#Bonefall Blackstar

[bonefall]

So since you plan on keeping leopardstar as a thistlelaw supporter are you planning on doing the same with blackstar? I'd personally argue he was worse in a much more lifelong way than leopard was so I'd figure, but who knows.

He WAS much worse, there's no argument back from me here lmao. Early on in the rewrite I was deciding on which one of them was going to have a long redemption arc, and which one of them was going to going to get merc'd. One could repent; but not both.

I decided that Leopardstar fit MUCH better as the one who gets merc'd, for a few reasons;

Her actions in TNP are more consistent as someone who supports Thistle Law. ShadowClan's just uncooperative, but RiverClan is an active danger because of Sunningrocks. She was even happy to watch the other Clans get driven out, allowing Hawkfrost to say that they should hurry up and get gone so RiverClan can have more land.

Hawkfrost is not born evil, so that has to come from somewhere. And his story is now that he was failed by RiverClan. Leaving Leopardstar out of that just to arbitrarily say She's Sorry Now makes a less coherent Bonefall TNP and implies nothing could be done to prevent Hawkfrost's radicalization, because having a completely repentant leader wouldn't have changed this. Characters are, at the end of the day, a writer's tools.

ShadowClan's proximity to ProtagonistClan makes it much easier to show Blackstar's redemption. I did fix the Lake Map so that RiverClan isn't IMPOSSIBLY far away, but because ShadowClan is a major neighbor in Po3, I have more opportunities to display how Bonefall Blackstar is different from Canon Blackstar, including that he punishes the patrol who watched Berrykit suffer. (letting shadowclan not be EvilClan in the rewrite was a bonus)

And her killing at Mistyfoot's claws is the Thesis of Bonefall TNP; that Thistle Law will not go away on its own, and that these ideas do not die unless they are killed.

So Blackstar goes on a long journey for redemption, and Leopardstar dies at the end of Bonefall TNP. Change or die. No point in having the same arc for two characters.

(Snipped quote from a very long post I made on Mistystar in general below the cut)

""...Mistystar’s killing of Leopardstar, I will argue, is the thesis of Hawkfrost’s arc in Bonefall TNP

RiverClan, in canon, never has a reckoning with the fact that they allowed Tigerstar to take over. They rapidly pivot Leopardstar and RiverClan as a whole to be regretful of the choice without showing ANY remnant supporters, refutation of the ideology, or even any sympathy for Feathertail’s retconned trauma in Shadow In RiverClan, a book I’ve spoken about strongly disliking.

Making Leopardstar’s character consistent, and fixing Shadow in RiverClan, preventing this ridiculous canonical post-hoc retcon that they’re just fine after TPB, is something I care immensely about.

So there is no situation anymore where Mistyfoot can just sit back and follow the code until the Clan stops following Thistle Law. You can’t appease fascists. These ideas do not die unless they are killed.

And TNP is now a story about the Tigerkin, split between their perspectives. As you know, Hawkfrost’s arc is that he is failed by RiverClan, becoming the inheritor of an ideology that should have been buried before he was born. She thinks that with his death things can maybe go back to normal... but it doesn’t. Because Hawkfrost was not the problem. He was a victim just as much as he was a perpetrator.

Mistyfoot kills Leopardstar, a thing that should have been done a long time ago, and rules the Clan in a way as to limit the influence of Thistle Law. As much as she can, she tries to prevent what happened to Hawkfrost from ever happening again, truly wrapping up his story for Bonefall TNP.""

[the-owl-tree]

Misty deserves to go ape shit. Let her do murder.

I’m a fan of Misty drowning Leopardstar when they get to the lake. After all the shit Leopardstar did and let happen even after Tigerclan disbanded, Misty won’t let it blow a second time, or with a stone for the symbolism (can you tell Bonefall has infected me?)

I refuse to believe she didn’t take at least one of Blackstar’s lives and there’s no quotes in canon saying otherwise so I’m right by default :)

Dueling him wasn’t a request, it was her right in her mind and she dared anyone to deny her rights again.

you 🤝 me

pro misty going murder mode

Also BIG yeah on that last point. He executed her brother, he wouldn’t be able to show his face if he denied her right to retribution. You have nine lives and yet you deserve none of them, nine lives but I’ll take one and may you never forget it.

[saltshinewc]

hey guys, its me! alvin from alvin and the chipmunks!

Scourge's tooth/claw collar as a lich

ungodly amount of incoherence below

what if he didnt fill his collar with teeth and claws, but rather found it in a dumpster, or maybe even out in the forest after the tigerpaw encounter?

the soul inside it is like One-eye, probably, and he kinda possesses Scourge n all that

the collar got passed down from villain to villain (not like every single one BOOO tom you dont get to have it clear sky you dont get to have it sorry tigerstar doesnt get to have it either) like to Star Flower or Slash, (its an au i make the rules star flower EVIL bonefall style) then she loses it somehow and its buried ij the forest territory, then its foud by scourge, then he dies, it gets buried again, then Sol finds it

HOWEVER do we know the hit series Wings of Fire and the sandwing eye of onyx thing? whoever isnt worthy of it simply DIES.

So, Sol learns about it via Midnight (why would you tell him abt that girl maybe she can be like morally grey here thatd be cool), he goes on a short quest, BOTTE happens because of the tooth collar because Sol tells blackstar about it and its like "whatever u say bookie". Sol gets his paws on it, but the collar decides hes not worthy and thats his grand exit (dies)

then finally, darktail gets it. he got info about it from a shadowclanner turn one of his rogues. now he has the evil power collar and that whole arc happens, and i think the sisters should finally put an end to it, burying it somewhere only they know of. and thats the end of that.

me and my AU's. sighs.

[bonefall]

Are you going to have Blackstar honor sire anyone?

Nope! There's just no need. His sister Fernshade and her mate Wolfstep make it to the Lake and have another litter.

Ivytail is CONFIRMED as one of them; I may add more if I need genetic diversity.

Wolfstep and Fernshade are ridiculously clean because I undid Fernshade's dad Blizzardstorm having two mates, AND moved Wolfstep out of the Toadnettlepool Polycule kids.

Featherstorm's kids are all Queen’s Rights kittens. Wolfstep and Foxheart come from Mousewing, who is a descendant of Houndstar (also Wolf might become a CHILD of Foxheart because timeline)

So Blackstar will never ever have direct offspring in any way, shape, or form.

[bonefall]

i think it would be funny if at like. berrypaws first gathering blackstar and/russetfur march up with the patrol that watched him and did nothing and make them apologize. in front of everyone. before the gathering officially starts but like. a lot of cats are watching

Russetfur: "EVERYONE SHUT UP. Blackstar has an announcement to make."

Blackstar: "Several moons ago we had warriors who had allowed the code to fall from their hearts. I'm pleased to announce that they have been practicing with the apprentices since then, and are excited to perform the parable of Darkstar's Commandment for everyone here tonight."

*the patrol shuffles foward, begrudging and disgraced, except Ratscar who is actually owning it and dripping with charisma as usual somehow*

Blackstar: "In song."

[bonefall]

unrelated to much, but can you give a few fun factoids about russetfur and blackstar ? they’re my favorite duo and i really love what you’ve done with them 🥰

Sure! I can conjure up some. Glad to see my platonic MLM/WLW Black/Russet agenda is spreading across the masses!

Blackstar and Russetfur are lifelong friends, each other’s closest confidants. There’s no person in the world that Blackstar trusts more to be his deputy. He hasn’t always been at her side, and that is one of Blackstar’s deepest regrets. If things had gone just a little bit differently in TigerClan, he would have killed her just like he killed Stonefur.

That is a reality that sits with him, though Russetfur has long since moved past it. He doesn’t feel like that’s something a person should be capable of moving past, and if it is, he’s not a cat who should be on the receiving end of such forgiveness. She thinks the way he tears over these sorts of questions is ridiculous and unhelpful; grief fills no bellies, it only empties them.

They meant the WORLD to each other. When Russetfur died, he felt aimless and broken. He had no idea how to function without her. In my rewrite, Sol’s manipulation is coming AFTER the death of Russet. Not before. It is this loss that causes him to be so susceptible to it.

Russetfur

She was the sort of person who forgets to have hobbies.

Her mind is always focused on practical matters, never had any patience for drama.

Russetfur loves the way a Clan is so personal and connected. Everyone looks out for each other.

BloodClan was so much looser organized... more cats, less personal.

She appreciates having people around who remind her to take breaks

ESPECIALLY people who can cut through her intimidating aura

If you're a cute girl who bosses her around she is already in love with you.

Her friends (and Blackstar especially) make sure to set aside a fat rat for her when she comes off patrol. That’s how you get her to switch off of work-mode.

She actually was pro-Brokenstar, waaaay back in the day, but had loyalty to the Clan above him. So she did not follow his elite into exile.

She was NOT a member of Deerfoot's rebels... but Tigerstar had his eye on her.

The day of Stonefur’s execution a voice in the back of her head told her, “That could have been you.“

Blackstar’s complicity with Tigerstar’s plans put a massive rift between them.

It took a long time to mend that trust, but there was no cat in the world he trusted more to be his deputy... and she agreed that someone had to keep his butt in check.

Blackstar

He broke a tooth biting Deadfoot’s gauntlet during the bloody WindClan massacre. When he thinks about his mistakes, he licks it. 

If you're familiar with ShadowClan culture, you'll realize Blackstar is surprisingly fun-loving.

His punishments are VERY creative and usually have an edge of irony. Like making the cats who watched Berrykit writhe in pain humble themselves at a Gathering by reciting Darkstar’s Commandment.

He's Ivytail's embarrassing uncle.

Very critical of himself, though.

He has come a very, very long way from the person he was in TPB.

He sometimes denies himself of pleasures out of guilt.

Him and Russet don't have a lot of ACTUAL arguments, but the ones they do have tend to be about this.

The way Russetfur looked at him after Stonefur’s execution was one of the major reasons he set himself on the path towards redemption after becoming leader.

StarClan did not give him his lives all at once; they made him come back over many years, slowly earning them through trials and reckonings.

He could give in at any time and take the lives from the Dark Forest... but that would mean taking one from Tigerstar. Never. He couldn’t look Russetfur, or Fernshade, or ANY of his Clanmates in the eyes ever again if he did that. Better to have just the 1 life he was born with than 9 from him.

Because of the way he earned his lives over time, his very last life... was from Russetfur, just before the Great Battle.

“Get off the floor, you sad sack. I’m not giving you a life for crying like a big baby.”

He rises, tired, still feeling as heavy as a stone. His executioner’s hood has worn away over countless seasons, leaving only a dark cowl on the back of his head. A thin stripe of black still crosses his chest, like a string dangling threadbare. When she touches her nose to his, he feels a hot surge in his heart.

The black thread snaps.

“With this life, Blackstar, I give you... freedom. Your growth hangs fat on the vine. I give you the taste of the fruits of your labor; the sense to recognize a debt long since lived and repaid.“

[bonefall]

I've been tossing passing thoughts to Blackfoot's Reckoning, chewing on it. It dissatisifes me immsensely-- but how WOULD I fix it?

My problem is that he suddenly has this big one-time event and is said to be Fixed, Cured, now he's promising to Make Good Choices when we see in the narrative, over and over, that this wasn't true. For many years. He repeats the very mistakes (following a malicious actor) he said he would avoid, by name.

So... maybe the problem is, then, that this is a one-time event...?

What if he doesn't get all 9 lives at first, and has to prove himself to earn them?

[bonefall]

im sure youve discussed this before but what is blackstar like as a leader in bb? i really like what ive seen about your shadowclan and i loved your wildfur post and the tidbit of blackstar carrying wildfur during the mountain climb was my favorite

So early on, I was sitting with Leopardstar and Blackstar, deciding the stories I would tell for them. I agree in-canon Blackstar is a lot worse, but in my TNP rework I realized I had a GREAT story to tell about about Leopardstar.

So, I decided to tell a very long redemption arc with Blackstar, and the importance of preventing Thistle Law from ever taking root ever again with Leopardstar.

Blackstar is a character driven by his guilt, and desire to atone for what he's done. The story begins with his first visit to the Moonstone.

StarClan does not give him all his lives at once. He has trials over many years to earn them. This is symbolized by him being born with a black executioner's hood over his head, and over many years of pressing his nose to the stone and pool, it erodes away from his nose creeping up.

By the time he earns his last one, there's only a black thread across his chest holding the 'hood' together. It snaps when he earns the last one-- from Russetfur.

Russetfur, who was his lifelong best friend, soulmate, and deputy. She mattered more to him than anything else in the world. EVERYTHING he did was for her, and for the people like her, the cats he would have discarded or even killed during his time in TigerClan.

They had a similar sense of humor; dry and sardonic. They mutually FLIPPED their shit at the cats who let Berrynose writhe in that fox trap, and even came up with a very embarrassing punishment together.

Losing her was devastating. It now comes AFTER the Eclipse battle, too, during the reign of Bramblestar. It is the moment that causes him to lapse and be open to Sol's influence. In the meanwhile, Ratscar, Redwillow, and Applefur take control of the Clan to further the agenda of the Dark Forest.

Their dark plans are thwarted when ShadowClan begs Blackstar to come home and rule his Clan. No trickery, no guilt, just love.

He loses his second-to-last life in the Great Battle, with a 2-vs-1 battle. Him and Iceheart against Tigerstar.

His last life is spent guiding his Clan through the Great Storm just after the battle, as ThunderClan undergoes a reduxed super edition called ThunderClan's Tempest, but I'm going to have him pass away peacefully instead of drowning.

[bonefall]

maybe when jayfeather brings down the starclan warriors during battle it can be like a meteor shower in the background or something to symbolize that

Oh shit that's cool as hell

Jayf is going to bring in StarClan near the end of the battle, that'll make a really neat backdrop weather event to show "battle's over, Dark Forest's shot at winning is over, this is Tigerstar's last stand and he's going out fighting"

[bonefall]

Bonefall Skystar, Better Call Mapleshade, Petty! Ashfur snickering, discretely putting cannon Brokenstar in front of Bonefall Brokenstar while Patchpool and Firestar are distracting Bonefall.

Thoughts on old man Blackstar just murder mittenning Redwillow during the Dark Forest battle? I thought that was kinda epic tbh. I was like, no wonder Brokenstar and Tigerstar made you their deputy man. Smart decision right there. I hope you keep that in the rewrite. It was EPIC.

Girl help BoneClan is distracting me by forcing me to tell the kittens stories as they pit the various Alternate Universe characters against each other tournament-style

And don't worry about Blackstar, he's actually getting even more moments where he gets to show that he's lost all his patience for bullshit. Since Blackstar is getting a real path of redemption, he needs more moments where he lays down the law and shows that ShadowClan will never again be the Clan of Tigerstar on his watch.

Aside from getting to thresh fur from skin in the Great Battle, he also flips his lid when he finds out ShadowClan warriors just WATCHED Berrykit writhe in pain in a fox trap. There's also a minor change to that scene where Russetfur is the one who finds the patrol just sitting there and flips HER lid too, so leader and deputy have double-lid-flip action.

[bonefall]

So, we stumbled across your blog while browsing warrior tags and I want to know what’s going to be happening with Blackstar and Scourge in your rewrite. Keep in mind, that I haven’t fully looked at your blog or plans yet I just discovered the post regarding the age gaps writing cause it caught our interest since Ferncloud and Dustpelt made us uncomfy in canon. —Sincerely, a Darkstripe Introject

WELL Blackstar and Scourge are funny because they're lowkey seeing the same dude, Ratscar is just that desirable. I have a lot of serious plot-related plans for these two though;

Blackstar

Between him and Leopardstar, Black is actually the one who truly repents for what he did and is on a long road for redemption. Leopardstar is killed by Mistyfoot when it seems like she's lapsing back into Thistle Law; Blackstar spends every arc from TNP onward reckoning with what he supported.

After the BloodClan battle, Runningnose informs him there are "other allies in the skies" that can grant him his lives if StarClan denies him. In my rewrite, the Dark Forest CAN give lives to an eligible leader... but Blackstar refuses, and undergoes trials over several years of leadership.

Russetfur gives him his very last life.

It's also worth it to note that ShadowClan had the least amount of warriors training in the Dark Forest and was a relatively frequent ally of ThunderClan post-TNP as WindClan held the Antagonist Torch for a while. I am actually going to be chalking this up to good leadership on Blackstar's part.

(unlike canon where I think he's actually a pretty awful leader tbh)

And lastly, design-wise, he's got a broken fang from when he tries to bite Deadfoot's Gauntlet during the WindClan Massacre, and he started off as a leader with an all-black head marking like an executioner's hood, which is eroded away as he gets his lives.

Scourge

He hasn't heard that name in years.

Once the brutal leader of BloodClan, Scourge was awed by Firestar's nobility before and after the battle. "A true warrior does not need to kill to win their battles," Firestar ripped his collar off and spared him, so he does not die like he does in canon.

Scourge was sick of Clan cats not being honorable, but Firestar agreed to negotiate to uphold as much of Tigerstar's impossible promise ("half the forest for your help") as possible. Over time, BloodClan became a close ally of ThunderClan and WindClan, and Scourge eventually passed on leadership and decided to "retire" to Clan life.

He takes a Clan name, Iceheart, out of a sense of respect to the culture. He doesn't mind being called Scourge though, especially by the little kittens hearing about how he killed Tigerstar with 'one hit'

"You've been lied to... it was two hits."

He also gets expanded roles past TNP, as Mousewhisker's mentor and a generally cool grand-uncle figure to the three.

I just think he's neat and I write a lot of random little things about him.

[bonefall]

Idk much about the blackstar situation in canon but from what u said i think someone just needs to fuckin talk to the man. Like genuinely. No trickery into thinking starclan is there or starclan showing up- someone needs to go up to him, tears streaming down their eyes, and *beg* blackstar to lead them again. Something like "blackstar sees a clanmate in trouble and saves them and realizes they need him" wouldnt work rlly, it doesnt convey that the clan loves him and needs him. It'd contrast Sol too- A god manipulating and tricking Blackstar is twarted by a mortal cat asking and pleading. The lies is beaten by the truth, that hes loved and needed. No idea who it should be that comes to him begging- Genuinely dont think it should be someone he was too awfully close to since he can just tell himself "they know me so they love me", needs to be some random warrior/apprentice hes only had 1 or 2 full conversations with to get it through his skull that even those he barely knows love him. Anyways ill stop rambling have a good night/day/week

[ID: Meme of Persuadable Bouncer opening a door and gesturing to come inside]

Right this way to the Big Brain Club, anon

Adopted in a heartbeat. The turnaround moment for Blackstar is his Clanmates telling him that they love and need him. To this end I think it'll be good to have Rowanclaw be the person who coordinates the crowd in some way, so he becomes deputy after this.

It should be about quantity too, so he can have some of his family come in here. I feel like his niece Ivytail (or, if she's dead, one of her kids) should be with them, plus a mix of warriors, apprentices, and elders who remind him of how important his leadership has been to them.

And of course then they team up and throw Ratscar, Applefur, and Redwillow out of power. Shouldn't be too hard since they wouldn't have too many supporters-- but it will be VERY cool.

Others who should be Blackstar Backers who are part of the Rowan Rally (In addition to including some random ShadowClan cats who aren't close to him):

Tangleburr Also an ex-Brokenstar and Tigerstar supporter, lost her brother and changed in a similar way, knows what he's going through. If she's not a monster, how can he be one?

Talonclaw + Smokefoot One of these two is probably disabled in some way, but saved through Blackstar's actions

Ivytail Niece. Should be here just as a result of pointing out he's her embarrassing uncle and she loves him

One of the cats who watched Berrykit lose his tail (Whitewater maybe?) To remind him his punishments have always been fair and he isn't the tyrant he thinks he is

[bonefall]

Do you think Blackstar and Sol had something going on?

I feel like BlackSol gets memed a lot (and I do think the memes are funny) and its dramatic potential gets neglected by that... it's also a shame that it happens canonically before Russetfur's death. It makes the most sense to happen afterwards.

I'm not sure if I'm going to approach them has being romantically involved, though. Not because I don't think it's possible, but simply because I'm not sure it's necessary. Blackstar lost his best friend and the symbol of his new life's purpose; Sol is taking advantage of this for his games.

Everything he's done post-TPB, the reckonings, the hardships, the authority he's had to leverage to reform ShadowClan... it was for her. For people LIKE her. For the friendship he'd neglected and lives he would have been willing to snuff out for his goals as Blackfoot.

He thinks with her death there's no one to keep him in line. That only his guilt guides him, a guilt that Sol exploits to bring him to his knees, acting as an authority figure that Blackstar needs to follow so he won't "lapse" again

In fact I think that's why he'll change his name back to Blackfoot. He shouldn't be a -star, he thinks he needs a reminder that this is who he was, is, and will only ever be.

But, anyway,

Blackstar seems to have a great thing going in my rewrite with all of his plot-relevant relationships being platonic. I think I'll stick with that.

[bonefall]

You did say you were going to write a full post on Littlecloud so feel free to save this kinda info for that. But what was Littlecloud's relationship with his mentor like?

Littlecloud will get a whole entry on his entire life, so I can cover Runningnose real quick

So, Littlecloud was born to Newtspeck as a result of honor-siring. This means, socially, there's no obligation for the sire to actually be involved with the kits... though they'll usually end up thinking highly of them.

Honor-siring is complimentary to the Queen's Rights. No one has to talk about it openly if they don't want to.

Anyway, when the kits were born, Brokenstar and Runningnose were not impressed. ESPECIALLY with Littlekit. They just kinda wrote them off as extra kits for ShadowClan and pushed them into the same early training as the rest.

(though in this rewrite, they don't push early apprentices into battles... except during the WindClan Massacre where they were promoted into Warriors early for the full assault.)

And that was where they were for a long time. Then Brokenstar got deposed, Nightstar took over, Runningnose didn't like him so he started a little sickness by bringing back some carrion rats. He expected Littlecloud to die, really.

But he pulled through, miraculously, and then he was OBSESSED with herbs. BEGGING Runny to take him on as an apprentice and it was like... um, ok? That was when they started to really bond, because Runningnose actually sees a lot of Brokenstar in him. The parts others never really got to see.

The way Littlecloud has one thing on his mind all the time, his personal sense of justice, the passion... Even the way he spoke sometimes. And he was so smart, such an attentive learner...

He loves him like a son. Like the last piece of his glory days, manifest. He thinks training him is a good note to end on.

The End of Runningnose

See, Bonefall Runningnose never really gets 'redeemed.' His last nefarious action, however, is to give Blackstar a choice. He reminds him that there are other allies in the sky, should StarClan fail to hear his pleas... and that's the last scheme.

Because Blackstar chooses StarClan, and by extension, its new Fire Alone direction.

He's not perfect. Blackstar's still not a GREAT person, still aggressive, reactionary, and slow to accept help. It's a looong process and he's only mildly better by TNP, but THIS is where he chooses that he IS going to work on it.

And Runningnose understands that the tides are changing, leading the clans somewhere new and unknown, leaving him behind.

He might end up being one of the cats who stays with BloodClan at the old territories, or he may make the journey just to stay close to Littlecloud.

If he makes the journey, he'll probably be dealing with a sense of obsolescence. Changing is very difficult for him, feeling like he isn't needed... and traveling with WindClan?? What have the Clans even COME to???

[bonefall]

T4T TawnyRowan is power

Honestly a couple other pairings are better with t4t but that’s not the point.

I love Blackstar’s arc with the executioner helmet and how he grows but his missing teeth from biting Deadfoot’s gauntlet still makes me laugh especially since he’d be sitting next to him. 

MAN they definitely have to meet again somehow. It'll take a while since Blackfoot was exiled with Brokenstar and only came back into ShadowClan after Nightstar's death but eventually,

Blackfoot takes his spot sitting besides the other deputies, all of them are scowling at him besides Deadfoot, who is unbothered. Blackfoot snarls at him and Deadfoot's eyes dash to the broken gap in his fangs, chuckles,

"Good to see you, Blacktooth."

He's a lot more self conscious about growling at Deadfoot after that.

[bonefall]

I had an HC that Blackstar sired a bunch of kits with Russet to fix Shadowclan's fucked up genetic tree and that they were both very aro but wanted kits, and that when Lion killed Russet it really fucked Black up, and the grief did him in more than anything. But I did have it where Snowbirds first few litters were Russets/Blackstars. So maybe that would work?

That's a really popular one! There's definitely something about those two that's very interesting, to the point where he was definitely wrecked by Russetfur's death. I plan to keep that in any case and make sure their bond is stressed.

I can't see either of them wanting kits though. An honor siring for someone else, that's plausible, but I can't see them raising kits together.

I'm really fond of the two of them being WLW/MLM best friends. Maybe I should show that by giving Blackstar and Russetfur two separate mates...? Russetfur especially, I can imagine Blackstar wanting to find love and even having a few dates, but it falling apart because he's guilty over his Clan.

Hmm... Ratscar is available and in the correct age range for Blackstar. Maybe I can play them as sort of being on-again-off-again.

I can also imagine Blackstar had something going on with Clawface, wayyy back in the day, with his death shaking him pretty deeply.

And as for Russetfur, it wouldn't be hard to pair her with one of the Toadnettlepool daughters, especially if I shuffle ages a bit...