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Post by Mosswolf on Jul 28, 2022 8:44:40 GMT -5
I have recently started rewriting a roleplay I was in. One of the major plotpoints is that two of the three clans turn against one to drive them out of the forest and then a few cats from each clan end up making another clan that is against war and fighting. However, I don’t think they would want to drive out a clan just because two apprentices tresspassed while chasing a rabbit. Where could I ask a question asking help for changing the plot a bit?
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Post by Sand on Jul 28, 2022 10:39:12 GMT -5
Hi! Your thread would fit great in Warriors Fan Fiction. If you’d like, I can move this thread over there? Up to you.
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Post by Mosswolf on Jul 28, 2022 11:51:20 GMT -5
it would be very nice if you would!
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Post by Brownie on Jul 28, 2022 19:19:50 GMT -5
Hey! As someone who has this same problem frequently, I've found that switching the motive from aggressive to defensive tends to do the trick nicely, making the Clan that's invading both sympathetic, but also clearly the aggressors.
So instead of having them try and kick out the other Clan for malicious reasons or simply for power, make it so that their leader believes that taking that territory is the only choice they have left. Perhaps their territory is becoming overrun with twolegs due to an archeological dig site nearby. Perhaps they have wolves encroaching to their outer borders, making it too dangerous to hunt, and they feel that they need to invade the other territory for safer hunting grounds. Poison is a good option, or general famine/disease. if they have a primary food source, something could go wrong with that creature's life cycle or habitat, or perhaps just general overhunting causing the population to plummet.
I just threw down a lot of ideas, but the idea stands: make it feel as if those other two Clans didn't have better options. They don't have to be evil to do evil things, if they firmly believe that was the only way for their Clan to survive a threat. Outwardly, it's the same invasion, but as long as the reasons are solid and the reader can empathize with the leaders' choices, then it will be a good plotline.
And don't get me wrong, even with a good reason, they still are doing an awful thing. There will still be fighting, and dirty tactics, and the cats will probably find malicious reasons to justify what they are doing (things like prey stealing, crossing borders, or other minor transgressions will be blown out of proportion to justify their "retribution"). no one likes feeling like the bad guy. The cats will find reasons, however petty, to make them feel like they are doing the right thing.
This gives plenty of room for a "peace party". Perhaps they wish that instead of kicking the Clan out to steal their land, they would have asked politely for the Clan to temporarily share some land or work together until the threat passes. Of course, this can't be easily possible, or else the leaders wouldn't have felt the need to invade, so the reason why they CANT just talk it out must be solid. Perhaps the third Clan refused at first, perhaps the leaders had a previous feud/rivalry, or their leaders are simply too proud to consider asking for help. There could also have been a faction in their Clan that was saying the leaders were weak for trying to ask for help instead of simply taking the land, because it's faster and they need it NOW not in a few moons once they iron out the details.
A little long, but hopefully helpful? Again, I had this problem a LOT when writing my fanfic, the shift in mentality from making an "enemy" to making a struggle that feels like everyone made the best choices they could under the circumstances is what separates good stories from great stories.
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Post by faultfur on Aug 4, 2022 12:52:52 GMT -5
You could also try for the World War One route. Have the clan leaders make threats to one another about what would happen if anyone trespassed, as a deterrent thing. Then, you just need an excuse for one of the clans to trespass, and voila, you’ve got a messy conflict. Plus you can add some tension with territory so everyone has a reason to keep the fight going. (Or just have a no man’s land of territory between all three clans that’ll serve the same purpose.)
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