#but all of them revolve around places or exploring them in some way

[kithj]

games (mostly text-based) about houses and places-- exploring them, haunting them, feeding them:

childhood homes (and why we hate them) - after a decade, you return home.

return - a text-based horror game about coming home.

singing from the far side of the hill - about a trans woman, homeless after a bad breakup, who rents a stranger's spare room. it's a decision she comes to regret.

anatomy - Explore a suburban house, collect cassette tapes, study the physiology of domestic architecture.

leave house - leave house

the open house - We at Northtree Real Estate (in partnership with Optix Dynamix Labs) are proud to present our new, state-of-the-art, open house simulator!  Come and take a quick tour of 15615 Hollow Oak Lane, a familiar and comfortable showcase home in one of our premier developments!

what girls do in the dark - This little game is based off one of the greatest fears they had as a teenage girl: showing up late to a stranger's slumber party.

unbecoming - a sonically-textured interactive horror fiction exploring cycles of trauma and unspeakable forces of nature in a mythic rural American landscape.

13 laurel road - an interactive fiction game about the relationships we have with places and reconciling with trauma. You play as a young man named Noah who has been tasked with picking up some things from his cousin’s old house.

domvs - a gothic mystery game in which you rely on your environment to uncover the truth.

flesh, blood, & concrete - you find yourself in a vast, empty apartment complex.

i am still here - a short, unconventional ghost story and vignette reflecting on the end of a long lockdown.

vacant - Film a ghost-hunting show.

#on a haunted house kick #some of these are like. a stretch i suppose #but all of them revolve around places or exploring them in some way #people seemed to like that last list i posted surprisingly lmfao #this is just from what i've personally played #it's kinda hard to search for a niche subgenre....i skimmed some of the haunted house tag on itchio #but as soon as you get into 'horror' over there you just get some real awful schlock #edit: I CANT BELIEVE I FORGOT GONE HOME..... #games

[orteil42]

some undifferentiated thoughts about my Starfield playthrough as i have them. i am a game developer with a strong interest in procedural generation and i've enjoyed a bunch of other bethesda games so this might get pretty mean sorry

(this is a long one)

starfield dialogue is already exhausting me "oh you must've been living under a moon rock ;)" get it! because they're in space! this would've been too corny for the Jetsons

there's a kind of cheap dusting of space theme over everything. the food isn't salmon but alien salmon. it's not seaweed but alien seaweed. cooking alien stir-fry. come on

cannot get over how clumsily the theming is handled. books, board games, weapon names revolve heavily around space. these people have been living on alien planets for hundreds of years yet have this unending sense of novelty about it. the game takes itself completely seriously but feels like it's attempting to parody itself

people's EYEBALLS are CLIPPING THROUGH THEIR EYELIDS

a woman is speaking to me in french. her accent is about as believable as her haircut

these are some of the worst reflection maps i've ever seen

next to nothing is interactive. you can sit in chairs and sleep in beds and that is about it. can't even drink from people's toilets. disgraceful

game helpfully crashes 5 seconds after i decide i should get some sleep. very handy!

my character has not said a single thing since i started playing. not one peep. this is an unmitigated improvement over Fallout 4 i'm so glad honestly

the more i poke around the big city the more the NPC quips feel like something out of gen-1 pokemon. can't get enough of this coffee :) this city is where it's at :) spacesuits are comfy and easy to wear

very strange sense of altered reality from the quest dialogue too. has anyone at bethesda met a person before? i move on to some mission that has me scanning wildlife on a faraway planet hoping this will, somehow, feel less alien than human conversation

just as with No Man's Sky, every planet is uniformly dotted with equidistantly-placed points of interest that you slowly make your way to (no vehicles besides your jetpack) which always turn out to be some cave or building identical to those you've cleared before

unlike with No Man's Sky, the seamless exploration is faked and the biodiversity is nil. you do get an impressive amount of raw loading screens however

the prefab bases and power stations found everywhere on planets seem to have very sparse, very specific slots for spawning consumables, which results in encountering some giant industrial installation in the middle of nowhere with, i don't know, a loaf of whole-grain sandwich bread just casually sitting next to it all proper. there is no breathable atmosphere here. who is eating this

planetary traversal is a CHORE. i am saying this as someone who loved Death Stranding

heinous "hold to confirm" buttons sprinkled in various flow-breaking places throughout the interface

enemy AI is abominable. nobody is pathing their way to get my ass. "must've been the wind" taken to the next level. an infant playing peekaboo has more object permanence

hoisting yourself up on ledges when jumping is…nice

companions randomly nowhere to be found. persists through multiple fast-travels and loading screens until, just as randomly, they pop back up

storage space is now limited! unlike in Fallout 4 and virtually every other bethesda game, your containers now hold a finite item capacity. god forbid we let the player have fun

baffling inventory UI. i imagine there's a mod out there that completely overhauls it the way SkyUI did for Skyrim. this should not be needed! how are your UIs getting worse a decade later!

scanning the precious few species inhabiting some dusty planet; one of them is this arching red root i've already seen several times before. my job done in this biome, i travel (read: teleport with a loading screen) to the polar region to find some other species. the first one i catalogue is the exact same red root again but this time it's named "boreas root" todd howard is a genius

some alien horror comes at me full fangs out. i hop on a pebble. obscenely, i am safe

procedural terrain generation beyond dull, impossibly unimaginative. these people have not had one critical thought on what makes a procedural world interesting. beginning to feel validated in my belief that only i should be trusted with proc gen. along with perhaps tarn adams

jokes aside this is making me feel genuinely insane. there have been excellent procedural generation techniques that produce compelling explorable maps for decades now. bethesda absolutely has the budget and know-how to do miles better than this yet somehow they just…do not? the same way Pokemon has decided to just no longer bother with their mainline games despite being the highest-grossing media franchise in history? hello? what is for real going on

some of the most cynical breadcrumbing i've seen in years. approaching some random cave and this person in space gear, who in the vast immensity of the infinite cosmos just happens to be snapping pictures right here, tells me more-or-less verbatim "if you like this place, you should see this other place" [other random cave has been added to your map.]

i do not like how good this makes No Man's Sky's gameplay look. it depresses me how much i have to hand it to No Man's Sky for at least not fucking up this bad. please stop making me wish i was playing No Man's Sky instead this is grotesque

i think i've exhausted my interest and patience for this game at the moment. i'll get back to the main story at some point and try some other systems ie. crafting and base-building to see if there's any engagement to be found but so far, my god. my god

[electronickingdomfox]

The Kobayashi Alternative (or the 1000 deaths of James T. Kirk)

Finished this game (a text adventure) recently, and oh God, what a glorious mess it was!

The frame story (which only appears in the manual, by the way) places you as a Starfleet Academy cadet, playing a simulation of one of Kirk's famous missions, as a sort of alternative to the infamous Kobayashi Maru test (hence the title). But the actual game revolves around Kirk's mission, trying to find Sulu, who has disappeared in the Trianguli sector. And you're given complete freedom to explore the area and planets in whatever order you choose, and to mess the game in whatever way you want.

And that's my main point of interest here. I've witnessed so, SO many deaths for poor Kirk, because of my ill-advised decisions... Falling into craters, being run over by lava from a (not-so-extinct) volcano, sinking in quicksand, being eaten by a dragon, falling into a moat (and then being eaten), beaming down to a planet with a temperature of -250° in just my uniform (because why not?), or the more gruesome version of beaming down to a no-atmosphere planet without a spacesuit. It's also possible to return to Earth without finishing the mission, just like that, which gets you court-martialed. Or beam down some unsuspecting redshirt to a dangerous area, and to his unavoidable death (which here causes a Game-Over, very much unlike the series). Want to swear at someone until the crew arrests you for bad conduct? Check. *For the record, these are the swear words I found to work: bitch, bastard, suck, c*ck, f*ck, ass (use them in any combination you see fit). There's also many crazy things to do, which don't necessarily lead to a game over. Leave poor Scotty stranded on a planet and depart without him (good luck when you need something from Engineering). Or make Spock mindmeld with clay. Or tell McCoy to enter Spock's quarters, and just leave him there for the rest of the game. There's a planet with aliens that are offended by clothes and will put you in jail for wearing them (well, this is inaccurate, because James Tits-Out Kirk would definitely beam down naked, if it would help the mission... and make sure to video-call Spock right before doing so).

Anyway, despite being a primitive game from 1985, I'm impressed by the sheer amount of possibilities and open-ended options in this game. The graphic adventures from the 90's (25th Anniversary, and specially Judgement Rites) are much, much better games overall. But I wanted to talk a bit about these, more obscure text adventures.

If anyone's interested in playing them, I've found the best way is through this custom installer here, which includes all three adventures: https://collectionchamber.blogspot.com/p/star-trek-first-contact.html It automatically runs the games through an emulator for modern systems, and has the last version of Kobayashi Alternative (which is very important, since previous versions were buggy as hell). First Contact uses the same engine of Kobayashi, but since it's a much linear and smaller game, it's obvious a lot of options go un-used. The Promethean Prophecy is a more traditional text adventure. It has some ingenious puzzles, but I found its typical plot of "go there and collect gems" less Trek-like.

#star trek tos #star trek videogames #text adventures #the kobayashi alternative #james t kirk #simon & schuster #abandonware #diane duane

[princessfbi]

I think that anon is upset bc all of a sudden no one cares about buddie anymore bc bi buck is canon and that apparently means he needs to sleep with any man and that relationships have no sancticity anymore. It's bc of this type of "oh we just having some slutty fun" that Tim is not going to make buddie canon anymore bc people are happy with bi buck hooking up with anyone. After so many years of shipping buddie many "fans" have jumped ship and if they don't jump ship, they dip their toes into creating cheap threeways. It's upsetting

And respectfully that’s ridiculous.

Buck discovering his bisexuality is NOT a consolation prize. It’s an important story that affects a lot of people and impacts even more. Not just from his journey for his sexuality but also the way he’s discovering it later in life. To act like such is disrespectful to the character and the bisexual community.

And what’s even more insulting is to call that exploration which involves uncommitted fun sex “slutty” in the tone of condemnation you are using. That’s called slut shaming. And if you cared about Eddie at all then you would care that he would be allowed to experience the same gentle space to grow like Buck is being given right now. If that hasn’t been a concern for you then you need to reevaluate if your “loyalty” is care or obsession bordering on fetishizing.

It is fine to not like Tommy. What is not fine is to be an asshole to people who do. You don’t see me going around leaving hate anon to people who like Brussels sprouts now do you?

You people have GOT to learn how to cope with things not going the way you initially planned for it. The world is full of unexpected outcomes. I am here because I am having fun and because I love these characters. If you aren’t having fun, I’m sorry but that is not mine nor anyone else’s problem but your own. Take your temper tantrum somewhere else because I will not hold your hand through it.

I have quite literally written over a million words for buddie. I have thousands more planned. But what characters I like and how I explore them is up to nobody but myself. I write for me and I choose to share this gift. You have the choice to not read it. What you don’t have a choice in is what I do with my life and my fun. For me that’s exploring Buddie, Bucktommy, and the magnificent Throuple that is BuckTommyEddie.

Be upset if you must though I would urge you to try and live a little. But what you don’t get to be upset about is me not sharing in those feelings with you.

You’re not upset about Buddie. You’re upset because the world is an uncontrollable place and it’s not revolving around you.

#evan buckley #eddie diaz #tommy kinard #also these are not real people #I promise you their feelings are not hurt #anon #royal decree

[mikavlcs]

Reverie

Pairing: Wednesday Addams x cryomancer!reader

Summary: In the midst of investigating, a figure from your past returns, sending you into a panic. Wednesday is there to help pick up the pieces (and maybe get some revenge too).

Warnings: panic attack, implied abuse and violence, blood, reader is a Simp, it gets a bit morbid near the end lol, abrupt ending

Word count: 5.5k (sigh)

Notes: this fic made me realize just how much i struggle with character descriptions... but anyways this is a long request for literally the nicest anon ever, whoever you are i hope you enjoy this! 

Masterlist | Part 2

Silence was something that you cherished.

Throughout the years, the numerous group homes, revolving door of foster parents, and whirlwind of schools you attended instilled a yearning for calm and quiet. A need for peace to soothe your daily anxieties.

Loud noises were bothersome, they reminded you of things better left forgotten which is why you put forth your best effort to avoid them wherever you ended up.

Nevermore Academy was no different.

Though it was a school for outcasts, it was still a school. A place that housed hundreds of rowdy, unruly teenagers for the better part of the year. And teenage outcasts were still teenagers.

You learned quickly to avoid the quad at all times of day except after curfew, the only time when it was completely empty save for some roaming teachers. 

Lunches were spent in empty classrooms instead of the cafeteria and free time was spent exploring the campus for a place to claim as your own, like you have in every place you inhabited over the years.

But luck, it seemed, was not on your side because not a single place you found fit your needs.

Sure, there were quieter places like the library or the dorms (depending on the hour), but it was rare that found a place that offered actual meaningful silence.

Surprisingly, the solution to your problem came the moment you looked beyond the cramped campus of the school, and that solution was the forest.

The vast woodland that separated Nevermore and Jericho was thick, comprised of thousands of trees, and filled with life of all kinds—tall, vibrant green trees, a myriad of bird species, scampering squirrels, and even foxes during parts of the year.  

Unfortunately, not all of the life that resided there was welcome. You heard whispers of something in the forest killing unsuspecting hikers and truckers. The mayor said it was bears, but you knew better.

Knowledge of the danger that lurked amongst the trees only made the woods that much more enticing to you. You trusted your ability to keep yourself safe with your powers. A wall of ice was a simple thing for you to create, but not for someone (or something) else to break.

The forest became your safe haven. Because of the murders, both students and Jericho residents alike tended to keep their distance, which made your solitude nearly guaranteed.

The chirping of birds in the distance and whistling of the trees in the wind made for a beautiful ambiance to read in. And it remained unequivocally yours for the first part of the semester.

Then a new student arrived mid-semester.

You never went out of your way to look for her, knowing you would hate that kind of attention yourself, but you still managed to see glimpses. Truthfully, she was hard to miss.

A girl dressed head to toe in black, twin braids framed a permanently impassive face, dead eyes set on the path in front of her. With her came a sense of foreboding, like storm clouds on the horizon. You would’ve sworn she was also a cryomancer with the way she seemed to chill the atmosphere around her.

Students parted like the Red Sea when she walked through the halls, determined to avoid her wrath. Given the few rumors you heard in passing across the school, you supposed you couldn’t blame them.

But those glimpses were few and far between, mere moments when your eyes caught a flash of monochrome, then she was gone.

She shared a handful of classes with you, but she was always seated across the room from you, just out of your sightline. By the time class ended and you got your things together to leave, she was on her way to her next class.

The first time you truly saw her was in passing.

You were at your spot in the woods, resting your back against the broad trunk of a tree as you read when the sound of approaching footsteps caught your attention. Curious, you glanced up toward the sound and sure enough, there she was a few meters away heading in your direction.

She paused when your eyes met but remained silent. The only indication of surprise was the way her eyes narrowed, brows lowering ever so slightly.

“It’s dangerous to be out here alone, you know,” she said. Her voice was cold as a winter breeze. You liked it, it suited her.

“I could say the same to you,” you shrugged, turning your attention back to your book. You kept your focus on your story, eyes dutifully scanning the sentences, but in your peripherals, you could see her still standing there.

Another moment passed before she resumed walking, heading off in the direction she had been going before and you couldn’t help the way your eyes lifted to the retreating figure, following her until she was completely out of sight.

A curious encounter, but not one you ended up giving much thought to.

Then she showed up again.

Only the very next day did she appear once more, the circumstances exactly the same as before. You read, she walked. Except this time she didn’t pause, just kept marching past you.

Same with the next day. And the next. And the next. You were almost convinced that you two had a pseudo routine when, with no warning, it changed.

One rather humid afternoon, you heard her footsteps and didn’t bother looking up, knowing she would just continue on her way. But today she didn’t. Today, her steps faltered as she went by you, and above your book, you saw her pivot.

Your eyes were drawn up by the unfamiliar movement. Brows furrowed, you watched as she settled against a tree opposite of you and rummaged around in her bag, pulling a textbook and paper out.

From where you were, you couldn’t see what the paper was, but the book you immediately recognized. It was a textbook for Botany—one of the few classes you shared with her. The paper must’ve been the homework that you finished in class.

You were almost tempted to offer your help, but you knew she had no need for it.

So you turned your attention back to your book, reading a bit slower with the distraction of the girl across from you.

The worksheet, unsurprisingly, took Wednesday all of ten minutes to complete, but she stayed there with you for the better part of the afternoon, pulling out a book after she finished the homework.

Not a word was spoken between either of you, not even an exchange of names. Just you, her, and the blissful, silent serenity of the forest around you.

She left at sundown, packing her things and walking away without sparing a glance your way. You left soon after, a smile pulling at your lips.

When she returned the next day, that same smile appeared. Even when she didn’t stop to sit.

Your pseudo routine had shifted.

Some days she left to venture into the forest, some days she stayed with you. And though you were content to just sit with her when she allowed it, you couldn’t help but wonder where she went off to on the days she chose to keep walking.

Your answer ended up coming from Enid. The girl had asked to sit next to you in Vampire Anatomy class and you didn’t have the heart to say no.

Through the blog posts that Enid insisted you read, you learned that her name was Wednesday Addams, and she was trying to find the “monster” that lurked in Jericho’s forest.

Your existing interest was piqued after that. The urge to tag along with her pulled at you every time you watched her disappear into the forest, but you tried to ignore it. 

Though true crime had always been a passing interest, it wasn’t something you knew quite enough about to be of any actual use to Wednesday.

Still, you couldn’t help but try.

When you asked to join Wednesday in her investigation, you expected a cold and firm no. Instead, she neither accepted nor declined your offer. Simply looked at you, normally dull eyes shining chaotic as lightning, then walked off into the forest, leaving you scrambling to catch up.

Thus began your actual new routine. You’d head to the forest after class, read until Wednesday arrived, and wait until she informed you of her afternoon plans.

If she sat against the tree that you’d begun to call hers, then the afternoon hours would be spent together in blissful silence. But if she didn’t, she would walk past you, only pausing briefly to spare you a glance, extending a silent invitation that you always accepted.

Afternoons that weren’t spent in the serenity of the forest were spent acquiring evidence, gathering information, and sussing out any potential suspects.

Weeks of slow, but steady progress were made (mostly by Wednesday) and you enjoyed every second of it.

She still didn’t offer up much information about herself—her likes and interests (aside from general morbidity) were never so much as alluded to during your time investigating, but you liked that. 

In your mind, she was like a puzzle that not many had the patience to put together. But you enjoyed the intrigue, savored the challenge.

You kept much of your own history to yourself as well. If asked you would say that you did it in a bid to make yourself seem more mysterious, but really you just didn’t like talking about it.

The past was something you desperately just wanted to forget and Wednesday excelled at making you do just that, even if she didn’t know it.

Before you knew it, you found yourself falling for her in a way you never had before. But who could blame you, really?

A short, but statuesque figure with eyes like black ice and a constellation of freckles scattered across her cheeks that put the stars to shame. How anyone couldn’t be entranced at first glance was beyond you.

Your closeness with Wednesday, even if only for professional purposes on her end, served to further the distance between you and your classmates but you didn’t particularly care. What they feared, you admired and while you could understand their fear, you couldn’t fathom ever being afraid of Wednesday. Even at her most grotesque, she was enchanting.

Stupid as it may be, you’d follow her anywhere. You knew that, once you exhausted your welcome, she would likely discard you, but until then you’d just sit back and enjoy the ride with her.

This sentiment led you to Outreach Day.

To put it simply, Outreach Day was a goddamn mess.

Part of your day was spent in a pilgrim-themed dystopian hellscape trying to find information on Joseph Crackstone, another deep in the forest behind Jericho, searching the dilapidated remains of a meeting house from centuries ago.

Naturally, this culminated in the two of you getting chased by the very monster you were trying to investigate, which certainly wasn’t part of your plans for the day when you woke up, but with Wednesday you never really knew what you were going to get.

Fortunately, your near-death experience wasn’t for naught because you had learned one incredibly important fact.

The monster, whatever it was, was human. It was someone that either lived in Jericho or attended Nevermore Academy with you and Wednesday. Likely, it was someone they had already interacted with, knowingly or not.

That thought haunted you the entire long walk back into Jericho. So much so that Wednesday had to tell you to calm down because you were freezing the rain around you into snow and leaving icy footprints wherever you walked.

By the time you stepped back into the town, you were ready to go to your dorm and call it a night. Thankfully, the day was almost over. The only thing standing between you and your bed was the stupid statue unveiling everyone was forced to attend.

You were walking to the town square when it happened.

Thoughts about the monster’s identity were just starting to abate, boredom taking its place as you entered Jericho proper. Wednesday was beside you, matching your strides perfectly while she talked with Thing about something you couldn’t quite hear.

Even in the middle of the day, the town wasn’t bustling (though when was it ever?). A few residents peppered the streets, going about their day quietly while you and Wednesday passed them.

You idly scanned the town goers, eyes snagging on a woman on the opposite end of the road who looked oddly familiar.

The woman had her head turned, appearing to be on the phone with someone. You watched her carefully, slowing your pace slightly, and when she finally turned her head, it instantly clicked.

Walking down that street was your former foster parent, Mary.

You could remember the day you met her like it was yesterday.

It had been years since you’d been adopted out and swiftly swept back into the system once your last family found out that you were an outcast. You’d been told that someone was finally interested in you again and you were overjoyed to meet them.

Mary was a tall woman with a kind smile and the name of a catholic saint. You weren’t religious, but you figured (hoped) that it had to mean something.

You thought her your savior, your ticket out of the system forever, and she ended up being responsible for the worst years of your life.

When you snapped back to the present, you were standing in the middle of the sidewalk. Wednesday was a few steps ahead, giving you a strange look. You wanted to explain or, better yet, grab her and drag her out of the town entirely, but it was too late. Mary was already looking your way.

Your eyes met and suddenly, you were twelve again. Angry shouts reverberated in your ears, mimicking the way they echoed off the cramped walls of the house. You saw yourself cowering in the face of her anger, shrinking into yourself as much as you could.

There was a flurry of movement, a sharp crack, and even now you swore you could feel the sting of the impact on your cheek.

She hated you, and you could still see remnants of that hatred now, even from across the street.

Distantly, you could hear Wednesday say something, but the sound was muffled by the roar of your blood in your ears. Despite the cool temperature, you were beginning to sweat, heart rate gradually picking up as you stared at the ghost from your past.

Mary hung up the phone and started toward you. That was all you needed.

The last thing you felt was the brush of cold fingers on your wrist before you ran.

You ran and ran and ran, feet carrying you as fast as physically possible. There was no real destination in mind, just away from her.

When the burning in your chest became unbearable, you stumbled into an alley. Your chest heaved and just as you were going to try and catch your breath, your legs crumpled beneath you, sending you careening into the nearest wall. You slid down to the ground and squeezed your knees to your chest.

Clarity evaded you no matter how much you tried to find it. You had seen people you knew in public before, even your other former foster parents, so you had no idea why seeing her was affecting you so badly.

Your heart pulsed endlessly in your chest, blood pumping through your veins like you were moving at a million miles per hour, yet you were frozen, your body permanently suspended in motion. A living contradiction that you couldn’t make any sense of.

The pain in your chest intensified, drawing your limbs in to try and relieve the ache. It felt as if your body was trying to collapse in on itself, like a dying star.

Tears gathered in your eyes, and you were helpless to stop them from streaming down your cheeks as the ache grew.

For an awful moment, you genuinely thought you were going to die.

A flash of movement and suddenly there was something—no, someone in front of you. They crouched before you, their face coming into view and familiar dark orbs stared at you in a way you’d never seen before.

Wednesday.

Relief momentarily cut through your misery. You figured she would find you at some point, likely after the ceremony, but the fact that she was here now made something other than agony bubble in your chest.

Suddenly, you noticed that her lips were moving. She was saying something. You tried to focus your hearing against the chaos, but nothing could be heard over the erratic beating in your chest. Frustration mounted, making you further curl into yourself.

Wednesday moved a bit closer, stopping just short of you so she was the only thing in your line of sight. This time you were just able to catch the tail end of her statement. “-st look at me.”

You complied.

“Identify five things that you can see. You don’t have to say them out loud,” she instructed you, slowly and firmly.

You took in her words, but your eyes never strayed from her.

The first thing you saw was her eyes. So dark that they appear black in most settings, but under direct sunlight they reveal themselves to be the most beautiful shade of brown you’ve ever seen. Second was her hair, the way her wet fringe clumped together, forming short tendrils on her forehead.

Next, you were drawn to the starry sea of freckles on her cheeks. The temptation to try and count them tugged at you. You disregarded it, wanting to complete the task at hand for Wednesday.

Your eyes moved to trace her jaw, number four on your list. It was clenched, the way it always was when she was either angry or worried about something. You briefly wondered which one she felt now.

Her lips were the fifth and final feature you saw. You didn’t let yourself think about them for long, simply cataloged them.

Once you mentally documented all five, you looked to Wednesday, your breaths coming somewhat more consistently.

“Got it?” she asked, voice sounding a bit clearer now. You nodded. She continued. “Alright, now four things you can feel.”

You stiffly unclasped your hands and set them on the ground at your sides.

Surprisingly, the first thing you felt beneath your fingers was the solid frigidity of ice. In your panic, you must’ve partially frozen the alleyway around you. The warmth of the air around you told you that you hadn’t frozen too much, thankfully. You counted the temperature as your second.

Third, you felt the weight of your soaked clothes. The way they clung to your skin pulled a small grimace from you. That segwayed directly into the fourth thing you felt—your wet hair. Droplets of water were still running down the back of your neck from it, making you shiver. Lastly, you felt the rough, uneven texture of the brick wall at your back.

Moving up slightly, you turned back to Wednesday, who was watching you attentively, and gave her a firmer nod. The tension in your chest was beginning to dissipate.

“Three things you can hear.”

Your ears perked and you tried to focus on the noises around you. Even on its busiest days, Jericho was a relatively quiet little town, so it was easy to hear things you normally wouldn’t be able to in more densely populated places.

The first thing your ears picked up was the chime of a ringtone a block or two away. A pop song, the kind that Wednesday detested. Second was a loud giggle from someone that sounded suspiciously like Enid. The sound of it almost made you smile. And third, the clatter of a cup onto the ground and an angry curse that immediately followed it.

Someone must’ve dropped their coffee. Again, you almost smiled. Your heart began to slow in your chest, the ache there subsiding as well.

Eyes returning to the girl in front of you, you nodded.

“Two things you can smell.”

That was easy. Wednesday’s usual scent of old books and incense was present, mixed with traces of wet grass, a reminder of your earlier excursion. Another smell you could identify was the pungent odor of days-old garbage. Your nose scrunched. Of course, you chose an alleyway with a dumpster.

Your posture loosened, muscles relaxing as you sent Wednesday yet another nod.

“One thing you can taste.”

The metallic taste of blood on your tongue almost made you startle. Pain flared in your cheek, an answer to your question of where it came from. You weren’t sure when you bit it, and presently, you didn’t really care.

Swallowing harshly, you gave the girl before you a shaky thumbs up. The firm set of her jaw relaxed as she continued to observe you. You returned the favor, gently resting your chin on your knees as you watched her.

“Who was she?” she asked, tone softer than usual.

Not expecting the question, you blinked. “Hm?”

“The woman, who was she?”

You swallowed. This was never something you wanted Wednesday to know about, but you supposed she deserved some sort of explanation after helping you. 

“Former foster parent. Just one of the many people to hurt me over the years,” you admitted with a wry chuckle.

Wednesday didn’t laugh.

The faint sound of instruments caught your attention. It seemed that you were officially missing the unveiling.

“Shouldn’t you be playing?” you asked, remembering Weems’ comment about Wednesday’s cello earlier that day.

“The Jericho high school band doesn’t need me. You do. Weems will get over it.” She maneuvered herself to sit down next to you, bringing her knees up to mimic your pose. The space between you was virtually nonexistent, but she still wasn’t quite touching you, which you appreciated.

A few minutes passed in silence. The lingering effects of your panic began to fade, leaving behind an all-encompassing tiredness that nearly made you slump over. 

Beside you, Wednesday sat perfectly still, occasionally sending glances that you pretended not to notice for her sake.

The chill she emanated was too soothing for you to really care about it anyways. You resisted the urge to lean closer, to steal more of it for yourself. But you just further lowered your body temperature with your powers instead.

You rested your head back against the wall. Honestly, just being within such close proximity of Wednesday was nice. You swore you could stay sitting there all day with her if time allowed…

An explosion in the distance made you jump. Concerned, you turned to Wednesday who looked much too unsurprised for it to be a coincidence. Only now did you notice Thing’s conspicuous absence. Brows furrowing, you leaned forward. “Wednesday, what did you do?”

“Nothing you need to concern yourself with,” she replied easily, lips quirking at the screams of terror that arose from the town square. Promptly, she stood and tilted her head down at you. “Come on, we need to secure our seats at the back of the bus.”

A soft nod was all you could manage in response. Standing was more of a struggle than you anticipated, your exhaustion so heavy it felt as if it settled into your very bones and weighed your limbs down, but after a few attempts, you were on your feet.

The moment you gained a semblance of stability, Wednesday snagged your sleeve and tugged you out of the alley, her grip gentler than you’d expect as she guided you back to the bus. You didn’t miss the joyful spark in her eyes at the chaos unfolding around the town.

When you arrived at the bus, the door was wide open and your companion wasted no time hauling you both inside, immediately making a beeline for the back row. She stopped in front of the seats you occupied on the ride into Jericho, dropping your sleeve as she stepped aside for you to sit.

You gave her a tired smile, grateful that she was giving you the window this time, and collapsed onto the seat. Wednesday slipped in right after you, sitting noticeably closer this time. Close enough that her arm lightly rested against yours.

Heat flared in your cheeks, but you didn’t dare point it out. You just rested your head against the window and closed your eyes.

The slow arrival of other students and staff barely registered, your focus altering between the events of the hour prior, and the comfortingly cold weight of Wednesday’s arm pressing against yours.

The bus ride back to school passed by in a blur and you were being pulled off the bus by Wednesday before you even realized it had stopped.

In a similar fashion, Wednesday dragged you by the sleeve to your dorm, all but shoving you toward your closet once inside.

“Get changed and get some rest. I will return in a few hours after I deal with something,” she said, eyeing you as she edged back toward the door.

“Where are you going?” you asked, concerned that she would try to continue investigating by herself. Wednesday turned to you, and for a moment you were convinced she would tell you that “what she did was none of your concern” or just leave altogether without a word, but at the last second her demeanor shifted.

“It’s nothing to do with the monster. I won’t be putting myself in danger in any way, you have my word,” she assured you, tone firm. There was no room for argument, and if you were being honest, you were compelled to believe her anyway.

You nodded slowly. “Ok.”

She held your gaze for another second then turned and strode out the door. You stayed standing in your spot until her footsteps faded completely.

Fatigue weighed on you once more and that was enough motivation for you to quickly shower and change into dry clothes. You abandoned your discarded uniform in the bathroom to dry, halfheartedly trudging to your bed and flopping down on it.

Scattered thoughts littered your brain, taking you from one turbulent topic to the next. Crackstone, Wednesday’s vision, the monster, Mary—until Wednesday herself came up and instantly everything else was irrelevant.

You thought about the way she treated you today, how she helped you, how she touched you. It made you much happier than it ought to.

As your eyes slipped shut, you wondered about where she could be. You just hoped she was safe.

Finally, your exhaustion overtook you, thoughts of Wednesday sending you into a deep slumber.

-

Hours later, you were woken by a sharp knock on your door.

The harsh sound nearly sent you tumbling out of bed. You were half-tempted to not answer it, but Wednesday said she’d be back later and the last thing you wanted to do was keep her waiting.

So you dragged yourself out of bed and opened the door, smiling when you were met with Wednesday’s usual deadpan stare. She walked past you into your dorm, not bothering to wait for an invitation she knew you’d give her, and while you shut the door, you took the chance to look at her.

She appeared unharmed. Her uniform, now dry, was perfectly situated as always and not a single hair on her head was displaced. She looked as if she’d just returned from a peaceful walk through the woods, but something told you that was far from the truth.

Wednesday walked over to set her bag down on your desk, carefully slipping something out of it before turning to face you. She beckoned you over and you complied.

“I was told to give this to you.” She extended an envelope in your direction.

A brow raised as you took the envelope, inspecting it closely. You never got mail, so you were immediately suspicious, but it looked harmless enough. A simple, white envelope, entirely blank besides the small writing of your name on the back.

Curious, you ripped it open and to your surprise, it was a letter from Mary. The scrawl was messier than usual, almost panicked, but the handwriting was distinctly hers. You read through it slowly, your initial apprehension turning to disbelief.

The letter detailed all of her transgressions against you and how genuinely, unerringly apologetic she was for hurting you.

Under the body of text, her name was written in a red ink so dark, you’d think that it was blood… And there was a smudge of crimson at the bottom of the page. As if the ink had been crudely spilled onto the paper.

You knew you shouldn’t be finding enjoyment in this. Frankly, you should be terrified but the feeling that bloomed in your chest was the furthest thing from fear.

“Is it to your liking?” she asked, jaw set in determination. The look in her eyes told you that if you said no, she would go back to Mary and make her write another one. If she was still alive that is.

“Yes, it is,” you said, dumbfounded, “but you really didn’t need to do anything, Wednesday.”

“She deserved it,” she retorted, a touch of hostility in her tone. A beat. Then, “You said there were others. If you give me their names, I will hunt them down and seek retribution on your behalf.”

The declaration shouldn’t have made your cheeks warm, nor should the bloodthirsty look in her eyes, but it did. It was equal parts horrifying and charming—the perfect cocktail of emotions to get your heart racing.

Maybe Wednesday was starting to rub off on you more than you thought.

“That…won’t be necessary,” you said slowly. You knew you should just leave it; you really did. But you couldn’t help yourself. “How exactly did you find out where she was staying?”

The ghost of a smirk appeared on her lips, all traces of hostility replaced with blatant self-assuredness. “I have my ways.”

Her blatant cockiness pulled a laugh out of you, the first of the day in fact. You wondered if you were imagining the relief in Wednesday’s eyes at the sound. Turning back to the paper, you sobered a bit.

“Wednesday, seriously, thank you. This is more than most people have ever done for me,” you admitted. The ethics of whether you should be thanking her be damned, this was a touching gesture in your mind. Shameful or not, you were going to properly thank her.

The sudden emotional vulnerability seemed to catch her off guard, eyes widening slightly. But she caught herself quickly. Her eyes darkened a bit and her smirk softened, turning into something suspiciously akin to an actual smile. “Believe me, it was my pleasure.”

Another wave of warmth rushed through you, and you prayed that it wasn’t visible on your cheeks. It struck you that this was the first time you’d ever seen a (possibly) genuine smile on her face. 

With that, the room lapsed into silence and like always, you let it sit between you.

She, too, let the quiet linger, holding your gaze with a confidence only she possessed. For just a moment, her eyes flicked downward, the movement so fast it was nearly imperceptible.

Nearly.

It was over just as quickly as it began and by the time you properly registered it, Wednesday was straightening up, dark eyes fixed on yours once more.

“Our investigation will resume tomorrow assuming there are no more unplanned interruptions. Meet me in my dorm after classes tomorrow.”

“Of course,” you responded automatically, still trying to figure out if what you saw was real or another possible figment of your imagination.

She headed for the door, and you panicked. You wanted to say something, anything to get her to stay for just one more moment. But nothing came to mind (nothing you had the courage to say, anyways).

Suddenly, she paused, turned to face you once more.

“Good night.”

You smiled. “Good night, Wednesday.”

A final nod and she was out the door, closing it behind her with a soft click.

Again, you stayed there until the echo of her footsteps was no more. You looked down at the letter in your hand, pursing your lips. Reluctantly, you set it down on your desk. You would unpack all of your feelings regarding it later. Now, you had more pressing things to deal with.

For the second time, you flopped onto your bed, but this time, sleep was the last thing on your mind. In its place was the girl that chilled you with her presence mere minutes prior.

The smile on your face was immovable, as if it were permanently etched into your skin. You replayed the conversation over and over again in your head, highlighting the moments before she left.

You wondered, maybe pointlessly, if she could possibly like you back… Either way, you supposed it didn’t really matter now.

Even if she didn’t feel what you did, today’s ministrations proved that she at least cared for you on some level. That simple fact was enough to send you into a high unlike any other. 

The idea of her actually reciprocating your feelings only propelled you further, your giddiness threatening to swallow you whole as you lay in your bed.

You spent the remainder of your night in a quiet daze, your mind consumed with nothing but familiar obsidian eyes and an addictively deadly smirk.

#wednesday #wednesday addams #wednesday addams x reader #wednesday addams x female reader #wednesday addams x you #wednesday addams imagine #jenna ortega #cryomancer is easily one of the coolest words i've ever seen btw #like look at that shit. it's awesome #oh and no offense to anyone named mary btw #i knew a very nice girl with that name #it was just the first thing i thought of while writing-

[slutz-jo]

Band

Theodore nott x reader

A/n: base of Lorenzo Zurzolo’s song “sotto” cause he was hot in there🤭

Tw: SMUT!! MNDI!

You and your friends decided to go to party, you decided that it'll be fun since your exams where over and having a break would be nice. The lot of you headed inside the party and was then surrounded by people dancing to the beat of the band playing.

The music was loud, enough to even break once ear but everyone was to drunk to even feel anything. You guys went inside and agreed upon splitting up. You went to the kitchen and grabbed a red cup and mixed in some cheap beer with some juice.

"Nice drink" you turned around and was met with some hot guy, he reeked of cigarettes and alcohol but you don't mind.

"Uh thanks, just some shit mixed together" you said awkwardly, you never once loved interacting with others but he seemed to be worth talking to.

He chuckled and put his hand upfront, "theodore, but you can call me theo" you smiled at him and shook his hands. "Y/n".

Theo hummed and kissed your hand, " y/n huh, what a lovely name. It suits you". You bit your lower lip, holding back your smile.

He let go of your hand and grabbed a drink himself, "so what are you doing in a party like this?" You asked leaning your body to the table.

"My bands playing here" he answered back, pouring his drink. He mixed his drink like yours and gulped it down with one sip.

"Oh shit really? What do you play?"

"I play bass but you know i am also the lead singer" you gave him a shock expression, getting more intrigued at the man infront of you.

"You could watch us play, were up in a minute"

"I'd love too" he smiled at your response, you wanted to continue your conversation but he was called by his friends.

"I'd love to stay with you but the audience await" he said, earning a giggle from you. Before he left, he kissed the side of your head.

"See you there" he whispered and pulled away, theo winked at you before completely going back to his friends.

You sipped down your drink and hurriedly went to the other room where he was playing. He spot your eyes, making him smile and wink at you once more.

The song started to play, everyone's attention was focused on them. He started singing in the mic, you couldn't understand what he was saying because the song was in a different language but he was still hot doing so.

People seem to enjoy them, most of the girls where screaming for him but his attention where all on you. You guys where staring with one another, as if the world revolves around the two of you. You just smiled the whole time they were playing.

After playing he walked towards to you, "was i good?" He asked, wanting to hear your thoughts about him.

"You were amazing" he smiled and just shook his head,"i was thinking that you might want to leave this place with me?."

You know it's a pretty dumb idea to go alone with someone you don't know that well but he seems harmless enough to be. Plus it'll still be hot even if he murdered you. Without any thought you agreed.

"Sure yeah let me just tell my friends i am leaving" he nodded at you and you went around searching for your friends. You spot one of them and yelled that you were leaving, since the music wad loud she couldn't understand you that well so she just nodded and gave you a thumbs up.

You went back to theo, telling him to lead the way and the two of you went back to his apartment.

.  .  .

Theo grabbed your hand and pulled you against his body. He then tilted your head up and kissed you, you didn't hesitate to kiss back. You started to explore his body, touching every part of it, letting theo do the same.

He groped your tits harshly making you gasp, giving him the opportunity to slid in his tongue. Your tongue clashed in with his, the kiss now turning sloppy.

The two of you made out for a while but stopped when you went to breath. "Your so beautiful" he cooed. Theo softly pushed you to his bed and hovered over you, he then slid between your thighs, your eyes never leaving his as he rode up your dress, high enough to expose your privates.

He saw your red thong and a wet patch in the middle, he smiled at the sight of you, it was driving him insane, wanting to fuck you so bad but he needed to prepare you first. "You're a naughty one aren't you."

His eyes never leaving yours as he kissed down your inner thighs, that sight made your roll back your eyes. fuck he's so hot. Theo went back to your core and put your thong to the side, he slide his finger to your fold and collected your wetness. He wasted no time and licked his finger as if it were a lollipop. Sucking on it until there were no left.

Theo lowered his head and started eating you out, lapping on your pussy and bitting your clit. You moaned at his action, grabbing his hair and pushing it your core. He then without a warning pushed in two of his fingers making you gasped at the sudden sensation.

His fingers were going in and out of you. You then bucked your hips, colliding with his fingers. You were left moaning and gasping for air, his mouth was still sucking on your pussy. Everything was amazing, he was amazing. "Theo i am close" you breath, gripping his hair tightly and pushing it for more.

"Cum for me baby" the vibrations made your body shiver, making you come undone at his touch.

"Shit you've soaked up the bed baby" he said coming up to kiss your lips. Your cheeks redden at his words, hiding your face with your hand. He grabbed your wrist and put it to the side," your so gorgeous it's fucking driving me insane" he settled between your thighs once again, this time you could now feel his hard on burning into your pussy.

#harry potter imagine #theodore nott #theodore x reader #blaise zabini #smut #imagine #fanfic #draco malfoy #tom riddle #mattheo riddle #lorenzo berkshire #oneshot #regulus black #harry potter #pansy parkinson #luna lovegood #theodore smut

[showtoonzfan]

So we know Stella probably won’t have anything to her in the new episode other than “evil bitch”, but honestly….I’ve been thinking about what this one YouTuber had said about her, and it was that Stella and Stolas have no relationship….and…..guess what? They’re exactly right, they really don’t. Their relationship is so shallow, we have no idea how Stolas feels about Stella outside of the bullshit we’re told of him apparently trying to make it work, and she just…doesn’t like him and is trying to kill him. That’s it, there’s no in between or depth to their relationship. There’s nothing regarding how they take care of Octavia, there’s nothing on how they felt about the arranged marriage, we never even get to SEE them interact outside of Stella just popping up occasionally here and there for the writers to show how much of a bitch she is and move on. She calls him boring and complains, that’s it. We don’t know how they work together or what that dynamic is, there’s no exploration on how they handle royal business together, there’s just no insight, ESPECIALLY from Stella’s perspective because god forbid we have an episode that doesn’t revolve around Stolas, Blitz or Moxxie.

It doesn’t help that their dynamic is also all over the place. They go from being in a bad spot and the family being miserable because of the cheating, to flat out domestic abuse, to despising each other and pettily snapping back at the other, arguing constantly. Like yeah it’s clear they don’t LIKE each other, but these two are supposed to be married and in the royal family, and yet they have no chemistry or clear dynamic at all because the show doesn’t know how to develop and explore relationships/character dynamics outside of quick witty banter. How do they treat each other on a normal day? How do they interact? How did they work together when Stella was still at the house and Octavia was around? We clearly see they would go to Loo Loo land, they would sit as a family at the dinner table in Harvest Moon, we clearly hear that by Octavia’s point of view, she has SOME kind of relationship with her mother, and we see portraits of them together.

There’s obviously a family dynamic going on and yet the writing is so one sided. It neglects Stella and Octavia’s elements completely, and only focuses on how Stolas treats his daughter, nothing else. It’s amazing how Viv claims she’s trying to go for a complex two sided relationship where fans can debate who’s in the right or not, and yet the actual show is shallow and flat AF. You want to learn about Stella and Octavia’s dynamic? Too bad! You want to learn about Stella and how her childhood and being married was? Too bad! You want to learn how Stolas and Stella worked together as a married duo and how they raised Octavia? Too bad! You want to see if there were any good areas to their relationship? Too bad! Just know that Stolas is an uwu soft boi who loves his daughter, and Stella is the evil nasty bitch who wants to torture her husband! That’s all you need to know! And I’d say “let the show play out”, but again….judging by the leaks the show has no interest in fleshing Stella or her story out more, and I find it so funny that fans are able to somehow come up with essay videos or “deep dives” into Stolas and Stella’s relationship when there’s just nothing there. It’s flat, and what you see on the surface is what it is. Stella is just evil and Stolas is just good. Their relationship has no nuance or depth at all, and Stella doesn’t need to be a good person or sympathetic to accomplish that. Just fucking show us their relationship and what they went through outside of just Stella being mean and Stolas being miserable or rolling his eyes, but we all know I’m asking the show WAY too much because that would actually require non bias writing and dedication to a character that isn’t Stolas himself.

#vivziepop critical #spindlehorse critical #helluva boss critical #helluva boss critique #helluva boss criticism #helluva critical #stella goetia #helluva boss Stella #helluva boss Stolas #writing #helluva boss octavia

[azura-tsukikage]

In the diverse world of witchcraft, you may have come across the term "Secular witchcraft." But what exactly does it entail? Let's delve into the heart of Secular witchcraft, demystify common misconceptions, and explore its pragmatic approach.

Defining Secular Witchcraft: Secular witchcraft, at its core, is a path that embraces witchcraft without relying on deities, spirits, or divine forces. It's a practice rooted in the here and now, emphasizing self-empowerment and personal responsibility. If you're wondering how this approach works, keep reading.

1. Embracing the Natural World: Secular witches have a deep connection with the natural world. Their magic often revolves around the elements, herbs, crystals, and the energies found in the environment. Instead of invoking external powers, they harness the intrinsic energy of the world.

2. The Power of Intent: In Secular witchcraft, intention is paramount. Spells and rituals are based on the principle that one's intent and focused will can bring about change. There's no need to invoke gods or rely on external entities. The power comes from within.

3. Practical Spellwork: Secular witches perform spellwork to manifest their intentions and goals. These spells are practical and results-oriented. They may include creating intention jars, candle magic, sigils, and more. The focus is on achieving tangible outcomes.

4. No Supernatural Beliefs: One of the defining characteristics of Secular witchcraft is its absence of supernatural beliefs. Secular witches don't rely on unseen forces or supernatural entities to shape their magic. Their practice is firmly grounded in the natural world and psychological principles.

5. Self-Reflective and Empowering: Secular witchcraft encourages self-reflection, personal growth, and empowerment. It's about understanding your own mind, emotions, and desires. By doing so, you can navigate life with intention and make a positive impact.

6. Follow-Up and Practical Action: Secular witchcraft places a strong emphasis on follow-up and practical action. After setting intentions and performing spells, it's essential to take real-world steps that align with your desires. This might include creating a plan, making decisions, or adopting specific behaviors that support your goals. The magic doesn't replace action; it enhances it. Secular witches understand that success often requires effort beyond the magical realm.

It's about maintaining a holistic and integrated approach, where magic and mundane actions work in harmony to manifest your intentions. This combination of intention-setting, spellwork, and practical steps ensures that you're actively working toward your desired outcomes.

By focusing on behavioral and thought changes and taking action as if no spell were needed, Secular witchcraft allows practitioners to engage with the world in a transformative and empowered way, using the tools of both magic and practicality.

Common Misconceptions:

It's "Atheistic Witchcraft": While some Secular witches identify as atheists, not all do. The practice is more about being free from theistic beliefs, focusing on the natural world.

It Lacks Depth: Secular witchcraft is not a superficial or simplistic path. It can be just as deep and meaningful as any other form of witchcraft.

Closing Thoughts: Secular witchcraft offers a grounded and pragmatic approach to magic. It's a path that empowers individuals to take control of their lives, work with the energies around them, and practice with intention. Whether you're drawn to this path or just curious, understanding the essence of Secular witchcraft can broaden your perspective on the diverse world of witchcraft.

Remember, there's no one-size-fits-all in witchcraft. It's about finding what resonates with you and embracing the magic that feels right. In the end, the magic is within you.

#Secular Witchcraft #Witchcraft #Pragmatic Magic #Empowerment #Magic From Within #witchblr #spiritual growth #witches of tumblr #self care #self awareness #secular witch

[lulu2992]

Exploration of the now-offline Far Cry 5 official websites

Part 3: Game Info 2 (America)

Recovered content

On July 13th, 2017, this is what the Overview, on the Game Info page of the American website, said:

OVERVIEW Welcome to Hope County, Montana, land of the free and the brave, but also home to a fanatical doomsday cult known as The Project at Eden’s Gate that is threatening the community's freedom. Stand up to the cult’s leader, Joseph Seed and the Heralds, and spark the fires of resistance that will liberate the besieged community. In this expansive world, your limits and creativity will be tested against the biggest and most ruthless baddest enemy Far Cry has ever seen. It’ll be wild and it’ll get weird, but as long as you keep your wits about you, the residents of Hope County can rest assured knowing you’re their beacon of hope. Join the Resistance on February 27, 2018, with Far Cry 5. Available on PlayStation 4 system, Xbox One, and PC.

Then, it was moved to the Game Features page and only said this:

OVERVIEW Far Cry 5 is a massive open world that’s filled with something new around every bend. The enemy AI behavior is more realistic and the exploration is almost endless. Even when you feel like taking a break from the campaign, you can take in some leisurely fishing before diving back into your quest. It’s your mission. With it comes the freedom to take on a world that hits back by any means necessary. Join the Resistance now with Far Cry 5. Available on PlayStation 4 system, Xbox One, and PC.

On this Game Features page, which was only archived three times on the Wayback Machine (and remained unchanged at least from May 18th, 2019, to February 7th, 2020), there was also information about Hope County’s three main regions:

REGIONS WHERE ONE MISSION ENDS, ANOTHER BEGINS Three diverse regions and three really bad Heralds stand between you and The Father. How you conquer them is up to you.

HOLLAND VALLEY - John Seed's Region Named for the Dutch immigrants who originally settled here, Holland Valley feels like a postcard from the West. It is home to farms, grazing animals, and a small community named Fall’s End. Because of all the goods that are grown and transformed here, this is also where the cult is planning to reap whatever they need before The Collapse.

HENBANE RIVER - Faith Seed's Region Henbane River was once a place where people came to heal. Its landscape was dotted with cottages, hot springs, and the flowers that give the region its name. Over time the hot springs business fizzled out and the Project at Eden’s Gate moved in. This area is the cult’s heart in Hope County and a place of field labor and worship. Its economy revolves around converting souls into a docile workforce through use of drugs.

WHITETAIL MOUNTAINS - Jacob Seed's Region Whitetail Mountains are a true wilderness where nature’s raw power is on display. Teeming with wildlife, this is a place to hide secrets—from both society and the law. It’s here that the cult is building an army to protect their followers from the Collapse. While Eden’s Gate controls this region, those who reject the cult can also find safe haven here. Preppers and survivalists have encamped themselves in these hidden mountains as they await the right moment to strike.

You could find the Activities as well:

HUNTING Aim a bit off? Practice your marksmanship on some of the wild animals that are roaming throughout the different regions in Hope County. But beware, the animals fight back. FISHING Need a breather from ousting a doomsday cult and their maniacal leader? Take a break and cast a line in any of Hope County's scenic lakes and rivers. WINGSUIT Do you believe you can fly? Nothing says freedom like soaring high above Hope County like a bald eagle. CRAFTING While you make your way through the diverse landscapes of Hope County, Montana, you will encounter all manner of animals and natural resources. Use them to your advantage, when crafting your upgrades.

There was also an introduction to the For Hire system, and notably this:

GUNS FOR HIRE Not only do you have unique skills to bring to the table, so do your Guns For Hire. You can meet and recruit them in the open world, although they may need some help sorting out their own problems before lending you a hand. If you like to travel in numbers, you can recruit up to two for hire at a time, which should help increase your chances of survival.

FANGS FOR HIRE It's not only the human residents of Hope County who are prepared to fight back. As a part of the Guns for Hire system, Fangs for Hire are animal companions for the player. Each is unique, and can enhance whatever playstyle you choose.

“Read More” took you to the News section, to an article titled “Meet Far Cry 5's Characters” (more details in future posts), and another one that was apparently not archived, sadly...

Commentary

The changes in the Overview are interesting to me because they initially called Eden’s Gate “the biggest and most ruthless baddest enemy Far Cry has ever seen”... and then didn’t.

I like that we learn more about the three regions, especially details such as Holland Valley getting its name from the Dutch immigrants who used to live there or the Henbane River being a reference to the flowers that grow in the region. That said, the Bliss flowers we see in Far Cry 5 seem to be inspired by Datura, not Henbane, so I don’t know if this is a mistake or if the developers had other real-life flowers in mind when they came up with the concept of Bliss. Henbane flowers contain the same psychoactive substance as the drug used by the cult: scopolamine (although its hallucinogenic properties were greatly exaggerated in the game).

The site also says we could craft upgrades using “animals and natural resources”, but while plants can indeed be used to make “homeopathics”, crafting upgrades with animal skins, for example, wasn’t a mechanic in Far Cry 5 anymore.

Under the cut are all the available source files, saved directly from the website, of the images you see in the screenshots:

Next to the flag above, on the right, is the (barely visible here) “intaglio” pattern, used in the background of most pages on the site.

Small and barely visible white eagle with a transparent background below.

Small and barely visible white eagle with a transparent background above.

#far cry 5 #eden’s gate #hope county #joseph seed #holland valley #john seed #henbane river #faith seed #whitetail mountains #jacob seed #grace armstrong #nick rye #boomer

[who-do-i-know-this-man]

PURRGATORY Pt 1/3:

Just today, my submittion, elijah from purrgatory, was eliminated. Beaten by just 1% from 3.5k votes, Elh will be moving on. I shouldn't be terribly upset, as that means people have played purrgatory before and remembered it. What I hate is that nobody has ever talked about it. This was a life-changing game to me, 2nd favorite, and to see nobody singing its praises is disheartening. This post is in remembrance of purrgatory, elijah, and how it effected me.

PART ONE: purrgatory, A GAME BY NIV

music to set the mood

purrgatory is a free-to-play point & click visual novel, created by Niv. Following your death, you're sent to purrgatory, a place between Heaven and Hell, and you're able to pass time in an afterlife where nothing really matters. You can meet and talk to its seven inhabitants, kyungsoon, oliver, numa, sean, elijah, natalie & tori, listen to their stories and try to remember your own. Fur-ever's not so bad, right?

The game was originally created during the "I Can't Draw" game jam, by solo developer Niv. Niv has a tumblr, though is largely inactive. From Niv answering a question about inspiration, "The point-and-click style was definitely inspired by early Flash point-and-click games -- I have to point out Daymare Town in particular just because of how similar the art style is. The story and characters come from my love of slice-of-life character-based narratives like Night in the Woods and Undertale. I've also always had a fascination with mazes and wanted to make a game where people just sort of live and hang out in a maze." I'll be talking about the general story, characters, art, and music, while avoiding major spoilers as much as possible. Go ahead and play purrgatory before or after I'm done with this thing, all that matters is you played it. I played through both major endings while inspecting everything, and beat it after 6 hours.

from left to right- natalie, kyungsoon, elijah, charon, sean, oliver, tori, numa

The gameplay of purrgatory revolves around exploring the labyrinth of purrgatory, talking to its inhabitants, and uncovering what led both them and you here. Nearly everything is inspectable, so click everything you see, and you'll most likely be treated to something humorous. This game loves puns, as the title suggests, and you'll be the one making them whether you like it or not. Every character drawing is traced multiple times over, to create a nice wiggling effect. purrgatory is devoid of color, the residents colors the only ones you'll see.

purrgatory is giant, boasting 80 different screens, and you will have to go through each one at some point. It's easy to get lost here, but muscle memory will guide you. You will first meet charon, the River Styx receptionist. Your interaction is brief, but she'll hand you your form to fill, a one-way trip to purrgatory. After you enter your name and select custom pronouns, she'll mention you're the eighth, "over capacity." You'll be directed to enter the portal and have a chance to ask a question, from, "who am i?", "where am i?" and "who are you?" After this, your only choice is to enter the portal to purrgatory.

From here, you'll meet kyungsoon the hyena, a cat, and oliver the mouse in the library. As you explore past the starting area, you'll find numa the snail in the flower garden, sean the snake and elijah the pangolin in the writing corner, natalie the moth in the apartment, and tori the owl in the station. Each has their reason for being here, and it's up to you to help them. The personalities of these people are what make this game, as each is written realistically and sympathetically. numa is meek and has trouble controlling her emotions, sean died during his happiest days and considers most of his life wasted, and kyungsoon was slothful during her life and never exerted her efforts anywhere. These are all things they tell you as you help them with what little goals they create for themselves in purrgatory.

Despite the heavy subject matter, purrgatory is inserted with lots of funny scenes and dialogue from every character. kyungsoon will make sarcastic remarks at your expense while not showing any strong emotion, sean has a sense of humor entwined with lots of internet and ruanch, and numa has many intense scenes of frustration that got me many times. Speaking of the characters, purrgatory consists of a largely LGBT+ cast! From Niv, "Don’t worry about misinterpreting! Every story is a collaboration between creator and reader, after all, so I expect nothing less than people creating their own headcanons. That being said, in MY head, numa and kyungsoon are lesbians, sean is gay, oliver and tori are bi, natalie is aroace, and kyungsoon is of course trans..."

On music and art: purrgatory has a wonderful soundtrack and sound design! With the low-effort look of the world, the music pairs excellently to the areas and scenes, my favorites being "the warehouse" and "lights out." There are special tracks in there as well, like a rendition of "Fly Me to the Moon" done with meows and a song composed by sean (do not look this up, will spoil). Exploring purrgatory, you'll find the various characters in many activities, such as standing around, sleeping, and laying on the floor. Every character not-still conveys so much emotion, despite looking like this:

There are a few endings, but only two major ones, which I will call "ghost end" and "feline fine." ghost end is the worst ending. While you were in purrgatory, you did not get to know anyone there, and yet for some reason, you're spared. This is the first ending I got. feline fine is the good ending. You remembered your past and helped everyone, and through comradery, found color.

"purrgatory" is an amazing game, which I wholeheartedly recommend. It's free on Steam right now. Please play it. My favorite character was elijah :3

I applaud the dedication, and I very much hope that people are convinced to check the game out. I know I'm definitely going to read through this more thoroughly later and maybe check out the game.

#asks #not blorbo poll #propaganda? #long post

[faerytreealtars]

⋆˙⟡♡ What is your Soul Currently Healing? ⋆˙⟡♡

Hello again, Saplings! 🌱 A new PAC today that I hope you enjoy, take a deep breath, and choose whatever images resonate with your soul and heart, Happy reading! ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚    

There are some days, perhaps even weeks where everything just feels out of place, you can never quite place your finger on why and no matter how much you rack your brain or journal away the answer seems to always slip through your fingers like grains of sand upon a glistening beach, there is no way to find the grains that belong to you, perhaps you would have more luck finding the needle lost in the haystack. 

Its on these days I personally feel our souls are going through major shifts and transformations. It’s a lot of work for a little soul to heal the hurts and mend the holes, nevermind having to function as a human in the everyday as well. 

This PAC came to me in the hopes of helping those of you in this energy, to understand and perhaps give your soul more energy and love as they work through the shadows within.

I would love to hear if the message you received resonated with you, so don’t feel afraid to comment, for it makes me so happy to connect with you all! 💕 

Song: I have a dream - Abba

Faery-Tale: Cinderella - “A dream is a wish your heart makes when you’re fast asleep...”

[ My Instagram ♡ / Personal Readings ♤ /  Faery Masterlist ☆  ]

Pile 1

[Cards: Seven of Chalices, Ten of Pentacles, Eight of Wands, The Empress & King of Pentacles (rx) ]

Dear Pile one, I can sense that your soul is currently healing from a feeling of scarcity as if everything you had would disappear someday if you didn't keep a tight almost suffocating hold on it, this may have been expressed through control issues or disharmony with money (impulse buying or not spending at all) the good news is your soul is beginning to transmute this toxic energy into something fresh, for those who still feel stuck in this energy I would recommend creating lists of needs vs wants, begin to see money as more than just a tool, it is full of energy just as we are and that energy is a blank slate so project goodness on to it - see that they can bring you joy & actually take a long time to appreciate that joy, don't rely on quick adrenaline rushes to fool you into a sense of comfort. Hope all this helps!

Oracle: Peace

Even when the sky seems stormy, there will be moments of peace. Set your heart toward finding them. Always follow that stray butterfly just to see where it will lead you. A moment of reflection is what is called for at this time. If someone or some situation has riled you up to the point of not seeing clearly, it's time to not just smell the roses but to actively seek them out. By doing this, you will create a small where you can regain control of your thoughts and emotions. Peace may not last forever in our harried world, but take a lesson from this card. There is always time to fuss and bother with all the many things we have to do. But only you can carve out those mind-easing moments of peaceful contemplation. When this card appears to you ask yourself "How do I Invite more peace into my life"

Pile 2

[Cards: Two of Swords, Three of wands, Fortitude/Strength, The Tower, Queen of Wands & Eight of Swords]

Dear Pile Two,

I can sense that the energy you are currently tiring to shift revolves around feeling trapped and helpless, perhaps others have always taken control over your life leaving you no space to speak or pushing identities you know didn't fit you upon you leaving you feeling confused and out of touch with your own soul. It may even be the case where you have felt forced to mask your true self in efforts to fit and be safe around others. Your soul is tired and weary of acting like a puppet on a stage, it is time to change. Spirit is giving you the strength to tackle the challenges ahead & there will be a lot, don't be afraid to say No or step outside "Your Labels" and explore something new. Let yourself have fun & dabble in your own creativity as you make your way down this thrilling path of self-discovery!

Oracle: Offer

Our two friends have taken a moment to meet under the full moon. The soft glow lights up the forest. There is an ambiance of quiet that allows our Gentle Creature to be fully engaged in accepting the gift his young friend has offered. It may be a handful of random green things to someone else but to her, it is something she chose with great care, Her friend understands that. The gift for them is not what is in their hands but what is in the heart of the small one looking up at them. They are grateful for one another. honoring one another with their full attention is another gift. Have you given this to another recently? The present is here. Focus on the air around you and smell the scents. see the sights. Hear the sounds. If you offer yourself up to each moment as a gift, you will learn the beauty of being present in the moment - perhaps it is time to spend time on someone who needs undivided attention.

Pile 3

[Cards: Four of wands, Seven of Swords, The Hermit, King of Pentacles & The Star]

Dear ones,

I could feel your heartbreak as soon as I tapped into your energy & then the cards only further confirmed my intuition. Someone was disloyal to you, tricked & deceived you in some manner. I am sorry you had to go through that but am happy to feel you are strong enough to carry on. Even on days, you feel like hiding away you keep on fighting and for this tremendous capacity of hope you exude into the world, you will surely be blessed. Just remember its okay to feel & acknowledge the heavy emotions, we cannot transmute or alchemize them if we keep them hidden in a bottle. Still, you have done yourself so proud!

Oracle: Guide

Our Gentle Creature waits patiently holding the lantern aloft. Their job is to guide others through the foggy night. It may sometimes be a lonely job to serve as the light carrier, but it is a necessity that cannot be shirked. The hardest part of being a guide is that jot all will see or appreciate the illumination for what it is. With this card, you are being asked to be a guide or to answer the call. One way or another your journey is being redirected. Are you heading into the fog ignoring the sparkling flame? This is a time to really dig into your inner self. It can be that both these things are important after all, it is a poor guide who cannot be led. W ouldn't it be sad if this gentle creature were left to hold the lamp?  Surely there is someone maybe you who can help them by carrying that sweet yellow star for a while? We all need to both guide and to be guided.

I do so hope this reading brought comfort to your soul and a little more understanding to your subconscious. Take each day as it comes and try to look for at least one silver lining in the everyday. 

~Much love, Fae🔮🧚🏻‍♀

#tarotblr #channeling #cartomancy #divination #tarot #timeless tarot #tarot reading #pac #pick a card #♡ messages channelled from the divine ♡ #tarot cards #tarot community #oracle #guardian angels #guardian spirits #self healing #healing energy #faery tarot #healing tarot #super blue moon tarot reading #super blue moon

[tiredstressedemotionalmess]

i am soooo fascinated by all of your suitehearts ideas hows it going?

ITS GOING GREAT!!!! taking this as my excuse to start yelling abt their backstories bc i was abt to start making the post anyways and this ask came at the PERFECT time gdhgdhd

so the entertainment industry is CRUCIAL to my version of bli to the point where the original company which would become bli began as an animation studio in the 30s/40s (the original studio producing mousekat cartoons which is a whole other post im not gonna get into rn). whats important here is that nostalgia is key to a lot of bli's early success as they bought the rights to many different properties specifically in childrens entertainment in order to sell the idea that their products and their company is Good and Moral and shit. like getting mickey mouse to endorse your product and shit

anyways one of these old shows they acquire the rights to is a shortlived but incredibly popular late 70s/early 80s childrens show: The Adventures of America's Suitehearts. its got loud vibrant colors and costumes and garish sets and im thinking it takes place in like. a magical hotel with like infinite floors to explore filled with magic rooms for any and everything (kinda like the Imagination Movers iirc). the Suitehearts are permanent residents and episodes would revolve around them helping out and going on adventures with the hotels guests, allowing new kids and characters to show up every episode. the whole show would be focused on having fun and using your imagination to its fullest, meant to bring some light into the world for kids dealing with the effects of the wars and shit but it gets cancelled after two seasons bc. yknow. the wars and shit

ANYWAYS bli picks up the idea and reboots the series once the City is built and theyve fully come to power. they use it as a sort of safety net, a way of easing the kids who originally grew up with and are now adults into accepting bli's ideas and control. its a HUGE propaganda tool and it works really fucking well, becoming a staple show in the city. i havent figure out full timeline shit bc i cant find the doc rn but im thinking probably theyd cycle through actors for the suitehearts over the years with the most recent versions being the ones that led to the shoes cancellation & the ones who become rebels. the cast goes as follows (and city names are subject to change bc these are just placeholders i came up with on the spot):

Dr. Benzadrine (portrayed by Mark Desrosiers)

- originally the Dr. Benzadrine character was this kooky mad scientist type with a sort of bill nye meets mrs frizzle energy. he was always encouraging kids to explore and ask questions abt the world around them, showing the audience how to do simple experiments, and explaining scientific concepts and how things work/are made. obviously this is exactly the type of behavior that bli wants to AVOID teaching kids, so in the reboot he becomes this sort of strict, analytical figure who discourages "unscientific" and "unproductive" things such as emotions, and constantly promotes bli's pills and medications as the solutions to problems! any "science" he explains revolves around how the pills "work" to make you Happier and Better

-Mark originally planned to be a chemist. he wanted to help people and figured developing nee medications would be the best way of doing that!! dudes like a GENIUS too, and bli sees this and singles him out and puts him on the fast track for his goals bc obviously they want that brain making their pills. except, the higher up he goes, the more HORRIBLE OBVIOUSLY CORRUPT he realizes the company is so he drops out and through a series of shady events i havent figured out the specifics of yet becomes the new Dr. Benzadrine!!!

Mr. Sandman (played by Dominic no last name yet bc nothing i can think of sounds good!)

- in the original version of the show, Sandman was one of those characters thats looked back on as kinda creepy looking in hindsight and is joked abt constantly for his more spooky appearance. personality wise though, his whole thing was encouraging kids to get creative by using his dream powers to visualize wacky scenarios and solutions to problems. hed also always lead into the a song fitting the theme of the episode by "singing a lullabye" often by the request of one of the other characters. in bli's version, though, they take his creepier appearance and RUN with it, turning him into essentially the series' antagonist. they turn him from the maker of dreams into the maker of nightmares and hes meant to show kids "the dangerous of creativity", always defeated in the end by the others following rules and conforming to authority and shit yk? just the most heavyhanded propaganda you can imagine

- Dominic i think joins the show because he wants to get rich and famous, break out of the slums of the City and really prove that hes worth something. he doesnt even mind playing the villain because, hey, the villains always the most popular character right? except wow jesus christ, being an actually cared about, actually watched member of the city is kind if a lot and suddenly all these freedoms he used to have are being taken away and he didnt realize itd be like this he needs to find a way out oh god-

H. Shoe Crab (played by Sarah Langley)

- so in the original show, Crab was that type of moral compass character always dishing out the episode's lesson. he had exceptionally good luck, which is implied to be due to a sort of karma- he does and acts good so the universe rewards him and shit yk? thats not to say hes perfect and there are episodes dedicating to showing him struggling with his own issues and he often makes mistakes. but at the end of the day hes there to teach kids the value of kindness, emotional awareness, and basic morals. also theres a tunning joke where his good luck will kinda backfire on/cause problems for Sandman like with Goodluck and Grumpy in Care Bears. played by a girl in the reboot, Crab's character essentially becomes Product Placement and Gender Roles!! all her good luck becomes the result of using bli's products, all her "moral lessons" become about respecting authority and reporting suspicious behavior and shit, and she basically gets Mom Friend-ified by the company to top it all off.

- Sarah i think is the most deep into her role bc she is heavily monitored on set and on far more medications than the rest of the cast. this is because she was actually born in the desert, kidnapped as a teenager, and brought into the City to be "rehabilitated". the whole reason she was probably even cast was as a demonstration for higher ups that brainwashing younger joys could be possible as part of a never seen through initiative. also this whole post was just supposed to be abt their backstories/the characters they played and i wasnt gonna get into any of their later true identities once they become rebels, but it is incredibly important to me that you know they become a transmasc butch lesbian who uses exclusively they/them and neopronouns

Donnie the Catcher (played by Cameron Barnes)

- Donnie's a sort of like sportacus from lazytown- the character encouraging fitness and healthy habits in kids. he was also extremely clumsy and not actually that great at many sports, emphasizing the idea that winning/losing doesn't matter so long as you're having fun with what youre doing. i think hed be the least changed character in bli's version, with their version of equality and non exceptionalism being HEAVILY emphasized. he also acts as basically a walking advertisement for the SCARECROW unit, with many of his games and exercises being underscored with encouragements for kids to look into crow recruitment when theyre older.

- Cameron was a Scarecrow, still kind of is as he was switched from active duty in the zones after the rest of his squadron was killed in a firefight and he found himself too traumatized to go back out in the field. the whole thing fosters a hatred for killjoys within him, sure, but it also makes him resent bli for sending him out there underprepared and to fight what hes quickly coming to believe is a pointless battle. he hates that his only options seem to be wasting away in the city or wasting away in the desert. but maybe if there were a third option...

and yeah this has gotten too long already so ill make the post abt their breaking out of the city and killjoy identities later :P all im gonna say rn is that their leaving becomes this huge public scandal, made worse when they continue using the names of their characters and claiming them as their new identities. the show is removed from the air almost instantly, and all mentions if it are scrubbed from public life- if you remember the Suitehearts no you dont.

#asks #my headcanons #danger days #danger days headcanons #americas suitehearts #save #danger days the true lives of the fabulous killjoys #danger days lore #killjoy suitehearts

[togglesbloggle]

Just musing out loud-

One of the gifts that time brought for me, ish, was a reduced interest in labels for myself. Reduced-not-gone, because humans love a good sorting hat, but definitely not what it once was.

It's most obvious in media, like with those YA books that routinely have explicit caste systems or divide people up by thematic groups, or with video games that let you pick a faction. But it sneaks in to real life too. Like, take the famed Tumblr* neogenders/neosexualities and proliferation of flags. It is, of course, unironically fun to watch the ever-increasing fractal complexity as people chase the questing beast of a coherent taxonomy of sexual nonconformity, and I think the people that do so often find it very rewarding. But I watch mostly as an outsider, because the whole thing is answering questions to which I already have satisfying answers in my own dialect- at least insofar as it comes to how I think about myself. And what's true in the narrow case of Tumblr's culture has some far-reaching impacts on politics as a whole, as you might guess.

It's not that I find the castes/factions/neogenders themselves uninteresting- almost the opposite really. I like exploring and thinking about them all, but in a way that doesn't trigger any questions about me as an observer; the 'me' in my sense of these things is a fairly high-inertia construct, one which doesn't really deform much in the presence of exciting new taxonomies. They tend to show me much more about their authors than they do about myself, though as always there are exceptions. It's like seeing a new map of a place you know well, where you're not so much discovering the territory as appreciating a new view of things through the eyes of someone else, a pleasure that follows from an appreciation of the cartographer's choice of framing and the cleverness by which they drew the lines.

The reason I say 'gift' is, most of the benefits of that sorting-hat instinct are front-loaded; a map, any map, is worth it's weight in gold when you're new to someplace. It helps you find a community where you can thrive, it helps you communicate with others and build shared expectations. But especially once you get a little bit more used to things and learn how to get around without a reference sheet, labels are a double-edged sword. There's no perfect label that can really capture a human person, leading to all manner of suffering as we try to conform to the labels we find ourselves carrying, and we can fall down a really deep hole if we start trying to treat those labels as the axioms from which a human is derived.

It also becomes clear, with the benefits of distance, that while a lot of my exertions in label-making felt like introspection at the time, they didn't really manage to be introspection. Introspection, I think, would have been a little more about my identity as a thing-in-itself; after all, it revolves around the question "who am I?" But a curious fact about these identity groups is that they're meant to be comprehensive; every single student at Hogwarts is placed within one of the four Houses. That is, playing around with these things isn't a matter of asking "who am I?", but rather, of describing the society in which we find ourselves, and our relationship to that society. Ruminating about the proper label for ourselves is asking a different question than introspection does: "where do I belong?"

A good chunk of what I thought was self-discovery was, in hindsight, something closer to self-consciousness. Trying to figure out how to be seen, how to be known, how to take up space in a social world where all of those things can be very high-stakes. But I seem to have stumbled in to a degree of equanimity with myself regardless, so I suppose no harm done. Probably you need to chase both lines of inquiry in parallel, but I think it would have helped me at the time to realize that they are fundamentally different questions.

#*not limited to Tumblr ofc #but I think we still do them best

[pinkeoni]

Rambling thoughts about Mike’s sexuality (😱) under the cut

I think Mike’s arc next season is probably going to center around his sexuality although I don’t mean to say that in a way where I reduce Mike to just romance and being Will’s boyfriend, but rather the lived experience of being queer (especially in the time period the show takes place in) is something that can be all encompassing to a lot of aspects of his character including his home life, his mental health, his relationships with other characters (platonic or romantic) and yes, could be explored metaphorically depending on how he interacts with the supernatural next season, however that may go.

Is this an actual concern in the fandom? Honestly I don’t know. Maybe I’m making it up. Maybe I’m alone in a room speaking to a wall. But I think I’ve seen this concern before when it comes to Will’s storyline so I figure that it may apply to Mike as well.

If byler is to be endgame and Mike is to still be revealed to the audience to be gay then I can’t imagine his sexuality not being the driving force for his narrative. If there are concerns about a character arc revolving around one’s sexuality then I don’t think it’s unfounded, as both Mike and Will were relegated to the romance sideplot of s4 while being barred from the supernatural story. However, and maybe I’m giving the Duffers too much credit, I do have faith for them to explore queerness for both of them not just as a label or a vehicle for romance but as an identity that affects many different aspects of life including but not limited to the ones I listed above. At least just given the way that Will’s arc has been written, I know that at the very least the Duffers do not see gayness as interchangable with straightness.

I was talking about this with Jo and AJ and Jo made the good point that just being gay, in itself, is interesting. Mike being gay is so interesting. Mike being interested in a boy is so interesting. Mike leaving a longtime girlfriend for a boy is so interesting BYLER is so interesting and GOD I hope that the season gives ample time to explore those aspects. (While of course, maintaining the individual arcs of both character in said relationship)

Some arguments I’ve seen from milevens include “You just like Byler because it’s gay” or suggesting that the move from mileven to byler is going to be a simple one, viewing queerness in a vacuum and completely ignoring any complexities that come with being gay, as well as all of the real world context. Byler being gay, in itself, inherently makes them more interesting than mileven. Mike being a gay character inherently makes him more interesting than if he were straight. (And yes the show does still have to deliver on that, although I choose to be optimistic and say that they will) And Mike’s shift from dating a girl to being with a boy, in itself, is a complex path that leaves plenty to be explored.

Of course being gay isn’t his one characteristic, but I think his identity as a gay person does inform and is connected to these other aspects.

Using Will just as an example, his story is about a lot (past trauma, bullying, romance, the supernatural) and I’ve talked a lot about how, even if it’s just metaphorically, a lot his arc is connected to being gay.

I don’t think they would focus on his queerness as a way to reduce his character, but rather use his queerness as an lens to help encompass the many facets of him into one arc.

#if ur wondering why this under a cut with reblogs turned off… its for my own sake #mind ya business!! #but if you ask really nicely i can turn them on #its my blog and i get to control the visibility of what i post!

[jamiesfootball]

I’ve been twirling it around in my head how Ted and Jamie had similar but opposite movies assigned to them, both revolving around the concepts of dreaming and waking up, but which are very very different in execution. Like literally so different, that that’s the only common thread they have.

Ted, son of Dorothy, with the Wizard of Oz. Leaving the tornado back home in Kansas and traveling to another world where he builds relationships with people trying to discover the magic in themselves. Something about a road (but also something about quoting Robert Frost’s ‘the road not taken’). Crossing through the Dark Forest. Making his way to the Emerald (Man) City. And we know the point of Oz is that eventually you can not stay in the dream. The shoes you’ve found and worn will carry you back home - you’ve had the power within you this whole time. But it also begs the question: has Ted met the man behind the curtain yet? Or is that man meant to be the reflection of himself, the person - the dad and husband - he always assumed he’d be? Wizard of Oz is ostensibly a story about growth and questioning your belief in the role you’ve been assigned and when you’re ready, seeing who you really are and what the world really is. You had the power all along. The dream is a wonderful place, but it’s closing time and you want to go home. You want to go home.

“There’s no place like home.”

In Nightmare on Elm Street you are never safe in your home. Freddy Krueger hurt and sexually abused kids when he was alive (in the waking world), and after he died preyed on kids when they were asleep (in the dream world). And even when they were awake, the kids were always afraid that Freddy was after them. Jamie is literally afraid of his own Freddy Krueger. There are no magic shoes. There is no exploration of self, no growth, no learning - there is just constant, exhausting vigilance. The only way to kill Freddy Krueger is with fire, and even then he keeps coming back. And that’s the note that every Freddy Krueger movie leaves on. The idea and hope that maybe you’re safe. Maybe this time. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. So you try to enjoy that possibility as hard as you can, as much you can, but it’s forced, because you know deep inside that you can’t truly know that if you’re safe ever again. Because it’s the hope that kills you.

So Ted. Sweet Ted. Amazing Ted with his red heels and his beloved witches and his strange but wonderful companions and his flying monkeys. Ted probably feels like he is wrapping up in Oz, ready to face the wreckage of the tornado head on. He’s ready to leave the dream. And he thinks as he’s talking to a Jamie from his world, a Jamie that has grown so much and who’s so strong and smart and kind, a kid who’s so so brave. Because that’s what Ted has seen. That’s the role he’s played. From his viewpoint, this is how the movie goes.

But that’s not Jamie’s viewpoint. Jamie may have wandered into Ted’s play, but to him if he ever fit in, it was only because he was pretending. Because he was stopping himself from being a prick. Everyone else is great and does great things - it’s Jamie who needs to try harder. Ted’s dream was a great place to hide for a while, but Jamie was never waiting for the slippers; he was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. One, two, Freddy’s coming for you. You can’t hide from him. You can’t escape him. And he can even get you in your dreams.

Which is why there’s a point in every Freddy Krueger movie when the victim says they’ve had enough of hiding, and they take some sleeping pills, and they decide to face him head on.

So Ted thinks he’s ready to leave Oz behind and that everyone in Oz will be fine once he’s gone, when actually what he’s accidentally done is given Jamie an idea: to wade into the Dark Forest and confront Freddy Krueger head on. Jamie doesn’t h

Ted and Jamie are talking, but they’re not in the same movie. They’re not in the same genre. They’re both at the end of their movies, ready to face the bad guy, so they think they’re having the same conversation. But they’re not.

And once again I’ve typed so far that I’m not sure where I’m going with this, but there’s definitely. More story there. A climax that hasn’t happened. Another story to explore. Because what becomes of the companions after Dorothy leaves Oz? Even if Jamie defeats Freddy, will he survive to the end of his own movie? Does he make it to the sequel?

Will Roy Kent get to fight his dad like Jason Vorhees? Does he already own a machete, and does he borrow the hockey mask from Van Damme?

Now I’ll just pivot down a different somewhat related path (road):

Shoes.

Isaac literally told Keeley he just wanted to do something with shoes. Something about the shoes. Something about Jamie burning the shoes his mum got him. Something about all the football lads fighting over what kind of shoes they’re allowed to wear, and Dani hating mourning shoes and stealing Rebecca’s soft bright cozy ones that she never wears. Jamie being stuck in his socks at the locker room at Wembley. Roy wearing his colorful socks with the yoga mums. Keeley wearing shoes that out her on eye level with everyone else. Trent’s leopard shoes. All these people in Oz with their fucking shoes or lack thereof.

Dreams!

And shoes!

#ted lasso meta #ted lasso #jamie tartt #some posts take time to percolate but I made this one with instant #it’s not my fault #I was already laser focused on the Wizard of Oz part during that episode #and then they bring up Freddy Krueger?! #i fucking love horror #it was too much to resist #now if you’ve made it this far you may be wondering #‘what about the Todrick Hall album of the wizard of oz? the one that’s a queer allegory and also fucking slaps’ #to which I say you’re so smart- that one is also percolating but I am only a one mug person #ted lasso spoilers #this should have been three posts I see that now