Here is where I dump or information on the idea but I had to make these realllyyy fast sketches before I lost the idea. Fire and the coal they keep is sacred to them becasue it mirrors the Sun. The coal is especially used in festivals during Winter and Spring but they are also used during special ceremonies.
How the coal is treated also acts as a characterizer of each Clan. Wind Clan is more communal so apprentices and warriors can carry/place the coal. It is kept in a tunnel in the center of the clearing wall. For this reason, they all have general knowledge on how to create and fix masks. Rabbits feet may be used to decorate them or dried flowers.
In contrast, River Clan is more private and prioritizes keeping the coal sacred. This resembles how they interact with Star Clan believing that each cat has a more personal relationship with Star Clan, fesivals are more quiet and focused on calming and centering oneself. The coal is stored in an unmarked area which is moved if any other clan finds it on accident or on purpose. Medicine cats exclusively can touch or place the coal. The mask is equally sacred and can only be properly mended by a medicine cat although leaders can fill in if necessary. The making of a mask is taught to medicine apprentices.
Thunder Clan keeps the coal in the leaders den becasue they believe much of Star Clan's power is funneled through the leader. Leaders are expected to move and place coal, however, medicine cats make the masks. The coal is kept in the leaders den in a nook in the rock. Thunder Clan is known to have loud crackling bon fires.
Shadow Clan is more communal in terms of coal handling as well, however, masks are extremely sacred and can only be made/mended by medic cats. A charred and hollowed tree near the entrance is where they keep the coal. Clan specific festivals are completely exclusive and secretive unlike Wind Clan which is known to invite friendly members of other clans if they feel inclined. Bon fires are not common but they often cremate bodies on a small island that is surrounded by bog. Cremation is also common in River Clan.
Star Clan must bless a mask before it is used, this contributes to how long lasting they often are (the oldest being from Shadow Clan going back 10 generations). The coal, although it mirrors the Sun, is contrasted by the blue light glow of the moon stone so the fire of coal represents life while the moonstone represents soul and spirit.
In many ways, the coal makes the Clans somewhat dependent on eachother because if coal somehow goes out there is an obligation for any Clan asked to share. If, for whatever reason, this does not happen there is a small eternal fire in a cavern said to be located far beneath the moonstone, however, no one has had to travel here for a couple generations. The knowledge of this cavern is held by medicine cats.
Theyre talking cats so I don't feel too bad making a crazy ass fire society head canon
I haven't seen anyone talk about this yet. Towards the end of Guardians vol 3, when Rocket sees Lilah, Teefs, and Floor again, they're not "whole." All four of them still have their enhancements. To me, this detail is so important.
As disabled people, we have a history of being told that, when we die, when we go to heaven, all of our illnesses, deformities, ways of being in the world will be gone. We will be cured. But for many of us, we don't want to be cured. If there is an afterlife, and I'm not autistic, I wouldn't even know the first thing about how I would exist as that. More importantly, I wouldn't be myself.
Like disabled people, Rocket, Lilah, Teefs, and Floor didn't get to choose their existence, their bodies, their minds. They were made that way and, very realistically, could not imagine being any other way, despite their pain and suffering. Even in most modern media, disability is a plot device that, when its purpose has been served, gets cured or written out of the narrative. Having all four of them being disabled in the afterlife is so goddamned important.
Happy "the Decaying release date announcement day"!
I will be posting a page every Wednesday of the prologue of The Decaying! Starting February 28! It'll last the next 8 weeks, and after that DEPENDING on how much I have done, it may switch to biweekly! (Cause I don't want it to take 8 months to post 1 chapter...) , but I don't want to fall into burnout! I said new year new me but that somehow turned into making a webcomic and that's a lot of work!
Hope you guys are excited :]!
+ preview of page 1
EDIT: It's up on comic fury too! Currently empty as of this edit but it exists! https://thedecaying.webcomic.ws
points and laughs at my mutuals getting famous posts while i remain safe in my relative obscurity
yea
based on that one post
May I also add:
Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 spoilers without context
I feel like I don't see enough conversation about how they had Star Flower be pursued by Thunder and Clear Sky who are explicitly father and son
Obsessed with blue cat
For those who are behind and are alarmed: Shane and Ryan "splitting up" is a bit in Mystery Files (specifically the debriefs) where they stopped being friends after Ryan says he doesn't pay attention during Shane's presentations. It's similar to the Steven vs Ricky bits in Too Many Spirits, or Shane not caring that Ryan was about to be skinned alive in Puppet History. The Ghoul Boys and Watcher aren't going anywhere. It's just a bit. You can breathe. :)
Put the content in the bag.Larkin; they/them, 21Requests & Commissions: open!🍉free palestine🍉art account: @larkinarting
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