I'm an adult (20s) and use they/them exclusively. I draw and read often, and enjoy animation and writing when I can kick my ass into gear. I'm currently in college studying English Lit, but I have a few other degrees! I am proficient in Español and ASL and would love to practice! I have 5 cats and 1 hognose snake whom I adore deeply (and I'd love to share pics!). My current primary interests are Warriors and my own OCs, lol.
sorry its clunky im very new to comics, this is set in an au! squirrelpaw is still younger than ashpaw, but apprenticeships take about a year. aka no more creepy!!
No lie I saw such a Take earlier about grooming in WC canon that I wrote a massive thing ab canon examples of what is and (maybe) isn't grooming in the text. But idk if it's worth posting given it's stupid long and I'm sure will generate some conflict 🤦 blegh.
How does the other cats in the clan react to fern spiraling in your ashfern swap au? I like how you included that cloud tried to step in and I really love that!! Also, how does jay, lion and specially holly feel at the fire scene? I really love your take on this au!!
Hehe thank u! I've seen so many good takes on this AU. It's so fun to play around with :3
My thoughts on ur questions below, since I ramble lol ⬇️
Given how much toms are put ahead of mollies in the WC universe, I do sometimes look back and feel a little surprised that nobody really did anything about Ashfur spiraling. Like, I suppose he didn't change too much aside from being irritable, but... c'mon.
With that in mind, I feel that with Ferncloud being the one to spiral—especially when her littermates seem to be doing well in life—she'd probably be dismissed. And, not to bring misogyny into everything (altho this IS wc we're talking ab...), but I think her status as one of the first "permaqueens" would REALLY influence how her clanmates reacted. I can realistically see two possibilities:
1) She is dismissed as a hormonal, irritable queen, either because she's pregnant or because she's dealing with kits all the time. Either way, her emotions and wellbeing are brushed off. Or
2) Clanmates are too coddling about it, without actually addressing the issue. She's a queen! If she's pregnant, then she CAN'T be unhealthy or malnourished or dirty! That's just not right! And if she's just caring for kits, well, that's a bad role model for them! She can't do that! Oh, she's a warrior...? Anyway. (I am rewatching The Handmaid's Tale rn... might be influencing my thoughts, lol).
That being said, I think there would be some clanmates in exception (as with all things). Like I said, I think Cloudtail and Brightheart would try to help, but ultimately give her space. I imagine Leafpool would keep an eye on Fern's health, as is her job, though I don't know if Leafpool would really have the capacity to address Fern's mental wellness at that time. Daisy I think was one of Fern's closest friends, and I imagine she would be a bit brash about Fern getting her shit together, albeit with good intentions. I imagine cats like Firestar, Brackenfur, Squilf, and some of the other openly empathetic cats would try to be kinder too.
The biggest thing here, that I think is REALLY important to this AU, is that Fern DOES have a support system. She is just so far gone, so overwhelmed by her own jealousy and misery and this new "love," that she can't—won't—let anyone pull her back to shore. And every single instance of being brushed off, or coddled, or whatever just makes her more and more angry at the world.
—
One of the things I wanted to change in this AU is that, when the 3 are apprenticed, Fern tries to re-assert herself as a warrior and wants to be a mentor. I imagine she initially gets dismissed because she helped nurse the 3, and that causes some conflict.
But then, Hollypaw decides she doesn't want to be a medicine cat, and Fern just jumps on the opportunity. Firestar relents and gives Fern this chance, hoping that maybe it'd lift her spirits. But the concerns about conflict of interest were right on the money.
Whereas Ashfur was too violent and harsh with Lionpaw in canon, Fern is too soft on Hollypaw. She knows Hollypaw is Leafpool's, and Fern helped nurse this apprentice, so she sees Hollypaw as her daughter. She wants Hollypaw to be a wonderful warrior, but she can't bring her to any harm!
This is a MAJOR source of contention for Hollypaw, who is so, so deeply loyal to the code, and who knows she is being treated differently than other apprentices. She just doesn't understand why. She starts purposefully using claws, biting, getting just a little too violent in an attempt to get Fern to just. Stop. Coddling her.
Fern doesn't understand why Hollypaw is lashing out. What has she done wrong?! She's doing everything she can for this kit cat, anything to keep her safe and loved, and she just. Won't. Listen. Fern starts losing her patience. Fern starts letting her claws slip, only to feel so guilty after she becomes even more depressed and anxious. She wasn't good enough as a queen, and she isn't good enough as a warrior, or as a mentor. And nobody sees her.
Except Leafpool. Leafpool would understand. Leafpool knows Hollypaw and she knows Fern and she knows what it is like to be brushed aside for her role in the clan, for the simple crime of being a molly.
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I imagine the fire scene is between Fern, Leaf, and the 3. I really liked @/scarechrow's interpretation, in which Fern addresses how she knows the 3 are Leaf's kits, but she's most hurt by the fact that Leaf didn't trust her enough to spill her secret. Fern RAISED those kits! Fern KNOWS what it's like to be an outsider inside your own clan. Why doesn't Leafpool understand that? Why doesn't Leafpool let her the fuck in?!
As in canon, the 3 are shocked to find out that they aren't born from Squilf/bramble, but from at least 1 cat who cannot have kits. They don't know their father, but it doesn't matter at the moment, because the cat who nursed them is trying to kill them. Jayfeather is caught in the emotions because of his power, unable to focus on one cat and overwhelmed and terrified by the flames. Lionblaze—who is the medicine cat apprentice in this AU—is shocked to realize his beloved mentor was his mother this whole time. He doesn't know how to feel.
And Hollyleaf... her mentor, the cat who nursed her, the cat who coddled her for so many moons, is trying to kill her. And the cat who birthed her is a medicine cat. A traitor to the clans, to the code Hollyleaf has devoted her entire life to. She doesn't know who she wants dead more.
—
Bonus, because I can't keep my Ashfur autism to myself, I think it would be amusing if the 3 assumed their father might be Ashfur. Not only because well, that would partially explain Fern's vicious anger AND the visibly sour relationship she has with Ash, but also because Ashfur spent their entire lives trying to insert himself as a sort of weird parental figure. And he's made so many comments on how Jay looks like him (no he doesn't). It would be so funny.
“Regarding setting, the court held that both works taking place in Alaska high schools was not protectable because Alaska is a public place and setting a teen novel in a high school is a common genre convention.”
her last words being directed at rootspring. its so brisover I DONT CARE FOR BRISTLEROOT. STOPNIT PLEASEEEE
if i may confess i didnt read the last 2 tbc books in full .. but i absolutely understand this yes hes completely unnecessary as a protagonist and the arc would have been so much stronger with only bris and shadow as povs....... SIGH.............
scientists are trying to discover something harder than getting out of bed to go to work in the morning. and dont make a fucking penis joke ok they already checked everyone’s dick and it doesn’t even come close
Art & Other Fun Stuffs @artaintfart - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
