Warrior Cat Names and Characters Reviewer [CLOSED]

[I r o n.]

Image/Description: Tall, medium-lengthed fur with a broken tail, dusky brown and black dappled cat. Few spots of brown, and bright yellow eyes
Name: Kestrelstorm
Gender: Tom
Clan: GrassClan (basiclly near a farm, they run into threats often)
Rank: Deputy
Personality/Skills: For his personality, Kestrelstorm is a broad-tomcat waiting for action, he is not very nice, he is strong, and will never back down to a fight, he is brave and a worthy opponet, and never loses a fight, but mainly, he was chosen for deputy for his courage and independance, he is a stealthy cat, and is willing to challange any type of animal he meets with is a threat to anyone. He is a bit over-protective, but one thing he is would be loyal and open to anyone, though he isan't much of a talker (and will probablly never be)
Important Notes: Kestrelstorm went threw alot, and seen alot of gore and blood threw his past life, he tries to ignore his feelings that way, when he does let them out, it's ugly.

[the bad wolf]

Hi Arcaii.^^ I've been stalking your thread for awhile, and I didn't see anything about it so I thought I could ask soundly- Would you judge an alternative naming system for a clan? Just to make sure it's not too outrageous or out there for the warrior's realm? I understand it might be outside your comfort zone but I thought it was worth a shot.^^

[Arcaii]

Image/Description: Tall, medium-lengthed fur with a broken tail, dusky brown and black dappled cat. Few spots of brown, and bright yellow eyes
Name: Kestrelstorm
Gender: Tom
Clan: GrassClan (basiclly near a farm, they run into threats often)
Rank: Deputy
Personality/Skills: For his personality, Kestrelstorm is a broad-tomcat waiting for action, he is not very nice, he is strong, and will never back down to a fight, he is brave and a worthy opponet, and never loses a fight, but mainly, he was chosen for deputy for his courage and independance, he is a stealthy cat, and is willing to challange any type of animal he meets with is a threat to anyone. He is a bit over-protective, but one thing he is would be loyal and open to anyone, though he isan't much of a talker (and will probablly never be)
Important Notes: Kestrelstorm went threw alot, and seen alot of gore and blood threw his past life, he tries to ignore his feelings that way, when he does let them out, it's ugly.

Sorry for the wait (I have a bad habit of looking at the thread and then forgetting to respond).

Name Rating: 8/10
Name Type: Traditional
Name Reasoning: He doesn't really seem like a -storm cat. He has a very consistent temper and mood, and, moreover, he's notably skilled in fighting. Here, at least, we name for skill before anything else.
Alternative Name: Kestrelclaw, for the reasons above.

Character Rating: 8/10
Character Reasoning: There's a couple important things to get out of the way immediately. The first is that, based on his description, he's a tortoiseshell. Unless he's biologically a female and just prefers to be called "he", he wouldn't really exist - not the way he is now, which is the other thing. Biologically tortoiseshell males are sickly and sterile, usually tiny as a result and often don't live long. I recommend either changing his gender or just putting a side note that while he's genetically a female, his gender is male. That'll save you some trouble.
With that aside, I do understand the appreciation for his bravery and skills, but I can't really say I would consider him for leadership. He's got some issues and won't refuse a fight with anything or anyone, nor does he have a real kind streak. A leader, at least a proper one, would be able to set aside their own troubles in order to be honest, empathetic and clearheaded enough to know when to back down and run away. They might be quiet or simply prefer direct orders to sitting down and having long-winded conversations, but they need to be capable of doing that.

[Arcaii]

Hi Arcaii.^^ I've been stalking your thread for awhile, and I didn't see anything about it so I thought I could ask soundly- Would you judge an alternative naming system for a clan? Just to make sure it's not too outrageous or out there for the warrior's realm? I understand it might be outside your comfort zone but I thought it was worth a shot.^^

Ah, goodie, a lurker!

I would be delighted to help with alternate naming systems. It's good practice for me to take a look at other styles of naming and judge them from a non-traditional standpoint (unless, of course, you refer to just another branch of traditionalism - such as a different location base or something). Feel free to either PM me the list or just put it here!

[the bad wolf]

Thanks for the response! I'll try to keep this as short and to the point as possible while still giving enough information to make sense.But I may mention some traditions that are different then the books, so hopefully I don't confuse you!

I've been working on a group of clans who's ideals are based more off of accomplishment and honoring said accomplishment through the cat's suffix. I'll use the character Minkflame as my example cat so it can show all the basic steps in the process of naming.

Kit (0-6 moons): When a kit is born, they are not given a name, a tradition stemming from a time where there was a high mortality rate for kits. They are usually just referred to by their parents name, gender, and/or fur pattern/color. (Ex. Grayclaw's she-kit, the tabby kit)

Apprentice / Fledgling [alternative name possible] (6-?? moons): After the kit reaches the milestone age, where death due to complications is less likely, they are given their name. The name is singular, or their prefix in later life. Since they have been observed for a period of time, a kit may receive a name based on their personality, though this is not as common as names based off of their fur. A fledgling is assigned a cat who has accomplished their full name, and will remain with them until they accomplish a great task. Once a cat reaches an age where they have learned all their skills, but have not accomplished their full name, they are often allowed to have more responsibilities as opposed to a newly made fledgling. They are not, however, on the same 'class' as a cat with their full name. (Ex. Grayclaw's she-kit is given the name Mink, for her dark fur and her determination. She is then assigned to the cat Gorsesky [the clan leader])

Warrior / ???? [alternative name possible] (full name achieved) : To reach this stage, a fledgling must have performed some great task for the clan. This can include being a keystone addition to a battle (Suffixes being claw, tooth, fang etc.), leading an enemy away from camp/battle (Suffixes being foot, breeze etc.), saving a cat from drowning (Suffixes being river, stream etc.). Basically, it usually involves the cat risking their life for the clan, or saving another cats life. Suffixes based on appearance (pelt, fur, whisker) are very rare, as they have little to do with selflessness. The suffixes are common for all the clans (three in total), meaning that the other clans can identify what a cat did to earn their name based on their suffix. If a fledgling manages to earn their name early in their training, it is an unspoken rule that their training will be still be finished. (Ex. Mink has a run in with a badger while on patrol, and lures it away from her clanmates and the clan territories, earning her the name Minkfoot)

Name-changes: This is probably the part I'm the least confident about, but still like the concept of. If a cat has earned their full name, but performs a task that is considered to require a higher sense of sacrifice, their suffix may be changed to reflect this accomplishment. Some suffixes are more highly regarded then others, depending on the risk of sacrifice it requires. (Ex. Minkfoot and her fledgling, Bright, both brave a forest fire to save a group of clan cats stuck in a den blocked by burning brush. Minkfoot's name is changed to Minkflame, and Bright is given the name Brightfire)

So hopefully I didn't lose you anywhere, and hopefully this makes sense. This is just one aspect of the clan, but I feel that this one needs to be as clean as possible.

[Arcaii]

Thanks for the response! I'll try to keep this as short and to the point as possible while still giving enough information to make sense.But I may mention some traditions that are different then the books, so hopefully I don't confuse you!

I've been working on a group of clans who's ideals are based more off of accomplishment and honoring said accomplishment through the cat's suffix. I'll use the character Minkflame as my example cat so it can show all the basic steps in the process of naming.

Kit (0-6 moons): When a kit is born, they are not given a name, a tradition stemming from a time where there was a high mortality rate for kits. They are usually just referred to by their parents name, gender, and/or fur pattern/color. (Ex. Grayclaw's she-kit, the tabby kit)

Apprentice / Fledgling [alternative name possible] (6-?? moons): After the kit reaches the milestone age, where death due to complications is less likely, they are given their name. The name is singular, or their prefix in later life. Since they have been observed for a period of time, a kit may receive a name based on their personality, though this is not as common as names based off of their fur. A fledgling is assigned a cat who has accomplished their full name, and will remain with them until they accomplish a great task. Once a cat reaches an age where they have learned all their skills, but have not accomplished their full name, they are often allowed to have more responsibilities as opposed to a newly made fledgling. They are not, however, on the same 'class' as a cat with their full name. (Ex. Grayclaw's she-kit is given the name Mink, for her dark fur and her determination. She is then assigned to the cat Gorsesky [the clan leader])

Warrior / ???? [alternative name possible] (full name achieved) : To reach this stage, a fledgling must have performed some great task for the clan. This can include being a keystone addition to a battle (Suffixes being claw, tooth, fang etc.), leading an enemy away from camp/battle (Suffixes being foot, breeze etc.), saving a cat from drowning (Suffixes being river, stream etc.). Basically, it usually involves the cat risking their life for the clan, or saving another cats life. Suffixes based on appearance (pelt, fur, whisker) are very rare, as they have little to do with selflessness. The suffixes are common for all the clans (three in total), meaning that the other clans can identify what a cat did to earn their name based on their suffix. If a fledgling manages to earn their name early in their training, it is an unspoken rule that their training will be still be finished. (Ex. Mink has a run in with a badger while on patrol, and lures it away from her clanmates and the clan territories, earning her the name Minkfoot)

Name-changes: This is probably the part I'm the least confident about, but still like the concept of. If a cat has earned their full name, but performs a task that is considered to require a higher sense of sacrifice, their suffix may be changed to reflect this accomplishment. Some suffixes are more highly regarded then others, depending on the risk of sacrifice it requires. (Ex. Minkfoot and her fledgling, Bright, both brave a forest fire to save a group of clan cats stuck in a den blocked by burning brush. Minkfoot's name is changed to Minkflame, and Bright is given the name Brightfire)

So hopefully I didn't lose you anywhere, and hopefully this makes sense. This is just one aspect of the clan, but I feel that this one needs to be as clean as possible.

I'm not gunna lie, this is an extremely fascinating concept, and I like it quite a lot, particularly because of the potential. I can assume that these Clans are more than comfortable with the concept of death, given that their suffix system demands that a cat risk their lives in order to earn their name, which fits in perfectly with not giving kittens names until it's time for them to train. My question there would be, how much do these cats value their suffixes/accomplishments? If they need to risk their lives and be selfless to earn their suffix, do they see it as a basic thing for any Clan cat to do, or are they rather proud of it and try to outdo themselves?

The personality and color prefix rule would definitely require you setting up a list detailing what each prefix would entail, which may mean some work, but we do have a list of possible names]we do have a list of possible names if you need assistance with that. If you're willing to put the work in, this will be a very solid system!

For the name-changes, I think that's something that could work if you hammered down some prerequisites (Minkfoot would have had to have been both injured and risk her life with a high likelihood of failure, etc). If you figure out the specific rules for it, then you could definitely work with it.

Overall, with a little polish, I think you have a good idea going here!

[Wolvine]

^ this naming system is super interesting, and if you dont mind i have a couple of questions. if a fledgling were to fail to complete any task, then would they simply remain this way until they died? because that could be interesting. if there were no particular battles or the fledgling was just never at the right place at the right time to perform a selfless act, then would they just have to stick it out and hope for the best indefinitely, or would there be a different way of getting a name?

also the ethics of this clan would be super interesting. is a cat risking their life for their clan them being genuinely selfless, or is it them being selfish and seeking to raise their rank and prestige? obviously the founders would have had high morals, but did this mutate into something darker or not, and if not, how was it stopped? if our hypothetical fledgeling grew more and more bitter about missing their opportunities, what would stop them from manufacturing a false scenario where another cat's life was put at risk simply for them to swoop in and save? oh man these clans give rise to some serious villain material, or at least clans with very dubious moral codes, i like it a lot.

[the bad wolf]

Thanks for the pointers Arcaii! The cat's do carry an immense amount of pride for their name, especially since at Gatherings you have the cats from the other clan crowding the newly named warrior, excitedly asking details of their experience. It's usually only when a fledgling becomes overwhelmed/afraid of the possibility of dying do they receive the "duty as a Clan cat" speech.

The naming guide is greatly appreciated, it will definitely help when I start writing the prefix/suffix meaning portion.^^ I'd only just started and I was having trouble keeping up with all the prefixes.

I am so glad you said injury as a prerequisite for the name change, because I was having trouble coming up with any outside of the fact they had a lower chance of survival. But the clans view scars as a badge of honor, so it would fit perfectly with their belief system. (And it fits with the character I mentioned, as she receives permanent burn scars on her paws and lower legs, along with miscellaneous areas)

Absolutely no problem Wolvine! That is entirely possible. Depending on how a fledgling struggles, they may be reassigned to a cat who may fit their speciality better (a fast fledgling would be reassigned to a cat with the suffix breeze, foot). But outside of that, they may never earn their suffix. Which, depending on the personality of the cat, may cause trouble.

Those are all entirely possible! A cat who is ambitious or selfish may try to raise their rank just to have the bragging rights. The leaders try to keep a close eye on cats they suspect may believe that rank is everything, but they aren't all seeing, so sometimes it could easily go unchecked.

For mutating clan morals, it definitely happens. During the time of the example cat (Minkflame), there was a clan who began to see maiming a cat in battle as a higher honor. Which I haven't really worked the details out of yet, but I believe would be interesting to try out.

And yes, for these clans, this is a problem. Fledglings have often put each other and others at risk (luring a predator onto clan territory, purposely starting a battle with another clan. The more villainous ones may do acts such as pushing another fledgling into a river, stealing a kit from camp and then pretending to find it) If the fledgling survives, and the set up is never discovered, then they would be just as honored as a selfless cat. Which does lead to some interesting characters.^^ But depending on the clan and its current leader, a failed/discovered set up can have a fledgling demoted to a new fledgling, meaning they have little power or respect. But if the cat is unfortunate enough to have a leader who has little mercy or tolerance for the act, they will receive a suffix that humiliates them versus honors them. (A fledgling named Kersteral lures a fox onto the clans territory, where he is mauled, losing an eye and ear. His leader gives him the full name Kersteralface, which is obviously not very honorable.)

Hopefully I answered your questions as thoroughly as possible! If you see anything in this that needs polished, feel free to tell me!

[Arcaii]

It all looks solid to me! I would be highly interested in a series of stories about Clans with that kind of lifestyle.

[Wolvine]

it really does look super interesting! thanks for answering. are you planning the naming system for a fic or a really really awesome rp?