#tiredfort

[clangenrising]

I'm sure you're already aware, but I just love that, especially in the latest chapter, Fogpaw is both clearly autistic/neurodivergent coded but also empathetic and emotionally aware. It feels like so many autistic depictions in media just boil them down to unfeeling robots or assholes with no social awareness. So it's refreshing to see a different take.

Also, Fogpaw saying Scorch isn't broken hit me especially hard as someone with treatment resistant depression and PTSD who often feels too broken to fix. Thank you for both of these things.

Of course ♡ It brings me so much joy to hear that these things were important to you. I love writing this story in part because it is so satisfying to hear how much the representation in my art matters to people. Fogpaw and Scorchplume are two of my favorite characters and I'm so glad that yall love them just as much as I do.

And to anybody who may feel broken at times: you're not broken. People can't break, they're not objects, they're living creatures who experience a whole bunch of really complicated and difficult emotions that can make their lives harder. There is never a point where you are so unwell that you are undeserving of love or happiness. You are never beyond the point of no return, you can always heal and find joy again ♡ I see you and you are loved.

[clangenrising]

Your explanation of redemption arcs/growth arcs also reminds me of a quote I saved but I unfortunately don't remember the Tumblr user who said it, "no one deserves to die, but some people need to be stopped and choose to make death the only way to stop them" which seems to be the case for Razor (though it seems that not even death is stopping him)

YES. I've seen and reblogged the same quote but also cannot find it because Tumblr is a flaming trash heap.

And that's a perfect encapsulation of why I think Razor's death was necessary. Especially since the Clans don't really have the ability to put him in a holding space until he changes his ways, killing him was the only real option they had to stop him from doing harm.

For anyone who wants some suggested reading watching on WHY no one deserves to die, I recommend this video from Philosophy Tube on the death penalty:

[clangenrising]

Just checking, is the kit-stealing allegations a new development or was that mentioned in earlier posts and I missed it?

Also kinda love that he wanted a relationship with Jagg but now she's kinda a therapist to him. Maybe I'm biased due to my own difficult relationship with my dad, but I'm rooting for him to get better despite the bad things he's done.

You didn't miss it, this is the first piece I mentioned it in even if the characters have already talked about it. And in case people didn't realize, those rumors started because of what happened with Mystique (although 'they kidnap your children' has always been a go to for dehumanization among right wing circles).

And I also love Jagg and Ghost's relationship. I wouldn't call her his therapist but she's definitely doing a lot of emotional labor for him because she cares and can see he has the potential to change. I'm right with you on hoping he changes though. I love stories about flawed people doing their best to get better.

[clangenrising]

Haha I was playing my own clangen run and look at the randomly generated name I got for this kit!

Awww! Thats such a fun coincidence! I do think Barley was pregenerated (although i might have changed which kit in the litter it was for) but bee was chosen by me.

[clangenrising]

Has "You'll Be Back" been suggested as a Razor song? While it doesn't all fit, some of the lines really seem like stuff he'd say to Scorch ("I'll kill your friends and family, to remind you of my love!")

Oh yeah 100%

This is totally a version of Razor from a universe where everything is a little sillier and people break into song haha with the caveat that you have to remember that every time he says I love you that's a manipulation tactic and not a genuine emotion. Just because he's singing it doesn't mean its true lol

In fact, you can substitute Love for Control and have it read pretty clearly. "I'll kill your friends and family to remind you of my control".

[clangenrising]

I was researching some names for a character and I came across the meaning for Saoirse, which means "freedom". Man I got a bit emotional for some reason? I always love when character's names have extra meaning, whether it be truthful to them or ironic, and man I hope it's truthful to Scorch/Saoirse. I really want her to find the freedom, both from Razor and from her own trauma, that she deserves.

Yeah ☺

I tend to give characters names that have some kind of meaning, either to their story or that say something about their parents, so I'm glad that you caught that one. Especially before she met Razor, Saoirse was a very "go where I want, do what I want" kind of cat. Freedom has always been important to her. It's great that she finally gets to have that freedom again <3

[clangenrising]

Congratulations again to the winners of our most recent Mentor Betting Pool. @dixie-cupps @ravenbarley-barn @tiredfort @turtlestep

[clangenrising]

What tipped me off to Scorchplume being Fogkit's mentor is when Goldenstar is pondering who can handle her rambunctious personality, Scorch appears. Was that intentional foreshadowing?

Kind of! I wouldn't have done it if I didn't also need them to have a conversation and confess, but knowing that that was the point of the piece I did tee it up so that Mentors was the last thing Goldie thought about before they started talking.