#because we evolved differently (it's still weird that they eat eggs tho. because humans in real life don't eat monkey meat. that I know of)

[haystarlight]

I'm pretty sure horses and ponies are different things??? Like, in the show, they refer to horses as if they are a separate thing from our pony protagonists

"we have hearts as strong as horses" "don't look a gift horse in the mouth", etc. are expressions that are used in the show

And, in real life, horses and ponies are different things (the biggest difference being horses are a lot bigger)

So like, Idk what a "horse" is in that universe but it's not Fluttershy

stoppppp posting pictures of food bro i’m so hungry i could eat a. fluttershy cover your ears. i’m so hungry i could eat a horse man.

[kosmicdream]

hi i just discovered your webcomic !! i very much love it a lot and i was wondering if yo could maybe clear up the worm's anatomy ? cuz like, one minute they have boobs except its referred to as a he and then it has a dick but its still a queen ? don't get me wrong its insanely cool but if you would be so kind as to enlighten me on the subject it would be very much appreciated !! keep up the good work !!

I’ve been getting a lot of new readers and I think its been a while since i’ve gotten questions about this, so I suppose I don’t mind recirculating some information again. Hopefully i can cover a little bit more of the deeper nuances about worms and their relationship to gender/sex/pronouns that i haven’t talked about before. Its best to keep in mind that pronouns and also body parts (genitals/breasts, ect) arent always indicative of gender or sex. I think this is safe to say this is true for.. even outside of my story.

**SOME SPOILERS BELOW IF YOU HAVENT READ THE ENTIRE COMIC... SORRY I RAMBLED***

Anyway-- In the case of hydragora worms (which ill focus on as they are the ones with the king/queens classifications), their pronouns are not even exactly related to their genders or sex at all! but rather the type of ‘class’ of worm they are. Technically, all worms are able to lay eggs and also fertilize them. there are no “girl” or “boy” worm. Sometimes their rituals with how this process happens are different depending on what kind of worm they are, but they are all able to shape-shift their bodies to look how they want-- well, based on what they eat-- so body parts like boobs and genitals are really just accessories. For some worms, they’re important parts of their body that help make them comfortable, for others they couldnt give a fuck about what is swinging around. it really depends on the individual. Worms can mate without even having any visible genitals just as long as they squirm around in the necessary fun fluids with some sort of .. open.. orifice to absorb it with.... worm sex can be real damn freaky i wont get into it rn.

Back to the pronouns though. What does it mean??? Well, Kings do not actually mean male and Queens do not mean female..Even though we humans generally associate these pronouns/words with male and female! To make it as simple as i can, I try to explain or ask others to think of it like..Kings (he/him) - Typical characteristics: Lazy, Important, Need to be worshipped and protected. Very sexually appealing. Also have mysterious powers. Often have little weird crowns.Queens (she/her) - Characteristics: generally very large, can regenerate, specifically hunt down kings to kill them. Super strong. Generally have cool looking tails for some reason. Very colorful because that is useful for intimidation and showing off how strong they are.Regular worms: want to worship kings + protect them, also desire to become knights. technically speaking-- i would say that the lack of pronouns is the most ‘suitable’ pronoun to describe them. some even casually adopt he/she/they pronouns but usually in the space of interacting with other species. anyway, they’re loyal and subservient. knight worms: the special king-appointed upgrade of regular worms, they often adopt he/him pronouns through this process but it is reflective of their close bond with their king. (the very simple format is thinking the three basic worm genders as LAZY, MURDER and WORSHIP.)

*ok more specific character spoilrs below YOUUUVE BEEN WARNNNED IM WARNING YOOOU ok done warning**

Some worms break from this system and try to reinvent or reinterpret pronouns for their own while still interacting with worm culture/society. A couple examples of worms that do this are Agent Paper and Nail. (although really, its hard to think what worm character in ffak does not do this lol) Paper is a woman wishes to be viewed/treated as a woman by ANY species she interacts with. But! this doesnt mean she identifies as being a queen worm however- even tho she uses she/her pronouns. She just is a female worm. That identity is important to her even if, for a worm, it is far more ‘binary’ way of thinking than worms typically exhibit. Other worms will probably view her as a wanna-be-human or close minded. But just because the majority of worms are very fluid in many aspects of their gender/bodies/identity/sexuality doesn’t mean paper has to conform to this fluidity as well. The idea of a ‘Binary Gender’ for worms is typically very confusing (or an example of someone who is misinformed) to those who understand that worms generally do not adhere to a binary system. Especially for a worm who is NOT trying to disguise themselves as a human and integrate with human society (Aka, like Dylan who mostly interacts with humans and generally tries to remove herself from worm culture/society completely. Dylan does not even WANT to be considered a worm while paper still LOVES being a worm and associating herself with worms. shes just a woman worm. dylan is a woman. just not a worm woman. she will begrudgingly accept she is still technically a worm, but the identity of woman is less important to her and is more just the default of being viewed as a cis lady by humans and dylan is like ‘yeah whatevs’.)Nail is a queen worm, which typically have she/her pronouns, but he goes by he/him pronouns and also is fairly assertive of that. However, this doesnt mean he is a man or wishes to be viewed a ‘Man’ or ‘Male' (specifically) or even as a “King.” its more like... his own interpretation of what he/him means, which is about authority, dominance and most importantly: power. If he would pick a ‘binary gender sort of thing’ (while rolling his eyes bc he thinks its stupid while also thinking its important enough to get annoyed at when people dont respect his pronouns) he would pick being a man and would vehemently reject being viewed as a woman, but in a more deeper level that is not actually how he sees his he/him pronouns as a man thing. (even between being NB/male/female he would still pick man because that just seems ‘direct to the point.’ and satisfying) He also generally rejects the label of Queen worm too, but will begrudgingly or unenthusiastically accept that he is one. He is also considered an ‘odd’ queen because he is very small in stature and generally has muted colors of browns/tans instead of flashy ones. He has been teased at this too that he wasnt QUEEN enough by being so small and puny lmao.

To backtrack a little, As worms integrate with human society, or even hekatons (which that species also mimics a lot of human society), they will often adopt the ideology and system of how pronouns are used. Or at least, will be forced to process how other species will view them based on the shared language of using the same words, despite it meaning many different things... to not only groups of people but also on the individual level. I think thats an important thing to consider that there are many different dynamics, interpretations and journeys interacting all at once and influencing each other and are constantly evolving and branching out. Even the lines between what is a king/queen/other worms really ARE is blurry because its all on a spectrum of.. various physical characteristics and behaviors.

And to go into EVOLUTION and BLURRY LINES... As we can see with a worm like, Jacket for example... while he is specifically NOT a king, he is also more like a unique blend of features from queens/regular worms and also knights. because he WANTS to be a knight he already uses he/him pronouns despite not actually having a king already and hasnt even gone through the specific knighting process. Jacket sees He/him as words that mean total loyalty to the king. Whoever the king is. And if someone were to try to put him in a specific box of queen/king/knight/regular worm they would be unable to place him b/c he is something else unique entirely. and while jacket uses he/him pronouns i think at the core of it he literally does not give a fuck about language at all, or genders, or labels. those are all nonsense things. he relies only on instinct and desire.

Phew. ok I could ramble on and describe every one of my worm characters, but I’ll leave it at there for now. Crimson is even more confusing bc she is a fucking hybrid human/mandragora worm, using a goddamn hydragora body, and has like 2 other clone heart selves and all this other fucking bullshit. i have been writing this for like an hour. lmao

I hope some of this is communicates at least, its a little difficult to orchestrate and articulate all the levels operating here at once in a simple-to-digest manner. the fun thing about ffak at least is that if you dont want to think about this stuff you dont really have to--although id think it enriches the experience a bit.

[aiienloser]

Here’s a convo between @charachanplz and i at 4 am about my alien species.

Me: The entire species either has one or two, but both are female?? Like they have dongs but also weens So FUCK uh Also that the aliens can have female or male physical traits, mostly boobs Boobs are a thing aliens can have, right? ... Maybe I should make them nipples instead. ... Hhmmmmmmmmmmm Nah boobs are fine CC: If they’re mammals, then sure boobs are fine Me: They come from feeesh I had it planned out in my head that they come from tadpoles basically But instead of frogs they turn into little angry space BITCHES who want to be the taller kids Taller the alien, more likely they are to be leader, I guess CC: Hmm The boobs would be weird, because fish don’t actually have mamary glands to produce milk Like Milk giving is a special mammal trait, it’s what makes them mammal So uh Maybe other differences, like height, since these lil bitches like it so much? Usually females are bigger than males, and it’s not limited to mammals There’s also color differences, ahhhh possibly physical differences, like longer fins and crests Me: See that's so much better then the shit I would think of, but like- I got little plans for my alien babe that I don't wanna muck up with the height shit, yeah they're on the shorter side so it's still cool, but I feel like they'd need one little itty bitty tiny shit thing that would be picked out from a messy ass kids room. Like randomly finding a button or something. Somethin small ... I kinda like the colour difference fin stuff CC: There we go! Me: Maybe I can have the female fins more pointed and male fins more rounded off? CC: Yeah that works! Me: Or I can have their fins mostly the same, aside from maybe they're very slightly on different parts of the bod But then it's be weird Yea rounded and pointed CC: Yeah I think being a bit on the nose is better Animals can range from looking completely different based on gender to unnoticeably similar, but from a storytelling standpoint there should be a bit of an obvious difference, unless it wants to add to an aliens mysticism and spookiness Me: Yeah .. But the thing about boobs Bo o bs Like They're not functional, as normal boobs would be, for milk and shit CC: Hhhhmmmmm So simply the shape of their bodies? Me: Yea But also for attracting a mate and stuff Like, since the species is water based, think of them Like another set of lungs for storing air when they need to swim. But also needing water a lot so if they need to go into land for long periods of time, they can do that CC: Aight, yeah! I get it! So it’s more of a genetic thing, aliens with a curvier body shape got more mating options than others, yeah! Oh yeah yeah!!! That works! Me: For attracting a mate they can puff their chests up to be more appealing, also their fins basically cockatiel CC: Noice While they are fishies, I can def see them doing stuff land animals do, seeing as they come out of the water and all Me: Basically a tadpole When they're babies, or still in their eggs, they represent fish eggs When they're babies, they represent tadpoles CC: Ok yeah! So they’re more amphibian? Kinda???? Like a mix of amphibian and fish Me: When they start to mature, they get rid of their tail, and it's replaced with fins and webbing, and they're given legs Yeah More amphibian CC: Ok, nice! Me: Ok so they're like this on the most basic level- They are amphibian, fuckin rad, they need more water then air, very little air is needed to survive, meaning few trips to the surface, unless they want to become one of the many land dwellers, and wear a water tank thing on their gills, which is usually on their necks, or their head where ears should be. Sometimes both. CC: Oh shit nice Now we’re getting into the technology and society Well, I think the whole females attracting males would be part of their society too Me: Yeah! CC: Because usually the males are the ones who have to attract female attention Maybe something that came out of a growing culture? Me: Kinda? Basically females need to attract males, it's a backwards thing, males don't have much to show off, so they go with someone who either ends up liking them as the alien they are, or they end up choosing a female to love forever. And if later on the relationship were to go sour, well, they'd simply have a kinda break up and would find another mate I guess And, when It comes to babies, they don't need to parent their children, just, birth the eggs in a pond and go on with life. But if they want to have babies to take care of, that's perfectly fine CC: Ok, ok I see! Maybe it’s just a space thing, like they evolved differently from animals on earth They are on another planet, so their common ancestor would be different Me: Yeah! CC: Aww, that’s sweet ... imagine tho “Hey, be right back, gotta drop off these eggs in the pond” pat pat on belly “Oooh, who was it this time?” “This guy named Chad, though, he was kinda of a fuckboi, he was NOT difficult, tbh” Me: Hehehehe Me: But that leads me to a question of where males would have their "boobs" or extra lungs I don't know where, really Maybe they're more internal CC: IN THE GONA- jk Yeah more internal! Maybe that’s why they don’t have boobies Small lungs more tightly packed inside Me: WHEZE Boobes Yeah, maybe they just have bigger lungs then females? CC: Maybe, so they gotta stay inside, like human lungs, on the side of their ribs Females, having smaller, more balloon like ones, have them on their front! Me: Yeah! Since the extra set of lungs are basically things to hold water and little bits of air, maybe male lungs are the same in a way, basically like a kind of chamber, so, I guess they do have boobs, just more in the back and hidden Kinda like how we have a wind pipe and a throat CC: Good point Me: There's a thing that changes which one what goes into They have three CC: Yeah! There we go! Me: Nice. So, two wind pipes, one throat. CC: Nice! Me: Now to get onto culture and stuff CC: Ok, culture stuff! Me: Culture stuff, they have basically two, one for the folks who stay underwater most of the time, sea dwellers, and land dwellers, both different CC: Oooooohhhh now I wanna know Me: OK SO Sea dwellers are more chill, they live deeper in the ponds, lakes, oceans, hell there are swamps. But it's all the same really, they are more in tune with other fish and amphibians, it makes them great hunters. They're very caring and tend to eat a little less green then they should, they're more carnivorous then omnivorous. But still eat some plant when they need it. They also click and clack more as a way to communicate, since they can't speak well underwater. They also have stuff like echolocation, and whale calls. Shit like that ! CC: Aww, so they’re sea babies .... so I’m guessing these land aliens are the ones with zero chill Me: I mean Some of them are, sure. Land dwellers are more omnivorous, but still eat whatever they need to live, they are good at fishing, but once in a while catch a sea dweller, have a laugh, and help them be on their way. They are more in tune with nature and tech, since they gotta have tech to survive and not die of dehydration. Land dwellers population is actually a lot larger then those of the sea dwellers, mostly because sea dwellers often go up and end up staying on Dry land, tho still go back to the water once in a while for old times sake. Like going to an old house you lived in as a kid CC: Ok, now that’s good shit Land dwellers are all about flora, sea dwellers are all about fauna Me: Yeah! You can go into any land dwellers home and find a lot of flowers, H eck you'd probably find pet fish they keep, maybe special tanks for their best friends they made as babies CC: Aww! Thats rlly cute! Me: And sea dwellers probably have a kinda aquarium where it's filled with air, and they have birds and stuff in there! Making me think there's probably aquariums where it's like a water highway for the sea dwellers CC: Yes to the reverse aquariums, double yes for the aquarium/highway hybrids Me: Meaning they're all connected! Whenever the sea dwellers leave the water, they don't even need clothes. Basically fish bae kinda shit, nothing shows, but then it's clear they're a sea dweller up and lookin for stuff CC: Noice So the land dwellers are cool with that Me: Yea, even tho clothes are p normal on land. Minimal clothing is p normal and full out fuck you im cold is uncommon, since they need to have warm climate for their species to live CC: Noice So it’s moreeeeee cartoon logic clothing? Like usually minor things like only pants or skirts or shirts? Me: I suppose Think of like modern human fashion like v necks and shit. Uhh- Sideless shirts are p common for the folk who have gills on their sides CC: Ooooooh ok, I get it Me: Yeah! Shoes tho- Not so much They're probably common as a thing for fashion but to them they're uncomfy and inconvenient. Since the constant moisture is rotting the shoes CC: Ah! Me: They're usually given sandals, or even a kinda shoe that doesn't rot in situations needed Like being in space on a crew CC: Oooooo Me: As is my aliens case, where they're the captain of a space crew CC: Aight, I get it! Me: Ye! So in the overall end of it, they're at the point of literal space travel like star trek or that parody with the guy who made family guy