Post by Keeper on Sept 18, 2020 17:43:49 GMT
This is a compare and contrast thread for new people to gander at to see if Blackthorn is right for them. Here, we compare Blackthorn to the original books.
Blackthorn's primary goal is to target weird little things in the books that just don't make sense or are a bit unfavorable.
It's worth remembering that you are by no means required to fully immerse yourself and memorize lore. It's more fun to learn lore naturally through roleplaying, than sitting down and reading the entire wiki in one go. If you do decide to go that route, that's your own choice!
NAMING
Naming among Blackthorn clan cats is based on something called Omen dreams. Omen dreams are dreams believed to be sent down by StarClan, and the dreams show various scenes, animals, plantlife, etc that correspond to the order kits will be born, and what StarClan deems them named.
For instance, a queen may dream of a snowstorm, then the dream shifts to her being consumed by brambles, and the last is her sharing a meal with a friendly badger. She'll likely interpret this vivid dream as her kit's names, and name them Snowkit, Bramblekit, and Badgerkit.
Omen dreams can also hint at the kit's futures. If the mother were to dream of a Badger running away from a great wave of water crashing down on them, this may signify the kit is at risk of drowning.
A queen can always consult with a medicine cat for full interpretation of her dreams. She also may choose to not use StarClan's chosen names, but this is considered bad luck.
Omen dreams allow the roleplay to have more diverse names. It also doesn't make sense to name a kit who hasn't opened it's eyes or developed it's fur a name upon birthing.
more on naming, including names lists and a name generator!
APPRENTICES
Warriors train up to two apprentices in Blackthorn, since kits can sometimes be birthed at a rate faster than warriors are made, and this also allows for competitive training among apprentices.
CEREMONIES
Blackthorn has a birthing ceremony, metaphorically known as a Dawn ceremony, and a death ceremony, metaphorically known as a Dusk ceremony. Either clan also has their own special tradition to help bring our playerbase together; WillowClan has storytime, BoarClan has a night of spars.
The warrior ceremony is different in that a mentor suggest the new warrior's suffix rather than the leader deciding it, since the mentor has watched the apprentice grow up, it simply makes more sense.\
here is a full ceremony list.
CLAN DIVERSITY
In Blackthorn we believe that clans should have different cultures, not one cookie cutter system that all clans adapt with just slight differences. Either of our clans have their own sorts of culture and even have different views on the code. They still follow StarClan, but they just share different ideals. BoarClan for instance, is heavily against kittypet blood, accepting them only when they need outsider blood, and when they do, they enforce harsh training duties upon them. Meanwhile, WillowClan welcomes kittypets openly, believing that all cats are born with the heart and instincts of a warrior, not needing to be forcefully taught what it means. BoarClan also does not have an elder ranking, as they believe all cats should serve out their warrior duties until they quite literally can't anymore, at which time they die in a tradition involving a fight with their leader; they believe in dying on their own terms. WillowClan thinks that killing warriors is of the utmost dire acts, and that any cat who kills should be exiled with little questions. They see death as a natural part of life, so much so that they refuse to die on any terms but their own. Many BoarClan cats die at the teeth of their own leader in a tradition known as the Rite of the Boar, where elderly or sickly cats will die pridefully in battle with their leader; it is considered a high honor.
Check out more clan information here!
STARCLAN, REWRITTEN
Ever felt like StarClan is ridiculously inconsistent and overpowered? We did too. The clans of Blackthorn instead answer to an ancient and mysterious order, known as the Order of the Enlightened, the Enlightened, or just the Order. Cats who are selected for the order will receive prophetic dreams, which they must bring forth to the leader. After their dreams are confirmed to be prophecies of the order, a cat is promptly sent away to the far off, snow-capped mountains to live out their days as an Enlightened cat.
The Enlightened have lengthened life spans and even the ability to go longer without food, this seems to be so because they are believed to be 'possessed' or at least 'partial vessels' for StarClan cats; an enlightened cat maintains the memories of their previous life, but as they grow older and older, memories fade, and they slowly and fully become the StarClan cat that has clung to them.
Cats are selected at random and at any age. The order serves as a tie between the the Thousand Stars, and the clans below. They are believed to answer to one ancient being known only as 'Seeker,' but cats who visit the order are not allowed in the chamber, and only selected cats for the order have seen this being.
In short, rather than directly speaking to StarClan, cats seek out the order instead, who seem to have a direct connection to the Stars.
Here's more information on StarClan and the Enlightened.
Blackthorn's primary goal is to target weird little things in the books that just don't make sense or are a bit unfavorable.
It's worth remembering that you are by no means required to fully immerse yourself and memorize lore. It's more fun to learn lore naturally through roleplaying, than sitting down and reading the entire wiki in one go. If you do decide to go that route, that's your own choice!
NAMING
Naming among Blackthorn clan cats is based on something called Omen dreams. Omen dreams are dreams believed to be sent down by StarClan, and the dreams show various scenes, animals, plantlife, etc that correspond to the order kits will be born, and what StarClan deems them named.
For instance, a queen may dream of a snowstorm, then the dream shifts to her being consumed by brambles, and the last is her sharing a meal with a friendly badger. She'll likely interpret this vivid dream as her kit's names, and name them Snowkit, Bramblekit, and Badgerkit.
Omen dreams can also hint at the kit's futures. If the mother were to dream of a Badger running away from a great wave of water crashing down on them, this may signify the kit is at risk of drowning.
A queen can always consult with a medicine cat for full interpretation of her dreams. She also may choose to not use StarClan's chosen names, but this is considered bad luck.
Omen dreams allow the roleplay to have more diverse names. It also doesn't make sense to name a kit who hasn't opened it's eyes or developed it's fur a name upon birthing.
more on naming, including names lists and a name generator!
APPRENTICES
Warriors train up to two apprentices in Blackthorn, since kits can sometimes be birthed at a rate faster than warriors are made, and this also allows for competitive training among apprentices.
CEREMONIES
Blackthorn has a birthing ceremony, metaphorically known as a Dawn ceremony, and a death ceremony, metaphorically known as a Dusk ceremony. Either clan also has their own special tradition to help bring our playerbase together; WillowClan has storytime, BoarClan has a night of spars.
The warrior ceremony is different in that a mentor suggest the new warrior's suffix rather than the leader deciding it, since the mentor has watched the apprentice grow up, it simply makes more sense.\
here is a full ceremony list.
CLAN DIVERSITY
In Blackthorn we believe that clans should have different cultures, not one cookie cutter system that all clans adapt with just slight differences. Either of our clans have their own sorts of culture and even have different views on the code. They still follow StarClan, but they just share different ideals. BoarClan for instance, is heavily against kittypet blood, accepting them only when they need outsider blood, and when they do, they enforce harsh training duties upon them. Meanwhile, WillowClan welcomes kittypets openly, believing that all cats are born with the heart and instincts of a warrior, not needing to be forcefully taught what it means. BoarClan also does not have an elder ranking, as they believe all cats should serve out their warrior duties until they quite literally can't anymore, at which time they die in a tradition involving a fight with their leader; they believe in dying on their own terms. WillowClan thinks that killing warriors is of the utmost dire acts, and that any cat who kills should be exiled with little questions. They see death as a natural part of life, so much so that they refuse to die on any terms but their own. Many BoarClan cats die at the teeth of their own leader in a tradition known as the Rite of the Boar, where elderly or sickly cats will die pridefully in battle with their leader; it is considered a high honor.
Check out more clan information here!
STARCLAN, REWRITTEN
Ever felt like StarClan is ridiculously inconsistent and overpowered? We did too. The clans of Blackthorn instead answer to an ancient and mysterious order, known as the Order of the Enlightened, the Enlightened, or just the Order. Cats who are selected for the order will receive prophetic dreams, which they must bring forth to the leader. After their dreams are confirmed to be prophecies of the order, a cat is promptly sent away to the far off, snow-capped mountains to live out their days as an Enlightened cat.
The Enlightened have lengthened life spans and even the ability to go longer without food, this seems to be so because they are believed to be 'possessed' or at least 'partial vessels' for StarClan cats; an enlightened cat maintains the memories of their previous life, but as they grow older and older, memories fade, and they slowly and fully become the StarClan cat that has clung to them.
Cats are selected at random and at any age. The order serves as a tie between the the Thousand Stars, and the clans below. They are believed to answer to one ancient being known only as 'Seeker,' but cats who visit the order are not allowed in the chamber, and only selected cats for the order have seen this being.
In short, rather than directly speaking to StarClan, cats seek out the order instead, who seem to have a direct connection to the Stars.
Here's more information on StarClan and the Enlightened.