#why did she and shadowsight not bond more over being manipulated by the imposter...

[shummthechumm]

thinkin’ about early TBC bristlefrost....baby girl what did they do 2 u

[twilights-800-cats]

Rewriting The Broken Code

I know it’s a little premature, what with there only being 4 of the 6 books out yet, but I wanted to jot down my thoughts on how I would improve The Broken Code.

Personally, I don’t think it’s a bad arc - the plot is the most unique by far and has a lot of potential to go into interesting places and it really feels like the Erins are pushing into those interesting directions - but there are things I would like to change about it.

No, this isn’t a promise that I will be rewriting tBC in the future, lol. These thoughts are put down without the need to change much from previous arcs.

The Protagonists

Bristlefrost - I feel like her role in the story would be more improved, and interesting, if she were to spend the first half of the arc as Bramblefake’s willing comrade. She wants what’s best for ThunderClan, like any other loyal warrior, and she wants to bring back StarClan by punishing the Codebreakers. That’s what her leader has ordered, and a Clan leader’s word is law.

I want her to be Bramblefake’s most loyal lackey, and then see the cracks in his façade and slowly realize the wrongs she’s committing. I want her to really work hard to put things right - and realize that loyalty doesn’t mean sacrificing one’s free will. Perhaps her relationship with Rootspring can help her come to see this, see that the warrior code needs changing and that the Clans need changing, too.

Perhaps Flipclaw or Thriftear could die and help push this? idk, but I really like the idea of “evil” Bristlefrost, who slowly begins to realize that she’s been the bad guy all along, and that Bramblefake was playing with her emotions after she was rejected by Stemleaf.

Shadowsight - not many changes for Shadowsight. Personally, I do like the idea of a medicine cat tricked by a malevolent spirit into delivering false signs - it has a lot of potential.

However, one major thing I would change about Shadowsight’s arc is that he is an only kit - Lightleap and Pouncestep? Nonexistent. This would intensify the isolation that Shadowsight feels when it’s revealed that he has been delivering false signs, and heighten the overprotectiveness of Tigerheartstar and Dovewing, who treat Shadowsight with no small amount of favoritism (to the chagrin of his Clanmates).

This would very easily push Shadowsight to a point where he seeks to befriend just about anyone - cats from other Clans, rogues, loners, and even a spirit that seems to be whispering prophecies in only HIS ears... 

Rootspring - not too many changes for Rootspring, either. I do like his character and how he grows from a petulant child to a rather mature, emotionally sound adult. I would do a lot more with his connection to the Sisters and his powers, and add in more conflicts with Tree and more bonding moments with Violetshine and Hawkwing.

Perhaps he’s trained as a medicine cat from the start? His little stint as a medicine cat was an interesting idea but it came far too late to really mean anything imo - plus, it might give him some cute interactions with Shadowsight.

The Villain(s)

Ashfur - I’ve been over this before, but I’m not in love with the idea of Ashfur being the villain - but if he has to be...

I want him to play on Bristlefrost’s feelings of rejection and court her to his side. After all, this is a pain they share! It would give Ashfur and Bristlefrost some interesting interactions, and definitely open up a lot of opportunities for him to be, y’know, creepy ass Ashfur.

I want Ashfur to bring up how abusive Bramblestar has been to Squirrelflight. I enjoy how frightening their dynamic is in the books, so I would want to keep that.

I want him to really screw with ThunderClan. Exile cats. Kill cats! Who are all these strangers to him, anyway? What do they matter? I want him to surround himself with loyalists and make it really, really hard for him to be deposed.

Other Ideas - I pointed out that a character could be made from wholecloth to take Ashfur’s place, and in some ways I really think that this is how it should go... but thinking more, I don’t think I want to get rid of Ashfur completely.

Hear me out - multiple imposters. Multiple spirits who have possessed the recently-dead and are manipulating the Clans from within, turning them against Codebreakers and the other Clans. Ashfur takes ThunderClan all for himself, and perhaps gets a little too single-minded in his pursuit of Squirrelflight.

This would get the other Clans in the picture. More Clan-on-Clan battles, more deaths - more spirits for this Grand Schemer to use. More chaos. Rather than spending two chapters of a book doing nothing but trying to figure out what to do with one spirit, there’s an infestation to try and figure out!

And when they finally reveal the true architect behind it all, it really doesn’t matter who they are or why they did it - the flaws have been revealed. The warrior code has been smashed, and it needs to be remade, or destroyed.

Other Stuff I’d Do

I want Bramblestar to DIE. Not just because I don’t like his character, but because I think it would be a great way to pit ThunderClan against the other Clans even more, for even MORE conflict - they killed Bramblestar, but this problem is still escalating. They thought removing him was the key, but it’s not, and Squirrelflight and ThunderClan are pissed. Take Mistystar too while I’m at it...

I want more cats to leave the Clans. It’s only natural! Things are going haywire, and not just in ThunderClan. Cats move off and form their own groups, or maybe just leave to become kittypets. Most that left don’t want to return. A good way to cull the Clan numbers without too many deaths, and maybe those that come back don’t always come back alone.

Each Clan copes with losing StarClan in their own way. Some still hold violently to their beliefs (WindClan or RiverClan). Others might seek different solutions (SkyClan or ShadowClan). Some might be lost (ThunderClan), and some might just fall apart. Either way, it would make Clan-to-Clan conflict have more depth, and show more insight into the other Clans’ problems... and maybe make RiverClan relevant again.

Rewrite the Code. Obviously, this would all end with the warrior code being rewritten and, possibly, the Clans themselves changing. Perhaps they become more open, more willing to accept one another while still doing what makes them unique.