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@cathumanwarriors
I was going to make a whole list on cars/transport the characters would drive, but I don't know a lot about cars and the subject does not interest me. However, I do know one thing.
Hollyleaf drives a motorcycle. She lived for a time with someone who did motorcycle repair, and learned about proper motorcycle maintenance. She uses one because its faster, cheaper, and easier to make an escape than a car itself. No, it is not a Harley Davidson.
Human Names of Main Characters: Master Document
Not gonna lie, I'm nervous to post this. With names, there are different customs and traditions depending on the names you're using. It requires diligent research to be respectful of the various different cultures and their naming practices. And if you're trying to make a universe similar to our own, with the same cultures present, you need to take that extra time to figure out logistics. Names change, trends change, societies change. And while it has been very fun and engaging to research these historical shifts, it also means these projects take a long time to produce.
The entire document is too massive to transcribe to tumblr, so I'll be giving a link to the google docs.
To summarize, it is the full list of the names of main arc characters, super edition main characters, novella main characters, and graphic novel main characters. It details their names, the name meanings, my thoughts behind why I picked those names, and various worldbuilding sprinkled throughout the descriptions. I have also included a page with all the websites I have used to give them credit.
Well, without further ado.
═════⊱≼★≽⊰════════⊱≼★≽⊰════════⊱≼★≽⊰════════⊱≼★≽⊰═════ ▲ Firestar (Fireheart) ☆ Name: Phoenix Collin Hayes | Russell Hayes Phoenix is from
List of Main Character Names
The autism within me was craving for a list to be made, so I've compiled a list of the main pov characters' names. And these don't even cover the entire cast... ;-;
This is a precursor to an entire document where I dive into depth about the names I picked, their meanings, and how they relate to the characters in question.
WindClan Naming Customs Update and Other Updates
The naming series for each Clan is still going! But I'm having to constantly research and review and that can be time consuming. I am tackling a heavy topic that has real-world history and I need to be sure I'm treating that topic with the respect and dignity it deserves.
In the meantime, I've been doing formatting shenanigans. I'm extremely close to finishing an index of the POV characters in the series as well as their additional info. I'm collecting information like an eldritch abomination that feeds on knowledge (om nom nom). It includes a glossary of definitions that changes in this AU and very nice aesthetically pleasing organization. My OCD-Autism is very pleased with the formatting.
Another project that is steadily trucking along is figuring out StormClan's Folly connections. Does it matter if Thornwhisker is the great grandfather of Sweetbriar? Probably not. But it does to Sweetbriar, and a religious group built around ancestral honoring and worship are probably detailed about family trees.
"I know who my great great great twice removed granduncle is :)" Hazelpelt says proudly
"O-okay?" says the cashier at Walmart waiting for their shift to end.
(Opinions vary on the Clans and their practices.)
This turned out to be a rambling post. But Stuff is being worked on.
Clan Society and Diet
With the Clans being religious entities, it stands to show that some may have restricted diets. However, this is really just an in-universe correlation to each Clan in the books having different prey they hunt.
ThunderClan: Most don't have restrictive diets, but some do follow strict diets on Clan "holidays". For example, on the Summer Solstice they may celebrate by fasting until midnight, as this is when Thunderstar defeats Shadowstar in battle and brings the warmth of summer.
ShadowClan: Their diet is often intermingled in the cultures that make up ShadowClan. For example, ShadowClan has the highest Jewish population due to a high Eastern European percentage. So they're more likely to be aware of and accommodate someone with a kosher diet.
There's also a general culture around never leaving food uneaten, and they will use less "savory" ingredients from animals as none should go to waste. You could equate someone from ShadowClan eating less used parts of an animal (like liver) with "frogs" in the series proper.
WindClan: WindClan are big on the philosophy that you "go big or go home". And this is a result of their Clan often being put on the backfoot and having to fight hard for their existence. So eating becomes something you savor and appreciate, as you don't know what changes could come tomorrow. Either you team up with your Clanmates and catch the rabbit, or you starve.
So WindClan are most stringent about the rule to give thanks to the food they eat. They are also very communal about feasts and banquets as it also doubles as intel operations to share with each other about community goings-on (which is vital in a community built by exiles).
SkyClan: While ancient SkyClan followed a similar diet to ThunderClan, modern SkyClan is extremely Swedish in its dietary culture. It was reestablished in Sweden, and the majority of Clan warriors are Swedish.
Ancient SkyClan had a culture where they would have hierarchies to who ate first. While not based specifically on any Scandinavian culture, it seemed more to be an invention of Clear Sky that passed down through the generations. It went: Children -> Matrons -> Elders -> High Healer -> Warriors -> Apprentices -> Lieutenant -> Leader. The leader ALWAYS ate last.
RiverClan: It's not a prerequisite, but many of the more religious warriors are pescetarian in direct emulation of Riverstar. RiverClan are also heavily influenced by the cultures within them as well. Big family dinners are a treat to look forward to, and like WindClan, they are very communal.
Fish is a staple in RiverClan society due to their sea trade, and RiverClan is perhaps the most diverse in communities due to its aquatic nature. You have the choice of French, Italian, Spanish, Mexican, Caribbean, South American, Filipino AND Creole food to choose from.
Clan Terminology: Kittypet, Rogue, and Loner
In the books proper, you have cats outside the Clans classified in mostly 3 groups: the kittypet, rogue, and loner. Each reflects the Clans’ view on cats outside the Clans and how they interact with those groups. There are other cat groups (The Tribe, the Sisters, Cats of the Park, etc), but these three encompass the largest net cast regarding non-Clan cats.
Cathuman AU: StormClan's Folly Timeline: ThunderClan
I included their canonical descriptions for visualization purposes. I've also included their familial connections to characters from Mapleshade's Vengeance, Pinestar's Choice, and even Goosefeather's Curse.
PoT/OotS Cast and their favorite fruits
Hollyleaf: Strawberries. This is specifically influenced from a picture on Deviantart I saw maybe in 2011 that was a picture of Hollyleaf and strawberries. It's stuck in my mind all these years later, and now this is the fruit I associate with Hollyleaf. I also see her liking avocado.
Lionblaze: Raspberries and pineapple. Raspberries are tart but also a little sweet, and he loves the acidity of pineapple and the tingle (the enzymes are eating your face).
Jayfeather: Blueberries and blackberries. He likes something a bit more mild and bitter in flavor, but with a sweet inside to offset that bitterness.
Dovewing: Pears and peaches. Pears are nice and mild to her senses, and peaches are sweet and juicy and full of flavor.
Ivypool: I could pick something bitter for her, but I think she could have a bit of a sweet and savory tooth. I think she likes fruit that is crisp, like apples. She also quite likes pomegranates.
Pneumonia is making my life hell right now, so here is a rather sad headcanon related to illness.
Larksong dies abruptly in Squirrelflight’s Hope from prey sickness (food poisoning). So my reasoning for that in this AU is that he had a primary immune deficiency disease (primary = present at birth) that made him easily susceptible to illnesses, especially respiratory illnesses. (There are a plethora of different primary immunodeficiency types, but those require research and my body and brain are only letting me do the bare minimum at the moment. So his type is not specified.)
Sparkpelt was aware of this, but what was so shocking was how sudden it was. He seemed to be getting better…then he didn’t. Combine that with having just given birth and Sparkpelt was a primordial soup of trauma.
What's important is that people with immune deficiency diseases can lead a happy life and their lives should be celebrated, not pitied or infantilized. So another character - main character - who also has an immunodeficiency disease is…Sunbeam? She has PLCG2-associated Antibody Deficiency and Immune Dysregulation (PLAID), which means she is allergic to the cold. I chose her specifically because her name is like a shield against anything cold. Her grandmother, Snowbird, also has this condition!
Simple lore of the day: Mapleshade is a 'oui'aboo! She's obsessed with her grandfather being French, and romanticizes 17th century French society. She even named her children French names, which was both incredibly arrogant and foolish. Her attempt at an accent is terrible.
This arose because I really liked the way "Marie Dubois" flowed together, and it ended up sticking (Dubois means "from the forest" which coincides with her suffix "shade"). This plays into Clan prejudices because most warriors with French ancestry end up joining RiverClan due to the already established connections that make adjusting to Clan society easier. And this fissure between ThunderClan (lots of English) and RiverClan (lots of French) is a not-so-subtle nod between historical English-French animosity.
But with StormClan's Folly, there is something that must be known. She's not got any French ancestry at all. Her parents adopted her as an infant, and her real parents are Tinyclaw and Stripebark. She's purely Scottish! This was done to spare her the shame that StormClan brought upon ThunderClan, and completely cover up that StormClan existed at all.
I am gradually working on WindClan's section of their naming customs. But this is time consuming because of how many revisions I've had to do. There is a literal part one, two, and three to discuss WindClan in a historical context.
So while I'm figuring out precisely how I want to present that, I may do something more lighthearted and less research intensive, like discussing changes to canon.
Did you know Alderheart is married to Velvet in this AU, for example? The Broken Code saw expansive changes their religious laws, and one of the catalysts for this is Alderheart sheepishly telling all the Clan leaders he's been in a secret relationship with his girlfriend Velvet ever since Ashfur exiled him, and it never affected his duties as High Healer. Good for him.
High Healers (Medicine Cats) and Hair
One of the sacred rules of the High Healer (medicine cat) creed is that a High Healer cannot cut their hair.
For warriors in the medieval times, long hair in battle was a liability. So a tradition arose over the centuries to cut their hair short before battle as a symbol of conviction and dedication to their ancestors. To cut one’s hair was to accept they might die.
But a High Healer must never waver in their convictions. To cut one’s hair was to symbolically accept death. So, as the centuries progressed, not cutting their hair became a law woven into the High Healer creed.
The origins of this are disputed, but many Clan members believe it originated with Dappled Pelt, who in legend had long, floor-length hair as a dedication to StarClan.
The real history is that she stopped cutting her hair after the death of Falling Feather, her lover. It was also to mark the First Battle that happened in an act of protest. When another battle happened, she’d cut it off again out of spite. And so it became a visual marker of how long the peace was kept between the settlements. (Fear not: Dappled Pelt marries another secret wife and she and her and Falling Feather are happily married in StarClan.)
However, no written records survived from the 10th century beyond history told by mouth that became distorted over many centuries (the Clans' historical records were attacked a lot). There were also political factors in play that wanted to reduce the amount of power the High Healer held and consolidate it towards total rule by the leader. For example, Darkstar of SkyClan was infamous for the strict rules he added to the High Healer creed when he declared the Clan leader’s word is law.
Their hair became a symbol of their position, as well as a marker of status and respect.
There are instances where a High Healer was “demoted” by having their hair cut. Brokenstar cut Yellowfang’s hair and excommunicated her. Leafpool willingly cut her own hair after stepping down from the High Healer position. Mistystar almost cut Mothwing’s long hair but stopped herself, fearful she would become like Tigerstar.
As the Clans modernized, some of their traditions became less strict. Alderheart cuts his hair. Jayfeather intentionally keeps his hair long but will trim it when it reaches below his waist. Willowshine sometimes would cut her hair short to try different hairstyles. While there are certainly Code purists who would balk at breaking such tradition, the reality is most warriors don’t care and/or don’t know the entire High Healer creed enough to complain.
Because of this tradition, the people to go to for hair care tips are the High Healers and Acolytes. Featherwhisker's hair was so long he ended up making his own hair care products that got popular with the locals and sold for some decent money. How do you think Spottedleaf kept her hair so coiffed?
There is also a tradition of symbolically “passing the torch” from High Healer to High Healer Acolyte, where upon retiring from the position, the current High Healer will “resign” by cutting their hair. The acolyte becomes the new High Healer, and if they retire, will do the same as their predecessor.
(My inspiration for this is a bit odd. Growing up, I was surrounded by southern Pentecostals [a very very specific type connected to the Southern Baptist Church] and it was very common to go into town and see women with long hair and skirts below the knee. For them, hair is seen as a “crown of glory” towards God and meant to show their devotion. However, I also have severe religious trauma from being surrounded by that kind of Christianity and wanted to “reclaim” the repression I felt. This manifested itself in this AU, where the most religious faction of the Clans also does not cut their hair as dedication to their ancestors whom they worship as gods. The pagans and the evangelicals are doing the same things to honor their deities. Also Dappled Pelt is a lesbian. How scandalous.)
Who Likes the Cold? (And Who Doesn't)
While I freeze in the cold weather and hibernate underneath a mountain of blankets, here are some headcanons regarding the winter weather.
(I got up to DotC, so the rest will have to be explained later.)
Eye Condition Headcanons
A small snippet of eye condition headcanons for the AU. It started with brainstorming around Jayfeather’s family, and I liked the idea that there are eyesight problems in his immediate family of varying degrees. Then it expanded. Like a snowball. A snowball of eye conditions and research. The analogy has gotten lost somewhere along the way.
ShadowClan Naming History and Conventions
This took some time to draft and revise, because I am delving into real history that I am not going to sanitize or sugarcoat. This means I need to be clear with what I am trying to communicate.
ShadowClan always had a reputation in the books as the “Slytherin” of the Clans, with several conflicts centered around ShadowClan instability and corrupt leaders. Brokenstar, Tigerstar, Sol, Darktail, Tigerheart, Berryheart — All antagonists involved in conflict centered around ShadowClan. And I compare them to Slytherin (despite my distaste of the books) because Slytherin was essentially a house for wizard supremacists – not quirky edgelords who are a little manipulative. The books themselves constantly treat both ShadowClan and Slytherin as forces that the narrative assigns as antagonistic.
So with that analysis in mind, it would be a stereotype to make ShadowClan predominantly Russian, wouldn’t it?
Hold up. Back up. Wait a minute. Where are you going with this?
I have some…gripes with how the books treat ShadowClan. ShadowClan is my favorite Clan, and I think in a humanized setting it has a ton of potential. I loved the idea that ShadowClan’s reputation differs according to each Clan. They are viewed negatively because of who joins ShadowClan. And this thought process is explained below.
StormClan’s Folly Timeline Estimate
While I’m writing the ShadowClan naming customs history, I want to get something out. So here is my best guess as to when StormClan’s Folly takes place in this AU and a few headcanons.
Cloudstar’s Journey changes from April 1590 to April 1550. StormClan’s Folly takes over a span of several decades, so this had to be done.
Galestar was an apprentice in 1574, at 15 years old. Stripestar was 18 years old. This makes Galestar’s birthday in 1559, and Stripestar’s in 1556. That would be 6 years after the exodus of SkyClan.
Galestar Becomes Leader in 1595 at age 36, which is quite young. Stripestar also became a young leader in 1590 at 34, after the sudden passing of Redstar. Stripestar had only been deputy for 4 years.
StormClan’s Folly starts in January 1599, with Galestar at 40 and Stripestar 43. (All the characters age slower to make this story work, so they look closer to 30). They fall fast and hard so it only takes a year to formulate StormClan.
StormClan lasts for 40 years, ending in Galestar’s disappearance and Stripebark’s demotion. Tinyclaw gives birth in August 1640 to Mapleshade, who is adopted to Francis Dubois and Lucy Seabright. However, her true parentage is Stripebark and Tinyclaw, of which only old Gorseclaw knew. And perhaps his son, Oakstar.
ThunderClan Naming History and Conventions
This was 'supposed' to be a small bit of lore and history for this AU. Somehow it turned into an entire essay.