Hey guys, sorry updates are slow, but I wanted to clarify something about the relationship between Griz and Twilight because it's kind of important to keep in mind.
First of all, yes, the lingering issues with Towa believing Griz hated him for 15 years were brushed off, *for now*. The epilogue does tackle that, Towa breaks down to Minya about being afraid Griz was mistaken or might not really love him, so she tricks Griz into explaining how and why he fell in love with Towa/Twilight.
Which brings me to the most important part; what we see of Griz in the past is filtered HEAVILY through Towa's own self-loathing and belief that everyone, especially Griz, hated him. Griz, from the very beginning, was actually very kind to Twilight, even defending his character, and treated him like the vulnerable child he was. Griz's feelings towards Twilight weren't sexual, and as far as I can tell they weren't romantic at the time either. He took his responsibility as Twilight's guardian very seriously and genuinely wanted him to grow up properly. While he had initially thought of Twilight as arrogant and difficult, he still treated him well, and that opinion changed entirely with the fever. After Twilight fell asleep, he started feverishly calling out for his mom, which hit Griz with the reality of the situation. That this was a child, who was dropped into this world alone at just 13 years old, with no one he could rely on, and in an environment where he didn’t know who to trust.
He realised that Twilight's attitude and the lying was all just a defence mechanism, and fully committed to protecting and staying by his side.
As for the day of Twilight's death, what he said was both incredibly hurtful and insanely childish, but there is a reason for it. This isn't to excuse what he did, personally I don't like Griz and think he needs to grow tf up (he's still a manbaby that goes to drink and cry at Mommy's if Towa doesn't talk to him for a few days, like you're married and over thirty, wtf are you doing). That being said, it is important to remember that it was Minya's birthday, and along with him being a massive Momma's boy, at that point there was no cure for her illness, meaning there was no telling which birthday would be the last he could spend with her. Combined with the growing frustration with Twilight refusing to open up to him (again, not an excuse, but it was a sore spot for him), the stress got to him and he lashed out.
It was cruel, it was stupid, it wasn't okay, but it was understandable. And Twilight's subsequent disappearance DESTROYED him. Like I cannot emphasize enough how badly he felt, and how desperate he was to find him, even going to WAR because there were rumours of an Otherworlder in that area. He had left him somewhere that should have been the safest place in the country, with the knowledge that the next shift would be coming around soon after. If he thought there was even the slightest possibility that Twilight would be in danger, he would have stayed, no hesitation.
I'm not gonna defend him making out with or jerking off what he assumed was a 17-year-old Towa, but I understand why he wouldn't be in the state of mind to go about it the right way. He spent 4 years in a state of severe mental distress over failing to protect Towa and not knowing what happened to him, regretting that the last words he'd ever said to him was "I hate you" and that he'd never properly expressed how much he cared about him. He was overwhelmed by the reunion and was terrified of making the same mistakes. He skipped a lot of very necessary steps, but at the core of everything he has always genuinely loved and respected both Twilight and Towa.
Hey guys, sorry updates are slow, but I wanted to clarify something about the relationship between Griz and Twilight because it's kind of important to keep in mind.
First of all, yes, the lingering issues with Towa believing Griz hated him for 15 years were brushed off, *for now*. The epilogue does tackle that, Towa breaks down to Minya about being afraid Griz was mistaken or might not really love him, so she tricks Griz into explaining how and why he fell in love with Towa/Twilight.
Which brings me to the most important part; what we see of Griz in the past is filtered HEAVILY through Towa's own self-loathing and belief that everyone, especially Griz, hated him. Griz, from the very beginning, was actually very kind to Twilight, even defending his character, and treated him like the vulnerable child he was. Griz's feelings towards Twilight weren't sexual, and as far as I can tell they weren't romantic at the time either. He took his responsibility as Twilight's guardian very seriously and genuinely wanted him to grow up properly. While he had initially thought of Twilight as arrogant and difficult, he still treated him well, and that opinion changed entirely with the fever. After Twilight fell asleep, he started feverishly calling out for his mom, which hit Griz with the reality of the situation. That this was a child, who was dropped into this world alone at just 13 years old, with no one he could rely on, and in an environment where he didn’t know who to trust.
He realised that Twilight's attitude and the lying was all just a defence mechanism, and fully committed to protecting and staying by his side.
As for the day of Twilight's death, what he said was both incredibly hurtful and insanely childish, but there is a reason for it. This isn't to excuse what he did, personally I don't like Griz and think he needs to grow tf up (he's still a manbaby that goes to drink and cry at Mommy's if Towa doesn't talk to him for a few days, like you're married and over thirty, wtf are you doing). That being said, it is important to remember that it was Minya's birthday, and along with him being a massive Momma's boy, at that point there was no cure for her illness, meaning there was no telling which birthday would be the last he could spend with her. Combined with the growing frustration with Twilight refusing to open up to him (again, not an excuse, but it was a sore spot for him), the stress got to him and he lashed out.
It was cruel, it was stupid, it wasn't okay, but it was understandable. And Twilight's subsequent disappearance DESTROYED him. Like I cannot emphasize enough how badly he felt, and how desperate he was to find him, even going to WAR because there were rumours of an Otherworlder in that area. He had left him somewhere that should have been the safest place in the country, with the knowledge that the next shift would be coming around soon after. If he thought there was even the slightest possibility that Twilight would be in danger, he would have stayed, no hesitation.
I'm not gonna defend him making out with or jerking off what he assumed was a 17-year-old Towa, but I understand why he wouldn't be in the state of mind to go about it the right way. He spent 4 years in a state of severe mental distress over failing to protect Towa and not knowing what happened to him, regretting that the last words he'd ever said to him was "I hate you" and that he'd never properly expressed how much he cared about him. He was overwhelmed by the reunion and was terrified of making the same mistakes. He skipped a lot of very necessary steps, but at the core of everything he has always genuinely loved and respected both Twilight and Towa.