#indi is evil pass it on

[imsiriuslyreading]

i hereby denounce my friendship with @industrations .

it’s been fun (mostly, i’ve tolerated a fair amount of sad remus lupin art but we won’t go into that now), and i love them with my whole heart but i’ve always wondered where the line is.

this is it. this is the line.

farewell, indibops. two days before my birthday i’m accosted with this?

you’ve made yourself an enemy.

(p.s this is beautifully written and you’re very clever and talented)

I'm scared that I’ll forget the way it feels.

It’s dark and cold in the small, dingy London flat. Remus doesn’t remember the last time he’d been able to pay for the electricity bill. He’s sitting on the ground in front of the sofa; sometimes, it feels safer. His hands are freezing, and his bones ache. He pulls the wool of his jumper down over his shaking fingers as he reaches for the video camera, turning it on.

Lily’s freckled face comes into view, her emerald eyes bright as she looks up at him behind the lens. “Come on give me that.” There is some rustling as Lily takes over the camera, and he himself comes into view looking awkward, scratching his head. 

“Why Do I have to do it? It’s my camera.” 

“Because you’re always filming us, and I want to have memories of you too.” 

“Lily-”

“Come on, show them!” The camera shakes as Lily hops excitedly. They’re in Lily’s kitchen, and there is flour covering all the surfaces. He sees himself turn around to pick up a lopsided cake. Sixteen candles make a circle around the wobbly letters. ‘Happy birthday Sirius’ 

 Remus quickly switches through the following videos. Peter’s cheeks are red from the cold as he changes into wormtail, jumping through the fluffy layers of snow. James is on his broom, telling them to watch as he does tricks, diving and soaring through the air. At a party, Marlene, Mary, and Lily standing on the table singing the lyrics to Dancing Queen.

His breath catches at the first sound of the barking laugh that spills out of the tiny speakers. Sirius is as beautiful as Remus always remembers. They’re by the ocean, and his black hair whips around him wildly as the shallow waves lick at their feet. 

“Moony, moony watch this!” Remus watches as Sirius creeps up to James, jumping on him and dragging him into the waves. James shrieks as they both hit the water.

“Padfoot, you bastard!” They’re laughing and start wrestling, trying to pull the other under. Remus presses the arrow button, and the next video appears. 

Sirius in bed, his hair strewn around the pillow around his head like a halo. Mismatched sheets rumpled around him. He lazily turns to face the camera and scrunches his nose when he sees that Remus is filming. “What,” he says, trying to look stern, but his eyes tell a different story. 

“Tell me what you just said.” Sirius buries his head into the pillow, and Remus pokes his side, making him jump. “C’mon pads, own up to it.” Sirius turns his head slightly, peeking out with one eye, cheeks flushed with a wide grin. 

“I love you more than James.”

The screen goes black. And it’s cold, so very cold. Remus shakes as tears drip onto the tiny screen. He runs to the bathroom and dry heaves into the toilet. His lungs ache from all the smoking. But above all, it hurts; it aches so much as the memories flash before his eyes. 

Every week. Every single week, Remus does this. He sits on the floor in his tiny, freezing flat and pulls out the camera. Every week, he clicks through the videos, heart pounding, burning in his chest. Every week, his breath catches when he hears that laugh. And every week, it stings and nags and throbs, eating at his insides. But Remus is scared. Scared that he’ll forget the way it felt, the way it feels. He takes out the camera every week again and again to prove that this was real. That he was real.

[mariocki]

The Evil Dead (1981)

"Why have you disturbed our sleep, awakened us from our ancient slumber? You will die! Like the others before you, one by one, we will take you."

[evercelle]

You played In stars and Time a while ago, do you have any thought about it a review maybe?

ISAT is easily one of the best indie RPGs i've ever played ✨ since the one year anniversary just passed, here's my PSA to play ISAT for siffrin's very bad, terrible, no good day (and conversely, you the player's very good, excellent player experience)

the gameplay & narrative of ISAT is centered around the time loop mechanic: protag siffrin and their party are on a quest to defeat the evil king... but when siffrin dies, he wakes up again on the same morning the party set out to the castle. being able to start again is a huge advantage, especially since siffrin has the accrued experience of his past "life." things will be different this time. there are definitely no downsides to this!!!

obviously there's a lot of downsides to this, and the game's main focus is on the deteriorating mental state of its protag as sif tries to escape the time loop. it pays a LOT of attention to detail as sif relives the same or slightly altered experiences in everything from major plot points to character relationships to minor interactables and menu UI. ISAT is a game that i feel rewards your curiosity even as the narrative framework squashes it--it's hard for a timelooper to maintain a sense of novelty when you run through the same sequence over and over and over again... in that sense, i think the gameplay does a phenomenal ludonarrative job. i've heard some players feel the looping/progression mechanic can be overly repetitive and frustrating, but... that's sort of the point haha. combat is easy though!

i don't want to spoil much else, so please check it out! easily clearable in 15-20 hours, the art is charming, the writing is wonderful, and it's got such lovely things to say about change and found family and thoughtful inclusivity. DO mind TWs for the game though (non-graphic violence, self-harm/suicidal ideation, trauma)

[edelfie]

#𝓣𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘! who’s that girl?

Y/N L/N is a nobody. well, maybe that’s a stretch, but it’s nothing compared to the other words the media uses to describe you. washed up, irrelevant, talentless—any cruel word or insult has or will be thrown your way. but 10 years in the game has forced you to grow thick skin, even if the supposed quality of your music doesn’t suit it. so why is it that today, of all the days, you awake to the worst news imaginable—worse than all the name-calling and jeers?

or, you open twitter. it doesn’t go well.

BLIND ITEMS! —

## this millionaire’s daughter influencer is known for buying many of her followers across all platforms. however, brands and colleagues ignore it because of the fat check lining her pockets.

## this one-of-a-duo A-list model is having business disputes with his other half and sibling. apparently, he wants more creative control over their projects despite having been in the industry for less time. it’s so serious that legal litigation is in the works. [revealed: lev haiba, alisa haiba]

## the not-so-indie band’s newest album is rumored to be about a controversial figure in the industry. this figure has already produced an album about the lead singer years ago, however it failed to garner any publicity.

## off-the-charts wannabe pop star is postponing her next album because her team knows her career is over if she doesn’t chart well. after nearly a decade in the industry and without a single long-lasting, cultural hit, she’s better off waiting tables than writing music. [revealed: Y/N L/N]

gracetheestallion. the haiba twins fighting ?? i can’t believe, like actually

colormeshocked. if y/n doesn’t clutch up rq then i’m gonna be so sad for her — underdawg. honestly, it’s just not fair how she’s treated by the industry — garagoesgaga. it’s “unfair”? she literally only makes trash songs and hooks up with men in relationships, girl bye — underdawg. your misogyny is showing, ugly <3 — garagoesgaga. wowwwww insults, so mature. average iq of a y/n fan

read more…

NOTES! —

Two posts in one day? It's more likely than you think! Anyways, today's fundraiser is for the family and sons of Reyna and Javier. Reyna and Javier lost their lives in a fatal crash, leaving their three sons without parents. Of their sons, one of them was dependent on their parents as he has been wheelchair bound all his life. In this brief period of time, he has lost both his parents and his primary caregivers. The entire family is feeling the financial strain of the sudden loss, so every help counts. Please consider donating here on GoFundMe or copy the link and share it online!

If you're new here, or even if you're not since I'm just starting to post again, I strive to bring attention to different fundraisers in all my posts. I primarily focus on sharing the stories of individuals in dire need, such as refugees in Gaza or those experiencing sudden homelessness, however there is no comparison between struggles, grief, and loss here! So I also take the time to share the stories of families such as Reyna and Javier's, and would deeply appreciate it if you could show them some much needed love as well.

I won't say too much, but as someone who has had the cards stacked against them (being a poc, nonbinary, queer, a religious minority, etc.) and has experienced my own share of loss, I can say that while the pain doesn't feel the same, the knife digs itself into you either way. My family was privileged enough to afford a funeral for my grandfather, who recently passed, but with many other family members getting older in age and being taken by the devil that is cancer, it does make me nervous as to how we will make it through. Regardless, I just hope that my plea and the stories I share will implore you to help others—not out of moral or societal obligation or to save face, but out of humanity and compassion <3

SEVEN EVIL EXES + MASTERLIST + NEXT

© all rights reserved—edelfie (2024) // do not plagiarize, modify, copy, use, translate, or repost my work on other sites without permission

[bloodrock-lobster]

I’m gonna start a new indie game review series called “is the necromancer a good guy” where I only give passing scores to games where the necromancer is good. Not evil, not nasty, not conniving. good, preferably good and kind

because fuck media where the necromancer is not a good guy, I’m SICK of media where the necromancer is just. The worst. Morally bankrupt, the big bad, the mini boss bad etc etc. ITS PLAYED OUT!! GET NEW MATERIAL! GET KIND AND GOOD NECROMANCERS!

[valtharr]

Dude, this movie is really good! It's the best piece of fiction ever!

Hm? What makes it good? Well, you see, it's available on Netflix and Amazon Prime, and you can even buy it on BluRay and DVD, and if that's not an option, you can just pirate it! So you see, it's super accessible so...

What? You mean why you should watch it? Well, it's really unique. See, it's moving pictures on a screen...

Hm? Yeah, it's six hours long, but what makes the movie really great is that you can use the skip button on your remote to skip any scenes you don't like, and then you can just make up new scenes that don't suck! That's the best part of the movie!

Huh? No, dude, you don't get it! There's like, so much fanfiction available, and people to talk about the movie with! And the fanfiction covers so many different genres!

Actually, that reminds me, I should make a post if anybody knows a fanfic where the characters are space wizards fighting against an evil empire, that would be... what? Star Wars? Is that the name of the fic? ...it's another movie? No, I'm not gonna watch that! All these indie movies are super boring and artsy and in black and white and stuff. I'll pass, gladly.

...ooh, someone's doing a Kickstarter for a fan film where the characters have super powers and are fighting other characters with super powers while constantly saying quips! That's such a unique, innovative concept!

[ave09]

wake up

indiana jones x wife!reader

note: the chokehold this man has on me. i watched all of the movies recently for the first time and i’m obsessed. and i’m also going through lots of personal issues and what better way to escape then to write about my new comfort character? and i will most likely write a whole heck of a lot more about my main man indy, also; this is set during temple of doom.

anxiety clawed at you.

this couldn’t be happening. it just couldn’t. 

the thugees had stripped you of everything. they’d taken away your freedom, the boy who was like a son to you, and your husband. 

your indy. 

this wasn’t how it was supposed to go. you, indiana, and short round were to go on this adventure, retrieve the sankara stone, and return to shang hai. 

and yet here you were, about to be sacrificed to a god who went by the name of kali. 

clad in a white gown, you were wheeled off, where your untimely death would await.

imagine your surprise when you spotted your husband, standing tall alongside the thugees. your eyes widened at the sight. 

indiana’s shirt had been removed, his back littered with wounds, no doubt from a lashing. but instead of his normal self, where he always seemed to have something up his sleeve, he seemed calm.

too calm.

what had they done to him?

“indy!” you shouted. at any sign of his wife’s distress, he’d have leapt into action immediately, taking out anyone who got in his way. 

but he did nothing. absolutely nothing. 

“indiana!” you were silenced by a deadly glare sent by mola ram. he was quite the scary man, and you wished to delay your death for as long as possible. the evil

man then gestured to indiana, a grin upon his face.

“come.”

you froze, panic taking over.

no.

no.

no.

you watched in horror as your husband obeyed, moving towards you, almost lifelessly. “indiana..” he didn’t acknowledge you, but he now stood before you, mindlessly chanting as he made sure the chains wrapped around your wrists were secure.

“indiana, wake up. wake up!” you begged, trying to keep the tears from spilling. you felt so helpless, you should be trying to save him, not be tied up. 

“look at me, i am your wife. your wife! i need you to wake up now!” 

and yet there was no emotion, absolutely nothing. 

“indiana! please! indy! henry! junior!” you tried everything, anything to get him to respond but to no avail.

you couldn’t help the tears that slid down your cheeks. “please.. wake up.” the man before you lifted a large hand, placing it upon the side of your face. you felt a calloused thumb caress the tears away, and for a moment you wondered if he was somehow still there. 

“indy?”

his hand became slack, falling to his side. he then moved away and rejoined the thugees. 

panic seized you as you felt the care you were trapped in began to rise. “no! no no, please!” but it was too late.

it had begun.

you were suspended in the air, facing the floor as it opened, revealing a pit of lava. this was it. you were really going to die. you’d had so many close calls in the past, but never had you thought of this being the way you went out. 

“oh God, please forgive me.” you muttered, the heat of the lava burning your skin the lower you sank. “watch over shorty, let him live.” you pleaded, squeezing your eyes shut.

but then suddenly, you stopped. you only assumed that something had happened up top. the only sound you could hear was the loud crackling of the fire below. 

you could only hope that something good was happening up there.

it felt like ages had passed before you started to rise. a wave of relief washed over you. it wasn’t long before you were out, never feeling more relieved in your life. you glanced at indiana, who was waiting, short round beside him. 

“indy? is it really you?” you asked as the man quickly unchained you, not hesitating to pull you into a tight embrace, “it’s me.” he whispered breathlessly, pecking your cheek lightly before placing a kiss to your lips, “don’t ever call me junior again.” he scolded before turning to shorty, “thanks for everything kid.” 

of course it was shorty who had saved indiana. “your welcome dr. jones. i had to save you or the missus would be very upset.” 

“damn right, shorty.” you replied with a grin. “now, as much i love reunions, we gotta get out of here, all of us.” indiana said. you nodded in agreement as your husband placed shorty’s hat upon his head, “let’s go dr. jones and missus!”

and off you all went, determined to escape this temple of doom. 

[capacle]

20 Brazilian TTRPGs I wish also existed in English

Today I offer you:

20 Brazilian TTRPGs I wish also existed in English (because I want the world to know about them)

Buckle up, because you won't BELIEVE the diversity of our indie scene.

[presented in no particular order, and only one per author]

1. Meu Brinquedo Preferido ('My favorite toy'), by Eduardo Caetano

A metaphor about a child's growing process by deconstructing their fears through playful situations.

2. SeanchaS, by Jorge Valpaços and Jefferson Neves

A game about myths, construction of identity and narrative around bonfires, about the time of ancient stories and the present time.

3. Gatunos, by Tiago Junges

A GMless/Solo game in which you play as cat thieves and mercenaries doing the dirty work of the five big factions that run the city.

4. Nômades (Nomads), by Marcelo Collar

A card-based RPG in which you play as beings who have the ability to find and pass through the cracks in the veil that separates the universes.

5. Infaernum, by Caio Romero

Create your own apocalypse while playing the game, and interpret characters who experience the last days of all things.

6. Áureos, Os Dançarinos da Lua ('The Moon Dancers'), by Rey Ooze

A game of fight and freedom where dice play capoeira. You play as an 'Áureo', a former slave who, in a fantastic colonial Brazil, receives the blessings of his Orisha to free his people from slavery.

7. Veridiana, by Alan Silva

You play as creatures that live in a large tree, embarking on a deeply sentimental journey in search of a cure.

8. Karyu Densetsu, by Thiago Rosa and Nina Bichara

A game inspired by action anime and manga, with tactical combat, philosophical conversation, and passionate ideals.

9. Imperia, by Jonny Garcia

A game of politics and intrigue in a medieval court, inspired by Game of Thrones. Create a kingdom collaboratively and assume the role of the most influential people in it.

10. Goddess save the Queen, by Carol Neves and Julio Matos

A pulp adventure game in which you play as secret agents of the British Crown during the interwar period, with their own agenda connected in some way with their home nation.

11. Abismo Infinito ('Infinite Abyss'), by John Bogéa

A narrative game of psychological horror in which the protagonists are astronauts, far away in space, involved in a web of lucid nightmares and manifestations of their own fears.

12. Mojubá, by Lucas Conti and Lucas Sampaio

An Afrofuturistic urban fantasy game inspired by Yoruba and Afro-Brazilian mythologies. Play as a person with fantastic powers who descends from the Orixás, fights evil spirits, and occasionally gets into a rap battle.

13. Chopstick, by Igor Moreno

A game inspired by action movies of oriental martial arts, gang fights and crime, with a twist on Fate Accelerated.

14. Contos do Galeão ('Tales of the Galleon'), by Encho Chagas

Create together the legend of a vessel that would have existed during the Golden Age of Piracy. Players will create the ship, its pirates, as well as its enemies, challenges, and rewards.

15. O Cordel do Reino do Sol Encantado ('The Cordel of the Kingdom of the Enchanted Sun'), by Pedro Borges

A narrative game set in the northeastern 'cangaço' region at the beginning of the 20th century.

16. Através das Trevas ('Through the Darkness'), by Ramon Mineiro

A post-apocalyptic fantasy game inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Witcher and Diablo.

17. Nihilo, by Andre Osna and Gustavo Rolanski

A world very much like our own—yet bigger, deeper, and stranger. Secret banks are run by Urban Dragons, Infernal mafias terrorize slums, interdimensional portals open in the basements of abandoned pizzerias.

18. Caçada ao Colosso ('Hunt for the Colossus'), by Jairo Borges Filho

Reenact stories such as Siegfried and the dragon Fafnir, the Greek Odyssey or legends centered on the opposition of two primary forces of humanity.

19. Perdidos ('Lost'), by Marcelo Paschoalin

Inspired by Bloodborne and Dark Souls, a world in ruins, fragmented to the point where only memories remain. You'll find relics of yesteryear, monstrous beasts, beings that have forgotten their purpose, and devious paths to tread.

20. Hitodama - A jornada das almas ('The Journey of the Souls'), by Alexsander Araujo

You are Shinigamis: creatures half divinity, half Yokai, who must carry out missions through different worlds, fighting formidable enemies and saving lost souls.

[carelessflower]

top 10 atrocious shtv plotline

let me preface by saying i do not hate shadowhunters. it camp demon fighting hot people in leather with not enough lighting and candles as regular guest stars. this list is my personal opinion, a little something something rage filled silly little rants of my favorite show and its clown moment. picture this as the inner monologue of the lead in an indie romcom who speaks in metaphors and has a letterbox account. so sit back, grab your set and stele because you will need so much iratze for your sanity.

content warning: this rant will touch upon topics such as mental health, addiction, attempted suicide and incest.

10. magnus lost his magic

magnus is magnificent in everything, so that is why this plotline disappointed me. it has so much potential and they end up doing the bare minimum. there's no way magnus fricking bane has no one to rely on when he lost his magic besides alec. no fricking way. we should have gotten magnus to work out alec's deal with asmodeus by himself. i'm also of the opinion that magnus should be the one to figure out a way to get his magic back (there are lots of good fics exploring this, i recommend you check it out) it end up in this position cause overall it a good and interesting premise and magnus outsmarting his father and using his portal (something that magnus invented) to defeat him is a good conclusion

9. heidi took over dumort and planned to dominate the shadoworld

i mean this happened in the book, but it was given way way more screen time than necessary in the show. please dont tell me a newly born vampire is suddenly a master manipulator and leader and makes every vampire bend to her will. you're trying to be serious not comedy shtv. and how about we give all of heidi screen time to flesh out clary and magnus plotline in S3B more?? or idk, give the lightwood trio A PLOTLINE this season besides being the supporting partner

8. jordan redemption arc

he's an abuser. he's an abuser. HE IS AN ABUSER. we don't need him sobbing and crying and then ‘dying’ in front of maia. i loathe how for a second i thought they gonna make maia go back together with jordan again. the only good thing come out of it is maia getting somewhat closure, and i used that term loosely

7. the owl

jace spent S3A being mind controlled by lilith, struggling, begging to be killed, being mind control again, then free. he doesn't have a single moment after all that bullshit to process because oh we need the plot to move along and another fresh trauma has arrived at the jace station. and oh remember the soul sword thing??? when there's an attempt to write the payoff of jace unintentionally killing a bunch of people? i dont know about you but the show writers sure do not. the rules and influence of lilith over jace is so confusing it is ridiculously hilarious

6. alec and jace's parabatai bond

i've already done a recap of all the wonderful moments of jace parabatai career so i will keep this really simple. picture the parabatai bond as group final assessment. alec is pulling all-nighter, groupchat urging to finish tasks on time, one on one meetings with professor for feedback, two hours finalizing and fixing the final product. jace is "why do i have to do so much" and submitting work late two hours that don't pass the plagiarize check

5. team evil (evil clary + S3B jonathan)

i would like to remind you she turns fully evil in episode 18 and is cured of it in episode 20. they build this evil plotline up through clary burning her hand, snapping at simon once and losing it at aline (who btw i believe is justified in her rage how many people sebastian/jonathan/ginger incest bread have killed) clary turning evil means she now will sexily whisper her line, wear tighter/revealing dress and stare at people with smoldering eyes. because of course, evil female characters are like that. i also need writers for that clace scene in the club when jace's on seelie drug to answer for their crime against my sanity

jonathan S3B is bad. and not even the fun kind. when you compare this character to the one in S2B, he got clear on every possible aspect i almost shed a tear. he, like evil clary, has so much potential. but the way the writing goes makes him just hilariously pathetic. yes i am in fact referring to him yelling 'YOU WILL NEVER LOVE ME' at clary and then flying away in his devil cosplay

4. merlion getting taken to the silent brothers

alec is shit for blindly following the clave's order, jace betrays his parabatai and along with izzy and clary conducts a stupid plan that can create an all-out war and involves two of the downworlder leaders in all that. also, magnus steal alec stele aka the acting head stele…because bad decision is infectious in this episode. considering how serious they’re trying to make the political aspect of the show to be, the fact that this exists. literally insane. this whole plotline is to highlight how clary is the hero who stands up for justice and morals and all of that when she the one contributing the least. she just stands around lets everyone do stuff for her and they're trying to convince us she's the hero. then she and jace fuck off to another dimension after roping people into their mess because that is what a good hero does.

that screencap. she said that surrounding by downworlders. her kendall jenner pepsi world peace era

3. alec's mental health

alec try to jump off that balcony and the only person they show having any concern over it is magnus in the next episode. oh no no, not even in that lightwood family talk in the same episode of the balcony thing, with you know, his mom and his parabatai, not a word. and the only one who says anything related to it is clary of all people. im convinced the whole alec killing off jocelyn is for alec to feel guilty and then ease him into a friendship with clary because this is no way to handle this type of story there is no way. and it is not like they say oh well, here's the end of this. because they include shots of alec pinching his hands at that hospital scene. what was the reason? has alec not had enough on his plate already? friendly reminder, iris's spell at that party caused people to project their insecurities and everyone was fighting each other. and who does alec blame? who does he fight? who he thinks is worthless of living and no one will miss? himself. do they drop this storyline faster than clace romance? yes!

2. clace

ah, instant love that makes no sense because we are supposed to believe it is the way it is. the writers keep telling us there is nothing compared to their love but doesn't show us SHIT when it comes to that. don't believe me? oh, okay, the number of dates that they have before crusty lord of the lifetime valentine morgenshit breaks the fake sibling news is that time when jace stands and watches clary get encanto and tough inappropriately by a vampire and their rendezvous with fake dad. then in S2A they mostly interact when clary is in trouble and needs jace help. clary dates the first person she knows already has feeling for her, jace goes around very around. they don't bond or try to talk or interact besides jace constantly looking sulkily at clary and simon. then 2x14 it all reveals she loves jace she desires jace no one for her but jace. and i totally forgot jace's confession via the soul sword about loving clary, not the way you would love a sister and all that. their first date as an again couple is 3x02…the love confession is ridiculous because he's saying all these things despite us literally never seeing that on screen. they bonk when clary still links with her psychopath brother, that whole scene alone should pay for my therapy. we kept being told they are in love, but we are never shown that. hey, maybe some advice. slapping romantic music over a scene will not make the scene romantic, you actually need to write it too. this relationship goes nowhere because itself and the two characters inside it doesn't change. it's always clary wants something so jace push everyone and everything under the solar system out of the way to give it to her. this wouldn't be a problem if, yk, it is only in the first season and they have character development. but let me remind you S3B they summon lilith back to earth despite magnus losing his magic to help defeat her (didn't make it to this list but a very strong honorary mention) with the worst possible plan. relying on a guy simon knew for less than the time clary and jace spent thinking through their plan. it like you are asking for him to betray you

aldetree izzy raphael and yinfen 

one of the only major plotlines izzy has. and it's this. because of course this addict seeks a provider then both fall in love and the provider becomes addict again is super duper appropriate to happen to these two. two of the poc characters who are prominent in the show. one of the few female characters. of course very splendid decisions right there. and at the end of the series izzy gets together with someone who can make her relapse again. all because this storyline that could have been cut off and replaced with something more decent. but nope! sexily blood drinking time!

tag list: @dustandducks @cityofdownwardspirals @magnus-the-maqnificent @onetimetwotimesthreetimess @wildesummerchild @cam-ryt @khaleesiofalicante @idk-i-just-really-like-tsc

[justinspoliticalcorner]

On Sunday afternoon at just before 2PM EDT/1PM CDT (1:46PM EDT/12:46PM CDT to be precise), President Joe Biden (D) announced that he wasn’t running for re-election. Biden then endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris (D) for the nomination. Harris has a VP pick to make to complete the ticket, and there are several good choices: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, or Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. I will explain more on that issue in a separate post. If elected, Harris would be the first woman to become President. She would also be the second person of color and the first Asian-American to become President if she is elected. Harris already made herstory by being elected the first woman Vice President on a ticket with President Biden in 2020. Last week, I had suggested that if Biden was stepping down, then Harris would be the best successor. In that piece, I endorsed keeping Biden in the race. Nearly a week later, Biden drops out and passes the torch by endorsing Harris.

This is hot off the press: I have a Substack post calling on Democrats, Dem-leaning Indies, and anti-Trump Republicans to unite behind Kamala Harris to defeat Donald Trump at the ballot box.

Joe Biden was right to pass the torch to a capable leader.

With this news, it’s time to unite as a party to vote Kamala Harris for President, and for Democrats up and down the ticket! We want to make herstory by voting in Harris to be first ever woman to lead the nation in 2024 be defeating Donald Trump! The fascistic anti-American and evil Donald Trump/J.D. Vance ticket must be defeated at all costs! Vote Harris and vote Blue! #Harris47 #Harris2024 #Momala #YesWeKam

[dollypartonswig]

My top 10 books of the year!

1 ) The Nothing Man - Catherine Ryan Howard -

At the age of twelve, Eve Black was the only member of her family to survive an encounter with serial attacker the Nothing Man. Now an adult, she is obsessed with identifying the man who destroyed her life. Supermarket security guard Jim Doyle has just started reading The Nothing Man--the true-crime memoir Eve has written about her efforts to track down her family's killer. As he turns each page, his rage grows. Because Jim's not just interested in reading about the Nothing Man. He is the Nothing Man. Jim soon beings to realize how dangerously close Eve is getting to the truth. He knows she won't give up until she finds him. He has no choice but to stop her first.

2 ) The Night Ship - Jess Kidd -

1629: A newly orphaned young girl named Mayken is bound for the Dutch East Indies on the Batavia , one of the greatest ships of the Dutch Golden Age. Curious and mischievous, Mayken spends the long journey going on misadventures above and below the deck, searching for a mythical monster. But the true monsters might be closer than she thinks. 1989: A lonely boy named Gil is sent to live off the coast of Western Australia among the seasonal fishing community where his late mother once resided. There, on the tiny reef-shrouded island, he discovers the story of an infamous shipwreck…

3) The Reading List - Sara Nisha Adams -

Widower Mukesh lives a quiet life in the London Borough of Ealing after losing his beloved wife. He shops every Wednesday, goes to Temple, and worries about his granddaughter, Priya, who hides in her room reading while he spends his evenings watching nature documentaries. Aleisha is a bright but anxious teenager working at the local library for the summer when she discovers a crumpled-up piece of paper in the back of To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s a list of novels that she’s never heard of before. Intrigued, and a little bored with her slow job at the checkout desk, she impulsively decides to read every book on the list, one after the other. As each story gives up its magic, the books transport Aleisha from the painful realities she’s facing at home. When Mukesh arrives at the library, desperate to forge a connection with his bookworm granddaughter, Aleisha passes along the reading list… hoping that it will be a lifeline for him too. Slowly, the shared books create a connection between two lonely souls, as fiction helps them escape their grief and everyday troubles and find joy again.

4) Midnight Is The Darkest Hour - Ashley Winstead -

Ruth Collier has always felt like an outsider, even as her father rains fire and brimstone from the church pulpit. In Bottom Springs, his word is as good as law. But there are things the townspeople fear more than God, like the Low Man, a vampiric figure said to kill sinners in their beds on moonless nights. When a skull is found deep in the swamp, a hunt for the Low Man begins. Suspicion turns to Everett – Ruth's oldest friend, with a dark past. As Ruth and Everett grow closer, Ruth begins to unearth the town's secrets, determined to discover the truth. But as the line between good and evil grows ever thin, how far will Ruth go to save the person she loves most?

5) The Appeal - Janice Hallett -

The Fairway Players, a local theatre group, is in the midst of rehearsals when tragedy strikes the family of director Martin Hayward and his wife Helen, the play’s star. Their young granddaughter has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and with an experimental treatment costing a tremendous sum, their castmates rally to raise the money to give her a chance at survival. But not everybody is convinced of the experimental treatment’s efficacy—or of the good intentions of those involved. As tension grows within the community, things come to a shocking head at the explosive dress rehearsal. The next day, a dead body is found, and soon, an arrest is made. In the run-up to the trial, two young lawyers sift through the material—emails, messages, letters—with a growing suspicion that the killer may be hiding in plain sight. The evidence is all there, between the lines, waiting to be uncovered.

6) My Sister, The Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite -

When Korede's dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what's expected of her: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel and a strong stomach. This'll be the third boyfriend Ayoola's dispatched in, quote, self-defence and the third mess that her lethal little sibling has left Korede to clear away. She should probably go to the police for the good of the menfolk of Nigeria, but she loves her sister and, as they say, family always comes first. Until, that is, Ayoola starts dating the doctor where Korede works as a nurse. Korede's long been in love with him, and isn't prepared to see him wind up with a knife in his back: but to save one would mean sacrificing the other...

7) Outlawed - Anna North -

The day of her wedding, 17 year old Ada's life looks good; she loves her husband, and she loves working as an apprentice to her mother, a respected midwife. But after a year of marriage and no pregnancy, in a town where barren women are routinely hanged as witches, her survival depends on leaving behind everything she knows. She joins up with the notorious Hole in the Wall Gang, a band of outlaws led by a preacher-turned-robber known to all as the Kid. Charismatic, grandiose, and mercurial, the Kid is determined to create a safe haven for outcast women. But to make this dream a reality, the Gang hatches a treacherous plan that may get them all killed. And Ada must decide whether she's willing to risk her life for the possibility of a new kind of future for them all.

8) Madhouse At The End Of The Earth - Julian Sancton -

The harrowing true survival story of an early polar expedition that went terribly awry--with the ship frozen in ice and the crew trapped inside for the entire sunless, Antarctic winter. Drawing on firsthand accounts of the Belgica's voyage and exclusive access to the ship's logbook, Sancton tells the tale of its long, isolated imprisonment on the ice--a story that NASA studies today in its research on isolation for missions to Mars. In vivid, hair-raising prose, Sancton recounts the myriad forces that drove these men right up to and over the brink of madness.

9) Morbidly Yours - Ivy Fairbanks -

Callum Flannelly would rather dive into an open grave than take a stranger to dinner and a movie. But he can only inherit the family undertaking business and carry on their legacy under one condition: He must marry before his 35th birthday. So it’s out of the mortuary and into the dating scene. Lark Thompson would rather get crushed by a falling anvil than stay next to a funeral home during her stay in Galway, Ireland. The vivacious American cartoon creator and animator came here to embrace life, not be reminded of losing her husband. When Lark learns of Callum’s dilemma and aversion to marrying out of necessity rather than love, she agrees to help the introverted mortician. Although sworn off love herself, she is optimistic that Callum can find The One and secure his inheritance. But as the dating project progresses and their friendship grows, so does a mutual attraction. The more time she spends with serious, sarcastic Callum, the more she dreads finding him a match. And the more disastrous dates he endures, the more he dreads Lark’s imminent return to the states. If they think it’s possible to ignore their connection, they’re dead wrong.

10) Bunny - Mona Awad -

Samantha Heather Mackey couldn't be more of an outsider in her small, highly selective MFA program at New England's Warren University. A scholarship student who prefers the company of her dark imagination to that of most people, she is utterly repelled by the rest of her fiction writing cohort--a clique of unbearably twee rich girls who call each other Bunny, and seem to move and speak as one. But everything changes when Samantha receives an invitation to the Bunnies' fabled Smut Salon, and finds herself inexplicably drawn to their front door--ditching her only friend, Ava, in the process. As Samantha plunges deeper and deeper into the Bunnies' sinister yet saccharine world, beginning to take part in the ritualistic off-campus Workshop where they conjure their monstrous creations, the edges of reality begin to blur. Soon, her friendships with Ava and the Bunnies will be brought into deadly collision.

[stabknives]

The V/B half of this ask!

I hear all of you asking me: what is V/B. Who is V/B. Can you please shut up about V/B it's very annoying how you keep talking about them like we should know what those letters even mean.

Well, I'm here to tell you, they're my little guys. And one of them is a girl that's not a girl. And the other one is an evil indie film director. Yayyyyyy.

TW for stalking, threats, noncon, violence, psychological torture, and more!

1. Starting simple, how did they first meet?

Hooboy! What a doozy. Need to give some context first. It's important to know they have several 'first meetings', thanks to the way V steals faces...

Anyway. B has always had an intense and wide eyed love for Hollywood. He's been a cinephile for as long as he's been alive, and would watch old vcr tapes until they broke in his family's garage on a beat up old box tv.

Movies were kind of his escape from a rough home life. He was the youngest of nine kids in an evangelical household, and his parents were… not very nice people! So he dreamed of one day escaping the farm and leaving for the big city.

So he leaves the very day he turns 18, hoping to make it big someday. Part of him desperately wants to be an actor, but he doesn't think he's cut out for all that attention. Instead, he'll settle for being a costume designer. He's great at sewing, and as long as he's involved in film, he knows he'll be happy.

He knows it.

B passes V on the street one night after coming out of another interview for an internship he definitely won't get, downtrodden and teary eyed after just. Utterly embarrassing himself throughout the whole interview. No, he doesn't have any references or credentials. But he's willing to work, and he's good with clothing and makeup, honest! Please don't send him away again- you'll call him back? You really swear you'll call him back…?

He leaves. And he knows they're not gonna call him back.

It's pretty important to me that B wasn't doing anything special or wrong to have what happens to him next happen. Sometimes violence just finds you. And follows you. Regardless if you deserve it or not.

B collapses under a streetlight crying really hard. He's embarrassed but there's nobody around, and he's been in the city for months now and he's still working at a dirty video rental store, no closer to his goal of working in showbusiness. He doesn't have any friends in the city, he's lonely, and he kind of wants to give up.

He's mid sobbing session when someone taps him on the shoulder. It's some guy with a handkerchief smiling down at him. Very friendly. And handsome. The guy sits with him for a while. Tells him not to give up on his dreams once B volunteers his whole life store like a. Naive Simpleton. To this perfect stranger.

This guy is really funny. Charming. He's a good listener, and he's got kind of an offbeat sense of humor that shocks a few giggles from B. B really hopes they can be friends, but the guy leaves before he can give B a name. (But he said they'd see each other again 😬 and they will.)

This guy is V. And he takes a shine to this. Crying farm boy he saw on a street corner. V loves the way B looks crying! Very photogenic. A face made for filming. But V has all the time in the world, and he likes to savor his meals. The thrill of the hunt and all! Yuck. So for nearly three years, V plays. Tag. With B. Idk what else to call it.

He leaves things at B's door. Gore in brown bags with a smiley face drawn on the stinking wet paper. Deranged letters shoved in his mailbox talking about how B is going to end up raped and choked and dead in a ditch near his house, so his siblings find him covered in blood and bodily fluid. A bouquet of flowers from a secret admirer, and if B reaches in to pull out the note B gets cut up by a bundle of razorblades hidden in-between the dethorned rose stems (how ironic! I'm sure V was laughing it up at that one. 🙄 You're so clever.)

And all the while, V and B are having other first meetings. Each time, with V wearing a different face. The face of a friend. A shoulder to cry on. The face of a stranger. Someone following him home, too close for comfort, enough to have B hyperventilating by the time he stumbles into his rundown apartment and slams the door shut, looking through the peephole to see someone's eye staring right back at him.

B is coming unglued. But he's still pretty when he cries, and they're about to have their last 'first' meeting.

He goes to the bar with a friend, someone he's known a long time. They're visiting the big city from out of town, and they wanna treat B to a few drinks. B is excited. It's been ages since he hung out with J, and he kind of has a major crush on the guy. J is a laid back guy, super relaxed, and he's exactly as B remembers him.

B's phone dings again. He's gotten these mysterious texts for years now, and if he ignores them, bad shit always happens. (Someone breaks into his apartment and soaks his sheets in fluids. Audience gets to pick the fluid. You're welcome. Things go missing, or. Sometimes a single stuffed animal is left on his pillow. Just to mix things up.)

So he goes into the bathroom, and asks for the hundredth, thousandth time, Why Are You Doing This To Me, and gets no response back. Which is odd. Usually they respond. They must be busy… but thn why send a text in the first place? Hmm.

B goes back to his table. J hands him back his drink, and B slams it back, before confiding in his friend about what's been going on. J comforts him, but B is suddenly slumping over. Drank too much, maybe.

B wakes up in a house he doesn't recognize, but J is there to reassure him. This is one of J's places. Having a wealthy family comes with perks. You're safe, B. And B is so glad to have such a good friend. Someone who takes care of him.

He can't help himself. He confesses, and J is flattered. Returns the feelings. They make love. How cute. Perfect end to a perfect scene.

V really enjoyed playing this part for him.

V drops the charade halfway through. B panics, because who wouldn't? Your new boyfriend just morphed into a stranger. You're getting assaulted by a monster. A doppelganger, a face stealer.

You thrash. You scream. You cry those tears V likes so much. Smile! You're on camera, btw. V finishes, choking B until he sees spots, mocking him, berating him. ("Do I look like J to you now? No, of course not. Oh well. Got anybody else you want me to be? Got a mother? A brother? A highschool bully? Or do you want a round with yourself? Aww. You look faint!") V does this for a living. He's a movie maker, and B is his new star.

So. Nice to meet you. Again.

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group C Round 1: #C3 vs #C6

#C3: Old man turns into robot superhero

An old man is diagnosed with cancer with 3 months to live. He sits in a park depressed until an alien spaceship passing through collides with him and a nearby teenager. The aliens frantically rebuild the old man and teenager as cyborgs before leaving. The old man uses his newfound cyborg powers for good, while the teenager uses them for evil.

#C6: Sports anime for people who prefer bildungsromans* to sports

Two childhood friends who play competitive after school ping pong find their friendship and dedication to the sport tested when their sense of their relative skill in the game is challenged. A character focused-exploration of why we pursue sports, and what we have to commit to succeed.

*a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood, in which character change is important.

Titles, propagandas, trailers, and poll under the cut!

#C3: Inuyashiki: Last Hero

Propaganda:

This show is nowadays remembered for referencing One Piece and its obvious CGI, but it’s so much more than that. Inuyashiki is a beautiful, dark, dramatic exploration of humanity, showcasing the brightest good that humans are capable of and the most horrific evil. It seriously explores both extremes, and it forces the audience to solemnly watch every step of the way.

It also has an AMAZINGLY badass OP and a beautifully sad ED, perfectly encapsulating the duality of the show itself.

Trigger Warnings: Animal Cruelty/Death, Flashing Lights, Graphic Depictions of Cruelty/Violence/Gore, Rape/Non-Con, Suicide

#C6: Ping Pong the Animation

Propaganda:

An experimental director (Masaaki Yuasa) adapting a work from a very stylized and emotionally-focused shonen mangaka (Taiyo Matsumoto). This is an anime that feels more like watching an indie arthouse movie than a shonen anime. Featuring characters and arcs that subvert standard anime tropes, it gives an incisive picture into youths on the verge of growing up and learning responsibility. If you want to watch a short anime (one 11-episode season!) which will include cool sports action (and that’s coming from someone who is not generally into sports animes) the matches given weight by the primary use of them in narrative being as checkpoint in the characters’ growths.

I tend to prefer shojo over shonen for being more introspective, with the emotional arcs developed slower and more subtly, but for me this shonen hits a sweet middle ground of having that more internal feel, while getting to do the shonen things of having cooler, action-focused animation and character relationships which are about friendship rather than romance, and character arcs that are about trying to strive hard to achieve a dream. The show is quite well critically regarded, but a lot of anime fans get turned off by the unusual art style, and there isn’t really a fandom for it, so I think it counts as underrated anyways! Anyways, I think it delivers a really impactful and complete story-arc in a short time, and it leaves you feeling like you’ve grown alongside the characters, no matter how old you are (no seriously, my 50-year-old mother walked away saying she didn’t know anime was such a profound genre when I made her watch this).

Trigger Warnings: None.

If you’re reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

[blended-ice]

💕Positivity prime time! Share five things you love about yourself, four things you're excited about, OR three people you care deeply about and why. Pass this along to someone whose posts make you smile💕

So nice thank you! I will do my best to answer cause mama didn’t raise no quitter

1. I like how tall I am

2. I like how good I am at repair and maintenance

3. I fucking rule at baking muffins (don’t ask me to bake anything else)

4. I like how committed I am to drawing/painting and working on that skill

5. I like that I always remember to take good care of my dog

Four things I’m excited about, let’s see…

1. Seeing the rest of everyone’s entries for viktuuri week 2024!

2. The increased awareness of and positivity around indie media!

3. Getting email notifs that the fics im subscribed to got new updates!

4. I just recently vacuumed so I’m excited to walk around without stepping on evil crumbly things

I appreciate the positivity anon, have a great day :]

[cirerally]

Indie Browser Games Masterpost

⚠️ Make sure to check the descriptions of the games for information beforehand as some of them can be triggering! ⚠️ Also, feel free to suggest games to add! The platform doesn’t matter as long as it’s safe and you can play without necessarily logging in! 

Stylization 👾: pixel art 🎮: low poly (ps1 style) 🧊: 3D

Difficulty 🍃: easy 🍊: medium 🌶️: hard No emoji: doesn’t apply

Visual novels

Off day: "A point & click visual novel about appreciating the little things in life." (via itch.io)

👾 Is it that deep, bro?: "A text-based game where you navigate the tricky headspace of a teenager who is going to see a movie with his friend." (via itch.io)

Dating sims

👾 Nothing to say: "You're on a date with a cute girl, but you're feeling tongue-tied... Can you puzzle out how to confess your feelings?" (via itch.io)

Horror

👾 Five Nights at Freddy’s NES: do I have to explain. (via itch.io)

🎮 Burger & Frights: "It's a late night and you were craving burgers. It's time to ride home." (via itch.io)

👾 Egg friend: "Play games. Earn money. Feed it. Love it. Watch it grow. It is sure to love you back. "

Adventure

👾🍃 Princess Poffin and the Spider Invasion: "The moth kingdom has been covered in spiderwebs! it's up to poffin to find the spider responsible, and restore her kingdom to its former web-free glory!" (via itch.io)

Platformers

👾🌶️ HELP! NO BRAKE: "Hey umm, your car won't brake anymore. So better clear all the levels to get it fixed I guess."  (via itch.io)

👾🍊 Bio Evil 4: "Leave to me, Leon!"

Under 5 minutes

How to make a cup of tea: "Hello! You know, I could do with a good cup of tea. Could you please make me one? Don't worry, I'll guide you through it!" (via itch.io)

We become what we behold: the legend itself. (via itch.io)

Gacha

👾🍃 Catfishing cuties!: "Catfish to fish for some local cuties! Collect them all!" (via itch.io)

Text based (like, only text)

You Are Jeff Bezos: ‘’When you wake up this morning from unsettling dreams, you find yourself changed in your bed into a monstrous vermin.’’

Puzzle games

👾 Economical: "2D puzzle action game where saving coin is important!"

👾 Poca - A Thief’s Escape: "Steal all carrots in a level to exit."

👾 Knightin’:  "Knightin' is a little zelda-like adventure. Explore dungeon, fight monsters and solve puzzles." (via gamejolt)

👾🍊 Witch’s familiar: "Your master has tasked you with an urgent delivery." (via itch.io)

🍃 Good Morning!:  "A morning routine simulator." (via itch.io)

👾 Last seen online: ‘‘You find an old computer at a garage sale. So you decide to turn it on.’‘ (via itch.io)

Roguelike

👾🍃 Labor power: "A small Pikmin-inspired game dedicated to class solidarity and the betterment of working conditions."

Multiplayer

Local 

👾 Toe II Toe: "Who said fighting games need to be difficult and time consuming? (Seriously, punch those gatekeepers!)" (via itch.io)

Thwack: "Funky-legged tennis." (via itch.io) (also a demo)

Online

Count together: "Count all the passing creatures." (via itch.io)

Shooters

🧊🍊 Wolfgun: "You are WOLFGUN - an ornery, rage-filled werewolf on the set of a bad horror movie. Hordes of undead ghouls wielding knives have broken into the studio and want you dead, and it doesn't look like they're part of the crew." (via itch.io)

Demos

👾 Small town emo: a game set before Halloween in 2007 about a seventeen year old emo with a crush on his best friend. (via itch.io)

👾🍊 10 Minutes Till Dawn: "Survive the onslaught of an endless horde of monsters for 10 minutes!" (via itch.io)

🎮 Fear the Spotlight: follow your mysteriously-vanished friend to the abandoned area of Sunnyside High, but beware, something seems to be lurking there with you. (via itch.io)

Mr. Stretch and the Stolen Fortune: "Join the late Mr. Stretch on his quest to reclaim his fortune, stolen from him by an old enemy that Mr. Stretch can't quite remember."

No ending 

👾🍊 BASES LOADED: a baseball survival game... basically? (via itch.io)

👾🍃 Bunnyland:  "A bunny is shipwrecked on an island and your task is to survive and get off the island." (via itch.io)

👾🌶️ GB-Wordyl: A Wordle clone for the Game Boy that will ruin your life. (via itch.io)

🎮 Hungry ducks: "If there is no food... you become the food!!!" (via itch.io)

👾🍃 Ketris:  "Avenge your adorable dog by clearing rows and decatpitating the evil Kets! (via itch.io)

Plant daddy: "Your plants grow in real time–water them, buy some furniture, and then close the tab and come back when you have a spare moment!" (via itch.io)

👾🍃 Shoukan Connect: "Use your tripwire to prevent the ghosts from reaching the circle and connecting the 5 points of the star that has no affiliation to any existing religion!" (via itch.io)

Terraforma:  "Grow your land by placing blocks & buildings while carefully planning your placements, and make your own little world in this small idle game." (via itch.io)

[honoringthehorrific]

Is Late Night with The Devil worth tuning in for?

Don't adjust those sets...spoilers in 5..4..3..2...

First off sorry for not being able to find a gif from the movie! Tumblr gave me a real hard time with that one.

Second off I would like to say I do not support the use of AI art. I think it is abysmal. I watched this movie with my partner after saving up points at our local theater for free tickets. If this still supports the movies we see in some way please let me know and I will be sure to find another way to better watch these movies without supporting their actions...🏴‍☠️🦜 It just may mean you get your reviews a touch later!

Onto the movie. The aesthetics were very enjoyable I could appreciate the ties back to satanic panic and the fascination with the occult. The costuming, the filming of the movie, it all felt right and very few times did I feel my immersion in it break. I feel like maybe there were one or two shots where the actors looked too well made up if that makes sense.

One fun fact my partner pointed out was that you can see the twin towers in the opening shots and the city cut aways because they were built 4 years prior! I really liked that this movie didn't shy away from showing us the towers mostly because I feel like that's something that would have broken the idea we are in the 70s.

While the filming was fitting and awesome the effects were....I would say B tier at points. I think it adds to the charm of course I can always appreciate a homemade effect but it does slightly pull me out of this being something that really happened. Don't get me wrong I know it's not trying to be the next Blair witch "true story" but i feel like there is some level to this that wants the audience to feel that this is real.

My partner notes too that cutting it from a television camera view to the audience view might have helped as well!

Onto the fun stuff, we get hints throughout...sorry no, not hints...we get TOLD throughout the movie that our star of tonight's show, jack delroy, is in a fraternal organization...sorry, i mean cult. He is in the Bohemian Grove cult. We get told there are rumors of this in the opening almost documentary style retelling of Jack's fame and struggles with being as good as Johnny Carson. We'll come back to that.

Tonight is 1977. Halloween night. Sweep week. A night where Jack really needs to scrape in the views. He has no idea that the plans he has this evening will go awry...recently his wife madeline who will be reffered to by her "special nickname" mini has passed away from lung cancer. Tonight's show is also jacks first one back and man is it a doozy. We get to see how he banters with his co-host and honestly kind of berates him. I had this struggle with jack where I wanted to like him but every time I tried I just got these kicks and hints that he was kind of an asshole? But it's show biz, who isn't? His first guest is a medium who intends to commune with the dead. He seems like other shoddy Vegas types until he accurately assess a family who lost their son and brother to suicide. It's later revealed to be a bunch of hooey when the next guest a renowned skeptic chats with the family and realizes they were questioned prior to the show.

The first chilling moment we get that isn't the use of AI art is the medium seemingly becoming possessed by the grieving spirit of mini however no one claims the name and only later does jack reveal he thinks the message was for him.

I'm not gonna foot around it. The use of AI art while not overly used and egregious it's present. Personally it being present feels like an issue. It bugs me and it should bug you. I know many people want to cut it a break for being an indie film but it doesn't take much to put some money towards what was it? 5-6 pieces of art? Yeah some people will have higher rates for working on this but I'm sure they could have found someone to do the art if they felt theirs wasn't up to par. I don't think they're fully evil or anything for it. I don't support AI art but I can understand the other side of the argument. However when you turn a blind eye to one film and it does well it doesn't matter if it's an indie project or not. It makes the big guys think hey we like this. Give the devil an inch and he'll take a mile right?...

That all being said I could ignore the cut aways kind of??...I paid attention for mistakes the first few times before the sight of them just elicited an annoyed eyeroll from me.

As the movie progresses we meet the skeptic. He's offering checks to people who can prove without a doubt that they're the real deal and he says hes not lost a nickel yet. The medium claims he doesn't want the money and when Jack vouches for him and says the last message was meant for him the medium's behavior gets more and more erratic before he finally spews black vomit all over the studio including onto the skeptic.

Little do we know on the way to the hospital our medium turns up dead. This starts to brew panic in the crew and our co-host as our next guests are brought on. June and Lily. Lily was found as a 10 year old by the authorities as the only surviving member of a satanic cult that kind of parodies the satanic church and Anton lavey. Lily is possessed by a demon she calls mr.wriggles. mr.wriggles is an interesting one alright! Wether it's trauma, the demonic possession or my boyfriend's theory- autism. Lily exhibits off behaviors like staring directly into the cameras and seeming very monotone at times. It isn't until Jack pushes for and honestly...kind of corners June on live TV that June and Lily decide to showcase Lily's ability. Man does this demon have something to say.

The demon begins by noting that him and Jack know each other hinting at a tie between the Grove cult again. Before intent focuses again on June. Calling her out for her and jacks relationship and telling her to remember what happened to his last whore. Possession doesn't cease until June slaps the girl. Let me tell you I didn't trust this at all. June goes to undo the straps after some crazy electrical issues and levitation and I just felt uneasy the whole time. That typical feeling while watching these movies of "are you stupid??" Lily in my eyes had a very sinister look to her still that later gets touched on again. We then get the skeptics explanation and recreation with hypnosis. Making our co-host believe his phobia of worms is suddenly real life with them wriggling from his neck stomach and lastly eyeball. Only for us to cut back to reality with his activation phrase and see that none of it was true. They watch the tape back and realize that the whole audience was hypnotized because none of that truly happened on their TV sets. However when watching back what happened with Lily it triggers the girl.

She levitates and glows while her head splits open. She immolates the skeptic when he offers the hefty check in exchange for his life and hangs her guardian/doctor by the necklace meant to keep the demon at bay. And unfortunately our chunky loveable co-host gets his neck snapped when trying to "the power of Christ compels you" the demon away. It isn't until we get this gorgeous dream like sequence after Jack seemingly gets away. Him going through the routine of the show only to try and escape. Him telling us to turn off our sets and stop watching before we get a sequence with the cult and him drinking from a chalice as he meets his wife. She reveals that he sacrificed her health for fame. He didn't know. And this is where I felt sympathetic for him....the entire time he was unaware...he murdered her unintentionally. And so she asks him to murder her in the physical. Take the ritual knife from Lily's old home and finish her off before the cancer can take her....only for him to plunge the knife into her and reveal that the dream was fake. And he has stabbed Lily to death. He stands and we get a heart wrenching scene of him trying to say the skeptics activation phrase to wake up while surrounded by the carnage he somewhat unknowingly caused...

Overall I give this 3 worms out of 5.

The AI made my eyes roll and the effects were corny but the premise and scenery and aesthetics were beautiful. I sort of reccomend it if you can watch it in a non supporting way.