In which Sol is a Sister descendant who returns to take over the lake while the imposter tries to do the same. Set during The Broken Code.
(Was very tempted to call it Hey Sol Sister or Broken Soul)
I’d love to get asks/feedback - I’ll use #sister!soul au!
The basics:
The imposter’s plan starts off basically the same as canon, cutting the cats off from StarClan, planting dreams in Shadowsight’s mind, and taking control of Bramblestar’s body.
Sol, who is descended from but not aware of the Sisters in this AU, learns of the separation between StarClan and the living by meeting a stranded spirit cat (potentially Bramblestar’s ghost).
Rootpaw meets Sol not knowing he was kicked out of SkyClan before he was born.
Sol meets Rootpaw not knowing they’re related or that other cats can see ghosts and acts as another father figure to him.
I got the idea when I saw this pmv by @hungrylittlewarriorcats!
My hope is to work more of the AU through asks, so sending those in is super appreciated!
Below is a lot more detail. I worked a lot of this out by typing. I’ve left a lot of that in since I was reverse-engineering a plot setup that would like and thought it’d be fun to show how I got there. The info that’s most important to the AU itself is in bold so you can skim through this as well.
Trigger warnings: manipulation of children, cults, ghosts, and strained relationships with fathers.
Spoilers for The Broken Code.
This AU is a result of combining a few thoughts:
Sol is an interesting (imo) villain whose potential wasn’t fully explored.
Sol wasn’t the “right” villain for Power of Three - he has little to do with the plot (the three’s parentage. tbh neither do the three lol)
I like having multiple villains who act as allies or villains to each other as well as the protagonists. (Tigerclawstar, Brokenstar, and Scourge kind of an example of what I mean)
Villains are fun - Ashfur and Sol are some particularly fun villains
I am once again hyperfixating on warrior cats just like I was in 2009
So... what can Sol do?
From canon:
He predicts an eclipse, which makes it seem like he can predict the future (but he could have been taught how celestial bodies work, weirder things have happened just roll with it for now)
He tells the Three that he knows who their birth parents are but he was just telling them what they wanted to hear (without knowing the answer)
So really: Sol is a manipulator with an anti-StarClan and anti-warrior code agenda.
That last part sound familiar?
Ashfur’s goal is to ruin Squirrelflight’s life and get revenge since the clans “wronged” him. He goes about it by upturning the clans’ way of life in order rule them himself.
So while fellow StarClan-hating, warrior code-destroying, master manipulator Ashfur is off doing his thing...
What’s Sol’s entryway into the plot?
I like when villains “make sense” for their stories. It makes sense for Ashfur to (literally) possess Bramblestar since he’s obsessed with the idea of (figuratively) possessing Squilf.
What makes sense for Sol would be to find someone who’s easy to manipulate. Blackstar was an easier target for Sol than the Three since (iirc) he already wasn’t sure of his own leadership. I also want it to be someone who has some kind of link to Sol so he doesn’t feel “random” to the story.
Looking at the Broken Code protags: Bristlefrost is big on the code, so Sol is definitely a threat to her agenda. Shadowsight too, but I want Ashfur to be “his” villain out of the three TBC protags since the way Ashfur basically ruins his life and reputation is already compelling to me. But Rootpaw?
Rootpaw is the perfect hero for Sol’s type of villainy.
Rootpaw is insecure and looking for his own identity. He knows that he inherited his father Tree’s “weird” ghost-seeing powers and resents him for it. He wears this insecurity so close to the surface that the other apprentices pick it up pretty quickly. Plus, he’s a SkyClan cat. While Sol is a threat to the clans in general, it’s personal with SkyClan.
What is Sol's goal?
His goal seems reasonable than Ashfur’s at first. Sol is aware of the power StarClan has compared to other spirits. He acts like he just wants everyone else to think for themselves the way he does. But he’s really just laying the groundwork to make himself into a cult leader. The dead are just cats, same as the living, same as him, so why not worship him instead? He wants to be a cult leader.
Replacing StarClan is a threat to the way the entire series works. Their prophecies which are a restrictive plot device imo prescribe each arc’s conflict. StarClan goof-ups are responsible for a lot of the pain in the series, so some cats have reason to follow him.
Ashfur wants to rule so he can have his revenge. Sol believes himself to be innately superior and therefore meant to rule. Maybe they can’t both win, but they have a common enemy.
How does Sol tie in to TBC?
Let’s make Rootpaw and Sol more personal antagonists for each other. In this AU, Rootpaw takes a lot longer to warm back up to Tree and finds a father figure in Sol. Sol doesn’t let on how he knows, but he tells Rootpaw bits that he knows about SkyClan from the gorge (something neither of his parents were around for). Sol gains Rootpaw’s trust by exploiting his lack of trust in his family and clan.
I think that Sol being one of the Sisters’ descendants in this AU works well. It would explain how he knows so much about the afterlife. He can still be from the gorge area since the Sisters travel. So Sol is descended from a Sister who left the group, and it’s been a few generations since his immediate family was aware of the Sisters. Sol could think that the ability to see spirits is unique to him or unique to his family depending on whether he was raised by them.
Rootpaw actually has an advantage over Sol here. Rootpaw’s way of connection with ghosts is a little different from Tree’s, so in this AU (and maybe in canon) it works a little different for everybody.
The most fun way for this to play out is if Sol can’t see Bramblestar’s ghost, but Rootpaw still can. Tree’s power is more grounded, Sol is more ethereal and abstract. Both Tree and Sol influence how Rootpaw’s power grows. Over time, Rootpaw learns to be more grounded (literally, with the earth-searching thing) from Tree, but he also finds abilities that are unique to him.
I want to write in a way that their different ways of using the same power are tied to their different personalities and beliefs. Rootpaw finding his own power will be reflected in his new name, so he probably won’t have the -spring by the time he’s made a warrior.
Miscellaneous things:
I might write fic about this someday, but I’m so busy rn that for now I’ll start with posts. If anyone else writes or draws or whatevers this AU, I’d love to see it! Use #sister!sol au and I should be able to find and share it!
There are so many interactions that I’m excited to brainstorm! like: Does Harrybrook know that Sol was his namesake, or that Sol kidnapped him and his littermates as kits? How/why does Rootpaw keep Bramblestar’s ghost a secret from Sol, and for how long? What happens when Lionblaze and Jayfeather find out that Sol is back? How do Sol and Ashfur learn of each other?
Squirrelflight has good reason to doubt StarClan after they lied to her and Leafpool and every reason to get rid of Ashfur, so I can see her temporarily aligning with Sol at some point.
I like Root and Shadow’s friendship from canon and want to expand it. In this AU they’ll realize that they’re each being manipulated by a Big Bad.
Also, I like them together as a couple! so RootShadow is canon in this.
The ground-searching ability Rootpaw learns led to one of the best scenes in the entire series, so that stays.
I’ve decided that timeline changes from previous arcs also fly! The major ones so far is that Briarlight survived the sickness and is alive during the imposter’s reign. She also grows close with Rosepetal, and their relationship is tested when ThunderClan starts falling apart and Rosepetal aligns herself with who she believes is still Bramblestar.
I’m open to adapting canon in other ways - this is just what I have so far.
Phew!
If I wait to post this until I have the whole arc figured out on my own, it’ll stay in my drafts forever. So: this is the setup for the beginning. Feel free to me asks or use #broken soul au - I’d love to add to this AU and to find out together how it plays out!
au where instead of willowshine dying, bristlefrost takes her place- she isn't killed off, but she's put into a similar state to dying shadowsight, where her spirit is dragged into the dark forest. rootspring is soon brought down after her, and finds her waiting.. except bristlefrost isn't being controlled by bristlefrost, and rootspring is too relieved to see her again to notice. they even have a talk about their relationship- deciding on ways to make it work despite clan law, only for bris to remember none of it when she wakes up. bristlefrost gradually comes to the realization that ashfur got ahold of her ghost, using it to do possibly unspeakable things("what did he say to root?"), while rootspring has an existential crisis as he realizes how easily he was manipulated("i didn't even recognize that she wasn't herself"). neither of them feel like they can trust themselves any longer, questioning the validity of their feelings and how much they really know about each other.
Broken Code AU where a bunch of questionably sane but polite cats who worship the moon as their god travel the country and sacrifice other cats in exchange for prolonged youth. The cultists meet the clans during Silent Thaw and become enamored with Shadowsight whom they believe is their god's son due to the lightning strike incident and his seizures.
Puddleshine stared in horror as the two large tabby leaders flung themselves at each other. He knew there were sometimes arguments during gatherings but never an outright fight between cats, much less leaders. This was wrong. It went against the warrior code and if one of the leaders lost a life…
He shuddered, remembering Bramblestar’s return at the last gathering. He should do something. He should be breaking up the fight. So why was he just sitting here as Bramblestar and Tigerstar tore each other apart? It appeared as though they were trying to kill each other. This is bad. This is very bad, he thought to himself as he glanced up uncertainly at the sky that remained clear. If this keeps up…
Shadowpaw leaned back a little, pressing against his side. He must be frightened too. But there was no fear scent on him, neither was he quivering or showing any sign of emotion at all. The medicine cat apprentice said nothing as he watched his kin hiss and claw at each other like rogues. It terrified Puddleshine more than Starclan’s silence. No. No, he must be numb from losing Dovewing. That’s all there is to it. He wrapped his tail around the apprentice and assured himself that the attack a few days ago and Dovewing’s unfortunate death had left Shadowpaw feeling numb. But deep down in his heart he knew that there was something wrong with the latter. He’d seen the horror on Dovewing’s face when she saw her son for the last time. It sent a chill down his spine just by remembering. Oh Starclan, he prayed. Please, send us a sign to let us know you’re still there.
—
Puddleshine’s gonna have to confront his apprentice soon and it won’t end well.
