Avatar

The Ladies Of Panthera

@pantheraqueen

Andi, Female,She/Her, Lesbian Asexual, 20+, Writer. Currently working on the Legends Of Panthera: The Champions' Chronicles. Archives of our own: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PantheraQueen/pseuds/PantheraQueen.
Avatar
reblogged
Avatar
bonefall
Anonymous asked:

How ARE cats who become clerics after having kits treated? There's probably a lot of variables that are taken into account right? Like if the kits are apprentices/adults already, if the role was forced onto them (by starclan, the current cleric, early retirement), if they're the Mi/Ba, if they knew about the pregnancy before taking the role, etc

It is absolutely unheard of post-Larkstripe. The taboo is so strong that Mudfur was the first and only. You'd need to go back to before the Ripple Era to find examples for factors to matter at all.

No other warrior-turned-Cleric has been allowed to have kits, and has been forced to get rid of them if they're being pressured into the role. Yellowfang/Shroompelt was an example of that. If they had kittens before consideration, that would be disqualifying.

Mudfur didn't help this. From the perspective of the Clans at the time...

  • His decision was clouded by grief. Brightsky leaving to become a kittypet is not known, it's thought that grief for her death caused his judgement to lapse.
  • He raised a tyrant, Leopardstar, who is not remembered too kindly after Mistystar takes power. (Carpwhisker downplayed or conveniently ignored. She will not defend her honor lmao)
  • His apprentice, Mothwing, was half-kittypet and half-Tigerstar. A sign from StarClan? Or a lapse in judgement?
  • Worse... she has no connection to StarClan. Mudfur was bad enough on his own, with only an average connection. It slowly becomes more and more known that Mothwing has none at all.
  • Finally, he was killed in the collapse of the Mothermouth, as if StarClan swallowed him up along with Barkface and his apprentice, Blackfur.

He ended up just reaffirming existing biases and causing a massive backslide in opinion towards this. There aren't examples to talk about; this is a massive violation of the code. Leafpool's reinstatement after the reveal was based heavily on the very fact she did not raise her kits.

Avatar
Avatar
reblogged
Avatar
bonefall
Anonymous asked:

How ARE cats who become clerics after having kits treated? There's probably a lot of variables that are taken into account right? Like if the kits are apprentices/adults already, if the role was forced onto them (by starclan, the current cleric, early retirement), if they're the Mi/Ba, if they knew about the pregnancy before taking the role, etc

It is absolutely unheard of post-Larkstripe. The taboo is so strong that Mudfur was the first and only. You'd need to go back to before the Ripple Era to find examples for factors to matter at all.

No other warrior-turned-Cleric has been allowed to have kits, and has been forced to get rid of them if they're being pressured into the role. Yellowfang/Shroompelt was an example of that. If they had kittens before consideration, that would be disqualifying.

Mudfur didn't help this. From the perspective of the Clans at the time...

  • His decision was clouded by grief. Brightsky leaving to become a kittypet is not known, it's thought that grief for her death caused his judgement to lapse.
  • He raised a tyrant, Leopardstar, who is not remembered too kindly after Mistystar takes power. (Carpwhisker downplayed or conveniently ignored. She will not defend her honor lmao)
  • His apprentice, Mothwing, was half-kittypet and half-Tigerstar. A sign from StarClan? Or a lapse in judgement?
  • Worse... she has no connection to StarClan. Mudfur was bad enough on his own, with only an average connection. It slowly becomes more and more known that Mothwing has none at all.
  • Finally, he was killed in the collapse of the Mothermouth, as if StarClan swallowed him up along with Barkface and his apprentice, Blackfur.

He ended up just reaffirming existing biases and causing a massive backslide in opinion towards this. There aren't examples to talk about; this is a massive violation of the code. Leafpool's reinstatement after the reveal was based heavily on the very fact she did not raise her kits.

Avatar
Avatar
reblogged
Avatar
bonefall

Clan Culture: Familial Terms and the Mi/Ba System

[ID: A brown tabby and a ginger tabby laying together]

A Clan is a large, extended family of cats, knit together by blood and mentorship. In Clanmew, a Clan directly translates to "Whole Family"-- Ulnyams, further divided into an individual cat's Gan (birth-kinships) and Nyams (created-kinships).

Because of the ancient cultural practice of Kitten Stealing and its modern-day replacement, the Queen's Rights, Clan cats have developed a surprisingly progressive view of adoption. There are many ways that couples incapable of producing their own biokits can find children to raise, leading to the Mi and Ba System.

Glossary:

  1. Kin: Gan vs Nyams
  2. Parents: The Mi/Ba System
  3. Types of Love: Friendships, Mateships, In-Laws
  4. Offspring and Siblings: Runt-ness, Litter Order
  5. Gan Starter Set: Auncles, Cousins, Grandparents
  6. Ancestors and Beyond
  7. FAQ (Last Update: 10/5/23, Mi/Ba questions)
Avatar
reblogged
Avatar
bonefall

The Queen's Rights

[ID: A sketch of a white cat and her kitten]

A short guide to an important social concept in the Bonefall Rewrite, so I can have a guide to link folks to when these questions pop up.

The Queen's Rights, also known as Darkstar's Commandment, is an addendum to Law 14 of the Warrior Code. The Law states that kittens are to be protected regardless of origin, and the addition is to protect children from paying for the 'sins' of their parent.

After all, a kitten would not be safe if its parent was forced to face punishment for its birth.

Thus, Queen's Rights can be claimed by any parent whose kittens have an uncertain origin. Single parents, infertile and same-sex couples, even just adopted ones.

Law 14 was created in response to Mapleshade's kittens drowning in the river, and so the addendum is named for what should have been her right to not reveal the father. Darkstar's Commandment made it clear that if the queen has been disloyal, StarClan will judge them. Not flawed, mortal Clanmates.

The introduction of Law 14 replaced and outlawed an older tradition which kept Clan genetic diversity stable; Kitten Stealing.

More detail on in-universe feelings towards the law below the cut.

Avatar
reblogged
Avatar
bonefall

Clan Culture: Kitten Stealing

Content warning for reasons I hope are obvious! Girl they are taking the babies!

[Image ID: A cat is carrying a kitten by the scruff]

An ancient Clan tradition from before the Queen's Rights were established, abolished by Darkstar's Commandment that kittens were never to be put in danger ever again.

Before it became law to not ask a queen where her kittens came from, "Kitten Claiming" was how the clans maintained genetic diversity. Just like how a Clan incapable of defending its borders is not worthy of having them, the same used to apply to their kittens.

In spite of the Law of Honor which forbade the killing of combatant warriors, camp invasions were quite bloody. Parents willing to defend their kittens to the death were killed, citing the code's 'self-defense' exception... and yet, the practice continued.

Kittens were not announced at Gatherings for the simple reason that it would make the Clan an open target, instead, they would only be announced as apprentices when loyalty to their birth Clan was expected to have set in.

Clan culture's shockingly progressive view of adoption, in spite of their talk of "Forest Blood" and "Clanborn Cats," is rooted from this practice; the parents that raise kittens into apprenticeship are considered that cat's parents socially, even if they had been literally stolen.

Kittypet kittens were occasionally snatched as well; but would be subject to discrimination unlike Clan kittens "rightfully claimed."

In the modern era, this is called "Kit Stealing" and it's considered an outdated, barbaric practice.

Avatar
reblogged
Avatar
bonefall
Anonymous asked:

Question: Since the mutation that makes sphynx cats nakey (their hair is fragile and sucks) can just happen at random. How would a Clan treat a nakey cat born among them? Could they make them a coat?

I think, at first, there would be concern that it's some kind of sign. Hairlessness looks like mange, a very serious and contagious condition. This could be a terrible omen-- that mange will be brought down to us.

But it would become apparent the kitten isn't a fader, it isn't a StarClan warrior who came down to deliver the others, or a mere sign. It's pink and wrinkled, like a newborn rodent, but moves as the other kits do. Did StarClan... forget its fur?

There's another feared creature without any fur-- humans. It looks human.

I think the poor thing would have a lot of problems with the other cats its age and maybe the more superstitious members of the Clan, but a warrior of the Clan is a warrior of the Clan. Life would be harder for them, but there would still be love that exists.

They'd be capable of making them a coat, and they WOULD need it, but I can see that cat trying to go without it for fear of being made fun of. That's another thing humans do-- wear pelts all over themselves because they have no fur of their own.

Unfortunately they'd also be prone to a ton of really bad health problems. This poor guy would be in the Cleric's den a lot, and may need to retire early or focus on campbound activities.

Health problems;
  • Pelt is a LOT weaker; injuries from battle or even training would be a lot more severe, Cleric may recommend them not taking part in fights.
  • Skin becomes filthy, and needs special cleaning. There is no fur to absorb the oil that the skin naturally makes to keep the coat healthy, causing buildup.
  • Even with proper cleaning, the skin is super prone to rashes, lesions, and constant irritation. Wash TOO MUCH and the skin will become dry and chapped.
  • SUNBURN. Especially in WindClan, where the warrior might spend a lot of time on the open moor in daylight, and RiverClan, where light reflecting off the water could cause an intense burn. It would be recommended the warrior take night shifts, but this could be an issue because night is cold. (BB!Cats are crepuscular).
  • Additionally; such severe, uniquely-placed sunburns are something Clerics wouldn't see very often. Lack of medical experience with these sorts of injuries could prove dangerous.
  • Ear infections. Cats naturally have hair in their ears, which their earwax production accounts for.
  • Both heatstroke AND frostbite. Very bad temperature regulation leading to severe ailments. Fur helps stabilize body temperature.

So in conclusion...

Life would be very difficult for this individual. Fur isn't just full-body hair; it's almost as fundamental as a top layer of skin. This would be a serious disability for a Clan cat to have, and it may invoke the image of detested humans leading to social stigmatization.

But because they're clanborn, they are unambiguously a member of the Clan. It's likely that the Clan would make clothing for this warrior out of fur pelts, but in their struggle with internalized ableism, they might have conflicted feelings about wearing it.

The Cleric would recommend campbound activities, night shifts, and WEARING YOUR PELT, DAMN IT. They would need to take full baths every few days, not too much and not too little, plus frequent ear cleanings.

Avatar
Avatar
reblogged

A personal favorite dynamic of mine is ‘I would die for you’ and ‘Die? Who said you could die!? No! I will drag you back from the afterlife my self!’. Like yes the ‘I’d die for you’ energy is great, but when the other person responds with basically a ‘like hell you will!’ It’s probably one of my favorite things.

Avatar
reblogged

funniest thing in the world is that one of the first insults against bubblegum that marceline can think of is "dictador"

Avatar
Zetian, talking about Yizhi and Shimin: We’re a triangle now
Qieluo: How did that happen?
Sima Yi, tucking his head between them: And how to make it stop???????????
Avatar
reblogged

some clowns really read all of Iron Widow and cheered on the girlbossery without picking up on how the demonization of racialized men was part of the callout

Avatar
bubbeshfk

Yeah it's kind of ridiculous that so many critics read Xiuying as a demonization of femininity when it was obvious that she was a critique of how women who align closer to white-patriarchal (or Han-patriarchal in this case) standards of femininity endorse those broken systems because of how they benefit from those systems and aren't willing to check their prejudices as a result. Her comments about Shimin and Qieluo were clearly racially-motivated and her defending Yuanzhang's racism clearly indicated that she was not a good person. Just because she is soft spoken and gives generic platitudes on compassion and empathy does not negate that. Qieluo's hostility is a clear defense mechanism against exploitation after having been screwed over by systemic racism, xenophobia, and misogyny her entire life and that the rumors around her being a catty bitch is a clear reflection of how racialized women's anger is used as a cudgel to justify violence against them. It is wild that people took that complexity and boiled it down to Zetian doesn't like women.

THANK YOU, those were my exact intentions behind these characterizations and I'm glad they're clear to people who understand intersectionality. I mean Xiuying was clutches-her-purse-the-moment-a-racialized-man-walks-into-the-elevator levels of racist and this flew over people's heads just because she SAID nice-sounding stuff looool

Maybe it's because none of the characters are white. But systemic racism isn't exclusive to white people. It depends on who has power over the systems. The Han majority held the power in the general region of China for much (though not all) of Chinese history and the dynamic between them and the non-Han was very much We Are the Civilized People While the Rest of You are Dirty Barbarians, which obviously leads to systemic discrimination. This is still the case today, just that white people barged in with even MORE power.

(including my tags on the original post so people know what the reply above is responding to:

)

Avatar

“no matter how badly you think you’re doing it, someone else has done it a lot worse and been fine” is applicable to a wide, wide range of things and i say it to myself all the time

"bigger idiots than me have done it" is a phrase I live by

Avatar
reblogged
Avatar
kuno-chan

Caveat About (Creative) Burnout

One of these days I need to record or write something out about what (my personal experience is about) getting out of creative burnout is like. A lot of advice I've seen isn't bad, but it often inevitably goes back to "you need to take a break."

I couldn't do that.

Like, emotionally speaking. Mentally speaking.

Again, the advice isn't bad, but I wish there was more advice out there that spoke up about how being in creative burnout is going to challenge your internal value as a human being. Like I wasn't even a valuable use of mass. Burnout at all is horrible, but going through burnout that specifically affecting your creative side when that often defines so much of us who are creatives is a seventh kind of hell.

It wasn't just a matter of getting my creative juices flowing or taking a break or making sure I was eating enough (these are all good and helpful, of course). Like... I had to get to therapy. Had to really unpack like 25+ years of emotional crap and it took almost 2 years post-college (where my burnout started) to really feel like I was nearing that light at the end of the tunnel.

Avatar
reblogged

thinking abt that time in one of my art classes when the prof put up a silhouette of L from death note and said “this is not an effective design bc you can’t tell who this character is from this shape” 

and everyone in the class went like “yes we can that’s L from death note”

and everyone in

the class went like “yes we can

that’s L from death note”

Beep boop! I look for accidental haiku posts. Sometimes I mess up.

Avatar
Avatar
rednines
Avatar
mykologiya

“I didn’t and still don’t like making a cult of women’s knowledge, preening ourselves on knowing things men don’t know, women’s deep irrational wisdom, women’s instinctive knowledge of Nature, and so on. All that all too often merely reinforces the masculinist idea of women as primitive and inferior – women’s knowledge as elementary, primitive, always down below at the dark roots, while men get to cultivate and own the flowers and crops that come up into the light. But why should women keep talking baby talk while men get to grow up? Why should women feel blindly while men get to think?” - Ursula K. Le Guin