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hunted-moth · 9 months ago

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Just Like Him: The Before Times

Word count // 7k

Summary // Y/n is just a normal girl who loves to hunt with her dad. She has a loving and attentive mom. Her relationship with her brother is rocky at best but she still loves her small little life. That is until it's all turned upside down after she gets into an accident, with her dad passing away and her mom flushing her life down the toilet how is she supposed to manage when the world ends with it?

Warning // Language, character death(not twd cast), Talks of death, violence, the killing of walkers,

Special Thanks to @catbunblue302 and my friend for editing/proofreading this with me, it would be a disaster if they didn't lol

OTHER STUFF// This is just the prologue, it's kind of important but you don't have to read it. But I gave Y/n the nickname Bear, idk why but I love it so im keeping it. She also has shorter hair in the beginning and in my mind is Biracial but her race isn't brought up very much. But things like hair texture, skin color, and eye color aren't mentioned or described so it is up to you how Y/n looks to you

A/N // its in gods hands now. this is like half edited by someone who knows what they're doing and the other half done by me at like 11:00 at night.

***: Major time Skip/scene change

*: small time skip/scene change

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

~~~2005~~~

It was early in the morning, maybe five or six. You were fast asleep dreaming about nothing and everything, but while you lay sleeping, a figure crept into the room being careful not to wake you.

When he got to your bed, he hovered over it ready to pounce on you. You were snoring into the night, unaware of what was about to happen as he snaked his hands under the cover skillfully and-

“Wake up, bear! We got lots to do kid.” Your Dad tickled your sides as you yelped and writhed from joy.

“Dad! Sto-stop I can't brea-breathe,” you laughed.

He smiled down at you before he got up, releasing that classic dad grunt while laughing quietly.

“Alright, get dressed, then get something to eat.”

You smirked up at him and flung your cover off yourself.

“Already one step ahead of you,”you say, revealing to him that you were already dressed in your hunting clothes, minus your boots.

He chuckled quietly, careful not to wake up his wife and stepson. He nodded his head, telling you to get up and go to the kitchen. You rushed to the kitchen, grabbed a bowl and spoon, and had some fruity pebbles. Your dad just had a pop-tart that he popped in the toaster.

While he was waiting for it to ding, he looked at you. He saw you scarf down your food as fast as you could.

“You know you can enjoy it, right?” he teased, but you just looked up at him while the spoon was still in your mouth.

“I know, just eager to leave.” Your mouth was full and milk streamed out of your mouth.

Your dad just rolled his eyes and chuckled.

POP!

He grabbed his food and went to sit with you. Looking up, you asked him a question. “So what are we doing today?”

Your dad took a bite of his pop-tart. “Hmm, well I was thinking about going into town and getting some more snacks for the trip. Maybe some extra bug spray.”

You nodded at that. “Yeah, they love me for some reason.”

He smirked. “Yeah, it's ‘cause you got sweet blood, they like it.”

Your eyes widened. “WHAT!” You practically yelled.

You covered your mouth hoping not to awaken your half-brother and mom.

But it didn't help.

“The hell’s all this racket!?” Your older brother, Jason, stormed in with an annoyed and tired look on his face.

You looked at your brother when he walked over. He was three years older which made it easier for him to ignore you. He was indifferent towards you, like you didn't matter to him. The only time he gave you any attention was when you irritated him, like you were bothering him with your existence.

Jason and your dad had a hard relationship. For some reason, Jason was always rude to him. Whenever your mom wanted to tease Jason she would explain how when she and Dad had started dating Jason would throw fits when Dad came over. And how Jason would stare at your dad with a mean glare. Jason had the meanest glare, it could put the old judgy ladies at church to shame.

“Sorry, son, me and your sister were just talking about our trip.”

Jason seemed to glare at the word ‘son’. Your brother looked at the clock on the wall with a sleepy stare. “It's five in the mornin', so stop yellin' in the house, Y/n.'' He looked down at you as he walked over and made a bowl of cereal, the same as you.

“O-okay, sorry.” You looked down meekly at your nearly empty bowl.

Your dad sighed, “Well, we're about to leave.”He looked at Jason. “You sure you don't want to come with us, Jason? Wouldn’t be any trouble.”

He responded with a quick “No.”

Relief washed over you.

“I’d rather shoot by myself than with her.” He glared at you.

You looked away from his glare and shrank into yourself.

Your Dad sighed and got up. You copied him and went to put your bowl in the sink. You rushed to your room and went to get your bag and put your boots on. By the time you left, it was about five-thirty in the morning, and the sun was already starting to rise as you and your dad got into his truck and started driving to town.

Looking out the window, you could see the familiar trees and a few birds flying by. You always loved the woods. It was quiet, yet the singing of birds could still be heard in the distance. Looking into the rearview mirror, you could see your cabin disappearing in the distance.

“You excited, kid?”

Turning your head, you looked at your dad with a smile, “Yes!” you exclaimed excitedly.

Your dad chuckled. “Oh, I bet, bear, but uhh, been wanting to talk to ya ‘bout something.”

You tilted your head with curiosity. “What, Dad?”

He sighed lightly. “Yer teacher called your Momma and me yesterday to discuss your schooling. They said you were falling behind in yer work, withdrawing from other kids, and advised me to talk to you. Can you tell me why, bear?”

You looked out the window without answering.

“I won't push you right now, but if you ever want to talk,” he trailed off and rubbed your shoulder the best he could while driving.

***

By the time the truck made it to town, the sun was up. The truck pulled into the mini-mart. You jumped out of the truck and waited for your dad, before sprinting into the mart and grabbing different snacks you liked. You had an armful by the time you returned to your dad at the counter.

He looked down and his eyes widened at your selection. “Jeez, Bear, you going into hibernation?” He let out a hearty laugh. Grinning at him, you put your snacks on the checkout counter.

“One thing I love about you two coming in here-” The owner started to ring up your stuff, “I always make money.”

Your dad waved his hand at them dismissively before grabbing the bags and handing them to you.

“Let's get a move on, don't want to miss any of the good spots.” Hopping into the truck, Dad started it and headed out to your campsite.

***

A few hours had passed by the time you made it to the site. Hopping out of the truck, you went around back to the truck bed and grabbed your bag and bow. Your dad set up the tents and you set up the fire pit, gathering some rocks and stacking them, then went to find some sticks.

When it all was done, your dad came over and patted you on the shoulder. “Ready, Bear?”

You looked up at him. “Yeah!”

You grabbed your bow and followed him into the woods. Stopping at a clearing, your dad put his stuff down and stood next to you.

“All right, Y/n, you remember what I taught you?” He knelt as you grabbed an arrow and drew your bow back.

“Where do you want me to shoot?” You looked at him.

He thought for a moment, looking around, till he stopped his gaze at a certain tree with a unique-looking branch that hung low on the ground. He pointed. “See the knot in the tree? Shoot that.”

You nodded your head and tightened the bow once more.

You held your breath and focused on the knot on the branch, taking a second before you released your arrow. You heard a thunk as it hit the tree and you looked to see if you had hit the knot, but sadly your aim was a little off. It was a few inches to the right. “Aww, I missed it.” You kicked the dirt slightly.

Your dad stood up and went to retrieve the arrow. “It’s ok, sweetheart, you're getting better just remember that.” He tried to cheer you up. “Remember when I first took you out here? Your arrow would be two or three feet away from the target.”

You smiled to yourself.“Thanks, Dad.”

He walked over and crouched down to your height. “Now let's try again.”

He handed you your arrow and ruffled your hair. You smiled to yourself. Regaining your stance, you drew back your bow and released another arrow. You hit it closer every time. And when you finally manage to hit it after your third time, you jumped up and down in joy.

“Good job, Bear, why don't we try something harder hmm?”

You nodded, and he took your quiver, put it over his shoulder, and took your hand, leading you deeper into the woods.

***

It took hours before you returned to your camp, the whole time spent practicing your aim on things besides the normal target. By the time the sun was down, your dad decided it was time to head back.

Your dad had started the fire and was cooking some hot dogs for the two of you. “You have fun, Bear?”

You look at him. “Yeah, I got better at my aim I think. What about you Dad?” You ask, tilting your head at him.

“Hmm, it was amusing to see you miss sometimes.” He pulled out your food from the fire while you groaned with embarrassment.

You ate your food while looking up at the stars. “Hey Dad, what's that one called?” You pointed up at the sky.

“Hmm, I think it's Orion. He was a skilled hunter who used a bow, and some say he managed to woo the heart of the virgin archer. He even claimed that he ‘could hunt any and every animal’, but Momma Gaia heard this and sent a mighty scorpion after him, which is why–” he lead your head to another part of the sky. “–If you can find him, you’ll see Scorpius, the very same scorpion that killed him.”

Looking at the stars, your mouth was agape. “Wow,” you whispered under your breath and rested your head on his shoulder.

After a few hours, you and your dad went to bed.

***

The end of your weekend trip went by fast, and before you knew it, you were on your way home eating a bag of chips while listening to the radio.

Your dad was focused on the road, but the conversation about your schooling was still playing in his head. "Bear, we still need to talk." He said. You paused for a moment, not wanting to have this conversation. Since starting school, you've had trouble keeping up with the other kids. Since you were behind, your classmates would treat you differently.

"I don't want to talk about it," you said, looking down at the floor.

Your Dad looked over, sadly. "Can you tell me about it? You don't have to tell me everything."

"The others treat me differently, and I don't know why.” You looked out the window again, trying to focus on the songs the birds were singing.

Stopping the truck, your dad pulled you into an embrace. “It’s ok, Y/n, I'll tell your Momma and we’ll talk to your teacher, okay?” He looked down and rubbed your shoulder, waiting for an answer.

“O-okay.” Your voice was muffled

The truck started again and you both drove off toward your cabin.

***

When you got home, it was around dinner time. Since it was a Sunday your mom was making your favorite for dinner. Your truck pulled up, and you ran out of the cab and into the arms of your momma.

“MOMMA!” You tackled her, sending her stumbling back a bit.

“Hey, baby, how was your trip?” she asked with a loving smile.

Looking up at her, you gave her a big grin. “It went awesome! I got better on my aim and distance.”

She smiled down at you. “Well, that's amazing, maybe one day you’ll be better than yer daddy.” She ruffled your hair. “Now come on, supper’s cooking, want you and yer daddy to get washed up.” She shooed you away into the house.

Running to your room, you grabbed some shorts, a T-shirt, and other stuff and ran to the bathroom, but your brother was walking by and had a sour look on his face.

“Yer back.”

You looked down. “Yeah, how was it here?”

He glared down at you. “Peaceful, shoulda stayed that way.” He walked past you and bumped your shoulder.

***

When you got out of your shower, you went to the kitchen to help your mom cook but just ended up sitting on the counter and telling her about your trip with your dad.

“Then Dad told me to shoot an apple that was still on the tree.” You told her excitedly.

“Wow, baby, did ya hit it?”

You nodded. “Yep, it fell and knocked down some apples with it. Dad and I ate them on our walk back to camp.”

“Sounds like you two had quite the adventure.” Your mom said as she stirred the pot.

She took the pot off the burner and walked to the dinner table. You followed her and sat down.

“Yep, it was.” While your mom grabbed other things for dinner, you helped set the table.

“BOYS, DINNERS READY!” she called.

Dad came out of the garage and Jason came out of his room. You sat next to Mom, across from Jason, and Dad across from Mom. After everyone was seated, Mom said grace and you all ate dinner. You ate yours quickly while Jason picked and prodded at his.

When you finished dinner, you kissed your Mom and Dad good night and went to bed. You lay under your blanket, looking at your glow-in-the-dark stars, and drifted off to sleep.

~~~ 2005, A few weeks later~~~

It all happened in a blur. You and Dad were driving back from your trip in the forest, and you even managed to bag a rabbit all on your own. One minute you were on your way to register what you had, then you were waking up in a hospital with your Momma by your side, crying and a local sheriff on your other side gearing up to ask you a few questions

“Momma…” Your voice was weak. “What happened?”

She grabbed your hand and kissed it. “You were in an accident, baby.”

Your eyes widened the best they could but you were still loopy. “What?” You looked around the room, your heartbeat picking up. “Where’s Dad?” Your voice was starting to hurt.

Your Momma cried, her tears falling on your hospital bed. “He-He didn't make it, baby.”

You looked up at the ceiling and silently cried with your Momma.

“Mrs Myers, I’d like to speak with your daughter alone, to get her account of the story.” The sheriff gently led her out of the room, then sat next to you and asked you a series of questions.

“Now, Y/n, I understand you and your dad were driving, do you know where?”

You choked back a sob before you answered. “The a- the game warden's office.”

He wrote that down. “Can you tell me what you and your daddy were doing before then?”

Licking your lips, you replied, “We were out camping like- like we always do. He was showing me how to hunt.”

He nodded and wrote that down too.“Do you remember anything while you were driving to the game office?”

You thought for a moment. “I was talking to Dad when suddenly he threw his hand in front of me then…everything went black.” You started to cry, all your emotions catching up with you.

The sheriff looked down at you with sympathy and leaned over you to rest his hand on your head. “Just get some rest, Y/n, we’ll talk later, ‘kay?”

You nodded, and he took his leave, and your mom rushed to your side once again.

***

The day you were discharged from the hospital was bittersweet. You were leaving and going home, to sleep in your own bed. But you were leaving without your dad, and in a few days, you would be giving him a send-off for his funeral in Oklahoma.

The drive home in Mom's car was different. It didn't have that old dusty truck smell, and it didn't rumble as it drove down the dirt road. No, Mom's car was clean, quiet, and smelled like pine. You hated it.

The drive was quiet, only the sound of the radio filling the car, but that quickly got turned off, much to the displeasure of Jason, who quickly turned it back on, which upset Mom.

“Quit it.” She turned it off again.

“I want to listen to the radio,” Jason protested.

“NO, Jason, stop it!” Silent tears were running down her cheeks, but Jason just scoffed and looked out the window

When you got home, Jason went to his room and you sat on the couch and curled yourself into a ball. Your mom went straight to the kitchen and came back out with the champagne bottle that had been saved for their anniversary.

Her dark green eyes were dull and wet with her tears. She took a good look at the bottle before she took a swig and sobbed. You didn't know how else to comfort her, so you just crawled over and cuddled under her arm.

“It’s ok, Momma.” You whispered to her.

That just made her cry harder– the fact that her baby had to comfort her.

She took another drink while the two of you just sat on the couch and watched TV.

It wasn't long before she passed out. The bottle she'd been drinking fell to the ground and the rest of the contents spilled out, the sound of the bottle hitting the ground woke you up. You looked up at your mom and kissed her good night, before you cleaned up the mess she'd made, and went to bed.

Laying in your bed, you looked up at your fake stars. You turned over to look at a photo of you and your dad, It was taken when you were five, first learning how to use a bow.

You smiled sadly and went to sleep.

***

It was just like that for years. You would wake up, go and eat whatever Jason made, and find your momma on the couch, passed out with a bottle of some kind in her hand or on the floor. And as always, you would clean it up before you went to school.

Sometimes she would wake up and tell you to have a good day. You always said you would but you never did.

When you went to school, some would be nicer. You didn't know whether it was because they felt bad or because they'd been told to. It didn't matter ‘cause the alienation continued and you were still by yourself. The boys still asked mean questions, but now they were about your dad, questions like “Did you see his mangled corpses in the road?” Others would reply with “Yes.” or “It was disgusting.”

Some of the nastier ones started to say that you should’ve died. One group even cut a chunk of your hair off. It was a choppy pixie cut. Your poor teacher tried her best to make it look nice.

But it didn't matter, ‘cause when you got home, you would put on a smile for your mom and tell her you had an amazing day. Your hair? Well, you got gum in it, that's why it was short.

Your momma cried a bit when she saw your hair. It was exactly like your Dad's, long and beautiful, but now it was cropped short. Just one more thing she had loved and lost.

***

You supposed your Momma must have been feeling lonely. Instead of drinking on the couch, she started to go out to drink, sometimes with her coworkers or sometimes just alone.

And when she was out late at night it was Jason who had to take care of you. He would make you dinner, and make sure you did your homework. He wasn't nice about it but he did it. He also started to take you hunting, and in Jason's fashion, he was harsh and rude with his remarks unlike your Dad had been.

“Y/n, shoot the squirrel over there, you see it?” You roughly pointed in the direction.

You nodded and aimed your arrow at it. You released it, but you missed and it scurried away.

“DAMNIT!” He shot up to his full, towering height. “Can't ya do anything! Jeez, a rock has better aim than ya!” He went to retrieve the arrow. You followed him to find more quarry.

“Ya know, what if som’ happens and we got to provide for mom, huh? What if I can't hunt and you have to hunt fer us, and ya can't hunt shit and we die?” He liked to be overly dramatic with his lectures.

But his “lecture” did nothing but stab your already bruised ego, but to prove him wrong you had to get better.

When you saw a rabbit, you both got down low on the ground. You drew back your arrow and aimed, making sure it was perfect before shooting. The arrow flew past different branches before it finally sunk into the rabbit's abdomen. The rabbit kicked, using up whatever strength it had left before it finally died.

You ran towards the rabbit and picked it up to show Jason. “Look I got it, it's big too!” You showed him proudly.

He caught up to you and scoffed. “Jus’ a rabbit, nothing to get worked up over,” he said, giving you an unimpressed look. “Itz big though,” he admitted under his breath as he walked away. It was a small comment, but it brought a smile to your face.

He looked down at the ground, looking for any tracks that could lead to bigger animals. You took the arrow out and put the rabbit in your animal satchel, and followed him.

It was the same cycle that lasted for three years, but then your momma did what you thought she never could. Something that rocked your world, and made you look at her a bit differently.

Remarry.

~~~ 2008 ~~~

It was late, really late at night, maybe three in the morning. You and Jason were up watching movies and eating what was left in the kitchen. Your mom had the car most of the time so Jason couldn't go out and buy more food.

You were currently watching an old zombie movie called Dawn of the Dead, one that your dad and Jason both seemed to like. The only thing they could agree on was movies.

It was almost over when you heard a rapid knock on the front door. The suddenness surprised you, making you jump a bit, spilling the remaining popcorn.

“BABIES! OPEN THE DOOR, PLEASE!” Some smaller knocks could be heard. “PLEASE, I FORGOT MY KEYS! AND WE’RE COLD!”

You and Jason looked at each other before he got up to open the door for your Momma. Her hair was messy, along with her makeup. And behind her was a man with blonde shaggy hair and a beard. He wore a blue button-up and was shivering.

Your Momma walked past your brother and so did the man. You and Jason gave him a strange look, almost like he had a second head.

Your Momma seemed to notice the looks and stopped to introduce him on her way to the kitchen.

“Oh um, guys this is my fiance, Steven.” She looked at him with puppy eyes.

“Ah, Steven these are my kids, Jason and Y/n, but we call her Bear.” She had a goofy grin on her face as if she didn’t realize she'd dropped a bombshell on you and your brother.

Your brother just huffed and went to his room to sleep.

“I wonder what that was about” your Momma uttered his breath “Hi baby! What were you two just doing?” she rushed to your side and sat on the floor with you.

You looked up at her “Just watching a movie with Jason” you glazed at the awkward and clearly drunk Steven before watching the movie again.

“Ooo looks scary, think im gonna make me and Steven some drinks” She kissed your cheek and got up “ooo Stevie why don't you sit and talk with Bear Bear?”

His head shot up in confusion “Wha-what oh um yea of course baby” he walked to the couch and sat down nervously. He looked around the room and then landed on some old photos of you and your dad hunting.

“So, you uh hunt?” you turned your head towards the man you may call ‘dad’, his eyes dart to yours than back to the TV.

“Uhh, yea, my Dad taught me, but haven't caught anything ‘sides som’ rodents” You glanced at him and he just looked somewhere else, he looked so out of place in your small home.

You decided to try and “bond” with him “What about you? You hunt?” His head shot towards you in surprise.

“Ah no, no I don’t hunt. I find it uh too much, to be honest” he laughed awkwardly, you looked away and at your mom who walked back into the living room

“Hey guys! Whatcha talking about!” she said in her drunk cherry, In one hand, she had some snacks and some beers “Sorry we don’t get much, we don't have a lot in the house” She laughed.

You shifted awkwardly, cause she was the reason for no food “Maybe we could go shopping tomorrow Mom?” she stood there thinking,

“yea-yeah sure, me and you. Ya know just a girl's day!” You smiled and got to kiss your mom's cheek and went to bed Hopefull she’ll get better with this new guy around and fulfill a promise to you.

~~~ 2010 ~~~

You woke up rather late one morning. You walked out of your room to see the TV was on and some trash around the living room, you went to clean it up but your eyes grew when your mom past out on the couch with Steven, in a rather awkward position. You turned around to go to your room when Jason came out too. He seemed to notice the mess to and went to clean it up

“You don't wanna be in the livin' room” You stopped him, and he gave you a weird look.

“The hell do you mean?” you cleaned your throat.

“Umm, ste-steven and momma were gettin’ comfortable if ya know what I mean” he just shook his head and went to the kitchen.

“Whatever, im going to get food, you coming?” He grabbed the keys and walked to the garage doors.

You nodded your head and went to get dressed and were quickly out the door to the car. The sun was up, it was a warm day in August, a week before school started. You looked out the window while the radio played, some news guy was mouthing off about some world problem, it was enough for your brother to turn the radio to something else.

When Jason pulled into the parking lot you could see it was packed but was dead silent. You got out of the car when another car whizzed by almost hitting you.

You and Jason walked into the store questioning what happened when you noticed the store was dead quiet. You could see carts abandoned some of them being tipped over with groceries all over the floor.

“What tha” Jason looked at the scene in front of you. Jason looked at his watch and half decided to leave but you needed food he just pushed it to the back of his mind.

You grabbed the basket and walked to the food aisle grabbing milk, bread, eggs, and other stuff you needed. But your brother stopped you, grabbing your shoulder roughly

“Wait” you turned to him.

“What? What's wrong?” he pointed down the clothing aisle, it was destroyed and the clothes were everywhere. “Th-the hell happened there? And why hasn't anyone fixed it yet” You started to walk over to investigate but Jason grabbed your arm to stop you

“Don't, I don't like this” he pushed you forward to the front of the store. Jason grabbed your arms as he speed walked passed the alise of food thrown around the floor. But one alise made you stop in your tracks, making you drop the basket to cover your mouth.

There in the middle of the floor was a dead body, what was worse was that it looked like it was gored on. Her face was eaten, her abdomen was torn open and her intestines and blood were all over the floor.

You could see blood tracks near the body, leading away to the next aisle. Your brother pushed you down to the ground, telling you to keep quiet. He looked over to the next aisle and went back quickly.

He dropped down to the floor as well, he gestured you over to him while putting a finger up to his lips. You rushed to him.

“What's going on?” you asked panicked.

“I don’t know, but there's someone over in the next aisle with blood ‘n shit all over 'em” You looked at him with scared eyes.

“Wha-what do we do Jason” you looked to your brother for protection.

“We're gonna slowly and quietly leave the store, don't want to attract the cra-” He shot up, pushing you out of the way and kicking the woman's head out of the way. She flew back giving you and your brother time to run as fast as you could out of the store. While you were running you saw more and more blood and gore, you just didn't seem to notice.

You got to the car and speed home. The radio was still on, with it blasting the current news:

“IT APPEARS THAT A VIRUS IS SPREADING THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, KILLING THE INFECTED, AND BRING THEM BACK TO LIFE AND ATTACKING OTHERS!

THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE AGGRESSIVE AND IF YOU COME ACROSS THEM EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY AND CALL LOCAL OFFICERS!”

“What- what does this mean” Your eyes started to water “What are we gonna do Jaso-” you were cut off-

“JUST BE QUITE and let me think” his grip on the steering wheel was turning his knuckles white as he stopped the car to think,

“Here's what we're gonna do, we're gonna go home, then pack our shit and leave! Head into the woods and wait this shit out” You nodded and jumped when a hand slammed on the window on your side, you shrieked causing Jason to jump when he saw the thing he floored the car.

Not once did he stop the car, not even when other cars were around. When you turned into the driveway of your home you hopped out and ran in to see your mom and Steven watching the TV. She leaped off the couch and hugged you tight.

“Oh baby, baby are you okay where were you guys!” she was crying, her already smudged makeup rubbing off.

“We were at-at the sto-store and w-we saw this woman all-all over the palace” you cried in her arms and hugged her arms

Jason busted in the door “Ma pack yer shit we’re leavin’ NOW! Y/n get our bow stuff, I'll get the campin’ stuff, Steven gets as much food as you can, Ma get essentials and anythin’ else we need”.

You ran to your room, grabbing your bear bow, quiver, and arrows. Doing the same and grabbing Jason's hunting bow and equipment. You grabbed your school bag and some clothes.

You were about done when you thought of something. You rushed to your mom's room and grabbed your dad's coat, you loved your dad's coat. It was a bit big but it'd be good in the winter or as a blanket.

By the time you were done, everybody was running out the door. Jason and Mom were packing the food and camping gear in the trunk of the car. Steven was “the lookout”, he was holding your dad's old shotgun when he saw a figure walking down the driveway,

“H-hey there’s someone comin'” Jason turned his head to see someone limping down the drive way. The man had half his arm ripped off.

“Shit, shoot it” Steven looked at Jason like he was crazy.

“Th-the hell you mean to shoot it? THATS A DAMN PERSON!” Jason slammed the trunk closed, and stormed over to Steven, and snatched the gun from him.

“Those things aren't people! They won't hesitate to eat ya!” he turned to you and your mom “Get in the car and start it, we’ll leave soon”

Your mom ushered you to the back seat furthest away from the thing as your brother called them. Your mom got in next and started the car. She looked panicked, gripping the stirring wheel out of nerves.

You heard the crack of a gunshot not that far away

“SHIT!” Jason yelled.You turned to look at the commotion, to see the figure with a giant hole in his chest, but he was still walking as if nothing happened.

“Sh-shoot it in the he-head Ja-Jason” Steven could barely talk but he tried to help the best he could. Jason re-aimed the gun and shot the head, well the best he could.

The thing finally went down and Steven and Jason hopped in the car, Jason in the front and Steven in the back. Your mom started the car and drove into the city, taking the path to the local campgrounds.

It seems that while your family was getting ready to leave, things got crazier. There were crashes everywhere, fire, smoke, and screams could be heard, and these, groans or moans could be heard if the things were close to the car.

When you got to the campsite it was quiet. Nothing could really be heard, not even the birds in the trees. Silent, just like the store.

***

“THE CDC HAS ISSUED A NATIONWIDE QUARANTINE ALL CIVILIANS ARE ORDERED TO STAY INSIDE OR GO TO THE ATLANTA REFUGE CAMP IF YOU OR A LOVED ONE ARE IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA

FOOD, MEDICAL SUPPLY, SHELTER, AND MILITARY PROTECTION WILL BE SUPPLIED”

The radio chatter went on and on, spouting the same things. It's been a week since the “outbreak”, as they’re calling it, happened. And in that small little window, your family and Steven have had to move twice, going deeper and deeper into the woods.

“D-do you think we should go to Atlanta? It's not that far from here” Your mom had been suggesting it, but your brother always dismissed it.

“Naw, too risky” he poked the fire “Eaters be everywhere and we’d be sitin’ ducks” You were torn on where to go, staying here you'd be by yourselves but at the same time you didn't have to worry if your neighbor was crazy enough to kill you for bread. But if you went to Atlanta you wouldn't have to worry about eaters –the new name for them– attacking you.

“We’re low on food, Y/n grab yer bow, were goin’ hunting” You nodded and hopped off the opened trunk. Running to your tent and grabbed your bow and quiver and hurried to your brother who was already leaving.

When you went hunting Jason made a rule that you couldn't make too much noise, not since he spotted an eater while he was hunting. You kept your eyes down on the forest floor to keep an eye on any tracks, while Jason kept an eye out for eaters and any animals.

When you found some faint deer tracks you tugged on his shirt and pointed to them. He kneeled down to inspect them and shook his head “Too old, probably dead by now” nodding your head you continued, but stopped in your tracks when you saw a doe looking at you.

She was beautiful, her eyes hadn't noticed you yet, but you had. Jason got up behind you “Guess ya were right, why don't ya bag it” he nudged you forward and you drew the bow back. The bow itself was new, you bought it yourself after cleaning your neighbor's yard for her, she was old frail, and couldn't do it herself.

You released the bow and it landed in her abdomen. She ran off deeper into the woods with whatever strength she had left. You and Jason chased after her, her blood leading her to you.

She was stronger than she looked because it took about twenty minutes before you caught up with her. Jason loaded his bow and shot it and hit her just below her shoulder blade killing her.

“Common, let's go get her and bring her back” You shouldered your bow and walked up to her with Jason. Since he was bigger he took up the grunt work and shouldered her while you carried his bow.

“Now, ya need to find our tracks” he huffed while trying to position her right “Should be easy enough since we were running” You nodded and glued your eyes down looking up when ever you heard something in the distance.

It took about an hour before you got back to your camp. You ran to your mom and hugged her “We bagged a doe, Jason gonna clean ‘er up the we’ll eat it” Jason dropped her by Steven “ya know how to clean a Doe Steven?” Steven looked from Jason to the Doe, back to Jason.

He swallowed deeply before answering “I-uhh I've never done it no” Joson rolled his eyes then sat down next to him and started to show him how.

It was one of the little things your dad never taught you. You've seen him do it, but he never shown you how. Jason had to teach you, and he did that in your kitchen, if your mom was there and sober she would've freaked out.

You sat next to your mom who was still paying attention to the radio. All it did was worry her as she bit her nails with her legs pulled into her chest.

“You okay momma?” you put a hand on her shoulder, she jumped a bit but eased up a bit when she saw you.

“O-oh ye-yea baby, im good” she smiled “How’d your hunt go with Jason?” you pulled your knees up to your chest

“it went fine, I found really old tracks and Jason brushed them off and when we looked up BAMB there she was!” you told the story of how you found the Doe.

Your mom softly clapped for you “Wow, you're a real Orion aren't you bear?” you smiled, your Momma loved Greek Mythology, and she always said if she could be a professor, teaching students about the great tales of the Greek gods and heroes.

“Ya know where your nickname comes from?” you shook your head, but you knew why, this was the closest you got to your old momma from before the accident, plus you loveed the story.

“Artimiss was the goddess of the hunt, and she swore off marriage—one of three goddesses to be exact– she would hunt on the earthly grounds with other women and nymphs. One of these women was a woman named Callisto, she was a hunter who was sadly assaulted and fell pregnant at the hands of Zues.”

you had a sad expression as if this was the first time you heard this “and Hera and Artemis found them. Artemis cast Callisto out and Hera turned her into a bear.” you gasped playfully, and she smirked.

“well she gave birth and Artemis guided the baby to civilization, and he grew to be a mighty hunter. And he came across his bear Momma and went to kill her, but Zeus saw this and before he could kill her, he put Callisto and her sun the stars” You rested your head on her shoulder and she hugged you. You sat there for a while as you looked at the stars.

“Well it looks like you brother is about done with the deer, shall we go sit by the fire?” you nodded and grabbed your bag which had your remaining books and sat by the fire

Jason started to put some meat on the fire. The blaze reflected in his dark green eyes, he looked like he was thinking about something. He checked his watch and figured it was time to take the venison off the grill. He gave it to you.

“She found it, she gets to eat it first” was his reasoning when Steven asked why you got it. Steven was very whiney, you suspect he’d be dead if he was alone.

***

It was deep into the night, and you just finished your comic book. Your Momma was looking for batteries for the radio, it had died about an hour ago and your Momma had been going crazy looking for them. When she finally found them she cheered with triumph and put the new ones in the radio. The radio roared to life with the same news as before.

Jason was poking the fire a bit while Steven was getting something from his tent. You got up and went sit by Jason. He gave you an odd look which you ignored and picked up your bow and began fiddling with it

“What are ya doin’ Y/n” he stopped what he was doing and looked at you.

“Jus’ sittin’ is all” you fiddle some more “and wondering” he went back to the fire

“about what?” you looked around your makeshift camp.

“if all of this will be over soon, and when we can go back” you looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

Jason stayed quiet, he didn't know. But if he was honest, he didn't mind it all that much–could go without the living dead though– it was like an extended camping trip.

SNAP

Your blood ran cold when you heard the groans and snarls coming closer. You shot up when you saw them closing in on the car. Your mom was running towards you as you held your stuff.

She grabbed your arm and ran to the woods as Jason and Steven stayed behind to fight them off. Your Momma dragged you into the woods further and further. You kept looking back to see other eaters staggering toward you

“Mo-momma, they’re behind us!” your mom just ran faster “I-I know baby but we just need ru-” Out of nowhere an eater came and attacked her.

She let go of your hand when another one latched its dirty maw on her shoulder. Her screams were horrid, you imagine it was the same scream she let out when the love of her life and baby were in the hospital. Just filled with horror and dread.

“Y/n, Y/n YOU NEED TO RUN!” you shook your head with tears in your eyes “NO LISTEN AND RUN NOW!” hearing the groans of another eater behind you made you run off into the woods. Crying as you heard the cries of your momma.

~~~ 2010, A few weeks later~~~

You had been on your own for a few weeks since your camp had been overrun. You thought about going back to it, to see if Jason or Steven got out okay. Well if Jason got out, you were sure Steven did. And you knew if he got out safe then Steven was safe–probably.

But you were on your own, so you had rules now: Always move, Stay in the trees at night, And NEVER stay if it's too quiet.

That's how you made it all these weeks alone. You rationed the food you managed to hunt on your own. It was small, with rabbits, birds, and a raccoon once. It was odd but it kept you fed.

At night you'd find a tree with a sturdy branch, climb it, ruffle in your bag for something to tie around you and the branch, and sleep. And repeat the cycle again the next morning.

You were currently in a tree, just waking up from sleep. The denim jeans you used to keep you tied to the tree were a little loose. You gathered your things, putting your bow around your torso, same with your bag.

You nimbly climbed down the tree and leaped out on the last branch and landed on the forest floor, you fumbled a bit but were fine nonetheless.

You made a small fire and cooked the last of the rabbit meat you had. After that, you put the fire out and continued on your way to nowhere.

You suppose you were in a good part of the woods, cause you could hear the birds singing some little tune they came up with. You humed along to it while walking on a fallen tree, balancing on it like a tightrope walker.

You stopped walking when you noticed deer tracks and debated on following them or not, but decided to just do it anyway, no set direction and all.

You followed them to a clearing, there wasn't anything there though so you just sat on a log. You figured it was safe enough to relax a bit. With an arrow, you start drawing random things in the dirt. You liked drawing, it was a pastime you did before.

You started drawing hearts, butterflies, and flowers, pretty things really. Then you drew your Momma, she was beautiful in your eyes, with long hair that reached her midback, and her beautiful green eyes.

You stopped what you were doing when you heard something in the distance, it sounded like something talking. You quickly loaded your bow and stood up aiming your bow at the noise.

There you saw two men. One was old, with short-cropped grey hair. He was bigger than the other one. The other guy was younger and more scrawny, he had squirrels tied around a rope, he had a crossbow, also aimed at you, and the old guy had a hunting rifle

“Well well well, what do we have here baby brother,” Old Guy said with the meanest grin on his face.

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

Next // I Met Two Old Guys In The Woods

Previous //

Taglist //

// Masterlist //

if you want to be added to the taglist lmk :D

#fanfic #twd #daryl dixon #x reader fanfiction #this took my fucking months and the fact i have to proof read like two-three other chapters #i also start my new job on sunday so thats fun #teen reader #platonic reader

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yan-lorkai · 7 months ago

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Tips for someone who wants to start their writing blog? 👉👈

Helllllllllllo darling! (⁠｡⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠｡⁠)⁠ﾉ~

-- First of all:

Sometimes you're going to write a lot and sometimes you won't even want to open your drafts because you'll be tired from it. And that's ok, always know your pace or else you're going overwhelm yourself wanting to write everything. Also don't ever delete your drafts, yes, even the ones you don't want to write anymore. Ideas and concepts can be reused later!

-- Grammar!

I'm not yet fluent in english so sometimes I write with the dictionary open in another tab lol, thing is this is very important. To better your grammar you can practice writing drabble and prompts, you don't even have to post it if you don't like it. I also recommend to read a lot as reading works to inspire you and to analyse how different every writer writes. Like, I love writing dialogues so sometimes I have a hard time writing descriptions bcs I can't focus on them. When this happens I just skip it and put a () for when I'm proofreading to edit it.

Though commiting little errors are common and totally fine, darling! You're allowed to commit them. Don't ever "omg, there's so many typos on my fics people must hate them and me" or smth, is normal to make typos actually :)

-- Rules

It's your blog, darling. You have the final say on every matter. Don't ever feel pressured to write something just because people ask you to. Though be prepared because sometimes people won't read it so you have to be patient. Put the rules on somewhere visible, change their color, PUT THEM ON ALL CAPS!

Be very specific. Like, what fandoms do you write for? How many characters can people send in? What are you comfortable writing and what are you willing to try? Is there something that you won't tolerate being sent in your inbox? Things like that!

-- Ramble, share, talk

Let us hear what you have to say. Your ideas, even if they seem silly to you, are very interesting to the audience. Also let your followers to connect and interact with you <- I say this as if I wasn't so shy and awkard that eveytime I want to share sometimes I'm hit with ah well nobody will care anyway. This is the devil speaking, do not the same I do, darling!

-- Aesthetic and tags

I like this part hehe. As I said, this is your blog darling. It's almost like your second home. And people like their home being pretty and comfy. So try making your blog look like that! Choose an aesthetic, a character or something that speaks to you. And don't be afraid to change.

Also about tags. Everyone has its own. Tag everything: fics, characters, fandoms! They're so important, darling, you can search for them on your blog later and a tagged fic has a higher chance of showing up in the main feed. Besides it'll be easier for people to navigate through your blog (also make a masterlist, yes, even if it's a hassle to maintain it).

-- Don't be afraid

Writing is hard, is true. Motivation can come and go, sometimes time won't allign it with your want to write, y'know just mundane things. If you have writer block then don't force yourself to write, you won't like it what you read when you're done and if you feel afraid to write something new then do it afraid. Do it afraid even if it's bad, do it afraid because otherwise you won't do it. Though if is something you don't know about then please search about it and talk with other people.

-- Have fun

The whole purpose of writing is to have fun. Do not anyone spoil your fun, babe. Have fun, laugh and cry writing, make friends along the way. If a story is loved by its writer then certainly everyone will feel it and love it just as much as love! :)

Hope this all helps. If you still have any questions then ask away and I'II try my best answering it!

#lorkai answer #*･゜ﾟ anon ask

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orviposition · 1 year ago

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What trope would you put Joongdok in?

i honestly think that when it comes to joongdok it would be much easier if i answered with the tropes i WOULDNT put them in 😭😭

oh boy here i go! let's start with two of the most obvious first:

1. matching outfits with opposite color schemes, and 2. opposites (leo & aquarius) attract (<- attract as in lowkey bordering in codependency)

yin & yang - not only are joongdok aesthetically yin&yang but narratively too (i mentioned in a previous ask that they're sky & earth too)

star-crossed - (if you believe in orv's sad ending)

life (and death) companions - is probably a trope on its own considering the meaning of the title. not only does it mean (i ran the term through a thesaurus so yall don't have to 👍🏻👍🏻) "a romantic partner with whom one is exceptionally or uniquely compatible or has a special connection" but the synonyms are also of the romantic variety ranging from (but not limited to) life partner, best friend, soulmate, spouse, true love, one's promised, significant other, love of one's life, beloved, heart's desire etc (long story short, pretty sick tbh. no wonder kr dudebros threw a fit in singshong's comment section over it. i get it) and what makes it infinitely funnier is that it started as crack being treated seriously 😭😭😭😭

anyway, continuing where i left off, Soulmates - kdj is the reason yjh exists. yjh is the reason kdj lives. (hsy wrote both of them in a way that they became each other's salvation hence their position of reader-protagonist gets switched in the epilogue and both of them have admitted that reading about the other's story has saved their lives)

everyone ships them/everyone can see it - uriel, gabriel, ljh, hsy, jhw, lsh, anna croft, persephone/hades (the third eligible candidate to marry kdj was yjh and you will never be able to convince me otherwise. also if you have an answer other than yjh ur wrong), yma (if webtoon dares not to draw the "oppa looks happy when thinking about that ahjussi" you'll see me on the news) the wenny king. heck even gong pildu, upon some consideration and by method of elimination, deduced that theres no way kdj has enough rizz to pull neither ysa nor hsy therefore who was left to be the one who helped kdj birth his "child" (kidified sp) ??? yjh obv 😭😭 and why would he question the possibilities of mpreg when hmo is right there anyway. heck hmo even told kdj that he should try it.

when one is hurt/dying/dead, the other rages, panics, is extremely distressed - (maybe there's a shorter way to say this like "who did this to you" but joongdok have ascended past cheesy romances 😝) disaster of flood arc, aftermath of dark castle, the fight with surya, 1863, aftermath of sp's kidnapping etc

hates everyone but you - sure yjh doesnt hate All constellations but he for sure hates all demon kings. (mini fun fact about me, up until joongdok rebranded my brain, i didnt like this trope)

aloof x low self-esteem = both emotionally constipated 🙄🙄

derogatory term becomes a term of endearment - fool/sunfish (bastard)

bickering like a married couple - is this a trope? well it is now

denial of attraction/closeness - just two men who most definitely never lie when it comes to their feelings

identity theft - without malicious intent (i hope!! *stares at all the atrocities kdj has committed using yjh's name*)

masterchef x disaster in the kitchen - very, very, very simplified version of the trope. wouldnt call kdj a disaster but definitely a worse cook than yjh (subtrope would be [pro-gamer x game tester])

famous x fan - lol "famous"

annoying x annoyed - (kdj: breathes. yjh: ugh drop dead. kdj: drops dead. yjh: wait no-💢)

A thinks B will be happy without him / B doesn't know how (doesn't want) to live without A - 51kdj seeing 49kdj leave with yjh and the others, thinking that he and yjh will set on a journey together to find tls123 / museum fight

will sacrifice everyone/everything for the other - *cracks knuckles* when 41st sys tries to give yjh a 2nd chance to save himself and his old companions and all he had to do was say that kdj isn't his companion. when kdj admits that 1863rd hsy's plan to see the ending of the scenarios is smart and well-thought out but because that world doesn't need yjh he doesn't cooperate. (side story spoilers below, but when you think about it long enough the side story came to be because yjh spread orv to lhh's worldline. all the deaths happening because yjh needs to collect a fragment of kdj's soul from that world)

speaking of lhh, reincarnation - now hear me out. not your typical reincarnation but bcs we know that 49kdj's wish was to reincarnate into someone that doesn't have anything to do with kimcom -> subtrope: doesn't want to be found / is found

amnesia - 0 is also not your typical amnesiac

god x god's favorite

age gap - theyre both the same age and simultaneously have age gap(s) make of that what you will

important symbol - (object) pocket watch

glucose guardian - listen!! listen!! sp/kdj and 0/51 exist okay

harem - sorry i couldnt help it

#ask #joongdok #orv #yoo joonghyuk #kim dokja #if you guys have any tropes you'd like to add by all means do so #dont take the last two seriously

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classy-thief · 2 years ago

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What is your favorite thing about the Rise of TMNT movie, and why? What hit you the most?

🌺 YAYYY A CHANCE TO INFODUMP THANK YOU!!

All thoughts under the cut cuz i'm going to write a lot lol (also apologies if my ramble makes no sense i am not a very well-spoken person teehee)

but tl;dr the balance of angst/comfort, the subltety in facial expressions and how it adds so much to the story, the animation in the action scenes

OKAY SO-

My favorite thing about the rottmnt movie? Oh man i dont think i can pick one thing. I'll just list the main ones 🤭

The fact that it was able to stray away from the goofy and lighthearted nature of the show but is still able to feel like rottmnt. The rottmnt movie is much darker and angstier than the show, but it still captures the essence of the characters and their personalities very well -- and it also explores their characters in a situation that calls for a more serious tone and it is beautifully done. The suble facial expressions and body language in each character speaks volumes on their personalities.

Speaking of which, i absolutely love the story they were able to tell solely on the facial expressions of the characters -- namely leo. In the movie, leo goes uncharacteristically quiet in some scenes, so it's much easier for the viewer to analyze his face to try and read what hes thinking.

Here, leo is face to face with krang for the first time in the movie, and it is apparent in his face. The look of sheer horror as he's trying to process what exactly he's fighting. The intense strength and overwhelming size of this... monster is absolutely daunting. He doesn't know what to do.

This is just one of many examples of the story leo creates with just his face. Down here we see another, clearer example.

Contemplation. Realization. Determination.

Leo understands the weight of the situation. Casey warned them it will only get worse if they do not get that key. But everyone is compromised. They have retreated. Everyone except him. He understands what he must do next, but is incredibly afraid. Going up there alone is a definite death wish. But someone has to pay for his mess, might as well be him. He readies himself to release the escape pod.

Like OHH MY GODDD. This part has to be one of my favorite scenes from the movie. It gave me goosebumps the first time i watched it. It clearly expresses his emotions to the viewer without him having to say anything. Just 10/10, beautifully done scene.

I could honestly write a 10 page essay on just the facial expressions in the movie, but moving on before this gets too long. The action scenes. They were so beautifully animated.

Especially this one right here!!! The camera moves at a pace to where its not disorienting/dizzy. And the colors of the turtles' ninpo makes it easier to understand what's going on. This entire scene was incredibly well choreographed. The showcasing of each of the brothers' fighting style (donnie's and leo's are more apparent in the deleted storyboard version but still) was soooo cool. And they're ultimate combo move was absolutely amazing as well (even though they got their asses beat right after 💀).

And this might be a basic answer but what hit me the most was the leo crying scene. Seeing the comical, pun-loving, unserious character break down thinking those were his last moments alive absolutely destroyed me. I honestly love the "comedic relief dies a hero" trope so this whole movie catered to my tastes very well lol. Anyway, rant over. I'd be surprised if you read this far but thanks for letting me infodump i've been waiting for someone to ask me about this movie since i watched it 👍

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bbbexe · 2 years ago

Text

MINORS DNI

I can't draw digital to save my life, so I made my monster!Poppet oc Kalix, traditional. (I have been diagnosed with Vinnel brainrot, there sadly is no cure. Also I didn’t make this species, its heavily based off of a creature from game I used to play called a Kivarok) Their main fur color is black, with the shaded in parts being a really really dark purple. Their horns and claws are orange with a yellow gradient at the top/end. Similarly, their diamond patterns are orange, and get more yellow that further they are away from their torso. They have 7 white eyes on each side (on the front view i forgot to add one pair you did not see that, nothing is wrong :'))) ) that they can close individually. Will usually close all but their two main ones to not look 'weird' or have people feel like they're staring at them. Kalix's eyes also don't usually have pupils, but they consciously make pupils so that, along with their exaggerated body language/movement, speech, and gesticulation, their emotions can be read more easily while masking in public. Pupils are orange. The first three diamond patterns on Sir are eyes, one being a light yellow color, and the others becoming white. Their eyes / horns / patterns / claws have a slight glow. Has four arms in total. (maybe one day i'll have the urge to try and draw on ibis paint) Kalix's blood is orange :). They also have a mouth on their main head, but really really don't want to scare people they want to be friends with, and keeps it closed and hidden for the most part. They are 6'0 because I wish I was tall :').

I've been completely obsessed with @eldritch-spouse's universe for the past few days and just had to make this. I love love love her writing and really suggest you check out her blog if you like yanderes and monsters >:D Under the cut is some of my oc's info if anyone is interested :D (it's a lot of rambling lol)

Tw mentions of cannibalism and other illegal stuff.

“Nothing can last forever. There isn't any memory, no matter how intense, that doesn't fade out at last.” ― Juan Rulfo This is Kalix! (Named them this purely because the word makes my brain happy) They are a young adult monster, who suffers from loneliness brain damage! With symptoms that are very similar to ADHD. They forget what day of the week it is often, forget words mid conversation, and have a shit short term memory. Often forgets to eat and has a habit of not eating until their tail-head starts to nip/chew (omnomnom) at them. Will constantly loose things, even if they are currently holding said thing in their paw. Brings noise cancelling earbuds around and wears gloves because they are touch averse. Usually has one part of their body moving, leg bopping, playing with their fingers, etc. (heavily projecting here lol, they just like me fr) Are a residual hermaphrodite who flip flops between sex depending on temperature/season (has a slit covered by their fluff) and goes by all pronouns. Demi ace/aro (hahaha slowburn + oblivious to their own feelings, have fun with that Vinnel). Has a hard time understanding sarcasm and understanding their own feelings.

Kalix's tail has been named "Sir" as they thought the word was cool. They usually eat / drink using their head-tail. Sir is Kalix's subconscious/lizard brain, though they don't seem to realize that themself, thinking the tail-head as more of a sibling/pet. (and example for the subconcious/lizard brain thing being, Kalix stubbing their toe, wincing and making a joke, Sir whimpering and getting teary like the crybaby they secretly are) They can consciously control Sir for about 30 minutes before a headache starts cracking open their skull (usually their species would be able to do this all the time, but shhh don't tell the poor child, they'll cry). While talking through Sir, Kalix can mimic many many sounds / voices. It would honestly be easier to list what they can't mimic than what they can. They do have a tell though, as when they speak through Sir, they have a slight whisper echo. Also sadly because of brain injury, they can't cut off Sir's senses from their own. Wagging their tail super fast like a dog when excited / to stim will leave make them super dizzy. Sir also has a taste for human/monster flesh :))) Has some other abilities, like being able to store stuff in their shadow (they do this more often and don't get nauseous from it unless they try to fit a bigger object inside. Kalix usually makes it look like they're pulling stuff out from their chest fluff becuse i thought that would be silly), make shadow apparitions for a limited amount of time, wrap themselves in shadows to hide or stalk their 'prey', and if they really push themself, they can teleport through shadows (within a certain range etc.) at most two times a week. They feel nauseous and get headaches after this, and using their power too often/long or trying to store large objects will make them violently ill. (won't stop the dumbass from overusing their abilities to pull pranks on The Clergymen though) Has little physical strength (for a monster at least), although they can jump pretty high when spooked (hehe get it? halloween pun :> also foreshadowing~) Speaking of Halloween, it's one of Kalix's main hyperfixations. Their hyperfixations include: Halloween, (and by extension) candy making, horror book reading, driving (although ironically if Kalix is a passenger they get extremely car sick), juggling (picks this up after they see Vinnel do it and realize 1. its a fun way to stim and 2. they have four arms. they are terrible at first), baking (which is kinda funny cuz they cannot cook for shit), insect related stuff, (piss poor) sewing, and drawing (they usually like to draw stuff with the combination of gore and plants).

Always has candy corn on them (or it seems that way, it’s just in their shadow. Kalix likes how it looks like they can just summon candy corn out of nowhere).

Also do not let them drive. They will turn it into a car chase. Somehow. (They just like slamming into the cars chasing them and showing off their drifts and sharp turns) They work as a party planner / decorator and will practically beg on their knees to Admin to help decorate for the holidays, especially Halloween. (Admin will have to wrangle them during other holidays to make sure Kalix doesn’t start making them Halloween themed as well...

”Decorate your own apartment Easterween themed, Kalix...” cue Admin’s signature tired eye roll as Kalix gives the smaller human puppy dog eyes) After they learn The Clergy has rent able rooms, they'll definitely start living there. Kalix's room will be completely Halloween themed all year long. They'll also ask Admin if they can help out around the Clergy / help them (Kalix feels bad for Admin and all their responsibilities, but also thinks they're amazing for being so focused and hard working)

Kalix is a complete virgin, having not even touched themself because again, they see Sir as a ‘pet’ or sibling sort of, only that Sir is attached to them. Kalix always chalks up Sir’s similar reactions to them as both them and Sir having grown up together.(if this sentence makes sense? basically they chalk up Sir having similar reactions to how they feel inside to just them growing up being attached to each other) Also them denying full heartedly that they are a crybaby and that they like the taste of human/monster flesh. To be honest, after a few months of being around Kalix, The Clergymen will probably pick up on Sir being more connected to Kalix than the oblivious lizard (idk why but my nickname for them is lizard despite them looking like some lizard/cat/owl/spider mix. it just fits. also all the picures of cute dumb little geckos connect with Kalix in my mind) realizes. Although Kalix sure as hell won’t realize themself, and won’t have any kind of sexual interaction with anyone while under the impression that Sir is a pet. Someone’s gonna have the explain the them eventually or Vinnel might somehow go even more insane. (is a sadist masochist switch with a gore kink, though it'll take alot for them to admit it (or it would have if not for Kalix's first meeting with Grimbly and realizing they did not want to be a daddy/mommy/partner to the little dude, just a friend) Oh, and before i forget. Kalix unironically eats the most burned, charred, barely edible, can-barely-be-considered-food stuff. Completely unscathed. And they like it. They will eat coal (burning or not) in front of people occasionally to see their confused/grossed out/horrified reactions / to assert dominance. They're Vinnel's poppet for a reason :))))

They lived most of their life alone and when they were gracefully given a year long vacation by their warden, Kalix decided to try and make friends by integrating themself into human society. (Most others where they live avoid them/are afraid of them or occasionally someone will pity them but Kalix really dislikes that and would rather be ignored.) They stumbled upon The Clergy's Eye while stuck in a daydream / thought loop of how they were going to make friends. Going over the persona they had crafted (aka how they were going to mask the anxious, lonely, self conscious, and quiet crybaby they really are) and generally practicing conversations in their head. They were trying to go to the town's most popular bar, but ended up walking into The Clergy's Main floor / bar area (if im not mistaken). Kalix is just about able to handle being around Santi’s / and others pheromones due to years of exposure therapy (not a demon of my sort, will make sense in next post i prommy). (Ima make another post about how they met the TCE staff for the first time because this is hella long, thank you so much for reading if you made it this far. I hope you enjoyed my super self indulgent skrunkly child. I also left some stuff out that I really want to show via my writing later on :D)

#tw cannibalism #Kalix oc #my ocs #rambling #eldritch spouse #also sorry if I wrote anything ooc D:#I keep going back to add things I forgot #oh my god my poor brain

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walks-the-ages · 7 months ago

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Ya know, I thought being a Faction Paradox fan meant it could be hard to find books.

But the things I'm finding while looking up Arsène Lupin books? Which are public domain, with some very rare, very expensive first editions from 1908-onward still floating around?

hoooooooo boy, some of the literal scams I've come across...

... First, there's this monstrosity.

first, you know something is up already when you see the cover:

(functional ID: ) The book itself is yellow, and the entire "cover" is just a medium-sized, plain white rectangle with plain text that reads "Arsene Lupin Versus Herlock Sholmes (1910)". The only bit of color outside the yellow background is a tiny rectangle at the bottom of the white section, that has a simple red rose in it, and at the bottom on the yellow portion, it says Maurice Leblanc and Georgie Morehead; they are the author and english translators respectively.

Not only is this cover incredibly ugly and boring....

They didn't even put the accent on the è in Arsène !

Now, granted, I still don't know the key-combination needed to type out the è (on a regular keyboard, that is; mobile is much easier), but I also literally have a pinned tab leading to the Arsène Lupin wiki so I can literally just copy and paste his name whenever I need to, lol. I'm also not a supposedly wide-spread, professionnel publisher who specializes in reprinting rare books....

speaking of reprints!

This is their reprinting statement in the book.

[ID: plain text on a white background that reads: "Printing Statement: Due to the very old age and scarcity of this book, many of the pages may be hard to read due to the blurring of the original text, possible missing pages, missing text, dark backgrounds and other issues beyond our control. Because this is such an important and rare work, we believe it is best to reproduce this book regardless of its original condition. Thank you for your understanding. end ID]

Now, all this wouldn't be so monstrous.......

Except this is what it looks like, reading the book.

[ID: A photo of the inside of the book, showing an unnumbered page which is mostly blank, with extremely large margins around the top, bottom, and sides of the relatively tiny "inner page" of text, which is originally labeled as page 171.

So, on top of admitting they have having zero quality control for their reprints, they're also not even selecting the correct page or printer size for their "rare reprints!" Literally so much paper is being wasted here.

"Arsène Lupin vs. Herlock Sholmes" is 350 pages long in its original 1910 First Edition. That's with text that actually filled up the original page. If they'd at least chosen a smaller page size to fit their clear PDF-print, it would have been fine....ish.

But they didn't, so now this book is 350 pages long, and probably wasting half of those pages on pure blank paper.

Also, they're charging $30-$40 for these, "brand-new" on Amazon; going to their publishing website just leads any search to a generic Amazon page, full of the same extremely blatant ripoffs, including "leather hardcovers" from a print of demand location they can't even be bothered to not use a stock photo that requires them to blur out three different titles on the spine for each different angle.

Oh, and the real kicker?

Here's the exact Archive.org listing they're scraping to reprint for exorbitant amounts of money:

Literally down to the exact title, without an accent.

And this isn't the worst one I've found, either; another "public domain scraper" as I've taken to calling them, has taken this book:

and downloaded the ancient, autogenerated Epub from the Internet Archive, and without any human being looking at that Epub, converted it into a PDF and sent it off to a Print-On-Demand company to make those same generic, leather-bound hardcovers for $30+.

Would you like to know what the ancient, auto-generated epub looks like for this very old, very old scan of a book looks like? The one these scammers are reprinting and selling for an arm and a leg without anyone actually looking at the contents of what they're selling?

As a reference, this is what the original, old scan looks like:

[ID: a black and white image of two pages of text from an old book, the text is cramped, slightly blurry and tilted, and is difficult to read; the scan is from an old enough time that, from the shape of the pages not being physically joined together, that the book had to be manually cut page by page to be scanned. There are artifacts, dots and smudges throughout. end ID]

So, you ready to see what these scammers are selling to paying customers with no warning?

[ID: A screenshot of the Calibre ereader app, showing a page from the auto-generated epub from the old scan described above, showing a message in bold across that top that reads "The text on this page is estimated to be only 39.04% accurate." followed by a paragraph of complete gibberish; numbers, symbols, sanskrit letters, various special characters, etc, with no rhyme or reason. End ID.]

I don't know if this scam listing is still out there, I reported the one I found on Abe books, but they're also probably out there with a million duplicate listings on various websites.

So, yeah. Please,

If you are looking for physical copies of the Public Domain Arsène Lupin books, please make sure you carefully check what you are buying before ordering, especially online.

Make sure the 'è' in Arsène has the accent; make sure there's actual quality control, and for Arsène's sake, make sure what you're buying isn't slapdash gibberish.

If you don't know already, most of the Public Domain books that are in English and are PD in the USA can be found on Project Gutenberg (18-19 are PD in the USA this year if you include the play and its subsequent novelization; Gutenberg has 16 of these (including the play) , and you can read them completely for free, 100% legally:

I highly reccomend having the wiki page for Arsène Lupin opened up as you're reading through the books for the first time, because many of the books released at various times (and in various languages) with multiple different titles, so no two reading guides use the same title and leads to sheer confusion.

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1358

if you speak French, you can also read all of Maurice Leblanc's Arsène Lupin books, barring 1 that wasn't published until 2012, 75 years after his death, which you can read in french on:

Since USA and French Copyright law are different, if you are in the USA you cannot use any books published after 1928 (except post-humous) for derivative works, as France has a shorter copyright term of 75 years after death (except post-humous), while the USA is based on 95 years after publication, so us poor Lupin fans in the USA have to wait until 2037 before they all are Public Domain :'(

TL;DR: If you're a fan of a series which is Public Domain, you can read them online for free 100% legally; if you're looking to buy phyiscal books and you're shopping online, please take care to check for quality to make sure you're not getting scammed with an extremely poor quality ""book"" which could be complete gibberish, and/or a huge waste of money and paper.

#public domain #arsene lupin #leblanc lupin #Arsène Lupin #scams #large text #bold text #tl;dr #described images #functionally described #this also counts for Sherlock Holmes and other famous PD works!!!

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chaos0pikachu · 5 months ago

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Hi Chaos,

I keep seeing people post about x director and their thematic parallels and storytelling, and I can't help but think that it's the writer who does all those things!!! And it's so frustrating seeing the director get the credit for the screenwriters' work. I am also in the TVDU fandom, and to this day, I've never seen the director get the credit for what is clearly a writer's work. We praise, and we curse at the writers every time. We know their names by heart. Even in kdrama fandoms, I've seen the writer get the credit they deserve. So I'm just baffled by why the director is being credited with 'making' or 'writing' a show in the eyes of the public. I understand that they are more visible than the writers, but its only a matter of looking it up on MDL. (And the only writer who gets full credit for her work, MAME, is also cursed/called names by a lot of people). ( Can't forgive the fact that MAME did not write the TT show. What's the difference, you ask? I point you to Big Dragon, Kinnporsche (positive), Step by Step (negative). ) (Sorry, I feel very passionately about this.)

Lol nah I love this chaotic passion and I love how folks are so open about how Mame is treated in fandom is weird, actually yes spill those feelings to me it's safe here

I've written and rewritten this answer like five different times b/c it got so long but fuck it under a read more cut for other stuff but here's my general gist on this: I think it comes down to a few factors - visibility, apathy, ignorance and probably other stuff but I'm not a behavior scientists I'm just a bitch with a blog. As always y'all take what I say with some season salt mix

So, visibility.

It's really easy to credit whichever person is the most visible on a project with a majority of the work. We understand, as people, that many many folks work on these shows, but it's much easier to attribute the bulk of the project with a few individuals.

Actors used to be at the forefront of this, in recent years as social media has chipped away at the fourth wall, writers and directors have also risen in prominence in the discussions of film. But like, producers can and do have a huge impact on the way I project takes form and shapes yet you hardly ever see fans talking about x, y, z producers' influence on a project.

I think the only times I see a producer come up in discussions of a project is Kevin Feige (almost universally positive) and Kathleen Kennedy (almost universally negative). And that's really b/c both of these ppl are visible - they're a part of the promotional tours, they're walking the premiere carpets, they're giving interviews, etc. But it's all very bias b/c fans look at a singular body of work - Feige's case Marvel films, Kennedy's case Star Wars - of both of these producers and b/c they made either things they liked or hated.

But like, a quick bit of research and you'd see Kennedy has been a producer on some amazing and even classic projects: Gremlins, Back to the Future I & II, The Goonies, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Schindler's List, ET, The Color Purple, Hook, Jurassic Park, The Sixth Sense.

She's even been a producer on the Star Wars things people did like: The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, and The Acolyte. She's been a longtime collaborator of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas and has eight Oscar nominations as a producer but she was a producer for some mid Star Wars films and she's the devil incarnate. I don't even care that much about Kennedy or Star Wars shit but I'm not gonna pretend there's not bias in her case that's similar to how fandom views and treats Mame.

And on the flipside she's been a producer on shit or mid projects - like the Star Wars films and Signs, the Flintstones - which is just typical. You work long enough in the industry and you'll make or work on mid to bad projects. See Ridley Scott's career of epic highs & epic lows.

[It's interesting to me that Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni get all the credit for shows like The Mandalorian but Kennedy gets no credit whilst on the flipside JJ Abrams gets like no blame for how mid to bad Force Awakens & Rise of Skywalker were but Kennedy did get blame. And I'm speaking broad strokes here, yes I'm sure JJ did get some cranky posts about his part in RoS but in general Kennedy got more.]

Which leads me to the next factor, ignorance.

I think ppl are gonna like take offensive to that word but I'm using it super neutrally ignorance is just a lack of knowledge.

We're all ignorant about stuff like fuck don't ask me about how sales tax works I don't know. Lacking knowledge is just a fact of life we can't be experts on every single facet of the world, life, etc it's impossible and that's fine. Just own up to the fact you don't know and if you want to know do some research because learning can actually be really cool and fun and shit. Except sales tax I'm not learning all that.

But from my general observations of BL fandom well a lot of people are ignorant on how film making works. Hell a lot of ppl outside of BL fandom are ignorant about how film making works - the implosion in the 911 fandom is showing out re: this lmao literally right now - and again, that's fine. It's really Not A Big Deal. I'm no by-the-by expert either. I think the grind comes when folks try to be Breadtubers and others take said posts as gospel knowledge when by my observations it's a lot of opinion and/or misinformation.

[idk what yaoi framing is but it isn't a real film making thing; comics and film are two different mediums y'all]

I saw this a lot in the BBC Sherlock fandom ppl with very strong voices claiming x, y, z is how television works and, well it wasn't lol like this very consistent argument I see in migratory conspiracy shipping circles is actors and showrunners just be lying in interviews to "hide the big romantic plot twist" for said MCS and that's just not true. It's not trueeeeee that's not how PR and marketing works. So many MCS fandoms pull out the "we were baited b/c they posted The Ship on twitter" and harass the showrunners who have nothing to do with the official twitter. That's an entirely different department of the show/film. Marketing is a different department from the film crew.

But most people don't know this or don't consider this b/c a lot of folks don't know the inner workings of film, or publishing.

Like whoever runs the Seven Seas social media is in a totally different department from who's acquiring licenses for titles and who's editing the books themselves. Likewise yelling at a showrunner b/c the trailer for an episode advertised a scene you were excited about and then the scene wasn't in the episode? Not the showrunners fault they don't cut the promos that's a different department entirely.

I'm not knocking ppl for not knowing stuff like this, it's not like it's inherently common knowledge. Like hell if I know how the education hierarchy works I don't work in education. The issue - if it can be called that - comes in when people make assumptions is all and spreading misinformation.

In the case of Mame you're right she didn't write Tharnype on MDL she isn't even listed as a producer (idk if she is and it's listed elsewhere personally I find MDL very unreliable since it's fan edited) the show is just based on her novel but she's the one who gets all the hyper focused critique not the actual screenwriter nor director. Similar for any other Me Mind Y show. They're all just considered "Mame's work" and not like, a group project (which is what film making is lol).

Now, I'm no expert on how the Thai film industry works. I imagine the hierarchy aspects are, if not the same, at least similar to American film hierarchy. Meaning producers, and directors have a lot of power in terms of what gets put on screen.

I will say from what I've seen folks do wear multiple hats on Thai productions so like the director might also be the screenwriter, or the screenwriter might also be a producer, etc so that could also add to some of the overlap in credits.

I don't use the term "apathy" as a negative here. Fandom is first and foremost a hobby and a hobbyist space. I do not research every single show or film I watch either. Hell I struggle with watching as many BLs as other people who are just straight up powerhouses with how much they can watch.

Not being interesting in the deep ins and outs of How A Thing Is Made isn't a bad thing, focusing on only "the faces" of the project isn't something I'm gonna hold against people either.

I do think if you're going to be giving a Roger Ebert style critique or go for a more academic reading of a piece of media then yeah, you might have more of a burden to do some research if only to not spread misinformation. Or at least, to properly give credit where credit is due.

Personally, I'm of the mind fandom - in general not just BL fandom or whatever - is to concerned with like, "being right" about the media they watch and being seen as pseudo authority figures at times. That Big Name Fan aspect of it all, the social clout that comes with it - saw this with a lot of bbc sherlock wank - and genuinely, bro who fucking cares?

It bothers me when fans feel guilty for liking a thing big voices in fandom claim are Bad, Wrong, in a breadtube voice like who caaaaaares there's so many shows I could break down via film techniques for why I dislike them but like I'm so lazy bro it's not that real if you like 2gether I'm so happy for you light up like a firework baby

[unless you like star trek into darkness and then your wrong pikachu has spoken es lo que es]

anyway idk where I'm going with but yeah those are my general thoughts I guess on why ppl might attribute or heavily focus on the director vs the screenwriter of a project

#chaos pikachu speaks #i'm so long winded but that's what y'all paid to see

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wannaremember · 1 year ago

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I saw @homosociallyyours and @jlf23tumble post theirs and felt like doing this since I can't sleep. I am not the best at picking answers to things but i will try.

Relationship status: Single. I don't know if i see myself ever being anything else. So in that way its complicated, my view of what I want, what I can have, whats possible and whats not. I try not to think about it though. I'm also kind of bitter about some things which sours my thoughts on relationships.

Favorite colors: is it okay to say every colour? Like i am so bad at picking a favourite thing :/ but if i had to pick right now, I'd say red. The answer could be different at any other given moment though 😅

Song stuck in my head: at the moment there is none. I dont think my brain has the space for it at the moment. I also can't think what the last song stuck in my head would have been but I do remember Happier than Ever being stuck in my head somewhat recently.

Last song I listened to: Bad friend by Rina Sawayama. I feel like anytime i do these things I'm always mentioning the same artists lol but really blame the spotify shuffle algorithm. Anyway i do love the song so I'm not mad about it.

3 favorite foods: once again picking a favourite is tough but for this its easier because I do have my ultimate favourite food in mind. Khausey, its like this noodle and yellow curry dish. Googling it probably won't be very useful and theres often different variants of it depending on what your cultural background is. So i usually think of the version I've grown up eating. I can never make it as good myself and its a lot of work to make the curry so I rarely make it myself. But god its the best. Second is halwa puri. Again something i can't explain but i love it. It always tastes best when you get it from the street. I think I'm going to start listing out all the street food i miss from back home as well as other foods i miss that i just cant get here, atleast not as good as they are back home so ill pick something different for the third option lol. Nutella, im not going to call it food per se and its not even that i think its particularly great but its a comfort thing for me where i just eat a few spoons of it on its own when I'm feeling low, or pmsing or anything, it takes very little excuse.

Last thing I googled: Moonlight, the movie, i saw a mention of it in a fic i was reading and googled it.

Dream trip: there's not really one place i would pick, like a world tour would be ideal and i could just go to all these different countries and explore different neighbourhoods, try out different food, do some activities, etc. If I had to be more specific, I'd go for Europe, though. I still get sad that I didn't get to travel much when I was there, and I can't really go back anytime soon.

Anything I want right now: more friends. People who i can talk to, who will get me and i wont have to worry about censoring myself or not being able to be myself completely. I feel like its a pretty big constant in my life though to want friends but never doing enough to make them. Idk but yeah also people in peron like that especially but even online closer friends that aren't just on messages and arent just fandom focused in conversation. I dont know whats tougher for me though interacting with people online or in person, they're both scary. Anyway i am trying but yeah friends was the very first thing i could think of to answer this.

I don't know who has done this already so i might tag someone who has already. I'll tag @bigxrig @uhoh-but-yeah-alright @suesheroll and anyone else who sees this and wants to do it!

#about me #tag games

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starscreamfireworks · 1 year ago

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on the topic of questions

What do octopus eat

or what EATS octopus. (other than people. Also i feel kinda sad that i like eating them. theyre so smart and nice and pretty...)

also whats the plural? octopuses? octopi? octupos?? why is english so weird)

how does the color changing thingy work?? the ink thingy?? also i DO know they have a beak ?? thing?? and its why they have a limit on how small a hole they can squeeze through

i am probably making no sense im just curious and idk how to word questions lol

THANK YOUTH ANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ASKING!!! I LOVE ANSWERING OCTOPUS QUESTIONS (read more bc long)

Octopus diets mostly consist of crabs/lobsters, clams, snails, smaller fish (including sharks), and sometimes other octopuses. To help them get to the flesh inside of the hard-shelled animals, the octopus uses their beak to drill a hole inside the shell, then they release a venom that relaxes the muscles so the shell opens, then paralyzes the animal in that state so it can't run away. This is a really interesting part to me; for certain prey species, octopuses have learned to always drill in the same spot on the shell to get to the 'target muscle,' basically where the most flesh is. It allows them to get as much venom as possible into their prey to make it easier to relax, then paralyze them! If the shell is too hard to drill into, the octopus will use its powerful suckers to pry it open; just one large sucker of a Giant Pacific has the strength to lift 25 pounds, they're very strong.

Speaking of the beak itself; it's very parrot-like, and it's extremely sharp, used for eating prey as mentioned, and it's also retractable. Octopuses have something called a hydrostatic skeleton, it has no bones but is an empty cavity that gets filled with water. Because water can't be compressed, the octopus uses it to apply force or change shape (muscular contraction.) It's sort of similar to how our tongue works, but I think a comparison both of us understand is the zipper muscles that Ardeans have lol. They concentrate water in a certain muscle to make that area move, if it makes any sense. It's very cool, and this flexible skeleton allows them to compress themselves into any space that is larger than their solid beak!

Predators of octopuses are sharks, seals, sea otters, and eels. Octopuses primarily use camouflage and ink to get away; they'll shoot a cloud of ink from their siphon, which is made from a combination of mucus and melanin, and it contains chemicals, one of which has been seen to actually relax predators. This means that the predator, if it still sticks around the octopus, is less likely to attack it and might just leave it be. However, the ink itself also chokes whoever lets too much of it get into their gills, and this leads to a lot of deaths when octopuses are kept in small containers to be transferred to aquariums. They'll ink in self-defense because they're stressed, and then have nowhere to escape.

Also, related to predators; when an octopus gets its arm bitten off, that arm can continue to function for up to a day after being separated from the main body! In fact, it will continue trying to do all of its main functions; it will attempt to hunt, and if it finds prey, it will bring it up to where the mouth is supposed to be. This is because 2/3 of an octopuses' neurons are found in the arms, allowing each arm to act independently of the main brain, making decisions without even letting the octopus know what it's doing. This ability to function independently of the body is really helpful; an octopus can use four of its arms to explore a cave for a potential den, while the other four can go on hunting! Octopus arms also regenerate really quickly, in just 2-4 months, and unlike animals like chameleons that regenerate tails that aren't nearly as good as the original, regenerated octopus arms grow back almost identical to the original!

Octopuses change color using tiny pigment sacs dotted all over their skin called chromatophores. These pigment sacs are attached to muscle cells, and when those muscles contract, the sacs stretch and absorb more light, then reflect that light back in different wavelengths (there are explanations out there that make much more sense than what i just said gkfsbvsjgk, but basically it just means expanded pigment sac = color being more visible). They have a LOT of chromatophores, and allows for a very wide range of coloration. Those muscle cells contracting also allow them to change their texture, creating projections of varying sizes called papillae!

The corrected plural is technically octopodes, though barely anybody actually uses that, and octopuses is also correct and much more popular. It's because the word octopus is derived from Greek, and so the proper ending would be "odes", but when octopus was adopted into English, it was just given an English word ending, making octopuses. Octopi is the most common but not right because it's a plural for a Latin word, but octopus is originally Greek so it doesn't really work (use whatever u want tho i barely understand it myself)

thank you for asking about octopuses!! :)

#gavin rambles again #octopus tag #<- making that now

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hospitalterrorizer · 3 months ago

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diary318

8/2-3/24

friday - saturday

listening to jpop right now.

it is meg's album "step" and it's cute. pretty often though sometimes songs on jpop records feel like nothing, until the big ones come. obv there's groups where this is not an issue, other times it's more pronounced, but sometimes the albums w/ peaks and valleys in that way have really special songs lodged in them, or they feel that way by their nature i guess.

i really like the synths on this album... really good to hear stuff like this right now, maybe i should let myself make some more "regular" sounding synths or something... we'll see.

youtube

the art in the album is super cute, her outfits are awesome:

i really love all of these looks... i need some colored tights i think.

and wow, look at this album art for one of her later albums:

i really love this... i do wanna do more weird pattern-y eye-hurty stuff. reminds me a lot of black dice.

it's fun seeing stuff on here circulate w/ tags like "eye strain", all the pleasure of glistening / shimmering / oscillating noise and its spread, i've always liked that kind of intensity where it's kind of asking something of you, as you stare at it, but it's also kind of apathetic to you, it simply is that odd and excessive, at least that's how it feels when i come to it, maybe part of why i like it is something to do with nature documentaries and all the closeup shots of things too detailed and strange, magnifications, patterns made evident, maybe it does make sense, i used to spend so much time looking at bugs which were trying to pattern themselves so animals wouldn't eat them or would ignore them, being able to see them in the noise, or make the noise out of them, and then other animals as well, reptile scales, and then my stepsisters and all the garish stuff they adorned their rooms with. an interesting lineage there in things which are difficult to look at, or people say are difficult to look at but for me they're really nice.

oh videogames too, and crts too probably, sticking my face too close, the white noise, that kinda thing... maybe an early introduction to the impressionists also? the smeary/blurriness, excess of color and stippling, my mom was eager to show me matisse, and then art class when i was in elementary school was similar. gaudiness as a kind of violent eruption, beyond kitsch really, these very odd things, over-vibrant, i didn't know it at the time but it was imparted with a kind of sexuality, i didn't really know what i was seeing for instance in how frida khalo painted but i absorbed it. very odd times. not that the point is that it's special that i like/know this or whatever it's just interesting to get any kinda vision on the lineage there of what makes me able to like this sort of stuff... the beatles even, their album art, when i was a kid that stuff meant a lot to me, their movies too.

anyway, i saw something funny today, someone added my current screenname to rym, hospitalterrorizer, as an artist. it is an artist name too... honestly though it feels less like a project and just a thing i like calling myself. anyway it's just funny, it's someone who i don't know at all i'm pretty sure, i wonder how they found it, and why they decided to put it in there. i suppose it's for the best that it is there cuz it might draw more people to the thing, but we'll see, to be honest i sorta doubt it... but that's just meeee...

now i am listening to john cale's paris 1919, i need to finish this tomorrow, cuz i am sleepy and i need to sleep now basically. my sleep is so fucked up #lol. and i need to get back to reading soon. i just spent all of today working on songs, one of them i need to go in and lower the master send reverb, and the other's got a lot of fun progress made, imo, i got some new plugins which makes things a bit easier on me i think... a lot of really fun distortion sounds in there, excited about having all of that to mess with, to see where it goessss,

so, with that: a song:

youtube

one of the best ever, i think, i really love this one,

and now:

byebye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#Youtube

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coarsesalt · 4 months ago

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Well i'm not a zoologist or anything, I just enjoy watching documentaries and reading about animals, but females and males sometimes do fight over resources like food, but that's normal and expected. But it's between males where you'll find more antagonism and aggression by a long shot due to their higher levels of testosterone (testosterone is very linked to aggression and violence).

I forgot to write this before, and you can ignore this ask since it'll be just me rambling about random facts, but you mentioned non-penetrative sex as the norm in birds as a positive; well, most male birds have cloacas which means no penetration is possible, since they engage in something called a cloacal kiss to reproduce; that's their penis-in-vagina for them. The only male bird I remember having a phallus is the male waterfowl, and it's for very nasty reasons (a phallus makes forceful penetration without female consent easier basically).

But in general most animals tend to avoid piv when they're more pleasure oriented. Piv tends to be seen as strictly for reproduction, and yet another reason why the male seems more eager about reproducing might be that only he gets a guaranteed orgasm through it (plus passing his genes). There's also more homosexuality and masturbation in pleasure seeking species.

An interesting fact seems to be that sex outside of reproduction sometimes is part of the courting phase in some animals, like the fruit fly where males lick the female genitalia as one of the steps to gain access to them. Its also seen in some spiders and common for ungulates for the male to lick the female's vulva. In cows is also common to see female-female encounters where one licks the other, not only the males like to lick lol.

A while ago I read about this species of bat where males first spend around 30 seconds performing cunnilingus on the female, followed by 12 seconds of piv, just for him to end the sexual encounter with around 1 minute and 20 seconds of more cunnilingus. Aka there's 12 seconds of piv versus 2 whole minutes of oral sex. And this is quite common - piv is usually quite short for the majority of animals. We humans seem to be the only species that have placed too much importance on this sex act outside of its reproductive goal.

Another thing I forgot it's that females are also the pickier sex, this is the norm. Females will pick a male based on strenght, size, how colorful he is, how well behaved he is, how smart/clever he is... And so on, depending on the species. The male usually does not care as long as the female has a working uterus (in certain species males might actually have some standards, but the female is still the one that's pickier) . That's why I also can't stand when men are whining about women having "too high standards" for them. Like sorry, but that's how it should be! In fact, I don't think women are as picky as they should be, many times letting subpar males in their lifes and their bed 🤷‍♀️ it's unfortunately true lol, males better be thankful that women are not as picky as their female counterparts from other species, specially the birds, they'll hurl if they saw all the effort males put to get chosen by the female just to get rejected most of the time.

Anon, if you're still out there, please list some nature documentaries because some of what you mentioned (the lack of PIV-based sex that's meant only for pleasure for one). And this is wonderfully informative, also!

And I absolutely agree with your last point. I wonder why (unless the answer is social conditioning, and it probably is) women are so lax when it comes to their male partners who aren't particularly well-behaved, clever or colorful..

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bahamutgames · 9 months ago

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AFTERTHOUGHTS - ROUNDUP ROUND 11

February 2024

Hello hello! 2024 is already almost 1/4th of the way done right? That's pretty nuts. It's been a ROUGH month so far. But we'll keep trucking along!

I played a good bit this month but honestly I'm kind of feeling some burtnout so I haven't been blazing through anything seriously recently. So even in March I will probably play a little less than usual. But we'll see. In the meantime, there's still a good bit to talk about in February!

Also I just wanna mention... these are all a LOT longer than the usual length. I just keep having more and more to say about different games I play, and it might seem like I go on for a LONG time with some of them, but I promise I had less to say than I would with larger games that get their own post. Don't feel pressured to read ALL of it, right? lol

As always these aren’t reviews, just my thoughts, please play anything and everything I talk about if it interests you!

Sonic Rush (November 15, 2005) - DS

FINALLY breaking my way into the DS Sonic games! Rush is actually a game I played a loooong time ago, but I straight up could not beat the last boss of Sonic's run. I beat the whole game but got seriously and completely brick walled there. So I had to give it up, but, thanks to the power of cheating, I was able to finally overcome Sonic Rush!

Sonic Rush is, in my opinion, a SUPER cool game. Absolutely stylish as hell in a way only Sonic and the Nintendo DS could possibly be. It's got nice charming graphics, good models for the characters and good sprites for the enemies, some solid level aesthetics like Water Palace and even duller metal stages like Huge Crisis (GREAT name for a stage) felt unique and cool. The game feels good to play, everything works nicely, boosting is actually a huge help in 2D Sonic I feel like, and I thought the boost bar system where you can trick and hurt enemies to raise the meter was cool. I actually felt like there was a lot to this mechanic I didn't even fully explore, I liked it! Music is, of course, fantastic. This soundtrack is pretty popular and I totally get why. I ADORED the sampling in it, and pretty much every single song is a hit in this soundtrack. Some personal favorites were Wrapped In Black, Raisin' Me Up, and A New Day, but again they're all really good. I also really like the story, it's kind of simple, but I think it's really effective. I'm particularly really impressed with how it handles the parallel universe concept. Rather than having just Nega Sonic and the Nega Emeralds or something basic like that, you get a brand new character to be the alternate reality Sonic. She's completely unique in powers, personality, design, no connection to Sonic aside from being his AU counter. It's REALLY cool and way more interesting than just a purple girl Sonic which is what you would expect right?

However, I have one big complaint with Sonic Rush... It's that the game is HARD!! I have NO idea how I got through it as a kid! Some stages are filled to the brim with irritating death traps, and some stages can get a little long in the tooth, and those special stages felt impossible without the pause trick. But where the game really shows its true colors is in the boss fights. They are TOUGH and they are LONG! Like, seriously, I'm starting to think 8 hits is actually an INSANE number of hits for bosses in a 2D platformer. Some are easier than others, but some are just dementedly hard. I'm sorry to my younger self, I was NOT gonna beat the last boss of Sonic's Story. And if I did? I'd have to do it again in Blaze's. So die, I guess! They're not even bad fights, they're just way too long and expect way too much from you and can sometimes be a little annoying to land hits on. Like the Blaze vs Sonic fight (despite how bad ass it is) or the final boss where you have to knock the drones into Eggman. I also think the stages can be a little boring when they're too similar to each other, even if the game is short it is noticeable when you play the same stage twice.

But, yeah, while this game absolutely tested me and got under my skin sometimes, overall I'd say I had a very good time with it. I totally get why people are so obsessed with it. Is it my favorite 2D Sonic? Maybe not. But is it the worst? Not even close. I'm excited to try Rush Adventure cause I love pirates! And that's the only other non-port Sonic game on DS! Yep! No others! Cool stuff!

Mario + Rabbids : Sparks of Hope - The Last Spark Hunter (June 21, 2023) // Rayman in the Phantom Show (August 30, 2023) - Switch

2 for 1 deal here! I FINALLY got my hands on the Mario + Rabbids DLC! I was very impressed with the base game, so I wanted to try these side stories for a while. Let's start with The Last Spark Hunter!

The less interesting of the two, the Last Spark Hunter kinda was a little odd in my opinion? It's placed right before the final boss of the base game, which was odd to me as I feel like this should've been something that happens AFTER the game? You also go back to a previous planet, which was a bit of a bummer rather than seeing a new planet. I was kind of unimpressed with some of the overworld puzzles, and I personally thought the final boss, while good in concept, just didn't work. Or at least I couldn't figure out how to get it to work. The boss is immune to all damage unless you use bob-ombs to blow up switches, but the bob-ombs only spawn next to the boss, but if you're close enough to reach the bob-ombs, the boss will hit you typically sending all the bombs away, or worse all the bombs will walk up to you and instakill you. Idk I just couldn't figure it out. It's not all doom and gloom though, as overall I did enjoy this DLC. It's got a new warden who is really cute and hot, and even though it takes place on the melodic gardens again it felt very unique to itself. The battles felt good, the new enemies are absolutely annoying as hell but they look cool and I thought they weren't that bad. And Kanya... She's so hot, dude. I love girls with giant sharp teeth and eyebrows, and for some reason I just LOVED Kanya. She's also for some reason a character they decided to give panty shots of, and her underwear has a unique design on it. Sure. Why not. Thanks for the rabbid panty shot, not sure who came up with that but god bless 'em. And speaking of Kanya, while I didn't like the final boss I did actually really like the phase leading up to it where you had to run away from her mech, it didn't have the same issues with the bob-ombs like the last fight did and I actually really enjoyed it. Overall this DLC was good but I personally feel like it needed some slight changes to make it feel more impactful. Kanya deserved to really be her own villain rather than like a random footnote that takes place before the final boss of the base game.

Then we get to the Rayman DLC. I'm not a huge Rayman guy, I've only played one of his games (that I mostly played to get ready for this.) But... damn dude, this DLC blew me out of the water. The story isn't anything mind blowing, and the overworld puzzles were still nothing much to write home about, hell the villain of this one was full on recycled. But, I'm not kidding when I say this, Rayman is SO much fun to play as that this genuinely might be the better DLC just for his inclusion. All of his moves really play around with the gameplay of Mario + Rabbids in really unique ways. From summoning in items, to not being able to equip sparks to make room for alternative forms (which combine nicely with the summoned items) to having CRAZY movement with his ability to grab hooks, Rayman allows for some REALLY interesting gameplay. I was doing some NUTS shit with Rayman, and some enemies I actually beat in 1 turn using all his tools. I think Rayman might be one of the most fun teammates in the Mario + Rabbids series so far, and I genuinely would not mind seeing characters in the 3rd game take some inspiration from his moveset for how to shake up the formula even further. I think this one's story is also just a little better even if it's less exciting and lower stakes kind of. It actually takes place in a new planet, it takes place post game, I really think the movie set concept is funny and works well. And overall I had a great time with this one especially despite not being a Rayman fan!

Overall, both DLCs were good! There's certainly stuff I would have done differently, but both stories were fun and absolutely worth my time. Allegra and Kanya were hot if nothing else.

Kiwi 64 (December 30, 2014) // Macbat 64 (July 3, 2015) // Tasty Ramen Episode 1 (December 15, 2019) // Silver Trigger 64 (August 21, 2016) - PC

A 4 for 1 deal! A whole collection of games!! To prepare for Kiwi 64 : Doomsday, I wanted to play through all the Siactro games I hadn't tried yet so I could properly understand the deep lore when going in. They're all pretty short though so I'll just write a short thing about each!

Kiwi 64 : It's simple, but it's fun. Basically a tech demo but it was cool to go back to Kiwi's origins. You can absolutely see how they've improved in game making since this. Kiwi 64 massively improves the graphics, levels, and especially Kiwi's movement. But for one of their first games? This is impressive, and it's short enough that it's worth coming back to.

Macbat 64 : This one is a bit more interesting. It's also very short, and Macbat doesn't have as satisfying a moveset as Kiwi 64 still. But this one certainly feels like a more full game. It honestly feels on par with other indie 3D Collectathons I've played! And it's even got a pretty neat final boss battle which I wasn't expecting! I also appreciate them keeping all the super creepy shit as bonus post-game content lol. If you only play one of these 4, this is the one I recommend!

Tasty Ramen Episode 1 : This one was very interesting. It's a short horror game where you have to put all the comically oversized batteries hidden around the store back into the generator to return the power without getting killed by the cute bowl of Ramen. It's a little stupid, but honestly I was very pleased with this one. Death doesn't reset progress, and it's not actually scary which was HUGE for me! Where this one really shines is with the super nice PS1 graphics, and of these 4 I think this one does the retro low poly style the nicest. Even the anime cutscenes look scaled down to be on a PS1 disc, very cute.

Silver Trigger 64 : This is a Jam game and as such, is the shortest one. But a game is a game so I still wanted to shout it out. This is an on-rails shooter styled after Goldeneye, but I thought it actually has a pretty interesting gimmick to make the game a little more difficult. You're encouraged to shoot as little as possible, meaning you really have to pay attention and not have an itchy trigger finger. It's simple and really easy but I had a good time with it and I wouldn't mind another light-gun game attempt from Siactro in the future honestly.

Super Kiwi 64 : Doomsday (January 26, 2024) - PC

But all of that pales in comparison to the most important game release in 2024! Super Kiwi 64 was a pretty fun game I played last year, so I was VERY excited to learn it was getting DLC! A whole free story line no less! You love to see it!

Doomsday is very similar to the base game. You're still running around and collecting collectables in small maps with the same nice controls and graphical style. In fact the first level REALLY feels like a level from the base game. But I was pleasantly surprised with the new cowboy level! In addition to giving Kiwi a cowboy hat, it has new mechanics like swinging from a lasso and is a BIG level. Larger than any of the stages in the base game, with a lot to find. I was pleasantly impressed! I also REALLY liked the final boss! I think Siactro actually makes some really nice boss battles and I'd love to see them do more especially in the upcoming Toree Saturn.

But where this DLC really shines is the story. It's got nice cutscenes, and even full voice acting which is very surprising! And it even gives a nice little ending to the King Melon Saga which has played out over the course of Kiwi 64 and Macbat 64 (play them if you can!) The story is quick, this DLC is very short, but it gets a little crazy honestly lol. I won't spoil it, but it's just neat that there's like cosmic stuff in these games? I'm genuinely interested to see if the ending of this will tie into a potential Kiwi x Macbat crossover game where they... yknow... do what's teased at the end of this.

This DLC actually even goes back and corrects problems with the main game. Such as actual cutscenes like some actual context to the game and a satisfying ending. But even smaller stuff like voice acting and time trials! I particularly REALLY appreciated those new story scenes though because that was a BIG issue with the base game.

My only main complaints with this DLC are the complaints I had with the base game. Mainly, no maps for the areas, and no hints for the missions. Again, I get it if you don't want it in the first playthrough, and the worlds are mostly small enough that maps aren't required. But I feel like giving hints and maps as a post-game reward would be really nice and appreciated.

Other than that? Another Siactro banger, this DLC is free so if you haven't played it, or were waiting for a reason to pick up Super Kiwi 64, this is your chance!

Megaman Legacy Collection Volume 2 (August 8, 2017) - Switch

It's Mega Madness once again! I've finally played through Legacy Collection 2 and, with the exception of 11, have played all the Classic Megaman games! Unlike Legacy Collection 1, these are actually different enough that I feel like I can give thoughts on each on their own. So let's start!

Megaman 7 : Fun fact, this was my first Megaman game ever! I used to play it on the SNES when I was a kid, and even though I actually could beat the opening stage after enough practice, I never beat any of the robot masters lol. But now I've come back and beat the whole thing! I've heard this is the worst Megaman, but honestly? I thought it was fine. The sprites are nice (though Megaman's sprite is forever a Smash Kingdom character to me lmao) and the music is nice. I'll be honest though, I actually don't remember most levels in this game, so maybe that's not a good sign! I do remember the one that had Ghosts N Goblins references in it? And I remember the Wily Stages being really really annoying and the Wily Capsule being needlessly hard in this one. One thing I particularly REALLY liked was the ending, where Megaman genuinely wants to kill Wily but just can't bring himself to do it. I think this conflict of Megaman seeing that the only way to truly keep people safe is by killing Wily, and his very fundamental coding saying he can't kill humans is FASCINATING. But sadly, it seems to be a weird translation quirk because it's never really followed up on lmao. Bass is cool though.

Megaman 8 : I gotta be honest, I was actually kind of impressed with this one! I remember feeling like Megaman X4, even though I liked it, didn't FEEL like a Playstation game to me. This one though, kind of did. It's more of the same, and the anime cutscenes have some NUTS voice acting, like, more than the memes make you believe. But the actual in game sprites are NICE. Like, the mets have so many frames of animation. I think this game looks pretty cool! And I think having the robot masters actually talk was kinda neat even if it's a little pointless. I think the plot is neat too with the weird evil energy and what not. I do think some of the levels had pretty irritating gimmicks sometimes. Like the snowboard sections or the parts where you press buttons to get a little platform through lava. It's maybe not groundbreaking for the first Megaman on Playstation, but I thought it was neat. Getting to see the fan made designs for the robot masters in the credits RULED, by the way. I loved that. Also why was Aqua Man gay coded?

Megaman 9 : The shining return to form for the series after so long and... man... idk about this one. Some people told me they really loved this one, but idk man. I understand why they went back to the NES style, these games came out in an era founded on nostalgia bait. And I imagine it made the games WAY easier to make. And I was hoping these games would be visually REALLY good. Because Megaman 4/5/6 are true NES games, but looked so good I actually thought they were SNES games playing a trick on me. Sadly though, MM9 doesn't have interest in taking the graphics style of the NES games into insane heights with the new technology, and instead plays it safe with simpler aesthetics. It's a shame in my opinion. Also, the gameplay is massively stunted here in favor of trying to be more like MM2. That means no dashing, and no charging, and worst of all, no quick weapon selecting. It makes the game feel clunky after playing the whole series right beforehand. I think this game could've been more interesting if it tried to use the simpler style to push Megaman forward, rather than bringing it backward. I will give it genuine props though, they don't remove any characters from canon and all the bosses/stages are fully original. Which rules! Compared to something like Sonic 4, which was made with a lot of similar goals in mind, MM9 isn't totally soulless, at least. Though I think its story brings up some HORRIFYING implications about how robots are treated in this series, especially after stuff like the Robot Museum in 7. Idk.

Megaman 10 : That was a lot lol. 10 I have a little less to say about. It's very similar to 9, I have a lot of the same problems with it. But thank GOD there's a quick weapon select this time. THANK YOU. It also does do some interesting unique stuff with the series as it lets you play as Protoman in the main story, and even Bass if you beat the game. Similar thoughts with the bosses and stages. Very similar game. I think the story in this one is more interesting though with the Roboenza, I liked the plot of Roll giving up her medicine, I do think it's a little lame that Wily is the villain cause while his plan is REALLY good and evil. I think having Wily genuinely have to help you for real would've been cooler. This one is fine though.

WOO, that was a lot. Apologies. Overall, these games are fine but I did think they were a little tedious in ways I didn't find any of the other games. And I think that comes down to this collection just... Not being as good? There's so few accessibility options, the only one is more health, and this is the ONLY collection that actively shames you for using it as it puts a little logo on the gameplay, not even on the border. It's so frustrating and NO other MM collections do this. Similarly there's no rewinding, no save states, you're at the mercy of the game's checkpoints which can be really far apart. And you can cheese this system just as hard as it can screw you over. I'm not sure why this collection just randomly doesn't feel as nice as the others, ultimately I feel like I could've just emulated these 4 and gotten more ease-of-access options. Oh well. Still glad I got to play them I suppose.

Nickelodeon Allstar Brawl 2 (November 7, 2023) - PC

This game got a free weekend this month, so of course I HAD to jump on it and give it a shot! I enjoyed the first one, but was so burnt by how barebones it was that I barely stuck around to try any of the free DLC (and especially didn't bother buying any of the payed DLC lmao). So I was really not confident in this one despite how much better it looked. And when I first played this free trial, I felt like my worry was justified. I did NOT enjoy it when I first played it. I thought it felt odd, and the story mode was too hard and a roguelike (a genre I dislike) so I just was thoroughly unimpressed. But I wanted to try it with a friend of mine who was into it, and decided to play it with them for a few matches. And I'm SO glad I did. Because playing it with a friend made the game CLICK. And it clicked HARD!

NASB2 is a little difficult to figure out at first, but once I got the hang of it, I was actually REALLY impressed with it. For starters, it makes a TON of improvements over the first. Actual voice acting, actual items, actual stages with actual stage hazards, and actual costumes for the characters. It's a HUGE step up over the first. And this also really shows in the unique gameplay, particularly the Slime Meter. This mechanic is INCREDIBLY cool. It allows you to roman cancel and burst, I'm not kidding, just like Guilty Gear. This game feels like Rushdown Revolt with Spongebob. But it also lets you use the slime meter to upgrade your moves to give them alternate effects, which reminds me a lot of Killer Instinct 2013's shadow meter. And of course, it also has final smashes when the Slime meter is full. I actually LOVE this concept of bringing in universal traditional fighting game mechanics into a Platform fighter. It's fun, and it feels GREAT! It can make this one feel confusing and daunting, I personally still feel like I don't fully grasp the extent of this mechanic, but it is GOOD and makes the game feel GREAT. The game also just looks better with some AMAZING models and animations, there's nothing that really sticks out as being super ugly unlike certain animations in the first game like Spongebob's taunt. The animations and references here are seriously SO good and this one feels like it was allowed to be a labor of love way more than the first one was.

The story mode is, yeah, a roguelike. And I'm still not super fond of that. But I actually did have fun with it. I feel like I didn't enjoy it as much as I could've just because it's REALLY Danny Phantom focused and I've never seen that show. But it is neat and I was really impressed with the fact there's actual minigames, as well as the amount of upgrades you can unlock for your fighters, and the amount of enemies that appear in the story mode. Like, even Chum Bucket slaves from the Spongebob movie, really random, but cool! Where the story really impressed me was the fact that EVERY character has unique dialogue for the cutscenes, and Clockwork and Vlad (and maybe the other characters?) actually have unique dialogue in response to each fighter. This is NUTS! Like, I played as Reptar who only talks in roars, but the characters always addressed him as Lizard and would be like "Somehow you make yourself perfectly clear" and other silly jokes like that. It's small but it's neat!

The roster overall is cool but it's a little hit or miss. Both games have tried to be a little out of the box rather than just picking the big names, which is great. But you do get some odd choices like Azula being there but no Toph or Zuko being pushed to DLC so there's 3 fire benders and no Toph. Overall though, I do think their approach to odd choices works well like Grandma Gertie makes a TON of sense. They bring in some much needed series like Angry Beavers and Jimmy Neutron, and a lot of the characters are pretty fun. Spongebob is great, I think Jenny was neat. And of course, Reptar, who was my main in the first too, is back and is still FANTASTIC! But my favorite newcomer, by far, is Plankton. He is SO interesting to play as and has a ton of really unique moves. Like his up smash being a grab? Or his down smash being a projectile? It's SUPER random, but it's cool! This game is cool and Plankton and Reptar are genuinely fun and are so much more fleshed out from the first. Also, as a side note, I actually secondaried Garfield and Korra in the first but I don't like their moveset changes this time lol.

But yeah the game isn't exactly perfect. There's still only 3 costumes per character without unlocking anything. Meaning 4 player dittos will just require 2 people to be dressed the same. It sucks. The items also are not that interesting honestly? I'm glad they're here! But I feel like they could be forced into the match a little better? And similarly while it's GREAT to have Final Smashes, the animations in them are easily some of the least polished parts of this game. I wouldn't mind an update that really fixes them up. And while the roguelike mode did grow on me and you can make it easier with upgrades, I still think it's REALLY brutal especially if you don't play as your main. I straight up could NOT beat story on texas tough even though I was able to beat Arcade on it no issues. Each run is also just a bit too long for my taste. I think maybe instead of 3 individual worlds, maybe one world that's long but shorter than all 3 worlds separate would've been nice? And maybe some different world themes so you're not always fighting the same bosses and enemies. Idk. Also, still forever salty that they only use the 80's TMNT stuff. I get that it's nostalgic but it's also maybe the worst of the 4 cartoons and has so little to work with when compared to any other series. I appreciate that a lot of it is inspired by the beat em ups this time. But idk if you have to make April's final smash the spirit bomb, maybe just consider using things from outside the most limiting TMNT series thusfar.

But yeah! I actually ended up having a really good time with this game despite my initial feelings! I was actually kind of sad when I woke up on the 19th and the free trial was over lol. I'm not a huge cartoon watcher but I do enjoy them. I used to watch a lot of Spongebob on DVDs I rented from video stores and Rugrats on VHS tapes my brother had. I used to watch a lot of bootleg episodes of Invader Zim and Angry Beavers online. And genuinely, Avatar and TMNT are some of my favorite things ever created currently. And similarly to Smash Bros, playing this makes me interested in some of these other shows I've never seen. I've never watched Danny Phantom but Ember is SOOOO hot I might honestly have to check it out.

I talked too much about this one. Mr. Meaty for DLC thanks

Killer Instinct (October 28, 1994) - SNES

Oh of COURSE I had to play this the nano second it got added to NSO lol. For anyone who doesn't know, Killer Instinct is my favorite original rareware series, by a long shot. Killer Instinct 2013 is not only one of my favorite fighting games but one of my favorite video games period, and I have TONS of fond memories playing the original SNES version with the black cartridge when I was a kid. So I was very excited to play this version again even though I own the way superior Arcade version on my Xbox lol. Originally I wasn't gonna write anything about this but I just had to gush about KI for a bit.

I still love this game. Yeah, it's pretty inferior to the Arcade version. Yeah, it's been completely outdone by 2013 (play KI 2013). But there's still something so magical about this one. I still think it looks very impressive, the 3D is cool, I like how weirdly chunky all of these old designs are even if they are very 90's and not as good as the 2013 designs (play KI 2013). I love the crunchy audio from the announcer, voice clips in old games are always SO impressive to me. The music is awesome, even back on the SNES before Mick Gordon got here, the soundtrack is just so damn good! I played as Sabrewulf as a kid and I kind of hate myself for that cause he has so many charge moves which I suck at using lol. But I also found myself really liking Glacius! My main in 2013 is Spinal and I think he's better to use in that game (of course it's way more modern) but similarly my other 2 favorite characters (and probably the 2 I'm better with if I'm being honest) are still Sabrewulf and Glacius! Some things never change!

My only real issues when coming back to this version is that it's SO HARD! I played on normal difficulty cause... I'm cool. I like KI. I know what I'm doing. But DAMN, later on into the arcade ladder they will knowledge check the fuck out of you. If you don't know how to Combo Break (something I can't even do in 2013) (play KI 20-) you WILL get destroyed. And of course, I don't like a lot of stuff in it as much as I do 2013, but like it's from the 90's of course the design sensibilities are very different.

But again still it's so magical to come back and play this game I was so obsessed with as a kid and just remember how important it was to 2013 which was a game so important to me as a teenager. 2013's ost wouldn't be as good if Mick wasn't a HUGE KI fan. The designs for the characters wouldn't be some of my favorites of all time if the original hadn't made some crazy as hell character designs. And KI 2013 wouldn't be potentially one of the most creative fighting games ever made if some weirdos at Rare weren't like "hey why are there no raptors and aliens in fighting games?" way back in the 90's. This brand of creativity stuck through all the generations to give us crazy shit like Aganos and Hisako years down the line.

Idk where I'm going with this. I love this series. If you haven't tried KI because you're not an xbox guy, but you do have NSO, I IMPLORE you to check it out. It's still fun, it's still cool, it's still creative, I still think it holds up surprisingly well. I would love to trick some people into playing online with me sometime soon. Please get into Killer Instinct, it deserves your attention! The raptor can eat an ice alien, for crying out loud!

#roundup #2024 #thoughts

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