#im sorry i had worms

[oneslimybastard]

Watched ManlyBadassHero play 'The Repairing Mantis' earlier today and fuuuuuck meeeee. One of the more brilliant implementations of surrealism and game mechanics to deliver a really haunting narrative imo anyway here comes a BRAINWORM RANT. The disturbing graphics contrasted against the squirrels' kinda cute designs and chipper dialogue lines, the emotional gut-punch when they grow less chipper, the things the gameplay forces you to do as the mantis. The mantis cuts a squirrel's wing off as it trembles and is left with a fleshy wound, but it has nothing to say about it and just assures you that it was happy to help ("That's what friends do!"). Its animations are even more so fearful and cowering as you cut its other wing off, but it still has nothing to say about it other than that its happy to help a friend as it continues to work towards its own dream. The emotional dissonance is immense, but the squirrel probably isn't lying as much as it just doesn't notice the harm being done to it. The squirrels all ask you to "help" them and the "help" always involve meaty mutilations of their bodies, nothing which concerns them. What breaks them is the realization that the dream they've strived for wasn't what they wanted at all. The metaphor is both obvious and diluted. It's about achieving dreams and the emptiness that can come afterwards, obviously, it's basically written in big red glowing letters. But its all the little ambiguous details that really add to it. Like the moths, what do they mean? How do they play into it? And the mantis herself, this "helpful" force that does what everyone asks of her and ends up just assisting them in losing all their hopes and dreams.

If I were to give my take on it, I'd assign the moths as agents of Reality. The first squirrel complains that its stomach hurts and its because there's a moth in there. You never learn what it says other than from context clues, but I wonder if it told the squirrel that times have changed, circumstances have changed, the dream is still achievable but it won't look the same — and where you thought all sacrifices had already been made, there is still one left. The mantis has already taken the squirrel's wings and cut its stomach open, but the thing that actually sparks fear in the squirrel is the prospect of losing its tail.

A sacrifice it wasn't ready to make, but had to anyway. That leap of faith which either hurt like a bitch if you go for it or you bitterly have to reenact later in life knowing you might have already missed your shot.

The first squirrel still, as mutilated as it is, seems to be a success-story, where all the following squirrels are hollow pantomimes. Squirrels who want to fly because the first squirrel wanted to fly and it managed to and surely acquired happiness, so if they all learn to fly they will be happy too. I think its very deliberate that these are all flying squirrels who still want to learn how to fly.

Especially considering the thing the first Squirrel was so happy to give up while building a flying machine was its wings. Our authentic selves are not good enough to be considered a tool in achieving these grandiose larger than life ambitions. There is a doubtless allure in the prospect of breaking yourself down into bloody chunks for the sake of success, even when you do not need to and are arguably just making it more difficult for yourself.

It's why I think the mantis can be a stand-in for so many things. Overly supportive enablers, get rich quick schemes, nepotism, or a force of self destruction masking as productivity or innovation. All these squirrels had to do to fly was catch a breeze and let their little skin flaps do the job they were designed to do, but none of them did.

It wasn't good enough.

As an ~Artist~ the emotional parallels are pretty intense so yeah, it's gonna haunt me for a bit. As someone who likes to support people I care about unconditionally it's gonna haunt me for a bit, even if I don't think its directly relevant to me or my life. Especially one of the endings where it's proposed that utterly shattering someone's wide eyed dream along with their heart, beat their life's work to pieces, might be the best course of action.

It's a horrifying thought, and I think 'The Repairing Mantis' meditates on the worst of outcomes when ideas and aspirations and passions loose their foothold in reality and get lost in dreamland, and how attractive that spectacle can be for onlookers to imitate.

It's a beautiful game, truly an unique testament to the potency of narrative horror games, I don't think it could have struck as many chords as it did with me in any other medium.

10/10 dont build bridges out of squirrels.

[wisteriagoesvroom]

how each driver would respond to “would you love me if i was a worm” 🪱

(and you actually get turned into a worm)

charles leclerc: gets the whole ferrari team to take turns looking after the worm. there’s a care roster and a motivational talk and everything. you become not charles’s worm but the ferrari worm. he posts a really cool social media story about “my journey looking after the worm.” you are loved, if a bit haphazardly.

max verstappen: “do i have time to keep a worm? probably not. but i will get someone to get you a decent box i guess. sorry if my cats eat you.”

oscar piastri: “no. you’re a worm.”

lando norris: professes his love and says “of course i would, babe”. only to be away so much on holiday or busy on track that you eventually perish in your enclosure

lewis hamilton: yes and will get you the most beautiful box with all sorts of fronds and ferns. he will build you the cutest little jungle gym of mind-enriching worm activities. you will see him about once a year but he will make sure you’re always fed and happy. he will help raise awareness of worms in their ecosystems all over the planet

carlos sainz: actually is very good at keeping the worm/you alive but is thrown for a loop because charles and lewis are all doing exceptionally with their worms. he flushes you down the toilet in a moment of emotional distress

alex albon: doesn’t tell anybody about the worm but will eventually have the longest living worm although everyone will forget this fact.

george russell: holds a drivers meeting about whether it is ethical to keep worms and should they in fact be considered emotional support animals. the vote is split and the outcome is undecided

fernando alonso: makes a tiktok with you “day in a life with my worm”. then leaves you on the side of the road and you roast to death under the sun

lance stroll: begrudgingly looks after you for about a week after which he pawns you off to his sister who is now stuck with his random worm

kevin magnussen: gives the worm to his daughter who uses it for a school project. it’s very cute

nico hulkenburg: people forgot about him so he didn’t even get a worm. he’s not that sad about it.

zhou guanyu: would seem totally neutral about it but end up incorporating a worm design into his track fits and his helmets. his worm helmet goes super viral on weibo.

valtteri bottas: will use you for fishing bait and might be a bit sorry about it.

pierre gasly and esteban ocon: constantly fighting over the same worm. nobody knows that the other has the exact same one. it ends with the alpine TP stepping in and confiscating the worm. the worm somehow gets acquired by mclaren.

yuki tsunoda: he keeps you in a box that is structurally very questionable but yuki somehow finds time on the road to get you the highest quality worm feed and vegetables. you thrive under his gourmand care although he shakes the box way too hard sometimes

daniel ricciardo: changes you immediately for a caterpillar and hopes nobody notices. the caterpillar takes ages to turn into a butterfly and then people are asking bro i thought you got a worm. he gets a caterpillar tattoo.

sergio perez: couldn’t care less. thought you were roadkill stuck on his windshield and squishes you with the windscreen wiper by accident

logan sargeant: WHAT DA FUK IS A WORMMMMM? your worm life ends prematurely when logan accidentally drops your box on the floor. james vowles gets him a new worm and it remains to be seen whether the second worm is better (hopefully it is).

[guccigarantine]

the mongrel cat came home holding half a head

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

cough hack wheeze who wants a teeny tiny fantasy au snippet with uhhhh laughingstock Tension. it's like... half a scene! unedited & out of context As Is Tradition

~

“Nothin’ much. I think I’ll poke around nearby towns, shake down some travelers - see what falls into my paws.”

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, Barn,” Howdy says. He sweeps aggressively, spreading dirt more than gathering it into the usual neat piles. “Who knows if those ne'er-do-wells are still roaming around the woods - if you and Ed couldn’t take them, what makes you think you could alone? Or- or! What if you stumble across those cultists? I hate to think of you stuck in an ambush with no help coming, knowing fully well that-”

A large paw slips the broom out of his grip and sets it to the side, and Howdy stammers to a stop as Barnaby crowds him against the bar with a soft, “Howdy.”

Howdy swallows hard, bracketed on each side by strong blue arms. The look Barnaby fixes him with dries up his well of words and bristles his fuzz. Howdy’s heart hammers against his ribs. He can feel Barnaby’s body heat, and it’s lighting his blood on fire. 

“I’m not gonna be reckless, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Barnaby says. He barely needs to speak louder than a whisper for Howdy to hear him loud and clear. He smells like sweet smoke. “The other day was a one time deal, cross my heart. But, if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll take someone with me. I’m sure Jules is itchin’ to get outta town.”

“What would really make me feel better is if you stay,” Howdy blurts, just barely reining in the with me. He tenses, knowing that he’s toeing a dangerous line. One wrong word, and he’ll make the unspoken spoken - but the stress drains out of him as Barn’s eyes go soft. Perhaps that wouldn’t be so bad. Of course there’s no reason to worry, not about this, not with him. There never has been.

“You know I can’t do that,” Barnaby murmurs. “Not yet.”

Howdy doesn’t need to say that he knows. Not for the first time and with any luck, not for the last, it clicks in his mind that they’re on the same page - he doesn’t need to be a telepath to understand the thoughts behind Barnaby’s dark eyes. 

Barnaby says it anyway. “I gotta get him back. I can’t… there’s no room for anythin’ else right now.”

Howdy sighs through his nose and slumps against the counter digging into the small of his back. He nods and adjusts the lapels of Barnaby’s vest. His fingers ghost over soft blue, and Barnaby doesn’t flinch at the contact. If anything, he leans the barest millimeter into it. His gaze burns into Howdy’s, even if they aren’t meeting at the moment, but it isn’t a bad feeling. Quite the opposite, actually.

“Well,” Howdy says in a low voice, “if you find a good lead, send for the rest of us. I’ll be there as fast as my four legs can scamper.”

Barnaby smirks. “Even if you need to take a boat?”

“Even so, Barn.”

The smirk slides into something that isn’t a frown, but isn’t a smile. It’s too soft for a grimace, but too intense for simple recognition. Barnaby seems to sway forward, and Howdy is sorely tempted to meet him halfway.  

But Barnaby’s claw taps the counter, and he pulls away before anyone’s mind can be made up. Howdy’s hands slip from his lapels, brushing against fur as they fall and knuckles skimming over the smooth, fresh scar cutting across Barnaby’s belly. 

“I’ll be back before you know it,” Barnaby says, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He squeezes Howdy’s shoulder and then his back is turned, and he’s leaving. All Howdy can do is watch. 

And call out after him, “Your table will be open and waiting for you.”

Barnaby pauses in the doorway and looks over his shoulder at Howdy, and his grin is so full of affection that Howdy may just burst. 

“With a free pint?” he asks.

“Hey now, don’t push your luck pal.”

Barnaby bursts out laughing, and Howdy can hear it even after the door thuds closed.

[gncrezan]

some old @chrysanthemumgames hermes-seph sketches!!! some of it is established-relationship daydreaming but also a peek at my dark and twisted mind (sprawling intricate spidey au)

[pifabo]

Not to cringepost about problematic old man yaoi, but upon my rewatch of The Gang Inflates.... errrr I'm gonna cringepost about problematic old man yaoi, sorry:(

Dennis, after finding out that Charlie has been hiding a secret room in his apartment, goes "So you truly have no reason to be sleeping with Frank???" before, immediatley (like SO immediatley), throwing out all of his furniture for literally no reason to share an inflatable couch-bed with his roomate while he experiences anaphylaxis.  What is WRONG with you.  When will you be NORMAL.

How, in that man's mind, does it make sense to ridicule Charlie for his behavior, while at the same time consciously and willingly choosing to do something EQUALLY if not MORE unnecessary in order to share a bed with his short-distance high-commitment long-term homosexual roomate.  Truly words cannot express how unecessary throwing out their furniture was.  Not to mention the fact they clearly had more inflatable furniture they could have blown up in order to sleep separatley.  It was a choice and a decision and on purpose. because he felt like it?? he wants to?? for fun???

Buddy don't throw stones from your glass closet.  YOU are the problem

[indecisive-dizzy]

I love Latter Pillar so much you don’t understand i adore him have have some headcanons for him

Daisey literally pulls Howdy BY THE ANTENNA and makes him give Latter a hug. They like Latter, he’s sweet. But him being dramatic sometimes gets on their nerves

Daisey and Lizzy do partake in the Latter teasing, but they usually shut it down if it gets to mean (Latter protection squad say what)

Latter and Eddie besties real, Latter reads his poetry in the post office and Eddie just listens while doing his mailman duties

Honey’s mean to him, but secretly like his poetry. He thinks it’s so bad it’s funny

He runs a poetry club, he’s made a few friends from it too :3

Lizzy loves her brother, she really does, but she cannot stand to hear his bad poetry. She send him ads for poetry lessons and he gets sad about it

Also randomly put in but I love those little bee kids (I don’t know their names :,) ) they look so cute I love them

Latter has 6 arms me thinks, idk if that’s confirmed lmao

I’m mentally I’ll and that update destroyed me so I’m focusing on Howdy’s dramatic, flamboyant brother :3

The Howdy's nephews (the cater-bee children <3) are Howdo and Youdo! I can't remember if its one "o" or two tho haha

But yes Latter is just,,, he's so,, Soo ajdhjssj <3 I love him and his silly dramatics and bad poetry

Forcing siblings to hug is hilarious! I should know as a Certified Annoying Sibling Who Likes Hugs >:3 so good Daisey lol Howdy needs to hug his brother

Lighthearted teasing is fun, and I think if Latter was genuinely friends with whomever he'd go along with it, maybe do improv poetry to tease them back dramatically pff

Yeah you think Howdy would be upset that his brother is friends with the mailman? Bc Latter and Eddie besties Is real and in your home <3 They could write each other letters when it's not the holidays and Latter send Eddie his poetry for approval bc Eddie is too nice to say it's bad <3 (cough Latter getting a crush on Eddie? whaaaatt cough)

Howdy secretly enjoying things feels on brand lol. but him enjoying it for the wrong reason (so bad it's funny) is hilarious

Sorry but my oc CJ would be apart of Latter's poetry club <3 They're friends now Speaking of the poetry club, I imagine they do slam poetry and Latter is really bad but trying his best lol

Not the Poetry Lesson ads 😭 sobbs why she gotta do him dirty like that sjdbsjdhj lmao

[nato-obenkrieger]

i hope all of my bmc mutuals think of me not only as your black suits mutual but as your slushpuppies and t4t riends mutual as well ❤️

[liquidstar]

a friend who'd wait :)

[risingsunresistance]

worms

[phonification]

every time i think a bit more about cobs and 3gs i can feel myself losing it a little bit more

[scattered-winter]

every day i kick a rock and bash my head into the wall because i'll never get to go on a big space adventure and become tightly close-knit with my new found family up there <//3

[lorephobic]

i know that im losing credibility by the second but if it’s any consolation know that i feel more insane than ive ever felt in my entire life and every time i think about it i feel sick my stomach

[intertexts]

ROS what is this cape thing ur reading (?) what is it i need 2 know. i am neck deep in cape media at this point i need more and it looks SO INTERESTING i would like 2 check it out...... probably after i get thru more of worm becuase holy shit there is So Much to worm it will certainly take me a while but i want 2 know what this is. fhr?? what does that stand for i want 2 KNOW!!!!!! i can be trusted with cape media i can be normal about it don't worry i can be trusted 👍 cape media good and normal for whiskey put whiskey in cape media soft and comfrtoable perfec t place for whiskey!!!!!!!!!

WHISKEYYYYY hiiii how's worm :3 i hope worms fun :333 i just started fallen hero: rebirth!! which is an interactive fiction novel that's like 6 bucks usd on steam & i have never heard of before today. looked at the steam description for 1 minute heard telepathic villain heard text based with no visual elements heard 380k words total & went ohhh yeah i need 2 read this <3 started it blind + got maybe 20 minutes into it tonight & its good shit!!!! wait a minute wheres my anime girl let's be annoying about cape media together image...

[alrunaaa]

s/ukuna self ship stuff based on the c/inderella stuff but it’s also foot stuff because im Normal about That

so for context i love the whole sukuna x cinderella ship bc i basically use it to cope with “jokingly” getting called cinderalla and also she is broke as fuck just like me for real. Anyways im, nawt beating the cinderella allegations. ok now that we have context on why I fw this so much we can continue…..

so the story of cinderella being about fitting the shoe and the prince personally holding her foot (tenderly) to fit the glass slipper on….

a prince sukuna (true form sukuna. Always true form. four arms two mouths everything) going to grab your foot and like. atp it’s Not even about the shoe fitting the foot right right. he goes to grab it (the foot) and he’s kneeling down and the foot is like. level with his stomach mouth. and the tongue goes to lick the foot before even trying on the shoe. the thing is that it can be a slight vore/cannibalism thing too (it’s sukuna) but him teasingly nibbling on it and grazing my foot with his teeth and it’s like mild foot worship too but he Has to let me know that He’s the one in control here even though He’s the one kneeling….. (does that even make a difference…. He’s so fucking huge………..)

and then to make it even worse for an introvert like me. throughout the entire thing he’s making eye contact like. He knows. He knows the shoe is gonna fit that’s why he’s taking his sweet sweet time if only to savor your reaction and watching you squirm beneath him….. also the power move of doing this in front of other people the possessive claim over it and *gets hit with a car*

and like yes he is at first gentle and tender with his hold on your ankle and heel like a classic prince/ruler would be however it moves onto his whole hand just wrapping around your ankle instead. your ankle looks so small in his hand and he idly wonders how much he would even have to tug to move your foot closer. and his nails also kind of dig into the skin when he tugs. he would challenge you to even try and pull or flinch away when you’re quite literally within his grasp. it’s like when a tiger has its teeth clenched around your throat but it has the discipline and control to not bite down and devour you. but you also know you just. Can’t move a fucking muscle!!! he’s playing footsies but note the cute kind and it’s fucking 5D chess

“…..sukuna please just put the shoe on”

“but I like you so much more without it on”

aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANJGRGJBJBEHONVDLNGELNFBNLFNKVDN

[ukkipeach]

THE MUPPET SERIES (2015) IS AN AMAZING HIDDEN GEM OF A SHOW THAT EVERYONE NEEDS TO WATCH.

Hello! If you don't know, the muppets had a mockumentary style TV show that aired on ABC in 2015. I watched it, and boy did I love it. The premise of the show is simple. The Muppets have moved on from the classic Muppet Telethon that we all know and love. They now run a late night talk show with Ms Piggy as the host, Kermit as the producer, Fozzie Bear as the warm up comedian before the show, and Rizzo, Pepe, and Gonzo as the writers. All other Muppets have office jobs around the studio. The show wastes no time letting us know that Ms Piggy and Kermit have (somewhat recently) broken up, and seem to be over each other. Piggy is focused on her show while Kermit is focused on running the show and his new girlfriend. (Who is also a pig, funnily enough.) The mockumentary style of the show allows for us to explore the characters and how they really feel about the people around them and the situations they find themselves in, which is VERY important because this show dives deep into Piggy and Kermit's relationship.

Now, this show has more mature humor. A lot of the jokes aren't really meant for kids. They don't go so far as to cuss, but you get the point. That's important for this show because it really helps the muppets feel like actual adults. They have jobs, relationships, cars, taxes, the issue of deciding where to go for lunch, etc. At some points you forget that they're muppets until you get to a scene where Fozzie Bear is driving a car and you realize how ridiculous it looks. Seeing the muppets in these very real and relatable situations makes for good humor that genuinely made me laugh many times. None of it felt too cheesy or corny. Mostly because it really does feel like a group of coworkers becoming friends, who are trying to fulfill their dreams, relationships, and selves all at the same time. It's just… so much fun. Their the muppets… what more can I say?

Aside from humor, the friendships and relationship dynamics are another highlight of this show. There are just SO MANY that the writers did right. Deadly and Piggy's relationship was especially funny and sweet to me. They both compliment each other extremely well. While Deadly is the realistic, dramatic and brutally honest type, Piggy is the flamboyant, dramatic, and over the top celebrity that Deadly constantly has to watch over and take care of. However, he doesn't always seem to hate it. Deadly has a genuine love and care for Piggy that he won't always admit to. He constantly has her back and is taking care of her every need. It's his job, but I don't think he'd ever want to do it for any other celebrity. Piggy doesn't always see how much he does for her, but when she does, she appreciates it and returns the favor when she can. I'd go more into it but then this post would be too long. There's also Kermit and Piggy, whose relationship is the focus of the show. They both start the show off as their worst selves. Kermit is hyper focused on the show and often disregards his coworkers and his own needs. He's a lot more focused on the job than even his own girlfriend at times. He's not super egotistical or rude, but he could stand to think more of others and their feelings sometimes. Piggy is even more egotistical and self absorbed though. She throws huge fits, is rude to every single coworker, yells at everyone, and is only nice when things are going her way. As the show goes on however, they both start to open up to those around them, realizing that if they prioritize those who are truly important to them and try to work better as a team, their coworkers and their show will be better for it.

Eventually, we get around to Piggy and Kermit reevaluating their own relationship and the way they feel about each other. I won't spoil how that goes for them but the drama between them is really good. If you, dear reader, only knew how emotionally invested I got in a pig and frog getting romantically together, you might be concerned.

I don't want to make too long of a post. Everything you've read so far was a huge impulse to write down some of my thoughts on this show. It may have come off as a shock to some people since I usually just post about gacha games, but this is me letting you know that this show captivated my heart so much that I had to write about it. Anywhere. I lay in my bed, typing away on my phone, thinking about the Muppets, and listening to The Rainbow Connection while imploring you to watch this show because it made me feel the way art is supposed to make you feel. You don't usually expect to find so much value in a dramatic story about love and relationships in a show about anthropomorphic puppets running a late night talk show, but it just might happen to you if you watch it. I hope I was able to articulate myself in a way that showed how strongly I feel about this show. This really is just a bunch of word vomit that hasn't been edited or proofread. If you did read all of it though, thank you. Hope you give the show a chance one day. It is 12:02am, so I'm going to go to sleep. I'll leave you with a clip from the show that showcases the humor, and the way the characters interact all in one.

https://youtu.be/nU2Ec5_3E2s?si=w4LQ6cxU6ilzrUjL

If you happen to be a Disney executive reading this, by all means, bring this post up to your coworkers and higher ups. Let them know that at least one person somewhere out in the world, loved your show about silly little Muppets so much, that they would like a renewal even 6-8 years later. However, if you do, let them know that this person doesn't want ANYTHING like 'Muppets NOW!' I specifically want The Muppets (The Series 2015) renewed for a second season. Late night talk shows are still relevant and the muppets can still host one. Get Bill Prady and his team back. I want the same heart and passion that went into that first season. While you're at it, get a good voice actor for Kermit. I'm sure the Muppets Now VA was doing his best but you guys can hire someone with a better Kermit voice. If you can't do this, don't bother. The show didn't have too bad of an ending anyways.

If you happen to be Bill Prady, thank you for this show. It was a fun and awesome time. If you ever do anything with the muppets again, I'd be excited to see it.