#i fucking hate bramblestar so if you like him don’t read this

[sillspore]

Now that brambleclaw and squirrelflight aren't mates, how would Alderheart and Sparkpelt being born? Most AUs (not saying those aus are bad) just have Bramblestar as a nothing character either as a villain with no personality or forgettable, with the personlity of wheat bread "man wife"

A lot of Bramnleclaw's character in/is about Squirrelflight and their love triangle with Ashfur. I can't really see (again no offense to you. Just airing my thoughts) as him being nothing character, if he isn't her mate than how would TBC happen or would that series never happen because Ashfur or Brambleclaw aren't mates with Squirrelflight. How would plotpointd such as his relationship with firestar would become? It would be jus them as adoptive siblings?

beware, this shit is long! soooo much more under the cut.

i’ve been thinking about this! basically, squilf would replace leafpool in the forbidden romance plot with crowfeather. during tpb, all of squilf’s romance will be with crowfeather. we get his pov during the journey, where he will be close with feathertail but crushing on squirrelpaw. we get squilf’s pov when they get home, where we can hear her internal debates over her feelings about crowpaw and missing him. she is attached to brambleshade (brambleclaw), but in a sibling way. in my head, firestar is a pseudo-dad to bramble, so a sibling dynamic makes sense. however, this isn’t reciprocated the same way. bramble grows to be in love with squirrelflight.

in twilight, squirrel and crow debate leaving, but decide against it and amicably agree to split. at the same time, leafpool is having the same issue with mothwing — mothwing cares little about the warrior code, and would much rather leave the clans and live their lives in peace, with a bonus of the fact that hawkfrost would never follow her and she’d be free of him. they run away, but come back just in time, like the leafcrow romance in canon.

as a note, because tc doesn’t share borders with rc, they had no idea it was mothwing that leafpool ran away with.

afterward, in sunset, squirrelflight grows closer to bramble and ashfur is scorned, much like in canon. she realizes he assumes she’s in love with bramble, and she lets this happen to dissuade him from trying to “win” her back. she feels safe doing this, because she assumes her sibling feelings towards bramble are the same from his side.

(note: squilf did date ashfur while she was arguing with bramble, but at first it was just friendship. she thought he’d make a great mate, and she could forget about crowfeather and maybe even have kits. but as he grows more controlling, she breaks up with him. soon after, she reconciles with bramble and ashfur takes this as badly as possible.)

after the whole saving her dad thing, squirrelflight is delighted. (side note again: bramble does become deputy, because longtail retires early. longstar would be too good of a leader, we need a shit one, for plot reasons.) bramble is delighted, because he thinks this means she loves him “again”. leafpool had no idea about the crowfeather thing, and tells squilf about the dream starclan sent of squilf and bramble walking side by side. squilf takes this to mean starclan wants her and bramble as mates (they absolutely do, the meddling weirdos), but with the way she feels about him? she isn’t fond of the idea. however, at the book’s end, leafpool tells her she’s pregnant. squilf knows exactly who’s they are — and she is both petrified and delighted. it’s complicated situation, she’s so overjoyed to have her love’s kits, but he will never know them and the clan will be suspicious. everyone knows she was courting ashfur but spends all her time with bramble now, so they’ll assume it’s one of theirs. so will the two cats in question. if she refuses to say who, it’ll be very obvious their father is not thunderclan. she tells this much to leafpool, who advises her to follow starclan’s wish and become bramble’s mate, for real. squilf tries to convince herself this will be okay, because it’s what starclan wants.

later, leafpool tells her she’s carrying mothwing’s kits, and they (TOGETHER) devise the plan to have squilf raise them, which will be easy because she’ll actually have milk here. bramble is over the moon at the news of kits, and squilf is dying inside. it’d be a depressing inner monologue, her trying to convince herself she can be happy like this.

leafpool fakes a starclan vision, saying squirrelflight must visit the moonpool immediately, for plot reasons. squilf gives birth up there, and crow stumbles upon them. there’s a unique herb growing in the cave that he was sent to retrieve for his “mate” (they’ve come to an agreement: crow takes night as his mate to look loyal, and the kits she has won’t appear as if they were fathered by a rogue, like they actually were), nightcloud, who’s about to give birth. he sees squilf’s kits, they get emotional and sappy. there’s two kits, unnamed. together, they name them hollykit and breezekit, and crow takes breezekit (the one out of rhe two without red on him) back to wc to be raised by nightcloud with her kits. he’ll blend right in with the litter.

a few hours later, leafpool gives birth to jaykit, lionkit (still haven’t decided his name change), and dovekit. after another day, a tc patrol comes to get them, wondering what took them so long, surprised to find squirrelflight’s four kits! they carry ‘em home, and squilf settles in the nursery, fussed over by brambleshade. about a week later, dovekit dies, and squilf is heartbroken. she grows listless and finds it hard to take care of her remaining kits, but later recovers and is a great mom.

power of three goes pretty close to canon, major plot wise. hollyleaf is not a member of the three, but it makes SENSE bc she wasn’t actuallt part of the three’s litter. dovekit was, who was later reincarnated into whitewing’s kit, dovekit, in order for the prophecy to be fulfilled. for the fire scene, it goes the same mostly, squilf claiming they aren’t her kits, ashfur says idc you love them anyway. i think i may have firestar save them from ashfur here, losing his final life. after the fire, squilf admits that hollyleaf is her kit, but the other two aren’t. hollyleaf pries the whole story out of leafpool, and goes STRAIGHT to brambleshade, before he goes to receive his nine lives. he thanks her for telling him, and he is heartbroken (because, apparently, his wife never loved him.) and furious. none of his kits were his, some of them were even leafpool’s! after he’s made bramblestar, he appoints hollyleaf as his deputy, citing that she’s the only one he can trust. things go to shit, sol, hollyleaf snaps and kills ashfur, hollyleaf tells the clans everything, including the prophecy, etc etc. hollyleaf dies, killed by the falling rocks in the tunnels. her role in the great battle stays the same, as does firestar’s, bc their ghosts can still kick ass.

after this, during omen of the stars, we see bramble actively punishing squirrelflight. everything is shit. i don’t know who i’ll have him pick as deputy, but they’ll die during the flood of bramblestar’s storm. jessy happens, etc etc, squilf and him make up. she apologizes, and he apologizes, but he kinda makes it about him, hmmm….

anyway, spark and alder are bramblesquirrel kits still. i haven’t thought about major plot for avos yet, i’ve barely thought about pot and oots. but, squilf is made deputy, and the broken code is a thing. bramblestar is freed of rhe possession, but there will be a scene where squirrelcrow have a Moment and bramblestar loses his shit. he accuses her of betraying him, of being cruel and evil, yada yada. brambleshade is a little weird, maybe kinda vindictive, but bramblestar is out of his mind. the sheer amount of power he has and his desire to use it against her is dangerous. he is very clearly an evil person, despite the sympathies he has. anyway, bramblestar tries to exile her, but spark stops him. she, and the clan, are OVER bramblestar, who was just as bad a leader as the imposter. he is stripped of his name and lives via rhe new warrior code rule, and the clan watches in horror as he loses all but his last life in real time. he’s moved to the medicine den. meanwhile, squilf becomes a star, and appoints ivyclaw (ivypool) her deputy. she gives brambleshade the option of leaving the clan or retiring, and he hobbles his old ass to the elder’s den.

after all this, crowfeather decides to join thunderclan, and squirrelstar happily accepts him, daring anyone to argue. they get their happily ever after, and it’s very sweet. maybe breeze even comes with his dad, tired of his clan’s scorn? regardless, it’s a very awkward time for nightheart watching his grandad spit obscenities at his step-grandad. wild.

pls tell me if this is incoherent ive never written my ideas out for the squirrelcrow bramblesquirrel plot before !!!

[idrawcats]

Just read Sky, and here are some quick thoughts

I actually liked this book more than I was expecting

I really liked how political it was — every POV character was grappling with politics in some capacity

I loved seeing the rise of factionalism in ShadowClan

It was interesting to me that the main traditionalists were two family groups that were both hit hard by the events of the previous two arcs (Berryheart, Yarrowleaf, and Snowbird, especially, are a family who lost several members as a direct result of the Kin in AVOS, and more still due to interfering with the Ashfur situation in TBC)

They have a good reason to oppose outsiders entering ShadowClan, but that doesn’t make them right

Berryheart is a special kind of crazy, straight up yelling at her leader

I loved all the drama in RiverClan and Mothwing trying desperately to hold the Clan together

There’s definitely some shady shit going on with Splashtail, and probably others too

I hate Tigerheartstar, but I really like that he’s being pushed toward tyranny by a dangerous combination of grief, ego, and his power as a Clan leader

I can’t wait to see where this all goes

Oh and somethings up with Bramblestar

Again

I also really liked that Frostpaw doesn’t really have a connection to StarClan

Also lmao poor Owlnose

Nightheart and Sunbeam are both very annoying to me, but I feel like their POV chapters perfectly encapsulates what it’s like to be a teenager, which is the target audience

Both of them are petty and insecure, and they actively encourage the worst in each other, but they’re terrible in a way that’s realistic to teenagers

Nightheart specifically reminds me of myself in high school (please bear in mind, I’ve now graduated from college)

His eagerness to prove himself and frustration with not being taken seriously is unfortunately relatable

Actually what I like about Nightheart’s POV is that he’s a great example of an unreliable narrator

Like you can see how he comes to the conclusion that he’s being given apprentice tasks because everyone doubts him and he failed his assessment twice, and his insecurity makes him angry and bitter, which makes him snotty and withdrawn from everyone, which makes people dislike him (for valid reasons)

And all of that feeds his victim complex, so he digs himself deeper and deeper into his hole of self-pity

Honestly, it seemed to me that everyone’s reaction to Nightheart’s dramatics was totally reasonable

Thriftear and Flipclaw teased him all in good fun, but he saw it as making fun of him and doubting him

Squirrelflight reprimanded him for disobeying her and going to ShadowClan because it was a dangerous move, both politically and literally, but Nightheart took her reprimand personally because of his insecurity

Not to mention, he’s given apprentice tasks because he’s the youngest warrior and there aren’t any apprentices, but again, his anger and insecurity makes him take it as an insult

And honestly, it seems more like he’s the one constantly comparing himself to Firestar than his Clanmates do

Also, it seems like Nightheart expects special treatment from Squirrelflight and Bramblestar and is offended when they don’t give it to him

Reading from an outside perspective, it’s painfully obvious that Nightheart himself is the root of all his problems, but I can empathize with him because I too have been an angsty teenager who felt like it was me against the world (especially within my family)

I think the most interesting part of Nightheart’s POV by far was getting caught in the crossfire of his grandparents’ fucked up relationship

Also dear god Bramblestar and Squirrelflight are back at it again PLEASE JUST BREAK UP WITH HIM SQUILF YOU DESERVE SO MUCH BETTER

Sunbeam also gives massive teen vibes, due to her petty drama with Lightleap

Literally only a high schooler would think “wow my ex-bestie is grieving for her little brother… too bad we’re not friends anymore and it’s not my problem!“ but then get jealous that she’s not the one comforting her friend

I really think Sunbeam and Nightheart won’t work out, just like a typical teen romance

Nightheart is using Sunbeam as an escape from his problems in ThunderClan, but he’ll realize that HE is the problem when the same things happen to him in ShadowClan

Not to mention that Nightheart doesn’t seem to REALLY want Sunbeam as a mate — he’s latching onto her as an opportunity to leave ThunderClan because she’s the only cat who puts up with him

Sunbeam is using him as a rebound — she doesn’t really like him, she just likes that he likes her

I think that this relationship has the potential to be great for both characters’ development, but only if it doesn’t work out

Please Erin’s I’m begging you don’t fuck this up I like where you’re going with this arc PLEASE don’t write another BristleRoot or turn this into the second half of AVOS

[pigeocore]

I have no one to talk to so here are my Thoughts on the newest Warrior Cats Books (MAJOR SPOILERS FOR A WARRIOR'S CHOICE AND THE PLACE OF NO STARS)

Out of everything that could've happened in this series I did not expect Snowtuft to be relevent again, but I'm glad he is because I like his development through the book and hope the team won't fuck it up

I'm very sad at the lack of Spotfur in this book but the one scene we got of her was amazing so I'll give it a pass

I was really angry with Mothwing when Darkness Within came out, but now I feel like she has made up for her faults and genuinely wants to help Shadowsight

Despite the fact that I liked this book overall I am really disappointed that Bramblestar is still alive. Let the man die and give us Squirrelstar and deputy Spotfur or Bristlefrost please

Also if by the end of this or the next arc cross clan relationships won't become legal I will scream

Moving on onto the novelas, Daisy's Kin was kinda boring but had it's moments. I'm sure people who like Daisy more than me love this book

The moments where Daisy fights a hawk and turns Smokey down are LEGENDARY

Also I hate that we get a slight sneak peek at Spotfur's kits in this book but we don't actually see them or their mother, I hope they're just saving the drama for the next book

Spotfur's rebellion was also kinda boring but it has Spotfur in it so I can forgive that

I really liked the ending and the beginning but everything in between was just kinda meh, mostly stuff we already knew

The ending makes it seem like Spotfur is being set up as the next deputy and damn I wish, but I know this isn't gonna happend knowing Erins

Blackfoot's reckoning on the other hand was AMAZING and it lived up to almost all my expectations

One of my top wishes for this novella was to show Blackstar's family and his relation to Bagerfang and they did, I couldn't be happier

Seeing Blackstar slowly realize his faults and acknowledge that the cats he hurt in the past don't have to forgive him slaps

Literally if you are planning on reading the Warrior's choice but don't have time just read Blackstar's Reckoning because it's a must

Feel free to discuss these books with me because I have a lot to say

[end-this-gay-disaster]

I’ve decided to list some warrior cat characters I would sell my soul to punt like a goddamn football💕💖

Appledusk- This mf got off easy in my opinion. Like lay it on him Maple baby, he deserves it😩

Rainflower- This was one narcissistic bitch lemme tell you. Imagine disowning your son because he broke his jaw while YOU weren’t watching him and telling his brother multiple times that he was better than your disowned son right where said son could easily hear you. She asked her leader to rename her disowned child after his disability. She kicked him out of the nest and left him in the nursery alone. She got what was coming to her lmao. Shitty moms get vibe checked on rocks. ANYWAYS. Stan Echomist and Shellheart for ditching her ass🥰

Clear Sky- I’m to lazy to type out all the reasons I dislike him a lot so just read the dawn of the clans arc and you can pick up on it pretty quick.

Hawkfrost- Interesting character I’ll give him that. However, his conduct with Ivypool was not it. And he tried killing Firestar. I’m super gay for his sister though so he goes lower on this list.

Breezepelt- Listen y’all, I know my guy was going through it. I really do. But he assaulted a blind doctor and a pregnant woman. Along with other things.

Onestar- THIS IS SUCH A SHAME CAUSE BEFORE HE BECAME LEADER HE WAS SO SWEET BUT THEN HE GOT INFECTED WITH DUMB BITCH DISEASE SO NOW I HATE HIM. Like he was just a prick. He also caused the whole Darktail fiasco cause he couldn’t keep it in his pants lmao.

Thistleclaw- This mf was a shitty mate to Snowfur, was constantly blaming Bluestar, and somehow managed to groom the clan’s medicine cat when she was young😐he was a sucky dad too wtf and a murderer.

Oakstar- You exiled a mother and her three young kits because their father was the guy who knocked your son in the river. I get that. You could have exiled Mapleshade. That would have been understandable. But the kits? Now that was plain spiteful and you mad wrong for that. He also struck me as a pretentious ‘god-fearing’ kinda guy so either way he was a prick tbh.

ASHFUR- I hate him. Like attempted murder apparently was enough to get him into starclan and even though I haven’t read the new series, he apparently possesses Bramblestar? Yeah no. Although I may be a bit biased since Bramble has always been a fave of mine. You go Hollyleaf! Out here doin God’s work.

Brokenstar- I don’t have time to explain.

Tigerstar- Him neither.

Raggedstar- Nor him.

Foxheart- Her name is a goddamn cat curse. That should tell you enough about her personality. She was also such a fucking pick me like Christ on a stick get a personality.

Dawnpelt- She was the only kit of Tawnypelt’s that was irrelevant throughout the entire series and yet she was always the one with her mouth open. She accused a BLIND DOCTOR, of killing her brother. Like bestie he can’t even see him how is he gonna kill him? He was the only one to jump after him as well. Yeah sorry but if you’re brother is still more relevant to the plot in death than you ever were, I’d pack it up sis cause this ain’t gaining you any more book time.

Sandgorse- Just a genuinely bad dad.

Palebird- She suffered from postpartum depression and I felt so bad for her. However there was just some stuff said and done later in Tallstar’s revenge that really turned me off about her character.

Shrewclaw- This dude was a straight up BULLY. He told Tallstar to go die😐he also caused him to have a long-standing fear of the ground. He also blamed him for his mom’s death btw. I love his brother though so Barkface supremacy💞

Willowshine- I forgot what it was about her that ticked me off cause it’s been a while since I’ve read the books. All I remember is that she did something that made me upset so she’s on here.

MILLIE- After Briarlight’s incident she lowkey forgot she had other children and was constantly fighting Jayfeather over what she thought was best for her even though he’s the DOCTOR. She’s also the reason Blossomfall trained in the dark forest so yeah.

Redwillow- He was so insignificant I almost forgot his name. All I remember is him dying after trying to kill his sister I think? Idk he was fighting this she-cat named Snowbird and got bodied so I thought he deserved to be up here.

Windstar- Yeah I just thought she was rude lol.

Tom- He was a massive bitch to Bumble and Turtletail plus he was the reason Turtletail got hit by that car in the first place. Wasn’t he also abusive?

Needletail- I could never remember who’s side she was on. Like in one chapter she would be chilling with her man and Darktail and Sleekwhisker but then in the next chapter she was telling Violetshine how much she wanted to leave but was scared and how she hated them all and then I thought she was turning against the clans for good but then she died for them sooooo🧍‍♀️just major confusion. She was a really cool character though! I thought she was really interesting and one of the greatest multidimensional characters of the whole series. But was sometimes a jerk to Alderheart so points are docked from that.

Spiderleg- He was a shitty dad who didn’t even pay attention to his kits, and he was rude to Daisy which is unacceptable.

Frecklewish- Let a kit drown. Like an innocent kit.

Ravenwing- Also let a kit drown.

Graywing.- I’m not talking about the original Graywing, he’s baby and I love him. I’m talking about the riverclan medicine cat that let a litter of kits drown because they were windclan😐like they were CHILDREN. Y’all can SWIM. You are a doctor and letting innocent kids die? Not a girlboss moment babe.

Stormtail- Another bad dad and was going after Dappletail even though he already had a mate. Wasn’t Dappletail an apprentice when he was flirting with her as well?

Darktail- I’m super sorry your dad abandoned you before you were born but becoming a totalitarian mass murderer? Just.. no.

Hailstar- Rainflower just walked into his den and asked him to rename her son after his disability and he just.. did it. No questions asked. He renamed a traumatized child CROOKEDKIT because his jaw was broken😐that’s fucked up like cmon. Think of the child’s feelings.

Firestar- This mf had no personality other than ‘I’m gonna be friends with everyone and save the day cause I’m the main character!!’ Yeah. Bland af. He also did a lot of questionable things pertaining Bramblestar so check out my other post on that if you want.

[mallowstep]

Just out of curiosity what’s your opinion on leopardstar and blackstar?

leopardstar

have i mentioned how much i hate the new ask editor? i had to manually debold the text thrice. this text is here to make sure that everything is formatted correctly. and again, i had to click to create the bullets that's fucked up

anyway

reading crookedstar's promise and discovering i was right, she is hella spoiled, was very satisfying

also, okay, she's such a well written character. like, in a shadow in riverclan. it's just. so good.

i could go on a very long tangent here but in summary, we see a lot of really good characterization and i'd actually argue a shadow in riverclan sets up mistystar's isolationism.

(altho the fact that we don't have any riverclan pov is criminal i want to know what's happening erin)

okay anyway, that said, i'm really excited for her super edition. i would have preferred a blackstar super edition and leopardstar novella, but i'm really, really excited for it

crookedstar's promise was so good and i really hope leopardstar's honor carries the riverclan energy

but okay, the biggest leopardstar thing ever: is she a lesbian? and what's the deal with tigerclaw? (n.b. i've made the decision to refer to them as tigerclaw and tigerheart unless i need to call them tigerstar to avoid confusion.)

so. tigerclaw first. i...don't know. i think she was drawn to him in some way, definitely. but i think it was a combination of pride and fear that kept tigerclan going for so long

and like i said before, a shadow in riverclan really sold me on her

i would've said i had 0 thoughts on her if i hadn't read it

i wish we had more riverclan pov tbh because there's so much drama and intrigue. every leader since hailstar has been an interesting, nuanced, and complex character, and we've barely gotten to see any of it

that said, i...actually kind of like the super edition development of riverclan

like, i think leopardstar is better suited to a super edition, over main arc development, because it will give us the time we need to really sit with her emotions

the alternative would be to cut down the pov across books, and while i'm happy to see we've started to cut down, i doubt we'll ever get six books with just one pov

but i digress; my point is, i like the super edition model for riverclan because when you force a book to be one clan, one character, you have to develop an interesting and rich world for them.

now, am i possibly setting myself up to be disappointed? yes. super editions are wildly hit or miss, and i don't know what their current quality is like because:

i refuse to read crowfeather's trial (even if it has ashfoot)

squilf's hope contained only the sisters. nothing else. that's all. otherwise her desire to save bramblestar would make 0 sense, so it contained only and exclusively the sisters.

i have a weird mandela effect where my brain tells me greystripe's vow came out in 2011. precisely 2011.

anyway, i'm very off topic, i'm just really hoping leopardstar's honor is good because i really, really want it to be

(otherwise i'm just going to have to write a long leopardstar fic)

(i might anyway when i was writing the bone pile scenes in "where the spirit meets the bones" i got ideas)

okay, uh, moving on

blackstar

boy they sure did him dirty

don't get me wrong, blackfoot's reckoning made me cry, just a lil.

i don't usually like the novellas: hollyleaf's story was good, and there are occasional really good ones, but for the most part, i find them disappointing

i still haven't recovered from the 5d10 psychic damage and 3 levels of exhaustion that reading leafpool's wish gave me

but i digress, blackstar

uh...i think he's interesting, but i don't have a ton of thoughts

i know i said i would have preferred a super edition, and it's kind of because...he has a lot of potential?

seeing his guilt is really good. (erins take notes: leaders with no problems/fake problems = bad. leaders with deep character flaws that have negative externalities = good.)

anyway, seeing his struggle to restore shadowclan, especially with the knowledge that he will ultimately fail, is really good

i kind of have this theory that shadowclan was never a "villain" clan. like, it's a new thing. because, well, cats like the shadows. they belong in them.

and blackstar's struggle, just, mm. good shit.

as a character...i don't know.

ultimately, i think he's just. he's a character that deserves development, but i don't really know where to take it

except, uh, why the fuck does his mother name him blackkit? like? what??

and also; what happened to all the foot names? there was a time when we had three out of four deputies with foot (deadfoot, mistyfoot, and blackfoot), and just. uh. are we ever going to get another -foot?

(before anyone @'s me a

[twilights-800-cats]

Darkness Within Thoughts

Spoilers below!

Why did StarClan choose Ashfur to do whatever it is they wanted him to do? Why would they send him back, knowing his impact & true nature? Why him and not... say, anyone else? This outcome shouldn’t have been a shock to anyone with half a brain cell.

I’m so, so, so glad that the narrative acknowledges that Ashfur has an obsession with Squirrelflight. It’s not love, it’s a hate-filled obsession. They aren’t beating around the bush, and Jayfeather straight up saying that Ashfur’s behavior isn’t Squirrel’s fault is just. So nice. Retroactively making Ashfur kind of an obvious creep to everyone who knew him is also a pretty welcome addition.

I’m glad they included the argument from Graystripe’s Vow, it thankfully puts that super edition in a firm spot in the timeline - though it’s silly that they had to change dialogue in the se to keep the Ashfur reveal hidden. I think it would’ve been better if the se came out after, because we’d be able to read what the cats who left were up to after this book.

Shadowsight’s demotion is pretty insulting? Like, what has happened to Mothwing as a character. I never, ever considered her to be so bossy? Argumentative, yeah, but just pulling the rug out from under Shadowsight feels so out of character for her, especially when she brings up his visions like... Mothwing, honey, you haven’t had a legitimate vision from StarClan since tNP what the hell are you on?? The boy knows how to treat wounds?? 

I also really like the fact that they call what Ashfur did by its proper name - grooming. Because he did groom Shadowsight, and that needs to be acknowledged - no matter when it started, that’s what it is. Period.

HOWEVER the real insult is making Shadowsight treat Ashfur’s wounds. I can buy the other medicine cats/members of ShadowClan being uncertain of the visions he sees but making him tend to his abuser is fucking disgusting? Tigerheartstar what the actual hell??? How is that supposed to help him? 

We really did spend an entire chapter talking in circles around whether or not to kill Bramblestar’s body, huh? I mean, I saw it coming because it’s been well established that no one knows what to do and also that Squirrelflight is going to claw and scrape to save Bramblestar - I’m with Tigerheartstar tho let Bramblestar die already.

Cheddar, Pancakes, Eggs, and Bacon are the best kittypet names, fight me. They’re just so adorable!

The Sisters pointing out how ridiculous it is that the Clans still cling to the whole “don’t marry outside your Clan” thing is only heaping onto the idea that they will likely be changing at least that part of the warrior code in this arc. I hope they go through with it because watching these characters try their best to explain why their code can’t change is getting infuriating, lol.

Holy shit Lightleap DID something in this book! What a twist! Unfortunately, seeing Shadowsight get treated so poorly is really frustrating and just... speaks a lot to how inconsistently these minor and background characters are written. I do like that they bring up that Shadowsight’s been spoiled by Tigerheartstar, though.

The Sister’s ritual was awesome! I honestly really want to know where they’re taking all this and I hope it ends in a satisfying way. Ashfur seems to have really messed things up and I’m hoping for it all to mean something in the end. I also really want to see Rootspring develop his relationship with the Sisters and his powers.

Bristlefrost and Rootspring... Aside from the huge glaring fault of Bristlefrost never thinking about Rootspring romantically until the last book, their moments together are sweet. Unlike some Warriors couples, they actually have traits about one another that they admire! If the start of this relationship had been thought about at all, it honestly would be a really good pairing with all that Yearning.

Spotfur’s fear of having Stemleaf’s kittens... poor gal. I’m curious if Spotfur’s Rebellion will touch on this at all, alongside fleshing out her and Stemleaf’s relationship. I hope she and Bristlefrost become really good friends beyond the content of this arc... I’d love to see them taking care of the kittens.

THAT ENDING. Good lord I feel so bad for Squirrelflight - I really, really just want the best for her. Please, Erins. Don’t kill her for Bramblestar’s sake. Do anything but that. I don’t think that, after this, Squirrelflight wants to lead ThunderClan - but, who else would do it? No other cat has been built up to be a leader, other than maybe Bristlefrost. Squirrel deserves to live happily. Please just let her be happy.

Kill Bramblestar tho. All the talk about him being a good and honorable leader feels really sour after Moonkitti’s video and Squirrelflight’s Hope. He’s an awful leader.

All in all, it’s a good book. If you’ve been keeping up with this arc, it’s worth picking it up. That ending alone gives me hope that this arc won’t fall flat in the last two books, like AVoS did.

[canon-notcanon-warriorcats]

Confession time: I am so incredibly pissed at Mistystar for exiling cats (can't remember names) for disobeying her to fight a murderous tyrant.Of all cats. Mistystar! I know it's the Erins adding edge but it's just so frustrating that they made M I S T Y S T A R pull that card. Her arc in TPB revolved around pain caused by tyrants. I feel betrayed. I've rarely felt such visceral rage from reading Warriors as I did in that scene.

i’d be more pissed if like

i haven’t already been pissed

like i fucking hated how they did mistystar in her novella with her sending mothwing to the elders den and i was like “it’s just not canon” and then squirrelflight’s hope happened and she willingly took tigerheartstar’s side and attacked a ban of like 11 nomadic queens, the leader of which was going to give birth soon just because she hated seeing shadowclan not getting used to the strip of land they got from riverclan in a month

and now she’s exiling people who were doing the right thing and not sitting vigil for one of her warriors and burying her like a rogue because she for some reason is letting bramblestar basically lead her clan for her

i was going to pass it off as “she’s old and scared” but like no that’s not an excuse

and also mistystar, your son and deputy reedwhisker was a rebel too you didn’t kick him out

like remember when mistyfoot was like

regal, strong headed and strong willed, one of the most respected warriors of riverclan

and now she’s like a huge pushover and a brat

i loved mistyfoot

not a fan of mistystar

honestly i think she’s panicking and old and she’s just not all there anymore

even though in reality i’m pretty sure the authors forgot who she is, like this is BLUESTAR’S DAUGHTER

proof: they literally wrote graystripe saying that his daughter is the leader of riverclan in the original print of bramblestar’s storm, so i really don’t think they remember who she’s supposed to be anymore

it hurts me even more because i headcanon that she was mothwing’s warrior mentor

[bandtrees]

Sunflower for teh WC ask meme?

:° thank you!! warrior cats flower asks!

Sunflower: What’s a popular headcanon that you don’t agree with? - okay so warriors is one of those fandoms where i love the thing dearly but i keep VERY much to my own little circle (read: you) because a lot of the modern warriors fandom kiiiinda drives me up a wall

so because of that i don’t know what most popular hcs are — my default ‘least favorite hcs’ tend to be stuff like giving characters abusive backgrounds w/ no evidence, making characters bigoted/otherwise just making chars you don’t like hatesinks, uhhh incredibly stereotypical borderline offensive lgbt hcs... yea

i ssssuppose im not super big on the whole abusive bramblestar thing people have ran with lately — just because it makes me kind of afraid of how the fandom’ll treat him, like i like bramblestar and don’t really want him to get the same fandom treatment as, like, crowfeather, where it’s like “his only personality is now a STOCK EVIL MANIPULATIVE PREDATORY ABUSER and he should DIE and he has NO REDEEMING QUALITIES AND IF YOU LIKE HIM FUCK YOU!”

like, wc is GODAWFUL at keeping characters consistent and i just think it’s a waste to see a very well developed n nostalgic character for a lot of people just get the hate sink treatment bc of bad writing yk? granted i haven’t seen the ‘bramblestar is worse’ vid that popularized this and don’t really care to bc, again i don’t engage w the larger fandom and also don’t keep up with the books, i just don’t like the effect it’s had on the fandom

not saying that bramblestar being abusive doesn’t exist, moreso that 1) if you look at wc in that super critical light you’ll find dirt on like EVERY character and i can’t imagine that’s a fun way to look at the series, 2) people tend to go all-or-nothing with character portrayals and i can already tell it’s gonna lead to people ignoring everything else about bramblestar and just making him a villain for squirrelflight

...wow I sure went tf off for a headcanon i don’t even really know the source of bc the last wc books i touched were dotc GKJFVZHDJF

thank you for the ask!

[wcamino-confessions]

two in one day, I’m sorry mod but I’m living for these warriors debates

someone mentioned hollyleaf and PoT is literally the furthers I’ve read so it’s the freshest in my memory. potential spoilers for power of three ahead?

so, Hollyleaf is a young thunderclan warrior who is described as being a black shecat with green eyes. she is the biological daughter of leafpool and crowfeather, adopted by squirrelflight and Brambleclaw. her siblings are jayfeather and Lionblaze, 2/3 of the prophesized cats to have special powers. Holly was expected to be the third with these powers, but she didn’t have any speciality. her half brother was crowfeather’s son, breezepelt. adder something or other and sparkpelt can also be considered her adopted siblings as they’re the kits of squirrelflight and bramblestar.

for starters we’re going to dive into Holly’s personality a bit. she’s very stubborn and determined, extremely faithful to the code, and oftentimes comes off with a sense of self righteousness. she also tends to be rather naggy with brothers, but she means well and, despite being overprotective at times, has proven that she does have a bit of a fun side. lionblaze is usually better about bringing out her fun side.

I’m not gonna sugarcoat my opinion on her. she’s a shitty character. I liked her development up until she was made a warrior, and from there I literally just wanted to see her burn she’s such a shit fest in herself and it’s just, holly has me beyond words bro

but I can’t just say that without providing sufficient reasoning, so here we go again

the first notable holly, lion and jay shenanigan was when they thought they were big shit and went looking for fox. well, of course, they were dumb fuck and the trio ended up needing rescuing. there isn’t much to hate her for in this instance apart from not holding her ground. she originally thought it was a terrible idea, how fucking rational! but then I’m pretty sure she flipped up, got hyped, and was the one who almost got killed so. in all fairness, she was a lot, but this is also the equivalent of a toddler deciding it’s a good idea to post up to a bear so

next, was the whole Lion and Heather ordeal with the tunnels. granted, the situation wasn’t her fault, she did end up getting involved and when they almost drowned she wasn’t very helpful and was panicking like a dumbass most of the time. I think she did come up with the idea to use the river to escape, but then I think she also tried to invalidate her own plan by saying it was too risky. that’s fair, but at the same time y’all r finna die bro stop. so, she has a pretty blatant history of indecision in the w o r s t possible situations, and that’s frustrating to a reader.

next, the daylight gathering. there isn’t much to talk about here, but if I remember correctly she was chosen for a hunting trial and either cheated herself or helped someone else cheat?? I’m fairly positive it was her at least, but don’t quote me on that, this point might be invalid. either way, she did some dumb shit during the daylight gathering and it was annoying. but she did help lionpaw and breezepaw back to camp when they were buried alive so, props to her

and then there was the issue with wanting to be a medicine apprentice. not only did she spontaneously decide to flip ranks in the middle of her warrior training, she was a shit medic. she wasn’t able to retain any of the information she was fed, she was oftentimes snappy and rude towards cats who asked her about it and towards patients who were offering encouragement, and she used the rank as some sort of petty leverage over her brothers as if she were too good for them during the time she was training under Leafpool. and when she finally called quits, she gave a very half assed apology to her littermates and even went as far as threatening them (although playfully) to never bring it up again. I’m biased and don’t like her, so feel free to ignore me when I say wHAT a BITCH dude

and the infamous fire scene. of course poor, helpless holly offered absolutely NO assistance in rescuing them and almost didn’t even make it out because she was being a little woose about it. it’s just fire bro what’s it gonna do, burn you? tch. no, but fr I think she also said sum dumb shit like “we’re gonna die like this” & it made me mad because 1. no shit sherlock & 2. who asked. like they were literally trying to collectively save themselves with squirrelflight and she just goes into dramatic movie mode about it

and when she killed Ashfur?? only to tell all four clans the thing she tried to keep him from telling ONE clan???????? dumb 👏 ass 👏 HOE 👏 and like, why did you need to do that in a public environment, bring shame to Firestar, Leafpool, crowfeather, squirrelflight, Brambleclaw, Lionblaze, Jayfeather, Breezepelt, AND Nightcloud? plus you almost completely ruined Squirrel x Bramble u shitass bagelfuck.

and I think this goes beyond PoT so I don’t have the exact context, but I do know that Holly basically disappeared into the tunnels just because the going got tough and she literally put her whole family through all that grief for MOONS only to resurface when Dove & Ivy we’re in trouble as kits, and then again during a war only to get vibe checked by Hawkfrost and put them through that very same grief AGAIN. she was also unofficially mates with a ghost and that’s weird as hell so

anyways, this was definitely more biased than usual because I hate Holly with a passion, and I probably missed a few things or got a few things wrong, but that’s my two cents thank you and good night

[stimmypaw]

stimmypaw reads Thunder & Shadow, another blog post

much like the first time, I am continuing to read A Vision of Shadows for the first time and sharing my thoughts as I go! This post of course has a bunch of spoilers for Thunder and Shadow. It’s all in the read more, have fun!

I'm so glad echosong is okay but what will she do??? Where will she go??? I'm so worried

I don't like it that Briarlight is stuck in the medicine den all day, love to see her playing with kits and showing her strength tho she's so sweet and good she deserves better

Now littlecloud is sick too???? Fuck!!!!

Also seems Needlepaw and Alderpaw haven't managed to get along better yet, maybe Alderpaw can talk to her through Leafpool since she's going to Shadowclan?

Also graystripe is awful as always and I love him 2 bits

I love Rowanstar's character too, he's so stupidly proud. Shadowclan has a fun trend of having a long line of mediocre to awful leaders and I feel bad for Tawnypelt, Shadowclans braincell who should be leader.

Jayfeather is gonna miss his friends

YES, SKYCLAN!!!! SKYCLANNNN

Twigkit lifting her front paws im 💖💖💖💖 AAAAA BABY

Graystripe :] he's silly

Omg feather time

If something bad happens to this feather ill fraud my taxes I will commit many crimes this delivery must happen safely and if anyone takes it from violetkit I will Kill

Omg sleekpaw don't be so mean poor littlecloud :c medicine cats are important!!

I see alderpaw leaving his feather behind alderpaw get it to violetkit Now

Oh God imagine being puddlekit, shadowclan needs to get its shit together real fast

Leafpool is just that picture (i do not see) while trying to process the mess they got her in

OKAY SO I'm glad he's getting along with needlepaw and that he can finally give violetkit her feather but LITTLECLOUD GUYS??? LITTLECLOUD?????????

My heart melted with violetkit, this was so sweet, why are the queens so mean to her??? She's just an autistic icon bro!! Like every cat I like in these books.

Alderpaw: hey I have an idea, why don't we commit crimes?

Needlepaw: FINALLY I THOUGHT YOUD NEVER ASK

VIOLETKIT POINT OF VIEW FINALLY???? FUCK YES YESSSS YES YES SHADOWCLAN TIME IM SO HAPPY THIS IS SO COOL

Last time this happened the character immediately died tho

Hm

I am suffering for violetkit

i wish violetkit would spend more time with leafpool im sure she’d be caring maybe?? maybe im just desperate for violetkit to be loved

no one here knows how to treat a kit

OH YES YESSS

YESSSSSSSSSSSSS SSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATHEYRE TOGETHER AGAIN

im so sad

im 

broooooo

aaaaa i hope needlepaw treats violetkit better from now on, this is hearbreaking.

Fuck I knew it, the rogues are coming for them aren’t they? And where’s Skyclan now????? fuck fuck fuck

ok I have no clue who Fernsong is but he’s funny already why is he like this what is happening why is he blocking them from looking at Honeykit while talking about how worried he is about her?? Absolutely misterious I love him

  Jayfeather 🤝 Yellowfang

 “I don’t want kits around me”

oh the girls are fighting

oh the girls ARE fighting

furzepelt had a cool name im sorry to hear he only existed to die immediately :c

onestar also is very proud, im glad he accepted help this time tho

SPARKPAW MED CAT MOMENT HAHAH

i forgot bumblestripe was a cat and i was wondering if it was just a typo for bramble

also what’s up with dove and tiger??? i forgot everything about their relationship in the previous books because i don’t care about it and the erins tend to write some pretty boring straight couples

the way they’re described makes me feel like needlepaw and sleekpaw are just differently colored versions of each other at times, are they related?? they don’t seem to be.

and here’s the bit that’s previewed, oh boy, it must have been seriously scary being violetkit, but i hope they don’t convince her the clans hate her :c thunderclan likes her shadowclan just sucks

What do these background cats want from Twigkit???? To shoot lasers out of her eyes?? I guess she isn’t magical or anything but also she’s just a kit??? Firepaw was also just a kittypet and he’s a big deal :/// y’all just don’t get it, I hope Twigkit doesn’t get Dovepaw’s protagonist anxiety

I know Twigkit is being scolded but this scene is just so cute like Jayfeather is just tucking her in a moss bed while being mad at her for leaving camp

Thats another one I need to draw i love them

SPARKPELT YESSSSS YESS SYE SYES YES 🎊🎉🎉🎉🎊🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈💖💖💖💖💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💕

Mothwing ableist????? That's cringe

Omg poor kestrelflight

Jayfeather misses Leafpool so bad, Puddlepaw must feel awful though

OLD AGE? H HOW OLD IS LEAFPOOL THEN???

?????? OH GOD IM LOVING THIS???

This apprentice rebellion is Nuts its so good oh fuck!!! I'm loving whats happening here its awful and perfect

Violetkit is getting bitter :c she needs 2 be embraced and loved stat

She is also clearly getting some bad dependency and abandonment issues, desperate to do anything to please so she won't be left alone again :c

FUCK NO NO NO AAAA NEEDLEPAW WHAT WWERE YOU THUNKING??????? JESUS POOR VIOLETKIT

Kitnapping, this is bad

Oh, very interesting

These apprentices and rogues are so smart god this is a perfect plan

Twigkit absolutely is the sunshine

I love her interactions with Alderpaw, I wish she had gotten to see her sister

In comparison Violetkit looking around camp desperate for attention is awful

Oh fuck bribing

NEEDLEPAW DONT BE MEAN TO VIOLETKIT :C

Oh fuck ou fuck the 4chan kids are angry

??? BRO WHAT??? DONT KICK OUT VIOLETKIT, THATS WHY YOUR APPRENTICES TURNED INTO ANCAPS DAMN

I'm angy

Oh no

Something bad happened :c

Bramblestar: good day!

Rowanstar: Oh Is it??? You could say that while starving in winter, cringe ass

Mistystar: its not winter tho

Onestar: well you're fat

God rowanstar must be obliterated

Hey where's the rowanstars maps use idk loon on a lake or something this man has angst!!!

I appreciate Ivypool is her mentor, at least Someone is honest about whats going on and hey they can both relate on the fear of not being special! Ivypool can be very good to Twigpaw im counting on her

Oh fuck

Violetpaw sounds like she's in trouble with the rogues :c aa

AAAA TWIGPAWWWW AAAA

Violetpaw don't be mean about your sister :C she misses you so bad

Sleekwhisker is like that dad that let his kid starve until she learned to open a bean can she didn't want

Holy fuck

Aaaa violetpaw D:

Jesus christ that was awful

That was so intense I was so nervous for Violetpaw, I'm really happy for her now aaaa

Another gathering already? Wowie

I hope Shadowclan gets those herbs soon :c

I see he appeal in FernIvy and I appreciate it

Violetpaw and Twigpaw sharing a den my heart......this is IT

Jayfeather: I want to steal

I'm listening to Burn Pygmalion! and "viscious kin" is very fitting for this series ehhehe

I love violetpaw and twigpaw btw

IM CRYING

I cant believe Alderpaw is an all lives matter kinda guy

Yesss rebel get those herbs alreadyyy

Starclan has agreed to let kestrelflight kill onestar, goodbye onestar /j

Epic I love you harespring

Alderpaw being confused at Jayfeather saying he is proud is the Best

What an ending! Terrifying and hopeful at the same time, I am very excited to see the hijinks Bramblestar and Rowanstar will get into and how they will go searching for Skyclan, it was PAINFUL to have that prologue talking about them with 0 hope of them showing up again Nothing Nada Zilch, feels like that and the ending were just 2 remind us that that was still the major plot point hahaha, I appreciate it I guess. I'm glad Violetpaw and Twigpaw are on uh good terms despite it all, not very ideal and they're both upset but they still consider each other siblings and know they care about each other :'0 Alderheart getting his name is epic too!!! I was hoping he would soon. I loved everything about his interactions with Jayfeather here, loved all the characterizations really it was just top notch, Onestar being a bastard, Needletail, OH AND SHADOWCLAN JOINING THE ROGUES, top notch!!!! The ancap apprentices were a riot.

This was a good book!!! Flowed very nicely and smoothly, reading in shadowclan's point of view for more than around 3 chapters was great. I can barely wait for the rest!!! Will Violetpaw find belonging in this new era of Shadowclan??? Or will she leave again??? Will Alderheart somehow figure out where Skyclan is and get them together at the lake??? Will Twigpaw get all the spicy details of Dovewing's secret romance with Tigerheart??? Who knows!! But I am very excited to find out what happens next :D

[clovrfrost]

Spoiler Warning for The Broken Code!

I just finished reading the preview for Darkness Within (https://warriorcats.com/content/article/exclusive-darkness-within-excerpt) and I don’t know what to say. I thought I was certain it couldn’t be Ashfur. I was so certain that I went as far to say I would quit YouTube if the imposter was him. I was so wrong. Wrong about everything. And all I can say is thanks, I hate it.

I was always against the idea of the imposter being Ashfur; it seemed really far-fetched when people initially suggested it could be Ashfur when only Lost Stars came out. I thought it was just some crazy conspiracy theory; fans were wrong about things before. But as The Silent Thaw and Veil of Shadows were released, the clues started to pile up. The clues weren't too telling on their own, but with so many of them and how obvious they were, it became basic knowledge that Imposterstar was Ashfur. I was still against it though. Why? Something about Ashfur returning rubbed me the wrong way. Why didn't he do anything to get back at Squirewflight before, while in StarClan, when he was actually relevant and wasn't old news? It also seemed way too obvious for it to be Ashfur with all the hints were being dropped. Trust me to have hope that the Erins won't be predictable. There are so many other reasons why this sucks but I can't get into that right now.

Not only did this preview anger me on the Ashfur reveal, it also made me angry about the characters. The fucking brain-dead characters. It’s frustrating that the cats care so much about StarClan and Bramblestar. I thought that the Broken Code would be about relying less on StarClan and the Warrior Code. Imposterstar literally manipulates the Warrior Code in a way that he can get away with anything. He literally uses the clans’ dependence on StarClan to convince them to exile their code-breakers. HE LITERALLY SHOWS YOU THAT THESE THINGS CAN AND ARE CORRUPTED AND YOU BARELY BAT AN EYE!?? You instead focus on how he is bad cat and is just super bad none of what he says can be trusted. Nevermind the fact he says "That bunch of do-gooders didn’t stand a chance. And they won’t be getting in my way ever again. I’ve seen to that.” He literally insults them and all you think is ‘Ashfur bad. He stinky and mean’. Like, HAVE THOUGHTS FOR ONCE! I’m getting really disappointed that it looks as if StarClan and the Warrior Code won’t even change. What will the take away of this arc even be if truely nothing is learnt? What’s the take-away?

When the characters are complete ding dongs with no sense of self-awareness, why should I read this? Why should I read this crap and not some other crap? Where’s the passion? Where’s the heat, where’ the fire!? Warriors used to be different. They used to have lessons and they used to have interesting characters. But ever since A Vision of Shadows, the main series Warriors books have lost their edge and have become emotionless pieces of derivative garbage. The Broken Code’s plot is great(not the Ashfur thing though) but the insufferable characters and lack of self-awareness really make it bad.

It’s almost as if these books are being written by completely different people than the previous ones. It would make you think these people are terrible writers, but they’re not! They are the same people who wrote Tallstar’s Revenge, Crowfeather’s Trial, Greystripe’s Vow, Thunder Rising, The Blazing Star, A Shadow in RiverClan, Into the Wild, The Darkest Hour, Forest of Secrets and so many more other books that I absolutely adore! I don’t get how much of dip in quality this was than Greystripe’s Vow. It came out a bit of a month before this preview yet this sucks and the other book’s great. Go figure.

[idrawcats]

Some possible Imposters:

Possible Imposters (TBC):

Ashfur:

- Why:

* Very possessive of Squirrelflight

* Named Squirrelflight, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather as codebreakers (and Ashfur tried to kill/harm them when he was alive)

* “You used to stand up to me in the old days” to Squirrelflight

* Lured the dogs to Jayfeather’s garden in the same way that Brindleface (Ashfur’s mother) was killed

* Set a trap kill Sparkpelt (Squirrelflight’s daughter). The trap was set at Jayfeather’s garden, so it might have been meant for him or Alderheart (also Squirrelflight’s children)

* Sent Bumblestripe to spy on Squirrelflight rather than trusting her

* “I gave you one last chance to tell the truth and you didn’t!” to Squirrelflight, implying that she’s lied to him before

* Violent with Squirrelflight when angry

* Threatened to harm Tree’s family to hurt him, as Ashfur tried to kill Squirrelflight’s children to hurt her

* Imposter has a vendetta against Bramblestar, whom Ashfur blames for “stealing” Squirrelflight

* The erins mentioned the return of a controversial character, and Ashfur is one of the most controversial characters in the series (for some reason)

* Shadowsight’s fire vision and ash falling on his pelt

* Why not:

* Ashfur is a confirmed StarClan cat who has been seen multiple times in StarClan, and StarClan has been cut off from the living

* Imposter is unfamiliar with ThunderClan camp, and Ashfur lived in the lake territory

* Ashfur never showed any interest in the Code and actually broke it when he conspired with Hawkfrost to kill Firestar

* Imposter seems much smarter than Ashfur was in life

* AND MOST IMPORTANTLY: Ashfur actually appeared in Squirrelflight’s Hope and was utterly uninterested in her

Thistleclaw:

* Why:

* The Imposter is intent on punishing codebreakers and making them suffer, just as Thistleclaw was violent in life

* Thistleclaw would be unfamiliar with ThunderClan camp at the lake territory

* Imposter manipulated Bristlefrost and seemed like he was creeping on her, despite actually saying that she was too young to be deputy. We all know what Thistleclaw did in Spottedleaf’s Heart.

* Thistleclaw is a Dark Forest cat who wasn’t killed in the Great Battle (that we know of), and Squirrelflight’s Hope stated that most Dark Forest cats had “moved on”, but that StarClan doesn’t know where they went

* The erins talked about the return of a controversial character, and for some reason, Thistleclaw seems to be pretty controversial

* Why not:

* The only part of the Code that Thistleclaw ever seemed interested in was no trespassing

* Thistleclaw has no connection to any named codebreakers

* Thistleclaw was never shown as particularly cunning outside of his disgusting child grooming in Spottedleaf’s Heart. The imposter is clearly a master manipulator.

* I don’t think Thistleclaw would have let Rootpaw trespass on ThunderClan territory and get away with it, regardless of his supposed reason

* No connection to Squirrelflight

* Meta: I’m hoping to god that the Erins learned their lesson and won’t touch Thistleclaw with a ten foot pole

* No motive

Clear Sky (Skystar):

* Why:

* Controversial character

* Shown to be very manipulative and good at getting cats to join him

* Warmonger who uses fear tactics to scare cats into believing that they will starve if they don’t join him, much like the Imposter uses fear tactics to convince cats that StarClan will never return if they don’t punish codebreakers

* Clear Sky was the first leader to enforce rules about borders and trespassing, which served as a prototype for the Code

* Clear Sky would be unfamiliar with the lake territory

* The Imposter is noted to have seemed surprised by the scent of herbs from the medicine den. Medicine cats were a very new concept when Clear Sky was leader.

* No SkyClan cats were named as codebreakers (Tree doesn’t count)

* Squirrelflight is very similar in personality to Storm (Clear Sky’s second mate). Storm left Clear Sky and died, so it would make sense why Clear Sky would try to keep Squirrelflight with him at all times

* Clear Sky only just rejoined main StarClan, so he might not be fully connected enough to be blocked off with the rest of them

* The Imposter shares Clear Sky’s social Darwinist perspective (i.e. the strong cats — warriors, deputy, leader —should take priority over the weak, like the elders)

* Squirrelflight is similar in appearance to Star Flower (Clear Sky’s third mate)

* Clear Sky was very controlling of Storm and insisted she always stayed in camp. Much like the Imposter does with Squirrelflight.

* The Imposter would need to have knowledge of how losing a life works to know that there is a time when he could slip in and steal Bramblestar’s body

* Why not:

* Clear Sky showed genuine character growth and had a redemption arc

* I don’t think many people read DOTC, so Clear Sky might not be a recognizable villain for most readers

* StarClan is blocked off from the Clans, and Clear Sky is a StarClan cat

* I think the only cat Clear Sky ever exiled was Jagged Peak, and that was because he broke his leg (not because of any codebreaking)

* I don’t remember Clear Sky ever using spies

Cloudstar:

* Why:

* No SkyClan cats were named

* Cloudstar’s entire life and Clan were destroyed by codebreaking (i.e. the other Clans turning on them in their hour of need)

* Everything I said about Clear Sky and StarClan

* The Imposter seems intent on making ThunderClan suffer, and Redstar (the leader of ThunderClan) was the main antagonist in Cloudstar’s novella and the main reason why SkyClan was forced to leave

* Cloudstar would be unfamiliar with the lake territory

* Why not:

* Cloudstar was never a bad dude

* He is a confirmed StarClan cat

* Cloudstar was never shown to be manipulative or violent

* It just doesn’t seem likely that Cloudstar would do something like this

* I seriously doubt Cloudstar would ever threaten another cat’s family like the Imposter threatened Tree’s

* No connection to Squirrelflight

Darkstripe:

* Why:

* Dark Forest cat who survived the Great Battle

* What I said about the Dark Forest in Thistleclaw’s section

* Luring dogs to kill Sparkpelt (probably intended for Jayfeather) was a very Tigerstar-esque plot, and Darkstripe was his most loyal supporter

* Darkstripe would be unfamiliar with the lake territory

* Darkstripe is known for eating prey that he caught before feeding the elders

* Why not:

* Darkstripe wasn’t all that smart in life or death

* Darkstripe had little to no regard for the Code

* No connection to Squirrelflight

Tigerstar I:

* Why:

* Bramblestar is his son

* The dog plot mentioned above

* Tigerstar was a master manipulator who convinced entire cats to join his crusade against half-clan and non-forestborn cats

* Tigerstar was known for hating half-Clan cats, and Jayfeather and Lionblaze are named codebreakers for seemingly no other reason than being half-Clan

* The imposter seems to have something against Lionblaze specifically, and Lionblaze turned against Tigerstar in his Dark Forest training

* Tigerstar would be unfamiliar with the lake territory

* Known to use spies

* Why not:

* Tigerstar is double dead and his arc is complete

* It would just be such lazy writing for it to be him

Hawkfrost:

* Why:

* He’s Bramblestar’s half brother

* Squirrelflight hated him when he was alive

* Would want revenge against Bramblestar for killing him TWICE

* Bristlefrost’s name

* Mothwing is a named codebreaker

* Why not:

* Hawkfrost is double dead and should not be able to come back

* Never cared about the Code

* No motive

* The Imposter hasn’t once interacted with Ivypool, and Hawkfrost had an important relationship with her and would probably try to make her life hell

Brokenstar:

* Why:

* Social Darwinist who kicked out ShadowClan’s elders

* Why not:

* He’s double dead and shouldn’t be able to come back

* No motive or connection to ThunderClan, Bramblestar, or the Code

Sol:

* Why:

* Known for hating the Clans

* Convinced ShadowClan to reject StarClan once, so it would make sense for him to try to block off StarClan again

* Known master manipulator who was able to convince first SkyClan, then ShadowClan, and then a group of WindClan cats of his worth as a cat and a leader

* Controversial character in-universe

* Why not:

* Sol has a vendetta against SkyClan and Leafstar specifically, and not a single SkyClan cat is named

* Sol doesn’t give a shit about the Code

* I don’t remember Sol having any connection to Squirrelflight, but I might be wrong

Rowanclaw:

* Why:

* Had his life and leadership ruined by codebreakers

* The Imposter named Dovewing but not Tigerheartstar. Tigerheartstar is Rowanclaw’s son and was his deputy, and Rowanclaw might blame Dovewing for making Tigerheartstar abandon ShadowClan in their time of need, thus forcing Rowanclaw to step down as leader and merge ShadowClan with SkyClan.

* Rowanclaw has a biological connection to Shadowsight (his grandson), which might make it easier to talk to him

* Owed Leafstar a debt for taking in his Clan, and not a single SkyClan cat is named

* Why not:

* None of the initial defectors to the Kin (Yarrowleaf, Berryheart, Strikestone, etc.) are named codebreakers

* Rowanclaw had a decent relationship with Bramblestar and would have no reason to bring suffering to him or his Clan

* The Clans all helped drive Darktail out, so why would Rowanclaw want to drive them apart?

* Rowanclaw is a known StarClan cat

* Rowanclaw was given a good death and a great send off in Tawnypelt’s Clan

* Rowanclaw knew his way around ThunderClan camp

Flametail:

* Why:

* Shadowsight’s fire vision

* If the Imposter was using mint to cover up Shadowsight’s assassination, then he would have to have good knowledge of herbs to know that mint is used to mask corpses

* Flametail was mentioned several times in Lost Stars

* Why not:

* Why the fuck would Flametail do this

Ravenwing:

* Why:

* Read what I said about the Imposter having knowledge of herbs under Flametail

* No knowledge of the lake territory

* Ravenwing was killed for defending the Code (albeit a warped version of the Code) and reporting Mapleshade’s half-Clan relationship

* Lionblaze and Jayfeather are condemned just for being half-Clan, much like Mapleshade’s kits

* The Imposter would need to have knowledge of how losing a life works to know that there is a time when he could slip in and steal Bramblestar’s body

* Why not:

* I think the Erins forgot he exists

* Ravenwing never seemed violent or malicious

Darktail:

* Why:

* Known for being a tyrannical leader

* Known for using spies

* The Imposter is compared multiple times throughout The Silent Thaw to Darktail in terms of cruelty and cunning

* Darktail is mentioned several times in The Silent Thaw

* We all know that Darktail hates the Clans

* Why Not:

* Because Darktail had a satisfying defeat and it would cheapen his death for the Erins to bring him back

* Violetshine isn’t targeted

* Erins please

* I’m literally begging you

* Don’t make it Darktail

Multiple different cats:

* Why:

* Personality shifts for days

* No one knows where the hell the Dark Forest cats went

* Why not:

* Shadowsight only heard one voice

I think it’s either Clear Sky, Ravenwing, or multiple different cats, but I’m leaning Clear Sky

[justmeandmywarriors]

Thoughts of RoF

so hey everyone! First post here, right after finishing River of Fire... here we go.

-Needletail has got some seriously awesome sass in that prologue (though why was Yellowfang hanging w/ ShC, she doesn't usually do that???). Plus her visiting Alder in SC was beautiful

-Also, I heart Tall Shadow/Shadowstar

-I may have had a freak out when Bramble told us Ivypool had kits. I mean, Ivypool is tied for the position of fav character (along with Jayfeather) so I take her shit seriously. I wasn’t originally a huge fan of her being with anyone, independent girl badassery for the win and all, but if she had to be with anyone Fernsong is actually not that bad. He respects her ya know?

-Briarlight’s death was... heartbreaking. I know there are some posts here about it being ableist and while I do have some thoughts on that I don’t feel entitled to share on that issue. Look up the posts yourself and read the book and make your own decision :)

-That said, Jayfeather’s reaction BROKE MY GOD DAMN HEART. In fact, everything to do with Jay in this book was fucking awesome. We got to see his vulnerable and caring side, along with his usual sultry and sarcastic self. Jayfeather, who always acts like he doesn’t care, who pushes away offers of help, who stood up to the FUCKING TIGERSTAR (-claw) with relative ease and confidence, was at a loss for words. He was blaming himself when he always pushes himself forward. If that isn’t shattering I don’t know what is...

-Rowanclaw/star... I don’t know what to think. I haven’t been his greatest fan through AVoS, but he didn’t completely fail in this book. I don’t agree with his decision to let ShC fall apart but I can, at some level, understand it. And his death was decent enough.

-On one hand, screw Velvet X Alder. I wanted to tear my eyes (and the pages) out. On the other hand, it was at least surprising in that it seems that there will be no follow up and that Alder actually knows what the right thing to do is and is willing to stand by it.

-Okay, I... please tell me I was not alone in expecting Ivypool to lose her ever loving mind when Dovewing reappeared only to defect to ShC? I am ambivalent towards Tigerstar (-heart) but Dovewing has always annoyed the shit out of me. I have only seen 1 real idea about Dove that I agree with and that is that she actually would have made a really good kittypet. Also, I still hate the name Shadowkit (breaks conventions of not naming kits after clans... come on, follow your own rules). Also, Tigerheart’s Shadow REALLY should not have been published until AFTER RoF. It ruined the climax.

-Kits... way too many kits, especially for an overpopulated clan. I mean COME ON there was FIRE and there was SICKNESS and the only TC cat to die was fricking BRIARLIGHT? They had opportunities, and they squandered them. Also, these names are getting ridiculous. And speaking of names...

-ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME BRAMBLESTAR/ERIN HUNTER? WHAT IN THE NAME IN STARCLAN PROMPTED YOU TO NAME DEAR, SWEET, INNOCENT LITTLE TWIGPAW, TWIGBRANCH????????? FML

-Ummm at least we got cannon recognition that Tawnystar could totally kick ass... Tigerstar (-heart) better make her leader.

-Mistystar should die (too old).

-Leafstar is unpredictable as shit

-Going back to Jayfeather, he had such sweet concern about Alderheart’s romance but he wasn’t even his usual crude and sarcastic self about it. Like, omg, he was kind and gentle (if firm) when he brought it up and genuinely was worried about Alder while still understanding his feelings (Half Moon anyone?)

-Breezepelt getting dirty looks from literally everyone at the gathering gives me joy.

-”Larksong, I caught a leaf!” Finpaw (I already forgot his warrior name, it was obscured by my hatred of fucking Twigbranch) is precious and adorable and must be protected at all costs. I didn’t catch as much romance btw him and Twig as in before, however.

-Also, Twig +Lilyheart mommy-daughter conversation was precious. As was Lilyheart and Ivypool going out to meet her when she finished her warrior assessment

-WTF is wrong with Sparkpelt? I like her less and less each book. At least she warmed up to Twig... (Yes I am now calling her Twig not that monstrosity of a warrior name)

Sorry for the long first post!

-justmeandmywarriors

[wcamino-confessions]

Okay so y’all are probably gonna hate me for this^^;

Prophecies Begin:

It’s the original, it introduced us to the world and it has a sense of nostalgia in all of use. But compared to some of the new books it’s honesty... a very simple plot. Its literally a “hero vs villain” storyline-

The New Prophecy:

If you have to skip any of the arcs, skip this one. It’s honestly so god damn boring and only consists of traveling. The last book is the only one you might need to read and that’s only due to the infamous Hawkfrost vs Brambleclaw battle.

Power of Three:

Okay so I know a lot of people don’t like this and say it’s predictable/boring. Well.. I’m not gonna argue. It’s a book that started out with a good idea but just was not executed well. But I liked the idea of it and this is an arc where you can create the most fun headcanons in my opinion as the plot gives you some breathing room.

Omen of the Stars:

It’s the Power of Three but like rebooted. They tried to patch up the holes in the previous arc and push along the concept. The only difference is they shoved in Dovewing and Ivypool. This is also where honestly? the books should have ended, but the Erin’s gotta make money so-

Dawn of the Clans:

Erins needed to still sell books but also they were probably worried about how to pick up where they left off in OoTS. So to buy time they went full time travel mode. I’m neutral about these because I never really hated them or enjoyed them. It’s a lot of traveling and it’s hard to get used to only new characters right of the bat, but the concept is very good in terms of world building and Clearskys and Greywings dynamic.

A Vison of Shadows:

So after killing off Firestar (spoiler alert, but like not really?) it just seemed like the Erins were back to square one. So they tried to make almost a second book series but instead of Firestar, it’s centered around Bramblestar. AVOS seemed like a goodish concept in writing, and the fact that we got to see some of Shadowclan POV and an anarchy takeover was cool, but all that doesn’t kick up until later in the arc.

Broken Code:

I... really liked the Broken Code. Maybe it’s because I’m older now, but BC seems to be almost aimed at a slightly higher aged audience? It gives off completely different vibes than the series before that and that’s something I personally think is cool. Even excluding a certain scene (y’all know which one) the book is darker feeling as well as giving multiple POVs from different clans. (Plus Squirrelflight finally is able to show her badass side that we missed)

Super additions/ Novellas: (not all of them just the ones people might question)

Goosefeathers Curse:

I loved this book! Similar to BC it seems aimed at a higher aged audience so that is something to note of.

Leafpools Wish:

Hhhhhhh plot holes that’s all I gotta say. Oh yeah also fuck Starclan.

Crookedstars Promise:

I didn’t like this book but I know a lot of other people have. I just could never connect with any of the characters here.

Crowfeathers Trial:

Another really good one, definitely changes your perspective on him.

Spottedleafs Heart:

I refuse to believe this is canon. Never read, it’s completely stupid.

Alright mods, sorry for such a long stream of 3 am thoughts and to anyone who actually read through all that you deserve kudos. I’d love to hear all your guys thoughts too!! 💖💖🥺

[canon-notcanon-warriorcats]

Thoughts on the Silent Thaw

Submitted by: honeybeesickness

Sooooo I finally got to read it and I have to speak.

-How did Brambleghost not see someone take his body?

-Rootpaw ignoring the ghost of a cat begging for help because he doesn’t wanna be like tree? God he’s a stupid boi

-FIX THE ELDERS DEN CLOUDTAIL AND GRAYSTRIPE DIDNT LIVE THIS LONG FOR YA SHIT

-Please let Dewnose kill Fakestar just because he forgot his name

-Jayfeather doesn’t seem like much of a dick in this book as he was in Lost stars thank god.

-The fact that Thriftear and Flipclaw’s warrior ceremony happened between books angers me. They’re LITERALLY the Protagonist’s siblings also Ear and claw make me think of Smallear and Tigerclaw.

-Goddamnit Rootpaw quit drowning.

-Fakestar trying time get Squirrelflight to spend more time with him instead of doing normal deputy duties makes me feel like it’s Ashfur. Also why give Bristlefrost so many duties? She’s young as heck. It’s like Fireheart assigning Patrols in The Rising Storm

-Bristlefrost doesn’t need all this responsibility at such a young age and the way he continues to praise Bristlefrost just feels wrong.

-Thank god Tree had a moment with his son. Please… Let Rootpaw learn to like his dad and not see him as strange.

-Fakestar needs to let Squirrelflight do her thing. We all know if you don’t let Squirrelflight do her thing she will beat your ass.

-leaders eat before the elders? Graystripe please put him in his place or one of the elders Cloudtail Brightheart but like ONE OF THEM CHALLENGE HIM. Not Thornclaw though. He’s too conservative at this point to stand up to Fakestar.

-Banishing Lionblaze? One of the strongest cats in the clan? You do realize if you get in a battle without Lionblaze it’ll make things a lot more difficult than it has to be. The only cats I can think of that are stronger than Lionblaze are Squirrelflight and Bramblestar. Also this makes it seem like Ashfur because we know he has a personal vendetta against the Three. With Hollyleaf dead and Jayfeather in an important position of power Lionblaze is the easiest to get rid of.

-Spotfur not being aloud to speak? God damnit leave her alone. She’s also one of Lionblaze’s kits.

-OKAY WHY WAS ANTFUR CLIMBING A PINE TREE?? AND WHY DID TIGERHEARTSTAR LET HIM OUT OF CAMP?!

-Cinnamontail and Blazefire’s reactions to their friends death made me almost cry.

-Shadowsight just Shouldn’t listen time his dad. Be rebellious you good boi

-“I’ll check who my parents are before I’m born next time.” Put him in his PLACE Lionblaze

-Personally I think Lionblaze is listed as a code breaker because of his short relationship with Heathertail and killing Russetfur.

-DO FUCKING NOT KILL SPARKPELT WHO YOU JUST GAVE A SHIT TON OF CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. IT WOULD ALL BE WASTED IF SHE DIES. Also if we specify her injuries and they are REALLY bad maybe she could Bond with Brightheart who has also been attacked by dogs.

-The dog trap is giving me Tigerstar flash backs. But also Ashfur’s mom did die because of the scheme so Ashfur is still a possibility

-Finally realizing it didn’t come from Starclan. It took him a whole ass book to realize. I personally like to think Leafpool chased him out of Starclan. Like when people said Bluestar chased THC out of Starclan.

-Rootpaw telling Bramblestar to Shut up will forever be remembered.

-Breezepelt I Hope will convince Crowfeather, Nightcloud and His family about Bramblestar cause they are a FORCE to be reckoned with. And Crowfeather knows Bramblestar like he knows how to catch a rabbit so I completely think Crowfeather would understand Breezepelt.

-Stemleaf can likely get his Siblings on his side cause why else would they still be alive?

-Spotfur can rally up Lionblaze and his other kits along with Cinderheart.

-Sneezecloud can get whatever family he has in Riverclan.

-Tree covering for Rootpaw even though Rootpaw thought he was rude is so nice of Tree. He understands how it feels to be casted out for being different and doesn’t want that for his son and I love it.

-Yes Squirrelflight and Leafstar’s connection hasn’t been forgotten. Please let their friendship help in the final battle.

-Dovewing should have stayed in Twoleg Place and become a Kittypet. I wouldn’t trust any of this shit.

-Bramblestar hushing Shadowsight when he says his visions weren’t from Starclan is quite worrisome to me.

-Tree wanting to leave the clans makes me quite sad but I definitely understand why he would want to.

-BUMBLESTRIPE YOU BITCH. Graystripe didn’t raise you to be like this. Also I’m worried he’ll become an antagonist and insist on Dovewing’s punishment due to her breaking the code instead of being with him cause he’s an incel like that.

-Poor Squirrelflight. She came back to life to be with her kin and now she’s being forced away from them. Ashfur doing that is quite possible. He wouldn’t want her to stay with the family she built with Bramblestar and not him.

-Tigerheartstar listen to Tree goddamnit last time you didn’t listen to a Skyclan cat you ended up Killing Leafpool and Moonlight in a rock slide.

-I hate Scorchfur. Please kill him. If I remember Correctly he agreed that Rowanstar’s Leadership was weak and continued to Question his authority leading to Shadowclan’s destruction. And now he’s going against code breakers even AFTER Shadowsight says his visions weren’t from Starclan?!

-Either we get Berrystar or Berrynose dies brutally there is no inbetween. Personally since Fakestar was showing anger towards Berrynose I’m leaning on the latter.

-“Twigbranch and Finleap continue their punishment of digging up a thornbush, which the new deputy makes harder.” Berrynose makes a lot of things harder tbh.

-There is no goddamn way Shadowsight died. He can’t be dead don’t do this to me.

Overall. It was a good book. Fakestar is a bastard and so is Tigerheartstar. Another Cliffhanger ending to make Readers wait for the next book release.

[idrawcats]

Hello it’s been a while so here are my thoughts on VEIL OF SHADOWS

Ok I’m gonna get this out of the way:

I’m loving The Broken Code

I think it’s really well written and it’s been one of my favorite arcs

Like I’d say that the first three (or really the second and third) books of AVoS are my favorite arc, then the original series, and then TBC

Now here come the spoilers

Be warned

First of all, I honestly think that Shadowsight should’ve died in the prologue

I think it would’ve been a really interesting twist to have him as a spirit for the rest of the arc

My favorite chapters were Shadowsight’s ghost chapters (ESPECIALLY the one where he talks to the imposter)

Like having Shadowsight in the world of the dead, Bristlefrost in the land of the living, and Rootspring bridging the gap would’ve been so amazing

Alas

HarperCollins are cowards

That said, I did like Shadowsight a lot in this book

Tigerheartstar is an amazing dad even if I don’t like him that much

Shadowsight’s connection to Spiresight was sweet but Spiresight was acting a little sus tbh

Telling Shadowsight that being a ghost is better

Maybe he was just lonely but idk it seemed a little

Shady

To me

(I’m sorry)

ANYWAYS MOVING ON

We have to talk about that scene

You know the one

Okay in all seriousness, I really think that the fandom blew the suicide scene way out of proportion

Like I was expecting it to be Stemleaf or one of the Rebels jumping off a cliff or slitting their throat in defiance of Fakestar but nope

It was just Shadowsight eating some berries with no real intention of dying

Was it insentitive to people with suicidal tendencies? Yes.

Was it poorly handled? Absolutely.

But Shadowsight wasn’t actually in any danger. He was in the medicine den with Puddleshine right next to him and, as a medicine cat, he likely knew that they had a full stock of yarrow

Obviously the Erins and HarperCollins treating suicide like an easily reversible decision was incredibly disrespectful

But I’ve seen a lot of people saying that there were other ways for Shadowsight to reach the Dark Forest and I completely disagree. The Moonpool was broken and StarClan/the DF were completely cut off. No one could reach them

The only evidence we’d actually seen of them at this point were Shadowsight’s visions, and those are involuntary

Now, I don’t think that it should have been necessary at all for Shadowsight to reach the Dark Forest. I honestly think it would have been better to keep the reason that StarClan is cut off a mystery

Something to keep driving the books forward

And I think that the explanation of DF cats cutting them off by making a barrier around their connection with the living kind of ruins the lore and mystery surrounding StarClan

Well, what was left of the lore and mystery anyways

Idk how I felt about the imposter trapping Bramblestar in the DF

Like I think it would’ve been a lot cooler if he’d actually faded so much that the living couldn’t see him anymore

REGARDLESS

My point is, I don’t think Shadowsight’s attempted suicide should have been in the book at all and I don’t think that the entire DF sequence should’ve been there either

But if the DF sequence existed

Then Shadowsight’s attempted suicide would have to exist as well

Moving on

I’d like to talk about Bristlefrost (can we talk about Bristlefrost, please? I’ve been dying to talk about Bristlefrost)

Overall, I think Bristlefrost had the strongest narration in this book

I loved seeing her relationship with the Rebels AND with Fakestar

I loved seeing her spy

And I loved seeing her build a relationship with Squirrelflight

It was sad to see her Clanmates hating her, but it felt natural and completely realistic for someone in her situation

Her scenes of seeing Fakestar complaining to Alderheart about pain, seeing his weakness, and seeing him talking to a ghost (whom Bristlefrost couldn’t see) were some of my favorite scenes in the book

They drove home that the Imposter isn’t invincible and that he’s weakening

And I loved how those scenes contrasted to seeing him fight off the Rebels and actually manage to kill THREE GROWN WARRIORS on his own

He’s completely unpredictable and has unchecked power and that makes him a great villain

Seeing his paranoia (which resulted in Berrynose’s exile) was really interesting

Bristlefrost got some nice development in this book

I liked seeing her struggle as deputy and I liked that she was relieved to step down at the end

The only thing I didn’t really like about Bristlefrost in this book was that she admitted that she had feelings for Rootspring

That felt completely out of left field

Like all of her narration felt like she saw him more as a friend or even a little brother

She never really showed any interest in him romantically

So I hated that

I feel like it’s only there to drive the plot forward and sacrificing character growth for the sake of plot is not! good! writing!

It’s kind of funny though — I think that each protagonist has had their own book to shine

Like I think that Shadowsight was the best protagonist in Lost Stars, Rootspring was the best in The Silent Thaw, and Bristlefrost was the best in Veil of Shadows

Wow and those were the cats on the covers of their respective books

Hadn’t noticed that

Anyways onto Rootspring

Oh Rootspring

Out of the three protagonists, I think Rootspring has shown the most character growth

He started out as a whiny apprentice in Lost Stars and grew into a complex, likable, but still flawed character

I loved seeing his relationship with his family in this book, especially his growing acceptance of Tree (more on that when I talk about Tree’s Roots)

Seeing Rootspring’s growing friendship with Shadowsight was great

I feel like, unlike in all the other arcs, the protagonists of this arc are pretty detached from one another

Like Bristlefrost and Rootpaw are friends, and now Rootpaw is starting to become friends with Shadowsight

But Bristlefrost and Shadowsight have no relationship (I don’t think they’ve interacted even once? Correct me if I’m wrong) and that’s strange because they’re actually kin

Rootspring’s relationship with Dewspring was also nice

I liked seeing Dewspring grow to respect his apprentice

I honestly thought that Rootspring’s little stint as a medicine cat apprentice was unnecessary

I was glad that he got to choose to be a warrior in the end (unlike other forced medicine cats), but I was frustrated that those chapters could’ve been filled with something else (and probably something more interesting)

Unfortunately, I didn’t think Rootspring’s chapters were very interesting without Brambleghost

The only chapters of his that I really enjoyed were his chapters with Shadowsight (especially when he rescued Shadowsight)

Rootspring is a likable character but that didn’t make his chapters any less boring

Here are some other notes:

The battle at the end was good but it felt a little rushed (especially since Bristlefrost didn’t actually fight)

I’m pretty upset that Rosepetal died bc I really liked her and I thought she had great character potential

Every scene in the rebel camp was great

I loved seeing these cats being forced to cooperate with each other

Like Bristlefrost said, I’d love to know more about Jayfeather and Mothwing’s relationship

Seeing Lionblaze and Crowfeather begrudgingly cooperating was fun

I think the real star of this book was Squirrelflight

She was a fantastic leader in the rebel camp (despite Crowfeather also being a deputy)

The scene where Squirrelflight and Mothwing faked Squirrelflight’s death was very clever and I completely understand why Jayfeather wouldn’t want to risk severely wounding his mother

I just wish we’d actually gotten to witness the actual wounding and not just the aftermath

I don’t think it’ll happen, but I really hope we get Squirrelstar by the end of this arc

I don’t like that she chose Lionblaze as a deputy though

Not just because he’s boring, but because he’s only trained one apprentice (and that apprentice broke the Code and switched Clans), and he’s never really shown any leadership potential

He’s always been more of a follower

Also i will always adore seeing Lionblaze and Jayfeather interacting with Squirrelflight

Some other standout characters in this book (there were a lot):

Alderheart:

Seeing him standing up to the Imposter was fantastic

My boy finally grew a spine

I just wish he hadn’t left Flipclaw and ThunderClan all alone

Flipclaw:

This poor boy

He was really fucked over in this book

But it was nice to see a side character getting some development and actual characterization (especially since he’s Bristlefrost’s littermate)

Berrynose:

It was nice to see that he actually thought that Bramblestar was a good cat (just misguided)

He was a good deputy (surprisingly)

In the end, I felt bad for him

He was completely taken advantage of and taken for granted

I never liked Berrynose but I was sad about his death

The way that Tawnypelt killed him was brutal (but great), and I hope that he’s at peace with his siblings and Honeyfern in StarClan

(Even though I know he’s not)

Mothwing:

Seeing her reject Mistystar’s invitation back into RiverClan was great and it felt completely in-character for her

I’ve seen a lot of people saying that Mistystar acted OOC in this book, but I disagree

We know from Mistystar’s Omen AND from her actions in AVoS that Mistystar is a proud cat and that she has great pride in both RiverClan and StarClan

I fully believe that she’d do whatever it takes to bring StarClan back, including exiling Mothwing (a named codebreaker)

Especially given that she’s forced Mothwing to step down once before

I also think that her old age might have made her even more proud and harsh (for example, exiling Icewing and Harelight due to codebreaking and burying Dappletuft without honors)

Back to Mothwing

It was nice to see her standing up for herself (especially after reading Mothwing’s Secret) and I liked that she was willing to do what was necessary to help Squirrelflight

Sparkpelt also had a great moment in this book

As did Graystripe

Stemleaf and Spotfur were also great and I was sad to see Stemleaf go

Their friendship with Bristlefrost was really nice

I’m actually kind of excited for Spotfur’s novellas

I hope we get to see her interacting with Lionblaze more

He’s her father and they were together in the rebel camp

I hope to see more from Ivypool, Twigbranch, and Violetshine in the coming books (ESPECIALLY Ivypool)

Another standout: Leafstar

She continues to be the smartest leader

And finally

The Imposter

We all know who it is at this point

It’s Ashfur

But he was fantastic in this book

His conversation with Shadowsight was so fun to read and his last words in the book were chilling

I still think he has an accomplice but we shall see

Overall I liked this book

It had its weaknesses, but I think it’s strengths greatly outweighed them

Warriors is never gonna be perfect but the books can still be pretty damn good

And this was one of the better ones