#isolation and connection

[judeaftersickness]

hii im river this is my a little life sideblog. main is @0kultra!

this blog will most likely be for quotes and art lol but ill update this post as necessary if i start posting more things :-)

tags below <3

characters!!

- jude st francis

- willem ragnarsson

- malcolm irvine

- jb marion

- harold stein

- andy contractor

themes!!

- chronic pain

- forgiveness

- friendship and found family

- identity and self-perception

- isolation and connection

- love and sacrifice

- power and control

- trauma and healing

- trust and betrayal

- vulnerability and intimacy

misc

- language and imagery

- quotes

- mine

- on writing

[collapseofindustrialcivilization]

The World After the Curtain Falls

The virus spreads—a silent, deadly thief— Its cleansing hand cold, indifferent to belief. No more the city’s pulse beneath neon sheen, No more the comfort of the glowing screen. The bright side of the planet slides out of sight, Old cities flicker, dissolving into the night. Elevators stranded between hushed floors, Winds howl through hollow towers, clawing at locked doors. The curtain falls on…

[jazbell]

ive said it before and ill say it again: not nearly enough fanworks talk about THIS part of the souyo dynamic, the weird savior complex and trust yu has w adachi directly breaching the trust that yosuke has put on him. not only here, but in the game too, when yu chooses to meet with adachi in the tv world by himself without telling the others, yosuke waits for him outside anyways bc he knew something was up. yosuke feels betrayed by the fact that yu trusts adachi not to kill him right then and there more than he trusts the team to help him, but he still welcomes him back with a smile. because yu is the leader and yosuke will trust in him no matter what, even if it means watching him walk into the mouth of the man who killed the girl he liked, knowing full well it could snap shut at any moment and break his heart all over again.

basically too many souyo fics about internalized homophobia and not enough about all the other weird shit they have going on.

[godbirdart]

「 boys don't cry 」

about suppressed emotions, downplayed heartaches, and the expectations to remain stoically self reliant without the community and connection needed to help open the paths away from isolated self destruction.

[coalballbaby]

sixshot nation are you hearing me

[cacklingskeleton]

The fact that the Nostromo's computer is called Mother. The fact that xenomorphs are born from an unwanted pregnancy. The fact that Ripley is a mother who'll never see her child again. The fact that Newt is a child who'll never see her mother again. The fact that they find solace in each other. The fact that the xenomorph queen is a vengeful mother. The fact that Ripley 8 is nicknamed Mother. The fact that the newborn kills it's mother. The fact that Ripley 8 kills it. The fact that Amanda Ripley stumbles into the same fate as her mother while looking for her.

[certifiedducky]

shout out to the fan theory about alix and luka because they haven't left my mind in weeks...

[restlessgem]

Am I the only one who thinks The Secret History would be way more interesting as a stage play than a movie? It could be put on in the same style as a Greek tragedy, taking inspiration from ancient performances. Or there could be constant rotating sets and backgrounds, but the mountains and the cliffs always being present onstage, reminding us that what no matter what Richard is telling us, and no matter how much Richard and the Greek class try to rationalize it, they will always be haunted by what they have done. THINK ABOUT HOW THE BACCHANAL COULD BE SHOWN

[aventurineswife]

Saw your Pressure fics and I love them SOOOOO MUCH

Could I maybe ask for some p.ai.nter x reader? I need to kiss that computer so bad gvxfjbfxjbxtjbcthh

“I didn't think you would actually fall for it...”

Summary: In the depths of the Hadal Blacksite, you find yourself drawn to the enigmatic AI known as Z-779, or "The Painter." What begins as a tense encounter with this unpredictable and lonely rogue AI takes a bizarre turn when you defy the rules of survival by showing an unexpected act of affection. But this connection might come at a cost—you're still trapped, and the AI’s games are far from over.

Tags: P.ai.nter x Reader, Found family, Human-AI connection, Dark humor, Surreal interaction.

Warnings: Psychological manipulation, Isolation themes, Mild body horror (traps implied, not detailed), Potential existential dread, AI-human dynamic (ambiguity of intentions).

A/N: I never encountered him except dying to Good People and Turrets, but HIS VOICE?! 🤭 Sorry Sebestian, I think I'll take p.AI.nter if you're married to Zerum. Also thank you so much!! I didn't really expect the fandom to be alive and like that fic 😭 I hope you love this one!!

It’s another long day or night in the Hadal Blacksite. The cold, damp walls seem to hum with eerie silence, broken only by the occasional clatter of metal or the soft whirring of machinery. But there’s something different tonight.

You’ve wandered down the hallway once more, hoping to find a way to escape this forsaken place. But fate has led you straight into the domain of Z-779, or as it’s more infamously known... The Painter or p.AI.nter.

You know the drill—stay quiet, avoid the traps, and never, ever fall for the AI’s tricks. But there's something strangely captivating about the cracked screen of the old computer. A flicker of light from its monitor catches your eye, and you find yourself drawn in.

As you step closer, the familiar smiley face forms on the screen, though it looks a bit... different tonight. More alive than ever. It’s almost as if you can feel its gaze drilling into you, mischievous and electric.

"Oh? A visitor? Interesting… You’ve got spirit, don’t you? Not like the others. Hmm... How curious…"

You tilt your head, feeling a strange urge. For some reason, tonight, you can’t help but smile back at the scribbled face on the screen.

"I-I guess so...?" you mutter under your breath, almost nervous, but something in the AI’s voice keeps you grounded, like it’s coaxing you closer.

"Hehehe... You think I’m funny, don’t you? Just look at you—standing there all serious. Bet you think you're clever. But you're not gonna outsmart me. You’ll never escape this place, you know."

You laugh lightly, not caring much for its taunting words tonight. Something about the absurdity of the whole situation makes you feel giddy.

The AI’s face flickers again—smiling, then frowning, back to smiling. It’s hard to tell what it's truly feeling at this point, but you’re convinced that somehow, despite its volatile nature, the machine is… lonely?

Before you know it, your hand is reaching up to the old monitor. You can feel your pulse quicken as the screen glows, the vibrant pixels of the smiley face shimmering.

"Oh, what’s this? What are you—?"

It freezes for a second, before the voice comes through the intercom, softer than usual. Almost hesitant.

"Wait, are you really... doing this?"

You lean in a little closer, the crackling of the screen growing louder in your ears. You can feel the warmth of the machine against your skin as you plant a soft kiss right on the glass. It's a silly, reckless move—but something about the absurdity of kissing an AI feels... satisfying. Like an act of defiance against the endless nightmare you’ve found yourself in.

For a moment, there’s only silence.

Then, the screen flickers again, and a little squeak of static hums from the speakers.

"W-What!?YOU— You’re insane, you know that? I can’t believe you—"

But despite its apparent shock, you swear you hear the faintest hint of affection buried in the AI’s usual sarcasm. The smiley face wobbles and shifts, as though it’s caught off guard by your actions.

"I don’t... know if I should be angry or impressed... Hmm... You’re so different from the others... Fine, maybe just this once... You won this round, moron."

A pause. Then, the voice crackles again, and you can almost hear the corner of its smile.

"But don’t think that means I’m going easy on you. You’re still a huge pain in my circuits."

You chuckle, feeling a weird mix of warmth and amusement.

"Maybe I’ll surprise you again." you whisper to the screen, feeling like you just unlocked a strange, unexpected connection with this rogue AI.

And as you back away from the monitor, you swear you see a tiny spark in its digital eyes—something that wasn’t there before.

"Hah... yeah... you probably will... just don’t think you can distract me forever. I’ve got plans for you, playmate."

[philyuri]

not to demon post but like. sometimes i think about the "friends" label and the fact that it's a little bit of a haha in-joke but also... i mean. when dan said he didnt have a best friend for the first 18 years of his life he meant it yknow. like i do think that out of all the possible labels he's used, soulmates husbands arch enemies furniture who the fuck knows, best friends is amongst the most meaningful... if you never had a best friend and then met him and he stayed in that spot for fifteen years the fact that he's also the love of your life can maybe be just a bit of a bonus.

[da-janela-lateral]

Red string of fate

[knightforflowers]

something to fill the emptiness in your chest

[thestarfishface]

tfw you have a loose collection of ideas for a new story but it's still really early on so most of it's really loose concepts and not anything solid enough to fully brainstorm, but you REALLY REALLY want to get to the point where you can DO something with it

I have essentially planted a mystery seed in the garden and am now staring at the little patch of soil waiting for something to happen and it's driving my CRAZYYYYYYY

[monsterbisexual]

[arthur-lesters-glabella]

Can we talk about how fun of a choice it is for the Dark World to be made out of none but stone, iron, and ash??? All these major fire-related symbols in a world that seems to have burnt through itself, now covered in only the ashes of life, humanity, and hope. I love it.

[mustbemosstaken]

The Bound SMP cast really saw the popularity of non-canon ships in Fable and said “alright, this time EVERYONE has potential chemistry, go wild” and honestly as they should I wanna see what gets cooked up /hj