#Same with Bramble in other BB arcs | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

bonefall · 29 days

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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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bonefall · 5 months

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This is kinda a funny comment but @ Brambleclaw telling Hollypaw how smart she is, i remember reading an article about how corporate spies (YES THIS IS RELATED) got information. The article was mostly one person's retelling about how it was entirely though phone calls where they just ask for information, and whenever the person on the other side started questioning them for why they needed the information, they were told to switch to praising the person on the other side for sticking to the rules and 'authenticating/checking' everything. That they'd 'put in a good word for how dedicated they were', basically buttering them up and making them feel good about catching what they were doing specifically to nudge them away from actually catching on.

I find it WILDLY interesting how the Erins just ACCIDENTALLY put actual manipulation tactics in their books when trying to make a male figure seem like a good person, almost like they're writing from experience in some kind of elaborate essay to themselves about how that behavior is okay and justifiable. They write in another character, Crowfeather, who abuses in a different, more noticable way just to compare and go "At least it's not this bad!" (the scene where Crowfeather chews out Breezepaw and one of them goes 'id rather Brambleclaw any day of the week!'), and then have Ashfur butter up Brambleclaw so that him excusing Ashfur's abuse can be claimed as Ashfur manipulating him.

ANYWAYS a question so you can properly add to the ask: How DOES the Ashfur buttering up Brambleclaw thing go down? Does Ashfur even NEED to butter him up? I think it'd be a little interesting if Hollypaw telling Brambleclaw was the first time he's actually heard of it happening, but he either confronts Ashfur and THEN gets buttered up, or he heards, thinks about it, and goes "nah its good actually I'd do the same".

There's actually a name for the tactic Ashfur uses that you saw in that spy article. It's called Ingratiation.

It's the act of making someone have a higher opinion of you, therefore putting more trust in you, by simply getting them to like you. Flattery, posing yourself as an in-group, and even using humor can all be part of ingratiation.

Now-- Ingratiation isn't ALWAYS nefarious. It's normal to try and make a good impression, or want to be liked by a possible friend or coworker. We try to influence other people all the time, we're social animals. It's just good to know that it CAN be used maliciously.

So I'm not too surprised to see a manipulation tactic in the book. I was using "buttering up" exactly because most people know WHAT it is, and that it IS a way to get people to do stuff, but don't connect that to its academic name. Like you said though what's so BIZARRE about it is how they really DO sometimes seem to be writing this looooong essay to themselves about how that was all Fine, Actually.

ESPECIALLY the way Bramble and Crow were contrasted in the Dog Scolding Scene. I left most of Bramble out because I was trying to focus on proving that Breeze was abused, but Nonny... the way the Three get chewed the fuck out by Bramble, as he insults them, assures Crow he won't be stopping for their exhausted sakes, and doesn't indicate that his anger is coming from concern...

It massively reminded me of when one neglected kid sees another kid get abused too. "Oh, well, what I'm going through isn't so bad, because it's not like THAT."

THEYRE SO CLOSE. ALL THE TIME. Like an INCH away from the point and it's AGONIZING.

Anyway... in BB, Bramble's enabling of Lionpaw's abuse is a WATERSHED moment for a bunch of the character arcs, especially Hollypaw.

I plan to keep it very similar to canon actually, I think it's stainless steel the way it is.

Ashfur KNOWS what he is doing.

He wasn't rolling for a save. It was calculated. Brambleclaw is someone who could have stopped his abuse, so he sought him out.

Can you see how inescapable that makes it, for Holly and Lion?

Holly finally worked up the courage to say something and stand up for her brother, only for her father to coo like she's a kitten who doesn't understand the world.

Even Lionpaw's father believes it's good and right to BLEED for your Clan. That this is normal... that this is even what love can look like.

BB!Lionblaze is the adopted father of his bio-nespring, Ivypool and Dovewing. What he internalizes here as a child is going to hurt BOTH of his daughters down the road, as he shoves them into the Dark Forest and a Prophecy, respectively.

Even after Brambleclaw disowns him and Lionblaze rejects him in response, adamantly saying he has ONLY a mother, he won't reject this lesson until it's TOO LATE.

And Hollypaw is so damaged by this scene that it's going to be the first domino towards her murderous break in Cruel Season.

"I need you to keep your brothers in line, Hollypaw" is soup stock, and then add obsession with the Code, constant betrayal from the relationships she forges in other Clans, her near-murder at the claws of Ashfur when he finds out the Power of Three + Fire and Tiger prophecies, and the murder of her mentor and grandfather.

And then she finds out her HalfClan brother, a Cleric, angel-punching blasphemous wretch he is, has gotten Poppyfrost pregnant. Just like Leafpool before him.

What else IS "keeping them in line" supposed to be, when he's gone this far? He's had enough chances. She will do what she's meant for. Jayfeather must DIE.

Bramblestar himself is notorious in BB for being incredibly controversial as a leader, taking power in Cruel Season just after Firestar is killed by the Dark Forest assassins.

This is part of his personality. He is easily blinded by his own feelings, and it makes him a good target for manipulation.

His first deputy, Thornclaw, exploits many of the same weaknesses Ashfur did. All part of the Dark Forest's plan.

And even Ashfur. Up in StarClan, he continues to plot, eventually leading to the events of TBC and his time as the Impostor.

#better bones au #BB!Po3 #So a LOT comes out of this moment. A LOT.

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bonefall · 1 year

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BB!Tawnypelt

[ID: A version of Tawnypelt for the Better Bones AU. She is a golden torbie with green eyes, a brown mask, and long raptor claws shared by her family. She has a tiger-shaped neck, tail, and broad shoulders, with one arm featuring inverted colors.]

New leader of the Sundrown Patrol, cynical, savvy, focused on the mission above all else. Though power dances just out of the reach of her claws, the theme of her life is family, loss, and connection.

I noticed a theme in canon that the tabbies in the Tiger line lose their golden sisters. Birchface watches Frecklewish damned to the Dark Forest, Hawkfrost is cut off by Mothwing for his toxicity, Tigerheart sees Dawnpelt march into the claws of the Kin, Strikestone never sees Sleekwhisker again. For Better Bones, I made that an OFFICIAL curse.

Gorseclaw struck down his sister, Spottedpelt, in the climax of Ripplestar's Rot and since then, Tigerkin tabbies have been tragically losing their golden siblings. Bramblepaw watching Tawnypaw joining TigerClan is the true beginning of their character arcs, as both siblings grapple with their insecurities and loneliness.

Below the cut:

TNP; the Sundrown Patrol and Tigerstar blowing up the voicemail

Po3 and OotS, her reaction to Hollyleaf's Reveal and early Bramblestar

AVoS and Tawnypelt's Mountain, her reduxed novella

Beyond and Bonus Trivia

BETTER BONES TNP

The new POVs of TNP are the four Tigerkin, Tawnypelt serves as a contrast to Brambleclaw to establish that he is an unreliable narrator.

Tawny is objective when it comes to bonds between other people, but underestimates how much others like her back.

This is a problem for her in ShadowClan, where their dark and dry sense of humor is hard for her, as a very genuine ThunderClan cat, to accurately parse.

She takes a lot of Rowanclaw's behavior as open aggression, only realizing very late into TNP that he is the son of Brokenstar and was trying to break the ice the entire time.

She takes the death of Feathertail hard. They all do, but Tawny feels angry that she can't be the faithful, gentle, soothing presence that Feather was.

Tigerstar is trying to contact her long before he sets his sights on Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost. Though she considers it, she makes a final rejection of him on reaching the lake.

She decrees that the journey has changed all the cats, especially herself, and that the sun is rising on a new time for all four Clans.

Though expanded into a POV, Tawny's journey is quite simple, unlike Bramble who grows into an unfortunate antagonist in upcoming arcs.

IN PO3 AND OOTS BEYOND

There is a truce between Shadow and Thunder for Po3, only coming to a bloody crash later when Bramblestar takes power in OotS

But for one arc, Tawny is the Three's beloved aunt. In several 'episodes' of this slice-of-life breather redux, she is a supporting character. She's close friends with Squirrelflight, as well.

Her FIRST litter is Flametail and Dawnpelt! They're around the same age as the Three.

When the secret is revealed, Tawnypelt is beside herself with frustration at Bramblestar.

It's understandable to be upset, but demotion of his deputy? Disowning his children??

And then, Bramblestar starts pushing the border. She is convinced something crawled into his head and died there

In OotS, she has her second litter. Its only survivor is a little gold-and-brown tabby, which she renames Tigerkit as a ferocious dare to StarClan to take this one back as well.

Tigerpaw and Dovepaw are around the same age on the journey, during which Tigerpaw makes an offhanded comment about, "No one actually likes being a tom" and Dovepaw brutally cracks her egg with a very well aimed, "yea they do"

The death of Russetfur is brought to THIS arc, in one of Bramble's battles, and is the reason Blackstar is open to Sol's influence.

Ratscar, Redwillow, and Applefur take over and Tawnypelt tries to lead opposition against them, but their training has made them freakishly strong and they have allies.

Rowanclaw rallies the rest of the Clan to confront Blackstar, and convince him to come back by reminding him of how loved he is

And it's for that reason that Rowanclaw is eventually made deputy. He saw the solution that no one else did. No tricks. No brute force. Just honesty.

AVOS AND TAWNYPELT'S MOUNTAIN

In AVoS, Tawnypelt watches her Clan get destroyed from the inside-out as Darktail exploits the anger of its warriors and apprentices, turning it into a cult.

Having already lost Flametail, losing Dawnpelt here, Tigerheart returning with two kittens only to die horribly was unbearable.

Rowanstar took the body of his daughter and dove into the Moonpool, drowning his lives away so that she could live and revive as Heartstar.

After that... Tawnypelt felt like she'd lost it all again. We return to her POV for the first time since TNP, to explore that.

How home no longer feels like home, how Heartstar returned as a leader and it's as though everyone she loves has changed.

But little Shadowkit is not as healthy as his sister, suffering seizures much stronger than Sorreltail of ThunderClan, no Cleric having a good prognosis for his life.

Heartstar and Dovewing do not want to expose him to more stress, and as his parents, agree that they will simply try to give him as comfortable of a life as possible.

Tawnypelt's Mountain is not a story about needing to save the Tribe again; it's about Tawnypelt kidnapping her grandson because he needs a stronger treatment and she's convinced the Tribe can offer it.

No she does not get permission.

Go Grandma

It's about all the times she had to let go, it's about how she never truly got to know Sleekwhisker and Juniperclaw, it's about how she couldn't save the old ShadowClan.

And it's about Shadowkit, and how comfortable he is at a young age with the concept of death. Spiresight, Rowanstar, Heartstar, Juniperclaw.

Up until the moment a Tribe Medic is able to look at him, Shadow had fully believed his illness was terminal. It's as if his future had suddenly changed.

(In the original book Dovewing was also on this trip, but I'm actually considering it JUST be Shadow and Tawny because I think it's a really interesting idea to have a grandma/grandkit story where the kit has wisdom beyond their years... but is still a child. And Tawny realizes that she was using this as a way to both help him, yes, but also to get a win for herself. Dovewing has plenty of her own content.)

The Tribe teaches them to use Chamomile to treat his epilepsy, showing Tawny exactly how to measure it, how to steep it, and how to heat it into a tea.

As TBC progresses, Shadowsight's growing skill as a Cleric is shown through his competence at preparing his own treatments.

Tawnypelt and Stormfur are able to catch up together too, and talk about their lives, drama, and how destiny brings you to strange places.

When she comes back, the Clan is expecting Heartstar to punish Tawny for stealing a kitten... but Heartstar is not going to do that to her mom, citing it's because Tawny was right and her son has a treatment better than the last.

In reality it's because Heartstar is Biased and will never punish her family lmao

BEYOND AND BONUSES

She's part of the rebellion in TBC and one of Shadowsight's beloved family members, but overall is a background element.

She decides to retire after that arc, feeling her age.

Tawny is a specialist of taking down large game, and great at coordinating and commanding hunts.

Hogs, small deer, so on.

Also one of ShadowClan's stronger fighters, but outclassed by Dark Forest trainees.

Her favorite food is frogspawn and gravy, likes everything about the taste of amphibians.

Design-wise she looks a lot like Tigerstar, but more lithe and with more of her mother's colors.

Close to breaking some kind of apprentice-training record, Oakfur is SO proud of her!

#Crawling out of the writing mines to hand you a Woman #BB!Tawnypelt #Better Bones AU #Character Summary

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