#which has a distinctly similar handle

[comradekatara]

Ok we should talk more about sokka and aang because these two dumbasses are adorable together! Underrated relationship

The gag with Katara and blind Toph in season 3 is still the funniest scene in the series lol

yeah their friendship very cute. i like how when they're left to their own devices their respective adhd tendencies combine, that feels very true to my relationships with my friends who also have adhd lol. it's also just really adorable how through aang's sheer lovability, sokka learns to loosen up a little and appreciate life (somewhat, sometimes) in a more relaxed, content way. aang is a really good and highly valuable influence on everyone around him, especially as he counteracts the logic of war and its necessity for violence, which is an ideology sokka not only heavily subscribes to, but to which he attaches his very personhood. aang reminds sokka that he is still a child (he reminds katara of this too, but it happens in the literal pilot, whereas sokka's journey to literally enjoying himself ever is far more gradual and grueling). aang reminds sokka that he is human.

that said, i do think that people tend to be reductive when talking about the value of their relationship. not to single you out specifically, but i do kind of take umbrage with the notion (perhaps unintentional) that all their dynamic is good for is being adorable and funny. calling them "dumbasses" because they can be silly and goofy sometimes, or scatterbrained and absent-minded. i genuinely think that aang and sokka constitute one of the most interesting foils in the entire show. normally when we talk about character foils, we talk about characters who are positioned in opposition to each other, but aang and sokka are fascinating because they're allies (and friends) who nonetheless approach the same problem with the same intentions and the same goals but from completely different angles.

in many ways, sokka is aang's most distinct opposite. but first, to address their similarities: they're both victims of a genocidal imperialist project that has burdened them with a responsibility to their people that they are too young and barely equipped to handle; they are both expected to shoulder this burden easily by those around them due to their nature as "gifted" child prodigies with distinctly unique skillset and an unprecedented ability to absorb and apply new information that they learn at a genuinely abnormal rate (remember that aang is not just the avatar, but an incredibly prodigious avatar at that; he mastered all four elements within less than a year by the age of twelve, whereas most avatars take at least another four years to master their elements); they are both the "leaders" of their small guerrilla militia of child soldiers, and they take turns giving each other guidance and trusting and following the other's lead; they both consider katara the central figure in their lives and love her with an almost obsessive devotion; they both repress their grief and other unpalatable emotions through humor and constant distraction, and sometimes even depersonalize entirely when they feel that their goal is more important than retaining their humanity (sokka does this more frequently, but when aang does it, it's more blatant); and of course, they both harbor massive guilt complexes for the devastating tragedies (largely beyond their control) that have shaped their lives, and are constantly replaying those moments of "failure" as that of acute shame to motivate themselves as they strive to rectify and "atone" for their past errors.

so, as you can see, reducing their friendship to "adorable dumbasses" is already not very interesting. to me, the best aang and sokka scenes aren't the ones wherein they are playing and goofing around together. those scenes are sweet and charming, of course, but the best aang and sokka scenes are the ones wherein sokka is positioned as the logical consequence of aang's grief. wherein present-day sokka becomes the worst case scenario for a hypothetical future aang. in many ways, their friendship is incredibly bittersweet, because it is also punctuated by moments wherein sokka threatens aang's entire value system and quote-unquote "innocence" through attempting to mold him into a Man Of War the way he does those hapless toddlers in his village. for all that sokka is remarkably open-minded and receptive to new ideas, he cannot see past the limits of the world he was born into and the mechanisms and assumptions of violence he was forced to internalize and embody. aang is, of course, totally unique in his ability to not only envision a world beyond the war (i would argue that katara has the ability to do this as well), but also to have actually experienced it. and so it is truly a testament to aang's resilience that he is almost entirely impervious to sokka's ruthless, militaristic logic, even as sokka constantly attempts to enforce it.

i have a much longer post in my drafts about how aang and sokka are positioned in "the serpent's pass" (one of their best episodes in terms of their dynamic, also just a highly underrated episode in general), so i'm not gonna get too much into it here, but katara's relationship to aang as paralleled with suki's relationship to sokka is really fascinating in this episode for the ways in which it also positions katara's grief over witnessing aang's attempt to detach himself from his grief to focus on his goals and aang slipping into "sokkahood," and the absolutely devastating implications of what that must mean for katara. i think there's a strong case, in general, for the reading of katara attempting to replace her lost childhood (with sokka) through aang as he represents a vehicle for her overly idealized nostalgia (much like how zuko projects onto aang and views him as a vehicle to return to that site of his overly idealized childhood), and thus, quite literally, replacing sokka with aang. to katara, aang possesses what sokka has since lost, or perhaps something he never got the chance to have in the first place. and that isn't to say that katara views aang as a brother, but rather that katara longs for companionship in any form, and what is aang if not the ideal companion? so aang's grief and rage scares her not only because it pains her to see someone she loves so deeply in so much pain, but also because it reflects her own pain back at her, as someone who has lost so much, including family members (also including kanna and hakoda) who are, ostensibly (at least physically), still alive.

one of the most fascinating scenes between sokka and aang in the entire show is when sokka straight up attacks aang for burning katara in "the deserter." katara is very clearly affected by this beyond simply the physical pain; being burned by the weapon that killed her mother is explicitly triggering for her, and she retreats into herself and sobs like a child (she is a child, but you know what i mean. an even younger child). and sokka in turn is triggered by katara being triggered, because his entire existence revolves around his oath to protect her, and she was just hurt by the one person to whom she stakes all her hope and pride and joy and affection above all. aang obviously understands the gravity of this accident immediately; it of course wasn't intentional, but he nonetheless takes full accountability and apologizes sincerely. but sokka only calms down somewhat once he knows for certain that katara is okay. and instead of going to find katara as she sobs, he spends all his focus on yelling at aang, throwing him to the ground, more furious than we have ever seen him. and in a way, it's clear that he's also furious at himself, for having let his guard down around and trusted aang, and for his failure to perform his primary duty, protecting his sister. the fulcrum of aang and sokka's relationship is, necessarily, katara. she is the force that brings them together, and the person who is most important to either of them, but she also person who connects them in her mind, and so our perceptions of them as the audience are primarily informed by her perception of them as the narrator.

moreover, sokka's advocacy for killing zuko (in "the siege of the north") and ozai (in "sozin's comet") constitute two more fascinating scenes with aang, for the way in which sokka does not even find the act of killing something to flinch at, let alone an absolute betrayal of core principles and values the way aang does. killing is simply not something sokka feels guilty about, despite the fact that he seems to carry guilt over simply existing a lot of the time. and that juxtaposition, between aang and sokka playing together, of sokka learning how to have fun and entertain his little friend, versus sokka chastising aang for refusing to commit murder, is what makes their relationship so compelling. when people reduce their dynamic to its most comedic and innocent mode, they are reducing their roles as they embody two opposing relationships to violence, and how that reflects their ideological positions as someone who has subscribed to imperialist logic insofar as his values have been shaped by war, as opposed to someone who knows through his own experiences to refute that logic by any means necessary. when we talk about aang helping sokka to regain his humanity, it is crucial to understand specifically how sokka lost his humanity in the first place, but also why aang specifically is so crucial in counterbalancing his logic in a way no one else alive actually can.

ultimately, if sokka represents the voluntary auto-dehumanization of the colonized subject, then aang represents the potential of preservation and even reclamation of humanity and the imaginative potential of a world[view] beyond those colonial limits. their ideological conflict is not simply one of what it means to be human within a colonized paradigm, but what it means to exist at all.

#lilith-91 #asks #aang&sokka #analysis #aang #sokka #katara #under a readmore again bc i ended up writing a bajillion paragraphs (again) #also sorry for getting kind of existential with it #again obligatory disclaimer that i recognize that this is a nickelodeon y-7 cartoon #that said. i do think aang and sokka are really deep characters. like truly #and i want to honor that properly #(when i finish that serpents pass essay its over for u hoes...) #anyway. i love them so much. they are so much more than adorable dumbasses. #although yeah they are that too

[fereldanwench]

apropos of nothing and certainly not my tag rant from a few posts back

did you know that out of 150 popular video games released between 1985 and 2022, only 6% of them feature sole female protagonists?

did you know that prior to mass effect 3, female shepard was never used in any promotional material for the series?

(and there's no hard data available on this, but i very distinctly recall a lot of gamerbro outrage when me3 had an optional reversible cover so you could pick between male and fem shep on your personal game)

did you know that only 18% of players chose femshep in any shape or form (default or customized) during the original release?

(anecdotally, i know a few people who didn't even realize you could play a female at all in me1 bc of how the cc is setup)

did you know with the release of the legendary edition in 2021 the percentage of femshep players didn't even double (despite jennifer hale's seemingly enormous popularity amongst the broader playerbase over the past decade) and is reported at 32%?

did you know that dragon age inquisition has the same breakdown between male and female inquisitors (68% to 32% respectively)?

did you know during the playtests for assassin's creed odyssey, it was a 50/50 split between kassandra and alexios, and ubisoft suits actually thought when the game was released, kassandra would be more popular? and yet once again, about 70% of players chose the male protag

did you know evie and aya were both supposed to have a much larger roles in assassin's creed syndicate and origins but were forced into a smaller role bc the ubisoft marketing team didn't think the games would sell well with a female lead?

cdpr hasn't released data on male vs female v, probably because the game handles gender a little differently than just two strict options like many other rpgs, but it was revealed that panam was the most popular romance, sitting at about 68%, which means at least 68% of players chose the male v body. I'm sure some players did not make that choice as a cis male v, but i would also guess that those who didn't are a small minority of this demographic, and if you factor in kerry romancers, this split is probably very similar to other games in the genre

now i realize that a lot of the male v players who are in more transformative fandom spaces (like tumblr) are not the str8 gamer dudebros of reddit angry about pores on a female character's face and whatnot. i realize that a lot of you are also on the outskirts of the perceived norm and also feel under-represented by mainstream male protags and that's incredibly frustrating and alienating and i genuinely feel for you

but female protagonists and female gamers who want to play as female protagonists and who have a few niche spaces to celebrate female protags are not the reason for your lack of representation

and frankly you don't sound a whole lot different from the angry incel gamer boys when you say shit like "fem v gets too much attention"

so maybe try advocating for male protags who don't fit the generic boring gruff white guy mold without throwing women under the bus. we're should be allies in this fight, not rivals

#t: wench.txt #leaving reblogs on as long as ppl behave #but i will come down hard with the block button on bad faith replies to this

[greenthena]

Ineffable Lapels: Our Side

I've seen some stellar breakdowns and analyses of the costuming for Good Omens, and I'm personally blown away by the consideration afforded to each element of the visual production of this show. I even appreciate the anachronistic elements that Claire Anderson chose to use in the 537 A.D. Kingdom of Wessex flashback, because aesthetic was more important than historical accuracy (Oscar Wilde would support me here, I am certain.) And to be perfectly honest, 6th century European armor was not going to cut it. So much quilting.

This discussion is just a little traffic circle spin that I wanted to address with no larger point than to say how much I adore Anderson's work on this show. That's a lie. This post has actually gotten out of hand, so grab yourself six shots of espresso in a big cup and get in. We're going for a ride.

It's the smallest detail, but have you noticed the Ineffable Idiots' lapels? Crowley's lapels always point up (not the case with any other demons). Aziraphale's lapels always point down* (again, not the case with other angels). *I'll address the one divergence at the end of this post. It's kind of the whole point. It'll be worth it. Just drink your espresso and listen.

Lapels are a fantastically subtle way to express characterization when costuming an angel and a demon. Perhaps Aziraphale's lapels are an echo of his wings? Maybe Crowley's lapels symbolize devil horns? Maybe their costumes are just reaching out trying to give each other a hug. I dunno.

I'm going to start with promo shots from both seasons that show Crowley and Aziraphale's present day wardrobes. The first promo shot pictures the costumes for all of present day S1. It's perfect for demonstrating the most pronounced expression of the lapels. Consider this a baseline or something like that.

The close up of the promo for S2 (featuring nakey Gabriel and the migrating nightingales...I'm not crying, you're crying) shows pretty similar costumes to the first season. Yes, the hairstyles have subtly changed (Crowley's not so subtly, perhaps), but the lapel positioning for both characters remains consistent.

Going back in time. (Let's call this the Baby Antichrist Era, shall we?) Crowley's collar is quite a bit narrower than in the present day, but the lapels still point up. Obviously, Aziraphale is still wearing the same coat. Obviously.

I will never recover from this John Lennon bastardry. But still, check out those lapels. And the brocade is so 60's and so over the top.

And here's Michael delivering his favorite line from S1, whilst breaking Crowley's (and literally everyone else's) heart. Do take a gander at those downward-facing lapels, though, and 'scuse me while I go have a quick cry.

I'm going out of order with this next image, back to the start of the Holy Water incident. (Don't worry, we will get to 1941. It requires more attention and will have to wait its turn.) Not a whole lot I want to pull from this image other than Aziraphale's fuzzy top hat and Crowley's snake-handled cane, which I believe he's using as he recovers from his recent trip to Hell. These costume pieces have nothing to do with lapels, I just think they're neat. But the lapel pattern holds: up for the demon, down for the angel.

A few decades earlier, we see Crowley in Edinburgh just hours before being sucked into an infernal whirlpool. The lapels here are more parallel than distinctly upward-pointing, but the extravagant shoulders on this overcoat demand a balancing lapel line.

Likewise, on Aziraphale's overcoat we don't see a defined downward-pointing lapel, so much as a wide horizontal collar, but the layers of wing-like capelets create an impression of flowing down. With these two stunning overcoats from the Edinburgh flashback set, I think the unusual period elements take the place of the lapels in demonstrating the upward tilt in Crowley's ensembles, and the downward pull in Aziraphale's.

Okay, now we can discuss 1941. Because this is where the cookie crumbles. Originally, these costumes vexed me. As usual, Crowley wears his upward-pointing lapels. But Azirapalala, goddamnit, also has upward-pointing lapels to match Crowley. But am I gonna' let a little thing like this destroy my thesis? Don't shit with me when I am analyzing costumes, because this is also the night when Aziraphale realizes he's in love with Crowley (this is Sheen cannon and cannot be disputed).

Their lapels match because of Aziraphale's revelation--he finally understands what it means to be on "Our Side," because he's finally admitted to himself that he is head-over-bloody-heels in love with the wily demon. The matching lapels in 1941 is some St. John of Patmos-level stuff, I think, their matching collars revealing their synchronicity. Even if it's only for the one night, they're one the same page, heading in the same direction. I know many of us in the fandom are pretty preoccupied with the idea of a third 1941 flashback in S3 because this night seems to be the hinge in their relationship. It's the night when everything changes. It's not just Crowley swooping in to rescue his angel, as he's done in the past. They're mutually dependent on one another to make it through the night alive, well, at least to avoid discorporation (it's romantic, okay?) Crowley diverts the Luftwaffe plane; Aziraphale protects them from the blast of the bomb; Crowley saves the books; Aziraphale saves Crowley's ass from an irate Mrs. Henderson; Crowley saves Aziraphale's magic show (by literally not discorporating him on stage); and Aziraphale saves both their asses with some surprisingly successful prestidigitation when he swaps out the incriminating photo Furfur had managed to snap of the Ineffable Morons.

Crowley and Aziraphale's matching lapels in 1941 isn't a fluke or a costuming blunder. I think it's a very subtle head nod to what we all know actually happened that night: Aziraphale took a tenuous step forward in their relationship. A step 6000 years in the making. A step that, if noticed by their respective superiors, could mean the actual and eternal end to them. He couldn't shout it from the rooftops--he couldn't even speak of it directly in private (I mean he tried, but "That's what friends are for" was as painful for the viewer as it was for Crowley and Aziraphale.) He couldn't disclose through words or direct actions what he needed the demon to know, so he used what avenue he had available to him. Through the subdued symbolism of his bloody lapels, Aziraphale communicated to his demon, "I am on Our Side."

For reading to the end of this post, you get a very special reward! Here is The Amazing Mr. Fell. I love him. I'm not going to address right now the fantastic costume because this beauty deserves a post of its own--the cape with the stars! THE CAPE WITH THE STARS! HE'S SWATHED HIMSELF IN CROWLEY'S CREATION...I'm fine.

#good omens #aziracrow #aziraphale #crowley #costumes #ineffable husbands #ineffable idiots #amazing mr. fell #I just wrote a whole post about lapels #aziraphale is in love #crowley is in love #can i get a wahoo

[haikyuufanficwriting]

Chapter 12: Terushima

Prompt: Reader pressing their forehead against Character's forehead to check if they have a fever Character: Terushima _________________

When you had decided to be the next manager for the Johzenji Boys Volleyball Team, you distinctly remembering being warned. In fact, the reason you remember so clearly is because of how ludicrous you remember it sounding.

“These boys are a handful, you know. They’re bound to give you troubles and endless headaches. But they’re worth it if you put in the effort. Do you think you have what it takes?”

The question that was posed by the, at the time, third year and current manager, Hana Misaki. And though you had the urge to roll your eyes and snort, the look on her face seemed infinitely serious. Her eyes bore into your soul, and you couldn’t form the strength to look away. It was almost as if she was sizing you up, trying to deem you worthy of such a treacherous feat. Yet still, instead of taking it as a sign that maybe you should find another extracurricular activity to get your parents off your back, in your second-year naivety and rebellious nature, you assured Misaki that you could indeed handle it, and to ‘leave it to me’ as she gave you a doubtful yet hopeful gaze.

In your current position now, you could easily say that she was with full certainty trying to warn you.

Because while they did grow and learn from the absolute beating of the preliminaries last year, it didn’t change the nature of the team. They were still childish, which was only cute to a point, and still completely dependent on your leadership. The constant reminders to not fool around, to clean up after them, and the countless variations of ‘No Terushima, that’s not physically possible, put Futamata down.’

But on the other hand, you still don’t regret joining the team. Watching them evolve has definitely been the highlight of your final year in high school, and whether you wanted to or not, you’ve grown to care for the whole team. 

Right now, however, the care has seemed to dissipate for one particular member.

“Where the hell is Terushima?” You mutter to yourself, glancing at the clock, then to Runa to which she gives a nimble shrug. Fifteen minutes had passed since the start of practice, and you were all currently waiting on the man of the hour, the captain. You let out a sigh of frustration as the grip on your pencil gets tighter.

“Okay,” You start, causing all the attention to go on you. “Anyone know where Terushima might be?” You get a bout of silence, before some shakes of the head and some shrugs. You turn to the other two main culprits, and your fellow third-years, Futamata and Okudake, for them to only look at you with just as much confusion as the rest.

“Last I saw Yuuji was before last period. Haven’t seen him since.” Okudake recounts a similar story, and you have to close your eyes for the wave of fury to subside.

“Alright, then. Guess I’ll have to go look for him and drag his ass back here. The idiot was probably after some girl and lost track of time.” You utter the last bit to yourself in distaste. While he was recently on the high of wanting to do well in the preliminaries, he never really could shake that fuckboy mentality of his. “The coach is going to be here in about 20 minutes, so I’ll try to find him before he loses it. I know he’s usually in charge of the drills, so Okudake, you’ll cover them for now. Remember the preliminaries are coming up; this is the chance to redeem yourselves. Don’t mess around. Runa, you’re in charge till I get back.” You delegate as they all nod, showing their understanding. You take another deep breath, before putting your notebook aside and walking out of the gym frustrated at the extra task you sure as hell didn't sign up for, leaving the boys to themselves.

“He’s gonna be the death of her.” Okudake chuckles.

“Nah. She’ll probably kill him first.” Futamata states before picking up a ball.

~~

You can’t seem to stop muttering curses at the existence of Terushima Yuuji, all the while scouring the halls at all the usual spots he goes to either pick up girls or skip class. In the year you’ve been manager you’ve come to learn a lot about Terushima, albeit unwillingly, though it does come to help at times like these.

However, he wasn’t in any of them. Which was a little more than odd. Because with the multiple occurrences in which he has lost track of time, he was always in one of the untracked corners of the school. Could he have really gone home?

Now more than outraged, you slam the door of the staircase open to return to the gym, no longer caring if the coach chews him out, when you swear you hear the weakest utterance of your name. You pause. What the hell?

“[Name]? Is that you?” You recognized the voice instantly, but it was so much weaker, so much more lifeless than any time you’ve heard him speak. You were instantly worried. You ran up the stairs to find the one and only, Terushima, sitting on the stairs and the worst shade of green you’ve ever seen on a person. You have to forcibly hold in a gasp.

“Terushima? What in the hell are you doing here?” You can see the amount of effort it takes for him to lift his head. Eye bags prominent, sweat adorning his forehead.

He looked like death personified.

“I’m going to practice. I just needed a little break.” The sentences seemed to be too much for his lungs to take, because he immediately had a coughing fit afterwards, and you flinch with every sound that leaves his throat. It was not pretty.

But you couldn’t focus too much on that.

“What do you mean ‘going to practice’? You look like you’re dying! You’re clearly sick. You need to go home!”

“The preliminaries are coming up again. I need to practice.”

“The hell you are!”

“It’s not that bad-“

His raspy voice is cut off, by your grabbing of his head. He doesn’t have any time to process anything before you bring your face to his. Your cheek touches his moist forehead, to be met with a sudden burning sensation.

Just as you suspected. Fever. And a high one with that.

“Idiot. You’re burning up; and if you had any sort of brain that wasn’t already mushed up by the fever, you’d know that you wouldn’t even be able to do much.” Your voice has turned soft, and for some reason you still haven’t released his head. Perhaps it was this gentle attitude that causes him to lay his head into your hands, or the fatigue or the illness that was eating him upside.

Regardless, it causes your own face to heat up. You clear your throat.

“Okay, you need to get up. We can go to the nurse, and they can call your parents.”

“They’re away. Trip.” His eyes are barely open at this point. Once given the opportunity to rest, he couldn’t get up. His whole body was shutting down. You tsked at the unfortunate circumstances.

“Okay, I’ll call a cab and take you home.”

“What about practice?”

“It’ll be fine. Runa and the coach will be there. I can’t leave you like this.”

And you didn’t. You texted Runa all the details, telling her to tell the coach and others, all the while ordering an uber to take you and Terushima to his house. You remember the address from the countless times you’ve brought notes over to help him study for a test that he seemed to forget until the day before. The hard part was about to come.

Getting Terushima to move.

He seemed to be on low power mode, and still a couple seconds away from passing out. You weren’t even sure how he made it this far on his own. But, with all the strength you could muster, you grabbed waist and hoisted him up and to lean on you. He was warm, which was partially due to the fever but, it was a weight that was extremely comforting to you. He also didn’t smell terrible, which was odd to you. If he was in good health, you’d say that his scent wouldn’t even be bad.

Probably really good.

You shake away the intrusive thoughts, which soon come right back to you when you feel his hand grip your waist. Tightly. You squeak, surprised, but he didn’t seem to notice, only focused on standing upright.

It was for the better anyways, because he would’ve likely seen you blush all the way to the car.

You open the door to the car, and greet the driver quickly, before carefully placing Terushima inside, being mindful of his head and making sure he was comfortably seated and walking to the other side. He turns to you.

“Yo-you’re coming?” He asks weakly, and you roll eyes. “Of course I am, moron. You can’t even walk properly.” You mumble the last bit, but you were sure he heard because his expression changed to something you couldn’t quite place.

The ride consisted of the usual tension that came from uber rides, along with you making sure that Terushima didn’t fall asleep, knowing it would be a lot harder to get him up if he did. Finally, you got to his house, and thanked the driver while pulling Terushima up like a ragdoll and dragging him to his house. You unlocked the door with the keys from his bag and once opened, you scourged a place to put him, knowing damn well you wouldn’t be able to get him up the stairs if getting him down was such as issue. After some scanning, you managed to get him on one of the long couches in his living room. You let him down gently, not thinking too hard about his blatant refusal to let go of you for a few seconds. You put his stuff down and blow out a sigh.

Okay next steps.

“Hey.” You weren’t sure why, but you used a hushed voice. Maybe because he seemed extremely out of it now, but also because just the state of him made you feel a certain kind of way. A way you would’ve never thought you would feel. “Which room is yours? I’m going to bring some of your blankets down.” He groans a little.

“It’s too hot.” He says before coughing into his pillow, and you grimace. Yeah, okay you’ll deal with the fever first. Since you don’t know where his family keeps the medication, and you don’t think Terushima is the most trustworthy source at the moment, you decide to do the best you can. You go to the kitchen and get a small rag to put under cold water. You rung it out slightly, coming back to gently place the rag on his forehead. You hear him let out a sound of comfort, to which you give a sigh of relief.

You figured that once he cools down he still might get shivers, as true of any fever, so you decide to head upstairs and try to find his room. But you feel a slightly sweaty hand grab your wrist weakly.

“Stay.”

Terushima muttered it lightly, but it made your heart do a full flip. Was he usually this clingy when he was sick? You bit your lip lightly, bending down to his level. “I’m just getting you some blankets, I’ll be back.”

He held your hand for a while, before letting go, seemingly understanding that you were going to come back. You let out a huge breathe, rubbing your cheeks to rid them of your blush, before going upstairs to look for his room. You found it easily, and grabbed the blankets, bunching them up in your arms. You come back down and throw them on a chair in the living area, close enough for easy grabbing if he’d get cold.

“You came back.” Terushima notices weakly, and snort. “Yeah, of course. What, you thought I’d jump out the window?” You go to check on the rag, making sure it was still cold, trying to avoid eye contact. But you couldn’t avoid his tired eyes.

“With how much I bother you, it seems possible.” He seems to be forming longer sentences, which is a good sign. “Do you really think I’m that cruel?” He laughs quietly. “No, but you’re a hardass.” You roll your eyes.

“Yeah, cause you guys are stupid enough to pull shit like this.” Terushima shifts in his place, rotating to face you properly.

“Preliminaries are coming up. I needed to practice. I’m the captain.”

“Not to death, moron.” He stays quiet. You sigh. “Look, I admire your dedication, but you need to find a balance. Know when to put yourself and your health first.” He still doesn’t say anything, but shivers slightly. You immediately grab the blanket from the chair and cover him with it. “Told you you’d get cold.” Terushima clicks his tongue, piercing shining in the light of his living room. You take the rag of his forehead, using your hand to dab up any remaining moisture.

“You need to sleep it off. Get some strength back.” You order, getting up to rewet the rag.

“Will you be here when I wake up?” His question catches you off guard, his eyes watching your whole-body twist around, mouth open like a gaping fish. You take a couple seconds to formulate your answer.

“…Of course I will.”  The answer leads him to give you a comforted smile, before closing his eyes, letting exhaustion take over.

“You’re a really good manager, you know.” And with that, Terushima is out like a light. You stare slightly, flustered.

“Thank you.”

~~

Terushima wakes up with a slightly pulsing body ache, a sore throat, but not much else. He doesn’t know how long he’s slept for, but he did know it was deep. He sits up to see the sky darkened tremendously, and across the living room to clock to read that it was close to midnight.

He clears his throat uncomfortably. He winces at the pain.

“Hey you’re awake.” Your voice causes him to jump, muscles aching from the sudden movement, as he whips his head to you in his kitchen, stirring a pot over his stovetop. His look of confusion must’ve been evident, so you decided to fill him in.

“I made some soup with some things I found around the kitchen. Hope you don’t mind.” He watches you ladle some soup into a bowl and make your way to him. You give him the soup, smile comforting yet still worried.

“How are you feeling now?” He clears his throat again.

“Better.” Terushima’s voice is extremely hoarse, to which he starts to cough painfully. You grimace. “The soup should help with your throat. Then I’ll get you some cough drops.” He nods numbly. You sit across from him on the couch.

“Do you… still have a fever?”

“I don’t think so?” He still felt a little hot, but not nearly as badly as before. You hum. “Where do you keep your thermometer?” You ask, about to stand again, to which he stops you, putting the soup you had given him to the side. “Outta batteries…” He paused, before continuing, looking at you with a certain kind of intensity. “You could check the same way you did at the school.” He mumbled the last bit, and you reddened at the memory.

Right, you had repressed that moment. You were stressed and the movement had just come out of instinct. It was the way your mother did it. You looked to Terushima, who was having trouble keeping eye contact with you.

“Okay…” You moved slowly, taking his head in your arms, before pressing your cheek on his forehead. You stayed like for a couple seconds, having this action being much more intimate than before. You pulled away, staring deeply into his eyes.

“It’s better than before, but you’re still a little warm.” You practically whispered, still holding his head in your hands. You watch with slightly widened eyes when he cups your hand and nuzzles into your palm.

To your shock, you pulled away, leaving a slightly confused and hurt Terushima.

“Uh- You seem to be doing a little better though… And it’s getting a little late so- I- I’m just going to go. There’s more soup in the kitchen and I hope you feel better soon. See you on Monday, uh- Hopefully.” You stumble through your sentence, backing away slowly and grabbing your things, pulling his door open and quickly exiting.

You shut the door, breathing quickly, a hotness running across your face at the vivid detail of how nice his hand felt against yours as you ran to the bus stop.

What. The. Hell.

#haikyuu #fanfic #writing prompt #drabble #haikyuu fluff #writing #humour #terushima yuuji #terushima x reader #haikyuu terushima #hq x reader #hq fluff

[cantsayidont]

As much as I still enjoy the older comics and books, my feelings about modern STAR WARS media are at best mixed. Many of the recent streaming shows (with the notable exception of ANDOR) have been especially dire, but to my mind, the rot set in long before that.

There have been a lot of terrible SW tie-ins over the years (the old Bantam novels were so bad that after a while I stopped even bothering to get them from the library), but I'm particularly antipathetic to THE CLONE WARS, which is now emerging as the core text of the new SW universe. (I refer here to the 2008 animated series, not the earlier Genndy Tartakovsky shorts, which I hated and found pointless, but were at least easy to ignore.)

One of the riskiest and most potentially troublesome things a spinoff or tie-in project can do is to go to war with its own source material. This is something that even STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE ended up struggling with, despite that show's strengths; the writers couldn't hide their annoyance with some of the basic premises of the TNG-era future (like the Federation's abandonment of money), which at times became not so much a critique as an expression of writing staff frustration with dramatic rules they didn't make but weren't empowered to change.

That tension is also at the core of THE CLONE WARS, which is driven by an ill-disguised disdain for the SW prequel films the cartoon is ostensibly supposed to bridge. TCW, particularly in the early seasons where Lucas was still directly involved, takes exaggerated care to remain faithful to the details of the prequel storyline (for instance, the assertion in REVENGE OF THE SITH that Obi-Wan Kenobi has never previously met General Grievous face-to-face). However, it also plainly wants to redo the prequels, making their story and characters into something more like what the show's creators would've preferred to see in the first place. (Some of that revisionism may have come from Lucas himself, but it's continued in substantially similar ways since Lucasfilm was swallowed by the Mouse.) It's not hard to see where the creators of TCW are coming from, because the prequels were distinctly disappointing in many respects, from their appalling racism and antisemitic caricatures to their hilariously clunky dialogue to the inept handling of the Anakin-Padme romance. However, in the show's zeal to fix what it sees as the films' flaws, THE CLONE WARS also seeks to dismantle their thematic integrity.

Where Lucas might have taken the SW prequel trilogy if 9/11 and the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq hadn't occurred is anyone's guess, but ATTACK OF THE CLONES and REVENGE OF THE SITH are plainly constructed as a surprisingly angry critique of the politics of the Wubbya era and the invasion of Iraq: The Jedi and the Republic are tricked into going to war on false pretenses, engaging in a conflict whose real purpose is to undermine the foundations of republican government and bring about the rise of a fascist dictatorship. By the end of ATTACK OF THE CLONES, where the war begins, the heroes have already lost: The military they're building is unmistakably an early iteration of the Imperial war machine seen in the original films, and the clone troopers are or will shortly become stormtroopers. Aside from being doomed by the narrative, Anakin Skywalker in Episodes 2 and 3 is a moral and emotional wreck: an immature, unstable young soldier — trained (and used) by an institution with no regard for his well-being that repeatedly urges him to reject normal human connections in favor of acetic martial purity — whose volatility and hazy grasp of right and wrong make him a dangerous, genocidal monster with no compunctions about murdering children in his paranoia and rage. None of the other prequel characters is remotely sympathetic: Obi-Wan Kenobi is a contemptible fool whose stubborn incuriousness (even when Dooku tells him quite directly what's really going on) and blind faith in the institutions he serves contribute materially to both the moral collapse of his apprentice and the ultimate triumph of interstellar fascism. Yoda is by the rules of our world a war criminal, whose eventual response to his failure to defeat Palpatine in single combat is to run away and make the brutal rise of the Empire everybody else's problem. Padme, meanwhile, is Anakin's enabler and apologist (she's an accessory after the fact to an explicit act of genocide, and she marries him anyway!) before becoming another of his victims. That's harrowing stuff, for all its clumsiness of execution, and, Lucas being Lucas, it's not at all subtle.

The central project of THE CLONE WARS is a cowardly obfuscation of the admittedly extreme grimness of the prequel films. It makes Anakin stable and competent, a capable if somewhat reckless leader who's a far cry from his deranged, tantrum-throwing live-action counterpart, a compassionate mentor with his own adorable teenage apprentice rather than a child-murdering fascist lunatic. The show also works overtime to rehabilitate Obi-Wan, Padme, and Yoda (who really doesn't deserve it). More alarmingly than that, TCW seeks to legitimize what the live-action films present as an unequivocally phony war, and blunt the edges of the prequels' original critique. In the films, the clones embody a military-industrial complex that's fundamentally inimical to the survival of justice or democracy — manufactured soldiers (and, pointedly, men of color) who are considered disposable war materiel even by the Jedi, and who are conditioned to follow any order delivered in a reasonably authoritative tone of voice. THE CLONE WARS wants desperately to reassure you that the clones are actually good guys (which it seeks to accomplish in part by making them white), noble and heroic true friends of our Jedi heroes who would obey them even if they didn't have to, and whose eventual heel turn has to be mechanically coerced. Moreover, TCW and its repulsive spinoff, THE BAD BATCH, take pains to distance the clones from the stormtroopers of the original films, qualitatively, morally, and ethically. Of course they're not stormtroopers who carry out massacres without question (even though we see them do just that in REVENGE OF THE SITH and in flashbacks to that period), they're Good Soldiers and heroes! They're victims of the evil space-wizard, just like the Jedi children and innocent people we watched them slaughter, and most of them feel terrible about it! The clones can't be bad guys, because then people wouldn't want to buy their toys. It's as disingenuous and cynical as the live-action films were dark, and it's completely nonsensical within the narrative bounds Lucas originally set out.

I'm not very fond of the prequels, which were not what I would have expected or wanted to see, and I can't blame Lucasfilm people for feeling similarly. However, I think that some creative levers really only go one way: You can take something simplistic and make it complex, or take something that's pretty black and white and introduce many shades of gray, but going the other way rarely works, and often feels insulting to boot. I did see the prequels, even though I didn't enjoy them very much, and while I don't begrudge anyone for wanting something lighter and less doomstruck, trying to tell me those movies were about something different than they obviously were has an "Ignore your lying eyes" vibe that I'm always going to find suspect.

#movies #animation #star wars #this is a clone wars hate blog #i don't dislike ahsoka in the cartoons #but as soon as she was introduced my thought was #“great -- a teenage apprentice for anakin to eventually murder” #and indeed the only reason she survives her confrontation with vader #is that ezra resorts to time travel to save her at the last minute #live-action ahsoka is weirdly amoral #and has no dramatic direction worth mentioning

[vi-does-stuff]

Make a Scene

Obi-Wan Kenobi x f!reader

Tags public ritual piv sex, aphrodisiacs, breeding kink, established relationship, pwp, no y/n

Word count 1.1k

On a mission, you and Obi-Wan have to participate in an odd public ritual to kick off the summer season. For Kinktober day 13: breeding/public

ao3

You feel distinctly awkward as you and Obi-Wan are led to the centre of the square, dressed in your barely-there ceremonial robes. Though you’ve taken the aphrodisiac as required by your hosts, it hasn’t kicked in yet — nor has it for Obi-Wan either, based on a quick check on his Force signature — and everyone’s eyes on you feels painful. You reach out to him through the bond, trying to be reassuring, and he sends a similar feeling back towards you.

It’s not like you and Obi-Wan have never done anything romantic before: you’ve been together since before the war, and have been open about your relationship since the Council’s shift on their stance on them when the war came to an end. It’s been useful on missions before, given people like the idea of a Jedi couple, it makes you seem more human, but you never thought it would be useful in this context.

You’re positioned next to a raised stone platform, which thankfully has a thin-looking mattress thing placed on top of it. Someone in a hooded robe recites something in an old language you aren’t familiar with — probably the shtick they were telling you earlier about two visitors breeding to kick off the summer season — and then you feel it.

It seems the timing of taking the aphrodisiac was pre-arranged, because the second the hooded person finishes speaking, heat rushes through your body. Though when putting them on, you’d lamented the thin nature of your outfit, leaving you trying not to shiver, they now feel too warm, too rough, too uncomfortable against your skin. After a second, the full-body heat settles down into one between your legs, deep inside you, and you almost wilt at the feeling, thighs pressed together and desperate for something to quench the heat.

The Force flares with arousal, and you remember that you’re not alone: you look up, and there is Obi-Wan, gaze fixed upon you and a hungry look in his eyes. You step towards him instinctively, and he does too, pulling you into his arms and immediately capturing your lips in his. The kiss is desperate, like he needs to stake his claim on you, and you’re happy to let him do so. He fucks your mouth with his tongue, and holds you steady when you weaken at the knees with a moan.

It isn’t long before kissing isn’t enough, though; his hands map your body as though feeling it for the first time, and when he reaches your hips he pulls you forward, pressing you against his very present erection. The action draws a whine from your throat, and you’re reminded of the new, very alarming need to be filled.

Pulling away from the kiss, Obi-Wan puts his hands on your shoulders and spins you around so that you’re facing the very interested crowd watching your every move. You should be disgusted, uncomfortable, but there’s something about the very public claiming that makes you more eager. Lust comes off them in waves in the Force, lust which only increases when Obi-Wan bends you over the platform and pulls up your robes.

So wet, he tells you over the bond. Everyone can see how much you want this. How much you want me.

You hear him messing with his own robes for a second, and then he’s at your entrance, pushing in quickly with one strong thrust. There’s no need to take it slowly — you don’t think you could handle it if he went slow, you’re so desperate to be fucked hard and filled up — and he quickly sets a powerful rhythm. There’s a moaning sound in your ears that you realise after several seconds is your own voice, sounding so unfamiliar in its desperation.

You’re glad for the cushioning on the stone, as the arms holding you up are being pressed hard into it with each of Obi-Wan’s thrusts, and it would be quite uncomfortable otherwise. You already know you’re going to be sore elsewhere, though, both inside you and where Obi-Wan’s fingers are tightly gripping at your hips as he pistons in and out of you.

“Feel so good-” he says, just as you cry out “More!” — he certainly obliges, not relenting in his thrusts. Going to fill you up so good, he says. Breed you just like you need me to.

“Please!” you sob, pushing back against his hips as much as you can. Obi-Wan’s rhythm falters slightly, and he moans as his cock pulses inside you, filling you up with spurts of his come. “Kriff- Obi-Wan-”

Despite his orgasm, he remains completely hard, and resumes his pace — although slightly less roughly than before — as he fucks into you. Did that make you feel good, darling?

I’ll feel even better if you do it again.

You hear him choke out a laugh above you. That won’t be a problem. I’m going to keep doing this until I’m absolutely sure it’ll take. The comment makes you moan, pushing you closer to your own peak. Obi-Wan leans forward, caging you in, and wraps his arms around your chest to hold you closer to him. His hand goes to one of your nipples, playing with it in the way he knows you like, and the noises that come out of your mouth are embarrassing. You look up to see the people still watching you, and it’s the feeling of their gaze on you and Obi-Wan that pushes you over the edge.

Obi-Wan keeps fucking you; the people watching you change over time, but there’s always a consistent crowd gathered in the square to watch the bizarre annual tradition. It isn’t until the aphrodisiac wears off that you stop, an indeterminable amount of hours later, both of you lying down on the platform as you come back to yourselves properly.

“Kriff…” Obi-Wan gets out, and he places a hand on your lower stomach, where so much of his come has been deposited. The people who escorted you here come back over, and press a plug into your cunt to make sure that none of the come is wasted before allowing the two of you to fix your robes. Despite the thin fabric, it’s remarkably strong, and they somehow managed to not rip despite how rough the two of you were, and you find yourself being rather grateful for them as you’re led away from the platform.

You’re allowed to hold hands with Obi-Wan as you walk, and the bond between you feels oddly calm and content. This was weird, you say through the bond, and you catch an amused smile on his face.

It was, he says, but I’m glad it happened.

You think of the results — you’re more than likely carrying Obi-Wan’s child now — and though you’re nervous for the future, you’re inclined to agree with him.

thank you for reading! i hope you enjoyed :)

kinktober masterlist » main masterlist

#obi wan kenobi x reader #obi wan kenobi #obi wan x you #star wars fic #kinktober 2022 #vi does writing

[heretherebedork]

I found Ayan bringing Akk back to his home a very interesting choice on multiple levels because it's a commentary of their relationship, on the difference in social class, on the difference in their social circumstances and on how they're each handling the development of their relationship.

Ayan brings Akk into the only space he's had for himself this entire time, the only safety he's had, the place where he cries at night and the place where he mourns what he lost and plans for what comes next. Ayan has brought Akk there to study, to watch him, to give him a chance to watch in return. It's a kind of trust, it's the start of trust that Ayan isn't even sure he wants to have yet.

But in a much more meta sense it's a social class-based power play, he has this entire house to himself and he has his own car and Akk has none of that. Akk has his dorm at the school and his own two feet and the difference is stark but also subtle because Ayan isn't thinking of it that way, just was a way to get Akk away from the other influences controlling him.

Then you have Akk having Kan to pick him up (this is also interesting to me because Kan has his own car which puts his social status most likely higher than Akk's despite staying in the dorms and I hope to get more about them but I do also distinctly wonder if there's a class difference with Kan and Thua as well...) which puts him on a higher space than Ayan because Ayan has no friends. He is isolated and pushing himself into more isolation constantly with his own trauma and his own pain while Akk has friends to rely on and turn to and to distract him as well as to commiserate.

Then we get the continuing evolution of their feelings for each other. Ayan can face them head on. Ayan admits that Akk is cute without any hesitation, catches his head to make sure he doesn't hit the table, watches him with great amusement. There is no discomfort or reluctance from him towards his feelings for Akk. He's going to use Akk to burn the school down for what they did to his uncle but he's not going to deny himself his feelings. But Akk is in denial of everything. Akk stares those feelings in the face and panics, hiding behind denial and defensiveness and every excuse in the book.

They are such contrasts to each other but also so similar in other ways. They're both natural leaders who take control of situations. They're both in the tendency of speaking up to protect others and of using their voice to help settle situations and to support the people around them however they can and to stick to their guns once they make a choice even if that choice is hurting them.

And that's why they're going to fall in love. Why they're already falling in love. Because their contrasts are powerful but their similarities are what draw people together and what makes love so powerful.

#the eclipse #the eclipse the series #ayan x akk #akkayan #akk x ayan #the eclipse series #thai bl #thai drama #thaibl #bl series #bl drama #thai series #gmmtv #enemies to lovers #but only kind of #i do love them #even if my entire soul is dedicated to kanthua

[fioras-resolve]

Today's Guilty Gear Strive notes

-Went 0-2 against an Axl, the thing is that even with Strive’s “small” roster, there’s enough characters that there’s always someone you don’t know how to fight. A friend of mine once said that zoners distinctly suck to fight against compared to other archetypes, because while for a rushdown or grappler the ways of beating them will always be generally the same, zoners’ counterplay is specific. 

-Just went 2-1 against a Ramlethal. It’s fucked that I used to play as her. Siwansi actually wants to main her, she related so hard to her story as a machine coming to accept that she has feelings too. But god, Jack-O is such a character. Easily the character of all time. I think most people who know enough about Guilty Gear know that Jack-O was heavily nerfed from Xrd. She was “basemented,” as one designer on League of Legends put it. When one character is so much of a fucking problem that she makes the game unfun for other players, that’s when it’s time to hit the nerf hammer. It’s time to hammer her so hard that she’s functionally unusable except by the most dedicated players. And like, this always sucks for the character and their players, but personally I still find myself liking Jack-O a lot. I like her mix, I like her play. She’s one of the hardest characters to learn and she only barely earns it.

-Just went 2-1 against a Potemkin, I can kinda tell when my brain is cooked and I’m not gonna be able to play something for much longer. This is around that point with Strive right now.

-Playing the Arcade Mode now, this is fun! Arcade Mode in Strive works similar to Arcade Mode in most fighters I imagine, and also Classic Mode in Smash Ultimate. Each character has a storyline and some set fights they do, and the further you get into a character’s story without dying the harder it gets. BUT, if you get through it all without dying you get a secret best ending! Pretty cool! Jack-O’s story is about confronting her other self, Aria, and trying to understand her place in this world.

-It’s really interesting seeing just, the Way that difficulty escalates over time in this mode. It’s well known that single-player modes in fighting games are very easy to do badly or at least mediocre, and like, yeah I’d say this is on the mediocre end. P4A did it the best IMO. But like, the thing with this game is that over time your CPU opponent starts using more Techniques, like Wild Assault, Faultless Defense, you get the idea. It’s certainly good as a way of reminding the player “Hey, these techniques Exist,” but I kinda wonder how effective this is as actual Content.

-Like, okay, I lost a round once in that mode, so I get the Normal ending, where Aria and Jack-O defeat Nagoriyuki together, and this is pretty cool. But if I hadn’t died to that one Johnny I would have fought Nago alone and possibly gotten the True Ending. Which would have been cool. I’m gonna try again.

-Brisket -w-

-”How do you handle story in a PVP game?” The eternal question, to which there can never be one true answer, only a thousand entertainingly false ones.

-That’s enough of that for now.

#Guilty Gear #GGST #Guilty Gear Strive #Angie's Notes

[therevengeoffrankenstein]

@madphantom

horror recs aaww yeahhh. mostly a peter cushing, christopher lee, and vincent price show bc i tend to fixate on them and their films a lot.

note: it kinda goes without saying that some of these have problematic elements and themes. i consume media critically, which should also kinda go without saying!!

feel free to hmu me for trigger warnings, but i can't guarantee i'll remember everything in the films.

HAMMER HORROR RECS

+ 'the curse of frankenstein' (1957) and just. the whole hammer frankenstein series, especially 'the revenge of frankenstein' and 'frankenstein created woman.' ('created woman' leans more heavily into the sci-fi aspects, but is more of a revenge slasher at heart.)

you can skip 'evil' and 'horror' (unless you're a completionist) bc they are the worst and aren't super important continuity wise ('horror' is totally outside of the main continuity bc it's a reboot!!)

+ 'horror of dracula' (1958) and 'the brides of dracula' (1960) are two of my fave films ever. they perfectly encapsulate that distinctly hammer-y gothic horror atmosphere, and are full of frills (pretty women) and thrills (scared silly men.)

most of the sequels are kinda meh BUT

'dracula ad 1972' (1972) is somewhat of a cult classic. it asks the vitally important questions 'what if dracula was fucking around in modern (aka 1972) london? and what if the writers absolutely detested hippies?' johnny alucard is a #bisexualking.

'satanic rites of dracula' (1973) isn't very good, but it is funny, and a somewhat direct sequel to 'ad 1972' so it's worth it imo.

and i wouldn't recommend any of the other sequels unless you're a completionist (like me,) but 'taste the blood of dracula' is pretty good.

+ 'the mummy' (1959) more gorgeous hammer decadence set and costume wise. christopher lee is insanely good in this, acting totally through his eyes and body language (which he also does a lot in some of the weaker dracula sequels when he refused to say lines he hated in the scripts lmao.)

+ 'the hound of the baskervilles' (1959) is a thriller take on a classic sherlock holmes story. not totally book accurate (hammer usually doesn't do super accurate adaptations,) but peter cushing is absolute fire as holmes. it's one of his career-best performances imo.

+ cash on demand (1961) is a christmas movie/pseudo-scrooge tale about a bank heist. it's more of a claustrophobic psychological thriller than a horror movie, but it has a bunch of strong performances and it really makes the most of itself. one of my personal top ten movies ever.

+ captain clegg (1962) is more of a swashbuckler/mystery than a horror film, but it's so much fun and a big 'comfort' movie of mine. i love pirates and parsons and smugglers ❤

+ 'the vampire lovers' (1970) evil canon lesbian/bi vampire ladies and pretty period fashion. it's part of the karnstein trilogy, and is probably the most accurate to the source material, 'carmilla.’

i do not recommend ‘lust for a vampire’ unless you are a completionist. it doesn’t even have peter cushing in it.

'twins of evil' (1971) is the final karnstein film and is a prequel. it might be the horniest and most gruesome tbh? but it's pretty good 👍

+ 'fear in the night' (1972) is a sneaky favorite of mine. psychological thriller that handles the topic of mental illness and its mentally ill characters pretty well, imo.

+ 'captain kronos - vampire hunter' (1974) do you like swashbuckling vampire hunters and fabulous twin nobles? then you'll like this one. 'kickass' and 'badass' are the main adjectives i'd use to describe it.

AMICUS RECS

(NOTE: amicus borrowed a lot of actors from hammer, so they are kinda similar vibe-wise on occasion.)

+ 'dr. terror's house of horrors' (1965) horror anthology with tarot card readings as its framing device, which is such a whipass concept.

+ 'the house that dripped blood' (1971) horror anthology about a cursed house or smth :) and while it is pretty good over all, i'm recommending this one mainly bc the 'waxworks' segment is one of the finest pieces of cinema i've ever seen.

+ 'tales from the crypt' (1972) horror anthology based on 'tales from the crypt' comics, and it has a couple of really good ones. great primer for getting into their anthologies.

+ 'madhouse' (1974) one of my lowkey favorite movies bc i love gay old horror actors hamming it up and having fun and making fun of themselves. and i love projecting onto herbert flay and paul toombes so much <333 #lovewins

OTHER RECS

+ 'frankenstein' (1931) and 'bride of frankenstein' (1935) if u haven't seen these two you have got to fr fr. 'bride' is a perfect score in my book and just. holy fuck. one of the most insane, profound, beautiful movies ever. stg. dr pretorius is everything 2 me <33 i ❤ heart gay old men.

+ the invisible man (1933) i get the feeling you've seen this one? but it's lots of fun :) claude rains is amazing as the titular invisible man. honestly i kinda prefer this movie to the book.

+ 'psycho' (1960) a classic, one of the og slashers. i'm assuming you're seen this one just bc it's so popular? but it really is That Good.

also 'psycho ii' is fucking amazing. i haven't seen any of the other sequels yet, but 'ii' is just. so so heartbreaking. a near perfect sequel that really dives into the aftermath of the events of the first film.

+ 'corruption' (1968) absolutely not the best but it starts strong and is just damn fascinating. about a dysfunctional couple tearing each other to shreds at its core.

+ 'the abominable dr. phibes' (1971) a revenge slasher kinda considered to be a precursor to 'saw?' idk lol. but it has some fucking epic kills. vincent price really delivers here emotionally as the title character and it drives me up the wall.

'dr. phibes rises again' (1972) is also pretty good. weaker kills imo but a stronger protagonist.

also while i don't think you Have To watch 'dr. phibes' first (i didn't,) 'madhouse' is kind of an homage to it.

+ 'the wicker man' (1973) folk horror/musical masterpiece about a devoutly religious cop investigating the disappearance of a young girl on an island inhabited by pagans. if you haven't seen this just know that it is a 10/10 must watch.

+ 'house of the long shadows' (1983) about an author who's dared to spend the night in a creepy house that was once owned by a super fucked up family. doesn't really kick into gear until all the old people start showing up, but it's fun.

+ fright night (1985) epic vampire movie pastiche B) peter vincent means the world to me fr. it makes me cry sometimes. the sequel is pretty good too!! but i wouldn't really recommend the 2011 remake.

#these are just some of my faves/ones i've fixated on/talk a lot about or i just think they're good primers for getting #into this kind of stuff B) #autism won today :D yippee!! i love not shutting up!!! #myevilposts #hammer #long post

[invertedfate]

Huh that one anon bringing up Flowey’s mental age is interesting because I was thinking about it the other day. I think he’s emotionally speaking still a 13 year old, like don’t get me wrong he’s able to mask very well but I think thats literally it. He’s gone through so many resets that he matured his ability to mask his true feelings but because there’s never any consequences for him (bc reset) he’s basically become an entitled brat lol. He is very people smart it seems when it comes to anything that doesn’t involve himself however seems to lack massively on the introspective department causing him to be easily emotionally blindsided. I’d also assume he’s read everything in the underground so he probably has a lot more knowledge compared to a 13 year old. It’s interesting to think about lol.

Yeah, that sums it up rather well! It's why, even if he DID end up resetting for more than 4 - 5 years (the exact amount is still a bit ???, but certainly not centuries), his emotional maturity has stagnated hard. He's refusing to look inside himself and realize that he might be the problem. He's assuming that he knows what Chara needs, putting his own idea of what's right before theirs. It's very, very selfish. He's been Flowey for so long that he's forgotten what it's like to genuinely do something for others without an ulterior motive.

It's certainly sad, since had he revived with a healthy sense of compassion, he likely wouldn't have gone down this path, but it was also his choice TO walk a path where he started treating the world like his play thing and killing and screwing around with people for funsies. He is a victim, but he also had his own autonomy in his choices, which puts him in an interesting place.

A lot of people took what happened in Part 61 VERY harshly and have condemned him outright. Personally, I feel like that's a bit harsh, especially when everything he did was... pretty in line for him, being real. Even in Undertale, he had really cruel, wicked, and backstabbing moments. The difference is that, like how we spent more time with Undyne as an antagonist, we are also spending more time with Asriel as an antagonist, so it puts those negative attributes in greater focus than the relatively short final battle in Undertale.

I think it's a phenomenon very similar to Undyne because I distinctly remember some people trying to say that IF Undyne was abusive to Papyrus and Alphys. o_O While I do think there was absolutely some toxicity in the way she handled the Frisk situation and some of her kneejerk reactions (e.g. interrupting Alphys' call and snapping at Papyrus), I think people also forgot like... how she repeatedly told Alphys it wasn't her fault and likewise with Papyrus. She absolutely endangered Papyrus tons of times, and her actions totally hurt Alphys by proxy, so I GET it.

But I feel like these kinds of simplified takes miss a lot of the nuance, and I hope that as we move into the final arc, people will be patient and wait to see where I'm going with the Asriel plot. There's a lot I hope to explore.

#asks #flowey #asriel

[majorbitchi]

(Turn the sound on... You can hear her snoring 😴!)

I've been kinda bored with my Tamas lately, so I decided to start up some generic virtual pets to keep things interesting.

This is a Touma Pet. It's a shameless Tamagotchi knockoff 😂 but you know what? I actually like it 🤷🏿‍♀️ The pets are not super needy and the device has its own quaint charm despite its shady beginnings 👀

This is the second edition that features removable AAA batteries and a different interface than the previous version (which had blatant knockoff Tamas). It feels well made and weighty with batteries installed. It has its own original characters (12 I think 🤔) and 12 unique games you can play to earn money (including a flappy bird clone 🤣). I know people have complained about the shitty speaker quality but despite that, the sounds are adorable and fun! (just keep the volume on the lowest setting lol) There's also a lot of cute animations. You can farm and sell crops, go to the movies or amusement park, go on a trip abroad, or just go to the local park for a serotonin boost 👌🏿 There's also close range chat features and you can send your pet to another device! I just ordered another one so I can test that out.

It has some things in common with the 4u/On/Meets Tamas (changing room decor, marriage, traveling to other locations, school/work, shopping, generations) but they so far seem to handle them differently.

The only con is that pretty much everything requires the in game currency.... Except 💩 and 🚿 anyway 🙄 but honestly, with 12 different games (and farming!) it's relatively easy to make enough money to keep them happy.

For a $20 On/Meets clone, I'd say it's worth it if you like quirky offbeat v-pets. It shares some similarities with the abovementioned Tamas but it has enough original content to make it distinctly different. I'll definitely be posting more about this fascinating little critter 👌🏿

#digital pets #virtual pets #Touma pet #Tamagotchi knockoff #toycollector #toycore #kidcore #offbeat #Not-a-gotchi #Got it on aliexpress

[dear-future-ai]

https://www.tumblr.com/dear-future-ai/721898013182820352/dear-tumblr?source=share

same anon as previous, following up on this. bit hesitant to respond to this, but I am a scientific researcher myself and respect your curiosity/pursuit of knowledge. especially as this has been a topic of interest to me lately, because truthfully, I just recently had this experience in a major way. I don't want to share my specific medical history, so I'm going to use the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TPM) for reference rather than specifying DSM diagnoses. I prefer to talk about psychopathy as a personality facet rather than talking as if it were a distinct clinical diagnosis. In the cases of myself and the other people I'm mentioning here, I think it makes more sense to view it as normal variation in the human population rather than as a disorder. On the bell curves of certain measures such as empathy, we would fall toward the very far end. I hope this is clear and coherent enough to get my point across, I'm pretty tired at the moment.

I have been with my SO for 6 years, and these aspects of our personalities were a significant thing we initially connected over when we met. On the TPM, I score 156 (of a possible 174) when keeping my answers as accurate as possible, and selecting the lower scoring answer whenever I'm torn between two (i.e. choosing "mostly true" vs "true" whenever I feel it could go either way). This is compared to a mean of 62. My SO scores 144. SO is also a few points lower than I am in the three scales of Boldness, Meanness, and Disinhibition.

in terms of personality, I would describe it as two different "types" of psychopathy. our traits manifest and play out distinctly differently, we approach problem-solving differently, etc. SO was the first person I ever knew who I could relate to in a meaningful way, and we shared similar past experiences that only reinforced that. we love each other and care about each other to an extent, but we both know that it isn't quite the same feeling we see in other couples. we've openly talked about this and it's not an issue for our relationship. SO has a greater capacity for genuine empathy than I do, though not by a lot. we are both completely capable of cognitive empathy, of course, and honestly better at it than most people we meet.

now here's where things get a bit more in line with your question: a while back, my SO and I were recruited by an organization for employment which would have us working together 24/7. we have another "team member," so to speak, who over the course of getting to know each other and living and working together 24/7 under high pressure circumstances, we naturally became close. We both view him much more as family than any of our blood relatives. he and I in particular click - I would say we are the same "type" in the same way I said my SO and I are not. all 3 of us have discussed this and came to that same conclusion. he and I understand how each other thinks on an eerie level, we approach challenges and puzzles the same, we handle problems the same, weigh out tough decisions the same, etc. I see him as my brother in the most literal sense. it feels as if we grew up together even though we actually had very different childhoods (not to mention the ~2 decade age difference).

I had already kind of noticed that I had more emotional responsiveness to anything - good or bad - that he experienced than I was used to. Then, the day he got the phone call bearing the worst news a parent could ever have to hear, I was not prepared for just how hard that empathy for him would hit me. I felt his pain and grief and rage to what is, for me at least, a very intense degree. I have more empathy for my SO than anyone I'd known before, but this was another level beyond that. that hasn't changed since then. I'm intensely protective of him, I cannot entirely separate his burdens from my own, it improves my mood when he's in a good mood, etc. Close family, like those twins who are also best friends, is the best comparison I have to try to label the dynamic.

It very much took me by surprise. Honestly it took all three of us by surprise how fiercely we've bonded and come to care for each other. I don't know if this would or could have happened under different circumstances tbh - it might be the specific and unique details of our circumstances that produced this result, idk. I wasn't sure what to think about it initially, but now I think I'm glad it happened.

Definitely much different situation from the last person, but a similar answer to my question I suppose. Which is great news. I'm sorry for your friend's loss, and for the grief and distress you personally went through. I do appreciate you sharing such personal details of your experiences to better get an understanding of just how unfamiliar, unexpected, and volatile these emotions were for you.

I'm also glad you were able to have a true friendship that was that close and intimate.

#dear future ai #anonymous #antisocial personality #child death mention #grief #empathy #friendship #psychopathy #Triarchic Psychopathy Measure #TPM #TriPM #relationships #death mention #empathy among psychopaths anon

[valleyfthdolls]

come to think of it, it may as well be impossible for me to find suitable slasher / gore horror lmao

why? it's because of the screaming. my SPD is very audio-focused, so it can induce pain and headaches, possibly even migranes. the uh. occasional auditory hallucinations i get of women screaming also don't help.

however, if you have any recs for stuff like found footage or EAS scenarios ( especially SCP ones ), i have found a fondness for them while experimenting with what types of horror i enjoy ^-^

( sorry if i word things weirdly oiyfdxchigfc )

You get occasional auditory hallucinations of women screaming too wtf-

Here are some things you could watch. I'm really, really sorry in advance if any of these have triggering content for your sensory issues. I tried my best to make sure they were all accessible, hopefully I did alright.

For found footage horror films, immediately The Blair Witch Project comes to mind, but I gave that a 4/10 lmao. Good to watch for the experience of having watched it though. Not much screaming, but I do distinctly remember once scene of one of the characters screaming "PLEASE HELP US" and the main character (who is a woman) screaming for another character near the end. No straight screaming as I recall, but scream-yelling.

I've heard great things about Lake Mungo, which apparently has no jumpscares, and is a found footage-style psychological horror mockumentary that I really need to watch.

Ringu- the original Japanese version of The Ring- doesn't really have the screams or as many jumpscares as the American adaptation, but it's pretty tense regardless. If you like horses, I would prefer this version over the American one. Also if you have sensory processing disorder. It doesn't really rely on a lot of the hella discomforting sound design of the American adaptation, which is def scarier, but god, Sadako is like 10x more nightmare fuel than Samara, even if I ultimately like the execution of Samara's character a lot more. Just watching the original Ringu, Sadako is still a good character, I just think her story got convoluted later on. The TV scene in the og too is horrific. I love it

Candyman is widely considered pretty good, but I've heard people say its themes of racism are tone deaf at times. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm familiar with it. Lacks jumpscares, should be good on sensory problems, bc it's my understanding there's not much meant to elicit abject fear, but you may have to be careful.

I love The Walten Files, but given your sensory issues, I wouldn't recommend it unless you truly believed you could handle a lot of bad sensory input. If that ever happens, check it out. If not, avoid it.

However, a similar but much lighter seeming ARG called Welcome Home may be up your alley, currently it lacks any jumpscares or similar shocking noises. It's like Poppy Playtime but actually good.

Serial Experiments Lain is a good, ominous slow-burn psychological horror anime that lacks any potentially harmful sounds. Another is more gory and dark, but doesn't have a lot of loud noises or screaming either.

Local 58 is a well known analog horror that kind of checks the EAS scenario box, and lacks any jumpscares, but is very eerie and dark. Gemini Home Entertainment is much more so, but also has jumpscares as I've heard, so while I'm not familiar with that one I suggest you exercise caution. Local 58 I have seen and it's pretty good and should be safe for you and your SPD.

UrbanSpook has no audio jumpscares, but a lot of visual ones. Pretty good body horror stuff too.

I also tentatively recommend Petscop. Tentatively because it has absolutely zero SPD triggers, but its themes heavily revolve around child abuse, childhood trauma, esp parental abuse, and some readings even involve transphobia and ableism. Darker interpretations can also gather themes of CSA. That one is all up to how you read it (aside from the very explicit child abuse themes) so be careful for mental health reasons.

(I also very tentatively recommend it because I don't like recommending Petscop to people. It's a very personal comfort for me and I don't like giving it out to just anyone as a recommendation.)

#scorittanius

[novelmonger]

I just finished Trigun Stampede, and it's left me feeling so disappointed, because it could have been...so much more.

To be fair, I have to acknowledge that the storyline is distinctly different from both the first anime and the manga, and while it retains certain similarities to both storylines, it's kind of its own story--and not a bad story, either; it was engaging and interesting in its own right. I especially liked how it handled Vash and Knives's history, what it did with Wolfwood's backstory, and how it wrapped things up at the end.

But the point is that my disappointment with Trigun Stampede has nothing to do with which anime is a closer adaptation of the manga. (I'm due a reread of that anyway; there are a lot of details of the Trigun Maximum portion that I don't remember very well.) When I compare the two animes, I just...enjoy the first one so much more.

It's all very subjective, of course, but here are some of my thoughts:

Where's my girl Milly? :( Why'd they take her out? Did they really think Roberto was a good substitute for silly Milly, the giant girl with the huge gun and the innocent voice, who comes across as an airhead but is actually really sharp? I'm sorry, I'd much rather have her in the party than a jaded, world-weary alcoholic who honestly feels like a less-interesting Wolfwood most of the time. Also, having Milly around meant that Meryl could take the role of the straight man most of the time, whereas the Roberto-Meryl duo is like...two straight men. Just doesn't have the same spark as Meryl and Milly :/

Vash is so much less goofy in this one, he's practically a different person. I mean, yes, his heart is the same, and in a lot of ways the goofiness is a mask and something Vash uses to keep himself from despair (better to laugh than to cry and all that). But it's still a huge part of his personality, and a huge part of what I love so much about Trigun in the first place. I love how the first anime will switch back and forth between being utterly hilarious and dead serious. Trigun Stampede, on the other hand, is almost entirely serious. As a result, the serious moments don't have the same impact as they would have if they came at the tail end of a string of ridiculous hijinks. I probably wouldn't think of that if I hadn't seen the first anime and knew how the story would feel with that kind of tone, but there you are.

There's so much less time to get to know the characters. You can really tell that Trigun Stampede's primary target audience is people who are already fans of the story, because they don't let the story breathe in the beginning. I really got the sense that we're supposed to already know who these people are and why we love them, rather than getting introduced to lovable characters for the first time. I have to wonder whether I would care about any of them if I didn't have tons of episodes where I'd gotten used to them and their quirks and had the time to really learn what they're all about.

WHERE IS BRILLIANT DYNAMITES NEON?! HOW CAN YOU BRING IN THE BAD LADS GANG WITHOUT THEIR FABULOUS LEADER?!?!?

Okay, I'm going to say it: I hate the animation. Sometimes it looked really good (particularly everything with the plants), but other times--especially when it came to character animation, particularly facial animation--it was so...sluggish? It was like the mouth movements couldn't keep up with the voicework, and every movement a character would make would take twice as long as it should, like they were moving through water or something. I'm certainly not against CG animation in anime, but I've seen it done so much better than this. I didn't know such a stylized art style could veer into the uncanny valley, but that was the feeling I got over and over again while watching this anime. It was so distracting that sometimes I found myself staring at their faces without reading the subtitles, and had to back up.

Oh, that reminds me: I'm sure there's a whole host of reasons behind them changing Vash's voice actor, but...I'm sorry, Masaya Onosaka is Vash the Stampede to me. He did such a good job with both the serious and the goofy sides of the character. Yoshitsugu Matsuoka did a great job; I have no complaints with his performance. But...he's just not Masaya Onosaka. It's probably a good thing that this iteration of Vash wasn't as ridiculous and all over the place, because I'm not convinced Yoshitsugu Matsuoka could have pulled it off.

The new character designs were okay for the most part. Not my favorite, but generally not a problem (though I'm not a fan of Meryl's outfit; it makes her look like a kid somehow). The only real problem I have is that Vash's floppier, softer hairstyle makes Wolfwood's nickname "needle noggin" just...not work very well. It was clear why he would give him such a nickname when Vash's hair was sticking straight up like a shock of wheat, but this way? Doesn't look like needles at all. His hair isn't noticeably spikier than anyone else's.

There weren't really any surprises or suspense in the story, because everything was shown in a fairly straightforward way. Not necessarily a problem, I suppose, and it makes sense that they have to cut to the chase more quickly when they've only got 12 episodes to work with. But I missed the way the first anime would just drop hints, show a little bit of a flashback, then move on for another episode or two. Particularly when it came to the nature of what, exactly, Vash is. They basically tell you right away in the first episode what's going on, rather than letting you wonder and slowly piece it together over time. I don't like that.

All in all, Trigun Stampede just doesn't hold a candle to the first anime. Now I'm off to rewatch that one, and then probably reread the manga.

#trigun #trigun stampede #no spoilers #i'm sure plenty of other people have said all of this before #but i wanted to get my thoughts down

[explode-this]

If you struggle with substance use/misuse, please know that there are more options available to you than Alcoholics Anonymous or other 12 step programs. I am not saying this to cast aspersions on AA or other groups of that nature, but to let people know that they are not limited to this one way of thinking. I don’t much care to rely on numbers and statistics to prove or disprove efficacy; I know that for some people AA really gels with them, and that’s fine—if that mode of thinking works for them, it’s what works. What doesn’t work is when struggling, often traumatized people are made to feel like they are broken or “constitutionally incapable” of “working a program.”

I know there’s a kind of taboo about talking about this. Any frank discussion of the 12 step program and movement often results in accusations of “you don’t understand because you’re not a drunk like us” or “you’re not a real alcoholic then” or “your doubt in the program will lead people to die.” First of all, no. We are all human beings, and a lot of us struggle with problems related to the spectrum of dependence and habitual behaviors. A bulimic and a compulsive spender and a gambler and an alcoholic have several key things in common, and it’s not “a disease.��� It can be unresolved trauma, or an inability to articulate one’s vulnerabilities, or self-medication. There is no special “alcoholic gene,” though I was often told as a child that when I was an adult, I’d have to “watch myself carefully” because my father had a drinking problem. It is not fair to saddle a child with the expectation that a temporary problem is destined to be a lifelong struggle, or that they will “inherit” their parent’s “disease.” Watching my father struggle with alcohol, and experiencing the way he took his own hurt out on me and my mother, I do not think he was diseased and I do not think that I was destined to become like him. Looking back at him, I see the first child of immigrants who had a lot of pain and anger from a difficult, abusive household and the pressure to fit in with white people while having a distinctly ethnic name. I see a child who grew into a young man who didn’t know how to examine his feelings and took them out on anyone younger and more vulnerable than him—his brother, his daughters. I see a man who never got to know his adult daughter because he never got the help he needed to heal his wounds, because he thought that counseling was weak and resisted any kind of spiritual life beyond listening to the occasional Cliff Richard record. If there was a “disease,” it was because the world he grew up in refused to let men have feelings, refused to let men be small and hurt and vulnerable, that refused to acknowledge that our differences are far outweighed by our similarities.

Second of all, if the commonly suggested solution to ‘addiction’ is a program so fragile that those in it cannot bear to hear criticism, how can it claim to help? You must be able to hear opposition. You must be able to articulate why you are in this place and why it does help you, and you must be able to accept that it is not the only way. I understand the sensitivity of people who are sorting out their lives in a time of crisis, but there seems to be no confidence at all that those people can handle conflicting views. They must split off from people who aren’t “in program” because it might hurt their chances of recovery, even if those people don’t drink; meanwhile, “in program” they are told that if they quit the program or find fault with it, then the alternative is “jail, institutions or death,” still, in this the year of someone else’s lord 2023, from a program whipped up by a guy whose “spiritual awakening” was belladonna, for god’s sake, in the 1930s, before there was television. With a book considered ordained by god, that has only been edited four times in about 90 years, and none of that editing was to take out the chapter “to wives,” which was written by Bill W in the voice of women, with no actual contribution from actual wives of alcoholic men (including his own, who wanted to write the chapter). These are not things that are known necessarily to people who adhere to the program, because looking into it analytically is not encouraged lest it throw the alcoholic all the way to rock bottom. Except that “rock bottom” is the thing that qualifies someone for help. If the disease metaphor actually held true—as it is often held up against cancer as an example of a the kind of illness it is—then this is the equivalent of waiting until stage four cancer to bother getting chemo. And calling oneself an alcoholic for the rest of one’s life, regardless of whether they are drinking or not, is like going back for chemo every week after you’re in remission. It never allows the ability to heal. It doesn’t allow the person with a problem to ever be free of it—they must cage themselves in with it, and the fear of relapse, and stay in a very tight mental space so they never have to learn to intuit things for themselves or trust that they can be upright in the world on their own power, because those first three steps are all about divesting the individual of their power. Sometimes this manifests as not taking responsibility for what the “disease” made them do—and sometimes it’s a lifelong shroud of guilt and a permanent sense of fallibility. There is no interest in moving past the “solution”; it becomes a different kind of mire than that of alcoholism or gambling or sex or whatever you struggle with. This comes with thought stopping cliches like “better addicted to this than the alternative” or “maybe my brain needed washing.” This is, frankly, madness.

The TL;DR here is that if you don’t want to relegate yourself to this life but still get help, you can. Please consider:

- SMART Recovery

- The Freedom Model

- The Satanic Temple Sober Faction

- the works of Dr. Lance Dodes and Dr. Gabor Mate

- opening up to people who don’t struggle like you do; their perspective is also valuable

Yes, AA is free. Yes, it has been around “forever.” But it is also unregulated, run by a board that remains politically neutral (because the problem by their definition is an individual one, not one where systemic injustice and other issues contribute), and has no kind of reportage for individual chapters nor the sponsors who can do and say whatever they like, because there is no training, no discussion of how to handle trauma, no way to vet the person who has decided to take you under their wing. Seek out voices who oppose AA, even if you do think it’s the way for you—those who were in it for years and can talk at length about the traumatic experiences are worthwhile sources for deciding what is right for you. I really like Tara Grace at UnRecovering with Tara Grace—she speaks frankly about her life and why AA was harmful for her.

You are not “constitutionally incapable of being honest with yourself” if AA doesn’t work for you. It just may not work for you. The phrase “it works if you work it” is an empty tautology that puts the onus on you to do things that may not make any sense to you based on other variables like neuroatypicality (ask an AuDHD person if Al-Anon made sense. That’s me, and no, it didn’t) and then blames you for it if you can’t “get it.” Consider this: a light switch works if you work it. Working it in this case involves flipping the switch. You can flip that switch all day long and it’s “working” the light. But if the lightbulb burns out and you have no idea where the other lightbulbs are, or don’t have a ladder to reach and replace it, then no amount of flipping the switch will make it work.

To end: if it does work for you, that’s fine. But it does not work for all, and if you can’t respect that—or you continue to proselytize as the 12th step implores you to do—then you are pushing a limited scope on people who actually need human connection without condition, not a “one-size fits all” structure that falls apart upon the least amount of scrutiny.

#fuck it #i won’t dance around it anymore #alcoholics anonymous harms more than it helps #and it’s a religion unto itself but y’all aren’t ready for that discussion yet #earthlings love you because you’re an earthling too #okay yes i cast *some* aspersions #but if you knew how much research and pattern spotting this takes #you’d understand why lol

[echos-collection-of-bones]

oh boy, none is going to read this

alright guys, buckle up because i am so normal about this game

this will be my genuine opinion on a game that changed my brain chemistry for better or for worse(i fully blame my autism on this this thing)

Written by Dimeatry Glocovski (who last i heard is on the run from the Russian government for not being too thrilled about the invasion of the Ukraine) and later adapted into the video game format by 4A games, Metro is a strange but soul-filled look into a world not too far from our own.

while there are three games, i will be focusing on Metro Exodus as it's the one I'm most familiar with.

Metro Exodus was the first in the trilogy I played, and despite being completely out of order I do think its the easiest to gt into for a new player as the first two, while they still hold up pretty well, simply didn't have the resources to create something nearly as polished.

polished is a word i use in the context of the other two games, Metro Exodus is an inherently buggy game, and if you really can't handle any jank at all then this isn't for you. the reason I can look past it is because unlike something like Fallout 4 (which is still enjoy quite a bit) the story holds up much better, and the atmosphere doesn't suffer much because of just how strong the world-building is.

the game stars a man named Artyom and a rag-tag group of solders called the Sparten order on their cross-country trip spanning a good portion of the now-irradiated Russia.

the thing i admire most about the game is its characters. while you spend a lot of time on your own exploring, many of those moments are populated by chater on the radio, small interactions with the spartans, along with others you meet along the way. i think my favourite character aside from Artyom has to be Duke, the youngest of the group who is always looking for a way to prove himself and looks up to Artyom.

what is interesting is that there is no moral points system, there is no skore, but rather a simple cause and effect. if you do your best to only kill when necessary you will be treated with a similar kindness, Don't expect to be greeted with open arms, but at the end of the day, your friends will scrape by with their lives if you are merciful.

i could go on for hours about the environments in the game, For such a small studio the level of detail and care that went into creating them is incredible. From the thickly treed mountains of the Tiga to the broken-down remains of Moscow, the world feels ruined but far from free of life. i think that my favourite has to be the tunnels of the Mosscow metro, as little as we see in this game they are truly worth reading the first book about to learn more(the weirdness of the Russian translation is worth braving for the amazing concept and execution).

in every part of the game, the genuine connection between all of the characters is what really sets it apart from other apocalyptic stories. i like to think of it as slightly optimistic in its vue. there is something so distinctly human about it, from the grand escape from Moscow and your fellow soldiers agreeing to back you up against the entirety of Hanza, to the simple act of sharing tea or a cigarette, a simple duet with a guitar you found out in the wasteland or sharing a bed with your wife.

The Aurora is despite the setting, genuinely inviting, full of love and laughter, a small story that while not important to the bigger picture, serves to you remind of what you are fighting for, about the people you are sworn to protect and the brothers and sisters who fight alongside you" because if not us than who?".

so despite the nuclear winter, the mutants and the raiders, the creeping cold and the scorching sun, there is a small glimmer of something better, like the sun finally coming up, in a train called the Arora.