#this is the first time I draw fire in years

[lcatala]

So obviously this is a quote out of context so for all I know what I'm about to say has already been addressed, but the history of how US zombies came to be called zombies is actually quite a bit more convoluted than a simple "they took Caribbean zombies and made them flesh eaters" explanation.

If we look at the lineage of the creature, that is, the progression that led to formation of this archetype with its fictional characteristics, the US zombie isn't originally based on the Caribbean zombie at all: it's based on the vampire.

The first movie where we see creatures with recognizable US zombie traits (slow, dumb, shambling, feeding on human flesh) is 1964 The Last Man on Earth, but in that movie the creature are identified as vampires, they still fear sunlight and are repelled by garlic — the innovation of the movie, outside of making them slow, dumb vampires (who however can still talk), is that these vampires have an entirely naturalist explanation, being the product of a virus; the movies goes out of his way to exclude a supernatural factor.

Then four years later, George Romero released Night of the Living Dead, which built on The Last Man on Earth by telling a very similar story, but removing all the "folkloric" traits of the creature. They are now just shambling corpses who fear nothing except bright light and fire, feed on human flesh, and move slowly about. Crucially, nobody in the movie refers to them as zombies. Instead, they are called ghouls — a somewhat ambiguous name in English, originally taken from Arabic folklore where it referred to demon-like creatures that dwell in graveyards at night and feed on human flesh, but in the west the terms has often been associated with vampire-adjacent creatures.

The first movie to ever refer to the creatures as zombies is actually Romero's sequel to Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, released ten years later in 1978 — but this occurs exactly once in the movie; most of the time the creatures are just called "they/them"; the moment where they're called "zombies" seems to be more of a shortcut/metaphor, happening at a point in the movie where a character specifically needs to distinguish a crowd of humans from a crowd of creatures. That same character (played by Ken Foree) earlier in the movie makes a reference to a (probably not authentic) Haitian Hoodoo saying that "when there's no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the Earth". In the context of the movie this is clearly metaphorical, he's not saying the creatures are literal Caribbean zombies, he's just drawing a parallel.

But of course Dawn of the Dead came just at the beginning of the VHS market boom and the ensuing explosion of exploitation cinema in Italy, and Italian producers jumped on the term "zombie" and the very loose connection with Hoodoo and made it a marketing thing — it possibly helped that in Italian, "zombi" was much less of a mouthful than "morti viventi" (living dead) —Dawn of the Dead was shown in Europe as Zombi, and quickly followed by an unrelated but opportunistically titled Zombi 2 (1979, directed by Lucio Fulci), which actually ran with the "these zombies were created by Hoodoo magic" angle — but is actually one of the rare US zombie films do so; most of them stick with a sci-fi rather than supernatural explanation to the origin of the zombies.

The success of zombie exploitation movies in the early 80s coincided with the trend of the much more problematic cannibal exploitation movies dying a quick death after 1981, partly because the nature of the tropes meant these movies basically all had the same plot, but also because even in the early 80s, it was hard to look at cannibal films and not go "yeah maybe this is a bit too vile and racist actually". So the much more morally comfortable zombie movies ("it's fine to kill these creatures, they're not human anymore, they're already dead") took the forefront, and from that point on the term "zombie" stuck, leading to the present awkwardly named creature.

"The shift from the Afro-Caribbean zombie to the U.S. zombie is clear: in Caribbean folklore, people are scared of becoming zombies, whereas in U.S. narratives people are scared of zombies. This shift is significant because it maps the movement from the zombie as victim (Caribbean) to the zombie as an aggressive and terrifying monster who consumes human flesh (U.S.). In Haitian folklore, for instance, zombies do not physically threaten people; rather, the threat comes from the voduon practice whereby the sorcerer (master) subjugates the individual by robbing the victim of free will, language and cognition. The zombie is enslaved."

— Justin D. Edwards, "Mapping Tropical Gothic in the Americas" in Tropical Gothic in Literature and Culture.

Follow Diary of a Philosopher for more quotes!

[womanofwords]

Frozen Heart (Part 13)

TW: yandere behaviour, arson.

Bruce's hands shook as he watched the videos of you being assaulted and humiliated. "This was going on for months," he muttered. "They did this for months."

"Did what for months?" Damian asked.

"Don't look!" Bruce clicked out of the video hastily. "You shouldn't look at it. You'll be traumatised."

"Is it of Y/N?" Damian's eyes pierced through his father. "Are these the perpetrators of their battery?"

"These are suspects," Bruce said. "We need to get this to Commissioner Gordon."

"I downloaded everything in case they deleted the evidence," Barbara said.

"Excellent work," Bruce said.

Meanwhile, up in your room, you'd been left alone, exactly as you'd predicted. "Exactly as I thought. Never trust a Wayne," you muttered, reading your book. You thought you'd been forgotten about.

You were wrong.

*_*_*_*_*_

Duke Thomas watched you from outside your room. "OK, showtime," he muttered, as fingers flexed and his mind concentrated.

"Huh?" Your eyes were playing tricks on you. The walls were showing you a spiral pattern with the shadows, like a hypnotist's spiral. "What is this?"

"It's me, Y/N." Duke entered your room, walking in casually like a super-cool big brother while the spiral of shadows shattered besides him. "It's part of my powers."

"You have powers?"

"Yeah. I have light powers. I can manipulate light and shadows, meaning I can do this." The shadows shaped themselves into bunnies, which hopped around the walls and waved at you. "Look; aren't they pretty?"

"A little. Kind of childish to be playing with shadows." The spirals reappeared and filled your eyes, drawing you in. "Ooh, pretty." Duke smirked.

"It is pretty, isn't it? Why don't you focus on it a little more?" Duke asked.

You couldn't say no. It just looked so pretty, reminding you of a kaleidoscope you would peer into as a child. "More, please," you murmur.

"Good little one. Focusing so nicely. This is just a little exercise to help you take a nap, since you look so tired. Do you understand, Y/N?"

"Yes, Duke," you said.

"Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to count to ten very slowly, and this will trick your brain into sleeping when it has to," Duke said. "Everybody's been hounding you, huh?"

"Yeah, they have," you sighed. "So close, so . . . gross."

Duke sniggered. "Clever little sunbeam. Now, I'm going to count backwards from ten, and by the time I'm done, you're going to snuggle into your blankets fast asleep."

Duke's words and voice had a hypnotic effect on you. Something tugged your eyelids down, slowed down the whirring of your brain. You let out a big yawn and drifted into sleep.

Once Duke knew you were asleep, he patted your hair down and tucked you in tight. "I'm going to be your favourite before you know it," Duke whispered. "You're going to love me."

*_*_*_*_*_

Batman and the Batkids watched with sadistic joy as the house of Karl Watkins-Pryce burned to a crisp from a tragic electrical fire. "I wonder what the parents will do when they realise that their child bullied a Wayne?" Stephanie mused.

"Probably nothing. This behaviour has to be affirmed and encouraged repeatedly for years before it gets to this level," Dick said. "Why isn't Signal here?"

"Duke said he only operated during the day," Damian said. "And that he had work to do. He'll be sorry to miss this."

"I know I would be," Stephanie said, snickering.

First

Previous

Next

Taglist: @tinybrie, @bunniotomia, @kittzu, @justwannabecat, @exactlynumberonekryptonite, @vanessa-boo, @jscrawls, @sirenetheblogger.

[moonsuke]

Blue lock 301 leaks

I saw the leaks… Nagi looks so dead… This hurts way more than 300 tbh the way Nagi was constantly wondering if Choki changed while he was gone (and he was always so happy and accepting of it too), the way he was always so excited when he noticed himself changing, all that wonder just to be thrown back in his face that both of them didn’t change at all… this hurts man.

Choki really is used as a metaphor for Nagi, there's a really cute moe point about that I really like lol, and how Nagi's the only one who has this. I love how he gently set Choki down by his bed with the implication he went to collect it from Baaya? It feels sadder somehow, him collecting his pet cactus and going home alone… Hope to see this expanded in epinagi (in like 5 years…).

And again, knsr is STILL gatekeeping Nagi’s tears from us… Look, I wouldn’t be clamouring for it this much if it wasn’t teased during the Naruhaya scene!! Don’t tell me we’ll only be seeing it in epinagi?? Then what about his backstory??? knsr is just so MEAN. I just know he’s taking joy writing this whole Nagi dying arc and drawing it out.

It won’t end until Nagi hits utter despair though, because no matter how dead he looks it just doesn’t feel like his lowest point yet which means… maybe Nagi tears next chap?? 😭 I really think it’s been set up that his utter despair means tears AND KNSR JUST KEEPS DRAWING IT OUT. I know it’s cause Nagi’s the sorta character where it’ll take longer for emotions and the reality of the situation to set in, and considering this would be his first time experiencing such a set back too it makes sense. I really do like the care knsr is putting to writing his character, reactions and story.

302’s titled “もういい” (That’s enough/I’m done) and idk, it just sounds so depressing and defeated and also so Nagi-ish? His entire narrative is set up to find his inner fire so obviously his story isn't ending here. Plus I love how he's the only eliminated players with such a huge focus lol (except kngm at that time).

Like even with the new covers omg, for both epinagi and bllk, both feature Nagi! knsr sure can't bear to let him go/let us forget him the way he keeps inserting Nagi everywhere, love that as a Nagi stan. You've no idea how happy I was to see him featured alone (with death) on volume 7. 7 is reserved for Nagi and him alone!!

And the Buratsuta cover too with the Nagi coin was honestly so funny. I swear rong fans all share the same brain cell lol, all of us were just thinking of Nagi falling victim to the dirty ways of the capitalist, fat, old, rich swine (plus Ray dark??) and Reo having a financial battle with him (plus some NTR 😭).

Speaking of Reo, I thought it was hot how stoic and angsty he is this chap in his suit and all (Are they in their Egoist exhibition suits?)... Truly future CEO material. Its especially hot because of the contrast with his emotionally wrecked self last chap lol. I wonder what's he thinking and cooking up. Any diabolical mastermind plans?? 👀

-

I also love how we're continuing with the Isanagi moments and parallels. Him and Reo are really the only ones moping about Nagi. When it comes to Nagi's story, it'll always be the 2 of them be it if the shippers like it or not. Isagi regretted he could only say "don't quit soccer" but I actually thought that was really meaningful and I found the Isanagi scene in 300 way more impactful than even the Reonagi ones which were the bulk of the chap. I actually had a lot of thoughts for last chap to the point I couldn't get everything out but basically I just really really like the Isanagi scene lol. I'm just glad we still have Isagi thinking of Nagi this chap, really cements their bond and the importance of Nagi's role in the series.

And about their parallel, as I've said over and over... Their trajectories are meant to be opposite of the other and this chapter further hammers that in with Isagi reaching the peak of his soccer career and gaining recognition, full ego shining in his eyes and all but Nagi?? All dead and alone at home.

It hits especially hard cuz it was NAGI who really wanted recognition what with his whole "hello japan i'm nagi seishiro" and "wait for me, world", he’s all about trying to feel that heat, that spotlight, wanting to shine the brightest (I’m still thinking this is part of Nagi's ego) but all of these again, got STOLEN by Isagi 😭😭😭😭 It's just so sad and honestly if this was any other character besides Nagi I would be wondering how wounded is their pride but I feel like for Nagi's character, issues like "pride" isn't a focus.

Anyway... I wonder if this'll be a way to fire him up seeing Isagi stealing all these from him. Isagi really be stealing from everyone lol, like how he stole Nagi from Reo (kinda parallel how Reonagi views "treasure" differently but I digress). I've honestly no idea what's gonna happen with Nagi's rebirth except that giant hint on Buratsuta's cover... I thought he would be gone from the series for a bit but at the rate things are going, will he even be gone? LOL. knsr really can't let go of him man, I love that.

I wanted Nagi's rebirth to wait a bit before happening but if we're diving into BL tropes of nasty old men and falling victim to capitalism and perhaps exploring the darker sides of the sports world... I'm kinda all for it 🤡

[conindiundrum]

Sam and Dean pre-series headcanons bcuz why not (+bobby and unfortunately John)

Dean is the neat freak. Don’t even fight me on this it’s so obvious. Sam works in controlled chaos and I mean really that’s to be expected he grew up with Dean trying to distract him with his teasing and snide remarks.

Their falling out over Stanford was a mutual damning. They talked for the first two years. Dean believing he could make Sam come back with time, and Sam thinking at the very least he could convince Dean to take time off from hunting occasionally. They’re both wrong and the fallout is catastrophic. Things are said, and like always none of it is what they mean or need to say. Dean accuses Sam of not caring about Mary. Sam accuses dean of being daddy’s little soldier. Punches are thrown. Dean storms out, he takes the impala and he doesn’t look back. They don’t talk after that. Sam blocks Dean within the three days it takes his older brother to wish he could take it all back. Sam calls a few times, from the pay phone outside the bar he works at. He hangs up before Dean can say hello. Not long after, he meets Jess and he stops calling. Not long after, Dean starts hunting alone. John says they don’t need distractions after Dean gets a bit too attached to a girl. He’s not talking about the girl. Dean stops trying to call.

When Sam ran away to flagstaff that wasn’t where he was headed. It just happened to be on the way to his mother’s grave and he got distracted by the dog.

Sam at sixteen and in a fit of teenage rebellion after John got angry about his dedication to school, gets in with a wild group of kids. If John doesn’t want him to care about school, then he won’t. This lasts all of 24 hours before he’s itching to get back to the books. Especially after he got high and did a bunch of daredevil shit that almost got him killed. Later he tells Dean about his escapades thinking he would find it amusing. Dean does not find it amusing. Dean explodes. Dean thinks he ought to lock Sam in a closet for a month and never let him near another high schooler again.

The boys worked a handful of cases in their teens/early twenties without John. Just small things John thought they could handle. Naturally these were never actually simple and they mostly almost died, but it was the first time they started to act as a real team and that meant a lot to both of them. Dean would later, drunkenly, tell Bobby that those were his best memories.

Sam picked up pretty quickly how easily John’s words could cut Dean up inside. He learned to distract Dean by teasing him about it and making light of the situation. He didn’t think that would work at first but he realized (albeit reluctantly) that fighting with John on the matter only stressed Dean further. Jokes were comfortable for Dean, and as much as Sam hated it, being looked out for made his brother feel cornered.

Sam ran into a burning building when he was twelve. (This is actually said in 5x22 but I will leave my headcanon none the less .) He initially thought Dean was still inside. When Dean yelled out for him from across the street, he almost stopped. He was just feet from the door and relief was instant. Until he heard the dog. Sam breathed funny awhile after from the smoke inhalation. Dean couldn’t breathe quite right until Sam did either. (Sammy, I know you probably weren’t thinking and you love dogs but do you know you almost killed your brother?? A FIRE? 🤦)

This brings me to my next point. Dean used to draw himself as a fireman. Bobby never mentioned the mini comic he found of fireman Dean saving his mom from the fire.

[love-lla]

I just want to ramble for a second. I'm not really a big voice in this whole situation. CW: Incest, COCSA, starving, self harm, abuse, proshipping, hospitalization. Sorry if anything is worded wrongly. I know I don't get to complain.

If fiction doesn't affect reality, then why were real people harmed? It just doesn't wrap around my head. I would actually love to see proshippers explain that without beating around the bush.

I was a fan of Sparklecare for a long time. I used to go by some names. You most likely saw me in the comments at the starting update page and ending update page. I asked questions in the lore page.

I knew everything about Sparklecare. I memorized every character's full name, age, hatchday, pronouns, labels, likes, dislikes, and I even began memorizing main character's lore. I had so many theories. Sparklecare was all I could talk about. It was my personality. I recited references from it all the time- "YOUR MOM GAY!" and "There will never be a newspaper big enough to squash you in the way you deserve" and "Sexy Faery(?) Paradise 2" were my favorite. The first and third one were vocal stims and I'd just shout it out.

I discovered it by, guess what, a pin post. Back in maybe 2018-2019? Not sure. I was 15-16. I never interacted with the community until around 2023.

I immediately became hyperfixated on it. Then I realized "Oh nvm lol it's a special interest!" Everytime it was mentioned or I got reminded of it I would physically hurt. I would actually jump for joy. If I could not talk about it I would have a meltdown. I starved myself for a long fucking time but not purposely. Sparklecare was the ONLY thought I could have. The only reason I had to drink was because of my medicine.

Not only did I have the biggest, fatest spinterest on Sparklecare, but it helped me.

I had trauma. I can't go into much detail, because I quite literally cannot remember anything from it. But I was a victim of incest and COCSA. (And many more.)

My therapist knows this. And can I be honest? I used to love Incest, COCSA, abuse. I felt gross by doing so. But the difference between me and Kittycorn is that I know it's not a healthy coping mechanism. I know it's not good. And my therapist knows I do this and actively tries to better me. And it helps! She has been working in this field for ~20 years. She is a professional. Shoutout to Miss F.

I DO NOT CONDON INCEST. I DO NOT CONDONE COCSA. I DO NOT CONDONE ABUSE. I DO NOT SUPPORT INCEST. I DO NOT SUPPORT COCSA. I DO NOT SUPPORT ABUSE! I DO NOT SHIP INCEST ANYMORE! I DO NOT SHIP COCSA ANYMORE! I DO NOT SHIP ABUSE ANYMORE! (edited to clarify.)

It was a coping mechanism that helped me cope but in a negative manner.

This comic fucking saved me. I'm so serious when I say everytime I was feeling suicidal I would reread Sparklecare and immediately feel better.

If fiction doesn't affect reality, then why did it save me?

I used to have millions of art of Sparklecare. My iBisPaint was DEDICATED to it, and I had to use other drawing apps for other things. Did these ever make it to the public? No unfortunately. Because perfect timing!

As soon as I was ready to actually interact with the fandom more by sending my art, guess what I saw? The doc!

I read it and didn't interact until mid April because I was hospitalized in the ER and then to the mental hospital. I had my first therapy appointment after I got released on the 16th, which also happened to be me and my ex's anniversary.

You can tell how bad it was because when I returned EVERY ONE OF MY FRIENDS knew it was because of Sparklecare.

I haven't been doing the best ever since. I try to appear fine but I'm like fuckng spiraling over here.

I have been starving myself, not taking my meds, isolating myself, self harming, violent thoughts. I had a close call from getting fired from my job because I kept making jokes about the pigs because it reminded me of Cuddles.

Even though this all happened I cannot get Sparklecare off my mind. It's the same as before but worse- I can't collect anymore information on Sparklecare, so I feel the need to collect information on the situation behind.

I feel groas for doing this even though I can't control it. I never got to share all the art that made me happy because I was too paranoid and anxious to send it.

If fiction does not affect reality, then why did all of this happen to me?

Fiction affects reality not just in proshipping. It can save peoples lives, it can make people happy. But it can also ruin peoples lives and make people upset.

I have trauma but I do not let it define me. I have trauma and I know that what I used to do to cope wasn't healthy. I didn't surround myself with enablers and I told my therapist the whole thing.

I am not soing okay at all but I just needed to ramble. I have tried to keep this all in because I know I'm not important in this whole situation, but writing about it and burning it hasn't helped.

I just wish I never saw that pin board.

[soaptaculart]

Um I like Dungeon Meshi. Btw

[equill]

Reuniting with a distorted past.

Extra:(New personality tested gone wrong)

wanted to play with rin living in the aftermath aus aswell and had these drawings laying around to share so yay

Panel 1: Was buried alive.

Comic 1: Who are you supposed to be?

new friends

Comic 2: Misguided protection.

obito still sensing the warning signs of rin losing her temper. anyways they proceeded to be dragged into the ocean by rin like some sea monster

Comic 3: Finding out (Now what will you do?)

obito is harshly brought back from his delusions because now its not just kushina but rin too who he needs to ripped out the tail beast from

[mokadevs]

here comes a very special girl!!

[chenqingssuibian]

[nonexistent-tales]

need to draw the funni cookie game more. anyways thought this was funny, fire spirit are you alright.

[ruporas]

high school au (ID in alt)

[the-dragon-girl-27]

New Nintendo Direct was announced, Equip your clown noses and expect nothing so we can't be let down.

[blaithnne]

REVENGE for @autumnalfallingleaves over on art fight ! I think that AJ would think Madison is just SO cool. She has a dragon, she skateboards, she plays the drums, she's a witch AND she pisses off the local police force??? Sign her up. Annoying little sister who won't leave you and your best friend alone when you're hanging out. The definition of "Mum said I could come too!" except she's trying so hard to be chill and cool about it.

[seawing-vibes]

First batch of Artfight attacks done!! Off to a good start so far so I’m hoping to keep up this pace as we go further in :) ! In order these attacks are for Lightsky (on Artfight) , @/drippywing , (my character <3) - @/qualsly - @/boilompiz , and @/cinnamon-flame !!!

Im Panddion on Artfight if anyone wants to check out my profile <3 !!

[kiwikiswia]

what the hell, sure

(white bg ver under cut I think it looks better)

I don't plan to make the elders into this but vega probably if I had the motivation

[pinacoladamatata]

opening a wip and lmfao