#kajenus

[everybody-loves-purdy]

Since ur blog title says "AVOS is underrated", may I ask which arc in your opinion is OVERrated?

I’m sorry oots fans, it’s nothing personal… but yeah it’s oots for me, for sure.

I went into my reread really excited for oots and after I finished I was disappointed. The first half was honestly fine! I liked it but then for me it all just came apart in the second half as the lack of planning the Erins had for the arc became very unclear. And that isn’t a baseless claim, it is on record that Hollyleaf was originally meant to have a power until outcast was being written and how Cinderpelt’s reincarnation wasn’t entirely thought out at the time it was implicated. Hollyleaf not having a power is a huge deal that probably caused Dovewing and Ivypool to even exist in the first place and the fact that only came halfway through the writing process of power of three isn’t encouraging.

I just think oots is mainly remembered so fondly due to nostalgia, love for the characters, especially the idea of the dark forest trainees, and the way it concluded the Vicky era. Actually reading it (for me) in the latter half it feels taped together with duct tape and a positive attitude.

Don’t get me wrong I like the arc overall but it could have been so much more.

If anyone wants me to expand on these at all please let me know but here’s some of the problems I have with oots specifically

Dovewing’s POV becomes very redundant for the middle of the arc, it doesn’t really add anything and is mainly about Tigerheart

Lionblaze’s POV doesn’t really add anything, apart from Cinderheart stuff mainly but that could have been told through other characters

Ivypool’s entire arc has very little pay off. She never actually learns anything as a spy and it’s all completely undermined by Dovewing just listening into the dark forest anyway in the last book and hearing everything. And it’s not even like Ivypool acknowledges that her sister achieved something on 5 seconds which she never achieved in several moons and killed Antpelt over.

The Three’s powers just don’t do anything particularly special in the end? Apart from Jayfeather who reunified StarClan but even that subplot just felt forced. I guess you could count Dovewing listening into the dark forest and finding out all their plans too but then what was Ivypool for?

The forgotten warrior just painfully feels like “plot points we haven’t gotten to resolving yet: the book” as I read it.

The pacing of the arc is very steady until literally everything is just kind of crammed into the last two books, and even then the pacing still feels both simultaneously slow and fast in those books, it’s weird.

What was the dark forests plan? Were they just going to kill everyone? What then? Was that the point? Why? Why now? It’s just never explained.

Where did all the extra dark forest cats come from in the battle? The clans were overrun by dark forest warriors but we only had a handful named, and it’s not like most of the recruits were helping out. If someone as recent as Mapleshade was already almost faded then it’s not like there should be that many evil cats older than her in this time of canonity where cats faded rather than apparently stick around forever.

I don’t understand how the dark forest cats seriously thought their recruitment drive would work considering they didn’t reveal to most cats that they were evil until right before the battle. Did they seriously not foresee the cats lead there under false pretences would turn on them?

Tigerheart’s behaviour towards Dovepaw/wing

I am so sorry oots fans. That’s just how I felt reading it, it just frustrated me in the latter half. I had a good time for the most part in the first half then it all came apart. I don’t even think that’s all the problems I have with it. And like I say I do like it overall! We just could have had so much more and I do truly think that nostalgia is carrying lots of the positive feelings towards this arc. The lack of conclusiveness would be ripped to shreds if it came out today.

[pyenkov]

Lil sketch of @kajenus ‘s Impor humanisation from Papers, Please

[hanzajesthanza]

Emhyr for the character bingo ask! I don't think you ever talked about him (or I missed some posts?) so I'm curious what do you think about him.

alright time to do this character bingo that i reblogged and forgot about for two weeks

i summarized most of my thoughts about emhyr in this post from almost a year ago and i still agree with most of those thoughts. his story is really just so dark and i think he embodies a real kind of hopelessness for both himself and everyone who comes into contact with him.

everyone else is wrong about him - fans seem to love to try to redeem him or find some 'happy ever after' with him, i feel like the essence of his character is inherently opposed to that. even the 'glimmer of hope' at the end in the form of false ciri - even if you interpret it that she and he lived a happy life together, and that through her he came to terms with his sins towards ciri and pavetta - that heals nothing for anyone except him. i really don't see him turning any corners and becoming any kind of "good person," i think what's left for his character is to meditate on what he planned and how he chased it for all of those years and what he willingly sacrificed in the process.

bastard - not said affectionately.

no. - he is probably the best example of the phrase, "sick!" said with a contemptuous and disgusted glare. i don't particularly "enjoy" talking about his character simply for reason of the subject matter. especially taking into consideration that vilgefortz approached him with the crucial information shortly after ciri was born, so emhyr committed to these plans before ciri was probably even walking and talking. i don't know how one can look at their own daughter and plan that.

not for me but i can see the appeal - he's entirely twisted, but not unhinged one bit. by the time of the saga, he seems entirely in control of his emotions and his manner is just cold authority. it's a vile mind, with tragic outcomes, but like a serial killer's, something to dissect. i also think he's very interesting when compare-contrasted with geralt, because geralt sacrificed all of his power to protect his daughter ciri, whereas emhyr would have done the opposite in sacrificing ciri for all power. to his own flesh and blood! it's one of the ending 'guns' which hit the hardest about the witcher.

this exchange between geralt and he really summarized it all:

‘(...) Now you have her, you have Ciri, your own daughter, whom you once basely deprived of parents, and with whom you now mean to vilely beget incestuous children. Without demanding love. Rightly, as a matter of fact. You do not deserve her love. Just between us, Duny, I don’t know how you will manage to look her in the eyes.’ ‘The end justifies the means,’ Emhyr said dully. ‘What I’m doing, I’m doing for posterity. To save the world.’ ‘If the world is to be saved like that—’ the Witcher lifted his head ‘—it would be better for it to perish. Believe me, Duny, it’d be better if it perished.’

i also always think of this quote from geralt when thinking about emhyr's character:

‘(...) Evil has stopped being chaotic. It has stopped being a blind and impetuous force, against which a witcher, a mutant as murderous and chaotic as Evil itself, had to act. Today Evil acts according to rights–because it is entitled to. It acts according to peace treaties, because it was taken into consideration when the treaties were being written...’

character bingo

send an ask

[angsttronaut]

Brightheart and Brambleclaw for that "give me character" ask! 👀

yesss, good choices

Brightheart

How I feel about this character: I love her!

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Cloudtail, that’s about it tbh lol

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Swiftpaw, Cinderpelt

My unpopular opinion about this character: I’m not convinced Swiftpaw and her were into each other before the dog attack; while it’s obvious she was really upset about Swiftpaw dying and they were close, Cloudtail is the only cat mentioned as padding after her so I think they were just friends.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: An apprentice! Like seriously, it’s ridiculous that after Jayfeather she never got another apprentice. I have a lil AU where Alderheart becomes her apprentice, because she deserves and I think she’d be good with him. I also really wish she got to actually interact with Cinderpelt, given the fact they’re siblings and both go through life changing injuries.

Bramblestar

How I feel about this character: Smelly and a massive waste of potential.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: No-one, I can’t believe Squirrelflight still puts up with his bs.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Death, self-reflection, brain cells

My unpopular opinion about this character: This is the opposite of spicy, but while I think -claw as a suffix was a bad choice, I also don’t think -flower fits him, personality-wise; I’d personally go with something like Bramblethorn instead, or maybe Brambleheart (though tbh I’d have mixed feelings about him being named that because I feel while Firestar cared for him he was also too obsessed with him being like his dad, and possibly contributed to the complex Bramble had about being his father, which ain’t healthy)

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I sincerely wish his whole arc in New Prophechy was different, because it was there his character started falling apart. Imo he shouldn’t have trained with his father as willingly as he did in canon, and the relationship drama he has with Squirrelflight was ridiculous. As for the later arcs, I think it’d make sense if he knew the Three weren’t his kits (solacefruit on ao3 has some great drabbles for an AU where he knows and has a healthy relationship with Squirrelflight), have stuff like his nastiness towards Squirrelflight in her SE not be a thing, and have him interact with his kids more. As he is in canon, he’s thoroughly unlikable to the point I’d be happy if he died due to being possessed.

[everybody-loves-purdy]

Which canon couple the fandom sleeps on in your opinion?

To name just one? Leafstar and Billystorm.

Billystorm gave up being with his housefolk for Leafstar and his family. They raised three children together, but when Billystorm was unexpectedly killed Leafstar never even had his body to bury, instead he was buried in a far off place she will likely never visit. Out of their children only their son remains, and Billystorm now has grandchildren that he has never met. Their story is ultimately a tragic one but prior to Billystorm’s death they had such a good relationship. I know they had a few disagreements, most notably in the SkyClan and the Stranger arc, but it was never anything that didn’t resolve healthily.

I would like to give an honourable mention to Spotfur and Stemleaf. A true power couple that ended in tragedy that has been overshadowed by the even greater tragedy of how Bristleroot ended. They’re one of my favourite canon couples but they’ve been very sidelined by the fandom

[everybody-loves-purdy]

I felt like I had to share this. Never knew Kate had a poetic soul /hj

What does that response even mean lol

Also Kate referred to Frostpaw as they, so either she just forgot Frostpaw’s gender or they/them pronouns Frostpaw confirmed I’m 99.9% sure she forgot but it’s a nice hc to have

[everybody-loves-purdy]

Do you know where Oakheart and Birchfall (and some others) images on that tier list come from?

They’re from the official Chinese sticker sheets I believe, @warriors-official-art has all the sticker sheets on their blog, you should see them all if you search for “stickers” (also all characters are tagged if you search for them individually)

[hanzajesthanza]

Happy birthday! Wszystkiego najlepszego :D

Thank you!!! 🎉🥳