squirrelflight and sparkkit (REAL)

I LOVE the trope where there's just a pitifully sad, tragic little healer.

transparent base so that YOU TOO can make your own pitifully sad, tragic little warrior cat.

(FORGOT TO MENTION that this is based on that sad spongebob meme-)

warrior cats fandom will be like “we want more complex and morally grey characters” like lads you cant even handle a woman a making a mistake in a situation outside of her control

^^^ and without fail said woman's struggles and personal feelings about the events are entirely absent to support the male character's arc. An absolute complete disinterest in them as characters.

Squirrelflight (or should I say Star?) has warmed her way into my heart after Moonkitti's Brambleclaw bashing video.

In order:

I labeled this image as "Actual footage of Squirrelflight destroying Hawkfrost" because at the time, I hc (and still do, really) that Hawk took more of his mom's genes as a chunky lynx point Siamese.

Literally canon Squirrelflight right there. That's how she got the name cause her tail puffed up so much while she was young.

Somali Squirrelfight~ Need I say more? The best version of her honestly.

Bonus pic:

Alderheart looks like an eternally adolescent maine coon. He takes after his mom even though he is basically baby brambleclaw (yes I am in denial).

I had fun drawing Squirrelflight, Leafpool & Bramblestar, so guess what I'm doing again lol

Graystripe & Ravenpaw techinically don't belong here, as they're not actually main series protagonists (b/c neither of them have any POV chapters in the main series), but I didn't want Firestar to be alone

The "Someone Who Has An SE/Novella/Manga, But Isn't A Main Series Protagonist" option, if it wins, will be either just a random one or I'll have another poll specifically for that.

Also I think I said this last time, but the Frostpaw, Sunbeam & Nightheart option is one that won't contain my ramblings and headcanons because I haven't read any of ASC yet (I only recently decided "Fuck it" and stopped trying to force myself to finish AVoS, so I'm just now starting TBC)

Speaking of that, the Rootspring, Bristlefrost & Shadowsight option will probably be less headcanon and more my first impressions of the characters.

I have nothing else to say and my brain is making static noises, so uh... yeah that's it. Have fun pressing buttons, I guess.

local man chooses his words poorly to (who he thinks is) his father and is seconds away from being attacked more at 11

Another batch of Warrior Cats art. You know how it is.

Friendly rivalry between alderpaw and needlepaw in an au where clans are friendly and collaborative with eachother.

I'm writing this preamble before writing the ficlet so I don't know how much of this is gonna reflect on it, but I do want it to be known that my immediate thought seeing this prompt was not to focus on the Needlepaw and Alderpaw of it all but rather on the aspect of the Clans being friendlier and more collaborative.

See, half because a while back my friend group got really into thinking about shipping dynamics based on Ursula K. Le-Guin short stories and half because that's what I was reading about for my class on anthropological theory I have thought about the idea of Clans as a type of moiety that evolved out of a gradual cooling of the political tensions at the creation of the Clans.

I usually group the four forest clans into two sets of two based on the alliances towards the end of TPB, LionClan with WindClan and ThunderClan and TigerClan with ShadowClan and RiverClan. I'll have to brainstorm a name for what the two larger Clans with ShadowClan and ThunderClan on one side and WindClan and RiverClan on the other as their halves would be.

(Want to see me overcomplicate your AU premise? Check my guidelines and give me your prompt! You may just be the one chosen next.)

“Alderpaw, come on!” Molewhisker stopped to encourage his panting apprentice. His trudging step and panting tongue betrayed right away how over-exerted he was from the exercise. Or it would if he didn’t look positively ragged, with fur sticking out everywhere and leaves and even bits of grass caught up all across his pelt.

His siter had convinced her own mentor and Molewhisker to make the trek to ShadowClan camp into a training exercise, though perhaps that’s too strong a word for how easily Cherryfall jumped on the idea. Alderpaw would be lying if he were to say he didn’t resent that about his sister just a little bit for how she had made a trip he was already dreading all the worse.

He understood, of course, the need to do so. It was as vital for a warrior of any Clan to get to know their sister Clan as it was to get to know their own territory and their own prey. But nothing he’d heard about their siblings from the other forest had been the least bit encouraging.

After every single gathering the senior warriors would return complaining about Consul Rowanclaw’s inability to keep the peace among his crowd, especially after the kits from their unusually fecund year had begun into apprenticeship. Most of ThunderClan held no particular love of his father but considering the alternative they dreaded the coming year when Consul Bramblestar would have to step back as Brambleclaw, letting Rowanstar enact his year of primary leadership.

When Alderpaw finally came to rest, almost collapsing without a care for the fact the floor was strewn with endless pine needes instead of the more familiar leaf litter, his peace was short-lived for he was soon faced with an unfamiliar silver-gray she-cat making faces at him. “This is a ThunderClan cat?” she said with an eyeroll as she turned around and slapped him across the face with her tail. “And I thought this was going to be a challenge.”

“The real challenge is going to be having to live with them,” another one jeered.

“They’re even worse at the gathering,” a third one of the apprentices piped up. “All goody two-paws trying oh so hard to impress their mentors. It’s sickening really.”

As they each took turns hurling insult after insult, Alderpaw could hear his sister swishing her tail across the pine needle cover. He knew that kind of look on her face, eager to jump to her own defense, and by extension that of her kin and Clan. But she also looked to her mentor who had not yet done anything about the insolent apprentices in spite of the authority conferred by her rank even over the youth of another Clan.

With a subtle eye signal from his sister and a tap of her foot, Molewhisker sprung into action, bringing the apprentice currently taking his turn at a jab under his grasp.

“Are we done with this distraction now?” The other apprentices tensed seeing the warrior currently grasping their friend but as Cherryfall flashed her claws they backed down.

Molewhisker released his grasp on the apprentice and soon enough Cherryfall was instructing everyone on the training exercise they would be performing together. “Don’t you think just because you have them to intimidate them that I’m going to go easy on you,” the silver-gray molly said to Alderpaw.

Just his luck that he had been paired with her of all possible cats...

You grieve the light of the fire that shows half of my face while you are wholely illuminated by the stars above. Truly, do you not see your words are fading? Do you not see through the tears that blind you?

Not to say I love the headcannon that both Squirrelflight and Alderheart are transfem mother and daughter but....

I love the headcannon that both Squirrelflight and Alderheart are transfem mother and daughter

Okay okay okay. So like… we have an art project in art class(wow) where we do a bunch of drawings and for one I decided “hmm what if Fire family twin sisters?? Because there are PARALLELS TO BE MADE” as in Squirrel and Leaf and Ivy and Dove. And then I thought “Actually all the fire family sibling duos where they were essentially raised as twins wether or not they had other siblings that died almost immediately or were still born actually are really interesting constructed to eachother” because like!! They all are set up perfectly to be so similar to eachother but there’s always something there in how they treat eachother.

Like Squirrelflight and Leafpool are there for eachother no matter what, Squirrelflight would do anything to try and make her sister happy and Leafpool would literally die to save Squirrelflight and reality checks her all the time. And they are put through so much shit together and come out closer at the end only to be dragged apart again(funnily enough all 3 times this happens is due to StarClan. The journey, the ‘follow your heart’ thing, and death). And they’re super close to a point that for a little they had a psychic link. And with the whole three thing, they have eachother’s backs no matter what and will face against everyone they ever know together. And they’re always talking to eachother whenever they can. It’s explicitly stated to be WEIRD when Leafpool is avoidant towards Squirrelflight when she’s seeing Crowfeather. Even if everyone else hates them, they have eachother and that’s enough. But they do have friends other than eachother.

Ivypool and Dovewing start out super close just like Leaf and Squirrel, but in comes StarClan again. Dovewing is cast as one of the three and pretty much immediately after they’re apprenticed she’s dragged away to the beaver dam. Sure Ivypool gets a bit jealous there, but they can still talk. But Dovewing keeps getting dragged away and gets extra attention and importance and the moment Ivypool gets a chance to feel as important and takes it. And slowly they end up talking less and less, despite Dovewing trying to reach out. But Ivypool at this point she’s full of it and doesn’t pay her any mind. And eventually it gets to a point where despite Dovewings efforts even after the great battle, they do end up being friendly to eachother though. They end up on alright terms but are more like old friends from school. Dovewing notably has a good support system in ShadowClan and Ivypool has one in ThunderClan, but before the great battle Ivypool just had the dark forest that she wasn’t actively turning away and DoveWing had their mom and the ones putting pressure on her and Tigerheart. They probably could have ended up on much much much better terms if Ivypool had a better support system than the dark forest since then she’d have people to talk to.

Sparkpelt and Alderheart again start close, and with how great at warrior stuff Sparkpelt is Alderheart is in a perfect position to get jealous. And he does! Especially once he’s forced to be a medicine cat. But they still do talk, and Sparkpelt helps keep his spirits high. And while due to Alderheart’s quest they’re separated they’re still close. And they’re there for eachother if needed, and can also lean on others if needed. Sparkpelt treats Laderheart with nothing but joy and care, and so he returns that- all be it in a much quieter way.

And then… there’s Finchflight and Nightheart. Finchflight has the same(if not much more) pressure put on her than Nightheart does him, but still tries to treat him kindly. Nightheart has nothing but vitriol to spew towards her. But Finchflight keeps trying to talk to him, then he leaves to find catmint and comes back angrier. Finchflight does make a bigger deal out of the naming ceremony that needs be and keeps pushing at him to take the name Flameheart instead, which is a bad thing, but this is the only negative thing she’s ever done to him. And he HATES her and then just leaves and pretty much goes “no fuck you. You want me to do CHORES” when she asks him to come back to ThunderClan since he left without even saying goodbye. Finchflight should have some level of anger but she doesn’t. She still cares about him and WANTS to be close siblings but he absolutely despises her, not for the one thing she’s done but for everything else. And he blames everyone around him for him being a fucking idiot, but is treated with nothing but compassion by his sister.

Like in alternating order they’re duplicates in how they treat eachother but on the religion it’s far more strained. So compressing it all down you get:

Squirrelflight & Leafpool: They have eachother’s backs, care for eachother, will die for eachother, and reality check eachother if needed

Dovewing & Ivypool: Strained, but friendly. They respect eachother and care about eachother but more so as friends than sisters. Seperated but they talk plenty.

Sparkpelt & Alderheart: They care about eachother and cheer eachother up, they’re super close and got past any amount of jealousy there. They’ll step on eachother’s tails time to time, but it’s all fun and games.

Finchflight & Nightheart: They barely even talk, Finchflight wants to be close siblings and cares and Nightheart despises her pretty much just for existing. Nightheart is just gone, and still spews vitriol.

And that, is why on the art project I have Leafpool and Squirrelflight, Dovewing and Ivypool, Sparkpelt and Alderheart, and Finchflight. Because everyone despite everything still talks and has that connection, besides the newest duo. Only Finchflight still wants to be siblings, only Finchflight is there.

i wish i could actually sit through avos long enough to finish it but knowing that it falls off so hard halfway through does not. help.

Alderpaw: Ugh my sister gets all the attention around here, while I never get appreciated! Despite everyone seeing me as important because I’m a medic and I went on a quest and I followed a prophecy and I’m just SO cool that i can actually point this out a few times. Oh and also my father, the leader, respects and listens to every word I say in this book. I’m just so far down on my luck!

you said alderheart works more as a supporting character and you know what? THAT’S what I’ve been trying to figure out was so boring about the books since this new trend of male characters. they’re not nearly compelling enough to be mcs. they’re supporting characters that the plot revolves around simply bc they’re men and the much more interesting female characters are interesting on ACCIDENT and sidelined or altogether forgotten because they are women. I’m just trying to understand how it keeps happening. how many years of this has it been? I can’t remember when avos came out. it’s gotta be like 8 right? damn near 10 years of this shit 😭

AVOS came out in 2016 so that's around 8-7 years (which. got damn). Like idk Alderheart is...fine, I guess. I'm sure if I reread AVOS I might get some enjoyment out of him, but as a protagonist, he just isn't what the story needs. A key part of AVOS is the growing instability of ShadowClan, something that should arguably be established in the first book...which since we're locked into Alderheart's POV, we don't really get a good enough glimpse. He's got no real particularly interesting insights on the situation from afar, and a majority of the apprentice's quest is essentially him being ushered into the plot by other characters (becoming a medic, going on the journey, and so on). I get people like his more anxious/timid nature, it's fine, but is is just....not the character I would have picked to be the POV. I honestly think he'd be better as a cute little guy on the side trembling and being silly.

Even thematically wise, the plot they have for him is just sort of...meh? I'd argue a key theme of AVOS is family (dare i say. kin), and Alderheart's parental troubles never really go anywhere because the writing team doesn't really want to make Bramblestar looking bad despite him agreeing to separate two orphan babies (and he doesn't even break out into song and starting calling alderheart an entitled piece of shit just a pot smoking good or nothing-). The most we get is the rift between Alderheart and Sparkpelt growing + some Twigbranch issues, but even then the former has a lot of issues in the writing that have only been exacerbated and the writing team has dropped any sort of familial bond Twig has with Alder. As much as I'd like a Spark POV, Alderheart more so makes me wish we'd gotten a ShadowClan POV instead! seriously we need to break the thunderclan pov curse especially after the recent asc book there should not be two povs on the same damn plotline-

Note: not Needletail, i think she's at her best when we don't know what she's thinking. she's a good supporting character

I don't think there's anything particularly new about the disinterest in the women with warriors, but it is feeling exacerbated with the new team's reluctance to try and carry over plotlines to keep arcs more self-contained (at least to me).

RIP me I guess for reading the Vision of Shadows and believing Alderheart should be a medicine cat actually. He’s my all time favorite and looking him up had led to me to see a lot of the same opinions of him being a warrior. Like most of the fandom agrees with that notion. But I never did. I never once wanted that.

And it’s not because I don’t want him to be happy. I think he fits well into the medicine cat role and actually likes it. He didn’t dwell on it as much as Jayfeather, that’s for sure. I’m not sure, based on his morals, that he would even like to be a warrior. He’s far too compassionate to want to fight over a stupid border dispute, and he even rants about how leaders only care about territories.

I know people didn’t like that he became a medicine cat because he’s anxious and fails at his warrior apprenticeship. But I don’t feel like I have to remind you that he didn’t become a medicine cat because he was bad, he did because of his connection to StarClan. And I get the whole “Firestar was connected to StarClan” And there’s an obvious difference between Spottedleaf talking to Firestar and a random kit joining in with the shared moonpool prophecy. I know people don’t like to accept this because of Mothwing and our own hate towards their religion, but it’s widely accepted that being that close to StarClan is half of the job. I’m not trying to discredit Mothwing, but I am trying to point out how the cult tends to work.

I want a warrior with a strong connection to StarClan as well, but sharing dreams with medicine cats that are at the moonpool is not one of those cats!

And his anxiety and slow learning never fully stopped when he switched. He still messed up with herbs. And I don’t think it’s fair to say the medicine cat job is some thing that’s bad, and shouldn’t be an option if a cat wants to be happy.

Not to mention Alderheart genuinely believed that the only reason he was sent to the medicine den is exactly what the fandom says. But in the same book, the first VoS book, he learns it was because he would make a good medicine cat, and his opinion changes. He isn’t longing for the life he wished he has like Jayfeather did when he was an apprentice. The closest thing we got to that was when he was devastated Sandstorm died and got jealous of Sparkpelt when she became a warrior. 

Based on my opinion, as a very emotional and anxious person, someone who related deeply to Alderheart in opinions and actions, I think he should be a medicine cat. I don’t think we should treat being a warrior as the height of clan society. And I think, and I cannot stress this enough, that changing your life goals to fit yourself is not a bad thing! 

I think at the end of the day, fuck Bramblestar for not taking Alderheart seriously and well as never doing anything and making his son feel he isn’t good enough. I do think Alderheart could’ve made it as a warrior but I don’t think it would’ve worked well with his character.

have you read the latest warrior cats arc?? :)

I haven't touched a warrior cats book for real since.. the middle of oots lol. so sorry