I Don't Have It In My Heart To Get Into An Argument Online, But Spottedleaf's Heart (2017) Came Out Like

I love Ivypool!! Just because her character arc is different doesn't mean she's bad, or wrong, or evil for it.

Negative traits can be neutral traits, guys. You can't say, "I love complex characters!" But then shit on Ivypool fans because you think Dovewing is the victim automatically.

The point is that neither character is more of a victim than the other, because both characters have their own perspectives, their own arcs, and their own understanding of the situation.

You can see yourself in either character, because both characters are well-established, personality-wise, and fairly rounded characters for Warrior Cats.

But, if you want Ivypool to go, "You're right, Dovewing, I'm such a bitch, you had a harder childhood, and are living in ShadowClan because of how I treated you, specifically, which is my fault. Let's make up,"

That will never happen!!!

I never had an issue with 'age gaps' in Warriors because they're cats.

At no point in Warriors does anyone say, 'I think Onestar being mates with Whitetail is a symptom of a major issue in our society'.

—As it stands, the world building is that it's acceptable in their society.

The world building is that the cats are ok with it.

They are in no way analogous to real people unless you're looking to ignore the fact that the books are about cats and not people.

Ferncloud and Dustpelt, for instance, were thinking about being mates long before Fernpaw had even received her warrior name.

If you compare this to a human relationship, yes, that would absolutely not be ok. But, again, they're cats. They're not humans.

Tigerstar death scene but he's Caesar and all the Clan Cats come at him with knives (claws) at a Gathering or something.

What if Warrior Cats had executions? Like, guillotine, hangings, etc. How absolutely sick would that be? Let's behead Splashtail.

I really hope the graphic novels continue to cut out all the unecessary bloat and plot contrivances left over from the original series.

For example, Fireheart saves Bramblekit from the fire, in the graphic novel, without hesitation— which is so refreshing.

I disliked that entire b-plot in the first arc where he's menaced by Tigerkit's oh-so-scary, 'amber eyes'— because it made zero sense, came out of nowhere, and was also, very dumb.

And while I'm sure Bramblekit will face some prejudice in the next graphic novel, with how well they've handled Cloudpaw and Cinderpelt, I think they'll manage to make it work.

Maybe it's a carry over from my time on Deviantart, but it stresses me out to not be able to sort my blog. Wdym I have to have my posts and reblogged posts in the same place?! That's absurd.

What if Warrior Cats had executions? Like, guillotine, hangings, etc. How absolutely sick would that be? Let's behead Splashtail.

silly kitteh :3

my little pwn-y

Even with John stating outright that she's conventially attractive, I still picture Lilith as looking more like Jeff the Killer than Morticia Addams, lmao.

I often see the fandom conflate plot points / set-up with whether a character is 'defendable' or not.

For instance, Ivypool lashing out at Dovewing in one of the newer books.

"I can't believe Ivypool said that!"

"She was so mean to Dovewing!"

Well, while I personally feel like Ivypool was acting out in a very understandable, and sympathizable way, I also think fans are ignoring the obvious elephant in the room.

—This conflict only happens in the book to set up the book's story arc about 'alternative' afterlives. Bristlefrost, who we assume has faded from the world entirely, is revealed to still live on, even if only symbolically, through a stag that appears before Ivypool.

In other words, Dovewing's grief over Rowankit is being juxtaposed to Ivypool's loss of Bristlefrost, so that the book can reveal that she's not really gone.

In other book series, a Series of Unfortunate Events, for instance, the choices a character makes say something about who they are as a person,

As an example, from a Series of Unfortunate Events, the character Violet Baudelaire purposefully writes with her non-dominant hand when signing a marriage contract to Count Olaf thereby nullifing her marriage to him.

This shows that she is both clever, and knowledgeable of marital law. She is an inventor, and sees all the possibilites before her, even ones that would require her to think outside the box, in situations where a solution might not seem apparent.

Contrast this to Warriors, and you'll find that most characters are mouthpieces for the plot with characterization on the side.

Cinderpaw getting hurt, leading to Jaypaw developing hydrotherapy, allows us to learn about Cinderpaw being Cinderpelt, furthers the relationship between Jaypaw and his connection to the stick, and allows for bonding time between he and Leafpool.

But, we don't get much overt characterization out of this. We learn that Jaypaw is smart. But, it doesn't really say anything about him as a character. This follows for every other Warriors character, too.

We are dripfed characterization through little moments, Whitestorm spending long hours with Bluestar as her health declines, Firepaw's crush on Spottedleaf, Ravenpaw being happy at the barn with Barley.

But, ultimately, the characters are written in service of the plot, and not the other way around, like in a Series of Unfortunate Events.

This is a book series about a plot with characters, and not a book series about characters in a plot.