There is no possible way to truly encapsulate everything that “Twinkie Boy” is. It is a story of survival, of hope lost, and of hope found. Beyond all that, this is a story that is just downright strange in all the best ways. I think we’ve all tried hard to really stick to more hardcore and serious topics while writing our stories, so reading “Twinkie Boy” was really refreshing because you just throw seriousness to the wind and go for it. This was a fun world to be thrown into and turning Hostess into a “cryptid”-like thing post-apocalypse was definitely the right move. I never really felt bogged down by the realism of the situation. Of course the main character couldn’t possibly survive on twinkies alone, but in YOUR story, he does. I think people forget that while yes, some fiction does benefit from realism, not all stories have to follow the rules. Your story is a great example of what happens when you break realism and essentially say “Fuck it”. I loved the story and the plot was definitely one that I wanted to see through. If anything, I was more confused by Mr. Smith’s name change. Why the name Hussein? It just seems very random. The only reasoning I can see is with the meaning of the name, which is “good, small handsome one”, which can be used in an ironic sense as Hussein is a goblin-esq. creature. I also wish the reader could’ve gotten a glimpse into the adventures of your main character and Hussein. I could really see it go towards a “Don Quixote” direction. Overall, great job!