#bc there were a few odd shots here and there

[violentlyfeverish]

match play is so, so good holy shit. i didn't even mind the vertical format.

[mono-dot-jpeg]

big sister - hyun ju

summary; a big sister will always protect, but when will she be able to relax?

genre/extra tags; one shot, found family, fluff, hurt/comfort?, canon typical violence, i dont like the second season writing, but i can not deny myself this diva, that's mother !!, teen! reader, hyun ju is the only reason i decided to watch this season, slight canon divergence bc i have the mind of a goldfish, canon typical sad heavy conversations, big sister is written to be seen as the korean honorific "unnie", older sister moments written in the point of view of a younger sibling, unintentional love letter for my appreciation to my sister, reader is implied to be some form of lgbt but not out (im projecting)

[platonic] [gender-neutral reader]

[warning; mentions of transphobic ideas]

a/n; before people ask, no, im not doing requests for this show. i just don't feel fully comfortable writing for squid game. i just really wanted to write this because, believe it or not, i write for my enjoyment. even i do switch off here every few months or every other month.

dinner had rolled around after an intense "game" of life or death. how you managed to survive this long is beyond you. but you might have a strong idea of why you're living so long, and it was the strong woman who was sitting beside you with some of the other women who were surviving so far.

the old lady had pointed out that hyun ju was not like other people. and it really was odd to her. but hyun ju was used to that. more than used to it. she lived through it since she decided to come out.

you listen to the conversation, not really putting your two cents in as it seemed like there was no right time to butt in. but as the conversation continued, the mood was just a little lighter. and that was more than enough morale. the old lady seemed to slowly understand hyun ju and her struggle.

you've zoned out so much, you almost fail to notice hyun ju sneaking an egg onto your shabby given lunch box meal. you look up at her as she gives you a warm look before pretending that she didn't just do that.

you mix the rice with not much thought, spilling some bits of rice and egg over its metal container before you slowly eat. unbeknownst to you, hyun ju glances back at you as if to make sure you're actually eating and not staring off with a tired look that no teen or child should have. you've seen everything, you're part of this sick game, she may not know your story, but she knows you don't deserve any of the bad you've been through.

you're the youngest in the entire room, a room filled with people with insurmountable debt and issues. hyun ju can only imagine your worry, your anxiety, the burden.

when the first game got serious, you were trying your damned hardest to keep your fear contained under the watchful eye of that robot scanning every movement. she was right in front of you, keeping you safe along with the rest of the people who lined up with her. you look like you wanted to cry the moment you got to the finish line. if she wasn't full of adrenaline at the time, she probably would've heard how hard your heart was beating.

somehow, she had taken two people under her care. you and young-mi. how could she not care about a young woman like young-mi and a teen like yourself? two anxious people forced to live a life full of debt and pain when you both deserved nothing but comfort and love.

people start lining up in their beds for nighttime. gi-hun was very insistent on being careful at night. it was dangerous. some people were not behind just killing others at night to sweeten the pot of money that loomed over everyone's head like a golden sun.

as most of the adults started to climb in their beds, you stand awkwardly. you weren't a stranger to sleeping a room full of people, but you were definitely a little paranoid after what gi-hun was talking about.

you find yourself naturally gravitating to hyun ju. her presence was just so calming, and she was so caring for others. it was hard not to get attached. young-mi had taken to calling her big sister. and you found yourself doing the same when you call out to her softly.

"big sister?" you gently tap at her arm as she turns to look at you. she silently urges you to continue speaking with a gentle look. you can see the tired in her eyes, but she looks at you, unwilling to say no. "this is embarrassing..." you mutter.

"it's okay. i'm here." she reassures you.

"can i stay with you tonight? i'm-" you choke a little bit on your words, not only out of embarrassment but fear. "i'm really scared. i don't wanna be alone." you confess.

she softens, "i would love to let you, but it's too risky. if people come for us, it would be very hard to fight back. i'm so sorry, kid." she opens her arm out for a hug, and you take the comfort you can get in this shitty place. "i will do my best to keep you safe, alright? when we get out of here, i'm going to find you again, and we can help each other, yeah? i'll protect you."

you nodded with her words, not finding the heart to say anything. she takes this as a sign to start guiding you into your bunk bed on top. at least the top bunks would be somewhat safer for you. you hesitantly climb into bed. "if a fight breaks out, hide. run. just be safe. i will find you, and you'll be safe." she continues to reassure you the best she can.

"okay. goodnight big sister." you whispered. "please be safe."

"i will." she said with a calm confidence that only she could pull off that didn't make you feel worried for her.

you hope that you get out of here, so you don't have to see the worried exhaustion in her eyes anymore.

she was a big sister by heart and soul. you just hoped her big heart wouldn't lead her to her doom. she protects and gives, but when will she relax?

[scourgeofmyownbrain]

Megatron has been done already, now I, Starscream, get a Multi-Universal Height Chart done! I decided to bite the bullet and do another big one (tho none compare to the behemoths of megatron and optimus.)

Wanna hear something weird? Starscream is the ONLY (and I mean only) transformer I don't like. I have nothing against those who do like him, I can understand why you do. He's your pathetic little meow meow male wife twink man in stilettoes. I get it, I just.. don't like him... personally. Which is odd bc I have at least some level of affection for every other transformer, screamy is my only exception. Idk, anyway, here he is, and uh- enjoy.

Quick Disclaimer, if any of the images look weird, it's because I had to stitch a few separate images together to create a full body shot of the character.

Master Post

Listed Heights and Explanations below the cut.

Beast Wars 2 - ~8 feet (TFWiki, idk either, I'm never watching it)

Earthspark - ~12 feet (No Source, I got this height by first measuring Bumblebee to a barn door, then comparing Bumblebee to Optimus, then Optimus to Megatron, then Megatron to Starscream. This show does not have concrete numbers, so this is the best I can do.)

Unicron Trilogy V2&3/ENG&CYB - ~14 feet (TFWiki, for the uneducated, the Unicron Trilogy has given each of its 3 seasons separate names and 3 separate art styles. These are the designs used in Energon (S2) and Cybertron (S3). The Wiki had Cybertron's numbers but not Energon's, so for my own sanity, I decided the two were the same height.)

Gen 1 - ~16 feet (TFWiki, I love it when I don't have to put in effort)

Prime Wars - ~16 feet (No source, but it's identical to G1 so it's the same height)

Netflix Cybertron Trilogy - ~16 feet (Same thing as before, identical to G1)

Cyberverse - 18 feet (This comes from a screenshot of this video, which has the Cyberverse height chart everyone uses, though the quality of the screenshot is iffy.)

Knight/Capel-Verse - ~18 feet (We have like two scenes of this bitch and he doesn't stand normally next to anyone. I'm used my TFOne heights bc the scaling should be around the same, probably. If they ever give actual numbers I will be very happy.)

One - ~18 feet (Okay, so this movie doesn't have any actual numbers, aside for some bullshit ones from a Walmart Promotional. I've been using the Knightverse Optimus number as a baseline since these were at one point said to be vaguely canon to each other. And the Bumblebee-Optimus scaling is the same. This was so hard to get, we never get a clean level shot of Starscream next to anyone. I was able to guesstimate that he's around Soundwave's and Shockwave's height, but I can't be certain.)

Unicron Trilogy V1/Armada - 19 feet 7 inches (TFWiki, technically this is for the videogame, which is it's own branch of UT canon but I don't care. The designs are identical between the game and show.)

Aligned Cont. WF/FOC/TFP/RID15 - 24 feet 7 inches (Fandom, and even if they don't cite their source, I believe it. Look- every single one of these fuckers are massive when you pay attention to the show. It's a show full of freaks.)

Animated - 25 feet 6 inches (This number actually comes from @phoenix-inanis and the glorious calculations they have done on the TFA Characters. Go check it out, because animated has literally no actual numbers -> https://phoenix-inanis.notion.site/TFA-Height-Chart-f6ad2960ca8c4c5b859ee4958723aaa4?pvs=4)

Bayverse - 31 feet (TFWiki, everyone say thank you mr. bay for making my life easy.)

Not Pictured: Unicron Trilogy Second Pallet(s) - Armada: 19 Feet 7 inches, Energon: ~14 Feet (Only the colours changed, otherwise everything else was the same so it felt dumb to include them), Unicron Trilogy Giant Starscream - Unmeasurable (look you can't make me and it's not even a number in the first place)

Here are the layers separated.

[partycatty]

do you think johnny could kick a door down with his foot and how hot do you think he’d look doing it

johnny cage > kick the door down

short but sweet about him kicking doors in bc it's sexy

[ masterlist ]

okay but being a set designer for johnny's new crime fighting movie. he'd of course be the sexy no-nonsense cop that's full of one-liners and endless charm for the ladies. if there's one thing he loves doing, it's playing himself in media.

so you make a prop door, one that's hollow and a little lighter than a typical door. the scene calls for him kicking the door down to discover the serial killer caught in the act. as you're laying down the varnish, you hear a knock on the prop department door. he's standing in the doorway, admiring the rows and rows of wigs, weapons, and various doohickeys that gave the film life. he puts his hands on his hips and rests his sunglasses on the top of his head.

"i've been thinking," he starts immediately, stepping into the room and inspecting the nearly finished door. "i do my own stunts, you know? i feel like a fake door would look too... cheesy. let's put a real one in, love, whatdya say?"

you wanted to protest, to say something in return, but he's the star. you couldn't say no to his intoxicating closeness and sweet tone. deep inside, you were annoyed that he waited until now to propose the option, but considering you just made what was called for, you had to listen.

the door gets screwed onto the hinges, a heavy front door-type of material. you stand to the side alongside various replacement props, in case one malfunctioned or failed during filming. unamused, you're frustrated that the hollow door you created was now crumpled and thrown away.

the scene is prepared and brought to life. johnny clutches the fake gun in his hands, lifting one leg up and kicking outward with so much force, you realize the camera shakes. the crew tries their best not to gasp, and the serial killer and victim actor visibly jolt at the sudden sound. you also could have sworn you noticed a strange, glitching effect around his dominant leg, but that must have been the speed of his motion to distort your vision in such an odd way.

you didn't think he had it in him, to be honest. you didn't expect his kick to have the strength to knock a real door down, but here he was proving the point that it'd be far more effective than a shabby fake one. and god, you couldn't lie. it was literally the hottest thing you've ever seen. he barely even strained himself, the damn thing was torn in two within a blink.

it only took a few minutes for the shooting of that scene to end, ringing bells and clicking boards as johnny wiggles the tension of his character out of his arms. he strides toward you and the prop table with an all-knowing grin.

"how was that?" he asked, leaning against the wall. "pretty sexy, yeah?"

you nod and swallow dryly, feeling as if eye contact was an impossible task. he was toying with you, a lowly prop creator. he twists his top half to look back, chuckling at the assistants sweeping away the broken wood.

"the real door was a smart idea," you croak out in a desperate attempt to give a genuine compliment. "looked... realistic."

"realistic? honey, i split the damn thing in half! of course it was realistic, because it was real!" he laughs to himself, patting his chest as his nose scrunches. your stomach flutters.

in an attempt to escape the awkward closeness, you pivot and try to walk away, an attempt that fails miserably when you feel his large hand holding your wrist. your eyes trail up from his hand to his face, and you notice a smug expression that's more pronounced than usual.

"hey..." he purrs, voice dropping. his eyes dart to the side, making sure no other cast or crew was within earshot. "i can think of something else i could split in half." his toothy grin feels like a clothesline shot to the neck.

your face warms up so quickly you might've gotten clocked for having a fever. as you try to come up with something, anything to respond with, the A-List action star already laughing loudly and walking away with that damn swagger, pointing finger guns at the director and waving off audio specialists.

and you stayed where you were, in your tiny corner next to the props.

[jokeringcutio]

Hello! Is it possible to have a request on Stu step brother x reader ?

Both parents are getting married and Stu has crush on reader. But the readee doesn't bc step siblings, while the wedding is going on Stu wants to leave with the reader so he can get time alone with the reader. You can make up how the ending. :) thank you !

Rating: Mature ( No Smut version, but there is sexual attraction/desire, rather vanilla & sweet) Stepbrother! Stu Macher x Stepsister! Reader, Mutual Attraction, Drabble/Ficlet. Word count: 2357 (Mentioning of stepdad William Afton because I can, MUAHAHA) (Not beta-read)

AN: <3 I actually had a few drafts made for this one, including a smutty one, Might post that in the future. Hope you like :) For more [ x ]

The silk of your dress whispered against your skin as you stood amidst the throng of well-wishers, the air thick with the scent of roses and champagne. Your gaze lingered on the couple at the center of it all: your mother, radiant in her ivory gown, and William Afton, resplendent in his sharp suit. They sealed their vows with a kiss that spoke of promises and years to come, a perfect picture framed by the soft twinkle of fairy lights.

"Quite the spectacle, huh?" The voice next to you was tinged with amusement, but it couldn't pull your attention from the scene before you.

Stu's presence loomed like a shadow, his height a towering contrast to your own. You felt the weight of his gaze, hungry and unyielding, as he sidled closer. His hand darted out, quick as a flash, aiming for yours.

Your hand snapped back to your side, a barrier raised. "Not now, Stu," you murmured, your words clipped, eyes still locked on the new union that spelled change. The flutter of your heart betrayed a different kind of anticipation, one you weren't ready to explore, not here, not with him.

"Come on," he coaxed, a grin slicing across his features as he leaned in, his breath a ghost across your earlobe. "It's a party, isn't it? Let's act like it."

You knew the game he played, the dance of insinuation and suggestion. It was a dangerous melody, one that pulled at something primal within you – a craving you fought to keep caged. He was chaos wrapped in charm, and each encounter left you reeling, caught between desire and the whisper of warning that echoed through your mind like a siren's call.

"Later," you insisted, the single word a feeble attempt to ward off the magnetic pull of his proximity. But Stu was relentless, a force of nature that refused to be ignored, and you were acutely aware of the heat of his body, a promise of things unsaid, as he lingered at your side.

"You can’t leave me waiting,” he murmured, voice too close to your ear again and dripping with sin. It sent a shiver down your spine – a pleasant one.

“You know I love you,” Stu's voice slithered into your ear almost accusingly. “Sis,” the word was deliberately added, not a mindless afterthought at all. You could just hear by his voice how his lips must have turned into a smile, the word 'sis' wrapping around you like a cold shackle.

“Love and need you,” he continued when you didn’t interrupt. You felt his hot breath on your skin, felt the warmth his tall body generated weave through the layers of clothes. His hands hovered just above your shoulders, hesitating but eager to grasp.

You frowned, a crease forming on your forehead as you processed his words. Words that echoed strangely in the mirthful chaos of the wedding reception.

"Odd thing to say," you shot back, the discomfort bubbling inside you. "We're practically siblings now."

A smirk danced on his lips, his eyes alight with a perverse spark. "We share no blood," he retorted, his tone laced with dark amusement. "No laws of nature bind us."

So he was insinuating that again.

Your stepbrother-to-be had been making ambiguous comments, sinful innuendos and had shown no hesitation to touch you since you’d been introduced. At first, you had doubted yourself and thought you might have misinterpreted him as he loved to joke and fool around. But then you’d seen the evidence of his desire, had felt his soft lips pressed gently against your nape – and then your own. Stu desired you and no longer tried to hide it. You wondered if he ever had. But it didn’t matter now. You were family.

It was a game to him, one of forbidden fruit and shadowed intentions. His words hung heavy, luring you into depths uncharted and treacherous.

You turned, the hem of your dress whispering against the polished floor as you put distance between you and the man who wore the mask of brother by day and haunter of your thoughts by night.

"Where are you going?" his voice chased after you, a mix of curiosity and something more raw, more urgent.

"Anywhere but here," you replied, not over your shoulder but straight ahead, where the crowd became a blur and the lights a distant constellation.

Your strides were quick, purposeful. A getaway from the snare he laid with each honeyed phrase. But when you glanced back, there he was – a step behind, hesitation flickering in his gaze before resolve took its place. You scowled, a thing he caught.

“Can’t have my sister walk around unchaperoned,” he joked darkly, but you knew it was but a cloak to hide his true intentions. You looked ahead again, determined to ignore his presence – year heart already beat too hard inside its cage.

You made your way to the bar, the clink of glasses and low hum of conversation a soothing balm to your frayed nerves. You ordered something to wash away the taste of Stu's unsettling words.

He followed, a predator sure of his prey.

"Same for me," his voice slipped into the space beside you, a warm draft against the coolness of your bare shoulder. "And add a twist of irony, please."

Your eyes flicked to him, irritation threading through your veins. "Why are you here?" The words left your lips sharp, staccato.

Stu leaned in, close enough for you to catch the faintest hint of his cologne, an intoxicating mix of danger and desire. "I'm just like a bad habit, sweetheart." His lips quirked up at one corner. "Hard to shake."

The bartender slid two glasses across the polished wood with a knowing look. You took a sip, the liquid fire emboldening you.

"Is this some kind of game to you?" Your voice was low, a whisper meant only for him.

"Isn't everything?" Stu's eyes darkened, the humor swept away like dust before a storm. He placed a hand on your back, fingers splayed wide, branding you with his touch. "I want to show you something. Somewhere... private."

His words hung between you, heavy with unspoken promises. A shiver traced the length of your spine, and you found yourself swaying toward the danger he presented, moth to a flame, craving the heat even as it threatened to consume you. You should have said that you wanted to have a minute to your own – that you were looking for some peace and quiet to try and forget the heat that had collected between your thighs.

But you did no such thing. Instead of telling him to go away and leave you be, you rose from your seat at the bar. Your lips curled around the fizzy straw in your drink. You watched as his gaze followed to your mouth and darkened. You had him. And despite telling him his chase was futile, you wanted nothing more but the thrill of being caught by him – owned by him. Branded by him.

Gosh, you wanted him just as badly as he seemed to desire you. And wasn’t that something?

Your mom would kill you if she found out you were lusting after your own new brother.

Your stepdad probably might do worse. You repressed a shudder.

Stu’s heated gaze was fully focused upon you, he even forgot his drink. Your pulse quickened, betraying the calm you tried to project. Stu’s eyes slid up, holding yours, intense and unyielding. Silence stretched, a taut string ready to snap.

He wanted to take you somewhere private. The idea sent a thrill of fear – or was it anticipation? – skittering down your spine.

"Hey," he murmured, voice low, reading the hesitation etched in the lines of your face. "Don't worry about it." His hand found your arm, a light touch to your skin, leaving a mark made of heat and desire. You instinctively squeezed your thighs tightly together. Had he seen it?

But his eyes never left yours. You swallowed, the sound loud to your own ears. Attracted to him? Yes. But God, the implications. You were stepsiblings now. This could be a seduction you weren't sure you should welcome. Yet, something in his touch, gentle but confident, eased the knot of anxiety in your stomach.

"Okay," the word slipped out, barely above a whisper. It was acquiescence, an unspoken surrender to the pull you felt towards him, magnetic and undeniable.

Stu's face lit up, a grin slashing across his features, all sharp angles and shadows in the dim light. "That's my girl," he crowed, a possessive note to his voice that sent another shiver down your back.

Not sister or sis. Girl. His girl.

He took your hand then, his grip firm, and you let him lead you away from the clinking glasses and soft murmur of conversations. His excitement was infectious.

"Come on," he urged, his eagerness palpable, as he pulled you through the throng of well-dressed guests and out into the unknown.

~

The night had swallowed the remnants of the sunset, a thick blanket of darkness enveloping everything. Stu's grip on your hand didn't loosen as he led you through an aperture in the haphazardly assembled fence, out into a field blanketed with ghostly flowers. Their petals gleamed silver in the moonlight, like fallen stars scattered across the earth.

"Look at this," he breathed, his voice a blend of awe and something wild. You stared at the flowery field, amazed, at a loss for words. It was a wonderful and almost surreal sight.

Your gaze returned to Stu. His laughter cut through the silence, a sharp sound that seemed almost too loud against the backdrop of the tranquil night. Arms flung wide, he spun in a circle, face tilted to the heavens, completely carefree. His joy was infectious and you couldn't help but smile, the corners of your mouth betraying your attempt to remain unaffected.

"Stu!" you admonished half-heartedly, the word escaping with a chuckle.

He grabbed your hands, pulling you into a clumsy dance, two silhouettes swaying to the rhythm of nature's orchestra – a chorus of cicadas thrumming and birds offering their own serenade. The world felt removed, distant, like you'd stepped into a different universe where only the two of you existed.

"Come on, dance with me," Stu urged, his eyes catching moonlight and flickering with an intensity that left you breathless. You moved with him, awkward yet earnest steps among the blooms, laughter spilling from your lips as if you could no longer contain it.

And then, just as suddenly as it began, the dance ended, and you both collapsed onto the cool grass, side by side. Your chests heaved, lungs drawing in the scent of earth and wildflowers, as giggles subsided into a comfortable silence. Above, stars decorated the expanse of the sky, a celestial tapestry so vast it threatened to engulf you.

"Wow," he whispered, the single word a reverent echo in the darkness.

"Wow," you agreed, the simplicity of the moment wrapping around you like a warm embrace. It was dangerous, how quickly you found peace next to him - like stepping to the edge of a cliff not knowing if you'd fall or be given wings to fly.

Your gaze remained fixed upward, lost in the constellations. Beside you, Stu lay equally entranced. The air between you crackled, charged with a current that hummed through your veins. Electric and alive.

“Are you still reluctant to have me as your brother?” His question came unexpected, as a surprise, and you turned your head to face him.

“Huh?” You asked, puzzled. He was still gazing at the stars, one arm hooked underneath his head, lips curled into a tight smile.

“I never said I didn’t want you as a brother,” you stated, watching him – his expression giving nothing away.

“That’s Orion,” he instead said, changing the topic. Fingers grazed the cosmos, tracing Orion's Belt. His distraction worked. Soon, you spoke of stars, imagining all sorts of shapes and figures in there.

“And that one’s Myers,” Stu eagerly said, tracing his fingers across some stars that you had difficulty finding.

“Myers?” You thought of all the new names you had heard since your move to this new town. Since you moved into his dad’s home.

He raised a brow. “Michael Myers,” as if it was a grave offense if you didn’t know who that was. You did know, luckily, and easily retorted by telling him so and smacking his chest playfully with your hand.

He chuckled, catching your hand in his own and giving a feather-light kiss to the side of it before letting go. His voice was a low rumble against the symphony of night as he started a monologue about his favorite slasher movies - and all the lugubrious deaths in them.

"Scared yet?" He teased, a twinkle in his eye rivaling Polaris.

"Never," you shot back, the edge of your bravery as sharp as the sickle of the moon.

Silence fell again, comfortable, thick with unspoken thoughts. The world beyond the field faded - only you, Stu, and the sky's eternal gaze.

"Know something?" His voice broke the stillness, softer now.

"Hmm?"

"Always found the dark... inviting." Stu's admission hung between you, a confession laid bare.

"Because it hides or because it reveals?" Your question was a whisper, curiosity laced with an edge of fear.

"Both." His chuckle was dark, bittersweet, and smooth.

He shifted, propping himself on an elbow. The movement was done with predatory grace. His face hovered over yours, blue eyes piercing through the shadow, raw and ravenous.

"Can I kiss you?" The words, barely a breath, danced across your lips like a promise of something forbidden.

Your heart stuttered while your mind screamed at you to say no. Avoid this. But your skin tingled. Danger screamed in your veins, but desire drowned it out.

"Yes," you breathed, surrendering to the chaos he promised.

His lips met yours, a collision of stars birthing new constellations. Power and sexuality entwined, a universe expanding within the confines of a touch. Dangerous. Haunting.

Yours.

[sussusamogus47]

I just wanted to call to attention the board games in the final puzzle room, bc I haven't really seen anyone talk about them all that much.

I genuinely can't tell if they were all deliberately chosen for what they are, or if instead it was a case of what the set designers (of Genloss, not Showfall) could get their hands on, but the relative obscurity/odd choice of games makes me think that for the most part it was deliberate.

Lemme explain, starting with the most interesting one first.

Game One: My 2 Homes

This game is most notable because it's the one boardgame that Ranboo actually calls out by name, and one of two (if i remember right) that they ever interact with. What's clever though is how it could easily be written off -- Jerma asks the three of them for examples of things in the room, and he provides one. End of story right?

But consider first that the mind control over them has been getting stronger and stronger, and the past few rooms we've been seeing them become more NPC-like, interacting with things less and less, taking less of an interest in other things.

What makes it more interesting in my opinion though, is the fact that the game is meant to help children "communicate and process their feelings about divorce".

What does this mean though?

Well, looking at the verb definitions of divorce, there's two ways it can be taken:

You could make an argument for the first definition, sure. But just look at that second definition. Separate or dissociate something from something else. Aka Ranboo and reality.

Suddenly Ranboo's calling out of the game looks more like a call for help. To use the game for its intended purpose and say "I'm still here, please help me. I don't want this to continue."

I could be stretching here. But the subtly of it is really good, and imo wouldn't be out of place.

Game Two: Maul of America

The pun in this one is actually what made me notice the oddity of some of the choices of these board games. For those who mightn't know, the Mall of America is one of the largest malls in the United States.

The premise of this game is simple: You're in a mall during the zombie apocalypse, and have to fight your way out. One player controls all of the zombies, and each other player controls themselves, obviously.

The parallels here alone are honestly astounding lol

But wait, there's more!! Upon rewatching this entire section, I believe this is the only other board game that Ranboo ever interacts with. Even more interestingly, I believe this might be the only game in the room that has its pieces outside of the box and partially set up.

For reference:

Here's an image of the board + some of the pieces, courtesy of boardgamegeek.com

And here's the closest, best shot I could get of the board:

Notice the standing pieces, the flipped over ones, and their positions relative to one another. Red is flipped, blue and orange are standing up. One zombie is standing, the rest are flipped. Blue is by red, and orange is by a zombie.

Now I'm sure you know, but for Dramatic Effect ™ I'd like to point out the primary colours of each person's outfit in this room:

Red

Blue

Orange

So then, Ranboo, Sneeg, and Austin are obviously intended to be the players here, with either Showfall (or the founder) controlling the zombies. Sneeg's blue token is likely closer to Ran's red one to indicate that they know each other, which supports some of the other theories around that.

But then why's Ranboo's token flipped? And what's with the zombie?

Well this is where we pull into Speculation Station, because I'm honestly not too sure. I'd like to say that the flipped token indicates Ranboo's mind controlled state, but then why isn't Sneeg's flipped too? After all, we all saw him get forcefully controlled by the Showfall Crew. My only other guess is that it hints at the ending, where somehow Austin and Sneeg survive and escape Showfall where Ranboo doesn't, but I feel like that's shaky at best so idrk.

Similar problems occur with the zombie, too. You could say it's Ranboo being mind controlled by the zombie player, but then Sneeg should have one too if that's the case. It can't really be Jerma bc he's well, dead by this point. It could maybe be the camera operator? But we also see the rats behind the curtain so wouldn't they have one too?

I really don't know honestly. But I've been going on about this one for a while lol so I should probably move on.

Game Three: Anti-Monopoly

This one is basically what it says on the tin: Anti-Monopoly, or a trust busting game where players have to go around dismantling large corporations. Depending on the size of the company, (oligopoly, trust, or monopoly) you need one to three tokens respectively to take them down.

I'd imagine that Showfall is a pretty large corporation, so my guess is that the symbolism here is meant to be Hetch's (or even Ranboo's) intention to dismantle the company. If the former, it could maybe mean that Hetch isn't here to actually help Ranboo, but is instead using him for in order to dismantle Showfall, which would be a twist for sure.

Game Four: Twister Moves

This seems like a version of Twister with maybe a musical chair-esque aspect to it. Someone plays as the DJ and plays music, and calls out moves to the other players.

If I had to guess, this is meant to symbolize Showfall's control over people, and how they tell them what to do.

Miscellaneous Games

These ones I don't really have much (or anything) for, honestly. I'm mostly putting them here in case anyone has any ideas, or in case they're somehow relevant.

I also have to stop adding images unfortunately bc I've hit the app's limit :(

Battleground: Crossbows and Catapults

Interestingly enough I had this as a kid lol. Used to play with just the lil plastic castles and guys a lot, not really playing the game. Anyway, the premise is you use the rubber-band powered disc launchers on top of the castles to knock down the other team's guys. Apparently hitting their flag gets you bonus lives or something, so maybe that's relevant?

Star Wars 100 Piece Puzzle (1996)

I.. actually really doubt this one's relevant. It seems a bit too mainstream for it to be, and it's also a puzzle. The date could maybe be relevant? Piece count? Or somehow the characters on it (Luke, Leia, Vader) are, but I just can't think of anything that'd work here, so my best guess is it's a red herring.

Classico (??)

I literally couldn't find anything on this one that matched the box, so I'm at a total loss.

Closing Remarks

Well, I hope that was all comprehendable :D I spent the past two hours or so putting it all together, and honestly in the process of doing so found wayy more to it than I initially thought.

And with that, I bid you adieu!

[afyrian]

AAA OMG THIS WRITING EVENT IS SO COOL WYR!!! I'M GOING TO TRY TO REQUEST THIS CORRECTLY BUT IF I NEED TO CLARIFY PLEASE LMK <3

i'm calling natasha romanoff bc there's a cat in a tree and we need some detectives with osamu please!!! <3

greasy dinner for two osamu miya x gn!reader (fluff) m.list | wc: 721 | prompts: private investigators + forced proximity

    your knuckle taps against an old sedan's window, the driver's side window tinted. a brown bag is held carefully in your hand, the top rolled up as a little bit of grease makes its way to the bottom. your other hand keeps a hold of a drink carrier, two coffees resting diagonal of each other. you tap your foot incessantly against the asphalt as you wait for the window to slowly roll down.

  it cracks open at first, taking a moment to get halfway down. pulling down your sunglasses partway (resting on your face far too late in the evening), you look into the car and at the driver. "shot of espresso and a splash of cream, sir?" you rest your weight on one leg, your other foot pushing against the curb.

  osamu looks up at you outside of the car window, eyebrow raised. it's been a few months since you started working together. quickly, the two of you are starting to get used to the other, their coffee routine to what items they tend to leave on their desk. pursing his lips, he nods, "yeah, now get in the car before the suspect sees us."

  "right, right, like this doesn't look like a sweet partner getting their boyfriend a cup of joe?" you joke, walking around the front of the car to enter the passenger seat. 

  the street is empty besides a few parked cars, neon lights shining off of potholes filled with old rain water. harsh overhead lamps illuminate the majority of the streets. yet in your spot, there's an odd darkness emanating from the alleyway. taking in a deep breath, you open the door, handing off the drink carrier before sitting down.

  the old undercover car sports cracked leather seats, the cup holders filled with crumbs. looking over at your partner, he's already opening his lid, taking a sip of the blazing hot coffee. rolling your eyes at his kiddish impatient behavior, you unroll the bag, uncovering the freshly fried karaage chicken. along with a few extra side items that were added.

  "how many you want? there's like seven of them, decently sized," leaning back in his seat, osamu looks over at you, his eyebrows raised.

  "probably like four or three, depending on how many you want. i'm not super hungry if you want something," he shrugs his shoulders, trying to get a gauge on your preferences. 

  grabbing out the container, you purse your lips, staring it down. the grouping of comfort food sits slightly queasy in your stomach. "yeah, just like three of them. feel free to snack away, i know how much you love food. especially because that's the only thing you ever tell me," you look over at your partner, grabbing one of them.

  you've known osamu for a few months, the 'hardened' detective persona weighing heavily on his reputation. he cracks a joke here and there, but never, ever, will he talk about his personal life. the only thing he ever told you (on one drunken night in the bar) is he harbors of love of food and cooking.

  "the only thing i ever tell you? we're coworkers, what else are we supposed to know about each other?" he smiles, his outer shell that he presents to you slightly cracking. 

  propping your leg up, you finish swallowing a bite, giving him your own smile. "but we're also responsible for saving each other's lives.. i think that's a bit more extreme than 'just coworkers'. so, anything you like to do outside of stakeouts?" your gaze returns to the nightclub, searching for the same annoying blonde mullet. 

  "outside of the riveting stakeouts? cooking-"

  "and outside of cooking! osamu, you've already told me about that, give me something to work with."

  unable to look at you, he looks forward. gaze scanning every moving car, every door opening to reveal some other patron. swallowing his nervousness, he leans forward, hands dropping to his sides, "well, sometimes i play pickup volleyball games with my brother. he still plays, so it's something we can do together."

  "volleyball? would've pegged you as more of a rugby guy or something," you smile, nodding your head, making sure not to let him feel embarrassed or judged for his interests. especially when the thought of him in a jersey isn't such a bad thought... "but that's definitely a start, now, what team did you play for?"

a/n: ahhh thanks for requesting ness!! this was so fun to write 🗣️ gen. taglist (open): @eggyrocks @causenessus @applepi25 @softpia

[bonefanatic]

saw @llamagoddessofficial 's fae au and got inspired. i hope this is okay-

(not proofread) ((btw I changed the names bc im not calling them nightmare and horror))

The wind howls around you, biting at the exposed flesh of your face and hands. It reminds you, however, that you have hands and they ache as you flex them. Snow sticks to your lashes and melts, you can't tell if freezes to your numb skin but it doesn't do much to soothe your fears of freezing to death.

You pause, gaze wandering over the expanse of snow and trees. It takes a moment for your thoughts to thaw.

The wings trapped under your coat are a dreadful reminder as to why you are braving the cold. You were desperate, desperate to remove the curse that had been given to you.

The curse of being half monster, half fae.

This was your last chance and, truly, it wouldn't matter if you survived the cold. Human or dead, that's what you should be.

Your body started moving again, dragging through the snow. Maybe you should stop now. Just lay down and die.

Don't stop.

Something called out but you couldn't hear the words. You felt them, they felt warm and familiar.

Keep going.

And you did. You couldn't run, not with the snow this deep but you suddenly felt motivated to hurry.

I'm here.

"Thank you...", the whisper was lost to the wind and you forced yourself to project the words. To share them with the voice.

Find me.

You spotted a color among the greys and white of the snow, barely visible through the trees. Part of you thought, for a moment, that it was Eos. He had always been depicted with a single, bright eyelight.

But his was supposed to be the turquoise wasn't it?

You must be fading into delusions. There was no guarantee that there was even a person there.

But the light was, and it was blood red.

Panic shot trhough you, but even the adrenaline that made your body want to move did little to battle the cold that has settled in your bones.

In the few moments you had stopped in a panic, the light had disappeared along with the voice.

A thud came from behind you and you whirled around, almost stumbling.

A large being stood before you, towering over your frozen frame and grinning. It's red eyelight focused on you, washing over the snow surrounding you. The light glinted off metal and your eyes flicked to a large axe with intricate runes etched into the blade.

The monster made a low cooing sound, seeming to lower itself to your level.

"fairy..", It spoke, smiling still. The word put dread in your gut and you stumbled back.

"Don't- I don't want to die-" It's first time in a long time you had thought that.

The skeletal being tilted it's head, bringing a hand and tapping an odd rhythm on its cheek...well, bone.

"i...would never..", it lowered itself further and leaned a little closer, "hurt you..little fairy..."

It spoke slowly you noticed, as though considering and tasting every word.

Unsure if you could trust it, you shifted on your feet.

"I...need to get to Lord Eos." You forced courage into the words. "Do you know how much longer it will take...?"

The being, you should really learn his name, shifted again. His eyelight darted away and he opted for scratching instead of tapping now.

"too long..", he decided. (You were fairly sure it was masculine and just saying 'it' felt rude.) "the storm will slow you down...'nd kill you before you can..get close...and you'd need..a guide, if you..if you made it..."

He one eyelight settled on you again.

"i could....guide you...and help with the...storm..." He peers down at you, waiting for an answer.

You consider for a moment. You don't know if you can trust him. You have no way of nothing whether or not you're in fae territory and whether or not he is fae. On top of that, he's armed and, while he hasn't posed himself as a threat, he could probably be a very large one if he wanted.

But you're cold, cursed and desperate.

"You swear you know the way?" You're pretty sure this works on full fae.

He nods slowly.

"Give me your name and swear to guide me."

He pauses, eyes focusing solely on you like he can see your very soul. Slowly, he rises and you tense, taking a step back. He reaches out, taking your hand in a way so gentle you don't expect it from him. He sets it on his chest, about where his soul his.

"jupiter...swears to you, little fairy...i will guide...protect you...and guide...". His eyelights are all large and fuzzy.

"Jupiter...is your name?"

He nods.

You don't offer him your own, and he doesn't ask. It comforts you slightly to withhold it from him.

The two of you walk another hour or so, mostly in silence. Jupiter rumbles occasionally or makes a whistling sound and pauses momentarily.

You don't ask.

It gets dark and even colder. The wind has died down substantially, thankfully.

You reminsesce over the constant armth of the village you once knew and mourn the loss.

But, you persist.

You swear you see the warm light of a fire, burning not too far away and it makes you want to hurry. Your eyelids feel heavy and you try to brush it off, but eventually....

The ground draws closer as you fall and before you give in to sleep, you feel Jupiter snag the hood of your coat and grumble.

"silly fairy.."

It strikes an awful feeling in your soul and as you pass out you feel like a silly, scared, tired, little fairy.

[kabutoraiger]

last arc ep was very heartwarming. think i'd prefer if they hadn't confirmed yuma's return after only 3 months though and if ishido-kun had just been left wistfully looking to the sky where you see a faint rainbow foretelling his potential arrival or some gay shit like that.

mostly bc i prefer that sort of open endedness but also 3 months seems insanely fast to solve another planet's exploding sun problem. i suppose there could be like. time dilation going on? it was a year there but only a few months here? or i guess it's possible that 3 months were literally all those mfs had left and they Had to crunch to get it done in that timeframe.

overall arc was a pleasant newgen entry and also somewhat depressing & cerebral in certain eps which i appreciate. i got not one but two of my ultra hopes granted this season as there was finally another non-militaristic defense team and also a big central relationship to revolve the show around. and ishido-kun was the standout toku guy of '24 for me easily. his sensitive & awkward gayboy charms have bewitched me body and soul.

i wish i felt as strongly for yuma though... ishido's diary paints him as a real blueberry shot type of guy but that characterization just never fully came together in the show itself. and even if it had he would still feel odd paired with the imagination theme imo, which typically goes hand in hand with characters who are either 1. naive & childish/actual children or 2. artistic & creative. yuma isn't either one of those (none of his drawings are remotely recent) so there's this weird disconnect when characters talk about the power of yuma's imagination vs. the actual guy onscreen who's... rather boring, frankly.

one could say this was intentional and was meant to be like. through being arc he's working through the grief that dulled him and is reclaiming the vibrancy of self he used to have as a kid. but. i don't know, man. doesn't change the fact that he's not all that interesting to watch and part of me doesn't fully grasp why ishido is so in love with him. sorry babe for not getting your taste 😔

i think arc shows some further promise for the newgen formula which i'd been questionable on for a few yrs now. if we can get a more entertaining protag next time and maybe work the recurring plot in a little better we might be just about back in the saddle.

[callmearcturus]

sup i'm watching rogue nation and just analyzing physicality

i did this with fallout before, time for my fave

sue me but i do really like the IMF plant that ethan immediately imprints on at the start of Rogue Nation, the very slow way he approaches as they poke each other about music history, it's measured and its not direct, he's moving at angles. "Do you know why they called him Shadow?" "Because he had a very light touch." That feels like the call-and-answer to confirm he's IMF, but they immediately are vibing so strongly that it could just be a conversation. It's cute! it's also just fun for me to compare Oldthan versus Twinkthan, bc younger Ethan never felt approachable, he felt like an intruder to be handled. Older Ethan either knows how to turn that default intimidation off or it's not his default anymore.

When Lane makes Ethan watch, there is a completely unmasked rawness in Ethan's face as he realizes this plant he could have probably lingered around the shop to talk music with is about to die and it's a staged act specifically for him. She didn't do anything except be someone to hurt Ethan with. It's kind of an interesting play with the idea of fridging? That is explicitly what is happening here, it's a manipulation on Ethan, and he knows it, and yet it's going to work, it's a hook Lane makes him swallow.

ZOOM IN ON ETHAN'S EYES. like goddamn. McQ. /whistles

WHY DOES EVERY INTERROGATOR IN THIS SERIES HAVE LIL VIALS OF INTIMIDATION?

i am O B S E S S E D with the omnidirectional horniness of the Bone Doctor. there is an almost effete weirdness to him, he has super odd gestures. given how few lines he has, he still has a ton of interesting lil moments, like the putting his finger in his mouth to remove his ring, and the wink when he steals benji and the very off little judgy face when he unmasks benji later. dude is doing a lot, i see why TC and McQ were like "actually he's not gonna die in this scene, we changed our minds, we love the bone doctor"

ethan sees the omnidirectional horniness and sluts it up in response obvsly

FUCKING VAULTING UP THE POLE LIKE A LUNATIC

Punct pointed out that, like, presumably this was Ethan's escape plan the whole time, he doesn't do it until Ilsa is in danger, ergo he could have done it at any time, he was just hanging out to get some info from his torturers first. why the fuck is he like this. also that arm strength is truly 100% batshit

the fucking barefoot combat is so funny to me. yes obvsly both of them are barefoot for this, its a Shared Intimacy. we now know that in the original plan, Ilsa was in those fucking heels for this sequence until TC was like "take em off" so my question is was ethan in shoes before that? because if I was a weirdly astute actor-producer who understood the inherent symbolism of that motif, i would also make sure my character was barefoot to establish that thread of vulnerable connection to one of my two love interests.

lmao behind ethan in the phone booth is an ad for "unhurried massage and domination" its an ad for my fic actually

its small but the way ethan does not know where the fuck to go for a solid moment after everything's gone tits-up is nice. he has no plan, he doesn't know what his next step is. and he's been shot.

also Benji's interrogation scene is delightful

There is that moment of eye contact across the room that's like "well, here we are again" with these two, who have been covering for Ethan this whole time

and RIGHT before Benji starts lying out his ass with grace and poise, there's just this tiny smile of acknowledgement on Brandt's face, it's like two frames before the cut happens, but it just speaks to how Brandt is fully aware that Benji is going to pull this off like he does every fucking week

Rogue Nation really is Benji's movie, full stop

also he is so genuinely happy to be going to the opera. like, he's an IMF ghost, he should be ultra suspicious of winning a sweepstakes to get tickets in the mail, but he doesn't care, his job is miserable and he loves theatre so much he'll take the win

[riseofthecommonwoodpile]

Hi Izzy! I remember back in the day you were a big fan of Sunspring and wrote a beautiful piece discussing it and talking about AI art. Do you think any AI art has surpassed Sunspring? Have changes in the development of AI changed your perspective on it at all? Asking bc I love that essay and I’m very curious :) thx

(context for those who don't know, Sunspring is a short film made about 8 years ago that used a relatively early LLM to generate its script, which was then filmed with a real cast and crew. if you want to watch it here it is, it's about 9 minutes, i highly recommend it)

i've thought about Sunspring a lot as AI art has become such a big topic in the past year or so, and I think the pieces i wrote about it i still stand behind, though i got a few things wrong that i'll bring up when i answer the second question.

to answer the first question: i personally haven't see any AI art that has impacted me emotionally nearly as much, but i also kinda dropped off watching new movies (most of the new-to-me movies i watch are found footage horror movies, 70's porno-chic also-rans, and shot on video movies from the 90's), and i would wager that, if i could somehow experience all of the AI art that exists, there'd be something that hit me in the same way again. there's too much of it for that not to be the case, and too many genuinely creative people experimenting with it. that said, what was so beautiful about Sunspring was how imperfect the tech used to create it was. Almost all of the script makes grammatical sense, but the way it flows, the directions sentences go, the phrasing used is so strange that the friction between the failures of the tech to be truly convincing and the actors trying to bridge the gap to make it still work is what was exhilarating and moving. as the models have gotten better and better, as the rough edges smooth off, that tension so often has just faded into a bland beige unflavored oatmeal of average aggregate language. some of the phrases in Sunspring that have stuck with me the most ("I think I could have been my life", "Whatever you want to know about the presence of the story, I’m a little bit of a boy on the floor.", etc.) wouldn't be created by any of the most popular LLMs today. they're too idiosyncratic, the phrasing is too odd, the grammar almost but not quite there. the plot is surreal and associative, the structuring bizarre and dreamlike. the lines Sunspring ends on— "He looks at me, and he throws me out of his eyes. And then he says he’ll go to bed with me."— are some of my favorites in any film, and it's because they are abstract, poetic, like the computer stumbled upon a phrase so evocative that no written-by-committee script would've let it through. he looks at me, and he throws me out of his eyes. this man who is supposed to love me looks at me in a way where his love of me has gone, where i'm barely even seen as me. it's not the kind of sentence most modern LLMs, with their focus on being convincing, are designed to create.

as far as the second question, i think the biggest change in my perspective is how my belief in the technology, both good and bad, has curdled. i bought into the hype that the technology would progress to the point where screenwriting could be turned into an assembly line, and maybe after that the rest of the parts of filmmaking as well. i had hoped it would become a new collaborative process between human and technology, and i feared it would become a way for movie execs to pay people less and eliminate jobs. the first i haven't seen much of, and the second, while certainly the dream of so many boosters of the tech, has largely been a failure (though plenty, plenty of people have still lost their jobs to LLMs despite that, and as a labor issue i still think it is a very important area of focus). i was too caught up in the possibilities that i didn't bother to research who was making the tech, where the money was coming from, what growth in the sector would look like materially, etc. i still believe LLMs can be used creatively, but most likely any interesting art coming from them will emerge out of models custom-molded by artists to have some of those same rough edges i loved in the first place. i think, in terms of mainstream film, any use of AI is in service to the same bland competence the rest of the industry is mired in, a determination to make products for everyone that inevitably become products for no one. i've become a lot more cynical about the trend towards mediocrity in entertainment, and that cynicism is due at least in part to much of what i've seen come out of the AI space. i do not have a knee-jerk hatred of the tech, but it has not at all panned out how i had hoped or dreaded.

[ghnosis]

my spoiler-free review of RHRH, a neutral-to-negative take

most important point: I had fun at the ghovie

there are not plot spoilers below, but if you want to go in totally totally blind, don't read below the cut!

important note: I don't care for the Chapters. I don't watch them, they're not my kind of humour. I was curious to see how Tobias would spin the ghovie - most people aren't aware of the Chapters or of the entirety of the backstory, and most people won't care about that stuff. my biggest question going in was how is Tobias going to make the die hard fans happy AND make this an accessible experience for the more casual fan?

spoiler alert: in my opinion, he didn't! the Guardian review is evidence of this, though its tone is typically pissy. RHRN is weighted towards the big-time ghestie.

there was a brief attempt at the beginning to explain the legacy of the Emeritus family, but it outright states that Nihil was "the first one," which ("my father's father's father-") isn't the case. oversimplication for the sake of runtime, sure, fine, but I have OCD and this stuff bugs me.

as a concert film, RHRN fails for me. eyeing the runtime and my knowledge of shows, I figured RHRN would start with 25ish minutes of silly Chapter skit stuff, then 2 hours of ritual. I assumed this order would be good for physical/streaming sales - if you put all the stuff nobody but the die-hards care about in the beginning, it's easily skippable. nope! the chapter/skit stuff is throughout the film, breaking the immersion of the concert experience.

I use Green Day's Bullet in a Bible as a measuring stick for this sort of thing: watching Bullet in a Bible does feel like seeing an enhanced experience of a Green Day show. watching Nirvana on MTV Unplugged feels like (I imagine - I was a toddler at the time) seeing Nirvana play live. hell, watching Riding in Vans with Boys feels like seeing blink-182 live. I want a concert film to give me a better angle of the show itself than I could ever possibly see live, plus some behind the scenes stuff. I don't feel like RHRN provides a good ritual experience. one thing I personally think about a lot in this fandom is the multimodality - we can't all afford to go to a ritual, especially as Ghost plays huger and huger arenas. if you were hoping RHRN would be like a recorded ritual, it is not. this feels like a big missed opportunity to me.

the sound mixing is not what I would expect from a film like this. I saw RHRN in a theater where I also saw Dune II and a few Star Wars. I literally had a headache leaving Dune bc it was too loud. but RHRN was too quiet. there is no sense of "wall of sound" in the recording, which fucking sucks; this is a mixing/editing issue. every time I turn on American Idiot or Bullet in a Bible, my ears get blown clean off. hell, every time I turn on Impera, my ears get blown off. this is possible! it just wasn't done here.

the film editing is erratic. shots were sort of stapled together - one moment it would be a Dewdrop solo and then two seconds later he was somewhere else on stage entirely, or ghouls had moved around behind him in a way that broke my flow. for a stage show as choreographed as Ghost's, this seems weird at best. I'm willing to concede that I have OCD and stuff like this might bother me way more than it bothers you... but I heard murmurings of similar opinions as we all left the theater.

the camera doesn’t linger on an individual Ghoul or Papa as long as it should. the distribution of Ghoul time on screen is also... odd? Dewdrop takes center stage, with Phantom/Aeon a close second. Mountain lovers got great food. there was.... okay? Cumulus content. I felt a distinct lack of Cirrus, Aurora and Swiss. we were denied any shimmies!!! as we were leaving I heard someone say "I starved." there was not enough swiggity swooty.

the erratic editing also means you really can't focus on your fave ghoul, because the close-ups keep moving around. Dewdrop hand lovers, you will eat. Rain only gets a big-deal closeup during "Con Clavi," which is to be expected but is also a bummer. we do get the classic Dew pissy pick throw, a middle finger, and a flash of YouSuck, but the ghoul on ghoul interaction isn't really present in the film. each ghoul felt isolated to me; the interaction is what I love at a Ghost show.

the crowd shots are gorgeous but are also inauthentic to my experience as a Ghost fan - lot of really conventionally pretty gender conforming white women in the audience. "it's hollywood, blah blah-" shut up. the experience of looking around my theater at all the beautiful true humanity was way more fun than the crowd I saw on screen. any Ghost show I've ever gone to has literally every possible segment of humanity in it. SHOW ME THE QUEERDOS TOBIAS. WE PAY YOUR MORTGAGE. there *is* one person in makeup and braces who I loved, and there's one long shot of a face literally just like :O during I think Cirice? which, mood.

credit where it's due: there is a truly cool effect where Häxan (1922) is showing interspersed/on top of the band playing "Year Zero." this ruled. it felt like it took editing hints from Bram Stoker's Dracula, the movie of all time for me. "Twenties" ruled. "If You Have Ghosts" was fucking haunting - that (opera?) singer was incredible. wished I saw her name!! cello ghoulettes 100/10. skeleton dancers 1000/10. they put their whole pussies into it. there are a ton of waving Plushias and Popias and they all look as off-brand as possible, which is great.

tl;dr. RHRN fails as a concert movie for me, but going to get my little popcorn bucket and sippy cup, and picking an outfit, and seeing all the ghesties in our finery at the theater was fun!!! the air in the theater felt like the air before a ritual. hearing people giggle at the jokes, even jokes that didn't land for me, was fun. hearing the reaction to the plot stuff was fun. if you are a casual Ghost enjoyer, I don't recommend seeing the movie - but if you hate the Chapters but like Ghost, I don't think the chapter parts will be too much/too prevalent for you to enjoy it. try to go when the theater is full, so you can get the best experience possible.

[femmmie]

Love your whumptober so far! Could you do another Courtney whump that’s more Shourtney focused?

Okay I'll do a bonus one today bc this is actually part of my 25k fic "THE ISLAND" and it takes place as president Ian (lol) and his campaign team Shayne and Courtney fly over the ocean in Air Force 1.

Read the entire fic here

Ian, Shayne and Courtney entered Air Force One. They were headed to a foreign country to broker peace talks and try to get some sort of ceasefire deal.

“I love the country,” Courtney said. They were absolutely rocking a hot pink blazer and shorts. “But I don’t see how we’re going to stop this conflict… it’s gone on for so long.” They looked out of the window as the plane ascended.

“Yeah, and the people are so friendly! Why is it that good people elect terrible leaders so often? No offense, Ian.” Shayne shot Ian a playful smirk.

“None taken, man. Just wait until I decree statues of myself all over the world, with a huge dong of course.”

“Actually, that would be pretty awesome.”

Ian and Shayne often bantered like this, and Ian found some solace in it. But even so, he would love someone who would shock HIM with something outrageous. And Shayne had tried but never succeeded, at least not yet.

“It would be, right?”

“Guys!” Courtney said fake-exasperated.

After a few hours had passed, Ian looked out of the window. He saw blue skylines in every direction. And he got an awful feeling in the pit of his stomach. Was this it?

He tried to act cool. “Shouldn’t we be there yet?”

Shayne was totally relaxed. “Maybe some high-altitude winds or something?”

“Only high-altitude wind here is Courtney’s passing gas all the time.”

“Hey!” Courtney protested with a burp.

Shayne kissed them on the cheek.

“Yall are disgusting,” Ian joked. But he couldn’t help but feel like something was off.

“We haven’t heard from the pilot once yet, right? I find it a bit odd. Could you check with them on why we’re taking a detour?”

“Sure!” Shayne walked up to the cockpit.

~

They were falling, fast.

“What’s happening?!”

Courtney stumbled towards the cockpit where Shayne had disappeared just moments ago. Where was he? But then they heard shots, and a couple of loud thuds.

“Shayne!” Courtney shrieked. “Shayne!!”

No answer. The door of the cockpit was locked.

The oxygen was quickly running out and their vision became blurry. They banged their fists on the closed door, then tried to claw it open.

“Shayne, honey… please hold on… I’m… I’m on my way…”

~

What was left of the plane, was quickly filling with water and beginning to sink.

A black boat appeared out of the thick mist that lay over the water. And a guy dressed in all black dove in. He was under for a long time.

Tommy nearly fainted as he held his breath, standing on deck. He really didn’t like the sea. He did respect it, he wanted the best for it, but he didn’t want to be in, on or even near it. And he certainly didn’t want Spencer to risk his life diving around a sinking plane.

Tommy and Spencer had been stealthily following a speedboat. But their plans had dramatically changed as they saw Air Force 1 fall out of the sky.

Spencer immediately went into GI Joe mode. It was like a switch had flicked inside of him. From goofy and lovable back to being a dangerous spy.

He resurfaced with not one but two people. They were both unconscious.

Panting, he handed the bodies to Tommy. “Do you know CPR?”

“Uhm, uhh..” Tommy was stuttering. “Y- Yes, I am OSHA-certified…”

“Quickly, save their lives, I’m going back in.”

“But Spe-” and he was gone. Damn.

Tommy tried his hardest. The first person, a beefy blonde guy, barfed up some sea water and came to his senses. At first, he just blinked and tried to reorient himself. But then he saw the other person. He jumped up.

“Courtney!” Shayne cried, horrified.

“I’m going to try to get her back,” Tommy tried to reassure him.

Shayne kneeled at Courtney’s side and squeezed their hand. He was bleeding but he only had eyes for his beloved Courtney. Tears ran down his face, or maybe it was water still running down from his hair. “Please, save them…”

Tommy kept pumping, blowing air into their lungs… Shayne screamed, it was horrible to see someone so distraught up-close.

Finally, a whole heap of water catapulted out of Courtney.

They slowly opened their eyes. “Hmm, still better than My Favorite Coffee.”

Shayne took them into his arms and hugged them so tightly, Courtney winced.

“Oh no, I’m so sorry, honey, are you okay?”

“As okay as you could be after a plane crash, I guess.” They said it so matter-of-factly that both Shayne and Tommy laugh-cried.

“Thank you so much, mister, for helping us. What an incredible coincidence that you just happened to be here!”

“Yeah, about that…” Tommy began, but Spencer resurfaced again.

“We have to go,” he said urgently.

“Where is the president?!” Shayne and Courtney protested.

“The president?!” Tommy gasped.

“NOW!” Spencer commanded and shuttled all of them into the cabin of the boat. He went out on deck once more and released a couple of lifeboats.

“That’s the best I can do for now, president Hecox, I’m sorry. But I’ve met my match.”

Spencer couldn’t believe it. All his years of experience couldn’t have prepared him for this.

There were several adversaries on board the sinking plane. How that could even happen was beyond him. But he fought most of them off easily, his martial arts training paying off handsomely.

Only one of them remained. Spencer had a hard time cornering him.

It wasn’t even a guard or a terrorist. He looked like some tech-bro or something. a sickly pale skin color, bags under his eyes… but a terrifying fire lay within them. Spencer had never known fear until he saw that face. His entire body told him this man was dangerous.

They brawled for a while but neither of them could get the upper hand. Until the guy took a can of gasoline that was randomly aboard the plane and got a golden anime-boob lighter out of his wet jorts.

“But the president is still out there!” Spencer had shouted, catching the guy off-guard.

“He’s still out there?! Okay, that’s even better!”

Dave licked his lips maniacally, and spat, “I am going to blow this shit up, so you better run, boy!”

Spencer was ashamed to say that he did run.

But there was still no explosion. Should he turn back? Had he failed? Spencer’s world was spinning.

A warm hand touched his shoulder, bringing him back to earth.

“Spencer?”

“Oh. Hey.”

Tommy hugged him.

“Thank you for keeping me safe.”

“Thank you for saving those people’s lives.”

“We saved them together…” Tommy walked his fingers around Spencer’s neckline.

“I was pretty awesome, I’ll admit. It kinda felt like a Solid Snake mission.”

“Oh my god!” Tommy couldn’t help but laugh. Why was this FBI-agent also a gamer?

“Hey. Want an ice cream?” Spencer caught him off-guard.

“We have those on board?”

“Of course.”

Tommy blushed. “Spencer… you know exactly what I need.”

“Do I, now?”

Tommy got all four of them ice cream.

[theatrevelyan]

Ok, I’ve binged the new ATLA live action and I have feelings about it so here are my incoherent thoughts! (SPOILERS btw!!)

I’m a fan of the original show and I approached this show with low expectations (namely the only expectation I had was “this can’t be worse than the movie, right??”) but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised!!

I mean sure some details have been changed to flow better in this rendition of the story but I’m fine with that so long as the heart that made the original special is still there and I know some people didn’t felt like it did but I had the feeling that it was.

Do I love absolutely everything about the show?

Nope.

I have some issues with the first episode being too stiff and some shots were outright weird?? Like the tilted camera when Grangran was speaking was a really odd choice??? Was it to signal that the world changed when the fire nation attacked? If so it missed the mark, it just felt weird… to be honest Grangran in general felt weird. Idk man, she felt like an exposition dump made flesh. Also I did like it better when it was Katara’s unchecked emotions that led them to Aang.

In general, the dialogues were… uhm, how to put it…? Too rigid? Not the acting mind you, but the actual script felt a bit stilted, I felt it more in the first few episodes but to me, the first episode is by far the weakest of the season in this regard which is odd since it’s your hook and most of the time you want to make sure the hook is if not the best at least a really solid opening.

I did not like Bumi, like at all. He was never a favorite of mine even in the original but still I found him annoying in this version and the fight in that episode was not the best to say the least but the rest of Omashu was good even if they changed it to include both Sai’s and Jet’s storylines. Too bad they didn’t include the loss of culture subplot for Aang but I get there was no time/place for it in this version of events and the rest was handled well… except for Bumi lol

On the more serious complaints… they butchered my boi HeiBai!!! That episode was all over the place in sense of scripting. I didn’t mind putting Koh and the owl there but we just forgot about the HeiBai plot along the way and we never got a resolution about it???? Like just two lines about healing the forest would have been enough, not good mind you, but enough.

Also I did not get why they changed the motivation for going to the North Pole from going there to train to go there bc of Kyoshi weird premonition thing or why Roku didn’t tell Aang about the comet????

Like ok the Kyoshi thing I can just wave it away like a minor change to flow better with the new structure of the episodes but I can’t ignore the fucking comet!!! That’s like a really important timeframe for the gaang to follow and maybe they will get to it next season since it was addressed on Ozai’s side of things but it felt still like a weird change.

Oh and why didn’t Aang learn water bending??? I mean I guess they probably wanted to elevate Katara’s skill level and have her be recognized as a master before she started teaching him besides him having still to come to terms with having to accept that he is the avatar and that he has to fight sometimes something that he doesn’t really do until the season finale and I can get behind that, I really can… but man… let him water bend just a little. Maybe in just one scene to show that he is picking up something from Katara even if she’s not his teacher yet. To show that despite all the doubts he’s actually trying to do what he’s supposed to. I guess this is a “wait and see” kind of change though so I’ll let it go… for now.

All that said, do I think the show is a good adaptation of the original?

Fucking yes.

It has its flaws for sure but there is also a lot of good things in it.

Sokka was the highlight for me. I really liked him in the original but i feel like he’s been elevated in this version of the story and the actor did a really remarkable job with him, despite my worry with the changes in his initial story arch they managed to give him another layer that I liked.

Actually all the actors did a very good job! Aang was spot on and Zuko had a lot more humanity in him from the start without losing his rough edges. And while I stand by that Sokka’s actor is the one that surprised me the most, Zuko’s was the one I had more fun watching. A really great performance in my opinion.

Iroh was a fucking delight and an emotional gut punch as always and while he was a bit more somber I really liked this version of the character.

They did Azula and Ozai justice showing how cunningly terrifying and utterly toxic they can be and I really liked that we got to see more of them in season 1.

Hell, even Zhao felt the right balance of unhinged cartoony villain and actual threat for the pov characters.

Katara was more of mixed bag for me. She’s my favorite character in the original (with Zuko being a close second) so I have higher standards for her and overall all she still feels like the Katara that I know and love but idk sometimes she felt too poised?? It’s more evident in the first few episodes to be fair and I don’t think it was the acting, the actress was great! Maybe it was the direction or the writing?? Idk man I still loved her, mind you, but in the original, Katara, while being kind and loving, was still a force of nature that you do not want to anger exactly like a raging river that can both be a source of life or a force of destruction. In this it felt like they softened her edges a bit too much. That might be a me problem though, as I said she’s my favorite so I have higher standards for her.

Ti be honest though, it seems that they softened everyone’s less palatable traits. Zuko isn’t as ruthless, Sokka isn’t sexist at the start of the season, Aang isn’t as goofy and so on. I didn’t mind it actually and most of the time it works really well in showing us new sides of these characters without losing who the are but idk man… while I still loved Katara it felt like she was missing something. And same with Suki! She looked fantastic and she was fierce as I expected her to be but she also felt more naive and love struck that she should have. Nothing terrible but enough to notice.

The bending was fantastic and it really felt… well real. Especially air bending! Appa and Momo were really well animated too! Big win for the VFX team!

The music too! It just felt right. And I’m still not over those scenes when you faintly hear leaves from the vines play in the background. Curse you and your great choices that made me actually cry my eyes out like a baby!

In the end I’d give it a solid 7/10. It was a nice watch and it brought me back to my childhood and I can see it’s potential to be something special on its own.

Mind you, this could still turn into a dumpster fire along the way. It wouldn’t be the first time it happened to a really promising Netflix show (I’m looking at you Voltron and the Witcher) but I have to say, I’m gladly surprised and mildly optimistic about this show!

[patrickscervix]

My favorite allegation from the Reddit lady is that patrick wrote fanfiction about him and her while flying somewhere? I don’t at all believe that for a second BUT if it was hypothetically true that’s hilarious 😭 Also she said he stinks which I chose to believe is true for some reason.

I do feel kind of bad for her though because when I was on her page a few months ago she was practically posting 24/7 even on like completely unrelated topics

yeah i have a good amount of sympathy for her bc she’s clearly been through some kind of trauma and like i said i don’t think she’s well (as evidenced by the baseless domestic abuse allegations and what has now become her subtly trying to imply that he’s a child predator once she realized no one was buying the “i heard from a fan who knows someone who knows elisa that there was DV happening” bullshit) plus i do personally believe that she probably did have bad experiences with other men in the scene, just by nature of how hostile it is to women, but considering the only evidence she’s provided wrt patrick are, quite literally, textbook affair convos where all they do is flirt with each other, i’m not inclined to believe anything other than that happened

it’s like ridiculous to admit but i’ve been following this saga of events since she started posting about it around this time last year and you’re right that she goes through periods where she’ll just, like, hop on r/taylorswift, or something, and be like “patrick stump sexually harassed me and shouldn’t be around children” and it’s like, HELLO? but the claims she was making a year ago were nowhere near as outlandish as what she’s saying now, aside from the DV and maybe one or two other things. i’ve known a few schizophrenic/psychotic ppl while they were unmedicated and it’s been pretty evident since the beginning that she was maybe experiencing delusions but now i’m like, oh okay yeah that’s what this is. not something you love to see happening! i really do hope she can get medicated because it’s concerning that this has been going on for a year now

also re the fanfiction; it’s believable in that he is cringe but also i don’t think he would want to go to the effort and because it’s her i’m inclined to think it’s fake. if nothing else the random and visceral shots she takes at him are enough to be like, oh, okay, there’s something deeply odd going on here

[qwertyfingers]

dream EE setlist?

kfjdsf this tickled me ty. also this question is evil and stressful. trying to balance like. songs I most want to see them play vs songs that actually make a good setlist. is proving very hard. Honestly what I really want is for them to do a tour of All Of Man Alive Deluxe but that's a boring answer so. if I was to list only the songs I most desperately want to see them play that I haven't caught live before:

QWERTY Finger

Come Alive Diana

Tin (The Manhole)

Weights

Luddites and Lambs

Duet

Feet For Hands

Undrowned

The Peaks

Zero Pharaoh

President Heartbeat

Desire

Good Shot, Good Soldier

Put Me Together

SUPERNORMAL

Breadwinner

This obviously isn't the order they'd be played in, but that's 16 songs and they rarely play more than 20. I saw them play virtually every song from RDF and Mountainhead bar a few that I don't really mind missing, and most of the Re-Animator tracks that work well live so I'm not including many of those, but I think to round out the set I'd pick these:

Kevin's Car

Wild Guess

Teletype

Violent Sun

I'd probably put more Mountainhead on it if we were further out from the last tour, but I saw most of those three times this year so I'm pretty happy with where I'm at on that front. I want Wild Guess as an opener so because it's fun to me. Wide droney synth sound into crunchy guitar solo into sliiiightly croaky vocals. Follow immediately with QWERTY because Jon can't sing it if they leave it much later. After that most of the list is just going off vibes + vaguely trying to fit together certain sounds? Diana -> President -> has a similar feel going on w guitars, Breadwinner to break up the older stuff before flowing into The Peaks — this might seem an odd spot for it, but otherwise the back half of the set gets heavily loaded with Sad Songs and I don't wanna do that to The Energy.

Wild Guess

QWERTY Finger

Undrowned

Come Alive Diana

President Heartbeat

Luddites and Lambs

Breadwinner

The Peaks

Desire

Feet For Hands

Tin (The Manhole)

Put Me Together

Kevin's Car

Duet

Teletype

Weights

Good Shot, Good Soldier (end of main set, could maybe switch this and Weights around but I like the idea of ending on kind of an anticlimax bc something is wrong with me)

(encore) Zero Pharaoh

SUPERNORMAL

Violent Sun

made into a playlist on apple music if anyone wants to listen and judge me/make suggestions about ordering. if u say one word about the lack of no reptiles here i'll attack you <3