hi! I hope this doesn't come across as odd but, I'm really curious if you'd be willing to talk about the trans coding for Wrathion? I'm a big fan of him, though I tragically never got to see a lot of his presence in game until recently (didn't play enough during MoP to see his quest lines :() and I'm really interested in what you see as trans coding for him!! I'm a huge fan of trans Wrathion (especially as a trans man myself!) but haven't gotten to personally dig too far into things to identify any coding myself, so I'd love to hear your thoughts on the topic!
(btw I ADORE your art!! You draw Wrathion so well, he's so cute <3)
HI, oh my gosh, IT'S NOT ODD AT ALL!!! I'm actually so happy you asked?! I'm not usually asked my thoughts or get to talk about these things in detail so it makes me really happy and excited ;A; ❤︎
and my heart is SO WARM that you love wrathion trans too!!!!!!!
WOW!!! where to even begin. wrathion is a character I've always seen as trans from the very beginning!! he was the first character I ever looked up on tumblr where I saw art of him in a binder, of trans art just out there, existing and visible. I still remember that moment I typed his name in, and a lot of those drawings still impact me. wrathion being a trans man was something many people saw in him, and I think that's so cool ❤︎
to my delight, wrathion is a character who became more trans coded over time. so I guess I'll start from the beginning!!!
the first time I ever realized that queerness, and particularly transness, in this case, could enhance a character's writing and themes beyond representation (which is very important too) was with wrathion. wrathion being a trans man makes him a stronger character and enhances his themes. to take that part of him away means losing pivotal pieces that make him more dimensional
firstly, he named himself?! "I have chosen the name Wrathion." he chose his own name and I think that's so special
his story is about reclaiming his identity and autonomy as a person, separate from that of his family, and not allowing them to define him. one of his biggest quotes is "My destiny will be my own."
he exists in a world that hates him, and his resilience to exist in a world that hates him is something I connect so strongly with as a trans person. his own family is a threat to his life and wellbeing. there's also his need to hide himself for survival, and that with invisibility comes safety, albeit conditionally. to be invisible is also to be incredibly lonely. being invisible is a common, prevalent experience of being a trans man. people don't see us nor often listen to us. it is not true safety, and it is very lonely
during MoP, when the red krane, chi-ji, asks him to define hope, he hesitates and is unsure how to answer, because at that point, he didn't have hope. he didn't believe peace was possible and he struggled to see the good in humanity. something my friend kim (kitkatkimble on ao3, who wrote the fic "astriferous", which I can't recommend enough) said that resonated with me was that "trans wrathion is such a goldmine of characterisation because it really does tie so perfectly in with all his themes. the individuality over family legacy, the development over the expansions as he grows out of doomerism into a growing belief that better things are possible, and of course, the shapeshifting of it all." absolutely!!!
when dragonflight came out, the dragons and their ability to shift into their mortal forms became completely and intentionally trans coded. dragons and particularly the black dragons have always been my favourite lore in WoW, and to see my favourite lore become intentionally trans coded brings me so much joy 🥺❤︎❤︎❤︎ we know it's intentional for numerous reasons, but the easiest example is the fact that chromie was confirmed as a trans woman in the story, and the way she talks about her mortal visage is in a way that's specific to being trans
and that's why when I played through the dracthyr storyline and saw this, I nearly lost my mind:
"The magic is within you. Look inside and focus on a form that reflects how you want the world to see you."
the ability he teaches you is called "chosen identity."
the language used here is without a doubt, intentionally coded as trans, and the fact that wrathion in particular is the one to explain it in the alliance storyline still blows my mind. the character I'd already seen as a trans man for a decade, using intentionally trans coded language and talking about it passionately
and while yes, all dragons can shift into a mortal form, making it a trans allegory in general, it's also important that actual trans characters exist in the series, and wrathion, ebyssian, and cindrethresh (who is also shown to be nonbinary/trans in the story) are the only characters to actually explain and talk about it in such a specifically personal, trans coded way besides chromie, which is meant to intentionally emphasize her trans storytelling
but it's not just that scene!!! upon revisiting it again, this exchange between wrathion and sabellian hit me so hard it made me emotional:
not to sound incredibly dramatic, but I felt like I was listening to myself. to things I've thought and said, numerous times, over and over, almost every day at times
"They had no choice or agency in their creation. Neither did I." the fact that we can't help how we were born, and are made to feel undesirable and unvalued, especially by cis people
"Do I disgust you as well?" being made to feel unwanted, undesirable, and unloved because of our bodies is unfortunately a very, very common experience especially for trans men in particular
and it's not just what wrathion says. it's what sabellian says, too. "We have not known each other long, but I can see that you are every bit the dragon I am. If I have ever made you feel otherwise, I am truly sorry." I'm??!?! I have literally seen these exact words used in trans contexts, and I'm honestly struggling to see what other real life comparison fits with this exchange other than a trans experience? the surface level reading of this conversation is obviously about eugenics, but I struggle to see this line being spoken in real life other than "I can see that you are every bit the man I am." it's so interchangeable with a trans experience and is literally a boomer uncle coming to accept his nephew
and that completely, utterly blows me away!!!! I still can't believe these scenes happened, and not just that, that they ALL happened!!! it's not just one single scene. it's the accumulation of these scenes together alongside his existing story and themes that make wrathion trans coded, and to me, intentionally so, at least by the queer writers who work on the game that pushed hard for trans representation in dragonflight. trans representation!!! in particular!!!! this never happens?! and the fact that it did makes me want to cry. trans representation is usually an afterthought in the grand conversation of queer representation, and I can't get over the fact that dragonflight cared specifically about trans representation in particular
I feel like wrathion is a step away from being confirmed as a trans man. I don't believe the queer writers on the team don't know about his very trans history in the fandom, and that wrathion being a trans man is a common interpretation among queer fans. it took a lot of persistence from queer fans asking for chromie to be trans, which was eventually confirmed, even if it took a long time. it gives me so much hope that wrathion will be one day too. I've never had a character I love dearly be this close to being confirmed trans in canon before!!!
thank you so much again for asking me about this and I'm so sorry I ended up writing you an essay. I'm sure there are things that I missed. I know I said it earlier but I'm really not used to being asked my thoughts on stuff, especially about characters and story, so your message made me really really happy ;u; and it means SO MUCH that you love wrathion being trans too!!!!!! ❤︎
