#i also hope horror is scary enough LOL

[toffeebrews]

eufhhhh THEMMM!!!!!

(underfell by @/underfella and horror by sourapplestudios)

(pose based off this image by @moo_se on tiktok)

[bmpmp3]

creature design is so difficult everyday i dream of creating the most horrifying offputting gross grody scary silent hill trauma monster creatures and then i sit down and draw something that looks like this

[angel-shaw]

Had a little mini fic idea inspired by this post

————-

“Hay did you ever get your license?” Asher asked

Darlin had just parked their motorcycle and taken their helmet off right before heading into a pack meeting.

Before they could respond they felt a looming presence behind them.

They turned to be meet with David, looking at them with what could only be described as shock horror and the hope of a man about to be shattered.

“Hayyyyyyy buddy! Was wondering when you’d show up! How’s was your weekend? Have a good time with your mate? Do anything fun? You know we really should get into the meeting cuz we wouldn’t want our own Alfa being late now would weeee?”

Asher reacted a lot faster then Darlin did, also seeing David’s mortified face only a second to late to avoid asking the question but soon enough to start his damage control.

In their heart, they knew, they both knew that they were screwed. Darlin had been driving their entire life, granted most of that had in fact been without a license.

They had drove David sound during said no license time but never bothered to tell him about that. At the time it didn’t matter to them, now they just didn’t want to get a 45 minute scolding from David.

They were both, so so screwed. Darlin for their years of driving without a license and Asher for his now obvious compliance with said crime.

Before they knew it both Asher’s and Darlin’s mates where called and stairing them down as David asked them just exactly what Asher ment by that.

It didn’t take long for the truth to come out. Asher broke first. (Can you blame him? His mate is scary)

“Ok ok ok but don’t be mad!”

……

“….please?”

……..

“Ok fine! Tank has been driving since they were like 14 but never took their driving test so never got their license!”

“….i have it now..”

“When exactly did you decide to get your license then.” David’s question didn’t feel like a question.

“……when we got the department involved with the quin situation….”

“WHAT”

“They had to check my ID and I would have gotten in trouble if they relized I didn’t have a license so I had to get it then! But it’s not like it matters, I’ve always been able to drive and it’s not like I was ever caught”

“What you’re telling me. Is that every time I got into the car with you…you didn’t have a license!?”

“I got on that damn bike of yours and you didn’t have a license?!?!??!?” Sam was more distraught than angry, mostly about the motorcycle thing.

“……if I say no will you belive me…”

“NO”

(This is short and small but I want to get back tk wrighting so I figured just a little mediocre  blerb is fine lol.

[ziploc849]

Ok so I have a lot of thoughts about one particular thing and it might be nothing but I’m getting more and more convinced that it’s something, so here ya go

There’s a through line (or multiple, depending on how you slice it) I’ve noticed in not all the episodes, but a lot of them. There’s this running theme of fear, in a lot of different ways. And for a long time I thought it was just a result of this being, yknow, a horror podcast, but some of the things on Gertrude’s shopping list are giving me second thoughts.

First there’s the actual feeling of fear. Again I know, oh wow horror podcast scary. But I don’t just mean for us as the listeners, I mean for the characters themselves. Jane Prentiss mentions in her statement many times that she is scared, and she’s supposed to be the monster under the bed of sorts. I’m pretty sure even Jon comments on it. Jon says in season 1 he keeps up the idea of him being a skeptic because he is afraid, and if he pretends they’re nothing then they aren’t real. I’m sure there are more examples, but even beyond just the content of the statements, the characters themselves are afraid and it seems to be in the very real, dread at the bottom of your stomach kind of way.

There’s also the actual sort of. Concept of fear itself. Not the feeling but the thing you think of when you read the word fear. Like phobias. The vast majority of episodes have these links to very common phobias. Fear of the dark, of enclosed spaces, of endlessness/infinity, of bugs, of death. Hell episodes like Anatomy Class and the stuff with Michael could even be related to the idea of Uncanny Valley, these things that are people but a bit to the left. I had noticed this awhile ago, but just assumed it was taking inspiration. Of course a horror podcast would involve common phobias. But episode 66, with Gertrude’s shopping list, sort of solidified it for me as more than just inspiration, in some way I’m not fully sure of yet. She was buying pesticides, and an exorbitant amount of flashlights. Things to kill bugs and keep the darkness at bay. I’m not entirely sure what the gas and lighter fluid could be related to, but the latter at least could have something to do with the weird sourceless heat that seems to keep coming up.

Like I said, there are some things that don’t fit this. Specifically episodes related to individual people or groups. Piecemeal comes to mind, since other than the fact that Salesa is mentioned the act of a person being dismembered piece by piece from a curse put on them by a nice old lady doesn’t ring any bells with any fears I can think of. Or a father’s love. Clearly horrifying, but other than the lights flickering off (and iirc, not enough to cause complete darkness) they don’t really fit that bill. But going down the list of episodes I’ve watched, a lot do.

This could be nothing. This could be something. But yall seem to like my theories whether they’re crack or not, so I hope you like this one lol

[night-raven-tattler]

Hello there, I recently became a follower and I love your writing so far, keep up the great work and I hope you’re having a wonderful day

I saw that requests are open so if it’s alright, can I get headcannons of the first years (separate) and shows/movies they’d enjoy watching with the reader?

Thought it’ll be pretty fun and an excuse for me to get recommendations lol, thank you!

Hello, Aesthetic! Thank you for your kind words! This was a bit of a challenge for Mx Tattly, since they are not a huge movie person. However she hopes you still enjoy his takes. They also wrote from the perspective of the Prefect/Yuu having access to some movies from their world of origin. Enjoy!

Movie night, otherworldly edition

Characters: Grim, Ace, Deuce, Jack, Epel, Ortho, Sebek and GN!Reader (separate)

Warnings: food mention (Epel's part)

By opening the document, you agree to Mx Tattly's terms of source confidentiality.

-ˋˏ’✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

Grim's preffered genres are: comedy, action, animation, fantasy

Grim trully is a child at heart, and all the colorful characters and scenes from animation have him hooked

He also enjoys a good laugh, especially visual gags

He barely has any attention to spare for a series, so movies are his preffered format

He would never admit it but he's a sucker for found family

Silent movie crier

Loud denier

Some favorites from your world: Home; Bolt; That one Wizard Boy Movie we Don't mention in This Household; he has a weird relationship with Ace Ventura

『••✎••』

Ace's preffered genres are: horror, thriller, action, adventure

He enjoys gorey stuff and being the guy you hide behind of when the scenes get too much, but he needs time to prepare for psychological horror

Ace is the type to look up spoilers before watching something and he tries to trick you into believing his made up version of the plot

He talks a lot during movies but hates when others do it

While he enjoys a good adventure movie, he hates superhero movies and he thinks they're silly

He prefers movies over series because he likes the format more, but he's down for a short series

Some favorites from your world: The Mummy; Jumanji (he loves making fun of it); American Psycho; Scary Movie

『••✎••』

Deuce's preffered genres are: action, adventure, animation, family movies

He is pretty easy to please, he'd watch anything that is entertaining

Definitely a Marvel fan

He also loves animation movies, the animation always leaves him awestruck

He likes movies about families and their bonds

Deuce is also surprisingly into medical dramas... but also cop dramas

He is a crier as well but only when he's just with you

Some favorites from your world: Black Panther; The Rookie; A Goofy movie; Police Academy 2

『••✎••』

Jack's preferred genres are: documentary, adventure, romance, dramas and telenovelas with a bit of nudging

Jack is the type of guy to retain various informations after watching something

He can sometimes memorise entire scenes, and he finds that habit less annoying when he watches documentaries; he likes something informative and motivational

Jack also enjoys some romance movies sometimes, but he is very picky so it's hard for him to find one he actually likes

He does, however, like to point out and comment on the weird courting habits humans have

Jack finds telenovelas and soap operas kind of nonsensical and overly dramatic, but he also gets hooked on the plot pretty quick and soon enough it would become a bit of a guilty pleasure

Some favorites from your world: David Holmes, the boy who lived; the social dilemma; Love, Simon; Yo soy Betty la fea

『••✎••』

Epel's preferred genres are: comedy, action, western, anything he can mock and make fun of

If you think Ace is bad with his mid watch commentary, Epel is 10 times worse

He mocks things in movies so often he's giving Cinema Sins a run for their money

He won't shut up even if you give him all the snacks, he'll talk while eating

He also has the most colourful, boisterous, ridiculous laughter imaginable (and I say that lovingly), so if the comedy movie is not making you laugh then Epel's laughter is

Epel is not a picky watcher so he can get behind anything that isn't too sappy

If you pull out anything with Vil on the poster though he will dematerialise from your couch

Some favorites from your world: Rush Hour; Desperado; Puss in Boots 2; any Fast and Furious movie (unfortunately)

『••✎••』

Ortho's preferred genres are: anything he finds intriguing, family movies

If anything, Ortho has a wide palate and can enjoy almost anything

He also knows how a movie ends before he watches it, but it never ruins his enjoyment

He never spoils anyone unless they try to argue with him about the direction of the plot

Most of his interest in movies came from wanting to understand human behavior better, but now he can just use them as a time killer or sleepover material

He also likes watching your reactions to the movies: how often you laugh, how often you cry, how often you reach for snacks

A favorite from your world: Big Hero 6

『••✎••』

Sebek's preferred genres are: historical films, (period) dramas, musicals with the right nudge

Listen here, musical enjoyers. Here is the most susceptible one to being convinced to join the dark side

One word: Hamilton.

Yes, he'll think the music is nonsensical, BUT he'll also tap his foot to it

AND if you say anything about teaching him something from the soundtrack to surprise Malleus with, he's all ears

He is also very quick to get songs stuck in his head: he's easy prey

All jokes aside, Sebek can be a good watch buddy when his interest is piqued

Not even he can deny when a movie has good plot and characters

He does prefer period dramas, since he has a soft spot for the setting

And historical films: a nerd do be nerding even during movie nights

Some favorites from your world: The Crown, Hamilton, Les Miserables, maybe Oppenheimer but it would be used in his anti-human agenda

『••✎••』

Speaking of Oppenheimer...

Well, let's discuss Barbenheimer.

Everyone went to watch both movies:

Ace went dressed in pink for the both of them

Deuce got confused by the "dresscode" and apologised to you for not knowing about it

Jack and Ortho enjoyed both

Epel insisted he liked Oppenheimer more but he's lying

Sebek cried at the end of Barbie

Grim is the only one who in fully in Oppenheimer's corner

[stardewvalleybut-i-draw]

popping in to say i am OBSESSED with your farmer interpretations. im not a big stardew valley fan (not bc of anything, its just not my sort of thing) but gahhhhhh. oh my god. that one painting comic and the background-music writing rattle around in my head so muchhh. they just scratch such a specific itch in my brain.

like. interacting with the world around you on such a different, alien level from anybody else- but not noticing or caring because its just what you've always seen the world as. it isnt scary, it doesnt completely warp your mind, it doesnt drive you to the brink of madness- its just normal. what the world is supposed to be.

it gives you advantages in some situations. but it also isolates you, in a subtle way. because you're different, 'biologically' (for lack of a better term), you cant see what people "should" see, or do what "normal" people should do. you will always just be a little off to people- just through your habits, which seem completely normal and logical to you- enough to put them on edge. its not enough to set anything bigger off, but it shows that you will always be different. you will never be like them, whether you want to or not.

..whoops. sorry for waxing poetic or whatever in your askbox lol i am just a very very big fan of this specific type of thing. anyways! thank you for making this specific interpretation that will probably haunt me for a bit. i hope you have a good day ^-^

Yep, you hit it right on the nail! That's exactly what I'm going for!!

And with the new update (no spoilers here) it seems that's what the game is encouraging you to be!

I like writing them in this way because it adds a wonderfully comedic depression to them! A subtle psychological horror I can use for drama later👀

And again... cuz funny haha 😂

I noticed the Farmer's quirks are only sometimes included in others' writing and only really included for comedic purposes. Still, I think the farmer's odd behavior can add to almost any situation if you know how to work with it!

I hope to haunt you more in the future! Have a great day as well :D

[jeridandridge]

Hi! Idk if your asks are open rn, I know you got a lot in your requests. But I thought of this little fluffy idea and you're my fave writer on here so I thought I'd throw it your way and see if you liked it enough to write it!

It's a dark and stormy night and Melissa takes reader to a scary movie for date night, which basically scars the reader (in a cute funny way obvs lol) and she has to stay over at Melissa's bc she is terrified. But what she doesn't know is Melissa is low-key also terrified. Every floorboard creaking, shadows on the walls, trees knocking against the windows 👻👻👻 you know?

Cute, fluffy, funny with a happy ending. If ya feel like it!

💕💕

This was so much fun to write I hope you dig it! Thank you for the request. 🩷

Deadites and Baseball Bats.

“Cmon, Mel.” You chuckle jogging up to the door to hold it open for your girlfriend. It was starting to rain outside and you knew it would only get worse throughout the night.

“Ya know I still don’t know why you picked this one, hon.” She quirks a brow as you two get to the snack area. You’d made sure to get the tickets for the movie the day before, mostly because you knew that way you wouldn’t chicken out.

“It’s supposed to be really good! My brother showed me the original when I was way too little now I wanna see this one.” You smile at the memory. You like some horror, but it still scared you. Hell, Michael meyers was a figure in your nightmares even when you were in high school.

“You saw Evil Dead when you were a kid?!” Melissa’s eyes go wide and you can’t help but laugh at her expression as you reach for her hand.

“I told you my brother wasn’t the best babysitter.”

You pay for your usual snack of popcorn and a bag of peanut M&Ms to share, even though Melissa always tells you to just sneak stuff in. In the theater you sit munching on your snacks waiting for the movie to start.

“I wonder how scary this one’s gonna be.” Melissa hums as the lights dim. When the movie starts you scoot closer to your girlfriend noting how the atmosphere in the movie is just like how it is outside now. Rain pelting down and dark. Too dark.

The movie starts out easy enough, but eventually your find yourself hiding your face in your girlfriends hair. “That’s not what a cheese grater is for!” You squeak.

“Woah!” Melissa lets out pushing further back into her seat, her hand on your thigh.

Throughout the movie you play peekaboo through your girlfriends hair, holding onto her arm for dear life.

“That’s more blood than when they got my uncle Tony.” Melissa winces.

You start to relax when the character wields the iconic chainsaw, finally killing the mutant deadite. After the movie you let out a breath and stand up blown away and terrified of what you watched.

“I can’t believe she went after all her kids.” The red head comments as you two head out of the theater.

“I mean, it wasn’t really her, the deadite was just using her.” You reason, your face falling when you get to the lobby. The glass doors give you a peak of an angry dark purple sky and lightning striking through black clouds.

“Ready to make a run for it, hon?” Melissa asks resting her hand on your lower back.

You nod pushing the door open.

“You can’t help but laugh when you two reach the car, Melissa trying to fix her soaking wet hair.

“Oh baby.” You laugh reaching over to wipe away smeared mascara. “My little raccoon.” You tease.

“Shut up, scaredy cat.” She teases you getting the car moving. As you two head home you can’t help but jump when a roll of thunder crashes seemingly right above you.

“Fuck.” You mutter looking out the window. The sky had grown even darker, making it look much later than 10 o’clock. The wind whipping around rattles the car and you reach over holding the sleeve of Melissa’s leather jacket.

Back at home you two get in shaking off the water.

“I’m gonna get some candles out just in case. That wind is too strong.” Melissa comments heading upstairs.

For some reason, when Melissa goes upstairs you feel like a child again, feet stuck in cement blocks unable to move with fear running through you. You think of how ridiculous it is.

“It’s just a movie.” You tell yourself moving through the house to get to the kitchen. All of a sudden you hear a zap and everything goes black.

“Oh fuck.” You cry out, your heart racing. “Mel!”

“I’m comin I’m comin, hon.” She huffs flicking a lighter for the candle in her hand.

Your hand grips the door frame and you don’t let go until you see your girlfriend glowing in the candle light.

“If I weren’t so freaked out id tell you how hot you look in that candlelight.” You breathe out with a nervous laugh.

Melissa moves through the dimly lit area holding the large glass candle.

“You’re scared and you still manage to flirt.” She chuckles wrapping her arm around your waist. “Cmon, baby I’ll keep you safe.” She teases.

“That movie was terrifying! I don’t know why I did that.”

“But we did have fun.” Melissa smiles in the dark. When you two get to your bedroom she sets the candle down on the dresser and moves to light more.

You strip getting rid of your wet clothes and changing into your sweatpants and one of Melissa’s eagles shirts.

You take a step forward and when you do the hardwood floor creaks forcing you to freeze.

“What was-“ Melissa whips around, stoping when she sees you on a certain part of the floor.

“Is the big and tough Melissa Schemmenti scared too?” You tease climbing into bed.

“I am not! It sounded weird, I didn’t know if- whatever.” She waves her hand continuing to take her makeup off. You sit in bed with the blanket pulled up to your chin, your phone in hand you scroll trying to take your mind off of the howling wind outside and the freaky deadites.

“Remind me to get rid of the cheese grater.” Melissa hums climbing in next to you.

“Oh god.” You shudder remembering the scene. “No cheese graters or tattoo machines in this house.”

“Deal.” The red head laughs wrapping her arm around you. You shift scooting back to have her behind you. She holds you a little tighter than she normally does, the sound of the rain hitting the window starts to lull you to sleep until youre jolted out of your haze by the sound of glass breaking and a door slamming.

“What the fuck was that?!” Melissa bolts up resting her hand on your hip. You sit up completely still, listening for anything else.

“Hopefully not a possessed angry zombie mother.” You hiss getting up with the red head. Melissa grabs her bedroom bat and you stand behind her, hands on her back as you both creep through the house.

“If I ever get possessed you better take me out.” She whispers.

“You got it, baby.” You agree, completely tense as you both get down the hall.

“It’s in the bathroom!” she hisses looking at the now closed door.

“I’ll kick it open, you swing.” You whisper standing on the opposite side of the door frame. Your girlfriend gives you a nod and you move like a lightening bolt kicking the door in and moving to the side again as Melissa winds her arms up ready to swing.

“Oh my god.” Melissa sighs bringing a hand to her chest. You look in past her seeing the bathroom window broken and a tree branch through it.

“So not a deadite” you sigh in relief. Melissa steps forward and you pull her back by the arm. “Stop, you’re gonna step on glass. It’s too dark to deal with this right now.”

Melissa puts her arms down closing the door again.

“We’ll have to wait until the morning to do something about that.” She hums.

You can’t help but smile standing beside her. “Thank you for protecting me from deaites and tree branches.”

Melissa laughs intertwining your fingers pulling you back to the bedroom.

“I think we have to put a no scary movies in the dark rule in place.”

“Deal. Big time deal.”

[yeahiwasintheshit]

finally watched 'longlegs' tonight, and man is it a beautifully made, expertly constructed film. mood and atmosphere felt so appropriate and put you in the right frame of mind for what they were trying to do. It felt creepy and dirty, ominous and threatening. shot compositions were gorgeous and the use of the 4:3 vignette or rounded edges (whatever its called) felt appropriate… for a minute i thought the whole movie was gonna be like that, thankfully it was only in a few scenes, and felt like it was for a purpose.

unfortunately i just didnt care for the story it was telling or rather I mean I was fine with the story they were telling, I just didnt think the story was executed linearly with as much care and precision as the look and feel of everything else in the movie. Its doing a bunch of things at first, but you start off thinking the movies going to be a like police procedural, and then they introduce some supernatural elements which then really takes it right out of the kind of cat and mouse / mystery movie you spend the first 10-15 mins thinking its going to be. Things you think should take some time to build up to, just happen. And I get it the movie is not really a police procedural, its more light supernatural horror but idk, theres that police procedural I was kinda wanting because of how the movie started. the supernatural thing kinda gets us to plot points quickly, and to me that felt a little too quick, a little too forced or something. Idk I mean I get why they do that, and why it all comes together at the end, but a little slower with the build up and police work would have helped build more of the tension, I think.

Also you can pretty much guess where its all going, I mean there are definitely some weird right turns you will not guess, and those are good moments, but almost from the beginning, they are like ‘who is the accomplice? Who is the accomplice?’ And its like yea, duh, we know, like they made that pretty clear almost right off the bat, so when it is revealed, you’re like, uh yeah, we knew that lol

also, what really took me out of the movie each and every time was Nic cage. They should have absolutely not had him in this role. His voice was so ridiculous, the choices in like singing were like not scary or creepy at all, it was just silly and each and every time all I saw was Nic cage, maybe if his voice was lower and creepier or something, idk, its just Nic cages voice, and it just didnt work for me. They should have had some unknown actor or anyone else in his role. Someone whos intimidating and actually creepy. I got nothing creepy or ominous about his choices. and I think its clear they knew that, cause they shellacked him in that makeup… anyway to not see Nic cage, but his voice was a dead giveaway each time.

Maika Monroe was fantastic tho, and it was really great to see Blair underwood coming out of wherever hes been for 30 years ago, back from la law I guess lol. He looks great, and he has such a great voice. Also really great to see Alicia Witt! Almost unrecognizable, I really hope they caked her in old age makeup, cause at first I was like is that her? Cant be, there’s no way Alia Atrides is old enough to have a 30+ year old child lol also nice to see sally draper in this, and that Oz Perkins has a cast of actors he likes working with. She was great in his other movie the blackcoats daughter.

Overall it was the visuals that were the standout in the movie, the director, Oz Perkins, who is the son of my bby Anthony Perkins, is really good at building these atmospheric moody visuals, he also did a movie called Gretel and Hansel which also was more visually appealing than it was a good story. and I just read that his brother, Elvis Perkins did the score. Ive loved his album Ash Wednesday for almost a couple decades now, and the score really helped build the tension and really worked with movie.

It got so much hype at first so Im glad I saw some reasonable reactions too, cause it lowered my expectation. At first I’d heard it was the scariest movie ever!! And it’s not. I’m glad I went in not thinking that. So its not a bad movie whatsoever, I def wouldnt say I loved it, there are choices that I dont think work with the story, and that really dampens what couldve been something special, cause visually and atmospherically its gorgeous.

[patrice-bergerons]

Hello 👋 I am the anon who asked about the barrister au.

I must know more if you're willing! 🤗

What was the night like when Francis asked James for help with Neptune? Was that the night they became "friends" with each other?

Also, in the fic, James got very sick. How long did he remain sick, and did Francis take care of him the whole time? Did he make him soup? That would be so cute!

Would love to hear about the conspiring against the rave neighbor, that sounds great

And lastly for this ask, when do they kiss for the first time ? Fake boyfriends and misunderstandings? Or something more intentional ?

Thanks again for answering!

BOOp 🐾

BOOPS YOU RIGHT BACK 🐾 Anon I'm thrilled by how much you like this au and the way you continue to indulge me 🥰 I just got out of the office (at 11.45pm!) and this ask is like a balm for my tired soul.

I'm hoping to actually right about the great fitzier scheme against rave throwing penthouse neighbour this weekend and I will pull the wait and see card re the first kiss (because I have PLANS) but let me talk about the other two, starting with Neptune:

First off I must say that these two are so stubborn and stupid they won't acknowledge the fact that they are friends until some time after the inadvisable sex.

But the night Neptune gets sick, it's very late, Francis has had too much to drink such that he can't quite plan how to call an uber let alone find where the nearest vet is.

He does not like James (at all, not even a little bit) but his dog is sick and James is the only person he can go to at that hour, so he does. James also has a car (Francis makes fun of him for being the only person who drives in London) which in an emergency is a real plus.

James cannot stand Francis either, BUT for one he still owes Francis from all those years ago, and even if he didn't — and even if he will not admit this to himself — he wouldn't turn down anyone who showed up at his door at that door looking so distraught.

So he finds an emergency vet hospital with good reviews and drives Francis and poor Neptune there. Neptune idk ate some plastic or what not and needs emergency surgery.

Francis is distraught—and drunk. It's truly unbecoming. And yet...for the reasons listed above, James finds himself distracting him, probably by miring him in an argument about case law or a past ruling until he no longer seems to be on the very edge of a panic attack.

And the thing is. Those two can talk for hours. When they sit down and stop hissing and growling at one another — which only happened once before, when James was going thru the horrors in that coffeeshop — conversation flows between them seemingly without bound. They challenge each other and often disagree but it never once gets boring.

Ultimately Neptune makes it and is fine. You would think this experience would bring them closer but James is kind of a dick about it, Francis is too ashamed of himself, and when James sees his chance to instigate that bar fight, he does not even blink. So it leaves them worse off than where they started lol 😆

Re James being sick, one part of me did want him to have to be taken to the A&E but we shall save the hospital h/c for a little later heh. The paracetamol works and he is fine by the morning. He finds Francis asleep on his sofa and has no feelings at all about this.

It's also very important to me in this verse that James is scary good at cooking and baking whereas Francis can barely fry eggs without burning them — so any soup Francis made for him, James would probably consider to be nuclear waste lol 😅 I really want Francis to get a cold at some point though and James to extend his hand dangling a bag with a tupperware of soup inside as far away from his body as possible at the door while holding a handkerchief to his face because he does not want Francis’s germs, thank you very much 😆 (but their walls are too thin and Francis has a sneeze that's loud enough to wake the dead, anyone would take pity!)

[girlfromthecrypt]

I finally got to read the update!! Don't mind me rambling a bit about everything I loved about it...

I really enjoyed the beginning of this chapter.  Being playful with Basil in the van is super cute. It was interesting to see Reem and Basil not getting along a little bit, it makes me intrigued about if there will be any cracks in our little friend group's foundation that might start to show. And if so what that might mean when things start going bad.

Also, Anita is adorable!! It had me giggling when she called everyone attractive--I loved getting to tease her about it afterwards. I chose to room with her and the siblings--though the thought of Basil sleeping alone makes me nervous for the future...

Definitely Looking at Anita's comment about how your sanity starts slipping when you go without sleep. I'm SO eager to reach the horror. Though the slightly slower, cheerful beginning is so great. I love getting to know everyone and seeing them happy and bonding, knowing that there's horror on the horizon...

Javier talking about his mom marrying his dad straight up made me snort laugh. I work with kids and they truly do say the most out of pocket things. It's very true to life. And ooooh, Basil and Gabriel just...staring at the woods got me so hyped. Reading that scene gave me a proper thrill, that little 'heart-pounding-faster' feeling that makes me love horror so so much.

Hell yes at getting to tell the kids a scary story!! I remember being a kid and hearing classics like Don't Turn on the Light and being scared out of my socks. It's sooo fun to be able to play at passing that on to a whole new generation!! I'm 100% in to romance Basil, but this update makes me want to do a run where I romance Anita. She's so so cute. And the siblings both are great in their own ways... I'm sensing that I'll end up doing runs for each of the ROs, you've made such fun and sweet characters!

Aaah that ending!!!! Genuinely terrifying, and made me so anxious about the kids!! I KNOW my MC is going to be hard-pressed to keep them all safe. I can't wait to see what comes next!! I love how you write characters, they're all so likable and distinct!! This was such a good update, it makes me really eager for more.

HI (omg it's that cool person) HIIII <3

Thank you so much for this. I'll have you know I reread this ask like three times and I'm probably gonna read it all over again tomorrow bc it gives me life. I can't express how happy I am that you cared to write such a long ask bc of my IF if all things. Thank you, it made my day.

Basil and Anita's on-the-road scenes in the van were my favorite to write!! And yes, there's certainly a bit of tension in the group. MCs with high sociability or perception will be able to pick up on this, also on George's fondness for a certain colleague--- but don't worry, no one's at each other's throats. Yet.

And yay, some Anita appreciation!! Cut her some slack, she's not used to being around hot people and between a possibly cute MC and the FUCKING MALAKS of all people... yeah. It's not easy for her.

Ok so you know that you can also sleep in the van with Basil if your relationship stat/his approval of you is strong enough? I hope that was clear from the dialogue options and you just chose the cabin despite of it, bc if not, I might have to rewrite the choice. Furthermore, while I can see why you'd be worried for him, I'd be more concerned for an MC who chooses to sleep alone ;) [yes, this is me hinting at a future horror scenario possibly unique to that route].

Ah yes, Javier, my son <3 lol. Nahhh I don't favor any of the campers. Though, if I had to pick which one I liked to write the most, it'd probably be him.

Now I feel bad haha. Ok but srsly, kids can be VERY outspoken, and Javier especially has noooo social filter. You might notice that some of the campers' traits specifically correspond to some of the ROs' characteristics... Looking at Gabriel and Basil here.

Both campfire stories are also really close to my own heart, so I jumped at the chance to include them. As for the ROs, I do hope you'll do a run for each of them! I'm trying quite hard to make it difficult to choose between them ;)

I love that the ending hit the way it was supposed to. If you want to know what's up next, I have one word for you: confusion. Lots of confusion.

See, I need to give this story a slow, slice-of-life start, bc purely from a narrative standpoint, it wouldn't make sense for the horror to come out guns blazing. That's why the MC will at first be the only one to experience the horrors and for the horrors to (seemingly) originate from one of the kids, bc if it was more dramatic and the threat was to come from an exterior source, everyone would just pack up and flee and then the story would be over. That's what I figure.

Anyhow, I'm so glad I still got you hooked with this project. Thanks so much for this super long message.

[star-going-supernova]

prompt: Vanessa casually asks Gregory about his parents only to freeze in horror when she hears their names. They used to be Pizzaplex employees who she, as Vanny, killed for getting too close to the truth.

This ficlet isn’t so mini, lol. Warning for mentioned past deaths via stabbing.

Bodies in the River

For the past month, she’d been meeting up with Gregory every Wednesday and Saturday at the little cafe downtown. It was a nice, neutral location, and she hoped it helped him feel safe. With time, they’d slowly gotten past the awkward silences and stilted conversation. Vanessa was pretty proud of how far they’d come. 

She knew he’d agreed in the beginning more for her sake than his own. After all, what would he get out of befriending his almost-murderer? But her nightmares had been getting worse, and the bags under her eyes had probably said more about her mental state than she had when she first asked him. Imprinted on the insides of her eyelids were all the ways That Night could have ended badly; as she’d hoped, seeing Gregory alive and well on a regular basis was like a balm to her fractured brain. 

That he’d agreed at all was a kindness she still didn’t feel like she deserved. But that was what therapy was for.

In the past month, Vanessa had learned a lot about Gregory. He was twelve years old, his favorite color was blue, he was kind of scary smart, he also regularly visited Freddy and the others, and he was living in a foster home. 

That last one had actually taken her by surprise; the week before, he’d been talking about the camping trip his parents had taken him on for his tenth birthday.

She must have looked confused because he paused in his story of his foster family’s dog getting stuck in a tree. And she felt so guilty for it because he must have gotten that look a lot, enough for him to know to explain, “They died when I was eleven.” 

“What happened?” she asked, followed almost immediately by a facepalm. “Sorry, sorry, that was—forget I said that.” 

But Gregory shrugged, the brightness of his eyes gone dim. “Dunno, really. The police think it was a mugging gone wrong. They were—” his voice cracked, and he looked down at the table between them— “they were dumped in the river.”

Something prickled uncomfortably in the blurry recesses of Vanessa’s mind. Her heart started to beat faster, and she didn’t know why.

“You might’ve met them before, actually,” Gregory continued. “They worked at the pizzaplex together. Hazel and Arthur Monroe.” He hunched in on himself. “I miss them a lot.” 

And oh. Oh. She knew them. She remembered them. Her stomach churned, and the acid taste of bile burned the back of her throat. A cold feeling of dread swept through her. 

The Monroes. The man and woman who had started poking around, getting suspicious for reasons she hadn’t been able to figure out. It’d nearly driven her to distraction, not knowing if she’d messed up and given herself away somehow. 

So the nosey, too-smart-for-their-own-good couple had had to go. 

Vanny had stabbed them, first Hazel in the locker room, then Arthur in the hallway where he’d been waiting for his wife. She’d been quick and efficient about it; she hadn’t wanted to go overboard and draw attention to them. She’d wanted it to look like a mugging gone wrong; she’d stolen their wallets and phones and watches and Hazel’s nice necklace and—and their wedding rings. 

And then she’d borrowed a company van to take their bodies to the river. 

Vanessa stared across the table at the child she’d orphaned, at the child whose parents’ wedding rings she’d pawned off two towns over, four months after she’d killed them. Her tongue was heavy in her mouth; she couldn’t speak, not even when Gregory frowned and—his mouth moved, he was talking, probably asking if she was all right, and she was burning up, chest heavy with guilt, and the spacious cafe suddenly felt too small, and Vanessa couldn’t breathe—

“I have to go,” she choked out in a rushed breath, and she nearly tipped her chair over in her haste to escape. 

Her last glimpse of Gregory was through the cafe’s storefront window as she turned to speed-walk down the sidewalk. He looked frozen, eyes wide with a terrible realization. 

Just like his parents, her traitorous thoughts whispered, too smart for his own good.

[spicybylerpolls]

Well, unknown hero agent man / pen symbolism anon, i hope you're reading this, cos you hit the nail on the head! this kind of symbolic storytelling is not only a fine art of cinema (being lost these days a little sadly, what with the whole netflix speedy turnover etc), but exactly what (good) films of the horror genre aim to do.

horror has long been a way to creatively tell 'normal' dramatic stories through subtext and symbolism. not sure if this is still a way around traditional censorship but im sure it began that way. films like the exorcist, the shining, rosemary's baby... all classics that are filled with subtext. its also an exciting way to talk about things that might seem trite or too bleak when portrayed as a 'straight' drama (this is the term meaning 'non-genre based' or 'non-musical' lmao). So you could say that ST is NOT straight, in more ways than one 😉

but much of this will go over casual viewers heads, so its finding the balance between making a story believable on the surface (another dimension exists! scary government men trying to kill us!) and subtextually (the UD as a metaphor for trauma/AIDS/closeted homosexuality/abuse etc) if viewers are clever enough to see/feel it. i say feel because much of storyviewing is instinctive instead of analytical.

so ST incorporates both - not just metaphorical, vague storytelling, but also real issues too. but it goes one step further, and actually has characters talk explicitly about reading deeper into stuff (murray's behind the curtain speech). it's a very meta show, even for a genre piece, which is why it astounds me that some people think it's not that deep lol. and some people think that only literature can be deep, but never tv or movies - which is an insult to anyone who has ever been passionate about cinema tbh. It's a statement that would probably rip the heart out of the duffers' chests and stomp on it. these guys are super nerds who have dedicated their adult lives to this passion project. as finn said, 'most people make it then just cash in - im so glad they still care'.

I'm sorry you don't feel comfortable talking about the beauty of this storytelling on your main. it really does surprise me that the fandom is so censorship obsessed because sexual metaphors have long existed in visual media, and especially in horror films. there used to be a long post about byler and a potential sex scene at lover's lake on here, but the user disappeared and the post went missing. it was about all the sexual imagery in ST, with a focus on byler in s4. i especially loved how they mentioned mike's introduction, where he was just in underwear: it is both appropriate for the setting, but also gets the audience used to him as a growing lad with a body and draws attention to those uncomfortable, potentially sexual aspects of being a teen. i mean, he was in tiny pants for god's sake. did we need to see that? why did we see it? etc etc

hilariously, they also referenced the always sunny in philadelphia scene where a character is in a therapist office talking about a pen being a dick. he then puts it in his mouth and chews the pen lmoao

i think you'd enjoy @therainscene's rod symbolism post too. I'm personally hoping for some explicit sex scenes with byler, because the show so far has arguably been telling that story metaphorically already for 4 seasons, and bringing it out of the subtext could be a storytelling device in itself. bringing byler's secrets into the light. after all, this is a period piece that aims to shed light on a bygone era. its not a propaganda piece that needs to remain coded; the reasons for staying secretive still exist for mike and will in the 80s, but times have changed since then for us as a global audience, and more importantly, the aspirational message has changed. what message would the duffs want to send to viewers that are still bigoted? clearly one of the beauty of homosexuality, seeing as will, our fav gay boy, has been the darling sympathetic victim of the show since s1e1. the show needs to remain true to both the 80s while also having a strong message for this decade in order for modern audiences to be able to gain something from watching this story; in order for there to be a reason the show exists at all.

so to answer your question, i had never picked up on the pen symbolism until now, but i immediately agree, not least because 1) it must have a meaning that connects to byler's conversation otherwise why does it just interrupt them with no reason? (from a storytelling pov), and 2) because of the always sunny scene lolllll

thanks for the discourse! if you stick around into s5, im sure we will be able to start discussing this on our mains. it'll be a new era and there might even be gifs/pics of byler to accompany our 'spicy' discourse haha!

Amazing/fascinating points! Thanks for adding to the discussion!

[seducemefanficsandheadcanons]

From the big prompt list you reposted, can you do #75 with Matthew x Mika? (With Matthew being the scared one lol)

Yesss I loved this one! I hope its okay!

TW for very minor descriptions of gore.

AH, WHAT IS THAT!? (Matthew x Mika)

The mansion was dark, the sound of thundering crashing outside mixing with the screams of terror coming from the television in the living room.

When Mika heard it was going to be a stormy night, she decided it was a perfect night for a horror movie binge, to which she asked Matthew to join her. He agreed and even made a few jokes about protecting her during the scary parts. However, it seemed as if Mika would be the one doing the protecting.

The two were currently cuddled up on the couch, a large fluffy blanket over them. Matthew had his arm around Mikas shoulder, her head resting against his chest. Because of their closeness, she could hear his startled gasps and feel his body tense and flinch during the jump scares.

She brushed it off, since she was also having similar reactions, albeit on a lesser extent. Though, after a bit it became increasingly obvious Matthew was not enjoying the movie and was slowly shrinking into himself.

She looked up at him with soft concern. “Are you okay?”

He looked at her with a shaky smile, his eyes wide and face almost appearing pale, though the lighting made it hard to tell. “Y-yeah! I'm okay!”

She frowned at his expression. “Are you sure?”

He nodded vigorously and insisted they keep watching. She sighed but didn't press farther, continuing to watch the movie. However, his reactions to the scenes didn't lessen, instead becoming more noticeable as the pace of the movie quickened.

Soon, she spoke again. “If you wanna watch something else, we can. I don't mind.”

“We don't have to! I mean, I-” Matthew sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, seeming embarrassed. “It's just that this movie is really scary, but you're into it so I'm trying not to cover my face the whole time, but- AH WHAT IS THAT!?”

Mika gasped from his sudden shriek and looked at the TV, which was showing a gory murder scene caused by some supernatural creature. The scene was bad enough that she felt her own heart rate pick up from fear. 

She looked back at him, his eyes wide with fear and the color drained from his face. It reminded her of when he'd created Simon. He started sputtering something that seemed like he was trying to brush it off. She immediately grabbed the remote and paused the movie. “No, you're right, that's horrifying!” she agreed.

He let out a sigh of relief when she clicked off of the movie, chuckling nervously. “Can we please watch something else?”

She nodded vigorously. “Of course! What about a Disney movie? Frozen?”

He grinned. “What about Moana?”

“Moana sounds good!” Mika agreed as she went to the Disney plus app. The two cuddled back up together and binged Disney movies until falling asleep on the couch.

[heathened]

tagged by the blessed n beautiful @musicandmasochism thanks babe<3 under a cut bc i kinda went off lol

When was the last time you cried? i am going to be real. it was during the first 20 minutes of troy when i watched it last night lmfao

Do you have kids? unless you count the feral child assassin that is actually my cat, no

Do you use sarcasm a lot? noooooooooooo never

What sports do you play? don't rlly play sports so much as do activities, which are cycling, yoga, taking neighborhood walks (i cannot sing the praises of 'take a little walk for your mental health' enough), and dancing in my kitchen

What’s the first thing you notice about people? prob what they're wearing tbh. and i hope thats what they notice about me<3

What’s your eye color? void brown

Scary movies or happy endings? both?? not together probably lol, but obviously Blog With A Saw Icon loves horror movies. and yet i am also a simp for the people's queen austin powers so i am not immune to it all working out

Any special talents? people irl think i am funny (they don't know my humor is just tumblr posts and lil wayne bars but nonetheless), i think i am particularly good at 2 things: making a sauce and cultivating a vibe lmao

Where were you born? northern california

What are your hobbies? above activities, music (you guys ever heard of this? incredible. ya gotta check it out), uhhhh learning hobbies tbh lol...for the funsies of it all, i've taught myself/learned how to knit, wallpaper, javascript, translate latin, garden, leatherwork, macramé, graphic design, clothing repair, and prob many more niche things in the name of a beloved personal project. oh yeah! i guess i'm a Writer™ or w/e so technically. i like writing more than i don't like it

Do you have pets? a tortoiseshell menace named ahsoka/snips/snippy/sniperella/baby

How tall are you? 5'7"/170cm, tho if i'm not wearing like. Statement Shoes™ with a heel, i am almost always wearing my black boots that add another 2 inches or so. no matter what i usually have a tall vibe hehe

Favorite subject in school? did very well in school and i am litr on my second graduate degree lmao so i'll be honest i love school (it is how i managed to evade an adhd diagnosis until my late 20s like catherine zeta-jones and those lasers)

Dream job? shout out to a mantra of all time: i simply do not dream of labor. BUT it has occurred to me a lot lately that i actually would have been a great production designer because it's basically Vibe Setting as a job and requires 2 things i love: research and continuity

tagging hmmmmmmmm @wutheringdyke @unspuncreature @lovthievs @spouseoftherisingsun n @underthewirez <3333

[ilovedthestars]

Murderbot Fic Rec List: Ghosts

October is approaching, and it seems like a good time of year for some ghost stories!! (These are not all horror, and some aren’t even scary—if you’re looking for actual chills I’m not the person to go to, lol. These are just stories with ghosts.)

Mayday, Mayday, Mayday by TheSteelChimera 638 words, Teen And Up, Creator Chose Not To Warn

Ghosts aren't real, all evidence points to the fact that human superstition is just that, superstition.But wormholes are strange places, and the MNTS Perihelion knows that ghost ships are very real.

A ghost story featuring ART, and the last echoes of lost ships. The mysteries of wormhole physics are a perfect explanation for hearing voices in the void. I also highly, highly recommend the podfic by DevilWithABirdDress, which has some echoes and effects that absolutely enhance the spooky atmosphere.

Ill Omen by avg 5,511 words, General Audiences, Creator Chose Not To Warn & No Archive Warnings Apply

Despite the positive attributes of a ship ghost, there is one omen associated with its presence: no member of a ship blessed by its presence shall ever set eyes on it. It only ever becomes visible to the crew of a doomed ship.

An alternate universe ASR where Murderbot is a ghost!! Binding souls to survey habitats as a security service is absolutely something the company would do if it had that capability. Supernatural suspense and haunting as protection—the fantasy/sci-fi flavor of this one is very cool.

The Stowaway by Masu_Trout 2,712 words, Teen And Up, No Archive Warnings Apply

I wasn't even worried. That, I think, was my first mistake. Far outside of Corporation Rim, Murderbot meets a cargo bot with a strange story to tell.

A gem from wayyy back in the archive, published in 2017 when only ASR was out, but still impressively consistent with the tone of where the series has gone! Murderbot hears a ghost story that it doesn’t really believe, but then again…. This one also has a podfic available. the past is no forgotten promise by lunaTactics 1,942 words, General Audience, No Archive Warnings Apply

"It should have been creepy. I had been in places like this that were really creepy. But this wasn't. Maybe because I knew where the humans and augmented humans who had last used this ship had gone, that their descendants were running around all over this system." How can the ghosts of the past be frightening when they love, and are loved?     Remember us. We are a promise to you that there will always be hope.     You are home. The ghosts of the Pressy speak to their successors. Or, Murderbot is empowered to pursue the ideal SecUnit's rescue because Preservation's ideals support it.

A heartwarming ghost story, to finish off the list. Sometimes ghosts aren’t trying to scare you or keep you away—they want to welcome you home. This one gives me emotions (enough that I made art about it) and also has a podfic available.

If you have any favorite ghost stories from the Murderbot fandom, or otherwise spooky/seasonally-appropriate ones, please feel free to add on other recommendations! There’s several that I haven’t read myself but have heard many good things about.

[illmetkismet]

Hihihi!!!!! I Hope You don’t mind yet another ask from me!!!!!!! I’ve already said this before but I absolutely adore the way you answer questions and analyse stuff, it’s such a breath of fresh air to see!!!! This is totally self-indulgent so I hope you don’t mind me asking, but do you have any personal headcannons/analysis thoughts on Luis perhaps??? It feels strange to admit but he’s a very big special interest of mine so I just wanted an excuse to hear somebody else’s thoughts on him!! I hope You’re having a good day regardless!!!!

Always happy to see an ask from you, and don't even start with the strangeness or self-indulgence of being really into or asking about Luis; just yesterday I was wondering whether I should wait for spring to get a splish splash fish ankle tattoo or just do it now and deal with an itchy ankle in my winter boots lol...

So yeah, Luis is my love my turtledove the light of my life and I would LOVE the chance to talk about him!!! He was one half of why I got into resi in the first place (serennedy had me like 'hmmmm maybe horror games are not too scary for me if they have cuties in them....'), and every time I think about him my brain does that thing where you put your head in your hands and sigh while cartoon hearts float up above you...

He's just..... So good.... And despite that, he's made SUCH shitty choices. I love how painful that is for him, but that he's got enough self awareness to understand when he fucks up. He doesn't try to blame anyone else - he faces his mistakes and his own shortcomings (pride, willful ignorance, cowardice) head on, and tries so desperately to make up for them, even as he keeps making them.

I love that he's not some perfect angel, that he hangs on to the amber and intends on handing it over to Ada at first, in exchange for getting out of Valdelobos, despite knowing full well that no good will come of that. The part in Separate Ways where he tells her he doesn't care who she works for, could be the devil himself, so long as she gets him out of there was so shocking for me to hear at first, but then I realized that's the core of his tragedy - that he's a good man trapped in a horrible situation, and he's scared, he wants out, he wants to live so badly! Unlike Leon, he's got a healthy dose of self-preservation, and honestly, if I were in his shoes I would probably make the same choices.

But still - he runs into the burning lab, he risks his life to get the suppressant to Leon, he tells Ada he won't leave her, he picks up his 'lance' and says alright, let's go rescue the princess! He's so full of regret and fear and he keeps making shitty choices, but he also keeps doing the right thing.

The way he's written and acted is so rich and nuanced. Watching him, I understand exactly where he's coming from and every single one of his choices. Out of all the characters in re4r he feels the most real to me, the most human. Every second he's on screen is a joy, even the horrible painful seconds at the end.

I wanted him to live so badly, and not just because I like him, but because he wanted to live so badly... All the re6 AU's I've seen floating around where he meets up with Leon again are among my favourite things to come out of this fandom!! I know Capcom is never gonna do that, but in my head it's canon: when Ada told the helicopter pilot to change course she actually went back for Luis, gave him a little first aid spray, and then they joined forces and lalalala everything is fine!!

Ok I'm gonna wrap it up cause if I keep talking about him I'm gonna be late for work, but thank you so much for the chance to gush!! I love Luis so much and I think about him all the time.... My sweet bisexual disaster man..... Going to his death with a smile:

Aasdghhhgddfghjkljjgdaaddghgfdffhh......