#I started thinking about this because of an Alien Theory video by the way

[thespookybean14]

I think about Alien a lot, especially recently. This evening I’m specifically thinking about how in the Alien Isolation novel (and maybe other Alien novels) it mentions how Ripley would send video messages to Amanda before the freighter ship would lose contact, and how one of those times a message was from Dallas.

It made me think about the crew a lot. Like, did Amanda ever ask about them? Did any of them sometimes stop by while Ripley was talking to Amanda on the video message just to check in and say hi as another parental/family friend figure? Did Ripley ever tell the crew about her daughter? Did any of the other Nostromo Crew have kids?

Would Amanda have met the other crew member’s kids at some point in her childhood or teenage years and have no clue they were related to people who her mom worked with? If she did know them, would they have become a close friend group just trying to figure out what happened to their parents? Did the others try to stay optimistic that maybe their parents were okay? Did they give up on them after a few years?

I don’t know, but I think it’s interesting to ponder.

[reverie-starlight]

"oikawa being into space was just a headcanon" "oikawa liking aliens was so fanon" well space nerd oikawa is real to ME. he theorizes about aliens in my HEART.

gn!reader, no physical descriptions. literally one suggestive line and that's it. this is so short and lazy, and secretly just an excuse for me to share some space facts I learned recently. reader and oikawa talk about aliens. any astronomers or casual space enjoyers, feel free to either correct me or drop more cool space facts! haven't written for this guy in a while, I m*ss him ://

"did you know that earth chirps?"

you and oikawa are laying in bed together and staring at the ceiling after a long week, neither of you able to turn your minds off long enough to relax and let slumber take over.

you hear shuffling and assume he turned over to face you. "really?" he asks, clearly interested. "I thought sound couldn't travel in space?"

you make a noise of confirmation. "mhm. it doesn't travel, but everything still emits noise. it's just recorded through radio waves and stuff."

"and earth chirps?" you hear enthusiasm start to creep into his voice, his energy spreading to you as well. this often happens on sleepless nights with him- you either turn to... cardio or end up talking with him for hours until one of you falls asleep mid conversation.

and since it's a warm summer night in argentina, tonight will definitely only consist of the latter.

you forget for a moment that it's dark and he can't see you well when you nod. "well, that's how I would describe the sound. is that not the most mother nature-y thing you've ever heard?"

he props himself up on one arm and looks down at you. "okay, now you have to show me that video you saw."

and you do. once he's listened, you see his eyes glowing not only because of the screen, but out of excitement as well. "that's so cool!"

you nod again and sit up with him, smiling. "and I saw this other really cool video about other space sounds- two black holes merging sounds like a water droplet."

you show him that video too, and he shakes his head in amazement. "isn't space just so interesting?"

you toy with your phone for a bit. "I, um... since we can't sleep... I have a whole bunch of other facts-" you start, and just as you're wondering if it's stupid to ask him if he wants to continue the conversation or if you should just let it fizzle out naturally, he cuts you off.

"I want to hear them all, mi vida. you know I do."

you grin and settle in, telling him all about neptune's atmospheric layers, how it's mantle is made up of a water-ammonium ocean that hails diamonds at a certain depth. you mention that saturn has a hexagonal storm just above it's north pole, and that other storms appear on the planet every twenty to thirty years.

somehow you get onto the topic of aliens, something you've both already discussed in depth when you were first getting to know each other all those years ago, but with your new knowledge comes the development of new questions.

and oikawa listens to every last one of your late night rambles. partially because he is genuinely interested in the topic at hand... but mostly because he's an attentive and caring partner and loves hearing your thoughts on everything.

he adores the way your mind works and how you jump from theory to theory, cutting yourself off with a new thought as soon as you think of it. he admires the vibrancy in your tone, excitement bleeding into your words whenever he responds that slowly tapers off into sleepiness.

in the dark he watches your outline lower down onto your pillow and laughs to himself about how adorable you are.

at least one of you will be getting a good night's sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

this is short and rushed bc something came up earlier, BUT AS PROMISED, HERE IT IS!!!

@dira333 :D

[velvetvexations]

I've felt since about 2014 or so that a lot of the way we talk about privilege as a concept was a mistake.

One: while I fully understand the need to have an umbrella term for these things because they originate from the same place and sometimes overlap as more of a spectrum than discrete categories, it's a little bit confusing at best that we ALWAYS use the same term to describe advantages NO ONE should have, like the ability to buy your way into any college you want, AND the lack of DISADVANTAGES that no one should suffer, like being presumed dangerous just for walking down the street and potentially getting jumped or shot for it, AND the lack of daily annoyances that serve as a grating, constant reminder that you are Other, like "flesh tone" very conspicuously not even coming close to matching you or romance being presumed M/F by default everywhere. Yes, we need to talk about what all these things have in common, but we ALSO need to be able to talk about how they're different, and honestly, for the sake of outreach and ~optics~, I feel we've gotta be able to present the similarities and differences up front because I have met NO shortage of people who were super on board with trying to improve society somewhat but got really alienated from theory talk by the straight conflation of those categories, ESPECIALLY the latter two. Never mind the decision that the word for this should be something that most people first hear in the context of an extra hour of video games for good behavior or something along those lines.

Two: No category of privilege is granted universally to every member of a privileged group. Few if any men have all aspects of male privilege. In any lavender scare, NO ONE universally and automatically receives cishet privilege. It's even hard to find white people with all aspects of white privilege, and race as an oppressive class was INVENTED to make it easy to use visual markers to determine who's "in" and who's "out". It's also much easier to lose a lot of aspects of privilege than the language gives it credit for - sometimes, just NOT being enough of a bigot is enough to get you treated like a second class citizen.

Three: Every disprivileged group has some privilege over the next in some ways, AND is disprivileged under them in other ways, and the ways in which this manifests get REALLY chaotic once you start looking at the individual level rather than the group level because of the above. Treating "privilege" like a black and white thing that EVERYONE outside a specific highlighted group has makes futile attempts at "scorekeeping" and the bullshit infighting that comes with it almost inevitable. In fact, a lot of the time, the unshared aspects of closely related axes of oppression can intersect in ways that can't fully be dissected without also examining the axis that an exclusionist is trying to "beat" or disprove - for example, I'd go so far as to argue that because oppositional sexism runs so deep in society, every aspect of transandrophobia has a transmisogynistic flip side AND vice-versa; if we talked about privilege and gender in a way that DIDN'T make it so easy for people to think only one of the two can exist and naming the second is therefore a denial of the first, we'd probably be collectively a lot further along in dissecting both.

Four: Systems of privilege and disprivilege cannot be dismantled by treating the privileged as monsters; this only justifies and perpetuates the system by emphasizing the strength and power of the privileged vs. the hopeless, futile struggles of the oppressed, even when it DOESN'T result in "movements" where the oppressed fear losing their identity if they escape their oppression. In the very worst cases it ends up being every bit as classically bigoted as the ideas it calls out - note how many varieties of radfems arrive at a conclusion where they believe the SAME things about men and women as any manosphere redpill chud, they just think the power imbalance that privileges men is a BAD thing instead of a GOOD thing.

Every damned exclusionist cycle just makes me more and more sure of this. I feel like I've been screaming it into the void for over 10 years and yet no one but the teeny tiny choir has ever listened. At least I've seen more people starting to talk about point 1 specifically over this past year...?

Anon, I'll be honest, I love you but this is a bit too long and dense for me to process so I'm going to post this and put it in my #I just work here tag.

[maodear]

This is me yapping about alien stage to its fullest. I Mostly yap abt round 7 and the video All-in

Till is alive. I think. Because in the end of round 7, his little stupid picture flicks. And his earpiece that probably tracks his heart rate ((checking on his breathing probably??) fell out. So that’s why it flickers since the alien doesn’t know if he’s still alive or not.

SO. HYUNA & MIZI CAN GRAB HIS ASS AND RUN AWAY. ((And I guess Luka too..)

Though realistically, I think Till will survive due to him having such a big role in alien stage. I don’t think Vivinos is THAT evil to let him die, if Ivan already sacrificed himself.

But I do think that Hyuna and Luka will definitely go against each other. (Or what if Till survives and goes against Mizi or smth.. and Hyuna goes against Luka. ???) because 3 is a odd number. (Yeah I didn’t know) Having 3 go against each other would be difficult. Why have 3 when you could get 4? And two more bonus rounds am I right? ((Please leave till alone. He’s my son. Yes I am his mom. Canon.)

Mizi and Hyuna will definitely get captured. No way they will be able to get out of a stage. FILLED with aliens all round. No way. Unless Dewey & Issac bomb the whole place and happy ending.

One of the most anticipated to happen is Hyuna and Luka going against each other. Maybe finally would Luka will show fear? And crack his “perfect” appearance. I would love to see him break because of Hyuna.

As much as I love Hyuluka. It cannot work, because Luka (maybe?) killed Hyunas brother. I have no idea how Hyuna could possibly forgive him.

Unless.. he didn’t? ((Which he probably did but let me cook. I want some hope.)

((Yes he probably did. But I want to put this theory somewhere)

In Hyunas All-in video, during the flashback to the Hyun-woo and Luka “fight” Luka was bleeding from the side of his head,but when looking at Hyun-woo’s hand. He had no blood on his hand? What if the fight was started by Hyun-woo? Possibly since Luka was rather odd to Hyuna. I don’t think Luka would start a fight, due to his conditions. It doesn’t click in my mind for him to fight. What if Hyun-woo hit him on the rock first? I mean hyun-woo didn’t have any blood on his hand. The whole scene isn’t shown. We don’t el know what fully happened. Not saying Hyun-woo is in the bad AT ALL. If he did, then Luka for sure deserved it. And maybe a fight broke out. Causing Luka to kill Hyun-woo.

Luka probably wasn’t that old in that time. Most can be 15. At that age, no matter what. The feeling of killing is horrid. Yes maybe Luka did intend to hurt him. But not kill him. Has it been shown in comics. It did show that Luka and Hyun-woo would fight and Hyuna would break them up. I mean boys usually fight. Look and Ivan and Till.

I read a theory that said Luka might have PBA. Which causes you to laugh,smile or giggle in inappropriate situations. Even if you don’t truly find it funny or even if you’re actually horrified. 

And do remember that Heperu taught Luka to overcome Fear. Possibly he messed up Luka that much, to make him laugh or smile even if he is truly scared. (Which also explains why he is also shown trembling.)

No way am I saying Luka is innocent. He’s a bitch but I feel like people do forget that he is also a victim as everyone else. Alien stage is a fucked up show, which Vivinos will not let us be happy 😭 We can only be happy in the Actor Au..

[lynzishell]

Character Introductions

We have a lot of new-ish faces in this part of my story, and that’s because we’re getting to know Atlas, Asher, and Lex’s friend group! They’re all going to be sticking around for a bit, whether they’ll be background characters or take on more important roles remains to be seen. Either way, I thought it would be a good idea to take a minute to officially introduce them all and tell you how they all know each other.

Now, I say “new-ish” faces because all of these characters were in The Past arc in the last part of my story. Some of them had dialogue, but most were just milling about in the background. The important thing to know is that they’ve all been friends for years and have become a pretty tight-knit little group.

If you'd like to know more about each of them, then proceed below the cut:

Preferred Name/Nickname(s): Evan Gender/Pronouns: Nonbinary, They/Them Sexuality: Queer

Traits: Genius, Geek, Creative, Perfectionist, Outgoing, Morning Sim Personality Archetypes: Sage & Artist Career: Video Game Level Designer at Rainy Day Entertainment

Important Details: Evan is probably the most recognizable atp. They were one of the first people Asher met on his first day at Rainy Day, and the two of them have worked closely ever since. They have amazing compatibility and have developed a pretty close friendship over the years. As far as the rest of the group, Evan has known them since they started at Rainy Day about a year before Asher did. The only one they knew prior to that is Charlee.

They tend to get stuck in the details, but it makes them very good at what they do. They’re extroverted and very sweet, but often clueless when it comes to certain social cues. It’s nearly impossible for them to hide what they’re thinking or feeling, which can be either annoying or refreshing depending on the situation.

Preferred Name/Nickname(s): Charlee, Peanut (inside joke – only Evan calls her this) Gender/Pronouns: Cis woman, She/Her Sexuality: Bisexual

Traits: Good, Geek, Bookworm, Vegetarian, Goofball Personality Archetypes: Sage & Jester Career: Manages a local bookstore

Important Details: Often found with her nose buried in a sci-fi book, or on the computer going down random rabbit holes about some conspiracy theory or another. Absolutely believes in aliens, ghosts, vampires, and time travel. Full of useless facts, puns, and pranks.

Charlee grew up next door to Evan, and the two of them have been best friends since childhood. However, she didn’t meet anyone else until the day she met Blaire. At the time, she had just started working part-time at the bookstore and Blair was visiting while on a book tour. The two unexpectedly hit it off, and Charlee was later introduced to Lex and Tess… only to find out that Lex worked with her best friend! And the rest is history.

Preferred Name/Nickname(s): Blair Gender/Pronouns: Cis woman, She/Her Sexuality: Lesbian

Traits: Self-Assured, Creative, Bookworm, Noncommittal, Dance Machine, Muser Personality Archetypes: Artist & Lover Career: Author – Writes mystery novels

Important Details: In the middle of a long series of mystery novels and becoming quite famous. When she’s not writing, Blair has a passion for dancing and kick boxing. She is blunt and flirtatious and would do literally anything for her friends and family. She lost a sibling unexpectedly at twenty years old, and it changed her entire outlook on life. She’s regularly championing for her friends to follow their dreams (including Atlas and Asher), and she’s the first person most of them are likely to call if they’re ever in trouble.

Blair used to date Tess and is currently dating Lex. She met Lex at a queer speed dating event when she first moved to San Myshuno. They didn’t hit it off romantically at first and remained just friends until a few years ago.

Preferred Name/Nickname(s): Tess Gender/Pronouns: Cis woman, She/Her Sexuality: Lesbian

Traits: Art Lover, Creative, Perfectionist, Neat, Loyal Personality Archetypes: Artist & Caregiver Career: Financial Analyst for a big corporation in Uptown (fun fact: the same corporation Dawn worked at when she first met Phoenix)

Important Details: Tess is good at her job, but she hates it. She has a passion for photography, and Blair is constantly trying to talk her into taking the leap to open her own studio, but she’s afraid of letting go of the perceived stability/security that comes with her corporate job. Maybe she’ll do it one day, but today is not that day.

Tess and Blair used to date, but they quickly realized it wasn’t going to work out since Tess prefers exclusive romantic relationships, and Blair very much does not. However, the two have remained very good friends. Through Blair, she met Lex and the rest of the Rainy Day crew.

Preferred Name/Nickname(s): Jensen or Jay, Jenny (Ash is the only person that gets away with calling him this) Gender/Pronouns: Cis man, He/Him Sexuality: Bisexual

Traits: Outgoing, Geek, ADHD, Loyal, Music Lover, Gregarious Personality Archetypes: Jester & Lover Career: Video Game Developer at Rainy Day Entertainment (will likely be promoted to replace Atlas as Lead Developer)

Important Details: Jensen is only one in the group that was friends with Atlas before anyone else. The two of them have worked side-by-side for nearly ten years… though both of them are usually wearing headphones… but they do chat a fair amount and are pretty good friends.

Jensen is super laid back and can get along with pretty much anyone. Once Lex and Evan started inviting him out with the group, he clicked with everyone else instantly. Aside from Atlas, he gets along most with Charlee, Blair, and Kamryn… and apparently, he’s hooking up with Charlee now… I didn’t see that coming, but I love that for them.

Preferred Name/Nickname(s): Kamryn, Kam Gender/Pronouns: Cis woman, She/Her Sexuality: Pansexual

Traits: Self-Assured, High Maintenance, Music Lover, Dog Lover, Materialistic, Night Owl Personality Archetypes: Hero & Sinister (interesting combo ??) Career: Video Game Character Design and Animation at Rainy Day Entertainment

Important Details: While she enjoys her job, Kamryn’s passion is music. She produces House music and DJ’s regularly at various local and out-of-town clubs. Blair and her often butt heads on whether she should leave her job to pursue music full-time. From Kam’s perspective, her day job pays the bills and allows her to make the music she wants to make, the way she wants to make it, without the pressure of needing to make money from it.

When she met Ash, she was so happy to finally meet another Dog Lover! They’re always talking about their dogs and sharing photos. Maybe when Ash gets another dog, one that actually lives with him in the city, they can take their dogs on play dates!

Preferred Name/Nickname(s): Aubree, Bree Gender/Pronouns: Cis woman, She/Her Sexuality: Bisexual

Traits: Creative, Loves the Outdoors, Foodie, Vegetarian, Cheerful, Observant, Mediator, Compassionate, Morning Sim Personality Archetypes: Artist & Jester Career: Video Game Architect at Rainy Day Entertainment

Important Details: Aubree is amazing!!! Next to Atlas, she’s the most introverted of the group. She’s one of those people that is really quiet, she just kinda sits back and listens, but then when she speaks, she says the most insightful things.

She hates conflict and avoids it at all costs, but she’s great helping others navigate it and find a middle ground. She has a unique ability to see and understand others’ perspectives and is usually the first person everyone wants to come to for advice.

Lex has adored her since she first met her, and immediately befriended her. It took her a while to feel comfortable with the group, but now they’re all like family to her.

Her and Atlas are interesting together... I feel like if he opened up to her, she'd have great advice for him... but they rarely talk. In fact, what he likes most about her is that she's one of the few people willing to just sit in comfortable silence... and vice versa.

[milk-ducts]

[Brief] Thoughts on Film Theory's Analysis

I was gonna post this on my priv twt.. but moots convinced me to post it here so here we are.. beware of spoilers, gore, bla bla bla ..

FIRST OFF I'm gonna start by saying, I AM ESL. I may or may not have misinterpreted some of his words, but this is mainly how I thought of his analysis. This is not meant to be ill-guided or rude ! so sorry if it comes off as this way. I will be very repetitive.

Another thing, most if not all of the information matpat gave out i alr discussed with a few mutuals on discord about a few months back so this is not new territory to me 😭😭 I thought most folks would already knew the concept of how the brain deteriorates overtime But honestly, that indisposition shouldn’t even apply to omni man??? matpat tried to compare an immortal Viltrumite's psychology to that of an aging human's, which can be misguided.

Let's start by how he compares Nolan's brain to the average aging human's brain so the audience could understand his psyche more and how empathy declines overtime. First and foremost, Nolan is not a human, second; Nolan wasn't raised with empathy or around an empathetic environment - it was an alien concept to his race. Something frowned upon. He was raised from birth to conquer and destroy without remorse. His brain never developed those neural pathways for empathy in the first place. It's not that they deteriorated over time, they were never even formed.

By the time he came to Earth, all this familial stuff was new to him. Sure, he knew he was gonna outlive them, but He didn't think he'd get attached. HE didn't process that he'd grieve over them when the time came.

Interacting with humanity for the first time ignited unfamiliar emotions in Nolan that he didn’t know how to process.

His time living amongst humans caused conflicting feelings he’d never experienced in his centuries of systematic slaughter. Loving Debbie and Mark went against everything he was taught, but he couldn't help it. For once, the lives he was manipulating to further Viltrum’s goals meant something to him. He developed a [what he presumed, NOT what he felt about them in reality, his love for them is far more profound than he assumed it to be which we later on see in the last ep of s1 and the second season] petty facsimile of love for his ersatz family.

So no, his capacity for empathy didn't decline with age as MatPat claims. His empathy was stunted from the start. An underdeveloped skill, not a deteriorated one. We had characters like Debbie to help him understand those notions, help him grow it. With Mark in the mix? it only amplified that development.

Viltrumites are societally and culturally predisposed to violence and domination. Nolan was never accustomed to forming emotional connections or grieving loss. Those were entirely new experiences for him after arriving on Earth. He was not jaded. he was grown into jamais vu in viltrum.

This is why the whole conflict in s1 happened, he was treading between double lives he wasn't sure of. He was conflicted because his past values were refuting with his new experiences. He found love on Earth, he found himself unable to accept how he'd lose Debbie. Of How jaded Mark might become. Everything he said to Mark till that point was his own self-projections, his own fears, doubts.

While the video did provide some interesting facts about neuroscience and aging, the application of those facts to Nolan's character was inaccurate. IT is educational for those who don't know, but it isn't recent news that the brain begins to deteriorate overtime so this video wasn't that informative which kinda disappointed me. Their analysis lacked alot of information about the Viltrumite race and Nolan's character. Comparing him to humans with normal life experiences just doesn't work. His immortal nature combined with a lack of empathy from birth created a psychology unlike anything seen on Earth.

SORRY FOR RANTING ALOT AND OR IF IT SEEMS LIKE I'M GIVING MATPAT SHIT ... i really liked their analysis on immortal so i'll give them that. Immortal, unlike Nolan, was born human. He has lived among humanity for over 3000 years, inhabiting different identities of public and devoted historians. Because of this, his psyche developed quite differently. Immortal knows how to form connections, experience loss, and adapt to social changes. His perpetual existence didn't harden his heart like Viltrum's brutal culture did to Nolan. Instead, Immortal's immortality allowed his empathy and compassion to blossom.

Humans are social creatures. Our brains have evolved to seek out interpersonal relationships, crave affection, and find meaning in community. For an immortal like Immortal, social interaction is vital to staving off boredom, depression and detachment from humanity.

By inhabiting mortal lives, he stays tethered to the human experience. He continues learning, growing, and developing empathy.

This is why he's devastated when the guardians die.

This is also why he goes fucking mental and tries to kill Omni-man.

If Immortal had lived in isolation all this time, unable to connect with people, his psyche would likely resemble Nolan's more closely. Without social interaction, Immortal's brain would atrophy in ways that preclude complex emotions and moral reasoning. His sense of purpose would fade, achievements would lose meaning, and life itself might feel pointless. By engaging with humanity, Immortal gives his endless existence purpose and direction. He finds value in each temporary life, so loss still impacts him deeply. Socializing keeps his emotions and cognition flexible, which prevents the apathy and hardness of heart seen in Nolan. Nolan never had these opportunities in his early years, this is why it's more difficult for him to stray away from his indoctrination. It's that he's unused to it, underdeveloped.

60 years to Nolan would've been a year and a half, so what's 20 measly years on Earth for him? Yes, he found profound connections in that little speck of time, but Immortal's emotional capacity is far more extensive.

In summary, Comparing Nolan to a human, whether mortal or immortal, is kinda inaccurate. His Viltrumite psyche rules out him from possessing JADED human qualities. You could say he's desensitized to violence sure, but no.. unfortunately.. he does not have [boomer] brain. He has [indoctrinated alien-fascist brain]

Leave your own thoughts down below or through reblogs, I'm really interested on what others may think of this! (URGHHHNN... my hcs r slipping away from my fingers cuz now people r gonna accept what matpat says as truth.. someone gun me down from the hills..)

[mundaneblue]

Alien Stage Theory time!!

With Round 7 just around the corner, I felt it fitting to look back on my theories I've gathered so far and very heavily believe in. But my most CRUCIAL one that I always feel like talking about is:

Ivan meant for both him and Till to die in Round 6.

So I am of the opinion that Ivan did NOT plan to do the whole sacrifice at all.

It was spontaneous.

And I have several reasons to back this theory up.

So we all know that ever since Ivan and Till were kids, Ivan had been obsessed with the idea of them escaping together.

He knew Till valued “freedom” and because he did, Ivan started to value it too. But never alone. Only with Till.

Since Ivan went back to Anakt instead of escaping after Till did the same because of the fear of leaving Mizi.

Even in the scene where Ivan finds Till passed out in around 6, he looks helpless, and cradles his face in a “Dont worry, it’ll all end soon” kind of way.

So when Till stops singing and Ivan approaches him to kiss, the kiss was NOT planned.

Now this was the factor that surprised everyone. Even Unsha. It was so unexpected that he wished he knew what Ivan was thinking, but that’s the thing.

Ivan WASNT thinking.

Even Ivan himself was shocked at what he was doing since he had no control over his actions at that moment at all.

And this correlates to ivan's eccentric behaviour. As we know that ever since he was a child, he never really felt like he fit in with his fellow peers. This is very interesting to me as in Black Sorrow we are shown this picture of Ivan being very uninterested in spending time with the kids in his class. He has this mundane look of unamusement.

But as we look at more alien stage content, we see that Ivan was actually one of the most social in his class. Everyone admired him.

This shows that the rounds/videos don't necessarily mean what was infact happening but what the characters themselves felt.

This is also why I believe Ivan and Till were way more closer than what Ivan painted in his rounds. He just never felt the same love from Till, hence his constant inner mantra of wanting Till to look at him.

Now we've gotten that clear!

The main thing I want to deliver is that Ivan is an unreliable narrator. And he doesn't know how to handle his feelings in a methodical way. He has this distortive, almost possessive view when it comes to love and honestly that, to me, is what makes Ivan Ivan.

Ivan doesn't know how to properly think when he's faced with his emotions. He's used to tuning out his emotions to do things. So when his emotions get involved? It's like an electric shock and he relies on the thing closest to him to hold on to.

And that thing is Till.

Ivan was obsessed with Till. I'm sure we all know that but people really undermine his determination when it comes to Till.

I really do believe that Ivan planned for both him and Till to die in R6 as an ode to their longing for freedom.

Because all Ivan ever wanted was to be free with Till.

The counter statements that suggest he wasn't choking Till and merely had his hands on him simply doesn't sit with me as the animation clearly showed Ivan's hands clenching hard as he progressed to choke him.

Look at the dent formed by Ivan's fingers on his neck, right at the crucial point of air supply.

And Till is shocked but as he's gradually losing air, his eyes start to get heavy and he gets ready to accept the darkness that follow

And while Ivan is getting shot, he chokes him even harder.

Because that IS his goal.

For Till and him to die so they'd be together in whatever life that follows hereafter.

I disagree when I hear that Ivan meant to sacrifice himself for Till. Yes that did happen at the end but it was never what he initially intended. His initial intent was far more dark and possessive. Which is very on brand for a Vivinos character.

However, now we're getting to the sacrifice part and I believe this is where Ivan had a turning point.

As he gets his final shot and basically sees he's about to die, he looks at Till in surprise.

Because no matter how much he wished for them both to be together, he can't kill his God. He can't kill his Universe. Ivan is possessive but Ivan is also weak when it comes to him.

This smile of his shows that sentiment. "Ah I really can't go through with it afterall"

Ivan always believed he and Sua were similar but he resented her for sacrificing herself for Mizi. He believed he was better than that. He won't ever do that. Wherever Till goes, he goes. Yet, when he was actually faced with the task of doing it, he finally realised what Sua felt. Because Sua, just like Ivan, was also quite possessive of Mizi.

He couldn't do it, and at that moment he knew that he and Sua really weren't so different. Only difference was that while Sua was loved, felt love. Ivan never felt it.

Ivan did everything for Till. He stayed at Anakt for Till. He pursued alien stage for Till.

And his last act was also for Till. He wanted his last action to be for himself, to finally grant his long due wish of being with Till but he couldn't do it. And while the sacrifice was spontaneous, it was just so...easy to do. Because again, Ivan thought Till never cared as much about him as he did (abandonment issues at their finest) so him dying wouldn't really affect him as much.

This makes Ivan so much more tragic for me. And this heavily fits him as a complex character.

"Thank you for being the victim of my shallow emotions."

When were you or your feelings ever shallow, Ivan...

[things-about-cars-in-posts]

I'm new to your blog, so please let me know if I am not following the rules, I hope I don't offend!

I love the Ford Mustang. There are a bunch of eras that I appreciate, but my first love is the 5th generation - the mid-2000s look with round headlights. I love and miss the round headlights.

Disclaimer: I don't drive. I don't own a car.

My question for you is: Did Ford really release an SUV Mustang?! For the love of all things, whyyy? It made me want to yell when I saw my first one in a mall parking lot. Is there also like a hatchback/station wagon?? WTF is going on?? Am I crazy? I am still upset over seeing this and learning it wasn't a hallucination when I saw another one months later.

... I'm only mildly upset, barely upset (as again, I don't actually drive, so what does it actually matter to me?) ... But I am still thinking about it.

Do you have any thoughts on this expansion of the "meaning" of the Mustang? Has it reached your neck of the woods? I'm in Canada. Were you horrified/intrigued/something else when you learned about this? I searched your blog for all your posts tagged Ford Mustang and figured I'd try sending an ask for your thoughts if you feel like sharing any!

Thanks for reading my little rant! This ask was sent for fun, you're not obligated to respond in any way. I hope you have a wonderful day!!

LOL @ rules. Dear reader, these posts get sidetracked so often pretending otherwise is a running gag*; my post about the Opel Kadett has aliens in it; there is a tag called #lgbt cars and half a dozen series I have started and not finished (yet!), and one 1k word installment of them was directly followed by a silly edit of a tweet... safe to say you'll be fine XD

Safe to say all the rest, too. Like, I appreciate the care, but if you contribute primo material to a blog whose pinned encourages interacting with to your heart's content and its author gets offended about it... well, to editorialize, I don't see how that someone deserves your courteousness. And to not editorialize, fuck that guy. That is to say: you don't need to worry about coming off as offensive :) . Unless, of course, I missed something and it's actually totally reasonable to get mad about your ask. In which case: HOW DARE YOU. (I am kidding. I would forgive you anyway because you have good intentions and I'm not an asshole. Unless I am. In which case: HOW DARE YOU.)

Wait, what was this ask about again?

Oh, right, the Mustang.

How did I get sidetracked like this? I swear it never happens. *see?

As I've previously mentioned (and indeed you've read), child me was obsessed with it, starting exactly from the S197! And honestly, as someone who's not owned a car for a lot of very strongly opinionated years, I admire you for only being modestly upset about it. The last time Ford did this, I wasn't as restrained. And the Mustang Mach-E... that did it to the most cherished car of my childhood...

...I don't hate nearly as much.

Huh?

To be clear, when news originally broke out... I barely remember it at all, actually, but I'm pretty sure it felt like the world was ending. Then again, I was 17, so most things did. Now though, I think my brain filed it under "Fine, I guess". But why?

Doug DeMuro recently made a video about his "hot take" cars, and one of them was the Mini Countryman, another SUVy version of a car I love - his argument being that it doesn't really matter if a car doesn't live up to what it owes its name to if it's a good, interesting, fun car overall.

And I found myself agreeing.

About the Countryman.

I mean, he's right! If you judge it on its own merits, it's a charming, characterful, fun little car! Maybe I just give the Mach-E a pass because I like that sportified electric SUV so dang much okay next theory.

But maybe it's the first part that we should focus on - that Doug DeMuro said he likes the thing! Could it have been his enthusiastic Mach-E review, or Regular Car Reviews' understanding take on the move, that swayed me to like it m- to dislike it less?

Well, the former proudly bought a first generation A Class and I still resent that it outsold the Audi A2 it competed with despite looking like a grandmother reading a meme, so that can't be all there is to it.

But maybe, it's not what it is, but what else there is? After all, the Mini Countryman shines most atop the slab o' drab that is its segment. That's also a strong argument for the 500L, after all...

...and really, for the larger Living version especially.

Does that lengthening of the rear section make the grace evaporate from its proportions so hard even the front look worse? Perhaps. Does it look like a 500L was running away from someone and they grabbed it from the back saying "You're not going anywhere"? Vaguely. But the last time Fiat had tried its hand at seating more than five I had to put a trigger warning on the result.

So maybe it's just that the electric SUV market is so dire, so awful, so wretched, that-

Alright, next theory.

You know, maybe, instead of looking at what works for me, we should look at what didn't. Especially considering that I like the above examples more than the Mach-E anyway. (Well, at least on principle. I can't stomach the back of a 500L Living in practice.) And I think it's because the basic idea of those versions is to take the core stylistic traits of the standard car and applying them to a different body style, and that just doesn't work with a Mustang. Its core traits are so inescapably tied to its body style that transposing them to any other would either stretch them beyond recognition or make them look like a weird mask draped over the car. See that F-150 with a Mustang front.

Wait, this actually works better than the Mach-E.

Alright, it seems I need to bust out something truly wretched for the Mach-E to score some points here.

I'm sorry to do this to you.

This is the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross.

Fuck this piece of shit.

THERE IT IS! There's the anger. But surely, then, I should feel even more of it about the 2010s Dodge Dart I was writing about when I first mentioned this dreadful vehicle on the blog, right?

After all, look at this shit. They are so completely, utterly far apart...

...that I don't even register them as related. They just feel like two cars with the same name. I didn't cry that the Dodge Dart was no longer a muscle car in the same way I don't cry that the Suzuki Splash didn't get a stepside bed.

Okay, in my defense that was a joke.

Like the Eclipse Cross.

Okay, that isn't fair. My joke was lighthearted and fun. Culminating the lineage of one of the 90s' most beloved tuner cars with a crossover sharing a footprint if that is when dark humor crosses my line.

I think that reflects a bit of a bell curve when it comes to revivals. The original Dart was so old I didn't have any meaningful connection to it - and though that was partly me being very young and in the wrong continent, if you fished far enough back it'd go for a lot more people. Reviving a 30s car? Piece of cake. Seven people would even notice. Similarly, "reviving" a 5 year old car? Just update it! In the middle is where things get more complicated than an X Games skate trick.

"Watch! I'll do a frontside 360!"

*ragdolls lifelessly down the ramp sliding to a stop at the bottom while the skateboard rolls up the other end and comes back down to bang on the helmet*

"Tada!"

Yes, I am putting myself through thinking about this blood-boiling insult again (the things I do for y'all), because it's useful to illustrate how and why this would've been a frontside 360 and a half. A frontside 540.

Because there, you have what the Supra had to deal with - an ancestor miles removed from anything current cars can afford to be, whose spirit muddied over time with the traits of cars of its era. But with the Capri it's even trickier, because it never evolved either. It may seem like it would make things simpler - fewer identities to bring together, ask the 400Z what hassle that is...

...but really, an evolution boils down a model's identity to what few traits persist through the iterations, and creates leeway for experimentation in other areas. It creates the idea of a core spirit that changes and adapts to the times. And, pretty much inevitably, it introduces highs and lows.

See: the Eclipse, and its Elvis-like arc. It immediately made a splash...

picked up steam and the youth's attention...

...and with time gained bulk and lost performance, befitting an aging demographic, its looks becoming more fussy and confused...

...culminating in a graceless end and a scrappy final photograph.

No, I didn't take these. They're the official press pictures of the last Eclipse ever, exactly as delivered to the press.

Yikes.

By contrast, the Capri's more like Kurt Cobain - it didn't live long enough for its essence to get warped by the times. If you look at its "three generations"...

Well, to quote an earlier line in this post, "Alright, it seems I need to bust". But my actual point was that they're essentially the same. It maintained its taut, youthful coolness, and left us before time could wear its schtick out and force it to either find a way to evolve or become embarrassingly outdated.

This is why the new... no, I don't even want to humor Ford about this. This is why that thing invokes such intense hatred - because the Capri was a specific idea etched into our minds with crisp detail and looked back on with rose tinted glasses. We are almost unrealistically kind to it - we look at its now weak performance within the context of its day, but appreciate its then normal analog simplicity in the context of today, and so on. And we want a new one to represent what we felt about the car, how we remember it, rather than its actual role and characteristics.

The Mustang, tho? Eminem.

Made a splash...

...made some trash...

(Yep! The Mustang hatchback is real!)

...got back on its feet (luckily, little else was meaningfully less of a heap in those miserable years, so the Mustang II still sold well enough to get a new model)...

(There it is again!)

...and through highs and lows is still going to this day, with very annoying people sticking their heads in unrelated conversations to tout it as Still The GOAT.

(And indeed, this is the second verse of Calm Down on wheels.)

And that's the real point.

The Mach-E is not like that time in the '90s when only public outcry stopped Ford from making the next Mustang a front wheel drive sport coupe based on the Mazda 626.

Well, actually it is like that, because they still ended up making and selling it, just alongside a new Mustang - as the Probe.

And it was decent and it sold well and everyone was fine with it.

Because no, a front wheel drive captive import sports coupé in no way fit the Mustang ethos, but no car needs to be a Mustang if there's still a Mustang to bear the Mustang torch. And such is the case for the Mini Countryman, such is the case for the 500L, and such is the case for the Mustang Mach-E.

The Mach-E didn't take the Mustang away from me. It didn't rip its name out of a rest it deserved to stay in. It didn't shoehorn itself into a legacy it didn't belong in nor live up to like The Heart Part 6 (and that's my yearly musical reference quota met).

It's not claiming to be the new Mustang. It's just another Mustang. And, as you've read me say before, providing an option, however unfitting, will never offend me near as much as making it what we're stuck with.

And no, there was no wagon version. But there are a handful of cases of first gen examples being converted into shooting brakes, each with its own fascinating story. And of course, a plethora of renders of shooting brake Mustangs of every ilk - and some of them, in my humble opinion, fuck.

Links in blue are posts of mine about the topic in question: if you liked this post, you might like those - or the blog’s Discord server, linked in the pinned post!

P.S. To my first points - in addition to those unfinished series, there are year old asks still waiting in my drafts. So again, worry not, I'm well aware you do and can not force me to respond. But they will be answered someday, because I can, and, be it sooner or later, I will. This is a promise. Slash threat. Slash j.

[shippingmania]

Southern Jimmy, The Fanfic

Jimmy and the gang had a rare day off, so they decided to relax in their own ways around Jimmy’s lab. Timmy and Manny decided to play video games, with a promise not to get out of hand again like last time. (Call Of Duty is still banned after half the lab got destroyed.) Spongebob was cooking a feast for a village for lunch, the smells coming out of the kitchen was making everyone relax even more. Jenny and Danny was sitting on another nearby couch, talking about space and discussing theories of alien life. Jimmy has his playlist playing on a low volume as he works on Goddard. It was about time for another update for him after the last mission.

 Everyone was enjoying themselves in their own happy little bubbles. “Eres tan patético, que resultas entrañable! You seriously think you can pass me as Luigi?” Manny taunts as he throws a blueshell at Bowser and makes it to first place. Timmy, on the other hand, his stuck in third place and quickly taking advantage of Bowser still out to score second. “Dude! You’re luck is about to run out!” Cosmo and Wanda stayed silent as they sat on his shoulder and watched. “You keep papando moscas because you are never going to-HEY!” Manny was interrupted by a Bullet Bill. Timmy quickly shot past and made it over the finish line, finishing in first place. “HA! I told you could never beat me! I’m the Mario Kart champion!”

Jenny and Danny paused their conversation about the differences of their solar system when they looked over to the duo on the couch in amusement. “Perdí la partida! Danny, heal my wounds! El Niño hada beat my by a bullet, I’m wounded.” Manny dramatically draped himself over Danny and the couch. Danny did nothing; he wrapped his arms around the dramatic boy and continued talking to Jenny. “Anyways, our Land Rover went silent June 2018 due to a global dust storm on Mars. It wasn’t until eight months later that the Land Rover was declared dead on February 13.” Jenny gasps in shock. “What?!”  Danny nods in understanding, “There was a global dust storm that blocked sunlight from reaching the rover’s solar panels, preventing it from recharging.”

Timmy sighs after losing his gaming partner, he turned to the boy genius, who was still focused on Goddard with his music playing on a low hum. Timmy leaned in close and heard 200 Digits of PI playing from his phone. Jimmy wasn’t paying attention to how close Timmy was leaning into his personal space. He was focused on making sure he had the linear actuator, which was lining up just right with the electrical circuits. The rest of the leg lay in front of him as he tested to make sure the valve leading to the piston cylinder had no more faults. “Oi, el niño hada! I demand a rematch!” Manny declared as he stood on the table. Timmy quickly diverted his attention to the buff guy on the table. Before anyone could stop them, a guitar song started playing.

Cheater, cheater where'd you meet her

Down at Ernie's Bar?

Did she smile your way, twirl her hair and say how cute your dimples are?

Did she use that line "Your place or mine?" while you danced with her real slow?

Tell me cheater, cheater where'd you meet that no good, white trash ho?

Everyone was in a state of shock and utter confusion. They understood that Jimmy was from Texas, but no one thought that he had a southern accent. Let alone knew any southern songs. So when Jimmy mindlessly started to sing, in perfect rhythm and twang, nobody was ready.

Liar, liar did you buy her whiskey all night long?

Did you hide your ring in the pocket of your jeans or did you just keep it on?

When the deed was done and you had your fun did you think I wouldn't know?

Tell me cheater, cheater where'd you meet that no good, white trash ho?

“Guys, he has a southern accent?” Timmy whispers. Like he wasn’t sure whether what he was facing was reality or one of his secret fantasies. “Dude, that is what you’re focused on? Like, don’t get me wrong, I know people love a good accent. But are we not going to talk about how Jimmy knows this song word by word?” Jenny asks. “No, no. He has a point,” Danny hushes, and Manny nods to back him up. “El chico has a point.”

Now I'm not one to judge someone that I ain't never met

But to lay your hands on a married man is bout as low as a gal can get

Hey I wish her well as she rots in hell and you can tell her I said so

Cheater, cheater where'd you meet that no good, white trash ho?

“Mi amor, you are from Illinois right? Please tell me you have the same accent,” Manny all but begged as he looked at Danny with puppy eyes. The ghost boy smirked and winked at him, “Maybe you will find out later?” 

Jenny rolled her eyes as the two boys mindlessly flirted with each other like they are the only ones in the room. She glances over towards Timmy and realizes he’s not much better, as Jimmy decides to start slightly moving his body as if to dance to the music. Jimmy glanced up to see where all the commotion is and noticed almost everyone is looking at him. 

Loser, loser hope you love her cuz your stuck with her now

Take your sorry butt, load up all your stuff, and get the hell out of my house

But I just wish you'd tell me this one thing before you go

Cheater, cheater where'd you meet that no good, white trash ho?

Now I'm not one to judge someone that I ain't never met

But to lay your hands on a married man is bout as low as a gal can get

Hey I wish her well as she rots in hell and you can tell her I said so

Cheater, cheater where'd you meet that no good, white trash ho?

Yeah I just wish you'd tell me this one thing before you go

Cheater, cheater where'd you meet that low down, up town, slept with every guy around, pressed on eyelash, no good, white trash ho?

Jimmy stayed frozen when the song ended, as he couldn’t believe everyone just heard him. “Jim, JimJam, Jimberly, the Jim to my heart. Why didn’t you tell me you had a southern accent? Do you realize how hot that is? Holy shit babe, why didn;t you ever tell me?!” Timmy exclaimed, successfully flustering the boy genius. “Look-wait-how long-” Jimmy stuttered. “So, fellow southern boy, when were ya goin to tell me yer southern as well?” Danny teased. Jimmy sank his face into his hands. “Danny, please?”

Manny hopped over the couch, “Dude! Do you realize how amazing an accent is? Think about all the things you can do, the people you can confuse, mi amigo del sur! The world is at your fingertips!” SpongeBob chose this instant to pop out of the kitchen, “Lunch is ready, come get it!” Jimmy had never been so happy to hear those words and was the first one up and in the kitchen before anyone else. “Wait, I still have a lot of questions!” Timmy shouted and ran after him. Jenny shared a look with Danny, and she handed him a fifty. “ I can’t believe you were right. How on Earth did you know he was southern?” Danny chuckled but didn’t say anything, just letting Manny drag him into the kitchen after the lovers. Jenny was close behind, bugging him to finally answer him.

~~~~~~~Footnotes~~~~~~~~

A linear actuator is a device that transforms rotational motion into linear (straight-line) motion, typically using a motor, a lead screw, and a nut. It's used in applications requiring controlled pushing, pulling, or lifting, such as in medical equipment, adjustable furniture, and industrial automation.

The actuators are all wired to electrical circuits. The circuits power electrical motors and solenoids directly and activate hydraulic systems by manipulating electrical valves. The valves determine the pressurized fluid's path through the machine. To move a hydraulic leg, for example, the robot's controller would open the valve leading from the fluid pump to a piston cylinder attached to that leg. The pressurized fluid would extend the piston, swiveling the leg 

Eres tan patético, que resultas entrañable- You’re so pathetic, you’re actually entertaining

papando moscas- Day dreaming

Perdí la partida- I lost the game

El Niño hada- The fairy boy

El chico-  The boy

Mi amigo del sur-  My southern friend (masculine)

[creature-wizard]

So, a pretty damn concerning thing is going on with starseeds, and I think we need to all be aware of this - not just as a problem with starseeds, but as a thing that can potentially happen in any context, and without critical thinking and discernment, lead to some... pretty worrying outcomes, let's put it that way.

There's a number of people who basically start learning about starseeds from stuff like YouTube videos. They start feeling resonance with the concept (which of course they do; the concept of starseeds is built to prey on certain vulnerabilities); and then a short while later, they start having everything from dreams to visions as they spontaneously "remember" their past life on another planet.

Now just in case anyone reading this isn't aware, the thing about starseeds is, this is a concept that developed over the 19th and 20th centuries, and is fundamentally rooted in colonialism, eugenics, pseudohistory, pseudoscience, and conspiracy theories that are often as not just thinly-veiled antisemitism. It rides on fabricated and distorted evidence that there was no possible way ancient people (mostly POC) could have constructed sophisticated architecture, and claims that they were constructed by aliens. They have no evidence of these alien visitors, mind. What they try to pass off as "evidence" is largely cherry picked and misrepresented mythology, sacred texts, etc. Occasionally these texts are modern forgeries or channeled literature, such as The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean - not to be confused with The Emerald Tablet. Oh, and one piece of influential literature in the starseed movement - Other Tongues, Other Flesh - claims that the swastika is a holy symbol among the "good" aliens. Meanwhile, the "bad" aliens are pretty obviously antisemitic stereotypes in space. The book's author, George Hunt Williamson, used to be buddies with an actual fascist/Nazi sympathizer, William Dudley Pelley.

In short, it's not just bullshit; it's incredibly obvious bullshit if you actually take the time to look into it properly. And we have a bunch of people who are spontaneously "remembering" past lives that fit into this bullshit narrative. Based on their own reports, these people aren't even being hypnotized or anything; they'll just spontaneously have "memories" come to them in the middle of the day or something.

So yeah, it's very important for people in witchy and occult communities, or any kind of fringe interest communities whatsoever, to understand that these kinds of experiences can happen, and that they don't necessarily have any bearing on reality whatsoever. Because we can see right here that acceptance of these experiences as absolutely valid is leading people down dangerous roads - including the New Age to Alt Right pipeline.

[sotogalmo]

6:45

While Fukouna Girl by STOMACH BOOK was playing, I was thinking a bit of Sebastian and his ghost design idea (if he loses r8), I was just thinking of how he is actually similar to like. A half of Petscop, inna way (I've been getting into it)

Firstly. The design is just ..kinda simple. Mainly taken from Daisy-Head Mayzie, and then just made him a dog of sorts. It fits him, with him being similar to Till (who, I will always believe is more dog like then anything). Then I kinda thought of just making his head very paper-y, if that makes sense. Anyways—

I have an idea of how I can go with the If He Loses R8 post, with lyrics from Fukuoka Girl ("i say goodbye to a blackbird. I say goodbye to my own words. she's an unlucky girl, who can save her? this disease that she has, there is no cure. the steel is kissing her head now, then the blood and saliva in her mouth. all the angels laughing down. all the angels laughing down.x2") — but then it just made me realize how similar he is to like. Paul from Petscop inna way???

I don't know at all. Faces are important in Petscop; Eddy's face is one that Sebastian has known the longest, I actually don't know if Eddy remembers Seb's face though (but there is a long-ago post of Eddy and seb 'food for thoughts', and it had eddy interested in seb's hair, which I'll take that. Hair and faces are big parts of a person, imo. My own example is my own mom, because the biggest thing I can remember about her is her hair)

I've connected Sebastian with Hänsel from Evillious Chronicles; who mainly has 3 reincarnated lives(iirc..or maybe he just has two). The whole "rebirthing" thing in Petscop (and also the theory of Paul being Care <- which makes the most damn sense), and also with Hajime Hinata (SDR2; one of his inspos. Hajime/Izuru). ..... Wanting to be safer, wanting to distance himself, wanting to be himself...

But also, just connected with the fact that he was basically abandoned- then when he was kidnapped when he was in his mid-teens or so (flor having him at 15/seb being taken at 15...I wonder if eddy was 15 when AREPH started..just some ideas for a coincidence in the story). Which fits into the fact that, in the game- it was stated that Care was taken into the School basement, and stayed there for Indunno how long.

The way that Paul shows how he's disturbed by Petscop with how things were just like his -> Sebastian having characteristics of an old dog (fear of familiarity, in people and in things).

"rebirthed" in a way of some traumatic thing to happen (he was indifferent to aliens, maybe he even liked some! But that's only towards Arol and Blob. Now? After how he was kidnapped and the way he was.. 'transformed' by his guardian? Yeah. He does stay with them, but it isn't because he likes them or anything. In some way, I feel like Eddy and Arol have a Mizi-Shine dynamic (could be wrong) with how naive Eddy is and how weak Arol is. And Sebastian thought that was how it was. He was naive too. And now? He calls them by their name, just like Paul does- I think? I haven't fully seen the videos by themselves actually, but I will!)

Actually. Funny as well. His previous name, the one he had before he was then called Sebastian- was Lorashishimboaninisshuori. Or in short, "Lora". Practically just having a feminine name, and then he gets renamed to "Sebastian" (which I think was given to him by Arol, since they needed to change that mouthful of a name).

To go back to the Daisy-Head Mayzie one though. Even if there is someone who loves him (Yvonne); "It is the half that drives them crazy, but brings comfort in how human and how they can learn from each other. It is how predatory yet- not one that scares him per-se, it's one that drives the idea of "enjoy it while it lasts". One that Sebastian lives by, even if he forgets about it- but he doesn't really forget about it when it comes to Yvonne. Who, even if gives him some sort of light scare, does comfort him. Gives him comfort to the best she can. 'Peace has always been a rare, fleeting thing.' (taken from a Dian post; round30). "I played it wrong, but that would have been okay. If you haven't given up halfway, you would still be Tiara. This is not what happened, and now I'm gone." (from petscop 12 video by petscop..it just lightly fits inna way)", I just think it would be nice? But also fit with how... Unfortunately normal it is with what happened to Sebastian (both when he was 2, and when he was 15). To follow in a twisted way how Daisies represent— New beginnings, rebirth, hope, loyalty, innocence, joy, etc.

Though, I think that's where the connection ends? I'm really not making sense here, but with making these connections and more- it just. Made me kinda realize that Seb's story has that whole rebirthing thing too, new identity, That Fear Of Familiarity, being left.

I dunno what I'm really trying to do

Anyways. Tagging @zerostyrant because I asked and he said yes

[picklerocket]

Happy 3rd Anniversary Little Nightmares 2!!

I have not finished my pointillism piece for the celebration, so it will have to be belated. Instead, I will share a disjointed rant about how I think Thin Man and the Signal Tower function!

In my mind, the Signal Tower from Little Nightmares 2 (pictured on the right) is a Lovecraftian Shoggoth (pictured on the left), and it crashed to the earth thousands- perhaps even millions of years before we see the game take place. This is a theory I have personally had since the game came out, but I know there is a theory video floating around somewhere about this same theory, and a few of my fellow fans also share it.

(If you have not played/watched LN played or listened to the podcast, and do not want it spoiled, be warned! Spoilers ahoy!)

I will attempt to explain how I see Thin Man and the Signal Tower having a sort of symbiotic relationship, and what exactly Thin Man is and where Mono comes from.

In "The Sound of Nightmares", we learn that children almost always get to the Nowhere in their sleep, with a few possibly having been born there (i.e. the Pretender). However, Mono seems different, and not just from Six. His abilities of walking through tv screens, and whatever other powers he possesses as he grows into Thin Man, seem to be completely natural to him- to the point that he must cover his face with a bag to keep them at bay.

I am going to take this a step further and say that Mono was not only born in the Little Nightmares universe, but he wasn't even born on their version of the earth!

This is where my theories begin to seem a bit far-fetched, so stay with me.

I have decided to call what Mono/Thin Man is, a "Broadcaster" (a name which was assigned to Thin Man by fans when he first appeared in the secret ending of the Residence DLC), and has been a populr name for him in fanfiction, as well as fanart and comics as well.

Well, now I want to take a closer look at Thin Man's powers- and how they are comprised of electromagnetic fields and frequencies of light. So why can Thin Man manipulate these things in his environment to the point where he can pretty much control reality?

Because he is part of a species- a "Broadcaster". An alien. He has these superhuman abilities because he isn't a human at all!

You may have noticed that I said "a" Broadcaster. Implying there are more- which I believe there are, somewhere, out in the universe. I personally think that they are ageless beings similar in life cycle to the fabled pheonix; Growing old and being reborn again new each time.

But where do these Broadcasters come from?

The way I think, the only way any being could manipulate the laws of matter and light could be to have it composing their bodies as well. Yes, I am indeed implying that Thin Man is a solid projection of light (yes, like a gem from Steven Universe lol). All this to say, I believe they are born amongst stars forming in nebulas. They are made of/powered by stars! Made of light!

I mean, think about it! Whenever he's seen in-game, he looks black and white and staticy just like he's on tv! Like he's made of fizzling and flickering light. But what about Mono? Mono is solid, and he can even die!

Well, we can explain Mono being more physical and vulnerable as him being a tiny baby of course! I don't think he's just trapped in a time loop by the Signal Tower- I believe the Broadcaster life cycle for Thin Man starts over when we see Mono wake up in front of the TV in the forest at the beginning of the game.

"But why is Mono 'born' as a 10/11 year old?"

That, my friend, is because the Shoggoth that composes this particular Signal Tower is garbage at approximating human anatomy! It's never seen a human baby, and therefore can only replicate what it has seen- children.

"But Pickle, what do you mean the Tower made him look human?? What???"

Well, if you were a giant behemoth that consumes entire populations, you'd need something to lure them in. Like an anglerfish! And what did I pose is made of light? Broadcasters. That's what I think so far. The Shoggoth rips through nebulas searching for a Broadcaster, and once it traps one it its body, it takes it to a planet and uses the Broadcaster's abilities to consume the populace. Make him look like them and plaster him all over their communications and entertainment.

So there you have it! My current Thin Man/Mono theories and headcanons. I may elaborate on this further, and draw up some broadcaster life cycle examples. Let me know what you think! 👁️✨

Again, Happy Anniversary Little Nightmares 2!! 🎉🎊🎁

[jesteriajunovix]

Venom: The Last Dance Movie Thoughts (Spoilers)

Its very sad how this trilogy at the very end sort of detracts from the main focus of the romance to give time to this Van family I can just barely bring myself to care about outside of maybe the scene where Eddie talks to leaf. then theres these scientist that are bumbling around.

Its just a bunch of uninteresting sequences where people I don't know or care about keep talking and talking. sometimes it really does feel like the writers were doing madlibs across certain sections.

Also, venom animals are cool and all, but they had like seven symbiotes to play with that all just got merc'd in the end by some generic starcraft-looking alien things.......Okay maybe I'm being a little too harsh, because I actually think those aliens are really cool, but as a main reoccurring antagonist, it gets boring. You tellin me knull has hundreds upon hundreds of these bugs and couldn't just send even more, thus making Venom's sacrifice literally aimless. Also what the fuck even is this acid thing still left here from the start of the movie? This shit is just around and Venom knew it'd work?

Also venom dancing with Mrs.Chen was cute, but that being the pit for next conflict is just bad writing.

It just feels like everything got so PR'd up that the movie stopped having a vision for crafting actually interesting scenes.

Also why is Venom's body count for Hispanics so high? Like sure he killed a bunch of police and army grunts, but the scenes where non-feds are being framed as the bad guys feel very racialized. Also ya animal abuse is hell tier, but when the framing is "these dogs are more important than these POC's and the WHITE MAN is delivering justice upon them" it gets weird.

There's also an entire conversation to be had about how a black man is once again empathetically framed while actively sitting in the fed/military chair.

It's just such a disappointment. First Fuck Marvel of course for their support of the IDF

(I acquired venom the last dance through the void)

but, also I have to question what the process of making this movie looked like for the writers. To me, it just seems like a case of an incohesive group trying to appeal to communities they don't understand, but I could be wrong and it could be a pay thing as well.

I know the marketing for Venom previously has proved to be not financially smart for Marvel considering the fact the gay subtext has made it harder to get into certain countries, so maybe that somehow affected the attitude during the creative process?

There's also the note to be made about the Director and writer changes throughout the trilogy.

I'm just spitballing though. Don't listen to my dumbass theories that may be completely wrong.

I just can see these potentially being factors.............also to make something clear writers should be getting paid even if the movie literally just consists of a nigga pulling his pants down and hitting a goatsy

Cautionary Definition Goatse: For those unaware this is in reference to popular shock videos spread across the early 2000s of men spreading their assholes.

right into the camera.

.....that was a cruder way to put it, so to make my take clearer:

my opinion on the quality here isn't an attempt to say writers should get fucked out of their money for bad writing. That's not a fundamental issue here. I do hope all the sick fuck Zionists there do in fact suffer some form of retribution and repentance though.

......................................................................................................................On a different note It's interesting to think about how Venom is basically Transmasc and Fluid....Thats all. I just find that to be something very interesting that I wish I saw more people talking about actively.

[fandom-scatteredthoughtsonpaper]

Announcing a fandom community server!

Hi, guys! This is sorta directed at my followers but also Obey Me fans (and other fandom people).

I mentioned, like, a looong time ago I wanted to do a community server, but I didn't really understand how to use Discord, but since then I've been in a zine, a few collabs, and hosted my own collabs (currently running one for Lucifer 👀). So, I have the experience and knowledge of running a server now!

My urge to create a fandom-centric server has really bloomed and after sitting on the it for a year, I feel confident enough yet still anxious to release a link of an invitation to it (found at the bottom)! It's still fresh, and bots haven't been implemented yet, but I really want to push this out.

I myself am in a lot of different fandoms, obviously Obey Me, but also Baldur's Gate, Stardew Valley, Kingdom Hearts, Persona games, What in Hell is Bad, a few obscure fandoms (like Alien Stage and Touchstarved) and older ones (Homestuck), so I have all the intentions to have this server be inclusive to webcomics, anime and manga and adjacent media, games from standard video games to phone games, graphic novels, books, otome and romance stuff, indie media like web series, cartoons, and games, and more as it grows.

I also want this server to be a hub for writers and artists to share their stuff they're too awkward or anxious to post and receive feedback, and as a place to get to know fellow-minded people in shared fandoms. AUs, theories, headcanons, crossovers, self-inserts, your MCs/OCs - all allowed!

A few things to note:

This is a fandom community server, but it might start out as Obey Me heavy because I'm trying to direct attention to that fandom since that's the one I am mostly in and participated in most things as a fan.

Adults and minors (16+) are allowed, but there are rules implemented that divide channels into SFW and NSFW categories and channels.

Writers, artists, content creators, cosplayers, fans that dabble, etc. are enthusiastically welcomed

The server can also function with channels regarding roleplays and self-publishing (commissions, Etsy shops, etc.)

I really want this server to kinda be a central spot for small fandoms or dying fandoms (like Obey Me) or old fandoms or growing fandoms and ones in-between basically non-existent and probably way too big. I want the server to be a community of different fandoms and the people that incorporate them, and I want it to be a fun place to just either relax with other fans and share works you like or works you've made or as a place to just dip in a silently lurk to look at what people are talking about or look at what is shared or as a place to lose your fucking minds when updates happen or something wild or devastating in the media occurs.

I want this to be a respectful but enjoyable place to come to and join and feel like you can invite friends or maybe even make friends!

Hard rules:

Before entering though, the server has a soft screening process for people to join.

Verifications will be done by me to make sure no one with ill intentions has a chance to cause harassment or harm to members. Fandoms can be toxic and mean in public places like here and Twitter, but this server will be, to the best of my ability, a space away from that.

Absolutely no pedophilic content is allowed. Like, none. It'll be one of the fastest things to get you kicked and banned and blacklisted.

There are rules and specific channels for certain ships and certain explicit content that can be talked about in the server if there are any questions.

This server is for fandom communities and politics and religious hot takes are not applicable here. This is a designated relief zone and none of that is really welcome.

I think that mostly covers the sales pitch and important stuff, lol.

So with all that out of the way--

Link to join: https://discord.com/invite/g8VeSe4t

[loz-chainsofcorruption]

Okay I'm gonna use the tags @thejolteonmastertj left on this post to ramble a little bit about Boots' story! (Ty for the funny tags and the excuse for me to info dump! Because yes, I really want him to feel like he's from an appropriately quirky Zelda game that doesn't exist and I'm glad that was captured within such a small snippet of a story, and a crossover piece no less!)

So, my other two current projects - Colliding Fates and Midrule - are basically just me vibing. It's more story focused, in a way? Like I'm not worrying about how well it would translate into a game. With Chains of Corruption, however, from the very beginning I wanted it to be a story that, in theory, could translate pretty well into a game. It's been a fun way to challenge myself.

There are a few things so far that wouldn't make for good game levels/mechanics, especially the Trials he must go through to power up the Master Sword. Most of the ideas I came up with weren't very "playable" (wouldn't be fun to at least), but felt like they'd be good lessons/challengest for Link to overcome.

I'm still working out the different bosses he'll face, but as I work on their designs, I ask myself, could this translate to a good video game boss? What mechanics would be involved in defeating this and would it suit a video game? When I think about the dungeons and his items, I try and figure out what sections I can block off that he can't bypass until he gets certain items later - things that a player wouldn't have to go back for, but could if they wanted. I'm making side quests that can't always be finished until he gets an item upgrade. And just... side quests in general. Optional, technically, but our Link here cannot resist helping others.

There's a super convoluted fetch quest where you have to get something for one person, but to get that, you need this from that person, but to get that, you need to find this thing, etc etc etc, and it's got 12 required trading items. The reward is a Good Joke - and more importantly, a bomb bag, so it's absolutely worth it (in my opinion, and definitely in Boots' opinion), but technically, nothing in his story actually needs bombs, it just makes some areas easier and opens access to extra areas where you can get items to finish "get me x number of these things pls!" quests, or rupees and whatnot.

Some things are like, extraordinarily silly - I'm pretty sure gamers would throw a fit if they got their awaited for dungeon item only for it to be like, the equivalent of fishing waders with a bucket attached to the end instead of something cool HAHA but! You do need it to beat the boss ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and it can be used again for another side quest later.

I wanted to put a lot of nods to other games in this, so I've worked hard to include a lot of punny names as far as NPCs and towns and other things. Sid Burns is a character with huge side burns. Roan Reigner is the local horse guy in Link's town. Saltin Town is the fishing town by the ocean and Mrs. Mahi Pyke has a son named Marlin who moved there. There'll be a guy who shares his name with a horse as a nod to Spinch and Spinch from botw. I've also got clowns running a cannon to help Link reach a spot he otherwise couldn't, Beedle, NPCs with goofy dialogue for no real purpose, etc. I really just wanted to embrace the vibe the Zelda series has.

There's some Odd Inexplicable Things, as Zelda games often have - really, when you start to think hard about all the oddball stuff they throw in, like the gossip stones flying into the sky when bombed, cows being in grottos for some reason, actual aliens?, toilet hands, an imprisoned shark, etc, you realize that these games have so many oddities - and I wanted to have a few strange things that you just gotta kinda shrug and go yeah okay, sure, I guess that's a thing. How the heck did that lady do what she did to the cuccos without getting murdered? Why could that one single snake talk? What was that weird child with a thousand yard stare that vanished when followed?

And, of course, there are the horrors. The things that are just of just Terrible. Putting Link through terrible situations, balancing out the comedy with emotional moments and terrifying encounters.

Ah, and I should not neglect to mention the Bad Guy who is trying to help Ganon escape who Link runs into a few times. He summons monsters for you to fight and then eventually, Link gets to fight him directly.

So yeah idk I guess in a way this is a love letter to the Zelda series, which is pretty funny when I've only actually played two games for myself and haven't even beat either of them. But I just think the series is so neat, the formula they use, the mixture of absurdity, scary, and funny that you find in a lot of them, and so on. So I wanted to try and capture that vibe. I hope when people read it, they'll reach certain scenes where they go, ah yes, I can imagine how this boss fight would go in game! Sort of like when you see certain scenes in movies and it feels a bit like watching a video game level.

I still need to finish putting things in his timeline so I can start posting the story itself, which I keep putting off because figuring out the best placement for some of his items is tricky... -v-; I should work on that more today.

But in the meantime, thank you to everyone who shows interest in Boots and his story <3 it means a lot!

[snapsnzips]

Spoilers in the Internet Age — a mixed blessing sometimes

Spoiler warning: This post containers end game spoilers for DA:I and some vague ones for Veilguard. You have been warned.

As anyone playing Final Fantasy 14 for the first time can tell you, it’s very difficult to avoid spoilers if you even think about looking at the Internet. You can’t ever watch a single thing related to what you’re avoiding on youtube or suddenly you’re spammed. There’s no way to block keywords from the algorithm gods.

I also participate in a discord where people are very careful about spoilering everything but sometimes forget to label what game they are spoilering. In the middle of say a DA2 discussion, something would be spoilered but not labeled DA:I and whoops, now I know a thing.

Also there’s just general tribal, genetic knowledge from a game that is 10 years old. I was watching a streamer play through DA:O last year and he casually dropped things like he knows that everyone is obssessed with the bald elf in DA:I. Not really a spoiler but a big cue that I should be paying attention. Because everyone is so horny around here, I thought it meant they all wanted to fuck him. And when I started the game I was confused, because he wasn’t even a little cute. More on that bad take later.

Somewhere at some point I managed to come across the question/theory in one sentence: “Surely Solas is the villain in Veilguard?” This was a bit disappointing but since I know I’m taking my life in my hands every day I walk the Internet, not surprising. I spent a year playing through ff14 with a friend and was repeatedly stabbed by spoilers and fake spoilers on the internet because I thought it was safe to google unrelated-ish other stuff.

Suffice it to say, I knew I should be paying attention to this guy.

On Me and Spoilers: I am one of those people who is so obssessed with the mechanics of a story that I sometimes cannot appreciate it on the first read/watch/play. I’m too worried that tropes will be exploited, stereotypes and cheap plot escapes will be used to avoid telling a meaningful story that could alienate some consumers. So I’m analyzing everything and not able to enjoy myself. It often requires a second read of a book or movie viewing to really enjoy myself.

A small digression, I remember watching Big Fish for the first time and being transported out of that need to analyze everything before I can enjoy. And sobbed myself silly over it. It was such a great story, you knew his father would die in the end and that it was just the journey through stories that was bringing him and the viewer more understanding. It was so well done. The story told you what was going to happen and then took you on an absurd journey to get there.

But even FF14 which I hold up as a great example of character development and story telling in gaming is better for me on a second playthrough. Sometimes you need to know what’s coming to really appreciate the poignancy and despair in the moment.

So while I knew a few things about DAI early on, I think it helped me enjoy it a bit more. Because of course, knowing that someone is the villain doesn’t mean you know they’re going to reach into your chest and rip out your beating heart before the game even ends.

This is not a trope I have experienced in video games. I’m a diplomatic Hawke, I believe in giving people the chance to atone, I don’t like needless violence (which is why I always play a sneaking rogue), I don’t like killing unless left with no choice. I don’t exile the wardens no matter how mad I am (and I can’t tell you how furious I am that I had to leave my beloved Alistair in the fade to die). I exhaust all dialogue options looking for one that will let me end violence without execution. And I compulsively need my companions’ approval.

I don’t often end up in a position where I experience betrayal mode in Dragon Age. Isabella really surprised me as I’ve already said. I’ve heard Zevran can betray you if you fuck up his approval but never in my world would that happen. I love talking to all my companions, I’m loyal, I do their personal quests and defend them if another one is sniping at them. I did learn to leave them home if I’m going to do something that annoys them. Which basically means Morrigan lived at camp and Fenris also stayed home a lot.

So at the very beginning I knew something was up with this skinny bald elf mage. But I was truly not prepared.