#leoshgon

I tried to stick to more realistic coat colors but Amaldyne can have a purple eye. As a treat.

Some AU facts, presented in no particular order:

- Amaldyne’s warrior name is just her dragon family name. If you’re wondering who would name a kit “Rotkit” I think there was a bit of a tradition of giving kits “scary” or “menacing” names.

- Blizzardshard (Eityr) got her prefix the same way. That or she was an outsider who was brought to the clan young.

- They’re all in ShadowClan!

- Rotwing was a relatively well-respected warrior. A little intense, but well-meaning, intelligent, ambitious, and with the clan’s best interests at heart. Nobody’s quite sure why her apprentices turned out Like That.

- She mentored Blizzardshard and Lionsong (Leoshgon). Blizzard (who had mostly known her parent’s (Watcherite expy, although I don’t think I’ve talked much about it) intensely controlling behavior found Rotwing a welcome reprieve and a role model. She really looked up to her and became an intensely fanatical supporter. Lion will commit atrocities for affection and Rotwing was more than happy to take advantage of this.

- I imagine that Amaldyne hadn’t considered leadership too seriously, but with ShadowClan under threat from several factions she took it upon herself to fix everything through the power of clawing her way to the top by any means necessary.

- Maybe some horrible calamity can befall her family this time too to give her the push to make some REALLY terrible decisions.

- But without the armageddon time crunch she has time to move the pieces into place. She’s a respected warrior. She has time.

- First order of business is making Blizzard a medicine cat. Blizzardshard would do ANYTHING Rot told her to do so it’s not hard to convince her. Not sure how it happens but it does get done (Blizzard does have a knack for herbs. And maybe some less savory skillsets).

- Leo was the right-hand-man and mate of the Overseer, as well as a former kittypet. As the Overseer got more and more dangerous and controlling he (as before) began collaborating with Amaldyne to kill him (as he was also becoming a serious threat to ShadowClan). When they succeeded, he was brought into the Clan (I imagine she was deputy by this point). While he was a grown adult, he still needed a short apprenticeship period to grow used to clan life and learn how to hunt and fight in ShadowClan.

- Deputy Rotwing had permission to spy on the twolegplace cats but the full scope of her activities was never discovered.

- She was a serious candidate for the deputyship, but possibly had Blizzard place a conveniently rotting birds wing somewhere. Maybe.

- Idk I like the idea of her getting the position legitimately. Or even the sign being real but it being a warning that Blizzard covers up or willfully misinterprets.

- When asked why she was so invested in getting Lion into the clan and making him her apprentice she said that she saw potential in him. This is technically true.

- She worked hard to teach him how to be deputy because she recognized a good puppet when she saw one. She made sure to give him an apprentice as soon as the time was right.

- She definitely got the leader killed after all the pieces were in place.

- Lionsong was her first mistake as leader. He was liked but not respected, both for his outsider heritage and his personality. Rotstar wanted someone who would follow orders and be easily manipulated (but who wouldn’t accidentally start a war by snapping and murdering another deputy like Blizzard), and Lion’s obnoxious chatterbox routine and pushover nature made him a great tool but a poor deputy.

- More charitable cats thought this was just nepotism. Lion and Blizzard were the cats closest to Rotstar in the clan and one of them was too medicine cat to be deputy.

- Less charitable cats recognized Rotstar giving her strongest supporters the only roles with enough power to challenge her decisions.

- Like Blueflame! I haven’t talked about her and Lilypaw (or their original lizardverse versions) but they’re both here. Blueflame’s lizard version doesn’t have a name (that’s like the middle part of character creation for me) but she’s Amaldyne’s ex gf. Their relationship ends as Amaldyne gets worse and worse and it is NOT an easy breakup. Like in the lizardverse, Blueflame is dry-witted, level headed, smart, and somewhat laid back. Lilypaw is an expy of Lesareth Rotwing, Amaldyne’s younger cousin. A somewhat rude academically-minded dragon named after a very rare and poisonous flower.

- Unlike in Lizardverse, Lilypaw is Rot and Blue’s daughter. Canon Amaldyne has enough shit going on without also being a parent but outside of it I like the extra family drama and I eat it like the popcorn.

- Lilypaw is a medicine cat apprentice. Her parents split (on much better terms) when Rotwing first became deputy. She was sort of an absent parent to Lily tbh.

- Blueflame is the one to kill Rotstar and becomes the leader after.

- Rotstar keeps fucking. Starting wars. And scheming to take down enemies. And becoming more and more controlling. She loses a lot of the trust and respect she used to command but is still feared by many. Blizzardshard dies with her, and Lionsong is probably also killed, but might be driven off to parts unknown depending on how cooperative he is.