Someone commented it sounds like a great dishonour title and I've been thinking, is dodder going to have any socio-political meaning like the honeysuckle and thistle? By the sounds of it it's like the WindClan version of a honeysuckle but instead of doing it to its own kind it targets something different, like a thistle.
I also had no clue it was even a thing! Apparently it contains anti-oxidents and (maybe because of that) is claimed to solve a WHOOOOLE lot of things including being used for osteoporosis in ancient Chinese medicine.
Oh shit deadass? I also only just learned about it, specifically through that video from Dr. Lake about lowland heaths that I linked in the sources. I had no idea it could be used for anything, I just thought it was neat
It's even more unique than honeysuckle! Honeysuckle survives on its own, but dodder is a parasite. It twirls up around heather and chokes it out, looking like a twisted mass of rusty spaghetti, and then blooms. It's SUPER cool, and I need to look into what else you can do with it
It DOES make a metal Dishonor Title, and the fact it parasitizes HEATHER isn't lost on me. I think I'm actually going to change BB!Breezepelt's Dishonor Title in AVoS from Rottenheart to Dodderheart.
It was Onestar both trying to drive home that he considers Breezepelt responsible for their being so many WindClan cats being DF Trainees, and also a very targeted warning at his daughter, Heathertail, who has always been his best friend along with Harespring (Darkseeker as his title currently).
So to answer your question; there's no wider sociopolitical meaning yet, but I do want to include it symbolically.
(With the goal in mind that Breeze is getting a full redemption arc in BB!AVoS and is a major POV character there)
