Andrei Babanin
Bio
Stories (19)
Filter by community
Glass Winter | Chapter X
When it became too much all Mal could do was retreat from the world, despite his high position within the commune. He could no longer cast his thoughts onto all that was beautiful, nor observe the darkness and all its frightful potential. No. He could only be.
By Andrei Babanin12 days ago in Chapters
Thoughts on Stranger Things 5
Recalling cultural zeitgeists like HBO's Game of Thrones or the BBC's Sherlock, especially their lacklustre final seasons, gave legitimate reason for audiences to apprehend the quality of Netflix's final run of the hit series Stranger Things, released in three volumes over the last two months of 2025. The sense of finality has been undeniably palpable, given the show's success and decade-long run. Fans wanted to experience a proper conclusion to a story many around the world have grown up with. And like Benioff and Weiss, or Moffat and Gatiss, Stranger Things' creators - the Duffers - have irrevocably and indisputably proven themselves to be... well... just another pair of hack writers.
By Andrei Babanin20 days ago in Geeks
2026 Hollywood: The Year of Frankensteined Franchises
A quick Google search on 2026 Western movie releases will provide one with a very curious list: The Odyssey, The Batman Part II, Blade, Masters of the Universe, The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender, Aladdin 2, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Scream 7, Fantastic Beasts 4 (really? another one?), Shrek 5, Toy Story 5, Jumanji 3 (which should be the fourth one, but people seem to have forgotten about Robin Williams' (R.I.P.) film), The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (what more of this franchise could there be to tell?), Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (people will only show up for Grogu), Spider-Man: Brand New Day...
By Andrei Babanin22 days ago in Geeks
Glass Winter | Chapter VIII
Under torchlight Palina could see all the layered veins of blue and green beneath the thin pearly skin of her hand. She brushed snow kernels off the surface of the ground surrounding the grease cradle, one of the many burning in the commune, and collected the powder into a tusk, which she handed to a builder making his way to the edge of the camp. The others remained to pocket the rest while Palina donned a mitten and proceeded to the cold corner, far from any flame.
By Andrei Babanin2 months ago in Fiction
Glass Winter | Chapter VII. Content Warning.
Figures materialised on a white horizon, some two hundred yards from the mouth of the cavern. From this distance it would be impossible to make out the trench wall of snow concealed by the blizzard, nor what lay behind it. By the time Sevt and company were seen and directed to the encampment the winds had shredded enough, and the huskies were too weak to stand. Quin had shielded Aurora behind his back from most of it while his own face bled, and Sevt suffered a similar, albeit graver, injury while leaping behind the rest with a shard of the wrecked punt as a cane.
By Andrei Babanin11 months ago in Chapters
Glass Winter | Chapter IV
Sevt insisted on moving quickly. Quinart believed they should at least take the victims down from their gallows. After searching the neighbouring houses for tools more reliable than a dirk, the two men set about cutting the nooses with bedding placed underneath for soft landing. An hour later saw all of the deceased arranged in the centre of the plaza. With no time for a burial, the company decided on cremation, using the bedding as kindling with Sevt’s light stick setting it all ablaze.
By Andrei Babaninabout a year ago in Chapters
Glass Winter | Chapter III. Content Warning.
Despite travelling together by sled for over two days, Quinart still only saw Sevt as a mystery. He might have already known everything there was to know about the man, perceiving his insolent grit and perseverance. And yet there was a secrecy about him. Quinart no longer dreamed of any tangible vision save for a timeless darkness between his waking hours, but he could not recall the dancing lights causing such distress as they now did for Sevt. His sleep would be restless, awaking with violence to wander beyond their resting site before returning to bed an hour later. Quinart might have better explained the prophetic disposition of dreams in a place like this. Probing Sevt the following morning on what had disturbed him so would only result in dismissive remarks.
By Andrei Babaninabout a year ago in Chapters
