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[luseda1]

I feel like this could make sense for someone in his position, but on the other hand, he describes himself as handsome, really likes the color red and brags about his horns and fangs.

One could read that as bluster to cover up his discomfort or attempting to change his feelings using positive self talk, I suppose.

I tend to read it as genuine, if a tad exaggerated. There are moments where he'll be silly and/or blase about soul-eating but also ones where he reveals his true feelings of misery and shame. I don't think there's an equivalent about his appearance- where he admits to disliking his appearance or not liking that reminder of Krampus. Please correct me if I'm wrong, though.

Bit of a tangent, but then I vacillate on reading Wortox's appreciation for his appearance as him having been unrequitedly attracted to Krampus. To be fair, it could just as easily have been platonically looking up to Krampus- wanting to be him.

Do you think wortox doesn’t want to look like krampus? Consider it

[luseda1]

Wilson.

I'll have you know my obsession with Wortox is quite charming: a truly remarkable quirk revealing hidden genius. I mean, geez, you sound like my inner critic! :p

In honesty, Wilson does have a good heart under all that bluster and stubbornness. He's not as sweet as Wortox but he has his moments. He's someone who doesn't realize where his true strengths lie.

Admittedly, though, he's exactly the kind of guy I couldn't stand and would've been quiet rivals with in high school science class. (Heh heh heh... or college...).

TAKE MY QUIZ BOY.

[luseda1]

I made a YouTube comment that turned into an essay about whom Wortox would side with: team lunar or team shadow. Well, technically it was broken up into team Wagstaff, team Charlie, team Alter and team Shadow (though I see team Shadow and team Charlie as one and the same: I see her as a champion and pawn of the Shadows). After the cut, my musings

So I'm probably biased because I'm a Wortox stan who really dislikes Wagstaff and thinks Alter is equally as bad if not insidiously worse than the shadows, but here are my thoughts.

I agree that his initial preference would be not picking sides. I think the importance he places on friendship (not as obviously as Wormwood does, but it's there) would make it painful when the rift started to form. Because of Krampus, and his reaction to other survivors turning murderous (cowering despite his powers to easily escape or fight back), he might be very afraid of ending up having to oppose one of his friends.

(Side note, but with Wormwood, he would also absolutely hate becoming opposed to his friends but doesn't seem smart enough to think it through, so it wouldn't stop him)

That being said, I could see Charlie swaying him for a few reasons. She's the one who holds the fun holiday events and Wortox has noticed, saying something like "I knew she liked to play games too!". I'd even argue she went out of her way to accommodate him with the Winter's Feast. She probably could've just provided food but instead made a game of it and made the food illusory so he could take part in feasting without hurting himself. Of course, the benefits of the feast are good for everyone, but for Wortox? A break from hunger is also a break from guilt.

And that's important. If Charlie can do that for him every once in a while, why couldn't she do that more often? It would be incredibly tempting. There's no reason to think Wagstaff could help him like that; he's not a biologist or skilled in magic. Wortox can also be a bit naive and might be susceptible to Charlie's manipulation. You could argue he was only quoting Shakespeare so it doesn't count, but he called Charlie's story sad. She could potentially gain his sympathy, maybe make him think he's her beloved entertainer. That could be incredibly difficult to resist.

(Another sidebar: I think Charlie doesn't trust Wortox as far as she could throw him. Like Wanda does, she finds Wortox unpredictable and didn't put him on the board because of it. Maybe she'll reach out later because his powers could be useful, though, or if she feels confident enough in her ability to emotionally manipulate him so he won't betray her.)

Wortox's quotes about Wagstaff, on the other hand, seem more uncertain. Is he a brilliant illuminary, or a raving madman? It seems as though Wortox isn't entirely opposed to helping Wagstaff here and there, especially when it seems fun, but I think it would take more to get Wortox to side with Wagstaff. Wagstaff is also a human that invents things for human use, and Wortox doesn't value all the same things humans tend to; he's frequently baffled or amused by the way mortals differ from himself. Unless Wagstaff made an effort to make something Wortox would like, I think his inventions would have less of an appeal than to a human.

I can't see Wortox siding with either of the deities/eldritch abominations directly. For one, I think he's more susceptible to getting attached to a person than a distant deity. Sometimes he'll joke, but he'll also occasionally show some horror about Alter's mutations. About Wurt's new lunar terraforming staff, he says not to be fooled by its light; it makes me think he's not one to be swayed by dark = evil and light = good black and white thinking that could lead some characters to favor Alter. Considering he's an imp that cares about doing the right thing, well, he's living proof that things aren't always so simple. He also likely knows more about Alter than any other character does because he could read the tablets about them. He doesn't seem to be a particular fan.

His Triumphant skin's line about letting in shadows makes me think he does resist letting in shadows. You have to consider the context- this is something he only says after being tortured for who-knows-how-long because the throne does that to people. He has an appreciation for magic but also a wariness of it (understandable, considering his "curse"). He has some understanding of what the crown from Cult of the Lamb does, and is tempted by it, but ultimately rejects taking that power for himself. I suspect it might be similar with the shadows.

[luseda1]

Yeah, the doesn't involve himself in the main plot thing puts him in a weird situation. Most of the other characters at least have a reason to want to search for a way home. He's just kinda... Along for the ride so far.

I feel like Charlie could be used to pull him in a little bit more. Considering it's canon that Charlie holds the holiday events, and considering the reward from Winter's Feast Eve feasting, Charlie could potentially do something about his hunger. Maybe not cure it forever, but cancelling it out every once in a while could go really far towards getting him on the hook for... Whatever she's plotting that the Survivors make useful pawns for. It'd be an interesting dilemma for him, though admittedly that might hit too close to what Klei is doing with Maxwell.

Unless Wortox refuses and acts as a foil? In some ways I feel like Wortox and Maxwell make interesting foils: people who seem to have sought magic (as per uncorrupted Wortox's line about his magic growing in soon) and gotten it at terrible costs. They're both somewhat egotistical (I'm sure you've seen Wortox's braggart lines) entertainers. How they deal with it, though, is night and day. One of Wortox's biggest personal strengths, if you ask me, is how he continues to be kind and friendly even when he has every reason not to. I think his line upon finding the Daywalker Werepig a second time implies that Wortox feels the need to free him, despite how that went last time.

Might have to be fanfic material rather than canon stuff, as much as I crave more canon Wortox. I sort of have one that's very Wortox-centric but don't publish it because it feels a little too self-indulgent, canon x SI OC and a crossover sometimes (and also my particular neurodivergence makes it hard to finish things and update on anything resembling a decent schedule).

I just really appreciate your presence. I crave Wortox meta so much but often it feels like the fandom isn't interested.

Thank you!

I think he's really interesting if you look closer into all his quotes but i do understand why he's not about much as he doesn't involve himself with the main plot at all, he's pretty disconnected to pretty much everyone, but i think theres alot to him thats pretty subtle and fun to look into :3

Heres a bonus doodle horns are pretty heavy

[luseda1]

Heheh, I'm of two minds about the servants of the Devil thing. I like the Hellboy vibes (another obsession of mine) of his being such a sweetie with the background like that.

Otoh, my hc is that imps have been demonized by humans they encounter. Even Wortox's original known interactions with humans weren't positive, after all. They're different and scary and humans tell stories about them, morphing into both stories of humans and fairies.

I know of a folkloric precedent for this: pucks and the fairy Melusina were originally fairies later seen as demons.

sorry abt the wortox posts this happens anytime i rewatch a characters short and their quotes

BUT....hes such an interesting character to me cause like .

he was probably a child when everything went to shit for him like . thats a fawn bruh little baby man

so there r so many possibilities to his past liek some options i can think of

getting krampus' soul made him an instant adult for some reason which i imagine is fucked up

ORRR its kinda a webber situation except krampus consciousness didnt transfer thru??

he grew up alone cause obviously krampuses and klaus dont like his ass anymore after what he did

he WAS an adult just a different species than krampi which is SO FUCKED UP CAUSE OF SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE HE HAS A MOM AND HIS QUOTE FOR THE ANCIENT GATEWAY COULD IMPLY THAT HES NOT EVEN NATIVE FROM THE CONSTANT SO HE COULD HAVE BEEN ADOPTED BY KRAMPI WHICH MAKES IT EVEN MORE TRAGIC TO ME I HATE IT HERE SO MUCH !!

^ oh also hes an imp and yeah sometmes a krampus is described as an imp but not always and imps are servants/sidekicks of the devil n shit so it adds ANOTHER layer of fucked up because he basically isnt doing what his species was intended to do anymore cause of his own world view

[luseda1]

A part of me just wants these two big-hearted fools to meet and be nice to each other.

[luseda1]

I have a headcanon regarding this being a general imp trait and not just a Wortox thing.

He calls the other survivors "mortals" which implies that imps are not. I see keeping knowledge close to one's chest as a cultural consequence of immortality.

Because of human life cycles, we are incentivized to pass information on to the next generation: one day we might be old and unable to fully care for ourselves, so the success of the younger generation means we have a better chance of being taken care of. Also, important knowledge can be lost entirely if not passed on.

Imps (possibly other demon types as well) lack those incentives, so perhaps the drawbacks of passing on knowledge stand out more to them. Like the titan Kronos, one might fear younger imps growing in power and supplanting oneself. There's also the question of what someone would do with knowledge- use it for good or for ill. Or in less moralistic terms, use it to do something one approves of or something one disapproves of. It does seem like imps have some kind of moral compass, though, given Wortox.

So whether for selfish or moral reasons, young imps have to earn knowledge. They have to convince their elders that they're worthwhile, or seek knowledge on their own. Wortox favors the latter route since it's probably more fun. He definitely doesn't take learning very seriously.

His lines regarding Carrat racing also make me think that he's the type can usually rely on his intelligence to pick up information from the world around him; the type of person who does well in school without studying up until the material gets a bit too difficult and they don't know what to do.

Oh shit! It’s Wortox Wednesday!

Wortox is great at keeping secrets, it’s an essential part of playing any prank! Of course, this also extends to how cryptic he can be about the constant’s history or his own personal feelings.

His secretiveness might not be unique to him, but instead a general trait for imps,

I do believe he has more similar quotes, which implies he finds humans habits of sharing information strange, or even something to look down upon.

This concludes this week's Wortox Wednesday

[luseda1]

Usually friendship with the human survivors is worth it, but sometimes even the friendliest of non-humans have second thoughts.

[luseda1]

The tears I'll definitely grant you. The blood thing is a little ambiguous- he has another line where he says "do I even have blood?" and the line you shared could be interpreted as "my blood isn't for you" instead of "I don't have blood".

It does seem odd that he could have possibly survived to adulthood without finding out whether or not he has blood.

One interpretation I go with is that he has something similar to blood, but doesn't bleed as easily as humans and it's a pinkish purple color rather than red (based on monster meat. Klaus and Krampus drop monster meat, so presumably Wortox is also comprised of monster meat) so he doesn't know whether to call that blood. It might not be edible to mosquitos, in any case, but Wortox exhales CO2 so mosquitos are attracted to him anyway (doesn't explain why they bother to attack WX tho. CO2 exhaust?)

A different idea is his magical healing actually constantly keeps him from bleeding, but isn't strong enough to instantly heal all damage (or isn't strong enough to do that without being powered by a soul).

I'll admit, though, "he doesn't have blood or anything like blood" is the simpler and more likely intended take. Guess I just like the drama of blood *shrug*

like… nobody even cares about this canon fact. tbf neither do i

[luseda1]

Maxwell might have preferred the cloak and dagger approach

[luseda1]

I could offer some headcanons.

Maxwell has been through a lot and it still takes its toll on him. He tends to shun cheery things . Some evidence:

"Its power is spent. Now it's just garishly cheery."

Holiday Cheer- "I prefer my fuel more nightmarish."

Cawnival Sapling- "It's so... ugh... whimsical."

Egg Scramble (playing)- "Such pointless frivolity..."

And then there's this one

Eating Holiday Cheer- "It tastes bitter.

My interpretation is that Maxwell feels a measure of guilt for what he's done, especially failing Charlie, and doesn't allow himself to enjoy things because it feels wrong. Wortox, meanwhile, is all about being silly, frivolous and cheerful. Wortox likely even goes out of his way to try and cheer Maxwell up (though admittedly a big part of that might be by pranking him), which Maxwell would likely find particularly grating- at least Wes doesn't speak.

Also, part of how Maxwell stays relatively sane is preserving his dignity (including being dapper). Wortox undermines that with pranks and mockery.

On a slightly deeper level, I could even see Wortox coming across as monstrous. Now, I'll admit this in dependent on Maxwell knowing Wortox's backstory (I think he probably does and might have even been Possessions' narrator, but I'm not certain). Where Maxwell withdraws out of guilt, Wortox acts as hedonistic as ever. He'll complain about having to eat souls, but also make jokes about it. I could see that coming across as insincere. He might just be unrepentantly using the Survivors as playthings: a most unwanted reminder of the things Maxwell himself has done.

So yeah, there's a major disconnect there. I'd say Wortox probably thinks Maxwell secretly enjoys his company.

Terrarium (no boss setting)- "It seems nobody here likes pranks." - Wortox

That line implies that he actually would hold off on pranks if he thought no one else would enjoy them. Though you could easily argue that while Maxwell doesn't enjoy that sort of thing, other survivors might really like seeing Maxwell harmlessly humbled, I suppose. I find it an interesting dynamic where both are somewhat in the wrong. Their ways of coping with the world are just so opposed to each other.

-------

Quick aside, I have a headcanon about Wortox and the Terrarium. He saw an object that could potentially be used to transport beings between universes and stole it for the other survivors. Going to Terraria wouldn't be the same as going back home, but it might be a crucial step in that, or at least give them more comfort/choices.

Of course, we know it didn't work out. The terrarium broke. Why didn't he tell the survivors what he'd intended?

Sealed Portal (switch off)- "I won't tell the mortals it's here, it'll just get their poor hopes up."

He didn't want to upset them. Better to let them think it was just a souvenir.

He probably had to fight the Eye of Chtulhu for it and assumed the eye was the rightful owner- the eye was actually a more malevolent demon (or rather a small piece of a huge one) trying to steal it too. (his part is based on Terraria's lore.

But admittedly, there's no direct evidence that this is what happened. I just think it fits in with his sweetness and being more apologetic about stealing than he was in the short. It could be that he just wanted a neat magical object, or to see what kinds of pranks he could pull with it.

Maxwell's quote for the terrarium, what beef does he have with poor wortox...

[luseda1]

Happy birthday, ya silly-billy. Here’s to more years of you thrilling (and chilling) me!

[luseda1]

“An Uneasy Alliance” or “Pardon me if I Shake her Hand”

My work doodle from today. You can definitely see the CK3 inspiration in this one. I really like how it turned out, though, so I think I’ll share.

(the shieldbearer there is an OC. Pay them no mind :p )

[luseda1]

Having slept on it, here's one possibility that seems plausible to me:

Every character makes a sacrifice create a telltale heart to revive someone, but it's particularly bad in Wormwood's case because he can't easily heal from it. Wortox not wanting other beings to suffer for his existence is a large part of his character, so it bothers him that Wormwood would do this to himself (ignoring for a moment that Wormwood might not actually have been the one to make the heart, just the delivery boy).

It may get worse, though. Wortox has the power to heal Wormwood and make things right. Problem is, healing isn't free and it puts Wortox in a bit of a miserable situation- he needs to acquire at least two souls to fully make up for his revival. Perhaps he feels obligated out of gratitude and/or love for Wormwood, but also unhappy to be put on that position. Trading at least two lives and his friend's pain for his own life bothers him.

Of course, Wormwood doesn't think about it in those terms. He probably just thought he was helping one of his friends. He might have considered the pain it would cause himself, but decided that's worth it for friends. I imagine he didn't consider the position he would be putting Wortox into. For one, Wortox often hides how unhappy he actually is, and another is Wormwood is just not the brightest bulb.

So this line could be Wortox looking at the situation Wormwood put him in, and considering whether to blame him. Ultimately, though, he decides that Wormwood was only trying to be kind to him- a little too kind. His friend doesn't deserve his ire.

Now, this is something this line doesn't really imply, but seems a likely outcome of this scenario. Wortox doesn't blame Wormwood for putting him in an unhappy state of debt- he turns his ire inwards instead. He didn't deserve revival. Perhaps Wortox was wrong for using someone sweet like Wormwood and making him care so much he'd do something like that (not that it was hard. It's Wormwood. Wortox committed the terrible crime of existing around Wormwood). Or maybe it's just another awful part of an awful existence.

Very fun stuff. Now, I still don't think Wortox would actually prefer being left for dead. He might prefer if someone else revived him, though- that's easier to make up for and can probably be done without. One potential issue I have about this scenario is that it's a bit melodramatic- Wortox could theoretically make it up to Wormwood with a healing wrap or gathering beefalo droppings (not pleasant, but neither is stealing souls) or something without hurting any animals/ watching them die. So I could be wrong/reading too much into the "it gets worse" thing. Wortox could just be unhappy that Wormwood hurt himself in a way he struggles to recover from.

I'd suspected for a while that the wiki entry for Wortox's line when revived by Wormwood was incorrect (it was the same as the one for Warly and made no sense in Wormwood's case), and as it turns out...

The line is different. I thought I'd share this with my fellow fans as I process the info. Wortox doesn't usually act like his being revived was a bad thing, but I feel this line implies he does think Wormwood reviving him was Wormwood being too kind. I know "too kind" is an expression that can simply be used to convey a lot of gratitude, but I feel the addition of "I suppose" implies Wortox is looking to explain why Wormwood revived him, not simply thank Wormwood.

Maybe it's related to Wormwood's trouble with healing? Arguably he suffers more than any other character to make a telltale heart.

Nevertheless, I must admit I'm saddened by the implication that Wortox thinks Wormwood shouldn't have revived him. Self-loathing lines are in-character for him but I liked to think of his friendships as something he felt relatively good about. This... Casts a bit of doubt on that.

Does anyone else have thoughts? How would you interpret this line?

[luseda1]

I'd suspected for a while that the wiki entry for Wortox's line when revived by Wormwood was incorrect (it was the same as the one for Warly and made no sense in Wormwood's case), and as it turns out...

The line is different. I thought I'd share this with my fellow fans as I process the info. Wortox doesn't usually act like his being revived was a bad thing, but I feel this line implies he does think Wormwood reviving him was Wormwood being too kind. I know "too kind" is an expression that can simply be used to convey a lot of gratitude, but I feel the addition of "I suppose" implies Wortox is looking to explain why Wormwood revived him, not simply thank Wormwood.

Maybe it's related to Wormwood's trouble with healing? Arguably he suffers more than any other character to make a telltale heart.

Nevertheless, I must admit I'm saddened by the implication that Wortox thinks Wormwood shouldn't have revived him. Self-loathing lines are in-character for him but I liked to think of his friendships as something he felt relatively good about. This... Casts a bit of doubt on that.

Does anyone else have thoughts? How would you interpret this line?

[luseda1]

Some more update thoughts: who is responsible and why? I propose an alternative reason to the one that I feel is most obvious.

Spoilers below the cut...

Admittedly, this may be my saying out loud the obvious thing everyone is assuming, but I think it's likely that Charlie is the one who chained the werepig and sicced the parasites on him. Whoever did this has some serious shadow power at their disposal and there aren't too many candidates.

I'm inclined to think Maxwell had nothing to do with it (could be a sign that Charlie isn't telling him everything despite teaming up with him- not too much of a surprise there). He seems like he has a better guess at what happened than the other survivors do, but he doesn't know quite what's going on either. One could argue his line about the chained werepig is him feigning ignorance, but I don't think so. If he had done this, I would expect him to try and stop the others from freeing the pig. Would anyone hearing Maxwell say, "No don't do the compassionate thing; it's a bad idea" actually change their mind? I doubt it, but it'd be worth a try.

"They" could maybe have done it, but I'm not sure we've seen Them act outside of Charlie's interventions on their behalf and trying to possess Maxwell.

So yeah, I think it's probably Charlie. I think the werepig found a way to steal some extra potent nightmare fuel that buffed him massively (but may have nasty side effects). Going by his Gollum-like complaints that he found the power, it seems like he thought the fuel was his to take. He might thoroughly resent being punished as if he were a thief. Being so harshly punished might also have given him the message that he had something incredibly valuable.

But speaking of harsh punishments, yeaaaah being chained up and made immobile while being attacked by shadows monsters and left like that indefinitely is pretty awful. If Charlie did this, it's probably her darkest move to date. She attacks the Survivors in the dark (still not sure quite what she wants to achieve with that) and sends hounds after them for stealing her spotlight so she's not entirely innocent, but she seems to think of herself as a just ruler. I suppose that could imply her perception of herself is just wrong (fair enough), or that things aren't what they seem.

Like is this meant to be a punishment? What if it were a harsh way to get the power back and return the werepig to the way he was before? Using the extra nasty nightmare fuel seems like playing with fire and purging it from the werepig could be (or at least seem) better for him in the long run. I could see Charlie doing that to someone while still considering herself just.

There is a chance I'm being too charitable tho. "Be grateful that you've yet to face the Queen of Shadows' ire" and all. Maybe we've just gotten a glimpse of just how cruel her idea of justice can be and it raises the stakes for the Survivors.

[luseda1]

Some spoilery lore-based update musings below the cut

First, I'm a little disappointed that Wilson doesn't have any new items that he and other characters could comment on. Those can be a neat source of tidbits about the relationship between two characters. Perhaps the short that's very likely coming will be more elucidating in that regard?

So, Mr. Daywalker. I think he's a cool addition because he makes for an enemy I dislike pretty quickly. Taking advantage of the collective kindness of the survivors only to hurt them? Yeeeaaaah. Admittedly, I do find myself asking how much of his behavior is his fault and how much can be laid at the feet of his corruption, so I'm not 100% convinced he's irredeemably evil, but he's certainly not looking good.

Given my adoration of Wortox and sometimes overprotective of my fav tendencies, one might assume his being taken advantage of is the worst to me. Don't get me wrong, it's bad. He's one of the survivors that outright advocates for freeing the werepig despite having reservations (his "friend or foe?" line). Wortox is being punished for his better nature yet again. On the other hand, this has happened to him at least twice before (Baby Beefalo and Krampus; putting the lunar altars back together; arguably raising baby tallbirds). I'd even argue that Wortox's better nature hurting him is a large aspect of his character. He makes a quip, something like "I'm getting the sense that's 'foe'...". It seems like he does what he always does; laughs it off.

It's two other characters that hit the hardest for me. I'll start with Wigfrid. She can certainly be fearsome at times. She's a dedicated warrior who seeks out good fights. There's also an undercurrent of sweetness to her. Some of her lines are compassionate, and not just towards other survivors. I don't think her violence is just for violence's sake; she wants to be a heroine.

Still, one thinks of fighting magical beasts as her thing (obviously not indiscriminately since Wortox exists)

(pictured: a very deadly battle. Yeah)

The tougher, the better. But here's this giant, dangerous beast that's attacking her. But instead of her typical eagerness for battle, there's regret. She says the werepig leaves her no choice. This is one fight she didn't want. I suspect she wanted to be the heroine here, freeing some poor, imprisoned creature. I can't help but wonder if she thought of Wortox, how cursed and dangerous creatures can potentially be affectionate companions if shown kindness. The contrast from her typical gung-ho nature strikes me as particularly sad.

And then there's Wendy. Poor Wendy. Examining the pillars that the daywalker is chained to, she says "we're all tethered to something" as if she doesn't care. Sure, that's pretty typical of Wendy. Her world is a dark and miserable place. Yet when she fails to break the pillars...

She seems genuinely upset at her failure to free the werepig. I don't think she's just apathetically going along with what the other survivors want to do; she wants to help. For someone who acts apathetic about many things and closes herself off to avoid getting hurt, she cares this time. She goes out on a limb to help. And when the werepig tries to murder a little girl for helping him, well...

"kindness only begets more pain"

He ruined what could have been growth from a girl who has already been through so much. I suspect after this, Wortox will still be sweet and choose to focus on goofy fun; Wigfrid will still want to use her prowess in battle to help others. But Wendy... It's the sort of setback she might not recover from.

So yeah. The Werepig hurt Wendy. That has certainly earned my ire.