Warrior cats are fictionkin who identify as cats from the book series Warriors. These can include both cats which are canon to the book series or those which are noncanon, including clan cats, rogues, loners, or mythical figures (such as from LionClan or other clan stories).
Experiences[]
Similar to other cats, cats from Warriors may experience phantom and mental shifts as well as hunting or similar instincts, and may experience territorial instincts as being particularly strong if they were a clan cat. Others might feel more of a connection to nature. Cats who died at a young age as a kit or apprentice can be more childish when in mental shift, but not inherently. The opposite is true for those who died as elders.
When it comes to the source itself not every character or sentient animal in this universe is a cat. Notably there are canines like foxes or dogs, badgers, and humans. Like with any other fictional source, it's also possible for crossovers or being from a noncanon universe, including of a non-cat species that follows the clan format. It's up to the individual in these cases if they resonate with the experience to call themselves WCkin.
For clan cats who died without getting a Warrior name, they can later name themselves sometimes with a formal name ceremony or celebration, or they might ask someone who is a leader to give them a name. Some may still prefer to keep the name they died with especially if they see it as more symbolic. Finding one's name can be more important to noncanon WCkin beause of the emphasis on names in clan culture.
Some cats may still recognize the full moon as being the time for the clan gathering, or the half moon for the time of the medicine cat gathering. Sometimes this connects to spirituality as outlined below.
Spirituality[]
Some cats may still work with StarClan through pop culture paganism or similar pop culture magick,[1] especially for those who were medicine cats, leaders, or connected to StarClan through death or otherwise. In connection to this, those who still identify as medicine cats might have special practices around the half moon as that was the designated time for medicine cats to meet.
This practice can involve the cat connecting to their previous life through deep meditation or ritual. Some may work with StarClan cats who were close to them in their lives like how one would with spirit guides. Different forms of divination can be more practiced in relation to being a medicine cat too.
Fandom Participation[]
Because the Warriors fandom is large and encourages participation, WCkin can participate with the fandom in a direct connection to their kintype. Roleplay is one of the most popular ways given its unstoppable presence in the fandom including on forums or Discord. Roleplay is a way that some WCkin figure out their identity, or it's used as a way to express themselves or experience it through writing.
Another practice in the Warriors fandom are story rewrites and character redesigns. Some WCkin use this to share their canons, especially if they remember more realistic genetics or larger story changes.
History[]
On Tumblr, in about 2016, it was common to host gatherings of other warrior cats during each full moon that involved discussion and art.[2] These were done through Tumblr tags or through Skype.[3] Around the same year, they stopped being as common and they began to fade out in practice completely. Like with most fictionkin sources that were popular around the time, there were a number of kin networks that popped up.
References[]
- ↑ amberstorm: "Blog Promo!" (December 5th, 2019). paganclan.tumblr.com.
- ↑ Anonymous: "about the community rather than kin canons..." (December 6th, 2021). warriorskinfessions.tumblr.com.
- ↑ Hawk: "Wckin Gathering Skype Group" (December 22nd, 2016). hawkfrostedflakes.tumblr.com.