Leader and Deputy

if med cats can't have kits/mate than why should a leader be allowed to in the first place?

i think it's situational, honestly. a leader should think carefully about choosing the right deputy for their clan; a capable cat. if they find that in their mate, great.

another thing is i believe a lot of the leaders want a deputy they can really trust, so i suppose it's natural they'd look towards a mate or a kit of theirs.

wind/gorse were the perfect duo because they kind of remind me of one of those couples who mainly give off best friend vibes. they communicate well and bounce off each other perfectly. firestar and sandstorm would have made a good leader/deputy pair for this exact reason.

squirrelbramble, on the other hand, seem to be constantly up in arms with each other about everything. it's a wonder they made an alright pair in avos at all. i think it's important for a leader and deputy to be able to offer differing opinions to each other, for a unique outlook in tough situations, but bramblestar and squirrelflight seem to have little to nothing in common.

I think it's an extremely bad idea to make your mate deputy because of the power dynamic. A deputy and leader can no longer be equals in a relationship because a deputy is the direct subordinate of the leader and has to follow the leader, barring special circumstances. A regular warrior has no say in such affairs, so leaders and warriors can still be equals in their private lives. This is why I think making your mate leader is worse than making your kit leader; your children are already accustomed to following your orders.

That's a little tricky as it can work (Wind and Gorse) and sometimes it's necessary if they are the only option or actually the best choice (arguably Rowan and Tawny). So, I wouldn't say it should be outlawed in code, but I think that it should be noted that it's not recommended.

Squirrelflight's Hope proves that it can cause conflict as all their arguments on clan matters became personal, though part of it was that Squirrelflight and Bramblestar's relationship was turbulent, to begin with.

It's arguably favoritism no matter who a leader chooses as deputy. The only time it wouldn't be favoritism is if the entire clan votes and the leader chooses who they vote for. No leader is immune to bias and it's not like leaders pay heavy attention to every cat in their clan. I do think they should look outside their family for candidates, but they might genuinely think a family member is right for the job, especially since they're more certain of their qualifications. So yes, it's favoritism, however, we don't always know that it doesn't let other cats become deputy. We don't know the other candidates Bramblestar had in mind. In the case of Rowanstar for example, the only cats he trusted were his mate and son as they were the only cats that stayed with him.

I actually think the moonhigh rule is flawed in that it motivates leaders to make shortsighted decisions. Yes, leaders can change their deputies, but it's done so rarely that it's often not a consideration. Of course leaders choose the cats they know personally as they know their capabilities. I think leaders should have more time to choose a deputy as it might give them a chance to observe cats outside their circles, especially since the clans are so big that new leaders can't possibly know the capabilities of other cats. If the leader dies before they receive their lives, the medicine cats can choose a new leader or the clan can simply vote. If anything, it's this rule that doesn't let other cats be deputy because the leaders have to make a decision on the spot, so they choose someone they know they can trust.

I don't think it should be outlawed, but it should be stigmatized. 

The only way I would accept a leader and deputy being mates is if they become mates after the deputy is appointed. And by that I mean well after that point. Like, working together so much is what leads them to getting close.

Otherwise, it's just not a really good tactic.