Warriors Fanfics: Specialized Writing Guide

Prophecies

Here are some example prophecies found in fanfics on Wattpad, Deviantart, and fanfiction_net. These are copied exactly as the original authors wrote them:

"Moon and stone will save the Clans"

"There will be three, born against the code, who will save the Clans from the darkest threat."

"Black will rip Petal to shreds. Shadows will take your clan. One can save them with the force of Fire."

"A young kit who holds the power of the stars in her paws will stop the setting sun of Ember."

"The darkness was never meant to be, and two cats, high and proud will lead and destroy."

The first and second examples are close to how most writers in this fandom write their prophecies. Problem is they are a bit too simple. In the first, we just have to look for cats with 'moon' or 'stone' in their names and we have our main characters. In the second, we only need to find the cats given up for adoption, abandoned at another clan's border, or kits of strays, kittypets, and rogues. Finding our main subjects in both of these prophecies is simple. It is exactly how "fire alone can save our clans" was set up. Using a similar prophecy reminds our readers of this canon one, and now they can guess our main characters by their physical features, names, or circumstances of their birth. Worse yet, the story can predictably mimic the overarching plot of the first four canon arcs.

The third example has a problem with being too confusing. It is not hard to understand (or predict), but it is hard to discern the important parts of the three unrelated events referenced. If we broke that third prophecy into three smaller ones, they could each stand as their own parts or books. The events do not mix into each other very well unless each event happens one after the other; that may be even worse than the prophecy being simply busy. If the 'Shadows' take a clan after 'Black rips Petal to shreds', then the author has just given away major plot elements. And if the plot rides the prophecy like the canon ones did in Omen of the Stars, your readers have a predictable and busy novel ahead of them.

The fourth example holds up the best as is. Our main character would be an obvious choice for this mystery she-kit, but it could be another born halfway through the story should the author choose. Options are left open. The 'power of the stars' could also be anything as far as powers are concerned. There is just one issue that puts it in these examples; the others suffer from this problem, too. 'Ember' is given off as a name, and we are told this Ember is 'the setting sun'. The moment a cat with 'ember' in their names shows, we know they will have to be stopped. It is common in Warriors fanfics for a main character (particularly a littermate or a mentor) to turn evil halfway through and become the antagonist. Whoever this 'ember' cat is has just been tagged as the antagonist. Sure there is room to throw readers for a good twist (like if 'ember' were a good but naive clan leader or something) but it will likely not turn out this way. Our kit has powers and/or a connection to StarClan. Our reader's expectations are altered to think a certain way of this prophecy now.

The fifth example has some of the same problems as the first and second, but is worded better than either of them; it is not irredeemable by any means. We know something will happen to disrupt the peace of the clans in this story, and that this something will give rise to two cats (not hinting at who they could be is a nice touch) who will lead and destroy. We assume one will be our protagonist and one will be our evil antagonist. Problem is it seems we will have to force this 'darkness'. It will have to be evil and destructive, enough to get our 'lead' main character's attention. Ultimately this prophecy hinges on name drops and circumstances of birth, just like the first two examples. It is not super easy to predict like them, but it is once we have all of the proper information. The mystery and potency of this prophecy would wear down as the story progresses, which is not what we want from something that is supposed to carry the plot all the way through the story.