Alderheart's Anxiety - Sunny's Spiel | Warriors Analysis

I’ve had this on my ideas list for a very long time. Alderheart as a character has never been one of my favorites, but the introduction we get of him in his first book is extremely promising, and personally investing for a lot of people, myself included. He gives us an avenue to discuss important topics and potentially realize things about ourselves. I just wish the series itself had chosen to properly conclude this large part of his story.
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[@Sheedystar_the_cat]

I’d love to see a canon meet up between Ravenpaw, Alderheart and Shrewtooth It would just be so funny 😂

[@helpra]

The talk of the nervous boys

[@Mothpool4life]

And Shadowsight might as well join in

[@chip_pawzz]

assuming shrewtooth and ravenpaw are in starclan, alderheart and shadowsight could go to the moonpool and have an anxiety cats meet-up

[@Pyxaanthal]

I have panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder and I have for my entire life. Seeing Alderheart was very relatable, even if he never specifically has a panic attack. His constant worry and tendency to dramatize normal things made me feel seen. That being said, him changing from being entirely focused on his anxiety didn't upset me. It felt like he was healing, something I needed to see back then. In his healing his anxiety seemed to reverse, be became bold and irrational, which I feel is a very real portrayal of overcoming anxiety. When I got treatment, I became more bold and made more impulsive decisions. I felt invincible, having not had panic attacks for months. Liberation from constant misery does that, it feels like you can finally live how everyone else is seeming to live. That doesn't mean the anxiety has gone away though, I just have the tools and medication to manage it. That's really my only problem with Alderheart's arc. He didn't carry the anxiety with him, which is unrealistic given that anxiety is a malfunction of brain chemicals, you can't just get rid of it magically. However, Alderheart getting out into the world and facing what gives him anxiety is a very real form of treatment called exposure therapy, and it's more helpful than anything to be honest. I just wish his journey with managing his mental health hadn't ended with his physical journey.

[@kumabreed6386]

Yo same!! But it is possible to recover from anxiety without having meds, I did it myself. Not everyone will have anxiety forever, it is totally possible to get rid of it so I think Alderheart's character development was actually pretty realistic

[@gilramanujan8826]

Alderpaw was one of my first favorite characters in the series as the apprentices quest was the first warriors book I read. However, it does feel rather jarring that the topic on anxiety wasn’t followed up on. But I agree, it doesn’t harm the arc but I would have been nice to see more from his character.

[@staying_silent]

I feel like some of Alderheart's change in the second and third book could be attributed to Twigkit and Violetkit. A lot of people with anxiety, myself included, are a lot more confident when we're sticking up for something or someone we care about. I have debilitating social anxiety, just being near a stranger sends me into a panic attack some days, but I have a younger cousin I absolutely adore and I once demanded to speak to one of her school teachers because I felt she wasn't being treated fairly. So my main issue with Alderheart in the second and third books is just that he never acknowledges his own anxiety. After I talked with my cousin's teacher, I left the building and had a breakdown in my car, because everything I'd just done caught up to me and the realisation was too much. I'd disagreed with someone, a stranger no less, and not cared what they thought about me. It wasn't something I ever thought I would do, and in any other situation I _wouldn't_ have been able to do it. Alderheart never has a moment like that. He's never surprised by his own boldness, he never wonders why he can suddenly do these things - he just has confidence now, and never acknowledges it. And by book 4, the anxiety is gone almost completely. There was no gradual improvement, no mention of how he's changed. He's just "better" now. Like the fear wasn't originally a defining point of his character.

[@WolfBoy-om6dw]

I haven't read up to where Alderheart shows up but from this video alone, I think he's definitely one of my favorite characters at least in terms of how he was originally portrayed. As someone who has a lot of self-loathing issues, and has been suffering for a lot of existential dread in the past two years or so, and who's definitely felt the feeling of being overwhelmed I can absolutely relate to Alderheart's Anxiety.

[@Answeredriddle]

As someone who suffers from severe social anxiety, I absolutely related to and enjoyed Alderheart as he was originally presented. While my anxiety derives less from ‘am I doing xyz correct’ and more from ‘how does xyz perceive me and am I doing something that worsens that perception of me?’, it was still relatable to have a protagonist question themself to a detrimental extent. Alderheart had long since fallen off my list of interesting characters because he no longer exhibited those initial qualities, so it’s very nice seeing you go back and detail how he was in TAQ and how that fell through. As much as I enjoyed the first half of AVoS, it was undeniably unfortunate to see such a refreshingly unsure character fall by the wayside.

[@fallen_orchids]

I *love* reading TAQ, it remains one of my favorite warriors books *ever*, especially when we get a scene like: “Alderpaw didn’t find it hard to keep awake. He tried to focus on the future, but he couldn’t help wondering if there was anything he could have done to keep sandstorm alive. *She told me in my vision that it was her destiny to die now,* he thought *So why does my heart still ache? And if every cat is going to die eventually, why bother trying so hard to stay alive?* LIKE?? For once in a warriors book I felt truly seen, that there was a character that could understand the struggles I went through daily- ,,,and then it just kinda fuzzles out. Did it stop me from loving him? Hell no! AVOS and Alderheart remain incredibly close to my heart, and we get some truly heartwarming scenes with him and Jayfeather that I wouldn’t trade for,,, (mostly) anything

[@moonstar_draws6283]

I would have loved to see Alderheart learn to deal with his anxiety. As someone with an anxiety disorder, it would have been helpful for me. I struggle with controlling my anxiety, and so did Alderheart. It would have been perfect for me...

[@snakesareamazing]

Yeah, I also wish they would've written more about Alderhearts anxiety, but he's still one of my favorite characters (He's actually in my top 3). I can't even explain why, he's just such a comfort character for me. I just absolutely love how kind he is, it's really refreshing for a male character in warrior cats. Like yes, we had other nice male protagonists before, like Firestar or Gray Wing, but Alderheart seems a bit more pacifist to me than these two (I mean, Firestar and Gray Wing aren't violent either or anything, but they did accidentally get someone killed). Another thing that makes him stand out to me is his relationship to Jayfeather. Their contrary personalities work so well together. And while I still don't like that they killed Briarlight, I absolutely loved the scene Alder and Jay had together afterwards. So while Alderheart may not be the most unique protagonist ever (Tho I'd argue that Warrior Cats doesn't really have many unique protagonists in general), I think he's a very likable and sweet character

[@almondsun]

Alderheart is my favourite Warriors character. I have him on my profile picture. I've hosted a MAP about him. I think it's safe to say that bad writting and inconsistent characterization can definitely kill the story and result a dislike for the character, but it doesn't have to necessarily affect what the fans personally hold. I very nearly and dearly love the basic concept about his personality; his deep rooted, intrusive thoughts that constantly make him worried, the progressing anxiety, a constant fear to meet expectations, the pressure of failure, the feeling of being a self loathed burden to his clan etc. When you combine all these elements you get a seriously appreciable & complex protagonist. And while I strongly agree that his character flopped HARD in the second half of AVOS, I believe that just my love for him alone can justify what makes him so special to me. His character speaks to me and his empathy, kindness and compassion actually inspires me at times. He's such a refreshing attempt than your regular male warriors character. A good boy!! The writers at least put some effort into building his character and I appreciate that, the fact that they tried. He might be boring, he might have incoherent character growth but what really counts is how he made us fans content, happy and intrigued at some point. I think his outright incapability to not be kind is what makes him hard to hate, no matter how much you like or dislike his purpose and his arc. Thank you Sunnyfall for this wonderful video and a reminder to show this boi some love!!

[@theblueblazing]

I also think that Alderheart was very underutilized throughout aVoS. Like they hype up a character for years to only meaningfully use them once, then abandon them for two others that were interesting conceptually but not as well defined. And someone correct me if I'm wrong, I recall that in one aVoS book Alder only had like 1 or 2 chapters.

[@CelesteTreecat]

Alderheart is still my favorite protagonist, and while his arc dropped hard I feel like he still makes a nice foil on other characters. Which is... I suppose a lot less than you would ask of a leading point-of-view character. The building blocks of AVoS were really strong, with believable and if not necessarily good then relatable or understandable characters, motivations, and ideas for plot that could have had really resonant themes. What we got wasn't... that but it's enough to spark the imagination. I'm glad you took the time to talk about him and the connection between anxiety and growth. It's honestly a really good theme for any age and a shame it was underserved by the books.

[@alexismyers6053]

Off the top of my head, I can think of 2 OC’s I have that are anxious little furry messes. Frecklewing and Ravensong. Frecklewing is a fluffy, light brown speckled tabby trans tom. He was born to a loner and all his siblings died shortly after birth. His mother later died, but he was too young to understand death. His nest was a dip in the earth under a bush that was too deep for him to crawl out of. He was found by Breezepelt, who took him in and upon realizing he was just old enough to be fully weaned, became a “queen” to care for him. Breezepelt raises Frecklekit as his own son, with his daughter (including trans fem Nightheart, who he also adopted) happily help where they can, especially Appleshine who is in the nursery with her and Nightheart’s kits. Frecklekit is close to Greenkit- Appleshine and Nightheart’s nonbinary kit that’s super calm and kind. Because of how he was brought into the world and how WindClan treats him, he’s supper shy and nervous. He panics when he sees a cat sleeping soundly if he can’t tell they’re breathing. When he’s almost old enough to be an apprentice, WindClan takes in a nonbinary queen, with 3 kits that are just a little older than him, one of which is a spotted gray-tabby-and-white tom named Spots- renamed Spottedkit. He’s friendly and gentle, so he becomes friends with Frecklekit and he and Greenkit bond over their shared care for the smaller kit. They’re apprenticed first, becoming Greenpaw and Spottedpaw, which makes Frecklekit feel lonely and go back to his nervousness. When he’s made an apprentice, Hootwhisker becomes his mentor and helps him learn to manage his nervousness. Frecklepaw quickly learns that he hates conflict but when he’s able to focus, he’s an excellent hunter. Hootwhisker helps him see that, which starts to build confidence in him. When Greenpaw goes on a quest, Frecklepaw and Spottedpaw follow, along with their mentors Hootwhisker, Heathertail (Greenpaw’s mentor), and Slightfoot (Spottedpaw’s mentor), as well as Breezepelt, who doesn’t trust his former mate to treat Greenpaw right if they’re away from the Clan. Breezepelt and Heathertail fight a lot, Slightfoot and Hootwhisker often having to separate them, and the apprentices often being sent ahead by themselves so as not to get caught up in the adults’ conflict. The meet several groups of cats that join them and return to WindClan with them, one of which is Bristle, who Greenpaw quickly forms a mural crush on. With his oldest and best friend not spending as much time with him, Frecklepaw finds comfort in Spottedpaw, making feelings develop between them. Thought the quest and help from his mentor and Hootwhisker, Frecklepaw starts to make progress in overcoming his nervousness. Shortly after the quest, the three are given their warrior names: Greenpool (after Leafpool because they have similar markings and personality to Leafpool), Spottedfoot (after the spots in his legs and his speed), and Frecklewing (after how he overcame his flighty, nervous nature). Frecklewing and Spottedfoot become mates and eventually, Frecklewing’s nervous, intrusive thoughts dwindle- the never go away completely, but he’s better able to ignore them until they become one or 2 thoughts big enough that he notices a moon, and he is now better able to reason out why they’re wrong. I have 2 versions of Ravensong’s one father. When set in the present day warriors world, he’s Breezepelt’s son. When set in the future world, he’s the son of Breezestar, who is a descendant of Breezepelt- the only real physical difference if that Breezestar had golden eyes not amber ones. His other father is always Blazeheart, a brown-and-ginger tortoiseshell-tabby-and-white trans tom that was originally a loner Breeze brought to WindClan. Ravensong is a slender, black-and-white tuxedo trans tom, but from the beginning he’s nervous about being trans because he feels everyone will think he’s only trans to be like Blazeheart. This is something Breeze talks him out of thinking, telling him to be who he is most comfortable being and to ignore what others say about who that is. He then finds out that not only is he part of a big prophecy, but he’s also the leader of the prophesied cats. One of the cats, ThunderClan trans tom named Honeyshine, becomes his best friend- despite his sister, Flashfoot’s, distaste. Honeyshine is aggressive and straight forward. He speaks his mind and since on of Ravensong’s fears is others just being polite for the sake of politeness, he’s close to Honeyshine because he can trust that when Honeyshine tells him how he feels, he means it and isn’t hiding anything. He falls in love with a wild serval (the son of run away pets brought to twolegs illegally) named Obi. Obi is also straightforward, though a like more polite than Honeyshine. Where as Honeyshine will tell you “I think your an absolute idiot” Obi will tell you the same thing in a much more polite way, sometimes even making it seem like a compliment. He’s patient when it comes to Ravensong’s anxiety, sitting or laying close while he things while Honeyshine will find something physical to do to help distract Ravensong. The 2 bond over finding ways to help Ravensong and know him best. Ravensong eventually becomes friends with 2 of the other prophecy cats, Rushingwing of RiverClan and Flamestorm/star of ShadowClan. It takes longer for him and the SkyClan cat, Aspenlight to become friends because Aspenlight is original anti-LGBT+ to hide their own insecurities about their gender identity, later coming to embrace their nonbinary identity and apologizing. Ravensong however was very hurt by their earlier actions because of their anxiety and so it takes longer for him to forgive. Not long after becoming a warrior and witnessing the power of the evil cat they had to defeat, Ravensong found out he was pregnant with Obi’s kits. He has an anxiety attack, not wanting his kits to be in such danger, so Obi convinces him to run away. He eventually returns and the complete their prophecy, but in his time away, he learns new ways to manage his anxiety. The group they live with while away was the group Obi came from, a group of wild cats that were either illegally brought to the pet trade or are the descendants of such cats. The teach him about the culture of the Old Lands and he learns new coping techniques this way. He also becomes close to Obi’s mother, Mbali. She helps him as well. By the end, he’s more confident and better able to manage his anxiety.

[@austinsmeeks9322]

If you pay attention throughout The Apprentice's Quest, Alderheart is constantly complimented on once he starts his medicine duties and his eventual quest to SkyClan's camp. Every time he had worries on whether or not he was good enough for whatever task at hand he faced, he has others around him reassure him that he is. Of course he starts to get a confidence boost that he's not so useless after all. I don't think his change is abrupt at all. It's built over the course of the book. I think you should give a re-read of the first novel of AVOS to gain a better understanding of his character arc. I've related quite a lot to him due to my own anxiety issues, and if I had enough compliments from those I respect and love, I'd gain much more confidence as well.

[@Spectorwing]

On your point of the lack of variation in the characters thoughts and tones I think it's always been there but not to the degree it is now. I think the characters who mainly suffered from this pre avos were leafpool and oots lionblaze. I think pot lionblaze is characterized fine, nothing spectacular but he is seen as a bit slow on the draw, but more emotional and empathetic than his siblings. Brambleclaw has his ambition and a slight superiority complex and trying to validate that, squirrelflight has a playful and sassy tone not afraid to say it like it is, hollyleaf has a uniquely analytical mind where she puts things together to figure things out like everything is a puzzle, Jay feather is negative and snarky at times but als thinks of things plainly and has several moments where his somewhat god complex cause interesting views and a lack of emotion like say when squirrel and leaf tell the three the truth about their mother. Ivypool has a fairly self centered with us or against us view on life that makes her very interesting to read and dovewing had such a naive and empathetic outlook on life that she seves as a great parallel to hollyleaf. The entire dawn of the clans cast was incredibly unique (ignoring thunder, we don't talk about him). Obviously the old arcs aren't perfect but I feel that the characterization and character arcs, if not the most consistent, at least happened and made sense for the most part, to me at least they felt a lot more flushed out than the violet shines or the nighthearts

[@averyreece6253]

I have anxiety and take medication for it, I love Alderheart because he is so relatable to so many people.

[@matsu8518]

As someone who has anxiety, alderheart is my favourite character in these books. It's a real shame they practically phased out this part of his character in the later part of the arc. Part of me likes to pretend he was able to fight back his anxiety , something I would like to do personally. Sure, its only something my mind thought up to understand why he was written later on, but I still am really fond of him. He's relatable to me (ravenpaw is similar as well) and he will always be a comfort character for me along with my favourite character

[@tristanwaits5688]

Love my anxiety boy Alderheart.

[@sabrinamcclain162]

The first part of the video made me really want to get back into the books to read about Alderheart. I suppose I'll check out the one book that has Alderheart struggling with anxiety.

[@sabrinamcclain162]

Read that one book and now I'm invested.

[@JustDuckiest]

It would have been more compelling if something like sorting and gathering herbs was something Alderpaw found soothing, and it ended up helping him take a moment to breathe. So being a medicine cat isn't terrible for him. Maybe seeing his patients' downfalls helps him to see that he isn't the only one who fails, and help him realize it's okay that he isn't a natural at hunting and other tasks. Maybe one time he's relaxed and out gathering herbs, when he notices a mouse. He knows he's not being tested or watched or anything, so he is able to calmly focus on the mouse and brings it back to the clan.

[@aj_killjoy]

The problem with so many of my favorite characters is that they’re all great concepts with subpar execution (or different twists that could’ve made their stories legendary). Hollyleaf: A character so tied to the code that, upon learning of the nature of her birth, goes insane. Sol: A villain who commands his followers with words and not claws. Him in Power of 3 was good enough, but he got done dirty in Omen of the Stars. Alderheart: If they kept the anxiousness and anxiety going, he would’ve been one of the best POV characters. Rock/Jayfeather: I wish they introduced a twist in which it was revealed that they were in fact the same person. Jayfeather is still peak on his own, this is more for Rock. Scourge/Ravenpaw: Same as Jay/Rock. I know it wouldn’t make the most sense, but having a Tiny be a rogue, beat up by Tigerstar, joining the clans to prove his worth, being sent into “witness protection” because of Tigerstar, banding together a squad of rogue, slaughtering Tigerstar, and then turning against the clans in a heated debate with Firestar about how the clans “only bring chaos and death” with cats “too full of their egos to realize that they’re all the same”. I really wish this was real because he’s right.

[@tiffanywysong2763]

I have anxiety and I learned I can’t stand people yelling or fighting

[@shadowisinsane845]

As someone who suffers from multiple anxiety disorders, I relate to Alderpaw so much

[@sophietremblay3795]

When I read the book in French I was immediately in love with alderheart

[@Felinasproductions]

I can relate to Alder Heart and Shadow Sight with their anxiety. They made me love medicine cats even more.

[@beetleboii]

I really wish he wasn't made a medicine cat. Personally, as someone who struggles with anxiety, I feel like being forced to go into the medical field miiiiiiight not be the smartest decision. I'm also not sure we've ever had a warrior with anxiety. The only two characters with bad anxiety I can think of would probably be Ravenpaw and Alderheart (could be misremembering or skipped a book/arc an anxious character was in). Neither became warriors and it rubs me the wrong way. Mental health has always been a really weird topic in the franchise ngl and hasn't really been handled the best in the series and fanbase

[@fIorapetals]

As someone who does struggle with anxiety, I definitely latched onto Alderheart almost immediately in The Apprentice's Quest. I still think he's a cute character, but once Twigpaw and Violetpaw started getting pov chapters he sadly became much, much less interesting. His unique thought process faded into the background and the back half of AVOS really didn't give him terribly much to do. I wonder if it would be good for a future arc to follow in the original's footsteps, and try only focusing on one character's story again? It feels like a lot of third protagonists are chosen but then the plot struggles to make them all able to have a genuine impact on the narrative.

[@echo5435]

Alderheart is my fav because he’s just like me-

[@SOPH-cw7gw]

Me and Alderheart are anxiety buddies. Yay.

[@MLESoup]

The Apprentice's Quest is one of my favorite Warriors books, and Alderheart is my favorite character. Another example of missed potential though :(

[@mayo_1]

ok but,your art is so cute thooo

[@clawcakes]

the anxiety cat!

[@insomniactrash4598]

Took me until this video to realize mistakes are physically good for you

[@FireflyOnyx]

There seems to be this strange occurrence where the first book of all recent arcs is really good, but the second and most of the books following are not. 🤔

[@duccsucc]

AVoS is my least favorite arch by a pretty wide margin and the way Alderheart was written is a pretty big reason why. I absolutely fell in love with him in The Apprentice's Quest and then just immediately after he was just... gone. Like obviously still there but stripped of his personality without much interesting stuff to do it was such a disappointment and a slog to get through that arc, especially with the focus moving towards Violetshine and Twigbranch who I just... was not a fan of either. It's a real shame because there really was so much potential

[@deerlyqueery]

He just like me frfr

[@user-jf7lf5ks8q]

3 mins and 3 comments wow but there were only 4

[@ThunderClipz]

hi

[@ironvlogger9712]

Has anexity….. Here, instead of helping you become the best you can be to benefit our community, go be a doctor. (We don’t really like doctors until they are convenient.) you’re only really valuable if you can fight and hunt. BYE!

[@taiyakiemu]

lovely (second!)

[@user-jf7lf5ks8q]

Hi

[@Sparklewolfgirl67]

Wow four minutes ago

[@pantherbeastly3934]

This was a nice video, but... as someone with anxiety disorder, I can't say that Alderheart is a good representation of it. Him being anxious and constantly second guessing himself is definitely accurate, but good representation is more than just that. The story itself should at least validate or empower that anxious character, and overall Alderheart's ark didn't do that. The story basically just goes on to treat his anxiety disorder as a huge burden, and justifies taking away his ability to choose what he wants for himself in spite of his worries. And if that wasn't really demeaning enough, the books just forget he has anxiety, instead of having him overcome his fears on his own. That isn't him healing, the writers just got lazy and stopped writing him with anxiety as if it can just go away. They only continued the stigmas around anxiety instead of writing a good story about an anxious character. Alderheart should have been a warrior, or should have made the choice BY HIMSELF to become a medicine cat instead. It would have been a lot more impactful and done a real service to people like me instead of what we ended up with. I apologize for coming off a bit angry here, as it isn't directed at you at all! I'm just frustrated with a lot of media depicting anxious people as too weak minded or indecisive to be capable of making their own choices in life.

[@finn9396]

Erins try to not screw anxious characters over and stigmatize them (fucking impossible)