Modern SkyClan is so different from Ancient SkyClan I had to separate them, because they are entirely different cultures and societies. Comparing Modern SkyClan to Ancient SkyClan is like comparing, say, Medieval France with Modern Japan. Then, inspiration hit me like a truck, and I wondered, "how did SkyClan change so much?". From its founding to their exile, to their disbandment to their rebirth, SkyClan has changed, a lot. Their exile, disbandment and resurrection have historical consequences, for them and the Forest Four.

So, here's the post about SkyClan's Cultural Evolution.

As a result of having spent a long time away from the Forest Four, SkyClan is very different from the other Clans in terms of structure, traditions and faith. The Clan founded by Clear Sky at the beginning of DotC is vastly dissimilar to the SkyClan reformed by Fireheart in the modern age. Cats from Ancient StarClan view the reformed SkyClan as a completely different Clan from the one they belonged to, and viceversa.

Ancient SkyClan/Before the Skyfall:

The most militaristic of the clans, by a long shot. Most of the warriors specialized in fighting, with only the occasional "camp cat" focused on construction or 'cooking'.

All apprentices were taught fighting before anything else, even before choosing between warrior or seer apprenticeship.

SkyClan cats learned to climb at a young age, and their back-legs were very strong. They could go from one side of their territory to the other without touching the ground, just jumping from tree to tree.

Before the destruction of the forest, SkyClan apprentices and warriors slept in the branches of a tree. Leaving the kittens' den behind and sleeping on a branch for the first time was considered a huge step of development and growth.

Their favorite battle tactic, Sky Drop, consisted of jumping on the enemy from the trees.

Extremely xenophobic. We can count the number of outsiders to join Ancient SkyClan with the fingers of one hand, and they were only accepted after proving their strength in battle and climbing skills.

Heavily influenced by Clear Sky's mindset, they valued strength and power, above all things except Clan loyalty. They were also very ableist.

However, the only thing that rivaled their fierceness and desire for battle was their piousness. They often thanked StarClan for their prey and their trees, did the first tasks of warriors such as visiting the Moonstone and sitting vigil even before they were codified, and prayed to their ancestors before and after battle.

Ancient SkyClan/After the Skyfall (before disbandment):

Very similar, but without the religious part. After the Last Gathering, when the light of the full moon wasn't blocked by the clouds and the ancestors they had honored so much manifested aproval of their exile, SkyClan furiously renounced StarClan as a collective, and began honoring their ancestors only.

Up in the stars, the SkyClan ancestors disvowed of StarClan, and followed their descendants into foreign territory. However, what they couldn't imagine was the horrible fate that awaited them.

This was the first step on the creation of Skypelt, the pantheon for the SkyClan ancestors.

Sleeping in trees wasn't done anymore. The caves of the gorge offered safety from the merciless weather of the winter, and many found it warm to sleep beside their Clanmates.

Cats of the Gorge/Before the Resurrection (after disbandment)

SkyClan spread, as loners and housecats, all around the human town and the nearby territories. However, a group of former warriors remained in the gorge. This group and their descendants formed a coalition of cats united by common beliefs and kinship.

This is where Skywatcher is born, many seasons later.

Like the Clans, they have two-parts names, but theirs are given at birth and aren't always consistent those of the Forest Four (Ex: Cindersmoke, Lowbranch, Houndscry, etc). They were often alliterate and poetic, with odd prefixes and suffixes.

The parents/primary caretakers of the kittens collectively trained them in hunting, fighting and finding other resources, like medicinal herbs and construction materials.

Due to towncats' influence, the moon counting age system was dropped, and instead they counted seasons. They put emphasis on winter, the hardest season. So a cat's age was counted by the number of winters they had survived. Ex: "Theoricalfur has seven winters under their pelt."

Once a kitten was two seasons old, they began a transition period from kittenhood to adulthood, receiving hunting and fighting lessons from the adults around the cliffs of the gorge. They called this the Time of Growing.

When a not-kitten had survived a full season cycle, they were taken by the seer to the Whispering Cave, where they would contact their ancestors for the first time, and for many, their last until they became an ancestor themself.

All the cats lived in the gorge and surrounding areas, but they did not share a camp. Meals were still eaten together, but more as friends and acquaintances than Clanmates.

In fact, the cats of the gorge didn't consider or refer to themselves as a Clan. They referred to each other as "Kin", nothing more.

They honored and paid tribute to their ancestors, but they didn't have a strict belief on what happened after death.

Full moons were somber moments. Spent awake but in silence, almost sitting vigil for someone (or something) they never met.

Speaking of sitting vigil, a superstition was born out of the ancient tradition: that if a cat fell asleep the night another died, they wouldn't wake up again.

A couple cats acted as healers, and traveled through the gorge offering their services to the kin that didn't live in the gorge, and also aided the housecats and unaffiliated loners who needed help. This was the point where the seer role was split in two.

The healer rank didn't have a name for a long time, and they were referred to simply as healers. However, different groups lived nearby and influenced the cats of the gorge, and one of their terms for healing cats, medic, was adopted.

The power of the leader was reduced, and only served as the final authority to make decisions when the group was split. Matters were settled with another custom taken from outside influence: casting stones.

The group of the gorge was small, there never were more than 20 cats living there.

Modern SkyClan/After the Resurrection:

In general, Modern SkyClan is a more structured version of the cats of the gorge.

Clan members live together in a central camp, but do not sleep by rank. A newly made warrior can still sleep with their still-apprentice friends, for example.

After completing their warrior ceremony, all cats must go to the Whispering Cave to contact their ancestors just like the cats of the gorge did. They're accompanied by their mentor and someone else of their own choosing, usually relatives and friends. This is the replacement for sitting vigil after reaching warriorhood.

They are far more diplomatic than militaristic. A complete turn-around from Ancient StarClan. This is the change their ancestors have the hardest time stomaching.

Known for being very accommodating, and for taking care of their sick and injured. The best Clan to live in for disabled cats.

Very skilled crafters, rivaled only by ShadowClan. However, their style varies a lot from the Forest Four, in grand part because of their exile and physical separation of the territories. Their friendly relationship with outsiders has allowed them to trade goods with housecats and loners. Mostly, they receive toys, human medicine and cloth, and give food, weird rocks, feathers and other things that can be found in their territory.

Local housecats and loners can become daylight warriors, fighting and providing for the Clan during the day and leaving to their humans during the night. They mostly do this to find the companionship of other cats, but looking for adventure is a common reason as well. Since they know the locals, they usually act as the main traders.

They're bilingual. They speak Townmeow and Clanmeow, but their separation from the Forest Four has given them a heavy foreign accent, and some words are completely different. The most conservative cats from the Forest Four mock their pronunciation when they want to offend them.

They follow an older version of the warrior code, and have edited and added laws as they see fit. Therefore, SkyClan culture and law is completely alien to cats from the Forest Four.

Casting stones remains a practice, with the leader only having the final authority to make decisions when the Clan is split.

The least xenophobic Clan, very open-minded and likely to allow outsiders to join their ranks. Don't take kindly to the derogatory comments about "kittypets" by the most xenophobic of the Forest Four.

[bb-fennelposting]

I made this last year (just before the creation of this blog, actually!) and it's taken me until now to actually show anyone

i believe u posted this before, actually

but fuck it, lets bring this back

[kirwell]

It's been a minute since I've memorized myself with the og four arcs, but I still feel like the modern warrior clans don't show the things that make them unique as they used to in the older books. Actual culture in the clans has become such a background thing, and the clans' mostly acknowledge each other by overused stereotypes. "ThunderClan gets in everyone's business" "ShadowClan can never be trusted" yeah we know And then WindClan and RiverClan just kinda exist… they don't get involved enough to get slandered at gatherings.

It would be nice to see each clan acknowledged for their odd traditions and unique mannerisms too. And I would love to see the clans themselves DO MORE with their own clanmates that make their clan feel special. Especially now that we're getting more POVs not just from good ol' ThunderClan.

Have RiverClan show their skill for swimming more often. Have them swim to gatherings, unbothered by their slick, drenched coats. Imagine them leaving a gathering, dramatically submerging back into the dark water and disappearing into the night. "How unnatural..."

Have them incorporate water into their fighting technique, as we see in the opening of Into The Wild. Ambush rival cats from the water, or pull them into the water where they have the advantage. I want to see RiverClan excel in water and completely have the upper hand in some battles.

It says RiverClan decorates their nests, but it's rarely shown or appreciated. Let them have the most beautiful camp out of everyone, decorated in shells, pebbles, foliage and feathers. Let the other clans think "wow. why is it so pretty here?" or "ew, why do you decorate with fish scales?"

I want their ceremonies to involve dressing in elaborately made accessories that every cat learns to make. Have cats be given unique shells when they're born, and these shells are given to their chosen mates as a sign of true affection.

Show downtime, where cats just relax on the shoreline, kits playing in the sand, apprentices challenging each other in the water, and elders sunbathing on the rocks.

RiverClan was basically founded by a hippie. Let the clans see them as typically laidback and the type to stop and smell the roses. But when they step up, they have skills that no other clan can match.

Have ShadowClan be excellent at stealth and use the literal shadows to their advantage. Have other cats not notice a ShadowClan patrol until they suddenly burst from the dark.

Imagine they cover themselves in different smells, like mushrooms, moss and pine, to mask their natural scent. I like to think ShadowClan cats have the strongest tolerance for strong or icky smells.

I think it would be cool to have Shadowclan cats know how to mimic night critter noises, like owls, frogs and crickets, to trick prey, or to communicate with their own patrol without drawing away from the natural ambiance.

Show ShadowClan as being able to move in the dark better then any other clan, and let the clans think it's UNCANNY. During nighttime battles, have them lure rivals into the darkness where they can gain the upper hand. Have them work as a team to confuse and disorientate rivals in the darkness, before striking.

Show Shadowclan cats being more nocturnal and more active at night than other clans. They thrive in it, and do most of their training and chores when the sun sets.

I want ShadowClan to be known for more than their bad history and terrible taste in leaders. I want them to be seen as mysterious night dwellers, whose talents best shine in the dark. You will never see them coming until it's too late.

Windclan used to have a lot more goin on, in Tallstar's revenge, having a whole tunneling system with different ranks like Moor Runners and Tunnelers. We could have something similar to this again. Windclan navigating an elaborate abandoned warren underneath their moorland, for quick escapes, safety or even traps.

Have Windclan use the tunnels to outsmart invading clans or predators, or trap them in dead-ends. If their camp was ever overtaken, they could rely on the tunnels as a temporary home, a place no other clan knows how to navigate.

SHOW them as the fastest cats of all the clans. It's not shown all that much, except when WindClan shows up to mee a rival patrol. Show them being able to outrun rival cats, run circles around them, chasing off patrols with unmatchable swiftness.

Birds of prey used to be more of a thing in the books, but they seemed to have disappeared. Have dangerous predators around that only WindClan really knows how to evade or kill, taking down hawks and such, similar to how the Tripe of Rushing Water actively did.

Have Windclan be excellent at camouflage, since the moorlands are so open, they have to learn to blend in with shrubbery, or shroud themselves in plants and mud that blend in while patrolling. For battles, imagine they come dressed in full camouflage / warpaint.

I love the idea of cats singing and the winds just carry their voices away. It would be neat to see ceremonies directly involve the wind, singing different songs with special meanings, or releasing flower petals into the breeze when cats die. Let the other cats think that WindClan is strange, since no other clans have songs that pass through generations. Cat singing is weird.

WindClan once prided themselves for "being closer to Starclan" literally because they lived under the open sky. Imagine they're the only clan to recognize constellations, stargaze and create stories based off them.

WindClan gets wrecked more times than not, but they've got spirit, and I want the clans to see it.

SkyClan had a pretty rich culture prior to moving to the Lake, and lot of it tied into their environment, so understandably, they lost so much because of Darktail. I love Skyclan honestly, and I want to see them thrive again so much.

I wish we got to see them climb trees a bit more in public, using them during patrols, jumping from branch to branch. We saw them use this method in battle, jumping down from above and landing on their enemies, and I would love to see more of this!

Show SkyClan cats as excellent climbers who don't fear heights. Causally hanging out in trees and other precarious places for pure enjoyment. Let the other clans think that it's weird and dangerous, and they're stupid for doing it. But also it makes them uneasy, cause Skyclan could attack from ANYWHERE if there's trees.

I'd LOVE to see Skyclan continue to take in kittypets/strays/loners as Daytime-Warriors, and have this general acceptance of outsiders. The OG clans are very prejudice, as we know, even against each other, so it would be neat to showcase Skyclan's tolerance for non-clan-blooded cats. If Skyclan is ever in danger, imagine a legion of outsiders rushing in to aid their SkyClan friends, much to the other clans' shock.

Skyclan to me have always felt like they'd be storytellers, given how much they've been through and how their clan came to be. Would love to see them talk more about their experiences and history to the other clans, and encourage openness and change.

SkyClan is new to the Lake, but I want them to bring in what made them special and show it off. They've got so much heart, how can you not admire them for their strength?

And of course ThunderClan. The protagonist clan that's begun to feel so bland to me personally. We spent the most time with them, and I miss seeing what made them unique. (I'm very nostalgic for into the wild vibes)

ThunderClan has lived in their new home beside the Lake for years now, and I feel like it's barely talked about or used in any special way. I want to see them use their environment more.

Have it tradition for young cats to learn how to scale the rocky cliffs, in case of emergency. Have ThunderClan cats excel at scaling uneven surfaces, like little whiskered mountain goats. Oh, a Thunderclan cat was pushed off a cliff in battle? No matter. They manage to keep their cool and catch onto the surface, and scale back up or down with ease.

ThunderClan has lived through so much history, and have been at the center of it many times, so I would love to see them have more downtime together, sharing legendary stories and reliving old memoires of the past so it's never forgotten. Or fuzzy stories, just pleasant memories from a time in the past, where they learned valuable lessons or enjoyed time with loved ones.

Let everyone do fun activates and team building exercises, to strength their bonds, like hunting or cliff scaling competitions where they must work together. ThunderClan have their unsavory moments, but let's be honest, they're the heart of all the clans, holding them together more times than driving them apart. Anyway, that's the end of that. I just wanna see some inner clan chemistry, OK??? Is that too much to ask?

[skyscratch-wc]

Skyclan's Cultural Evolution

^Modern Skyclan's coat of arms

As a result of their extended time away from "The Forest Four", Skyclan is considerably different from the other clans in terms of structure, culture, and faith. The clan founded by Clear Sky at the Dawn of the Clans is VERY different from the clan re-founded by Firestar and Sandstorm at the Gorge, and the two clans are so different that some early Skyclan ancestors consider the modern cats to not even belong to the same clan as they once did and vice versa (Clear Sky is prominent amongst this group of Skyclan ancestors)

Skyclan Before the Skyfall/Ancient Skyclan:

the most militaristic of the clans, with an overwhelming majority of the warriors falling into the Protector role, followed by Hunters. Typically, there were only 1, maaaybe 2 Crafters/Collectors/Clerics at any given time

all apprentices were trained in combat first before specializing into their roles

Skyclan was fairly isolationist and extremely protective of their borders. Not nearly to the extent of the clan under Clear Sky, but they still retained their highly defensive nature from that time

unlikely to allow non-clanborn cats to join their clan unless they prove their merit in combat or show some other skill valuable to the clan. This is largely influenced by their proximity to the town and as a result their rough relationship with the loners and house cats that tend to wander into their territory, something that Skyclan deeply dislikes.

specialized in climbing and tree combat

religious clan on par with Thunderclan and Pre-Brokenstar Shadowclan.

Skyclan in the Gorge (before disbanding):

basically the same just without the religious bit

Skyclan disavowed Starclan after leaving the forest and instead turned to their ancestors alone, who split from Starclan to form the Skypelt or Skypaws, a Skyclan specific hunting grounds in the afterlife

Over time, the Skypaws would become less a copy of Starclan and more an afterlife for all cats committed to the Skyclan cause, regardless of their faith during their lifetime and regardless of their moral "goodness". All cats committed to Skyclan are welcomed into the Skypelt

For example, Yarrowstar, the leader of Thunderclan during the War of the Sky was welcomed into the Skypelt after her death. She was of Skyclan blood and committed to her ancestors and the clan of her grandfather, Cloudstar.

Skyclan After Disbanding-- The Cats of the Gorge:

after the clan disbanded, a small group of former warriors remained in the gorge. Over time, this group, their descendants, and other local cats formed a loose coalition united by common beliefs and kinship ties

this is the group Skywatcher is born into approximately two generations before Firestar's Quest

like the clans, they have two part names, however, these names are given at birth and not 100% consistent with Forest Four clan names. (Examples: Lowbranch, Houndcry, Pricklenose, Skywatcher, Twigtail, etc.)

The parents/primary caretakers of kittens will collectively train the kittens of all cats within the group. They are told stories of their ancestors and taught how to hunt and defend themselves.

When a kitten has survived 2 full seasons, they begin training on the cliffs of the gorge with the adult cats

When a cat has survived 4 full seasons (1 year) they are taken to the Whispering Cave for their coming of age ceremony where they commune with Skypelt for the first time, and for many, the only time until their death.

Rather than track age by moons/months, the Cats of the Gorge track age by seasons. They put special emphasis on the season of winter, since it is the harshest season of the year. They count age by the number of winters a cat has survived. For instance, a 10 year old cat would be referred to as having "10 winters under their paws"

All cats associated with this group live in and around the gorge, however, they do not live together in a central camp. They share prey and hunt together, but more as friends rather than clanmates in any sense. They do not have a collective name and instead just refer to those they associate with as their "clowder by kin"

A few cats within the coalition act as doctors, traveling around the area to heal the sick and wounded. They also lend their services to housecats and unassociated loners or rogues who need help

Adults within this group are referred to as "claws" and queens/caretakers as "tails". These names eventually evolve into the Modern Skyclan rank names.

All cats within the coalition believe in the Skypelt. This is the main unifying factor for them

In general, there really aren't more than 20 cats associated with this group at any given time. When Firestar and Sandstorm arrive, there are approximately 10-15 cats within this group.

Modern Skyclan

draws some aspects from Thunderclan (Firestar and Sandstorm's influence) but in general, Modern Skyclan is just a more structured version of Gorge Cat culture

Cats live together in a central camp, but instead of sleeping in dens by rank, they sleep in dens with their family units

Ranks within Skyclan are different from ranks within the Forest Four:

The Leader is called the Eye

The Deputy is called the Nose

Cleric is split into the Heart/Doctor (healing) and the Soul/Priest (spiritual). (this is very similar to Riverclan, just with different origins)

Mediators are called the Tongue

Protectors and Hunters are grouped into one and called Claws (exactly how canonical warriors work basically)

Gatherers and Crafters are also group into one and called Paws

Queens/Caretakers are called Tails

Apprentices are called Whiskers

Kittens are called Pawpads

Elders are called Ears

The idea here is that all of the roles collectively form a "whole cat", emphasizing the idea that all cats of the clan are valuable and needed to form the whole society regardless of their age or role

At the completion of their warrior ceremony, new warriors travel to the Whispering Cave (or equivalent at the lake-- still working on that) as a coming of age ceremony just like the Cats of the Gorge did. They are accompanied by their mentor and any close kin or friends invited by the new warrior. This is the Skyclan replacement for the vigil performed by the other clans

Modern Skyclan is far more diplomatic than militaristic, in a complete 180 flip from their Pre-Skyfall counterparts (this is the aspect Clear Sky has the hardest time stomaching)

They are well known for taking in the weary, sick, and injured and caring for them until they can get back on their paws. Often times, they extend an invitation to these cats to join the clan.

They are very skilled crafters rivaled only by Shadowclan, however, their styles vary from the Forest Four (to be elaborated on in a future post). Their friendly relations with local housecats and loners has given them much broader access to human materials.

Daylight warriors are a thing, especially at the Gorge where there are numerous housecats. This practice is far less common at the Lake where there just aren't as many housecats around.

They speak a dialect of Clanmew with some small pronunciation and noun differences from Forest Four Clanmew. Grammatically it is nearly identical, but the names of many nouns and pronunciations have drifted away from Forest Four Clanmew and closer to the Gorgemew spoken by local Gorge cats

[oldfacesnewdawnoffical]

Agh I love every description of the Skydrop. Can we get to know a bit about how they govern? Like roles, hierarchy, acceptance of other cats?

Aw jeez… their whole deal is very complicated, very messy.

So the most important thing to start off with the Skydrop is that their history is separated into “eras”. They don’t have singular stories or events scattered through timelines, they have set blocks of time in which the Skydrop existed, and set blocks of time in which it didn’t. The best way I can describe it visually is something like this:

They document their history, their status of existing, in a straight line. Things around it don’t fit, and they can only immortalize what happened within the spaces that they were around. In recent times, however, the gaps in which they aren’t collected and considered the Skydrop have been growing reportedly less and less frequent, and far shorter than average, signifying that they have settled into their home and way of life enough to legitimately thrive! And with each era, each square of existence, their rules, hierarchy, etc tends to change drastically.

For the most part, though, they’re very similar to the Fourtrees Fealty factions! Most notably in rankings, names, and titles: The orator is their spokespiece, the final decision to all matters concerning the faction and the unbiased breaker of interpersonal disputes. The liaison is their supporter, and the organizer of the faction. The allay is their healer, and many Skydrop cats in particular look to the allay in an even higher regard than the orator. The augur position doesn’t exist for them, as they were driven out before that point of the Fourtrees Fealty, and in turn, they’ve learned to be far more open to magic and less suspicious of it; more than half of their members have some form of magic.

They’re very magic-oriented, in fact! Their ancestral home was curated from magic, and as such, all Skydrop cats have learned to adapt to that more than anything else. They’ve learned to live on their hind paws, learned how to work the trees and the sky, and learned how to exist in peace at the highest point overlooking a grand lake: all in due part to the magic of their members.

[needlewind]

Riverclan is always so uninvolved because they were founded by Riverstar #1 King at Not Giving A Fuck

[not-even-nostalgia]

Following on from my last post, more stuff about clan leadership styles!

All the clans have slightly different leadership styles. Windclan is the closest to Starclan - medicine cats have a lot of influence and also Warrior Code is law.

Shadowclan is quite utilitarian, maximise the good, minimise the bad. Very practical.

In Thunderclan deputies have more influence than in other clans, the leader would often discuss with the deputy and a small group of senior warriors/ medicine cats. It became more community focused largely out of necessity after Firestar became leader.

Riverclan is quite traditional and quite superstitious, this plays a significant role in how the clan is run.

Skyclan were originally the biggest example of the ‘word of the clan leader being the warrior code’ rule, but since their recent recreation they’re still kind of figuring stuff out, but generally the older/more experienced you are the more influence in clan politics you have, as Skyclan is still a relatively new clan.

[marshclaws]

Thunderclan believes themselves to be the most righteous and noble clan, they were founded on Thunder breaking away from Clear Sky’s controlling rule and freeing prisoners. Whether they remember it or not the values have remained. They will always help a clan or other cats in need. The other clans think they’re soft for this.

I think they’d really care about the rule about giving thanks to Starclan for their prey. Maybe going further than simply sending a prayer to Starclan after catching. They think the other clans dont appreciate their prey enough, especially Riverclan who catches more than they can eat when the fish is plentiful.

Before Skyclan was exiled, Thunderclan mostly stuck to the ground, only occasionally climbing trees. After Skyclan’s exile, former Skyclan cats who joined Thunderclan kept the practice alive and passed it down. Though Skyclan was forgotten, their skills were not.

If the other clans are celebrating solstices, Thunderclan would celebrate the summer one. Their territory is so green and much of their territorial advantage seems to rely on other clans having difficulty navigating the undergrowth. I imagine they have tunnels within the undergrowth spanning across their territory, making it easy to run across it when you’re familiar with the paths.

Does anyone ever think about how the clans used to actually have differences in culture and lifestyle and how all of that got erased in the newer books?

Imagine how cool it would have been if the Erins had explored these cultural differences between the clans even FURTHER because that would have given the series so much potential.

Here are some examples of just how cool cultural differences can be:

RiverClan

I want to see RiverClan using their skills in swimming way more than they do currently, let them swim to the gathering island every full moon, let them attack other clans from the depths of the lake and drag cats down into the water to drown them. Let them still have their easygoing and relaxed attitude but show how formidable they can be in a fight and make it clear that they are not to be messed with.

Give them their own traditions too, let them celebrate the coming of spring each year because of ice melting and the river thawing so that they can fish again. Let them collect pretty flower petals on this day to decorate their dens and have them celebrate it by all going down to the river to fish.

Show their clan’s love for pretty trinkets and have them gather pretty shells and pebbles from the river. Let the apprentices play games this way by seeing who can find the prettiest shell for their den and boasting about it later. I imagine the other clans would view them as relaxed and easygoing, always having a ready source of food thanks to the river but at the same time they know to fear them for their almost unnatural fighting skills in the water.

WindClan

Imagine WindClan still keeping their old tradition of tunnelling even at the lake territory, imagine WindClan tunnellers accidentally discovering the old forgotten tunnels that run under the forest and finding out pieces of their history this way, possibly even before Jayfeather does. I wish they had kept the tunnelling tradition alive because that was what made WindClan so unique.

Show just how fast WindClan can be, let them use the tunnels to invade other territories and let them be almost impossible for the others to catch up to. They might be considered scrawny but show that they have an advantage in battle because of their uncanny speed.

In general let them have a closed off and cold approach to the other clans. Show that they think they are closer to StarClan than the others because they live and sleep under open skies. They might seem almost mysterious to the other clans and deeply rooted in their traditions. Let them have oral storytelling nights and let them chart constellations in the night sky, keeping alive the tales of their ancestors.

The could even believe that the wind which blows over the moors is holy, the echo of the voices of their ancestors. I picture them as a religious clan, even more than the others. Perhaps they pray by listening to the wind and leaving offerings to be blown away in the breeze (usually the feathers of birds of prey)

ShadowClan

Next up is ShadowClan, the stereotypical bad guys. I would have loved if ShadowClan had been shown to follow a more nocturnal lifestyle, being active mostly at night. They would be masters of stealth, blending into the shadows and coating themselves with mud and leaves for camouflage due to their territories limited undergrowth. This might be what gives them their stereotypical bad smell, that ThunderClan always complains about.

Their territory is very marshy and due to little undergrowth it would be harder for them to stalk prey. This has caused them to be the stealthiest out of all the clans and the best hunters. But they are also able to use this stealth to their advantage in a fight. They attack without warning from the shadows and rely on surprise, always striking at night when it’s hardest to see them.

Their tradition could be the celebration of the winter solstice, the longest night of the year.

ThunderClan

And finally we have the main protagonists ThunderClan. This clan has always felt bland to me in terms of tradition because they don’t seem to have anything that really makes them stand out. I imagine they are probably the best trackers due to having to hunt and track prey in thick bushy undergrowth.

But honestly I would have loved if they had been given something to make them special and unique. Any ideas?

[eelclaw]

the protagonists of the broken code. who's rootspring

i am tbc's number 1 hater! negative thoughts below

shadowsight: other characters sometimes acknowledge that he was manipulated by ashfur, but the narrative puts all of the blame for the ashfur situation on him, neglecting that (a) he did exactly what he was supposed to do as a healer (obey and take messages from a starclan cat), and (b) the codebreaker hysteria was far more a product of clan culture than the actions of a single apprentice. he isn't treated like the victim that he is, and it is frustrating and not cathartic.

bristlefrost: what the hell does she even do. what does her spy arc accomplish or contribute (like mother, like daughter). she finds out that bramblestar isn't bramblestar far too early. she's so perfect and she has no flaws and she's so empty. i want her to be worse. how much more interesting would she be if she was sneaky and selfish? if she was loyal to the imposter because she truly believed in what he was saying? not to mention how she reciprocates rootspring's feelings with literally zero warning, and ceases to have what little character she'd had to begin with. i genuinely don't care that she dies, they did nothing to make her an engaging character. miss bristlefrost, i'm sorry they did you so bad.

rootspring: first rootpaw thinks he's weird because of his father. i hate this because i hate tree. later, rootpaw thinks he's weird because he can see ghosts. so they give him this "i just want to be normal" deal, and the clans suddenly pretend that ghosts are silly and not real. sure, rootspring and tree are the first clan cats with this specific power. and i get that the clans have very rigid beliefs, and they are afraid of anything that contradicts those beliefs, and that's interesting! but ghosts have been appearing to clan cats all the way back to tpb. fireheart tries to kill clawface at one point and he senses spottedleaf's spirit beside him, there to avenge her death. so rootspring's issue is stupid and he's nothingburger to me.

bramblestar: the arc really depends on me giving a shit about what happens to him. which i don't.

i think bramblestar is unintentionally a bad person and a great character. he proves himself by rejecting tigerstar, but he's still deeply insecure. he makes mistake after mistake (conspiring with tigerstar; hesitating to save firestar from the fox trap; forsaking his children after finding out they're not biologically his; using his power over squirrelflight as a warrior, deputy, and leader to control her), and for none of these mistakes is he held accountable (no thunderclan cat except leafpool learns that he plotted with tigerstar; he is allowed to remain deputy; his children think he was the best father ever; in every situation, squirrelflight seems to bear the consequences of his actions).

in other words, bramblestar gets chance after chance to redeem himself, and he keeps fucking it up. again, that's interesting! there is a story here about how difficult childhoods affect adults, and how powerful men are not held responsible for hurting people. except that's not how he's written. he's written as a completely good person, a brave and noble leader, and all of the clans respect him and they need to get him back.

there's a crazy amount of bramblestar worship in this arc. even rootspring, a brand new skyclan apprentice, thinks about how important bramblestar, the thunderclan leader, is, and how all the clans wouldn't be the same without him. i can't take it seriously.

graystripe: graystripe also got a crazy amount of worship. i couldn't stand reading every few paragraphs about how great he is.

side note: shadowsight, bristlefrost, and rootspring all want the same thing. they advocate against killing bramblestar's body. wouldn't it be more interesting if the protagonists had different perspectives and opinions? if they wanted different things? for example, it makes sense that shadowsight wouldn't want bramblestar dead. he feels like the only way to make up for his mistake is to recover bramblestar alive. but bristlefrost could be in favor of killing bramblestar, because the only way to make up for her mistake (supporting the imposter) is to get rid of him. putting our protagonists at odds would generate some interesting conflict.

conclusion: i also have problems with ashfur (why does ashfur try to stir up trouble with codebreaking which will certainly get him caught when he could just take over bramblestar's body and live quietly with squirrelflight), tigerheartstar, mothwing, starclan, the dark forest insta-death water, firestar possessing rootspring, the pacing (oh my god! they were debating whether to kill bramblestar for like three books! and for three more books they were running in circles in the dark forest!), etc. but i've already written a lot and i'm out of steam lol.

let me finish by saying these are kids books, and i'm not expecting them to be the cream of the crop, but there are a lot of writing choices which are incredibly misogynistic and/or completely baffling from a narrative standpoint. i still have a soft spot for this series though. dammit. okay bye

[wc-confessions]

Such a shame folklore isn’t really explored in Warrior Cats beyond the first arc, a field guide, and maybe SkyClan and the Stranger (if you squint). I wish there was a moment, for example, where an elder tells kits about a cat who never gave thanks to StarClan and was turned into a mouse as punishment; and that story serves as the explanation for “prey is killed only to be eaten. Give thanks to StarClan for its life” part of the warrior code. It doesn’t have to be exactly what I’ve written, mind you. It’s completely fine that there are historical events tied to the Clans’ behavior, but I feel more folklore would add some depth and culture to the narrative.

.

[bonefall]

what would skyclan honor titles look like

They are very unlikely to give Honor Titles, and when they do they're based on request.

SkyClan is much less rigid and isn't a battle culture like the Forest Four. Those sorts of renamings aren't part of their lives. Note the way they like to keep their kittypet names.

[koras-human-warriors]

how do u design outfits? also, what are the nearby villages opinions on the clans?

Thank you for asking!!! Asks fuel my passion! Long post warning!

Outsiders

Instead of kittypets and rouges, we got the outsider settlements, which are just basically generic, 1800's European settlers and farmers.

The outsiders rarely interact with the clans outside of trading, seeing them as either savages or bandits- not helped by Bloodclan. When the clans were young, there were a lot of issues with fights breaking out between Thunderclan, Shadowclan, Skyclan, and these villages. The clans had a bad habit or raiding the villiages for and the villagers thought the clans were godless heathens. This reached its peak when once of the nearby villages had enough and burned down Skyclan's entire settlement and driving them out.

This being said, many outsiders do see the clans as being cool- afterall that's how we got our white boy Firestar!

Clan Fashion!

Thunderclan

their outfits are pretty medieval northern European and viking inspired. They raise sheep, so they get a lot of wool, which is both worn and traded. Warriors will often wear the pelts of the animals and monsters they kill for bragging rights. This makes them great for cold weather, but summers are rough. Jewelry is usually worn by women, but earrings are popular among men. Thunderclan clothes are not all that colorful because they have a higher need for camouflage. Thunderclan is, unfortunately, not the best with hygiene (stinky), but they are pretty good about taking care of their hair. Clan color is red and gold, which they wear red during clan gatherings and battles to distinguish the clan apart.

Windclan

Inspired vaguely by Eastern Asian Cultures - mostly Japan (I was a weeboo when I made this au, sorry). Since they have a lot more open land than the other clans, they invested in more farms over hunting, which has resulted in being able to get better clothing either through crafting or trade. They have a silk farm that produces good fabric for the clan, with the extra being traded to outsiders or in clan gatherings. This alos allowes their garments to be lightweight and easy to move in. They have very colorful clothes since they rely on stealth a lot less than others. Green is their clan color, so it the most popular. Hygiene is really important to them and hold spiritual significance (though this may be the medicine folks trying to get people to take better care of their bodies). Long hair is popular among older warriors, but younger, less experienced warriors are encouraged to keep it short because hair pulling is a classic shadowclan move.

Riverclan

Clothing is mostly Greek and Roman with a hint of Pacific islander for their tattoos and jewelry. Riverclaners spean 90% of their day in or around water, so they wear very little clothes in their daily life. Man rarely even wear shirts- showing off as much of their ceremonial warrior tattoos as possible. They don't have much room for growing cotton or raising animals, so they get most of that through trade (or stealing from Thunderclan). Jewelry is huge for both sexes.-both seen with some sort of colorful shell or shiny stone somewhere on their bodies. Their hygiene is okay... they wash often, but they always smell a little like seaweed or fish. Clan color is blue!

Shadowclan

Unlike the other clans, Shadowclan is not strongly linked to any specific culture. Instead, seeing as how they have a long history of letting in outsiders and they are seen as suspicious by the other clans, I made the pirate like! They wear pretty similar clothing to the outsiders that I've next door. Practical clothing is preferred to stylish stuff - if you wear jewelry flashy colors, they are gonna make fun of you. Most Shadowclaners keep their hair short because it is easier to keep the mud and bugs out. Women and medicine wear scarves or wraps over their hair for both religious reasons and to keep their hair from getting damaged. Hygiene wise, they are trying their best. Clan color is purple.

All clans wear custom cat masks for ceremony and battle

[the-owl-tree]

I honestly love Firestar's Quest and later SkyClan's Destiny so much because with the rebuilding of SkyClan, we /do/ get that cozier look at clan life; how it is a community that looks after and supports each other. How it's not quite so warlike with Leafdapple/star willing to treat rouges, loners, and kittypets with respect and decency because 'her and her clan mates weren't so different from those cats not too long ago'

We could of had such a neat little dynamic going on with the more chill SkyClan and the rest of the Clans around the lake but noooope.

SkyClan got it with the conforming stick to better match everyone else for petty squabbling and bad decisions at gatherings

REEEAAALL early SkyClan had that really nice sweet spot with the inclusion of Daylight Warriors and it really is telling that the authors stripped them away despite them being like....a perfect inclusion for Clan culture? Warriors that don't need to eat the prey in camp, have immunizations against various diseases?????? Killing me! Absolutely killing me! Just makes what Lake!SkyClan has become even more disappointing, salt in the wood.

SO close, they could've been the Clan that shakes things up but the new team seems to really go hard on the whole kittypets fucking suck schtick

[olderthannetfic]

A lot apathetic feelings on HP here.

What do people think of the Warrior Cat series?

I read both series when I was about 11. I remember next to nothing about Harry Potter; the only things I do remember are stuff I’ve read in crossover fanfics. And I can’t see myself ever trying to read it again.

Warriors, on the other hand, I loved. Even if the target audience is elementary students, I still plan on rereading it one day. And I remember so much about the cats, more than the wizards anyway.

What I remember from Warriors (spoiler warning, I guess): Bluestar getting into a deep depression after the betrayal, Tigerstar getting poisoned by his mother after being told it was medicine, Firestar’s atheist nephew, the whole Skyclan thing, and so much more.

What I remember from Harry Potter: Ron had a pet rat that was a murderer, and Harry’s foster family getting a million letters sent from the wizard world.

I don’t think I ever seen Warriors get any pop culture references in mainstream media, and that makes me sad. Is it just not as popular as I think it is? It deserves just as much love as Harry Potter, if not more! (Personal opinion, I’m not a professional critic.)

--

Heh. I'm familiar with this existing at all only because it is all over Wattpad and I do fandom research sometimes.

It came out when I was already out of college. In my experience, nobody my age has even heard the name.

I honestly thought it was pretty popular based on the Wattpad fandom, but sales figures look to be below 100k for most of the books based on a cursory google.

Still, for cultural references, I'd guess the biggest factor is just that the original audience is hitting like 30 now. HP had a lot of older readers a number of years before in addition to selling a zillion times better.

[skyscratch-wc]

Skyfall Project Masterpost

This post is for the rehauled Skyfall Rewrite, now called the Skyfall Project. I am doing an overhaul of the lore I have built in order to tackle some fundamental issues.

This is the introduction post for Skyfall, a heavy rewrite of Warrior Cats with a whole new culture and social structure, beliefs, and some significant plot deviations (especially after the first arc). The goal of this project is to take the framework and characters or Warrior Cats and make a narrative that is more consistent, less ableist/sexist/xenophobic, etc. and remove the indigenous-coding of the series. I want to write a satisfying narrative that actually delivers while making the themes more relevant and less problematic.

The core of the plot is going to move away from StarClan and their prophecies and towards more concrete, cat political issues with a smattering of the divine and magic. I want to place more of an emphasis on SkyClan, both their downfall and then eventual return. I also want the different groups to actually feel like different groups with different cultures, levels of piety, special roles, etc.

Links will be added to this post as the project progresses

The Clan -> Shire Restructure

Anything tagged #wc skyfall au or #wc skyfall rewrite is outdated. All new content will be tagged #skyfall project.

I have heavily restructured the clans to have more ranks and paths for warriors. I have also renamed roles in an homage to Old English social structure names. As such, I have renamed the clans to shires. Sheriffs (shire-reeves) were pulled from the Thegn class, and thus the leaders are now Thegns. (Can you tell I’m a history nerd yet?). The different shires will be labeled as follows:

ThunderClan -> Thundershire -> #thunderkin

ShadowClan -> Shadowshire -> #shadowkin

RiverClan -> Rivershire -> #riverkin

WindClan -> Windshire -> #windkin

SkyClan -> Skyshire -> #skykin

StarClan/Dark Forest -> The Shining Paws -> #shiningpaw

[clowder name] + kin is the way the cats refer to members of other clowders. EX: "Fireheart is a Thunderkin". This is reference to their supposed descent from the legendary founders

The different shire roles are labeled as such:

Leader -> Thegn -> #thegn

Deputy -> Reeve -> #reeve

Medicine Cat (healing) -> Physician -> #physician

Medicine Cat (spiritual) -> Priest -> #priest

*new role* -> Mortician -> #mortician

*new role* -> Scribe -> #scribe

Warrior -> Churl -> #churl

Churl Roles (cats can hold multiple roles at a time):

Hunter -> #hunter, #master hunter

Artisan -> #artisan, #master artisan

Roamer -> #roamer, #master roamer

Caregiver -> #caregiver, #master caregiver

Keeper -> #keeper, #master keeper

Trailblazer (Thundershire only) -> #trailblazer

Tanner (Shadowshire only) -> #tanner

Sentinel (Rivershire only) -> #sentinel

Tunneler (Windshire only) -> #tunneler

Mediator (Modern Skyshire only) -> #mediator

Daylight Churls (Modern Skyshire only) -> #daylight churl

Scout (Ancient Skyshire only) -> #scout

Apprentice -> #apprentice

Kitten -> #kitten

Elder -> #elder

A detailed post of the roles will be posted in the near future and then linked here.

Inside a Shire

The Shires, unlike the canonical clans, do not live in a structured camp. There is a main camp where the Thegn's Den, Physician's Den, and Priest's Den are, but all other cats sleep within family units in dens spread around the territory, some further and some closer. Most cats have their dens very close to the main camp. The cats within the camp also sleep in family groups. For instance, at the start of Arc 1, Bluestorm shares a den with Whitestorm, Willowpelt, Darkstripe, and Graypaw.

Cats meet at the camp at sunrise to get the days news, groom each other, and generally connect with one another before the day begins. Patrols, training, and other such outings are also planned within this time frame. The shire will then go their separate ways and meet again at sunset to share anything they found during the day. Once the sun has set, the cats go to their family dens and spend the rest of the night bonding with their group until they go to sleep.

The Arcs

The arcs will be renamed and some condensed into one another in order to cut out parts of the canonical plot that are filler. I am personally not a fan of StarClan-driven plots, so many plots will be changed to be moreso about cat politics and the consequences of past actions.

Arc 1 -> follows roughly The Prophecies Begin. Fireheart joins the Thundershire and is their Thegn by the end of the arc.

Arc 2 -> follows roughly The New Prophecy. Except the journey is not about finding a new home, it's learning about the existence of the Skyshire and the darker history of the clans. This involves going back to the lake, where the clan’s ancestors first lived. The cats do move to the lake by the end of the arc due to human construction, but they didn't need the ancestors to tell them to leave. The arc ends with the Windshire Conflict.

Arc 3 -> A long super arc mashes together The Power of Three, Omen of the Stars, and parts of A Vision of Shadows. The clans are recovering from the events of The New Prophecy. Each shire has a cat with powers, they bring the Skyshire to the lake, and all clans are reunited at the lake. This arc will be called Rising Skies.

Arc 4 -> A whole new thing based around the characters of The Broken Code with plot elements from both A Vision of Shadows and The Broken Code. This arc will likely be driven by an especially bad winter then causing a cascading effect around the shires and the consequences of that. This arc would also feature Darktail and his cats in some capacity, since they drove Skyshire from the gorge (as a continuation of the prior arc).

Arc 5 -> Basically A Starless Clan, but adjusted as everything else is.

As a note, the Sisters and the Tribe of Rushing Water will not exist in this rewrite. These groups tend to be where the more problematic themes are centered and as such I don't feel comfortable having them as parts of the narrative. The characters from these groups may exist, but they would be in different social structures, etc.

So, where is this set?

One of the questions of Warriors canon is where is this series set? Presumably England due to the origin of the authors, but over the series more and more names, creatures, etc. appear in the series that do not appear in Europe, let alone in England.

In order to make things consistent (because I want to make it actually somewhat realistic), I will be setting Skyfall in Southwestern Scotland/Northwestern England. This allows for the ocean, hilly terrain, etc. Character names will be adjusted to match this environment.

Some Last Notes

This rewrite will include the ClanMew conlang being developed by @troutfur and @bonefall. It will also include a dialect of ClanMew, spoken by the cats in the Gorge. This will be fleshed out more as I develop the project. I may also include elements from bonefall’s warrior cats expansions, which are amazing.

If you have any questions about Skyfall, ask away! I’m always happy to answer asks. Although FYI responses may take a while.