Are You Guys Ready To Meet Arflow?? I Hope You're As Excited As He Is!

Are you guys ready to meet Arflow?? I hope you're as excited as he is!

@/mole-supremacy kindly included the link to my video (again, thank you for sharing my work!), so check that out if you're so inclined, but here is the rest of my Arflow content:

The audio in my original video is as follows:

"This is Arlfow. He's a hand-customized plush representation of the otter character from Rakkety Tam by Brian Jacques in the Redwall series. When he was in his young seasons, he said goodbye to his parents and younger sister Matunda, left his holt, and began the journey of a hero. Arflow really was a hero in his story, but I suppose you'll have to read the book to find out how, I don't want to give away any spoilers. Anyway, Arflow is happy that you could watch his little photo series, and be on the lookout for an in-depth video about him on my page."

Of course, I have since made that "in-depth video..." here it is! It shows all of the clothes and accessories I made, as well as a little bit about their stories.

Again, I thank each and every one of you for the love you've shown me. I have had such fun time making and sharing Arflow!

Someone made an Arflow stuffed animal

I played the theme to the Redwall TV show on my cello (her name is Eleanor)! It made me excited and happy to play a song I know that's so special to me, this music is enriching... and so was filming it!

*crash* buh duh duh duh buh duh duh duh wahhhwooo

For all fellow musicians out there, here is the sheet music, transcribed by yours truly!

So I’m gonna do my fanfics for this year in categories. Kinda like how artists do with their art?

Anyways it’s been, uh, not the best year for me but I had fun writing :3

Most emotional while writing:

(In Different Soil - Redwall)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30385746

(Like Buds in the sun - Redwall)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29776401

Completed works:

(Gilded Amethyst - Spyro)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17675324

(We Play Our Parts - Balto)

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1637029

(This Place We Call Home - YouTubers)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14943815

Weirdly popular:

(You can’t just pick up a friend at the corner store, can you? - Little Nightmares 2)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32201935

(Family Trip - Carmen Sandiego)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29183403

I am in perpetual need of Redwall queer stories and you all are feeding my hunger.

See tags for my favorite bits hehe ->

Reading all the Redwall books in publication order: Mossflower

I FINALLY finished Mossflower, after about three months of chewing through it. Not a mark against the book, just my adhd acting up. I finished most of the book in one day actually. (not a critical review, just all the thoughts dumped into a post)

Blurb: The thrilling prequel to "Redwall". The clever and greedy wildcat Tsarmina becomes ruler of all Mossflower Woods and is determined to govern the peaceful woodlanders with an iron paw. The brave mouse Martin and quick-talking mouse thief Gonff meet in the depths of Kotir Castle's dungeon. The two escape and resolve to end Tsarmina's tyrannical rule. Joined by Dinny the mole, Martin and Gonff set off on a dangerous quest for Salamandastron, where they are convinced that their only hope, Boar the Fighter, still lives.

Sidenote, the Goodreads blurb for some reason put Dinny as Kinny, and in my edition its Dinny, therefore Goodreads is wrong and can eat my dick. Also Kinny would be a hilarious name.

Death count of named characters: 21 (the exact same as Redwall. dunno if that's intentional)

Death count of unnamed characters: Dunno! But it was actually a lot less than in Redwall for sure, because they let most of Tsarmina's army go instead of SLAUGHTER.

(Spoilers ahead for a 30 year old novel, proceed with caution <3)

This was a fun one! I honestly liked Martin's quest to go to Salamandastron a lot more than Matthias's quest. Idk, it just felt more action packed. Matthias had a Lot of sitting and pondering riddles, while Martin had Gonff and Dinny who were fun on their own, plus encounters with enemies to fight and outsmart. Getting to see all the backstory for Redwall was cool. We got to see a bunch of elements and characters that would eventually become Redwall. I also enjoyed Columbine as a character, especially since she got some agency in the story and we got to hear her perspective, unlike with Cornflower in Redwall. I like that Gonff was the one with a love interest instead of Martin since it fleshes him out and lets Martin do all the revenge he could want.

God, the strategy in this? Chef's kiss. It really felt like watching a chess game unfold except a lot more chaotic and occasionally they'd find new pieces to use. That's what I've really been enjoying about these books so far, is the military strategy on both sides. Them flooding Kotir was such a cool move, and the fact that it was a double fake out with it failing at first and then succeeding with the arrival of the Wuddship? Fantastic! Amazing! Beautiful!

Tsarmina was a fun villain! She was just campy and evil as hell, plus watching her slowly descend into madness over the sounds of dripping water that no one else could hear? Chef's kiss. Watching her snap Martin's father's sword is just such a good personal moment to build tension and animosity between the two. I really wish there could've been a moment like that with Cluny and Matthias, because their struggle felt far more impersonal, but idk if that would've worked in the story.

I like how it built throughout the story how little the soldiers of Kotir are loyal to her, really helps set up their desertion and surrender at the end. I liked that most of the infantry got to live and move on to a new place instead of dying. Like in Redwall its explicitly stated in text that most of Cluny's soldiers were recruited completely unwillingly from the surrounding forest, and then they were all killed. I just find that really sad.

Some character thoughts:

Gonff: Funky! Love him. If there's an audiobook of this I hope they gave all of his songs tunes and if they didn't thats a crime

Dinny: so hard to understand but still cool, just want to give him a pat on the head

Martin: mmmmm, warrior mouse. wish he was a Touch more feral

Columbine: Better than cornflower and you can fight me on it

Lady Amber and Skipper: mlm and wlw solidarity. I won't be taking criticism at this time

Bella: butch lesbian. friend shaped, would trust her with my life

Gingivere: he fucks

Abbess Germaine: she definitely also fucks. GILF

Tsarmina: Queen of a Thousand Eyes, if humanized has the potential to be the Second Tumblr Sexywoman

Gloomer: I know he's a wordless swimming flesh eating monster rat... but I could fix him

Brogg: so stupid and so trusting. too bad he got crushed by that flying rock, he would've made a good malewife

Bane: greedler with a knife

Fortunata: fox. too clever to be smart

Ashleg: he gone

List of named character deaths (in chronological order):

*=death either from that character’s point of view or in disturbing detail

-Verdauga

-Luke the Warrior

-Barkstripe

-Gloomer*

-Thicktail*

-Scratch*

-Blacktooth*

-Splitnose*

-Fortunata*

-Mask*

-Cludd

-Squint*

-Badtail*

-Boar the Fighter

-Bane*

-Argulor*

-Ratflank

-Bentbrush

-Foulwhisker*

-Brogg*

-Tsarmina*

Next on the list:

Mattimeo

Mariel of Redwall

Salamandastron

(BONUS! Some bits from my notes app:

Tsarmina Fortunata lesbian moment? (Fortunata died almost immediately after this)

BATS ARE CANON!!!!

MARTIN TIMBALLISTO GAY MOMENT! pg 307)

Swartt Sixclaw

This fellow has always been presented to plainly for my liking, so I done up a portrait to embellish the ferret Warlord's appearance a bit. Note that magnificent gauntlet, custom-forged and fitted for a six-clawed paw. Given that "Swartt" is very similar to the root word for "swarthy" (aka, dark-complexioned) I figured his coat would be prominently dark-umber or nearly black, not the usual roany brownish or grayish or off-white of common ferret morphs. And armor! So much armor--armor of any form is really so much better than no armor. It still ticks me that Long Patrol and many woodlanders are never described as having a form of armor while all the bandits and hordebeasts are--yet are still at advantage in their battles. Give 'em armor, y' stingy ole Badger Lord! XD

Watch it

Watch it.

Whatever you are doing now is not as important as this.

So watch it.