#actually i feel like i should post more og stuff now

[sunshades]

One thing about canto VI is like. I see so many people predicting it'll be about Fighting Evil Wife or Breaking Codependent Toxic Relationship and I just kinda think that would suck? If the major theme isn't grief AND love and the way both are seen as like Kinda Weird/inappropriate in the setting of the city. Then I'll be very sad.

[jamcarven]

Something I’ve noticed in jlb’s more recent writing is that she’s appealing a lot more to like the “tiktok” audiences. idk if that makes sense 😭

but like her books are getting FREAKIER by the SECOND. for example in the that night in prague excerpt there were so many instances of sexual innuendos. and before anyone comes for me I GET THAT AVERYJAMESON ARE LIKE THAT, they were in the og trilogy and they are now and honestly love them for that. but I feel like in the og trilogy jennifer kept it more up to interpretation, there was more suspense and tension than outright nods to it. (like that one time jameson came in covered in mud and he he was like “guess” — that scene is actually ingrained in my mind)

Now this wouldn’t bother me if it was like that in the beginning but the fact that she’s slowly adding more of this into her series shows that she’s getting influenced by audiences who want more of that, and idk how to feel about it. Like how savannah and rohan are meant to be enemies to lovers or something? and they have that whole toxic thing going on. I actually really liked them but I don’t think jlb is the best at writing stuff like that. I feel like she should stick to what she’s better at. also like old jlb would NOT have let that “savvy” “british” thing slide THOSE NICKNAMES WERE ATROCIOUS THE ONLY TIME IVE DOUBTED JLB’S JUDGEMENT

or maybe i’m reading too much into it who knows 🤷‍♀️

Though I prefer her old style more I genuinely don’t really mind her new one. And anyways jlb is making money either way she can do what she wants and I’ll still love her for it

here are the instances I was talking about (spoilers for that night in prague and games untold!)

I love long tig posts they actually make me so happy

[dimonds456-art]

I cannot believe I forgot to post this.

Chapter 3 is up! Also below the cut for anyone who doesn't have an AO3 (though the fic has been unprivated, so even guests should be able to see it now!)

Stanford awoke slowly to the sounds of gulls screeching, cars zooming, wind blowing, and kids laughing. Light was hitting his eyes, uncomfortably bright behind his closed eyelids, and he was quickly becoming aware of the sand that was coating his face. 

He groaned, eyes opening without his consent. Sunlight blinded him, and he rolled over to avoid it. It wasn't his soft bed from home, though- this was far more rough, lumpy, and shifted beneath him as he moved. Sand, his mind supplied. He lowered his arms to push himself up, feeling it shift beneath his fingers. It was the rough kind of sand, too, not the soft stuff people said in the movies. At least this area wasn't littered in glass. 

He sat up, taking stock. He was in the Stan O' War, laying in the middle of the floor of the broken boat. His backpack, bindle, and toolbelt leaned against the wall, right next to the box of nails. 

Stanley wasn't there. 

Stanford frowned. Shouldn't his brother have found his way here by now? They both knew where it was by heart, he should have been here!

And just like that, he was fully awake. 

Ford sat up, scrubbing sand out of his hair and cringing as he felt it hitting the lenses of his glasses- he should have taken them off first, whoops. He'd fallen asleep wearing them, as he'd tried to stay awake for as long as he could to wait for his brother. His efforts were in vain, it seemed. 

Anxiety started doing weird things to his chest. He'd felt anxious before- the churning that circled his guts when he was scared, the shakiness, all of it. The tightening of his chest was a much rarer one. Not his first time experiencing it, but enough that the feeling was still mostly foreign to him. Anxiety that made his breathing come out weird, like something was squeezing him from the inside. 

He stood up, dusting off as much sand as he could. If Stanley hadn't come in the night, then something was wrong. Very, very wrong. 

Stanford quickly ran outside, giving the whole boat a once-over. "Stanley?!" he called out. Maybe he fell asleep on deck? Or against the wall? Or nearby? "Stanley, where are you?" 

No response. 

Outside, he could see a couple of kids running down to the beach, mostly teenagers. It wasn't warm enough to warrant actually swimming just yet, but they weren't doing that anyway. Ford squinted, trying to spot his brother in the small crowd, but didn't see very many kids his age. The rest were accompanied either by a teen or a disgruntled adult. 

Taking a deep breath, Stanford placed his hands on either side of his mouth. "STAAAAANLEYYYYYY!" 

A few people looked toward him, but then went back to whatever it was teenagers did at the beach. 

Nothing. 

The anxiety twisted in his chest, starting to settle in his guts now, too. Not good. Not good at all. 

He ran back inside, tearing open his backpack. Old Reliable tumbled out again, but he ignored it. Ballpoint pen and notebook paper. He needed to think. He flipped open to the first blank page he could find and started frantically taking notes. 

Stanley ran away

Missing since yesterday morning

Not in any spot he usually would be

No signs as to where he could have gone

Ford moved to rub the back end of his pen through his hair, thinking. Stanley would either be at the Stan O' War or waiting for Stanford nearby, but since he wasn't doing that, then something else must have happened to him. And whatever it was, Ford had to find him. But, with no leads, how was he supposed to do that? 

Went back to the Jersey Devil? 

Found by Wood Dwarves? 

Taken by The Big Red Eyes? 

Eaten by Mantis Men? 

Between each entry, Ford's anxiety rose. He knew about cryptids, of course, but actually finding them was difficult. He'd only found the Jersey Devil before, and that had been with Stanley's help (and technically the Sibling Brothers, if that even counted. They'd borrowed their clothes in the name of scientific pursuit, that barely counted for anything!). 

Okay. Logic. Methodical. Where could Stanley be? 

It probably wasn't the Devil because they'd both already met that one, and it wasn't exactly happy to see them. Unless he'd gone back for treasure or something? But they'd get plenty of that once they got out on the water. 

Wood Dwarves were pranksters, and according to some, could turn invisible! It did seem like he'd just kinda vanished, so maybe they had something to do with it. But they usually lived in the forest- Stanley would have been heading for the beach, right? 

Same problem with the Big Red Eyes theory. He lived far away from the ocean. Unless he'd been on vacation? 

And the Mantis Man was usually seen around the river, which would be freshwater, not saltwater.

Ford slammed the notebook closed, feeling frustrated. It just didn't make any sense!

He hung his head, looking around the inside of the boat again. Well, clearly, Stanley wasn't by the ocean. He hadn't come here last night. Stanford would need to take his search elsewhere. 

…But what if Stanley was heading here, and got caught up with something? What if he was still on the way? 

Ford frowned, getting an idea. He grabbed Old Reliable and popped the cap. The Sharpie's thick tip was perfect for writing big, bold messages. 

Ford circled around outside again, and went to the side of the boat that was facing the road. Then, he began to draw. A hashtag, then a boat, then an X, an exclamation mark- each letter of their alphabet came into being on the boards, clear black against medium-brown wood.

Stanford stepped back, making sure each symbol was legible. He didn't like that he had to do that- they'd already written on the side of the boat, and this felt something like vandalism- but he had to make sure Stanley got the message. But there was no way he was going to just give the Sibling Brothers any hints. 

"Stay here, I will find you." 

With that settled, he plugged the cap on Old Reliable, snuck it back in his bag, and started gathering his stuff. 

He had to come up with a new plan- fast. 

Maybe he could retrace his steps? But that would mean going back to Pines Pawns, and if he got caught now…

Nope. Too risky. But maybe there were other clues around town? 

He needed to clear his head. There was one place he could always do that. 

He pulled an apple out of his bindle and started walking.

Stanford made his way up the steps and into Glass Shard Beach's local library. It was run-down and not well taken care of, but it was quiet and safe. None of Ford's usual bullies frequented the library, and everyone was usually either too absorbed in their work or their reading to notice his hands. It was a good place to think. It was a good place to reorient and refocus. 

He waved to the librarian, who barely gave him a nod in return. He appeared to be nose-deep in a political book. Stanford found himself grimacing internally. So many things to write about, and you pick politics? And then other people READ that? Dull. He didn't think he'd ever get why. 

There was a specific table in the back that Stanford loved; right by the window, letting in some good natural light, while tucked out of the way from view. It was a good place to go if you wanted to be left alone. 

He went there now, grinning as he saw no one else there before him. There were a couple of children's books sitting on the end, as well as a stack of blank, white paper, but he paid them no mind as he sat down in his favorite seat; back to the library entrance, window to his right. Perfect. 

He pulled out his notebook again, scanning the details he'd written. Stanley hadn't been anywhere yesterday, and he hadn't been at the Stan O' War today. Ford doubted he'd be by the swingset, as the boat provided the best shelter, and he didn't see why he'd have a reason to go there. 

So, that left the entire rest of Glass Shard Beach, or… outside of it. 

Stanford frowned. Surely Stanley hadn't run away, run away, right? Wherever they went, they went together. It wouldn't make sense for him to leave town without his brother. 

Then again, his mind hissed, it also doesn't make sense he'd run away without telling you, first. The Stanley you knew would make plans WITH you, not without you.

Stanford waived those thoughts away with a shake of his head. Clearly, that didn't matter, because that IS what happened, strange as it was. 

He wasn't sure if any cryptid would seek his brother out and kidnap him, either. The only ones he knew of that would do that were Wood Elves, and they lived in. well. the woods. Not in the middle of a small town. 

He picked up his ballpoint pen. 

Things that could have happened to Stanley: - Ran away from town   - Why would he do that? - Taken out of town (?)   - By what? - Eaten by a monster   - Would have been evidence of that somewhere, though, right? - Ran into the woods   - Wildman Stanley? He's never told me he wanted that before - Aliens??

Stanford glared at that last option before scribbling it out. No, no, that would be dumb. Extraterrestrial beings descending from the heavens just to kidnap a lonely boy who had just run away and therefore would leave very few people to look for him, meaning they could get away with the crime essentially scott-free? 

…Ford re-wrote the aliens point back in again. 

He sighed, leaning his head in his hands. This was stupid and not helping. He needed to be out there looking for evidence! But he had no idea where to look…

He turned to look at the papers sitting next to him. Blank. 

It's not defeat, Stanford thought to himself. If people know he's missing, they'll be helping the search. This will be a good thing. 

He grabbed a paper and started sketching his brother, trying to capture him just right. 

He'd made about twenty missing posters, as well as his original sketch page of his brother. He wasn't sure where or even how to put them up, but he wouldn't know until he tried. The day was still young, kinda (it was noon), and he had plenty of places to search. 

He could try to put some up in different diners and restaurants, some down at the boardwalk, maybe one or two at school…

No, school was a bad idea. Crampelter was there. If Crampelter ever discovered that Stanley was missing…

Stanford shuddered, then stiffened, his walking speed slowing. Crampelter wasn't just at school, especially now that school was basically out for summer, with the addition of a couple extra curriculars (ug. sports). Crampelter could be anywhere, as well as his goons. 

Uh oh. 

Well, it's not like he could just not put the posters up. He'd made them, and he needed to find Stanley. Whatever Crampelter had in store for him was worth it if it meant he'd be able to find his brother. 

As he walked past the front desk, the librarian noticed him. He raised his bushy eyebrows in surprise. "Working on a project, Pines?" 

Stanford looked up at the man. "Kinda." He walked forward, handing him one of Stanley's missing posters. It featured his brother grinning at the "camera", little dots for eyes, messy hair, his striped shirt, and a backpack on his shoulders. (He'd also drawn a few posters with sticks in his hair or bugs on his arms, just in case that helped.) Down at the very bottom was another message written in their secret code, too- "Go to the ship".

Mr. Walker looked down at the parchment with scrutiny, pulling his glasses down a bit more to read the words. 

"My brother went missing yesterday, and I don't know where he went," Stanford informed him, looking at the poster he'd handed him. "Do you want to keep that one? Maybe you could hang it up here in the library." 

The bushy man turned his brown eyes back to the boy. "I suppose I could keep an eye out," he said, weirdly strained. "Stanley ain't exactly one to swing by the library, though." 

"I… I know." Ford looked away. "I'm just worried about him." 

Mr. Walker's gaze softened. "Sure. I can hold onto this one for ya, and if I see him, I'll tell him yer lookin' for him." He stood up, grabbing some tape from behind the counter.

Stanford lit up. "Oh, Mr. Walker, thank you!" He put his hands on the table and couldn't help the bounce in his feet. "Tell him to go to the boat. He'll know what I mean." 

"Boat. Got it." Mr Walker finished taping it up, right next to a bunch of other fliers. "I'll tell him." 

"Thank you!" Ford grinned. "I'll see you around!" 

Mr. Walker waved at him. "Remember to be home before it gets too late," he called after the boy. Ford just smiled. Mr. Walker didn't need to know about that part. 

Feeling rejuvenated, Stanford practically skipped out of the library. 19 posters and a sketch page. Finding where to hang up the rest would give him more excuses to turn his search outward, to more places Stanley was less likely to be. Which, paradoxically, meant he might be there. 

As he pushed open the large, oak door, sunlight made him squint. But beyond that, he could hear laughing. Mocking laughter, specifically. 

Ford gasped, shutting the door quickly. He had to hide the posters, fast.

He threw off his backpack, unzipped it, and began to rapidly stuff in papers. They were gonna be all folded and crumply later, but at least he'd have them. He just had to-

The door swung open with a BANG! against the opposing wall, and a large shadow fell over the entrance. Stanford hastily zipped up the bag and put it behind him right as none other than Crampelter himself waltzed into the library. 

"Weeeell, look what the cat dragged in!" the bully himself grinned. Crampelter crossed his arms as his two yesmen circled around behind him. "Howzit feel not having your little guard dog around, hmm?" 

"I-I…" Stanford looked up at him warily. Now the Sibling brothers were about the same age and build as the Pines twins, so confronting them was a bit easier than… this. Crampelter was a mountain, towering over Stanford and casting a long shadow. He grinned. The light from outside rimmed around him, casting the rest of him in shades of grey. The two behind him didn't look much friendlier (though the shorter one was all bark, no bite, Ford knew that). 

Crampelter put his hands on his cheeks, creating a look of mocking fear. "I-I-" he stuttered out, before laughing loudly. "You what, dork? Scared?" 

"Hey!" 

All four heads turned to Mr Walker, who was quickly pacing towards them. He stopped in front of Crampelter, leveling him a knowing look. "This is a place of learning and leisure," he hissed. "Keep it down or get out, Crampelter. You know the rules, same as anyone else." 

Crampelter let out a loud tch, rolling his eyes. "Whatever." He side-eyed Stanford, a mischievous grin crossing his lips. "Catch us outside, huh, nerd? We'll be waitin' for ya." 

And with that, he and his posse turned on their heels and stormed out. As Crampelter's form left the building, he turned back around and cupped his mouth with his hands. "READING'S FOR NERDS!" he shouted. His voice bounced annoyingly off the peeling walls. 

Before Mr Walker could react, the three of them had bolted, cackling, out the door.

The man sighed. "I worry about those three," he grumbled. "Shapin' up ta be no good, I tell ya." 

"Umm, Mr. Walker, sir?" Stanford hated how much he was… unnerved by the three bullies. Not afraid- Pa said being afraid was stupid. "Don't be a sissy," he'd say. But Stanford certainly didn't feel comfortable around them. 

The librarian turned to look at the boy questioningly. "Yes, Pines?"

"I…" He fidgeted with his hands, wringing them around each other. "I don't wanna go outside." 

Understanding made its way across his features. Mr. Walker knelt down, putting a hand on Ford's shoulder. "Those three pick on you a lot, eh?" 

Hesitantly, Ford nodded. "Stanley usually helps me with them," he mumbled. 

Mr. Walker thought for a moment, then stood back up. "Here, I got an idea." He started to walk towards the back of the building, motioning with his hand for Ford to keep up. "Follow me." 

Stanford grabbed his backpack and trotted after the librarian. 

He wasn't too familiar with the man, but he had been nothing aside from friendly towards him. The first time they'd met, he'd made a comment about his hands, but that was forever ago now, and Mr. Walker didn't seem to mind them so much now. Just another reason Stanford saw the library as a sanctuary; a place to hide from bullies and to be able to get a clear head when things got tough. Peaceful. 

He'd always hoped that, if Mr. Walker could learn to ignore his extra finger, maybe others could, too. Some of his teachers got used to it, but even then, he still saw the lingering looks sometimes. His classmates, too, just seemed to become adjusted to it rather than disregarding his hands like he'd hoped. It didn't feel like acceptance, it was more akin to tolerance. And Ford's tried his best to keep that tolerance for as long as he could, he did. He thought he was doing an okay job, but then Crampelter would show up just to remind him that tolerance and acceptance weren't really the same thing. 

It was humiliating, to say the least. 

Mr. Walker made his way through the halls of the library, walking in a relatively straight line. He finally came to a stop near the back wall, by one of the windows. He unlatched it, heaving it up. The early summer breeze entered the building, tickling Ford's cheeks and ruffling his hair. 

"Here," the man said, "out this way. They won't expect you there." 

Stanford looked up at Mr. Walker with a small, genuine smile. "Thank you, sir," he said. 

Mr. Walker just nodded. "You're very welcome, Pines." 

Sneaking out around the library was harder than Ford initially thought. Just a quick glance around the corner showed the bullies hanging around the entrance, pointing and laughing at anyone going in or out of the library. 

Stanford frowned. What are they even DOING here? he wondered. Crampelter would rather get sick with the plague than willingly enter the library, and now that Stanford thought about it, it WAS odd that he'd decided to even come here at all. 

Did this have to do with Stanley somehow? 

That made Stanford pause. If Crampelter knew something about Stanley going missing, then it made sense that he'd come taunt Ford with that information. But there was no way to know until Stanford asked him, and he was not exactly in a hurry to do that. 

He had to sneak past. 

The library was surrounded by two other buildings on either side, but they were pretty far away. There was a yard in front of the building with lots of room to sit and read, including a tree with some okay-ish shade from the sun. If Stanford could just make it to one of the other buildings without getting caught, he could escape and start putting up posters. Clearly Crampelter knew already; no point in hiding it. 

The bullies were gathered more on the right side of the building than the left, so Ford took in a deep breath, headed to the left, watched them for a moment, and…

No. No running was a bad idea. That'd draw their eyes. He had to go slow. Yeah. Yeah, niiiice and easy. 

He let out the breath he'd taken awkwardly, and instead, hugged the wall. One foot in front of the other. He stayed close to the library, and no one saw him. Yet. 

He was right at the corner now. He could hear Crampelter push someone off their bike. Though he felt bad, it also created a pretty good distraction. He peered over. Sure enough, some kid was currently adjusting their glasses, sitting on the pavement, while the three bullies yukked it up. 

Now or never. Ford tentatively stepped out into the light, and when no one saw him immediately, he turned and began to speed walk away. He didn't know where he was going, just that he needed to get away from the library as fast as his feet could carry him. 

He'd only made it a couple of sidewalk slabs down the road before a yell shattered his small sense of victory. "THERE HE IS!" one of the yesmen announced, and Stanford could feel the finger pointed in his direction. It only took a quick glance over his shoulder to see all three of them sprinting after him now. 

Oh Moses.

Ford panicked, breaking into a sprint and zipping off down the road. He turned left at the corner, trying to hide from view, but those boys were still behind him- and gaining. 

He had to hide. What's that thing they always do in movies? Duck into an alleyway? 

There was one coming up. They hadn't rounded the corner yet. Ford had a chance. 

He ducked left again, slipping into the slot between buildings, only to find nothing to hide behind. It was empty. 

Their shouts and jeers were getting louder. There was nowhere to go. 

Ford ducked down, facing away from the opening, and tried to make himself as small as possible. Maybe they'd just keep going, and leave him alone, and he could get out of this one by himself so he could keep looking for his brother-

"Found him!" 

Something grabbed his backpack and lifted him up. Stanford cried out in surprise, then started swinging his arms frantically. He kicked, he punched, he tried to wriggle out of their grasp. His efforts were met with more jeers. 

"Aw, look at him go!" 

"He's worked up quite the kick, eh?" 

"Like an angry kitten!" 

Ford flushed. "I am not a-" 

A fist to the back of the head silenced him. "Shut it," Crampelter snapped. 

Ford lifted a hand to rub the spot. "Ow!" 

"Eugh. Get your freaky hands away from me," Crampelter grumbled out. He let go of the backpack, sending Ford to the ground in a heap. His hands scraped against the pavement, and to his horror, he noticed more glass shards here than he'd originally thought. "We just wanna talk to you, nerd." 

Stanford re-adjusted his glasses, finally turning to look at his tormentor more head-on. "About what? About how I'm a freak?" he snapped. "Go ahead, I've heard it all before!" 

Crampelter tutted at him condescendingly. "No, dumbo, it's about your guard dog." He crossed his arms triumphantly. "Heard some talk down by the docks. Apparently some of the guys overheard you asking for him at the boardwalk." 

Stupid! Stanford berated himself. Of course that's how he found out. 

Crampelter's face was oddly neutral. "We just wanna know what happened." 

Stanford blinked. "You… what?" That seemed… weirdly considerate of them. Something was wrong. 

Shortie (he didn't know their names and didn't care) piped up. "Heard he ran off," he grinned. 

Lanky nodded. "Did he finally learn he don't got a future?" he sneered. 

Stanford glared at them each in turn. "What are you talking about?!" he exclaimed. "We have a future! We're gonna get out of here!" 

"Hah!" Crampelter's eyes glinted. "Did he tell ya that?" 

Something about the way Crampelter was looking at him was making Stanford uneasy, but he didn't have a good word to describe it. It was like he was dangling a carrot over his head- a carrot he knew Ford couldn't see. But Ford knew it was there. Something in him was getting riled up at that. His glare deepened.

"Yeah, he did. And Stanley wouldn't…" he trailed off for a second, looking away. "He wouldn't lie to me!" 

That got all three of them laughing again. 

"Good ol' sticky fingers?" 

"All he ever does is lie!" 

Ford's gaze burned holes in the bullies, but they didn't seem to notice or care. "Not to me!" Stanford shot back. 

That just made them laugh harder. 

Confusion and hurt was welling up within him. He moved to shove past Crampelter, but he was quick to swat Ford back into the alley again. 

"Gonna go home?" Crampelter cooed, tilting his head knowingly. "Gonna go cry to Mommy and Daddy about how your brother somehow got smarter than you??" 

Ford blinked. "What are you talking about?"

Lanky shrugged. "Sticky fingers ain't good for nuthin," he said casually. He leaned back against the opposing wall, lifting a leg to look cooler. "He knows he's just the stupid version of you. He must have finally figured out what he was and took off." 

Shortie snickered. "About time." 

Stanford wanted to glare at them, but something about their wording was throwing him off. "What do you mean? What is he?"

Crampelter's fists clenched. He tilted his chin up, looking down on Ford with a judging, condescending smile. "And here I thought you were the smart one, freak."

Ford stood up, moving to push past them. He had a brother to find, and clearly they didn't know anything, so this was just wasting his time. He had posters to put up and people to talk to and Siblings to avoid. 

"Oh no ya don't!" A hand grabbed his arm and yanked him back. Ford yelped, stumbling, but managed to stay upright. Crampelter sneered at him. "Where d'ya think you're going, dork?"

"Away from you!" Stanford leveled a glare up at him. He didn't have to just stand there and take this. 

Crampelter nodded to his two followers, who seemed to get it. Ford felt arms wrap around his, and no amount of wiggling around and throwing wild punches got them to let go. He felt them tugging at his backpack, pulling it off. 

Stanford tried to get it back on, but the arms holding him twisted his wrists, making him try to curl in on himself on instinct. The straps were freed, and Crampelter held the red book bag in his hands. 

Ford's eyes widened. "Hey! That's mine!" 

Crampelter ignored him. He unzipped it and proceeded to dump the contents out, scattering papers, pencils, pens, his notebook, and- Ford watched in horror- the missing posters. He watched the cartoony face of his brother drift out, flapping gently down to the ground in a smiling heap of hope. 

"Hah!" Crampelter barked out a laugh. "Were you gonna hang these up?" 

Ford continued to try to writhe out of the other two boy's grip. "What's it to you?" he snapped. 

Crampelter didn't say anything. Instead, he picked up a poster, holding it up. It was one of the ones Stanford had made that featured Stanley with sticks in his hair. It was one of the better ones, in his opinion. 

Crampelter snorted. "Didja start doodling on this thing? What is that?" 

He pointed to a line down at the bottom, the line reserved only for Stanley's eyes. To anyone else, it was just drawings. The Twins knew better.

Ford glared. "It's code. And I'm not telling you what it says!"

Shortie snorted. "Sticky understands codes?"

"You have too much faith in him," Lanky piped up. "He doesn't even know how to read." 

That one got Stanford genuinely offended on his brother's behalf. "He does, too! He just, he told me that the letters get all scrambled sometimes, so it's-" 

"So he can't read." Crampelter tutted, looking back at the pile. "Would be a shame if your guard dog realized just how much you relied on him," he mused to himself. "Not that he's good for much else." 

Stanford glared. "Like you're any better, jerk!" 

The bully's eyes snapped to him. He twitched, then his brows turned down into a glare. He looked back down at the pile of papers, then around the rest of the alleyway. 

Water glistened off a nearby puddle. 

Stanford froze. "No," he said softly, realizing where this was going. "No, Crampelter, you can't! I need those!" 

That just seemed to make up the bully's mind. He stormed over to the puddle and stomped both feet in it. When he lifted one back out, it was covered in mud. He turned his gaze back to the pile of posters, Stanley's silly grin looking back at Ford. 

The bully stomped closer. 

Ford picked up the struggle again. "NO, STOP!" 

All he could do was watch as Crampelter stomped down, smearing mud and dirty water all over the parchment. He made sure to cover every single one, crumpling and tearing the paper beneath his feet as he kicked and scraped and stomped. 

Once every paper had been covered, he kicked them all towards the puddle. They dropped in, water soaking through and smearing the ink. 

"STOP!" Stanford cried out. "STOP IT!" 

"There!" The bully grinned down at the pile, satisfied. "How're you gonna call him home now?"

Rage boiled within him. He clenched his fists, trying to remember the things Stanley told him about fighting. Wide stance, fast fists, lots of yelling, there were teeth involved whenever you punched a jaw…

He went slack, waiting for the moment to strike. He felt himself breathing fast, breathing angry, and he just wanted to stomp Crampelter's stupid smile into the stupid ground and find his stupid brother and go back HOME. 

He stopped listening. They were saying something. He didn't care what. 

As soon as Lanky's grip faltered, Stanford broke free with a swing. He tore his arm free of his grip, hitting Shortie in the head. Shortie let go, and Stanford darted forward. He grabbed his notebook, clothes, pens and pencils, and stuffed them in the bag as fast as he could. He reached for the posters, but most were ruined by now. His hands grasped a single one; the sketch page he'd made for practice. It was wet, and crumpled, but it lived. He tucked it in there with the notebook and zipped it shut. 

Crampelter watched him with a neutral face until the two made eye contact. Then, he grinned smugly. 

"Good luck finding him now, freak," he jeered. "Not that it'll do ya much good." 

That was it. Ford reached his hands out, shoving past Crampelter and darting back out into the streets. He could hear the bullies laughing behind him, but they didn't seem to be chasing him this time. 

Whatever. He didn't care. 

It didn't make any sense…

It doesn't make any sense!

Ford wasn't stupid. He'd heard the way people talk about his brother for a long time, like he was inferior to Stanford in some way (which was a weird paradox, considering everyone also thought that Stanford was a weirdo who could curse their family if they shook his hand or something). But he'd always made sure that Stan knew not to listen. He tried to humor his brother as much as he could, and listened to his wild ideas about superheroes and girls. He laughed at his brother's dumb jokes because they were funny and because Ford loved him. 

Crampelter was just being mean again. Yeah. That's it. 

Stanford ran and ran and ran until he found himself back at the street that led home. He slowed to a stop, looking down the familiar road. He could see the Pawn Shop. He knew his mom had found the note by now. He could picture her talking to Pa, asking him to call the police. He'd shake his head, insisting that Stanford would be home soon. And then he'd sit down and open his newspaper, waiting for him. Trusting him. 

But Stanford couldn't go home yet. He had to find Stanley. Wherever they went, they went together. Stanley was the one who came up with their little mantra, and he really, truly believed it. 

…Stanley wouldn't run away because of me, would he? 

Did Ford do something wrong? 

His heart lurched. He just wanted to talk to his ma about this. Surely she would know, right? She had those psychic powers! Stanley didn't think they were real, and even Ford was beginning to have his doubts, but it was better than nothing, right? 

If nothing else, she'd tell him that Stanley didn't just get tired of him. Or she'd be able to help him figure out what he did to make Stan think that way. 

Nope, Stanford scolded himself. That's the bullies talking. Stanley wouldn't do that. It's us, together forever. He's always said that.

It just didn't make any sense.

He needed something to get his brain going again. He had his apples- one he had for breakfast this morning, but he still had two more! They were right here, in his-

Oh no. He'd lost the bindle. 

Stanford panicked for just a moment, before remembering he'd left it at the library. He hadn't been able to get it back because it was outside, right where Crampelter had been guarding the door. Shoot!

His stomach rumbled. Home was right there. He could just go there to eat. It was tempting, pulling him to go down the road and go back. 

He glared. Pointedly, he turned around and began his march back to the library. 

The sun was going down by the time he got back. And there it was, tossed onto the ground by the door by someone who didn't care, but otherwise untouched. 

He ate both remaining apples, and something in him was still hungry. 

He glared down at his notebook. He had two full days to look now, and nothing. Nothing, nothing, NOTHING! 

His stomach grumbled. 

If he was hungry, Stanley was also hungry. He HAD to find him. 

But sleep was tugging at his eyelids, and the Stan O' War was cozy. 

Maybe Stanley just got lost. Maybe a nice family was letting him stay the night. Maybe he was stargazing somewhere down the road. Maybe he was in the sky, looking down at Ford. C'mon, poindexter, he was saying, waving his hand in a "come here" motion, it's not that far!

Stanford curled in on himself, holding his notebook close, glaring down at the mess of leads and locations, and let himself drift off to a troubled sleep.

[rattotheimperialcheesegod]

RANT POST!!!!!

Girl the way I had to live after realizing my inner demons acronym was MID was like, man i know at the time it proubly didnt have its meaning yet since it was 2019 and no one was really thinking about the acronym at all but im not gonna lie...

it sorta set up its own legacy with it since it is kinda mediocre and also one of the most recent forgotten series that aphmau tried to make big like mystreet, and the only thing that reminds you of the series, is it still being on the channel to watch or that three of its popular characters showing up in the modern videos to kinda remind you they exist, but fr feels like even with that aphmau doesnt want to reference them any further like she does with mystreet all the time...

its kinda sad since really i think a lot of my inner demons flaws would of been fixed with just a few things like better pacing, more focus on the magic crisis and just a bigger episode count than 26, also the fact that it wouldnt be hard to reference it or bring it back for another season, since truely, lets be real guys

when people say my inner demons can't be referenced or be brought back for another season because it was too mature or for a different audience, now that aphmaus brand is very cocomelon core, are kinda throwing the bar alittle to high in the standard of how "mature" my inner demons was, even with its more vulgar humor or times the character curses, it wasn't like my inner demons were aimed for adults, it was aimed for tweens or teenagers like any of aphmaus normal rps, it just wanted to explore with what it would get away with, no matter how little they did with actually trying, since the characters geniunely barely curse, only being sorta heard in the background as to censor it or just saying the safe verison of it, really i dont think my inner demons even takes itself as seriously as it wants to be taken as, since its main plot to reel you into the story gets thrown away in favor for the stupid harem plot, only reminding the audience of the main plot again in tiny scenes you don't care for because the series doesn't care, really back on the topic I feel like my inner demons was a huge waste of great elements with horrible execusion as it so desperately wanted to be seen as serious and mature but just felt well...MID

thats generally why im actually using source material and my own stuff for my rewrite since there are good parts to the og series that could of been better if executed better...

or if everything wasnt so focused on ava having to get fucking married to one of these jackasses because these five full grownmen are as dumb as rotting dirt firmented in cement, learn to wipe your own asses and put on your own clothes, these guys should know what a fucking toliet is and how to shower even without magic, we did not need a whole episode of ava teaching the guys how to BATHE, it isnt cute or hot--

THIS IS LITTARY LIKE WATCHING A GROWN ASS WOMEN WIPE FULL GROWN MENS ASSES LIKE THEY ARE BABIES--

GET MY GIRL OUTTA THERE

[sleepymccoy]

2024 fics

I didn't realise how many I'd posted this year! I'd've thought it was two lol. So, have a list. They're all spones <3

An Intimacy, A Surprise

This follows a FWB relationship that morphs into proper dating and then marriage. Very TOS compliant. Skips along through time with each chapter being one scene that either moves the plot forward, or that I just wanted to write. The chapters end when they kiss, but I still managed to sneak some sex scenes in (sometimes they argue instead of kissing lol)

A long, complicated path

This is a direct follow on from the previous fic. That one ends with Bones following Spock to the aos universe, so then I was like, well, how would the aos guys handle that. Well, I think one person commented asking that and I was like... oh no now I have to think about it and write it! And the answer is by weaponising a marraige certificate that has their names, and then falling for each other. My main memory in writing this one is that I was finishing my masters in the same month and this was a total stress relief fic that I can barely recall lol. I should read it some time, it's probably quite good

Nice and Vague

Very short a cute fic to get me writing. Established married spones with Spock using McCoy to further his diplomatic work. Ends with long distance phone sex fade to black

Two Thirds of a Whole

I completely forgot this fic exists, but now that I've reread the summary omg I spent so much energy on it. This was in response to a lot of people on tumblr who talk about Bones like he's third wheel that doesn't really matter to Spock and Kirk, which rankles me. So I wrote Bones going to a parallel universe where he never joined the Enterprise. I think the main point of the fic kinda got away from me halfway through tho and it really just ends up being a spones fic, with parallel Spock hitting on him, then Bones going back home and hitting on his Spock. But yeah, I think if I did this again I'd pay more attention to the Bones is important message

Oh Commander Mine

This one is all fun. Intended to be a dubcon fic, but I ended up shying from that a little. There's still some dubconny elements, so read the tags and feel free to ask me specifics if you're concerned but wanna try reading. Bones has to be Spock's vulcan sex slave, and he kinda gets into it in a way he didn't expect. They get together afterwards, with some bad communication skills, but overall it's a healthy sorta ending. It was me trying to write my kinks without shame, but unfortunately I did pull my punches a bit. Maybe I'll write my kinks properly in 2025!

On that, writing aims in 2025

I'm iffy on the trying my kinks again really, but I do have a vague nugget of an idea so if that fills out in a way I find interesting I will. I think writing dubcon is really hard to do honestly without the story getting overwhelmed with shame, which I don't feel about my kinks! So, it's hard to write a solid, genuine story that actually reflects what I wanna read. Commander Mine is a pretty good approximation really

I really wanna redo An Even Number of Souls. It's a great premise but I wrote myself into a bit of a corner and didn't know where to go so it's sitting there unfinished. But I think the story is really strong and I wanna do it. I've restructured and rewritten some scenes, so it's got a good chance. Just need to get the buzz for it again and really settle back into it. Unfortunately for Souls, tis the season of plot bunnies for me rn and I keep having new ideas that are so fun to write instead

I won't have too much trouble writing and posting the odd fic here and there. I've got three active wips rn, one is Spock getting bullied, one is mcspirk, one is a christmas fic I'm probably gonna let stay unfinished tbh. However, I am keen to write some more og fiction than I have been lately. I've got some great stuff in the works!!

I've got a poly story about a cyborg, a doctor, and an engineer. It's kind of about ownership of your own body. It's also about being trans. It's about showing the difference between aromantic and asexual people. It's mostly about writing insanely kinky sex, though. Cyborg guy is gonna get a bluetooth connected detachable dick eventually!

Also got a great story that's always on my mind, it's got two swapping povs. The world is very catholic, set far in the future. One of the povs is a plumber on a spaceship who start to secretly fuck a priest (secret gay style, secret cos it's catholic). The other is a cop on an asteroid investigating the murder of an important church guy. She loses her job around halfway, which is when you realise the priest the plumber is fucking is definitely the murderer. She then jumps in a lil ship with some guy willing to give her the lift, to try and arrest the murderer and get her job back, but instead is just stuck in a tin can with a hot guy (who turns out to be trans) and wants to fuck him (but she has to drop her bigotry before she can)(cos he's trans and has a vagina, theres literally no other barrier for her). At that point the plumber's pov picks up the murder mystery story. So it's kinda like there's two stories, one romance and one murder investigation, and they swap half way who is living which. The characters are very fucked up and fun to write. The murder, btw, is morally okay imo. The gays get a happy ending. Not sure the cop will, we'll see if she's willing to let go of her expectations in the second half of the book. I've written like 2/3s of the first half already!

Anyway that's me on my stories. I'm procrastinating writing the Spock getting bullied story rn by posting this post! So maybe feel free to ask me questions and I can respond instead of writing lol

[thewebcomicsreview]

Hate to tell you this, but the HSBC update just got updated.

I get that they wanted to keep the Hell Arc confined to page 666, and it'll make the archival experience pretty cool, but hard refreshing the site didn't let me see the update to the page due to cache bullshit, I had to use a different browser. So let's liveblog now before it breaks again:

Looks like we're back to Tavros. I guess it makes sense that the first path to update would the one where they could reuse the talksprites.

So, as directly stated by Davepeta, Vriska is trapped in a time loop, where Tavros doesn't remember anything that happened the previous day, just like in the movie Groundhog Day. That Davepeta called out the movie explicitly in-universe as the reference makes me wonder if events will follow the rough plot of that movie. It's clearly what Davepeta wants to happen, but...Vriska....

Anyway, Vriska offers to let Tavros decide what to do today, for the first time. It took two whole years for her to try that, but she is the Thief of Light and not letting anyone else decide what to do is literally her cosmic role and stuff, so I guess that tracks. And what Tavros wants to do is....play a game.

Last update I said that Vriska saying she's done some things wrong while shrugging and laughing is the ultimate distillation of Vriska, but her having won everything and being miserable about it is also the ultimate distillation of Vriska. She's a woman of contrasts, that Vriskers.

The use of the phrase "session" here outs this line as having Deeper Meanings. Having SBURB sessions over and over so we can play forever is literally Dirk's plan, and most of the fandom is assuming a Candy session is coming.

So, even though they're talking about playing FLARP (the troll DnD game, which is apparently PvP), this is also an argument over whether or not Homestuck should continue. You can't really "win" if the game keeps going, but that doesn't mean you're stuck doing the same thing over and over.

I know Vriska is Problematique, but I'm still taken aback by her 2000s kid usage of "gay" as a general-purpose insult, and not just because trolls don't have a concept of "straight" or "gay". Apparently she doesn't even know what it means and learned the word from Da-

Oh, it was just to set up this line for people to screenshot. Alright. Fine.

brb, gotta go post this in the hard to use reaction images channel on the discord and have someone complain it's easy to use.

Tavros accuses Vriska of projecting her own fears onto him, and then gets into a tangent about being a "soft" female fairy and Vriska takes him up on playing this new "game for girls" and he panics and changes the subject. There's a...lot....going on there.

Vriska starts to have an actual breakthrough, when suddenly Aradiabot appears. Wait, is this where Aradia and Ult!Dave went?

We fade to black and I thought that was it, but apparently not. This being a visual novel makes it feel like a much bigger update than it is, and also kind of makes you read each line a bit more carefully. It's a good way of having multiple meaty (or, um, candy-y) updates in a short stretch of time, and that's kind of an important part of the "feel" of Homestuck that no one can really replicate.

Oh, I do not care for this talksprite.

The downside of this format is that it's harder to liveblog, I think, but basically Aradia is complaining about the Vriska Cycle of "Do bad thing, self-flagellate to be redeemed, repeat".

Vriska justifies it because she has to take action and set people straight and stuff, and if this conversation/game isn't leading to the return of "(Vriska)", the OG timeline Vriska who died and got a ton of character growth before post-retcon Vriska stole her girlfriend, then what is it building towards?

A lot of these lines make good single-panel memes. Yes, Vriska, you are the problem in nearly every situation, even (especially) when you're also the solution.

Aradia sa- oh for fuck's sake this is unreadable, guys. Anyway she says that getting into a routine leads to stagnation and slow death, which, mood, but also is about Homestuck itself as much as it is about Vriska.

Jesus Christ, how long is this update? This page is a full on Pesterquest game when the other five routes are finished.

Oh, okay. That's it. Vriska levels and we get a bunch of fire-themed pun ranks for her, of which Skinner's Bane is the best

[mcytblr-archive]

Early MCYTblr Interviews: georgeeehd

today's interviewee is reese/georgeeehd/lmanburg/tommyofcolor! dreamlying member, mcytblr og, and the person who discovered that dream wasn't registered to vote. below is a transcript of questions and answers!

Q: What was your experience in wider MCYTblr?

A: I don’t have much experience with wider mcytblr. Maybe I used to reblog Grian stuff on my main blog, before all this DSMP shit. There wasn’t much of a Dream community when I started posting, much less one for DreamNotFound (surprisingly, Dreamnap was the popular ship of the two early on????? so bizarre to me), so I dug out my microcosm immediately. There was never a wider myctblr for me.

Q: What was your experience in critblr/dreamlying specifically?

A: The notion that dreamlying is the spawn of critblr is interesting to me, because I agree with you now, but I wouldn’t have at the time. Critblr was a tumblr community. Dreamlying was a friend group, predating critblr. I considered myself dteamblr for a really long time— I never felt aligned with the critblr movement because that was always Jason’s territory, really. I don’t mention it to nitpick or to scold, but like, I’m into this archiving thing, too, so I wanted to opine on how we label these groups. Maybe there should be a distinction made between what we considered ourselves vs. what we actually were.

My experience in proto-critblr was pretty cushy because it was all mine. Me and my contemporaries had a following, we were respected, we had smart things to say, we were funny, established, etc. Think, “The School of Athens.” I definitely grew a bit of an ego with how popular I was, which I’m sure will come across in this interview, haha.

At times I felt a little unchallenged, like people were only agreeing with me not because I was right, but because I was saying anything at all. At the same time, I was incredibly defensive and insecure, so the little pushback I might have gotten would bother me terribly. I was probably overreactive and mean. I was fifteen then, and I’m nineteen now, so there’s lots of things I would’ve handled differently, if I could.

In terms of my experience with dreamlying, I like what Ozzie had to say. We were all just very, very good friends. There’s not much else to it. In my first discord server, “dream lying” was a hidden messaging channel where we could critique Dream Team freely. “Dream lying” was supposed to parody the phrase “dream truthing.” So we were basically this tiny little secret society, at the start. There was no way we wouldn’t have hit it off.

Q: Are there any events that stand out to you?

A: A lot. Too many. Some are more personally relevant than historically relevant, and I don’t really know where to draw the line. The voter registration fiasco was a big one, but there were other smaller things… I was always in some fuckin’ controversy or another! The magic 8 ball says, Ask again later.

Q: Was being in MCYTblr an overall positive or negative experience for you?

A: Undoubtedly positive! I don’t even know where to start with this question. I met a lot of wonderful people that I still keep in contact with today, right? But beyond that, I feel like being in this community helped me grow a lot, like, personally. I was thinking and writing a lot. I learned so, so much, about people, about the internet, about fandom, about myself. It was such an expansive experience.

I guess I should mention that my time with mcytblr was incredibly stressful. My involvement in the fandom weighed heavily on my mental health. I felt very watched, and I still do. At my worst, I was hospitalized. (I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t mention my mcyt-induced mental hospital stint in my mcyt interview.) None of that really moves me, though, ‘cause it was all just part of the experience, and I find it all pretty funny, looking back.

Q: A few people have mentioned the account mcyttruth in relation to you, specifically around a callout post. What happened there? [I had misremembered-- I meant to ask this to Jason lmanburg, not Reese lmanburg.]

A: The mcyttruth callout wasn’t about me, but my discord server, dteamblr 2. I was not as involved here— at this point, critblr was in full bloom, and this server was like a rendezvous for people who liked dreamlying and modcord blogs (modcord was another friend group, like dreamlying, but critblr-based).

Regarding that callout specifically, I don’t know. Probably, there were too many r-slurs, too many jokes about hating Ranboo, the usual. There were a lot of callouts (for me or for people I was friends with), and I never really took them seriously. I mean, honestly, the url “mcyttruth” alone is derivative. Do you know how many times I’ve read the words “mcyt” and “truth”? Everything about this is a blur to me.

Q: I suppose I would ask-- given the current events surrounding many of the creators who were popular in 2020/2021, do you feel that dreamlying has been vindicated in their criticisms of creators?

A: Yes, but I would have said yes in 2020, because who these people are was as obvious to me then as it is now. Our criticisms weren’t like, headcanons that we made up to be mean, they were plain old observations. Wilbur was openly mentally ill, creepy, and generally dismissive of other people. Not to say that there aren’t good things about him either, but, of course this is the kind of guy to make his girlfriend clean up after him. There’s a million cautionary tales about guitar stringers with floppy hair under a beanie, whiny song lyrics, and a masturbatory approach to self-loathing.

Dream’s not this person anymore, so that’s not why I bring it up, but think back to when his old Reddit account was exposed for being active on r/The_Donald. That was everything we were ever talking about! That was Dream being exactly who he was— a young white man from Florida. I love Dream, always have, always will. Acknowledging that he is/was a whole person with flaws and unsavory politics, I think, is truer fanhood than the idolization everyone puts him through.

You use the word “vindicated” to acknowledge that we were heavily criticized ourselves. Most of that was on the basis of privacy— you know, whether or not it’s okay to speculate on people’s personal lives. It doesn’t matter that we were “right” so often, that we still are, and always will be, because people will focus more on the original sin of having speculated in the first place.

I used to love vindication because it made me feel smart, like I could see things that no one else could. Now it just makes me sad. I don’t think it has anything to do with smarts, nor would I care if it did. I think people just don’t let themselves think that far. You know, “I don’t want to make assumptions,” “It’s none of my business,” “It’s not that deep,” etc. Maybe there’s no instinct to look deeper at all. It really just makes me sad.

Q: Is there anything else you'd like to add/have archived?

A: I’d like to ask everybody to stay critical. The hivemind response to recent events have shown me that this fandom remains as shallow, unthinking, conformative, elementary… as it was four years ago.

Thank you for conducting these interviews in the first place. It's nice hearing everyone’s voices again.

[moonspirit]

BEWARE BC I'm about to just rambling here... (sorry, English is not my first language and this is long)

But can you imagine Annie and Connie being the new chaotic duo?

As Connie has always been the og aruani third wheel, and also, the first time you see Connie laugh after Sasha's death is when he sees Annie stuffing cake down her mouth (bc it remembers her of Sasha). I can see them being friends after all the trauma 🫠

I can imagine in a Post-Rumbling world Annie and Connie being the ultimate duo of messiness. First, you have Connie, who, by himself is already the personification of chaos. Then you have Annie. Annie, who never had real friends, Annie who never was loved. And now she is loved !!! She has friends !!! And omg she doesn't know why, but Connie is her favorite one At the beginning she thinks that if she didn't have Connie, it's either Jean or Reiner, who, btw, she hates most of the time (she doesn't but they have a special dynamic), or Jean, who is the perfect mix of a dork and a jerk (he refers to him as de jork) So Annie thinks: HE IS THE ONLY ONE SANE HERE AND ALSO SHE CAN TALK ABOUT HOW SHE THINKS ARMIN IS THE CUTEST LITTLE THING ALIVE WITHOUT FEELING WEIRD BECAUSE CONNIE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS THAT THEY HAD SOMETHING GOING ON. But no, actually Annie loves being around Connie because deep down she is just a chaotic silly little girl just as he is.

They meet up to talk shit about everyone they know while drinking wine and eating cake (strange combo just like them) Connie asks Annie for advice about women (bc Connie is kind of a wh*re) and Annie gossips about Jean and Pieck, bc they are dense idiots and obv she, also, talks about ARMIN (OMG CONNIE DIDN'T YOU SEE HOW HE TOUCHED MY BACK TO MAKE ME HOT !!! ANNIE, HE JUST GRABBED YOU BC YOU WERE CROSSING THE STREET)

everyone is freaking out. WHAT DO YOU MEAN CONNIE AND ANNIE ARE FRIENDS? THE BIGGEST DUMBASS ALIVE AND THE QUIET BUT LETHAL GIRL ARE FRIENDS???

When Reiner finds out he wants to cry (Annie does'nt do that stuff with him) Jean wants to run away bc THE ChAOOOOS and Pieck just finds it funny but she is lowkey jealous bc she can't get Annie to open up but aRMIN????

Armin hates it but loves it. He loves that Annie has her very first real friend, and Armin knows that Annie reminds Connie of Sasha (But he is absolutely terrified of them when they are together). BECAUSE HE HAS TO BE THE ACTUAL ONE WITH BRAINCELLS AND BTW CONNIE KNOWS TOO MUCH ABOUT THEIR SEX LIFE.

AND ALSO, CONNIE THINKS HE IS A FUCKBOY HE THINKS HE IS THE KING OF FUCKING BUT THEN ANNIE TALKS ABOUT HER SEX LOFE WITH ARMIN AND HE IS SHOCKED.

Their dinamic:

Connie: God, that Hizuru ambassador is such a bitch.

Annie: Yeah, you're right. She should disappear.

Connie: Ikr. OH. OH.

Annie: We should kidnap her.

Connie: Yeah, we should, bestie.

Armin: (he knows they are perfectly capable of kidnapping that poor woman) What if we don't (?)

Another one:

Connie: And then, she said that a lasted more than her lovers, that I was the best a I had in bed and I thought, god, I just did preliminaries.

Annie: That's too sad, I come three times in preliminars. That poor girl has a terrible sex life.

Connie: ARMIN MAKES YOU COME MORE THAN TWO TIMES?? HOW YOU DO THAT

Annie: Sex.

AGDJSLSNDHSKS- HAHAHAHKAAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA Anoooonnnnn this ask is goooold!!! Help I'm bursting a lung xD

Connie and Annie should absolutely be explored more - post canon they have sooooooo much potential to be idiots together! I think they'd be extremes on the energy spectrum: Connie always raring to go and Annie just wanting to sleep. But WELP, this is now a very dangerous and dumb combination and once they're together, they cannot be stopped!

I think it's really funny actually, because post-canon Annie actually gets up to some really dumb shit (everyone's rubbing off on her :<) and who better to encourage it than the most enthusiastic guy on the planet? Connie ey? She can also trust him to go along with her super secret spy missions and not tell anybody (well... For a while anyway.)

What's ALSO good about these two is how Connie... Is always the first to get the Latest and Most Exclusive Aruani News. They've just got together? He knows. They've just had their first kiss? He knows. They're holding hands? He knows. They're fucking? He kno-

Armin: "NO, PLEASE, DON'T KNOW!"

Tho honestly, if you add Pieck to this duo, everything spirals dangerously out of control.

Also:

Armin: (he knows they are perfectly capable of kidnapping that poor woman) What if we don't (?)

*wheezing* AKSKSBXKSLAZHOAKANAHSVDBKAKA HELP-

[the-s1lly-corner]

I LOVED the Caine x stoic reader with a tail and was wondering if you could do another part but this time a little cute one shot and if you don’t do one shots then HC are just as ok:)

More hcs for Caine x tailed!stoic!reader !

Theres a cool ig acc I follow that posts unnerving (fictional) stuff since I'm into creepy stuff but yall

There are not many pictures that make me so. Very uncomfortable but theres this one image of like, a stuffed animal that just. Gets under my skin. So uh uh, here I am over a day after seeing it still too scared to leave my room at night

Anyways uhuh its 3am and I cant fall back to sleep because of that damn picture

Anyways! Writing this on mobile since I'm too anxious to leave my room to get to my computer; so typos are gonna be more prominent <\3 probably

I really should have reread the original post before I started writing this, but mobile wont let me save half answered asks in drafts + cant access my archive on mobile so uh uh, if I repeat some stuff from the og I apologize

I feel like he would try to get you to be more emotive.. like get you to be more outwardly expressive in your feelings; before coming to terms that that's just how you are ! As long as you're not bottling things up he quickly becomes accepting of it !!

That one ship meme where character a is tired and stone faced while character b is energetic and shaking with energy

That's you guys, pretty much

Honestly I think he would give himself a tail, assuming he can give himself one... he probably could given his powers... ueueue you guys match...

Have you guys ever seen superjail? If so you guys know how the warden is like. All wibbly wobbly? Has like, noodle limb physics and can shapeshift and wrap himself around people ect ect

This is more of a general hc but I think caine can do that, minus the shapeshifting.. though now that I think about it dont know if wardens shapeshifting was an actual in universe ability or just a visual gag.. its been a while since I watched superjail and I never finished it <\3

He sings himself over your shoulder while gushing about his day then asking you for every little detail about your own

Ooouuugh if you have a longer tail he will give you accessories for it , if you want!! Like bows and clips and ribbons and the like !! Pays very close attention to your style so he can get you stuff that fits your aesthetic...

Sometimes gets matching accessories with you.. ueueue

[random-mailbox]

Random-Mailbox's Favorite Sailor Moon Fics - College AU

I am back this week with some College AU stories! You can check out the previous 52 weeks of recs at the end of this Crystal Tokyo post (link).

As always, my apologies in advance for spoiling some of these for you (Fic Titles are linked to either FFN or AO3 entries).

Party On Campus - Luvdarain5

A bit of OG anime characterization on aged up Serena and Darien. Amy and Serena get invited to a college party by Zoi, which goes swimmingly until it doesn't.

i send you a sign, send you a signal - @hellomomo

Usagi decides to take a 300-level Emotion and Motivation Psychology class, solely because Mamoru mentioned he would be in it, making her term project on "goals" - getting Mamoru to fall in love with her (and writing a paper about it).

Wish You Would - @idesofnovember

Usagi slipped into a college party for the food, claiming to know the host's roommate TO the host's roommate, launching a sequence of exchanges that will drive Mamoru to seriously consider what he wants.

Better Than Dreaming - @wishwars

Returning a textbook Mamoru left behind at her library table should be quite simple. Except Usagi may have gotten more than she bargained for by going inside after hearing sounds emanating from his dorm room.

Stuff Tippy Wrote -- Sailor Moon edition: Chapter 5: right hand, yellow /Chapter 6: The day after Twister - @tiptoe39

At a college party, Usagi gets pushed into playing Twister by Rei and Minako against the one person who has been poking fun at her (no matter how cute he looks when he actually smiles!). 

And we are lucky to get a peek at the day after too! Where Usagi and Mamoru try to figure what happened and what's next.

Summer's Day - Please, more like Moonlight- @midnightdrops

Starting with a disclaimer: this story is amazing BUT it is not complete - Dr @midnightdrops has an outline for the remaining chapters already completed but is currently drowning in work. 

In this non-senshi College AU, Mamoru tries to figure out how he is feeling about his polar-opposite girlfriend, while external forces work on ripping them apart. 

The Secrets We Bear - Tumblr Snippets -  @lilliebellfanfics

This link is to some of the shorts that were published for Dendy Week 2022 (are part of a larger story that @lilliebellfanfics is working on) but are amazing as stand-alone chapters, exploring Mamoru navigating his new powers, university life and priorities. 

And last but not least, you should explore @caelenath 's musings in her Mamoru in College tag here on Tumblr - amazing little snippets in there!

That's it for now! I will do another fic list post soon. In the meantime, you should explore some of the prior lists and all the amazing content coming from the @senshixshitennouweeks!

[k-058]

My opinion on the recent pixar movies part 2! :3

So I'm back here talking about pixar! Yay! :D I should really talk about animated stuff more.

Anyway, This will be an update from a old post I made a year ago. I said that I loved the new pixar movies, (besides Lightyear) and was excited to watch Elemental.

Since I watched it, and after also watching Inside Out 2, I'm gonna share my opinions on them!

Elemental: So I gotta be real, I was really expecting more from this story. I do love the story of the fire people. they're shown as outcast in the large city, And with the story from Amber's dad, it's a great message about immigration and how people that immigrate deal with the struggles of their journey. (Whether that be leaving your home, dealing with racists shits, etc.) However, I didn't really got into Amber and Wade's relationship that much. It's a good relationship don't get me wrong, but sadly, it's a kind of relationship that has been used over and over again. It feels like a mush of tropes that also extends to the entire movie. From the usual dad not liking the boyfriend, to the fake out death with Wade. And I didn't laugh at any of the jokes they took a shot at. Though, tbf, I've already seen multiple movies like this, and that's probably the reason I feel more sour with this one. 6/10 Kind of repetitive, but still good.

Inside Out 2: OMG THIS MOVIE GOT BE SOBBING WTF PIXAR?! So, going into this movie, I had my expectations low. I knew most pixar sequels are DEFINATELY worse than their ogs, so I wasn't going to expect that much going into it, but DAMN IT this movie went above and beyond of expanding the world of inside out, by bringing in more ideas that are fully in the plot of this film. How the strings form Riley's personality, how we bottle up certain memories so we "don't think about them right now!", how we store our deep secrets in a secure, almost FBI/CIA looking building. And the characters! OMG THE CHARACTERS!! Usually sequels would either completely reset the characters to how they were at the start of the first movie, or completely replace their personalities, but all of the characters, especially Joy, maintain how they were at the end of the first movie! They also give Joy another character arc! Letting Riley who she want's to be and not something Joy, or Anxiety wants her to be. Which speaking of which, ANXIETY IS PERFECT!!! Not only is she such a relatable character, (uh oh) she's also, and the concept of anxiety in this movie as a whole, is honestly one of the best interpretations of it. However, the part where I started to sob, was right after the anxiety attack, and Riley making her own self, when the trail of lights from Joy to the panel, and Sadness saying: "Riley wants you", and Joy starting to pilot, it was just a gut punch of joy and sadness all at once. It was...beautiful. I was crying until the credits rolled, and after the movie ended I kept saying "FUCK YOU PIXAR! YOU MADE ME TURN INTO MY 6 YEAR OLD SELF AGAIN!!" I have already watched this movie 10 times, and it's not getting old. I LOVE this movie, and it's now one of my favorite Pixar movies of all time. 9/10 Great ass work Pixar! (Now actually respect your animators!! >:( They deserve it for working hard of making this AND your other movies great!!)

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Be Prepared - thoughts and commentary

Gonna try to just talk about vocals and arrangement stuff here, because I will be doing a VoicePlay Visuals post for this too, but we'll see. I do know the original song very well though - in fact I rewatched the OG like the other day or something after I saw that picture of Layne and Cyndi that hinted at what Voiceplay was up to. Anyway let's go!

(Put below the cut because this is a lot of just me rambling)

OKAY SO SLEEPING IN THE COLD BELOW HAS BEEN KNOCKED OFF ITS PERCH FOR FAVOURITE VP SONG OF 2024

The opening percussion fill thingy from Layne honestly reminds me a lot of the start of the Moana medley, and apparently I wasn't the only one to think that! A few other Patrons mentioned it, and there was even a very brief throwaway joke about it in the BTS! I have since compared the start of the Moana Medley to the start of this, and they're not identical, but there are still definitely similarities, and it's not actually all that common for VP songs to start off with that sort of drum-like percussion anyway.

Trying very hard to not talk about the on-screen stuff here, because I'll be leaving that for Voiceplay Visuals, but I just have to put it out there that Geoff looks amazing here, and the ACTING OH MY GOD. This is like Oogie Boogie 2.0 in terms of how much Geoff is moving around and embodying the character! Alright now back to vocals/arrangement

Okay so next thing that must be mentioned - the rap! According to a snippet from Layne in the Patreon post description, there was some uncertainty as to whether the dialogue should be kept in or not, which was an issue that VP also faced for their cover of Hellfire last year. When Layne asked Patrons what they thought, it was basically a 50/50 split, so not very helpful, rip. So he thought "What if we keep the dialogue but do it in a way that it feels like it's part of the song -> a 'rap'?" So yeah basically Layne wrote that rap section to be a stand-in for the original dialogue, and honestly it works so well!

This song features Mykal Kilgore, who is one of the OG members of "VoicePlay", way before it was called VoicePlay! I'll say a bit more about him in my Voiceplay Visuals post, but basically he was "one of the screaming high tenors" (Patreon post's words, not mine!), and yeah it shows! That high note on "long live the king!" was hella impressive!

(And if you're thinking "man I kinda wish I could hear more of what Mykal sounds like", first of all, he actually did some covers with Postmodern Jukebox like 7 or 8 years ago (and I apparently have seen one of them before? Watched it by total coincedence at some point? A cover he did of Since You Been Gone). And also, a treat for any of you who've read this far - you might be hearing him with Voiceplay again sooner or later...)

This is actually the third time that Geoff has sung Be Prepared with VoicePlay - the second time was of course the 2019 Aca Top 10 Disney Villains video, but the first time was for VoicePlay's "Once Upon An Ever After" album all the way back in 2012. It was part of a Lion King medley track (just audio, they didn't make a video for it), and so it wasn't the full song (honestly the shift is a little weird, because it jumps from "the lights are not all on upstairs" to "the point that I must emphasise is", like there's no rhyme connection!). Furthermore, the lead was shared between Geoff and Earl, similar to how it was for the Aca Top 10 part. Geoff took the opening verse, Earl took the chorus, and they each got a final line at the end.

And MAN has Geoff come a long way in his vocal abilities since 2012, like yeah duh obviously but STILL.

According to one of the Patrons, the lowest Geoff gets in this one is E1 (via subharmonics of course), and honestly the fact that that's basically child's play for him at this point is crazy. Like I literally had a moment of "oh only down to an E1?" because I know he can go lower, and then was like "wait what do I mean 'only' an E1, that's still objectively low!"

Geoff's voice... what the hell do I say about Geoff's voice? Like the timbre when he's in his upper chest range here, the resonance on the low notes, the GROWLS, like yeah okay obviously I adore his visual performance in the video (and visual everything about him), but that all would be nothing if it didn't come with some of the most amazing vocals you've ever heard in your life!

I love how Geoff goes down on the word "upstairs", and the way he does so with the little growl at the end, oooh it gives me happy shivers!

Low-key funny how there's a sudden low drop on "even you can't be caught unawares", because it does, in fact, catch you unawares (or it did with me anyway!)

Also you'd think I'd fully be used to Geoff's low notes by now, but to steal the phrasing of another reactor I recently started watching, the low drops here are potent! Like literally went down to my stomach (and then some) and even made my heart skip a beat the first couple of watches (and obviously the visuals really help give it a bigger impact).

Oh my god that slow slide down on his last "be prepared" line??? Literally that last syllable alone is stretched out for just a fraction under 10 seconds (I timed it with my phone's stopwatch), INSANE.

I cannot WAIT for reaction videos to this - Kaz, DJ, and Mortius are all gonna lose their goddamn minds!! (Also how many reactions/reaction video titles are gonna include "I was not prepared", lol, low-hanging fruit joke but it's so real)

Alright, I'm off to go watch the video for a third time - this is practically my new Hellfire (said with much love for both - I still love their Hellfire cover a whole lot), and we're not even in October yet!!! (though because of the release delay, we're quite close!)

(As of the public release, I've actually watched this at least half a dozen times, listened to the MP3 track, the karaoke track, and watched the BTS video for this twice. I. Am. Obssessed.)

I'll leave you with a comment and reply from the Patreon post that amused me when I saw it: 😄

[sapphire-weapon]

Hey so, full disclosure but I was that anon who talked about the poll and Barry and Hunk's positions in them. Normally I don't ask stuff in anon but I was feeling spicy today (I did it automatically because I'm a fucking idiot and didn't feel like re writing everything lol).

Anyway, polls. I know polls. I did really stupid daily ones for several months starring various Resident Evil characters. I've also been in the fandom for 26 years and have seen the popularity of characters sway and fade.

Now, something I really need people to understand about popularity polls is... ranking means way less than you think. It's the actual AMOUNT of votes that is most telling. Here, I'll post the image.

Out of approximately 51,000 votes, Ashley got 473. That's a little less than 1% of total votes. Keep in mind she was also a big player in the fantastic remake of the most loved Resident Evil game that is currently the most recent mainline title in the remake timeline.

Rebecca was in an ok movie recently and Hunk... people like to snap necks I guess. Or they like his mask (me). Barry's dad bod got him his spot.

Basically, these kinds of polls are more along the lines of "The top 5 or 6... and then everyone else".

And as for my "Combat Ashley" comments, I was responding to the ask right before mine that wanted her to come back like that. That is the only way I ever see people suggest that she come back and it is so out of character for her.

Claire is my favorite character and I hated it when people would say she was more "mature" at 19 because she could fire a gun. Weapons won't make Ashley a fully realized version of herself. Me saying Ashley should stay true to her character doesn't mean I dislike her. Maybe the people that want to change her character so drastically do though...

Ffs I'm an OG Ashley defender! I LOVE HER!

And speaking of Claire, Capcom already has a hard enough time finding a spot for her now that she took a more pacifist route.

And she has 3,926 votes.

And is in 4th place.

So...

Yeah.

man i've seen this poll before, and it still fucking blows my mind that luis and steve are tied

and lbr it's not even "the top 5 and then everyone else"

it's leon and then everyone else. jill isn't even in swinging distance of him.

let's make this easier to see.

this is just the top 10.

[breserker]

Decided to handpick favorite finished multichapter fics I've written, one per notable ship across the years on AO3. (I've written for more ships and some fandoms might be noticeably absent since those were mostly oneshots). Wanted to do this to add some blurbs and thoughts to them as well, tags and summaries are beyond the links.

**All of these fics are rated M or above**

In vague chronological order:

Incubus - 8 Chapters, 33k words - Dana Scully/Clarice Starling (Scarling) - X Files/Silence of the Lambs Crossover - Even though I could've done more with the ship it felt like such a short-lived fling. They still make me soft and proud thinking of it though, and I liked writing a story that was basically an episode of the X Files, and one of the buggy ones too. 2015ish

One Thousand Unfolded Cranes - 4 Chapters, 19k words - Majima Goro/Makimura Makoto (Majimako) - Yakuza 0 - I know I should be putting Smoke Over Sunshine for the majimako pick as that feels like the magnum opus in a lot of ways, but genuinely this is my favorite one I ever did with them. I just think I really nailed detail and theming here, much as I love and miss the Sunshine girls. idk, smoke over sunshine comes off to me now as like...well the writing comes off as more juvenile, it was my first foray into writing like, sex and stuff in any earnest attempt, for example. This one isn't explicit, I just think of Smoke Over Sunshine as a turning point and this is the first refinement after. 2018

Speaking to Flowers - 21 Chapters, 148k words - Tseng/Aeris Gainsborough (Tserith) - FF7 (og) - If you had told me I would be writing FF7 fic as an adult 5 years ago I'd have believed you were lying. If you told me I'd written 350k words worth of fic for one ship alone between the years of 2020-2023 and really only stymied by writing a self-published book I'm not sure I would've survived the sentence. Tserith started out as a haha joke with the scenario that was the first chapter to this fic and then it spiraled out of control -- and in that uncontrol I finally, finally, truly started tackling actual interracial issues, refugee immigrant pains, and many many other things I had maybe brushed upon before -- or in some cases like an unpublished majimako chapter was too afraid to post about it! So while this fic is extremely explicit and wantonly so...I don't know. I'm really grateful for it. I don't think I could be writing what I am today without it. 2020-2022

Blink, Snow, Corduroy - 12 chapters, 52k words - Henry Townshend/Eileen Galvin (20x21) - Silent Hill 4 - Time will tell how this wears, since this is the most recent one finished right before the turn into November. But I'm pretty proud of it all the same, it was...Really revealing and cathartic to return to SH4 after so many years, and I really liked working local knowledge into the fic to bolster its themes and setting. Feels like a nice testament to all SH4 has done/meant for me over all this time. 2024

[juniperhillpatient]

Chaos Theory sounds so good!! I hadn’t heard of it until now. I’ll definitely be adding it to my list. I love a good found family series! I’ve only watched 2/3 (?) of the newer Jurassic World movies. I still need to watch the Original Jurassic Park movies. Which one is your favourite?

Fair warning you have triggered a topic I’m very autistic about there’s a TLDR bolded & surrounded by TLDR disclaimers at the end of this post lol —

I love all Jurassic Park content even the objectively kinda bad stuff aghhh it’s such a special franchise to me <3

My favorite of the movies is the original like. It’s just a classic. A great adaptation of the book’s themes. (& the book is good but im aware not everybody had the patience for that & that’s ok don’t worry the movie is great in its own right too, I actually saw it before I read the book & loved it so much I read the book which is kinda the reverse of the usual order of events for me lol).

It’s just. A brilliant thriller that all other movies attempting to put audiences on edge should take notes from. One of the most amazing stunning pieces of cinema with practical effects that will ever be made. If you like the Jurassic World movies I feel like the Jurassic Park sequels are skippable but the original at least is mandatory viewing. Then again I think the original Jurassic Park is mandatory viewing for all movie fans.

Then there’s the Jurassic park sequels which…. are great & all because hiii dinos I mean I like them but also if I’m being so honest they blend together in my head there’s nothing particularly stand out about them I’m so sorry. I like them for what they are which is fun Dino movies.

I clown on Chris Pratt & he does deserve it BUT the start of the Jurassic World trilogy WAS what was needed to revitalize the franchise whether a lot of og fans want to admit it or not. It’ll never be the brilliant original & it’s not trying to be & that’s ok it shouldn’t! It’s fun cgi & bigger louder scarier monsters & here’s a hot take - the trilogy eventually does some pretty interesting stuff as far as exploring what a post Jurassic Park technological innovations world would look like & the discussion on cloning & biological warfare is actually pretty surprisingly clever for an action movie starring Chris Pratt.

NOW.

Chaos Theory is great & I’m glad I got you excited about the idea but unfortunately it will probably mean nothing to you if you don’t watch Camp Cretaceous first & I KNOW I know that’s an annoying thing to say. I know that’s overwhelming. I’d be over it already if someone told me I have to watch another show first to get into this show they mentioned but I’m sorry it’s a follow up series that will make no sense without Camp Cretaceous & Camp Cretaceous is also really really good.

I will say this. I struggle with attention span & Camp Cretaceous & Chaos Theory are both shows I found impossible to turn off because the characters are engaging & the action & pacing are just so enticing it’s like a delicious drug for my adhd brain.

If you love a good found family you will LOVE Camp Cretaceous. It’s a show that keeps me, a seasoned horror fan, stressed & tense & gripping the edge of my seat but it also has some of the most compelling characters & dynamics I’ve seen in a show. What makes it a quality boost for the franchise in comparison to the fun but ultimately shallow in terms of characterization Jurassic World movies is that it does what the original does in even more intensity given the series format - it makes you CARE. These aren’t just vaguely likable action heroes (like Chris Pratt & the hot ginger & their adoptive creepy clone daughter I can’t be bothered with their names rn) these are kids whose insecurities & trauma & relationships you relate to & care deeply about!!!

Anyway. TLDR: if you like the Jurassic World movies I highly recommend you at least check out the original movie if nothing else. Camp Cretaceous as a show actually stands on its own if I’m being honest & if you love found family it’s kinda a must see it does it so well & you WILL want more & Chaos Theory Is a rare brilliant flllow up (so far as of season 1) to a show that actually had a decently satisfying ending overall. It does a really good job going just a little darker than the original while feeling true to the characters & themes. I mean the Jurassic World movies are helpful for context since they’re all part of the same cinematic universe but it’s not hard to pick up context clues. You should watch these shows regardless if you watch anything else in the franchise if you like exciting shows & found family. TLDR over.

Also like I haven’t even talked about what the shows are about lmao — Camp Cretaceous: A group of teen campers at Dino camp get abandoned after Dino’s in the theme park get free. Horrors & bonding over horrific trauma ensue also lots of horrifying reveals & mysteries & conspiracies regarding the evils of humanity that fit in with the themes of the franchise about greed & exploitation & lots of fun animated Dino’s & brilliant use of what I think of as the Batman Animated Series rule. (If you haven’t heard me talk about this to sum up - BtaS is brilliant of course. It was tv y7 but it’s famously a bit dark. That’s because it took the ratings rules as a challenge in creativity! Scarecrow can’t be a serial killer? Ok. Instead he has poisonous gas that makes you see your worst nightmares!) It’s Tv y7 & that means no fun but ultimately forgettable Dino’s chowing down gory style onscreen. Instead you get much more creative & terrifying shots of things about to happen or characters in terrifying situations. There’s a scene with a woman trapped on a boat with two hungry Dino’s closing in that comes to mind.

100/10 highly recommend as a show. Chaos Theory picks up years after (spoiler) the (surviving?) campers are rescued & now they’re all young adults & it’s a lot darker & one of them was investigating a conspiracy & now she’s dead (or IS she?!). It also uses the Batman the Animated Series rule in some GENIUS ways like a particularly haunting shot of a boy staring at his fathers face as a raptor taps his claw against the fathers forehead & a return shot of the boys face. I could go on & on about why this show is pure genius.

Anyway stan Camp Cretaceous & Chaos Theory for slowburn nuanced sapphic representation a racially diverse main cast complex found family a cast compelling characters each so enticing it’s hard for me to pick one favorite excellent mysteries & exciting tense well done action & thriller moments. I cannot recommend these shows highly enough. Camp Cretaceous has a bit of a slow start the first few episodes if im being honest when they’re just like. At Dino camp. But TRUST me when it picks up it stays picked up & it does not slow down.

Anyway I did a tldr then kept going because talking to me about anything related to this franchise is like hitting a button that gets me talking & then I just don’t stop thank you so much for the ask I’m done for now 🫶🫶

[jojoqin]

Why the remake cabin kicks the OG’s ass -an analysis 🔎

Basically it has to do with a lot of elements. Sound, cinematic framing, how well written the entire segment is in general. All that sweet jazz. Also sorry in advance, I had to gifmaker some shitty gifs because I needed examples 😭💀

So I read up on a lot of filmmaking for this post about what makes a good set piece. At the start, the game already sets it up by subconsciously familiarizing the player with the cabin; making it one of the first areas we pass by. There’s something about how you see it in its position; in between the trees, sort of in the same center as the bridge, very by itself. Clearly it’s important. Later, the Saddler mindfuck scene at the church actually shows us why the villagers are on the chase. And it's all tied to how well realized the cult theme is in the entire story. It puts a slightly more sinister spin on the villagers' motivation compared to the og where it sometimes feels like they're purely used as obstacles.

And yes there’s actually PAYOFF this time. No more "vamanos" and the villagers just leave. Or for Luis to ask "so what now?". This time the villagers' condition gets woven into new exposition and a new goal; the Plaga ordeal inside the characters. And the end scene defines Luis role. A great set piece should have a well written purpose to advance the plot forward. And we actually experience first hand the whole hive mind thing instead of getting a 5 min Saddler monologue about it.

Talking about the technical stuff in scenes too. Like listen to the music and audio during the run up towards and after Luis closes the door, the music become this muffled droning as soon as the door is shut. It indicates that you've entered a different space that's more confined and sheltered from the outside w/o immediately breaking the ambient tension. Not necessarily an upgrade from the og but in the og, the escalating music stops because the payoff is seeing Luis. Whilst the remake still likes to remind you that you're still in a weird situation.

I also talked before how the camera loves to follow characters. In this shot you follow Leon forward and then you’re backing up behind Luis in this continuous camera movement. And see how tight the camera sticks behind Leon’s shoulder? He takes up like 75% of the frame at one point, with the camera subtly zooming in even though Luis is the focus. There’s a visceral feel in the confrontation, how its putting pressure on Luis just by how the scene is directed.

And the sound during that is like auditory storytelling. I know my audio doesn’t quite do it justice because it’s been compressed to shit so y’all might want to seek out the actual scene. But when Luis hits the wall here, the strings fade out and the sound of the rain is brought forward. Audio-wise, it’s like it’s bringing our focus to the presence of Luis and Ashley. It's also just ASMR af.

Another example of the fluid camera transition from earlier is when Ashley hides. The camera leads away from her and it follows that same “leading away” movement when it transition cuts to the window with Leon going into frame. Like look how seamless it tells action w/o having to do a lot of harsh cuts unlike the gif of the og below. The remake tends to show multiple activities either within the same shot or following a visual style so that it's easy to digest.

And holy shit, the way the music just disappears when our dudes take position here is so FUCKING GOOD. Because all you hear is the echo of the cult chanting and the ASMR patter of rain. I think of the silence as equivalent to taking a deep breath. And it’s funny because the sound effect when the scene transitions to the player is just this very intense and layered sound of exhaling. The way the camera also pulls back in the cutscene so that there’s no break from scene to gameplay just makes it so immersive.

Also those two shots we get from Leon and Luis’ perspectives before the gameplay is kinda interesting too. Very “Main Character POV” angle because the camera is positioned at the guys’ eye level, as if we the audience are directly in front of them. At that moment we sort of take the place of the characters as the player. The “it’s game time” line is so hype because it actually does feel like it’s being said to us.

I think the writing for the fight itself is way better than in the og. There's a real rhythm to how the conflict happens; a somewhat story structure. The setup, the moment things go to shit, the resolution. The setup happens in the cutscenes and as you're battling the early wave of villagers. The Plaga baddies I see as the first climax, because they only start conveniently popping up around the time you're scrambling to get the new boards. You get them up and there's your sort of downtime, the 'falling action' before things ramp up again.

There’s a clear transition to "the moment things go to shit" phase; it's all the elements working together in the entire segment. You get a visual cue which is the ladder, an auditory cue of the noise upstairs, and then you get the in-game cue from Luis. And the musical cue is particularly what the remake does best. Like often when it wants to change up the pace during a certain part, they'll simplify the track but make it a bit deeper to build up this new adrenaline.

And every big set piece needs constrasty elements to show different perspectives. I believe just the simple imagery of seeing the mob outside as you're constantly having to kick the ladder is so effective because it shows scale. It makes us actually feel that the problem is as big as it is. It's a smart show of perspective especially after starting the fight in a confined area. This part of it was kind of weird in the og. Even though there's a mob, you could always stare out some window and it'll just be a void there (probably due to the graphical limitations).

But before you even trigger the Bull Head dude's cutscene, like again, you already hear an auditory cue of him. Also his addition makes the scene a true "everything is going to shit" moment. You kinda need that enemy as a standout variety. Like the og is iconic but it's very straightforward with the ambience and the enemy encounter. In the remake, everything is an escalating bombardment to the senses. Especially on the first playthrough, at this point you're on your last leg, no heal, no shotgun/rifle ammo left, the cult chanting is overwhelmingly loud now. It's funny but also apt that when Ashley saves the guys, she's enveloped in this holy light. Even the camera angle that's positioned lower looking up visually puts her in a higher position than the audience.