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bonefall · 3 months

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what’s up with BB! Puddleshine? been having thoughts about him recently lol. i find it funny that rowanstar grabbed this random child from the nursery and was like ‘bam here’s our brand new doctor and spiritual leader everyone’

(*shaking twelve year old in the background*)

You know what's pretty cool about AVoS, buried underneath the slog of it all? The thing I keep going back to about this arc, in spite of how annoying it is to be forced to say in ThunderClan as everything interesting happens off-screen?

The way that so, so many young warriors are horrifically traumatized by both the structure of the Clans, and the Kin that they turn to.

It's a shame that the Erins were so committed to the idea of the Clan social structure NOT being the problem, because this whole arc is a perfect time to show how flawed it structurally is. LET these kids have a point, that maybe they were rebelling against something broken, but Darktail was a malicious actor who exploited their naivety to serve HIS ends.

A recap of what's happening in BB!AvoS before I explain my intentions with the Puddy Boy;

The big problem that I want Rowanstar to display is a problem that ALL the leaders of this time period also have. Commitment to Clan rivalry.

After Firestar was killed in AVoS by Dark Forest warriors, Bramblestar considers diplomacy secondary as a tactic. "ThunderClan will not be bullied any longer. We have been too soft with the other Clans for too long; and they have humiliated us by taking advantage of our kindness." (Note: Harespring and Breezepelt being part of the assassination patrol is not revealed until TBC. For MAXIMUM drama reveal.)

He escalated a border dispute that Firestar had worked closely and intimately with ShadowClan to resolve; a fight for a knoutberry patch on their border, just before Winter.

After Russetfur died in this painful battle, Blackstar backslid hard from his redemption arc. This caused the Thunder/Shadow alliance to dissolve towards the end of OotS, ending a friendship between the two Clans that had lasted through all of Po3.

He was open to Sol's manipulation, and while Tawnypelt was trying to fight the Dark Forest trainees who took over ShadowClan in the meantime... Rowanclaw became deputy by organizing a patrol of cats to remind Blackstar how much he means to them.

So Rowanstar inherits the Clan with this in mind. ShadowClan solves SHADOWCLAN'S problems. "ThunderClan had a quarrel with WindClan, but decided that we were their enemy. Leaving ourselves open for betrayal was a mistake; if we cannot handle our own problems, we will inevitably succumb to them when our so-called 'allies' don't come to help." (Note: he isn't completely wrong. His words are borderline prophetic for what's about to happen.)

Onestar has a smug chuckle at this. Since taking leadership, he's been appealing to the strongest, hardest members of his Clan. Those who once tried to kill him for his "weakness" in the Civil War. The "lesson" ShadowClan learned is one that he's known since the day Onewhisker died and Onestar was born, on the night of that sabotaged muirburn. "That so-called peace was always a farce. We are warriors of the four Clans; it was always going to come down to honor, and putting ourselves first. My WindClan isn't foolish enough to pretend like ThunderClan ever acted in anything but their own, hidden self-interest."

And Mistystar respects the direction Bramblestar has taken his Clan in, and approves of the "honesty" that the Clans are now showing. "As the branches of the honeysuckle fight and win the light for themselves, sometimes there are beautiful flowers that die in the shade. We can mourn the end of an era, and prepare for a future that will be made all the sweeter for our shared struggle. This is the way of the Clans, and StarClan's solemn light shines upon us all." (Note: god I love writing Misty's speeches)

In the family tree reworkings, Rowanstar is now the brother of Littlecloud. Sons of Brokenstar, honor-sired for Newtspeck.

Littlecloud... is suffering from early onset Alzheimer's.

He didn't want to choose an apprentice after Flametail's horrible death, heartbroken and stressed out, especially when he couldn't reach his nephew through contact with StarClan.

He can't remember, anymore, that Flametail was freed. He keeps forgetting this, over and over

He keeps ending up in different times of his life, where he's best friends with Cinderpelt and still calling Leafpool by her pre-Honor Title name, where he's inventing a mobility device for Wildfur, where he's still escaping the plague and before he knew his mentor caused it, where he's on the Great Journey...

Rowanstar is in a lot of pain, watching his brother forget so many things, scared and confused half the time. He doesn't want to believe that this is really the end, or that... many of these cats are now so young they can't recognize the various eras that Littlecloud is finding himself in.

Puddleshine and Slatefur are going to remain in Pinenose's litter. Either Lion or Birch MIGHT get shuffled to another one; and ALSO the shuffler might survive the Kin. (SO voice which one you want to survive, if you have a preference!)

SO, Violetshine has either two or three adopted siblings... plus another.

Pinenose's oldest surviving child is Happypaw. Happy is the half-sibling of Puddle/Slate-- the death of Weaselkit in the Great Battle caused his parents (Pinenose and Owlclaw) to break up.

(this is why I'm thinking about just reducing the litter to Puddle/Slate, so Violet has three major adoption-siblings to remember instead of four.)

And now we're ready to talk about Puddleshine.

He isn't the first young cat to be shoved into an extremely high-pressure position because of a Cleric becoming incapacitated. Kestrelflight was also forced to become the holy speaker of his people when he was far, far too young, after Barkface died in TNP. He dealt with this obediently, with only Jayfeather ever really being able to get him to think about it in a different light.

Unlike Kestrel, Puddlekit did voice that he was interested in becoming a Cleric, in BB. But he was too young to be properly making that choice, to know what he was getting into. He mentioned it practically offhandedly, and BOOM Rowanstar had rolled him into the position.

But Puddlepaw has a deep sense of responsibility. "Wise beyond his years"-- likely because of how tumultuous his home life was.

His mother's oldest child, Happypaw, was openly a bully of his half-siblings. Pinenose distanced herself from him as a result, causing Happy to be closer to Owlclaw, who was still not over Weaselkit's death.

But Puddle's Ba Spikefur is not a cat who handles his kit's emotions well. Instead, he encourages ambition, tells him to get back at his half-sibling by being more influential than that twerp could ever be.

Puddle will often go to Violet, the new POV, to vent about these things.

And one thing he mentions to her is how amazing Kestrelflight is, when he gets to meet him at the half-moon conferences. He learns SO MUCH from him, it's like he GETS what he's going through...

Puddle doesn't even feel sure that Littlecloud knows what he's doing anymore. If he's learning the right information at all.

But Rowanstar won't DO anything about Littlecloud-- and he CERTAINLY isn't about to let Puddlepaw go train under someone else's Cleric.

As a result of this, Puddlepaw becomes a VERY important member of Sleekpaw's little group. He wasn't one of their friends to begin with, buuuuut...

When he sits to chat with Sleekpaw and Needlepaw, with Happypaw good and far out of earshot, she makes a lot of sense.

A LOT of it.

ShadowClan is run by old men who don't know what they're doing. Rowanstar is too emotional to make good choices. Puddlepaw, barely even old enough to begin apprenticeship, is running all the medicine for an entire Clan.

And, sure, he doesn't have much in the way of a connection to StarClan, no, just a little more spiritual than the average cat...

But who can point this out? If Littlecloud is slowly losing his mind anyway?

"It's not right, how much pressure's on you," Sleekpaw growls, "And it wouldn't be this way if we could challenge Rowanstar. You should be training with Kestrelflight right now."

"But we're dealing with the shells StarClan dealt, and the Clan is looking to you now," Needlepaw points out on behalf of her friend, "You have much more sway than you know."

This time around for BB, Sleekpaw starts as a young hero. She's right. Rowanstar should be challenged, his emotions are affecting the ENTIRE Clan, and Puddlepaw is in a bad position because of it. Needlepaw is like her best diplomat, surely to become her deputy someday.

They would have made an excellent set of leaders for ShadowClan. But they trusted the wrong person, and were exploited. When Darktail and The Kin came to the lake, they were swept up by it, and WindClan began an embargo.

Puddlepaw eventually oversees the Yellowcough Outbreak, and at first just thinks it's Greencough. He has no idea about strains, or the special types of Color Cough that Clan cats have historically dealt with. Even when he finally does learn it's not JUST Greencough, he's powerless to do anything about it. A lot of cats die because of the lack of mullein.

After that, with ShadowClan so weak and the Kin so strong... he's one of the cats who calls for the merge. The most important one, in fact, leveraging his position to say that this is StarClan's will.

Sleekwhisker and Needletail were right all along, and he's happy to stick it right into everyone's faces. Onestar's tantrum of an embargo killed his Clanmates, Rowanstar stopped him from properly training, he's been under pressure from the time he was small with Littlecloud not fit to be a mentor, and he's ready to welcome in ShadowClan's new era as something that is not a Clan.

...unfortunately, it turned out to be the wrong choice. Not because his thought process was wrong. But because Darktail had other plans in-mind.

#Also I did decide on it being early onset alzheimer's for BB!Littlecloud specifically #It means a lot to me... my great-grandmother had it in her last days. And it's very likely I'll get it someday too #and the line that leads from her down to me #it scares me. So I want to explore it. For myself #especially in such a terrible situation like this #BB!Puddleshine #obsessed with all of these children making big choices for their Clan and the way it's going to make them turn on their IDEAS #They were right. They were right to be mad at what they were mad at #But it was a bad actor who ruined it.#If I have to deal with a born-evil foreigner in BB. Then I'll lean into it. I'll reveal he wasn't such an outsider after all.#And I'll show that the xenophobic backlash was the WORST possible route for all of these cats to take #and yet... they do. They attack the one thing they felt they had control over #When the truth is that it wasn't their fault.#BB!Rowanstar #Better Bones AU #BB!AVOS #Their biggest mistake was being mislead. I hope Puddsy realizes that when he looks at Shadowpaw #Kindness for himself through kindness for another.

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cocksley-and-catapult · 3 months

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the asks you get on here are absolutely fucking deranged and im glad you have a sense of humor about it and dont let it turn you into the joker

#the truth is i was the joker all along im actually very evil i just dont externalize it. which i think makes me not evil maybe. oops #that or its just stuff that i genuinely think is funny. like asking me about if they lay eggs. dont start doing that again but #but its so ridiculous it couldnt jokerify me because its too stupid #like id be embarrassed getting joker over someone asking me if they touch tips or whatever #c&c asks

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awesomecooperlove · 5 months

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“THE BRUTAL INVASION ON IRACK… I MEAN, ON UKRAINE” 👿BUSH 👿SENIOR SAIS … THESE PEOPLE ARE 👿👿👿

#the invasion of Irak #the invasion of Ukraine #all planned by the deep state’s oligarchs #demons rule #wake up humanity #wake up america #these people are evil #pure evil #do you want to be free #do you want to enjoy life #what do you want : wealth health love respect joy peace #fight for it #stand up #speak truth #standup #never be silent #thé deep state’s oligarchs are committing crimes against humanity right before your eyes in your backyard #are going to let them take over the world #are you going to let them inoculate you your children every six months with dangerous substances #the time to fight for justice freedom harmony and peace is NOW #thé deep state puppets fight teeth and nails to defend their freedom their wealth their rights to do as they please including killing you #are awakened yet #what it will take for you humanity to understand that we are in a digital emotional physical and psychological world war III #doing nothing is no longer an option #the only way for humans to end the misery violence drugs poverty diseases child abuse child/human trafficking child/human/animal sacrifices #is to fight back stay united strong and never give up #you matter #your child’s lives matter #fight for justice #speaktruth

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mattzerella-sticks · 7 months

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Thinking, putting pieces together...

Leaks about Dokutaro (aka the Poison Peach) who granted the Loyal Three their deepest wishes (to become stronger/wiser/prettier) by fixing them with the toxic chain...

Kieran vowing to become stronger and rumored to be the Champion in the Blueberry Academy arc...

Codes for 'zombie' in the DLC that haven't aired for the Teal Mask...

What I'm wondering if the player is asked to come to Blueberry Academy to help defeat the 'Champion' because they have taken control of the school and made everyone into 'zombies' with toxic chains - all part of Dokutaro's master plan (which may involve Ogrepon, may involve Terapagos) and you, as the main character, have to fight your way through the school and the 'Elite Four' to get to Kieran and free him from Dokutaro's influence. I also think that perhaps the evolution for Dipplin might go from Grass/Dragon to Poison/Dragon (to keep with the theme of caduceus and healing but the opposite, and also tying in with what happens to Pokemon influenced by Dokutaro - wouldn't be surprised if a new poison-move boosting item is introduced as well).

I know there's theories that the professor wearing a scarlet blazer and violet pants might be the villain (and she might still be involved, maybe she releases Dokutaro and introduces Kieran to it in a bid to get Terapagos) but thinking about how the first half of the DLC is more exploration and the latter half is battling makes me think about the Team Star battle mechanics but also how to raise the stakes and what makes sense story and lore wise given everything that's being set up.

Then again, maybe I'm wrong. This is just speculation after all...

#pokemon #pokemon sv #pokemon sv spec #pokemon sv spoilers #pokemon scarlet and violet #pokemon the teal mask #pokemon the indigo disk #pokemon the teal mask kieran #ogrepon #dokutaro #dipplin #this would be really cool if we're getting a corrupted champion especially since recent game 'villains' have been mid since kalos #and by mid i mean there's no evil ambition in many of these villains #which is fine #alola team skull and aether were awesome storywise but they weren't villainous they were antagonistic #same with team yell and team star not villains just antagonists #in truth for sv we were the antagonists because team star really was just minding their business before we rolled up on them #and sword and shield the main villain arc was bland and over too quickly #having a legendary be a bad influence would be refreshing and also takes legitimate resentment a character builds for yours makes it worse #and makes the trainer do bad things #long notes but it needs to be said

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hecksupremechips · 11 months

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God every day I think about Akane’s breakdown in door 3 because there really is no correct way to interpret that and every possibility makes me crazy. Like she sees this fucked up corpse whom Junpei (and the player, depending on how they play) believes is their friend Snake, but she knows that it’s Guy X. It’s a man she very intentionally put in the game for this very purpose, so that he could die horrifically and be displayed for everyone to see. And she has a full mental breakdown over being trapped in this room with the corpse, being trapped by Junpei, to the point where she rips out her hair and starts bleeding from how much she bangs on the door screaming to get out. And fuck, there’s so many possibilities like

Akane could be feeling genuine terror over the sight of the body, and with that remorse. She made this happen, she wanted this to happen, and now she’s forced to quite literally watch the damage she’s caused unfold. She can detach herself from his murder easily in other timelines where she doesn’t have to look at it, and she can sleep easy knowing that her hands are technically clean because she didn’t do the literal killing. But she can’t do that here, and she has to face the fact that not only did she happily cause this death, she failed her mission. She isn’t going to survive, and now this man is dead for nothing and everything is her fault

On the other hand, her entire breakdown could be completely fabricated in order to keep playing the role of the damsel in distress who is so innocent that the very sight of blood drives her to insanity. The interesting part about this is that if she could fake such a horrific breakdown, just how much of her personality a facade? We know she wants revenge, for everyone from Cradle to feel even an ounce of the pain she and so many others went through, but we don’t get to see the extent of how much she feels this way. We never hear directly from Akane about her feelings on any of the original organizers, just her note about her desire to punish them. She hates them, but does she see their deaths as a necessary evil, or does she feel joy and satisfaction at watching them go? It’s absolutely horrifying not knowing, not being able to see her true feelings, not knowing just how real or fake she is, the extent of her madness. Perhaps she doesn’t even know that herself

IN OTHER WORDS, it’s fucked

#zero escape #akane kurashiki #the truth lies somewhere in the middle im sure #but god both possibilities are so tasty #personally i think her reaction is fake to an extent like i think she does feel at least some joy over the murders #shes doing a good deed and ridding the world of evil #but i think that this is a rare moment where she actually thinks for a minute about what shes done and how its fucked #like shes never truly present in the moment she can never fully grasp the severity of the trauma #and i kinda want to believe that this route is a bit unexpected for her #like she had to have known it was a possibility but its entire existence relies on junpei betraying the others #and i think that she was ready to write it off as a rare possibility so she didnt worry about it too much #because the only thing holding junpei back from choosing door 3 is aoi saying that picking it would require leaving people to die #and akane has nothing but her trust that junpei is good and wouldnt do something so horrible to rely on #but then it happens and she cant handle the uncertainty she wasnt ready for ANY of this to happen #not only did junpei betray the others he betrayed HER in so many ways he doesnt realize #he did what he thought was good for june but its exactly the opposite hes not only damned her #but he trapped her in a room with the disgusting corpse that she put there and everything throws her off #and she has to confront that even junpei is unpredictable and is capable of evil and that she herself has fucked up so much #she cant escape this without literally STEPPING INTO the entrails of someone she killed #and its all just too much and she completely loses it #so yeah for me its less a mental breakdown cuz she feels bad for murder #but more a breakdown because shes been betrayed and caught off guard and has a brief realization of how terrifying her actions are #those may sound the same but they arent please guys please :(#as you can see im very normal about this and good god 999 is so fucking good

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wookieejamcrew · 1 year

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Ever since kenobi gave us a better look at vader and the grand inquisitor's tenuous team ups, it makes me think he preemptively called vader over from mustafar to execute trilla. She was going over both of their heads, planning 2 go straight 2 palpatine. My girl was brave as fuck and truly HAD IT. Beeline to the ceo, said fuck middle management and the TIE they came in on. no, i don't have an appointment, palpatine's gonna take this walk-in.

#posting this over here too bc this realization hit me like a uh speedertruck during lunch 2day #trilla suduri #second sister #reva's treatment gave us such incredible contextual insight into trilla's experiences in the inquisitorius #she was treated as SECOND class #she was not one of them even when she was one of them #she was a means to break/turn cere #and they would not let her forget it #if anyone deserved to crawl out of the evil that was the empire it was the girl dragged into it #she was not one of them and GOOD what consolation what peace to have that be her truth in the end #in the wake of all the new gameplay i am Thinking of Her

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drbtinglecannon · 2 years

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How Belos remembers Caleb back in the human realm:

How Caleb actually was back in the human realm:

This is such a good addition to the ways the story has shown us over and over that Philip is an intentionally unreliable narrator.

Now, Luz is also an unreliable narrator as we've seen a few times, but with Luz it's clearly unintentional and a side effect of RSD, where she takes on more guilt than is warranted. Philip on the other hand, rewrites the story to make himself look better and be absolved of all guilt each time.

First we see it in "Elsewhere and Elsewhen", when Philip is exposed for purposely fabricating the entries in his journal, which we were following since Luz discovered it back in "Through The Looking Glass Ruins". It was deliberate on his part to doctor his own personal journal that he later personally delivers to a library, all centuries before he ever became Belos. And it worked! Philip appeared much kinder and genuinely curious of the Boiling Isles, so much so both the audience and Luz had sympathy for him, yet it was all a lie on his journey of genocide. He set about fabricating sympathy for himself long before he had any power or chance of destroying the Isles, relaying how deeply manipulative he is.

Then we see it again in "Hollow Mind", with Belos having a fake mindscape full of fabricated propaganda of his reign that hid his real memories of his life and actions. His own subconscious greeted them in a purposely innocent persona to lower their guard, then revealed himself after he got what he wanted. The layers of manipulation and dishonesty it takes to create such cognitive dissonance just on the off change his mind is ever explored is something that cannot be understated. Even further than purposely fabricating his journal, he stripped away parts of his own memory and presented his Inner Belos as a child all to garner, again, more sympathy.

Now we see it again here, in "Thanks To Them", where the first time the show directly shows us Caleb in the human realm outside of Belos' memory of him, he looks miserable. He has heavy bags under his eyes, sunken in cheeks, and a truly despondent expression.

It's entirely possible Caleb hid his misery from Philip, being the older child and having to take on responsibility to protect his younger brother, and it's also possible Caleb did enjoy his childhood and was genuinely happy in those earlier memories. But as this new shot shows us, Caleb eventually stops appearing that way and grows depressed being in the human realm, yet conveniently there's no memory Philip has that shows this stage of Caleb.

We can even dig a little further into some of the mindscape memories to see more of the framework for this final reveal.

Here we have the last memory of Caleb before the Boiling Isles memories start:

This is also the first memory where Philip isn't smiling. Caleb is smiling though, and this is the most in the light Caleb has appeared in a memory since the one of him carving that mask. Caleb slowly turned further away from the lighting throughout Belos' early memories, being shrouded in more and more darkness in each one, but this memory when Philip looks unhappy for the first time is when Caleb's finally turning back towards the light, and it's most likely the memory of when Caleb left the human realm.

Then here we have the first memory Caleb's eyes become visible:

The moment they reunited is when Philip finally remembers Caleb's eyes. And boy does he look drastically different from the man in the mirror. He doesn't have eyebags, his cheeks are no longer sunken in, and he looks happy.

This moment is also when Philip decides to kill him.

Because he looked too happy here in this world Philip thinks is hell.

And he looked far happier there than he did back home.

So Philip wipes away those details from his memory. Like he does every other detail that makes him appear to be in the wrong.

And we finally have the proof of it. When Belos said "Out of all the grimwalkers, you looked the most like him" he meant it, even after he willingly rewrote his own memories of Caleb to reflect differently.

#toh #toh spoilers #toh meta #toh analysis #caleb wittebane #philip wittebane #emperor belos #hollow mind #thanks to them #elsewhere and elsewhen #through the looking glass ruins #i dont subscribe to the idea that someone was evil from birth. like philip was a child who grew up in a DEEPLY traumatizing environment #like the puritans were beyond fucked. however at this point (& at the point when he killed caleb) philip is an adult. hes ~400yrs old #hes caused immeasurable suffering & death to innocents over CENTURIES & gleefully manipulated & traumatized countless others #but i DO think that philip is consciously aware that caleb was unhappy back at home at some point & purposely pretends otherwise #bc if he acknowledges the truth openly then thats admitting he knows he was wrong. same w when gus played his memories to him #anyway i just think the fact that both the hero (luz) & the villain (belos) are unreliable narrators & tied together is fascinating #tc posts

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