#quintessential halloween videos

[springtyme]

Maybe something with Steve x f!reader where she is a bit inexperienced and insecure when it comes to dating ad steve askes her out but she is oblivous and thinks it's just as freinds but steve really likes her

𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 ♡

Steve Harrington x reader || Main masterlist || Steve playlist

summary: If anyone had told your high school self that in a few years you would become friends with Steve Harrington, you would never have believed them, but here you are.

word count: 4.1k

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞: 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟗) 𝐇𝐚𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞

The crisp autumn air wraps around you like a cozy blanket as you step out of your house, one hand clutching your purse while the other fiddles nervously with the hem of your sweater. Tonight is the annual Hawkins fall festival, and you are beyond excited, you’ve always loved this time of year and Halloween is just around the corner. You’re especially excited because Steve asked you if the two of you should go together, which, if you had been told this a few years back, you would never have believed. 

Back then, Steve Harrington was the quintessential popular kid: the cocky, charming, handsome, jock,  always surrounded by a group of friends, the king of cool himself. He was all the things that you were not. You were the quiet girl, the one who blended into the background, often lost in books or daydreams. You had admired him from a distance, never once as much as imagined that he’d ever as much as acknowledge your existence. 

But people change. Steve has transformed over the years, shedding his old persona for something deeper, something more substantial. You have become friends after you started working full time at family video with him this summer. It was awkward at first; the memories of your high school days still lingered in the back of your mind. But as the weeks passed, you found a rhythm together. Steve’s charm was still there, but now it was complemented by kindness and genuine interest in those around him. He was no longer just the popular kid; he was just Steve—and you happen to really like this Steve. 

Sometimes you think that he might feel the same way about you. There are those moments when his gaze linger a little too long, or when he will lean in a little closer than needed to laugh at something silly you said. He seems to always remember the little things—your favorite candy, the books you love, how you like your coffee—there’s a comfortable warmth that has built between you, something that simultaneously feels completely normal and natural yet so confusing. 

You don’t know what to make of it all, all you know is the butterflies in your stomach are practically doing the cha-cha everytime he looks at you, which makes you feel silly, you’re not his type, but the feeling is undeniable. 

You take a deep breath, the cool air filling your lungs, and step outside fully. Steve is standing by his car, a warm smile lighting up his face as he catches sight of you. His hair is slightly tousled by the wind, and he’s wearing that dark green sweatshirt you mentioned under his jacket that you had mentioned you liked a few weeks ago.

“Hey,” he calls out, a smile spreading on his face as he sees you, his eyes sparkling in the golden light of the last sun of the day that illuminates the street. 

“Hey!” you call back, trying to match his energy as you walk towards him. You notice the way his gaze flickers from your face to your outfit—a simple but cute sweater and jeans—but also the way you feel inexplicably warm inside, even as a light breeze rustles the leaves around you.

“You look great,” he compliments, his smile growing wider as he opens the car door for you. You slip inside, fighting back the blush creeping up your cheeks. “I’m really glad that you said yes to come with me, I really wasn’t sure if you would say yes.”

You nod, excitement bubbling in your chest. “Of course. This is going to be fun.”

Steve smiles at your words, a soft one that makes your heart flutter even more. “I’ve been looking forward to this all week,” he admits, starting the engine with a low roar.

The drive to the festival passes quickly, filled with casual chatter and laughter, though you can’t help but feel like there is a slight tension in the air between you. The festival lights twinkle in the distance as you park, and your heart races at the sight of all the attractions—the hay bales, the pumpkins, and the Ferris wheel glowing in the twilight.

As you step out of the car, Steve reaches to grab your hand, a brief but electric moment that makes your pulse quicken. It surprises you, and you, more on instinct than thought, do a little jolt of surprise as you feel his warmth enveloping your fingers. Your action seems to startle him as well. He quickly lets go, and you both look at each other, your cheeks heating as if you’ve both just felt the thrill of a secret.

“Uh, how about we start with the ferris wheel?” he suggests, trying to mask his own awkwardness as you move towards the ticket booth, the festive air filled with laughter and the scent of caramel apples.

“Yeah, that sounds perfect,” you reply, your voice a little shaky as you try to regain your composure. You keep your eyes on the colorful lights strung above, using them as a distraction from the fluttering in your stomach. Friends hold hands, especially in crowded areas, it’s completely normal, but you have just made it weird. 

You purchase your tickets, and while waiting in line, you sneak glances at him, noticing how the festival lights cast a warm glow on his features.

As you stand in line to the ride, the excited energy of the festival surrounds you, yet the moment feels isolated within its own bubble. The cheerful screams from the rides seem distant as you steal another sideways glance at Steve. His brow is furrowed slightly in concentration as he watches the ferris wheel turn, his hands stuffed into his pockets like he’s trying to keep himself grounded amidst the bubbling awkwardness that seems to linger between you.

“Do you… um, like ferris wheels?” he asks, his voice tinged with a hint of uncertainty, breaking the comfortable silence while trying to affirm the choice of ride.

You chuckle lightly, appreciative of the effort he’s making to fill the space with conversation. “I think they’re great. It’s nice to see everything from up high, even though I’m a little afraid of heights.” The confession spills from your lips before you can second-guess it.

“Uh oh,” he grins, his tension visibly dissipating as a laugh escapes him. “Guess I’m gonna have to protect you from the edge then.”

“Right,” you reply, your heart racing a little faster. There’s something so comforting in his charm, so disarming in the way he manages to make you laugh while also feeling slightly vulnerable.

There’s only a few more people ahead, you can hear the laughter and excited shrieks of those already atop the ferris wheel, and your heart flutters nervously. The excitement of the ride combines with the nervous energy between you and Steve, creating a concoction of emotions that feels exhilarating and terrifying all at once.

Finally, your turn arrives, and you step into the little cabin of the ferris wheel, Steve following behind you. The moment the door closes, you feel an immediate sense of closeness. You both sit on the bench as the ride begins its slow ascent.

A gentle breeze wafts through the cabin as you start climbing higher. The view below spreads out like a beautiful tapestry—people laughing, lights twinkling in the cool night air, and the pumpkin patch glowing in the distance. For a moment, despite that familiar feeling of fear that jolts through your stomach and chest from the height, you’re moved by the beauty of it all.

But just as quickly, the magic of the moment shifts, and you become acutely aware of Steve next to you. The cabin sways slightly, and instinctively, you lean in closer to him, hoping to steady yourself. Your shoulder brushes against his, and the side of your thighs presses against each other, and suddenly, there’s an electric charge in the air again. 

Steve seems to notice, too; his breath hitches slightly, and he glances at you, his brown eyes searching yours for a brief moment before darting away, a hint of color rising to his cheeks. The world outside the ferris wheel becomes a distant memory, the vibrant festival lights melting into a blurred backdrop as the two of you share this intimate space.

“How’re you holding up?” he asks, attempting to calm you with that signature Steve Harrington smile. It’s warm and inviting, and you can’t help but return it, hoping it conveys the mix of excitement and anxiety brewing within you.

“Honestly?” you start, biting your lip slightly as you consider whether to admit the truth. “I’m a little scared, but being up here with you helps.” You hope your honesty doesn’t make things awkward again.

“I’m always available whenever you need to ride a ferris wheel,” he says, trying to lighten the mood, but both of you can sense the shift. His arm brushes against yours, and you can feel his warmth radiating through the thin fabric of your sweater.

“What would I do without a friend like you,” you reply. You really are grateful to have him in your life, you’ve never been the girl with the most friends and most of the ones you have moved away from Hawkins after high school, but in this moment you can’t help but wish that you and Steve could be more than that. Your gaze drifts down again, watching the world spin beneath you, so you don’t see how his face falls slightly from your words. 

The air between you thickens with unspoken words, the gentle rocking of the ferris wheel almost amplifying the silence. You focus on the lights below, momentarily getting lost in the vibrant colors and sounds of laughter, but your mind drifts back to Steve. Thoughts of his warmth against your skin make your heart race even faster.

“Hey,” he begins, his voice slightly hesitant, forcing your attention back to him. “I was thinking about…um, going to the hayride after this. It’ll be fun, right?” He’s trying to recapture the lightness of the moment, but there’s a different edge to his tone, almost insecurity.

“Sure,” you reply, maybe a bit too fast, wanting to seem interested in his idea and hopefully get the vibe between you back on track.

He smiles at your enthusiasm, but it’s a small smile, one that doesn’t quite reach his eyes as he turns his gaze back to the ground below, watching the festival swirling around. The brief flicker of uncertainty in his expression doesn’t go unnoticed by you, and it makes the butterflies in your stomach flutter even more wildly.

Once the ride ends and you both exit the cabin, the festival feels even more alive, filled with laughter, screams, and the smell of fried food wafting through the air.

The lights twinkle like the stars above, casting a gentle glow over everything, but the feeling of electric tension still lingers. Forcing a smile, you look over at Steve, hoping to read his expression. He’s glancing slightly shyly at you, scrunching his hands in his pockets again—a telltale sign of nerves.

“Let’s head to the pretzel stand first,” you suggest, wanting to ease the awkwardness. The buttery, salty scent of the pretzels wafts through the air, beckoning you. Plus, you could use a little snack to settle the butterflies.

“Yeah… great idea,” he says, looking towards you, but you break the eye contact too quickly, feeling an odd mix of courage and shyness wash over you. As you walk together, the distance between you feels both far and impossibly close. 

When you approach the stand, the line is relatively short, which is a relief. You’re both quiet as you wait in line. You order two warm, buttery pretzels, and as the vendor hands them over, Steve pays, insisting it’s his treat. You protest, arguing that you could cover your half, but he brushes you off with a simple, “no, no, I got it. I was the one who asked you out, remember?” 

You know that he didn’t mean it like that, but a small warmth spreads in your chest at the thought of this being more than just a friendly outing. You quickly push the thought aside as he hands you your pretzel, mumbling a, “thanks,” without looking him in the eyes. You know that you’re being dumb, you just wish that you could keep your feelings in check, but he looks too good in the sparkling lights, his eyes twinkling in a way that almost hurts. 

There is something about being here with him that feels so bittersweet. It’s easier to just not look at him. You take a bite of your pretzel, the salty goodness grounding you in the moment, and glance around at the festival, trying to focus on the lively atmosphere rather than the tension curling in your stomach.

 You keep eating in silence and you keep focusing on the surroundings of the fair around you, looking anywhere but at Steve besides you. You glance at the spin-the-wheel booth nearby, where a group of kids cheer excitedly as one of them wins a stuffed animal. You can’t help but envy their carefree joy and excitement. You don’t know why you have to find everything so difficult as you stand here with Steve, who was once so far out of reach.

It’s not like you want to ignore him, but suddenly you just don’t know what to say or how to act around him. Growing up, you’ve never been the one people chose, and the idea of going to a fair with a boy who you like and who is as sweet to you as Steve is overwhelming, one of those things you have romanticized, and now that you’re actually here, in a way that is so close to that teenager fantasy you had, but still not in the way you had dreamed of—with someone who just sees you as a friend and colleague.

“Are you alright?” Steve’s voice breaks through your thoughts, the hint of concern in his tone making you look up. He’s studying you closely, his brow slightly furrowed and that adorable furrow in his forehead deepening as he watches you. “You’ve been a bit quiet since the ferris wheel. Was this like… a bad idea?”

“I’m fine!” you assure him a bit too quickly, and you wince at how defensive it ends up sounding. 

“Okay…” he replies, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his features. It stings more than it should because you know he cares, and that makes it even harder to explain what’s going on inside your head.

You continue to walk in silence for a moment, the vibrant sounds of the festival contrasting with the uncertainty hanging in the air between you. Your heart feels heavy, torn between the joy of being with him and the fear of ruining the one precious relationship you currently have. With each step, a battle rages in your mind, and the taste of the pretzel suddenly feels stale.

“Ready for the hayride?” Steve finally asks after you’ve finished your pretzels, breaking the awkward stretch of silence that had settled between you.

“Yeah, sure,” you respond, trying to sound chill and casual, but you’re afraid it comes out sounding more like indifference. 

When you reach the hayride area, you find a rustic wooden wagon decked out with hay bales and pulled by a tractor, its engine humming softly. The laughter of children playing nearby fills your ears, and for a moment, it feels like the weight of the world has been lifted. You both hop onto the wagon, taking a seat on a hay bale amid a group of families and friends, and once again, you feel the familiar warmth of Steve beside you.

The tractor lurches forward, and you cling to the edge of your bale as the wagon bounces along the dirt path, the chill of the autumn air mingling with the warmth radiating from Steve. He adjusts his position slightly, leaning closer as the wagon sways, and the subtle change sends your heart racing.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asks, concern lacing his voice as the ride jostles you both slightly.

“Yeah, I’m fine—just enjoying the view,” you reply, your gaze fixed on the canopy of stars beginning to twinkle above, but your heart is still tuned to him. 

He chuckles softly, but it is a sound that feels somewhat insecure. “I mean, it’s a nice view, but… I would kind of hope you would look at me every now and then.”

Caught off guard, you turn your head to meet his gaze. There’s something in his expression—vulnerability mixed with that boyish charm—that feels disarmingly sincere.

“I’m sorry if I have read things wrong, or if you felt like you had to say yes to this because I asked you,” he continues, the usual lightness in his voice replaced with an honest sincerity that makes your heart race. “We can just forget that this was ever supposed to be a date and just hang out as friends if that's what you’d prefer.”

Your breath catches in your throat, and for a moment, the world around you fades into a blur. The sound of the tractor and the laughter of kids playing in the distance become muffled as all your focus shifts to him. ‘This was supposed to be a date…’ Did he really just say that?  

Your heart races in your chest, both from the weight of his words and the vulnerability etched in his expression. You’ve always thought you could keep your feelings hidden, but now, watching him wrestle with his own insecurities, you can’t bear the thought of losing what you’ve built together over these past months.

Your breath hitches, disbelief coursing through you. “This is a date?” It feels surreal, and your mind races to catch up with your heart.

“Yeah,” he affirms, his gaze steady and sincere, each word punctuated by the thrum of your pulse. The admission hangs in the air, heavy and exhilarating.

“Oh,” you manage to breathe out, the weight of his words settling in like the leaves falling around you. Your cheeks flush, warmth flooding your entire face as you try to process what this means.

Steve seems to realize the misunderstanding, his facedeepens with a mix of hope and anxiety. “I mean, if you want it to be…” He shifts slightly, clearly feeling exposed, but the earnest look in his eyes anchors you to the moment.

You can hardly believe this, the butterflies in your stomach now performing a whole concert rather than just a cha-cha. “Sorry, I didn’t realize…” you stammer, trying to find the right words while your heart races like it’s in a sprint. “I thought we were just… hanging out as friends.”

His expression shifts slightly, a blend of relief and a hint of hurt flickering across his features.

“Shit, I should have made it clearer when I asked you out. I was pretty nervous… It’s totally okay, if you don’t feel the same, but I really hoped we could be… more than just friends. I really like you, you know?” The determination in his voice swells with sincerity, and your breath catches again, this time for an entirely different reason. His honesty floods the air around you, and for a moment, everything seems to fade—the laughter, the stars overhead, the gentle bumps of the wagon.

You can hardly process the whirlwind of emotions crashing over you like a tidal wave. “You... really like me?” The surprise in your voice is undeniable. You had convinced yourself that the interest was one-sided, a figment of your imagination conjured by the butterflies and the lingering glances.

“Yeah, I do,” he reiterates, an earnest smile breaking through his initial unease. “I didn’t want to rush anything, but spending time with you these past months has been so much fun. Back in high school I always thought you seemed so smart and cool and you know… really pretty. But I didn’t think you would be into a dumb jock like me.” His voice carries a hint of vulnerability, making you melt a little more for him.

Your heart swells at his confession, and the rush of emotions leaves you momentarily speechless. “I thought you weren’t into girls like me,” you finally say, your voice barely above a whisper, vulnerability seeping into your words.

“Girls like you?” he echoes, eyebrows knitting together in disbelief. “That’s just not true. You’re incredible. You’re smart, funny, and you’re not afraid to be yourself.” The sincerity in his voice sends a shiver down your spine, filling the gaps left by all the self-doubt that had crept in over the years.

“I… I like you too, Steve,” you admit softly, your heart pounding against your ribcage as the truth finally escapes. The world around you falls away, the crackling of the hay under your knees and the sounds from the festival merging into a blurry background.

He smiles at you, that same breathtaking smile that had made your heart race all summer long. “Really? I mean, wow. I was worried I might have stepped over the line, putting us in some weird situation,” he admits, relief washing over his features.

You shake your head, a joyful laugh bubbling up. “You could never make things weird. I just didn’t realize you felt that way. I always thought I was just... you know, the quiet girl with the crush.”

“Yeah?” He raises an eyebrow, and there’s a twinkle in his eye that feels like your own secret shared between the two of you. “Well, turns out we’ve both been a bit clueless, huh?”

You laugh, the sound bubbling up as you realize how amusing this whole situation is. “Seems like it,” you say, shaking your head in disbelief. “I never thought you even noticed me.”

“Trust me, I noticed,” he responds, the intensity of his gaze making your stomach flip. “We can take this slow, just enjoy the night, but I want you to know that I would love to be more than just friends.”

His eyes search yours for reassurance, and at that moment, amidst the laughter and lights of the festival, the world around you shifts into clarity. You both breathe deeply, holding onto this newfound connection as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

With the stars twinkling above, the tractor bumps along the path, and you can’t help but lean a little closer, feeling bolder in the warmth of his confession. “Okay,” you finally respond, your heart fluttering at the thought of all that could come next. “I mean, I’d like that.”

Steve beams, a boyish grin spreading across his face. As the tractor lumbers along, the bright lights of the festival twinkling in the distance. And then, without thinking much at all, you lean in, drawn by some instinctive need to close the distance between you. Your heart beats wildly, anticipation hanging thick in the air as you catch the scent of the autumn breeze mixed with the sweetness of caramel apples and the warmth of hay all around you. Time seems to slow as he meets you halfway, and in a heartbeat, your lips brush against his in a soft, tentative kiss. It’s sweet, electrifying, a spark that ignites every nerve ending in your body.

You hold your breath, momentarily surprised by how right it feels—like fitting the last piece of a puzzle you didn’t even know was missing. When you pull back slightly, the look in his eyes is pure wonder, the fluttering tension replaced by something warmer and deeper. 

“Wow,” he breathes, a soft laugh escaping his lips as if he can hardly believe it just happened. The smile on his face is electric, and your heart swoops at the sight of it. “That was—”

“Really nice,” you finish for him, you still feel the imprint of his lips against yours. It surprises you how natural it felt, how right—as if you had been waiting for this moment without even knowing it.

“Definitely,” he nods, his smile only getting wider as the reality of what just happened sinks in.

You chuckle lightly, your heart still racing as the aftershocks of the kiss continue to pulse through you. You lean your shoulder against his. Steve’s arm finds its way around you, pulling you a little closer, and you feel safe, excited, and thankful that tonight is unfolding in a way you never dared hope.

The wagon lurches forward again, providing a firm reminder of the bustling festival around you. You both settle into a comfortable silence, your shoulders brushing against one another, and it feels like you’re creating your own little world away from everything.

Thank you for reading! Reblogs and comments are always greatly appreciated ♡

[hotvintagepoll]

Peter Lorre (The Maltese Falcon, Arsenic and Old Lace, Casablanca)—to me he DEFINES scrungle hes the first person i think of every time the term comes up! i want to fold him up like a paper accordion and put him in my pocket. guy that spawned a million voice artists and impersonators. they made a ghost version of him for halloween cereal staple boo berry. bewitched by his nervous mania and tooth gap <3 (for the purposes of propaganda im linking a photo from his extremely short appearance in muscle beach party bc ive been obsessed w it for years and i couldnt find any video for it :/ anyway imagine youre frankie avalon spending the whole movie battling a bodybuilder faction thats taking over your beach and your girl and then you find out this fucking guy is their mastermind mystery leader and hes stronger than all the bodybuilders combined. like Huh. What.)

Tony Randall (Lover Come Back, Pillow Talk)—he's SO TIRED he's three-wheeling ALL THE TIME on rock and doris's shenanigans and he is always SMALL. PATHETIC. INHERENTLY FILLED WITH ENNUI. i feel like all these 60s comedies are very Straight Laced and Heterosexual and yet somehow tony randall is always there having the worst day ever.

This is round 1 of the contest. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. If you're confused on what a scrungle is, or any of the rules of the contest, click here.

[additional submitted propaganda + scrungly videos under the cut]

Peter Lorre

he's pretty much the archetype of the scrungly little guy. the blueprint. the example by which all other scrungly little guys are judged

The perfect sniveling character actor, “scrungly” is the first word that comes to mind when I think of him.

The entire point of his iconic role in Casablanca (apart from introducing the central plot mcguffin) was to be LITTLE and SCRUNGLY to make Bogie look even cooler. And Maggot in Corpse Bride - the littlest scrungliest guy in that film - was a parody of him.

I think Arsenic and Old Lace is his quintessential "scrungly" performance. He's so put-upon and tired...all he wants is sleep and some schnapps! I love the way his shoulders fall slowly when he thinks he's caught (he looks like a sad puppy!), only to gleefully sprint out the door when he realizes how dumb those police officers are.

Between his big eyes, wheezy laugh, short stature, and expressive faces, Peter Lorre achieved icon status as the scrungliest, littlest guy in Hollywood. His scrungly little guy energy was often contrasted with the more typical masculinity of the leading man, but whether this contrast was meant to make him seem especially sinister, comedic, or pathetic, it always left an unforgettable impression!

I'm sure somebody else has already submitted him (if not then ???) but he's a cute kind of scrungly little guy. He's got a distinctive nasal voice with an accent that is instantly recognizable and often imitated. His later horror movies are so much fun, especially when he's playing off of Vincent Price. He's so good at being unhinged, creepy, or manic, but also pathetic and sympathetic.

Classic scrungly hollywood golden age little guy who was friends with Humphrey Bogart and still played some of the wettest most sniveling characters ever committed to celluloid (complimentary) there is a deep despair and darkness in many of his characters that enhances his scrungly

To be clear, I am one of those people who will argue that Lorre is one of the most underrated film actors, but the POINT is that he's also just a scrungly delight. A delightfully pocket-sized man. Somehow endearing even when he is being actively amoral (see esp. Casablanca. "I found myself much more reasonable!") The faces he makes while doing the Russian cossack dance with a butter knife between his teeth in Silk Stockings make me laugh just thinking about them.

Wikipedia described his typical characters as "timidly devious", lots of weird little villains and evil sidekicks that are pretty horrifying but still manage to be sort of pathetic and the very definition of "poor little meow meow". His look and voice and mannerisms are so iconic they're still imitated

Cartoons for the next century have and will continue to include Peter Lorre-esque characters when needed to up the scrunge factor (see Bugs Bunny and so many more).

[editor's note on below link: I'm not actually sure how many of these characters are directly influenced by Peter Lorre, so take with a grain of salt. tw for suicide.]

The poster boy for Scrungly. Everyone who wants to draw a scrungly guy draws Peter Lorre. Gomez Addams of The Addams Family was based on him

Tony Randall

"you had everything going for you! poverty!! squalor!!!!" "girls again!!! what's this obSESSion you have with giRLS???"

[babybluebex]

ughhhh boyf dom is my fav!! I know I mentioned this in the vacay ask but he will always take pics of you!! Candids always, all day every day, but also if you ever want to take pictures for instagram or anything like that he’ll double as your photographer and number one hype man. And those cute couple TikTok fit checks omg just imagine everyone going crazy over the two of you like not even fans but just everyone hyping you up in the comments (she’s everything, he’s just Ken vibes lmao) anyway this is going to be my daydream for forever and a half now (also I hope you have a great time at your show tonight!!!)

ugh i love the thought of hype man boyf dominic, he loves awards season bc you're always dressed up and look so stunning, he can't stop himself from snapping pics of you at all times, no matter what you're doing

and if you ask for posed pictures to post, he's being serious about it, telling you how to turn your head and where to place your hand, and if the lighting isn't good in the place you chose, he'll move you to the side until you reach the good lighting, and he's doing that dorky Thing "work it, girl! yes ma'am, you're slaying it!" and it makes you laugh so hard

and as far as the tiktok fit checks go, he'll crash yours all the time, you're just trying to show off the sundress you thrifted and he stands in the back of the frame eating a sandwich and sweetly heckling you the whole time "who's this smokeshow here? damn girl, you look fire" and omg the whole meme about like "pookie's looking incredible today", dom EATS THAT UP and jokes about it all the time, you're doing a fit check for the baftas and he comes into the video "pookie looks amazing as usual, wearing... balenciaga, right?" and you nod "i like this on you... a quintessential pookie outfit"

i can see like for halloween, you and dom went to one of your friend's parties as western barbie and ken, and back when you posted the video of you two lipsyncing the "take a walk or something!" scene, nobody really knew who dom was, and people find the video after ryan does "I'm Just Ken" at the oscars and you make dom reenact it on the street in philly and the comments are all "IS THAT DOMINIC SESSA???!!!" and your friends comment "100k views on tiktok, she's an influencer"

[sleepy-frog-lady]

FROG LADY’S TOP TEN BEASTS:

(btw if one animal is the domesticated version of another then I counted them as the same cuz it makes the list feel less redundant)

#1 Bear:

These guys are so big and fluffy. I wanna hug one so bad. There’s this video of a bear just sitting next to a guy and it’s my favorite thing ever. I’m so jealous. I also fed a baby bear once!! Out of a baby bottle!! At Yellowstone!! It was dope. They’re also kind of scary, which is good. It makes me feel like if I could convince one to trust me, then it would keep me safe.

#2 Wolf (and dogs):

This is really a classic pick all around. They’re a good mix or edgy and cute, which are the two essential traits of a good beast to me. This is a very social and friendly beast, I feel, although they can be untrusting of humans at times. One of my most fond memories is feeding a sheep liver to wolves. Really quintessential to my development. Dogs lean more into the cuteness than the edginess but they really make it work.

#3 African Wild Cat (and domestic cats):

These gentlemen are absolutely delightful. They just look like domestic cats but longer. They’re so cute. I learned about them very recently so I don’t have much to say about them, but I have rapidly become quite fond of them. I like domestic cats too! They have a very wide spectrum of slightly spooky to violently cute and silly. I think that’s good.

#4 Ravens:

Honestly, I can’t tell the difference between ravens and crows so I just picked the one with the cooler name. I love these guys. They’re edgy cranked up to 11, at least at first glance. Very spooky, Halloween vibes. They’re also really really smart! They use tools, they remember people, and they communicate with each other. Did you know, that they’re also silly :3? Ravens have been observed rolling down snowy hills just for fun. I love that for them

#5 Rats (and mice):

This might be the single cutest entry on this list. I don’t understand how anyone is afraid of them cuz they’re just little tiny guys. They make happy noises when you tickle them! (Although these noises have to be pitched down to be audible to humans). And sometimes they grab food with their little hand while they nibble it! This is also probably the beast that humans have put in the most situations over the years. Honestly some of it makes me feel pretty bad for them. One time they made a rat with snake genes, and it just didn’t grow legs. I’m sad now. I’m going to stop talking about this.

#6 Elk:

This is a bit of a wildcard in this list, as it might be the only entry that isn’t all that cute or edgy. Instead, they have a real elegant and mysterious aura about them. They intrigue me. I would like to have a conversation with one. I also associate them a lot with when I lived in Colorado, which makes me even more fond.

#7 Pigeon:

I’m back on my cutesy shit. They guys are ADORABLE. I love the kind of absent look on their faces. I love the way the walk (and I often mimic it when I see them). I think these guys get an unfairly bad reputation. They’re so cool, and honestly, the subtle green on their necks is very pretty. They also tend to be used to humans so they might let you get pretty close to them or even touch them. I have a friend who regularly befriends and picks up pigeons. She’s very cool, and I send her pictures of birds whenever I see them.

#8 Sheep:

I used to ask my friends what animal their fursonas would be, cuz I think it’s a fun and silly question to ask people who mostly had never thought about it before. This naturally led to many of them asking me the same question, to which I didn’t have a good answer. After much deliberation, I eventually reached the conclusion that my fursona would be a sheep. Anyways, sheep are cute! Very fluffy, very social, and I love their baaaaa sounds. Good beast.

#9 Whale Sharks:

When I was young, I lived in Georgia for a few years, and I would often visit the Atlanta aquarium. In this aquarium, there is a glass tunnel surround and all sides by water and marine life. The grandeur and majesty of watching whale sharks swim peacefully overhead cannot be overstated. It was magical. It would only be years later that I learned that this was the biggest aquarium in the world, and that no other aquarium I would ever visit could quite capture that same magic.

#10 Frog:

I really expected these guys to end up higher on the list! I feel like they’re a big part of my brand, and yet they’re all the way down here. I still love these guys though. I like how slimy they look, and I like that they really small and cute, or really big and sage-like. I like that they jump far and have really long freaky tongues. I wish I had a long freaky tongue, honestly. They’re also very vocal, which is cool when you’re in their home but less cool when they’re in yours. When I was in Oklahoma City, I had to take frogs out of my apartment sometimes. Never figured out how they got in.

Honorable mentions:

* Hyena: they’re kind of dogs to me. Also they laugh funny. And I like that the males are small and submissive. Yay femdom (?)

* Fruit bat: ughhh talk about a perfect cute-edgy combo. They look so precious when they eat, by the way.

* Cow: these guys used to be my favorite! I’m shocked they fell down this low. They are very cute tho. I want to pet one

* Koi fish: these guys are very elegant and I really really like imitating the way they go “pop pop pop” with their mouths

[kneworder]

steve biggest wham stan alive manifesto. fantastic came out summer of 1983 and i know this was thee album of steve's summer. bad boys? dear mommy dear daddy you had plans for me oh yeah i was your only son? but long before this baby boy could count to three you knew just what he would become? bad boys? stick together? never? sad boys? that's literally him. i know he would have made tommy be the andrew ridgeley to his george michael for halloween if tommy wouldn't have called it gay. young guns is like the quintessential precanon steve song. young guns havin' some fun crazy ladies keep 'em on the run wise guys realize there's danger in emotional ties! i think he would play it while driving around with tommy and carol and ham it up while singing along so it looks like he's joking but he's like. not joking at all he's having the time of his life.

make it big came out in late october 1984 it was perfect timing. he quietly self-pities in his car to if you were there (and if it had been out my GOD it would have been battlestations but the final didn't drop until 86 so we'll make do) for like a week until nancy actually dumps him and then it is non-stop 24/7 everything she wants until he can't pretend to be mad anymore and then we're back to fantastic because i KNOW he was blasting nothing looks the same in the light for months after the breakup. only a fool like me would take to heart the things you said you meant last night.......

anyways. summer of '85? oh you better believe he is blasting the wham rap every single time robin needs a ride to work until she gets pavloved into enjoying it and singing along because this one he's not even pretending to joke about and has so much fun with it that it's infectious. she complains about it at first but after a few weeks he's yelling do you want to work? and robin is screaming NO! when they pull into the family video parking lot.

this is also such a real thing to me because george michael is this preppy popstar with great hair and a leather jacket and a little dangly earring and i truly believe that even if he's a little embarrassed about it this is genuinely everything steve wants to be. i also think that for five years out of high school steve hearing freedom '90 was life changing in a deeply bisexual way and when gm came out (read: was outed) in 1998 it rocked steve's world. anyways.

[lesbianstufful]

10, 12, and 29!! :]

10. three favourite Halloween/spooky songs

THIS IS SO HARD BECAUSE THAT'S SO MUCH OF WHAT I LISTEN TO GRHFHFJDKD BUT:

No One Lives Forever - Oingo Boingo classic answer but i am literally not satisfied until the first time i hear it in october. quintessential halloween song

She's Fallen in Love With the Monsterman - Screamin' Lord Sutch iconic. monster banging anthem. everybody go listen to mr sutch

Kidnap The Sandy Claws - Korn SORRY FOR LISTENING TO KORN. IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN

12. three favourite songs from video games

Bury the Light - Casey Edwards do i even have to explain.

Armor-Clad Faith - Daisuke Ishiwatari HARD tossup between this one and Alone Infection (faust's theme) but potemkin wins out. honorable mentions are Just Lean and What Do You Fight For but FUCK how do you pick just one strive song

Song of Curry (Journey Version) - Naramura hold my hand. we're listening to this together (i lock the door and switch to the original version before you can leave)

29. three songs that influenced you the most (some songs change or save lives)

The Garden's Tale - Volbeat SIGHHHHSSSS this was THE volbeat song for me and my dad when i was little. i was so obsessed with it i genuinely wanted to teach myself danish. put me in the ground to this song ok?

Radio Girl - Volbeat yeah this album built me from the ground up. btw. this song still transports me to a rainy parking lot in the middle of the night & i am overjoyed every single time

Stains - Janus no context for this one. heart emojiy

[septembersghost]

Sometimes it feels like people like to pat themselves on the back for dissing Elvis because it’s the cool thing to do

I’m the anon who deleted TikTok btw. I was tired of the same repetitive comments about Elvis and decided finally to delete that annoying app LOL.

i'm not sure what you saw on the clock app, though can guess it was probably the same stuff that's said on twt, but any reason you feel to get rid of that app, or anything that's stressing you out!, is a good/valid one.

when it comes to e, between misinformation, misunderstandings, and decades' worth of caricatures and this almost prideful disdain towards him - the origin of which i can't quite figure out? - he's been an easily mockable and reduced figure. like even beyond, idk, judgment of his struggles and addictions and health, or the massive volume of tabloid accounts, or the cardboard camp of impersonators, or the feeling some seem to have that he was too excessive or gauche, or define him by vegas as a kind of sideshow, there are some, i've come to find, that outright reject the idea he was in any way a serious artist. the article i read recently...basically posited he wasted his entire life and talent, in a way that was so cruel and dismissive of everything he ever did after sun records. things i can't even fathom saying about a person. ("success corroded and finally destroyed a budding talent who might have achieved so much more than just celebrity. He might have been an artist...by 1958, when he was inducted into the U.S. Army, his beauty and his creativity were behind him. A few brief echoing rays of the glory that had been might suddenly shine through, yet the sun had all but set." seriously? he was 23 years old in 1958! it's a complete erasure of nearly half his life. and it's particularly jarring as some of what's said in that piece is astute and well-written, yet some of the rest of it...i refuse to even quote.) he created so much wonderful music later, but it routinely gets ignored. (plus he wasn't a songwriter, as if that invalidates his astonishing musicality and gift of interpretation and arrangement). the movies, and critical view of them due to what they are, unfortunately do not help. this embarrassment surrounding him, the sense that his talent was squandered and his legacy tarnished, mixed with misperceptions of his character, is so ingrained in the pop cultural zeitgeist that there are always going to be people set to take him down a peg or deride him or shake their heads rather than lend any sympathy for how and why things unfolded as they did.

that video analysis i shared about the film mentioned him as this sort of quintessential american tragedy, the hollowness of the dream gone wrong, even though he was still trying so hard up to the end, still sharing that love with his audience, and i think sometimes we're uncomfortable looking at tragedy and illness and exploitation, so it's easier to ridicule or blame or turn into a joke. i also think his sincerity and emotion as a performer, the movement that came to him naturally that he couldn't switch off, the unique ways he utilized the power of his voice, read as, for lack of a better word, cringeworthy, to many, because society at large struggles with raw expression. a combination of factors thus make him an easy target. he's that halloween costume, spangles on a jumpsuit and what they erroneously view as shlocky music, or he's the worst perpetuated things, but never real, never explored or offered understanding. it's lousy and disheartening, but it unfortunately is what it is. (i can imagine only a fraction of why this stuff used to upset lisa marie the way it did.) i don't require people to be perfect to care about or be touched by them. human beings are not saints. he was flawed, he had a temper, he certainly misstepped, he made choices along the way that proved to be destructive. he was also generous and gracious and forgiving and compassionate, kind in a way that embraced people and made them feel seen and like they belonged, in a way that's still radiant in recollections, and in what we find in ourselves too.

catherine martin recently said, "elvis is a humanist. he believed in people and kindness and connection, and i think he wanted to use music to bring people together." he'd say, "i'm just a singer. i'm nobody special. do you think they'll remember me?" he always marveled that people came to see him, and held fast to that idea that the happiness and love in that connection of the music was worth something. as my friend wrote to me, there's a lot of dreck out there, but it's boring. there's no fire there, no passion. without the fire and passion you can't even get elvis at all. meanwhile, here we are, nearly fifty years later, on technology that didn't even exist while he lived, still finding reason to remember him, to wax poetic about him, to connect to him and to one another, to find that same joy and solace in the music. i have to believe that matters so much more. some of this other stuff is just useless clatter, you know? there's music and there's noise. i'll choose the music every time.

[cryptid-stimming]

What Is A Skeleton’s Favourite Snack? 💀 🍖 Stimboard

x x x / x x x / x x x

[Image ID: a 9 gif stimboard; from left to right. First line: a gft of a small plastic skeleton on a car antenna flailing about as the car drives down a highway, a gif of sweet and sour ribs held with chopsticks and glistening with sauce and a gif of a plastic skeleton tied to a ceiling fan and spinning in a horizontal poistion. Second line: a gif panning over a spare rib being cooked over a grill with smoke and flames, a gif of someone laughing while a hand puppets a plastic skeleton as though it is talking and a gif of a barbeque lid being raised revealing smoke and cooked ribs. Third line: a gif of someone holding a small plastic skeleton and making it flap its arms, a gif of someoen tearing up spare ribs in sauce and a gif zooming in on a plastic skeleton splayed out on the floor. End of image description.]

[appro880]

The Quintessential Halloween Theme Video...

[trulyinspiringmovies]

Batman: The Long Halloween Part One

“Batman: The Long Halloween Part One” is just a Batman story done well which is hard to find in these animated movies.

Batman is called to action when Johnny Viti, the nephew of notorious mob boss Carmine Falcone, is murdered on Halloween. On the following Thanksgiving, district attorney Harvey Dent is the target of a bombing that leaves him hospitalized. On Christmas Eve of that year, Batman realizes that this assailant is attacking only on holidays. He talks to the expert on holiday crime, Calendar Man.

This movie is the quintessential Batman movie for me. He sounds like Batman. He moves like Batman. He acts like Batman. He thinks like Batman. The villains are exactly how I picture them in my head whenever I read about them or play the video games. Gotham City feels like how I had always imagined it. Even little things like Solomon Grundy’s appearance in the sewers just oozes with the Batman I know and love. This movie is made for Batman fans and isn’t interested in catching anyone else up. On top of that, the animation in this movie is gorgeous. It captures that perfect Batman aesthetic from the comics while still looking clean and unique. The story is your typical Batman detective story, but it’s a breath of fresh air after seeing so many different interpretations of the caped crusader. Still, having this movie be two parts really makes this movie feel like it lacks focus. The ending of this movie makes the events of this movie feel inconsequential. There’s not much more I can say about this movie. It’s just a back-to-basics with Batman type of movie. Nothing that really stands out other than clean animation, but still a welcome watch.

★★★★

Watched on March 10th, 2022

[the-jason-todd-effect]

Thought I might start a little challenge

Idk if it’ll catch on but just list your first fandom and why you love it, honestly shouldn't be too hard! Mine was ben 10, I’ve honestly loved it for as long as I’ve pretty much been alive. I was around 2 in 2005 when the O.S Started airing and so I guess I’ve been watching it for ages now, more so I remember the time when i was 5 until i was about 11 where I use to play pretend as Ben 10 a whole bunch Like an alien and i trust you i’d play pretend as them, Wildvine? Yes. Wildmutt I think was my particular favorite when I was younger (although Heatblast maintains the spot as my personal favorite now)  I was like 10 or so when I went as ben 10 during Halloween, i got a whole bunch of Ben 10 video games (Omniverse for the DS, Ben 10: Vilgax Attacks for the Wii and I played The other Wii Alien Force game at a friends house) I owned two toy Omnitrixes (Omnitrices?) , several Ben 10 toys like big chill, Swampfire, Humungousaur and Jetray. Hell i was pretty much the quintessential Ben 10 super fan when I was a kid, I think a lot of what made it appeal to me as a kid was someone who was young but could kick a lot of ass and it made me feel like I could be a hero someday! I honestly wish sometimes I had been old enough to really participate in the fandom back during its heyday but then again i think being young and getting to see it with my own two eyes made me love it a fuck ton, I won’t say ben 10 made me a better person but I honestly think its really what made my childhood as good as it was and I honestly thank everyone who’s worked on it It’s why I don’t wanna hate on the reboot, it may not be my cup of tea but to some kid out there? It might be the best thing they’ve ever seen and it might make them happy so who am I to judge? I still need to see more of the reboot personally before I say I don’t fully like it but I’m willing to give it a chance, I mean I love Omniverse (aside from some of the weird retcons like the Kevin being a mutant and the other plumbers kids basically being mutants as well instead of actual hybrids which i felt didn’t really add much) and a lot of people i see in some places don’t tend to like Omniverse so it’d be bad of me to judge the reboot as just something made for kids I love Ben 10 in general, it’s been with me forever and will probably be with me til the day i die. Just wait, I’ll be ranting to my grandkids and great grandkids about how badass Feedback’s return in Showdown Part 2 was and they’ll just be saying “uhuh yeah lets put him back on his meds he’s hallucinating again”

[cherrydreamer]

Cocktober 4: Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me

For @cockasinthebird ‘s super fun Cocktober Prompt List Also here if you prefer an AO3 link. Warnings for lemon and swearing but I think that’s it...

“Ok, so he said no to Hellraiser , Nightmare on Elm Street ….” Steve adds another couple of videos to the ones precariously stacked on the Family Video counter in front of him, Robin looking on with a raised eyebrow and an amused look on her face.

“Told you Stevie, he’s got taste. Did you tell him about The Cabinet of Dr Caligari?“

“That really old one?” Steve wanders away to start reshelving the tapes, “Yeah, no thanks. I wanna be scared on Halloween, not bored.”

“Come on Steve, it’s quintessential German Expressionist cinema, and it’s scary.”

“I thought you said it was silent? How can it be German if it’s silent?” Steve turns to look at her, disrupting the stack of tapes in his arm and sending them spilling to the floor. Robin rolls her eyes again and makes no move to help him.

Steve kneels down to pick up the tapes, waving each one at Robin as he puts it back on the shelf, “ Evil Dead is lame, apparently. Didn’t even wanna look at Blood Rage. Said he’d seen Aliens and it was boring, but then he couldn’t even tell me the plot, and then he said the same for- ” he stops shelving suddenly, his face dropping, “Oh shit, Rob, what if…” Steve trails off, his mouth dropping at the corners, “What if he just doesn’t want to watch anything with me ? Maybe he’s having second thoughts? Maybe he’s got someone else? That’s why he won’t pick a movie, he doesn’t want us to-“

Robin gently places her hand over his, squeezes until he turns to look at her,

“Or maybe, dingus, he’s just not up for watching something scary? Might be a little soon for films about monsters and killing sprees?”

“Oh.” Steve feels a little twist of guilt in his stomach, “Yeah, I didn’t think of it like that. Why wouldn’t he just say?”

“Steve, it’s Billy. He’s the reigning champion of putting on a front. Do you think he would ever, ever , admit to being scared of a film?”

Steve thinks for a moment, eyes scanning the horror section in front of him. Robin has a point, there’s an awful lot of blood, demonic eyes and just general nastiness on show, and Billy’s probably had enough of that to last a lifetime.

“Do we have anything scary but not scary scary? More like…spooky? And not your dumb Cupboard film,” he asks, fully expecting a sarcastic response from Robin. Instead, she tilts her head, the little tendrils of hair around her face tipping into her eyes, and purses her lips as she thinks,

“Huh,” Robin’s eyes widen suddenly, “hang on.” She moves back behind the counter to rummage in her backpack, comes over with a tape in her hand.

“This. Trust me. This will work.”

Steve looks at the tape, it’s obviously a bootleg, but Robin’s put some effort in. She’s decorated the cover with her usual flare, lots of red lips and legs with fishnet stockings and high heels, there’s even a little portrait of a girl with short red hair and a top hat with tiny red hearts dotted all around it. Steve checks the label.

“Rocky Horror?” he looks up at Robin, “Like the boxer?”

“You’ll see,” Robin is trying to stifle a grin, lips smushed together and eyes watering,

“Is it scary?” Steve turns the tape over, doubtful.

“Oh some people find it terrifying,” Robin’s eyes are sparkling, “My Auntie Gloria wants it banned. But I think you’ll both enjoy it.” Steve can tell he’s missing something , but he often feels that way when he talks to Robin.

****

“Fucking Buckley,” is Billy’s response when Steve gets back to their apartment and shows him the tape, “what did she say?”

“Just that she thinks we’ll like it. I don’t think it’s really scary,”

Steve looks down at Billy sprawling on the couch, head against the armrest and one foot hanging off the edge. The floral monstrosity had been one of many gifts from Dustin’s mom, who’d been absolutely appalled when she came to drop off a casserole and found Billy and Steve sitting on two deckchairs watching a TV propped up on a milk crate. Billy had only been out of the hospital a few weeks at that point, and so Steve, Dustin, Mike and Lucas had to lug the thing up two flights of stairs, with Billy yelling encouragement, advice and- more often than not- insults at them as they struggled. But they’d done it. Steve still felt a little glow of pride as he looked around the room. It was small- a one bed and one bath place with a large living area and a little kitchen tucked away in the corner- but it was home and it was theirs .

“’S’not scary at all,” Billy mumbled, “Dunno if you’ll like it though.”

“You’ve already seen it?” Steve knows that he’s not hiding the disappointment in his face. He really thought this would work, had trusted Robin’s judgement. Plus, he really just wants to watch something. To snuggle up on their hideous couch and have a cosy night in.

“Ugh, just fucking put it on Steve,”

“We don’t have to…”

“Steve.” Billy stops himself, and Steve can tell he’s taking some deep breaths, working on the techniques that Dr. Owens taught him, “Put it on,” he takes a deep breath, waits a few beats, “I wanna see if you like it.”

So Steve does, and by the time he’s sitting back down on the sofa with an armful of snacks, Billy is upright with his arm out along the back cushions, a perfect invitation for Steve to come and cuddle.

Steve sends a silent prayer of thanks to Robin and presses play.

****

Steve crinkles his nose at the bright red lips, then looks positively puzzled as Brad starts singing.

“Is this a musical?”

“Yep,” Billy whispers back, quieter than before. Steve looks over, Billy looks a little pale, but Steve figures that might just be the light of the screen. He shrugs and pops a piece of popcorn into his mouth. Offers the bowl to Billy who shakes his head.

Steve’s kinda getting into it when they arrive at the creepy house, it’s a bit weird- and he can see why Robin likes it- but at least it’s starting to feel more like a proper horror film now, even with all the singing.

He feels Billy tensing next to him, looks up at his face and sees him worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

“You ok?” Steve asks, “I thought you said it wasn’t that scary,”

Billy nods, “I’m fine.” He looks anything but.

The next song starts, and Steve grins, “OH! I know this one! Time Warp!” he attempts a jiggly version of the dance, and Billy smiles, “I didn’t know it was from this! But I don’t get…who are they? Why are they all…? Huh?”

Billy laughs, there’s a touch of hysteria in it, and he still doesn’t look quite right, but he claps a hand on Steve’s leg and smile,

“Best not to try and make sense of it yet sweetheart,”

But then the Time Warp is over, and Billy takes his hand away. Leans a little closer to the screen.

“A vampire?” Steve asks, watching Dr Frank-N-Furter start strutting out of the lift.

“Not quite…” Billy’s voice is quiet, his eyes fixed on the screen.

And whoa . Steve’s eyes are suddenly just as fixed ahead as Billy’s.

Because this is not what he’d been expecting.

Steve feels his mouth drop open as he watches the action unfold, his gaze drawn immediately to a certain part of Frankie’s costume. A large, prominent part. All there and obvious. He cannot take his eyes away, he doesn’t want to. He shifts a little, feels a stirring . It only intensifies as Frankie dances around, and when he reclines on the chair with his long legs in the air Steve has to stifle a little moan.

As the song ends, Steve feels like he’s coming out of a trance. He half watches Brad and Janet getting stripped down, but his mind is entirely elsewhere. He jolts when Billy reaches over him and pauses the film.

“Huh,” Steve waits for his brain to wake up, waits for it to think of something more articulate, “huh.”

“What do you think?” Billy’s tone is strange, still quiet, unsure.

“It’s weird,” Steve says, “I don’t think I get it yet. I didn’t know it was a musical, and I don’t get why all those freaky people are there but I like-“

“Not of the film,” it sounds like Billy’s trying to get the words out through gritted teeth, there’s some kind of desperation there, like he wants Steve to understand something, “What did you think of the clothes ?”

And oh. Oh. Billy noticed. Billy noticed his reaction. Steve blushes, ducks his head. Shifts again in his seat. And Billy turns to him, suddenly all cocky grin and sultry eyes, runs a hand along Steve’s thigh and lets his fingers graze the bulge in Steve’s pants, “I think you liked it. I think you really liked it.”

And with that, he gets up. Pulls his hand away and starts to walk towards the bedroom. Steve jumps up, starts to follow him, but Billy reaches out and pushes him back down firmly.

“Stay. I’ve got something for you.”

And with that he disappears into the bedroom, shutting the door with a bang.

Steve waits five minutes. Taps his foot and drums his fingers. Waits another five. Grabs some more candy from the kitchen and waits one more minute. He’s about to go and investigate, go and see if Billy’s just fallen asleep on the bed or something, when the bedroom door swings open and Billy walks out.

No.

Billy struts out.

Because Billy is – oh god- Billy is dressed up.

Steve swallows audibly. Looks him up and down. Does it again.

His eyes fall on Billy’s shoes. Shiny black heels- a delicate ankle strap with a tiny silver buckle. High, high heels with a platform sole and more than a smattering of rhinestones.

Steve lets his eyes track upwards, up the fishnet stockings clinging to Billy’s muscular calves, up to the straps pressing against his thighs, up to the frilly black garter belt cinched around his waist and- oh fuck - those tight black satin panties only just managing to contain Billy’s cock. The bulge is outrageous, audacious- and it’s making Steve’s mouth fucking water as he sees it start to harden, can see it twitch as Billy watches Steve watching him.

Steve swallows again. Forces himself to drag his eyes upwards and take in the rest of Billy. The black corset wrapped tightly around his body with zigzags of lacing up the front- open just a little to show off Billy’s chest because, of course . Steve’s eyes are drawn to the little dip of material, right at the top, where it’s just low enough that a few of Billy’s scars curl outwards, white little sunbursts which stand out even more next to the satiny black of the corset.

Billy stands there, the smug grin still on his face, he cocks a finger at Steve,

“Well Stevie- you gonna come up to my lab? See what’s on the slab?” He turns around, surprisingly graceful with the shoes, and gives Steve a perfect view of his ass in those little silky panties.

“Oh fuck,” Steve groans, “Oh baby, that’s not fair.”

“I see you shiver,” Billy struts back to the bedroom door, his usual swagger accentuated by the heels, “With antici….”

He turns, looks coquettishly over one shoulder,

“...pation.”

And then he’s gone, the door swinging shut behind him.

Steve trips over his own feet in his haste to follow, spills the popcorn all over the sofa and crushes the kernels into the carpet as he scrambles up and leaps the few feet to the bedroom. Pauses a moment to take in the vision before him.

Billy is reclining on the bed, back against the cushions and legs spread wide open. He cocks an eyebrow up, such a perfect Frankie impression that Steve can’t hold back any longer. He kneels on the bed, picks up Billy’s foot and strokes at the black shoe, running his fingers along the leather and down the jewelled heel, and then up to the top of Billy’s foot, encased in the black fishnets. Steve slides his hands up and up, feels the way the netting catches under his palms, all the way up to the black band resting on Billy’s thigh. Steve can’t help himself, he reaches one finger under it and lets it snap back, hears Billy hiss and then quickly dips his head to plant soothing kisses along the skin, lets his tongue slip under the suspenders and lick at the slightly reddened skin there. Hears Billy gasp at the sensation, hears ‘ baby’ and ‘ yes’.

Steve moves his hands to Billy’s hips, grabs hold of the black garter belt and rubs his fingers against the frothy black lace.

“This, this is fucking beautiful. You are beautiful baby, can’t believe I get to have this,” Steve moves his head back to take in the sight of Billy, lying there all dressed up and pretty and ready for him, then lowers it again to rest against Billy’s thigh, nuzzling at the satin panties which are already getting damp from Billy’s leaking cock.

Billy lets out a moan, “Fuck sweetheart, woulda worn it sooner if I knew this would happen. Didn’t think-“ he cuts off, bites his lip against a whine as Steve presses a kiss against the panties, swirls his tongue around the material, “Didn’t know if you’d be into it,”

“Oh I am ,” Steve breathes out, makes sure to direct the warm air onto the black material in front of him, “Very very into it.” He mouths at the panties again, can taste Billy’s musk and precum on the material, lets his tongue lap over and over again; gentle, barely there licks which have Billy twitching and squirming and aching .

“Seems a shame to take this all off, when you look so good,” Steve murmurs, his lips still pressed against Billy’s cock, now straining against the satin panties. Steve traces his fingers along the suspenders idly, flicks the little clasps at the front and the back, repeats the action on the other legs, “but I think we’ve gotta lose these ,” he tugs the panties down and Billy’s cock bobs free, the tip of it catching on the lace of the garter belt. Steve leans down to lick at the underside, and then swirls his tongue around the head.

“Fuck!” Billy gasps out. Steve knows how he feels, can feel the press of his own dick in his jeans. He’s been half hard since the film, and seeing Billy like this, tasting him, is almost enough to have him losing it right now.

“There we are,” Steve grins, slipping the panties down Billy’s legs and then carefully taking them off, mindful of Billy’s heels. Billy reaches for the corset, fingers starting to pick at the lacing, but Steve grabs his hand, pushes it away. “Oh no, that stays. Everything else stays.” He re-fastens the stockings, and then shuffles back, sits up on his heels to fully appreciate the sight in front of him. Billy, still reclined on the pillows but with a flush to his face and his curls in disarray, his lips red from where he’s been biting them. The corset is askew and slightly more open, thick white tendrils of scar tissue visible through the gaps in the lacing. Steve traces his fingers along the marks, pulls the lacing a little to let even more of Billy’s tanned skin show,

“Gorgeous,” he breathes, and Billy shifts under him, rocking his hip slightly,

“Steeeeve,” he groans, “I’m dying here,”

Steve smiles at him, runs both hands down the corset and squeezes it, watching as Billy’s pecs come together at the top, “I’m just appreciating all your hard work,” he says, “Gotta take it all in.”

Steve’s hands make their way back down to the garter belt, his fingers twisting around the lace and moving it softly, delicately against Billy’s cock. Billy rocks his hips up again, his hands grasping at Steve, trying to pull their bodies closer.

“Just a minute baby, lemme just…” Steve makes quick work of taking off his own jeans, his pants, his shirt- lets himself be totally exposed in front of Billy. As soon as he kneels back down, Billy pulls him forward, gets their cocks pressed together. Steve lets out a breathy moan as he feels the slight roughness of the garter belt lace brush against him, lets out a longer moan when Billy’s hand begins to stroke them both, when his other hand comes up to squeeze at Steve’s hip.

“I’m not gonna last long,” Steve gasps, and he can tell by the way Billy is stroking, his no-nonsense pace, that Billy is the same. Steve places both of his hands on Billy’s spread legs, fingers curling against the tops of the stockings, and the sensation of the fishnets beneath his palms- combined with Billy’s expert fingers- pushes him over the edge. Steve arches his back and lets out a groan, feels Billy do the same not a moment later.

“Whoa,” Steve says. He’s never been great with words, and sex with Billy always tends to leave him even less articulate than usual.

“Yeah,” Billy nods, equally lost for words.

“That was...that worked.” Steve nods. He drops to the side, curls up against Billy’s shoulder and starts to twirl one of the corset laces around his finger tip. “Good movie, good choice.”

“You know there’s still over an hour of it left, right?” Billy is looking down at him, a fond look on his face.

“More singing?” Steve lets his fingers walk down Billy’s exposed chest,

“Yep,”

“More...costumes?” Steve’s fingers nestle in the lace of the garter belt again, avoiding the stickiest patches.

“Oh definitely.” Billy presses a kiss into Steve’s hair, his smile growing even bigger.

“Maybe we should watch the rest then,” Steve looks up at Billy, peers through his eyelashes and makes his eyes big and wide, “But can you keep the outfit on?”

“‘You want me to put it all back on?” Billy snags the panties with his foot and kicks them at Steve, tilts his head questioningly.

“Maybe not all of it…” Steve grins and then flicks the suspenders again, “But these are definitely staying.”

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Kasa Obake

Debut: ???

Despite everything, I wasn’t really planning to do another yōkai post after the Gashadokuro, but you know what? I can’t help myself! I’ve got so much to say and this is my only outlet for that! I mean not be an expert, but dang if I’ve got passion! So even though I’ve touched on them once before, here they are with an encore performance: the Kasa Obake! Please give them a round of applause!

But first: What the heck does “Kasa Obake” even mean? Kasa is the Japanese name for an umbrella or a parasol, and obake means... well, ghoul, monster, ghost, goblin, take your pick! (It’s a vague term, like yōkai, but strictly speaking it means “changing thing”!) Of course, in this case we have a karakasa, or a traditional paper umbrella, which gives them the alternate names of Karakasa Obake or Karakasa Kōzo (kid)!

The Kasa Obake might just be one of the most quintessential yōkai, and it’s quite easy to understand why- a one-legged, one-eyed paper umbrella monster who hops around like a pogo stick? Instantly charming! Instantly spooky! Sign me up!

They’re also (sometimes) a lovely example of a tsukumogami, one of my favorite classifications of anything ever! In short: a cherished object that lives to around 100 years old gains a fresh new soul and becomes a yōkai of their very own! Yes, while Pokémon fans have been complaining about object monsters for a long time, the Japanese have been relishing in them for centuries! Take that!

But alas! Like the Gashadokuro, the Karakasa’s origins may be a bit misleading! Though not quite as recent, the Kasa Obake is more or less considered a “made-up” yōkai, appearing somewhere around the late 19th century, without any legends, stories, or, well... anything to its name!

But again, I just think that speaks for its charm! Those Japanese artists from 300 years ago may not have invented this paper umbrella ghost, but I’m sure they wish they did! They’re iconic, they’re easy to draw, and people can’t get enough of them! And damn right, I say! We should stop trying to make Halloween costumes sexy and just dress up as umbrellas every year. They can’t stop us all!

A big force in making the one-legged Karakasa as popular as it is today came from Obake Karuta, a variation of the popular Karuta game from the 19th and early 20th century- rather than using famous poems or common idioms, it had a deck full of Funny Monsters! It was basically one of the first examples of categorising and marketing as many Funny Monsters as possible, so it’s pretty much the great grandpappy of all Funny Monster Games! In a sense, we might owe this blog to Obake Karuta to some extent!

(Speaking of Obake Karuta it’s also one of the few appearances of the Shumoku Musume who really has nothing to do with this post but she's another favorite of mine)

Anyway! As Funny Monster related media continues to grow and expand, so has the Kasa Obake’s grasp on popular culture! Movies, cartoons, games, they really have it all! No media can resist their allure! So once again, under the cut, some fictional Kasa Obake! (as opposed to regular Kasa Obake, which are real)

Did you know? Yokai Monsters: 100 Monsters is one of the best films ever made. Of course, that’s judging purely by the number of monsters, I haven’t seen it myself, but how many movies do you know that have 100 monsters? Not many, I assume!

Look at this guy! Not only is he fantastic, but that’s some really cool puppetry, too!

2005′s The Great Yokai War, which was kind of a spiritual successor to Yokai Monsters, also features a Karakasa as the comic relief character, and I can’t think of anything better to be comic relief! Hollywood take note!

(from Obscure Video Games on Tumblr)

Naturally, we see plenty Kasa Obake in the many, many GeGeGe no Kitaro adaptations! 

They look quite different with every appearance, but my favorite would have to be Shigeru Mizuki’s original illustration- I mean, you can’t beat that cheeky little smirk!

Then there’s Pallysol, from Yo-Kai Watch! Of course, they had to make it clear that this guy is a pal, objectively, like Pal from Pac and Pal. I feel like as far as cutesy Karakasa designs go, this one’s nearly perfect!

What’s that? A mobile game variant of Pallysol, based on a disposable umbrella with a little rain boot? Don’t mind if I do! This is probably like, the peak of monster design. This is what the Kasa Obake was born for. 

This here Touhou is a Karakasa... I guess? Hm... If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this is just a girl! 

Look, I respect Touhou! Some of my best friends are Touhous! I’m certainly partial to an anime girl every now and then! But, it’s more or less my creed that you shouldn’t make a boring human character when a funny monster would offer so much more!

See, now isn’t that way more pleasing to the eyes? Er... eye?

The Ghostbusters mobile game has a very cool Karakasa design that I wanted to mention. Did you know there’s a Ghostbusters mobile game? Neither did I!

Uh oh, Nioh! He’s quite scary, but look at him dance! He’s so happy! 

The Jackbox game Tee KO features a whole roster of funny yokai to pick, including (but not limited to) a Karakasa looking to win the prize money and open his very own sandal shop! Look how adorable! As objectively the best character, the real aim of the game is to be the first to pick him. This one is named Taco, I guess.

Oh, you won’t fool me this time Touhou! This is a girl and I know it!

Jumpershoot, a midboss from Kirby’s Dream Land 2 and 3, is about as Karakasa as a Karakasa can get! But with one of Kirby’s main abilities being a Parasol, it’s a wonder why they’ve barely appeared since! For shame, HAL!

Ah well, at least the Kirby Twitter artwork gives them some love, right? Though, what hasn’t the Kirby Twitter referenced at this point?

Well, that’s about it! That’s pretty much all the Kasa Obake I can think to talk about, though probably not all the ones that exist. If you’ve got a Karakasa of your own to share, hit us up! I swear I've gotten all my yōkai juices out of my system, and I’ll never subject you guys to a post like this again! Unless you want me to...?

Actually, I can’t shake the feeling I’m forgetting something. Wasn’t there another series I liked, which also had a Karakasa...? Hm...

[craftmanatee]

Dread X Collection 3 Games Review

Once again, my friend and I have played through a new Dread X collection and I would like to make a short concise review for each game including the Hub area. We each played 1 game resulting in 6 each. The order of games reviewed is not the recommended order to play as we went on a very simple roundabout on the graveyard, and the games have a strong sense of quality unlike Dread X Collection 2 which had many great quality games and many low quality games.

Lets go!

Game X: The Castle (A bit unremarkable)

Scare Type: Cute

Player: My friend

The castle in some way is a step back from the awesomeness of the house. As it proceeds with forced dialogue cutscenes with your character and a ghost character that possesses in you. The puzzles and areas are also larger and more spread out and easier than the house. The Dialogue cutscene itself even give the idea to not compare the two, which is understandable. But let me tell YOU that I enjoyed the house more than I did the Castle (Even if it was not I who was doing the Castle Bit), so even if they are different, one was in my opinion better than the other.

The forced Dialogue cutscenes weren't to bad. The Voice Acting was not bad. Its rather the script and subjecting the player to sit through it. Its not the most fun to sit through and could have been handled better. In the house, a dialogue still happened but you were still free to move around while listening to the pre-recorded message. The ghost possessing you could have done the same with you, but instead this YOU is a character that must go into a dialogue and stop your gameplay.

The STYLE of the castle is where I think it wins the best. The very cute spooky aesthetic is great, and hold a lot of details we noticed near the end of the game. Like the paintings being famous paintings, replacing the characters of the paintings to goofy ghosts. Time passing between each game is also a great detail, making the castle ever so slightly different all the way to night time. I love the castle for this.

We quickly figured out that the theme for this Dread X collection was not just Cute and spooky, but also the inevitability of death.

Nate Berens – SATO WONDERLAND (Ok)

Scare Type: Surprising!

Player: My Buddy

This game was alright, nothing too amazing as pulling different topics to make a new dialogue box appear was tedious and a bit annoying. But the story itself was pretty cool, resulting in a surprise ending. Each game have different endings which we did not try to explore, but for this I think we managed to get the best ending. Not much to say about this one.

Blood Machine – Soul Waste (Eh...)

Scare Type: ...None?

Player: Me

Soul Waste is a 3D action platformer about this... post apocalyptical world, and you happen to be the “Saviour”. We got Ending C for this as we felt the tedium of the collectables and we weren't going to sit around collecting them all in this weird to navigate map. The enemies did not make much of a challenge making the game bit boring. The end boss was the only thing that gave me some ounce of real fun. There was a lot to explore, but my patience wore thin due to not being that interesting of a platformer. Although it did look good for what it did. There is some to explore which we did not, but I simply noticed that there was some things here and there that we did miss. We just did not feel the need to go back.

Bryce Bucher – Disparity of the Dead (Great!)

Scare Type: Horror that sticks around even after the game.

Player: My pal

This game I think pulls off the themes of Dread X Collection 3 very, very well! Perhaps the best thematic one? Nevertheless, this is a 3D platformer that lets you talk to fun characters collecting collectables and piece together a mystery. The topics that which the game introduces to you are all very good and sad in many ways. It also had a lingering effect on me personally. This lingering horror reminded me of SOMA by Frictional Games. Anyways, the game in general is not horrifying until you get to a certain point. Then when the actual ending plays, it all gets sad. We do not know if there are different endings, but the ending we did get was a sad one in my opinion and was great.

Amon Twentysix – Bete Grise (Cool!)

Scare Type: Uneasy, then relief!

Player: Me

I really liked the aesthetics of this game, reminded me a lot of some obscure old-school games. The gameplay is mostly of you going floor to floor doing cleaning and... repairing? Anyways, there are a few hints here and there that foreshadow the great revelation at the end. I saw some of them and felt very uneasy when going through the process as it all felt like a facade. But once the revelation hit, the game turned into something more funny, stylish and well, just felt good. Its rare for a horror game to kinda blue ball you into satisfaction.

DIRIGO GAMES – REACTOR (Disappointing)

Scare Type: Betrayal

Player: My Homie

This is a game I spoiled myself with, which is why I had my friend play it instead. The game is mostly a walking simulator in which it feels like you shouldnt be there in the bad/useless way as there is a robot buddy who keeps you company and doing everything for you. When the time comes, you are then obviously, chased to the ending of the game. Its not scary, sad. Its just a simple experience. The aesthetics of the game is great, by being a gradient of blacks and whites as well as minimal uses of colour. Other than that, this is disappointing.

Moya Horror/Amos – Nice Screams at Funfair (humorously frustrating)

Scare Type: Dont fail

Player: Me

This is a very short game that was short enough for us to also explore a different ending. There is no real inherent horror here. Its mostly thematic to being like Halloween. The game has you serving icecream to people, the challenge is to serve them the ice cream that they want, and take the money into your tip jar or cash register. The real challenge is the controls, as throwing ice cream into the ice cream cones often fails for no reason, and clicking on to activate anything just sometimes did not work. Resulting in funny scenarious. We got 2 different endings for this, one that made sense, and another that we didnt understand. The game looked great, the intro did not have to be as long as it did but it was a fun little ride.

Basalt Tower – Matter OVER Mind (Woah!)

Scare Type: Loosing progress...

Player: My Amigo

Matter over mind absolutely felt like an old-school platformer, it was also unique, colourful and funny/cute! Crawling around as a little parasitical monster and possessing scientists in order to escape the labs just looked great. Like many of these games, it had a collectible that meant... NOTHING. And if you died collecting them, you will loose them all. Prompting you to reset the entire game. Nevertheless, it was an impressive game that felt great.

Corpsepile – Submission (Fuck yeah!)

Scare Type: Scary, but also funny

Player: Me

This game had so many unique and cool twists and ideas. Maybe one of the best games in this collection. It was absolutely creative, funny... everything! It was also scary at times, referencing P.T. Its puzzles were great and fun, so much good about this one! The gameplay switches often, the horror amps up... Man... Submission was super good! Cant really say much other than that.

Torple Dook – Chip’s Tips (Funny!)

Scare Type: Friendly?

Player: My guy

Super creative point and click adventure game, hamming it up to 101%. It is also so patronizingly friendly that it becomes funny. Probably the most unique game on this list. And you can pet the dog in this game. I absolutely love the aesthetics of the unhinged masked textures, as well characters being flat cutouts. What is sad is this game feels like the end to Torple Dook’s streak of being in Dread X Collection games as it references his previous 2 games as well as more.

Breogan Hackett – Bubbo: Adventure on Geralds Island (Woah! x2)

Scare Type: JUMP

Player: Me

A very well done 3D platformer, with some challenge. The game is not scary, although it does come to a point. The platforming was very good albeit a tiny bit weird when turning in a specific way. It also features hidden collectibles that we unfortunately did not find all and left it at that. It sounded and felt good, looked good and was fun to get to the end with. There are different endings, we (me) only got to see 1. I jumped at the right time and made my way out!

Modus Interactive – EDEN: Garden of the Faultless (Chaos?)

Scare type: None, just weird.

Player: My hombre

This is literally a game akin to raising your Chaos in Sonic Adventure games. Just that you raise your little Evangelion. This game I think, has the best Ps1 look than the other games. It has a very weird control scheme, as well as being weird in its own right. And it nails the aesthetics very well. Too bad the game is finicky or boring, sporting long paths and lots of waiting. I guess you could have some fun minmaxing your wittle angel. I guess you always need at least one super unorthodox entry in a collection.

Adam Pype & Viktor Kraus – SPOOKWARE @ The Video Store (Quintessential)

Scare Type: brief moments of panic

Player: Both of us

This game... is actually really fun. Spookware is literally Wario ware but with horror movie themed events. The style, game and everything is perfect. Although very short, I would honestly buy a game like this if it was fully complete. I also think this is the most fitting game for the theme of the collection. Although, not much is done about the “inevitability of death” theme here, but everything else about it carries the collection thematicly. Such a fun and quirky little game.

-------------

Conclusions

And so, the best games in the collection In my opinion were...

#1 Submission AND Spookware

#2 Chips Tips

#3 Disparity of the Dead

The collection was not at all as scary as the first or the second collection. Although, that is understandable as it had a more Fun and goofy vibe to it. I love seeing these collections and it introduces me to people ive never heard of before. Like Viktor Kraus who made the music, like in the trailer for the collection. Thats a great one. I wish to keep seing them make these and I hope that it is profitable for them in the end as well.

[nyxshadowhawk]

Nyx’s Ultimate Halloween Playlist

Need some theme music for your haunted house or Halloween party? I create a new Halloween/Samhain list every year. (This year’s list uses a LOT of SotN music! I’ll be posting that too.) Here’s a compilation of some of the “greatest hits.” Yes, there’s a lot of Nox Arcana.

Spooky:

“Toccata” by Nox Arcana: You need a version of Toccata and Fugue in D Minor! I use the Nox Arcana version, but if you want something more upbeat, I recommend the Trans-Siberian Orchestra version.

“Nocturne” by Nox Arcana: An almost quintessential Halloween piece. Dark, creepy, expressive, easily applicable to a variety of contexts, evokes sensual and torturous bloodlust... It’s perfect!

“Labyrinth of Dreams” by Nox Arcana: Another absolutely quintessential Halloween piece. I originally found it in a cute Halloween animation on youtube (which I’ll post later). This is my favorite Nox Arcana piece. It’s mystical and spooky, and contains the very essence of Halloween magic.

“Ceremonial Spell” by Adrian von Ziegler: In my opinion, one of the most beautiful pieces of music that I have ever heard. It invokes a dark, smoky atmosphere lit by candelabra and filled with undead, slowly, eerily waltzing.

“Masque of the Red Death” by Nox Arcana: Speaking of waltzes, this one is in a ballroom in a magnificent ballroom. This dramatic organ piece perfectly reflects Poe’s words: “There were delirious fancies such as the madman fashions. There were much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre, something of the terrible, and not a little of that which might have excited disgust.”

“Into the Night” by Nox Arcana: Another one of my favorite Nox Arcana pieces, spooky and fast-paced, as the night creatures crawl out of their lairs and gather to quench their thirst.

“Ghost Bride” by Adrian von Ziegler: A melancholy music box piece. Can’t you see a beautiful, sad spirit floating down a dusty corridor in an abandoned mansion?

“The Forgotten Path” by Nox Arcana: I think this piece is underrated. It’s sinister and kinda sexy, and brings to mind seductive female spirits.

“Shadow Dance” by Nox Arcana: Much like “Labyrinth of Dreams,” this one just screams “Halloween” to me. You can just see witches and demons dancing around a fire in a forest of leafless trees.

“Once Upon a Nightmare” by Nox Arcana: Another one of my favorites from Grimm Tales. I love listening to this one when I’m walking in forests around sunset. It’s sinister, but also sounds like the beginning of an adventure. I could see this in a video game.

“Shadowplay” by Nox Arcana: This is my favorite track from Theater of Illusion. I love it for how fast and energetic it is. It puts me right into the theater, watching a handsome magician spin shadows around the stage. Mmm...

“Born of the Night” by Nox Arcana: The Dark Tower is one of my favorite albums. This particular one’s a classic and among the best Nox Arcana tracks. This takes everything I said about “Into the Night” and turns it up to eleven. It’s just so intense and cathartic. Those aformentioned night creatures raise their raspy voices in worship of the Dark Lord and Queen of the Night. The night summons like an unquenched love, beckoning with the promise of dark desire.

“Night of the Wolf” by Nox Arcana: Arguably, Nox Arcana’s most famous track. I first came across it on SYTYCD when a man used it for a solo. A few years ago, by pure coincidence, I heard those first few telltale bass strokes in dance class as my teacher was scrolling through music, and I lost my goddamn mind. I squealed like an eleven-year-old squeals over boy bands. “I’m not like other girls, I squeal over creepy shit!”

“The Raven” by Nox Arcana: The piece that helped me rediscover Nox Arcana, and that began my obsession. This piece is just so beautiful, and based after Poe’s classic poem. I listened to it while memorizing the poem. Its instrumentation is just perfect all the way through. I’m not quite sure if it belongs on this list, since it has a bit of a different atmosphere, but I love it too much to leave it off.

“Halloween Waltz” by Derek and Brandon Fiechter: Alright, let’s leave off the Nox Arcana. There’s a lot of Fiechter pieces I could put on this list, but I like this one. It lacks Nox Arcana’s sophistication, but it brings to mind a classic gathering of monsters enjoying the Hallowmass festivities on their one night.

“Cemetery Waltz” and “Waltz of the Willows” by Two Steps From Hell: These pieces are both short enough that I basically regard them as one piece. I love how ethereal and romantic they sound.

“The Vampire Masquerade” by Peter Gundry: This French-style piece puts us in a regal vampire’s ballroom, with moonlight streaming through the windows, tall candelabra, and crystal goblets of blood. All the vampires are impeccably dressed in nineteenth-century clothing. Actually, that blond gentleman over there looks more eighteenth-century French. (There’s a really cool organ version of this piece on youtube.) There’s a lot of spooky Gundry pieces that I like, especially “The Shadow’s Bride,” “The Nocturnal,” and “The Shadows Hymn,” but this one felt the most “Halloweeny.” I recommend checking out his stuff.

“Danse Macabre” by Camille Saint-Saëns: Samhain is about the spirits of the dead returning for a night of revelry. Azrael plays his violin while the ghosts and skeletons dance in the graveyard until dawn.

“An Embassy Waltz” and the original “Veilgarden Theme” by Maribeth Solomon and Brent Barkman, from Fallen London: I’m sad that FL no longer has music attached to it since the app was retired. I love this music. "An Embassy Waltz” is so evocative of everything Fallen London is-- street lamps and smoke and bats and tentacles. And the Veilgarden theme takes you straight to the dim honey-dens for a bit of hedonistic pleasure. (I’m referring to the quiet and sensual original, not “Carnival at Midnight,” which is the Mahogany Hall variation and the version that is on the official OST. I just like the former version better.)

Party:

“Monster Mash” by Bobby Pickett: It would not be a Halloween list without Monster Mash. We’re heading into the party section of the list. The line “Dracula and his son” makes me imagine Alucard sitting in the corner of the castle hall with his back against the stone wall, sipping wine just like his father and watching the festivities with a bored, deadpan expression. Alucard’s not one for parties. I can’t act in-character at this year’s Halloween party, or I would be a terrible hostess.

“Land of the Dead” by Voltaire: I love Voltaire, and this jazzy song from The Grimm Adventures of Billy and Mandy is absolutely perfect for any Halloween party.

“Moon Trance” by Lindsey Stirling: Lindsey’s epic dancing zombies graveyard number. This is the kind of Halloween piece that makes you want to bounce up and down.

“The Night (Deathrock Version)” by Voltaire: This is another Voltaire piece that I like to dance to. Some of the lyrics are a little cheesy, but I see this is as the fun, upbeat, rockin’ version of “Born of the Night.” Same deal, different style! It’s super catchy. Come with me to the other side! Make that girl in black your bride!

“Sympathy for the Devil” (I use the Guns N’ Roses version because it’s the one on the Interview soundtrack): You really can’t go wrong with this one. Especially if you want to stick it to uptight religious dweebs who hate Halloween for being “Satanic.”

“Emperor’s New Clothes” by Panic! At the Disco: If it feels good, tastes good, it must be mine... Want to embrace your inner decadent devil? I do!

“O Fortuna (Carmina Burana)” by Spiritual Project: A remix of O Fortuna that my dance teacher played in class one October. It rocks. It’s probably less “party” and more “evening workout,” though. (Its one song on an album of other Halloween remixes of stuff like “Ghostbusters” and “The Phantom of the Opera”).

“Don’t Go By the River” by Voltaire: It was between this and “When You’re Evil.” As great as that is, I thought this was more upbeat and catchy. And it references Lestat. It’s perfect if you want something Cajun-style.

“Phantom of the Opera” medley by Lindsey Stirling: A new addition this year. This was featured in The Umbrella Academy. It’s so awesome.

“All Souls Night” by Loreena McKennit: Putting the Samhain in All Hallows’ Eve. Brings the list full-circle in that it’s a bit spooky and very Halloweeny, but still fun to dance to. It’s actually pretty cathartic, and it makes me think of cloaked figures in masks dancing with their lanterns on hills. Old-school Halloween!

Believe it or not, I’m actually leaving a lot off. Pretty much everything by Nox Arcana works for Halloween. There’s a lot more Voltaire that I like, too. Lately, I’ve been listening to “Carpe Noctem” from Tanz der Vampire (the original German version, because it’s better), and that is just so dark and sexy and fun to rock out to. You can’t go wrong with “This is Halloween,” of course. I also recommend “Moon Dance” and “Remains of the Day” from Corpse Bride. “The Secret Garden” and “Dark Ritual” by Adrian von Ziegler are both creepy. I could go on and on. If you need music for a specific situation, feel free to ask me!