Species You Wish Had Done More

[Ungatt Trunn]

I think a shrew hero would be cool.

THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!

I agree! Some of the species are usually just treated as side characters, like shrews, when they can do a whole lot more!

[The Shade]

I think a shrew hero would be cool.

THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!

I agree! Some of the species are usually just treated as side characters, like shrews, when they can do a whole lot more!

Shrews, hedgehogs, voles, birds, all swept aside for squirrels, mice, badgers, and otters.

[Ungatt Trunn]

I think a shrew hero would be cool.

THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!

I agree! Some of the species are usually just treated as side characters, like shrews, when they can do a whole lot more!

Shrews, hedgehogs, voles, birds, all swept aside for squirrels, mice, badgers, and otters.

Voles feel a little too much like bad guys for my taste, but with all the other species, I totally agree!

[Dannflower Reguba]

I think a shrew hero would be cool.

THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!

I agree! Some of the species are usually just treated as side characters, like shrews, when they can do a whole lot more!

Shrews, hedgehogs, voles, birds, all swept aside for squirrels, mice, badgers, and otters.

Without minor characters, the major characters lose focus.

Besides, what's wrong with squirrels, mice, badgers, and otters? Jaques knew what he was doing, that's why HE was the author. You're acting like some species being more frequent than others is a bad thing, it's all a part of a good story.

[Ungatt Trunn]

I think a shrew hero would be cool.

THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!

I agree! Some of the species are usually just treated as side characters, like shrews, when they can do a whole lot more!

Shrews, hedgehogs, voles, birds, all swept aside for squirrels, mice, badgers, and otters.

Without minor characters, the major characters lose focus.

But species like shrews and hedgehogs can have a chance to become a main character once in a while.

[Dannflower Reguba]

I think a shrew hero would be cool.

THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!

I agree! Some of the species are usually just treated as side characters, like shrews, when they can do a whole lot more!

Shrews, hedgehogs, voles, birds, all swept aside for squirrels, mice, badgers, and otters.

Without minor characters, the major characters lose focus.

But species like shrews and hedgehogs can have a chance to become a main character once in a while.

Dippler and Burble were primary characters.

There's the Hedgehogs from Rogue Crew

The Hedgehog from Eulalia.

The Log-a-logs generally had a fairly important position in the book.

The thing is these species just aren't as interesting as the ones that have been established as primaries species.

[The Shade]

Without minor characters, the major characters lose focus.

Besides, what's wrong with squirrels, mice, badgers, and otters? Jaques knew what he was doing, that's why HE was the author. You're acting like some species being more frequent than others is a bad thing, it's all a part of a good story.
[/quote]
I never said I disliked those creatures, its just there's not a great amount of variety.

[Dannflower Reguba]

That's another thing though, if your variety spreads out to much, the detail in them will also be spread out, you lose certain levels of description by changing the rules.

Just to make this clear, I by no means think that having one of these other species as a main character is a bad idea, I think it could've potentially been interesting, but just the way the discussion is going, most of this comes across as, "Brian messed up."

[Ungatt Trunn]

That's another thing though, if your variety spreads out to much, the detail in them will also be spread out, you lose certain levels of description by changing the rules.

Not if the different species "took turns" playing out as one of them being that of the main character.

[The Shade]

That's another thing though, if your variety spreads out to much, the detail in them will also be spread out, you lose certain levels of description by changing the rules.

Just to make this clear, I by no means think that having one of these other species as a main character is a bad idea, I think it could've potentially been interesting, but just the way the discussion is going, most of this comes across as, "Brian messed up."

Of course I don't think Brian messed up, he was a great author, and that's why this forum exists.  I'm sorry if it sounded like that. 

[Dannflower Reguba]

That's another thing though, if your variety spreads out to much, the detail in them will also be spread out, you lose certain levels of description by changing the rules.

Not if the different species "took turns" playing out as one of them being that of the main character.

But then wouldn't that become a stereotype as well? Hmm.... How about a shrew this time? No, I used a shrew just 4 books ago, it's the otters turn this time.

Another thing I want to mention, a lot of these species (voles, hedgehogs, etc.) Aren't seen very often in the series, there are a given few of them which results in a more realistic story type. There are some people groups that are larger than others. Likewise, there are certain beastly groups that are larger than others.

~Viola
~The shrew from Sable Queen


P.S. I'm not coming across as over-bearing am I? I know I can do that when debates ( ) start snowballing. I'm not trying to take over the conversation if it's starting to seem like that.

[rachel25]

I think a shrew hero would be cool.

THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!

I agree! Some of the species are usually just treated as side characters, like shrews, when they can do a whole lot more!

Shrews, hedgehogs, voles, birds, all swept aside for squirrels, mice, badgers, and otters.

not really otters, it was very rare that the main hero was an otter. They acted like the side show a lot.
But I do wish there had been a shrew hero, that would be cool 

[Ungatt Trunn]

That's another thing though, if your variety spreads out to much, the detail in them will also be spread out, you lose certain levels of description by changing the rules.

Not if the different species "took turns" playing out as one of them being that of the main character.

But then wouldn't that become a stereotype as well? Hmm.... How about a shrew this time? No, I used a shrew just 4 books ago, it's the otters turn this time.

Not if each character was completly unique in its own way. And I don't think that BJ would think like ^that while wrighting his books. Each character in the Redwall series are all different. Even if the species are the same or different depending on the curcumstances of the story.

[Dannflower Reguba]

But the species type also indicates some very important behavioral traits. For instance: Hares are crazy gluttons, shrews are bickering snobs with a passion for anything rough, voles are rude, otters are goofy, but have a tough side as well, moles are humble, etc.

Taking turns just wouldn't work because it would put the series into an annoyingly predictable pattern.

[Ungatt Trunn]

But the species type also indicates some very important behavioral traits. For instance: Hares are crazy gluttons, shrews are bickering snobs with a passion for anything rough, voles are rude, otters are goofy, but have a tough side as well, moles are humble, etc.

Taking turns just wouldn't work because it would put the series into an annoyingly predictable pattern.

But it can be considered boring to use the same type of species being the main character type again and again and again...