#fawn tortoiseshell

[felinefractious]

🐱 Oriental Shorthair

📸 Egregius*PL

🎨 Fawn Caramel Spotted Tortoiseshell Tabby with White

[identifying-cat-phenotypes]

can you tell me what the f*ck is going on with Hope?

he's mostly cream, not white, i know he looks a little pale in this image 😔

my first instinct was a chocolate self tortoiseshell and white. HOWEVER. as he is a cream colour this is not so.

Cream cats, as a dilute of red, are always tabbies even if they're genetically solid. He could be a ticked tabby cream, but we'd still see some tabby markings, especially on his face.

so I'm considering maybe a chocolate self tortoiseshell and white (with the white hidden by the chimera) and a fawn self chimera. This would allow Hope to have solid patches that appear cream, along with blue eyes, and his red and chocolate colouration.

maybe a fawn caramel? this could make him appear more cream...

On the other hand, he could also be a highly rufoused chocolate classic tabby (with white) chimera with fawn self, which would account for the brightness of his tabby patches. interesting design! i got to go off the rails with this one

final assessment: some kind of chimera, maybe with fawn?

Hi, Jay asked me to help assess this one! My first thought was "Oh, this could be labeled fawn!"

The white (cream-ish base that the other markings seem to be drawn over) clocks me as high white. This is partly due to the fact that the eyes are a pale blue, and that it doesn't match any pointing genes. Simple.

Other than that, my thoughts lead to a chocolate tortoiseshell self with high white!

I'll be tagging both of them in the post, because both options are valid interpretations!

[kjwarriors]

Cherrynose- fawn tortoiseshell point molly with blue eyes

[wolvebonez]

Lilac Golden Shaded Tortie

2. Cinnamon Golden Tipped Point

3. Blue Caramel Tortoiseshell Classic Tabby Karpati Bicolor

4. Amber Silver Mackerel Tabby

5. Blue Rosetted “Twilight” Charcoal Mink

6. Fawn Tortie Bicolor with Satin Fur

7. Black Silver Classic Tabby Tortie with White

8. Black Sunshine Silver (Bimetallic) Classic Tabby

9. Black Rosetted "Midnight" Charcoal Tabby

10. Chocolate Silver Tabby Bicolor

all cats sourced from @felinefractious, each image is linked w/ the post that also provides breed/other info!

[bastart13]

Another big one and the first that really branches out into the other clans

I know Warrior Cats isn't known for genetic accuracy (as should be clear from these trees) but I did laugh when the two grey tabbies ended up with tortoiseshell and brown kits

On that note, I was going to make Bumblestripe silver to get darker stripes, but neither Millie or Graystripe are silver so that was a no go. Briarlight's now dark grey and Blossomfall has marbling white to give her a petal effect

Blossomfall's children are all black-based now instead of having any ginger, then Pine and Breeze are cinnamon and fawn because I was feeling generous after changing so many cats

[marklikely]

banana bread inspo btw. she would look something like this

once again getting too emotionally invested in pets that i don't own yet

[clangenrising]

Month 9 - Leaffall

Scorchplume wasn’t speaking to Yarrowshade and it was driving him crazy. It was over the stupidest thing, too! The night Aldertail had come to camp and Yarrowshade had tried to wait up for her return, he had woken just in time for her to slip into the leader’s den with Nightfrost and Goldenstar and she hadn’t come out. 

Nightfrost had explained to him that Scorch had been withholding information about Ghost and the city cats, information that might have put everyone in danger. It was clear that Nightfrost’s opinion of Scorchplume had tanked overnight and that sucked, but he was still determined to make sure Scorch was alright. 

The next morning, he’d sought her out and said, “Hey, Scorch, how are you doing?”

“As well as I can be,” she’d said, eyeing him with the same cool gaze she had used when he was visiting her in the healer’s den. 

“Yeah?” he’d asked. “I was really worried about you.” 

“Why?” she had turned her face away. “Weren’t you busy looking after Scrap?” 

“I can worry about two things at once,” Yarrowshade had frowned. 

“Hm.” 

“Did you want to go hunting? Maybe we could talk about it?” 

Scorch had turned to him and said, “What is there to talk about?” in a way that felt like a claw to the face. 

“I… I don’t know, I just…” 

At that point, Nightfrost had called out, “Yarrowshade! I’m going hunting, did you want to come?” Scorch had stared at him with her bright blue eyes for a good long beat and he'd realized this was a test. 

“Scorch,” he’d started, but she’d cut him off.

“Go.” She’d said, “Don’t let me stop you from fawning over Nightfrost.” 

And so he’d left in order to respect her wishes, but for some reason she’d only seemed to get angrier with him as the weeks passed. He didn’t get it! He would have gone to Smokyrose for advice, but she was still on kit leave and, besides, he knew that Scorch wasn’t exactly her favorite cat right now. 

But something had to change. He and Scorchplume weren’t even on patrols together anymore and he couldn’t tell if that was because Nightfrost had decided to separate them or because Scorch had personally requested it. Either way, it was a bad sign. 

He contemplated which option he would prefer as he followed in Nightfrost’s paw prints through the snow. It had come down hard that morning and while the wind had died down for once, a light dusting of flakes continued to flutter down over them as they patrolled the southern border. 

Pantherhaze, walking behind him, said, “What are the odds that they just aren’t coming back?” 

“They’ll be back,” Nightfrost said without looking back. Pantherhaze sighed and shook his fur. Yarrowshade studied the back of Nightfrost’s head, thinking. Was it just him or had she been colder lately? He wished he knew how to help her with all of the stress she was dealing with. If you wanted to stop stressing her out, you’d leave her alone, said a part of his mind. That was nonsense, he reasoned, but the thought had its hooks in him and it wouldn’t let go. 

He sighed and let his gaze wander. The snow was starting to pile all up so high that he and Pantherhaze were belly deep in it, another reason why they were following in Nightfrost’s wake. The horizon had turned a foggy grey-white, obscuring the mountains and the farther reaches of the forest. Ahead of them, he knew the border stretched on for a long while even though he couldn’t see it. He tried to trace it with his eyes, but paused when he spotted a white shape in the snow moving in their direction.

“Is that the EarthClan patrol?” he asked, pointing with his muzzle, and Nightfrost stopped, squinting into the snow.

“Who goes there?” she called.

“Bogmist!” the white shape replied cheerfully, “And Dawnbird.” A moment later, the two EarthClan cats reached them, Dawnbird’s tortoiseshell pelt appearing suddenly from behind Bogmist’s fluffy white fur. After the gathering, Orangestar and Goldenstar had met to discuss the city cat threat and how to combat it and had come to the conclusion that they would put a temporary hold on patrolling the border between their territories and instead send those patrols to jointly watch the southern border. This was the second or third patrol of this kind Yarrowshade had been on and there was almost always at least one deputy or leader present. It seemed that both Clans were taking the city cats very seriously.

“Hello, there,” Pantherhaze smiled. “Congratulations on your warrior name, Dawnbird!”

“Thank you,” she smiled and dipped her head politely, but the smile fell off of her face shortly after. She must be disappointed her brother wasn’t there to sit vigil with her, Yarrowshade thought, once again kicking himself for his part in Toadpaw’s disappearance. 

“Any news?” Bogmist asked, grey eyes sparkling. 

“Not yet,” Nightfrost said. “Let’s hope it stays that way.” 

“StarClan willing,” Dawnbird nodded and Pantherhaze echoed her prayer. 

“Well,” Yarrowshade said, trying to sound cheery. “I hope you’re ready to walk back and forth in the snow!” 

“We don’t mind,” Bogmist chirped, shaking the snow from her fur. “Whatever keeps the kits safe, right?” 

“Aw, are there new kits in EarthClan?” Pantherhaze asked.

“No,” she laughed, “I don’t expect we’ll be having any new kits for some time. But I heard Smokyrose finally found herself a beau!” 

“Ah,” Yarrowshade and Pantherhaze exchanged awkward glances. “She did but its… probably over between them.”

“Oh, no!” Bogmist asked, “Why?”

“Because he’s one of the rogues,” Nightfrost said curtly. 

“Oh,” said Bogmist. 

“Come on,” Yarrowshade said with an awkward laugh. “Let’s get to patrolling.” And so they did. It was cold and boring work, but it needed to be done. Bogmist did her best to keep up the conversation and he tried to oblige her but the longer they went the more he started to worry that Nightfrost was getting sick of it and he found his desire to respond slowly waning. They walked back and forth over the border for most of the morning and into the afternoon and found no signs of intruders, just like all the other patrols like this he’d been on. The snow at least made it easy to know if anyone had passed through. Still, Yarrowshade found his paws were starting to grow num from the cold. He thanked the stars when it finally stopped falling. 

“The next patrol should be coming to relieve us soon,” Nightfrost said eventually. 

“I hope so,” Bogmist said, “I’m starving!” 

“Look,” Pantherhaze said, pointing up ahead, “that must be them.” 

Yarrowshade looked and saw a small group of cats standing around in the track they had worn into the drifts of snow and frowned. Something wasn’t right. One of the cats turned to look at them and as he did, the bright snow glare glinted off of something around his neck. 

“Those aren’t Clan cats,” he hissed and the energy changed. 

“What do we do?” Dawnbird whispered. “Should I run back to camp?”

“No,” Nightfrost said, “You would show them exactly where we live. Only run if I say so.” Dawnbird nodded. The cats ahead of them had risen to their feet and were walking towards them at a leisurely pace. 

“This might not be a fight,” Pantherhaze said softly.

Nightfrost started walking to meet them. “We can only hope so.” 

The cat in the lead was a large, blue-grey and white tabby with an impressive stature despite his slim cheeks. He sported a blue collar with a softly tinkling bell that Yarrowshade thought clashed oddly with the claw scars on his muzzle. Behind him was Ghost - Ghost and two other cats, the brown tom that had fought with Floodpaw and a burly ginger tabby with a kittypet collar of his own. 

Yarrowshade felt his hackles starting to rise. How dare Ghost show his face here? How dare he bring that mangy scoundrel back with him? He was so angry that he only barely registered that the kittypet in front seemed to be in charge. 

“Hail and well met,” called the big grey tom, smiling jovially. “You must be the cats of RisingClan.” 

“We are,” said Nightmist, squaring her shoulders to match his height. Yarrowshade was glad that at least one of them was as physically imposing as the stranger. “What business do you have being on our territory?” 

“Not on your territory,” the kittypet corrected. “I know we aren’t welcome there, that’s why we waited on the edge of it.” Ghost glanced over his shoulder at the sable pelted tom who ducked submissively. His dark blue eyes stayed fixed on Yarrowshade though, burning with something similar to what Yarrowshade himself was feeling. 

“What’s your name, my darling?” the kittypet in charge asked Nightfrost. Yarrowshade had to bite his lip to stop himself from demanding he speak to her with more respect. 

“Nightfrost,” she said cooly. “Who are you?” 

“My name is Razor,” the tom purred, stepping closer into Nightfrost’s space. A growl leapt to her throat, ears flicking backward and Yarrowshade took a step forward too, baring his teeth. Razor only chuckled and stepped back, although Yarrowshade noticed that he was still closer than he had been before. 

“Well there’s no need for that kind of behavior,” said Razor. “I was just being friendly. Do they not have that out here in the sticks?” 

“Razor,” Ghost said, and Razor glanced back at him, his smile fading for a split second. Ghost lowered his gaze immediately. Apparently he had said all he needed to say.

Razor sighed. “You’re right. We’re here on business.” Turning back to Nightfrost, he said, “I wanted to come down personally and apologize for my underlings’ behavior. I understand they got distracted picking on some of your young ones, yeah?” 

“Picking on is an understatement,” Nightfrost glared. “They’re lucky they got off so easily.” The tom in the back scoffed and Ghost stepped towards him threateningly, which immediately silenced him. Razor’s ear twitched but he didn’t look back. It seemed to Yarrowshade that he was used to Ghost handling the rogues for him. 

“And I am grateful,” said Razor, still smiling. “It was more than they deserved, on that we agree.” He shifted his weight to lean in again and lowered his voice as if he and Nightfrost were having a private word. “To tell you the truth, they were out here looking for a cat named Scrap who I’m eager to find. She’s a bit… unwell, you see - in the head - and I’d love to find her before she gets herself hurt. You cats wouldn’t have happened to see her anywhere, would you?” 

“What does she look like?” Nightfrost asked, striking Yarrowshade again with just how smart she was. He would have told Razor to go shove something unpleasant up his rear but that would have given their position away, confirmed that they had taken Aldertail in, or at the very least caused a fight they probably didn’t want. 

Razor tilted his head in Ghost’s direction. He didn’t look at him, only cast his eyes over the snow over the shoulder closest to Ghost, but Ghost received the signal all the same and said, “She’s young, a spotted brown tabby with a notched ear like this one,” he flicked his tail in the sable tom’s direction. “I believe she has blue eyes.” Razor smiled, satisfied, and looked back at Nightfrost. 

Nightfrost hummed thoughtfully and then shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. Have you checked the thunderpath? Most cats don’t survive crossing it.” 

“The 'thunderpath',” Razor laughed, sounding like he was amused by the novelty of it. “I assume you mean the road back there?” 

“If that’s what you call it,” shrugged Nightfrost. “The stone path the monsters prowl.”

“Monsters,” chuckled Razor again. “Yes, yes, we’ve checked the ‘thunderpath’ plenty. I’m quite certain she came this way. You’re sure you haven’t seen her?” 

“I’m sure,” Nightfrost said. “You can go back to your city now.” 

“Don’t be rude,” Razor said, a dangerous edge slipping into his voice. “I’m just trying to help a cat in need. We’ve been perfectly civil, haven’t we?” 

“You’re not welcome on our territory,” Nightfrost said, stepping into his space this time. “Leave and don’t come back.” 

“Careful, girl,” Razor rumbled, and the cats behind him tensed. “I’m not the kind of cat you should threaten.” 

“I’m aware of your reputation,” Nightfrost growled back, “but I don’t care. Leave.” 

“Who told you about my reputation?” Razor grinned. “Scrap? Because she’s quite paranoid, thinks everyone is out to get her. She’s not exactly the most reliable source.” 

Nightfrost rolled her eyes. “I told you, I haven’t met this Scrap cat.” 

“Then why don’t I believe you?” Razor purred lowly, leaning even closer to take a deep breath of her scent. Yarrowshade’s back started to arch aggressively. Behind Razor, he saw Ghost shuffle, but the older tom said nothing. Deceitful coward, Yarrowshade thought. 

“She told you to leave,” he snapped, tail bristling. “If you’re smart, you would listen.” 

For the first time, Razor’s eyes fell on him and suddenly he felt extremely small. Nightfrost’s jaw clenched and she closed her eyes for a frustrated beat. Had he made a mistake? His gut twisted with anxiety. If things got violent it would be his fault. 

“Quiet, whelp,” Razor snarled, then smiled and said, “the big kids are talking.” 

“No,” Nightfrost said firmly, “We’re done talking. Either leave now or stay and make an enemy. It's your choice.” Razor chuckled darkly, swinging his gaze back to her in a slow arc. 

“Oh-ho-ho-ho, you are just adorable,” he said. There was a pause, as he looked her over with a gaze that felt deeply disrespectful, predatory even. Then he stepped back and said, “Fine. We’ll leave. Don’t let it be said that I am quick to make enemies. If you find Scrap and feel inclined to return her, I would make it worth your while. I’m sure food is hard to find this time of year, right?” When none of them responded, he shrugged, and said, “I could see you fed until spring, maybe after. All you have to do is help me out. I reward those who help me, don’t I?” One ear turned back towards the cats behind him.

“Always,” the tom with the notched ear said eagerly.

“Handsomely,” said the ginger kittypet. 

Ghost simply grunted. 

“See?” Razor said. “Think about it.” With that he flicked his tail and turned and started back through the snow towards the city in the distance. The kittypet followed closely behind him and the sable pelted tom slank after them about a tail length behind, keeping a respectful distance. Ghost stayed where he was, staring for a moment, and Yarrowshade glared at him.

 Eventually, he spoke. “Is Smokyrose alright?” His voice was low and tense

“No thanks to you,” Yarrowshade scoffed. 

“And the kits?” he asked. 

“They’re fine.” Nightfrost said curtly. “Two baby girls.” Yarrowshade frowned. Why was she telling him? If he had cared about the kits he would have been there for their birth. He watched as something like relief flashed across Ghost’s face. 

“I’m glad,” he said. “I would have-”

“Ghost,” barked Razor, having halted in his tracks to look back at them. “What are you up to?” 

Ghost smirked and lifted his voice to say, “Oh, just familiarizing myself with the local delicacies.” Yarrowshade wanted to hurl. The ginger kittypet and the tom with the notched ear snickered, but Razor just rolled his eyes.

“We have girls in the city. Much less angry ones. Come on.” 

“Alright,” Ghost called back reluctantly. Then, under his breath he said, “Tell Rose I’m sorry,” and strutted off after the other city cats, the same clawable smirk on his face. Yarrowshade was bristling until they were starting to disappear behind the snow banks. 

“So that’s Smoky’s beau…” Bogmist said with a bit of a grimace. “I’m gonna be honest, I don’t get it.” 

“I’m sure he was a lot more charming around her,” Pantherhaze said weakly. 

“What was all that about?” Yarrowshade grumbled, “Asking about the kits, saying he’s sorry? If he had been actually sorry he wouldn’t have abandoned her in the first place.” 

“Maybe Razor has some sort of leverage over him,” speculated Pantherhaze. “Maybe he couldn’t come back even if he wanted to.” 

“That’s wishful thinking,” scoffed Yarrowshade. “Did you hear what he called Nightfrost? And none of them blinked an eye. No, he’s a scumbag through and through.” 

“Yarrowshade,” Nightfrost said suddenly and he realized that she had been lost in her own thoughts since Ghost had left, “go back to camp and make sure that the other patrol is on their way. Pantherhaze, you too. Make sure you tell Goldenstar about everything that was discussed. Bogmist, you and Dawnbird can head back to EarthClan too.” 

“Thanks, Nightfrost,” Bogmist said. 

“StarClan light your path,” added Dawnbird, and the two headed off toward their camp. 

“What about you?” Yarrowshade asked her, lowering his voice. “Are you gonna stay here?” 

“Yes,” she nodded. “I’ll make sure the next patrol is prepared and see to it that Razor and his ilk don’t come back.” 

“They’re not gonna come back tonight anyway,” Yarrowshade said. “You should come back to camp. Maybe we can get some prey and unwind a bit.”

“Please, Yarrowshade,” she sighed, “this is not the time for flirting.” 

“I’m not flirting,” he promised. “I just think you’re pushing yourself too hard. You need to relax.” 

“I’m the deputy,” she said. “I’ll relax when we’re safe. Now go back to camp.” 

“Promise me you’ll be back before dark?” he asked, ears wilting. 

Nightfrost sighed. “Sure. I’ll be back before dark.” 

“Okay,” nodded Yarrowshade, disappointed. “I’ll be looking forward to it.” He stepped forward to butt his head against her shoulder but last minute he decided against it and stepped around her instead. Pantherhaze joined him, and they started the trip back to camp. 

“You okay?” Pantherhaze asked after a while. 

“Yeah, I guess…” he replied. Was he okay? He didn’t really know. 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” 

Yarrowshade sighed heavily. “I just… I don’t know where I stand with her, y’know? I can’t tell if she’s just stressed or if she’s getting tired of me.” 

“I’m sorry,” said Pantherhaze. That didn’t make him feel any better. 

“Thanks,” he said, bumping up against his old friend. “Let’s go get out of the snow, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Pantherhaze agreed enthusiastically. “I’m freezing!”

[quibbs126]

So I made these Warrior Cats designs today, mostly out of boredom and because I wanted to draw

As you can tell, I took some creative liberties. Which for the most part we’re just me making them more genetically accurate since I’m back on watching that cat genetic video playlist again. I kept losing focus on it as I drew though

Spottedleaf and Redtail were my first attempts, but they didn’t end up looking that great. They were also originally going to be full body, but then I realized I don’t know how to draw cat bodies, so they’re just neck up, like usual. I did a lot better with Sandstorm so I just stuck with her method

I’m pretty sure Spottedleaf and Redtail are actually calicos, not plain tortoiseshells, but shush I wanted to do it like that. Though the not full body means I can’t show off the idea of Redtail’s red being mostly around his hind and tail

With Sandstorm I made her a dilute tortie because of the whole “Redtail being her dad” thing. When I looked on the Wiki I saw that this appears isn’t the case anymore, but screw it, I like the idea and personally wanted to keep it. She originally had grey fur, but I changed it to fawn so that Leafpool could still be at least partially brown-ish

As for Firestar, I know that genetically he wouldn’t be red, since his mother was brown, but I mean his fur color being red is relevant so shush. Maybe Nutmeg is red in this universe, I don’t know. I also made him a mackerel, though I kind of want to make him a classic tabby now. But then I’d have to change Leafpool’s markings too, which is too much of a hassle right now

Also randomly I just want to add in for no particular reason, my favorite era of Firestar is when he’s a stressed as hell out deputy to a losing her grip on reality Bluestar. Don’t know why I wanted to add that but I do. I think I just want to read the books again

I decided to then make Squirrelflight and Leafpool because why not? And they’re both torties because I made Sandstorm one. Granted I probably could have left at least one of them solid, since they’re like, two thirds red and only one third something else. But I kind of like how they look, so shush

I’ve actually been editing Squirrelflight as I write this, since first I realized I didn’t change Squirrel’s black coloring after changing Sand and Leaf’s grey to fawn. Then I realized that I didn’t need to keep Squirrel’s red the same as Fire’s, since he’s a tabby and that’s a whole color thing (or something, I wasn’t paying too much attention), and then trying to make it so her cinnamon doesn’t clash with the new red. I think I got something good now?

Leaf doesn’t have much to talk about other than being a dilute tortie, but with more fawn than her mother

With Tigerclaw I just kept him basically the same as canon. Other than that, random thing but I half forgot that Tigerclaw not actually being evil and instead just being a grump is something that I made up and isn’t actually canon

Then I made Goldenflower so I could do Bramble and Tawny like I did Squirrel and Leaf. I think she’s a tabby in canon, but I took that out. Also she and Tigerclaw’s amber eye colors were switched originally, but the lighter amber clashed with the cream color

I know Bramble is supposed to look identical to his dad, this was a plot point, but genetically that isn’t accurate, he should be either red or cream from his mom’s side because fur color is sex linked. I think in a previous attempt at this I made him red, with the idea that it made Bramble actually resemble Fire, but this time I went with cream so that he’d look like his dad but with his mom’s colors

Tawnypelt is mostly the same. Her black fur’s because Tigerclaw’s a black tabby. And also her eyes are amber because her parents have amber eyes

I wasn’t sure who to do after, I was gonna just call it quits, but then I decided to do Lionheart since he was important to the first book. And as I checked on the Wiki he’s apparently Goldenflower’s brother. I feel like I made him look fruity, which wasn’t intentional, I was just trying to make him look like Goldenflower

Also Lionheart and Goldenflower look a lot like Daisy I’m noticing. Probably shouldn’t have done that but oh well

I might make more of these, probably first doing Dustpelt and Ravenpaw and then Cinderpelt’s family, maybe Ferncloud and Ashfur too, who knows?

[roseate-felidae]

My brother had a wild muntjac fawn approach him today. Mum was not far off. He left it be.

@mekanikaltrifle @robotslenderman @lepurcinus @amber-tortoiseshell

[felinefractious]

Sally Style of Provence

🐱 British Shorthair

📸 Style of Provence

🎨 Fawn Tortoiseshell

[everrainrp]

Hello! I’ve been meaning to ask, do you have ideas for how the cats of each clan generally look? Like fur colors, sizes, any additional traits ideal for their environments that you might see more commonly through pure clan blood? I understand this question might take some time to answer so no worries if you can’t get to it right away ^^

Hello!!

This will be added to each Clans page this week, so no worries about asking! Generally, each Clan will have the following Traits be more common:

Shoreshimmer Clan

Webbed Paws ; Developed even further over time with their oceanic swimming tendencies.

Hooked Claws ; Their claws have developed to be more hook-like to aid in catching aquatic prey and for better grasp on the wet rocks of the shore and jettys.

Oily, Water Resistant Coat. Often Two Layers ; soft and downy undercoat for insulation, and the slick outer coat to repel water for their cold and wet environment, especially as they are divers. Not typically too thick as to prevent waterlogging.

Dilute Coat Colors ; Often Blues and Lilacs. Gingers and genetically red cats are more uncommon.

Silver Coat Colors ; Caused by an Inhibitor Gene, different from dilute coats.

Patterns ; Ticked Tabby, Classic Tabby, and Sokoke Tabby are all the most common. Smoke and ghost tabby patterns are quite common as well.

White Spotting ; Typically lower in amount or absent.

Thicker Body Type ; Powerful Legs to Aid in Swimming and higher fat content due to the proximity of the ocean. Thick and rudder-like tail. Their faces tend to be a bit more rounder than average.

Smaller and more Rounded Ears ; to keep water out.

Mutations ; Polydactylism is common among Shoreshimmer Cats, often aids in grip and steadiness along the slippery rocks.

Torrentfall Clan

Webbed Paws ; Same as Shoreshimmer, developed more webbing between their toes to aid in swimming.

Two Layered Coat ; Again, same as Shoreshimmer, due to their aquatic tendencies, two layered coats are quite common. The different being with Torrentfall, their outer layer is more semi-repellent and sleeker, as opposed to oily. They may also have thicker fur types than Shoreshimmer.

Solid Coat Colors ; Varies heavily and runs the full gamut between black to fawn, including chocolate and cinnamon. Dilute tortoiseshells are common.

Silver Coat Colors.

Patterns ; Darker points such as Mink, Seal, or Sepia are common. Mackerel, Classic, Marbled Classic and spotted are common Tabby Patterns. Russian Topaz coats and eyes are quite common as well.

White Spotting ; High gamut between High Spotting to None.

Stockier and Rigid Body Type ; due to risk of fall, they tend to be built Stockier with heavier muscle and high fat content, somewhat helping prevent grievous fall injury. Long and plume like tails to aid in swimming. Strong shoulders, legs and neck. Their faces tend to be more blocky and square.

Smaller and more Rounded Ears ; to keep water out.

Mutations ; Polydactylism is also quite common in Torrentfall for the same reasons as Shoreshimmer. Very rarely one might find the Finnish coat mutation. Heterochromia is quite often, a bit moreso in Torrentfall than other Clans.

Mistshroud Clan

Large Paws and Pads ; Developed to stalk silently through the forest, especially during snowfall season.

Sleek Fur ; The fur among them tends to be sleeker and long, lacking the dual layers that Shoreshimmer and Torrentfall cats commonly have.

Coat Colors ; Varies commonly between black, dilute blue and lilac, and silver. Their coats tend to be lighter to blend in with their misty environment.

Patterns ; Points are extremely common, as well as Shaded, Smoke, and Tipped. Solid coats are also quite common, and Tabby patterns tend to be less commonly found among them. You may rarely find the Finnish mutation or tweed among patterns and coats.

White Spotting ; Averagely they will have medium to high white spotting, with a good chunk being almost all or entirely white. Also more common to have "interesting" white patterns, such as the white back stripe and van patterns.

Average Build ; Large ears to help take in more sound, longer whiskers than average to aid in navigation, and long legs to aid in traversing their territory. Their legs and tail are long, and their paws have developed to be larger for more silent stalking, possibly a trait introduced in history due to a lynx or bobcat. May vary between average to a smaller size generally. Tufted ears are common. Their faces tend to be thinner and angular.

Mutations ; Albinism and Leucism are common among them, as well as Vitiligo coats. The Finnish coat mutation may rarely be found here as well. Heterochromia can also be found here quite commonly.

Thornrush Clan

Strong, Long Fangs and Claws ; To aid in ripping apart tough carcasses such as elk and through plant matter with more ease.

Short Fur ; Lacking the same wet and damp environment that the aforementioned groups do, Thornrush Clan cats tend to have shorter but thick fur and tougher skin, as to protect themselves from the thorns of their environment. Unlike Torrentfall and Shoreshimmer, Thornrush will take on a winter coat and shed it during the summer, maintaining their sleek coat appearance.

Coat Colors ; Very commonly chocolate, cinammon, ginger, and the dilutes of those colors (lilac, fawn, cream, gold). Golden genes (wide-band)((different from the gold derivative of ginger)), and Sunshine coats are relatively common as well. Tortoiseshells of the aforementioned colors are quite common as well.

Patterns ; Tabby markings of all sorts can be found in Thornrush cats. Points are a bit rarer but can be found due to the shared heritage between themselves and Mistshroud.

White Spotting ; low to medium white spotting, higher white spotting tends to be less common.

Large Build ; In contrast to Mistshroud, cats of Thornrush are often larger in stature, and built with lean muscle. Their pawpads are thick and resistant to rough terrain. Tufted ears are common, though their ears are average sized in comparison to Mistshroud. Their faces tend to be broader and angular.

Mutations ; Bobbed tails and no tails are commonly found among cats of Thornrush, as well as curled ears. Wiry fur can be found here commonly as well.

Skyreach Clan

It is to be noted that as the youngest of the Clans, Skyreach has the least dramatic amount of change from their parental Clans, sans a few traits that have been taken on by outsiders that have joined due to Skyreach being the most welcoming of them.

Long Tails and Wide Ears ; Skyreach Clan has developed long tails to help maintain balance along the rocky outcroppings of their home, and large ears to take in and maintain more warmth during sunny days.

Thick but Sleek Fur ; Due to their shared parent Clans, Skyreach cats will have thick but sleek fur, lacking the dual layer water repellent layer that Torrentfall does but having the thickness of Mistshrouds fur.

Coat Colors ; A very wide variety of coat Colors can be found here, none in particular stand out further than others due to not only their shared parental Clan traits, but the traits of loners and kittypets.

Patterns ; Again, a wide variety of patterns can be found here due to the Clans genetic makeup, but spotted tabby patterns and points will tend to crop up a bit more.

White Spotting ; Extremely wide gamut of white spotting can be found here, ranging from none to entirely white.

Thin and Lean Build ; They will more than typically have longer legs with smaller paws, as the large paws of Mistshroud have mostly faded out due to the lack of need for stealth and silence among the Clan. Webbed paws have all also but faded out, with a rare few having either or. They sport large ears and angular faces and long tails that have pluming fur or are thin and whip-like.

Mutations ; Any can be found here, none taking lead over any other, aside from maybe albinism being a bit more common.

These are just suggestions of course, you do not have to make your cats fit into all or any of these categories if you so wish! These are just the most commonly found physical traits and builds, each having been suited for their environments.

[silly-zai]

I should like actually make character design concept for my bsd x wc thing.

(Minor SH mention Tw btw)

So far the only character's I've mentioned are Chuuya, Dazai, Mori, the old boss, and Doc, but I'll probably update thing more.

Chuuya's a relatively small ginger cat, obviously, with decently long fur, though it's a bit scruffy and patchy before he leaves the sheep. I can't really carry the heterochromia headcanon over to him genetically. (I don't think at least unless he has a genetic condition, which gives him that, but if I could, I'd love to.) I also don't want him to have any white spotting which is part of the reason why I'm torn on the heterochromia. I think he'd have a slight tabby pattern to him, though from what I know that's in many/all ginger cats so that's a given.

Dazai, at least while he's a kit/apprentice, had/has a completely black coat. It's extremely patchy, more so than Chuuya's, when Mori first finds him, though most of it grows back after a bit. I'd say his fur is pretty short and ungroomed, too. He's blind in one eye from an injury he sustained b4 Mori found him and progressively gains more scars as he became a warrior (and deputy). His tail is covered is scars, though (this is in reference to my original post as the tail (I think) is a spot where cats (and dogs) would self harm). He wore cobwebs over his eye and tail while in shadowclan, though once he moves he probablt just wears them on his tail.

Mori is also a black cat, though he has a white patch on his chest (and if his chest alone having a patch isn't genetically possible, then his paws too). His fur is more well groomed than Dazai's, though he does have the odd scar despite never really fighting before he became the leader.

The old leader, i imagine, would be a dark brown (chocolate) cat with low white spotting. Like just his chest, and belly and maybe his paws. Maybe a tuxedo pattern. When he died, he had plenty of scars on his body from battle and since he'd lost all of his other lives prior to that, it only makes sense.

Doc, I'd imagine, would be a grey (blue) tabby. I'd say he'd be mostly white, though. Like maybe a cap and saddle kind of pattern. He's also a pretty scrawny and small cat, though he's a bit bigger than Chuuya.

I might aswell make an elise design too, while I'm at it, even though she has no story here yet.

I know genetics don't matter much in warrior cats, but they matter to me so I'm making them anyway.

She's a fawn caramel (like a very light brown) tortoiseshell cat (this is genetically possible if Mori carries the dilute gene I think). She's also just a kit when Mori finds Dazai, but she's quite small even for her age. She has a white belly, chest, muzzle, and part of her tail, too.

[thistledown-au-warriors]

Clan Names and Nicknames - Thistledown AU

A name is a great signifier of Clan culture and how their society evolved from their ancestors to this day.

It is said that, in ancient times, the groups of cats that lived together in the forest lands had many offspring, but little knowledge of the land and healing to ensure their survival. It was common to avoid naming a litter until they seemed strong enough to survive and start learning hunting and self-defense.

Out of convenience, of course, queens would nickname their kits. The Brown One, Tortoiseshell Kit, White Molly, Odd Eyes, etc. They would be called such until their parents settled on naming them, but at that point they still ended up naming their kits something close to their nicknames. Many grown cats named Black Pelt, Ginger Fur, and such. It even is said that the first cat in StarClan was named Silver Pelt, and they were a pale cat whose fur resembled the Starpath under the moonlight.

So they had to get creative, naming something that made the cats stand out. Names like Jay's Wing, Stone Song, Fallen Leaves and Clear Sky eventually became the norm. Lyrical, but still based loosely on appearance. Other cats stood out more as kits from their personality rather than just looks, so names like Shy Fawn and Lion's Roar came to be.

In modern Clans, kits are nicknamed at their parents' discretion. While some cats have names in mind, others take their time getting to know their kits before settling on a nickname that's more likely to become part of their full name. Usually only the immediate family unit and those closest to them will know a kit's nickname.

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Parents usually wait until the kit's eyes take color to start deciding their full name. By then, their personality starts to show and it's easier to settle on a name. Whatever stands out most about the kit then becomes part of their fully given name, or they simply start using the name that they had in mind before.

This doesn't mean the name is set in stone, however. They are seem only as "permanent" in any way when a kit becomes of age and starts training. At that point, they are considered to have been part of a ceremony watched over by StarClan, which solidifies them as members of the Clan. Only a name-changing ceremony can change their name, otherwise they'll be known as their given name for the rest of their lives.

That, of course, is only a tradition that varies between Clans and generation. For example, it's said ShadowClanners will consider it an opportunity to change their name when they earn their first real battle scar.

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As time goes by, naming "trends" also tend to come and go. Names like Tiger's Claw and Lion's Heart are considered highly old-fashioned in current Clan society. Names like Blazing Cinder and Leaping Lynx are slowly falling out of fashion due to their length. Every once in a while a few kits will appear with older-sounding names, and it may make them "trendy" again.

Some kits end up naming themselves, in some form. Crooked Jaw was largely called by his nickname, Storm, by those closer to him, until he made it clear that he wished to own the name his mother had given him and forget the kit he once was. Thorn Claw chose to name himself something fiercer than what his mother had in mind, and it's anyone's guess if he'll ever regret it.

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Nicknames don't stop at kithood, through. Cats who are close will often call each other nicknames, such as mates or close friends. In RiverClan, Ember Dawn and Dawn Bright had such similar names they ended up just calling each other Ember and Bright. This act made them get close very quickly, and aided in them becoming mates. Silver Stream's habit of nicknaming just about anyone she's close to, even cats from other Clans (such as calling Misty Step only "Misty") is considered very unusual and overly familiar.

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There are a few hard rules in Clan naming:

Names must be 2 words only.

Names must NOT contain "Star" or "Moon".

"Thunder", "Shadow", "Wind" and "River" can't be the first word in a name or present at all if it's the same word as the cat's Clan. (Such as, Raven Shadow wouldn't be allowed to have been named Shadow Raven or Raven Thunder).

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Due to receiving a title, Clan leaders get their own nickname. This can be seen when Blue Fur is referred to as "My Thunder" by Lion's Heart or Tall Tail as "My Wind" by his cats. In the past, Clan leaders were only called by their given name after their leader ceremony by immediate family and mate, but now most leaders will take to being called their name by clanmates. The title nickname is now considered formal, and few leaders enforce it. It's considered disrespectful to not use full name and title with a leader from another Clan, however.

The Clan leader title can only be given by StarClan at a leader ceremony. It installs the leader as the embodiment of the Clan. A title can only be stripped from a leader through death, another ceremony, or in cases like Broken Tail where he's been exiled and no longer seen as leader.

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(and that's all I got. if you have anything else you want to know about Thistledown Lore, feel free to shoot an ask! I try to keep "word of god" to a minimum, but I do love talking about my AU even while not actively working on it.)

[amber-tortoiseshell]

A completely self-indulgent imaginary rework of the EMS system

The EMS is a good system. I like it. I'm glad it exists.

I still think it has stupid parts, and i'd change a few codes if I could.

1. Base colors

The letters are all over the place. Why is red and cream put between the eumelaninistic variant colors? Why is there a big gap in the lettering after j? I know historically why black is n, but i still don't like it. So my suggestion would be:

a - black

b - blue

c - chocolate

d - lilac

e - cinnamon

f - fawn

g - red

h - cream

w - white (white is a freak, it can get it's own letter from the end of the alphabet)

These are the ones usually deemed as base colors. If this ever changes, the new colors can get the letter i, j, k and l.

More simple genes get a color modifier letter after the base color's:

m - caramel

n - sunshine and other bimetal-type golden variants (corin)

o -

p - phoenix (if i'm right with it not changing the nose color)

q - karpati

r - recessive red variants (amber, russet, serdolic; i group them together for now, since they are all restricted to one breed and don't compete; if they become more widespread, they'd probably need an own number) (mc1r)

s - silver/smoke

t - tortoiseshell

Golden doesn't get a letter, because wide band is denoted in the numbering.

2. White spotting

This is the least organised part of the EMS coding. It'd completely overthrow it, and probably rework again when we finally have all the genetics understood.

01 - locket, belly spot ect (very low grade white, no ws allele)

02 - white attributed to DBE. ONLY if there's no other type of white spotting.

03 - glove (wgwg ONLY)

04 - low white (~09 now, and mitted and snowshoe are here too, doesn't get different code until proven different allele)

05 - intermediate white, bicolor

06 - high white, harlequin, van

09 - indeterminable white spotting

3. Wide band

11 - low wide band (golden/silver tabby)

12 - medium wide band (golden/silver shaded/tipped)

13 - high wide band (golden/silver shell/chinchilla)

A black golden ticked tabby would be a 11 25.

4. Tabby pattern

You know, i'm content with this one. I wouldn't touch it, it's good as it is.

5. Color restriction

Same. Mocha could be added as 34, but that'll likely happen anyway.

6. Charcoal

I'd introduce this as an extra letter. It'll probably need some rework when the genetics clear out.

41 - midnight charcoal

42 - twilight charcoal

So. For example a light amber tortoiseshell smoke bicolor would be brst 05, a cinnamon golden tipped tabby would be e 12, a black mink rosetted charcoal would be a 24 32 41.

[followthebluebell]

Why are blonde cats uncommon?

I guess it depends on how you define 'blond'. It could mean anything from fawn to cream colored.

Both fawn and cream are dilutions of specific genes. Let's start with fawn first, because it's the first one I thought of when i was considering 'what does blond cat really mean?'

Fawn is the rarer of the two because it's a dilution of the chocolate gene. The chocolate gene is already relatively rare in cats; it's just not a very popular color, sadly, and to display the color a cat has to receive two recessive alleles.

The dilution gene is ALSO recessive, so to display fawn a cat has to inherit two sets of recessive alleles. Unless someone is specifically breeding towards that, it's just not likely to pop up within a 'naturally' occurring cat population like a feral cat colony.

Cream, like I've already stated, is ALSO a dilution. It's a dilution of orange or red gene. This is an especially interesting gene because its locus is carried on the X chromosome and it's codominant. So if a cat has two x chromosomes and BOTH carry the red trait, you've got a red female cat. If only one of her X's carries the red trait, she'll be a calico because it has to compete with whatever her OTHER x chromosome is carrying. But a male cat carrying the red trait is just gonna be a beautiful red tom since his X chromosome doesn't have another X to compete with colorwise. This is also why orange females are less common than orange males.

but yeah, go back to how cream is a dilution: it's a recessive trait, so it's pretty easy to override with other genes in females especially. These cats are tortoiseshells, with their blacks becoming gray and oranges going cream. Males still have to carry TWO copies of the recessive dilution allele before it can affect their redness and go cream colored.

There's also the rare amber gene. As far as I know, it's only carried in Norwegian forest cats. I don't know a whole lot about it. I know it's a late color change, but I haven't really dug into them much.

[featherdawn]

I need a pick-me up so I made firestars family genetically accurate in a picrew

Picrew: https://picrew.me/ja/image_maker/553470/complete?cd=k4rnpeqr8w

Firestar: Longhair red ticked tabby

Sandstorm: Fawn mackerel tabby & white

(Note: she or Firestar must be black-based for the sake of Leafpool. Bicolour is inspired by her design in the Into The Wild graphic novel.)

Leafpool: Cinnamon classic tabby tortoiseshell & white

Squirrelstar: Longhair cinnamon tortoiseshell with low white

(Note: I have her a bit extra white to justify her patches being a little bigger. The picrew had no good options for a single white paw.)

Crowfeather: Blue mink

(Note: he needs to be either a colourpoint or have a decent amount of white for his blue eyes.)

Hollyleaf: Longhair black with low white

(Note: I have given her white paws to match her mothers.)

Jayfeather: Blue lynx point with low white

(Note: Like his father, Jayfeather needs either significant white, or to be a colourpoint for his blue eyes. I personally headcanon him as a siamese point. I have given him white paws to match his mothers.)

Lionblaze: Longhair red classic tabby

Cinderheart: Longhair smoke & white with mackerel ghost tabby markings

(Note: she needs white for her blue eyes. Smoke is a headcanon; blue tabby works just as well.)

Fernsong: Longhair fawn classic tabby

Reached image limit; continued in either reblog or next post