#And developing her + the others in interesting ways!

[theotherchaospixel]

so many thoughts running through my mind; just gonna spitball real quick

yeah, softlocks are no good. alternatively, you can only continue by going back to a previous time or save or checkpoint and trying again; this is back-tracking, and players might hate that even more than softlocks. also, don't wanna make it so the Orpheus player feels like they're having to protect or walk on eggshells around the Eurydice player; that's an escort mission, and is even more lowly regarded than softlocks & backtracking; i mean, team fortress 2 had an escort mission mode early in development, and it wasn't fun for this very reason: it's boring for both escortee & escorter.

that said, there are games which have made all of those types of problems interesting. stanley parable & portal comes to mind. those two examples at least use their story & dialogue to make the softlock less frustrating & more like an easter egg. bioshock infinite is one big escort mission, but your escortee can't be killed & in fact helps you a lot. team fortress itself uses the different classes & characters to make players naturally feel like they're working as a team, even though none of them particularly need to do so. legend of zelda uses weapons & tools as a prize in dungeons in order to make back-tracking feel different in technique than normal backtracking.

i'm also reminded of that one textpost i saw from forever ago which used the medium of item descriptions in RPG to imply a story, like it starts with "this blade means something to you, but you don't know what" to "your late wife's blade" as it levels up or you progress.

then there's like left 4 dead, where there's a respawn condition - if a player dies and is not saved, they can come back once a certain amount of progress is reached without them.

i'm imagining a version of this game where - as the eurydice character could conceivably die at any moment - the world is noticeably different in her absence, and noticeably different each time. like, the color red disappears when she's absent, or some puzzles require a different, much harder solution. that way, there's like... a point to the failure, but it doesn't completely negate things. it feels natural to me for it to be a horror game, where the horror is in not knowing, not having total control over the state of the game. maybe, like lethal company & some other games have done recently, include proximity chat that can just falter on its own, creating a sense of discomfort and worry based on the assumption that something bad happened. i mean, that's how the original myth goes: on the way back, they talked, but at some point, Eurydice went silent, and in his worry, Orpheus turned to look.

there also should be like a purpose for the Orpheus character: realistically, I think a lot of players would probably realize "oh, i can't look at Eurydice, but she needs to do something, so I'll just look straight down or straight up & let her do that." that's both lame & boring. so, maybe they have their own puzzles to solve, their own things to do. maybe they're not even playing the same game: maybe Orpheus is doing puzzles but Eurydice has to play a shooter, maybe Eurydice is doing platforming but Orpheus has to play a rhythm game, maybe Orpheus has to work with RPG rules but Eurydice gets free movement. definitely feels like there should be some asymmetry to the gameplay.

maybe there shouldn't be any voice chat. maybe there's story that the characters talk through, and there's things that the players can make the characters call out, but, taking a page out of journey's book, maybe it pairs up 2 players totally randomly, 2 players that may have never met before; that way there's stakes to being sure to play the game right, that way the state of the failure condition completely changes, where it stops being a failure to progress in the game & starts being a cessation of connection. i think you could get really psychological with that. you start playing the game, get paired up with someone you don't know, and continue through until one of you makes the fatal mistake of looking at each other, at which point the connection breaks and you have to live with the loss of this person you've gotten to know, gotten used to, and have to start over with someone new; your progress doesn't reset, but you - the player - are directly affected by the loss. much like the story itself. i mean, orpheus doesn't just die after losing eurydice, he doesn't lose his progress, but he does lose a connection that he may never get back.

fuck, i wanna play this now.

Here's a useless thought my head just supplied me with that I absolutely can't use.

Co-op game where if one player sees another, they die.

Both die? Just the one who does the seeing? Just the one who is seen? All players or just one crucial character? Do reflections count?

"Don't turn around. I'm right behind you. I'm going to put the mcguffin down behind you and go around the corner, I'll tell you when it's safe to turn around; let me know when you're looking away again."

[utilitycaster]

I've been a pretty harsh critic of Dr. Friedman and Polygon's general Critical Role coverage in the past, and while I think her latest article for them critiquing Campaign 3 is a fairly good one, it does in many ways cast an even harsher light on her kid-gloves handling of D20 and WBN. However, I want to talk about these two excerpts, because I think she hits on something I've increasingly noticed in Actual Play:

"This is where Critical Role’s strength — that Exandria often feels like a real, complex world — collided with the needs of a D&D campaign (a clear adversary, clear plans of action, forward momentum)."

and

"But the confused way D&D handles religion and divinity — polytheism as imagined by midwestern American Protestants — turned the question of how to handle this particular cosmic horror into a glue trap, paralyzing the players for dozens of hours of circular existential debates. Gods once mechanized (or digestible) become just another power bloc, and for players used to a system where in the end you are “basically gods,” the line gets blurrier still. And as D&D’s messy cosmology added friction to much of the campaign, D&D’s mechanics also don’t have the necessary friction for the interpersonal beats that make Critical Role compelling."

I agree with both these statements, as someone who, to be clear, enjoys D&D 5e. D&D supports a range of narratives, but all are ultimately a story of gaining power and fighting off or through a series of adversaries; if your characters are not doing that, it raises the question of why you picked a system that gives you few other options. (This is also, I should note, an increasingly loud question when it comes to Worlds Beyond Number; I fell behind for personal reasons after the Coven arc, but Brennan's initial statements about D&D as scaffolding were perhaps too true; almost every interesting mechanic, in a game with minimal combat that has thus far felt primarily focused on how the three protagonists have fundamentally different adversaries, has been homebrewed, to the point where the cosmology and baggage of D&D has felt like a liability rather than an asset).

D&D also has, in part due to such programs as D20, developed a reputation for being world-agnostic, and that ultimately isn't true. D&D does struggle to make the lines between "real divinity", an archfey or similarly powerful entity, and a L20 character feel sharply defined on a mechanical level; once you give a god a stat block, it can be killed (and on a metanarrative level, revealing the gods' statblocks in Downfall serves to make them both immense, yet also more fragile. The hit points are many, but still finite.) There are a number of questions most D&D worlds simply fail to address - and to be clear, this is not a flaw provided you have buy in. A level 2 warlock in D&D is, in most societies, an one-person lethal force unless the entire town swarms them at once, knowing that many of them will lose their lives in the effort; a level 2 warlock PC, however, is almost never, in-world, treated this way, and indeed is framed as an underdog in a harsh world despite usually having the ability to destroy the entire tavern.

D&D has also developed a (not undeserved) reputation as being The Dominant TTRPG put out by a massive corporation, and has developed a (not deserved) reputation as being itself uniquely problematic as a power fantasy, particularly by people who conveniently forget where Pathfinder came from. I've previously covered that, for all people demand non-D&D actual play, the viewership drops precipitously whenever a big AP show that made its name with D&D dares to branch out, and, related to that, I've seen an uptick in people who are excited for D&D to subvert itself. They wanted Campaign 3 to subvert these norms of divinity and heroic fantasy, cheered for it...and ultimately it was unable to do so. I don't think it's accurate to say that D&D's lack of interpersonal mechanics was the problem here, given that Campaigns 1 and 2 (and again, D20) have no such issue; but rather that since D&D's lack of interpersonal/RP mechanics require more effort from the players to initiate, the debates on the nature of divinity in a world and system that could not sustain them sapped any energy for the late-night watch conversations D&D can support when you're not fighting against it.

I think one of the many lessons we can learn from Critical Role Campaign 3 is that if you go up against D&D with an attempt to destroy it from within, your story will instead find itself conforming to the shape of its container, often to its detriment.

[etclouie]

“oh sweetheart”

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 — summary; giddily following around after Negan throughout the sanctuary, until he sat you down to try and shift your feelings (Negan x fem!reader)

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 — setting; s7 saviours era 

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 — warnings; implied age gap (negan is mid 40s and reader is in her 20s) — don’t like it don’t read, negan makes reader spell out her feelings pretty much, they kiss briefly at the end, reader sits in negan’s lap towards the end too, uhm that’s it i think

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 — word count; 1.2k

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 — a/n; will eternally share my thoughts for negan (this was inspired by the “sweetheart, i’ve got tattoos older than you” thing)

twd masterlist | main masterlist like negan? join my taglist !

recently, you and your family had joined the Sanctuary. they’d been split off into various different jobs, but you hadn’t. 

you’d quickly grown used to the rules, though Negan would make comments about you not having a job and earning your keep— you couldn’t help but to develop feelings for him. 

it was just a silly little crush, that’s what you always told yourself. 

he was older than you, attractive and he held so much authority over everyone; alongside the little bits of attention he’d give you, which made you swoon. 

today was like no other, you’d found Negan and trailed after him. he never outwardly pushed you away, letting you trail after him like you usually did until he rounded the corner into his meeting room. 

he gestured towards one of the seats while he sat at the head of the table, resting Lucille against the leg of the table. 

“i gotta ask, why’d you follow me so eagerly?”

his words hung in the air for a moment as you watched him, tapping your fingers against the edge of the table. 

he ran a hand down his face, scratching at his beard while tilting his head to meet your eyes. 

“i uh, i find you interesting”

that was a new one. 

he’d been called a lot of things, but a lot of different people. but interesting was never one of them. 

“interesting, huh?”

he chuckled, shaking his head while his lips curled into a smirk. he leaned forward, resting his arms on the table as he continued to eye you. 

you watched entranced, following his every move as words died on the tip of your tongue. 

you knew exactly what you wanted to say, you just couldn’t explain it properly, in a way that would make sense to Negan but also wouldn’t make you seem like an idiot. 

“interesting yeah..”

nodding as you repeated yourself, laying your hands flat against the table now instead. 

his smirk had deepened, and he chuckled again. shaking his head as he spoke once more. 

“meaning what sweetheart?”

sweetheart. 

in all of the brief conversations you’d had before this, he’d never called you sweetheart before. he’d never called you anything more than your name. 

a chill ran down your spine, that giddy feeling bubbling in the pit of your stomach. 

“i like you—“

the admission felt foreign on your tongue. you hadn’t even admitted to it to the few friends you’d made since arriving, but the weight of it lifted from your shoulders. 

“oh sweetheart”

he grumbled, though there was no malice to it. his tongue darting out to wet his lip, which made your breath hitch once more. 

you had to look away from him, heat running across your cheeks and down your spine before it landed in your belly. 

you could feel his eyes on you, the way they cast a glance down your form before stopping on your face again. 

which most definitely didn’t help with your crush, or the arousal forming in the pit of your stomach. 

“you like me, huh? that’s new”

every time he chuckled it had you wanting to disappear. you never could tell if it was a laugh of mocking, or if it was simply fuelling his ego. 

something else you stupidly liked about him. 

“tell me, you think of me often? want to be one of my wives or somethin’?”

the suggestion felt like a dream. 

one of his wives?

though you’d like to be his only wife, you wouldn’t pass up the chance with him if it presented itself. 

“no.. i just, i think you’re attractive”

definitely fuelling his ego. 

he leaned back in his seat, legs resting on the edge of the table on the opposite side to you.  

despite his scrutinising stare, you couldn’t help the way your eyes flickered down his body again. 

appreciating the view, mind beginning to wander before he cleared his throat. effectively gaining your attention back. 

“not so bad yourself”

your cheeks had grown impossibly warmer, having to look away from him in an attempt to conceal your flushed state. 

only looking back to him once he called your name, giving him a meek smile. 

“what is it you want then, hm?”

the list of things you wanted from him, was endless. but one thing shone on top. 

you wanted a chance with it. 

wether it went anywhere or not, you wanted a chance. 

“dunno, maybe a chance with you?”

he chuckled again, that fear creeping back with every chuckle he gave. though, this time it felt warmer, as if he was considering the option. 

“a chance?”

he repeated, pulling his legs from off the table and sitting upright again. one of his arms stayed on the table while the other scratched at his beard again. 

“there’s twenty something years between us, don’t you think that’s a little much?”

your eyebrows knitted together instinctively. you never paged Negan as the type to turn down a woman because of the age gap, but then again, did you really know him that much?

pushing the thoughts aside, speaking softly as you held his gaze. 

“age is only a number”

the sound of his chuckles started to sound like a melody, being played on a broken and scratchy disk so it only sounded every so often. 

but it was warm, familiar. 

“sweetheart, i’ve got tattoos older than you”

he countered, making show of shrugging off his leather jacket enough to show the tattoos across his arms. 

and instinctively, you squeezed your thighs together. 

thoughts of previous lonesome nights rushing back at the sight of his toned arms and the tattoos across them. 

“one chance is all i’m asking for”

your voice stayed soft, despite the heady desire swirling around the room. 

god, you were going to be the death of him. 

he let his head lull back, eyes trailing across the ceiling as he thought over your words. 

it’s not that he wasn’t interested, hell he’d been admiring you for days now. his mind running wild with thoughts, but it felt different. 

as if he didn’t want to corrupt you in a sense. 

“please Negan”

he sighed, defeatedly. he knew he’d give in to you, he just had to prolong this a little longer. 

“one chance, that’s it”

you beamed at his words, standing from your seat and moving closer to him. wrapping your arms around his neck as you hugged him, earning a pinch to the hip before he pulled you down into his lap. 

sitting sideways in his lap, his legs spread wide and his hips rolling upwards ever so slightly to slouch back in the chair. 

one of your arms was around his neck, your other hand laying on his chest. the closeness made your heart skip a beat. 

he squeezed at your hip before he leaned in, pausing inches from your face to gauge your reaction. only pressing his lips to yours as you leaned in to meet him halfway, kissing him with more force than you’d intended. 

it felt like a dream, every dream you’ve had all coming to fruition all at once. 

you nipped at his bottom lip before he pulled back, smirk still across his lips before he whispered out to you. 

���christ, you’ll be the death of me”

reblogs are highly appreciated !

[bekkachaos]

*buddie rant incoming*

The thing is right, so many shows have found it hard to introduce love interests for established characters when those love interests haven't been part of the show previously or for a decent amount of time before becoming the LI. Especially on long-running shows (I'm talking five plus seasons). Because the established characters are so fleshed out and have so many facets to them, introducing new love interests out of nowhere that have no history in the show seems out of place. That's why Tommy worked better than most of the other love interests they've tried to bring in for Buck or Eddie, because at least he had roots in the show prior to being considered as a LI.

All of the other characters have had the same love interest either from the pilot (Hen and Karen) Or are established by season 2 with another main (Bobby and Athena & Chimney and Maddie). Eddie and Maddie might not have been in the first season, but they were introduced early enough as main characters and given the kind of story progression and character development that they needed outside of being there only to progress the story of another character.

Now you might throw out the old "it worked in shows like Grey's Anatomy" and yeah, you'd be right, but in shows like Grey's there were multiple lead characters who were single and dating as well as more established couples or 'will-they-wont-theys'. In 911 the only lead characters who are single and haven't been romantically tied to one other character for the duration of their run or multiple seasons, are Buck and Eddie.

Out of all Buck's love interests, Taylor had previously been given the most backstory, but it always felt like we weren't supposed to be invested in them because it was made to seem like she was always going to put her job over Buck and that he had more trust and stability in his friendships (with Eddie especially). In season 1, Abby wasn't a love interest for Buck. It was the other way around because she was the main character, he was the one serving a purpose for her before she left and then her leaving was a catalyst for him. Ali, we barely got anything for, never really learnt much about her, she was an empty love interest much the same as Marisol was for Eddie. Because the thing in common with both of those is that we see the very early hints of dating and then the next time you see those characters they are in established relationships, we've got to see none of the getting to know each other phase, never get attached to the LI. Our main characters have gotten to do that behind the scenes but the audience doesn't get to engage so we don't really care about them. I'm not even going to start on Shannon, that's a whole other post on its own.

Another big problem is that because Buck and Eddie haven't had stable love interests with longevity, their friendship and partnership has been parallelled to the other main characters and their relationships (all of which being romantic pairings). We see that they can form deep and meaningful relationships because they have that with one another, but no other relationships they've been in that we've seen has had the same kind of unconditional "I'm there for you no matter what and I know you're there for me even when I'm wrong" kind of feeling. They've all been rushed or superficial.

Basically, trying to introduce someone for either of them now is going to feel so shallow and out of place compared to the other relationships in the show and compared to what they both deserve in terms of love and a partner.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

[artbyblastweave]

"If they put more superheroes in Fallout I'll talk about it more."

🔥 The Silver Shroud?

The Silver Shroud falls somewhere on a spectrum between genuinely really conceptually interesting and borderline meanspirited to me. As I've mentioned briefly before, the paradox of superheroes in the Fallout universe is that they aren't a fundamentally weirder class of person than any of the other 1950s genre pastiche archetypes that we're expected to take seriously, but the flip side is that superheroes would match with the rest of the Fallout idiom so perfectly, and are so modular in terms of what other genre elements they can incorporate into their own genre, that they could easily become the most overbearing element of the Fallout setting if steps aren't taken to keep them siloed. Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 share a throughline in that they both silo superheroism by portraying it as the product of arrested development.

Kent Connolly is a sad, sad guy, with good reason. He's been trying to keep his hobby alive for centuries- terminals in Fallout 76 reveal that he's been adjacent to attempts to make superheroes a real thing for over 200 years, and it has never, ever worked over the long haul, and yet he keeps on trucking, trying to make everyone else see what he sees in these characters. The Shroud is a significantly different archetype of pulp hero from the ones who show up in Fallout 3- rather than a pastiche of the bloodless, stakeless four-color capes of the golden age, he's a more directly a pastiche of The Shadow- the 1930s radio-show proto-superhero who was significantly more willing to use gun violence as a conflict resolution tool than his successors would be. This dovetails with the gameplay loop- In Fallout 3, the entire point of the superheroes is that they're engaging in a significantly more limited playfight compared to what the Lone Wanderer gets up to on a typical Tuesday, but the Sole Survivor, when adopting the Silver Shroud persona, doesn't really have to change their MO at all in order to embody the (admittedly somewhat exaggerated and retroactively attributed by later writers and audiences) retributive ultraviolence of the Shadow's pulp archetype. They're doing their normal thing in a funny voice. And the extent to which you're just doing your normal thing is what really puts the screws to the idea that doing it in a costume is actually adding anything here. You are, at best, making a slight detour to slightly brighten a shut-ins day, and that adds a fundamental air of sadness to the entire outing. But at the end of the day, you do briefly embody the archetype. You do kick down the door and save the hostage from the gangsters. And as a result it does end up briefly straddling the line between deeply silly and deeply cool. The other thing about The Silver Shroud is that in a roundabout way it re-enforces my standing theory that Fallout 3 was originally meant to take place within living memory of The Great War. Of the three Fallout games that directly feature living superheroes, two of them- 4 and 76- are associated with characters who were directly enmeshed in pre-war pop culture. The Mistress of Mystery and her cohort adopted the superheroic aesthetic because it would still be legible to a plurality of survivors; Kent Conolly's rock to roll uphill forever is that he's one of the only people left to whom any of this means anything. But in Fallout 3 the two superheroes just sort of....materialize, after 200 years, with their shticks fully formed. Furthermore, in the Hubris comics office in downtown DC you can find a pre war letter to the editor extolling the relatability of the fictional AntAgonizer, and doing so prior to starting The Superhuman Gambit gives you a unique option for talking down the real one. My strong suspicion is that in an earlier draft of the story, The AntAgonizer was written as a pre-war character who sent that letter to the editor herself as a teenager or young adult, and adopted the AntAgonizer persona after living through the war as a coping mechanism.

[authorofthemoon]

I Was a Teenage Exocolonist: Genetic Augments being a metaphor for generational trauma

So a big theme in Exo is avoiding repeating humanity's mistakes in Earth. And I always found the idea of the kids being born with genetic enhancements interesting. But it wasn't until I learned about a certain someone's augment that I really thought about how messed up it is. And then it makes me question why they were given then in the first place. I've come to the conclusion that each augment is what each parent thinks their child needed to survive and thrive based on their experience in earth as they are the only ones to remember how awful it was. It also makes clear what expectations they have for their child. So I'm just going to go through everyone and explain further.

Vace and Rex: I think they fall under the category of 'social survival.' Vace is the one who made me realize the connection because why the hell would you want to enhance your child's genitals? Vace is a clear representation of the patriarchy instill by his pos father. A 'man who takes what he wants, builds a family, a tough guy' etc. I actually really like Vace though I get why people don't. But it can't be denied his father messed him up and constantly talked down to him. He developed an inferiority complex and his augment fed into that, making him feel the need to prove he's a man. He's proof the patriarchy causes men to suffer under it as well as he suppresses his emotions except anger and takes it out on other, finishing friendships not based on fear. He's probably the most 'earth' out of everyone. And all the intimidation he uses kind of assured that he leads and excels in a social setting. Rex is the opposite of this but serves a similar purpose. He's a dog, sweet and lovable. He's friendly and helpful and people are drawn to him. I think it's also important to recognize that Rex is a black or at least dark skinned male. With this in mind, I think this is why his family found it important to give him the dog augment. Under the light of racism and white supremacy, black men are seen as aggressive and dangerous. So, it makes sense that a black family that came from that earth would want to ensure their child would be seen as a non threat and thrive socially even if it drastically affected his personality and shortened his life span. Though it's unknown if they knew that. I think what makes Rex and Vace good foils is how they navigate social interactions. Vace through fear and Rex through charm.

Nem, and Tammy: Both fall under the category of survival. Tammy has sensitive hearing which allows her to pick up on a lot of things. More than likely this was for hearing predators, animals, etc. Or even things like a baby crying. Even though it's useful, we see it can also be a detriment as she gets anxious hearing what's outside the walls and loud noises hurt her ears. Nem has her scaly skin which seems to help her defensive capabilities and such though we don't really see it in action. It makes sense her mother who sees very coddling would want her to be tough so she doesn't really get hurt though it seemed to backfire in a way since she joined the defense force. They both seem to be augmented to survive and help others survive as well which makes sense since earth seemed to be at war when they left.

Cal and Tangent: I think they have a looser connection of 'thriving in career.' Cal doesn't need to sweat (which I still question if that is biologically healthy) which allows him to work in the fields and avoid heatstroke and can brave the cold as well. It makes sense his family would want this augment and it fits in to his farm life. But it does make you question if his augment affected him at all in that way. Tang needs much less sleep than other people. We know that her and Dys have a rough relationship with their parents, their mother taking her own life and they dealt with that in different ways. Her mother more than likely wanted her to not need as much sleep to just survive and maybe help her mentally. However, it's an obvious detriment as it causes her to overwork which damages her mental health more. It's tough to know what their mother was really thinking especially after she named one of her kids Dysthymia. I do believe the augments were a way of her trying to protect her kids in some way.

Dys and Marz: A couple of my fave characters and I think fall under 'mental health survival.' For Marz, I once again think it's important to recognize that she's a black woman which I think directly affects her lack of shame. A lot of black women right are shamed for anything they do. Their body, their attitude, their hair. All things Marz unapologetically displays. Her dads, also being gay men it seems, would probably want her to live her life without being oppressed by other people's opinions. She can be grating at times, but it's just because she unable to feel bad for her existence. This allows her to thrive and stare her opinion without feeling bad later. Obviously even if it sounds nice, there's some obvious downsides such as her bullying others when she was younger and doesn't really feel shame over hurting others. Dys doesn't feel fear and that causes him to do things without restraint. However, he has a soft heart so he can still feel bad and have hurt feelings. Similar to Tang, his mother probably tried to protect him, thinking getting rid of fear might help him mentally, but he can still be anxious. It really makes you question whether a lack of fear actually helps anything. Life on earth was probably dominated by fear. There's no confirmation on what exactly happened on earth before they left, but it obviously wasn't good considering Flula's attitude.

Edit: My dumbass forgot about Nomi. Even though Nomi's augment status is unconfirmed, their parents attitude towards it is telling. Based on dialogue, they feel like very hippie hands off parents who want their child to have the freedom to be themselves, but the problem is that they equally don't offer guidance so Nomi has a hard time knowing what they want and feel a bit stranded. Again it's probably a reaction to earth ebung very strict in some children and many people are forced to be something they didn't want. Including things like gender and career. So they try to give Nomi freedom but not the support they need.

All the kids in Exo and their augments are products of their parents trying to escape the late stage capitalism white supremacy authoritarian hellscape earth had becomes and have their kids protected against those dangers on the new planet. These have been the thoughts infesting my mind as of late. Might make a similar post about how the kids are each in danger of repeating the earths mistakes. If you wanna weigh in with anything you're more than welcome. Thanks for reading!

[gingersnapwolves]

who wants to help me try to identify a book/movie that I vaguely remember??? (no I don't remember if it was a book or a movie or even a TV show)

it was about a set of identical twins ... as they got older, one of them become more independent and began to develop her (pretty sure they were girls but not positive) own interests, which the other one was upset by. she thought they should do everything together and stay the same.

there were horror vibes but I don't think it was a horror novel/movie.

anyone have any ideas?

ETA: lmao I'm embarrassed. I asked my wife. This is something I wrote. Myself. They were boys and it was NOT a horror novel lmaoooooo but if anyone follows me from the Old Old Old Days of LiveJournal it was Aiden and Adrian in - and I swear I'm not making this up - a AU fanfic I wrote for one of my own original stories, named - and I SWEAR I am not making this up - The Way Out is Through. A title I stole from Nine Inch Nails and have used for two other stories since then.

cringe culture is dead hahahaha

[fake-married-my-dead-fiance]

Love of the Divine Tree has been so interesting in the way that what happened to Mu Qingge to cause her death is mysterious in multiple ways. In the very first episode, we are shown the rumour version, where MQG and Su Yishui hate each other and he's clearly killing someone evil

This version probably arose because SYS went into seclusion for 18 years and also because everyone involved wanted to look cool (they made MQG much more obviously evil and their actions more heroic which is so true to how rumours would actually develop). Then we see the truth in Ep 7 which is SYS desperately trying to break the death formation and freaking out and crying afterwards

But the rumour version remains the official story because Su Yishui cannot tell the truth and he feels responsible for her death so he never fixes that part of the rumour either. Though when he encounters people who knew MQG they are always angry at him because they know she wasn't evil.

Now everyone finally knows that SYS couldn't tell the truth

And I'm hoping when they go to the underworld we finally learn who injured MQG which is the last mystery to unravel

[maxdibert]

I disagree with your take on JKR being misogynistic in her portrayal of woman in HP. If the story doesn’t need the information then she doesn’t have to tell it. She as the author has every right to choose what she puts in it and what she does not.

Everything is seen through Harry’s eyes, and Hermione was the closest. Probably why she is also the most developed.

Rowling’s portrayal of women in HPis deeply rooted in internalized misogyny, and this is not simply a matter of narrative perspective. While it's true that the story is told through Harry’s eyes, the way female characters are written—how they are framed, developed (or not), and the roles they play—reflects a larger pattern of valuing women based on how well they conform to traditional feminine ideals.

Nearly every major female character exists in relation to a male figure or serves to prop up a man’s development. Hermione, for all her brilliance, is ultimately sidelined when it comes to the core emotional arcs of the story. Despite being the most capable and intelligent, she is often reduced to a “nagging” or “bossy” stereotype, and her main function is to assist Harry and Ron. Meanwhile, Ginny, rather than being given an independent personality, is molded into an idealized “strong, cool girl” love interest for Harry without much depth.

Rowling’s writing enforces rigid notions of what makes a woman "worthy." Women who are kind, nurturing, and traditionally feminine (like Molly Weasley) are celebrated, whereas those who challenge norms (Fleur, Tonks, and even Luna) are ridiculed or minimized. Fleur, for example, is treated with disdain until she proves her worth through self-sacrifice and unwavering devotion to a man. Meanwhile, characters like Cho Chang, who dares to show emotional vulnerability, are framed as weak and undesirable.

On the flip side, women who are overtly ambitious or powerful are almost always villainous or unlikable. Bellatrix Lestrange is a caricature of female hysteria and obsession. Umbridge is the ultimate representation of oppressive, suffocating femininity gone “wrong.” Even Rita Skeeter, whose ambition mirrors that of many male characters, is framed as deceitful, invasive, and grotesque. Contrast this with male villains like Voldemort and Snape, who are given layers of complexity and depth.

The way relationships are written further exposes Rowling’s traditionalist approach to gender. Women are expected to be supportive, emotionally available, and devoted, while men are allowed to be flawed, emotionally stunted, and self-centered. Ginny, for example, is essentially Harry’s reward for being the hero—her personality is flattened into a "cool girl" archetype who exists mainly to affirm him.

Meanwhile, Hermione, the most developed female character, is paired with Ron in a relationship dynamic that reinforces the idea that women must “fix” or tolerate emotionally immature men. This is a recurring theme—women endure, support, and sacrifice, while men grow and benefit from their patience.

Then, one of the most glaring issues is the absence of strong, meaningful female friendships. Hermione, despite being surrounded by other young women, never forms deep bonds with any of them—her closest relationships are with male characters. The older female figures in the story, rather than serving as mentors, are either maternal figures (Molly Weasley, McGonagall) or antagonists (Umbridge, Bellatrix). There is little space for women to exist in solidarity or support one another outside of their roles in relation to men.

The argument that these portrayals are a result of Harry’s limited perspective ignores the fact that Rowling, as the omnipotent author, chose what to emphasize, develop, or ignore. A well-written story with a male protagonist does not inherently exclude well-developed female characters. If perspective were the issue, then why do male characters—Dumbledore, Sirius, Snape, even Neville—get emotional complexity, depth, and agency, while most women are relegated to roles that serve others?

Ultimately, the series reflects Rowling’s own biases about gender. Her female characters are not simply underdeveloped because the story is told through a boy’s eyes—they are underdeveloped because Rowling’s writing operates within the framework of traditional, patriarchal gender norms, where women are defined by how well they serve the male narrative rather than existing as fully realized individuals in their own right.

[kys02]

HOW THE CHARACTERS WILL ESCAPE THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS.

Hello, Tumblr!!

Alright, if I start digging deep into this, I could keep writing forever, so let’s keep it short and to the point.

I have 2 theories about this.

1. Pomni has to remember how to leave the circus.

If you didn’t know, “Pomni” literally means “remember” in Russian. And in every episode, we see Pomni talking to other characters, trying to support them and help them open up—so that, in the process, they might help her do the same.

Kinger talked about valuing people while they’re still around. Gangle showed what happens when you suppress emotions for too long. And so on.

It’s already pretty much canon that Pomni was an office worker or a developer for the Digital Circus (considering how she looked at the VR headset in the pilot, as if it were her workstation). And yes, she remembers her past life (officially confirmed by Gooseworx). But!

I had this small theory—what if she remembers everything except her name? And what if the “exit code” for the game is her name—the one thing she can’t recall?

I’m not entirely convinced by this idea, so I won’t push it too much, but either way, memories and Pomni are the key. Of course, not without help from the others—Ragatha, Jax, or whoever else.

2. “Kill” Caine.

Sounds extreme, I know, but hear me out.

In my previous posts (which you can find on my account), I talked about what happens during Zooble’s therapy session. It pushes Caine to realize that the one thing he’s supposed to be good at… he actually isn’t. And then he starts glitching.

Glitching? Maybe that is the key to escaping?

Eventually, all the characters will grow tired of this. Take Zooble, for example—at some point, they just won’t want adventures anymore. They won’t want to live like this.

And they might do something like a strike.

They stop playing along. They “kill” Caine—force him into a state where he breaks down and disappears, just like Gummigo did.

Why aren’t they rebelling yet?

Because it’s comfortable.

Think about someone working a job they hate. Are they happy? No. Do they enjoy their life? No.

Why don’t they quit?

Because it’s their comfort zone.

The characters wake up. They go on adventures. They talk to each other. They go to sleep. And repeat. And repeat. And repeat. That’s it.

Let’s not forget—no one forced them to put on the headset.

Each of them ended up here by their own choice. Right?

Of course, there are a million other theories.

Like, what if Jax has the keys to escape but doesn’t want to use them because he doesn’t want to be left alone? Or some other version of this. Personally, I think it’s an interesting idea, but a little unlikely.

Still, I respect all theories, and I’m just here sharing mine.

Share your thoughts! Thanks for reading ❤️

[yellow-dejavu]

Who I think is most likely to have burned the cabin:

Coach Ben Scott: They make it him the main suspect, so it might not be him. Also, he didn’t have to lie to Mari about not knowing anything about it. He would probably have given himself away while he was talking alone. It could still be him tho.

Van Palmer & Taissa Turner: I think it could be them. Maybe the other Tai did it and Van is covering it up to protect her. If Van did it, I think it may have something to do with her relationship with another character. It could be Tai, but I think it could also be about Lottie. The way adult Van reacted when she saw Lottie again makes me think she did insane things for her. I think Van knows something about it. Van is so connected to fire.

Travis Martinez: I mean... they let his brother die and give him his heart to eat. If he wanted burn the whole cabin down, I get it.

Misty Quigley: It’s Misty, so it’s always an option for her to do something crazy.

Natalie Scartoccio: I don't think it was Nat. She was certainly given a responsibility she didn't want, and burning the whole place down is one way of trying to get out of it. Although it can backfire if nobody dies and it gives you more work to do because you don’t even have a place to stay now.

Mari Pit: She is so random. I doubt it, but it could be anything with her.

Shauna Shipman & Lottie Matthews: In any other case, they would be my main suspects. They instigate so much shit, but given their situation in the s2 finale... I don’t see how it could be either of them. Lottie was still pretty injured and Shauna was the one who first told everyone else about the fire.

Akilah Mouse: She is literally a Disney princess. She also has had hallucinations from starvation, but she had not yet done anything dangerous like other characters. All she did was befriend a mouse.

Gen Hunter: Ummm… literally, why would she???

Melissa Hat: Again, but why would she do that??? Well… maybe if she had a vision that burning the cabin would somehow cause the butterfly effect of Shauna putting a knife to her throat and making out with her. That kind of seems like a valid reason to burn down a cabin.

The other Yellowjackets: I don’t think so, it would be more interesting if it was one of the more developed characters.

But what if the dead characters somehow formed a team and burned the whole thing down with the power of the wilderness. Let’s go Jackie Taylor, Laura Lee, Crystal the Pistol, Javi Martinez, Wilderness Baby, Cabin Guy and others. The Ghostjackets for the win.

Or maybe it could be an accident. The other is not even an actual option, and somehow this seems less plausible. Not even the characters think that it could have been an accident. Someone burned it and they are hiding it.

[fernsproutxx]

oh… i feel like i just gained forbidden knowledge, it’s not that hard to find if you really go looking though. it was amazing really, because it felt really cool and dumbfounding that this isn’t more common knowledge

but also makes sense, since not everyone gets invested in the lore of a small indie game development studio hahahah

(i've already shared this whole post's information at the wrong organ discord server almost verbatim, but i thought that the tumblr crowd might enjoy this too. i was told that i made some really good sleuthing with this hah)

it's about game files, textures, design details, and a previous project from the developers at wrong organ, which tie back into mouthwashing, at least in a subtle way in my opinion

it’s more about jimmy’s character design actually i know he was stated to purposely look like "your average joe" but personally i think there is more to it that wasn't mentioned, so strap in because this post is a little long…

okay… so!

some weeks ago i saw a post here on tumblr about an unused horse asset in the game files of mouthwashing, along with other multiple models and textures, and i thought it was interesting, but didn’t pay much mind to it

but yesterday i went around looking at the developer socials, as one does. first the wrong organ twitter account, which isn’t that hard to scroll at the bottom

i was looking at their mouthwashing memes really hahah

but then i saw in one of their old posts that someone asked about what happened to a shooter that was being developed, to which the account replied that it was sadly cancelled, and i thought “huh, i didn’t know about that, i wonder how it looked…”

cue more scrolling and a jump to johanna’s account

(she's wrong organ's co-founder by the way, obviously there’s people everywhere who don’t know this lol)

first i only looked at her retweets really, a bunch of outstanding mouthwashing fanart, but when i saw in passing mention that she also does art and i went "AWOOGA¿! FELLOW ARTIST SPOTTED"

immediate jump to her media tab so i could scroll from bottom to top

and oh boy

was i in for a surprise

remember the unused horse in the game files i mentioned earlier¿ YEAH THAT HORSE

well

going through johanna’s twitter gallery things started to connect, and man oh man… [VINE BOOM SFX]

my first thought was

"HUH… that reminds me of someone……… and i’ve seen that horse before…………… surely not"

but that wasn't it

also remember when only recently people was like just noticing that jimmy had a faint scar on his lips¿ which in turn ensued a ton of fanart that included that miniscule detail¿

man… it’s so fucking obvious now—

🤦

he’s a reused asset

WHICH MAKES SENSE BECAUSE TIME SAVING IN GAME DEVELOPMENT IS CRUCIAL

BUT BROOOOOOO HOW DID NO ONE KNOW THIS¿¿

it was hilarious when i shared this in the server because with this we finally knew where some of the emotes in there originated from, one of them being this protagonist's face hahah

here’s more about it for the curious

the thing had plenty of models and animations already made too like, dude…

the fucking hair texture

THE TEXTURE

reusing assets my beloved

it's a real shame that game got cancelled, it looked very cool…

here’s a funny tho (me when honse)

it even got to the wishlist stage, but ultimately it faded away 😔

anyways, horse rider with long rifle jimmy ancestor you will always be missed, see you space cowboy… and fly high

hope you enjoyed reading my 3am rabbit hole on this niche piece of lost media heheheh :D

[marbofmoorock]

SuperTheory post about ad implications in the TADC:

Jax seems to think Pomni is incredibly deceptive in this promo, implying she's not only hoping to prey on the viewers through her personality (likely feigning innocence if true), but perhaps is implying his view of Pomni is that her being anxious and afraid asking for help is like a cover for her real personality, which is perhaps ravenous and sadistic beyond the cute nervous visage.

It's an interesting theory, as Jax seems to imply that Pomni is conniving and/or crazy. An evil Pomni would be an interesting twist, especially considering how Pomni is considered to be a good guy by viewers up until now.

Considering her selfishness prioritizing the exit over Ragatha in ep. 1, her rather expert knowledge in understand how glitches work to escape the developer maps under the candy kingdom in ep. 2(she also called it "under the map," which doesn't sound like something someone like Pomni would say if they had no knowledge of their past), unless they were like a programmer or something. Then there's Pomni's creepy stalker tendencies exposed in ep. 4, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that Pomni is a lot more capable than she lets on(and easily missable if we don't pay attention assuming Pomni is just panicking over), adjisting to life in the circus, perhaps even feigning her knowledge of the outside world to convince the other circus members she's as clueless as they are through an orchestrated act of complete panic.

It also reminds me of Goose and how the person in the circus closest to abstraction is someone we'd least expect, saying: "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

This could mean Pomni is nearing abstraction more than anybody and might be next. Think about it: we have this strong expectation that Pomni is growing stronger mentally through surviving each episode and coming out helping others.

There's this strong implication of her being the main character and having plot armor, unable to be killed off or removed from the show. This would be a perfect opportunity for Goose and her team, as most of the audience is cheering for Pomni in the adventures/episodes. They want to see good things happen to her since she's got this protection being the lead role, but maybe that's a setup. Considering the show is inspired by the tortuous and horrifying novel "I have no Mouth and I must Scream," and the promo openly suggesting the show is a psychological horror, it would make sense to have a twist that takes out the main character to throw the audience through a loop and keep the thrill/excitement via intensifying the horror elements.

Goose also said that Episode 5 would be "The Silly before the Storm." So if Pomni were to abstract, it could happen in one of the later episodes after episode 5.

While the show is arguably about all of them, Pomni has been the main focus as she's the catalyst for the plot, as her arrival after the show theme strongly implies the show is about Pomni, even if the other characters are now part of the show too and were featured first in the pilot.

Or could all of it just be fun theatrics for promotional reasons? I guess we'll see.

So that's multiple theories:

1. Pomni is maybe faking her anxiety and fear as a way to decieve others into thinking she's not as smart or aware as they thought she was (Kind of Like YouTubers that fake mental illnesses for views).

2. Pomni potentially being the next circus member to abstract, and is rather good at acting, much better than the rest of them, despite being assumed safe due to main character syndrome.

3. Bonus: Maybe Kinger is the one deciever, as he could be faking it too, and if we're going by Judas theory(if the feast in the pilot is a reflection of the last supper painting by DaVinci), Kinger might be the deciever, as he sits in the same spot as Judas is from Jesus, as 2nd on the right). Judas could likely also be considered the 3rd, implying Ragatha as the deciever, as Judas kind of leans in his position). She could croak~ (get it, because she was originally supposed to be a frog character lol). Some speculation it is Zooble, as it would be a subversion of the expectation of Judas theory, and Goose is known to throw people through a loop with clues, especially with all of her religious symbols in paintings, then going back to say "Oh, that's just silly art....or is it~?"

Food for Thought.

[acmeangel]

♡ Help me decide on a longer fic idea! ♡

I don't know when I'll write it, but I at least want to start thinking about plot ideas for something more substantial. (And this wouldn’t mean I’d stop writing requests.) Respond or inbox me with thoughts!

☆ Option 1: Canon!Levi x Female!Reader: Paradis has just found out that the rest of the world exists, and with that, that they’re about a century behind every other nation. It’s time to form alliances. Y/N is a Princess from a neighboring nation, and her father, the King, is interested in working out a mutually beneficial arrangement. Together, they visit Paradis, and while they’re there, the King demands that the most skilled soldier in all of Paradis guard Y/N and keep her safe. That’s where Levi comes in; he’s ordered to protect Y/N at all costs (he thinks it’s a bit below him, but it’s an order). Bonus: in Y/N’s culture, royal women have to wear a veil at all times until married, so Levi doesn’t ever get to see what she looks like.

☆ Option 2: Canon!Levi x Female!Reader: The Scouts have just uncovered that Marley is their real enemy. Levi Squad is sent on an undercover recon mission to gather intelligence on Marley to see if they can gain the upper hand; they don’t have the same military capabilities as Marley, so they’ll need all the information they can get. Levi meets Y/N, the daughter of [military official person probably] who could be the key to getting the precious intel The Scouts need. Levi has to pretend to be someone else while he gets to know Y/N and tries to learn her secrets, but in the process, he might actually come to like Y/N — the enemy. Big enemies to lovers vibes.

☆ Option 3: Canon!Levi x Female!Reader: Y/N and Levi both grew up in the Underground. Y/N, much like Levi, didn't have family to count on and had to fend for herself; however, because she was just an ordinary kid, she had a hard time defending herself. Levi, who was just a couple years older, always seemed to appear and defend Y/N throughout their childhood, and Y/N would repay him with food or a place to stay. They became friends over time, and cared for one another, but Levi eventually joins the Scouts, and Y/N is left to fend for herself in the Underground. Will they reunite? Will Y/N have to toughen up and lead the life of a criminal? What will happen if their paths cross years later, as adults?

☆ Option 4: Canon!Levi x Female!Reader: This one's a little half-baked, but Y/N is a civilian woman, living inside the walls. She lives an ordinary life; maybe she's a bartender or a seamstress or something like that. One way or another, her and Levi become friendly; this is all pre-Shiganshina-Attack, so while things are busy with the Scouts, the real storm hasn't hit yet. Y/N and Levi begin writing each other letters now and then, and Y/N develops romantic feelings for Levi and accidentally sends him a rather intimate note (inspired by Atonement lol). This sparks something within Levi, but before they can do anything about it, the Titans break through the walls and Levi is too consumed with duty to be able to visit her anymore. Y/N has no clue if or when she'll see Levi again, but even despite this, she can't seem to be able to fall for anyone else. Will they ever get to see each other again? (Very Hozier singing "Do I Wanna Know?" YEARNING, LONGING vibes)

(For logistics, would have to tweak canon story things in these fics because duh.)

I clearly tend to think of ideas within the canon universe, but if anyone has any compelling non-canon ideas, I’d love to hear them!

[faething-n-frothing]

Unicorn Academy headcanons (purely for fun)!

I think it would’ve been so cool if the show gave them specific disciplines + tack when they got their magical personality-based clothing/tack ! I gave her western tack - it’ll be harder to do jumps, but I think being a bit unsafe is fairly in-character.

Sophia edition:

Eyebags from frequently sneaking out at night, all rebellious style… she will refuse to sleep solely to avoid ‘wasting free time’

Likes to be comfortable, rides bareback or western - she’s not very used to English, since she learned western first on her family’s ranch

Plays the guitar. Badly <3

Kind of mean, simply in an uncaring + snappy way. She’s recovering! …she just hasn’t socialized with peers in a while, much less friends

Also realized she liked girls very early on, and is in a bit of denial about actually being bi… so now she’s a (slowly) recovering misandrist! (This is mainly based off her treatment of Rory being especially hostile early on- especially since he’s a fellow rule-breaker, making her frustration with him fascinatingly hypocritical)

Bonus for Wildstar : I think she’d be an Appaloosa (maybe a draft mix?) in horse terms, to account for more obvious star patterns.

And I think she gets along with Sofia because she’s also a bit overly independent, bold, and abrasive

They WILL learn to cooperate! It’s a group effort here.

[bookshelf-in-progress]

I love how a well-written romance is so often structured as a mystery. A person starts with a certain idea about another person, and over the course of the story, they uncover more evidence that gives them a fuller picture of who the other person truly is. They learn about layers to the personality and backstory that give the other person more depth. They learn how the other person's personality meshes with theirs. Even the third-act misunderstanding fits the mystery structure--it looks like they've uncovered the final secret to the other person's identity, which is that they're not the worthy person they seemed to be, but then discover that they misinterpreted that evidence, or the other person takes steps to apologize and repair the level of trust. When the mystery is resolved, they've reached a full understanding of each other and know they've found a partner they can trust their whole future to.