“You're still beautiful to me,” he told her. “You always will be.”
“I would not have survived that dark time if it weren't for Cloudtail. He gave me another destiny, and I knew that no matter what I looked like, I would be all right. As long as Cloudtail loved me, I was no longer Lostface, but Brightheart.”
Specifically together, their relationship is so sweet. Poor Brightheart goes through so much, from both the dogs and the reaction of others to her, but she stays so positive and kind. Cloudtail is one of relatively few cats in the whole of Thunderclan who isn't egregiously ableist, and he's arrogant in a fun way. Cloudtail's reassurance that she would always be beautiful to him is a scene that just makes me smile. For them I would recommend this cute MAP Take Good Care of My Baby | Complete Swiftpaw MAP. It's technically about Swiftpaw, but it features all three of them. I also love their short scene in this MAP The Five Giants [COMPLETE Warrior Cats M.A.P.].
"Are you sure? Lionblaze and Jayfeather don't trust me. Maybe they want me to go back to the Dark Forest and stay there!"
Ivypool had an interesting plotline, infiltrating the Dark Forest and spying for the clans. Her jealously of Dovewing is a good character flaw, and she develops well beyond that. Her relationship with Fernsong, and her reluctance to spend time in the nursery, were unique within the series. I'm glad she gets to be deputy now, and would be happy to see an Ivystar eventually (though I'm doubtful she'll outlive Squirrelstar). I would recommend this AMV for Ivypool Waltz for sweatpants // IvyFern AMV.
"We are taking over this territory now. I shall rule the forest as well as the town. But I understand that you may need some time to reflect on this. You have three days to leave—or meet my Clan in battle. I shall wait for your decision at dawn on the fourth day."
This little dude is so comically edgy, with a squeaky, Micky Mouse voice. I don't have much to say about him, because there isn't much to say, considering how little page time he gets. I just like that he's a ridiculously edgy little squeaky toy cat, who randomly shows up, one-taps the villain the entire arc had been building to, and then dies. I don't really know many Scourge projects, but this AMV is very good: RED RIGHT HAND ◨ Scourge and Tigerstar PMV
"We'll never forget what we did. We'll be stronger all our lives for it."
Call it recency bias, but I really like the extra attention Tawnypelt has been getting in the current arc. Her choice to leave Thunderclan as an apprentice was the first permanent clan change in the series (ignoring young kits who can't really choose), and she remains firmly loyal to her new clan afterwards. Also, naming her son after her openly evil father is an insane choice, and one that I love that she made. I've been rereading arc 2, and I like her bluntness in this arc. This MAP feels like a nice summary of her early story: My Grand Plan: Complete Tawnypelt 48 Hour MAP
"It wasn't really brave, I didn't have time to think."
Brackenfur's characterization and story in the first arc are mostly irrelevant to the main plot, but I like what little he gets. His bond with Snowkit was sweet, and his determination to get him back afterwards was heartbreaking. Other than that he's just a loyal, reliable sheet of cardboard, and I appreciate how dependably bland he is. Brackenfur appears multiple times in this MAP, and his appearances really sum up what I find interesting about him: Eat Your Young || COMPLETE MENTOR + APPRENTICE MAP
"S'alright"
I like Snowkit for what he could have been. Purely an AU favorite, though his singular line being "s' alright" is pretty great. In the actual books he's treated terribly by both the characters around him and the authors, and dies before he gets to do anything worthy of being a favorite character. But the idea of Snowkit is so interesting that I find myself really liking him anyways. The characters already have established forms of nonverbal communication, and Brackenfur was extremely dedicated to his training. Had Snowkit not been taken by that random ableist hawk, he would have become a warrior with minimal issues, and could have had an interesting story, and I'm a fan of that hypothetical story. I'm not a fan of the "Snowkit is Snowtuft" theory though, it's insane and mean- let my boy be happy. In keeping with the fact that I like AU Snowkit and not canon Snowkit, this AU map is just great:🔌SPEED OVER BEETHOVEN🔌 Complete Snowkit and One-eye Warriors Dance Dance Revolution MAP (EYE STRAIN)
"Run! Now! Make this count, Violetpaw!"
Needletail makes a lot of mistakes. She turns on her clan, getting a lot of people hurt or killed. She traumatizes Violetkit by separating her from Twigkit, and later puts her in terrible danger by convincing her to join Darktail's evil gang. But her story doesn't end there; she realizes she was wrong, and works to fix it. Her life is a short tragedy, and her sacrifice is a great character moment. Needletail may be my absolute favorite character in the series, because she's just so much more complex than most other characters, who tend to be either purely good or purely bad. This Needletail AMV is an incredible piece of art: DIE YOUNG - Needletail AMV (cw: pink blood, canon-typical violence/death)
"Could Fidgetflake be the two-faced cat?"
I haven't read book 3 yet, but as of book 2 Starlingpaw is a very cute anxious little guy, and I really like him. Leafstar really messed this poor child up, and I hope he can work through his guilt and grief. He's simultaneously a very sad character, and a very funny character with his suspicion of Fidgetflake. There's not much to say about Starlingpaw, because he's still such a new character. Similarly, he's too new to have many animations to recommend. I found 3 animations of Starlingpaw, and you can take your pick: Starlingpaw | WHERE'S YOUR HEAD AT Animation Meme [Changing Skies - The Elders Quest - Warrior Cats]
Starlingpaw "What have you done?" (SPOILERS FOR ELDERS QUEST) (Cw: blood)
Starlingpaw
"Why? Because I'm half kittypet? But I'm half warrior, too. And when I'm here, I'm all warrior. As one of your warriors, I wish to help these cats." --Billystorm
No actually good reason, I just love their names. Harrybrook, Bellaleaf, Billystorm especially. It's a storm of Billys! I also like that the same naming convention gave us Echosong, which is a beautiful name. Not really much for these more niche background characters, but most do technically make an appearance in this Leafstar MAP: 🌲Trees || Complete Leafstar MAP 🌲
"Kits are a precious gift, Spiderleg, You should take every chance you can to be a good father. It's even better than being a mentor."
"Yes, O Great One, I shall do exactly what you say. And when we come back empty-pawed, maybe you'll admit that I was right."
One of the best duos in the series, they have such a bond and their sisterly love is so sweet. Both are also so loyal to their clans, and to Starclan, and suffer so much for that loyalty. They lose their kits, Squirrelstar loses her mate, and Leafpool loses her job, over a decision Starclan endorsed. But they stand by each other through it all, friends and sisters until Leafpool's bitter end (where they're then put on trial for following Starclan's instructions!). Squirrelstar without Leafpool feels so strange, and her absence leaves a hole in the clan that Jayfeather and Alderheart are unable to fill. There's hardly a shortage of Leafpool or Squirrelflight animations, they may be the most popular characters for animations thanks to the Fire Scene. But, these are a handful of favorites:
What He Didn’t Do - Squirrelflight PMV
Already Gone || COMPLETE Leafpool & Crowfeather MAP
FUNNY THINGS - Complete Dustpelt and Squirrelpaw MAP
She Had A Fire Inside (Squirrelstar/Leafpool)
