- first off bristlefrost from a young age is very close w fernsong
- since he raised her while ivypool was more busy she saw him as a main parental figure
- and daisy too of course. i think fernsong and daisy are really good friends
- ivypool comes around sometimes, but bristlekit is too young to really understand that ivypool is supposed to be her mom? her perception of her might be more like a cool babysitter for when fernsong wants to get out
- so its not like their relationship is bad. its just not a typical mother to kit sort of deal, especially since i believe that thriftkit and flipkit have no problem seeing ivypool as a mother
- bristlefrost is a cat who, when we meet her, as a very set idea of how she thinks things "should" be or go. she has a fantasy in her mind that she puts all her energy into persuing and making a reality, never considering that she wouldnt be able to get her way
- she IS very careful though- all her actions are calculated, and she always considers what consequences her actions might have. especially when she wants to impress other cats, come off as capable, etc
- when she saves rootpaw from drowning, she does not really care much about him or the skyclan cats- her focus is all on stemleaf and rosepetal, and the praise she recieves from them and others after the fact
- after this is when she tries to become a warrior early, however, she cant- not because her skills lack in any department, but because the harsh leaf bare makes it impossible for her to even find and prey
- and this is a REALLY important moment that i love to bring up when i analyze her. bristlefrost is never held back by a lack of talent or will, but rather, her dedication to coming off as likable and talented- she will leap on any oppurtunity, seize anything the moment she feels needed. this will come up three times more: with brashblestar, with rootsprings love for her, and finally, her death.
- she seizes these oppurtunities without fully realizing the challenges that will come along with it, because all she is focused on is the positive outcome she believes will result from it
- even with stemleaf. she is dead set on finding a man who she thinks is smart and capable and cool. she thinks she should get a mate and have kits because thats just how its supposed to be. thats how shell become a great warrior!
- not for a single moment in all of her pining does she ever even consider that he might not have feelings for her. all she is thinking about is the life she thinks she needs to be fufilled
- all of this comes from a complete lack of self esteem. she has no internal worth, and gets all of it from the praise of other cats, or the idea that she feels important and like shes providing.
- her self worth is at its absolute lowest when, back to back, she fails her assesment and then is rejected by stemleaf
- and this is when brashblestar is able to convince her into becoming his spy
- her leader wants HER help? not his deputy and mate, nor his senior warriors? surely that means she is special and capable after all
- despite never previously showing these traits, she begins to become a stickler for the warrior code, repeating brashble's words to other cats like shes lost a mind of her own
- and this is so that she doesnt fall out of his favor. again, he has preyed on her when her confidence in herself and her abilities is at rock bottom- she is molding into what he would like her to be, so that she can keep up his dependance on her
- but then, in a horrible twist of irony, by doing this to keep the approval of her leader,she falls out of good graces with every cat in the clan, including her siblings and stemleaf
- and this realization does cause her to become a double agent, spying for the rebels under the guise that shes still spying for brashble
- she switches sides the moment shes disliked. i find this really interesting, because her change of heart doesnt really come from an internal realization that she was doing something bad, but rather she cares now that other people are judging her
- fast forward to rootsprings
declaration of love. this is one of the saddest moments for me, because her affirmation that she loves him to seems to me like she is only in it because she wants to keep hold of that unconditional love he feels for her
- he has always looked up to her, viewed her as talented and amazing, stood up for her, cared for her quietly
- and the truth of it is that no other cat had ever done that for her
- rather she was the one who did that to stemleaf, only for nothing in return
- so, she tells him she loves him too, even if maybe she doesnt
- so long as not to lose a cat who really needs her
- her death being sacrifical for the clans is perfectly in character
- her martyr complex, the need to be perfect and viewed as a hero, it culminates in a final act of selflessness
- its just sad that, from my interpretation, that selflessness really comes from a lack of self worth
- i think that, when she was alive, especially in her last moments with her, ivypool saw so much of dovewing in bristlefrost
- especially since bris IS fluffy gray she-cat. she looks the part, and, is in love with a cat from another clan, just like dovewing
- ivypool doesnt want that to drive her apart from her daughter like it did her sister
- which makes that last scene they have together hurt worse
- also, it really fucks me up that bristlefrost never said goodbye to fernsong, who raised her
- i dont htink this was really what you were asking for. you probably meant something cute and fluffy and the sad part is i have things thatare cute and fluffy that i couldve said but i literally didnt because i like being sad I Guess.
- cute fluffy things in question:
- brissy is non binary and bisexual
- needleclaw and leafshade both had crushes on her that she was completely oblivious too
- bristlefrost and shadowsight became REALLY CLOSE FRIENDS off screen actually! Trust me!
ok thats all i can think of rn. x