a lot of yall just hate listening to intersex people. why did my intersex friend comment on a post of a trans person using the term afab to mean "born female" with "hey so afab/amab were originally made as terms to describe the intersex experiences of being assigned one sex and it being wrong. it doesnt mean "born female/male" and perisex trans people shouldnt be using it they bastardized the whole thing" and the person responded "hey im actually a trans healthcare worker who works with a lot of trans people AND I was actually in the room when an INTERSEX BABY was delivered and ive never heard about that" and its like hey did you know that working with perisex trans people is not a substitute for talking and listening to intersex adults? and that "being in the room" when an intersex baby was delivered is Also not a substitute for talking and listening to intersex adults? did you know?
Looking back, you know what should’ve tipped me off to the Caretaker being a Snail Shaman? He talks about his cousin and his uncle.
Family ties are incredibly important in Hollow Knight, but it’s almost always siblings or parent and child. Those connections are absolutely everywhere, from the main characters to minor NPCs, and both games explore them on an emotional and thematic level. But no one mentions the siblings of their parents, save the snails.
Perhaps most bugs don’t keep up with their extended family, or simply don't need unique terms for them. The broad culture of bugs in Pharloom and Hallownest seems to recognize parenthood and siblings, but doesn’t give much weight to family beyond that.
But not the snails! The snails are the only characters in all of Hollow Knight and Silksong to use terms like aunt, uncle, and cousin. And they value these connections; the Caretaker and Chapel Maid kept in touch with their uncle and cousin, while the Snail Shamans of Hallownest remained aware of each other even as the kingdom grew into a deadly ruin.
It seems to indicate a culture with a different understanding of family, one which is broad and systematized. They not only remain in touch with their parents’ siblings, but they have specific terms for those connections and use them regularly. And it fits well with their family’s interest in SOUL. Their power is carefully cultivated across generations, and places like the Ancestral Mound and Chapel of the Shaman reflect the importance of ancestors and the knowledge they pass on. It makes sense that their concept of family would center around defined relations and lines of descent, something close-knit and organized
fun scfi idea cyborg fake boy who upgrades to a fully cyborg body to get rid of her tits and womb but gets her new body from a genetics company. Apparently her new body has a bio womb which like it’s fine she thinks I’ll just remove the part that controls semen intake. Nope proprietary tech she’ll get sued oh I guess no sex for her, but apparently she didn’t read her contract closely her new cyber brain has a built maternal instincts chip. Meaning every 9 months she has to fuck a man to fill her bio womb she’s runs to the nearest man crying all the way as she rapes herself on his cock seeing the new company property she’ll be forced into loving as that supposed lack of tits quickly realizing she had inflatable cooling sacs she didn’t get removed breaking down realizing she’s more of a women then she was in her meat body and she’s in a 20 year contract
I'm a little scared of how many folks I've seen already forming a prejudice against the idea of ilya & shane having kids or even discussing the possibility in "unrivaled", because in "the long game" that's like ¼ of what they're thinking about. rachel can do it and it'd be true to the characters, but i fear that the fandom have predetermined that it'd be extremely problematic and that they wouldn't enjoy it, and I'm even more paraniod that rachel could see and accept these judgments as feedback.
honestly, I'd kill for a hollanov family. I'd kill to see shane & ilya navigate parenthood and possibly disagree on what they think is best for their kid's future, especially regarding hockey, unveiling how they truly feel about their own childhoods and being put onto an intense career path at a very young age. and putting all of that aside, the amount of cute and romantic moments we could get out of dads or dads-to-be hollanov would be incredible!
Just here to say that i would eat the hell out of the so'lek as spider's dad au and have been checking if u posted more about it every now and then
Oh, thank you!
I've always wondered what a relationship between those two would be like, considering how Spider was born and raised on Pandora, So'lek would be a lot warmer towards him. The boy isn't Na'vi, but he's as close to being one as he can get and has shed blood for their cause. I dunno, I just feel like So'lek would have been an excellent caretaker for Spider and would have taken him in as his own.
Here are some headcanons down below!
-) From the moment the child is placed in his care, So'lek claims him as his own. Spider eats when So'lek eats. Sleeps when So'lek sleeps. Walks half a step behind him, instinctively matching his pace. So'lek makes room for Spider in his world, teaching him all that he knows so that the boy will grow up to be better than his kin… And maybe, just maybe, So'lek took Spider under his care to see for himself if human children can be raised to become better than the adults who came to Pandora. So far, Spider has been nothing but a sweet child with clear eyes and an open mind, eager to learn.
-) So'lek raises Spider to be a hunter and a protector. He teaches him how to read a clearing before stepping into it. How to listen to the wind, to people, to what isn’t being said. When Spider makes mistakes, So'lek doesn’t shout. He stops. Looks at him. Waits. The disappointment and chastisement in that silence is lesson enough, and Spider learns quickly.
-) There is a deep, unspoken gentleness in the way So'lek handles him, especially when Spider is still so small at eight years of age. He adjusts his stride without thinking, so the child can keep up. He places a steady hand on Spider’s back when crossing dangerous terrain or picks him up to sit on his shoulder. He positions himself between Spider and every threat, human or otherwise, without a word. The boy is his. Miles Socorro is his, and none will dare to harm him.
-) So'lek never lies to Spider, never sugarcoats the atrocities Spider's kind have committed, but he also never lets Spider believe that he's responsible for the actions of grown adults, nor does he take his resentments out on him. Spider is a child, and So'lek treats him as such because the boy deserves to enjoy a childhood free of judgment or scrutiny.
-) As Spider gets older, So'lek starts asking for Spider’s input. Listening. Taking his assessments seriously. When Spider challenges him, it’s met not with anger, but consideration. So'lek doesn’t get annoyed when being questioned; he welcomes it, because it means Spider is thinking for himself. That mutual respect becomes the backbone of their relationship. However, he will not tolerate backtalking or disrespect, and if Spider gets just a little bit slick-mouthed, So'lek will give him a single warning to watch his mouth…or else.
-) In all the years Spider has known him, So'lek has never brought up his "demon" blood. Never compared him to anyone else. Never demanded that he be grateful. Never made him feel like he was a burden or a waste of resources.
-) There are moments, many, where So'lek’s restraint cracks just enough to reveal the depth of his love for his son. The first time Spider is seriously injured, So'lek’s composure fractures, his hands shake as he tends the wound, jaw tight with barely contained fury at the RDA mercenary who dared hurt his son.
-) So'lek is harder on Spider than he would ever be on a Na’vi child, and Spider knows it from a very young age. It is not cruelty. Spider is human, smaller, slower to heal, and more fragile in a world that is uninhabitable to his kind, and So'lek refuses to coddle him. Where another guardian might soften the rules, So'lek tightens them because a single error could get Spider killed or seriously injured.
-) Spider is required to be more disciplined, more observant, more precise. Mistakes that would be brushed off in others are corrected firmly in him. Perhaps it seems unfair, but So'lek holds his son to a higher standard and expects him to be better and do better.
-) So'lek is proud of him, deeply, fiercely proud, even if he seldom says it outright. That pride shows itself in little ways. In the way So'lek entrusts Spider with tasks meant for adults. In the way he defers to Spider’s judgment during missions. In the way his gaze lingers for half a second longer after Spider succeeds, something like approval settling in his eyes. When others question Spider’s place among them, So'lek does not argue. He simply stands closer to his son, eyes narrowed as he calmly tells them that they are speaking to his son and would do well to remember that he has earned his place.
-) Spider doesn't know anything about his biological parents and chooses not to. All he has is his mother's surname, but the moment So'lek adopted him, he cast her name away in favor of bearing So'lek's name. So'lek knows who Spider's father is, but chooses not to tell him until the "time is right." Even then, he may never tell him for Spider's own safety and peace of mind. The only ones who know are So'lek, Alma, and Sarentu. When Spider turned eighteen, and So'lek hesitantly asked him if he wanted to know the truth about his parents, Spider firmly refused. "I don't know who they were and I don't want to know. You are my father. My parent. That is the truth."
-) And on the rare occasion when Spider falters, when exhaustion or grief or fear finally catches up to him, So'lek does not scold. He kneels, meets his eyes, and reminds him, quietly, "Look at me. I am here. Just breathe."
