#it’s a very interesting and nasty horror concept to me

[thepunkmuppet]

the reason why transfem elias is my favourite theory for gwendolyn is because think about the implications.

so let’s say this alternate universe reveals that elias is actually transgender, and would present/identify as female if they had the opportunity to figure themself out and transition (elias was reportedly very young when jonah possessed them)

then the idea that in the tma universe they not only didn’t live long enough to do that, but THEIR BODY WAS TAKEN OVER BY SOMEONE ELSE WHO THEN PRESENTED IN A MASCULINE WAY AND LIVED AS A MAN USING THEIR FACE AND BODY FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS?!? FUCKING TERRIFYING

as a trans person myself, even though the real elias was dead the dysphoria that idea gives me is absolutely unreal, and really creeps into serious body/existential horror territory which i think would be really interesting and very in-character for a writer like jonny to explore.

[spookygibberish]

If I was a throne, (previously an unbodied and of course without the societal grooming and power imbalances) I would want to be totally devoted to my literal other half.

The one that supports me literally and symbolically, why would I be interested in anyone else

I'm very sorry, but you can't just cut those things out, as nasty as they are. Part of the core concept of Thrones is exploring the structure, context, and implications of this particular relationship, why it came to exist, what it takes to maintain, and how the lives of the people involved are effected.

Thrones are heavily inspired by media that centers around people using the bodies of powerful, beautiful, noble, etc. creatures in order to elevate or enhance theirselves, (dragon-rider stuff, but also things like NGE and Pokémon, (all of which is media I love)), digging deeper, and trying to take things to their logical conclusions. To that end I've created a fairly specific project with fairly specific themes, ie. a setting where a similar result is achieved via bodily fusion between the "human" and "other" elements, which is precedented on an ancient system of slave-making, exists to uphold a theocratic empire, and is at its core exploitative. Headless have no place in society outside of the option to become the Lower Half of a Throne, and that's still a thing inherent to Throning, and no amount of doting would change that fact. If you bought a slave and then dressed them only in velvet and jewels, bought them the moon, it wouldn't really change or absolve the fact that this person is a possession, even if a treasure.

A scenario where Headless exist stripped of the horror of their social context and the violation they undergo is just. Not a version of this setting that exists, or that I'm interested in making, because exploring these things emotionally, thematically, sociologically etc. is part of the point.

[nitrateglow]

Spooky Season 2024: 6-11

Targets (dir. Peter Bogdanovich, 1968)

Targets follows two parallel stories that eventually intertwine. The first involves elderly horror star Byron Orlock (Boris Karloff), disillusioned with his professsion and the real-world violence around him, and intent on retiring from film. The second involves Bobby (Tim O'Kelly), a disturbed young man obsessed with guns who goes on a murder spree. Both points converge at the drive-in premiere of Orlock's newest film.

Targets caught me offguard. The violence in the story involves a mass shooter and so it has a lot of real-world parallels. The killings are presented in a matter of fact way, without spectacle or blood geysers. It makes all of it feel more real and upsetting, especially since we've seen our share of Bobby-like killers over the decades.

My youngest sister watched this one with me and kept calling Karloff's character "Babygirl" and that isn't wrong. Though crabby and cynical, Byron is really charming and likeable. The arc he undergoes is really powerful, particularly as it pertains to his relationship with his secretary Jenny (Nancy Hsueh).

Though the tensions of the late '60s are a major part of Targets, it also deals with the gulf between the old school horror movies represented by Orlock and the more violent fare of the dawning New Hollywood era. I feel like there are just so many layers here. I really need to rewatch it. It's a fascinating movie and I would highly recommend it.

The Phantom of the Opera (dir. Dwight H. Little, 1989)

Modern singer Christine Day (Jill Schoelen) is sent back in time to a previous life as an aspiring opera singer in 1880s London. Her mentor is Erik Destler (Robert Englund), a disfigured composer who made a deal with the devil that left him immortal and embittered. He also has a habit of skinning people and then stitching the flesh on his ugly ass face. The opera management wants to build up another diva's career at the expense of Christine's. Erik doesn't like this. People start getting killed.

The 1989 The Phantom of the Opera is such a mixed bag, but I enjoy it anyway. The script is a mess. It frames the story with this weird time travel/reincarnation/isekai plot that doesn't add up to anything. It introduces interesting concepts-- like the relationship between Christine and Erik reflecting Erik's own deal with the devil-- without fleshing them out. Also-- and if Letterboxd is anything to go by, I'm in the minority-- I'm not crazy about Jill Schoelen's Christine, though I think that's more due to the way Christine is written than how she plays the role.

But then you have the glorious production design, stagebound but dripping in gothic candlelight and late Victorian grime. Best of all, you get Robert Englund's Erik Destler, one of the best onscreen Phantoms of all time.

I love how Englund's Erik is both an excitable schoolboy, almost squealing with delight while Christine kills it at Faust, and a violent, vengeful monster who doesn't take his will being defied lightly. I like the skin-grafting angle for the mask and that Erik ventures out into the London underworld at night. These are all fresh elements and I wish they could have been combined with a tighter, more focused script.

Still, this is a fun movie.

Murders in the Zoo (dir. A. Edward Sutherland, 1933)

A zoologist (Lionel Atwill) is pathologically jealous of his younger wife (Kathleen Burke), and so starts killing any perceived rival to his possession of her. Very pre-code violence ensues.

I'm going to be blunt: this movie did not live up to the hype. A lot of pre-code fans vouch for it as the nastiest horror film of the era. That is likely true. The first thing we see is a man getting his mouth sewed shut, a bit of nastiness that would shock in a recent film, let alone one from 1933. There are some gruesome killings throughout.

Too bad the story is sluggish and dull. There's a lot of corny comic relief that stops the action dead. The direction is flat. It's definitely not a movie I can see myself revisiting. There's barely anything there to sustain interest beyond the occasional creative murder-- no atmosphere, no anything.

Other than the murders, the only thing that stood out to me was Kathleen Burke as the tragic wife of the crazy zoologist. Burke is best remembered as Lota the Panther Woman in Island of Lost Souls. Her career fizzled out quickly, which is a shame because she has great presence and no shortage of talent.

The Black Room (dir. Roy William Neill, 1935)

In a Tyrolean town, an ancient prophecy swears that the ruling house will be destroyed when twins are born and the younger brother kills the older. So when the baron is presented with twin sons, he does everything he can to prevent the prophecy, such as sealing up the Black Room where the murder is supposed to occur. The boys grow up different as can be: the older brother Gregor (Boris Karloff) is cruel and sensual, abusing the locals and his own power, while the younger Anton (also Karloff) is gentle and kind. Despite his twin's sweet nature, Gregor is still concerned for his life and his continued domination of the town. He hatches a devious plan to cheat fate, but can he?

For some reason, I thought I had seen this movie long ago, but apparently not. What a delightful gothic story this is! It's filled with all the old school tropes played straight: an ancient prophecy, a lecherous nobleman preying on innocent maidens, a torture chamber filed with corpses, a dark and gloomy castle. There is a subtle sense of grim humor throughout, but it never descends into parody when it easily could have.

If you've ever doubted Karloff's capabilities as an actor, this movie should remedy that opinion. He plays two distinct characters, and at one point, gives a performance within a performance. All three performances feature their own unique body language, line delivery, and business. It's astonishing throughout.

Equally impressive is the direction from Roy William Neill. Best known for helming the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movies, his direction here is so dynamic and impressive, not in the least stagey or inert.

One last thing: for a post-Production Code movie, it has a surprising amount of violence and sexuality. Gregor is clearly using the local women for his sexual gratification before murdering them, and his interest in Marian Marsh's lovely aristocratic girl is 100% carnal. There's a pit full of corpses and we get to look into it rather than have its presence alluded to offscreen. It's all nasty stuff. It really feels like the filmmakers got away with a lot, even if it seems tame by modern standards!

The Bells (dir. James Young, 1926)

Innkeeper Mathias (Lionel Barrymore) hopes to become burgomaster of his village. He hopes endless credit and free drinks will sway the populace to support him, but this comes close to killing his business and destroying his family. Desperate, he murders a wealthy guest, destroys the body, and uses his pilfered gold to pay off all debts and influence his way to power. However, both the crushing guilt and a mesmerist (Boris Karloff) with mind-reading powers threaten to expose him.

This is one of those movies that has a great premise, but the execution is very underwhelming. The filmmakers waste a lot of time on the romantic antics of Mathias' pretty daughter and goofy comedy. It's like they were timid about leaning more into the gothic, distressing elements of this dark story and it makes the film drag.

Still, Barrymore is good, especially once he commits the murder and starts going all Telltale Heart. But the best thing in the movie is definitely Boris Karloff. He had been in movies since 1919 and it wouldn't be until Frankenstein in 1931 that he became a star. But it's safe to say, The Bells gives Karloff his first standout role.

Karloff's character doesn't show up a lot, but he is the biggest threat to Mathias' power. Though his Caligari cosplay is hilarious (for real, the filmmakers didn't even TRY to hide the Caligari influence), he has this creepy shit-eating grin that really leaves an impression.

Is Karloff enough to make this worth watching? Eh, I don't think so. There are far better silent thrillers you could be watching.

The Sorcerers (dir. Michael Reeves, 1967)

Elderly Professor Montserratt (Boris Karloff) and his wife Estelle (Catherine Lacey) use a mind control procedure on young stud Mike Roscoe (Ian Ogilvy). Able to experience everything he feels and to control his behavior if they wish, the two vicariously experience the thrills of Swinging London through their test subject. However, Estelle gets drunk on power and starts using Mike to engage in multiple crimes, including murder.

This movie was hyped to me, so maybe it's partially my fault I was so disappointed by the end result. With the exception of Estelle, the story lacks compelling characters. There's no sense of pathos to Mike's victimization and downfall because he's bland as hell and passive, a deadly combination if you want me to give a damn about your narrative.

Everything about this movie feels drab, both the visuals and the filmmaking itself. Big setpieces like the hypnotism scene or the telepathic motorcycle ride are supposed to be kinetic and exciting, but they just feel like the product of an enthusiastic amateur. I've seen low budget movies that have real personality and verve despite their lack of resources (see Blast of Silence), but The Sorcerers just feels cheap and uninspired in every way. I struggled to finish it even though it wasn't even an hour and a half long.

It's a shame because I like the central premise: two elderly people use this device to vicariously experience the fast life of swinging London. But it's done so poorly. It's hard to believe director Michael Reeves' next film would be the masterful Witchfinder General.

[gorbalsvampire]

Gehenna War

It's pretty neat, yo.

Like Blood-Stained Love, it transforms the core "personal and political" horror of Vampire into another subgenre. Unlike Blood-Stained Love, it has a lot of concrete advice for Storytellers on structuring scenes, assembling pools, building characters to interact with, and making that subgenre work at the table.

An effort has been made, here. There's a little chart in the introduction claiming that Chapters 2 and 3, and the Appendices, will be of use to any action chronicle, be it more high concept or street level, and having read the durn things I think that claim's borne out. I'm gonna talk about those sections first, and later loop back around to the specifically Gehenna War stuff.

Chapter 2 has neat archetypes for characters in various armed conflict roles - generals, spies, intelligencers, recruits, veterans - with recommendations for priority stats rather than statblocks, so these can be flipped for player or Storyteller use. Suggestions for bonus XP amounts if you want more powerful starting characters, and focused specialisations that advise you to focus particular areas of your character sheet - almost like soft classes, or playbooks. A handful of new Merits and Flaws (one of which is getting slammed onto Penny), and a mixed bag of Discipline powers. Bloodform is back? Woo! There are "reroll Rouse checks for raising this one Attribute or using this one Discipline" openers for the Physical Disciplines? Swing and a miss, more filler. There's two incredible new high-end Blood Sorcery rituals (I shall be using both of them very soon), and some funky Thin-Blood Alchemy if you want your Duskborn to join a Methuselah cult.

Then: advice on running Basic Combat, and explicit guidance on the modularity of the Advanced Combat rules, and a few new ones. This is brilliant stuff for new Storytellers, reflective of the demand for the Combat Primer, and it's given me some ideas I didn't have before, and ALSO. VINDICATION. OBSERVE.

One of the things that waters down play over time is if the characters need to build the same dice pool every time for the same task. To avoid this, Storytellers should vary the traits involved according to the situation, to keep things interesting and to curb players trying to optimize their pools.

Leaving aside that awful syntax at the start - "Play becomes predictable if the characters need to build the same dice pool every time they attempt a task" - activate your voice, and dismiss "is" clauses, you cowards! - anyway, leaving that aside, this is how I've been doing things all along and I love that a book explicitly says "do it and don't get hung up on the exact RAW every time."

Car chase mechanics, cute new gear (I like the Scourge Blades, nasty-ass duelling swords that delay vampiric healing). Then it's on to story advice!

Chapter Three does something I wish Blood-Stained Love had done for romance: getting into the structure of action stories, how action interacts with other genre qualifiers (crime, horror, survival, thriller etc.), the escalating role of villains - like, actual formalist thinking about how stories work. We then get some mechanical advice on how to shift the mode of play, how to approach things like Hunger and Frenzy to make them more or less of a factor. It's short, but it's fuckin' GOOD.

Appendix I is all about dice. When you should and shouldn't roll, as opposed to taking half. Grouping those moments into broad types by what they do to the emergent story. How to add variation with tracker rolls or unusual dice pools. How to manage failures on tests and what to offer players to keep the story moving. And, most important of all, how to deal with the Beast, going through each Skill and showing how the Beast impacts a Messy Critical (still a success, remember!) or a Bestial Failure.

You need this Appendix. The corebook needed this appendix. Maybe it took six years of best practice and sharing ideas to get these ideas fully understood. Maybe if there'd been one dev team since the start we might have had this sooner. At least we have it now.

I'll talk about the Gehenna War itself in a follow-up post. That's Chapters One, Four, Five and Six, and Appendix II.

[cadmium-free]

Day 13 of 26 with @neopetsdotcom

CELLAR DWELLER (1988)

Lauren's Review

This year, for our October movie marathon, Awl and I very carefully picked movies that were 90 minutes or under (watching a movie every day is harder than you’d think!) and this is the first one that I’ve been truly so disappointed at the fact it wasn't longer

It’s literally SUCH a unique concept and plot and setting and the ensemble cast is a lot of fun. It sets up so many interesting possibilities, but an hour and 10 minutes is Not nearly long enough for the story it starts telling or to deal with the fallout or implications of any of what it introduces

It starts off soo strong but at about the halfway mark it’s like the movie realizes it’s bit off more than it can chew and starts rushing to resolve the plot as sloppily and hastily as an essay written the night before it’s due. It’s such a shame. I could have watched so much more of this and there is so much potential for it to be great

It was still an enjoyable watch! there’s a lot of nice gooey gore scenes and the creature design is exquisite. I’ll just never stop mourning for the movie it might have been

Awl's Review

hit new artist residency where you voluntarily make art in the house from Evil Dead for a month

i'm very charmed at how mean spirited this is to artists (if you want a really deep cut, its scathing attitude about artists reminds me of artist Alex Bag's film piece Untitled Fall '95, which is the origin of that famous clip of Bjork explaining a television). 

the one hot guy for everyone to love, the vicious vent art, the finger painting and bad performance art, the lowbrow art haters, the nasty gossip, and the plagiarism! it's got all of the worst of art institutions. it's very funny. somehow slots itself into my very tiny canon of things that get art school correct (Untitled Fall '95, Blue Period, and now Cellar Dweller)

as an actual movie, i don't think it's great. it's got a really compelling concept: Jeffery Combs makes demons real by drawing what looks to be horror erotica. he dies for his horny art and then 30 years later a woman is like, wow, you ever heard of that horror artist who murdered a woman and burned his studio down? he's my idol! and she too draws demons to life with the power of comics.

tragically it doesn't use the monster very well, but i do like its low budget solution of using comic panel illustrations to show the kills. it rushes through its plot once it sets itself up, so there isn't much tension, and then it doesn't seem to know where to go. it's the kind of movie that would be fun to rent and watch half paying attention and goofing off with your friends. or to makeout to, in honour of the very mild horror erotica comic.

[creepylittlelady]

Lord Zalgo headcanons! [PUPPET STRINGS INFO DUMP]

Hey! Thank you so much for the notes on my Slenderman post! I hope one day my AU can reach a lot of people, because I seriously need people to lore dump to!

If you're reading this and want to request specific characters, go ahead! I have headcanons for everyone, but not as much for characters like Hobo Heart, Nathan the Nobody, Jason the Toymaker, Candy Pop or Vailly Evans, sadly ;(

I do have tons on different characters, and if you want to ask a question about my AU then go ahead! I could rant about it for days lol (my uber autism speaking).

Anyways, enough self promo. Lord Zalgo is such an interesting character to me and it hits me right in my soul when I barely see any content of him and in most comics he's just the evil guy. I feel like his character should be more nuanced to I hope these headcanons fit that objective!

Lord Zalgo Headcanons

-Okay, to explain, Lord Zalgo is the Emperor of the Underworld. Not hell, because that word's got a bad connotation. No, the Underworld is a mixture of every dead organism that has ever lived. Demons and Angels live there alike, it's just all one United State (ITS NOT COMMUNISM). Lord Zalgo is the divine ruler, and his authority resides over every community residing in the Underworld.

(I should definitely make a post about the Underworld soon)

-He came to the Underworld in the year 1901, dethroning all former leaders, whether they be Angels or Demons, and quickly established himself as the new leader. He's immensely powerful and lives in a Castle, which is a Labrinth of its own, right in the Centre of the Underworld.

Well, enough cool stuff. LETS GET TO THE ANGST.

-Zalgo was born the child of a Lady of the Night and an unknown Priest. His original name is Ashton, although he can't really remember what his actual last name was, he rolled with the last name 'Morningstar'. Whilst his mother did provide for him and later on his younger half-sister 'Lily' (I'll make a post on her later), she left when he was 11 years old, and never returned.

-Due to growing up in the worst of the worst, in absolutely inhumane slum conditions, he's used to seeing things such as Dead Corpses and most bloody conditions in general. He's completely desensitized to Gore and Death in general, which is why most people believe him to be cruel and sadistic.

-He once worked in a factory, and suffers from constant nightmares about his experiences there. He's acquired a lot of nasty permanent injuries from that place, and has nightmares about being beaten or being refused food. Yeah, the dude's really traumatised.

-Although politically he has to say that he hates Slenderman due to their political differences, truth is they're each others only friend. Since Slender is well aware of the horrors he's seen, he has an understanding of why he is the way he is, but it doesn't mean he condones his behaviour.

-By 'his behaviour' he means his constant misuse of lust (he's not a rapist he just has a bunch of kids with random mortals) and his wrath. He's not a sadistic person by any means, but copious amounts of violence is sort of how he copes with his own memories of violence.

-Since he was born extremely poor and by such he never got an education, the dude's a really slow reader. He's very intelligent, and was slightly more literate than the other kids in the Factories, but he's still an incredibly slow reader. He has a Servant write his letters for him and makes other people read messages to him out loud. He's quite insecure about this, so he's pretty grumpy every time he makes Stripes read out a text message for him.

-He became Lord Zalgo due to willingly sacrificing himself to the Operator, and because of his already traumatised soul became a Pure Demon. The Zalgo body is made, symbolically, out of his worst insecurities and traumatic experiences. That sounds edgy and confusing as hell but I promise when I put the concept into actual words I'll make a post about it someday.

-Due to being the sole provider for his little sister, Lily, at one point, he's basically used to being a father. Although he has many children he deems most of the male children as illegitimate. He only claims the female children, although he only has three of them. This is also his way of coping with a particularly bad trauma that he suffers from.

When he lost his sister and only remaining biological family, Lily, to a horrific death, he basically tried desperately filling that hole inside of him by having female children and taking care of them. He feels immense guilt as he feels that if he simply had protected her more he could have saved her from her fate.

Stripes, Sadiya (I HAVE GENUINELY NO IDEA IF SHES ZALGOS CHILD OR NOT BECAUSE APPARENTLY SHES LAZARIS COUSIN BUT THEN WHO TF IS SHE THE CHILD OF???), and Lazari were basically made to fill that void. He tries to take care of them, but he often fails. Lazari's custody went to Slender for that exact reason.

-He basically went insane when Lazari's mother refused to give her to him (Lazari's backstory is changed a bit in my AU).

-As for his relationships with the Proxies and the Pastas (that's just what I like to call them), he's generally just known either as Lazari's dad or as Slenderman's MAYBE-Boyfriend. Most people were confused as they thought he and Slender were dating when they weren't.

He particularly has a good relationship with Nina. She accidentally ended up in Zalgo's Castle after following Stripes back there after visiting Lazari, and the two of them hit it off, as Nina didn't really show fear towards him. He claims that Nina's his favourite one out of all of the Slender residents.

He also feels pretty bad for the Proxies and their situation, but he's not particularly on good terms with any of them.

-He's on HORRIBLE terms with Slenderman's brothers, especially his father. Since they all reside in the Underworld and have been trying to track down Slenderman for years, he basically has to lie to them as Slender doesn't want to talk to any of them. He particularly hates Slender's dad as he doesn't obey any of the laws of the Underworld.

-He likes to pretend to be an evil mastermind, but he's not really all that serious about his 'Evil Plans'. They mainly consist of stealing Slender's Books or putting them in the wrong alphabetical order.

-He actually can be evil at times, he's definitely capable of it. Due to the fact that he can be considered as the literal Devil, he's done his fair share of abhorrent deeds, such as Genocides and Executions of rebels.

-The dude's had so many coups and assassination attempts against him that he can spot them from a mile away. He's had people executed WAY before they even went near him. Due to his experience with Assassins, he's crazy stealthy as well.

-'Zalgo text' is just something he made to encrypt any letters that he sends. He uses Zalgo Text to make sure to make important messages are unintelligible to enemy interceptions. His handwriting is terrible anyways, so it just makes it even harder to read.

-His catchphrase 'HE COMES' is basically plastered on most things in the Underworld. It's like a brand at this point.

-He's very touch starved, so he's overly affectionate to people that he likes. When he's in a more stable mood he smothers Lazari with hugs (when she's allowed to visit) and basically doesn't let go of Slender, ever.

-Although he states that his birthday is on Halloween, it's actually on the 27th of July. He isn't used to celebrating his real birthday, so he just doesn't.

-Due to the fact that he's so used to being dirt poor, sometimes he just forgets that he's rich and can basically do whatever he likes.

Another incorrect quote format to demonstrate this.

Zalgo: Ah man looks like I don't have enough to get McDonalds today. Slender: What do you mean just take money out of your bank vault in the basement Zalgo: BANK VAULT? I HAVE A BANK VAULT? Slender: ...Yes? You're the Emperor of Hell? Zalgo: Wow you learn something new everyday

Once he was panicking about how he didn't have enough cash to pay the entrance fee for a restaurant, and was just SHOCKED when they let him in without him needing to pay.

-He's definitely not a great person, and is definitely one of the most mentally unstable characters in my AU, but dammit he's trying his best.

-He often has to keep Slenderman inside of a basement whenever the Operator takes control and gets too violent. it's basically his job to beat it into sedation, which he doesn't feel guilty about in the moment but then he remembers that Slender can also feel the pain.

The Operator's the only being that he's afraid since it directly holds power over him, and is basically holding his friend hostage. Him and Slender made a pact that if the Operator got too unbearable, that he has to try and kill him.

Alright, hope you enjoyed! I wanna explore his character more soon, so stay tuned for that!

[barkhoffman]

#1 fat and hairy Mark Hoffman truther again-

Yes I’ve seen Hannibal, I’m a fag and so I watched it as a gay comedy. That shit was hilarious. I did enjoy the cooking scenes, to no one’s surprise, cooking is one of my biggest interests so mixing food with horror? AND ADDING BLOOD SYMBOLISM? I was dripping (from the mouth)

I didn’t really get into Hannibal/Will, I know a bunch of Hoffman/Strahm shippers think they’re cut from the same cloth but eh. Meh. Maybe it’s cause Hannibal’s superiority complex makes me :/ or cause I think Mads Mikkelsen is pug fuck ugly but to each their own

I did forreal enjoy the show though, I thought all the villains of the week were fun. I especially liked that guy from season 2(?) who made himself into an animal and started mauling people. Damn bitch me too 👏🏽

————

Anyways here’s more feedee Hoffman post-Saw 3D concepts for your soul:

- after getting locked in the bathroom for several days/possibly a week, Hoffman is ravenous. He gets that sweet sweet starvation trauma babyyyyyy. I’m talking “growling at people’s hands when they even inch near his food” kind of territorial (dog motifs anyone?)

- to counter this, Strahm has to systematically reintroduce meal time to him. I’m talking TPE (total power exchange) dynamics as kink therapy. Hoffman has to sit pretty, wait and stay at the table until Strahm puts his food down. He has to use his utensils and be polite, Strahm wants him to be able to eat in public again without making a scene

- at first, Strahm has to hand feed him tiny morsels because Hoffman would just wolf (haha) down his whole plate and end up throwing it back up. Hand feeding lets Strahm control how much food Hoffman gets before he has to take a sip of water, it also means the man has to chew and swallow before he gets more. The first time he tries, Strahm gets some nasty bites since Hoffman is that desperate. Strahm doesn’t punish him for it but he gets a very stern reprimand and makes Hoffman stop dinner time to bandage him up

- after a bit of training, Hoffmans basically back to where he used to be with food, pre-bathroom, but he still enjoys being doted on by Strahm at meal time. I mean, who can blame him? Strahm has his whole attention on his puppy, praising him for how good his manners are, giving his hand little squeezes every time he asks for water, getting belly rubs post meal to help everything settle in his tummy, etc. it was a long road to recovery but they did it

- Hoffman probably enjoys all the personal attention and care Strahm showers on him. Being locked in the bathroom with no light and only the stench of decomposing corpses can really fuck up a guys sense of time and smell. Strahm prolly isn’t the best at cooking but the fact that he’s alive, moving around and filling the space with warm smells settles a deep rooted sense of anxiety in Hoffman. If he ends up plastered to Strahm’s back, hooking his chin over the agents shoulder and trying to sneak meatballs out of the pot- well. Who can blame him. He loves Italian

ok just had to know the Hannibal thing bc I was like hm it sounds like anon might enjoy the homoerotic bird-eating scene LMAO

can I tell u all how much I love sort of bdsm relationships like the one being described between hoffstrahm here

like yas bitch control him dominate him make him behave!!!

[chaos0pikachu]

I binged watched part 2 of The Glory and I have THOUGHTS and OPINIONS but overall liked part 2 a ton, really need Song Hye-kyo and Jung Sung Il to be in another drama where they get to fuck nasty tho saw someone say a spy thing and now all I can think about is a Korean remake of Mr and Mrs Smith staring them 

anyway thoughts and opinions, obviously spoilers and some unpopular opinions to boot: 

so like, off the bat I am firmly neutral on the JYJ and MDE romance. Sorry y’all. I thought some of their romantic moments were just out of place tonally in the show - the fondue scene especially with the standard kdrama romance music playing, the running hug scene, both come to mind - I wished the show leaned into the dark romance aspects more. Like, my issue with JYJ is he’s way way way more interesting when he’s unhinged and covered in blood. But the show seemed determined to make him a “green flag” which is a term I’m growing increasingly eye-rolly with in fandom which made him way more boring and also inconsistent. 

I was actually salty he didn’t get to stab anyone! Why tease me with a murder knife drawer and not do anything with it??? His best moment was when he put PYJ under and was so wonderfully creepy and intimidating. That was peak. That was his best moment for me in part 2 and the rest was kinda...meh? I didn’t want him to be cutely romantic I wanted him to be secretly unhinged!! Him being a ~green flag~ was meh his other best moment of the show was his monologue to his father’s murderer. Literally one of the best moments of the show and 100% his best moment as a character. I wanted more of THAT and less of him simping after MDE tbh. 

That said, I’m not like against their romance or anything it’s just firmly - fine. It’s fine. 

I’m also very meh/eye-rolling over the concept of a woman being a man’s savior and salvation. I find that trope really boring tbh 

It was nice to see MDE have a partner in crime, and I did like the tent scene with them. I think if there’s fic written if it’s fluff squeecore fic I’ll pass but I’d love a take on them that embraced the darker aspects of YJY’s character. Like dude was an obsessed stalker - which is another reason this green flag thing is weird to me - after spending like what 3 months with MDE if she didn’t like him and also wasn’t a bit unhinged herself he’d be a horror movie char lol like he moved entire ass cities to be closer to her without telling her and lied to her about knowing So-Hee’s mom all in a longcon effort to get closer to her like embrace the unhinged! 

Anyways

We didn’t get much of HDY and MDE this part but know what, I really liked how subtle their relationship was tbh like HDY taking off his shoes before entering her home was a peak moment for me. It’s subtle, but it was a bit of kindness that was so often and so thoroughly denied MDE repeatedly. And obviously that meant a lot to her b/c she was willing to drop her whole ass extended revenge plot and give PYJ a chance to turn herself in. I liked that he didn’t immediately divorce PYJ too b/c it gave him all the opportunity to slowly and symmetrically tear her apart emotionally. 

Like, PYJ realized she actually loved this man, so knowing that MDE got into his head and heart - I loved that he basically admitted yeah he had an emotional affair with her - was clearly so damaging for her ego. And that’s what PYJ cares about most, her ego, her image, her self-preservation. And I loved how HDY tore that down every chance he got. He knows about her affair, he knows HYS true parentage, he knows all her little secrets and when she tries to defend herself he gives her rope to hang herself with it. And she does b/c of course she does!! Oh it was great. 

It shows that PYJ’s idea of love is possession. She’s mad HDY cheated on her, without considering her years long affair with JJJ. She loves her daughter, but not enough to take TWO, TWO different chances to actually protect her daughter (sidenote loved that both MDE and HDY gave PYJ two different chances to take responsibility for her action and make amends and both times she spat in their faces) and she denied them. 

Also what the heck is up with the fact that Mr “Who Should I Kill For You First” didn’t kill a single bitch but HDY killed one of the MAIN bitches??? Like, I loved it but what the heck??? That said would’ve really liked a follow up or sideways scene where MDE gave HDY the info on JJJ and that she knew~ he killed JJJ. I think they should’ve had a final scene together like that b/c it didn’t make much sense to me how JJJ got out of that car accident and ended up at that construction site where HDY followed and killed him after. Plus it didn’t make sense to me that MDE wouldn’t have kept tabs on JJJ and would have left his fate ambiguous like that. He was the one most loyal to PYJ and probably the only person who wouldn’t abandon her in the long run so like, that felt like a weird missing piece to the ending. 

I’m glad PYJ didn’t die tho, I’m kinda meh on main villains always dying tbh sometimes it really works - like JJJ’s death - but other times it feels like an easy out for them. I’m glad she’s in prison suffering especially not knowing one of the people she killed she actually didn’t. Knowledge that MDE can hold over her forever. I loved that I loved that was PYJ’s endgame. 

All that said, I wish the show incorporated more of the publics viewing of PYJ in her downfall. I think The Devil Judge and Hellbound did this way better with how social media and the news really influence the public perception. We got that one news conference and that was it but like I wanted more. I wanted to see more of the public takedown of the crew and have all the victims smiling as they listen to the gossip and chatter around them. 

Everyone’s fates were pretty dope though. KHN was a highlight, so glad her husband is dead, she didn’t forgive his ass in the end, and she’s happier now. She’s one of the best characters of the show, the way she flourished and grew - that SLAP she gave PYJ like no one topped that - was just amazing to see. HDY and his adorable daughter going to UK was so earned (made no sense but earned), the crew’s different deaths like loved that for all of them hahahah suffer. Glad MDE found happiness and fulfilment at the end with YJY. 

My last and only quibble with the finale was two things: 1) I wanted a follow up scene with Soo-Hee’s mom and MDE I think this was a hugely missed opportunity tbh like for MDE to tell SH’s mom we got them all not just PYJ but all of them went down you’re daughter can rest now. I was really disappointed we didn’t get this. 2) I really disliked how the last 20/30mins was dedicated to like a long set-up of a potential s2 about YJY’s revenge. Idk this was MDE’s story and it felt like the ending stopped being about her and became about an ad to watch a potential s2. It dragged on and on and I felt there were other things we could’ve explored instead to really wrap MDE’s story up completely. 

Overall, hands down one of the best kdramas I’ve watched and a high fave. 

[niennawept]

Tag Game - Fandom Edition

Tagged by @somebirdortheother, thanks so much, lovely! This was fun!

Your Name: On here, Nienna or Ni, if you please. I have 4-5 names that people regularly call me outside of that (IRL nicknames) but I prefer to keep that private.

Your First Fandom: Tolkien. Before I even knew what fandom was, I was composing fanfiction in my head about being Bilbo Baggin's niece (yes, before I read LotR, I somehow knew that he would have an adopted child because he definitely wasn't marrying a woman - A+, baby Nienna). At the time, I had no concept of what fanfiction was or what a self-insert was, but here I was, doing the thing at age 8. I think it counts, lol.

Your Current Fandom: Rings of Power specifically, wider Tolkien Legendarium also. And the thing you must know about me is I have two fandoms which are special interests of mine. 1) Tolkien and 2) Star Trek. Normally, when one is dormant, the other wakes up. So we'll count Star Trek too, even though that interest is currently sleeping (shhh, she needs her rest).

How did you first get into fandom?: Um, doomed by the narrative? My dad read The Hobbit aloud to me when I was little and then proceeded to read me LotR out loud a year later. I couldn't NOT form my whole personality around that (and Trek, which he introduced when I was 10).

How long have you been engaging in fandom spaces?: I discovered fanfiction online when I was 14. I used to write a long time ago, but college and grad school got in the way. I lurked for years (reading a couple longfics a week) but I didn't have the energy to create much myself. Adar and Rings of Power brought me out of that shell. So I guess the answer is: it's complicated.

How often do you read fanfic?: I'm almost always reading at least one longfic, although I have slowed down significantly now that I'm writing a longfic. These days I squeeze in reading one-shots because I set too ambitious of an update schedule and I'm trying not to get burnt out.

Top three characters from your current fandom?: Adar (my love), Tar-Miriel (who I am so worried about going into the next season), and probably Galadriel. I really admire how they let her be nasty enough to be credibly accused of being Morgoth's successor, by someone who would know. That's brilliant and gives her character a lot of room to grow into the Galadriel we know in the Third Age.

Have you ever written a fic for a fandom and if so, shout it out!: I do not think any of my very old fic still exists (thank the stars). But I'll link a few Rings of Power fics here (use caution, all three works are 18+):

Scars of Silver and Gold: A Second Age romance/adventure (Adar/OC) that will eventually answer the question "what is the best case scenario for Adar and his uruks that still fits within the constraints of Tolkien's legendarium?"

Until the Stars Burn Out: Set in Cuiviénen, under the light of the stars. Eren, the one who will one day be known as Adar, shares a moment of tenderness with the partner he was made for, Erenyë. (Adar/OC). Based off of "Awake, Arise or Be For Ever Fall’n"  by @dwarveslikeshinythings

Mistletoe Mischief: Christmas-themed smutty Adar/Reader fic. Modern AU.

Have you ever drawn fan art for a fandom?: I have, but I am not willing to share anything yet, because I'm just not where I want to be skill-wise.

Share a personal headcanon that you feel strongly about: Mmmm. I have many headcanons. It is hard to pick one. I'll say this: the elves that went to Valinor from the Waters of Awakening knew that some of them where kidnapped and taken but they did not see any orcs/uruks until the Noldor made it back to Middle-earth. It makes the Battle-under-Stars that much more existentially terrifying. Thinking about writing a horror one-shot about this - imagine recognizing your old friend, twisted by centuries of torture among the dead. *shivers*

You’re trying to convince a friend to get into your current fandom(s) with you. what episode, clip, or scene are you showing them?: Mmmmm. I don't think there's a clip of ROP that I can pick that doesn't have spoilers. All the parts I'm most attached to are in pretty deep.

And finally, what does fandom mean to you?: Community. Enjoying the thing you enjoy on your own is marvelous but enjoying it with other people is even better! People have such wonderful different ideas about things and that's very cool.

Tagging (no pressure, just love): @dwarveslikeshinythings, @lazymeriadoc, @bananaphanta, and anyone else to whom this looks like fun!

[payphoneangel]

Here are a few 'make you choose' prompts for the ask game :)

lazarus rising versus lucifer rising

the bunker versus motel rooms

Which was sadder: Castiel's final death or Dean's final death

crowstiel versus drowley

the scene where dean talks to his john's grave in the djinn dream versus the scene where dean talks to mary in her mind

OUGH IM EATIN GOOD TONITE!!!

Laz Rising w/o hesitation. Sorry Sam but Laz Rising is just such a stellar ep all around. The pacing the colors the celestial horror THEE CASTIEL. Can't be beat.

Motel rooms for sure. The bunker had some interesting elements to it and it was fun to see them have a 'home base' in some ways, but mostly I just thought it was really boring 😔 also like. that's just so sad?? This is just my personal bias but if I don't look out a window at least 12 times a day I whither and die like a plant. Living in a whole ass bunker.... NO WONDER LATE SEASONS DEAN WAS SO ANGY HE HAD A VITAMIN DEFICIENCY. Plus I like the thought put into the set for each motel room. There were a lot of details put into them and I really love liminality as a concept and motels are def part of that.

oooooh. Now this is a toughie. I think Dean's death. Castiel got to die in a very,,, like a Very Supernatural Way. He died confessing his love, saving Dean, defeating the Big Bad. It was high drama and high emotions and very Him. Like his whole speech was, while heartbreaking, made a lot of sense for his character. Him not getting resurrected (or resurrected off screen i should say) makes it more sad in retrospect, because for us (the audience) his death was The End of his character, but Dean... You introduce this character with a Devil May Care attitude, who pretends to be rough and all edges, and then you show that actually, he cares a whole whole lot. And then you show him caring a whole whole lot by how much he's willing to sacrifice for those around him. And you find out he does that because he believes it's an inevitability. He's going to die young and bloody-- he thinks he deserves to die young and bloody. And you throw him hardship after hardship and drag him through the ringer again and again and again, and after all that, He's proven right. He died young and bloody. But it wasn't even in a big blaze of glory, it wasn't some grandiose sacrifice for the greater good that fed into his martyr complex, no. Just bad luck on a run-of-the-mill hunt. Castiel's death was sad, sure. But Dean's was cruel. That's why it upsets me more.

OUGH another toughie. Crowstiel or Drowly.... They're both messy and ugly and full of drama so I love both of them, but I think if I had to pick, I'd say Crowstiel. Part of it is just like, the height of Crowstiel was s6, which I like Crowley more in that season. I felt like he and Cas have a more fun dynamic, are a little more equal in power, and idk, there's just something about it. Like they hate each other but they also fuck nasty. Drowly is still v v fun don't get me wrong, but like a pet peeve of mine is how the show treats Crowley. We didn't get to see much of "Dean and Crowley's Summer of Love" so we really didn't get to see the height of it, mostly just the fallout. And like I love demon!dean and most of s10 (an unpopular opinion, i know). But by later seasons i just feel like Crowley,,, like the narrative kind of looses all respect for him. Nothing he does feels like it has a lot of impact, when we see him and demon!dean, he's kind of playing the 'straight' man, which isn't as fun for me. So I feel like in later seasons when Drowley is most present, the dynamic is just not one I fuck with as much.

ahhhhhh mmmmmmmmm. I think Dean talking to John's grave. Idk there's just something about Dean only being able to be honest with his parents when they're absent that just tickles my brain. Not that I think he was being dishonest when he was talking to Mary! And like Mary coming back was a Bold Choice that I wish they had fucked with more, but being haunted by your father, whether living or dead, ahh I simply must stan.

[talentforlying]

👫 this but it's just me holding up a microphone because I Would Like To Know how your john feels about dream, corinth (1 or 2) and the endless in general--

dream:

unnerves him more than he lets on. his dreams are fucked, it's weird to think that someone's pulling the strings on those macabre little dances his brain does every night.

the circumstances of their first meeting have definitely colored constantine's impression of dream permanently, in a bit of a negative light. it's one thing to blithely assume that all immortal beings / constructs / anthropomorphic representations of the intangible world are cruel and uncaring. it's another entirely to see one directly faced with human suffering and dismiss it.

he likes to poke fun at their aesthetic differences. as far as his limited human perception goes, dream is classic goth while constantine is old-school punk; they get along, but the applications of hairspray are very different.

i think there will always be a nasty part of him that wants to pull a burgess and keep dream in a bottle, though he'd never act on it; he recognizes the pride and the arrogance of that impulse all too well. doesn't mean it ever really goes away.

the corinthian (let's say 1, i don't know all that much about 2):

scares him absolutely shitless, on a primordial level. like i said above, his subconscious is already fractured to hell and back, the last thing he needs is someone digging around in there and sampling him like a wing platter.

weirdly enough, corinth is probably the one he finds the easiest to interact with out of all given options?? dream is definitely the safest, but constantine knows how to navigate The Horrors better than he does The Endless.

he approves of the monochromatic suits. "taste recognizes taste" - said the most tasteless man alive. if you're gonna be evil, have a bit, as a treat. keeps things interesting.

i'm legally obligated to report that he finds the corinthian very hot and no he is not put off by the eyeball eating part. maybe a little. not enough to make better decisions.

the endless in general:

MAN. summarily, they freak him the fuck out. he's a very tangible person, he likes certainties and sets of rules (if only so he knows which ones to break), so all these concepts and anthropomorphisms and liminalities really mess with his head. he prefers not to think about them if he doesn't have to, he'll stick to acknowledging the existence of dream and call it a day. it also bothers him that it's possible for the facets of human experience to be affected by something so banal as family tensions; he likes to think the greater good of humanity is more important than petty squabbles, but he's almost always wrong.

i think he'd get along great with death if he actually sat down and talked to her for a minute. he gets so angry about losing people to unfair circumstances that his inclination would be to accuse her of cruelty and rail against her purpose, but seeing how she actually cares about the people she's ferrying would change his mind. in fact, i think she'd remind him of his sister, a bit.

if he ever set foot in delirium's realm, i don't think he'd come back out. he's lost himself enough as it is without being in a place where that's a feature, not a bug.

if he saw the chance to make a little nook for himself in one of the realms, he'd do it in a heartbeat. he likes to make contingency plans and set up secret hideaways, and he likes to think it would piss them off if they found out he'd been squatting in their domain.

@nightmarecountry / RELATIONSHIP HEADCANONS ( always accepting )

[gemstarstarlight]

Zombie fascination?

SO

I have had a life-long interest in the nasty mindless little creatures. The story starts badly: I watched someone play Plants vs. Zombies as a child and the groans and the concept of relentless creatures out to kill me and then make me like them was, well, terrifying. Terrifying enough that it triggered reoccurring nightmares. Even now, if I am sleeping in a new environment and it’s out in an open area (aka a living room couch or a big empty bedroom) I can nearly guarantee you that within a couple weeks I will have a zombie apocalypse nightmare. And hallways (dark or light, but especially dark) at 3am are not my favorite. Especially if they're twisty or have corners.

And of course, like many things in my life, my parents tried to help, but they didn’t know how to help an overimaginative child whose greatest fear was something that didn’t exist. “It’s not real, you don’t have to be scared of it,” was not very helpful when 30 seconds ago it had been very real and had been attacking me and my loved ones while I was asleep.

I avoided horror things for years because of it and tried to not watch anything remotely scary, but the zombies haunted me regardless. For a few years they were just mindless evil creatures that terrorized me in my sleep whenever I least expected it.

Finally, I got sick of it. I don't know exactly when I got the idea of exposure therapy, but I think it was 2 things: 1. I stumbled across the genre of "living zombies" aka Warm Bodies or iZombie, with zombies that could become human or were at least somewhat in control of their impulses. 2. When a fantastical creature visits you regularly, and is also a common feature in pop culture that everyone kind of makes fun of you for being afraid of, you can find yourself watching them be fearless in the face of the horror with a strange fascination. Look, there is the creature from my nightmares. Why doesn't it scare you?Why aren't you afraid? Why do you see silliness in what I see as mindless horror? Vampires and werewolves and ghosts were all very well, but zombies and I were intimately acquainted, and like creepy uncles that you avoided at reunions but also kinda wanted to see what they did next, I never could manage to look away.

So, one day, I decided not to. I couldn't (and still can't) manage to make myself watch proper zombie movies like Night of the Living Dead or Train to Busan, but I watched Warm Bodies until I'd memorized half of R's (hilarious) lines and devoured the soundtrack. I also watched iZombie (until Season 3 where, in the tradition of most CW shows, the writing took a dramatic turn downhill). I also, in an attempt to grow my tolerance for horror without confronting the big undead bad itself, began watching horror movies. I'm still not a horror movie buff, but now my Top 10 Favorite Movies list includes It (2017) and one of my favorite TV Shows is the kdrama Bring It On Ghost.

It's very funny, because as a child I was taught (and, to be fair, had evidence to prove) that people shouldn't watch horror movies because it promoted fear in them, and there was no reason to watch something that would make you scared. However, since that ship had already sailed, horror movies were actually part of what helped me not be as scared of them.

And, as the fear faded, I grew to have a bit of an obsession. Especially when I actually read the book Warm Bodies (which, while I adore the movie, is far better and more philosophical, with an incisive look at culture that I think everyone should read), I began to see how the trope could teach us about human nature, and what happens when humans are pushed to their limits. What does it say about humanity when it is confronted with the unimaginable? When every moment could be their last, and the horror comes sometimes from people they love? What kind of society is built around fear? What rules do people follow? What do they value, and why?

Add in the zing of fear that stopped being overwhelming and started being a little addicting, and now it becomes a concept I enjoy working with. I still get nightmares (though thankfully not as regularly), and I can read zombie fiction but can't quite make myself watch it, but now it has an inherent fascination that I can't get away from. It's now less like a creepy uncle and more like a hellhound I inherited: we didn't always get along and I'm still a little scared of it, but now I've found its uses and we've found out how to get along. I'm sure I'll learn how to become more comfortable as time goes by.

[dinnerplusdessert]

since 2025 is probably the last year of me writing fanfic, or at least jjk fanfic, i think its interesting to reflect on. prior to joining the fandom in 2021, i'd really only written very small original works. then, here comes jjk and i wrote my first every fanfic. it was a vampire skfs au, horror of course. and i think its then i found my groove in terms of my love of horror and feeling more comfortable to explore/present darker themes in a way i could never do i oc centric spaces.

eventually, the love i had for skfs burned out. and now ive got all this merch of them i dont care for! damn you sukuna! i think its because the skfs was pretty turbulent in 2022, and the hakari-kashimo fight was ongoing in the summer. i got bit by a new bug of inspiration; i remember writing the first fic for them in a single week between chapters.

it's pretty funny how, back then, i was the only person shipping hakari and kashimo. it was pretty lonely (this seems to be a theme in my jjk fandom experience...), but now when im not really into them as much, there's way more shippers. not many, but more.

it always been funny to me how hakashimo was a bit of a "grey zone" in terms of being ~problematic~. if you ask me, i think its probably more problematic than quite a few other age gap pairings (kashimo is literally a 70 year old man, he just looks like a twink). but that's kinda the reason i love it. god, the drama and concept is hilarious. if i wasn't so burned out, i could see myself writing one final fic for them. maybe. we'll see.

i once lamented how i seem to be afflicted with a curse when it comes to the ships i like

hakashimo have a whole arc -> kashimo has 1 interaction w sukuna --> everyone ships kashikuna

takafushi have bonding scene and takaba consistently works with/helps megumi --> takaba has his whole gay ass fight with kenjaku --> everyone ships takaken

and i get it! it's a little funny, actually. i like kashikuna and takaken too. despite how much i lament my negative experiences in fandom (particularly centred around takaba), im happy people actually appreciate and utilise the culling game characters now. when that arc was releasing weekly, it was a miserable time for their fans (me).

speaking of takafushi, my otp, my beloved. i think im really happy i got into their pairing and decided to write them, despite everything. i originally found fondness for the pairing when i was re-reading takaba's scenes for a planned (now scrapped) murder mystery skfs fic in 2022. i ended up loving takaba so much, and in turn his dynamic with megumi. takaba also had some design and personality traits i tend to love, so it felt like everything slotted together nicely in my brain.

i'd written small ideas for them on twt and the like since 2022, but then after megumi got taken over my sukuna, i was struck with inspiration while taking my friend to the airport. i wanted to have them interact in a postcanon context and explore their dynamic more (especially with megumi aged up, as i do for all my ships with him). it was also such a sad time for megumi in the manga, i wanted him to have something happy goddamnit!

and thus, imitation of life was born. this is probably my favourite fic of all the ones i've written. there's so much of myself in that fic, and it's sequel-slash-alt-pov a slow slow death.

it's funny, i wrote imitation of life around six months or so before the idiot survivor arc, and tbh this six months was one of the nicest times i had as a takaba/takafushi enthusiast. didn't last, unfortunately.

i think i could deal with the loneliness and embarrassment of being the "takaba and megumi guy" when it was just, yknow, me being seen as a bit weird and passionate about something no one else cared about. then, after the idiot survivor arc, i was quickly met with hostility and nastiness even though i'd been there all along.

not that being there first matters, it doesn't. but i wont lie and say it didn't hurt, when all i did was exist quietly in a space, with my stuff always appropriately tagged and curated, only for people to enjoy talking down about me, or outright send nasty messages. that's why i deleted my original tumblr to begin with, because it felt constant and endless.

when you ship something "problematic" and there's loads of other people right there with you, it's easier to ignore and move past. but with takafushi, it was just me. so most of the time it wasn't "i hate this pairing", it became "lets shame this creator." it also came primarily from other fans who shipped takaba and kenjaku, which of course made me feel worse and worse.

i still have significant anxieties and reservations about writing and sharing takaken fic because of it. which is a shame! i have some of the first takaken fanart saved on my computer and i was so excited by the idiot survivor arc. i have a couple of fics and concepts sat on my computer which never saw the light of day (or ao3) because of this.

it even effects ongoing works of mine, passion projects. my tkfs horror fic DEPLOY was supposed to heavily feature explicit romantic takaken, and im still in a position where i don't really feel comfortable including it or even tagging it for that matter. i was upset for a long time, and i do think this experience probably contributed to my creative burnout and general disillusionment with fandom.

still, i plan to finish DEPLOY this year! i managed to get some groove back over the holidays and chapter three is shaping up nicely, which im pleased about. if the starts align (and i have time outside of work 💀), i'd love to make a takaba/tkfs fanzine as a little final hurrah for my time here.

[shoppncart]

11/8/2024 - V/H/S/99

Another pretty alright collection of short films. I liked the wrap-around being a mostly comedic-in-tone stop motion home movie thing with little plastic soldiers. That was pretty amusing and I wish it was a bit more prominent overall.

Shredding had a neat concept and payoff, but the content in between was kinda middling and fell into the same sort of style as earlier VHS shorts, where you just watch a bunch of jerks mingle about until something spooky happens. I like the turn of the century grungy band stuff though, that's charming.

Suicide Bid was underwhelming, the whole concept for the nasty ghost didn't even really make sense to me (why would she prey upon a girl who fell into the same bullying trap that she did?), but I can at least see how the core idea of having the POV for being buried alive leads to a claustrophobic horror experience.

Ozzy's Dungeon was again, interesting in concept, being themed around a Legends of the Hidden Temple-esque game show, and the beginning and conclusion were where the short was at its strongest. The middle was a bit boring after the initial shock wore off though.

The Gawkers felt like one of the earlier VHS shorts again, which I wouldn't have much else to comment on, though the monster they ended up going with was pretty unique at least. Can't say I've seen that used in many other recent horror projects.

To Hell and Back was definitely the strongest of this set and maybe one of my favorite shorts in the VHS series as a whole. Not only was the set and creature design for Hell very well done, it was always pretty amusing and comedic with just how hammy and non-seriously the two focal characters were written. It was an enjoyable ride and the ending had me smiling as well.

[lonespektr]

OCTOBER 5TH HORROR WATCH

Talk to me (2023)

Wait this is Australian?

I have no idea WTF just happened.

How old are these kids supposed to be?

Not lil sugar

Injured roo - do they not effup card like bucks

Couldn't do ett

Jeeezus violent family

No subs im tired and this accent

I'm going to miss this dialogue y'all

Oijua board shit common at parties i seriously can't tell what age they are supposed to be

And they don't believe she saw something but they are confident they can be easily hypnotized??

And they are confident weird things will happen???

Do they think they are just high??

How do they explain the phenomenon

What am i missing???

Axolotl!!!!! 😃😃😃😃😃

She's a bad big sister

Mom is not playing

Where did they get the hand

Brick wall

But yea it's hardly a party there are less than ten people

This is a hang at best

Hand rumors

Now there are questions

Is he belted in

There's like a moosh of ages

Great acting from everyone

This spirits a cunt 🤣🤣

Wow as much as i have heard about the film can't believe nobody spoiled that one

Ambitious scene there

Odd cuts

Yo i thought he left

Dude also a bad sister

The popular kid bully concept is always... interesting i think at best in only hinges on if they have access to shit, in this case the hand

Nasty work having the mom pop up in the kid

And then you move away okay rebound

Didn't get the eye

Keep going like this on the trangressive end

Now who's this?

Are those dual hitaachie?

Ofc she has it

They are still at the hospital

Oof

Why play with her if shes not interested he's already friends with protag?

Mom blames her specifically. I feel like that's against her initial characterization and she would blame everyone, her first but everyone else too

Thot dog, what a way to jump start career

Tiny statues

He's already said it "They read what we think"

Dated prior when dating doesn't mean anything because they are kids

Okay she's mad at her too

Wait I'm trying to remember the first thing the ghost said

She likes you?" Like protag likes lil bro? Via ghosty?

Where's youngin?

Who the heck is that odd cgi

Oh he right there

She's the only one we've seen with residual effects

That will fix it

They are jumping face first into the addition analogy

Well i guess i mean jumping into it quickly as an very quick downward spiral

Who?

Parasitic in how souls are said to glum on

Brain damage too?

Ooo bit permanent possession and suicide attempts

She really letting him

Yea trangressive

this particular one is almost a barley sheilded kink

Hes said he was seeing what?

This is the kid with the brother who killed himself ?

She got on

They all did

They are all blaming her

The candle

They gon let her do it on her own

Hows he gonna do the invite?

I don't think, that's how it works?

Who that kid?

No timer?

Whoa she said i let you in whoaaaa

Okay internal state is torture and torture looked vaguely like an orgy

Lots of links to sex and violence

Secret mom note

Lol they didn't actually show them blow out the candle.

Suicide note.

This is actually great framing for a thing to watch out for suicide awareness folks if your very depressed person is suddenly uplifted and vibrant (and maybe giving away their shit) if it's a 180 like that, they may have decided to off themselves and are feeling lighter and freer because they are letting go.

Oh they are playing her like a fiddle "he's lying"

Oof this is a lot now on an addicted person yes they can rip through lives but jeebus

Annd full hallucinations they got her to off her dad

Now the number one person she loves

I love when movies do the thing when they have the person apologize for being wrong at the exact moment something changes and now the person is right about them.

We were already primed with the roo and i forgot

Great work on that

Damn he's still alive

Traffic

Oh now it is a full loop

Another cut

Another cut? No same one

Ok i,m confused

It was a good ending but we are literally missing a whole chunk like you needed to wrap that last story before you hit us with the kicker

Kids gonna keep trying kids gonna keep dying

This was a hard chemical argument

There was no off ramp

No hope

No wrong turn

It was a one and done, no hope after

One time and you don't know up from down

There are definitely a few reads on this that are bad like at least 2 or 3 that are offensive

I don't think that was the intention i think it would have been metter to mitigate them by making different choices

[lewdcookies]

Let The Galaxy Burn readthrough (Part 2)

You can find Part 1 here.

Another 10 stories have been read through so here are my reviews/rants about them.

11. Business As Usual by Graham McNeill. Who knew that by not making someone write about Space Marine they can actually do something interesting, fancy that. This one was an absolute hoot to read, because from the first paragraph it's pretty much an 80's B-grade sci-fi action/horror movie. Like from the first paragraph you just know you're in for something special.

RIGHT AWAY, SNOWDOG could tell that these six, deadhead Jackboys were trying to pull one over on him. Sure, they talked the talk, walked the walk and apparently had some real heavy connections with the High Hive gangs, but his gut told him that this deal was going to hell.

The dialogue is amazingly corny, and at parts read like something out of a Shadowrun novel.

‘So, you wanna deal?’ repeated the Jackboy. ‘Maybe.’ said Snowdog, nodding imperceptibly to Silver. ‘Don’t be givin’ me no “maybe”. Yes or no, that’s all I wanna hear. I don’t give out nothing for nothing. Understand, boy? You take our Kalma, we want something back.’ ‘Hey, I didn’t say I wasn’t gonna deal.’ soothed Snowdog, ‘let’s all just flat-line and be cool. We’re all here to do a little business, not bag ‘n tag each other.’

The main characters name is Snowdog, he has two his vixen companions/bodyguards named Silver and Tigerlily. And then Snowdog's nemesis is Jakob Gunderson(!!), who is an Arbites before they were really Space Feds. And he wears goddamn shades at seemingly all time, and Snowdog wears tiger striped pants too. It is great. :D

If anything it could have needed a bit of a longer word count, just to extend the second arc a little bit. Because the part when the Tyranids attack, and the reveal of the boss monster is over a bit too quickly. But the descriptions of them are very nasty and the few deaths there are there are aptly gruesome for an 80's monster movie. Frankly this one is begging to be made into a WH+ animation.

12. Salvation by Jonathan Green. First time I've seen the classic amnesia plot been used with Space Marines. Surprisingly nice to see one being as normal person, as normal as a space marine can be I suppose, until war calls again. Not an amazing story, but definitely serviceable. Definitely the first lacklustre one involving Tyranids.

13. Hell in a bottle by Simon Jowett. A story featuring a lot of hubris, and that computer bugs in 40k can take very different shapes. Good concept and decent execution, but kind of ruined by a stint of atrocious dialogue that I'm not sure was even meant to be taken seriously. Example:

‘By the Golden Throne, that hurt!’ Initiate Caius declared, shaking his head, then prodding gingerly at his temple, over which a bruise was already beginning to form. ‘I was out of ammunition, so hand-to-hand was my only option. Should have known better when I saw it was you!’

Thankfully rare, even if the main baddie has some really terrible speech pattern as well. But that's just silly more than outright groan inducing.

14. Tenebrae by Mark Brendan. A planetary governor witnesses the end of his planet at the hand of Chaos. Surprisingly well written and cerebral, laden with the right amount of despair and angsting without overdoing it. But I didn't expect something from this far back to call out the hypocrisy of the Imperium's actions.

15. Daemonblood by Ben Counter. Despite the name the story does not feature Grey Knights. It's a middling story where the most interesting part is either the planet sized Nurgle Daemon Prince, or the Ultramarine turned Nurgle Champion that gets redeemed at the end. Without having read much else by Ben Counter it somehow feels like a Ben Counter story in a way I can't explain.

16. Know Thine Enemy by Gav Thorpe. Well, it finally happened. I found a story that was such a massive unfun slog to read that I just skipped it after a while. The prose was just utterly boring and bland, the characters remarkably onenote and the plot twist incredibly trite as well.

If you think of the phrase 'Space Marine Bolter porn', this is pretty much that kind of story. It just goes on and on and on about Space Marine details in the more bland and rote way and no detail is spared, regardless of how pointless it might be. My first hint that something would be iffy was probably this part:

The Salamanders hissed and snarled in anger, for their Chapter had a long history of fighting eldar pirates. 

Was this meant to be about Space Wolves in a first draft or what?

Here an example of the overwhelmingly bland prose:

‘We have defeated the eldar before.’ Malesti replied. ‘We know their guile. Their arcane trickeries and sorceries will not avail them against us this time.’ ‘I share your confidence, brother.’ Ramesis said. ‘Captain Nubean is a strong commander. The honour of the Fourth Company prospers under his guidance.’ ‘And yours!’ Malesti added with a chuckle. ‘In the years you have been our chaplain, our battle-brothers’ faith has been sure and steady. They conduct themselves with honour and respect, and do all that we ask of them and more. They do not fail in their duties as warriors of the Adeptus Astartes and they shall not fail us this day either.’ ‘They’ll fight like steppe-lions, of that I’m sure!’ Ramesis remarked.

The part with steppe-lions made me chuckle, considering Nocture is a volcano planet. This feels like one of the first things Thorpe wrote for Black Library, it can't be anything else with how horrible the prose is.

A pity it features Salamanders, a chapter that has never gotten a single good book dedicated to them.

17. Nightmare by Gav Thorpe. A rather unremarkable story about Daemon trickery. You can clearly see the plot twist halfway through, but at the same the hint is completely unnecessary and sorta removes the shock value from the twist at the end, as if Thorpe was uncertain that people would indeed get his super special twist or something.

Either way it's mercifully short and to the point. The prose is decent but there's still nothing special or exciting going on in it truth to be told.

18. Ancient History by Andy Chambers. Finally, some good fucking food. Now this story was a pure delight to read, especially when POV's from deck crews on Navy ships are rare to find. The best part was possibly the tale about man's early ventures into space, and the mention of the Men of Stone and Iron. Also it doesn't bother explaining everything and even ends on a cliffhanger a little. Very good stuff.

19. The Tower by CS Goto. For being a story done written by who many consider to be one the worst 40k authors it was surprisingly benign, if not enjoyable in dealing with weird Imperial bureaucracy.

The silliest part was probably the female Vindicare assassin daily commute inside the temple consisting of tomb raiding herself across various traps and obstacles in the dark.

20. Loyalty's Reward by Simon Jowett. This one has a little of everything. Gangers with Shuriken launchers! Bored Inquisitors who yawn! Grey Knights with jump packs! Who really just regular marines, and can seemingly only say "In the Emperor’s name" and nothing else.

It's pretty decent otherwise, but the switch halfway to "It's CHAOS!" felt boring as the whole preamble about how the organised crime structure on that planet was neat. It felt as if the author ran out of words and then just shrugged and went the easy way out with the rest. A shame tbh. But then I think it would've needed a proper novel treatment to really work without feeling rushed.