Nikt nie wierzy, że staje się już

☆ Hero/Folly ☆ ★ aro ★ ★ he/it ★ ✪ hybrishero on neocities ✪

[hero-is-back]

Randomly decided to fact check the veracity of this;

—and boy howdy have I fallen down a rabbit hole.

Firstly, it's not a definition from a dictionary but from the first/one of the first (depending on whether you consult the English or Polish Wikipedia) Polish encyclopaedias by Benedykt Chmielowski, titled Nowe Ateny*. Now, the pdf of this book I found was a whopping 498 pages, and I was hardly going to read the whole thing so I got out ctrl+f. Turns out there's a lot of Polish words that use the letters "kon" (the Polish word for horse is koń) so that was a no go. Instead I decided to go for "każdy", meaning everyone, hoping that would narrow things down. It did, to 19 instances.

And there I found it.

KOŃ

jaki jest, każdy widzi. (229)

Success! Now, this doesn't translate to everyone knows what a horse is, but it's close enough. In fact it might even be funnier, meaning "everyone can see what it is". Like, if you want to know what a horse is then look outside, genius.

But my journey with Nowe Ateny does not end there. Because the horse was not the only animal in the encyclopaedia, of course not, and it was only when looking at the full paragraphs attributed to every other animal, even equally benign ones like the goat** and mouse***, that the true comedic genius of this entry shines through.

I decided, while I was here, to read what Fr Chmielowski (he was a priest, of course) had to say about other animals, and oh man. What an absolute treat. It's difficult to pick a single funniest one, so I'd urge anyone with an inkling of Polish to check out this book, and those without to look for a translation if one is available. But a stand out for me is the first entry in this section, in this chapter of 130 creatures.

ARCHOPITECUS

Aka, the laziest of animals, the sloth.

Chmielowski details how slow moving the creature is, but we all knew that. What we don't know, what the real mystery is, is what the thing eats. Chmielowski regails;

"Jedni powiadają, iż żyje liściem z drzewa; drudzy, iż mrówkami, albo muchami; inni, iż samym posila się powietrzem,"[...] (227)

"Some say, it lives off leaves from trees; others off ants, or flies; others still that it sustains itself off of air"

When I first read this I cackled. We really were just throwing stuff at a wall and hoping it stuck. Hey, let's all throw our hats in the ring and just guess! There's no other way to know, it's 1746!

And the best part? It's not even the only animal to supposedly feast off of air!****

TLDR; the horse entry isn't even the funniest animal entry in Nowe Ateny, and this book rules.

*

Personally a huge fan of the text between Podzielona and Erigowana, which reads (roughly translated by me) "For the smart to memorise, for idiots to learn, for politicians to practice, for the melancholy to enjoy". Why don't more books have this written on the front? I'd love to know what I should get from a book depending on my course in life. Also this was absolutely an indicator for how the rest of this book would go.

** "śmierdzący rodzaj zwierząt, w Piśmie Świętym znaczą grzesznych i potępionych," [...] (230)

"a smelly kind of animal, in the Holy Text they represent the sinners and condemned"

Yikes man, what's with the hater energy! But hey, if you eat its liver you'll verily chase away blindness.

*** "choć podły zwierz i mały, ale wielkiej szkody czynicielka." [...] (233)

"although a vile and small beast, what great destruction she causes" (she, because czynicielk<a> is feminine, as are Polish mice)

**** THE CHAMELEON!!

"Nie kąsa, pyska me ma, tylko dziureczkę jak ziarno, którą powietrze w ciebie ciągnie i nim żyję." [...] (228)

"Doesn't bite, has no snout, only a tiny hole like a grain, with which it inhales air and lives off it."

REALLY?? The CHAMELEON?? You're telling me Mikołaj Radziwił saw three of these things in Jerusalem and no one saw them EAT?!

[jennfercheck]

the most horrific part of obsession is that it is an allegory for sexual assault and how it ultimately damns the victim and holds them responsible for what happened TO them. bear is nothing short of a rapist. he takes away nikki's autonomy completely and enjoys the "benefits" of what the wish grants him; unlimited access to nikki, her mind, and her body. a man can take advantage of a woman, rape her, and essentially hold her hostage, but he receives almost no social backlash and takes no accountability. nikki is the one left behind. nikki is the one people look at with furrowed brows. nikki is the one who leaves this situation with no friends, no support, and no one to believe her.

[skullvis]

**Major Spoilers for Obsession (2026)**

I think the thing that is the most disturbing to me about Obsession is just how quickly it becomes totally clear that Bear not only never loved Nikki, but that he never even liked her.

In the little time we spend with Nikki before she becomes possessed “freaky” Nikki, Obsession goes to great lengths to establish Nikki as a person.

In just the first 15 minutes of the film, we learn that Nikki loves writing, she’s laid back, and that she cares very deeply for others. We see that she’s funny, she likes to gently tease her friends and joke around. She has ambition and wants to pursue her writing seriously. She has her own goals and thoughts and opinions.

She’s also characterized very well by her wardrobe, how she talks, her body language and expressions (courtesy of Inde Navarrette’s absolutely STUNNING and brilliant performance).

In a VERY short amount of time, the audience is given a VERY clear picture of Nikki’s personality and usual behavior.

Which makes her “transition” into “Freaky” Nikki all the more horrific when Bear makes his wish.

Because even if we give Bear some grace, and acknowledge that he couldn’t have known that the One Wish Willow would do what it did, and even if we treat his kissing her on the first night she comes over as morally grey (although in my opinion he absolutely did take advantage of the fragile mental state he believed her to be in), there is no way to excuse Bear blatantly ignoring that Nikki changes so drastically from the person Bear claims to be in love with.

After the wish, Nikki starts speaking differently and using a higher pitched voice, she starts dressing completely differently and wearing more traditionally “feminine” clothing. She suddenly drops her plan to quit working at the music store and pursue writing, she stops showing any care towards her other friends and the people in her life. She defers to Bear in every situation, with the only exception being any time Bear shows any sign of moving away from her emotionally (or physically).

After the wish, Nikki becomes a completely different person.

And Bear does not care or show any concern regarding this at all.

Everything that makes Nikki who she is, everything that makes Nikki, Nikki, is just gone after Bear uses the One Wish Willow.

And Bear couldn’t be happier.

We get a whole montage of Bear and “Nikki” as a “happy couple” hanging out together and ignoring everyone around them.

It’s not until Bear starts seeing actual consequences to his wish, such as “Nikki” causing a scene on their date or feeding his dead cat to him, that he begins to worry about her behavior.

And even then—EVEN THEN!!!!—Bear STILL adamantly refuses to accept that Nikki is not behaving rationally or how she used to in any way. While he eventually acquiesces to canceling his wish, he first tries to just “alter” it to make it so Nikki still loves him, but is just less intense.

He would rather use “Nikki” to satisfy his own desires and ego.

If Bear loved Nikki, hell, if he even just LIKED her for who she is, he would be horrified by “freaky” Nikki. He would have recognized and acknowledge extremely early on in their relationship, that something was deeply wrong. He would know that the woman he was with was not Nikki.

But Bear would rather have a bootleg version of Nikki that he can feel validated by, than have an actual relationship of any kind with the real Nikki.

He does not love Nikki. He does not even like her.

He likes the idea of Nikki. He likes the image of Nikki that he’s constructed of her, the image of her that only exists in his head.

He likes the fantasy of what Nikki would provide to him emotionally and physically.

From the beginning of the film, Obsession shows us exactly who its villain is. Nothing that “Freaky” Nikki does horrifies me as much as Bear’s treatment of Nikki and his refusal to see her as an actual person with autonomy.

For me that’s the most disturbing element of Obsession. That the people you trust the most and care about may be so obsessed with the version of you they’ve created in their mind that they’ll actively ignore your personhood and autonomy.

God. Obsession is so fucking good. I love film. I love cinema. Thank you Inde Navarrette. Thank you Curry Barker. Film of the year, if god hates horror fans why do we keep winning.

[smilesbag]

i feel like people are overlooking the moment at the beginning of obsession where nikki straight up asks "do you like me?" and once bear lies and says no she replies "ok, good." for starters, it was a chilling moment to me because this is such a classic experience of having a close guy friend, only to realize that he wants more from you. girls aren't dumb! nikki isn't dumb! of course she knows that bear is into her, she has eyes! she can see his stuttering and sheepishness and she's just dreading the moment she has to turn him down, to tell him that he's like a brother to her. just before she had told him that she doesn't feel real love in her life, and i don't think it would be a leap to attribute a small part of that feeling to her fear that her friendship with bear isn't as simple as she wants it to be.

it's also a chilling question from nikki because once she walks away bear knows that she doesn't feel the same way about him, and he makes the wish anyway. he is incapable or unwilling to take a hint and see that she doesn't feel the same way. and that question is the last thing she says to him before he ruins her life forever. it's unfair.

[vampireistic]

i absolutely love how nikki is nearly always bathed in shadow (whether it’s fully in the dark or with a single light behind her with her as the faceless darkness). she’s quite literally become a shadow of her former self. no autonomy, no personal thoughts or emotions, just a carved image of what bear desired.

[dailyflicks]

I wish Nikki Freeman loved me more than anyone in the entire world.

OBSESSION (2026) dir. Curry Barker

[modernmusess]

i loved obsession’s emphasis on accountability and the fact that at every opportunity bear chooses to take none. he constantly chooses to absolve himself of blame, of consequences. he rejects ian’s implication that he’s taking advantage of nikki, he continually ignores nikki’s breaks where it’s clear she wants nothing to do with him— asking to be put out of her misery—and instead of feeling guilt or shame he’s offended. by the time he does start to feel guilty he passes that off too, blaming the people who sold the wish, and even his own misunderstanding, hiding behind his lack of ill-intention— nothing that he can be considered directly responsible for.

bear wants complete worship, a pet-like devotion, but not the responsibility that comes with it. he neglects his grandmothers cat resulting in its death, he wants nikki to be entirely dependent on him but can’t handle being that level of dependable for her. even in his method of breaking the wish, he can’t go through with it using the gun, and has to do it via pills-something more passive, because at his core bear is nothing more than a coward

[starvariety]

if i think too hard about nikki’s experience in Obsession i feel physically ill. imagine one second you’re just walking up to your house after a night out, and then the next, you’re looking out of your own body, but you’re not longer in control. you’re a prisoner to a terrible, unnatural version of yourself that only exists because of a choice someone else made. when you scream, nobody listens. when you claw your way out for long enough to explain that this isn’t you, nobody listens. when you beg the man who trapped you in this situation to put and end to it, to set your free, he just. doesn’t. listen. and then when you do finally regain control, all your friends are dead, and you are covered in their blood. because of a choice someone else made

[acefuruya]

I genuinely appreciate how obsession doesn't try to frame bear as morally grey but just fully leans into how deplorable he is. a lesser movie would have tried to give him redeeming moments along the way but no, at every single crossroads bear makes the wrong choice. when the customer service rep asks him if he wants to cancel his wish, he says no, and asks to alter it. when nikki, the real one, begs him to kill her, he asks her "if it would be so bad to love him", and right at the end, backs out of killing himself and tries to throw the pills up. he is the villain, not another victim, not a confused, cowardly boy, the villain.

[iamthesame-imthesame]

god listening to the obsession soundtrack and i cant stop thinking of the final scene and nikki.

nikki, oh god nikki who was partially aware of the curse and the thing thats overtaken her to be with bear, even though she sees him as a brother. to be forced to kill sarah, to have to kill ian, and unable to do anything but watch.

to watch bear– the one who did all of this, go into the bathroom with a gun, and maybe even as sick as the real nikki is of him, seeing bear, someone so much like a brother, go into that bathroom with a gun when everyone else is gone must have been terrifying.

and then not-nikki makes that wish, and bear comes out. maybe part of her is glad, for a fleeting moment, that she's not alone. she hates the wish he made, hates what he's done, and then he dies, too.

and suddenly she's back and alone. so alone, surrounded by the corpses of her friends. it's horrifying how terrified she would've felt in that moment, of the wish, of herself, of bear, of everything she did because of it. like oh god nikki. like oh my god. nikki. she's covered in blood , wearing sarah's clothes and tattoos and victim to a horrific loss of autonomy and control.

[shouts-into-the-void]

One thing about Obsession (2026) that I enjoyed was that it almost asks you to feel empathy for the entity possessing Nikki as well as the real one. Like, obviously the things she's doing are horrific and fucked up, but I think the scene where Bear is asking her to "just be Nikki!" and she eventually just desperatly screams "I can't be Nikki!" does a really good job of showcasing the entity's inner feelings. She's been created with the sole purpose of loving this guy more than anyone else but no matter how perfect it is or how much he claims to love her, its not her that he loves, its Nikki. And any time she stops pretending to be Nikki, he reacts (albeit rightfully) with disgust and horror. She can't be Nikki because Nikki would never love Bear, and so Bear will never love her.

[ofswordsandpens]

I need to see it again to pinpoint the details but I really like how the opening scene of obsession (2026) is Bear practicing his confession with a diner waitress... like already you have a woman (who is not Nikki) fulfilling the role for her, saying the response she thinks Bear would like to hear, but the moment this woman gives her own opinion, offering genuine advice to Bear (something along the lines of buying Nikki something she likes, like her favorite candy, flowers, etc)... Bear disregards it... but then ends up using Ian's recommendation from this same conversation (calling Nikki "Freaky Nikki")... like god its all already right there

[serendipitous-posts]

Just saw the interview where Curry Barker explained that it's totally possible to get a normal wish from the One Wish Willow, and I love the way they did that so much. The reason Obsession happened isn't because it's trying to twist Bear's desires into something evil. It's not even because he phrased his want wrong. Obsession happened because Bear got his hands on a magic item that could do anything in existence, and chose to force someone to fall in love with him, which is an inherently evil thing to do.

[purplemuskrat]

thinking about nikki's costuming in obsession.

thinking about the first outfit we see her in, with those giant stomping boots. might be wrong, but i don't think we ever see them again. we see sarah in (different) bigass platforms later on as she's discussing colleges. i read both footwear as independence, autonomy, thinking about the future.

and i'm also thinking about nikki's outfit during two important, early conversations. outside the door and in the restaurant, she's wearing off-the-shoulder tops. you can't really raise your arms in tops like that. can't give a high five, can't put something on the top shelf. can't fend for yourself. can't call for help. it's aesthetic confinement, enforced helplessness. she cannot do, or be, anything, without bear.

idk y'all it's a really good movie

[botccher]

probably gonna go through some weird and unknown phase of my life soon

[hero-is-back]

Just watched Obsession

[aziidaa]

the backrooms, inspired by teun hock “Untitled, 2000”