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m34gs · 4 months ago

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So I will be honest. I was really excited for In A Violent Nature. I went into it blind, which I think is probably the best way to have done it. I was excited to see what it would bring and what kind of scares it would give. I watched it with a friend the day it got uploaded on Shudder. But, I have mixed emotions and overall feel a bit disappointed with a few major parts of the movie. And I'm bored, tired, full of cold-medicine, and haven't slept more than 2 hours in a row for three days so I'm gonna talk about it. This should be obvious, but if it's not, Spoilers Ahead.

First, there were many things I really did like.

the perspective: almost the entire movie is filmed from the perspective of the murderer. As in, we follow him around instead of the victims. It's interesting to me because usually the opening scenes either set up the backstory or introduce the victims to the audience. You could argue "well that's not unusual, it just means the protagonist is the murderer and you were being introduced to him" and that's fair. That's a fair way to look at it. However, even for an introduction to the killer it was done in an unusual way (and I loved that). Throughout a good chunk of the film, the audience has a third person view from behind the killer. It's almost like we're playing a third-person view video game. You don't get to see his face for quite a while. Again, that's not necessarily an unusual perspective, but to have it go on that way for so long through the movie is. The audience gets a very limited interaction with the victims and most of it comes from what we see from the killer's perspective.

the soundtrack (or lack thereof...): this movie had very minimal music during attack scenes. In fact, I think the only murder that really had music during the scene was one where a character was listening to a walk-man. And the music did not give horror vibes, which is always an interesting juxtaposition. This means that every hit, every slice, every squish was loud. Every step in the woods was heard. It was eerie because it was so silent and I just found I really liked the decision to do that.

the lake scene: when one of the girls jumps in the lake and goes for a swim, everyone knows where that is going to end up. I thought it was done in an interesting way. Instead of a lot of splashing, the audience gets her initial fear and then she's pulled under. She resurfaces once, to weakly call for help but is immediately pulled under again. Then her body silently floats to the top. This is one of the few scenes where we aren't watching from over the killer's shoulder. Instead, there's a wide view of an otherwise undisturbed body of water and then her small, short-lived struggle. I thought it was interesting how she never had a chance and how eerily calm everything else was around her. No one else would have heard her. I think it was a very different but effective way of portraying the isolation and hopelessness of the situation.

the yoga murder: this one was more of a "is he gonna go there oh my god oh yup oh wait what the fuck oh shit" kind of a moment for me. That's why I liked it. That's it.

the woodsplitter murder: Idk, I liked the slowness of this one. I always find the deaths where you're forced to watch or wait for your own demise and are helpless to do anything else are some of the most terrifying. And that woodsplitter was old and slow as fuck.

Things I didn't really like:

the face reveal: so we spend a good chunk of this movie either looking over the killer from behind, seeing him in the shadows, or seeing him with a mask on. The point is, his face is obscured. This usually means One of two things: there will be a face reveal that has significance either in revealing who the murderer really is or in scaring the victims, OR there is no face reveal and the audience is left to wonder and imagine. In my opinion, either option would have been fine. And if anyone were to say "it reveals it was Johnny"; no it does not. We knew it was Johnny. Everyone assumed it was Johnny from the beginning because of the way the story was told. A "reveal" would have been if they made it Johnny's father's spirit instead of Johnny's, but they would have had to played that up more in the story. Or if they made us significantly doubt it was Johnny instead of basically saying it was to begin with. The reveal instead was done so anticlimactically and away from the view of protagonists so you lose the value, in my opinion.

the ranger: so I get his point in the story. He was the one to point them in the right direction, to tell them why things were happening and what needed to be done to put things back the way they were. I just didn't really like him and I felt like his character kind of fell flat for me.

Colt's death: listen, I get they were in a tense situation and scared. But who the fuck thinks going up behind an armed murderous vengeful spirit who just brutally destroyed your friends' bodies and fucking yelling at him is a good fucking idea. So yeah, Colt's death pissed me off a little. I did find it a little humourous how Johnny was like "fuck you in particular" and proceeded to fucking hack his face off like it was his day job, but man, it really didn't need to go that way. You could have just kept running away. Like wtf.

the ending: Now, I'm not dumb. I get a few things. Number one, love that we got a final girl, top tier trope. Number two, it was great to see a reference to Texas Chainsaw Massacre with her getting picked up in a truck. Liked the shot where we got closure that Johnny did get his necklace back and went back to sleep because he was comforted by it. Very nice. HOWEVER. Why did we have to listen to some random woman ramble about how her brother was almost torn to shreds by what they assumed was a bear? For god knows how long? Like she just kept rambling about nothing. That type of scene sets a good thing in the beginning because it gives the victims something to blame other than a "mysterious masked murderer" and allows for more suspense. At the end it doesn't have the same effect. I get it was supposed to be that she feels hunted the entire time, even when there's no one there, and that her entire freak-out even when Johnny doesn't show up for the rest of the film is meant to show the lasting effect trauma will have on her. But did it have to be such a long part of the film? because a haunted look through the window, the woman's voice fading into the background, suddenly pulling over, she can have her freak-out, and I think it would give the same message, but waste less of my time. And I do feel that the ending scene kind of wasted my time. I will admit, at first I was curious and kind of waiting for a plot twist or something more, but then I just became frustrated, and after it ended I was annoyed.

That's just my personal thoughts on the movie. If people don't like it they can move along. I don't hate the movie but I was significantly disappointed by the ending and the face reveal in particular.

#personal #my opinion #personal rambles #horror #horror movies

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taruth3mighty · 10 months ago

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Doodle World x Undertale

I wanted to just spit out a bunch of Undertale Soundtracks that fit certain characters or just areas where I believe will come up later. In no particular order. CORE. Which I believe could totally fit the style of DoodleCo City. It's literally an entire city built by DoodleCo and it's our final destination. CORE is the final area of Undertale so it fits in my opinion. Undertale (The Soundtrack) I can most definitely see this being played if we ever get an extensive look into Quincy's home and how it feels like. Considering how DoodleCo City is likely where he lives, I can see this playing in the background as we explore the place. The Choice Wouldn't it be fun to see Mister Riffraff talk to us at the end of the game, talking about our choice that we're about to make. Since keep in mind, we're still collecting these keys, we don't know why our Player character is still collecting the keys. To collect and get the large amount of money? To keep it all safe from the clutches of evil? To simply have it around? We don't know and that is a choice we have to make. Alphys I can see this being Portia's theme if hers ever got replaced, it's so nerdy yet means well. It also has that hint of darkness behind it, just like Alphys, considering her whole mom thing it fits with that. Oh! One True Love Okay this one is more of a joke but it's funny to imagine, just think of Mister Riffraff showing up in a dress like Mettaton does since he totally would. Barrier I feel like this would be a fitting theme to play once we meet Charles and see the two seals that holds the two sides of Somniere. Small Shock Again, another Asgore related theme that I feel works for Charles. Charles is essentially going to be the final boss from what I can tell. I've already made a Charles fic that references him as Asgore. Speaking of which... Bergentrückung & ASGORE These fit a final boss so well, especially a grieving being that cannot turn back his mistake and can only see his actions through the end. That what I feel like would be Charles' vibes. Though I could totally become wrong. Your Best Friend, Your Best Nightmare and literally all Flowey related tracks. They totally fit Joseph in my opinion. Joseph quite literally breaks the fourth wall just as Flowey does at one point. And he knows way more than he should. They are both always smiling and give off that friendly-yet-eerie vibe. And I believe that Joseph will backstab Charles like Flowey did to Asgore. But let's go into specific detail. You Idiot Literally would play as Joseph stabs Charles in the back as he takes the keys DoodleCo had accumulated throughout the Key Hunt. Being overly cocky and confident that no one can possibly put a stop to him, after all, they had to get through Charles and they were all too weak to stop him. Then of course, Your Best Nightmares plays. Don't Give Up All of the friends and people you've helped throughout your journey had finally arrived just in the nick of time to help out. Cheering you on as you become more and more determined to stop the man behind the slaughter. It all accumulates into a battle against him. Hopes and Dreams Everything has led up to this moment... Where you face the one once sealed away. Somniere. Everyone's hopes. Everyone's dreams all culminating in this very moment. Either whether or not you beat it or catch it. You will make sure this cycle of misery ends in this very fight. Everyone was relying on you, trusting you, and cheering you on. You were going to put a permanent stop to this dormant war. Reunited I've already made a fic about this, but I like to think that after you beat Somniere, whether you catch or knock it out. You leave the place where it was sealed away and walk out to your friends rushing in and just all making sure everyone's alright. Just a happy ending for everyone.

#doodle world #doodle world roblox #undertale #joseph bright #charles doodle world #quincy doodle world #player doodle world #doodle world player

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centaurianthropology · 2 years ago

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Classic Who Rewatch: An Unearthly Child and a Rocky Beginning

In order to dig into Doctor Who, particularly classic Who, it’s important to actually discuss what it was originally intended to be rather than what it later became. Premiering in 1963, the show was designed to be semi-educational, particularly about history, while still being entertaining. Its ideas of education were … interesting, and often feel very dated. Because the era of the First Doctor hewed most closely to this original concept, it suffers the most from feeling extremely dated. The concepts of ‘civilized’ vs ‘uncivilized’ people gets brought up often, and this is not exactly a show that was originally progressive in its depiction of minorities or other cultures.

Because of this, the William Hartnell era can often be fairly difficult to watch. Add in the writing which tends to be dry and heavily expository, and some grand old bad Shakespeare acting, and it’s easily the most difficult era of Doctor Who to get through for a modern viewer. Even by the Second Doctor things feel infinitely more kind, more modern, and less painfully outdated.

It’s clear that the show doesn’t quite know what it wants to be during these early days, but some concepts are established that remain true throughout the entirety of classic Who. The Doctor is there, though not quite the rather inspiring, mischevous, dangerous and kind character he will be even by his second incarnation. He also comes complete with companions, though they too will undergo something of a revolution from very unwilling sort-of-kidnapped humans to best friends.

The structure of the show, however, does not change at all. Classic ‘Doctor Who’ functions as serial storytelling rather than episodic, with multiple half-hour episodes coming together to tell a longer story. I honestly like the format, as it allows for more in-depth storytelling. The shortest adventure is about 2 episodes, and the longest (hello ‘War Games’) is 10. Most are about 4 episodes long, or about 2 hours. For the good adventures, it gives the story time to breathe and really go in-depth. For the less amazing adventures, that means a lot of padding and unneccessary bits to fill out the time.

‘An Unearthly Child’ exemplifies some of the less amazing parts of the Hartnell era, from a selfish and deeply unhelpful Doctor to some incredibly iffy writing after the initial, solid episode.

The story begins fairly well, with the first episode setting up a mystery: history teacher Barbara Wright and science teacher Ian Chesterton are lamenting their oddball problem student, Susan Foreman, a fifteen-year-old genius who could teach Ian’s classes, constantly contradicts Barbara, and seems to know certain things perfectly while not knowing other things like how money works. She’s eerie, friendly but very strange. And Barbara is worried that she might be homeless or being mistreated by her mysterious grandfather. Barbara went to her address, hoping to talk to her about her homework, but found that Susan’s claimed address was a junkyard. Following her leads, the two of them return to the junkyard to find an old blue police box and an old man. This old man seems superior and dismissive of them and their concerns about Susan’s wellbeing, which eventually leads to Ian and Barbara breaking into the box when Susan herself opens it to discover what’s taking her grandfather so long to rejoin her.

And so we get our first view of the TARDIS. Even at this early in the run of the show it has an alien beauty to it, played up in its stark whiteness that really stands out in the black-and-white presentation. Susan and her grandfather reveal that they’re alien (the term Time Lord has not yet been invented), and it’s almost impressive how insistent Barbara is that Susan is making up the space she’s standing directly in. Ian, meanwhile, doesn’t so much deny what’s happening as have a nervous breakdown over it.

The Doctor, for the old man is the Doctor, joins them and decides that they’ve stayed too long on Earth and that it was a mistake to let Susan go and attend school. He’s paranoid, and it’s unclear if he has good reason or not. He does reveal that he and Susan are outcasts of their home planet, unable to return home, though it seems that at this point the Doctor very much wishes to go home. He seems regretful that he decided to run away, and confused about how to raise a child as young as his granddaughter, who he loves but very clearly doesn’t understand. It was she who insisted on going to school and trying to blend in. He seems much more interested in hiding and avoiding humanity and interfering as much as possible.

There are so many questions at this point: what are these aliens, for they are aliens, and where do they come from? Why can’t they go back when it’s clear that they’ve hit a point they want to. The Doctor does not seem interested in adventure or discovery, although his natural curiosity does tend to get piqued and he’ll wander off to explore, so not all of his drive to learn and understand has been destroyed at this point in his obviously long first life.

But mostly he’s afraid. He and Susan are running, and Ian and Barbara are risks to their safety, so he decides to kidnap these two schoolteachers rather than let them go tell ... someone ... about a blue box that’s bigger on the inside. This early Doctor is not yet the genius he will be in later incarnations. He honestly seems human, not any brighter than Barbara or Ian, except he has access to and an understanding of the TARDIS. But his conclusions and decisions often seem deeply ill advised.

So Ian and Barbara become the first human companions in the TARDIS, entirely unwillingly. The ship takes off, it’s obvious the Doctor is terrible at controlling it, and they land … somewhere.

It’s honestly a good first episode. It sets up a lot of mystery, makes Ian and Barbara ordinary contrasts to the obvious strangeness of the Doctor and Susan. The lead cast is solid across the board, though I think that special props in this episode go to Carole Ann Ford as Susan, who gets a real chance to show how inhuman she is, while still being recognizably a child and both desperate to please and fascinated by the world around her. Ian and Barbara are both played very well, though they’re given less to do, and this is one of William Hartnell’s best performances in the show. He’s particularly good when highlighting his wonder and reverence of being ‘wanderers in the Fourth Dimension’, and gives the same alien vibe that Susan does with great aplomb.

And then comes the rest of the adventure. Oof.

After they leave, there are several episodes about cavemen. I have watched this adventure multiple times and I still can’t tell you what the plot was for this bunch of episodes, except it has to do with fire, and its mysogynistic as shit (this will unfortunately be a recurring theme in Hartnell’s episodes especially. It gets better in Troughton’s episodes, and even better by Pertwee’s).

But yeah, there’s a whole thing about cavemen, and it’s bad. The writing is stilted in the way only 1960s tv writing could be, half-bad-Shakespeare-knockoff, half-ham-handed-exposition. Think the worst of the TOS Star Trek episodes. It’s tough to get through between the bad caveman acting and the constant screaming of Susan and Barbara, who had a lot of their cleverness and level-headedness promptly stripped away (this is another recurring problem in early Who that most female companions promptly get screamy). Ian acquits himself a bit better than the rest, and the Doctor doesn’t have much to do at all.

Honestly, most of the adventure is a complete mess. Not a good start at all. The very first episode is a solid foundation, but as soon as the party starts traveling it gets awkward fast. The actors are trying to carry the ball of a simply bad script. The Doctor in these early episodes is fairly insufferable, mostly wanting to be left alone and to not interfere and definitely not interested in saving people. It’s a good character arc for him to grow into someone more compassionate and willing to risk himself to save others, but it’s one that was inevitably going to have a rocky start. Add that to a weak first adventure and it’s almost a wonder that the show survived.

But survive it did. And there are glimmers of why. When Hartnell decides to play up the mystery and power of the Doctor, when he talks about traveling in time and their homeworld, he really is wonderful. Both he and Susan do feel alien, particularly in the first episode. Ian and Barbara, as unwilling as they are, are both given moments to be clever and resourceful, and the actors, William Russell and Jacqueline Hill, have very good chemistry and play off one another well. William Russell especially is good at naturalistic acting, and brings out quite a lot of good in his scene partners. But the writing was bad, the cavemen were terrible, and I am amazed that this pilot ended up becoming the media juggernaut that it did.

As I said at the beginning, ‘Doctor Who’ had a rough start. There are good reasons to start with the Pertwee era rather than Hartnell, but there is still some gold to be mined here. It’s just that we have to dig through a fair amount of shit to find it.

#Classic Who Rewatch #Doctor Who #An Unearthly Child #William Hartnell #The First Doctor #Ian Chesterton #Barbara Wright #Susan Foreman #and some cavemen

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gameangliaindustrybriefyr2 · 2 months ago

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Idea 3:

Concept: The final idea I have is a first person puzzle game based on PTSD. The player has problems with flashbacks to something traumatizing and they eventually dream about it and set on a quest to trying to break the pain down in their head in order to balance their mind and put it at ease.

Gameplay: The game will take place in the character's mind and the player will have to enter through different portals that will put them into flashbacks where they will need to solve puzzles in order to proceed to the next scene. The puzzles will all be solved with clues from the character's past that he needs to find in each respective memory. These puzzles could maybe include number codes that unlock things or looking through any items of value towards the character as you the player gradually unravel what the character's story is and why he suffers from PTSD. These flashbacks could also include transitions when the player moves from one memory to another with each gradually getting darker as they get to the important part of the story which would be the climax.

Controls & Design: The Controls that could be added to this game would be basic movement such as W,A,S,D and Space to Jump. There would need to be the ability to interact with puzzles where some new UI could appear on screen whenever the player wants to try and solve it. The level design could be set as a very black and white setting with shades of grey just to give the idea that these are not the best of memories. The Portals would need a cool material that would look like an area that can be walked into.

For the dark setting, I though of two different games that I though would represent:

1.The first game was Lego Harry Potter 5-7. In the video below between the times of 5:50-13:03, I find this setting very similar to my idea. I wanted to make the scenery all black and white whilst solving different puzzles even though they are all simply memories. This game does it in a more light hearted way compared to my idea purely because of the theme my idea is based around.

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2.The Second Game I thought represented this dark setting is Little Nightmares II. Throughout this part of the game below, the player fights an entity later revealed to be himself at the end of the game making for a huge plot twist. This game uses similar mechanics to the teleporters I want to make in terms of the TV's. This scene's setting is what makes it similar to my design because it creates an eerie feeling knowing that these memories aren't the happiest that the character holds in their mind.

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#Youtube

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valentine-cafe · 11 months ago

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Hey, your matchup thing sounds cool, can I ask for one?

I'm a straight woman. I'm a introvert, my good traits are that I'm calm and open minded. My bad traits are that I'm really blunt and a bit inexpressive.

I'm a really chill person who rarely gets brothered by anything, you could say my patience is my greatest virtue. I'm also quite brave and won't take shit from anyone. Friends say that's comforting staying close to me for how non judgmental I am.

I also like seeing the positive sides of things, so I joke a lot but that can also be a downside as sometimes I forget to take things seriously.

I'm currently studying Performing Arts and training to become an actress and voice actor.

I really like spooky stories and horror movies, my hobby is visiting abandoned places that are rumored to be haunted. I also like travelling, reading novels, watching anime and gaming.

. ˚◞♡ 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒆'𝒔 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄��𝒖𝒑𝒔 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍◞ ₊˚

⊹ ۪ ࣪ ᥫ᭡ “ you are paired with . . . ” ꒱

it seems that you have caught the eye of our chaotic mercenary, alessio 928b! while you do contrast him in calmness and introverted persona, he was immediately attracted to your joking nature as this is something that he himself possesses. he loves the way that the both of you can bounce off of one another when it comes to your humour and he understands not taking situations seriously, so it’s something that the both of you relate to. in regards to your bluntness, alessio appreciates it as he is the type of person that needs to be told things outright. another thing that the merc really loves is your chill attitude, he feels as though he can simply be himself around you and that is something hard for him, as someone who masks a lot. another thing he finds incredibly attractive and at times even has him a bit flustered is your bravery and ability to stand up for yourself — it catches him off-guard at times but he loves you for it all the more. your fields in performing arts is another mutual link that the both of you have as alessio is also taking a theatre class. expect him to be a bit more ( playfully ) dramatic with you.

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍰 ꒱ 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒔 ⊹ ۪

˖ ࣪ ଓ first things first, this man loves to do random improv with you out of nowhere throughout the day, immediately switching into a character and pulling you to a corner so both of you can be silly and act. every little look of confusion you give when he first pulls you away is one of the biggest joys of doing so to him.

˖ ࣪ ଓ feels very comfortable with your overall patient and calm presence, often finding himself sitting with an arm slung around your waist and his head resting on the top of yours while rambling with you about whichever topic the two of you managed to come up with. he loves being able to throw all of his dark and light jokes around you, without there being any judgement and instead shared laughter when you throw a joke back at him.

˖ ࣪ ଓ loves sitting you down for horror movie nights, watching intensely together with you and studying the cgi and the costume designs — oftentimes also ends up roasting the littlest details about jumpscares or eerie scenes.

˖ ࣪ ଓ as someone who goes out a lot — due to missions and also just to keep his own mind distracted — alessio tends to find some of the weirdest places, and those abandoned ones. and since he is aware of your love for them, he goes to explore it before he’s taking you there, to make sure that it is safe and nothing will happen if he does take you there.

˖ ࣪ ଓ loves to take you with him out on adventures around nueva york, doing the game with you that is: take the train, take a bus, as far away from home as possible, and then find back home, without as little ressource material as possible — though if all goes to the hells, the two of you pull out maps and find your way back home that way.

˖ ࣪ ଓ loves your bravery and finds it refreshing to see when you speak up and don’t take any bullshit from other people. you make him so proud.

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍡 ꒱ 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒎. . . ⊹ ۪

“dios, that’s fake as hell.”

you roll your eyes at the merc’s words and lean your head onto his shoulder, your arms comfortably hooked around his torso while one of his own is draped over your body. holding you against him while the two of you focus on the horror movie ahead. snuggled up on the sofa and curled up in blankets.

“you know, if you’re gonna keep complaining there’s no point in watching -” you muse and earn a small poke out of his tongue.

“aye, mi hermosa. that’s not the case,” chuckles alessio with a playful roll of his eyes as he leans over to press a kiss to your cheek. completely unfazed by the mix of screams and gore on the screen. “I mean, it’s not as scary as that warehouse earlier huh? you were all shaking and everything ~”

he croons, playfully nipping at your neck when you huff at him. “was not.”

“oh yeah?”

he snakes both of his arms around your hips and place you on his lap, your eyes no longer on the screen but him. it is clear he’s attempting to make his smile disturbing. emerald eyes shining brightly in the small flashes of light from the movie.

“the quiet of the scene, the darkness? loud heartbeats only and the sounds of anxious breaths, while slumps of heavy footsteps echoed through the walls of the warehouse every once in a while, with something dragging behind whatever was walking around, hm?” he whispers quietly and sits there with you for a few minutes of silence. matching with the silence in the background of the movie.

and just as the tension rises in the background of the scenes on the screen, his grip tightens and he throws you into the cushions of the couch, looming above you smiling. chuckling at the loud squeak you let out.

“ALESSIO!” you pull from your shocked state, voice exasperated.

loud fits of laughter leave his chest, filling up the living room and deafening the previous eerie feel to the room from the movie — that is, until the washing machine in the back of his apartment makes a loud thumping sound that reminds the both of you of the warehouse scene.

⊹ ۪ ࣪ ᥫ᭡ “ others you also paired with. . . ” ꒱

˖ ࣪ ଓ jingyi 9948e ˖ ࣪ ଓ haoyu 9948e

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w21009869mi60213000 · 1 year ago

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The FNaF strategy: The Sound Design in accordance to gameplay.

Five Nights At Freddy's Gameplay Walk through/ No Commentary by Gamer's Little Playground on Youtube 12 Apr 2023: My notes and analysis from observation of a play through, about audio cues and overall sound design and how it effects gameplay.

Help Wanted screen: Immediately met with a low mechanic drone, like an old computer running or monitor. The Music is ambient with no specific instruments depicted but ranges a higher done, very ghostly like.

Transitions: Silence is what transitions the player between nights, to amplify the suspension, especially after completing a night when children are heard to be cheering. The transition between five to six a.m are depicted with a clock tower chime similar to Big Ben's, followed by children's cheers, this is to ease tension that was built for the player after concentrating on gameplay and sounds throughout the night. However that ease is immediately halted when silence falls, preparing you for the upcoming night, and builds back up anxiety.

The Office: The low mechanic drone plays again, different and less harsh than before, more like a whirring sound; by visuals we learn that the source is a fan that sits on the office desk. Underneath, lays a deeper slower sounding drone. mechanical once again and difficult to discern specifically a source but like a distant ventilation blowing sound. Another higher drone can be faintly heard, one that seems to be panning from left speaker to right rapidly as if buzzing and closer to your ears than the other sounds but still subtle enough to not notice unless concentrating hard. This together creates ambience and a sense of setting to the game. It sets an unsettling mood to the scene because of the continuous whirring sounds in your ear. But gives depth to static and confined game, restricted only to the office, especially having the audio three-dimensional making the player immersed. The drones can be considered as non-diegetic because there is no specific determinations as to where their source is, whether it could be outside the office - making it spatialized audio - or just in order to enhance the atmosphere and only what the player can hear - subjective audio that only the player/character can hear in the mind during the scenario to emphasise the anxiety they feel.

The Office cont: A telephone rings in the office at the start of every night. This can be considered as diegetic, advantageous sound and also a red herring further on in the nights. The speaker tells you valuable information on context on restaurant and the animatronics, in the first night. And further along, what he says is purposefully imported in there to overwhelm you and distract you from more important sounds happening while he talks.

Lights have their own diegetic buzzing sound as you press the button, the Doors sound when they open and close, and the monitors sound when the cameras are pulled up and switching between them. This group of audio can be referred to as Interactive audio that gives feedback back to the players. This provides a sense of space and setting, and helps with immersion as it is the audio that plays when an action is taken that we would expect would sound when we interact with certain objects.

The Pizzeria: Reverbed carousel music plays at some points, very faintly heard, but enhances the eerie atmosphere among the ambience. The juxtaposition between music and visuals makes the scene more creepy. First of all the player does not know where the source is coming from - because of their restricted view of the pizzeria - and the way it's positive harmless music in contrast to a hostile environment creates a unique eeriness that it is known there are threat among the player but that music make them incomprehensible. Tricking with the player in some way. It also creates fear of the unknown within the player because, who triggered this music to play? Fear is stronger when the source is unknown to a player, our mind messes with us and makes the unknown even worse. It also plays a distraction over any movement sounds the player could've possibly have heard

Garbled sounds can be heard, again it unknown the source to the player and whether it is an animatronic moving closer until later in the night/game. These are very incomprehensible and very fain in the ears, but could be there as a red herring. This in another occasion can be provided with visuals of Freddy's face with "it's me" text on the screen. The sense of uncanny valley, when its as if there is a voice being spoken to us but it is hardly discernible. Another example of this similar sound (only happening after night 3 showing more aggression in the animatronics), is when either Chica or Bonnie are starring up at you from the hall corner camera. It is a vaguely vocal sound as if the animatronics again are trying to communicate with you, but it only gives off the sense of uncanny valley again, and spirit sounding as these are possessed by humans. The sounds only overlapping the important ones.

Foxy singing, a series of "dum dum dums" another example of uncanny valley, when the player knows the voice comes from an animatronic and how its disturbing as it shares human-like sounds. This sound has no particular usage to any advancement in the game but only to enhance the disturbing atmosphere even more.

Stings are Incidental sounds, they are non-diegetic and are used to emphasise something happening and in this case, when an animatronic appears at the office door. The stab of a single staccato chord plays, sounding similar to a string instrument, distorted and slowed to make it sound unnatural.

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emerystellar · 1 year ago

Text

The Letter, Vocalized

(the ‘why’ of every song in my simon petrikov playlist- the poor dear i love him so much) heres the playlist -> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2bFlf5AD54EyszuCKqGRVV?si=0bdff473d752467a

then all the actual writing is below the cut because this shit is 4700 words long. im obsessed. anyway BEEP BEEP

—- 1. Everything in its Right Place ~ Radiohead

*Simon doesn’t exactly have a right place at the moment per se- so this song leads more like a plea for this place, and the build of the instruments really matches a sort of spiral- it’s also got that nice eerie Radiohead feeling that’s inexplicably chilly, which is something you’ll be seeing A Lot of throughout the playlist cuz even tho a lot of these lyrics are spot on it’s also about the sound of the songs too. and this one just happens to be both and it’s lovely. i also fucking love the repetition of the lyrics "there are two colors in my head / what was it you were trying to say?" that could be the black/dark brown of simon himself and the drilling blue of the ice king \:) and then. forgetting immediately what he was talking about/what was happening- what was it you were trying to say? anyway i love this song very much*

—- 2. Grammar King ~ Flocks

*okay you know how i just mentioned the sound of the songs being important? well boom. here we go! a strange instrumental introspection to break the drone :3 it sounds like being in a blizzard (or fittingly a mental spiral) but it’s still so crisp and refined!! i love it cuz it’s got such a wonderfully off kilter feeling to it. when the fionna and cake title sequence played i was surprised at how __frantic__ it was?? and this song captures that same breathless feeling and franticness in a really nice and crisp way (plus the drums are really cool) and it holds the same, like, hallmarks of aivi and surasshu’s stuff they did for the steven universe battle scenes (which the music of fionna and cake in general feels like a sweet cousin to SU music (Looking At You Mx. Sugar Hi I See You) but either way it’s a very solid vibe and it go crazy i like it \:)!!*

—- 3. In Two ~ Will Paquin

*i think this fits very well as him singing to the idea of crown itself! "half of me is half of you now/.../you sit so high, like a cranium that rests on the spine /.../ can you feel me buckling beneath you" he sounds so soft (will paquin's voice is gorgeous) so it's almost as a love or reverence for his idolization of the crown :3 at the moment his quest is literally To Find and Have and Be it again, so i don't think he fully resents it- but it's definitely still an odd relationship with it, something so incredibly fascinating and i think there is a LOT to say about it! "in the end i won't escape from the sight of you.../is it even a game if in the end i let you kill me?"*

—- 4. The Place Where He Inserted the Blade ~ Black Country, New Road

*this song is so tender! it paints a picture of the past, immersive in memory. one bit i especially love is that with each new "Good morning" it could be interpreted as simon forgetting that part of himself again, benig wiped clean, falling into becoming the ice king again. \:) it's lovely! it also feels as if he's begging betty, the motif of "show me the place where he inserted the blade / where is your light / am i home?" is him calling out to her, asking where she is, where Golb is. show me the place where you are, betty, please. they're both clinging to these ideas of each other, and it's so hopeful and strained, and this song does a wonderful job of depicting it!!*

—- 5. The Mind Electric ~ Miracle Musical

*you really think that for one second i couldn't include the Token Song About A Guy Named Simon Going Insane? i feel like, moreso than other people i've seen, i really really really want to explore the idea of the repeated memory/identity loss really fucking with his head- it obviously has, and even though we may have seen more of this loss when he'd first gotten the crown, i'd love to dip my toes into the angst that it still continually hurts him to try and remember. citing my sources here, it's similar to jim in good omens- looking where the furniture isn't. anyway i went a bit on a tangent but point being this song represents this insanity! the sound of the song itself and the glitches/bits of samples like memories flitting in and out of his head, trying to remember himself against all odds, trying to fight the manic or strange urges that come with being the ice king, "my brain has claimed its glory over me/i've a good heart albeit insane" and he really is. the more time he spends trapped inside of himself, the more he questions his existence and reality, yea? that wretched goddamn crown, "spiraling down thy majesty". even though it's angsty i really really really want to see them delve way into this when he does reunite with the crown, more viciously than they ever could have back in AT.

doctor, i can't tell if i'm not me.*

—- 6. In Between ~ WILLIS

*some could argue this is a little too light bedroom-poppy of a sound for the purposes of this playlist, but the lyrics are wonderful! the whole introduction definitely gives the same meandering, aimless feeling he had when he was the ice king, reinforced with the line "this place still feels the same/i am bound in hindsight from now". you could also see "take me back to summertime" as a sort of take me away from the cold and ice, take me back to who i used to be, happy and unbroken- maybe thats a little of a stretch tho ;P and "meet me at a point in life when I feel more in control" framed as a last plea to betty, a perfect hopless little cherry on top to these poor dears scattered across spacetime \:)*

—- 7. The Bug Collector ~ Hayley Heynderickx

*this is a song betty sings to simon. with the different situations presented as small trivial things to the singer, and the subject of the song being scared over seemingly nothing, but they take care of it anyway. it's still worth it to them. this matches how betty treats ice king- he has his own set of motives and problems and thought processes completely seperate from simon, which yes is infuriating, but it's part of helping him, yes? this song sounds both defeated and resolute at the same time, which is a fantastic balance that is hard to strike. it reeks of the unwavering love between the two of them and it's very special to me*

—- 8. Evil ~ Interpol

*i feel like this is could be viewed in the context of simon ritualistically trying to get back to betty. "heaven restores you in life", as was done, "you're weightless, you are exotic/you need something for which to care" both things very true of betty. i also just really enjoy the sound of the song- it communicates a very certain desperacy and i love it \:) also the story of the animatronic Norman and the music video being of someone/something that distinctly doesn't belong in the place that they are, with simon not really belonging anywhere anymore- overall it's a really nice ensemble for this purpose, i may be a little biased tho thanks to norm my boy my baby haha*

—- 9. Bathed In Sound ~ Cosmo Sheldrake

*Fantastically, this song sounds like being underwater, melting into something. This, to me, is a bit more interpretive than the other songs on the playlist- of course we're not actually talking about whales, but i think "the wonder of that wild wet world beneath" could refer more to the sense of drowinging in the madness, the magic. The song presents it so slowly, so calmly, as if it is this warm and wonderful thing to sink into- and I'm sure for Simon, the idea of sinking back into that comfortable emptiness is extremely appealing at this point. He wants it. He needs it. Tense and cold and swallowing him whole, He Needs It.*

—- 10. Daydream / Wetdream / Nightmare ~ Saint Motel

*SO much of this song rings true with him!! "Well, I can die a happy man if I could be with you/behind these eyes I believe fantasies can come true" This is self-explanatory, he wants to be home with Betty. Find the time to be the man that you like to talk to/in dreams, it seems that I can be anyone you want me to, oh" The nature of dreams being of the subconscious mind, and the implications that Simon can in fact remember at least some of the things he percieves as Ice King (with lapses in those memories, of course, just like real dream remembering) is extremely curious. This whols song reads very idyllic and hopeful with the way the vocals are sang, and I love the fact that yes- against all idiot odds- the poor guy just wants to be himself, wants things to be concrete, just wants his wife back. The song itself seems to be split up in three pieces, same as the veritable phases of Simon/IK's lifetime- it matches very well, and represents the same sort of wistful nature he's got goin' on.*

—- 11. The Fool On The Hill ~ The Beatles

*If I haaaad to choose a song here that fits the most perfectly out of anything here- it might be this one. That could be the hyperfixation on the song talking, but, man. Man!! He really is just a fool on the hill!! The strange silly man with patches in his memory, sitting atop his icy mountain. A"And nobody wants to know him, they can see that he's just a fool." which is very true of the wayward motive of the princesses that he displays as IK. It's fantastic, I love this as an examination of his IK behavior. "And the eyes in his head see the world spinning round"- aptly implying those eyes don't belong to the Ice King, per se, because they're __Simon's__ eyes. Genius!! Unintentional connected genius!!!! Love it!!!!!*

—- 12. In an Ice Palace ~ The Music Tapes

*the title is a dead giveaway, and even though it doesn’t have lyrics, i still think it fits that like… somber whimsicality might be the term? of a magical world gone wrong \:) and the melody is gorgeous and chilling in all the ways it should be. whether you see it as a reuniting with the crown and his return to ice king, or as a wistful and awful recollection of it, up to listener’s interpretation because i can and will think of it as both. it is crystalline and strange and i love it very, very much \:) I also really love the almost Rankin/Bass or Charlie Brown feelings of it? The vocalizations and harmonies feel so fantastic in that sense, and it really drives home the quaint nostalgic winter feeling like not much else could in this specific sense, while still being unrefined enough to represent the strangeness of IK.*

—- 13. Waves ~ Bahamas

*"There's a part of it, that I'll miss/at the heart of it, your cold kiss"- god, he misses Betty, and even now when he's meandering through worlds he misses who he used to be. this song is an extremely tender and wistful apology to her, and to marcy, and to himself perhaps. he knows it was too much, and the motif of the waves is excellent for this- waves in the ocean are scary and unforgiving, always ready to sweep you under. "And when I knew I'd become the ocean's slave/I just stayed" (when he'd gotten taken over by the crown he just. kept it. he tried to use it to keep marceline safe until he knew it was too late. and he became far, far too attached, the easy comfort of forgetting. it's horrid!!!! i love it*

—- 14. Room with a View ~ Russ Morgan and his Orchestra

*I picked up Russ Morgan from Everywhere at the End of Time, but out of all his songs (even the more uncanny ones,) i felt this one fit the best. this is the moment betty sacrificed herself- the "room" with the view being the closing of golb's stomach, him being the last thing she say- it feels romantic, even aside from the lyrics, the instruments themselves do- much of 40's-50's connotates to be. also take a minute to imagine if they'd listened to this song together back when they were both human. danced to it, even. i'm a sucker for motifs and goddamn.*

—- 15. Video Killed the Radio Star ~ The Buggles

*i’ve always loved how sad this song presents itself!! another big sense of defeat covered in whimsy, i feel like it’s either ice king killed the man who metaphorically was once simon, or vice versa, and the Guilt that he might feel over either one of these situations..! it also kind of plays into the fact that a remote is their interdimensional tool when he goes on the journey with f&c hehe, we can’t rewind we’ve gone too faaar~ it’s such a general well-rounded song for stuff like this it’s so tonally interesting and that’s the kind of thing i am loving for this playlist If Ya Couldn’t Fuckinf Tell Hahahahhehehehe :3*

—- 16. No Surprises ~ Radiohead

*this song has always connotated to me a sense of “please for fucks sake just let the guy REST!!” which is extremely true here. I feel like it can also be read in a sense of memory loss- he starts losing his functions again, things that *should* tip his mind off or remind him of things but don’t, alarm bells that should be ringing in the face of danger are silent, instinct and memory gone. the instrumental is also extremely cold and somber and you know that’s a recurring theme at this point-*

—- 17. The Funeral ~ Band of Horses

*Help, my inner criminal minds nostalgia is showing … anyway, all things considered. Spencer Reid has some similar things going on of odd emotional capacities, schizophrenia (connected to the idea of insanity,) and just. the general idea of someone insanely intelligent being shadowed by this looming reputation, but still having that lost deer sort of empathy.. and in general, the song as a stand-alone I’ve always seen it as someone waiting for death (their __own__ funeral in a sense) and he definitely seemed ready to embrace that as a way to not be so empty and lonely, and maybe see Betty once more. It’s very interesting to read him like this, and again, it’s the same sort of hopelessness he feels in the beginning and Prismo’s episode. Poor honeybun.*

—- 18. Cold Island ~ My Singing Monsters

*This one definitely seemed like a necessary edition, it’s always read as isolation and the mental shift and resulting backwards appreciation that causes? “Look at the stars in the big black ink,/tell me what you feel and tell me what you think./Is it cold outside? Is it cold out?” holds such a deliciously dark weight to it [that tiktok found and stomped into the ground, but it still applies nonetheless]. It’s just.. so gorgeous, and solemn, and for an MSM song it’s pretty damn good- it’s complexity and layers are quite similar to Another Certain Unidentified Man’s mental complexity, yeah?*

—- 19. Forevertime Journeys ~ naran ratan

*Another simple instrumental of Vibes, this is windy and soft, holding an uncanny sense in its detuned twinkles. i also love the sort of windchime essence of it, it's so very gentle and soft just as he really is down inside. i have a massive love for these sorts of soft things, little breaks from the madness, a bit of peace. light glinting through the ice, perhaps. it's wonderful, concise, and thoughtful.*

—- 20. Bitter Sweet Symphony ~ The Verve

*ohh? is that a timeless anthem against the dreary drone of normalcy i hear????? something that simon might resonate with considering his strange relationship with normalcy and being exploited for just how perfectly mundane he is???? hrmm, yes it is! and in fact his entire existence up until now has been extre,ely bittersweet- to be sentenced to this, after a life of wonder and magic, SURROUNDED by wonder and magic? i thonk this really represents te catalyst of him missing being part of the madness... everything is far too quiet now. he had gotten used to the loud static of memory and silly brashness of being under the crown that now, all seems lonelier than ever.*

—- 21. Bluebird of Misfortune ~ Toby Fox (Deltarune)

*Someone completely taken over by ice-related magic… though in a different fashion, it definitely makes me think of Snowgrave. Slowly succumbing to a power quiet and strange. The song itself is also eerie but still light in that way- asking a question of what used to be there and what it has become now. Perhaps I’m reading into it too much and not articulating it well enough, it’s hard for such a double entendre like this is, but in a sense he’s both Noelle __and__ Berdly as it relates to snowgrave. the destruction of his old self. the idea of trying to fight back against this thing, uncanny and unwavering, coercing you into forgetting the relationships with those you held dear and simply becoming as magically powerful as possible? Yeah, i think we can all see it..*

—- 22. Philadelphia ~ Alt-J

"Am I cold, I cannot tell." (True!! I don't think he's able to feel cold in any sense anymore.) The beginning sets up an extremely melancholy tone, extremely fit with the rest of the playlist's purpose. The guitar itself echoing as it does, and the high chilling strings- i love it. It's also fairly raw and a little more... darkly intimate might be the word? Not in an odd way of course, but I definitely think Simon's mind is darker than we'll get to see on screen, especially with his longing for Betty. Y'all already know I'm obsessed with the loss of identity, the being stuck between two poles, two bastions of existence on different ends of the same coin- "And I'm losing my ability to fathom/'Awake' and 'not awake'" like damn true pop off*

—- 23. The Nowhere King ~ Centaurworld

*A media song that I feel kind of goes hand-in-hand with how AT handles Simon’s story in general, and the sense of eerieness that surrounds it. I think we can agree that him becoming Ice King again is endgame one way or another (my implications of this i am not sure i’m just Scared of it) and the sense that it will not be all he’s been wishing, and he will fall to it again. even though the concept of the nowhere king is different, i do think it’s that he’ll essentially be a nothing king instead. I don’t think this is going to solve the emptiness, the sense of loss, and potentially losing his memory again will Absolutely take a toll on him.*

—- 24. Potatus Et Molassus ~ Over the Garden Wall

*Another related media song, this sort of somber tone is very very special to me, and the whole idea of succumbing to the Beast after a long time of trying to fight it (becoming the Ice King after a long time of trying to build himself back up from it) and the idea of it being ever-present, waiting for you. ~~Also i used to be a huge Bad End Friends fan so. it has a soft spot there :3~~ The choir resonanting with that kind of antiquated sense of death or eerieness does mirror the fact that simon has been going this for years. and years. but he still holds all of those now completely historical values and I feel like in the "endgame" of the crown he will return to that kind of solemn funeral-like nature. it's giving up, after all.*

—- 25. Kiss Me, Son of God ~ They Might Be Giants

*I aaaaalmost wasn’t gonna add this one, but. then i thought about the contrast of simon prime to the other Simons (namely the Winter King) and by god, it shows the Possibility of what he could be. and kind of describes their weird kinship/relationship/whatever it was?? The song really talks about a sense of defeat to me almost, and it also touches on the sense of how he would react to so many people loving him at the moment.. the world really is screaming “kiss me son of god” to him, yeah? and being Ice King in general could be considered a godlike pedestal in some senses, even if he’s not taken seriously. i have so many thoughts about this song*

—- 26. The Sea of Tranquility ~ The Music Tapes (ft. Orbiting Human Circus)

*Ggghhh another song i tried so hard not to add cuz i’m OBSESSED with it and i put it on like every playlist.. but there’s definitely begging for solace in “oh, we’ll be old and weary friends.. god bless that all this never ends” and it’s such a soft and raw song i love it. ifsmgkfnejkf it sounds like him pleading for his old life back, a life where he is important and seen, or maybe begging to stay in this limbo where he doesn’t have to forget? there’s so many ways you could read this but it just reads like someone so, so weak begging the universe for comfort \:-) plus there’s my bias towards the song bc i just really love it.. another elephant 6 represent moment*

—- 27. goodnight nebula ~ EMI//NOVA

*okay yeah, maaaybe this is a shameless self plug. and it's again an instrumental focused on describing the magic and element of ice itself with crystalline tones, because at that point it's a hugely important part of his character, yeah? even as simon, it's inescapable. i wonder if IK ever went out and looked over the mountaintops to see the sunrise. and simon, back there, faintly watching, remembering. it's a nice breath of fresh air, tender and contemplative, methinks.*

—- 28. Heartaches ~ Al Bowlly

*Internally I fought with myself over this one because this song is starting to become extremely overused in fandom spaces as Everywhere at the End of Time became more mainstream, but really, it fits the energy of Simon so much better than any other cases I've seen it being used in, what with the deas of depersonalization and memory loss. And of course, obviously, the endless Sisyphus love story of him and Betty. It's just a burning memory, after all. There's not a ton I can say about the song that hasn't already been said somewhere, in some capacity, but it stiiiil does indeed do very well to describe the solemn tradgedy of Simon Petrilov with the very sounds of the past he held dear.*

—- (Bonus- not on spotify yet!) 29. flurry fugue - EMI//NOVA

*i'm not sure if anyone realizes yet that i literally wrote this song to describe how i see simon??? magical, eerie, yet sweet.... and of course it's called fugue because that was exactly what he was as ice king- and the song decays a little over the course of the runtime, just as he did. i have a tendency to write these soft instrumental songs and i do think it relfects the style of the shows' music very well too! i've had a lot of good feedback that displays it's doing what I want it to, but i don't know if anyone knows this is LIterally dedicated to him?? if anyone has picked up that on the cover.. \:) i love him so much guys you have no idea*

~~~~~~

Honorable Mentions that I couldn't/wouldn't add

—- No Children ~ The Mountain Goats

*It’s a huge trigger song and I can’t physically listen to this without spiraling, so I don’t want it on the playlist, but. I still think it fits his story. The kind of last-hurrah flippant hopelessness he has, especially showcased in Prismo’s episode, god I’m glad Fionna and Cake are helping fix that even in some sense because THE POOR DEAR NO. it’s such a ridiculously tragic song for a tragic man. i do think he could be singing it to betty as a sort of finality.. not that there’s gonna BE ANY cuz i don’t WANT THERE TO BE FINALITY unless it is HAPPY…. :)! it also really goes to show that he's been in his own sort of living hell for so long- it begs the question of whether or not betty was selfish to try and guarantee his future to be long and meandering by sacrificing herself, instead of. well. "i hope we both die," this song is also just too fuckin tragic so i dont have a lot of Text Evidence here cuz if i look at the lyrics i will cry so !! you get the idea tho.*

—- Mind Electric Demos/Inside the Mind of Simon ~ Miracle Musical

*They’re not on Spotify, but if I had my way, I would add much more of the Mind Electric demos, they all show different facets and I love them all they are my children and like. It’s Simon. He Has a Mind. It’s Broken Up and Insane, Yeah? Yeah. We already went over this in The Mind Electric in detail so i’ll save you all that but point is i want it As Much as possible on here :3 (also can we talk about how in demo 2 the agonizing screams sounded like simon AND THEN SHIFTED TO THE LOWER AND MORE GRAVELLY CADENCE OF ICE KING. WTF. MADE FOR HIM)*

—- Biggering (Demo) ~ The Lorax

*I didn’t end up adding this one simply cuz the lyrics fit Winter King!Simon more than Our!Simon, even though the tone of the song and distress and cadence still really fits our simon.. it could be connected to him trying to get to Betty, but I feel like that’s not exactly Biggering in the same sense as trying to get away from something? It could still apply to him trying to get away from being the Ice King but i feel like it also doesnt quiiiite fit now that his motives have changed towards it anyway.. we’ll see what happens as the season progresses tho…..*

~~~~~~

by the way! i likely will add more to this playlist, but this is already a whole fuckton of analysis and connection to write out and it took me Days to actually shove it on paper so for future entires just Ask me why i included it if it doesn't become apparent in and of itself!

~~~~~~

anyway yeah is it apparent that i fucking love this guy yet? i’m just. i’m so Fucking bent out of shape over it i LOVE HIM. \:)

for some of these there is an extent of "you've gotta hear it to get what i mean" bc i can only describe so much here without being insanely redundant (and i feel like i have been anyway) so please do listen to the playlist i am very proud of it and insanely obsessed with it If You Can't Tell

hes so much more than just a sopping wet cat istg y'all. smiles so hard at you. anyway thank you for reading it means a lot you stuck with me to the end

#simon petrikov #fionna and cake #emery wrote a thing #emery did a thing #HOOHOO #hyperfixation moment #im OBSESSED #poetrystellar

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kpop---scenarios · 3 years ago

Text

Cravings || One

Pairing: Vampire! Hongjoong x Reader

Warning: None Yet

Word Count: 3.1k

A/N: If you would like to be tagged, let me know!

"Babe, hey babe." Your boyfriend, Chad calls out to you, as you're sitting at the kitchen table, running over over bills again and trying to figure out how the fuck you're going to try to pay everything. You worked damn hard, and barely had anything to show for it. Ever since Chad had moved in a few months ago, without an invitation, you were stressed. Everything had gone up and doubled since he hadn't left, and he also hadn't contributed anything financially towards the household. You paid for rent, utilities, groceries and you even paid when the two of you went out for dinner. Chad worked full time, but where his money was going, you had no fucking idea. He constantly went out with his 'boys' , often coming home obliterated, and just expecting you to have your legs spread open for him when he rolled in, apparently that was your duty as his girlfriend, according to him. As if not contributing and acting like a man child was such a turn on. Not to mention the countless hours he spent on your gaming console, yelling and talking to his friends, leaving you no time to play any games that you like, unless you wanted to wake up a few hours before you had to work to sneak on it. But by the time you got home from work, cleaned up the messes he made throughout the day, made yourself dinner, showered and got into your PJ'S, you were too damn tired to do anything. You knew you had to wake up the next day and do it all over again, so any sleep you got was precious.

A part of you often wondered why you were in this relationship with him. Maybe you were scared to be alone, maybe you didn't think you could do any better than him, but you stuck with him, because for some reason, you loved the guy.

"What do you want, Chad?" You sigh, walking into the living room where he's sprawled out on the couch, headset on and his match paused. "I'm trying to figure out bills, you know that thing that keeps us warm, and with light and hot water, that you said you'd help pay and haven't."

"Yeah, babe, can you go to the corner store and get those Takis, you know the ones I like? The not so spicy ones though babe, cause remember I have acid reflux, and a diet coke." He says, turning back to the screen, laughing at something said through his head phones.

You could feel the rage building up inside of you, awfully quick, and it was seeping out of you even quicker.

"Are you going to pay for said snacks?" You ask, trying to keep your voice calm.

"What?" He laughs. "Babe, no, come on. I'm broke. I don't get paid again for two weeks. You know this."

"You just got paid yesterday." You breathe through gritted teeth. "Where the hell did all your money go?" You ask, your hands balled into fists.

"You know babe, I had the fantasy football league entry, plus I owed Kyle money for the keg bomber last weekend, and I took the boys out for supper yesterday. Shit adds up." He says, never looking at you, only focusing on the game.

"And that's my problem, why exactly? Why is it always on me just because you're not financially stable. Grow up, you're 35 for christ sakes!" You yell. You stomp to the kitchen, grabbing your purse and slipping on your shoes before heading back into the living room.

"Yeah, she's got her shoes and purse." He laughs. "She's definitely going to get my stuff."

"You know what Chad? I'm definitely not going to get your snacks, get your own fucking snacks, Chaaad. I'm going for a drink, with my own goddamn money." You spit, storming out of the house.

You're wandering down the street, like you had been for the last thirty five minutes, and finally you found somewhere that looked decent enough. You walk in, and the lights are on very low, the place is almost dark, had it not been for the red lights swinging above tables, or the string of red lights wrapping around the ceiling. Your eyes wander the open floor of seating as a soft beat vibrates through the building. Every person in here who was sitting with someone was leaning closely to that person, seemingly having an intense conversation. The vibes felt dark and eerie, but you welcomed it, you enjoyed it instead of being around Chad's fuck boy mentality. You walk towards the bar, sliding onto one of the empty bar stools and setting your purse on your lap. Your eyes were looking down when you felt a presence standing in front of you. You look up and see quite possibly the most beautiful man you have ever seen.

"What can I get for you?" He asks, his voice is deep, yet so smooth and calming.

"Double vodka and coke please, and for the love of god, keep them coming." You sigh. After your comment you see the slightest hint of a smile appear on his lips, disappearing even quicker than it came.

"Bad day?" He asks, beginning to pour your drink.

"Bad relationship." You groan. He nods his head as he slides your drink towards you.

"Wanna talk about it?" He asks, leaning on the bar with his chin resting on his hands as he waits for you to speak. You look into his eyes, and they're so warm and mesmerizing, you felt safe and secure, like you could tell him anything. Which is exactly what you did.

"What's your name?" You ask.

"Hongjoong." He replies. "You?"

"Y/N."

"Okay Y/N, what's bothering you?"

"My boyfriend, we've been together for just over a year, and well.. he's something, and not the good something like people usually say. He moved in with me, without even asking me if I wanted to, and I just kind of accepted it. He doesn't pay anything, no bills, rent, groceries, nothing. It's all on me, even though he does work full time. He forgot my birthday, went out and got absolutely plastered with his 'boys'. On Valentine's Day, he took me out for dinner, and can you guess who was there?" You ask.

"His boys?" He answered.

"You sir, are correct. I was ignored the entire evening, and then he and his boys left, I ended up paying the bill, and I had to uber home because he had driven us there. Not to mention the fact that he assumes I'm just there for his pleasure, expecting me to be spread eagle for him whenever he decides to show up." You finish, chugging your drink as you try not to gag on the strong taste of vodka.

"Why are you with him then? He doesn't sound like he contributes to the relationship at all, so why do you stay?" He asks.

'Honestly, I'm not entirely sure." You answer as he slides another drink in front of you.

"Now that's a bullshit excuse." He replies. "There's a reason that you clearly don't want to admit."

"Do you ever smile?" You ask him.

"No." He answers. "Now, why won't you leave him?"

"Because it's safe, I guess? I don't know if I can do any better than him." You shrug.

"Y/N, you have no idea how much better you could do." He says.

From the moment Hongjoong had a whiff of the scent that was coming into his bar, he knew that it was the scent of the one. He intensely watched the door, waiting for the one it belonged too to walk through the door. As soon as you did, it was almost as though his heart could have started beating once again, the ice cold blood that ran through his body could have turned warm just by the sight of you. He isn't sure what it is about you, but he had always been told that he would know when he found the one, and having been alive for over a century, he had just assumed that it wasn't in the cards for him, and now he knows why. Because all his life he had been waiting for you. The person that he would do anything for, the person that he would be anything for had finally walked into his life, and for once he felt an ounce of hope, until, you had mentioned the filthy human you were in a relationship with, not to mention one that treated you like absolute garage, and you had assumed that no one better would love you, but shit were you ever wrong. He was standing right in front of you, and though you had just met him, he loved you with everything he had and would do anything and everything to protect you.

"I appreciate your advice, Hongjoong, but it's getting late and I have to work tomorrow." You sigh. "How much do I owe you?" You ask, grabbing your card from your wallet.

"It's on me." He tells you, grabbing your empty glass.

"Well thank you." You smile. "It was nice meeting you." You tell him as you slide off the stool.

"You too." He says, watching you walk away from him.

That night when you got home, you couldn't get Hongjoong off your mind, a smile spread across your face as you walked through your front door, and headed into the living room, then it instantly dropped. Chad had not moved from the spot you had previously left him in a few hours ago. "Oh, babe." He says, sucking the cheeto dust from his fingers. "Kyle brought me some snacks, since you threw a huge temper tantrum about my snacks, you can just venmo or cash app him, k?" He says, going back to playing his game.

You went to bed that night, dreaming of one man, who was not your man.

Over the next few weeks, you had absolutely no desire to be at home. So you headed to the bar that Hongjoong worked at, everyday after work for a drink, or two, or four. In those weeks the two of you spent an ample amount of time getting to know each other, you were sure he knew you better than Chad ever did. You didn't want to see Chad, you didn't want to be near him and it was bad enough that he constantly texted you throughout the day, sending you lists of things to buy from the grocery store, as if he wasn't able to do it himself. But much to your surprise, he didn't text you when you never came home with his snacks, he didn't check in with you throughout the day, and honestly it no longer bothered you.

You felt your feelings for Hongjoong deepen with every encounter the two of you had, every time you saw him it was like nothing you had ever felt with Chad, your emotions were amplified around Hongjoong and you weren't sure how much longer you could keep them hidden.

"One more." You tell Hongjoong, as you set down your fourth glass.

You can tell he wants to smile, but he's too good at controlling his emotions. "You've had enough, I'm cutting you off." He tells you.

You pout, trying to give him your best puppy dog eyes, but absolutely nothing got to the man and it was frustrating as fuck.

"A bad storm is coming, you should probably get home." He tells you, drying off some glasses.

"I don't want to go home, he's there." You scoff, just thinking about Chad made you want to vomit. "I guess I could just get a motel room, at that place across the street." You say, pointing over to the run down motel, that had flickering lights, and probably a rat and cockroach infestation.

"You will do no such thing." Hongjoong replies. "You can stay at my place." He says. "Give me a minute." He walks from around the bar, towards the back of the building, and you can't help but to turn in your stool and watch him walk away, damn he looks good.

Within seconds he's back, grabbing your bag and scooping you up into his arms as he effortlessly carries you out the door.

"I can walk." You object.

"I know." He says, his face stone cold.

"You're very pale." You tell him, as if he didn't know.

"I know." He replies, unlocking the door to his car.

"And you're very cold." You say.

He sighs. "I know." He finishes as he slides you into the passenger seat of his car.

As soon as he started his car, the rain began pouring as thunder and lightning jolted the sky.

"You were right, there's a storm." You say, watching out your window.

"I know." He replies, this time it sounded different. You turned to look at him, hoping you'd catch him smiling but no such luck.

He continues driving, taking you out into the middle of nowhere, out of city limits, this was it, this was probably when you died. You panicked slightly but you felt it in your entire body that he was not going to murder you, at least not that night.

Hongjoong pulls up to a gate, punching in a few numbers to open the gate, which just blocked off a winding road. You squinted as you tried to see where you were going but it was far too dark for you to see anything, until you pulled up to a beautiful mid-century mansion that made your mouth drop. It was absolutely stunning and you couldn't believe that he lived there.

"Seriously? This is where you live?" You say.

"MY family, but yeah." He answers, parking the car near the entrance.

He hops out of his seat, walking towards your side to open the door for you, pulling you inside before you get too wet. He dragged you up a large flight of stairs, not letting you admire the inside of his house. He put you inside a large room, with a large bed and a bathroom ensuite. "There's towels if you want to shower, I'll be back in a bit to check on you." He says, avoiding all eye contact before walking out of the room.

You let out a deep breath as you take off your heels, unbutton your pants and unhook your bra, placing it all next to the bed. You sit down on the bed in your underwear and t-shirt, wondering what to do, until your phone rings.

Looking at the caller ID, you didn't want to answer it, but you felt it would be unfair for you to do so.

"Hello?" You answer.

"Hey babe, it's me.. it's Chad." He says.

"I know who it is." You sigh.

"Look.. I know you've been terrible, oh, wait, I mean I've been terrible in our relationship lately but I want to make almonds." He says. "No idiot, it's amends." You hear from the background.

"Are you kidding me right now? Do you seriously have Brad over to help you?" You yell.

"Well yeah, he noticed that we were drifting apart and offered to help me get you back." Chad explains.

You get up off the bed, pacing on the hardwood floors as you tried to process what he just said to you.

"The fact that you didn't even notice that we were drifting apart is all that I need to hear. You know what, Chad? I'm done. I'm done with this relationship, I'm done with you. Just get out of my apartment, I'm over it." You yell, hanging up the phone.

You stand there, taking deep breaths as you replay the conversation you just had, he didn't even care enough to notice that you'd been pulling away. That kind of hurt, but then again it was Chad. He was never very perceptive.

A knock at the door before it suddenly opens, reveals Hongjoong, walking into the room. He tried to play it cool with the fact that you were practically naked in front of it.

"I heard yelling. You okay?" He asks as lightning strikes, causing the power to flicker.

"Chad called, he had his friend Brad over to feed him lines because Brad noticed we were drifting apart." You explain. "But I did it. I ended things." You proudly admit.

"Good for you." He says, staring at you, while you stare back at him. A crack of thunder hits loudly, making you jump, and within seconds Hongjoong's arms are wrapped around you, like he was protecting you. You look at him and he looks at you, and before you can tell yourself not to, your lips are pressed against him, and he is kissing you back.

The kiss turns passionate and needy in seconds, both of your desires for one another coming out without any control. He moves you both to the bed, laying you down as he hovers over you, his strong arms keeping him above you. You wrap your arms and legs around him, pulling his body closer to yours, feeling him near was all you'd wanted. His ice cold fingers touch your stomach as he begins to lift your shirt up, you can feel his cock slowly becoming harder. You begin lifting his shirt, when his phone rings. He stands up, whispering an apology before answering his phone, barely speaking any words.

"I'm so sorry, Y/N. I have some things to take care of." He says.

"Oh, yeah, no problem." You say, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Get some sleep." He tells you before walking out of the bedroom door, leaving you alone once again.

You tried to fight the exhaustion you felt, but it was far too hard. You got snuggled underneath the blankets, watching the door, hoping he would come back but your eyelids got too heavy for you to keep open, and you swiftly drifted off to sleep, finally feeling some peace.

The warm sun was shining into the room, waking you up. You let out a little stretch before opening your eyes, only to see five men standing around you. You sit up, moving to the wall, as these men stare at you. You looked at them all, and they all looked similar to Hongjoong. Pale skin, dark eyes, dark head, blood red lips.

"Who are you?" One of them asks.

"Y/N." You whisper.

Another one speaks up, looking at the other four men. "Who the fuck brought a human home?"

#kpopscape #noonasinnetwork #ateez hongjoong #hongjoong #kim hongjoong #vampire hongjoong #ateez #vampire ateez #ateez imagines #ateez smut #hongjoong smut #kpop fanfic #kpop scenarios #kpop writing #kpop icons #kpop imagines #kpop smut

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brideoftheundead · 2 years ago

Note

In one of the first lessons of the game, it is mentioned that the dance battles are stand-ins for MC's special tasks throughout the year and that some demons have tasks relating to trying to corrupt MC.

Maybe Barbatos is tasked as a potential corruptor and is trying to seduce MC so that they fall easier?

While his actions are fully behind Diavolo, he is a traditionalist so he might internally view MC as a pet rather than a person. While MC is cute, as a human their main purpose is to serve demons either as food or as a pawn.

He would probably be more comfortable viewing his relationship with MC through the lens of predator and prey, as things have always been. Not to mention, the only person he is confirmed to have a pact with has canonically not considered demons to be friends prior to meeting MC, so the idea of humans and demons genuinely caring about each other probably feels unnatural to him (the exchange program was never intended to "make friends" with the other worlds, only to understand them better - not even Diavolo expected it to go as well as it did).

Now that we are in... I think it's Season 4? They are starting to tease Barbatos as a love interest (an incident where MC makes him blush, and another where MC accidentally puts him under a love spell - which is the kind of shenanigans the Devs make the brothers suffer after they start crushing on MC), which is concurrent with other anti-human/angel demons like Mephisto coming around to the idea that not being a demon doesn't make someone lesser/bad.

It would make sense if his perspective was beginning to change, so future Devilgrams might feel more sincere since there will (hopefully) be some evidence of his feelings in the main story.

I completely forgot about this lesson, so much that I didn't think that dance battles were somehow part of the plot but a disconnected tool to progress in the game.

This gives me a completely new perspective on the dance battle interactions. It would be interesting to look further in, I think that Belphie too in the beginning might have been one of those demons seen how he tricked MC and didn’t exactly have a liking for humans in general. Now I would like to know all the characters that have/had this task.

THIS is why Barbatos is scary. I really like this interpretation because it makes his character even more eerie. MC thinks they’re safe in the Demon Lord’s castle as they know they’re important for the exchange program, not aware that Barbatos sees them as a disposable object only temporary useful. It would take a great deal for Barbatos to recognize their worth. If there’s ever a chance for that to happen. Even if MC becomes a sorcerer as powerful as Solomon that doesn’t guarantee that he’d view them as equals or even a friend. In most movies even the humans that demons forge pacts with are expendable and usually end up dying if they get on the demon’s nerves or they simply stop being useful to their purposes. I feel that Barbatos would fit in this narrative.

Another thing that surprised me is when Diavolo revealed the reason why Barbatos became his butler. I thought it happened under more pressing conditions, like some kind of blackmailing regarding something more personal to Barbatos, not the wellbeing of the Devildom. I don’t know why but I find it odd for a demon to be so dutiful (Lucifer doesn’t count, I mean yes that’s part of his character, but it can’t be forgotten that he also is in debt to Diavolo and Barbatos isn’t).

I’m excited to see it, I just began season 4, the part where they tease the brothers for their feelings is my favorite one, even more than when something actually happens, that’s why I like the scenes with Mammon so much. It seems that they mean to go down that road, it does make sense that he’s one of the last to “fall” for MC given his characterization. I didn’t even expect for Diavolo to become a love interest “so soon”. If we follow this idea of Barbatos you just outlined it will be very conflicting for him to go from “demons don’t fall in love with their food” to “hear me out...maybe only this one”.

#Eve answers

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yurtletheturtlehenderson · 4 years ago

Text

COSMIC - S1:E1; Chapter One, The Vanishing of Will Byers - [Pt. 1]

A Will Byers x Male!Reader Series

𝘖𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥'𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥.

𝐍𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝟔𝐓𝐇, 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟑

𝐇𝐀𝐖𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐒, 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐀

𝐇𝐀𝐖𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐒 𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐔.𝐒 𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐆𝐘

The night is quiet, as it always has been in this small corner of Indiana, and yet this night is unlike any other. The halls were especially bare, occupied only by the melody of the generator humming as it struggled to pump light throughout the twisted maze of halls. That was, until...

BAM

The steel door rips open, colliding fast and hard with the walls withab fantastic thud. Swallowing all remaining silence along with it, was the cry of alarms that flood the hallway as he runs for his life. The man finds himself at the elevator, furiously slamming his hand against the elevator button hoping just maybe it might make the elevator come faster. As he does so, the man continues to look over his shoulder in a panic.

He knows its after him.

BOOM

He knows its close.

The man is thrilled to hear the soft ding of the elevator signaling it's arrival. Before the doors are even opened all the way the man quickly ducks through and proceeds to frantically hit the UP button inside the elevator.

The doors begin to close.

For a second he believes he just might make it. But that doesn't completely cast away the fear as he can't seem to take his eyes off of the eerie hallway, expecting it's arrival. The man attempts to calm his breathing. His hopes of escaping are growing stronger as things quiet down.

That's when he hears it.

That... Thing.

It takes every remaining ounce of courage for the man to slowly look up, but on some level, he already knows he is done for.

A low growl is heard above him followed by an unusual yet terrifying squeak.

The man's screams were cut off with the shut of the doors as he is yanked up towards the ceiling of the elevator. The man is no more.

|| 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕 ||

It's quiet. The faint sound of sprinklers outside can be heard as we wait for Mike to continue. We are all on the edge of our seats. It's already hard enough they still can't find proper seating for me since I officially joined the party, so, for now, I'm wedged between my best friend Will and my brother Dustin.

"Something is coming. Something hungry for blood," Mike says, his voice barely above a whisper. "A shadow grows on the wall behind you, swallowing you in darkness."

Subconsciously we all slowly lean in waiting for whatever happens next.

"It is almost here."

"What is it?" Will asks suddenly, no longer capable of containing his curiosity.

This time it's Dustin who cuts in, "What if it's the Demogorgon?"

I take a deep breath in suspense. Out of the corner of my eye, Will practically throws himself back in his seat.

"Oh, Jesus, we're so screwed if it's the Demogorgon." Dustin rambles on.

Lucas speaks up, "It's not the Demogorgon." He sounds very sure of himself which gives me more confidence.

We all jump a little in our seats when Mike slams one of the game pieces down in front of us suddenly as he shouts "An army of troglodytes charge into the chamber!"

I sigh in great relief as Lucas gives a very smug and quite frankly, sassy look to Dustin as he props his elbow on the back of his chair which earns a soft chuckle from me.

"Troglodytes?" Dustin asks in disbelief.

"Told ya," I roll my eyes at Lucas despite the smile that grows on my face.

Everyone shares a good laugh, all of us relieved when my eyes meet Will's and we share a smile and a shake of the head as if silently saying 'I can't believe we were so worried for nothing'.

Simultaneously all of our smiles melt away when Mike starts looking around as he says "Wait a minute. Did you hear that?"

"That...That sound," he says softly.

"Boom... Boom," his voice is getting slightly louder with each 'boom'. We all stare at Mike expectantly, hanging on to his every word.

"BOOM!" Mike is shouting at this point as he slams his hands against the wooden surface making the table as well as all of us jump.

I always get too into these games, I realize. My heart is racing as adrenaline courses through my veins. I look over and it seems when I jumped I grabbed on to the nearest thing next to me which happened to be Will's arm. Sheepishly, I retract my hand and look back at Mike in anticipation.

"That didn't come from the troglodytes. No, that... That came from something else." Mike continues.

We all look around at each other as we wait for Mike.

In an instant, Mike slams down the next figure on the board and exclaims, "The Demogorgon!"

'Yep. We're screwed.'

The silence is replaced with all of our defeated groans. Dustin sighs and says, "We're in deep shit."

Mike suddenly says, "Will, your action!"

"I don't know!" Will sounded desperate.

We're all on edge, but the boys are completely panicking.

"Fireball him!" Lucas shouts.

"I'd have to roll a 13 or higher!"

"Too risky." Dustin cuts in. "Cast a protection spell!"

Lucas turns to Will and says "Don't be a pussy," I roll my eyes. "Fireball him!"

At this point, Lucas and Dustin are just yelling at each other.

"Cast protection."

Our attention is quickly brought back to Mike when he shouts, "The Demogorgon is tired of your silly human bickering! It stomps towards you."

"BOOM!"

"FIREBALL HIM!"

"Another stomp. BOOM."

"Cast. Protection."

"He roars in anger!"

At this point, everyone is yelling over one another; it's utter chaos, and finally I snap.

"Oh, come on, I'M tired of your silly human bickering, just let the boy roll!" It's hard to be heard over all the yelling but, by some miracle,, they manage to hear me and it's quiet for a split second as Will gets a chance to speak.

"And, FIREBALL!" He throws the dice on the table out of excitement and they go flying onto the floor.

"Oh shit!"

We all jump to our feet, scrambling to find the dice in anticipation.

"Where'd it go?" Lucas asks. "Where is it?"

Will almost sounded defensive, "I don't know!"

"Is it a 13?"

"How are we supposed to know if we haven't found the dice yet, Dustin?" I retort.

"Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" Dustin chants as he paces back and forth. I roll my eyes as I continue to search on my hands and knees.

"Mike," It was Mrs. Wheeler.

"Mom we're in the middle of a campaign!" Mike exclaims.

"You mean the end? Fifteen after."

Mike sighs, exasperated and runs up the stairs.

I hear Lucas accuse Will. "Oh, my God! Freaking Idiot!"

"Lucas," I ease. "come on, it's not his fault. We were all caught up in the game. Let's just focus on- OH! Found 'em!"

I jump to my feet, pointing down at the D-20 for my friends to see and not wanting to tamper with the roll. The boys come running over and practically trampled me in the process.

"Shit, it's a seven." We all groan in frustration, especially Will.

"Does a seven count?" Will asked hopefully.

"Did Mike see it?" Lucas counters.

"Well, no."

"Then it doesn't count."

I sigh, beginning to pack up my bags and tidy up my mess knowing it was time to leave. The others do the same.

"Why do we have to leave?" Will asks sadly as we head up the stairs. "It was just getting good,"

"I know," I swing my arm off his shoulder dramatically with a sigh as we head up the basement stairs and for the garage door. "I know. But hey, just think how awesome the next one will be, eh?" I tease trying to get my best friend to smile.

|| 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕 ||

Y/n has always been so good at cheering people up, I have no idea how he does it.

"Hey, guys. I'm sorry we had to end it so soon." Y/n and I turn around looking at Mike.

"No sweat, Mikey." Y/n shrugs, with a smile.

I love that smile. Suddenly his arm leaves my shoulder, and I frown a little.

I sigh inwardly, I've had such a bad crush on Y/n since he and Dustin moved here in the 4th grade. He has no idea... I hope. I always admired him from afar, that is until he finally convinced Dustin to let him into the party. We were all glad to have him, Dustin can be a little overprotective is all. I'm not sure about Dustin, but as for Mike and Lucas, they know I like him. Those guys can read me like a book, and once they caught on there was no convincing them otherwise.

I'm really lucky to have them as friends. They've never made me feel bad for who I am.

"Hey, Mike? Where is Dustin?" Y/n asks.

That's a good point, I realize. He was right behind us but he hasn't come outside yet.

"I think he went upstairs to give the leftovers to Nancy."

"Oh okay. I'll just wait here then. Uh oh, your plant is dying" Y/n said suddenly, kneeling down by the withering plant by the patio.

"Yeah, that's my mom's tomato plant. That thing is hopeless. She basically gave up on it."

"Well, I might be able to help," he said thoughtfully, beginning to scan the garage. "Where do you keep your gardening- Oh, never mind!"

He quickly runs over to the shelves, retrieving some old packets and ran back over to the plant, kneeling beside it.

You can always tell when he is concentrating; he always does this cute thing where he furrows his brow and chews his lip. My stomach does a little flip when i realize I was staring again and I quickly refocus my attention on my vest zipper. I still manage to see Y/n fiddling with the the packet tonget it open, finally sprinkling the contents into the dirt before mixing it in with his finger. All the while, he mutters words of encouragement towards it. I remember him telling me one day about a study conducted on plants and how it was proved that they respond well to positive feedback, and the memory makes me smile. He was so fascinated by it; it was hard not to be as excited about it as he was when he told us about it.

Y/n stands up, brushing himself off and smiles at Mike and then me.

I kinda froze, not in panic but in awe. He just radiates warmth, and positivity effortlessly.

"What?" He chuckles as he smiles at me.

I shake my head in embarrassment and look away, zipping up my vest and getting on my bike.

Lucas just rolls his eyes at my behavior. He's always telling me to just go for it but it's not that easy. I think he's tired of my bashfulness but still understands why I'm scared.

We all look to the door when we hear it slam. It's Dustin.

"There's something wrong with your sister." He grumbles.

"What are you talking about?"

"She's got a stick up her butt."

"Yeah," Lucas joins in. "It's because she's been dating that douche bag, Steve Harrington."

"Yeah, she's turning into a real jerk."

"She's always been a real jerk!" Mike interrupts.

"Nuh-uh. She used to be cool, like the time she dressed up as an elf for our elder tree campaign." With that, Dustin headed off on his bike, followed by Y/n but not before sending me a smile and thanking Mike.

"It was a seven," I tell him, thinking back on the campaign.

"Huh?"

"The roll, it was a seven. The Demogorgon, it got me."

Mike seems a bit shocked at my truthfulness, but ultimately shrugs it off, nodding. I nod back.

"See you later!" I say as I start peddling away.

I catch up just in time to see Lucas bid his goodbyes.

"Good night, ladies!" He chimes.

"Kiss your mom 'night for me," Dustin calls before looking over at me.

"Race you back to my place? Winner gets a comic?"

Before I can respond Y/n speaks up, "and am I included this time, like at all?"

"Course not," he says nonchalantly. I shake my head, feeling kinda bad for him, but I know it's just sibling banter.

"Well then," he scoffs. "Don't be surprised if your bike tires mysteriously deflate one day, Dustin. There's all kinds of weirdos out here,"

I laugh, and Dustin just ignores him.

"Any comic?" I ask.

"Yeah!" As we are about to start we both look back when we hear Y/n frantically yelling, "Shit! DUSTIN HELP!"

I look back to see him winking at me with a smile on his face. Automatically realizing what he is up to, I booked it.

Fortunately for me, Dustin wasn't so quick. I could hear his frantic cries, "Jesus, Y/n what's wrong-? HEY, WHAT THE HELL?!"

There it is. Although, I was already far ahead.

"DAMMIT Y/N, IF I LOSE YOU OWE ME A COMIC BOOK!"

I can hear Y/n's laughter from here and it makes me smile. As the laughter grows more and more distant, I hear "GO WILL, GO!"

Somehow my smile gets bigger, and my legs go faster.

"Hey! Hey! Get back here! I'm gonna kill you! BOTH of you!"

"I'll take your X-Men 134!" I shout as I pass his house and take the shortcut to my own.

As I slow down my mind starts to wonder; It wanders to the campaign today. It wanders to how Y/n helped me win the race and my new comic book just moments ago. It wanders to Y/n grabbing my arm during the campaign and how I don't think I've ever blushed that hard... My mind wanders to Y/n.

Sometimes I really hate how much I like him. How I can't get him out of my head. He just has always been such a good friend to me and I just don't get how someone can be so nice, and thoughtful and-

My thoughts are cut short when I notice my bike light flickering. I look down at it in confusion. Just then it comes back on. I look back at the road and I see a disturbingly tall, ominous figure staring me down. My heart practically stops in the figure's wake.

My body reacted before my mind could; I yanked my bike right and as I cruise down the ditch, my bike topples over and I'm sent to the muddy ground. It takes me a second to gather my senses as I warily pick myself up and try and get a glimpse of what I just saw. My heart starts racing faster as I hear an alarming and indistinct growling. I'm whimpering at this point but I don't care. I ditch my bike without a second thought and book it as fast as I can in the direction of my house.

I'm sniveling and panting as I make it through the fog that covers the road in front of my house. I make it on to the porch, throw open the door, and slam it shut just as fast. My fingers fumble to secure every single lock on the door and for the first time in my life I wonder why we don't have more. All the while, Chester is barking like crazy.

"Mom?" I'm running through the house looking in every room for any sign of my mom or Jonathan.

"Jonathan? Mom?"

'Crap they must be working. Crap! No No No!'

I run back into the living room and throw the blinds over my head, wincing as it hit the back of my head. But I waste no time in cupping my hands up against the glass to get a better look at the yard to see if I can spot the figure.

My stomach drops what feels like ten stories.

I can see it in the distance right between the sheets that were hung out to dry.

It's just standing there. Menacingly. (a/n: If you understood that reference, and actually thought it was funny let's be friends please 😂)

It starts stomping towards the house.

I gasp and start running for the phone.

I hastily pick the phone up from the mount and my fingers are shaking as I try and dial 911 as fast as possible.

I can hear it ringing. I can hear the click as if someone picked up. I waste no time, "Hello? HELLO?!"

All I can hear over the phone now is static, and then a disturbing, yet familiar screech-like growl. Chester's barking is getting louder and more frequent indicating that It's right outside. I slowly peer around the corner to look at the glass window on the door and I can barely make out the menacing shadowy figuring looming outside the door. I can hear it growling from outside.

Chester's barks quickly turn into whimpers as he backs away towards me.

Then the unthinkable happens.

The chain lock on the inside of the door starts unlocking itself.

'Shit!'

At this point, I realize I'm never going to be able to outrun it so I'm going to have to at least try to defend myself. I remember the gun we keep in the shed out back and make a run for it, not even bothering to hang up the phone. I nearly trip on my own feet as I run for the shed. I make it inside and slam the shed door behind me in the process. I quickly but carefully take the gun off the wall and set it on the shelf as I scramble for the ammo. My fingers are still trembling as I fumble to put the bullets in the magazine.

Once I finally get the magazine in, I pick up the gun and aim it at the shed door waiting. It seems as though I can't even keep the gun steady since my entire body is completely tremoring, even my unsteady breaths.

It has to be close by now.

As if on cue I hear the deep growling that I've already heard twice tonight and for a couple of moments I think it's outside. But then I realize why it sounds so close.

It's in the shed with me.

It's behind me.

The fear is nearing paralyzing, but I still manage to command my body to turn around to get a look at this relentless monster. When I see it I just stand there in utter disbelief, the gun slowly and subconsciously lowering to my side in shock. I'm completely frozen in place as I stare at the beast in front of me. The hanging light bulb above me glows intensively brighter with every passing second. The last thing I see before I'm cloaked in pure white light and an unbearable chill is the monster's long arm reaching out for me.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

❥ Let me know if you would like to be added to or removed from the taglist! ❥

#you'll float queue #cosmic #cosmic 1 #m!cosmic #will byers x reader #will byers x male!reader #reader insert #stranger things #x male!reader #y/n henderson #will byers #dustin henderson #lucas sinclair #mike wheeler #the vanishing of will byers

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dragon-kazansky · 4 years ago

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Til death do us part | Helmut Zemo

Bodyguard AU! 🕶

Gender neutral reader

Collage by @realremyd

[Previous chapter] - [Next chapter]

Part 4

London. Arriving to London was much the same as when you arrived to Paris. The Baron ignored you throughout the flight, you were in the follow up car to the hotel, which once again as the exact place you would expect a Baron to stay at, and then you were situated on his floor until he was ready for his meeting.

You figured at this point every meeting was going to be pretty much the same. Maybe you would be able to come up with some fun little games to play while you stood on guard.

You might as well since this was going to be a long process.

The Baron leaves for his meeting and you all follow him. Once again it's pretty much the same as it was in Paris. A meeting in an official building where alliances and such would be discussed and they would make a deal.

You began to wonder if your mental state would be able to handle so many days of this.

However, none of this seemed to last long.

On the dawn of the second day, you all got up and positioned yourself on the hotel floor like before. The Baron got dressed, was escorted to breakfast, returned to his room for a bit, and was then escorted to his meeting as per usual.

The only difference was that Steve wasn't present that day. He had recieved a call earlier from Stark, the big boss, and had to take it. Sam had taken over Steve's postion beside the Baron that morning.

Steve wasn't present on the way to the meeting that day, but he showed up just as the meeting started. He came over to where you and Bucky stood.

"We have an issue."

You both look at him, waiting.

"They're here. I have word that the group who are after the Baron is in London and they're in the area," he keeps his voice level.

You share a glance with Bucky.

"Instructions?" You ask.

"Pay attention. I don't know where they are, where they'll come from, but if they really are here, we have to act fast. When the meeting is over, do not let the Baron out of your sight. I know he isn't too fond of you, Y/N, but no matter what he says, don't leave his side."

"You can count on me, Steve."

He knows he can. He nods at you and leaves your side, making his way over to the others to alert them. You share another look with Bucky, both of you nodding.

The nod. A silent signal. It can be a greeting, or a full on conversation. It's a solid way of communicating without words.

The meeting goes on for an hour before Zemo exists. As soon as he does, both Bucky and yourself are at his side. You let Bucky do the talking, feeling the Baron will the listen to him over you.

"We believe your life to be at risk. We have word that group are in town and may be here for you. Please do as we say and we make sure you are escorted back to your hotel safely."

The Baron, at first, looks confused, but then he seems to become more serious. He glances at you and narrows his eyes.

"They sent you?"

"Yes, sir."

"Where are the others?" He asks.

"On watch. We can't take any chances. I know you don't think I'm capable, sir, but please work with us here. I'm here to a job, and I will do everything in my power to ensure your safety, sir."

Never before have you spoken to a client like that, but your words rang true. You had a job to do and you were going to do it.

He stares at you.

You can't tell if he's upset with you for talking to him like that, or if he was just trying to think about his options, of which he didn't have many.

"Very well. What do you want me to do?" He asks, looking at you. You don't have time to think about that too much.

"Remain calm as we walk you outside. The car is just outside across the road. We are going to get you inside. I ask that you keep your head down. If I ask you to get down, please get a close to the ground as possible. Barnes and I will shield you then best we can."

Zemo doesn't say anything as he looks at you. He nods. A nod of confirmation. He understood the protocol.

You glance at Bucky.

"Ready?" You ask him.

"Ready."

Bucky and yourself walk on either side of the Baron as you head for the doors. Natasha and Clint are right outside, eyes on the rooftops. Steve and Carol are right behind you. Sam is near the car, waiting.

You step outside casually. Bucky and yourself are trying to note every detail, every person who is on this street.

The silence in the air feels eerie.

You get Zemo out into the street. It's far too quiet for your liking. No other vehicles are turning down the road and that makes you uncomfortable.

You glance down the road.

You're all almost across the street. Looking at Sam, you see he has his eyes on the roof of the building you had just come from.

You don't like this.

You're nearly at the car.

A shot rings out in the air and everything happens all at once.

All bodyguards take out their weapons and keep them up as they try and pinpoint where the gunshot rang from. There was no sign of anyone. The Baron crouched down by the car, you take a knee beside him, Bucky shielding him from the other side.

You focus your eyes on the rooftops.

"I don't see anyone," you say down through the earpieces.

"Nothing," you hear Nat say.

"All clear here," Carol states.

"Clear," Clint responds.

"Don't let your guard down," Steve says.

There's another shot. It strikes the car. You swear under your breath as you look up at where it may have come from.

"Not the rooftop!" You state.

Bucky sees the open window. There's movement within, but he can't get an angle. He looks at you over his shoulder.

"I have to move, you going to be alright?" He asks.

You nod.

Zemo looks up at you, brows furrowed together.

"You're leaving me with them?" He asks, turning back to Bucky.

Bucky looks at him.

"You're in good hands."

Bucky says no more as he pushes away from the car and bolts further down the street, taking cover behind the car you had arrived in. You open the car door.

"Please get in, sir."

Zemo stares at you.

Another shot rings out, another one striking the car. He jumps slightly.

"Give me a weapon, I was military, I can shoot," he says.

"Sorry, sir, but I cannot do that. Please get in the car. I have to get you out of the area."

He glares at you, but he climbs into the car as he is told to do. You close the door behind him and stand up, keeping your back to the car. Zemo tucks himself down in front of the seats. He keeps his eyes on you through the window.

"Crazy," he mutters.

You turn to see Bucky waiting the person in the window. From where you moved to, they wouldn't be have a good enough shot on you. However, you should have remembered the fact that cars had stopped coming down this road.

Load screeching causes you turn around. A big bulky vehicle comes to a stop at the end of the street. Along with the others, you lift your gun and hold it up at the car. Nothing happens for a minute, but all at once the car doors open and several people jump out.

All of them are armed.

Helmut watches you raise your gun. It had been a long time since he felt fear like this. They were here for him.

Gunshots go off. He turns to see three of the people from the car either fall back, or backtrack to cover. The others continue to shoot at his bodyguards.

More gunfire and suddenly he can't see you any more.

Zemo moves and looks out the window properly. You're kneeling on the ground. You're hurt.

Zemo glances up and sees them getting back in the car. The windows are rolled down. He panics all of a sudden.

"Shit." He opens the car door and runs toward you. He kneels in front of you and looks down at you. You look at him, brow furrowed.

"Get back in the car!"

"You're hurt."

"No shit. Get back in the car."

You reach for your gun and hold it up toward the car. The engine revs. They're going to drive right into you if you don't move.

You fire a couple of shots, but they got you in the shoulder and it hurts like hell. You groped your gun and give the Baron a rough shove.

"GO!"

He hesitates. He looks at you. It looks like a lot of blood, but it probably wasn't. Still, he can't help how worried he feels right now.

Why was he so scared?

Maybe because this was the first time in years they had come for him, and seeing you bleeding out in front of him takes him back to that night.

Two strong hands grab him by the shoulders and pull him back. He's startled for a moment. He looks back to see Bucky pulling him back toward the car. He is roughly shoved into the back. Bucky slams the door shut and climbs into the drivers seat.

"Wait, we are leaving them?"

As Bucky starts the engine, Zemo looks outside and sees you passed out on the street. Everyone else seems too busy to attend to you and he wonders what will happen.

He wants to jump out and move you, but the doors are locked.

"Go back!" He yells as the car turns sharply and drives down the other direction.

He just left you there!

Zemo had just seen you do your job. You protected him and took a hit for him. Perhaps more than one hit.

Were they just going to leave you to die?

Zemo tries to keep his eyes on you as Bucky drives, but they're not on that street long enough for him to do so.

Through Bucky's earpiece, he hears Steve.

"Ambulance en route. The gang have reversed out of the street, stay off the main roads and be careful."

Bucky replies, "roger that."

Zemo sits in the back in silence. He doesn't know what to do or what to think. Everything had happened so very quickly.

He was also confused.

Why had guilt settled within him.

You had done your job. He had been wrong about you. He can say that now.

I was wrong about you.

@thesuitkovian @justfangirlthingies @belle82devart @zemosimp420 @anteroom-of-death @silverlambcaptain @that-stupid-head-tilt-thing @lieutenantn @daniielbruhl @awesomesauce-abbie @latenightartist-author @lazygurl05 @rumblelibrary @nonamec0s @shura-gorl @ginger-abreu @caligrl1992 @livvyshmiv @luciadiosa @vverliebt @tatooineisdry @charistory @somethingthatsaysbubbles

#marvel #zemo x reader #helmut zemo x reader #helmut zemo #au #baron helmut zemo #zemo #bodyguard au

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etched-in-stone-rosetta · 3 years ago

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Mettaton is a False Prophet - Pt. 2

This is a continuation post from my older theory back when Undertale was still the big thing that Mettaton was a false prophet designed by Alphys and Asgore to fulfill the Deltarune prophecy, which explains all of his eerie similarities to Flowey and Asriel. Here is Part 1 if you wanna catch up!

[UPDATED INFO FROM DELTARUNE CH. 2]

With the debut of Deltarune Chapter 2 came a fan-favorite newcomer called Spamton, and the interesting thing about his character is that it has a lot of similarities with Mettaton, especially his secret form known as ‘Spamton NEO.’ Now, the general story behind his character is that he was once a spam email puppet account who was never able to make a deal. This was his life until he was called by a mysterious person who suddenly made him wildly successful by continually aiding his career over the phone, eventually causing his friends to leave him over their envy of his newfound success. This success eventually landed him a spot in Queen’s mansion until it all came crashing down one day, and the only remnant left of him was a dead phone line tied to him that only repeated static back at anyone who tried to call it.

As everyone’s likely aware of now, there is a hidden bossfight in which you can, once specific conditions are performed, fight Spamton NEO, a version of Spamton hooked up to a suit that unabashedly resembles the same form Mettaton took on in the no mercy route of Undertale. This suit has been referred to as ‘the machine’ which is described by Swatch as the creation of an unknown Lighter, “digitally visualizing their hopes and dreams which never came to be.” This then became an incomplete dream which was locked in Queen’s basement. In battle, the fight also resembles the fights the player had with Mettaton through Undertale, with their soul turning yellow and shooting projectiles to take Spamton down. But the similarities between the fight against Mettaton Ex and Spamton NEO don’t end there, as both fights involved taking apart components of the body gradually over the course of the battle, with Mettaton having his limbs blown off and Spamton having his strings cut.

Now, this backstory is all very important as it alludes back to the body’s origin in Undertale as a creation of Alphys to make its host proficient at killing and absorbing a human soul. The description of the body is textually different but similar, in that Mettaton NEO was designed for the purposes of killing explicitly whereas Spamton NEO’s body is described by Swatch as being an agent in which one can envision their hopes and dreams through an implicit power of determination.

It’s important to note here that, career-wise, Mettaton is quite similar to Spamton in that they both had great and newfound success upon accepting a deal that gave them some meta-knowledge of the world they inhabit, with Spamton being told that the world he lives in is a game that can be exploited (as implied by his dialogue), and Mettaton was granted some of the same abilities that Flowey possesses (changing the game’s name, being able to audibly speak, and being a monster soul possessing an inanimate object). Whereas Mettaton is a story of continued success, Spamton is a story of failure, but how does this fit into the context of the theory that Mettaton was a failed attempt to fulfill the Deltarune prophecy?

That quote from Swatch on describing the purpose of the body is important to explaining this, as it eerily resembles Mettaton’s role in Undertale’s story as a machine designed to harvest a human soul and potentially fulfill the Deltarune prophecy but was unsuccessful to do so because Mettaton is a false prophet. The theme of false prophecy and failed transcendence is exemplified by Spamton’s backstory, as the power of meta-textual awareness granted to him (by Gaster presumably) resulted in short-term success that rose him to the heavens only for him to fall down hard back into being forgotten. The fall he suffers from cutting off his strings is a dual-layer metaphor for how Spamton fell from success and how Mettaton was unable to fulfill the Deltarune prophecy unlike his parallel successor Flowey.

And if it wasn’t obvious that Mettaton’s constant desire for your soul is equivalent to Spamton’s desire for [hyperlink blocked], he goes on record describing all of the control he’d have over his life if he were to harvest your [hyperlink blocked], implying that the hyperlink is code for determination. Spamton also routinely refers to “heaven” throughout his dialogue, which could imply anything transcendental, but I believe this is also another direct allusion to the Deltarune prophecy and its description of an angel: The divine vocabulary fits. Perhaps Mettaton was trying to indirectly achieve this reception from heaven through his promulgation as an icon of monsterkind wanting so desperately to have a human audience? Perhaps this constant appeal ‘heaven’ is Spamtron’s version of Mettaton’s constant appeal to a nebulous audience? If that’s the case, it implies that the audience of Mettaton has divine power, which seems to suggest that it’s composed of far more than just monsterkind. Another minor thing to note here is that Spamton also refers to “the presses” if you defeat him by depleting his health bar: “WAIT!! [$!?!] THE PRESSES!”

“KRIS, DON'T YOU WANNA BE [Part] OF MY BEAUTIFUL [Heart]?” is a very unsubtle nod to the process Chara and Asriel underwent to bypass the barrier and return to the Surface. There must be something about the abilities that the NEO suit offers that is implicitly tied to the Deltarune prophecy. Spamton’s constant use of the phrase ‘big shot’ is another multi-layered metaphor. The ‘big shot’ in question is a triple entendre, as it refers not only to Spamton’s aspirations, but also the fulfillment of the Delta Rune prophecy and also more banally refer to the yellow soul’s newfound ability to shoot a charge shot.

After sparing Spamton NEO, he offers some dialogue that resembles Flowey’s plea to you after defeating his Photoshop form, in which he asks why you’re showing him mercy after all of the unnecessary cruelty he did to you to prove his worldview correct. He then goes on to make a reference to Pinocchio in which he asks you to cut his strings and make him a “real boy” (an even funnier phrase given that he’s a puppet). But this is also an allusion to Mettaton, as he reveals to you throughout the game that his robot body designed for him by Alphys is a form that makes him feel more like himself because it’s implied that Mettaton is an incorporeal ghost like Napstablook. He then makes one least appeal to Heaven and says he’ll live for himself and his friends, acting as a microcosm of both Mettaton and Flowey’s character arc.

In the “weird route”, Spamton also makes remarks prior to battling him that allude to Mettaton NEO’s fight in the no mercy route: “THANKS TO YOUR [Total Jackass stunts] I HAVE [Becomed] NEO.” “TO [$!$!] ME OVER RIGHT AT THE [Good part]!? WHAT ARE YOU, A [Gameshow Host]!?” “MY ESTEEM CUSTOMER I SEE YOU ARE ATTEMPTING TO DEPLETE MY HP! I'LL ADMIT YOU'VE GOT SOME [Guts] KID! BUT IN A [1 for 1] BATTLE, NEO NEVER LOSES!!! IT'S TIME FOR A LITTLE [Bluelight Specil]. DIDN'T YOU KNOW [Neo] IS FAMOUS FOR ITS HIGH DEFENSE!? NOW... ENJ0Y THE FIR3WORKS, KID!!!” One line in particular references Asriel calling Chara’s name before Frisk lands in the bed of flowers in the Garbage Dump: “YOU MAKE ME [Sick]! MUTTERING YOUR [Lost Friends] NAMES AT THE BOTTOM OF A [Dumpster]! NO ONE'S GONNA HELP YOU!!! GET THAT THROUGH YOUR [Beautiful Head], YOU LITTLE [Worm]!”

This is an even more poignant line, as Spamton resides in Trash Zone, which is meant to resemble the Garbage Dump area of Undertale, which was a point in Waterfall where you were given a hint into the backstory of the game before landing on a bed of flowers. It’s also the area where you encounter Mad Dummy and where Alphys dates Undyne in the true pacifist route. Clearly, the symbolism of taking place in a dump is very important for connecting the worlds and stories of both of these games, given that it’s such an important spot for two major characters tied to Mettaton.

If it weren’t obvious at this point, Spamton damn near confirms that Mettaton was designed at least partially to fulfill the Deltarune prophecy but was unable to because he didn’t possess the same potential or determination that Flowey had due to his lack of relation to the original human and his focus instead turning towards an abstract human audience. The dialogue from Swatch about Spamton being the embodiment of a Lightner’s dream also implies that, keeping in line with the themes of desire in the Dark World, that Mettaton might be directly responsible for the creation of Mettaton. Perhaps this is why the NEO suit so eerily resembles the God of Hyperdeath if it’s directly tied to Mettaton’s desire to fulfill the Deltarune prophecy. If this is the case, isn’t it a bit odd that the God of Hyperdeath is also implied to be Asriel’s creation from flavor text in Kris’s room? What an interesting parallel.

#undertale #deltarune #spamton #spamton neo #mettaton #mettaton neo #undertale 6th anniversary #deltarune theory #deltarune spoilers

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lunapaper · 2 years ago

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Album Review: 'AMERICAN GURL' - Kilo Kish

Attention. Beauty. Success. Excess – all qualities as American as apple pie...

It’s rather ambitious to try and capture the hollowness of fame and the American Game in a series of sparkling, offbeat pop gems, but Kilo Kish (aka Lakisha Robinson) almost succeeds on her latest album, AMERICAN GURL.

Envisioning said Game as an arcade game (natch), the album is slinky and mechanical, made up of glossy surfaces and jagged corners.

The singer/multimedia artist attempts to turn preconceived notions on their head on the title track (’In a locked box/In a locked drawer/Will I find me an/American girl?’), with synthesised horns bursting atop strobing beats. ‘DISTRACTIONS III: SPOILED ROTTEN’ is glitch-riddled and celestial, Robinson begging ‘gimme gimme gimme’ in excitement as she finds herself in ‘the shop of my fantasy,’ a hyper-consumerist sugar rush of sorts. ‘NO APOLOGY’ - a standout – is the existential hangover (‘I'm past a breakthrough/Still trying to find good spirit in the cup/To kill a believer, you killed a believer/Shocked me into everything I know’), brooding and cryptic space pop straight out of the early 00s.

Any one of these tracks could’ve easily appeared on Robinson’s brilliant 2019 REDUX EP. She also nearly called the album AMERICAN GURL DETOX, which would’ve made for a nice companion piece.

‘BLOODY FUTURE’ is filled with frantic synths and eerie harpsichord plucks, reckoning with the stranglehold of technology throughout the decades. Robinson’s ‘DEATH FANTASY’ is also rather serene, with Miguel providing a haunting echo as soporific synths melt into tense atmosphere, the singer almost revelling in her ego death. Other tracks like ‘ON THE OUTSIDE (JUSTIN’S SONG)’ and ‘SUPER KO LOVE’ dabble in rock and hip-hop, the latter a woozy, New Wave-esque ode to a toxic romance.

But like some video games, AMERICAN GURL does have its design flaws. At times, the production feels too chintzy, too bloated and too overproduced, overstimulating the listener. ‘CHOICE COWBOY’ (ft. Jean Dawson) is just too busy and kills the momentum after such a stellar run of tracks beforehand, while ‘ATTENTION POLITICIAN’ is kinda nauseating as Robinson’s vocals are drowned out by warbling synthesisers. Even her vocals sound a little wonky and out of tune.

Concept albums are tricky, no matter how loosely connected it all is. Kilo Kish aims to cover a wide range of topics – black history, success, technology, personal and creative freedom - yet we hear very little of this commentary throughout the record.

And even when we do encounter these topics, Kish is rather vague in her exploration. Which is strange since she’s more than okay discussing them in some depth in interviews. Kish is obviously bursting with thoughts and ideas, but not everything she throws at the wall sticks.

That’s not to say AMERICAN GURL is a bad album. When Kish reins in her worser instincts, she can serve up some incredible pop bangers. It also further proves that she should produce a video game soundtrack; everyone else is doing it!

Like most of us in this technological, TikTok-and-Twitter-driven age, AMERICAN GURL has kind of a short attention span. Maybe Kish could’ve done with that detox after all…

- Bianca B.

#music #kilo kish #american gurl #new #reviews #albums #Bianca B

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sepublic · 3 years ago

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Kraid!

KKKKKRRRRAAAAAIIIIIIDDDDD

I was trying to avoid as much of Metroid Dread as possible to be surprised... But then I learned KRAID is back, in glorious HD as part of a mainline game and...

Oh, he’s beautiful!

Seriously, I’ve always wanted to see more of Kraid! Dude was one of the OG Space Pirates alongside Mother Brain and Ridley, who are present throughout the series; And as someone who is apparently Ridley’s Brother-in-Arms, I’m just really curious on what he could be like?

I doubt we’ll get much if anything in terms of personality, but that’s how Metroid games work anyway! Hopefully we get more lore on Kraid, how is he still alive? Does he have regenerative abilities, is he just really incredibly durable? An X-parasite imitation? Fake Kraid has grown up and this is Sclayd? Did the Chozo clone him, maybe even somehow resurrect him from a dead body, or even the afterlife considering their borderline mystical abilities???

Either way, that’s clever of the designers to have Kraid be restrained, as a meta explanation as to why he doesn’t just charge forward- Thus allowing the developers to start off with a traditional take on the Kraid fight... But since he manages to break an arm free in the trailer, the fight might progress and get more deadly, as Kraid becomes more free.

His neck brace will probably be the last to go, to show a sort of natural transition from the traditional style of Kraid fights, to a more modernized take and I am all FOR it! Everyone’s wondering if Ridley will return, but Kraid alone would MORE than make up for his absence, especially since Ridley is already so prevalent while Kraid has only gotten bread crumbs and the Brinstar Depths stage in recent years!

This is like a dream come true... And obviously Kraid is set up to fight Samus, but it’d be kind of neat to see an arc where him and Samus recognize a mutual enemy in the Chozo, and work with each other over it? Probably not, but I feel this would be more plausible than Samus and Ridley working together; A fun thought exercise I’d always entertained, but there really isn’t that personal vitriol between Samus and Kraid.

...I mean, there COULD be if Kraid takes Ridley’s death personally, but who knows, he might hold off on revenge just long enough for a practical escape! Regardless, I utterly adore just how gnarly and twisted this guy looks, it reminds me of Ridley’s Smash Ultimate renders that really modernize his look, breathe a new and alien life to it while still being the same! And the added, slimy body horror, borderline insectoid, like Smash Ridley!

But yes, I appreciate Metroid Dread taking the opportunity to be new, instead of trying to cater to the mainstream audience as an official return to pull them back, especially since we already had Samus Returns do that, especially with Proteus Ridley being thrown in! And with how Proteus was by far the best Ridley fight in the series, I can’t WAIT to see how Mercury Steam gives a new action to a Kraid boss battle!

And it looks like there might be a passageway behind Kraid that he’s guarding... Kind of like his previous appearances, I love Kraid being a giant guard dog- His girth and weight alone makes him an impenetrable wall! Plus he gives immovable object vibes, VS Ridley as an Unstoppable Force.

Ridley moves fast and aggressively leads the charge, while Kraid is less mobile, can’t even fit through most passageways; But holds down the fort and line of defense, tanking damage and shrugging it off compared to someone who heals from it!

Seriously, this is great seeing this under appreciated Space Pirate represented! I’ve always been salty about Meta Kraid being left out of Metroid Prime... And Kraid’s got a distinct identity of his own as one of the biggest bosses in the entire series by a long shot!

His big, colossal, green and chunky frame, that brutishness to Kraid, the size and brawn- It’s a nice contrast and foil to Ridley’ who is memetically huge in general, but from a relative standpoint averagely-sized as a boss, and MUCH scrawnier than the Awakened Behemoth; But he makes up for it wit speed and agility, flight, etc.!

Plus the concept of taking on a full-on Kaiju of the series, Metroid’s Godzilla... I always felt like there was a wasted potential to Kraid and how he stood out as a counterpart to Ridley’ more of the lumbering mountain to scale compared to the acrobatic Cunning God of Death! His Kaiju size, the way the ground could easily tremble from each footstep like Jurassic Park...

If Ridley is a Xenomorph, make Kraid into Godzilla and Rexy and every giant monster whose sheer scale inspires a horror based in awe, one that is huge and grandiose and demands attention and seizes all of it, gloriously basking in full view, in contrast to the more stealthy and subtle Ridley!

They’re both reptilian Space Pirates who debuted with the franchise, serve Mother Brain alongside one another as the two guardians to Tourian. And just like Ridley taking one of the recurring boss themes from Super Metroid and adopting it as HIS theme, Kraid seems to have done the same by Zero Mission!

Plus, Brinstar Depths, AKA Kraid’s Lair, is SUCH a metal soundtrack! It doesn’t necessarily apply to Kraid himself, but I feel like there’s an enigmatic personality hinted with the eerie, melodic tune of this theme... So as someone who’s tried to write him, mostly in my head;

What kind of person is Kraid? What archetypes and roles would he fit? As a more casual type of arch-nemesis, compared to the personal intensity of Ridley? A dumb brute, or smart in his own way? What personality and vibes would make Kraid’s Lair fit as a theme for him?

At the very least, I wonder if we’ll get Space Pirate lore, maybe even origins as to Kraid and Ridley’s species? They’re both huge dragons who took over Zebes... Could there be a connection between Ridley’s species and the Chozo? Will we get a bit of sympathy for Kraid, seeing him captured like an animal by the Chozo, perhaps to test experiments upon and clone?

Will Dread encapsulate the realization of just how much of a bigger scope villain the True Chozo are, experimenting on Kraid the way the Galactic Federation did with Ridley’s clone, another parallel between them? Will we explore the dark past of the Chozo, and a potential tragic look into Kraid’s species- So Samus has a better understanding of how her people have been terrible in many ways, even if that doesn’t at all justify Kraid the person’s actions?

Just... Imagine a storyline where Samus realizes that Kraid was made by the Chozo, or his species was, or they were genetically augmented or massacred, or something like that. Just a twisted moment of realization that explains but doesn’t justify. Which could lead to Samus and Kraid teaming up for a prison breakout at a pivotal moment, Kraid’s girth would make him a helpful ally.

Perhaps Samus could weaponize Kraid in the background to take the brunt of the True Chozo’s attacks, while she takes on the leader? Could he help with environmental terrain, blind to the background as a colossal feature of the environment, a kaiju briefly on your side?

Could we get a Kraid fight where he attacks from the background, instead of to the right? Will he ultimately die helping Samus- More for his own gain and revenge, but still? Maybe even leading to a reluctant salute from Samus as she recognizes them both as people captured, as experimented upon by the Chozo? Apologies for all of the fanon conjecture, my mind is racing...!

I think there’s SO much potential with Kraid and seeing him full, unadulterated HD glory... It’s glorious. It’s magnificent! This is a dream come true, and I hope Kraid finally starts to get the recognition he deserves! Even if he’s just A boss fight, I’m already sated and content here- And I can only imagine the new wave of fan content that will spawn for Kraid, as he’s recognized a defining moment of Dread!

Plus, I’d love to see people characterize and give lore to Kraid... All in all I am LIVING and in triumph here!!! I know I keep using this meme but

Literally this alone, just these shots... Are ALL I really want and need, in the end! Bless you Mercury Steam for this food, for breathing new life into this franchise while renovating what really needs it! I don’t even care if Kraid’s return is never really explained, I’m incredibly happy here!

This new design... It just FITS and works as a new, evergreen design for Kraid honestly! Compared to Ridley who is a lot more varied and arguably inconsistent, even with his Smash render... THIS is the new and definitive Kraid for me, now! I am having the time of my LIFE here!

Ridley the Cunning God has cheated death... is Kraid the Behemoth has reawakened!

(With the idea of Prime Kraid being reused for Metroid Prime 4... I’m wondering if we’ll begin to see an all new Kraid renaissance? 👀 More frequent content as Nintendo starts giving him and more appearances and attention, including in other media and advertising, alongside Ridley???)

#Metroid #metroid dread #kraid #Samus aran #speculation #ramblings

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