unfortunately, the main reason behind the lack of canon acknowledgement is likely the fact that these books release worldwide, including in countries whose governments heavily sanction media that includes ANYTHING portraying lgbt themes. yes, it's a dumb reason, because books like wings of fire aren't anywhere near as afraid to include canon lgbt characters (one of the characters is canonically nonbinary for god's sake!!), but it's likely the reason.
There's a gay lion in Bravelands, and those books are being released in the same countries as Warrior Cats. Though I'm not sure if China and Russia got the book where it was confirmed yet
Ravenpaw literally DENIED STARCLAN becuase he wanted to watch over Barely and be where he went when he died. He did appear during Bramblestar's leader ceremony but still he had the chance to go to StarClan and did not. Because of Barely. To deny a place in heaven for your partner is a pretty big deal. Imo.
giving the "barley will never stop loving you" line specifically to silverstream, the platonic ideal of a warrior cats love interest, is honestly full of romantic implications in and of itself
Also Silverstream of all cats being the one to visit Ravenpaw to tell him that Barley will still love him after he dies feels like it’s intentionally drawing connections between that and Silverstream being separated from Graystripe when she died. Y’know, her explicit lover…
for me it was the bit where graystripe was like to ravenpaw you'll miss barley wont you? i remember when i lost MILLIE like gray lost fire his best friend he couldve made that comparison but he chose to compare raven losing barley with losing a mate !!!!
raven and barley have a healthier relationship than majority of the straight couples in the series 😭 like the way they are so kind, understanding, and loving towards each other even when they fight like chefs kiss 💗
I know those people got banned but I’m so tired of homophobic people in lgbtq friendly comment sections trying to bring others down, lgbtq people are 110% valid
"b-b-but cats can't be gay!!😢" cats also can't have organised religion or gain nine lives through magic. man the era of when that was a common argument sucked.
the majority of straight canon ships in the series: "you smell good" "you smell good too" "wanna have kits?" "yeah sure" the gaycoded ships in the series: "I would reject heaven to stay with you after my death"
dude fr!! romance in warriors was NEVER interesting because most times it has always been explored so little! interactions between mates are most of the time very limited unless they’re on some journey together. however the gay relationships always feel so much sweeter and so much more genuine❤️❤️
Bro frr, I have never been this into warriors romance because of how those canon straight ships are portrayed. Ever since I heard of Ravenpaw's farewell and how gay and romantic it was, I was literally giddying in my seat to devour all the others book until I get on the correct timeline to be able to read it lol.
@@Diamondr11Blue simple harper colins couldn't publish the books in many countries if they dared, some parent's wouldn't even let their kids read it, taking a hit on sales and their money.
"Cats can't be gay" is such a hilariously stupid hill to die on when talking about a series where cats can die nine times, have superpowers like dream walking, super hearing and ivincibility, have an afterlife and can reincarnate. Ah yes, all things real cats can do, obviously.
Also nevermind fantastical powers and abilities, the cats painfully obviously don’t develop/grow like normal cats either with some kittens running around and talking at 2 days old when in reality they should be blind and deaf furry potatoes for atleast a week, and this is just treated as normal. Also remember that one time Whitepaw *dislocated* her tail and Leafpool just popped it back into place like it was a joint that misaligned from it’s socket and not the extension of the spine? I sometimes question if the authors have ever handled cats.
Are you saying they're gay like they do the deed with each other or gay as in them interacting with each other. Because, I honestly don't want to keep seeing people call cats gay especially in the Warriors books. I love these books as much as you do. And honestly, if my religious parents see this they will actually stop me from reading it again. So, that's basically why I dislike it when ppl call cats gay.
@@Sensation-iq7kw My cat is gay in real life, his boyfriend unfortunately passed away, but besides that... adult stuff, they cuddled together all the time and spent every moment together. They are also humanized cats in the books, bc ofc real cats can't talk, have deep emotional thoughts, have religions, etc. So they'd logically be gay like humans can be too. I'm sorry about your religious parents, but you can always find the books online or at the library if that happens. Warriors has a very large queer community and we see ourselves in these characters, it's harmless.
With the bio image: i think its because whoevers running the site havent read ravenpaws farewell bc they also list him as being in starclan which isnt true
Vicky saying "drug addiction" will never fit into the series, when that one cat from moth flight's vision exists (the old one with addiction to catmint, i forget his name)
Listen sharing a nest might be acceptable platonically but we sure as fuck don't know if jayfeather or briarlight preferred to be the big spoon that's all I'm saying
You should, I remember reading the ending in the hospital bathroom after my grandma had a stroke and crying :'), also, yes, it was def gay, even a young me could spot it from a mile away
i reread Ravenpaw’s Farewell a few months ago. i had accepted that ravenpaw was gay on vibes alone, but that’s what sold the ship for me. they acted like a married couple the entire book. it was cute
Was drawing rather than watching and straight up thought you added the "I don't deserve you" line as a joke until I switched tabs and read for myself. And then it just got even more blatantly romantic-sounding from there. Could have convinced me that was a fanfiction you were reading lol. Good for them, good for them.
Didn't one of the authors write a gay Firestar and greystripe fanfiction one Christmas. Isn't that confirmation enough that the intention was always there to imply there were gay cats
I feel like anyone denying that Raven and Barley are a couple are either 1) ignorant and have never read Ravenpaw's Farewell + never saw the author statements or 2) Homophobic. I know I know a pretty big accusation, but istg every time I see someone deny RavenBarley or TallJake 80% of the time they're just being homophobic. Also. I feel like FrostWhistle has the same kinda "vibe" I guess as RavenBarley. They're very close friends and their scenes together can definitely be seen as romantic. I do wish there were more "basically canon but we can't say it in the books" flf ships though.
Can someone get me frostwhistle romantic interactions? All ive seen are very close to platonical/Not even close to friends so im pretty confused at the pairing
Not only that they're so gay, they're also fit the 'Lean Twink x Bara Bear' the most popular gay ship dynamic trope. (Ravenpaw described as lean and Barley described as Tall, broad-shouldered in Ravenpaw's farewell.)
@@unisamati5478 Barley is said to be short in Firestars quest, he’s still bulky and plump though. I’m not sure why they suddenly decided he was tall? Edit: here it is! “It’s good to see you again,” Firestar meowed. The last time he and Ravenpaw had met was at the battle with BloodClan, when the black cat and his friend Barley had joined in the fight with the forest cats. “Welcome.” Ravenpaw touched noses with his former Clanmate. “Is all well in ThunderClan?” “Fine,” Firestar replied. “But I-” He broke off as another voice called out a greeting. Barley, the black-and-white cat who shared the barn with Ravenpaw, appeared at the top of a pile of straw bales and dropped neatly down at Firestar’s side. He was a short, compact cat, well muscled, even though his belly was a bit too plump from all the mice that lived in the barn. “Do you want to hunt?” he offered. “There’s plenty of prey. Take as much as you like.” “I’m sorry, I can’t,” Firestar answer
Ravenpaw and Barley have more chemistry in the novella than most couples in the main series and I want at least the occasional pair to go there. ... also I still can't see excerpts from Ravenpaw's Farewell without crying AGAIN.
Mmm that and the whole getting banned in some countries which would stop some fans from being able to access the books😣 one day this will no longer be an issue I hope and pray for everyone to be accepted everywhere ❤
When I was little I thought Ravenpaw was a girl because the romance between him and Barley was so apparent even to my 10 year old didn't-know-that-gay-people-existed self
In my mind, this is definetly a publisher issue at this point, possibly having to do with censorship in various countries. I'm side-eyeing some of the older author chats, but I genuinely hope and believe that whatever... *Weirdness* came off from the authors' replies was an unfortunate tone issue. Perhaps Vicky meant that homophobia doesn't exist in Warriors? I'm not sure. Barley and Ravenpaw's interactions read so much to me as "old married couple who love eachother very much". They *are* together, no one will ever change my mind. I also don't think anyone should take the Warriors website seriously. It has so much weirdness to it. (Why did you remind me of named shipping??? I need to be put in a retirement home.)
Plus, cats irl can be gay. One of my friends has two cats that they got when they only wanted one. They desperately wanted one of them, but they were being sold as a bonded pair. They were not brothers. These baby boy cats literally sleep on top of each other, groom each other, and are very adorable. If they aren't gay then idk what is.
12:15 yes the perfect opportunity to talk about my favorite ship: Sunfish x Leopardfur! For leopardstar entire super edition sunfish is around to support her and When leopardkit is being bullied by her siblings Skykit and Blackkit Sunfish comforts her and when Skykit tries to drown Leopardkit sunkit notices her hiding in the nursery and invites her to play then when they are apprentices Sunfish starts crushing on this really creepy senior warrior who nobody ever talks about. Leopardpaw was scared of swimming because of almost drowning and sunfish helps her swim and they have this really cute moment where they swim out to the river and catch a fish and bring it back to camp to share. Then when they are warriors Sunfish mentions that now that shes a warrior Beetlenose (the creepy old tom) likes her back and Leopardfur quite literally storms away because she’s JEALOUS (and shes been shown to dislike Beetlenose so theres no chance she was jealous for that reason) And then theres a timeskip and Sun and Beetle have a kit and Leopardfur is basically coparenting with Sunfish because Beetlenose is a tom and toms never have to parent in warriors. And then Sunfish gets attacked by Redtail in battle and gets a really bad infected wound and Leopardfur visits her everyday and Sunfish tells leopardfur if she doesn’t make it to be a mom to Whitepaw (her kit) and that night she dies and Whitepaw wakes Leopardfur up and tells her and she pulls whitepaw into her nest and he stays there mourning until the next morning And when Whiteclaw dies (from being thrown in the gorge by Graystripe) she worries if Sunfish will ever forgive her for failing to keep her promise to protect him (Also not a sunfish moment but another example of leopardstar being extremely gay Leopardstar refers to Silverstream as the most beautiful shecat ever multiple times)
As is stated in the video itself, the writers can only imply these relationships because so many countries they sell the books to would ban anything that is Explicitly LGBT in themes😅 but at least we know the intent is they’re a thing. They’re not officially ‘mates’ but they stayed together 😊
Hii! REALLY IMPORTANT! Vicky Holmes CONFIRMED OFFICIALY that Ravenpaw and Barley ARE INDEED TOGETHER! It was on Pyrkon (convention) and I was here and heard it myself. She said that they are mates but at the time she didn't want to write controversial things in the book so she doesn't get complains about it!
Isn't she just one of the erins? There's more than one just because she says she views something a certain way doesn't mean its canon since she isn't the only author. Not trying to be hateful btw just curious.
@@Gato-Tacoo Yeah!! but from what I heard when I last was reading about the authors and recent books, there was that Vicky is mostly carrying that series on, and the rest is minimally helping (Which makes sense, I remember them being already old ladies) , so she is like the main author now!
aghh ravenpaw's farewell always makes my cry WHY MUST YOU DO THIS TO ME also yeah they are very gay. I'm glad the fandom is less homophobic nowadays, back then it was so bad sometimes.
real i legit just cried nonstop after being reminded of all the amazingly written texts in that book 😭 it's such a wonderful relationship it truly baffles me that anyone could deny it
The carefully dodging having to give a very special version of the "birds and bees" talk to a small child when they ask why you and your partner don't have children really is The Queer Adult Experience in a nutshell.
I haven't read the series since I was a child, I only keep even a little up to date via moonkitti videos these days, so it's lovely to know that ravenpaw's farewell was such a decisive answer
I like how after his awful time in Thunderclan Ravenpaw lived a relatively peaceful life wifh Barley . I wish more clan cats got more of a choice if they really want to be warrior cats or be loners. Since usually starclan now is like no you have to be a warrior or medicine cat because vague propechy reasons
i’ve never read a warrior cat book in my life (and that’s saying a lot bc i was a huge book nerd in the ages 5-13) but the part where Ravenpaw dies low key made me tear up. i respect old man yaoi angst in any form
(these 2 are my favorite couple I'm glad you did a video on them) The real reason they never talk about how the 2 cats are gay for each other is because of the higherups 100%, but what I always thought in relation to this, in universe, is that cats don't exactly think of relationships the same way us humans do. The term 'mate' would imply a cat that they could mate with and kits are a result. So mate wouldn't apply in their minds to barley and raven, just most important person or partner, so they are 100% a couple just not mates. and historians would call them 'best friends' 💥
I love how gay they are for each other and that's that I only regret that we can have realy fleshed out lesbian couple in Warrior Cats... such a shame...
This might be a bit unrelated, but Ravenpaw was my favorite character in Warrior Cats from the small amount of it I read. I never really liked the series (I'm mostly subbed for the WOF content), but he always felt way more compelling compared to the sea of bland, uninteresting characters. Honestly I would have probably kept reading if he was the focus instead of Fireheart.
Regardless of whether or not RavenBarley is a thing the idea that animals can't have gay relationships is just... incredibly untrue? Even though a lot of research on the topic has all been done fairly recently (because. you know. queer people have notoriously been a taboo subject for a very long time) we've still found evidence of gay couples being a thing in 1000+ species, and obviously there's plenty of room for more examples that we haven't found yet. While other animals are likely going to have different ideas of relationships than humans do, it's not fair to automatically assume that there wouldn't be any same-sex couples in any of the other millions of species we have on Earth??? The idea that same-sex couples are strictly a human thing just makes me feel like these people are still seeing gay couples as something unnatural or that it works differently than attraction between heterosexual partners. I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt and hope that this bias is unintentional and that they aren't intentionally trying to be homophobic but regardless it's an idea that needs to be unlearned! (As a bonus if you actually read this whole ramble then as a treat I think you should look up the pink dragon millipede! It's not related to this conversation at all but if you're into arthropods like I am then it's a cool little guy!!! If you don't like arthropods then look at the silky anteater because they're cute. And also have a nice day!!!!!!!)
God I remember Warriorswish, also that Fields of Gold fic was 100% responsible for me shipping Raven/Barley and I miss when we used to have cute ship names omg ALSO: The way Ravenpaw’s farewell is written is done in a way that English speaking readers absolutely read it as romantic but you could make, for example, a Russian translation, and have it translated to read as platonic while still technically being accurate.
![Eminem - Somebody Save Me (feat. Jelly Roll) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Vwa0HenQMi4/mqdefault.jpg)
by the way if you comment something homophobic you're getting whole-channel banned so have fun
🔥🔥🔥🔥
MoonKitti? You accidentally left out the Star from your name
sorry you dropped this CROWN QUEEN 👑👑👑👑
woohoo
Thank you moonkitti lgbt ally
And they were barnmates
oh god they were barnmates
im so glad someone finished the quote LMAO
Oh StarClan, they were barnmates
HISTORY HATES LOVERS :(
"they lived in the same barn and that was enough"
when a kit talks to you abt your partner and asks "do you have kittens" THERE'S NO WAYYYY to not get the memo
ikr.
THIS😭 and when they curl up together 🙏 your honor; they’re gay 🫡
That was so fucking funny when reading the novella.
She was like: I know what you are
@@No-longer1 LMAOO EXACTLY 😭😭
@@BluezPlant real
"no matter where you go, barley will never stop loving you" -silverstream, WORD FOR WORD, in ravenpaw's farewell
unfortunately, the main reason behind the lack of canon acknowledgement is likely the fact that these books release worldwide, including in countries whose governments heavily sanction media that includes ANYTHING portraying lgbt themes. yes, it's a dumb reason, because books like wings of fire aren't anywhere near as afraid to include canon lgbt characters (one of the characters is canonically nonbinary for god's sake!!), but it's likely the reason.
There's a gay lion in Bravelands, and those books are being released in the same countries as Warrior Cats. Though I'm not sure if China and Russia got the book where it was confirmed yet
Fr
Silverstream confirmed gay ally
@@kateb6699 So is Whitestorm
Ravenpaw literally DENIED STARCLAN becuase he wanted to watch over Barely and be where he went when he died. He did appear during Bramblestar's leader ceremony but still he had the chance to go to StarClan and did not.
Because of Barely. To deny a place in heaven for your partner is a pretty big deal. Imo.
@@Diamondr11Bluewell spoilers he died from liver cancer while Barley was crying over his dead body
@@lunartimberwolfokay?
That is the gayest shit I've ever heard. I don't see how anyone can deny this lol
Just like Pebbleshine rejected starclan for her two newborn kits
@@lunartimberwolfYa some people don’t read the books but watch or follow fanart, I read the books but watch spoilers
giving the "barley will never stop loving you" line specifically to silverstream, the platonic ideal of a warrior cats love interest, is honestly full of romantic implications in and of itself
facts
Also Silverstream of all cats being the one to visit Ravenpaw to tell him that Barley will still love him after he dies feels like it’s intentionally drawing connections between that and Silverstream being separated from Graystripe when she died. Y’know, her explicit lover…
yepp
so true!!
for me it was the bit where graystripe was like to ravenpaw you'll miss barley wont you? i remember when i lost MILLIE
like gray lost fire his best friend he couldve made that comparison but he chose to compare raven losing barley with losing a mate !!!!
hello stuffed alpaca?? my third time watching this video and I finally notice you left a comment from your nao pfp
ravenpaw may not be 100% canonically gay but boy he is Not Straight
yo fr-
i understand this completely
he's at least canonically into guys
Agreed.
Yeah I always thought of him more as pan or bi rather than gay
never read ravenpaw's novella but it's insane that actual literal god came down to him to say "gay rights, love is love"
Actual literal god 💀😂
W GOD 😤👌
warriors writing is wiId... I don't know if I Iove it or miIdIy disIike it but it's so entertaining
raven and barley have a healthier relationship than majority of the straight couples in the series 😭 like the way they are so kind, understanding, and loving towards each other even when they fight like chefs kiss 💗
**in starclan
Yeshh, THERE perfect perfection! I love them! They're the perfect ship in the whole tire warrior cats community! ❤
Well no wonder, they just chill in a barn choked with mice and are free from any clan bullshit
Ravenpaw is NOT straight. Him and Barley interact like an old married couple it's wonderful
I know! I love it to!
@@isaacdeckman7780 womp womp 😔
@@isaacdeckman7780 if you don’t like it why are you here?
@@AnonymousNightFury017 if you don’t like it why did you click on the vid?
I know those people got banned but I’m so tired of homophobic people in lgbtq friendly comment sections trying to bring others down, lgbtq people are 110% valid
Him and Barely's realtionship is bascically the gender-bent version of the cottage core lesbians.
lol so true
They are THE cottage core lesbians
barn core gays
@@stormofdogz That was my exact thought.
Thank you for this comment.
"b-b-but cats can't be gay!!😢" cats also can't have organised religion or gain nine lives through magic.
man the era of when that was a common argument sucked.
Plus they can be gay irl
@@CreativeName574true! i was just pointing out that even if cats couldn't be gay that wouldn't be a good argument against gay cats in these books.
@@prageruwu69 agreed
@@CreativeName574 is that true? that's actually very interesting
@@helloolleh_dis Yeah. Most animal species that are even slightly social have cases of homosexual relationships.
The closet is glass
LOL?? this is top comment in my heart
The barn is glass
@@TwigCommenter LMFAOOOSNWNW
XD THE BARN TOO?!
the closet is air at this point
14:43 “Barley and ravenpaw are not gay” says Vicky writing about how “barley leaned against him,smelling warm and soft and familiar”
The warrior cats equivalent of "it's not gay as long as the socks are still on"
@@randomnpc7773xD
Vicky said calmly
well he was never described as having a sweet scent so cleeearly it was a no homo platonic sniffing between bros bein guys /s
@@gingermaniac5484 I respect your opinion but I think that vicky intended them to be a couple
Imagine having written these and seeing moonkitti resurface your decades old writing
i hope they feel proud if more people see it!! It's really cool they were writing gay cat fanfiction in 2006
Even in my homophobic country wiki they are described as a couple . RavenBarly is canon guys.
same!! even russian wiki says they're a couple. confirmed gay couple✅
Not right now mom, I’m watching a 23 minute video about gay cat lore 🙄
This is so real lol
Lol
Real lmao
unironically im literally experiencing this right now
23 minutes and 1 seconds
When i was younger i named a fictional cat that would be an adopted child of ravenpaw and barley. Braven. Even young me could tell
This is by far one of the best comments on here
Braven is a really cute name though
Silverstream is the cat goddess of love and she said gay rights
Real
Are you kidding? Ravenpaw’s still riding that rainbow above his barn.
I need lesbian warrior cats.. not fair..
We have mothpool. And squirrelmoon. (Moon is that she in squirrel flight's hope, right?)
VALID
YES
@@Lycanmoon31 dont forget frostpaw and whistlepaw they have crushes on eachother
@@seatheaxolotl2109 those two are adorable together
the majority of straight canon ships in the series: "you smell good" "you smell good too" "wanna have kits?" "yeah sure"
the gaycoded ships in the series: "I would reject heaven to stay with you after my death"
dude fr!! romance in warriors was NEVER interesting because most times it has always been explored so little! interactions between mates are most of the time very limited unless they’re on some journey together. however the gay relationships always feel so much sweeter and so much more genuine❤️❤️
Bro frr, I have never been this into warriors romance because of how those canon straight ships are portrayed. Ever since I heard of Ravenpaw's farewell and how gay and romantic it was, I was literally giddying in my seat to devour all the others book until I get on the correct timeline to be able to read it lol.
Never realized just how obvious ravenpaws farewell was
EXACTLY!!
I was shocked by that stuff, not in a bad way ofc.
Just pleasantly surprised.
I haven’t read it in forever I forgot how romantic and utterly tragic it is
I read that book so fast because of how gay it was 😍😍 it was like devouring fanfic
@@Ice_cl0ud. ikr??
LOL I could never forget
Ravenpaw is super gay. Like VERY gay
@@Diamondr11Bluewhy are you replying to every single comment like this?
@@Diamondr11Blue yes, vicky said they were intended to be a couple 19:39
the most gay :3
RAVENPAW AND BARELY ARE GAY. ITS 100% CANON I DONT CARE. Bella asks if they have *kits* together. Even a kit can see how close they are.
An author said so. @@Diamondr11Blue
@Diamondr11Blue Kate said herself she ships them and wanted them to be Canon, years ago
@@Diamondr11Blue simple harper colins couldn't publish the books in many countries if they dared, some parent's wouldn't even let their kids read it, taking a hit on sales and their money.
I thought I was the only one that noticed that 😮😅
WAS JUST GONNA POINT THAT OUT
"Cats can't be gay" is such a hilariously stupid hill to die on when talking about a series where cats can die nine times, have superpowers like dream walking, super hearing and ivincibility, have an afterlife and can reincarnate.
Ah yes, all things real cats can do, obviously.
Yes! Also the fact that cats can actually be gay irl
@@xXxStarlingxXxyup. My cat is definetly gay with my mom's cat so I agree 😂
Also nevermind fantastical powers and abilities, the cats painfully obviously don’t develop/grow like normal cats either with some kittens running around and talking at 2 days old when in reality they should be blind and deaf furry potatoes for atleast a week, and this is just treated as normal.
Also remember that one time Whitepaw *dislocated* her tail and Leafpool just popped it back into place like it was a joint that misaligned from it’s socket and not the extension of the spine?
I sometimes question if the authors have ever handled cats.
Are you saying they're gay like they do the deed with each other or gay as in them interacting with each other. Because, I honestly don't want to keep seeing people call cats gay especially in the Warriors books. I love these books as much as you do. And honestly, if my religious parents see this they will actually stop me from reading it again. So, that's basically why I dislike it when ppl call cats gay.
@@Sensation-iq7kw My cat is gay in real life, his boyfriend unfortunately passed away, but besides that... adult stuff, they cuddled together all the time and spent every moment together.
They are also humanized cats in the books, bc ofc real cats can't talk, have deep emotional thoughts, have religions, etc. So they'd logically be gay like humans can be too.
I'm sorry about your religious parents, but you can always find the books online or at the library if that happens. Warriors has a very large queer community and we see ourselves in these characters, it's harmless.
With the bio image: i think its because whoevers running the site havent read ravenpaws farewell bc they also list him as being in starclan which isnt true
How can they say he’s not gay? How is that possible? He ain’t straight. Ravenpaw is 100% gay
Vicky saying "drug addiction" will never fit into the series, when that one cat from moth flight's vision exists (the old one with addiction to catmint, i forget his name)
Rocky, I think
(Edit: Yeh, it's Rocky)
0:58
I remember seeing that part and immediately thinking "yeah. right. sure."
I’m going to cry if she says he isn’t gay
@@Diamondr11BlueHe’s the only very heavily implied gay cat 😔
@@UrLocalHellspawn
Tallstar:
On the warrior cats wiki it literally says they love each other. I think they are gay guys and nobody can say otherwise…
Good gods these cats GAY. Good for them. Never noticed how clear it is omg
Listen sharing a nest might be acceptable platonically but we sure as fuck don't know if jayfeather or briarlight preferred to be the big spoon that's all I'm saying
Ravenpaw is def in a romantic relationship with Barley.
And I'm praying one day we get a sapphic warriors cats couple one day!
I haven’t read the most recent book but I’m convinced Frost is gay/bi. I don’t make the rules 🤷♀️
I read Squirrelflight's Hope and I'm still not totally convinced The Sisters aren't a band of scrappy witchy lesbians.
@@doopydoops2064The sisters HAVE to be lesbians. I refuse to believe otherwise
Frostwhistle seems like it's fairly close to canon so i'm hopeful
(("It was nothing." "It was everything"))
15:11 okay but this is actually hilarious 😭😭
Single-handedly the easiest way to communicate a relationship
Confirmed, Moonkitti has eye lasers.
This is making me want to read Ravenpaw's Farewell.
Honestly do it, really good novella imo
@@spectacularslowpoke6018 Is there an ebook version?
@@legrandliseurtri7495 yes there is! I quickly checked iBooks and found it on there so I’m sure it’s on other ebook platforms too
@@legrandliseurtri7495 yes there is!
You should, I remember reading the ending in the hospital bathroom after my grandma had a stroke and crying :'), also, yes, it was def gay, even a young me could spot it from a mile away
i reread Ravenpaw’s Farewell a few months ago. i had accepted that ravenpaw was gay on vibes alone, but that’s what sold the ship for me. they acted like a married couple the entire book. it was cute
They are a married couple/hj
I didn’t read it yet😢 I’ll try to find i5 in my library. But 100% that I will cry reading it :/ but I know what happened in it
Ravenpaw and Barley could passionately kiss with tongue and people would still find a way to argue that they’re just close guy friends. Just bros.
Was drawing rather than watching and straight up thought you added the "I don't deserve you" line as a joke until I switched tabs and read for myself. And then it just got even more blatantly romantic-sounding from there. Could have convinced me that was a fanfiction you were reading lol. Good for them, good for them.
Didn't one of the authors write a gay Firestar and greystripe fanfiction one Christmas. Isn't that confirmation enough that the intention was always there to imply there were gay cats
it's something Kate did on her own, unrelated to the brand. Not canon, basically.
I feel like anyone denying that Raven and Barley are a couple are either 1) ignorant and have never read Ravenpaw's Farewell + never saw the author statements or 2) Homophobic. I know I know a pretty big accusation, but istg every time I see someone deny RavenBarley or TallJake 80% of the time they're just being homophobic.
Also. I feel like FrostWhistle has the same kinda "vibe" I guess as RavenBarley. They're very close friends and their scenes together can definitely be seen as romantic. I do wish there were more "basically canon but we can't say it in the books" flf ships though.
Just a question, but do frostpaw and whistlepaw get more interactions in Wind?
Can someone get me frostwhistle romantic interactions? All ive seen are very close to platonical/Not even close to friends so im pretty confused at the pairing
Dude……their relationship is so beautiful……I forgot just how INTENSE all of it was like oh my GOODNESS those cats were LOVERS……
Not only that they're so gay, they're also fit the 'Lean Twink x Bara Bear' the most popular gay ship dynamic trope. (Ravenpaw described as lean and Barley described as Tall, broad-shouldered in Ravenpaw's farewell.)
17:43 Also, it's kinda funny that Whitestorm watching their relationship in cat's heaven like a netflix drama lmao.
@@unisamati5478 Oh its totally their comfort content after watching the 50th border squabble.
Oh, I thought Barley was described to be stout at some point?
@@meeplol145 Really? In Ravenpaw's farewell it was described 'Barley was broad-shouldered and tall, and there was menace in his growl.' in chapter 7.
@@unisamati5478 Barley is said to be short in Firestars quest, he’s still bulky and plump though. I’m not sure why they suddenly decided he was tall?
Edit: here it is!
“It’s good to see you again,” Firestar meowed. The last time he and Ravenpaw had met was at the battle with BloodClan, when the black cat and his friend Barley had joined in the fight with the forest cats.
“Welcome.” Ravenpaw touched noses with his former Clanmate. “Is all well in ThunderClan?”
“Fine,” Firestar replied. “But I-”
He broke off as another voice called out a greeting.
Barley, the black-and-white cat who shared the barn with Ravenpaw, appeared at the top of a pile of straw bales and dropped neatly down at Firestar’s side. He was a short, compact cat, well muscled, even though his belly was a bit too plump from all the mice that lived in the barn.
“Do you want to hunt?” he offered. “There’s plenty of prey. Take as much as you like.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t,” Firestar answer
Ravenpaw and Barley have more chemistry in the novella than most couples in the main series and I want at least the occasional pair to go there. ... also I still can't see excerpts from Ravenpaw's Farewell without crying AGAIN.
James L. Barry (a warriors gn artist) litterally posted them sharing a nest with a gay flag over them. pretty obvious
James L. Barry himself is gay, so that fact makes the post extra cute to me.
@@imaginarylivingbody7154 yeah
oh my gosh you are right
The writers knows he’s gay, but someone is stopping them from saying it publicly because they’re afraid of people getting mad about it😭
Mmm that and the whole getting banned in some countries which would stop some fans from being able to access the books😣 one day this will no longer be an issue I hope and pray for everyone to be accepted everywhere ❤
7:23 and they said they would never tackle drug addiction, but mothflight’s book?? There was a cat addicted to catnip!
gayvenpaw canon gayvenpaw canon!!!
When I was little I thought Ravenpaw was a girl because the romance between him and Barley was so apparent even to my 10 year old didn't-know-that-gay-people-existed self
In my mind, this is definetly a publisher issue at this point, possibly having to do with censorship in various countries. I'm side-eyeing some of the older author chats, but I genuinely hope and believe that whatever... *Weirdness* came off from the authors' replies was an unfortunate tone issue.
Perhaps Vicky meant that homophobia doesn't exist in Warriors? I'm not sure.
Barley and Ravenpaw's interactions read so much to me as "old married couple who love eachother very much". They *are* together, no one will ever change my mind.
I also don't think anyone should take the Warriors website seriously. It has so much weirdness to it.
(Why did you remind me of named shipping??? I need to be put in a retirement home.)
They’re the Antonio and Bassanio of warrior cats. Very gay but not confirmed by the author.
Even if they can't put the arrow in the bullseye, they can fill the entire target with arrows till you can't see the bullseye.
Plus, cats irl can be gay. One of my friends has two cats that they got when they only wanted one. They desperately wanted one of them, but they were being sold as a bonded pair. They were not brothers. These baby boy cats literally sleep on top of each other, groom each other, and are very adorable. If they aren't gay then idk what is.
Making this after pride month is such a power move
i also like the fact that they said “no drug addiction” but imposterstar literally gets addicted to poppy seeds
12:15 yes the perfect opportunity to talk about my favorite ship: Sunfish x Leopardfur!
For leopardstar entire super edition sunfish is around to support her and
When leopardkit is being bullied by her siblings Skykit and Blackkit Sunfish comforts her and when Skykit tries to drown Leopardkit sunkit notices her hiding in the nursery and invites her to play then when they are apprentices Sunfish starts crushing on this really creepy senior warrior who nobody ever talks about. Leopardpaw was scared of swimming because of almost drowning and sunfish helps her swim and they have this really cute moment where they swim out to the river and catch a fish and bring it back to camp to share. Then when they are warriors Sunfish mentions that now that shes a warrior Beetlenose (the creepy old tom) likes her back and Leopardfur quite literally storms away because she’s JEALOUS (and shes been shown to dislike Beetlenose so theres no chance she was jealous for that reason)
And then theres a timeskip and Sun and Beetle have a kit and Leopardfur is basically coparenting with Sunfish because Beetlenose is a tom and toms never have to parent in warriors. And then Sunfish gets attacked by Redtail in battle and gets a really bad infected wound and Leopardfur visits her everyday and Sunfish tells leopardfur if she doesn’t make it to be a mom to Whitepaw (her kit) and that night she dies and Whitepaw wakes Leopardfur up and tells her and she pulls whitepaw into her nest and he stays there mourning until the next morning
And when Whiteclaw dies (from being thrown in the gorge by Graystripe) she worries if Sunfish will ever forgive her for failing to keep her promise to protect him
(Also not a sunfish moment but another example of leopardstar being extremely gay Leopardstar refers to Silverstream as the most beautiful shecat ever multiple times)
I wish Sunfish and Leopardfur were on the same level (as something like jake tallstar)... It's so frustrating in the book
@@Moonkitti do you like Leopardfur and Sunfish too? 👀 (can you please draw them when you have time)
As is stated in the video itself, the writers can only imply these relationships because so many countries they sell the books to would ban anything that is Explicitly LGBT in themes😅 but at least we know the intent is they’re a thing. They’re not officially ‘mates’ but they stayed together 😊
What if the reason they aren't listed as mates is because their relationship is unlabeled? They dont care what they are as long as they're ❤️
ok this theory slays I love that
Hii! REALLY IMPORTANT! Vicky Holmes CONFIRMED OFFICIALY that Ravenpaw and Barley ARE INDEED TOGETHER! It was on Pyrkon (convention) and I was here and heard it myself. She said that they are mates but at the time she didn't want to write controversial things in the book so she doesn't get complains about it!
Isn't she just one of the erins? There's more than one just because she says she views something a certain way doesn't mean its canon since she isn't the only author. Not trying to be hateful btw just curious.
@@Gato-Tacoo Yeah!! but from what I heard when I last was reading about the authors and recent books, there was that Vicky is mostly carrying that series on, and the rest is minimally helping (Which makes sense, I remember them being already old ladies) , so she is like the main author now!
@Domestos_otwiera ohhh ok. Makes me wonder do the other erins get a say in what's canon and what's not?
I had this shit figured out YEARS ago, mfs need to pull themselves together
he ia definitely gay I don't care what the Erins say thats canon for me
aghh ravenpaw's farewell always makes my cry WHY MUST YOU DO THIS TO ME
also yeah they are very gay. I'm glad the fandom is less homophobic nowadays, back then it was so bad sometimes.
real i legit just cried nonstop after being reminded of all the amazingly written texts in that book 😭 it's such a wonderful relationship it truly baffles me that anyone could deny it
ravenpaw x barley is the most loving and sweet pairing in warriors, i fear no other pairings compare
You CANNOT tell me that 2 farmers that close can't be gay. ITS A FUCKING CLICHÉ 😭
new talking video to eat for lunch thank you moonkitti 🫡
8:31 two bros, chilling on a hay bale, 1 ft apart ‘cause they’re implicitly gay!
Where's the James L Barry art of them literally with the rainbow I need it for this
I just opened youtube before this uploaded wondering if there was a new moonkitti video, watched something else, then this showed up I think I'm god
1:25
“Onestar making me feel uncomfortable”
We all feel the same Moonkitti
Ravenpaw and barley is the least toxic ship I’ve ever seen
This and ivyfern are two of my tops for least toxic lol
And they were barnmates
Omg they were barn mates😮
Warrior Cats homophobes when they find out about Clangen: 😨
The carefully dodging having to give a very special version of the "birds and bees" talk to a small child when they ask why you and your partner don't have children really is The Queer Adult Experience in a nutshell.
This is something I’ve been wondering. Thanks for this.
Ravenpaw’s farewell was about crossing that rainbow bridge but he never really got OFF it
I haven't read the series since I was a child, I only keep even a little up to date via moonkitti videos these days, so it's lovely to know that ravenpaw's farewell was such a decisive answer
Moon this video made me cry thank you so much for this analysis i love them so much
Omg twinsies!!
okay, but is it that they are gay or that they are European?
🎵 they are Gay and European.🎵
I like how after his awful time in Thunderclan Ravenpaw lived a relatively peaceful life wifh Barley . I wish more clan cats got more of a choice if they really want to be warrior cats or be loners. Since usually starclan now is like no you have to be a warrior or medicine cat because vague propechy reasons
i physically felt myself turning to dust when she mentioned the term "lonershipping"
i’ve never read a warrior cat book in my life (and that’s saying a lot bc i was a huge book nerd in the ages 5-13) but the part where Ravenpaw dies low key made me tear up. i respect old man yaoi angst in any form
Ravenpaw is so silly I love him.
3:09 nostalgia
Yeah Ravenpaw is gay
(these 2 are my favorite couple I'm glad you did a video on them)
The real reason they never talk about how the 2 cats are gay for each other is because of the higherups 100%, but what I always thought in relation to this, in universe, is that cats don't exactly think of relationships the same way us humans do. The term 'mate' would imply a cat that they could mate with and kits are a result. So mate wouldn't apply in their minds to barley and raven, just most important person or partner, so they are 100% a couple just not mates.
and historians would call them 'best friends' 💥
This is the best thumbnail youve ever made no debate
When I saw the cover of the video, I thought this was about what color is Scourge’s collar… 😅😅😅
Same lol
Ravenpaw and Barley's relationship to Bella and Riley really did read like the cool gay uncles
The manga artist posting fanart with rainbow heart gifs gives me life
I love how gay they are for each other and that's that
I only regret that we can have realy fleshed out lesbian couple in Warrior Cats... such a shame...
*can't
to be fair, these still aren’t technically canon. the gays ain’t exactly winning this one either friend
no but ravenpaws farewell is the fruitiest warrior cat book icl
This might be a bit unrelated, but Ravenpaw was my favorite character in Warrior Cats from the small amount of it I read. I never really liked the series (I'm mostly subbed for the WOF content), but he always felt way more compelling compared to the sea of bland, uninteresting characters. Honestly I would have probably kept reading if he was the focus instead of Fireheart.
Regardless of whether or not RavenBarley is a thing the idea that animals can't have gay relationships is just... incredibly untrue? Even though a lot of research on the topic has all been done fairly recently (because. you know. queer people have notoriously been a taboo subject for a very long time) we've still found evidence of gay couples being a thing in 1000+ species, and obviously there's plenty of room for more examples that we haven't found yet. While other animals are likely going to have different ideas of relationships than humans do, it's not fair to automatically assume that there wouldn't be any same-sex couples in any of the other millions of species we have on Earth??? The idea that same-sex couples are strictly a human thing just makes me feel like these people are still seeing gay couples as something unnatural or that it works differently than attraction between heterosexual partners. I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt and hope that this bias is unintentional and that they aren't intentionally trying to be homophobic but regardless it's an idea that needs to be unlearned!
(As a bonus if you actually read this whole ramble then as a treat I think you should look up the pink dragon millipede! It's not related to this conversation at all but if you're into arthropods like I am then it's a cool little guy!!! If you don't like arthropods then look at the silky anteater because they're cute. And also have a nice day!!!!!!!)
Hello! The Pink Dragon millipede is adorable!
NOOOO don't remind me how much I love Ravenpaw x Barley!!!! They're too cute ToT
I love gay battle cats
God I remember Warriorswish, also that Fields of Gold fic was 100% responsible for me shipping Raven/Barley and I miss when we used to have cute ship names omg
ALSO: The way Ravenpaw’s farewell is written is done in a way that English speaking readers absolutely read it as romantic but you could make, for example, a Russian translation, and have it translated to read as platonic while still technically being accurate.
I mean Ravenpaw probably doesn’t even know what a she-cat is
One tom's journey to find the answer
@@Diamondr11Blue I don't think they meant it literally. He did probably have a mother too
@@ilpoomatili9549 yeah probably. There's no way to know for sure