Au where, while being a evil, EVIL bitch Mapleshade HELPS half clan cats instead of hurting them. Every time someone treats them wrong, she’s reminded of how HER kits were treated and it starts her up again.
Don’t get me wrong, those awful things she did to Crookedstar? Yeah those still happened. Everything she did in her novella? Still happened. Still, a black hearted, evil character, but with One (1) weakness
Bluefur is giving her last two kits to Oakheart when he asks why she brought someone with her. Turns to see Mapleshade carrying the still alive Mosskit, bitching all the way
On the Bone Hill, Tigerstar orders Stonefur’s death… only for a spitting mad tortie to appear, hissing and FURIOUS. This convinced Riverclan and Shadowclan, thinking its a starclan cat, to revolt.
She may actually be the one to kill Tigerstar
When Tigerstar was but a babe, she supported him and taught him battle moves, because he’s not half clan but he’s close enough. She does the same with Brokenstar, judged for his lack of mother and kittypet blood father
Probably sympathises with Yellowfang a lot, especially when she’s exiled for ‘breaking the code’ by her own son. Sees a lot of herself in her.
(I just. . really like the similarities between Yellow and Maple)
When she sees the rampant ableism facing Jay, BAM, scooped under her wjng to train. Fucking despises Leafpool for the ableism against her own son.
She kills Ashfur to keep the secret safe instead of Hollyleaf.
This leads to a weird thing where Crookedstar and everyone else she was hurt, wronged, killed and tortured thinking (rightfully) that she is an evil piece of shit. But to Jay, Stone, Misty, Moss, Bluestar, Holly, Storm, Feather? Greatest cat to ever walk this earth. She’s their weird bloodthirsty godmother