#appreciated and its :/ like whats even the point

[thehalfling]

I'll be keeping my responses under the cut as to not occupy much screen space.

1. Which category of alterhumanity do you belong to?

I belong to categories such as fictionfolk, otherkind, otherhearted, among other more more specific labels.

2. What/Who are your 'types?

I have multiple 'types, some are from past lives: two which could be categorized as fictotypes, three possible kardiatypes, one questioning. The elven people are my only hearttype. I have also experienced many flickertypes through the years. I am currently open in this space regarding mostly my life in Arda, which includes my experiences as elfinhearted.

3. Do you experience shifts? If so, can you tell us your most common shifts and your strangest cameo shift?

Yes. My most common and present shifts are mental ones, to the point where I wonder if they are shifts at all, since it feels like what some would call being “permashifted”, although I wouldn't call them permanent, just long-term, but it almost always feels like I am in a shift, what changes is the source. My strangest—not so strange at all, actually—cameo shift happened after watching multiple vocalization videos and trying to replicate the sounds, for the next few minutes after I stopped, my perception felt more “feral”. I don't know what sort of creature this shift was related to, but I remember being more sensorially sensitive, while also having an internal feeling of becoming less humanoid.

4. How do you experience your alterhumanity in everyday life?

I try to connect myself further with my past by doing things I enjoyed doing, like reading, studying, researching, singing, dancing, cooking, baking, and taking my time to enjoy the little and big things in nature. Besides it all just naturally making me happy, I do so in effort to reawaken memories of a long gone time. I also like writing down my feelings regarding such things. As much as I struggle with it, writing helps me retain what I reminisce about and it is also a great source of connection. As I have mentioned whilst answering the previous question, shifts are also part of my alterhuman experience. I experience mental, envisage, phantom, dream, and cameo shifts. I feel like my alterhumanity also affects my academic and professional life in a way that unfortunately tends towards the negative, due to the fact of not being familiar with the demands and pressures of human society as it currently is. It all feels very interwoven with my current life to a point where sometimes I even struggle to tell what belongs to this and to other lives. Although not necessarily correlated to any part of my alterhumanity, I enjoy both voluntarily and involuntarily imitating non-human animals.

5. What do you think of the community?

As any other community, there are its upsides and downsides. Unfortunately, there are folks who spread misinformation, exclusionism, invalidation, drama, and mistreatment. On a high note, I do appreciate the fact that we are a community without hierarchy, and how diverse we are. It's always a joy to either discover new perspectives or meet someone who shares a similar view to yours. I personally hold great admiration for members who participate in research, publish elaborate writings—regardless if on their personal experiences or the general community—and surveys, organize events and projects, and create new spaces and platforms. I hope to—someday—be able to contribute to our community at least half as much as they do.

6. What are the things that make you most comfortable and euphoric in your alterhumanity?

Most of what I have mentioned in my response to the fourth question are things that bring me comfort and euphoria. Being recognized as a hobbit and being called by any of my names, nicknames, titles, and such are also some sources of great euphoria.

7. Are you experiencing species dysphoria?

I personally deal with little to no species dysphoria probably due to the similarities between Hobbits and—other—Men. In this life, I've always felt euphoria regarding being smaller than many, and being part Fallohide is something that might contribute to me not feeling dysphoria regarding my height, although I miss it just as much as any other aspect of my past appearance. What comes closer to dysphoria is the feeling I have regarding my current lack of pointed ears and furry feet with hard soles, especially since those are the features for which I tend to experience phantom shifts.

8. What advice would you like to say to a young alterhuman who has just awakened?

I think the advice would depend on who is being advised. Keeping it broad though: Don't push or rush yourself. Whether you feel like jumping into labels or taking all the time in the word to figure it out, do it for yourself. When it comes to your own experiences and identity, don't force yourself into being an imitation of folks you admire, or being what others want you to be or what you think they would like you to be. I know it can be frustrating, but don't be afraid of being wrong and of admitting it, be sincere with yourself. You have an entire life—and if you believe, others as well—to enjoy who you are, even if you don't yet know who that is.

9. Do you have/want to have gears?

I don't currently have any gear. I plan on purchasing some Hobbit silicone ears and clothes similar to those I used to wear, including a cloak of Lórien. I would also really like to look into acquiring a replica prop of the Red Book of Westmarch, another of the key to Bag End, and one of Sting—if Wētā Workshop ever makes it again, which I doubt. Maybe Bilbo's pipe as well… I have to stop listing or I might not stop. There are probably many other things that I could get my hands on that would be both nostalgic and euphoric to have. Additionally, I've had my eyes on some clothes related to another life of mine for a few years now.

10. Do you know about the origin of your alterhumanity? If so, tell us!

Yes, my alterhumanity has its origins in reincarnation and it involves the multiverse. My past lives feel as much part of my existence as my childhood, my teenage years, who I was yesterday, and who I am today. As it is with my childhood, some lives do not feel like me anymore, in which I barely recognize myself, but they are indeed a time I have lived. As it is with me today, other lives feel like who I am right now and was a few years ago, but it's been millennia instead and it is still just as intrinsic as my present. Regardless of my current connection to each life, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for them. To include experiences beyond past lives, my experience with what are called flickertypes is also spiritual, and it involves a temporary connection with another soul, similar—though not the same—to a walk-in, where I feel more attuned with that being's feelings and might even get a glimpse of their own memories to the point of confusing them with myself, it only lasts at least a few minutes and at most a few months.

11. Tag someone/a creature to answer these questions!

Anyone who hasn't answered this and wants to.

If you are an alter/nonhuman, reblog and answer these questions!

(don't be afraid to write a lot, do what you want ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯)

1/ Which category of alterhumanity do you belong to?

2/ What/who is/are your type(s)? (if you have any)

3/ Do you experience shifts? If so, can you tell us your most common shifts and your strangest cameo shift (if you've ever had a cameo shift)?

4/ How do you experience your alterhumanity in everyday life?

5/ What do you think of the community?

6/ What are the things that make you most comfortable and euphoric in your alterhumanity?

7/ Are you experiencing species dysphoria?

8/ What advice would you like to say to a young alterhuman who has just awakened?

9/ Do you have/want to have gears?

10/ Do you know/have any theories about the origin of your alterhumanity? If so, tell us! (all beliefs are legitimate)

11/ Tag someone/a creature to answer these questions!ㅤᵕ̈

[butchisrevolution]

dolly dog man readthrough #8

grime and punishment

THERE'S SOME INSANE SYMBOLISM IN THIS ONE

also yes i skipped a readthrough and yes it is in my drafts, im publishing it later bc i had problems with the image files

this is a metaphor for life and having the autonomy to choose your own path and this is probably gonna be the theme for the rest of the book

im guessing

all of grampa's experiences with others in life have been transactional, likely since childhood, to the point that he is unable to see others in any way other than a means to an end

while his son, petey, fits an NPD diagnosis almost exactly, grampa seems to fit an ASPD diagnosis almost exactly.

anddd

andddd

this is the most open he has been about his feelings. and its in an altered state

this is a metaphor for people who avoid therapy and medication, instead opting into dependence on recreational drugs to regulate and process their emotions

petey hangs onto the hate towards his father because it's the only thing he has left with him in relation to his father. giving up the hate would mean giving up his father, and deep down he still just wants to be loved, so he settles for what he's given

being a witness to abuse is really hard, especially when you're trying to explain it to someone who wasn't around to see it, someone younger. you want to protect them from the harsh knowledge, but you want them to understand your pain. it's even harder when you have to watch your other parent simply take it, settle with the abuse, because they feel like there's no escape. it makes you lose hope and really shapes your expectations for what life will look like for the worse.

OH FUCK. SHIT

side note: the composition of these frames is really nice... in the second frame, his son's speech bubble comes from behind him, as if it's sneaking up on him. the sizzling of the pan goes off the page to the right, continuing as his son talks, but it abruptly stops once he finishes the sentence. it literally shows the room going quiet.

in the last frame, petey is super far behind him. there's a divide between him. it's as if li'l petey is fading into the background and an invisible barrier, petey's memories, is brought to the foreground. a divide between them, really showing how different their experiences of life are.

i also appreciate how the color changes of the background went through these panels, starting a deep angry color, fading to a more neutral, some tension with the yellow, and then desaturating as the question is asked.

silhouette comes in clutch every time. this entire scene is genuinely a cinematic masterpiece

i appreciate that they took the time to show that even when there's tension between them he still makes sure to take care of li'l petey

sickening page

this was created so beautifully.

the third panel is absolutely stunning, the symbolism managed in the imagery in such a simplistic comic is incredible. the bottled weeds from earlier in the book on the counter, the weeds that li'l petey specifically referred to as dying, which ended up symbolizing resistance in struggle... in this scene, it means both of those things at the same time. there's a duality.

also, the buds of the weeds being white i assume symbolizes grief and loss. outside, it's dark, the world is a dark place, but they've made a loving home together, which is why the walls are still multicolored. petey is struggling with issues from the past, but this time he's not alone and he can't give up. it's a lot of mixed feelings, just like the mixed colors on the wall.

he has a point, the little anarchist has a point

ACAB chief my beloved

he just does it for the fun of the game

i feel like im witnessing a Socratic seminar in comic form

to hate or not to hate

or smth

YEAH TELL EM LI'L PETEY SET THOSE BOUNDARIES

bro needs to stop parentifying his child !!

I KNEW THAT WAS GONNA COME BACK.

shitt bro...

let go of your baggage or it will only weigh you down

also i rlly liked the artistic decision to make petey's outline glow more when hugging his son so cute

fun fact this is actually a DBT crisis skill called "Pushing Away"

when there's nothing else you can do to make a situation better, you're allowed to give yourself the benefit of retiring from it. you're not required to stick it out for every problem in your life. you are allowed to have peace of mind

and now grampa has no choice to accept the situation for how it is. it's settled and boundaries are set. he can't wriggle out of them. it was a direct, neutral statement with no judgement. when you're in the wrong, sometimes that's the hardest thing to sit with. if someone tells you something you did with no judgement and you feel ashamed because of it, you can't blame it on the way they said it, you can only blame it on what you did.

PERFECT DBT SKILLS. PERFECT BOUNDARIES SETTING.

yeah this is essentially what people are saying when they try to make you explain your boundaries

if you fight enough with someone they may forget their footing and adjust their boundaries, but you don't have to fight, you don't have to explain your boundaries, you can just set them and leave it.

real shit bro real shit

IM FUCKING TWEAKING HOLY SHIT

that bottle again,,,,

after years of struggle he lets his inner child finally feel and see. he travelled his path and now he's ready to share his resilience with the rest of the people in his life, ready to reconnect in a new way, instead of hiding his resilience in private, ashamed, as if it's a show of weakness. he's learnt the strength of being open

YOU CAN COLOR IT ANY WAY YOU WANT......

FIEND! FIEND! FIEND! FIEND!

so THISSS is the sauce they put in this book...

EACH BOOK KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND ALSO MORE HEARTBREAKING

IM GONNA GENUINELY START TWEAKING

DAV PILKEY WHAT ARE YOU

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Ok, I haven't actually played the champion's ballad DLC because I refuse to spend extra money on a game that was already purchased but I don't know, guys. I can appreciate how it adds to the story of the champions, but it has some weird retconning with Mipha. Like I read somewhere that Nintendo scaled back the Miphlink relationship because they usually like to keep things really open and don't emphasize romance (and oh boy, can y'all imagine what it was like before they scaled it back, like it's so prevalent in the Domain storyline), and I think because of that they tried to scale it back even more with Mipha's diary.

Like. Ok. In the cut scene "Mipha's Touch," there are so many aspects of storytelling indicating so many things. First of all in the title itself - it's not Mipha's Healing, or even Mipha's Promise, it's Mipha's touch, that's an intimate word to use for someone who hardly ever touches or is touched by anybody. Second, she's talking about how they don't know what they're up against, blah blah but she promises to always heal him and then suggests that maybe they could hang out together after the calamity was over. This indicates that they're still, if you'll pardon the expression, testing the waters in their relationship. I believe Link is visiting her a fair amount by this point, reestablishing a friendship with her, and this is her nudging that she wants something more. It's like a subtle turning point in their relationship.

Now, with that in mind, Mipha has this armor for him that is clearly an engagement present. That's quite the leap from "can we maybe hang out some more?" to "let's get married." I will say that it's very common for people to marry in haste when war is brewing, but there usually has to be some kind of courting first. That implies that after Mipha's request, their relationship does deepen, they find time to actually try to court each other while they're still preparing. It isn't perfect, and they can't do it often, but they probably do realize they're in love and admit it to each other. That would eventually lead to the armor being crafted. Perhaps Mipha never had a chance to give it to him, or he had no opportunity to receive it and wear it because of his champion duties. But I feel like that would've been the progression.

Sometimes the DLC kind of enforces this. Mipha speaks to Link asking if he remembers all their time together. Given her feelings for him, it could go a number of ways, ranging from just asking if he remembers that they were friends or something more. But then, the DLC does some weird stuff, like indicating Mipha crafted an engagement gift for Link before they had even started dating.

Like... what?

I don't know. I haven't played it, maybe there's something I'm missing. But it's weird. It's like Nintendo was just trying to make their relationship super one-sided when they had instead made it so rich in its undertones and what wasn't explicitly shone or stated.

Anyway, I'm taking what I can for the other champions, but generally disregarding Mipha's part of the DLC lol. Or, really, her diary.

[fleurriee]

Fleurr, can you do one where the reader is slowly developing memory loss?

here you are, love!! this is a really angsty one that made me shed a little tear just thinking about going through this, but i hope i did it justice <3

pairing ; neteyam x fem!reader

synopsis ; your mind is slowly beginning to dwindle, but neteyam is forever by your side.

themes ; angst!!! with a little fluff, memory loss

Forgetting things was a part of your life now, as permanent as an extra limb.

You don’t recall the first time it happened, the first time you stood there, mouth agape and confusion etched into your eyes, as your brain tried its damned hardest to recall something in particular.

There’s something ironic in that you can’t even remember that.

At first, you knew you’d brushed it off as just a simple mistake, one of those moments, one of those days. But, as those days crept on, it slowly started to diverge from a rare occurrence into a common one.

Sometimes, it would be the smallest of things, things that you could argue you were bound to forget at some point — where you last left your hunting knife, what you had for dinner the night before, little things like that.

It wasn’t until you couldn’t remember someone’s name, where it really started to hit you hard.

And, unfortunately, that it was one of the things you do remember. Probably because of how embarrassed you were about it.

Nothing about that day was any different — you felt the same, you were happy doing the same things, everything was normal. When night had descended upon the clan, and you spotted a group of Na’vi in the near distance, one of them doing a stupid impression of another hunter from that day, that was when things had changed for you.

Turning to Neteyam, who sat beside you as he started to gather your food for you, you had laughed, enjoying the impression, and began to show it to Neteyam. But, the name wouldn’t come to you. You knew that boy, because you’d been hunting with him for what felt like a million times, talking and laughing, so how could you forget his name?

Your laughter had subsided in an instant, a frown creasing your brow, and Neteyam knew almost immediately what happened. Unbeknownst to you, your mate had been keeping an eye on you since the first time he’d noticed you forgetting things. He supposed it was only a matter of time before it would start to get serious.

Tears had welled in your eyes when the slow realisation that this was truly happening to you knocked you back harshly, turning your head away as you slumped down, mentally exhausted. The comfort Neteyam offered was nice, was appreciated, but even he couldn’t fill in the gap that was your fading memory.

One of the hardest things was coming to terms with it all. At first, you’d refuse the notion, your stubborn self adamant that these little random blips were just one-time things, but a little part of you knew that was never the case.

You’d think, after years of living such a way, you’d be somewhat used to it. But, it never gets easier, despite the help those around you offer.

Today was a particularly bad day. Not in the sense of forgetfulness — throughout, you’d managed to not forget anything, with is a miracle in of itself — but, you just felt… off. Your reality was just a constant nagging sensation in the back of your mind, nothing able to coax your thoughts away from it, not even spending time with your mate.

The two of you are sat close together, hidden within the depths of your kelku (home), the materials draped down so as to give you some privacy. Privacy was something you relished in nowadays, thanks to your… situation.

As you huddled with your mate, hands deftly toying with strings and beads as you continued on with making a new necklace for yourself, you began to wonder down into your thoughts, eyes slightly glazed over and unseeing.

When Neteyam noticed your fingers had stopped in their movements, his gaze pointed at you. His heart all but dropped at seeing your expression.

With a deep sigh, almost as though to prepare himself, he gently nudged against your shoulder so as not to startle you. When you bring your attention back to him, he nods down at your almost-formed necklace. “It’s beautiful,” he says, voice gentle, patient, as always.

A faint smile graces your lips, but it doesn’t reach eyes. Your head drops down. “You’re just saying that.”

Neteyam’s instantly there to care for you, a heartbeat barely gone by. He reaches out, brushing a stray strand of hair out of your face. “I would never.”

But, he would, and you know he has done. There’s nothing malicious to it, of course — Neteyam does it to make you feel better, and you’re immensely grateful for it.

He’s not right, though — the necklace can’t be beautiful because it’s wrong. Something’s missing, something important. You blink repeatedly, hoping your mind might change the way it looks, but nothing happens. As your fingers move the necklace between your hands, you try to notice something off — this was a pattern you know you’ve done many times, on many different pieces of your clothing, and yet, you can’t remember.

You can never remember.

This was supposed to be a little gift to yourself, but now it just feels foreign.

“Neteyam,” you whisper, voice nothing more than a caress, shaking. “How do I normally do this? I can’t remember.”

And, there it is — the inevitable.

He can feel his heart clench within its cage at your words, doing his upmost best to keep his face from betraying how it truly makes him feel. He knows you more than likely know, but Neteyam will always do anything to keep you from feeling anything less than you should.

Despite this being nowhere near the first time it’s happened, it’ll never fail to feel like it is. Every time you forget something, it feels as though he forgets it, too. The two of you are in tune together, two bits of invisible string wrapped tightly together. Whatever you feel, he feels, and every time your heart breaks with disappointment, so does his.

With a tight smile upon his lips, his large hand covers yours, gently moving them around as he guides you through. “Here,” he murmurs, allowing the two of you to work together as he swaps some of the beads around, creating the pattern that is oh-so you. “Like this — how you always like it.”

Neteyam shouldn’t be surprised when you lift your head to find tears pooling within your eyes. “I don’t remember,” you choke out, shaking your head in denial. “It’s like… it’s gone. Like a piece of me is missing. It always feels this way, but it never gets any better.”

Ewya, if Neteyam could wrap you up within the safety of his arms for the rest of your lives, he would. He’ll just have to settle for now. And, when he does, your body instantly melts into his, head falling onto his chest as you begin to hear the steady drum of his heart, a lullaby to your ears. “It’s okay. I’ll remind you, every time, you know that.”

The one question that’s always nagged in the back of your mind since this all started years ago forces its way to the front, and you can’t hold it back any longer. Not with the worries always crossing over one another. “What if I forget you one day?”

Neteyam stiffened. He won’t lie, he’s thought of that, too, but, in the middle of the night, when he awoke tossing and turning as he worried more about you, he realised he’d do everything to make you remember him.

He pressed a kiss to the top of your head, hearing you sniffle away your cries against him. “Then I’ll remind you who I am. I’ll do it every day if I have to. No matter how long it takes.”

There’s silence for a moment, before your arms wrap tightly around him, squeezing like your scared his disappear completely. “Promise me.”

“I promise. I won’t ever let you face any of this alone, yawne (beloved).”

You don’t know how long the two of you stayed like that, wrapped within one another’s embrace and the promises between you. The necklace was long forgotten, memories of your past together flitting in and out, relishing in the love for your mate. And, you would hold onto those memories as tightly as you could, with Neteyam on the other end of the cord, guiding you home each time they dared to slip away.

All you could hear was the almost-drowned-out noises of the clan outside your kelku (home), but Neteyam could hear nothing but the vows he made both to you, and to himself. If you ever got to that point where you forgot, he’d always be there to remind you of who he was. And, he vowed that he’d always be there to fight this slow battle with you everyday, day in and day out. Even if it drained him. Even if it killed him.

Because to Neteyam, you were worth all the hard work, worth all the pain, as long as there was a smile on your face.

Always.

[senseandaccountability]

What's your verdict of Dragon Age the Veilguard now two months down the road? How do you think fandom has reacted to it, compared to the other new titles that you can remember (I know you're a long-time fan)?

(Two months + a fair amount of weeks at this point, sorry for the delay, anon.) This is going to be salty, I’m afraid and a bit like beating on a dead horse but you did ask, thank you for that and sorry about being whiny.

My first impression was that it’s a 6/10 game. I think now upon replaying it two times, the score is even lower. It’s a very mid game that’s also clearly a salvaged product from a long and erratic production cycle. It has some good lore, some good writing, but it’s hidden almost entirely in optional side quests, subtext and the tiny margins of the text. 

Overall its way too much of a high stakes/low tension kind of game for me. It’s fun and it never truly grabs me except for the bits that are about previous characters. I don’t care about Rook. I like them well enough for a protag, I can fill them with headcanon to make them real but I would easily sacrifice them at the end without a second thought. There’s no pull, no tension, nothing to hold on to. I've tried to write fic about Rook but I just don't know anything about this person apart from the fact that they're very young and likes to say the word team a lot. Maybe Rook works in HR.

For all its high stakes, the game also repeatedly fails to show me these stakes. It keeps telling me how important it is, how busy we are and during the Siege of Weisshaupt and Blood of Arlathan, I really do feel it, momentarily. Those quests have weight to them, and they are tied in with the overall narrative of the series. We know the wardens, we know the Dalish. They matter. 

“Sometimes it takes the wrong sort to put it right,” the game says and doesn’t even dare to show me a single shred of moral ambiguity in Rook. Call me annoying but I don’t necessarily want to feel like a hero. I don’t need to feel morally righteous about my player character. I want the narrative to be complex and challenge me and hold compassion for the world it’s telling me about, dare me to change my mind about its characters and their various plights. What if the hero is wrong? What if the world is too complex to be reduced to simple choices? What if the trusted mentor lies and the liar tells the truth? What then? Somewhere in the far distance DAV wants to offer some complexity but hey we have EVIL ANCIENT GODS TO FIGHT YO! I actually hate the tone. I said early on that it’s one of my main gripes and I stand by it.  It’s chipper and full of HR-department tidiness and in general it just doesn’t move me because it’s just telling, not showing me the emotions. THIS IS THE EMOTION CALLED DOUBT, the game screams in my face. LET'S HAVE A TALK WITH THE TEAM TO PUT IT RIGHT. Immediately after finishing DAV, I went and played Disco Elysium and the contrast was quite honestly heartbreaking. Because the tone in that funny, sarcastic and over the top writing? It’s compassionate. It wants to be truthful about what it’s like to be a human living in a broken, inhuman world. It cares. Veilguard more often feels like an action movie revenge plot where you get to punch some EVIL ANCIENT GODS in the face because they want to drown the world in demons, man, let’s just leave it at that lol omg you can even PUNCH Solas lol whatever thanks bye.  

I also just find the text flat. It doesn’t have the transtextuality I’ve come to appreciate in the other DA games, it doesn’t play much with differences in dialogue for the different characters - like making one stand out as being anachronistic or having a different way of expressing themselves or being very unlike the others in some fundamental ways, it doesn't challenge and/or characterize through banter in the way the other DA games have done and it doesn’t give us companions that seek meaningful conflict or are difficult to understand. Veilguard is the only DA game where I haven’t felt any kind of strong emotional reaction while interacting with the companions, and while you could argue that this is a good thing because teamwork and professionalism or whatever, I’d say that for a text, this is a factor that makes it flat. No great piece of writing has only likable characters capable of self-reflection because no actual human being is only likable or not likable to everyone and by god are actual humans not always capable of self-reflection. In fact, some humans shy away from it for entire lifetimes.

The story of DAV is consistent in its themes, yes. It’s just that it’s also without nuance and - again - without stakes. The companion quests raise big moral dilemmas but the answers are so bland they might as well just be ignored. The outcome changes nothing, doesn’t affect the characters. There’s no price to be paid for becoming first talon, no punishment for being a lich, it’s just another wardrobe choice. Should I wear blue or black, perhaps become an immortal creature? No matter darling, you are always adorable. I think most of all the state of the game is a testament of a really fucking tragic industry that doesn’t care enough about storytelling and authenticity or its workers. I think it’s clear that the writers were trying very hard but I also think it’s clear that it wasn't the narrative the powers that be decided to focus on.  The DA fandom at large, quite frankly, has always just made me exhausted and miserable. I think a lot of the criticisms of DAV have been unhinged. I think a lot of the defences of the game have been so deranged that it makes me wheeze as I read them out loud to my husband. I’ve seen plenty of people dragging up some 17 year old noob’s post from the depths of reddit just to do some edgy take about how stupid people are for disliking the game and it’s just been so many bad faith takes. Overall, I’m truly sorry to say, I have no desire to play this game anymore nor do I feel very tempted to play the other DA games. I’m happy to see that my mutuals are having fun - I wish I felt anything stronger than oh well about the new characters, but I don’t. Maybe I will not be this actively bored in the future and pick it up again, but for now, no. I'll try to finish my fanfic and then probably be done for good with this fandom.

[hyacinthleaves]

What about mark, Damon, and Tozu with a s/o that is the polar opposite of them? That sounds interesting imo :D

Mark Berskii:

A ditzy, bubbly s/o would honestly be so hilarious to see him with

He kinda has to explain things to you like you're 5 sometimes but he doesn't really mind it

He's dealt with worse

Extra points if you're clumsy, he's constantly scolding you for it. He carries around bandaids just for you

I would say he loves how social you are but I think it makes him a bit anxious at times

Like sometimes he thinks you have no sense of danger because of how easy it is for you to talk to anyone about anything

He appreciates that you're more of a talker during conversations, but you do motivate him to speak more (to you specifically) so on a good day he might be pretty responsive

I think you've traumatized him with how easily you give up information

Please stop doing that...

Damon Maitsu:

If you and Diana aren't close, it has to be the work of dark reunion

Anyway I feel like if you aren't proud of your talent, he can tell you MANY ways in which it's useful

Every time you feel down, he can give you a different reason as to why you shouldn't be, why you're amazing, and why everyone else sucks

He's literally your personal hypeman even if he doesn't look like he is

He doesn't always push you to be more confident as a whole though. I think that he lets you be comfortable if it doesn't really hurt you in doing so, so he'll mostly leave you alone

I feel like you'd have a more artistic talent and he might take interest in it (he might act like he doesn't for a while but ofc he'll come around, which is when the comforting part would come in from the beginning)

He gets annoyed with you sometimes

Well not really you, but some of your beliefs

Your lack of judgement can really bother him

He's tried to change your mind on things (or people) but while you take the time to acknowledge his perspective, you won't budge. So that does bother him

The fact that you're so open with your home life is so interesting to him

And he's always asking questions (others might think it's rude but you don't care)

Tozu:

He is SO CONFUSED

Considering how strong your moral compass is, he tried to get you into situations in which you might change them. And you won't. And he's frustrated.

Eventually he gives up and accepts that how kind and compassionate you are as well

Well sometimes it does bother him because if something really bothers you, he'll have to cut it out (man cares about partner)

Its so funny because he gets so pouty whenever you stop him from doing something sadistic

Sometimes he gets away with things if he bends the truth or if he just doesn't tell you things

Which just causes more problems for him

He's not one to beg but if you're really adamant on stopping his evil-doing...he might have to

He honestly thinks it's hilarious that you don't like it when he calls the students peasants

He DOESN'T find it hilarious that you giggle when the students feel the need to call him down for something

Old married couple vibes

[moncher-ire]

gojo fluff! readers gender isn't specified

Gojo is great at aftercare. I do NOT care what anyone says. He gives you a bath even if you fall asleep during it. He makes sure to wash your body. He makes sure you are clean. He helps you put on your favorite pj’s. He would make you special herbal sleeping tea. He knows you're tired, but he has to make sure you're hydrated while also making sure you STAY asleep and don't wake up in the middle of the night and don’t get the rest you need. 

He’d showered you with love and kisses and cuddling with you. If you, for any reason, end up tossing and turning extra that night or simply having a nightmare, he'll stay up all night watching you making sure you don't wake up, Whispering how much he loves you and admiring you, caressing you, making SURE you sleep as well as you can.

When you wake up in the morning wondering why he looks so tired, he just pulls you back to bed, hugs you and falls asleep right there. He knows you’ve rested enough so he can finally be at peace and get some sleep himself.

Extra - you had opened your eyes at some point during the night and saw bright blue eyes staring at you. You immediately went back to sleep. You woke up in the morning. You brushed it off as a nightmare<\3

______________________________________________________________

hihihih its my first time writing i fear. i really enjoyed making this small drabble<3

not proof read<\3

comments likes and reblogd are appreciated!

work belongs to @moncher-ire do NOT repost anywhere without my permission.

[genderqueerdykes]

Just wanted to say thank you for providing an easy and calm way to learn about intersex!

I tried to step into it in 2024 cuz I wanted to learn more about it, how it affected people, and what I as a perisex person could do to be supportive, etc. but when I first tried to open a conversation with anyone and ask questions I got zero answers and a whole lot of "Our lives suck and it's the trans communities fault!!" (obviously paraphrasing but that's what the majority of it sounded like).

I was even accused of "Being trans intersex" which I never said I was, I mentioned I was trans and asked if/how the communities overlap and apparently it's impossible for trans people to try and learn about intersex people without malicious intent??? Easy to say I noped out pretty quickly cuz I felt no need to support a community that seemed to have so much aggression towards my own.

And then I started following your blog back in mid December I'm pretty sure and the first few intersex posts I saw I didn't pay too much attention to but as of recently I've actually started to open more and trying to properly read them through or check out intersex articles you share, like the ones from a week or so ago and it's really helped me get a new understanding of the whole group! Still trying to get a grasp on how to best be supporting but I'll get there eventually!! :)

- ☣️ anon

hey, you got it! i appreciate you for reaching out and letting me know, the thing is that's why i just try to focus on information when possible. i don't like assuming the worst in every single person who asks a question. information is hard to find on intersex variations, people, bodies, and lives. google is virtually no help. posts on here tend to err on the hostile side, which is just. sigh. why does this have to happen in every pocket of the community?

unfortunately, that is the point that we're at right now and i'm sorry to hear it, but i'm glad that you've found my blog helpful! i don't like the state of affairs with much of our queer communities in general, because hostility tends to be the first expression and it's not a good way to help people learn. so many intersex people are tired of having to explain things and have becoming disenfranchised and jaded and respond with a "we shouldn't have to teach you (everything)," and it's like. well... yeah. that's kinda on us.

so many times have seen "just google it dumbass" type behavior from other intersex people and i really hate it it. i don't get why the intersex community is so focused on alienating people like that. and i don't get why someone would accuse someone else of being trans intersex like that. also i've had to calm down about it too but we gotta stop taking everyone else in bad faith and assuming the worst. i get that we're hurting but we really have to calm down and explain things kindly. its not hurting anyone to be kind

frankly i don't like the amount of transphobia coming from a lot of intersex people right now. it makes me so tired. that's such an awful attitude, as if being intersex somehow absolves one from other types of bigotry. it doesn't... intersexism isn't "more" important than transphobia. you don't get to be transphobic to someone just because they may have hurt you, especially if it was on accident. please don't hurt someone if they hurt you on accident.

i honestly am very deeply sorry about all of this happening. at this point i'm just very tired and i don't want people to hurt each other for no reason. but thank you for sending such a kind message, i'm glad i'm able to provide an opportunity for people to learn! i really just want to talk about it without having to get mad. ive done it before and at this point im just tired. i dont like the default emotion being anger in intersex spaces. i don't participate in any intersex communities rn for that purpose. im trans.

i found out i was intersex thru trans people and the trans community. and it wasn't people who identified as trans intersex or anything it was just people who knew intersex bodies were a thing. i don't know why so many intersex people take every little thing a trans person wants to do with their body so personally i can get that a lot of things really are intersexist but honestly it's so overdone at this point. i really don't have an issue with a lot of things anymore because it all feels so petty. like at a point its not productive and getting angry at everything that involves a body that doesn't fit into the male-female body that doesn't explicitly say intersex and intersex only. we do not own the c oncept of having a non conformative body. please leave perisex trans people alone if they're looking for information and not harming anyone. it's not helping them understand us better.

take care anon! stay safe! i'm glad i can help give some information on the subject!

[phenixa]

A FloRid Analysis using science (but only at the beginning)

I would like to preface that post by saying that I am not a biology -or scientific- expert at all. I am a humanities major -more specifically a foreign languages one- who just happen to have developped a huge hyperfixation on Twisted Wonderland, its story and characters. And it so happen that FloRid is my OTP. So, brainrot happened.

The hyperfixation and brainrot went so far that I started to hoard facts about octopodes and eels here and there, reading scientific papers written by biologist when the last time I had a science class was like... In first year of high school (en 2nde, pour mes amis francophones)

Okay, so. FloRid. Floyd and Riddle. One of the most appreciated ships in the twst community, being the 4th ship with the most fanfics on Ao3 (with 727 fanfics when I’m writing these words), just behind KaliJami, MalleYuu and RookVil (in this order). I saw a lot of people discussing these two with varying degrees of media literacy (I see you, who claims that this ship is “problematic” because it is a bully x victim ship.). And while I really like to read all of those takes (except the bully x victim one. You’re missing the point sweetie by saying that) and I wanted to add my two cents on that matter.

A while ago, back in September 2024, I stumbled on a twitter thread on FloRid. I can’t find it again, too far back, sorry for that. Basically, what the thread was about, was that Floyd’s interest in Riddle spawned in the fact that Riddle is red, and red doesn’t exist underwater.(see photos below)

It isn’t really that red doesn’t "exist" in aquatic environments, moreso that the wavelength for that colour is absorbed by the environment not that deep (around 6 metres underwater for those (like me) who use the metric system). Oh, by the way, if someone has an explanation of why the hot pink is still as vibrant that deep, I would love to hear that !

So basically, red starts to "disappear" around 6 metres deep, and is completely black around 24 metres deep. It is, let’s be honest, not that deep, especially when we compare to the depths of the ocean.

In fact, red "disappears" in what is called the epipelagic zone - or sunlight zone - the first level of the ocean (see photo below). Which is interesting since, in our world, all species of moray eels live in that zone. And, as it is well known, the Tweels are based on moray eels (possibly Green Moray Eels if we follow the colour scheme of their characters), so, in our world, they would live not that deep below the surface (at depths down to 40 metres (130ft)). Which isn’t true in the game, as it is mentioned multiple times that the Coral Sea is deep below the surface.

As we can see on the picture, the Sun won’t go deeper than 1,000 metres (3280ft) below the surface, and the Octatrio mentions once or twice that there’s no sunlight where they come from. On the wiki, we can read :

"It is said to be very dark and cold and has a smaller population than countries primarily inhabited by humans"

Twisted Wonderland wiki, World, Locations, Coral Sea

So, where am I heading with that ? Well, did you know that Moray eels can’t see colours ? Indeed, in a research done in 2011 by researchers of the Tawain Ocean Research Institute as well as the Sensory Biology Laboratory of the Academia Sinica in Taiwan, simply named "A comparative study on the visual adaptations of four species of moray eels" , the researchers have proven that the four species of moray eels studies are colourblind. They, in fact, can only perceive green and its shades/tints, meaning that, even if it was possible to perceive the colour red underwater, Floyd, in his eel form, wouldn’t be able to see it.

There is a technical side, one that shows that moray eels only have one type cone cells (cells present in our eyes to process colours) in their eyes, to explain this colour blindness (in comparison, human beings typically have three types of cone cells : red, green and blue). The only type of cone cells moray eels possess, as I mentioned earlier, is the green one. The closest example we, as humans, can have regarding this sort of colour blindness is the red-green colour blindness (here, "protanopia"), or the complete bolour blindness ("monochromatism")

(if you can’t see the difference at some point, I have some news for you...)

Basically, in the aquatic world, everyone has protanopia since red isn’t perceived, but moray eels are monochromastics since their eyes can only process greens. (Can I add that the colour palette for tritanopia is really pretty ?)

In the game, it is mentioned multiple times that Floyd couldn’t perceive red at all before coming on land. And the best example is the Stitch event (aka the FloRid event. There’s so much content on these two inside) where Floyd explicitly says that red looks black underwater.

"Colours look a lot different underwater. It only sticks out ‘cuz it’s on land. A red like this would look black in the deep sea where we’re from. You’d barely be able to tell it apart from a rock."

Twisted Wonderland, Stitch’s Tropical Turbulence chapter 3-2-3 "Sparkling in the Sand"

Here, Floyd only presents the fact that the wavelength for red is absorbed by its environment. He says nothing on the fact that he and Jade are supposedly completely colour blind (and just. Basically blind since moray eels are famously known for their shitty vision) before taking their potions. And we have seen time and time again that both twin’s vision and perception of colours on land is pretty good. Just the fact that Floyd can note how red Riddle is, as well as how he was able to see him in a crowd during their orientation (or just how he is able to see small details here and there), is a good indicator of that change between their life in the sea and their life on land. Would it have been funny, and really interesting to make the Tweels colourblind on land ? Yes. Yes it would have been amazing. But alas, I love my two chaos junkies the way they are and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Where did I want to go with that ? Well, if it wasn’t obvious already, I think that Floyd’s interest in Riddle spawns from the fact that Riddle represents something inherently new for Floyd.

When you think of the colour red in regards of twst, you would think of Riddle at some point. I mean, the guy is in the red dorm, his hair is red, he gets red from rage really easily (and the colour usually associated with rage is red), he’s based on the Queen of Hearts, the red queen... Oh and his element in his dorm Uniform card is fire. Red (even if we can completely debate over the fact that fire IRL tends to be more orange than red). That’s a lot of red for a 160cm tall guy, don’t you think ?

Oh, and Riddle was the first person to send Floyd flying, as highlited in Floyd’s Beans Camo vignette.

"Y’know, back at my orientation, a guy way tinier than me used magic to blast me through the air. All I did was razz him a little, and he just SNAPPED. His face was so red, it was almost like he was on fire"

"There weren’t many guys stronger than me under the sea. But here ? This school is crawling with people like that."

Twisted Wonderland, Floyd Beens Camo Vignette,"Nowhere Near the Best" Part.3

If it isn’t said outwradly that the "guy way tinier" than Floyd is Riddle, is it easily understandable from the whole Beanfest event, with Vil telling Epel that Riddle and Floyd had been at each other’s throat ever since their orientation (while adding that every orientation he lived had something disrupting it. What happened during your orientation Vil ? I want to know !), we can also undertsand that the guy was Riddle with Epel’s reaction, stating that "Vil wasn’t kidding about what he said before", referencing Vil’s words.

Oh, and, wan we talk just a second about the groovy of that card ?

In the vignette, this scene happens between the two quotes I used (the tiny guy sending Floyd flying and the fact that Floyd’s pretty strong). Let’s be true five seconds, trying to not look with a shipping lense through that.

WHO LOOKS LIKE THAT WHILE TELLING THAT KIND OF STORY ???

I mean, even while taking Floyd’s persona and character as a whole into account, that’s just the face someone makes when sharing a good memory with a loved one, or someone they’re proud of (my own twin makes that face when they talk about their -adopted- children).

And I even went to ask friends of mine about that face, without telling them the context just "okay, what do you think is happening right now ?" and (without taking into account that one friend who made a lousy joke) the majority of them just answered "he’s ogling his crush". And I mean. Yeah... Yeah that’s definetly the face someone would make when watching their crush. (after telling the whole context, the first answer I got was "Yeah no, he’s masochistic" and I can’t really go against that...). Most of those convo where in French and in between is littered more private convo so I won’t give you any screenshot of that, just know that my friends -some of which aren’t even in fandom spaces- are just as unanimous than I am. That eel is down bad.

On my first draft for that document, I spent a whole 10 paragraphs on their orientation, going as far as trying to explain that Floyd’s interest in Riddle wasn’t firstly based on his hair colour, nor really on his size, but on his strength. I won’t go as deeply into details as in my first draft, but let’s just be clear on that point.

It is said multiple times -as well as shown- that students are expected to wear their hoods during orientation. We see that during the prologue as well as during most Ceremonial Robes vignettes that takes place during (or diretcly after) orientation. For example in Epel’s vignette, we see him and Vil wearing their hoods up, and it is mentioned once or twice by the Savanaclaw guys that they have to keep their hoods up during orientation (which brings them a lot of problems, seeing that the hoods aren’t made for their ears). So, in no world would have Floyd seen Riddle’s hair colour before his altercation with Riddle. His interest first spawned because of Riddle’s magical strength. And the fact that our little guy became housewarden only one week after orientation cemented that interest. I mean, someone that strong ought to be interesting, no ?

Oh and, I won’t go into details here, since it’s not on NA server already, but during Floyd’s dream section, and from what I understand from a reddit post explaining the Octatrio dreams, Floyd starts to remember reality after Silver mentions what really happened during their orientation, with Riddle sending him flying. Ooooh I can’t wait to see that part on the eng server ! More info pleaaaase.

Another point of interest of mine is Floyd’s nicknames. They are based on people’s characteristics, whatever that characteristic may be. For that, Vil is Betta since betta fish are renowed for being beautiful, Ruggie is sharksucker since he’s (literally) sucking off of Leona. And Riddle is Goldfish(ie) (in the sense that officially Floyd calls Riddle "Goldfish" but everyone in the fandom ended up calling him "Goldfishie").

Some points on Goldfish here. First of all, despite their name in English, Goldfish in the modern world tend to be more red than gold-coloured (in French they are called "poisson rouge", literally "red fish" for that fact), but they also are an invasive species once released into the wild. Oh and they are mostly kept as pets by humans.

And, who was kept as a "pet" most of his life by someone, is famously red, and once he was "released" into the world acted somewhat invasive in the life of other people ?

At the time of giving Riddle his nickname, Floyd wouldn’t have known what was going on behind closed doors (or maybe he knew, with Jade fetching information on anyone and everyone for Azul, it’s a possibility) but I find that really funny that Riddle’s nickname suits him on more points than him being small and red (I’m putting once again the screenshot of Floyd saying that, but it’s the exact same one as the one I put at the very beginning of the analysis)

(to think that I took this screenshot a when I first started playing...)

I’d like to point out that this is the first -and only if I’m not mistaken- instance of Floyd explaining the reasoning behind one of his nicknames. While I saw him name other characters here and there (with this specific card, he names professor Trein at one point in his Home Taps) he never goes to length to explain the reasoning behind a nickname. And to be honest, the reason behind this screenshot was to go scream at my friends that he’s completely unpromted. Riddle just spawns in the conversation out of the blue. And, I mean, when you’re interested in someone/something, you usually find a way to include them/it into the conversation. Especially when you’re neurodivergent.

And we come to my next point : Floyd’s neurodivergence.

The boy has ADHD. Is it canon ? Well, it’s not said clearly but it is shown in some points. ShoujoISM made a really good video on that matter some time ago, and that video explains my own point of view on the subject really well, so I won’t go into that many details here. But, if you’re not really interested in watching a 52 minutes long video essay (which, let’s be honest, with the attention span of our generation, would be completely fair), I’ll try to summarise as fast as possiblie with just that sentence : Floyd checks most of the points of diagnosis for ADHD in the DSM-V-TR.

As a fellow ADHD-er with a huge hyperfixation on mental illnesses, I tend to have fun seeing if some characters check the boxes for some diagnosis I headcannon them to have. And, after watching that video, I opened my version of the DSM-V-TR (yes. I have a pdf of that book.) and checked myself every criteria for ADHD and... yeah, no, he fits into the boxes so well. And with the prevalence of neurodivergence in the cast (especially depressive characters), it wouldn’t be extrapolation to say that when Yana created Floyd, she had ADHD in mind.

One of the main points of ADHD is hyperfixation (aka, what is driving me to write fanfic and analyses of those characters) and hyperfocus. And Floyd is shown having periods of hyperfocus. Like that time he hyperfocused on learning how to dunk for 2 days straight. Azul even makes note of that in Floyd’s Tropical Wear vignette.

"My word... When you put your mind to something you want to do, your focus is incredible. I wish you could maintain that attidute when you’re on the clock"

Twisted Wonderland, Floyd Tropical Wear vignette, "Flying Jellyfish", Part.1

Usually, a period of hyperfocus can be a relatively "short" period of time, but it so happens that in people with ADHD, who usually struggle with this exact perception of time, hyperfocus periods can be counted as pretty long for neurotypicals, or neurodivergent people that don’t experience them. As someone who has lived through hyperfocus periods, time seems to just. Not exist, so for Floyd to spend two whole days trying to master a dunk just because it looked fun ; it doesn’t seem that long for me (as a personnal experience, I was once so engrossed and hyperfocused on a paper for uni that I spend more or less a whole week on that paper, skipping classes and everything else...)

And for me, Floyd has a sort of hyperfocus on Riddle. Not really in the sens that he can spend days thinking of him and do nothing else, but more on the sense that he can find the other in a crowd easily, and is just looking for Riddle really often. In Floyd’s School Uniform vignette, it is implied that Floyd looking for Riddle in the library is a common occurence, and it is shown multiple times in the game (in the main story as well as in events) that when confronted to a crowd, Floyd will find Riddle first. For example, in the scene at the beginning of Book 4 where everyone is in the Mirror Chamber, the whole Heartshackle gang is discussing, surrounded by literally the whole school, Floyd makes a beeline towards our group and the first person he talks to is Riddle. Same at the beginning of the Stitch event, when Floyd comes into the library and comes across our group, the first person he talks to is Riddle. Keyhole vision, this is what I call this.

And hyperfixation. You would mostly know what this is is you’re chronically online or in the mental illness side of social medias (especially tiktok). From what I experienced and what I saw with my ADHD friends, sometimes, hyperfocus is caused by a hyperfixation. And in the case of Floyd and his "I really want to learn how to dunk" mindset at that time, we can quite easily conclude that that state of hyperfocus was born from his hyperfixation at the time on basketball.

It is mentioned at some point in the game that Floyd’s interest is fleeting, meanning that even his hyperfixations don’t last that long (once again, from a neurotypical point of view). He kinda abandonned basketball at some point, still going to his club activities when he deems them to be interesting. But do you know what kind of activity he has deemed interesting for quite a while now ? Bothering Riddle. It has been a whole year (at the beginning of the game) since their first meeting, and this dopamine addicted eel is still looking for his Goldfishie. Because Goldfishie is interesting. Riddle keeps on being interesting to Floyd, the same way that Azul is. And, I mean, from what we can see when we see Azul and Riddle’s interactions with Floyd, they don’t seem to go out of their ways to entertain him, and act mostly "in character" for them (Azul being overly calculating and mumbling about the problems that Floyd causes and Riddle being quick to enrage). Yet, Floyd keeps finding things interesting with them. I mean, outside of Jade, Floyd stuck himself to Azul (and Riddle to some extent) the longest. So they must have something in them that makes them so interesting to him (I have a whole lot of rambling on Riddle and Azul since they’re my fav characters (along with the Tweels) so I get you Floyd. They’re really interesting).

And, in a way, Floyd seems to care on a deeper level only to the people he deems intereting (aka. Jade, Azul and Riddle). We can see his care for his brother in multiple ways, his care for Azul in Book 3 before Azul Overblots (really well depicted in the manga btw) and his care for Riddle is littered here and there.

First of all, begining of Book 4. Floyd (and the rest of the Octatrio) comes to meet us in the Mirror Chamber and... Proposes to Riddle to stay with him over the winter holiday ? My boy you’re really down bad you know that ?

Seriously, we can easily understand that Floyd realised that Riddle was hesitant to go back to his mother for the break, and his first reaction is not "well, you can always count on your friends, and go to them" (Trey even proposed !). No. His first reaction was like, welp, you can always stay with me. The way the chapters are made, Book 4 chapter 3 ends with Floyd’s interjection.

"What’sa matter Goldfishie ? Don’t wanna go home ? Then, there’s an idea : don’t. We’re not. C’mon, you can join us in the stay-at-school club. Heh heh !"

Twisted Wonderland, Book 4 "Schemer of the Scalding Sands", Chapter 4 "A Sendoff from Morays"

It’s literally the first two dialogues of the chapter. I didn’t go further, but Riddle gets irked by Floyd sticking his nose in his business and Jade chimes in to temperate things between the two. Floyd then retorts something quite interesting for me  :

"Aw, c’mon Jade. It’s boring spending every new year with the same old suspects. Besides, Goldfishie’s so teeny, I’m sure Azul would love to keep him as a pet !"

Twisted Wonderland, Book 4 "Schemer of the Scalding Sands", Chapter 4 "A Sendoff from Morays"

Riddle answers by becoming all red from rage and is really close to trying to collar Floyd. The rage is defused by Trey and the rest of Heartslabyul, but I’d like to point something quite interesting. In the end of chapter 3 (after having discussed with the Savanaclaw trio), Riddle is shown to be out of the loop, Ace and Grim making remarks on that note :

"Huh, he’s soundin’ kinda defeated."

"Oh, right. The housewarden’s got an extreme case of helicopter parenting waiting for him at home. No wonder he’s not enthused about heading back."

Twisted Wonderland, Book 4 "Schemer of the Scalding Sands", Chapter 3 "Leaving for the Holidays"

We can more or less see the Heartshackle gang trying to cheer up their friend, but nothing seems to work. Until Floyd appears, makes a beeline for the redhead and angers him. And I mean, a reaction, even as "bad" as that one is still a better outcome than whatever he was feeling before. Even Trey notices it.

"Good grief. Well, at least he’s got his moxie back."

Twisted Wonderland, Book 4 "Schemer of the Scalding Sands", Chapter 4 "A Sendoff from Morays"

It is quite easy to see, with minimum media literacy at play, that what Floyd was doing was trying to ellicit a reaction -any reaction- from Riddle, in a convoluted way of, not cheering him up per say, but making him concentrate on something else, something that is not what hell would be waiting for him at his house. And he succeded. Any punishment he would have possibly faced hadn’t Riddle been stopped by Trey and Cater would have been fair game in his book (and he would have defused the spell either way).

I’m probably over analysing that but I can’t remember a moment in the whole game (in the parts I played at least) where Floyd is shown caring that much for someone. I mean, his words are the literal reason why Azul overblotted (I’m pretty sure that if Floyd hadn’t say what he said to Azul at that time, the overblot would have happened, yes, but a bit later if not at all). Floyd is the exact definition of not really caring outwardly for people ! But here, he is shown caring -in some convoluted ways once again- for Riddle who is clearly distressed about going back to his mother. And I found that the jab of keeping Riddle as a pet is somewhat sarcasticly funny. I mean, Riddle’s mother is treating her son like a doll, or a pet to train and show off. It shows, in some ways, that Floyd is aware of what happens in Riddle home life at that point in the story. Was it through rumors after his overblot, or did he piece the puzzle himself after havig seen Riddle’s reaction to going back to his mother’s during their first year ? We will probably never know.

What I also want to say by that, is that Floyd is deeply intelligent. Not just academically, but emotionally too. He’s probably the most emotionally intelligent guy in the whole cast, contrary to what he lets on (reminds me of Perceval in Kaamelott in some ways). He also possesses a really good sense of ebservation. Once again, in his Beans Camo vignette, he realises that if he lets Epel grow freely, the little guy might become a worthy opponent.

"I was gonna let him get a little roughed up to remind him who's boss, but hey. If I let Guppy keep swimmin', he might grow into a meal worth eating one day. I'll lay off him for now. After all, it'll be way more fun to crush him when he's strong and all sure of himself. Aha ha."

Twisted Wonderland, Floyd Beens Camo Vignette,"Nowhere Near the Best" Part.3

And I’m not sure if, at the time of the vignette happening, Epel has developped his unique magic. It’s possible, but not of good use since the use of magic is prohibited during Beanfest.

Anyway, his ability of perception (which I find quite funny since eels are famously known for having shitty vision) is also highlighted in my previous point. He realised, on his own, that Riddle wasn’t doing quite alright. No one told him "hey, your favourite ‘victim’ isn’t doing well", he just went to make sure that Riddle as okay on his own volition. And it’s not the first time something like that happens. Indeed, in the first halloween event, at the end of it, we can see Floyd caring for both Jade and Riddle. He forces the first one to stop working and sit down for a while, and he pushes the other to eat more. Here, it’s Floyd’s reaction towards Riddle that interests me, not because that post isn’t on Jade and Floyd, but more because it is prompted before Floyd’s entrance in the scene that Jade has been working a lot, while it’s never mentioned once before that Riddle hasn’t eaten enough.

"Psh. Teapot tyrant, meet kettle. You haven't had more than a couple'a nibbles yourself, Goldfishie. Even a real goldfish eats more than that. Aren't you a growing boy?"

"I'll have you know I consume my recommended caloric intake every day, without any excess or deficiency!"

Twisted Wonderland, "Twisted Halloween : Terror is Trending", chapter 5-7

A bit farther, at the very end of the same chapter, Floyd grabs Riddle and brings him to the buffet,       forcing him to eat.

"You got it! C'mon, Goldfishie!"

"I told you, Floyd— Would you stop tugging?! Argh!"

Twisted Wonderland, "Twisted Halloween : Terror is Trending", chapter 5-7

It is easy to understand that Floyd is used to Eating Disorders, especially considering he is friends with Azul, who is the reference in EDs in the cast (I mean, just see his backstory and read through Book 3 and you’ll have the big picture). Riddle’s ED isn’t the same as Azul’s, in the sense that it isn’t self inflicted, but ingrained in him. And for the sceptics, EDs aren’t just anorexia or bulimia. The fact that Riddle counts his calories and takes notes of every intake of food is very much a symptom of an eating disorder (this is another proof of Madam Rosehearts’ abuse on her son btw). And what does Floyd do ? he takes care of bringing Riddle with him to the buffet. Especially after seeing the reaction the boy had when cake was mentioned. Again, no one mentioned Riddle before Floyd intevened, only after that did Ruggie make a comment on that fact. (I also would like to point the change made to the idiom "pot, meet kettle" here. It’s funny as hell and shows a form of intelligence, because, being able to modify an idiom to one’s whims asks for a deep undertsanding of a language and its codes).

It was the last bit of trivia I had to analyse for the time being. At the time when I write these words, we only have 116 chapter of Book 7, so we haven’t encountered the dreams of the Octatrio yet, and even if I keep myself updated on what happens on the jp server I am not aware of everything that happens in details (I can’t read japanese for the life of me so I won’t play on jp server at all).

I realise that I have gone away from my first point of trying to analyse Floyd’s interest in Riddle using only biology and ended up doing a full-on analysis of FloRid moments... Oops...

So, let’s conclude once and for all that lit- *checks the word count* that analysis, shall we ?

While I think that Floyd’s interest in Riddle first spawned during their orientation (and his dream sequence gives us a hint on that matter), I think that Floyd’s continually renewed in Riddle isn’t just some sort of simple interest, but some form of infatuation. I mean. The anthology manga is there for a reason (even if its canonicity is debatable). We can see in various examples that Floyd cares for Riddle to some extent, the same way he cares for Azul (or Jade, but it’s not really the same form of care), and that his neurodivergence makes him hyperfixate on Riddle for some reason or another. I didn’t delve into my "theory" that Floyd might have some form of Bipolar Disorder because it hasn’t as much proof that it is here than the ADHD theory/headcanon, and it’s more a headcanon of mine than a fully fledged theory I have. Either way, it is clear that our moody eel is deeply attached to the teapot tyrant, and I think I was quite clear on that matter.

Now, and before I save this document and post it, I would like to talk about something. The "bully x victim" trope that opposants to the ship see. While I can understand the idea, I think it is not taking into account the numerous events where Floyd and Riddle are together. Sure, in the main story it is easily seen that Floyd has a favourite "victim" to his overly excitable moods, but a bully x victim would imply that Riddle isn’t able of defending himself. And he is. He just lets Floyd act that way because, whatever he will do, nothing would deter the eel. He is literally the guy that sent Floyd flying on their first day, for Samael’s sake ! And, I mean, Beanfest and the Stitch event do tell us a different story than "Riddle is a damsel in distress, victim to the whims of evil evil Floyd". Even in the halloween events  we can see that they -at least- tolerate each other. But, I get it, when the game fist came out in english (because I see that discourse more on western fandom spaces (thank you to my friend who acts like a translator for me to scroll through the jp side of the fandom)), people didn’t have any access to the second Beanfest event, even less to the Stitch event, and were only privy to Floyd’s School Uniform vignette and their interaction in Book 2. But right now, with everything we have for us, I think that this argument is just plain media illiteracy. You can say that I’m over analysing Beanfest, sure. But don’t come at me for things that are clearly said in the game (like the Stitch event or Halloween events). And please, by Demon’s law, let people enjoy their silly ships however they like. I’m not coming at you for liking a ship I don’t have a particular affinty to, to come at me and call me deranged for shipping what is just basically a Red and Blue ship.

Oh, and, last point before I close that document. At one point, Jade says something that stuck with me.

"Heh... As long as you’re enjoying yourself, Floyd."

Twisted Wonderland, Floyd Halloween Vignette, "A Big Fan of Pirates"

And we see Floyd having fun in most of his vignettes. If that isn’t love, I don’t know what this is. (Yes, it has nothing to do with FloRid, but I wanted to put this here since I love the Tweels and their bond.)

Welp. This is the end of that analysis. Thank you for reading all of that, it’s more than 5k words, and I did most of that at work. I have a lot of things to say about the Octatrio and Riddle (as people who follow me on my private instagram has been victims to. I literally yapped about twst for 3h30...) as well as on other characters.

If you’re interested in reading what I write, here is my Ao3 link : https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phenixa. At the time I’m writing these words there is only two twst fanfics (being FloRid) and a small dozen of Kingdom Hearts fanfics, but more twst is coming in the future. I’m currently working on a college!AU if you’re interested ^^

I finished vomiting my analysis, it is time to say bye !

[kanguin]

While I appreciate that your comments were not directly pointed at me, and I respect your self-honesty with regard to your religious beliefs and their labeling, I feel you misunderstood what I was saying in the tags just as much as I misunderstood what the intent of your tags were.

When I stated that your faith is young, I was not stating that analytical works could not have been written about it. I was truncating for the sake of saving space in tags, and trying to communicate that Mormonism, or the Church of the Latter Day Saints, is young in the sense that it was founded in VERY recent, VERY recorded history in the past two centuries. When I said engaging with critical thinking, I don't just mean analyzing how to adjust Mormonism to fit to being queer, I meant actually acknowledging that all of the works and all of the associations derived from the writings of Joseph Smith are entirely fraudulent.

Joseph Smith was a known con-man, not just with his tablets stunts but was accused and charged multiple times for fraud, perjury, inciting riots and violence, and at least one case of conspiracy to assassinate, just from what I can remember off the top of my head. His writings, the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price, The Doctrine and Covenants, etc, make numerous historical accusations that are patently untrue according to all known genetic and archaeological evidence. Many religious scholars who read those books with critical eyes note how the grammar is clunky and broken, as it's clearly a common 19th century New England man's best attempt at imitating the particular grammar of the King James Bible, written hundreds of years prior. This wasn't entirely original either, because numerous other failed-start books and documents produced around this time feature this style. Further, some of these writings claimed to be translated from "Egyptian papyri" uncovered on expeditions, another popular claim at the time, as the lost written language of Egypt was actively being deciphered in the 1820s, 30s, and so on... but the full language wouldn't be completely deciphered until 1850, years after Joseph and Hyrum died. His claims are based on even shakier foundations largely centered around the "Lost Tribes" of unified ancient Israel. However, many scholars today doubt the literal nature of the story of the 12 tribes of Israel and an ancient unified Kingdom of Israel presented in the Christian Bible and the Torah before it, because of the amount of contradicting archaeological evidence, and that story is crucial to the narrative of a migration out of the Levant to the Americas; instead the story is largely seen now as either fabricated at worst, or more likely allegorical to the shared history of the peoples of the Levant. The idea that any people from the eastern end of the Mediterranean made it to the Americas before the invention of large sailing ships is hard for most scholars to believe as it stands, but if you genetically sequence Native Americans, you'll find they bear closer ancestry with eastern and northern Asian peoples, which is backed up by the trail of human migration across the western coast of North America, indicating a propagation out of Alaska and southward. Add onto this the stories of the darkening of Native skin for turning away from god and the origin of black skin coming from descendants of Cain, and you have a very clear picture of a man who knew nothing about the history of the world and instead wrote a story based on his own feelings on Natives and black people, which for much of his life were not remotely good (yes I'm aware he came around to slave emancipation later in life, no that doesn't excuse what he previously wrote about black people nor how he nor his people killed so many Native peoples on their journey westward).

The Latter Day Saints church is relatively unique among major religions today in that the history of the faith and its founders are so well documented. Joseph Smith routinely got himself into trouble by scamming people out of money by using seeing stones, dousing rods, and magically uncovered and translated documents to gain favor and money from others. And the movement he started went on to cause public unrest in location after location until he and his complicit brother Hyrum were murdered while being held in jail for trial, by a mob of nearly 200 people, who all had enough of his behavior.

And yet, he became a martyr. The LDS church has now gone on to become one of the largest cults of the modern era in how it controls its members, and one of the biggest forces of white supremacy and colonialism outside of an organized government or the KKK. The entire model of going on missions and going door to door to convert and spread the faith is directly antithetical to providing actual help because of the ulterior motive of conversion. Every time a new LDS temple pops up in a non-white community, a foothold of control over people is established.

Everyone the world over who stands for acceptance, racial equality, and LGBT+ rights and knows anything in depth about the LDS church hates it, it's not just picked on for no reason. With other religions, thousands of years of tradition exist to muddy the waters of what is original doctrine and what is harmful conservatism. Mormonism however is among the very lucky and small group of Scientology, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Christian Scientists of being relatively clear cut on what's what due to the fact that all of the events that led up to its emergence have occurred in the very heavily documented.

I know you're probably not going to read all of this and/or block me for daring to go after your religious beliefs, but I really needed to get this out of my system. You can't just reframe Mormonism, it's rotten to its core, down to the very stories that its founded on and the men who started the movement. No matter how much you self-analyze, no matter how much literature you read, other queer people and other racial and religious minorities are going to see you as a threat for still holding onto its doctrines. As a post note, I did read up on the professor you mentioned. Sadly though, I'm not really sure if I can really take someone, even with a PhD, entirely seriously, if they treat religions like music (her words!) and pick and choose parts of various faiths they personally like like it's a buffet. It's self serving at worst and out of touch at best to behave that way, and for this piecemeal approach to come from a multiple published Doctor of Communications is disheartening.

My partner and I got into a heated debate (for fun) the other day, and I need to know what other people think. We're both from different non-Catholic Christian families, but have left the faith.

For reference Catholics can pray to Mary or specific Saints, who all have domains that they pertain to, and believe these prayers can be answered.

(The Trinity is a whole other question and I'm not touching that)

[starry-bi-sky]

MMMM twins au with danny and dan except its og TUE timeline danny and dan

ok okay i neeeeed o write this down and share it before i explode buT. as the title says. twins danny and dan (who im going to be calling James/Jamie bc i cannot express how much i despise the name dan) where, instead of disappearing into the ghost zone after he's separated from danny's body, Dan rips out Vlad's ghost half, tears THAT in half, and fuses one half with himself and the other with Danny.

Shit happens, and BOOM. Two morally ambiguous and perhaps slightly murderous demonic twins from hell. Daniel James Fenton and his Twin WHose Always Been Here What Are You Talking About :) James Daniel Fenton. They are both depressed, lonely, and one bad day from becoming a mass extinction event :)

this is because i got grabbed by the hair today and dragged into the SVSS fandom screaming and the fanart of Shen Jiu/Shen Yuan/Shen Quingqiu (????) with his fan entranced me. Ice Prince Core is my favorite thing so naturally i have to implant that onto my favorite blorbos ever :)

After the Incident, both their appearances changed and they're practically identical to each other. Sorta. They both have heterochromia and salt-and-pepper hair. But Danny has one green eye and one blue eye and white hair with black streaks, while Jamie has one blue eye and one green eye and black hair with white streaks. I'm iving them both long hair, for funsies <3

nobody can tell them apart, they keep getting confused on whose who and frankly the mix-match hair and eyes make it worse not better asjd. they're horrifically codependent. please do not separate :)

and because i must. im pulling a blood blossom/tales of the passerine and giving them to pre-robin batman. batman and his terrifying demon(??) twins. nobody is quite sure if they're human or not, and the scourge of gotham are a little too terrified to ask.

(they dont HAVE to go to batman while he's pre-robin. however. i think its much funnier that way bc gotham isn't use to A) Batman having kids, and B) Batman having TERRIFYING kids yet. think of all the new fun rumors)

they both use war fans while they're out, and neither of them use their ghost forms because they at least have the remaining empathy to know that they're more likely to murder someone accidentally as a ghost :). Ghost form is for fellow mythicals and Functionally Immortals Only! Not for Squishy Humans.

Jamie: murder. bloodshed. revengggee Bruce: no. no. Justice. peace!! hope! Danny: bittinngggg. blooood. ^-^

They're honestly not bad kids they're just horrifically traumatized two halves of a whole that can never be reunited ever again :).

idk what their vigilante names are but i do know that the underground refer to them in horrified whispers as 'the twins'. this all stemmed from the desperate and sudden urge to see Danny and Jamie, as their vigilante selves, hiding the lower half of their faces with fans and looking terrifyingly judgmental while they do it <333

[secriden]

*cracks knuckles* Okay lets talk about the elephant in the room: Style going to the support group for those who've suffered loss and telling what appears to be a fake story about losing his pet dog.

I'm going to point out a few things that I think provide a framework for Style's actions here. Not because I think it excuses what he did, but because I think a nuanced read is what the character deserves.

Point 1: An irresistible opportunity

The subs put the "Support Group for Loss" on the image in the notebook, but I'm not sure there's anything to suggest that Style would've known that was what this image represents until he showed up and saw the sign on top of the door.

In episode 2, Bison says, "He plans everything down from years, months, weeks to days" and then tells Kant:

So Style is literally just going to addresses/locations at given days and times, potentially not knowing what to expect. And as much as Fadel is certainly attending this meeting as a response to having that heartbreaking flashback (😭), this is also something he attends regularly and has planned to attend way in advance. So Style has no reason to think Fadel is attending this meeting because of a recent resurfacing of his pain.

What we, the audience, and what the characters know are very different things.

Now, should Style have turned his cute ass right around once he realised what this meeting was? Of course he should. But that wouldn't have been true to Style's character. We've been told by his best friend that he is "crazy" and been shown repeatedly that he lives right up to that description.

Style is impulsive. He's all base instinct and he acts on his desires without thought or contemplation. And by this point he is desperate for a deeper connection with Fadel. He's fascinated, captivated by the mystery that is Fadel and this is an excellent opportunity to finally see behind the wall Fadel so carefully maintains.

When Style sees the sign above the door, Style looks at the notebook (which, again, shows nothing but people sitting in a circle with the words RISE UP) like he's just realising what it means. He then gets this amused, almost rueful look on his face (like he's thinking "am I really going to do this?") before it shifts to determination and he walks through the door.

(My soul for the ability to once again gif something because FUCK Dunk is doing SO MUCH in this show!!)

To Style, this is just too good of an opportunity to give up.

Because let's be real, Fadel is so clearly lying and hiding something:

Fadel is shady as FUCK. He is simultaneously actually a really good cook (Style finally tries his burger so he knows, now), and also has the skills to work at a strip host club, and also can take on 3 guys in a fight, and also can break a man's arm with his thighs. Can you honestly blame Style for losing his mind just a little bit about wanting to get his hands on something, anything, to figure this man out?

Style is being absolutely consistent in his persistence to understand Fadel. This isn't about the car or about finally 'winning' the fight (thank you @airenyah for giving such a detailed framework to understand what Style's been doing until this point) anymore. This is about Style wanting to know Fadel himself.

Point 2: The potential implications of the setting

Now, what might give us a bit of insight as to why Style is this way? I have a theory (albeit one that could prove to be very wrong, but hear me out). I think this whole entire show is set in what could potentially be quite a small town/suburb.

There's a few things that make this theory plausible:

(1) Fadel and Bison are in hiding after Bison blew their previous cover. They're probably on the run from some section of the authorities and so it makes sense to settle in a quiet/out of the way place.

(2) Style seems to be really familiar with the people in the area. Like he grew up there and its the kind of small town where everyone knows everyone and everyone is in everyone else's business.

(3) Style is clearly the darling of the market aunties and uncles.

Style just lost her a sale and potentially a loyal customer, and she's still rooting for him? In episode 2, when Style asks the uncle to let him borrow his cart, it takes nothing but his word for the uncle to give Style his entire cart of produce for his ridiculous scheme.

Style is so clearly someone they all know well and have great affection for, and a very plausible explanation for this is that they all watched him grow up and the entire market (town/village) is fond of him.

And honestly?? Yeah, we see the way Style is actually quite sweet in that careless, guileless, thoughtless way. He goes the extra mile to fix his mistake with Fadel by replacing his car parts for free in episode 1. He helps out by taking orders in episode 2 without being asked and takes it seriously. In episode 3, he tries to drive more business to Fadel's store (bless him, he so clearly does NOT understand how restaurants work, but he MEANS well!!), and can we all acknowledge that it works?? He understands how to appeal to potential customers in the area because he knows the people there. It's not (entirely) his fault that Fadel wasn't remotely prepared for an actual rush crowd and Bison was off getting kinky with Kant and not doing his (fake) job. He is so clear about not judging Fadel's host job and tries his hardest to help him (to absolutely NO effect, but still) when the 3 guys gang up on Fadel.

Style is so loved and more importantly so very loveable.

Point 3: What this could mean for Style's character

So, potentially, Style is someone who grew up in a small town, who has been well loved, potentially spoiled and coddled, but also very much kept within the confines of the narrow viewpoint that a quiet, country town places on you.

It's in the way his dad scolds him as if he was still a child when he's at least in his mid to late 20s. It's in the way Style was so mad at Fadel for scolding him ("thanks for the lecture, dad"), like that hit a sore point for Style. It's in the way no one in the market takes him seriously; they're fond, but he's still a kid in their eyes. It's in the way he has an abundance of free time like he doesn't REALLY need to work at his dad's shop. It's in the way he sees Fadel beat 3 guys up with ease, starts wondering if Fadel is an assassin or a hitman, and is completely unfazed like he doesn't quite have a handle on reality.

It's in the way his best friend is a man who has no qualms about lying to him and putting his life in danger, and how Style seems to have no other friends or people (aside from his dad) in his life.

@wuxian-vs-wangji made a comment to me about Style being desperate for a meaningful connection, and I think she hit the nail on the head. Because along comes Fadel, a mysterious stranger with a suspiciously versatile set of skills who is also very hot and keeps giving Style these wonderfully complex reactions? Who sometimes wants nothing to do with Style, but at other times seems to be at war within himself about desperately wanting him? Who treats Style with anything but apathy?

This is catnip to Style; he never had any hope of resisting this.

Breaking news: Style is a complex and imperfect character...

Here's the thing, though: he was never going to try. The show has been incredibly upfront about who Style is as a person. Regardless of whether I'm correct about why he is this way (ie. that he is very much the product of the environment that didn't know how to handle a kid with Style's personality), episode 3 shouldn't have surprised anyone about Style. He's been incredibly consistent and true to himself.

He wants Fadel and he's "crazy" enough to go all in, no holds barred about it, and the Support Group was the biggest doorway to finally discovering something REAL about Fadel.

And its not just about sex or to prove his superiority anymore. Because if it was just that, then Style would have reacted very differently to their first time.

In this scene, Style is pleased and evidently enjoying himself, but he isn't exuberant. He isn't overcome with joy. If anything, he was more happy and excited when Fadel let him help out in the diner (I mentioned this in the tags in this post too) than he was when Fadel is literally fucking him. He lets Fadel set the pace; barely moves to touch Fadel except to hold him close. Almost like he doesn't want to accidentally mess this up, like he's worried he'll take too much, so he'll take what Fadel gives him and no more (please appreciate @braceletofteeth's amazing tags on this post). For a character that has been so aggressively on the offensive, this is shocking until you realise that sleeping with Fadel - while it's a step in the right direction - isn't Style's end goal anymore.

And he makes that abundantly clear in this episode:

Does Style even fully realise the weight of this desire? I doubt it. But I do believe that Style is in earnest. He doesn't fully understand his own feelings, but he also doesn't really care to either. All he knows is that he wants Fadel, wants his attention and his passion and his focus and his heart.

...but Style is also kind of, sort of, perfect.

Because he's exactly, precisely, breathtakingly exactly what Fadel needs.

Because Fadel is hurt and broken and bleeding inside. Because Fadel is barely holding it all together for Bison's sake, but has already given up hope for any true happiness for himself. Because Fadel can't trust anyone or anything in his life, when he's been used and used and used by the family who should've loved and cared and protected him.

Because it's going to take nothing short of this kind of unwavering, unshakable, uncomplicated determination to give Fadel even a chance of healing and opening his heart to love again.

[skrunksthatwunk]

actually i'm still thinking about the moral orel finale.

he has a cross on his wall. do you know how much i think about that bc it's a lot.

a lot of stories ((auto)biographical or fictional) centering escape from abusive/fundamentalist christianity result in the lead characters leaving behind christianity entirely. and that makes complete sense! people often grow disillusioned with the associated systems and beliefs, and when it was something used to hurt them or something so inseparable from their abuse that they can't engage with it without hurting, it makes total sense that they would disengage entirely. and sometimes they just figure out that they don't really believe in god/a christian god/etc. a healthy deconstruction process can sometimes look like becoming an atheist or converting to another religion. it's all case by case. (note: i'm sure this happens with other religions as well, i'm just most familiar with christian versions of this phenomenon).

but in orel's case, his faith was one of the few things that actually brought him comfort and joy. he loved god, y'know? genuinely. and he felt loved by god and supported by him when he had no one else. and the abuses he faced were in how the people in his life twisted religion to control others, to run away from themselves, to shield them from others, etc. and often, orel's conflicts with how they acted out christianity come as a direct result of his purer understanding of god/jesus/whatever ("aren't we supposed to be like this/do that?" met with an adult's excuse for their own behavior or the fastest way they could think of to get orel to leave them alone (i.e. orel saying i thought we weren't supposed to lie? and clay saying uhhh it doesn't count if you're lying to yourself)). the little guy played catch with god instead of his dad, like.. his faith was real, and his love was real. and i think it's a good choice to have orel maintain something that was so important to him and such a grounding, comforting force in the midst of. All That Stuff Moralton Was Up To/Put Him Through. being all about jesus was not the problem, in orel's case.

and i know i'm mostly assuming that orel ended up in a healthier, less rigid version of christianity, but i feel like that's something that was hinted at a lot through the series, that that's the direction he'd go. when he meditates during the prayer bee and accepts stephanie's different way to communicate, incorporating elements of buddhism into his faith; when he has his I AM A CHURCH breakdown (removing himself from the institution and realizing he can be like,, the center of his own faith? taking a more individualistic approach? but Truly Going Through It at the same time), his acceptance (...sometimes) of those who are different from him and condemned by the adults of moralton (stephanie (lesbian icon stephanie my beloved), christina (who's like. just a slightly different form of fundie protestant from him), dr chosenberg (the jewish doctor from otherton in holy visage)). his track record on this isn't perfect, but it gets better as orel starts maturing and picking up on what an absolute shitfest moralton is. it's all ways of questioning the things he's been taught, and it makes sense that it would lead to a bigger questioning as he puts those pieces together more. anyway i think part of his growth is weeding out all the lost commandments of his upbringing and focusing on what faith means to him, and what he thinks it should mean. how he wants to see the world and how he wants to treat people and what he thinks is okay and right, and looking to religion for guidance in that, not as like. a way to justify hurting those he's afraid or resentful of, as his role models did.

he's coming to his own conclusions rather than obediently, unquestioningly taking in what others say. but he's still listening to pick out the parts that make sense to him. (edit/note: and it's his compassion and his faith that are the primary motivations for this questioning and revisal process, both of individual cases and, eventually, the final boss that is christianity.) it makes perfect sense as the conclusion to his character arc and it fits the overall approach of the show far better. it's good is what i'm saying.

and i think it's important to show that kind of ending, because that's a pretty common and equally valid result of deconstruction. and i think it cements the show's treatment of christianity as something that's often (and maybe even easily) exploited, but not something inherently bad. something that can be very positive, even. guys he even has a dog he's not afraid of loving anymore. he's not afraid of loving anyone more than jesus and i don't think it's because he loves this dog less than bartholomew (though he was probably far more desperate for healthy affection and companionship when he was younger). i think it's because he figures god would want him to love that dog. he's choosing to believe that god would want him to love and to be happy and to be kind. he's not afraid of loving in the wrong way do you know how cool that is he's taking back control he's taking back something he loves from his abusers im so normal

[banished-away]

artemis and dahlia are so good. the contrast between the supposed hero drizzt always keeping her at an arm's lenght, preferring the "soft look" she puts on to please him where she acts and looks softer and covers her tattoos and scars, knowing she had a painful past but not bothering to ask or look into it because it would shake his morals and he would rather pretend to not know than to actually confront it or even help dahlia through it. meanwhile the supposedly cold killer artemis with just a few looks saw the pain in her, let her have the kill against herzgo because he realized it was important to her even if he had just as good reasons and he didnt know dahlia's yet, and when they were alone he let dahlia be vulnerable to him, asked her about her pain, and when she was not comfortable to speak about it he just stayed near her and comforted her

[divine-misfortune]

some people just dont like reblogging. Be happy with what interaction you get or we will stop even liking.

....my brother in christ do you just not realize how much time goes into writing? People out here will work full time jobs and use what little free time they have to create things to share with you for absolutely no payment whatsoever. I think asking you to reblog isn't that big of an ask. It supports the people who make the things you read and shows them that people appreciated their effort.

"Some people just don't like reblogging" that's the entire point of this website though. Why be on tumblr if you're not going to use the literal main feature of it?

"Be happy with what interaction you get" I never said I wasn't grateful for the love I do receive, I've said it before I'm grateful for people liking my posts. I'm allowed to be frustrated though. I'm allowed to be upset when I write a 3k fic and maybe get 20 reblogs on it, because I put time and effort into these things and if you go back and look at the notes on that previous ask you'll see other writers sharing this sentiment.

Do you not see the issue here? That the people lovingly creating and sharing their work to you don't feel valued?

"We will stop even liking" okay and then nobody creates. Will you be happy then when the Fandom is dead in the water because of it?

[radioroxx]

What do you think Odile does for a living? She feels teacher like to me. What do you think she would do post canon?

HMMMM THIS IS GOOD QUESTION…

ive seen a lot of people hc her as a teacher / professor so i!! think that suits her pretty well. specifically as someone who studies + specializes in different types of craft (that would be why shes so proficient in multiple craft spells. also how she was able to figure out the loops stuff, AND to find something that could prevent siffrin from looping back).

post canon i am not sure… i am always torn between how the party would handle things post canon. obviously they would keep travelling for a bit, odile alongside her family without the stress of. constant sadness encounters + a king to kill lol. i think maybe she would get to take her time, reeaally get to know vauguardian culture when not within. a crisis. as was her original intention.

eventually. EVENTUALLY. when the family settles down somewhere (i am a “they all get a big house together” believer lol) she would get back into craft stuff. maybe go back into teaching too—surely people would be eager to hire a saviour. especially though i think it would be neat of her to try looking into wish craft etc, as a long forgotten form of craft. to satisfy her own curiosity, for siffrins sake, or just as a way of preserving the countries culture in whatever ways possible.