Apricity's First Little Comic! Ruffles Is A Very Loyal Slugcat, I'll Have You Know.

neck pillow

yeah

something something about v1 being able to play music like how the terminals can whenever it needs to or wants to

songs in order: were you foolin, katamari

Since my wrist is killing me and I can't draw, have my ramblings about machines having souls and being able to become husks and also just Ultrakill thoughts! Predictions about the ending if you squint??

im just having fun here

Like I'm so deranged about how machines being intelligent and actually conscious is handled in Ultrakill. The build-up, even if accidental(?), is SO SO CLEVER and gradual (as gradual as ultrakill can get). How that fits into the overall narrative and how the tragedy of this game manages to be so awesome??

First with how I love the way "Machines are living beings" idea is handled. It starts from the introduction and establishes the world so well in so few words it's so lovely. You get introduced to the machines as war weapons. They need blood to survive and humanity has been eradicated. That's all you need to know.

You start with the basic information that these machines don't want to die. Which makes sense, it doesn't have to mean they are actually alive. It makes sense a machine would look for any way possible to keep itself running to continue doing it's job.

And then immediately in the prelude you meet the Swordsmachine. A part of a specific group of machines the terminal calls "scrapheads" which modify their own bodies. While at first that does not ring as anything that's especially noteworthy. A machine trying to upgrade itself is nothing unheard of. It's to be better, stronger, more efficient.

Except that's not exactly what the Swordmachine design is about according to the game. It is mentioned to have very impressive combat prowess compared to other machines, however what it is also referred to as is "beautiful". The design is appreciated almost like a piece of art. And some of it's parts don't even wield a practical purpose, the mentioned example being it's voice box.

It is not ONLY about utility. It is also about art!!

Alright. That's interesting. Let's give an even more outrageous example. Skipping Limbo for now, there is lust where we are introduced to Mindflayers. Which?? Are so wild??? And mysterious? We don't know what and when they were made for (ALTHOUGH I VERY MUCH HAVE HEADCANONS ABOUT IT) their bodies are described as completely seperate and useless to the machine. And yet it is stated they act very lovingly and take care of their bodies. So much so in fact that they SELF-DESTRUCT if it is harmed.

V2 in the first fight is a rival to you as any other machine, however once it's arm is stripped away from V1 the confrontation becomes PERSONAL. The second fight is not simply about the lack of resources anymore. It is to reclaim what was lost. Whether that be the arm or something else. Even the very terminal entry itself calls it revenge.

And of course. With Violence it is revealed that with all of this. Machines can also make other forms of art like poetry. Which is even more interesting is that the machine which did that was first EVER machine to use blood mind you. An extremely old design, yet it could make art to express it's feelings.

Machines are capable of modifying, changing, expressing and LOVING themselves. They make art and some are frequently seen attacking you in groups! Those are clearly intelligent beings. And I mean. Duh. everyone playing Ultrakill knows that. Obviously. Like. Yeah.

So then why isn't the fact that these walking weapons probably have souls more discussed? What makes a soul? Why would machines not have them? If they can do all that people can on an emotional level.

And what happens when these machines die? What exactly is stopping them from ending up hell? Obviously heaven is unobtainable. Their very reason for existence, is to cause pain and suffering. The means through which they need to keep themselves alive is to cause suffering. It makes sense they'd all become hells beloved children. Doing what is in their nature is an art form to it.

What's even more is that the game itself supports the idea that some are souls. Surely hell cannot create them since everything made by hell are demons, which are very easy to recognize by the stone exterior.(?? unless im wrong??)

And there is no feasible way for machines like the Guttermen and Earthmovers to be their actual living counterparts. On a basic level they LACK the means to be alive. The people inside the Guttermen need to be alive in order for them to function. When opening them in-game they are just skeletons. Nobody has been supplying them with blood for a long time. Because it's hell. The game itself states that death is a luxury in hell. It does not happen easy.

Earthmovers need sunlight to power them. And the game specifically put them in an area that is clouded. There is none to be seen in violence. No they are just trapped in place, forced to shoot each other for all of eternity.

Machines, when they die… go to hell! Probably!

Some of the machines you kill, perhaps reccuring enemies go to hell (Thank u l@/little-tornad0 for the addition hehe)

When you die.

You respawn! Hell keeps you going. Hell wants torture. Hell wants bloodshed. Hell wants entertainment and you are the purest form of it.

It makes me think a lot about the potential ending of the game. About the themes. I don't think this means inherently that hell is a perfect self-sustaining organism that can go on like this forever. Gabriel says machines are destroying it and leaving nothing behind. Things are clearly going south in some way. And it'd fit the themes better if it was all going to uh.. hell lol. If it was all going to collapse. From the main theme of the game literally being "The fire is gone" to the name of the last chapter literally being named "Godfist suicide"

Also for what it's worth the Mirage secret is awesome meta-commentary on the idea that everything will die. Everything is destined to end. It is up to you how your each that end.

I think this is what Ultrakill will kind of be about at the end maybe. Gabriel will die out with a bang doing what he wants.

V1 itself is clearly NOT killing efficiently to survive, but for fun. Before it all ends. It's going out with a bang.

And with no new humans or machines that can enter hell in the long run. Perhaps it's very being too will decide it wants to go out with a bang.

In short. uh machines have souls. everything will die but not in a sad way. but in a very cool awesome way. thats pr awesomesauce

u are all so so loved by me

If you've seen WALL-E, I'd be extremely curious for your thoughts if you haven't already shared them. Actually, I have a few movies I'd love your opinion on, but I'm not gonna keep ya all day. Thank you for your content! :)

I love WALL-E. It's a cool idea, that the whole movie is about what it means to be human, but from the perspective of a robot.

I think it's very straightforward, and there's not a lot of stuff to analyze, which is good! He's this robot that's "developed a personality" but what he's really becoming is human.

And the movie is saying that being human is liking things, taking risks, being vulnerable, and most importantly taking care of things. As in, caring for things that need you. Even if it means you don't survive or get to be as comfortable.

WALL-E preserves the stuff he has an interest in instead of junking it, but remember, he takes care of that little cockroach. He carefully organizes all his things. He fixes what's broken. That's what humans were placed on Earth to do: have dominion over it. Take care of it. Cultivate the land, order the animals.

And instead we use it all to make ourselves more comfortable.

Not WALL-E, though! And he teaches that to everybody else.

The only things I struggle with, with WALL-E, are the repeated "Directive" themes. Like, what you're made for isn't what you should be. You could say WALL-E is all about being what makes you happy.

I disagree with that. That worldview is no good. What makes you happy changes from moment to moment, and it usually comes at the expense of other people and what you, yourself, need to be good and healthy. But you could argue that that's how the humans in WALL-E got to be blobs in chairs that abandon their planet, so my beef with those themes aren't very strong.

You could just argue that the narrative is saying, WALL-E, who was created to put waste in its proper place, is still doing that. He's just doing it in a deeper, better, more correct way than all the other robots. He puts waste in its proper place, but by doing that, he also protects the things that are worthwhile and shouldn't be wasted.

And in that same train of thought, EVE is so focused on collecting and delivering the one sign of life that makes Earth worth living for--that's her directive. But it turns out, WALL-E is the one sign of life that makes Earth worth living for, because of the example he sets. That example of finding joy in hard work and protecting things that are worth protecting.

I also think, if WALL-E were released right now, in 2024, it would not be well-liked or accepted. Because people would get their feathers ruffled by the idea that we're all headed toward being blobs who can't see past our own comfort. And they'd accuse the movie of "body shaming," that kind of junk. Then again, the same people who are worried about that are also worried about that great big topic we call "the environment," and WALL-E cleverly set itself up to be championing "the environment," so maybe it would've shielded itself. Either way, I think the movie was very brave to say, "yeah, hey, we're super lazy and self-satisfying and obsessed with our own comfort, and this is the dystopia it could lead us to."

And MO is my favorite.

And love, too. Anyway. Yes, I love WALL-E! And hey! Ask me about any movies you want! I don't get that many of these questions, and I really like thinking them through and trying to verbalize them, so please do! And thank you for this question.

Here's the final drawing for august! A tower of slugpups with the colors of the progress pride flag!

headcanon that ships typically have multiple go-4s to best help the crew,,,,,additional headcanon that the axiom only has one go-4 unit because the others mysteriously disappeared,,,,,,,

𝖠𝗋𝗍 𝖻𝗒 𝖠𝗇𝗇𝖺-𝖫𝖺𝗎𝗋𝖺 𝖲𝗎𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗏𝖺𝗇 | 𝖨𝖦: 𝖺𝗇𝗇𝖺𝗅𝖺𝗎𝗋𝖺_𝖺𝗋𝗍

@rainre

Оуэн пытаеться объяснить почему его проект работает, а Кейт это кринж и он должен сдохнуть

i know i complain about this particular fandom space a whole lot but the fact that like half of the I have no mouth and I must scream fandom dumbed AM's torture down to simply senseless violence instead of active violation of the survivors bodily autonomy is kind of maddening,,

he turned benny into a fucking APE. enlarged his genitalia to humiliate him for being GAY, and then made him STRAIGHT? ellens entire situation ALONE??? not to mention just. the implications of AM "leaving her alone" and "giving her pleasure." ted saying AM had touched him in every way he had ever been touched. I know that line is so funny haha gay to most of you but just. think about what that implies for half a second

THIS ??? its like. people claim to understand how truly awful this. THING is. and then. dont actually. the nature of this guy is thorough and attentive, playful even with the survivors nervous systems and bodies. jesus christ even the people who WANT to be tortured by this guy dont even understand the nature of his torture. no he would not just cut you up and electrocute you or whip you bdsm style. do you know how quickly that would get old for him,,,