#also there's just monsters and Creatures afoot in general

[albatris]

hello! somewhat new follower here, I love what ive seen of atdao and rental car but also I'm,, not fully sure what they're about? oops? if you have a summary post for them (or want to summarize them shortly [or not shortly haha] here) I'd love to see it!

hello!! welcome somewhat new follower to the Whatever This Is!! I love u and I hope you're having a good day!! I am very sleepy

but yes!! yeah, I can do this

so uhhh "I like these vibes but I have no idea what this WIP is about" is a pretty standard reaction to this blog hahahaha. my general approach to writeblr has been "I'm just going to start yelling about my WIPs with no context and people are welcome to jump on board for the ride if they like!!". that being said - I have a few posts that might be up your alley! but some of them are! rambly! lengthy! being concise is not my strong suit

I will give you a basic rundown of each plot (still will probably be a lot though) under the cut, but first I'll toss you a few links to some specific info that will talk about it all in more detail :3

here's the original comic sans powerpoint intro for ATDAO, though it's very old and certain details have changed now.... here's my go-to explaining-the-ATDAO-plot ramble post..... and here are some funky little character intro slides to give you a quick rundown of the MCs!

here's my powerpoint for rental car! much shorter and neater than the ATDAO one, and a pretty decent rundown of the plot! I recommend this as the place to start!! my explanation of rental car under the cut will be very sleepy and clumsy. (though I did make the powerpoint before I started writing, so some of the details particularly for Yvonne and Alex are different now.) but ye, you can find lots of more specific posts about worldbuilding elements and characters in the general rental car tag (it is also currently much shorter and neater than the general ATDAO tag hahaha)

both projects also have a playlist too, n I love to share those whenever I have the chance lmao

now, I will tell you of the plots, in an attempt to summarise that will likely still get very out of hand, if you care to read c:

so first up is All the Doors are Open! my longest-standing WIP! I'm bad at picking genres blah blah young adult fantasy/sci-fi/adventure blah blah. aims to land right in the dead centre of the overlap of "serious story about serious things" and "nonsense silliness and a bonkers plot that knows it's bonkers and leans into it hard" :P

vibes? found family, power of kindness and connection, goodness of humanity, learning self love, lots of cheesiness, happy endings all round! plus, ‘cause it’s an important point to me For Reasons, a psychotic protagonist whose psychosis isn’t demonised or used for some cheap plot twist like “haha the whole thing was a delusion all along none of it was real surprise!” or “turns out it was never psychosis and it was just magic powers!” - neither is it ignored or “just something that happens to be there”. it’s an integral part of his character and plotline alongside the very real magical bullshit he’s involved in, and it affects both how he relates to the world and how he approaches the story’s central mystery. it’s not a story About Mental Illness, but it is a story about mental illness

ANYWAY

ATDAO takes place in South Australia but a weird parallel dimension equivalent of, in a universe where the fabric of reality is unraveling! cracks in reality called Ports are cropping up with more and more frequency, causing all kinds of strange inexplicable phenomena. everyone is pretty sure the end is nigh, but the end sure is taking its sweet time, so in the meantime there's not much folks can do but try to continue about their regular lives as best they can against this bizarre apocalyptic backdrop. like, sure, some guy's feet got eaten by the footpath this morning and your toaster may be possessed, but you have, like, normal people problems. you have rent. you have homework. you're just hoping that weird humming sinkhole in the backyard won't reach your shed because you do NOT have time for that right now

the plot primarily follows Tris and Noa, fellow high school students at Northbrook and best friends four years and counting! I've gone back and forth so many times on whether their plotlines will be separate books or the same one and I still don't know!

Tris's plotline centres around him being the sole witness to a freak car accident that somehow causes his older brother Jacob to blip out of reality entirely. it's pretty weird, even by apocalypse standards. the Department of Interdimensional Instabilities are convinced if things happened the way Tris thinks they happened, then Jacob is deeefinitely dead and there's nothing they can do. the cops are convinced things did NOT happen the way Tris believes they did 'cause Tris is schizophrenic and Jacob was (apparently) already involved in some shady nonsense that would more than account for a disappearance under mysterious circumstances - as in, they think Jacob's disappearance is just regular people crimes and Tris is just stressed out and scrambling for any other explanation. however, due to a series of subsequent odd events, Tris knows for a goddamn fact that Jacob is still alive somewhere out there, scared and in danger. Tris takes it upon himself to find out the truth about the accident and find a way to bring Jacob home safely, whatever it takes. cue bizarre interdimensional mystery quest into a fucked-up pocket dimension that can be described as "being lost down the back of the universe's sofa"! much easier said than done, when most of the time Tris is too anxious to leave the house let alone leave his entire reality

Noa's plotline kicks off with her bluffing her way into a job at the Department of Interdimensional Instabilities (aka the folks who appropriately handle and de-escalate dangerous Port-related situations) 'cause she's broke and desperate. a relatively routine mission goes awry and Noa has a run in with some otherworldly energies that leave her Kind Of Different - she starts hearing strange voices, seeing ghosts and into other universes, n affecting the reality around her in increasingly unpredictable ways. she suspects she herself might be becoming something Port-adjacent, which is. not great! in the midst of her spiral of paranoia and desperation to hiding her growing instability from her new coworkers and potential friends, she turns to definitely-not-a-mad-scientist Melissa Marrick - who claims to have experienced the same thing many years prior and can help Noa find a way out, for a price. Marrick turns out to have her own shady as fuck agenda, however, and Noa is thrown into a bunch of vaguely superhero-supervillain-esque shenanigans as the pair go head-to-head over Marrick's ultimate plans. unfortunately for Marrick, Noa has seventeen years of pent-up rage and is completely willing to kick the ass of anyone who says things like "some people are expendable" and "this is for the greater good". This Shit Is Personal

the other two main characters you'll hear me talk about are Shara, Port enthusiast and amateur paranormal investigator on a quest to find the source of the apocalypse, and Kai, struggling with the aftermath of losing seven years of their life inside a time loop whirlpool and finding out the world moved on without them and their beloved family thinks they died

so that's! all that! don't let the Legitimate Serious Plot Talk fool you, this story is ridiculous from start to finish

NOW FOR RENTAL CAR

A Rental Car Takes a Left Down Rake Street and Disappears is my first foray into writing horror, but idk if it's turning out very horror-ish yet xD aside from this, it's fantasy/supernatural, aimed at an older audience than ATDAO but I feel weird calling it adult fiction lmao

honestly the powerpoint and the rental car tag are your best bets for understanding the gist of the plot I think. but I will Try to summarise here, I'm just not great at rental car summaries yet....... eeh

it's......... about a bunch of unhinged weirdos trying to murder a giant vampire hivemind! it's campy! it's violent! it's incredibly self-indulgent! it's wholesome in a yikes kind of way! it’s still an albatris WIP so it’s incredibly cheesy and silly, but also like. MUCH much darker and more visceral than ATDAO

the plot is. hm. regular normal human person Nathaniel Finch is on his way home from work like usual! then the next thing he knows, he wakes up covered in dirt in his rental car on the side of the road in the middle of the night nine days later! with no memory of what's just happened to him!

after considerable panic and confusion, he returns to his life and quickly realises that something is very VERY wrong with him now cough he's turning into a vampire cough. despite his near chronic agony, coughing up of blood, almost passing out in public several times, newfound allergic reaction to sunlight and sudden influx of completely alien murderous urges, Nat just kind of goes "fuck fuck fuck I don't have the time or money for this fuck" and decides He Is Fine. On God, He Is Going To Be Fine

one thing leads to another n he accidentally commits an extremely gruesome murder and drinks a dude’s blood at work, then is yoinked from the grisly crime scene by Quinn, a totally normal kind selfless human person with no ulterious motives whatsoever <3

n basically, yeah, Quinn is a shady bastard who loves going on a bit of a power trip and has a whole system of both vampires and humans under their thumb. likes to pounce on newly-turned vulnerable vamps because they're easy to manipulate and exploit and gaslight ‘cause they’re scared and confused and desperate

Quinn and Nat have a whole tense thing at first where Quinn is in control then Nat flips this on its head then they both kind of reach a very dicey stalemate n end up just being kind of. vaguely partners in this whole big mess. then friends who genuinely value and trust each other <3 they kind of speedrun a very intense love/obsession romantic relationship with each other. is it healthy? not really! are they equally fucked up and monstrous and an equal threat to each other? yeah! are they equally adoring and consumed by and in love with each other? also yeah! do they actually genuinely care about each other on a deeply loving, gentle, selfless level? eventually!

are they still very yikes? yeah. yep

so ye, plotwise, Nat is trying to adjust to his new. situation. while trying to figure out what the fuck happened to him during his nine day blackout (besides Got Turned Into A Fucking Vampire Somehow), n every bit of the mystery he solved lands him with ten new questions. he gets kind of. dragged into this whole bullshit confusing violent power struggle between like six different parties, while having NO fucking idea what his role to play in it is

Quinn also has no idea. Quinn just hopped on board because “hey new vampire I can bully look after <3″ and then gets roped into.............. the everything

n idk how to go about explaining it without spoilers, but it turns out Nat was not turned into a vampire by ordinary methods and Is Not A Normal Vampire, n just

look, man, there’s a giant vampire hivemind called the Garble that exists as the origin of all vampires and the very very very centre of this thing is MISERABLE and wants to stop being immortal and finally be allowed to die, while the rest of the Garble has taken on a mind of its own and Refuses To Let It Die, n blah blah they’ve gotta murder Vampire God. they’ve just gotta do it. Nat Finch Is Going To Murder And Eat God. okay. this is a reasonable goal for any normal 25 year old

uhhhh other things in rental car, hmmmm

there’s an ugly cat that is like 90% of Nat’s emotional support system! there’s a fucked up little house that gaslights you! there’s body horror! there’s mind control! there’s vampire zombies! there’s Quinn shoving a guy’s head through some temperamental electrical equipment and frying his brain! there’s Nat pinning Quinn down on a bed with claws to their throat and threatening to kill them and Quinn being weirdly, uncomfortably into it! there is a LOT of characters getting some good ol' sheer cathartic fucking FURY. there’s. an extremely bittersweet but not necessarily unhappy ending, depending on which angle you tilt your head at when you look at it

it’s found family! Nat, Alex and Yvonne are nice enough people albeit a little unhinged and not particularly well-adjusted, Quinn is fully a dramatic evil supervillain with a huge soft side but zero morals whatsoever, Lloyd is Just Kind Of There, look, they all make it work. Quinn and Nat take turns holding each other back from making objectively morally terrible violent decisions by the scruff of the neck. peace and love on planet earth <3

also gonna tack on two recent worldbuildy posts you can check out if you want also to help you get a better feel for dynamics and worldbuilding. they’re Rambles though. I like them but they're wordy :3

a post about Quinn’s deal, a post about the Garble

ok goodnight I love you. godspeed, stranger

[inb4belphienaps]

warnings: demon hunter au, monsterification (?), blood, gore, fighting (physical), death word count: 2028

Through the sounds of one man’s grunting and the clash of metal meeting hardened flesh, the ground of the forest shakes. Whatever birds had remained in the wake of the battlefield signal to one another (warning not just their own, but also the other inhabitants) that the current fight taking place could have devastating repercussions. More devastating than the smell of iron continuing to linger in the area.

As the earth shifts, flashes of bright light mingle with green smoke, creating a pool of fog that, were it privy to the eyes of outsiders, would hint at sorcery being afoot.

Magic holds its weight here in these lands. Depending on where your loyalties lie, you are either the hunter or the hunted. The former is normally trained in combat and taught to wield their powers as well as their swords. The latter, on the other hand, is feared, for the reasons that they are hunted are rooted deep in their very nature.

They go by many names – creatures of the dark, harbingers of evil, infernal bearers of sin. The list continues. And the stories grow. Generation after generation, children are taught to fear them. They are…demons. Children too in fact, of the King of Hell.

A royalty shrouded in mystery. The legend says that those who look upon his face never again see the light of day. And, since, no one has been able to confirm nor deny the numerous depictions of him, littering the books of those whose teeth chatter at the very mention of his title and covering the walls of the temples erected in honor of those who fight against him, he is better thought of as the very embodiment of your worst fears.

The soldiers are easier to motivate that way, more willing to be shaped into obedience. Whether that is seen as the mangled bodies of their loved ones or heard as the cries of the innocent, they are to never show mercy to the beings that do his bidding.

However, there are those who (baring the markings of a heretic), believe that these monsters were once human. That they sold their souls and gave into the darkness. That they were swayed by sweet words of promises unkept and in the end only saw suffering.

There are also those who, in the same manner, believe that these monsters take on the forms of humans. Either the humans they’ve converted or humans that they are to ravage, soon-to-be victims of a plague that cannot be cured or forgotten.

Dangerous thoughts like these are what make the difference between a good soldier and an immovable hunter. If there is doubt or a shadow of sympathy when facing these beasts, you may very well find your head removed from your body, and then, shortly after, consumed in its entirety.

(Yes...they feed on humans.)

Blood mars the surrounding trees and smothers the leaves, painting them an ugly copper. Where the dirt turns black, Simeon knows a struggle took place. How valiantly his brothers and sisters must have fought, he thinks. And how unsavory a death they must have met.

With this in mind, he steels his resolve and focuses all his energy into the magic materializing in his hands, imbuing it into his sword. He’d perfected his techniques. Trained until they’d become an extension of him and his will.

“Why”, the creature says, “they didn’t tell me they were saving the best ‘til last.”

Simeon neither flinches at nor acknowledges its voice. A voice that would otherwise send humans fleeing, pushes him to carry on, to increase his speed and thrust forwards with accuracy.

“But I suppose I should’ve known. The ones before you were far too weak to stand against me.”

He lunges, twisting half-way when he’s met with a swipe of a giant arm and a lash of a bright-green tail. Green. The color of evil. Green. The color of sin.

“They never had a chance.”

“Quit your blithering, monster. I have no intentions of hearing you speak.”

The creature smiles. Though its features are ghastly and covered with remains, Simeon can make out the ends of its mouth and how they curl upwards.

“You’ll have to cut out my tongue then, hunter.”

With each instance that their magics meet, the world around them becomes all the more obsolete. The serene landscape is instead transformed into an arena, of which only the strongest contender will leave from unscathed.

Simeon has hunted many of these puppets in his time. Cutting their strings and burning their shells, he’d gotten used to the smell of them. Except their appearance is another matter entirely. This creature that stands before him is a testament to that.

Its scales shine in the sunlight, like jewels beneath clear waters. Its limbs are strong and impressive. Its horns, like the antlers of a magnificent stag, demand his attention. Disregarding the loathing he feels; the creature is almost beautiful.

Almost.

He creates some distance between them, reconfiguring his stance and propelling himself off the scarped face of a mound of rocks piled atop one another just so.

The creature is quick to respond and close in on him, running on all fours at him head-first, like a raging bull. Its strides are far and wide, causing Simeon to abandon future attempts at discouraging close combat.

There is a menacing, contained kind of anger that permeates from the creature. He senses it every time its magic brushes against him be it the patches of exposed skin or his armor.  There’s a heat to it too. A hot measure of lethality that reminds him to be careful.

Demons are after all, tricky beings with a history of dabbling in the dark arts (necromancy was nothing to them). These are experienced fighters, unhinged and free to do as they please without their need for self-preservation or the need to maintain their dignity getting in the way.

The sheer force of their clash resounds, akin to a clap of thunder and the sparks that fly as its talons scrape against Simeon’s metal gives ode to the lightning that would normally accompany it.

When they part, following a further exchange of blows, Simeon is panting, and the creature seems excited by the notion.

“You are a creature of the dark. You take solace in the shadows, so you may attempt to flee from your sins but make no mistake, beast”, he hisses, jutting his chin out defiantly with a type of pride that the creature knew all too well, “I will have your head.”

The creature laughs and bares its fangs. Only…the hunter in front of him pictures how they’d glint on his neck, to serve both as a reminder and as a medal for his efforts.

Taking this monster down and fashioning his remains into something wearable? It was the least he could do for his companions who had sacrificed themselves and died fighting. Hell itself would have to freeze over before he’d admit defeat in any sense of the word so that their deaths would not have been in vain.

Suddenly, something splits in the air, the fractures dissipating in a myriad of pieces that could pass for shattered glass and Simeon is temporarily rendered immobile. His eyes widen, and he feels the creature within him. It was invading his mind.

Sentiments of nights spent practicing on his own and memories of harsh winters spent in front of crackling fires cause his shoulders to shake. There, amidst the confusion and horror, his friend’s cheerful visage startles him back into reality.

“Didn’t your mother ever tell you?”, the creature chides. “It’s dangerous to go looking for the dead.”

So, the creature knew his intentions. To find his friend and give him a proper burial. His friend, who was probably now disfigured beyond recognition, was waiting for Simeon to find him. He could feel it. His friend, the one who had been there to see him through the hardest times of his life, was calling to him.

“Silence”, Simeon spits, venom coating his demand as he hurtles daggers and magic alike at the looming silhouette shrouded in mist. Each one ricochets off of its hide, and he clenches his jaw. He wasn’t focusing hard enough.

“I’ll give you two seconds to prepare yourself”, it says.

The creature then comes to a standstill and Simeon feels the first inklings of dread. A sentence like that meant that he was either going to be met with a resistance he had no hopes of fathoming or it had a trump card up its sleeve – another nasty trick it could use to its advantage.

“One.”

Wind rustles the foliage above and carries his scent towards it. He tightens his grip on his trusty weapon and tilts his head to the side to crack his neck.

“Two.”

With inhuman speed, it leaps, first into the thickets, disappearing from view, then to his side, grabbing him by the scruff as he’s rendered helpless.

Simeon squirms, his sword doing little to better the situation, and he kicks at the creature’s torso. The dull sounds of his foot colliding with its build send a rush of panic through him. And then-

And then he is falling. And the creature is smiling, eyes narrowing in satisfaction as he looks down at the devastation tainting his features. The creature stands at the edge of the cliff, watching him descend into the abyss.

“What a shame”, it says. “You put up such a good fight, little hunter.”

As the creature turns his back, its ears twitch and it swivels around in disbelief. Was there a humming noise? A buzzing? A ringing in its ears?

It doesn’t have the chance to come to a conclusion. Simeon surges upwards from within the depths, colliding with its giant frame, and crushes it to the ground, with the same foot he’d used to kick it just moments before firmly planted on its chest.

“You…you have wings”, the creature whispers.

Simeon resists the urge to shiver. He hadn’t known he’d had them. He hadn’t known he was even capable of conjuring such things.

In its moment of weakness, he plunges his sword into its chest, watching the expression in its eyes change from bewilderment to indifference. Perhaps this was its way of dealing with death. Upon realizing that it too, like him, is capable of it, perhaps it resigned itself to its inevitable fate.

“What is your name, hunter?”, the creature rasps.

He hesitates. It is said that once a demon utters your name, you are forever cursed. And yet, with the outcome of the battle decided, he’s willing to take his chances.

“My name is Simeon.”

The creature nods once and sighs, as if vaguely fatigued.

“And what do they call you? Do your kind even have names?”

It snickers, and Simeon removes his sword, the severe movement causing it to stiffen and clutch at the fresh wound, talons covered in its own sanguineous substance. He feels no remorse or contrition at the pitiful sight, and he digs his sword in once more, eliciting a grunt. The creature assesses his hands – vigorous and seemly, and baring a ring too.

“Satan. That is my name.”

.

.

.

As the sun sets on the horizon and bathes the scenery in twilight, a shadow emerges from the edge of the forest close to the border. His clothes are ripped, and his blonde hair is covered in mud.

He stands, taking a deep breath in, and closes his eyes. When next he opens them, they glow a vibrant chartreuse – its yellow and green hues mixing together to create an uncanny image. The dust has settled and so has the blood running through his veins.

A body lies beneath his feet. Its uniform indicates that the man was once a solider. And as he turns him over, a familiar-looking ring falls out of the soldier’s pocket. He stoops down to pick it up and admires it in the low light.

Yes, those seemly hands and those crystalline irises that’d shown unwavering tenacity.

He will return. If only to cradle that hunter’s pretty little head in his hands.

[faenet]

hi I just came across your blog & i wanted to say your edits are beautiful!!! & also, I've read TOG & ACOTAR, & I wanted to ask if you have any other book recommendations that are similar I guess to TOG & ACOTAR?? Like fantasy, action & of course romance:)

I’m so glad that you enjoy our blog! Our members have a few recommendations that I’ll put under the cut:

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab: Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see. After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure. Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they’ll first need to stay alive. (fantasy, young adult)

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir: Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free. Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear. But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy. There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself. (fantasy, young adult, romance)

Circe by Madeline Miller: In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. (mythology, fantasy)

Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente: Koschei the Deathless is to Russian folklore what devils or wicked witches are to European culture: a menacing, evil figure; the villain of countless stories which have been passed on through story and text for generations. Deathless lights up like fire as the young Marya Morevna transforms from a clever child of the revolution, to Koschei’s beautiful bride, to his eventual undoing. All told, Deathless is a collision of magical history and actual history, of revolution and mythology, of love and death, which will bring Russian myth back to life in a stunning new incarnation. (fantasy, historical fiction, mythology)

Defy by Sara B. Larson: Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king’s army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince’s guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can’t prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she’s sworn to protect? (fantasy, young adult, romance)

Graceling by Kristin Cashore: Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug. (fantasy, young adult, romance)

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers: Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others. (fantasy, young adult, romance, historical)

Hunted by Meagan Spooner: Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. She knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering them. But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance. Deaf to her sisters’ protests, Yeva hunts this strange Beast back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. (fantasy, young adult, romance)

Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. (fantasy, fiction, romance)

Red Winter by Annette Mari: Emi is the kamigakari. In a few short months, her life as a mortal will end and her new existence as the human host of a goddess will begin. Shiro is a yokai, a spirit of the earth, an enemy of the goddess Emi will soon host. But she saved his life, and until his debt is paid, he is hers to command-whether she wants him or not. On the day they meet, everything Emi believes comes undone, swept away like snow upon the winter wind. For the first time, she wants to change her fate-but how can she erase a destiny already wrought in stone? Against the power of the gods, Shiro is her only hope… and hope is all she has left. (fantasy, young adult, mythology, romance)

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo: Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. (fantasy, young adult, romance)

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi: Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now. Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior. (young adult, dystopian, romance)

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor: The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever. (fantasy, young adult, romance)

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black: Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences. (fantasy, young adult)

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson: Elisa is the chosen one. But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will. Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young. (fantasy, young adult)

The Girl Who Never Was by Skylar Dorset: The Girl Who Never Was is the story of Selkie Stewart, who thinks she’s a totally normal teenager growing up in Boston. Sure, her father is in an insane asylum, her mother left her on his doorstep—literally—when she was a baby, and she’s being raised by two ancient aunts who spend their time hunting gnomes in their Beacon Hill townhouse. But other than that her life is totally normal! She’s got an adventurous best friend who’s always got her back and an unrequited crush on an older boy named Ben. Just like any other teenager, right? (fantasy, young adult, paranormal)

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: Isabella Swan’s move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella’s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. (young adult, fantasy, romance, paranormal)

I hope this helps!

♡ Lauren

[comicteaparty]

May 9th, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on May 9th, 2019, from 5PM - 7PM PDT.  The chat focused on Lodestar by SasstastiKim.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Lodestar by SasstastiKim~! (http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

Darkhalo4321

My favorite scene has to be... the coffee shop book place thingy. With taylor! Sarcasm max.

Letter Bee

Elliot being told to trust his new friends by his mother.

SpazztastiKim

Author note: chapter one is getting "remodeled" so any suggestions are welcome

Kabocha

My favorite scene? Probably be this one: http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2597078/ch2-pg-17/ ...It's so atmospheric, and that is a very good and creepy looking heart. I'm into the atmosphere. Under @SpazztastiKim's cute artwork lies something deceptively dark...

Darkhalo4321

I looooooovethe backgrounds in that sequence

L O V E

Yes, very dark. >:3c

RebelVampire

yeah i got second that as my favorite scene. cause the atmosphere is to die for. and i love how contrasted it is from the previous scenes cause you go into it and immediately go "oh no a spooky dream"

Kabocha

Also, Kim -- if you are interested in critique, etc, I can throw you thoughts in private, but I didnt' like, make any notes or anything. It's your comic and I figured that you were doin' errything to have fun! (And get some good creepiness in there too)

SpazztastiKim

You are welcome to!

Kabocha

Okay. I'll do that offline and another day, then. But I do think you've got a good story here, so please don't feel obliged to open yourself up to such feedback!

SpazztastiKim

Thank you

Darkhalo4321

Let us gush over how superb becky's optimism is

SpazztastiKim

Lol

RebelVampire

im busy gushing over the dialogue on this page http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2749604/ch3-pg10/

Kabocha

Honestly I just really like the magic effects, not gonna lie

RebelVampire

like its so silly and yet reminds me of youth

Kabocha

I'm looking forward to more magic and ghost stuff

RebelVampire

cause these are random convos i would have as a youth with ppl

Kabocha

YEAH

Darkhalo4321

Same here!

Kabocha

It's so dramatic, and... man,... I remember being like that when I was younger

I don't recall if it's stated in-comic, but how old is everyone?

SpazztastiKim

Not stated yet. You can guess tho XD

RebelVampire

elliot was a 30 year old man this entire time

SpazztastiKim

Oof XDD

Kabocha

Ahahaha. I was guessing 14~15

Darkhalo4321

Im not allowed to guess because i kinda know XD

SpazztastiKim

Lol

Kabocha

Either way, I'm guessing high school for all of them, but nobody's a senior XD

Darkhalo4321

Except for ally

Shes like younger, like idk maybe hr high ish?

I actually dont know for sure her age

RebelVampire

i wouldve guessed middle school personally. but its hard to tell cause i need to see more adults

Kabocha

Maybe? She throws me a little bit? XD She's probably 13ish?

Darkhalo4321

Shes a precious cinnamonroll and needs protected at all costs

RebelVampire

yeah id peg 13ish for ally personally too.

idk if she need the protecting. she is not the one who got tackled to the ground

Kabocha

I would not fight her

Darkhalo4321

No

She will tackle you to the ground in l o v e

Kabocha

I do also really like how everyone's designs are unique

So it's really easy to distinguish who's who (and I'm pretty sure if it was a greyscale comic, it'd still be very easy... Which is really good)

....ALSO WHAT WAS WITH THE POINTY EARS

Darkhalo4321

Yeah kim

S'plain

X'D

Kabocha

I'm getting the feeling that there are spoilers in that answer

SpazztastiKim

OP... someone noticed

Kabocha

but

I can't help but feel like there are some alternate world or reincarnation shenanigans afoot

RebelVampire

elliot was an elf in a past life and the birth he witnessed was from back then

ya know what scratch that

he was the elf prince

Kabocha

Okay so I'm not the only one that thought that though

RebelVampire

just make everyone a prince

SpazztastiKim

Pfft yes

Kabocha

What's with the lanterns though... hahaha

But I really do have to wonder what all is going on there. The wolf skeleton was warning him about a thing he... sealed away.

SpazztastiKim

Was it sealed tho?

Kabocha

.... Maybe not

Darkhalo4321

:0

Kabocha

but, I mean, it's hella vague I feel like the wolf is protecting Elliot tho

Darkhalo4321

I get that vibe too, wasnt nice atthe end tho >:T

Kabocha

No, but this probably has happened before

Darkhalo4321

Ya think?

RebelVampire

when you say this are you talking about the dream itself or like the sealed away creature thing?

Kabocha

http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2612346/ch2-pg18/ Well, the wolf says that Elliot's been dragged away before

so the thing that's hunting Elliot in his dream proooooooooooooooooooooooooobably has gone after him before

unless the "Birth" in question means it manifested in physical form

Darkhalo4321

D:

OH

Kabocha

KIM IS THIS NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, AND ALL THESE KIDS ARE GONNA GET KILLED BY FREDDY

Darkhalo4321

Maybe

XD

MAYBE

SpazztastiKim

Pffft

RebelVampire

that theory did occur to me

cause of the dream themes

that this is basically monster in the dreams

rip everyone

Darkhalo4321

I mean, I know kim loves horror movies SO

Kabocha

Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Warriors II

RebelVampire

so the thing about the pointy ears that actually interests me the most is that elliot didnt seem to notice all that much or care. and like i know there was a bloody skeleton wolf scaring the crap outta him, but i feel like hed have at least been a little like "hey i am an elf boy now"

also the fact that the dream did not start off with pointy ears

they only showed up with wolf dude

Kabocha

It might be a sign of magic or something. Or maybe he and his ghost are just used to the pointed ears showing up

Darkhalo4321

Ooohh

I didn't notice tyhat!

Kabocha

I did have to re-read that part when I looked at this earlier this week -- it was like "waaaaaaaaaaait a minute"

SpazztastiKim

Hmm WHEN did the change happen again?

Darkhalo4321

Hm indeed

Kabocha

It seems to be a slow transition to be honest

Darkhalo4321

you know who we haven't mentioned yet- TOM my favorite character.

Kabocha

http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2456424/ch2-pg11/ On this page, they start to look slightly pointed http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2505393/ch2-pg12/ AND THEN He starts to hear things and cough... And magic shows up in the next page

mathtans

Here for the moment, the little one is being very fussy this evening. I think my favourite scene was in the night terror in chapter 2, where we just had the glowing eyes - and then Mandy's glowing hand. Creepy and atmospheric.

Scrolling back to read, I liked how Elliot was thankful not to be a hobbit when he woke.

Darkhalo4321

Right?

Imagine if he woke up and HAD POINTY EARS

the rest of the cast would have been howling

Kabocha

Also, he's focusing on the important things: Not being a dream zombie

RebelVampire

i will be surprised if that doesnt happen one day. that he wakes up with elf ears and has to explain to everyone that surprise, hes an elf now

QUESTION 2. Dreams seem to be central to the story at hand. How do you interpret Elliot’s latest dream? Was it a dream, or was it something more? Whose birth did Elliot supposedly witness, and what exactly is it hungering for? Who is the black wolf that delivers the warnings to Elliot, and why is Elliot the one tasked with helping to defeat whatever the wolf is warning him about? Additionally, if this is no simple dream, why doesn’t Elliot remember this supposed event? Last but not least, what do you make of Elliot’s appearance change within the dream, and what do you think the meaning of the lantern is?

mathtans

I don't think it's a nightmare on elm street kind of thing, because Crystal Lake was dropped as a reference, so these sorts of things already exist in the characters' universe.

Chapter 4, Elliot joins an elf help group.

RebelVampire

but see thats the genius of it. drop the refs, nobody thinks anything of it and is like "ah just a red herring"

and then boom

dream murderer

Kabocha

THE DREAM WAS A WARNING I don't know if the "Starve it" Though... well. Maybe it wants to eat his dreams. Dream eater. OH MY GOD ELLIOT'S BEING HUNTED BY A DROWZEE

Darkhalo4321

THAT PUN WAS GOLD

That would be sneaky!

mathtans

It can't be a simple dream either way. Mandy joined him. That can't be a normal thing for ghosts. Can it?

RebelVampire

yeah starve it really interesting. cause what do you have to deprive the creature or whatever it is of to starve it? is elliot just not supposed to get eaten? is it dreams? is it ghosts?

although maybe its the lantern

nah

no way that was just a dream

Kabocha

Maybe. The lantern did come out as danger started to come near

RebelVampire

that was a vision

Kabocha

what is Mandy anyway

didn't he say that she was never alive to begin with? Or was he speaking generally

....What if Mandy was a victim of the thing?

RebelVampire

or even worse

mandy is the thing

SpazztastiKim

Scary

Darkhalo4321

Mandi is an imaginary friend taken form because of El? Maybe? Like, Can El manifest things?

Without knowing it-

RebelVampire

that could also be true

but im now sticking to the she is the thing one

cause it would explain why the wolf kicked her out

and said "no dream warnings for you"

Darkhalo4321

Aw

I know she's not like... real but she HAS FEELINGS DREAM WOLF

OH, but aside from just El having that one nightmare, apparently it's a prevalent problem going on- so it's not just isolated.

RebelVampire

ya know, i just want to point out if the dream wolf is going around warning ppl, the strategy is not very effective. fear is not the answer wolf.

Kabocha

Based on the comic description... We'll have to see more about that though

I dunno, if you scare someone enough, they'll stay away

Darkhalo4321

maybe el gets royal treatment of being warned

Kabocha

maybe the wolf is protecting the place where "it" is

Darkhalo4321

while everyone else just gets stalked with EYES

Kabocha

it's because he's acutally Frodo Baggins

Darkhalo4321

YES

HE IS SHORT

Kabocha

and the thing after them is Melkor. Or Sauron.

SpazztastiKim

obviously its voldemort

Darkhalo4321

!!!

you mean, he who should not be named!

Kabocha

GASP!

What about the Babadook

SpazztastiKim

my bad

OOF

RebelVampire

where elliot lives the dream wolf is just how the letters are delivered

Darkhalo4321

Baba Yaga

RebelVampire

http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2597078/ch2-pg-17/ so i wonder who all the creepy ppl are in the bg

mathtans

Maybe it's like regular dreams, you don't really remember them unless you're woken up in the middle. So the wolf is waking everyone up with love bites.

RebelVampire

like was the creature born cause ppl were like "yaay sacrifice"

Kabocha

Oh, great, the wolf is my cat

SpazztastiKim

pfft

Darkhalo4321

if that's what you call a LOVE bite...>>

RebelVampire

the wolf is reading the wrong book of how to talk to humans

SpazztastiKim

lol

mathtans

There were five witnesses to the birth maybe, Rebel. They were summoned to the place in dreams.

Superjustinbros

HELLO

Kabocha

I'mma go out on a limb and say the people in the BG were part of the creation. THE COUNCIL OF CREATION A bunch of high elves that decided one day, "hey, let's just do this whole thing and nothing can go wrong" And Elliot was like, "NOPE" And died and went into another world where it was nearly unleashed upon them.

Justin, what are your thoughts on the Wolf and the Five people on Chapter 2, Page 17?

mathtans

They're looking at a heart.

Superjustinbros

Can I bring it home and call it Maniac?

SpazztastiKim

good name for it

Superjustinbros

Anyways hey there, sorry I'm a bit late

Room's getting redesigned but to stray from going offtopic I wanted to drop in and hand out and see what we're all talknig about tonight

RebelVampire

they are looking at a heart. Elliot was the mage who betrayed the council and realized his magic was for healing not the dark arts

Kabocha

Yep. We're talking about this week's comic -- Lodestar. As is the usual thing on the Thursday Bookclub~

Superjustinbros

Oh yea

Kabocha

http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2597078/ch2-pg-17/ But really, I wonder what "it" is. .... Maybe there was a ritual.

Superjustinbros

Is that white line it's eye

Kabocha

Also -- did Eliot's magical scratch appear when the lantern showed up I'm just noticing this Does magic have a price?

RebelVampire

i assum eyes, the white line is its eye

that page did have the atmosphere of ritual

mostly cause of the heart

you dont hold beating hearts unless youre doing a ritual

idk i couldnt figure out when the scratch showed up. id have to look again super close

Darkhalo4321

It's def. Skooky

Kabocha

http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2547332/ch2-pg14/ It's this page, Rebel

Superjustinbros

I ruined the feel of this image

SpazztastiKim

pfft(edited)

meme material

Darkhalo4321

I mean- MAYBE the wolf thing, wants to be empathetci?

Kabocha

"The woods cried out: FEED ME pls can i haz yer dinner hoomin"

Darkhalo4321

also likes hoomin heartz

SpazztastiKim

GOOD LORD XDD

mathtans

The whole glowing eyes thing is pretty cool. Not sure how the effect is done, but nice.

Darkhalo4321

It's not like I LIKE you or anything! B-BAKA!

SpazztastiKim

TSUNDERE DEMON

Darkhalo4321

kiss kiss fall in the lake!

Kabocha

Also likes hoomin necks They are like beef, but more gamey

mathtans

Maybe the demon is actually that aunt, the one who made the tea.

SpazztastiKim

Nom nom

Darkhalo4321

D:

Taylor?!

Kabocha

... I mean, dreams can be representational

so you got a Mama Wolf protectin' her youngins

Darkhalo4321

maybe- el is part dream wolf?

SpazztastiKim

i'm dead

mathtans

Yis. Summoned Elliot into town so the ghost Mandy could help.

"My other form is also a wolf."

RebelVampire

elliot wasnt real all along

he was summon

Kabocha

Oh no

Darkhalo4321

MAYBE- el is the creation woooooo

Kabocha

This isn't Final Fantasy 10, Rebel

unless we're getting meta, and we need El's father to be the wolf -- a summon from a dream becomes a dreaming summoned beast...

Darkhalo4321

I mean like-

We haven't SEEN el's dad yet so

Superjustinbros

"Hey, you OK?" "Does this look "Okay" to you?!"

_okay I'm done

Back to the comic

RebelVampire

yeah i was just about to say this is really gonna mess up the archives if it continues since i cant include images XD

Superjustinbros

Yeah lol

I feel like the joke has run it's course anyways

SpazztastiKim

I'm crying

Superjustinbros

You can only hammer in a joke edit so many times before it stops being entertaining

RebelVampire

onto the scratch. i get more the impression that the scratch was gonna happen anyway and the lantern showed up saying "hey stop scratching my boy"

Kabocha

image: [Elliot: don't make me Tidus- I wanna be Cloud]

SpazztastiKim

asdfghjkl!!!!

Superjustinbros

you wanna be a Cloud?

Darkhalo4321

giant SWORD

Superjustinbros

Oh that Cloud

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. Early on, we learn that Elliot is supposedly psychic or an empath. Do you think Elliot is telling the truth about mostly just seeing ghosts, or does he really have other psychic powers as the others accuse him of? Who exactly do you think Mandy is, and what do you make of her closeness with Elliot? In other words, how do you think the two met? Do you think Elliot was born with whatever powers he has, or does it somehow tie into the creature he was warned about in the dream? Overall, how do you think Elliot’s abilities will help or hinder him in his task? What about in general for his newfound life in the town?

Kabocha

Elliot would not be a good Cloud, honestly. He's got too much personality, and too little damage from experimentation

Superjustinbros

Well we've seen a demon and a ghost so...

Kabocha

I THINK Mandy is his sister from another life. Or his best friend. And she couldn't be reincarnated with him, so she stuck around.

RebelVampire

was gonna go with his stillborn sister who never was

Darkhalo4321

But she was stated as never having BEEN alive?

That she wasn't real?

Kabocha

She's real for sure

She could also be a magic spirit, so she was never alive in the sense that humans would comprehend

Darkhalo4321

Real blue

SpazztastiKim

Har

mathtans

Elliot is all digital. He's in the Cloud.

RebelVampire

Elliot: I'm sorry Mandy but you're not real. Mandy: I'm...I'm floating right here and we're talking. Elliot: No, still not real.

Darkhalo4321

Maybe- El got the magic powers? ? From his last enounter that almost took him? And maybe mandi is some form of like... side kick from that?

Superjustinbros

Cloud saves? @mathtans

mathtans

I do think Elliot probably has other powers, but I don't think he actually knows about them. As to Mandy, I like Rebel's theory.(edited)

Kabocha

El goes on Dr. Phil, gets told "Perception is reality" Mandy laughs because... well

RebelVampire

so basically mandy is his familiar?

Superjustinbros

>Dr Phil I haven't heard that in a long time

Seems like it

Darkhalo4321

honestly, El would just sass his way out of dr. phil's show. they'd be like plz leave

Maybe?

RebelVampire

thats when they send him to jerry springer

mathtans

How did Mandy get her name? She must have existed at some point. Elliot doesn't seem like the type to just come up with that name, he's too introverted.

Kabocha

Maybe she has some sort of secret magic name

Darkhalo4321

Maybe Mandi named herself?

or came with a name?

Kabocha

and "Mandy" is just short for like Almandiasoriginamyeriath

mathtans

Bless you.

Darkhalo4321

cough kabo that's... I'm dying XD

Kabocha

HEY I know what "Bless you" means in some places!

Darkhalo4321

Salude

SpazztastiKim

ME TOO

Superjustinbros

Gesundheit.

RebelVampire

if we go with reincarnation being in this, maybe mandy isnt real cause she hasnt moved on in this life, has no memories of her past, and is basically just an empty shell floating around

Darkhalo4321

Oooh?

That's an interesting theory

Superjustinbros

I've seen stories with spirits like this

Kabocha

I'm curious to see what Mandy is later in the story, though. Like, if she's not real, then what is she. I'm pretty sure if she got kicked out of the dream, she's got some substance to her.

Superjustinbros

Yeah..

RebelVampire

well i guess it largely depends on what elliot's definition of real is

Darkhalo4321

:0

RebelVampire

i could also argue elliot is just deluding himself as to whether shes real or not because its how he protects his sanity

cause elliot doesnt seem fond of the idea that he has powers

so if he pretends none of its real its fine

Darkhalo4321

Yeah considering that he got REAL dark real fast when Becky kind of prodded him about the idea of it being... odd-

but thank god for Mandi she reeled that back in fast.

Kabocha

Elliot's been through some crap, hasn't he

Darkhalo4321

I FEEL like it- He's been through something- :/ but what? WHO knows-

RebelVampire

Elliot remembers the great elf war

Darkhalo4321

maybe el is actually an elf from another world, and this is an isekai story and we have no idea

Kabocha

"Remembers" only in his dreams

I AM DOWN FOR THIS

Darkhalo4321

reverse isekai?

RebelVampire

i am ok with this

Kabocha

YEP.

SpazztastiKim

Y'all would be great at DnD

Darkhalo4321

I'm going to get yelled at aren't I?

Superjustinbros

is not a DnD player(edited)

Kabocha

I'm also cool with it being a reincarnation story, or just that El gets to see all sorts of monstrous things because he's got some sort of magic shenanigans going on

Darkhalo4321

poor unfortunate soooooul

RebelVampire

im ok as long as elliot lives to tell the story cause the world would be a lesser place without his snark

Darkhalo4321

I would cry

SpazztastiKim

X'D

Darkhalo4321

I would actually FLY TO KIM'S AND we'd have a long talk

>:T

#teamelliotlives

SpazztastiKim

-tosses the idea pretending I never planned it-

mathtans

Maybe Mandy will start possessing people. Suddenly Becky gets real mellow. Suspicious.

SpazztastiKim

pfft

Superjustinbros

Oh good just what we need

Ghosts doing ghost stuff

RebelVampire

wait maybe mandy is just the manifestation of elliot's lantern hence why she was never alive and isnt real

Kabocha

WAIT, Is there a risk of people actually dying in this story ... ...Kim are you going to kill off Elliot

SpazztastiKim

no

Darkhalo4321

I feel like Becky would out.... do a ghost?

SpazztastiKim

HA

Darkhalo4321

SHE IS JUST TOO MUICH spirit for them XD

RebelVampire

Tom though is probably doomed for possession

SpazztastiKim

Poor Tom

Kabocha

.... Oh god you're probably right Rebel

Darkhalo4321

Becky is the one that would go " NO YOU DONT! " and unpossess herself with will power

Kabocha

Tom gets possessed and he seese EVERY HORRIBLE THING he's forced to do to feed the hunger

Darkhalo4321

NOT TOM

Kabocha

turns out the hunger is just really into chocolates

SpazztastiKim

PFFT

Darkhalo4321

NOOOO

Kabocha

They break into a Godiva shop with Tom's body

Superjustinbros

Did someone say chocolates?

Darkhalo4321

CHOCOLATE?!

Superjustinbros

http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2771909/ch3-pg14/ I wonder what flavor everyone's getting then

Kabocha

The Wolf isn't super keen on the whole Chocolates thing though, because, y'know, theobromine poisoning...

SpazztastiKim

hehe

Darkhalo4321

so that's why the wolf says STARVE it

Superjustinbros

Tsundre wolf cannot consume ice cream

RebelVampire

well at least a chocolate quest would be more pleasant than alternatives XD

Darkhalo4321

TRUE

Superjustinbros

XD

Chocolate Ice Cream? :3

RebelVampire

thats going too far in the sweets department questing O_O

Kabocha

Hey, at least Tom won't have to gorge himself on other things. But they do find out their local big box store was robbed of all its chocolate rabbits around easter...

SpazztastiKim

Truly the worst that could happen to this town(edited)

RebelVampire

but after Tom is freed hed never want to eat chocolate ever again

Kabocha

That's a tragedy.

Superjustinbros

RIP Chocolate rabbits.

RebelVampire

i want to see more tom though. i appreciate his calm demeanor in the face of the girls rampant amounts of energy

Darkhalo4321

Yes

Tom seems like the, solid rock founddation of the group type

mathtans

I like that idea that Mandy is just the manifestation of some object. Maybe something Elliot carries with him. A watch? He was good at pegging tea time.

RebelVampire

also cause tom is the useful one. cause becky is like "FARM FESTIVAL" and Ally is like "SWIMMING AND ICE CREAM" meanwhile tom is being a good boy and researching stuff for elliot

mathtans

Tom is a good counterpoint. He understands all the characters too.

Darkhalo4321

Like Hey let's do the job our club is suppose to do, shall we?

RebelVampire

Elliot is a time lord

mathtans

Oh yeah, the Farm Festival is sure to be a plot point. It's a metaphor for something.

RebelVampire

mystery solved(edited)

Darkhalo4321

I mean, if this were ouran host club, he's kyouya ... the only one that keeps the club on TASK

mathtans

Elliot's consciousness is trapped in a pocketwatch. With Mandy.

RebelVampire

ya know i could dig time lord elliot tho for reals. cause it explains why hes an elf or something. he just time travels and forgets he time travels. but why he knows how to save ppl from falling stuff

Kabocha

The farm festival will be... full of lore. About how they had the festival to appease a hungry beast.

Superjustinbros

oh boy

Darkhalo4321

Maybe

They farm

hearts

SpazztastiKim

HA

gross

Kabocha

Hey, the heart could have been a Deer Heart

Darkhalo4321

was it though?

Kabocha

Coulda been.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 4. As the comic opens up, we meet a slew of characters and learn some notable things in regards to dream. What do you make of the fact another person is supposedly having intense dreams similar to Elliot’s? Does this have anything to do with the creature, or is it simply a red herring? If it does have something to do with it, what do you think Elliot will have to do about it to help the victim? In general, how do you think the dream club Elliot joined will help him in his overall task? Moving on from Elliot, which of Elliot’s friends are you looking forward to learning more about? In what ways do you think these friends might help Elliot deal with his problems and his quest?

Superjustinbros

How intense we talking? Like, Math Test insane?

Darkhalo4321

WELL Becky has every intention of making sure el has a social life, some what-

Tom will probably ensure no one dies- or he'll die trying.

RebelVampire

dark no

dont even suggest tom dies

Darkhalo4321

What if

he does die tho

RebelVampire

protect that child

Darkhalo4321

D:

RebelVampire

no protect that child

Darkhalo4321

Ally tho

RebelVampire

or dont and be optimistic and assume him becoming a ghost will make him the most powerful being

Darkhalo4321

:0

Ghost Tom

mathtans

Elliot's the replacement Chosen One. The current one in town is having trouble.

Darkhalo4321

current one?

Superjustinbros

?

SpazztastiKim

esplain Mathans

Kabocha

So, if we were to categorize these characters as horror characters...

Darkhalo4321

NOOOO

like horror movie horror, or like scary movie parody horror?

SpazztastiKim

Yes

Superjustinbros

Oh dear, this is gonna be fun >:3

Kabocha

.... Elliot's our Canary, though sometimes the canary lives Tom's dead. I'm sorry. Becky will be scarred for life, but probably will be the one carrying the plot and making sure everyone survives. Allison... She will not be in the horror parts. She'll be the character that calls the cops at the end.

Superjustinbros

rip Tom.

RebelVampire

no all of you need to stop killing off tom

SpazztastiKim

Just straight up kill off Tom

RebelVampire

the next page of the comic is literally just a dagger flying through the window and stabbing tom in the heart

Darkhalo4321

I'm pretty sure I saw the next page, can confirm

Superjustinbros

oof

Darkhalo4321

tom actually falls backwards out of his chair and LANDS on a dagger. effectively killing him off. Then the comic ends. Tom was the danger ALL ALONG(edited)

Superjustinbros

Dear god

That's cold

SpazztastiKim

A twist to make m night shyamalan proud

Kabocha

Lol Justin if you believe that you obviously haven't read through this comic

RebelVampire

no no the comic continues. the wolf comes back and is like "bro i told you to starve it not kill it. youre under arrest. this is a sting operation"

Darkhalo4321

XD

SpazztastiKim

-wheeze-

Darkhalo4321

Elliot gets hauled off to DREAM JAIL

Mandi is denied visitation rights

Becky becomes his laywer

RebelVampire

then elliot becomes a dream defense attorney and has to prove his own innocence

becky would be a scary lawyer

like

i could just see her taking the floor and talking for hours

and her client is found innocent just cause the jury wants to go home

Darkhalo4321

She'd probably make a good case though-

Superjustinbros

@Kabocha Even if I did that's still pretty cold lol

Darkhalo4321

Jury: She talked for 5 hours, but... she wasn't wrong innocent!

Wolf thing : damn it!

SpazztastiKim

Ghost Tom: Language...

Darkhalo4321

Elliot: @#$% the establishment! throws a chair

Everyone just has the surprised pikachu face, after that!

SpazztastiKim

HA

Superjustinbros

That face is glorious

RebelVampire

at this point i think were just all drunk and have gone mad with power

SpazztastiKim

lol probably

RebelVampire

im really curious to see what happens at the farm festival tho. mostly just cause maybe nothing bad will happen and theyll just have fun. like go on a nice hay ride

that will not trigger unpleasant memories and not start a fire to the whole festival

SpazztastiKim

hay rides are included tho

Kabocha

Maybe we'll find out that they have a sleep study at the contest

erm

festival

Darkhalo4321

And then after it's been ALL good- and it's all fun and stuff-

Kabocha

why am I thinking contest

Darkhalo4321

THEN

Superjustinbros

Oh god what's happennig here now

Darkhalo4321

then it will go downhill

Kabocha

Yep. It'll be a hot mess. AND FREDDY RETUR--- wrong series

RebelVampire

id really want to see elliot in a sleep study now tho

just imagine the scientists face afterwards

as theyre like wtf are these readings

Superjustinbros

oh boy

Kabocha

"This boy never enters REM sleep!?"

RebelVampire

what is life

Kabocha

"How is he alive?!"

Darkhalo4321

Right?

my question exactly ^^^ lol(edited)

RebelVampire

elliot was the one to have never been alive to begin with. the whole mandy thing is him projecting

Darkhalo4321

it would explain why some scenes have her split off of him?

Kabocha

oh that would be a twist.

Two souls one body?

Darkhalo4321

THAT IS MY JAM

RebelVampire

i had considered that as a realistic possibility. or more that mandy is just an aspect of elliot's soul

SpazztastiKim

-watches with entertained glee-

Darkhalo4321

Oh maybe?

RebelVampire

http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2704817/ch3-pg4/ off topic but i just noticed that computer has a pear on it and that makes me laugh

Darkhalo4321

Like the NICE version of who El is, and all the snark remained in the actual body

El is just Snark

that's it

TOM HOW CAN YOU

Superjustinbros

Shoutouts to Pear Products

mathtans

Sorry, called to crib. Have we talked about the title yet? With "lode"star? Is that like a metaphor for Elliot's powers, or something else?

RebelVampire

we have not talked about it.

mathtans

(As to explaining about the chosen one thing, the person with night terrors in town wasn't responding properly, so that's how Elliot ended up in town too.)

Darkhalo4321

We havent'

RebelVampire

i assumed it was a play on a lodestone

Darkhalo4321

I don't actually know about the title so much

PROBABLY

What is a lodestone?

RebelVampire

“A lodestone is a naturally magnetized piece of the mineral magnetite. They are naturally occurring magnets, which can attract iron. The property of magnetism was first discovered in antiquity through lodestones.”

Darkhalo4321

Hm

RebelVampire

elliot is the attracter of evil

Darkhalo4321

PROBABLY

el is an unlucky person

Kabocha

MAGNETIC SOUL

SpazztastiKim

poor kid

mathtans

Mandy being part of his soul is interesting. It reminds me, I liked in the first chapter how there were hints of her at times, and eventually it became clear.

Oh yeah, and I loved the Pear Computer, Rebel. Glad you remembered to mention it.

Yeah, I thought it was like lodestone, but being a star, maybe it's good somehow even though there's a burden involved.

RebelVampire

i liked the small hints but at the same time i was confused and wondered if he was communicating telepathically with becky XD

Kabocha

I'm curious to see where this all goes. There's not enough information to really like, get super crazy with fandom yet

mathtans

I did wonder where the thoughts were coming from.

Also, before the end, gotta mention the Becky and Ally ship. Those two can feed off each others' energy, it's sweet.

Darkhalo4321

they can power the entire town with their energy

RebelVampire

i will support the elliot/tom ship

Superjustinbros

Since the CTP is ending in a bit, thanks for the CTR, and thanks for the cool comic as well @SpazztastiKim, it was fun checking it out

mathtans

There you go. Can't ship Tom with his sister, after all.

Darkhalo4321

El == shippable with everyone honestly

mathtans

El is shippable with the wolf?

Darkhalo4321

...

SpazztastiKim

asdfghjkl

Kabocha

...yes

RebelVampire

yes

Darkhalo4321

I MEAN, as Friends?

Kabocha

BFFS

Darkhalo4321

El seems like he needs more FRIENDS

Kabocha

Anyway! Thank you Kim! I look forward to seeing where this comic goes~

Darkhalo4321

and boy and his aggressive wolf friend

mathtans

Wolf's name is probably Lodestar. Got it from a book.

Best with it, Kim!

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to SasstastiKim, as well, for making Lodestar. If you liked the comic, make sure to support SasstastiKim’s efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/

SasstastiKim’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SpazztastiKim

SasstastiKim’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpazztastiKim

[bifrosted-flakes]

Uh hey I have some pretty bad paranoia and delusions, I know I shouldn’t do this in general but I have brainrot curiosity from trying to figure out why people talk about that guy with eyes all over his body or some shit and I wanna know if I could try listening to it, so uh what type of horror is tma?���😭 I mean like is it more ‘there could be creature of unimaginable horror out to get you’ or more just describing scary looking stuff

Hi! I also suffer from those and I completely understand being wary. I’d say it depends on what triggers you because some episodes are about general grossness but some episodes are about characters being stalked or feeling that they’re being watched.

I’ve personally never felt paranoid after listening because they’re all very solidly about the characters and not like “there is a Guy behind you, be scared” so I think the separation is nice.

Tma borders the line between small scale monsters and incomprehensible lovecraftian horrors but generally the individual short stories are about the former.

The show is structured as an anthology of short horror stories read by Jon Sims (the eye guy) in his job as the head archivist of The Magnus Institute, an organization that researches and collects “statements” about the paranormal from the public. As you go you start to notice recurring names and topics and begin to see the shape of a bigger narrative. The meta plot focuses on Jon and the other employees in the archives as they realize that something more sinister is afoot and try to stop it.

As a general rule of thumb, I’d recommend reading the listed content warnings on each episode (scroll to the bottom of the description) and if it sounds like it’d be too difficult just read the wiki for an episode overview or skip it entirely. Also make sure to take breaks if you find yourself getting scared or paranoid and use your coping mechanisms when you need them.

[aion-rsa]

Upcoming Horror Movies in November 2020: Theaters, Streaming, and VOD

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New original films have been popping up via streaming and video-on-demand all throughout the reign of the coronavirus. They continue to do so even as many theaters around the country have re-opened and are doing their best to lure customers back. Some titles are trying their luck with physical theaters first before heading online.

While October predictably saw a glut of horror releases during the lead-up to Halloween, November has a decent share of the scary stuff as well. Horror has historically been a reliable genre both at the box office (under normal circumstances) and in the digital space, so it probably makes sense that even in these compromised times, scary movies are still coming at us hard and fast as we approach Thanksgiving and the year-end holiday season.

Below is a round-up of fresh horror releases arriving either at your local multiplex (and we urge you to keep the risks of going to the theater in mind) or right in your living room. As we’ve noted before, even in decidedly unnerving times, scary movies can still be a hell of a lot of fun — and may actually take your mind off the troubles of the world around you.

Blood Vessel

Available On Shudder November 5

1945 and a life raft drifts in the North Atlantic, its occupants the survivors of a torpedoed hospital ship who are running out of hope. The arrival of a German minesweeper which at first appears to be deserted looks like it could be their last chance. This comes from director Justin Dix who made half decent action horror Crawlspace, and at first glance it looks like it might just be a Nazi vampire movie.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

The Dark and the Wicked

Available in theaters, on digital and on demand November 6 (US only)

We caught this — the latest film from writer/director Bryan Bertino (The Strangers) — at the online Fantasia Fest last month, where we once again marveled at Bertino’s ability to craft utterly skin-freezing filmmaking. Siblings Louise (Marin Ireland) and Michael (Michael Abbot Jr.) return to their family’s rural farmhouse to help their mother as their comatose father enters his last days, only to encounter a frightening presence. The atmosphere is thick with dread from start to finish, and the images shocking and nightmarish. This genuinely unsettling watch will also show up on Shudder later in the year.

Saban Films

Mortal

Available in select theaters, on demand and on digital November 6 (Out now in the UK)

Andrè Øvredal (Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark) directs this thriller, set in a sleepy Norwegian town where an American backpacker is arrested after witnesses claim that a teenager died after touching him. The backpacker warns a local psychologist that he has supernatural powers and that anyone who gets too close to him dies. The psychologist tries to determine the truth: is the stranger a freak of nature, an angry god or a renegade member of the X-Men? Okay, maybe not the last one, but you get the idea. Øvredal returns to his Norwegian roots for this wintry tale starring Nat Wolff (Hereditary).

IFC Films

Kindred

Available in select theaters, on demand and on digital November 6 (US only)

Kindred is being promoted as the debut feature from commercial director Joe Marcantonio, although we’re not sure if that’s supposed to mean something. In any case, the movie is billed as a psychological thriller in which a mother-to-be named Charlotte (Tamara Lawrance) collapses after hearing that her boyfriend has died and wakes up in his family home, where his mother (Fiona Shaw) and stepbrother (Jack Lowden) apparently have plans for both Charlotte and her baby. The trailer hints that something possibly supernatural may be afoot, and looks atmospheric enough to perhaps be worth a watch.

Dark Star Pictures

Koko-Di, Koko-Da

Available in Virtual Cinemas on November 6 in Los Angeles, New York and other major cities, with VOD to follow (Out now in the UK on BFIplayer)

We last wrote about this spine-chilling, twisted fairy tale back in September when it came out on VOD in the UK, and we’ve been waiting for an official North American release since it was first bumped back in March. This tale of grief-stricken parents tormented by demonic beings in a forested time loop is opening in “virtual cinemas” — you order tickets online and direct a portion of the sale to your favorite local arthouse cinema or indie chain. It sounds like a great way to support the smaller exhibitors who are hurting as badly as the AMCs and Regals of the world. And the movie is thoroughly unnerving.

Universal

Freaky

Out in theaters November 13

Freaky is the latest concoction from Blumhouse Films and writer/director Christopher Landon, who scored a big hit together with Happy Death Day in 2017. That was a mash-up of Groundhog Day and Scream; this one serves up generous portions of Freaky Friday and Halloween. Kathryn Newton plays Millie, a high schooler who finds herself trading bodies with a hulking serial killer called the Butcher (Vince Vaughn). We’ll see if Landon can skillfully bring the laughs and the scares in equal measure, while playing both a soulless murderer and a teenage girl seems like Vaughn’s biggest stretch yet.

Read more

Movies

Best Horror Movies to Watch on Shudder Right Now

By Rosie Fletcher and 1 other

Movies

A24 Horror Movies Ranked From Worst to Best

By David Crow and 3 others

Shudder

Lingering

Available on Shudder November 12

Presented as a Shudder Original, Lingering (a.k.a. Hotel Lake) is a South Korean horror film about a young woman who confronts a ghost at the hotel in which her mother committed suicide and where her younger brother is now staying. This is the first feature for director Yoon Eun-kyoung, and based on the trailer it looks like it checks off the boxes for good old creepy K-horror.

Exhibit A Pictures/Shudder

Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist

Available on Shudder on November 19

Some 43 years after its release, there is still so much to say about The Exorcist. And no one has talked about it more than the film’s director William Friedkin. The latter is the subject of Alexandre O. Philippe’s documentary, which explores “the uncharted depths of William Friedkin’s mind’s eye, the nuances of his filmmaking process, and the mysteries of faith and fate that have shaped his life and filmography.” The Exorcist remains our favorite horror film and we never get tired of watching or learning about it, so we’re looking forward to this — as should all students of horror cinema.

RLJE Films

Monstrum

Available on demand and on digital November 17 (US only)

More South Korean fun, this time a monster movie and period piece in which both a plague and a monster are laying waste to a kingdom, with the king bringing his most trusted general out of retirement to get rid of the creature menace at lease. Sounds like a combo of action and monster mayhem with lots of historical flavor, if done right. Woo-sik Choi of Parasite stars along with Hyeri Lee, In-kwon Kim and Myung-Min Kim.

Allen Fraser/Hulu

Run

Available on Hulu November 20 (US only)

The director and writers of the striking 2018 suspense film Searching return with this Hulu original thriller about a young woman named Chloe (newcomer Kiera Allen) who has been raised in total isolation since birth by her mom Diane (the great Sarah Paulson). Chloe finally begins to learn that there is something unnatural about the way she has grown up, and soon discovers the secrets her mother has been keeping from her. Searching was a terrific little thriller, set completely on computer screens and smartphones, so we’re intrigued to see what this filmmaking team has come up with now.

Possessor

November 27 (UK Only)

Brandon Cronenberg’s follow up to 2012’s Antiviral is a sci-fi horror thriller which sees a convert corporation develop tech that allows agents to inhabit other people’s bodies and carry out assassinations. Andrea Riseborough stars as the star operative who finds herself getting lost in one of her quarries, while Jennifer Jason Leigh is her handle. Possessor already played the festival circuit and was scheduled for a UK theatrical release at the end of November until a second lockdown was announced. Now the movie will be released on UK Digital Platforms.

The post Upcoming Horror Movies in November 2020: Theaters, Streaming, and VOD appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[gomisart]

Headworld/Story Guide

I wrote up this sort of short introduction thingy for my original stories and worlds they happen in, but it got a bit long because there’s just a lot to say about some of them! So it’s under cut!

Ghost Syndrome World

- Setting to Ghost Syndrome, my active webcomic. Main genre is urban fantasy.

- The story focuses around Vivian, a new vampire, and a group of other people tied to magic happenings, set in the fictional town of Hexerkeep in northeast United States.

- Alternative version of our world with secret magic and supernatural stuff like vampires and werewolves and ghosts.

- Normal people don’t know magic exists, and even “magic people” don’t always know much because magic communities are scattered and poorly organized. Several pocket dimension cities exist all over the globe, and even some magic societies outside pocket dimension cities. But a lot of new vampires, werewolves and mages are just left with poor knowledge of what’s going on and might never meet others of their kind.

- Humans are the vastly major sapient species, followed by werewolves and vampires. But werewolves and vampires usually used to be human as well, though both conditions can be gained by other species as well. Werewolves can also be born hereditarily, but vampires can’t. Ghosts, also largely human, don’t count as a sapient species since they aren’t a species, but a state of an individual’s existence.

- There are some non-human sapient species, but their numbers are scarce, and they’re mostly living in pocket dimension cities. None of these species are natural shapeshifters, which hinders them a lot. Several individuals might seek shapeshifting disguises through magic in order to live outside pocket dimension cities.

- There are still a handful of magic animals like griffins and unicorns around, but they’re even rarer than magic folk.

- Dragons were sapient and capable of shapeshifting, but they are extinct, apparently. At least that’s the general consensus.

- Rumor is that fair folk are real, but they rarely interact with people anymore, and live mostly in their own pocket dimension if they are real.

- Demons and angels are real. Demons interact with real world a lot more than angels. There are also other spirits and unclassified supernatural beings that partially exist in the world and partially in pocket dimensions. Demons and such mostly interact with humans to make contracts, offering magic powers and getting stuff like souls in return.

- Potentially used as a setting for other stories too in the future, who knows? Sounds like a vast world.

 Changer World

- Setting to Changer, a comic-to-be I’m working on. I used to call this setting Godrealm before the actual story started settling in. Main genre for this story is fantasy.

- The story focuses around Huuhkaja, who finds out she’s a demigod and has an important mission to fulfil. She sets out on a journey with some allies, forming a nicely balanced RPG party.

- A fantasy world based on Nordic, and especially Finnish mythology. “Timeline-wise” it’s about ancient agrarian culture fantasy Finland, with some bigger cities already formed, but since it’s a fantasy world, it’s not going to be historically accurate. Just the general gist of it. The whole story happens in just this one country, but other countries are hinted to exist.

- The main deal with this world is that gods are alive and real, and directly affect people’s lives, but people’s actions and worship can also directly affect gods.

- There are several spirits, usually directly created by the gods, but sometimes formed by places and natural phenomena. It’s a fairly animistic world.

- Magic is a fairly everyday thing, most people use everyday good luck charms and so on, but only few people can actually actively use magic to do (almost) everything they want. Most villages have at least one magic user. The way magic works in this world is mostly shamanistic, and a lot of magic users have familiars to help them, and use songs and spells. But magic, as a force, is all around people, and doesn’t come from a malevolent or benevolent source. Magic as a force is neutral. Magic users can be any kind of people they want though, from helpful healers to questionable witches.

- Just humans in this world, and spirits and gods. No magic animals or anything. Though, a lot of things can be achieved with magic…

- Currently no plans to include more than this one story in this world.

 Cervid World

- Setting to Cervid, a comic series I mainly draw in 24 hour comic events, because that’s a good excuse to draw something light-hearted. Currently includes three chapters made into zines. Main genre for this one is slice of life, with a comedic take.

- The story revolves around Stan, a deertaur boy who transfers to a new high school and meets a bunch of new friends. Hilarity ensues, perhaps.

- Alternative version of our world with monster people. Your everyday modern day world, just add monsters.

- Humans are the majority of the population, around 60-70 % of people are human, the rest are something else. Non-human sapient species include pretty much any sapient monsters you could think of, more or less human-shaped. Centaurs, harpies, sphinxes, manticores, merfolk, cyclopses and so on, to name a few.

- If it’s a mythological creature and not human-based in any way, chances are it’s an animal in this world. Stuff like griffins, unicorns, wyrms, shishi, qirins, so on.

- There is really no magic in this world. There used to be magic in ancient times, but it has run out. All kinds of weird species were apparently created by magic back in the day.

- The only species that still has magic is dragons, which are sapient, and they can only really spit fire and shapeshift with their magic. Apparently they, as a species, are so ancient that their magic is too deeply entwined in their DNA to just disappear. Some dragons live in human forms, some live more animal-like lives. All are equally sapient.

- There are no other shapeshifters in this world, so no werewolves, vampires, nine-tailed foxes or anything. No magic users either.

- A few generations ago, there was a huge surge of wild magic about in the world, which caused a bunch of people to mutate into non-human species. Back then only around 5-10% of the world’s population was non-humans, but this phenomenon closed the gap to the current numbers. This also helped non-humans finally get full person rights all over the world (they already had those in most countries, fortunately). General consensus is that this was the last burst of magic the world had to offer, but some people speculate there could be another phenomenon like this happening in the future.

- A lot of species can have viable offspring together, but a lot also can’t. Most offspring from this kind of couplings are either the mother’s or the father’s species (like a cyclops and a human having both human and cyclops children), some are slightly hybrid in nature (for example an oni with dragon-like scales)

- Right now only Cervid is set in this world but honestly I could put any kind of stories here since the fate of the world is in no way tied to Stan and his antics. Who knows! Maybe there’s room for more! Modern fantasy is always fun.

 ”Plantings” World

- Setting to Plantings, a short comic I drew for a zine. Currently one-shot, plans for continuation are afoot. Main genre is post-apocalyptic sci-fi, and slice of life.

- The story so far follows Honka, a person with three arms, who rides around post-apocalyptic wastelands with their riding dog, and plants seeds and saplings around, hoping the world will restore itself.

- A post-apocalyptic setting, but it has been so long since the cataclysm that most people don’t really remember it anymore, and things are starting to grow again, but of course they could use a little help. This whole world is supposed to have an “overgrown abandoned place” aesthetic vibe.

- Humans mostly live in underground shelters in this world, but people are starting to move back to the surface now that things aren’t so bad anymore. Right now societies are scattered, but trade routes and contacts are being re-established.

- There are some weird mutations and stuff going on. People can just randomly have green hair and three arms and it’s normal. Horse-sized dogs are normal and specifically bred to be mounts. Most mutations are just weird but not scary and murderous. There might be some sentient blobs of more or less radioactive slime but those are, uh, probably friendly!

- There isn’t definite proof of other sapient species surfacing alongside humans after the cataclysm, just some individual creatures have achieved sapience.

- Some societies might be more effed up but most people are just really chill and honestly want to rebuild the world and get in contact with other humans again. The world was already thrown to chaos once and most people don’t want to see that again.

- The basic idea is very clear, some details need ironing out, but mainly this setting just needs more stories! The starting point is clear and a prologue of sorts has been drawn – I have to figure out what Honka does next! I’m sure they have potential for a lot of adventures..!

- Come to think of it, this project might work as an art book with a series of illustrations and short comics. Hmmm. Endless possibilities!!

 ”Upgrade” World

- Setting to Upgrade, a short comic I drew for a zine. Currently one-shot, hopes for continuation are around! Main genre is sci-fi, and I guess so far slice of life.

- The story so far is about a (currently nameless) robot boy who wants to buy a new head, since his old one is overheating.

- So this is a modern day or near future sci-fi world with robots! Who apparently have full person rights and can buy parts for themselves. A lot of stuff is open-ended right now, but I think robots in this world are basically, at least surface level, treated like humans and do all kinds of things humans do like go to school and have jobs and such. Despite the robot factor, I see this otherwise as a really mundane world right now. - One funny mental image I had though was that robots have more career options than humans in a way, since their AIs can be transferred to all kinds of bodies, so they could, for example, become spaceships when they grow up. Something like that!

- Well, there’s a whole lot I don’t know about this world yet, but! Let’s see if this robot boy gets more adventures. The setting doesn’t really mix with any of my other headworlds though, so it’s gotta be its own world!

Seven Suns World

- Setting to Seven Suns, a story project that’s in the backburner right now because this is a big world in need of heavy worldbuilding, and somehow it’s surprisingly hard for me to focus on. Probably going to be a comic one day, maybe? If I get to work the actual story into some sort of consumable form. Main genre of this story is sci-fi.

- The story revolves around a lovable rag-tag party of space pirates. This story needs about as much work as the world.

- Sci-fi world with seven solar systems, a bunch of habitable planets, and 14 sapient species in total. That’s a. Uh. Lot of work.

- Humans are one sapient species, and then there are 13 different sapient alien species, ranging from “these are kinda like anthro dinosaur cats” to “this species has serpentine body, ten limbs, two mouths and six eyes”.

- A lot of stuff is still up in the air with this one – I am not super knowledgeable about space, and that’s a lot of stuff to research, worldbuilding-wise. However, from a story writing perspective, a whole lot of stuff will absolutely never be touched in the story, so I’m kinda trying to tell myself there’s a whole lot of stuff I could just handwave and be done with. In any case, this one is still in such a mutable, subject-to-change place, and not the highest one on my priority list, so for now that’s just where it’ll be. I think about it occasionally and things will move at their own pace – occasionally.

 I-Don’t-Have-A-Name-For-This-World High Fantasy World

- A setting and world that’s still pretty much up in the air – currently a place I have placed a lot of characters who have lacked a proper place. But I am uncertain whose story I’d want to write, or who the main character should be! Right now I’m leaning towards the story of Six. In either case, this is very much a fantasy world.

- Currently leaning towards the story revolving around Six, a chimera who starts studying magic, and Torpedo, a mercenary she meets. But there could be other stories too! Well, several stories could happen in this world too, it’s a vast world!

- A classic kitchen sink, D&D-esque high fantasy world with humans, elves, orcs, dragons, monsters and magic, all that jazz. Pretty much everything is magical or at least has the potential to be. There’s magic in the air and dirt and water and so on, it’s something you can study, and the strongest wizards can do absolutely ridiculous stuff. There are adventuring parties made up of talking dogs and magically created chimeras can go to magic college. Wild stuff!

- The main building blocks are actually there, it’s a Generic Fantasy World – right now I’m just lacking the stories to put there, or rather, I have way too many ideas! I need to trim it down, maybe make individual stories shorter, and put a bunch of stuff to happen here. A name for the world would of course be nice, so I could call it something else than “generic fantasy world”. In either case, a lot of characters, some more or less connected to each other, already call this world home.

 “Spirit World”, “The One With Pyrrhos and Bacchus and co. World”

- The setting I put a couple of characters from a few years back in and started developing, but I ran into a brick wall. Fantasy something.

- Right now the story is about Pyrrhos, a wolf spirit who gets cursed because he did something stupid. And that’s it; I have a starting point, and nothing else. Also another story from this setting is focused on Jin, a shishi statue who comes to life and starts adventuring. But that’s only the starting point, too.

- Something keeps insisting that this is it’s own world with spirits and stuff in a pocket dimension existing liminally with real world, and no other supernatural elements. But that’s as far as that goes, too.

- The few characters from this world will probably be assimilated into another setting, or kept as solitary characters for now, because it feels kinda redundant to build a world with no actual stories. I could easily just rethink the characters a bit and put them in the “generic fantasy world” setting and be done with it.

[johnnymundano]

The Theatre Bizarre (2011)

Directed by Douglas Buck, Buddy Giovinazzo, David Gregory, Karim Hussain, Jeremy Kasten, Tom Savini and Richard Stanley

Written by Scarlett Amaris, Douglas Buck, John Esposito, Buddy Giovinazzo, David Gregory, Karim Hussain, Emiliano Ranzani and Richard Stanley

Music by Simon Boswell, Susan DiBona and Marquis Howell of Hobo Jazz

Country: United States

Language: English

Running Time: 114 minutes

CAST

Udo Kier as Peg Poett

Virginia Newcomb as Enola Penny

Kaniehtiio Horn as The Writer (segment 'Vision Stains')

Victoria Maurette as Karina (segment 'The Mother Of Toads')

Shane Woodward as Martin (segment 'The Mother Of Toads')

André Hennicke as Axel (segment 'I Love You')

Suzan Anbeh as Mo (segment 'I Love You')

James Gill as Donnie (segment 'Wet Dreams')

Tom Savini as Dr. Maurey (segment 'Wet Dreams')

Debbie Rochon as Carla (segment 'Wet Dreams')

Lena Kleine as The Mother (segment 'The Accident')

Mélodie Simard as The Daughter (segment 'The Accident')

Lindsay Goranson as Estelle (segment 'Sweets')

Guilford Adams as Greg (segment 'Sweets')

Framing Segments

Directed by Jeremy Kasten

Written by Zach Chassler

Cast:

Udo Kier as Peg Poett

Virginia Newcomb as Enola Penny

The Theatre Bizarre is a series of six shorts largely in hock to the grand-guignol tradition of naturalistic horror (i.e. proper ketchup, matey). I know this not because of any keen interest in French theatre but because the framing sequence is called ‘Theatre Guignol’, and it is into this terribly mysterious theatre that Enola Penny (Virginia Newcomb) dreamily wanders one decisive night. Each of the following sections is introduced by the indefatigable Udo Kier playing a big puppet (literally “grand guignol”) who becomes less puppet-like as the movie wears on and (cue wobbly theremin) Enola become less human. Which might be an artistic statement about desensitisation, but is definitely an excuse to watch Udo Kier popping robot-moves, which I think we can all agree is a good thing.

The Mother of Toads

Directed by Richard Stanley

Written by Richard Stanley, Scarlett Amaris and Emiliano Ranzani

Cast:

Catriona MacColl as Mere Antoinette

Shane Woodward as Martin

Victoria Maurette as Karina

Lisa Belle as The Naked Witch (as Lisa Crawford)

Amelie Salomon as The Monster

The Mother of Toads is apparently based on a Clark Ashton Smith story of the same name which I haven’t read, with a bit of HP Lovecraft chucked in. It features a pair of unpleasant young Americans holidaying in France, and I’m not dissing Americans there, this pair really are unlikable; Karina moans that everything is in French in France (quelle surprise!), while Martin is so anaesthetised by his own acumen he can barely push his smug words past the thicket of his trendy beard. They come unstuck when bargain hunting in a French market where a handsome older lady with a mesmerising accent saucily offers Martin a peek at her Necronomicon. Bundling Karina off to a spa Martin spends the day with the accommodating and increasingly ardent crone, drinking suspicious brews and fingering her dusty leaves. Things end badly. This was an agreeably silly creature feature with plenty of the old ugh! quotient, an endearing lack of logic and a pervading sense of encroaching doom. The humour leavening proceedings is clearly no accident; there’s an excellent joke when Martin attempts to extricate himself from a post-coital bed without waking his sleeping and somewhat slimy partner. Probably rings a few bells in the audience that bit. It’s just enjoyably daft, tongue-in-cheek stuff and a welcome reminder that Richard (Hardware (1990), Dust Devil (1992)) Stanley is still rocking his smart-trash groove.

I Love You

Directed by Buddy Giovinazzo

Written by Buddy Giovinazzo

Cast:

André Hennicke as Axel

Suzan Anbeh  as Mo

I Love You is a pretty tough watch and unusually it’s not because of the climactic gore. Axel wakes up in his bathroom disorientated and bloody; turns out he’s an insecure, self-destructive mess who has driven his lady Mo away. Mo returns to sever all ties and leave for good. What follows is an emotionally harrowing battle between two damaged people where words are weapons and the hurt is internal. As blood spattered as the despairing denouement may be the real horror is the extended verbal flensing Mo delivers to Martin, in which she destroys not only his present but also his past. And is she telling the truth? Or is it a desperate attempt to extricate herself from his unquenchable neediness? Like a fox gnawing its paw off to escape the trap? Sometimes uncertainty can be another level of horror. Buddy Giovinazzo delivers a classily acted, tautly suspenseful two-hander which leaves an emotional stain which persists for days.

Wet Dreams

Directed by Tom Savini

Written by John Esposito

Cast:

Debbie Rochon as Carla

Tom Savini as Dr. Maurey

James Gill as Donnie

Jodii Christianson as Maxine

Wet Dreams is directed by Tom Savini, who is legendary in horror for his SFX work and slightly less legendary for his acting, so there’s no excuse for doing an Elvis double take at the fact he’s given himself a role and that his segment is luridly gory. He’s no slouch at directing either, which is nice. The esteemed Mr. Savini plays a psychiatrist, the kind who drinks on the job and talks about raping his mum (i.e. a movie psychiatrist), treating Donnie, a preening jackass who likes smacking his wife, Carla, about and cheating on her. See, Donnie’s having recurring nightmares wherein his sexy dream fun times climax with him being tortured and castrated by his long-suffering wife, in a series of gruesomely humorous and visually explicit ways. Gentlemen viewers may never again think of a fry-up without skittishly crossing their legs. Serves Donnie right you might think, but by the end of the dream-within-a-dream misdirection and its gruesomely pre-code EC Comics twist finale you might think again. Ugh. I mean….ugh. I...Jesus. What could have just been a gratuitous mess of general dismemberment is deftly directed by the savant Savini, resulting in an amoral immorality tale. And need it be said that his skills in the SFX dept remain second to none? No, it need not. So pretend I didn’t say it.

The Accident

Directed by Douglas Buck

Written by Douglas Buck

Cast:

Lena Kleine as Mother

Mélodie Simard as Daughter

Jean-Paul Rivière as Old Biker

Bruno Décary as Young Biker

The Accident provides a brief respite from the onslaught of sensationalistic gore, a pit stop if you will. Even if you won’t, it definitely centres around a cute child asking her blasé mother questions about mortality, said questions raised in the tiny, inquiring mind after the witnessing of an accident earlier in the day involving a deer and a cocky motorcyclist. It’s a very restrained piece, very accomplished, and softer in tone than anything before or after it. There’s a touch of grue when the deer is finished off, but mostly the horror here is the complete horseshit parents come out with to calm their offspring with regards to the ultimately absurd nature of life and death, a subject which everyone spends a lot of time avoiding thinking about on a day to day basis and about which they would rather not be cross-examined about by a child at bedtime. As upsetting as the sight of the deer’s tongue lolling out of its bug eyed head was (very), it wasn’t as upsetting as realising all the lies you have to fill your kid with just so they can function in what we’ve all decided to call reality. Compared to all that, lying about Santa Claus is a minor misdemeanour.

Vision Stains

Directed by Karim Hussain

Written by Karim Hussain

Cast:

Kaniehtiio Horn as The Writer

Cynthia Wu-Maheux as Junkie Girl

Imogen Haworth as Pregnant Woman

Rachelle Glait  as Older Homeless Woman

Alex Ivanovici  as Junkie Man

I have a thing about eye trauma. Not a sexual thing, a “flinch and wave your hands about like you’re warding off invisible birds” thing. It’s a running joke in the Mundano family unit; if there’s some serious eye trauma afoot in the viewing choice, all eyes fall on the father figure as he  tenses for impact. Those similarly (dis)inclined should be warned that there is a seriously impressive amount of eye trauma in Vision Stains. It’s built in as the whole episode rests on the Horror Movie Science concept of people’s past lives flashing before their eyes at the point of death. So if you extract their eye juice as they die and inject it into your own eye you will get to live the edited highlights of another life. Obviously. That sounds about as appealing as it sounds scientifically feasible, but our serial killer heroine is well into it. She basically harvests the lives of the homeless to make up for her personal shortfall in dreams. Judging by the massive pile of notebooks in which she has written the details of all the lives she has nicked, its worked out quite well for her. But people, even dreamless serial killers who prey on the homeless,  are never satisfied, so she decides to take the next step and find out what happens before people have a life to flash in front of their eyes. The results are mixed. Ultimately you can’t help thinking it would have been a lot quicker and far easier on the homeless population if she’d just read Tbomas Ligotti’s The Conspiracy Against the Human race. It’s all very silly but the po-faced approach suggests it is straining for some grandiose meaning; it fails. But it does feature a fantastic amount of eye trauma. Each to their own.

Sweets

Directed by David Gregory

Written by David Gregory

Cast:

Lindsay Goranson as Estelle

Guilford Adams as Greg

Lynn Lowry as Mikela Da Vinci

Jessica Remmers as Antonia

With Sweets, things close on a hilariously disgusting note. A deadpan Estelle and a semi-hysterical Greg talk about their dying relationship in the most banal clichés imaginable as they sit in what was once an apartment, but is now a kind of edible sty plastered with smushed up confectionery.  As trite nonsense falls from her lips Estelle slowly sucks a melting ice cream into her deadpan face. Greg flailing to rescue the dead relationship counters with the expected whiny responses, while spasmodically picking filthy sweets off the floor and ingesting them with all the automotive panache of the true addict. Their stale interactions are punctuated by a series of flashbacks  which parody cinema’s rote scenes of romance, with the pair swilling sweet shit like swilling sweet shit is going out of fashion. Luckily for Greg, Estelle hasn’t quite finished with him, unluckily for Greg he’s about to find out what that means. Sweets is pretty funny in its lip-smacking attack on love and addiction (and love as addiction), and is delightfully cartoonish in style; Estelle is often colour coordinated from hair to shoes with whatever sickly delicacy she is proffering. Of course all the comedy and caricature serve only to distract you while Sweets prepares a delightful gut punch of horror, before the management politely ask you to leave.

 TL;DR: The Theatre Bizarre: it’s worth a watch, but not if you’re squeamish.