#i'm particularly interested in psychological and monster horror

[strange-wanderings]

Alright I'm looking to Tumblr for recommendations

What are all your favorite horror movies + their subgenres (e.g psychological, slasher, monster)?

[thatstonedwriter]

Horror Movies are my Passion

Sinopsis- Reader is a horror movie fan who collects props, replicas and paraphernalia

Content; horror movies, props, fake blood, swearing

Feat; Blitzø, Loona

Blitzø appreciates the dedication to your interests! Have you seen his fucking horse collection? Dude is dedicated. Blitzø isn't too squeamish because of his career, but if there are some particularly gruesome displays, he may not look for too long. He does however, enjoy the weapons. Blitzø will make constant comments about whether he would use a particular weapon, how effective it is or isn't, etc. Gets a little too into the details sometimes. I'm not sure if Blitzø would watch/enjoy horror movies partly because he'd get bored (he does a lot of this stuff on a daily basis), or he'd get freaked out. A lot of people have been hurt or died around him. Also can't handle psychological horror because it fucks with his sense of reality. Nevertheless, he's happy to listen to you talk about the movies. I think he'd find some of the technical stuff interesting. Like what fake blood is made out of, the makeup for the injuries, and the costume designs for the monsters or killers. Blitzø also definitely steals any themed clothes like t-shirts, hoodies, loungewear so he can wear it. You'll have to fight him to get them back.

Loona would ask if she could take pictures to post online. She's hella impressed, and honestly, I think she might tell Octavia about it. Not only would she appreciate the weirdness, but Octavia is a great photographer. Loona saves all the pictures to a special album. It's actually a convenient archive in case you wanna switch up your displays! Unlike Blitzø, Loona would probably enjoy horror movies. It's also my personal HC that she has a soft spot for satirical horror movies (Scary Movie, The Blackening, Tremors, Arachnoquake, etc). I don't think Loona would be big on analyzing shows herself, but she loves seeing you study characters and make thematic connections. Another personal HC is she'd like nerds. I know, she bullies Moxxie and is very intimidating- but! I think she has a soft spot for it because of how passionate and sincere you are about your interests. Having that kind of genuine energy around would make Loona feel safe- at least in my opinion. I think the things she'd enjoy the most out of your collection would be figurines and CDs/soundtracks! She's always on the lookout for new music. And hey, spooky instrumental is a vibe.

[queer-ragnelle]

Since you're interested in Arthuriana as horror, I'm guessing you've read the wonderfully dopey-sounding Knights of the Living Dead and King Arthur vs Dracula?

Nope! I haven’t read either. I’m not a serialized comic book person at all. Nor am I really into crossovers.

What I’m truly yearning for from Arthurian horror are medlit focused retellings (ie: novels or films that take place in magical medieval times, not a reincarnation or loosely inspired au). I’m interested in survival/cosmic horror monster stories that elaborate on eldritch creatures like Twrch Trwyth or the Questing Beast, and supernatural horror with any fay-adjacent characters like the Lady of the Lake or the Green Knight, and psychological horror following a mad Lancelot or Tristan or Owain, and body horror Ragnelle’s curse, and definitely want Grail Quest with a variety of horror in it.

Sometimes these things do pop up—I’ve definitely encountered horror elements in Arthurian retellings many times before. No doubt the Grail Quest in Excalibur (1981) counts. Percival (and Arthur and Lancelot for that matter) didn’t go through all that to be overlooked.

But since those things are few and far between, (and often undercut by other narrative issues that sort of ruin any positives from the story), I’m doing it myself in my book series, Elegy of an Empire. It’s not strictly horror but it wouldn’t be misleading to refer to it so, particularly in certain pov. Different characters experience their existences in unique genres. Gawain is in an action adventure with a romance subplot, but many others are suffering through a psychological thriller populated by horrible eldritch monsters inducing existential crisis and resulting madness.

So anyway I really like the genre but I’m picky lol I was disappointed by The Green Knight (2021) and wish elements from that had been better handled. Oh well.

Take care!

[strangestcase]

Not sure if you've ever made a post like this/someone has already asked this and you've answered but I was wondering if you had a list of J&H adaptions (of any kind and as well as other fans making things that are just online stuff rather than big professional things) that you really like and think people should get into if they haven't really explored or even know of just yet? I'm curious because I've only branched out a little bit and got some stuff that was fairly. Meh.

I have made a few posts about the matter but! I’ll gladly repeat myself.

the trick with finding good J&H adaptations is to forget about 1:1 plot accuracy and instead focus on theme accuracy. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to discover a lot of adaptations (including crossovers and pastiches) understand the book and what it’s getting at.

Here’s my personal list of recommendations:

-MazM Jekyll and Hyde: a Korean visual novel that adapts the book to a T. The main timeline (chapters 1-8) are free to play, but chapters 9-10 and a few other tidbits are very cheap. Since it’s styled like an RPG, you can talk to NPCs that will give you some insight in the historical and cultural context of the novella. It has a spin-off game called Hyde and Seek in which Hyde is one of the antagonists, if you’re interested.

-Le Testament du Docteur Cordelier aka The Doctor’s Horrible Experiment: originally released as a TV movie in 1959 but later released in cinemas, this Jean Renoir production tightly follows the book plot with very small changes. The biggest change is that the story is set in 1950s Paris rather than 1880s England, with all the characters having different names. It has a budget of five dollars and a shoestring but it’s very well written and well acted, with a professional mime playing Jekyll and Hyde. My friend @nemeyuko has a copy with English subtitles. WARNING: there is a rape scene near the end.

-I, Monster: a 1971 Amicus production (basically a knockoff Hammer movie) with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing as the leads. Some character’s names and events are changed, but the plot is very much recognizable as a Jekyll and Hyde adaptation. The setting is also changed to the Edwardian period. This adaptation focuses on the psychological element of the story, including overt references to Freud and modern psychoanalysis, and putting the spotlight on Jekyll’s addiction to the serum.

-The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: 2003 Norrington movie that has almost nothing to do with the comics it was adapting from, but it’s considered more enjoyable by most people since it isn’t as dark and gritty. I specially recommend the movie for its take on Jekyll/Hyde, since it doesn’t shy away from the addiction angle. Hyde is entirely done with practical effects. The movie novelization is available in the Internet Archive, and it has a bit more focus on Hyde.

-Jekyll and Hyde at the Old Vic: a dance adaptation that reimagines Jekyll as a dorky botanist in 1950s England. It doesn’t have any dialogue and it’s mostly about an angsty love story but I really liked it (basically imagine Jekyll and Hyde meets Little Shop Of Horrors, and I’m not exaggerating!). It was available for free on YouTube a while ago but it’s been taken down- if anybody has any recordings let me know!

I have a rather lengthy list of adaptations I’m watching on YouTube, a lot of which I haven’t even started yet (and a lot of which aren’t particularly worthwhile) but here’s a little documentary and a couple of funny sketches.

[the-bar-sinister]

Alright so let's see... I honestly have no clue on what genre I'd like to watch since I'm pretty spread out in that area. Nothing too horror like please since I get scared pretty easily. A bit of gore is fine. Also, I know this sounds strange, but please nothing with planned suicide. A character impulsivly stabbing themselves? fine. Somebody writing a full blown suicide note and all? Not so much. (I'm sorry, it's a trigger of mine, planned suicide)

On what I watch... I like 'Silence of the lambs' and 'My fair lady' and would consider those two to be my favourite movies. If we're talking tv shows (which I prefe) I really like 'Lie to me', 'BBC Sherlock', 'Miss FIshers murder mysteries'... detective shows. I also really like 'Golden girls' and 'the Nanny'.

(PS. If we're talking romance I especially like beauty and beast kinda romance. So like clannibal or Erik/Christine for example)

Does that help?

Hell yeah! Alright, I think I have some good suggestions for you.

Moriarty the Patriot: a recent anime that turns the formula of Sherlock Holmes on its head, and has a lot of very intriguing characters.

Monster: A now classic anime about a doctor who saves the life of a man who goes on to become a serial killer. An extremely intense psychological thriller. This one DOES have some horror and gore but I think it's safely in 'Silence of the Lambs' territory. Fair warning I also haven't watched it in a long time so please make sure to check does the dog die for additional warnings!

Demon Detective Neuro Nōgami: a serial mystery anime about a crime solving demon. The mysteries themselves aren't particularly interesting, but the psycho-sexual relationship between the demon and his human young lady partner/servant are something I think you'd enjoy.

for comedy anime (since you like golden girls and the nanny) both Ranma 1/2 and Urusei Yatsura are absolute classic sit-com anime. However the "situation" is pretty over the top in both. Ranma 1/2 is set in an over the top martial arts milieu, and Urusei Yatsura is about aliens invading 1980s japan. They both rely heavily on romantic comedy and drama.

[brick-van-dyke]

// CW: gore, abuse, manipulation , CSA, trauma, horror content, dark and mature themes

Some perosnal thoughts about horror and trauma:

I've been realising lately just how much I really vibe with the concept of portraying real life traumas like abuse, accidents, etc. as literal Eldritchy/ monster horror elements in art, games and stories in general. I love portraying trauma as a physical manifestation of how it feels; as physically twisted, painful and distorted. Analysing these elements and showing them as terrifying in a physical way that emphasizes the psychological ways it haunts people/ us as people.

I particularly love to write my own trauma (both internal and physical) in this way, showing a literal manifestation of those individual feelings and sensations; shaking, freezing up, muscle pains and cracking of joints due to chronic pain, the feeling of dissociation caused from abuse, the way CSA makes us/ me feel "used up" and "hollowed out"/ "controlled". Using these elements to create a physical manifestation/ creature is very cathartic and, at least for me, helps materialise these things into something that I can make more sense of. It can also help educate others to empathize and understand what these sensations and feelings are like to experience. It's very interesting from an artistic and writing perspective, while also very helpful from a psychological perspective.

I think in the case of stories I'm already writing, I've already touched upon this to some degree. For Zorya, her arm is a manifestation of her grief, agony and self loathing as someone who's constantly suffered from the actions of others who've abused her or murdered those she loved. Her simultaneous natural love and kindness for other people that contradicts her desire or revenge and her bitterness towards the betrayal and abuse she's suffered is a very interesting mix. But using that also to create a literal manifestation of those feelings and what sensations she experiences as a result is very interesting and cathartic since her trauma is, in part, based off of my own. While she goes through much worse, the base feelings are ones I used to explain the frustrations and hurt caused by betrayal and being used by the adults in your life that you should be able to trust. Her story is about he unfairness of others and becoming a better person than they expected/ wanted you to be, while also exploring the trauma in and of itself of growing through those restraints and pains. It's interesting using the Kingdom Hearts universe to show this since it does exactly this; materialises people's darkness into physical manifestations. It creates a lot of possibility for showing, literally, what these feelings would look like as their own beings and what these sensations are like to experience for those who haven't been through them.

Likewise, the main characters of my story about the afterlife are able to physically manifest their emotions into a new living creature. Essentially, they're ghosts who can create life, but oftentimes those lives are distorted by what they experienced when they themselves were alive. Azalea, for example, experienced a very horrific death that twisted her a lot into a very unpredictable and colder person than when she was alive. While taking on the appearance of a young woman, her experiences are very dark and her demeanor is very mature. She keeps a lot to herself, but the creatures created from what she experienced shows just how much more there is to her calm, collected persona.

[8bitsupervillain]

End of the Year 2023! The Games I thought were kind of bleh.

The Mehs of 2023

I decided to start things off with a relatively inoffensive idea. Once again for your personal enjoyment and perusal I offer you the Top Ten Meh Games I played in 2023.

10:BlazBlue: Entropy Effect

It's a side-scrolling hack n' slash roguelite affair. It's pretty decent, and I check it every couple months to see what changes they make, and it's been pretty good with the most recent updates. Admittedly I played this for very shallow reasons. It's got Blazblue characters in the game, and that was enough for me to give it a shot. If it didn't have them I probably wouldn't have given it the time of day, but it's got Ragna, Noel, and Hakumen in it, so I was interested. Sure, I apparently am not "a real Blazblue fan," (my favorite Blazblue game is Crosstag, and the only other one I played was Continuum Shift way back on the Xbox360, I think I played one on the 3DS as well?) but I enjoy this game pretty decently.

09: The Callisto Protocol

I played this one at the very end of 2022, and I actually had some small consideration to putting this on my top ten. In the end I decided against it, because I played it a little bit more at the start of 2023 and I felt myself getting more and more fed up with the game as I played it. It's fine. There are some rather amusing combos you can execute over the course of the game, but overall I just recall feeling basically nothing as Callisto went through its story. I don't know if there's any real intention to make a franchise of The Callisto Protocol, but if they do I feel pretty confident in saying there's nowhere to go for the series but up. The game has a very solid foundation it can build off of, and I would be interested in seeing where a potential sequel would go from the first game. Not every horror needs to be a psychological horror thing, sometimes it can be just as effective to have gross goopy monsters try to violently and bloodily murder you.

08: Diablo IV

I admit that I went into this one expecting it to not be particularly great. I haven't been a particularly big fan of the Diablo games for the past decade and a bit if I'm being perfectly honest. Around the time of Diablo IV's release I distinctly remember being particularly let-down by Diablo III, and being absolutely flummoxed by Diablo Immortal. So morale wasn't particularly high for IV upon its release. Despite knowing full well I probably wasn't going to have a wonderful time with it I bought Diablo IV regardless. My problem with the gameplay of Diablo IV is it's just kind of dull. In the thirteen years since the release of Diablo III there has been a lot of improvements that other Action RPGs have made to the genre. Diablo IV plays its own game it seems and largely just plays a lot like D3 while ignoring advancements that other games in the genre have implemented. I admit that maybe my issues largely stem from the fact Diablo IV decided to go entirely open-world and try to lean on an MMO style of gameplay. Although there was one thing the game did that I found genuinely neat. If you have an RGB keyboard the game actually takes advantage of that to dim and illuminate keys when your abilities are either on cooldown of available for use. This is another one of those "I'll probably go back and finish it next year," games.

07: Atomic Heart

More like Atomic Fart! I then proceeded to spend the next eleven hours patting myself on the back for this masterful display of wit that has never before been seen on the internet. Really though I tried playing this game for over two hours, and every time I played it I was just overcome with an intense desire to be doing literally anything else. What didn't help was that every time I played the game the thought of "man, I wish I was playing a game that didn't have bullshit gun leveling in it" also entered my mind. Yet every time I wound up playing Resident Evil 4 instead, shrug. Who the hell knows, maybe I'm doing myself and the game a disservice by stopping at two hours and fourteen minutes, and the game will be an absolute masterclass of wonder and design. But given how every single thing I've ever heard about the game is simply the horny fridge I don't think I'm losing anything by cutting our time short.

06: Hololive Error

Perhaps it's because I'm getting older but I don't really have a lot of patience for the walking sim variety of horror that crops a lot these days. At least it's not a jumpscare marathon where every time you get caught by the ghost vtuber the game screams at you. I just don't jive with these types of horror games I think, I just don't find them particularly scary. They lack that certain energy that really lends a game a sense of dread. There's also the fact the game glitched out and broke a few times across my playthrough that I think affected the spooky ambience it was trying for.

05: Fairune

It's fine. Kind of boring if I'm being perfectly honest and I absolutely hated the final boss because it changes to a completely different type of game than it had been up until that point. I bought it as part of a collection with the other Fairune games, but if I'm honest I probably won't play those. It's a retro style RPG sort of in the visual style of one of the oldest Zelda games. Instead of having to actually press a button to do combat, or getting into a battle system you simply instead run into your enemies. If you can't hurt them, you bounce off, if you can hurt them, but you're underleveled you take some damage, and if you're stronger than them you just plow through them with nary a pause in your stride. Since it styles itself like a retro game the game is cryptic and vague about what to do, and where to go. Even with this lack of handholding however you can and probably will finish the game in less than five hours. The problem is I just found it pretty dull, and felt it wore out its welcome by the final boss. I briefly entertained this for the bad games list, but honestly it's not really, I just wouldn't recommend it for anything above a sales price of five dollars.

04: Starfield

I kind of feel like this one is cheating because I admit I really didn't put too much time into it. Perhaps the game really picks itself up after the opening five hours, I don't know, and I really have no intention of finding out. After the first time you find yourself in a space dogfight I was hit with a sudden and intense feeling of dear god I would rather be playing literally anything else. Because I know that the game is not going to be just this, it's going to be the usual boring Bethesda first person shooter combat they've been putting out for their last three games. I don't want boring ground combat I want thrilling space combat, and I know I won't get that here either. So after another couple of hours of trying to find the fun in this game I decided simply to move on. I wonder if my feelings would've been stronger in either direction if I'd been anticipating the game at all. Nothing about any of what they had shown prior to release made me excited, it just made me give it a dismissive "okay," before moving on to something else. Usually the next announcement or teaser trailer for whatever game was coming up next, because I never searched out Starfield information I only ever saw anything during the various video game presentations.

03: Ghostwire: Tokyo

I feel bad relegating this to the list of the mehs. For the first few hours I was having a grand old time with it. The combat was smooth, the graphics were nice, the atmosphere was lovely. Problem is that eventually I just hit a point where I decided I was done with it. Some of the monster designs are neat, but really that's all that stands out as particularly good here. The gameplay is fine, I remember the movement feeling really nice as you make your way around Tokyo. But it's a bit thin, and I don't think it was very fun.

02: Superhot

A controversial statement to be sure. Superhot, in the meh games list?! Why with its unique gameplay how could I dare? Because I didn't like the story constantly interrupting the gameplay that's why. If there were less story and more shooting I think I would have liked it a lot more.

01: Tron: Identity

It really breaks my heart that the game is simply… fine. It truly does. It has so much going for it! A wonderful art style, a good premise, a nice ambient electronic soundtrack, but unfortunately it doesn't save this game. The story is a moderately interesting one, but the game really doesn't use it to any great effect. It just sort of meanders around until you stumble your way into one of several very unsatisfactory endings. I don't know what it was specifically that hampered down the story, because the writer for the game, Mike Bithell, has written some amazing video game plots in the past. Perhaps the game would have been better if the puzzle mini games were more interesting and varied, I can't say. As it stands this is just a crushing disappointment. The seeds of something great are there, it just didn't do anything to actually make it good, and that's incredibly disappointing.

[adamwatchesmovies]

The Boogeyman (2023)

I enjoyed 2023's The Boogeyman enough that if my memories of it fade away, I won't be upset. While it shows that the film is not the nightmare-inducing, wet-your-pants-in-terror experience the people involved might have hoped for, it also means I'm likely to accidentally watch it again in the future.

Therapist Will Harper (Chris Messina) is struggling to cope with his wife’s sudden death in a car accident. One day, a man enters his home office unexpectedly, explaining that his children were all killed by an evil force that emerged from their closets. Convinced that the entity latches onto families going through dark times and that there is no escaping “The Boogeyman”, he commits suicide. Soon after, Will’s youngest daughter, Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair) claims to see the creature. Her father thinks nothing of it but his eldest daughter, Sadie (Sophie Thatcher), thinks there's more to the dead man's story than delusions.

The obvious movie to compare The Boogeyman to is Lights Out. Both feature an unseen monster that lives in the darkness and can only be repelled by light. Between the two, Lights Out is more memorable, but I actually like this film better. The major difference is the monster, whose origin remains shrouded in mystery even at the end, making it much scarier. The Boogeyman is only shown in any sort of clarity during the last, final confrontation. The glimpses we catch reveal a relatively simple design but director Rob Savage and the creature artists do this thing with their monster’s mouth that’ll give you goosebumps. I admire this film for not being so in love with The Boogeyman that they "shine a light" on it, ruining its ability to scare in the process.

If you look at the plot, it isn’t anything revolutionary, with the creature incrementally terrorizing the family until they’re properly seasoned by fear to strike, or what have you. The investigation thing we’ve seen enough times that at this point, I find it more interesting when the characters are too busy dealing with the monster’s rules, what’s happening now, or their own drama to flip through microfiches at the library - I’m thinking of It Follows or Talk to Me as good examples. What we get in The Boogeyman isn’t badly done, but it’s what you expect. To that, I say "Surprises are nice but sometimes, having your expectations met is also nice". What's new are the bits of family drama. The Harpers make the film more engaging than if we were following random teens getting bumped off one by one (see Slender Man, for example). Take Will. He's a therapist but is clearly unwell psychologically. He won’t even attend the family therapy sessions. Everyone in the family is broken in one way or another, which makes you understand why it takes so long for everyone to realize what's happening. The performances from the cast, particularly the young actresses are quite good. You like the characters and sympathize for them even when they’re doing some of the “horror movie protagonist” stuff you hate, like going into the dark basement or wandering alone in the house with no lights on.

To survive, the Harpers will have to band together. In the meantime, you get some pretty good scares. We’ve seen that bit where a child hears a strange noise and decides to check under the bed to see what's happening before, but it remains effective. Watch this movie in the dark, by yourself, in bed and the next time you need to use the bathroom at night, I'm sure you'll jump as close as possible to get to the light switch for fear that something will grab your feet if they don’t land far enough.

It isn’t too hard to find ways you could improve The Boogeyman but what it does, it does well. It’s scary enough, with some good performances and a couple of neat tricks to spice things up. Perhaps most importantly, it doesn’t drop the ball when it comes to the important plays. I think the worst thing you could say about this film by Rob Savage is that it’s “workmanlike” rather than inspired but at worst, that just makes it a film you watch once and be happy to have seen. (November 25, 2023)

[light-lanterne]

Hey Angel <3 the hate you're getting is atrocious. I'm new to this fandom but I've seen this almost everywhere. People who seek out things that make them uncomfortable and make it the creator's fault. It is very pathetic <33 I hope you're doing well?

Your ao3 works gives me life. The Darkest Eyes is so special to me because it's so rooted in reality? And reality is gritty and leaves a sour taste most times. It's really the best approach to looking at two very interesting characters.

I wanted to ask - if you've ever wished for ST to embrace a darker vibe than they do or if you are satisfied with how it is at present? (by vibe i mean anything tbh, more permanent deaths, gorier imagery, psychological horror etc)

hello !! thanks for the ask !! it's okei, i'm fine ^-^ ~ i've also been in a lot of fandoms before and some were even more vicious than this one (although, the stranger things / byler fandom is up there in terms of toxicity and negativity, somehow,,,) so this is certainly uncomfortable, but still bearable :]

anyway, glad you like my stories !! you're so very sweet <3 i definitely need to get back to "the darkest eyes" x.x i just haven't been feeling particularly creative and can only manage short-ish stories atm u.u it'll get done some day, though !! pinky-promise !!!

(preferably before s5 is released, but we'll see >.< )

and for sure, i would've loved a darker tone for the show ! specially in s3 and s4. while the first two seasons have just the perfect amount of eeriness, mystery and violence (imo), the latter two could've done a lot more to add to the atmosphere. like s4 !! they could've amped up the psychological horror with vecna / the whole nina project thing. or in s3, with the flayed, they could've done much more in terms of body horror with those guys !

picture this; instead of the simple, spider-like flesh monster, what if it had the faces of the people it was made of somewhere in its body ? like koh from "avatar: the last airbender" or like the ruin enemies from the game "alice madness returns".

something like that would've added to the horror of it all, considering the kids would've had to look into the eyes of all the people they were going to kill by taking out the flesh creature :O

and of course, the whole permanent deaths thing would've done a lot more to make everything feel much more meaningful and mature,,,

but, as it is, the show's not too bad in terms of horror imagery and concepts. i just wish people didn't forget about that very-important-aspect of the show, and that the showrunners follow through with their promises of raising the stakes, now that most of the audience and cast are all adults >.<

anyway, thanks again for the ask and for the kind words ~! it really means a lot ;-; <3 i hope you have a wonderful day / night !! take care !!!

[nosferatu-pvssy]

The more I watch the trailers, the more I'm angry about Daniel treating Louis as a particularly dumb moron who is making him loose time, a little kid who is wasting the time of the adult. Is that an attempt to make him look special? Daniel's original personality and appearance wasn't enough to make him interesting?

Oh, but I get what they're doing. This is the very typical trope of lazy writing in tv series (typically with very low budget): in a tv series where there is only one human surrounded by monsters, to make them look special and worthy of the attention of these immortal entities they make them so intellectually superior that they simply were born with the ability of handling monsters, too brave to tremble and be cautious as they should. These humans like Amc Daniel live in the "I'm not like other girls" syndrome, but in the human version. I'm not like other humans!! Who are pathetic and get scared!! Because they're dumb and plain!! While look how smart I am, a genius. I treat monsters out of this world as dumb fucks who have to keep up with me because I'm superior to them too. I, a random human who nobody will remember, am outsmarting creatures who biologically had a genetic mutation in their brains that makes them 10 times faster and therefore more efficient than mine. Creatures who have a knowledge of the world 1000 times wider than yours.

Oh, sure. All very realistic. I'm totally believing that Amc Daniel (just like all his other copies in horror movies) had such incredible experiences in their lives that now meeting a vampire is absolutely no threat. Someone to treat as if they're a nuisance. And it's absolutely not ridiculous and not pathetic the fact that Louis, a deadly monster, would make himself be treated like that while that man (who compared to him is just a child) plays the part of the Smart One in The Room.

I repeat: Daniel's original characterization wasn't enough, huh? The reverence he had in front of Louis during the interview. Not only for the true and genuine fear such a monster provokes in you, because believe me that can't be ignored by no human, but for the sheer respect a weaker creature has for an immensely stronger one. Daniel psychologically bowed down in front of Louis, Armand, Lestat, all of his new idols. Because that's what they were to him. He thought: I am weak. They are strong. They have knowledge, they teach me. They are above me. Not the contrary, with Daniel speaking to (and maybe even over) a goddamn vampire with that condescending tone, a sassy man who is even playing the part of the one doubting the words of someone who you know very well, since you've already interviewed him in the past. A fucking creature from hell that not only TOOK HIS TIME contacting YOU to have that interview a SECOND time. And you act like a fucking Ceo of some company with some particularly dumb employee that is making him loose time???

Daniel was a awesome character for his BRILLIANCE. For how REAL his reaction felt. Because if you want to have human characters that leave a sign in the audience, you have to make them as real as possible. Because that's what's hard. To put aside our pride and represent us in all of our frailty, our flaws. AND NOT CREATING A FAKE MASK OF ASININE SASSINESS TO FEEL REPRESENTED BY A ✨NOT-LIKE-THE-OTHERS✨GUY WHO BELITTLES THE INTELLIGENCE OF FUCKING VAMPIRES.

The value of Daniel, the real courage that man had, was that he managed to go on with the interview even though his hands were shaking so much in fear that Louis at some point had to help him to change the tape. He smoked a mountain of cigarettes. He was feeling on his SKIN how palpable the monstrosity of Louis was. And in the end, just like the human he is, inevitably fell in their spell. He was special for his courage in a moment of pure terror, for how he's clearly a natural at his job as a journalist since it powered his sense of curiosity. But he stayed a human for the whole time, even in his "scared bravery" and then inevitably fell under their spell. Like all humans would do. All. Even the Talamascans are. Even them, who had extraordinary lives that lead them to interact with ghosts, witches and vampires on the daily are very scared when it comes to meet them and take all the precautions they can before meeting vampire face to face. EVEN THEM. But no, amc Daniel who is mister no one, plays the sassy bitch smarter of the class part. EXCUUUUUSE US IF WE'RE DISTURBING YOU. But weren't you the one who fucked up the first interview because you were so high and drunk that you ruined your first chance to talk to a real paranormal creature?? At this point YOU were the one making Louis lose time back then, uh? And maybe even now, all things considered. Why is Louis so determined in contacting this bufoon??? Louis where is your self-respect...

And then they say that they called a team OF EXPERTS to write their interactions the best they can. Oh, I see the results already. They did such a good job, these experts.

[therefugeofbooks]

July felt like an eternity! I made good use of the time, though, and finished a book with 600 pages! I haven't been reading big books so I'm glad I didn't dfn it. Overall, July was a mix of lightheaded reads and some dark ones.

Talking about all the books I read in July under the cut!

Hide and Seeker by Daka Hermon

Spooky! I liked the concept of the story, and the execution was pretty good. I can't get tired of kids saving the day and fighting the monsters and their fears. I was pleasantly surprised by all the turns the story takes and the end as well.

Read if you want: middle-grade horror, kids saving the day, a harmless play turned dark.

The Misadventures of an Amateur Naturalist by Ceinwen Langley (x)

I didn't like the first part of the book because of the pacing and lack of the magic and romance I was hoping for, but the second part is great! See my complete review of this book here.

Lady Killer Vol. 2 by Joëlle Jones and Laura Allred (x)

It's super fun! I loved the thriller and dangers that came with Josie's new situation and was shocked at the end! I'm even more curious to see where the story will head now.

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

I loved the gothic atmosphere of the story, the seclusion, the cult things, the mysterious deaths. The dark academia vibes are on point! Nevertheless, I didn't feel hooked up in the mystery, and I didn't particularly care for the main character.

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian

Oh, this was lovely! I loved the romance, the characters, and their backgrounds, and all the action of it. I liked the plot twists and the ending was really sweet.

Read if you want: adult mlm romance, historical fiction, planned thefts.

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo

It's been a long time since I read The Great Gatsby, so I vaguely recall what happened to compare with this book. Anyway, I liked that the protagonist is a Vietnamese girl and all her inner conflicts. The magic and its repercussions on the world were interesting, but I was not that interested in the story. Apart from Jordan, I thought the characters were annoying and didn't care for their conflicts. Also, the magic is sl fascinating but in was not a major focus.

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis by Anne Rice (x) (x)

So, I think I disliked it less than Prince Lestat because many things happen in this book. But I'm baffled by the new additions to the vampire lore. The consequences to the vampire as individuals are interesting, at least. I'm glad Lestat and Louis had a moment, in the beginning, to talk things through and are on good terms again.

Sasaki and Miyano Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 by Shou Harusono

The romance is super fluffy and lighthearted, and I needed something between some heavy reading. Super excited to read the next volume!

Read if you want: fluffy bl manga, school romance.

Crota by Owl Goingback

Scary! I haven't read a lot of horror about monsters but this one was super cool. It deals with indigenous legends and the cave hunting part was suffocating and scary! Just not a big fan of a disabled child getting cured at the end of the book, the kid is not the main character but it kind of put me off in the end.

Read if you want: horror with monsters, police procedure, indigenous legends.

As I Descended by Robin Talley (x)

This was pretty dark! The arc of corruption and madness was pretty well-done, and the characters made me want to read more and more. I read it for Disability Pride Month as the main character is disabled. I was glad that her arc isn't only about her disability while also mentioning her difficulties and people's prejudice.

Read if you want: spooky YA, queer retellings, Shakespeare retellings.

The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino, tr. Alexander O. Smith

I'm not a big fan of police procedure, but this story is full of twists and turns that made me so curious about what would happen next! It's more of a mind game between the police and the killer than a thriller full of action, but it was an enjoyable read.

Read if you want: psychological thriller, police procedure.

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows By Balli Kaur Jaswal

Super fun and thought-provoking! It deals with stories bringing a community together, women finding a space to share stories, and also a mystery in the middle of everything. One of my favorites of the month!

Read if you want: fun stories, book club books, contemporary fiction.

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie (x) (x)

I took my time to read this book as it's a literary work, and it's very experimental. I liked the narration and the flow of the story. There're so many fascinating things about the story, the magic, the culture, India's history, and many others things. However, it's a long book. I was a bit tired at the end, but still, a great read.

Read if you want: literary and experimental fiction, magical realism.

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

The pacing of this thriller was slow, but I was interested in the diversity drama in Nella's work, so I was not bothered at first. But most of the main events happen right at the end, and the known villain does a "villain explaining their plan" that was a bit cartoonish. Also, the villain was only a part in the big scheme, and we don't get answers about this big thing happening. Still, there're some thought-provoking topics in this book, and the more "fantasy" aspect of it was super spooky.

Read if you want: slow-paced thrillers, psychological thrillers.

Ariel by Sylvia Plath (x)

I want to read more poetry, so I chose this one from the library. I enjoyed some poems and the images the writer created, but most of them fell flat for me.

Rereads:

Reborn! Vol 1 by Akira Amano, Frances E. Wall (translator)

Livros disponíveis em Português:

Links para os meus reviews no skook!

Baú de Sonhos Impossíveis de Filipe Bedendo (x)

De Repente Adolescente de vários autores (x) (x)

A Botija do Fantasma de Pablo Praxedes (x)

And feel free to talk to me about the books of this list :)

Read in: Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June |

☆Book Photography ☆ Storygraph ☆ Scribd ☆

[impossiblerebelblaze]

i'm gonna be the evil one here and say 50-99! bwahahahhaha for anti

Most of these are just for Ire, unless Vice is mentioned by name in the answer I give.

50. When is their birthday?October 11

51. How do they usually celebrate their birthday?He doesn’t really do much ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

52. Do they have any family?No. Maybe like, other demons but no blood-relations (other than Jack???)

53. Are they close to their family?I mean kinda? “Close” like he lived inside Jack’s mind for however long. Does he like him? No.

54. What is their MBTI type?I took the test as him and got ENTP-A

55. What is their zodiac sign?I mean with his birthday, he’s a Libra

56. What Hogwarts House would they be in?Slytherin. But I think he’d live in the forbidden forest rather than the school

57. What D&D alignment are they?Chaotic neutral with heavy leanings towards the “evil” side

58. Do they ever have nightmares? If so, what about?Probably things we wouldn’t be able to understand.

59. What are their views on death?He likes to think that he works alongside Death, in a way.

60. What is something that they’re sure to laugh at?I guess he can’t really talk, so he just kinda yells, grunts, and laughs a lot,, but honestly if he’s thinking clearly, jokes can make him laugh quite a bit

61. When bored, how do they pass time?Either sleeping or causing general mayhem.

62. Do they enjoy being outside?Not really, he’d rather stay inside where it’s warm

63. Do they have an accent?Again, he can’t talk but you bet your ass he’d have an Irish accent

64. Upon seeing a slice of chocolate cake, what is their first reaction?His eyes go wide like he just saw a small prey animal and JUMP ON IT. he likes sweets

65. If they knew they were going to die, what would they do/say?If it was due to a fight, he’d be screaming and fighting till his last breath. If he couldn’t do that, he’d wedge himself into someplace small, where nobody could find him.

66. How do they feel about sex?Ire doesn’t really understand it, and Vice would just see it as another possible way to torture someone, I guess.

67. What is their sexuality?Ire is basically ace, and Vice might as well be, too. Neither of them look at humans like that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

68. Do they become squeamish at the sight of blood?HA NO

69. Is there anything that they find really gross?Physical affection, and Ire has this weird aversion to birds

70. Which TV Trope(s) best describes them?Psychological horror, the monster. (Wish there were more of those)

71. Do they enjoy helping people?Ire doesn’t, but Vice will if it feeds into something he’s doing

72. Are they allergic to anything?Nothing of note, maybe Vice would be allergic to cats because Jack is

73. Do they have a pet?No, he’d probably end up killing it tbh

74. Are they quick to anger? What are they like when they loose their temper?Imma do a quick rundown for bothVice. We’ve seen what he’s like when he’s mad. He spews threats, guilt trips the people around him. He’s wickedly smart and manipulative, but when he loses his temper, he gets impulsive and violent. Ire. He’s a lot like a furious cat. He screams as loud as he can, kicking, biting, scratching. Green rings appear in his eyes, and the room he’s in will start to tilt and shift. The eyes on his torso will start to ooze a rancid substance. When it drips on the ground, it starts to seethe and grow, shooting out veins across the floor and up the walls. It’s truly terrifying.

75. How patient are they?He can wait for hours looking down on his prey. He’s a master hunter, he can feel the rising tension in the air, the growing fear in his prey below.

76. Are they good at cooking?Nah Ire likes raw meat and eggs. He likes heat but he cannot cook.

77. Favorite insult? Do they insult people often?If he could talk, he’d love to shoot insults at every given opportunity. Idk if he’d have a favourite one, but if you watch Jack’s videos, you’d have a general idea

78. How do they act when they’re particularly happy?He bounces around and chirps, or lounges around like a lazy cat.

79. What do they do when they learn about other people’s fears?Both Vice and Ire would absolutely exploit it. Use it to get at the person, to unnerve them even further.

80. Are they trustworthy?No. Ire is just outright evil and devious, Vice would, if it served him well, gain your trust for whatever selfish reason. You could trust him then. But if it was required m he’d break that trust without batting an eye.

81. Do they try to hide their emotions? Are they good at it?No. He’s incredibly expressive, and can’t hide his anger or joy.

82. Do they exercise regularly?Climbing around like a spider is exercising right

83. Are they comfortable with the way they look?Ire can subtly change his appearance at will, but he likes his general form. It’s just human enough to be almost familiar, but extremely disconcerting.

84. What are some physical features that they find attractive on people?Ehh neither Vice nor Ire are really “attracted” to people so not really anything.

85. What kind of personalities do they find attractive?Well, he finds people that don’t express that distinct fear interesting, if that means anything.

86. Do they like sweet foods?Yes,, he loves them

87. What is their age?Redacted

88. Are they tall or short or somewhere in between?Vice is 5’9 like Jack. Ire’s tricky because he crouches and never stands up straight. He’s similar to Jack as well, but his legs add like a foot and a half

89. Do they wear glasses or contacts?Vice needs glasses like Jack does but he never wears them

90. Do they consider themselves attractive?Both of them consider themselves to be more “worrisome” or “panic-inducing” rather than attractive

91. What is their sense of humor like?DARK AND BITTER HUMOUR

92. What mood are they most often in?Angry

93. What kinds of things anger them?Basically anything

94. Outlook on life?Eh

95. What kind of things make them sad/depressed?

96. What is their greatest weakness?Vice, when he’s lost his temper, will be incredibly impulsive, and possibly sabotage his own plan through one accidental swing of his knife, or one wrong phrase that he just had to say. Ire is distracted very easily. Laser pointer? You have a good chance at escaping from him unscathed.

97. What is the greatest strength?Vice is, as I’ve said, very smart. He knows things. He’ll run us around in petty little circles, chasing our own tails while he sets up something far more dangerous. Ire’s strength would probably be the way he hunts.

98. Something that they regret?Vice might think that he could’ve drawn a bigger reaction with his first big appearance, maybe saved killing Jack for later. But it is what it is. It sure caused a big stir and a very strong starting point to his reign of terror. I don’t know if Ire can really feel regret.

99. Biggest accomplishment?Vice- easily, us. The amount of worry and interest we show. How something like Overnightwatch became such a big deal. How thousands of us stayed up all night to watch a blank frame with, what, maybe five minutes of anything out of the ordinary?Ire- again, he probably doesn’t think things like that.