#alien in a weird uncanny way

[hyuburt]

Alien pearl with marionette or doll-like features

#alien in a weird uncanny way #my art #su #su art #steven universe #pearl #id in alt #marionettes being toys that are controlled by a 'real' person #something something cutting the strings something something Pinocchio becomes a real boy

[literaila]

HEYYYY!! It's me again!!

I have two things to discuss today.

Firstly, have you seen those reels where Megumi reminds Gojo of Toji and he gets freaked out? So has this ever happened in the Gojo household? If yes, how dramatic does Satoru act?

Secondly, I have a request, It would absolutely make my day to see Satoru jealous. (Yes, I know we saw a it with Nanami, but can you blame a girl to want more?) Like if the reader got hit on, I am sure he'll pull something like he did to Megumi with Nobara and Yuji.

Thank you for reading this,

You are amazing and I love you.

(I'll do anything you ask me to.)

no doubt, for the first couple of months (two years) megumi lived with satoru, every time the boy woke up in the morning with his hair deflated, or walked in the room scratching his head, or sat on the couch, or went into the bathroom—satoru had to refrain a wince.

it’s not that the likeness was uncanny… but… well, the attitude was.

when megumi had on that evil smirk—usually when one of his many plots against satoru came to fathom—it was clear that the very man satoru had erased from existence had shared some of his more… admirable qualities with the boy.

sometimes it was the way megumi spoke. the tiny little inflections that satoru was probably making up, but were also definitely there. the little sigh when he asked the boy a question or the clearing of a throat when megumi was confused.

and the eyes.

megumi’s eyes were always cold, always hesitant, always moving around, constantly looking for some problem to focus on. and his glares, and his eyebrows, and uuugch.

sometimes satoru had to run into the bathroom just to cower himself away for a moment.

and if megumi happened to knock on the door, already scowling when satoru opened it a crack, really, the gasp that came next was unavoidable.

“what’s up with you?” megumi demands, shaking his head at the older, very immature man. “can you move?”

said man would open the door as little as possible as he squeezed by, trying and failing not to stare at the little boy—who has very dark hair, dark eyes, and dark intent specifically when it comes to satoru.

none of it goes unnoticed.

so if satoru is leaning over the counter, his eyes pleading with yours, you already know what it’s about.

(you’d learned about satoru’s weird superstition about two days into becoming his co-parent).

“no,” you say immediately, going back to making both of the children’s lunch.

“i didn’t say anything.”

“still no, satoru.”

“but, please,” he falls against the counter dramatically, wide blue (alien) eyes basically perfect spheres as he widens them. “just this once?”

“it’s a supply store.”

he shakes his head intently. “that’s not the issue.”

you give him a bland look, unamused with his stupid qualms, and put the lid on a container.

“he looks freaky,” satoru whispers, conspiring. “there’s something off.”

you look over to megumi who is sitting at the table, swinging his legs and chewing on some cut up ginger.

he looks as pleasant (frowning) and sweet (irritated) as always to you.

you raise a brow at satoru, choosing not to argue with him about this. god knows you do it enough.

“do you want me to cry?” satoru asks, pouting. “i have ptsd.”

you roll your eyes. “ever heard of exposure therapy?“

so satoru takes megumi to the store to get markers and papers for a school project, giving him questionable glances from beneath his glasses, and making weird comments under his breath about psychopaths and plastic surgery.

when they get home megumi is annoyed as ever, attempting to slam the door in satoru’s face before he can walk through.

you’re, of course, sitting with tsumiki at the table and watch as this interaction happens.

megumi stomps by and tells you, “please kick him out. he’s being weird again.”

and satoru just opens the door, red faced, finger pointing at the little boy, demanding: “see?”

so, yeah. satoru suffers with the memory of toji, and his biggest ideation (hurting the six-eyes user) comes to life in the form of a little boy who now lives in his home. just two rooms down the hall.

seriously, who really won that fight?

but as the months (years) go on, satoru learns to mostly ignore the resemblance between the two. sure, when megumi wears his hair differently or says anything in that rough, angry voice satoru gets a little freaked, but so what?

(if he has to go sit in his closet for a couple of minutes it’s just because he’s tired, okay? it has nothing to do with being afraid of a six year old or anything of the sort).

still, things slowly begin to change as megumi grows accustomed to satoru’s antics, and satoru becomes accustomed to being called out for them.

(you do it occasionally, but satoru knows you’re mostly joking. you’re nothing if not the benefactor of his schemes.

on the other hand, the only other person to ever seriously call him out about his ego was… suguru.

so. there’s that.)

and eventually, satoru doesn’t even notice if megumi is looking at him with devious intent. he’s well prepared and not afraid of some whiny little kid who can’t even reach the top shelf in the fridge.

(he hides behind you, usually.)

but even satoru can’t ignore the way megumi begins to change as he grows. literally, several inches by the time he’s eight.

and then there’s the way his eyes—his cold, evil eyes—change when he’s talking to tsumiki, or you. the way he softens when you’re trying to tell him something, or when he needs help. the tiny, affectionate grin that grows on his face when tsumiki is bouncing around, so full of energy that she can’t sit still.

satoru looks at him sometimes, and he doesn’t see the gifted sorcerer killer that the boy comes from, but a brother. a son that gets to be adored by the best person in the world (him you)

that is, of course, until megumi looks satoru’s way and the scowl is back, even harsher than before.

and then theres the learned attitudes, the things that you all shared—you, satoru, and the kids—just as a result of being together for so long.

isn’t there something about developing the traits of the people closest to you?

so, even though megumi is a photo copy of his father, satoru begins to see other things in the boy.

like the crinkles by his eyes, matching tsumiki’s.

or the way that his eyebrows go up when he’s trying not to smile, and the eventual twitch of his lip when he can’t help but laugh at something. satoru’s dreamed of that sight since he was seventeen and first set his eyes on you.

and then the eventual pout that megumi develops when he’s giving everyone a hard time. the pout that satoru practices in the mirror, making sure to save for only the most dire of occasions.

(also, satoru can’t help but think of megumi as the thing that keeps him… humble, in the face of everything. that question that continuously reminds satoru to keep growing, keep getting stronger, just so he can protect everything that matters.

he won’t admit it, but satoru knows that someone had to do it. someone had to be a replacement for the only other person who could ever compare to the strongest sorcerer.

and if suguru could meet megumi, satoru thinks, sometimes, when no one else is around to hear it, they would get along.

they have a lot in common, after all).

sure, megumi might have the same face, and same smirk as toji. he might as well be a literal clone of the man, just waiting to age into his skin.

but, satoru decides, one day a couple of years in, when there’s that innate protective feeling as he observes the boy—one that satoru never thought he had, much less be able to feel—maybe it’s more that toji resembles megumi, and not the other way around.

so satoru doesn’t flinch anymore because megumi’s face brings up memories he’d prefer to keep locked away—he flinches because megumi was waiting in the shadows.

just to scare him.

(secaond idea is here)

#i cannot write anything to bridge the divide in the actual series #but this was easy #PLEASE catch every sweet thing in this because i thought about it for way too long #gojo satoru x reader #gojo x reader #gojo x you #a typical family #satoru gojo x reader #satoru gojo x you

[franki-lew-yo]

James and the Giant Peach is still (mostly) for young children

Despite a single pre-metoo joke and it's uncanny-ish artstyle that's a serious make-or-break-you factor on if you like it, James and the Giant Peach is aggressively a movie for young children. I personally like it as I never find it a patronizing sit for little kids, like Don Bluth's movies from the 90s so often were, but that really is what I think alienates people; the intended audience may be a bit too scared of the visuals (NOT like how they are with TNBC, which kids go in expecting to be scary) where the adult audience who is here for the 'creepy stop-motion' feel like the movie is lacking for not being Nightmare or Coraline, which is unfair. It absolutely scared me as a little little kid but upon finally facing it at, like ten or whenever it was on Cartoon Network's movie show, I realized there was nothing to fear. And that, in turn, was exhilarating. It's such good symmetry that the film is about facing your fears and standing up for yourself because that's exactly what my relationship with it was. It's such a comfort film for me. My og Bluey. JatGP, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Ernest and Celestine = perfect comfort after I watch something serious and/or disturbing.

Half my reason for trying to pied-piper everyone else towards it as it's own merit is I think James and the Giant Peach would hit hard for lovers of weirdcore and dreamcore ala Jack Stauber or @samsketchbook's 'Welcome to Our Dimensional Party'.

That "looks unsettling/potentially disturbing but actually cute or gentle" vibe pairs perfectly with dreamcore aesthetic. We're coming up on it's 30 year anniversary I hope to see a genuine resurgence. If I had it my way and I was Dan Olson I'd make an hour-long look at the movie, the original book and Henry Selick's filmography as a surrealist the way Dan made an hour-lookback at Bakshi's Lord of the Rings. But I'm not. Cause I'm not Dan Olson and I can't build up the nerve to either show my face or figure out how to make videos in two years.

But anyway, about the title of this post (content warning: downer nsfl stuff; mentioning of real life child ab*se cases):

James' life with his aunts hits VERY different when you're an adult and you've watched too much true crime.

It's not intentional on the part of Dahl or Henry Selick. Selick had Mariam and Joanna ham up the screen and they clearly loved every minute of it and Dahl I think was just trying to tell an 'authentic' type fairytale story where the main character has to escape their evil family. Point being- Spiker and Sponge are supposed to be 'evil for the sake of evil' villains who could only exist as hammy caricatures in an already weird story. They aren't supposed to be like the parents in Matilda or the Twits who I'd argue are a little more 'realistic' depiction of awful people...except for the fact that legal guardians like Spiker and Sponge DO actually exist.

There's a heavy implication in the film that no one else in their county even knows James lives with Spiker and Sponge (literally the only people around to recognize James' existence are the bugs when they first meet him!). His aunts seem to make James work out of frustration for having to take him in, like he's a burden and they're making him pay for being one by being their slave. They actively don't feed him except for rotting fish and then shame him for not eating it. The Lane Smith picture book implies that James' parents weren't killed by a rhino but rather it's Spiker and Sponge who put that idea in James' head and use it to control him. And all that BEFORE the beatings which you know are happening off screen.

After the horrifying cases of Ruby Franke, Sylvia Likens and the Turpins, the "every child deserves a parent but not every parent deserves children" reality of it all makes you realize that James probably would have died if he lived with his aunts. Considering how they flip out on him in New York- that boy REALLY needed to escape, giant peach or no.

This is absolutely another reason for why JatGP is a comfort movie for grownups. You have this horrific childhood rescued by loving in-human parents who will kill everyone in the room and then themselves if you touch their human boy. It's like Opal but if Claire found a happier family. Of bugs. None of that was intentional, ftr, but it's what sticks out to me.

#james and the giant peach #franki's features #dreamcore #oddcore #dereality #cw: child abuse #true crime #henry selick #um yeah #also this fandom needs to be bigger so I don't have to be bombarded with only TNBC or pr0nz posts

[jetra4ivor]

I saw a video talking about why Minecraft seems to have stagnated a bit lately and doesn’t have the same appeal as it once did. It talked about the usual complaints, such as inventory bloat, new blocks, structures, quality of life advancements… but the one aspect I didn’t see them talking about was ABSTRACTION.

I think that as Minecraft has been pushed closer towards reality, we’ve lost the inherent FEAR that comes from the abstract in the old video games Minecraft was emulating its style from.

Maybe it’s because I grew up with Atari as my first console, but there was a level of unnerving fear that was created through the hardware limitations and graphics during that era. Because everything was so abstracted, you let your imagination fill in the blanks. This blocky room with goofy eyeballs became a darkly lit haunted house where monsters could appear around every corner.

And Minecraft is clearly going for this level of abstraction. The entire world is just low resolution pixelated blocks, but there’s JUST enough definition that if you squint your eyes the world seems to mimic our own. It produces an uncanny valley effect that, coupled with survival elements, makes the game absolutely TERRIFYING at times.

And a perfect example of this is the creeper. What a horrifying monster! But the details of what it actually is are obscured through abstraction and pixel limitations. What exactly IS the creeper made of? Some people have interpreted the green blotches to be leaves, others see a wrinkly leather-like texture, others see fur. How do you interpret that grimace? Is is a permanent scowl? A sad mourning? There’s JUST enough detail to make the creature recognizable, but not enough detail to make it perfectly clear to everyone what it’s made of. That’s terrifying!

That so many artists can have such wildly different interpretations of the creeper is a testament to its intentionally unnerving design.

But over the years those terrifying edges have been smoothed out. Textures have been refined to be less garish and harsh. New more recognizable animals have been added. A parrot, for example, looks like a parrot. And just with the colors alone you can tell what kind of parrot it’s meant to be. There no ambiguity. No unsettling interpretation.

And even the enviroment has been smoothed out and changed to reflect reality.

So I think that the reason Minecraft today doesn’t feel like Minecraft of 10 years ago is because too much emphasis has been placed on mimicking reality. Even in the more recent additions these things have real world equivalence which reduce the inherent terror and unease that abstracted environments would evoke. The Nether today is far less scary than the Nether of 10 years ago, even if it’s still as dangerous.

There’s just something really unsettling about a perfectly square house in high contrast mossy cobblestone that you won’t get from a village of friendly NPC’s bathed in soft ambient lighting, you know?

I genuinely believe that Minecraft has leaned too far into realism. If they want people to keep playing longer, it’s not to add MORE structures, it’s to add back in some of the abstracted nature of the original game. Don’t make things inherently clear what they are. Allow people to interpret things in different ways. Stop trying to emulate realistic environments when the trees you cut down don’t even fall over. This is Minecraft! Minecraft is meant to be WEIRD and CREEPY almost like an alien’s failed interpretation of our word.

#mcsm #minecraft story mode #minecraft #creeper #15 years of Minecraft #Minecraft’s 15 year anniversary #Minecraft is 15

[clarionglass]

so i have been bitten by the sam reich!master bug courtesy of some phenomenal art by @northernfireart and uh. as is too often the case i had to write something otherwise if i didn't get it out of my brain i would go absolutely insane

(there may be more vignettes coming if i have ideas..... there are definitely other episodes i'd like to give the Treatment to, plus with the new dw series coming out on the weekend i may have ideas for how to incorporate the dw gang! however, i promise neither more writing or no more writing. that said, this was a lot of fun so there'll probably be more at some stage :D )

this has full spoilers for the game changer ep "escape the greenroom", but hey that's been out for a while now so,,,, if you haven't seen it i'd highly recommend it as an episode!

so, without further ado:

--

Samuel Dalton was a complete fiction, of course, but that didn't mean that when Sam Reich snuck back upstairs to get tied up in the “out of order” bathroom, the Sam that remained on the monitor, laughing at the contestants, was a pre-recording. And if Brennan, Siobhan and Lou had snorted at the idea of a time-travelling evil magician great-grandfather (for good reason), going in with the actual truth of the matter would have sounded like jumping the shark.

It sounded bizarre, but the time travel bit was the only part about his new partner in crime that was confirmably real. Admittedly, the jury was still out on “evil”—he gave off a weird vibe at times, but so far, no lines had been crossed, and it had all been funny as hell—so for now, Sam was willing to roll with it. But perhaps most surprisingly, there wasn’t even the possibility of blood relation between Samuel Dalton Reich and the guy who had shown up out of the blue one day with his exact face and a plan to really fuck around with things on Game Changer.

Yeah, the whole alien thing had really ruled out that particular prospect.

There had been various bits and pieces of confirmation that this guy wasn’t human through the time Sam had known him, but the final nail in the coffin for that one was when his doppelganger had looked him dead in the eye and tried on one of the heart rate monitors—sorry, “range extenders”—for As a Cucumber. The damn thing had literally sparked up, then died completely. Trying to process input from two separate heartbeats at once would do that, apparently. 

His doppelganger was a Time Lord, or so he had nonchalantly said one afternoon in casual conversation, though Sam still wasn’t sure if that one was a joke or not. It was hard to tell, sometimes, because he said the wildest things with the straightest face, and so far, most of them had turned out to be one hundred percent certifiably true. The time travel, the space travel, even the changing faces thing—it sounded objectively insane, but the proof was undeniable. 

There were some notable exceptions, though. Saying he’d been trapped for aeons inside Neil Patrick Harris’s gold tooth went just that bit too far to be believable, though Sam did appreciate his double’s slightly warped sense of humour.

It was that offbeat line of thinking that lent itself well to game design, as it turned out. He had a knack for coming up with ideas for Game Changer episodes, albeit with the occasional suggestion that went way beyond the bounds of good taste, and, as in the case of Escape the Greenroom, had devised some blinding twists on concepts Sam had already half-formed. The letter puzzle unlocking the secret door? It was perfect.

Understandably, Sam’s doppelganger had wanted to observe the fruits of their labours in real time, rather than watching the recording later. It happened, sometimes, particularly when it was one of his ideas that had made it through to the episode list—they’d swap places for a session, with nobody being any the wiser. Watching those edits back always felt a bit weird—it was uncanny how flawless the mimicry was—but hey, the guy was right. It was always fun.

Escape the Greenroom, specifically, with its “Samuel Dalton” conceit, provided them with a unique opportunity. Instead of swapping out the camera feed for a recording when the cast piled into the tiny secret room behind the wall, as per the original plan to get Sam in position to be discovered in the bathroom, they could just swap out the people. Sam would go upstairs, and his double would take his place at the podium, ducking out of sight when everyone came back to the main stage to “defuse the bomb”.

Sam was keen—hell, if their situations had been reversed, he’d want to be there to watch, too—but caution raised a flag. “You don’t think it’s too risky?” he’d asked when the subject was first raised. “Both of us being in the same place?”

His doppelganger had shrugged one shoulder with supreme unconcern. “The crew won't notice.”

At the time, Sam had shot him a sceptical look, but right now, Sam-Reich-in-a-purple-tie and Sam-Reich-in-an-orange-tie were standing backstage post-record, clearly visible and and calmly chatting, and not a single member of the crew had given them so much as a second glance. 

…Hardly even a first glance, come to think about it. If anyone looked over their way, their eyes seemed to… not exactly go through them, but slide over the two of them like water. He was tempted to wave to Nico or Ash or someone, just out of pure curiosity, but something in the back of his mind told him that wouldn’t be the world’s greatest idea. He had a funny feeling he wouldn’t like to see what would happen next.

(He’d given the prop bomb back to the crew once the cameras stopped rolling, and though it looked the same as the one he remembered from before he’d headed upstairs, it felt different in his hands. Heavier, more… serious, somehow. He was sure nothing would have happened—but at the same time, he was suddenly very glad that the cast had cut the correct wire with no less than a minute fifteen to go.)

(The jury was still out on evil, after all.)

“Worth coming in for?” he asked instead.

“Absolutely,” his double replied with relish. “Locking those three in a small room for an hour? Brilliant, fantastic. Inspired. It was absolute chaos.”

“Have you seen up there?” Sam asked, a smile starting to spread across his face. “They messed up the set real bad.”

His doppelganger smirked at him. “You know it took literally two seconds from you telling them to escape the greenroom for Lou to smash that guitar?”

Sam shook his head. “Oh my god. Yeah, they were stressed.” 

“Mmm. Some real panic in that room,” his doppelganger agreed, and Sam chose to ignore the faint note of satisfaction in his voice.

He shifted his weight, settling back to lean against the table behind the set, in the exact instant his double decided to do the same thing. It really was freaky how similar they were, down to the smallest mannerism—like looking in a mirror, only weirder, because the face that looked back at him was truly his own face, not mirror-reversed. Even now, it still caught Sam off guard from time to time, but at least it had faded into a more comfortable kind of strange. He had an exact lookalike who was an actual time-travelling alien. Cool. Doesn’t everyone?

The pair shared a companionable silence for a few moments, before a thought Sam had been turning over for a while rose to the top of his mind. He shifted again, this time on his own, and he felt his double’s regard swing up to fix on him like a magnet. 

“Okay, real talk,” he started, and his doppelganger frowned back in an approximation of confused innocence. “What’s all this for?”

“Who says it has to be for anything? Aren't we just having fun?”

Sam hummed, considering. “Yeah. No, I'd believe that, if I didn't sometimes walk into production meetings and find out I'd apparently been very specific about the people I wanted for certain episodes.”

“Point for Sam,” his doppelganger acknowledged with a grin. “You got me. Wasn’t hard to make a few phone calls on our joint behalf.”

“Yeah, but why?” Sam pressed. “I mean, Siobhan, Brennan and Lou are always great comedy value when you put them together, and it was awesome to have them for this, but I get the feeling you’re thinking of something other than making good content.”

“Who, me?”

With that, his double gave him a look of such overdone pantomime innocence that Sam suddenly and thoroughly understood why, not half an hour earlier, Brennan had very seriously threatened to push him down the stairs. 

He rolled his eyes, which earned him a smirk for his troubles.

Dropping the act, his doppelganger continued. “I’m expecting an… old friend, I guess, to show up at some point, and—well, I’d like to put on a really special show for them. I thought it would be a good opportunity to try a few things out, you know?”

Ominous pause aside, that was actually kind of sweet. Sweeter than he’d been expecting, that’s for sure—he was half anticipating the revelation that he and his cast were subjects in some weird experiment. Hey, that still couldn’t fully be ruled out, but still.

“Okay,” he acquiesced. “Well… just let me know, next time? Before you start ordering in my cast like takeout?”

“Who says they’re your cast?” his double shot back with a twinkle in his eye, and Sam snorted.

“Fine. Our cast, then. But seriously, let me know?”

His doppelganger nodded, which, if not quite fully convincing, was good enough. 

“Oh, and do you know when your friend might be arriving?” Sam asked. “Because if you wanted to plan something, we can—”

“I don’t know,” his doppelganger interrupted. “So yeah, we’ll have to move fast when they do get here. But I’ve got it under control.”

He broke off, then shot Sam a mischievous grin. “In the meantime, though, I’ve had this fun thought about time loops…”

#sam reich!master #sam reich #the master #dw #doctor who #game changer #dropout #dropout tv #northernfireart #clari speaks #clari writes #in posting this i am fully aware that sam reich is a real human being who uses the internet and fuck. if this escapes containment. #mr reich sir if you ever see this i can only apologise but it was truly fucking funny to write #oh btw i imagine that reich!master asked for those specific 3 because across em you've got a good spread of personality traits #that the doctor and their companion(s) would have #we've got the monologues and the high-stakes-all-the-time from brennan. #we've got the puzzle focus and the 'oh this is my first time in this kinda situation' from game changer newbie siobhan #and lou is just. pure and beautiful chaos #plus they're all very smart and creative mfers #so it's a good test run

[britishraptor]

Gonna kick the hornets nest here, but the file from the most recent episode of The Magnus Protocol was incredibly underwhelming. It didn’t take into account at all anything that actually makes snakes scary, little to no foreshadowing, and basically attempted to jumpscare the audience with a reveal that reads more like a parody of a horror story than an actual one.

I might look like an idiot or a fool when everything all strings together later than the line, but I’m questioning so much about this episode.

Parasites are scary. Worms, and insects and mold and rot. Decay, possession. Spiders are scary because they’re hard to see, hard to pinpoint and they move fast, plus the connections with webs related to control, and manipulation. So yeah, a worm lady, sure, a person filled with spiderwebs, also sure. But the only connection between snakes and parasitism could be a joke about ‘shedding your skin’ or how disturbing that one scene in Harry Potter was.

Snakes are scary for two reasons:

1) the same reason bears and tigers all that are scary. Hunt style being hurt, and killed, and eaten. Simple.

B) uncanny valley reasons. Snakes don’t blink. They don’t have facial expressions. The way they move and eat and exist is totally different from humans and mammals. They’re often described as alien and cold.

My questions:

a) why rodent control? why was he even actually brought in? His walls are FULL OF SNAKES. It wouldn’t have lasted five minutes. It doesn’t make any sense even if you know he was concerned about parasites. Snakes don’t give a shit about other snakes. To call someone a snake is to literally call them callous and prone to betrayal. A snake eats the rodent, so you kill the snake. Plus a snake store would have access to medications to kill mites and deal with snake illness? Why call the guy at all?

b) the foreshadowing on the owner is terrible. You could have mentioned his skin needed moisturising. That it seemed dry, flaky. Scaly. But just. A red rash? A rash? Are you saying being full of snakes is an infectious disease? That’s what he said at the end, right? That his throat itches. It was swelling. You can just?? Grow your own snakes?? Is that the implication?

No uncanny valley mention on the owner either at all. He didn’t move weird, being full of snakes? Didn’t sway or limp as he walked, didn’t move sluggishly? Bad hearing, didn’t know what to do with his hands? No? Just a short tempered customer. Okay.

c) You lost me at the thousands of snakes. THOUSANDS? What is this, a clown car? A snake clown car in some random guys skin, who explodes because he was mad a customer walked out.

Look, I’m Australian. And when I ask my friends ‘hey, how big do you normally picture a snake being?’ we picture snakes about 1.5m long. Dinner table length is pretty common for all of our common brown, tiger snakes, red bellies, and even longer for our common carpet pythons. But even if I adjust to like, other countries’ grass snakes, thousands?

The throwaway line at the end was plot relevant I’m sure, but I’m all around confused, and totally not even a little bit scared.

The only praise I have is that the description of the crickets was very creepy, and I loved the visual of them moving around like a shuddering wave of pixels on a screen, only really perceived by their screaming.

But yeah. The setup, the foreshadowing, the coherent theming and consistency all just fell totally flat for me. The only thing I learnt was that this guy applied to the institute and was rejected, and that snakes can’t do dishes.

#lucky speaks #the Magnus protocol #tmagp #tmagp spoilers #the Magnus protocol spoilers #this is probably the one and only time I am already hate on the internet #but that’s because I want a discussion of storytelling techniques #if YOU found this story scary please come into my inbox (I have anon on it’s okay) and tell me why! #despite the tone in my post I don’t bite and am open to having hearty discussions on storytelling techniques in horror media #as well as theorising on how this connects to the greater universe

[adobe-outdesign]

A grundo neopet review, perhaps? For the soul?

Grundo are somewhat under-appreciated in my experience, which is a shame, because I really like them. They occupy a specific niche in Neopets, being the only alien species (save for Aishas, but they seem to be related to aliens rather than just straight-up being aliens) and serving an important role in many of the original Virtupets-based plots.

Their designs are nothing fancy, just being monocolor (save for their eyes, which are often though not always red) and lacking any noticeable markings. However, their solid-color eyes, fairly rare among Neopets, pop really nicely, and their ears have this really nice doubled-tube shape that is one of the most memorable things about them. They're pretty cute looking overall, and I really like the facial anatomy on these guys, which is almost frog-like in a weird way.

Grundos also faired really well when it comes to customization, in that they're exactly the same save for some standard unification stuff like shading adjustments. The bad news is that they were saddled with not one but two fists, but the good news is that they look at least somewhat natural and it's not like their hands were ever particularly well-drawn to begin with.

Favorite Colours:

Transparent: Transparent is usually a pretty good-looking color by default, but the transparent Grundo goes the extra mile by embracing their alien nature and giving them these really cool looking glowing green organs, the only pet to get this treatment. The organs go great with the pale blue body color, and most of the anatomy looks solid. Granted, I'm not totally sure if the ears would have bones in them or not, and the ribs don't actually connect to anything... but then again, you can always say that's just because they're an alien and move on.

Faerie: Solid-colored faerie pets are usually a miss for me, as they often just look like regular pets but with wings. The faerie Grundo, however, is abosolutely beautiful. The dark blue base with cyan eyes and toenails is unique (or at least it was until the stealthy Grundo came out, but I digress), and the dark color helps cover for how plain the body is. Most importantly, though, are the wings, which are designed to look like the night sky. It's a great nod to the Grundo's space origins and is super different than the standard faerie fair (say that five times fast).

A UC/styled version is available, though the design changed so little that the differences are pretty negligible.

Woodland: I literally just went over this one in my woodland review so I'll keep this brief, but the woodland Grundo is super pretty. The leaf ears are absolutely perfect and the subtle gradient and leaf-like veins over the body are lovely.

BONUS: It's always neat when pets get a species-specific color. In all honestly I have no idea why the mallow Grundo exists because there seems to be no rationale behind it and Grundos don't usually get food colours (unlike, say, Chias), but hey, I'll take it; its fun and silly.

Strictly speaking the UC/styled version is better because it looks way more marshmallow-y, but there's something just deeply uncanny about the face that I can't place but I really don't care for.

#neopets #neotag #grundo #neopet reviews

[whereserpentswalk]

You live on a planet where humans have been forced to have only one biological sex. You're at the edge of human space, and early in colonization you planet was under attack from an outside source, for survival you had to switch to artificial breeding, which is more effective in mammal species if there's only females, as male reproductive cells are easily synthesized.

You're the only humans in the region. Most alien species you interact with just think of humans as a single sexed species that has artifical reproduction. Though you understand that humans used to have two sexes you barely actually interact with that concept. You don't really think of yourself as having a gender identity or anything, you're kind of just a person. The last male human on your planet has been dead for generations.

You first saw a photo of human male in a history class when you were a teenager. He looked so odd to you. He was deep in the uncanny valley, something that felt very familiar to you, something you evolved to interact with, but something so unfamiliar. Illustrations of males, especially outside of academic sources, always play up unfamiliar features to make them into something almost like a fantasy race, but you find something almost charming about the one in the photo.

That photo sticks with you in a weird way. It's kind of scary. Especially the idea of living at a time with actual male female dynamics. The idea of a man being inside you, however that must work, seems so viscerally horrifying to you. You've known people who've had sex before, it's controversial in your society for people to have sex with eachother, but it's legal, but it seems so diffrent then whatever you'd be expected to do with a male human.

Time passes. You end up living your own life. You major in music once you get to college, and end up with a semi successful career as a guitarist in the capital of one of your planet's countries. Things go well for you. You live your life thinking slightly more about men then most people do, but it's never that important to you.

One day there's word that ambassadors from another human planet are visiting. They're from several systems away, and very culturally diffrent. And it's most likely that they'll have men with them. It's strange to think you might actually be able to see one. You think of them as this strange race of monsters, so clearly linked to you but unlike you. Everything people say about men, that they're violent and warlike, that they're superior yet evil, that they're weaker yet more honest and good natured, rushes through your head.

You sign up to be a musician in the welcoming band to the ambassadors. It's scary but you enter. You win, partly because you're local and talented, partly because most other musicians were too afraid.

When the ambassadors from another human planet show up its on one of your city's largest streets, with cheering crowds and flashing lights. You play a song you realize your entire planet is going to hear. Then for the first time in your life, after about two and a half decades of being alive, you see a male human.

The males in the ambassadorial mission are mixed together with normal people. But you can easily spot the males. They're strange looking to you, the way they walk, and speak and move. Though you realize their foreign way of dressing is honestly more alien then anything biological. Despite your expectations, the males look oddly human, they are human, they're just more like you then you'd expect, they look a bit diffrent, but they're honestly just normal people. It's almost anticlimactic.

When everyone is talking to eachother later you're meant to interact with the musicians of their world, most of whom seem to be male. It's so strange to think you're actually talking to someone whose male. You were kind of worried some sort of mating instincts would set in, but after a lifetime of being raised to never expect to have any sexual experiences that involve more then one person, your mind doesn't really go in that direction, even if you did have those instincts.

You end up talking for awhile in your only shared language (a long dead one) to another guitarist. He's male but it's weirdly not a big deal, he's less obviously male then some of the others, and he seems like a nice freindly person. You realize his voice is deep, but it's not distorted in monstrous like you expected it to be. You realize you shouldn't talk about his sex, so you talk about music. You end up really interested in his culture's musical traditions, and kind of ignore his sex. You almost forget he's a man. Since he'll probably have to stay on the planet for at least a few months he tells you he'd like to meet again mabye. He shakes your hand, his skin doesn't feel diffrent then anyone else's, you don't know why you'd expect it not to.

#196 #my thougts #worldbuilding #writing #my worldbuilding #my writing #gender #queer theory #asexual #sci fi #sci fi writing #sci fi worldbuilding #scifi #science fantasy #science fiction #space colonization #futurism #short fiction #short story #flash fiction #original story #original fiction

[csolarstorm]

Xerneas and Yveltal are Fungi: Let Me Explain...

Source: Bulbapedia, Wikipedia, Bulbapedia, Enchanted Nature

Xerneas and Yveltal are my favorite legendary designs. There's something weirdly alien about these bio-luminescent approximations of fauna, like they're trying to look like animals and failing. I've always thought they looked a little bit...fungal.

Xerneas and Yveltal are like batteries. They're life energy brokers; Xerneas distributes life, while Yveltal drains it. Supporting and draining life is one of the main characteristics of fungi. In fact, it's like their whole thing.

Some fungi have a mutualistic relationship with their hosts, where they actually benefit their health. And in general, fungi are essential to supporting the ecosystem. Then there's fungi that are simply parasitic.

Fungi can also go dormant, as well as their spores. Staying still is their thing, just chilling in dark places. Xerneas and Yveltal's dormant forms are especially weird, showing just how anomalous these creatures are.

Now allow me to lichen fauna to fungi.

Sources: Bulbapedia, New Forest Pics, Wikipedia, Mushroom Diary Blog

This is xylaria hypoxylon, also known as Stag's Horn fungus. (Not to be confused with Yellow Staghorn.) It reminds me a lot of the dormant form of Xerneas, or the "deactivated" form it takes in the PC.

Stag's Horn is also bio-luminscent, which means the tips of the fungus faintly glow - much like the tips of Xerneas's antlers.

Speaking of the first legendary Fairy Pokemon, mushrooms are often associated with fairies. Fairy Rings are circles of mushrooms that are connected by mycelium underneath. (I'll get into mycelium in just a second.) There are too many myths about Fairy Rings to get into here, so for now I'll just point out the Fairy Ring around Valerie's Gym in Laverre City.

Sources: Bulbapedia, Sussex Wildlife Trust, Enchanted Nature, UK Wildlife

I'm not sure whether Bulbapedia or Dr. King on Pokemon Amino first likened Yveltal to Devil's Fingers, but the similarities are uncanny. Like Yveltal emerges from its cocoon, Devil's Fingers emerge from what is called their "egg stage". I tried to find the least unsettling picture of this that I could. Enjoy...?

I mean, what kind of bird turns into a cocoon, anyway? Honestly though, fungus isn't supposed to hatch from an egg either, so this is all mixed up.

Okay, so Xerneas and Yveltal are based on different aspects of Yggdrasil. But if you were going to design Pokemon based on Yggdrasil, the World Tree that connects the universe, wouldn't you base it on fungi rather than an actual tree? Mycelium can actually partner with the roots of plants and other fungus to create a widespread beneficial mycorrhizal network, a truly interconnected ecosystem of organisms.

Source: BBC News - How Trees Secretly Talk to Each Other

And that's why Xerneas and Yveltal are fungi. Or it could be part of their inspiration, at least. They're not necessarily inspired by these specific fungi, but I think the concept may be part of their design. Either way, Gen VI is especially fun to research!

Reviewed by @fluffybunnybadass.

Check out my posts about Pokemon Legends: Z-A:

Poll: What Does the Λ in Legends Z-A Symbolize?

Pokemon Legends Z-A: What Is the Λ?

Is Z-A Just Zygarde-A? (%1000 Zygarde and the Fragments of the Tree of Life)

Aaah, it's an A! Is the A in Z-A the Tree of Life?

How much longer am I going to have to wait for a freakin' Unova remake?!

#Pokemon Y #Pokemon X #cw: fungus #Yveltal #Xerneas #Pokemon Legends: Z-A #Pokemon Legends Z A #Pokemon games #Pokemon #Kalos #gaming #Pokemon XY #Generation 6 #Generation VI #Generation VI Pokemon #Video games #Z-A #Devil's Fingers #Octopus Stinkhorn #fungi #wild fungi #fungus #Stag's Horn #Candlesnuff #mycelial network #mycelium

[phoenixyfriend]

I’m actually interested on your thoughts on stewjon-or any other sci-fi or fantasy land- being “space!scotland”.

I’m Scottish, and it actually kinda turns me off of a fic? Like, it gives me an uncanny valley feeling?

Part of it is due to it, most of the time at least, leaning heavily on the English stereotypes of Scotland? Like. We’re not people who think and feel and integrate people from other cultures, we’re not our better social support and services than england, we’re not people who can enjoy the land *and* be modern people, no.

We’re tartan wearing redheads speaking in a “terrible accent” that can’t be understood, whispering about fae stories and superstition, simultaneously getting in fights in Glasgow and carving Glasgow grins, and huddling in stone huts playing bagpipes and carding wool.

It’s uh, dehumanising a bit. And I didn’t realise I had that big of a rant, feel free to ignore this I was just curious from how you were talking about the Moses!obiwan thing.

Context

That tracks! It's a wider problem that incidentally managed to get picked up and spread in a really unfortunate way by fandom, presumably in large part by Americans who Don't Know What They're Doing when they just want to, idk, fantasize about Ewan McGregor speaking in his natural voice.

I think a weird but important note is that, regardless of the Space Scotland thing, I don't usually see Stewjon portrayed, like... positively? It's a shitty background element (infanticide backstory with the barest explanation), a fantasy misogyny place (a lot of the royalty AUs, especially the omegaverse ones, and especially smut), or a general underdeveloped, low-tech, backwater nightmare (also usually used for the smut). I've seen combinations of all three, and it's a toss of the coin if the author includes the Space Scotland element in addition to the above.

(I've seen one or two that seem to take way more inspo from a mix of Imperial China and 17th century France, for instance, or just keep it vaguely European.)

Even the ones that I think try to do the Space Scotland thing respectfully, I can't really comment on because, uh, I'm not Scottish by any stretch and don't know what degree of what element is reasonable.

(I think I can sort of relate in terms of Serbian representation in Western media? Such as it is. Generally we get to be gangsters, sad orphans, an evil priest selling babies to aliens, vampire-inspired cannibals, or Belgrade gets to be a setting where there is literally not a single Serbian character. Not the same thing but I wanted to give some examples to explain why I feel I can relate when people talk about this sort of thing.)

#lightsaberwieldingdalek #star wars #phoenix answers asks #obi wan kenobi #stewjon #stewjon is space scotland

[decamarks]

Here is a question if you feel like answering.: How do you feel about the "every copy of Sm64 is personalized/old Mario games are liminal" sort of thing that started getting popular in 2020

Oh, this is a wonderful question to answer... I think it kinda rules! It is an appealing sort of idea to me; I obviously really love the idea of creepypasta, and it's always interesting to see the way that it branches out, especially nowadays. Super Mario 64 is a game that is quite good at instilling those specific, surreal sort of feelings, so the works that revolve around it definitely feel like a natural evolution of creepypasta as a genre—an evolution that follows the advancements of technology in general.

The more time put between now and the game's release, the more alien it seems. Even if it wasn't that long ago, N64 graphics are so far removed from modern 3D; it's ancient in Gamer Years, but in the general passage of time, 27 years isn't that much! It feels distant, but really not that far off. Modern, but... not. It certainly occupies a perfect liminality in that regard.

Like, SM64 presents such a zany, colorful, strange world—a type of world that had basically never existed before. Which is insane! It obviously has its oddities, being basically the progenitor of all 3D platformers. It's weird as hell! Seeing people expand upon those aspects is sort of cathartic, in a sense. The game itself doesn't acknowledge its own strangeness; it kind of couldn't. The game was an innovation first and foremost, working with what little it had to go off of. At the time, it'd be unfamiliar enough that it wouldn't really register as strange—at least not the same strangeness it has today.

Amplifying or building additional horror around those oddities is just a really fun way to express the strange feelings it can invoke: a sense of nostalgia, alienation, the uncanny—returning to something you loved and seeing that it's not the same. Really, I just think weird early 3D graphics are beautiful and I'm glad to see their properties explored in any art, including silly creepypasta stuff. Also Mario-based horror is kind of great to me in general.

Coincidentally, I was kind of talking about this just yesterday? But only kind of. I was encouraged to share it though so please enjoy this discussion about Scary Mario and Scary Sonic:

#Mario is the coolest and scariest and most powerful guy ever. That's my conclusion.

[venusmage]

Ask time! What era/type of art would you say you draw the most inspiration from?

oh god this is really hard. Mostly because my inspirations are all over the place! One is 2010's webcomics! A very broad category, I know, but I was really into reading comics when I was in highschool, and a lot of amazing ones were coming out around that time. The Meek (Der-shing Helmer), HINABN (Tess Stone), Lackadaisy (Tracy Butler), and anything by Evan Dahm (the artist behind Riceboy/Vattu/etc). I somehow avoided Homestuck, but Prequel Adventure (Kazerad) rewired my little Oblivion-Obsessed brain.

Speaking of Oblivion - the concept art for all three mainline games in the Elder Scrolls series did SO much for my imagination. Adam Adamowicz is one of my all time favorite artists, and I think his work on Oblivion was overlooked because of his (also stellar) work in Skyrim. There's an entire flickr album of his concept art for TES IV, though, and I recommend it! What that man could do with art markers bewilders me even now. I think this might be the single most impactful art influence I have.

The close runner-up would be the aforementioned Evan Dahm's work. I think he's still, years later, criminally underrated in terms of public appreciation and discussion. For me, Rice Boy blew open so many doors regarding art style, presentation, and character design. Vattu then stunned with just how much of an epic it was and it's fantastic titular main character. Now 3rd Voice is perhaps his most technically beautiful comic yet, and seems to meld the weirdness of Rice Boy with Vattu's super gripping character arcs and worldbuilding.

The way his comics are paced (both in story and the literal pacing of how he organizes his panels/the art in them) is my favorite...ever. Even though they're simple, he just gets the framing down so perfectly it's crazy. The fact he can make such alien characters so human in how they act and how we view them astounds me. I really do - no hyperbole or empty flattery intended - think he's a modern day comics master and I need more people to discuss his body of work.

Also all of his comics are FREE to read on his website rice-boy[dot]com! They're also on webtoon if you're already dedicated to that platform, and the blog @riceboycomic was basically a republishing of Rice Boy with added artist commentary. If you're not ready to dive into the behemoth that is Vattu yet (its over 1000 pages, though it's so worth it), 3rd Voice is his newest work and you can catch up to the current page (288) within an hour. Rice Boy is also pretty short, under 500 pages. Please do yourself a favor and get lost in one of the quiet, uncanny, heartfelt worlds he's created (and then talk to me about it pleaaaseee).

#no art here #ask #webcomics #webtoon #i have print copies of rice boy AND all of vattu i'm a huge huge evan dahm fan

[therobotmonster]

Guys I think should be in MOTU: Origins

My love of MOTU Origins is not very hidden, and they've hit tons of great points, but there's so much further to go. So, here's my rundown of what I'd want to see joint the MOTU Origins lineup.

Section 1: Give it the Sun-Man Treatment.

Blackstar

The proto-He-Man of yore, Blackstar as an IP is probably well within the price range for Mattel to sweep up to sprinkle into the line the same way Sun Man's universe was.

For advantages, it's VERY aesthetically compatible and has several strong character designs. It's no more obscure than Sun-Man, and I want hordes of those imp-demons, damnit.

BraveStarr

Again, a no-brainer. Find the character rights holders, get the rights. New Texas is out there in space, use it as an excuse to do MOTU:Origins versions of the New Adventures designs ("space travel" He-Man) and Rio-Blast. If they already own all the rights then them not having already done this is toyetic malpractice.

Advantages are obvious. BraveStarr rocks. You have a POC lead hero, Tex-Frickin'-Hex, and Thirty-Thirty, who would be well worth the extra tooling to make a deluxe figure of (you can always do an upgraded Stridor repaint). You would scatter them through waves to keep from overloading with the Space Cowboy thing, but def a winner.

Also, Rio-Blast. Rio-Blast, Yo.

Skeleton Warriors

It was never strong enough to stand on its own. Give Skeletor some friends. 'Nuff Said.

One-Off Guest Stars

This section is a little different, as these wouldn't be permanent integrations, but more fun crossover one-offs rather than being a whole theme. Characters pulled from other Mattel-owned lines of the past:

Mojo Ken and Thunderpunch Barb-E

Here's the thing. This line is dead stupid, and should remain that way. Give Ken two heads (one 'bad' Mojo head and one 80s toy Ken style one) give Barbie weirdly plausible MOTU gear, the joke alone is worth the parts reuse. Best if nestled in with some Princess of Power characters.

Lets give Captain Power a hand, folks.

Its that live action TV show that interacted with the vehicles that landed in the uncanny valley between family TV and advert-traintment that never quite works!

Captain Power and Lord Dread are pretty much the only ones you'd want to hit, maybe the Soaron Sky Sentry. And really, they're not that hard to do. Captain Power could easily be made with Roboto legs and upper arms, any number of gloved hands, a new chest armor and a new head.

Any newly tooled pieces would be useful in MOTU movie and new adventure characters.

The Construx Alien demands your respect.

I know it makes no sense, I don't care, it's my list. He's amazing and needs to be big and buff with a weird hand.

Major Matt Mason has nothing better to do.

This set's a stretch, as it would require a chunk of new tooling, but again, maybe worth it for the New Adventures and She-Ra applications, plus hey, Astronaut prequel Biff Bestman, Evelyn Powers, and Captain Marlena parts!

He-Man's space-man friend is a role that could still be filled.

Next Up... Crossover Potential.

#my druthers #mattel #he-man #masters of the universe origins #motu #major matt mason #skeleton warriors #captain power #barbie #ken #bravestarr #blackstar

[dodgeballstuckonthegymceiling]

Hello if I could make a request

Platonic Zim,Dib,and Gaz with The Uncanny ability to attract Supernatural objects and keeps them in a Shack in the backyard be it hyper Advanced alien, technology mystical items of magical power, or weird anomalous mundane objects if it's out of the ordinary odds are the reader has come into contact with it

Goodbye I'm going to have a lovely day

YES YES YES! This made the tism go burrr :D

Zim, Dib and Gaz X Reader who attracts the supernatural

Zim

★ Understandable, you would be friends with an alien. He likes you because you don't ask to many questions. When you do it's usually on topic for the conversation, like when you asked if he could digest chicken nuggets.

★ Before he considered you a friend, his paranoia about you secretly working for Dib- or even Tak lead him to keep tabs on you. Untill he could prove that you don't work for his enemies.

★ He isn't really interested in the magical objects you keep around. Unless it can be useful to him, but that's only if the object can hurt someone or has some kind of curse that he can weaponize.

★ Gone is the master lock you use for security, he replaced it with a fingerprint lock. You bribed him into making the upgrade for you by offering him some broken alien tech in exchange.

Dib

★ You're the only person other than Gaz who believes that Zim is a alien. Be prepared for him to info dump about the irken race. You are probably the first (willing) person to hear him talk about it, so please listen.

★ Your shack in the backyard is his own personal heaven. It's not to shabby either, you installed fairy lights on the inside. He takes the initiative to catalog everything you keep in there.

★ He keeps notes on what you have and the stories behind it. Each object has its own story behind it, by now you must have plenty of good stories. He'd love to listen to you talk about your experiences.

★ I can see you keeping a baseball bat inside the shack for safety reasons. Dib will always remember the time you hit Zim in the stomach with said baseball bat. It was his own fault for shouting in your ear.

Gaz

★ She might "borrow" some stuff from your shack. It comes in handy when she gets into a fight with Dib and needs something to terrorize him. Emotionally damaging people is okay when it's your sibling!

★ When you get into trouble with cursed objects or haunted dolls she only helps you if she might get to see a ghost or some other undead creature. It's the goth in her. She seemed like the kind of person to own a ouija board.

★ Naturally, you've learned differently ways to fight supernatural and paranormal things. Gaz now knows how to banish a demon and that you should never invite talking animals inside your house.

★ The talking animal incident will not be discussed. Let's just say that vampires are on your list of most hated cryptids.

#invader Zim #zim #dib #gaz #invader zim headcannon #invader zim ask #invader zim x reader #Zim x Reader #dib x reader #gaz x reader #invader zim/reader #invader zim fanfiction

[vestaclinicpod]

Audio Drama Sunday - 11th February ✨

Here’s what I’ve been listening to this week 🎧

Spoilers ahead!

👻 @tellnotalespod (S2E3) I don’t get Frank’s game here. I don’t trust for a single second that he’s stopped doing those awful experiments. Constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop with Mr Williamson 🤨 And, yes, Leo 😭 continue choosing kindness in the face of stress and grief!! It’s all we can do!!!! 

🧳 Travelling Light @monstrousproductions (11) sometimes I see so much of myself represented in The Traveller, it’s uncanny. I love singing little songs on the way home from a night out. If someone gave me a lovely little drum, you best believe I’m about to be the biggest menace in the star system!!! My heart swelled to three times its size upon hearing that Óli chose to join them for the evening! Love is stored in the haughty alien companion!! 💓

🏛 @the-mistholme-museum (MUNDANE) This episode had me cackling at Belinda and has had me looking at my toaster a little differently 👀 I loved the complex emotions at play here between ATG and the Beast. If you’re waiting for proof that you can trust the Beast, you’re gonna be waiting a looong time!!  

🌨️ @thewhitevault (7) Iffy!!! Trust your gut!!!!!! All is not as it seems!!! This season is shaping up to be just as gut wrenching as the others and I’m enjoying the ride immensely!

🏢 @somewhereohio (S2E10) I can’t believe it’s over! What a weird, wild and wormy ride this season has been. Roll on the final season! 

🍾 @ameliapodcast “A MAI TAI IS AN INTERNATIONAL DELIGHT!” Had me CREASED. I’m very much enjoying season three so far! 

🌫️ @souloperatorpod (3) Soul Operator is getting creepier by the episode and I’m so here for it! What happened at the end there?! Who’s going around sending bear traps in the post?!! 

🖥️ The Magnus Protocol (5) oooh I think this one was my favourite story yet. I love the shift into what seems to be entirely digital “statements” in this show and they nailed the secondhand embarrassment from those early blog posts. 

🍎 I finished season one of the dazzling Not Quite Dead (@notquitedeadpod) and have started season two. I can’t quite express how much I love this show. The acting is so natural and it makes the whole thing so much more believable. I don’t quite understand why Eira isn’t in absolutely every audio drama ever? He’s amazing. ALFIE, though, GOD. MY SWEET BOY. WHO, EXACTLY, DO YOU THINK CASPER WAS TELLING YOU TO RUN FROM? This show makes me sick, I love it. 

So excited for more Camlann next week, and to dive deeper into the mess that is Not Quite Dead this week!! What is everyone else enjoying? 👀

#audio drama sunday #audiodramasunday #tell no tales pod #tell no tales #travelling light #the mistholme museum of mystery morbidity and mortality #the white vault #the department of variance of somewhere ohio #the amelia project #soul operator #tmagp #not quite dead

[ghostcathedrals]

totally didnt write this after watching an initial d episode (i stop every now and then because it's weird for me)

// use of the adjective 'pretty', nsfw???

former street racer toji who's now encouraging his son, megumi, to join street races if he wants to. the car toji used before is an heirloom passed down to his soon. megumi's pretty new to the business, but he's already showing great potential, especially as someone who's already competing with people older than him. he's planning to rope his friends into racing.

you're just a passerby at the time, decided to stop by a shed with two vending machines somewhere where, well, everyone in the neighborhood knows is turned into a racing circuit for street racers. you know that the races are often at night for obvious reasons, and because this is a popular circuit due to its location, some racers go all the way to this place to compete.

all these racers and audience who love racing are engrossed in the atmosphere. despite being completely not into racing, you get sucked in their energy. you can tell some of them are not locals, but everyone knows them.

finest of the finest.

undefeated.

fastest and most up-to-date models.

to be honest, you don't even have a car to begin with. all their terminologies seem so alien to you. when you've finished your snacks, you pick up your bicycle and kick up side stand. as much as you want to camouflage behind the tall spectators, some of them notice you. you're not exactly popular in the city, but they happen to be the people you know. they call your name, causing attention to shift to you. fuck my life. you appreciate attention, but not when pairs of eyes dart at you.

one of them happens to be fushiguro megumi. you sort of know him. your brother works part-time at the high school where megumi is studying. you try to avoid the unwanted whispers and gazes as you walk up to him. he's leaning against the door of his car with his arms crossed under his chest. "hi, megumi. didn't know you race," you say, small smile plastered on your face. since he also knows you and your relation to his teacher, he bows in respect.

"hello," he greets you. "are you here to watch?"

you shake your head. "felt hungry on my way home so i stopped by at the shed over there." you cock your head to your left to gesture at the green-lit shed. "good luck, megumi." you pat his shoulder. he shows you a small smile as he bows, but his attention shifts to the men who aren't ashamed of talking about you, wondering who you might be, guessing if they've seen you somewhere because your resemblance to your brother can mistake you as twins.

"don't mind them," he tells you. "are you sure you can go home? your bike's front light is broken."

you peer down to look at your front light, then you set your eyes back to him. "streetlights. i'll stay as close to the sides—"

"no," he's gotten used to using honorifics in addressing you, and you already gave up on correcting him. "my dad's here. he can take you home. he brought his pickup, so you can put your—"

the race is about to start. they call megumi's name and he turns. "time's up for chitchats. and megumi, enough talking with that pretty person over there," the guy winks at you. stunned, you don't react. "i'll keep this pretty one company if you'd like—"

"no need," you wave it off. "good night."

as much as you've shown nonchalance and calmness (to which most of the marvel at and may have been more attracted to you), you can feel your organs shivering in your body.

the pickup megumi mentioned is hidden behind the crowd because of the wide distance between streetlights, not to mention how little their areas of illumination are. the warm light in the vehicle, however, lights up, and you see megumi's father, whom you've never actually seen in person. he's his father because of the uncanny resemblance. his eyes are boring holes in your head, like a predator eyeing his prey, or a hunter aiming his arrow at his target.

the lump in your throat is a heavy one and you struggle to gulp it down. not only is his stare intimidating, he's attractive. way too attractive. the scar slashed on the side of his lips is the cherry on top. your gut is burning, rendering your legs too heavy to move. you power through regardless, forcing yourself to walk past his car.

as you're about to hop on your bike, you hear the thud of a car door closing and nearly lose your balance as you turn behind you, other leg folded midair.

"careful." his voice isn't deep like a sound deep in the ocean, yet you feel the chill rise from your feet to your hair. the distance closes between you two, and that's the only time you process how tall he is. he leans against the open, elongated trunk, arm resting on the rubbered edge. "now i wonder why you'll ride your bike in a dark road and no front light."

if i don't call the gods to give me strength, i will fall down and die. he makes you weak and you barely know him.

you don't have enough brain power to answer considering the aura of this man beside you and your strong will to go home. just in time ⎯ the race starts, and it's loud as hell. both of you turn to look at them, and then back to each other. "race started. if you don't wanna get hit by a car and thrown into a ditch, you should stay here and wait for it to end."

a heavy sigh leaves your mouth as your shoulders sag. even when megumi's dad, fushiguro toji (your brother said), doesn't stop you from going further, you really won't make it home. now both of you are leaning against the car, looking at the uproar. "um," you want to say something, and the moment a sound leaves your throat, he instantly shifts his eyes to you, and that then adds pressure and hinders you from continuing. his eyebrows rise up, as if waiting for you to continue speaking.

"i hope it isn't going to be troublesome for you to drive me home⎯"

"it will be more troublesome if i let you go home by yourself. you'll get into an accident." then he diverts his eye contact from you again, arms crossing under his chest. "i'd be damned if i let you get into an accident and scar your pretty face." he says this with a confident grin, in contrast with your stunned expression and tomato-red cheeks. he chuckles when he sees your face. "just stay and watch the race. megumi won't disappoint you."

so you do.

you're hearing it ⎯ megumi's ahead, stunning everyone. toji's smirk doesn't leave his face, even as he occasionally looks at his wrist to check the time. the thing is, you're already quite tired before this, so you shift your weight to your right. you wince though, because the ball of your right feet already hurts. you crouch, avoiding the tire of the car. then he notices.

"get in." two words, but you don't need more to follow him. when you stand up and reach for the handle of the backseat's car door, his hand catches yours, moving it away. "passenger seat."

"why?"

"because you're pretty."

you're furrowing your eyebrows in confusion but it doesn't divert his attention from your blushing cheeks. "...okay?" he grins again, probably knowing the way his expression is attracting you to him.

it's loud outside but silent in the car. toji turns on the radio and an old r&b song plays, filling the silent area of the car. he doesn't shift in his position except for just putting his left hand ⎯ well, wrist, specifically ⎯ on the steering wheel, naturally used to just looking at out despite the scenery unchanging. from your peripheral vision, you stare at his features just to brush off the awkwardness and inner tension you feel. when he rolls down the window, slightly leaning over. because of this, you see the sharpness of his jawline. actually, no, it's a perfectly blend of soft and sharp, perhaps from age. peaking out from his round collar is a tattoo. it's probably not maintained as the black ink is not prominent anymore. he's wearing a long-sleeved shirt that's trying its best not to pop. his chest is not protruding intentionally, it's just that his chest is... big.

peripheral vision doesn't help you that much and you inadvertently turn your head to look (stare) at him. arms almost ripping the sleeve fabric apart, the big ass chest, and then down to his thighs. he's wearing sweatpants that matches his sweatshirt. his thighs are toned from working out, and the sculpt of it molds the fabric, thus making it visible. you honestly didn't know how attractive in all areas megumi's dad was, and if you did, you probably would've replaced your brother.

"you plan on just staring at me the whole time, pretty?"

you flush at this, despite knowing he would be able to tell if you're staring at him. you couldn't help it, and toji seems to not see this in vain. in fact, he's enjoying it. he doesn't care about attention, and doesn't even go to parent-teacher conferences anyway. your brother has already given up on making him go, but on your part, there has to be a way for him to even show up and make himself available for his son's academics and not just racing.

"i mean," you shrug, "you seem to like it."

one mere reply has drained every bit of confident you have left. you're surprised you even that much stored after this socially disastrous night. he turns his head, looking at you with a smirk (default expression? perhaps). eventually, he rolls up the window, but never moves his eyes away from you. "not seem, pretty. i do enjoy it when your eyes are only focused on me."

"you just met me and you're already flirt⎯"

he raises an eyebrow as if you're wrong. "you think? sometimes i pick up megumi while i'm parking at a fast food chain across his school. you walk him out sometimes along with his friends. i know who you are," then drawls the syllables of your name. as much as i'd like to say that's lowkey creepy, your gut says otherwise. "hmm, if it means i'll get to see you more often, i might to go to the PTCs after all."

your brother will be eternally grateful to you.

you can't control the grin on your face as you look away.

"aww, getting all bashful?" he teases you, then poking his finger in your waist, and when you jolt, he realizes that you have a tickle spot there. he laughs when you glare at him. "you're getting cuter," he says and you hate how you react to the way he says your name. "you really are so cute," he adds as your cheeks burn.

as if by instinct, his eyes go down to your thighs. pajamas yes, its flowy fabric doesn't show the figure of your thighs that much, but you can't really stop squeezing your hand in between your thighs. no seem ⎯ he's enjoying the way you react to him. but he doesn't have to say anything else. congratulations, you've regained your confidence! it does look like you won't be able to sleep when you get home. and don't worry about home ⎯ your brother is dead from all the papers on his desk and is probably asleep on the floor next to his swivel chair.

"where are you going with this flirting, mr. fushiguro? care to share it with the rest?"

oh, he loves it, especially when you slowly move your hand out of the friction between your thighs, then gripping the side of the cushioned seat.

"you really want to know, baby?"

you shrug, smiling confidently. "i'm quite eager to learn from you."

he pokes his tongue in his cheek in amusement. "sit on my lap then."

while that really catches you off guard, you follow him anyway. you carefully move to his lap, not wanting to accidentally move the shifting gear. you shift in your position as you try to saddle your legs in between him. already experienced with this, you hold onto his shoulder while adjusting yourself to fit perfectly on his lap. he makes raspy sound, instinctively and slightly bucking his hips from your movement. your body is scalding from the sexual tension and it's fogging your mind with all sorts of sexual fantasies, completely crushing your rationality.

neither of you say anything at all. you just dip into his scent and kiss. it's a sweet kiss at first, but as you both keep pressing yourself into each other, it gets sloppy. your mouths open to move your tongues, spit streaming down your chin. you let out a moan from the pleasure of being in his bubble, no privacy left between you. but you both move away, staring at each other, facial expressions unchanging. slowly, you pull up your shirt, as if telling him to play with your nipples as you make out. he obliges, one hand on your chest, the other on your lower back, beckoning you to move closer. from the action itself, you can feel something pocking your crotch. he only grins at you before you both kiss again.

"you've kissed a lot with those lips, haven't you?"

you innocently (wow!) smile at him. "yes, but i don't bother remembering their names." that gives him an idea.

"i'll make sure you won't ever forget this one," he says, cocksure. "that when you see me, you'll instantly remember this, and you'll think about it while you're mind is drifting somewhere else." you moan at his declaration, and the sound itself causes him to buck his hips again. "guess i'm quite attractive to you, aren't i, baby?"

you let your chest but pushed against his own when he moves his hands to your ass, letting you grind against his clothed erection, building more tension that both of you are struggling to handle. for leverage, you place one hand on the shoulder of his seat. he starts moaning into kiss as you start whimpering from the overwhelming pleasure. his lips then trail kisses until he reaches your neck. you arch your back to give him leverage, sucking on your skin, bruising it. he chuckles at his work, but it chokes in his throat when you grind too hard and his precum is already dampening his boxers too much.

to thank him for such a lovely mark on your neck, pepper his neck with your kisses as you grind, oh my god, he loves it so much. the sounds he makes motivate you to keep getting him on his high. you're doing too well with this that he's enjoying it so much. but then you start whimpering and whining and mewling against his neck as your nipples are too hard and sensitive. your inner thighs are just as sensitive, shaking from the increasing sensitivity.

"wait, toji, i⎯"

he then whispers into your ear, attempting to be soft but rasps his words instead. "you wanna take off your pants—"

"wait, i-i can't m-move."

"hm? how so?"

as much as your pride is telling you not to make it obvious that despite making out with people in the past, you've never fucked or got fucked. this is why this is too overwhelming for you, but toji is experienced to know that it's your first time. your sounds keep trailing after the other, so one of his hands move up to your waist as though he were guiding you. "what do you feel right now?"

"something's dripping but i can't⎯"

he grins. "too much for you, baby?"

you hum in response, burying your head in the juncture of his neck and shoulder. you're trying to catch your breath as your body fails to keep itself sane and together. "i-i don't know." toji's emotions are all over the place. he saw this one coming, but he didn't know how pleasing this would be. "g-gonna..."

"gonna what, baby?"

"c-cum."

"you want to come?" he's gotten soft especially as your grinds become consistent but lazy. "haven't even got my cock in your hole yet, pretty baby. you've got me too excited to find out how fucked out you'll look when you get the real thing."

"s-stop it, toji, i can't hold it back anymore."

"then say it," he grips your ass and waist harder. "tell me what you want to do and what you want me to do."

"let me come, toji, please."

"and your pajamas?" he laughs.

"and your sweatpants?" you giggle.

toji hums and bucks his hips again to tease you. you let out the most high-pitched, salacious moan as you finally throw your head back in overwhelming pleasure. your heart has forgotten how many beats it has to beat in a second. he moans, too, as a response, you both can feel the damp in each other's pants. you then realize that the strain in his voice meant he was trying to suppress his own declaration of pleasure just to surprise you. your pants are mixing together as you both try to catch your breath.

his hand moves up from your ass to your waist, intertwin his hands together against your back, forming an embrace. your shirt is pulled down now, and you're about to fall asleep (i thought you're not sleepy!) against his shoulder.

"wanna do it again, pretty baby?"

you hum in response.

"say it. i used my words, didn't !"

you gulp. "yes. i wanna do it again."

"good, my pretty baby. it'll be far better next time." you hum because you're really just tired already. "try to cycle more so you can keep up with the pace when i fuck you, 'kay?"

since he's just as sleepy, you both don't nice megumi walking up to the pickup. with his two cupped hands, he sees you and his dad in such a ridiculous position. he almost bangs the window, then realizes the door isn't even bothered to be locked. he opens the door and sees the ridiculous position clearer than earlier.

"what the actual fuck."

smut is so hard to write like how do i write about people fucking and they didn't even fuck other than clothed sex erm.... i'm so sorry megumi btw

#jujutsu kaisen #toji fushiguro #toji #toji x reader #fanfiction #fushiguro toji #toji headcanons #race au #racing au #street racing