#a good day for death

[anonymousewrites]

A Good Day for Death Christmas Special 2023

Wednesday Addams x Reader

Mouse Note: Happy Holidays! I hope you all have a great season and a good time with whoever you celebrate whatever with!

            “Christmas?” Wednesday folded her arms. “It’s too sappy for me.”

            “You said the same thing about Valentine’s Day, but you ended up having a good time!” said Enid, hands on her hips.

            “I did not ‘have a good time,’ ” said Wednesday. “I was just forced into participation.”

            “Tell that to the empty chocolate box that (Y/N) gave you,” said Enid.

            “They happened to guess correctly that I liked bitter chocolate,” said Wednesday defiantly.

            “And they happened to get back rose stems for their troubles?” remarked Enid pointedly.

            “I don’t like being indebted to anyone,” said Wednesday.

            Enid sighed. “God, we’re getting off topic. Listen, this is the last name for the Secret Santa we’re doing! You have to participate or someone doesn’t get a gift!”

            “That’s their own fault,” said Wednesday. “Maybe they weren’t ‘good’ this year and didn’t earn anything. Isn’t that part of the Christmas tradition?”

            “Please, Wednesday?” said Enid, pouting.

            Wednesday shifted, slightly moved but not capitulating yet.

            “Pleeease?” repeated Enid.

            “No,” said Wednesday.

            Enid huffed. “I didn’t want to do this, but I have to.” She unfolded the paper to reveal (Y/N)’s name on it. “You see? You got (Y/N) for Secret Santa.”

            “I didn’t agree to anything,” said Wednesday, but her eyes remained on the name.

            “Oh, yeah? Well, do you want (Y/N) to come to our party and not have anything?” Enid leaned forward and grinned. From the way Wednesday’s gaze hadn’t moved, Enid knew she had her right where she wanted. With (Y/N), you could get Wednesday to do anything. “Just think of how disappointed they’d be.”

            Wednesday mentally ran through all of the spells and pranks she could use to make Enid’s life hell. “…Fine.” She wouldn’t let down (Y/N).

l

            “Wednesday, you came!” said (Y/N), grinning. They had on a Nightmare Before Christmas sweater to get in the spirit of the holiday.

            “Enid wore me down,” said Wednesday, holding the black gift bag with her present for (Y/N) tightly in her hands.

            “Whatever it took to get you here, I’m just glad you came,” said (Y/N).

            Wednesday felt the familiar poison entering her system and causing her to be tempted to smile. Hell, feelings were troublesome. “Right,” she said stiffly.

            “Come on, I saved you a seat,” said (Y/N), gesturing for her to follow them to the couches where people were gathering to exchange gifts.

            “I thought you didn’t know I was coming,” said Wednesday.

            “I didn’t, but I made sure you had a place anyways,” said (Y/N) brightly.

            Wednesday mentally cursed the poison as it further infected her heart. (Y/N) was way too kind, and Wednesday liked that they had made sure Wednesday would feel accepted way too much. In fact, Wednesday was touched that (Y/N) had thought of her. Her crush was getting out of hand.

            “Thanks,” said Wednesday, sitting down and avoiding eye contact.

            “No problem,” said (Y/N), smiling. They knew Wednesday meant what she said. The facial expression didn’t matter. They understood. (And Wednesday pretended that it wasn’t nice to have someone understand her so well).

            “Alright, everyone here?” Enid looked around the circle. Wednesday, (Y/N), Xavier, Ajax, Yoko, Eugene and even Bianca (who had been as hesitant as Wednesday but ultimately sighed and joined the group) all sat on the couches and looked back at her. “Perfect!” She held up her gift, brightly wrapped in sparkly blue paper. “I’ll go first.” She held out her gift. “I got Eugene!”

            The boy brightened and took the gift. Opening it, he smiled. “Honey jars!” They were empty jars with little bees drawn on them, very cute and appropriate for the beekeeper. “Thank you, Enid. Once the bees get back to producing, I’ll definitely use these.”

            “No problem!” said Enid.

            “I guess it’s now my turn,” said Eugene. He pushed up his glasses before handing his bag to Ajax. “I got you, Ajax.”

            He smiled and took the gift. From within, he pulled out a new beanie decorated to look like scales. Ajax chuckled, and from under his current hat, his snakes hissed happily. “Thanks, Eugene.”

            “You’re welcome,” said Eugene, glad that his present was well-received.

            And so the gift-giving continued. Ajax gave a new pair of sunglasses to Yoko, and Yoko gave new makeup to Bianca. In turn, she gave Xavier new art supplies (and Xavier tried not to look sullen that Wednesday hadn’t gotten him. He really wanted to get a gift from her).

            “I got you, Enid,” said Xavier, holding out a gift to her.

            Enid eagerly opened it and smiled. “Nail polish! Thanks, I needed some more. I’ve been running out so quickly.” (Transforming meant that her claws sometimes messed up her nail polish, so she had to redo it a lot).

            Xavier nodded. “No problem.”

            “Well, I guess that leaves (Y/N) and Wednesday,” said Enid. She smiled. “Wow, they got each other! That’s so fun.”

            Bianca looked around and rolled her eyes. It seemed she was the only one who recognized that Enid definitely organized it that way.

            Xavier forced himself not to sulk that, once again, (Y/N) was getting a moment with Wednesday that he wanted to have. He still wasn’t fond of how much Wednesday seemed to not mind their presence and even sometimes prefer it (at least to his).

            “I guess we did,” said (Y/N), smiling at Wednesday.

            “Evidently,” said Wednesday. She held out her black-wrapped gift to (Y/N). “Here.”

            (Y/N) opened it up and looked inside. “Aw, Wednesday, thanks!”

            “Don’t make a big deal out of it,” said Wednesday, shaking off the flutter of her heart due to the damn infection she was dealing with.

            “What is it?” said Enid eagerly.

            (Y/N) lifted up a large black and white sweater that reminded the group of Wednesday’s.

            “Wow, it looks so much like Wednesday’s,” observed Bianca.

            “It was mine,” said Wednesday. Everyone turned and stared at her. None of them could believe that she was actually give something she owned to someone else. “(Y/N) liked it, and they wear more white with their black than I do.” She said it as if it was logical or stupid to think anything of it, but she knew she had given it because 1) (Y/N) clearly liked it, 2) they’d look good in it, and 3) yes, alright, Wednesday wanted (Y/N) to wear something of hers because that meant…something.

            “Thank you, Wednesday, I love it,” said (Y/N), smiling at their crush and fighting not to turn pink. Effortlessly, they pulled off their Christmas sweater and put Wednesday’s sweater on over their tank-top.

            Wednesday pretended she didn’t really like seeing them in her clothes. “You’re welcome.”

            “And now you have to open mine!” said (Y/N), holding out their gift for Wednesday. It was wrapped in white but had a black bow just for Wednesday.

            She nodded and opened the box. She lifted a book out of it and furrowed her brow. “This is mine.”

            (Y/N) grinned. “I got your manuscript bound professionally!”

            Wednesday ran her hand over the black-bound book with the white lettering and designs of spiders, snakes, and several detective tools across the cover. To see her story look like a book being sold everywhere was…nice. She didn’t mind admitting she liked it. “Thank you,” said Wednesday. She was surprised, once again, that (Y/N) guessed what she’d like. She should really stop being surprised. They knew her well.

            “Of course, Wednesday,” said (Y/N), smiling.

            Everyone was silent as they looked between (Y/N) and Wednesday. Enid moved it to give them a moment. “I’m going to start a movie. Come on, help me choose something!” she said, pulling the rest away.

            (Y/N) and Wednesday were left alone.

            “So, did you like Christmas? Or was it too cheery for you?” teased (Y/N).

            “It was miserable to see everyone so cheerful,” said Wednesday. “So it was perfect.”

            (Y/N) laughed. “I’m glad you had a good day, then.” They cocked their head as they gazed at Wednesday softly. “Merry Christmas, Wednesday.”

            Wednesday looked back with more concealed gentleness. “Merry Christmas, (Y/N).”

            Okay, so maybe she was glad she came.

Taglist:

@strawberriesareprettycool

@im-making-an-effort

@champagnewitnocham

@simpcreator

@ksunoosworld

@dot-and-co

@genderfluid-anime-goth

@itsyapeepkiri

@daza1s-w1fe

@tired-writing-reader

@mary-jinx

@ognenniyvolk

@under-kitty

@colezb

@simp4natasha

@emily-roberts

@left-and-right-up-and-down

@star583

@rainbow-love4ever

@nemtodd-barnes1923

@likefirenrain

@ziro-the-null-god

@youralphawolf72

@mjoiner1136

[tariah23]

The manga industry, especially JUMP, needs to hurry up and do away with weekly scheduling for mangaka. There needs to better regulations put into place for their health and safety because this is pitiful. Two weeks - monthly updates should’ve already been the standard for the manga industry at this point. These money grabbers will only continue to put the lives of these artists at stake for the sake of capitalism unless some serious changes are implemented.

[aarghone]

He's just a gunky goopy lil guy

[1driedpersimmon]

Light’s mom & sister: Light died trying to fight Kira he must be happy in heaven 🥺😔

Matsuda:

[tampire]

Every Day it's Calypso's Birthday

[blakbonnet]

💔

[skeletoninthemelonland]

Graveleaper sketches

[jupiterslifelessmoons]

The top tv episodes of 2023 are so queer

[furiosophie]

it's something sinister to love without regard for dear tomorrow

[turtleblogatlast]

Every single member of the Hamato family is equipped with the cantrip Vicious Mockery and 80% of its use is friendly fire.

[anonymousewrites]

A Good Day for Death Valentine's Day Special 2024

Wednesday Addams x Reader

            Ordinarily, Wednesday wasn’t a fan of Valentine’s Day. It was too sappy for her, and romance wasn’t her thing. That being said, everyone else being out on dates or with friends meant that Nevermore was quiet, and if there was one thing Wednesday liked, it was solitude.

            She could come out of her dorm with her typewriter to work on her novel without being bothered. She finished her work for the day, packed away her typewriter, and walked towards the library to pick out a book to read.

            Wednesday paused as she passed a hallway full of empty classrooms. Sounds echoed out from within, music and singing with a mysterious tune. Wednesday wasn’t someone to not investigate, so she walked down the corridor and arrived at a classroom. She looked in and saw the projector turned on and playing an animated movie. The character on screen sang dramatically, the sound reverberating through the silent school.

“Our son will be married, According to plan.”

            Wednesday glanced between the unique animation and looked at the desks at the front of the room. She was a bit surprised to see (Y/N) alone. They were leaning on their hands while watching the movie.

            “(Y/N)?” said Wednesday.

            (Y/N) started and turned. They smiled when they noticed who it was. “Oh, hi, Wednesday!” They reached over and paused the movie. “How are you?”

            “I thought everyone had gone out for the holiday,” said Wednesday.

            (Y/N) shrugged. “All of my friends had dates.”

            “I do not,” said Wednesday.

            “We’re friends?” said (Y/N) teasingly.

            “By the typical definition, I suppose,” said Wednesday, but she knew that they were. And, of course, she had a crush on (Y/N), but that was neither here nor there (another lie).

            (Y/N) grinned. “Whatever you say!” They tilted their head. “What are you up to today while everyone else is out?”

            “I worked on my novel,” said Wednesday, walking farther down in the room to the row of desks (Y/N) sat out.

            “That’s cool. I just slept in, wrote a few melancholy poems about love—very ‘tragic poet’ of me, I know—and came in here to watch a movie,” said (Y/N). “Do you want to join me? If you’re not going to do anything.”

            “I had planned to read,” said Wednesday.

            “Oh, well, then, have fun,” said (Y/N), a little (lot) disappointed that Wednesday didn’t want to hang out. They knew their crush wasn’t exactly a people-person in any sense of the word, but they had hoped maybe she’d want to spend time with them since they were both alone and friends.

            “…How long is this movie?” said Wednesday.

            (Y/N) brightened. “A little over an hour.”

            Wednesday pretended to consider, but she already knew she was going to stay. (Y/N)’s companionship was nice, and a nice moment alone with her crush would be…pleasant since usually Wednesday was also around other people.

            “I will still have time to read,” decided Wednesday. “I’ll stay.” She sat down at the desk next to (Y/N). “What are we watching?”

            “Corpse Bride,” said (Y/N). “It’s a fun Tim Burton musical. It’s on the spooky side. My mom and I watched it a lot growing up.”

            “Is it a love story?” asked Wednesday.

            “Yeah, but it’s got ghosts and murder and mystery, so you’ll enjoy it, too,” said (Y/N).

            “You chose something you thought I would enjoy?” said Wednesday, not missing anything.

            (Y/N)’s cheeks warmed, and they chuckled nervously. “Well, you know, I knew you’d be in Nevermore, so I thought I’d choose something you’d enjoy in case you came in.”

            Wednesday felt the now-familiar—but still disturbing—warmth enter her chest at (Y/N)’s consideration. “That’s…unusual.”

            “To think of my friend?” (Y/N) laughed. “You need to get more friends, Wednesday.”

            “I don’t have an affinity for people,” said Wednesday.

            “Neither do I,” said (Y/N), shrugging. “I guess we make sense together, then. Two people not great with others but okay with each other.”

            Wednesday allowed herself a smile. “I suppose so.” She steeled her features and faced the screen. “Now, how much have I missed?”

            “Oh, not much! The movie just started. Basically, what you need to know is…” (Y/N) began to ramble.

            Wednesday had to fight not to stare at them as they spoke so passionately and happily. It was pleasant to watch them be so happy and bright. Wednesday knew they were right: she and (Y/N) worked well together. They understood each other well, and Wednesday liked that (Y/N) was her friend. And it was nice to know they felt the same way.

            It was amusing that neither knew they felt the same in another way.

Taglist:

@strawberriesareprettycool

@im-making-an-effort

@champagnewitnocham

@simpcreator

@ksunoosworld

@dot-and-co

@genderfluid-anime-goth

@itsyapeepkiri

@daza1s-w1fe

@tired-writing-reader

@mary-jinx

@ognenniyvolk

@under-kitty

@colezb

@simp4natasha

@emily-roberts

@left-and-right-up-and-down

@star583

@rainbow-love4ever

@nemtodd-barnes1923

@likefirenrain

@ziro-the-null-god

@youralphawolf72

@mjoiner1136

@alexkolax

[michelle-jacksons-art-blog]

Excuse me, who invited you to their tea party??

[odetokeons]

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH

[mwagneto]

gomens moment being so explosive it drags ofmd and hannibal onto the trending page with it...

[bonefall]

⭕️Hey Bones! Is it ok if you explain and/or elaborate how Crowfeather is abusive to Breezepelt if please?⭕️

I do KNOW that crowfeather is indeed, abusive to Breezepelt, due to the fact that he emotionally and/or physically neglected him - with child neglect being known to BE a form of child abuse - and I also heard that he slashed and/or hit him within one of the books, which I believe is in the book Outcast, in chapter 16.

But I also wish people would talk and be informed about it more within the fandom, because in the parts of the fandom I’ve known portrayed Crowfeather’s neglect on Breezepelt as negative and bad, but not in a way that made me think and/or feel: “Wow, that’s pretty bad. That’s…actually abusive.” I suppose? So I hope more people will talk about it more in that type of way.

Also, please be aware that I have NOT read PoT, OoTS, etc. or barely any warrior cats books, since the majority of the information I got from the series is from the wiki and the fandom, so that probably explains why I didn’t know this part of Crowfeather’s character is as bad as it actually is until now. Also, feel free to talk about Crowfeather’s abuse on Breezepelt I haven’t mentioned and/or don’t know right now as well if you want.

I’m SO sorry that if this ask is unintentionally quite long, and feel free to make sure to take all the time you need to answer it. Thank you!

OH LET'S GOOOO

Breezepelt is both physically and emotionally abused by Crowfeather. I'm not talking about only child neglect; he is screamed at, belittled, and even once hit on-screen.

The fact that Crowfeather both neglected and abused him is very important to the canonical story of Breezepaw. There's actually a lot more to this character than people remember! Even from his first appearances he displays good qualities, a strained relationship with his father and adult clanmates, and is clearly shown to be troubled before we understand why.

As many problems as I have with the direction of Breezepelt's arc (especially Crowfeather's Trial), his setup is legitimately a praiseworthy bit of writing from Po3 which carries over into OotS. To say that Breezepelt was not abused is to completely miss two arcs worth of books SCREAMING it.

BIG POST. Glossary;

INTRO TO BREEZEPELT: The Sight and Dark River

ABUSE: Outcast, Social Alienation, the Tribe Journey.

DARK FOREST: How these factors push him towards radicalization.

For "brevity," I'm not getting into anything post-OotS. I'm just showing that Breezepelt was abused, the narrative wants you to know that he was abused, and that his status as a victim of child abuse is CENTRAL to understanding why he is training in the Dark Forest.

INTRO TO BREEZEPELT: The Sight and Dark River

Our very first introduction to Breeze is when Jaypaw walks off a cliff in the first book of Po3 and is rescued by a WindClan patrol. He's making snarky remarks, and Whitetail and Crowfeather are not happy about it. Whitetail snaps for Crow to teach his son some manners, and Crow growls for Breezepaw to be quiet.

But our proper introduction to him is at his announcement gathering, when Heatherpaw playfully introduces him as a friend,

From the offset something's not entirely right here between Breezepaw and his father. He's cut off by Heatherpaw here, but he's touchy whenever his father is involved, and we're not entirely sure why.

Throughout Book 1, he's just rude, with a notable xenophobic streak. He's a bit of a mean rival character for Lionpaw, as they're both interested in the affections of Heatherpaw and make bids to get her attention, but nothing particularly violent yet.

He participates in the beloved Kitty Olympics and gets buried in liquid dirt with Lionpaw, basically a rite of passage for any arc.

(And Nightcloud has a cute moment where she watches over them until they fall asleep)

As the books progress, the relationship between Crow and Breeze visibly deteriorates. They start from being simply tense with each other in The Sight, to the open shouting and hitting we see in Outcast.

In the very first chapter of Dark River, we learn where his behavioral issues are really coming from;

Crowfeather.

Breezepelt is getting xenophobia from his father. Occasionally he says something bigoted and his dad will agree and chime in, and those are the only positive moments they have together.

(Note: In contrast, Nightcloud explicitly pushes back against xenophobia, chiding Breezepelt for his rudeness to Lionpaw in back in The Sight, Chapter 21. The Sight is the book where a lot of "evidence" that the Evil Overbearing Woman is actually responsible for the rift between father and son but. No. She's not. Though she can be overprotective; Crow and Breeze have a bad relationship when she's not even around in Breeze's first appearance and even his Crowfeather's Trial Epiphany refutes it. Anyway this post isn't about Nightcloud.)

So he starts acting on his bigotry, accusing cats in other Clans of stealing, running really close to the border. What's interesting though, is that this is not entirely his doing. The first time we get physical trouble from Breezepaw, DUSTPELT aggressed it. Breezepaw and Harepaw were just chasing a squirrel and hadn't yet gone over the border at all.

We learn that WindClan is teaching its apprentices how to hunt in woodland, and tensions between the two Clans is starting to escalate as ThunderClan isn't entirely trusting of their intentions.

The second time, fighting breaks out over him and Harepaw actually crossing the border and catching a squirrel. WindClan is adamant that because it came from their land, it's their squirrel. So it's as if Breezepaw is modelling the aggression around him, learning how to behave from the older warriors and his father.

When he joins Heatherpaw and The Three to go find Gorsetail's kits in the tunnels, he's grouchy towards the ThunderClan cats, but very gentle with the kittens. Notably so. When Thistlekit is dangerously cold, he cuddles up next to her, and even assures Swallowkit when she's scared,

Through this entire excursion, he's the one in the comforting roles for the kittens. Breezepaw is the one who is taking time to tell the kits they'll be okay, that he'll protect them, and physically supporting them when they're weak, even when he's terrified.

And it's always contrasted to Heatherpaw who's way more 'disciplined,' as a side note. It's a detail I'm just fond of.

All this to point out,

Breezepelt displays his best qualities when he's away from the older warriors of WindClan, and he's at his worst whenever he's near Crowfeather. Even while he's essentially just a bully character for The Three to deal with. He's gruff but cooperative when it's just him and Heatherpaw interacting with The Three, but mean when there is an adult to please.

We're getting to the on-screen abuse now, but Po3 actually sets up Breezepaw's troubles and dynamics well before it's finally confirmed that he is a victim of child abuse.

ABUSE: Outcast, the Tribe Journey.

In Outcast, Breezepaw's problems have escalated into open aggression towards cats of other Clans, and is now a legitimate concern for his own safety. Yet, he's spoken over by older warriors, and reprimanded at nearly every opportunity, right in front of the warrior of another Clan.

Squilf just asked the poor kid how his training was going, and then Whitetail JUMPS to talk over him so she can complain, RIGHT in front of his face.

They can't even wait until they're alone to grumble something rude about Breezepaw, who is still just a teenager here;

They taught him already that a bit of prey that runs off their own territory still belongs to WindClan, encourage him to blow past borders in pursuit, and started a battle with ThunderClan over this. And then they're pissed off at him for being aggressive, thinking it's deserved to scold him in public.

When Onestar announces that he wants Breezepaw to go on the Tribe Journey, he's devastated by it...

Because he thinks WindClan doesn't like him, and he's right. He's gossiped about, torn into in front of a ThunderClan warrior, and even his own dad doesn't want to be around him. It's clear that Breezepaw's impulsive "codebreaking" behaviors are a desire to prove himself, and once you realize that, the way that he's being alienated is heartbreaking.

But Wait!! Hold on a minute! Where did he get a "patrol of apprentices" from to confront the dogs with, exactly?

Simple. Breezepaw CAN make friends! He actually values them a lot! So much that it's the first thing Crowfeather snaps at him over, out of frustration that his son is also being forced on this journey with him. It's an angry response to his child having emotional and physical needs, resentment that will continue all journey long.

Note that it's plural, friends. Breezepelt has multiple friends, at least one who is not Heatherpaw, and she promises to say goodbye to them.

Up next, they state over and over, Crowfeather and Breezepaw do not like each other. Crowfeather resents being around him and dealing with his rudeness, embarrassed and angry, and Breezepaw is absolutely miserable being sent on a journey to the mountains with a man who hates his guts.

The whole while, Crowfeather is brooding longingly about Feathertail, already thinking about her as soon as he kitty-kisses Nightcloud goodbye, his eyes looking somewhere distant. He makes a jab about loyalty when Breezepaw doesn't understand why they're helping the Tribe.

Breezepaw gets smacked after he's "shoved" at Purdy and acts rude to him, while the other three manage to be polite (while still having internal dialogue about how stinky he is).

Without so much as a, "cut that out," Crowfeather raises his paw and hits him. Breeze is quiet after that.

I don't give a shit how rude your teenager is being. Do not hit kids. Being throttled on the head is not okay.

In spite of the Three not liking Breezepaw, or even Crowfeather, they're constantly noting that their arguments are not normal, and that Crow is a cold, unsupportive father who digs into his kid constantly, and the only time he ever DOES "discipline" his child it's through immediately smacking him.

At one point, the apprentices get hungry, and decide to foolishly hunt in a barn that they know has dogs in it against Purdy's warnings. Once again, JUST like the first two books, Breezepaw is more friendly when Crowfeather is not around.

EVERY time he is alone with cats his own age, he's grumpy but cooperative. Even enthusiastic at times! The minute Crowfeather is in the picture, he's nasty.

Naturally, the dogs show up, but Purdy rescues them. Though Brambleclaw also chews his kids out (and i have strong opinions about bramble's parenting style for another time), Hollypaw is taken aback by the contrast of what a scolding from Brambleclaw looks like vs how Crowfeather reacts.

The narrative is desperately trying to tell you that the way Crowfeather treats his son is not normal.

And then Crowfeather is pissed off that Breezepaw is exhausted from running for his life from hungry dogs,

And he's constantly losing his shit whenever Breezepaw says something as innocuous as "dad im hungry"

Then, Breezepaw is made to watch his dad pine over the grave of a woman who died long before Crowfeather was even considering his mother for a mate. What he feels is jealousy, because he knows his own father doesn't love him anywhere near as much as he loves the memory of Feathertail.

This really goes on and on and on. The ENTIRE trip is like this, with Crowfeather treating Breezepelt poorly, giving him a smack before even verbally warning him, pushing him past his limits and blowing up on him when he asks simple questions about eating or resting.

It all comes to a head in this one exchange, towards the end. Hollypaw ends up snapping at Breezepaw for his rudeness, before having an epiphany.

It's explicit. Crowfeather's emotional abuse, his "scorn" for Breezepelt, is what is driving a wedge between him and all of his older Clanmates. Between EVERYONE in Breezepelt's life who wasn't already his friend. This awful treatment is only making him worse and worse.

Realizing this, she has more sympathy for him, but it's too late. He continues to be rude to her because he feels insulted, and her patience completely runs out. She's just a kid. They're both just kids. She's not responsible for fixing him when he's pushing everyone away at this point.

That's the end of Breezepelt in Outcast. It can't be helped anymore. Any spark of friendship they had together in the barn, or in the tunnels, is gone.

As the series progresses, Crowfeather continues to refuse any personal responsibility for the mistreatment of his son, even pinning all of Breezepelt's behavioral problems on Nightcloud. He is a cold, selfish father who only ever thinks about his own pain and reputation.

DARK FOREST: How these factors push him towards radicalization.

Everyone talks about the Attack on Poppyfrost, which happens in the first book of OotS, in oversimplified terms. YES he is going after a nun and a pregnant woman. I've never said that's not Bad.

But no one talks about "WHY", and that reason is NOT just that he desires power like so many other WC villains. Breezepelt makes his motivation very clear on the page.

Escalating to violence was about making Jayfeather feel the way that he does.

When Breezepelt says that he wants Jay to be surrounded by "lies, hatred, and things that should never have happened," he's talking about the way HE grew up, knowing his father never wanted him, and that his Clan HATES him as a result. Killing Poppyfrost is about trying to frame Jayfeather for her murder, so ThunderClan won't trust him anymore.

When Jayfeather points out the simple truth that what Breezepelt is saying doesn't make any goddamn sense, his hatred "falters." He's blaming his half-clan half-brother for his own treatment because of the reveal, but totally failed to consider that JAYFEATHER'S ALREADY GOING THROUGH IT... so his response is just this pitiful, "s-shut up, man."

Then the ghost of Brokenstar and Breezepelt bounce him back and forth between them like a beach ball for a bit until Honeyfern's spirit shows up.

Breezepelt's childhood abuse and social alienation was a hook that the Dark Forest latched onto, to reel him in. His anger at his half-brother is so obviously misplaced that its absurdity was something Jayfeather pointed out.

We soon learn that it's the Dark Forest who's planting that ridiculous idea in his head;

The narration is SCREAMING, "The Dark Forest is validating the anger he feels towards his father, and redirecting it towards The Three." He's described as 'kitlike,' Tigerstar's eyes are compared to a hypnotizing snake.

This prose could not make it more obvious if it drove to your house, beat you with it, and then spoon fed you the point while you were hospitalized.

At the end of this scene, Tigerstar sends Hawkfrost to recruit Ivypaw. This scene where Breezepelt is being lovebombed, and the command to start grooming Ivypaw, ARE LINKED. That was a choice.

A VERY GOOD choice! Again, as many issues as I have with OotS, its handling of indoctrination is unironically fantastic, and it owes a good amount of that to the outstanding setup of Breezepelt that was done back in Po3. And that setup doesn't work if Crowfeather was merely distant.

Breezepelt was abused by his father, both verbally and physically. It drove him to be more aggressive to prove himself, modeling the battle culture around him. The adults of WindClan judged him based off Crowfeather's responses, shunning and belittling the 'problem' teenager, which eventually drove Breezepelt to the only group that he felt "understood" him.

In a book series that is RIFE with abuse apologia, this is one of the few times that there's any behavioral consequences for abuse and the narrative holds the perpetrator accountable for it.

But people hear Crowfeather's deflective excuse in The Last Hope where he says he never hated him, blames Nightcloud for everything, and just lick it up uncritically.

Gee whiz, I wonder why the guy who never blames himself for any of his problems would suddenly say it was his ex-wife's fault. Real headscratcher!

(Crowfeather's Trial then goes onto, for all my own problems with it, also hold Crow accountable as the reason why Breezepelt turned out like he did. But that's a topic for another day.)

[flakops]

warrior cats hot takes be upon ye!