#what if? annihilation

[wearenotjustnumbers2]

If you watch the interview, you'll know that the girl here and another one sat in their tank and shelled kibbutz for 17 hours straight, and yet they're being hailed as heroes.

From the beginning, we knew Israeli forces were firing at their own people. We knew that Hamas doesn't have the weaponry to result the destruction we've seen. But since nobody believed, now the truth keeps unfolding about Oct 7.

Watch the interview with Yasmin Porat who was at one of the kibbutz's. She said Hamas treated them humanely, she said they were scared but they [hamas] didn't abuse them. The interviewer was taken aback. The interviewer asks if "terrorists" killed all the bodies lying in the ground but she said: "NO, it was UNDOUBTEDLY our forces." Her exact words. Google her name and listen to the interview.

#when will the world see the truth #tomorrow gaza will be back into being annihilated by israel #the north wasn't included by the humanitarian pause and #no doubt israel will have invaded it and they'll bring in settlers just like what they did at the west bank #god #palestine #gaza #israel #important #current events #free palestine #ethnic cleansing #free gaza #gaza strip #gaza under attack #gaza under genocide #oct 7th #israel apartheid #israel is a terrorist state #israel is an apartheid state #world news #world events #the attack was at idf soldiers and that's it #colonialism

[azfellandco]

It's about Crowley bearing witness to Aziraphale's desire, about the way that desire is animal and visceral and enormous and terrifying*. And about how Crowley sees that and wants it. Crowley offers the ox rib and watches Aziraphale eat because eating provides them no sustenance, it's purely for pleasure, sensual, selfish. And Crowley introduces Aziraphale to this, and thousands of years later still takes obvious pleasure in feeding Aziraphale, in watching him eat. In watching Aziraphale's pleasure.

And I think it's significant the things we see Crowley put into his body in s2, and why: six shots of espresso, as something bracing before seeing what it is that made Aziraphale call him in his "something's wrong" tone; whiskey, because he has to give Aziraphale some bad news; wine, because they "might as well get comfortable" during the storm coming down on Job, after Aziraphale learns that Crowley is actually pretty unhappy with Job's suffering; and poison, to dispose of it so Elspeth (or Wee Morag, I've fogotten which is which) doesn't die. Crowley doesn't take Aziraphale's "something that calms you down", only consumes things that not only don't bring him pleasure but are an attempt to prevent pain. Crowley, who introduced Aziraphale to this important physical, sensual, selfish pleasure, denies it to himself. He denies himself the eccles cakes, he denies himself partaking in food, and he denies himself Aziraphale.

And we see throughout the rest of the season other things he's denying himself: the comfort and safety of a home in the bookshop in favor of the mobility and ready-made escape of living in the Bentley, the surety of saying what he really means during the confession. He cannot bring himself to admit what he wants, that he wants. Gabriel and Beelzebub "going off together" is not what he wants. He wants Aziraphale, but he doesn't say that, because he's never, in the years and years and years we've seen this season, let himself want or be seen wanting. "Going off together" is as close as he can get to speaking it. "A group of the two of us" is as close as he can get. So he has to watch as Aziraphale leaves and takes his pleasure in the world with him.

#* rilke: 'Who if I cried out would hear me amidst the angels' hierachies? and if even one of them pressed me against his heart: #I would be CONSUMED #in that overwhelming existence. For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror which we still are just able to endure #and we are so awed because it serenely disdains to annihilate us. Every angel is terrifying.' #anyway. i have never been normal about this and i will never be normal about this #and what is love but hunger #go spoilers #good omens #meta

[ryllen]

a true powerful leader, that aims 'to-protect', and never 'to-be-protected' in the first place

#it's part pride part love; at least this is what i'd like to think; he'd step in & protect them before they ever actually get annihilated #he is not being powerful to hide; EVER; just like his mother #twst #twisted wonderland #malleus draconia #sebek zigvolt #twst silver #twst yuu #twst mc #fanart

[nellasbookplanet]

Book recs: the evil fungi did it

We all know of The Last of Us, but that franchise isn't the only example of fungal invasions. We've got zombies and apocalypses, we've got gothic horror, we've got fantasy, we've got romance, we've got space - no genre is safe from having their characters become the home of fungal organisms.

For more details on the books, continue under the readmore. Titles marked with * are my personal favorites. And as always, feel free to share your own recs in the notes!

If you want more book recs, check out my masterpost of rec lists!

The Girl with all the Gifts (The Girl with All the Gifts series) by M.R. Carey

Want another fungal zombie apocalypse? Then I come bearing great news! The Girl with All the Gifts is a post apocalyptic novel following a group of characters fleeing across an infested wasteland, trying to stay alive and hoping to find a cure. One of the characters is Melanie, a young girl who carries the contagion inside of her and hungers for flesh, but like many children of the apocalypse has kept her humanity. Is she and children like her the answer to the cure we are looking for? Or are they the start of something entirely new? This book has also been adapted as a movie!

Cold Storage by David Koepp*

Years ago, a quickly growing fungal organism capable of wiping out humanity came dangerously close to spreading. It was contained and kept in cold storage underneath a military repository. Since then, a larger storage facility has been built on top, the dangers on the lower floor being largely forgotten. That is, until it makes a new attempt at escape. Now, two unsuspecting security guards might be all that stands in the way of complete extermination. This book is both funny and genuine in its characters, and genuinely creepy in its portrayal of body horror.

Salvaged by Madeline Roux

Rosalyn Devar is on the run from her famous family, and has run so far she ended up in space. Now she works as a "space janitor", being sent off to clean up the remains of failed research expeditions. But in trying to cope with her problems, she has fucked up on her job multiple times, and is now close to losing her position. Her last chance is the Brigantine: a research vessel gone silent, all crew presumed dead. But when she arrives to salvage it, Rosalyn discovers the crew isn't as dead as presumed. But are they still human - and will Rosalyn be able to keep her own humanity?

The Annual Migration of Clouds by Premee Mohamed

Novella. Reid is a young woman living in a small community after a climate collapse. Resources are scarce, but Reid's biggest problem is Cad, a mind-altering fungal parasite that lives inside her body. When she is offered a rare chance at attending a far-away university in a secluded dome community, Reid must decide whether to leave or stay to help support her community.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia*

Noemí Taboada is a glamorous and well-off young woman, but when she receives a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin, Noemí must leave her glamorous life and travel to find out what is wrong. As she arrives at High Place, a mansion on the Mexican countryside, Noemí is met with mysteries and her cousin's new English family. As she tries to find out the truth behind High Place and its inhabitants, Noemí's only ally is the youngest son of the family. But will she be able to find out what so scared her cousin before it's too late for all of them?

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

A young pregnant woman flees a cult that left her body strange and changing in terrifying ways. Hiding from both a world wanting to oppress her and the cult seeking to force her back, she does her best to raise her children while trying to find out the truth of the cult and being pursued by a hunter in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. Bleak and scary, Sorrowland is a book that will creep under your skin with horrors both fantastical and very, very real.

What Moves the Dead (Sworn Soldier duology) by T. Kingfisher

Novella. Alex Easton, retired soldier, travels to visit their childhood friends, siblings Madeline and Roderick Usher, after finding out that Madeline is dying. In the siblings' rural, ancestral home, Madeline walks in her sleep and looks to be fading away, while around it wildlife seems to be possessed by a strange force. With the help of a mycologist and an American doctor, Alex attempts to save Madeline and reveal the truth of her illness.

Wanderers (Wanderers duology) by Chuck Wendig

A strange illness has struck the United States: with no warning, random people with seemingly no connection simply get up and start walking. They do not eat, do not sleep, do not communicate, and they do not stop - and if you try to force them, they literally explode from the inside. Teenaged Shana isn't one of these sleepwalkers, but her little sister is. Unwilling to leave her sister on her own, Shana accompanies the growing flock of walkers, protecting them as one of many "shepherds". And this protection proves necessary, as the sleepwalkers is only the first step toward what might very well be the extinction of the human race. An 800 page epic, Wanderers is a slowburn apocalypse story with a multitude pov characters and plot threads, from fungal pandemics and all-knowing AI to the all too real portrayal of radicalization and bigotry.

The Dawnhounds (The Endsong series) by Sascha Stronach

The Dawnhounds is a book where you just kind of have to let the story and the world wash over you. It skirts the line of scifi and fantasy, with a futuristic world of environmentally friendly mushroom houses and deadly fungi bio weapons next to literally god-given superpowers and near-immortality. It’s really cool and unlike anything else I’ve ever read, but also a bit confusing. Bonus: it’s also sapphic!

Agents of Dreamland (Tinfoil Dossier trilogy) by Caitlín R. Kiernan

Novella. A government agent known only as the Signalman; a cult preying on the young and vulnerable, promising to usher in a new age; a woman who exists outside of time, searching for a way to save humanity. Agents of Dreamland is short, but includes many spooky elements, among them an alien and possibly world-ending fungi. The narrative is non-linear and a bit strange, but also fascinating.

The Genius Plague by David Walton

Soon after landing his dream job at the NSA, things get weird for Neil Johns. His brother Paul, a mycologist, returns from a trip to the Amazon, carrying a nearly lethal fungal infection and a strangely sharpened mind. At work, Neil starts picking up mysterious messages originating out of South America, where cases similar to that of Paul starts occurring. And strangest of all: all the infected seem to be working towards the same goal. Recommended with the caveat that, while the fungal stuff is really cool, The Genius Plague is also happy to idolize American intelligent agencies and demonize environmentalism and anti-imperialism.

Little Mushroom: Judgement Day (Little Mushroom duology) by Shisi

An Zhe isn’t human. He’s a mushroom who absorbed the DNA of a dying man, allowing him to take on human guise and leave the wilderness. Entering one of the last human bases, a place struggling to keep out the mutated and dangerous creatures of the wilds, An Zhe must keep his identity secret as he searches for something which was taken from him. While not my cup of tea (frankly, I need more female characters), Little Mushroom is an undeniably unique m/m romance novel.

Bonus AKA these don't technically involve any fungi but have similar vibes of parasites and nature corrupting the human

Parasite (Parasitology trilogy) by Mira Grant*

In the near future, a great leap in medical science has improved human health by leaps and bounds: a genetically engineered tape worm. Within a few years, almost every human has their own personal parasite implanted. But now, something is happening to the parasites - they want more, whether their hosts want to share or not.

Annihilation (Southern Reach trilogy) by Jeff Vandermeer

For decades, Area X has been completely cut off from humanity. The only ones to enter are small organized expeditions, many of which never return, or return... wrong. We follow the latest expedition, its participants known only as the anthropologist, the psychologist, the surveyor, and our narrator, the biologist. As they enter into Area X to try to find out its secrets, only one thing is for sure: they will never be the same again.

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Young adult. Over a year ago, the Raxter School for Girls was hit by the Tox, a strange disease that killed off many and left the survivors' bodies slowly changing in terrifying ways. The island the school is on has been in quarantine since then, and the girls dare not leave the school grounds lest they become victims of wild animals changed by the Tox. But as they wait for the promised cure, one of the girls goes missing, and her friends are willing to do anything to find her. Unsettling, spooky, and sapphic, this is a unique read featuring body horror and messy, dangerous girls.

(Second) Bonus AKA I haven't read these yet but they seem really cool

City of Saints and Madmen (Ambergris trilogy) by Jeff Vandermeer

Ambergris, a city created by a mushroom-like people, is now the home of humans, but the original inhabitants are still there, residing beneath the city.

Creatures of Want and Ruin (Diabolist's Library series) by Molly Tanzer

It’s the prohibition era, and while Ellie does fishing during the day, at night she bootlegs moonshine in Long Island. But unbeknownst to Ellie, some of the booze she smuggles has a strange source: distilled from mushrooms by a cult, it causes those who drink it to see terrible things, such as the the destruction of Long Island.

Bloom by Wil McCarthy

The inner solar system has been overtaken by fast-reproducing, fast-mutating technogenic life. Humanity has fled to the outer solar system, hiding beneath the ice of Jupiter's moon, but even here they aren't safe from possible incursion of mycospores, which lead to deadly blooms. Now a group of astronauts venture back to an infected Earth.

#the girl with all the gifts #cold storage #salvaged #the annual migration of clouds #mexican gothic #sorrowland #what moves the dead #wanderers #the dawnhounds #agents of dreamland #the genius plague #little mushroom #parasitology #annihilation #wilder girls #nella talks books

[notthecity]

if you don’t love me at my mania then you don’t deserve me at my so much (for) stardust

#fall out boy #fob #Pete Wentz #patrick stump #andy hurley #joe trohman #so much (for) stardust #love from the other side #lftos #heartbreak feels so good #hold me like a grudge #heaven iowa #fake out #so good right now #what a time to be alive #the pink seashell #i am my own muse #flu game #baby annihilation #the kintsugi kid (ten years) #mania #for the record i am a mania defender #if you shit on that album this one is not for you #like is it their greatest album ever? no ofc not #but it has far more merit than anything solo brendon made post-doab #also stay frosty and last of the real ones are bangers #if you hate mania you suck #get your filthy claws off my heaven iowa and i am my own muse NOW

[favvn]

There's something about the phrasing of "must die," how that's specifically haunting for Jim to hear, both because of his ideals and his past on Tarsus IV as one of the last survivors of Kodos' massacre. But to have Spock's life endangered twice after the "you must let the woman you love die or the future, millions of others' lives, and your own life will be lost" episode? And to have Jim himself ask, "Why must he die?" after the episode where Spock was ready to be killed if a cure wasn't found for the parasitic creatures inducing madness in their hosts, and in that same episode Jim--unprompted--tells Spock, "I need you" and never once suggests getting a replacement First Officer? God. I need to lie down.

#star trek tos #spirk #jim kirk #spock #the city on the edge of forever #operation: annihilate #amok time #tos parallels #putting this out here bc this is what my fic--that keeps getting away from me--is centered around #the fact that all these traumatic things keep happening to jim and that it parallels/recalls tarsus iv for him #like if you watch the show by air date order these episodes are all back-to-back #so it becomes “Captain Kirk and His No Good Very Bad Month” #to say nothing of peter kirk! & how his future mirrors jim's past if one assumes the rebuilding process will be ripe for a power vacuum

[commsroom]

eiffel and lovelace have approximately 80% similar personal styles, which would delight him and horrify her. like, tank tops, cargo shorts, flannel jacket, same kind of old sneakers and sandals, etc. lovelace's fashion sense is just a little sportier; some basketball shorts, jerseys, and new york liberty logo tanks in place of eiffel's walmart discount rack selection of pop culture tees. that kind of thing. if hera could dress the way she wanted to, she'd have a very... folk festival woman at a farmer's market type of vibe. colorful, flowy, nature-y patterns. but minkowski is so much harder to imagine in casual clothing. a big part of it is how much she's separated her work life from her personal life, but even then... she just feels like someone who is practical about it to a fault. she doesn't dress badly, she's always put together, she just dresses. kind of like a mom in an old navy catalog.

#wolf 359 #w359 #i wonder sometimes what she wore to her wedding #because she has the image of a person who would get married in uniform. except she would NOT. #that's the one thing she definitely did not do #because of the aforementioned. separating her work and personal life. and she usually does things in a fairly traditional or expected way #but the other option for that is imagining her in a wedding dress and that is just. what. #i almost hope she did because just seeing those wedding photos would absolutely annihilate everyone else. #anyway eiffel is the easiest to imagine in casual clothing because he doesn't even wear his uniform properly. guaranteed. #doug eiffel #isabel lovelace #hera wolf 359 #renee minkowski

[snick-cooler]

"Hello there, I'm father Ward. What is your name?"

#angel hare #faith the unholy trinity #angel gabby #john ward #but they swapped #what a new concept #Gary getting instantly annihilated by Gabby is a funny thought

[the-irreverend]

If I had a nickel for every time I came across a work of horror fiction where a fungus turns a human corpse into an art project...

...I'd have two nickels. Which isn't much, but it's weird it's happened twice.

P.S. The one on the bottom is from Annihilation.

#the last of us #tlou #the last of us hbo #last of us #tlou hbo #hbo tlou #hbo the last of us #joel miller #annihilation #ellie williams #pedro pascal #horror #horror fiction #sci fi horror #cordyceps #horror television #horror tv #say what you will about fungi but you've gotta admit it's got style

[fatedroses]

-An old-timer like me.

#sampo koski #emanator of elation #hsr spoilers #? technically #digital art #hsr #honkai star rail #its old bastard propaganda-o-clock #firstly- I based this off the meteor thief set and his own color palette #secondly- just how old is this man cause he's got me thinking that he might just be -old old- #THIRDLY- #Why does he share design concepts with gallagher (the chain link on gallaghers leg and on sampo's shoulder most notably) #I think it implies that Sampo probably isnt from modern Jarilo- I do like the concept however of him being aha's oldest fool #and a part of me even wants to bet he mightve been a galaxy ranger or some other traveling faction #being brought out of his funny business retirement to beat up what I'm betting is either a lord ravager or the annihilation gang #because fun fact- if you turn the music off to hear vocals better #you can hear Aha laughing in the background of Phantylia's fight in 2nd phase #destruction and elation do not seem to actually get along that well

[thormanick]

Me, going about my day: i really like alhaitham and kaveh and whatever is happening between them. precious boys need to keep them safe

Evil Thoughs tm popping up in my head once in a while: canonically, Kaveh wants to be remembered. Alhaitham is a Scribe, which implies that he's keeping records. Alhaitham is closest to Kaveh and knows him really well. Alhaitham will be the best at remembering Kaveh. Therefore it might be a possibility that Alhaitham will outlive Kaveh, and by much-

Me, suddenly distressed: shut up shut up shut up-

#ah yes don't you love it when your thoughts go and do. that #anyways wishing nothing but the best to the boys may their respective reruns happen soon #genshin impact #genshin impact thoughts #genshin impact headcanons #genshin impact kaveh #genshin impact alhaitham #haikaveh #kavetham #alhaitham x kaveh #afinna explores teyvat #this was actually partially inspired by the idea that Vision holders give something up in order to receive a Vision #and if the Vision encompasses the most sincere wishes of the weilder #what will happen when the weilder achieves these dreams while still being alive #in my hc achieving the passion that Vision symbolizes like. annihilates you from existence on a certain level or smth idk #on this point. in-game we've seen people gain visions. get their visions taken away. and die while having a vision (kazuha's friend). #i wonder what will happen to a person when they achieve the goal that allowed them to get their vision in the first place #i think that would be interesting #also idk sometimes i look at kaveh and go 'ah yes you have the narrative potential of dying at some point of the story and I. Am. Worried.'

[aspiringwarriorlibrarian]

If genocide joe loses the 2024 election don't cry about the people who understandably will not vote. I dont want trump but it'll be his own fault if he loses. If you still believe in the 2 party system you need to grow up

If you still believe that your own righteous fury is worth more than people's lives, then you also need to grow up. If a compromise will save lives, I'll compromise. I won't let people die holding out for a perfect solution that will never come.

#genocide tw #i am far less angry about people abstaining from voting this year than i was in 2016 for obvious reasons #but i have seen one too many 'the ceasefire isn't good enough' bad takes to be completely charitable #especially to those who seem to think that preaching to the choir on here is a better use of their time than flipping people on the fence #biden might be pro israel but he at least can be pressured into 'let's not kill civilians' #trump and his ilk think that annihilating gaza and everyone in it sounds great and that's what they will do if we let them

[the-ghost-bird]

Me posting annihilation content when I know damn well there's not a strong fandom presence and getting 200 notes will be a high fucking number if I get it

#i post for myself bur still #i wish there were more people who knew more about the book and is crazy about is like me #like one of the ocean video posts has 16k notes as of now #but annihilation posts are like what? 15? 38? occasionally 100 on a good day? 💀💀💀💀💀 #L speaks #annihilation #southern reach #southern reach trilogy #jeff vandermeer

[dykedvonte]

Ulysses obsession with the Courier is a special type of sad to me cause the Courier’s part was so important but so unwitting. They had no idea what was in the package they delivered and neither did he. Neither had an idea of what it could’ve done and the Courier was only caring out their job (mind you the Courier could be killed via notes in the express contract if they don’t). To them it was just another regular delivery to the divide and one that they likely thought would help, just like all the ones before.

It’s so tragic for Ulysses to hold so much ire to the Courier when it really was the case of it could’ve been anyone. Anyone could have delivered that package but they did and so he focused the blame on them and it destroys what he is trying to instill in the courier on a fundamental level.

#like yeah the courier delivered the package but in the end that’s a job #any random courier could’ve delivered it especially since we know in the past the factions were farther apart and this travel was a smidge #safer but courier six got it and this Ulysses blamed them #like I don’t care much for Ulysses because I think lonesome road embodies don’t shoot the messenger at it core #and what people focus on doesn’t focus on the fact that in the bigger picture #everything went wrong because two factions were at war and at some point the codes would have been delivered #and the divide destroyed cause with how close it is to NCR territory it would of been found #like there is an inevitable and too many people treat Ulysses as if he knows more or is more aware of the idiosyncrasies of conflict #when he’s like fundamentally flawed just at the standard of being a legion apologist STILL and just how focused he is on one persons #involvement cause yeah choices matter even the small one but I think Veronica’s quest says it best with a line from the courier #you can’t control what they do #like the courier couldn’t and can’t control what they deliver and yet it’s got them in hot water multiple times #like do you think they enjoy being shot or knowing they are indirectly responsible for activating the annihilation of a community #to me it’s hypocrisy to be willing to end the world or one world to prove a point and whatever argument made that only military factions #suffer forget there are innocent civilians suffering that had no part and Ulysses is no better than the Courier #I don’t like devils advocate and a lot of the dlc just feels like that but idk I know people love it but the depth is just not there for mr #ulysses fnv #fallout #fallout new vegas #courier six #the courier #lonesome road #the courier has very little personality outside what we give them but some lines and delivery paint a picture #like uhhhh undertale deltarune rules ig

[im-bored-so-i-draw]

the v in love stands for violence

anyways, since its still february, valentine is still valid... right?

hello vtsom community i am bringing lunch

happy late valentine and not so winter :D (its cold in my place wtff)

im sorry to all victor beard enjoyer, its still exist behind the chocolate (that is definitely from vincent). i also take this as an L V_V

clear + sketch (i think its neat so i included it in) version below

im so tired you guys have to know the amount of typos i made in this post

#sketch #art #vtsom #vtsom fanart #vtsom vincent #vtsom victor #victor blake #vincent edgeworth #valentine #winter #they REALLY should kiss #marry even #also just fyi #vincent is LOSING HARD in playing snowball #and its just so funny to think #victor annihilates him in a battle #what else should i tag this with... #im so tired #ok bye<3 #what is the ship name...

[thenwhatthefukcisthis]

I love the banter scenes, falling chairs and insertions of IV lines but I absolutely ADORE this scene where arthur and eames team up to roast yusuf. in fighting side by side they can make a lethal duo, engaged in a deadly dance wiping off enemies, but that has got nothing on them paired against a common rival-snarklord.

here’s yusuf, who always gets the last line, is the bane of eames existence cause he. would. not. shut. up. about. notconfessingtoarthur, is not afraid to tell arthur that he is in fact a huge stick in the mud sometimes, has been jolting them awake (read: scaring the living crap out of them) during the somnacin test runs... in distress, and arthur and eames decide that they simply can not let this opportunity pass up.

with everything and anything they hold dear at stake, barely two steps in to this giant ball of danger, arthur and eames collectively decide to turn in to the funniest bitches alive to make sure yusuf knows that he’s in crap and do it with straight faces I hate them

#word is that dreamshare community secretly encourage eames and arthur bantering each other #than be their subject of ridicule #job what job #let’s annihilated yusuf #look at saito #my man is stressed #he put good money to this clusterfuck and theses two are passing playground insults #I get you #married couple behaviour is roast other people together #inception #arthur x eames #dreamhusbands #I love them #my idiots