Sooooooo a bit ago Sysi, the artist for the fantastically devastating comic Jumalanpelko, posted this comic style challenge of their character Sugarpaws/Sulosokeri, and I was struck by how it wasn't just drawing their character in other comics' art styles, but also coming up with a name for the character that worked in each universe, and thinking about how their character would fit in each universe. So I decided to do the same with my girl Silenstorm! So here is Silenstorm in the style of fourteen comics, with a name for each comic and where she'd fit into the world of that comic.
Echoes of the War - Me - Silentstorm
Just to refresh anyone who doesn't know or has forgotten, here's Silenstorm in her natural habitat. She is the main character of my Warriors fanfiction series Echoes of the War. She is a huge, muscular, short-furred black she-cat with blue-gray eyes and a white stripe between her eyes. She is blind, she is a warrior of ThunderClan (so most of the groups I assigned her to in the comics are whatever the closest equivalent to ThunderClan is), and a very strong and fierce fighter. She is friendly, outgoing, confident, and very stubbornly defends what she believes to be right. She has a habit of befriending cats outside of her Clan and thinks needless hostility between Clans or towards outsiders is pointless.
In her own canon, Silentstorm was named after being silent for the first few days after she was born, but also after a prophecy that calls on silent sacrifice to stop the darkness, so each version of her will have some reference to silence in her name, as it is an important part of her story. The second part of her name is in honor of the time she snuck out during a massive storm to go help another Clan against her leader's orders. XD So a lot of the suffixes I chose for her have to do with weather or water and going out to help others.
With that out of the way, onto the comics!
The Exiled - @the-exiled-comic - Silentwave
Starting off strong with a great comic about generational trauma and breaking cycles of abuse, it's The Exiled! Drawing Silentstorm in this style was a lot of fun. I borrowed the shade of black for her fur from Cloverfall's black patches, then darkened a fair bit, and the scar color was taken from Pebblerun. I referenced Crowstar a lot for the shape/build, though of course with Silent's much shorter fur and thick neck rolls. There aren't any blind cats in this comic that I'm aware of (except for Sandywing's non-elective orbit removal via Crowstar, get rekt idiot XD), so I just drew her with normal eyes, though with wide unfocused pupils.
In the world of The Exiled, I imagine her being a warrior of TreeClan, as it's much more like ThunderClan territory and hunting-wise than OceanClan. I think she'd be half a year or a year older than Fish, and be good friends with Talondusk and co. Just like she left ThunderClan to help RiverClan during a crisis in canon, I see her trying to go help OceanClan during some perceived crisis, only to get chased off by a pissed-off Crowstar (maybe that's how she'd get her face scars in this universe, or maybe not, not sure if Crow would claw an apprentice on purpose unless she was really pissed off). Dapplestar would name her Silentwave acknowledging her attempt to help others and how she wants to be a force for good change in the world, like the wave washing over the shore and changing what it leaves behind… I think that makes sense, anyway.
Meandering - @paintedpawcat - Silentpond
Up next is another great comic about breaking cycles and growing to become a better person, it's Meandering! I borrowed the shade of black from our boy River, of course, as well as the nose, ear, and scar colors. I used Fishernose as a reference for her build, though she's got broader cheeks and of course her neck rolls. I used BeachClan's leader whose name I've forgotten as a reference for blind eyes in this comic.
In the world of Meandering, she would've been born in ShineClan and grown up alongside River and his sisters, but would've grown disgusted with Stonestar and his leadership and left to join PondClan when it was formed not long after becoming a warrior, choosing to rename herself after her new Clan. The art in Meandering is beautiful, I've always loved Paintedpaw's art, it was really fun to draw my girl in this style.
The Unknown Leader - @warriors-design-archive - Silenthail
More generational trauma! XD I'm sensing a pattern here. But anyway another great comic, I love how The Unknown Leader takes the concept of "what if StarClan made a kit become leader" and is telling a really great story through it. I borrowed the shade of black from Hailmask's black patches, and the white from Hailmask's white patches, and the scars from him as well. XD I used Beetlecoat as a reference. There aren't any blind characters in the comic that I'm aware of, so I went with pupiless, it seemed to fit the style best.
In the world of The Unknown Leader, she'd be a warrior of ThunderClan. ThunderClan in TUL is a bit of a mystery at this point, we know Strawberry tried to kill the deputy and leader's son, but we don't know why, so it's hard for me to say what her life would be like there - all I know is that if there's some kind of injustice, she'd be poking her nose right into it and trying to get to the bottom of it. XD I imagine she became a warrior the day Icestar became WindClan's leader, and was named after the freak hailstorm that happened that day. This was a fun style to draw in, I love the pixel look, and I love how Silent's eyebrows turned out. XD
The Average Adventures of Genericpaw - @ghostsong-wc - Silentnight
The parody comic that somehow turned actually tragic and heartfelt, it's Genericpaw! And it's sequel that I won't name for spoiler reasons. I borrowed the shade of black from Evilstar, as well as the scar color. There are no blind characters in the comic that I'm aware of (other than one of Bloodscar's eyes being shot, but that eye is completely gone, not just blind), and the eyes are too simple to really do anything to depict blindness, so I just made them normal. And for the build, since she's supposed to be super muscular in EOTW, I used Greatstar's disturbingly muscular build for her. XD
Silentstorm is the hero of her own story, so of course in Genericpaw she'd be a warrior of ProtagonistClan! XD I had to do a pun with her name, the best I could come up with is Silentnight as like a Christmas thing She'd be named in-universe after her night-black pelt, and she wears the sprig of holly because of her StarClan mentor being Hollyleaf. This simple but fun style was really fun to draw
The Dog Star - @razmerry - Silentlight
An absolute classic in the Warriors fandom! The Dog Star is a great story about regret and redemption, and the work that truly goes into becoming better. I actually got lucky in this case, because the wonderful Razmerry has actually already drawn Silentstorm in her style (it's a commission of a scene in the second book of my fanfic series), so I just used that design for her.
In The Dog Star, SunClan is the closest Clan to ThunderClan, so I see Silent being born there, but quickly getting sick of Ripplestar and his shit and leaving to join RainClan. Newtstar reminds me a lot of Mistystar in my fanfic as an old, wise, kind leader, so I think Silent would really look up to and like her like she did with Mistystar. She'd be named Silentlight after her old Clan and embodying what they should be rather than what Ripplestar (and possibly previous leaders as well, not sure) have made them. It was really fun trying to recreate how Razmerry drew my girl, she looks so great in that commission comic.
Forget Me Not - nitteh - Silence
Moving away from the strictly Warriors fan comics (though the next one is technically a Warriors comic even though it doesn't follow Warriors lore quite as strictly), we come to a dark story that feels like it's only just beginning to unfold its secrets, it's Forget Me Not! I borrowed the shade of black from Rowan, as well as the ear and nose color. The scar color came from Cricket's scratched cheek, not sure if that was a fully healed scar since he only had it for a day or so, but it was all I could find.
There aren't any blind characters in the comic that I'm aware of (unless Quail is blind in that slitted eye, but I think it's just slitted and more of a neurological thing), so I just gave her normal eyes with wide pupils. I had a lot of fun shading this one, I love how the light hits that black fur
So much of Forget Me Not is still wrapped in mystery, so it's hard to say what Silence's life in it would be like. I'm imagining she grew up in the junkyard colony, but maybe a bit younger than Dapple, closer to Goose and Cricket's age, so she didn't remember The Horrors personally.
Our Garden Under Heaven - @heavensgaze - Serenity
Definitely my favorite of the various ClanGen comics I've followed, and overrall just a really interesting take on mixing Warriors with religious imagery (not in an uncritical way), it's Our Garden Under Heaven! If you can't tell, I used Mulberry Wine very heavily as my reference for Silent/Serenity here, to the point that she basically looks like his clone. XD Oops. In my defense other than being more muscle than chunk, he really looks so much like how I picture Silentstorm. I borrowed the shade of black from Darkest Night's darkest patches, and the nose and ears from Mulberry Wine, and the scar color from the Blind Eyes of Heaven. I also based how to draw her blindness on the Blind Eyes of Heaven as well, though with an eye shine.
Serenity would be a member of the Garden, of course, maybe having grown up in SmokeClan but disliking the rough culture there and deciding Mulberry Wine's way seemed nicer. Her name comes from that poem/prayer thing about "God grant me the Serenity" that you always see on like embroidery patches and pillows and stuff. XD It's close enough to meaning quiet in a peaceful way, while also being a religious reference, so I think it works. I don't think she'd be terribly convinced about all the Heaven stuff - I think she'd accept it was real with enough proof, but be skeptical of how good it actually is, but so far in the comic nothing terrible enough has happened to really make her want to argue with any of the more devout cats about it though. I could see the Dreamer getting on her nerves a bit, but then again she's super close with Jayfeather who is also a grumpy strict healer, so maybe they would get along, I'm not sure. This looser style was a lot of fun to try.
What Lurks Beneath - @whatlurksbean - Clam
Time for some creepy cult kitties! Three cults in a row, what fun! Up first is What Lurks Beneath. I'm sure I don't have to tell you guys what a great story this comic is, but really, check it out if you haven't. I borrowed the shade of black from Auket's mullet, and the scar color from Thresher. I used Sturgeon and Gull as references. For her blindness, it's technically a different comic but I used this snippet of Brightstar going blind in her old age as a reference to add that bit of cloudiness in there.
I think coming up with this name for Silent really gave me the push to work on this whole thing. XD Get it? Like clamming up, meaning to go quiet, but also a clam as a sea creature name? Hah? XD Anyway yeah, I imagine her being born into the Family but quickly growing disillusioned with all of the sacrifices and starving of the Daisies, and either leaving or staying to sneak food to the Daisies or something. Aru's style has grown so beautiful over time, and it was really fun to try and replicate here, especially the eyes.
Shadow of the Moon - @sweetlittlelyre - Tacita
From one kitty cult to the next, it's Shadow of the Moon! Another great story about trying to fight justice from within only to get quickly overwhelmed by how strong the cult gaslighting is. I borrowed the shade of black from Ollie, the white from Dahlia, the nose and ear colors from Tidepool, and the scar color from Eclipse. I used Pluto as a reference for that rounder face, but with eyes more like Eclipse. I used Pluto's blind eye as a reference for Silentstorm's blindness, though with wider-blown pupils.
Her name here is Tacia, a Latin name meaning silent. Pluto's name is Latin, and I think a few of the others, so I think it works. I imagine her being born into the Followers of the Moon but very quickly becoming horrified with all of the murder, and also being too curious and bold and defiant NOT to try going into the sunlight, so she ended up leaving and would probably join Helios's rebellion. I like the sketchy style of this one, it was fun to draw.
Jumalanpelko - Sysi - Hiljainen
And now we go from two cults based on false gods to a cult based on a god you WISH was false, and to the comic and artist who inspired this whole little venture, it's Jumalanpelko! Seriously, if you haven't already, go check this one out, but only if you can really handle body horror and existential horror - this one gets dark, but it is fascinating. I borrowed the shade of black from Ginger Ear's mom and the white and scar color are from Sulosokeri. The lack of mouth is also from Ginger Ear's mom, presumably because the fur is so dark you just can't make it out, and I think it works with the whole silence thing and Her silencing everything - she has eyebrows though, which help her still be expressive. There aren't any blind cats in the comic that I'm aware of so I just made her pupils very wide (like Lysti… can't wait to find out more about that weird child) and just a slightly darker shade of her main eye color.
Her name here means silence in Finnish, and I imagine she only gets it after growing disillusioned with the colony after being born into it. Her brother in EOTW is ginger, so I'm imagining him as the Suncat and Hiljainen sneaking away to play with him and being close with him even with the colony trying to sever their connection. When she grows up and sees what being the Suncat is doing to him, she would start plotting how to set him free, much like Guard did, though I think she'd try less… murdery options first, not that they'd necessarily work. This style was challenging but fun to try and replicate, and I'm pretty pleased with the results
Kingdom Come - Hawktalon07 - Thögn
Oh I forgot this one is a Warriors one too. XD But in this case I didn't choose a Clan origin or home for her, hence me listing it with the non-Warriors comics. I decided to make her a winged cat, which I'll get more into in the next bit. I borrowed the shade of black from Yinsoul and Yangspirit, the shade of white from Diocletian, and the scar and nose and ear color from Crowheart. I used Pika as a reference, though with more neck roll than neck floof, and the thick cheek rolls too. I used Angakkuq's blind eyes as a reference for Silentstorm's blindness.
I was debating which of the three Clans to stick Silenstorm in when I had the thought of making her a Kingdom cat instead. She's from the Northern Kingdom, which fits with her big muscular build and dark pelt, but not so much with her short thin pelt, maybe a Southern Kingdom cat's blood got in the mix somehow, but either way I imagine she's cold a lot XD She's named after one of the Valkyries in Norse mythology, whose name translates to "silent". Due to her blindness I imagine she only flies in wide open spaces where she feels safe and won’t fly into anything, and her brother and friends wear bells or something noisy to help her know where they are in the sky. Despite having some issues with combat in the air, she’s an effective guard, and maybe eventually chooses to go to the surface where it's easier for her to fight and navigate. She doesn’t wear any ear or neck jewelry because she doesn’t want any noisy jangling distracting her ears from mapping out her surroundings, but I think she’d have a bracelet or ring she fidgets with when she’s stressed. This style was fun to draw, especially playing with the colors in the lighting.
Golden Shrike - @goldenshrikecomic - Stilltongue
And now for something completely different! XD Instead of cats, it's deer, and in Silentstorm's case it's more of a weird deer/wolf hybrid, aka a Stonekrovn. I borrowed the shade of black from Loudkill, as well as the shade of white and the nose and scar color. I used Grimjav as a reference for that bigger, more muscular build with shorter hair (though Loudkill got to be the reference for that smile 'cause I wanted to draw those fangs ) I used Ouida's blind eyes as a reference for her blindness.
The tougher, more badass build of the Stonekrovn, as well as their deep sense of love, community, and justice, felt right for Silentstorm. Stilltongue felt like the kind of name they'd give her. I imagine she'd be fiercely loyal to her family, but more willing to give outsiders a chance - but fully willing to dole out swift punishment to anyone who poses a risk to her family and the pups. This was so fun to draw and to try and replicate the absolutely gorgeous art style (just… don't look at the antlers too closely XD) I was originally going to draw her halv as well but I gave up. I imagine it's a lil falcon, maybe lookign a bit like a small Harrier Hawk because of Silentstorm's tendency to make friends wherever she goes. XD I imagine it serving as something of a seeing-eye bird for her, calling out in front of her if she's unsure where to go, usually only in stressful moments or unfamiliar territory.
Any The Lion King fancomics - Various artists - Setu
There are so many Lion King comics I follow and have followed over the years, and since most of them are some variation of the Lion King style, and I didn't want to draw the same lion design for Silentstorm over and over, I decided to just draw one design for her based on the original movie style. It's not exactly the most realistic lion design, pure black with a white stripe, but oh well. Her name is Northern Sotho for silence. I imagine she'd be the Strongest on a Lion Guard depending on what universe and pride she's in, otherwise she'd be a hell of a strong hunter or guard of some kind. If I ever decide to do more with my Lion King universe, maybe I'll do another one of these style challenges with Nafasi or something, and use a bunch of Lion King comics for it then.
Tails from the Wasteland - AchWolf - Serena
Last but not least, a newer comic I found (newer to me that is), it's a great fun story about dogs living in a nuclear apocolypse after the fall of humankind, it's Tails from the Wasteland! I really like the style of this one and wanted to try replicating it, it was a lot of fun to copy. I borrowed the shade of black from our boy Hal, the white from Samson, the nose from Hal, the ear color from Rebus, and the scar color from Molly. I used Molly as a reference. I didn't have any specific breed in mind, just something Cane Corso ish, Mastiff ish, something of that nature. She's bigger than Molly with a broader head and a shorter muzzle, and of course her neck rolls. I based her blindness on Hook's blind eye.
I was all set to call her Shiloh until I actually remembered there's already a dog in the comics called Shilo. XD Oops. So Serena it is. She's part of the utility pack, and would gladly join Hal's' alliance and join the battle to kick Copper's sorry tail. XD It was fun drawing her as a bit jowl-y dog, and this style was fun to replicate.
