r/eulalia

For my part, I'm going with Raura the otterwife's song in Triss. Granted, it doesn't make me bawl quite like Kroova, Scarum, and Sagax, but it still hits me really hard.

For those who can't recall how the song goes, here it is:

'Tis a far cry from home for a poor lonely thing,

O'er the deeps and wild waters of seas,

Where you can't hear your dear mother's voice softly sing

Like a breeze gently stirring the trees.

Come home, little one, wander back here someday,

I'Il watch for you, each evening and morn,

Through all the long season 'til I'm old and grey

As the frost on the hedges at dawn.

There's a lantern that shines in my window at night,

I have long kept it burning for you,

It glows through the dark, like a clear guiding light,

And I know someday you'll see it, too.

So hasten back, little one, or I will soon be gone,

No more to see your dear face,

But I know that I'll feel your tears fall one by one,

On the flowers o'er my resting place.'

I'm either ambivalent or in disagreement with most of the changes that the show made to the books they adapted, but one change really stands out big time. It occurs in the second season, the one which adapts Mattimeo.

Instead of dying off-screen (off-page?) Warbeak is given one last exchange with Matthias before the end. It always hit me hard, even as a kid, and now that I'm older, I can't watch it without crying. These two went through so much together across two books, and while I get why Brian didn't allow for it, given how chaotic battle can be, I'm glad that the show gave them the chance to bid each other goodbye.

(EDIT: I'm aware that this is a subjective opinion, and in hindsight, I would have titled this "What's a show change that you prefer to the books" instead)

Yes, even more than Rufe Brush or Ripfang.

Brian wrote Mossflower first, so I'll address what he established in that book first. We only meet Timballisto for a short time, but one of the main things we learn about him is that the name "Timballisto" stemmed from his ability to build ballista siege weapons.

Later, in Outcast of Redwall, Brian set up that Timbal went on to have at least one grandson. Brother Barlom records that he has memories of his grandfather before he died.

So far so good, but then Legend of Luke came around. First, Martin reveals that Timballisto died the first winter after Kotir was toppled. I can only assume that Brian killed Timballisto off to explain why Martin has so little info regarding his father and his old home, though that does imply that Martin and Timbal never talked about those days before the latter died. Moreover, we find out in the flashbacks that Tim just has that name automatically. He never builds or even designs a ballista (even though such a weapon would be super useful against corsair ships) and yet he's called Timballisto anyway.

To be honest, I don't see why Brian killed off Tim in the first place; assuming that he did it to avoid spoiling his story, Timballisto being alive wouldn't have spoiled all that much. It's not like he went on Luke's voyage, he'd be just as lost as anyone to explain where Luke went or what happened to him. If anything, I think Tim should have gone on that journey with Martin. It would have been fitting for them to revisit their old home together, not to mention giving them both closure over what happened in their youth. Plus it means that there isn't such a chronological inconsistency regarding his lifespan in LoL and OoR

EDIT: I don't mean this to be a total takedown of Legend of Luke; Luke's storyline was genuinely great, and the otter Folgrim is one of the most nuanced characters that Brian ever wrote, IMO.

I feel like Rabbad in "The Taggerung" was one that really stuck out for me. Eaten alive by large fish as they surrounded him from all sides and pulled him under the water. Rabbad hadn't done anything particularly bad at that point either (though he was still a Juska), so it seemed like his death was especially random and cruel.

So I'm working on a long form fanfiction piece and the key part of the story relies on one important crux

Setting the scene, our lord is visiting Redwall for the harvest feast. It is interrupted by the gatekeeper reporting vermin at the gates, so the lord goes to investigate and receives more information from those outside that there is one person by the gates and four more out in the field having chased the one by the gates bust stopped before getting too close to Redwall.

The lord opens the gates and finds a fox in a bad state, who collapses with exhaustion. Is it sensible for the lord to bring her in?

The next day a large horde has formed outside evidently chasing this fox. One of the horde masters servants asks for the fox to be returned and they will leave. The horde leader lies and says that the fox is a murderer, and the lord should give her back. Again is it sensible for the lord to refuse considering how redwall and the long patrol typically treats foxes?

For my part, the first one that comes to mind is the moment in Salamandastron, where Samkim and his buddies come across Alfoh the Elder and his shrews while they're chasing after the fox Dethbrush. When Alfoh agrees to help Samkim, one of the younger shrews declares that Dethbrush should be his to slay, since Dethbrush murdered his brother. Alfoh overrides him, arguing that Samkim has a prior claim, since Dethbrush stole the sword of Martin the Warrior first.

Reading that book for the first time, I was utterly baffled by that decision. If I was that young shrew, I'd have been absolutely livid. Samkim gets the right to kill Dethbrush because of a stolen sword over another creature's life? Hell, Dethbrush didn't even steal the sword originally, he just took it from the actual thief.

And yes, revenge is bad and it will only make you feel worse, and yes, Samkim might have a better chance to best Dethbrush in a fight, but Alfoh doesn't use either of those arguments to justify his decision.

One thing I always found so strange is the riddle in Mattimeo. Apparently Abbess Germaine wanted to remind Redwall how to get back to Loamhedge Abbey, and so she so she left the riddle behind in a needlessly complicated way, using various abbey landmarks (including her own tomb) and she set it out in Loamscript of all things, which many of the Redwallers couldn't even read, even in Germaine's own lifetime.

I once typed it out in response to an earlier post, but here's how I like to imagine that scenario played out:

Germaine: "Attention, Abbey dwellers! I wrote down these instructions on how to get back to Loamhedge."

Columbine: "That's a good idea, Mother Abbess! Always good to know where we came from."

Germaine: "Exactly, and that's why I wrote each step out in a cryptic manner. What use are instructions if they don't make you think, after all."

Skipper: "Well, that's mighty strange, but if you say so, Mother Abbess. Wait, I can't read any of this..."

Germaine: "Oh, yes, it's in Loamscript. But don't bother translating it, we're always going to use this text at Redwall."

Lady Amber: "And what about those of us who can't read Loamscript?"

Germaine: "They can learn to read Loamscript, can they not? What else are we doing here all day?"

Bella: "So... should we keep these instructions with the new Abbey records, Mother Abbess?"

Germaine: "Don't be silly! I want these instructions carved into the abbey rock!"

Lady Amber: "As you say, then, Mother Abbess. Where should we carve it?"

Germaine: "Glad you volunteered, Amber! You and your squirrels can carve it on top of that tall tower! How about... right above the crow carving!"

Lady Amber: "You mean the one which two of my squirrels nearly died trying to put in place?"

Germaine: "That's the spirit! It has to be on top of the Abbey Crow! Hmm... Top Abbey Crow... I like that! That'd be a great clue to where the instructions are!"

Ferdy: "A clue? Is that really necessary?"

Germaine: "Indeed it is! Where's your sense of adventure? Oh, and let's have the clue carved on my tomb while we're at it!"

Gonff: "Well... that's one way to leave the clue, I suppose..."

Germaine: "Also, don't forget to make it a first part to the riddle, like an anagram which they'll have to figure out. Best to make them earn the riddle, you know?"

Columbine: "Mother Abbess, are you sure you're feeling alright?"

Bella: "Just roll with it, everyone. It's a thing, just take it from me."

Martin: "Hmmm, this all gives me a lot of ideas. Did I mention that I'm gonna have a successor called Matthias-"

Everyone else: "YES!"