#badgerblossom

[burning-thistles-bt]

(minor ch.155 spoilers)

[burning-thistles-bt]

some bt headcanons i have

- badgerfang puts flowers in blossomtail’s fur

- bubbles opens up to dawncloud about their past and the two grow closer. dawncloud is there to support them every step of the way

- whitestorm would visit willowpelt in the nursery when she gave birth to darkkit. he worried about her wellbeing and promised he’d be there for her and her son if she ever needed it

- adderfang would give the firesibs badger rides!!!

all of these are canon <3

[burning-thistles-bt]

Hi there! I've done lots of research on sexualities and such so I may have some helpful answers ^^

Basically, bisexuality is when a person likes TWO genders. Doesn't have to be a man or a woman. Like let's use Badgerfang as an example. He identified as a gay man for years and even has a husband but if his partner, Blossomtail, comes out as Genderfluid, then he is considered Bisexual.

Pansexuality(me) means that a person doesn't care about gender. They love tue person no matter what, which could fit Badgerfang as well. He loves Blossomtail, end of story.

Being Homosexual (either mlm or wlw) means the person strictly likes the same gender as them.

Saying that a gay man likes a trans woman is incorrect because even though she may LOOK masculine, she is still a woman not a man. Same with lesbians and trans men(me).

Also another important thing- labels don't matter!! sometimes people just like people and don't need to be in a certain label! whatever it is that they like/identity as, it's all okay :]

I hoped this helped to some extent! I've done many years learning about sexualities and getting genders while trying to figure out my own ^^

Big love,

Sky Doodles <3

not sure if you wrote this before or after I wrote my response here BUT

"Also another important thing- labels don't matter!! sometimes people just like people and don't need to be in a certain label! whatever it is that they like/identify as, it's all okay"

"Also another important thing- labels don't matter!! sometimes people just like people and don't need to be in a certain label! whatever it is that they like/identify as, it's all okay"

"Also another important thing- labels don't matter!! sometimes people just like people and don't need to be in a certain label! whatever it is that they like/identify as, it's all okay"

Everything I say is based around this idea. Labels are not concrete. They are not the end all, be all. Labels are great! Labels are comforting. Labels are helpful. I am not against labels. But pointing to labels and saying, "this is the only option," is just. So. Frustrating.

Because you (ambiguous you, not targeted at you, Sky!) say "Homosexuals are attracted strictly to the same gender as themselves," and then proceed to go, "but labels don't matter!" So... Do they?? Because it's a mixed single. You can't tell a gay man they're not gay because they're formerly male partner transitioned into a different gender, and then go, "but labels don't matter!" Because??? You clearly just made the point that they do matter, that they have to pick a handcrafted label, and that you don't value their opinion on the topic of their sexuality.

And to go back to my previous response:

And then there are the people who say, "But you can't be gay, Steve! You have to be bisexual now! You have to call yourself that, or pansexual, or maybe call yourself demisexual but just for your wife, or have you heard of abrosexual? What about agentosexual? I think that's what you are!" and Steve is just like "I don't know. Can't I just love my wife and that's the end of it? Maybe I'm not gay anymore. I don't know." And these people aren't ill-intentioned. They feel they're just trying to help, or trying to "correct" things. But there isn't always a correct answer, and the more you try to force one, the further away the "correct" answer gets.

Trying to force someone into a new label just because a new event and new information arose isn't... isn't fun. For anyone involved. Is it fun for Steve when a bunch of people are telling him he must be this, or must be that? He's trying to come to terms with his own sexuality (is he attracted to women, or just this woman, who once presented as a man?), and isn't of letting him figure it out by himself, people are shoving all these options at him. And, then, if none of them work for him, and he says, "I think I'm still gay because I still really only feel attraction for men, it just happens that my longterm partner transitioned into a woman," and then everyone is like "NO!!! BAD STEVE!!! STEVE MUST BE BISEXUAL NOW!!! JAIL FOR STEVE! JAIL FOR STEVE A THOUSAND YEARS! WE ALREADY DECIDED YOUR SEXUALITY FOR YOU!"

The point I'm trying to make is that there is not one singular, perfect answer to this scenario. There are many. Maybe Badgerfang does decide he is pansexual, because he is loving Blossomtail regardless of his gender. Or maybe he doesn't, and he feels content being gay, as he already had to come to terms with being queer once, and it's a comfort to just be comfortable with himself and his identity, or because he truly still feels gay and only attracted to men. Or maybe he calls himself unlabeled, undecided, or questioning.

Or maybe Badgerfang breaks up with Blossomtail because he feels his attraction fading for him when he is no longer predominantly masculine. And that's perfectly okay and acceptable too!!

[burning-thistles-bt]

fuck i mean sure okay i understand maybe but really i’m very sure that if a person is attracted to the same gender and is gay/lesbian you really. cant. w. you cant call yourself a lesbian / a gay man if ur attracted to the opposite gender ,, and keep in mind im lesbian myself so really… I AGREE with you about the certain part where its like they can realize they’re a different gender / sexuality but everything else is a not so much moment , but i realize i cant really change your opinions on things /lh thats just your view on it i suppose , i’m not gonna try and convince otherwise

I totally understand why you believe that as well! By definition, a gay man means "a man attracted to men and not women." That is The Definition and trying to define it as anything else is just undermining the identity. But trying to box in those who identify as gay into One Scenario Only isn't very helpful.

Let's say a gay man dates a non-binary person. They are not a man or woman. Is that okay? Are they still gay? Or are they no longer gay? Do they now have to be bisexual or pansexual?

Some people say they're still gay if the non-binary person appears masculine or was previously a man (see below*). Some people say that's offensive to the non-binary person as they don't identify with masculinity but masculinity is now being forced onto them so that the gay man can remain gay. Whose right?

Now, let's say a gay man becomes attracted to a trans woman. Their appearance is more masculine, whether because they choose to be masculine or because they have not transitioned fully into a more ambiguous or feminine appearance. This is a tricky situation, isn't it? Is the gay man no longer gay because they are technically attracted to a woman---or are they still gay because they were attracted to the masculinity of the woman? And is it okay for the guy to be attracted to the masculinity of a trans woman, or are they transphobic for having those feelings? What's the right answer?

To some, it's easy---he's not gay. Or, he is still gay. To others, like myself, that answer isn't black and white. It depends on the circumstance (is the gay man acting transphobic to the trans woman? is the non-binary person okay with a gay man dating them? is the gay man more attracted to masculine or feminine traits or do the traits not matter? is it more of the "biological" attraction or an emotional attraction?). Not everyone fits into the binary.

I'm not saying that gay men can date a bunch of women and call themselves gay, either. That's not what I'm supporting. I can't emphasize that enough. Hetero men can't genuinely date only women and call themselves "gay" just for queer points. What I'm supporting is the gray area, the rarer occurrences. The "my husband came out as trans and is now my wife. I still love her, but I've never been attracted to women before. What do I do now?" Because Holy Shit, isn't that a hard scenario? You've been confident and happy with your identity for so long, and then suddenly this one thing makes you have to rethink it all. Because here's the facts:

You are attracted to men.

You dated a man.

You married a man.

You love this man.

This man is now a woman but still has the body you love.

They start to transition (if they choose) and their body changes, but you still love them---perhaps the attraction for their body is different, but you still love them. Who they are, how they laugh, how they smile, how they snore, what they stand for, everything.

You are still attracted to other men, and not attracted to women.

You still love your wife.

Are you gay?

This is a scenario where I'm like, yeah, I don't care if you call yourself a gay man still. I understand the implications---other people see a happy man-woman couple and are like, "Uh? What do you mean you're gay, Steve? You have a wife!" And then homophobes point to Steve and Jill and go "Look! That guy says he's gay but he has a wife! You're all just liars and frauds looking for attention!" And that's not very fun for the rest of us who have to defend ourselves from those assholes.

But I don't care about those assholes. I care that Steve and Jill are happy. I care that Steve is okay with who he is and that Jill is okay with who she is.

And then there are the people who say, "But you can't be gay, Steve! You have to be bisexual now! You have to call yourself that, or pansexual, or maybe call yourself demisexual but just for your wife, or have you heard of abrosexual? What about agentosexual? I think that's what you are!" and Steve is just like "I don't know. Can't I just love my wife and that's the end of it? Maybe I'm not gay anymore. I don't know." And these people aren't ill-intentioned. They feel they're just trying to help, or trying to "correct" things. But there isn't always a correct answer, and the more you try to force one, the further away the "correct" answer gets.

Some articles I think are worth a read that go into more on the topic are these:

*‘What happens when you’re in a gay relationship and your partner comes out as non-binary?’ "This experience has highlighted to me more than ever that sexuality and gender exist on a spectrum; they are fluid and ever-changing. Despite my partner being non-binary, I still feel that I identify as a gay man. I still consider myself attracted to masculinity and my partner acknowledges that they are still predominantly male-presenting and have no intention of changing this, I still respect their gender identity and will continue to do so."

‘I wanted to be supportive but I was terrified of losing her’: what happens when your partner comes out as trans? "I didn’t fall in love with a gender, I fell in love with a person," is by far my favorite quote. Though, be warned, the second interviewee is Definitely Transphobic and I don't like them, but the first and third interviews are so sweet, I love them 🥺. But really this whole article is great to really get a wide perspective on how people react to their partners transitioning. "Any couple, whether or not they stay together, is changed by the experience of transitioning," is also a great end note.

What My Partner's Transition Meant For My Sexuality "It became very clear to me that being a lesbian married to a man was in fact not the actual problem. My problem was I could only see in black and white, yes and no. I had entwined my ego, my sense of self, with my lesbian identity. A lesbian shall not be married to a man. A lesbian shall not enjoy sex with a man......I lean on that inspiration when I'm asked, "So, what does his transition mean for you? Are you straight now?" I just answer, "I'm in love.""

Just in general, there's so many ways humans react to this kind of complicated stuff. Some people have a realization of sexuality---they realize that they were always X sexuality, or that they are okay with being X sexuality. Others find themselves able to "adjust" and love their partner(s) regardless of gender, even if the attraction is muddled.

Something I'd also like to mention is that there are fair points on both sides of this argument. I am not solely and utterly right on this topic. There are things that I concede could be my own bias---for one, I've never experienced romantic/sexual attraction myself, so what could I really know about allo experiences?---but I try to research topics before I fling myself into anything. I can see the logic and the reasoning on both sides. And also the other in-between sides. I don't think there's an absolutely right or wrong for this scenario---not right now. Not with how culture and society is right now. But this is the side that I stand with the firmest ground on.

[burning-thistles-bt]

i just wanna quickly say that blossom could be genderfluid instead of transfem (? Cant remember which IM SORRY) , just to avoid the idea pbecause badger is attracted to males and not women ? just a suggestion

that was an idea i had! just in general, im not setting anything in stone, i think its more just a funny idea (that might turn serious as most joke ideas do haha). Blossomtail could be transfem, could be genderfluid, could be demi-gender, could be agender, could be intersex, could be drag/cross-dresser, could be femboy, or could just be cisboy doing a silly! who knows! he strikes me as someone whose just having fun anyway haha

but something that does irk me a little is the idea that Blossomtail has to remain at least partially masculine in his gender just so Badgerfang can remain Gay™. Like this is a set rule and Badgerfang's sexuality Absolutely Cannot Change either. if Blossomtail can be a cistom for most of his life but near the end decide he actually might feel more like a she-cat, then Badgerfang could similarly call himself gay for most of his life before he realizes "hey, maybe I'm actually bisexual?" There is nothing Against This. There is no rules that they can't Do This.

Additionally, Badgerfang can still be gay even if his partner is female. Why? Because this isn't Badgerfang saying "I'm gay" and then dating a woman he just met. This is Badgerfang falling in love with his best friend, a guy, and marrying this man and loving him as a man, and then when his husband tells him, "Hey, I think I want to be a woman a little bit, actually," is Badgerfang just supposed to be like, "Oh, hey, actually, I'm gay, so we need to divorce after 10 loving years of marriage." As though their partnership meant nothing. Badgerfang doesn't just love men---he loves Blossomtail. And if Blossomtail wants to be a girl? Then Badgerfang supports her and loves her regardless! Badgerfang can still love and support Blossomtail. Their love is still real, and it's wrong to invalidate it just because "oh, since Blossomtail isn't a guy anymore, Badgerfang no longer feels attraction for him because he is Gay," as though being gay is worth more than a longstanding, loving partnership.

Sexuality, romantic orientations, gender identities---they're all fluid and never set in stone. It varies from person to person. Perhaps Badgerfang would eventually fade out of romantic/sexual attraction for Blossomtail the more feminine he presents. It's not implausible or even wrong if it happens. But, personally, BT!Badgerfang is the kind of guy who would choose to keep loving the wife he's always had, even if he never knew it.

And if it means he's Not Gay to some people? He doesn't care. He's got a wife and he loves her.

[burning-thistles-bt]

idk what gender Blossomtail has but i want it

and so does his husband <3

[burning-thistles-bt]

Look Badgerfang and Blossomtail are cute but they're up against main characters including ShadowClan's power not- couple.

i know i actually guessed they wouldnt get any votes haha XD since no one remembers them or only remembers them separately lol

[burning-thistles-bt]

family tree fun facts

Dawncloud is Badgerfang's maternal half-aunt :)

[burning-thistles-bt]

Alder's Ship Tier List

AT LAST. I HAVE FINISHED IT.

See undercut for names in categories/little blurbs i put in some. Not all have my thoughts at the moment because BRAINDEAD but yeah.

at last!

I would DIE for them:

DarkCherry

Ship Ship &lt;;3:

FireSand

CopperDawn

DawnReed

CinderLizard

NightScraps

SwiftAdder

LongCreek

RavenBarley

SpottedFrost

SilverLightning

CricketGremlin

GrayGremlin

GrayMille

StormRobin

SwiftSwamp

SwiftSwampLynx

SwiftTulip

TallBubbles

TallWet

TallWetBubbles

TallJake

WhiteWillow

ShortStorm

Lowkey ship/Side ship:

BrightCloud

RunningFire

BlueThrushOak

DeadCloud

What Lolling said about them being boyfriends as apprentices and then being awkward deputies has brought them up here lmao

YellowBlue

This is definetely heavily influenced by the OG canon, but sue me! I love old moms with their adoptive son <3

FernCliff

Cute:

BadgerBlossom

RedSoot

BrightCloudSwift

I also see this as a BroTP

SnowCliff

MorningAir

Also BroTP because they are Queer-Platonic <3

ElderMistle

BadgerBlossomRavenBarley

FeatherRaven

RunningRed

BrindleWhiteWillow

BrackenSorrel

LynxSwamp

FeatherShips

FeatherRavenBarley

FeatherBrackenRavenBarley

FeatherBrackenSorrel

PrimroseWood

CinderAsh

ShadeVixen

SwiftTulipSwamp

MudSorrel

FernDust

One-Half

SnowTawny

SoftOwl

TawnyMistle

RowanTawny

BroTP

DarkFire

It's also Complicated TM

ElderReed

CopperCinder

OatSmoke

CopperDawnCinderAsh

PerchLizard

SnowTulip

SnowBramble

SpottedWhite

LongFire

Don't ship in BT context, but I can see it in canon :3

Friends :D

look at me over here friendzoning so many ships lmao XD

DarkRunningFire

It's still Complicated TM

BrambleMistle

ElderCliff

FireCherry

Cherry did have a brief unrequited crush on Fire as a kit

Got over it fast though lol

OakReed

Reedwhisker just likes collecting half-clan friends lmao

MistyFire

FangTawny

Cute, but I mainly see them as friends - although I could get on board the ship :D

RedBrindle

BrindleWhite

CherrySand

CloudElder

CloudFern

CopperAsh

BadgerRaven

FeatherBarley

SwiftAsh

NightPrimrose

RunningBarley

TurtleTawny

OneAir

TallDawn

TallSand

Frenemies

DarkRunning

CloudSwift

MouseLightning

SandCreek

By Frenemies I mean they butt heads at times hehe

It's Complicated

CreekOliver

BrambleSquirrel

BlueOak

TawnyGorse

No spoilers but...it's complicated 👀

FeatherGray

CricketLynx

RedTiger

FT Apprentice Group

CreekOliverLong

PPKK Apprentice Group

GraySilver

SmallSpeckle

Justice for Speckletail 2k23

NightSwamp

WillowAsh

ShortOscar

FuzzyRobin

FuzzyRobinPatch

RaggedYellow

RippleGray

TigerSasha

GoldenTiger

Toxic but Intriguing

BrindleBeach

BrownApple

CindersLightning

CindersWhispersLightning

BlackMisty

Lolling hit it on the nail

All about the divorce couple vibes here

OneWhite

OneSmoke

FuryLightning

SnowThistle

In Lolling's video, she says that she sees their relationship as not "Snow making Thistle a better guy" but "Thistle making Snow a worse person" and I'm in that same boat :)

Also Burn in Hell because Thistle deserves nobody <3

Also also yes I agree Lolling Snow bitch-slapped Thistle at his nine lives ceremony it's canon we don't make the rules (yes we do-)

DarkTiger

BlackTiger

FrostLion

The flavor Lolling has been throwing at us specifically :)))

LightningShips

GrassLightning

OakThistle

Oakheart is ThunderClansexual and we don't make the rules lmao

though it's also Burn in Hell because again, Thistle deserves nobody :)

TigerLeopard

Unrequited Beloved

OneFire

CherryCreek

FeatherBracken

RobinLizard

SedgeLightning

RedFrost

BlueThrush

WhiteTiger

Tiger got brother-zoned so hard it's funny XD

WhiteSilver

LizardPrimrose

RedWhite

SilverAir

DustLynx

Crack

BrachioMisty

LeopardLightning

WhiteAir

SilverCinders

SilverCindersLightning

SilverLightningGray

BellCreek

TigerScourge

ThrushOak

GrayWhite

ShortStormOscar

No Opinion

CindersWhispers

CopperRunning

BlueSpotted

BrightSwift

GrassAir

FernWolf

Fernshade beloved <3 but we barely see her and Wolf's relationship, even though we can conclude they are probably very cute together <3

AshThorn

FeatherRobin

FernThorn

RedBrindleWhite

FeatherRavenGray

FeatherGraySilver

PikeRobin

PerchRobin

SpottedBrindle

SpottedScourge

SpottedTiger

SpottedDead

CloudSpotted

BrokenBlack

OneBrush

I haven't read Onestar's super edition so I have zero clue who Brushpaw is lmao

WhiteLeopard

TornScorch

ThornCliff

SmallFuzzy

RunningStone

MoonPatch

WillowAshWhite

LittleOak

CedarNight

FuryMinty

FuzzyPatch

DeadAsh

DeadAshAir

RobinSpeckle

MallowVole

GoldenPatch

Burn in Hell

like Lolling, I like these ships as they're supposed to be - toxic - but also i want them to burn in hell <3

you can guess who they all entail probably lol

BlueThistle

GrassThistle

PerchThistle

FinchDawn

FinchBubbles

FrostThistle

SpottedThistle

ThistleVixen

ThistleShade

ThistleShips

WhispersLightning

QuinceThistle

MapleThistle

WillowTawny

RippleFinch

RippleLightning

WillieMinty

Minty deserved better tbh <-says one of the two people who screwed up her life

[burning-thistles-bt]

Current list of all the current mateships/partnerships/ex mateships I can remember:

Spottedfrost (former crushes on eachother, were "totally platonic besties")

Th*stlespot (Not even classifying this as anything other than I hope thistle gets blown up)

Firesand (My personal comfort ship! Love those skrunklies, romantic mateship)

Greystream (Romantic mateship, no longer together bc stream DIED)

Willowtawny (Another "I hope this tom GETS BLOWN UP" case, was a 1 night stand)

Redrunning (Aww my comfort gays <3, mateship, red is dead tho sadly)

Tigerdark (one sided pining on darks side)

Frostlion (mateship, lions ded tho)

Dawncopper (<333, queerplatonic partnership, i hope they have a very happy life *angry staring at lolling and alder*)

Thrushblue (one sided on thrushs part, honestly could see them as a queerplatonic partnership, rip thrushie boy)

Snowthistle (Former mates, I hope thistle is castrated brutally with a bomb)

Oakblue (Former mates(?), Was likely more of a one night stand that resulted in pregnancy)

Willow-ash(?) (Former mates, poor willow cant catch a break)

Willowwhite (Mates, I love them <3)

Thistlegrass (""Mates"", Thistle I am rapidly approaching your location with a metal pipe and hot sauce to pour on ur wounds)

Swampswift (ex mates, swift deserves better)

Brightcloud(?) (Pining on both sides I believe)

Airmorning (I see these two as queerplatonic besties who just platonically raise kits together <3)

I think Im missing a bunch rn Idk tho

-frostfur hater anon

there's so many ships its hard to keep track honestly XD

uhhhh here's a few more:

FeatherBracken (one-sided crush; besties)

FeatherRaven (ex-to-be-mates; basically they were dating bf-gf but in clan standards)

RavenBarley (canon canon canon)

SilverLightning (one-sided; besties but now one's dead haha)

SedgeLightning (one-sided...?)

SpottedFrost (THE SHIP EVER; ex-besties, Frostie is now a horrible person but Spotted still loves her sadly </3)

SwiftTulip (Tulip has a crush on Swift)

BadgerBlossom (BADGER! BLOSSOM! YOU GUYS THEY'RE SO ADORABLE STOP SLEEPING ON THEM! ...you wont be sleeping long)

aaand like a hundred more haha XD

oh and ear rip and berries

[burning-thistles-bt]

1 day left!

(minor ch.155 spoilers)

[burning-thistles-bt]

i see no one has voted for BadgerBlossom yet so i raise you:

Chapter 45

“Badgerpaw?” Blossompaw meowed, looking scared. “Please don’t go! We’ll have no one to pretend to be a badger anymore if you do!” Badgerpaw let out a small laugh, wincing as it irritated his wound. Copperleaf smiled softly as Blossompaw, unknowingly, was doing a very good job at distracting the two moons older apprentice from his injury. Copperleaf wound the cobweb around the wound, nudging Flintfang’s paws out of the way as he finished.

Chapter 69 (haha, nice)

Meanwhile, Blossomtail reluctantly pulled himself away from Badgerfang. The white tom brushed his muzzle against the black and white tom, who rested happily on the wet snow. It must feel good on the ugly scar that ran down his chest and belly. Badgerfang laughed and purred, swatting at Blossomtail.

“Bring me back a toad!” Badgerfang called as Blossomtail bounded away, tail high. Copperleaf purred as he bumped his forehead against his son’s. Blossomtail also gave his brown tabby brother a friendly shove.

Chapter 76

Badgerfang huffed beside him, casting him a disbelieving glare. “Don’t lie! The moment Runningnose’s done tending to Nutwhisker, I’m confining you to the medicine cat den myself! Were you crazy, attacking a senior warrior like that? She and Larksplash had just killed Ashfur, for StarClan’s sake!”

“Why’d you think I attacked them?” Blossomtail grumbled, rolling his one open eye. Then he grinned again and playfully shoved Badgerfang. “Hey! It’ll be just like old times, but instead of you being in the medicine cat’s den, I’ll be, and then you’ll have to cuddle me and give me prey and visit me every day and-”

“Oh, shush!” Badgerfang tried to say sternly, but a purr rose from his throat as he nudged the white tom. He stuck out his tongue. “You won’t get pampered by me for your stupidity!”

(minor ch.155 spoilers)

[burning-thistles-bt]

absolutely NO VOTES for BadgerBlossom ur breaking my heart guys </3

jk i expected that lmao.

what i AM surprised about is SpottedFrost got SECOND PLACE by a good amount! I know im always blabbing on about SpottedFrost but i genuinely thought more people would hate BT!Frostfur so much they wouldnt enjoy the ship XD guess my Frosted Thistles propaganda worked ;)

MissingTulip got second place! I did not expect that! I assume because it's in the current chapters so its on everyone's minds. similarly, BrackenFeather got crushed in the tied third places because i went and destroyed that ship recently XD they can platonically be besties still tho guys!!! have hope be strong!

and absolutely no surprise CopperDawn is WINNING <3 as it should, queerplatonic romance-tilted relationship FOR THE WIN! with their love we can manifest the good we need in BT. we have some fluff coming up for them get ready <333

id also love to hear what ships those who picked Other were voting for!

(minor ch.155 spoilers)

[burning-thistles-bt]

Lolling: #begging one singular person to vote for BadgerBlossom lol

I would've but....

Berries

(minor ch.155 spoilers)