#warrior cat meta

[adeleine-everyday]

more of ado warrior cat!! (+ friends..?)

day 146

oh my lord there's more cats

[bearfrosts]

yk the moonpaw incest baby jokes are a little bit fucked up and it's extremely weird to me how many people are spouting that shit off

first of all, just to get it out of the way: genetic disabilities usually only occur when close incestuous relationships have children and then the incestuous behavior repeats for several generations. it doesn't really happen when two cousins do it.

second of all: there are real, living, breathing human beings in the world that are children of incestuous relationships. they don't have control over this, and it's entirely likely that one of their parents didn't have control over it either. i don't think it takes a fucking rocket scientist to realize that you shouldn't be making fun of those people for something they have no control over, and potentially something that they and one of their parents is a victim of.

tldr joking about how moonpaw is going to look "monstrous" or be physically disabled is not funny. it's fucked up, and you should be ashamed of it.

[wormstar]

like i know its a dead horse but its truly just atrocious how wc background characters work compared to other franchises with a similar character count and even earlier entries in the series. like i think about how po3 genuinely had a compelling secondary cast and i get mad about the future of wc forever. like fuuuck man i dont know who shellfur is i dont care.

[harriertail]

very interested in your hc about cats named after the big clans having bad luck 👀

so-! the HC is that some ThunderClan warriors believe that a cats name will influence something about their life- Swiftkit will be fast, Tanglekit will always have a messy pelt, Snowkit will never feel the cold, but some say Snowkit will always be cold, there's a lot of debate and interpretation to it. The 'Ancient names' are Leopard- Lion- and Tiger-, and these names carry great significance and, some say, mystical powers. If a kit is on it's deathbed, in the first few days of life, the mother may use one of these names in the believe the name carries the spirits of the ancient Clans, who will revive her kit. However, these names come with a great risk. Whether it's the ancient spirits coming back to collect, or the ancient power being too much for a small wildcat to handle, driving them mad, each Ancient named kit will have a costly downfall.

Does the name actually cause it? Who knows. Elders will shake their head and say that Tigerstar went mad with 'too much power inside him', it was the Ancient curse that got him, but other cats will argue that the curse is bullshit- Lionheart was only killed by ShadowClan warriors, he had no 'grand downfall', even if he wasn't able to become ThunderClan leader. It depends on whether you believe.

[kangoneko]

In Defense of Froststar

Today I'm going to share a few of the reasons why I think Froststar will be leader. I firmly believe the books have been building up to this and that any other choice will feel random and unsatisfying as a conclusion to the arc.

However, I believe the fact that there has been so much debate is intentional on the authors' part. They are deliberately being coy about it so as to not give the surprise away. I think this is part of why Froststar is being dismissed, because you'd think they would treat her a bit differently if she was the choice to become leader. But I believe such arguments are not substantial enough to firmly deconfirm her as future leader.

In the first book, River, Frostpaw outright balks at being leader. She doesn't want to be and the responsibility it entails scares her. This represents how she was never destined for a greater role in the Clan: she just had the greatness thrust upon her, like Spider-man. This is called out directly in the Thunder prologue:

But Frostpaw is destined for great things now. Fate has been rewritten, however much heartbreak it cost, and the fate of RiverClan now rests in her paws.

This doesn't directly imply anything about her becoming leader, of course, but it does tell us that the Frostpaw we started out with has changed! And I disagree with the notion that this implies she has to be a medicine cat. Medicine cats are messengers, yes, but I think the fact Riverstar uses such a vague term like "messenger" in the first place is curious. I also don't see why she can't temporarily be RiverClan's messenger and later become something more. Sure, RiverClan needs Frostpaw to be their messenger now, but he's not implying Frostpaw has to be that messenger forever.

I also think it's generous to imply the StarClan cats know who the leader should be yet. It's very well possible they don't, and that they just know the cat who will choose the leader and some qualities such a leader should have. StarClan works in mysterious ways after all and time and time again they've been shown to know about as much as the Clan cats.

But the biggest issue for a lot of people is that RiverClan would be left without a medicine cat that has a connection to StarClan, and I sympathize with this a lot. My issue however is that, if Frostpaw magically gained powers, then why can't they find another cat? I know it's a lazy answer but I don't see why this issue can't be worked around. I also don't see why we can't explore other options like Frostpaw still maintaining a medicine cat's role as leader. It's unconventional of course but Froststar in itself is unconventional.

There's also the fact that RiverClan didn't have a cat like Willowshine for a while. It's far from ideal circumstances but the Clan still managed without a medicine cat with a connection to StarClan for a period of time.

But these aren't the only reasons I think Frostpaw will become leader. I think there have been great hints throughout the last two books, Thunder and Wind.

For one, Frostpaw goes to the Park Cats and learns the ideal qualities to look for in a leader--as well as who shouldn't be leader, the cat she learns killed Reedwhisker. Frostpaw's ideal qualities in a leader are awfully specific too, almost like they're things only Frostpaw could really enforce. Unless a cat happens to start showing these qualities in Star, Frostpaw is realistically the only one who can change the Clan the way she wants to change it. Like it or not, Frostpaw will be taking on a leadership role if she wants any of this to actually happen.

This is practically Frostpaw's political manifesto. Unbeknownst to her, however, she is literally describing the perfect leader for RiverClan to be herself.

I also think the fact that Frostpaw is the first cat in RiverClan to openly reject Splashtail is key to her both gaining support and also coming into her role as leader. Frostpaw...isn't the best choice for leader yet, simply put. But she is getting there. She is rallying support for her cause to defeat Splashtail, an important quality in a leader. She fully intends on taking him down and restoring RiverClan to its former glory--no, even better. She has a crystal clear vision for what she wants RiverClan's future to be and I don't think any other cat in the Clan so much as comes close to the leadership qualities Frostpaw is displaying now. Once she defeats Splashtail I envision that she will finally complete her arc and become the leader RiverClan needs.

I also want to point out this random dream from Bee, which I think is great Froststar foreshadowing:

Here is my interpretation: the frozen river symbolizes a RiverClan lead by Froststar. I believe the ice being thick is meant to show the strength of RiverClan under Froststar's leadership. The river being frozen so thoroughly also represents a safe bridge to outsiders. The sting of the ice represents how RiverClan still maintains the ferocity appropriate of a Warrior clan, and that it will defend its borders when needed. However, they do not react with hostility to all outsiders. They are curious, perhaps even interested in the knowledge the outsider may impart on them, like how Frostpaw learned a new way of life from the Park Cats.

This is all just speculation of course but I think this line is intentional foreshadowing on the writer's parts and I don't think it's safe to completely dismiss it yet.

We also cannot ignore scenes like Riverstar literally choosing Frostpaw over Splashtail at the Moonpool.

Obviously this scene is meant to show Frostpaw has StarClan on her side, but this scene also shows clear symbolism foreshadowing a Froststar leadership, if you choose to read it as such. While you can just as easily interpret it as Frostpaw being the true medicine cat instead of Podlight, you can't help wondering if that could imply she's meant to be leader instead of Splashtail, too.

---

To conclude, I do think there's still a chance Froststar might not be leader, but I can't say any evidence to the contrary has been sufficient enough to change my mind or have me leaning towards any other potential options. I do think it's possible Frostpaw can inspire the change she wants in RiverClan as a medicine cat, but given the lack of other suitable options for leader it's difficult to imagine. Again, I wouldn't be shocked if one of the other characters starts displaying leadership qualities in the final book, Star, but I simply don't think it would hold the same narrative satisfaction of Frostpaw becoming leader.

Also, just...come on. She's literally front and center on the cover of Star. The foreshadowing for Froststar is off the charts right now. Don't sleep on my girl just yet!

[jonsasource]

it must be a very different text that they’re reading… a song of liquid ice by gerom r.r. monty maybe? idk…

[dragoneyes618]

You know how a cat blinking at you means the cat loves you?

Now take a look through the Warriors series and take note of every time the narration says "X blinked at X." So really, no matter what the context or conversation, that character was telling the other character that they loved them.

[borbology]

his ass is NOT wielding a mace (autism rant)

He is wielding a decapitated morningstar on a chain. Do you understand? It has no accuracy. It is cumbersome. The amount of time in-between attacks would be immense. I don't know how much clearer I can make this. THIS IS NOT A MACE

THESE are maces!

A mace has flanges or bumps to inflict blunt force damage through armor. It's existed since the paleolithic era and is humanity's favorite bludgeoning weapon.

A MORNINGSTAR is similar to a mace but has spikes on it meant to direct the force onto points, increasing damage. It was invented in the 14th century and was used by knights.

THIS RIGHT HERE LADS

THIS is a flail; a pussywhipped version of the morningstar. The military flail came about in the 10th century and actually had no spikes. It was called a kisten. But evidence and knowledge of flails depicted as it is here is minimal. Either way, flinging the end of what is supposed to be a blunt force weapon on a chain is an impractical peasent tactic that sacrifices accuracy without any real benefits aside from looking more intimidating. It is the nunchucks of medieval weapons.

[warrior-cats-rewritten]

I really like Moonpaw’s design! And I’m hoping she is secretly a NightSun kit, with like a callback to the Three, which I think would be really cool. Probably not, but she is in my heart.

I quite like it as well! I actually have multiple au versions of her because nothing is even set in clay yet, let alone stone.

I personally love the versions of her where her absorbed twin is the "scary evil voice" (or just a bit more... "Mean", not afraid to call someone a dumbass), but also the version where she is the reincarnation of Bristlefrost. Sadly, that doesn't work with WCR...

I have the Meta Commentary/Cosmic Horror/Fandom heavy version of her as a NightSun baby, at the cost of Sunbeam's life. She wants to do lots of different things, and gets more into crafting than anything, but... She wants her dad to back off. Then the Moonpool gets involved... (This version is more canon compliant, no Bramble Strike happened and Crowfeather is closer to canon, that is to say a jackass) Meta Arc 9 AU

I've got the Continuation of ASC version of her as a FringeSpire baby, coming off the heels of the Skyclan Split and Gray Wing War. She's got a lot of pressure on her, and wants to one day be Leader. She has a fascination with the Moonpool when Waspstar takes her there. (She would be protags with Brightheart, who is oraganizing a way to fight the encroaching Twolegs with Cranberrynose and Skybranch) (this one is even funnier because I already had kits planned for them named Moonkit and Poolkit, born at the Moonpool) Moon + Bright Arc 9 AU

I've got the other version of that where she's a ShellFern baby. It's much more simple, where her big desire is to be a Mediator. (She is protag with Tawnypelt, but also with Breezepelt struggling with his chronic pain and new role) ShellFern Arc 9 AU

I've got a StormCherry version, where there's pressure from being Daisykin, which has been developing quite the legacy. She's a little Poppyfrost clone! She would be the little sister of Silverspots, Flywhisker and Snaptooth, and they are already CherryStorm babies. The other protags are Leafkit, daughter of Featherpelt and Toadstep, who is hard of hearing, and Daisy, who is determined to get to the bottom of why Twolegs have begun to get closer, leading to a very... Strange discovery. Daisykin Arc 9 AU.

And then, I think my favorite little version of her, is the most WCR compliant. A WhistleFrost child found at the Moonpool the day after it was purified. The voice she hears in her head is her Nana Curlfeather arguing with other Dark Forest spirits. Is this Moonpaw going to be a hero? Maybe, maybe not. Multi-Med Cat Arc 9 AU.

Any more canon compliance and I'd make her a corrupted Ashfur/Bristlefrost fusion through Thriftear calling Queen's Rights after her journey during Thriftear's Heart. The Bristlefrost reincarnation absorbed the Ashfur reincarnation to create Moonpaw! She would carry pieces of their memories/personalities inside her, struggling with that, and with her deep connection to the Moonpool that she is growing more and more obsessed with... Reincarnation Arc 9 AU

But... All in all, I'm glad we have such a unique looking Protagonist. I still don't trust the writers, but I'm gonna give them a single point for going absolutely BONKERS with her design in ways that would make 2011 fans whine and scream. Keep going, give these kitties weird features!

[bearfrosts]

okay i have reached needletail's death and suffice to say i'm disappointed with her nonexistent character arc and complete lack of dimension. so much wasted potential on her for fucking real. i feel so conflicted about her because i do think i could've actually liked her as a character if she was literally any amount better written but the way she exists in canon is just so flat and unappealing that it makes me strongly dislike her.

needletail had two character traits (rebellious + selfish) and a selfish, manipulative, take-without-return relationship with violetpaw—and absolutely no background, development, context, or conflict to justify any of it. her one singular "change" was just realizing Darktail Bad which i refuse to even call character development because it doesn't take any development of character to realize someone is bad once you have more information about them—it's clear that if she'd known how darktail acted prior to joining the kin, she never would've done it in the first place. ergo, no character development occurred to make her change her mind about it.

her sacrifice was meaningless because it was entirely out of character for her. she may have loved violetpaw to some degree, but at no point in their relationship did needletail make a single small sacrifice to her own comfort for violetpaw. she snuck out of camp with violetkit, sure, but needletail was sneaking out of camp anyway so she wasn't taking risks she wasn't already comfortable taking. she was a major reason why violetkit and twigkit were separated, she is the reason violetkit/paw got involved with the kin instead of going to be safe in thunderclan with her sister, etc. violetpaw got literally nothing in return for her love of needletail. so, back to the original point: needletail's sacrifice for violetpaw was a major, unprecedented shift in their dynamic. there was no leadup to it that showed she was starting to give more in the relationship in smaller ways that would've indicated she was becoming less selfish and more interested in a mutual relationship.

in my opinion, a better decision for her arc at that point would've been for her to listen to darktail and attempt to kill violetpaw. she hesitates, though, giving violetpaw a chance to run. needletail attempts to chase her down, but isn't fast enough, and darktail is interrupted by the attack on the kin's camp in riverclan and needletail skirts by under less suspicion since she did attempt to kill violetpaw.

i haven't read far past her death yet, but since she's dead canonically and there's nothing else left in her arc to work with, i'll offer a possibility for the continuation of this: eventually, she is reunited with violetpaw and claims that she never wanted to kill her and was just trying to help her escape and that they both made it out fine, so it's okay, right? and violetpaw, having been groomed by needletail's emotional manipulation since she was a kit, hesitantly forgives her. at that point, there would be time for needletail's character arc to continue, and for further conflict with violetpaw once she becomes a warrior and comes to realize all that needletail did to her. we could see needletail have an actual character arc in which violetshine eventually confronts her about their toxic relationship (and i want to be clear i'm speaking in a strictly platonic sense, in case that wasn't glaringly obvious), and needletail rejects the idea that she manipulated violetshine since she was a kit at first—then slowly realizes all that she did. but there are a ton of different roads her character could have taken if the sacrifice hadn't happened and this is just one potential path out of dozens.

i love these kinds of toxic relationships where one character is (potentially unknowingly) taking advantage of and manipulating a younger character who doesn't know better than to attend to the emotional needs of the older character. there's so much opportunity for conflict, betrayal, feelings of isolation within the relationship, recovering from trauma, realizing what exactly the older character did, eventually coming to be on equal standing when they're both mature adults and the older character having to face the consequences of what they've done. there was a lot of potential in their relationship and having needletail sacrifice herself out of nowhere did nothing but give a false idea of what their relationship looked like up to that point.

it would have also been majorly beneficial to give more background on how she came to be so opposed to living in the clans + following the rules besides just "idk she's just like that" and perhaps more details on why she so strongly desired a familial relationship with violetpaw (when she had two very much alive parents that she's never shown interacting with in the slightest?).

uhhh tl;dr i think i do actually like needletail as a character but the erins can only write a proper character arc like once in a blue moon and this was not one of those instances. justice for the narrative or whatever. these cats deserved better (or worse. in the characters' perspective at least.)

[incorrectsibunaquotes]

After almost a decade away from my Warrior Cats phase, I've been relistening to the first arc audiobooks at work, and have fallen back in (uh oh). Get ready for intense cringe, because I am once again mashing my two fixations together and here are what I think each HOA character's warrior name is and which Clan they'd be most suited to:

Nina: She's obviously a ThunderClan cat with that main character syndrome she has, but I feel like she def would have been a housecat first. I feel like her warrior name would be equal parts soft yet fierce. Maybe drawing on the "with this circle of light, I seal the circle of life" chant and also her connection to the Eye of Horus, her warrior name would be something like Falconlight

Fabian: I'm sort of stuck between ThunderClan and SkyClan for him, but since I'm less familiar with the newer books/modern day SkyClan, I'm gonna go with ThunderClan for him too. His warrior name would be pretty unassuming, I think, and others would underestimate him based on it. Maybe Mousewhisker or something?

Patricia: She strikes me as a ShadowClan cat, but I also think she'd be a pretty solid SkyClan cat (she has always been a tree-climber in my heart), but I think at the end of the day I gotta go ShadowClan. She's clever like a fox, so the warrior name I'd give her would probably be something like Foxpounce.

Amber: Amber is an easy one, because she's obviously a RiverClan cat. They're very conscientious of their appearance, and they're known for their grace and elegance. Her name is easy too, since the first half would obviously just remain "Amber". So the name I'd give her is Amberdapple since the cats with the suffix "dapple" always get described as the prettiest.

Alfie: He's obviously a WindClan cat. He's a little speedster, and idk it fits really well. The name I'd probably give him is Bounceclaw, because he'd be such a bouncy kitten, but then once he grew up and got the fierceness and bravery that Alfie gains by the end of the show, they'd give him a name that reflects that.

Jerome: He's also ShadowClan, because they have to be very adaptable to survive. He plays the long game on a lot of his schemes, so maybe a name like Spiderfur ("fur", because he is proud of his hair).

Mara: Also ShadowClan. I think the name Marshfeather fits her. Idk why, it just does. She'd also probably be a medicine cat, not a warrior, but I don't think she'd really believe in StarClan.

Joy: I'm caught between RiverClan and ShadowClan, but I think I'm going to go with RiverClan. Keeping with her actual name I think a nice warrior name for her would be Merrystream

Mick: Mick is a ThunderClan cat for sure. The name Lionclaw fits a strong character like Mick

Eddie: He’s a half-Clan cat for certain. Maybe between ThunderClan and ShadowClan? Maybe a name like Thistlefur would fit him (cuz his hair is so spikey when we first meet him).

KT: She gives me ThunderClan vibes, too. Her warrior name would either be super long, or super short, but I think it would definitely reflect her quiet ferocity: maybe something like Nettleswipe?

Willow: Willow is a WindClan cat, since they're known for being the most spiritual. Her name is also very easy since, like Amber, it fits in the world of the Clans. She would also definitely not be a warrior, she'd be a medicine cat. Willowflight would be a suitable name for her.

BONUS:

Victor: He would obviously be the leader of one of the Clans, probably ShadowClan. Ravenstar (originally Ravenfeather, before he got his nine lives and leader name) would be the obvious name for him.

Mr. Sweet: Easy, he'd be the leader of ThunderClan and his name would be Sweetstar (previously Sweetgoose)

Trudy: She'd be a permanent queen in the ThunderClan nursery and she'd be called Rosewing (because she takes cats under her wing).

Sarah: A former WindClan cat by the name of Softraven.

Rufus: The former ShadowClan deputy by the name of Darkflame.

Vera: A rogue who joins ShadowClan and takes the name Sunstrike.

Caroline: A former rogue, turned ShadowClan cat called Addermist.

Harriet: A WindClan warrior Sleepymoon.

Mrs. Andrews: A RiverClan warrior named Dapplewhisker.

Jason: A WindClan warrior named Sneezeheart.

Robert Frobisher-Smythe: Former WindClan leader named Stormstar (previous name, Stormrumble)

Louisa Frobisher-Smythe: Former WindClan deputy named Nimblefoot.

[darkfire359]

The Library of Alexandria (i.e. Fanfiction.net) seems to be burning RIGHT NOW. As in, pages that existed an hour ago have disappeared. As of right now, the main pages for Supernatural and Warriors have blanked out. The crossover pages for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, and A Song of Ice and Fire as well. The main crossover pages for books and TV stopped working for several hours (though they seem to be back for now). I’ve heard of random chapters missing from things too. Apparently alerts died last week.

I’d heard vague rumors about Fanfiction.net dying at some point, but I (like many people, I presume) procrastinated actually doing something about it. Unlike ao3, there isn’t a nice download button for anything except your own fics (and even then, things get downloaded as .html files).

Don’t procrastinate anymore. Save your own fics, save all your favorited fics, save every fic you can.

[glitterspeckle]

Everyone is cats suddenly

[kangoneko]

Squirrelflight's Choice

"I hope the mistakes I've made, I've made out of love."

Hello all! Today I'd like to discuss the character of Squirrelflight in the hope that I can help spread my interpretation of the character. I hope you'll continue to the end, and if my post changes your mind about her in any way, I would be so happy.

This will largely be focused around her choices surrounding the kits she chose to raise at Leafpool's request. Spoilers from Squirrelflight's Hope and other books that released prior will appear here.

In this post, I want to argue against the idea that Squirrelflight only took the kits because she thought she was barren, and argue that what she did was the best choice considering the circumstances. I believe this interpretation not only makes for a stronger, more cohesive narrative across all of these books, but also makes logical sense.

Let's start with the events surrounding Leafpool's pregnancy and the sisters' decision to raise the kits in ThunderClan under the lie that they were Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw's biological children.

This decision had many factors surrounding it. The first being that Leafpool couldn't go forth with her plan to raise kits outside the clans with Crowfeather after Cinderpelt died and leave ThunderClan without a medicine cat. On top of this, the novella Leafpool's Wish reveals that Leafpool was told by her warrior ancestors that she had to have her sister raise the kits in ThunderClan, leaving her with little other option but to lie that they weren't hers.

Many people criticize this decision from Leafpool, for multiple reasons. For one, she could've stepped down as a medicine cat and raised them herself. For another, she could've pretended that they were random kits she found instead of ones related to her and Firestar. And while I see what they mean, it just wouldn't work out.

The whole reason she decided to come back was to be the Clan's medicine cat, and there is no way she would be allowed to continue being a medicine cat after it's revealed she not only had kits, but that she had them with a warrior from a rival clan. That's two codes broken for the price of one. On top of this, StarClan told her to do it. Her kits are special, part of a prophecy about being Firestar's kin. It simply wouldn't work if she just pretended they were some random kits. Keep in mind that this lie was never intended to come to light, and since two of her kits were blessed with magic powers, her secret would've been discovered in no time. StarClan must have known this, hence why they told her to tell that lie specifically.

But we're not really talking about Leafpool, are we? We're talking about Squirrelflight. Squirrelflight herself has faced criticism for going along with this decision, chiefly surrounding her keeping it a secret from Brambleclaw. While people acknowledge that StarClan directly told her to lie to everyone that the kits were Brambleclaw's, some still think she should have told him. Especially since Brambleclaw, when the kits' parentage is revealed, says he would have gone along with her lie.

And to address that, we need to take a look at Squirrelflight's arc in the novella Leafpool's Wish.

Despite the fact that there is a perfectly serviceable Moonkittii video summarizing the book, many people misconstrue the events of it and say things happened that really didn't. The most egregious of these mistakes is thinking that Squirrelflight only took the kits after Yellowfang told her she was barren, as well as largely ignoring a lot of her agency in her decision to take them.

When Yellowfang lied to her and told her she was barren, Squirrelflight was very upset. But while she told her sister that she loved her and would do her best to help her as much as she could, she still steadfastly refused to take the kits and lie to Brambleclaw and the rest of ThunderClan in the process. She only changed her mind after the kits were born, when Feathertail visited the two sisters and urged Squirrelflight to reconsider. Squirrelflight, having then realized how much she had grown to care for the kits, agreed to take them so that they could live the best lives they possibly could in ThunderClan.

Squirrelflight not only struggled with the decision, but also refused to change her mind until they were already far away from the clan. This is understandable, considering how dishonorable and painful lying to ones kin and clanmates can be. Keep in mind that she was even doing this for her sister, the cat she was closest to, and yet she still had trouble going along with it.

Taking all of this into consideration, why would she have risked the chance that Brambleclaw rejects them? Better yet, why are we taking Brambleclaw at his word that he would have still accepted the kittens if he was told the truth? Keep in mind that after the lie is revealed, Leafpool steps down as a medicine cat out of shame. Brambleclaw's position as deputy is incredibly important to him, with his ambition for power being his main character motivation throughout The New Prophecy. Lying to ones clan is incredibly dishonorable, and after the truth came out, Brambleclaw would either step down out of shame or feel pressured to by his fellow warriors.

But let's not make him sound entirely self-centered, either. Lying is not always an easy choice. Making Brambleclaw keep the lie makes him complicit. There's kindness in not involving him, in making him an innocent party. Brambleclaw already has to put up with a lot for being the mirror image of his father, but for it to be found out that he played a part in such a serious lie? It could be proving everyone who doubts him in the clan right. Not only this, but the kits would feel betrayed by both of their parents if the truth ever came out. I can't imagine that any of these thoughts hadn't occured to Squirrelflight, a cat who already felt uncomfortable lying herself.

Ultimately, while I could neither feasibly blame Brambleclaw if he did reject the kits nor say for certain that he would, I don't see why it's so unbelievable to expect him not to, especially when Squirrelflight herself grappled with the decision. The sisters both needed 100% from him, nothing less. And Leafpool didn't get 100% from Squirrelflight until weeks after the initial proposal.

I believe Brambleclaw is only able to so confidently say he would keep Squirrelflight's lie because he has already come to love the kits as his own, similar to how Squirrelflight only agreed to take them after she came to love the kits as a mother. To take him at his word is an entirely unfair criticism of Squirrelflight's decision. Anyone can say they would have done something, but actually doing it is another matter entirely.

Anyway, acknowledging that Squirrelflight had agency in the plot of Leafpool's Wish also makes Squirrelflight's Hope make a bit more sense than it normally does. While StarClan taking zero responsibility for the lie about the kits' parentage is insulting, Squirrelflight still made a choice--her own choice--to go through with it. And I like this about her. I like that she tried to help her sister and give the kits the best life they could. They not only got to grow up knowing who their kin was, but they grew up with two loving parents as proud warriors of ThunderClan, all while not having to face the prejudice of being half-clan kits or kits of a medicine cat. The aftermath when everyone found out was undeniably terrible, but I love how you can see the decision had actual merits. That it was understandable. That it was human.

Squirrelflight to me is such a selfless character, it saddens me to see people scorn her when she was just trying to help her sister. It also sucks to see the narrative of the books treat her so poorly, and for Brambleclaw to ignore her attempts to mend things between them for so long, a decision he later regrets after he comes to understand why she did what she did. It sucks to see this treated as an "everyone was bad" issue when it's more like everyone was right, in some way, but that some handled the fallout worse than others. That there was more heartache than there needed to be, and that the sisters are not the source of the problem, but a result of the systemic problems that surround the clans and the Warrior Code as a whole.

Thank you for reading! This post was mostly born of a desire to scream into a voiceless, unfeeling void about how much I love Squirrelflight and how much I want other people to love her, too, but if You (hypothetical reader) got anything useful out of it, then I'd love to hear your feedback! Let me know if you want to hear me yell about any other warriors characters. Or don't, I might just do it anyway. ฅ^•ω•^ฅ Toodle-oo!

[egretwing]

yes lionheart is a wise senior warrior, only a season younger than bluestar. but. he's also encouraging an untrained kitten to fight when there are surely other options lol. v much a gryffindor and i love that for him. (he's also old enough at this point to presumably have the wisdom to know that rusty v long would turn out with minimal injuries, so there's also that)