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→ inspirations
media (movies, games, shows etc) i like. generally light thoughts, but not necessarily spoiler-free.
the throughline is usually some kind of hope being offered at the end, taking various forms. i have grouped some of these pieces together, suggesting that if you like one, you should check out the other. like cheese and wine.
jacob's ladder (1990 movie), silent hill 2 (2001 game)
the latter is inspired by the former. grief permeates both, and in the grief horrible decisions are made. really, silent hill 2 might be the one game i recommend every person to play at some point in their life, regardless of personal taste. the scope of jacob's ladder is perhaps less universal, but it hits all the right notes for me personally, and also carried a message i desperately needed at the time.
the pain i felt from experiencing these stories was visceral and piercing to the point of clarity. be prepared to abandon every part of you that makes you "you".
twin peaks (1990 TV series), petscop (2017 youtube web series)
more mysterious offerings, but just as disjointed as the previous two. was pleasantly surprised to find that Tony Pressedyes found inspiration in David Lynch's work when he wrote Petscop; it brushes me the same way. esoteric clues, which i personally believe are not meant to be surgically dissected the way they are today, make up the charm of these series. cognizance (Realness) is shown differently between the protagonists of each story, but it is there, and their respective forensic-level obsessions of the situation at hand really captured me.
i personally hold Petscop above other similar ARGs for reasons i can't really put into good words. the writing, the authenticity of the acting, and visuals are really just bottles after bottles of lightning.
i loved Tony's writing and acting very much on Petscop, and no one could be more Dale Cooper than Kyle Maclachlan. twin peaks is far more of a soap opera than petscop, but in both, behind layers of abstraction is a brave, transformative motivation to continue forward as you are.
night in the woods (2017 game)
i finally got my hands on this game in 2020, when i had my first year of college at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. the themes of outgrowing your roots and not being able to move on from things struck a few chords with me at the time. i think about selmers' poems often. NITW really captured the simultaneous claustrophobia and comfort of staying in your childhood home.
yokohama kaidashi kikou (1998 manga, OVA)
currently part of my guiding philosophy (happy to be in a place where it is). in 2022 i had surgery and was bedridden for a few months. many friends had recommended this series to me so i watched the OVA in bed, and i don't think i could have watched it at a better time. it was a quiet appreciation of life that i loved so much, i try to practice it as well as i can. skies are bluer, clouds look fluffier... and people are warmer. these days, sometimes all i can think about is how much of a beautiful day it's going to be.