#..its ridiculous to say but yeah. i love monsters in the darkness thats connected to psychological horror

[the-kipsabian]

cougHS based on the tags in that last reply brings up the ideas: Nate gets nervous in the dark? Probably due to a whole ton of reasons so he always tries to stay awake and just, doesn’t turn the lights off. He’ll try to seek comfort if he’s just that out of it and that exhausted but he just needs someone there because the darkness is that nerving to him. He never really likes to sleep alone, (when he tries to sleep anyway.) i just want more stuff about these thingies aAA

LEMME JUST. my love for psychological horror that has to do with darkness is rearing its head heLLO DARKNESS MY OLD FRIEND

➭ you see. there is a reason why natemare only appears when its starting to get dark. its because he literally lurks for nate in the darkness➭ of course this doesnt mean hes physically there. but knowing how nate is and how big part of natemare is of his thought process and what hes created out of him, nate still. sees him there. the dark eyes. the grin. just the silhouette that makes nate think of himself but also hes right here oh my god what is happening

➭ unless he just straight up passes out of exhaustion, nate absolutely needs someone to be there with him for him to even consider sleeping. if hes alone, no, its just too much. the darkness will get him. and its not like, enough if you are in the same room. physical contact is required, the more the better

➭ light. there always needs to be light. at least one light source is required for nate to feel comfortable enough to relax and close his eyes. the more the better tbh. if anyone ever questions him about it, nate wont admit a thing. he just likes the lights that all

➭ nate doesnt have even nearly as much of a problem with darkness if hes in an open area. he can be outside at night time (also thankfully asagao is equipped with light posts), its the quiet dark rooms and limited spaces that make it that much more difficult for him. when you can see where your space ends, its much easier for him to start feeling trapped and let the mind run wild to make all the things in the darkness come to life➭ this is also much of why he never goes down to the underground tunnels alone, despite being a frequent visitor. its too dark and with just him and a flashlight he cant do it. nate always needs someone to be there with him

➭ you can tell hes getting nervous about the darkness if he thinks theres not enough light/company for him, when he starts to quietly sing or hum to himself. its his way to try to relief stress in the anxiety situation, but at the same time he might have. convinced himself once or twice at least that his voice is whats also bringing the shadow monsters to him, especially if hes alone

➭ all of this happens much, much more frequently at the end of september and during october, when natemare is happening tbh

[dafukdidiwatch]

As Above So Below

This somehow both scared and bored me at the same time

<Lots Of Major Spoilers>

Overview

: After years of searching, Treasure Hunter Scarlet finds a clue that would lead her to the fabled Philosopher's Stone somewhere in Paris. She gathers together a crew to find the stone in the catacombs of Paris, but there are other things that lurk down below.

I would consider myself a big time movie/tv person. Have I seen everything? No. Do I like watching anything? Yeah, I'll give it a chance. I like most genres.

Horror though, I have mixed feelings.

Now, I'm gonna be honest, it was hard trying to go into this movie open minded. I have a love/hate relationship with the Horror genre of movies. Older classics like John Carpenter's Thing, Alien, even Scream are movies I adore. But...modern horror movies are a pain to me. I hate how they use shortcuts to try and scare me with random ass Jump-scare for no purpose other than to scare me. It's ridiculous! I can call out when the jump-scares happen, and they Still scare me because of the freaking sound track!

Anyway. I felt it would be unfair for me to say how much I like/dislike the movie without mentioning my preferences. If you like the newer horror movies, awesome, you do you, but for me, its like one of those gatchapon machines where theres a 50/50,chance you'll like it or not.

With that out of the way, lets Actually start talking about the movie.

The movie is shot in Found Footage style and that already added a tally against it in the 1st minute. I am not a fan of found footage. I know that it's popular to make it cheap and personal, but it makes it so hard to follow what is going on. When they are being chased or attacked, I don't know whats happening! Its too dark to tell, the camera is jostling around making me slightly nauseous, and if it does show something, its only for like 5 seconds unless it is stupidly close! There were parts that felt more like watching a Let's Play of a 1st person horror game. Run Run Run, Punch Monster, Run.

It is due to this 1st Person view that, not gonna lie, I barely followed how they got into the catacombs in the first place. Scarlett was in Iran...then she went to France, then...a church to pick up a reverse vandalizer, club, tunnel, catacombs. I can remember the place order, but like hell can I remember what exactly they were saying. All of that took 30 minutes and I was bored out of my mind. And the things that I do remember, they just sort of randomly popped up? Like, they were discussing on whether to jump into the hole

There are parts of the movie that I think was their attempts to build atmosphere, but sort of came out of left field. They say a pale woman walk away from a club: ok. They see her...directing the creepy ass ghost choir?? No idea what that was about. Then They ran into statues that just....came to life to bite at them??? This,was Never Mentioned as potential threats anywhere, it was as if the movie decided it needs random encounters to fill the climax, which is a shame because the tension in this in the middle was really good.

In the middle, when they are Finally going underground to when things got fucked, had a good tense build up. Showing landmarkers that shouldn't be on their route later on. Local lore of "don’t go down the cursed tunnel" (PSA: If the locals say don't do something, don't do it). They get trapped trying to crawl through a pile of bones. Now that part wasn't scary, but was Very Uncomfortable, especially if you have claustrophobia. They have just...random ass things appear like a Piano and Phone which, these people are dumbasses for thinking those things are natural to be there, but does add a good "what the hell" moment that just pikes on. I thought they might go the whole "vague supernatural tunnel turning tricks and getting them to turn on each other" route instead of "slowing pick one off one by one" type. And maybe that’s what they were trying to have, but it was still random monsters popping out to attack so... c'est la vie. 

Another thing I take issue with is part of the lore they use for the Philosophers stone. First, they use the legends and work of alchemists. And that’s pretty cool. Like mystical National Treasure, unlock secret symbols and solve chemical problems. There was a part where they had to figure out the number of celestial planets in the sky based on what century the stone came from since it kept changing over the years, that part was pretty clever. I didn’t know the information, but i appreciated the history.

But they just add random bits from around the world to be like "ooh they connected" like, ok. They have alchemist lore, 14th century Flamel. Makes sense. Then they add a mummy of a crusades guy. I don't know which crusades, but it doesn't matter since he was used more as a prop than plot device. Hell it might be Flamel himself, I don’t know. Then they throw...Ancient Egypt....Sure. Why not. Alchemists could go to Egypt to learn then stick hieroglyphics and traps in the french catacombs. Given how I don't know anything about alchemists history, I'll go with it.

What I WONT accept is them calling Dante's Inferno Mythology! That is Bullshit! I call BullShit! That! Is where I DRAW THE LINE!!

Because they carved "abandon all hope he who enter here" into the tunnel wall when things turned batshit and thats where i gave up on the lore.

Dante's Divine Comedy is not a myth! It is a poem! A poem written by Dante about Christain ideology of what heaven and hell is like! But the movie doesn't give a shit. The line just sounds cool to have as they go deeper into the tunnels!

If they just went with Dante references and alchemist lore, I would have been fine there. The main reason I got angry at that part with Scarrlet saying about "Dantes myth" is that she knows like 5 languages + 2 dead ones, all this backstory and alchemist stuff, and she doesn't know that inferno was a poem? Yes, part of that is semantics and technicalities, but it sort of pulled me out of the world a bit. Because at that point, it felt like they were picking and choosing lore to fit in because it sounded cool. Have an egyptian trap! Why? Because it was cool! Have hieroglyphic puzzle to find the stone? Sure, don’t know why it’s in France but whatever!  I dont know. It threw me off because it felt like they were adding too much, which is a shame because some of the Dante references like traveling through a pool of blood was really good.

I don't get the visions. I really don't. Like...random pianos and telephones just appear on level one of their journey, that calls out to their memory. Which is...bizzare. Especially since they actually touch the freaking things. Like, don't touch the childhood piano! It will make things worse! Seriously! White people!

You later learn that the visions come from their sins (like the one and only tormented sin they got) and it is only when I googled the end of the movie did I learn that they have to acknowledge their sins or die. Which if you have to google the movie to understand the message, the message didn't go through. And opens up to more questions.

Because there were other people that died that didn't get to see their sin visions. George and Scarlett got taunted with pianos and objects since the 1st floor. What about Benji? He was followed by the creepy ghost choir and fell down a hole. Tell me what sin that means. Do They....all have sins, or did the vague demons here have to kill off the innocent ones first before putting the focus on the true targets?

And Scarlett finding out that the power was in her all along? What? Did she...consume the power? Was it transferred? Did she have it since she was born? Does she still have it? It felt like a bad moment to throw in a self esteem psa in this movie.

I will give the movie credit though, i liked how they were forced to go down to get out. When everything turns to shit and they have to do the same things they did but in reverse order, but still forced to go down, that was good. It adds to the tension of "holy fuck how are they gonna get out is this even the right path?" And that last scene with the manhole, gorgeous. Really truly gorgeous. It just shakes you to the core with what you are seeing.

But Overall.....yeah did not like this movie. Wasn't a fan of shakey cam. Wasn’t a fan of the "gotcha" jump scares. The movie felt a little more uncomfortable than scary to me with the claustrophobia. There were a bunch of times where I had to check how long was left in the movie because I was really bored with what was happening. I did like the use of alchemist lore, the Egyptian trap scene, and the end scene, but just wished they stuck to one part than try to mash up different myths to fit.

And if they wanted to stick with Dante, fine. Apparently this entire movie was an allegory of Dantes inferno. (Thanks google) But while i can appreciate looking back on it in hindsight, it doesn't change the fact that I really didn't "get" the symbolic nature of what they were trying to do in the initial watch. Maybe if I rewatch it I would appreciate it more, but I would just skip like half the movie to the actual cave exploring part because I am not sitting through the full thing again. 

If you like horror movies with historic flair, this might be for you. But its not my cup of gatorade.

[mywaywardcupcake]

is this a meme?? why must you... like Jounouchi so much? (... *whispers* i just wanna hear ppl talk about how terri-wonderful my fave is srry thx)

You have come to the right place, my friend. (Psssst thats me, swinging in to provide all Jounouchi loving needs)

Now, where do I start with Jounouchi and how he is just the greatest. 

(Everything is going to be under a cut, because apparently I can’t just give a brief summary of all the ways I love Jounouchi. Actually this is a brief summary, it could’ve been longer. I have problems, it’s ok.)

First things first, lets talk about how this boy never gives up, shall we?

Ok, lets talk about the Marik vs Jounouchi duel, since it is the one that is freshest on my mind. First off, lets talk about the first image. Atem/Yugi (whatever) is talking about Jounouchi and his road through battle city and his path to become a “True Duelist.” And I just want to talk about how friggin true all this is. While we have been shown the “duelist pride” of Atem, Kaiba, and even Mai, I think it should be pointed out how much Jounouchi really encompasses the other two that are stated. He has so much spirit. This boy is a damn fighter. He gets excited, he actually true LOVES dueling! He has so much passion and spirit that just shows through his dueling, its beautiful. Also, his strength! This boy can take a hit (metaphorically and actually physically) and just keep going. He will NOT stay down. If he has someone or something worth fighting, nothing will keep him out. I mean this fantastic boy made it to the semi-finals as the only duelist who was not wielding a God card!! This leads into  the other two pictures. 

The next one is him being in a really horrible situation. He is surrounded by Lava, every single on of his monsters has a torture device on it that he can feel, he’s trapped in a cage, things are just not looking up for him. His friends are trying so damn hard to stay encouraging, but even they aren’t sure there is a way out. Anyone would lose faith in winning, you can’t blame them. Especially if they had been getting consistently tortured throughout the entire thing. But this boy, this friggin fantastic boy, just thinks “I made a promise to Yugi” and doesn’t give up! He puts all of his faith into his cards and what he knows he can do! His stubbornness and will power is just so damn amazing. Now, to the last picture.

Jounouchi has just been attacked by the Winged Dragon Ra! He should be dead. There should be nothing left of him. But here he is, standing (he’s on his knees but I’m counting this as standing) and ready for his turn. Everyone is so shocked and happy! Atem calls Jounouchi a Hero. Kaiba is so damn shocked, he says “Did he beat God?” The best part of all of this though is Dark Marik’s reaction. He is straight up scared. This boy, who has no connection to Ancient Egypt, who doesn’t own a millennium item, or a Egyptian God card. This amazing, amazing boy had more willpower, more strength than God. He wasn’t going to die, not here. Not while Mai and Yugi were counting on him. I know in one page he does actually die (#stillnotoverit) but even then, he has the defiance and willpower to bring himself back. This boy will not give up!

Man, this right here is the #1 reason Jounouchi friggin Katsuya is my favorite character out of every single show, book, movie, etc that I have ever gotten into. I remember when I was a kid and just loving this character because he was so damn excited about things. He had so much determination. He had so many, many things that could bring him down, but he didn’t let it get to him. He always stood back up, ready to fight. I think its great to see a character that will fight against all odds, not always win, but never let that keep him down. Maybe its not realistic, but damn if that isn’t the type of thing you need to see every now and again. As a kid (and even now as a full fledged adult) I love seeing this, this not being the best at something, but seeing a character work their ass off to get better. To actually see that improvement, as opposed to Kaiba and Atem, who are just great from the start. I just aaaaaahh, I just love it. 

Now lets dive into why he is the best because Holy Hell does he love and care for his friends!!

(Warning, theres a ton of examples because of course I couldn’t just choose one or two!!)

Ok, first off. Apologies for the fact that I obviously couldn’t just choose two examples, and also the fact that I couldn’t choose smaller images. This is going to be so friggin long. 

This fantastic boy just really, really cares about his friends (note the examples of aggressively caring about what’s going on with Yugi). He was willing to be expelled from school for Honda (Yugi was too, I should probably note that). He was willing to take a hit from Ra because he could not stand there and watch Mai get killed. He was not going to let that happen. Even though he’s known as a rumor spreader at the school, there was no way in hell he would jeopardize Anzu’s chances of becoming a dancer. This boy uses himself as bait to help his friends escape zombie Professor. Then, after almost falling to his death, Jounouchi climbs up and uses himself as a balance to save Anzu, without question. He still has the zombie professor after him. He doesn’t even consider first trying to get himself to safety. This boy sees his friends and danger and there is absolutely nothing else on his mind. Though, I can totally see this as an issue because this boy seems to think very little of self preservation, but thats a whole different essay to write.

Jounouchi loves his friends, he would literally die for them. You mess with any of them and you’re looking for a beating. Jounouchi can’t bare to see anyone in pain or feeling down on themselves. Hell, he’s helped complete strangers before because he doesn’t want to see them upset or hurt. This way of thinking has kicked him in the butt a few times, but what I love is that he doesn’t let this change this about himself. Yes, he’s trusted people he shouldn’t have (the duel disk kid), he’s gotten severely injured because some did something to someone he cares about (for example, getting electrocuted almost to death because some dick punched Yugi in the face and he wouldn’t stand for that). Does he ever change this about himself though? No, because he truly believes in people and also in his friends. He knows his friends will always have his back, they have helped him in so many ways (getting out of a gang, loving himself, etc) that he is going to return that love ten fold. Honestly, when I think of Jounouchi I think of a very specific quote.

“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people in halves. It is not my nature” - Jane Austen.

Now onward to other reasons to love Jounouchi!!!! (before I get stuck on this specific one)

Reason 800,000 on why I love Jounouchi. This boy has a past and has done bad things.

Wait what? Is this a reason to love someone? Yes, yes it is. For me anyway. The reason I love this part of him is because, just look at the series. Look at how much he has moved past the truly bad parts of him but, also in a way embraced them. 

Jounouchi was in a gang. This is one of the things that the anime leaves out, but its such an important part of him I think. Jounouchi was in a friggin gang. He can easily break into places. He used to fight all of the time, and was so good at it that people were actually scared of him. He had a record, he was almost sent to juvie. This boy wasn’t a sweetheart. He wasn’t a “good guy.” He’s made mistakes, most of which we never even hear about. He did not like himself or the things he has done.

But then you see this boy just owning that shit. Yeah he used to fight in gangs, but look at him using this and turning his passion into something good. He helps others out. He defends anyone that needs help. He uses this anger he feels on the inside and puts it into his dueling abilities. He will not be kept down because of his past. Its there, its bloody, its dark, but its his. It is his past and he’s ok with it. He’s accepted the things he can’t change and used them as a way to build his own future. 

Also, I feel like showing this part of him really puts him into a more real light. It shows how nobody is perfect and that’s ok. People due bad things, its sad, it can be ugly, but this is a part of life and growing up. Sometimes you can’t always get away from your choices in life, you just have to learn to live with them and try to find a way to grow from them. I feel like Jounouchi does just that. 

Final Reason(s) (Though not the last reason but this is getting long) I love this boy because he is funny, a great big brother, perverted, and terrified of the supernatural.

Ok so the final reason is actually four reasons that could’ve been entire paragraphs on their own. I’m also going to try really hard not to include pictures because you know, lets try to stay simple on this ask shall we? (ha!!!)

So ok, we all know this boy is one of the funniest characters in the series. Anime Dub Joey has the best jokes (Honestly I think he’s up their with Kaiba with the best sass in the dub.) He makes me laugh so much. 

He’s an amazing big brother. He worked his ass off to get that prize money for his sister’s surgery. He constantly worked to make sure he was someone that his sister could look up to and admire. He would do anything for his sister. I could go one, but again, this is getting ridiculously long.

He’s perverted. I honestly have a specific moment I’m thinking of but couldn’t find the example. Long story short, its the one where when Yugi says that he was busy last night, Jounouchi automatically takes it the wrong way. This is why I love him because he has a dirty mind and it stems back to him being hilarious (plus I have a dirty mind, I always take things the wrong way so I can relate).

This boy is absolutely terrified of the supernatural. He has played shadow games. He has been almost killed more times than I can count. He has been trapped with a serial killer. He is a gangster. But, show him anything to do with ghosts or the occult and he will started screaming (and has passed out at least twice because of these things). Give him knife fights any day. I think the best part of this is, one of his best friends is a ghost. Again, these last few things are just little things that makes him great and honestly relatable.

Well, theres that! This is just a small portion of my unyielding love for Jounouchi Katsuya. I could honestly write more. I could write entire papers on the greatness of him being scared of the supernatural, what the best parts of him being funny, his amazing love for his friends and sister. But, I think this has gone on long enough. I just really love this character. I think he’s relatable, he’s good, he brings the show/manga to life and i just aaaaagghhh I just really love him, ok?!?!