Do you have any plans w showing Tigerclawstar’s relatiobships w ThunderClan? Aside from the obvious ones, it bothers me SO BADLY how we never see WHY he was such a beloved cat, and why his betrayal shattered everyone. Like he had friends at one point!! I think its rlly interesting to think abt when you take into consideration the fact Frostfur and Brindleface followed him and Whitestorm around the nursery (as mentioned by Bluestar in her super edition..), or him growing up w Spottedleaf, Redtail, and Willowpelt (which makes his interaction w Spotty in ITW so much funnier). Idk, it just bugs me that everyone placed their trust in a very violent cat and then we never see WHY (outside of KINDA in the super editions and novellas) because he’s a massive jerk constantly 😭
(For the moment until I get to his leadership, I will refer to him by his previous names)
Tigerclaw was a respectable soldier in the orders, while he was still alive, and before his seemingly sudden bloodlust. He had friends, an apprentice, he was even starting to raise litters with Goldenflower. But make me very clear his change was not sudden, He just got better at hiding his nature than his old mentor.
We'll start by recapping his beginnings
Tigerkit was born as an honor siring between Leopardfoot and Pinestar, and his siblings were Nightkit and Mistkit. Leopard would have named them all after The big three but there was already a Lionkit in the nursery. Tigerkit's sibling Mistkit lives long enough to not be considered a fading kit, but they're not living to adulthood. Spotty was originally Thistleclaw's apprentice, but after enough abuse (I'm not sure if I should keep the grooming, maybe make it less sexual more political idk) she becomes a cleric apprentice. So after Pinestar's cowardice and Sunstar being annointed, Thistleclaw needs a replacement apprentice and Tigerkit (now paw) needs to learn loyalty.
Thus comes Tigerpaws lesson of Thistles. Thistleclaw's first, among many brutal lessons, was for Tigerpaw to try and destroy a Giant hogweed. After this, safe to say, injurious catastrophe, Tigerpaw is stuck in the Cleric's den for days. Spotty wordlessly comforts him during this time, knowing his pain too well. Tigerpaw's training is brutal after this. He comes home everyday covered in cuts, bruises and gashes. Thistleclaw curates everything he hears from the gathering, exactly the way he wants the little tiger to learn.
And then, he's Tigerclaw. It takes him a while to adjust, but he's no longer an apprentice. He's numb to the world, Spotty softly getting him to open up to his other fellow trainees. He latches on tight with Redtail (i am hitting you with the trans beam), Lionheart, and Whitestorm. He gets... tense around Whitestorm, with him being related to Thistleclaw. He goes through the motions, and I'm gonna have him train one of the young warriors in tnp as his first apprenticeship. Eventually he gets to Ravenpaw. A scrawny runt, scared of his own shadow. He's better than Thistleclaw, in the sense that the abuse is quieter, less dramatic. He's just repeating the same motions and words that Thistle did.
And then Rusty shows up. Barely six months old, just able to scrape by as an apprentice. The ginger thing reeks if upwalkers and the stale air of the city. He can't help but see his father in the kit, and for the first month he refuses to acknowledge him. He starts to soften after a bit, even after having killed one of his best friends in a battle, that he's pretty sure his apprentice saw. Tigerclaw starts saying things to Firepaw, how Raven has always been a storyteller, and that he had scared him bad his first few days of apprenticeship. He knew deep down the kittypet didn't believe him, but his words were as clingy as Thistle tufts.
Lionheart was his next target, and as much as it pained to kill his wife's brother, he needed the role of second more than anything. It was all he was trained for. Lionheart and Spotty were not intentional deaths, to say the least. Especially not Spotty. He was numb to the world after his friend, his savior was murdered for a few kits.
Most of the banishment is the same as before, although Bluestar is too out of her mind at the moment to give him a dishonor name. So he goes to the Shadow Order. And Runningnose welcomes him with open arms.
The Tiger Order starts much, much sooner. More deaths, more dishonor names, and all the while... something nags at him. Like a bird he forget to check was dead before he moved. After bluestar's death, he really starts his reign of terror. A bubbling, frothing hatred in him wells out as he orders half bloods and formers to kill each other or die themselves.
He knows the other two clans won't take it sitting down, so he goes to the town, for a cat that recently gained power in a rogue group. He meets The Scourge, who looks at him with a wide, unreadable stare. He looked so familiar, especially with those scars on his face and body. And then he learns why at the battle. Ravenpaw was no more, replaced by a cold, icy blue stare and claw extenders. He doesn't feel the tear, at first. And then he's dying nine times over.
I won't go into details about his post life, but he has had contact with three outta four kids. A part of him wants to feel sorrow for not being able to raise either litter, but... maybe it's for the best.
Tldr; Tigerstar is a product of fascist ideologies being rooted in through physical, psychological and emotional abuse, taught to hide his thorns.