#i'm getting a horror movie vibe from the whole thing honestly

[thisisevenharderthannamingablog]

15yo is watching the Nolan Batman trilogy. I haven't been paying a ton of attention, but my impression is that all of the dialog is delivered in a hoarse whisper and 90% of the cast is composed of interchangeable chiseled brunet dudes.

[karinamay]

Holiday shout outs - KarinaMay's fic recs of 2024

The year is almost out, and with the holidays coming up I hope we can all find some time to cozy up with a hot drink and a good fic. In case you're unsure what to read next, I've compiled a list of my absolute favourites of the year. (Sorted by fandom for your convenience.)

Baldur's Gate 3

Magistrate's Advocate by @cinnamontails-ff

An Astarion/female OC fic that absolutely blew me away. The romance between Astarion and Zoroya is a beautiful, delicate tale of two people growing up together, growing apart, and finding each other again. Beyond that, the fic takes magistrate!Astarion to court for some delicious intrigue that left me on the edge of my seat. Not to mention that Zoraya is just one of my favourite OC's in fiction. 11/10, I kicked my feet, I cried, I was cackling by the time someone did actually yell "objection!".

Portrait of the pale elf by @larvasmoon

Another Astarion/female OC fic - with a twist. Set post the game narrative, tailor!Astarion meets a painter Selene and they get twisted up in a very complicated dark romance. I'm always enchanted by larvasmoon's writing. This fic is an absolute must-read for anyone who loves the romantics and gothic horror/romance stories. Vibes range from "Desperate Romantics" to "Crimson Peak". I'm absolutely obsessed with this one.

A Tale of Fools and Tricksters by @obsessedwhyyes

Continuing on the Astarion/female OC trend, this fic by obsessedwhyyes is, in her own words, a "mystic circus AU", which I didn't know was something I needed until I read it. Slightly spooky vibes as well, and very whimsical, featuring Astarion as the ringmaster of a travelling circus that makes wishes come true. Reminds me of "Alice in Wonderland" as well as "Labyrinth".

Rings of Power

In which we explore my unwavering love for modern AUs

ode to a nightingale by SephySpector

Galadriel/Halbrand. As of writing this, I haven't yet caught up with the final few chapters, but I have been *screaming* about this one on the inside. Modern/kind of college AU that happens to actually be set around Christmas, so it's perfect for this time of year. "The sluttiest thing a man can do is read poetry" made into a fic and let me tell you. Yes. Yes it is.

This is hell, and he is the devil by @lisenberry

Galadriel/Halbrand. Modern AU, Gal is a student/waitress, Halbrand a chef in the restaurant she works at. Now this one is very spicy. I think I read the entire thing in two days, I absolutely loved it. Especially recommend for anyone who's worked in a restaurant before. Definitely one for the dom/sub enjoyers out there.

The Venus of Valinor by @thecoziestbean

Galadriel/Halbrand. Modern AU, Gal gets fired from an art auction house, Hal is a thief breaking into her family home. Due to some complicated circumstances in Gal's family history, she and Hal end up a somewhat reluctant art heist team. The way this fic combines an intriguing, fast-paced heist story with a hot-as-heck romance is masterful, honestly. It reads like watching a movie.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

How to Steal a Crow in Ten Weeks by queenofseventeen

Lucanis/Rook. Low stakes AU in which things in Veilguard aren't as bad. Focusses on the Crows as a whole, with the Lucanis romance, but also centered around the relationship between Rook and Viago. As of me writing this, just the first chapter is up, but I know this author, and I promise their work is worth the read and the wait. Their writing is fast-paced, innovative and overall just a delicious read.

[mostlyfate]

Would it be okay to ask you for jdrama recs? Coming from someone who hasn't watched a single jdrama in their life 😊 Kind of a jdrama starter pack please? ❤️

*sweats nervously once again* bc as I said before I honestly don’t like to rec things bc I think my taste is all over the place... 😂 and I'm not one who really pays attention or think about the faults of dramas. I just watch and enjoy (most of the time) lol. It also has only been almost four years for me with watching jdramas so I feel like I'm still pretty new to them haha. but I will try~ and what I mention is honestly more of ones I enjoyed the most watching and can remember!

okaaay! if you want to start out v short and sweet w some 🦋's i have two favorite drama specials 💘

— Tadashi Koi no Hajimekata (2023) | episodes: 01. genres: romance, youth. » there's only one episode but with two different versions! the name mentioned above is the first version and then tadashi koi no hajimekata: horoama? horoniga? date hen is the second version. it basically the same but shows the perspective of the two male leads with additional scenes! i just loved the pairing of mako and eita and their chemistry was soo good and fun. i am still v sad it wasn't an actual full length drama 😭 and the song that played at the end of date version was on repeat for months! 10/10 reccomend ✨

— An no Ririkku: Sakuragi An Haiku Hajimetemimashita (2021) | episodes: 02. genres: drama, youth. » i remember enjoying this one a lot it was definitely one of my favorite watches in 2021! since this one isn't the freshest in my memory (i have the worst memory fr) i can't say much but i swear i was obsessed w this special and the leads back in 2021!! 😆

before i get into mentioning actual full-length dramas i'll mention my two favorite jmovies that i actually physically own :)) so if you're interested in watching a movie before diving into dramas 💐

— Murder at Shijinso (2019) | duration: 2hr. 0 min. genres: horror, mystery, thriller, youth. » i love this dumb (affectionately) silly movie so much!! it might also be because i love the main actress hamabe minami but it's definitely just a fun murder mystery to watch :D

— You're Not Normal, Either! (2021) | duration: 1hr. 38 min. genres: comedy, romance, drama. » i enjoyed this one a lot!!! obviously since i also went out of my way to own it haha. but yeah my reviews for literally everything i like is "i enjoyed it" 😅 but seriously i did 🙇‍��️

now for dramas!! i'll mention my two all time faves then ones i remember enjoying the most! 💐

— Talio Fukushu Daiko no Futari (2020) | episodes: 07. genres: comedy, law, mystery. » it's been three years since it aired and i'm still crying about it 😭 it's the one drama i never shut up about and think about all the time. it's my favorite drama of all time like nothing throughout the years has had a hold on me since!! (what i've previously said about it~) | the way both leads played off each other and their chemistry was just- a++ the soundtrack for the drama was also such a treat and the vibes matched it so well! the vibes of the whole drama though!! I think it was also shot beautifully. and the consistency (!!! the way they kept things going even the smallest details !!!) throughout was something i really appreciated and looked forward too :’) i really be missing it everyday... </3 | i literally have a talio collection that i finally completed a few months ago 🥹 i have the dvd, cd, vinyl, and the magazine the leads were on the cover of 🫶

— Itsuka, Nemuri Ni Tsuku Hi (2019) | episodes: 06. genres: fantasy, friendship, supernatural, youth. » this one still makes my heart hurt whenever i think about it and i just simply love it to pieces. it really has left an lasting impression on me. short and bittersweet. 🖤

dramas that are romance focused 💓

— Koi wa Tsuzuku yo Doko Made mo (2020) | episodes: 10. genres: comedy, medical, romance. » ahh so i think this was my first jdrama i watched!?! i honestly cant remember if i watched any before this bc this was the first jdrama i actually made gifs of so i'm going off of that as it being the first haha. but if you want something nice and fun to watch with romance at the forefront this is for youuu! bc i feel like most of my recs aren't romance heavy! and i just remember being obsessed with the leads and pretty sure it's what made me continue to watch jdramas 🫣

— Animals (2022) | episodes: 08 (+ 2 specials). genres: business, romance, drama. » loved loved loved this drama! one out of the five favorite dramas i watched in 2022!! great friendships, great message, funny and sweet moments, lovely lead— umi-chan i miss youuu. 🤧

— Oshi ga Joshi ni Narimashite (2023) | episodes: 12. genres: comedy, drama, romance. » definitely one of the funnest and sweetest drama i watched last year and suzuki airi (female lead) it's just such soo good, love her acting! she's also the lead in the drama animals i previously mentioned! pure rom-com with great chemistry!! ✨

— Kieta Hatsukoi (2021) | episodes: 10. genres: comedy, romance, youth. » high school setting with romance/friendship being the focus!! all the characters are so likable and it was such a cute and fun watch!!

— Ore no Kawaii wa Mousugu Shohikigen!? (2022) | episodes: 09. genres: comedy, romance. » easy fun and cute watch with great leads!!

dramas with all other kinds of genres (w hints of romance) ✨

— Bishoku Tantei Akechi Goro (2020) | episodes: 09. genres: comedy, food, mystery, thriller. » ooh i was obsessed w the leads of this one as well LOL. idk i really had so much fun watching this one and i loved main female lead a lot. 😭 also it had some really funny moments 😭

— Toki wo Kakeru Bando (2020) | episodes: 10. genres: comedy, music, romance, sci-fi » #wasnt expecting any crying to happen going into this drama 😩 #miura shohei's performance though?? AMAZING #he had me in tears every time #ryo i love u #not that it's similar but this reminds me of itsuka nemuri ni tsuku hi 🤧 | tags from a post i posted when i watched yeah 😂

— Dr. White (2022) | episodes: 10 (+ 1 special). genres: comedy, drama, medical, mystery. » also another favorite from my five favorite dramas watched in 2022! even though it wasn't finished being subbed until last year i still very much enjoyed what eps i watched back then! like i really looked forward to every episode and soo grateful the subber decided to finish it and subbed the special as well! i might be bias because i love hamabe minami who's the female lead (and is in two other things i mentioned above lol) but all the characters are v likable and they all have great chemistry together! plus i enjoyed the v subtle hint of romance between the two mains like it isn't really there but it is and i was quite satisfied with the ending. 🫶

— Ryosangata Riko: Puramo Joshi no Jinsei Kumitate Ki (2022) | episodes: 10. genres: business, drama, life. » i adore the lead so much, she's the cutest! i find this one to be such a fun and relaxing watch! and there's a cute little hint of romance which was soo good to me and wish we got more of them. 😭 there's also a second season: Ryosangata Riko: Mou Hitori no Puramo Joshi no Jinsei Kumitate ki / with same cast members but set in a new universe that just aired last year!

— Okaeri Mone (2021) | episodes: 120. genres: life, drama, romance. » the number of episodes might scare you but this drama is an asadora (morning drama) which is only 15 minutes per episode! so if you're looking for a longer watch about life with a bit of romance i 10/10 recommend checking it out!! yes hello i always miss them 😭

what i'm currently watching ☕️

— Uchi no Bengoshi wa Te ga Kakaru (2023)| episodes: 11. genres: comedy, law, mystery. » i totally have a thing for law and mystery dramas lol. but i've been enjoying this one a lot and recommend if you want something fun but somewhat serious to watch! and if you just like law dramas like mee 😂

— Nanyobi ni Umareta no (2023) | episodes: 09. genres: drama » this one is keeping me really interested and is definitely a type of drama i haven't really watched much of?? it's engaging, surprising and the actors are great! i feel like most dramas i mentioned are easy going ones to watch besides a few so this one is the latter!

+ special mention if you wanted to watch something base on an manga w anime-like feel ❈

— Kishibe Rohan wa Ugokanai (2020 - 2022) | seasons: 03, episodes: 03, 03, 02. + a movie Rohan au Louvre (2023) genres: horror, fantasy, mystery, thriller, supernatural. » i had been watching since the first one came out in 2020 and i didn't think we would be getting a season every year since and then even a movie! definitely check out if you're in the mood for creepy mystery with pleasing visuals + great outfits!

yeaaah that's it from me! ✌️ i feel like this isn't much of a starter pack-friendly list since it's kind of all over the place sorry 😭 but hope even just one peaks your interest!!

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "Visions And Voices"

Maul returns to be a menace and freak both me and Ezra out.

Obligatory "I've already done a live reaction version of this episode" link.

From the very beginning, with just the washed out dingy lighting and the whooshing wind sound effect, this episode already feels unsettling. The atmospheric touches here with the storm and lightning and the camera movement and shot choice once things start happening evoke a horror movie.

The way they have Hera's voice fading out and going watery every time Maul calls to Ezra, the way Ezra keeps squinting and blinking and the tiny headshake he gives like he's trying to shake off some fatigue or jerk himself alert, make himself stop seeing things...

He looks so frightened. :(

COURSE I DON'T BLAME HIM WITH THE APPARITION OF MAUL LOOKING LIKE THIS.

Kanan and Zeb both trying to shake him awake after he faints. <3

I mentioned in my original liveblog but this episode gives me major Teen Titans 2003 "Haunted" vibes, with the plotline about a character being menaced by an imaginary villain only they can see. Rebels ultimately diverged from that parallel but my mental "If I had a nickel for every time" associations linger.

Something I loved about this episode was just how present everyone was for Ezra, how worried and concerned they were over him. Like here, all the members of the crew, even Chopper, are crowded in Kanan's room waiting for him to wake up.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: How Ezra touches the back of his neck like he's trying to rub out some stiffness or ache.

Oh hang on, did I just stumble across another Kanera-Sabezra mirror?

I DID! :D

Getting a little ahead of myself though, gotta appreciate this moment here with Ezra's fond little smile as Sabine bullies AP-5 about the munitions they're taking.

Also Sabine's "Can you believe this guy?" look lol.

Sabine immediately knows to send Chopper for Kanan. (Oh look, the two of them being the Most Important People in Ezra's life again. :D)

Sabine is very worried and alarmed this whole scene. She knows this isn't like him and oh ouch there are those Teen Titans "Haunted" feels come back to stab me again.

It's not actually clear what Maul was doing with this whole making-Ezra-see-him-everywhere trick--and you know it was deliberate, Ezra wasn't getting anything useful out of his end of the mind bond--but honestly the visions going unexplained are effectively creepy and unsettling enough. Personally I think it was one part to scare Ezra, make him doubt himself and his own mind, make him and everyone else think he was going crazy, and one part to manipulate him into doing something horrible he'd regret so that the Rebels would cast him out and drive him to Maul.

:((((

Hera understandably takes Ezra off the mission in light of events and heads it up herself. There's very soft worried mom energy radiating off her in this scene.

I'm kind of amazed Kanan and Sabine putting a tracker on Ezra without telling him didn't get any rancid takes complaining about how ~cLeArLy tOxIc~ it was. Maybe people actually remembered the part of Ezra's characterization where he tends to impulsively go off half-cocked to save people and figured, "Oh, Kanan's taking some obvious precautions in case he does that." Or maybe they decided given two previous kidnapping attempts Kanan was allowed a little paranoia over his kid.

Aaaaaaand this is the first we've heard Ezra's theme in a while.

(Note: Sabine has already painted one of Ezra's new Scout Trooper helmets, which he decides to wear to see Bendu. Even though the last time they rode the speeder into the Bendu's hollow he didn't bother wearing a helmet at all. Upgraded your comfort item/security blanket metaphor there, Ezra, eh?)

Full on horror strings here as we pan up to Maul just chilling like a creeper at the top of the hollow.

The way Ezra almost steps between Maul and Kanan. <3

Something I loved this episode was Ezra consistently rejecting Maul's attempts to touch him, smacking or shoving his hand off his shoulder, deliberately stepping away and keeping a distance.

Since a straightforward request was denied, Maul resorts to blackmail, threatening to broadcast the location of the base to the Empire and oof, Ezra's face.

Maul then dangles the "key to defeating the Sith" carrot in front of them, which activates Ezra's Hero Complex and hyper-responsibility and is what makes him agree to go. See, Maul is his responsibility, it's his fault Maul is even after them in the first place, so Ezra feels a sense of obligation to take care of him as a personal problem.

Love how Kanan says Phoenix Squadron will just wholecloth pack up and move to a new base in order to keep Ezra safe. I don't think it works like that Kanan, lol, but the spirit is appreciated.

Ezra's awfully confident that Maul won't hurt him and, ngl, that is not a risk I would have taken. But Kanan decides to trust Ezra and so the snippet of Ezra's theme that's been playing (marking his gesture of self-sacrifice) gives way to the same cue that played when Vader was descending on top of the TIE Advanced in "Twilight of the Apprentice", kind of an auditory callback to Malachor and the start of this whole arc.

Sabine's already getting the Phantom II prepped. <3

Dathomir looks appropriately hellish. Twisted gnarled trees, barren rocks, broken architecture, drenched in deep red with fog obscuring the horizon.

It's subtle at first and grows more obvious as the episode carries on but Maul is a little bit, ah... bipolar in his actions and displays of emotion here. He oscillates between speaking calmly, growling in frustration, outright snapping at Ezra sometimes, cackling to himself randomly, and of course dropping his voice down into that soft, vulnerable cadence that's his go-to whenever he wants to garner and play to Ezra's sympathies. Ezra takes his erratic behavior in stride, for the most part, doesn't flinch or comment on Maul's mood swings.

Really do love the environment work Rebels does. <3

Ezra flippantly dismissing Maul's murder hoard as "junk" lol.

"Fun" easter egg to note: The scrawled Mand'oa on the wall spells KENOBI.

Aaaaaaand our introduction of the plot device that is the darksaber, displayed prominently under a cubist painting of Satine, whose theme plays as Ezra examines the darksaber. This reference is pure fanservice for TCW fans. It basically means nothing to me emotionally, I was never a fan of Satine or her romance with Obi-Wan, so mostly I just feel offended and creeped out on her behalf that a painting of her got hauled to Maul's murder cave and defaced.

(Interesting to note that the slashes of... paint?... blood?... stuff crosses out Satine's eyes and cuts her throat. Is Maul reveling in his murder of her, trying to relive it by destroying her image? Did he stub out her eyes to stop her from "staring" at him? Who knows.)

Okay I lied, Ezra flinches precisely once, right after Maul yells at him not to touch the darksaber.

I like to think it was possibly calling out to him, the kyber crystal inside a natural siren song to Force wielders, and that's how Ezra knows it's some kind of lightsaber and not just a weird stick.

Love the drums in this music cue. It's got some exotic-sounding eastern instruments in it too, I think I might hear a bit of didgeridoo?

Subtle animation appreciation moment: How Ezra screws up his face in preparation to down the potion, it obviously doesn't smell or taste very good lol.

The music turns frantic and rushing when we cut the Sabine and Kanan landing out, like it's telling them to hurry. More exotic instruments, some kind of tinny percussion, cymbals maybe?

Right, so this episode was clearly another Halloween special right? Has all the perfect trappings of one lol.

Maul strays into Dangerously Genre Savvy here; he never intended to pay for using the Nightsisters' magick himself and his dialogue to Ezra seems to indicate he didn't intend to sacrifice Ezra to them either. So his plan was either to evade the spirit witches long enough to get away scott free, or he was counting on other members of the Spectres to come after Ezra trying to save him.

Either way, it leads to one of the creepiest scenes in the show.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: The bewildered way Kanan's head jerks around right before the Nightsister spirit possesses him, like he can tell that something freaky is there but he can't tell what or where.

The unnatural character movement the animators use for Possessed!Kanan and Possessed!Sabine is really good; they're limp like puppets for a bit before the spirits take full control, and even afterwards move in jerky, inhuman motions.

And thus a half-dozens angst!fics were written lol. (And still not nearly enough.)

Ngl, Maul technically does show Ezra how to save his friends buuuuut he gets no points for that since he clearly thought Ezra would just write them off and come with him.

I'm still amazed he didn't just kidnap him right there. Kenobi obsession too strong I guess.

Other people have already pointed out the irony of Maul screaming at Ezra to forget the past and his attachments while himself being obsessed with the past and clearly trying to use Ezra as a Replacement Goldfish for Savage but I'll mention that anyway.

You know, the Fridge Horror of this episode is really unsettling. I know at least one fanficcer and @better-call-mau1 have asked the question of how, exactly, does possessing Kanan and Sabine allow the Nightsisters to rebuild their clan? They're either going to use Kanan and Sabine to perform some kind of freaky necromancy ritual, use them to lure other Rebels in (seems like it'd have limited effectiveness, eventually Rebel Command would decide retrieval isn't worth it), or they would rebuild the clan using more... ah... conventional means.

Add that unsettling thought to how possessed Sabine seems to stalk Ezra, specifically, while the possessed Kanan returns to the altar and fkhkhffjhjhgggfgjjjj--

Yeah.

"That doesn't belong to you!" "Then take it from me, Jedi!" Are they talking about the darksaber or Sabine's body?

...Yes.

This music cue is amazing. Possessed Sabine scrabbling on the ground like a feral animal while Ezra just calmly Force Pushes her out of the threshold is excellently staged.

Well that's a heart eyes expression if I ever saw one lol.

Sometimes I like to listen to different language tracks for specific dramatic parts of shows or movies, to see how other actors do it, compare performance notes and kjsahfkajshfkajh one of the Chinese Nightsister-possessed Kanans was one of the most horrifying scary things I've ever heard.

This scene is just heartwrenching. A lot of this episode was spoiled in the trailers so this maybe didn't have as much dramatic impact as it should have had at the time but I still found it pretty gut-punching. A little short, maybe. That's about it.

This is one of Ezra's finer moments, frankly, outsmarting and defeating the Nightsister spirits. You really feel the care he has for Kanan. Love it. <3

From the moment Ezra said that the answer to destroying the Sith was "Obi-Wan Kenobi" I think I knew it was a false flag and what Maul had manipulated him to see. Because, obviously, they key is Luke.

Interesting how Ezra thinks if Obi-Wan doesn't, eventually, fight, that the Sith can't be stopped. He's pinning a lot of hopes on a man who doesn't, ultimately, wind up being the narrative Chosen One who accomplishes that task. Again, more on that later in "Twin Suns".

Ezra seems to pay Sabine a glance as he passes, aww.

*PORTENTS OF CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT*

This episode is one of my favorites, and the "Haunted" mental connections are only one of the reasons why. It's got great dialogue, creepy suspense, adorable subtle Sabezra moments, furthering of Maul's slow mental degradation and descent into full ruin, and Ezra gets to be amazingly self-sacrificing, brave, and awesome in it. What's not to love?

[blackscarabfilmz]

Not to fandompost in 2023 but because it's October, I'm constantly thinking about RHPS and then I thought about that picture of the Star Trek: Enterprise cast dressed up as characters from Rocky Horror,

and of course, Scott Bakula always turns this young man's fancy back to Quantum Leap. Except it made me think of Quantum Leap from the year 2022.

So here are my headcanons for what costume each character would wear based on their vibes because there's no way that Ian isn't a huge fan and there's no way that the QL Project team didn't sit down for a movie night (or go to a midnight showing) and dress up one year before Ben leaped.

Ian: They're first on the list because they were the first one where I knew it. The obvious answer is Frank-n-Furter, but I think it would be Riff Raff. Frank is too obvious for Ian, cause yeah the fashion, but given that Riff Raff is the put-upon servant, I would imagine Ian identifies with him as a put-upon tech genius. Also, I think Ian is the only one capable of hitting that note perfectly in "Time Warp" when Riff Raff goes "Like you're under sedation!"

Ben & Addison: Smart answer is of course, Brad and Janet, they're the couple, but they don't have a big enough cast to fill out all the roles and honestly I think that it would make more sense for Ben to be Rocky and Addison to be Janet, because I think Addison would get a kick out of Ben being in a gold speedo. (Plus I bet Ben makes some sort of joke about it being the most mortifying outfit he's ever worn, which is hilarious in hindsight once he becomes a leaper)

Jenn: I admit, because we know the least about her, this one is tough, but honestly with her fashion sense, I would say that either Columbia or Magenta is a safe bet. But I also can't say that Jenn wouldn't totally rock a Frank-n-Furter costume.

Magic: Clearly the least into the whole thing, I think Ian would try to goad Magic into being Frank-n-Furter but he'd probably end up as Dr. Scott, because it's just a suit and a wheelchair. Plus Magic's already got the stache.

[residentbeyond]

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Rambling review thing

I was going to think of some crazy intro for this review but I think I'll just get straight to the point. This film is cinema, masterclass, unbelievab and jaw dropping. 

This movie came out in 1974 and holds up incredibly well today the only thing that hasn't really aged well at all would be the soundtrack you can tell they had almost no budget to put towards the score. 

Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns) is the original final girl and doesn't get any where near the recognition she deserves within the horror community. I apologize for how scatter brained this is, this movie just really came out of no where for me and blew me away.

The film follows a group of people two of which had inherited a house from their child hood. This entire film takes places over a single day and the characters are believable which is something I didn't expect going into it. I know the movie is from 1974 but honestly I'm scared of spoiling anything, I might have to just talk about this in detail on my podcast to avoid writing spoilers into the world.

There is one thing I want to address though. Leatherface. In this film he is not a slasher icon, he is not the main antagonist he's just there. I'm not downplaying him and he does have the highest kill count of the film but the director and writers didn't only focus on him. He's used in the best possible ways and does not give strong horror villain vibes which was refreshing that it was the whole family that was deranged and the focus wasn't primarily on him. so uh yeah idk what the purpose of this was but it was damn good and you should go watch the movie. 

PS and SPOILER

This film now has my favorite moment from a horror movie of all time because it is something I've thought about many times. Sally is running from leather face up some stairs and has no where else to go and decides to jump out of a window without thinking about it and falls from the top floor of the home. Instantly became a favorite or in this case THE favorite.

[simplylove101]

2024 Horror Challenge: [89/?]

↳"I thought I'd lost you forever.

"Lose me? No. You can never lose me, Laura. I'm your monster.” Your Monster (2024) dir. Caroline Lindy

Plot: After her life falls apart, soft-spoken actress Laura Franco finds her voice again when she meets a terrifying, yet weirdly charming Monster living in her closet. A romantic-comedy-horror film about falling in love with your inner rage.

Starring: Melissa Barrera, Tommy Dewey, Edmund Donovan, Kayla Foster & Meghann Fahy

Yes, the annual challenge is technically over since I always declare Halloween as the last day of it, but honestly, I might just have to keep it going on the whole year from now on at this point because, let's face it, horror movies still get released after October. And well, I have thoughts to share about certain ones. lol Now I'll watch older movies for the first time during this little limbo between challenges and not type up a review just because that's gonna slip my mind tbh. And it's not like I have a real audience for this thing anyway (despite plenty of people liking my reviews) so what's it matter, you know? That said, these newer movies, I have thoughts to share, and it only makes sense to get those thoughts out here where I can ramble for myself. Anyway, I kept hearing about this movie but felt like I wasn't getting the clearest idea what it actually was. Having watched it, I do get why. It's a very genre-bending movie that isn't necessarily going to be for everyone, which I think is why its rating keeps lower little by little each time I see it. I can't say that it's a complete 10/10 for me, but I actually think it mostly worked for what it was. I'm sure people went into it expecting a pure romcom since yes, its plot certainly had its inspiration from Beauty and the Beast, and it has plenty of that vibe, but it does also focus on Melissa's character outside of that where it's more about her dealing with her prior heartbreak & wanting approval from her ex, and then, without spoiling the ending, it takes the narrative a step further in a way that leaves some things up for interpretation for its audience. I personally didn't hate that the story went that way. I don't know if it necessarily stuck the landing when that happened, but I think Melissa sold it very well. I saw someone saying she was miscasted, but I actually liked getting to see her play a much softer character than I'm used to. It felt refreshing. Now again, I don't know if I'd say she hit every beat perfectly imo (I'm thinking more when her character was crying, and yeah, I know it was meant to be funny, but it did get a little shrilly at certain parts), but I think it was a great career move on her part. It was a good chance to show her range as an actress and she made me laugh. The strongest part of the movie for sure was her chemistry with Tommy Dewey as Monster. I think he really helped her make this movie work because he's so present in his scenes with her, and he definitely had me dying with laughter at certain parts. I really enjoyed their dynamic. Also gotta mention, I love that Meghann Fahy is finally getting some proper love lately since I adored her on The Bold Type, and while she doesn't necessarily get much to work with here, she was perfectly cast since ofc everyone's gonna love her. lol What's interesting is you'll watch it and wonder, so where's the horror element beyond him being a monster? Well, it comes near the end, but I promise there's something. It's not a scary movie by any means, but there's a bloody sequence, that's all I'll say. I know this movie was probably a hard sell to producers, and that's why it got the small theatrical release, but it's a solid enough indie movie that was trying to be a little different. Overall, I enjoyed it. If I had to place it in my earlier rankings, I think I would have wanted to put it in my Honorable Mentions category. I feel like it worked enough for me that feels right as a placement.

[downtofragglerock]

My thoughts on Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

And now we come to the end of of this journey with Creature from the Black Lagoon

Back when I started this, I mentioned I had seen exactly one of these movies beforehand. Well, this is it, this is the one. I got the dvd for this when I was a kid and watched it multiple times. Gill Man was one of the my early blorbos, long before that word even existed.

This movie is kind of weird in regards to the history of horror and monster movies, in that it exists in two worlds. I'd highly recommend @tyrantisterror 's insight on their "Four Horrors" theory, and their own analysis on the Gill Man on their personal site for a better explanation, but this movie, and thus the Gill Man, exist on the crux between the gothic horrors of old, and the "atomic age" monster stories that began emerging in the '50s.

But let's get to my thoughts

This is the longest of these movies, and its actually pretty well paced and manages to cram a lot of stuff in a still admittedly short run time

The Gill Man has a leitmotif, and universal would just end up using it as stock music for a whole bunch of movies after this, and infamous example being the English version of King Kong vs. Godzilla, which they distributed

Honestly all the characters that aren't the Gill Man and that boat captain are kinda nonentities

The underwater camera work is surprisingly pretty good, considering time and technology

Credit of course to Millicent Patrick for her work on designing and sculpting the Gill Man costume, a legend

And to Ricou Browning for the Gill Man underwater scenes, the fact he was able to swim at all in that costume is a feat in itself

This is a 50s monster movie, so naturally we need to begin with the standard opening science exposition

And of course, being a 50s monster movie, the science doesn't make a whole lotta sense

Writers cannot do math when it comes to geological eras

That is not paleontological procedure

They bullied that alligator with the boat noise what the fuck guys

Mark really is a professional hater

I'm glad he dies

I have a strong feeling that Kay's swimsuit was probably risqué in 1954

She also has some pretty good fits that I'm somewhat jealous of

Unfortunately though, she does suffer from "woman in a 1950s monster movie" syndrome

Damn shame

I weirdly enough get a lot of "Ariel from The Little Mermaid" vibes from the Gill Man

I'm just imagining the "caught in the net" scene from Gill Man's perspective

Kay don't throw cigarettes in the black lagoon that's bad

The creature's cave pad sick af

Ok I'm without a doubt extremely biased, but I'm totally down with the Gill Man taking his revenge on these losers who invade his home, shoot him multiple times with spear guns, and also drug him several times with a substance that explicitly makes it hard for him to breath

David, stop trying to bring up the space thing it's not gonna happen

I don't care what the movie wants me to think, Gill Man did nothing wrong was completely justified in his actions

And that's it, I'm done. Feels weird.

Overall, this movie has a special place in my heart, and nothing can change that. But from an objective stance, the James Whale-directed movies are better. I'd still put this higher than Wolf Man, on account of the fact that you get a lot more of the monster in this.

For these movies my final ranking goes from top to bottom:

Tie between Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein

Then Invisible Man

Then Creature from the Black Lagoon

Then Wolf Man

Then The Mummy

And lastly Dracula

This has been a fun project, glad I could finally watch these

[jujitto]

▬▬ [ 𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗭 ] AS HORROR MOVIE VILLAINS

KIM HONGJOONG [ 김홍중 ] ; Now I wasn’t quite sure which horror movie, villain/killer he would be. But if I’m going off kind of personality wise he would most definitely have to be Chucky. Because think about it they’re both pretty feisty and short. (I really shouldn’t be saying these things but my bias is but hey.) But also, he has just the right amount of humor to make you laugh, but can also be pretty feisty and violent when he wants to be. Oh, and did I mention that they’re both short. 🤷🏽‍♀️

PARK SEONGHWA [ 박성화 ] ; This was another member I had no idea which horror movie, villain/killer he would be. But then I thought of something, Seonghwa would definitely be Annabelle. I think we all know that Seonghwa kind of does like to judge people, so there’s that. So just imagine him sitting in a glass case looking at you with a judgemental face, but he isn’t the one going to be killing you. He’s going to be sending people after you to kill you so he won’t get his hands dirty. Just think about that.

JEONG YUNHO [ 정윤호 ] ; For the fucking longest time I have been stuck on who Yunho would be as a horror movie, villain/killer. So I had to come to this conclusion that it wouldn’t be actually him that’s going on a killing spree or killing people. But instead another version of him. If you get where I’m on coming from. Think about the movie US how there’s another version of you who wants to kill you. So the other version of Yunho killed him and now he’s killing other people. Because Yunho doesn't seem like the type of person to do that thing so there’s that.

KANG YEOSANG [ 강여상 ] ; I had come to think of this when I was making Yunho’s. Yeosang definitely gives me Carrie vibes. Because I low-key feel like he has powers but just hasn’t told anyone about them. But I feel like the other members would get on his nerves so much that he will eventually use his powers to destroy them y'all. Some part of me thinks that he will use his powers for good but then the other part of me is kind of like he is low-key evil, so I think he would actually be willing to hurt people with his powers. ANYWAY WE STAN CARRIE!YEOSANG! 😈

CHOI SAN [ 최산 ] ; I already had San’s in mind. Now for San I was stuck for like a minute before I actually thought of who he would be as a horror movie villain/killer. San would obviously be ghostface. because some reason I can just see it. One day he can actually play a nice and sane person and next, he would hunt you down trying to kill you. Not to mention calling you on the phone trying to talk while stalking you. It is honestly kind of crazy. ( and I swear to God after I post this if I see any ghostface!san posts I'm going to go crazy!)

SONG MINGI [ 송민기 ] ; Now for Mingi it took me hours to think of what horror movie, villian/killer he would be. So for Mingi I think he would be the thing. But if you know anything about the movie the thing it won't be Mingi doing the killing because he would have most likely been eaten/killed by the thing. And so the thing would transform into Mingi and start killing using Mingi as a disguise. Poor Mingi! 😭

JUNG WOOYOUNG [ 정우영 ] ; Now for his ole goofy ass I had to go with one of the classics. Wooyoung would be none other than pennywise. Because of the fact that he likes to make jokes, and he likes to bite people for no reason. Plus they both have very similar personalities. Pennywise likes to tease the people he’s going to kill and Wooyoung likes to tease his members. Both are goofy in their own ways. There’s a whole lot more to this, but right now I can’t think of anything. All I just have to say is they’re both 2 goofy ass clowns.

CHOI JONGHO [ 최종호 ] ; Now for Jongho I didn’t have think too long and hard about it. He would be none other than Michael Myers. He really suits the strong and intimidating type. He just gives the vibe of being the serial killer who is calmly walking trying to kill you and not saying a word. He just wants to kill you and get it over with so he can move on with his day but you’re making it so hard for him. Like bitch quit moving so he can kill you. 🙄

[purpleturtle9000]

*slides in through the mail slot that you have definitely always had*

Greetings friend. I do not know much about the bayverse boys (haven’t watched the movies sinceI was a smol) but having said that, I request you assign them favorite movies, to watch, together and on their own (if different)

Beaming vibes of something nice will happen to you today <3

Real talk I wish I had a mail slot those thinks look cool as hell. But yes greetings and good vibes friend!!

Donnie is a fan of horror movies, but gets bored with most creature features because there's no logical reason for the [insert animal here] to relentlessly hunt random humans. But if a movie has lore of some kind, he loves that! He's seen a few seasons of Supernatural is what I'm saying. He loves lore-heavy movies in general, especially if there's tie-in books, but he also likes murder and mayhem. The only creature movies he does like are the Alien series. He admires the xenomorphs immensely for their pure, uncompromised killing power. (Leo really wonders about that part.)

Mikey's is Ponyo! It's a movie about transitioning between worlds, leaving behind the magical for the human, and finding unconditional love and acceptance there. Since Mikey loves video games, I hc that he favours animation over 'real life' media. That combined with his attraction to the human world, and desire to engage with it, means this is the perfect fit for him! Also the movie is downright gorgeous I mean honestly. A close second is Lilo and Stitch cause it has similar themes, and also aliens! Who doesn't love aliens?

Okay so for Raph there's an obvious answer, cause he canonically admires Vin Diesel. Except, and hear me out here - Ice Age. First of all it's a found-family movie and you can't tell me Raph isn't a fan of found family, it's literally what the turtles are. It's also about three random weirdos bonding, and one of said weirdoes changing from secretly-a-bad-guy to nearly-died-protecting-family. But also can I make it canon that the Vin Diesel appreciation is not because of any of the action movies? It's because of The Iron Giant. He cried over that movie I know it in my heart listen to me Nickelodeon-

Leo's is, ironically, a Vin Diesel movie. The Fast and The Furious, to be exact! He'd be the family car guy if it weren't for the fact that Donnie won't let anyone touch the turtle tank. As it is, he finds shiny cars very cool, even if there are parts in the later movies that he thinks are. Kinda stupid. It's part of the appeal, that boy's too uptight, he needs to relax by liking kinda-dumb action movies that heavily emphasize family bonds. He's also a huge fan of I Love Lucy because Splinter would let Leo watch it with him while the others were busy with their own things. As a treat for me, he likes the Transformers movies and sometimes calls April 'Mikaela' and everyone looks at him like he's an idiot. He needs to be a lil stupid sometimes it's good for him.

Family movie nights often involve superheroes of some kind. Sky High, Avengers, Megamind, Men In Black. Leo has a list of inaccurate sci-fi movies that will make Donnie yell at the tv because the rest of them think it's funny how worked up he gets. Mikey has a list of 100 top movies that he insists on going through to learn about human culture. They all get really invested in Leverage at one point. Once Donnie made them sit through a documentary about turtles and they threw popcorn at him through the whole thing. They watch a lot of basketball and also the security cameras at Central Park Zoo! Raph's favourite are the red pandas. Leo would not say this even under pain of death, but he likes watching the turtles. Mikey thinks it's cool that they let peacocks walk around and Donnie likes the snow leopard.

[queerfables]

911 || 8x01 Buzzkill!!!!!

Aaah the tone at the start of the episode gave me an immediate dopamine rush i'm so psyched

Oh we're doing sex trafficking narrative devices? sigh I'm really not gonna be able to take this seriously am i

that said as a catalyst for athena to reconnect with her fiance's killer i'm into that

Ad break 1. We're off to a solid start, I know where all the characters are in their own stories and we've got some exciting emergencies set up.

Oh it's a good thing I'm watching ahead of my wife, I think they will want some more specific warnings for this episode than just "bees"

Wow I spent the whole call on the edge of my seat, this is a great example of how a call doesn't have to be "big" to hit hard (though to be fair I'm always especially sensitive to kids and parents in danger)

Buck figuring out to use smoke and Eddie immediately backing his call T____T I love it so much!!! Honestly Buck slowly edging his way through the bees was very cool and sexy, a++

Ad break 2! That was intense and super compelling, I loved it

This Bathena scene is really strong and I love Athena being so tunnel vision about why this guy would request her specifically ie his entire existence revolves around hurting her. it's so her to assume the worst of people to the point of comedy, especially when she has a reason to write them off.

HOLY SHIT BUDDIETOMMY REAL NOT CLICKBAIT THIS IS AMAZING Tim Minear you are a blessing

Lmfao I love the dramatic pan up to the bees lurking in the shadows. Dumb horror movie vibes i love it.

Ad break 3. Keen to bounce into the next crisis.

Buck being clever about bees again! So proud of my special interest king.

And Chimney being clever about getting the stingers out, I love it

Gerrard is of course infuriating, but they've done a pretty decent job of making him, like, just this side of bearable (ie he's a fun antagonist rather than making the show miserable to watch)

Ad break 4. So far I am really enjoying the episode!!

Oh this is a really great arc for Athena imo. It's also kind of the inverse of the Bobby-Amir arc from last season, though I hope this plays out a little less infuriatingly.

Man I really hope Elaine doesn't turn out to be secretly corrupt I'd be so sad

Holy shit Buck snaps and murders Gerrard was not on my season 8 premier bingo card

(I'm also psyched about the ambiguity of was he reacting to the flying blade to protect Gerrard or did he just lose it? He definitely moved right after it came loose but did the sound just trigger him?does he even know why he did it?? I assume there will be an investigation and this will be a central focus)

Aaaaaah the cliffhanger ending was super rad!!

The teaser for next episode looks super good. I loved Bobby being like "of course my wife is flying the plane" delightful!! I'm also very interested to see what happens with Gerrard omg. Buck not being able to cope with being berated by him was pretty interesting, it definitely gave me c-ptsd vibes but idk if that was intentional or just my baggage lol.

[bereft-of-frogs]

friday! and a nice friday too, the sun is out and everything!

books:

(finished) This Wretched Valley - Jenny Kiefer: I maintain this would have been better/scarier if they had been good at their jobs lol, like I said last week. Like imagine how scarier if you're doing everything right and still can't escape and slowly realize there's some*thing* keeping you in the wilderness? Personal preference.

(finished) (phone book) Into the Dark - Claudia Gray: You know, I didn't love this one as much as I did on the first pass a couple years ago. A weird opinion shift: I really don't like Cohmac haha. I remember liking him before and this time I'm like...no you can't have custody of Reath, I don't like you. Ok, that's...not the most mature book critique but still. I wish either Jora hadn't died or Dez or Orla had taken custody of Reath :( But it does make me consider giving Midnight Horizon a second chance, because my opinions shifted so much, maybe the opposite will happen with that one. Or maybe I'll just be able to further justify my Cohmac dislike.

(in-progress) (phone book) The Rising Storm - Cavan Scott: Bell is back! I missed Bell and Ember. Not too far in yet but at least I am back on track. I feel like this is where things start getting sadder which makes me happy (sorry Bell) :)

(in-progress) The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien: I'm like 30 pages from the end lol, I only read this while I have my morning coffee, just to explain why it's taken me like three weeks to read a 250 page children's book.

tv:

(finished) Anthracite (Netflix): What an insane amount of subplots for 6 EPISODES?? Either Netflix needed to greenlight like...4x as many episodes or once they got their budget the writers needed to cut like half the subplots and tighten up focus. I'm still honestly reeling. It did do a good job getting you to care about the main characters despite all the insane plot stuff. Also this was weird: like 90% of it was really well shot, and then randomly there would be a scene that looked like it was shot by someone in high school. I don't know if they had to go back in for reshoots or what but occasionally it was like oof that's not good.

(finished) Baby Reindeer (Netflix): Everyone was talking about this so I had to check it out. It's very intense. Is it bad I found the comedy shows were the hardest scenes to watch, despite everything else?

(in-progress) Under the Bridge (Hulu): Seems like sort of a standard mystery but I'm really just here for Riley Keough and Lily Gladstone and the moody vibes and so far am satisfied.

(in-progress) Constellation (AppleTV+): Nice little bit of unreality/space horror so far. I actually got got by a couple scenes, I'm so desensitized to horror that it's nice when I actually get creeped out by something (the ARM in the second episode!!). Looking forward to seeing where this is going, judging by the first two episodes, seems like my pet conspiracy theory (the Lost Cosmonaut theory) is getting a high budget AppleTV adaptation, never thought I'd see the day. Also I got kind of hyped about the Canadarm cameo in the first episode. The shot panned over the space station and I out loud shouted 'it's the Canadarm!', startling the cat

film:

The Apology (2022): Apparently this was the only movie I watched this week, it was ok, mostly just background noise for making lunch/writing. I wish it had leaned more comedic, which is not something I usually say but I think it would have fit if they'd committed to making a really dark horror-comedy rather than flipping between predictable melodrama and some pretty funny catharsis.

craft update: I am free of the tyranny of having to purl! I joined up the two sides of my sweater so I'm knitting in the round now yay! It turned out I didn't have a problem with needle size, the whole thing did fit on one circular needle so now we're cooking with gas.

to do:

finish the work day. ick. but depending on how long it takes me to get through actual work, I can probably get some writing done too

laundry, both clothes laundry on my lunch hour (now) and sheets/towels at my parents'

I'm through 8 out of 12 chapters of current wip! Unfortunately chapter 9 is SO action-focused. why did I do this to myself. I mean I know why because then chapter 10 gets to be angsty but damn I have to block out so many action scenes. why.

I ordered a filing cabinet. it arrived. most of the negative reviews were about how hard it was to put together. so I should put 'assemble filing cabinet' on this list but I think 'let filing cabinet percolate' is a more realistic entry

I might go to a local yarn store on my way up to my parents' tomorrow, because it's local yarn store day and I do not need any more stitch markers but BUT I want more stitch markers. don't @ me I know I have plenty of stitch markers.

pick a new book: I'm torn between giving Kill Show another shot, starting the other book I have checked out of the library (The Deep Sky) or a secret third thing

have a good weekend everyone!

[2n2n]

ch 104

DBS IS OUT!! for the lovely HD scans times. The immediacy of MangaUP is so nice for the day-of... but for posts, its nice to have scans. Also, isn't it always good to have as many translations as possible... I think sooo

FESTIVAL!!!

this is so unromantic it is funny ... it is like Kou really does forget about the severity/importance/imperative of offering Mitsuba a reason to live ... once he's not in the immediate situation... classic Kou ... really funny to see it come to be like this ...

its moe... ah... somehow this feels like an appropriate retconning for Hanako (he's been drawn at least enjoying a horror movie, before, but WAY back)... he shares a lot of traits with iro-sensei honestly, and... iro-sensei is incredibly weak about horror, used to post about this, things like having immediate nightmares after a scary movie, trembling like a mess... having nightmares just from the cockroach in Wall-E... having a nightmare about a crazy MILF (???????) chasing them and Aida-sensei... it is 'write what you know' as they say...

Mitsuba really rules lately... so funny... get his ass....

this is so funny, Mitsuba the shit-stirrer, just encouraging everything from all directions, relationship drama go. So funny. Encourage Nene-chan to confess to Hanako. Encourage Kou to date Nene-chan. Lol. Mitsuba truly rules as of late. I am a fan. Feels like Mitsuba's agenda is still to not be so involved in stuff firsthand, kinda fun... suicidal swag. You really oughtn't be alone with No. 7 though, boy...

it needs must be remarked. major 'my husband' moment. Ah I love it when Nene-chan really feels like ... onee-san lol... your, older girlfriend.. babysitter...?? he is so regressed for the festival...

at last the ikemen juice stand comes to pass... well I like how much Hanako hates it....

I enjoy how much Mitsuba and Hanako do not get along lol... the vibes are still bad

the hideous techniques... same as it ever was...

extortion...

bad. no-good.

I like seeing Mitsuba's mom again, actually... I rarely like parent situations, but Iro-sensei's writing is very good haha ... the chapter with her talking to Kou and Nene, it really sticks in my mind as very good writing! Very subtle, very tastefully hinting at what it means to be 'Mitsuba' or not, the different sides of thought Nene-chan and Kou are on, without communicating that directly.

hm

hm....

hm.

I like this application of shijima-san's 'illusions' and 'paper' ... it suits a festival very much. As a diversion, I likee... I'm glad it's not actually a kaii-of-the-week situation, genuinely just something illusionary in nature, not meaningfully destructive, to tie up the Minamoto, annoying to deal with 100 papercuts heh. What a useful power for the Broadcast Club to have! hooray

So this must be what Natsuhiko was meaning, when he said he 'might still be around' after Sakura ended the whole world... ~~~ I suppose we won't know until it happens~

I wonder if it's a special bloodline thing, or more idiosyncratic... The far shore be like, ptooooey, nastay gross spit this out, blehh bad blood .... I love this for him, though! His inability to be noticed must be a help in such a position... hah. Maybe it's not suspicious to be immortal, if nobody can even remember who you are...

ain't no strings to hold him down...

goes to show why he behaves pretty fearlessly, and why he's trusted with so many intense risky tasks....!

so interesting!

Still don't really know for how long he's been unkillable, if he's permanently stuck at this age, or what.... still don't know how he met Sakura!

I do not like or trust this horrible cursed clock, or the Clockkeepers, so I'm happy to see it immediately being ka-chunk'd..... diiieeee die die die die....

somehow satisfying. After seeing Amane so haunted by it....toiling away... the deception the Clockkeepers rely on, extortion....manipulation... mmmm! I'm excited to get into it~

Guess right now, I'm on your side, Natsuhiko!

[tazzykiki]

📺🌅🙀✨ For the ask game!

📺 = Favorite Childhood TV Show(s)?

Had to come back to this one because hoooooooooooooooo boy do I have so many that I can't even remember. I practically grew up with tv and spent a good chunk watching it, so uh mannnn. Here's some in no particular order:

-Let's just start right off with Wild Kratts. PBS show about two dudes helping animals live free and in the wild. So popular it always won the vote every Friday to air a double-special. It's also where I got my username, based off my fave ep "Tazzy Chris". ive no idea where kiki comes from.

-Jane and the Dragon <3

-Dreamworks Dragons series, especially Race to the Edge. I practically breathe HTTYD. Sucks they won't let it fuckin rest peacefully!!!!

-Obviously, Transformers Prime. I had a Bumblebee backpack and everything! And that whole almost getting hit by a train ordeal.

-Saddle Club, i watched a bunch of rerun episodes on Pluto TV! I still adore the theme song!

-Winx Club! Sucks they won't let it fuckin rest peacefully!!!!

-Monster High!! They had some lows but hey the new show seems to be wayyyyyy better than the live action movie, tho idk if any new incarnation can live up to the vibes of the first one for me.

-Code Lyoko! I still need to rewatch it(again), and honestly I'm not even sure I finished it. The latest I remember is the William Arc.

-TMNT 2k12! The show has some serious character writing issues and keeps tricking itself into thinking half-assed romance arcs are the peak of story telling but I still very much love it and it has a special place in my heart.

-Ninjago!!!! It recently just ended and I might cry aaaaaaaaaaaaa

-Ben 10 all the way to Ultimate Alien!

OKAY SPEED ROUND:

-Danny Phantom -Incredible Crew -TMNT Fast Forward -Spectacular Spider-man -Ultimate Spider-Man -Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes -Super Hero Squad Show -Teen Titans -Pearlie -Strawberry Shortcake(2003) -My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic -Sleepy Hollow -Max Steel -Slugterra -Kim Possible -Lilo & Stitch the series -The Little Mermaid series -Powerpuff Girls -Okay i know this is the speed round but istg I watched cartoon shows The Swiss Family Robinson and Little Women but when I looked them up there was only 80's anime???? Were those my first anime that I remembered completely wrong???????

ANYWAYS THERE'S SO MANY MORE AND THESE ARE LIKE THE ONES I REMEMBER SERIOUSLY LIKING AMONG MANY OTHERS I'M TELLING YOU I'M LIKE PART TELEVISION, MAN.

I also tried to do ones before 2018 as this is childhood, oughhhh my brain is full of many things

🌅 = Early Bird or Night Owl?

While I love the sun, absolutely a night owl. I only get up early when my body forces me to for some reason and then I just end up passing back out.

I am also mostly active near the evening and such, as evident by me answering this near 2am lmaoo

🙀 = Favorite Scary Movie?

I have to be super careful with horror as I get pretty freaked out easily but a few horror movies I love in no particular order:

-The Endless

-The Ritual

-A Quiet Place 1 & 2

-Nope

-Annihilation

-The Cube

-Vampire in Brooklyn(idk if it counts but it's marked as horror so HA)

-Event Horizon

and probably a few others. I know there's some like The Thing, The Ring, and Jeepers Creepers 1 & 2 that I like but aren't exactly my faves.

✨ = If You Could Be Any Supernatural Creature, What Would You Be?

While mermaids are an entire vibe, the ocean is fucking scary!!!!

Maybe a fae? I could shapeshift and do some funny supernatural shit to mess with people. I already love speaking nonsense.

[jlilycorbie]

On Sunday, I went roller skating.

My silliest wish for years now has been to put wheels on my fat, hypermobile, arthritic self. Like that could go badly, right? Investing in skates and pads definitely seemed like an expensive way to get a trip to the ER (which is, itself, prohibitively expensive).

But it turns out there's a skating rink in my town, and it hosts a weekly adult skate. Price of admission includes skate rental.

So I went. And it went well!

Well, not in a 'how did I do with wheels strapped to me feet' kind of way. I could skate ok (never well) back in high school, but high school was...a long time ago now. Turns out roller skating does not come back to you the way riding a bike does. I made very, very slow rounds of the rink, clinging to the wall for dear life the whole time.

But!

People were so nice!

Most people ignored me, which is honestly ideal, but a few people were sweet and encouraging. After my third round of the rink, I sat to rest, and someone else struggling a bit came out and I offered space by me on the bench, and we ended up spending most of the evening sitting here, talking about horror movies. We took one last round together before the place closed down.

I think most of the other people there could have made four rounds during a single one of mine, easy. But whatever. I did it. I didn't fall. I didn't get hurt. I talked to another person until I went hoarse.

On Friday, I found a local (very queer) business that sells roller skates, and I thought hey, if I do well on Sunday, I could come back here to buy skates! I wouldn't have to risk ordering online, and I could support a local business. Perfect!

It's about a half mile from my house, and parking there is a nightmare that badly sets off my anxiety, so if I got there, I walk. And after I got home on Sunday, I thought about buying skates and if it would be worth it when I'm hilariously terrible at it.

No way to learn without doing, though, right?

So I thought how about if I keep at it, I can buy my own skates if and when I'm confident enough on them that I can walk to that business, buy a pair, and skate home. I definitely don't want to carry roller skates for half a mile, after all.

Now I'm debating really hard if I want to go back to the rink at all. I could go tonight. It's a general skating session, so it will probably be much more crowded.

And also...

When I was in college, I decided to give publishing a real swing. This was before email or digital submissions, so that meant stamps and trips to the post office and such. And I took a swing at a particularly large publication with a very well known and loved editor.

And they rejected me, but! They sent that rejection on nice paper, on company letterhead. They said nice things about my story and suggested somewhere else I should submit. I was so happy. My favorite editor read and liked my story!

I did send it to the place they suggested, which also rejected me, that time with the usual form letter, and I went well, what did I expect? My favorite editor read and liked my story. I had succeeded. It was greedy to expect more.

I didn't even try to submit more work anywhere else for literal decades, because brains are ridiculous, and I'd accidentally flipped the 'success' switch and moved on.

But of course...considering how my more serious attempt at publishing went, maybe I should have ridden on those happy vibes for the rest of my life. I could have left writing in the 'success' part of my memories instead 'humiliating and complete failure.'

So now I'm looking at skating and I'm thinking hey, I sucked really bad, but I didn't fall or hurt myself. People were nice. I talked to someone and had a good time. It was a success! Who am I to ask for more?

Basically, I'm not sure if I'm going to go back. Maybe tonight? Maybe I'll wait until the next adult skate on Sunday?

But also, if I do go, and if I break my arm or something, I did tell me I should have been happy with a success and moved on.

[maskedemerald]

Hi hi~ What stories/writing have you been working on lately? Gimme a big introduction to your creation(s)!

Hi! I'm currently working on 4 major projects in various states of done... (shoves the large list of back burner projects under the rug.) ignore that rug and instead look under the read more because this got long.

A Curiosity Piqued - The Last Straw

Formerly known as Magi PI

This is the big one right now, like scary levels of big both physically and in terms of my focus. A Curiosity Piqued is a series of short novellaish length stories that I'm writing. They are set in an alternate world and an alternate version of the city I live in. A world where everyone has magic, has had it since the beginning of time and like humans do they have scienced the hell out of it. The stories are full of world building, exploring the world and the lives of various characters within. Nearly all the stories are intended to be able to stand alone so people can start where they like. Kind of like how you can drop in to watching something like CSI at almost any episode and have things make sense.

As you can see this is a big on going project and I haven't even mentioned that subtitle yet! The Last Straw is going to be the first story and it's practically finished! Just some final touch editing and a cover to go! I am both excited and terrified. The story is a Slice of Life/Mystery that introduces one of the characters that a lot of the stories will follow. A soon to be private detective living in the 1800s of that alternate world. Aelfraed is just starting an arc of self discovery. After the stress of family and university get to much for him he takes an impromptu break. He hopes just for some time to settle his mind, instead he ends up stumbling on the attempted murder of a Baker. It's a rush to save the man and then comes the question of who attacked him.

It should be coming out in the next couple of months, I had to push it back due to a few bits of life chaos. End of the summer is what I'm looking at. Oh and as a treat here is something I did for the cover,

Magic Act

An old idea that crawled out from under that back burner rug earlier this year. It's changed so much its almost unrecognisable.

Magic Act is a YA Romance/Mystery with a good amount of horror vibes too. I tackled it's discovery draft for April's Camp NaNo and now I'm working on creating a proper outline for the true first draft.

It's about a trans boy with a passion for magic tricks who after a string of strange disappearances in his town accidentally becomes a witness to one and in his escape falls into a pocket dimension home to the Fae and other folklore creatures. Unfortunately his pursuer is native to the place and has followed him. He now has to trust in a risky Fae ally that might turn on him at any moment while trying to pull of the biggest magic trick of his life... and trying to get back home.

Slow burn and dangerous allies to lovers. Lots of soft horror and spooky Fae and other creatures. Honestly the original idea is boring in comparison to the new one that came about with an unexpected love of writing soft horror. (seriously, this is from someone who hates horror movies but found a certain horror style of writing that was just so my jam)

A Kind of Freedom

This one is old, the first story I ever reached the end of but also my first ever NaNoWriMo. Honestly the ending never sat right but now I'm in the process of rewriting the whole of the ending chapters to something that does fit.

Very much a fantasy adventure this one but it's also one of my more experimental narrators. It's written in first person from the point of view of a spirit who comes to possess the body of a knight's errand boy. It's about the two learning to trust each other when one is literally the others worst nightmare and to unravel a plot by the strange figure that unintentionally got them into this mess.

Oh and this counts as writing too its just not a book,

Light of the Oubliette

It's a visual novel, and it definitely counts. Any game would count. Light of the Oubliette is a story about identity both in the past and the choice of who to be now. It's a mystery game. The protagonist wakes with no memory of who they are and in a cell with a fang of criminals but soon the guards are there and that's where things get complicated. Both sides have a different story for who you are. Guard or Criminal or are they both lying? Try to learn who you were from connecting the stories and spotting the lies but is that who you want to be?