Writing a Warriors Fanfiction - Guide and Reviews

01: Characters - Appearance

The appearance of a character is important, it's what they look like, it's what your readers visualize while reading your book. Here I'll list some possibilities, and with Warriors, it's almost endless.

It gets on my nerves when people try to force others into using realistic genetics. If genetics interest you and you enjoy using them accurately, then go on ahead, but don't tell other people they need to do that as that simply is not how Warriors works.

Warriors genetics work differently. In real life, you wouldn't have a Jayfeather, Spiderlegs, Bluestar (yes, russian blues exist, but there is no way she's purebred), Hawkfrost, and many, many more.

In Warriors, kits are born with their permanent eye colour, and any cat can have blue eyes, no matter what colour their fur is. Kits can look completely different from their parents (though they usually share a resemblance), and much more that wouldn't be possible in real life. This is a Warriors fanfiction you're writing, so using Warriors rules is completely fine.

That being said, you still shouldn't step outside of even Warriors rules. Personally, I never think about genetics while making my characters (unless I want to use a genetic flaw to contribute to my story or character), but I do only use natural colours.

To give some ideas, here's a list of possible colours and patterns.

Eye Colours:

Blue
Green
Yellow-green
Yellow
Amber
Orange
Brown
Hazel
Purple (a very rare mutation)
Pink/red (for albino cats)

Fur Colours:

White
Black
Light/dark grey
Ginger
Russet
Light/dark brown
Cream
Light/pale ginger (sandy colour)

Patterns/Markings:

Tabby
Tortoiseshell
Mottled
Speckled
Spotted
Pointed
Socks
White spotting
Calico
Patches

Alright, I probably missed something, but just let me know if I did and I'll add it.

It's also interesting to add other things to a cat's appearance, such as scars or torn ears, physical faults or just other things to make a cat unique. I'd say don't overdo it, but it's still your book, and if you have a FanClan then you can just say a certain trait is more commonly seen with those cats.

Don't forget, genetic mutations can be used to your advantage here if you want a cat to stand out. Such as heterochromia (having two different coloured eyes, I really don't see any fanfics using this, which is surprising as people seem to think it's overused... it really isn't), which would be purely aesthetic, or you could throw in a genetic mutation that would make a character's life more difficult so you get to see them struggle. All of this can either be used or disregarded, just know it's an option if you want to spice things up.

I think that's all I have to say on appearances... just have fun with it.