Speaking of being interested in OC's! Is there anything about any of the cats in Saltburn's Clan that you think is really interesting or have always wanted to talk about but just never came up or seemed relevant to the comic? I feel like when I come up with stories, I start with the characters and so when it comes to actual plot I end up leaving a lot about them on the cutting room floor and was curious if you did the same!
there is a bunch left over from my very first initial draft that was before i was even planning a comic and instead was just making oc clans with the intention of mayyybbee making a video or two and leaving it at that. most of it has to do with briskwater?
briskwater was originally going to be a protagonist alongside saltburn and vulturepaw and i didnt really have a plot i just had the dynamic of chill guy (salt) + hyperactive apprentice (vulture) and religious autism (brisk) and thought it was kinda funny. so bc of this briskwater has a lot of BG information probably the most out of any minor character. because they are hollowspur's sibling a lot of it transferred over to her when she was invented sorry brisky.
i've always wanted to make this a mini comic or like a short story, and still might, but i've never been able to actually articulate it and get it to look or sound good. anyway:
briskwater and hawkwasp are from a litter before hollowspur, with hollow being the only surviving kitten from her litter. at the time hawkwasp was mates with willowstar. these are their parents:
bobtail was deputy at the time. hollowspur was born as gracklekit.
i've mentioned before that there are often mountain lions in marshclan territory. usually they keep to themselves but not always. the lions do not speak cat and are not friendly, but marshclan living in the barn usually keeps them protected.
well, gracklekit at about 4-5 moons sneaks out in the evening. she's sick of being confined to the barn. her parents go after her and dont return. in the early morning, marshclan sends a patrol out looking for them that contains willowstar, hawkwasp, briskwater and a few others.
they find barbclaw and bobtail's bodies. they died fighting, and they died protecting gracklekit who is harmed but alive, seeking shelter in the crack of a rock.
in current day, hollowspur is covered in scars, including symmetrical ones on her shoulders which is where she was gripped by the lion.
they get her home. ask her what happened and she tells them she just wanted to explore, she just wanted to see the world and she was sick of the barn. hawkwasp, always the charmer, blows up at her. tells her she was at complete fault. that she might has well killed their parents herself. they tell her we are no longer siblings, and you are not my burden. i will not be raising you for the rest of your kithood. then turn to willowstar and demand that they (w) change gracklekit's name to hollowkit, because that is all that is left. a hollow.
willowstar refuses, and tells them that is stupid and cruel. that they are allowed to grieve but that they can't take it out on a child and any further behavior like that is unacceptable, but not before briskwater, who is always calm, always gentle, tells them to get out of his den (the med den) and dont come back, that they (h) don't get to speak to gracklekit like that and if they (h) are going to turn their back on her, then they are turning their back on him as well. hawkwasp storms off.
after they leave, gracklekit speaks up. says she wants the name. willowstar is... reluctant. says that she doesn't have to listen to hawkwasp but she insists no, i want to own this. i will carry it with me. so they (w) rename them. there is no ceremony for it, and marshclan cats are shocked and a bit disgusted at hawkwasp for suggesting it (the whole clan heard. they were yelling) hawkwasp expected to be made deputy in place of their mother but instead willowstar breaks up with them after that, says they can't get over the cruelty of suggesting that name. says your sister just watched your parents die and your first reaction is to hurt her, and i don't want anything to do with that.
briskwater takes on hollowkit until she's an apprentice. she lives with him in the med den and he stays with her, but losing his parents and then being essentially betrayed by his littermate takes a toll on him too and so he goes silent. rarely ever speaks again except to give diagnosis and herb instructions. but he and hollowpaw develop a little sign language, and the rest of the clan and the other clan's healers pick it up pretty quickly.
before the event, they weren't super close. they're a few years older and pretty absorbed in their work so they didn't really take much time to visit and hang out with her. after that they are inseparable. willowstar mentors hollowpaw themself because they want to make sure that she is okay. so she grows up loved despite it all. and she meets saltpaw at their first gathering and they've basically been together ever since.
also more briskwater facts is that if the cats could smoke he would be smoking like a pack a day. that cat would be eating cigarettes.
also he and deadeye have SOMETHING going on but i don't know what.
med cats in SBC still can't have mate and kits, which i know is an unpopular rule in a lot of folks opinion BUT it's like one of the main things about the original warriors series that i actually like, since they're kinda supposed to be like nuns or whatever and married to starclan. and i think the drama is good. so even though its not really enforced in sbc world, it's still there, though most med cats are really too busy for mate and kits anyway. or are like silversky and are aroace. it's a popular job for those who want to avoid any pressure about having kids lol
all that is to say.... whatever deadeye and briskwater have is weird and unlabeled because briskwater is entirely devoted to the job but he does love deadeye in his own way. they complete each other and are obsessed with each other but deadeye has his family in sunclan that he is not willing to leave, and briskwater is unshakable in his faith. he just can't loop his head around the idea that he might have feelings for someone because (in his mind) that would mean he isn't properly devoted to his job. so they are content with seeing each other at half-moons and gatherings and maybe lingering a little afterwards....
briskwater is very special to me i like him :)