#arc dotc

[shadowsight-aster]

river ripple/riverstar my boy my baby boy. he's so me. and i'm sending him to superhell /j (major riverstar's home spoilers beneath the break !!!!!) (i should not be making this post cause i haven't finished the book but whatever i'm excited)

ok can i blab for a moment firstly: I AM LIVING. FUCKING THRRRRIVING FOR HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH NIGHT. they care about each other so much. night likes to keep him safe and his dreamy nature in check and river likes to expand her horizons and show her that there will always be more to life. they're best friends. they're near complete foils of each other. they're grieving. they're happy. they saved each other's lives and have full faith and trust in their positions. ohhhhhhh im unwell AND THE CHERRY ON TOP IS THAT THEY'RE JUST PLATONIC. ERINS YOU'RE FINALLY FEEDING US THANK THE STARS words cannot describe the primal fear i felt when night talked about her dead mate and kits and river was like: ough like flutter and i...... i nearly screamed i would not have made it if we had ANOTHER straight deputy/leader relationship :tears:

secondly on the topic of relationships: gray wing <3333 we didn't see a LOT more of gray wing but HE'S THERE. AND IT'S JUST AS GAY AS I REMEMBERED. for context ever since i first read dotc way back in 2017, i was the biggest grayripple fan. if they have 1 fan, i'm him. if they have 0 fans, then i'm dead. THEY HAD SOMETHING GOING IN THE MAIN SERIES!!! im not out of my mind i swear like. bro you saved him from a fire and then you took him to your island so he could learn to move on past his grief and wanted him to STAY WITH YOU? AND WHEN YOU DIED FOR THE FIRST TIME *HE WAS THERE?* AND NOT YOUR LIKE...CRUSH FROM THE PARK?? idk man...that's fruity. that's real fruity. they're so cute to me i love them with my whole heart and soul and i WILL talk about them more (in a separate post cause this is getting really long)

thirdly: arc. oh sayyyyyy can you seeeeeee /affectionate that is his dad. that....that is his dad. you can't tell me otherwise THE FACT RIVER DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE HIM OR LET HIM GO BACK ALONE...and--backtracking a little--the part where he forgets if arc's eyes are yellow or green cause he's lived so long by the other colonies............heart broke n the way arc gently nags him about meditating and is more than proud of river when he shows that he never forgot what arc taught him. just punch me in the throat at this point cant remember how to say your name / let alone count all the freckles on your face coded. will elaborate later on oh also minor thing but i like to hc that arc only has three legs. he's cool like that ok sorry that's a fuck lot of words but i had a lot on my mind

[teaspeaks]

The beginning of the Dark Forest should have started with you.

[warriorsproject]

[bonefall]

.. opinions on wind runner? i feel like im one of the only ones that genuinely hates her sometimes

If you feel like the only one who genuinely hates her, I think you need to look around more. Wind Runner is a very widely disliked character, because she's often used within the story as a small antagonist who "threatens" the authority of Tall Shadow. Gray Wing dislikes her. Thunder is openly cat-racist to her. She spends several books trying to break through the moor cats' xenophobia to join a group that came to HER LAND.

Then, when Moth Flight is old enough to be a relevant character in Forest Divided, Wind Runner is turned into Yet Another mean mom the very moment Moth displays ADHD. She's contrasted to her mate Gorse Fur, who is a Soft And Good Dad, and ultimately MASSIVELY punished with the harrowing events of Moth Flight's Vision (even though, for most of that book, she's completely right.)

Ask yourself why they're especially harsh on WIND RUNNER for being mean to her child, in the arc with Tom the Fucking Wifebeater and his redemption death, plus Thunder being forced to stop being mad at his abuser Clear Sky, please.

To me, Wind Runner is an intense, ambitious woman who's demonized for it in a way that men just aren't. She's subject to several misogynistic trends within WC, plus a huge helping of xenophobia that goes absolutely unexamined. If DOTC cared at all about women, it would have treated her with the nuance she deserves.

Wind Runner is treated with nearly endless suspicion by Gray Wing through books 1 - 3, while he's bending over backwards to suck Clear Sky's toes.

Her wanting to join the group that came TO HER HOME and being a bit pushy about it earns a stronger reaction from Gray Wing than Clear Sky murdering people.

She's pressured into changing her name "to fit in," and it's still not enough. She wanted to join the group so bad she changed her name, at the request of the Mountain Cats, for a chance of being better accepted

This came after she'd already saved Jagged Peak's life when a burrow collapsed on him. She's plenty trustworthy.

She keeps doing shit to try and prove herself to this group of assholes. Remember Bumble being dragged back to her domestic abuser? Gray Wing interprets this as a power struggle, when WIND RUNNER WAS NOT EVEN PART OF THE GROUP AT THE TIME.

From Wind Runner's POV, she did something that the Moor cats wanted done. It was fucking evil. It was committing violence against another member of the out-group the cats see her as.

But who actually has the power here? Tall Shadow does.

Gray Wing said it himself that she could have come up with some excuse for Bumble to stay, and she didn't. In fact, any cat could have spoken up. No one did.

and still. STILL. Wind Runner gets nothing. Her reward is Gray Wing surmising that actually, her doing their sick dirtywork was a political move.

It's more consistent as a motivation with how Wind Runner wants to join their group. The thing she's been doing.

She only actually gets to join the group after Thunder starts publicly hurling slurs at her for suggesting they need to be ready for Clear Sky to attack them. "What do you know about peace? Last time I was here you were NOTHING BUT A ROGUE WITH A ROGUE'S NAME"

Gray Wing even starts purring when she gives birth, because her ambition goes away briefly and she "stops bossing everyone around." this is treated like a sweet thing. god forbid women retain their personalities when they have kids

She loses her first premature child to a seizure and Gray Wing starts proselytizing his religion to her. "Maybe it's a good thing your weakest child died because Jesus has them now" I want to beat him with a hammer

When her second child gets sick, Clear Sky has a bright idea that involves killing it. I refer to this as his "reverse leper colony" suggestion. He only develops a sense of humanity towards the sick when his brother's pregnant wife is in danger. Wind Runner and her kitten barely seem to clock as people to him.

It's only after her SECOND baby succumbs to a horrible, painful death that she decides the moor cats are assholes, and she goes to start her own group. It's LONG overdue. I was extremely excited to see it.

Now. Listen.

I've been treated just like Moth Flight before. I've practically heard the scolding in Book 6 Chapter 3 verbatim. I'm not downplaying anything about Wind Runner being harsh to her; being yelled at like that never fixed the problem.

What I'm saying is that this is the SAME arc that summons the hollowed-out ghost of Storm to coo that Clear Sky "never drove anyone away" with his abusive behavior and gives Tom the Wifebeater a heroic redemption death.

So why is the scolding from Wind Runner treated as unambiguously harsh? What's the difference between her and them?

Why is it that outside of this little bubble of the community, you can get buried in a flood of people crying about how "Clear Sky made Summisteaks Butt he thought it was the right thing :((( He feels bad about shoving Thunder's face in a weeping, pus-filled wound and trying to kill him :((((" but Wind Runner is mean about Moth Flight not catching a rabbit and she should be skinned alive

Why is WIND RUNNER held responsible for the death of Clear Sky's child in Moth Flight's Vision, WHEN IT WAS COMPLETELY HIS OWN FAULT??

So, why should I hate her? Because she's mean to the idiot protagonists? Because she's Yet Another Bad Mom whose actions ARE treated as Bad in the story, in the arc famous for openly weeping whenever someone's mad at their abusive dad?? When she has this whole horrific, unexamined story about how incredibly bigoted The Settlers are towards her and the extremes she goes to in order to please them?

I'm glad she's mean, actually. She should have been even meaner. I think she should have a gun

[bonebabbles]

Snake Gets Done Dirty

Remember, Clear Sky can NEVER have a consequence for his actions. Ever. If you're ever mad at him for any reason, YOU will be punished for being upset. Clear Sky is allowed to do anything he wants to you but if you don't start slurping you're the Real Bad Guy.

Snake: "FUCK YOU! YOU'RE THE REASON WHY THIS HAPPENED"

Clear Sky: "uhhh... well..... oopsie uwu"

Snake:

But don't worry, Snake is punished for the high crime of embarrassing Clear Sky by being dogpiled by the Clap At Baby Crowd.

Because, AGAIN, god forbid Clear Sky ever suffer a consequence of his actions.

WHY ARE YOU BOOING HIM, HE'S RIGHT

Clear Sky poses this dumb speech about fighting One Eye like it's some big, beautiful, selfless act of service. He was ALWAYS going to do this-- HE WANTS HIS AUTHORITY BACK. He's ALWAYS been an ambitious asshole who hates taking orders from other people, and will clobber anyone who embarrasses him or offends his massive ego.

He's been like this since SUN TRAIL. He's ALWAYS been controlling and fragile with a hunger for power. There has NEVER been a version of Clear Sky that wouldn't have wanted to kill One Eye for taking his toys away, humiliating him publicly.

His piss-poor judgement has gotten DOZENS of people killed in pointless border skirmishes, in the First Battle, and now AGAIN to this tyrant. He had a fit like a child when people tried to warn him it was a bad idea, and he didn't listen!

Snake is the first cat who's done anything about it at this point. The only one who doesn't immediately cave and forgive him after Clear Sky puts on a display of crocodile tears. It's LONG overdue!

And yet, all these cats still gather around to come to his aid. They have NO reason to do this. Clear Sky has proven, OVER AND OVER, that he should NOT HAVE ANY AUTHORITY OVER PEOPLE. These cats have NO reason to trust him, they've all been screamed at, smacked around, and buried mauled loved ones because of him.

They've seen, at most, a month of two of peace under him following the greatest massacre in history, broken by yet ANOTHER bad call.

Writer's pet! Some guy on the writing team ABSOLUTELY projects themselves onto Clear Sky as some kind of power fantasy. There's no other explanation for this level of utter ineptitude.

[shummthechumm]

bumble wc is just a piece of writing from this series that TRULY astounds me. like the characters do not acknoledge that shes a living person whatsoever once she becomes a "nuisance" (she is fat and a house pet). and on top of that, to have turtle tail turn her back on her as well??>?? because gray wing has it bad for her and so we have to exterminate the "obstacle" in the way of their straight romance???

like i expect gray wing and clear sky to be dicks but..why would TURTLE TAIL rationally allow her friend (who lived through the same abuse as she) be shunned away from the moor group??

its some of the most mean spirited shit in this entire series and it only exists as a plotline...for what reason??? cause "kittypets are bad you dont want to be a kittypet"?? its not like you remind us every fucking arc erin hunter. because we're supposed to like gray wing and they really wanted him to serve as an adoptive parent to turtle's litter?? like..what???

i dont even have a real point to this post i just want to express my confusion cause what even was the goal. it does nothing but make the entire cast abuse-enabling discriminatory assholes who are willing to send outsiders to easily preventable deaths. and we're supposed to agree with these jackasses??? ERIN HUNTER WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY TO YOUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AUDIENCE???

[kipxan]

my only warrior cats prayer for the next arc is NO MORE DAWN OF THE CLANS CATS. NO MORE! I'M SICK OF THEM! giving them novellas/super editions? fine, sure. having them appear in the main arc?? FORCED UNNECESSARY AND ANNOYING!

do NOT get me started on the nine lives ceremonies because i get irrationally mad.

INSTEAD OF LEARNING MORE ABOUT HARESTAR AND THE LOVED ONES HE'S LOST, WE GET FUCKING WINDSTAR GORSESTAR AND MOTH FLIGHT. WHY? WHO CARES! it reads to me as "hey you know those guys right? you know them? you remember them? isn't it cool to see them again? isn't it? what a cool callback right? right?" I DON'T CARE GET THEM OUT!!!!

or if you really want ancient cats why have GRAY WING give blackstar a life instead of DAISYTAIL who originally prevented kits from training before 6 moons? you know, the very thing he sat back and watched brokenstar do?

hell, you could even make a case for having CURLFEATHER guide frostpaw to the cats of the park instead of riverstar. would've at least been another fucking character moment for her, as she tries desperately to (perhaps selfishly) right the wrongs she's done to her daughter before she's dragged to the place of no stars?

originally sure the founders were cool as a cameo because they were old and mysterious, but we know EVERYTHING about them now. appearances by them only serve as more callbacks to Misogyny: The Book Series when there are SO many better options

and i swear to fucking GOD if i see a SINGLE DOTC cat in squirrelstar's ceremony, i will eat the harpercollins writer responsible.

tldr I HATE DAWN OF THE CLANS!!!! silly rant over

[artaintfartwarriors]

[rookflower]

arc dotc? purrlease

[the-owl-tree]

PLEASE tear into moth flight's vision i am so interested in hearing ur thoughts about it

look at the time the fandom hyped up dotc so hard i got my hopes up and i vehemently hate this arc because of it. it is a hotbed of misogyny, ableism, shitty characters who are never portrayed to be wrong, abuse apologia, fatphobia, and did i mention the misogyny? like wow. they fucking hate women in this arc.

and i'll be honest when i went i first read moth flight's vision, i was already going in with a negative view because i hated dotc so fucking much...and i hated it! I ended up rereading it waaaaayy later and hated it AGAIN i have no clue why people put this arc or era on such a pedestal it sucked ass so bad. i want a written apology and financial compensation from the erins after i read it.

i know im being like a little dramatic but listen to me. i need everyone to hate this arc as much as i do.

Moth Flight's super edition is a mess of ideas, half-baked executions, and honestly...just bad? It doesn't convince the reader why a cat would be pushed to do this. Everything that goes wrong is because a) Moth Flight doesn't ask for help and b) Skystar, despite being redeemed, is a continuous antagonist that fucks over anyone for the sake of the plot.

The book is so afraid of having to deal with an actual redemption that Skystar is allowed to be the reason why Micah and Tiny Branch are killed yet the narrative refuses to foist any responsibility onto him. He's not allowed to be a villain, he's just there to service the plot then walk away scot free. Why? Why am I reading this??? What is the point of 6 books of this guy being an arrogant bloody dick with a half-baked redemption only for him to saunter out to cause problems with the books need it and don't even bother with sticking to him being an antagonist?! Anytime he's on screen I'm begging for someone to kill his ass already, I don't understand why the narratives tries to also push the blame on Moth Flight.

....speaking of her, her entire conflict doesn't work. Look, the idea of an individual problem leading to an entire societal wide change that cause more problems than it solves is interesting but the book doesn't sell it! The Clans are communal, she has tons of options in asking for help. The narrative is constantly patting my back saying see? see? she can't do it therefore it makes sense why she thinks no one can do it. It's an entire book of "how can a WOMAN raise her CHILDREN without her MAN" and the answer it gives us is: she can't :'( and by the end of the book i feel like i've been spit at. There's an overwhelming sense of disdain towards parents who ask for help (how Moth Flight treats Slate is cruel) and all of it is presented as in the right because the entire thesis is that despite living in a literal communal society where there's an entire rank dedicated to looking after children, single parents (read: mothers) are unable to look after children without a partner (read: the husband).

There's nothing wrong with a law being cruel or unfair, it actually adds to the story! It makes things interesting! But her entire story doesn't sell me on why the law was made, it makes me think more and more that the erins are really fucking weird about women (which has been made even more clear by that shitty kits & queens article no i will not let that go). But Moth Flight's conflict sucks ass, I don't buy it, and I feel I'm being shown one thing and told another.

I especially don't get why they didn't go with the obvious reason of having it be for superstitious/religious reasons (this shit is already so catholic, just go even further into the nun thing). Like, okay, here's my pitch of the law: kittens of medics are thought to be more at risk of curses/sickness/etc. Having it so Moth Flight's children share the same fate as other characters who are born to Medics: doomed to a life of suffering or go onto a path of destruction.

It wouldn't be true of course, the reason these children go off the rails is because the Clans expect them to but it would still be interesting!!

and that is my rant on this shitty super edition, thank you for asking :D

[bb-fennelposting]

no no no this makes perfect sense to me @bonefall

[yuridovewing]

ngl i know it happened cause like, “lol im gonna fuck your mom” jokes are common and funney (and im not on a pedestal i make those jokes a lot LOL) and on a surface level if you havent read the books (which by the amount of love for how deep and nuanced dotc is, i can tell a lot of people havent actually read it) its a weird and bizarre thing and people likely just ran with that and made a joke out of it, but i really never liked the jokes about star flower and clear sky because like… the way star flower is treated is really gross and unsettling and its not a spiteful or petty thing shes doing, he likes her bc shes his sons age and will obey his every whim because “shes bad and needs to earn decent treatment” and she wants to atone or whatever and shes literally treated like a prize he gets for being suuuch a good boy now (now he ONLY abuses women, instead of abusing AND murdering them)

[teaspeaks]

Brothers, if nothing else

[frightnightindustries]

Fixing Bumble's Bad Writing, and Tom's Death

Alright. There is nothing I can say that hasn't already been said. We all know the issues.

Here is how I make this somewhat better.

Bumble doesn't get told to go back to Tom in the rewrite. She is a kittypet, and enjoys her life, and doesn't want to leave it. Bumble liked her life before this new cat was in it.

So, Bumble wants to learn how to fight. Just a few moves. Nothing too complicated. All she wants to do is defend herself, and stay for a few days!

Cautiously, Grey Wing agrees, and brings Bumble to Tall Shadow. Turtle Tail is insistent on helping, and keeps talking about how "Bumble can't defend herself, she needs our help!"

Tall Shadow almost refuses when she finds out that Bumble was front paw declawed by a previous owner. Then Bumble body-slams her into the ground, and Tall Shadow goes "Alright. You can stay for a little bit."

Then Tom follows Bumble, confused about where she went. I made him visit earlier, due to drama.

He encounters Clear Sky early on, who tells him what amounts to "fuck off", finds the moor, smells Turtle Tail, and finds Grey Wing reflecting (imagine the "i was so distressed i spent the while afternoon listening to soft rock while cross-fading" clip from gumball).

Grey Wing takes one look at him, remembers Bumble, and leads him to the camp, and loudly talks about how HEY, THIS IS TOM, HE USED TO LIVE WITH BUMBLE! DOES EVERYBODY REMEMBER BUMBLE? BUMBLE IS A SHE-CAT LIVING HERE WITH NUMEROUS SCRATCHES FROM TOM! TOM WANTS TO MEET TURTLE TAIL, WHO IS PREGNANT WITH HIS KITS. TOM CARES ABOUT TURTLE TAIL, JUST LIKE HE DID ABOUT BUMBLE, WHO HE GAVE SEVERAL INJURIES!

Just about everybody realizes what's going on, including Tom, and Bumble walks out and threatens him, chasing him away because holly hell what happened to Bumble who didn't stand up for herself.

All the while Tall Shadow is going "YASS QUEEN, YOU GO GIRL!"

Anyway, after that Bumble goes back to her Twolegs, and that's generally where her arc ends. She goes to Limbo, and I am being sucked into a Bumble x Tall Shadow black hole, this is now rewrite canon.

After that, I'm unsure about how I want to kill off Tom. I sort of want to keep his canon death, as a reminder that even horrible people can do good things, but I'm also toying with the idea that Bumble tackles him into the gorge.

[bonefall]

I personally like Thunder's prosthetic. Explained it to my friend (who does use a mobility device, a cane and wheelchair, and listens to me rant and infodump about BB) and they agreed, it's important to know that not every person needs what someone wants to give them. It's another example of "bad ableist person does a thing that hurts a disabled person because they are bad and ableist".

Clear Sky got Jagged Peak killed and would have killed Sunlit Frost! He would absolutely force his disabled son to be "normal" and present it like a privilege. "I wouldn't do this for anyone else, it's special, why don't you want to be helped?"

Thunder Storm should toss it in Clear Sky's face. (I would say toss it into the river but we do not pollute waterways in this house)

Thank you for telling me this, and tell your friend I'm thanking them too! If they have anything else to add please forward what they have to say

Since BB!DOTC tackles some of the heaviest topics in the entire series because its canon equivalent is so dark, I think very carefully about what I do here and how I show it. I take feedback on its sensitive aspects very seriously. If I'm understanding the criticism properly, it's that I should avoid stigmatizing prosthetics by making sure Thunder Storm's not the only one with it-- which he's not! And I'll add even more.

I don't want to avoid something only because it's uncomfortable if the topic is important, and my portrayal is respectful. Ableism IS uncomfortable! There are some situations where a prosthetic is not wanted! I think the rejection of this particular one is both a good opportunity to show a type of ableism and ALSO is very fitting for the characters.

In BB!Clear Sky's mind, the villain, he's fixing an old mistake. He can't admit that he got Jagged Peak killed or take REAL accountability for it (though he will, occasionally, apologize insincerely), but deep in his bones, he knows what he did was cruel. He'll never tell anyone this because he doesn't really cognate it himself, but Thunder Storm NEEDS to take his gift.

If Thunder doesn't take it, it blows a hole in his newest story. You see, throwing Jagged Peak out was All That Could Have Been Done back then. It was a Tragedy and he simply Made A Hard Choice. He regrets it very much, But You Have To Understand.

But now? Now? Well, behold. Look at what he's accomplished since the tragic death of his little brother. His cats are well-fed, cared for, and stable enough to make such incredible advancements. If only Jagged Peak had been able to hold on longer, if only he could be here now, I could fix him.

Just like I can (MAKE YOU JUST LIKE ME) fix you.

"Everything I've ever done is for Jagged Peak. For Fluttering Wing. For you." Thunder Sky is SPECIAL, but if he rejects any gift, tries to turn down the "privileges" offered to him, in an instant that becomes ungratefulness and arrogance. He both forces him to be special, and then leverages it against him if it's rejected. "Spoiled brat, doesn't appreciate what I've worked so hard to give him."

It all goes back to him and his own guilt. He can NEVER be wrong. He can't accept his family doesn't have to be "normal" or reflect his own ability. He won't see himself as a bully, let alone a murderer. It was never about his son's comfort or finding out what Thunder Storm wants or needs, it was about his own ego.

...All that said I'm still taking feedback if there's anything else I should keep in mind, or if anyone has a counter point, especially if you also have experience here.

(In the interest of having a link trail for posterity, here's the critique/call for feedback this is in response to)

[bonebabbles]

Slash's Famous Scene

Here we are, lads. Everyone's favorite scene in the totally best arc of WC. The one where Slash pins a pregnant woman to the ground and licks her face, while threatening her fetuses and cutting her cheek open so Clear Sky can have more man pain.

So far I've been using "fridging" as synonymous with the brutal killing of a female character to advance a male character's arc; but I do want to remind everyone that the term "fridging" describes disproportionate violence done to women in the service of their husband/brother/father/son's arcs. It doesn't HAVE to be death; it can also be battery, maiming, depowering, or sexual assault.

So far, 8 women have died to serve male arcs, most of them for Clear Sky specifically. Fluttering Bird, Bright Stream, Storm, Misty, Bumble, Turtle Tail, Rainswept Flower, and Petal. Now Star Flower gets sexually harassed and kidnapped, bringing the arc's fridge total to 9.

Anyway content warning, obviously. It's still Warrior Cats and doesn't get too graphic, but this bag contains a dead dove.

First, Clear Sky gets another toesucking from the ghost of his wife who died after leaving his controlling ass. Specifically, after he threw his disabled brother out of his Clan, and after his lust for seeing random people (including his brother) get mauled at the border resulted in the death of Fox.

She tells him that his behavior never drove anyone away, it was all totally not his fault. I'm waiting for a laugh track and it never comes. The apologetics in this arc are unrivaled.

Then, Clear Sky wakes up and his pregnant wife is not next to him. So he goes looking for her and sees her being flanked by Slash and his memorable minions, Grunt 1 and Grunt 2. Star Flower is so possessed by fear that she doesn't move.

They REALLY need to sell that Slash is TRUE evil, PURE evil, because of the wet fart that is Clear Sky's redemption arc. They're saying that Clear Sky ISN'T bad, because he is not this. A dirty, sadistic monster who coos evilly about how he's going to hurt the kittens in his wife's belly and cruelly twitches his whiskers.

(as a petty side detail, please also note that this passage cannot even keep Slash's fur color straight. Behold, a cat so evil that he cannot even remain a brown tabby! He turns gray when he commits nefarious deeds! Ashfurification included!)

Star Flower is the one being pinned to the ground and having her face cut open as Slash screams about how she promised her father she'd be his mate, but this scene is about Clear Sky's distress. Star Flower is an object to this narrative, which these two men are in conflict over.

The pinning, the violence, the sexual implications, are being done to make Slash as monstrous as possible to contrast to Clear Sky. Slash doesn't kill anyone, so the narrative needs to make you SO UPSET your emotions are thrown into overdrive, so you'll accept how truly terrible he is.

The simple truth that this rancid book is trying to make you ignore, is that Clear Sky is exponentially more deadly. He has caused harm so unspeakable that they have to describe his bloody murders in passive voice. They "died" now, instead of "were killed," and the violent system he created is presented as "making up" for the trauma he's caused to the survivors.

"Pushing his muzzle close to her injured cheek, he licked the blood from her fur with a long, lingering lap."

Think critically about the characters they are presenting and the actions they make them do. None of these are real people. They are writing choices. They have portrayed Slash as a perverted, domineering, child-abusing savage, so Clear Sky the Settler can look good in comparison.

then Star Flower gets dragged off, kicking and struggling, feeble and completely unable to defend herself as clear sky thinks about how she might die along with his fetuses.

Obviously Clear Sky is so very stressed out by all this and needs to blow off some steam, so he smacks the nearest woman and starts screeching about how Star Flower is more loyal than the son he abuses

The first thing he does after the Slash event was physically assault the nearest woman. I can't... I don't have the words. Are you seeing this. Do you see what I am fucking dealing with. literally the first woman he sees.

"DOES THAT FEEL LIKE AN ACT??" He bellowed like a fucking wifebeater at the girl whose face is bleeding because he cut her in a fit of rage. That's fine as long as you don't lustfully lick it afterwards I guess!!!