#ouzelstar

[moonheartsfaithcomic]

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[bogcreacher]

leaders, deputies and healers (redraw)

huge, and I mean MASSIVE infodump under the cut, watch out!!

LEADERS

Palestar (she/her), Leader of Stormclan - Palestar’s backstory is one shrouded in mystery. All that is known about her ascent to leadership is that she killed the previous Stormclan leader - Creekstar - who was known as a callous tyrant. Rumours ooze around the festering wound that Creekstar left in her clan, and whilst her fellow leaders are viciously curious about the events that lead to her annointment as leader, Palestar is thoroughly tight-lipped about it all. 

Ouzelstar (he/him), Leader of Snowclan - A traditionalist and a shithead. Ouzelstar was a virulent warrior, intent on keeping his clan free from anything he believed would threaten the tradition that Snowclan had supposedly stood on for so many years. As leader, his cutthroat attitude has calmed a bit, mostly due to his fears over dividing his clan any further - though he is not above putting down cats he deems ‘lesser’, such as his deputy, Kestrel, whom he named Half-face. 

Dapplestar, (he/him) Leader of Gladeclan - The oldest of the leaders and a gentle soul. Dapplestar has had the fortune of leading Gladeclan through many of its most comfortable seasons, and as such has adopted a very mellow outlook on life. His indecisive attitude has troubled them, however, when choosing deputies. After struggling for many moons with cats who wanted to abuse power and ignore duties (or those who were very obviously just waiting for him to keel over), he sought guidance from his ancestors. Lionsong was appointed deputy after Starclan named him as the future saviour of the clan. Knowing that a prophecy has named Lionsong as his successor, and confident in his abilities to lead, Dapplestar is ready to retire and live out the last of his days in the warmth of his clan. 

Sandstar (they/them), Leader of Meadowclan - It is difficult to describe Sandstar without using the word ‘bitchy’. Taking their assessment at an exceptionally young age and then going on to become deputy and leader, Sandstar has earned the confidence and precedence they carry themselves with - not that it doesn’t annoy their fellow leaders somewhat. Despite all their pride and gumption, they regularly find themselves bored by the toils of leadership and often delegate their duties to their worrywart deputy, Ravenshine. They have two mates, Mothswoop and Appledawn. 

DEPUTIES

Bluehaven (he/him), Stormclan’s Deputy - In the aftermath of Creekstar’s rule and Palestar’s rise to power, Stormclan was weakened and divided. In-fighting began to stir between those who supported and those who opposed Palestar’s leadership, and to quell this discord Palestar appointed Bluehaven, one of her most outspoken opposers, as deputy. Despite his objections to her leadership, Bluehaven was shaken by Palestar’s decision, initially believing it to be a trick, and later, a test of his loyalty. He warmed up to his new role after Palestar made further efforts to rebuild her clan, including pardoning exiled cats and banning the murder of rogues (an action that Creekstar had permitted). Nowadays his relationship with Palestar is tense but professional - though there are rumours she only made him deputy because she knows he won’t usurp her like she had to Creekstar. 

Kestrel (he/him), Snowclan’s Deputy - Kestrel was born in Stormclan to Pineshadow and an unknown father. Not long before his apprentice ceremony, his mother fled their home, taking him to Snowclan. There, Ouzelstar took him in, whilst his mother was turned away into the frozen wilds. From a young age Kestrel demonstrated an intuition and selflessness beyond his age - he was left significantly scarred after defending his clanmate from a badger. Though most of his clanmates afforded him sympathy and admiration for this action, there were others who were angered by it - namely Ouzelstar, who would give Kestrel the warrior name ‘Half-face’. Kestrel went on to become deputy after Thawflank stepped down to care for his son and grieve his mate, and remained in the role long after this once Ouzelstar realised his competency far exceeded Thawflank’s (and he didn’t argue with him like Thawflank did). As deputy, he puts his duties above all else, especially any personal grudges he might harbour. 

Lionsong (he/him), Gladeclan’s Deputy - Lionsong suffered a rough childhood, one that he still occasionally blames himself for. Having lost both his parents at a young age, in different ways, Lionsong grew up under the guidance of his mentor, Brightnettle. As an adult, Lionsong has committed himself to serving his clan to the best of his ability, and is known by his clanmates to be resolute but compassionate - making him a perfect candidate for deputy. Having been named by Starclan as the ‘saviour of his clan’, Lionsong wonders what lies in his future, and whether his future role as leader could clash with the actions required of a hero. He has a mate named Ashfall. 

Ravenshine (she/her), Meadowclan’s Deputy - Born a kittypet and abandoned by her owners, Ravenshine struggled to adapt to a life of scavenging on the streets of her twoleg-place. She found Meadowclan after trying her luck hunting in the fringes of the town and stumbling across a border patrol. Desperate and hungry, she was prepared to fight these new, strange cats for her dinner, but was surprised when they invited her to their clan. She found the warrior life suited her well (though she is prone to sunburn more than the average Meadowclan cat, due to her lack of fur) and quickly earned the trust of Sandstar. She enjoys organisation and strategising, both of which make her suited to her role as deputy - though she does have a bad habit of over-worrying, something that isn’t helped by her leader’s lackadaisical antics. She has a crush on her clanmate, Flaxeneye. 

HEALERS

Lichenfrost (she/her), Stormclan’s Healer - Lichenfrost is unusually friendly for a Stormclan cat. She was apprenticed to Frostwhisker, a key figure in the turmoil Stormclan experienced under Creekstar’s leadership, until his brutal death at the claws of a clanmate. Lichenfrost was understandably devastated, having witnessed it with her own eyes, and struggled for many moons as her clan’s sole healer. Whilst the bright sting of shock has long since left, she still finds herself struggling under the weight of her grief from time to time, a feeling she mostly tries to battle with a warm smile and a good talk, and maybe only occasionally some poppyseed. 

Berrystem (she/her), Snowclan’s Healer - Berrystem apprenticed under Cedarsmoke, a quiet and often unsettling cat. Almost as soon as she had earned her name, he left the clan, saying goodbye only to her. As an apprentice, Berrystem was fiercely passionate about her duties, finding solace in healing clanmates and peace in having time to herself - not to mention, a small part of her was both humbled and thrilled by the importance of her role. As she got older, however, her devotion began to waver - and almost faltered completely when the Blight hit her clan. After the death of both her apprentice, Mumblepaw, and her brother’s mate, Tumblestone, Berrystem travelled to the Peak and begged her ancestors for something, anything she could do to save her clanmates. She was met with silence. Distraught and hopeless, Berrystem started avoiding her clanmates out of guilt, spending all her time in her den tending to the dying. When the Blight finally began to clear in the warmer months, the damage was done; their small clan was smaller and Berrystem believed it was all due to her. Losing her brother to his grief and her friends to their duties, Berrystem found an unlikely bond with the only other cat who felt ostracised from the clan; Martenfur. The two would soon form a warm friendship, with Martenfur often helping Berrystem fetch those herbs that were just a little too tall for her to reach. 

Littleshadow (she/her), Gladeclan’s Healer - Littleshadow became a healer far later in her life than most cats. She was 40 moons when the clan’s current healer, Duskfoot, died suddenly in a dog attack. Having been the only cat with a higher-than-average knowledge of herbs and remedies, Littleshadow stepped in to help her clan. Trained mostly by Beechbark, Littleshadow quickly learnt the ways of a healer and took up the role full-time - leaving her mate, Cindertail, behind. 

Beechbark (he/him), Meadowclan’s Healer - Beechbark is the oldest of the current healers, having outlived not only his mentor but the clan’s previous leader. Despite this, he refuses to pick an apprentice on the principle that none of his clan’s current young ‘uns show enough respect and diligence for his liking. His clanmates fear that he’ll die before taking an apprentice, and his clan will be left healer-less like Gladeclan had been. Little do they know, Beechbark fears that if his clan has a newer, younger healer then they’ll see no use for him, and usher him off to the elder’s den. He’s not ready to give up his role just yet. 

[bogcreacher]

the good ending

[bogcreacher]

I was rereading your comic and noticed a comment joking that Thawflank was trying to court Ouzelstar with food, which is just hjhjhjjh

Worst news, your emotionally distant, disapproving, (possibly homophobic) father is crushing on your despotic, dickhead leader, what do you do?

I mean, one look from Ouzelstar and Thawflank immediately went along with the Medcat idea, he is obviously smitten /j

(they do have some low-key divorce energy going)

(I am very sorry for this ask)

bahaha unfortunately their relationship hits a lot of the benchmarks for shipping territory 

like, Thawflank is SO mad Ouzelstar isn’t paying attention to him anymore, Ouzelstar is SO jealous of Thawflank’s family, they were childhood bestfriends turned playful rivals turned worsties 

Like I cannot stress enough that the traditionalist shitheads are not intended to be read as epic divorced salaryman yaoi but unfortunately I think I did write em that way huh

[moonheartsfaithcomic]

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[bogcreacher]

It's now cannon to me that Ouzelstar knows random types of planes/vehicles.

He sees a car go by and starts ranting about the model while everyone else is convinced that he has finally gone senile

hehehehe. he’s wrong 60% of the time but no one else knows enough about vehicles to dispute him

[bogcreacher]

(I am sorry for all the questions and how cluttered this is)

Can I ask how exactly Thawnflank's removal as deputy went?

Was it him trying to juggle everything to the point that it was becoming really unhealthy and he was doing a poor job if it (seems like something he would do for some reason) so Ouzelstar basically had to force him to drop being the deputy

Or was it more like

Thawnflank: "That sure was a nice vacation I took off from being deputy, so whe-"

Ouzelstar: "Oh you liked the vacation, well good news, it's getting extended! Indefinitely! :)"

(side note, Thawnflank of all characters got lodged in my brain, he seems like salary man for some reason? Eyebags, tired, kind of a dick, got demoted, trying to suck up to his boss, probably not great mental health, single father. Idk, can just imagine him working a corporate job for an unhealthy amount of hours a day and being an asshole to his co-workers)

Don’t apologise! I love fielding questions about my ocs lol

It was sort of a combo of the two!

Thawflank really tried to make it work; becoming clan leader one day is the ambition he’s carried with him all his life, and it’s fundamentally shaped him as a person.

But Tumblestone’s death drained him significantly, and he realised that after his duties he had very little space for his son, who was also coming to terms with the loss (and it didn’t help that the only other cat who could’ve looked after Moonpaw at the time was Martenfur, a cat Thawflank despises) so he stepped down, quite possibly the most selfless thing he’s ever done in his life. His decision didn’t come without encouragement, though - mostly from Berrystem.

He was fully expecting to get his position back once his son was apprenticed, but whenever he tried to broach the subject with Ouzelstar he was brushed off, never getting his role back but never being told he WASN’T getting his role back. As such, the gratuitous brown-nosing on Thawflank’s part began.

Thawflank and Ouzelstar have been best friends and rivals for a very long time; both of them dreamt of being leader, and competed heavily as apprentices and warriors, both promising the other that if they did become leader the other would be deputy.

When Ouzelstar became leader things were good between them - then after years of Thawflank’s stubbornness and Ouzelstar’s jealousy, their friendship soured. Nowadays, a part of Ouzelstar enjoys the fact that he pretty much has Thawflank under his thumb, and a part of Thawflank’s thrills whenever Ouzelstar’s fucks up as a leader. They have a relationship based on waiting for the other’s downfall, more or less.

And Thawflank ABSOLUTELY is a salaryman. If he were to examine any of his friendships with his clanmates beyond “work together” and “enjoy shitting on other people” he’d realise he’s incredibly, incredibly lonely, even more so since he’s been speedrunning the “get my son to hate me” achievement - putting his ambitions above any meaningful relationship he’s ever had has turned his life into a bit of a corporate hellscape. Who’da guessed!

[bogcreacher]

Is Ouzelstar the one that gave Half-face his name because if so, turning around and then making him deputy is pretty funny

"Ha ha, he lost his face, oh shit, he's actually competent."

thats exactly what happened lol

Ouzelstar gave Kestrel that warrior name for a bunch of reasons (some more secret than others) the biggest one being that he's an asshole; Snowclan has a big 'protect yourself before others' philosophy that Kestrel completely ignored in the events that gave him his scars, and Ouzelstar wasn't too happy with the admiration he got from the clan despite that - his warrior name was an attempt on his part to "put him in his place".

skip a year or so and Snowclan's deputy, Thawflank, is taking a break from duties to mourn his mate and raise his son. Ouzelstar appoints Kestrel as deputy temporarily, only to realise 'damn, this dude is good at admin!' with the added plus of not arguing with him constantly like Thawflank did. So he kept him in the role.

There's other factors at play but that's the long n short of it. Kestrel and Ouzelstar's relationship is best described as employee-employer, with neither of them really caring for the other outside of apparent mutual respect; if Kestrel resents Ouzelstar for his name, he certainly doesn't act like it.