#WHY THIS HAS TO BE SO SCARY? first time experiencing the horrors 'in real time' 😬

[sarcasmchandlerbing]

Now Stars and Leafs has to do what Panthers and Hurricanes did together (all of these are my fave teams), either win or lose together! Why this had to get to this point? Why this had to get to the point of being so scary and exciting at the same time?? Stars and Leafs - show your twin powers! Beat Bruins and Knights! Please! Actually, I would be fine if only one of my faves wins but twinning would be much better! C'mon! Go Stars! 💚 Go Leafs! 💙 GOOD LUCK! GO GOALIES! SHUTOUTS AND LOTS OF HAPPINESS TO YOUR WAY STARS AND LEAFS!!!! 💚💙💚💙

[katapotato55]

How to write good horror.

1- DON'T EXPLAIN WHAT THE HORROR IS. DON'T EXPLAIN ANYTHING. no context = more scary. "oh but it is just a ghost- " YES. you know that, I know that, but things are way more scary if you don't explain it. let your audience scare themselves trying to figure it out! the first FNAF game didn't explain anything it was just "ok these machines are kind aggro". that is part of what made it popular! (And truthfully this reason is why i dislike the other games in the series) i can't name how many horror movies i immediately lost interest in because it was explained. "oh no! there is blood dripping from the walls! " its demons or ghosts or whatever. you explained it. it isn't scary now that you explained the joke. if you have to explain what it is, explain it at the END of the story or near the climax at best. (or better yet, don't explain at all) 2- restraint is key i know it is tempting to show organs and blood dripping from the walls and someone eating out a corpse or whatever but don't outright show that kind of stuff ALL THE TIME or else your audience becomes desensitized to it, and if horror fans are reading/watching your work, chances are they are going to think this is weaksauce. you need to be SUBTLE when building up suspense in your story. don't show the real scary bits until the end of the buildup/ 3- normalicy and familiarity is key i am going to use bugsnax as an example. bugsnax has no gore and can be considered child friendly, but what made bugsnax scare people is that it has the facaude of a cutesy little game. doki doki lit club has a simmular principle where its like a normal dating sim but you are caught off guard and things feel off. this is a valuable tool. 4- be original and understand why the more popular ones are popular in the first place everyone has done analogue horror. why ? because we are all so used to modern technology that older televisions and tech seem kinda creepy. Blue_channel by gooseworks is one of my favorites. It gets right to the point, and while it DOES explain what the product is, it doesn't go "oooh death and scary!!! oooooooh!" it lets the audience make up their own horrifying reason as to what is happening here. saying "oooooooh look murder your parents ooooh!" isn't scary, and putting a glitchy tv filter over it isn't going to make it more scary. and finally 5- describe the unfamiliar i know i just said familiarity is key but that is only 1/2 of the equation. Everywhere at the end of time depicts the sounds of memory degrading in an alzheimers patients. this is an experience that no one could relate to except for those who are experiencing it (and sadly, those people are either dead or mentally comatose) this is also why lovecraft horror is loved, because we can only imagine so much before the lack of understanding drives you insane. hope this helps, for the love of all that is good, please stop writing bad horror.



[bloodismymedium]

I love The Painter so fucking much because it was the first analog horror series that genuinely frightened me, not spooked or even scared, but actually chilled me to my bones and filled me with this profound feeling of dread that I’ve never felt before in regards to analog horror or creepypasta. Every episode escalates the kinds of feelings that Spook intended with this series in me such as terror, revulsion and shock but it also gave me this unique, almost existential dread that I don’t think many other people who’ve watched it felt and the reason why is that this was the first analog horror that felt just so real to me.

I adore The Painter for how grounded and fresh it feels. It was the first analog horror series (that I know of at least) that didn’t revolve around anything particularly supernatural or out there like demons or possessed animatronics, it’s about an incredibly violent and depraved serial killer who does terrible things to innocent people, which you know, is a thing that actually exists and happens all the time in real life and the series is definitely not afraid to make you confront these real horrors.

I love supernatural elements and monsters in horror but I love them because I think their freaking cool rather than scary but people, human beings, that’s what your really supposed to be afraid of, because they can actually hurt you and UrbanSpook’s The Painter reminded me of that. I distinctly remember becoming super paranoid after watching the first couple episodes for the first time, thinking there was someone walking around outside my house tapping at my window when it was just the wind, and I was NEVER that jumpy before.

Mona is a very real kind of evil and most people who use the series’ shocking content as a point of criticism come off as ignorant to me because they are clearly missing the entire point of the series, it’s basically a documentary about a pair of violent serial killers who do terrible things, things that again, while exaggerated since that’s par for the course in the horror genre, are very possible and aren’t too far off from what real life serial killers have done which is why it works SO WELL for me.

I understand why people would find stuff like Fucktoy Cory and Jigsaw Baby to be incredibly tasteless, because yes it is but that’s the entire point, this series clearly wears it extreme horror and exploitation horror inspirations on it’s sleeves and I don’t think it’s fair to measure it’s value as a horror series because it has content that makes you feel uncomfortable.

Spook’s art is obviously another huge component as to why this series is so, so, SO good and I contest that it’s not just pointless gore and shock. We are never even directly shown what the end result of any of Mona and Bill’s murders even look like, instead, we are given abstract depictions of the murders through their paintings that gives us an unnerving look into the minds of these two twisted fucks and how they view their actions and although we are given vivid descriptions of how these murders play out, we still don’t actually see them and our imaginations run wild as a result and the paintings amplify the dark implications of what happened to Mona and Bill’s victims, it also helps that these paintings are fucking HAUNTING.

I still can’t bare to look at Breeding Mount May and the picture of Mia Collins from Lighthouse for more than a few moments before getting goosebumps. The “photographs” in MEAT are equally horrific as so the implications as to why the victims were photographed rather than painted like usual, the suffering these people experienced at the hands of our two killers is so goddamn palatable despite them being clearly charcoal paintings rather than actual photos.

Despite what critics say about The Painter being “the same thing over and over again”, each addition to the series does in fact bring something new to the table in how it presents the cataloguing of Mona’s murders, there’s voice acting, music, hand drawn animation and even different mediums aside from painting are used to depict the killer’s actions such as photography and we’re even getting live action footage in the upcoming episode as well! This series has a lot of variety in its presentation which helps shake things up and prevents each addition from feeling too same and repetitive.

Also, maybe it’s just me but I love the “these are the most recently discovered murders” format in general since I’m always morbidly curious as to what wacky shenanigans our two favorite psychopaths are up to next and I’m rarely disappointed.

I also find the criticism of this series supposedly having no plot to be funny because again, this series is clearly presented as the documentation of the actions of serial killers terrorizing their community, what more do you fucking need? Are you going to critique Jeffery Dahmer for not having believable enough motivations for all of his murders while you’re at it? XD

I’m honestly not even close to done talking about why I love this series and why I feel most of the hate and discourse it gets is completely undeserved/invalid but I think I’ve said what mostly needed to be said. I really needed to get this shit off my chest, it can be hard seeing so much negativity towards something that you love to the point where I feel I’m the only one who actually sees the value it has but hey, that’s the price one pays for falling in love with true art.

Make no mistake, The Painter is super cheesy and cornball like the exploitative shock and gore horror films that inspired it but it had a genuine impact on me that I didn’t think analog horror could have and I fucking adore it for it and I genuinely believe it has more substance to it than most people think.

Don’t let others stop you from enjoying what brings you joy in this life kids, that’s the lesson here!

[excess-thought-dump]

Finished another amazing series Mob Psycho 100

And it was a exceptional experience y’all, ( Spoilers a head for the non telepaths and psychics)

So the last season I heard it was just meh till the end from my friends who whatched it and DAMN they were dead wrong on that mark I LOVE BEGINNING TO END THIS SEASON

Want to talk about each arc that blown me away

Which I don’t have a single clue what the fandom name these arcs so I gonna make some simple names for it

Back to mob arc (1-3 episode)

Was really amazing as a starter for what to come for those school elements that was every episode that was ther. I related to mob so good dam hard that first episode from just his fear of the future and that advice gave at the really helps me get my head looking forward at the future without fear but with excitement for the possibility. Just speech from the teacher was soooo reassuring and I could just understand on that feeling so hard then that yokai hunter episode was just hilarious and cute having mob solves his own problems in such a way that incorporates his passion and reliability was just a real fun time to watch. Having that yokai king( the one that mob made) was cute to seee all of that effort that been put together. And now what I I would say the last place episode and by no means I think it was bad I just felt incomplete but with that next arc it has been a amazing to hint at and show what to come .

The divine tree arc (4-6)

This arc was just sooo good and for it was too reason the eeriness of the first part like how everyone started to ignore mob and starts to be more of a out cast while the religion starts to slowly take over. Like this what was One of favorite YouTuber videos Supereyepatch wolf video about social anxiety horror was about ( and yall should watch that video if you want to explore that same feeling with mob) but yea having that feeling of slowly becoming a outcast is just a fear that now looms over me. And then having those little scary moments of just the spread will linger in my mind for a while. The other part of why I love this arc is dimple from how he was in the beginning and end. I don’t know what the opinion on the beginning of the arc about dimple but I loved how unnerving it was about. The concept of someone takes your place is equally as scary as the becoming a outcast to your friends and I think it went hand by hand perfectly but the ending with dimple was sooooooooooo good like I thought oh easy back stab here but the genuine kindness that mob showed actually made him change and I love that soo much and how he made mob go home made me cry actually tears with that wave because aaaaahhhh I can’t really explain it in words but if anyone can explain please do but it was so gooood.

Space arc( 7-8)

This was just a cute nice simple arc. I just love how it expanded so much with occult club members and it just so cute and wholesome having them together, and the message of make memories is resonating to me sooo hard. Wanting to make a friend dream a reality is real heartwarming and how it explored more on a different psychic is really interesting and love that new character so much with his excitement for the adventure. And the aliens was just a treat to because having them there made sense in that strange world of mob psycho and having them either real or not really didn’t matter but just making them real felt so complete.

Final (9-12)

Okay ao I. I don’t want dismiss the other parts of this great season but wow this is the best way to end a series like this one from the amazing action to the most heart felt speeches and the overall tone of this felt soo right. Having experienced this was great bringing back last season big bad was a treat and the fights were great but that running scene from Reigan was just immaculate just him running towards Mob as the world turns to ruins it just amazing. And I love how each character ending was felt so complete like with Teruki Hanazawa him with that scene calling himself mobs rival was soo good he save everyone because he knew that fighting mob wasn’t the main thing but protecting mob from killing people was. And there were so many more great moments like this to round out most characters in this great story. But we have to talk about tumblr sexy man Reigan and his speech and I don’t know how many people are said this but I just love how he was honest to mob and helped him accept himself to become more of a complete person and it just makes me have goosebumps from just listening to him admitting to his faults it just soooo god damn good.

I don’t have any good ending statements but I am just glad to experience this amazing show and I hope yall have similar experiences with this great series

[byfulcrums]

To be fair to YJ, they did reneg on the idea that the speedforce didn’t exist on earth 16 because I think they realized the implications of not having it (aka making earth 16 not connected to the dc universe among other petty flash things) but they did say that people in that universe don’t know about it yet and that’s why I tend to think an easy out would be in the trauma of the event Wally misremembers how he got his powers and doesn’t remember the lightning storm outside and even his strict agnostic magic isn’t real mindset (that is def no where close to his clap if you believe mindset in the comics, and is more Barry’s mindset) is a way of protecting his own preconceived notions and mind from whatever he saw when he first entered the speedforce which may have been his own first “death” or maybe alternate versions of himself.

One of the things that @babyflash has talked about is Wally as a kid/teen experiencing weird speedforce shit mostly alone like getting stuck in happy death day time loops via thawne/Savitar among other things.

The pain of being some semi sentient demension time monster’s specialist little boy I guess: a Wally west story

Ohh I could talk about Wally not being /human/ all day. I can imagine everyone being weirded out by him not because they know he's not human but because of the little things

Just imagine — and yeah this is Danny Phantom body horror level, maybe even more — how horrifying it would be to not know that there's an eldritch being among humans but to know that you're it. I don't know, I just think people should talk about the potential this has more

I want the characters to notice thay “Hey! This is not normal!” and just not care. I want them to realize that Wally's everything has always been kinda off but writing it off as superhero stuff

I want the little things to be shown more in media. Like how speedsters somehow always know when someone enters the room even if they currently can't hear/see for X reasons. Or like how they seem to be constantly vibrating, or how they generate lightning when they get too excited

I want someone to look at their friends and realize that they're not aging. At all. Even though Flash is supposed to be one of the most ‘normal’ ones of the league in terms of humanity, he's still not aging, and that's honestly really scary if you think about it

It'd be cool if someone realized that no, speedsters aren't impatient, it's just that everything goes so slow for them and hey, you wouldn't be able to sit still either if 5 minutes was 5 hours to you. Because speedsters tend to overthink everything. You'll walk up to them and ask them a question and they've already thought of 100 different ways the conversation could end

I think it'd be very cool if someone, idk, wrote a fanfic about the league (JLU) somehow losing their powers and Wally panicking because oh no he can't think anymore. Everything's suddenly going so fast and he's gotten used to acting slower for everyone around him so now that he doesn't have to do that he's so slow to react. He's way more anxious than usual because now he has no time and there's nothing he can do about it because he has no powers

Speedsters tend to enter Flash Time whenever they're feeling down so that people don't notice. Now that he can't, the team notices how much more quiet and sad and scared he looks, and it's honestly terrifying because he's the happy, funny one! If he's not laughing, then the matter is way too serious for them

The last time he didn't smile in battle was when he almost died fighting the Brainiac/Luthor thing

I also think it'd be cool for them to have like, little twitches or ticks (is that what they're called?) sometimes that are usually unseen because of their powers, but if they lose them...

Idk. This has sm potential and ppl need to talk more about it

[theuntitledblog]

Jaws (1975) - REVIEW

It's been nearly 50 years since Jaws, arguably the first summer blockbuster, debuted in cinemas. I was born in the mid-1980's and I've seen Jaws more times than I can count and much like the generation who first experienced it, it's definitely affected how I feel about the water. Featuring one of the most iconic opening sequences in cinematic history that set the tone for the 120 minutes that followed, Jaws is two things; scary and consistently entertaining.

Jaws has scared generations by exploiting a very primal fear when it comes to the ocean; the fear of the unknown. The film's troubled production and in particularly the issues surrounding the mechanical sharks, put director Steven Spielberg under huge pressure and forced him to shoot many scenes from the shark's point of view rather than showing it. The resulting sequences combined with John Williams' iconic score are so effective you wonder why it wasn't considered from the start? Spielberg's nightmare making Jaws has become the stuff of legend but his decision to shoot on a real location and on the open water elevates Jaws visually.

By today's Hollywood standards, the central characters of Jaws are not what you'd expect. Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and Quint (Robert Shaw) are not your typical action heroes or are inherently likeable one way or the other. That they share great chemistry and were given plenty of room to improvise their lines gives Jaws both an authenticity and levity that balances against the horror. Jaws is a terrifying film but it's also a film that has something a general audience; drama, comedy and plenty of edge of your seat set pieces. It may be considered to be the first summer blockbuster but it is still one of the very best blockbusters you could ever hope to see.

VERDICT

Despite being nearly 50 years old, this is an old classic that still looks fantastic on the big screen and is right up there, or even better, with some of todays blockbusters.

5/5

[daniellasthoughts22]

Sentenced To Reflection: Dissecting The Layers of Compassion and Cruelty in Stephen King's The Green Mile | BY CELIS EMMYDWAINED & PATROLLA DANIELLA

Have you ever been scared to go into the bathroom after watching a horror movie? Have you ever watched a movie that kept you up at night, letting it sink in your head? Have you ever watched a movie that made you feel a certain uncomfortableness that made you want to rewatch it over again? These are the feelings that I've felt when I watched Stephen King's horror movie, The Shining, for the first time. The movie was eerie and the pacing was slow but it has that certain creepiness into it that haunted me for days. I remember asking my mom to watch me while I go to the comfort room because I was so scared that the twin ghost in the movie might come for me while I am inside of the bathroom. I have read somewhere where they said that Stephen King can make a normal thing into horror. He is capable of taking something normal for other people, and making it into something creepy. That's probably why people like his stories so much. The Green Mile is one of those stories that haunted me for days, not because of how scary the monsters are but how it is so realistically possible. There is no particular villain that has something peculiar or supernatural power that enables them to do something horrifying to the protagonist. As a matter of fact, it is the opposite—the protagonist has supernatural power, a healing power. The real villain that was portrayed here is someone you would think of calling when someone broke into your house and robbed you—a police officer. The villain that was portrayed are the very people we meet and interact in our daily lives. 

Exploration of Compassion

In the story, the prison’s facility was just like any ordinary prison hall. The prison was called the “E-block”, but it was mostly known as “The Green Mile”. The Green Mile was called “The Green Mile” because obviously the floor was covered by a green linoleum. There were many things that have happened in The Green Mile. Just like in any prisons also at this present time, cruelty is not inevitable. In the story, there was a scene where the prison guard beat up a prisoner because it accidentally touched the prison guard. There were lots of cruelty that can be seen in this story but it also encompasses the thought of being compassionate. Upon reading the story of “The Green Mile '' it showed me  that inside of the prison, even if there are people who showed no mercy or remorse towards killing and bringing cruelty to other people, they still know how to offer compassion and kindness to others. John Coffey as the protagonist of the story, he is the character that I think mostly showed compassion to other people that surrounds him. It was mentioned in the story that Coffey was no ordinary person just like among all of us. Aside from being described by the author as being a huge black man, he also has some sort of supernatural powers.  He used his powers to perform “miracles” as from what Paul Edgecomb described it. Through this supernatural power, Coffey had been able to show compassion, most especially in the scene of the two dead girls, the urinary infection of Paul Edgecomb, and the mouse “Mr. Jingles”. He was accused of murdering the Detterick twins even though he was just trying to save the girls. One more thing is when Paul was suffering from his groin or urinary infection. That kind of infection is not a joke actually. Because as a woman who experienced that thing, I can’t actually walk and stand properly. Paul was suffering from it for days and months, but when Coffey noticed that he could not bear the pain that he was feeling, he called Paul and started to perform the ritual he was doing. And surely, the pain was gone like it never existed. Another proof that John Coffey did show compassion to others when he resurrected the mouse of Eduard Delacioix, “Mr. Jingles”. But, when Coffey said to give the mouse to him, he had performed the “ritual” and whispered words into the dead body of the mouse—it had miraculously become alive again. 

John Coffey is not the only character in the story that showed compassion throughout the story. Paul Edgecomb was also seen as compassionate to the prisoners but it was different towards John Coffey. Despite the huge features of John Coffey that made the prison guards afraid of him, he was the first inmate that Paul shook hands with. He mentioned it in the book “Night Journey” Chapter 6. Another thing is when before the day that John Coffey was going to be electrocuted on the lap of “Old Sparky”, he and Brutal (Brutus Howell—the other prison guard in the green mile) first asked him if there were things that he wanted. He also asked him if he wanted him to take him off the mile and let him go. Therefore, it implies to us that even at first up to the last part of the story, we can see that Paul Edgecomb definitely showed compassion towards John Coffey and was willing to help him and grant his desires before he was going to put on his death.

Exploration of Cruelty 

Upon reading the book, you would see that at first, it was just a normal fiction book—that there is no magical aspect that can be read in it. You can see how racial injustice was evidently being portrayed in it. In the first novel, titled as The Two Dead Girls, set in 1932, when America is cloaked in the Great Depression, racial prejudice and racism is so imbedded in American’s life, It narrates how Paul Edgecombe first met John Coffey in the E-block and also, how John Coffey was convicted of murdering and raping the two Detterick twins. Paul Edgecombe found out how the twins were brutally and cruelly murdered. It was also narrated that when the search party and Mr. Klaus Detterick found Coffey, upon seeing the two dead girls, they saw Coffey crying while hugging the twins saying, “ I couldn’t help it” “I tried to take it back… but I couldn’t help it” after hearing this, they had their guns pointed at him and spat on him while they read Coffey’s Miranda’s right thinking that Coffey had murdered and raped the twins. Upon a “not-so-lengthy” trial, John Coffey was convicted of the murder of the Detterick twins. He was then sentenced to death, sitting on Old Sparky’s legs in  The Green Mile. Cruelty is probably one of the things that is imbedded in humanity, we live our life correcting our mistakes and trying to be good  but as you grow, you realize that even though you can better yourself, there will always be cruelty prospering somewhere and one of the cruelest thing that mankind has been fighting over ever since is racism. In an era where America is experiencing the Great Depression, racial division is widely normalized. It is heavily portrayed in the book:  racism was shown through the experience of  John Coffey by the hands of the justice system, but also Eduard Delacroix had experienced it in the hands of one of the prison guards, Percy Wetmore. Percy Wetmore is one of those people who are vicious and who incites violence and unpredictability in the environment on E block. He likes to show that he has connections with those who have high positions and that he can do whatever he wants to do—this includes abusing the inmates of the E-block. In the second book of the novel, The Mouse on the Mile, In this book, it explores the relationship of the mouse called Steamboat Willy but later on was named Mr. Jingles. In this, the cruelty of Percy Wetmore towards the prisoners and other prison guards was explored, he enjoys terrorizing the prisoners, mainly those who have a different racial background like Eduard Delacroix. Paul Edgecomb multiple times said that Percy hated Del so much that he wanted to be the one who will lead the execution of the latter. These acts of cruelty from Percy Wetmore is a pattern throughout the novel. As someone who is supposed to be making and maintaining the order in the Block, he was the one initiating one, aside from Wild Bill. This cruelty of Percy Wetmore significantly impacted the life, or should I say death of one of the prisoners—Eduard Delacroix. 

In the fourth book of the novel, entitled, The Bad Death of Eduard Delacroix, the cruelty of Percy Wetmore towards Del was greatly emphasized. When I was a child, my brother would keep on making fun of me in everything that I do. He would make fun of me from the way I talk to the way I dress myself. It was so bad that I would constantly think of ways that I could, to get back at him. I would think of the cruelest prank or even worse—I wish him death. However these things are part of growing up and good thing, I grew out of it. The feelings that I felt back then can be compared to the feelings that Percy Wetmore felt when he was choked and sexualized by Wild Bill and was laughed at by Eduard Delacroix. This incident served as a turning point for Percy Wetmore and would become his ultimate reason to perform one of the cruelest scenes that happened in the novel—the death of Eduard Delacroix. Eduard Delacroix is a character that I grew to like in the story, although he was in the death row for committing heinous crimes—raping and murdering a young  and to cover this up he burned the body that spread to the apartment building. He was a character that despite the things he did, you cannot avoid liking him because he was one of the prisoners that had a character development because of Mr. Jingles. Therefore his death was one of the cruelest things that happened in the book.  I think we all have been bullied at least once in our life-time, most of the time, it happens during our elementary to high school  years. However sometimes, there will always be that one person in our adult life that will forever be a bully even in their adult years. That person is William Wharton,   William Wharton, a death row inmate, embodies sadism. He takes pleasure in hurting others, even after being condemned for various crimes.  We can see this when he tried to kill Dean, and when he made the lives of the prison guard a living nightmare when he arrived in the E-block. His sadistic way of torturing the guards even after was imprisoned is one of the things that made his character villainous. Cruelty is one of those things that will always persist in the world of this book, it is engraved in each corner of the book and even in the  simplest thing like hating something progressing into being the reason for someone's horrible death. They say, people who’s kind always go to heaven, will that be the case with John Coffey? I remember watching and reading it, the line of Paul wherein he said that God put that healing power to John Coffey as he is pure and God would not give it to someone who is not. That’s why when John Coffey was on his way to his death, not only did Paul tried to ask him if he wanted to get out of that situation but because of John Coffey’s pureness, he refused, saying he was tired of the bad things that he kept on seeing in this world. He was tired of the cruel things that kept on happening in front of his eyes. He was too pure to this world, and the world does not deserve someone like him. 

Compassion and Cruelty impact on the conclusion of the story

Overall, the themes of cruelty and compassion really made a big impact on the story of Stephen King. This story explored the complexities of the justice system of America. The characters as well created a huge impact on the given story in a way that their attitudes portrayed the compassion and the cruelty in the given narrative. The theme of cruelty is visible in the character of Percy Wetmore by being described as a brutal and ruthless prison guard. Wetmore clearly represents the theme of cruelty. Through his attitude of having a great pleasure in making the life of the prisoners like hell and making them suffer, Stephen King as the author used his character to highlight the cruelty as well as the dehumanization of punishing them through the death penalty. On the other hand, in this story it does not only emphasize the cruelness of the people inside the green mile. Stephen King used the other characters of the story to represent the theme of compassion just like John Coffey. John Coffey is shown in the story as a person with a supernatural power and with this he represents the innocence and the purity as a human being and his character served as a representation that there is still a way to show compassion and empathy towards other people. The character of John Coffey as well as the character of Paul Edgecomb provided a huge representation that despite how cruelty dominated the plot of the story, there's still a compassion that can create a difference for the lives of other people. 

[insomniac-jay]

NG AU | Lavanya Crane

Reaper, real name Lavanya Crane (born Lavanya Gupta), is the daughter of the first Scarecrow Jonathan Crane and Priya Gupta, one of Madame Nightshade's Debt Dealers. The product of a one night stand, Lavanya was raised by Priya for most of her life until she was 7 years old, which is when she met Jonathan.

In the future, she retires from being Reaper and works as a baker. When asked why, Lavanya says it's because there's no one left to experiment on. Therefore, Reaper has no purpose. She is also married to Lyrica (Jazzy Chapel).

She is the stepdaughter of the Mad Hatter Jervis Tetch and stepsister of Mad Alice.

Personality

On the surface, Lavanya presents herself as an intelligent but unscholarly teenager who's a little weird but harmless. Science and psychology are her least favorite subjects despite being academically gifted in them. Lavanya would rather skateboard, party, and chill with her friends than go to school.

However, that's a facade meant to make people lower their guards. In reality, Lavanya is sadistic and cruel, seeing most people as experiments and test subjects rather than human beings. She is obsessed with using and testing her nightmare toxin on others; and finds unhinged glee in their horror.

Even as an adult, Lavanya doesn't stop seeing a good 90% of people as subjects but is a little less nihilistic than she originally was. She mostly grew out of her obsession with her nightmare toxin, but will not hesitate to gloat about her work.

History

Priya and Jonathan's hook up was a result of Two Face (Harvey Dent) introducing the Debt Dealers to the other rogues of Gotham so they could stop coming to collect his debts to their boss. Though Priya found Jonathan's morbid sense of humor enjoyable and Jonathan with her more blunt nature, it was mutually agreed that they were not that interested in each other.

A month later, Priya found out she was pregnant and decided to keep the child.

Lavanya grew up in the Black Widows and was frequently babysat by Recluse when her mother was busy with work. She grew up alongside her best friend Isobella/Alice and Lawrence. She grew up hearing stories of a man called Scarecrow and his fear toxin--unaware he was her father. They fascinated Lavanya and began coming up with her own scary alias.

At the age of 7, Lavanya and Jonathan met for the first time during one of Priya's debt deliveries. Taken aback by the claims, Jonathan did a DNA test on Lavanya and the results confirmed that she really was his daughter. Him and Priya agreed to split custody of her with Priya having her for four days of the week and Jon having her for the other three.

Under Jonathan's roof, Lavanya was taught all about psychology and science. She grew to despise the subjects despite being a prodigy at them. One topic she was particularly good at was oneirology, the study of dreams and nightmares. And her fascination with her father's fear toxin never died.

One day while going through some stuff, Lavanya came across the formula for how to make the infamous toxin. With this knowledge, she secretly began creating her own toxin.

A week later, Lavanya's toxin was ready and she had the perfect place to test it. During her middle school science fair, Lavanya, wearing a mask, unleashed her nightmare toxin on the staff and students. Exposure to the chemical caused them to have horrific nightmares.

The Signal responded to the incident, resulting in Lavanya being enrolled in Arkham Academy.

But not even the staff of the academy were safe from being subjects in her experiments. Lavanya used her nightmare toxin on several staff members and students. Eventually, she and several other students were taken out of the school and placed in the juvenile detention center.

While in juvie, Lavanya became obsessed with the effects of the nightmare toxin and what people experienced as a result of it. Her nickname in juvie became the Grim Reaper as she invoked the same nightmarish vibes as her father did during his imprisonment at Arkham Asylum.

Both Priya and Jonathan were able to negotiate Lavanya's parole--and by negotiate, I mean threaten the parole board into releasing her early and without an ankle monitor. Hours later, Lavanya was released on parole.

Now free, Lavanya declared herself her father's successor, adopting the name Reaper.

Elseworlds

On another Earth, Lavanya never meets Jonathan and instead becomes one of the Debt Dealers to Alanza Dent once she succeeds Madame Nightshade as the boss of the Black Widows.

On another, Lavanya is the plague doctor themed anti-hero Dr. Sleeper. Her nightmare toxin is now a morphine like substance. By day, she works as a pharmacologist.

On the Young Justice Society of America's Earth, Lavanya is a member under the codename Phantom. She has the power to manipulate dreams and nightmares after the creation of the nightmare toxin went wrong.

Powers

Like many Gotham villains, Lavanya has no powers. Instead, she relies on her toxin and her scythe.

Abilities

Scientific & Psychological Knowledge: Thanks to Jonathan, Lavanya has a genius level intellect of the subjects of science and psychology. However, she refuses to use them unless it's for remaking her nightmare toxin or for experimenting on the Gotham populace.

Culinary Skills: Lavanya loves everything culinary arts. She's skilled at both baking and cooking.

Multilingual: Lavanya can speak English, Hindi, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and Japanese.

Athleticism: She was a member of the Arkham Academy volleyball and swim teams for a short while. It comes in handy when she's swinging around a big ass scythe.

Trivia

Lavanya does not think highly of the second Scarecrow, Adalyn Stern. Part of her wishes she hadn't retired from being Reaper just so she could show Adalyn how the real successor to her father lives up to his legacy.

No matter the universe, Lavanya will always look like a straight up clone of her mother.

Her Reaper costume is based off Testament from Guilty Gear Strive, only with a veil instead of a top hat.

She incorporates elements of traditional Hindi clothing into her everyday outfits, namely the saree.

@floof-ghostie @calciumcryptid @honeysgalaxy

[schizosupport]

Hi!! I dont know where else to go but im suspecting i may be on the schizo spectrum? Or at least just wondering way too hard. And i have no where to look into more trustworthy specifics besides brief nformation about the common disorders (that i dont really think i fit into at all btw but then again im undiagnosed with everything so im forced to rawdog it and come to conclusions on my own) and no where to find information about specific symptoms that can be overlooked as "normal behavior"

I have psychosis and its been like this since 2018, slowly growing, getting more intense i guess especially during a traumatic event that happened a few years ago *really* increased my delusions. Thats the only primary thing i experience i believe, but now looking back i am unsure if i experience some level of hallucinations as well like thinking im seeing flies n such fly around me trying to bother me or bugs crawling near me in the corner of my eye. Though it may be because im sleepy or something as i like to stay up a lot! And maybe because ive dealt with annoying flies one too many times that im just paranoid abt dealing w them now.

this thought has been on my mind for a while (mainly speaking in terms of hallucinations) but recently i saw a post on twitter about someone asking if other people "have intense fear of monsters or the dark" before going into deph about how her brain is constantly afraid of her life will turn into a horror movie. Like "what if a zombie breaks into my house" and her brain imagining scary scenarios that genuinely terrify her when she does anything. And reading that sounds very familar to something ive experienced even to this day, esp if im alone at night or alone n looking into another room thats dimly lit.

I really do understand her fear of closing her eyes n seeing scary scenarios. Ive noticed ive weirdly been seeing stuff too, mainly faces and eyes that i would see when watching analog horror and it *really* terrifies me and makes me think that ive somehow spawned it in real life (esp if i think about it too much)

Sorry if this is too long. I normally do this when im rly stumped abt whatever brain thing i got n no google search can help me. I guess im just lookimg for some insight. Thanks! <3

"Also forgot to clarify that the person is recently discovering/coming to terms with that shes schizospec too so thats why upon reading that im pretty much going "....huh!" Bec this implies this may not be normal (i mean of course not but. Never really bothered to say or think anything about it until now)"

Hi there anon! I'm glad you're reaching out, and I hope I can help you a little on your way!

What you're describing, intense fear of hypothetical scenarios and "closed eye hallucinations" are both things that I can definitely relate to as constants in my life. I don't have enough information from just this ask to say whether your experiences are full blown delusional/psychotic, but regardless, it sounds like it's taking a toll on you, and have been getting worse. It's common for this type of experience to worsen with stress, so it's no wonder it worsened when you were going through something traumatic.

When I first talked to a psychiatrist about some of my beliefs, they wrote something that I later found kind of interesting, that some of my beliefs were like those of a scared child. As if I had never quite learned how to regulate that type of fear and my imagination would get the better of me. I don't know if your experience is anything like that, but from the way you described it, I thought that might be relatable to you.

The line between fear, anxiety and psychosis can be hard to define. One thing I've learned is that most people with "pure anxiety" are not having anxiety about bizarre or paranoid things, but about more mundane matters that have been blown out of proportion. But obviously there's variability. But I remember when I met my partner of now... 9 years ...? I wasn't diagnosed with anything yet, and we were both like "yeah I have anxiety" and thought we knew what the other meant by that. And then they were confused when I was like "yeah I'm anxious that the spirit of the lamp will steal my soul, and that people are putting poisoned coins in public spaces". But like the anxiety was similar, it's just that the things I was anxious about were odd, I guess.

Anyways, I'm rambling, sorry!

About the images you get when you close your eyes, that is most often described as a type of intrusive thought, and I've also heard people call them "closed eye hallucinations". I get icky and scary images like this sometimes, and it can be really distressing.

I hope your symptoms don't get worse, and I hope you can feel at ease knowing that no matter the exact cause or name, you are definitely not alone with having these experiences, and they are common experiences for people on the schizospec and people with some other related difficulties.

And if you find that you relate to the schizospec experience, there's space enough for everyone, and you are welcome here. Even if you don't fit any specific disorders or you conclude that your symptoms are "sub-clinical" or more related to something else, I believe in an open door policy and I think anyone with this type of experience can benefit from spending time in/with the community, and can bring unique insights to the table themselves.

I don't know if I'm making any sense, I'm super tired today, but yeah that's my two cents I guess ^^

Edit: It might give you some insight to look into other symptoms associated with the schizo-spec, like negative symptoms, cognitive symptoms and ipseity disturbances :) I think that will give you a stronger idea of whether you are likely to relate to most of us 🌼

[winwinwrites]

Love to get lost in you

Pariring: Enya (human Oc)/liminal spaces (backrooms)

Word count: 2.8k

Summary:

Enya and her life with a deep fascination with liminal spaces.

Notes: The main Character Enya (she/xe) can be read as any gender; is also Aplatonic, Aromantic and Asexual

Read on Ao3 || My Ao3 || Other Os/Or works

Creepypastas, horror stories, any and all kind of morbid stuff is nothing new to Enya, well teenage Enya that is. Xe was engrossed in all those fandoms, looking at all types of creepy and gory stuff which wouldn't let her sleep at night, not worrying what lasting effects it might have on her young and vulnerable not quite fully developed brain.

Though while scrolling an unhealthy amount of time through social media on a not so special day she stumbled onto something strange, something new which piqued her interest.

Enya doesn't remember exactly that many uneventful day to day activities, many hours spend on the internet gone from her memory just like that, but one, to any onlooker seeming insignificant, moment stands out clear as day, a day which shaped her in a way which impacted the way she lives today as an adult. Maybe not xis proudest moment, but it isn't a moment that she regrets. Would not trade anything in the world for it to have turned out another way for her.

The concept of liminal spaces, places in which someone seemingly slips into a realm beyond any human understanding, for no rhyme or reason really, is not something new per say. On paper it actually sounds like something quite intimidating, a force to be reckoned with indeed. A higher power of pure coincidence which one could not argue with at all.

After all humans are used to everything existing, being and experiencing everything for a reason, or at least for the experience of said everything being real, comprehensible for a person, the lack of this certainty, of his unknown, strips us bare, tugs the carpet from under our shaky unaware feet, takes away the safety net of knowing 'why?'.

But the liminal could care less, doesn't care, in fact spits in everyone's faces laughing at our foolish facade of security, at the people who got glitched into it and the ones who breath out in relieve that they haven't been the next victim. In actuality it is not like it even enjoys it, people just feels like that, it feels like whoever is "chosen" gets to be sucked away from the comfort of reality into the greedy hands of the liminal void has a reason to be picked, but there is an even more cruel way for how it functions.

It is random.

There is no rhyme or reason why anyone should glitch into the in between, well maybe if one was someplace where it would be reminiscent of the backrooms for example one might have a higher chance to disappear, but other than that no one is safe ever and the inability to change that, to tip the cards in your favour is scary. The helplessness of it all, to just deal with the cards you have been given until you get dragged away from the game in the first place or you can just continue as always. It is weird to think about being somewhere where someone might have been taken from the earth mare moments ago.

Perhaps people feel more diminished in value because it is random, there is nothing that chose you for anything, nothing of significance which has led you up in the liminal spaces, it could have been the neighbour or someone completely unrelated to ones life and it would make no notable change whatsoever. Not being important or special enough.

But that is all that there is to it, it is just a concept. Something scary to share with people and move on to more mundane parts of life. It could have been that, Enya could have read through the post, maybe looked a bit into it and be done with it, not let its impact linger on xim, but it did.

The thrill of life was raised a bit that day, only a little bit by the paranoia of something like that actually happening to her, as fictional and unlikely as it seems, but that has stopped no one from fearing monsters of other scales. Just because something isn't real doesn't mean that the fear tied to it will magically disappear, maybe lessen, but it might remind there stubborn while one overthinks. Actually the most rational thing would be to accept that it isn't real and move on like always, but the fear of a 'what if...' would always linger and catch one off guard when one least expects it. This constant anxiety which crept up Enyas younger-self back and whispered uncertainties into her already overthinking mind.

Even though believing in the backrooms and the liminal spaces overall seems like something more than an intimidating concept at its core, Enya can't help but somehow still feel drawn to it after all those years, maybe even believe in its existence, even if it is just wishful thinking. That topic is still very dear to her after a good chunk of years. Interests shifted, just like she as a person changed, but that little thing of xis, she never managed to shake of her adoration for it all.

At this point Enyas believe could be regarded as conspiracy, but in the end xe would not be surprised if the government would be hiding the existence of liminal spaces for selfish gain or just to not cause an outbreak of panic within the common public. Covering up random unexplainable disappearances as just that, nothing abnormal, to soothe the average person. Though that is just a silly theory that she has made up. Though it is nice to think about it.

Like a fantasy she likes to pretend.

Though it isn't on xis mind constantly, just how one wouldn't always think about a shark attack, only while swimming in the ocean does the minuscule chance of it happening enter your thoughts; it is similarly with liminal spaces and being sucked into them for her. Most often when xe is somewhere where it reminds her of it does xe feel a strange pull.

Though the difference between those situation is that Enya likes to bask in the moment whenever it happens, if there is a chance to do so. Let xemself linger, take action via taking pictures of spaces which make her feel this nostalgic or eerie way. It was a habit xe developed soon after starting to follow a few liminal spaces accounts after finding out about it.

Maybe that is why Enya hasn't made the safest choices while going home on a few occasions, a little bit more than she would like to name, traversing through dark alleyways and so on, but still xe tries to be as cautious as possible. The feeling of an ever looming threat and this comfort which came from the familiarity of recognition calming xim whenever it is present, subduing her awareness, that's why she likes to not get too carried away with such risky encounters. Nothing bad has happened yet, but xe would like it to remain this way.

Of course dark and dangerous places weren't the only ones which Enya feels drawn to. Not all spaces make her feel the same, with a few years already engorssed into exploring different spaces she has learned a lot about xis prefrences. For example xe has come to realise that walking through empty neighbourhoods fill her with more dread than a snowy forest devoid of life does in a different way. Possibly due to how unusual it was to see a neighbourhood just so uncomfortably quiet. Still, that doesn't stop you from enjoying the high of the thrill.

In both spaces, those calming or intimidating moments xe likes to pretend that she is just traversing the world of liminality.

Which does feel silly at times, embarrassing really when she first used to actively seek out places reminiscent of the many pictures she has come to adore as a teen. But back then xe has been way more insecure about her likes and felt like everyone would judge her, no one would be friends with her and what not.

Now she is much more secure about herself, about xis likes and being as a person, realising that it doesn't matter what anyone does and that she doesn't need other people in xis life to enjoy it. In fact Enya enjoyed it most when she could just be alone most of the time, sure company here and there wasn't unwelcome, her family still was a blast to hang around with, but only in moderation, to a certain degree.

Enyas lack of deeper friendships made it easier to move from the city she has grew up in and lived in for all her life to somewhere more quieter. It is easier to find those moments of positive solitude while out in nature where no one pesters xim. In cities there are hardly ever times where xe is able to just take a stroll and find the place to be devoid of humans. Though the night time does provide her with it, xe wouldn't consider it safe enough to be intimidated by the state of the lack of humans presence only. There is a higher chance of someone lurking in the dark who is ready to do unspeakable things to xim, which scares you more and takes away from the liminal magical bubble xe would like to engross herself in.

Liminal spaces are scary, but humans have proven themselves to be able to be scarier sometimes.

Personally Enya has grown a bigger appreciation for the woods or other nature rich places more because of it, the loud hustle and bustle of the city was just not doing it for xim, makes you feel more disconnected with her interests. It feels like people that she doesn't know are third-wheeling her and that mysterious something from far away, but still not far enough.

Though xe will have to admit that corridors of different buildings do appeal to her, but there is only so many buildings xe can enter without having to pay first, like a hotel room for example. She only earns that much to sleep out that much.

Besides, Enya has got caught one to many times trying to take a picture of a hallway, just for a person to exit a room and look at her weirdly and with judgement, which is weird in her opinion, since they clearly didn't know what they were for.

Nature is just a judgement free zone.

In most cases anyway.

That is why Enya moved to a village, it has been a drastic change for some aspects of her life. Like the way to work being longer than usual, the public transport coming in more rare intervals than she is used to and that there was just generally more nature surrounding her. Though xe doesn't mind at all. All possible inconveniences which could possibly come up were nothing in comparison what she has gained in return.

For example there are plenty of empty fields, woods and mountainous areas nearby for xim to just bask in and live her fantasies out in full, without having to worry that someone might walk down the street every five seconds like in the city. This kind of chosen loneliness does bring a kind of peace with it which she slowly became accustomed too quickly to be considered healthy.

Enya doesn't mind interacting with people and people she has learned to consider acquaintances, but mostly xe thrives the most while alone in liminal spaces, even if it is just in her mind. Hobbies like writing, reading, drawing, photography have all found appeal to xim, because she can share them with the space xe so fondly spends her time with so much. Picnics and just spending her time sitting in clearings in the woods became just as natural as other parts of her routine. It doesn't have to be somewhere different each time, it is special no matter where the feeling of uncanny valley pulls her in.

Hours have been spent doing whatever Enya felt like doing that day just enjoying the looming presence which she can't put a finger on, but it feels familiar in a way. In those moments xe feels the most safe and protected. It seems silly really, but xe likes it, she likes to just exist in her little bubble, free from anything other than the presence of the unknown.

For now, since Enya moved, she lives alone, there is a possibility of her looking for a possible roommate again, but xe has noticed that it isn't for xim. Not that her past roommate, when she was still in collage wasn't lovely, quite the opposite, but she just prefers the peace and quiet that comes with not having one. Also the lack of judgement from coming home late at night or the amount of time, or the lack off, spend in the actual living quarters.

Besides she isn't really looking for friends all that much either, still. It is quite weird actually when it comes to her and friendships. Xe can't really recall a time where she was the first one to walk up to someone with the clear intention to garner a new friend since childhood, a kid just content with her own toys. Of course most people had other plans and did indeed plan on befriending xim some, on rare occasions, succeeding. It is not like she is going out of xis way to be unpleasant to people or god forbid rude, xe isn't; it is just that she really isn't going out of xis way to get friends. Now xe has a handful of people xe is comfortable with considering friends, which she enjoys to talk to every now and again, even meeting up with them for a fun game night or two.

Something similar is the case for Enya and romantic partners. People do display interest in xim sometimes, which flatters xim, but xe always manages to turn them down for a certain distressed which xe gets with the whole romantical display with another human. It simply isn't for xim, which there haven been statement about that which has made it easy to exclude certain people from xis life.

That realisation didn't come easy to Enya in the beginning, xe is mature to admit it that she didn't have everything figured out. It was a bumpy and not pretty road accepting the fact that xe will never experience romantic or sexual attraction to another human and that is A okay. Self hatred came, looking back on it embarassingly, easy back when she was still a teen with friendships and romantic relationships being engrained within society. Love is indeed a big driving factor for a lot of people, heck, xis love for liminal spaces led her to live in a lovely village xe has learned to adore to call home, but that love rarely translates well for her towards other humans, only reserved for some of your family and a couple of friends coming to mind, but those are rare exceptions in her life. But xe wouldn't want it any other way. Enya has learned to be okay.

But it isn't always cupcakes and rainbows.

The critique xe has got from some relatives and some past friends regarding her love life and xe seeming "apathetic" towards friendships in general soured some of xis, already small amount, past relationships and days to come. For those off hand comments that they made, which didn't even probably seem rude to them and more of a joke, hurt xim and left her selfconcious. Left feeling like xe was wrong for not being inclined to jump at any opportunity to just spew love all around herself via platonic or romantic affection. It is not because xe is unable to, it is just that she just doesn't feel the urge to do so.

Towards humans mostly that is.

Something harder to realise than that whole fiasco, was the fact that she actually had this love reserved for someone, or should xe say something other entirely.

It does seem easy, in movies and shows, books and many stories alike a declaration of love, to accept that one loves someone appears to be as easy as blinking, but reality and fiction in this case were nothing alike for xim. Especially when it comes to such an "unconventional" type of love. For something that can't actually be touched, for something that doesn't really exist.

Well that is not right either, because it exists to xim, exists in xis mind and heart.

No one could sooth quite like the infinite timeless space does. It is quite funny to her to see people change and morph it into something that it is not, a place filled with monsters and such, a mockery of its original devoid of life space, but there is nothing she could do about it other than think of those as just other versions which other people have come to adore, even when it differs so much to xis vision. From the beginning, from their meeting it was well known that this isn't only hers to have and xe is fine with that.

Enya will just enjoy her little life, in her little village, with something that she holds very dearly to xis heart.

[haootia]

watching mind field episode about fear and thinking about . petscop. if you have seen the episode you may already know what im getting at but for those of you who arent also currently on a vsauce rewatch marathon: they put michael "vsauce" stevens in a chair and classical condition him into being afraid of a picture of a pink square. and that itself is kind of superficially/memey "petscopcore" bc petscop contains not only a lot of geometric shapes and colors but also themes of coercion & experimentation, but it made me think more broadly about how the work as a whole is able to make us the audience have those really strong emotions, including fear, towards very simple icons/symbols. and of course this is why petscop massively outpaces most web horror [interscript note: i never watched valle verde or crow 64 and i have only watched incomplete bits and pieces of ai builds / sheriff domestic / diminish so i cant comment on the "tgif genre" or other directly post-petscop works] because it ties its dread and scariness into things that are Not Scary. there are no jumpscares or hyper realistic blood and the typical "horror" moments (that's a dead kid / i'll shoot her in the head / dog monologue / hurts me when playstation on) are presented really quite casually and non-graphically.

petscop is very Eerie and Dread-inducing but it's not (& not trying to be) actively frightening, which is really good, because it is damn hard to make a non-playable recap of a video game frightening. there are too many layers of removal, it's too cheesy, at least for an adult audience or an audience with any prior experience with horror. when i was a kid sure i got freaked as hell reading ( / listening to yuriofwind narrate) haunted pokemon game creepypastas (even when the narration was full of "lol, this is lame" asides) but once i got older it stopped eliciting such a response. i reread a bunch of them recently and my main commentary (both internally and in discord chat to my fishfriend) was mostly "the grammar in this is distractingly bad" and, more importantly, "the bare bones of this premise might have been interesting somewhere else, but this is not it." godzilla nes has endured slightly better because it has an underlayer of "the game knows something it shouldn't" that provides the real meat of the horror, and the creepy body horror screenshots are interesting but not really frightening. it's still not great, btw, most creepypastas aren't, but i can enjoy it in a silly nostalgic way that at least puts it on a higher shelf than pokemon lost silver or whatever.

in the time between first reading a bunch of creepypasta wiki slop and first watching petscop, i experienced like, actual trauma. this particular incident was very much not an inherent part of growing up , but i think "having something really scary happen to you irl" Is a life transition you can expect to happen sometime between like eight and sixteen. and this event is a pretty dramatic perspective shifter. before it happened i was able to be legitimately thrilled and scared by pokemon creepypasta and afterwards. i wasnt. it was definitely not an immediate switch and between age 10 and 13 especially i struggled with nightmares and extreme anxiety over a lot of really lame spooky internet content which i sought out for blah blah blah reasons. ok this isnt about me, its about petscop, ostensibly. the point im trying to make is that petscop gets Scarier with age. if i had seen petscop when i was eight years old i would have found it first and foremost Way Too Long And Boring and secondly Not Very Scary. there's no blood and no monsters and no ~watch out or it might get you too!!~ so who even gives a fuck, right.

and of course this beautifully represents the themes of the work itself. children do not understand the world the way adults do, they don't understand "reality" and all the secret rules that adults (generally) agree on, and sometimes they don't realize when bad things are happening, or why the things that are happening Are Bad. the protagonist of petscop is literally an adult looking back on their childhood through layers of other people's perspectives, and through (somewhat strange and magical) context is able to see things that weren't there before. if the horror was immediate and upfront, it wouldn't be interesting. if Everything was as in-your-face as "that's a dead kid" petscop would kind of just be a slideshow of childhood traumas, which is definitely Sad and Uncomfortable but not really Scary. so the horrors are disguised by symbols. things the audience doesn't already know about. "rebirthing" (the exact implications of which rely on the audience knowing about external, real-world events), "tool", "machine", "pieces", the needles piano, A / B / NLM "phases", even graves and "coffins" are icons that mean things beyond just "a place where a dead body is". it's a story you have to decipher, it takes actual Effort beyond just looking at a scary image manip. (further commentary on the horror youtuber petscop explanation industrial complex may be provided at a later date; for now i'll just say that anyone who attempts to produce a definitive "externalized" explanation of the story is not only missing the point but actively rejecting it. petscop is literally a story about putting the pieces together yourself.) and through that effort you condition yourself to see certain things as scary.

the amount of symbols in petscop means that there's not one thing i can point to as its "pink square", something that is associated one to one with Fear. and the emotions petscop runs with are a lot more complicated than the adrenaline-based fear response they gave michael vsauce stevens for tv. but god damn if by the end it hasn't constructed a symbolic language that can make me feel a deep and immediate emotional reaction to a red triangle. or eyebrows, or daisies, or like, the platonic Concept of a car? it's good. it's good storytelling. mother horse eyes also kind of pulls this in the last couple chapters to contribute to the final emotional impact but i don't think it's as fundamental a part of the story as it is in petscop. also of course homestuck does this like crazy but it's not (nominally) a horror story and also doesn't benefit from having a definite point-of-view protagonist who is learning to interpret the symbols simultaneously or in parallel with the audience. that's key to good writing in my opinion, btw, that the protagonist should either be on the same footing as or just slightly one step ahead of the audience. if the protagonist is way behind the audience it turns into a frustrating Yelling At The Screen Experience and if they're way ahead it makes everything seem completely arbitrary (see hbomberguy sherlock video for more). people may frame this as the protagonist being an "idiot" or a "genius" but i don't think that's actually the distinction that matters, it's specifically about how much information the character has from out-of-text sources, not really their ability to put it together in a rational or intelligent way. and now we're onto a completely different topic so im going to cut the post off now before i spend the rest of my life talking about the nature of storytelling or whatever, slowly withering away from starvation until i'm just a shriveled husk holding an iphone

[taegularities]

HEY RiD ! How are you honeybuns 💗✨️ Life has been kicking my ass for a while but there is still hope for me ..Anxiety and panic attacks are the freaking worst ..I have never experienced one before so it was kinda terrifying i was literally watching my own horror movie..but thats not the point ..the point is that YOU AUTHOR RID ARE GUILTY FOR RAISING MY STANDARDS ! Like hello am i supposed to die single 😭 why would you do this huh ! ANSWER ME ....was/is there someone or something that inspired/s you to write your characters this way ..and CMI jk !! OMG His character is phenomenal ..Oh the man he is ..its like when he loves ..he just loves yk ..there is no limit /boundary to his love and affection ..i cant help but imagine that if he and oc were to wed ..he is probably gonna be the crying and throwing up bcz his heart is bursting out of love and he is so freaking drunk over her ..i just know that oc would have to koala hug him so he stops crying lmao 🥹😭 ..These freaking fictional men istg ..And dont even get me started on dates ..i swear half of the time i am just scrolling my fav aus and being delusional while on the other hand the poor guy is trying to talk to me and banging his head on the table 💀 i just hope you are taking care of your health cuz we are the sensitive gang (one thing goes wrong and i know i am already going down the rabbit hole ) ..Also just curious (if you wanna share ) How was your first date experience like? Your first crush ? Cuz there is this guy in my Arts class and i am crushing so hard on him like he is so freaking sweet and charming ..He passed my vibe check on the first day 🙂 i get butterflies (alot ) whenever he looks at me.he is not the first guy yk like i have been on a lot of dates and stuff ..i did find them attractive but it is just so different with him ..like as much as i want to believe gettinf butterflies and heart skipping beats is real ..it has never happened to me and i am just going crazy ..it is scary as well cuz no guy has ever held this much power over me 🕳🚶‍♀️ Sometimes over pinkies would touch accidently and i am already melting in a puddle 🙂😭 What the hell is happening ..it is like Cmi yk..i just know that if he tries hard enough he can break my heart and i would gladly let him( this thought scares the shit outta me ) ..

awh man, living for the chaos in this ask lol it's so all over the place 🤧 i'm okay! winter break shall give me some peace of mind. how are youuuu?… totally.. cmi jk keeps raising my standard, too :') thinking about them hurts me bc i can't wait to experience such a love one day, too </3 and you will, as well!! i know some people are odd and make people lose hope, but i want to believe that there are a bunch out there who are just right for us and know how to make us happy 💕 tbh, i didn't base these characters on anyone i know, but rather… oc is someone i strive to be and jk is the kind of person i would want to love :(

my first date? hmmmm… honestly, a bit awkward? :'D we were at his place and watching something, but i know he was looking at me through the tv's reflection? and then we had more dates and our first kiss kinda went.. very wrong lmao but all that was part of something that bloomed into something beautiful 🌹 you'll be okay, love!! enjoy the feeling your crush evokes!! manifesting so much happiness for you 🥺

(also omg i gotta ask before i go all overthinking mode.. you said arts class? but you're 18+ right? 😭 since i have a minors dni policy!! pls lmk <3)

[ismellpestilence]

There's an incomplete archive of his works here

And part of the transcript for one of the missing videos, The Gay Horror Manga You Should Be Reading, is below. I have to break it up because of Tumblr's character limit.

This video is brought to you by SquareSpace. Stick around until the end of the video to find out more, including how to sign up for our SquareSpace powered Newsletter. And if you’d like to help us keep making queer content like this on Youtube, and even see some of these videos up to six months in advance — including videos covering Good Omens, Sandman, Revolutionary Girl Utena, and Evangelion — you can sign up for our Patreon, linked in the description. On a scorching day in rural Japan, we find ourselves in the midst of a chilling tale, where two boys, Yoshiki and Hikaru, seek solace from the relentless heat by indulging in frozen treats from a quaint local store. Outdoors, amidst their laughter, a sudden unease grips Yoshiki, prompting him to utter these haunting words to his friend: "You ain't the real Hikaru, are you?" Hikaru, initially taken aback, undergoes a startling transformation as his human facade fades away, revealing the demonic spiritual entity lurking within. However, instead of unleashing his malevolence upon Yoshiki, Hikaru surprises us all by embracing his friend, pleading with him not to reveal his true nature. You see, this is the first time this new Hikaru has experienced life as a human, even if he's borrowing the old Hikaru's form – his feelings for Yoshiki are undeniably genuine. The real Hikaru may be lost, but Yoshiki, consumed by grief and fear, accepts this new Hikaru into his life, for he cannot bear to be without his friend. Thus begins the spine-tingling horror manga "The Summer Hikaru Died" by the mangaka MokuMokuren. It debuted in August of 2021, and has enjoyed resounding commercial success, despite the unease it provokes among commentators within the medium who have a hard time categorising it. Is it a BL manga? Is it horror? Can it possibly be both? The difficulty in classifying the genre of this story itself puts us at an interesting juncture. With ‘gay boys’ being a genre all to their own, perhaps this has set a precedent for gay characters being unable to appear in other genres. Does the inclusion of a gay character automatically facilitate a gay story? It seems that among publishers and critics, this may very well be the case. Meaning that when a horror story about one or possibly more gay characters becomes a sensation, there’s a reluctance to discuss it because it’s unclear whether it ought to be judged on its merits as horror… or as BL. This speaks to a common complaint among nonbinary people and some trans people as well. Why does the inability to sort this thing into one of two categories generate so much confusion? Is it gay or straight? Are they a man or woman? In either case, many people won’t neatly fit into either of those groups, and it’s just as incorrect to force people into these categories as it is to omit people altogether because they can’t pass. Similarly, it’s also wrong to look at The Summer Hikaru Died in the same way. Genre classification limits the scope of what a story can be, and is often biassed to what the hegemonistic majority considers ‘normal.’ I wouldn’t take it as a good sign either if it were classified as a ‘cross-genre’ for the same reason that we don’t consider ‘straight-horror’ to be a genre. ‘Boys kissing’ and ‘scary’ do not need to be two different genres. Because when you’re a gay boy living in a rural village, kissing another boy is VERY scary. And it also seems that The Summer Hikaru died explores many of these same horrors. Even though whatever has replaced his friend speaks with that voice and projects those emotions, Yoshiki is left in mourning regardless. Caught between ‘everything is different’ and ‘nothing has changed.’ Yoshiki grapples with the fact that Hikaru still acts ‘normal’ while he feels that he has lost something that he will never get back. This new Hikaru… though he smiles, laughs, and cries just like his predecessor, is not the same. The-thing-that-replaced-Hikaru has adopted all of Hikaru’s memories and feelings.

This Just In

James Somerton's channel has been nuked. Every video has vanished. If anyone took the time to save any of the evidence, now is the time to share it.

[valentinedreamz]

letter to the editor

so basically i had to write an op-ed for a class, and i'm proud of it. you get to read it :)

As a society, we’re fascinated by the macabre. Whether it be through video games with jump scares, or a true crime show featuring a serial killer on the loose, or even just something that makes you uneasy, we devour this content. With dozens of new movies coming out in 2023 alone, that makes for a community of people preparing to indulge in these hair raising films. However, the question begs to be asked, is it healthy? Through research, mental health professionals have found that there are profound effects of horror media on the brain. 

The acute stress response, or the fight or flight instinct, causes your body to release a rush of adrenaline and cortisol to course through your body, raising your heart rate and giving you a sense of panic or stress in preparation for survival. It’s often experienced in situations where you may be in danger, or when you are fearful. It may also occur while watching horror movies. By repeatedly activating your fight or flight response to a situation where you are in no real danger, one of two things could happen. First, your body could become used to this rush of adrenaline, and no longer have this response when in true danger. You also might need more to get the feeling you’re chasing, and do more risky behaviors. The second outcome has a few factors playing into it. If you are suffering from an anxiety disorder, you may train your body into releasing this chemical at times when you are not in danger, or watching a scary film. Your body becomes accustomed to being afraid, and acts accordingly. 

Another potential outcome of consuming these films or games is the effect it may have on your sleep. The elevated levels of cortisol and adrenaline you may have can affect your ability to fall asleep. When you aren’t sleeping enough, your mental health may suffer. 90% of people with depression also experience insomnia or sleeplessness. Anxiety can worsen, and for those already with the disorder, life may become intolerable. Why put yourself through that just for a quick movie and a cool rush?

Did you know, the target demographic for horror movies is mainly 15 to 25 years old? That same age group is the typical age range when people are diagnosed with anxiety disorders. What does that say about the industry? Do the big producers know this information? Are they preying on our most vulnerable? I’d surely hope not. While society’s youth is more likely to enjoy a thrill on the big screen, what is it doing to their moldable brains? As a high school student with an inclination for horror, I can’t help but wonder what the long term effects of consuming this stuff is. There isn’t enough research to definitively prove one way or another. Some sources say it improves reaction time and concentration, others agree with my perspective. Who knows. Now, I’m not saying to stop watching horror movies all together. I still consume this stuff regularly, because I think it’s fascinating (and I do love some adrenaline). My point, however, is to be mindful of your body and what’s going on within it. Between the latest seasons of whatever thrilling season of the show you’re watching, take a walk outside or do something good for your brain, instead of an endless cycle of fear and stress.. Awareness of what your brain goes through whenever you do this is all I want you to know. Ask yourself this; Is the latest thriller flick worth the potentially detrimental effects on your body? 

[sylvanfreckles]

So. I caved (ha) to peer pressure and watched The Descent, because it seems my plot idea for the DeanCas Horrorfest has some parallels.

I texted live reactions to my friend the entire time I was watching. Under the cut for spoilers.

-Oh who could have predicted the happy family outing in the first five minutes would turn to tragedy

-I'm assuming the main conflict comes when Sad Widow and The Homewrecker come to blows

-I'm not scared, I'm just waiting for these women to stop whining. They've been together five minutes, I think their periods have synced.

-They're sliding down a rope without gloves now. Why are they doing this without gloves?

-OH NO BAD CGI BATS DURING THE DAY

-"Be careful, these caves get pretty cold. That's why I'm not wearing any sleeves, so I can intimidate the cold with my patented Homewrecker Guns."

-"I don't get lost" says the woman who is definitely going to get them lost.

-Oh, look, Captain Homewrecker led them all into danger because no one understands her fEeLiNgS

-Oh, NOW they have gloves

-It's more than halfway over and the scariest monster is Homewrecker's hubris.

-Oh, hey, actual monster. Only took 51 minutes.

-I can't remember all their names, but we have our main character, Grieving Widow, along with Homewrecker, Adrenaline Junky, Experienced Caver (who is done with Homewrecker's bullshit), Medical Student, and English Teacher (who can understand cave paintings?)

-Grieving Widow saw the monster and of course no one believers her. Who would ever believe Grieving Widow when Homewrecker knows everything about caves?

-Those aren't dead animals. Those are bones. Of moose. So there's a moose-sized hole somewhere nearby. Optimus Prime could climb in through a moose-sized hole.

-Fucking fuckbags jumpscare

-And Homewrecker was the real villain. I knew it!

-I know Adrenaline Junky just died, but I'm not sure who of the interchangeable other three did too.

-So either the med student (still useful) or the English teacher (she already read the cave painting so she's dead weight now) is dead. And being eaten!

-Ah! Medical Student survived! Surely she can do an impromptu autopsy in this cave while there are other monsters roaming around!

-Well. Grieving Widow's gonna have some nightmares after this.

-Hey, blood pool!

-Something something...caves represent the female reproductive system...something something birth trauma, I'm sure.

-I mean, it's fitting. The males of the species are blind and navigate by wound, while the females can still see. This whole movie is just a man trying to explain your period.

-Grieving Widow has a higher body count than the monsters

-Homewrecker is like "I'm not leaving without her", and Grieving Widow is like "fuck therapy , I should have been killing monsters!"

-Well, just two left.

-Covered in blood, hooting like a monkey, our lone surviving Grieving Widow speeds off into the fading light, her friends left behind to feed the mountain.

It was okay. Not as scary as the premise made it seem, probably because of all the interpersonal drama surrounding it. It kinda lost the tension for me when Sarah started killing monsters left and right. I'm not gonna say I could do better because I haven't actually done full horror (unless Walrider from Whumptober counts, but that's mostly homage to Outlast and I'm pretty sure it's worse than this movie). I just didn't find it all that scary or compelling.

[dead-weird]

❤️‍🔥50 Essential Horror Movies ❤️‍🔥

1.       10 Cloverfield Lane – 2016 It’s not often a sequel is better than its predecessor. But this film is one of the most anxiety-inducing pieces of cinema, that somehow manages to make John Goodman scary.

2.       A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night – 2014

Everyone’s favourite Persian vampire film.

3.       Alien – 1979 There’s too many reasons why this is a horror classic. It’s completely perfect.

4.       American Mary – 2012 I’ve got massive respect for the Soska Sisters. This film is them to a T.

5.       Annihilation – 2018 I love everything Alex Garland does. So when I say that this is my favourite creation of his, it means something. Part 1 of the Natalie Portman Body Horror Double Feature.

6.       Apocalypto – 2006 Although not technically a horror film, there is a lot to learn here about true fear.

7.       A Quiet Place – 2018 A movie without any (or barely any) dialogue that made people appreciate how much of horror comes from sound.

8.       Audition – 1999 J-Horror classic that suits a lover of slow-paced arthouse body horror.

9.       Black Swan – 2010 Part 2 of the Natalie Portman Body Horror Double Feature.

10.   The Blood on Satan’s Claw – 1971 Folk horror has been having a revival for the past few years, and this film showcases its British roots.

11.   The Cabinet of Dr Caligari – 1920 One of the first horror movies. The scenery, the expressions, the cinematography – it will teach you so much.

12.   Candyman – 1992 The sauvest ghoul who ever graced screens.

13.   Carrie – 1976 Stephen King’s first book about the telekinetic teen, who was immortalised on the silver screen by Sissy Spacek.

14.   Christine – 1983 Yeah, so I like Stephen King. Who doesn’t? Christine might be cheesy and bonkers to some, but I used to watch it as a little kid and it’s stuck with me.

15.   The Color Out of Space A modern adaptation of an H.P Lovecraft short story that can help horror fans understand the “rules” (or lack thereof) that surrounds cosmic horror.

16.   Crawl – 2019 The reason for this being on here: it’s hard to find a serious creature feature nowadays. I call this the “Sharknado Effect.” Has anyone else coined that? *quick google search* Yes, they have. Still stands, though.

17.   Cube – 1997 Some horrors are so simplistic, they’re boring. Others are simplistic and still have you on the edge of your seat. This is the later. I rate it above Saw any day.  

18.   A Cure for Wellness – 2016 This film has it all: claustrophobia, dentophobia, and even cheliphobia. 

19.   Duel – 1971 If you think a truck chasing a guy in a car for a whole movie isn’t scary, you’re right it probably isn’t. Unless that movie is Duel.

20.   The Endless The cosmic horror that ticks every box for me – funny, realistic characters; a solid plot; cults; interdimensional beings; spooky shit that makes me wanna cry; time fuckery. I can’t sing its praises enough.

21.   Evil Dead II – 1987 Evil Dead I and Army of Darkness are great, but this one’s my favourite.

22.   The “Fear Street” Trilogy - 2021 Teen horror is good, actually. 

23.   The Fly – 1986 Not only is it horrific, its tragic. The magic combination of a love story, body horror, and Jeff Goldblum. 

24.   Flatliners – 1990

From Joel Schumacher – this film could almost be thriller if it weren’t for the supernatural elements, but deserves a place on this list for a great concept that made a fantastic film.

25.   Frightmare – 1974 Pete Walker is a lesser known British director who made gory exploitation films. Frightmare is like a weird slice of history for me, and that’s why I’m into it.

26.   From Dusk Til Dawn – 1996 Changing the genre of your movie halfway through is a bold move. It totally pays off here.

27.   Ginger Snaps – 2000 Gothic werewolf movie about periods. That’s all you need to know. 

28.   Halloween – 1978 One of the most iconic slasher films.

29.   His House – 2020 Horror is often used as escapism, but some films look into the real world horrors that people face. His House does this with the trauma experienced by refugees.

30.   In the Mouth of Madness – 1994 Part of John Carpenter’s Apocalypse Trilogy. Lovecraftian to the core – small New England towns, eldritch beings, doom etc.

31.   Invasion of the Body Snatchers – 1978 The Fly and this film go hand in hand for me – and not just cause they both have Jeff Goldblum.

32.   It – 2017 Everyone was pretty blown away by how good (and well-cast this film was.) The second installment wasn’t as great, but they kept up with the fantastic casting so it’s easily enjoyable still. 

33.   Jennifer’s Body – 2009 This film got a lot of hate that arose from a bad marketing campaign. Luckily, it’s starting to push back against its bad reputation, showing people it’s actually a really good film.

34.   Lamb – 2021 Doing a completely original folk horror (and even horror in general) is hard nowadays, but this Icelandic production managed to do it.

35.   Last Night in Soho – 2021 Edgar Wright’s first non-comedic horror film. Beautiful, gripping and an incredible cast. 

36.   The Love Witch – 2016 Probably unlike any other film you’ll see. 

37.   The Lure – 2015 A horror filled musical with mermaids.

38.   Prevenge – 2016 A pretty unique concept on a whole that director/writer/star, Alice Lowe, conceived and shot while she was pregnant.

39.   Raw – 2016 Everyone’s favourite cannibal film – you had your time, Silence of the Lambs.

40.   Relic – 2020 A terrifying look into our futures through the lens of aging family members.

41.   Ringu – 1998 You can tell something resonates with people when it’s parodied countless times. 

42.   The Ritual – 2017 Realistic characters, sick monster design, great story. Adds a lot to the mid-2010s folk horror boom.

43.   Saint Maud – 2019 Debut feature of Rose Glass. Original, incredible acting, and a VERY impactful final shot. 

44.   Scream – 1996 Just watch it.

45.   Sputnik – 2020 Reviewers try and liken this movie to any other alien sci-fi horror, but it’s concept is way more original than most people give it credit for.

46.   Suspiria – 1977 Italian horror at it’s finest.

47.   The Thing – 1982 Essential sci-fi horror.

48.   Titane – 2021 Julia Ducournau won the Palme D’Or at Cannes Film Festival for this freaky body horror.

49.   Underwater – 2020 Two words: Aquatic Horror.

50.   V/H/S – 2021 This anthology series is worth a watch, especially for “The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger.”