#i had an ant phase

[eddie-rifff]

i need genesis fans to open their hearts to ant phillips and his solo work. take my hand. listen to wise after the event. you like open tuning, dont you boy? fingerpicking? something to nod your head along to pensively?

[fisheito]

is there a critter you’d like as a pet, assuming anything goes and you’d have it legally and you had all the time in the world and resources to care for it in the best captive conditions possible?

yeeeears ago while pondering this very question, i settled on smth like a great horned owl

- lives in a temperature similar to me (i don't want to subject a heat-loving creature to my preferred frosty home - awake at times similar to me - i'm not allergic to them 😭 - independent (can feed/defend itself) - quiet - can claw attackers' faces off if i get into trouble (i can roam outside at night more!!) - portable if necessary. can travel distances with me

so it wouldn't be captive so much as a regular owl who's somehow super bonded to me ahahaha but i feel it's a bit dull to pick an owl based on such practical parameters..so... if you remove my fear of inadequate caretaking ability and all the cost-/time-saving benefits of picking a lil guy matching my natural biome...

i'd like to have a critter who's uh, a bit more emotionally intelligent. *knocks on the owl's eyeball-occupied skull* not much going on in there besides special birdy hunty adaptations. i CRAVE PAT-ABLE COMPANIONSHIP

which makes me choose domesticated species like alpaca and pigeons so PFFT i'm sorry i gotta be bland for this 😭

[antsyandpantsy]

guys this is not real i don’t believe this

[the-knight-of-the-stars]

I just saw Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. I have to leave my thoughts out, no spoilers.

It was fun. It has some cool visuals and the actors are charming enough, I specially enjoyed Michael Douglas and Michel Pfeiffer. (Also, William Jackson Harper is in this, did you knew that?)

There is weird choices in the editing of the movie, and the story really needed more work. Some scenes make you go "Really? That was your best take? That's the finish product?"

On the other hand, Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror is BY FAR the best part of the movie. He absolutely steals the show with his preformance and his scenes have the best buildup. Kang is intimidating, imposing, and at times terrifying. You really get the feel that he is this out of our comprehension, all knowing being, but at the same time (and to my surprise), we still see his most human side. Is fascinating to watch him.

Just to see Kang it is worth watching the movie. I think he absolutely compensates for all the missing details in the rest of the movie. Honestly, he is so good that having the rest of the film being this mediocre is kind of embarrassing.

Is almost as if the movie was just an excuse to introduce him. I can FEEL the writters jumping and having fun when they write Kang, I can FEEL the camera crew putting more efford when Jonathan Majors is on screen.

My conclusion is: Hire other directors, Marvel.

[aroaceofthesea]

Any black dot on the floor can be an ant if you stare at it hard enough

[showyoumyfavoriteobsession]

I've been going back to Inscryption a little bit recently bc Kaycee's Mod is a lot of fun but I just lost a run in the most devastating way possible

[genderqueerboy]

imagine how easy life would be if I actually got tired at the time you're meant to get tired and not all the other times.

[seattlesellie]

Can you write an ellie fic where she's getting off to photos of reader and moaning readers name and reader walks in on her

million times yes <3 ☁️🤍🐚🌫️

warnings: mdni!, masturbation, ellie’s a little bit of a weirdo, ellie gets caught.

Oops ♡

For you, being Ellie’s roommate was... hard. Unwashed dishes, the occasional sight of her boxer briefs messily laying around on the living room floor (“They fell from the laundry basket” she told), old crumpled yellow papers on the fuzzy carpet, an unwashed ashtray and a shit-ton of disorganized cards and pins adorning every single corner of the apartment.

But for for Ellie, oh, for Ellie it was even harder.

She always had a soft spot for things she’d never get. Your empty shampoo bottles never bothered her, neither did your habit of constantly forgetting to blow out the vanilla scented candles you lit once in a while, even after she told you they could be a fire hazard every. single. time.

What bothered Ellie, weren’t your complains, and neither were the repeating sounds and buzzes of your alarm clock followed by exactly eight hits on the snooze button (she counts, the walls are pretty thin).

What bothered Ellie, is that you didn’t give a single fuck about her. Or at least, that’s what she had convinced herself of.

When you’d lounge pretty on the couch, nestled within a cozy woolen blanket, your fingers tirelessly swiping and swiping and swiping through every single dating app known to man, she’d watch you intently, and stare.

It wasn’t because she was judging you, god knows she had a tinder phase herself (Amanda was her last straw. she said Ellie talked about her roommate “too much”, that she “needed to figure that shit out”, and then added a huff and a sigh followed by a “fucking lesbians, man”)

It was because she didn’t fucking get it. Could you not see what’s right in front of you? you didn't seem to... grasp the obvious. Don’t get it wrong, Ellie was not overconfident, and neither was she cocky. She just… noticed. She was observant by nature, and she knew, she was convinced shed never heard you laugh the way you do with her, with anybody else in the world. When your best friends were over for a girls night— even then, she would hear muted laughter and the occasional screech (barely audible over the backdrop of "The Smiths" blaring through her headphones) but never, ever, did that breathy, real, borderline on wheezing sound escape your mouth when you were with them. It was idly saved for her.

She’d take her earphones out— because perhaps she’d missed it, maybe she was delusional, maybe you did laugh like that— and then, plug them back in when she was met with silence or the gentle symphony of peaceful snores, and return to the solace of her music. She’d hollow in deep slumber, and have incredibly bizarre dreams of her pretty roommate roaming and floating around the apartment only in her underwear— and for some reason, a horn on her head. Dreams were fucking weird, man.

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

“The Truman Show” played on tv. Jim Carey just made a funny face, and Ellie shoved another slice of greasy, brooklyn pizza in her mouth. She chewed, loudly (you sighed) and wiped her lips on her shoulder.

“I’d literally lose it if I found out my life was a tv show” you remarked, your eyes shifting from the remaining pizza to the flickering television screen.

“Meh” Ellie shrugged.

“I’d lose it if it was a video game though. Imagine if like— someone controlled every single movement you made… scary, man”

She huffed, and threw the pizza crust on the table. It fell on the floor. These fucking ants would come again, you knew they would! you gave her a stern look.

“Sorry” she softly sighed, and bent down to pick the crust off the pavement. Her boxers poked through her sweats, you looked across the room, and then you looked again. God.

“Plug you on their PS5, and go… ham and stuff” you giggled.

“Wild shit…” she shrugged. “Wild shit”

Jim Carey’s character just met the deepest corner of its own little world.

Ellie’s eyes were glued to the screen, even though she’d seen that flick about a million times.

You scrolled through your phone mindlessly. You know she hated when you did that while watching something with her— but you did it anyways. Something about the way her eyebrows scrunched together when she peaked at the screen through the corner of her eye always made your heart flutter. She pouted, and you tried to hide the way your lips curled upwards into a small smile.

“Should I post this on insta?” you questioned, handing ellie your phone. She took it in her hands, and the brightness was so high her eyes twinkled.

She bit her bottom lip, and then her top one.

“You’re like… half naked in that” she huffed. She wasn’t wrong, the bikini was so so tiny and the salt water covering your body, making it practically glisten in the sun, didn’t help the sensual undertones of said picture.

“I know” you stated.

She looked at you, and then looked at the screen again. Don’t look too long, she thought to herself. She handed the phone back to you, and stared at the television. Great, she just missed the best part!

“Is that a no?” you quipped.

“That’s a… who are you posting that for?” she tried asking casually, and mask her jealousy with curiosity.

There must be someone. there just must. Perhaps it’s for that girl you talked to on Bumble… shit, maybe its for that blonde from work or the one with the long braids that waved to you for too long who Ellie had made her arch enemy. Or maybe it was for that fucking ex girl—

“Why would you think I’m posting it… for someone?”

Ellie sighed, and rolled her eyes.

“Cause you look good in it.”

She gulped, and moved a hair strand from her face. it itched, all of a sudden.

“Or like— you look naked or something.”

You rolled your eyes back, and yawned.

“Is that a no?” you questioned.

“No what?” she snickered.

“Is that a no i shouldn’t post?” you removed a microscopic piece of lint that landed on her hoodie, it made her shiver.

She let out a shaky breath, and toyed with the string that hung loose from her black nike socks.

“Why are you askin’ if you’re gonna post it anyways?”

You smirked. For some reason you couldn’t quite put your finger on, sometimes, conversations with her weren’t exactly easy.

“Who said i’ll post? I asked you because I needed your advice”

“Sure” she stated, and slid off the couch.

“Post it” she crossed her arms.

You nodded. post!

You already had one like. Oh, it’s that blonde girl from work. fire emoji, winky face emoji, red heart emoji. Nice!

“M’going to bed” she groaned, and shoved a tiny mushroom in her mouth.

“Ugh. gooey”

You looked up from your phone, and shut it off with a click.

“But you’ll miss the best part!” you pouted.

“Tired” she shrugged. Her face scrunched together. how is she so fucking adorable.

“M’kay… night!”

Ellie dragged her body across the dim lit living-room, and almost slipped on one of her socks.

“Mmmmight” she mumbled.

“Say it nicely!” you yelled across the room, it echoed.

“Good nightttt”

The door slammed shut. Ellie sat down on the bed, and stared at the wall. She cracked her knuckles, one by one, and threw her head back on the mattress, wrapped up by green flannel sheets. Her head landed on the pillow with a soft thud, and she took a long, deep breath. She wasn’t even tired, why did she lie?

That image just took over her brain again. She had only glimpsed it briefly, not truly absorbing its details, before reluctantly handing the device back to you. If she stared any longer— her cheeks would burn a bright pink.

The screen of her Android glowed in the darkness, so she grabbed it. Always on silent mode.

A message from Joel; “Got Maria to iron some of your clothes. remember Janet from across the street? She passed away last week, LOL (lots of love).”

Ellie scratched her eyes, chuckled, and took a screenshot. no fucking way.

A message from Dina; “can u send me some lives on candy crush?”

Followed by another one;

“send them right now or die”

So she scrolled some more.

Instagram; “dinawoodward, jessethekinggglol, courtneycameron and others liked this post!”

She tapped, and thats when her eyes popped out of her head. she suddenly felt parched. She looked around the room— that water-bottle she kept from two weeks ago after a trip to the local bodega must be around there somewhere.

It was not, so there you stood, almost half-naked, a playful smile gracing your lips, the sun-kissed sand partially covering your stomach, and the gentle touch of saltwater caressing your chest. A pair of brown sunglasses adorned your face, with the serene sea standing still in the background.

Ellie blinked once. And then once more, and then she zoomed in.

Her face twitched, and her breath hitched inside her throat. It felt as though her breath had been captured and confined, held hostage within her, struggling to find its release.

She double tapped, and began typing;

“If I could, I’d fuck the shit out of you”

She stared at her keyboard, and breathed deeply. What would happen if she, actually pressed send. Would you come barging inside her room and throw something at her? the green colored vase, maybe? or would you delete her comment, pretend it never happened and move on? perhaps you’d think she was just fucking around, and scold her for typing something like that where everyone could see. “You’re such a creep, el!” she could almost hear you say it. And she could almost feel the way your palm would slam right into her shoulder and nudge it her the side. It made her ears feel warm.

She zoomed in on your tits. Ellie’s face flushed a pretty, dusty pink.

Then, she zoomed in on your stomach, and her nipples perked up inside her hoodie. They grazed the material softly, and she let out a shaky breath.

When she zoomed in on your smile, she smirked at the screen. it made her feel warm and fuzzy and happy and she hated every minute of it. “Never gonna get it” echoed in her ears, a reminder of the "truth" tugged at her heart.

When she zoomed in on your covered cunt, she nearly went cross eyed. She could almost see the outline of your lips— or was she tripping?

Her cunt clenched around absolute nothingness inside her boxers. Was she… getting fucking wet over this?

She gulped, as waves of guilt washed over her. and then, she zoomed in on your tits again, and she felt so turned on she couldn’t even remember what the word guilt even meant.

She heard the echo of your giggle reverberating through the corridor, filling the space with a sound that made her stomach turn. the rhythm of your footsteps grew louder, gradually approaching your room situated just across from hers.

Perhaps you chuckled at something amusing one of your fucking bumble buddies had to say. She lightly bumped her forehead against the screen of her phone, her lips pressed together, forming a thin line.

Your door slammed shut, and a tune began.

“you’re so gorgeous… i cant say anything to your face, cause look at your face…”

How fucking ironic.

“Shut up alexa!” you groaned at the device, causing ellie to stifle a giggle, before she felt the pool flow down her boxers.

The apartment descended into a profound silence, save for the sound of Ellie’s labored breaths echoing in the stillness. she leaned in closer, scrutinizing the image on the screen, alternating between zooming in and zooming out, and crosser her legs together.

When the imagination of your bare tits popped up in her mind, your nipple poking through as you held them together on the screen, it ached inside of her.

Would it really be so wrong if she…?

There was no real harm in it, she thought. It was either this, or close her eyes and rub one off in the darkness, and even then— she had a nagging intuition that you would somehow find your way into her thoughts.

Woudl it really make her that much of a fucking pervert?

Ellie groaned, and brought her knees up to her stomach. Her phone was still in her hand, and that picture teased, and teased, and teased till she couldn’t handle it anymore.

Fuck it. if she did this, she was going to do it right. And she needed to see it close up— and not through her cracked fucking screen she wasn’t bothered fixing for two whole weeks now.

She opened the screen of her laptop, and when she sat on the black leather rolling chair, It felt fucking uncomfortable down there. It was sleek, and she could feel her cunt slide off on the fabric of her boxers.

“Fuuuuck me” she hissed under her breath.

www.instagram.com

Right click.

Your profile, right click. Her hand held a tremor.

You were the focal point, the star of the show, illuminating her old, black HP laptop. The screen, adorned with a thin layer of dust, caught her attention. She leaned in and blew gently, causing the particles to disperse and float away.

She swallowed hard, her throat constricting as she continued to gaze intently. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to steady herself, but the inhalation felt jagged and uneven.

She brought a veiny hand to graze the fabric of her grey colored sweats, just above her clothed cunt, and she felt so fucking relieved.

And it still wouldn’t stop fucking pulsing.

she stared at the bikini, and rubbed her finger up and down slowly, cupped her cunt forcefully, slapped it and whimpered.

“Goddamn” she huffed.

She began tracing big, deliberate circles, her touch slow and steady, causing the fabric of her boxers to cling to her wet cunt.

She had to take them off.

Swiftly, she inserted her thumbs into the edges of her boxers, right at the level of her hipbones, and pulled them down in one fluid motion. The fabric gathered messily around her ankles. She felt so fucking nasty.

Ellie spread her legs, and gasped as the cool air hit her most sensitive place. She waited for a minute, mouth agape, teasing her cunt before she touched it. She swore she could cum with just squeezing in and out while staring at your face.

However, she could not tease herself anymore when those thoughts began forming clearer and clearer.

She brought a long finger and caressed her slit slowly from her hole to her puffy little clit. "Oh fuck yes" she hissed.

It started with thinking about your tits. Her mind wandered, and her hole leaked into the leather chair, forming a small droplet to lay down on it. She breathed heavily.

The thought of you, taking off that bikini top in front of her went through her mind. Slow, deliberate process of undoing its strings, so so agonizingly slow. When they spilled out, ellie let out a high pitched moan.

“Touch them, Ellie” you whispered in her ear.

“Please touch me…” you whined.

She gasped, took two fingers, her middle and her ring, and formed tiny, slow circles on her wet clit. Ellie spread her legs wide, and placed them on the table.

It looked absolutely obscene.

In reality, Ellie was touching herself to a picture on a slightly dusty old screen. In her imagination, you stood pretty begging her for more. Your fucking whines did it for her, and she didn’t even know what they sounded like for real.

You circled your nipples, pinched them and spat a glob of saliva, letting it streamline down your tits, teasing ellie so bad she was already panting. They glistened, and ellie latched on to them, sucking and spitting and whimpering groaning.

“So good Ellie...” you moaned, holding the back of her hand and pushing her deeper.

“I want you so fucking bad”

“Holy fucking shit” she hissed, and slapped her clit. one slap! two slaps! she was desperate.

“Fuuuck yes” she whimpered, and plunged a finger inside her aching hole. It sucked her completely in, clenching around her fingers. She gasped, and slid off the chair.

She was staring at your fucking cunt with her eyes half shut. she swore she could see those fucking lips.

Now, Ellie’s mind took a turn. You laid pretty on her bed, chest heaving up and down, legs spread completely open with a pink vibrator buzzing on your clit.

“Ellie!” you moaned.

“Fuck me... please please please"

She plunged a second finger, and bucked her hips inwards and backwards. She whimpered, and a shaky breath followed by the sound of your name escaped her quivering lips.

“Need you in my pussy… p—pretty please”

She swore she could hear you say it.

Ellie pounced on her bed and savored you whole. she bit your clit, sucked on it and got her entire face wet with your juices.

“God yes” she groaned, wet, squelching sounds filling the room. She pumped them in and out, and in and out again, whilst the other hand was circling itself fast on her needy, pulsating clit. Every few seconds, she’d slap it again, open wider and wider, bucking and riding them so hard she could almost see a supernova right in front of her.

The dull ache in her pussy grew bigger and bigger.

“You need me? fucking whore” she whispered under her breath.

Thin, shiny, sticky drool flowed from the corner of her mouth, it landed on the top of her hoodie.

“Yes Ellie… please Ellie need you in my pussy” She pumped them profusely, feeling your walls take her in like she needed to. When she pumped them inside of herself— That’s what she liked to imagine. It was you, who took her in. They were your walls, your wet cunt begging and screaming for more.

She felt it coming in the pits of her stomach. It grew bigger and bigger, like a wave, or a volcano, threatening to erupt and make her cream all over her chair.

“Ellie yesyesyesyes!” you moaned.

She circled faster and faster, her perky tits bouncing up and down with every movement of her hips. The chair squeaked, but she couldn't be bother to take it slow.

“Ellie?” your voice echoed through the corridor.

“Yeah baby s— say my fucking name, fuck” she hissed, her eyes completely shut.

“Ellie?”

God, it felt so fucking real. Almost there. She bit her lip, and it drew blood.

The door collided with the wall, hitting it with a loud thud.

“Ellie?”

“N— fuNgh”

She almost screamed so loud the gods could hear. she shut her laptop off before even pulling her fingers out.

She was going to fucking faint.

Her face flushed a deep shade of crimson, intense embarrassment radiating from her form, hands trembling uncontrollably, and the expression on her face was one of sheer horror— wide eyed.

She got caught.

"What..." you uttered, your voice trailing off as you stood frozen in place, your mouth agape. Your knees threatened to give way beneath you.

You shut the door.

Ellie, her chest heaving, struggled to catch her breath.

“Oh my—“

“God”

[staenless]

Steddie lunchbox fic I joked about but then people liked it so now I'm. I'm write it now.

"Hey, Munson!"

Eddie ducked his head down before the blow could hit. Tommy Hagan was one of those men who never outgrew his highschool jock phase, and seemed intent on dragging the rest of the world into his football role playing; not so gentle head smacking included.

He blow never came, instead the heavy metal thunk of a lunchbox landed on his desk. He chanced an eye open, and took in the neat black tin box, no two boxed which stacked perfectly and were secured in place with a patterned cloth. He opened the other eye and instead looked to Tommy, waiting for some sort of explanation.

"the missus packed it up for me," the younger man explained, his eyes off to the side where some co-workers were gathering to make lunch plans, "real pain if I'm honest, how about you take it off my hands for me?" Then he grinned down at Eddie and clapped his should, too hard, like they were regular old office pals.

It wasn't like they were office enemies, per se, but Eddie had a distaste of Tommy and while the feeling certainly seemed mutual they were srupid enough to let petty distaste interfere with their pay checks. Eddie would certainly never do Tommy any sort of favour if it wasn't by obligation to his working contract, and Tommy had certainly phrased this as if it was a favor so... So Eddie instinct screamed to rebuff him.

Except it was lunch time, and Eddie was hungry, and he hadn't packed his own lunch because his fridge had probably three things in it max and he couldn't afford to go out to eat since most of his paycheck had already been dolled out to rent, his uncle, his savings, and he only had money for absolute necessities. Even as he sat in indecision he could feel his stomach writhing and slithering in on itself. Shit, had he forgotten breakfast to?

"Sure," he responded, and then quickly tacked on,"man." There was a moment of silence that made Eddie feel like he ought to crack a joke, but Tommy seemed to decide for them both that was a bit chummy, even for his sports team larping. Instead he landed a solid whack, right where the last one had landed, then spun around and jogged to catch up with the other Alphas on their way out to lunch.

The office had emptied out in the span of their conversation and now cubicles sat still with their roller chains sprawled haphazardly as if evacuated in some emergency instead of a quick shuffle in hopes of skipping the worst of the lunchtime queues. Eddie decided to forgo the company cafeteria and instead snatched a pack of cigs out his backpack and scooped up the packed lunch. He could eat on the roof, since the fire doors alarm hadn't worked since he was hired and nobody bothered going up there in the heat of the day.

It wasn't that Eddie was exceptionally antisocial at work, or loathed ALL his coworkers. He actually had a few friends, Jeff and Gareth in the IT department would tolerate him during lunch breaks, and they'd even met up a few times outside of work. They were cool, he liked spending time with them, might even call them friends in a month or two. But spending all morning on the top floors, in marketing and branding and surrounded by other Alphas, Eddie probably wasn't much fun to be around at the moment.

The corporate world and Alphas went together like honey and ants. The opportunities to compete and peacock were nigh endless, not to mention doing well wouldn't net you a hefty income for some extra peacocking on the side. Eddie wasn't like that, his Alpha didn't operate that way. So much so even he had been surprised when his second puberty hit and he dropped fang and knot. The kids at school had snickered and called him a half-bit Alpha, while others said he only presented that way because his sole guardian was a lone omega. It had hurt at the time, but looking back Eddie couldn't help but laugh. Maybe he was a half-bit, maybe he presented wrong because of some base instinct to protect his uncle. He certainly didn't prance around like the other alphas did, bickering and shoving like little kids fighting over a toy.

But maybe that was the joke Tommy was playing on him, Eddie thought as he popped the lunchbox and saw the note sat neatly to the side. Maybe Eddie was too much of a bitch-Alpha to get a mate, while Tommy with all his flouncing and team player make belive had someone waiting at home, making him lunches and writing sweet love notes signed with a kiss. Maybe the joke was to give Eddie a taste of something he could never have.

Goodluck with work today, please bring home some avacados for guac. Love you - Steve.

Eddie stared at the note in his trembling hand. He could smell the omega- Steve - from where his lips had pressed to the paper. Unmated. Surprising, but not unusual. Plenty of couples got married first, then sealed the bite later on. Some Yuppie thing that Eddie was far too romantic to entertain. If you loved someone, wouldn't you want that commitment forever? But the again, Tommy and his sneer around the word "missus" gave Eddie the impression he wasnt the "forever" sort. Further more, a male Omega? Most people were somewhat hesitant to be associated with one, if not outright hostile to their very existence. Far too rare to be ordinary, and far too Omega to be respected male Omegas were almost never on an up and coming Alphas radar of potential mates.

Eddie slipped the note into his pants pocket, and lit his cigarette before turning back to the lunch box. Black oval tins, two stacked and tied with a floral cloth. A bento, he realised, he'd seen it on the cover of house and home in the checkout line. The hot new craze in lunchboxes. Tha made him snicker a little. The floral cloth seemed odd, and stuck out against the black metal. The material was smooth and soft, like brand new. Huh. The tins themselves had some scuff marks, and one had a dent on its edge that spoke of a life of use. He set them down, side by side, on the laid out cloth. It looked fancy, but also surprisingly homey and inviting. It looked delicious.

The Omega- Steve had outdone himself. The top tin contained two halves of a prego roll stuffed to bursting with marinated shredded chicken. The meat was cradled between lettuce leaves to keep the bread from going soggy, and Eddie could catch sight of some glistening tomatoe slices in there. The second tone had an orange, peeled with each slice individual cleaned of any white hairy bits and laid on a bed of some gummy fruit candy. Apple sliced were laid in a separate tin, still shinning with lemon juice and not a spot of brown to be seen. Slid neatly into the side, half hidden, has the familiar pink white of coconut ice for desert.

Eddie could feel his mouth watering. Holy shit, did Tommy eat like this everyday? And if he did what was wrong with him that he'd give it up for some second rate slop at a restaurant? Breathing deeply he could smell the food, but beneath that something else, something tempting. Steve, his hands delicately pulling the chicken from the bone, slicing the tomatoe, cradling the bread as he buttered it, his nails catching and pulling off every white part from the orange slices. His hard work, his effort, laid before Eddie like some sort of worshipful offing. He felt high when he bit down on the orange slice, the caress of it's soft inner skin along his gums, like a kiss. The burst of flavour on his tongue, sweetness invading his sense so all he could see was orange orange orange leaving the bitter taste of citrus. He could taste, most importantly, beneath it all. God he could taste Steve. He could taste his love.

"Oh, thanks man," Tommy didn't look up from his computer as he said it, just kept tying away. "No problem man," Eddie mumbled back, eyes fixed on the lunchbox and he's straightened it on the other alphas desk. Every crumb had been kicked up, every smear of sauce sucked away. But placed gently, reverently, back in the top box was the love note. Eddie wanted to give Steve something in return, to thank him for sharing something so magical, so special with him. In the end he'd decided against it, could work up the courage to indirectly challenge Tommy like that. Instead, he'd pressed his lips tightly to where Steve's had once been, before returning it to its rightful owner.

The words Love You sat nestled in the tin as Eddie walked away.

Part 2 exists now

[the-monkeies-girl]

Instead of annoying Koba like you always do … you ignore him for an entire day … I already can see his reaction:😡🤬😤

bark bark

Title: Ignoring Is Bliss. Fandom: ( Dawn of the ) Planet of the Apes. Rating: T ( Mentions of aggression, some minor injury. ) Pairing: Implied! Koba x Human!Reader. Words: 2.8K+ Summary: Koba told you he did not want to speak to you anymore in the phase of a heated argument. You're only giving him what he wanted.

●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・●・○・

It was a crisp day and you were intent on enjoying it to the best of your ability. Even though you were well aware you were being intensely scrutinized with every move you made, every word that was spoken, every breath you took --- Even down to the minute details like the breeze and how it would shuffle your hair, how you would draw a deeper breath in with that breeze. All watched either in entertainment or unabashed hatred, it was hard to tell at times.

Tilting your head to the side at the Baby Apes scattered around your feet, you twisted your body in a display of power to the eyes watching you and brought the draw cord of your jacket forward to show what it did to the children. There were scatterings of brown fur, orange black and even some red as the crowd you were entertaining before the afternoon lesson, before Maurice arrived, began. Chimps, Bonobo, Orangutan and Gorilla eyes all lit up the same as you smiled at them, bringing the cord to stretch out and then releasing it to spring back in. They all hoo’ed in amazement as you tilted your head to the side in thought as they bunched around your waist in closeness, wanting to touch the item. The only reason why you were being watched like a hawk at the moment wasn’t even your fault! It was remarkable to you how Apes were just as grudge holding as Humans were, if not more as your eyes slid coyly towards the Bonobo whose one good eye was boring a deep and intense hole into your skull, it was hard to ignore with the glower he was sending your way from the topped perch they too council meetings on. The meeting broke over thirty minutes ago, but he was still there, opting to not follow Caesar, Rocket and Blue Eyes to continue more personal conversations that didn't center around the Colony itself. 

“Do NOT talk to KOBA ABOUT ANYTHING.” He roared in such a fashion as tears hit the back of your eyes as if you actually had any sentimental feelings towards the relationship that teetered on the tightrope between blatant hatred and aggressive toleration. In his own words, he was telling you to back off and to leave him alone, your shoulders drawing in on themselves as he had lunged only a few feet forward, but the movement itself was brute and lashed with irritation. 

The shine of his long canines that displayed themselves were enough to drench your entire body in a cold sweat as you swallowed, cowering back a bit until your back hit the wooden wall of the hut you two were standing in. He could pin you to it and rip your throat out. You wished your mind hadn’t thought of that as you were now preoccupied imagining if it would be a swift death or if he would make you suffer.

You had only made a passing comment that maybe his hunting skills needed some improvement after you had gotten some strenuous details out of him about the hunting trip, about how he managed to kill a bear and save Caesar and Blue Eyes. Not true in the slightest, but you made jokes about each other to filter out the otherwise tedious and smothering tension that was brought to light once Caesar granted you permission to stay. 

You left that night, not a word to be said but the moment you were out of view of the Bonobo, you let yourself shudder a sob out at the aspect that even if you considered him an acquaintance, you were nothing more than an ant to him and he’ll snap your neck the moment he had the chance, without recourse. 

That’s how it worked. You pestered each other. Well, more or less. You found it more enjoyable and you had the feeling that Koba only dealt with it because if he chose to lash at you, hurt you in any way, Caesar was going to have to put his fist down on one of his closest advisors. Koba had intense hatred for Humanity, but he also had great respect for the Ape King. 

Maybe even the milky white eye as well was setting your skin on fire, you chuckled to yourself and readjusted your crouched body just enough that he was unable to get any delectations from your face and only was able to see the scape of your back, the curve of your body dipping into a deep crouch, your feet arched accordingly as the baby Apes continued their inspection of your jacket.

You glimmered with happiness as you looked down at the young Apes, all too entranced by the draw band on your jacket as you pulled it out again, proceeding to let it snap back in again with a small ‘thwup’. Pride bubbled in your chest at the fact that the Koba was still staring right at you, your movements all too intentional and all too vile for him to really look away from, as was usually the case. 

He wanted to see your face, you knew from his disposition as you caught his movements out of your periphery. He'd moved alongside with you to now sit on the rock adjacent to him, a smile forming on your face from that but you were able to blame it on the young gorilla who snatched the draw-band right out of your hand and placed it curiously into their mouth. "Nooo," You laughed gently, letting your eyes peer up only for a second as your fingers fished the item out of the young's mouth with a mild, playful scold, "Not food. Plastic. Gross."

Maurice, a gentle grace himself, arrived only a few seconds later, sitting himself in his usual spot as he chittered for the young to come join him. With forlorn eyes, you watched each of them say goodbye to you in their own ways before bouncing towards him, ready for the afternoon lesson that followed the mid-day meal. You were not a teacher by any means, you could only keep their attention by showing them something they had never seen before, you were not well thought out, not in the way that Maurice was, but it was nice to help when you knew that your other favorite activity to do was scolded and disallowed the night before.

With carefully placed feet as you knew the rock got incredibly slick during the wetter months, you trailed downwards towards the bonfire, snuggly warm and ablaze with large frames in the middle of the Colony. The flames stretched into the sky and despite that small trinkle of rain that caught the wind and brought it downwards, the fire refused its relentless pace and was quite literally a warm welcome against the chill of your cheeks as you drew nearer.

You'd consider your mission of the day a complete success after the last biting words that you had gotten from Bonobo himself the night before, you thought to yourself and admired the blaze for only a minute, letting the heat soak into the pores of your skin in a delicious way that left your retinas feeling hot and without moisture. You replayed the topic Koba spat at you last night, all the implications there that he didn't want anything to do with you any more.  That he never wanted to talk to you again.

Deep down, you knew it to be a farce, he enjoyed arguing with you too much to really draw a close to the pastime but you were simply giving him what he wanted by ignoring him the entire day, trying your best to ignore the looks you got at breakfast as you chowed down with Lake and River, the absolutely abysmal stare that you got when you waved them goodbye afterwards, Lake off to tend to her business, River off to go fishing with Blue Eyes and Ash. You were invited, but declined when you decided that the mud and the weather weren’t up your alley.

So, instead you lingered around, looking for things to do. Not much, you had to admit. But, just enough to keep the set of eyes on you entertained. If he wanted you to ignore him, surely you could do that, but you’d make a show out of it.

 Ignorance was always bliss. Unless you were Koba. Then ignorance was a waste and he needed immediate satisfaction in situations to feel good about himself. 

You had skipped lunch in favor of playing with the babies, a well deserved skip as there was nothing quite like having the attention of so many on you at once. Plus, the eyes of another really big baby, if you thought about it that way. Your hungry gaze scanned over a few wicker baskets that had been set out to be grazed upon. Curiously, you reached for a blueberry, the color all too alluring but before it made its way into your mouth, it was viciously slapped, rolling onto the ground below.

Following it, you traced the movements downwards, the rock slightly slanted under foot until it got caught in a crack. Blinking, you recognized that hand - the calloused and ridged fingers that performed the action. Mouth ajar, you looked over, eyes ample, the expression clearly that of surprise as you hadn't even noticed Koba leaving the perch, much less making his way all the way down here to perform such a petty action. And you thought that only Humans did that, at least in Koba's mind. "What the hell?" "You have..." He huffed, "Been ignoring Koba?”

"No?" You feigned innocence and rolled your eyes, bringing your hand down to grasp at another berry. Cautiously this time, you knew he was watching you and you were sure to make the allure of your curved body all the more interesting to him. "What makes you say that?" Silence. You grabbed a handful of berries to take on the road, but they were scattered onto the dirty ground below, probably to be squashed into oblivion by other Apes who traversed the area. A small whine left your lips, your body reactant as you went to pick them up,"That was my lun----" You were being dragged. Picked up into a standing position and dashed to the right.Harder and faster than you were really able to keep up with, your eyes widening on the back of the Bonobo's head, from the proximity, rare with him in the first place, you could spot the sprinkling of gray against his blackened fur. A minute detail you found amusing until you were torn to shreds back into reality.  Your mind went straight to panic.

He was going to take you into the woods and kill you for playing a stupid petty human game, you swallowed hard as he rounded the fish hut, contemplating grasping at the pillar and holding on for dear life but argued against that as Koba could snap your arm off in one intended stroke of his hand. "Koba, I-I was just kidding!" You tried to get your feet skirted into the ground to potentially stop him but to no avail. The sleek rock underfoot gave no traction and your action only caused you to skirt along like you were gliding on ice.

 "S-Seriously, if you kill me, wouldn't it rather be over something that was actually worth it? So-Something you could justify to Caesar?" That gave him pause and you watched as the cogs turned in his head at the idea. Taking the second of non-movement as a blessing, you looked at the grasp he had on your wrist and felt a mild twinge of swelling start to encase the very fragile appendage from the aggression he put forth to get you to move along with him. Bad choice of phrasing, you muttered inside of your mind as he turned his face.

Your eyes entranced against the scarring aspects that everyone always saw first before you catered to your own delectation and swept your gaze along the deeply ingrained wrinkles that surrounded his nose, the slack of his jaw that was morbidly appealing to you, so animalistic that you’d let him touch you with his mouth if he so chose, just to see yourself and riddle away the idea that it was just as mean as the rest of him. You wanted to touch him, but the one time you had tried, he almost bit your fingers off and you were never tempted again. "Would…" Koba’s voice was hard than usual, maybe a bit joking if you wanted to be more optimistic. Which, you weren’t. He was about to murder you and then hang your skin up on a flag pole as a victory for Ape Kind. "Kill you for just being... human. Need no reason." He continued his movements, the gasp that rocketed through your entire body sent a hardened shaft of shock down your entire spine to rest very tediously in the small of your back, near your tailbone. You were in an area of the Colony you had never been one to venture into. Storage huts that were exclusively left alone unless an Ape really needed something there. Mainly, weapons. Your eyes widened at that. He was taking you to a storage hut and he was going to use a spear and---

You were released suddenly, but the momentum you had from his pulling left you flat on the ground, your face smashing into the rock below as you had no time to brace your hands down. You grunted loudly, feeling heat eradicating at your rib bones. It didn't feel like anything was broken, a small trickle of blood hitting your nose and running down your lips and off your chin from the sheer impact, but hey. It was better than being beaten to death by a Bonobo with a grudge against all Humans. “What the hell, Koba?!” The shrill of your voice dulled out the fact that you had actually called him by name, something rare as he had told you time and time again that you weren’t worthy of saying it.

The hackles along his shoulders frilled up, even more so than you had seen with a Chimpanzee like Caesar. It was mesmerizing to an extent, his fur so dark that it appeared viciously white as you scrambled onto your hands and knees, wiping your nose with another grunt before getting your feet to flatten on the ground below. You were swaying, but balance would come back you were sure as you hadn’t actually hit your head that hard. It dawned upon you as you took in the surroundings that Koba brought you here for privacy. No Ape interruptions, no Caesar sitting high above and watching, making a coy comment towards Koba about his relationship with you. If it were even a relationship. It was… You tilted your head minutely. A Tolerationship. 

“Why… Ignore Koba?” You groaned. 

“WHY?!”

“You told me to, you dumb Bonobo!”

You let your temper flare, and without remorse, your back was pinned to the thick wooden branches that made up the hut that was to your left, your shoulders unable to move as Koba had pushed back. Enough force to keep you pinned, but not enough to break anything. You had no time to react, even to breath as you felt your throat close up, Koba’s face coming in just to enjoy the scent of fear that was rising out of you, he fluttered with satisfaction at that, his good eye narrowing on your expression as you had balled up your face, scrunching it so disgustingly that Koba felt a draw to try to pry your eyes open so you were forced to look at him. Looking at the blood from your nose, Koba’s mouth salivated at that and he wanted to take pleasure to know what it tasted like but that thought was severely undercut the moment it took a glance at blossoming. 

“Not dumb,” The grasp he had on your shoulders tightened and you winced slightly, “Dumb Human for listening to Koba.”

Your mouth flew open. “W-What?”

He released you without another word, watching as you slumped against the wood and staggered to keep your balance. Content to leave it as is, Koba knew you were going to go into antagonistically introspection at the words he had just said and as much as he enjoyed thinking about causing you physical ailments, mental were just as fruitful and easier to come by under the gaze of Caesar. Swearing that he smiled at you, he turned away, hunching onto all fours and began walking upwards. Quickly, you placed your hands onto the wood behind you and propelled yourself forward. “What do you mean?” Koba stayed silent intentionally.

“What do you mean?” Silence. Suffocating.

“Tell me!”

Silence, and that's how remained.

[carionto]

Just. One. More. Episode.

Alien: Hmm, I haven't seen Human in a while.

Alien 2: That is worrying, you know to never leave your Human out of sight for too long. That's how you get the Ant World they tried to hide.

A: Hmm, but it's also not a good idea to pry into their privacy too much.

A2: True. What were they last doing?

A: Carrying several boxes of flavored nutrient packs into their apartment.

A2: Did they mention anything about a specific subject that had not come up much at all before?

A: Hmm, they did recommend I check out a documentary series about true crime. I did, but couldn't finish. It went into disturbing details.

A2: Oh no. Now, this is important - did they say the word marathon before you last saw them?

A: Hmm, I think so, yes.

A2: How many boxes? And how long ago since they brought them in?

A: Hmm, eight and three days ago.

A2: Your Human will appear in about thirteen days.

A: Ah, I think I understand now, but they're alone, shouldn't a standard nutrient box last about 5 days per Human?

A2: When on a regular schedule, yes, roughly. Your Human is intently watching countless hours of these documentaries and are likely unaware of their rate of consumption due to being emotionally engaged with the subject matter.

A: That is... disturbing. Should we intervene?

A2: No, it's a phase. If we take them away from their current subject of passion, it will become more entrenched, potentially. Best to let them run out of nutrients and force themselves to leave that environment. Then we can persuade them to return to normalcy, given they will be more accepting of the idea due to leaving that situation of their own will.

A: And if they are not persuadable?

A2: Then we get another Human to metaphorically "bonk" them back to their senses. Although on some Humans a literal bonking works too. It's very circumstantial.

A: Hmm...

A2: Although there is also the risk of the other Human becoming convinced to join them instead on further diving into the subject matter. There does appear to be an endless supply of these true crime shows on the Human extranet.

A: That is... not reassuring in any way.

A2: Well, that's Humans for you.

[lilacripley]

Angel Dressed As a Demon

Pairing: Dark!Rhea x Reader

Word Count: 1.4k

Warnings: NSFW ish, slapping, dark themes, jealousy

A/n: forgive my use of tenses, keeping one tense has never been my strong suite. Also this is fucking rushed and not proof read soo yeah.

You weren't quite sure how you ended up in this position; body heaving, standing face to face with the woman who woman who was meant to protect you from everything, trying to puff out your chest to appear bigger than you felt.

You used to feel big. Now you only felt small under her gaze. An ant crushed under the thumb of a psychopath.

Rhea made you feel small again.

You'd met her when your boss set you up with a journalism gig for the WWE, set up with a camera outside a club. You'd been stood hours, jostled between men bustling to get a better look at the club entrance.

You'd never been a fan of crowds.

Or men.

Pushing through the reporters, you made your way slowly around the building where the people lingering were thinning out. Slumping yourself against the wall, you exhaled loudly, knocking your head back and staring into the sky.

You didn't even know why you'd agreed to this job, you didn't know shit about wrestling, nor did you want to be paid pennies for snapshots.

You'd been wrapped up in your own head when someone cleared their throat beside you. Slowly, you'd risen your gaze to meet worried blue eyes, the glare from the streetlight casting a golden halo around her head.

'You okay?' Her voice was soft, and she reached out for you like you were an old friend, not a stranger.

Finding yourself nodding, unable to take your eyes off her, the way her hair fell in front of her eyes and she'd brush it from her face with dextrous fingers.

'Well then what's a pretty little thing like you doing out here alone at this time of night?' You hadn't even noticed that the sun had long since dipped below the tips of the buildings, casting dangerous shadows down alleys.

She'd led you inside that night, and you'd talked about everything and nothing.

It didn't take long for her to take you under her wing, taking you everywhere she went, possessive, protective and so loving. You hadn't felt love like that in a long time. Falling for an angel dressed like a demon, you swooned over her ring costumes, appreciated being able to see her without the get up to. You were smitten.

The honeymoon phases ended. They did so abruptly, after a match against Becky that she'd lost.

You'd told her again and again, 'the match was rigged, in Beckys hometown, nothing more could be expected.' She'd fumed, black fingernails digging crescent moons into her palms until you'd snaked you palms into hers, pushing yourself softly into her gaze.

She was medusa, and as her palm had landed for the first time against your skin, you felt yourself turn to stone. You never really got the feeling of life back into your bones after that.

'You think Becky deserved to win over me? Go crawling to her for attention, maybe she'll fuck you if your desperate enough.'

'I love you.'

'I hate you.'

'I still love you.'

It was true, you loved her pain. Deserved it maybe. No one would love you like she did.

As time passed, you found yourself distanced from everyone you'd become friends with. Not allowed to speak with Liv, one of the first people you'd met whilst at RAW in your first few weeks of being with Rhea. Rhea only allowed you to sit with members of the judgement day while she was in the ring, but you usually just sat in silence and waited for her to return.

She'd caught you laughing with Becky one night, bursting through the door angrily just as Becky had laid her hand on your thigh, laughing. She'd told Becky to get out if she knew what was good for her, and she'd fucked you, bent over the bench in the locker room.

'Do her fingers feel better than mine do?'

'Do you call her Daddy, you little slut? Go on, call out for Daddy. See if she wants to come see who you really belong to.'

Removing her fingers from your mouth, grasping your jaw and caressing it with her thumb.

'Say it. Who owns you babygirl?'

'M-Mami, you do. I'm yours, only yours.'

'Do you feel her fingers inside you the next day? Do you scream her name like you do for me, hm?'

Rhea had taken your phone after that, kept you at the house while she worked. She didn't want you getting into trouble as she'd said. Didn't want you wandering off.

Liv had popped round that day, all wide eyes and worried, eyes lingering on the discoloured skin around your arms and jaw, promising to return with a phone.

That had been months ago. You were drowning in your mind, trapped in a body that belonged to an angel dressed as a devil.

You weren't sure that she was an angel anymore.

You knew you still loved her. And hated yourself for it.

'Where the hell do you thing you're going?' You stopped, hand contracting against the door handle as if it would just disappear from your grasp.

You turned towards her voice, angry eyes flashing hot towards you as she stepped forward. Rhea raised her eyebrows threateningly.

'I was just- I just needed some air, I'm not going anywhere I swear.' You didn't know who you were trying to convince.

You'd heard the slap before you felt it, a sharp pain that had you doubled over clutching at your cheek with aching palms.

'You think I was born yesterday babygirl? You think I don't know how you've been whoring yourself out to Liv?' Her fingers were around your neck now, and you couldn't help but remember the time when you'd watch her fingers; breathlessly in awe. Now they took your breath destructively, clamping down and leaving you gasping.

You smacked her arm away, shaking the feeling off your skin, 'I don't know what the fuck you're talking about. Liv and I are friends,' you spat at her, turning away and slamming your hands against the door in frustration. 'And I haven't even spoken to her since you have taken my fucking phone.'

You felt Rhea's body pressing up against you, pushing you against the door and sliding her hands down to rest on yours. Linking your fingers she laughed, breath hot in your ear, teeth nipping at the skin under your ear. You pinched your eyes closed, trying to not get yourself worked up.

You hated her.

But you loved her.

'I found your little burner phone you little slut. Now, does she fuck you as good as Mami does?' Her tongue licked a strip down the nape of your neck as you groaned. 'Don't think for a second I won't get the boys to sort her out for fucking what's mine.'

'I'll leave you,' you whined, straining against her grip, turning around to face. She smiled, lip curling into a snarl as she pressed a kiss to your browline.

'You wouldn't dare, would you baby?' fingers drawing idly over the faint marks on your wrist, before dancing over to your hip bone. The faint 'Mami' was still visible in the skin there, making you shudder and clench your teeth. 'You're mine. Why don't you show me how much you love me? Put that petulant little mouth to use and then maybe Mami will forgive you for being such a little brat hey?'

Long fingers tangled themselves in your hair, pulling taught at your scalp as she pulled your head back. Rhea kissed up your neck, biting and sucking at delicate skin until red bloomed in place. A painful canvas for her art. When you refused to acknowledge her she pulled away, cocking her head slyly and pinching at your arm. 'When Mami asks you a question you answer her, ungrateful little bitch.'

'No.'

You spit on the ground at her feet, and puff yourself up. Done making yourself small for her. You asked herself if she'd always been that tall.

All that you could hear was the blood pounded a heartbeat in your ears, and her breath, short and fast and so angry. Eyes full of poison. And yet she smiled at you, shaking her head as her hands dropped to the clasp of her belt.

[antsyandpantsy]

listening to cuphead music is somethin different

[dalesramblingsblog]

I know we've been commenting since The Star Beast on the irony of Russell T. Davies taking Disney money and using it to say trans/gay rights as part of one of the biggest British television events of 2023/2024, but I think Dot and Bubble fully opened my eyes to something I've been quietly contemplating since at least the time of The Giggle.

I am genuinely convinced, knowing everything I know about Davies' comments on the state of the BBC and the kinds of art he's been making of late, that Series 14 is a brilliant and purposeful piece of artistic subversion that has taken Disney's money to not just say trans rights, but to actively comment upon the cold, empty yawning abyss that is modern MCU franchisecrafting.

Time and time again, the show has returned to the idea that that sort of "artistry" is completely anathema in a cosmic horror sense to the very fabric of Doctor Who. The Toymaker is an arbiter of rules and continuity, who threatens to turn Doctor Who into a knock-off of The Avengers before everything collapses back into a game of catch with the Doctor in his underwear.

73 Yards is quite explicitly about the loneliness, emptiness and futility that accompanies human beings trying to impose rational, ordered frameworks and narratives on a fundamentally chaotic and strange universe. The very fact that the episode exists in a media ecosystem where hackish YouTubers will be falling over themselves to make "Ending Explained" videos for it *is part of the point*.

And then we have Dot and Bubble, where the modern glut of franchisal/social media (and the two are often close to interchangeable, as proven by this very blog post) is explicitly shown to have an anaesthetising effect that insulates people from real-world suffering. But it's more than that, because that same anaesthesia ties into expressions of actual, direct racism that are so baked into the foundations of that media and who it tends to uplift (white, conventionally attractive and implicitly straight people) that they become indistinguishable from said suffering.

After years of Doctor Who trying its hand at being a generic MCU-esque property and fans creating mockups of Phase-esque release timelines with a million spin-offs focusing on the Wacky Adventures of Miss Evangelista or whatever other bullshit fandom constantly clamours for, here is an era that puts its foot down and says "Actually, the foundational elements of that brand of media consumption are materially connected to the constant racist or sexist backlash you see against the casting of Ncuti Gatwa or Jodie Whittaker or Kelly Marie Tran."

And it is absolutely, positively, 100% correct.

How, then, does Doctor Who resist the creeping power of this monolithic cultural entity? In a world where studios seriously try to argue for the artistic worth of tripe like Morbius or Madame Web or Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, what is the appropriate response?

The same response that it's always had, the thing that it's been doing for sixty years. Getting people to learn how to run down corridors from hokey aliens, hoping against hope that those people don't turn out to be massive fucking racists and telling them exactly where they can shove it if they are, and instilling the children of the world with a healthy dose of fear and light-hearted humour.

Welcome back, Doctor Who. God, I have missed you.

[patricia-taxxon]

the frostpunk board game takes a really weird approach to onboarding gamers into its super complicated ruleset. it has variable player roles, but the emphasis isn't on asymmetry, the player aids for each role *also* give you specific mechanics to pay attention to and specific upkeep & cleanup jobs around the table. like, the generator advisor is the one who throws the coal into the huge dice tower and the foreman advisor is the one who reads all the special event cards. this is supposed to make it so you don't have to learn all the rules before you can play, which seems cool, but there were only 2 of us for the 4 roles and at that point it was easier to just learn all the rules.

i haven't played frostpunk, the board game version seems fine so far but im very annoyed that the designers assumed i only had attention for a quarter of the ruleset and just didn't give me a general player aid separate from the bulky rulebook or the phase tracker for ants.

[thewisecheerio]

Subversive Design in Soulsborne Games

There are a lot of mechanisms to induce fear in horror games. Lighting (or lack thereof), soundtrack, jump scares, and a myriad of other things all work well to make you feel unsettled.

But my favorite strategy is to establish a pattern for the player and then break it.

Soulsborne games are infamous for this subversive game design, which is part of why they have a reputation for being "unfair". But it's important to remember that the pattern was formed from your assumptions about what the rules of the world are; no accord was ever actually made nor broken. The devs are simply anticipating the pattern you are likely to pick up on, and then breaking it to induce fear. These are horror games, after all.

I tend to find this subversiveness hilarious, so here are some of my favorites:

Boss Phases

Soulsborne games use 2-phase bosses so often that you begin to expect that the most phases a boss will ever have is 2. Thus, the second that you vanquish a foe's second phase, you breathe a sigh of relief. However, there are at least two times that Soulsborne games have broken this promise: Sister Friede of DS3 and the Scadutree Avatar of Elden Ring.

Both came equipped with 3 phases, which catches people out the first time that they encounter it. You may have exhausted resources during Phase 2, not realizing you had miles more to go. As such, it's great at inducing an immediate sense of panic due to feeling underprepared.

Guiding with Diegetic Lighting

Soulsborne games love to use diegetic lighting to guide players where to go next or what to notice. This often takes the form of a carefully placed item that glows to draw your eyes, forcing you to notice something you might have otherwise overlooked. Below is Auriza Hero's Grave with an item-bearing body (already looted in this screenshot, but circled in red) hinting at a drop off point to a floor below:

However, sometimes the game abuses your trust in the diegetic lighting. As you walk toward it to investigate and see what it might be signaling (if anything), an enemy might pop out and attack, or throw a molotov cocktail at your head. It's a trap!

Possibly the funniest incarnation of this is Patches. Patches will leave glowing markers to draw you toward an edge. There might even be devnotes suggesting "Something amazing this way!" to tempt you even more. But the second you get close, off the cliff you go!

Pincer Attacks

Another way Fromsoftware abuses diegetic lighting and your own paranoia is pincer attacks. Because so many enemies like to hide behind corners and jump scare you, players get used to checking corners before entering a new room to grab a clearly visible item. However, sometimes you check those corners dutifully, think you're in the clear after having vanquished the corner foes, and still get attacked on your way to the item.

This is because the trap was never about the enemies hiding behind the corners. They are a distraction, there to make you feel that you have been sufficiently paranoid when you have not actually been paranoid enough.

Rather the problem was never the corner enemies, but the two new enemies that drop off walls in front of you (before you get to them) and behind you (only once you've passed them), forming a pincer that is much harder to escape. Elden Ring's Fanged Imps often do this in catacombs, and the Giant Ants sometimes pull this off in Ainsel and Siofra.

Boss Doors

Sometimes a "rule" Soulsborne games break actually has nothing to do with in-game rules, but rather expectations devs know you have from other games. For example, boss arenas are often very well-signaled so that you can prepare. Either there is Grand ArchitectureTM to tell you something big is about to happen, or you have to explicitly interact with an item to enter the boss arena.

And then there is Bloodborne, who will happily let you get frightfully lost in the Forbidden Woods only to stumble into the boss arena by accident:

(It's me, I stumbled in.)

Sure, there are some big stones there. But by nature of being a multi-tiered level, the Forbidden Woods is FULL of underpasses that go below broken logs or fallen graves. This one doesn't look much different at a glance. You have little reason to believe that this underpass is different from the one you saw earlier that goes underneath a gigantic fallen tree. Consequently, you might walk right in only to be surprised with a boss bar popping up on your screen.

Closing Comments

What every single one of these tactics has in common is that it's playing on your expectations of how the game universe should work, and then subverting it. And when you fall for their antics, it can be hilarious.

It's a very clever design strategy to keep players constantly on their toes. It can get you to learn a new skill or break out of a routine. Overall, it's there to maintain player interest in the game and keep things from feeling stale. And I'd say the Soulsborne games are exceptional at using it to keep you interested.