neon-jackal

[neon-jackal]

Everyday this community goes without new content we figure out a new way to make the story more fucked up

Oh God, Mareth having to deal with Judiths death without Hamnet. Having to grieve without him.

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Same guy

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Henry working with the rats was kinda dumb tbh what even was his motivation

“Vikus was making us weak” ok but they killed your parents. That’s pretty significant my guy

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MORE BANE CONTENT

We don’t get to see the Bane at all in CotW, and the tunnel scene with Gregor and Bane and Ripred is so good it shows very clearly that the Bane is not turning out good and then we meet Twirltongue AND THEN we get the Bane’s speech to rats where we see how badly Twirltongue is influencing him and shows us that he’s beyond saving now it does such a good job at setting him up as the main villain in CoC and portrays trauma and manipulation so well.

Only ONE WEEK til the first episode of Marks of Secret!

Send me all your questions, theories, headcanons, and general thoughts about this book. Tell me your favorite scene. Tell me your favorite character. Tell me your favorite line. I want to hear it ALL.

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Why The Twist In CoC is umm uhhh umm

Each underland chronicles book gets it's own big twist, all with varying levels of quality, but today I want to focus on the twist in Code of Claw, and why (in my humble opinion) it doesn't really work. I actually really like Code of Claw, it's my second favorite in the series behind MoS, but this is by far my least favorite part of it, and probably my least favorite part of the whole series. So why is it so... not good?

First, let's talk about what makes a twist work. I think this really comes down to 4 main factors

Does it make in-universe sense? Pretty self explanatory. It's always good to keep writing consistent with the world building & lore of the series.

Does it fit with the characterization? Beyond it making logical sense, does it fit with the writing of the story? Is it foreshadowed at all? Does it feel like something the character(s) would do? Essentially, does the audience buy it?

Does it further/change the story? Also pretty self explanatory. A twist should have impacts on future event in the series, or re-frame previous events in a new way.

Does it work with the stories' themes? This is especially important for a series like TUC. This is a series with some strong messages, so it's important not to undercut them.

Now let's look at the big twist in CoC. For any who've forgotten, the reveal in this book is that Sandwiches' prophecies are fake. Ripred tells Gregor he doesn't believe in them 5 seconds before the final battle, and Gregor decides he's probably right. So how does this do as a twist?

Does it make in-universe sense? Hard no. Sure, the prophecies can be vague, and a lot of things can be left up to interpretation, but they describe way too many things way too accurately to just be coincidence. You're telling me that a super rare plague starts going around, and they need the help of the one guy that does all the stuff, and the cure for the plague is developed in it's place of origin, and Sandwich just got a lucky guess predicting all of that to a tee? Fuck off. This just feels like such a bizarre and rushed thing to throw into the series, and it feels like something that was thought of well after most of the other books had been written.

Does it fit with the characterization? Not really. CoC establishes that Sandwich isn't a great dude, so him faking a bunch of prophecies does feel believable for him, but like I said before, all the other books treat their prophecies as legit, so this feels kinda out of place. It also feels weirdly cynical? Gregor makes tangible progress on his quests, and sees really sacrifice too, and CoC is essentially saying "all of that was for nothing". Again, this ties into my personal belief that the other 4 books weren't written with this in mind.

Does it further/change the story? Again, no, not really. Even if you do buy the twist, all of the other quests were successful, so like, what's the point? It does set up Gregor surviving the final battle, but I feel like there just would've been much better ways of doing that.

Does it work with the stories' themes? Actually, kinda, yeah. It ties into Regalia's shady government and the ways they keep order, and fits the 'forced into a destiny you don't want' thing Gregor and Bane have going on. The whole "Sandwich can't be a prophet, he's evil!" thing the book tries to do is pretty dumb though, and I feel like there were so many more interesting ideas the book could've done with this.

Now let's compare this to arguably the best twist in the series, in CotW. Does it make in-universe sense? Absolutely. It fits into the prophecy perfectly. Does if fit with the characterization? Fuck yeah! The Regalians are evil bitches, so this is 100% in character for them. Solovet especially works so well as an evil-CIA type figure. It expands really well on her talk of wanting to 'punish' the rats in PoB. Does it further/change the story? Yes on both counts! Not only does it completely re-frame the entirety of CotW, it also sets up the humans' general shittyness, which we already kinda see in PoB, but really kicks into high gear in CoC. Does it work with the stories' themes? My guy. It IS the stories' themes! It so perfectly encapsulates the gray morality and overall pointlessness of war, the shady actions of government behind the scenes, and everything else these books are trying to say, and it gets expanded on even more in the next 2 books.

Wow this post post kinda got out of hand uhh if you're still reading this thank you for listening to my ramblings and point out anything I missed in the notes. If you think I'm wrong about anything, feel free to start a giant argument in the comments.

TL;DR: CoC is very good but the twist in it is not great and CotW does it much better.

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Ok, he’s not that big

So the Bane isn't the size of like a Kaiju by Book 5 right? Or is he? Like not like SUPER Kaiju but he's a big chongus?

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She was so cool in the 3 paragraphs she was in

Wish we got more of Stellovet in the later books. Who is this evil bitch

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She’d also make a great antagonist for a Heroes of Olympus style sequel series that’s definitely coming eventually (I am delusional)

Wish we got more of Stellovet in the later books. Who is this evil bitch

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Wish we got more of Stellovet in the later books. Who is this evil bitch

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eh? eh?

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Is he larger than Ares? I know they’re both described as being big, but I don’t remember any exact comparison between them

It’s my headcannon that Ajax was Ares’ trainer from back when he was a bad boy ™, and that’s why he’s so pissy towards him in CoC

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If you are a Hamareth hater do you hate fun

Like how can you look at a series that is honestly not that great for ships, Since:

A: There aren’t a ton of characters, and

B: Most of them are different species,

Find a potential ship with 2 single, hot, similarly aged friends, with a history together, and just think

No

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Real and true!

Im going to try my best to keep this chronological, but it might bounce around some.

We need to talk about Hamnet.

Hamnet, a classic example of a Middle child, who only escapes Middle child Syndrome by being the only son.

Hamnet, a twin who ultimately abandons everything to prioritize himself.

This is a man, who had he kept on the path of the warrior, would not only surpass his Mother, The canonical Greatest (Human) Warrior of her Time, but would Rival Ripred, a Rager. To elaborate, we know that Hamnet was commanding armies before 25 (rough estimate), and we know the Regalians are a Meritocracy to a degree so that has weight. He survives in the Deadlands and the Jungle for 10 years. I his first encounter with Humans in a decade, He displays incredible feats of strength. He disarms and disables one guard, throwing a sword hard enough to embed it in stone, and has a substantial vertical leap, high enough to give him the leverage to drag the other guard off his bat, and pinning him to the ground.

These guards by the way, were Solovets personal guard, most likely Horatio and Marcus, who are skilled enough to be trusted to guard Gregor, a Rager.

He routinely displays reflexes to match Ripred in speed, and when finally forced to fight, he holds the line until the Cutters pass. He ultimately falls, but he saw it through.

Which brings me to the main point.

"I do no more Harm."

Hamnet lasts a full Month in Solovets Dungeon before breaking.

After he breaks, he leads the attack on the Garden. Its only once the rats begin to turn the tide, does he resort to opening the dam, and its only the years of Neglect that the Dam crumbles under the pressure, resulting in the massacre, and the destruction of the garden.

Even in his darkest moment, Hamnet still fights to save as many lives as he can, regardless of species, at the cost of his Bond, and he would continue to fight until Mareth would literally knock him unconscious to bring him home.

Hamareth. After a decade, hearing Mareths name is enough to send Hamnet into emotional turmoil. Later, when asked about Hamnet, Mareth responds similarly, whether they were close friends who experience the brotherhood of War, or more, their bond is undeniable.

In closing, while he is only in half the book, Hamnet is one of the most complicated, deep, and impactful characters in a series full of them.

Put respect on his name, and support the Hamareth Agenda.

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It’s my headcannon that Ajax was Ares’ trainer from back when he was a bad boy ™, and that’s why he’s so pissy towards him in CoC

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The infinite questions I have about Ares' interpersonal relationships.

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And they were roommates

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RATSCALING: Could Ripred beat prime Bane in a fight?