(Note: This is a bit opinion based. My opinion doesn't have to be your opinion, unless you want it to. Also; this is long) One of the things that drew me to Warriors is that it was realistic. These weren't cats that breathed fire; these were cats with realistic social constructs and reasonable actions. It was like walking the line between fiction and nonfiction; it was realistic enough not to be considered fantasy, and yet not exactly realistic fiction. The writers know this, too. They say that they "study" their cats and try to make the series as realistic as possible. And this is where the problems start. When you're writing a pseudo-realistic book, you should definitely do your research. In a professional book such as Warriors with a team of 4, there are always higher expectations for them. Especially when writing Warriors. However, the Erins hardly meet those expectations, and as a person who has been studying cat genetics, behavior and anatomy, I can say that the Erins have made more than just "little" mistakes. Firstly, the genetics. This may sound nitpicky, but it's such an eyesore to see white kittens come out of nowhere. Clear Sky and Storm can not be the parents of Thunder because neither has red fur to pass down, neither has any Non-Dilute genes, and neither has white spotting to give him white. This point mainly exists here to show that the Erins had a serious lack of research. For a team of 4, this is a pretty glaring issue. Secondly, biology. In DOTC, we see Bright Stream getting carried off by a hawk. However, thanks to research, I've found that hawks are too small to carry off a cat. Different owl species and Bald Eagles may be able to carry off a cat, but even they know better than to try to carry off a large, pregnant molly. Cats serve a higher risk to hawks than hawks themselves do to cats; making this whole Bright Stream thing unreasonable. Something else to note is about how the cats can somehow conduct procedures similar to CPR. You may ask, Can this happen if the cat was smart enough? No. Cat organs aren't located in the same places human organs are. CPR would do no good, even if the cat did it correctly. And that's if the cat was mentally capable of being smart enough; cats really aren't that advanced, even clan/tribe cats. This goes with the topic of fixing twisted shoulders or legs back to place; it's just physically and mentally impossible for cats. Even the herbs the cats use are poisonous, and that's an issue considering the whole "blazing star" plot they used in Book 4. Finally, behavior. I was putting this off for last because, really, the Erins got lucky with the realism of the clan structure. It works, and really that may be all that matters. But it's not. One of the biggest issues in Warriors as a whole is it's blandness. It uses the same plots over and over, and the drama mostly always revolves around romance. Most of DOTC wasn't spent on the clans and the worldbuilding and the challenges of such worldbuilding, it was spent on cheap romance and plots that have already been done before, most notable being "Dad Angst," "Love Triangle," "Im A Jerk With Almost No Consequences," and "Love Angst." Those plots have been done so many times before that's it's exhausting to see it. The way repetitive plots could've been avoided is by being unique. Why do plots have to be about romance? Behavior provides an interesting concept for how cats would behave, and also allows for more plot lines to form. Toms are capable of killings kits that aren't their own; how do the early, primitive clans prevent that? Cats are red-green colorblind, how does that affect their daily lives? What about the ability to twist, and therefor be unscathed from falling from a great height? What about the fear of being hunted? There are so many interesting world building concepts I can take from the cats, which the Erins have completely ignored. In short, realism in warriors has been... Neglected, per say. It seems to be that realism was swept away for more drama and plot convinced. However, by taking away realism, the Erins have just waved goodbye to one of the most inspirational places for creating lore and worldbuilding. This time, I intend to keep the cats as cats. You'll be surprised by what I've cooked up using realism. A short thanks to everyone who read this whole thing! Yes, this was necessary, as it provides more in-depth info into what I'm looking for in my writing. If you want more "rants" like these, then I'll be happy to make more about Warriors. Also, contrary to popular belief, I do think there's something to like about in warriors. It's just not very prominent compared to the cons.
