#wc analysis

[nightly-ruse]

Sorry I don’t like Brambleflower as a fix for canon Bramble. I just can’t separate the canon Bramble from any fanon bettered version for him. I get why he’s even named flower as a nod to his mother instead of father but it just does not suit him at all for me.

(Pretty long idc read if you want just know this is a Bramble hate post and I mean every word in here.)

To me honestly while I hate this character with a burning passion his character and what he does expands every cat around him a lot.

What he does to Squirrelflight is sickening but it builds her story, shows clear abuse from a husband and powerful figure which can then be twisted into her realizing this and overcoming him. She finally breaks after being screamed at by her own daughter about Bramblestar’s abuse and forces him to step down. She makes him retire, clawing him down ever life he has till he’s nothing but a old fool. Before taking leadership for herself and truly bringing Thunderclan into a golden age.

His children. The three love him, he’s their dad they look up to him a lot so much so they don’t see the little things he does to their mom. Until the secrets revealed. Hollyleaf feels shame crawling under her pelt every time she tries to meet his eyes until at last she tells him the truth. He goes cold and draws back. Blaming Squirrelflight first as always and the two concoction a plan to reveal it at the gathering to show everyone what liars Leafpool and Squilf are. When it is revealed Bramble strips Squirrel of her deputyship, breaks off their partnership, and denounces their children as ever his. He never treats any of three as his own family again even being quite horrible to them.

Now his Children by blood are different. He knows they are his he can see it clearly but he can’t love them. They don’t feel like his and they never will. While he nitpicks every thing that Squirrelflight does around them he barley even visits them. He pushes his son into the healer role because he doesn’t think he’s strong enough. And while he loves his daughter for being a natural talent he pushes her hard to be even better. Eventually cracking into the whole family split to side with their mother and begging her to end her partnership with Bramble. Even if he’s their dad he’s never felt like one truly certainly not like how she’s always been their mom.

And honestly it’s not just his family who are effected. He makes rash spiteful decisions fully fueled by emotions all the time as well as leaving so much onto his deputy. He’s a horrible leader, a horrible father, a horrible mate, and a selfish cat by heart. He likes to control others even if he doesn’t know it. He’s possessive and can’t let anyone leave him, refusing to let Squilf out of his claws, grabbing onto any trace of family he believes he has in Hawkfrost’s case even refusing to listen to anyone when they are clearly right.

This is far too long and I also have a splitting headache so take that into mind as I cut myself off here even though I have so many more thoughts I’d like to say. This isn’t a hate to the whole concept of ‘Brambleflower’ it’s just how I see it and his character. In my best case scenario to me, Squilf drags him down out of power and out of TC with the help of her real support system, he’s gone and while he does realize his mistakes he also pities himself for them. He’s never truly good and never can be, good Bramble died in that fire as a apprentice and what’s left is a charred toxic husk that’s there to blister anyone who tries to stand too close, or those he refuses to let go.

[cheesepaw]

blackclaw is such a hater and it’s so funny cause he’s like that til he dies

-stubborn enough to be rude towards fireheart and graystripe after they save the lives of his kits and accuses the two of stealing them, even though riverclan is literally flooding and both fire and gray are soaking wet

-protests against windclan wanting to drink water and accuses them of wanting to steal riverclan prey (despite nobody from the three other clans knowing how to fish)

-helps hawkfrost spread rumors about mistyfoot behind her back (she’s his mate btw)

-thinks that brook should be exiled from riverclan because she chased a squirrel over the shadowclan border

-yells at mistyfoot for voicing her opinion

-thinks that onewhisker and ashfoot should die so mudclaw can become leader

-tries to get pouncetail to kill an innocent shadowclan warrior

karma is real though cause he chokes on mud in mothwing’s secret 😭

[victoriapegacorn]

THIS. One of the best WC thoughts. I have never read Spottedleaf's heart so usually don't discuss it because I can't be objective basing my thoughts on others', but I always hated Thistleclaw for his treatment of Tigerpaw / Whitepaw

i need the wc fandom to accept that what thistleclaw did to tigerpaw was also grooming, thistleclaw has always been a groomer, even before spottedleaf's heart was published, grooming is not always done with a sexual intent yall.

there is no way to make thistleclaw not a groomer, he groomed tigerpaw into being a violent, hateful, power thirsty monster, and he tried to groom spottedpaw into being a snowfur replacement.

even if you don't see spottedleaf's heart as canon, thistleclaw is still a groomer.

.

[bonefall]

Clear Sky threw his son in front of a fox?!

YES!! He SHOVED him in front of a fox! It's in fury from the fact Thunder refused to kill Frost. This entire section is VERY poorly paced and glances over it in two paragraphs, so most people don't fully register it.

Clear Sky dragged Thunder down off the stump and shoves him at it, blaming him for bringing the fox to camp with his loud disobedience.

He then leaves Thunder to fight this fox on his own. Leaf and Falling Feather jump in to help him of their own accord. Clear Sky then tries to praise him for being strong and Thunder tells him to shove off for the first and last time.

It's not the last baby of his he knowingly and consciously endangers to prove a point. In Moth Flight's Vision, he refuses to allow Acorn Fur to get medical help for Tiny Branch's fox-inflicted injuries until his condition worsened, bellowing, "SkyClan does NOT ask for help unless there's no choice." AND didn't allow her to complete her training after he caused Micah's death.

Clear Sky is a serial child abuser. He is willfully neglectful, emotionally abusive, and physically violent.

[randomtheidiot]

Hate it when Big Media takes blorbo-able scrappy young main characters and turns them into generic paragon mascots with no distinct character flaws aside from “cares too much” because they’re marketable to children and children are supposedly too dumb for nuance.

I got the 69th like so that you fucks can’t brag about it in the comments.

[turtlestep]

I wonder how Dovewing felt when ShadowClan rallied immediately and sent herbs to save Mothwing’s life. Did she think about when the situations were reversed? When RiverClan failed to bring herbs to save her baby son? How did she feel, watching the cat who treated her eldest son horribly receive immediate support, while her baby died slowly partly because that same cat was too frazzled to help?

[wouldvegonealongwiththerighteous]

Red strings between illicit affairs and WCS:

"leave the perfume on the shelf / that you picked out just for him / so you leave no trace behind / like you don't even exist" -> "But Lord you made me feel important / and then you tried to erase us"

"it's born from just one single glance" -> "if you would've blinked, then I would've / looked away at the first glance"

"tell your friends you're out for a run / you'll be flushed when you return" -> "if I never blushed, then they could've / never whispered about this"

"Don't call me "kid" / Don't call me "baby"" -> "if I was a child" and "give me back my girlhood"

"it dies, and it dies, and it dies / a million little times" -> "God rest my soul" and "the tomb won't close", all the death references in WCS

"this godforsaken mess that you made me" -> "crisis of my faith", the idea of being, quite literally, "godforsaken" as well as "if I was some paint" and "if you got to wash your hands" tying into the idea of a mess (bonus points: "Don't you think I was too young to be messed with?")

These are just some I've found with these two songs and doesn't include tie ins to other songs in the "WCS Chronology" (Dear John, Foolish One, ICSY). If you find other ones, please tell me!

[captainhunnicutt]

I've often thought that BJ displayed a sense of humor that was both subtle and sophisticated. Sure, sometimes he's outright ridiculous but there's this cutting edge to his humor that I think is unique in a lot of ways. (NOTE: This is not to say no other character is funny, displays a sophisticated sense of humor etc. They are. They do.)

Now, I won't claim to 1.) be the funniest person (I sometimes have a few funny moments) or 2.) knows the "ins and outs" of W.C. Fields but BJ's approach to humor (or at least how the writers wrote BJ and seemed to approach his sense of humor), while unique in its own right, also seems to bear a striking resemblance to W.C. Fields.

W.C. Fields’ comedy seems to be this interesting hybrid of physical gags, witty one-liners, and a distinctive nasal voice that gave the delivery or punchline some extra.. something or another. Edge? Maybe edge is the right word. 

I think BJ's sense of humor kind of runs "deep and silent," which to me suggests a level of complexity in the gags and wisecracks that went beyond wanting or needing an immediate laugh. This aligns with Fields’ own comedic philosophy (at least what I can tell in the embarrassing research I've been doing off and on), where the humor was not just in the punchline but in the build-up, the delivery, and the character’s reaction to the world around him. (NOTE: Fields tended to play con-artists or like "the every man") Fields’ comedy doesn't seem to be about quick laughs but more so about creating a persona that audiences could relate to and find humor in, despite—or perhaps because of—the character’s flaws.

BJ’s admiration for Fields also speaks to a deeper connection between the two. Both shared an ability to find humor in adversity - perhaps as a way to just cope. Fields’ characters navigated the the Great Depression with humor, and BJ used his wit and funnies to cope with... everything. War. Blood. Injustice. Not being with his family. Everything. His humor was a defense mechanism, a way to maintain sanity in an insane world, much like Fields’ comedy, provided escapism during tough economic times.

I really think what I'm getting at is the way that BJ’s sense of humor was written and constructed (whether by the writers or Mike himself) could very well be an actual living tribute to Fields' comedy.

It was a flavor of humor that was intelligent, layered, and deeply human. BJ’s jokes were not just about making people laugh; they were about making people think, feel, and sometimes even find joy in the midst of chaos, like W.C. Fields did in his own right. This is the hallmark of great comedy, and one of the reasons I think MASH, and BJ specifically, remain appealing to audiences of all ages. Whether dealing with the absurdity of military bureaucracy or a Swamp Rat's quirks, BJ’s humor was this weird beacon of light in the dark. Cheesy as it may sound, a real testament to the power of laughter as a way to find common ground, to heal and come together in some way.

And in that, BJ Hunnicutt was truly mirroring the genius of W.C. Fields.

[of-course-its-gorse]

The quickest, simplest change to fix most of Thunderclan's cousin problem: make Brackenfur-Cinderpelt and Brightheart-Thornclaw not littermates

I've seen this elsewhere before and I love it; have one of the sets of two not be Frostfur's kits but instead fostered by her. Most often I like to give Brightheart and Thornclaw to her as her birth litter because they are described as her kits and looking like her the most, and then I make Brackenfur and Cinderpelt Rosetail's kits. She died defending the nursery after all, and Frostfur could have taken over their care after. This also explains away why they were apprenticed at different times as well. It's so easy to take in as canon that I don't think nearly any text contradicts it.

And just like that Lilyheart and Snowbush aren't first cousins. Ivypool and Fernsong aren't related through Brightheart and Brackenfur, and neither are Sorrelstripe and Dewnose. (Although Bristlefrost and Stemleaf is still weird. Bristle is 4 generations away from Frostfur yet Frostfur is Stem's grandma because, old man Thornclaw needed kits I guess)

[foxstride]

Thornclaw is canonically ableist (he disapproves of Jaypaw training as a warrior). He's also xenophobic (he disapproves of Millie not taking a warrior name).

He pushes against RiverClan living on the island and then glares at Firestar for not bringing up prey-stealing.

After, he's one of the sickest cats from greencough. It's likely that he experienced a near-death experience here, something he couldn't fight against like other threats.

He's convinced that WindClan kills Ashfur and makes plans to exact revenge against WindClan on Ashfur's behalf.

He tries to use a RiverClan warrior as a hostage to exchange for food. Lionblaze suspects he trains in the Dark Forest because he's one of Ashfur's closest friends.

He gloats about Russetfur's death. Thornclaw is distrustful of Hollyleaf and suspects that she killed Ashfur when she returns.

After this we get confirmation that Thornclaw and Blossomfall train together in the Dark Forest, so it's not clear when they begin.

Based on this, I think that Thornclaw begins training in the Dark Forest because he believes ThunderClan is weak under Firestar's leadership, but not because he's a kittypet. Instead, the changing of culture in ThunderClan (training a blind apprentice, Daisy and Millie keeping their names) and the death of one of his closest friends pushes him into wanting to train stronger for the sake of protecting his Clan.

Perhaps it's Ashfur's murder that makes him consider that he's not strong enough, that an unknown murderer is around, and he still suspects WindClan yet has no evidence to it. Nor does he want evidence, shown when he accuses Hollyleaf (even though he's right).

I think Thornclaw views himself as one of ThunderClan's most loyal warriors, and he's clearly close to both Ashfur and Dustpelt. As a senior warrior, it's his responsibility to protect and guide the Clan with the deputy and leader... except Firestar isn't taking action when he believes they should be, and then Brambleclaw does nothing to avenge Ashfur's death and claims Ashfur tried to murder Hollyleaf.

It's likely that he doesn't know Tigerclaw is in the Dark Forest until it's too late. Perhaps Mapleshade or another DF cat pulled him in with the allure of protecting his Clan, maybe even leading, and along with Blossomfall he realised this is what he wanted. Briarlight's accident and Longtail's death could have also contributed to this, depending on when he began training.

Like others, I doubt Thornclaw thought that Tigerclaw could really do anything to harm ThunderClan. He saw that Lionpaw had different battle tactics seasons before, now he's learning even more.

I’m really curious: what are some of your hc’s for why Thornclaw trained in the dark forest? I can assign a pretty solid motivation to the other trainees but Thornclaw’s involvement always confused me because he was the only trainee who was alive at the same time as Tigerstar (IIRC).

[nightly-ruse]

Okay fine I’ll make a Mothwing post

<no one’s forced me I just think about the all the time and need to :))))>

So Moth is the loner kit of a runaway kittypet and literal war criminal, she has two siblings being Hawk and Tadpole. As a kit Tadpole drowns. After this Sasha finally brings her kits to Riverclan where she plans to stay with them but runs away after being confronted by her friend Feathertail for mothering kits of Tigerstar and learning of his death.

This already sets up pretty clear lasting effects on the remaining kits being Moth and Hawk. It’s pretty easy to infer that some form of survivor’s guilt could start here and I think in Moth’s case it works well. Also a very rocky kithood as they traveled a lot, lost a sibling, were brought into a new group and then lost their mother. They grew in post-Tigerstar Riverclan where it’s likely a lot of cats held a harsh resentment towards the guy plus any of his kin, especially those directly effected by his actions like Feathertail, Mistyfoot, Stormfur.

She was trained initially as a warrior by Mistyfoot who was the current deputy and pretty harsh, stubborn, but willed. This rubbed off on Mothpaw herself becoming strong willed and independent though far more open minded. As she neared the end of training she felt a call to be a healer and tried to take up the path but was rejected by Mudfur, even though he needed a apprentice he wasn’t going to let a cat be his apprentice without assurance they were chosen by starclan’s paws for it (possibly also fueled by a initial distrust for her being a tiger spawn with outside roots)

But she was finally accepted after Mudfur found a sign, a torn moth’s wing. Such a clear sign. She was trained like she wanted and named Mothwing for the sign that let her be a healer.

As a character I’d say she’s independent and goal focused, definitely loyal to those she fully trusts but not able to easily trust many. She also has the most clear visage into the biases of the clans for her obvious outside roots and in clan blood. Her sibling dies from a attempt to try and cheer up their momma leaving her with survivor’s guilt. Once finally having a real home she is pretty regularly treated still as a outsider beside her brother Hawkfrost as the kits of Tigerstar. Her own mentor being rather short tempered to both of them because Mistyfoot’s brother Stonefur was killed by Tigerstar. Her and Mudfur probably weren’t incredibly close as he was so distrustful of her before having a sign. She becomes a healer and opens herself up for starclan to be the best healer ever.

<TNP>

Around now she meets a new cat on her first journey to the moonpool being Leafpaw. Leaf is a gifted and cute little apprentice and the two got on well even if they didn’t get the most time to talk. Mothwing is still learning and it’s tough. She doesn’t know if she really fits into it well. But Leafpaw helps her the whole way. The two bond a lot and Mothwing goes out of her way to help Leafpaw back teaching her a lot of things.

And then Sasha comes back. Their mother who left as they were but kits. Begging for them to rejoin her as Kittypets instead. Mothwing harbors no anger towards her mother just sadness. She doesn’t know why she left so early on in their lives. But this is her home now. She declines and Hawkfrost does as well though he’s a bit more aggressive about it. Sasha also reveals for a fact that Tigerstar was their father but they both pretty much already knew it, mostly just revealing it to every other cat.

The clans pick up and start the journey to the lake. The clans are closer then ever before, Mothwing grows closer with Leafpaw, Tawnypelt, and many others. She wonders.. maybe the clans together isn’t so taboo. It’s so much nicer this way. No laws that cause pointless battles, prey stealing isn’t a thing, she can just be friends with cats. But she doesn’t bring it up much, just in a few passing words to Leafpaw occasional when they’re alone.

But her brother has been so distant. She goes to him and asks what’s with him. She’s made friends with other cats yes but his bonds are different, she’s seen him egg on things he didn’t need to, his temper higher then ever. A confrontational while their all alone and he reveals the thing she never would believe. The sign that made her a healer? He did it. He ripped the wings off that moth and planted it there for Mudfur to find.

Suddenly the spot she always tried to fill is shattered, she wasn’t chosen by starclan. She wasn’t ever meant to be a healer. She was a fraud. She’d fooled every cat into accepting her as one of their own. While a more strong headed cat would have snapped at Hawkfrost for planting the sign she turns on herself. And starclan itself. They hadn’t ever given her a dream like every other healer had described, they didn’t send a sign for her even her brother had done it. They hadn’t cared for her at all. They let her father get into power even giving him lives despite being a murderer. They promoted the bloodshed and anger the clans festered especially towards outsiders.

Mothwing renounces, to herself, the starclan side of her role and focuses on the healing part instead. At least that side was in her own paws and real. She COULD heal the sick and injured. They couldn’t do anything to mend any cat they just supposedly took them from the living.

But Hawkfrost did still plant that sign. She said she’d turn him in for what he’d done and he turned around and said if she did that she wouldn’t be a healer would she? Pressured into faking a sign to get rid of Stormfur and Brook, just like he did, she feels even more tied to his secret keeping.

Paranoia is at a peak here from hiding the fact she had no sign plus her brothers actions. When the elders get poisoned from her actions she breaks down and spills her distrust of starclan to Leafpool who is shocked but doesn’t freak out too much, acknowledging the skills Mothwing does have instead of the skills she doesn’t. When Willowpaw is made her apprentice she does worry as to how she’s supposed to fake teach her apprentice about starclan but her friend comes in and says she’ll help. The two train Willowpaw, Mothwing doing the real healing part while Leafpool trains her in star reading.

Despite it all her worlds finally slowing down more. Until she wanders across the beach like she had grown accustomed to for a meeting with Leafpool and finds her brother’s dead body, stake through the heart his blood making the waves scarlet in color. The final stray light from the sun showing her the murder before darkness fell over it all. He hurt her, but they were siblings. They had always been together. And now they weren’t. While a weight of paranoia fell of her back the sadness that tugged on her heart made it seem like just pebbles. All alone she buries him facing the water in a place no cat would easily find, stalks of blue forget me nots flowering his gravesite. She’d learn just a few days later the role he’d had in so much more, the Windclan rebellion, Mudclaw’s turn, Tigerstar’s ghost.

One day as she fell asleep at his grave she dreams into the dark forest and sees him again, with their father. The place dark and gross a spot on her soul. But as they tried to pull her into their madness she declined and turned back. She loved Hawkfrost and would always grieve her brother, but she wouldn’t do anything either asked. Those cats weren’t her brother or father.

The survivor’s guilt before now a pit. She keeps living while everyone dies. Why does this keep happening to her?

<POTS and OOTS>

It’s settled more. She trains Willowpaw, helps Leafpool, grows plants. It’s simple. It’s just another moonpool meeting when she meets Jaypaw, the fiesty little tom makes comments and she just laughs them off. She’d never pressure her friend but she can feel something different with Leafpool, the way her round amber eyes always worriedly look to Jaypaw or windclan during gatherings. Their usual chats somehow sadder. But she tries to help where she can.

She names Willowpaw to Willowshine for the light she always had to her and smiles as her former apprentice giddily rests by the moonpool. A part of her remembers when she had been so excited to speak to the stars but never getting a answer. That was so long ago now.

Times passes and at the gathering she notices a tension in Leafpool she’s never seen, and then Hollyleaf announces the truth about her parentage. Mothwing hisses as she curls around her friend. The young apprentice she used to know in Hollyleaf gone. She remembered when Hollypaw trained as a healer, she remembered how much the black cat padded after her own apprentice. That wasn’t the burned angry cat before her now.

OOTS comes around and Leopardstar dies, she takes Mistyfoot to the moonpool to become Mistystar but when her now leader jumps up from her sleep she stares at her with icy cold eyes. When they get back to camp Mistystar does her first action as leader and forces Mothwing to tell everyone before closing their borders. Despite being explicitly told she wasn’t to help any cat Mothwing runs to Thunderclan and talks to Leafpool and Jayfeather telling them not to put so much trust in starclan. Jayfeather tells her of her brother’s actions, and she breaks more. The memory of him coming to her as a ghost fresh like it had just happened. She shakes it off and denounces him again.

Then the great battle. Where spirits crossed into the living. She watches as her brother runs in and attacks their own, as if he had no care for them at all. Dapplenose dead at his spirit claws. Mothwing can’t stand for it anymore and chases him away as he turns to her. And yet she can’t let him go. She chases after into the real battle but finds him just as he’s killed the second time, gone again before she could ever see him. She’s truly alone now. The battle left so much broken and torn back open. Old wounds freshly scratched again. She just tried her best to fix it.

<Between Arcs>

The battle ended and it was still rough. The clan’s life changed as they knew the balance between life and death wasn’t so clear as they thought. Mothwing acknowledges yes Starclan exists but it isn’t as knowing or powerful as they think. A dead cat isn’t suddenly smarter then they were before. Many just as they were in life except put on a pedestal for no reason. It was hard.

After Mistystar revealed her sign being fake to the whole clan many gave her looks. But she didn’t try to think about it much. She still healed her clanmates and collected herbs. She still had Leafpool at least. And then, she wasn’t there. A gathering again as Bramblestar pulled himself onto the tree and announced the death of her friend, killed in a battle. She couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t bear it. Mothwing traveled over and begged for something more, no cat would answer her, beside Squirrelflight. The two had talked occasionally but not much more than that though they held strong respect for each other. The real truth came out. Leafpool killed in a pointless battle protecting a pregnant queen, one done purely to get her by her mate.

Just like before. Someone she loved gone without her being there. Over nothing. A cat everyone loved and cared for, who’d been with her for so long. Her anger towards the clans grew here. A survivor’s guilt and long set trauma twisted into a fiery rage to the cause of it. Battles, fruitless disagreements that lead to death, a constant judgement for no reason.

<TBC>

As winter comes around it’s stronger then before. Her held anger a ember kept under her tongue. As she travels to the moonpool it feels different, walking up with no cat by her side, no silly jokes or whispers in her ear. Even more as she walks up and sees that pool frozen over. The last remnant of her. Even as the chilling breeze feels like shards hitting her she feels the flame inside grow setting her mind on fire.

And then Shadowpaw, the newest apprentice, calls her and Jayfeather codebreakers. She can’t believe it. What has either of them done? She may not side with the grumpy tom much but Jayfeather was one of the most stubbornly loyal cats she’d ever met and nothing near a codebreaker. And yet as she turns to Mistystar for her leader and former mentor to disregard the apprentice’s words she doesn’t. Pushed even more by Bramblestar, Mistystar looks to her and agrees to exile Mothwing.

Outraged she denounced her leader, the thunderclan leader, Shadowpaw, every cat siding with them. She plans to just find some place but is taken in surprisingly by Shadowclan. Their leader Tigerstar far more disapproving of the other leaders decisions and unsure of her own kit’s visions. She joins the rebels and channels her anger to help them. When Mistystar begs for her back Mothwing doesn’t even hesitate as she chooses to stay in Shadowclan, welcoming both Icewing and Harelight to join her.

As a settled healer of Shadowclan she still distrusts and resents Shadowsight. The cat caused all of this and didn’t see the clear manipulation used on him. She tells Tigerstar that the healer needs more training clearly and both Tigerheart and Puddleshine agree. Her anger growing still. And then as the prisoner, being Ashfur, escapes and takes Squirrelflight with him into the unfrozen moonpool Mothwing grows scared. She knew where that led. She tries to stop Willowshine from going in but she couldn’t. And she dies. Another cat, gone, without her being able to do anything. Grieving once again. She’s shocked by Shadowsight wanting to go in even after a cat before him died, her disagreement with him dripping away. She apologizes for placing such blame on him and being so mean, giving him her hope that he’d come out safe.

And he comes back, Ashfur gone forever, Bramblestar back in his body, Squirrelflight safe, and yet Willowshine was still dead. And as she returns to Riverclan she still feels resentment towards Mistystar, and sadness as she takes her previous apprentice’s place as the mentor of the new Frostpaw.

<So far ASC>

She trains Frostpaw. The grief still fresh and hurting she tries to train Frostpaw but it’s hard. She cannot forgive Mistystar for what she did and no apology given. She can’t ever catch a break. Mistystar gets in another fight, the clan lost most trust in their leader after the events of TBC start turning on her and a argument against Duskfur takes too much and dies. And then Reedwhisker dies. Both gone- while they weren’t close it’s clearly something important and now Riverclan has no leadership.

It’s too much and when thrust into leadership from her apprentices strange sign Mothwing is overwhelmed. It feels like a curse has fallen Riverclan when Curlfeather dies barely after being announced as leader. Wrapped up in it all she feels it most when Tigerstar invades the clan over her kits death. Mothwing doesn’t blame her at all just grieves the lost life she could’ve saved, the one she could’ve actually stopped and she failed.

And yet every time she tries to help her new apprentice Frostpaw it just gets worse, but she can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right especially about Splashtail. He reminds her so much of… him.

[the-owl-tree]

I once considered making a Bramblestar is worse style video about Thistleclaw because of the way people treated him and Blue back in the day. He was violent and described as quick to fight since Forest of Secrets!

Can never forget that one author statement long ago about how he actually went to heaven but was chased out by that bitch Bluestar. Given that I can't remember a source it might have been fb or the old site forums/q&a page. Or it could have been entirely made up! Wouldn't be the fandom's first time

we needed more video essays then. every day im tempted to get greedy and make one but at the same time i see moonkitti's comment section and im like hm i'd rather not!

and that was an author's statement! vicky said it on her facebook page

[bearfrosts]

okay i have reached needletail's death and suffice to say i'm disappointed with her nonexistent character arc and complete lack of dimension. so much wasted potential on her for fucking real. i feel so conflicted about her because i do think i could've actually liked her as a character if she was literally any amount better written but the way she exists in canon is just so flat and unappealing that it makes me strongly dislike her.

needletail had two character traits (rebellious + selfish) and a selfish, manipulative, take-without-return relationship with violetpaw—and absolutely no background, development, context, or conflict to justify any of it. her one singular "change" was just realizing Darktail Bad which i refuse to even call character development because it doesn't take any development of character to realize someone is bad once you have more information about them—it's clear that if she'd known how darktail acted prior to joining the kin, she never would've done it in the first place. ergo, no character development occurred to make her change her mind about it.

her sacrifice was meaningless because it was entirely out of character for her. she may have loved violetpaw to some degree, but at no point in their relationship did needletail make a single small sacrifice to her own comfort for violetpaw. she snuck out of camp with violetkit, sure, but needletail was sneaking out of camp anyway so she wasn't taking risks she wasn't already comfortable taking. she was a major reason why violetkit and twigkit were separated, she is the reason violetkit/paw got involved with the kin instead of going to be safe in thunderclan with her sister, etc. violetpaw got literally nothing in return for her love of needletail. so, back to the original point: needletail's sacrifice for violetpaw was a major, unprecedented shift in their dynamic. there was no leadup to it that showed she was starting to give more in the relationship in smaller ways that would've indicated she was becoming less selfish and more interested in a mutual relationship.

in my opinion, a better decision for her arc at that point would've been for her to listen to darktail and attempt to kill violetpaw. she hesitates, though, giving violetpaw a chance to run. needletail attempts to chase her down, but isn't fast enough, and darktail is interrupted by the attack on the kin's camp in riverclan and needletail skirts by under less suspicion since she did attempt to kill violetpaw.

i haven't read far past her death yet, but since she's dead canonically and there's nothing else left in her arc to work with, i'll offer a possibility for the continuation of this: eventually, she is reunited with violetpaw and claims that she never wanted to kill her and was just trying to help her escape and that they both made it out fine, so it's okay, right? and violetpaw, having been groomed by needletail's emotional manipulation since she was a kit, hesitantly forgives her. at that point, there would be time for needletail's character arc to continue, and for further conflict with violetpaw once she becomes a warrior and comes to realize all that needletail did to her. we could see needletail have an actual character arc in which violetshine eventually confronts her about their toxic relationship (and i want to be clear i'm speaking in a strictly platonic sense, in case that wasn't glaringly obvious), and needletail rejects the idea that she manipulated violetshine since she was a kit at first—then slowly realizes all that she did. but there are a ton of different roads her character could have taken if the sacrifice hadn't happened and this is just one potential path out of dozens.

i love these kinds of toxic relationships where one character is (potentially unknowingly) taking advantage of and manipulating a younger character who doesn't know better than to attend to the emotional needs of the older character. there's so much opportunity for conflict, betrayal, feelings of isolation within the relationship, recovering from trauma, realizing what exactly the older character did, eventually coming to be on equal standing when they're both mature adults and the older character having to face the consequences of what they've done. there was a lot of potential in their relationship and having needletail sacrifice herself out of nowhere did nothing but give a false idea of what their relationship looked like up to that point.

it would have also been majorly beneficial to give more background on how she came to be so opposed to living in the clans + following the rules besides just "idk she's just like that" and perhaps more details on why she so strongly desired a familial relationship with violetpaw (when she had two very much alive parents that she's never shown interacting with in the slightest?).

uhhh tl;dr i think i do actually like needletail as a character but the erins can only write a proper character arc like once in a blue moon and this was not one of those instances. justice for the narrative or whatever. these cats deserved better (or worse. in the characters' perspective at least.)

[victoriapegacorn]

Facts. I laugh so hard when people say "Greystripe should have been leader instead of Bramblestar"! Okay, Bramblestar is problematic too, but he was the one who put his whole sense of life into serving his clan. While Greystripe... He was a great deputy, nor less, nor more than Brambleclaw was. I didn't read Greystripe's vow, sorry, can't judge him fully.

I suspect more early fans said it, now Greystripe's popularity reduced

The thing is just favouritism.

https://www.tumblr.com/wc-confessions/758535047269744640/i-wish-more-people-understood-that-silverstream

diff anon here but op non i 100% SEE YOUR VISION!!!!! graystripe was so much MORE annoying than silverstream bc unlike her, gray had AN APPRENTICE that he was CONSTANTLY LETTING DOWN to the point that it became a plot point that fireheart had to train brackenpaw HIMSELF.

graystripe has no damn loyalty i swear

.

[bonefall]

I don't know if Bumble would have been outright treasured in modern ThunderClan, but at the very least, there's no way they would have been "just as bad" as The Settlers in kicking her out like that.

Yes there is active xenophobia against outsiders, and yes, the fatphobia is still around. But this is a Clan that sheltered several kittypets in Bramblestar's Storm-- and even Minty, who was completely unwilling to adapt to Clan life, was treated with infinitely more respect than Bumble.

Most likely is that ThunderClan recognizes that Bumble is being hurt, doesn't really want to leave her housefolk, and sends out a patrol to deal with Tom. Like... especially if anyone remembered Jacques and The Dreaded Susan.

Well... assuming the new team managed to stay consistent with the characterization of the old. But even New Team Modern ThunderClan doesn't act nearly as bad as DOTC cats do.

That's a piece that sticks out so much about The Bumble Debaucle. Thunder Rising is the first book the new team did all on their own, just following a plot outline. The style of WC has always been rather mean-spirited-- but some of the grossest, cruellest scenes in the WHOLE series come from Thunder Rising and First Battle specifically.

It's weird that DOTC is such a low point, overall.

[the-gordianknot117]

About Acquaintances and Human Bonds.

In this post I want to take a look at the “I’m just an acquaintance” moment and examine what significance this line holds in the context of the Esper Sisters arc, its themes and all the characters involved.

This post only takes into account the webcomic version of the arc.

Disclaimer: this is my interpretation of the scene, the characters and the series in general given the current released material. Future updates can always change the meaning behind this moment and add further context to it, thus proving me completely wrong. By the way, I do not ship anyone in the series (more power to those who do, however) and none of what follows implies romance in any way.

First of all, before examining the scene, we have to take into account the arc it takes place in and what was revealed prior to Sataima’s line.

The “Esper Sisters” is an arc entirely centered on the characters of Fubuki and Tatsumaki, whose relationship, already soured by a lifetime of trauma, estrangement and abuse, reaches its dramatic nadir in the confrontation that follows the events of the MA arc. For these reasons, the arc explores the backstories of both characters by featuring flashbacks set in the years of their childhood. In Fubuki’s case, this section of the story contains a crucial and essential episode from Fubuki’s troubled childhood days (Chapter 99: 1, 2, 3 and 4), where it’s explained why Fubuki grew up the way she did, what relationships (or lack thereof) Fubuki had during her growth, and what role her sister and the outside world played in her life (e.g., ”If they bully you, you need to bully them back”, mirrored by Blast’s advice to Tatsumaki). It's not an exaggeration to say that without this fundamental flashback, Fubuki’s character would utterly fall apart and cease to make sense - even the reason why Saitama’s line cuts deep would also fall flat without all the information provided beforehand by the story, as we will see: this memory from Fubuki’s past and everything surrounding it is the keystone holding together the entire narrative of the character and one of the two pillars of the Esper Sisters arc (the other being the Tatsumaki one).

If the flashback alone wasn’t clear enough, in the page that immediately follows, Fubuki explicitly states, with a smug Tatsumaki complementing her words, how she grew up with the only, terrifying company of an oppressive older sibling because no one else dared to approach her with Tatsumaki looming around. This image of Fubuki’s childhood, coupled with the high school flashback from the MA arc (I covered this topic in much more detail here, among other things), paints a rather lonely and gloomy picture of Fubuki’s backstory, a past characterized by a complete lack of significant relationships or personal bonds, aside from her sister Tatsumaki, who controlled Fubuki for most of her life (as stated by the S-Class psychic herself; Chapter 100) and whose shackles are still in place in the present, only slightly loosened but ready to tighten at any given moment (the Esper Sisters arc is a demonstration of this, I wrote a post about it). This isolated and sheltered background made Fubuki long for what was totally absent in her life, human contact, but, given the lack of social experiences and the isolation she suffered from the outside world, she grew up ignoring how to form relationships and with no idea of what a normal relationship looks like, something worsened tenfold by the fact that her only parental figure, the one responsible for her isolation, was also a traumatized and unstable person who rejected human connections and actively encouraged Fubuki to embrace her powers and use strength against others; additionally, in the few interactions Fubuki had with the outside world, reality was presented to her as nothing more than a hyper-competitive landscape dominated by violence and discrimination, where people used force as a way to interact with others and idolatred power as the only indicator of individual worth. Therefore, having been raised by someone who values power above anything else and having experienced firsthand how the outside world only understands strength and preys on the weak (i.e., the bullies who emarginated and harassed her, and Tatsumaki always resorting to violence and resolving any conflict with brutal displays of her telekinesis) warped Fubuki’s perception of reality and taught her that she had to embrace her powers and resort to violence at the first sign of a threat if she wanted to survive. A lesson that Fubuki learned and took to heart. And Fubuki was rewarded by doing so, seeing how people in high school started respecting her specifically and solely for her superior telekinesis, but not for Fubuki herself as a person. This conditioned her to view relationships only through a hierarchical lens and as an expression of the difference in powers between individuals, and that, in order to effectively interact with people, aside from employing force, she had to don a façade of haughty superiority, instead of being simply herself; at the same time, her psychological need for friendship never vanished and remained unfulfilled. This background shaped a damaged human being who, in an attempt to adhere to her “education” while, at the same time, trying to fill the void left by the lack of human bonds, resorted to establishing hierarchical dynamics that act as a replacement for real human bonds, where the role the members play in the organization codifies in terms of hierarchy the disparity in power between them, a template that is very reminiscent of Fubuki’s own relationship with Tatsumaki in a way. For most of her life, in fact, Fubuki was either powerlessly submitted to her sister, who dictated the terms of their relationship and held the power in it, or, later in her life and as a reaction to this, a leader with subordinates; beyond these templates, where it was either being subservient or superior to someone, Fubuki never met an “equal”, someone who, by existing outside of a hierarchically organized relationship/dynamic, didn’t fall under either of the aforementioned labels but stood on the same ground as her. As her experiences show, Fubuki only met an oppressive and tyrannic sister, bullies, followers, rivals and subordinates and for her, that was all there was in the world. People never formed connections outside of hierarchical structures, “power” was what attracted people and closer human connections, like even friendship, were totally out of the picture.

That’s where Saitama’s “group” comes into play. Its existence proves how Fubuki’s past experiences are only a partial representation of the world, that people can coexist on equal ground (so beyond the follower/subordinate templates Fubuki was aware of) and that there are alternatives to the toxic and unhealthy way of living Fubuki was following. The people at Saitama’s apartment do not obtain any immediate or foreseeable benefits from their gatherings; there are no rules or “hierarchies” and there is no grand goal that the group is carrying on following a particular agenda: they hang out simply because they want to spend time together. And Saitama himself is far different from any person Fubuki has ever encountered before: he doesn’t use others for his own gain, he doesn’t judge/value other people on the basis of their strength and he doesn’t take advantage of his incomprehensible power to impose his will or to submit and exploit others. As pointed out by Genos at the end of Fubuki’s introduction arc (Chapter 50), Saitama doesn’t antagonize or oppose anyone, but leaves them be, minding his own business without bothering anyone (unless they pick up a fight or represent a danger). Surprisingly enough, even with this particular attitude and his complete disregard for factions/rank/status, Saitama seems to naturally attract people. And yet he isn’t a “leader”, a “boss” or the “president” of a club. Instead of the usual boss/subordinate roles so ingrained in Fubuki’s mind to the point she can’t conceive of any other way to interact with others, Saitama is simply on friendly and equal terms with those who hang out with him, world-renown S-Class Heroes at that, despite him being only a B-Class rank-wise. Among those connections, what surprises Fubuki in particular are Saitama’s peculiar dynamic with Genos, which completely turns upside down anything Fubuki learned about status/ranking and the way these supposedly affect relationships (“D-disciple? An S-Class under a B-Class...”; Chapter 48), insomuch that later Fubuki asks about this “bizarre” dynamic directly to Genos himself in order to learn more about it (“Demon Cyborg, Genos... are you truly satisfied under that man?” Chapter 57), and Saitama’s friendship with the Strongest Man in the World, King (“How... is someone from S-Class so friendly with a B-Class...”; Chapter 50), that similarly ignores status as a factor that determines human interactions, much to Fubuki disbelief - there is also this little reaction upon learning about Saitama’s connection to Fang (“Bang? As in the S-Class Silver Fang?”; Chapter 51). But what’s more is that the unique rules of this group are applied to Fubuki as well: in this place, Fubuki spends her time and interacts with people outside of any social construct and logic previously known to the character and no one looks down on her with contempt nor up to her with reverence due to rank, status and/or telekinesis because these factors do not matter here, where she is neither a leader nor a subordinate, but “simply” a person; and despite the façade the character still resorts to, it’s always in this place that later we will see an extremely rare, if not unique, example of a relaxed and carefree Fubuki spending time in a casual and normal scenario like having a hot pot with other people to whom, beside working for the same organization, she has no actual affiliation (Chapter 57). All of this is completely unheard of and unprecedented for the esper. What the “group” ultimately represents for Fubuki is the importance of positive and healthy human bonds, of people being people, hanging out with no other goal than to stay together - all things that were completely missing in her life. Undescoring the utmost importance of this and establishing the core theme of Fubuki’s character arc (the importance of human bonds), Fubuki’s introduction arc ends precisely with Fubuki wondering if Saitama will allow her to join them (”Would he also let me...”; Chapter 50; in the official manga translation: “Maybe I could join them?”) - definitely not a casual or random choice from a writing standpoint.

So when Saitama says that he “is just an acquaintance” (Chapter 102: 1 and 2), in Fubuki’s mind, he is basically answering the question she was asking herself back in Chapter 50 (“would he also let me/maybe I could [join his group?]”) and she interprets it as “no”, that the only “group” of “normal” people she bumped into has the doors closed to her and won’t allow her to join this haven of “ordinarity”, even though that is not what Saitama meant there. After growing up in a toxic and sheltered environment, for the first time in her entire life Fubuki finally found a group that represents a healthy and positive alternative to all the deleterious experiences she had - an environment where power and hierarchies mean nothing at all, where people are simply themselves - and this made her desire to join this gathering, only to be reminded by the person who exposed Fubuki to this uncharted and fabled reality that she didn’t belong to the place nor, in the end, was she accepted in it - again, this is how Fubuki is perceiving Saitama’s words - due to being only an “acquaintance”. If Chapter 50 sparked in Fubuki the desire to join a group that represents everything that was always denied to her, Chapter 101 seems to put a roadblock in front of Fubuki that prevents the character from fulfilling (yet) what she has always deeply yearned for.

There is no better way to put Fubuki in front of the fact that her façade - the only way she believes it is possible to interact with others - and her mindset are actually keeping her distant from other people and affecting her life for the worse, sabotaging her chances at bonding with others and forming personal relationships. If we look back at her interactions with Saitama and co., in fact, Fubuki’s behavior there never actually manifested nor made apparent her genuine desire to spend time with the group and befriend them, despite the importance the place holds for the psychic and her actual intentions; if anything, whenever she (comically) opted for the defensive mechanism of the façade, which she used in order to fit in as the “new kid on the block” (more on this later), instead of being more genuine, it was something the members of the group didn’t find particularly endearing (Chapter 57; Chapter 98). It all goes to show how lacking Fubuki’s social skills are and how ineffective and inadeguate her way to interact with people also is (besides work, maybe), especially when it comes to ordinary and informal social settings such as this one; it also highlights to what degree Fubuki’s upbringing warped her ability to socialize with other human beings. While the Esper Sisters arc seemingly resolved the outside issue that threatened Fubuki’s freedom, Tatsumaki, Fubuki’s inner demons, spawned by that nefarious influence, are, by the end of the arc, something Fubuki will still have to face in the future. And if it’s true that, ultimately, the connection Fubuki forged as a leader will prove to be a strong and resilient bond once put to the test, Fubuki’s need for friendships, as in a non-hierarchical, not work/duty-related but informal and equal personal relationship, is still left completely unfulfilled, with a journey far from being completed yet. And, honestly, given how we are still in the middle of the story (?), it would be weird if such an important matter for the character was already solved.

For what specifically matters Fubuki’s reaction, in the past I have seen many write what essentially boils down to “what did she expect? Did she think they were friends or something?”. It’s frankly surprising how this confuses so many people because, once we look at the bigger picture and remember Fubuki’s characterization, the reasons behind her reaction become quite obvious since they are all ingrained into the very identity of the character. Again, Fubuki’s expression is symptomatic of the “fear” of having lost her chance at becoming part of something she always longed for - this also fits Fubuki’s insecurity and self-loathing issues, by the way. Sure, it could come off as an overreaction, especially as it is directed toward someone Fubuki met very recently and doesn’t have a strong connection with, but that is precisely the direct result of a sheltered backstory polluted only by unpleasant memories and isolation, to whom Saitama and his group represent an inedited and positive counterpoint; if Fubuki didn’t lack meaningful relationships (both in the past and her present) and her backstory wasn’t one of abuse and alienation, I very much doubt she would have reacted this way to Saitama’s comment or cared at all about about their relationship in general, but if that were the case, we would be discussing a very different character, and this moment would have no place in that story. Therefore, hearing from Saitama words that seem to lock away this dreamed oasis of normality and friendship is a major source of dejection for a person with her specific history, issues and hopes. Having no idea or knowledge of what a friend actually is and what a friendship/close relationship resembles made Fubuki think (or, better, hope) that the time spent at Saitama’s apartment was enough to forge a bond of that kind, a “mistake” that is quite reflective of how inexperienced Fubuki is in regard to people and how utterly ignorant she is about relationships and the way they actually flourish between human beings. 

By the way, thinking that Fubuki is only interested in Saitama's strength or that she is still trying to recruit him past her introduction arc would completely disregard Fubuki’s entire characterization and ignore several fundamental moments starring the character, like, for example, the one I linked from Chapter 50, one of the most important and character-defining pages featuring Fubuki in the entire series. Sure, given Fubuki’s background and the values the world projected into her, power is a main factor in what originally caught her attention in regard to this new, mysterious B-Class hero and surely affected how Fubuki’s perception of Saitama has changed over the course of the story. But Saitama as his own person and the precedent he sets is actually way more important to Fubuki than the physical strength he possesses, as he is the first source of positive influence Fubuki was ever exposed to: he is unlike any “strong” being Fubuki has ever met before (for the reasons stated above), and his mindset couldn’t be more different from her only parental figure/role model, Tatsumaki. During their fight (Chapter 48), Saitama didn’t fight back and retaliate, but was more concerned about reprehending Fubuki and reminding her what a hero is and what they stand for: he criticized her obsession with ranking and factions in a world where monsters run amok and few individuals stand against them, warning the esper against her egoistical mindset and predicting a scenario that Fubuki will later experience firsthand (the encounter with Garou; Chapter 78) - all things that will be proven correct and true as Fubuki can attest; even though Fubuki tried to recruit him into her group and then “lost” to him, Saitama never considered her someone he had “to bully back” or a rival/enemy who “must be destroyed”; in the interections following the fight, Saitama never demanded anything from her, he didn’t force her to join his “group”, he didn’t coerce her into following his goals nor did he try to dispose of this “rival”, but treated Fubuki as a human being and even admitted her into his apartment - where Fubuki stayed, or kept coming back behind the scenes, from Chapter 50 to Chapter 64, meaning that Saitama allowed her stay as much as she wanted. From this we can observe how Saitama is the one who finally snaps Fubuki out of her harmful way of living and warns her about the dangers of her conduct, leading the esper into a journey of maturation and improvement, whereas anyone else that Fubuki met before him directed Fubuki onto this very nefarious path, enabled her worst traits and encouraged the psychic to embrace the dangerous mindset that Saitama is criticizing and rebuking. More importantly, there is also the aforementioned existence of the Saitama’s group, which represents a gathering of people completely different from the ones Fubuki has ever experienced. As a testament to the peculiar role Saitama plays in her character arc and what sets him apart from those Fubuki met before, the dialogue in the elevator (Chapter 98) highlights (to me) how much of a high opinion Fubuki has of Saitama as a person, to the point that she lowers her façade and talks frankly, without resorting to the act she aways employs while dealing with others: in this scene, Fubuki is overtly praising Saitama while openly recognizing her own limits/shortcomings, right after he surpassed her in rank and Fubuki’s encounter with Garou proved Saitama right about her issues. None of this is something Fubuki would have ever done with someone she considers a “subordinate” or a “follower” (once again, I’m not implying anything romantic) - for a more in-depth look into the scene, the last section of my post about Fubuki in the MA arc contains an analysis of this conversation and what it means in the context of Fubuki’s character arc. This important dialogue makes all the more clear how much respect and admiration Fubuki holds for Saitama, hence why his comment has such a profound impact on her. Furthermore, when Tatsumaki seemingly killed Saitama, this was Fubuki’s reaction (Chapter 105) - ONE truly has a talent at portraying characters' expressions.

So, personally, I don’t think the subordinate angle matters at all in her reaction about being called an “acquaintance”: after all, Fubuki’s recruitment attempt failed and Saitama made abundantly clear to her that he wasn’t interested in her group (for example, this exchange, Chapter 50: 1 and 2; Saitama even remarked it at the start of the Esper Sisters arc), so, unless we want to believe that Fubuki is a dumbass with short-term memory, something not supported by the story in any way, I think there are other factors at play here and the character has other reasons to care for this person by the point the statement is made. It is important to note that, leading to Fubuki’s reacting to Saitama’s acquaintance comment, ONE specifically decided to depict Fubuki’s reactions growing more and more dejected at being called “not a friend” (“友達” [tomodachi]) and “not a companion” (“仲間” [nakama]) - both indicating a close and/or equal relationships between two persons that share a bond - which, for Fubuki, sounds like he was denying her the “right” (for the lack of a better word) to join; meanwhile, ONE didn’t include any reaction panel to Saitama stating he doesn’t work for her/isn’t part of her group because, since she is not delusional or stupid, Fubuki already knew that and recruiting Saitama is a non-thing by this point in the story. By the way, the recruitment stuff doesn’t even qualify as a recurring gag in the webcomic (at least so far) and the “Fubuki’s group” shtick is barely a thing in the webcomic, consisting of a couple of lines at most, which prevents the character from coming off as a stale and obnoxious parody of herself (unless in the future she gets turned into a rather sad and disappointing comic relief background entity). As mentioned before, the only time in the webcomic Fubuki has tried to recruit Saitama for real (up until now, at least) happened back in her introduction arc; past that point, the leader’s antics are a psychological denfensive mechanism she employs in order to hide her doubts and insecurities, to navigate unknown new dynamics and fit in a “foreign” environment, to compensate for her inability to deal with people in “normal” social settings (the hot pot and the Saitama group in general) or her way to ask for help while putting up appearances (the start of the Esper Sisters arc), instead of actual attempts to get him or others into her group. What draws Fubuki to Saitama and his group is not the egoistical aim to have these powerful beings under her tumb, but a desire that stems from personal reasons deeply rooted in her past. Once again, the fundamental page I linked above (Chapter 50) couldn’t be more explicit and unambiguous in its meaning: on it, Fubuki is expressing her true, sincere desire to join this group of people, wondering if Saitama and co. will permit her to do so; she is not, instead, secretly plotting to make them join her group and use them for her own ends. Surprisingly enough, Fang trying to have Saitama join his dojo is just as much a recurring joke as Fubuki's leader stuff (and way more one-note too, lacking all the subtext present in Fubuki’s case), let alone Flashy Flash’s attempts at becoming Saitama’s teacher in the post MA chapters. Once again, believing that Fubuki is only after recruiting others would completely ignore a core aspect of Fubuki’s character - her subconscious desire to form real human connections with people, compromised by the education that was imparted to her, by her traumas, and by the psychological defense mechanisms she employs in order to not appear “weak” - for the sake of boring flanderization that erases what makes the esper interesting and complex. 

Therefore, considering how character-related the topics tackled in this story-beat are for Fubuki, for the reasons stated above, it’s quite reductive, I believe, to label Saitama’s statement as a throwaway gag. Again, ONE made sure to reveal Fubuki’s entire backstory - a backstory specifically centered on a dramatic lack of positive and meaningful relationships and also isolation - before this scene, where, from Fubuki’s point of view, she is denied the right to join a social circle that she is drawn to. This statement ties perfectly into themes that have been linked to Fubuki from the very start (Chapter 50), but also plays into what constitutes the Esper Sisters arc narrative: the “acquaintance” line serves in fact as a lead-up to what Saitama states to Tatsumaki soon afterward, which is emblematic of the core message of this arc and its thematic backbone (again, all things I will elaborate on soon enough). If this was a simple comedic moment unrelated to Fubuki’s personal history, like, for example, how the door gag (Chapter 111) is a joke independent from Flashy Flash’s character and the story of the Ninja arc, then I wouldn’t stress over the importance of this page, but that clearly isn’t the case. Moreover, comedy serving a greater purpose and contributing to the narrative is a trademark of OPM and ONE’s style in general, and while not every single gag in the series accomplishes that, like the aforementioned Flashy Flash joke for example (and nonetheless, it serves to kickstart the Ninja arc and fits the characters), the scene in question between Fubuki and Saitama arc is clearly representative of that principle since it respects everyone’s characterization, takes into consideration their background, has a greater narrative purpose and develops the story accordingly. Beside, I don’t think this statement represents an end point but, rather, a source for future developments for the character(s). Now, I obviously don’t know if there will be a follow-up to it or not, but considering how this scene leaves things open and unresolved, it’s fair to expect progressions regarding this matter. In fact, I don’t see how leaving this relationship in its current state without ever bothering to advance it would make any sense narrative-wise, especially in the context of Fubuki’s character arc.

Before getting to Saitama’s side of things, there is another thing I want to point out in regard to Fubuki because I think it is paramount in order to understand the character and the scene in question.

I don’t keep up with the fan discourse anymore, so I don’t know if this is still a common interpretation of the character or not, but in the past I often saw a few readers describing Fubuki as a sociable and extroverted character. I find it very strange, because every single thing shown about her in the webcomic, from her general demeanor to her backstory, remarks how profound Fubuki’s psychological issues are and how distant and estranged from others she is as a result of her past: Fubuki is shown to have no close connections and to be unaware of how to be socially competent, hence her reliance on a removed and cold façade and the default template of hierarchies as substitutes for real human connections. In the sole instance where Fubuki interacts with people outside of work and under “normal” circumstances (already significant by and in itself), the hot pot with the Saitama’s group (probably the closest thing she ever got to spending time at a friend’s house or a sleepover), she comes off as incredibly ankward and naive, almost socially inept, due to her lack of experiences/social knowledge. I believe that the aforementioned confusion stems from the manga adaptation and, in particular, from its bonus/side art material, but this isn’t the right post to elaborate on the matter. In any case, even the presence of a group of subordinates doesn’t take away from what I stated above; if anything, it somehow accentuates it. Nowhere in the webcomic is it ever implied that Fubuki and the group spend time together outside of missions or work-related matters; their bond is strictly and consistently portrayed only as a boss-subordinate kind of relationship, albeit a positive and ultimately healthy one, in the light of the Esper Sisters arc. The only moment where their relationship progresses past the boundary of a boss-subordinates/work dynamic into a more “personal” territory occurs only at the very end of the Esper Sisters arc, when the Fubuki’s group members show their unwavering loyalty and profound gratitude toward Fubuki, going as far as to be ready to die against Tatsumaki for their leader’s sake (Chapter 105): from what we can see from Fubuki’s reaction, it’s evident how deeply touched she is from hearing their words of resolve and affection, to the point of shedding tears, because nothing of the sort - like someone genuinely complimenting her as a person - has ever happened to her before. If that moment sticks out, it’s because this exchange constitutes the poignant resolution of the Esper Sisters arc, driving home its message while at the same time refuting Tatsumaki’s distrust for others and her nihilistic outlook on humanity. But even then, that lasts only for a brief moment and Fubuki immediately speaks to her subordinates only as a leader, not as a “friend”; furthermore, she turns around and gives them her shoulders, thus hiding her tears and concealing her genuine emotional response to their words, because, as much as deeply she cares about them, she can’t afford to expose her true self and what she perceives is her most vulnerable side. As for the rest, thanks to Tatsumaki, Fubuki was socially isolated, and her only exposure to others as a child were the bullies who tormented her because of her psychic powers (a gift that Fubuki refused to use offensively at the time, before embracing the lesson the world taught her). Meanwhile, in regard to her high school years, ONE outright stated that Fubuki was a dark and unpopular girl (from “Other ONE-Bukuro 3″) - on the same page, Murata then comments that it was very important for him to depict Fubuki with lingering traces of her past emerging from the leader façade, since, after all, the manga was still following quite closely, at the time of the chapters covered by this behind-the-scenes self-published book, the general footsteps of the webcomic, where Fubuki retains the overall vibe she had in high school, and so he had to be very careful at making sure this element of her characterization was preserved in the remake and matched the source material, despite the differences between the two versions of the character (the leader façade being a detail much more prounounced in the manga version, well, in the early manga at this point); and speaking of that time period, the MA arc flashback underlines, through clever visual and narrative choices, how detached Fubuki was from the other members of the “Society of the Study for Supernatural” school club and, by extension, from anybody else: for the entirety of the flashback, which takes place exclusively in a school setting and in its immediate surroundings, Fubuki is consistently shown to be alone and on her own (more on this topic always here), she is never seen befriending anyone or even talking to people at all (obviously, she must have talked to them off-screen, nonetheless, this narrative omission is very deliberate, I believe), but, instead, she is constantly immersed in her solitude, an element the panels perfectly convey by having Fubuki always out of frame, far from others and/or visually separated from anyone else (a few examples) - I think it is worthy to compare how disinterested and annoyed Fubuki is toward the members of the club, an environment she was founder of and frequented for at least some time, compared to Saitama and his connections, people she is drawn to already by the end of her arc despite knowing them for a very limited timeframe. As for the reason people followed her, it wasn’t due to popularity (as a matter of fact, she wasn’t popular, as per ONE’s statement), “looks” or anything like that, but due to her superior telekinesis (as one of the panel I linked above showcases), which further convinced Fubuki that the sole value the world sees in a person is their power and that human connections are born and hierarchically organized only under this aegis (again, I talked about these fundamental topics in the post linked above). And while it is certanly a much more healthy relationship, this applies also to the Fubuki group: they follow Fubuki because she is their vastly more powerful superior who takes care of them and leads them. Power is still a major factor in their dynamic, whereas in regard to Saitama and his group it doesn’t matter at all. [EDIT 23/03/2024] I might as well include Fubuki’s relationship with Tatsumaki on top of what has already been mentioned. The Esper Sisters arc as a whole is centered around the lifelong issues and traumas of two estranged sisters. Dialogue between them is made impossible due to Tatsumaki’s total reliance on force as a way to resolve any dispute or personal problem. Any reasoning with Tatsumaki is therefore impossible, since, after all, the only language she seems to understand is force and Fubuki never dared to defy Tatsumaki before the Esper Sisters arc precisely due to this (Chapter 99).  Furthermore, Tatsumaki has no consideration for Fubuki’s personal feelings or understanding of her sister in general; it becomes apparent when we remember how the two sisters have polar opposite recollections of their past. The detachment from reality is so severe that Tatsumaki has no idea how compromised their relationship actually is, which reveals how Tatsumaki lives in a world of her own, unable to even perceive the fear she evokes in Fubuki, whom she considers a little helpless kid she can forcefully impose her will on. This demeaning attitude toward Fubuki exposes another detail. The utter disbelief in Fubuki’s repeatition of her sister words upon being (apparently) acknowledged by Tatsumaki (Chapter 101; soon afterward, the true meaning of Tatsumaki’s statements will dispel any sense of relief this moment gave to the B-Class) proves that Fubuki was never praised or complimented by the most important person in her life and how starved of recognition she is; the esper is flabbergasted of simply hearing a positive comment coming from the older sibling. But approval from Tatsumaki isn’t simply a matter of self-esteem for Fubuki, it also means that Tatsumaki will stop interfering and looming over Fubuki’s life and freedom, finally liberating Fubuki from that nefarious presence and influence. Regarding their life together, the webcomic depicts a very depressing family dynamic: besides what has already been discussed, in the flashback Tatsumaki’s presence frightened and concerned Fubuki more than the bullies themselves and, in the present, even the mere prospect of Tatsumaki taking once again complete control over her life leaves Fubuki utterly terrified (Chapter 100) - this reaction implies so much in such a coincise way, like why would Fubuki be this traumatized and afraid of Tatsumaki if she was actually a lovely sister and the time spent together pleasing? So, overall, not a very edificating picture of a sibling dynamic, and this in addition to Tatsumaki being an unstable, violent person whose common rage outburst and psychotic temper make her a nightmare to have around (as Fubuki can attest in Chapter 102), especially for a person like Fubuki, who, growing up under her threat and being the object of her obsession, had no means to defend herself against Tatsumaki. But, more importantly, Tatsumaki is the most important person in Fubuki's life, the one who raised the B-Class, isolating her from the outside world, and the source of several lessons Fubuki learned long the course of her life, like how to always rely on violence instead of dialogue, disregard human bonds, retaliate to any opposition, and never show any weakness, among other stuff [End of the EDIT]. 

So, considering what has been shown so far, the story depicts Fubuki as a socially stunted adult incapable (at the moment) of living a normal life, and pretty much anything about the esper evokes her friendless, isolated background and communicates Fubuki’s unfulfilled longing for human bonds.

This facet of the character directly ties to the topics of the Esper Sisters arc, where isolation and a lack of human relationships are explored through all the main characters’s experiences and how they deal with them:

for Fubuki, the point has been made abundantly clear already, and it comes down, essentially, to a sheltered and friendless background, paired with a harmful upbringing that cemented and reinforced warped worldviews, and being exposed solely to extremely negative experiences and power-obsessed-people perpetuating a distorted imagine of reality, all of which resulted in the development of what is a very damaged individual, whose traumas hinder her ability to open up to others and form bonds, among other things;

Tatsumaki, who, scarred from her past at the lab and misguided by a poor-timed advice, keeps anyone at a distance and disregards the value of human relationships by following an insane way of life that damages others (her sister in particular) and even herself, to the point that this has created a desert around the esper;

and finally Saitama himself, who, even prior to acquiring infinite strength, lived an unfulfilling and detached existence as a young salaryman in search of employment, completely alone and estranged from anyone else. The result of his training, after the fight against Crablante, only further heightened his alienation and led him to an almost jaded state, incapable of finding any fulfillment or satisfaction in life. Meeting Genos and all the other people who gather around him started to mitigate his condition, but Saitama has yet to understand the value these relationships have and find meaning in other aspects of his life.

Isolation and estrangement from other human beings are recurring elements in all three characters’ backstories and lives (with differences due to their individual histories and personalities). Similarly, everyone of them gets called out or receives a wake-up call by the end of the arc, which highlights how this situation is hindering their lives and puts them in front of their inability/unwillingness to open up to others: for Fubuki, it is the acquaintance moment; for Saitama and Tatsumaki, it occurs in their final conversation, Chapter 106. 

End of the digression.

As for Saitama, he is simply stating the truth. He first met Fubuki at her worst, and, in the interactions they had following it, Fubuki employed her façade the majority of the time - with that being said, while he doesn’t enjoy her company, Saitama in the webcomic actually pays attention to what Fubuki has to say (despite seemingly busy reading a manga, Saitama actually listens to Fubuki’s talk in his apartment and responds to her remaining on topic, unlike, for example, in Flashy Flash’s case, where Saitama only caught on to a single word out of the ninja’s entire monologue, which wasn’t even relevant to Flashy’s recount of his past; Chapter 115), admits her into his apartment and is even willing to follow Fubuki instead of outright avoiding her, which is not exactly negligible stuff if we compare it to how he treats several other characters (he remembers her name and who she is, for starters). Anyway. Only in the Esper Sisters arc did Saitama see a more admirable side of the esper, learning a bit more about her past and her situation with Tatsumaki (Chapter 99 and the followings); besides that, the first time Fubuki was actually genuine and direct with him only happened right at the start of this arc, in the elevator. Therefore, it’s obvious why Fubuki doesn’t represent anything more than an acquaintance to him, and, to be fair, it would be strange if this wasn’t the case. At the same time, I don’t think Saitama is saying this line with the ulterior motive of hurting or insulting Fubuki; if anything, it’s yet another case of Saitama’s trademark blunt honesty and his statement represents a fatual observation more than anything else. As I previously mentioned, in Chapter 99, Saitama is repeatedly shown listening to the sisters’s conversation, and he later acknowledges Fubuki’s efforts after all she went through during the fight (Chapter 102). So, I believe that the real narrative meaning of the “acquaintance” comment and its relation to the core message of the arc become apparent only in the light of the follow-up lines. Soon afterward, in fact, Saitama tells the older esper, who arbitrarily decided that Fubuki didn’t need any human connection in her life and thus was forcefully imposing her own decision against her sister will (Chapter 102), how nobody should dictate the life choices of someone else, that the value of human relationships shouldn’t be underestimated, and then he adds: “This is the power of Fubuki’s acquaintance! You better remember that, you shitfaced brat”. After hearing the reason behind the sisters’ conflict and having witnessed it unfold, Saitama decided to step in and take Fubuki’s side, assisting the B-Class esper fight an overwhelming and unfair battle against a toxic person who looms menacingly over her life and freedom, right when the S-Class psychic was about to re-take control over Fubuki’s life and cut any ties she has with the rest of the world (Chapter 101). Instead of a motivation unrelated to the core message of the arc and its characters, what actually brings Saitama to “fight” against the S-Class is his willingness to help Fubuki against her abuser (Chapter 103; Chapter 104), after the B-Class hero proved her growth as a person. Saitama’s actions, in fact, follow Fubuki’s bravest moment in the entire series (so far) and grant her the deserved assistence she is worthy of after giving her all for the sake of others, the human connections she feels responsible for as a leader. Now, make no mistake: Saitama would have helped anyone else in Fubuki’s place, but I think it is very important that Saitama witnessed Fubuki’s heroic side, understood what she was going through and personally ensured that she could confront her sister without an unfair gap of power on the side of the older sibling, making his involvement in the arc totally earned and organic.

Therefore, Saitama stepping in only as a mere acquaintance emphasizes the central theme of the arc - one of the most recurring themes in ONE’s works in general - which is the importance of human bonds and the unhealthiness of cutting ties with the rest of humanity. In this arc, Saitama is intervening not as a friend, not as her “nakama” nor as any other kind of more personal relationship, but simply as an acquaintance of Fubuki, and nonetheless, he is trying to help her against a toxic person who had (and keeps having) an extremely negative role in Fubuki’s life.  As an acquaintance, Saitama is showing Tatsumaki that no matter the degree of intimacy in a relationship, even a not-so-close connection between two human beings can make the difference in a time of need. Sometimes (like in this case), people who have no personal interest or involvement in a conflict might decide to help others without expecting anything in return or without having anything to gain. This nice subversion of the “power of friendship” is a major slap in the face of Tatsumaki’s toxic ideology and her twisted interpretation of Blast’s original advice, because it proves that not all people are egoistical and that not always human contact ends in exploitation, betrayal and mistreatment. The finale, when, in deliberate contrast to how people used to avoid Fubuki out of fear of Tatsumaki (I mentioned this already), the members of the Fubuki group courageously choose to stay at Fubuki’s side despite being up against a psychotic and immensely powerful S-Class esper (this and the following pages, Chapter 105), and then, when the latter wounds from the MA arc opened again, refused to fight Tatsumaki even though they had the perfect opportunity to finish off the person who wanted to maim them (or worse) up until that point, voicing instead their resolve to get stronger for the sake of their leader, further demolishes Tatsumaki’s biases, her idea of relationships as merely parassitic in nature and her complete distrust for people. The fact this showcase of humanity comes from an extension of Fubuki’s character, her group, makes it all the more poignant in the context of this arc and the sisters’ conflict, where the driving force that leads Fubuki, the heart and soul of the arc, to confront and fight Tatsumaki are, specifically, her human connections: in order to protect them, Fubuki finds the resolve and the courage necessary to face her own fears and traumas, in what represents the culmination of her character arc up until that point. It all goes to illustrate the healthy and positive role human bonds can play in our lives, and the profound impact they might have on our process of growth and maturation. And while the arc does acknowledge that relationships can be harmful and damaging as well (as Fubuki and Tatsumaki’s backstories and conflict demonstrate), it also proves how that is far from being the only case, that human connections are a fundamental part of what makes us humans and that no one, not even all mighty heroes, can live, or should live, on their own, isolated from anyone else.

Concluding the post, I believe the “acquaintance” moment has way more meaning to it than what it might appear at a first glance, because it’s actually deeply tied to the core message of the arc and the storylines of these characters. Removed from its context and without that specific lead-up, it can make for a boring and shallow “meme”, but its significance changes drastically when considered within the narrative framework provided by the arc.