#warrior cats sexism

[butch-lionblaze]

I think about warrior cats sexism all the time. All the time. Like they clearly have it in their writing we (I’m saying we as in the circles I run in. If you don’t know here’s a video on it made by sunnyfall on yt) all know this but it’s in the way that the authors bias shows into their media which just shows how they think about women subconsciously. But like I’m obsessed with the version of warrior cats where this bias is actually real and was written with it in mind. Where it would actually be pointed out and looked at. Where it isn’t just something they accidentally but strongly wrote into their stories.

Idk even when I first read wc as a 7 year old I felt a connection to the female characters bc I could even see how mistreated they were (despite not knowing what sexism really was. just shows how I could already see the difference between me and my male peers at such a young age :/)

And wished so so badly that it would be confronted- but it never was. And that’s so upsetting to the point I still think about it all the time today.

#just felt like ranting a bit on how sexism in wc is to me #i think about a version where it was purposeful so often. all of my rewrites have it not bc I enjoy sexism or whatever but bc it is and has #been a big part of my life and to have that explored and looked into in the series would’ve been amazing to little me #and a lot of other me’s as well #it’s another reason why as an individual with issues with my own health I love squilf. just a side note but agh. I love her #her struggles growing up and then specifically her fertility issues. they hit home. but I don’t ever get to actually voicing that cuz I’m #kinda scared to in a way? I don’t venture outside my bubble much and the idea of my own personal view on a character getting out to #people I don’t know will interact badly with it makes me just keep it all to myself #wc sexism #warrior cats sexism #sexism in media #I won’t tag her but Squilf I love u and u are the whole reason I wrote this <3 #rants #wc rant

[sapphic-catz]

Idk this is purely based on my opinions okay? Understand that? Okay then

I’ve seen a lot of au’s and rewrites for warrior cats. We all know how sexist this series is. A lot of people try and fix this and that’s awesome. But like. Idk.

Every time I see a swiftpaw lives instead of brightpaw au it just irks me. Why not Bright? Why can’t you just explore the trauma and life of Brightheart? She has so much potential that isn’t shown that you can use. Or even worse when both live and she’s made into just a love interest for Swift or or or given a automatic healing arc just so she can help Swift deal with the trauma they both share.

Another thing is how overlooked still a ton of female characters are instead of male characters. Even if they’re like shown often. Like cmon we need more Sandstorm as deputy or Sandstars. Why does every other deputy choice under Firestar never women. Like cmon. It’s always Longtail, Brackenfur, Whitestorm (canon but in these he lives instead), or some other dude.

How about Morningflower??? Not as a deputy under Fire but as a bigger character instead of grieving mother who talks to Fireheart like twice. Make her the deputy before Mudclaw and Onewhisker where she retired now and the two fight over the next role. Works great for drama still and patches the Deadfoot being already dead thing.

Russetfur is also sitting right there y’all. She should get more!!!! Give me mroe of her!!!!

#this is very rambley but I hope it comes across???? #I really mean the swiftpaw part tho #yeah he’s cool or whatever but literally bright is right there #cmon just look away from the tragic traumatized guy and see the just as traumatized girl #warrior cats #warrior cats discourse #idk if it is #wc sexism #warrior cats sexism #wc fandom

[bramb]

Flamepaw's pov: oooh a common ancestor of my clan is compared to me!!! Waaah I'm not even orange! Feel bad for me 😭😭😭

#warrior cats sexism #jaggedstripey #warriors #riverclan #thunderclan #warrior cats #starclan #wc #asc river #asc #flamepaw #anti flamepaw #nightheart

[bonefall]

I don’t know if the Erin’s are romanticizing abuse, don’t realize they’re writing it, or both because this is genuinely getting concerning

They’ve written how many abusive husbands and then said that those husbands are actually great people who deserve everything?

Well, let's apply Occam's Razor. Which of these makes the most sense;

The writing team has accidentally written at least 3 (more like 5) realistic depictions of domestic abuse, and just happen to be consistently more sympathetic to the men in the relationships, and find that romantic involvement makes a character humanizing in general Or

The writing team has a warped perception of what healthy love is supposed to look like, and think that the behaviors they depict are normal and just part of relationships.

I think the phrase "romanticizing abuse" is kind of unhelpful tbh, because it's not totally accurate. Most people believe they're doing the right thing. It's not likely that they KNOW what they're doing is destructive, and are secretly twirling an evil mustache as they write it into a teenage cat book series in the hopes of making more victims.

It's not entirely romanticism/glorification, it's deeper. It's the idea that these behaviors are normal, understandable, and they as writers either a total disinterest in the internal lives of the victims (Turtle, Bumble) or the desire to "explore" the relationship as if both sides are on equal footing/mutually toxic (Squilf)

And Tom... Tom's redemption ties into the narrative about blood that DOTC tells. It says that having children produces a goodness in men, and biological connection (even to people you don't know) is an intrinsic, sometimes tragic fact of life. The only time Tom ever does something that wasn't actively malicious was saving his daughter, Sparrow Fur.

For that, and that alone, he is redeemed. And thus deserves a cutesy reward in his afterlife.

#the 5 depictions btw are raggedstar tigerstar clear sky tom and bramble #But ragged and tiger are... at least briefly depicted as bad on purpose #warrior cats analysis #At the very least it's an interesting mess to dissect #tom is also an interesting example of the sexism in warriors imo #It does not go over my head that what redeems him is his masculine willingness to die for his daughter #As if that is equal to his entire life spent literally torturing women and controlling people #That for him everything is okay as long as he died for the right reason #bone babble

[dizzybevvie]

No bc Warrior Cats genuinely couldve done something with Starclan and generational trauma and romanticising "old times" and the warrior code because Starclan arent deities theyre just dead people but instead we get another 6 books of Will They/Wont They with a TigerStar clone

#Warrior Cats posting on a saturday afternoon #To clarify i havent read anything past PO3 but i do follow most of the plots n discussions n stuff bc i think its fun #Ive only read The first 3 arcs + Firestar's quest + Tallstar's Revenge <3 #also crookedstars promise but i have no memory of anything that happened in it #i read the first like half of the first book of oots and just COULDNT get through it #BUT ANYWAY. THEY SET UP SO MANY THINGS #AND THEY COULD ADDRESS THE SEXISM (although thats a problem with the authors not just the characters) AND THE CONSTANT ABLISM OF SHOVING- #ALL THE DISABLED CHARACTERS INTO THE MEDICINE DEN #We all like Jayfeather. But did he need to be a medicine cat #and if the answer is yes. Did Cinderpelt also need to be a medicine cat #And idk whats going on with Briarlight but my understanding is she just stays in the medden??? #YEAH #and they couldve talked about Skyclan too #Beverly says stuff #warrior cats #warriors

[dollybeagle]

Good morning warrior cats fandom!! What. The. Actual. Fuck.

I like how this person barely supported their point down in the argument. They just continued with what they were stating here. Ugh

#tw sexism #rowan speaks #Wc rant #Warrior cats

[lascivuscorvus-warriors]

Sharpclaw goes behind Leafstar's back to do the right thing: No punishment, it's Leafstar who's in the wrong and needs to trust her deputy more

Squirrelflight goes behind Bramblestar's back to do the right thing: She gets punished, has her loyalty and position questioned, has to run every little decision by Bramble

Huh, I wonder is there's a common denominator here

#warriors #warrior cats #wc #squirrelflight #bramblestar #leafstar #sharpclaw #squirrelflight's hope #skyclan's destiny #sexism #misogyny

[tommyssupercoolblog]

PSA for feminine peeps (regardless of gender ID)

hey look at me. look at me directly in the eyes (or if you hate eye contact pick up a stim toy to focus). you do not have to have any "masculine" traits, not one, to be cool or redeemable or worth anyone's time. you can be the sensitive, weak one who loves animals and wears their emotions on their sleeves and dresses femininely and likes sewing and baking and sweets and the color pink and only girly movies and music; you can want to have or be around kids, you can be a family or romance oriented person, you can giggle and snort laugh over every little thing and cry over every other little thing, WITHOUT ANYTHING TO "BALANCE IT OUT" OR WHATEVER. you don't have to make up for it. what i'm saying here is that when people go "oh this person is weak and stupid because they can't fight or be strong", "this person is a baby they cry too much and just want everyone to be friends how stupid", "this person is shallow because they only care about romance", or whatever, and say they need masculine traits to make them a "real"/"interesting" person or character, they're being jerks. You have merit and you matter and your interests matter. You're not shallow. Being yourself isn't shallow. Loving what you love isn't shallow.

if you have masculine traits too, that's great!!! if you like masc stuff organically, that's pog!!! But if you aren't like that, don't force it!!! You are still a rounded person and your dreams and hopes and self expression are still beautiful and nuanced and worthy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#i made a textpost #believe it or not this was inspired by a warrior cats video #hearring how the fandom looked down on Ferncloud for just enjoying being a nursery queen and having lots of kids... #how they demanded she fight like the other cats and then the authors killed her in response.... it's sad. #Ferncloud wasn't weak or a bad character because she was a mom who was primarily interested in being a mom. She had nothing to prove. #feminine #fem #femme #fem nonbinary #feminine nonbinary #femboy #feminine man #fem man #fem boy #feminine boy #feminine expression #feminine presenting #fem presenting #femme presenting #sexism mention #sexism mention tw #sexism mention cw

[hopalongfairywren]

I always liked the idea of Ashfur being obsessed not only with Squirrelflight, but with having his very own biological children. His own direct lineage. It's not just that Squirrelflight left him, it's that she gets to have kits of her own and he doesn't. Of course, he sees kits more as a status symbol rather than just wanting kits for the sake of lovingly raising anyone. He lets the three go because they aren't Squirrelflight's bio kits and in his mind, they aren't worth the trouble of then having to deal with the fall out of the three and possibly Squirrelflight's deaths to cover it all up. He wants to erase Squirrelflight's 'children' as revenge for denying him his own with her. But she doesn't have any, at least in Ashfur's mind, so he settles back for the good old revenge via exposing her publicly, letting her and her family shatter. Also because then it can be less the over all narrative of the book saying 'adoption isn't as valid as bio parenting' and more of, well, Ashfur the antagonist saying that. Also yes I'm aware of Cloudtail being Ashfur's adopted brother, however in this take of him I see them both falling somewhere during or after Firestar's quest, and that rift only growing as Ashfur adopts the mindset that the only 'true' kind of family is biological, and his jealousy at how all of his clanmates have their own, except him.

#warrior cats #warriors #wc #ashfur #wc ashfur #squirrelflight #wc squirrelflight #the new prophecy #power of three #warrior cats analysis #the wren hops #also retroactively in case of discourse in the notes #this is talking about adoption in warrior cats which is removed from the irl politics of adoption #dunno what triggers to use for someone who believes only in biological family validity #tw possessive behavior #tw adoption #tw sexism #also no its not canon that ash is squirrels uncle that was rettconned out

[burning-thistles-bt]

Your Speckletail analysis is so right and now i feel so bad for her cause like! At least Willow's abuser is dead and Spotted's abuser got exiled but Smallear is still here!!! He's in the elders den being taken care off by Thunderclan!!!! She still has to deal with him being around!!!! I feel so bad for her! Fuck Smallear!

that's the thing!!! people are shitty and there are abusers all around us but you NEVER KNOW

or you DO know but nobody's doing anything about it because "well they're not hurting anyone now" or "well it wasnt that bad" or "well but he's mostly good he's not that bad" or whatever excuse!

its crazy. i would argue a lot of older generation ThunderClan cats were in a lot of relationships similar too. Oakstar with Sweetbriar, Pinestar with Leopardfoot, Stormtail with Moonflower a little bit and also with Dappletail more a bit, you could make a case for White-eye and Sparrowpelt/Halftail, and then obviously Smallear with Speckletail by a lot, and many more i cant think of rn

im sure the same can be said of in the other clans too. and very very often it is toms being way older than the she-cats. the only immediate opposite case i can think of is with Snowbird and Scorchfur and even then we dont actually know their age gap it was just that Scorchpaw was still an apprentice when Snowbird had their kits

like i swtg the toms are ALWAYS older than the she-cats... like hello

#its WEIRD when you think about it #like ik real lifes like that because sexism #but its strange that its happening in warrior cats to me because you KNOW the erins dont keep track of ages #so how is it that the mates always end up as older tom younger she-cat? #like not for main character relationships but the bg ones #youd think there be more but there really isnt #lolling thoughts #speckletail #burning thistles #burning thistles au #asked and answered #localfoxthief

[abcwc]

#dont know why she went to the DF and oakstar didn’t #actually i do know (its the sexism) #but that’s typical erin hunter :/ they did her dirty #frecklewish #thunderclan #dark forest #warrior cats #designs #wcs #warriors #abcwarriors #warrior cats design

[aaronymous999]

Everyone talks about how if they could hypothetically write Warriors, they could make it better. But nobody ever claims that if they could hypothetically write warriors, they could write it worse. Not as a slight to my writing or saying Erin Hunter is a good writer, I’m saying it’s a genuine challenge to make Warriors worse than it already is. And I don’t mean purposely adding typos or some fanfiction shit, I mean genuinely, realistically write Warriors in a way that is realistic to the Erin Hunter writing style, but so much worse than you’d ever think the series could sink too. I think I could do it, that is my flex.

#aaronymous ramblings #warriors #warriors erin hunter #erin hunter #warrior cats #could you? could you do it? #i have no idea what im saying #i feel like if i added a similar plot to the hivewings and silkwings from wings of fire but to warriors i could make it worse #also by bad im like mainly talking about the writing but also refering to uh #the ableism and anti indegenious stuff i genuinely dont know how that was allowed #and the sexism and everything else #i do love these books and the series i promise but it is worth acknowledging its flaws

[bonefall]

I'm trying to do my own rewrite that doesn't veer too far from canon, and I'm really struggling with how to handle Tigerstar and Sasha. I think Hawk and Moth being half kittypet contributes to their characters in fun ways, and I can see how Tigerstar would want new heirs after being banished from ThunderClan. But idk why xenophobic Tiger would consort with a kittypet, especially someone he'd see as soft like Sasha, when he could've picked a Shadow or RiverClan cat instead? Any thoughts?

You may find my Political Union Concept very helpful for your Sasha dynamic, but I actually get this particular sentiment a lot. People who come to me feeling like they have to work out a problem, "Why does this xenophobic person consort with this member of an outsider group?"

And I don't understand the confusion. Bigotry isn't a principle. Bigoted people don't avoid talking to minorities like a vegan avoids bacon, like it's a meaningful, noble choice. Xenophobes think minorities are inferior and subhuman and that looks like a lot of different things.

(CW: Talking candidly about bigotry, racism, xenophobia, and violence against minority groups. This includes several real-world examples. I also speak about an abusive relationship in a way that could be triggering.)

Bigots interact abusively with the people they're prejudiced against, which CAN look like the "classic" frothing nazi hurling slurs, segregation, and denial of service, yes, but there's a lot of different ways to be abusive.

It can be Exploitative. It can be labor exploitation, it can be human trafficking. It's very easy to justify doing inhuman acts to someone you don't see as human, and worse... when society agrees and is equally bigoted? It becomes very easy to isolate a member of a minority group to groom them for this exploitation, and not face justice for your misdeeds.

There's a massive power imbalance between a person like Tigerstar, a political figurehead, and Sasha, a member of a minority group unprotected by the society's laws. The potential for abuse, isolation, exploitation... it's unfathomable. Sasha is in a deeply dangerous situation; Tigerstar knows that. That's probably what he wants.

Personhood is a privilege her abuser can revoke. I can't capture how terrifying this situation would be realistically.

I often get the original sentiment in the form of, "Why did Tigerstar work with Scourge when he's a xenophobe? He wouldn't want his help!" and... I think this sort of question that should prompt its speaker to do some more personal education on social justice issues. Racists, colonists, xenophobes, and chauvinists are constantly doing this.

Why do xenophobes eat fruit knowing a migrant probably picked it? Because they don't care. Why do sexists hire women? Because they want the labor. Why does Sammy Racism buy product from Company X when he SEES it is owned by a minority? That's the cheapest company.

Why did Tigerstar work with BloodClan? Because they would give him the forest. He probably didn't even plan on giving them what he bargained for.

The minute that Scourge defied him, and said, "I need to rethink these terms in light of new information," Tigerstar flipped the fuck out and tried to kill him for disobedience. He never respected his personhood, or Firestar's, or Sasha's. Ever. That doesn't mean he was physically incapable of interacting with them without slurs bubbling out of him like he was possessed by the ghost of a racism-themed pokemon.

I know it can be easy to imagine bigots being like this chucklefuck who won't climb rainbow stairs, because they are VERY funny and laughing at them is EXTREMELY satisfying, but most bigots will just Take The Rainbow Stairs.

So ASK yourself, instead, what the xenophobic character actually wants. What they can get from this relationship. Sometimes they do want to eradicate the minority group. Sometimes they want power first and will use the group they're bigoted against to get it. Sometimes they want labor. Sometimes they want bodies. Sometimes they want goods. Sometimes the see those last two as the same thing.

Clear your mind of this idea that prejudice itself is rational, logical, or even that bigots have consistent beliefs. Prejudice is a bias, a slimy bucket of contradictory ideas that slide against each other like worms. Bigots and minorities aren't pop rocks and coke, chemically incapable of being in a space without exploding. Minorities live in bigoted societies next to people who hate them their whole lives, it's not so simple as "Xenophobic character = Says no to disliked group."

#Warrior Cats Analysis #this is basically an essay #In conclusion uhhhhh I cast spell of Play Minecraft at all xenophobes #I hope all racists become souplike in consistency #Xenophobia #Racism #Bigotry #Sexism #Homophobia #Queerphobia #I'm tagging so many things I feel like I'm doing an incantation #I cast Ward Bigotry from my Grimoire #Violence #Fascism #social issues #Tigerstar #Sasha #Spell of 'This essay contains potentially upsetting material reader discretion is advised' #Content Warning #tw abuse #cw abuse #abuse #Domestic abuse

[night--heart]

here's the new "kits and queens" warrior cats article summed up in a single sentence :

"single mothers make irrational and poor decisions and raise their kits poorly and nightheart sunbeam and frostpaw would have been normal if only they still had their fathers in their lives"

#warrior cats #also like. hi as someone who's parents are divorced and whos father is abusive : i hate this idea! #very. traditionalist sounding values. litearlly saying 'divorce and single parenting is BAD!!!!!!' #'kits need TWO PARENTS to grow up NORMAL!!!!!!!'. please shut up #i can guarantee you if night sun and frost were all raised by their fathers this article wouldnt have existed #and people woudlve been like 'omg i feel soooo bad for larksong he has to raise nightheart all on his own :(((( what a poor little meowmeow #lke cmon i dont rly like sparkpelt as a character (i never rly Liked Her in avos) and im kind of a fan of nightheart if that isnt obvious #but its very very clear to me that the authors. are very much sexist. at this point its just sexism!

[nlghtcioud]

Realizing in like every arc of warriors other than the first theres at least one dude who acts super creepy & unhealthy towards at least 1 female character.

TNP: Brambleclaw & Ashfur

PoT: Lionblaze

OotS: Lionblaze again & Bumblestripe

DotC: Gray Wing

AVoS: Finleap

TBC: Ashfur & kind of Rootspring, but he isn't as bad as the other examples

ASC: Nightheart & Bramblestar

#Like it's just SO uncomfortable at this point and getting harder and harder to ignore #Between this and a lack of female leaders i feel like the sexism is getting worse #warriors #warrior cats

[reel-fear]

"Well I think Nightheart is Trans" "Well I think Nightheart's character makes more sense if he had ADHD" As a trans person with ADHD neither of those ideas are canon nor justify the misogyny baked into his story and how much of an asshole he is despite being a grown ass adult + I'd rather kill all of you and myself then have to beg for the bigoted as hell Erin Hunter team of all people to give me rep. So uh, shut up <3

#ramblez #points to my we need to hunt nightheart fans for sport post again #no matter how much u Relate to a character Nightheart is never gonna see ur shitty ass posts defending him #the people who have spent YEARS trying to be heard abt the sexist themes and writing of warrior cats and who are affected by #sexism every day of their lives however will #and they will see you would rather spit on them with your shitty horrible ass fucking takes #than awknowledge your stupid fictional meow meow is a shitty ass person #nightheart fans are the new bramblestar stans/defenders pass it on <3 #delete later #maybe #just bc Im very heated-