#unthreaded

[parasafterdark]

Concept: What if Paras were Dragons?

[b3aches]

Hey. You. Stop scrolling.

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You can find lots of detailed information here: https://www.elections.virginia.gov/index.html

If you don't live in VA, go ahead and check out https://vote.gov for more information.

[parasafterdark]

a. why does squid game annoy u (if its not just vague bad vibes which is valid n relatable hahaha)

b. what r ur suggests for media w death games that u like 👀

Thank you for making me have this conversation in public instead of just circling the room rambling at imaginary people! :D

One Groundrule: This is all about Season 1. As I'm writing this I have seen what's available of S2 and I am totally normal about it! They took my Blorbo and put xym in the shows! ;_;

The thing is I only really have 3 notable gripes with "Squid Game" itself. Only one of which that really pisses me off, while the other two are more...hmmmm let's call it mixed.

For one, I do not care for the mass death aspect of many deathgames. It's great for shock and awe at the start, but imo if you have a set cast of players throughout then the second to last game shouldn't feature nameless fodder. It's clearly something the show does deliberately and it fits with the overarching theme, so I don't really fault it for it I just *shrug* sure whatever.

The thing I keep flip flopping about are the games and how much I like them. First watchthrough I found them kinda boring. Second I recognize how they play into the theme, but still found them meh. Third one now is after I started Hunting Grounds and opinions have gotten complicated!

Game 1+2 are great actually. "Red light/Green Light" is amazing shock and awe and "Dalgona" is really good for character work. No notes, I did not appreciate them enough.

Game 3+ 3.5 are mostly player reduction. There is also setup for some bit players and reinforcing the underdog theme. They are not bad per se (3.5 is pretty needed for other things) just...idk have fewer players to begin with.

Game 4 will rip your heart out. It's the one game I loved from the first time I saw it. Everything I love about this genre compressed into one challenge, it's fucking beautiful! One day I'm gonna figure out how to riff it into Hunting Grounds.

Game 5 is an absolute mess on every level. As a game, on the themes, where it is placed in the story, all of it bad. I get why it's here and why it is the way it is but oof does it not flow. Can't even think of a way of fixing it without doing major rewrites to everything around it.

Game 6. *deep sigh* Ok, rationally it's fine. There is a solid emotional core and it plays out in what I can recognize as devastatingly. Too bad I'm still angry at what happens right before we get here :)

This show is so lucky it's post games finale is pretty good.

[Spoiler]

Sae-byeok gets fridged purely so we can have a two man ex besties finale. There is nothing else to it. It doesn't really play into any themes and doesn't tell us anything about the other charas. She just dies in agony for no good reason. I hate it so much.

[/end Spoiler]

But yeah, if it was just that then this would be another show I would maybe rewatch occasionally but otherwise not think too much about. Alas this is not the context it exists in nowadays.

Tbh, I don't know if this is really a thing orjust another instance of tumblr pseudo philosophy, but: There is this notion of Capitalism co-opting it's critics and then marketing them back to you and Hooo boy is "Squid Game" the posterchild of all that.

That is not the Shows fault! It just happen to come out a the exact right time, with the exact right look to catch on with the right amount of people. After which some of the worst people got their hands on it and fucked it.

And I am not capable enough to not think about all that while watching.

During my first rewatch I kept thinking of all the Dalgona/Ikonography ASMR Slime and challenge videos that flooded Youtube for a while. This time through it was that + all the Beast Game reports. I wish I could enjoy "Squid Game" for what it is but the world is making that really annoying!

Anyway here is where this post would have ended if I hadn't noticed something while writing so instead we are now doing a detour to visit Grandpa! :D

At it's core "Battle Royale" is about the disposability of a vulnerable group in the eyes of society and how those People deal with that.

By attacking fellow victims in desperation. By fighting for what is precious to you. By giving up. By building community. By accepting the game and reveling at the carnage. By building a bomb to attack the people that put you here.

Yeah it's dated and janky in parts (especially the charas), but underneath that is a cause and depth that has aged exceptionally well! It shows that the genre lends itself so easily to systemic critique (to then get boiled down to just the spectacle).

"Squid Game" is about Besties being underdogs and if they're gonna make it through or not. That is what the story is interested in.

Sure there is also a scathing depiction of capitalist society and what it does to it's people....in the first 2 episodes and a bit at the end. It's a framing device. A really good one, but for the most part really just that.

I wish it was woven throughout the rest of the show in a more tangible way. But instead the story leans a lot more on it's characters and imo they aren't stable enough to carry that theme through.

For example Gi-hun has a background as a strike worker and the one time that comes up is a harrowing parallell. And then we go straight back to focusing on besties making it through as if this isn't something that should deeply reflect on the character.

I've seen this show 3 times now and I still can't tell you what Sang-woo's deal is. That's the second most important Player.

Meanwhile, even with all it's datedness, "Battle Royale" still manages to give it's evil Psychopath Stereotype enough Nuance that you get why he's here, doing what he does.

Because it focuses more on it's themes, groundworkand making those cohesive with the charas, "Battle Royale" stands the test of time in a way that I don't see "Squid Game" managing. Even if it weren't getting cannibalized as we speak.

I think that's the conclusion I'm coming to with this. There is a brilliance in "Squid Game" that you can clearly see! In the first 2 episodes, in Game 4, in Game 6 (even if I don't care), in the post games part.

And I want that to be more than maybe a third of the show!

[ninadove]

And now, back to our regularly scheduled Senticousins programming:

I unthread all the work I’ve done 🪡

“Do you remember,” they try, a rhetorical question, “how much my parents loved each other?”

“Adrien.”

“I know what you’re going to say. I know.” Something burns the corners of his eyes. “But it’s all Mum ever talked about.”

Or: five times Adrien searched for love, and one time...

[parasafterdark]

@funnier-as-a-daydreamer

in my room on a saturday evening talking to myself like this

[b3aches]

Hey folks, I guess I'm having a bit of trouble with sleep tonight. I need you to stop scrolling and do me a favour. It's a favour I have asked of you before, and I don't intend on stopping asking people to do it any time soon.

I need you to check your voter registration. For the state of Virginia, you can do that at the Citizen Portal on the Virginia Elections site.

If you aren't registered to vote and you're legally allowed to vote, I need you register to vote. For the state of Virginia, you can also do that using the Citizen Portal.

For the general election in the state of Virginia, you can register 22 days before the election, which is October 13th. The last day to request an absentee ballot is October 23rd.

Last day of in-person early voting is October 31st. The last day to postmark a mail-in ballot is November 3rd. You can find that information in the FAQ for voting absentee on the Virginia Elections website.

In a change from past years, any registered voter can vote absentee either by mail or by early in-person voting. No excuse is needed. Starting September 18th, you can visit your local registrar’s office or a satellite voting place in your county or city to vote early.

Be aware that the Saturday before Election Day is the last day to vote early. You can find out more information about voting by mail or voting early in-person on the Absentee voting section of the Virginia elections site.

I need you to make a plan for how you are going to vote, and I need you to implement it. I need you to talk with your friends and family members who are eligible to vote. I need you make sure that they check they are registered, and that they have a plan to go to the polls.

I know this is a cliche at this point, but this may be the most important election of your life so far. I mean that as literally as I can possibly mean that. So please make sure you are registered to vote, and that you've got a plan in place to make your voice heard.

[sea-star-13]

A drawing I made of Penelope during class

[parasafterdark]

Me: (temporary) Sexually transmitted diseases do not exist in my paracosm cause I'm not dealing with all these consequences

Also me: There are major implications and drama related to paras using/not using contraceptives during same Sex hookups

[daydreaming-memories]

This is why I'm doing something special for that character + para's creation anniversary

Be terrified or excited for feburary 5th!

@xolborsaysstuff

not to go all cringe on main but fictional characters have genuinely helped me through some of the worst shit in my life n i’ll forever be grateful to fiction for giving me comfort when i’ve needed it most

[grey-gravy-art]

Im living for the day that poly!Chen realizes that he now has TWO boyfriends who are just as obsessed with Hollow Ground as he feared

[tisslesu]

Haven't had the energy to read any new fanfics recently and I'm sad☹️

[mostlovedtragedy]

I’m not sure if anyone still follows me or my fic, but I’ll post it below for reference. I don’t have the emotional energy to write. Not after today’s results. I’m barely able to get through my day. All I want to do is sleep and cry. I’m sure I’ll feel better someday and start to update it again. I just don’t know when.

[vampishdyke]

half of sewing is cussing your machine out

[parasafterdark]

@funnier-as-a-daydreamer

he might be me

[yu3s]

** i think reading dungeon meshi and frieren and witch hat atelier at the same time does something irreversibleto you... .

[parasafterdark]

There is a special kind of torture when you find a piece of media that has all the vibes that you want for your paracosm

But the genre is slightly to the left