#tnp rewrite

[mothdapple]

Tigerstar's Legacy in RiverClan

The aftermath of Tigerstar and TigerClan is one of the topics I enjoy exploring the most in Warriors, especially TigerClan's impact on RiverClan. That is certainly reflected in my TNP rewrite Shaken Roots (and everything I say here can be considered "canon" to my rewrite,) but I also find this an interesting and relevant lens to examine the canon books through as well. And that is sort of my goal with Shaken Roots anyway— I'm not reinventing the wheel with my rewrite, just expanding upon the design canon has provided.

Now on to TigerClan. TigerClan feels like a quite momentous era— Tigerstar and Leopardstar unite ShadowClan and RiverClan into one, and four RiverClan cats are imprisoned for being half-Clan, one being their loyal deputy, who is then executed.

It should be a watershed moment in RiverClan's, and Leopardstar's, history. But one of the things that makes this so fascinating to me is that it's not. This is my main thesis on the post-TigerClan era— RiverClan as whole is still dealing with the same attitude/ideological problems that led to TigerClan in the first place. They have not truly changed.

I see TigerClan as something which RiverClan tries not to think or talk about in general. However you slice it, it's a shamefully moment for RiverClan, and RiverClan, like all the Clans, are proud. They would prefer to sweep it under the rug. But if pressed to discuss TigerClan, RiverClan cats will explain it using the framework of ShadowClan— and Tigerstar specifically— conquering and occupying RiverClan, and imprisoning their Clanmates. This framework firmly shifts the blame away from any RiverClan cat and onto Tigerstar— a palatable scapegoat given all his crimes.

That's not to say, of course, that Tigerstar is blameless for TigerClan (quite the opposite,) but regardless, this framework downplays the actions of other culpable cats. Still though, it's understandable why some cats, especially cats who were very young during the TigerClan time, might see it this way.

Take someone like Dawnflower for example. She is the same age as Stormfur and Feathertail, and they grew up alongside her, all cared for by Mosspelt. Like them, Dawnpaw was a newly made apprentice during TigerClan. When Stormpaw and Featherpaw were imprisoned, she likely understood less than the warriors about what was going on. All that she knew was that her two best friends— the cats who were fostered with her— were taken away from her. Even if she protested, as a powerless young apprentice, there was nothing she could do about it. She’d likely just have been told that she would understand why this was happening when she was older.

Knowing her experiences with TigerClan, it makes sense that when Dawnflower grew up, she would almost solely blame Tigerstar for what happened. So when Hawkfrost's and Mothwing's true parentage was revealed to the Clans, Dawnflower had a knee-jerk reaction to be wary of them. Why wouldn't she be worried when she knew how much devastation their father had caused to the half-Clan apprentices she once was so close to— especially when Dawnflower herself had just recently given birth (to kits with an unknown-to-the-Clan father no less) and has their safety to worry about now too?

But by assuming that Mothwing and Hawkfrost were dangerous just because Tigerstar was their father, Dawnflower is falling into the same prejudiced mindset that Tigerstar had used himself to justify imprisoning the half-Clan cats. Fundamentally, her reasoning is just as prejudiced even though Dawnflower sees herself as being on the "correct" (pro-halfClan/Mistyfoot/Stormfur etc) side.

Let's take a different RiverClan cat example now to explore the other side of the Clan— the more conservative cats who are more distrustful of half-Clan cats.

Heavystep by all accounts was one of TigerClan's supporters within RiverClan— he is one of the few RiverClan cats noted to be sitting by the Bonehill during Stonefur's execution, while the majority of RiverClan is absent. Heavystep also happened to be Dawnpaw's mentor. (I imagine he was probably the one telling Dawnpaw that she is just too young to understand why this is happening when Stormpaw and Featherpaw were imprisoned.) I see Heavystep as someone who didn't like Tigerstar taking power in RiverClan, but ideologically, he agreed with him. Heavystep of course wouldn’t have killed Mistyfoot, Stonefur, Stormpaw, or Featherpaw himself without reason, but he was content to be complacent in their imprisonment. Even after TigerClan, Heavystep probably still thinks that Tigerstar had some decent ideas, but he just went too far with them. And there are certainly several other RiverClan cats who think similarly (Blackclaw for an easy example.)

In Shaken Roots: Dawn, when Hawkfrost's and Mothwing's father is revealed to be Tigerstar, I have Heavystep argue against them staying in RiverClan. But Heavystep’s reaction to Hawkfrost and Mothwing doesn’t come from a rejection of Tigerstar’s ideals, but rather a continuation of them— he thinks that they are untrustworthy half-Clanners, and while their father had some good ideas he “usurped” power from Leopardstar and unfairly “conquered” RiverClan, so Hawkfrost and Mothwing also shouldn’t be trusted.

Finally we have Leopardstar, who sits in a bit of a unique place at the heart of this. She clearly carries a lot of guilt for her actions during TigerClan, and in her mind, I think she genuinely wants to change for the better (and believes she has.)

But she didn't actually put in the work, and like the rest of her Clan, she never truly learned her lesson. We can see this in that fact that every choice Leopardstar makes after TigerClan that seems accepting towards half-Clan cats is only performative. Firstly, there is her naming Mistyfoot her deputy, which seems like a responsible move on her part, until after Mistyfoot goes missing, Leopardstar's first response is to appoint Hawkfrost (who shares Tigerstar's/Leopardstar's values) in Mistyfoot's place.

Leopardstar's acceptance of Feathertail and Stormfur in RiverClan is also obviously surface-level— as soon as they go missing in Midnight, Leopardstar's assumption is that they were disloyal and left for ThunderClan. In Shaken Roots, I expand on both of these examples to fully highlight Leopardstar's hypocrisy, but the foundation is present in canon.

Then there is Leopardstar's reaction to the reveal about Hawkfrost's and Mothwing's father. Interestingly, she is one of their few defenders within RiverClan. Is this proof then that she has changed, learned to accept half-Clan cats and not judge them for the actions of their parents? No. Leopardstar clearly sees Hawkfrost and Mothwing as exceptions, not the rule. 

I think Leopardstar has a lot riding on Hawkfrost and Mothwing. Knowing that Tigerstar is their father, I think she has wrapped the two of them up in her own personal path to “redemption.” Leopardstar sees herself undoing some of the harm she caused with TigerClan by training Tigerstar’s kits to be powerful, loyal members of RiverClan— maybe even her successor in regard to Hawkfrost. There is also a lot of pride for Leopardstar tied up in the two of them. Hawkfrost was her former apprentice, and Mothwing was trained by her deputy and her medicine cat/father. Them being successful cases reflects well on her.

But Leopardstar's behavior towards other cats shows, fundamentally, that her views on half-Clan cats being untrustworthy are unchanged. Hawkfrost, Mothwing, (and to some extent, Mistyfoot) are just examples that Leopardstar can put on a pedestal and use as a shield to say “See??? I’m different now.”

This is why RiverClan is still as vulnerable to Hawkfrost's influence in TNP as they were to Tigerstar's in TPB. At a fundamental level, their ideology carries the same prejudice, so it's easy for Hawkfrost to sway them. In Shaken Roots some cats like Heavystep will even come to be one of Hawkfrost's staunchest supporters, since all Hawkfrost has to do is gain his trust— Heavystep already agrees with his ideals.

TL;DR TigerClan didn't end in RiverClan with Tigerstar. Tigerstar just provided an outlet for the prejudiced beliefs that festered in RiverClan long before him, and continued for long after him.

[the-owl-tree]

I think if Brambleclaw were to still become deputy at the end of the arc, it would be more interesting if the attempted Firestar assasination/Hawkfrost death was moved earlier, and Sunset would be him dealing with consequences/distrust as a result of that. It creates narrative consequences for him while also allowing for room to create self-improvement (depends on whether you're making him better or worse). It creates some interesting conflict with BrambleSquirrel, perhaps dealing with her still having feelings for him despite her initial suspicions of him being kind of confirmed?

Oooh, I like that! I'm torn at the idea of moving it, I think the brotherly showdown is a very good climactic ending for the book, but I think it fits more with some of the other changes I'm thinking. I think the narrative depends on a few things:

Brambleclaw steps down as deputy at the end of Sunset. I think the fact he hesitated should've disqualified him entirely and it's a sobering moment for him where he realizes his actions have consequences (even if this doesn't last).

I do not like how deputy is treated as a "reward" for learning to be nicies in the books, especially when there are more qualified individuals (looks at crowfeather's trial with disdain). So, for personal preference, and because I think it makes a way more satisfying narrative for Brambleclaw, he's gonna step down.

Like in canon, I don't think Squirrelflight learns the full truth until later, to Maximize Drama.

Leafpool knows, she saw him training in the Dark Forest. I also want Mothwing to be the one to deal the final blow to Hawkfrost and she later confides in Leafpool about it.

Honestly....kind of tempted to have it be a four way Tigerkin face off, but I think four's a crowd with Tawnypelt having her arc relatively finished by firmly rejecting Tigerstar.

I am gonna keep Bramble closer to canon, AKA make him worse and worse the moment he gets into power. Their relationship takes a downhill turn when Brambleclaw becomes Deputy again, probably named after whoever is picked instead after Sunset either dies or steps down.

Something else I'm flip flopping between is LeafCrow or LeafHawk, which definitely impacts whether or not the confrontation gets moved up. If it's LeafHawk, exploring that aftermath would be too tasty to pass up...

Aaah lots to decide. I wanna read the latter half and see what sort of crumbs canon gives me, that will definitely impact my decision!!

[mothdapple]

Stormfur in Shaken Roots: Dawn

for real though, this sort of stuff is why I think the Warriors series has such fertile ground for fanfiction/rewrites/analysis etc. The writers craft these characters with such fascinating potential, leaving you asking like “that’s such a cool premise for a character, what are you going to do with him???”

And then the writers answer like “idk, have him never think of TigerClan once after the fact, and send him to the mountains to live with his girlfriend.”

Of course the fans are going to respond with “okay… I suppose I will have to bring out the character’s potential by myself.”

you're born in a pool of blood and filth and death and you have no mother, not really. mosspelt is kind but no one ever lets you forget where you came from. you cannot understand why they look at you and your sister the way they do. you cannot yet identify that glint in their eye. it never goes away even after your father does

you're 7 moons old and you are surrounded by blood and filth and death. the bonehill stands high and stonefur is dead and you have to go because you have no home, not really. after a moon his sister finally cries, for him, and for you. you can't bring yourself to cry anymore

you come home

you are grown and your sister is leaving but you won't let her go without you. she doesn't put up a fight. you only have each other

she is trying and you cannot understand how she does it. you've never seen her smile like that, not since before you were 7 moons old and stuffed in a den reeking of blood and filth. you feel like you never left that den

your sister's body is lying broken on the ground. there is no blood, and it's beautiful, you never imagined a place like this could exist, but your sister is lying broken on the ground and her throat scrapes out a goodbye and you have not had to say goodbye in a long time. and the air reeks of death

you say goodbye

you have no home, not really

[javatello]

Wc rewrite doodles, my rewrite ideas can be found here!

[shummthechumm]

assorted (rewrite) designs that i never posted here? das crazyyy

[northern-passage]

clementine

[mothdapple]

I think people should be more open to exploring the different dynamics that can exist between (present and former) mentors and apprentices in general! Variety is the spice of life after all, and all these different relationships can led to really interesting stories.

Parental mentorship relationships often make a lot of sense, but I think an older sibling dynamic, maybe for mentors/apprentices closer in age, is also really fun and less utilized. Then there are the indifferent to unhealthy mentorship dynamics, which we don't see a ton of. I'm thinking like Ashfur and Lionblaze: "I trained you out of obligation, but I don't like you." Or, Tigerstar and Darkstripe, where Darkstripe ended up permanently, fanatically loyal to him since he became so attached, but Tigerstar barely cared. For some more examples, I feel like it would be interesting also to see a mentor and apprentice who are unhealthily co-dependent with each other. Or, one where the apprentice character is the more emotionally mature one, so the apprentice is often forced to be the "grown up," or the one taking care of their mentor.

As for Brambleclaw and Firestar specifically, I do sometimes find portrayals of their relationship as familial really cute, but my preferred interpretation of their relationship is just like you said— walking the razor-thin line between hero-worship and resentment. I feel like there is a lot of evidence for this in canon, and it's something that I also intend on exploring more in Shaken Roots, my TNP rewrite. I interpret it as a key component of Brambleclaw's character arc in Shaken Roots, since Brambleclaw eventually being pushed towards Hawkfrost and Tigerstar hinges on him feeling isolated and resentful of his Clanmates due to their unfair judgement of him. And, obviously Firestar plays a major role in that.

When TNP begins, Brambleclaw's warrior name (and specifically the fact that Firestar named him after his father, even though Brambleclaw up until that point made it abundantly clear that he didn't want anything to do with Tigerstar) is already one big part of that resentment that is sort of lingering in the background. Then on top of that, Midnight starts with Firestar being extremely distrustful of Brambleclaw due to a misinterpretation of the "Fire and Tiger" prophecy. So why wouldn't Brambleclaw be majorly upset that Firestar was suddenly being so unfair and cold, when Brambleclaw thought that they'd gotten over the whole "I am not my father" thing ages ago? But, then again, did Firestar really ever stop seeing him as a shadow of his father, since he burdened Brambleclaw with Tigerstar's warrior name? Wasn't it bad enough that Brambleclaw already looked so much like him?

But on the other hand, Firestar is a legend; Firestar is good. Firestar defeated Tigerstar, who was bad, and so for Brambleclaw to hate Firestar, that would make him like Tigerstar. So, Brambleclaw must love Firestar and be utterly devoted to him, because the alternative is entirely too unacceptable.

So... yeah, I think Brambleclaw's feelings for Firestar should be extremely complicated with a lot of (barely) repressed resentment lol

I know where people are coming from with portraying Brambleclaw and Firestar having a parental relationship, especially since many view mentors and apprentices in general in a parental light (very good headcanon! I don't portray it like that in my fics for a multitude of reasons but I still support it 100%). But for me I have always thought, due to the way Firestar treated him, the general circumstances during the latter half of TPB, and the fact Firestar rapidly developed into a living legend type figure, that their relationship would be a lot more distant. Hero worship and idolization at best, outright resentment at worst. If anyone felt any parental feelings there, it was for sure Firestar and I can only imagine it being unreciprocated and very awkward.

[glittergoats]

dead men tell no tales

[yuridovewing]

i like feathertail btw i just think her comic couldve been handled a lot better

[mothdapple]

Hey I don’t know if this is a little random but I was thinking that I haven’t seen a fanfiction were graystripe stayed in Riverclan and that left me wonder, how do you think feathertail and stormfur’s life would have been in this rewritte if graystripe had stayed in Riverclan?

Oh, interesting premise! I don’t think I’ve seen any AUs of that either. I think if Graystripe had stayed in RiverClan in Shaken Roots, Feathertail would have felt a bit more security in her Clan. Although Feathertail did care for/love her dad, him leaving definitely did contribute to Feathertail’s feelings that there were only two cats on this earth she could truly rely on (Mistyfoot and Stormfur.) But Graystripe staying and that number expanding from two to three might not seem like that big of a change, but I think having that extra parental and protective figure in RiverClan would have done a lot for Feathertail. She definitely at least wouldn’t have felt so on-guard around her Clanmates all the time.

Stormfur, as the generally more well adjusted sibling, I think would have less obvious change. But I could see his bond with Feathertail being less intense if Graystripe was around, so Stormfur felt less like he had to take on a protective role towards his sister. In that case, he might have been less inclined to go with her on the journey to the sundown-place. But while Graystripe’s presence I could see improving Feathertail’s standing in the Clan by making her less prickly towards her Clanmates, I could see it actually hindering Stormfur’s somewhat.

At least prior to the journey, Stormfur wanted to fit in with RiverClan. Although when push came to shove, Stormfur would always choose his sister, I think he still had to walk a little bit of a tightrope between Feathertail (as an outcast in their own Clan but someone who he deeply cared for) and his other Clanmates (who Feathertail rejected but he wanted to fit in with.) However, I see RiverClan as being generally tolerant of Feathertail’s antisocial behavior because of a sense of guilt about TigerClan, and when it came down to it, Feathertail was half-RiverClan, the granddaughter of their late leader.

Graystripe on the other hand, was probably still treated by several cats in RiverClan (Leopardstar included) with a lot of suspicion. So I could see Stormfur feeling torn between having a close relationship with his dad (and damaging his relationship to several of his Clanmates as a result) or distancing himself some from Graystripe

[mothdapple]

HI YES, I HAVE LOTS OF THOUGHTS. In my The New Prophecy fanfic rewrite, Shaken Roots, the lingering impact of Tigerstar on the Clans and specifically his impact on his kits (all four of his living kits) is a major area of focus. So my thoughts here come from my writing and brainstorming on that, and are from the kids’ POVs towards their dead/demon dad, and not the other way around. 

(Long post below the cut.)

Anyway though to get into it, at least at the start of TNP, Tawnypelt definitely understands Tigerstar far better than any of her siblings since she is the only one who really had any firsthand experience with him. (Tigerstar left ThunderClan when Brambleclaw was too young to really know him.) This means that Tawnypelt has the most complicated feelings about him out of any of her siblings, but she also has had the most time to process those emotions and her connection to him in a mature way. 

Hawkfrost and Mothwing had no direct connection to Tigerstar and so could only go off what they were told about him by others. And, for Brambleclaw growing up in ThunderClan with Firestar as his mentor, Tigerstar was some kind of larger than life, storybook villain. Tawnypelt was the only one who got to see Tigerstar for who he truly was— for better and for worse (a lot of it being for worse.) This also partly explains why Brambleclaw fell under Tigerstar’s influence and manipulations in the Dark Forest while Tawnypelt did not— all Brambleclaw knows are stories, which can be distorted and exaggerated, while Tawnypelt experienced cold, hard reality.

Also since Tawnypelt is in ShadowClan, she never experiences any alienation because of her relation to Tigerstar that Brambleclaw does in ThunderClan, or to a lesser degree, Mothwing and Hawkfrost do in RiverClan after the knowledge of their father becomes public. Tawnypelt’s Clanmates can’t blame her for her connection to Tigerstar because all of ShadowClan is complicit in some degree in his crimes, so blaming Tawnypelt for anything Tigerstar did would just be pointing the finger at themselves. ShadowClan is also by far the Clan with the most forgiving attitude towards Tigerstar, seeing him as “flawed,” but having fulfilled his promise to make ShadowClan strong again. Anyway though, this means Tawnypelt feels accepted in her Clan, which puts her again as the odd one out among her siblings, since the rest of them, to some degree, are insecure in their place in their Clans. Brambleclaw obviously feels judged by his Clanmates because he is the son of Tigerstar. And Hawkfrost and Mothwing have to deal with the discrimination from their Clanmates for having outsider blood from their mother, in addition to being looked at with suspicion because of their father.

During Tawnypelt’s time in ShadowClan with Tigerstar, I can’t imagine Tigerstar being a particularly close or loving father to her. I think he was far more concerned with his kits as extensions of himself and his legacy, than concerned with getting to know any of them on a personal level. Tawnypelt also got to see the up-close the horrors of Tigerstar’s reign, his manipulative nature, and his brutality, but Tawnypelt must have some fond feelings towards Tigerstar too, since she eventually names her son after him. I think most of Tawnypelt’s fondness comes from her feeling as if Tigerstar was the one who gave her a home in ShadowClan. Tawnypelt made ShadowClan her own, but she never could’ve had that chance if Tigerstar hadn’t opened the door for her. And, despite everything else he did, she can’t help but be grateful for him for that.

All together this means that Tawnypelt has a lot of conflicting feelings for Tigerstar. She is grateful to him in someways, but also repulsed and horrified by him in others. But, in the end, she has accepted that he is a part of her, which is something she can never change, and she has come to peace with that fact. 

As for Mothwing, if Tawnypelt is arguably the closest to Tigerstar, Mothwing is certainly the most distant. Her first introduction to anything about her father came from Sasha, who imparted on her the importance of keeping her father’s identity a secret, but gave her a conflicting perspective on him by telling her how she loved him, and he was a brave and strong warrior, but also that he was a “complicated” cat. 

The next Mothwing learns of Tigerstar is by finding out about TigerClan, but TigerClan is a majorly sensitive subject in RiverClan. It’s a “those were dark days, we don’t talk about it,” sort of topic. The reason for this is that Leopardstar is ashamed and embarrassed about her role in all of it, partly because she does genuinely regret Stonefur’s death/the whole situation, but also partly because she’s proud and nothing made her look weaker than Tigerstar, when she lost all control of her Clan to him. The events were also traumatizing for many RiverClan cats, obviously Mistyfoot, Stormfur, and Feathertail most of all, who might not want to talk about it for that reason. But, even a lot of cats who weren’t so strongly traumatized by it would rather forget about it and brush it under the rug than really acknowledge how wrong it was that they lived through that and didn’t do more to stop it.

Anyway, all of this to say, when TigerClan is talked about in RiverClan, it is done so rarely and in hushed tones. So I think the full extent of the truth of TigerClan was trickled out to Mothwing slowly over time, with her finding out more and more through her apprenticeship and then young adulthood. Mothwing would have first started out thinking that Tigerstar took over RiverClan by force and killed the former deputy, since that is the narrative that is most convenient for most of RiverClan, but Mothwing would eventually understand the full role that Leopardstar and the other RiverClan cats played in allowing TigerClan to happen, and how it was a targeted execution of half-Clan cats (like Mothwing herself, which just adds to her horror.) And, she’d find out that it wasn’t just Stonefur, but Mistyfoot, Stormfur, and Feathertail had also been imprisoned during the time.

Mothwing’s relationship with Feathertail was also complicated by Tigerstar, since Mothwing knows that the reason that Feathertail went from being so warm towards her when she was a kit, to suddenly so cold, was because she found out that her father was Tigerstar. Mothwing already had difficulty making many friends in RiverClan (outside of Hawkfrost, of course) because of her being an “outsider” from her rogue-blood, and so it would have petrified her to think that if any other Clanmate found out the truth, that they would hate her as much as Feathertail does. However, it’s only later when Mothwing found out that Feathertail had been targeted by Tigerstar that she realizes that’s why Feathertail acted the way she does.

There is one other cat that Mothwing did manage to become close to, though, who is her former mentor, Mistyfoot. So imagine Mothwing’s horror when she realizes that Tigerstar wanted to kill her too. If Mistyfoot also found out the truth about Tigerstar being Mothwing’s father, Mothwing would risk losing that one other extremely important relationship that she had, just like she did with Feathertail. 

This all means that Mothwing is extremely resentful of Tigerstar. She hates him for what he did, and she hates that she never even met him, and yet he still seemed to manage to ruin so many parts of her life. She cannot fathom even being curious about him, like how Hawkfrost is. Mothwing would much rather pretend that she has no relation to Tigerstar at all, and that’s how she lives her life. If Tawnypelt has accepted the blood she shares with Tigerstar, Mothwing has excised it. 

This sort of works out for Mothwing too, since her dismissal of StarClan also works for Dark Forest spirits, so dead-Tigerstar cannot contact her even if he wanted to.

As for Tawnypelt and Mothwing interactions, I will definitely be eventually including those in Shaken Roots too! But, to give a sneak peek of my thoughts, I think Mothwing and Tawnypelt would get along well despite their different feelings towards their father. They both have this air of practicality that the other appreciates, and I think they’d absolutely enjoy complaining (or worrying) to each other about their brothers.

Hi does anyone have specific thoughts on how Tigerclaw may have interacted with his daughters or how Tawny/Moth may feel about him that you would like to share with me in paragraphs because I am all ears right now

[blood-choke]

hey how are you doing? We haven’t heard anything from you in a while and I wanted to check up on you

hi i'm doing okay :-) i'm still working on the next chapter! it's just a complex chapter so it's taking me a while. lots of dialogue, which personally takes me a lot of time to perfect, plus the romance routes will lock in this chapter, which are quite complicated due to all of the possible poly variations.

i'm also currently working on my other project (northern passage) which kinda has priority at the moment since it's been over a year since i've updated it. still writing, just slow :3

[bonefall]

I was never able to really get a feel for Leafpool's personality in the books, especially since she's always contrasted with Squirrelflight who has a pretty consistent personality (at least for Warriors standards). She's kind of like Hollyleaf where they change her personality depending on what they want to happen in the plot I think. How do you approach writing her? I'm really fond of your Spottedleaf, so I was wonder if Leafpool has any fun quirks like her.

[ID: Leafpool from Warrior Cats. She is chunky, has a mane, and green eyes. Her stripes are horizontal.]

I approach Leafpool as being VERY tired. Her life is characterized as never really being in control of her own fate, being punished for any simple pleasures she takes tenfold, so I write her as becoming very defeatist. Poor girl.

Because Leafpool is never in REAL control, somehow, it gives her this air that she's in total control. You can't scare her. StarClan can tell her that her kids are cursed, Hollyleaf can tell her to kill herself, Bramblestar can jump in front of her and snarl, she's never more than briefly phased. "Yeah sure this may as well happen."

In a way, she's almost the total opposite of Jayfeather, who never met a rule he wasn't willing to punch. It is interesting that each one of the Three has a unique relationship to the fate that chains up Leafpool.

Allows herself to love Mothpaw... war breaks out and Moth has to return to RiverClan.

Tries to warn Squilf about Brambleclaw in spite of StarClan wanting them to be together, first fight with her sister ever.

Runs off with Crowfeather, returns home to find out her mentor died before she could say goodbye.

Gives birth, allows Squilf to take them, eventually gets threatened by Hollyleaf.

(side note: i am considering leafpool's name being an honor title, with her old name being Leafstripe, and Squirrelpaw failing two assessments just like Nightheart)

But a big change in my rewrite is that the dramatic scenes that aren't consistent with that resigned sorrow go to Crowfeather. He's a complete and utter ham. Leafpool isn't out here trying to name Hollykit 'Crowkit' or confessing her unwavering love for him in front of his wife and child, THAT is Crowfeather making an ass of HIMSELF in front of that wife and child lmao.

Leaf's feelings are more complicated and repressed. Hard life.

On the bright side though, there ARE changes from canon so that the Clan has more nuanced feelings about her instead of her whole life being a nonstop beatdown.

Most of ThunderClan, which heavily leans Fire Alone, agrees that Leafpool did the right thing by giving her kits to Squilf to invoke the Queen's Rights. Sure she lapsed, but Fire Alone cats are softer on the Cleric's Vow in general.

Bramblestar demoting her in Cruel Season has a VERY mixed reception. It's Leafpool!! Leafpool Moonpool!!!

Her death many years later in the Sister Raid actually tanks Bramblestar's reputation. It was seen as cruel, pointless, and avoidable, and they lost a very popular and experienced Cleric.

(side note again: still considering how the 'unclear sign' plot beat is going to go in my rewrite, because i cannot imagine jayfeather not just lying about that. "yeah yeah yeah they said yes bramblestar, im supposed to heal this cat obviously. move.")

Misc Design Stuff:

She's got a mane that you can see on Dovewing too, since Dove is Leaf's grandchild now.

Like Sandstorm, uncle Longtail, and grandpaw Runningwind, Leafpool's stripes are horizontal.

I'm still doing research into what she has specifically, but Bonefall Leafpool is intersex. Those are stud jowls.

Considering the cat version of PCOS because it explains a lot; weight gain, a receding hairline that could be shared with Lionblaze, the jowls as a facial hair parallel, difficult pregnancy, etc.

Still doing my research though.

And lastly, Mothpool is endgame in this Rewrite. They can never be together officially, but it's about the yearning. It's about finding freedom with your escapist fantasy partner or being in shackles with your true love. She chose the CHAINS.

[mothdapple]

Yes! I think the first arc's single POV is definitely one of its strongest aspects, which sets it above the other arcs. Multiple POVs can definitely be done well, but it's clear that the Warriors writing team struggles with it. Obviously the advantage of having multiple POVs is that we get to see inside the head of multiple characters, in multiple locations (in the cases of the different POVs being in different Clans. Or when one POV is traveling like in early TNP.) However, the drawback is that now instead of a single character telling a book's worth of story, a single character now only gets a third of a book. This is especially a problem in the newest arcs (TBC and ASC,) where, at least in the first books of the arcs, there is not a common plot thread connecting all of the POVs. Since each character only gets 1/3 of a book to tell their story, this just results in a rushed or shortened plot for each, and POVs that feel discordant from each other, when the POVs should be working together to advance an overarching narrative.

Take River for example. That book has Frostpaw struggling with a fragmenting RiverClan, Sunbeam dealing with romantic drama and her issues with her mother in ShadowClan, and Flamepaw/Nightheart trying to assert his independent identity in ThunderClan. Any of these plots have the potential to be an interesting story if fleshed out on their own, but it is only Frostpaw who is dealing with the main plot of the arc in this book— while Sunbeam and Nightheart are doing their own side-quests at worst, or supporting plots at best. This is further hindered by the strict Night/Frost/Sun rotation of each of the POVs— sure, splitting it up that way ensures that each character gets an equal amount of chapters. But the writers' priority shouldn't be giving each character an equal amount of chapters, but rather arranging the POVs/chapters to make the most compelling narrative. Sticking so strictly to a rotation means that the pacing might be break-neck for one POV but grind to the halt for the next. (For example, Frostpaw dealing with literal murders one chapter, while Sunbeam is lamenting her petty romance drama, the next.)

The POV problem is the most egregious in the later arcs imo, but it starts even back in TNP. Even though that arc only has 2 POVs per book, it feels like more lol because they weren't divided up well at all. For example, Leafpaw just acts like a "at home" camera in Midnight, not going through any sort of character arc herself. Her POV would have been much better suited being given to someone like Mothwing, who can provide the same benefits as Leafpaw (keeping the reader up-to-date on generally what's going on in the forest,) while also having her own arc around her struggles to become a medicine cat and her relationship with Hawkfrost, better establishing Hawkfrost as the arc's antagonist. (This is why I gave Mothwing Leafpaw's POV in my TNP rewrite Shaken Roots.)

The reason that background characters feel so flat in the recent arcs is also a symptom of the newest POV characters being so disconnected from each other. Since each POV has their own main plot to get through in a single book, there is just not enough page-space to squeeze in any background relationships. Because the only POV in Into the Wild is Firepaw, and the only main plot is investigate Tigerclaw (with the side plots of becoming a warrior and fighting ShadowClan,) there is plenty of time to also explore Firepaw's relationship with Dustpaw, Longtail, Yellowfang, Sandpaw, and so on. But in River, when now you have Frostpaw as a POV with the same number of main plots/side plots as Firepaw, but only one third of the page-time, we don't have the space to show Frostpaw's relationship with her littermates or friends, or any characters beyond the ones who are absolutely critical to the plot.

Is The Prophecies Begin truly better writing than some of the later series or am I just tempered by nostalgia? Looking back, they FEEL more enjoyable, but I'm not especially well versed on what would make them actually better than the later series.

[haveyoureadthisfanfic]

Summary: Over stone and water, toward the setting sun; No Clan will survive unless all are one. A WindClan apprentice with high expectations, a RiverClan dreamer with a paw in two worlds, a ThunderClan warrior struggling to get out of his father's shadow, and a defector to ShadowClan who shares his ambitious streak. When StarClan chose these four cats to guide the four warrior Clans to their new home, they knew their journey would not be an easy one. Overcoming distance and danger is one thing; learning to work together with rivals from other Clans is another. But these cats must find a way to set aside the differences and borders between them, or the Clans will be lost forever.

Note from submitter: A Very good tnp rewrite that has been heartbreakingly abandoned. Some of the latest chapters still stick with me 5 years later. Recommend reading what's there

[northern-passage]

some of you may have seen over on my kithj blog but i'm currently in the process of editing/rewriting the current chapters of tnp (mainly the prologue & ch1) i'm only on the prologue right now but making steady progress. i'm getting to a lot of edits i've been putting off (like the wraith fight) and updating/revising some of the lore and worldbuilding. i'm hopeful this will improve what's already there and also motivate me to keep going and finally get back in the saddle completely.

i've made the decision to cut out certain choices, the biggest ones being that you can no longer turn Clementine away on the road (it was always a bit of an empty choice and just resulted in the player losing interactions with a main character who is ultimately unavoidable) as well as genderlocking the sibling. congrats, you now have a little sister!

otherwise the only other major changes i'm planning on at the moment is the aforementioned wraith fight, though i don't imagine the fight itself changing too much, mainly the structure and choices, and then i also plan to rewrite Noel's route in ch1. Noel's route has been something that has bothered me since the start, and i'm going to essentially swap xir path in ch1-- rather than going to the isolation district (which ultimately doesn't do much, since you go with him either way the following day in ch2) you'll be going along with him on his house calls. there are a lot of other minor things i'll be editing as well, but those are the only big content changes i'm looking at currently.

the wraith fight will probably take some time, and i want to update with both chapter overhauls completed, so don't expect that any time soon, but i figured i'd share what i'm up to at the moment :-) thank you as always for your patience and support!