They're So Sibling Coded, Rex Is Definitely That One Mom Friend To Have Snacks On Him

Captain Rex for Mermay! Sorry it's a day late.

The aspect that REALLY got me into Tigerclaw as a villian is the fact that Starclan decided there was no way to change his fate other than killing him as an innocent kit.

Not an omen to change his mentor, who's violence heavily influenced him.

Not guiding him in his dreams onto the right path.

Not warning those around him.

Not changing the very code and rules he abuses to get away with cruelty.

A MAJORITY of the time, Starclan does not believe in redemption at all. If you are "evil", if you break the rules even once... They look at the ending instead of how you ended up in the situation you did. Making the choices you did. All that matters is what you've done wrong. Such a haunting concept.

Was there TRULY no way to change the fate of an innocent kit or was Starclan just too afraid of him to try? They saw what he could become and decided his quick, quiet death was the only solution.

Could Tigerclaw have been something more if Starclan hadn't abandoned him from the start?

I did a kinda shitty redraw of a panel from the wc graphic novel (I just wanted to get some more practice in with my markers)

Tigerclaw's face got a little smudged 'Cause my markers have a habit of being very wet :/

The original panel:

Sorry for how blurry the photos are

everything looks like a nail when you've got a hammer and every song is actually about the character when they're on your mind 24/7

Adobe is going to spy on your projects. This is insane.

Hey look, slightly more context to This Post!

It's still a very out of context animation WIP I've been working on, but I PROMISE I'll spill all the beans sooner or later.

Tired: Cody is older than Rex.

Wired: Rex is older than Cody.

Rationalized: Regardless of who is older, Rex and Cody are both ten at the start of the Clone Wars. There's no reason they would look all that physically different from each other in age. They probably have a more twin-ish dynamic than anything over who's older.

Inspired: shut up logic and enjoy the cute young Cody & Rex art.

Tigerclaw and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Senior Warrior Position AU

In a world where deputies can only be named after their first apprentice has been granted their warrior name, Tigerclaw struggles to keep an apprentice alive long enough to earn their name.

or, a comedy-tragedy AU in which having an apprentice isn't enough — you have to see them to their warrior name, and Tigerclaw cannot fucking get any of his goddamn apprentices to live, damn it.

—

It starts out mostly normally, except for the fact that Tigerclaw hasn't gotten any apprentices to their warrior name, and he needs that so he can accomplish his (very noble, of course) kitty genocide goals. And also be the supreme leader of the world or something. Darkpaw died stupidly, he hasn't had a chance since, and now he's got some tiny thing that's afraid of his own shadow.

Well. It'll have to do.

So naturally this man is so protective over Ravenpaw that Ravenpaw barely even leaves his sight. Firepaw and Graypaw think that this is adorable. Look how much Tigerclaw cares about his apprentice!!

Ravenpaw, of course, is fucking terrified and also slowly losing his mind, just in a different way.

—

"Redtail assigned us to go on a patrol to Snakerocks." "OH NO HE DID NOT. WE'RE STAYING IN THE SANDY HOLLOW WHERE IT'S SAFE."

"Nothing matters more to me than making you a warrior, Ravenpaw. Nothing." And the terrible thing is that Ravenpaw is sure he's being sincere.

—

Ravenpaw disappears and Tigerclaw nearly fucking has a conniption because the timing was all RIGHT and he was going to finally get the position AND HE NEVER GOT HIS DAMN NAME FUCK.

"Do you think I could convince the elders that Fireheart was my apprentice?" "Fireheart was Bluestar's apprentice, as approved by StarClan. You're going to have to wait for the next litter to be apprenticed."

So he begs and begs and gets Cinderpaw and then she accidentally falls into the trap he'd set for a better deputy candidate at the Thunderpath. Fuck.

—

Well. Time to resort to drastic measures.

"I was thinking that Darkstripe would have been a good name. Because he had dark stripes." "Again, Tigerclaw, it's admirable that you loved your apprentice so much, but I cannot grant him a name." "Are you sure?" "Honestly, Tigerclaw, I'm not sure he ever would have gotten a name. Missing quite a few feathers from his nest, that one..." Fuck. The worst part was that she wasn't even wrong.

— Swiftpaw and Brightpaw get mauled by the dogs he set up to happen like right after he got the title and they sprang it before and he's like FUCK NOW WHAT DO I DO WITH THESE DAMN DOGS? His world domination plans literally never come to fruition because he cannot keep his apprentices alive/in the clan/his own.

— "Brightheart counts. She HAS to count." "Actually, Cloudtail took over her training…" [demented noises]

—

Turns out that Ravenpaw is alive and no one — no one — in the Harper Collins Extended Universe is happier than Tigerclaw.

"You're alive! …You deserve your warrior name!" "Actually, I've come to peace with my name and my way of life. I have no need for a—" "GET YOUR FUCKING NAME RIGHT NOW RAVENPAW OR SO HELP ME STARCLAN—" "I know you really wanted Ravenpaw to become a warrior," Barley says gently, "but he's made his decision. It's very kind of you to acknowledge that he deserves it, though. You must have been so close as mentor and apprentice." Tigerclaw's eye twitches. "Yes. Close. Very... close." —

He finally, finally retires as an elder after his plans go absolutely nowhere for years on end. And maybe StarClan is still like "Brambleclaw would be chill actually, we can forget that pesky little law" and Tigerclaw is sitting there like "excuse me what the actual fuck?" —

But at this point Tigerclaw is about as dangerous as Ashfur without a freak forest fire. Which is to say about as dangerous as using a leaf as a weapon. Which is, incidentally, how Darkpaw managed to get himself killed in the first place.

—

"Is this the Dark Forest? This has to be the Dark Forest. It doesn't look like Thistleclaw described it, but it must be. This Clan is all an elaborate punishment meted down by StarClan for my sins." "Tigerclaw, sir, I'm just here to help you with your ticks. See? I have the mousebile right here." "…Yes, thank you, Alderpaw." — Graystripe joins him in the elder's den and he's like, "You know, Ravenpaw thought you were up to some… scheme, back in the day. Crazy, right? You've been a model Clanmate as long as I've been alive." [muffled screaming] "Huh, what do you think that is? It sounds almost like someone killed a rabbit, but they know not to come this close to camp…"

weird as hell that cinderpelt is denied becoming a warrior after her leg got mangled on the exact same book that deadfoot is introduced. do you think she was pissed as hell when she found out that another three-legged cat is the deputy of windclan