Update: a formal poll regarding the new clan's name can be found here. Once you complete the poll, there will be an option to "see previous responses" that will let you see where everyone else is standing. If it's close or we get a bunch of "other" responses, we could potentially re-poll.

The vote on what to do about EarthClan closed yesterday, with those in support of keeping EarthClan and forming a new clan receiving the most votes. While this new clan won’t be able to actually come together until we have EarthClan moved into DawnClan’s territory, we should start planning for the new clan now so we know what they want to be when they are formed.

Please limit discussion of how we will form this clan to what immediately affect the clan’s identity. Keeping plot-planning to the actual Plot Planning Blog Entry will help us keep on-topic here as we focus on building up two new clan identities. As well, this is not the place to discuss who will be the leader of the new clan. I will decide who it will be using our usual criteria and announce the new leader and deputy closer to when the clan is formed. The best thing you can do now to increase your chances is participating actively in this blog and following the suggestions on the How Leaders and Deputies are Chosen.

I think the best way to go about this would be to see what the established clans are based on, and then use that as a framework for building EarthClan and the new, still unnamed clan. So, here is more or less what I believe each clan identity boils down to.

MoonClan

• Proud/arrogant, honorable, and courageous
• Conformist and the most nationalistic clan
• Moderately skilled hunters and fighters
• Highly value discipline; regimented day to day lives; strict clan hierarchy
• Suspicious of outsiders
• Strong belief in StarClan and The Warrior Code

NightClan

• Cunning, fierce, and ambitious.
• Individualistic
• Strong fighters but weak hunters, mostly scavenge for food
• Loose clan hierarchy and administration, with a low value placed on discipline
• Very accepting of outsiders
• Weak belief in StarClan and in the value of the Warrior Code

DawnClan

• Peaceful, compassionate, and forgiving.
• Individualistic with low value on discipline
• Moderate hunters and weak fighters, have the unique skill of fishing
• Paternalistic leadership style with a flexible hierarchy and a Leisurely day to day existence
• Moderately accepting of outsiders
• Moderate belief in StarClan and generally follow the Warrior Code

SunClan

• Cautious, intelligent, strive to embody “clan before the individual.”
• Value teamwork and place little stock in the individual; conformist
• Strong hunters but weak fighters
• Strict leadership style and hierarchy, highly demanding expectations of warriors
• Suspicious of outsiders
• Moderate belief in StarClan, but follow The Warrior Code to the letter.

Based on those facts, here’s one direction we could potentially go with the new clans, assuming that EarthClan ends up in DawnClan’s old territory and the NightClan rebels resettle in NightClan’s old territory and form the new clan.

New Clan (Possible names: EclipseClan, SkyClan, CometClan, GalaxyClan, NovaClan, MeteorClan, NebulaClan, please suggest more)

• Resourceful, fierce, domineering
• Individualistic
• Strong fighters but weak hunters, mostly scavenge for food
• Rigid clan hierarchy and administration, with each rank asserting themselves over lower ranks
• Moderately accepting of outsiders. Only accepts those who they deem strong enough, or alternatively, those who actually seem committed to their clan. Expect all outsiders to assimilate into clan life.
• Weak belief in StarClan, but a high degree of value in Warrior Code

EarthClan

• Tolerant, compassionate, and grounded
• Individualistic with low value on discipline, strives to encourage each cat’s strengths rather than make a uniform
• Moderate hunters and weak fighters, have the unique skill of fishing
• Paternalistic leadership style with a flexible hierarchy and a Leisurely day to day existence
• Very accepting of outsiders
• Extremely variable beliefs in StarClan and the Warrior Code

Of course, this is only one way to go about it, and I want to hear all of your thoughts on which direction we should head in to creating these new clans.