#this post is about wanting to have one; but interpret it as you wish 👍

[keiitopop]

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Yo! Good morning/evening, hope you are fine^^💝. I wanted to ask you a question but I was afraid that it may bother you or something (you know..that feeling when you are scared that you might disturb someone or being an unwelcome person) but yeah I will ask you since i was serious about your answer for some time now so I hope I'm not annoying you or something *feel free to answer only if you wish^^. You seem to know the characters pretty well, you are quite capable and great at reading and understanding them, one of the things I'm serious about is what do you think would make someone qualified enough to be with malleus? Do they have to be of the same species?certain Reputation, stature or traits?(sorry can't help it since I can't rest until I know everything about what interests me and figure it all out😅). Thanks for giving me some of your precious time I really like your blog, you're amazing💜

No worries, you’re not bothering me at all ^^ I love to talk about my hyperfixations www

Now, I know a lot of fans (particularly on the EN side) like to ship Malleus with their OC and especially with Yuu so I want to first make it clear that my response is NOT meant to invalidate those Malleus shippers. Whatever I say here is based on my own interpretation of canon lore (and let’s be real here, TWST won’t ever confirm if anyone is romantically interested in Yuu because it might not work with how some players view their own relationship with that character). In fanon, anyone can be with anyone, but in canon there are very specific in-universe rules and expectations laid out for Malleus so these are what I will be referring to.

I also want to emphasize that the final traits I discuss in this post do NOT reflect Malleus’s personal tastes or views. He has little say in what kind of an individual his spouse would be, so his own preferences are not speculated about or taken into account here. The traits I will be bringing up are based on what I believe the lore implies are the desirable traits for those marrying into the Draconia royal family.

We got it? Good 👍 Read more below the cut!!

Firstly, I’m completely disregarding the ideas of “Malleus can love whoever he wants to love”, “Malleus can scare people into accepting who he loves”, and/or “Malleus can change the law so he can marry who he loves” (a la Sultan from Aladdin or through some other Disney magic or logic). Here’s why:

In general, those solutions for “high stakes issues” are too simple, and that has never been how Twisted Wonderland tackles complicated problems. Just look at every single OB boy’s backstory. They’re so complex that they aren’t totally resolved by the end of their books; these problems persist and are long term things each of them are working on addressing. This is also true of the politics TWST introduces to us; Leona for example explains how there is social pushback and resistance to the idea of infrastructure reform because the culture of the Sunset Savanna stresses harmony with nature. This has made it difficult for them to adopt new technologies because real politicians in their world have to seriously weigh their cultural values with their health and societal progress. The only time there are really easy solutions are in events or vignettes where the emotional stakes are not super high, but who Malleus marries is, in fact, super important since this will entirely change the life of a main character and his country.

With that first bullet point in mind… No, Malleus cannot love whoever he wants to love. Certainly, he may feel affection for another but he can never truly be with them. He is royalty and the only heir to the throne of Briar Valley. It follows that he is expected to marry for political reasons/to better his nation. This is a non-negotiable obligation for him.

Rather than saying, “Malleus cannot scare people into accepting who he loves”, I think it’s more accurate to say Malleus knows he probably shouldn’t. I mean, yes, he may be upset about his S/O not being accepted by his people but I feel that is discrediting a lot of the loyalty he has for his own country. As a kid he may have thrown tantrums when he was upset and potentially harmed staff, but as a 178 year old he has a much better understanding of decorum and maintaining it in spite of his own grudges. For example, even though he personally dislikes Leona he still commands Sebek to apologize to him because, at the end of the day, this could harm Briar Valley’s relationship with the Sunset Savanna. That’s not to say that Malleus can’t be petty (he definitely is)—but implying he would be petty toward basically his entire country just because they would disapprove of the one he loves?? (We know this would likely be true because Sebek’s parents faced similar backlash when they got together.) I feel like his own sense of awareness and responsibility for his country, crown, and people would override that. As an example, Malleus states that he has never been in a car before because the senate would be against it and often kept Malleus in the castle. Someone of his power could easily ignore them and sneak out and do whatever he wanted, yet the dialogue implies Malleus didn’t. He obeyed his political advisors even when he was younger and arguably much more immature. Malleus might not like certain decisions made about his life but it sounds like he ultimately complies with them.

Continuing from the previous point, let’s say for the sake of argument that Malleus does scare everyone into line. What about his public image and the mental health of his S/O? Maybe Malleus can frighten people to not talk out of turn to his face, but he cannot control what people whisper about him behind closed doors or to treat his S/O well or like they actually like them. Not only would they be alienated (away from their own home and forced to adapt to a new one) but they’d be treated oddly by others too. What kind of reputation is that for Malleus? To be a tyrant king who throws a hissy fit anytime someone talks about his partner in a way he doesn’t approve of? With a spouse who is not at their best mentally because of the constant ostracization? (This is similar to what Leona experienced in his childhood.) I don’t think Malleus would want to subject anyone to that kind of life, especially not one he loves. And again, this attitude would be the vast majority of his people. It’s not like it can be avoided or resolved in an easy manner, especially when the people of Briar Valley have proven to be against change.

Lastly, Malleus would not change the law so he can be with whoever he wants to. To begin with, I doubt this is a unilateral position the senate would approve of. But okay, let’s accept that Malleus is royalty so his power overrides the advisors’ power. So he effectively just changed a law for a very selfish and personal reason rather than changing something to actually benefit his people. That doesn’t feel in-character for him, not when Malleus seems to understand that it is the duty of those in higher status to help those below them rather than themselves (see: Riddle’s Suitor Suit vignettes. Malleus has acted selfish before, yes (who remembers Endless Halloween Night? His Dorm Uniform vignettes? I do.)—but never at the cost of changing the status quo of his country. (Book 7 is not included here because he’s in a very distressed emotional state then; this “new law” scenario posits that Malleus is in a normal state of mind.) This is a major change—change which Briar Valley, its people, and most importantly, Malleus, are not ready for. You think there wouldn’t be social pushback against this? From a society that has become complacent with its own way of life and is still isolated from the rest of the world? That Malleus, someone who struggles greatly with accepting life changes himself, could enact such a big change so easily? (On a more technical level, you don’t just pass a law and it instantly becomes tangible or real, there is a process of approval and then implementation.)

Additionally, it’s made clear in Ghost Marriage that “[Malleus] cannot enter into an engagement lightly”, which is why Sebek goes in his place. Eliza, the Ghost Bride, is royalty (er, albeit dead) but it seems that royal status is not enough to qualify as his partner. Maybe this is because she’s dead and doesn’t have anything of value for Briar Valley (no land, no people, no political power), but it could also mean that the partner has to be given the thumbs up by other parties.

All that being said, here are some of the conditions I think would have to be met for Malleus’s future spouse:

Has to be someone of equal or at least high status. This means they also have to be a royal or at least of nobility. This appears to be true of Malleus’s dad, who is referred to as a duke.

Because of how self-contained Briar Valley is + nocturnal fae having beef with diurnal fae, I imagine his partner would have to also be a nocturnal fae. This would also solve the MASSIVE lifespan difference between fae and non-fae because at least fae would be far closer to each other even if their lifespans fluctuate but subspecies.

Someone suited to rule by his side. Being married into any royal family is no joke—it comes with the expectation that you will contribute somehow, and the partner should be fully equipped to enter the world of politics with him.

Piggybacking off the last point, I think mental fortitude is also a prerequisite. This is because being a politician (navigating the social climate both within your country and outside of it, keeping your people and colleagues happy, maintaining public approval, managing laws, dealing with potential attempts on your life, etc.) can be very stressful and can hurt those who are faint of heart or not prepared for the responsibility. Leaders have to make tough calls at the drop of a hat, and they have to be ready for it.

Has a lot to offer in terms of benefits to Briar Valley as a country. This could be in terms of resources, connections, and/or political savvy. This appears to be true of Malleus’s dad, who acted as a diplomat for Briar Valley.

Vetting and formal approval from the senate. lmao good luck with that

Has to be able and willing to have a child. They at least need an heir to the throne to succeed Malleus. (However, knowing how exclusionary and conservative as heck the senators are, I doubt they would accept anything but a biological child 💀)

Preferably someone with powerful magic or is skilled at magic already so as to lessen the chance of “tainting” the bloodline with a weak mage or a non-mage.

I believe that Briar Valley would prefer someone with old fashioned values like them, not someone pushing for massive reform. They have a culture that is resistant to change and a history of fighting for resources with outsiders, so if Malleus’s new spouse tries to introduce a bunch of technology or open its borders to other countries (even if they have good intentions), the people + the senate may oppose them. His father is implied to be open-minded, but he at least understood that such change isn’t reasonable without time and effort dedicated to the endeavor.

All that being said 💦 I think that this topic is actually less about what Malleus as an individual wants and what his country, his people, and, yes, even his asshole senators, want. This is basically an arranged marriage situation so that their country can maintain power and relevance. It’s about the collective and what Malleus must do for their perceived security and prosperity.

[katyspersonal]

Idk why you get hate when your blog is one of the most honest i have come across and your lore posts are so meta that i don’t even think most bb youtubers have discovered what you have lol. Y’all just got jealous haters.

It is far not the first time I've heard explanation that people are just jealous, really :') 👍 Like... That Alfred-chan (aka Clod Frollo) simply hated me and was jealous and latched onto the first chance to justify the unending wish to remove me is painfully apparent at this rate. Inventing up bigotry, harm and opinions that were never there to get the chance to declare someone you hate a "witch" is the oldest trick in the book! If you convince people the person is bad and harmful, you are automatically justified to treat them however you want.

It might be my lore, because they were really mad at the fact that I write essays on multiple occasions? Like, they try to paint it as me "having no life" or "being mad", but. dude. dude you are projecting. If the only way you could write essay on a topic you care about is abandoning all your chores and needs and/or getting mad at someone, then I have bad news for your intellect? :/ This is a very common attitude from people that cannot say anything interesting on their own and just post the same two-sentence brainlet takes about how much male characters/fans suck or how their [LGBT headcanon] is the only true interpretation and everyone who disagrees can't analyse media. 🤔 So how can they feel better about not having as many interesting headcanons or good theories? They've picked the low-effort way - to attempt destroying the value of "lore essays" by painting them as a bad thing! I will be real tho - they've gotten like, two asks about their headcanons in a lifetime (both about the same character, ironically) and shown that they CAN post something good when they want to, so eventually it is the matter of choosing low-effort way. Destroying is easier than creating!

It could also be freedom, and honesty, like you said. Some people's only trump card is being """good"""! Some people think if they put 'transphobes DNI' in their bio and regularly seek to call out bigotry that isn't here they are automatically a good person who is now allowed to stalk, harass, be toxic in general and push even genuinely innocent people under the bus. But I do not have to compensate for lack of personality and latch onto any ideology or activism - I am already a pretty awesome and interesting individual on my own. 😎 Not to mention how they have to put on the hard show of fighting "for the common good" to keep their following engaged, meanwhile I still have very genuine and deep support even despite my honest fuck-ups (forget the fabricated accusations!). I don't have any other theory than them knowing (maybe subconsciously) that by surrounding themselves by witch-hunters ideological soldiers, they've trapped themselves in the situation where if THEY fuck up - their "fans" will turn on them, if not cancel them. Building following based on ideology instead of shared interest (or one's own unique radiant personality, like mine 😎) is the worst thing you can do to yourself. Because... guess what? Correct, because that sort of people eats their own.

________________________

I'd appreciate no more personal asks like this for some time, because I genuinely start to feel guilty talking about myself so much (in my personal blog.... hmmm logical...). But again, kids, remember - you must make your worth with cool shit like talent, great personality traits, positively encouraging others, etc and not in ideology and making up witches you could "defeat". That person has the capacity by having some nice ideas, being able to craft stuff, drawing. They could easily win all the supporters they've lost back and outgrow me by LARGE merit if they apologised, admitted mistakes and committed to cultivating positive emotions, discussions and content. It is basically so easy and it is so much cringe to take so many Ls because of jealousy and obsession?

[halfagone]

I was just rereading Insomniacs Anonymous (which, good stuff 👍👍) and I was just wondering if you've seen Miraculous season 5 yet? And if so, thoughts?

Why thank you~ ✨

And yes! I have seen Miraculous Season 5. You might notice in one of the A/Ns in Insomniacs Anonymous I say that the story won't be following Season 5. Mainly because the story starts somewhere in Season 4 and diverges from canon from there, you know how that goes.

As for Season 5... I think this season made me realize that this genre is not meant for me. Yes, it's superhero media (and I love superhero media; I still need to catch up on Invincible before they release the rest of Season 2), but the genre itself is very different. Like how Captain America: Winter Soldier is action (you could even make an argument that it has aspects of the thriller genre), while She-Hulk is comedy. They're both superhero mediums, but the content and storytelling are completely different.

In general, I have a very complicated relationship with Miraculous Ladybug. I don't read fanfiction for it anymore, and I dropped a lot of the MLB blogs I used to follow.

A lot of my problems aren't even from Season 5 but comes from the show altogether. The characterizations are very inconsistent, and the writers often ignore their own worldbuilding. They'll create hard rules and then backtrack.

I'm not a huge fan of how Thomas Astruc handles the show and some of the characters. Keep in mind, this is the same man that once said Jesus Christ used a Miraculous, before he rescinded the statement when he realizes oh fuck this is a bad idea.

I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that there is so much potential, but at the end of the day, this isn't the genre for it. Their focus is on something else, so I can't judge it based on what genre I want it to be.

It's also a little disappointing because there are so many other cartoons that are limited by their ratings as well but they can do so much more with it. Like, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is rated PG. That movie had depth and character growth and never once lost its charm and humor.

But I know there are those that really enjoy it, and honestly? It makes me really happy. Buggachat has some amazing art; her Bakery "Enemies" AU is an incredible display of love for the show. She also has some great analysis posts about the series, and Season 5, that I would recommend. There was a post she made about the Season 5 finale that made me appreciate it more. There's also frostedpuffs who makes beautiful pieces of art and fanfiction.

I'm never going to criticize anyone that enjoys it. I know what it's like to be interested in a piece of media that gets a lot of contention and discourse. With the rise in popularity with DPxDC, I've seen a lot of posts that gave bad faith interpretations of Danny Phantom because they didn't try to look into the show beyond the tropes they saw and disliked. Hell, just yesterday I saw the most rancid take on a beloved character that had absolutely no depth or nuance.

There are so many times when I'll see these posts and just know they've got it all wrong. Because they don't love the show. Sometimes they know the show, but they don't love it. You know what they say about authors and directors and creators who get their hands on a character they hate- they ruin them. Because they don't love them.

I don't love Miraculous Ladybug. There are parts about the show that I wasn't fond of, and then I'll see analysis posts about how the episode fits into the series as a whole, and you know what: they make sense. I couldn't have thought about it that way, because I simply don't love the show like they do. And I don't have to.

I don't think I'll watch Season 6 when it comes out. I was morbidly curious about Season 5 after the Season 4 finale, but knowing that the studio is hoping to produce 8 season total, I don't think I can commit to that. The show just isn't for me, and it's time I accept that and move on.

I'll still play in my little corner of the playground, but I think otherwise I'll just stand aside and let everyone else play with their toys how they want to.

[quarks-pussy]

Oh.

I... I was writing a post about (the nonexistence of) mirror Jake and was thus pondering many aspects of the mirrorverse and I... I think I cracked it. And it's fucking me up. I think I know what the difference between prime and mirror is and it provides more questions than answers.

There is one glaring constant throughout (almost! we'll get to that) all official media (canon or not) that so much as goes near the mirror universe and it's actually the absence of a, well, ...species? that you don't even notice being absent at first but once you do, it's blatant and you can't unsee it.

There are no Q in the mirrorverse. When looking into possible explanations, I actually stumbled upon a highly intriguing fan theory that postulates that the mirrorverse is a control group created by the continuum (which would explain the consistent family lines and stuff SO well!) to see how humanity would fare without their intervention. This is an awesome theory (that also mashes with stuff said in Pic about how there's only one continuum across the multiverse) and I love it but I do actually have another one I'd like to propose.

The one singular reference to a mention of any Q in the mirrorverse that I could find is this short memory beta page on a Q from the mirrorverse (presumably the mirror version of our(/JLP's) Q) having been banished by Terrans "to a prison outside the known dimensions" which, not to speculate, could be interpreted as the prime universe?? (which would mean the mirrorverse is the actual "prime" universe and the Q (or at least our Q) are only in the prime universe as a means of punishment by the Terrans which would also explain why they don't seem to mess with Kelvin timeline (at least not in alpha canon) or anything else outside prime despite Pic saying they could) but regardless has very "god is dead and we have killed him" vibes that I dig. The singular source for this is the 2005 RPG source book Through a Glass, Darkly (belonging to the Decipher iteration of the Star Trek Roleplaying Game) which is specifically set in the mirror universe and, ngl, I kinda wanna play now.

So even tho Pic either states or implies (afaik it's technically said in reference to the Kelvin timeline or something (but you couldn't fucking pay me to watch enough Pic to check) but not specifically about the mirrorverse) that the Q exist in all realities and can jump between them as they wish, and even tho Through a Glass, Darkly is not even remotely canon, especially in comparison to Pic, I want to believe. The mirrorverse is Like That because the humans banished god.

(Also tho, regardless of which (if either) theory is correct, this does imply that not only have the Q not just "observed" humans but their influence on human history has been extremely positive and literally lead to stuff like the Federation even existing?? There are so many implications to the absence of the Q in the mirrorverse, I can't cope with this...)

Anyway, thanks for listening! And if anyone wants to teach me about the Decipher STRPG and/or play Through a Glass, Darkly with me, hit me up 👍

[eldragon-x]

For the ask meme, go nuts with Ford :)

one aspect about them i love

I once called Ford a "delightfully flawed" character and I think this pretty much sums it up. He makes drastic mistakes, he fucks up, but he's not utterly unlikeable nor horrible. They really just threw in the arguably best and most complex character in this show halfway through Season 2.

one aspect i wish more people understood about them

Actually not sure if this is overlooked or not but Man Ford's life is almost just one misfortune after another and things don't truly look up for him until towards the end of the finale. At least that's defenetly something I've overlooked when I was younger. Like yeah the horrors™️ are a lot more obvious looking at the 80s or portal era but you can tell Ford is still very much affected by all that during the events of the show. He still has trust issues and still tends to metaphorically throw himself in front of the bus and doesn't really value his own life or well-being and it's just. sad.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have about this character

Projecting a little bit maybe but he 100% deals with some fucked up emotions about feeling like he lost whole chunks of his life that he can never get back once he gets to process things post-canon lol 👍

one character i love seeing them interact with

Despite everything going horribly downhill in damvtf I like his interactions with Dipper a lot. They're just sweet and it was nice that the first we see them properly bonding is after getting plot heavy episode after plot heavy episode and Ford's introduction just in itself being A Whole Lot.

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more

MABEL. I cannot stress this enough there's so much potential they have so much in common. I'm kiiinda willing to excuse their lack of interactions with Oh I guess they wanted to drive home how isolated Ford is because he only really opens up to Dipper but on the other hand it's like. It would still make sense for Ford to be more open with Dipper about end of the world stuff considering The Last Mabelcorn but anyway I'm getting off-track a Ford and Mabel episode would've been so powerful.

Also Fiddleford in the 2010s but I'm pretty happy with their reconciliation in Journal 3.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character

I know I already talk about my Ford and Bill hcs/interpretations five million times a day but I'll die on the hill that Ford would never forgive Bill No Matter What and will always experience some amount of discomfort in his presence and I wish more works that deal with Bill redemption would explore that (which is why my fic with this concept has less than 200 words right now, rip I'm not a good nor active writer).

[yesterdays-shadowtag]

*switches mic on* HEY HEY HEYYYYY!!!!!! heloo maraaa (pls excuse my enthusiasm, i'm trying my best to look like an outgoing person) so i saw that bsd is one of your fav anime/mangas and i really wanted to know your thoughts on fyodor, what u think about his ability, personality etc etc, thank you very much!!! *passes the mic to you*

*takes mic graciously* HELLOO apologies for answering a day late i had a physics exam >_> ALSO THANK U SM FOR THE ASK I APPRECIATE IT TONS <3 IVE BEEN MADE AWARE THERE'S A HAIKYUU REF IN YOUR ASK?? I haven't watched it yet 😭👍

firstly, since i havent read crime & punishment + theres a lot of people more educated than me who've made awesome theories on fyodor's ability i'm gonna link this post which mentions quite a few of them here.

I actually have a lot of thoughts on fyo - most importantly the really, really cool aspect of how everything in his life is portrayed to be balanced or "karmic" and how he's trying his hardest to break away from it. (Karma is a supposed universal law by which good or bad actions determine the future modes of an individual's existence - in essence, how a bad action reaps a bad consequence)

In S3E4, what struck me was the fact that the kid who Fyodor killed, was called "Karma." And knowing how Asagiri-sensei isn't a person to play around with names there are a bunch of interpretations you can get from it - what I think is that Fyodor killing Karma is very reminiscent of him trying to destroy the karmic consequences of everything he does.

His ability's name itself - "Crime and Punishment" - shows a duality, the way in which a crime demands its punishment. I did a quick read-through of the Crime and Punishment's wikipedia page, and this caught my eye:

The notion of "intrinsic duality" in Crime and Punishment has been commented upon, with the suggestion that there is a degree of symmetry to the book.

Symmetry. Duality. Karma. Sounds familiar, right?

Not to mention this iconic scene of Dead Apple:

"I am Crime. I am Punishment. But you know, Crime and Punishment are close friends."

The symmetry and parallels between them are perfect. Not to mention Fyodor's ability doesn't attack him, making me think that Fyodor's ability is bound by karma - unless he hurts his ability, his ability can't hurt him. As long as Fyodor cooperates with his ability, his ability will stay his "friend."

It's possible that Fyodor detests this karmic duality he's bound too - so despite it working out to his advantage, he wishes to do something "evil" without having the consequences thrown back at him.

Maybe that's why he wants a world without abilities, so he can be free from his own, and therefore choose what "crimes" he commits and what "punishments" he receives.

THIS BECAME A BIT LONG SJKSD I HOPE YOU ENJOYED PLEASE DO SEND IN MORE ASKS ABOUT ANYTHING YOU LIKE <33