Time to look at starter Meridel's tenth breeding (her fifth with Amaud) to see if we can get any insight into Meridel's hidden whisker shape trait (we already know about the other traits that she is guaranteed to hide, as well as that she hides Mysterious eye shape and Small pupils):
Week 10 is a pretty good starter offspring, showing 5 non-genesis traits. 4 of these traits (fur, eye colour, ears and whisker colour) are traits we already know about, but the fifth (whisker shape) is the one we've been after! Let's take a closer look at the result:
Whisker Shape: Week 10 Kitten shows Fussy whiskers. Dad Amaud shows Light Wave whiskers. But Fussy whisker shape is dominant to Light Wave whisker shape. Therefore, the Fussy whisker trait cannot have come from Amaud (he is showing Light Wave, so his hidden whisker shape has to be Light Wave or something more recessive), so the Fussy whisker trait must have been passed to Week 10 Kitten from Meridel, so Meridel's hidden whisker shape is Fussy (she is showing the genesis Guitar whiskers).
So now we have a clear idea of what Meridel brings to the table. We know that Meridel hides Chateau Cat - Grey & White No. 2 fur, Serenity eyes, Mysterious eye shape, Small pupils, Mysterious tail, Mysterious ears, Black whisker colour, and Fussy whisker shape. I have decided not to proceed further with breeding Meridel and her offspring (the fur and eyes are actually a fairly cute combination though). Meridel may or may not hide a shade (probably not, but there is a small chance), but it would just be one of the standard shades (Flair, Illume or Glitter), and not a compelling reason to continue. I'm hoping to add to this thread later on in the week with a ideas on how to proceed if you do get a starter with new/special traits. Meridel and her offspring will be left on display at the Instructional Breeding Project area (see the link in an earlier post) for the time being ( I'll be grabbing Amaud back to put with my Christmas starters hehe).
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to post here! Good luck with your kitties!