Headcanons for characters.

[Grey]

[UNDER CONSTRUCTION]

So, for the time being, this is where you stash all your ideas about characters. Just write it out here, and we'll use this thread as a discussion place to develop aspects of the characters.

I think there's a particular way it should be set out (sorry, Leah) to keep it as neat as possible and easy to keep track of. For every new post about a character, I think it would be best to have a title (their name, for example) and then as succinct a headcanon as possible, maybe even in bullet-form.

Example:

[Firepaw/Fireheart]:
- mother is a kittypet, father is called Jake*.
- asks a lot of awkward or inappropriate questions as an apprentice, partly because he's curious about everything and partly because he doesn't always think things through in a "warrior" way yet or understand what's acceptable behaviour.
- etcetera, etcetera.

Reading a lot can be pretty taxing, and can be a handicap when trying to remember or find information. If you want to elaborate on things, I don't see why not, but I think the best way would be like this:

(see where that asterisk is, after Jake?)

*[continue your talk here].

That way, we can quickly find what it is we need when we need it, rather than having to skim through large amounts of text. Eventually when we've fleshed out characters, we might make cohesive biographies/cheat-sheets for them, but I think the discussion should come first.

I'm putting up the Allegiances from Into The Wild as well, so that we've got it here to check whenever we need it.


THUNDERCLAN:

Leader: Bluestar - blue-grey she-cat, tinged with silver around her muzzle.

Deputy: Redtail - small tortoiseshell tom with a distinctive ginger tail. (Apprentice, Dustpaw.)

Medicine cat: Spottedleaf - beautiful dark tortoiseshell she-cat with a distinctive dappled coat.

Warriors:
Lionheart - magnificent golden tabby tom with thick fur like a lion's mane. (Apprentice, Greypaw.)
Tigerclaw - big, dark brown tabby tom with unusually long front claws. (Apprentice, Ravenpaw.)
Whitestorm - big, white tom. (Apprentice, Sandpaw.)
Darkstripe - sleek black-and-grey tabby tom.
Longtail - pale tabby tom with dark black stripes.
Runningwind - swift tabby tom.
Willowpelt - very pale grey she-cat with unusual blue eyes.
Mousefur - small, dusky brown she-cat.

Apprentices:
Dustpaw - dark brown tabby tom.
Greypaw - long-haired solid grey tom.
Ravenpaw - small, skinny, black tom with a tiny white dash on his chest, and white-tipped tail.
Sandpaw - pale ginger she-cat.

Queens:
Frostfur - beautiful white coat and blue eyes.
Brindleface - pretty tabby.
Goldenflower - pale ginger coat.
Speckletail - pale tabby, and the oldest nursery queen.

Elders:
Halftail - big, dark brown tabby tom with part of his tail missing.
Smallear - grey tom with very small ears. The oldest tom in Thunderclan.
Patchpelt - small black-and-white tom.
One-eye - pale grey she-cat, the oldest cat in Thunderclan. Virtually blind and deaf.
Dappletail - once-pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with a lovely dappled pelt.

SHADOWCLAN:

Leader: Brokenstar - long-haired dark brown tabby.

Deputy: Blackfoot - large white tom with huge jet-black paws.

Medicine cat: Runningnose - small, grey-and-white tom.

Warriors:
Stumpytail - brown tabby tom. (Apprentice, Brownpaw.)
Boulder - silver tabby tom. (Apprentice, Wetpaw.)
Clawface - battle-scarred brown tom. (Apprentice, Littlepaw.)
Nightpelt - black tom.

Queens:
Dawncloud - small tabby.
Brightflower - black-and-white she-cat.

Elders:
Ashfur - thin grey tom.

WINDCLAN:

Leader: Tallstar - a black-and-white tom with a very long tail.


RIVERCLAN:

Leader: Crookedstar - a huge light-coloured tabby with a twisted jaw.

Deputy: Oakheart - a reddish-brown tom.


CATS OUTSIDE CLANS:

Yellowfang - old, dark grey she-cat with a broad, flattened face.
Smudge - plump, friendly black-and-white kitten who lives in a house at the edge of the forest.
Barley - black-and-white tom who lives on a farm close to the forest.

We needn't necessarily limit ourselves to just these characters, but I think it's important to make sure all these characters are addressed.

[leah]

Blackfoot
-New Description: Large, pure black tom with amber eyes
-Is the son of Hollyflower (diceased) and Archeye (Diceased), and the brother of Flintfang (diceased) and Darkflower
-Has seven kits (four from one litter and three from the second... he is unaware of the second litter's existance at this point), mate is Spottedcloud who is presumed to be dead-though she is still alive
-Hates killing any cat, and heavily mourns any cat he does kill (Rosetail, Stonefur...)
-Believes that the Leader's word is Law only if it does not break the Code - he initially did not obey Brokenstar because of this
-Is mentored by Cloudpelt (Raggedstar's deputy before Brokentail)
-Mentors Dawnpaw/cloud before Raggedstar dies, and Tallpaw/poppy in the moons before Windclan is driven out
-Over time he begins to lose "faith" in Starclan (which is why he easily pushed them aside in Eclipse)
-Was always great friends with most Medicine Cats, especially Yellowfang and Runningnose
-He nearly took Clawface's ears when learning that he murdered Spottedleaf
-At the final battle in ItW, after fighting Whitestorm, he turns around and fights of Clawface, chasing him out. He then goes to attack Brokenstar, but is attacked by Brightflower (his daughter... see below), and refuses to fight her back, resulting in him leaving the woods

Brightflower
-Two Brightflowers: One with the YS Description, and is Yellowfang's mother - and one with the ItW Description, and is Blackfoot's daughter.
-Either Yellowfang's mother died and Brightkit was named after her, or Yellowfang's mother becomes an elder and one of them has a new name?
-Blackfoot's daughter is the one who is the mother of the kits who Brokenstar killed (with Deathberries) and placed at Yellowfang's paws.
-The above resulted in a feud between her and her sister Rosefoot (see below), which then lead to the banishment of both cats
-After finally realizing that Shadowclan is falling apart, she banishes herself to the edge of the territory with the elders
-She becomes a key point in the battle by thinking up battle stragedy / tactics. She is also the one to chase out Blackfoot, her own father.

Rosefoot
-Dark ginger tabby molly with white paws and green eyes.
-Does not actually appear in ItW, but is one of Blackfoot's daughters
-Had a terrible sickness and was in Yellowfang's den when her sister Brightflower's kits were placed at the Medicine Cat's paws, and claimed to Brightflower and all of Shadowclan that the kits had Rosefoot's sickness and that Yellowfang refused to cure them. Rosefoot tried to defend Yellowfang, and the two were both banished.
-Aided Yellowfang for a while in Thunderclan territory. However, she lost all hope for the Clans: Windclan was gone, Shadowclan was in chaos, and she believed that Thunderclan was at its weakest point... and that Riverclan would be the only Clan to survive.
-She left for Twolegplace, not just because of this, but because she had a feeling that her mother was still alive...

Blossomkit and Snakepaw
(Blossomkit is the white Shadowclan kit from Cats of the Clans)
-Blossomkit's new name is Lilykit, and she is white with amber eyes.
-Blossomkit/Lilykit and Snakepaw are two of Blackfoot's kits
-Admired the Medicine Cats and wanted to be one herself
-At five moons old, she was killed by Brokenstar (reasons can be discussed)
-Snakepaw is a small dark ginger tabby tom with amber eyes.
-Snakepaw was taken to the battle to drive out Windclan, and was killed.
-Blossomkit and Snakepaw together give Blackfoot one of his lives

Brokenstar
-Wanted kits for many reasons, but mostly used them as leverage to get Blackfoot to do what he wanted
-His foster mother, Lizardstripe, wanted to change Brokenkit's name, but Yellowfang told her "the mother does not wish for that"
-His two dead siblings together give him one of his lives
-He and Blackfoot never liked each other, but he chose Blackfoot to be his deputy because "he's the best cat in Shadowclan, and perfectly fit for the job"

Yellowfang
-She tells Firepaw "I've known Blackfoot since he was a kit... always a bully" because she didn't want him to know how she really felt... that he was always a great friend, she misses him every day... and is always very worried about him
-Before Blossomkit/Lilykit's death, she would every day talk to the kit about different herbs and what Medicine Cats do. The white kit's death hit her hard

Firepaw
-Could not remove the collar himself because it was placed too tightly around his neck. When it is finally removed by Longtail, a clear mark can be seen, and leaves a light scar which is covered up over time
-Initially was afraid to join the Clans, changed his mind for whatever reason
-Was trained by Bluestar from day one rather than be placed on Tigerclaw temporarily
-Really wanted to be friends with all the apprentices, and did get along with Sandpaw for a small bit to begin with, but he saw that the two "sides" (Graypaw/Ravenpaw and Sandpaw/Dustpaw) were so divided that he had to make a choice... which was tough for him
-Really admired Tigerclaw, and, to begin with, didn't even believe Ravenpaw's side of the story, and thought he was just remembering wrong.

Leopardfur and Mistyfoot
-The two cats are "together", so the kits that Firepaw rescues are not Mistyfoot's as she does not have kits
-Mistyfoot can swim, but doesn't like to. She's a dry-paws, and only swims if she really has to.
-The two cats are quite opposite in personality-Mistyfoot is welcoming, warming, and gentle while Leopardfur is cold and harsh

[Mistytail 2.0]

rusty/firepaw -

- is at least part Somali, hence his solid ginger coat

bluestar -

- literally javert
- a little bit paranoid, tends to jump when gray-and-white cats are nearby, and breathes heavily on or near the Thunderpath
- often considered too interested in RiverClan affairs

yellowfang -

- had her name changed by brokenstar, was originally a great and well-respected warrior named grayfang
- forced into medicine cat position by brokenstar after he killed the previous medicine cat, who died without an apprentice
- has little confidence in her medicine cat skills and blames the two kits' who were killed by brokenstar's early kit-training deaths on herself, partially believes she could have saved them if she knew more
- often obsessed over brokenstar in his younger years, leading to his hatred of her

brokenstar -

- killed shadowclan's previous medicine cat during a battle
- believes raggedstar wanted to die so his son could take over, feels killing raggedstar was just and right
- is deeply afraid of dying as he knows starclan will not take him, all his nine lives came from raggedstar and raggedstar's friends and family
- loathes weakness and believes windclan to be wek due to their small size and thin frames

whitestorm -

- largely aromantic, and his relationship with his mates is often like a deep friendship rather than a romance (his mates are all fine with this), is a distant but supportive father (he doesn't seek out time with his kits but is kind and gentle to them when they approach him)
- harbors minor resentment for bluestar since she prevented him from knowing his father and believes his relationships with others might be better if she hadn't been so overbearing
- initially opposed to the idea of a kittypet joining the clan, which is why he meets rusty/firepaw on lionheart's second visit and not his first

[Osprey]

Dustpaw:
-He was reason why he and Sandstorm drifted a part. He started acting like a complete jerk towards most everyone, Sandpaw decided to talk about he change in his personality. He got defensive and said things that offend Sandpaw to point he broke her heart, and went she left she hissed, "want my old Dustpaw back!"
-As a warrior he matures up, but he knew it too late to get Sandstorm, he regrets being jerk, and apologizes, asking to be her friend again.

[Grey]

Rusty/Firepaw.
- has an accent that all clan cats (regardless of clan) think of as humorous/strange, due to being raised as a house-cat, and uses words, phrases, idioms and other language that is foreign to the clan cats.
- is incredibly curious and enthusiastic about the warrior life-style, but doesn't always understand things or think them through from a "warrior" perspective (some of the things he says makes Greypaw/Graypaw embarrassed or annoyed).
- tends to ask a lot of questions, and sometimes asks them very bluntly, as he's still learning to understand the need for boundaries, and lacks knowledge of what is or is not an appropriate thing to ask about in clan society.
- has a very strong sense of what is right and what is wrong, and always endeavours to do the Right Thing - even when no-one else will agree with him.
- as a result of his passion, curiosity, and morals, he's developed a habit of inferring with other cats' business quite often. He's a sort of busybody with good intentions, and this can get on some cats' nerves - as well as lead Firepaw into all kinds of trouble.

Raggedkit/Raggedpaw/Raggedpelt/Raggedstar.
- he received a name-change as a kit because of the notable hair loss that started to occur at a few moons of age. It was originally believed to be due to overzealous playing and over-fastidious grooming, but after a while, the clan realised it was actually a long-term thing.
- he has Cushing disease (which causes an excess of cortisol in the body), but thankfully, it's not exceptionally severe. His fur is very patchy and falls out a lot, but the illness hasn't damaged his musculature at all. He is very prone to skin infections, though, and increased appetite and thirst. He's also prone to panting, but tries to hide it because he fears others could see him as being weak.
- because of his illness, he's considered to be quite an ugly and unattractive cat. Even with his strength and status, he was never expected to get a mate. He became somewhat disheartened and resigned to this fate over his lifetime.
- because he was frequently requiring treatment for his fur loss and skin problems, he spent fair amounts of time in the medicine cat den, which is how come he and Yellowfang became well-acquainted and eventually, pretty good friends.
- in a way (a very Othello kind of way, ehehe), he only fell in love with Yellowfang because she fell in love with him; they were both ugly cats who were considered to have no romantic prospects, and in a lot of ways, they found solace in each other.
- he never expected to be a father and always wanted to be one; the birth of Brokenkit was a miracle to him, and his pride and delight blinded him to Brokenkit's many faults.

Yellowfang.
- because of her flat face, big rounded eyes, and snub snout (all Persian traits), she was considered unattractive by Shadowclan standards. Rather than feel dejected about this, she found it freeing - she never hesitated when charging into battle, because she had no fear of getting scarred; nothing, in her mind, could make her 'uglier' and so she had nothing to lose, and that made her much more sacrificing and courageous than cats who cared about their appearance. She used her ugliness to her, and her clan's, advantage.
- she likes that her appearance makes her seem more threatening than she really is, especially when dealing with annoying apprentices.

Bluestar.
- she assigned Tigerclaw to be Ravenpaw's mentor in the hope that it would give Ravenpaw a big, tough, intimidating role model to look up to and hopefully draw him out of his shell. She hoped that Ravenpaw would imitate Tigerclaw and discover his confidence that way, but instead, Tigerclaw and Ravenpaw's personalities clash horribly. Ravenpaw's passivity and timidness mean he is mercilessly tormented by Tigerclaw, and while Bluestar sees this, she hasn't done anything to stop it. She feels awful about making that decision, but refuses to step in and confront Tigerclaw and fix the situation, as that would mean she would have to admit the mistake in the first place.

[Cobalt]

Bluestar

• She is overly trusting, she wants to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. This is why she dismissed Tigerclaw's violent tendencies so easily until she was forced to face them, and also why she was so willing to take Rusty into the Clan.
  
• She's very perfectionistic, and tries to force herself to get over any flaw she sees in herself. The "overly trusting" stemmed from her originally having a hard time trusting anyone. She "forced" herself to be more open.
  
• Beleiving that being so trusting is a good thing is what caused her to break down so quickly and flip back to distrust when Tigerclaw betrayed her.
  

Brokenstar

• At first beleived entirely that what he was doing was the right thing - that weeding out the weak and such was best for the Clan, but eventually began to suspect it was wrong. Not willing to admit his mistakes, he intentionally deluded himself into continuing his crimes. He often killed cats who spoke out against him because he didn't want them to convince him that he was wrong.
  

will probably edit later.

[Mistytail 2.0]

rusty/firepaw

- often awkwardly repeats his name over and over when he first joins the clan, mesmerized by how "cool" it sounds (which causes others to say, "cool? it's the middle of leaf-green, what's the matter with you?")
- accidentally says things in regards to StarClan that are really blasphemous and offensive, but he quickly apologizes when he realizes his mistakes
- genuinely wants to be friends with Sandpaw and Dustpaw at first but is swayed by Ravenpaw and Graypaw to get testy with them
- is initially afraid of Tigerclaw because he looks like a big kittypet that used to bully Smudge and him

dustpaw -

- mourns the loss of Redtail more than any cat and often gets distracted during training due to his grief
- is constantly asking the elders for stories about Redtail
- clings to Sandpaw because she was Redtail's daughter
- only begins to get over his grief when he starts to hang around Tigerclaw, Darkstripe, and Longtail

longtail

- was named Longkit due to complications during his mother's pregnancy that resulted in the labor lasting much longer than it should have, was the only surviving kit of his litter
(I'm trying to find some way to make this name work help)

[Grey]

- was named Longkit due to complications during his mother's pregnancy that resulted in the labor lasting much longer than it should have, was the only surviving kit of his litter
(I'm trying to find some way to make this name work help)

You're asking the impossible from me, ehehehe. There is no way it can work sensibly. Sorry, Misty.

[Mistytail 2.0]

Apr 14, 2013 18:08:47 GMT -6 Grey said:

- was named Longkit due to complications during his mother's pregnancy that resulted in the labor lasting much longer than it should have, was the only surviving kit of his litter
(I'm trying to find some way to make this name work help)

You're asking the impossible from me, ehehehe. There is no way it can work sensibly. Sorry, Misty.

At least I tried, and therefore no one can criticize me, ehehehe.

also:

jake

- formerly pinestar, his twoleg owners gave him the name jake. beleving him ro be an "outdoor cat," they let him roam where he pleases. being stupid and irresponsible, they never castrated him.
- operates on a "hit it and quit it" mindset, arguably the most realistic tom in the series

[Grey]

At least I tried, and therefore no one can criticize me, ehehehe.

Commendable effort, but I've already tried to figure out whose names work or not, and unfortunately, I just can't find a way to twist Longtail's name without fracturing the system. Kind of a shame, I know, since I'm sure you guys have become attached to various characters' names - but since it's a re-imagining of the book, that shouldn't make much difference overall.

After all, it's not an attempt to appeal to the fandom of Warriors. That's what fanfiction's for, and this is more a hypothetical situation sort of thing.

[Grey]

Raggedstar and Brokenkit/Brokenpaw/Brokentail/Brokenstar.
-Brokenkit once confided to Raggedstar that he had misgivings about his name and his crooked tail; he thought it made him too different from the other kittens, and he was worried they would never like him or play with him, and that he'd heard that cats with injuries like his weren't allowed to be warriors. Raggedstar convinced Brokenkit that his name was a sign of his strength, even from such a young age (and told Brokenkit about his own re-naming, etcetera), and that it was proof he would be the greatest warrior of them all. However, while Raggedstar only intended to give his son guidance and courage, Brokenkit took it to mean that he was in fact superior to all other cats, and that's essentially what started him on the path to tyranny.

Smallear.
- I'd like to say that this is a name-change, but I can't find any correlations between small ears and hearing disorders. I kind of feel that this is an annoying outlier in the naming system, and I'd like to iron it out - but that can happen whenever names and things are finalised by everyone.

Runningnose.
- he doesn't actually have a cold. His illness isn't a contagious virus of any kind (as he tries repeatedly to explain to the others), but a form of feline asthma (also known as Feline chronic small airways disease). The symptoms aren't unbearable to live with - occasional asthma attacks and laboured breathing, as well as bouts of wheezing and coughing - but it's stopped him from being a warrior, hence why he is the medicine cat. He reacts badly to pollens and some other things, and his nose tends to run considerably when there are a lot of those allergens in the air.
- this may possibly validate his name as a name-change. Definitely open to discussion.

[Mistytail 2.0]

Apr 18, 2013 3:39:42 GMT -6 Grey said:

Smallear.
- I'd like to say that this is a name-change, but I can't find any correlations between small ears and hearing disorders. I kind of feel that this is an annoying outlier in the naming system, and I'd like to iron it out - but that can happen whenever names and things are finalised by everyone.

A severe case of untreated ear mites can cause the ears to shrivel and go flat against a cat's head, which might warrant this name. I saw it happen to one of the cats at the shelter I worked at. Poor Mackie, may the cat gods have mercy on him.

[Grey]

A severe case of untreated ear mites can cause the ears to shrivel and go flat against a cat's head, which might warrant this name. I saw it happen to one of the cats at the shelter I worked at. Poor Mackie, may the cat gods have mercy on him.

That is terribly sad, but it is good news for Smallear's name (though, not really for Smallear himself at all). That would definitely be enough to validate it, I'd think.

[Grey]

Deadfoot.
- in many ways, he seems to be an underwhelming kind of cat: he's small and skinny, and because of his injured paw, he's slow - and especially so surrounded by his fellow Windclan cats. However, what he lacks in strength, size and speed, he makes up for in wit; he is uncannily, almost ridiculously intelligent. He is also highly articulate - when he feels inclined to be - and possibly one of Windclan's best speakers. Though not obvious from the perspective of other clans, Deadfoot was always the preferred choice for deputy.
- canon hints at him being Crowfeather's father: I think we should make it official that he is, though maybe not address it in the story itself.

[Mistytail 2.0]

Yeah, I like the idea of Deadfoot being Crowfeather's dad. Should we include what his name was bedore?