#I mean……it’s the Aligned Continuity

[sillovn]

Grace and the Serpent

Continuing in the series of the "back to basics" interpretation of SotE lore; I want to talk about Grace and Messmer's curse.

The simple question here is; what exactly is Messmer's problem?

Being cursed from birth is fairly common among members of the divine family, with who is/isn't shunned probably being related to the specifics of the curse. As with Malenia, Outer God influence is not innately a problem (even to be an empyrean). Melina shows that being fire-aligned is not a deal breaker either.

Messmer seemingly lived as a "mundane" warrior-Demigod until his exile from the Erdtree (see. Black Knight Andreas, Remembrance of Gaius). The reveal of his "serpent nature", later causes a rebellion within the crusade (see. Andreas and Huw), oddly implying that it wasn't widely known or observable? Yet, even before the crusade, there already seems to have been something profane about the man (see. Fire Knights are nobles exiled for serving Messmer). The one thing that does set him apart from other cursed Demigods is a lack of innate Grace, which he receives via. artificial eye.

I think this particular aspect is important and sets Messmer apart from other cursed beings.

2. Giving Grace

In literal terms, Grace is the blessing of the Erdtree manifest as light within the eyes. Some basic points on it...

Grace can be given and taken (see. Golden Runes 10-13, Tarnished, Iris of Grace). The Golden Runes also imply that grace began with the Erdtree's first converts. (ie. people marked with this distinction began to exist after a certain point in history, its not something that has always existed).

Grace also seems to be inheritable (eg. Omens)

Erdtree religion is expansionist and proselytizing (see. Sacred Tear, Wars of Expansion, ongoing inquisitions and crusades).

Said religion is the core of Leyndell's society. Thus, whether or not you have Grace is very important (see. Tarnished, Crusaders).

Put simply, I think Grace is best imagined as an analogy for religious membership - you can enter and leave, but people tend to take after their parents.

You could also see it as a marker of said membership. Lots of IRL examples for initiation rites, specific customs/dressing.

With all this in mind, I think its important to note the different reasons why various people lack Grace.

As mentioned earlier, Grace doesn't seem innate - it presumably was given to the Golden Order's first followers and spread as Marika's kingdom expanded. This process of Erdtree conversion carries on to the present day (eg. Mt Gelmir). This is just to say that there is a default state of being graceless; the unconverted people. Then you have the apostates (eg. Tarnished), people who had Grace, but were stripped of it. Messmer differs from all these examples in that he seems unable to receive Grace (by conventional means anyway).

3. The Grace Eater

In terms of 'hard canon', the Abyssal Serpent gets little elaboration, but it's major properties are related to being light-less (shorn of light) and devouring (see. Messmer's Kindling). In that sense, the Abyssal Serpent's title is self explanatory; it is a personified abyss.

The serpent may not have been fire-aligned originally, but has acquired it by devouring Messmer's Fire. You could also argue to what extent Messmer and the serpent(s) are separate beings at present (the 'reverse-Rykard' analogy).

In the literal, in-universe sense; perhaps the *specific problem* is that the serpent devours grace given to Messmer. In the ideological sense, perhaps his existence violates the belief that Grace can be extended to all. Leaning into the idea of Messmer as Satan-figure, you could say he exists outside the grace of divinity, the true irredeemable.

Extra Notes

Not going to speculate here if Albinaurics can be graced or not.

Some would say that Messmer cannot have grace by virtue of losing his eye (hence nowhere for Grace to manifest). While this idea is intuitive, Marika is completely eye-less at present (Malenia also arguably so). There's also no mention of a prejudice against missing eyes under the Erdtree.

---END---

~thanks for reading

[sphnyspinspin]

Priscilla Bishop Pynch…

Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

@geluatekurama @luciolefire @asmoteeth @novafire-is-thinking

[ashton-ryder]

The smiles growing were a reassuring sign, as she looked for the moon or as she learnt of Jer's birthday. Ash returned the smile, a small shh escaped his lips before dropping his finger to continue working on the telescope, as if to keep the secret amongst the small circle that know. "If you see him later, tell him happy birthday, I'm sure he'll be happy about that." The fact that people know, people remember. He knows it'll put a smile on Jer's face.

He had continued with the telescope set up, albeit slowly, only recently being able to feel his left arm and hand again. It was probably for the better anyways, no sudden movements here as he checked the counterweight and plugged in the controller. He hadn't noticed Aggie observing him (he hadn't notice either the warm way his words came out or the soft smile he thought he bit back) and actually closed the gap by a rather noticeable amount until he felt the closing presence, looking up when she tried to communicate and ask a question.

It took Ash awhile to understand, gaze looking towards the stairwell as she pointed and then to the telescope, eyes looking back and forth once more before it clicked in his head considering who they were just speaking about, "oh-" and then the hesitation set in, it was such a straightforward question and he didn't have a straightforward answer, "well.. I mean, if he wants to." Ash shrugged lightly, not entirely confident with his words, knowing very well Jer could also possibly just find it incredibly lame, and could possibly not have the time to show up considering he was also already celebrating elsewhere. Ash shook the thought away and focused on the here and now with Aggie, "doesn't mean you can't use it if you want to see the moon too." At the very least he could give her something other than all his food, just a beautiful scene of their nightly company that more often than not, people take for granted of. Ash looked to his watch, "I just need to align it but in a bit once it gets darker, we'll be able to see it peek through."

A full moon. Those were her favourite and always had been, because it was always the same no matter where you where. As long as you could see it. Smiling a little to herself as she searched the sky for a hint of it, despite it still being a little too light, she turned back to him as he spoke once more, the softness in his voice capturing her attention.

Jeremiah. The Hero. His birthday. That was special.

Smiling a little at the look on his face, how he got softer around the edges somehow, and she came a little closer. There was a warmth that shone through that wiped away any semblance of danger that had been left around him. This man was in love with The Hero. It was so obvious, and so radiantly warm that in the end she ended up just within arms reach.

Realising he couldn't understand her signs, she instead motioned to the stairwell and then to the telescope. This was for him? For Jeremiah?

[willowser]

just to make sure we are all on the same page in this corner of the internet, i want to be explicitly clear about my stance/feelings on some things:

if i come across "content"/fic in this niche that i absolutely do not like, do not vibe with, am not interested in, that icks me out completely and totally—i scroll past it as quickly as i can and i move on with my day.

in the case that it's "content"/fic that really bothers or triggers me in any way, i make sure that i have blacklisted/blocked certain tags and keywords so that in the future i may not come across those things again.

i also understand that there is a variety of tags used throughout the internet and that websites are not perfect/things slip through the cracks. people are also human, and mistakes are also made.

in the event i am exposed to something that i do not want to see, point blank, i would never and will never believe it is my right to harass and terrorize the person writing said thing/s, and if i witness this kind of behavior being celebrated among the people around me, whoever you are, i will be removing you from my space.

to be perfectly and abundantly clear: i will always be a supporter of dark content, and its right to be written. even if i don't understand it, even if it "disgusts" me, even if i never want to read it.

please understand that i do not say this with hostility, nor do i mean it as a threat or to be confrontational. you should protect the space that you are in; this is me doing that, this is me making sure that you do that, even if it's against me.

[transingthoseformers]

Imagine that Bumblebee was born before his sire and carrier became Megatron and Optimus Prime, wait does that count as young unexpected pregnancy, so technically sparkling Bumblebee was In the middle of everything the beginng of war and last sparkling to born.

OOOOOO????? That has to have consequences, and also swings his age closer to depictions of him like we see in Earthspark as opposed to say tfp (probably) (probably)

[mann-walter]

I know for a fact that a handful of reactionary Cybertronians would want to reinstall and/or even intensify the pre-war caste system. I know for a fact that some bots—not only older bots because, you know, there are just those youngsters that wish to return to the “old days” that they themselves definitely have never tasted—blame the war on the lower castes and their “barbarism”, “anarchism” or simply use the war as a display of the dangers of a free and egalitarian society, and spouting things like “Well, some bots are created for servitude, you know”.

I just know.

[theskeletoninthegarden]

Sorry about the theater of emotions going on my face from across the room. I'm trying to resolve an argument that I made up between two fictional characters.

[loregoddess]

finally watched Nausicaa for the first time ever today, and now I officially have a favorite Ghibli movie

[arihi]

On my bullshit again but I still maintain the (once again very bastardized and westernized) idea of ‘healing’ a la “you don’t owe anything to anyone” and “cutting people off is maintaining healthy boundaries” is a brain rot and people are so caught up in their moral superiority of [have had a single thought of introspection at least once] they don’t realize how black and white and inconsistent these ideals are

[camelliagwerm]

I think when I replay PFKM (and I will at some point), I’m going to pick Tristian over the Occulus, because I’m salty Leonelle couldn’t even use the Occulus, but it also could open up this weird relationship between Leonelle and Tristian could have, by virtue of two things:

they both have relationships with Nyrissa that’s very “whatever the fuck is going on there”

Leonelle’s ancestor is an Erinys, an infernal mockery of the angelic form or a celestial who descended into Hell, and Tristian is a fallen deva. I wonder if he would feel an odd sort of kinship with her as a result of that.

[transingthoseformers]

Megatron is to Tarn what Megatronus was to D-16

You're not necessarily wrong but you've gotta account for how mtmte Megatron very purposefully warped and manipulated Tarn into who he was, then let him loose on the universe, while Megatronus Prime is usually either dead or unavailable while D-16 is created and online, and D-16 heavily draws off of Megatronus himself.

[mikkeneko]

In various places -- here, the bird app, even YouTube comments -- I keep running into people with some variation of the same question:

"Does Scum Villain have a teacher/student romance?" And every time I want to answer with: No, But Also Yes, But Also Not Really, It's Complicated (And That's On Purpose.)

Which is an answer that's too long to fit in a tweet or a YT comment, but fortunately tumblr has no (effective) post limit! So here I go.

1 - No

In the very straight forward porn cliche sense of "oh but professor, I really ~need~ to pass this class or my life will be ruined, can't I do ~anything~ to get you to change my grade?" *bats lashes* and "Hoho, my pretty young teen student, I've got your good grade right here in my pants, if you ~apply~ yourself..." then no.

No sex or romance between a teacher and their student in the bounds of a teacher-student relationship happens in this book. No deliberate grooming of an underage student on the part of a teacher occurs in this book. No sex or a romance between an adult character and an underage character occurs in this book, nor is the adult 'waiting' for the minor to reach adulthood to initiate one.

2 - But Also Yes

No sex or romance between a teacher and their student in the bounds of that relationship happens in this book. Two people who were formerly in a teacher and student relationship do enter into a sexual and romantic relationship by the end of the book. Also the nature of the society they're in further means that even though they are no longer in the schooling environment, it is socially assumed that the deference owed by a student to their teacher lasts forever, even after the student leaves that environment, and they continue to regard themselves and refer to themselves in those roles even though the teacher no longer strictly speaking has authority over the student.

Also, the student was really hot for his teacher even when he was still a student. (The teacher was oblivious to this fact.)

3 - But Also Not Really

By the time sex and romance is even on the horizon for these characters, their relationship has so drastically changed from that of a "teacher and student" that it is barely recognizeable as such. The power/authority dynamic between a teacher and their student is subsumed pretty much entirely by the facts that:

A. The 'student' has become a medeival fantasy warlord of such unsurpassable magic and might that literally no other person in this world can stand up against him, 'teacher' included, and the 'teacher' is well aware of that.

B. Also, the 'student' is metaphysically endowed (heh) with the Protagonist Halo, a literally active force within the setting they're part of, which means that not only can he not be defeated, he ontologically cannot be denied anything that he desires; what he wants, he gets, and what he doesn't want, cannot be forced on him.

C. ...But also, the teacher in this setting is a metaphysical outsider to the world order the student is part of, which means that he is aware of all of the above, and can and does manipulate it to suit his own agenda, which may or may not align with giving the student what he wants at any point in time. Assuming that the teacher has the correct understanding of what the student wants. (He doesn't.)

D. ........But also also, for all his power, one harsh word from him can destroy him. For all his knowledge, one tear can devastate him. (Which one? Both.)

4 - It's Complicated (On Purpose)

*throws the chalk against the wall*

Between a teacher and their student, who has the power? Between an emperor and a scholar, who has the power? Between a hero and the villain he is predestined to destroy, who has the power? Between a character and the reader who's read ahead to the end of the story, who has the power? Do we find some of these power imbalances more acceptable than others? And if so, why do we?

Trying to track Who Has The Power or Who Has An Unfair Advantage socially, physically, and metaphysically between this particular pair of characters is damn near impossible and that's on purpose.

The Scum Villain's Self Saving System is a lot of things, but one thing that absolutely defines it is that it is a parody. It's a parody and a deconstruction of a lot of things -- the 'stallion' genre, the 'isekai' genre, the 'pay-per-chapter webnovel' genre, the 'gay drama' genre and, most relevant to this conversation, it is a deconstruction of teacher-student romance.

What kind of a teacher-student romance has a clueless, fish-out-of water NEET in the role of the Wise Old Mentor? What kind of a teacher-student romance has a black-hearted, demonic, domineering feudal warlord in the role of the Blushing Virginal Student? What kind of a teacher-student romance has the two principals so close in age -- by the end of the book, they may be as little as a year apart -- that they're more like peers than teacher and student? What kind of audience are we, going into a story like this one and finding ourselves cheering for the teacher to fall in love and lust with his student, only to be disappointed when that doesn't happen because the teacher fails for three books straight to recognize love and lust when it's literally looking him in the face and crying?

Asking "does Scum Villain have a teacher-student romance?" is sort of like asking "does Galaxy Quest have a lot of high science fiction concepts?" No, but also yes, but also not really. It's complicated, and that's on purpose.

[mann-walter]

From now on, I'm not calling it Autobots v. Decepticons. I'm calling it the Government v. Decepticons.

[sk-lumen]

What a healthy, secure relationship looks like

He communicates consistently and clearly. Replies promptly, doesn't leave you on seen, checks up on you throughout the day/week according to his schedule and in agreement with your needs as well.

He pays attention to your needs and desires and quirks, and makes your life better using said details. Ie. buys your favorite kind of flowers, makes your favorite tea in the morning, remembers your food allergies when having dinner dates, etc.

Disagreements may still appear even in health relationships, and it's ok, as communication is essentual for a healthy dynamic. However, his approach to disagreements is a secure one: each will share their perspective, and if feelings were hurt or mistakes were made, he takes accountability for his side, and makes genuine apologies followed by reparations and direct actions (ie. "I'm sorry I did x, I didn't mean to hurt you. I will be/do y in the future", and then does as he promised).

Promises are kept. His actions are in alignment with his words, and he keeps his words. If he says he'll call you after work, he does. If he says he needs to cool off during an argument and will reopen the conversation in 1h, he does indeed return in 1h to continue the topic.

If you're anxious, he will reassure you and work through it. He doesn't run away or avoid the topic (as an avoidantly attached person would).

If you come forward communicating your needs, or sharing complaints or grievances, he will hear you out and actively seek a way to improve things. He won't freak out, or get angry or run away in response to you having needs or communicating your thoughts; these are normal relationship things you're entitled to, and a securely attached man knows this.

A man that is well-rounded, with a secure attachment style, will have a rich life of his own: hobbies, interests, circles of friends, activities, etc. He will enjoy having his independence and space, and will respect your need for your own. He is not co-dependent, nor gets in the way of you having your own life outside of him. He knows having individually rich lives is important for a healthy relationship. To expand on this, he encourages you to enjoy your selfcare time, your girl's night out, or whatever other activities nourish you.

[percheduphere]

LET'S TALK ABOUT LOKI'S SHOES (ACTUALLY, HIS WHOLE WARDROBE)

Production costs aside, clothes tell the audience about how characters think of themselves.

Loki's shoes in the S2 finale raised a lot eyebrows, but I find them quite fitting: they are comfortable, practical, and most importantly, they are humble. The camera brings this to our attention to communicate his evolution in character.

Loki has always dressed well, often times ostentatiously. Whether he is at war, passing as a Midgardian, or held captive as an Asgardian prisoner, Loki communicates his social class and sense of superiority through clothing. For him, clothing armors his fragile sense of self and against others' opinions of him. He intends to be perceived as deadly charming but ultimately unapproachable.

His attire in the first Thor movie is roughly equal parts green and gold, signifying his royal status. His style is dressed down for his brother's misadventures in Jotenheim, yet overall both silhouettes are lofty, princely, but not hardened or threatening.

In Avengers, Loki's look has more black and leather, with exaggerated emphasis on his shoulders meant to intimidate as he assumes the role of villain. The silhouette is very hard, heavy, and edgy. Gold detailing is prevalent as well. Combined with the goat's helm, this is Loki's most pretentious outfit, which speaks to an undercurrent of low self-esteem and a compulsive need to impress. There's no mistaking he is the main antagonist of the story.

In Thor 2, Loki's attire is similar to Avengers but the overcoat is exchanged for a less bulky version (perhaps conveying he is less guarded now that the effects of the Mind Stone are no longer influencing him). Loki's role likewise pivots from the harsh lines of a villain to the more flexible edges of a reluctant villain-turned-ally. This aligns with his character arc when he protects both Jane and Thor, seemingly sacrificing himself.

In Thor 3, Loki's silhouette is streamlined even further. The overcoat is done away with in favor of what appears to be a leather doublet, pauldrons, and vambraces. Gold accents are minimal. While stylish, Loki's attire is more practical than showy, and his helm serves the dual purpose of protection as well as weaponry. At this point in his arc, Loki has become a full antihero, joining his brother's side in rescuing as many Asgardians as possible, and eventually dying in a vain bid to protect Thor from Thanos.

The TVA does something very fun and interesting in taking away Loki's ability to dress himself. Since Loki cannot use his magic in the TVA, he is forced to wear the same clothing as his captor/advocate, who eventually becomes his best friend and peer.

Perhaps, on a subconscious level, this helped Loki to feel included. We know by his pwn admission that Loki fears being alone and desperately craves a sense of belonging. At the same time, he intentionally dresses to put people at a distance, thereby protecting himself from potential rejection at the cost of isolating himself further.

When Mobius gives him that TVA jacket for the first time, Loki seems uncharacteristically pleased. It is not an attractive jacket by any means, yet he neither scoffs at it nor refuses to wear it. Instead, Loki puts it on and is content when Mobius says it looks "smart" on him. He continues to dress like Mobius and, indeed, mimic some of his mannerisms such as placing his hands on his hips. Without clothing meant to push people away, Loki opens up, has more fun, and makes friends.

Loki's choice of attire as he assumes the mantle of God of Stories (and time) is fascinating. Setting aside the clear design inspiration from the comics, Loki's silhouette is soft, remarkably so. His colors are earthy hues of green, and the only bit of flare are the light gold trimming and crown. The look brings to mind the garb of sages and wise wizards rather than royalty or warriors. He's powerful yet approachable because there is humility in his bearing. And that humility springs from a well of healthy self-worth, self-love, and a deep love for others.

The shoes are not meant to be attractive. They are meant to help him ascend the throne, nothing more.

[kaijutegu]

Aug ABSOLUTELY deserves the praise, @ryukikit. St. Augustine Alligator Farm is one of my favorite animal facilities, hands down. It's a pretty zoo, doable in an afternoon if you kinda like crocodilians, or an all day affair if you REALLY like crocodilians. Here are my favorite things about it and why I think it's worth supporting.

1. They keep animals in interesting social groups.

Crocodilians are heavily involved parents, but most places that breed them don't have the enclosure space to let the babies stay with the parents. St. Augustine does. One of my favorite groups was their crèche of slender-snouted crocodiles. They had the parents and then a yearling cohort and a new hatchling cohort. This aligns with how these guys live in the wild- the babies stick around longer! They have the space for it, and they are very in tune with the social needs of their animals.

Very, very few zoos can keep their baby crocs with the adults and still perform maintenance and animal health checks safely. This doesn't mean these facilities are bad- it just means that they have different management practices. And frankly, a lot of these species aren't frequently bred elsewhere. Your average zoo doesn't need a setup where you can have a multiyear crèche for slender-snouted crocodiles. Some species have better success when the young are pulled early, and some zoos are better set up to raise out any offspring separately or behind the scenes. Every facility's practices are different, and this just happens to work well at St. Augustine and be really enjoyable to see as a zoo patron.

Crocodilians are exceptional parents and very protective. It's a sign of incredible animal management practices and animals that feel very comfortable with staff that St. Augustine can do this with nearly every species they breed.

2. They understand the social needs of their animals.

Some crocodilians are social. Some are solitary. Some can live happily with a member of the opposite sex but get territorial around members of the same sex. St. Augustine pays incredible attention to their social groupings to ensure that they aren't just meeting the animals' physical health needs but their social needs as well. They do continuous scientific research about social structures in crocodilians, taking blood samples to test stress hormones and observing stress behaviors to see how group dynamics change.

For example, St. Augustine is home to one of the world's largest known living saltwater crocodiles, Maximo. And his comparatively tiny mate, Sydney. During the educational presentations with these two, they point out that even their monster of a croc needs his social group- he won't eat if she's not around and he is calmer during medical checks if he can see her. These animal share a deep and special pair bond, and they make sure to talk about how the social aspect of these animals' lives is integral to their care. It's a unique aspect of the way they talk about these animals, because he IS a spectacle and he IS a sensation, but they don't talk about him like he's a mindless killing machine- they talk about him like he's a big, complex predator with social needs like any other animal. Aug is the only facility I've been to where the emotional and social needs of crocodilians is part of the education they provide guests- and speaking of education...

3. Their demos and presentations are extremely good.

The presentations at St. Augustine are some of the best I've ever seen, and I've seen literally hundreds of animal talks on everything from aardvarks to zebras. But as you... can probably tell from my blog content, I've spent a lot of time learning about and working with reptiles. I really enjoyed all of their presentations because they are very scientific about things and avoid sensationalism. They really want you to be fascinated by these creatures and love them- but more than anything else, they want you to respect them.

Also, they do a really good job handling their ambassadors. I really enjoyed something as simple as watching an educator tell us about snakes. Throughout the whole presentation she made sure that most of the snake's body was looped in her hand. The snake was always supported and was very calm. She gave the snake plenty of head room so that it didn't feel constricted- it was just good handling all around.

But also, the presentations made it clear how much the park cares about the animals' well-being. When they do the feeding and training presentations, they make it very clear that the animals' participation is entirely voluntary. They do things differently for their 9-foot saltie and their 16-foot saltie, because the 16-footer is so large and heavy he actually struggles walking on land sometimes. They adapt their programs and his care to ensure that he's completely comfortable- and he didn't actually participate in the whole feeding when I was watching! At no point did they try to push him into anything uncomfortable; they offered, he didn't engage, and they moved on. It was a clear expression of his boundaries, and I really appreciated how much his caretakers respected that.

4. Ethical Interactions

I've been to... a lot of tourist locations in Florida that have animals you can hold. Almost always against my will! Many of them are pretty terrible, and you don't actually learn much, if anything. But I really found that to not be the case at St. Augustine. Every single animal presentation and interaction opportunity was accompanied by education about the animal's biology, habits, and- crucially- their conservation status.

When I held a baby alligator at St. Augustine, the proctors- there were two, one to ensure I was holding the gator correctly and the other to educate- were very informative about the role alligators play in their ecosystem and their conservation history. The animals were all properly banded, and one of the two proctors was there to ensure that none of the baby alligators were uncomfortable. As soon as they started getting squirmy or tense, they were removed, unbanded, and taken to an off-exhibit area to relax. And when the babies age out of petting size, they just go in the lagoon to live with others of their species. I saw one upset alligator the entire time I was there, and he was clearly upset that his escape attempt was foiled by a keeper during my nursery tour.

Even though he's restrained in this shot, you can see that his full body and tail are supported, and the grip, while firm, is gentle. He's distressed, but after I took this picture, she put him in his enclosure and he calmed down immediately.

Sometimes when you have petting attractions with baby animals, those animals... don't have a happy ending. (See: cub petting.) But St. Augustine's program is fine- the gators are all aged out of wanting to have mom around, there's no declawing/defanging, and they're handled with care. And it's worth it, because people love what they understand. St. Augustine was integral in raising public awareness about alligators back in the 60s when they were endangered, and now they're thriving- largely in part to programs like St. Augustine getting people to care.

And speaking of getting people to care, let's talk about their research.

5. Shared Research Results

St. Augustine is also home to more species of crocodilian than anywhere else in North America- all of them, usually. (They didn't have a Tomistoma when I visited- that may have changed.)

Because of this species diversity, it's an incredible research resource. Having every species means that you can do a lot of work comparing their behaviors, their growth patterns, and more. They've been a major research site for crocodilian biology since the 1970s. Today, they're one of the key sites for studying crocodilian play and social behaviors. They actually maintain a blog where they post copies of papers that were written using their animals, meaning that you can actually see the results of the research your admission helps fund. You can see that right here: https://www.alligatorfarm.com/conservation-research/research-blog/

All of this adds up to a zoo that provides a unique experience, tons of actual education, and transparency about what its research and conservation steps actually are. St. Augustine's come a long way since its opening in 1893, and they really do want you to leave with a new respect for the animals they care for. Ultimately, if you're a fan of reptiles, you can feel good about visiting the St. Augustine Alligator Farm- their care and keeping are top of the line, they do a ton of innovative conservation research and support for conservation organizations, and you can see this animal there:

(Gharial from the front. Nothing is wrong with her that's just what they look like from the front.)