#bb!dark forest

I could NEVER. There's no improving on them. They're THE dynamic to me.

"If you hurt my friend I will kill you."

"Lol just did! What are you gonna do about it?"

His mom the Clan leader: "What Did You Do?"

Batear: "Dude I was VERY clear about what the consequences of that action were gonna be. He can stay in that shallow grave forever Im not telling you where I put his ass :L"

Fenneldust, in heaven: "ouuuugh i can't NOT walk platonically into hell with him"

In the spirit of giving out new information about them, have I mentioned Batear is gay and Fenneldust is bi. I have an extremely minor but irrelevant flight of fancy that they have both had a fling with fellow Dark Forest Demon Houndleap, and both of them feel too awkward about it to tell the other.

Fenneldust feels like she can't tell Batty because she knows he finds him attractive and doesn't want to be rude in getting to him first

Batear is embarassed he had a fling with him so fast and fell for his flirting so easily, and has quietly vowed that he won't say anything unless Fends does. Because if FENNELDUST says something then it's normal.

She's vibing. Oakstar is probably double-dead though.

I feel like if you double-killed her, she'd have her afterlife flash before her eyes, see Mapleshade, and refuse to die out of spite. She will not fade unless that patchy-ass rag fades first. They're eternal enemies.

So she's definitely in Curlfeather's little group. She's cursed by Mapleshade as the daughter of Reedwhisker, so Frecki might have even been invoked in life once or twice. They get along very well, both being very proud cats with high expectations of honor.

That is VERY funny, imagine fucking up your dinner SO badly that you can't call upon heaven to fix this, no no, only HELL can help you.

StarClan Patrons = Invoked a process where you call upon StarClan to put you through to them, like an operator. More powerful, but informs StarClan itself of your prayer and intention.

Dark Forest Demons = Channelled You make a sacrifice of an item connected to them in life so that they will come to you directly. A forbidden type of magic.

Darkstripe's channeling item would be belladonna berries-- nightshade. The type that he used to poison Sorrelkit. He also technically died under his Dishonor Title (as Tigerstar didn't have the authority to change it) so you'd have to call upon him as Belladonnaheart.

(the DF doesn't use that title because they are demons, defying StarClan is sort of their thing, but it would cause a quirk in magic rituals.)

I had not mentioned it yet! I'm between two choices, depending.

Choice 1: Blackshade Grove

There were a lot of Worst Moments in his life, but the most shameful was poisoning Sorrelkit. He gave her nightshade, and told her it was blackberry. They're both purple berries, and the eager little kitten always had an interest in cooking.

(This is how Sorreltail got her epilepsy. Nightshade causes brain damage; yew causes heart failure.)

So in this grove, you have to be paying very close attention to the bushes to tell what you're looking at. The strange, clustered nightshades are impossible to discern from blackberry.

Darkstripe takes it on himself to be the test subject, over and over and over. At first it was just the Dark Forest's sick taunt, that he could either get fresh blackberries or "die" a painful death. Once he has friends to feed, it becomes a frustrating obstacle he's determined to doggedly power through.

So eventually the bushes are "marked," safe or unsafe, depending on if they poisoned someone or not.

Choice 2: Bonehill

What's worse than poisoning a lil baby? Poisoning a lil baby for a man who will ALWAYS see you as absolutely fucking pathetic. Throwing away your Clan, your family, your entire life's passion and talents for an idea that would never include you.

So for this idea, the Land Mar is basically this arena-version of the TigerClan camp. There's a nightmarish version of Stonefur who will thrash you for getting too close. There are blackberry bushes that sprout from between the bones of the hill, guarded by "Bonefur" as if he's some kind of dragon.

(Note: this "Dummy" version of Stonefur is not Stone himself. Though I do want StarClan to use this dummy in one of Blackstar's trials, somehow. So I'm not sure if Stonefur made it and they pull it out whenever Blackstar makes another attempt for Life 3, or if the Dark Forest made it and StarClan uses it.)

During Tigerstar's Plan in OoTS, the demons probably appropriated this area. They had to collectively fight Bonefur to "neutralize" it. Tigerstar probably pulled out all the berry bushes off the Bonehill and tossed them away, with Darkstripe not voicing how much it hurt to see Tigerstar toss those away.

Can't admit how badly he wanted to eat them, lest he be seen as weak and distracted again. Before Tigerstar's double death, he was STILL trying to appease him by hiding what he sees as "weakness."

This one fits in with the story better, but it might depend on who else dies in TigerClan. I actually want a demon to have been EXECUTED under the Bonehill, for being HalfClan, having a forbidden love revealed, or some generally disobedient behavior.

(Maybe even in "retaliation" for the others escaping, even though they had demonstrably nothing to do with it)

The camp one is kinda obvious- it was a place of horror, but they need a place to stay. She never came too close to the place until she realized that if she wanted to unite the cats into a group, they needed a camp. And Starclan (she hisses at the irony) knows she'll never do it on her own. She enters, and it terrifies her- before she knows it shes backing away and fleeing. Over time though, she makes it further in, stays a bit longer. She finds the dens are still pretty decent, and that her heart feels a lot lighter as she rips down and destroys the cage. She's elated to find hierloom tools in the camp eventually- some are broken, but can be fixed. She purrs as she thinks how happy Darkstripe would be to have some proper cooking tools. This was a place of fear and death, yes, but it doesn't always have to be that way, does it?

The dogs less so but hear me out. At first she is haunted by the dogs, downright terrified- the gnashing of teeth, the frenzied barks. It's not even anything she can think or dwell on; as soon as she hears the howling and barking, she's immediately running away, fleeing as far as her paws take her. She knows she'll never actually die here, but she's still so, so scared. Maybe she comes to the conclusion on her own, or maybe someone else points it out, but eventually she realizes what you mentioned. She saved her CHILD- she should be PROUD, not scared. This is her greatest moment- her death an irrelevant footnote compared to her baby's life. Idk *exactly* how it should go, but she confronts her fear, and manages to 'tame' it. She is no longer afraid, this illusion holds no power over her. Either they fade away and just stop existing without Curl's fear to feed it, maybe they turn docile and harmless, idk. No matter what though, i have a feeling that something like THAT will catch the eye of some DF cats, sorta like a Tiny to Scourge deal. "She got rid of her land mar" into "She destroyed the land mar" to "She KILLED her land mar"- even the first one has to gain her some respect frok the others, and gives her a solid footing to try and get cats together and united.

Ask was sent a while ago, and I've been looking at it since then. It's a really good pitch, and I had things to do, so I just passively chewed it for a while. Both ideas are really good; so I was trying to think of some way to get them together.

I think I've got a good thought now;

I'll make Curlfeather's Land Mar dog related.

But they're not the same dogs that actually attacked her (which, depending on how the arc goes, might ACTUALLY be apparitions from the Dark Forest which Ashfur dragged out for his schemes. Specifically they'd be Brightheart's nightmares.)

Curlfeather's Hounds are blind. They hunt completely through "smell," and they smell her fear

I can keep her Land Mar being quite unique by actually having it follow her. Instead of it being a place she's trapped in, she's haunted by random dog events which will inevitably interrupt any plans she makes.

So she's perpetually close to making the group that she wants, uniting these demons just because it's what she deserves, but she is forced to flee when her hounds find her.

The camp she ends up using doesn't have to be her OWN Land Mar; I have another cat who actually has a 1:1 camp as theirs.

Morningstar, the deposed leader of ThunderClan who refused to allow his cats to fight. His is simply his camp, on the day where Pearstar invented the Right to Challenge and killed him for his position.

Morningstar's also HATED in the Dark Forest, because of his pacifism. Thinking about it, it's actually a great parallel for what I'm planning with Curlfeather!

She has disdain for her father because she sees him as weak. Reedwhisker swearing loyalty to The Kin after being tortured was her catalyst for believing he needed to die; that RiverClan would have a sniveling, careless leader.

So if it's Morningstar she ends up developing a bond with, they can help each other.

Morningstar can make her realize that her terrifying death by the dogs is something she can be proud of. That it isn't something to fear and revile, but a sign that when she was forced to choose between love and ambition, she chose love.

And Curlfeather can see that maybe people like Morningstar, who she'd always seen as weak, have wisdom she'd never considered. Uniting these cats isn't about power or recognition; it's just about helping to make everyone's lives better.

I can even keep the "empty camp" idea. Stepping into Morningstar's gloomy Land Mar, setting a little fire just to help with the mist, and realizing it's not all that bad. There's old tools laying strewn about, the dens are all in working order. We can make a proper home here, if we let it be.

There's probably a cage there because of Ashfur, maybe it's the one that he made the demons toss Rootspring into. Maybe I'll have the demons eventually trick Curlfeather's Sighthounds into Deadfrost's Labyrinth, if Shredtail's still around. He double-died in canon but I wouldn't be too opposed to killing someone else in his stead.

She'll also have to prove herself to the other demons. Most of them are pretty wary of "leader-types" after what happened with Tigerstar. Ironically the closest thing they have to a "leader" is Darkstripe because his soups are so good. If he doesn't like your vibe, you're cut off from the "Social Circle."

Sounds like a fun logic puzzle lmao. I have to be quiet for the next couple days because I'm studying for some exams so, here, I'll give you 12 dramatic Dark Forest demons and you can play around with it.

(Elder Bones rolling out the CRT TV on the big-metal-rolly thing and bonus credit worksheet because he has to be his own substitute teacher that day)

Maximize happiness by scoring yourself with this; Seating next to a requested cat is +1. Seating next to a disliked cat is -1. Penalties and bonuses stack.

Givens;

The layout is a circle

There are 10 seats, and every seat must be filled.

Darkstripe is cooking next to Seat 1, he does not occupy any of the 10 seats but cannot be moved.

Cats; (Closest political ideology next to name. TL = Thistle Law. FA = Fire Alone. O = Other)

Darkstripe HT (Tigerstar's bumbling ex-minion, finally finding himself in death) He will only interact with the cat in Seat 1. Ideally, he would like to be next to Leopardfoot or Ryewhisker. He dislikes any Thistle Law supporter that is not Leopardfoot.

Cloudberry FA (An ancient conscientious objector who was forced to witness her love become illegal after her mate died defending her) Must be seated with Ryewhisker. Likes Pinestar, Morningstar, and Houndleap. Will fight any cat who doesn't like Morningstar.

Ryewhisker FA (Ancient conscientious objector who died defending his lover) Must be seated with Cloudberry. Likes Pinestar, Morningstar, and Darkstripe. Doesn't want Houndleap seated next to Coudberry. Can talk about collecting blood syrup.

Morningstar FA (Pacifist leader of ThunderClan, violently overthrown by his Cleric) Just wants to talk to Pinestar, comforted by Ryewhisker, appreciates Cloudberry but her aggression gives him anxiety so he will get a -1 if seated next to her.

Thistleclaw TL (Father of a hateful ideology, left StarClan in protest of Bluestar's acceptance) HATES any cat who is not from ThunderClan and also Morningstar, AND anyone who does not support Thistle Law. Likes Adderfang and Leopardfoot.

Adderfang TL (Mentor of Thistleclaw. Left StarClan with him.) Easily annoyed by "weakness," including non-violent cats. Does not want to talk about cooking.

Leopardfoot O (Mother of Tigerstar who followed Thistleclaw into the Dark Forest after Bluestar's trail) Doesn't want to be seated next to Thistleclaw, Pinestar, or Adderfang. Likes to talk about food.

Pinestar FA (Condemned for leaving his Clan to become a kittypet.) Does not want to be seated with anyone who was part of ThunderClan in his lifetime.

Snowtuft TL (Damned self willingly after killing children in the Crusades, from ShadowClan) Will discomfort any cat who had children. Does not like talking about politics. Has a good pudding recipe.

Houndleap FA (Damned for siring a ton of HalfClan kits) Will inevitably flirt with a cat on either side of him, "neutralizing" a character of your choice, but causing no impact on the character on the other side as if the seat is unfilled.

Leopardstar O (Bludgeoned to death by Mistystar after encouraging the second rise of Thistle Law in RiverClan.) Disavowed TL and doesn't want to hear anything about it. Also hates FA cats. Dislikes any cat who was damned for a non-violent crime. Likes to talk about carp recipes.

Society has progressed past the need for sad moms who stare tearily at their evil sons and boohoo about all the murder. It's MOTHER AGENCY TIME

BB!Leopardfoot was FEROCIOUS. Her father was the indominable Adderfang, and he taught her about the importance of honor and glory. When Tigerpaw was given to Thistleclaw as an apprentice, she was proud of it. It felt perfect to her-- that her father's apprentice was now her son's mentor.

For his brief rule, she supported Sunstar completely. It helped that he came after the disastrous and embarassing exit of Pinestar, which ruined the legacy that she wanted him to give her son. Pinestar was a damn coward and a codebreaker... and she assured Tigerkit that he was more HER son than his.

She even gives him a life, for Legacy, in defiance of StarClan

She was friends with Bluemoon for a time, but after ascending to StarClan, she learned about the Forget-me-nots.

This changed her opinion of her. Leopardfoot supports Thistle Law, STRONGLY so.

She supported THISTLECLAW when he tried to forcefully void the Queen’s Rights. If Bluemoon hadn't broken the code, then what did she have to hide?

She backed off when Thrushpelt leapt to her defense though, "She didn't reveal it because she doesn't love me are you happy now??"

Leopardfoot: *awkwardly turns away feeling like an asshole now, tea SPILLED, her friend's dirty laundry EXPOSED, thought she was crusading for the law but she just dug up drama*

Towards the end of Pinestar’s reign, he was getting exhausted. He wanted peace. Leopardfoot wanted kittens around that time, and figured that there was no better cat than the son of Oakstar, architect of the infamous Crusade Era.

If Pinestar had no children, a glorious bloodline would have died out. She wanted it for her kits. Pinestar agreed on the condition that he would be their Mi, which she happily accepted.

So when Pinestar left, she jumped into the nursery to take over and had to explain to her kits where their Mi went.

She drove it home to them that he abandoned everything, because his weakness took over. They would never be like him, she promised.

Mistkit died very young. Nightpaw made it to apprenticeship before she also succumbed. Tigerclaw remembers very well how hard it was to lose his sisters.

Leopardfoot herself was taken shortly before TPB, in Spottedleaf's Plague. Her death causes Tigerclaw to have a bit of a moment.

After the trial in Bluestar's Flowers, Leopardfoot leaves StarClan along with a bunch of other Thistle Law supporters, including Thistleclaw himself. She joins the BOTTE at the end of OotS, fighting to the end with her son.

She misses him a lot, and remains in the Dark Forest to the current arc. She chose her path; and has the dignity to walk it.

She does miss StarClan sometimes though, and will tell you stories about it if you ask.

In terms of demon friends, she's somewhere in the clique between the harsher and softer spirits.

She dislikes Morningstar, Cloudberry, and Ryewhisker on the softer end, and has come to resent Thistleclaw and Finchflight on the other, but likes Darkstripe, Leopardstar, and Silverhawk.

Gets along with a range of "mid" level demons.

In particular I imagine she hangs out with Darkstripe a lot. Taste test buddy, he asks her to try his experimental recipes because she's honest but not mean. One of the few Thistle Law supporting cats he hangs out with after the double-death of Tigerstar.

He calls her Lefty. Her official nickname is "Left" but he calls her Lefty.

(Clanmew: her name is Saorpwyyar. Others call her Saopr. He calls her Sapyy.)

Her mom and dad Swiftbreeze and Adderfang are here too, following Thistleclaw like she did, but she's been minimizing her contact with her dad. She feels like she is owed an apology somehow but also doesn't have the emotional intelligence to know that it's what she wants.

She just knows that she feels really bitter talking to him, and that's unpleasant.

She used to be VITRIOLIC with Pinestar, who is also here, even going after him physically when he chose to join in with the Dark Forest trainees. But now... honestly so much shit has happened, she just doesn't like seeing him. She wishes he wasn't here.

I write her being very dignified. She doesn't like to admit publically she was ever wrong and speaks with confidence, quietly backing off and not wanting to speak about her mistakes. She loves her children and her family, but explores the world in a very "self-centric" way, trusting her feelings and personal judgement over anything logical.

A reactionary sort of person, if that makes sense.

Like, "Hey how good is that particular fascist tyrant at throwing a ball, we are making teams for our annual Hell football game."

Only after Tigerstar and a bunch of his cronies are double-killed in the BOTTE, to be fair. They were really ruining the vibe before that, organizing people to fight God and teach children how to kill and such.

Once those assholes were gone, THEN it became "what does it matter? We're all dead anyway. Ideology be damned Leopardstar can finesse a ball."