#bb!ravenwing

[bonefall]

I appreciate you changed Ravenwing's sign to being from Birchface because despite the fandom recognizing it's unfair Starclan put Leafpool on trial when she was told to "follow her heart" and give up the kits, nobody puts together that Ravenwing getting that sign is a "Starclan are bastards" moment. If you think about how Thunderclan and Riverclan were at war, there's no reason to tell Ravenwing they're half-clan unless Starclan *wanted* something bad to happen to Mapleshade's kits.

While I will strongly argue that Ravenwing had a lot more power in the situation than Frecklewish, I still blame StarClan for his choice more than Canon!Ravenwing himself. You're right; StarClan sending that sign in the first place had no other obvious outcome than putting Mapleshade and her children in harm's way.

Though my stance is still, hopefully, pretty clear about "orders." Ultimately, Ravenwing chose to reveal that omen and thus I do believe that still makes him somewhat responsible for what happened that night. StarClan was either incompetent or malicious when it sent that sign, but no one would have been hurt if he'd kept that secret a little longer.

So, for BB, StarClan IS full of bastards but not quite in this way. I like them being unfair, proud, and overemotional, not incompetent. The sign was Birchface's, without approval from wider StarClan, and Ravenwing was damned in blind fury for following a "false omen." I'm actually pretty fond of BB!Ravenwing, regretful demon whose ruling was unfair, but comes to feel like it was fitting in an unintended sort of way.

"Maybe I couldn't have known if the omen was holy or not, but even if StarClan did send that sign... they would not have been orders worth following. The Dark Forest is where I belong."

[bonefall]

Sorry, I'm a fucking idiot but what's Shadowsight's relationship with the Dakr Forest Peeps??? Somehow Don't know how to search properly 😭😭😭

OH dw djrhddj it's kind of an inside joke that just sorta happened based on this one scene

Here, I am handing you a bouquet of WIP material.

PREVIOUS CONTEXT:

In BB, Bristlefrost dies VERY early on. She is executed publically by the Impostor. She is a ghost for most of TBC.

Shadowsight has epilepsy, and since his birth in Heartstar's Rise, has had a really bad relationship with death and the idea of needing to "make his life worth it."

He's struck by lightning in early TBC, giving him a glowing blue scar that lights up his ear like radio antennae. This is a "gift" from Ashfur, essentially making Shadowsight a prophet-level interpreter. VERY powerful gift.

All Dark Forest residents manifest a "Land Mar" in the forest. An evil magic place based on the worst moment of their lives. If you live here long enough that it becomes home, you get one.

Anyway, cut ahead to the wip in question where the joke comes from;

Confronting the Impostor in the Dark Forest

Like canon, it is decided that Ashfur needs to be dealt with. He's escaped into the Dark Forest and it's not known what's happened with StarClan.

They just know that Ashfur is FREAKISHLY powerful and it's not known why. StarClan warriors can do many wonderful things, but possession? Calling down a lightning bolt to make a blessing?

The Clans are more concerned about StarClan than the dark forest though, and not super willing to stick their necks out to fight for... Hell. Or the soul of Bramblestar.

But Squirrelflight, in spite of EVERYTHING, argues passionately that they NEED to save her ex-mate. No man left behind means him too.

But I'm not sure if I'm going to have Shadowsight leave and re-enter the DF this time around, to go fetch these reinforcements, because I have a better idea.

So INSTEAD of escaping as Rootspring gets captured, Shadowsight also gets trapped. He's able to avoid capture, but injured, and not knowing how he's going to save everyone without reinforcements.

He manages to drag himself away where he finds a cave. It's the land mar of Ravenwing, the unfairly damned Cleric of ThunderClan... and he intentionally never seeks visitors. He has no idea what's going on out there with Ashfur. Man literally lives under a rock.

But Shadowsight is a young lad and he's injured. He needs help, so, he brings him deep into his cave to patch him up. That's where they have a little chat.

It's about expectations. What people want from you, vs the right thing to do. Ravenwing interpreted a sign from StarClan incorrectly, and three children died because of him. He thought he was doing what they wanted... but even if they did, it was an AWFUL thing to want.

And so he regrets it deeply. Even if it WAS their will, he should have had the spine to stand against it.

And then the subject turns around to Ashfur, Shadowsight sharing how he listened to him because he was a StarClan warrior, even against his instincts, how he feels responsible for this mess.

And yet.. how good it felt. How terrified he is that even if he beats him, he'll go back to living without him. Ashfur makes him special, this GIFT makes him special.

And how will anyone ever forgive him? So many people are dead because of him. Cousin Strikestone is dead because of him. All he ever wanted to do was be useful, but now his life is a net negative.

I plan to trim this down to be shorter and more "focused," but I do want to try and set up Shadowsight's feelings before the Final Battle in some other way.

Anyway, Ravenwing reveals that the Special Power of his Land Mar is that HE can send omens from the comfort of his own cave, very easily. With the power of his Land Mar and the Gift that Shadowsight still has, they're able to send a message to the Mortal Plane.

"STUCK IN DARK FOREST ASHFUR BAD SEND HELP"

I think it'll work better than the several chapters of arguing canon gave us, widely considered to be super frustrating. Just let Shadowsight see the "best hits" from Ravenwing's cave, like Squirrelflight’s Speech.

If I don't use the Land Mar idea, then Rootspring will break out of jail with the help of Hawkfrost's half-ghost and go get help.

Anyway. The joke

Shadowsight keeps getting put in the path of demons who aren't evil and angels who aren't good

So based on the Ravenwing Scene (which I've mentioned before but without much detail iirc) it just became a joke that people like talking to Shadowsight lmao

He'll take 2 steps and a new demon is like "oh i need to protect this boy"

Or suddenly traumadump on him

Or both

[bonefall]

what do the dark forest clerics think of jayfeather "fight god to save bestie" the cleric?

Runningnose

Very, very rarely actually expresses a belief. It's hard to know what he's thinking. But he would watch this with great interest and curiosity-- no wonder StarClan fears him. What an interesting case to observe...

Ravenwing

Probably doesn't know about it since he keeps to himself. But if he did? He'd be afraid of him too. A being BEYOND StarClan? Something that can defy death itself to yank people back from their graves? Surely this can't be good.

Ravenwing has a complicated relationship with StarClan after his unfair damning, but not entirely furious either. He thinks they were correct about their judgement, even if it was made in anger. They didn't send that sign (and he doesn't know Birchface was the real culprit), so... he DID misinterpret some reeds, and it IS partially his fault the kits died.

So he actually does not want to see StarClan fall, or be fearful. If they're afraid... what does that mean about the Place of no Stars?

Featherwhisker

Is pogging out. Oh my god. OH my god, marvelous. How can he give him a call? HOW can he send this man a giftcard so he can buy himself something nice on Steam?

He wants to talk with him and they would have a good time, chatting about defying god, how he can learn from Featherwhisker's mistakes and not get caught.

Feather would especially get a kick out of how Jayfeather's Honor Title ended up being the same as his prefix. Jay picked it to symbolically show that he won his fight with an angel, but it worked out coincidentally well.