#cuz it's not just a horror story

[ardate]

Jumping on the ask train, with an in-between question! From the medias you've watched so far, which one do you believe to be severely underrated, and/or deserving of much more attention/love? (Not necessarily something hated by the public, more like a piece of media that's completely ignored/ghosted for a reason or another)

I've already gushed about it in the past but- a little treasure of a piece of media I've discovered last year is the truly wonderful Excavation of Hob's Barrow, a horror themed classic point & click game. It's recent but perfectly mimicks the artistry of old LucasArts games and its atmosphere is incredible. Its genius is the setting - old england folk tales, the rainy moors, a backwater village wherein you're very much made to feel like the outsider that you are - the horror is slow, all-encompassing, it grows in intensity; and yet at the same time you learn to know this village and its people and feel a little less lost. You learn to know the land. And to respect its legends.

This game is very much underrated and I dearly wish more people would get to hear of it and give it a try.

I suppose it's held down by the fact it's horror AND classic point & click vibes, which are two factors that do not necessarily overlap in the average person's tastes. Personally it was right up my alley, and it's a huge favourite of mine from last year (and maybe beyond).

[novelconcepts]

I Saw the TV Glow is such a uniquely, devastatingly queer story. Two queer kids trapped in suburbia. Both of them sensing something isn’t quite right with their lives. Both of them knowing that wrongness could kill them. One of them getting out, trying on new names, new places, new ways of being. Trying to claw her way to fully understanding herself, trying to grasp the true reality of her existence. Succeeding. Going back to help the other, to try so desperately to rescue an old friend, to show the path forward. Being called crazy. Because, to someone who hasn’t gotten out, even trying seems crazy. Feels crazy. Looks, on the surface, like dying.

And to have that other queer kid be so terrified of the internal revolution that is accepting himself that he inadvertently stays buried. Stays in a situation that will suffocate him. Choke the life out of him. Choke the joy out of him. Have him so terrified of possibly being crazy that he, instead, lives with a repression so extreme, it quite literally is killing him. And still, still, he apologizes for it. Apologizes over and over and over, to people who don’t see him. Who never have. Who never will. Because it’s better than being crazy. Because it’s safer than digging his way out. Killing the image everyone sees to rise again as something free and true and authentic. My god. My god, this movie. It shattered me.

[momentomori24]

I may just be insane about this but does this feel like foreshadowing to anyone else. In this scene we see her trying to replicate the skill of someone else (her mother) and failing to achieve the same results that they would. That feels really specific and it's driving me insane.

Like, we see this come back again in the aftermath of the trial. Diana has repeatedly voiced her admiration for Wolfgang's ability to speak and inspire those around him in the darkest of times, saying she wished she could do the same. We see her pour her heart out and give her own speech to inspire the others-- except the reaction that she receives is cold and miserable, far from the newly kindled warmth and hope Wolfgang was able to create every time.

Diana is a chameleon. Her whole thing is to reflect, to replicate and to adapt. Do you think that this small scene where she tries to make a butterfly out of her hairclips-- a butterfly, an animal associated with transformation and change-- and the end result looking nothing like what she wanted it to be is a metaphor for her future character arc? She has declared that she wants to follow in Wolfgang's footsteps, wants to become something new, but do you think that by the end she ends up being the furthest thing from him? Do you think that by the end she will be left distorted, fundamentally wrong? Do you think that if she could see what she will become in the future, the only emotion that she can muster is horror as she gazes at a stranger that's supposed to be herself? That by the end, she won't be able to recognise herself, because there's no "her" left anymore?

[br1ghtestlight]

kinda obsessed w/ the mephone-generated background characters in season two. What are their stories?? why did mephone bring back teddy bear to be in the background of a three-second background gag? and after this they were all just wandering around inanimate island alone sad & abandoned. pathetic little beasts

[ask-the-druggieverse]

YOU GUYS NEED TO DRINK WATER

*throws water bottles at each of them*

*runs away*

- ALT - INK: Yummy! Reaper is currently on shrooms SWAP: Hey guys have you seen my- SWAP: BSDJFBSDFGSJFHSDJGSGSDJGSDJSDJ

- IDK - I'm starting to fall in love with making GIFs, idk why but it's just so much fun to do :D But it takes up a lot of time... GEEZ...

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[normal-thoughts-official]

I made a post earlier arguing that Higurashi is a horror story about child neglect and the premature loss of childhood, and I'd like to talk a bit about how I think this adds to the horror in Gou and Sotsu

Personally, I felt like Kai felt a lot more like a tragedy/mystery/action combo than psychological horror; I was never really scared, just sad. But Gou? Gou was horrifying to me, and definitely a lot more so to Rika too, and I think a good part of that reason is that in Gou she wasn't just being abandoned, but effectively targeted by the adults that were supposed to protect her

In Gou, while the horror is certainly also in the killings - I felt it was a lot more explicit and gorey than Kai -, it is mostly in the process of retraumatization. In Kai, Rika was more or less used to being killed, and numbed to it. But in Gou, Rika is faced with the horrifying reality that, even after being able to escape, she could be pulled back into the endless loop of trauma; so there was no way to escape that would be meaningful. This is all explicit text, so I won't waste a lot of time going into it. What I want to focus on is that this process adds an even bigger sense of helplessness that is typical to children trapped in abusive situations. Everything that happens is completely outside of their control, there is no escape, and the process happens over and over again. The unique vulnerability of being a child (both physical and social) is mirrored in that process of being trapped then and re-trapped in the killing cycles

Add to that the fact that Rika had gotten to grow up and was suddenly thrust back into helpless childhood, and things get even worse and more explicit in that sense. For a while, she had experienced what it was like to have at least a few more resources to help herself than before. She was not an adult, but she was a teenager, and she had a bigger support network. Then, all of a sudden, she was thrust back into being a child. Having to go back to the childish mannerisms she had left behind, which, as I pointed out in the original post, were always a performance that helped further alienate her; therefore, doubly so once she was able to leave that behind. Her desperation to be sophisticated, to act grown up, to go new places, was a form of rejection of the helplessness of childhood. To her, childhood was explicitly tied to trauma just as much as Hinamizawa was. Being shoved back into childhood was to have all her hard-earned agency stolen from her

Once again, this is explicit text, so I'm going to move on, but the point I'm trying to make here is that, if in Higurashi horror is tied to the loss of childhood, as I argued in the other post, to Rika, the horror is childhood itself. Once again, this is typical in children who endure abuse and neglect; an unsafe childhood only has the worst aspects of being a child - the dependance and weakness - without any of the best ones - the safety net, being taken care of, getting to play and be happy. Therefore, they don't see childhood as a good thing, but as something to escape in order to survive

So when Rika finds herself a(n even younger) child, she is again faced with the horror of having no choice but to rely on adults to take care of her. Which she's never had in the first place, but after the events of Kai, she at least knew some of them who could have helped her escape her terrible fate. I don't think it's a coincidence that the first two people who killed her in a way that made it clear these loops were different from the previous ones were Ooishi and Akasaka, exactly the two that most helped her escape fate in Kai. It really drove home that she had nowhere to turn to

When Satoko injected Rena and Mion, she ended up basically emulating the previous loops, and Rika never even knew it was different from the other times where Keiichi and Shion were the killers. It was when Ooishi killed her that she realized things were different, and, immediately, she decided that she would only go five more loops before she killed herself

And sure, the fact that this is the second time this happens certainly makes it harder to believe there's any getting out of it in a way that matters, but I don't think it's a coincidence that being betrayed by Ooishi is what finally makes her put a cap on how many times she's willing to try. Ooishi was once part of her safety net; one of the adults that helped change the game. Once he was the one who killed her, she was more alone than ever before. But she still had more people to turn to, so she decided she'd try more, at least a little

Then, of course, she was killed by Akasaka

Akasaka being next was just... Awful. Probably the most gut-wrenching death in Higurashi to me. While he couldn't be called a parental figure, he certainly was also the only adult she's ever had to take care of her. He certainly was the only adult she fully trusted. He was the only person, period, that she ever told she knew she was going to die before the final loop in Kai. Akasaka was her only ally, the only one she fully trusted, and the closest she had to a figure she could call a caretaker. So it's no wonder that, after he killed her, Rika stopped even trying at all; she was only counting down to keep her promise to herself, but she was no longer shown trying to change what would happen or making any kind of effort; she was merely counting down and dying again and again without respite. They didn't even bother showing us anything before the killings, because, to Rika, that was just white noise; she was just waiting out for them to happen. To lose Akasaka was to lose her last hope, and that's what makes the Gou deaths so much more horrifying than the Kai ones, because even the little miracles of respite she had before were out of her reach. For the first time, she was completely alone, without anyone at all to trust; and, as a child, if you have no one to trust and help, you simply die

The next ones are, obviously, hand-picked wonderfully (derogatory) by Satoko. Kimiyoshi may have never actually done his job, but he was Rika's legal guardian, and an adult she liked and felt she could speak to, even if she didn't really rely on him. Akane was literally the only present parental figure any of the kids had, and the one who first told them the Sonozakis would help with Satoko and her uncle, too. Keiichi was not an adult, but he was an older kid that she specifically believed was able to defeat fate. It might not have been the first time Keiichi had Hinamizawa Syndrome, but it was the first time he specifically turned against Rika, and that had to have been horrible. And Satoko, obviously, was her best friend, not to mention the only other person who came close to understanding Rika's situation as a child who had to be an adult in practice while still having to act and deal with the vulnerabilities of being a child, and the only one who was, literally speaking, always by her side

I think the fact that Satoko specifically picked adults and the two kids Rika trusted as capable of changing fate (coupled with the aforementioned helplessness caused by not knowing if she could ever truly escape even if she did escape this once) was what made everything work out so fast for Satoko. Altogether, it only took her 8 loops to convince Rika to stay in Hinamizawa. If she hadn't fucked up with the trap situation, Satoko would have probably been the looper to get what she wanted with the least amount of times in history. It took Rika over 100 just to be able to survive. And Satoko got what she wanted after only 8, because she knew exactly what she needed to do to break Rika: make it clear she would get no adults to rely on, and, therefore, would never be able to save herself. Because in Higurashi, the horror is in child neglect, and Satoko created a situation where that would be inescapable

[cn-alastair-lite]

commision work is supposed to be "i draw for money and people say whether they like it or not", not "some people give you money and think that gives them the right to treat you like dirt bc it's their first time having a power trip" lord have mercy

[cheeto-flavoured-pasta]

pony

@nosebleedclub january prompt 7

Walk away. Walk. Away.

That thing is not a goddamn horse.

You don't see it at night. You don't see it outside your window like I do. You don't see how its legs grow, bones cracking and twisting into gnarly shapes, bleeding profusely as it grows taller, just enough to get to the second floor. Just enough to reach my bedroom. You don't see how its teeth are actually fangs, dull in the day and sharp at dusk. You don't see the way its skin falls off, veins falling with it as it trails its hide across the ground like a gory cape. 

You don't see it. You. Don't. See. It.

Tonight, it is not at my window. Its broken skull is not chewing at the glass panes, or staring dead into my soul. 

Tonight, it moved. To the back of the house. To you. And just when I can't wake you up. The shaking of shoulders and shouting of your name leaves you even more still in bed than before.

So I'm sitting on the floor. Damn it, damn everything, I don't know what to do anymore. You laughed every time I tried to bring it up, thought I was going insane, and the one time it comes to you, the one time you can see it's real, it's a threat, your eyes aren't even open.

…

Something just dripped onto the floor. Blood.

Oh, God, no.

I spin around and — and there's an even worse horror.

Oh, there's an even worse horror.

Your skin's sloughed off, like a drape fallen off from a corpse. The veins are dangling, wrapped around strips of muscle and patches of bone peering through. And your head, your head, it's —

It's rising. With nothing left but eyeballs in their sockets. Not yours. No, no, that can't be yours, it can't be you. 

But it can't be anyone else. You rise, just as the figure rises outside the window, casting us in its shadow.

No. Casting me in its shadow. You are a part of it.

I need to run. For hell's sake, I need to run and my goddamn feet are glued to the floor, covered in your blood, covered in fear.

And with a hollow voice, your jaw unhinges, teeth clacking open, and the words hiss on the air.

"Walk away. Walk. Away.

"I know it's not a goddamn horse."

[fujofriday]

you ever become so repulsed by pairings but theyre your most popular pairings including your favorite characters so you just gotta smile and wave and pretend like you aint gonna scratch your walls off

[keeps-ache]

blood of the covenant

[cloudyskiiees]

got sidetracked writing and now i’m making a oneshot about the backrooms with entity alenoah and mk as the protag. whoops. anyways feel free to be on the lookout for that within the next few days lol!!!!

[theropoda]

it's honestly more than a little frustrating looking at the postal fandom here on tumblr and the depth and complexity they're able to bring to a character as nonsensical and goofy as the dude, the stories and art filled with genuine emotion that people make with him, and knowing we are never going to get something like that officially because RWS is dedicated to never taking themselves seriously and always being "apolitical" (even though their politics are there they're just too afraid to say it) and think that toilet/cheap humor is the way to go with their franchise. deeply squandered potential honestly

[sunkissedliterarylightofchrist]

I thought you were utterly against monster stories- what changed? (Also I just haven’t been online in a while so startled by your shift)

I don’t ever recall saying I am ‘utterly against monster stories’— they’re just not my personal preference.

I don’t like being intentionally scared, I don’t like excessive gore or creepy things or stuff like that. I just truly cannot handle it. Even if I just see a thirty second Halloween stalker horror movie ad, I kindaaaa freak out. There was a solid month where this TERRIBLE Spotify ad for some ai creepy doll or whatever movie kept playing literally every day, and it got to the point where every time the stupid computers voice said ‘Hi’ before it launched into the thing of how it could see me and was going to hack my phone and kill my family, I would smack my headphones off (breaking my glasses once) and proceeded to be two seconds away from a panic attack. Had to report the ad to Spotify dozens of times before literally calling them to fix it I was so freaked out. Couldn’t even play my music normally without expecting it and being on edge all day long. Such a tiny thing consumed my mind. So I’ve just always avoided anything remotely in that direction like the plague. Rather have nothing to do with it then not be able to function normally for days because I dunked my head in too far where it didn’t belong.

Then last year when Halloween did roll around I was chatting it up with my best friend @artist-issues who LOVES monster stories. Not, like, really bad ones that are just horror for horrors sake, like that cursed ai horror movie ad, but the concept of how it can preach the Gospel, and I believe she only likes them if there is some imagery of that sort in them, otherwise it’s a waste. After four months of nudging, I finally caved and read Clemence Housmans The Were-Wolf (which is where you probably got this question from). And…. Yeah mind slightly changed xD She has gotten me to like her ideal concept of monster stories and how that short story played it out was nothing short of excellent.

BUT THAT WAS JUST ONE TIME AND IF SHE WANTS ME TO CLAIM THE TITLE OF ‘LIKING MONSTER STORIES’ THIS HAS TO BECOME A REGULAR THING. So. There. Dared.

I guess there are some exceptions to this rule of me not preferring scary stuff though? If you’ve followed me for as long as you seemed to have, you know I like this running game Zombies Run! Which plays audio noises of zombies growling and trying to eat you. I think that can qualify as scary. But I think that it’s just one thing, audio noises. Which, the way I run it most of the time, is played in open air while I’m running outside in a rural area, and can see for miles, and no matter how close the zombies sound, I can physically see that I’m incredibly safe and the most dangerous thing that could happen is if I tripped off the road into a gorge and broke my leg. So there’s a ‘safeguard’ if you will.

Or, with like, reading this short story, while it had tension and was suspenseful, it was never outright scary. I think it was written that way on purpose. I went through my normal reader motions of being captivated by the story, but I was never actually scared or nervous about what I was reading. (Because Artist is a good friend and would never intentionally have someone do something that they’d be hurt by)

I am thinking that perhaps where I get tripped up is if the scarier media in question is designed to capture your mind and forces you to think and focus on it. Which movies do really well, because movies are designed to capture your mind and be totally submersed in it for two hours. And then a well-made movie will continue to have you think about it for days, weeks, years. Between the visuals, dialogue, soundtrack, effects, camera angles, all of it, made to capture the audience. And sometimes books can do that too, but not quite as ‘powerful’ an extent, and certainly not as fast. You can put down a book far more quickly and easily if you start to get icky from it then flip off a screen. Maybe I’m wrong with how I think about this, but it’s a good guess.

My guess is that the only monster stories I’ve ever thought existed were pure horror for horrors sake. Which. Big no-no. Why do I want to be intentionally scared? And with no reason for it whatsoever at that. But, now that I’ve seen that good monster stories are actually a thing and one I’m not terrified by and even enjoyed, (although I don’t think I’ll be looking to watch a movie for it yet, even if it as my Christian-friend-stamp-of-approval, just because the submersion level is so much higher and I’d rather be safe than sorry until I’m more used to it and know I do in fact like this beyond the general idea and a single story) I’m a lot more open and will certainly try more out.

[dilutedbeanibeans]

nurse man and bird man :]!!!! they’re both pretty simple concepts and they’re rough ideas for my megaman horror-ish concept!!!

nurse is a pretty chill going guy, he’s polite and is one of the first bots to work in a hospital!!!! he’s a first responder and mostly works as an assistant. his “hair” is made out of the same metal alloy that yellow devil is made out of! it’s used to carry multiple patients at once, but should ALWAYS be kept away from open wounds and blood. he can manipulate it freely. he only wishes the best for humans and is best friends with another human nurse in the hospital he works at!!

bird is a mass produced model and mostly used for a number of things! transportation, surveillance, and more!! this particular bird man though never speaks (communicates through morse) and is polite as well, they communicate through their big gestures and they want to be a real bird and have real feathers! they also have an interest in angels and their beauty

gore + blood under cut

meat man and angel man

after fusing too many human parts with his metal hair, it started to slowly gradually change into what you see now. meat can still manipulate it freely and also started having certain cravings….

angel became obsessed with being unique, and started picking off the feathers of any white bird they found and sticking them on their wings. they wanted to beautiful and angelic and stand out from their other models

[tiffysdeath]

me when i heard ahs was getting a 13th season with sarah and evan

[jackass-jones]

My madoka magica hot take is I like sayaka/kyoko as a ship more than madoka/homura