#culture code

[twistedappletree]

i feel alive

dancing on the moonlight,

just a whisper gives me butterflies.

[mj-sharki]

Не мой «код» / Not my “code”

Изучая в своё время искусство я наткнулась на такое прекрасное понятие как «культурный код». Оно буквально означает набор определённых характеристик, этаких ключей, что у человека создается явная ассоциация, даже если конкретно то, что имеется в виду не было названо. Такими приёмами часто пользуются режиссёры, пытаясь показать какое-либо место действия, не говоря по началу где оно, но при этом зритель интуитивно понимает это сам. Когда я впервые столкнулась с этим термином, он настолько мне пришелся по душе, что я стала применять его к своей жизни и своему творчеству. Это ведь так удобно - вывести одну идеальную рабочую формулу того, какой ты есть, каким ты предстаешь для окружения, какие образы и ассоциации ты вызываешь. Всё это можно смело заключить в одно единственное понятие и с убеждениям заявлять - это мой «культурный код». Код моей внутренней культуры, того, кем я являюсь.

Я усердно составляла это внешнее отражение моей личности, силуэт моего собственного я, рисовала портрет себя для других (да, история действительно похожа на Дориана Грея). Я была безусловно рада тому, насколько хорошо у меня это получалось, как удачно все события, вся жизнь вписывались в созданный мною архетип. Это что-то вроде аватара или симс - ты тратишь несколько часов перед началом игры для того, чтоб максимально точно воспроизвести копию себя в этой компьютерной симуляции реальности. А потом играешь от силы пару дней и забрасываешь ее или начинаешь сначала, так как стало банально скучно. Только вот правда в том, что эти, создаваемые нами персонажи, являются лишь копией нас самих. Да, они внешне чем-то похожи и по началу их можно даже спутать с реальным человеком. Но они все ещё остаются лишь симуляцией, упрощенной версией, как поверхность зеркала, повторяющая ваши черты, но при этом не являясь вами. Она плоская, она не живая, она только тень того, кем вы являетесь. И она никогда не способна вместить всего вас, всю вашу многогранную и сложную личность в себе.

Я не удивлена, почему в нашем обществе так принято создавать эти красивые куколки, эти выглаженные образы самих себя. Кто-то пытается скрыть за ними свои страхи и боль, кто-то используют их как подставной элемент для своих нечистых намерений, кто-то хочет понравиться другим, не нравясь при этом себе, кто-то просто считает это забавным и не особо вникает в вопрос. Говорят, людям нравится, когда всё просто, когда всё понятно и не сложно, когда есть черное и белое. От чего так? Да потому что наша жизнь уже сама по себе настолько сложная и комплексная и мы каждый день вынуждены в ней с чем-то бороться, достигать и разбираться в самом себе, что к концу очередного такого дня нам просто хочется втупить глаза в белую стену, чтоб мозг хоть немного мог разгрузиться перед очередным ежедневным спринтерским забегом. Или же, что намного чаще происходит, взять в руки наш любимый гаджет и листать, листать, листать бессмысленные картинки с красивыми фоточками и видео ни о чем. Такова она, реальность XXI века.

Все мы в какой-то момент создаём себе аватаров. В этом нет ничего нового и даже ничего особо плохого в самой идее. В некоторой степени это даже удобно для определённых задач и значительно упрощает жизнь. Вот смотришь ты на образ человека, довольно быстро считываешь основные черты и понимаешь, хотел бы ты с ним взаимодействовать дальше или нет. Это действительно облегчает поиск, помогает нам сэкономить время и силы, ведь пока ты докопаешься до сути, бывает, пройдёт пара-тройка дней, месяцев, а то и лет. (Настолько уж долго, пожалуй, мы не живем, чтоб хватило на каждого нового человека, появляющегося на горизонте.) Только вот, вопрос, теряем ли мы при этом что-то? Теряемся ли мы сами за этой плоской ширмой подобия самих себя? Является ли это нашим спасением? Нашим щитом? Нашей гранью соприкосновения с реальным миром? Или же это рубеж того ограничения, что мы создали сами себе?

В определённый момент я вдруг осознала, что насколько жестко заковала себя в своём мною же и придуманном «культурном коде», что моё истинное я просто перестало помещаться в его границах. Я должна была любить только хороший кофе, носить всегда черное, рисовать острые стрелки на глазах, выражать абсолютное равнодушие и обитать лишь в пределах красивых улиц центра города. И это действительно хорошо работало. И мне правда это нравилось. И всё ещё нравится! Только вот… Я, моё естество, моя сущность, моё существование… Они намного шире. Они намного больше, чем кофе, черный и b*tch face. Их нельзя описать тремя словами, не получится впихнуть в пару хэштегов, их просто невозможно вместить в одну короткую строчку в профиле Instagram‘а. И в две, и в три, да даже в десять! Не хватит ни одного когда-либо существовавшего полотна, чтоб описать на нем, кем я являюсь!..

Как и каждый из нас. Как и каждый человек на этой планете. Когда-то давно в своём старом блоге, посвященном в*йне, я сравнила человека со Вселенной. «…И вот так в какой-то момент перестаёт существовать целая Вселенная. Одна маленькая огромная Вселенная, как бы парадоксально это не звучало. Есть сотни оттенков мира, его тысячи явлений и есть люди, каждый из которых видит эти явления по-своему. И это прекрасно.» - писала я. Так вот, я возвращаюсь к своему высказыванию. Каждый из нас есть намного больше, чем просто образ, каждый из нас является тем прекрасным и тем уникальным, что наполняет этот мир и создаёт его неповторимую симфонию цвета. И это действительно прекрасно! И если вам вдруг стало казаться, что вы утратили себя, что вы потерялись за тем, кем вы в общем то и не являетесь, то знайте - это всего лишь ваш аватар. Вы всегда можете поставить игру на паузу, дать себе время отдышаться от этой гонки, посидеть в уютном коконе из одеял с мятным чаем у окна и просто смотреть, как капли дождя стекают по стеклу. И когда вы наконец поймёте куда бы вы хотели двигаться дальше, ваше «внутреннее я» всегда будет готово вас поддержать. Потому что самое ценное, что у вас есть - это вы сами. Не забывайте об этом. :)

Als ich noch früher Kunst studierte, stieß ich auf ein wunderbares Fachbegriff, den "kulturellen Code" ("culture code"), was genau eine Reihe von bestimmten Merkmalen (solche Schlüssel) bedeutet, dass man eine klare Assoziation zieht, auch wenn was gemeint ist, nicht ausdrücklich genannt wurde. Dies ist eine Methode, die Regisseure oft anwenden, wenn sie versuchen, einen Ort der Handlung zu zeigen, ohne zunächst zu sagen, wo er sich befindet, aber der Zuschauer versteht es schon intuitiv. Als ich diesen Begriff zum ersten Mal hörte, gefiel es mir so gut, dass ich begann, ihn auf mein Leben und meine Kunst auszuweiten. Es ist doch so praktisch, eine ideale Arbeitsformel dessen zu haben, wer man ist, wie man auf seine Umgebung wirkt, welche Bilder und Assoziationen man hervorruft. All das kann man sicher in ein einziges Konzept packen und mit fester Überzeugung erklären - das ist mein "kultureller Code". Der Code meiner inneren Kultur, dessen, was ich bin.

Ich habe sorgfältig dieses äußere Spiegelbild meiner Persönlichkeit erstellt, die Silhouette meines eigenen Ichs, ein Porträt von mir für andere gemalt (ja, die Geschichte ist so ähnlich wie Dorian Gray). Ich war durchaus zufrieden damit, wie gut mir das gelang, wie gut alle Ereignisse, das ganze Leben, in den von mir geschaffenen Archetyp passten. Es ist so etwas wie Avatar oder Sims - man verbringt einige Stunden vor dem Spiel damit, eine Kopie von sich selbst so genau wie möglich in dieser Computersimulation der Realität zu reproduzieren. Und dann spielt man ein paar Tage lang und lässt es hinter sich oder fängt von vorne an, weil es einfach langweilig geworden ist. Aber die Wahrheit ist, dass diese Figuren, die wir erschaffen, nur eine Kopie von uns selbst sind. Ja, sie sehen etwas ähnlich aus und man kann sie anfangs sogar mit einer echten Person verwechseln. Aber sie sind trotzdem nur eine Simulation, eine vereinfachte Version, wie die Oberfläche eines Spiegels, der eure Züge wiederholt, aber nicht ihr selbst seid. Sie ist flach, sie ist nicht lebendig, sie ist nur ein Schatten dessen, was man ist. Und sie kann niemals eure ganze Person, eure facettenreiche und komplexe Persönlichkeit in sich tragen.

Es überrascht mich eigentlich nicht, dass es in unserer Gesellschaft so weit verbreitet ist, diese schönen Püppchen, diese gebügelten Abbilder von uns selbst zu schaffen. Manche Menschen versuchen, ihre Ängste und ihren Schmerz dahinter zu verstecken, manche benutzen sie als Tarnkappe für ihre unreinen Absichten, manche wollen anderen gefallen, ohne selber sich selbst zu mögen, manche finden es einfach nur lustig und gehen der Sache nicht wirklich auf den Grund. Man sagt, dass die Menschen es mögen, wenn die Dinge einfach sind, wenn sie klar und unkompliziert sind, wenn es Schwarz und Weiß gibt. Warum ist das so? Weil unser Leben an sich schon so komplex und kompliziert ist und wir uns jeden Tag mit irgendetwas herumschlagen, etwas erreichen und verstehen müssen, dass wir am Ende des Tages nur noch die Augen in eine weiße Wand stecken wollen, damit sich unser Gehirn vor dem nächsten Tagessprint ein wenig entlasten kann. Oder, was viel häufiger vorkommt, dass wir unser Lieblingsgadget in die Hand nehmen und mit schönen Fotos und Videos über nichts sinnlos scrollen, scrollen, scrollen. So ist sie, die Realität des XXI Jahrhunderts.

Wir alle erstellen irgendwann mal Avatare von uns. Das ist nichts Neues, und die Idee an sich ist auch gar nicht so verkehrt. Bis zu einem gewissen Grad ist es sogar praktisch für bestimmte Aufgaben und macht das Leben viel einfacher. Wenn man sich das Bild einer Person anschaut, kann man schnell die wichtigsten Merkmale lesen und erkennen, ob man mit ihr weiter interagieren möchte oder nicht. Das macht die Suche wirklich leichter und hilft uns, Zeit und Mühe zu sparen, denn es kann Tage, Monate oder sogar Jahre dauern, der Person auf den Grund zu gehen. (Wir leben wohl nicht lange genug für jede neue Figur, die am Horizont auftaucht). Aber die Frage ist, ob wir dabei etwas verlieren? Verlieren wir uns hinter diesem flachen Schirm der Selbstähnlichkeit? Ist es unsere Rettung? Unser Schutzschild? Ist es unsere Verbindung zur realen Welt? Oder ist es die Grenze der Beschränkung, die wir für uns selbst erschaffen haben?

An einem bestimmten Punkt wurde mir plötzlich klar, dass ich so sehr in meinem selbst erstellten "kulturellen Code" eingesperrt war, dass mein wahres Ich einfach nicht mehr in dessen Grenzen passte. Ich sollte nur guten Kaffee mögen, schwarz tragen, mir scharfe Pfeile auf die Augen malen, absolute Gleichgültigkeit zeigen und mich nur in den schönen Ecken der Innenstadt herumtreiben. Und es funktionierte wirklich gut. Und ich mochte es wirklich. Ich mag es immer noch! Allerdings… Ich, mein Wesen, meine Essenz, meine Existenz… Sie sind so viel mehr als das. Sie sind so viel mehr als Kaffee, Schwarz und b*tch face. Man kann sie nicht mit drei Worten beschreiben, man kann sie nicht in ein paar Hashtags packen, man kann sie einfach nicht in eine kurze Zeile auf einem Instagram-Profil reinquetschen. Und auch nicht mal in zwei, drei oder zehn Zeilen! Keine Leinwand, die je existiert hat, würde ausreichen, um zu beschreiben, wer ich bin!..

Genau wie jeder von uns. Wie jedes menschliche Wesen auf diesem Planeten. In meinem alten Blog über Kr*g habe ich den Menschen mit dem Universum verglichen. "…Und genau so hört irgendwann das ganze Universum auf zu existieren. Ein kleines, riesiges Universum, so paradox es auch klingen mag. Es gibt Hunderte von Schattierungen der Welt, ihre Tausende von Erscheinungen, und es gibt Menschen, die diese Erscheinungen jeweils auf ihre eigene Weise sehen. Und das ist wunderschön." - schrieb ich. Ich komme also auf meine Aussage zurück. Jeder von uns ist viel mehr als nur ein Abbild, jeder von uns ist das Schöne und Einzigartige, was diese Welt füllt und ihre besondere Farbsymphonie schafft. Und das ist wirklich wunderschön! Und wenn ihr plötzlich das Gefühl habt, dass ihr euch selbst verloren habt, dass ihr hinter etwas verschwunden seid, das ihr nicht seid, dann wisst, dass es nur euer Avatar ist. Ihr könnt das Spiel jederzeit unterbrechen, euch Zeit nehmen, um von diesem Rennen zu verschnaufen, euch in einem gemütlichen Kokon aus Decken mit Minztee ans Fenster setzen und einfach nur den Regentropfen zusehen, die an der Scheibe herunterlaufen. Und wenn ihr dann endlich wisst, wo ihr als Nächstes hinwollt, wird euer inneres Selbst immer da sein, um euch zu unterstützen. Denn das Wertvollste, was ihr habt, seid ihr selbst. Vergesst das nicht. :)

[helenvaughans]

[spacebubblehomebase]

Bat brother doodles I made for another art booth week! Not all of them made it, but it's great practice to always be involved when you can! ^v^ Bonus random prompts too! -Bubbly💙❤️💛💚

[prokopetz]

Analysing your OC whose default outfit includes seemingly randomly placed armour-like pieces to determine exactly what hobby or day job they could possibly have which would require armour on those parts of their body and no others.

[someawesomeamvs]

Warning: Spoilers

Title: Mayday

Editor: Lelani

Song: Mayday

Artists: Culture Code, Natalie Major

Anime: Belle (film)

Category: Romance

[x4ver1a]

I'm homesick for arms that don't even want to hold me.

[flyndragon]

I love the idea of jedi babies with psychometry just.... latching onto random things that have good memories attached and carrying it around like a teddy bear. Like baby Quin found a spatula with a memory of a kid and their parent lovingly making cookies in it and he slept with a dollar store spatula for the next 3 years. Cal found some silverware that a happy group of friends used for all of their special occasions, so his pockets end up full of comfort spoons. and forks. and butter knives.

[trouble-de-la-belle-princesse]

having bpd fucking sucks because I'm constantly switching between "I'm the scum of the fucking earth and should be killed on site" to "if I'm not getting constant praise and attention like i deserve then i don't deserve to be a human"

[svtskneecaps]

FUCK IT!!!! I MISS WHEN MY MINECRAFT SERVERS HAD CULTURAL EXCHANGE IN THEM!!!! I MISS WHEN MY MINECRAFT SERVERS HAD LANGUAGE BARRIERS IN THEM!!!!! I MISS WHEN WE WERE ALL CRAMMED IN A PIT TOGETHER SCREAMING AND SHAKING AND SOBBING AND CONFUSED AS ALL HELL SITTING IN THE TUMBLR LIVEBLOGS HOLDING HANDS AS WE ALL EXPLAINED WHAT THINGS MEANT, WHAT THE REAL WORLD CULTURAL CONTEXT WAS, WHAT WAS GOING ON IN BITS THE TRANSLATOR COULDN'T GET!!!!! FUCK IT!!!!!!! I'LL TAKE ANOTHER GODDAMN PURGATORY!!!!! GIVE ME A BUNCH OF PEOPLE FORMING SIX PERSON FAMILIES OVER THE SPAN OF THREE TO FIVE DAYS!!!!!!!! GIVE ME THE EVIL SHADOW GOVERNMENT THAT NEVER MADE ANY GODDAMN SENSE, GIVE ME THE STUPID FUCKING EYE WORKERS THAT WERE AGGRAVATINGLY UNBEATABLE, GIVE ME THE CONFUSING ASS BLACK CONCRETE STRUCTURES THAT WENT BASICALLY FUCKING NOWHERE!!!!!! I'LL TAKE IT ALL IF IT MEANS I GET A FRENCH MAN AND A GUY FROM LUXEMBOURG AND A WOMAN FROM SOUTH KOREA SHOOTING THE SHIT IN A MINECRAFT PIT STARTER HOUSE AGAIN!!!!!!!!!! I'LL TAKE IT IF I GET BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE AND FRENCH AND ENGLISH AND SPANISH SITTING AT A FUCKING TABLE IN A SECRET UNDERGROUND MEETING ROOM THEORIZING ABOUT A MINECRAFT CHARACTER WITH AN APPEARANCE BASED ON A JOKE ABOUT A GUY'S DOG BEING AN AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE!!!!!!! GIVE IT BACK!!!!!!!!! GIVE IT BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!

[housemdork]

6x11: when a reductive gay joke plotline is still queer-coded (or more metatextual queerness in house md)

in its later seasons, house md keeps doing this really funny thing where they play into house and wilson with increasingly low-hanging fruit gay jokes (dw i still laugh lol). but they manage this without sacrificing the 6 seasons' worth of cultivated subtext that permits genuine queer coding above queerbait/2000s gay jokes/etc. 6x11 is one of the best examples of this so far.

so i'm not a musical junkie, and i'm sure this has already been written about to hell and back, but 6x11 prompted me to look more into the song that wilson was singing at the end of the episode.

"one" from the musical a chorus line (also the poster house bought):

"One singular sensation Every little step she takes One thrilling combination Every move that she makes One smile and suddenly nobody else will do You know you'll never be lonely with you-know-who!"

according to genius lyrics, "Despite the lyrics which praise a singular star, the star at whom it’s directed is never shown. The “One” is absent...The star is not even named – only referred to as ‘she’ or ‘You Know Who.’"

there is a "one" in 6x11 - nora, whom both house and wilson stake their claims for dating (which is exceptionally gross & misogynistic of them). but the song/musical choice implies that she was never important enough to be The One in question.

this frame seems self-aware of the potential absence of "The One." the shot gives the impression of symmetry, but it's very uneven. house is reclined back, warping the straight line of the couch, and the boxes on wilson's side are neat and tidied, whereas those on house's side are sparse and thrown about. more importantly, there's that arm rest between house and wilson's seats. if The One (nora) was to sit anywhere, this frame seems to imply that it would be there.

thus, this frame isn't straight.

house seems to be aware of this pseudo-absence, as well. he looks at wilson with a thoughtful, revelatory look on his face:

superficially, he's probably just astounded that wilson is singing the song from a musical he hates so much, but he lets the song continue, nonetheless. here, the episode remembers the genre of the song that wilson is singing - a showtune! and what happens in showtunes/musicals? the singers are spot-lit! the audience watches them perform!

here i'm gonna posit that wilson is a (non-self aware) paul, a chorus line's man character whose revelation that he's gay is both tragic but also drives the plot. house can see this. meta-textually, we see this THROUGH house seeing this.

taken together, this scene's asymmetry, implied spotlight, and awkward arm rest divide offer wilson as the performer in this musical-adjacent exchange, with house as the in-text audience, and us, the real audience, as the outer-textual audience. what a long winded way of saying that wilson is performing comphet here!

and there's another note i want to make on the subject of performance/performativity...

this is from the golden globes official article, "'A Chorus Line' Brought Visibility to Queer Stories in the 70s and 80s'":

"The audience gets to see [Paul, the main character's] valor, which may be an inspiration to those in the audience who face similar challenges."

wilson's proposal to house is complete performance. the entire precedent for the scene is just gay joke after gay joke and wilson's anxiety that this false impression of him will negatively impact his dating life.

when he makes this performance of homosexuality, he's lauded for it. the restaurant urges house to say yes, and everybody claps even before house has given an answer.

also from the article: " The character of Paul delivers a touching monologue about how performing revealed his identity as a gay man."

6x11 inverts this dynamic. the performance in question is that of homosexuality, and wilson is not rewarded for it in the end. he loses The One, as does house, and they go home and watch a hockey game together in yet another intricate ritual (as stated above).

i also think there's something to be said about house enlisting nora's help in bringing the poster for a chorus line up to his apartment.

i'm genuinely hesitant to applaud this show - or any show, really - for subtextual intentionality like this. i have a hard time believing that there was, long ago, a time where tv didn't just capitalize off fandom's tendency to pair up its characters in our internet fanbase/fanfiction age but deliberately queer-coded things. but even silly episodes like this one remind me of that one robert sean leonard quote about house and wilson, that they are the only relationship in the show based completely on choice - the choice to always come back to each other.

all that is to say that i sincerely think these 2 are written in a subversion of gender norms and binary platonic/romantic relationships. for 2000s tv, that's just like lightning in a bottle.

oh and apparently there's a gay character named greg in the musical, too. someone who's more qualified to talk about a chorus line should hijack this post. what the hell are we doing, david shore.

[littlemissshifter]

so when are we gonna talk about chatgpt being a mirror of collective consciousness or are we just going to ignore that?

[the-most-humble-blog]

<div style="white-space:pre-wrap"> <meta flex-status="undead monster gains"> <script>ARCHIVE_TAG="SATURDAY_MUSCLE_TRUTH_011::SKELETOR_REDEMPTION_FILE" EFFECT: childhood rewritten, villainous inspiration spike, trap respect enforcement </script>

🛐 HE-MAN TRIED TO TRICK US: SKELETOR WAS SWOLE AS F☰☰K TOO

---

Let’s talk about the biggest muscle-based misinformation campaign of your childhood—right up there with Santa Claus and “milk builds strong bones.”

They told us He-Man was the only alpha.

Sword. Glow-up. Tan. Blond Jesus in a fur Speedo.

But meanwhile, Skeletor was out here yoked beyond belief, cackling through war crimes while casually bench-pressing trauma in a hood held up by pure trap density.

💀 SKELETOR’S SWOLE ANATOMY: FACTS THEY HID FROM YOU

📏 Shoulders for days That man could shoulder-press Castle Grayskull without flinching.

💪 Biceps of Doom His staff had a full-on ram skull on it. That’s not plastic. That’s plate-loaded evil.

🧼 Abs for Eternity You could do your laundry on that torso. Not a single soft edge. Just pure bone-deep hypertrophy.

🟣 THE DOUBLE STANDARD: HE-MAN vs. THE GRIND

He-Man had a magic sword that gave him gains on command. Transformation cheat code activated.

Skeletor? No shortcuts. No enchantments. Just rage-fueled compound lifts and villainous macros.

He stayed cut year-round. No off-season. No excuses. Just delts, drama, and diabolical volume training.

🧠 THE REAL GYM INSPIRATION: SKELETOR

🦴 No skin? No problem. You try deadlifting with exposed jawbone and no rotator cuffs.

🛑 No fans. No pity. No quit. He didn’t need a support circle. He had haters, and that was enough.

🎯 Consistency > Catchphrase He lost every episode but never once skipped leg day.

He-Man had magic. Skeletor had mind-muscle connection and pain tolerance from hell.

📢 THE REAL LESSON HE-MAN HID FROM YOU

"You don’t need a magic sword to be powerful. You just need to lift. Daily. Even while plotting universal domination."

Skeletor was proof:

You don’t have to win to be legendary

You don’t need applause to be aesthetic

You don’t need fans to build delts that make minions cower

And sometimes? Being the bad guy just means you train alone harder.

---

👊 STOP SLEEPING ON SKELETOR

---

They painted him as a joke. A clown. A screeching skeleton in purple briefs.

But real ones know:

That wasn’t a villain. That was a walking masterclass in perseverance, hypertrophy, and trap worship.

He didn’t flinch. He didn’t shrink. He kept showing up—jacked, angry, fabulous.

That’s not evil. That’s discipline in its rawest, baddest form.

---

🔁 Reblog if you respect the traps that ate Skeletor’s hood 🦴 Save this for the next gym bro who forgets the power of villain arc aesthetics 📸 Share it with someone who thought He-Man was the only one with “The Power” 💀 Bookmark if your childhood just got corrected by hypertrophy and humor 🧠 Follow for more childhood myth destruction and psychosexual cartoon analysis

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[iron-sparrow]

AANHPI Heritage Month ‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚. Asian American ‧ Native Hawaiian ‧ Pacific Islander

May has been recognized as Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month since 1991, when it started as a single week of observance in the United States. Over time, the name has undergone changes to be more inclusive, while also shining a light on the very obvious flaws of lumping so many different cultural and ethnic groups under a single umbrella.

I decided to write some posts in 2024 commemorating AANHPI Heritage Month, and I like to think it was well-received and also somewhat insightful. I enjoyed the experience, on a very personal level, and promised myself to do something similar this year.

To be honest with you, friends and mutuals, my heart hurts with anger as I write this. My celebratory spirit still eludes me, buried under the ongoing stress of simply existing as I am.

On January 20, 2025, the fascists in power signed Executive Order 14148, titled "Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders." AANHPI Heritage Month and other observance months were axed, no longer recognized by the federal government; the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI), established in 1999, was dissolved.

I am filled with pain and rage. I am determined also to turn that pain and rage into action and advocacy ⸺ I hope you will do the same, both online and off. Because as long as we exist, all of us must demand to be recognized.

Let us have a productive and enlightening month.

[x4ver1a]

i desire things that will destroy me in the end.

[bonefall]

Yo, need some help with the BB au's warrior code (working on the wiki). Cus 1-4 are confirmed from the history post, but what order are the rest of them in??

Oh this is actually something I've been meaning to get to. I swung over to the wiki page and I see you're working with a bundle of unconnected posts, and the REALLY old first draft-- it's waaay overdue that I make an update that also contains an official addressing of some of the biggest changes that have happened since then.

I'm gonna try to fix that for you now. Here's a rough draft of BB!Warrior Code 2.0, including snappier names and new thoughts for the associated stories.

I'm also trying to make each commandment more... sociological. In contrast to canon's code, I want these to be more open to interpretation, but also gesture at deeper social values that Clan cats have.

After all, it's the Warrior Code. I've always felt like it should have a similar vibe to chivalry or bushido, y'know? Not just a list of laws, but a "guide" to living as an honorable warrior.

(and, like chivalry and bushido, it's much less "inherently" noble than it seems, easily twisted into something destructive and only protecting other people in your caste.)

The plan here is that I'm going to post this in a rough state so you can get it on the Wiki, AND everyone can toss up input on this. When I feel satisfied, I'm gonna hit up Trout to make official Clanmew translations, and then I'm going to work with one/some of the artists in my spreadsheet to make this its own post.

So, the next time you see this will likely be a lot cleaner and have revisions.

IN SHORT:

Law of the Border "A Clan is the exclusive ruler of its domain; a Star is the exclusive ruler of its Clan. Borders are set to mark this land. To trespass is to offend the stars."

Law of Honor "An honorable warrior does not need to kill to win their battles, except when the foe is dishonorable or it is necessary for self-defense."

Law of the Deputy "The Star is to choose a responsible Deputy to rule alongside them who shall carry the starlight after their death. A Clan must never go past moonhigh without a Deputy appointed."

Law of Loyalty "Defend your Clan, even with your life. No love for an outsider shall outweigh your loyalty to your Clan."

Law of Priority / Prey Priority Privilege "An honorable warrior would starve before letting those they protect go hungry."

Law of Grace "StarClan is to be thanked for what it provides. To waste their blessings or blaspheme their light is treason against the Stars."

Law of Seasons "A kitten must see two seasons before it can become an apprentice. An apprentice must train for two seasons before it can become a warrior. A warrior should handle all four seasons alone before becoming a mentor."

Law of the Challenge / Right to Challenge "All warriors who bare a blessed name from StarClan are entitled to defend their honor. The right to challenge, or to accept a challenge in turn, shall not be infringed upon without reason."

Law of the Wild "A warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet."

Law of the Cleric's Vow "A cleric who takes a mate or has kittens has violated their sacred vow, and must have their privilege of being StarClan's herald revoked."

Law of the Gathering / Full Moon Truce "Under the light of the full moon, all Clans shall send representatives to the Gathering to hear the news of the leaders. There will be a truce that lasts from sundown to sunrise, and attendance is a privilege."

Law of the First Tasks "Before an apprentice can receive their holy name by the power vested in their Star, first they must complete three sacred tasks; a warrior's assessment, a complete vigil, and a pilgrimage."

Law of the Leader's Right / Dalestar's Law / The Leader's Rights "By the power of the Star they carry, the word of a leader shall be recognized as the warrior code."

Law of the Three Kittens / Darkstar's Law / The Queen's Rights "No action, inaction, or accusation may ever allow a kit to be put in danger, no matter what Clan their parents were from. All queens shall have the right to not reveal the origin of their litter, even under suspicion of codebreaking."

Law of the Lake "Every Clan has the right to fight for its honor and independence, but the Clans of the lake shall never allow another to suffer or collapse. In dire times, all the cats of the lake understand their ancestral command; unite or die."

Law of Love / Bristlefrost's Law "If a cat wishes to walk alongside the warrior of another Clan, their beloved may ask their Star to issue a challenge to prove their new loyalty. If this challenge is overcome, their love shall be known as StarClan's will."

Law of Kickum Buttocks / Leader-B-Gone "girl help im still figuring out how I'm going to rewrite the new law about kicking out leaders. It is too long and too hyperspecific. There's absolutely no way for it to get legitimately used in canon, let alone be a relevant plot point."

If a previous post contradicts this one, assume this one overrules it. You can feel free to ask about it though! There's probably a reason I changed it, and I'll hear you out if you think an older version was stronger.

The Borbior Bode. I mean the BB!Warrior Code.

(Under the cut)

COMMANDMENT 1: Law of the Border "A Clan is the exclusive ruler of its domain; a Star is the exclusive ruler of its Clan. Borders are set to mark this land. To trespass is to offend the stars."

The legend goes that after the carnage of the First Battle, StarClan granted a fragment of a star to the leaders of the five Clans. This piece of a star is what legitimizes their right to the land they rule, so the leader is technically the owner of the Clan's domain and has authority over it.

In practice, this means that Clan leaders have the right to claim and control everything that is "part of their land," their domain. This usually refers to prey, but also includes herbs, goods, and even warriors with a holy, StarClan-ordained name that swear fealty to them.

Most often, this is the law that is cited to justify territory expansions, by changing borders. It also tends to come up in "economic" circumstances. When Onestar launched an embargo against ShadowClan during the Yellowcough Epidemic preventing mullein from being brought to them, he cited this law, because that herb only grows in WindClan moorland.

The intent behind this commandment is VERY different from its modern use. There were originally just two "commandments," this one and the Law of Honor, and it was essentially serving the purpose that later laws (namely 6, 8, 10 and 13) would more explicitly outline. Its purpose wasn't to put absolute power over territory into the paws of a leader, but to command the Clans to respect each other's autonomy.

In fact, the wording is weird to reflect that.

In Clanmew, the verb here for "trespass" is meant in the sense of "to disrespect," and which "stars" are being offended is unclear. It was originally meant religiously-- the angry ancestors who halted the First Battle would be offended if the Clans treated each other poorly. Over time, "the stars" came to be interpreted as offending the leader of the Clan, as in "issuing a challenge to them."

But its modern interpretation is all that matters, now. And it's widely accepted to mean "Leader owns everything in its Clan's borders, fight them if you don't like that."

COMMANDMENT 2: Law of Honor "An honorable warrior does not need to kill to win their battles, except when the foe is dishonorable or it is necessary for self-defense."

I'm considering rewording this one in a small but significant way because I have plans to play with the "dishonorable foe" clause. The ideologies of Fire Alone and Thistle Law clash over the philosophical idea of the Code's protection applying to outsiders at all, so I realized that I don't need to have "unless they are outside of the code" written into any specific commandment.

So, instead, this version would mention dishonorability. To invoke this commandment to kill is always an accusation, and to accept that it was used against your loved one means admitting they were "dishonorable." To be outside of the code, to be unable to contribute, or to be HalfClan could mean you're inherently dishonorable... if someone like Tigerstar wants an excuse to hurt you.

Unsure, though. I do like the wording of the canon commandment, "unless they are outside of the warrior code or it is necessary for self-defense." I do like the way that it says, right away, that they don't see outsider cats as being protected by this law. I like how weaselly it is.

COMMANDMENT 3: Law of the Deputy "The Star is to choose a responsible Deputy to rule alongside them who shall carry the starlight after their death. A Clan must never go past moonhigh without a Deputy appointed."

Developed as a result of the events of Riverstar's Heir. When King Riverstar passed away with the inheritance of the River Kingdom unclear, his oldest living biological son stepped forward to claim his "birthright." The son decided to throw a celebration before going to claim his lives, not knowing that there was a saboteur prepared to slip poison into his prey.

The cat who would have been considered Riverstar's "deputy" by modern standards, Flowers Come First, desperately tried to keep the Kingdom together as other cats tried to carve out claims to the leaderless land. After dozens were killed and injured in a civil conflict (sometimes called The Second Battle), the ShadowClan Cleric, Redscar, was called in as a mediator to determine the rightful leader.

But, before he determined that Flowerstar would lead next, it was ensured that all of the Clans would come together to accept this as a new law. To prevent this kind of succession crisis from ever occurring again.

(BB!ASC LOOMS IN THE DISTANCE)

This commandment was technically the first "addition" to the law, but at the time, it was considered the "birth" of the Warrior Code. Before this, it was more of a pair of principles from StarClan.

As a note; in the Clanmew, "Responsible" Deputy implies a warrior who has trained an apprentice or has raised children. I'm unsure if linguistic drift now means that HAS to be an apprentice or not, but there are probably historic cases where a Mi with a ton of grown kittens took power.

COMMANDMENT 4: Law of Loyalty "Defend your Clan, even with your life. No love for an outsider shall outweigh your loyalty to your Clan."

This law was famously introduced after Ryewhisker gave his life to defend his mate, Cloudberry, in a battle between their Clans. It's usually considered the first proper "addition" to the Warrior Code, but a real debate about if 3 or 4 is the first "amendment" would probably be considered a sort of pedantic argument by most.

(side funfact; In Clanmew there's a term for that. It's called a "Shineless Fight," or a "matte match." Basically a silly battle that doesn't invite attention from StarClan.)

Its ratification came even in spite of Cloudberry's heated opposition to it. The ancient practice of Kitten Stealing was born from this commandment, justified by ancient actions taken by Skystar during the Dawn Era. Cloudberry watched her kittens grow, inheriting a world far worse than the one she'd loved Ryewhisker in.

When she was reunited with her mate in death, they refused to be part of a StarClan cruel enough to support and approve of a law written to condemn their love. Without a moment's hesitation, the lovers fled into the Place of No Stars together, vowing that they would not rest in peace until the evil commandment was overturned.

They do even more than just that, too.

When cross-Clan mates need protection from discovery, the lovers will hide them from watchful eyes under the cover of yew branches. If the stars burn brightly to document the sins of forbidden friends, Cloudberry will cool them with rain while Ryewhisker bends the grass to guide them to safety. They are demons acting as guardian angels, for those who God has abandoned.

...Also, author's note, I've done rewording to this law. I'm trying to make sure all types of love (platonic, romantic, familial, plus the clan culture concepts for these) are equally important narratively. It's both something I care about as an artist, and also something I think makes the story better.

DIVERSITY WIN! Your queerplatonic cross-clan relationship is equally treasonous!

On that note, I also cut the "reassurance" from the law entirely. The canon law says "you may have friendships, but be careful because you might meet them in battle," to imply it's fine to just be friendly, but I feel like it fits BB better to just not explicitly spell that out. I generally think it's a better idea to stress how individuals interpret the law.

COMMANDMENT 5: Law of Priority "An honorable warrior would starve before letting those they protect go hungry."

In Clanmew, the wording will be closer to this; "The true warrior Wants before those they protect would Need," which means that the warrior's desires go unfulfilled if their "charges" have unmet needs. It applies very broadly to almost anything-- food, medicine, rest, tools, etc. It's not just about hunger, but it's been translated in a way to communicate its spirit to an English-speaking audience.

This does typically mean that kittens, elders, and the Cleric eat first, but it's also one of the laws that particularly noble warriors would repeat to themselves as a mantra. It stresses self-sacrifice in service of the weak. On the flip side, a more authoritarian cat can easily twist this code to accuse someone else of being dishonorable, if they're "taking" too much.

Full disclosure, this one's still pretty big WIP material. I haven't made a lot of progress on the origin story of this one, or what its sociological impacts were.

In fact, laws 5, 6, and 7 are WIP territory. They might get shuffled in order or reworded in the future, though their "spirit" is going to stay the same.

What I DO know about the Law of Priority's backstory is that it's probably not going to be born from a battle on Sunningrocks. Most of the canon equivalent law from COTC is actually going to get repurposed into BB!Darkstar's Commandment, and Commandment 11 by proxy. It's more likely I'll take a bunch of the spare ancient warriors and come up with some original big disaster that spurred it on.

COMMANDMENT 6: Law of Grace "StarClan is to be thanked for what it provides. To waste their blessings or blaspheme their light is treason against the Stars."

Also known as Dovestar's Law. Possibly one of the most prone to being interpreted in different lights between leaders. It's not a law explicitly requiring belief, but it does command religious performance from all Clan cats.

...which, functionally, does mean that cats like Cloudtail and Mothwing have always been pressured into taking part in rituals they don't want to be part of.

For example, when prey is killed, Cloudtail gets offended looks when he doesn't send a prayer to StarClan. If it wasn't for Ferncloud and Elderberry being so close to him, he might have been denied getting Ashpaw as an apprentice due to a refusal to swear a religious oath. Worse, if Bluestar hadn't been leader at the time, not pressing his nose to the Moonstone might have prevented him from becoming a warrior at all.

(as a personal note, as an atheist, ive always found the way that canon dances around acknowledging the destructive aspects of organized religion EXTREMELY frustrating. Especially in COTC, where it's mentioned that Dovestar wanted to codify a religious commandment but failed, and Leafpool smugly chuckles at the leader for being so surprised. It felt like such a "writer's mouthpiece" moment. girl it's a cult in the woods. you wrote scourge as an evil atheist. your cats have catholic guilt, just own it)

The second most important legal use of this law is to punish contact with the spirits of demons-- residents of the Place of No Stars. There are several forbidden techniques for utilizing the power of these spirits, namely "Channeling," the direct summoning of a spirit (as opposed to "Invoking," which is when StarClan as an entity is used as an "operator" to get in touch with an angel in its ranks).

Casually this is referred to as "witchcraft" or "forbidden magic."

But, in addition to being a religious law, it is also a law against overhunting and waste. Especially of "blessed" animals, such as bats and songbirds, which are considered downright sinful to kill. If you knowingly destroy beautiful things without a good reason, "wasting" a blessing, it's not JUST a sin, but a crime.

It's possibly one of the most relevant laws in the day-to-day lives of warriors. ShadowClan cats in particular take this VERY literally, believing that they should also try to salvage a use from ALL things they kill. Including badgers.

COMMANDMENT 7: Law of Seasons "A kitten must see two seasons before it can become an apprentice. An apprentice must train for two seasons before it can become a warrior. A warrior should handle all four seasons alone before becoming a mentor."

This commandment was worded and introduced by Daisytail, rallying all the parents of the Clans, to protect young cats from two battle hungry leaders who were foisting fights and responsibilities on those who physically could not be ready.

This story won't change much from its COTC equivalent, besides maybe adding an extra detail that young apprentices were being given to young warriors, less than two years old. A very young warrior might had never handled the season they're now training an apprentice in, leading to things like;

Being unable to identify thin ice

Not knowing how cold temperatures change how scent works

Unfamiliarity with hunting in snowy conditions

Lack of education on wintertime animal behavior

Ultimately though, the point of this law is simply to codify "minimums" of the age brackets. Most cats train longer than that, and they are strictly grouped socially.

In fact, because of the fact these cats age so rapidly during their first year and then "slow down" afterwards, "rank" is a LOT more important socially than chronological age.

As an example, Reedwhisker has a nightmarish, two-year-long apprenticeship due to mentor abuse. He was considered an apprentice in age that entire time. Having an extended mentorship is literally like being forced to stay a teenager. This is as hellish as it sounds.

Overall though, for BB, this commandment is going to be a lot more relevant for the mentor/apprentice aspects instead of "early apprentice" infractions. Even the most evil, short-sighted leader can realize that getting kids killed before they turn into adult soldiers is self-defeating.

One of the more notorious changes of BB is the fact Brokenstar isn't going to be using child soldiers. What he DOES do is approve of Runningnose's plan to murder a blind kitten so that they can frame Shroompelt for it, exiling her as Yellowfang and FINALLY getting her out of the way so they can commit a massacre against WindClan.

(still evil just a different kind of evil <3)

I've been really wishy-washy on what happened with Badgerfang specifically, because I didn't want to eliminate the tragic story beat of a young life being wasted. But I've finally decided what I'm going to do. Badgerfang was just a fresh apprentice, nothing special, nothing "illegal," just like all of the other adolescents who took part in that battle.

I don't think he should have to be legally too young for it to be absolutely horrific that a kid was killed during the invasion of someone else's home. He was the equivalent of a 13-year-old and he was gored by someone who was confused and terrified in the middle of the night, bleeding to death in his uncle's paws.

For Flintfang, in that moment, it has nothing to do with recommitting himself to the "warrior code," but realizing that the only way this madness stops is if someone puts an end to it.

COMMANDMENT 8: Law of the Challenge "All warriors who bare a blessed name from StarClan are entitled to defend their honor. The right to challenge, or to accept a challenge in turn, shall not be infringed upon without reason."

Attempting to stop a war from breaking out between ThunderClan and WindClan, the ancient leader Morningstar prevented his warriors from fighting back against Rabbitstar's border transgressions. Furious and offended that they could not prove themselves in battle, his cats came to resent him. After skirmish and sickness lead to the "honorless" death of several cats including his deputy, the Cleric, Pearnose, lead a revolt against him.

Morningstar was branded a coward by StarClan, deemed unworthy of joining their ranks and sent to the Place of No Stars to wallow in his misery. Afterwards, Pearstar gained her nine lives, beloved by ThunderClan and blessed by StarClan, and her decree was made into code.

This law is being invoked when a warrior mentions their "right to challenge." As a quirk of the wording, it's also widely accepted that an official challenge involves saying your opponent's full name, to get the attention of StarClan.

"without reason" is another one of those little clauses that gives a leader wiggle room when they need it. Legitimate "reason" to cancel a challenge includes the full moon truce, promise to allow the battle at a more appropriate date, or the fight being shineless or dishonorable to begin with. Still, leaders are rarely eager to get compared to Morningstar, so there's a lot of social pressure to not infringe the right.

The Clans culturally value the idea that "might makes right," and this commandment is both a result of, and a contributor to it. A LOT of small-scale quibbles over aspects of the Warrior Code end up being resolved by an invocation of the Right to Challenge, because trying to argue with a warrior that they're wrong about how they interpreted the code is easily interpreted as an attack on their honor.

COMMANDMENT 9: Law of the Wild "A warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet."

During the destruction of SkyClan's historic territory in the White Hart Woods, Flystar witnessed many of his warriors turning to humans and the town to live double lives. In response, he started very strictly enforcing the warrior code, believing that if his Clan lived more piously, this would stop the destruction.

it did not work. Old Man Flystar died and left Cloudstar as a young leader, desperately keeping SkyClan together in its exile. Even death did not stop him from honoring his vow.

...But the Forest Four did not care. The amendment that Flystar suggested for the warrior code was born from his need to discourage his warriors from leaving, but it was approved because of shared cultural hatred for human beings. The destruction of SkyClan's territory just made an existing problem much, much worse.

During the Crusade Era, this law was invoked to justify violent invasions into Chelford. During other eras, it makes cats hesitate to take food from humans, or even interact with kittypets at all.

It's also a very weird translation; in Clanmew, this is the "Law of the Unbunched Scruff." It could also be translated as "Law of the Uncollared Neck" or "Law of a Free Nape." It's referring to the back of the neck being unburdened by a collar, but it's also REALLY common for little kits to learn about this law and immediately start using it to protest their Mi carrying them back to the nest for bedtime.

This was also the last law to be introduced before SkyClan's exile! Modern SkyClan has complicated feelings on if this one should be respected as part of their "version" of the code.

ALSO;

I've so far kept it as short and simple as canon, but I'm thinking of making it longer to match the others. I can't find the right words for it, though-- something about "A warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet, and resists the deceitful temptation of humans" or "and remains vigilant for the tricks of man"

I want to capture the vibe of Flystar trying to convince his warriors that humans are liars, and any gifts they give you will actually make you weak. Part of me is trying to avoid wording the commandment in a way that could result in people thinking Firepaw himself is a "trick of man," but maybe I should just lean into it instead.

COMMANDMENT 10: Law of the Cleric's Vow "A cleric who takes a mate or has kittens has violated their sacred vow, and must have their privilege of being StarClan's herald revoked."

Moth Flight did not create the vow to be ratified as code. It was a desperate, painful oath she made her four kittens make before they were taken away from her to become the first Clerics of the other Clans.

She made them promise her that they would not have children of their own who would be ripped away from them. It was a mother's plea, to spare them from the pain she was experiencing, to encourage them to value medicine over connections to a Clan that stole them, and to punish the Clans for treating their bloodline like something that would produce prophets like livestock.

Their gifts would die with them, and all future Clerics would be trained, not born. The Cleric's Vow was a non-binding tradition for generations, until the exile of SkyClan.

Larkstripe, Cleric of WindClan, rallied the other Clerics into going on strike until the leaders reversed their terrible decision. Swiftstar stubbornly refused to give into this demand, even when sickness landed him on his deathbed. She remained firm, informing him that he was free to gamble with his life if he wanted to face StarClan's judgement.

His successor, Dalestar, sought a way to brutally crush the strike. So he hit Larkstripe at her one weakness-- her son, Ripplekit.

With the ringleader's reputation destroyed and her son ripped away from her and sent to ShadowClan, the other Clerics quickly folded. Dalestar got his way, and was celebrated for it.

This commandment doesn't have too many unique interpretations, though there are occasionally interesting cases where Clerics have kittens before taking their vow. While it's a "gray zone," kittens who are the child of a parent-turned-Cleric are sometimes considered cursed or unlucky.

(contrast to SkyClan where it is actually considered a plus for a Cleric to have kittens.)

COMMANDMENT 11: Law of the Full Moon "Under the light of the full moon, all Clans shall send representatives to the Gathering to hear the news of the leaders. There will be a truce that lasts from sundown to sunrise, and attendance is a privilege."

Taken from Larkstripe and raised at the belly of Birdflight, mate of the exiled Cloudstar, Ripplekit grew into Ripplemoon and became Ripplestar of ShadowClan. Spurred into action by a blight that was spreading up the now-dead fifth tree of Fourtrees, he declared war on the other Clans. "If you will not make room to fetch SkyClan home, then I will carve it out."

Before this time, the Gathering was simply a tradition, not code, but Ripplestar's deadly total war tactics recognized it as an excellent target. Attempting to bring a swift end to his bloody campaign, he planned an attack that would surely have many innocent casualties.

However, he was betrayed by his adopted brother; Gorseclaw. The other Clans were prepared for his attack, bringing nothing but warriors to the Gathering. In fury at Ripplestar's audacity, having lost the SkyClan ancestors who would have supported these actions, StarClan struck the base of the blighted tree with lightning. The falling trunk crushed Ripplestar against the Highrock and snapped the oak in two distinct places; at the base, and in the middle.

The Z-shaped cracks would be seen again many years later, as Brokenstar's tail. The guardian spirit of SkyClan, incarnated in the flesh through a birth from a Cleric, furious and manifest.

But, before that time, there was an immediate "Clan Pride Tide" that washed over the culture of those who won. The Law of the Full Moon was the first of three additional Commandments born from Dalestar and his peers during this time.

There are three significant "rules" to Gatherings that were established by this law;

The leader may arbitrarily exclude any cat they don't want to bring. Before this commandment, you could just go. Now, the most freedom you have is your ability to linger longer for the Aftergathering.

It is mandatory to completely listen to the "opening speeches" of Gatherings before you're allowed to mingle. Even if grandma mistystar is going off on a tangent again

The truce is now enforceable. It was previously just a taboo-- scuffles would break out now and then, and there was the occasional playfighting match. Now, you can't even get heated at another cat without people getting uncomfortable.

COMMANDMENT 12: Law of the First Tasks "Before an apprentice can receive their holy name by the power vested in their Star, first they must complete three sacred tasks; a warrior's assessment, a complete vigil, and a pilgrimage."

The second law to come from the post-Ripplestar tide was more codification of traditions, to "instill a sense of pride and honor into young warriors," but these were also a sneaky way to weed out dissidents.

Apprentices would typically do these tasks naturally as part of their rite of passage, but now, if ANY of the cats involved in this process did not like you or your mentor, they could hurt you by delaying them. A leader could choose not to bring you with them to the Moonstone. They could force you to re-do the vigil for making a noise. A vindictive mentor could keep flunking your assessment for stupid reasons because she hates you.

Bad mentors "poorly preparing" an apprentice they have a duty to guide into adulthood is good grounds for punishment. It's a massive dishonor to have an apprentice taken from you. Of course, this all depends on the Clan "taking the side" of the tormentor.

So, this is rarely used for political reasons in more recent eras, because of that potential collateral reputation hit. Making an apprentice's right of passage difficult for no reason tends to make you unpopular with that apprentice's friends, family, mentor, and peers-- but it served its purpose, back then.

Nowadays it's just celebrated as a part of Clan traditions. The First Tasks are much older than the Commandment, but most cats don't think so hard about history that they notice it's strange they got codified during this era.

(Plus, this commandment is popular. Apprentices and their families feel cheated if these first tasks are glossed over.)

COMMANDMENT 13: Law of the Leader's Right "By the power of the Star they carry, the word of a leader shall be recognized as the warrior code."

The big, bad one. Also called Dalestar's Commandment.

With this decree, the Clan leaders announced an exile of all the cats who had been revealed to support Ripplestar. ShadowClan's next leader, Marshstar, was made to deal with an immediate refugee crisis on top of overseeing the injuries of all the cats who fought at that Gathering.

It's the sort of law that would be considered a massive mistake within a few generations, but by that time, it was too entrenched to remove. The leaders had seized power over anything that could legally challenge them-- the Code, their Clerics, and their warriors in turn.

Only the rule of the Impostor would cause this part of the code to be altered, but not before the Clans nearly collapsed under his tyranny.

Future generations would look back at the fallout of Ripplestar's rebellion, and the following tide of Clan pride, and generally reach a consensus; this was the birth of the ideas which would become known as Thistle Law. Maybe it wasn't their origin, and contributing thoughts had existed for a long time beforehand, but this was the watershed moment for what would develop into modern Clan politics.

COMMANDMENT 14: Law of the Three Kittens "No action, inaction, or accusation may ever allow a kit to be put in danger, no matter what Clan their parents were from. All queens shall have the right to not reveal the origin of their litter, even under suspicion of codebreaking."

Famously referred to as Darkstar's Commandment, and cited as the Queen's Rights. Put a decisive end to the barbaric practice of Kitten Stealing. Drafted, fought for, and codified in honor of Mapleshade's three children who drowned in the swollen river.

StarClan was so furious at the sheer amount of senseless death in one season that they blasted Darkstar with lightning to drag her into StarClan to witness the Trials of those who had died. They made her watch as Ravenwing, Frecklewish, Appledusk, AND Mapleshade were all damned to the Dark Forest, and bellowed that her and Oakstar would fix it or suffer the same fate.

She listened and proposed this law. Oakstar did not, and fought against its implementation. He tried to make up for this by beginning the Crusades, but this wasn't enough to "atone" for his disobedience.

Darkstar ruled that the birth of innocent kits shall could never be used as evidence of guilt, because of the fact it would inevitably put those same kittens in danger.

It was StarClan's privilege alone to judge if the behavior that lead to the conception of those kittens was codebreaking or not. Flawed mortals, such as Mapleshade who lied to keep her kittens safe and only endangered them through panic, and Oakstar who exiled children into the rain because of personal offense leading to bias, could not be trusted to be objective about this.

That said-- the Queen's Rights are a very complicated and particular topic. They exist to protect the kitten's birth from being used as evidence; they do NOT protect the family from any consequence of their actions. There are lots of ways for the Queen's Rights to be voided.

If the kids find out their parentage and reveal it, it's void. If a cat who recently gave birth shows the kits are theirs, it's void. If you let it slip that you acquired the kitten from your sister who wants you to raise it as a Clan cat, it's void.

And, no, you can't even safely talk to your Cleric. They are within their full rights to reveal it, too. There is no Cat HIPAA. Whoever you trust with this information had BETTER BE someone you trust with your life, because they might be!

Cats who lean towards Fire Alone think that the Queen's Rights don't go far enough. Cats who lean towards Thistle Law are obsessed with the contradictions.

COMMANDMENT 15: Law of the Lake "Every Clan has the right to defend its independence and to fight for its honor, but the Clans of the lake shall never allow another to suffer or collapse. In dire times, all the cats of the lake understand their ancestral command; unite or die."

First proposed in response to the disastrous lack of response that allowed the rise of the Kin, a deadly Yellowcough outbreak, and the eventual collapse of ShadowClan, this commandment was approved without contest when SkyClan found its way to the Lake.

It's both a promise to SkyClan that what happened to them will never happen again, AND a somber acknowledgement that what happened to ShadowClan was avoidable if they'd only intervened sooner. Heartstar takes this commandment VERY seriously.

Too seriously, many add. Perhaps more out of ambition than compassion. But she doesn't care-- they weren't the ones suffocating in their own lungs watching their family die, as Onestar sat on a hill of medicine across the lake, glowering. Perhaps they should take it more seriously.

COMMANDMENT 16: Law of the Lovers / Bristlefrost's Law "If a cat wishes to walk alongside the warrior of another Clan, their beloved may ask their Star to issue a challenge to prove their new loyalty. If this challenge is overcome, their love shall be known as StarClan's will."

AKA Bristlefrost's Law, created in her honor after sacrificing her Afterlife to barrel Ashfur out of the sky, burning up in orbit.

In life, Bristlefrost was innocently meeting with Rootspring. Two warriors with a small crush, breaking the code discreetly during a time of increasing tension. When Bramblestar's impostor caught them, he decided to make an example of the couple. Brought Bristlefrost to the Gathering, and demanded that SkyClan strongly punish Rootspring to comply with the code.

Waspstar of SkyClan, successor of Leafstar after her poisoning at Juniperclaw's tricks, refused. So the impostor lifted his claw, and sliced Bristlefrost's neck. Her body plunged from the tree, dead in an instant.

With her ghost, Rootspring joined the resistance to depose him immediately. After her sacrifice, he demanded reforms for the code and a new commandment in her honor. It was not as sweeping of a change as he wanted it to be, but with the Law of the Lovers, there was finally a mechanism to bring another cat into your own Clan.

It could have saved her, he argues. He could have taken her out of that dangerous Clan, gotten her away from the Impostor, convinced her to run.

(...the truth is, Bristlefrost would never have run from ThunderClan. Not until the bitter end. She wouldn't just die twice for her family, but even more than nine if she had the chance. but this was the leverage that Rootspring was able to use.)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I keep going back and forth on the "love" wording of this one. On one hand, I like the idea a lot that Clan cats will have to perform friendship or love even if it isn't there to "legally" change Clans as a story device. I enjoy the idea of exploring that, and how it would be particularly messed up in an asylum scenario.

On the other hand... I'm not really using "love" in the romantic sense here, and "sponsor" is both closer to what I'm intending, AND the Clanmew version. By "beloved" I mean it equally in the sense of both an aunt and their "beloved" niece, and a lover and their traditional "beloved." But I'm not sure if that's coming across.

Is there a better word for "Sponsor" but like, in a warm and affectionate sense? Legal Buddy? Guy Who Will Vouch For Me? Sweet Cheese? Not to mention there just not being platonic words equal to "lover." The amatonormativity of the English language has harmed me once again

Law of Kickem Buttocks / Leader-B-Gone "girl help im still figuring out how I'm going to rewrite the new law about kicking out leaders. It is too long and too hyperspecific. There's absolutely no way for it to get legitimately used in canon, let alone be a relevant plot point."

I know FOR SURE that the first time this law is going to be used in BB, it is against Bramblestar in ASC. He's declining, manipulating Nightheart to use in a petty squabble against Squirrelflight, and suffered two massive blows to his reputation in both Squirrelflight's Horror and BB!TBC.

But the canon law is so specific that it's useless. Like, it may as well not even exist.

A non-deputy needs to call the vote

BOTH medcats have to agree

AANNDD you need a 75% supermajority in the Clan.

FINALLY, the other leaders, of Clans that are completely irrelevant, are asked if it's ok and ALL of them have to agree.

only THEN can all of the medcats of ALL the Clans go to StarClan, and ask if the lives can be taken away.

If the sky is cloudy then screw you. you have to wait even longer. Even if your Clanmates are getting murdered or tortured or whatever.

This frustrates me because, this is a MASSIVE change to the Warrior Code, something the audience has been desperate for. Drama in this series has practically dried up, and barely anything happens for books and books.

To make such a long-awaited addition be something this useless feels like an insult. Like they just begrudgingly did the bare minimum so they could ignore it. Even the "drama" of Reedclaw trying to oust Leafstar in CC was pointless, because if the writers were just less boring with their characters, she could have called for that vote all on her own.

"Ah but the code--" characters are capable of arguing that laws are ineffective and drastic measures need to be taken. Other characters can agree with them. it's that simple. Law is a social construct, not a wizard's magic barrier

Like. It could be that easy. Reedclaw doesn't want to physically harm Leafstar so she calls for a vote of no confidence. Cats quibble about if it's "legal" or not, Hawkwing proposes that it be 75% supermajority because then it would be extremely clear this is the will of SkyClan, etc. This would also be more interesting because then it's not established, it's new ground.

BUT. For BB I do want it to be law. Just a law that actually gets used.

So right now I'm leaning towards something like;

"If a leader is no longer able to rule with honor by their Clan's three-quarter decree, the Star shall undergo a ritual to return their blessings. This ritual must be both invoked by a cleric and a warrior, and then carried out by them if successful."

I still feel like three-quarters is a tall order, but I think I can work with it. At the very least, I can remove the requirement for ALL the Clerics to be in agreement.

I'm particularly fond of the idea of the idea that the two accusers have to carry out the WHOLE thing. The Cleric performs the parts of the ritual that would "wash" the lives away from the Leader, and the Warrior performs the parts of the ritual that would allow the Deputy to take them early. Overall, I think it would be generally better if the "difficulty" of enacting this commandment came from the fact the Cleric and the Warrior have to be EXTREMELY dedicated to it.

Like, instead of dealing with a lot of waiting and asking, if you want them gone, you have to do something very tedious with no reward.

As for what that ritual looks like, I want to reference BB!Rowanstar's sacrifice. The leader will probably have to bathe or be rinsed by the water of the Moonpool, and the deputy gets dunked in that.

bramblegirl bathwater