(ALitM spoilers) TBC and the facsimile of emotion
Nov 1, 2021 21:44:30 GMT -5
Skypaw13 and Cloudy Sky like this
Post by halogen on Nov 1, 2021 21:44:30 GMT -5
So, with TBC finished, I wanted to reflect on what the books did right and wrong - and I found a big problem is that it creates emotional beats of the story brilliantly, only to have failed to give the proper setup to make us care. This is most noticeable with the whole Squirrelflight/Bramblestar situation, which is actually compelling and tragic in theory: the noble leader killed by his own Clan and his own body and the respect he has gained turned against the Clans, the acting leader torn between saving the one she loves and doing what - maybe - is for the best, the whole Clan wondering what they would do for their leader. The problem, of course, is that most of the fandom doesn't care for Squirrelflight and Bramblestar's relationship and are sick of such old characters being around even if they like them. But ironically, this is not a problem that could have been fixed only by writing the characters better.
If TBC was the only arc we had, I feel this would have fixed the problem and made the two beloved characters as well. Because even if we don't know the full backstory behind characters, we tend to fill in the details with generic truths about humanity, in ways that can make their stories feel emotionally resonant. In a world where TBC was the only information we had on Bramblestar and Squirrelflight, we would not know their interactions when they were younger, all the drama, all the controversy, we would just know that these two cats are in love, and our human understanding of what love is would make the horrible dilemma Squirrelflight faces and the cruelty of how Ashfur has ripped them apart interesting and meaningful. It wouldn't have quite the same impact as if we had followed Bramblestar and Squirrelflight from the beginning and they had a well-developed relationship people were invested in, but it would have a far better impact than the situation we have now. (Plus if Bramblestar was a new character, people would be invested in keeping him alive and not just sick of him, and the story clearly relies on you being with the cats caring about Bramblestar and being torn as to how far they should go to keep him alive). You see the same situation in reverse in the first arc with Bluestar and Yellowfang - their tragic situations made them both popular in the original series even while much of it occurred in the backstory because of our human understanding of love and loss combined with seeing the characters as they were when they were older, but the prequels that elaborated on that backstory disappointed a lot of people. Their tragic loves for Oakheart and Raggedstar, which had resonance even though we didn't know the full story because of a basic human understanding of emotions, were disappointing to many fans by seeming respectively rushed/shallow and abusive, not to mention Yellowfang never proving to be the tough, hardened cat who would have made a great warrior if she wasn't a medicine cat we were told she was, and Bluestar never proving to be the noble natural leader we were told she was - similar to Bramblestar not living up to his depiction in TBC. Squirrelflight and Bramblestar's whole side of the story would be brilliant without that context, and I think in a world where TBC is the only arc it would be a very popular story.
So if one emotional center of the arc falls flat because of events that have nothing to do with this arc, what about the other? The story also wanted us to get invested in Bristlefrost and Rootspring's relationship, but a lot of people had trouble doing so due to its rushed start and seeing it as ruining Bristlefrost's character. Again, it really shows that the characters being deeply motivated and driven by their love for each other can be powerful, it will fall flat if the reader isn't invested in that love. And since the whole development of their relationship was in TBC, they couldn't just have it all occur in the backstory - they needed to subtly develop a relationship between characters that convinces the readers to totally agree when the characters care so much for each other, because they care that much for the characters and their relationship too. Again, a lot of the emotions of the arc hinged upon it - Bristlefrost's death scene would be brilliant in the context of a story that has gotten readers invested in BristlexRoot, but not for readers that aware mostly indifferent to if not outright resenting it. And with both this and the Squirrelflight/Bramblestar situation, the set-up that isn't there prevents people from appreciating the emotional story that actually has the potential to be powerful and well-written out of context.
If TBC was the only arc we had, I feel this would have fixed the problem and made the two beloved characters as well. Because even if we don't know the full backstory behind characters, we tend to fill in the details with generic truths about humanity, in ways that can make their stories feel emotionally resonant. In a world where TBC was the only information we had on Bramblestar and Squirrelflight, we would not know their interactions when they were younger, all the drama, all the controversy, we would just know that these two cats are in love, and our human understanding of what love is would make the horrible dilemma Squirrelflight faces and the cruelty of how Ashfur has ripped them apart interesting and meaningful. It wouldn't have quite the same impact as if we had followed Bramblestar and Squirrelflight from the beginning and they had a well-developed relationship people were invested in, but it would have a far better impact than the situation we have now. (Plus if Bramblestar was a new character, people would be invested in keeping him alive and not just sick of him, and the story clearly relies on you being with the cats caring about Bramblestar and being torn as to how far they should go to keep him alive). You see the same situation in reverse in the first arc with Bluestar and Yellowfang - their tragic situations made them both popular in the original series even while much of it occurred in the backstory because of our human understanding of love and loss combined with seeing the characters as they were when they were older, but the prequels that elaborated on that backstory disappointed a lot of people. Their tragic loves for Oakheart and Raggedstar, which had resonance even though we didn't know the full story because of a basic human understanding of emotions, were disappointing to many fans by seeming respectively rushed/shallow and abusive, not to mention Yellowfang never proving to be the tough, hardened cat who would have made a great warrior if she wasn't a medicine cat we were told she was, and Bluestar never proving to be the noble natural leader we were told she was - similar to Bramblestar not living up to his depiction in TBC. Squirrelflight and Bramblestar's whole side of the story would be brilliant without that context, and I think in a world where TBC is the only arc it would be a very popular story.
So if one emotional center of the arc falls flat because of events that have nothing to do with this arc, what about the other? The story also wanted us to get invested in Bristlefrost and Rootspring's relationship, but a lot of people had trouble doing so due to its rushed start and seeing it as ruining Bristlefrost's character. Again, it really shows that the characters being deeply motivated and driven by their love for each other can be powerful, it will fall flat if the reader isn't invested in that love. And since the whole development of their relationship was in TBC, they couldn't just have it all occur in the backstory - they needed to subtly develop a relationship between characters that convinces the readers to totally agree when the characters care so much for each other, because they care that much for the characters and their relationship too. Again, a lot of the emotions of the arc hinged upon it - Bristlefrost's death scene would be brilliant in the context of a story that has gotten readers invested in BristlexRoot, but not for readers that aware mostly indifferent to if not outright resenting it. And with both this and the Squirrelflight/Bramblestar situation, the set-up that isn't there prevents people from appreciating the emotional story that actually has the potential to be powerful and well-written out of context.