#hello from the void

[theanoninyourinbox]

I asked a lot of anon questions before I made an account

I STILL ask a lot of anon questions and leave nice things in inboxes >;3

whats ur guys username lore both old and new. one of my old usernames bc i really liked this one picture of a kitten angry at a watermelon. this one

[theanoninyourinbox]

I need Moonkit to be WEIRD and that’s why she is made a medicine cat

She collects the bones of prey off the freshkill pile, picking them clean and drying them, and piling them in a secret place. Let her look over the mouse skulls and the bird legs and the squirrel tail and arrange them in dizzying patterns. This will bring us more prey, she purrs.

She collects dead bugs, placing them around camp, under nests and in high nooks and low crannies. Someone asks her why, and she says that they watch over the clan.

She takes sturdy twigs and carves and chews and claws swirling marks into them. These she puts on the borders, or begs the patrols to do, to ward off the other clans.

The clan is indulgent, to a degree. And then the little odd things start working.

Someone clears out her bones, to her wailing protests, and suddenly prey is scarce. Another cat helps her strip a mouse, to get all the meat for the hungry clan, and lets her have the bones. And suddenly prey is plentiful again.

The medicine cat is fretting about low supplies, and gingerly moves a ladybug, dead a whole season, out of their way. Suddenly the ladybug springs to life, and they follow it to a lush patch of needed herbs.

A warrior places a carved stick at the border, chuckling to themselves but also impressed by the sheer amount of work the kit put into it. A few days later, a border scuffle is stopped before it starts, when another clan’s warrior trips on the stick, and they stomp off humiliated.

And yes, Moonpaw talks to the Moonpool, yes she hears its voice. But she was always strange.

(I need moonkit to have @clangenrising Fogkit weird girl energy)

[theanoninyourinbox]

spoilery fanart under the cut

The Dark Begins

A story told across all Sects, about how and why the Dark was created. It's often told for the first time to apprentices, as it's considered highly inappropriate to tell kittens.

Ao3 Link | CW: Murder, child murder, animal death | Word Count: 1190 | Characters: Blueflood (Bluestar), Moonstride (Whitestorm), Tigertalon (Tigerclaw/star)

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Tiger paused in his gardening to shake the dirt off his paws. The late newleaf sun warmed his fur, and Moon's happy chatter filled his ears. He glanced over as Moon's voice rose. The other apprentice was soaking up his aunt's attention as the two of them nurtured a little patch of white anemones. Tension leaked out of Tiger's shoulders. He shouldn't have been concerned, really- Blueflood was far gentler than Thistleclaw. Too soft, his mentor would spit, and Tiger would nod along, never daring to mention that he sometimes wished she had been chosen to train him instead.

“Mama!” The clearing went still.

“Mama, help!”

Tiger jerked to his paws, horror rising in his throat. He saw Moon do the same out of the corner of his eye, looking around wildly. Blueflood rose slower, her head tilting with a considering look on her face.

“Mama!”

Tiger twisted, scanning the tree branches. How had a kitten ended up out here and in the trees?

“Relax,” Blueflood said, her voice absurdly calm for the situation. “Look.” She nodded towards the bough of an oak. Tiger leaned forward, squinting. A little dark grey bird sat, barely hidden among the leaves. It opened its beak, feathers puffed up in preparation to chirp-

“Mama!”

Tiger flinched back. Moon pressed into Blueflood's side, his eyes wide.

“A catbird,” Blueflood said with a dark expression.

“Why does it sound like that?” Tiger couldn't manage more than a whisper. The catbird cried out again, and the apprentices’ fur bristled.

“Hm.” Blueflood watched the bird for a moment more before turned her attention to them. “A long time ago, just after the Stars began to shine, there was a cat named Bone.”

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Bone was a fine warrior. He was tall and muscular, loyal and well-loved. He had been named for the sun-bleached ivory white of his fur, which he was so very proud of.

Though many fought for his attention, none caught his eye quite like Kestrel. She was a beautiful spotted tortoiseshell, with sleek fur and wide eyes. Bone was enchanted by her grace, her swiftness, and her keen perception. She, like him, turned heads with her excellence. Though Bone adored her, he never deigned to court her. He believed a mateship was a natural conclusion, for there were no two cats more perfect in all the world.

When Bone learned Kestrel had taken a mate, hurt and anger blazed like fire inside him. This tom was small and scrawny, his fur rumpled, his demeanor pathetic and nervous. Ugly, Bone’s heart hissed. Yet Kestrel looked at him with her wide eyes as though he had created the stars themselves. Each time Bone saw them, bodies pressed together and tails intertwined, his anger burned a little brighter than before.

When the news came that Kestrel had delivered a perfect litter of kittens, something deep inside Bone shattered. Perhaps it was his empathy, or his restraint, or his honor. Some say it was his very vash* itself, broken into splinters of ice only to reform into something warped and new. Whatever it was, once it was broken it could not be repaired.

Using the skills Bone had once honed to hunt raccoons and hawks, he stalked Kestrel's hideous mate. Though the tom was skittish and often looked over his shoulder, Bone was clever and far too experienced with nervous prey. He knew how to hide his trail and his scent all too well. He watched as the tom slipped into a hidden den, and he waited through the night until dawn.

Kestrel left the den as the sun rose, and Bone admired how the light turned the ginger in her pelt into a burning gold. She was perfect, and soon she would be his.

The den was large enough to fit two adults and their kits, but cramped all the same. It was far too easy for Bone to press the tom into a corner, slashing through his throat and watching coldly as his lifeblood stained his childrens’ kitten fluff. The kittens were simple as well, tiny and defenseless as they were. Bone's jaws were powerful and their necks were as effortless to snap in two as a finch's.

The brutal job completed, Bone sat and waited for Kestrel to return to him. He did not bother to wash the blood from his fur, for he believed it would serve as proof of his love for Kestrel.

When Kestrel arrived, prey hanging from her jaws, she knew immediately what he had done. Her attack, like Bone's had been, was swift and ruthless. Bone, like her mate, was taken by surprise and did not have a chance to defend himself. Kestrel wailed over the bodies of her loved ones while Bone lay dying. Grief and hate spilling from her tongue, she prayed. She prayed that Bone's spirit would be punished for eternity for what he had done. She prayed he would never be permitted to forget his crimes. As she prayed, the Time Weavers began to listen.

Feathermask the Courageous began to create a pattern for a tapestry of scorched earth, bare trees, and smokey air. Canarysong the Content dyed threads of soot-black, fire-gold, and blood-red. Greywing the Wise wove their creations together, creating an arras of tall, burned trees weeping crimson sap, soil burned black and solid, and tunnels filled with smoldering fumes. Finally, they filled their tapestry with little birds, gifted with the voices of the kittens Bone had killed. They captured his wandering spirit and wove it deep into the cloth which they called the Dark.

As time turned and the Dark's threads grew blemished with ash and age, Bone's ivory pelt became stained black with soot and cinders. His eyes burned from the smoke and, after many seasons, turned crimson. He wandered alone, boiling with hate and bitterness, his only company the catbirds forever crying out for their mother, the haunting calls of dead kits ringing in his ears.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

“He's attempted to escape many times, but never succeeded. Once, he managed to come so close to leaving the Dark, a flock of catbirds slipped through the Veil.” Tiger and Moon, pressed together for comfort, shivered.

“What if he does it?” Moon squeaked. “What if he gets out?” Blueflood blinked away the wisps of the story and focused on him.

“He won't,” she said confidently, drawing the apprentices close to her. Tiger could hear her heart beating steadily, confident and unafraid, and the dread began to bleed from his body. “He's never managed in all the time he's been imprisoned. The gods won't ever let him go.”

Good, Tiger thought to himself. Murderers deserves to rot in the Dark forever.

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A/N: The moral of the story is “Don't be a dick and don't murder folks.”

There is a slightly less common version of this story where either Greywing or Feathermask released the catbirds into the real world themselves as a way to say, “Listen to these and remember not to be like the asshole we made them for”. Moon definitely prefers that version when he tells this story to future youths. Tiger, on the other hand, made up a scarier version to tell Darksnap to make the little shit behave better.

*Vash : Spirit; Soul; Essence

Blueflood = Bluefur/star

Moon = Whitestorm

Tiger = Tigerclaw

[calmmyfears]

It's so annoying that it takes all day before I feel any kind of similarity to feeling energetic and awake. Because when I finally do, it's passed sunset and time to go back to sleep.. and the next day, it starts all over again (still exhausted) 😶‍🌫️

[theanoninyourinbox]

I'm a fan of swap au stuff and yours is the best I've ever seen!

Just came up with the idea of... if Graystripe swaped with his half-brother Darkstripe ?

Grayfang Vs Darkstripe

Graypaw watches his mentor Tigerclaw kill Redtail, and smiles. He trots out of the bushes, and starts cleaning the splatter off of Tigerclaw’s side. Tigerclaw eyes him, and Graypaw shakily but cheerfully notes that Oakheart really was vicious with their deputy. Tigerclaw hums, and agrees. Graypaw runs into camp, barely noticing Ravenpaw’s little kittypet pal, and wails theatrically. Not all his tears are false, but Graypaw is determined to save his clan from weakness - and that means being stronger than his kit feelings.

Vs

Darkstripe pins Grayfang down, spitting in fury. He screams for Fireheart to grab poor Sorrelkit, and the clan gathers around the brothers. Bluestar looks so disappointed in the jovial brother, who spits threats in the same voice that made them all laugh once. Darkstripe begs Bluestar for mercy, knowing that the traitorous Tigerstar killed the innocent his brother once was, but there might still be hope! After watching Grayfang stomp out of camp, Darkstripe flees to his beloved Sasha, and weeps into her side. The only thing that cheers him is the growing swell of her belly, and her agreement to finally come to Thunderclan.

[theanoninyourinbox]

Swap au maybe of uh Bluestar and Mapleshade

@choaskblog

Bluefur Vs Maplestar

Bluefur glares angrily at Oakheart, tail laid over Greypool, heavy with kits. They MUST be Oakheart’s kits - that must be why he won’t speak to her! She snarls silently, seeing the ghostly image of Mosskit before her. First fell Featherwhisker for Mistykit, then Thistleclaw for Stonekit, and now? Now Bluefur will lay her last kit to rest. She flexes her claws and leaps.

Vs

Mapleshade watches Patchkit and Petalkit - Turtlepaw and Flowerpaw now - in the Gathering crowd with Riverclan. They bump heads with Appledusk, and head off to the other apprentices. Appledusk makes eye contact with her, sitting beneath Birchstar as his deputy, and gives a sad smile. She tries to beam her gratitude at him without looking suspicious, and turns her head up as the Leaders call for order.

[disquietedpalefish]

I'm neither very present nor very social, generally speaking, but I still remember and think of the lovely individuals I've met here.

[theanoninyourinbox]

ONE OFF (maybe) WORLDBUILDING TIME

This is all @moths-wc-aus fault with the Worldbuilding generator, and thanks to @exocynraku for the cat description generator!

INTRODUCING STORMCLAN! (yes I know there's now a canon stormclan but it's cool so shoosh and enjoy)

Stormclan is a clan known for their steady demeanors, their efficient actions, and their mercy in battles. They value being like their environment - steady as stone but quick as water, ready to grow like the trees and laugh like the wind - and respect the cycle of life. Their merciful natures comes from the gods they worship - The Five Before. They eat a varied diet, but mostly fish and birds. Certain insects are farmed for the barren times. They weave the reeds and bark of their home into dens, baskets, and accessories.

This clan lives in a verdant stretch of a canyon, on the edges of a grand river. The clan is so large that the are split into 3-5 (depending on the seasons) colonies along the river, all in caves or under stony overhangs.

The main camp is situated under a large, ancient olive tree, and in the den of an equally ancient wolfpack. The nine founders of Stormclan found some of their bones scattered throughout, and sometimes trade the claws to travelers and wandering groups - the rest of the bones were either given to the river or buried beneath the path to The Sacred Grove. A Monster skeleton lies in front of the main cave entrance, and the Leader of the clan will address all from there.

The river is gentle on the surface, but has few places where cats can cross or fish safely. Each safe point is marked with stone stacks, and all cats are taught at a young age to be very careful - fish may be their main food in the hottest times, but the river doesn't differentiate between cat or leaf litter or whole trees. In flash flood season, messengers or available swift and loud cats are stationed at high points, ready to scream an echoing warning to go to higher ground.

The Sacred Grove lies behind the waterfall, down a long tunnel of packed earth. Here a piece of each passed clan member are buried in the walls, the rest given to the river to carry to new places. The Grove has an opening in the roof, allowing a single small tree to grow there. This is where the Speakers go, to offer sacrifices to the Five Before, and to ask the stars for guidance. The stars are where the dead rise to, regardless of their lives. It is the company of the Five Before that is withheld from the wicked, and the ability to give wisdom to the living to the virtuous.

The clan is guided by a single leader, with an heir and several underleaders - one for each colony in the clan. If two colonies merge, the senior underleader takes over, and the junior underleader acts as their heir. If the heir wishes to step down, they choose the next heir - unless they cannot choose (by death, being missing, or being banished, or otherwise), then the clan is asked to vote. The leader is given nine lives - for the nine founders of the original clan - and their health is tied to the health of Stormclan. A happy clan that trust their leadership means a healthy leader - but a clan in turmoil may lead to a sickly leader.

Kits are usually apprenticed at 6 moons, but may take up to 10 moons if they have a disability or special need - so that the best mentor or mentors may be chosen. No kit is left behind, for all kits can overcome anything, with the right mentor or the right role. Training may take up to a year, with the second half of the year being dedicated to learning at least a little of each role alongside polishing their skills. Knowing how to weave a basket may be useful, but knowing what herb helps with snakebite can save a life. This also can ensure an apprentice is happy with their role - there is no shame changing a path to a better or more fulfilling one. All cats know how to hunt, and work in shifts of their chosen duties and hunting duties. Cats may take mates at the half-year apprenticeship mark, when they gain their adult names and visit the Sacred Grove with offerings to each of the Five.

Messengers are traveling nearly every week - carrying woven bags of herbs, bones, and other goods. Only experienced messengers are allowed to travel in the heat of the day - most travel in the cool of the night, on moonlit nights. They are welcomed to each colony, with their goods and tales - and with the toms, their genetic contributions. (Such donations are carefully recorded, with the usual family lines. Female messengers may also get donors from the colonies they travel to, but usually molly messengers are single or don't want/keep kits)

Nurses are healers, but also the cat equivalent to first responders. They tend their precious herb gardens, grind medicines, and valiantly fight off anything or anyone who threatens their patients. The current Lead Nurse lost a leg saving their pregnant patient from a falling stone. Any nurse is allowed to have kits, but only if they have at least one trained apprentice under them, or another fully trained senior nurse available. Every colony has at least two nurses - one fully trained and one apprentice.

Denmakers are the artists of the clan, weaving both useful and beautiful items. They make the dens, as their names suggest, but they also make messenger carry-baskets, storage baskets, and accessories. They often are older or retired cats, and sometimes cats who became injured and can no longer work as they once did. There is no shame in retiring, and denmakers are often good therapists and philosophers.

Speakers are rare - only one can hold the role at a time, but another is always chosen two years before the natural death of the current Speaker (in the case of a murder or accidental death, the leader acts as a temporary Speaker until the new Speaker is chosen, and helps to train them). Speakers are always cats who have survived the unsurvivable - long falls, drowning, flash fires, or heat stroke. They Speak to the gods, and tell the colonies what must be sacrificed for good fortune or to stave off the wrath of offended Wandering Spirits - the dead and the gathered feelings of the living. The current Speaker was found abandoned, her legs burnt by a lightning-sparked fire. Speakers may not take a mate or keep kits, but they may donate and have contact with their family. Only one molly Speaker had kits, but she was chosen shortly after surviving major bloodloss, and was able to raise them with her mate and see them become adults, until becoming the Speaker.

Stormclan worships the Five Before - Stone, River, Tree, Sky, and Change.

As the ancient story goes, River and Stone were mates in the void, and River birthed Tree and Stone birthed Sky. They ran together in the endless dark, before shedding their fur and creating the world. Change clawed their way up from the soil when the world became too crowded, and created the Cycle of Rot and Renewal - of Life begetting Death, and Death feeding Life. One day, nine cats decided to battle the Five, so that they may have a safe place to live. The nine were easily defeated, but Sky begged that his kin stay their claws and fangs, and made the nine cats explain. The boldest spoke up, that their homes had thrown them out for many reasons - being too crowded, refusing to have kits, changing their pronouns, feeling unsatisfied in life, and being too outgoing - and being so desperate for a home together that they would fight the Five Themselves. The Five Before were sympathetic - Stone and River had made their family so they would not be lonely, and Tree, Sky, and Change could not imagine throwing away their kin for any such silly reasons. The Five made the cats vow to give them offerings, and learn from them, so that they might be something new - the first Clan. Sky named them for their ferocity and wild cries - Stormclan.

Stone is the most fierce of the Five, and is known for their hotheadedness and unbreakable fangs and skin. They shed their fur to create stones and soil, and their wrath is felt in earthquakes and rockfalls. Offerings to Stone are succulents (Tree's gift to Stone, to give them the inspiration to grow gems), black or sandy stones, and fossils.

River is the most emotional of the Five, and is known for their adaptability (being ice and water and fog) and constantly waterlogged pelt. They shed their fur to create rivers, oceans, and snow, and their wrath is felt in floods and droughts. Offerings to River are fish bones, hail (Sky's gift to River, so they could make ice and snow), and clear or white stones.

Tree is the most helpful of the Five, and is known for their cheeriness and is known for their ever-growing and ever-changing bark and leaves. They shed their fur to become trees and all green things, and their wrath is felt in disease and poisonous plants growing wild. Offerings to Tree are petrified wood (Stone's gift to Tree, to preserve their favorite trees), seeds or fruit -especially olives-, and green or wood-brown stones.

Sky is the most talkative of the Five, and is known for their sense of humor and their pelt of clouds and feathers. They shed their fur to become the sky and the air, and their wrath is felt in out-of-season storms and tornadoes. Offerings to Sky are windswept stones (River's gift to Sky, showing him how to carve the earth like her waters did), any part of a flying animal - bird, insect, or rarely bat or very adventurous lizard -, and cloudy or grey stones.

Change is the most mysterious of the Five, and is known for their preservation of balance, and their two faces. They keep the Cycle of Rot and Renewal turning for all creatures, and are the most difficult to Speak to. Change is the one who chooses Speakers, halting the Cycle so one may Speak to the Five Offerings to Change are mushrooms (a gift from the rest of their family, mushrooms grow everywhere and keep the Cycle going), birth and death objects paired (like eggs and bird bones or seeds and dead branches), and multicolored stones.

Offerings are given every full moon, and colonies have a designated area to worship, so they don't have to trek back to the main camp every moon.

[skiaskai]

[theanoninyourinbox]

This is gonna be weird

Maybe a roleswap au of swiftpaw and ashfir

Ashpaw vs Swiftrun

Ashpaw shoves his sister up the tree, panic and adrenaline surging through his veins. He suddenly feels sharp pain in his spine, and is thrown from the tree before he can follow her. He thrashes to his feet, vision blurred. He sees Fernpaw leaping on the dog's back, and sees one grab her face. Ashpaw gathers all the energy in his body, prays to Starclan, and charges.

Vs

Swiftrun watches Brightheart play with her kits, and scowls. Those kits should have been his, not that flea-brained furball! Brightheart was always meant to be HIS! But, as he watches Cloudtail "save" Brightheart from Whitekit, Amberkit, and Dewkit, now is not the time. He'll wait, as any good hunter should, for the time to strike...

[sapphic-bombshell-vixen]

[not-lost-for-now]

At this time of the year we pay respects to those who departed, and be grateful that they had existed in our lives.

We must also reflect back on the things that we did, and the events that happened in our lives this year. Let's have it as a moment of reflection and reminisce.

And finally, we must free and let go of the things that no longer brings good to us, and the habits that can pull us back from being a better person. Let's rest ourselves from those that hurt us, so that we are open to welcome a new journey in the times to come.

[theanoninyourinbox]

Well that just means it’s time to MAKE the content, as best as possible

so that the next person looking for that One Thing finds it, and is grateful

"every possible kind of content can be found on the internet" yeah sure except for the One fucking thing I'm looking for. why does no one want to talk about the One Singular thing I'm looking for. but yeah other than that everything is on here.

[theanoninyourinbox]

Skitty and/or Delcatty? The prettiest girl(s) at the gathering

let's be beautiful with mama

[aroacespacerock]

So insane about the platonic relationships in wolf 359. The way the character writing is so strong they don’t need to rely on romance to make any connection convincing, compelling, and above all else fucked up and codependent.

The way Eiffel and Minkowski just Get each other, regardless of their previous hatred of each other. We go from Minkowski hating Eiffel’s guts (valid) to them truly needing each other. With them being the only two they can rely on in deep space, it makes such a compelling narrative that has you questioning whether they would even be friends in any other universe. The way their stories work, they could even be your classic enemies to lovers (looking past some marriages and how their characters just. Aren’t.) but wolf 359 shows us that they don’t need that relationship status to have one of the most compelling and delightfully codependent friendships in the podcast. We get Hera squeeling over them calling each other “friends” for the first time, (same, hera, same), narratively treating them with the same level of respect as you would a romantic pairing.

Maxwell and Jacobi hit this similar beat for me, they have no romantic tension but have grown this reliance and deep trust in each other. The scene where Maxwell slaps Jacobi what has to be like 7 times in a row and cusses him out for flaking on her before they dissolve into giggles really defines their relationship to me. They’re horrible people. They know it. They’re monsters. Together. And besties yay! In other media their relationship may take a backseat, and while theirs isn’t the forefront it’s certainly never minimized in impact on their individual characters. These two go together, need each other. (They’re a set do not separate)

I’d even extend this to commonly headcanoned romantic duos like Kepler/jacobi and Hera/eiffel. The podcast doesn’t rely on romance, even if there’s implication, but gives us the strongest damned character relationships. The best possible use of characters in each others own and intertwined stories. The bone chillingly good codependency that can only be built by truly Knowing a person, even the horrible bits. Even liking the horrible bits. If this isn’t peak fucking over relationship anarchy I don’t know what is.

[theanoninyourinbox]

~And the Universe said I loved being you~

A gift fanart for @exocynraku of Rayfield for giving me a kittycat design!