My biggest problem with TBC (And how I would fix it)
Apr 10, 2021 20:54:56 GMT -5
Woofzie, Redstorm, and 2 more like this
Post by epicstyle on Apr 10, 2021 20:54:56 GMT -5
Minor spoilers for TPONS ahead:
Hey guys, it feels like forever since I've been active on here, but my need to share my opinions of the latest TBC book has brought me back lol.
I think I might be in the minority in that I really enjoyed The Place of No Stars. Maybe I just fell for the fanservice, but I loved seeing all the old Dark Forest characters that we haven't seen in like a decade. (Snowtuft was MVP in this book.) I kinda lost interest after Darkness Within, but the latest entry has renewed my interest in TBC and I'm very excited for ALITM.
But I have one major problem with this book that extends to the majority of the arc, that being Bristlefrost X Rootspring.
And this is coming from one of the few people who shipped them after the first few books. I really have no justification for it, believe me I understand the fandom's fatigue of forbidden pairings. But for whatever reason, I found myself hoping that these two characters would end up together by the end of the arc.
But the execution of their relationship from VoS and onward has made me do a 180 on this. There was absolutely NO BUILDUP on Bristlefrost's end, and her character has completely devolved into Rootspring's love-interest who happens to have a POV. Bristlefrost was initially one of the strongest characters in the arc, who IMO had the potential to be ThunderClan's leader someday. But now all of her scenes are spent fawning over Rootspring, who she had zero attraction towards before the end of the third book. And I feel like ever since their confession, Rootspring's character has deteriorated in a similar fashion.
Like I said above, I actually did kinda want these two to pair up by the end of the series, but I think it should have been done in a more organic way. Either that, or have Bristlefrost reject Rootspring, further exploring the theme of dealing with rejection that we've been presented with throughout the arc, both with Briss with Stemleaf, and with Ashfur's entire arc. Either way, this is what I think they should have done:
I would have established the Broken Code trio as more of a defined unit, with the three of them actively working to stop the impostor. This also would fix Shadowsight's disconnect from the other two, I mean he and Briss interacted directly for the first time in the fifth book smh. Maybe Rootspring could be the bridge between the three, with Bristlefrost and Shadowsight both approaching him about his allegations of Bramblestar being possessed.
The three of them would consistently meet up throughout the arc to conspire against the impostor. Rootspring would look out for Bramblestar's ghost and other ghost cats, Bristlefrost would spy on the impostor from ThunderClan, and Shadowsight would gain info through his visions, and maybe even communicating with Ashfur like in VoS and DW. Although how this differs from canon is that any new developments would be reported to the whole group and they would work as a team to plan their next moves.
I feel like not only would this solidify the three main characters as a group, such as the Three, but it would also give the writers a greater chance to develop the character's relationships. They could expand on Rootspring and Shadowsight's friendship, and they could actually touch on Briss and Shadow being cousins. They would have a greater opportunity to flesh out Briss and Root's relationship, since Bristlefrost would have much more time to get to know Rootspring.
Sorry for this wall of text lol, I hope it all makes sense, IDK if I explained it very well. Let me know what you think of this idea, and anything else you would add to it to improve TBC!
I think I might be in the minority in that I really enjoyed The Place of No Stars. Maybe I just fell for the fanservice, but I loved seeing all the old Dark Forest characters that we haven't seen in like a decade. (Snowtuft was MVP in this book.) I kinda lost interest after Darkness Within, but the latest entry has renewed my interest in TBC and I'm very excited for ALITM.
But I have one major problem with this book that extends to the majority of the arc, that being Bristlefrost X Rootspring.
And this is coming from one of the few people who shipped them after the first few books. I really have no justification for it, believe me I understand the fandom's fatigue of forbidden pairings. But for whatever reason, I found myself hoping that these two characters would end up together by the end of the arc.
But the execution of their relationship from VoS and onward has made me do a 180 on this. There was absolutely NO BUILDUP on Bristlefrost's end, and her character has completely devolved into Rootspring's love-interest who happens to have a POV. Bristlefrost was initially one of the strongest characters in the arc, who IMO had the potential to be ThunderClan's leader someday. But now all of her scenes are spent fawning over Rootspring, who she had zero attraction towards before the end of the third book. And I feel like ever since their confession, Rootspring's character has deteriorated in a similar fashion.
Like I said above, I actually did kinda want these two to pair up by the end of the series, but I think it should have been done in a more organic way. Either that, or have Bristlefrost reject Rootspring, further exploring the theme of dealing with rejection that we've been presented with throughout the arc, both with Briss with Stemleaf, and with Ashfur's entire arc. Either way, this is what I think they should have done:
I would have established the Broken Code trio as more of a defined unit, with the three of them actively working to stop the impostor. This also would fix Shadowsight's disconnect from the other two, I mean he and Briss interacted directly for the first time in the fifth book smh. Maybe Rootspring could be the bridge between the three, with Bristlefrost and Shadowsight both approaching him about his allegations of Bramblestar being possessed.
The three of them would consistently meet up throughout the arc to conspire against the impostor. Rootspring would look out for Bramblestar's ghost and other ghost cats, Bristlefrost would spy on the impostor from ThunderClan, and Shadowsight would gain info through his visions, and maybe even communicating with Ashfur like in VoS and DW. Although how this differs from canon is that any new developments would be reported to the whole group and they would work as a team to plan their next moves.
I feel like not only would this solidify the three main characters as a group, such as the Three, but it would also give the writers a greater chance to develop the character's relationships. They could expand on Rootspring and Shadowsight's friendship, and they could actually touch on Briss and Shadow being cousins. They would have a greater opportunity to flesh out Briss and Root's relationship, since Bristlefrost would have much more time to get to know Rootspring.
Sorry for this wall of text lol, I hope it all makes sense, IDK if I explained it very well. Let me know what you think of this idea, and anything else you would add to it to improve TBC!