YMMV / Tamberlane

• Base-Breaking Character:
  • Cur, at least at first. When he first appeared in the comic at chapter 4, many were split on his behavior, some seeing him as a massive Jerkass for bullying Tamberlane and her friends, especially for bothering at different points during the chapter. Others felt that, while a jerk, he was not completely unlikeable, as his actions stemmed from deep-seated abandonment issues relating to losing his parents to Abroad. He feels bad for Jentzen facing possible banishment. Interestingly, even the characters on the comic are split on his actions, noting that they are not justified but that he is still only a kid dealing with issues. After he pushed Tamberlane into the ice, people ironically softened a bit towards him, since he did not intend for Tamberlane to fall under at all and immediately regretted what he did. Chapter 5 would further alleviate this by showing the further guilt he buries under a facade of not caring, nearly elevating him into Ensemble Dark Horse status.
  • Piper got this for a bit as well. Some liked her amusing, if mean-spirited, antics while others saw her as overly cruel, especially after scaringTamberlane with her claws in chapter 2. That being said, the dislike for her has toned down a tone come chapter 4 where, after a time skip, she is much more protective of Tamberlane and a friend to her.
• Broken Base: The Cerebus Syndrome in the fifth book, which as seen a notable shift towards more drama and emotionally heavy situations. While the comic is no stranger to dealing with emotionally heavy topics and interpersonal drama, the overall tone became significantly darker and more sad since the Edicts and taboos of the setting's parliament have gained more focus and relevance due to Jenzhen's trial. Some have been less than receptive to this shift in tone, seeing it as too dramatic and dark compared to the early parts of the comic, which focused more on Belfry's growth as a parent and her family conflicts about Tamberlane, with a decent amount of slice of life elements with many wholesome and more comedic moments in between. Others are fine with the shift, seeing as the darker aspects of the setting (i.e. Tamberlane being the only apparent human around, the Edicts and taboos around Abroad getting people banished there) have been hinted at and built up throughout the earlier chapters, with this serving as payoff. Additionally, they feel the heavier emphasis on the drama is not particularly new for the comic either, as there have been dramatic moments as far back as the first chapter.
• Draco in Leather Pants: Cur is a complicated example. He does have a tragic past and some redeeming qualities, and is very far from actually being evil, only a *Jerkass at worst. Even his pushing Tamberlane into the ice was not meant for her to fall in and he did feel bad and had Kira get help. That being said, many people prefer to only look at his good qualities and see him as *The Woobie for his past. This ignores the fact that he has been adopted at least several times by loving families and has caused trouble for each of them no matter how they tried to help, even with his current one. Additionally, his history of bullying others, including Tamberlane, is sometimes downplayed by his fans. Adding salt to the wound is the fact that, even after showing remorse and apologizing to Jonas' parents, Cur is still acting like a brat to his adoptive family, even when they don't even punish him and show concern for him. What's more, he claims he does not feel remorse to others, although that part is heavily implied and even stated by his family to just be covering up his emotions.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Cur as of chapter 5, due to the increased focus he has been given. Besides his tragic backstory affecting his actions, the deeper look into his deep-seated guilt for what he did at Bally Bluffs in chapter 4, as well as his amusing facial expressions and teasing during certain scenes with his adoptive brother, did much to endear him to the eyes of many viewers.
  • Despite only appearing in the first chapter so far, Ainsley Scavenger is well-loved by fans who have read the "Tales From Treehollow" side stories "Lights In The Sky" and "A Glow In The Dark" where they are given some shiptease with Oakewood and more spotlight. Their adorable character design, relatability to neurodivergent fans and agender identity have especially made them popular with LGBT fans of the comic.
• Heartwarming Moments: Accident-prone Belfry tries her best while bumbling often, yet declares her love for Tamberlane was no accident, and would even follow her Abroad.
• Jerkass Woobie: Cur. Sure, he's pretty much a school bully but he's also a malnourished and emaciated preteen who basically lost his family. It's especially notable in the talk he has with his social worker in the Tales Of Treehollow side story "Tainted" and also his My God, What Have I Done? reaction to shoving Tamberlane onto thin ice.
  • Tagg and Danger. They aren't exactly the friendliest creatures in the comic but they are treated like they are basically diseased by the entire town of Treehollow simply because they come from Follybrook. Tagg especially qualifies because according to Word of God, they suffer from a heart condition on top of mistreatment from the townsfolk.
• Moe: Tamberlane. She is a cute three (later four) year old girl and generally acts sweet to everyone. It's a given that she would be this.
  • Several characters from the comic can be considered adorable. Marie, Ainsley, Parker, Milo and Winnie are also generally considered very cute by the fanbase.
• Unpopular Popular Character: Piper in-universe is known at her worst as a Bratty Half-Pint prone to mischief whom the people of Treehollow quite often view with annoyance or caution, while quite a few fans absolutely adore her for the same reasons, finding her antics extremely hilarious, her exaggerated expressions as both comical and adorable, and having enough Pet the Dog moments to balance out her more mean-spirited moments.
• Too Bleak, Stopped Caring: At its worst, chapter 5 has been hit with some of these reactions due to its unrelentingly somber tone and the darker aspects off Silver Sage's government on full display. To summarize, Tamberlane and Jonas are in critical condition after falling into the frozen lake last chapter, Belfry and her family are at an emotional low and Belfry has a breakdown and impulsively hurts Briar during an argument about Beflry's behavior at Bally Bluffs( about her worries of Tamberlane and why Tamberlane pushed her away during the tantrum) causing a temporary rift between the two siblings. Additionally, Oakwood figured out Tamberlane is a human is and is horrified by the prospects of what that will mean if the Parliament (who is shown to have censored knowledge of humans to the point one existence is considered a strict volition of the Edicts) could mean for Treehollow as whole since they have been unknowingly sheltering one. And on top of all of that, Jetzens trial is being hotly debated, as the council has no choice but to put him on trial with the possibility of having to banish him to Abroad to appease the government, least the entire town be condemned and face consequences by the Silver Sage parliament for breaking the rules. Jetzhen feels betrayed by his parent, who is on the council. And then what's more, there is Cur and his friend's angst and emotional devastation at what he inadvertently caused; all this piling on at once has made the comic too depressing to read for many people, not helped by lighter moments of the chapter being fewer and more brief.
• The Woobie: Despite only appearing for a short time in the comic first chapter, Ainsley is painted as such in downloadable short stories "The Lights In The Sky" and "Glow In The Dark". In the former, they tearfully open up to Oakewood about mental health struggles and in the latter, struggle with seasonal depression.
  • Coriander could really use a hug. After becoming widowed and having her deaf son move out, she adopted Cur who has a habit of starving himself and running away. As a mother, she's arguably had it the roughest of the moms in Treehollow.