#Hi! I'm a random weirdo who doesn't follow you type shit

[bonefall]

Better Bones: CW List

Can't believe I have to make this disclaimer, but here we are

Better Bones is not a project that aims to fix canon by making the Clans wholesome and unproblematic. Though there can be fun and kindness in it and my philosophy is an optimistic one, It's not an escapist fantasy. It is a story about semi-realistic cats of human intelligence in a violent, war-obsessed theocratic dictatorship, and how they attempt to change it over the years.

Clan Culture is flawed, that is on purpose. Addressing and changing this is what the story is about.

I am very disappointed I have to state this because it should be obvious from my main post where I explicitly say that my goal is to "Address (Canon's) Problematic Elements." Not remove.

If you cannot handle themes or depictions of;

Physical and emotional abuse; Domestic, authoritative, and familial

Child abuse and inter-generational trauma

Somewhat graphic medical discussion, such as abortion, wound infection, and the use of leeches and maggots

The killing and processing of small animals into food, including tanning and butchery

Semi-realistic cat behaviors, specifically marking things with urine

Ableism; both externalized and internalized, Clan culture treats disabled cats poorly and this is something several characters struggle with

Xenophobia; to a violent degree, including stochastic terrorism, hate crime, and discrimination

^^^ read that one again. Consider that on this list twice.

Politics; Authoritarianism, fascism, and liberalism as an enemy, discussion of dog whistles and ideology

"Redemption arcs" of people who did bad things

Cosmic horror and supernatural curses

Graphic violence, including against innocent bystanders, through assault, poisoning, drowning, falling, and even being eaten alive by large fish and demigods.

Animal abuse; Human beings harming cats on purpose and Clan cats generally being terrified of all humans, even kind and loving ones

Clan cats, both villainous and culturally mislead, glorifying these things in-universe, not immediately staring at the camera and breaking character to tell you "This Is A Bad Thing!"

Then Better Bones may not be for you. I would at minimum rate this project as PG-13, but PG-16 would be a more accurate bet.

I have sympathy for you if these are not topics you can handle. My project tackles very upsetting real-world issues and not everyone is looking for something challenging; that's understandable and there's no fault in that. I try to tag appropriately but can't promise to catch everything, so please keep yourself safe.

There are other, softer projects out there run by cool people if this is not for you, and you can add #Better Bones AU to your tag filters and this project will not show up!

But, I'm not responsible for your comfort with my art. If you followed me under the assumption that BB is "Warriors without any ableism/xenophobia/violence" you were mistaken. If you don't have the maturity to act responsibly when something upsets you, or DO have the malice to read a disabled person's work with the most bad faith interpretations you can muster, LEAVE.

[mostlymobilegames]

I'm most interested in seeing Malbonte's reaction to the MC's second assignment, the one with the race.

I guess the first one too, because it's basically the MC pushing a random mortal towards a good future or making her ruin it for shits and giggles. Either way, this is the MC's choice and it's not that crazy.

But the second one is when it gets serious, because this time there are actual instructions and Vicky is required to be a demon and I'm thinking about some possible outcomes.

So, if she kills the child, she's taking the demon's side, as the banner says, but this isn't necessarily demonic behavior, because she had orders and she couldn't prevent the little girl from dying either way. In comparison with the other assignments where she can be as chaotic as she wants AND change the course of the person's life, this time she has an actual objective... that doesn't change anything.

Now, this might or might not please Malbonte because it can be taken as the MC being cruel and coldblooded OR the MC being good at following orders, even if she isn't particularly happy about the task... or both, why not

But considering his reaction to Eragon's sister's death (genuine sadness):

And his response to "Your parents did the right thing murdering a kid":

I don't know how he'll feel about it. On one hand, the MC was basically forced to do this, on the other hand his parents did it out of desperation and love, not to keep the Balance, Harmony bla bla bla, BUT the little angel still had a possible future. Both kids were killed unfairly, but a mortal's destiny is written which is why the girl dies regardless of the MC's choice, while the angel could've lived a long life.

On the subordinating aspect, Malbonte could use this to appeal to Vicky's sense of "necessary evil". However, Adi says immediately afterwards: "Maybe you don't see it now, but you did the right thing. You're a fighter. This is the deed of a true leader". Leaving aside the similarities in the wording and both events, Vicky is characterized as a "true leader", which might not sit well with our one and only saviour Malbonte, who doesn't seem like the type to share a throne (although they do have that soulmate shit going on that makes literally zero (0) sense for now) so...

With the angel choice, it can also happen in different ways. Angel!Vicky has a strong sense of morality, or a "very limited understanding of what's right". This can make her more difficult to manipulate, just because her sense of good-evil is very strict and "the end doesn't justify the means", even if the end is better.

However, she still wants equality and a fair society without bloodshed. She lacks the arrogance and superiority complex of angels and genuinely wishes for a bright future where demons are on the same level... and that's what Malbonte says he's trying to achieve.

Also, the third assignment has a... strange banner. It doesn't say it will affect the future, it just says that "You pushed Beatrice to do a good/evil deed", so I'm wondering if it will matter at all, because banners don't normally appear for no reason, or if it was just for stats, since it's really vague and doesn't really hint at anything afterwards.

But the race one will definitely be the most interesting, because Malbonte could relate to the MC's struggle to do what she's assigned to do or what she thinks is right.

Also, this is completely unrelated to everything else, but I feel like there's a connection between Eragon's sister and the MC. Malbonte either knows something and doesn't trust Vicky enough to tell her or he doesn't know why they're connected either ("Why does it have to be us two?"- "Malbonte looked at me for a long time, as if trying to decide whether to tell me or not, but in the end, he just shrugged" and yeah, this makes it seem like he knows something, but he could also just have some speculations, since he wouldn't have been so freaked out about the visions if he was sure of wtf is going on). I think we can assume the angel girl was the only immortal who didn't treat Malbonte like a monster, a weirdo or someone he wasn't, she approached him with the typical childish curiosity, naivete and playfulness that weren't hiding some malicious intentions or desire to experiment on him. It makes sense that an experience like that left a forever lasting impression on Malbonte, especially if they had that cute moment with the pinky swear, considering he's never known a pure bond with anyone besides his parents, and even then the relationships can't be compared.

Now, going forward a few centuries, more or less, we have Vicky, who breaks a complete stranger out of a tower (in which he's been imprisoned for an eternity, only meeting with angels who taught him stuff, fucked with his brain and then left him to his loneliness) comforts him without asking for anything in return, feeds him healthy meals, worries about him 24/7 etc. Also, in their first meeting, Bont tells her "Your energy... I think I can trust you" regardless of the MC's path, as if he vaguely recognized her or the connection between them.

It doesn't seem like reincarnation is a possibility, since the biggest punishment, even for an immortal (🤡🤡), is death, but honestly it's so hard to tell what is and what isn't possible in HS's universe, and what's only exclusive for the birthright immortals or the Unclaimed or the MC. I mean, there is a weredragon that can be summoned telepathically like- at this point Vicky's father might turn out to be Eragon or some shit