#Transfem Mothwing

[djdumbfuck]

🔥Least fav warrior cat ship or fandom headcanon?

hc? transfem mothwing purely because most people are really fucking weird with her.

they either heavily masculinize her for no reason give her muscles, a big build a small beard. “well she’s a tigerkin they big builds!” ok, now make hawkfrost big and muscular. It’s always in relation to mothpool. Every single transfem mothwing headcannon I see always centers around leafpool and I am kind of bug by how a trans woman entire personality, their entire identity centers around a cis person it’s not like she’s just trans. She’s “a trans lesbian in a relationship with leafpool”.

And that’s not even get me started on how she’s always bastardize to be a mother for the three. It’s like she doesn’t really have any personality her own but instead is just a shiny toy for leafpool. nothing more.

oh and i dislike brambleash.

[radioactivesstuff]

I kinda wanted to draw more trans kitty cats so I drew transfem mothwing.. Idk I honestly just can see her being trans! Hawkfrost and Mothwing are legally trans siblings... Oh my god I absolutely also need to draw transmasc Hawkfrost

Also once again vers. without overlay!

[yuridovewing]

i understand the frustration with “i made this gay pairing cis x trans so they can still have biological babies” with no thought to other methods and how ppl assume thats the case when it comes to mothpool aus where mothwing is also the mother of the three, but also…. idk i kinda dont give a shit if someone wants to do that and i dont really think its inherently transphobic as long as its handled with care and respect.

what really concerns me about this debate is how some people are adamant that you cannot portray trans people having biological children in media or youre being disrespectful. and im gonna say as a nonbinary person who doesnt want children for themself- thats kinda fucking weird? like i understand that for some people, theyre trans themselves and theyre speaking from a place of dysphoria, and i absolutely get that, which is why i think the topic should be handled with nuance and diversity in trans characters, but like…. guys. pregnant trans men exist irl. trans women get people pregnant irl. trans ppl’s ability and right to parent and have biological children are being debated irl. we get denied the opportunity to adopt as well.

in a climate like this, are we SURE we want the stance on rewrites and headcanons in the silly cat books to be “if you portray trans characters having children, especially with a gay couple, youre a transphobic freak no matter what!” does it really matter? especially if its being done by a trans person handling the topic with nuance who has a lot of trans characters with varying perspectives?

obviously yes, remember that thats not the only way certain gay couples can have kids, remember that not every trans person is fully comfortable with it and keep that in mind, remember that surrogacy and adoption are also perfectly valid ways to give fan babies- but remember that there are OPTIONS. not that you need to condemn the idea of transgender parents in the first place unless they fit the very specific criteria of “proper transgender representation” and anything that dares deviate from that is proof the op is a transphobic monster (bonus points if theyre a trans creator bc i mostly see trans people getting shit for this and it kinda pisses me off. although idm if cis people do it either as long as theyre handling it with respect)

[aspenwatcherwarriorcats]

transfem warrior cats headcanons

bristlefrost, leafpool mothwing, nightcloud, nightheart reedshine, tigerstar

all art belongs to @/cloudtail

[blimbo-buddy]

you know i notice a trend

hcs transfem leafpool —> has pretty good transfem hcs

hcs transmasc leafpool —> has abysmal transfem hcs

i can’t be the only one who sees this

I wouldn't really lump together people who headcanon her as transmasc as having abysmal transfem headcanons. Although I can understand what you're saying, anon, as usually the only transfem headcanon someone like that might have is MothWing or SquirrelFlight and nobody else While headcanoning those two as transfem isn't awful, you just kind of wish there was more... variety in them is all. Transfem MothWing has been really soured for me because in every single instance without fail, it's only created for her to be a sire to LeafPool's kids. It can get annoying when one of the most popular transfem headcanons for a character is only done for the sake of having biological kids (The same also applies to popular transmasc headcanons in the fandom, as seen with RedTail, but this isn't about that)

[nightly-ruse]

OH MY GOODNESS TRANSMASC LEAFPOOL AND TRANSFEM MOTHWING

[animalechochamber]

Mothwing

"No, Leafpool. I don't believe the spirits of our warrior ancestors come back to speak with us. Stars are just unseeing specks of light in the night sky, not dead cats looking down on us. We can keep our old friends alive with memories, but if they're not here, they're nowhere. That's what I believe. [...] Because I believe in you, Leafpool."

She is a fluffy, medium sized, tortie point with amber eyes and blighted willow leaves twisted around her ears. Her claws are always poking out and she has a few visible scars through her thick coat.

Based off the Tiger Moth

Hc as transfem, a lesbian, and using she/any pronouns.

[oldfacesnewdawnoffical]

With you stating that Moth/Hawk fusion is technically Laurelstorm’s I’m guessing maybe they aren’t here’s by blood, maybe a adoption case? Or a kitten Laurel just took under her talon? Idk maybe Hawk/Moth always trying to rise to her past mothers standards but never fulfilling it slowly getting farther and farther down madness as they just can’t ever be enough. Also from ofnd’s previous draft I’m assuming Mothpool happens so maybe since Leaf is a SandMoccasin kitten they find safety in one another as they try to keep the weights of their parentages always over their heads. Just some theory crafting as I draw a moth/hawk fusion cat :))))

I have plans on having Hawk/Moth (debating the name “Tadpole” 👀) being biologically Laurelstorm’s still! A blood union that resulted in a litter of three, with only one survivor… just like both of their parents.

Mothpool is still the endgame, but it’s gonna be a lot messier, and a lot more complex in execution for numerous reasons. Bloodlines, politics, power… That’s the least of the resulting litter’s worries.

[vaugarde]

also in theory i do like mothpool kittens au but like. with a lot and a lot of tweaks bc the way ppl usually do it is kinda odd (making mothwing like “huge and protectice” over small cis leafpool, feeling like theyre only making moth transfem so she can be the kits bio parent, etc)

like on one hand, gay trans ppl having bio kids with gay cis people happens irl and i dont really think its transphobic in of itself to have it happen in writing (hell that happens in starfall so i cant exactly get on a high horse here) but its gotta be treated with some amount of care yknow… its a sensitive subject w a lot of trans people yknow? idk again im not saying its bad to do but i think people should at least think about it beyond “aw my gay ship can have kids”

[warriors-pride]

Transfem Lesbian Mothwing, Cupioromantic Ace Squirrelflight, and Aroace Jayfeather please?

[girlashfur]

Transmisogyny In The Warriors Fandom : The Mothpool Issue

hi, my name is muyang / @girlashfur and i'm a transfeminine being who enjoys the fictional series of warrior cats. i've been into this book series for as long as i can remember, ever since i was a little kid. and growing up with this fandom, i've noticed a reocurring issue among it, which i aim to do a break-down of now.

the issue is transmisogyny. for those who are unaware : transmisogyny is the unique combination and overlap of misogyny and transphobia, specifically targeting transfeminine individuals. it's a widespread issue in just about every corner of the world, even spaces for transgender and otherwise queer individuals seem to have a problem with being transmisogynistic, intentionally or not. the warriors fandom is not exempt from this; and they're not special, either, i'm yet to encounter a popular fictional fanbase that doesn't have several transmisogynists among it's members. but the warriors fandom seems to have a peculiar way of going about it.

to start, i want to clarify that there seems to be...a surprising lack of transfem warriors fans to begin with; i can name about three off the top of my head, not counting myself, compared to hundreds of cisgender, transmasc, or otherwise tme (transmisogyny exempt) fans. perhaps we're just underrepresented, i'm sure there's more of us out there, but nonetheless i'd like to make it clear i'm writing this mainly based off of what i personally have experienced and witnessed in this fandom. my word may not speak for every transfem person, and that's okay.

transmisogyny isn't always violent and obvious; it's not always slurs and misgendering and harrassment, although don't get me wrong, plenty of transmisogynists do engage in such a way. but it can also be a subtle practice, something most tme people would not pick up on. like all systems of oppression, it can also be a learned behavior, one somebody witnesses happen (typically unpunished) and assumes is okay to recreate. one of the ways this can happen is through the objectification and sexualization of transfeminity. stereotypes are a common form of this. oftentimes, transfeminine characters are portrayed as violent and agressive, masculine and gruff, or as suave and predatory womanizers, sometimes a mixture of all three.

the warriors fandom does this often. there are several characters that are commonly headcanoned as transfem by the fandom, and most are victim to being portrayed this way. a few i can think of off the top of my head are cats like russetfur, crowfeather, mapleshade, darktail, tree, and yes...mothwing. mothwing is a bit of a special case, because i believe most people only headcanon her as transfeminine so they can ship her with leafpool (the ship commonly named mothpool) and imagine the two with biological kittens, in some aus, even as the three's parents.

this is a form of objectification already, although one might not catch onto it immediately. mothwing's transness is turned into a token, a special card to be exchanged to fit the fandom's idolized version of the ship. one could argue it could be interpreted as sexualization as well; while the warriors fandom tends to stray away from outright sexual portrayals of the cats (for good and obvious reasons), mothwing being transfem is still only done for the purpose of making her a cat with a penis, so she can have kits.

mothwing isn't canonically a particularly violent or angry cat, nor does she seem to be particularly romantic (she actually doesn't have a canon mate at all, being a medicine cat). however, in fandom based portrayals of her, she's often twisted to fit these stereotypes. sometimes she's designed to be large and masculine with the excuse of it being because she's a tigerkin, or sometimes she's portrayed as being very proud and open about her love of leafpool (who is often portrayed as shy and defenseless, practically hiding behind her). i've seen several aus with transfem mothwing in them "conveniently" include things like her formerly training as a warrior, or killing another cat (such as crowfeather) "for leafpool", or even portraying her as evil, typically falling to the manipulation of her father.

mothpool as a ship isn't really the issue here. it's the fandom's doing. the two have quite a few canon interactions that could be portrayed as romantic, and sure, it's really not my buisness what people ship as long as it's legal and all...but when you get exposed to so much hidden transmisogyny tied to one ship, as a victim of transmisogyny, you grow kinda wary of the ship as a whole. the few transfeminine people i've spoken to about this issue seemed to share my feelings as well. the moment i see a mothpool shipper mention making mothwing trans, i get shivers.

another point i'd like to make clear is that it's not every mothpool shipper doing this either, even out of the ones who do make her trans, i've met a few who portrayed it well and seemed very open and concerned about my views on transfem mothwing as a transfem person. i'm also certainly not saying you should go harrass people for shipping what they want, that's not my point nor is it helpful. as i've mentioned before, there's a good chance some of the people portraying mothpool in harmful ways like this don't fully realize what they're doing, and think it's okay because it's something they've seen before. i don't want those people to think they're bad for falling into those false beliefs, as long as they change them when they realize how they're offensive.

what i'm aiming to do here is give my two cents on why i generally dislike the ship as a transfeminine being myself, and to also spread awareness to why i feel that way. if i can make some people out there rethink some transmisogynist views they had perpetuated before, then my work is done well. as i'm finishing off this little essay of mine, i hope my message was explained clearly and gently, as it should be. see you guys in the next post, muyang out.

[djdumbfuck]

People making mothwing transfem just for the whole purpose of her being the mother of the three makes me so nad and im so glad it's talked more often nowadays

It's really sad, because mothwing's arc can be read as trans-coded. But instead of people focusing into this aspect of transfem mothwing, they decide to make her an accessory, either for leafpool, or her brother

no fr I’m really glad that people are finally starting to realize how weird it is to completely reduce an entire character to just being an accessory.

Like there was a reason why people say “she’s only popular because of mothpool” and that’s mainly due to people not wanting to actually Examine mothwing’s character. it ALWAYS about leafpool or hawkfrost. never her.

and I also feel like that’s why people portray mothwing as this “ethereal beautiful woman that’s leafpool’s gay awakening” all the time. it’s a pretty surface level and bland interpretation of mothwing that reduces her to just a trait and it’s made only worse when people make her transfem and ONLY the sire of the three, you strip her of anatomy she had left and we are left with something that doesn’t even resemble her. That’s not mothwing that’s a caricature of a trans woman.

[lockandkeyhyena]

Honestly…the way most people depicts transfem mothwing is really weird. mostly because transfem mothwing was born as a tool, not as a genuine love letter to trans women.

and I always hated at the thing that the only issue with this headcanon is that “it’s only used for kits.” mainly because the problems of this hc run so much more deeper that people don’t want to actually take the time and identify the problems.

and the reason why I say that is is because people don’t use transfem mothwing individually in her own life. They use her as a companion piece for other people. Given her brother or leafpool. and her story involvements in these individual AU never explored, or even given light.

and the way that people designed her in these making her more masculine, more muscular, more bigger. More traditionally masculine has always left a sour taste in my mouth. and people act oblivious unaware to the stereotypes that they portray.

And I feel like there are other characters that could do the trans feminine thing better if given the actual time to be a passion project, not one out of obligation.

tl’dr: it’s not necessarily transmisogynistic but the entire fundamental base of the headcanon deeply flawed and disingenuous to actual trans women

oh this is a very good analysis!! i had never thought of it this way- thank you so much for taking the time to write this out, it’s much appreciated.

[wc-confessions]

friendship ended with transfem mothwing. now transmasc mothwing is my bestie (along with his sister transfem hawkfrost)

‎

[mastercardpussy]

Hello Warrior Cats reader. Before you is a pencil and three sheets of college grade notebook paper. You have one hour to explain why you think Mothwing is transfem without mentioning her siring the three. If you fail, the tank of live sharks suspended above your head will shatter. Your time starts now.

[blimbo-buddy]

no but like can we actually talk about how weird and annoying it is how they ALWAYS make mothwing muscular and big for mothpool kits. it’s like there forcing her to be a father, and not a mother.

I can imagine how annoying it is for transfem fans of the series to see the most popular transfem headcanon in the fandom being one where the character in question is always made big and muscular and is made trans for the sake of having children with another character and nothing else