#been seeing some iffy ness and some

[arachnidiots-a]

good morning. please remember to be kind to each other out there. it doesn’t take a lot of effort, you don’t have to go out of your way to do something grand but just be kind to each other out there

[zibiscusloon]

Because it's impossible to choose one, rate and order the cameos/easter eggs you loved most in the movie

I’m gonna go with some of my favorites off the top of my head! There were so many across the whole movie and I loved each and every one, lol

(Note this is in no specific order!)

1. Chica’s fucking Magic Rainbow

My friend Axe ( @gayfrogsarecool ) caught this lil easter egg while we were watching the movie and it managed to flood back so many memories. So.. many… memories…. (All of yelling at a rude ass rainbow-)

I’m probably in a minority of people who loved Fnaf World during its initial release, so I really wasn’t thinking there’d be a World reference! It was really sweet to see!

2. Balloon Boy (lil bastard-)

I can’t believe I’m admitting that this lil shit is the only animatronic who managed to succeed on every single fucking jumpscare. He got me each time— There was no excuse for them to work every time! He was literally just standing there! But noooooo, Freddy biting Max in half only gave me a brief pause of “Oh.” But the batterie thief himself is the one who made me jump from my seat- what the fuck-

3. Sparky the Dog! (And Sparky’s Diner!)

Every single fan who has been around since Fnaf 1 knows who Sparky the Dog is! The original hoax character. I remember when I was little and I’d be up watching theories trying to debunk whether or not he was a real character! A fan character was a big surprise and seeing that he even has an in universe diner themed around him made me feel like a kid again! (Only this kid now gets confirmation of a Canon Sparky-)

(Also Imma just say his movie design is adorable I love him sm-)

4. Carl & The Cupcake

Noticed this one out more recently! So during the whole segment where Max & her friends are picked off one by one by the gang I learned that the dude that the Cupcake straight up mauls happens to be named “Carl”! I have no idea if it was intentional or not but it could be a nod to The Cupcake’s fanon name!

5. The Ella springlock suit

So Ella on her own was a rather eerie and intriguing concept from the books (Saying this as someone who is still really iffy with how the whole “Charlie is a Robot” concept was handled)

But seeing her as her own animatronic in the movie really managed to bring up her creep factor! She just looks so ragged and forgotten, she looks like a creepy af porcelain doll (and I love that-). Makes me wonder if we’ll ever see animatronic Ella up and running (probably not but it’d be cool none the less!)

6. Cory & Matpat!

Coryxkenshin has always been a comfort channel for me! I always found his content genuinely nice, genuine, and I have a habit of going back to plenty of his old game playthroughs when I’m feeling down. Man also got jumped by BB- you and me both pal-

When I tell you the cackling I had from the whole “That’s just a theory” line, cheeky son of a- (also I now hc Ness as the Hurricane local menace who is a constant thorn in William’s side cause he keeps breaking into the Pizzaria on the weekends looking for evidence and shit from the MCI)

7. And Of course..

I mean did they really expect to have this as the end credits song and for me to not loudly sing it? Childhood in song form-

[loopscereal]

You said to send you screenshots to redraw, so... Maybe one of these two? Personally my favorite of your redesigns have been for Owynn's gang and the twins (and Deuz but I didn't like any particular screenshot for him).

It's also okay if you don't want to, no pressure fjrvdjdvdjevakavqj

a month + 1 day late but HAHAHAH REDRAWWW

okiii sorry this took a goddamn month and sorry for no shading but i AM doing this for funa nd for free but i never forgot , i never forgot multi i promise, i even let my brogram record a timelapse thingy if you want it. 1) yes u redesigned town from the last time i drews him what about it??? (i also redesigned eak but i never did a digital drawing of his previous default ass ) anyways i was itching to make them both more. more ours i guess? Towns black now cause i want to and also lions are african animals and thats enough to convince me lmao. idk its fun, sue me. we dont uhhhh we dont suuuuper tie where the animal is from tot heir race, but sometimes we do and it works out nicely uhhh

2) multi, or anyone seeing this ig, if ya want zoom'in just tell me and ill reblog this with zoom ins n shit. yeah. 3) I REALIZED I FORGOT TOWNS FUCKING FRECKLES. iiii im iffy on adding freckles to him, they did look cute but im worried itll make his face too busy. eaks face is so busy and i do not need another. also busy-ness is why i didnt doshadeing. i tried, i really did try to ger some quick flat shading in, but it looked too busy and just a mess i couldnt do it kjerhblol lmao. 4)uhhhh feel free to ask questions ig. IF ANYONE ELSE ANTS TO REQUEST REDRAW REQUESTS FEEL SO FREE I LOVE DOING REDRAWS. also im totally gonna do the pup and chica one too dont you even worry about it

anyways tysm for the ask and request :) have a good dayyyy love ya fnafhsblr lmao

[maochira]

hey mao! i hope you’ve been doing well with school starting back up 😅 i have been feeling kinda iffy with everything about myself lately sooo i was wondering if you could maybe write smthing angsty like fem!lesbian reader who is scared to come out to anyone but character because she feels like society would judge her? preferably isagi, yukimiya, reo, ness, and theo? thanks ml🩶

-🦦anon !

I'm sorry this took me so long to actually start writing 😭😭 I hope you're doing better now!!

Masterlist - (new) taglist sign-up

Tags: fem!lesbian!reader, this didn't turn out angsty like in the request but more of a comfort thing instead

Isagi understands why you're afraid to out yourself to anyone but him. Sometimes he encourages you to come out to some of your other friends as well, because he just can't stand seeing how you constantly have to hide a part of yourself from the world.

Yukimiya makes sure to always remind you that he will alway provide a safe space to be yourself. When you're with him, you can just forget about the outside world and possible judgement from other people, because it's always safe to be your true self with your best friend.

Reo hates how you have to hide yourself from everyone but him, so he buys you things to subtly express yourself. Little items like stickers and keychains that have colours similar to the lesbian pride flag, but not obvious enough to out yourself to everyone.

Ness tries to encourage you to be yourself openly, but sometimes that comes off as him putting pressure on you to come out to other people. That only results in you isolating yourself even from Ness, which he always regrets and tries to make up for it again. He just hates that you can't be your true self, but he doesn't want to force you to come out either.

Theo doesn't fully understand what you're so afraid of, but he doesn't question it much to avoid making you uncomfortable. If you want to talk to him about it, he will listen anytime. He's not great at giving advice or comforting with words, but he tries to let you know he will always provide a safe space where you can be yourself.

[chaosdisorganized]

Currently at my friend's house because her abusive boyfriend is doing some fuck shit and she's seriously considering leaving him and I'm trying to help her along like girl come stay with me. It breaks my heart to see my best friend go through this shit like please leave him.

She's still iffy about it but she said that she'll stay with me for at least tonight because she's worried if she stays after what happened he'll do something fucked up. But I really want this to be the moment she leaves like I've been trying to tell her, multiple other people in her life have been trying to tell her and I know how abusive relationship are I know what it's like and why it's so hard to leave. I'm trying to tell her and show her there's a way out you know? That I'm here and I care about her and I've always tell her she can stay with me for however long she needs and I'll help her get back on her feet in whatever way I can just so she can get away from this mother fucker.

Really an emotional night, I mean obviously it's harder on my friend and I'm putting my feelings aside (besides the pissed off-ness, I mean she already knows I hate this man) but it does suck seeing her go through this and seeing the red flags and abusive behaviors and trying to get her to see them. But I know if I were in her shoes, I'd want to have a friend there for me who will help me and be by my side. I just wish she could see it from my perspective so that she knows to leave him, to run far away and never look back. She deserves so much better than this.

[foxfren]

Books I’ve read in September

Literally how did I find the time 😭

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson | 4/5

She was the library’s will made flesh.

YOUR HONOR, SHES A BADDIE ‼️‼️‼️ This shit was so captivating omggg!! The world was incredibly immersive, the characters dynamics were really fun, and the plot was exhilarating. The only aspect that I found somewhat bothersome is the plot armor the characters had; after all of the build-up, it felt a bit disappointing the way the novel ended (the main cast should have faced more consequences??).

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood | 1.5/5

“I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.”

Guys I’m gonna be honest, I was not expecting the main ship to be between a professor and a university student 😭 Like ik that she wasn’t his student but it made me feel ✨iffy✨ about the story. Also, the whole thing in the beginning with the mc randomly kissing Adam without his consent?? I found the way that the author felt with this situation in the book extremely uncomfortable, especially when it was joked about throughout the novel. Overall, the narration was insufferable, the miscommunication occurred too often (and was one of the only sources of tension ), and the entire book ridden with badly used cliches. Next!

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid | 4.5/5

But all I could think of was how I had fed our milking cow her favorite sugared plums before we slaughtered her for Papa’s supper and hoped that at least she could still taste the sweet on her tongue when we slit her throat.

I have literally no words to describe this [goes on to try anyways]. Spun of intricate scenery and complex characters, this is a story where very dark themes are handled marvellously. I thought that the style of writing complimented the story very well, and enjoyed how the characters developed throughout the novel.

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw | 5/5

Man mistakes his own experiences as the canvas on which all truths are drawn.

I WANT TO GNAW ON THE WORDS OF THIS BOOK. ITS SO SCRUMPTIOUS. This concludes my book review.

10 Things I Can See From Here by Carrie Mac | 0/5

I made a fist and placed it where my heart would be. Where her heart had been.

There is literally nothing going for this book 😭 No idea how I finished this one lads, it was pure suffering 🫡 The graphic birth scene at the end actually killed me. This book is too repetitive, the dialogue was hard to connect to, none of the characters (that are meant to be sympathetic) are actually likeable, and all of the heavier themes were handled incredibly poorly. Hated this.

Café Con Lychee by Emery Lee | 3/5

Hatred isn’t just in the things a person says. It’s in the way they stay silent when someone else spews hate, the way they nod along or entertain the ideas at all.

A very cute story, and a nice palette cleanser. I thought the situation the characters found themselves in really fun to read about, and liked the way some of the heavier themes were handled. I wish the author went a little more into depth about the food (as it is one of the main conflicts/situations of the plot), but overall I’m glad to have read this!

Primal Animals by Julia Lynn Rubin | 2/5

“Don’t ever cry for a boy. Not even a dead one.”

I appreciate the grotesque-ness and horror of this book, and while I there were some highlights here and there, I didn’t like this book. I’m not particularly in favor of pointless violence, which is where I this book fell flat.

Feed Them Silence by Lee Mandelo | 2/5

But the non-disclosure couldn’t entirely silence her experience of the world she experienced through her wolf.

While this was an interesting psychological read, I feel it could’ve been better. None of what happened felt like there was any important impact, and it all felt a tad dull. Sure there was relationship drama between the MC and her wife, but I never got the opportunity to feel for any of the characters; all that we’re shown is that the MC is unhappy in her marriage, but never any good moments/flashbacks to show how they’ve changed.

Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram | 0/5

There’s no other word for it. Euphoria.

There was not one thing in this book I enjoyed. I only finished it bc my hands were covered in paint at the time and I couldn’t turn the audiobook off.

Coming Back by Jessi Zabarsky | 4/5

“Go and come back to us.”

The illustrations were charming and I liked the ambiguity of the plot’s meaning. The world-building and magic system were really interesting, I just wish we got to see more of it lol.

Over My Dead Body: A Witchy Graphic Novel by Sweeney Boo | 3/5

“I can’t stop thinking about how all Karla wanted was to find out where she came from.”

Marvellous art, and a satisfactory story. Although the plot was somewhat cliche, this was an enjoyable read overall. It wasn’t spectacular and groundbreaking, but it was entertaining.

[abyssalspamton]

I GOT TO SEE THE FNAF MOVIE ON THE DAY IT RELEASED IN AUS AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH im so happy i did. I kinda need to talk about. EVERYTHING that happened. As this is what i just do now when i get all hyperfixated on stuff. but maybe a lil review for people that don't want spoilers (if anyone actually sees this), any spoilers will be under the cut. you have been warned. (i also go off about thinking about theories i apologise)

NO SPOILERS So I liked it. I think it was a good, FUN movie. i say fun because. IT WAS VERY MUCH FUN. It didn't take itself deadly seriously, and while part o f me was interested how it would go if it did, i'm also EXTREMELY happy it didn't as i feel that would've made it's. bad moments bad in a less. than funny way. I wish Matthew Lillard was in it a lil more and I don't think it's like. perfect. i had a few gripes with some of the scenes (which i'll get into under the cut) BUT.

overall? loved it. 10/10 100% recommend you watch it. Also people y'all should never trust the critic reviews for movies like these because they don't CARE about the plot. they don't KNOW fnaf, nor are in t he fanbase. ofc a fucking 40 year old that knows nothing about fnaf isn't gonna like it. I SURE HOPE NOT!! CAUSE THEY ARE BORING OLD MEN!!

ONTO THE SPOILERS.

firstly, getting this out the way because i had a fucking STROKE when i saw matpat. WHAT A FUCKING LIAR. WHAT A LITTLE SHIT(lovingly)!!! HE GOT ME WITH HIS CROC TEARS! i thought he was so deadass when he was all teary eyed saying he wished he was in the movie. i was so upset! i was gonna have a fucking go at scott! I'm so happy he's in the movie it was. such a cute little scene. though how dare he were a nametag that says ness.

secondly vanessa being afton's daughter wasn't that surprising. When i realised that michael wasn't willy's son (like bio or anything) my first thought was "oh well he has to have some type of child" because. scott does that, like in his books. things get changed up sometimes but most things stay the same. aka him having at least one child, just means he didn't get two deadones as well. So when vanessa showed up (i forgot she was in it lmao) i was like. OH YEAH THAT'D. WORK I GUESS. and just assumed immediately thats what they were doing.

ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE WAS GETTING ALL PISSY AT MIKE? like that was a lil obvious she was trying to hide that her father committed the murders cause she didn't want any backlash.

I cannot judge children for their acting because they are children. But i will say one of the children (cough eric) was looking at the camera before. you can see his eyes focusing on the guy behind it. NOT A BIG DEAL I WAS JUST OBSERVING AND FOUND THAT DISTRACTING. also abby's actor was cute i just think a few scenes are a lil iffy with her (she is a child im not blaming her).

vanessa's and mike's romance. what a. thing huh. kinda crazy considering in an alternate reality (the canon universe) mike is william's son and Vanessa isn't. feels kinda weird. but laso like if me MYSELF was vanessa and saw mike? that pathetic man? that absolute sopping WET cat of a man? yeah. fair. i'd be down bad.

listen. i stand by that the whole. abby befriending the fazgang was. 'bad' in the sense of. bro that's so cringe but i am LAUGHING keep on GOING. but also because. hey. consider this. those anamatronics are children. and stuck like that. THEY ARE STUCK AT THAT MENTAL AGE. I THINK IT'D BE SO FAIR THEY'D BE EXCITED TO BEFRIEND A NORMAL FUCKING KID THAT'S NOT DEAD!! this is why im happy the movie didn't go super serious because.

while YEAH it would've been emotional to see this played more seriously, them upset they're dead and still befriending abby, it's just the fact that it probably would've. not landed well, or at least completely, so it would've still had a 'bad' vibe to it. just THIS way we can all laugh at it. I had my head in my hands a few times because i was just "oh gOD" looking @ you. pillow fort. bonnie fucking laying his ass down.

i also understand why scott didn't do the fnaf games lore, or book lore, because he can have more fun with it this way, and also work with blumhouse to make original ideas instead of just. copy pasting from the games/books and hoping they do it well enough it lands.

Lore wise im interested if william has more bio children and how many other children he's killed. what animatronic eric is, if they're going by the logic that everyone bro kills turns into one (imagine he's bb). my friend charlotte said he might be the puppet but. that role i would expect from Henry's daughter. if henry still exists? please tell me henry still exists-

I'm also interested how they're gonna make mike keep on coming back/being involved? we can't go back to fnaf 2 since that was a prequel, i mean i quess you could but also that just doesn't feel correct to do in a movie. so im expecting scott is going to have to (SURPRISE SURPRISE) completely clear up what games go where. so rn it's fnaf 1, we know fnaf 2 was before since bb is there so we're not gonna get a fast one pulled on us on that end. fnaf 3 might be next? but i could also like. see scott skipping that one. BUT i could also see him not skipping it because he wants to 'redeem' it and show that. yeah he fucked up the game but he can make up with it via movie.

oh something obvious to say. vanessa is more than likely a robot. im not gonna get into a fight with the whole robot people are stupid when it's fucking in the books JFHEDSKNJA SO. IM JUST NOT. but like. considering she's afton's daughter i would not be surprised if she actually died when she was younger and got turned into a robot. it's just how it is.

can't wait for fnaf 2 probably coming out in fucking 2031 and fnaf 3 the final coming out in 2045 <3 i might not make it to those movies HFNKEJSD jokes aside im. happy with the movie, excited to see more, especially the lore for it, and though i think fnaf's lore is a garbage fire it's also fun to look at when you take a step back and just. decide to enjoy it with 0 thinking skills for a second.

also thanks to anyone who read this <3

[parachutingkitten]

Y'all suck at dissecting Kai's character, so I guess I have to do it.

And I'm not even a Kai stan. He's a bottom tier ninja for me, which I guess means you can trust me, cuz I'm not biased, but also why am I the one doing this? I don't know about y'all, but recently on my dash, the method by which Kai fans try to make him sound good is... saying the writers hate him, ignore him, and that he isn't written well? Which... I mean there is a little bit of truth to, but like yikes guys, is this the best you got? Kai is a wonderful character with plenty of attention from the writers, a meaningful piece of the cast when put in secondary rolls, fairly consistent character writing with actual progression and valuable qualities that help the team without having to be the smart one- despite what some posts might tell you.

Let's get one thing cleared up: Ninjago isn't the best written show. By high level Hollywood standards, most the character arcs are kinda weak or too heavy handed, character consistency can be iffy, and most things serve the plot rather than the characters. There is no character you can point to and say "wow, this character is written so well! No complaints!" Nya and Jay were butchered by their weird love plot, Cole's one season doesn't actually give him an arc, Zane's been nothing but the robot numbers guy for like 10 seasons now, and Lloyd seems to be incapable of doing anything but relive the same one piece of dad angst for depth. Sorry, it's true. All the characters suck when you look at it from a large scale writing perspective. So when I say Kai is well written, I mean by ninjago kids show standards- cuz that's the scale we're working on. No, you couldn't drop Kai into a well written drama, but as far as ninjago goes... he's got a lot going for him, and by no means is he the biggest victim of poor writing.

(fair warning, wall of text below)

The title is a bit disingenuous. There are plenty of good Kai character break downs. What I am presenting here is a more positive perspective. On the whole, I will tend to give the writers the benefit of the doubt, and credit for what they do right writing is hard guys. That's what I'm doing here. I don't see much sense in getting mad the writers on behalf of Kai, or any other character. Ninjago is a simplistic ensemble show that works because of the identifiable simplicity of its main characters with some deeper layers hidden underneath if you keep watching. They've given us a damn good show with some damn enjoyable characters, so here are some criticisms I feel are a little flawed:

First, let's get the 'focus' thing out of the way. Apparently there are people saying Kai doesn't have a season yet? Which... what? I mean, I get that the pilots aren't a full season, the first two seasons, though he is the central protagonist, aren't "Kai seasons" as we've come to define ninja focus seasons, season 7, though he gets majority focus, he shares with his sister. But like... did y'all just forget about season 4? You know, the season where he had the title card, was on the box sets, got the love interest, and the majority of the A-plot? not to mention it's the best season don't @ me Like... if season 4 isn't a Kai season, I can make a damn good argument that season 3 isn't a Zane season, and I doubt anyone wants to go down that rabbit hole. I really can't wrap my head around this one. And I get that the fandom hates season 11 for some reason, but like you can't just pretend it doesn't exist. Kai has a consistent arc across 30 episodes in which he takes his powers for granted, loses them, and learns that, not only does he have value within the team without them, but that his element is intrinsically a part of him that he reclaims, bringing them back more powerful than ever, and with new respect for them. That's one of the most solid arcs in the whole series- the location is even thematically connected to his element. That's some good stuff right there! (Quick plug for season 11 if you haven't watched it in a while. Give it a rewatch, you might be pleasantly surprised)

Not to mention the writers give him fun side stuff all the time. Lots of fears of tech and water to overcome, a deep protective streak with Lloyd, becoming a chancellor, having a true potential actually relevant to the plot as a whole, blacksmith responsibilities, befriending dragons, hanging out with his dad. Not to mention actual focus stuff we haven't talked about yet, like his whole "my dad is evil" phase, and his "I might be evil" phase with him and Skylor. And on top of that, even when he doesn't have an explicit side plot, he's always just a fun and dynamic side character to make jokes or give exposition.

Now, into character stuff. Let's start with Kai's hot headed-ness. Some people say he's been loosing this quality, and I will admit, that's true! But those that claim this makes him inconsistent... I strongly disagree. In early seasons, Kai's temper would lead him to snap at his friends or make stupid decisions that set the team back (see episode 2 Zane freak out)- these are bad things. These are character flaws, yes? Now, in newer seasons, people say that he's inconsistent, cuz sometimes he'll be hot headed, and sometimes he won't. I'd say, this is exactly how being hot headed... works? It flares up without warning, and as an individual gets control of it, it'll pop up less and less often because they're channeling it into productive things - like say directing the anger towards an enemy (see season 11 end freak out). Kai has gained control of a character flaw, and though it still pops up on occasion, the fact that it's a once in a while kind of thing speaks to his growth. I have a little brother who has this exact personality, and watching him grow up, I can tell you, this is how it is. He used to snap all the time, and he still does sometimes, but much less frequently, because he's a more mature person with better control of his emotions. This is a good thing. This is overcoming personal flaws. This is progression we're seeing.

And while you're hyper focused on this one aspect of him, things like his cocky confidence haven't changed a bit. I mean, that season 3 bit between him and Pixal, and his season 11 "fire maker" streak have the exact same energy. You can not convince me otherwise.

Another adjacent quality that hasn't been dampened is Kai's impulsiveness. This can be a good quality of his, he'll get into a fight without thinking, getting the jump on the enemy. Good stuff. But, this has become such a well defined trait of Kai's that it has been used in a comedic capacity. This is what happens when a character is extremely consistent to the extent that both the audience and the characters in universe would be able to predict their actions. Kai's impulsivity used to be a more serious quality that put himself and others at risk, and was a big power move whenever he did something rash, but it's become such a staple of the show that it's now being used for comedy. That isn't Kai's impulsivity going away, that's Kai's impulsivity being recontextualized for the sake of the show. The season 9 "Who's stupid enough to jump on that thing" isn't a joke at the expense of Kai just for being dumb, it's a joke at Kai's being so predictably impulsive that everyone already knows he'll be the one to put himself in an insane amount of danger without thinking twice (you know, something stupid that might get him killed). But because in this instance, the danger is warranted, this is bravery. It's a complement to his character- it's what ends up defeating the colossus. Why are some people so bothered by this joke?

Oh right, cuz for some reason people want to peg Kai as the smart one? Look, Kai isn't stupid, none of the ninja are. All of them have smart moments (all of them have dumb ones too) and Kai can certainly handle himself, but "smart" is definitely not one of his defining characteristics- I think some people are confusing smart for his actual strength. Connected to his impulsivity, Kai has very good simplistic instincts. He sees the big picture and looks at the most surface level solution- which when the situation calls for it, that does indeed make him smart. But the same logic that led him to think "This snake has a glowing target on its head, lets hit it" also led him to think "I'm in a video game, therefore I am immortal." Are you really going to look at me and say he figured out Lloyd was the green ninja through logical deduction and a careful consideration of the facts? No. He had a gut feeling, and he trusted it. Instincts- instincts paired with his impulsive following of said instincts is what leads him to solve problems- and sometimes, that can be extremely effective. This goes for other ninja too. Jay isn't the smartest ninja- I would really only classify Zane and Nya as having intelligence define them (hence their ship name). But Jay is extremely creative and crafty. He also knows his was around mechanics, and as such, this will lead him to come up with creative tech based solutions which are smart. But, idk about you, if I had to point to another ninja as being 'dumb' it would 100% be Jay. Kai is a lot of things. He's passionate and determined and confident and persistent. He's a good improvisor, he's powerful and he's charming! These are all wonderful qualities, he doesn't also have to be the smart one. I am the worlds biggest Pixal stan, and she's a smart, sassy, powerful character, but I'm not gonna sit here and tell you she's also hilarious and adaptable and strong willed. She's a straight man to all the ninja's antics, extremely tied to her samurai x suit, and lets people push her around all the time. That doesn't mean she can't be funny, or self interested, but when she does act these ways, it stems from her other more prominent qualities. That make sense?

And while we're clearing up what Kai isn't, please stop characterizing Kai as an overly protective brother - especially romantically. The only two times he's been romantically protective to Nya are in Wu's Teas which I mean, come on and in the pilots when Jay is literally a stranger. For crying out loud, by the end of the pilot, he's smiling when Jay and Nya hug. That's not overly protective, that's just normal, any reasonable person would react this way, protective. And it's such a great stereotype break for a kids show like ninjago, having an older brother who actually trusts his younger sister to be her own independent person who can make her own decisions. I mean, I guess it's fine if you HC differently but like... idk, I don't buy it.

Now, is there still room to criticize the writers? Yes. Hell yes. But not to an extent greater than any other character. Could he have had more of a defined reaction to events of the most recent season that I won't name for the sake of spoilers? Yes. But could Zane have reacted for more than .5 seconds at being an evil war lord for apparently 60 years? Yeah. Has Kai taken a back seat in the past 4 seasons? Yeah. But so has Lloyd- and he's literally the main character of the show. Not to mention two of those seasons have gone to people who had to wait over ten seasons to get one to themselves, and one of them is a 40 minute special. Kai's doing just fine.

Anyway. Kai is great. He's a fun, stereotype breaking, impulsively driven, ball of energy and confidence who gets a good amount of screen time and some fun side plots.

One last thing to clear up: no hate to anyone. This isn't targeted at anyone specific, this post has been a long time coming, I've just seen some weird overblown claims on various platforms over the past few months and I finally sat down to write about it.

I like the Kai content we have. After all, if the writers were really that bad at writing him, then no one would like him.

Wow this was so much longer than I thought it would be. Um... if you have other long winded rants you'd like to see from me... let me know I guess?

[the-martyrfication-of-the-matron]

I’ve been thinking about what I’m gonna do when I rewrite mystreet (won’t be for a while, but I like to preplan) and I don’t know whether or not to cut out s1-3.

I know for many people those are the best three seasons, they’re goofy people doing goofy things, but I prefer s4-6. I like darker undertones, and that’s what those three seasons have (s5 less than the others, but it’s still there). It seems odd to have a lighthearted funny series, and then have it randomly switch to cold-hearted murder, and so I obviously need to remove one. And I chose the light hearted ness.

It’s not a definite decision, but if I were to go through with it, it would probably go something like:

-Emerald Secret, with an episode or two added onto the start to introduce the characters and the situation. Hinting at the whole Ein being Aphmau’s brother thing. Because it could have been a genuinely okay twist if properly built up.

-Aphmau’s year as it’s own season. I think it would be pretty important to focus on Aphmau’s response to ES, and how it changes her interactions with people as she recovers emotionally from it. Plus, I’m sure many people would be happy to be Aaron-less for a season. Im not one of them, I love him, but… gotta cater to my audience.

-Starlight Wonderland. Develops Aaron’s relationship with his dad a bit more. Aaron and Derek get along, Aaron knows why his dad treated him poorly growing up. But that doesn’t mean he’s forgiven him completely. He thinks Derek should’ve tried to find some other way to control his son than abusing him, and he doesn’t exactly keep that opinion to himself. Want to go further in depth about Derek working with Michael and the others, mostly through Melissa doing her own research after getting doubts about how her family got it’s wealth. Other than that, pretty much the same as the original season. Oh, and get rid of Aphmau’s weirdness to Aaron being a werewolf. Her calling him Alpha and stuff made my skin crawl.

-When Angels fall. DEVELOP THE INCEST TWIST MORE. I feel like Aaron wasn’t made out to be badass enough in this season, oddly enough, so gotta bump that up a bit. A bit more push on Aphmau and her connection to Irene. Reference to Hyria because she’s severely underrated.

-Her wish. A smaller season than the others, but a season none the less. Aphmau and Aaron spend an entire month with ‘Renee’, just a bit longer than the original. We get to see ‘Renee’ being a bit of a badass, we develop on her iffiness around certain people, and the shit she almost gets caught for but doesn’t because Aaron is blind And can’t exactly catch her doing shit If he can’t see shit. Also some hints that Aphmau is pregnant, but nothing too out there. Because we can’t reveal that until Aaron is dead. Which will happen in the hypothetical 6th season of my rewrite. Because ✨drama✨

Another thing: what should I replace Christmas with? This takes place in a fictional world, they would have different holidays… so like… need some suggestions for that. If Yall could be so kind.

Also, heres a bad sketch I did of the original MCD designs for characters

And here’s me redesigning the original designs. Two of the designs I already had but I like drawing them so. (Ignore the poses, I was being lazy)

[andie-cake]

My internet crapped out so I couldn't watch the talkback, so here's my Yellow Jacket thoughts babeyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!

So the Yellow Jacket song is a banger, and I love seeing Angela be fucking unhinged.

Right, so Lauren as Hannah? My main concern heading in is that Lauren!Hannah would kinda lose that authentic appeal of Kendall!Hannah, but I was wrong to doubt Lauren bc she Knows what she's doing. She pulls the role off very well, and she makes for a very endearing Hannah. I think I do still prefer Kendall in the role, but Lauren was a good understudy choice!

Tom cameo <3 out here being a Dad <33 love this man <333

God, this is like the first time we've gotten an in-depth look at what getting visions is like for Hannah. Freaky as hell, the editing was wild, dude.

Poor Lex, seeing her freak out so much in the hospital was gut-wrenching :(

Joey as Ethan! He's got that goofy big brother energy down pat, the hair's a good vibe for Ethan, and he's more Italian than ever. In short, good understudy!

K so since I haven't had much of an opinion on Lexthan as a ship as of late, that first scene had me a bit iffy. Lex tossing the wrench was a bit much, that had me worried for a bit. But just about every other interaction between Lex and Ethan made up for it, you can tell that they care about each other and Hannah a lot. Ethan especially, he clearly just wants what's best for this little family, and it's nice! So there's my renewed opinion on Lexthan, flawed but nice!

WEBBYYYYYYYYYY!!!! God, seeing her trying to cheer Hannah up with this fuckin' Genie from Aladdin malarkey was a delight, I'm glad she gets to be fun and nice. Like that whole bit had me grinning like a dope, so it made the following argument all the more sad.

There was something about Hannah having the little birthday girl crown on her head all throughout the Pizza Pete's scene that was very funny to me. Also goofy big brother Ethan peaked in this scene.

WEE-WOO, WEE-WOO, WEE-WOO-

Eddie Chiplucky sounded exactly what I imagined he would sound like, thank you once again Curt for my rights.

The fight between Stopwatch and Spitfire was top notch, what a cool scene. I'll get to them as characters in a sec.

Lex is trying so hard for Hannah, my heart is killing me-

"I caught you a Pokey-mannnn"

Okay, so Stopwatch? First of all, his name being Daniel is yet another instance of Hatchetfield's aversion of the One Steve Limit trope. Second of all, what a sweetheart, I love him. Absolute cutie. I'm glad Hannah gets to have a friend <3

I IMMEDIATELY GREW SUS AT THE MIND MILK BEING BLUE, AND MY SUS-NESS WAS JUSTIFIED. WAS NOT ACTUALLY EXPECTING POKEY TO APPEAR IN THIS SEASON, BUT BOI THERE HE IS AND HE SCARY

Hannah's match with Spitfire/Sophie? mM, good shit. Seeing Hannah fucking Snap with her powers was such A Moment, and her noticing Pokey? Horrifying!

GOD HANNAH GETS TO HAVE FUN FRIENDS WHO HAVE POWERS LIKE HER, YOU GO SWEETIE <33333 I better see some fuckign art of Hannah, Daniel, and Sophie being Besties together soon. Just wish that Jaime and Jae's characters had been named, we could've had a quintuple of Fun Friends

Also Use It or Lose It is p fuckin neato. I don't remember the song too well, brain's kinda all over the place atm, but the video was trippy as hell.

Man, it is so nice to see the CaliforMIA trio being happy, if only for a bit. It's sweet <3

Y'all, the REVELATION that Lex used to see Webby was UNPARALLELED.

Right so glad I wasn't the only one thinking "oh god, has Pokotho's nickname actually been Otho all this time like he and the other Lords in Black were the fucking ghosts from Pac-Man?" for most of the episode. Very glad they called him Pokey later, bc that would've been Devastating.

Charles/Chuck/Charlie is like the perfect mix between Wiley and the Watcher World Barker, what a bastard man.

"BACK IT UP, BITCH"

God, Ethan trying to work up the nerve to propose to Lex is just aUGH, my heart-

Right so Otho? Terrifying. Watching him just fucking assimilate poor Sophie while Hannah can't do anything to stop him was just,,, aaaaaaAAAAAAAA. And Hannah only wanting to fight him to save her friend? OOF, this episode is just fuckin' me up at every turn.

Hannah's fucking Power Yell at the beginning of her match with Otho is the only thing I care about now, like okay, go off kiddo!

Lex's vision of all the Pokey's was so fucking CREEPY, and Webby calling out to her? Flawless, loved it.

All the TGWDLM background arrangements in this story were incredible, I was getting so pumped every time one showed up.

Once again, Lauren's excellent Horror Movie Scream™ comes through, if on a lesser scale this time.

LOCAL BEST OLDER SISTER EVER BLOWS UP AN ELDRITCH BOY'S HEAD TO SAVE HER SISTER, MORE AT 11

Ethan coming THROUGH, like he rly said "hurt my girls and you fucking Die, bitch", love that for him.

What an insanely melancholy ending, holy shit. Lex and Hannah needing to go on the run, Ethan not getting to propose and being left alone, Lex's note, the overall mood of it all? Fucking OUCH.

Next Time was just,,, such a lovely song, you guys,,, damn,,, idk what else to say, it just made me feel A Lot Of Things,,,

What a season! It's been an absolute blast, I gotta say. I'm still not sure how I'd rank the episodes (especially since I forgot to rewatch ep 3 before my ticket wore off, whoops), but still, what a banger of a season. I'm so happy, and I can't wait to see what comes next for this series.

[nerdy-hyperfixations]

OKAY I KNOW NO ONE WANTED THIS, BUT I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT I WAS TECHNICALLY RIGHT WHEN I WAS PICKING UP ALL THE WEB!MARTIN HINTS EVEN THOUGH JONNY CHANGED THE SCRIPT

AND IM NOT SAYING I WOULD’VE PREFERRED AN ENDING WHERE JON AND MARTIN FIGHT TO THE DEATH. THAT WOULD BE TERRIBLE. HOWEVER I FEEL VERY VALIDATED RIGHT NOW.

And with the whole ‘if Martin was web it would put a damper on things’ I can see that, but also I can see routes that could’ve been made to avoid making Martin seem evil and lying this whole time. For some reason I had never theorized that web!martin meant that he was controlling Jon, more that he was using it to protect Jon as much as possible even if he didn’t know he was doing it (like the Jared Hopworth thing where he LITERALLY just said “don’t” and Jared was like “ah yes, let me listen to this man I could kill in a second” which, I still don’t understand that if it doesn’t have any implications, because Jonny did say ‘earlier seasons’ and honestly if he just didn’t want to put in a fight he could’ve just cut the threatening part out) but I can also see how Web!Martin could put a layer of iffy-ness to a lot of stuff.

Right, Ramble over!

[joshquagmire]

Note: we have a new Komix Werkz page on Facebook, so bookmark the URL as the old FB page may be kiboshed at any time... https://facebook.com/Quagmire-Komix-Werkz-100505846026082

That said, this month’s recycled calendar is from June 2011 - twisting a double entendre out of "bound" whether as in "Bondage" or "Bound for Adventure" (or a bit of both) I must admit that it's a tad on the iffy side as per it's PCed-ness... I have no excuses – as you can see from the earlier illustration on this ersatz cover, the idea had been percolating in my brain for some time –  Just it's one of those things that I'm not overly proud of... http://www.cuteybunny.com/2011Cals/Safari_Lnx.htm

[algernoninwonderland]

Yeah, no. Wonder Egg Priority is pedo-pandering suffering-porn written by and for men who want stories about how girls kill themselves for stupid reasons because they're controlled by their emotions.

Hi to you too, Anon!

I appreciate your using an anon, this is very courageous of you and it’ll definitely make this conversation much easier to have in depth with you personally (seriously, though, couldn’t you have shot me a DM? Consider doing so now)

I’ll try to address all of your points.

“It’s a story about how girls kill themselves for stupid reasons because they’re controlled by their emotions”

It’s a story that isn’t over yet. It’s a really short show, a single cour, and it isn’t over yet. You can make inferences, and so can I, but the show hasn’t reached its conclusion, we’ll have to wait a couple more episodes for that. If WEP fumbles the bag and doesn’t stick its landing, you’ll have been right. Except... I don’t think the show’s writing and directing choices are there to make us think, “look how dumb and stupid these stupid emotional characters are for killing themselves.” Why do you think that? Is the show making the case that these characters should be feeling different things and that they’re idiots who deserve what’s happening to them because they let their emotions get the better of them, and also, weird gender essentialism? (see that’s when knowing who you are and being able to talk to you comes in handy, because we can exchange ideas and points of view and maybe come to a mutual understanding). I don’t think you’re sincerely engaging with the show and what it’s trying to do here.

“it’s p*do-pandering suffering-pron”

Is it nonce-pandering stuff though? Anime has a deeply-ingrained nonce problem. Japan has a deeply-ingrained nonce problem. Nonces are bad and shouldn’t be given a platform to spread nonce imagery because that’d be awful. When nonce stuff is present in a work, it should be pointed out and denounced for what it is. I’m glad we seem to be agreeing on that.

Now, Anon, is WEP made to titillate nonces, are the people making WEP nonces? I must say I tend to avoid shows that give me nonce vibes, and WEP doesn’t give me these vibes, but perhaps you and I see different things in this show. Here’s what I think. The characters who are teenagers sometimes behave childishly, the character design makes them cute and KyoAni-like, but is that nonce-pandering? No, of course, that alone wouldn’t make you think that. You’d need creative decisions that have the nonce audience feel hot and bothered. Are these directing decisions there? Is there iffy fanservice in WEP? I only watched each episode once and I can’t say I recall that happening in a recurring fashion or at all? Is it about teenage characters wearing relaxed indoors clothes that real teenagers would wear indoors to relax? I don’t see the nonce-ness in that. There’s that one leg shot in one episode but it seems like it’s an isolated incident, and more like general anime bs than purposefully nonce stuff, plus it’s very much in-character. I didn’t like it, but is that nonce-pandering? Is it the fact that these characters sometimes discuss sex and have sexual encounters? Boy have I got some news about what allo teenagers sometimes talk about and go through. (it’s not like the anime isn’t not telling us something about that either) I don’t think the directing and the writing turns its characters into sexual objects or portrays them as mini-adults, you aren’t meant to feel hot and bothered by these moments. (If you could point out what you think is nonce-ness in WEP so we can discuss that without being vague, I’d be happy to have this conversation with you, Anon)

If there’s nonce-ness in WEP that is meant to be appealing to nonces, it flew right past me. Maybe it’s really well-hidden. Maybe I’ve been distracted by the plot and the symbolism. But you aren’t meant to think that the nonce character is a good guy, ever? He’s not physically monstrous but he clearly gives off awful vibes and that’s a deliberate artistic choice, and each and every scene he is in doesn’t portray what he does as good and acceptable. Have we been watching the same show? As I’ve said, I’ll rewatch the entire show once it’s over to have a better, more complete appreciation of it. (and hearing your more complete perspective on that would have been really useful, Anon, again, please DM me if you really want to talk)

WEP has a lot of its characters suffering, yes, undeniably. Is their suffering the main draw of the story? (I don’t think so) Are you supposed to feel some kind of pleasure seeing the girls hurt like that? (I don’t think so either) Is the main draw to the show the fact that there’s blood and girls who get hurt? (You guessed it, I don’t think so). Is this a show about endless suffering and girls getting punished for being girls? (Maybe there’s more to it than that?) The violence is spectacular, it is part of the spectacle. What is the function of suffering in WEP? Is this suffering literal or metaphorical? Who causes that suffering? Is there a point being made about that? I’d like to have this conversation again when the show is over to be able to give you a definitive answer. I wouldn’t say that this is suffering pron at all.

“All of that is written BY and FOR men”

The Anime industry still is, for the most part, a sausage fest when it comes to high ranking positions, that is art directors, lead writers and overall directors. That’s something that still needs to change, and to change quickly. If that’s part of the point you’re trying to make, I agree with you on that wholeheartedly. It is a shame, because there are tons of really talented women in anime, writers and directors who aren’t Naoko Yamada, Sayo Yamamoto and Mari Okada, who aren’t given the opportunity to make more shows and to have leading roles that would allow for different creative directions. And WEP would perhaps be a very different show if women were occupying the lead creative roles. So far, Maiko Kobayashi has been the only woman directing an episode of WEP.

Yes, WEP’s lead writer is a man. Yes, it’s unclear what he’s trying to do with that weird gender essentialism stuff, if that’s on purpose to make a point later on or if that’s him being disappointing. But also he’s been writing for decades now and here’s pretty experienced and he’s been able to reach many kinds of audiences over his career? He’s not incompetent is what I’m saying.

You know what show was written by and directed by men and is rightfully hailed as a feminist masterpiece? That’s right, Utena. It’s not perfect by any means, but many women found themselves resonating with Utena and it’s an excellent show (and my personal favourite). It has two girls as the lead characters, and many other characters being girls too. I feel like the manga by Chiho Saito on which the anime is based isn’t nearly as progressive as the show, it has fewer things to say about gender, cycles of abuse and oppression than the anime (once again, written by men) had. 

Does this mean that men should be the only ones telling these stories? No, of course not. Does that mean we should run away from any and all productions that have girls as the lead characters when it’s written and directed by men? Also no. Does that mean that women are inherently incapable of making very regressive awful garbage set in a school setting with teenage girls as the lead characters? No, obviously.

WEP’s creative team being almost strictly men is certainly disappointing, but is this, in and as of itself, a disqualifying factor that makes it being a good show impossible? Not in my mind, no. Does it make it trickier, considering the topics the show attempts to tackle? Undeniably. Does it mean it’s an ontologically doomed project? No.

Is the show made with an audience of adult men in mind? I… Don’t feel like it is? Are there signs of that in the creative process and in the finished product? Are there smexy figures being sold, or articles in anime magazines, or official art explicitly pandering to an audience of adult men? 

There’s a really interesting conversation to be had about this, but you’ve given me very little to work with here, Anon. I’m not going to do the job for you and find arguments and examples to accommodate your vision. You expect me to make sense of the thirty-two words you’ve written and find things that support these thirty-two words so that I can refute your point in good faith later on. 

You’ll have to do that first part yourself. You’ll have to do a bit more than thirty-two words.

You say a handful of words and you expect people to give very thorough answers. You raise a few vague points and then run away. 

That’s not exactly brave or a show of intellectual honesty now is it, Anon? Surely, you are better than that.

My DMs are open, if you really want us to have this conversation, just send me a message, if you don’t, maybe don’t send me anonymous asks again?

[voldiebuns]

Horror Movie a Day 2020

The past couple of years I’ve done a challenge of trying to watch a horror movie a day through the month of October. Last year didn’t go well since I was so busy travelling, so I’m hoping for better this time around!

Under the cut you'll find my list of watched movies, plus rating and some thoughts about them. I’ll also be posting every day at my film twitter. Lemme know if you have any suggestions for what I should watch this month!

Hereditary (2018) | ★★★☆☆ This movie was... not at all what I was expecting from trailers and such. The devil worshiping angle was definitely a surprise, which I didn't entirely mind, but the first and second halves of the movie felt very disjointed from one another because of it. There were some good moments, but all in all, not entirely sure I liked the movie.

Parasite (2019) | ★★★★☆ More a thriller than horror, but I make the rules! I enjoyed this one a lot for the sense of tension it achieves even when not a whole lot of “action” was going on until close to the end. And of course how well it depicts class differences and how deeply affecting poverty is. Very good.

Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959) | ★★☆☆☆ Granted, this is over 60 years old now, but it’s still very bad. And not even in a particularly fun way. It’s honestly pretty boring and not scary at all... But at least it was short!

Piranha (1972) | ★☆☆☆☆ So 70s it hurts lol And also so boring it hurts. I spent most of the movie wondering when something was actually going to happen. But the real thing I wonder now is why this was in my sharks, piranhas, and monsters movie pack because there’s approximately two seconds of actual piranhas in this and they’re not even really attacking anyone?? I think they may have included the wrong Piranha because the picture on the cover is... not this movie lol

Them! (1954) | ★★☆☆☆ I actually thought it seemed pretty well made for the time, but it was definitely very slow. Interesting as a reflection of US nuclear fears, which I don’t think gets seen as much in movies, though!

Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus (2009) | ★★☆☆☆ This is... so bad. I’m pretty sure their budget had to be like $5 and half a gig of stock footage, but even aside from the godawful CGI, the cinematography is almost unbelievably awful and the acting is often cringeworthy. It also wasn’t particularly fun? But the romance was actually kind of cute.

Mega Piranha (2010) | ★☆☆☆☆ I honestly can’t even count the ways this was a terrible movie lol And still, not even in a particularly fun way! More cringe than cheese, which was really just disappointing.

Beneath Loch Ness (2001) | ★★★☆☆ This was actually really not bad. The graphics were incredibly 2001, but it came off as very heartfelt and the characters and their relationships felt real in a way they tend not to in these kinds of movies. I enjoyed it!

30,000 Leagues Under the Sea (2007) | ★★☆☆☆ Not really a horror movie, but in a pack with my other sea creature horror movies so it'll do. Production value was terrible and the plot was sketchy, but it had some interesting bits. Overall a pretty hearty meh for this one.

Tremors (1990) | ★★★★☆ First rewatch of the year! It's been years, though, and I needed a refresher before watching the rest. This movie is basically the floor is lava with killer worms and I love it lol A really fun movie!

Tremors II: Aftershocks (1996) | ★★★☆☆ Earl without Val was not quite so much fun, but they did some cool things with the graboids. Plus many more explosions! Biggest complaint is the puppets and CGI didn't always mesh well.

Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001) | ★★★☆☆ Wish they'd stop ruining things with worse and worse CGI lol This one got a bit goofy even compared to the others, but it was overall still fun!

Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004) | ★★★★☆ This one was really fun! I loved that they went back to the beginning of the town, especially since it was easy to see how it became Perfection in the end. I think it's the best one, tied with the original.

Tremors 5: Bloodlines (2015) | ★★★☆☆ The cinematography on this one was sometimes very weird. And the Jurassic Park homages went a bit past "homage" at point imo. But still a pretty fun watch.

Poltergeist (1982) | ★★★★☆ I think I'd seen this before, but I really couldn't remember. Either way, it holds up pretty well! Very engaging and creepy weird, with some good gross moments too.

Sleepy Hollow (1999) | ★★★★☆ Very enjoyable! Tim Burton's style meshed very well with the story, and of course the cast was full of wonderful actors. Unfortunate that Depp stars in it, but what can you do?

Underworld (2003) | ★★★★☆ Not horror exactly, but definitely adjacent enough. Great aesthetic and very enjoyable (re)watch! Also I super appreciated the soundtrack lol

Lake Placid (1999) | ★★★★☆ After I started watching, I realize I think I've seen this before. Still enjoyed it! The characters are definitely the draw more than the croc, though. Would have liked to see a bit more of it

Ghost Town (2009) | ★★☆☆☆ Holy bad acting and shaky cam Batman! Terrible movie with the barest hint of an interesting one beneath, but I think my biggest complaint is there was a Wiccan ritual being done... in the 1800s lol

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976) | ★★★☆☆ There were really no horror elements in this to speak of, which I found a bit disappointing, and I also didn't feel like it had a very satisfactory ending. But I did enjoy the movie for the most part. I guess I just wanted more.

The Witches (1990) | ★★★☆☆ Mostly just pretty goofy, but a fun watch and it felt very seasonal. Anjelica Huston was, of course, the best part! Though I'm always happy to see Jim Henson puppetry as well.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991) | ★★★★☆ This was uh dated in several ways that make it a bit of an uncomfortable watch. But I really did enjoy it! The Clarice/Hannibal dynamic was even better than I'd been expecting.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) | ★★★☆☆ Wow, that was something else lol Something absolutely ridiculous and incredibly weird, but also very fun! I really enjoyed the main three characters and the music too.

Insidious (2010) | ★★★★☆ Such a good sense of tension in this! A lot of that was thanks to the music tbh, but I do think James Wan just has a really good feel for horror. Also, a very good ending, I'm definitely excited to see 2!

Malevolent (2018) | ★★★☆☆ A fairly enjoyable movie, but it just felt a little lacking and it seemed like the end came up really quickly. To be honest it wasn't quite what I was expecting. I wish there would have been a bit more with the ghosts.

The Conjuring (2013) | ★★★★☆ A rewatch since it's been a few years since I watched it. Very enjoyable movie with good music, great tension, and some actually good jump scares. The Annabelle stuff seems disconnected to the rest, though, I wish that had been more tied in.

Annabelle (2014) | ★★★☆☆ This movie dragged quite a bit and I feel like things could have been compressed quite a bit and it would have been better. The cult connection also could have been explored a lot more imo, because it felt a bit slapped

The Last House on the Left (2009) | ★★☆☆☆ Way too much sexualized violence for my tastes tbh, but I liked the concept and the cast was very good. I think I'll try the original sometime and see how it compares.

The Amityville Horror (2005) | ★★★☆☆ I feel like I may have seen this before? Not really worth the rewatch lol Like this movie is fine I guess, it just felt a bit empty and was overall unsatisfying to me.

The Crazies (2010) | ★★★★★ I was a little iffy going into this bc I thought it might be zombie-esque, and it was, but I really enjoyed it! I liked what they did with the government satellite especially.

Midsommar (2019) | ★★★★★ I was expecting this to be good since I’d heard good things about it, and it so was! The sense of strangeness and building tension was excellent. And it was just such a beautiful movie tbh.

[thereadingmoon]

A Recommendation: “The Binding” by Bridget Collins

Summary: “Books are dangerous things in Collins's alternate universe, a place vaguely reminiscent of 19th-century England. Once their stories have been told and are bound between the pages of a book, the slate is wiped clean and their memories lose the power to hurt or haunt them. After having suffered some sort of mental collapse and no longer able to keep up with his farm chores, Emmett Farmer is sent to the workshop of one such binder to live and work as her apprentice. He is forbidden to enter the locked room where books are stored, so he spends many months marbling end pages, tooling leather book covers, and gilding edges. But his curiosity is piqued by the people who come and go from the inner sanctum, and the arrival of the lordly Lucian Darnay, with whom he senses a connection, changes everything.”

Note: This book has mature themes rampant throughout the story, including rape, infanticide, suicide, abuse, and period-appropriate homophobia. It isn’t overtly gratuitous, but just shocking when you aren’t ready for it. 

Highlights

Scope: Intimate and Micro Unlike other stories I’ve read in a soft fantasy world, The Binding doesn’t lead us to the center of the action, to the gears behind the magic system, to the corrupt/binary politics that run the show, where the stakes are high and the world is full of people trying to outpower one another. Instead, we watch one (1) talented apprentice binder go through the motions to discover who he is, who he will be, and who he was. It’s a story where the magic is but a backdrop as we watch Emmett develop as a person. It’s an interesting turn of events.

Worldbuilding The worldbuilding is thoughtful (if not questionable now and then). People in the uneducated province see binding differently than in the cities, where it’s another service to use. We see the modern and traditional approaches in binding, how the books are treated and stored. We get the answers on textbooks and writing, and even lovely little novels pop up into view. (I especially enjoyed Lucian’s little rant on novelists.) We even get to see how people take advantage of that service...

Voices When Emmett’s narration is turned over to Lucian, it’s jarring and distinct. They both have their thoughts and motives laid bare on the table, and they very defined characters. I will admit the shift can be too jarring, and the arrangement of events feels iffy when the middle of the book is an all-out flashback; but in all honesty, it makes sense in the story.

Gay Relationship Before picking up this book, I read a Goodreads review that a reader didn’t appreciate the “unnecessary” injection of LGBT+ themes, and I immediately expected something like The Reader (Traci Chee). I have come to realize that bitch was just homophobic, because there wasn’t any severe case of pandering in this book. It was just a MLM period love story with magic. Just death-do-us-part disaster gays all the way with a build-up of recklessness, pining, and unconditional love thrown in. If I hadn’t read that review, I would’ve expected the gay anyway because it was that overt in the build-up and hinting. 

Emmett’s Narrative Emmett’s narration is creative and rhetoric AF. Imagine Rosalie Ham’s descriptions in The Dressmaker, and pepper it all throughout page after page. That’s Emmett’s vivid narrative, a binder from birth. He describes hours that pass by like ripples in a pond, and describes pages like bird’s wings. 10/10 a vivid experience.

Seredith and Emmett I just wanted them to flesh their dynamic out more ;-; SHOW ME WHY HE LOVED HER WHEN SHE WAS BUT A TRAUMATIZED TEACHER.

Loose Ends There are so many questions left unanswered for the second book to step up to. What exactly happened in the Crusades? Was de Havilland really ******’s son? What did Seredith mean when she said binding existed long before books?

I’d recommend this if you like...

LGBT+ books

Soft magic systems and soft fantasy

Period fiction/period fantasy/historical fiction

Vivid narratives

Stories about amnesia/regaining memory, like Patrick Ness’ More Than This

Actually, if you like More Than This

Interesting fantasy takes on books/stories, like Traci Chee’s The Reader or Frances Hardinge’s Fly By Night

Want to see more recommendations like this? Check out my blog’s masterlist for more book recommendations.

[callboxkat]

A Little Nightmare (part 7)

Author’s note: Here’s some quarantine reading for you all! I hope you are all staying safe, healthy, and relatively sane in this very weird time. Enjoy the chapter!

Warnings: Fear, arguing, injury and illness, death mention, (kind of) lying, peer pressure, food mention, and a dog

Word count: 2700

Infinitesimal Masterpost!

...

“So, should we go do this once you’re done with your coffee?” Joan asked, probably wanting to do the whole let’s-meet-the-totally-not-murderous-dog thing before Remy changed her mind.

“After my coffee… and my nap.”

“Your nap? Didn’t you take one earlier?” Joan asked.

Remy frowned up at them. “What, are you policing my naps now?” Her headache was not improving her already short temper. “I did almost die, you know. I think I’ve earned the right to be a little tired.” And while the coffee should have been helping with that, it didn’t seem to be, which was frustrating as hell.

“No, no—sorry. ‘Course you can take a nap. You don’t need my permission. Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that.”

“Hm.” Remy settled back down, grabbing her coffee cup. “If you say so, babes.” She put the aluminum foil cup to her lips and hummed in satisfaction, her eyes closing.

“I’m glad you like the coffee,” Joan offered. “I did also get the caffeinated kind, if that’s something you like. Maybe you can have that tomorrow morning?”

Remy opened her eyes with a startled noise and stared up at them. “Excuse me?”

“Yeah, I—”

Remy cut them off. “What do you mean, you also got the caffeinated kind?”

Joan’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. They didn’t seem to know what to say.

“What, you think I just drink this stuff for the taste?” she snapped. That was part of it; obviously, she sure as hell wasn’t going to drink something that tasted bad; but she wanted her caffeine. “I asked for the good kind of coffee, not the fake kind!”

“I’m sorry,” Joan said. “I’ll… um, I’ll get you new coffee. The caffeinated kind.” They reached forward as if to take the tray.

“Get out,” Remy snapped. “Let me take my nap.”

Joan hesitated, then started to get up, the guilt palpable in their expression and the way they moved. They paused. “So… are you still going to see Marco, or…?”

“I don’t know, maybe!” She glared at them. “Now get out! And don’t come back unless it’s with my caffeinated coffee.”

Joan wiped a hand across their face. “Okay… is an hour long enough?”

“Two hours,” she said, already bundling herself back in the blanket.

“Two hours,” they reluctantly agreed. She heard them pick up the tray, then walk to the door and open it. “Sorry,” they repeated once more, before shutting it behind them.

…

Remy opened bleary eyes to the sound of knocking.

“Five minutes,” she mumbled, closing them again and snuggling further into the blanket. She was warm, cozy, and pleasantly sleepy. Her responsibilities could wait.

The knocking came again. “Nunya?” a muffled voice called.

Remy shifted, remembering where she was. She pushed her face into the blanket with a groan.

The door opened.

“Coffee?” Remy asked, lifting her head and watching them grumpily.

“Yep, I’ve got it,” Joan said, holding out the tray in their hands. “And I got you more ice. Mind if I leave this stuff here, and go get Marco? I want to take him outside real quick.”

“That depends. Is it caffeinated coffee this time?”

“Yep, it’s caffeinated, as promised.”

“And am I going to be interrupted by your mutt?” Coffee and dogs did not go well together, which Remy felt should go without saying.

“No,” they sighed. “I’ll put his leash on in my room, take him out, and keep it on until he’s back in my room. No chance he’ll come in here.”

“Good,” she muttered, starting to push herself up. “Now bring it over, girl, I don’t have all day.”

Joan carried over the tray, which held the same sugar cubes, shot glass of milk, single small cookie, and aluminum foil cups as before. The second shot glass, the coffee, had been refilled. It looked the same, but if Joan were to be believed, should now hold proper, caffeine-infused coffee. They set it down before her and put the baggie of frozen peas next to it.

Remy started to get up, noticing that her headache was much better than earlier.

“Need anything else?” they asked.

“A new rib cage would be nice,” she commented, although her words weren’t as biting as they might have been. She waited until they drew back, then moved towards the coffee. She pressed a hand to the shot glass. Still warm, but she supposed they could have just reheated the same stuff.

She looked up at Joan. “If this is more of the same un-caffeinated sh*t, we’re going to have words,” she warned.

“It’s caffeinated,” they assured again, looking weary, before gaining a slightly mischievous glint in their eyes. “I’m sure you’ll see, with how much of it you drink. I swear, you’re a bottomless pit.”

“Fair,” she granted, almost smirking at the sass they shot back at her. She scooped up a cup of the coffee and drank, nearly burning her mouth. Delicious.

“Alright, I’m gonna go get the boy. See you in a bit.” They looked her over for a second, as if making sure she had everything she needed, before they left.

…

“So what’s this brilliant plan of yours?” Remy asked, in between munches of her cookie. “The one you said I wouldn’t like?”

Joan, standing just inside the room and still wearing the jacket they’d put on to take Marco outside, shrugged. “Well, I was thinking that the kitchen would probably be the best place to do this. The best way would be if Marco had a crate… but I got rid of it about six months ago.” They shook their head, as if they should have somehow foreseen this situation. “But since he doesn’t, I was thinking that you could sit on the counter; and he’ll be down on the floor, away from you. The, uh, blanket sled thing seemed to work pretty well yesterday, so I thought we could get you there that way.”

Remy could see the glaring problem. “And… how exactly am I getting on the counter?”

“Yeah… that’s the iffy part. I’d have to pick you up and put you up there.”

“What’s Plan B?”

“Um.”

“Right,” she sighed. “I thought we agreed—no carrying.”

“We did,” they admitted.

“So?”

“Well—” They shoved their hands in their pockets. “I thought maybe you could make an exception. Just one. Or, I guess, two, technically.”

Remy gave them an unimpressed look before taking another bite of her cookie.

“I’ll get you more coffee?” they offered. “Let you drink some on the counter?”

“You already got me my coffee.” She still had some, in fact. And unless Joan was going to threaten to take that away, they couldn’t use that as a bribe or leverage.

“Um… is there, I don’t know, something else you’d do it for?”

“I don’t know. Impress me.” She couldn’t fold her arms with the baggie of peas resting on her chest, so she just gave them an expectant look.

Joan thought for a long moment, then seemed to get an idea. “You like the taste of coffee, right? Not just the caffeine?”

“…Yeah? Why?”

“Have you ever tried coffee ice cream?”

…

“How do I know this coffee ice cream of yours is really even a thing?” Remy asked, not for the first time, standing off to the side while Joan shook out the blanket to use as a sled. She glanced at the open door behind them a couple of times, despite knowing that the dog was still locked in Joan’s bedroom.

“Have I lied to you yet?”

“How about that fake no-caffeine coffee?”

“Okay, fair. But I did bring you coffee. Twice. I didn’t lie then, why lie now?”

Remy grumbled something under her breath.

“Alright, I think you’re good to get on.”

Remy took a deep breath, then walked forwards, towards the blanket. At the edge, she stopped, and looked up at Joan. “I’d better not regret this,” she warned.

Joan nodded, and she sat down, clutching the coarse fabric in her fists.

“Ready?”

She looked up at Joan, who held the other end of the makeshift sled aloft, and nodded apprehensively.

“Cool. I’ll go slow. Just tell me if you want me to change the pace or anything.”

She let out a small, shuddering breath, trying not to think too hard about what they were doing. “Okay.”

Joan started walking, and the blanket tugged taught before beginning to drag Remy behind the human. It was a somewhat jerky ride at first, the blanket bumping over the carpet, until they reached the hall. Then it was much smoother, other than the occasional ridge where one floorboard ended and the next began.

Unlike last time, when she hadn’t felt well enough to do much except hold on to the blanket, Remy looked around at the hallway they were in. It was painted a soft, warm beige, picture frames and art covering the wall across from the bedroom doors. As with any human structure, it was quite large, but it must have seemed more homey to Joan.

Joan went very slowly over the threshold into the kitchen, since there was a larger bump there.

“Anywhere specific you’d like to be on the counter?” Joan asked. “I’ll bring you as close as I can on this.”

“Um…” Remy spotted a part of it with a container full of spoons, a bread box, and a toaster. It seemed to have the best prospects as far as hiding spots went, in case something went wrong. “There,” she answered, pointing as best as she could without hurting her chest.

“Right there?” Joan pointed at the same spot.

“No, on top of the fridge.”

Joan chuckled. “Just checking.”

Remy made a thoughtful noise, ignoring the thrum of anxiety growing within her. “You know, maybe that’s not such a bad idea. It’s up high. Plus I’ll be even taller than your freaky giant-ness”

“He’s a dog, not a giraffe,” Joan joked. “And I’m actually pretty short, believe it or not.”

She frowned. “What’s a giraffe?”

“Never mind.”

Remy dropped it, but put the question aside for later, just in case it turned out to be important.

“So, can I bring you over now, or…?”

“Mmmm-hm,” she responded, tightening her grip on the fabric

Joan started walking again, bringing her right up to the wall of cabinets before stopping. The hum of the fridge was easily audible beside them.

Remy took a moment to steel her nerves. Joan didn’t object.

“Don’t touch me,” she requested. “I know you’re going to, like…” she swallowed, “…but don’t touch me. Please.”

“Can I pick you up in the blanket?”

Remy swallowed, then nodded, tensing. Joan knelt down and started slowly gathering up the blanket. Remy let out an involuntary squeak of fear as she felt herself move, and they froze.

“Did I hurt you?”

Remy’s voice was rather shaky as she responded, “Oh, girl, you’ll know if you hurt me.”

“Do you want to stop? We can figure out another way.”

You’re going to get coffee ice cream, she told herself. It’ll be worth it for the coffee ice cream. And who knows? Maybe Joan’s actually right. Maybe it really will be easier to relax once you actually see the dog.

(Not likely, she thought. She was mostly doing it for the coffee ice cream, obviously. And to see if she could figure out for sure what had driven those other littles out of here. But mostly the ice cream.)

They hesitated for another second before continuing what they were doing. Remy’s heart pounded as she was carefully scooped up and lifted in the air, but she managed not to make another sound. The few seconds that passed before she was set down on the counter felt far, far too long.

She waited for Joan to draw back, catching her breath. She silently registered that she was in fact unharmed, or at least no more harmed than before. Then she got up, stepped away from the blanket, and sat down on the counter top, looking around the kitchen as she did. She made a point of fixing her outfit, so she looked and felt more put-together.

“I’ll go get him, then?” Joan said, clearly wanting to know if that was okay with her.

Honestly, she wanted to wait, or to just call it off altogether. But prolonging this might only make it worse.

“Just get it over with,” she forced out.

Joan nodded, and walked back down to the hall. Just before they disappeared from sight, they said, “If it’s too much, let me know, and I’ll get him out of here.”

“Yeah… sure.”

Joan returned a few minutes later, preceded by the sound of jangling collar tags and tapping claws. Remy’s fingernails dug into her legs.

The dog came around the corner, and Remy’s eyes were immediately glued to it. It was… not what she had expected. It was a lot smaller than she’d feared, much more fluffy, and kind of silly looking. But it was still a dog, and it was still much larger than she was. She was very glad to be on the counter, and not on the floor.

Joan had the dog—Marco, she remembered—on a short leash, all but about a foot of its length wrapped around their wrist and hand. The dog was hopping as much as the leash allowed, excited, looking up at his master. His pink tongue lolled, his brown eyes bright and his ears pricked. Remy was mostly focused on the teeth.

“Heel, Marco,” Joan said in a stern voice. The dog immediately calmed down, or tried to. Mostly. “Good boy.”

They stopped at the other end of the room. Remy had scooted back at some point, her back against the bread box.

“Sit,” said Joan. Marco tapped his paws on the floor, looking up at them, then did as they commanded. “Good.”

Remy swallowed. The dog looked away from Joan, and then finally spotted her. Both of them froze. Marco’s tail started twitching, but he didn’t get up.

“This okay?” Joan checked.

Remy’s mouth was dry. She couldn’t look away from the dog. Sure, it was a short, goofy-looking thing, but a lifetime of ingrained instinct was hard to ignore.

…

At the tiny young woman’s silence—not even a sarcastic retort—Joan bit their lip. They took a step back.  This might not have been their best idea, after all.

At the movement, Marco glanced quickly up at them, then back at the girl on the counter. He let out a small, excited whine, his tail sweeping the floor.

The girl’s face paled. A moment passed.

Marco seemed to realize that his new best friend was afraid of him. He stilled, his ears going down slightly. He paused, then lay down, putting his head between his paws. His tail swept shyly across the floor, and his big brown eyes occasionally flicked up towards her before looking away.

Joan could just imagine him saying, “Look, see? I’m not scary! I’m a friend!”

Joan looked back to Nunya, wondering if they should get Marco out of there, or if it would just make things worse if the dog moved. For now, they just shortened the leash a little more, and waited, hoping for the best.

Slowly, slowly, she seemed to relax, at least a bit. She inched forward, away from the bread box, looking down at the dog.

Joan was tempted to say something, to encourage her; but they held their tongue. Marco was waiting hopefully, his tail the only part of him moving.

She stopped a few inches from the edge of the counter.

Marco sniffed in her direction, ever-hopeful to make a friend.

“Um… hi,” she said awkwardly.

The dog seemed to sense the change in atmosphere, and he got to his feet. The girl on the counter flinched slightly, but she clearly intended to pretend it hadn’t happened, and Joan didn’t mention it.

“Are you okay?” Joan asked.

“No, not really,” she said. “But, hey, he hasn’t eaten me yet, so there’s that.”

“I’m sorry. This was… maybe not my best idea.”

She laughed dryly. “That coffee ice cream had better be good.”