#warrior cats spoilers

[harriertail]

moonpaw two cats in one?? this is how we bring bristlefrost back-

[twistedtoms]

[mumblejar]

that moon sure can paw

[chorus-cat]

🌗MOONPAW !!!???? 🌗

[mezais]

All they had to do was google chimeras and this is like the first thing to come up lmao

X

[since-times-long-forgotten]

Moonpaw!

Close-ups and thoughts under the cut :)

so. the new moonpaw design, huh? It’s actually a fun design and I like it a lot! Way better than another gray-blue-eyed kitty.

The way her being a chimera was introduced, as if a cat having a split face is really rare? AUGH I know it doesn’t matter but my cat genetics brain is screaming. Split-faced torties are actually pretty common. They could’ve given us a chimera that was partially hairless partially long haired… ough I want to draw a hairless/longhaired chimera. And of course the Erins forgot her parents are first cousins.

okay, onto closeups and design info! Younger Moon and older Moon <3

Shes a chimera of longhaired red tabby w/green eyes, and longhaired black/maybe smoke or point, with yellow eyes. I think it would be fun if both the black & red embryos that fused were genetically XY/male, but they assumed Moon was a female because of the tortie-lookin fur, but it actually worked out fine because she does indeed feel like a molly.

[dykesquirrelstar]

fun fact since we got a canon Moonpaw design, patterns splitting down the middle of a cat's face aren't necessarily a sign of chimerism. it's just common for patterns to end along the symmetry line! (note: i do know the website says she's canonically a chimera, i just didn't trust the erins to know exactly what a chimera is given their track record, but Moonpaw looks accurate. as a chimera and cat genetics enthusiast, good job!)

though her having a yellow eye and green eye do indicate chimerism, as that's impossible otherwise (if a cat has heterochromia, one eye will be blue unless the cat is a chimera. the blue eye is caused by lack of melanin in the eye so its more common for cats to have a blue eye over a white watch of their face)

i just thought it was cool!

examples of non-chimera split-faced cats below cut if ur curious

Edit: If you're truly curious about the genetics behind feline chimeras do check out this link! It has a comprehensive list of types of chimeras and examples of real life chimera cats.

[taks-battlecats]

wanted to do a design for moonpaw! shes so sillay........................

[shitwarriorsquoteunquoteart]

if those spoilers are accurate this arc is going to be a trainwreck of previously unseen magnitude

[lemonstars-cat-blog]

uhhhh hi i love them

[sanitizarium]

i read thunder last night and i love their contrast

[harriertail]

i'll see you on the dark side of the moon!

[zenala-art]

TODAY THE GIRLS WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hellsitegenetics]

(if this is too long please feel free to just do the "upset? I'm not upset" paragraph lol. The warrior cats fandom will thank you!)

"Your quarrel with Brambleclaw has to stop. Too many moons have passed. You have to accept that I'm Brambleclaw's mate, not yours. You can't keep trying to punish Brambleclaw for something that was always meant to be."

"I couldn't care less about Brambleclaw. It's not his fault he fell for a faithless she-cat. I know you think I've never forgiven Brambleclaw for stealing you from me, but you're wrong, and so is every cat that thinks so. My quarrel is with you, Squirrelflight. It always has been."

"All this was moons ago. Ashfur, I had no idea you were still upset."

"Upset? I'm not upset. You have no idea how much pain I'm in. It's like being cut open every day, bleeding onto the stones. I can't understand how any of you failed to see the blood... […] Stay there! I can't believe you didn't know how much you hurt me. You are the blind one, not Jayfeather. Who do you think sent Firestar the message to go down to the lake, where the fox trap was? I wanted him to die, to take your father away so you'd know the real meaning of pain. [...] Brambleclaw saved Firestar then. But he's not here now. He's not here—but your kits are."

"Enough, Ashfur. Your quarrel is with me. These young cats have done nothing to hurt you. Do what you like with me, but let them out of the fire."

"You don't understand. This is the only way to make you feel the same pain that you caused me. You tore my heart out when you chose Brambleclaw over me. Anything I did to you would never hurt as much. But your kits...If you watch them die, then you'll know the pain I felt."

"Kill them, then. You won't hurt me that way. If you really want to hurt me, you'll have to find a better way than that. They are not my kits."

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Closest match: Eimeria praecox genome assembly, chromosome: 4 Common name: The parasite which causes coccidiosis

[everybody-loves-purdy]

I love them so much

[bayofwolves]

congrats on your hysterectomy frostpaw i hope the erins don't use this to push the extremely misogynistic and dehumanizing ideology that women (or in this case, young girls) are not whole without children or the ability to have them