How to Make a Terrible Warriors Cats Original Character

Lookin Good!

We've covered names, so now lets talk about your OC's appearance. To start, lets consider things to avoid. Remember, these are all my opinions, and I by no means am trying to be offensive and/or stop you from writing your fanfic. I'm just someone complaining on the internet.

~BMCs (Beautifully Marked Cats). (Look at my STUNNING perfectly formed butterfly-shaped birthmark! I'm obviously the special main character, because, well, LOOK!).

If you've ever read Starkit's Prophecy, a crappy book about a purple cat, then you know the protagonist, Starkit/paw/gleam/Gleamstar, has a perfect star on her forehead, among other unrealistic things. 

Thing is, cats just don't have perfectly formed birthmarks, and aside from genetic mutation, they never will. And that's okay. Because cats don't need a lightning bolt on their face and awesome powers (more on that later) to be special.

~The Pelt of Many Colors. (There goes Rainbowglitter. I wish I had fur all the colors of the rainbow.).

This ties in with my first point, the fact that cats don't have these weird colors and markings that aren't natural at all. Cats look like...cats. Not unicorns, not mermaids, cats.

~Everyone Else Looks Like a Normal Cat Except For Rainbowglitter, the Prophecy Warrior. (I don't think I need to put an example here).

A snippet from the ThunderClan allegiances in a stupid fanfic I just made up, Rainbowglitter's Beautiful Fur.

Brownfur-brown tom

Greyfur-grey tom

Whitefur-white tom

Blackfur-black tom

Rainbowglitter-beautiful, sleek furred she-cat with deep, lavender and blue eyes, and a pelt with all the colors of the rainbow that's slightly sparkly and glows in the dark

Alright, those were all extreme examples of things to avoid. So how do you make an interesting design for your character without drawing all the attention to your character and your character only? I have, once again, a list of ideas for you (you can tell I love lists).

~Google is Your Friend. 

Look up pictures of cats, find one you like, and give it a warrior name. Make sure that it's not photoshopped, so that this cat could actually exist in real life. You'll find some beautiful, strange, and stunning pelts out there that you might not even have known were real. Better yet, this way you'll have photo evidence you can send to people complaining that "tortoiseshells aren't a thing" or something else stupid like that. 

~Friends are Your Friends, Too

Ask your friends or family about a cat's design. Nine out of ten times, they'll tell you if they think your cat isn't realistic.

~Read Your Book Like You Didn't Write It.

It's often said that someone's worst critic is themselves. That's pretty darn true. But ask yourself this next time you're beating up on your story: If you saw this on Wattpad (or somewhere else) and it was written by one of your favorite authors, would you be as hard on it? Chances are, you'll say no. And that's because it's our instinct to hold ourselves to a standard of perfection. Just be real with yourself. You'll be a heck of a lot happier for it in the long run.