#berrybramble

-@troutfur

5. Berrynose I think this one's funny and cute. Brambleclaw's little brat.

4. Hollyleaf They console each other after the news breaks, and, well...

3. Squirrelflight & Ashfur So much Dynamic to play with here and I eat it up.

2. Hawkfrost I've shipped them from the moment I met him and I'm not about to stop now.

I adore Brambleclaw x Berrynose. It's great in so many situations. They've got Dad & brat dynamic so naturally (remember also that Berrynose's actual dad doesn't live in ThunderClan). They've got "someone has to keep you in line" "😳" energy with the usually-brash younger tom. It's like the one Brambleclaw ship where he's in any sort of dominant role 😭

Most likely it would grow out of Berrynose's apprenticeship, the line probably being pretty blurry. I think the relationship proper would involve mentor-like things: daily check-ins, the occasional training session, asking permission to various things an apprentice would. And like Berrynose is thriving in this, he loves having the big strong tom to take care of him and give him that structure. And he's soooo proud about his position (or perceived position) as Brambleclaw's favorite. I think the default Brambleclaw here is big caring dad guy, but you could modulate him to be as nice or mean as you wanted and make it work.

It could add another dimension to the Lionblaze/Berrynose rivalry ("Who do your think your dad likes best? Haha jk it's obviously me >:3c"). Imagine the shenanigans that could ensue if Brambleclaw/Berrynose and Lionblaze/Berrynose are happening simultaneously.

DarkLion: Don't ship it

Why don’t you ship it? Lionheart to me is basically a piece of cardboard with a picture of a cat on it. He doesn't have enough personality on the page for me to have many thoughts about him in a shipping context.

What would have made you like it? See previous. No reason it couldn't work, since an older tom in position of authority seems like it'd be Darkstripe's type. Just as it stands, there's other, more characterized toms.

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it? Like I said, Lionheart is definitely Darkstripe's type! Could be really cute to have a situation wherein Lionheart takes it as his duty to sort of rein in Darkstripe and keep him from being affected by bad influences.

BerryBramble: Ship it

What made you ship it? Berrynose is such a big brat, having Brambleclaw as the bigger, older tom who keeps him in line just works too well. And I have a soft spot for mentor/apprentice ships anyway.

What are your favorite things about the ship? Just. Bratty bottom Berrynose is so good, and it's the one Brambleclaw ship where he unambiguously gets to be the dominant one.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship? I don't think this ship has to exist separately from ones like LionBerry and BrambleFire. I think they can all fit into the same gay little universe.

LionBreeze: Absolutely ship it

What made you ship it? Childhood rivals who fight a bunch, and they're brothers? What more do I need?

What are your favorite things about the ship? All of it?? There's so many angles to take on it. Angsty, passionate, saccharine... you can take it so many ways. If I have to pick one thing, I like the idea that they each have a lot of issues with their personal legacies at home, and they find comfort in each seeing the other purely for what they are, as an individual. And there's a lot of irony at play there since their personal legacies are quite... intertwined.