The jaypaw brightheart situation is so messed up and full of nuance not even just in a meta way but was intended to be that way in the text by the authors (in part) and it’s so often completely dumbed down to “grrr jaypaw was mean to Brightheart I hate him forever!!1!1” and it drives me fucking nuts. Like the culture of ableism in the clans that has raised Jaypaw to hate brightheart and cats like her (read: himself) is so potent in those first couple chapters and for once it is genuinely the intent of the authors for us to pick up on that. We are frustrated alongside Jaykit when his Clanmates constantly baby him or pity him or just in general treat him different from his siblings, which arguably Includes brightheart btw (“Brightheart paused from her washing. “How are you today, Jaykit?” … “I’m fine, of course,” he meowed. Why did Brightheart have to make such a fuss over him? He’d only been sleeping in the nursery, not out raiding ShadowClan territory!”) I know you can read this as Jaykit overreacting about Brightheart just being friendly, but I still think it supports the idea that after everyone is constantly treating him like this, yeah, small comments WOULD make him defensive because the history of behavior is frustrating! And it’s behavior that Brightheart herself has absolutely had to go through herself! And we know that even though she’s “proven” herself that culture of ableism is still rampant because of how Jaypaw treats her like a lesser warrior BECAUSE OF HOW HES BEEN RAISED and is angry that she’s his mentor. And I think a lot of people just assume this is the misogyny and like. Yeah, it is, because this is warriors, and it touches everything, but when people are just like oh Jaypaw hates brightheart bc he hates women and is ableist it’s like oh my god!! Maybe it’s because a) the authors hate women and are ableist and b) everyone in the clan has treated him like he’s useless and different and that Different cats are inherently Not as good so the internalized ableism is telling him Oh This Cat Isn’t As Good c) he hates himself!! Because it’s what he’s been TAUGHT to do by a clan (cough author team) that hates disabled cats! And you know what! To a certain degree I understand why he’s upset that Brightheart is his mentor! In the sense that I too would be upset if someone assumed just because there was someone else that is disabled means that she Understands my situation. She doesn’t know what it’s like to be blind! The stuff she could teach him—how to rely more on his other senses—is stuff Jaypaw says he already knows! He even notes that Longtail has a completely different lived experience than him because he was born with his sight and had to adjust while Jaypaw was born blind! Like not all disabled people are the same! Not even all blind people are the same! and I don’t think Jaypaw should have to just be nice and sweet and happy about his genuinely shitty situation! AND OF COURSE before people get mad I’m not saying it was Good and Fine of him to be terrible to brightheart. NO! She is a victim of this system too, she’s just learned to cope in a very different way and is trying her best to do what she can with what she’s been given! All I’m saying is that there’s all this tense difficult muddled shit to walk through and I hate how much it gets completely ignored in favor of brrr jaypaw mean for no reason he should die
since u reread pot recently what are your thoughts on jayfeather? i haven't read warriors since i was like 13 even though i'm still active in fandom and one of the things that holds me back from rereading them (besides the books' general quality) is him specifically. i liked him SO much but also idk if my adult sensibilities can handle hater man in a sexist series anymore lmao. in my mind it's like ok but he's MY hater man, i'm just worried that affection alone might not be able to get me through the phenomenally written warrior cats at this age. jayfeather dear what if rereading warriors drives us apart...... 😞
I haven’t reread oots yet but through power of three I really loved jayfeather. It’s a little frustrating that people only remember him for being grumpy bc he genuinely cares so deeply about his family and especially Leafpool, when she’s having hard times or is worried he’s really worried about her and wants to take care of her and it’s quite sweet. I wrote a long post about jaypaw’s relationship with brightheart if you’re interested in that but a lot of what I said there still holds up + is relevant here. Fwiw I think he is equally rude to men and women lol but I understand why you might be hesitant. I think in power of three he reads so so clearly as a product of his environment that nobody really believes in and tries to coddle (especially in the sight) and it’s very understandable why Jayfeather becomes the way that he is. Even going past the surface level that the books clearly give us I think there’s a lot to get into with him but idk. For me personally he not only held up on reread but I liked him even more.
BABE NO YOU DONT UNDERSTAND I WILL DIE IF THIS MAN DIES HIS LIFE FORCE IS TETHERED TO MINE PLEASE PLEASE HE WILL NOT DIE JAYFEATHER IS NOT GOING TO DIE JAYFEATHER IS NOT GOING TO DIE
While I freeze in the cold weather and hibernate underneath a mountain of blankets, here are some headcanons regarding the winter weather.
(I got up to DotC, so the rest will have to be explained later.)
Firestar: 7/10. Has an average amount of tolerance to the cold for someone from Britain.
Brambleclaw: 5.5/10. He pretends to not be bothered by the cold, but he likes to wear woolen socks in the winter.
Leafpool: 3/10. She’s thin, so she gets cold easily. There’s a reason why she wears sweaters all the time. Also: seasonal depression.
Squirrelstar: 9.5/10. A ridiculous amount of tolerance to the cold. I’m pretty sure Brook took her swimming in the rivers of Iceland.
Hollyleaf: 8/10. Can tolerate the cold, and isn’t fond of it being too hot either. She is the perfect creature to live in a remote hut in the wilderness of Washington.
Lionblaze: 6/10. You would think he’d be fine with the cold, and he is! His dislike of the cold is because it dulls his senses.
Jayfeather: 1.5/10. You know that meme of Bernie Sanders with the woolen mittens and mask? That’s Jayfeather in the cold. He’s…pretty bothered sensory-wise by the cold, which was made even worse after Flametail’s death.
Dovewing: 4.5/10. This is a spring girlie, she wilts in the cold. ):
Ivypool: 2/10. Having albinism, she has to take careful precaution in both the cold and heat. But over her life, she’s figured out tips and tricks to maximize her comfort. And the cold…reminds her of Bristlefrost.
Gray Wing: 6.5/10. He likes the cool air, but it can be hazardous with his asthma.
Clear Sky: 10/10. So, the Settlers were from Iceland. Clear Sky is intentionally the most Nordic guy I can think of (from the 10th century). This is the type of guy who would bathe in ice water and barely flinch.
Thunder: 1/10. Definitely not a winter guy. He likes warmth, toasty fires, and the heat of summer. There's at least one rumor dating back from the 11th century that he lost his ninth life by freezing to death.
Tall Shadow: 7.5/10. Some Clan folklore tales like to say she couldn’t feel the cold, as she used dark magic to steal the warmth of the summer sun. In reality she was just kind of "this feels nice" about the cold.
Wind Runner: 5.5/10. She tolerates the cold because she likes the feel of wind on her skin. She likes the fall breeze the most. Not too hot, and just a little bit cold.
River Ripple: 3.5/10. He lived in Alexandria, Egypt since he was an infant before migrating westward. He is susceptible to the cold. However, RiverClan is all about adapting and going with the flow, so he's managed to build up some tolerance. Having a thickset frame insulates him a bit.
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