Hello everyone! This past July has been one of the most important in the site’s history, as we made the transition from our former Webs-based website to our new Wix-based website. The transition has, on the whole, gone more smoothly than I expected and now that we’re settled in, it seems like an appropriate time to take a moment and reflect on Warrior Cats of the Forest’s origins. To that end, for this month’s Monthly Meow I am republishing a brief account of the first year of Warrior Cats of the Forest’s history, written by the website’s co-founder, Silverwing. This account was originally written in August 2016 and shared in the public chatbox we were using at the time.
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Hi everyone! I’m Silverwing, co-creator of this site with the webmaster you all know and love, Ember. Unfortunately, I no longer run the site with her (I opted out as school got harder), but I’ve returned to give my take on the site’s history and what’s transpired here.
Ah, humble beginnings. When I first met Ember I was determined to win her over and make her my friend, so I introduced her to the Warriors novels. Needless to say, she didn’t love them right away, but soon she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the page. My plan had worked, and Ember had found a nifty roleplaying site so we could geek out and stay in that world a little longer.
That site caused me many a frustration. Even though it provided an avenue for us to write, it rarely updated, rules were inconsistently upheld and it was massive to the point of being stifling. With some audacity that only we could have, we decided to leave the website (which had now been abandoned by its owner) and started our own.
Ember and I created this site on January 16th, 2009 and showed it to our other close friend Wolfshadow, who invited her friend Snowpath to the fray. For a while it was just us four, trying to inhabit the entirety of MoonClan the best we could. Soon, by some miracle or flaw of Google page views, members began showing up. However, none of them were very active or stayed for long. This early on, despite Ember and my devotion to our creation, the website was simple. There was only one clan (the infamous MoonClan), a guestbook (I’ve heard you newfangled youth call this the Character Update Page), and forums. In addition to that, the site was a lot less structured, with bare bones rules and absolutely no planned plot. The story went wherever we took it, which often meant it stood completely still.
When 2010 rolled around, the site had grown considerably and Ember and I added BoneClan to the world we had created. Not only did this allow for our growing membership, but it made an interesting plot possible. Now we had two clans with different motives that could play off each other and create controversy! And, I, as I always have, absolutely love controversy. Not to forget the shallow things in life, Ember and I also decided to give the website an aesthetic overhaul and settle for some of the colorschemes that became the ultimate appearance of the Webs website.
When Sharkstar died and the plot was getting really good, I left the site. There were a lot of reasons for this, mostly a startling lack of free time, but it was left in good hands. I continued to receive updates about the forums, mostly by heckling Ember to see if I had missed anything important. After a few months of stress and website shenanigans, Ember decided to accrue her first set of Admins. The site continued to grow and flourish, adding new clans and changing the dynamics of the forest Ember and I invented in 2009.
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If you guys have any questions for Silverwing or me about the website’s history- even extending past 2010- please write them below and we’ll answer them to the best of our abilities.
Looking forward, this coming month will also be particularly important in making the finishing touches on the new website and focus our attention on recruiting and retaining new members. I am currently working on a survey for all members about how you found the website, why you joined, and why you stayed, so please keep an eye out for that as it should be published later this week.
MoonClan
Apprentices:
Yellowkit, Deathkit, Bluekit, Redkit: Mid-August ceremonies
Paintkit, Skunk-kit, Slushkit: Late-August ceremonies
Warriors:
Grimpaw, Quietpaw, Midnightpaw, Stripepaw: Early-August ceremonies
Springpaw, Blackpaw: Mid-August ceremonies
Elder: Dipperfall
Deaths: Nightmarehowl, Ace
SunClan
Apprentices:
Scorchkit, Goldenkit: Early-August ceremonies
Wisteriakit, Vibrantkkit, Honeykit, Bettakit: Late-August ceremonies
Warriors:
Brightpaw, Blazepaw, Fenpaw: Early-August ceremonies
Daypaw, Goldenpaw: Late-August ceremonies
Elders: Windelk, Hawk, Risingdawn, Mothflame
Deaths: Bullet, Slatepelt, Furrowtail
EarthClan
Apprentices:
Berrykit, Rosekit: Early-August ceremonies
Tinykit, Amberkit, Silverkit, Lynxkit: Mid-August ceremonies
Warriors:
Doepaw, Pinepaw: Early-August ceremonies
Charlie: Mid-August ceremonies
Elders: Chara, Skeletonfall
Deaths: Brackenstorm
EclipseClan
Apprentices:
Barrelkit, Hydrantkit: Mid-August ceremonies
Saltykit, Chimneykit, Umberkit, Soulkit: Late-August ceremonies
Warriors:
Northpaw, Bearpaw, Adderpaw, Dragpaw: Early-August ceremonies
Flamingpaw, Lionpaw, Locustpaw: Mid-August ceremonies
Bonepaw, Wicked, Bulletproof, Devil May Care, Hellion, Swirlingpaw: Late-August ceremonies
Elders: Blitz, Noble, Larkspring, Jitters, Mistyrain