So around January 2022, I was having a discussion with mah skool fwend about "Squirrelflight's Hope" because they'd just finished it. I'd asked about their opinion on Squirrelflight and Bramblestar (about how the 2 of each other acted regarding kits). Their response had been somewhere along the lines of "I feel like readers had POV bias because they supported Twigbranch when Finleap pestered for kits but then sided with Squilf when she was bullied for being the one pestering for kits" (we were talking about the basic tendencies of opinions from users in the fandom). "2 things were in their favor, guys: their position as the cat in POV and the she-cat in the equation..."
I'd totally instantly agreed, wondering how I never included such a basic connection in any of the long tirades I went off on. So yeah, indeed, there was some kind of bias for the cat in POV (unless fandoms want to continue pointing at Finleap and Bramblestar for being more on the offense team as the "ruder" ones). It's either that (POV), or maybe readers just always tend to root for the she-cat in the equation (I can think of Yellowfang as the unlucky she-cat one in a mate relationship, but no kit-forcing was involved, just the removal from a medicine-cat position). I'm sure you all know what that is inferring to; I do not need to implicate any more (sorts of sexism and stigma :C). If I'd gotten of the underlying reason wrong (any of them), then mY bAd-
If the case is Squilf in POV (or even a reader's favorite she-cat), I wonder if readers just detested how Bramblestar reacted to her request and treated her, or if they actually wanted Bramblestar to give Squilf those kits ._. I mean I can recall how one person asked the rhetorical question along the lines of "why can't Bramblestar just give Squilf the kits?!?!" "he doesn't need to take care of them and can go back to leader duties while Squilf can watch the kits" (No harsh feelings for the user with the opinion, it's just an example but all opinions are respected and considered at whatever level).
and . . . That is just unfair in my opinion. It is following the conventions of how the she-cat is expected to be the one entering the nursery and waiting for however long, kitting, and finally nursing for 6 moons while the tom just pops in every now and then (and Squilf's wants and Bramblestar's reluctance in the super edition actually supports that).
So wHaT if some people believe Bramblestar was using Squilf's desperate want for kits against her, sneering that she would never get them because he had the power not to grant them to her. If that were likely the case, then it'd just point to Bramblestar's callousness.
Then users would need to call out Squilf for not dumping him (as I believe many ALSO want), instead of believing Bramblestar should sTiLL giVe heR tHe kiTs (call him bad, that's ok but Squilf was immature herself still ASKING and not giving up or taking action). The only time I found it unfair was when Bramblestar felt betrayed by being lied to about the kits (I'm pretty sure it wasn't just about the kits not being his biological kin), but he'd been alienated for a very long time.
Another time someone called Bramblestar "the polar opposite of Bumblestripe". Yes, Bumblestripe was the one acting very similar to Finleap. I hope that didn't mean they were supporting Bumblestripe. I'm pretty sure in Dovewing's case, Bumblestripe only mentioned the kits TWICE and focused on "becoming a mate first" much more. Still, I believe he was the worst. Finleap had felt like such an unnecessary cliche **insert crying groaning emoji**; like the ship had been sOoOoOOoOo cute when Finleap's tail first was severed. Then the author had to pull that card for Twigbranch drama and I'm not even sure if I'm glad they got back together :C
The point here though, is the kit portion of it (not any other tormenting that Squilf enabled). "Is that why the she-cat is supported no matter what?!" Because the she-cat would have more roles anyway if they wanted the kits themselves, or because the she-cat has more power to decide whether to generate kits or not?!?! Is it because they believe that, in Squilf's case, Squilf deserves kits because she promises to raise more once again as the great mother she is?! Is it because, in Twigbranch and Dovewing's case, they are the she-cats so they get more of a say in the family planning (if they even want a family) and not Finleap or Bumblestripe?!?! (I believe that Finleap and Bumblestripe deserve all the hate, while Bramblestar doesn't deserve the full 100%). I'm sure we know what forming a kit implies, even if the Warriors series is child friendly and I'm far too old to be reading them (even if new books are coming out and I'm just having the chance because they didn't exist back in 2014). Therefore, we know what it means for the unwanting cat to be involved in kit-forming...
I mean, do we want Bramblestar to be a pushover (by giving Squilf the kits and then backing away) just to stay with his mate? Everyone finds it almost abuse-like when the female one becomes the pushover in that equation/hypothetical scenario, but is it any different for the male?! Hecc, did Bramblestar even want to stay with Squilf at some points?? Many couples in these modern days still give each other what they want (uneasily or even resentfully) just to remain together, and that's just pathetic and unacceptable in my opinion (that may be because I'm one of those "wHaTs tHe pOinT oF fAmiLieS, gO geT a jOb cUz u nEeD oNe aNd fOcUs oN iT aNd yOuRseLf" people) (if it's their choice, I'll back away but still secretly judge.) I believe that if Squilf didn't ditch Bramble for being inconsiderate in OTHER cases, then Bramble should've done so with Squilf's whiny needs and cLoSe tHe cAsE. (I believe he did get her off his back for a while- then regretted it.) Lastly, again, I acknowledge that I might've read Squilf's more genuine requests in a whiny way because i always READ short and stupid requests in whiny tones when they're not said aloud)
Therefore, Bramblestar shouldn't receive the same hate for being critical. Bumblestripe and Finleap?. . . Maybe they should because they're the ones forcing themselves on, not because they're the toms. Squilf was the one with a request here. The only time Bramblestar's crassness wasn't so nice was when Squilf was defending the Sisters. For all 3 relationships, they ended in rifts for a while. Bumblestripe permanently and Finleap's and Squilf's revived after a while.
aNoTHeR sHoRT rAnT iDeA i mAdE a biT LoNG,, i hOpE i mAdE mAh pOinT cLeAR eVeN iF waTTpAd iS dEaD aNd i wAs neVeR aLiVe- "sAmE sTaNcE nEw iDeAs"- i just initially tried to shed light (anless people already know or are fixated) on what I discovered thanks to an in-person discussion (POV tendencies blahblah), but made it deeper. . .
-daTs wHy iT tOoK sO LoNG tO geT diS tYpEd, cOpY-pAsTeD, tHeN pUbLiShEd
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rants for the warrior cats series
Randommy thoughts and opinions on the series will be updated here
