MINOR CHARACTER APPRECIATION??? I APPRECIATE RUSSANO SO MUCH.
Like
man.
What a departure from all the other badger lords. What a departure. I’d love to have been able to sit down with Jacques and pick his brain about Russano, because--just--oh man.
He doesn’t fit. He doesn’t fit! I swear that’s why we never get him for more than a prologue/epilogue for Lord Brocktree and a sudden scene at the end of Taggerung. Because he doesn’t fit the idea of a Salamandastron Badgerlord--he’s not--I hesitate to say he’s not a Warrior, but--he’s a Warrior without being a fighter, so of course he doesn’t fit. You don’t get epic tales of high adventure with a character like that playing a central role.
Y’know what you do get?
Epic tales of political intrigue.
*grabby hands* Don’t make me write the fic I have too much on my plate, but one of these days, I swear, I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna write political intrigue and diplomacy and spies and all the cloak-and-dagger fic set in the Redwall world.
Ashlyn is raising money to help Royal School for the Blind
Hey everyone!!
Today, June 15th, is Brian Jacques’ birthday!!!
In honor of him, I’m running a fundraiser for the Royal School for the Blind in Liverpool. This is the third year that I’ve run this fundraiser, and every year it’s been good!
Why a fundraiser?
I thought it’d be nice to give back to Mr. Jacques’s community. I selected the Royal School for the Blind, as he wrote the first Redwall book for the kids at that school. It’s also located in Liverpool, Mr. Jacques’ hometown, which he loved dearly.
In addition to the fundraiser, I’ll be running weekly activities for a month, to celebrate as a community and do some fun stuff. Events will be announced every friday!
The tag for this event is #JacquesBirthday18. I look forward to celebrating with you all!
This is for #JacquesBirthday18 and Minor Character Appreciation Week!
I’m a big fan of Doomwyte- in fact, I’m known as ‘Doomwyte Anon’ or ‘DA’ on @the-redwaller ‘s blog- so it should come as no surprise that some of my favorite characters are from this book.
[gonna put under ‘read more’ because oh boy there’s 7 characters listed on the notes I wrote the other day]
The first 2 that come to mind are a troublemaking duo- Furff, and her friend known only as ‘the very tiny mousebabe’.
These 2. They explore the Abbey for a locked door and the key. This late-night adventure causes them to nearly be stolen away by Wytes. This isn’t their only encounter with Wytes, however. Later, they go to ring the Abbey Bells while Umfry- the bellringer at the time- was busy exploring underground tunnels with Bisky, Dwink, Bosie and a mole who I cannot recall. I believe Formole Gullub Gurpaw, but I could be wrong.
Anyway, while the Dibbuns try to ring the bells, a Wyte who had been in the belltower since their previous near-kidnapping prepares to strike. Thanks to Sister Violet, who helps them ring the bells, the duo are safe. The bells toll, killing the Wyte.
Furff and the very tiny mousebabe aren’t the only minor characters I love who had an encounter with the Wytes.
Another duo with less luck should be noted: Slegg and Gridj. These 2 rats are on a journey to the seashore. We aren’t told why, or where they’re from. Slegg claims to have been ‘brought up decent’, but that’s the only clue to his past.
Slegg and Gridj get led astray by the Wytes- Slegg was led to sink in a swamp while Gridj was taken captive to be questioned. After being interrogated by Sicariss, he is killed as well.
Slegg and Gridj never made it to the sea Slegg claimed to know about. In fact, Slegg had never seen the sea, so their quest was doomed from the start.
The third duo to bring to light: Griv and Inchig. These two magpies work with the Wytes. It’s thanks to Griv overhearing Bisky talk about the Doomwyte Idol’s eyes that the Wytes began to attack Redwall Abbey.
Griv and Inchig were mates, and while I can’t recall their fate, one thing that sticks out is their journey to Baliss’s lair as messengers. Griv tells Inchig that Baliss is ancient and blind, and that he might be a descendant of Asmodeus.
The last character I want to mention is Blodd Apis. She was more than a bit crazy, and was a beekeeper who lived in Mossflower Woods. She planned on killing the adventurers from Redwall via her bees. Using a liquid pheromone from her bee’s enemy- fire ants- she was going to have her bees sting them to death. However, her plan failed, and she was killed by the very bees she raised. We never learned much about Blodd Apis, but I wish we did.
None of these characters are major- the very tiny mousebabe lacks a proper name, Slegg and Gridj are killed in the first few chapters, Griv and Inchig aren’t constantly present, and I occasionally forget Blodd Apis even exists.
Despite all this, they are important in their own ways.
[Bonus character: I don’t remember what book this character is from. I don’t remember their name. I don’t remember their species. I don’t remember their gender. All I remember is that they were a beekeeper for Redwall Abbey, and I’m pretty sure no other abbeybeast has been given that position. Blodd Apis was not from Redwall Abbey, so her as a beekeeper doesn’t count.]
Continuing with out celebration of Brian Jacques, this weeks activity is........
Nature photography! Me. Jacques included beautiful descriptions of Mossflower country in his novels, and reminded us that all kinds of life are beautiful.
For this weeks activity, I want you to share photographs of nature in your area. Whether that’s hiking in the mountains, your garden, the raccoon that eats the cat food off the back porch, or even somewhere you’ve been lately!
This activity runs to July 1st, and don’t forget to tag your post with #JacquesBirthday18 so we can all see your pictures! (Or tag me in it)
One of my favorite minor characters from the Redwall series is actually the Snow Badger from A Redwall Winter’s Tale. I LOVE how the Abbey has a tale about a Badger and his hares that bring the snow and frost. It’s a nice little insight into the Mythology of the Redwall universe.
Hey guys! So this is my first Activity for #JacquesBirthday18.
There’s a lot of great characters in the Redwall series, but I notice we talk about a lot of the same ones. They’re all great characters, but sometimes some good ones slip through the cracks!
I want to know about who your favorite minor character from the series is (or just one you like, or read about recently). Vermin hoarde member who deserved better? A dibbun you thought was particularly cute? Tell us about them! Write a fic, do a doodle, anything you want!
Make sure to tag the post with #JacquesBirthday18, or just @ me so I can see!
The official dates for this are 06/16 - 06/22, but there’s never a bad time to talk about characters you live.
A day late but!!
The third activity for #JacquesBirthday18, isn’t one I want you to tag me in or anything. This week, I want you to start a conversation with someone in the fandom you’ve never spoken to before. It would be great if we all got to know each other a little better!!
Private message them, comment on their post, send an ask, however you feel most comfortable! I also run a Discord if that is more your speed.
