We Make AUs Here, Sir...

Still Brackenfur. Still for the same reasons. Sandstar wants an assistant rn, not a partner, since her original one betrayed her trust. She needs to feel in control of her life again.

Mudclaw's Rebellion.

Fireheart and Sandstar did not agree on how to deal with it or if they even should deal with it. And when they eventually agreed on having to step in, they were each doing so for different reasons: Sandstar because it's politically advantageous + taking advantage of the possibility of Windclan owing them vs Fireheart doing this because he thinks it's right and his personal connections with cats on Onestar's side.

what if I don't want to improve the clans for my story? What if I make them worse actually? What if there is no protagonist (Fireheart, Squilf, the Three, Dovewing, etc) that can come in and save things because the foundation of the clans themselves is rotten? Actually what if I go ahead and make the protagonists worse as a result of clan culture too?

But then I get to the Dark Forest plot and it feels like everything takes a backseat to that. mmm.

They run into each other, then the foxes run into them. They're saved by a Windclan patrol (Breezekit got separated and ran into them). Crowfeather looks at Hollykit weirdly. The patrol catches the attention of a Thunderclan patrol and they all go home to face consequences.

Maybe I could make Leaves more malevolent from the get-go. Maybe he encourages cats into the tunnels to drown them and the only reason he doesn't manage to kill Jay is because of Jay's powers. Jay, unaware of this, is later helped by Leaves and tricked into freeing him. Rock, has been there trying to convince Jay to not do that, but Jay's hatred for authority figures telling him what he should or should not do bites him in the ass.

I could also make Sol more emotionally manipulative. Less charismatic guy playing 4d chess (but not really cause everyone else is just dumb) vibes, more person who lets you cry on his shoulder then takes advantage of your vulnerability vibes. Maybe he initially gains Shadowclan's trust via spying on Thunderclan.

Jaypaw needs a mentor like yesterday. I'm thinking his grandmother Ashfoot for a similar reason why Breezepaw was given Whitetail as his mentor. Plus the added insult to injury that cats aren't usually given to kin to train because of the possibility that they'll go soft on them.

Lionpaw's first mentor is Stormfur, then is taken on by Leopardstar herself after Stormfur makes the decision to move to Thunderclan.

Dove and Ivy need mentors but I have to actually figure out the specifics of Po3 before I go into that.

Depends on the person and their history with him. In Leopardstar and Blackstar's eyes he's a constant potential threat with a limited amount of patience for the both of them, but Sandstar is a much bigger concern.

To his friends outside his clan (Mistyfoot, Morningflower, etc), he's not scary to them per se, even in battle, but they all hold some awareness that that could change. Unless their name is Onestar, in which case he kind of forgot what he was dealing with while he was blinded by trying to prove himself to his clan (attacking Thunderclan so soon after Spark and Alder were born was certainly a choice).

To Thunderclan, not at all. They think he's way too soft. Even his high energy and intense prey drive is seen as a quirk more than anything. Honestly, in their eyes, the most deadly thing about him are his patrols.

He wouldn't be able to watch them grow, be a support if they needed it.

But also... I think he would disliek this idea because he knows plans liek these will bite you in the ass sooner or later. Why couldn't they speak with Sandstorm about this all, allow Leafpool to keep the kits, mayby lie to the rest of the clan about her adopting the kits and not being their bio mother, there are no rules Med Cats cant ADOPT, they just cant HAVE kits.

There is no way Fireheart didin't think there would be hell once the three and the clans find out about their parentage, he knew from Bluestar's situation just how AWFUL that is for both sides. Having their whole lives practically fucked up with just few words. Your loyalty questioned. And he knew from Yellowfang's perspective just how stupid of an idea it is to give your kits to others without knowing 100% they would love and care for the kit!

I think nothing exposes the fundamental flaws of the clans like forbidden kits. It's a pick your poison type situation. There are no plans he would've liked because the situation itself is shit.

You're arguing semantics. Half-clan relationships are also not explicitly condemned by the Warrior code. But the intention behind the rules is more important than the exact wording. Clan culture fills in the loopholes and ambiguity. Half-clan relationships are bad because it threatens the unquestioning loyalty a warrior is expected to have to their clan. Medicine cats are forbidden from having kits, biological or otherwise, because it distracts from their duties.

Remember that anything said in camp runs a high risk of him hearing it. He's very aware of every cat's spoken opinions. It's something he's used to his own benefit countless times but it also makes him intimately aware of Thunderclan's viewpoints. Despite being considered more outwardly "progressive", Thunderclan is not that different from the other clans. They just think they're morally above them (Fireheart is also self-righteous but I digress).

In Fireheart's experience, keeping the secret is the lesser poison. The last time cats were revealed to be half-clan all four of them were nearly publicly executed. One of them died. Years of loyalty and service failed to matter the moment it came down to blood and the code. And Leafpool's situation is objectively worse since it involves two medicine cats as well.

He's fully aware of what could happen, but ultimately just has to hope that the secret just doesn't come out. Crowfeather and Mothwing both have good reason to keep their mouths shut. They don't want to ruin their own lives after all. He doesn't know those two all that well, so he's just trusting Leafpool's judgement on them.

As for why he didn't tell Sandstar. Simply put, he doesn't trust her as much as she trusts him. Her being the leader of the clan doesn't help things. It's a hidden issue in their relationship that becomes a lot more apparent in hindsight after his death and the truth reveal. In the original plan of mega au, Fireheart is demoted after the truth reveal and their relationship doesn't survive the fallout. It's a whole thing.

I do want to make Fireheart's flaws more apparent in mega au, especially his tendency to do what he thinks is right regardless of consequence, and sometimes at the cost of his own relationships. He's very compassionate but not very empathetic. He never gets any less impulsive in his moral decisions, he just gets sneakier about acting on them.

Yessss. I don't care as much for main characters as I did when I was a kid, but there is a malignant Firestar shaped tumor in my brain that's been growing since I was in grade school. My first love Simba Lion King does not even compare to the damage Firestar has done to my brain chemistry.

The con of Firestar being my favorite character is days like this where my mind is just: "Firestar :)))))))" and nothing else. I am rotating him on my mind like a chicken nugget. I am putting him under a microscope. I am placing a thousand and one headcanons upon him. He is my muse. My inspiration. I wish to make 200 alternate universes and dissect him in every single one.