POOL - Swiftpaw PMV

In his last moments, Swiftpaw wonders if he had been asking for too much.

!! TW: animal violence & death, blood & gore, flashing lights, shaky camera, eyestrain !!

Timestamps:
♡ violence, death, blood, gore: 1:05 to end
♡ flashing lights: 0:05 to 0:08, 0:50 to 0:55, 1:13 to end
♡ shaky camera: 1:05 to 1:08
♡ eyestrain: 0:05 to 0:08, 0:50 to 1:00, 1:05 to 1:08

If I'm missing any TWs, please let me know ❤️

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I return to you all… with yet another color palette Warrior Cats PMV… similar yet different to PTOLEMAEA…

I have been picking this up and dropping it for MONTHS, alongside other WIPs. I just couldn't get into the groove!! But I was finally able to work on it a bunch over the holidays, thank goodness!

It’s not my most original PMV concept, but there's just something so poignant about Swiftpaw's story… that (I feel) makes it so prominent in WC fanworks over these many years. A sense of powerlessness and frustration, stemming from something that is completely avoidable and easily fixable… if only those in control let it be so. Tirelessly doing your best and proving yourself only to be rejected and dismissed and forgotten and REPLACED. It’s gutting!

I also wanted to touch a bit on how Swiftpaw might (briefly) villainize his loved ones in his mind, for their inaction. The audience knows Longtail tried to advocate for Swiftpaw to Fireheart, and that no cat had the power to convince Bluestar to do much at this stage anyway… but it would still sting, that no one in your life seems to be as angry as you are at your injustice. Not your leader, who (in her deep mental illness spiral) is the cause of your suffering. Not your mentor who, while frustrated, remains largely unaffected (and is dealing with his own friendship schism). Not your mother, who has two young children to take care of and a nasty divorce to work through. Not your friends, who understand your rage but ultimately will not take action to help you, or themselves.

“Is it too much to ask”, for help and support? For “how much longer” you must endure? … certainly these are questions running through the mind of this PMV’s Swiftpaw. This project is intended to be framed as his dying thoughts - “[I find that] I've forgotten why I did it…” being the lead-in as he reflects on what led to his fate...

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ANYWHO I got into Samia’s music this summer when her NPR Tiny Desk concert went viral. I’ve become such a big fan! After a few listens of “Pool” (and particularly this section: 1:00 - 1:12), I realized that it fit Swiftpaw quite well.

I thought it fit him so well, in fact, that I was sure someone else would make this PMV first! So for months, before working on this and while slowly chipping away at it, I've been intermittently looking up variations of “samia pool warriors pmv” on YouTube and have yet to see a Swiftpaw one pop up. So I’ve taken matters into my own hands & brought it to life myself!
(Although, if this concept already exists as an edit on TikTok or something… I don't have a TikTok, I'm sorry, I didn't know 🙈)

I hope you all enjoy!! : D

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Song: Pool (NPR Tiny Desk Version) by Samia
Please give her other music some love, she's so talented! I recommend the songs “As You Are” and “Kill Her Freak Out”. As well, her new album Bloodless is great - my favorite song from it is “Hole In A Frame"

Programs: Paint Tool Sai (art), Clip Studio Paint (animation), Microsoft Clipchamp (compositing)

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Character appearance list time… there’s so many…
0:08 - Cloudtail on the rock, L→R in the audience is Brindleface, Sandstorm, Dustpelt, & Brackenfur
0:10 - Longtail, Swiftpaw
0:15 - Fireheart & Cloudtail, Bluestar in background
0:19 - Every living cat in TC by this point in A Dangerous Path, check out my tumblr for the full list: https://www.tumblr.com/gak-illustrate...
0:41 - Swiftpaw & (grandma!) Speckletail
0:44 - Bluestar with Goldenflower, Tawnykit, & Bramblekit
0:54 - L→R it’s Thornpaw, Brightpaw, Swiftpaw, Fernpaw, & Ashpaw
1:00 - shadowy cats are up to interpretation!
1:03 - Brightpaw passing by a sleeping Thornpaw & Ashpaw, while Fernpaw watches

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Vid recs! The 1st section are all to Samia’s POOL, the 2nd is general recs.

♡    • pool - bluestar pmv - warriors   (Bluestar-themed, and so heart wrenching!)
♡    • Bojack horseman animatic (POOL - samia)   (Bojack Horseman, so sad!)
♡    • Are my legs gonna last    Warrior cats oc PMV   (WC OCs, gorgeous lighting!)
♡    • Pool - AMV   (WC OCs, beautiful animation!)

♡    • (EYESTRAIN WARNING) No One, Everyone, Your...   (SUCH a gorgeous pmv!! the expressions are so well done. and y’all know i love a color palette)
♡    • Chop Suey! - Swiftpaw AU ANIMATIC   (Swiftpaw AU… we loveee the bitterness the resentment the chop suey of it all)

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pls forgive the animation errors & remind me to never do a slow head tilt animation EVER AGAIN 😭

https://gak-illustrates.carrd.co/