#Bb!dotc
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Reading your post about the DOTC leaders made me wonder - in BB, when does the DOTC naming style shift into the modern naming style? If they're already using modern-style names by the time Windstar's (possible) grandson is leader, that seems pretty quick - unless Cloudberry and Ryewhisker had DOTC-style names originally, and just got called modern-style names later on.
They did originally have DOTC style names! There's going to be more shuffles soon as I move to expand the Forest Cats into a third major cultural group, but I'm planning for all three of these groups to contribute to the naming system.
The older story, which I'm going to be shuffling now, is that two-part names came from Mountain Cats, but the name changes come from Park Cats.
Mountain Cats have a given prefix, and a familial suffix.
Whichever familial suffix the kittens receive is "political." Usually the names are split evenly, so as an example, Jackdaw Cry and Hawk Swoop named one twin Lightning Cry, and the other twin Acorn Swoop, but Clear Sky insisted that ALL of his kittens receive Sky as their familial suffix. Except Thunder Storm, of course, who he disowned.
This stops being used after the collapse of the River Kingdom and the massive conflict that came from the succession crisis. After that, Byyrkabraw, directly translated as "scab-forming" and roughly translated as "nepotism," becomes a taboo to be avoided. Sharing last names with your parents and family took on a bad, biased connotation for several generations.
Thus, the system dies in Clan Culture. However, it persists and evolves in Tribe Culture! Brook's name in BB is Brook Where-It-Swirls, and she shares the last name with her two brothers. They've kept last names, but the last names have gotten longer.
What DOES remain in Clan Culture is that Mountain-descendant cats 'prefer' 2-part names, and like to say the entire thing. It's Mountain culture that creates Clanmew's preference for contractions rather than syllable-shortening.
As an example, for a long name like... Dandelionbreeze, send her back in time to talk to a Park or Forest cat and they'll shorten her name to "Dan" or "Lion" or "Bree." It's the Mountain cat who would call her "Danzy," which becomes part of being 'polite' in Clanmew name shortenings.
Park Cats are born "nameless," and earn names as they grow.
It's PARK culture that was so centralized and ceremonial, with kings and a clearer hierarchy. As kits, they're just called by a characteristic trait. The Biggest One, Little Ears, Ginger. Their first real name is given when they're assigned as an apprentice, and they become [Mentor's Nickname] [Dominant Paw].
So as an example, because the prince is always mentored by their father and the king at the time was Arc-of-Park, Riverstar's very first name was Arc's Paw.
Once they're fully trained, they can earn titles. On average, a cat will earn two or three of these in their lifetime, discounting outliers like Titles Georg. These are three words or less, and usually reference strengths and achievements. Willow Flayed Bare, Slate Keeper, The Wind Runner.
These titles are made official by the King, which is where Warrior Name changes originally stem from.
In a situation where Park Cats have left their kingdom, they will turn towards the cat they recognize as an authority to make these name changes. In WindCo, either the "parriarch" of a homestead would bestow these names, or The Wind Runner herself. Thunder Storm began doing it on request, as the Park Cats who joined his cause wanted their names to come from him.
It's not seen as "appropriate" for a cat to name themself... but there are rebellious cats, who may forge their own titles, if they're willing to eat the social implications.
River's Ripple was quite independent. He came up with his own name, and then asked his papa to make the name official. King Arc of Park argued with him a lot about this, especially because the name he chose sounded a lot like an apprentice's title, and only caved in when he realizes there would be a MASSIVE scandal if it looked like his prince would willingly bypass the will of his father entirely.
(The Wind Runner's name was "crowdsourced." She didn't give it to herself; that's what WindCo calls her.)
Forest Cat names...
So there's the two-parts from the Mountain cats, and the name changes from the Park cats... and now I'm trying to work in a third element here, which I'm still trying to figure out.
I'm thinking of putting ranks into their names, since I'm starting with a given that Slash/Shai/Silverpelt is their leader. Maybe have it so that the name the Park/Mountain cats call him is "Slashes" in reference to his leg markings, but his real name is Silver-Star, with all of his cats just referring to him as his rank, Silver (formally) or his given name, Star (informally)
(Over time his name is going to become Silverpelt. They believe that he became heaven itself. Ssoen becomes Clanmew's opening particle for omnipotent knowledge, Star becoming the leader suffix.)
Then make it so that his followers follow the Rank-Given name system. So there's Claw-Milkweed, her daughter Kit-Bramble, a good hunter might be Whisker-Violet. So, over a very short number of generations, both the Forest Cat and Park Cat naming systems start to meld, since it's not all that different.
ALSO NOTEWORTHY: The Wind Coalition was more mixed with Forest Cats than the River Kingdom was. So the Park/Forest name schemes beginning to mix together would be beginning up on the Moor, while there would be more Mountain/Forest mixing happening in Thunder's Clan.
This is a WIP section btw, these guys are still extremely new.
Anyway, skip forward a few generations
Cloudberry's and Ryewhisker's names aren't the ones they had in life. The were active 25-ish years after DOTC, after the collapse of the River Kingdom when things had begun to "settle down."
With the Law of the Deputy, Commandment 3, WindCo and River Kingdom are now Clans. They operate with a Leader and a Deputy.
In-canon, Cloudberry is the daughter of the RiverClan leader, Emberstar. I'm not sure if that's going to remain; because I still haven't chosen who Riverstar's successor is. The Law of Loyalty is Commandment 4 and I'm committed to Duststar of WindClan being alive and in a position of power during the succession crisis.
It could be that Cloudberry's father is Riverstar's successor, OR I swap Ryewhisker to be Duststar's son/grandson instead and include a small detail that Duststar feels a need to prove he's NOT being biased in favor of his dead descendant by forcing this commandment through.
Maybe both, that could be fun. Romeow and Mewliet type thing. Two Clans, alike in their digkitty.
Anyway, point being, Cloudberry is from Park Cat culture as a member of RiverClan, which was heavily influenced by some pretty open travel between the groups under Riverstar's rule. The modern naming system was coming together, as cats of these three cultures mixed, but it wasn't quite there yet. So Cloudberry probably had a full title, while Ryewhisker had a title and a rank.
It might even be a translation quirk. Cloudberry is also called "knout," and it's a red-orange fruit that comes to be heavily valued in the Clans. Knout Berry Keeper, which is only remembered as Knout-Berry, written as Cloudberry.
(It would be cute if the direct translation was Cloudberry Cloud.)
For Ryewhisker, the most I know with him is that he's somehow related to the guy who invents Tunnelbuns, or at LEAST some kind of inventive contributor (such as a person who invents bread). He gets his name from that-- Rye is one of the most easily accessible grains.
I haven't nailed their names down yet, since by the modern era, they're known as Cloudberry and Ryewhisker. But they did actually have different names, which have changed over the years.
They also didn't speak Modern Clanmew, their native tongue was actually the border between the Mountain/Park/Forest pidgin and the creole language that would soon be born! A linguist might describe it as Ancient Clanmew.
#BB!DOTC#Better bones au#BB!Cloudberry#BB!Ryewhisker#Clan History#Park Cats#I think it's one of the most interesting periods in Clan history. Though unfortunately won't get a lot of spotlight#Since BB is still a rewrite project at the end of the day#And all of that is like... loosely based on COTC (my beloved) but also full of original content#I once made a joke about Cloudberry opening her mouth and olde english tumbling out#Dark: ''hey cloudberry hows it hangin''#Cloudberry: Cnut cyning gret his arcebiscopas and his leod-biscopas and Þurcyl eorl and ealle his eorlas and ealne his þeodscype#Dark: *clicks tongue* ''i see''
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Thunder: "Sigh! My dad and his eugenics! What are we gonna do with you?"
Clear Sky: *Sitcom dad tone* "LEAVE 'EM WHERE THE MAGGOTS WILL FIND 'EM, SON!"
#featuring how i imagine them in canon as opposed to the bb designs I have on the main blog lmao#cw eugenics#cw child death#bonefall reads dotc
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bee (dotc)
ll, XOXo, BB, AA, McMc
swallow
LL, XOXO, BB, AA, mcmc
splinter
LL, XoY, BB, Wsw
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ngl, thinking about doing a BB!DoTC pmv of Around the Bend from the perspective of bright stream
seeing her deal with many forms of death. the death of those who died on the sun trail. the death of jagged peak due to clear sky's cruelty. the deaths caused by clear sky's rise to power.
but most importantly, the painful death of the love she once had for clear sky once when she sees his true colors. knowing the love is still there, but learning to sever that in order to break ties with him because enabling it will only lead to more pain and suffering.
i think it'd be neat. i want to do more art, maybe smth serious for the rewrite, but mental health is still a major obstacle
#moss meows#idk. ill think abt it.#smth abt stories of letting go of the ones who have hurt u hit deep
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bonefall rewrite piece where owlstar and sparrowstar meet at a negotiation of some sort.
Not so fast, REVERSE CARD OPEN!
I target BB!Owlstar on my side of the field to special summon canon!Owlstar in attack position and canon!Pebble Heart in defense position.
Anyway! My bad attempt at a joke aside I'm gonna have to hijack this prompt for my own ends because I've always thought that the Pebble-Sparrow-Owl trio could have a really cool dynamic as a trio in the aftermath of DotC. I need Pebble Heart to be a separate character from Owlstar because both from his position as a meddie and his characterization in canon I have him serve as a mediating influence, as an anchor that keeps his siblings from drifting too far off from each other. Plus I think trios just generally give a more stable ground for character dynamics than mere dyads.
This one I based on a fic I that's been rummaging in my mind for ages about Sparrow facing a coup from Skystar's kin following his death and having to convince her brothers to lend their aid in her campaign of guerrilla warfare to reclaim her position.
(Want to submit a prompt of your own? Check out my guidelines and send it in! I'm only slightly likely to hijack it with a lame Yu-Gi-Oh! joke.)
With labored breaths, Sparrow Fur sat against the rough bark of a tree with a trickle of blood going over her left eye.
Everything since the ambush had been a blurr. Skystar hadn’t even been cold in the ground for more than before one of his brats got cocky and decided to organize an insurrection. There’d been no shortage of cats to stand behind him, the downside of Skystar’s system of advancement by merit was that there would always be a gaggle of malcontent cats eager to stand behind the first cat to promise them a place by his right paw.
Though she had barely the energy to move she attempted anyway to rise to her feet before she was gently guided back down onto her back.
“Easy there,” Pebble Heart instructed, pressing a wad fo wet most as he wiped the spot on her head from where the blood was oozing. “I haven’t even finished cleaning your wounds, Sparrow. Are you like this with Acorn Fur as well?”
She didn’t reply, instead just letting the twitching of her tail to give the message. It had been humilliating enough to be forced to flee her own territory, to hide among the dampness of ShadowClan and forced to rely on kin she thought she’d have no debt to anymore. Yet here she was, SkyClan’s deputy reduced to such a sorry state.
“I know, I know,” the dark-gray tom soothed., adding with a sigh, “It’s so hopeless with you, SkyClan cats.” Briefly he turned around to retrieve a herb from the stash he’d managed to bring alongside him from his nest. “Will you calm down if I tell you that I have someone who can help you out with your predicament?”
“Pryyp?” Sparrow Fur mrowwed. It’d been the first word the ShadowClan medic had heard her say in hours.
“Pebble Heart?” a familiar voice asked approaching the makeshift clinic fashioned from the cover of a fallen tree.
For a moment Sparrow Fur vocalized a sound like a growl. The recently-arrived tom widened his already large eyes in surprise, standing there for a moment before rushing to the side of his brother and sister. It was Owlstar of ThunderClan.
“Do you know who did this to her?” Owlstar asked. “How did this happen? When?”
“I found her a couple sunrises ago,” Pebble Heart explained. “I don’t have all the details and she hasn’t been well enough to tell me herself but I’ve got an idea of what it was, and she’ll need your help.”
“No!” Sparrow Fur immediately snapped, causing her brothers to tumble back as she labored to go back on her feet. She found it hard for the words to come to her mouth but she could say that much. “No! No! No! NO! Not ThunderClan!”
“This is no time to be proud, Sparrow,” Pebble Heart insisted. “If you want to reclaim leadership from Tiger Tail--”
“Wait,” Owlstar piped up, his sight brightening. “Skystar’s dead? And it was one of his sons and not Sparrow who took the leadership? This is excellent! From now on we could--”
Owlstar was stopped in his enthusiasm by a growl from his sister and a scolding from his brother. “This is no time to be thinking of a battle! Sparrow’s hurt and her would-be murderers are chasing her and this is what you think about?”
“Well, I have to think of ThunderClan!” Owl Eyes defended himself. “And SkyClan’s been nothing but a threat. Why shouldn’t I think about our rivalry now?”
At least there was something she could agree with her brother on...
#also like while I wouldn't mind doing one or two BB rewrite prompts as a general rule I'll ask people to avoid them#I love Bones and his work and if he ever finishes the book-by-book outlines I'm for sure claiming chapters to write#but a lot of his story choices are explicitly about serving an authorial intent which I do not share and am in fact against in my own work#namely making WC into his personal political parable#also we're just different as people and as artists so some of his story choices I just don't vibe with#for a multitude of reasons from the petty to the profound#ANYWAY ESSAY IN TAGS ASIDE#warrior cats#wc#warrior cats au#pebble heart#sparrow fur#owl eyes#owlstar
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Bakugan took one look at Pokémon and said “Oh, we can do that but are monsters will be in balls from the start”
Iirc, in episode 11 BB (at least in English,) Marucho mentions Ventus is weak to Aquos as the reason why he should fight Shun instead of Runo.
In Bakugan (videogame), aquos and ventus have no correlation. Instead, aquos and pyrus are less effective on eachother's stages (more effective on home stage,) and the same is true of ventus and subterra.
In DoTC, a game that has a functioning weakness-strength system that isn't dependent on stage, Aquos is instead weak to Ventus, dealing less damage against them and taking more damage from them.
What I'm getting at is they also removed the fire-water-grass effectiveness system, but they love to make it exist.
#bakugan#ask the tsuri#unclear if it really was taken from pokemon or if the concept happened to be unintentionally very very similar#but god one of these series can't make up its mind on how attributes/types correlate to each other#ventus is strong and weak against the same attribute but only if the context implies weakness or strength. also subterra???#sorry this difference has driven me up the wall for ages. this isn't helped by battle planet ventus being green subterra
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I hope this won’t sound rude
Are you ever going to redraw Storm? from DOTC?
Because I can’t find her on the Google sheets list and I’m looking for her colors for a few fan kits.
She's on the list, number 1130!
Anyways Y E S I know I just did that Path of Stars drawing but.... Bimetallic Storm has taken over my brain so that means I need to redraw ndbjsns
Gonna keep Thunder the same though because I can't change his design in my mind, it's very set
But if you want to make fan kits before then,
Storm is a tortoiseshell bimetallic mackerel tabby, which in normal gene terms makes her a Tortoiseshell silver mackerel tabby who also has the sunshine gene, a golden gene. This means she has patches of silver tabby and patches of golden tabby. Look them up, bimetallics are NEAT. She's also a long-haired cat.
To make Thunder (XOYBbDdAAmcmciiwbwbLl) possible she's a
XOXo (tortoiseshell)
BB (homozygous black)
Dd (non dilute carrying dilute
AA or Aa (tabby, potentially carrying solid)
Mcmc (mackerel carrying classic)
Ii (silver carrying non silver)
Wbwb (Gold carrying not gold- I'm using wideband for this as I don't know the letters for Siberian gold)
ll (longhair)
I left out some genes that are not important of this lmao like ticked and point
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Storm!
Been on a dotc kick so here’s Storm! I’m glad she realized that clearsky wasn’t really worth it. Too bad she didn’t get to raise her bb Thunder tho
(Please don’t repost my art)
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I personally like Thunder's prosthetic. Explained it to my friend (who does use a mobility device, a cane and wheelchair, and listens to me rant and infodump about BB) and they agreed, it's important to know that not every person needs what someone wants to give them. It's another example of "bad ableist person does a thing that hurts a disabled person because they are bad and ableist".
Clear Sky got Jagged Peak killed and would have killed Sunlit Frost! He would absolutely force his disabled son to be "normal" and present it like a privilege. "I wouldn't do this for anyone else, it's special, why don't you want to be helped?"
Thunder Storm should toss it in Clear Sky's face. (I would say toss it into the river but we do not pollute waterways in this house)
Thank you for telling me this, and tell your friend I'm thanking them too! If they have anything else to add please forward what they have to say
Since BB!DOTC tackles some of the heaviest topics in the entire series because its canon equivalent is so dark, I think very carefully about what I do here and how I show it. I take feedback on its sensitive aspects very seriously. If I'm understanding the criticism properly, it's that I should avoid stigmatizing prosthetics by making sure Thunder Storm's not the only one with it-- which he's not! And I'll add even more.
I don't want to avoid something only because it's uncomfortable if the topic is important, and my portrayal is respectful. Ableism IS uncomfortable! There are some situations where a prosthetic is not wanted! I think the rejection of this particular one is both a good opportunity to show a type of ableism and ALSO is very fitting for the characters.
In BB!Clear Sky's mind, the villain, he's fixing an old mistake. He can't admit that he got Jagged Peak killed or take REAL accountability for it (though he will, occasionally, apologize insincerely), but deep in his bones, he knows what he did was cruel. He'll never tell anyone this because he doesn't really cognate it himself, but Thunder Storm NEEDS to take his gift.
If Thunder doesn't take it, it blows a hole in his newest story. You see, throwing Jagged Peak out was All That Could Have Been Done back then. It was a Tragedy and he simply Made A Hard Choice. He regrets it very much, But You Have To Understand.
But now? Now? Well, behold. Look at what he's accomplished since the tragic death of his little brother. His cats are well-fed, cared for, and stable enough to make such incredible advancements. If only Jagged Peak had been able to hold on longer, if only he could be here now, I could fix him.
Just like I can (MAKE YOU JUST LIKE ME) fix you.
"Everything I've ever done is for Jagged Peak. For Fluttering Wing. For you." Thunder Sky is SPECIAL, but if he rejects any gift, tries to turn down the "privileges" offered to him, in an instant that becomes ungratefulness and arrogance. He both forces him to be special, and then leverages it against him if it's rejected. "Spoiled brat, doesn't appreciate what I've worked so hard to give him."
It all goes back to him and his own guilt. He can NEVER be wrong. He can't accept his family doesn't have to be "normal" or reflect his own ability. He won't see himself as a bully, let alone a murderer. It was never about his son's comfort or finding out what Thunder Storm wants or needs, it was about his own ego.
...All that said I'm still taking feedback if there's anything else I should keep in mind, or if anyone has a counter point, especially if you also have experience here.
(In the interest of having a link trail for posterity, here's the critique/call for feedback this is in response to)
#ALSO also I will take suggestions on other characters who should have prosthetics#Sunlit makes sense and it will make a really nice character moment later for him to have one built#There's also an amputee in RiverClan few people talk about called Stonestream#I can give him one and bump him up into a bigger character. In BB he is the sibling of Willowshine#BB!DOTC#better bones au#Also just as a side note... I love writing BB!Skystar. My ire for the character comes from his redemption arc so I feel like I get to--#--write the character I WANTED to see#Same with Bramble in other BB arcs#cw ableism#tw ableism#ableism#They're fascinating in that they always have to see themselves as the victim or the hero#They believe every lie they tell.#If you ever catch them in a contradiction they will still try to find some way to turn it on you and YOUR lack of understanding.#Interestingly both of them are ableist. Sky's is just more obvious because he's LOUDLY bigoted.#But BB!Bramble is *notably* less close to Jay for a very sad and very subtle reason.#Jay just doesn't serve his ego like the others do until much later in his life.#unfortunately most bigotry is like that.#the type you have a hard time calling out because it's a deniable bias. the constant gaslighting of being part of a marginalized group#Maybe I need to address the criticism by adding a character with a prosthetic to THIS arc even earlier#Problem is that like... Thunder's small merc group is already full of disabled characters and their THING is forming in response to ableism#OH maybe I'll put someone in the Forest Cat group which is lead by Slash?#I need to finish that last book and then gather up all the cats for sorting into allegiances
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For Riverstar’s Heir, do you have any idea where you want to land themeatically? Because from my reading of the possible themeatic directions, with the whole story being about this crisis of politics and succession, it feels like the character who “should” become the next leader of RiverClan narratively should be the Most ruthless/aggressive/willing to resort to dishonorable methods of dealing with rivals (reinforcing RiverClan’s entry into/building up of the early Clans’ emerging systems of battle society)
The alternative “most interesting” option I can imagine would be one that is least likely/least aggressive/some otherwise sort of underdog candidate (maybe not even technically “legal” depending on what qualifications there are for heirship?), but I’m not sure exactly what themes that would play into, other than maybe how the pursuit of power can change someone?
That said, your themeatic instincts are strong enough that I can see you having a strong idea for a “middle-of-the-pack” candidate winning out over the others just as much, so— I am genuinely curious what your thoughts are for where you Want this crisis of succession to end, narratively, even if you don’t have an exact cat picked yet.
Good ask because I'd not been clear about the theme yet, I think. What Riverstar's Heir is trying to get at, at the heart of the issue, is that this is a bloodbath caused by naiive optimism and greed.
The commandments to establish borders and prevent killing are nice, but not enough. You can't just have a society on good will, not when POWER is up for grabs in the scramble. It's about collapse, and how innocent, well-meaning people get caught up in the devastation. Not JUST the troublemakers.
Riverstar was an EXCELLENT king, beloved and wise, but if you don't prepare a proper successor, everything you worked hard to build might crumble to ruin.
Something unique is lost in this shuffle. It's no longer the River Kingdom, and the Wind Coalition also becomes WindClan at this point. For better, and for worse, they both lose a bit of what made them special. Redscar's choice at the end also solidifies the early political power of Clerics, which is eventually broken many generations later with Larkwing's Strike.
So, fragment time,
At LEAST three "heirs" end up getting killed.
So, because these ones are gonna die, I have Three Heir "Slots" that I'm committed to and just need to fill;
The Eldest, Riverstar's oldest living biological child.
The Chosen, Riverstar's adopted heir, a rather meek prince easily pressured into backing off his rightful claim. This one is likely going to be the BB! version of Mossfire.
The Firstblood, directly descended from Riverstar's FIRSTborn child. This one is likely going to be the BB! version of Jumpfoot.
I also have two tentative slots.
The Accomplished... who is a blood relative of Riverstar, but more of a "puppet" for WindCo. Someone they're intentionally propping up hoping for power.
The Diplomat, from WindClan, who is a lot like WindCo's puppet but this one is more subtle about it. Poetic. Happy to purr and remind the world of the wonderful, deep ties that had existed between King Riverstar and Thunderstar.
And, LASTLY, there's The Deputy. The most qualified choice, who served Riverstar, but was no relative.
It feels right that the Deputy is the one who is chosen in the end... hm.
Anyway
After a smaller conflict near the start of the story, either The Eldest or The Firstblood seems to be the favorite to win... but decides to wait for the morning to set out for the Moonstone and take their lives.
In this time period, without selecting a successor, this heir is assassinated.
In fact it might be VERY fun if this heir, being so much like King Riverstar himself, decided to throw a pre-emptive celebration.
Meat! Merriment! MURDER!!!
Having them go out via poison would be a fun way to send a character off.
This is going to be why the "DEPUTY BEFORE MOONHIGH" rule is established, but it's also what kicks off the bloodier parts of the plot.
Thinking about it... a cleric and/or the deputy should probably tell this heir, "Hey, buddy, you should really get going" and they're ignored.
With Eldest Heir gone, the small conflict from earlier becomes an LARGE conflict.
And, like they did back in DOTC, families start to rally together. Especially Eldest's offspring, who think they're just as entitled to the Throne as The Firstblood/Jumpfoot
King Riverstar used to encourage cats to enter the River Kingdom freely. The borders were essentially open, and everyone was allowed in, as long as they were willing to cross the river.
(maybe I'll even have him pull down the tree from Riverstar's Home intentionally, happy to accept other cats into his Kingdom. Then he defends it from Skystar, specifically, but refuses to destroy what he built.)
This had allowed River Kingdom to grow large and powerful, but it also meant everyone in River Kingdom had connections to the other Clans.
Which meant there were cats supporting OTHER bids to the Throne, like the one from WindCo and the one from ThunderClan.
Smelling a way to grab power, Duststar supports his favorite heir, and Whitestar of ThunderClan also begins to stick his nose in.
Each Heir tries to run the River Kingdom, and things start to get hostile. If there's more than just the three heirs, even more of them start to get openly attacked, chased out, killed, until there's only The Chosen and The Firstblood left.
Somewhere around here, River Kingdom is invaded. Probably by the leader of SkyClan at the time, claiming that they don't even NEED an heir to take what these cats clearly don't deserve.
And that's when the internal conflict becomes a FULL-BLOWN WAR between four Clans.
In those days, the camp was at Sunningrocks, right in the middle of the river.
ThunderClan jumps in to help its "Ally" against SkyClan, just like historical precedent, but they have NO IDEA who they're fighting against, because the whole Kingdom is divided. It's not as simple as it was in DOTC anymore.
WindCo came to support its favorite heir, but its cats don't obey Duststar's orders when it comes down to fighting their own friends and family, meaning they're functionally fighting EVERYONE and losing a TON of cats
SkyClan is getting pummeled because EVERY group is pissed at them as well as each other, getting a painful awakening that they are NOT being run by Skystar the War God anymore and they're no longer the biggest, baddest bananas in the bunch
(shadowclan is watching all of this and eating popcorn. moisturized. in their lane. unbothered.)
The climax here, between The Chosen and The Firstblood, is a battle that matches the chapter from COTC. They launch at each other, in a battle to the death.
The first Sunningrocks Battle.
They both wear "crowns" on their head, one custom made for Mossfire's short-furred head, and traditional, braided into Jumpfoot's long, lush fur.
As they claw, bite, and tumble, they plunge into the river.
Fighting and hissing, they try to pull apart to rise up for air-- and can't.
They're STUCK
The crowns became tangled in their skirmish, and neither one can work with the other to bring them both to shore, against the current.
Both heirs, the last with a proper claim to the throne, drown together in the river.
At the end of the bloodbath, the tone is very somber. The rules were meant to prevent The First Battle from ever happening again... but The Second Battle had just taken place.
The body count wasn't AS high as the First Battle, but it was still a bloody loss. Every Clan lost warriors. Even ShadowClan, who hadn't even been IN the conflict, checked its ranks to find that powerful warriors had run off to go fight with their Kin.
Now they could be buried with them, too.
And now, there was no proper heir. If any descendants were still kicking around, they were refusing to take a throne that so many cats had died for. Jumpfoot and Mossfire never emerged from the River, their bodies, and their legendary crowns, were never found.
At first I'd been considering Redscar being swapped to become a RiverClan Cleric, but now I'm thinking it actually makes sense he's still from ShadowClan. ShadowClan was the ONLY neutral group-- it's reasonable for the clans to turn and request their partiality.
So, Redscar peruses the options, having followed the situation from afar.
His choice, in the end, was The Deputy. The most experienced advisor who knew Riverstar, and probably tried to stay at his adopted daughter's side as well. The closest thing they'd had to a leader all along.
(Thought: Maybe this character will be the POV. Make it like a bit of a fake-out title, you THINK Riverstar's heir is Mossfire. But it's actually been this one all along.)
He creates his famous false sign, and from there, the five groups discussed how they could prevent this from ever happening again.
They create the Law of the Deputy, commanding that ALL Clans have a single Deputy who will inherit the Clan after the leader passes away, ending dynasties in WindCo and River Kingdom and centralizing power in the other 3.
With the massive losses that WindCo and River Kingdom experienced, they also restructure, forced to accept a lot of help from ThunderClan and ShadowClan.
The borders began to close up, leading to the sentiment that would lead to Commandment 4, the Law of Loyalty, in just one more generation.
#better bones au#BB!DOTC#Riverstar's Heir#I feel like I need to add in more 'human' moments#But it's also a very broad overview type thing#Having the Deputy be the POV will help immensely I think once I get into the details#Since she'll be thinking about how to keep the Kingdom together. How to feed people. How badly it's all crumbling#And how distracting the violence all is#But this is a broader draft of the major politics when the REAL meat of this story is in the minutia.#(Ottoman Empire ass drama in the background) ``no time for that goku. its fall. the salmon r coming.``#Unsure if this is Flowerstem or Maplewhisker....#The Eldest would make sense as Mothpelt#Again: COTC my beloved
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Skystar is the first leader to die and Riverstar is the last, but have you decided the order the other leaders die? (and who their successors are if you've changed them)
Quick list so far, of order and of successor!
Skystar -> Sparrowstar
THOUGH I also wouldn't mind her getting snubbed. For a long while, I had an inkling of an idea that Sparrow Heart betrays her brother, Pebble Heart/Owl Eyes and her living mother, Bumble, joins Clear Sky and fights by his side for her whole life, and then... dies or is replaced before becoming leader.
Causing her to SEETHE in StarClan, furious that she's a minor patron of loyalty, and become desperate to finally take what she feels was denied.
Would be a BANGER thing to do for an arc of BB that has something to do with the "vacant position" left by Skystar's heavenly double-death in Ashfur's jaws.
Thunderstar -> Owlstar
If he dies so early, it's because he was engaged in so many fights with Skystar. Anyway, not many changes here, besides the fact that Owl Eyes was the first official Honor Title and his birth name was Pebble Heart. Bumble also survives to see her son become leader of ThunderClan, and she's very proud of him.
Thunderstar dies around the same time as Windstar, I think, either a little before or after.
Windstar -> Gorsestar or one of her kids
I kinda just don't want Gorselike Fur to ever become leader, or if he does, he rules for a really short amount of time. More like a Queen Reagent than an actual ruler, you get me? Just running WindCo until their chosen heir is ready to take over. He's calm and laidback, but also too naiive and relaxed to be a good leader. He'd want to hang up the star as soon as possible-- so he wouldn't take the lives in the first place. She might get followed by Morning Whisker instead, and to avoid conflict with Morningstar of ThunderClan I make the name into "Risingstar" or something.
Windstar herself died of some kind of chronic illness. It took several of her lives, shortening her rule, in addition to fighting off SkyClan's raids once Moth Flight had 4 oracle children and every Clan desired a Cleric.
Her grandson, OR great-grandson depending on how the timeline shakes out, is Duststar. Duststar is going to be leader of WindClan when Commandment 4, the Law of Loyalty, is passed. The one which Cloudberry and Ryewhisker are going to leave StarClan in protest of. I'm feeling that Duststar was named for his uncle/granduncle, Dustiest Muzzle.
Shadowstar -> Possibly still Ravenstar, not committed to a successor yet.
She significantly outlives the other three. She was a long-lived leader, it's just that Riverstar outdoes her! In fact I'm probably going to have Quick Water end up being one of the oldest Dark Forest demons, having made a coup attempt on her for some sort of reason. Maybe she was deputy for a while. Unsure.
So, I'm not too plussed about choosing a successor for her. She might have gone through a few deputies. Whoever the successor is, they're a bit of a bastard who aggravates the River Kingdom's succession crisis.
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ITS SNAKE O' CLOCK!!! yay yippee wahoo! have you decided what you're doing with him or are you just thinking abt him :O?
Rotating him in my mind for my own sanity because I got to the part in Path of Stars where they've just. Completely retconned everything about him for the sake of forcefully making everyone of value forgive Clear Sky. The only person who stays mad at Clear Sky forever actually just liked One Eye better
Even though we saw him, on screen, looking at the camera and being like, "I Do Not Like Clear Sky Because His Bad Judgement Caused Us To Be Permanently Branded By A Tyrant Like We Were A Herd Of Texas Steers."
They did him SO dirty, man!! SO SO dirty!!!!!
On that note though, I HAVE decided on a few things!
So, on the note of defectors, Snake is going to be one of the very last ones. While I absolutely adore him, I think it's very important and meaningful that he is one of his most loyal cats.
Snake is a Mountain cat, and it's looking like he is going to be part of the Claw Family.
The Claw Family consists of Fox Claw and Petal Claw to begin with. I have an inkling of an idea that Petal Claw actually leaves while pregnant-- possibly escaping someone unsavory back at home.
I feel like she doesn't really enjoy romance. She's ambitious and ferocious, and whoever her lover was, was quite controlling.
Unfortunately it's a big reason why she's so committed to Clear Sky. She has that sort of unaddressed mindset that abuse often leaves you with.
"No, I know what an awful person is because of what I went through, and I'm telling you, Clear Sky is not that. YOU'Re actually the problem."
And, in turn, Clear Sky rewards her a lot. She is one of his favorite cats, she gets a TON of benefits for her loyalty. Tyrannical, terrible two of them.
Besties (threat)
Snake Claw and Red Claw would have been the first births in the forest, but Bright Storm gave birth early because of the stress and thus Thunder Storm came first.
So Snake and Red were brought up by Petal Claw and Fox Claw, in early Sky's Clan.
Fox and Petal were ADAMANTLY loyal to Clear Sky. They remained behind in the Shadow/Sky split, hissing and spitting at those who chose to follow Tall Shadow.
I feel like Fox was actually their primary parent. They call him Uncle, but he acted a lot more like a dad. It gave Petal more time to go do bad bitch things.
When Clear Sky murders Misty, much much later, Petal is given the kittens as a reward for her loyalty. Having more kits is a point of status, and she's very happy to accept the reward.
So, the Claw family becomes "huge" in a short period of time on this evil action. Petal Claw, Fox Claw, Snake Claw, Red Claw, Alder Claw, Birch Claw.
For Snake, he's raised accepting all this as good and normal. At some point, Fox Claw is killed in some kind of frighteningly violent, unnecessary, bloodthirsty skirmish that Clear Sky aggrieves, and Snake Claw doubles down right along with Petal.
He also does a lot of the WORST things on behalf of Clear Sky. He IS going to have a body count-- though he will no longer be killing BB!Frost (now Sunlit Frost), he does bite him on the good paw during The First Battle.
This bite goes septic, after Sunlit REFUSES to sit out gravedigging, helping to bury his friends and family with an open wound. He already has nerve damage in the other arm from his severe burn.
This choice, because he wouldn't take a break when he was told to, ends up MASSIVELY disabling him. Once a master builder and inventor, he loses his dominant paw and has chronic pain in the other one. He can't build anymore after this.
After Snake Claw defects, I actually really want them to struggle with this. Snake doesn't feel like it's fair to blame him for what Sunlit did to himself, but he's also NEW to Thunder's Clan later, and there's not a lot of people on his side.
And Sunlit is a person who holds grudges... but it's also true that it's kinda not fair, since Snake Claw is trying to apologize for it.
Somehow it's unsatisfying and frustrating, knowing that Snake Claw is only apologizing because everyone wants him to. But how can you expect him to be sincere about something the BOTH of you feel is not entirely his fault?
It's like Sunlit wanted to have him to blame, but that's hard when he's not Clear Sky's Minion anymore.
In the past, I'd gone back and forth on if Red Claw or Snake Claw defected, and now I'm realizing.... por que no los dos? Por que no los TRES?
Since I've committed to adding a third group and expanding on the Forest cats, this is going to mean that Snake's younger "adopted" siblings NEED to have full arcs with this.
While one of them will remain with Clear Sky, becoming a cultural "justification" for the practice of Kitten Stealing, which will plague Clan culture for generations, I think something is fascinating in the idea that they're the ONLY Claw to remain with SkyClan.
Petal Claw and Fox Claw die in battle, "honored" for their sacrifice.
Red Claw defects for ThunderClan first, after falling for the charms of Acorn Swoop
Alder Claw likely follows later... reconnecting with Misty's mate, Milkweed, who has been fighting for MOONS for this very moment
And, lastly, Snake will follow.
(It is also bitterly funny to me that it means Milkweed loses Misty, but then ends up gaining all of Petal's biokids. Never speak to me or my daughter or my son or my son or my daughter or my daughter or my daughter-in-law ever again)
Because Snake Claw will be the very last of the Claw family to defect, I'm thinking it's after the end of BB!DOTC, and over in Thunderstar's Justice.
KEEP the fact that Snake Claw leaves because of Skystar bringing One Eye into the Clan. Even keep the fact that most of SkyClan is loyal to their tyrant-- Snake Claw has woken up to the truth, and realizes he has family elsewhere who loves and misses him.
Well.... hopefully they still do. After everything.
Snake Claw should have a ton of fights with Red Claw and Alder Claw, I think, before the First Battle. Have them all be covered in scars
Because the whole family defects, it's easy for it to become a sensational story about Nepotism/Scabforming. Other Clans probably don't hold Snake, Red, and Alder in high esteem in their myths-- but until Darkstar's Commandment which bans Kitten Stealing, Birch Claw was easily the most venerated.
Aaaand that's it so far! I know for a fact now that Snake Claw is going to be a member of the Claw family, and that he is going to be a MAJOR antagonist through BB!DOTC. In Thunderstar's Justice, he's going to join his living family after finally being able to realize that Skystar is not worth following.
I want to keep that he is a villain for most of the story, because that's what I like best about the way he turns on Clear Sky from canon. He was everything Skystar ever wanted, he did every awful command, the blood is already dried under his claws forever and he was rewarded only with a permanent scarring.
Then, told it's "MY way or the HIGH way," he chooses the high way.
#Since BB!DOTC is the most changed and has had TWO very large changes as time goes on...#I really need to make a new summary post for it#Sorry to followers who are confused dfsfs I'm aware of it#BB!DOTC#Snake Claw#Better bones au
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...Something's kinda hitting me, guys. I think something just clicked.
So we all know that BB!DOTC is the arc I'm not staying faithful to, right? A lot of characters are getting total overhauls? I'd actually been dancing pretty heavily around the pro-colonialism themes in the original text, simply because I don't really feel comfortable handling them (same with certain sexual themes, it's not great for my mental health to force myself to engage with certain elements that are triggering)
So I'd made it so there was Park Cats (Wind Coalition and River Kingdom) who arrived relatively recently, and Tribe Cats (Sky's Clan, Shadow's Clan) who nestle into an unclaimed spot in the forest. All groups roughly equal in power until Thunder's Clan which was existing in defiance.
But Clanmew isn't JUST comprised of Parkmew and Tribemew-- there's a third contributor. Old Townmew, which mixes with Parkmew and forms Middle Townmew, mixing again with Clanmew to create Modern Townmew.
Since I'm now really thinking about the colonialism themes, especially in my re-read where it starts reaching its narrative conclusion in Books 5 and 6... I think I need to add that 3rd cultural group. I need to make them a player. I think I'm doing a serious disservice by only having the Park Cats, Tribe Cats, and then saying all others mostly lived in the town.
I'm gonna do a BB!Brokenstar with Slash. Previously I'd just cut him completely-- but I think I should, instead, walk him back from being "Pure Evil" like he is in-canon and make him into a real character.
One Eye's a god drawn to the festering stink and rot of the First Battle; Slash is a mortal, leading a group like any other in the Forest Territories.
I think I'm also going to significantly bump up the time the Park Cats have been in this territory. Slash and his cats have been fighting them for years, and until the Mountain Cat influx, were basically spread through most of the Forest.
#Since BB!DOTC starts with leaving the mountain and ends with the First Battle#I'll also have a lot of time to explore Thunder interacting with all of these cats#Something often misunderstood is that Colonialism isn't... new.#It didn't come from capitalism. People have invaded and subjugated native groups for eons#What's new is how refined imperialism made it and how it's down to a bloody science now#I have plenty of cats to populate these groups too unlike newer material#Better Bones AU#BB!DOTC#I might have Slash and Thunder's groups eventually merge towards the end#That would make sense as to how Thunder's Clan was seemingly suddenly on a similar standing to Sky's#...could be a prettyyyy badass ending to the 'thunder ties to do a ton of diplomacy' arc by having him realize-#-his group has a LOT more in common with Slash than all the bigger groups#Kind of subvert DOTC's message by having him believe Slash IS a bloodthirsty monster who hates love and friendship#And then he realizes at some point. That was a fucking lie#That's sounding pretty good to me actually what do youse think
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So, your Clear Sky post is absolutely horrifying, but it was very needed, so thank you. What are your general thoughts on tackling his abuse for the AU? Like you've said, pretending he's a good guy is not the way to go, but are you planning on toning down *some* of the situations, just to give some of the cats a break? Clear Sky is a very realistic depiction of abusers, but that seems to come across even without victim number 25, yknow? I'm very curious about how you'd like to go about this.
My most recent big change was bringing Slash back into the fold, because I realized that it was actually a disservice to not address where DOTC's themes dip into Colonialism. It's a hard topic, and I'm still trying to work out the details, but I realized it was important.
With how BB!DOTC is such a MASSIVE overhaul, to properly address abuse and the ways it impacts you, ableism and its violence, and xenophobia broadly, a huge reworking of Slash belonged here too. He's one of the greatest examples of how badly WC demonizes non-Clanborn cats. I shouldn't dance around it.
That's what I need to do with Skystar.
MANY of his victims have happier endings than canon, though. Bumble is one of the most famous, bumped up into a major character and directly responsible for the formation of ThunderClan. Bright Storm is taking most of Gray Wing's roles. Birch and Alder are getting examined, with either a father who wants his kids back or Milkweed as the mate of Misty.
A lot of people will die because of him, even more will be hurt, but I see BB!DOTC as a story about victims and survivors.
Others might grab POVs here and there, but as a response to canon which I feel is Clear Sky's story told in many parts, I center this rewrite around Thunder Storm. The path of kindness he marches down, with love and with anger, and the people he helps.
So BB!Star Flower...
Previously I was playing her as ENTIRELY just manipulating Clear Sky. She was loyal to One Eye and trying to get at Skystar to bleed him dry for 8 lives to sacrifice; but connected to Thunderstar over recognizing him as a victim who deserves her idea of justice. So, she offers Thunderstar the final kill, so her father will be grateful to him and he'll get power AND the death of his abuser.
(When Thunderstar looks upon Skystar, pathetic and neutralized down to one life, he thinks about the collateral damage that will descend upon the forest if he accepts the deal. He decides that he has found the line between Justice and Justification. Of course he wants the power to make his enemies cower, protect his people, and eliminate Clear Sky so he never threatens them again; that's not the problem.
He can still do these things. He wouldn't NEED the power of a war god to do so.
But if One Eye returns, he will be endlessly hungry, ruthlessly dedicated to revenge, and set out to devour the whole forest. Everything would get worse, and even more people he loves would die. It's where his desire to destroy a monster would lead to him BECOMING one.)
Even on its face, it was previously missing an element. There's a step between "Starf decides to bring One Eye back" and "Starf offers Thunderstar the final kill" that was bare. This is the piece that was missing-- That she, herself, is trying to reach out to the only person who's ever really understood her.
But more importantly... I do feel this topic belongs here, in BB!DOTC. Abuse is a MAJOR theme. SKYSTAR is a monster already. He's harmed two wives in BB (Bright Storm and Falling Cry) and played toxic games with all three kits (Thunder Storm, Pale Sky, Tiger Sky).
And I'd avoid Star Flower being abused... why? Because it's uncomfortable to confront the pattern that Clear Sky displays? That in-canon, he tries to cut all his victims into the same ideal shape, from Storm to Thunder to Star Flower? ...it should be uncomfortable. Everything that I described in Clear Sky Is A Monster is rooted in the same desire for control, power, and punishment most abusive people share, he just happens to be a severe example.
Yes. That includes how he treats his child and romantic partners. The parallels that are drawn between Starf and Thunder are there because he wants power in the form of obedience. Starf replaces the son as a narrative award for his "growth" of not killing random people anymore for a while.
A cookie cutter is an effective tool because IT ONLY MAKES ONE SHAPE.
You know what's more uncomfortable? Reading canon!DOTC and seeing someone who hurt you reflected almost perfectly in the character the writers think did nothing wrong. Because of "good intentions" that were not there.
I will say though, just to be clear; I don't see a purpose in being more than PG-13 about serious topics for this project. I promise none of my intentions have changed. Nothing will be more graphic or gorey than canon WC-- just more intentional.
I'm keeping the sacrifice because it's dope. No one is taking this from me. Girl Moment: Killed her awful husband 8 times to count as 8 sacrifices and offered the last life to her buddy as a show of good will. How else do you make friends outside of high school
But I know now that Star Flower NEEDS to keep the canon fact she has very little agency, UNTIL that moment she snaps.
She's sacrificing one abuser to try and bring back a bigger, badder one, because in spite of everything, her father One Eye always made her feel safe. Even though he promised her off to Skystar, and expected her to be willing to die for him. She's followed every command, every order, past the death of his mortal vessel.
The first, and only, selfish choice she's ever made was in reaching out to Thunderstar to offer him the power of her father.
Thunderstar's Justice is a story about a Thunder Storm at the pinnacle of his arc, how the survivors of his Clan are settling into the new normal after the carnage of The First Battle, how Skystar's arrogance brings a violent god to the Forest... and the connection Thunderstar makes with the daughter of a monster.
#Kronk meme: ''Oh Yeah. It's all coming together''#I'll be making the fragments in another post#Just because this one's getting really long#It works well as an explanation of my intentions#I think I had been making a mistake previously to conceive of BB!Starf as a femme fatale who seduced Sky#Again: I'm not perfect! As I analyze and re-read with a more critical eye. My art changes.#Tho I will admit I do like the idea of a Starf who is totally cognizant of how she can manipulate a villain#Into doing what she wants. I do love myself a powerful and scheming woman#It's that it didn't fit my story or my themes OR even the purpose of BB as a fixit that addresses canon#Better bones au#BB!DOTC#BB!Star Flower#BB!Skystar#BB!Thunder Storm#Also imo this philosophy will let me make BB!One Eye what I think he deserves and works best as#THE WORSE OF TWO EVILS#The Tyrant of Tyrants#And man.... the idea that Skystar becomes the Clan patron of war...#The God of Summer laughs at him.#''Outdone and reeling your wounded pride speaks the words your tender mouth can never say''#''That you were outclassed and now you obsess over the bigger monster you aren't good enough to become''#''You fell into the step of a lion and think you can replicate what my paw does without effort.''#Cw abuse#Tw abuse#Abuse#Child abuse
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Do you have a design for Bright Storm? I'm fond of the wise older figure thing you're doing with her
I do NOW
Made her, as well as a revamp of my old Thunder Storm design (I last drew him like a year ago!!) in preparation for some character summaries I plan to bang out after finishing a couple drafts, but Bright in particular gets requested so much (anon you're like the 4th person) that HERE, lady girl and her son be upon ye
I'm thinking about doing the BB!DOTC character summaries in "family" posts, so they're all grouped together the way I plan them to act in the story. Every family is telling a little mini-story of its own, in a way, from the Frost family and their inventing prowess, to the Heart family and how the kits react to Bumble's exile, to the Storm family and how they grapple with Clear Sky's influence.
I wanted to make sure Bright Storm was very large and powerful looking, but in a round, kind of "humble" way. She downplays her strength, her intelligence, and even her better judgement.
So she has these big cheeks, fluffy primordial pouch, poofy tail, keeps her head low-ish. Tends to deny compliments.
I was commiserating with my partner the other day about how intelligent characters aren't allowed to be thick-bodied. So between my fat, beloved Bumble the translator and Bright Storm the wise woman battle strategist I'm feeding us both
I needed to "finalize" their stripe pattern, because I actually plan for TIGERSTAR to have the same one. I'm probably going to update my Tawnypelt and Bramblestar designs to have it too; if they don't look better with Goldenflower's.
I just like the irony and bitterness of it. That these ancient stripes, once so associated with compassion and righteous fury, turn into a "legacy" so divorced from what Thunder Storm and Bright Storm stood for.
Becoming a symbol for the idea of modern ThunderClan and the culture of the new times, not the principles it was founded on.
Also I HAD to do the design thing where Thunder Storm's stripes look like top surgery scars lmao, my beloved transmasc boy
Anyway, I've decided that Thunder Storm was a REALLY dark orange. It bugs me a little, especially in-canon, that he looks nothing like either parent. So in BB he's not too far off color-wise from his mama.
I also removed the old "mane" and replaced it with combination white chest + his father's shoulder burls. The mane is going to become a Forest Cat trait, which is why it's going to get so prominent in ThunderClan.
Instead, Mountain Cats have a REALLY high concentration of ear tufts in their genes. They're also huge and generally hairy.
Funny enough though they're also "oily." They come from the Lake Cat population which was pretty water-resistant because of constantly dealing with the lake, and they haven't lived in the Mountains long enough for natural selection to get rid of it.
It's going to become SUPER advantageous for those who move to the River Kingdom, but become less prominent in the other populations.
But for now, Mountain Cats are kinda... well, naturally 'stinky.' That's not a BAD thing to cats who are animals who LIKE strong smells, but it is a notable trait that I'd like The Wind Runner in particular to comment on.
Thunder Storm: "Well? What did she say?"
Bumble: "Ummmmmm......"
Thunder Storm: "be honest"
Bumble: "she says she smelled you coming when you were upwind. rudely."
99% of the time when I'm changing character eye colors, it's to make them NOT blue because there's too many blue-eyed characters in WC imo. BUT.
I think it was another tiny waste to have the narrative constantly stressing Clear Sky's blue, blue eyes, almost like they're hypnotizing, and then they never really comment on what Thunder's eye color signals to other people.
So I've got an idea; instead of amber, Thunder Storm has ELECTRIC BLUE eyes. Almost green, like his mother's minty ones.
Intense as his father's, but more focused. Sharp. Shocking.
Side note: in my research I actually learned it's easier for tripod cats to RUN than it is for them to walk. They can "canter" like a horse, but when they go slow they have to hop. Taking this into consideration.
I put a splash of white on the little bit of lower limb that Thunder Storm has on the leg, so it sticks out a bit more. I don't want it to be hidden I want it to be prominent
I also figured out a hilarious trick for Bright Storm to pull on Sky's Clan at some point lmao
Thunder's crew is in conflict with Sky's cats and the attacks are getting more and more frequent. They decide they need some extra time to carry out some kind of hunt or diplomatic mission, but Bright Storm only has a small group of cats to pull off a stunt with.
She knows she can't fight them head on, but she NEEDS to buy her son more time, so she hatches a plan.
Clear Sky values his intelligence and his ferocity very much. To a fault, even. He loves to outsmart his opponents and overpower them-- so Bright Storm gets all her cats to build a very large, very tall, nearly impenetrable wall out of briar thorns. There's only one way in; the well-guarded tunnel they've constructed in the front.
It would be a challenge for a lesser cat. But Clear Sky, clever devil he is, realizes they've made a fatal flaw; they've built their camp right next to the trees. His fighters don't need to jump over the wall or push through it, the oaks are their allies!
So, while Thunder's cats are all surely sleeping, he gathers his best men and come through the canopy. In well-trained patrols, they swoop down into the camp and prepare for battle.
and no one is there.
You see, there was only one way in... and only one way out.
And Clear Sky and his best fighters watch with HORROR as the tiny crew of guards seals that entrance up like the neck of a bag. There are no trees to climb INSIDE the wall, and it's too tall to hop out of. It won't hold them forever, but it will hold them JUST LONG ENOUGH.
Bright calls this little plan "Operation Timeout."
#I can't help it. Ever since I mentioned how cool a warlord gray wing would be now I can't stop thinking about Bright Storm doing--#Art of War Looney Tunes tactics lmao#LET THE BATTLE CATS BATTLE#BB!DOTC#BB!Bright Storm#BB!Thunder Storm#BB!Thunderstar#Better Bones AU#It feels very fitting for Bright to have a lot of very ''annoying'' but nonlethal plans like that#Though she CAN and WILL hurt others to defend her family#She doesn't LIKE doing that.#One thing I do want her to keep from Gray is his aversion to violence#But unlike him she's able to come to terms with the fact she HAS to defend what she loves.#And though a lot of it does come from the love she had for Clear... it also comes from her compassion and kindness towards others.#She's been lead astray and blinded by her love of him in the past (especially in how she abetted what happened to Bumble)#But unlike Canon!Gray she's ashamed of what she did after she sits with the consequences#She doesn't want to hurt anyone. But she did. She let it happen. Contributed even#And that's rough.#YOUR HONOR. I LIKE HER.
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Windstar's kits in BB are Dust Muzzle and Morning Whisker. With the former being renamed Dustiest Muzzle to fit naming conventions. But whats Morning Whisker's new name? Esp since you said that they will probably be the leader after Windstar passes and theres already Morningstar of ThunderClan (my beloved).
TO RECAP FOR THOSE COMING IN;
There's three groups in BB!DOTC now; Park Cats, Mountain Cats, and Forest Cats. Forest cats are the oldest cultural group and have lived around the White Hart for decades. Park cats arrived a few generations ago following their king away from the destruction of their home down south. Mountain cats recently followed Gray Wing the Wise down from the north at the beck of prophecy.
Forest cats are given a simple, natural name, and then their talent earns them a suffix from a small pool of traditional meanings. Bee, a strong fighter, might earn -sting, -slash, or -stone.
Mountain cats inherit the last names of their parents, and are usually given first names that work with them. Tempest Sky and Quiet Wing's children are Gray Wing and Clear Sky. Quiet Wing then had another litter with Stone Peak, and they were named Fluttering Wing and Jagged Peak.
Park cats are born nameless. They're given simple descriptions about their physical traits, traditionally until they're given a mentor. They spend their adolescence as (Mentor)'s Paw, until they make an achievement that is worthy of their leader giving them a title of three words or less.
Normally the leader is the King, but the Wind Coalition broke off from the River Kingdom many years ago. The Wind Runner sees herself as being much better than a King, HER kingdom is self-made, battle-tested, unprotected by the powerful river or the secretive forest.
Moth Flight isn't her child anymore, but I do know I want The Wind Runner to keep three total. At birth, the kittens were "named" Littlest One, Middle One, and Biggest One.
(It's tradition that the first real name of a Park cat is their apprentice name, but Windy is BURSTING with hubrice and LOVES breaking traditions. So it's possible the three of them did something different.)
SO currently I'm thinking their new names are;
Emberkit: Littlest One -> Embers Under Rain
Morning Whisker: Middle One -> Prayers at Dawn
Dustiest Muzzle: Biggest One -> Dustiest Muzzle
Embers might still die rather young, but at the very least she gets to apprenticeship. I'm not entirely sure on what I'm doing with her yet. If her name is a title, she managed to light a fire during a rainstorm (probably using flint)
Dustiest Muzzle gets his title from being an early tunneler and both bold and curious enough to stick his nose in every burrow. It actually reads as kind of unearned though, you could put it in English as "works harder than everyone else" which he probably just got because he's the son of The Wind Runner.
(Not that he isn't hardworking, just that Windstar doesn't even pretend she isn't biased.)
And Prayers at Dawn is interesting, because praying to future Clan cats looks like tilting your head upwards, and feeling the wind stir your whiskers. In Ancient Parkmew, her name meant something more like "Rousing Whiskers at Sunrise." I like the idea that she's quite religious for some reason, possibly also a friend of Moth Flight when it comes time.
The Parkmew word for "whiskering" eventually becomes the Clanmew word for the physical position of making prayers.
So Prayerstar would be a perfectly good name to avoid the conflict of Morningstar down the line later, BUT I'm also tempted to make the name MOURNINGstar and maybe have her take Mourning Whiskers as a title during her life.
Maybe even as a self-given title of great sorrow. I could have her become very close to Moth Flight and make her heart break when Moth and her children agree to split themselves up across the five Clans in Moth Flight's Vow.
Hmmm... perhaps Windstar's last life withered away pretty slowly, and Mourning Whisker knew she was going to inherit the Wind Coalition on the brink of war with SkyClan already attacking. Moth and her kits knew that WindCo would defend them all with their lives, and that's exactly why they knew they couldn't stay.
#better bones au#BB!DOTC#Moth Flight's Vow#I need to make a new fragments thing for BB!MFV since a lot more stuff is in it now#But overall BB!DOTC is the part of bb I need to organize the most#And I have Bad At Organizing disorder
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