#Fox suffering bc of his own bad choices

[stealthetrees]

Commander Fox gets hit by a speeder because he was avoiding the Chancellor cause he has zero respect for that old man. The medics are pissed bc this was 100% avoidable.

Coincidentally, Fox’s batchmates are on Coruscant so they all come to visit it him. They all ask how he broke both his legs and several ribs but he just says “I don’t remember” cause he’s too embarrassed to admit he was ditching work. So they ask the medics, who just say “it was Palpatine” and mutter darkly. The batch interprets this as Chancellor Palpatine broke Fox’s legs and gave him internal bleeding.

They react to that misunderstanding as one might expect. By the time the casts come off the war is over and clones have rights. Also Fox never skips a check up again due to the medics having blackmail hanging over his head like a guillotine.

[rusty-shadowclan-au]

Idk if I'm ever going to actually write this but I thought a ton abt it so I wanted to post my brainstorm here for how this AU plays out!

Background:

Basically in this AU Brokenstar starts stealing kits much sooner bc the ShadowClan kits keep dying. He starts off stealing kits from rogues and kittypet but also steals kits from WindClan once he realizes he has the fighting force to overpower them

The first kit he abducts is Tiny/Scourge, who is younger than in canon but wanders onto ShadowClan territory after his run in with Tigerclaw (who is a warrior acting of his own volition in this incident, making it even worse)

Tiny is named Darkkit

He makes it look like the Clan kits he steals were accidentally killed during camp raids so nobody looks for them

Yellowfang stays in ShadowClan as the sole medicine cat bc Runningnose died of illness earlier here, and even Brokenstar knows better than to leave the Clan with no med cat.

Yellowfang receives a sign from StarClan telling her that "Fire burns brightest in the dark" and that fire will lead ShadowClan out of their long night.

Dustkit and Ravenkit wander out of ThunderClan camp at about a moon old and are abducted by Brokenstar. There is a fox on ThunderClan territory at the time so ThunderClan believes they've been killed.

Brokenstar abducts a number of WindClan kits, including Ashkit (Ashfoot) and Ryekit (Onewhisker)

Brokenstar conditions the kits he abducts to forget their families by withholding food whenever they ask about when they can go home. They eventually forget.

Brokenstar kills Nutmeg and steals her kits (including Rusty) when they are about half a moon old. They are given to Dawncloud to raise. Dawncloud loves her adopted kits and feels bad about their origins but she's also deeply traumatized by Brokenstar bc she was a kit warrior herself (the only kit warrior who made it to adulthood so far)

Firekit (Rusty), and his siblings Leafkit (Princess), Wildkit, and Mistkit grow up believing they are ShadowClan born.

Into The Wild

Book starts when Firekit and siblings are about 3 moons old.

Duskpaw and Ravenpaw are 4 moons old

Ashpaw and Ryepaw are 5 moons old, hoping to earn their warrior names soon

Darkclaw (Scourge), now a warrior (9 moons old), has a soft spot for other stolen kittypet kits so even though he's not allowed to talk about their origins he visits the nursery often and becomes close to Firekit and siblings. Firekit looks up to him a lot and wants to be just like him

One of the first scenes in the book is Flintfang's return to camp with Badgerfang's battered corpse. He delivers the kit warrior to camp and confronts Brokenstar, saying he'll never train another kit warrior again because its wrong.

This is the first time Firekit realizes something might be wrong in ShadowClan, that maybe this isn't how its supposed to be

Brokenstar, being the manipulative shit he is, basically says "Oh you won't train any more underage apprentices? Well since Firekit and his siblings are ready to be apprenticed, I'm sure you won't mind my choices of mentor." Brokenstar decides to mentor Wildkit, and gives Leafkit to Clawface, and Flintfang is sitting there knowing that these warriors are going to tear these kits to SHREDS, so he steps in and offers to mentor Mistkit to spare her some suffering. Brokenstar mockingly agrees, and Darkclaw offers to mentor Firekit.

Firepaw and his siblings go straight into battle training. Their first session is monitored by Brokenstar and is against Dustpaw and Ravenpaw, who are instructed to fight with claws out. All four of the new apprentices are obviously beaten up pretty badly, but Wildpaw and Leafpaw manage to land a few strikes which catches Brokenstar's attention.

Nobody is given adequate time to recover from their injuries, and they're back to battle training the next day. It's another joint session, this time against each other, and none of the kits really want to hurt each other but they also don't want to get hurt themselves so they fight their hardest. Firepaw injures Leafpaw and feels horrible about it. He talks to his mentor about it who tells him "You do what you must to keep yourself safe" and that doesn't sit quite right with Firepaw.

After a few days, Flintfang and Darkclaw finally get a chance to train their apprentices alone. Mistpaw and Firepaw are instructed to train with claws sheathed when they're alone like this and Firepaw privately wonders who he's supposed to trust: his mentor or his Clan leader?

All four of the new apprentices get to go to the gathering a moon later, where they meet Sandpaw, ThunderClan's newest apprentice. She talks to them because she thinks she smells a familiar scent (Dustpaw and Ravenpaw) but decides she must be mistaken. Firepaw notices that his sister Leafpaw is totally crushing on Sandpaw and talks to her about it like a good supportive brother would. This helps them reconnect after he injured her in training.

Firepaw privately wonders why Ashpaw, Ryepaw, Ravenpaw and Dustpaw weren't allowed to come to this gathering, and he realizes that this whole time they've never actually been invited to gatherings. Firepaw thinks its weird but doesn't dwell on it, deciding that they must not have impressed Brokenstar yet.

A couple moons pass, Wildpaw is killed by Brokenstar during training, but Brokenstar blames a cave in for his broken spine and names him "Wildfur" postmortem.

The siblings are heartbroken, Leafpaw most of all, because Wildfur was the sibling she was closest to. She vows to be the strongest warrior in his honor and throws herself into her training.

Mistpaw worries to Firepaw that Wildfur's death is leading Leafpaw down a dark path.

Leafpaw and Firepaw are part of the battle party that goes to drive out WindClan. While they're fighting, Firepaw ends up tussling with an apprentice (Morningpaw) that looks suspiciously similar to his buddy Ryepaw. Their tussle takes them away from most of the fighting (Morningpaw tries to run and Firepaw pursues her)

Morningpaw pins Firepaw and spits something along the lines of "ShadowClan kit killer! This is for my Ashkit and Ryekit! You'll pay for their deaths!" And shes about to kill him but Firepaw is like "Your siblings are alive and I didn't know that they were from here"

Mormingpaw stops attacking in her shock, and before Firepaw can say anything else Tallstar calls for WindClan to retreat, and Morningpaw dashes off.

Firepaw returns to the scene of the main battle, WindClan camp, and finds his sister Leafpaw covered in blood standing over a dead WindClan warrior.

Leafpaw has a breakdown, saying that she didn't mean to kill her, she was just trying to be a good warrior. She is in shock. Firepaw and Flintfang lead her back to camp and settle her into the medicine den. Caught up in caring for his sister, Firepaw forgets to tell Ashpaw and Ryepaw the truth about who they are.

That's all for now, more soon hopefully

[news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog]

The bumpiest social media moments of the 2020 campaign so far

We're only just getting over our 2018 midterms hangover, and now the 2020 presidential race is upon us.

That means any number of candidates are starting to hit the campaign trail — and some are already misfiring on all cylinders. From here on out, every single move candidates make will be scrutinized to the fullest extent that the grinding internet news cycle will allow. 

SEE ALSO: Brand Twitter, please stay away from the 2020 election

Some of the bumbles are minor, but there are others that could hint at further trouble ahead. Here, then, are a few examples of early missteps from candidates who are either already in on the race or are flirting awfully heavily with the idea.

Elizabeth Warren's cold beer and hot takes

It seems silly that a sitting U.S. Senator would be criticized over her choice of beer, but this is America in 2019. Nothing is safe. So when Sen. Warren followed up her initial 2020 announcement with an Instagram live involving beer, you knew it was gonna make somebody mad. 

Sure, Warren is trying to be relatable for the young voters to whom authenticity is incredibly important. There's even a cameo from her dog! But some of her detractors, including Fox News, were quick to take issue with either her choice of beer (Michelob Ultra) or her attempt to be, well, genuine.

So far, we have Warren cracking a beer in her kitchen, O'Rourke popping champagne in an igloo, and Gillibrand baking a berry crumble, all on Instagram live. How much of this shameless pandering will we have to endure? Thank goodness for Bernie, can you imagine him doing this?

— Laura L. Wilson (@ellewilson) January 2, 2019

Does a Michelob Ultra qualify as a real beer?

— Tom OKeefe (@tomokeefe60) January 3, 2019

Warren's already up against it after her controversial claims of Native American heritage, so she's got a tight line to walk. Voters won't give her much flexibility, whether it's her policies or her choice of beer. 

Beto's trip to the dentist

Like Warren's beer, this little blip for Beto O'Rourke gets filed under "Why?" 

Beto, you may have heard, is at the center of speculation over a potential 2020 bid after his 2018 loss to Ted Cruz for a Texas Senate seat. He hasn't officially entered the race, but he's definitely acting like a guy who's interested in running. 

In other words, he's Instagramming everything. Specifically, he shared a January 10, 2019, trip to the dentist's office on Instagram Live. The reactions ranged from adoration to, well, "Why?"

Happening now on @BetoORourke’s Insta story: “I’m here at the dentist, and we’re going to continue our series about people who live along the border. My dental hygenist, Diana, is going to tell us about growing up in El Paso.” pic.twitter.com/WsGZ9c9IBD

— Grace Panetta (@grace_panetta) January 10, 2019

Peak 2019. Shows that Beto’s got a sense of humour...and insists on listening to people even while getting his plaque removed. “If you don’t know by now, don’t mess with it” - Mr. Natural

— B.G. Pelaire (@bgpelaire) January 10, 2019

If Beto has one thing going for him, it's that many fans have already gotten used to his oversharing, be it on Instagram or Snapchat, where he often sends videos of himself talking to the camera while driving or chatting with Oprah.

If anything, it's possible Beto could suffer from overexposure — and he hasn't even announced he's running. Yet.

Howard Schultz gets roasted over candidacy

Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz thought he had the big ideas necessary to bridge the political divide in the U.S., but, oh boy, did he learn the hard way that Americans are tired of white billionaires trying to solve everyone's problems. 

When Schultz announced he was exploring running for president as a centrist back in late January, he was met with a meager round of applause — and an avalanche of backlash, from people mocking his moderate position to liberals worried he'd siphon off votes from a Democratic candidate.

His initial tweet about running got ratioed pretty quickly and his subsequent tweets have suffered a similar fate.

When we said we needed someone woke at the top, a coffee CEO running is taking that a bit literally. https://t.co/VpHIEurYX1

— Ian Bowers (@iggdawg) January 28, 2019

Finally someone who can represent white male billionaires

— No More Billionaires 2020🔥 (@maxberger) January 28, 2019

Perhaps the reaction to Schultz was best captured by this heckler's yells at the former coffee magnate during an interview:

Here's the video. A heckler shouts at Howard Schultz during an event in New York: "Don't help elect Trump, you egotistical, billionaire asshole." Via CNN pic.twitter.com/oabwfNnsmp

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 29, 2019

It's only going to get wilder from here.

Bernie's backlash

Sen. Bernie Sanders has yet to even announce he's running in 2020, but it seems like a foregone conclusion. And he's got a stack of problems to solve, even before he's officially in the race.

Sanders has already had to apologize to several women who worked on his 2016 campaign who were sexually harassed by other campaign workers. Things got even more awkward ahead of Trump's State of the Union speech, when Sanders announced he was doing a rebuttal separate from the official Democratic one being given by Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams. 

Sanders, who endorsed Abrams in the Georgia gubernatorial race in 2018, faced backlash from many who saw his separate response as an attempt to take the spotlight away from Abrams.

It would be dope if Bernie was like I don’t need to do a SOTU response bc a capable Black women has got that covered but he couldn’t and didn’t and Black women see that and we won’t forget. #takingnote pic.twitter.com/9YldwWk37E

— Zerlina Maxwell (@ZerlinaMaxwell) February 4, 2019

Bernie Sanders to Stacey Abrams pic.twitter.com/rrk9JbbJ46

— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) February 4, 2019

2019 was the third straight year Sanders has done his own response. It didn't stream on social media until after Abrams was done, but the bad feelings lingered. (It's worth noting that fellow senator and 2020 candidate Kamala Harris also did a State Of The Union-related appearance, but streamed hers before Trump's speech.)

As popular as he is, Bernie may be treading on thin ice after this move. He'll have to do some delicate maneuvering to avoid alienating voters looking at a crowded field.

Cory Booker loves Hot Pockets

One of the biggest criticisms of Sen. Cory Booker points to the gobs of money he's received from Wall Street and big pharma companies. It's possible that microwavable food for stoners and college students will soon be added to the list of nefarious connections for Booker after this tweet, sent shortly after he announced his candidacy for president. 

My dad used to say to me: “Boy, don’t forget where you came from and the people who sacrificed to get you to where you are.” https://t.co/PqESzfPUYG

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) February 1, 2019

Cory Booker has already tweeted about Hot Pockets because, well, it was a whole story back when he was mayor of Newark, New Jersey, in 2012. As Newark (and the rest of the North Atlantic Coast) recovered from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, Booker tweeted moral support to a resident who really missed having Hot Pockets.

Hot Pockets responded by giving Booker's constituents coupons for free Hot Pockets, a microwave miracle.

Full letter from @HotPockets donating 100s of coupons for free Hot Pockets to Newarkers (PHOTO) pic.twitter.com/oVO2eYZk

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) November 7, 2012

So the fact that he gave Hot Pockets a shout-out upon making his presidential announcement could be seen as a cute bookend to the story of Booker's rise. But Booker's in the big leagues now, and any interaction with #brands on Twitter can lead to swift and sudden retribution from an audience that's ready to pounce on something that even hints at being inauthentic. 

Sure enough, people on Twitter were already using this Hot Pockets tweet as a chance to take shots at Booker.

Shout out to one of your corporate sponsors?

— Patrick Sherrill (@SirPatrickofMi) February 1, 2019

I love a candidate who is so down to earth that the first thing he does after announcing a presidential run is shill to a corporate brand online.

— Asthma Pimp (@coolthulu) February 1, 2019

And it's only going to get tougher for Booker from here.

Kirsten Gillibrand's fundraising tweet 

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is already finding out that being a presidential candidate brings a lot more scrutiny, no matter how small your transgression may be. For instance, she recently experienced her first food-related road bump when she seemed to show she didn't know how to eat fried chicken.

Eventually the food is served & Gillibrand starts to eat her fried chicken with a fork. She looks around, sees other people eating with their hands and says “Um Kiki, do we use our fingers or forks for the chicken?” Kiki said to use her fingers, and use her fingers she did. pic.twitter.com/jYO8DgSiBD

— Jasmine Wright (@JasJWright) February 9, 2019

More problematic, however, was a now-deleted tweet that Gillibrand's twitter account sent out which showed a GIF of her yawning during President Trump's State of the Union speech with the message, "Agree? Chip in $5 so we can put an end to this."

Sen. Gillibrand's original tweet.

Image: Twitter/Internet Archive

Whoops. That appears to be a violation of U.S. House rules, as flagged by journalists. 

Broadcast coverage and recordings of House floor proceedings may not be used for any political purpose under House Rule 5, clause 2(c)(1). https://t.co/K19eXsxLyN https://t.co/9hTcPZ7w5o

— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) February 6, 2019

It's highly unlikely this was Gillibrand's intent, hence its quick deletion. More likely, it was a mistake made while trying to quickly leverage a viral social media moment, something that pretty much everyone is doing and, as this list has shown, not exactly nailing.

Perhaps at her next social media workshop, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez can go a bit deeper into the "what not to do" category.

WATCH: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is giving Twitter classes to fellow Democrats