#love my family. love the concept of a family.

[taibhsearachd]

Your yearly reminder that polyamorous people are queer in every sense that matters.

Unsupported by government, unable to marry the people we love. Risking consequences if we come out within our family, if we come out at our work, in custody arguments against a non-polyamorous person because we are considered a danger or bad influence on children. A challenge to heteronormative conceptions of what love and relationships are meant to be.

Most polyamorous people are queer to start with, because once you start questioning heteronormativity, you start asking other questions about what a sexual or romantic or committed relationship should be. But that doesn't mean that polyamory isn't inherently queer in and of itself.

Please don't forget us in your queer positivity posts. Please don't forget us when you think about what queerness encompasses.

I've seen countless people, many who are fellow queers, talk shit about poly relationships because "they never last", as if most relationships last? As if most people don't have several exes? Meanwhile I'm sitting here in my stable triad polycule that.... in a couple years I will have been in this polycule for as long as I was outside of it (you know, when I was a child). It's an open polycule too, we've all had relationships outside of the triad and we're all still good and happy with each other. My triad has outlasted my heterosexual parents' marriage by many many years.

Stop being weird about poly people. We're exactly as queer as the rest of queer people, and we need you to recognize that.

[emshatesphysics]

this is actually my favorite person ever for so many different reasons and i will list several of them (in no particular order)

1. phineas and ferb fanart

like what a rare find a true treasure on this earth whenever i see it

2. butch buford

like ur mind is crazy beautiful absolutely wonderful like trans butch buford is so out there and yet i believe it

3. the characterization/recontextualizarion of the characters makes me like them so so much

The personal headcanons and comics portraying random situations or activities they might do really feels like they're fleshing out phineas and ferb characters. Idk how to explain it exactly but I've never thought about the fact that they would have a summer beach tradition of making the craziest sandcastles when they absolutely would. Or that these people really are her main friend group and she does want to hang out with all of them, not just look at phineas. These all make perfect sense, but I've never thought about them before. Small things like this make me have a newfound appreciation for characters that were never on my mind before, like buford or stacy.

4. THE ART IS AMAZING

obviously this should have been first but it's so apparently womderful that I almost left it unsaid but every artist deserves compliments

YOUR ART IS BEAUTIFUL THE WAY YOU PORTRAY EVERYONE AS DIFFERENT FROM THE OFFICIAL CARTOON STYLE BUT STILL RECOGNIZBLE WITH MORE SUBTLE DEFINING CHARACTERS IS BEAUTIFUL AND AMAZING THANK YOU FOR THIS GIFT

5. their ships feel so out there initially but they are so good so addictive (this is just a paragraph abt stanessa)

I have already commented on stanessa before and I have to say again like that's brilliant. The way stacy was dressed as the masc counterpart to Vanessa's vampire in that one halloween episode and helped her out by evading the meddling dads? The way that they both are the only peers their age who know Perry's true identity? The fact that Stacy's levelheadedness can help counter Vanessa's occasional obsessive busting tendency (previous candace experience)? Or that they are both very chill and accepting of weird quirks? (Vanessa feels embarassed about her dad, sure, but Stacy is no stranger to crazy antics and would not shame or think Vanessa's family is that weird after seeing Phineas and Ferb all the time. And, in time, Vanessa accepts her dad for being ridiculous anyways). They are like another connection btw the A and B plotline, and the only ones other than Perry who would be able to piece together how the crazy contraptions disappear every day.

6. BUTCH BUFORD AND ISABELLA? PHINEAS AND BALJEET?

Girl your mind is so truly beautiful and wonderful. With hashtags like "its yuri all the way down" you've won me over already, but the concept of these couples activated a neuron that I had never acknowledged.

That's all I could think of at the moment but I love you. You're like the coolest person ever, and thank you so much for your contributions to the world.

had no wifi for a while and these spawned from it. im just playing

[everyillumi]

[r-memberme]

I just love how good, how TENDER klaus can be. So, imagine this: he keeps reader away from his family, but they have been together for a while, and for the first time elijah see them interacting and is completely shocked by his brother's tenderness, how soft he is, the way he touches her and talks to her... And the imagine would be mostly by elijahs point of view and him talking to Klaus about this!

Oh my GOD yes—this is the kind of fic that would sit heavy in the chest in the best way. The kind that leaves you lying in bed afterward like, “wow... Klaus Mikaelson really loves her.”

Imagine Elijah walking in unannounced—probably mid-eye roll, expecting to find his brother brooding or wreaking havoc—and instead, he sees Klaus sitting on the floor, her legs over his lap, brushing her hair back with both hands like she’s porcelain. The way he leans in to whisper something and she laughs softly, and Klaus smiles, not that usual sharp smirk, but something small and real, like he’s been disarmed.

Elijah just freezes. Because Klaus—the war path, the storm, the monster they’ve all bled for—is here being gentle.

And later Elijah’s like, “Niklaus… does she know what you are?”

And Klaus just stares at the wall and says, “She knows who I am.”

Yes. YES. I'm absolutely writing this. Thank you for this soul-healing concept 🩵

[zepskies]

Racial & Ethnic Representation in Fanfiction

[🎙️ Podcast Interview]

Hey, friends! Sandra and Kasey, the lovely hosts of @idlingintheimpalapodcast — the podcast for all things SPN and fanfiction — invited me back on the pod for an interview on a topic that's very close to my heart…

With @rubyvhs, we talked about the fun moments and challenges about reading and writing fanfiction that represents specific racial and ethnic cultures, being bicultural/multicultural, the immigrant experience, and much more.

I offered my own experience as a Latina POC writing in the fandom space, specifically Supernatural and The Boys (and adjacent Jackles fandoms).

Check it out here: ⤵️

Interview Timestamps –

(Plus fic recs, SPN writer/reader shoutouts, and more! Links to all the fics we mentioned are at each time stamp.)

2:54 – When did you start writing fanfiction, and when did you join SPN fandom?

⟡ You can check out my first author interview with Sandra and Kasey over here. We chatted about Dean Winchester and Jensen Ackles’ early roles, the best and worst seasons of SPN, the joys and pains of writing Soldier Boy, and much, much more. For all the timestamps of key moments, fic recs, and SPN writer shoutouts, see this post (you'll find the link to the video there too).

6:18 – What is your ethnic, racial, and cultural background? (And how me and Sandra bond over “food and family” ties between Hispanics/Latinos and Italians.)

13:05 – The immigrant experience in America, what you take with you from the “Motherland,” the struggles of bicultural identity, my personal experience being a second-generation child of an immigrant family, and Sandra’s experience as a first-generation child of Italian immigrants.

16:58 – What do you look for when you’re reading fanfiction? (Canon-compliant, AU, romance, etc.) Does the length of a story matter?

19:52 – Bonus: The merits of drabble writing vs. long-fic writing.

25:54 – Have you ever actively searched for fanfiction that represented your ethnicity? (Whenever I do, it’s like finding gold.) Plus, the challenge of writing reader characters, the “gray area” of writing reader characters like OCs.

32:38 – The inherent “bias” of reading and writing reader characters as White. The concept of diversity being “cool” in popular media, TV shows, and movies is still pretty new.

36:36 – Why I started writing reader characters that might have a specific body type, race, and/or ethnicity.

Examples:

⟡ Midnight Espresso – Dean Winchester x Plus-size Latina!Reader

⟡ If I Stay – Dean Winchester x Plus-size!Reader

⟡ 10 ‘Til Midnight – Professor!Dean Winchester x Plus-size Grad Student!Reader

⟡ Unravel Me – Soldier Boy x Afro-Latina!Reader

⟡ The Honorable Choice & Outlander – Cowboy!Dean Winchester x OFC

40:14 – The fun challenges: like giving Dean a partner who takes care of him as much as he takes care of others in Midnight Espresso.

45:28 – The BIG challenges: like writing Soldier Boy being himself with a “person of color” (POC) in this new series, Unravel Me. What even is a POC? Where do you start with Soldier Boy, the Sandra-proclaimed “bowl of fishhooks?"

51:38 – Is there ever an element of fear when you publicly post a story that represents your culture, which is something very personal to you? What happens when you get haters in the comments?

1:05:33 – When and how did you begin to break out of the “ingrained biases” in your writing? (AKA: Always assuming my own characters are White.)

1:08:04 – When did you decide to explore writing plus-size!readers?

1:13:20 – What has your experience been in writing a race/culture outside of your personal experience? The Honorable Choice and Outlander, a western AU where Dean Winchester falls in love with a Native American Lakota Indian. (Shoutout to @jacklesversebingo!)

Plus, the ethical responsibility to “do no harm” when you represent different cultures, and answering question of not only can I write this, but should I write this?

1:32:42 – What advice would you give a writer interested in writing about a culture outside of their own that they don’t have first-hand knowledge of? How can a writer avoid cultural appropriation if their goal is cultural appreciation? How important is a sensitivity reader/beta reader for this effort?

1:40:35 – Final thoughts on diversity and representation of culture in fanfiction, whether it’s your own or someone else’s:

“Write what you know. Write what you can research. Write what you’re interested in. Remember that words have power, so be careful how you use them.”

1:45:30 – Sandra and Kasey’s outro: The importance of representation and diversity in fandom.

I hope you enjoy the ride!~ 💜

💗💗💗 Shoutouts to some of my beautiful friends and lovely readers who've supported my attempts to explore ethnic and cultural diversity in my writing:

@luci-in-trenchcoats @lamentationsofalonelypotato @waynes-multiverse @rizlowwritessortof @roseblue373

@tofics @deanwinchesterswitch @deanbrainrotwritings @deansbbyx @waywardlatina

@supernotnatural2005 @wayward-dreamer @spnwoman @waywardxwords @mostlymarvelgirl

@chevroletdean (shoutout to your 500 follower fic challenge at around 19:52 😘) @siampie @bettystonewell @wvffles

@iprobablyshipit91 @my-stories-vault @littlesoulshine @thatonewriter15 @jessjad

@deans-spinster-witch @winchestergirl2 @kazsrm67 @chernayawidow @jackles010378

@jollyhunter @leigh70 @foxyjwls007 @beakaleak32 @alwaystiredandconfused

[creatingblackcharacters]

Hey! I would like advice on how to deal with race-bending of pre-existing stories, and also your opinion on if this is even salvageable.

There is something I was writing with a friend that started as a personal project, but I liked enough that I was considering making it into some form of comic. It is a twisted fairytale-type story, with all sorts of fairytales smashed together into a character-focused dark fantasy adventure.

Getting into it: I grew up with Wiley and the Hairyman as my favorite story, so I knew I wanted to incorporate Wiley as one of the main characters. In the brainstorming phase of how to fit everything together, he ended up being the son of Baba Yaga, since his "mama was a conjurer" and Baba Yaga is a famous witch. It seemed like the best way to get a character that young involved in everything.

Wiley is a traditionally Black character, and I want to keep him that way. Baba Yaga is a traditionally white character, and also incredibly evil and potentially the archetype for all antisemitic depictions of witches in media.

The way we wrote it, Wiley doesn't have a father, he was Baba Yaga's biological son made by magic.

I have no idea what to do about this situation. It feels wrong to go out of my way to turn the most evil character in my story Black, especially since I am Jewish and feel more able to gracefully navigate the inherent antisemitism of her concept (like dang she's even a cannibal) than Black mysticism stereotypes that I know exist, but am less familiar with.

When this was a personal project, it felt fine to just have them be different races and handwave it away, since I knew how I got there. But their relationship is very turbulent, with her being emotionally abusive, and him being forced into a care-taker role from a young age. This is meant to be a more traditional family-type power imbalance, but I am worried that if they don't look like family, it brings to mind actual historic slavery, which is not what I want.

I don't really know what to do about all this. The answer might be "keep it a personal project." I just wrote a short story exploring their family dynamic and fell completely in love with Wiley as a character all over again, and got excited about the idea of expanding the project.

Thank you for listening! Sorry if this is a lot!

Okay, so I had to go re-listen to that story; i have heard it before! Yeah, no.

I hear where you were going with it, but to have the... mythology of Wiley be in conjuring (implied to be hoodoo or African-American magic) overlap with that of a white Jewish (caricature of evil, even!) magic as though they are similar enough is... Not cool.

Especially since Wiley's entire concept is that between his own wits and that of his mother's and her powers were able to save him from the tricks and danger of the Hairy Man. His father being lost to the Hairy Man might even be allegory for him being snatched up and lynched, given the time period the story was recorded (told orally in the South and written down later).

To place him under Baba Yaga to be abused, to take away his father and his mother (I.e., his living communal connection to that magic) and replace her with someone who doesn't value him, who created him from magic to serve her... Yeah, I think your concern of "this looks like slavery" are founded, at least from this end. I'd keep this one a personal project, unless you develop how Wiley ends up with Baba Yaga and why we should care that he doesn't try to kill her 😅.

[ace-culture-is]

Aroace culture is having to constantly explain to people that you're not some emotionless monster/shell of a human being.

Like yes, I do love my family, but no I don't feel any type of attraction, whether romantic or sexual, to anyone or anything.

It's not that hard of a concept.

.

[cressidagrey]

hello! professional name over thinker here to put their irrelevant and long for no reason idea in.

I think "Diana" or "Diane" (both variations of the same name) may be fun! It derives from roman origins of the roman goddess Diana, goddess of the hunt, moon and wild animals. Also a patron of fertility, conception, and protector of those of the lower class.

Some popular nicknames are "Di/Dee", "deedee/didi", "annie/ann" and "dia". although diane is kind of short as is. Arthur (relates to bear which indicates courage/might) and Charles (free man) both have some what the same origins I think? I know Pascale is a name that (essentially) means renewal so she matches meaning wise I think.

Despite the roman origins, it traveled to Europe and is closely associated with french patterns, and is around the same popularity as Charles both of them being out of date lmao).

Diane means "divine" (and sometimes "divinely gifted at making messes which i found very funny), but more so is a reflection of powerful independence, grace, strength, and connection to nature.

Funfact: the numerology of Diane indicates destiny/soul/ and personality!

Personality number (D(4) + N(5) = 9)

marks her as a humanitarian, compassionate, wise, and appears tolerant and concerned with greater good. is drawn towards humanitarian fields and creative expressions.

Soul Urge (I(9) + A(1) + E(5) = 15 = 1+5 = 6)

indicates a desire to create harmony and take care of loved ones! Gains fulfillment at creating beauty and supporting others (going back to the goddess Dianes role of protecting the lower class)

Destiny Number (D(4) + I(9) + A(1) + N(5) + E(5) = 24 = 2+4 = 6)

reliable, loyal partner who prioritize harmony and family, they are challenged by finding personal balance more often then not.)

So so so sorry about the long winded name rant, you can totally delete this I just have a lot of fun with names!

I should also put "professional name overthinker" in my bio 😂

Thank you so much! You’ve put so much thought and detail into the meaning behind the name Diana/Diane, and it’s honestly fascinating. 

Thank you for sharing this with me ❤️ It was such a fun and thoughtful breakdown! And don’t worry about the length; I totally appreciate the effort that went into this! 😊💖

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Tell me, how do you feel about two more characters being given troublesome parents?

Parent drama is pretty standard for kids shows, so I'm fine with this as a general concept, though I will note that I've seen The Ruler called out as antisemetic for falling into the trope of the controlling Jewish mother along with the trope of representing Jewish culture as something oppressive. Not something I can personally speak to, but I'll dig up the post I saw about this and have it post the same day as this one.

For the uninformed: Nathaniel is Jewish according to Twitter which is not how representation works, but if the writers are going to claim the rep then I think it's fair to judge them based on the rep they're claiming even if many audience members aren't aware of said rep. While we're on the topic, I'm genuinely curious how many people knew about the Jewish thing without being told. I only found out about it from the fandom and it seems to be based on Nathaniel's last name? I'm not bashing that logic, I'm just curious how reasonable a metric that is as I've seen it fail first hand.

Bizarre story time!

A person I'm close with is not Jewish, but he has a last name that's apparently associated with the Jewish community. A fact we only learned because he occasionally get random letters trying to convert him to Christianity. Some online sleuthing discovered that the letters were sent because of his last name. What was extra weird was the fact that lists we found didn't have the last names of the Jewish friends and family-by-marriage we both had thus my questioning the validity of the whole last name = Jewish thing especially since he was not the only person sent a letter in error.

End of story time!

I'll also note that I'm not sure why Miraculous has to go to dramatic extremes with the troublesome parent conflicts. This show seems allergic to nuance and subtlety. I'd love to see some conflicts that were only concerning because an akuma showed up. Circling back to The Ruler, it's genuinely understandable that Nathaniel's mother is concerned about him wanting to pursue a career in comics, a field that is notoriously difficult to succeed in. They didn't need to have her go to absurd, abusive extremes with her concerns or make her concerns about comic books not being good enough for no clear reason.

Of course, this would mean that the show would have to acknowledge that artistic fields kind of suck and we can't have that since most of their characters are going into artistic fields, so instead we go the path of the controlling hag who refuses to honor her son's passions. Sigh.

I'd also love some conflicts where the parents were in the right without the show glorifying abuse like it so often does. For example, I've seen several fanfics that had a little kid get akumatized over not eating vegetables. Why can't we have stuff like that?

[epilosipher]

hihihi responding to main post and prev's tags!!! i don't disagree but i have my own opinions on this subject. :3

mostly focusing on the argument of the mort: ragnarick episode. my boyfriend and i have discussed religions in pretty lengthy detail and came to some conclusions on our own religious ideologies that once a concept is thought up, it now exists. it's why we believe in a multiversal existance. so yes, the religion rick was trying to prove *did exist*, however it was purely the *idea that it exists* that made him pursue his research on it, and he wasn't the first to think of the concept. if you have an idea in your head, it already fucking exists (especially in a plane where there are literally infinite universe??!)!! yes he proved it existed but who can say that not *every religion in the rick and morty universe is real* based on this premise? how would rick choose which one to believe? the argument of "he's not an atheist" is very broad, when he's been shown multiple religions *do exist*, but for some reason flees to christianity (a religion generally thought to have very little to no backing behind its existance) in his time of need.

i do like the idea of rick being a "fake atheist" however because of how quick he turns from being on his knees praying to giving a big "FUCK YOUU!!!" to a god he doesn't believe in is a very stark contrast. he was "saved" and had "proof" that a god exists, but turned a 180 when he realized he'd be living.

uhhh tl;dr if you think up an idea it immediately comes to fruition, every religion in rick and morty has a potential to be real. yeah the show shits on christianity a ton but i don't think it's rick being in denial, just being desperate. this is coming from someone who is an on-and-off catholic with very similar experiences/reactions to situations like rick.

still think y'alls concept is awesome!!!!! and the idea of rick just.. generally being in denial about his beliefs and love for his family (as we all know he constantly is) is probably more show-accurate anyways. just love all the old man headcanons all around.

Hot take:I don't think Rick from Rick and Morty has ever actually been an atheist,I think he's faking being one because it sounds more scientist-like. Partly because a god really isn't that outlandish of an idea for the Rick and Morty universe and we've seen versios of gods in multiple Rick and Morty bits/episodes(the gaia with Zeus,the bit about the aliens with a religion in Morty's mind blowers,and ragnarick),but also because in the episode rest and ricklactation,The toxic Rick constantly says things like "God isn't real!","If god exists, it's fucking me" since toxic Rick is what Rick thinks are his toxic parts, he believes that atheism is one of his toxic traits. I think Rick is a fake atheist.

[that1notetaker]

My mom cried during the mom movie.

[cvl-kestis]

i'm also very annoyed about how the symbolism of cassian's character was handled throughout this season. in rogue one and going into season two, the great tragedy of cassian was that he was no one at all -- destined to go unremembered and never live to see the world he gave everything to create. he had been through hell and back not because it had to be that way but because he was brave enough to choose hell in hopes that it might make a better tomorrow. and then he was wiped off the map and the men who destroyed the death star using the plans he stole never knew his name.

according to andor season two, though, cassian was always meant to be on scarif because he's a "messenger." he has lampshaded plot armor until he can die the way he was born to die, because it was always his destiny to make sure those plans made it off that base. also, he is survived by his partner and a child he never knew about, solidifying his legacy. this... is silly. it is beyond noble for cassian to make the willing choice to be forgotten in service of a greater cause. i'm much less compelled if the story is about cassian unintentionally being dragged to his death by fate and then getting remembered as a hero.

[softroundbunny]

This Sunday, I wish I had an apron straining over my big bump. Becoming even more so when our children’s little hands pull and tug on the material, calling me this way and that to be held or asking for a snack, or pulling me to come see the fort they made in the living room. I imagine holding a toddler on my hip, their leg thrown over my big bump as I walk into your office.

Handing you our sweet little one who was asking for her daddy after her nap. I imagine you kissing the head of our baby in your arms and then the other one growing in my belly. We share a kiss between us before we hear our gaggle of children running in and giggling, making “ew” sounds as they see mommy and daddy kissing.

We laugh and turn to our kids, kissing all their little heads and begin to have a tickle fight. Carrying such a big baby and being so late into my pregnancy has left me winded during the game, I lean back into my hands on my lower back and blow out a deep breath. Feeling guilty for feeling so tired, I can hardly play with the kids. You notice my expression and immediately take control.

With an excited shout, you inform all the kids to get their shoes on and head to the car because you decided it was a nice day out to go to the park and mommy needs her rest because she’s working so hard growing their baby sibling. I flick my eyes toward you in thanks. You kiss me and reassure me it’s no problem. It was time for a daddy and kids day out anyway. You rub my bump and leave me tucked in on our bed with a movie on and my latest cravings beside me.

“I’ll pick up dinner on the way home, okay darling.” And as I feel my eyes drift closed and the baby shifting in my tummy, I hear the car pull away. Content and at ease that I really am, living the life I have always wanted. My kids are happy and healthy, I married the best man who dreamt of being a father as much as I dreamt to be a mother, and our family is still growing.

[vacz]

I present to you my idea of a alternative bad ending for Wirt...

THE HUNTER

Instead of Beast!Wirt is Woodsman!wirt

After accepting the deal with the Beast, Wirt became the new lantern barer in hopes to keep Greg alive. He took the job to cut down the ellewoods and make them oil to feed the lantern so Greg's soul would never turn off, exactly what the woodsman used to do with his daughter. But as different from the woodsman, Wirt does know where the ellewoods truly came from, so the Beast has decided to take advantage of it and included him a little bit more into his chase for new victims. Now having Wirt helping the Beast to guide lost souls to the wrong path, it has become so much easier for the Beast to trap new souls

Wirt's role was this for a time: Becoming the new woodsman and finding lost kids to give them wrong directions or ideas. Despise how much he refused in the beginning, soon the Beast made him understand that this was the price for his mistakes, unless he wanted to Greg pay the price instead...

Until one night, Wirt had to confront a travel soul. A boy like him, wanting to save his little brother from the cruel breaches of the tree growing on his helpless body, and finally leave the woods with him, like Wirt himself once did. However, the Beast pressured and demanded him to take action himself, but unlike the old woodsman, Wirt did cut the boy down.

And since that incident, Wirt now has a new task to commit every time a new soul enters into the unknown.

He could barely sleep at night before, now he can't sleep at all. Wirt has stopped taking care of himself, at least he washes his hair and clothes once in a time but time itself seems so uselessly long for him until the point that things don't seem to matter anymore, nothing matters for Wirt, not even himself and his feelings... except keeping the lantern lit

The Beast knows better than anyone that Wirt's mind has become so weak until the point that he can't even survive by himself. He had succeeded in destroying this boy whole identity, only leaving a white paper to work on, so now he tries mold Wirt according his own twisted needs. Ironically, thanks to the Beast's influence, Wirt remembers the reason why he has to keep going with this but also he slowly starts to see people in a similar way that the beast's twisted perception does; trees to feed the lantern, not ready to burn yet but they must be prepared.

It's not surprising how much he has given up to the Beast. But unlike him, Wirt doesn't like to "play" or manipulate their victims, because he doesn't want to know them at all. Wirt already knows how these people will end, and he doesn't want to feel worse than he feels now, so he mostly tries to make his interactions shorter or cut them down directly, the quicker the easier it is for him to adopt this 'human dissociation' mentally

Of course, when he chooses violence, people tend to run rather than do what he plead, so he has to chase after them. Running after someone is exhausting for Wirt because he isn't that athletic in that aspect, and it's frustrating when he can't reach them. There are times when they manage to escape and some others that they don't

Wirt hates running after them, because it makes the situation more torturous and he gets exhausted. But if they don't start running, he is the one who tells them to do so. He doesn't understand very well why he does this but he likes to think that is a way to give them a chance to escape so he doesn't have to be the one to end with them, after all Wirt wants to believe that he is not evil

And yet, at the same time Wirt finds some kind of satisfaction on it... He is scared of what he is becoming.

Of course, he has this little duality inside his brain. The Beast has done a good job to keep Wirt in his role but still that doesn't make Wirt's guilt disappear at all

At least, his guilt has been manifested into a voice, represented by the rock fact. Even if the rock fact was meant for Greg to make silly but un-true facts, Wirt's interpretation of his own rock facts are the cruelest truths he refuses to believe. The rock fact represents that honest and logical part of him that is still there, under the tone of the self hate Wirt has grown on himself.

Of course, when he is around people for a longer period than he feels he should, Wirt stops trying to act normal and let himself to act a little... dramatic, in hopes to scare them or "prepare" himself mentally to go and chase them down with the axe

For this, he likes to use the rock fact. He always keeps it in his hair and uses it to try to re-create a rock fact like the ones Greg used to make, but instead of charming or adorable he looks insane, and he already knows that. Of course, he tries to re-create them seriously when he is alone but still fails miserably

Wirt does this in a poor intent to feel in touch with Greg, even tho they usually talk a lot with each other

Jason Funderberker has been gone for a long time by now, so the Beast is the only company Wirt has left, but most of the time he is alone.

He doesn't devout that his brother is there anymore, after all, Now Wirt can hear Greg's voice coming out of the lantern so what would be a better proof than that?. Greg is the only person left who seems to not hate him or is scared of him, the little ray of sunshine in his poor cruel life. If you tell him otherwise, Wirt won't want to believe you, even if deep down somehow, someway no matter how delusional he may be... He knows is true

Of course, I wouldn't recommend saying this because after having a nervous breakdown he will absolutely go after you with all pure rage.

Now here are some questions and its explanations:

Where does this idea come from?

Where does the name "The Hunter' come from?

What's Wirt and The Beast's relationship?

Wirt, The Woodsman, The Hunter and The Beast

Where does this idea come from?

It's no surprise that it comes from the idea of a bad ending for Wirt, one that is more fitting with the logic of the series. Because let's be real;

If he accepted the deal he wouldn't turn into the new beast because The Beast's motivation was to survive, he doesn't seem to want a replacement or transpass the role to anyone. In that case he would have already done it with The Woodsman.

The unknown was completely fine with the Beast gone so is not that he is THAT important for the forest to need a replacement.

Also, remember this little scene? it's from chapter 1: The Old Grist Mill. When Wirt and Greg just entered the unknown and suddenly heard the Woodsman cutting wood, before talking to him, Wirt said:

"Do you think it's some kind of deranged lunatic with an axe waiting out there in the darkness for innocent victims?"

So I thought; What if in the bad ending... He became that deranged lunatic?

Where does the name "The Hunter" come from"?

In the concept:

Since there are times when Wirt's victims escape, those who survived spread the word of a maniac who is wandering around the woods, looking for new victims, and once he finds them he will chase them until he can cut them down to the bone with his axe

They named him "The Hunter"

Wirt knows about his new reputation, since the travelers call him that once he reveals his real intentions, but he isn't really aware of all the rumors and stories people of the unknown had made about him, he knows that he will not like them but at the same time he is very curious about it. Some of them are true and others are just exaggerating. But at this point, Wirt Hunter had accepted that now he is one of the particular characters of the unknown.

In technical explanation:

In Over The Garden Wall we saw that most of the characters are named by "the what" for example: The Beast and The woodsman, they had no name by their own outside of their archetype. So I thought that in Wirt's case he would have a name like that, losing his own as a representation of how he has lost his own original identity. Wirt is no longer "the worthy one" anymore because he is more lost than the woodsman ever was, and there is no chance to bring him back, so he became "The Hunter" for the unique faction that makes himself distinguish from The Woodsman: The killing

The woodsman is just a man who lives in the woods and cuts trees, it just happens that the Beast used one to keep the lantern on. However.... The Hunter is someone that hunts, the whole point of a hunter is that he chases living beings and strap them, mostly for need. That is something The Beast himself does in his own way, which makes Wirt and The Beast more similar and unionite than the previous dynamic with The Woodsman, or even I dare say they are just alike; The Creature and The Man who hunts for surviving

Also, more into Bad End Friend's territory; Every evil alternate version has their own unique name, for example the icon trio, Bipper and Ice Finn (Also officially named "The Snowman") but then we have just "Beast Wirt" and until now NOBODY has come up with an actual name that fits him. I remember that someone already suggested the name "The Hunter" for Beast Wirt but it didn't make much sense (At least to me). However, in a woodsman context I think it could work better.

What's Wirt and Beast's relationship?

In Wirt's perspective

Basically a case of Stockholm Syndrome: At first he felt more like a prisoner, The Beast was a figure who he should follow if he wants to keep Greg alive, he is more than Wirt and his power overcomes his young self. However as the time passed, Wirt realized that the Beast can also be very merciful and at the same time rightfully ruthless as his monstrous nature allows him, as he has 'shown' him acts of trust. For Wirt, The Beast is a dark but fair being, not as evil as everyone told. The Beast acts similarly like a father would do towards Wirt, but without that human openly caring love. He is strict and cold, but is for Wirt and Greg's own good

In Beast's perspective:

Wirt is nothing but an interesting experiment. The Beast has been manipulating every little detail of Wirt's surroundings, so he decides to obey him by own choice, which worked out way better than expected. He has seen Wirt changing to fit into his needs, becoming more useful and useful than last time. Anytime the Beast has thought he reached the limit, Wirt proves him wrong and finds a way to pass it and go on anyway. His determination is so fascinating to the Beast that he continues to see how far he could go

Their dynamic:

Naive teen being manipulated by his father figure to be useful for his plans or desires (but even more mess up)

Examples of this kind of dynamic are Rapunzel and Mother Gothel from Tangled (2010) or Hunter and Belos from The Owl House (2020)

Wirt has been alone for so long to the point that he holds tightly to anything that could give him a minimum sign of love, and The Beast knows that more than anyone

He has taken advantage of this, so by convincing Wirt to isolate himself and showing barely love, Hunter would listen and obey him without any doubt. It doesn't matter if The Beast is the main responsible for his situation, things have been twisted so much to that point that Wirt fully believes that this is all his fault. He must do the right thing at any cost, after all, he would do anything for the ones he loves right Gregory?

Wirt, The Woodsman, The Hunter and The Beast

These are the four identities Wirt adopts in the time on the unknown, like states of his sanity slowly decaying

Wirt

The anxious teen we all know and love, the guy he has been during his journey until the point where he faced the Beast face to face

The Woodsman

Wirt post-deal

At first:

He doubts that Greg may be in the lantern, and now he regrets his decision. However he doesn't know what to do now because the guilt for Greg will not leave him in peace, and so Wirt feels like he doesn't deserve to go home, he can't go back, no without Greg. So he still lives in the forest, feeding the lantern and hearing the Beast's words, however The Beast insists that Greg is indeed in the lantern, but Wirt isn't sure whether to believe him or not

Even if Wirt knows he needs the ellewood, like the woodsman, he tries to help and warns about the Beast to those who came into the unknown

The Beast warned him about helping people, but he didn't listen to him until one night. There was an incident where he almost lost Greg's light forever for the lack of ellewood. Since then, Wirt finally cooperates with the Beast

At last:

Wirt knows what he must do. He misguides those who pass through the way in forms to get enough ellewood for Greg, always making sure to keep himself distance and not get too close with them. However there are times where he can't NOT sympathize with the travelers and so he offers his genuine help

The Beast wasn't comfortable knowing that Wirt still kept helping people.

The Hunter

Wirt post-murder

At first:

After his first kill, Wirt felt so guilty that he stopped taking care of his health (He stopped eating, bathing, and stuff) and encaged himself inside the house with all the bottles of oil, fearing that he would hurt someone again

At this time Wirt started to hear the voices of Greg, the rock and the crying of the lost souls, and talk to them until he ran out of oil

When he finally went outside, his body was too weak to even walk and he fell on the grass unconsciously. At that moment the Beast thought Wirt died and so he was about to take off the lantern, but the boy's hands wouldn't stop grabbing it with all the fury. The Beast kept trying until suddenly Wirt woke up and said to him that as long as his brother needs him he would be still here. For his stupid unbreakable determination, the beast didn't see any other option but to take care of the kid

As he recovered, The Beast started to convince him of the idea of taking people as nothing but ellewoods he needs. Wirt didn't like it at first, but the Beast's kind act and the poor health state he put himself into finally made him accept the new task.

At last (actual state):

Most of the time he is alone, searching around the forest for more ellewood to feed Greg with, day and night. He doesn't fully sleep, he takes naps in the afternoon so he can be wake up all night as he wants. To eat he hunts animals, fish, rabbits and some other birds or frogs, whatever living being he finds. To entertain himself he recites poetry and sings songs that the Beast has taught him, all loud like someone would listen to him. At home he writes his poems and composes his own music, mostly for clarinet.

At times the voices are louder and other times they are quiet. If it's Greg then it would be a nice time, if it's the rock fact it's a guarantee he would be at least pissed off, and if it is the distant crying of the lost souls then paranoid it is.

When someone crosses his way, it depends on how things are going to see how things will end. When he just indicates the direction you'll better leave as soon as you can, because the longer you stay and talk to him Wirt will act weirder in hopes for you to leave him alone, otherwise, if you cross the line with your words, he probably will run out of patience and starts to prepare the axe

But it also depends on how likeable he finds you. He could not care and warned you before he attacks you as usual, he could hate you so much to the point that he attacks you with no warning, he could like you and give you five seconds of advantage, and if he likes you a little bit more he would become obsessed with you and will maintain you inside his house so the Beast will not know about your existence as long you don't go outside

The Beast

The Beast (According to the Woodsman's words) is the death of all hope. How low would you have to go so you lost your whole humanity to become the living embodiment of one of the darkness concepts in human kind?

If Wirt ever became the Beast, he should have been falling in grace until the lowest point a person could go. So in my idea of The Hunter, I like to imagine that the differences between The Beast and Wirt would slowly fade away until they are one in the same

Inside The Hunter, Wirt has not only become lost in life but he has also lost his identity, his spirit, his desires and his home. The one thing left to lose is his humanity... His soul

The only thing that separates him from The Beast, is him holding on to the last piece of humanity he has left; Greg

Day after day his sanity is drifting away, but it's because of Greg's existence that he is connected with his humanity, because his actions are meant for Greg's surviving, not his

If Wirt descends to absolute madness and forgets completely about Greg but also openly enjoys his cruelest actions, to the Unknown's eyes, he would no longer be worthy of humanity, and as a punishment he would be cursed to be the successor of the Beast

And becoming worse.

Like I have been having this idea in my mind for a while now and I wanted to share it. I hope you liked my idea and the drawings I made because it really took me a lot of time trying to finish this post because you know... Christmas and happy new year (ah yes, what a happy post to show in these lovely times, yeah!)

SO WHAT YOU THINK?

[skyblueartt]

I desperately needed to draw some “normal” Afton family shenanigans— have William teaching Michael how to drive (aka absolute chaos)

[donnatroyyyy]

Jason Todd’s death storyline was perfectly executed because they killed him figuratively (killed his innocence) before actually killing him. It’s a tragedy because he died in two separate ways. And the reason his resurrection is just as much a tragedy is because only one of the things killed can be brought back and it wasn’t the thing that made Jason who he is (his innocence and kindness).