#Gregor and the Code of Claw

[tanadellatarma]

My FanArt of Luxa from Gregor the Overlander saga was one of (if not THE one) my first art posts (still visible on Pinterest and Google even if I lost my old Tumblr account - yikes!) After years I was finally able to make a whole project about this wonderful saga and I decided to come back to Tumblr and post it here: thank you for inspiring me in those old days 💜 I did a whole "training project" for a dream Graphic Novel: if you enjoy it, share and comment this post 🙏 •► The project: https://tanadellatarma.it/gregortheoverlander/ Fly you hight & run like the river 🦇

[sailor-neptune-shitposts]

Me when I can finally browse the tag without spoilers

[yesthefandomfreakblr]

Ripred in COC:

[prophecyofgray]

"Beware, Underlanders, time hangs by a thread..."

hello hello! this september 1st marks the 20 year anniversary of gregor the overlander, the first book in the underland chronicles series by suzanne collins! i wanted to do something special to celebrate and i thought a little (re)read event would be a lot of fun!

all of the details are in the images above (image descriptions provided), but here are the dates once more:

Aug. 7th-11th --- Gregor the Overlander

Aug. 12th-16th --- Prophecy of Bane

Aug 17th-21st --- Curse of the Warmbloods

Aug 22nd-26th --- Marks of Secret

Aug 27th-Sept. 1st --- Code of Claw

and remember to use the tag #TUC20 during the event to meet and interact with other fans + #TUC spoilers for any new readers we may have during this time. i'll be going through and reblogging posts, so feel free to tag me (@prophecyofgray) as well!

one more thing: i think it'd be a lot of fun if we did something extra special on the anniversary itself, but im not sure what. feel free to share ideas in the tags <3

that's it for now! boost this if u can + spread the underland chronicles agenda to your friends >:)

fly you high!

[annisefreya]

I really tried to live up to my "no such thing as a bad book for kids" values when my 5yo picked a random book off the library shelf... 

We just finished the last book of 5, and my goodness I hope this isn't one of those formative experiences he's going to be talking about in therapy when he's older!

The 'Gregor the Overlander' series by Suzanne Collins... Probably aimed at 11/12yos. Really good. Also really dark and does not pull its punches on the subjects of war and death. (I guess I should have expected this from The Hunger Games, but as it was for a younger audience I thought it might be less... about giving children PTSD.)

We stayed up late to finish it and now he is reeling from a book hangover and a main character death... I hope he doesn't have nightmares 😬

I told him he probably had a lot of big feelings and I was here if he wanted to talk. He said "I do want to talk but I don't exactly know what to say".

At least I will have a 'handy' frame of reference when I have to have some hard real life conversations with him...😐

[antique-symbolism]

An important and fascinating theme in The Underland Chronicles is the question of whether or not Fate actually exists and whether the prophecies are real or just nonsense the Underlanders are using to dictate and then make sense of their actions. That's why the ambiguity in "The Peacemaker" is such a good device.

On soft feet, by none detected,

Dealing death, by most rejected,

Killed by claw, since resurrected,

Marked by X, two lines connected.

Finally, they intersected,

Two lines met, one unexpected

You could read the Peacemaker as Ripred like the Underlanders did. But I think it's almost certain that Collins intended an alternate interpretation of Gregor as the Peacemaker.

Line 1: Gregor was always thought to be The Warrior. Despite constant attempts to act peacefully 'on soft feet,' nobody ever saw him as The Peacemaker. Even at the end of the story nobody detected that interpretation.

Line 2: "Dealing death" is obvious. He was stuck in many situations where killing was his only option. But his many attempts at peace were rejected by everyone who thought war and hatred was inevitable. You could also interpret "rejection" in the sense that he belongs in neither Underland nor Overland by the end of the story.

Line 3: He was nearly killed by The Bane's claw, he was prophecied to die, but ultimately survived. He also "killed" The Warrior by breaking Sandwich's sword, and then "resurrected" himself as Peacemaker.

Lines 4 and 5: His initial arrival in the first book connected the Overland and Underland in a way they had not been joined since Sandwich's initial arrival. It's also Gregor's act of standing up for peace as the better option that finally joins the rats and humans, an intersection of unlikely allies to build a better tomorrow.

Line 6: The two factions will still have difficulty trusting each other as the peace is established - to the rats, the humans are the unexpected party to keep the peace, and to the humans, the rats are.

[i-only-know-fandoms]

Since we're all talking about Suzanne Collins again now that the BoSaS movie is coming out soon, can we talk about her first book series, The Underland Chronicles? I know we all know she doesn't hold punches in THG, but holy shit, she does not hold punches! Those books literally changed me

[rin-sith]

To anyone in the TUC fandom who has looked at AHS and skipped it because they heard the ending is happy...

... and then assumed that it's just a wish fulfillment "ideal reality" kind of outcome of the TUC story that cuts all of the depth, pain, and realism ... Go back and read it right now.

Because that is not what AHS is. Not even close.

AHS is not "my version" of TUC where I just change whatever I dislike without regard for themes or characters in the original. Far from it. One of the main goals I had was actually to give more of the Underland. More characterization (that aligns with canon, although some characters develop in a different direction because of shifts in circumstances), more worldbuilding (that coincides with canon, adding onto it), ... just more, period.

The best way I can describe what it actually is is honestly saying that AHS is to TUC like Marvel's "What if ...?" is to the MCU. It is quite literally a "What if Henry had survived his fall at the end of "Gregor the Overlander"?" And I kid you not, 95% of the changes in the story, compared to TUC, are simply a result of exactly this change.

But the entire plot of the final book is different, right? Well, I didn't say that the consequences of that one change weren't substantial. They are. Without spoiling too much I can only say that Henry happens to be an optimist, and it also happens that an optimist was exactly what the TUC story needed to achieve a happier outcome.

Anyone who has actually read my version of the CoC plot will tell you that it is far from ideal, perfect, or pain-free. A lot more happens in the actual plot, but most of those new events are there to serve the dark, violent nature of war. There's so much talk about loss, and sacrifice, exploration of (also the dark side of) heroism, and whether "for the greater good" is worth it. There's corruption and death, injustice, and grappling with unkind fates and alienation/rejection.

Now, I will admit that I did put less emphasis on the societal pressure aspect of CoC, but mainly because that theme is a huge part of AHS 2 already, and it did not really fit this part of the story anymore. Instead, "Gregor against society" becomes "Questers against society" (quite literally, since they are — small spoiler — banding together to actually overthrow Solovet and bring about change.)

BUT ... if there is corruption, death, and the violence of war, how is it happier then? How can it have a happy ending?

Very simply because it is not only corruption but also redemption. Not only death and suffering but also growth and gain. Not only violence and breaking of relationships but also companionship, hope, and mending of relationships.

... The main change that happens to be so powerful it can give this series a happy ending without disrespecting or abandoning its original gritty violent core is ... a shift in mindset toward the positive. For Gregor, but also for everyone else. One of the main themes I added is the exploration of the double-edged nature of things: Everything has good and bad consequences. What we take away from it is what we choose to focus on.

Now you might see better what I meant by "All this series needed was an optimist" earlier. If there were someone to remind people of the bright side, to remind Gregor that his rager power does not make him evil and that he is never alone or choiceless, to embody this hopeful outlook and bring it out in everything ... I promise to you that this is all it would have taken.

And this is what I'm giving you.

[noirs-multiverse]

i am a certified gregor and the code of claw hater and thanks to the lovely @haveihitanerve asking<3, i decided to share a google doc of my commentary on it

feel free to leave comments and stuffs lol, i may make proper posts on my opinions abt code of claw and tuc in general at some point in time, but not rn

[apollo-is-somthing]

“He had spent the last few months learning how to die. Now he had to learn how to live.”

wasssuhshhhhahhh my deaerdsdss wasshhhhhhhh

[please-help-this-little-lesbian]

Alright Questers, here’s my eagerly awaited post-Code of Claw thoughts.

I have read Animorphs and the Hunger Games, both of which are pretty brutal and violent, and this was genuinely the most brutal and violent book I’ve ever read. The rats tearing people apart??? Killing the whole hospital???? Regalia losing a THIRD of its population?????? Jesus Christ. And PearlPelt ripping Twirltounge’s head off…

I wish we had gotten more Nerissa. She’s one of my favorite side characters and I wish we saw more of her.

I thought the whole thing with Luxa being like “okay rats get out of here” and her and Ripred almost killing each other was kind of weird?? Like I feel like it was a set up the whole time. Maybe it was and I’ve lost all my media literacy

Gregor’s ending is a lot more depressing to me than Katniss’. Katniss at least got to rebuild and make a new home for herself. Gregor has no home. His family is together but not really. He’s only *twelve* and a literal war veteran. And he can’t even talk about it. Like idk I just feel worse for him. But the parallels between him and Katniss are really interesting. He gets his father back, she never will. Gregor gets his family but loses Luxa. Katniss loses her family but has Peeta. Gregor returns home but can’t ever feel at home in it. Katniss returns home and makes a new one out of it. Both of them suffer deeply and are changed forever by war, but Katniss just gets a more hopeful ending to me.

[yesthefandomfreakblr]

Okay but 12 year old Gregor threw a whole ass doctor when he found out they moved his mom. This boy is fucking DONE WITH REGALIA'S BULLSHIT.

[tangents-within-tangents]

Recently reread the Underland Chronicles so I decided to dig through and find the old fanart I did when I first read the series like 11 years ago (wow i’m old) so please enjoy

Featuring my Mark Crilley manga phase, my terrible handwriting lol, ✨copic markers✨, random details I latched on to for some reason, FEELs wtf bro, and me somehow missing the fact that Luxa got a haircut in book one, and spoilers (fr go read these books if you haven't they are so good)

Luxa and Henry (and questionable armor choices??)

The weave texture was meant to show that their clothes are made of spider silk (Idk what the random thigh pouch is supposed to be tho)

Hamnet and Hazard (and long arms so they can hold hands lol)

Queen Luxa

Yeah 13 year old me really latched on to Luxa and tried to make her my personality lolll

And for some reason the fish-shape crystal thing really stood out to me I guess

And the turtle trapdoor, I remembered that bit specifically during my reread bc I pictured this drawing I did of it. (I also vaguely remember writing (like by hand in my notebook) a mini missing scene fanfic about Luxa using the turtle trapdoor when she snuck out to join the quest in PoB XD)

(Don't ask about that size difference lol)

Okay here come the scenes/spoilers (and FEELS)

(and apparently I thought that holding Ares' claw meant his foot instead of his wing)

There you have it lol

I also distinctly remember making like a montage of Lapblood moments (the dart frog jumping near her face, strangled in the vines, sinking in quicksand (all near death experiences apparently, rip she had it rough), and Gregor brushing her fur) bc those were the moments I remembered and kept picturing during my reread. But unfortunately I could not for the LIFE of me find it!

Anyway, looking at your old art is cringeyyyy but it's still kinda fun too. This really is not how I picture the characters or clothing and stuff anymore, I might do some redraws if I ever find the time/motivation (lol as if) 

[neon-jackal]

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.

[overandunderland]

Just once Gregor should have hit Solovet with a-

[orangeblobby]

I was catching up on @returntoregalia, and it was mentioned that the nature of Mange and Lapblood's relationship is a little unclear in Curse of the Warmbloods. I thought I remembered something, so I checked in the Code of Claw-- and it is confirmed that Mange and Lapblood were mates. Flyfur and Sixclaw (and the others who were lost) are their children.