#taz wonderland twins

[just1gnome]

Some taz art I never posted because I've been doing artfight stuff and also other reasons (mystery)

Edit cause some people think magus is sad, dw he's fine he just loves gay people soso much it brings him to tears

#I GOOOTTTAAA DRAW THOSE SILLIES AGAIN #taz #taz b #the adventure zone #taz fanart #the adventure zone fanart #taako taaco #taako fanart #magnus burnsides #merle highchurch #taz kravitz #taz wonderland twins #taz lydia #taz edward #lup taz #lup taaco #barry bluejeans #sir fitzroy maplecourt #taz graduation #taz steeplechase #steeplechase #taz emerich #emerich dreadway #my art

[anistarrose]

The thing about the Heart Attack segment in Wonderland is that they put so much aromantic subtext in it. They accidentally put SO much aromantic subtext in it, on behalf of multiple characters, and I'm thinking about it constantly. Let me tell you all about it.

Magnus is dropped into a dating game and literally leads with "I cannot stress enough how uninterested I am in this." Now, it's perfectly valid to read this as due to him waiting for Julia, or just him being plain old uncomfortable with having his love life put in the spotlight. However! I cannot stress enough the exchange that happens just a minute or two after that line:

Magnus (describing his ideal date): ... and we don't see each other again, ‘cause I'm really not interested in dating. Audience: [exaggerated] Oooooh! (cheers) Griffin: The silhouette is like, fanning itself. Lydia: Playing hard to get, huh? It seems like our contestant is into that.

And I just have to say: unfortunately, this is one of the most aromantic fucking experiences I've seen represented in fiction in my life. I mean — saying you're not interested in romance, then having those words twisted on you, like they're some secret coded way of saying that you are interested in romance? Not having a single way to express your disinterest that'll actually be believed? That's some aro shit right there. God. Fuck.

As an aside, it's enough to really tell that Heart Attack is not designed to be a reprieve from the pain, even though it's the "good outcome" of Trust or Forsake. It's designed to be uncomfortable. To funnel suffering to Edward and Lydia, just like all the other games do. (More on that later, in fact.) But in summary:

Magnus is a character who can be read as uncomfortable with romance for either aro-spec reasons or unrelated reasons. But in either case, his discomfort attracts reactions that reek of amatonormativity — and therefore, resonate with aromantic experiences. (Psst, I did recently write a gray-aro Magnus fic!)

Two more analyses below the cut (and only one of them is for another Horny Boy):

Obviously the next character I need to talk about is Merle. I've found aroallo readings of his character to be compelling for a long time (having sex with plants so you don't have to worry about romantic commitment, am I right?), but the way he describes his "ideal date" is another factor:

Merle: I volunteer to drive her vehicle, and tell her it's filthy, and so we go through the uh- drive through vehicle wash and she pays for that too. Um, and then I take her to have dinner with my family, and- Magnus: Wait, like your wife and stuff? Merle: She meets my ex-wife.

Merle's probably exaggerating as a joke, continuing on about both him and his partner being miserable, but I think the fact that Merle's mind goes here is genuinely drawing from a lot of poor romantic experiences in the past. He didn't get a choice about being on Heart Attack, and his marriage with Hecuba was similarly "arranged".

It's also worth noting that at this point in time, Merle is putting in the work to be part of Mavis and Mookie's lives again, but is not interested in doing the same for Hecuba — he instead just asks Mavis how Hecuba's doing. That said, given that Magnus is the one to put the focus on Merle's ex-wife, I think it's fair to read the "family" comment as Merle actually expressing that he'd rather spend time with his kids than give any special romantic attention to his date. Moving on to the rest of the "joke":

Merle: She's having a miserable time and she's really mad, she can't wait to get outta there. I take her back to her house, and so I lean up against the door jam and say, 'Sure you don't want me to come in for a few minutes?' and she slams the door in my face.

It's possible Merle just has a more roundabout, self-deprecating way of expressing a similar thing to what Magnus did: Merle just isn't interested in dating. To me, the last line implies he might not say no to sex, if offered — but overall, it reads as if Merle is putting minimal effort in because he's looking for an excuse to get out of this relationship anyway.

It's also possible that Merle's "rejection" of a suitor being so disguised as humor could point to him still coming to terms with his disinterest in dating. Particularly, in comparison to Magnus, who is so vocal and unashamed about it, while Merle might still be figuring this all out.

(Honestly, the self-deprecation Merle turns to here is actually kind of sad, when viewed in that light — he already lets himself be the butt of jokes so often, and now he feels like the way romance doesn't click for him has to be a joke, too? Oof. Someone give him a hug and tell him he's not broken this instant!) But regardless:

Merle views dates, and perhaps romance in general, as things that will inevitably turn disastrous for him and any party involved with him, and he would rather spend time with his children than repairing a relationship with an ex, or cultivating a relationship with a new partner. This is not an experience exclusive to the aro-spec umbrella, but you can't say that an aromantic reading of his character doesn't fit him like a gardening glove...

...which he wears while fucking his plants. Because plants don't demand emotional intimacy, nor take too much time away from the platonic relationships that matter more to him. And you know what? He's fucking valid for that! Fly your flag, nasty grandpa!

But moving on: I promised you aromantic analysis of characters outside of our protagonists, and henceforth, that analysis I will provide. And not just because I admittedly see Taako as the token alloromantic (though clearly an aro ally; if he hadn't chosen Forsake we wouldn't have gotten all this incredible characterization!)

I digress. So let's go on to addressing the lich twins in the room: Edward and Lydia.

Remember my argument earlier that Heart Attack serves the purpose of collecting suffering just like the rest of Wonderland does? How it's just a subtler way of making Wonderland's victims fundamentally uncomfortable?

...Using, of all things, romance?

How the vogue twins, for whatever reason, felt inspired to make people uncomfortable with matchmaking and adoration? How, some way or another, they noticed how much potential romance had to induce suffering? Being pressured into a relationship, being told that no matter how firmly you say you're uninterested, you're not really uninterested?

...Relatedly, I have always gotten the sense that Edward and Lydia projected relentlessly onto their victims.

Edward: This resolve, this desire to do whatever it takes no matter the cost to save yourselves — do you know who you three remind me of? Magnus: No? Merle: Who? Edward: Us!

I'm even going to go a step further and say that on top of projection, they want their victims to go through things they went through. Swallowing the guilt of having fucked someone else over to survive, of course — that's basically self-admitted. But possibly also... the feeling of not being able to get back what you lost (Keats). The feeling of being able to heal (Keats).

So, where does that leave Heart Attack?

Lydia: It was the three of us, surviving against all odds. The world against us.

Their family of three was (is) indescribably important to them. I'm not necessarily saying that societal expectations of romance, especially of romance as a priority above that of family, left a bad taste in their mouths — if not downright contributing to their trauma — but, okay, I wrote the rest of this post and now that I'm back, I can no longer deny it. I'm definitely, absolutely saying that.

At the time of the podcast, we know Edward and Lydia's own relationship is heavily strained. Until the end, they are lying to themselves and to each other about the fact that they continue to be emotionally and magically reliant on each other. After all, Lydia wouldn't say "I guess we really needed each other after all" in her dying moments with such surprise otherwise.

This is the second reason that I... well, I wouldn't quite call it a "theory," but I find it most impactful to read Edward and Lydia as characters for whom the concept of Love has baggage. And always has, from their origins as youth in a tough spot in an already amatonormative world.

Maybe the constant societal devaluing of platonic, familial bonds left them with serious emotional scars. Maybe the constant conflation of Love and morality just weighed on them and weighed on them and weighed on them until they decided: well, we don't love the way people expect us to, so we might as well give up on being the good people they expect us to be. We might as well embrace this new fuel of suffering.

...And you know, I hope this gets across what I mean when I always say I headcanon villains as aromantic to make them more sympathetic.

Edward and Lydia, textually, are already tragic villains. As twins and liches, they're also textually foil characters to several of the Seven Birds. But I also like to think that they have a lot in common with Magnus and Merle, and the possibility that tugs at my heartstrings the most is the possibility of them all falling under the aromantic umbrella.

#taz #taz balance #taz balance spoilers #magnus burnsides #merle highchurch #vogue elves #wonderland twins #(i always forget which tag i use for them lol) #aspec taz #taz meta #happy aro week this essay is my gift to myself <2

[herbgerblin]

🌹!!!

"You look tired," Magnus says. And to be honest, the first few times Magnus had said that, Taako took incredible offense.

But now he's lounging quietly into the third month of their world being saved, his mind being ungunked, and his sister being unghostbusted. Taako looks up at Magnus and gives him a smirk and a shrug.

"Yeah, I should probably do something about that," he admits.

--

Tiredness for an elf has nothing to do with expression. It's a physical thing, of course. Aches from lack of meditation and injury and hunger—just as real as any other living creature. A welling down deep in bones and sinew, waiting for relief. But an elf cannot look tired, because tiredness should never show in one's outward appearance. Everything about elven culture is about effortlessness. The ease by which complicated things get done, that is integral to the beauty of the thing. To feel tired is to be inconvenienced. To look tired is totally and utterly devastating.

--

The wonderland twins knew this.

When Taako brought himself to look into a mirror without glamour, two days after Story and Song, he gasped and turned away in horror.

He looked exhausted.

The soreness rumbling in his bones from his injuries in Wonderland, compounding with the magical drainage from fighting the hunger and just the emotional toll, all of it bubbled up to the surface. Weary eyes, face twitches, dark circles, stress pimples. The whole shebang. His hair looked like it was due for a conditioning. His knees and elbows were—Istus forbid it—dry!

He immediately cancelled his itinerary for three days and spent that time in the pocket spa, slathering ointments and tinctures onto his body to beat back any sign of distress.

--

Most folks (save the Starblaster crew, who knew him better than he knows himself) didn't catch on that something was different with Taako until several months in, some even years. Taako hated being perceived 24/7, spell slots be damned.

But slowly, he found himself less reliant on the glamour. His natural appearance looked less in need of intervention. It took time for the elf to catch to the cause, but oh boy when he realized it: the people around him were being a lot more accommodating now. The placating offers of rest and relief warmed to something a little gentler. The second Taako noticed the change, he leaned fully into it.

"Care for some fresh tea?" Ren asks.

"Don't fuss." "With lemon zest. Agave, no sugar."

"Do you want to take a break sir?" Angus asks.

"Nah I got plany off time" "If you're taking five, I'm taking five."

"Would you like for me to rub your back?" Kravitz asks.

"Yes." "Yes." (Who is he to say no?)

Glamor still helped. Made Taako look good even when the fatigue slowed him down. But not looking that way all of the time felt less and less like a bad thing. It was a nice unburdening. Like the sharp edges of a fancy table getting sanded down to reveal the grain underneath. Or something.

--

Taako looks up at Magnus and gives him a smirk and a shrug.

"Yeah, I should probably do something about that," he admits. He leans his head back into the couch cushions and drifts off to sleep.

#:0 just a small lil thing #taz balance #taako #magnus burnsides #the wonderland twins #the adventure zone #my writing #herbgerb fic

[stonehenge-asexual]

Relistening to taz balance and realizing that taako stops looking like lup during wonderland when he loses some of his beauty but with lups new body being grown from taakos after story and song, they would be identical again!!!!! thinking about taako being insecure about his face but eventually letting go of the glamor bc he gets to look like his twin!

#hello theyre twins your honor #taako insecurities vs the need to hold onto the twin identity: fight! #taz #taz balance #taaco twins #lup and taako #taako #lup

[beckyblah]

I love Viv and Vex but im also an old woman who remembers the Wonderland Twins debut in TAZ so it hits, but it doesnt hit different

#i remember charlie making a MBMBAM reference in a video once and my brain rebooting #but after watching JRWI it really is obvious how much of a mcelroy fan he is or was haha #which is good bc i too am a mcelroy fan

[apollos-boyfriend]

thought more about taz balance but the b stands for bedwars so here are more characters + notes bc i changed some of their races

garfield the deals warlock: scar (he looks like jellie)

johann: wilbur

angus mcdonald: purpled (dragon)

jenkins: grian

hurley: shubble (gnome)

sloane: katherine

lucas miller: fundy

maureen miller: sally

the wonderland twins: drista and dreamXD

#icarus speaks #b stands for bedwars #i have. thought about this au so much #i miss the balance gang :( #also i am a STRONG pusher for silver dragon angus #so. dragon purp is real

[sublimesublemon]

an amv of the taz wonderland twins but it's to "ladies and gentlemen" by saliva

#it's a genre shift for sure but the lyrics track imo and the song fuckin rules so #taz #b

[ficklepenguin]

taz

oh it's YOU again

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most): LUP...... LUP!!!!!

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped): yeah i'm probably gonna have to put barry here, no offense to angus, but barry fills me with love and joy

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave): if i could name one truly underappreciated character i would be shocked, i have no idea. davenport. i love him. there. i did it.

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week): basically the only characters i never shut up about are lup and barry. i'll say barbara and the jerries because that entire scene from start to finish makes me laugh like crazy.

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave): i'm counting the wonderland twins as one. i love them. mwah.

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason): haven't they been tormented enough? lmao jk it's probably lup again. i like to torment my favorites, what can i say

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell): lucas....

thank you for the ask again lmao

i realize now you didn't actually specify balance but that's the arc that lives in my head so....... :)

#the adventure zone #ask penguin #ungarmax

[crabbyhellfire]

I haven’t drawn these two in a hot minute, my only contribution to the TazB fandom

#art #digital art #procreate #taz #the adventure zone #tazb #the adventure zone balance #the suffering game #Lydia and Edward #wonderland twins #wonderland liches #McElroy #dnd #dungeons and dragons #lich

[just1gnome]

On my knees begging for more wonderland twins art I miss . them

#i couldnt keep the demons in #the adventure zone #taz wonderland twins

[gabbsglam]

Magnus, you landed on skull in the last round, didn’t you?

Yes.

Bad Luck.

#brrr this took so long #sobs #the adventure zone #taz #taz balance #the wonderland twins #the suffering game

[herbgerblin]

[ID: 3 panel comic of Lup, an elven woman with a slight build, freckles, and thick, curly hair. In the first panel she looks intimidating, standing with flame magic emitting from the hands at he sides. She asks, "are you the one who's been hurting my brother?" Second panel shows Edward, a male elf with short hair and wearing a heavy robe. He is looking up at Lup from within the umbrastaff, a look of fear in his eyes. He asks, "Am I—where are we?" Third panel is a close up of Lup's face, the left eye focused, and the right eye a brilliant white, with a shot of white hot flame shouting. Over the flame ate the words, "I'm going to fucking kill you now. End ID]

:0 always wanted to draw this scene

#lup #taz balance #my art #herbgerbart #the wonderland twins #the adventure zone

[asofteradventurezone]

or maybe I should get a job

#wonderland twins #the suffering game #edward and lydia #taz fanart #a softer world remix #The Adventure Zone #taz balance

[room-on-broom]

Imbalance and flux have been living in my head rent free at the same time for like a month now.

#doctor who #illustration #spoilers #the adventure zone #flux #taz imbalance #ish #art #my art #speedpaint #ink #magnus takes the chalice au #wonderland twins but make them like swarm and azure #ink brush pen #taz

[dotstronaut]

Welcome to Wonderland.

It’s time to put on a show.

#taz: balance #the adventure zone #wonderland twins #edward and lydia #i attempted my first design of them like two and a half years ago #this is a glo up #art

[starl1t-vo1d]

The outfit is still a work in progress! I'm really only posting this so that I can show @nickleerie the wig that I made based off of how he styles Lydia's hair in his drawings. It needs some touch ups certainly but I'm proud of it so far! This is a solid week of work.

#pleasebekind #taz #the adventure zone #the wonderland twins #the suffering game #the zone cast #taz balance #taz lydia