#it's very specifically zombie fiction

[hearkensentinel]

#nu!trek walked so nu!star wars could trip and fall flat on its face 

so true T__T

JJ Abrams showing naked disdain for Star Trek, and openly stating he really was only doing them in the hopes of getting to make Star Wars one day, only to get his chance to make Star Wars & making it even worse, so bad he killed off Disney's scheme to release a new Star War every year into eternity...truly iconic

[heritageposts]

[...] More specifically, the cycle of violence in The Last of Us Part II appears to be largely modeled after the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I suspect that some players, if they consciously clock the parallels at all, will think The Last of Us Part II is taking a balanced and fair perspective on that conflict, humanizing and exposing flaws in both sides of its in-game analogues. But as someone who grew up in Israel, I recognized a familiar, firmly Israeli way of seeing and explaining the conflict which tries to appear evenhanded and even enlightened, but in practice marginalizes Palestinian experience in a manner that perpetuates a horrific status quo. The game's co-director and co-writer Neil Druckmann, an Israeli who was born and raised in the [occupied] West Bank before his family moved to the U.S., told the Washington Post that the game's themes of revenge can be traced back to the 2000 killing of two Israeli soldiers by a mob in Ramallah. Some of the gruesome details of the incident were captured on video, which Druckmann viewed. In his interview, he recounted the anger and desire for vengeance he felt when he saw the video—and how he later reconsidered and regretted those impulses, saying they made him feel “gross and guilty.” But it gave him the kernel of a story. “I landed on this emotional idea of, can we, over the course of the game, make you feel this intense hate that is universal in the same way that unconditional love is universal?” Druckmann told the Post. “This hate that people feel has the same kind of universality. You hate someone so much that you want them to suffer in the way they’ve made someone you love suffer.” Druckmann drew parallels between The Last of Us and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict again on the official The Last of Us podcast. When discussing the first time Joel kills another man to protect his daughter and the extraordinary measures people will take to protect the ones they love, Druckmann said he follows "a lot of Israeli politics," and compared the incident to Israel's release of hundreds of Palestinians prisoners in exchange for the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011. He said that his father thought that the exchange was overall bad for Israel, but that his father would release every prisoner in every prison to free his own son. "That's what this story is about, do the ends justify the means, and it's so much about perspective. If it was to save a strange kid maybe Joel would have made a very different decision, but when it was his tribe, his daughter, there was no question about what he was going to do," Druckmann said.

And continuing, on the security structures featured in the The Last of Us Part II:

Besides the familiar zombie fiction aesthetics of an overgrown and decomposing metropolis, The Last of Us Part II's main setting of Seattle is visually and functionally defined by a series of checkpoints, security walls, and barriers. There are many ways to build and depict structures that separate and keep people out. Just Google "U.S.-Mexico border wall" to see the variety of structures on the southern border of the United States alone. The Last of Us Part II's Seattle doesn't look like any of these. Instead, it looks almost exactly like the tall, precast concrete barriers and watch towers Israel started building through the West Bank in 2000.

Illustrations, from the article:

The first barrier Ellie and Dina encounter when arriving in Seattle / West Bank barrier.

. . . article continues on Vice (July 15 2020)

Backup -> archive.today link /archive.org link

[hongjoongspoetry]

Baby, Love Me Lights Out | Choi San

❤️ Summary: San comes home after filming content for the Wanteez series. He's drunk and loud, but you can't get mad he woke you up at 2 AM on a work night when his silliness makes up for it.

❤️ Pairing(s): idol!San x GN!Reader

❤️ Genres/Tropes: idol AU, tooth rotting fluff, established relationship

❤️ Warnings/Tags: no use of (Y/N), gender neutral reader, san is drunk, petnames (love, baby, darling, sannie), not beta read

❤️ Wordcount: 1.0 k

❤️ Author's Note: I had to get this one out of my system. My Yunho zombie apocalypse oneshot is like 90% done, but I needed a lil pause from all the angst and BOOM this was created. I present drunk and romantic Sannie!

This is all fiction and not meant to represent any idols involved in any way or form.

AO3 Masterlist Click on me!

San insisted on being dropped off at your door instead of returning to the dorm with Mingi and Seonghwa. Their manager was torn on what to do, but with enough drunken encouragement of Seonghwa slurring about young love and San being love-sick, he swerved right onto your street and helped the idol out of the car. If there was someone San could always rely on, it’d be his Seonghwa-hyung. It was decided, he was going to give him a massive hug when they’d see each other again.

The promise was forgotten the second San succeeded in unlocking your apartment (after many failed attempts) with the spare key you gifted him. It was by some miracle San refrained from shouting out his usual ‘Darling I’m home’ and just quietly exchanged his shoes for the slippers assigned to him specifically. The darkness swallowed him whole, but he had no trouble navigating to your bedroom.

The sight of your sleeping figure tucked beneath the covers set off an explosion of warmth in his chest. His face hurt from cheesing too much, but he couldn’t help himself. You looked so  cute and cuddly, like a kitten passed out from a very exciting day of discovering new things. As much as he wanted to pepper you with kisses, trap you in his arms and not let go until you freed yourself from his death grip (much to his dismay), San knew it would wake you up. San may be a lightweight, but he was a self conscious lightweight. You had work in the morning and he’d hate for you to lose sleep over his selfish need for some cuddles.

He granted himself one light peck to the top of your head and ventured back into the living room. The couch would suffice for the night. The sound of rustling sheets accompanied by your hoarse voice stopped him before he could cross the threshold. 

“Sannie?”

Said man hummed in reply and leaned against the doorway. His eyes adjusted to the dark enough to make out you sitting up with the sheet pooling around your waist, hair slightly messy and sleep adorning your eyes.

“When did you get home, baby?”

“Some minutes ago,” he slurred with the brightest grin you had ever seen.

“Are you coming to bed?”

“Mhm, need to wash up first.”

“Okay,” You yawned. “Do that baby then let’s cuddle. I’ve missed you.” You laid back down in the comfort of your bed and closed your eyes with the intent to just rest them until San was done.

“Missed you too,” San said to himself as he stumbled into the bathroom.

The minutes ticked away and there was still no drunk San in your bed. You knew your boyfriend like the back of your hand. San would never pass up on a cuddle session, whether it be a two second long kiss or being wrapped up in each other’s embrace for hours, he’d be there. It didn’t take a genius for you to figure out something was wrong when the clock on your nightstand showed twenty past two and San was still not beside you. The lack of noise out in the hall added to your suspicion. It was seldom that a drunk man was silent. 

With the quilt wrapped around your shoulders and each foot tucked in your bunny slippers, you went to check on San. You flicked the light switch and lo and behold, your boyfriend laying flat on his back with each limb stretched out akin to a starfish and a pillow slapped on his stomach. He quickly threw an arm over his eyes and hissed from the sudden brightness.

“Sannie? Love? What are you doing?”

“Sleeping.”

“I see that, but don’t you wanna sleep in the bed?”

“I am in bed.”

If it weren’t for the fatigue tugging at your eyelids you’d be hunched over from laughing too hard.  

“Love,” you started, “that’s the living room floor.”

“‘M comfortable,” he insisted and waved his other hand, urging you to let the darkness back out.

“Are you sure? Your back is going to hurt tomorrow and you still have practice for your comeback.”

“I promise, darling. Lights off, please.”

How could you deny him anything when he spoke in that honey smooth voice with his lips jutted out and one arm coming around the pillow he proclaimed as his cuddle buddy?

A few moments later, when the moon was at its highest point in the sky and the streets finally decided to call it a night, a loud noise of something dropping against the floor washed over you like ice cold water. The speed you leaped from the bed would've made long jump athletes fear for their position. The frantic shout of your lover’s name erupted before you could reach the door. Horrid thoughts plagued your mind and it worked over time to create scenarios that could have him nursing an injury. Everything from falling and cracking open his head to dropping something heavy on his feet. 

Ripping open your bedroom door, you relaxed to see him unscathed and in the same condition you left him; alive and breathing. However, the accommodation was entirely different and you understood where that loud thunk came from. San was no longer laying on the floor, no. He had somehow managed to open one of your old suitcases and shuffled inside it with his previously worn t-shirt used as a blanket.

Breathing out in relief you retrieved your phone from your nightstand and snapped a couple photos of his unconscious form folded into the bag.

“Sannie?”

“Lights off!” He whined and pulled the shirt over his face.

“Love, no. Come on. Let’s get to bed.” 

You gently took the fabric from him and slipped your hand into his, weaving your fingers together and giving it a gentle tug.

“Wanna sleep here~”

Despite his complaint, he listened to you and for the third time that night, you were back in bed but with your lovely boyfriend to keep you company. The trail of kisses you pressed on his neck, cheeks and nose were apologies for your future actions. The photos captured in your camera roll would serve their purpose sooner or later, until then you’d remind him of your never ending love and hope it would suffice as a good enough apology (it would, he could never be angry with you).

© HONGJOONGSPOETRY 2024 - All rights reserved. Copying, editing, reposting or translating my work is not allowed.

[ell-es-dee]

☣ hallo !! im nawt the best at making intros so.. here's the best one i could put together... (๑ᵔ⤙ᵔ๑)

💊 namehoard: toxin, sayori, yakui (main name), cyanide, lithium, radium, xenon, cyber, marigold, bonnie, keta/ketamine, aol, hazard, strawb, nyacifier, chlorine, zombeh, poptart, hani, kona, ++ any fictionkin names are fine!!

💊 boyflux/nonbinaryflux intersex boygirl, aroaceflux and pomoromantic ++ xenogenders

💊 pronouns: it/xe/lean/purp/glitch/nuke/🍪/☣️/💜 (use any other and i will give 1 warning, and if u continue it will become a block. (¬`‸´¬)

💊 all of my aesthetics/subcultures (very passionate about them,,): larpercore, slasher summer, juggalo, cultcore, doomer, slimepunk, necrotrap, bastardcore, terrorwave, incelcore, sigmacore, grunge, gopnik, slavic, jumpstylecore, oddcore, toxiccore, glowwave, icepunk, breakcore, acidwave, drugcore, kinderwhore, trashcore, urbling, scemo, shinora, gurokawa, rokku gyaru, hadeko, clowncore, yamanba gyaru, maidcore

💊 i have some disorders,, iwc always ૮ ◞ ﻌ ◟ ა (i swear im nice)

💊 some of my main fandoms: american psycho, stephen king (any of his movies/books), fnaf, yandere simulator, class of 09, final destination, pulp fiction, ddlc, genshin impact, saw, scream, lucky star, creepypasta, eddsworld, south park, monster high, twilight, heathers, tyler the creator lore, mlp, breaking bad, strawberry shortcake, athf, edd ed and eddy, homestuck, vocaloid, gorillaz, the office, american horror story, goosebumps, nijura maids (i dont support the creator 😕) ++ more

💊 my otherkins/conceptkins;; vampire kin, robot kin, glitch kin, angel kin,, zombie kin,, doll kin,, whether kin (tornado!!),, nightmare kin,, plush kin,, tech kin,, toy kin,, scarecrow kin, shadow kin, sea monster kin,, christmas kin, valentines day kin, hypnosis kin, chatbot kin, wizard kin, fallen angel/demon kin,, song kin,, death angel kin,, whats app kin (yes i kin whats app),, elf kin,, microwave kin,, halloween kin

💊 theriotypes;; jackalope,, koi fish,, calico cat,, vampire cat,, angel cat,, ant,, glow worm,, lamb,, kitsune,, bunny,, hamster,, jumping spider,, red fox,, white bat,, rosy maple moth,, groundhog,, raccoon,, polyphemus moth,, goat,, borzoi dog,, dirt worm,, persian cat (brown fur) ++ questioning others

💊 food kins: sour patch kid candy (specifically orange), jack-o-lantern (idk if that counts as a food), peeps marshmallow (specifically the yellow chick one), cotton candy (pink and blue)

💊 top fictionkins;; ticci toby (crp), yakui-san (nijura maids), billy lenz, nicole (class of 09), kyle broflovski, casey (scream), wendy torrence, carrie white, hatsune miku (vocaloid!!!!), sayori (ddlc), midori gurin (yansim), karkat vantas (homestuck), bonnie (fnaf), tord (eddsworld), derpy hooves (mlp), tavros nitram (homestuck), applejack (mlp), toko fukawa (danganronpa) konakona018 (oc), biscuit tan, patrick batemen (american psycho), billy loomis (scream), lulu (crp), judge angel (crp), natsuki (ddlc), sierra (tdi), karen (class of 09), meatwad (athf), junko (danganronpa), beta!kokichi (danganronpa v3), sayaka maizono (danganronpa v1), hamtaro, stanley mitchell, jade harley (homestuck), john egbert (homestuck), yowane haku (vocaloid), wolf haley, chihiro (danganronpa), dorei san, shitai san ++ wayy more.. (pfp is probably who im kinshifted as) also im fine with doubles & mediamates!!

💊 factkins: courtney love, rob canter, lisa left eye, george harrison, allison harvard

💊 some of my favorite music artists;; smashing pumpkins, jazmin bean, sharkdrug, yabujin, korn, icp, limp bizket, kmfdm, nirvana, 2pac, 4lung (i dont support the creator), bloodhound gang, cannibal corpse, foo fighters ☹️, weezer, gorillaz, kendrick lamar, lagoyo, red hot chili peppers, tyler the creator, basement jaxx, pierce the veil, deftones, ayesha erotica, slipknot, 1 800 pain, msi, hole, 2pac, slipknot

💊 selfshipper!!!! f/os: cody (tdi), edd (eddsworld), eyeless jack (crp), gamzee (homestuck), 2D (gorillaz), morty (r&m), mastershake (athf), liu woods (crp), x virus (crp), wallace wells (scott pilgrim), simon henriksson (cry of fear) ૮꒰ ྀི >���⸝⸝< ྀི꒱ა

💊 adoptive father of jank boteko and an0rex1c sour patch kid meme (WHO IS PRO-YAKUI FAMILY 💜♥️😈)/satire

💊 i know japanese & russian ^______^ (english isn't my main but im ok with it)

💊 moodboard account: @noapologiesbynirvana

💊 webkinz, beanie babies, furbies, shopkins & squishmallows collector!!!!

💊 dni: basic dni, anti fictionkin/otherkin/etc, anti furry, anti therian, transphobes, homophones, TRUE CR*ME COMMUNITY/COLUMB*NERS (im recovering), people who support trump (YOU'RE HORRIBLE!!!!), nsfw blogs, toxic stans (any community), shedblr or cvtblr (im recovering), people who i had drama with in the past 😕😕

💊 gonna leave it at that for now,, might add more later !! ^_______^ 🌀🌀

[caeunot]

johnnie x reader

new years angst (18+)

PSA: the johnnie i'm going to write about is the fictional version we all have in our minds, we truly don't know how he actually is and it's good to make a balance to avoid any uneasy or parasocial feelings when writing about a real person.

it had been a very long night for everyone, new years party's obviously only actually get started at 12 so the night only truly ends early hours of the morning. johnnie was fast asleep on his bed, the sheets unmade as he lay on top in the full clothes from night before. as he lifted his head he felt all the drinking all the smoking all the talking from the night before rush straight to his head, like a heavy boulder he has to now carry for the next 12 hours. this isn't anything new to him but that doesn't make it any more fun to deal with.

he gets up and looks at himself in his mirror, scrunching his face as he notices how he still had his makeup on, though completely different from the way it had spread all across his face messily from lying on it. he turns on the tap and splashes himself with the cold water, waking him up but also somehow making his migraine worse.

as he starts getting changed into something comfortable he starts remembering the events from the night before, as if in pieces he has to puzzle together.

one thing that remains the most prominent in his memory is the countdown for midnight, he was excited. he had a plan. he wore his best outfit and put contour and primer on his face to make that days makeup extra fancy(he never really does that). he had been anticipating this moment the whole night, his eyes darted around looking for something specific. he squeezed past a few people pushing one slightly too hard making him have to awkwardly apologize which he hated doing. but at that moment it didn't phase him and neither did the flashing lights and the aggressive music playing a bit too loudly in the background. his mind was focused on one thing only. you

his plan was that at the moment it hit 12 he would kiss you, in his mind he decided this would be the best option since if you weren't into it he could pull it off saying it was a friend thing. he was absolutely too nervous to actually just ask you out since he personally feels you are quite out of his league. he hoped this would spark something between the two of you. so that he no longer has to look away when you laugh at his jokes because of the prominent blush that would always come up on his pale skin, or the way he had to hide his enthusiasm when you were around. he was absolutely infatuated with you.

who did you think zombie was about?

but as he finally caught his eye on you with seconds to spare he started jogging towards you but as he was about to approach you, you turn to jake cupping his face and leaning in for a deep kiss. he saw the way you smiled as jake held onto your waist. the way your kiss lasted longer than the others around the room. suddenly he jolted out of his mind as he hears a knock on his bathroom door.

fuck. he thinks to himself as he puts his hand sloppily through his hair in attempt to neaten it. "yes?" he says, still sounding half asleep.

"can I talk to you" you say, wait. you say? johnnie is confused. you don't live here, he just shares this place with jake..

fuck

he bites his lip before answering, "yeah uh just- just gimmie a min I just got up". " oh ok no problem! I'll be in the living room, take your time alright?" you say, he waits for your foot steps to sound lighter before he leans against the door and slides down to the floor, hands in his hair he curses. curses how he could so easily give someone his heart and so easily let them tear it apart, even without them knowing they did. love was fucked and he was tired and his migraine was getting worse and he just wanted everything to disappear, but as much as he would love to lock himself in the bathroom forever he was also curious what you had to say to him.

around 10 minutes later he emerges from the bathroom still rubbing his towel around his wet hair from his shower, he walks into the living room to see you scrolling on your phone and his heart immediately starts aching. before you noticed he was there he took full advantage of being able to admire you, you had no makeup on which johnnie had never seen before, but god you might look even better without it.

he admired the way your hair was slightly messed up and the way you were still in the clothes from the night before, that tight black dress that has a low v neck showing off your breasts which he realized he was obsessed with, even in a normal setting you made it work.

"so what's up?" he asks sitting down next to you on the couch. "wait first before anything can i ask you a massive favour..", "hit me" he says with a half smile, "well as u can see im still sorta in my dress from last night uh.. i maybe slept over here last night and my place is pretty far and i have a splitting headache, would it be cool if i stay at your guys place tonight too?"

"oh sure no problem we don't mind! but what about your clothes? im guessing u didn't pack any extra in that handbag of yours." you shuffle in your seat feeling a lil embarrassed, "that's my second favour.. could i borrow some of yours? well uhm not yours specifically but your the only one awake at the moment and i dont wana wake poor jake"

johnnie got a bit red imagining you in his clothes, but nonetheless lent you one of his hoodies and sweats which fit you perfectly. as you were getting changed he couldn't help when his mind slipped to the fact you never wore a bra with that dress, meaning you would be wearing one of his hoodies completely bra-less which turned him on much more than he would have hoped for, especially since the two of you agreed to go get something to eat after you get changed.

the car ride was very silent and it was freaking johnnie out a little, once you two have ordered your food and are started waiting you decide to break the silence, "if im being real, i got wayy too blasted last night like i honestly don't even remember talking to you.. at one point i wasn't even sure if you were there, but saying that i barely remember anyone i spoke to haha". johnnie lets out a small laugh, "dont worry abt not seeing me, im not a party guy i always end up lurking in the shadows like a vampire instead of making conversation." you turn your head to the window looking out at the sun as it melts like honey into the blue sky as it sets.

the two of you ended up eating in the car because you guys were so hungry. as you guys made it back inside the house you see jake facetiming someone on his phone, you sneak up behind him and shove him a little while going "BAH", which made him jump like a cartoon character. "fuck you y/n im on a call" "not my fault your a scaredy cat", "dude that's just wrong im braver than u and johnnie combined okay" you guys laugh and jake takes his call to his room, leaving you and johnnie alone again.

"i like how he didn't ask why im still here" you ask slumping onto the nearest couch. "i think you scared him too much that he stopped thinking for a sec" he said plonking himself next to you.

"you down to watch a movie?" you ask, "sure sounds good! i mean what else is there to do anyways". "perfect ill choose kay!! since im the guest i get privileges heh", "whatever makes u happy miss y/n" he says giving a genuine smile which made your heart race slightly.

the movie dragged on for johnnie, not that it was a bad movie but for the fact that he couldn't stop thinking about how close you guys sat next to each other, plus the way you were still wearing his clothes and how absolutely gorgeous you looked in them. all of a sudden you turned towards johnnie as he was staring at you by accident, the two of you sat there in silence for a little before you broke it

"uh johnnie can i be honest with you", "sure y/n, what's up". "well let me get straight to the point, by the time it hit new years.. did you see who i kissed?" johnnie tilted his head in confusion, "you kissed jake.. don't you remember?". "honestly i don't remember anything past 11pm.. when i said i was blasted i really meant blasted. well the reason im asking is because there was someone specific i wanted to kiss"

"oh really? and who was that". "it uhm was you"

johnnie felt his face start heating up and without thinking he immediately pulled your face in for a deep kiss, "johnnie.." you whisper as the kiss ended, his hands still on your face and the two of you close enough to where you could see all the pores on face and feel his cool breath against your lips.

he doesn't respond, even the kiss took him off guard and he initiated it! he realized that you reciprocated his kiss and that gave him enough motivation to lean in for another, this one was more sloppy and more intense. you two wanted each other badly and it was visible, as some tongue was slipped you climbed on top of johnnie and felt his bulge already from his thin pants. that turned you on even more and you accidentally let out a small moan.

you started to feel johnnies hands gently hold your waist from under the hoodie, you started to get a tingly feeling as he gently graced his hands higher and higher till he reached your boobs, he let out a small whimper as he gripped and played your breasts. you take your hands from his neck and instead use them to take off the hoodie itself giving him a full view of your boobs now making him gasp mid kiss.

you start grinding on him gently while taking his shirt off, once its off you slowly get off of him and pull down his pants, "are you sure?" he said shakily as he sat more forward on the couch preparing for what's coming, "you don't know how long I've wanted to do this, yes baby i'm sure" you say which made him go even redder and before you get on your knees you see him biting down an excited smile.

as you pull his boxers down you take your hand and gently rub it back and forth before taking your tongue and starting right at the base, giving a mix of wet kisses and licks as you slowly go higher and higher. when you finally get to the tip you hear a small whimper and you feel the top of your hair being grabbed desperately, you slowly put the tip fully inside your mouth moving it gently back and forth and going faster and faster deeper and deeper making his member twitch inside of his mouth and as you start hearing him moan deeply you realize he has already hit his climax and ends up finishing inside your mouth. when he was done you take your mouth off with a plop and immediately go back up to johnnies absolutely flustered face, you have never seen him look so submissive.

without hesitation you kiss him with his cum still inside your mouth, making a mess as it spills onto both of your chests.

johnnie sighs in delight "fuck y/n how did you do that" -when he knew exactly how :)

❣

[polyamorousmisanthrope]

Write what you want to read

So, I'm seeing this as advice for writers. I think it's likely good advice, but I wonder if that advice is for me.

*drums fingers*

I can't predict what I'll like or why. Not very well.

Someone might say, "Well, X Book has X, Y, and Z elements, so you'll LOVE IT."

For the most part? That's not entirely true.

MM relationships and romances don't generally ring my bell. But my favorite of the World of the White Rat books is actually Paladin's Hope. Which is a MM romance, oh is it EVER!

I am not a fan of horror, particularly as a genre, and rather dislike most zombie stuff in horror in specific, and yet... Oh Newsflesh. I adore the Newsflesh series.

I do love great worldbuilding and intricate political intrigue in books (see above!), and love me a long, meaty tome, and yet 140,000 words into the Stormlight Archive (meaning, no, I did not finish the first book) series and I totally lost interest.

That last does have the dudebros saying I just "can't handle intellectual writing" which REALLY has me laughing.

Anyway, the point is that I have no idea what I "really like" in fiction, other than a vague knowledge that it is generally more often found in science fiction and fantasy.

So, writing what I want to read? Golly, in my case, I'm not entirely sure.

[klbwriting]

Finally Home - Jason Todd Blurbs

Tim Sets You Two Up

Fandom: Red Hood

Pairing: Jason Todd x gn!reader

Warnings: none

Summary: Tim knew that his TA and Jason would love each other, so he tricks them into meeting

Notes: this is a request for a DM to have Jason meet the reader because Tim is tricky

               Jason hadn’t expected you to be his perfect match when the two of you first met.  It was a blind date set up by Tim of all people.  He had a TA in a class of his that he thought Jason would like and he convinced (tricked) the two of you meeting in the campus library, saying he needed to study, and Jason needed to bring him coffee.  You were there to tutor him, even though you weren’t sure what problem he was having in the class you TA’d for, but you went to the designated study room, seeing a stack of books in the corner of the small room.  You went to pick them up, laughing at seeing both Pride and Prejudice and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies on top.  You heard the door close and turned around, expecting Tim but instead seeing possibly the most gorgeous person to ever exist. 

               “O, sorry, I was looking for Tim Drake?” he said, carrying a couple coffees.  You were about to speak when you looked through the window that faced the rest of the library and there was Tim, locking the door. 

               “O that little shit,” you said, going to the door and trying the handle.  The rooms were soundproof to keep distractions from the studiers so you knew yelling was pointless.  Tim held up a piece of paper with ‘You’ll Thank Me Later’ before walking away. 

               “I may shoot him,” Jason said, looking like he actually might.  You turned to him and offered an embarrassed smiled.

               “I don’t know what that kid is thinking, hi I’m YN, I’m a TA in his required literature class, he’s doing great, it was very suspicious that he asked for tutoring…I’m sorry I ramble sometimes,” you said, blushing now as this guy stared at you.  He didn’t seem annoyed, in fact the little smile on his face made you think he was actually listening intently to you, and it was nice.  You were a lit major who took a lot of extra technical classes because you liked science fiction so much, most people looked at you like your rambling was annoying and like you didn’t belong. 

               “I’m Jason, Tim’s my little brother,” he said.  You looked confused for a moment and then he chuckled.  “We’re all adopted, there’s quite a few of us.”  You thought for a second and it dawned on you, Tim had mentioned once that his dad was Bruce Wayne.  And Bruce Wayne had a gaggle of children he had adopted.  “He told me he needed coffee, which is weird, I figured it was in an IV drip at this point.”

               “It should be for that one,” you said with a laugh.  “Wonder why he left these books.”  Jason walked over and picked up a couple.  “I mean, don’t get me wrong I would love to ramble about the absolute silliness of putting zombies into Jane Austen I’m not sure if you would be into that.” 

               “You would be surprised,” he said.  “Although still not sure how I feel about that weird parody of adding dumb things into classics.”  You stopped and stared at him.

               “Ok, listen, zombies are a fantastic form of describing the crumbling of civilizations without blaming a specific group of people for the crumbling…” and that started what turned into a three-hour discussion about books while locked in a study room at Gotham university.  By the time Tim remembered to come back and let you guys out you had exchanged numbers and were planning on meeting at a bookstore, and you had a list of books that Jason needed to read and he had a list that you had to get. 

               “Thanks Tim,” Jason said as he slung an arm around his brother’s shoulder, waving to you as you headed towards your apartment.  Tim smiled, proud of himself.

               “I knew you two would fall in love, next time you see her can you tell her to grade my symbolism paper nicely?”

[astral-circuitry]

i really really liked the lil digital care package idea from @boombox-fuckboy, so here, have some lil recs and goodies from me !!

here is a link to a google drive folder. in there you'll find pdfs of:

Different Seasons by Stephen King, a short story collection feat. Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption as well as The Body and one of my all-time fav Kings

The Book of Lists - Horror by Amy Wallace, Del Howison and Scott Bradley, a collection of recommendations and little fun facts, all to do with the horror genre across different types of media and with contributions of various horror authors, directors, etc

Do Zombies Dream Of Undead Sheep by Timothy Verstynen and Bradley Voytek, a book about the neuroscience of zombie brains; fiction, obviously, but the two authors approach the funny concept with such a genuine, deep appreciation for neuroscience and its implications re: Every Dead/Sick Person We Study Is Somebody's Friend/Family; it's a great and entertaining read

Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann; a sheep detective story in which a flock of sheep investigate the murder of their shepherd

A Brief History of the Countryside in 100 Objects by Sally Coulthard, a non-fiction book about rural Britain explored via one hundred specific objects one can find while driving along the countryside

Life in the Machine, a 2 person mecha ttrpg by KiennaS

adrift in the station revenants, a 2 person mecha ttrpg by Caro Asercion

four ways to die in the future, a very quiet collection of four science fiction ttrpgs about death for no/one/two/three to six players depending on which game by P. H. Lee

games and podcasts:

poki.com - a website full of fun and chill lil mini games, including ones where you can rescue gold fishies by pulling out bars obstructing the way, you know, like in those annoying fake mobile game ads

Moida Mansion, a free horror-ish web game on itch.io

Friends at the Table, an actual play podcast with an insanely long backlog, which will thrill you if you get into it but might be overwhelming, so my rec for something rather short and sweet: start with Bluff City, available here on their website and here on youtube

Zero Hours, a podcast telling different stories about endings, and, more specifically, ends of (the) world(s) at different points throughout time, brought to you by the people behind Wolf 359

while we're at it: Wolf 359, a science fiction podcast about alien life, plant monsters and dysfunctional people, just in case you don't know it yet

Among the Stars and Bones, another science fiction podcast about xenoarcheologists researching alien ruins

I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats, a podcast where Joseph Fink, one of the people behind Welcome to Night Vale, and John Darnielle from tmg talk about art, life, cute animals, and, of course, music

Media Club Plus, a media analysis podcast made by some of the people of Friends at the Table. the first season introduces Jack to HunterxHunter, but there are a few bonus episodes focusing on other anime

last but not least, here is a great site for tv shows and movies, and if you're looking for anime/manga, go here, because the "never ever share your 🏴‍☠️ links!!!!!!" people are Wrong, and also you should download whatever you want whenever you can so you have it Forever

[communistkenobi]

the individual intentions of the writers feels kind of secondary when talking about how reactionary the mandalorian has become, but if you wanted to be extremely generous about what’s going on, I think that the very simple and boring answer is that there is no financial incentive to care about what happens in the show anymore. Disney lost over a billion dollars on Disney+ last year, despite the wild success of the mandalorian and other D+ shows. I’m assuming the primary way they make money is off of mando and baby yoda merchandise - this would explain why the showrunners reunited both of them before the first episode of the third season even aired. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the mandalorian now exists primarily to sell the mandalorian merchandise. it has become an advertisement for itself.

and this would explain a lot! It explains why virtually all of the narrative threads from the previous two seasons have either been dropped or quickly resolved. It explains the exponential increase in nauseating Star Wars references like “Han shot first” “it’s a trap” yoda doing backflips etc. It explains why Din has become something of a zombie, going through the motions without any particular motivation beyond whatever deranged escapade he and Bo-Katan get up to on a given week. There’s no point to caring because the only real pressure is getting eyes on the screen and selling more baby yoda stickers. This is why we went from an Ahsoka cameo in season 2 (an obvious ploy to launch another show but still somewhat reasonable for the story) to having Lizzo and Jack Black in season 3 (literally no narrative reason at all). Those celebrities are really popular and their inclusion in the show produces media headlines that combine their names with the mandalorian, optimising search engine results and presenting the opportunity to sell merchandise to Jack Black and Lizzo fans, even if they aren’t Star Wars fans.

but the shape of this not-caring takes on a particular political form in the show - its lack of care for politics doesn’t equally produce progressive and reactionary political conflict, it’s only reactionary. And one of the reasons for this is because I think a lot of pre-existing Star Wars canon, which this show is leaning more and more heavily on, is so politically fraught that using it without thinking about it produces reactionary narratives. I think this is a large reason why 3x03 was so deeply disturbing politically, because it was all set-up for the arrival of the First Order in the Sequel Trilogy. The show doesn’t seem to take any specific perspective on this aside from telling the audience that its all very ominous, but it’s only ominous because the First Order are established as the villains of the Sequels, not because the rise of fascism in a fictional world is a specific horror that Favreau wants to explore, and the reasons for its rise are extremely lazy, boiling down to “the government is too wrapped up in bureaucratic processes to care and too forgiving of the empire to notice.”

and two I think that in general, positioning your story in opposition to politics - not a specific set of political beliefs, just “politics” as a whole - also produces de facto reactionary narratives. the show is not espousing any positive beliefs about what an ideal world may look like, nor is it precise in its criticisms about what it believes to be the flaws that currently exist in the present day world. It’s just against bureaucracy in general, democracy in general, technology in general. and the show abdicates responsibility for taking a position on why it thinks any of these things are bad. Din dismissively scoffs “politics” in 3x06, perhaps the laziest possible admission that the show is not interested in exploring anything it considers political, and aims to position the characters as being outside of politics. but that itself is a reactionary position, to assume that presenting a “direct democracy” as an overly-decadent, hyper-tolerant society who is too scared to give cops guns but will arm citizens if their cultural “feelings” allow them to carry firearms as “not political.” Again to be way too overly generous, perhaps Favreau is attempting to wave in the general direction of current society and say wow doesn’t this suck! too much democracy produced trump, too much technology produced ipad babies, too much bureaucracy produced complicated tax forms. That’s still stupid and wrong but it’s at least not an openly fascist position. but when you don’t confront those things as political and just say “they suck” in a way that you believe to be outside of politics, the perspective you take is that of a reactionary. a refusal to confront what you consider political is itself a political position, one where you intentionally shrink your imagination of politics to, like, government employees who work at the government building, and everything outside of it is just “natural” society - or, in this case, deeply unnatural, perverted by politics. the only apparent solution for the political conflicts in the show is to scale back “the politics” that are preventing natural society from flourishing. That’s fucking reactionary! and like sorry to pull this card but the whole “I’m above politics” schtick has a pretty extensive history of appearing in fascist slogans, from Mussolini to fucking Alex Jones, a rallying cry that these people eternally get behind - “We’re above the Left-Right divide.” positioning yourself as above politics is itself a political act, one that has a lot of baggage that, by virtue of positioning yourself as being too good for politics, you will not engage with.

so like I don’t know if Favreau is “really” a reactionary. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter because his current cultural output is deeply reactionary. but I don’t think any of this is done with intentional malice. I think when you turn art into a purely financial instrument you produce art that is fascist by default, because its only goal is to concentrate financial and political power for the ruling class by appealing to “common man” interests like. fucking Star Wars!!!!!!

[novlr]

Tips on how to turn a 3 sentence writing prompt into a full-fledged (long) story?

The first question to ask yourself is, what kind of prompt do you have?

Generally writing prompts fall into three categories: a situation (usually the inciting incident), a single word or theme, or a piece of essential text (either an opening line, or keywords to include somewhere in your story). 

Once you have your prompt, you can begin fleshing it out into a working story. Some ways to do this are:

Brainstorm related words and concepts

If you’ve been given a very broad theme, write it down in the middle of a blank piece of paper and spend some time coming up with things that are in some way related. You might discover that the prompt can be interpreted in a range of ways. For example, a recent prompt for the HG Wells Short Story Contest was “Fool”. Fool can be a type of person, a dishonest act (“fool me once”), a tarot card, or a British dessert. 

Ask questions

Write a list of questions about your prompt. 

An example of a situational prompt might be, “A man runs into an old friend at his local bar. This is a bit strange, since his friend died five years ago.” Questions you might ask yourself about this prompt could be: Who is this man? How did his friend die? Does the friend know he’s dead? Why are they meeting on this particular day? How did they feel about each other? Is the friend a ghost? Vampire? Zombie? Time traveller? Estranged twin? Resurrection? Trauma-induced hallucination? Can anyone else see the dead friend, or just the main character? Is the friend here to stay, or is he on the clock? What are they going to do next?

By making a list of unknown factors, you’ll start discovering a range of directions you can take your story.

Play “And then what happened?”

Once you have a sense of who your story’s about and what set their journey into motion, it’s just a matter of figuring out what happens next.

If you get stuck, you can go back to your mindmap technique and brainstorm potential plot points. For example, the first major plot point in your situational prompt is that your main character unexpectedly runs into his dead friend. What happens next?

Maybe the friend wants the protagonist’s help taking revenge on his killer. Or he wants to reconnect with an old flame. Or he wants to experience the thrills of life he didn’t get to have while he was alive. Or maybe he faked his own death and he needs the protagonist’s help solving a delicate case for the interplanetary spy network. Or maybe he’s just really, really hungry…

Then, once you choose the next plot point, you can do this again for the next, and the next, and the next. Before you know it, you have an entire story mapped out from beginning to end.

Where can you find writing prompts?

Ready to put your creative wheels in motion? The internet is flush with writing prompts, so you don’t have to look very far for inspiration.

Sometimes contests or literary journals put out submission calls with specific prompts attached. This can be a good way to challenge yourself, and maybe make some money in the process (or at least get some exposure for your work). Scribophile has a great weekly roundup of open calls, many with targeted themes.

We also have a ton of writing prompts around our reading room, including drawing inspiration from your favourite books, some chilly writing prompts for winter, and a list of fun situational prompts to kickstart your creativity. Enjoy! 

Want to know more? Read the post in full at the link below.

[sirhamburrger]

couple costumes?! gen and fic-specific headcanons!

kai's halloween '24 miniseries - a halloween to remember!!

CHARACTERS: shoyo hinata, tobio kageyama, kenma kozume, tetsuro kuroo, kotaro bokuto, keiji akaashi, kiyoomi sakusa, atsumu miya, osamu miya, tooru oikawa, hajime iwaizumi x reader (separate)

general headcanons:

SHOYO HINATA: shoyo hinata and tobio kageyama lol

he's not above getting a bright orange wig, and bonus points if the height difference is very obvious. if not, then probably something classic and cute like barbie and ken.

TOBIO KAGEYAMA: literally anything you want

he has no opinion on costumes whatsoever, but he'll go along with it if he knows you love it. you'll eventually end up as some generic duo (pirates, zombies etc.).

KENMA KOZUME: doesn't dress up

when asked about his costume he introduces himself as "kodzuken, professional gamer, stocks trader and ceo of bouncing ball corp". you just wear whatever you want because he doesn't really care.

KOTARO BOKUTO: mario and princess peach

or mario and luigi, depending on what you're game for. possibly trafalgar law and bepo from one piece (you're trafalgar, he's bepo). just anything that allows him to wear something eye-catching and goofy.

ATSUMU MIYA: gru and lucy from despicable me

(the sole reason is because somewhere out there there's fanart of him and osamu as gru and dru.) however, you two decided to both go as minions and leave osamu without a costume partner. might also go for something as simple as vampires.

OSAMU MIYA: linguini and colette from ratatouille

subverted expectations as well by ditching the dru costume. if you want to be linguini, he’ll be remy.

TOORU OIKAWA (fic-specific but not really because i haven't even written it yet): any couple in any musical

hamilton and eliza. veronica and jd. lydia and beetlejuice. being the theater kid he is, he will break into song and there is nothing you can do to stop it.

fic-specific:

molto vivace tsukkiyn: refuses to match with you

he'll pick your favourite fictional character and wear a really bad costume just to spite you. you do the same (obviously). when you finally stop hating each other, you go in matching dinosaur onesies.

akrasia akaashiyn: elizabeth bennet and mr darcy from pride and prejudice!

it'd have to be something to do with classic or modern literature. whatever you eventually decide on, it's very likely that absolutely no one at the party will know who you're dressed as.

ag omiyn: plague doctor and plague victim.

enough said. anything, really, that allows him to keep a mask on.

double life kurooyn: batman and nightwing

you'll use your actual superhero costumes, scuffed and beat-up from fights with gotham's supervillains, and tell everyone you had really good replicas made.

match point iwaizumi: godzilla and king kong

he will not compromise on this, but you get to be either one.

DIRECTOR'S NOTE:

my first headcanon post yay

inspired by @/nectardaddy's halloween couple costume headcanons!

borders are by @saradika-graphics!

© sirhamburrger 2024

[dailydemonspotlight]

Loup-Garou - Day 126

Race: Beast

Alignment: Neutral

October 14th, 2024

Werewolves are some of the most famous fictional monsters, easily among the ranks of vampires and zombies in fixtures of the spooky month abound. Werewolves, and Lycanthropy in general, are also very common aspects of storytelling in more fantastical spaces, being typically used as metaphors for several different things. However, where Werewolves came from is a very contentious topic, but one of our most vital links is actually today's Demon of the Day: the French Loup-Garou, one of the first and most notable examples of a werewolf in history. These lycanthropic monsters are some of the first, and most literal, werewolves we've ever seen depicted, and in spite of their relative obscurity they're a very stock and reliable example of what a werewolf even is.

A Loup-Garou, meaning 'one who turns into a wolf,' is a title given to someone who was cursed with transforming into an animal form at night- interestingly, it doesn't specifically have to be a wolf, as according to French-Canadian tradition, they can also turn into dogs, pigs, cattle, cats, or even owls. The idea of this curse was heavily tied to Catholicism and its morality- a person who would commit a grave sin or even just miss confessing their sins on Easter one-too-many times would end up being cursed to become one of these animals every evening, whereupon they would wander aimlessly the countryside. Interestingly, tying with the other animal forms, a Loup-Garou wasn't actually a wolf-man, as they would instead take the direct form of the animal they were cursed to become.

Naturally, however, the traditional French tale was about wolves, and so it stuck. As French settlers arrived in Canada, they brought tales of the Loup-Garou with them as moral warnings and boogeymen, with the first recorded mention being all the way back in the 1700's in the journal of one Antoine Simon Le Page du Pratz, where he speaks of a great wolf described with the moniker "Rougarou" that had the power of 20 wolves in one. To quote his journal,

The wolves being many in a body, kill not what is sufficient for one alone, but as many as they can, before they begin to eat. For this is the manner of the wolf, to kill ten or twenty times more than he needs, especially when he can do it with ease, and without interruption.

This is a borrowed observation from OSP's excellent video on Werewolves, but this actually lead to quite a lot of the modern-day danger that wolves find themselves in, as they had faced extinction at the time due to overhunting out of paranoia that they would attack. Still, the idea stuck, and it spread- the Loup-Garou soon became a fixture in the mythology of the area, inspired primarily by the legends of Dracula and other vampires in how it'd transform. The wolf also starred in a book called “Jean-ah Poquelin,” where it was the main character, and from there the idea stuck. Soon, the idea spread to the Americas as well, and in years the idea of a man transforming into a wolf became ingrained in the public psyche.

The fact that it's only one transformation, though, does make the design in SMT a bit confusing. Don't get me wrong, I love it- it's a fantastic werewolf creature design- but it has direct conflict with the plain wolf form. Even then, though, if it was just a wolf, it'd be a bit boring, so I have to acknowledge and love the fact that they took such a unique approach with the design of a werewolf, with its glowing yellow eyes and torn noble attire giving light to its French origins. Not much else to speak about- simply a story about were's and wolves. Do not post the pineapple GIF.

[carnalhaus]

Hiiii!! Old bat asker here!^^

Sorry to take up space in your inbox but I was wondering if you could list the media (movies and shows) inspirations behind American Tradition?? I am so obsessed with American Tradition and things that remind me of that same sort of aesthetic? Like Ethel Cain, House of 1000 Corpses, american gothic stuff. Nothing quite like some good ol' Americana trauma!!

-  🦇

i remember you !!!

and i definitely can. most of these aren’t really americana based in any sense, but they contribute to the general atmosphere and image.

here’s some of the movies and shows:

the firefly trilogy (house of 1000 corpses, the devils rejects, 3 from hell) (literally any other rob zombie movie)

gummo

palo alto

jennifer’s body

ginger snaps

pulp fiction

true detective (season 1)

the florida project

i do have a few movies people have recommended me because it reminds them somewhat of the story/symbolism/whatever, like malena, natural born killers, the place beyond the pines, trash humpers, and the doom generation.

i do think more gritty, uncomfortable, lower budget movies tend to fit the intended vibe more. i’m still working on the visual story, because it’s very specific in my head, but i’m pretty happy with how recent art for it is turning out.

[findroleplay]

˚ ༘♡ ·˚ ₊˚ˑ༄ؘ Hello hello! 21+ mun (they/them) looking for STRICTLY 18+ roleplay partners and roleplays. I would prefer to write over discord in a server I create, since I can be a bit picky about it. I'm particularly looking for either fandom OR fandomless roleplays. I write lit to advanced lit (novella but only on occasion), and write in third person ONLY. I will not write in first, sorry!

Some fandoms I would be interested in would include…

House of the Dragon // Game of Thrones // Hazbin Hotel // Legend of Zelda (Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom specifically) // Dragon Age

For each one, I have some things I'm specifically looking for, and I'll listen them below.

♡ House of the Dragon — CCxCC mostly, however I am open to OCs if they're well developed and make sense. I'd like someone to write against my Rhaenyra, no matter the pairing, relationship, etc. (Preference of a Daemon, Laenor, another Targaryen, Aegon, or Alicent. However any CC welcome!)

♡ Game of Thrones — CCxCC mostly, too, however same as above. OCs welcome if well developed. I'd like to write a few characters, however I focus heavily on the Starks, particularly Sansa, and Daenerys. I'm willing to write against anyone. (No preference, but romance lean ideally.)

♡ Hazbin Hotel — CCxCC mostly, as I'm not fond of OCs for this. I can write a few characters: Charlie, Alastor, Angel Dust, Lucifer, Adam, Lute, Vaggie, and otherwise. Open to all manner of things here. No preference of who to write against, but I've been in the mood to try these characters out or write them again.

♡ BotW / TotK (Legend of Zelda) — CCxCC, not open to OCs for this. Particularly looking to write Zelda, Sidon, or Ganon against a Link. I can also write Link, but that's just not my preference. Open to other options but these are my priority. Also open to do something poly related between the four, but only with some decent development and plotting.

♡ Dragon Age — OCxCC only. OCxOC could work but I'm very selective here. I'd like to write some of my OCs against some canons, but I'm more than willing to write a canon for you in return. Preferences of Alistair, Leliana, or Zevran from Origins, Fenris or Merrill from DA2, and/or Solas, Iron Bull, Blackwall, or Josephine from DAI. (Open to Cole, Cullen, other Hawke's, and a few others.)

As for fandomless, I have a plethora of OCs I'd love to throw at people. For this, I typically like…

♡ Fantasy, pirates, magic systems, solarpunk, apocalyptic (zombies or not) themes, dead dove themes, god/sacrifice, mythological creature/human, found family, medieval themes, historical fiction, war, aliens, modern fantasy, and more. (This is generalized, and can be discussed further.)

˚ ༘♡ ·˚ ₊˚ˑ༄ؘ Some things I'd really really love to include consist of — romance, angst, dead dove themes (we can discuss in private what that looks like), whump/caretaker, reunions, and so on. I'm a big fan of drama, and angst. I'll write multiple threads if I really vibe with someone, especially if we share a few fandoms. I generally shift and headcanon canons with their own identities, so please bear that in mind and be open to queer identities. I'd like to add some smut to this, from anywhere to a 50/50 to 80/20 plot to smut ratio, but that can be discussed. Do not bring me subby/bottoms, I will not only write top/doms. Kinks will be discussed privately. (Open to all manners of ships, mxm, mxf, fxf, anyxnb, poly, etc!)

&&&& I like to make friends with my roleplay partners. I do not ghost/block without good reason, and I refuse to engage with drama. If I have a problem, I voice it. Thanks for reading! If this sounds like it works for you, give a like and I'll reach out!

-

[the-final-sif]

there's a zombie apocalyse 🧟‍♂️🧟‍♀️🧟🧟‍♀️🧟‍♂️🧟 !!! thankfully you found a safe haven, and it's time to pick your job! here are your options:

- getaway vehicle driver

- zombie killer

- farmer

- barricade repairer

- supply gatherer

- conflict mediator

- doctor

- teacher

Okay, so this is a personal pet peeve of mine when it comes to zombie fiction, as someone who has worked with wildlife and specifically with rabid animals (which is basically as close to real life zombies as we get), you do not want to be killing zombies.

Zombies are infectious, if their bite can infect you, shooting them or stabbing them with knives is 100% going to expose you and anyone nearby to that same level of infection.

It's why if you encounter a rabid animal you do not shoot it. You capture it if you can in a trap (if you can't safely, then you just call animal control), and bring it to someone qualified to handle the situation. They can safely and humanly put the animal down without exposing more people to rabies.

So, in a situation like a zombie apocalypse, how do you handle zombies if you can't shoot them?

There's really two options here. The first is the "pillow armor" approach, which is quite simple. Wrap yourself up in thick blankets to prevent zombie teeth from reaching you and the just walk through them. If you have access to the materials, leather armor would do wonders. You can gently push the zombies away and possibly push them into a pit or something similar.

The secondary approach, which is the more long term approach, is to effectively hood zombies. Prepare either thick fabric or leather hoods (much like what falconer's use), and simply place hoods on the zombies, then tighten a cord to hold the hood in place. These guys can't untie the cord, so they're stuck with the hood. This would effectively neutralize the zombie and make them very easy to move to confined areas where the infection can't spread any further. It also means that if someone in the future accidentally encounters them, the zombie would be mostly harmless. If needed, you could also put mittens on the zombies to remove their ability to grab or scratch people.

So that's my job. I'm making hoods with cat ears on them and going around sticking them on zombies to render them mostly harmless and then also probably herding them into pens or something so they don't die near water sources. That's my job at the zombie commune.

[pommedepersephone]

You Say Potato, I Say Excellent! Or blocking, dialogue and legacy of morality tales in ‘The Resurrectionists’ minisode PART I

Alternate title: how Aziraphale’s naivety in this episode was supposed to make you a bit outraged

I have to shout out to @bowtiepastabitch for their AMAZING historical analysis of this minisode - it prompted me to finish this long ramble that has been drifting in my notes. Anyway, I have a major obsession with the ways blocking and dialogue interplay in Good Omens - you can check out my analysis of the blocking in the flashbacks in S1. But The Resurrectionists is really something special. This got so long I am splitting it into two parts. See Part II here!

I should start with three important caveats that brought me to this analysis -

If we accept that S1 is narrated by God, then I propose that S2 is being told from the viewpoint of our Ineffable Man Shaped Beings - and they are NOT reliable narrators.

All three minisodes share a feeling of being… stories. They feel like a slightly exaggerated version they might be told between two old friends sitting in the back room of a bookshop, soused off wine and whisky. Like a journal entry that you don’t actually expect outsiders to see.

All three minisodes have some relation, in style and structure, to film and literature. I'm focusing on the lit aspect here. A Companion to Owls is very illustrated bible. Nazi Zombies from Hell is a pulp fiction master class. So what is The Resurrectionists? A morality tale.

My first thought when we opened on the romantic graveyard date in Edinburgh was “OH it’s like a penny dreadful!” but it didn’t take me long to reassess. Morality tales are a genre of children’s literature that was extremely popular in the early 1800s where the minisode is taking place. But THIS morality tale itself is a more nuanced version of these stories, more along the lines of what an author important in the Good Omens universe would pen. So, first, a little bit of history behind morality tales and a very important author to know, then we get to the blocking and dialogue!

Morality Tales for Children

There had long been differing views in European circles of thought about the nature of children - were they born innately tainted by Original Sin, or were they born as blank slates? In the late 1700s to early 1800s, the view of the blank slate was winning with the help of highly influential educators like Friedrich Froebel (who coined the term kindergarten and emphasized the importance of play in learning.) 

At this same time, there was a rise in literature produced specifically for children. One of the most popular children’s genres? The morality tale. These stories showed Good triumphing over Evil and the importance of leading a respectable, Christian life. The stories were extremely binary, black and white in their presentation of morality, something which deeply influenced many authors who were raised reading them. Authors like G.K. Chesterton.

G.K. Chesterton 

Over his career, Chesterton wrote several plays, 80 books, 200 short stories, 4,000 essays, and several hundred poems. He’s an interesting guy, but suffice to say for our purposes - he was deeply Christian, and his work contains a lot of religious themes and symbolism which he used to write serious commentary on politics, economics and philosophy. If you haven’t read the book, you should know that it the dedication reads thus: 

The authors would like to join the demon Crowley in dedicating this book to the memory of G.K. Chesterton. 

In fact, Crowley says in the book that Chesterton was “The only poet in the twentieth century to even come close to the Truth." So it is probably relevant that Chesterton had opinions about children’s morality tales. He once wrote -

Many people have wondered why it is that children's stories are so full of moralizing. The reason is perfectly simple: it is that children like moralizing more than anything else, and eat it up as if it were so much jam. The reason why we, who are grown up, dislike moralizing is equally clear: it is that we have discovered how much perversion and hypocrisy can be mixed with it; we have grown to dislike morality not because morality is moral, but because morality is so often immoral. But the child has never seen the virtues twisted into vices; the child does not know that men are not only bad from good motives, but also often good from bad motives. The child does not know that whereas the Jesuit may do evil that good may come, the man of the world often does good that evil may come.

In summary, we know that children’s morality tales were supposed to teach important lessons about Good and Evil. We also know that later authors like G.K. Chesterton were aware of this genre and it influenced their writing (which in turn informs the Good Omens universe). So why pick this framework for this minisode? Because it is FRUSTRATING to watch, on purpose. We are meant to be annoyed with how Good has so little relation to right, to see how complicated doing real good can be, and it lays out a strong case for the complete inadequacy of black and white world views - and not just religious ones.

So (grabs gloves and a knife) let’s dissect the blocking and dialogue, shall we?

Part II: Blocking and Dialogue