#brambleclaw again lmao

[bonefall]

im rereading the new prophecy (well re-skimming because wow its boring) and every time brambleclaw talks about how much he wants to like. slap squirrelpaw.... he's so nick dunne. someone just needs to gone girl him and maybe then he'll behave.

Idk what Nick Dunne is but I know I am nick DONE with Brambleclaw by the end of TNP

I really cannot stand him and Crowpaw all through TNP, they both frustrate me to no end. Every time I revisit the arc I desperately want both of them to be quiet. The whole thing feels like a story about how Brambleclaw has horrific judgement of other people and should never be given power ever again

Y'know, there's a scene from one of the oft-forgotten app-exclusive scenes that I think is really interesting. "After Sunset, the Right Choice".

This part, where he's talking to Leafpool about being deputy and everything that's to come,

"I can try as hard as I like, but I'll never do anything right," Brambleclaw growled, and Leafpool was startled by the bitterness in his voice. "I will bring nothing but trouble to ThunderClan because I was made deputy when I shouldn't have been. My Clanmates didn't trust me before: Now they will blame me for everything that goes wrong, every drop of blood that is lost. Whatever I do, I will destroy my own Clan from within." The blood roared in Leafpool's ears, and her eyes were dazzled by the red glow of the setting sun as it turned the lake crimson. Brambleclaw's words didn't sound like a threat: They sounded like a prophecy.

It IS a prophecy. A self-fulfilling one. He shouldn't BE deputy and he knows it and he correctly identifies that he will be blamed for what goes wrong in the Clan.

But what he doesn't realize --what he's fundamentally incapable of identifying-- is that this is because he can't trust others, and that makes him UNABLE TO BE trusted in turn.

Unable to accept responsibility but keeping power he knows he should not have, regardless.

The problems he will be 'blamed for' stem from the fact he is NOT a capable leader to begin with. That he constantly PUTS that blame onto other people, usually Squirrelflight, for breaking his horrible decisions. That he lashes out and hurts others whenever he's feeling hurt, acting entitled to the respect his position gives him while bemoaning that it also comes with extra scrutiny.

In the very first sentence, he admits that there isn't a point to trying hard, because he truly believes that the Clan won't even care when he DOES do something right.

I just wish the narrative actually leaned into this and admitted Bramblestar is neither noble, nor honorable.

[ace-frog]

Not my warriors and my wings of fire phases coming back. Like i gotta reread these books now ig

[wc-confessions]

Saw the post about untrue trivia and now I’m curious lol what were everyone’s untrue trivia they were told and or believed? Here is mine

I was once told by someone that Brambleclaw liked Squirrelflight when she was Squirrelkit and tried to hook up with her as a kit. Yeah, gross, and untrue. And weird.

I was once told that Bluestar and Tigerclaw were ex-mates and that’s why Tigerclaw hated her lol

I used to believe that Silverstream was Leopardfur’s sister for some reason idk why or how

I was once told that Jayfeather looked exactly like Crowfeather so I believed that before learning he was a silver tabby lmao

I was once told that Hollyleaf would kill Ashfur again in the Last Hope before I even got to there so imagine my disappointment when that did not happen and Hollyleaf actually fucking DIED

I was once told that someone’s OC was the canon mate for Scourge and I believed it and continued to believe it when they told me that there would be a novella about one of his “secret daughters” I was 11 okay lmao

ㅤ

[gatorsnot]

i posted some leafhawk au fanart a few years ago, so here's what i think the three would've looked like if hawkfrost had been their father instead of crowfeather!

hollyleaf looks about the same aside from brown spotting here and there, as well as keeping her canon name (however a small running joke within thunderclan is that spiderleg is an unwilling dad yet again lmao)

jayfeather is the kit that looks the most like hawkfrost, and his name would either be frostfeather (like how leafpool wanted her kits subtly name them after crowfeather to acknowledge him as their dad) or frostbird!

lionblaze is given the eagle- prefix instead (hawks and eagles are both birds of prey ykyk) and seems like the perfect physical blend between tigerstar, brambleclaw, and tigerheart

the only things i can think of for my interpretation of the au is that the litter could be perceived as squirrelflight and brambleclaw's a little more palatable than the wild black + silver tabby + golden tabby coming from a ginger mother and brown tabby father from the canon lmao

the clan takes note of jaykit / frostkit looking a lot like hawkfrost and lionkit / eaglekit looking eerily like the first tigerstar, but it's merely brushed off as brambleclaw's genes being more dominant and try not to bring it up

hawkfrost DEFINITELY visits his sons in their dreams, but avoids his daughter for some reason i haven't concluded yet :/ also in my version of the au hollyleaf has dovewing's powers because why tf not

just had a tense day and trying to unwind with some Combat Cats™

[warrior-cats-rewritten]

The final Super Editions Minor Characters list! Starting off with Graystripe's Vow, now under the new name - Graystripe's Clan.

Minor Characters under the cut

Unknown number of Bloodclan leaders after Scourge - 3 leaders. The first after Scourge was Screech, the silver tabby Bloodclan molly Onewhisker was chasing off, unfortunately she was hit by a car. The second was Oil, until she was taken in by humans, now living as a spicy housecat, but loved and safe. The third was short lived, Jaggedtooth. Claw challenged Jaggedtooth, and the wounds from the fight killed him.

Skinny yellow Bloodclan tom - Pirate, he has a stubby tail, and a red collar.

Gray tabby Bloodclan tom Graystripe knocks unconscious? - Snare, I like the thought that his ears are really ripped up.

Ginger Bloodclan molly - Chive, a very tough girl I like to think is the sister of Jaggedtooth and Ginger. She is covered in scars.

Ginger Bloodclan molly - I'll be honest. I'm a sucker for her wiki image. She is a spotted dark ginger molly with long fur. Her name is Fawn, and she is Fury's sister.

Bloodclan tom with a patchy pelt - Ripper, I like the think he is a brown and white tabby.

Black and white Bloodclan tom with a torn ear and a collar studded with teeth - Talon, he has a black collar.

Three Bloodclan cats, but the descriptions are not clear. One chases Brambleclaw and Brambleclaw flees (lmao) - The one chasing Brambleclaw away is Fawn, Fury's sister. The patchy furred one is Rooster's son, Raven, pure black.

Tabby and white molly that does not know what Mothermouth is - Her name is Diamond, she is noted to have a sparkly collar and reminds Graystripe of how Lightflower (Princess) used to be.

Scraps' Father Figure - Scrappy! He died in the Battle of Bloodclan. Scraps changed his name when he transitioned to male to be more like him, before Scrappy died.

Gremlin's ex, Fang's Father - Graystripe. In an attempt to strengthen connections, Graystripe welcomed Gremlin into his and Silverstream's relationship, attempting to Honour Sire kits, but plans fell apart before Fang was born.

Fang's siblings, Gremlin's other kits - The first is a tortoiseshell molly with white patches named Leah, she is still in her home, happy and carefree. Her original name was Ember. The other was another molly, a small gray molly with a darker gray stripe down her back, the spitting image of her father, her name is Orchid, and she left her home to become a loner. She'll reappear during the Warriorclan Super Edition.

Black and white kittypet tom - Tuxy. You can imagine what he looks like.

Black and white molly trapped in the Twoleg den - Flurry, she joins Warriorclan and becomes Flurrynose.

Molly with 3 kittens - Her name is Storm! She becomes Stormjump, I think she is large, and pure black with big green eyes.

Her 3 babies - The first is Moss, or Mosskit. A pure black tom with green eyes, just like mom! The second is Apple, or Applekit, a brown tabby tom with green eyes. The third and final is a deaf, pure white molly with blue eyes, named Cloud, or Cloudkit.

The old tabby molly who gives herself up to the Twolegs - Her name is Maisie. She was reunited with her old family through her microchip, who had all but given up hope of seeing her again.

Small tabby and white molly, warrior of Warriorclan - Amberwhisker! She is a light ginger colour with a white underside and white front legs, she has orange eyes.

Sandy coloured tom from Warriorclan - Splashclaw, because he loves water! He also has blue eyes.

Dark tabby kittypet with a light muzzle and light paws - A dark brown tabby by the name of Pinky. She was named by a little kid. She has a pink collar to match.

Patch furred kittypet - Named Patches. Named by the same kid, but slightly older. Now a white tom with ginger patches! He had a yellow collar.

Tabby kittypet with white paws - Alfred, not named by a child, he is a gray tabby, the oldest and most distinguished in the group. Dark blue collar for this guy.

Pure white kittypet - Missy, possibly named by the same kid who named the others, she is Alfred's baby. A small molly with a purple collar, she joins Warriorclan during their super edition under the new name: Happyfur.

Marigold - Note: This unknown being isn't even given a SPECIES. But in WCR, Marigold was Petunia's mate. Unfortunately, while they were in a shelter together, Marigold's liver began to fail, and the shelter was not able to get on top of things, she was euthanized. She and Gremlin give Monkeystar 2 lives.

[yuridovewing]

I've been listening to moonrise and it's once again frustrating me because brambleclaw, stormfur and feathertail (amd tawnypelt too but a bit different) have a lot of history together.

Goldenflower nursed storm and feather after silverstream died. They trained together in thunderclan briefly. And it really feels like the authors just forgot.

Like if I rewrote it, I'd have storm and feather feel really weird towards tawnypelt. They remember being around her as babies, but she leaves to join Shadowclan the day they're nearly murdered in Riverclan. What were the following gatherings like? Where they joke and catch up with brambleclaw but know that Tawnypelt left to join her dad. She didn't know what was happening the day she left, but she still CHOSE him and didn't leave Shadowclan after learning about what he did. How does she feel towards Blackstar? Knowing he killed Stonefur and nearly killed feather and storm. We'll never find out! Cause her novella was about going to the tribe

oughhh i need to get back to writing out stonefur and feathertail's arcs because this is all quite interesting to get into for me (especially with feathertail and tawnyclaw's toxic yuri) unfortunately the authors are so unconcerned with most of the side characters (and lbr most female characters. i say most bc i always forget that feathertail isnt actually the sibling that survives and thought for a split second the authors were ignoring her in the mountains cause woman, but no its stormfur lmao)

to be fair, i get why they wouldnt really linger on goldenflower nursing all of them. she was basically just a wet nurse for them in the grand scheme of things, it's kinda hard to say "oh they were a family briefly!" when the siblings in question were all potatoes who arent mentally processing anything at this point. (this is also why i find the "oh its hard to ship bramblestorm or feathertawny" claims kinda laughable tbh) but there definitely shouldve been some feelings about being apprenticed together at a certain point considering all the interpersonal drama. didnt they all also kill bone together? you think they ever talk about killing a guy so young?

[vitalvulture]

Feathertail and Hawkfrost AU where instead of her pushing him away, she bonds with him becoming a big sister like figure to him and he's devastated after finding out she died on the journey

Seeing that Brambleclaw essentially was the leader of the journeying group, and knowing he's also his brother, he blames him that she died and his manipulation is used to get close to Bramble just to betray him and make him feel the pain Hawk had

This culminates to the fight scene in Sunset where he traps Firestar knowing that Brambleclaw would lose his mentor figure (in this he'd be really close to Fire) just like Hawk had with Feathertail

Hawk would be very emotional in this scene unlike his cool demeanor previously, and the fight still happens with Hawk dying

Sometime soon after his death he'd be confronted by Feathertail

She wasn't stupid, she'd known when she fought Sharptooth that she could die, and it definitely wasn't Brambleclaw's or anyone's fault, she'd sacrificed herself to protect her group and the tribe cats that had helped them when they needed it

She's disappointed in him for how he tried to take perceived revenge for something that wasn't anyone's fault and now he's landed himself in the Dark Forest for it when he could've been better and maybe even become a good leader of RiverClan and proven everyone wrong about him just being born wrong bc he's Tigerstar's son (something she would've drilled into his thick head lmao)

He's ashamed, of course he is, he wasted the end of his short life hell bent on making Brambleclaw pay and now he's stuck in this place of rot

She visits him occasionally, on the border of StarClan and the Dark Forest, and convinces him to interfere with the Dark Forest trainees' training and convince them that learning killing blows and holding resentment for their clanmates isn't a good thing

Essentially this would have him redeeming himself by the DF battle and maybe even joining her in StarClan, she can finally be proud of him again

[fearowkenya]

@unhinged-imagination IF YOU SAY SO!!!!!

so this wasn't really a True Reread, but i did a partial reread back in late 2020/early 2021 where i got thru the entirety of the Prophecies Begin, the New Prophecy, the Power of Three, Omen of the Stars, and half of a Vision of Shadows, which i stopped reading bc i couldnt find the next pdf lmao. i also read two of the super editions, which were Bluestar's Prophecy and Tallstar's Revenge. i say partial reread because when i was a kid, i made it halfway through the power of three before stopping, so everything past that point is unfamiliar territory that id never read before, including those two super editions.

this past summer, nothing was a reread. i picked up where i left off and read the rest of a vision of shadows, the entirety of the broken code, and what exists so far of a starless clan. i skipped dawn of the clans because i was frankly uninterested in characters i wasn't already invested in. like at least broken code and etc have some older characters that i still care about; dawn of the clans being a prequel means characters that have zero relation to current ones and i simply Did Not Care. anyway, i also read a bunch of the super editions this summer: crookedstar's promise, yellowfang's secret, bramblestar's storm, onestar's confession, leopardstar's honor, and graystripe's vow.

i think the most fun part of the reread + super editions is that my favorite characters have COMPLETELY changed, with very few exceptions.

i'll get the exceptions outta the way first. yellowfang has always been one of my favorites. i have such a big soft spot for crotchety medcats. i still love graystripe, whitestorm, feathertail, and squirrelflight. and prob some others im forgetting.

there's a lot of characters who i find myself with a very different perspective of. when i was a kid, crowfeather was a big favorite of mine and he could do NO WRONG. but as an adult, although i still like him, i find crowfeather to be exasperating (derogatory) and completely unsympathetic at times. i havent read his super edition yet though so maybe thatll change again.

another example would be jayfeather, lionblaze, and hollyleaf. when i first read their story, i thought they were completely justified in their anger and right to be so self-important regarding their powers and the prophecy around them. again, i still like them, but i also find them really annoying for the exact reason i used to like them. jayfeather is my favorite of the three but also the most frustrating. his arrogance was really irritating, but unfortunately since he says the funniest/most metal shit imaginable, i still like him quite a bit.

i think what's most interesting is the characters that are kind of in an opposite situation, where i didn't like them much as a teen but appreciate them much more as an adult.

firestar is probably the best example of this. i remember finding firestar really bland and tiring after the prophecies begin, and thought that he was nosy and unfair in how he treated the protagonists of the more recent series. that's just SO FUNNY to me because i really did like him a lot before he matured and rose to a position of authority. as an adult, i read about what hes doing and im like 'my man is literally just doing his job and he's doing it well'. something something perspective and lived experience of someone in charge of the well-being of younger people.

another good example is brambleclaw/star. it's not that i DIDNT like him when i was a kid. i was pretty indifferent to him. after a reread i find bramblepaw to be a really a sympathetic character in a difficult position. he knows his father has committed atrocities, and has to deal with others judging and mistrusting him because of what tigerstar did. i think the best decision firestar made in the series was choosing to mentor bramblepaw himself to rid himself of his own bias. also this broke me.

semi-related, ive seen people refer to squirrelflight and brambleclaw/star's relationship as abusive, which i dont know i agree with based on what ive read. it's certainly a rocky relationship: their extended arc(s) are always about building trust, breaking trust, and mending trust. it's never seemed quite severe enough to be called abusive, so i wonder if most of the reasoning behind what people say happens in squirrelflight's hope. i haven't read that super edition yet so idk. it could also maybe be because of what bramblestar does during the broken code, which i actually do agree with, but like also thats not even bramblestar. theres a whole Possession Situation and bramblestar isnt the one piloting his body. anyway, all this to say that im much more fond of brambleclaw/star upon reread. he can be really cute and silly in ways that i neither remembered nor expected.

the bulk of the other big shifts in favorite characters are due to additional background and fleshing out of characters in super editions. a lot of the original leaders were Nothing to me, even upon reread, but their super editions changed my perspective entirely, notably crookedstar and tallstar

reading tallstar's revenge was such a bizarre experience for me, because id heard people being like 'tallstar gay' and i was like Interesting interpretation that seems totally outta nowhere, but im here for it! imagine my surprise upon finding out that No, He's Actually Gay For Real Tho, He Has An Anguished Ex-Boyfriend Situation And Everything. it also completely explains why tallstar is weirdly loyal to fireheart. theres not a doubt in my mind that tallstar took one look at fireheart and knew he was jakes son

crookedstar's promise was such a fun read too. it's mentioned in the prophecies begin that crookedstar has a messed up jaw, but id assumed he was born that way , and since he wasnt of much importance to fireheart's story i didnt really think much of him. silverstream's death is SO much more upsetting when you know how much mapleshade tormented crookedstar as his family and friends died one by one. also this scene happens in both crookedstar and bluestar's super editions, and iirc is noticeably happening in the background of yellowfang's. i thought that was kinda neat. here is another video that eviscerated me.

i think the most extreme shift in opinion on specific characters goes to longtail. he's SUCH an asshole in the prophecies begin but if you think about it, he's been done wrong by so many of his clanmates. darkstripe and tigerstar were his best friends, he trusted them and was so so loyal to them, only for them to both turn out to be murderers. longtail is portrayed as a coward but frankly id also be terrified if the guy i idolized had no qualms with assassination and then later turned out to be responsible for the death of your apprentice who is also your BROTHER, DID YOU KNOW SWIFTPAW WAS LONGTAIL'S HALF-BROTHER IM MISERABLE!!!!!!!!!! and then darkstripe , who was his mentor, literally poisoned an infant. dude. the TRUST ISSUES that would follow, it's like totally understandable that fireheart didnt trust longtail worth shit but damn what a position to be in. i think longtail is maybe my favorite. you ever get bodied by a cat cartoon video

anyway. i have issues with a lot of warriors' worldbuilding, and how it could be so much more nuanced (and respectful. lord. all criticism regarding the lack of sensitivity in warriors is extremely fair and its a fucking shame that the writers dont do anything about it). a ton of the characters are written super inconsistently, which i guess is par for the course when you're juggling hundreds of characters. a lot of the fanworks are so much more thoughtful than canon material but thats true of a lot of media. i hate that reread + catchup of the series makes me kinda want to pick up the OC clans fanfiction i wrote in fucking 2008. time is a flat circle.

anyway. list of favorite characters bc we know thats the most exciting part of the post

1) longtail and yellowfang 2) tallstar 3) crookedstar 4) squirrelflight, purdy, and scourge 5) violetshine 6) shadowsight and graystripe 7) brambleclaw, whitestorm, and (reluctantly) jayfeather 8) mothwing, brightheart, bluestar, feathertail, frostpaw

btw i cry every time i watch this

[purplepuddlesuwu]

Small Vent cause stressed ahhhh

Lowkey think people take games, anime, books,movies, shows and just fandoms in general waaaay too seriously.

Like yes I get it, it can suck when a character to adore gets misrepresented by others. But they are just fictional characters at the end of the day. Maybe I'm just mostly saying this to myself to remind myself that it's okay that someone doesn't see a character like how I do. Because I'm deadass in multiple fandoms where we really just go but wild with our own versions of the characters. Like I'm in the Warrior cats AND the My hero academia fandom... And both of them are known for taking the canon and wiping their buts with it and or ignoring older material. Because well it just happens.

At first I use to get upset about it like how the warrior fandom made Bramblestar out to be this abusive monster without acknowledging the archs before hand and how in My hero academia doing.... Literally anything lmao(I love y'all though... Half of you anyway)

But seriously I just started to realize that the fandoms I'm in aren't My fandoms like I don't own them and I don't own the source material or the IP or whatever. And sometimes you never know why someone images certain characters they way they do. Whether it's for comfort or they think it's funny or they find it attractive or just to annoy people or literally just whatever.

But I always gotta remind myself that hey... THE BITCHES AIN'T REAL LMAO. Why get pressed about how other people illustrate characters. Like seriously I had to sit myself down like I was my own parent and ask myself why do I care about a fictional character being written out of character or drawn with a different design. And I really was just like... Damn yeah why do I care? These artists/writers are having fun and that's what it means to be in a fandom to just have fun.

The only time when I do get serious is when people try to harass others for characters they like because of how they see them vs canon.

Example: I saw this young artist get a bunch of hate comments under a drawing of Bramblestar/Brambleclaw because a massive part of the fandom claimed he was an abuser. Happened again with someone draw Crowfeather x Leafpool fan art because of how seriously people took Leafpool x Mothwing

AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED WITH MHA! They harasses the creator of the show sooooo many times in the past and current because of ships :T SHIPS YALL. Like I understand how frustrating it can be to see the show not end up how you wanted it to or not see too characters make out or whateva but God damn... They are fictional characters chill and just enjoy what we have or hell make what you wanted to happen. I literally do it all the time on my other page @purplestaruwu

Hell I'm still upset about how many characters were botched (in my eyes) in warriors, MHA, Naruto, bleach, marvel, DC etc.

But I think the fun in the fandom is making the what it's and creating our own versions of he characters and sharing it with others who feel the same or who just want to enjoy seeing the characters being draw in different designs, Au's, etc

I use to be so stuck up about everything being close to canon... But then I was just like "You know what it's not hurting anyone, you do whatever" and after that I feel like I became more relaxed being in fandoms... At least I try to be sometimes I do slip up but I stopped commenting on peoples different pov or au's or whatever unless I was gonna say something nice like complimenting the art or the writing or how good the plot of the story was.

It just got easier to just enjoy things and to just well not be so aggressive on the internet and not be online so much.

Cause whenever I get made about seeing a fictional character drawn in a way I don't like and I feel the need to say something... I just be like "yeaaah it's time to take a break for the day I think I've been online for too long"

This also goes for real things that happen online too lmao I just learned to take breaks and breath and remind myself that the online world is just that... The online world... And fandoms are just that fandoms...

I'm venting right now because I'm stressed out or more than likely I stressed myself out with because of online crap. And I just wanted to kind of put this here for me and for anyone else who kind of needs that reminder than you don't need to be online so much and you don't need to protect fictional characters or shows or movies or games or whatever it's not worth hurting someone's feelings because that.

But yeah that's all I think. Have a nice day and go drink some water c:

[sparklingflame2581]

It's here, I've found it!

My first comic, I did it in 5th grade. Almost 4 years ago! Or 3? How does it work? ANYWAYS-

It's Warriors canon and oc. Let me show you the cringe

Characters in order of appearance:

Cover: Flamestar and Moonstar (Flame is mine, Moon is a friend's)

Page 1: I sadly forgot the character's name, I think is was Galaxystar or something, also a friend's. Flamestar again, and Firestar, but this Firestar is also a friend's oc, it's not the canon one. That one was also in the universe, but not in the comic. Then we have Moonstar again. In the last pannel, there's Flamestar and Moonstar, with Firestar and Galaxystar charging towards some MoonClan warrior in the background.

Page 2: Moon and Flame again, then we have, Shinningsomething (I forgot, a friend's as well), Golden...Goldenray? Either a friend's OR it could be Lionblaze, I used to draw him with purple eyes. Then either Cloudtail or another friend's oc, maybe Clowdclaw, then maybe Millie or something? Then that's probably Brambleclaw (it could be Foxleap), then Brightheart. Then we probably have Icepaw and Foxpaw, but they should have been wariors at this time as well, I don't know. Then Jayfeather and Leafpool, and Flamestar and Moonstar again.

Page 3: the leader again, and also some random MoonClan warriors from what I remember, plus Moonstar in that same pannel leaving.

Why did I even write all of this?

Yeah so getting 20+ kids to roleplay warriors for about 3 years (starting with 3rd grade mind you) was pretty much intense sometimes lmao

Edit: It was actually 4 years ago. I think. GAH I DON'T KNOW

[bonefall]

mmm would it be possible for Mistystar and Leopardstar to fight/met during the BOTTE? or was Leopard already fed up with Tigerstar, his batshit insane plans and her status reduced to 'Tiger's another lackey' (like Darkstripe and many others) to really care about revenge? if she ever thought about it, that is.. im assuming she would be pretty pissed about being killed (there was a post about Mistyfoot first trying to poison her and Leopard realized it and instead decided to take her on a solo patrol to.. deal with a rogue i think? and then Misty gave her a rock appointment) and might had thought about making Mistystar pay, but it's been soooo long before BOTTE that she might had.. moved on? or just decided she had better things to do, not sure.

I have a BIG rule for the BOTTE, an unmoveable object, which I will abide by like a solemn vow;

NO spirit will be killed by the same cat twice.

I already changed it so Yellowfang doesn't get Brokenstar (he's not even present) and Brambleclaw doesn't get Hawkfrost, so I certainly wouldn't have Mistystar do it to Leopardstar!

I have some ideas but first; context.

The Killing of Leopardstar

Mistyfoot was sloppy.

Leopardstar recognized the way that Mistyfoot had poisoned her food, because she'd done the same thing to Crookedstar before her. Not enough to make it quick, just enough to weaken.

The emotion that licks at her is frustration.

Is this what her life has come to? Dramatic irony? Is this some kind of cosmic joke? To die just like her predecessor, wasting away for a few seasons in the darkness of this musty den, before solemn mourning and empty platitudes from her underhanded murderer.

What should she even do about this? Reveal Mistyfoot in front of everyone, exile her, she plots against her from the safety of another Clan, some kind of rebellion, rah rah rah we just dealt with this.

It's boring. It's so boring it's offensive. This will be the state of RiverClan forever, deputies poisoning leaders and taking power quietly until the end of days. No honor, no nobility, just treachery until the sky dries up and its rich blue becomes a crackled pale-brown.

If she is to die, she will not go out in the slow and painful way she killed crookedstar without a fight.

So she smacks the limp fish aside and brushes past Mistyfoot with a snarl, not even caring enough to drink in the way her traitorous deputy's ears flushed pale, knowing she'd been caught.

Leopardstar calls for a rushed meeting, telling them all that there's actually 40 - 50 feral rogues on the border right now and she saw them all last night or something, so she's taking Mistyfoot to go confront them right now. Don't follow us.

(Something that the more astute members of the Clan immediately recognize as Leopardstar setting up cover for a death match, including Misty's brother Swansong. She snaps at him when he runs to stop her, Don't Follow.)

Once they're a fair distance away, at the southern delta that divides WindClan and RiverClan, where the cliffs will hide them and the wet stones will not catch the scent (and where Reedwhisker will die, someday), Leopardstar lays it out.

No more tricks. No more schemes. If one of them is to die, it will be with honor.

"You want my lives?"

(Boss music fades in. Misty sees the health bar appear lmao)

"Come and take them."

After she came and took them

Leopardstar is kind of obsessed with the final battle of her life. That fight was everything she hoped for, except that she didn't win.

She wants it again, and she will triumph this time.

Hawkfrost is easily able to twist it into, "You lost only because StarClan shone upon her with that stone. It wasn't real skill. Join our cause and we can get you that rematch, we will defeat Mistystar, win back RiverClan, and dethrone the Stars!" But at the end of the day, it's an excuse.

Same sort of excuse Leopardstar came up with when she believed she wanted an honorable battle, rejecting the guilt and fear that clawed at her to think about dying the way Crookedstar did.

She does this a lot. Dodging feelings of remorse or regret by substituting power fantasies, avoiding any hard lessons. She says she wants revenge, but what she's actually doing is avoiding taking an L. Shame is a vagrant in Leopardstar's heart; she will never let it stay for long.

But...

That's really hard to do when Tigerstar is actively using her and speaking over her in every interaction. Being here, in the Dark Forest, taking the SAME advice she once groomed into Hawkfrost to only look at the positives of Tigerstar's legacy and ignore atrocities, is embarassing.

It's HUMILIATING.

She had her starshine BASHED out of her with a rock and went to the hell she'd been downplaying since she "regrettably" tore down the Bonehill. Being Tigerstar's stooge. Reducing the proud, ferocious leader of RiverClan into a goon.

Towards the end, she will have a scene with Hawkfrost, proud warriors that they are as mentor and apprentice, and vaguely address this. As far as Leopardstar's ego will allow, of course... the shame of it.

It's an important moment, because it's as much about Leopardstar and Hawkfrost as it is about Hawkfrost and Ivypool.

Leopard is too set in her ways to change, even if she is capable of brief glimpses of self-reflection, of which this is one. Hawkfrost, however, is seeing his mentor and himself in a different light. How she'll let herself be humiliated over and over as long as she can cling to her ego... and how by doing Tigerstar's diplomacy work, Hawkfrost is doing the same.

And he's dragged his OWN apprentice into it, too. She accidentally double-killed her friend, Antpelt, but he killed him more by bringing all of these trainees here to begin with. How Ivypool gets pitted against Tigerheart because TigerSTAR is playing mind games, how it's destroying her bond with her sister, how much fun and joy in the Dark Forest he's missing out on by not giving the afterLIFE a chance...

How much he's thrown away for this, before and after his death.

I'm not sure yet if it's the LAST stop before the BOTTE, but it's close to the end of Hawkfrost's redemption arc. Recognition of self through the other. He is part of a cycle he has a choice to break.

But anyway... back to Leopardstar.

She wants to fight Mistystar, but I don't think I'll let her have that satisfaction. She has already gotten nearly everything she ever asked for and can't even acknowledge that she did.

I think it's most fitting for SWANSONG to finally get what he craves; a chance to take a burden off his sister.

Leopardstar allowed TigerClan to STRIP his brotherhood from her because they don't share blood. Forced him to pretend like Rippleclaw meant anything to him, as if Oakheart hadn't been his proud baba as long as he could remember. Stonefur, Mistyfoot, and Swansong are the kits of Graypool; and he's not gonna let this golden FART ignore that ever again.

So my idea is that when Leopardstar meets Mistyfoot in the Second Wave of the BOTTE, she pounces onto her for her rematch, but Swansong BURSTS out of the crowd in response and rips her off, allowing Mistystar to go back to defending their Clanmates

"I don't want YOU," Leopardstar spits, "My battle is with Mistystar!"

"Tough titfeathers! It's MY turn to get a hit in for Stonefur!" He bristles with equal parts fury and excitement, lunging towards a fight he's dreamed of for years.

Still subject to change, though! And I'm not sure if Swansong dies here, or in the 3rd Wave, or if maybe he succumbs to injuries after the BOTTE is over.

It would also be fitting if he got a whack on Mapleshade though... since Maple doesn't even consider him Applekin and won't curse him. It would be neat for him to get angry about that lmao. "What do you MEAN my siblings are haunted by a demon? But NOT ME?? What ELSE am I getting left out of???"

EDIT: I'm currently planning to kill him in the 2nd Wave

[cicadagaze]

I so very desperately want to do that thing of your favorite cat from each arc, but I have so many favorites in arc 1, and some arcs I either don't remember well, or haven't even read so I cannot easily do it

[cavecry]

evil!Goldenflower au goes something like this (keep in mind I haven’t read Bluestar’s book or tpb in years so my memory is a bit rusty lmao)

Goldenflower is born absolutely tiny (bc TC values big, beefy cats) and resents her brother Lionheart for being bigger than her and “stealing the spotlight.” as apprentices she attaches herself to Tigerclaw bc he and Lionheart don’t really get along, plus Tigerclaw is also big and talented so maybe some of his status could rub off on her? she finds out somehow (maybe through Whitestorm? idr who else is their age) that Tigerclaw has feelings for her and it goes to her head. she starts manipulating him to get him to stay loyal to her and make her look good for the clan. yada yada, Rusty joins TC, Tigerclaw is being evil shady but now he’s paranoid about pleasing Goldenflower. during this time Tigerclaw and Goldenflower have their first litter, a singlet called Swiftkit ( ;} )

at some point idk, Tigerclaw’s rope finally breaks. they have a public fight that turns into a breakup except oops! Goldenflower is pregnant again and now Tigerclaw looks like a jerk in front of everyone. Goldenflower is pissed and won’t come out of the nursery, meanwhile Tigerclaw is very clearly spiralling despite Whitestorm and Darkstripe’s attempts to support him. Tigerclaw gets exiled for trying to murder Bluestar in her den and goes to SC and becomes Tigerstar

most of Tigerstar’s SC stuff would probably be the same, except Darkstripe has to be more careful when he sneaks Bramblekit and Tawnykit out to meet their dad, since Goldenflower is still angry at him for breaking up with her. she’s distraught when Tawnypaw runs away to SC and, to her, chooses Tigerstar’s side. she starts trying to manipulate Bramblepaw too, in part bc he looks so much like his dad and she doesn’t want him to “betray” her too. when Tigerstar sets up the dog attack, he isn’t expecting Swiftpaw to be there instead of Bluestar or, better yet, Goldenflower — this causes him to seriously snap and pursue his TigerClan goals, though this time it’s less about wanting to rule the forest (though that’s still his cover story) and more about destroying TC specifically. Goldenflower gets extra protective over her remaining son and hates Fireheart even more for (a) being freaked out by Bramblepaw and (b) being a (mostly) respected deputy despite not embodying TC ’s standards

in the climax of tpb, I can see either of two endings working out for T&G’s arcs: they kill each other instead of Tigerstar getting oneshotted by Scourge, OR Tigerstar dies and Goldenfloower runs away to become a rogue. I could see rogue!Goldenflower harassing the clans with a posse of followers (maybe Brokenstar/Tigerstar’s former followers?), maybe trying to get access to Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt specifically. maybe she could become like, the Queen of the Rogues or something fun like that. once Tigerstar and Goldenflower are both dead though, I can see another couple of options: either they both go to the DF, OR Tigerstar goes to the DF but Goldenflower goes to StarClan (bc why not make StarClan actually corrupt given all the awful stuff they’ve passively/actively enabled in canon)

if they both go to the DF, I can see them sort of splitting it down the middle between them and forcing everyone there to choose a side like they’re getting a divorce LMAO (imagining Goldenflower and Mapleshade girlbossing together). they basically almost tear the DF apart trying to get back at each other and recruit armies of living cats to fight each other, to the point where StarClan and living clans get involved and hello oots arc. it would probably have to end with their spirits being destroyed for good. if Goldenflower gets to be in StarClan though, I can so easily imagine an inter-dimensional war lead by T&G with the living cats stuck in the middle. maybe Goldenflower could have a trial like Ashfur before she got in, and Swiftpaw could insist on letting her in. either way she rallies StarClan against the DF in her quest for revenge on Tigerstar for “ruining her life” — meanwhile Tigerstar has also rallied the DF against StarClan in his quest for revenge on Goldenflower. their spirits are still destroyed but maybe in this version the rest of the DF and StarClan are destroyed with them [eyes emoji]

[clanborn]

prev i am a changed man. #leafpool

Warrior Cats Inktober 2.

Favorite NP Cat: Brambleclaw

[fatal-rewrites-warriors]

dawn chapter 8

"All the trapped cats had been freed—but they had lost Graystripe." a good trade off if you ask me

no person is going to chase escaped cats that far. all they'll do is go what the FUCK is that and talk nonstop about how these cats executed a prison break for the rest of the week

I hate how brightheart is being characterized as meek and jumpy??? this the same bitch who fought again bloodclan, even as the wounds on her face were still healing???????

I have so many things to say about this but instead I'm just going to put this here and sigh loudly

why the fuck is firestar thanking brambleclaw for "bringing back his daughter, cloudtail, and brightheart" when it was SQUIRRELPAW'S idea and GREYSTRIPE led the charge

I know why like it's the misogyny but my guy didnt do anything except tell them to run away afterwards lmao

I wish greystripe was dead :/

[chrenq]

the tragedy of hawkfrost's character

hey! i personally think it's pretty funny that my first ever tumblr textpost is about hawkfrost of all cats but hey, i've had this analysis on my mind for a while now so i thought i'd share. me spending hours on warriors tumblr was all building up to this moment lmao

i will stress though!! i am not justifying hawkfrost's actions and manipulative tactics. now that that's clear.. to talk about hawkfrost, i have to compare him to his parallel first; his brother, brambleclaw. so firstly, let's review- what's the basis of hawkfrost and brambleclaw's parallels? what is their dynamic and story together boiled down the the most BASIC explanation possible? and why does this make hawkfrost's tale inherently sadder than the " dark expectations that he breaks free of, becomes a hero " story of brambleclaw? they are parallels because they have the same tyrannous, murderous cat for a father, but brambleclaw is the one to turn away from the darkness and walk back to the light. his brother hawkfrost, on the other hand, fails to do so, and as any ambitious brown tabby of the warriors universe is, is banished to the dark forest for his unforgivable crimes against the clans.

but look at it this way; there was SO much wasted potential. SO MUCH. and today i'm here to explain why so sit back and grab your popcorn because this is gonna be a long one-- why is brambleclaw able to return to the " good side " anyway? it's because of the positive influences in his life. his affectionate and protective ( and CRIMINALLY underrated ) mother goldenflower, the stubborn but passionate squirrelflight, and brambleclaw's brutally honest yet fiercely caring sister tawnypelt. and let's not forget firestar as well, his mentor and the one who influences him the most in his youth; it was, after all, firestar that ended up mentoring bramblepaw to be a good and righteous cat despite his dark bloodline. it's pretty poetic in itself, how firestar himself starts off mistrusting of bramblekit but ends up being the greatest positive influence in his life, but then again, i'm getting off track, so back to my main point.

what is brambleclaw thinking as he refuses his father and hawkfrost's wishes to murder firestar? wasn't it something around the lines of " i can't do this, this is my leader, my former mentor, and i care about him because he cared and cares about me? " ultimately it's his respect and admiration for the cat who tried to see the best in him that turns him around in the face of disaster. but what about hawkfrost? ( this is mostly inference based on heavy evidences as i have yet to read the mangas that involve his character more heavily. i have read mothwing's secret, though, so i will be referencing that. ) hawkfrost has, to be pretty honest, no one. he joins riverclan as a kit with his mother and sister, and later on sasha leaves. his mother isn't there to watch him or his sister grow. it's just him and mothwing; in a clan of cats living with a culture completely different from how they lived as loners, he is new to all this. and then again, i can't exactly say the clans ever liked outsiders all that much. he and his sister are outcasts despite technically being riverclan cats. hell, brambleclaw even brings this up during an argument with hawkfrost ( before they find out they're related, mind you ) saying hawkfrost might feel differently about the matter of territory and borders and thunderclan being driven out " if he were truly clanborn. " ouch. hawkfrost has mistyfoot, a kind and responsible mentor from what we know of her character, but it's still stressed in mothwing's novella that he still felt like an outcast / not good enough. this leads him to be furious when mothwing wants to become a medicine cat; he tells her that if she fails, starclan knows what the clans would do with a cat who wasn't committed enough to being a warrior and wasn't good enough to be a medicine cat. he is terrified, perhaps, of losing all they have worked for; he makes up for being non clanborn by being vicious, and working tirelessly, soon establishing himself as the strongest riverclan warrior. but emotionally, again i state, he has nobody. he was twisted his relationship with his sister, the only family he has, into a mangled mess of lies and deceit and mistrust. and that's on him. it also explains why he runs to tigerstar with so much eagerness. this is the father he never got to meet, the father he always admired but never knew. and tigerstar is giving him exactly what he craves; attention and recognition. like i said, hawkfrost is a terrible cat but in dawn, he and brambleclaw have a conversation that ends with brambleclaw: " i learned more from firestar than i ever did from tigerstar. " hawkfrost: " but still, tigerstar knew you. he never even set eyes on me. " now, asshole or not, tell me that isn't at least a little tragic. all hawkfrost's life he has had to work and fight for attention and appreciation, and here is the father he always longed for, praising him in the dark forest. in the tigerstar and sasha mangas, tigerstar also promises he loves his kits ( moth and hawk ) and will watch over them always. so here it is. the only " good " influence in hawkfrost's life? the cruel, heartless monster that is his father. finally a cat loves him just for being there, but it's a murderer he never knew in life. there isn't ever a scene where brambleclaw realises he's stupid for training with vengeful daddy tigerstar in cat hell. he never snaps out of it til' the " blood will spill blood " scene. he isn't convinced, persuaded- the choice between kin, and found family and friends is forced upon him. and he choose good, obviously, being the cookie cutter character he is. ( smh all my homies hate brambleclaw ) but hawkfrost never had that chance. if they'd talked it out maybe he would've listened and gotten his priorities straight, but they don't talk- they battle their problems out. and hawkfrost dies, with the only " love " he ever experienced for most of his life being that from a manipulative father grooming him into his own failed legacy. TL;DR: brambleclaw gets TLC he doesn't deserve and hawkfrost is left to bleed out