#the softpaws

[oldfacesnewdawnoffical]

I'm imagining a cat who grew up completely in the Bloodbound growing increasingly concerned as they try to explain to themselves how a Softpaw got the name Hurricane.

SUCH a culture shock, especially between the Softpaws and the Bloodbound lmao

[oldfacesnewdawnoffical]

for......no reason whatsoever, could you elaborate on the softpaws and their lore :eyes:

I could’ve sworn I had elaborated on their lore prior but?? Apparently I didn’t T^T

The Softpaws serve, narratively within OFND, as a mix between canon’s kittypets and the Sisters.

Like kittypets, various Softpaws colonies are found all over the place! They most commonly reside within smaller ruins (places such as the coliseum located nearby the fortress valley), though sometimes they’re nomadic. While they’re usually all cats, it’s not uncommon to find softpaws mingling with other animals, especially if they’re female, though being invited into a specific colony is reserved solely for those who share their blood, as every colony is based around similar strict bloodline principals.

(Think of them like the Huntresses of Artemis, but with actual blood relations binding them alongside their vows, magic and beliefs)

All Softpaw colonies follow the teachings of the Earth Mother, their primary deity, and take great pride in the fact that they can listen to the earth itself in order to be guided on where to go next, what places to avoid, where to find water or food, or simply for comfort - though this power is reserved for their mollies. Toms are exiled once they come of age (a full year), and though they share this unique ancestral magic, they aren’t taught how to tap into it. They can’t see ghosts, but they’re aware of the universal spectral plane and fear it rather than actively ignore or revere it as others do. Their outlook on this is actually rather unique - but not unwarranted.

Fun fact: a major villain (not of Ignite) descends from a Softpaws colony!

[oldfacesnewdawnoffical]

Wait the Softpaws did what? I thought they were supposed to be inspired by kittypets like wtf?

The Softpaws are partially inspired by kittypets, but also by the Sisters! I haven’t read any of the books that they’ve been in, though, so I kind of just took the information offered on the wiki and ran with it, adjusting it to fit more in OFND.

As gross as it is, the Softpaws are a little wary about accepting trans women into their ranks alongside driving out trans men; their bloodline, descended from the same Maine Coon family, is very important to them, and they want to make sure it stays matriarchal. Blackgumclaw is a trans woman; part of her being allowed to stay within the colosseum where she was born was for her to take a vow of celibacy, as many softpaw males are to do. She broke that by siring a litter of kittens with a cat whom she deeply loved, and she “paid the price” for it.

[oldfacesnewdawnoffical]

The Softpaws - Character List

A Dream of Destiny - [11]

Cyclone (NCC)

Thunderstorm (NCC)

Typhoon (NCC)

Lightning (NCC)

Tsunami (NCC)

Drought (NCC)

Wildfire (NCC)

Landslide (NCC)

Earthquake (NCC)

Tornado (NCC)

Avalanche (NCC)

[oldfacesnewdawnoffical]

Is the coliseum from the last human civilisation or a past one? Is it partially inspired by the cats who shelter in ruins in Rome?

Across all my blogs, you always manage to somehow read my mind…

Yes! The Softpaws Coliseum is part of the Ruins, technically, so as such it is qualified to be “formerly of humans, but long since succumbed to nature”. And , double yes!! It is very loosely inspired by the Largo di Torre Argentina ruins in Rome, Italy. Up close, the Softpaw’s home looks similar, though much bigger, and implying more of a wedding venue spot than a former place of worshipping.

I’m very excited to talk about the Softpaws and their home, alongside their influence both to the fealty and within the Ruins. ^^