#BB!Puddleshine

[bonefall]

what’s up with BB! Puddleshine? been having thoughts about him recently lol. i find it funny that rowanstar grabbed this random child from the nursery and was like ‘bam here’s our brand new doctor and spiritual leader everyone’

(*shaking twelve year old in the background*)

You know what's pretty cool about AVoS, buried underneath the slog of it all? The thing I keep going back to about this arc, in spite of how annoying it is to be forced to say in ThunderClan as everything interesting happens off-screen?

The way that so, so many young warriors are horrifically traumatized by both the structure of the Clans, and the Kin that they turn to.

It's a shame that the Erins were so committed to the idea of the Clan social structure NOT being the problem, because this whole arc is a perfect time to show how flawed it structurally is. LET these kids have a point, that maybe they were rebelling against something broken, but Darktail was a malicious actor who exploited their naivety to serve HIS ends.

A recap of what's happening in BB!AvoS before I explain my intentions with the Puddy Boy;

The big problem that I want Rowanstar to display is a problem that ALL the leaders of this time period also have. Commitment to Clan rivalry.

After Firestar was killed in AVoS by Dark Forest warriors, Bramblestar considers diplomacy secondary as a tactic. "ThunderClan will not be bullied any longer. We have been too soft with the other Clans for too long; and they have humiliated us by taking advantage of our kindness." (Note: Harespring and Breezepelt being part of the assassination patrol is not revealed until TBC. For MAXIMUM drama reveal.)

He escalated a border dispute that Firestar had worked closely and intimately with ShadowClan to resolve; a fight for a knoutberry patch on their border, just before Winter.

After Russetfur died in this painful battle, Blackstar backslid hard from his redemption arc. This caused the Thunder/Shadow alliance to dissolve towards the end of OotS, ending a friendship between the two Clans that had lasted through all of Po3.

He was open to Sol's manipulation, and while Tawnypelt was trying to fight the Dark Forest trainees who took over ShadowClan in the meantime... Rowanclaw became deputy by organizing a patrol of cats to remind Blackstar how much he means to them.

So Rowanstar inherits the Clan with this in mind. ShadowClan solves SHADOWCLAN'S problems. "ThunderClan had a quarrel with WindClan, but decided that we were their enemy. Leaving ourselves open for betrayal was a mistake; if we cannot handle our own problems, we will inevitably succumb to them when our so-called 'allies' don't come to help." (Note: he isn't completely wrong. His words are borderline prophetic for what's about to happen.)

Onestar has a smug chuckle at this. Since taking leadership, he's been appealing to the strongest, hardest members of his Clan. Those who once tried to kill him for his "weakness" in the Civil War. The "lesson" ShadowClan learned is one that he's known since the day Onewhisker died and Onestar was born, on the night of that sabotaged muirburn. "That so-called peace was always a farce. We are warriors of the four Clans; it was always going to come down to honor, and putting ourselves first. My WindClan isn't foolish enough to pretend like ThunderClan ever acted in anything but their own, hidden self-interest."

And Mistystar respects the direction Bramblestar has taken his Clan in, and approves of the "honesty" that the Clans are now showing. "As the branches of the honeysuckle fight and win the light for themselves, sometimes there are beautiful flowers that die in the shade. We can mourn the end of an era, and prepare for a future that will be made all the sweeter for our shared struggle. This is the way of the Clans, and StarClan's solemn light shines upon us all." (Note: god I love writing Misty's speeches)

In the family tree reworkings, Rowanstar is now the brother of Littlecloud. Sons of Brokenstar, honor-sired for Newtspeck.

Littlecloud... is suffering from early onset Alzheimer's.

He didn't want to choose an apprentice after Flametail's horrible death, heartbroken and stressed out, especially when he couldn't reach his nephew through contact with StarClan.

He can't remember, anymore, that Flametail was freed. He keeps forgetting this, over and over

He keeps ending up in different times of his life, where he's best friends with Cinderpelt and still calling Leafpool by her pre-Honor Title name, where he's inventing a mobility device for Wildfur, where he's still escaping the plague and before he knew his mentor caused it, where he's on the Great Journey...

Rowanstar is in a lot of pain, watching his brother forget so many things, scared and confused half the time. He doesn't want to believe that this is really the end, or that... many of these cats are now so young they can't recognize the various eras that Littlecloud is finding himself in.

Puddleshine and Slatefur are going to remain in Pinenose's litter. Either Lion or Birch MIGHT get shuffled to another one; and ALSO the shuffler might survive the Kin. (SO voice which one you want to survive, if you have a preference!)

SO, Violetshine has either two or three adopted siblings... plus another.

Pinenose's oldest surviving child is Happypaw. Happy is the half-sibling of Puddle/Slate-- the death of Weaselkit in the Great Battle caused his parents (Pinenose and Owlclaw) to break up.

(this is why I'm thinking about just reducing the litter to Puddle/Slate, so Violet has three major adoption-siblings to remember instead of four.)

And now we're ready to talk about Puddleshine.

He isn't the first young cat to be shoved into an extremely high-pressure position because of a Cleric becoming incapacitated. Kestrelflight was also forced to become the holy speaker of his people when he was far, far too young, after Barkface died in TNP. He dealt with this obediently, with only Jayfeather ever really being able to get him to think about it in a different light.

Unlike Kestrel, Puddlekit did voice that he was interested in becoming a Cleric, in BB. But he was too young to be properly making that choice, to know what he was getting into. He mentioned it practically offhandedly, and BOOM Rowanstar had rolled him into the position.

But Puddlepaw has a deep sense of responsibility. "Wise beyond his years"-- likely because of how tumultuous his home life was.

His mother's oldest child, Happypaw, was openly a bully of his half-siblings. Pinenose distanced herself from him as a result, causing Happy to be closer to Owlclaw, who was still not over Weaselkit's death.

But Puddle's Ba Spikefur is not a cat who handles his kit's emotions well. Instead, he encourages ambition, tells him to get back at his half-sibling by being more influential than that twerp could ever be.

Puddle will often go to Violet, the new POV, to vent about these things.

And one thing he mentions to her is how amazing Kestrelflight is, when he gets to meet him at the half-moon conferences. He learns SO MUCH from him, it's like he GETS what he's going through...

Puddle doesn't even feel sure that Littlecloud knows what he's doing anymore. If he's learning the right information at all.

But Rowanstar won't DO anything about Littlecloud-- and he CERTAINLY isn't about to let Puddlepaw go train under someone else's Cleric.

As a result of this, Puddlepaw becomes a VERY important member of Sleekpaw's little group. He wasn't one of their friends to begin with, buuuuut...

When he sits to chat with Sleekpaw and Needlepaw, with Happypaw good and far out of earshot, she makes a lot of sense.

A LOT of it.

ShadowClan is run by old men who don't know what they're doing. Rowanstar is too emotional to make good choices. Puddlepaw, barely even old enough to begin apprenticeship, is running all the medicine for an entire Clan.

And, sure, he doesn't have much in the way of a connection to StarClan, no, just a little more spiritual than the average cat...

But who can point this out? If Littlecloud is slowly losing his mind anyway?

"It's not right, how much pressure's on you," Sleekpaw growls, "And it wouldn't be this way if we could challenge Rowanstar. You should be training with Kestrelflight right now."

"But we're dealing with the shells StarClan dealt, and the Clan is looking to you now," Needlepaw points out on behalf of her friend, "You have much more sway than you know."

This time around for BB, Sleekpaw starts as a young hero. She's right. Rowanstar should be challenged, his emotions are affecting the ENTIRE Clan, and Puddlepaw is in a bad position because of it. Needlepaw is like her best diplomat, surely to become her deputy someday.

They would have made an excellent set of leaders for ShadowClan. But they trusted the wrong person, and were exploited. When Darktail and The Kin came to the lake, they were swept up by it, and WindClan began an embargo.

Puddlepaw eventually oversees the Yellowcough Outbreak, and at first just thinks it's Greencough. He has no idea about strains, or the special types of Color Cough that Clan cats have historically dealt with. Even when he finally does learn it's not JUST Greencough, he's powerless to do anything about it. A lot of cats die because of the lack of mullein.

After that, with ShadowClan so weak and the Kin so strong... he's one of the cats who calls for the merge. The most important one, in fact, leveraging his position to say that this is StarClan's will.

Sleekwhisker and Needletail were right all along, and he's happy to stick it right into everyone's faces. Onestar's tantrum of an embargo killed his Clanmates, Rowanstar stopped him from properly training, he's been under pressure from the time he was small with Littlecloud not fit to be a mentor, and he's ready to welcome in ShadowClan's new era as something that is not a Clan.

...unfortunately, it turned out to be the wrong choice. Not because his thought process was wrong. But because Darktail had other plans in-mind.

[bonefall]

So, how are you gonna do the weird "deathberry cure" for Puddleshine?

Could anything like it be used for an external wound? Something a bit rudimentary, like how we used to use hydrogen peroxide which DID prevent infection at the cost of healthy cells getting killed too?

Honestly I just don't feel a need to keep it. It kinda just feels like a random W the authors tossed at Alderheart so he could be more special, but it didn't even result in him getting any major accolades or extra respect from anyone.

It doesn't even really feel like something he earned? I need to revisit AVOS because I don't really remember it, but I know I have no recollection of him experimenting or figuring out his own treatments before he was like, "WHAT IF DEATHBERRY ANTIBIOTICS?" And so I don't really feel... beholden to it.

The story I'm telling with him is very different anyway, more focused on his complicated relationship to his dad, his origin as a kittypet being raised by his mom Jessy, and struggling with the way the Clans are trying to shave his heritage away from him. He doesn't need to be a master chemist, too.

(Also honey combines with sweat to make very mild hydrogen peroxide anyway, which is why it's nature's best disinfectant. I don't need to have the cats fuck around with taxine, the 1-billion-heartattacks compound found in yew.)

Besides, BB!ShadowClan is the group that loves messing with fermentation and other chemical processes, and Puddsy's a kid genius. BB!Puddleshine should get an advancement, if it's really needed

[bonefall]

wait kin sympathizer frecklewing goes crazy. as a former daylight warrior AND a cleric, she could be used as a case study on how extremist groups will end up recruiting the minorities theyre targeting because said minorities have issues with their culture and then are groomed into hating that part of themselves. maybe frecklewing starts out as part-time and during skyclans destiny or its bb equivalent leaves that behind

@thesnailphilosopher

Aaauugh this is getting me feeling devious

A daylight warrior during Sharpclaw's controversy, Echosong probably takes her as an apprentice because she wants to make a point about their validity. Freckle was promising, bright, and compassionate, and a Cleric has much skills and knowledge to share.

But Sharpclaw and those like him make a point she slowly finds more and more convincing. Echosong trained her, SkyClan has given her all these resources and opportunities, and yet her loyalty is "divided." She has a human who calls for her at night.

She "knows better than anyone" that Sharpclaw has a "point." That it's humiliating to live divided in this way. So she gives up her other half, coming to resent the ones who didn't.

But she's still always just the junior, even after making a real sacrifice. She craves the respect that Echosong has, the power. And when it comes time, Darktail sews a special seed in her head; "Leafstar values her Cleric, one of her mates, more than you. Echosong will always be above you, until the day they're both gone."

Frecklewing has given up everything for SkyClan. Echosong does nothing but benefit. Her mentor was just a loner before Brokenstar and Firestar brought the spark back to them-- what does SHE know about what will make SkyClan truly strong again? For her, even a weak Clan is better than no Clan.

Plus now I can plan a cool fight between them, I LOVE "pupil of mine has turned to darkness" lmao

Maybe even have Fidgetflake have to weigh in on which side he plans to choose.

Sorry if this has been answered already but I know you don’t want two cats to share a name, so which Frecklewish is the true Frecklewish? Med cat or warrior, and what’s the other one’s new name?

Imo, Frecklewish MV is absolutely iconic because of her bizarre canon placement, and she's even more notable in BB as an example of how StarClan can often unfairly damn cats when they're upset. So as a result, she's the winner in the battle of two conflict names.

Frecklewish SkyClan is now Frecklewing. I'm so used to this change that I sometimes forget her canon name lmao. In addition, I'm also not sure if she's going to survive The Kin's attack on SkyClan, honestly, since I just kinda dig the vibe of an ancient Echosong instead.

Might get devious and make her a Kin sympathizer lmao

[bonefall]

I know you’re not rewriting ASC yet but would BB!Puddleshine be the kind of guy to agree with Berry to pull a ‘gotcha’ like in canon? Or would he agree with her wholeheartedly?

^^^ Actual picture of me preparing to wreck the "gotcha" moment in ASC when I finally commit to rewrites of it a few books from now

Gotcha Moment Bad. BB!Puddleshine isn't an idiot like his canon counterpart is, apparently. Fym "one issue" I'm still seething. It's one big ass issue.

Especially since BB!Puddleshine is most likely someone who would agree with Berryheart. He's one of the cats who ALLOWED The Kin to absorb ShadowClan, and he feels responsible for the death of so many Clanmates. He's blaming the wrong things, becoming xenophobic because of Darktail, and EXTRA distrustful of outsiders because of how Ashfur manipulated his apprentice.

I can't say for sure what I'm going to do with the Vote Gathering, because I CAN promise you, this is going to be a VERY important, climactic moment. I NEED to know where the arc ends, because the fallout from THIS event is going to lead DIRECTLY to it.

But I am thinking of options. I know that, by this point, Berryheart's hate movement HAS gotten Antfur killed, and there are direct, serious consequences for her political radicalization within ShadowClan. At least one person has been hurt.

So options...

She calls for the vote, it fails, and it causes her to do something drastic. I quite like this one because it would lead to a really good scene where I can make every major player state their exact intentions. Anyone jumping ship from Berryheart would do it now-- like Gullswoop, for example, or perhaps Stonewing. I could also have Puddleshine rule that because Heartstar is occupying RiverClan, they have the right to vote too. Which would make it EXTRA fascinating if it failed, and make it clear that she's not a tyrant here.

She calls for the vote and it succeeds. Just, an option. It might end up being a good choice to have Cloverfoot take over, but then IMMEDIATELY set Tigerheart as her deputy again. Show that she has disdain for her sister's movement.

Berryheart refuses to call a vote at all because it is a change to the code. I do like the hypocrisy angle of her calling a vote when these changes are the very things she opposes... but also, I kinda dig the idea that someone else (maybe even Heartstar herself) stopped some kind of attempt at power Berryheart made, and said, "ok bitch. let's do this like civilized cats. Puddsy, ring up that vote."

This is one of those very VERY sensitive moments that I have the "no rewrites in advance" rule for. So I can't commit.

But I am Thinking about it.

[bonefall]

I know in canon if a medicine cat dies with no successor they will often have the other Clans come over to help train an apprentice (like Leafpool with Puddleshine) or have a cat from another Clan outright move over to the Clan with no medicine cat to replace them (i.e Ravenwing and TC!Cloudberry?) But given you have all these other positions you've added to the allegiances which are one cat only, what would happen if someone died without training an apprentice in one of those conditions? It feels like taking the cleric approach would have problems, since while clerics are supposed to be (in theory at least) apolitical noncombatants who go beyond Clan divisions, I'm not sure either party would be happy if a cat from another Clan got brought in to train a new head of construction, given the head of construction is a fully trained warrior who can and will rip the other Clan's warriors to shreds. Or a cook from another Clan who doesn't know the Clan-specific recipes or what to do with that particular territory's prey. And especially with the educator, while by definition all of the cats in the Clan would have learned history from the educator you would probably need special training to be good enough to teach it. "Cat from another Clan barges in to teach THEIR Clan's propaganda which is so much more inaccurate and biased than OUR Clan's propaganda" seems like it would be a political tinderbox. So how would these situations be handled in BB?

The answer is actually super simple; It's a tragedy, but other cats are fully capable of stepping up and filling in the Patrol Head's duties.

Unlike Clerics, which have a huge amount of specialized, sacred knowledge that other cats aren't educated on, at any given time you will have cats who spend most of their time on that Patrol. Kitchen Patrol isn't holy, almost everyone knows how to cook.

The "Head" of a Patrol is a coordinator. Greenclaw was the one who might have done most of the skinning, Bluetail knows where all the spices grow, Yellowfur was the best at starting fires. The other three don't forget their knowledge suddenly when Chef Redheart dies without an appointment.

What Redheart will take to the grave is a lot of really helpful, specialized knowledge that the new Head would have really appreciated.

"Bluetail doesn't like working when it's raining, so try to remind them the spice stocks are low a few days before so they can pick a good, sunny shift."

"Tell apprentices to practice skinning by taking the tail off, too. They think it's pointless at first, but remind them that today's mouse is tomorrow's bushy squirrel, and they won't want to mess up the tail on that."

"Those clouds don't look so good; let's go gather kindle before a storm soaks the whole forest."

So, they never "import" a head from another Clan if their own dies, not even after the mass death event that was the ThunderClan plague. It would be a huge embarrassment if that was the case!

[bonefall]

Are there any changes to Smokepaw (ShadowClan Apprentice in TNP) in BB? He is my all time favourite Warriors character for literally no reason, he existed twice, the second time to fall off a cliff and die, but I love him. I feel like he was a huge waste of potential, in that first time he appeared I thought of Blackstar as a sort of parental figure to him. Think like Firepaw and Bluestar, maybe? Or maybe more like Firepaw and Yellowfang? I'm sure that was just me serious projecting onto like less than a page of screen time, but I am so attached to him. I even made an AU where there was a conveniently placed river that swept him away to the Sundrown Place where he was taken in by Midnight.

Does BB have anything for my little guy?

Smokefall! Given an obligatory Sardonic ShadowClan name after he fell off a cliff and forced the entire journey to halt in its tracks for almost a month!

because shadowclan is like, ridiculously small and the family tree is a brick, Smokepaw (TNP), Smokepaw (Field Guides), and Smokefoot (Po3) are reworked. SmokeFALL survives, Smokepaw is now BILLOWCLOUD, and Smokefoot is SMOGFOOT.

Smog and Smoke are siblings. Billowcloud is not related to them.

Anyway, Smokepaw got REALLY hurt in that fall, but did survive

A (currently unpicked) Tribe cat actually climbed all the way down to get him. He had to be carried the rest of the way.

But once safe, he really couldn't move or else jeopardize his recovery. That, paired with a lack of travelling rations and a few pregnant cats close to delivery halted the Journey.

But Smokepaw still got ribbed relentlessly for "holding everyone up." Poor guy. ShadowClan humor.

Talonpaw got really close to him in that time. In fact, a LOT of cats developed close bonds in this "intermission," including many of the cats who would ultimately support Mudclaw's claim in WindClan.

Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost, as well.

In general, this is a really important hiatus because it's adding some PIVOTAL breathing room for cats to bond free of Clan divisions.

Clan Culture is never really the same after this. It's a change a long time coming.

He is also one of Birchfall's friends. This entire apprentice/kit generation has a very odd view on Clan divisions, because the Destruction of White Hart and the subsequent journey were so formative.

It was actually Smokepaw's "idea" to make Paw Soup. It came from a suggestion towards some WindClan apprentices, that they should try to make an ancient gumbo recipe that hadn't been seen since the start of Heatherstar's campaign.

Birchkit and his big bro Spiderpaw butted in, RiverClan apprentices didn't want to be left out, and the rest is history.

They never did make that gumbo but they made something new.

At the Lake, he also prevents Talonpaw from dying to Jacques and The Dreaded Susan. By also getting his ass beat.

(But that's probably gonna be offscreen because im not dedicating several chapters to it like canon when theres a civil war that should be in focus)

Smokefall becomes the next Educator of ShadowClan, and the mate of Talonclaw. Eventually Smogfoot surrogates a kit for them-- probably Pinenose.

The couple shows up at various points throughout Po3 and OotS as very important friends of Birchfall, and general friendly faces in ShadowClan which is a major ally through the arcs.

Sadly, though, they meet a gruesome and tragic end in AVoS. The Kin is a cult, and once it takes power, it immediately targets the one who teaches history. Smokefall. Talonclaw refuses to abandon his mate.

His position is taken by the infamous Berryheart, who is the educator through TBC. He is survived by several grandkits through Pinenose-- Slatefur, Puddleshine, and Happyface.

[bonefall]

ShadowClan Shuffle: The Fir/Bloom/Stream/Whisper Litter

[ID: A zoomed-in WIP of the ShadowClan family tree rework, focusing on the Owlclaw/Pinenose/Spikefur section. Owlclaw x Pinenose makes Happyface and Weaselkit. Spikefur x Pinenose makes Lioneye, Birchbark, Puddleshine, and Slatefur. Slatefur then has Bloomkit, Firkit, and Streamkit with Cinnamontail. Happyface has Whisperkit]

So for BB, I added drama to this section of the family tree. Owlclaw and Pinenose have two kits, one of which dies horribly in the Battle of the True Eclipse. Then, Pine goes on to have kits with Spikefur... which also ends up having two gruesome deaths in the Kin lmao.

But anyway, in the latest book, Slatefur had 4 kits. In the hopes of preemptively keeping ShadowClan cleaner going forward, I think it would be good form to split that litter between Slate and his half-brother, Happyface. This would make the four kits at least cousins.

So as you can see I moved Whisperkit for now-- but what do you think?

Should the split be 2/2 or 1/3?

If you do feel it should be 1/3, should that 1/3 be in Happy's favor? It may be a good idea, since Slate and Cinnamon could always have more kits in later arcs... Basically, who should get the 3-kit bundle?

WHO should be split? As in, which cats should remain siblings. Or is it good just yoinking Whisper out to be on their own.

I am also considering the idea that Happyface's mate was Antfur. Antfur is going to be living a bit longer............... so that I can make them a victim of Berryheart's hate movement. I still am not deciding any details until ASC is complete, BUT I am prepping ingredients for it, y'know?