#badgerstep

[m1smatched-starsigns]

i am OBSESSED with the BlackRusset dynamic in HHIEOY it’s SO juicy omg. the way they are both SUCH LITTLE BITCHES (affectionate) but they cave in for each other every TIME!!!! feeds the me!!!! also oh my gosh the way you can see a little bit of the blackstar who fuckin took out redwillow with one hit and said “i’ve killed one traitor, and now i’ll kill another” with the way he threatens runningnose!! it’s so good!!! i’m losing my MIND!!! so excited for ch. 4!! (also i meant to comment this on ao3 but y’know sometimes u just fail at things) - @badgerstep

This is such a funny assessment of Blackfoot as well as Black/Russet and it's totally spot on, lol. Thank you!

[linkware]

just wanted to say you’re good and i appreciate the reblog!! i was trying to say that i wasn’t sure if posts advertising charity commissions were welcome in the tag. you’re great! thank you! - @badgerstep

ahhh okay!!!! tysm for clarify ^_^

[bonefall]

the people making haha funny inbred jokes and then insisting it's because they care about incest victims make me want to rip my hair out. i'm hesitant to say i'm an incest victim but i was sexually abused by a family member (yea i know the logic there's weird i'm goin through it) and like, half the reason i don't tell people about it is because they either see it as a joke or as something SO disgusting and taboo that it taints how they see me. victims of incest, people who were SA'd by family, ect are just people. some of us are probably your friends. making incest into an unmentionable taboo doesn't make it go away it just makes its victims more isolated and ashamed of something they had no say in.

thank you for talking about this shit. i know at the end of the day we're all discussing a series about talking kitty cats written for children but like... seeing incest be talked about as a problem, but a problem that can be discussed openly is meaningful to me. seeing victims treated like victims and not just extensions of a joke or a taboo is way too rare.

The TRUE sign of being a victim of incest is sitting there going, "I'm not a victim of incest. I was simply sexually abused by a family member. Yes I know this sounds like bad logic when I say it out loud. But a REAL victim of incest would not feel this way. Here are the top 10 reasons why what happened to me was totally not incest and I'm actually being fucked up and evil for even considering myself as maybe that label"

TL;DR I'm right in the weird going-through-it stage with you nonnie lmao. Being an "imperfect" victim sucks.

We'll get through it together. I've gotten several comments in the past day thanking me for saying something about the Moonpaw situation, some mentioning that they were too afraid to speak up about this, and that's just... sad to me. I know exactly why everyone stays quiet, some of the messages I've gotten have been downright insufferable.

No one should have to take open mockery or ableism. The circumstances of your birth, or the abuse you've gone through, does not taint you.

I hope this space feels safe. I hope my words and my actions are a comfort. If you need help or resources at any point because the discussion is triggering, please follow Badgerstep's advice and reach out to RAINN.

[heathfall]

Introducing Forest's Echo, a TNP/AVOS AU

Currently being written by @badgerstep, @doritopaw101, @elkpoint, @mothdapple, @offkeyed-reason, @troutfur, and yours truly (@heathfall).

Forest's Echo is a TNP/AVoS hybrid AU where the events of TNP never happened ('til just now) and so PO3 and OotS took place in the forest territories. As a result, when the events of TNP come to pass, the Clan's champions are chosen out of the AVoS allegiances. Chaos ensues as a very... personable lineup is selected.

(Or, as @mothdapple so elegantly wrote in the description of the prologue found here: Seasons of relative peace have passed in the forest since StarClan and the living Clans fought and defeated The Place of No Stars. But, when Twolegs threaten to destroy the Clans’ forest home, they are forced to face their greatest challenge yet. StarClan must choose their champions to save all the Clans… or die trying.)

The rest of the AU as its posted can be found here. Feel free to ask any of us questions about it :3c

[badgerstep]

once again i am offering writing commissions at 500 words per $5 donated to PCRF, esims for gaza, crips for esims, gazafunds, operation olive branch, motherbeing, or any other org helping palestinians.

i will only do fandom commissions for charity, not for personal profit, so if you would like warriors fic, this is your option for that. i will also write original work for you. i am open to writing gore and erotica on a case by case basis. please DM to discuss.

you can view a sample of my work on my ao3 account, badgerstep. the website is currently down but i will edit + self reblog this post with a link when it’s back up.

(i also encourage you to donate to vetted gofundmes, but i cannot personally have actively encouraging someone to potentially be scammed by some lowlife pretending to be one of the thousands of people truly in need on my conscience.)

[warriorcatficrecs]

Title: break it to me, break it to me softly by badgerstep!!

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41880915

Word Count: 1865

Completed?: yes

Part of a Series?: no

Important Relationships: Birchfall/Whitewing, Whitewing & Ivypool, Whitewing & Dovewing, Birchfall & Ivypool, Brightheart & Whitewing, Cloudtail & Whitewing

Important Tags: Post-OotS, Arguing, Reconciliation

Summary: Birchfall's kept secrets from Whitewing. Whitewing is not having it.

Rating (if not on AO3, give it your best estimate): General Audiences, no archive warnings apply.

Why are you recommending this? (optional): It's such a good look into Birchfall and Whitewing's relationship as well as get a chance to see a proper and good relationship reconciliation, which we only rarely see in canon.

Who is recommending this? (optional): @heathfall

Extra Comments? (optional): This fic is canon. to me. in my heart. it unironically flavors every single thing i write with birchfall and whitewing in it.

[loonarmuunar]

@badgerstep no that’s absolutely VITAL. They HAVE to be at each other’s throats, they are THIS CLOSE 🤏 to killing each other until they both lose all of their lives. But they CAN’T MURDER EACH OTHER JUST YET. Cause if they die nobody will be there to make sure mothpool isn’t found out. This is a necessary alliance, but NEVER a friendship.

Mothpool is the one thing keeping Riverclan and Thunderclan from killing eachother.

Classic mothpool au where it replaces crowpool. But it’s Painfully Obvious that they’re in love, to the point where it’s easier for Firestar and Leopardstar to frantically hide the traces of them being treasonous, than for them to actually get them to stop.

The au involves loony-toon-esque gags where Firestar and Leopardstar have to hide in the bushes and follow Mothpool on a date to make sure nobody sees them. Whenever someone passes by they beat the shit out of them till they pass out, hide them in a bush, and keep following.

[troutfur]

apple pie and calamari? - @badgerstep

Apple Pie: What was your first OTP?

JAYPOPPY! ❤️ The het ship monogamous that has my whole heart. ❤️

Calamari: What is one ship that you used to support, but not anymore? Why?

I used to think Squirrelcrow was conceptually interesting but I've soured on every single Squirrelflight ship after seeing the boyfriend fo the week cycle repeat with her a few times. Now I am firmly on camp Leave Her Alone Once And For All!

[foxstride]

what happens if an intended carrier dies before they can have a litter? - @badgerstep

Oooh I love this question! I've been thinking about this all day. Thank you!

I think there are two ways the Clans could react to this.

The Murder Victim

Let's say a carrier was murdered by a rogue. This would obviously be out of StarClan's paws. The same for if the carrier was killed by a Monster.

But what if a Clan cat murdered a carrier? The murderer would be committing one of the worst crimes amongst the Clans, landing them in the Dark Forest as soon as they died, and they'd (on being found out) be exiled from the Clans.

The Natural Death

Natural death here meaning any death caused by 'nature', whether sickness, a falling tree, fire, and more. If the cats are here praying to StarClan for fair weather, for help with sickness, and more, surely the carrier's death is because of StarClan? But why would they allow the death of the cat they've picked to be the carrier?

This would probably lead to one of two situations: (1) the Clans question StarClan's power, or (2) the medicine cats question StarClan.

In situation (1), StarClan turn from omniscient cats into just ancestors who can't actually affect anything. This brings into question all sorts, including the covering of the moon and thus the truce at the full moon.

In situation (2), the medicine cats could reject StarClan. Why would they pick a carrier only for that carrier to die? Can they be trusted to guide and care for the Clans if this happens?

Depending on the Clans and medicine cats, it could result in going back to the status quo after some time or it could begin seasons of rejecting StarClan.

If it happened with Yellowfang and Splinterpaw's time, Splinterpaw would jump on the chance to question StarClan's power and reject StarClan. If StarClan isn't powerful, he doesn't have to be a medicine cat because it doesn't matter that he was born to be a medicine cat. Yellowfang would definitely reject StarClan herself, putting her through that pain and stress.

[murkshade]

going home

[heelcody]

I THINK ACTUALLY I ENDED UP USING ALL OF THESE....my McNamara looks a lot like Redpelt. Nixon is Badgerstep. Castro is fuck I forgot my own characters name.....Carpstar???? i feel like I might have changed it though

fun fact about Asterstar's original design: in high school I drew a bunch of Black Ops zombies characters as warrior cats and I ended up using my design for JFK for Asterstar a bit later down the line.......i think I still have my original pen doodles hold on

[m1smatched-starsigns]

hi im so unwell for your blackstar fic and looking forward to more 💖💖💖💖 - @badgerstep

hi I was sweating blood drops writing most of this fic so I APPRECIATE IT 💗💗💗

[we-rate-warrior-names]

I picked a few of the cats of Neko Atsume to rate the names ! There they dont have genders, only personality and power so you can assume anything you want about them. The cats are Moondust (Expensive taste personality) , Shadowstinger ( Peculiar ) , Badgerstep (Adventurous), Sweetfur (Innocent) , Frostspirit (Named Frosty by the game, sensitive) and Snowstomach ( TUBBS )

Moondust - A proud and cheerful cat. Moondust loves having the best, and unless they absolutely have to they won’t settle for anything less than their ideal standard, they often joke around about these habits, they are self aware about their preferences. Moondust often brims with optimism and they always seem to have a spring in their step whenever they go on a patrol, and they always seem to have a story to share. They are great at entertaining apprentices, often organising friendly competitions between them, these competitions are often hunting, and Moondust will always keep any prey that is to their standard and greatly praise the apprentice that caught it, 15/10

Shadowstinger- A skilful and thoughtful cat. Shadowstinger is regarded to be a little bit of an oddball, and they are fine with that. Shadowstinger will often spend their nights gazing unblinkingly at the stars and moon, and will occasionally mumble random things during conversations, many cats suspect that Shadowstinger has a special connection to StarClan, Shadowstinger certainly won’t confirm or deny these rumours though. Shadowstinger is a highly precise and powerful fighter, and are always chosen to be on battle patrols, but they don’t take pride in their skillset, it is what it is and they are content allowing these skills to help their clanmates, 15/10

Badgerstep - An adventurous and confident cat. Badgerstep loves to explore, clan boundaries are seen more as guidelines to them rather that things that must be enforced, they will often come and go as they please when they don’t have anything better to do, and no amount of criticism or punishment can deter them, and they have become very experienced in talking their way out of things, although they will never say no to a fight. Badgerstep always acts like they know exactly what they are doing and that they are supposed to be places where they clearly shouldn’t be, they never cause any harm to other clans or outsiders, they just like seeing what the world has to offer, 14/10

Sweetfur - A kind and thoughtful cat. Sweetfur is extremely innocent, they always sees the best in things and is endlessly kind and optimistic, often leading their clanmates to try and shield them as much as possible from any kind of hurt, Sweetfur is a beacon of positivity in the clan and they want to help them stay that way. Sweetfur always tries to do their best to help out their clanmates, and will often think long and hard to figure out solutions to help out their clan, 13/10

Frostspirit- An introverted and gentle cat. Frostspirit doesn’t speak too much, even to their own kin, they just tend to observe, this is mainly because they don’t trust themselves not to break down and lose confidence when talking, so they much prefer to keep quiet. Frostspirit tends to stay away from fighting whenever possible, they don’t like seeing other cats on pain, and they always ensure they always kill their prey as quickly and painlessly as possible, thanking them for their sacrifice as they do so. Whenever they hear of a cat’s death, they will always keep vigil, even if that cat was not of their own clan, they value the life of every cat and every loss saddens them, even if they never knew the cat that died, 15/10

Snowstomach - A cheerful and relaxed cat. Snowstomach takes life at their own pace, they never like to rush anything and will always have a story to tell, usually a humorous one, leading patrols with them to often be seen as relaxing and even fun. Snowstomach will always share a meal with another cat, they hate eating alone, and they often go to eat with the elders, they are fascinated by what they have to say, and Snowstomach always fills them in on the latest harmless gossip within the clan. Whenever Snowstomach isn’t on duty or eating, they will be often found lying in the same spot they have found for themselves within the camp, often snoozing on their back, and they often take quite a bit of convincing to get back up unless there is an emergency, 15/10

[bonefall]

clanmew day! here are the names of the main characters of the wc fic i’m working on, translated roughly into clanmew

strikestar - kachkushai, “will-strike-with-a-claw-star,” BUT this is temporary. i really want her name to translate to “lightning-striking-star” but i couldn’t find a verb for that on the doc. substituting the strike- i want for an acceptable strike- in the meantime, haha.

flashfire - swafkafyar, “spreading-wildfire.” i wanted to communicate the sudden growth of a vast flame, and swaf- was the best for communicating flash- in my mind. i could have chosen one of the light source words but i like the synergy of these two.

quickwater - prriprrarosha, “fast, heavy sloshing water” - definitely wanted to communicate the image of whitewater rapids with this. i think “prrirosh” would also be a cute nickname for this character (not that he lets anyone but one person call him that)

billowpaw - ssehpwyr, “steam-paw.” the reason for choosing “billow” as her prefix was specifically to evoke the image of water vapor rising and sseh- really nails that one down. (was really excited to see you add your own billowpaw to BB! twins!)

stoneswoop - karkfe, “precarious broken stone.” he was named that bc his leader Despises Him but needed to have him around to boost numbers, but resents his apparent weakness and anticipates a definite fall from grace. i couldn’t quite find a word that translates to -swoop exactly, but i think this works. translator might have gone with stoneswoop over rockfall for a little more nuance or maybe just finding the alliteration more pleasing to the ear. who knows. (not me and i write the damn thing)

silver - she deliberately doesn’t change her name to fit in with clan life so it’s not ssoen, i think it’s just silver with a clanmew accent, so sylvar.

how’d i do? :) thanks again for putting so much love into clanmew! it’s been really inspiring to me and it’s always a delight to read. love ur blog and ur creative work! - @badgerstep

Excellent work!! I always appreciate the translations that try to nail a "vibe" in the Clanmew, like Swarfkafyar. I'm also very fond of Karkfe, it's fun to see names that invoke a lot more than the translation quite gets, I love the image of a broken stone that's teetering on the edge of a precipice, like a reminder that he's on thin ice.

Strikestar

According to what you're wanting with the name, this is going to have a WHOLE connotation. There is a verb in Clanmew that means "struck by lightning"-- and its direct translation is "Smite."

Clan cats believe that to be struck by lightning is StarClan getting so mad they straightup delete your little kitty butt. You don't have to be DIRECTLY struck either. Mudclaw was smote by the island bridge, when the base of the tree was struck by lightning.

So if her name was Struck-by-lightning-star, it would be Bchyywshai!

(btw this word is pronounced like... BKHEWW, it mimics the clap of thunder right after a nearby lighting strike. CH as in Loch.)

Swoop

This one DOES translate directly if you'd like! (tho I'd absolutely keep Karkfe.)

There are two types of swoops. There's the swoop of a predator, and the swoop of prey. Clan cats have a TON of verbs dedicated to describing the movements of birds specifically, because they're both hunters AND prey themselves and really need to describe the various ways these animals move.

The one that was used in Acorn Swoop's name is the swoop of a predator.

Swoop (of predator) = Hasoosoo/Hasoos/Hasoo When a predator swoops, it is diving at a target. There is a goal in mind. This is important because if you "duck" when a hawk comes at you like any other flying projectile, you're dead. Acorn Swoop's name, Kong Hasoos, became the word for predatory swooping exactly because of a raptor's use of prra. It's an admirable thing to be able to strike at exactly the right time and place. The exception to this verb being exclusive to predators is swallows, which swoop down to drink from the top of water. Clan cats give them this verb too because swallows are their beloved, special little guys who fly better than anything else.

Swoop (of prey) = Faasafaf/Faasafa/Faasaf Prey very rarely has the same "silent glide" that a deadly predator does, with much shorter wings better suited for quick takeoffs to escape. When they swoop down to look at something, you can still usually hear the flutter of a wingbeat. And it is mostly curiosity that a prey animal swoops with... OR insects. Things that are small, sometimes undetectable, and definitely not you. You are not the target.

Funny enough, Gullswoop's name in Clanmew is neither of these words.

Billow and Silver

Billow is simple. It's the slow, heavy movement of steam, smog, and smoke, especially from wood that is wet when burned.

Billowed/Billowing/Will Billow = Lofhwaol/Lofhwao/Lofhwa

Billowcloud's warrior name is going to be Lofhwaoharryr. Billowing-Fast-Moving-Cloud. Lofha for short!

And, lastly, Silver! That word approximated in a Clanmew accent drops the V! It would be Syylfr.

[heathfall]

🔥 whitewing

Not sure how much of a "hot" take this one is, but Whitewing should have been the fourth member of the Three over Firestar.

She'd have also been a GREAT choice for deputy in the latest arc.

I also think Birchfall and Ivypool training in the Dark Forest should have been more of a monumental thing for her to forgive. That could have been a stellar sideplot.

(@badgerstep has an absolutely STELLAR oneshot about that, actually. it's break it to me, break it to me softly and I consider it basically canon).

All in all, she's been shafted by the narrative at every step of the way. Less pronounced than cats like Leafpool or Squirrelflight but she deserves more.

Thank you for the ask!

[corbwhisker]

Missing something?

@currentfangs // @dapplecloud // @nicks-cats