#bonefall tbc

[bonefall]

Hopping off the gathering ask, are cross-clan relationships themselves not forbidden, if a second 'illegal' gathering is able to take place? How does honor-siring work if the father isn't of the same clan? Have there ever been incidents where a particularly law-loving leader turned around and started condemning everyone in gathering 2: electric boogaloo? Is this a "I saw X at the second gathering with Y!" "So what were YOU doing at the second gathering bestie???" situation, where majority of lawbreakers know who else is in kahoots but just constantly keep their mouth shut? Did Mapleshade stay at these gatherings and thats how she got caught? SORRY FOR ALL THE QUESTIONS IM VERY CURIOUS

The answer is; the Aftergathering wasn't so bold back at the Forest territories!

In fact that's why I specified that the one Shellfur went to was an average Lake gathering!

It has always been your right to wander and have friends in other Clans. Unlike canon where a warrior's life is strictly controlled, cats are rarely questioned for hanging out in places they're allowed to be. So long as you do your responsibilities, you're a CLAN cat. Not a kittypet with a twoleg.

But being caught so brazenly meeting with a mate in another Clan, that would be a huge problem. So the Aftergathering existed, but quietly. The cats gave each other privacy.

No one would EVER ask why you were staying. A lot of coded language. If you got cuddly in public, someone would gently tell you to be more discreet.

And of course there was no soup.

The Aftergathering is also not that old! It started forming about a generation after Darkstar's Commandment, when kit-stealing was banned, during the mid-Crusade Era.

It was a genetic necessity, and Clan animosity had a different flavor when Chelford raids were the Clan's main targets. Pinestar was born before there was an Aftergathering.

The Campaign Era wittled the Aftergathering significantly. If the cats hadn't responded by becoming much less conspicuous, there very much could have been a Salem-esque "what were YOU doing at the devil's sacrament" movement. In fact, if Fire Alone didn't happen when it did, it could have been something that a leader with the newly-minted Thistle Law would have done.

It only didn't because it didn't. The soil was ripe for it. History is full of near-misses.

After the TNP journey, cats have become careless about the Aftergathering. The destruction of the forest changed something about them, the divisions were never quite the same again. Paw Soup itself was a cuisine MADE by apprentices who worked together.

As long as you are loyal and fiery for the rest of the month, defending your Clan with your life, the Aftergathering is not made into an issue...

Well, besides during TBC, when the Impostor ruled the lake.

[warrior-cats-rewritten]

Hi! I’m a big fan of reading your background character lists, and I look forward to seeing more things you write! I just decided to start posting about my warrior cats rewrite, but I have positively no clue how to really start. Would you have any tips? I look up to a lot of rewriters, but I also don’t want to seem like I’m copying people. ^^’ Thank you and have a nice day/evening/night!

Thank you! I've been enjoying doing them.

I have many tips! In no particular order:

Tackle the big issues head on. Don't be afraid to work on the biggest issues. Recreating the Tribe or dismantling the series' xenophobia can be hard, but once you start working on them you'll find that they're easier than you think.

Don't be afraid to take criticism on your ideas for these issues. Listen to people, and don't be afraid to ask others to use an idea or one similar to it. I asked Bonefall about fire/cooking (even though they put a blanket yes on everything). As for me? My ideas are also open source. Just tag me, because I wanna see what you do!

TAKE. NOTES. I said no particular order but this might be the most important thing. Do not be the Erins. Do not rely purely on the wiki, or your brain. You will forget things.

The family trees are a nightmare, do not be ashamed to create a visual, or apply "x generations after no longer counts" rules onto it to prevent bloat if you dislike a large clan to make other cats mates. I have a 3 generation rule.

If you find yourself getting frustrated with a detail, put it down for a bit.

Don't be scared of not being 'realistic' enough. The series is already quite unrealistic (Cats not being able to see in the dark, knowing what sweet things are, the medicines and plants that would be toxic irl, monogamy in cats, the sizes of other animals, etc). Be weird.

Another extremely important rule. Build up your side characters. For all its faults, Arc 1 had amazing side characters. No one in later arcs has personality beyond a handful of Shadowclan cats, and some Thunderclan cats that were unceremoniously killed off during TBC or between The Last Hope and The Apprentice's Quest, while Brackenfur rots away in the elder's den.

If you ever need help, don't be afraid to reach out. This Fandom is quite passionate about these books, I guarantee someone will have something.

If you need a starting point for where to write? I'd recommend 3 different points.

Into The Wild (Easy Mode)

Dawn of the Clans (Medium)

Mapleshade's Vengeance (Hard Mode)

[mumblemoths]

Behold, a man:

A finished redux tree! Now 100% incest free! I am not going before the first series, as i am not Insane.

A few notes on what i couldn't fit on, some fun details, and my thought process:

● Sandstorms father is no longer Redtail. This because Redtail and Spottedleaf are Rosetail's kits, and this would create incest further down the line. I might have her father be just Runningwind? Eh.

● Sorreltails mother is still Willowpelt, and her father is still Whitestorm. Meanwhile Greystripe's parent is now. Just Patchepelt. This was to avoid incest via Spotfur and Stemleaf.

● Larksong's mother is still Lilyheart! And his siblings Leafshade and Honeyfur still exist. However his father is now Stormcloud. Lilyheart and Seedpaw's origin is different. They're no longer Sorreltails, to avoif incest via Larksong and Sparkpelt. Now they're lost kits that were taken in. This is also to free up Leafshade and Honeyfur for Genetic Diversity™️

● Dovewing's kits are fatherless! This is to both prevent incest, as they're now related via goldenflower and lionheart, as well as my dislike of tigerdove as a romantic pairing, and how strongly it parellels real word grooming. However, her kits still do end up in Shadowclan, and view Tigerheart as a father.

● Speaking of Dovewing: she and Ivy and are now LionCinder kits. This is to corner off Firefam into just his direct line, make some plot beats more interesting, and also avoid some incest. Fernsong is now a former kittypet to prevent his situation from being Worse.

● A few kits go shuffled round. CloudBright's second litter is now Birch and White's only one. Iceloud and Foxleap are now their second litter.

● Blossomfall kits are now fatherless. Thornclaw was a vaguely weird choice in the first place. We also don't need anymore Frostfur descendants in the clan.

● Hollytuft and Sorrelstripe got combined into one guy. Same as Flywhisker and Snaptooth.

● Dustfern got changed. Might split Ash and Fern into two litters, one older and one younger, ala Bonefall's Better Bones AU. But no matter what, Dust doesn't interact with Fern until she's an adult, and he's no longer her brothers mentor. I elected to fix this, rather than split them, due to it not causing any excess incest [Raven and Dust are now loner kits], as well as it not requiring major rewrites/retoolings, unlike TigerDove IMO.

● Bristlfrost's mate may be Needleclaw instead of Rootspring, and i may make her a TBC protag instead of Root. Also Bristle, root/needle [depending on who gets protag rights], and Shadow will probably die together destroying ashfur.

● I may pepper in some background gay relationships. As this is an edit to the canon warriors tree, which is excusivley hetrosexual, it was very difficult to insert gay relationships, as i'm already struggling to remove incest, without adding more relationships in. I'm maybe thinking of DoveBriar as a cute background thing. BlossomIvy toxic yuri. Might hit Fernsong with The Woman Beam.

● Minnowtail and Mousewhisker had a thing too.

● This family tree was overal focused on Eliminating Incest, making Interesting Changes, and Preserving Genetic Diversity

[bonefall]

I think you might be talking about me--i sent in the post thanking you for giving Sorreltail epilepsy and I told you about my daughter. We missed the post about Shadowsight now having full epilepsy, but I want to thank you again. Shadowsight is her favorite cat, and she's so happy.

Glad to see you around!! Yep, I fixed Shadowsight too, in a way I hope you'll both like.

[ID: Better Bones Shadowsight. He is a large gray tabby with a black mohawk and red eyes. He has a jagged, red scar down his eye, splitting his ear in half, down his neck, and continuing down the arm.]

Since Sorreltail has absence seizures and her epilepsy is on the mild side, I went and gave Shadowsight a more severe type to get a better range of rep.

He has clonic-tonic seizures, which he was born with.

The seizures are NOT related to visions anymore! That's just a thing he has.

Tawnypelt's Clan is going to get reduxed into something less about needing to save the tribe again (which I have issues with as the narrative keeps taking away the tribe's competence and agency), to Tawnypelt seeking treatment for him.

Since his type is more severe than Sorrel's, his treatment plan includes chamomile.

Chamomile is poisonous to cats in high amounts, so its dose is carefully controlled.

I plan to show him growing more skilled as a medic with preparing his own medications, as measuring the dose is quite delicate.

It'll be served in broth form because the idea of him lapping up tea out of a little painted bowl is irresistible

And when he's possessed...

[ID: Better Bones Shadowsight. He is a large gray tabby with a black mohawk and pink eyes. He has a jagged, blue scar down his eye, splitting his ear in half, down his neck, and continuing down the arm]

The split ear is made to look like radio antennae. Like he's picking up signals.

The lightning bolt is what gives him that connection to StarClan and its warriors. Ashfur had intelligently blocked off the rest of silverpelt, so Shadow was only hearing HIM.

It glows blue because the electric is running in it, also Ashfur Symbolism.

The final battle with Ashfur is MUCH different. It takes place in the land between StarClan and the Dark Forest-- The Meadow of Young Stars.

Ashfur absorbs several cats and becomes something so large and strong that it can't be killed by regular claws

And it's in this moment that Shadowsight confronts the man who used and controlled him.

"You're nothing without me, Shadowsight! What are you doing?! Stop!"

He blasts the lightning bolt right back at him, giving up the connection to StarClan that Ashfur had given him, using it like an electric tether to hold him in place

He can't hold him! Rootspring, Strikestone, and everyone else he'd lost in the Impostor's Tyranny leap into action to hold him as he holds down Ashfur

It's that moment where Bristlefrost realizes what she must do

Instead of falling into water, Briss lines up, charges, and body checks the eldrich horror out of the sky like a shooting star

They burn up in orbit, crashing down to Earth as a pair of meteorites. There is going to be a crater on the map from this point on.

After this, he starts to look like the first image. His blue scar fades to light red, and his eyes go back to scarlet.

[bonefall]

On Poppyfrosr, how do Ivypool and Dovewing feel about their birth mother when they find out? What’s their relationship with her look like? Does Poppy ever try to connect with her first litter, or does she just keep her distance as their aunt?

Poppy keeps her distance as their aunt, trying to forget it ever happened. It was codebreaking, it was painful to have reality crash in on itself, and she doesn't want to think about how Jayfeather chose clergyhood over her.

She has no way of confronting this in a way that's healthy. So she tries to pretend it didn't happen.

It's IVYPOOL who's pissed about it when it comes out, which the Imposter uses to exploit her even more. It's blackmail AND it's ragebait. She's a pawn of the impostor for the rising action of BB!TBC, until her baby Bristlefrost is publicly executed.

Dovewing, meanwhile, is peeking through the shutters from ShadowClan like, "how does my family keep getting worse"

Heartstar: "With great effort, I'm sure."

[bonefall]

What are Breezepelt's thoughts during Bristlefrost's trial/first death? He doesn't feel guilty does he? Like, he doesn't feel responsible for Bramblestar, does he? (I kinda would, in his paws.)

Breezepelt is deeply distressed during the whole ordeal. The Kin's tyranny is fresh in his mind, he's still on thin ice with WindClan after defecting twice, he's got his first litter of kits on the way, and he's JUST starting to patch up his relationship with his dad

And now there's a NEW tyrant doing public executions, and everyone's so scared of losing StarClan they're willing to make blood sacrifices now??? That's what he sees that execution as. A blood sacrifice.

Ohhh godddddd and Firestar might still be here if he hadn't done what he did years ago, it's like his mistakes just keep biting him like fleas, no matter how much he grooms he can never crack them all!

He's definitely going to get exiled at some point. He makes a lot more sense than Crowfeather. Breeze wanted to stay quiet, not rock the boat to get separated from his mate(s), but eventually he just can't stay quiet anymore, and becomes a target of the Impostor.

[bonefall]

shadowsight illegally channels ashfur, forcing him to stay in one place. then bristle gets his ass

Ashfur: "YOU CANT DO THAT THATS ILLEGAL STOP STOP STOP"

Hmmm... I want Shadowsight's scar to be blue when he first gets it from Ashfur's lightning and stay that way until Ashfur's control is gone, maybe it turns red with his death?

Like it was Ashfur who was giving him that connection to StarClan at all, through the blue lightning scar. The channeling item was Shadowsight himself, and that was how he kept him in place for Bristlefrost to KO

[bonefall]

I wanted to ask. you what your plans are for the later ShadowClan medicine cats (Puddleshine and Shadowsight). I haven't seen you mention Puddleshine at all, I'm wondering if Littlecloud is still going to die when he does in canon and have Puddleshine randomly picked to be a med? Since you already had the "surprise medcat" plot with Kestrelflight being apprenticed after Barkface dies, there might be a reason not to keep this, not to mention if Littlecloud is still alive by the end of TBC you could have him playing a part in the switch to leaders being able to be deposed/resign, because he would remember clearly how Nightstar and his brother Rowanstar died due to leaders not being able to resign or be overthrown while still alive. Maybe Puddleshine can still be Littlecloud's apprentice, but is out of the way by TBC because he joins the Kin and stays there, with Shadowsight being Littlecloud's apprentice. The "Puddleshine joining the kin" plot point would also make more sense if Littlecloud is alive because I definitely think you should change how in canon, Rowanstar is inexplicably so horrible and all of ShadowClan so politically united in being fine with outsiders that they ALL prefer Darktail to him except his immediate family, and Puddleshine wouldn't have motivation to join the kin to heal them if he was the only med and there were still lots of ShadowClan cats to take care of, but it would make sense if Littlecloud is still alive. Or you could even have him genuinely join the apprentice rebellion, I think it would be interesting to have a cleric/med apprentice who actually fully sides with Darktail.

And now Shadowsight... I haven't actually read TBC, just the plot summaries, but I've seen people be of two minds with regards to his arc's conclusion. One is that it was really good for how he feels he has to throw himself into danger and death to make up for letting Ashfur rise to power which everyone is telling him he's horrible for, and Bristlefrost's death lets him realize he doesn't really want it (though this is already what you are doing with Breezepelt in AVOS, so you might want to not go in this direction). The other is that it's anticlimactic to have him spend a whole arc being the victim who gets beaten up and needing to be rescued, and in the end he just continues to be the victim and have someone else die to save him, having accomplished nothing. So how are you planning to end his arc? Also, since you tend to, for good reason, lean towards different cats having different clearly defined politics rather than everyone having an opinion that the plot/drama says so, which cats are going to be distrustful of Shadowsight and want him punished and which ones will be sympathetic towards him?

On Littlecloud

The reason I haven't mentioned him and Puddleshine too much is because Bonefall AVoS is still very loose. I get wrapped up in how I'm going to try and keep in Twig and Alder even just a little bit and hit a wall, when the rest of my changes, like the POV shift, are soooo much more interesting.

So Littlecloud...

I want to keep the fact that Flametail's death destroyed him. Flametail was to him what he once was to Runningnose. He loved him like a son.

Thinking about it, this feels too juicy to just... never have him pick up another. Puddleshine should be a cat who's practically forced onto him, and he resents that. They both end up not liking each other as a result. Or...

Maybe I'll bring back the suggestion I offered up a while ago, where a medicine cat has a sort of dementia or alzheimers onset. Make it so Rowanstar made him take an apprentice because his mind is fading. Puddlepaw knows that Littlecloud's not all there and dreads the fact he will soon have to treat his own mentor like an elder, when he isn't even fully trained.

(and as a side note, if he gets a progressive disease of the mind, I would like him to live significantly longer than canon. He'll pass away peacefully as an elder between AVoS and TBC.)

(Tawny should also be past the age of retirement at this point and move to the elder's den after the Tawnypelt's Clan redux)

Shadowsight

I think TBC was the best arc in a looooong time, but if I have any bones to pick with it, it's how it thinks that Shadowsight needs a "redemption arc"

He didn't fucking doooo anythiiiing

They want to hold him to some kind of ridiculous narrative punishment, but he didn't DO ANYTHING. He was manipulated by a member of StarClan, that thing that medicine cats are SUPPOSED TO LISTEN TO. The "seeing into the shadows" thing doesn't even make sense, he was speaking to a StarClan cat.

So, I could have gone back and made Ashfur a Dark Forest cat and then actually have the narrative give some weight to how he should have known the difference via his training... but I like StarClan Ashfur. I like StarClan making a mistake.

So I would rather fix in a way as to point out that Shadowsight Did Nothing Wrong, and is the victim of horrible circumstances worthy of sympathy.

I don't think rage at him is justified, but, I think that cats who are angry or looking for someone to blame will target him. I also really want to preserve Lionblaze's anger in particular, he's furious, he's irrational, and he's so blinded by rage that he will blame his own grandson.

On the "Seeing The Shadows" thing, I think I would actually like it more if somehow, he was able to sacrifice his connection to StarClan in the final fight. Like...

Maybe he actually does a Reverse Uno on Angelic Abomination Ashfur to hold him in place, unable to dodge or look away, so Bristlefrost can do a comet-tackle and knock him out of Heaven. Forever severing his connection to StarClan cats, but defeating him in the process.

Because then he can still have his guilt over cousin Bristlefrost dying instead of him, AND confront his manipulator without having a miserable "dies to kill him" ending. Plus just imagine Ashfur getting more and more desperate like

"You can't hold me down, stop being an idiot. You're just a weak little apprentice at heart. Cease this-- you can't exploit your connection like this, what if it breaks? You'll be a medicine cat who can't talk to anyone in StarClan! You'll be useless! I MEAN IT, YOU'RE NOTHING WITHOUT ME, SHADOWSIGHT, I CANT MOVE, SHADOWSI-"

And then he dies

[bonefall]

please tell me more about bristlefrost in this au i love the idea of her shooting ashfur out of heaven like a comet!!! it’s so so cool and her execution… AAA!!!

What I love about Bris and want to preserve is how intelligent she is. Hawkfrost famously has redemption in this rewrite-- I imagine she reminds Ivypool a lot of her Dark Forest mentor who lost his life taking a stand against Tigerstar.

Bris is an excellent strategist, a great fighter, and an upcoming prodigy. Ivypool is extremely proud of her. The Firekin family has high expectations, and Bris and Thrift are meeting all of them.

(Which is good because Flippaw... he's... he's a special boy. No honey we don't want to see how far you can fit an ant up your nose.)

But Bristlepaw is still a child. When Bramblefake targets her for his tyranny games, she's susceptible because she wants to impress her leader. When Ivypool realizes what's happening, she steps in immediately, offering herself as Bramblestar's lackey instead to spare her daughter from what she had to go through in her youth.

And as Bramblefake stokes Ivypool's unaddressed resentment for codebreakers, including Dovewing and Heartstar, Bristlepaw starts seeing Rootpaw.

And I've told that story before. She is caught. She begs her mother to help her, knowing Bramblefake will do something horrible, Ivypool does not listen.

Bristlefrost's public execution is the real start of the arc, and the bloody reckoning Ivypool has with her mindset. Her daughter is dead in a flash.

Bristlefrost doesn't stop there though. She's a ghost who interacts with Rootspring all arc long, attempting to rally the others and do what they can as earthbound spirits. Ashfur commands her later as a mind controlled ghost, but in the final fight, she lands the final blow to knock him out of StarClan.

I have a budding idea that Ashfur unlocks some kind of massive Seraphim form after eating some of the ghosts he controls, or even a StarClan Warrior. He absorbs them somehow, and becomes a being so massive that he couldn't be killed with normal claws.

Bristlefrost knocking into him destroys the Meadow of Young Stars. Shatters it, breaks the entire thing into a million pieces and makes it so that only a single bridge remains between the Dark Forest and StarClan. One less magical and impenetrable than the old Meadow, which has to be physically defended.

[bonefall]

if the dark forest is blocked, is the reverse true that only dark forest cats can bring a cat to the dark forest after death? if so, what about a character that is stuck in the young stars area that starclan refuses to accept into starclan, but the cat is good enough that they purposefully decide to never follow a dark forest cat? or could even be a deity of sorts that just kinda chills with purgatory cats

The reverse is not true! If you try to find StarClan without a guide, you will find the Dark Forest. Belief brings you to the "Clan Afterlife," but it takes someone being SENT to fetch you to bring you to StarClan.

It's sort of like popular modern interpretation of the Greek underworld; everyone goes to the Underworld, but you need the ferryman to get you across the river.

It would be possible for someone to just wander the Place of Young Stars forever if they wanted to, but it would be very boring. It's peaceful, just grass and nebula dust.

It's based on that part of StarClan that cats keep getting sent to before they see their judgements in-canon,

[ID: Panel from Winds of Change. Mudclaw and Tallstar are standing in green grass next to a pool, with swirly clouds above. There's little sparkles everywhere.]

The Place of Young Stars looks like this, but purple and more hazy. The Dark Forest's primary color is red, StarClan is blue. Purple is the in-between color.

Eventually though the Dark Forest and StarClan will be more connected, like canon. I plan for this place to get ffffUCKED up at the end of The Broken Code. Like, shattered plain, floating space rocks everywhere, with just one bridge/tunnel thing connecting the two where Juniperclaw and a couple of others will hang out.

[bonefall]

I’m as torn as you are. I think Cloudtail is the stronger candidate overall, given his new dynamic with Ashfur, his personality, and the fun interactions he could have with Warriorclan… buuuuuut (complete personal bias) I also really want him and Brightheart to live out their retirement together in peace and contentment, I really don’t want him to die. They’d be such good grandparents to the whole Clan. Ferncloud would be an interesting choice, and perhaps the events of the Imposters rule has unsettled her, maybe hearing Graystripe is leaving she decides to go as well to gather her thoughts. (Also where does Dustpelt die in the rewrite? Might also affect her decision). Maybe all the death back home at the paws of Ashfur is what pushes her to go back to the old forest to visit old haunts and get introspective with the books themes. And it’d be interesting for her to be the one to confront him, as for most of her life she’s not really been a combatant. It shows how devoted she is to her family, as well as how deeply Ashfur messed up, to push the normally nurturing Ferncloud to actually fight him. Honestly after typing this all out I’m casting my stone with Ferncloud

We can't have our love of a very old character hold us back from giving them a proper WC sendoff! That's exactly what the Erins do and it's why OotS dragged on, unable to include Firestar in anything for the plot but being too good of a leader to cause real conflict.

That said... knowing them they'll write "Cloudtail’s Jury Duty" before the finally kill him and I'll have to fix that shit (tone of a very tired plumber)

And there's a reason for Ferncloud to be the one confronting Ashfur too... as much as Cloudtail fits standing up for Squilf, Fern has lost a lot more people. The idea of her leading an army of her family at Ashfur is based as fuck, not to mention how the extras she got in this rewrite

Dustpelt, Hollykit, Larchkit, Seedpaw, Brindleface, grandson Toadstep, Brindleface, Elderberry, One-eye

(Icewing and Foxleap are probably no longer hers)

[bonefall]

oh man i LOVE thunderclans tempest for a bramblestars storm redux. also i vote for cherryfall, her impulsivity could be fun during tbc

It could also hit her really good and hard, with her twin suddenly being gone. Her partner in crime, her prankster buddy. Time to finally grow up a little.

Mmmmm Yeah I've been talked into it, Molewhisker is gonna die in TBC instead of Cherryfall

[bonefall]

So if Berrynose doesn't die in the battle that Rosepetal died in also, but you said he still dies, how does Berrynose die in the rewrite?

@halogenwarrior

Berry dies in that battle! Molewhisker just replaces the role Rose was in. His son dies, Berrynose is so infuriated he swaps sides and betrays the rebels, and then he gets taken out by Tawnypelt just like canon.

What do you think about Cherryfall and Molewhisker, particularly the fact they tried to lead the ex dark forest trainees to a crazed, trapped fox in Dovewing's Novella? Like yeah, they were apprentices and all but you'd think they'd be passed over for becoming mentors after a stunt like that regardless. Then AVOS happens and they're immediately appointed Spark and Alder. Really makes you think!

I think the government should do research into Cherryfall and Molewhisker for cloaking technology, because it's inspiring how many unique things they can be involved with and still I remember literally nothing about them

I like how Cherryfall is kind of dumb, aggressive, and mean. Between eating hemlock, trying to trick people with a trapped fox, and being no help on Alderheart's quest... I just wish it was intentional, y'know? I like Cherryfall and Blossomfall being the mean girls of ThunderClan.

I'm expanding on her, she's Stormcloud's sparring buddy. She is also not Spark's mentor anymore; Squilf is, because she is no longer Spark's mother.

Molewhisker is getting killed in TBC to infuriate Berrynose in the same battle Rosepetal died in. Rose, Cherry, and Hazel are the surviving Daisykin, with Mousewhisker going to RiverClan.

[bonefall]

A family member walked in on me making this thing and said, "GOOD LORD WHAT IS THAT" so I think this is a good moment to save and touch a little bit of grass before I continue

Pre-Lake RiverClan family tree be upon ye. HEAVY heavy heavy WIP though, as you can see there is an abrupt stop when I start figuring out post-TNP pairings, but everyone from Mapleshade's Vengeance/Darkstar's Commandment up to TigerClan is pretty locked and loaded.

Disorganized thoughts;

I keep waffling on where Graymist and Mintfur are going to go.

It is very important that Gray, Mint, and Ice are not related because of the canon family tree, unless I did some more reworks

Heavily considering shacking up Icewing with Rainstorm instead of Mint, and just cutting Mint completely

Why? Because Rainstorm has backstory now as a HalfClan cat and the brother of the ill-fated Rippletail, plus Mintfur has a name conflict with SkyClan Mintfur anyway.

Planning on grabbing ancient RiverClan from the field guides to plug up the ? spaces.

Idk why I feel like Greenflower should have a sibling. Probably going to use them as a kill in TPB.

Grasswhisker might end up too old for Stonestream, but remain as an honor dam with co-parenting, or get an in-between generation.

Maybe she will have Graymist?? And then GRAYMIST is the mate of Pebblefoot or Stonestream...

Eventually I want Troutstream in the Swan/Moss family so... hmm. Maybe Trout is directly from Stone. Honor-siring?

Shadepelt could also have Graymist and that will work pretty well, since it will make Graymist pretty far-removed and also plop her in a Thistle-leaning family

Darkstar's nephew, Perchpaw, becomes Perchshine just before he leaves to join the barn in Darkstar's Commandment. I imagine he had a kitten at one point who was given to RiverClan Cloudtail-style but I'm not sure who it was.

Leopardstar has a sister who survives now because I need the genes. Her name is Carpwhisker. Not fond of the minor canon implication that actually Leopardstar's problems stem from being spoiled. (Also Brightsky is not actually dead, she left the clans. Only Mudfur and Crookedstar know this.)

If you're familiar with Appledusk's litter you've probably noticed already that I split them up, and replaced them. Only Applefrost remains; Duskwater is now the mom of Rainflower, who is the bearer of the curse instead of Shellheart.

I think it's fitting that Mapleshade killed Rain's mom in the storm where she gave birth to Oak and Crooked.

This tree is actually TOO clean, there's 19 unique ancestors on it which I plan to crunch a bit by making some of the oldest cats into siblings.

RE: Check out my Three Strict Rules on the helpful info for the family tree; cats are considered "clean" after 3 generations.

[bonefall]

Please forgive me if I'm wrong, but what I am hearing is: Fallenleaf is how you would have written a Clear Sky redemption arc. With this in mind, would Folly Leaves ever get to meet or at least observe Clear Sky?

You could say that!

There is a big difference though in that Fallenleaf goes back to her own time after her 100-year timeout. She never gets forgiveness from the people she hurt and even got killed, but she also never gets the closure of truly knowing what happened to those who escaped.

It is very like a Clear Sky redemption though, yes! She was a powerful leader who must live with the fact she has ruined lives. She can live in repentance but you can never really be absolved of something like that.

They could meet, but I'm not sure how their paths would cross. Skystar is an ancestral spirit so old and powerful he's nearly at godhood status, Fallenleaf is like a fresh new god coming into her powers. They exist in very different spheres.

Fallenleaf wouldn't like Skystar at all though. He's lucky that he was surrounded by cats strong enough, in mind and spirit, to oppose him. That there was no god who ever smiled at him, and his power was only ever limited by what he could do with mortal claws.

In life he was a weak thing. Folly Leaves had terrible power at the worst point in her life and she ruined the Great Clans with it.

If Skystar ever did show up and start causing problems though, she would step up to oppose him. She would feel justified in using her powers to do that.

[bonefall]

Life After Life: StarClan 101

For @medicinalmercury who has asked how StarClan works, in general.

BB!StarClan has been significantly revamped from canon, to try and make it an impressive godlike force while giving it some clearer rules. This time around, they are an awe-inspiring entity whose judgement can be clouded by their emotions.

They are also able to pull off supernatural feats, such as smiting cats with lightning and designing souls for new kittens. They have a collective power that's been formed over many generations, rivaling that of one of the four seasonal Gods.

Most importantly, StarClan is not inherently benevolent. Their goal is the preservation of the Clans. Because of the fact they are ancestors and most of them also love their descendants, they try to act in what they consider to be the best interest of the Clans as a whole.

This means they are not always the good guys, but it does mean they're more likely to be helpful than Dark Forest cats, who act in their own individual interests.

For a comparison between the morality of StarClan and the Dark Forest, go here!

Sections:

Death: GO FETCH

The Trial: Judgement without Redemption

Silverpelt: The StarClan Council

Godlike Aspects: The Magic Buff

Death: GO FETCH.

Everybody dies eventually. When they do, someone has to go get you.

There are some StarClan warriors who are better at "Fetching" than others, a better sense of when someone will die, better at walking in the living world, something of the sort. But generally, a Fetcher is someone who loved the person in life who wants to bring them into StarClan.

If you have no guide to bring you to heaven, and still try to find it, you will end up in the Dark Forest.

It is possible for a fetch-ening to get interrupted, usually by a Dark Forest spirit. In the case of bloodlines that are haunted, like Appledusk's descendants, the fetchers sent are usually particularly beefy.

There's also Jayfeather specifically, whose powers are terrifying. He has the power to stave off death entirely by making a soul stay in its body, even un-fetching it by snatching it from Silverpelt. His ability is beyond StarClan.

The Trial: Judgement without Redemption

Upon arriving at StarClan, a cat must be judged. In the meanwhile, they will meet with their family at the land between StarClan and the Dark Forest. A neutral ground called the Meadow of Young Stars, a hazy, purple grassland that twinkles with tiny sparkles.

This is also the point where any unwanted injuries or scars are mended, a special "Sharing of Stars." They can regain a missing limb, a lost eye, patch up their cause of death, but it will be made of starlight.

Even a cat who ultimately goes to the Dark Forest can have their fatal wound fixed by a loved one at this time. Brokenstar's eyesight was restored by his father, Raggedstar, as an example.

(Kittens who died young can also choose the age they wish to appear as, but this is not tied to the Sharing of Stars and is simply tied to their self-perception.)

Most cats aren't there for long, as their lives are quickly reviewed and approved. For those who broke the code or inspired the ire of StarClan, a trial is held.

For a trial, a Prosecutor rises, Silverpelt (the council) juries, and all of StarClan is invited to witness.

Silverpelt is not impartial nor is it fair. The cats on it are just as prone to emotion and to the fervor of the crowd as any living cat. Cats have been unfairly damned because of StarClan's wrath; including EVERY cat who was involved in the deaths of Mapleshade’s kittens.

(Darkstar only wiggled out because she spent the rest of her lives atoning, committing herself to implementing the Queen’s Rights.)

JUDGEMENTS. ARE. PERMANENT. There is NO redemption, even for cats who modern Silverpelt would agree were judged too harshly. StarClan is a shifting entity and it is a taboo to admit their faded ancestors were incorrect.

Perhaps this will change in the future; but as of the end of Bonefall TBC, all rulings are final. If cats don't like the verdict, they are free to follow the damned into the Dark Forest.

Silverpelt: The StarClan Council.

"Who died and put you in charge?" "Myself, dipfish."

StarClan cats fade when they have peace and there is nothing left for them to do. It is a natural, and gentle thing. It's not known where a cat goes when they fade.

(If StarClan were to be disrupted, such as if all the living were to scatter and not create a collective heaven for their ancestors to exist in... these spirits would meet a truly horrible, earth-fallen fate.)

For cats who ARE remembered long after death, even mythologized by stories, they gain more power than their peers. Belief and reverence gives them bright stars, and their stories grant them special magical abilities.

Firestar is a patron of flames and breaking bad habits, Skystar is a god of war, Bumble commands language and is said to be the reason why love makes you tongue-tied.

The most powerful cats in StarClan make up Silverpelt, the bright band in the night sky, sometimes called the council. Because reverence from the living gives a spirit power, Silverpelt is mixed between the recently deceased and the ancient legends.

Silverpelt is StarClan's leadership, calling for votes and making the ultimate decisions. There is no process for "moving up" in the ranks; the brightest spirits simply have more authority.

As with everything... perhaps events in the future will disrupt this.

Godlike Aspects: The Magic Buff

As mentioned before, the most revered cats in StarClan are significantly more powerful than the cats around them. These spirits become patrons of a subject, based on what the living pray to them for.

On a wet day, a quick prayer will be called to Firestar in the hopes he will help light a cooking fire. A call will be made to Daisytail to protect kittens. Darkstar is invoked for forgiveness.

But belief is something that changes with the generations! Some patrons have surges and dips in popularity. A beloved friend who recently passed on will often be invoked over an ancient stranger. Power shifts with time.

All of StarClan shares in this collective power.

The world can turn without StarClan warriors, but they have immense power over nature. There are many things they can do;

Craft the souls of new kittens, 'designing' warriors

Manage plants and animals, growing plants and tossing more cubs into litters

Chase clouds and influence weather

Weave dreams and cause omens

Lay curses and blessings

And, of course, receive prophetic visions of the future, and choose when and how they will share them.

Most spirits are good at some things, and terrible at others. There are also cats who choose not to partake in any particular jobs, simply enjoying their well-earned rest.

There are also individual warriors who are naturally more powerful than others, either because of their willpower, connection to the living, or just because they were particularly spiritual in life.

And finally, the sum of StarClan's power is greater than its individual parts. This terrifying collective power is heavily emotion-based.

When StarClan is furious, they can collectively accomplish impressive actions, such as rolling in massive storms or smiting cats with lightning... with a drawback. StarClan has a hard time doing such large actions "on purpose."