#And I want more on bramble

[warning-heckboop]

We're not so different, you and I

Judged by the inexplicable magics at our cores

Or by how we strayed from the paths laid out for us

To live our own lives, and tell our own tales

I can only hope now that yours

Leads to a happier end than mine

((Wolf belongs to @bunnieswithknives))

[bonefall]

I personally like Thunder's prosthetic. Explained it to my friend (who does use a mobility device, a cane and wheelchair, and listens to me rant and infodump about BB) and they agreed, it's important to know that not every person needs what someone wants to give them. It's another example of "bad ableist person does a thing that hurts a disabled person because they are bad and ableist".

Clear Sky got Jagged Peak killed and would have killed Sunlit Frost! He would absolutely force his disabled son to be "normal" and present it like a privilege. "I wouldn't do this for anyone else, it's special, why don't you want to be helped?"

Thunder Storm should toss it in Clear Sky's face. (I would say toss it into the river but we do not pollute waterways in this house)

Thank you for telling me this, and tell your friend I'm thanking them too! If they have anything else to add please forward what they have to say

Since BB!DOTC tackles some of the heaviest topics in the entire series because its canon equivalent is so dark, I think very carefully about what I do here and how I show it. I take feedback on its sensitive aspects very seriously. If I'm understanding the criticism properly, it's that I should avoid stigmatizing prosthetics by making sure Thunder Storm's not the only one with it-- which he's not! And I'll add even more.

I don't want to avoid something only because it's uncomfortable if the topic is important, and my portrayal is respectful. Ableism IS uncomfortable! There are some situations where a prosthetic is not wanted! I think the rejection of this particular one is both a good opportunity to show a type of ableism and ALSO is very fitting for the characters.

In BB!Clear Sky's mind, the villain, he's fixing an old mistake. He can't admit that he got Jagged Peak killed or take REAL accountability for it (though he will, occasionally, apologize insincerely), but deep in his bones, he knows what he did was cruel. He'll never tell anyone this because he doesn't really cognate it himself, but Thunder Storm NEEDS to take his gift.

If Thunder doesn't take it, it blows a hole in his newest story. You see, throwing Jagged Peak out was All That Could Have Been Done back then. It was a Tragedy and he simply Made A Hard Choice. He regrets it very much, But You Have To Understand.

But now? Now? Well, behold. Look at what he's accomplished since the tragic death of his little brother. His cats are well-fed, cared for, and stable enough to make such incredible advancements. If only Jagged Peak had been able to hold on longer, if only he could be here now, I could fix him.

Just like I can (MAKE YOU JUST LIKE ME) fix you.

"Everything I've ever done is for Jagged Peak. For Fluttering Wing. For you." Thunder Sky is SPECIAL, but if he rejects any gift, tries to turn down the "privileges" offered to him, in an instant that becomes ungratefulness and arrogance. He both forces him to be special, and then leverages it against him if it's rejected. "Spoiled brat, doesn't appreciate what I've worked so hard to give him."

It all goes back to him and his own guilt. He can NEVER be wrong. He can't accept his family doesn't have to be "normal" or reflect his own ability. He won't see himself as a bully, let alone a murderer. It was never about his son's comfort or finding out what Thunder Storm wants or needs, it was about his own ego.

...All that said I'm still taking feedback if there's anything else I should keep in mind, or if anyone has a counter point, especially if you also have experience here.

(In the interest of having a link trail for posterity, here's the critique/call for feedback this is in response to)

[uranium-city]

ASC Thunder Spoilers

some of y'all are fuckin weird about Squirrelstar/Brambleclaw

by that I mean the few people that viscerally hate Squirrelstar as if she personally killed their mother, plan to boycott the series until she dies, & are trying to pass off Brambleclaw as a completely innocent, misunderstood, wounded uwu baby with an annoying, naggy wife whose sympathy from the fandom is undeserved.

like i get it's just a fictional series about cats but the way some people try to justify Brambleclaw's abusive traits, claim that Squilf deserved to be mistreated by Bramble for one reason or another, act like those abusive traits aren't actually that bad, that they don't exist, or that they're just normal behavior creates some really horrible implications about the way people recognize & sympathize with those in abusive relationships. they may be fictional cats, sure, but passionately ranting about how badly you want the abuse victim to die & how innocent, misunderstood, & "overhated" the abuser is is very uncomfortable idc.

i'm not saying people can't dislike Squilf or even that they can't like Brambleclaw as a character, but when talking about these very real abusive traits that affect people in real life, if your first reaction is to try to justify them & pretend like they're not actually abusive traits that is genuinely disgusting & has really scary real life implications.

[ravenmoodle]

The Bramble

Wanted to create a 'envy' themed monster- but without being too on the nose. So I was thinking this eldritch god who envies humans for the simplicity of their existence.

the tangle of space. who yearns for the simplicity of being mortal

[bramblequeen]

Finished this up before Halloween! Yay. Now back to other stuff

[waywardsalt]

ive been rereading tnp and it’s bothering me so much i need to mention it here; it’s kind of insane how much the erins bend over backwards to make brambleclaw deputy, it’s kind of just nonsensical.

not even him not having an apprentice when he’s picked, though that is kind of wild, he just… there’s basically no good reason other than him being a main pov character and tigerstar’s son. literally any other thunderclan warrior who’s had an apprentice (barring maybe ashfur) would have been a better choice. thornclaw dustpelt sandstorm cloudtail brackenfur- brackenfur is one that firestar explicitly considers and the reasoning why he decides not to is so incredibly weak ‘oh i dont think he’d be right for leader’ number one what are you talking about number 2 then use him being deputy as an opportunity to help him become right for leader are you telling me firestar thinks the cat he once considered letting die in a fire is a better fit for leader than the cat he half mentored. dustpelt is clearly an experienced warrior, sandstorm is someone firestar obviously has faith in, thornclaw is experienced and i’m pretty sure you even see firestar consult him a few times (cloudtail is iffy bc thats cloudtail but he’d really be a better choice, just how he treats daisy and her kits would be an interesting justification for firestar making him second-in-command) but honestly besides the narrative jumping through hoops to act like the other very viable options are either secretly bad choices or otherwise ignore them (why is bramble the only cat we ever see jump to help firestar with stuff they just wrote everyone else to be silent or w/e) but in twilight where he arguably acts the most like de-facto deputy in leaf and squirrel’s pov he’s framed as a jackass half the book??? why would you do that if you intend to make him actual leader?? in his trial run of being kinda-not-deputy you just make him use his semi-authority to be cold and fucking mean to his friend and her buddy??? like i see him being qualified due to having experience being the travel group’s leader and whatnot, but barely anything else is done to make him realistically more qualified than anyone else- he just angsts about his ambitions and gets handed the position because starclan vouched for him for some damn reason even though by his society’s laws he should not be in that position

[yuridovewing]

can we talk about how it honestly kinda sucks that leafpool’s “climatic main character death” happens in a book that has barely anything to do with her

[mariaiscrafting]

Maybe Minecraft is itself a tree that's grown rotten. Or maybe I've simply outgrown it.

(I had a mental breakdown in the tags sorry)

[infectois]

average day at six days stilt

[psalacanthea]

this fking pothos that someone threw in our garden before we moved in (never! put fucking houseplants in your garden unless you know what you're doing 150% and you know it's native!!) has been ripped out for YEARS and it's STILL coming back around the foundation.

It's infuriating.

I hate it so much I've vowed to NEVER get a pothos again, just out of spite.

[yakkitylylac]

drawing generic bust shots 999999 times in a row Makes Me Happy but so does getting notes on my posts and at some point im gonna have to decide which is more important

[blueookashi]

I absolutely lost all good graces with a certain community to the point where ocs from it leave a bad taste in my mouth now. I'm just so pissed and tired of it.

[roakkaliha]

watched john wolfe play brothers: a tale of two sons and realizing just how well done bramble: the mountain king was in comparison. like the latter would not exist without the former, and brothers is definitely a respectable game and by no means bad, but bramble is just doing everything it does so much better. like down to the visuals and sound design.

[quenthel]

so many things cost so much money... i have to furnish and renovate an apartment (will have help from my parents in this and the renovations are pretty minor ig) i need surgery and i want to invest in a good gaming laptop too... AND i want more tattoos and piercings too... everything is just money money money waugh

[reunioninn]

i do think its kind of interesting how quickly the concept of pairing venom with millia was dropped as soon as it became more apparent that 1) venom is gay and 2) their dynamic is more like siblings who struggle to get along

[yuridovewing]

not to be full of it but i think making my own version of ivypool has endeared me to her a lot more. i feel like im 12 again. i needed to give that girl mommy issues and i needed to make her SPIRAL