#For the love of god please stop justifying eugenicist rhetoric because youre too cowardly to admit your fake battle cat society--

[bonefall]

a small thing about canon warriors that really rubs me the wrong way is how much play is demonized for literally no reason? there are just. so many scenes where the pov character bats something around and is immediately shamed for it by another character. or they stop as soon as they realize what they’re doing and go “ugh that was so EMBARRASSING i hope nobody saw”

the weirdest example happens in graystripe’s adventure when he chases a butterfly for 0.2 seconds and then is like “oh no being a kittypet is making me act like a kit!1!” as if play behavior is exclusive to kittens and that housecats are only playful because they’re undisciplined and soft or whatever.

realism is usually a non-issue when it comes to canon warriors, but these cats are shown to have intrinsic play/hunting instincts, yet they’re shunned and infantilized by clan culture as well as the narrative. it just makes me really uncomfortable, especially as an autistic person. there is no reason why it needs to be a part of this series, all it does is make clan culture feel that much more joyless and dystopian.

I agree, it IS weird. Graystripe should have followed the butterfly hoping it would lead him home like Moth Flight, and then when it lands on a flower he calls it a slur

Hyperbole of a point being; Clan culture should have a ton of problems, but very particular problems. It's xenophobic, battle-obsessed, ableist, and insular. Its religion is powerful, but can also be used oppressively.

As it is canonically, there's almost NOTHING good about this little society, it's miserable.

They shouldn't HATE playing and have absolutely no downtime. It's brutal and limits the story; the characters can't just hang out. They can't just get to know each other. They can't be alone with their thoughts. It's beyond dystopian.

Anyway it's something I intentionally set out to fix with my Clan Culture expansions lmao. They have games. They throw celebrations. They nap and hang out and watch butterflies. There's still a ton of problems and they value the concept of hard work, but there IS downtime.

Like, it's not capitalist lmao.