Do you think Leopardstar had anything to do with Crookedstar’s death? Like it’s kinda sus how he died, maybe Leopardstar poisoned him, I mean her dad is the medicine cat, she definitely picked up on some herbs, like the herbs that could kill a cat.
Also, Mistyfoot killing Leopardstar is much more interesting than her dying of an illness. Could she drown her? Like just draining whatever lives are left. Ironic for two reasons: A similar way that Tigerstar went and the fact that Leopardstar is a drypaw and has nearly died to drowning before.
As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words and Mistyfoot is doing just that.
I loooove Mudcastle dude. They're a cool ass blog.
I think in-canon, the Erins refuse to give me my evil women and want to starve me to death with an absolutely sauceless Leopardstar who was nice the whole time. But this is MY kitchen and I add AS MANY SPICES AS I WANT.
Did she kill Crookedstar?
You bet your bottom dollar she did. I am extremely fond of the Fire and Water's take that she didn't outright KILL him, but she was weakening him. Juuust enough to sap his strength, not enough for it to be obvious she did it.
How does Mistyfoot kill Leopardstar?
I looove Mudcastle's Dark Mirror AU, but my Mistystar isn't so evil. I want to frame what she does to Leopardstar as something violent and traumatic, not something she enjoys.
In my head, it's something that creeps up on her. It wasn't right away after Brook and Stormfur were exiled. It's how Hawkfrost dies and the clan goes into mourning (he was, after all, beloved, respected, a young and promising warrior), and Mistyfoot expects a small shock...
...and instead, there's a simmering heat in the Clan. How they start to look at Mothwing differently. Whispers that maybe Hawkfrost didn't take a life from Firestar at all.
It's Reedwhisker falling into the river and his patrol not jumping in after him.
It's Blackclaw making a remark about thick ThunderClan blood clotting up in his feet.
It's Leopardstar drawing away from her as a deputy, even without Hawkfrost to undermine her, feeling the political tide of RiverClan turn cold again
Finally, someone floats the idea of taking the meeting island as the camp again. Mistyfoot reminds them of how StarClan smote Mudclaw. Blackclaw shouts her down, RiverClan descends into an argument, and when she looks up to Leopardstar for backup, the setting sun shades the stump into a dark, spiky hill.
Leopardstar's amused eyes flash, Tigerstar amber, dark-forest red, and Mistyfoot realizes that this will not end without someone to stop it.
I think she has to kill Leopardstar three times, and it will not be easy for her. Leopardstar is a vicious, powerful warrior. I think drowning would be good for one of the deaths, but the final blow should come from some sort of stone. Misty smashes Leopard's head against it.
One of those things were you can't be sure if it was coincidence, or if Stonefur was sending a sign from StarClan.
@bonefall Anytime you mentioned this death scene, I keep associating it with this song since the lyrics are LITERALLY this entire scene. "Bloodstains washing underneath the waves"??? "I can't hold on much longer, we're drifting down to the other side"?????? It was fucking PLAGUING me and I had to just get this out.
Anyways ur AU fucks and since this is ur favorite death scene hopefully I did it justice :)
absolutely LOVE the wc better bones au and since the creator @bonefall has said that he encourages redesigns/reimagining of characters i thought i'd toss in my take on tawnypelt!!! inspired by the official design!!!!!
tawny's my favorite wc character so seeing an au that actually lets her have her deserved character growth has been SO awesome. we love to see a girlboss winning!!!!!!
In doing that ask game, I was asked how I would rewrite the code. It got too big for the ask! So here’s the Warrior Code Rewritten, for my Bonefall Rewrite
(As always, it is free for anyone to use or edit to their own liking <3)
I tried to streamline the code by eliminating redundancy, gave each one snappier names, AND I have some rough drafts for stories associated with each one!
1. Do not Trespass = "Law of the Land"
This is now rule 1, because borders were the first thing to be established at the dawn of the clans.
2. A True Warrior Does Not Need To Kill To Win Their Battles = "Law of Honor"
Another founding principle. The first two were established at the Battle of Fourtrees.
3. Defend your Clan = "Law of Loyalty"
The Ryewhisker/Cloudberry story is virtually unchanged. HOWEVER, Cloudberry AND Ryewhisker are willingly joining the Dark Forest in protest. They are some of the oldest spirits there.
4. The Weak are Fed First = "Prey Priority Privilege"/"Elder's Privilege"
This story is actually being completely rewritten, it's not coming from a celebration over a RiverClan Sunningrocks victory. Still a WIP though-- but Elders are actually the ones who extend the privilege of priority to kits, queens, the weak, and injured. Just a technical thing.
5. Respect Prey; StarClan Sent It. = "StarClan's Grace"
Now more of a commandment about piety than about respecting prey. Wasting prey is downright sacrilegious, thanking StarClan is explicitly a prayer.
This is one of my small but meaningful (to me) sociological changes. This is the sort of law that religions often create because they're important and communicate an abstract value over generations. An individual warrior may or may not have a good understanding of land stewardship or ecology, but this law exists so they don't overhunt.
6. Apprentices must be six moons old = "Six Moon Rule"
The Code of the Clans story is unchanged; this is also known as “Daisytail’s Law”. Brokenstar actually loopholes the hell out of this law; it says nothing about making early warriors.
(personally i think his child soldiers are horrifying but ultimately stupid. Pint-sized kittens can’t fight and do not live to become experienced warriors.)
Post-Brokenstar, this loophole is patched; an apprentice needs to be 6 months, a warrior must be 1 year.
The rule is extended FURTHER after Graystripe's failure to train Brackenpaw; a warrior taking a new apprentice must be 2 years old.
7. A Deputy Must Mentor/Deputy Becomes Clan Leader/Deputy is Appointed Before Moonhigh = "Code of the Deputy"
Combined into one huge rule. A succession crisis split ShadowClan into two factions, lead by Mossfire and Jumpfoot, who were both what modern Clan Cats would consider 'deputies.'
Redscar settled it with his famous false sign, appointing Flowerstem as leader (Mossfire's sister) and she chose her second-in-command, Robinspot (Jumpfoot's son). Deputies were established as a hard title after this-- and there would only ever be one at a time.
8. Boundaries must be checked and marked daily = "Right of the Challenge"
Instead of just being a no-brainer law, this is the basis of 'Might Makes Right' in the Clans. Boundaries are set where they're set, and warriors and the clans they're part of are allowed to challenge them freely.
A Clan that cannot defend its borders is not worthy of keeping them. A warrior that backs down from a formal challenge is a coward, and does not respect the Code. BATTLE CULTURE!!!
9. A Warrior Rejects the Soft Life Of a Kittypet = “Kittypet Code“
Being shuffled, no longer formed as a response to Pinestar’s choice! It was actually a SkyClan law, in response to several cats defecting as humans destroyed their forest.
This lays the foundation for several events later; Oakstar uses this law to justify ‘crusades‘ against Chelford township cats in an attempt to appease StarClan. This directly leads to BloodClan’s formation, and Pinestar’s eventual defection.
This is the last code to be formed before SkyClan’s Exile.
10. A Medicine Cat Serves Their Clan Above All Else = “Medicine Cat’s Vow”
Now a corruption of a vow that used to just be a point of honor for medicine cats, warped to control these powerful religious figures.
Before SkyClan’s Exile, Moth Flight created it for her and her children when they were torn apart by clan violence, when each clan wanted its own medic and sought to steal the young cats from WindClan. Its original intention was for medicine cats to value medicine ABOVE their clans, by never having a mate or kittens to fight for.
With the addition of this law, it was flipped on its head completely.
11. No Fighting at Gatherings = "Full Moon Truce"
A big change; Ripplestar wasn’t fighting for no reason. Son of a medicine cat who had to abandon him due to Rule 10, and developing a hatred for the wrongful exile of SkyClan, Ripplestar was leading skirmishes and rebellions against the other clans. His goal was to force them into dividing their land to eventually give to a returned SkyClan.
The full moon truce was only a tradition before this point, and Ripplestar was making a point. He attacked them during a time of peace, and this incurred the wrath of StarClan. They smote him on the spot, and this event lead to rules 11, 12, and 13.
12. The Warrior’s Vigil and the Warrior’s Pilgrimage = “The First Tasks“
Another post-exile law that encouraged obedience, albeit in a much softer way. Vigils and pilgrimages to the moonstone were only tradition before this point, just like the full moon truce, but formalized to encourage piety to StarClan.
13. The Word of a Leader is Law = “Leader’s Rights“
The big bad one. Also sometimes called Dalestar’s Commandment, or the 13th Law. The leaders had enough of arguing, and in their minds, it was a disrespect of authority that lead to Ripplestar’s shenanigans. Warriors that didn’t know their place, medicine cats getting too uppity. The law was laid down here; that their word was always the final authority.
This, of course, was a huge mistake and is eventually reckoned with in The Broken Code arc, and replaced by the “Clan’s Rights“ to challenge a bad leader instead.
14. Kittens Are Protected At All Costs = “Queen’s Rights”
Also called Darkstar’s Commandment, formed in response to StarClan’s fury at witnessing the Mapleshade incident. Every cat involved was sent to the Dark Forest in blind fury, and Darkstar and Oakstar were commanded to add this law or be damned as well.
Darkstar correctly identified that this law would mean nothing if a queen HAD to reveal who the father of her kittens was, because then the clan would be forced to punish them if they had broken the Law of Loyalty. With the establishments of the Queen’s Right (to remain silent), if she had been disloyal, it stays between her and StarClan.
Before this time, stealing kittens from other clans and outsider groups wasn’t uncommon in order to maintain genetic diversity. That practice was abolished here, though there were a few cases of it happening in modern history.
15. The Clans Must Unite in Times of Need = “Law of the Lake”
Being formally added after the arrival of SkyClan, in AVOS instead of Bramblestar’s Storm.
A law of reparation for SkyClan’s exile so many generations ago, and an agreement after the journey, the battle with the Dark Forest, and with the Kin, that the Clans would never let a threat to one clan go ignored by the others.
16. A Cat May Change Allegiance = “Bristlefrost’s Law”
I won’t elaborate too much on this one, because as of writing this, A Starless Clan is not complete and there may be more changes to this law by the end of the arc.
However, this is the law that was created after Bristlefrost’s sacrifice to kill Ashfur. It is named in her honor.
Are mental illnesses and neurodivergency recognized and named by the clans? Or are they just seen as “oh yeah randompaw is just a little odd”? Are there stigmas? Treatments?
I create herb guides exactly for this purpose. The next herb guide will be for spinal correction and scoliosis, but the guide after that will be for depression and anxiety.
So far I have guides for Transgender HRT and Epilepsy
The way the cats treat neurodivergency depends a bit on the specific issue. Autism, ADHD, I imagine those are like you described. A very, "Oh that's just how they are" sort of thing. Littlecloud obsessed with herbs? Sounds like StarClan has given him a gift. Squilf can't focus on one thing? At first they try to discipline that out of her but when it doesn't work, "that's just how Squirrelpaw is. That's why we're calling her Squirrelflight now."
Dyspraxic? Don't put them on weaving duty. Don't like the texture of leaf litter? Don't send them hunting in the woods. Forgets stuff? Don't force them to remember things.
Stuff like epilepsy or BPD usually needs more management; Sorreltail medicates with valerian root. Cinderheart has a long journey with mindfulness and so does Squilf.
I avoid the cats being able to name and recognize a wide array of neurodivergencies though. If they can't even call Greencough "pneumonia", they certainly don't know the medical name of Epilepsy or Autism.
Sorreltail has absence seizures; which the Clans call "being attacked by daydreams". An autistic cat "lives in their own world". ADHD cats are "always thinking". Cinderheart acts "heart-first".
I come up with the phrases as I need them; plus, I personally find that describing how these things FEEL to the afflicted and APPEAR to the surrounding cast is waaaaaay more impactful than just dropping an in-universe list straight out of the DSM-5, you know? The portrayal is the important part. This isn't a mental illness poke-rap lmao
Off the page, I speak frankly about my intentions and the neurodivergence I'm seeking to portray. On the page, it's "show don't tell".
just read that briarlight from your rewrite doesn't only have her thing with Millie and her inappropriate behaviour (at least from what I got) BUT also has strained relationship with graystripe,which I think is interesting concept 👀 could we get more detail on that ?
Sure thing! I don't plan to completely eliminate Millie's inappropriate behavior, but her abelism is treated as abelism by the narrative.
Graystripe is not allowed to get off blameless here; he should have protected his daughter. But he didn't. Briarlight has complicated feelings towards the fact that her dad didn't help her when she really needed him.
I actually really like Graystripe as a character so this matters a lot to me; the narrative treats him like he's a perfect being when he's an extremely complex guy. Graystripe does what he wants to do, and is a passionate and loyal person, but how would he decide between telling his mate to back off, and protecting his daughter?
I don't think he can decide. Siding with one could mean losing the other, and after what he's lost, he can't do that. So instead he does nothing, trying to play 'Both Sides', and just ends up alienating both.
Briarlight
Around the time of Bramblestar's Storm, ThunderClan is working on a better mobility device for her that will allow her to get out of camp, on more types of uneven terrain. I plan for Jessie to actually be the one who finally figures this out, a proper kitty cat genius of engineering, using that blanket they salvaged to help prevent chafing.
Here is a mouse drawing in paint lmao, it is a modified version of @cryptidclaw's Briarlight design, which I asked for their permission to use!
[ID: A drawing of a paraplegic cat, Briarlight, from Warrior Cats. She has a furry 'mullet' mane and a mobility device in three colors. There are green rings around the neck, hips, tail and back legs labelled 1, a blue blanket stretched over the belly labelled 2, and a red bark sled under the immobile legs marked 3]
The rings are made of twine of some sort, with the blanket sewn into the ones on the neck and legs, with the ones on the hips looping around the sides of the bark sled
The blanket prevents thorns and rocks from scratching her body; very important because if they were caught under her legs, she would not feel the pain to know it needs to be removed else cause infection
The bark sled is the only part that touches the ground, to prevent wear to the blanket and prevent it from getting ripped up too quickly. (oops I drew it too short lmao it should reach as far back as the paw)
This version is an improved model of the one that Wildfur used and made the entire TNP journey with; his would look very similar to Cryptidclaw's initial design (For the record it is the best mobility device for a paraplegic warrior I'd ever seen and they deserve a ton of credit here, I just improved some technical aspects of their design!)
ANYWAY back to discussion of abelism
So around this time, Briarlight finally sets a hard boundary with Millie. Her mom can't respect her, makes her feel horrible about herself, can't appreciate this incredible new mobility device, so finally Briar says, "Do not talk to me until you understand that my life isn't a tragedy!"
I think this actually does make Millie reconsider what she's been saying and doing to her kids, but fixing the relationship from this point is slow and gradual. Graystripe also gets caught in this; I'm thinking it was a sort of, "honey please speak to your mother," "Dad if you keep that up you're getting cut off too" situation.
Thankfully there's going to be plenty of time to do it since I'm not letting Briarlight die in AVoS. She survives AT LEAST until TBC, where her outspokenness against Bramblefake is going to put her in danger.
A writing glyph system for Warrior Cats, made to be simple enough for a cat to scratch with 4 claws, and crude enough to fit WC's 'early society' vibe.
More under the cut!
I made these glyphs to be rudimentary, only covering things that the clans would want to warn other warriors about (no names, no words for species). I see their culture as very straightforward, so I tried to reflect that with this practical system.
DANGER is the quickest and easiest sign to scratch, for this reason. Write it on a tree and get out of there! Or, more gruesomely, if a cat was dragged off by something, that's what their claws in the dirt would look like!
I go back and forth on if it's meant to be written Left to Right, or Top to Bottom, but the most important glyph always goes last. A sentence can totally change based on order!
For example, CAT NEST usually refers to a bed or a good sleeping area. NEST CAT means family.
Sometimes, glyphs end up being combined when it's aesthetically pleasing or makes it easier to write. The word for kittypet is CAT TWOLEG, with the ears of the cat extending into the stick legs.
I chose to only make one word for HEAL and HOLY, because traditionally, their culture didn't have a distinction. A healing herb is HOLY PLANT.
SICK is a flea, but it can be anything from actual illness (CAT SICK), or poison plants (SICK PLANT). A quarantine den would be CAT NEST SICK... where a mass grave of greencough victims would be CAT SICK GROUND
Predators are defined by their behavior. Venomous snakes are written as SICK PREDATOR. Birds of prey are almost always defined with when they hunt, so hawks are DAY WIND PREDATOR and owls are NIGHT WIND PREDATOR. Dogs are so dangerous that it's just assumed that PREDATOR DANGER means dogs.
Need to warn someone that a river floods in spring? NEWLEAF WATER CAUTION. Are there hawks in an area? DAY WIND PREDATOR DANGER.
Let's do a really complicated one. "The twoleg lets the dogs free at night, but they are chained in the day.
The safety of the day is the least important part here, so that sentence goes first. DAY SAFE, TWOLEG PREDATOR DANGER NIGHT.
This system is free to use but I would love if you tagged me when you do because I would like to see :]
