I absolutely love love love that your Clear Sky has vitiligo
the idea of the more blood he sheds the more white he becomes
delicious
I want to make it even juicier by making him a gorgeous, colorful dilute calico. Silver-blue fur with patches of bright sunlight, laced with auburn stripes like streaks of sunset. Possibly the most beautiful man you've ever seen...
...and the further he slips, the more the blotches of pure, unmarred white gobble up his coat. Fluffy clouds, at first, swirling upwards, across his face. Like a slow tempest, until he is gone.
Bright Storm wonders what happened to her perfect love. Thunder Storm wonders if he was ever there at all.
For Bones and Broth, I want to lean into the meaning of his Clanmew name. Koof Yaawrrl. "Perfect Sky." It doesn't just mean "clear," it means "ideal." Usually that means no storm on the horizon and a useful upwind draft, but in reality, it's whatever you want it to mean. Whatever is useful to the eye of the beholder.
Now that I also have the freedom to decide IF he's going to be a true founder, OR if he'll be usurped, OR some other nefarious thing, I want to revisit BB!DOTC in more depth. It's probably going to involve some kind of new translation for his name.
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Been thinking a lot about the idea that a StarClan cat appearance becomes more fantasy-like based on the stories of them and how they're perceived by the living. So new spirits would look more like how they were alive while older spirits would look different.
[ID: A sketch of BB!Gray Wing, Patron of Wisdom, over many generations. Xeir hood has changed into the wings of two pheasants, with their eyes overlapping xeir own, and beaks crossing above the nose. Xeir body is covered in illegible script.]
While I do imagine they keep a "BE NOT AFRAID" normal-form that they can choose to appear as, yes. Over time, ancestral spirits begin to lose touch with their mortal forms and become abstractions.
Once, long ago, the Four Seasonal Gods resembled something very much like an ancient patron of Silverpelt. In comparison to Rock, Sol, Midnight, and Sharptooth, even the oldest spirit in StarClan (Gray Wing) is still an infant.
Partner and I are still designing the other founders but Gray Wing and Clear Sky are pretty solid.
[ID: A sketch of BB!Skystar, Patron of War, over many generations. He is wearing a thousand pelts stitched together like a king's robe, flowing down his body.]
Since SkyClan was forgotten by the Forest Four (unless that's changed in BB), does that mean Skystar was too? Is he less powerful because of that? Are there any spirits that cats invoke in his place, that fill his roles?
Oh no, SkyClan is absolutely not forgotten in BB. It's used as a cautionary tale for what happens when you stray too far from a Founder's teachings.
It's contorted to fit a modern agenda. They didn't all just stop talking about it. SkyClan became too weak and feeble to win more territory when the humans took theirs, Ripplestar tried to win land for their return, and StarClan smote him.
The lesson; don't be so weak. Don't serve a Clan that isn't your own.
Skystar did not follow his namesake Clan into exile. He is a God of War, and the weak Clan dishonors his name. He chose the power of the pantheon.
So, how does BB!Clear Sky lose his last life? He has 8 of them taken by Starflower, right? I think I remember you saying he loses it in a battle because he’s allergic to learning a lesson but I was just wondering if you had any specifics in mind
Yep, 8 from Star Flower sacrificing him to try and ressurect One Eye! She DESERVES IT.
In BB, Skystar is the first leader to die. This is important because the fact no other leaders were in StarClan yet is a reason why he gets into Silverpelt; being a war hawk means you get a ton of your supporters killed, who are loyal beyond the grave.
Ironic that Hell was made by One Eye in anger that he couldn't have him, like an open jaw, reminding him of his enemies beyond his cloudy haven. Spends his afterlife sickened and terrified by the Dark Forest, and its hunger for him, only to be devoured in the end by a monster of his own teachings.
But his final mortal death is probably going to be in a "glorious" battle that wins SkyClan something important. It might be a battle with RiverClan, but I really, truly don't give a shit about taking anything from 80% of Riverstar's Home or being faithful to the other 20% that I think was actually good, so it is not a goal at all to "stay true" to the canon conflict like I do with other arcs.
SkyClan needs to WIN the fight that kills Skystar. His death will be venerated like that of a godking, an example of a noble sacrifice to his "beloved clan."
"Our Glorious Leader has given his life in service of SkyClan! We shall bury him as a warrior and walk along the starlit path that he shines for us! Tonight we will mourn for his life, and tomorrow we will grow fat on his victory!" -Sparrow Heart
The recent post really made me realize just how much I love your version of Clearsky.
Dude was super religious while at the same time basically being in a pissing contest with it.
They gave him the most on the nose lesson on humility possible, and he doubles down on everything in an act of stubbornness that's almost admirable in how awful and stupid it is.
And out of all the BB villains bar Mapleshade, he wins. He is such a fucking menace that he forces his own religion to bribe him and then becomes a patron deity of said religion, and irreversibly changes his entire society for the worse through sheer force of will.
He believes that the world revolves around him and only him, and to be honest, I kinda see why he thinks that
Thistleclaw and Tigerstar wish they were half as successful as Clearsky, and he didn't do it through plotting or magic, but by refusing to learn his god damn lesson no matter how many times it came back to bite him.
I feel like, especially in the Current Day with the Events That Occur around us irl, it's a shame that we never get villains who win through SHEER force of will. It's so, so rare in fiction.
BB!Skystar isn't scheming, he doesn't have a master plan, he doesn't even really have an end goal at the height of his power. He just lives in his own head and does whatever the hell he wants.
That's it! So simple! No self-reflection, absolutely incapable of taking criticism, refuses to grow and change. He has a beautifully simple mind. And it is that very lack of conscious that leads to his strength. You can't shame the shameless. You can't convince him to amend his ways.
There's one way to overcome him; to defeat him, physically. To remove his power. Nothing else will work; he will keep coming back until he is stripped of it. In BB he is the first leader to die, because of that.
Even after Thunderstar refuses to kill a helpless opponent, Skystar took his last chance and went right back to war with it.
And he'll deliver a speech about everyone having one life to give, and about the goodness and righteousness of dying for a cause, but that's all just his rationalization. He can't confront the truth, so he never will. If he did think about it for more than a second... he would be the bad guy.
But he can't. He can't be the bad guy. Because then he would be wrong. So he will simply never think about it.
In the end, what does him in is the fact he got out-bullied by a bigger tyrant. He realized that his power would be threatened by there being less warfare, and he flinched first. His invulnerability was compromised, in that last moment, because it was the ONLY moment where he entertained self-doubt.
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why does it matter to skystar that mapleshade tried killing reedshine? is it because she didn’t “wrong” her like the others?
Basically yeah. At that point it's just a pregnant woman she's trying to murder. That's not revenge that's just spite, in his eyes.
What he liked about the murders of Ravenwing and Frecklewish was that it was retribution. They wronged her, and she got back at them. He LOVES that kind of drama. He would be up in StarClan cheering her on until she got to Reedshine, and then he'd be frustrated.
Does Clear Sky still have a second litter? I mean, he obviously won't be with Star Flower anymore, but he seems like the type to want to at least have one "proper heir", especially after Thunder turned his back on him and he lost almost all of his lives.
Good chance to mention that new names just dropped for me to play with; They've officially named Bright Stream's dead angel fetus children <3
(What the fuck is this series)
SO I now have Tiger Tail and Pale Sky to shuffle around as I please. I also still have the canon Star-Clear litter in my arsenal, but considering all I've done with Star Flower, I may find some other purpose for them.
Not to mention that Canon!Star Flower has a second litter on the way. So there might be more of these things running around. The writers are addicted to giving this asshole more children he can kill and abuse through neglect lol.
Thunder's siblings, the ones who got crushed in the building collapse, also have names now. Lightning and Rumble. It's important to BB!DOTC that Thunder Storm is the sole survivor of his litter, but I can shuffle them around too.
It does sound like a very BB!Skystar thing to do, to have new children and pointedly name them Rumble Sky and Lightning Sky. "I definitely don't think about my other son ever. These names are coincidence. I literally dont even care. I don't. I don't."
I plan to write Skystar's new litter as a mix of like... entitled, but also suffering like Thunder Storm did under him. Brats, but you have to feel bad for them, considering who's raising them
Still considering their ages, though. Depending on when they're born, it could have a big impact on the story. I think it could actually be very cool for Pale and Tiger to be the same age as Turtle's kits and meet Thunder Storm when he trains under Clear Sky, maybe even have one die in the First Battle.
And who the mother is, of course. Probably not someone who he treats very well <:/
[ID: A ref sheet of Clear Sky, also called Skystar. He is a light gray cat with a big chest, tufted ears, shoulder 'burls,' and vitiligo dapples on his body and left eye. The image has a fullbody and a foward-facing headshot.]
DOTC is a very different arc from canon, with several big changes. One of them is that Skystar never experiences a redemption arc.
In BB, he is meant to be understood as toxic family. He's a person who Gray Wing loves against his better judgement, allowing that to blind him to the fact that Clear Sky, and his mindset, are an infection in the forest. Of course Clear Sky never apologizes for his actions-- he's ALWAYS believed he's right!
Every time he casts someone out, he thinks he's purging weakness. He has a fragile ego and finds excuses to justify why it's actually noble that he smacks, humiliates, and abuses the offender. He thinks he's the only one capable of making the 'hard choices' to dictate who lives and who dies.
Anyone is capable of change, but only if they choose to. Gray Wing must learn a very hard lesson... that there comes a point where second, third, and fourth chances become enabling.
But, in spite of the opposition, ultimately, Skystar goes down in history as a Patron of War. One of the most powerful spirits in StarClan. The Clans develop into a battle culture largely in thanks to him and his aggression, and he is frequently invoked in mass before large battles.
He also has vitiligo. He begins the story with only a few spots, until his pelt is a swirling storm of white clouds.
Much more under the cut!
The Beginning
Clear Sky causes the Clans to split into Sky's Clan and Shadow's Clan with an act of great cruelty...
In the beginning, there was only one Clan that came from the settlers down the mountain.
When Shaded Flower died, Clear Sky and Gray Wing came to unofficially run this group
But when Jagged Peak fell from a tree and broke his leg, Clear Sky called for him to be exiled.
His mate, Bright Storm, and Gray Wing refused to allow this cruelty, and left with Jagged Peak into exile to keep him alive.
But, they failed. They couldn't save Jagged Peak, and he succumbed to the cold and starvation.
When Bright Storm gave birth to Clear Sky's kittens, there was only a single survivor.
The kit was missing a leg in the exact same place where Jagged Peak had lost his.
They came back to the group, beaten and starving.
Clear Sky refused them, telling them to leave along with the child.
It was in this moment that Tall Shadow spoke up, shaken. This was a sign from their ancestors that the Clan had been cruel. Throwing out Jagged Peak was a mistake-- and this kitten was sent for a reason.
It was surely a sign, she tried to reason with Clear Sky.
But still, he refused. Tall Shadow was clearly wrong. There had been no mistake, he explained calmly; Jagged Peak had been unable to survive because he was, regrettably, weak. If they started accepting every cat who couldn't pull their own weight, soon they would all starve.
"But this is your kit!"
"No. It's not."
Tall Shadow composed herself, before spitting at his feet. "It's a special kind of snake that hisses calmly as it drips venom."
Their ancestors would look down on them in shame if they refused to learn this lesson. She would not stand by and invoke their wrath.
Tall Shadow and those who agreed with her split off in that moment, forming Shadow's Clan.
Believing fully that every cat who stood against him was now his enemy, Clear Sky vowed that they would live to regret their choice.
As the story went on, Clear Sky became possessive of his territory just like canon. But, this time around, there are no rogues to recruit. There are two cultural groups in the forest-- Park Cats and Tribe Cats.
Park Cats, at this point in time, speak Parkmew. There's a language barrier between the two groups, and Clear Sky is completely and utterly uninterested in trying to bridge it. All the cats in Early SkyClan are from the Tribe, with some cats like Petal and Fox now having names to reflect that. That's Petal Claw and Fox Claw.
Thunder Storm Visits the Group
Later, when Thunder Storm is grown, Clear Sky tries to lure him to his group.
Of course he does... Thunder is missing a leg, but he's proven he "doesn't let it hold him back." He's strong in spite of it. He's useful now.
Thunder Storm felt uncomfortable about this, and turned to his father for guidance.
But Gray Wing... believed it was a good idea to learn from him. To seek the good side in Clear Sky. After all, he had made his cats strong, he must have some fresh ideas, or perhaps secrets.
It was an opportunity, and Gray Wing told the young boy, "and... he is your true father. It's okay to be curious. I understand that."
Gray Wing didn't pay attention to the way Clear Sky was already belittling Thunder Storm, making him feel cowardly for having doubts, calling him names, but building him up as strong and capable when he did anything that pleased him.
Joining Sky's Clan was hell for Thunder Storm. Clear Sky kept him close and played mind games to test how much control he had over him.
One of these games ended up being getting him to wear a peg, custom built by Sunlit Frost. Clear Sky insisted it was because he would need another leg for battle moves he was going to learn; Thunder Storm was positive it was because he didn't like looking at his nub.
His short temper was exploited, used as an example of how emotional he was being, how he needed to put those aside and how it reflected his 'poor judgement...' and why it justified every choice Clear Sky made for him.
And in spite of all this, he tried so hard to please him, to be what he wanted, and learn as much as possible, "see the good side" like Gray Wing told him to
But when Sunlit Frost was severely injured and used as a pawn in yet another mind game, exiled so that he'd be left to die of infection or starvation... Thunder Storm realized there was no "good side" to how Clear Sky rules. Just power and control.
He'd learned the most important lesson of all-- that he NEVER wanted to be like this.
This was something so sick and disgusting it was worth fighting against.
And shortly after that, ThunderClan was formed. Clear Sky attacked the exiled Bumble, and found himself dogpiled by Thunder Storm and his group of supporters.
For months, he tried to squash the ragtag Clan, chasing them all around the Forest as their alliances shifted and changed, but never being able to fully pin them down. Eventually he was able to make a move in their little game...
The First Battle
By capturing River's Ripple, of the River Kingdom.
One of their little allies, who was lending them aid near the western border.
He was calling for a negotiation meeting. All of the groups, the three Clans of Sky, Thunder, and Shadow, plus the River Kingdom and the Wind Coalition.
All five leaders, at the five great oaks, they'd set official borders and end these conflicts.
When they told Clear Sky to let River's Ripple go, that he was a Prince and not just any cat, he was dismissive. Happy, even.
No one tells him what to do, especially not an asthmatic loser wimp, a meowing kittypet, and their three-legged excuse for a leader.
He didn't plan for the meeting to actually end with agreement. Of course not! Clear Sky was always getting ready for a fight. He didn't need to negotiate borders, he would win what he deserved.
Negotiation is for the weak and cowardly.
And, of course... the First Battle took place on that horrible day.
Only StarClan could break the battle. Clear Sky did not call for it, ready to fight to the bloody end, assured he would have been victorious. The starry cats begged for the carnage to stop, that the bodies needed to be buried, and that the Clans must unite or die... and to do that, every leader would be given 9 lives and be blessed by the stars.
Clear Sky heard "power" and accepted this deal. But... first, the bodies needed to be buried.
It was mid-summer, and the sun rose over the blood-soaked grass and baked the meat rotten. Corpses piled high, beginning to reek, too many to be buried all in one day.
The smell of death summoned an evil creature, which would serve as his reckoning... but the story of One Eye is a tale for another day.
TRIVIA
I tried to make him look "front heavy." I know in canon he's supposed to have big back haunches but I think it's better he has a big strongman chest lmao
The "burls" are shared by all of Quiet Wing's children now. Jagged and Gray will have those too.
Thunder Storm looks a lot more like his mom than the Wingkin side of his family.
They also have a little curl at the end of their tails.
I think it was ridiculous how they turned around on Canon Clear Sky in the end and tried to pretend like his actions were based on actual fear, when there were 3 entire books showing us how it was him being an abusive control freak with a fragile ego lmao
"I'm just trying to protect everyone!!" Is an excuse. No, he's not. Not in-canon and especially not in BB. It's not about protecting anything but his pride.
Even though he does, fully, believe he's telling the truth. Even when he lies. He HAS to believe himself... because if he doesn't, then that makes him the bad guy.
And he can't be the bad guy, because he's always the victim.
His retaliation is "justice." When someone stands against him, especially children and other people who can't fight back, hitting them is "discipline."
Nothing is wrong if he does it. Others "attack," he simply, "defends."
For him, power is security. He will do anything for it. He bellows that he gives everything for his Clan, but in reality, his Clan is for him.
Control is a comfort. Punish anyone who makes you feel bad. Make people do anything. People flock to you and you can do anything you want to them. Power reveals that about him.
