troutfur

[troutfur]

Tigerstar: Remember, kin is a stronger bond than Clan. Even if it means breaking the Warrior Code.

Brambleclaw & Hawkfrost: *start making out*

Tigerstar: That's... not what I meant.

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a sequel to the tigerstar pencil case - HAWKFROST PENCIL SHARPENER!!

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Woke up this morning with a single-minded urge to write up a BrambleHawk scene, based around the idea of "how could Bramble and Hawk dating save Hawkfrost" and 1300 words later I have something. Not sure my Hawkfrost is the best but he is at least supposed to be a bit softer than in canon by this point. Also took some creative liberties with the TNP timeline.

Story below the cut. Please consider if you are okay with the themes therein before reading. Feedback is very welcome as I don't write longer format stuff very often.

Content warnings for: BrambleHawk, (mentions of) BrambleFire, half-brother cats kissing, and heavily suggestive text of them doing more than that, but nothing explicit.

Brambleclaw felt the first signs of a contented purr rumble through Hawkfrost's body as he slowly groomed the fur between the smaller tom's ears. He was curled tightly around his brother in a makeshift nest of moss and bracken they had thrown together on the Gathering island, where the lack of a full moon overhead gave them their best bet at privacy for meetings like this. Getting caught in an illicit cross-clan tryst would be bad enough for any cat, but the accusations flung Hawkfrost's way ever since the battle for WindClan's succession made Brambleclaw especially wary of his clanmates doubling down on their notion that any other kin of Tigerstar could not be trusted, were they to find out about these secret meetings.

It's not fair, Brambleclaw thought, that we should have to work harder than any other cat to prove where our loyalties lie. He couldn't accept that any cat should be defined by their lineage, or that the desire to share intimate moments with a cat you connected with made you any less loyal to the clan you swore to protect. Besides, if he could find the right path forward, their bond would only make ThunderClan more secure in the end.

"Are you okay?" Brambleclaw asked once he'd smoothed out a particularly disagreeable bit of fur. Hawkfrost was usually more talkative at this point in their meetings.

Hawkfrost craned his neck so that Brambleclaw could make out a wry smile in his profile. "After that? I think you know I'm more than 'okay'."

Brambleclaw felt his whiskers begin to twitch awkwardly at the directness in Hawkfrost's tone and the nuzzle under his chin that followed. "I… uh, I didn't mean that, I meant… more broadly, you know…"

"I know what you meant." Hawkfrost's mew turned serious, and the rumbling of his earlier purr faded. "I'm fine."

Brambleclaw sighed. He didn't want to sully the moment with uncomfortable talk, especially since it was harder for them to find time like this now that ThunderClan and RiverClan didn't have a common border in their new home, but he needed to do right by Hawkfrost; he loved him. "I'm just worried about you. After what Mudclaw said-"

"I told you that was a lie," Hawkfrost interrupted sharply.

"I know, I know." Brambleclaw wanted to believe it. "But I know the kinds of things Tigerstar has been telling you. I don't think they're good for you… for us."

"Tigerstar just wants us to be strong leaders for our clans," Hawkfrost mewed. "Do we have to talk about this now?" He turned and licked at Brambleclaw's muzzle. "I'd rather focus on enjoying 'us'."

The lick sent a shiver down Brambleclaw's spine, as it so often did. For the moment he acquiesced and met his muzzle with his own, playing his tongue against Hawkfrost's as purrs built back up in both of them. They kept at this for heartbeats upon heartbeats – Brambleclaw didn't count and didn't care to – until Hawkfrost finally let his head droop away and they simply lay in a tightly-coiled ball, sharing what felt like a singular loud purr.

Hawkfrost seemed content, and Brambleclaw was, too, in a way, but his concern over losing this was too real. He couldn't just let it go for the bliss of the moment, however much he wanted to. Maybe it was finally time to bring up the idea he'd been turning over and over in his head the past moon. "What if… you came to live with me in ThunderClan?"

"What?" Hawkfrost didn't even try to mask the disgust in his mew. "How are we going to be strong leaders together if-"

"I'm not going to be leader of ThunderClan for a long time, if ever," Brambleclaw mewed firmly, for once being the one to do the interrupting.

"You never know what might happen…" The words were quiet, as if Hawkfrost hadn't been fully committed to Brambleclaw hearing them, but he had.

He knew he had to be firm. "Hawkfrost, you know how much I value this, but if I have to choose between you – between us – and ThunderClan, it has to be ThunderClan."

Hawkfrost sighed. "You're too earnest, you know that?"

"Will you at least think about it?" Brambleclaw urged. He let the tone in his mew soften. "We could share a nest like this all the time. Don't you want that?"

"I…" The mew had come sharply but for once Hawkfrost seemed like he was at a loss for words. "I don't know how much your clanmates would like that," he said after a while. Brambleclaw thought he sounded more sullen than truly bitter.

"They'll come around," Brambleclaw mewed reassuringly, running his tongue down the fur along his brother's neck in long, slow sweeps. "Especially once they see you like I do." He wanted to believe that was true, but he could understand the concern. Squirrelflight had been the loudest anti-Hawkfrost voice in the clan, but now that she seemed to be content Ashfur he hoped that she could take a more open mind toward him and their relationship, and the rest of the clan should follow suit with time.

"You think Firestar would even let me in, after that battle?" Hawkfrost challenged. "It's no secret that him and Onewhisker – Onestar – have been more than just friends."

His brother seemed determined to find a problem with this plan, but this was where Brambleclaw was pretty sure he'd catch him. "You daft furball," he mewed playfully. "Firestar knows about this. About… us, I mean."

Hawkfrost's head turned so fast it reminded Brambleclaw of an owl. "H- he does?" There was no hiding it: that was genuine surprise in his mew. "And he still made you deputy?"

"He did. And, uh…" Brambleclaw felt his cheeks start to grow a little hot as he thought about how to phrase this next point, "you know Firestar and I have... been a bit closer than just leader and deputy anyway, right?"

Hawkfrost snorted. "Yeah, you've mentioned, remember? Because you 'don't want to hide anything' from me. Like I said: too earnest." His mew certainly had a mocking tone to it, but Brambleclaw thought he could pick up affection mixed in there. "And Tigerstar complains about it, even if you hadn't said anything," he added with a laugh.

"Well, then, it won't be a problem," Brambleclaw said, choosing not to think about the implications of Tigerstar knowing about his and Firestar's relationship, for now.

"I wouldn't be interfering?" Hawkfrost asked warily, his tail twitching against Brambleclaw's leg.

"I think you and Firestar would get along," Brambleclaw pressed. "I think you would get along very well, if you give him a chance." He started to smooth out the fur that had spiked back up on Hawkfrost's back, remembering fondly how Firestar would in fact do the same for him, when he was still quick to agitation. When Hawkfrost didn't respond, Brambleclaw mustered up his confidence and whispered into his ear, "He taught me a few things I know you like." He wasn't certain, but he thought he caught a purr forming in his brother's body before Hawkfrost pushed it down.

"I don't know," Hawkfrost said finally, seeming uncharacteristically shaken. "This… isn't how I expected tonight to go."

"You don't have to give me an answer right now," Brambleclaw mewed between licks. "I want to share everything with you. My nest, the cats I love, everything. So please, will you at least think about it?" He focused on grooming down Hawkfrost's fur after that, giving his brother the time and space to consider an answer. Eventually, he felt the purr return, and this time it wasn't squashed.

They were running out of nighttime, but just as Brambleclaw began to worry that Hawkfrost wouldn't speak again before it was time to leave his brother mewed, "I'll think about it."

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Ars Magica 4th Edition: The Cats of the New Forest (Interest Check)

Do you like wizards? Do you like tabletop roleplaying games? Do you like historical settings with a generous serving on fantastical elements on the side? Do you like Warrior Cats?

Well, my friend, you're just in luck! I am currently looking for interested players wanting to try out the Ars Magica 4th Edition system for a crossover campaign. (Core rulebook is free on the link below, you just gotta sign up for an email newsletter.) For the unfamiliar, Ars Magica is a tabletop roleplaying game about wizards in historical 13th century Europe. You take on the role of a member of the secretive Order of Hermes and use your magical resources to research magical phenomena, invent new spells, go on adventures, and gain more magical power.

Ars Magica also supports a style of play called "troupe style play", essentially in addition to your wizard every player also creates a companion character, a non wizard that for their own reasons associates with them, and a few grogs, common folk working under the wizards and doing their dirty work. This allows for players to take turns being the main character of a stort, as those who are not playing their powerful wizards can take the role of a companion or grog.

This campaign would follow a newly formed covenant led by two Bjornaer magi, Midnight and Sol, on the outskirts of the New Forest in Hampshire, England. The area has a strong magical aura and abundant sources of raw vis, magical energy given substance. Four colonies of feral cats live in these woods and it seems they have been infused with magical might. The Bjornaer magi are currently researching the causes of this phenomenon, and at the same time have to contend with royal officials who pester them (as the New Forest is a royal hunting ground), mundane people trying to settle close and thus threatening to spread the Dominion Aura with their churches, and rival covenants within the Order of Hermes who are jealous of their abundant magical resources.

The two Bjornaer magi seek the help of newly gauntleted wizards within the Order to aid them in their research and to defend the unspoiled magical ecosystem. In exchange they offer access to an enviable magical aura and rights to harvest from the vis sources.

If you couldn't tell by this pitch, this is absolutely a Warrior Cats crossover and the feral cat colonies are the Clans. Depending on the interest of the group we could end up having many sessions of our characters shape shifting into cats and tangling with Clan drama. But my intention is to also have our characters interact with mundane and wizardly politics regularly.

If you are interested, reach out to me via ask or DM. A Discord username is not necessary, but highly appreciated nonetheless. Once we have enough players showing interest we can begin hashing out logistics.

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Oh that's actually really cool!

Mix between conservation effort and magic wizard intrigue is so fun!

Between actually magical duels, doing studies to figure out information on the cats, facing the political realities of trying to keep the forest as safe as you can manage in the face of force you can't just fight, leading to politicking and lobbying, and... Idk, 12th century zoning battles about town construction.

That's such a unique concept

Thank you! ♥️

At its core Ars Magica is a game about wizards as scholars. The game has so many systems that allow for your characters to research magic, invent spells, and even write books about their findings. And Bjornaer magi, my favorite of the 12 houses in the Order of Hermes, with their theming of wild magic and stewardship of nature just seemed very suited to a campaign centering this fantastic environmentalism and ecological science.

The WC crossover aspect is a connection point which I made in a flash of inspiration and which when I first shared I thought would entice my audience on this blog. I have just been itching to play Ars Magica for forever but haven't found a group wanting to do it with me. If anyone is interested, PLEASE send an ask or DM. I can share all my Ars Magica 4E resources and we can try to see if we can organize something, even if just as a Play By Post campaign.

I can even share with y'all the custom covenant document I designed for this:

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Oooh, are the Clans like... Magic Cats? Or humans or...

I love the Midnight and Sol idea just because I imagine the two of them trying to make like a David Attenborough documentary. Doing their best voiceover (for the camera??) as they just study the Clans in whatever form they take.

They are cats imbued with magical might, yes!

Within the setting of Ars Magica (which is basically real world medieval Europe but magic is real) there are zones of the world imbued with properties of different sources of supernatural power that empower the creatures within. The most common is The Dominion, an aura of divine power associated with monotheistic religions. Churches extend a Dominion aura for as far as their church bells can be heard, mosques for as far as their call to prayer can be heard, and so on.

Magical, demonic, and faerie auras are much rarer by comparison. The custom covenant I designed is meant to be the precursor of the Windover farm from canon, the barn where Ravenpaw and Barley live, and the forest has a level 6 magic aura and abundant sources of vis, a kind of raw magical energy that enhances the spellcasting power of wizards.

Sol and Midnight are magi of House Bjornaer which gives them access to a heart beast form, an animal form that represents the essence of their soul. They can transform at will, unlike with other transmutation spells, and spells that reveal their true form always show whatever form they currently are in as their true form.

The campaign concept would allow both for sessions in which the characters transform into cats to study them up close as well as deal with the other challenges typical of a covenant of wizards in Mythical Europe. Tangling with the nobility as the New Forest is the personal hunting grounds of the Kings of England, trying to halt or prevent the construction of new towns too close to the forest as their Dominion auras could destroy the natural magical aura, dealing with the politics of the Order of Hermes (the secret organization the wizards of Europe all belong to) as their magical aura and vis sources attract jealousy.

The WC crossover aspect is prominent, but hardly the only thing an Ars Magica campaign could do!

(Btw, I love that mental image of the nature documentarians Midnight and Sol. Gonna live rent free in my head.)

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hmm...

what's your favourite local dish?

bonus question: rate the public transport in guatemala.

bonus bonus question: which style of chinese calligraphy is your favourite?

(yes three questions but i have too many questions sorry)

Hmmm...

My absolute favorite's gotta be fiambre! It's this salad thing that includes just about every imaginable type of sausage, cheese, and ham. It's traditional to eat on All Saints' Day. It's part of why it's my favorite holiday.

I rate it "at least it's improving"/10. There need to be a lot more of bus lines and it would be GREAT if the plans to revive old railroad lines that have sat unused for decades or adding a cableway system to the city amounted to anything. But as it is I can't complain too much. I still can complain though.

Seal script calligraphy really speaks to me.

You definitely get a sense of archaism from it, but it's not quite oracle bone script. Very much feels like a midpoint between them and the more standard Chinese calligraphy.

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so what I'm getting is thar nightstar is the Joe Biden of shadowclan

Nightstar: "I wouldn't have picked vice deputy Brokenstar to be vice deputy if I didn't think she wasn't absolutely capable of it."

Tangleburr: "bro dym cinderfur 💀"

Runningnose: "Cinderfur is dead, he means Tigerclaw."

Deerfoot: *constructing an elaborate fantasy in his head involving a car driving off the road and right through the camp and hitting nightstar and runningnose and tigerclaw exactly 9 times*

[troutfur]

I was thinking about your tags, and while I understand the caution, it feels like it would still be a stretch to baseline equate common traits among the clans with eugenics. I know that humans can rly quickly go from everyone has biological differences = there are innate qualities that are "good" and "bad", and there's a quality of fascism in that, but when the clans are fairly isolationist, it seems like it'd be natural for there to be trends among its members.

this is also just me prompting for your thoughts on biology and politics surrounding that, since i appreciate your thoughts on fascism in warriors overall.

I think you're missing a piece in your takeaway that I'm more conscious of-- it's not that I'm wary of population genetics and natural trends; it's that the Clans have an obsession with "blood purity" paired with that.

When you introduce "subspecies" Clans to that, cats who are truly biologically suited to a particular environment, you are inevitably narratively connecting the rhetoric to this worldbuilding fact. Unless you're going to massively overhaul the theme and setting of Warrior Cats, to me it's like looking at xenophobic characters that say "mingling with out-groups is bad" and announcing, "I AM GOING TO GIVE THEM PHRENOLOGY BUT REAL."

Even canon is wise enough to not do this-- Graystripe shows in TPB that it's the oily diet that makes RiverClan's fur so water-resistant. WindClan's lanky legs never get more extreme than a general population trend; enough Clans have skinny warriors that you wouldn't "clock" mixed cats like Jayfeather and his siblings.

But in making those Clan differences MEGA extreme, suddenly, you have taken the irrational social bigotry and turned it into a potentially legitimate practical concern about adeptness in an environment. Not just against an individual, but against that individual's population.

As an example of what I mean, imagine if RiverClan had special, extreme adaptations to living in water. Let's say they're webbed-foot cats who can close their orifices like seals and their coat is twice as thick to keep the water out.

Outcrossing to another Clan means hybrid kittens display the opposite of hybrid vigor-- hybrid depression.

Without webbed feet, other cats are always slower swimmers than their counterparts

Hybrids have thinner fur, making them lose heat in cold water much faster, requiring them to eat more to stay healthy or get sick more often.

They may not have the same muscles to close their orifices, meaning they're more likely to damage their senses by swimming in dirty water.

You can reduce disadvantages with accessibility technology in a more advanced setting like BB, but... they are still born significantly disadvantaged, compared to a ""pure blood"" RiverClan cat.

Doing this also says something you might not have realized you've said at all; Your population is proof of evolutionary pressure. Highly specialized genetics like this (not just trends but HIGHLY specialized) implies there's been something preventing the genetics of other Clans from intermixing with RiverClan.

Which has two implications;

The hypothetical RiverClan cats achieved a positive goal by self-inflicting a selective breeding program onto themselves. (...eugenics. that's eugenics.)

The hypothetical RiverClan environment is so harsh and demanding that it will naturally, swiftly eliminate unfit phenotypes. (The river totally cancels out any secret outcrossing)

(as a side note, ppl tend to misunderstand evolution. Darwin wasn't totally right with "survival of the fittest," I prefer Bill Nye's description of "survival of the good enough." But that's a topic for another time)

Either way, I find those implications DEEPLY unfitting for BB. This is a project which has major themes of exploring bigotry, showcasing its irrationality and digging into how it's perpetuated and exploited in spite of that.

I think BB's themes have a better clarity of purpose if the physical differences between Clans are kept subtle. Never more extreme than what you'd see between ethnic groups-- with frequent reminders about how culture, environment, and politics shape behaviors more than genetics do.

Don't misunderstand me-- I'm not saying that every setting with physical differences between races/sapient species is doomed to this. I actually have good things to say about certain artworks that lean into it (Steven Universe, Beastars, Oren's Forge). I'm saying this specifically about WC and my work within that context.

If you're curious though, I actually have a loose set of "rules" in my head to try and keep my Clans' population differences within my own critiques! I've given a lot more thought to this than I've shared.

There are no "unique" Clan mutations, any trait could appear within any hypothetical kitten.

It's a matter of prevalence. ThunderClan is like 80% Sweetness Tolerant and the other clans are between like 15% - 60%. It's not a sign your mate cheated on you if your kitten likes honey.

But it is something that an accusation can be based on, if your mate is insecure or the Clan's politics are going sour. A "pedigree" RiverClan cat could still have a mane, and it can get used against them.

Some traits do help or hinder ability slightly (ex; thick tails making RiverClan cats better at steering in water), but typically not significantly. I Just Keep It Reasonable.

Most importantly, I just make an effort to have most traits be based on social behavior. Reflect enough and eventually you sorta train your brain to think differently. As a bonus, it helps with cultural worldbuilding.

Related: If you found this insightful, I also dove into fascism and TigerClan in a way that's relevant to this.

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BTW, if anyone's interested in that WC crossover which I posted about here once, with Sol and Midnight as shape shifting wizards researching the magical phenomena of the Clans, I am willing to try and run a saga based on that. Provided there's interest and I can fit it on my schedule. 4th edition also happens to be the one with a setting book for England, so whether we stay mostly in the custom covenant I made or we tangle with the magical politics of the Stonehenge Tribunal more broadly, that can be done.

I recently-ish joined an online TTRPG group that is going to be running a game of FATE come the new year and I have also been seeing lots of TTRPG talk on my dash and it's left me wanting to finally try to run that game of Ars Magica 4th Edition I've been wanting to do for ageeeeees.

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leopardstar 🤝tallstar

having a "best friend" in their super editions that they were definitely in love with, but it couldn't be directly stated in the books because of real world homophobia, and also seeing said "best friend's" kit as their own kit

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blackstar / blackfoot

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That fic idea that won't leave me alone.

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for the spotify wrapped thing can you do crowfeather with numberrrrrrr 11 maybe :3 love your art btw!!!!!!!

Philadelphia, don't you haunt me

And every time you tried to wash me away Oh, it felt like stolen keys and arms

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Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost kiss, don't deny it

I'd never deny that. Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost make out sloppy style.

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Inbox me (1) thing you want to know about me.

DO IT PLS

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Tigerstar