#so i love that i have podcasts i can get some fun spooky vibes and supernatural elements from

[lovecolibri]

Just got to the synopsis for interlude #2 The Clearing for WBN and like, as an indoor cat with anxiety my reaction was very

Like. It's bad out there! No thank you, The Ocean! What's that over there? Do not ask! You don't want or need to know! Leave it alone!

[antiquepearlss]

i should probablyyyy be asleep rn

but whatever

whats the tts casts favorite halloween movie, or like what they enjoy bcuz thats what tjis turned into LMAO

rapunzel i feel is a diehard tim burton fan, anythinh by him is her fav, but shes also a hocus pocus fan and loves coraline(she also loves any type of halloween special for tv shows and stuff lol, she probably likes the curious george halloween special ngl)

cassie likes horror movies, esp the gore-y ones, i think she probably likes those movies, it gets her anger out. i havent seen many horror movies though bcuz im a paranoid loser so i shy away from scary movies, but cass probably laughs watchinh the scream movies

youve said tjis one before ane i LOVE IT, eugene and varian watch and listen to true crime stuff, varian probably likes the documentaries and podcasts, eugene like the cinematic true crime movies, but they all together like true crime stuff lol

lance, lance likes that one house of mouse episode where all the villians took over and that was the halloween special, he liked vampire mickey(ALSO, the dream works stuff like the shrek scary stories and the monsters vs aliens one aboyt the carrots & pumpkins that turned into zombies)

the girl just watch whatever everyone reccomends, like "okay we'll watch hocus pocus" "okay we'll watch halloweentown" ect, their favs tho are def horror ones, kiera likes nightmare on elm street and chucky, and catalina likes horror, but i feel like shed like the older stuff like frankenstiens monter & obvi stuff abt werewolves & vampires lol

and hugo likes hotel transylvania, specifically bcuz adam sandler does drac, and he forces varian to watch descendents with him, hugo def knows all of the songs to descendents(hes a mal kinnie what can i say)

and yes descendants is a halloween movies, IDC what you say, its a halloween movie /not mean💛

okay im going to bed goodnight augh mimimimi

Sorry this took so long to get to! I love these asks they just require a lot of thought and brainpower I often don’t have :p

Honestly like, you kinda nailed it lmao. I love these hc’s. I don’t know how to add onto it LMAO but here I did include movie hc’s in one of my posts-

I fully agree that Cass and Kiera would love the slasher films. Cass likes the more modern ones because quite a few of them have a feminist vibe, whereas Kiera likes the classics because 1) they’re cooler and 2) they were probably the ones Lance showed her first.

Lance and Rapunzel both like the less spooky and more vibey Halloween movies. Like you said, a lot of Tim Burton and Halloween specials. I think Raps would like Edward Scissorhands and Corpse Bride in particular. I think Lance likes Beetlejuice (in his opinion the musical is much better.) Rapunzel probably loves The Great Pumpkin Peanuts special and all the Phineas And Ferb Halloween specials.

I think Eugene probably also likes the classic slasher films. And like you said, Cat likes the classic Universal Monster films.

Quirin probably watches Halloween movies like the Universal Monster movies, along with some of my ultimate faves- Arsenic and Old Lace and I Married A Witch. Basically Quirin watches a lot of older Halloween movies and I think Varian ended up with those as his favorites. Tbh I don’t think Varian watches a lot of fictional things to scare himself (or at all.) When spooky season comes around, he watches things like Blameitonjorge, Nexpo, Nick Crowley, etc. True scary stories. He probably also loves the internet rabbit holes because they’re kind of like puzzles. (I’m really projecting onto him ngl but it fits okay!)

I feel like Hugo likes “bad” Halloween movies. Failures. Movies that fail so badly at being scary they’re funny. Think Velocipastor (please think about Velocipastor it’s the greatest movie in existence) but I can also see him enjoying Found Footage and along with Varian, “True” scary stories.

I think Hugo, Varian, and the girls watch obviously fake ghost hunting videos and make fun of them. They watch a lot of John Wolfe. I can also see Varigo + Eugene, Lance, and the girls really liking Buzzfeed Unsolved and Ghost/Mystery Files, along with Too Many Spirits. Which Varigo reenact at one point.

I think Lance, Eugene, and the girls watch the Conjuring series and other paranormal movies together. I can’t see Cass and Hugo enjoying them a whole lot, and Varian and Rapunzel are super afraid of them. I can see Varian and Rapunzel watching The Twilight Zone together. And also those Halloweentown movies on Disney (I’ve not seen them but they seem like Disney Channel fans) Varian, Raps, and Eugene watched the Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina but deemed it not nearly as good as the original sitcom. Eugene and Hugo hate-watch Twilight. Raps watches Halloween baking shows. Lance and Hugo like Rocky Horror Picture Show. Lance and Eugene like Young Frankenstein.

Goodnight rest well!

[matchamenace]

I posted 880 times in 2022

That's 880 more posts than 2021!

38 posts created (4%)

842 posts reblogged (96%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@bcyoureallthatmakessense

@dxncingwithastrxnger

@electricwalkman

@theamiableanachronism

@1980s-jean-ralphio

I tagged 648 of my posts in 2022

Only 26% of my posts had no tags

#fave - 71 posts

#fanart - 34 posts

#lovely mutuals - 31 posts

#matchamenace - 29 posts

#halloween - 26 posts

#matcha blogs! - 22 posts

#shane madej - 19 posts

#fall - 18 posts

#spooky season - 18 posts

#matcha asks! - 18 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#everytime i think about him i get the weirdest mixture of joy and sadness and i just wanna curl up in a ball and cry and/or possibly vomit

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Who is your stranger things tumblr bestie :)

Oh man I don't have just one bestie, but the peeps I'm closest to are probably:

@dxncingwithastrxnger

@bcyoureallthatmakessense

@claire-de-lune

@purpleangelsele

Of course there's plenty of other blogs I adore that I just haven't interacted with as much, but perhaps one day that'll change 😌

7 notes - Posted November 26, 2022

#4

Got covid booster #2 this morning. Already starting to feel cruddy. 😭

8 notes - Posted November 14, 2022

#3

MY DARK DASH IS BACK

OH THANK GOD- MINE TOO 😭 I don't know how I ever tolerated light mode in the past ahaksks

8 notes - Posted November 16, 2022

#2

Fuck, Marry, Kill

Hopper

Murray

Steve

🥰😌

OH FUCK WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME CLAIRE??? 🤣🤣🤣🤣

AHSHSJDJDJDK OKAY!! Kill Murray for sure (he's one of my least favorites, sorry not sorry 🙈) Fuck Hopper 😜, Marry Steve 😘

Ok this actually wasn't hard at all lmao. Just very telling... 👀

11 notes - Posted October 25, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Who are some of your favorite Mileven blogs and why? Let’s spread some positivity and smiles on this fine Friday🌻🐛🌼 then tag 3 other blogs to keep the smiles going.

Oh goodness!! Let's see here agsjsksksk

@dxncingwithastrxnger ABSOLUTE KING 👑🔥🔥🔥 Nothing but good vibes and the fluffiest fics and headcanons you'll ever read!! 🙌 They put SO much thought and care into their posts and are just such a pleasure to interact with 😋💕 Honestly my go-to if I'm looking for lighthearted, feel-good content. (ILY ALEX!!!!!!!! 👋)

@purpleangelsele ACTUAL CINNAMON ROLL ✨ (Sweet with a hint of spice 😎👉👉) Probably one of the friendliest people I've met online lol! Doesn't matter what I post, I can always count on Sel to give me some sort of engagement and I fkin love it!! 🤣 As for their content it's mostly fun and cute headcanons, but they definitely don't shy away from the occasional hot take or petty post 😌 Tons of personality. Great sense of humor. LOVE THEM!!! 💜💜💜

@mikes-pineapple-pizza Incredibly articulate and astute observations!! 🙌✨ Has a knack for breaking down a variety of ST topics (including, but not limited to Mileven) in a way that's intelligent, but also very chill and unpretentious. Idk. Their content just really speaks to me and I think they're super cool. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Fr tho, this person could make a podcast just analyzing anything in the show and I would EAT IT UP!!!! 🔥🔥🔥

@claire-de-lune Ah man the duality of Claire.... 🤣🤣🤣 Deliciously petty, but simultaneously has some of the sweetest and unique headcanons to offer! 🥰 A VERY passionate Mileven defender who won't take shit from nobody, but an absolute delight to have on your side 😜💕

@lenorahills @fricchead @rllybritrlly @pumpkingface BITCHIN' ARTISTS!!! Each have such cute and unique illustration styles, and it's ridiculous how excited I get everytime they post new content asksksk 🙈💕 As an artist myself, I could not recommend them more 🙌

Anyway I think I'm gonna end descriptions here, but here's some other Mileven blogs I adore:

@truessences @teafiend @flamingfalcon3 @bcyoureallthatmakessense @pjo-fan17 @elsmike @crisperia @reganx2 @mikewheely

It definitely doesn't end there, but I'm feeling lazy today, so I sincerely apologize to anyone I might've excluded! I still love and appreciate you all!!! 😘

25 notes - Posted October 15, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[thescrapbookingscientist]

Bimonthly Media Roundup

- Coraline (Movie) - Not much to say about this as I kinda only half watched it, it's a very visually stunning movie I just happened to be unusually tired that day. It's always nice to see stop motion and the other mother has a great design.

- Frieren (Anime) - Correctly assumed my sister would be a fan, so I did a re-watch with her. I talked about it previously this year and everything I had to say then still stands: Fern and Frieren's relationship is wholesome and adorable as is Fern and Starks, The exam arc is really good with a lot of interesting obstacles and characters to show off the simple but engaging magic system, the animation and music is great, and the overall themes of appreciating the small moments and every encounter/ relationship in life are nice and well executed. It's honestly a very pleasant watch that I would recommend to most people. That being said, I do feel that it's an exaggeration to put it on the tippy top of most best anime ever lists as it's frequently been. For one it's incomplete, so it's too early to say if the story will stand the test of time. It also can be a bit clumsy with it's use of flashbacks - I understand using Frieren's past and present as parallels to show how the people she loved had changed her, but they are often way too on the nose, literal, and frequent that they become a bit comical after awhile. Girl is like a sleeper agent that goes into That's so Raven flashbacks whenever someone says anything that she said to Himmel at any point lol. I also don't quite understand the reactions to Frieren and elves in general in this world, I understand that they don't want to waste time having people shock and awe every time she shows up but given how rare elves are and how famous she is the sheer nonchalance of the populace towards her is just strange. Also this is a nitpick but, man, Does Frieren really never get a single new outfit in like 100 years. Everyone else could get one too honestly, I want to see it. Anyway looking forward to the 2nd season, 2025 seems like it will be rather stacked.

- Over The Garden Wall (TV) - Annual fall re-watch of OtGW. This was also just on in the background but I've seen it enough to wholly recommend it. The vibes are spooky and pleasant and wholly unique, the soundtrack is great as is the voice acting, the stories are strange and memorable with really good character designs all around, and the length is just right for the story to feel complete without overstaying it's welcome. Go watch it.

- Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime) - Uh oh, We had a good run but alas, the hyper-fixation is slipping away. I'm sure I'll watch the next season when it comes out, or at least try to, but I can't say the latter half of the story seems all that interesting from the spoilers I've seen of it. Most of my favorite characters are out of commission and the world building is kind of laughably bad, uh but hey the past arc and thinly disguised homosexuality was fun.

- Malevolent (Podcast) - Officially caught up, I've definitely been having a lot of fun with seasons 4 and 5. I stated before that I was glad to get some more secondary characters, which is true, Noel and the Butcher and Oscar where all fun editions, to say nothing of Kayne and the sheer chaos he provides. The first few seasons where fun as well but I've really liked the heavy emotional storytelling and more involved plot-lines of the later seasons, as well as the fact that Arthur and John are finally more or less on the same page. Season 5 especially has included some much needed levity as well as a cool location switch, with some great John and Arthur moments already. Also the Christmas special was hilarious and the reveal of what was actually happening during it is a really great use of Kayne's character to make something absurd and sinister at the same time.

- The S Classes That I Raised (Webcomic) - S Class is one of the few things I tend to keep up regularly with but with all I've had going on lately I did get a bit behind. Catching up has been nice as it's always great to spend more time with this cast; I love the recent Han brothers scenes as well as the yuri-fication of Kang Soyoung upon discovering the hot playgirl dragon lady that is Riette (Girl me too). Jellyfish has a cool design so I'm interested in getting more of them, and it's nice to see Han Yoojin utilizing his pull over the gods more. Man I hope the ORV anime goes well and they give this one a chance, It's way to good to be as overlooked as it is.

- Dandadan (Anime) - Only two episodes in so not too much to say yet. For positives I love the main girls design, the bizarre premise, and the fact that the leads have pretty good chemistry even this early on. The animation is fun too, with the silly expressions and good action shots. For negatives I'm not thrilled that both the ghosts and aliens main motivation is committing sexual assault, particularly when it's played for male-gaze-centric fanservice at the expense of the female character. Hopefully that's just a one off thing as I do want to like this show, but we'll see how it goes.

- Dungeon Meshi (Manga) - I was putting off finishing this as I knew I would absolutely adore it. When I picked it back up though I gave in and ended up binging it straight to the end, because as I expected I absolutely adored it. I'll probably elaborate on it more later but for now, the art, characters, themes, world-building (specifically in the speculative biology vein), comedy, relationships, character designs, plot, and ending are all really stellar, and I can't wait to see the rest of the story animated. Most of the negatives for me lie in missed potential, as the series was a good length but I do feel some of the characters and plot elements (ie; Kabru and the Canaries) could have had more time to shine or been worked into the latter half of the story better. A lot of my favorite elements of the story such as the antagonist and character motivations are pretty big spoilers, but I can say they are very well done. For non spoiler compliments I adore the monster designs and how much detail went into working them into a believable Ecosystem. Falin in particular of course looks amazing and outside of her design her, her brother, and Marcille are all top tier characters that do a great job carrying the story. I do understand that the begging can be a little basic to get through especially for anime onlys, but I really urge anyone to stick with it, I promise it's not just a silly cooking show with stock characters and no consequences - the characters have a lot more depth than it appears and oh boy are there consequences.

- Genshin Impact (Video Game) - Since I have Navia I wanted to try to go for Xilonen once she dropped, as a geo healer is perfect for that team. Shockingly I got her on my first try, the first 10 pull, despite getting 2 five stars the last time I pulled (Alhaitham and a 2nd Keqing). In general I seem to have really good luck with Event banners but still, insane. I haven't leveled her up enough yet to be truly useful but I like her roller skates and voice so far.

Listening To: Dial Drunk by Chloe Breez, Rule #18 - Lion by Fish in a Birdcage, Let Me Love You by Alex Goot, The Killing Kind by Marianas Trench, Hear You Me by Jimmy Eat World, Feeling Good and Stick Season by Reinaeiry, Break My Heart by Hey Violet, Could Have Been Me by The Struts, The Main Character by Will Wood, Rabbit Heart by Florence + The Machine, Bittersweet by Panic! At The Disco, HOT TO GO! By Chappell Roan, Tongues and Teeth by The Crane Wives, Taste and Please Please Please by Sabrina Carpenter.

[gilear-core]

okay I have a really big list but i’ll try to trim it down for you, divided by horror and not horror :

horror (my fave genre) (not putting the more terrifying ones on here but lmk if you want some)

💕- Hello from the Hallowoods: Your nightmarish host Nikignik presents a heartfelt horror show from the beautiful (and deadly) Northern Hallowoods. Listen as a cast of (wonderful and largely queer) survivors face twisted wildlife, the Instrumentalist, and other terrors in the forest at the end of the world. I love this show, it’s like a more cryptid/eldritch Night Vale, but it’s so much more than that! it has so many amazing threads that are genuinely exciting to unravel, and the narrators voice/voices are so soothing to listen to. if you take anything from this list take this one, it’s a perfect show!

💕- A Voice from Darkness: about a call in radio show for paranormal advice, the metaplot and the individual stories are so creepy- plus the narrator has the most perfect and spooky voice!! It also has some of the most creative and interesting paranormal lore I’ve ever heard!

💕- Sayer: listen. all powerful semi malicious AI running an unethical science research station. he is loves unethical science and being the funniest bitch around and also don’t worry about the elevators or his other versions. also he has such a fantastic voice I could (and have) listen to him for hours.

The Mistholm Museum of Mystery and Morbidity: about a museum of spooky artifacts and their stories, brought to you by your perfectly functioning audio tour guide- it’s also pretty funny as well as unsettling, and i think it balances those tones well!!

Mirrors: A story about a ghost (or creature) haunting three different generations of women! All the ladies are really lovable and complex! And there so much more to it than just spooks! (this one actually gets more mysterious and less spooky but it’s really wonderful!)

How I Died: a short indie podcast about a coroner who can talk to ghosts in a very mysterious town, it’s an amazing concept, and they bring more to the story than just a dude who can talk to ghosts!

💕- Death by Dying: about an obituary writer trying to solve the mysteries of those he writes about. It’s creepy and funny and absurd, even more off the rails than Welcome to Night Vale.

💕- Malevolent: Arthur looses his sight in an accident, and when he wakes up, there’s a mysterious voice in his head who can see through his eyes, and has to narrate the world around them!! Really spooky, and give off that 20s lovecraft/eldritch vibe, and it’s really well done! I think it’s and and really creative and smart framing device! and of all the shows i think their patreon has the most exciting rewards!

The Sheridan Tapes:The Sheridan Tapes: Anna Sheridan, famous horror novelist, has gone missing, and Sam Bailey, homicide detective, is trying to find her. He has to listen to her weird an spooky tapes for clues, but finds out a lot more about the world around him, and specifically his little city. i really love it’s one! if you like to hear your narrator sort of wax poetic while delivering spooks, you’ll def like this one!! the characters all feel real and the story unravels in a really satisfying arc!

Unwell: A story about a very creepy and very mysterious small town. It embraces the creepy vibe of the midwest, but hides a lot of the socio economic tragedy of these crumbling small towns! It’s an amazing listen!

Jar of Rebuke: weird creepy town! lovely scientist with memory lost!! gothic midwest vibes, the whole show is giving weird deer and if you saw it no you didn’t! i’m really excited to see where it goes!

Woe.Begone : Mike Walters comes across the insidious and deadly online ARG Woe.BEGONE. What initially began as a simple exploration of the game and the rumours surrounding its brutality turns in to a search for the technology that makes the game the reality bending game possible. it’s fun and weird and creepy! it moves from strict horror to more sci fi in the later seasons but we still love it!

💕- The Magnus Archives: If you’ve been on the tumblr podcast scene and haven’t had tma recommended, i’m surprised, but if not, it’s one of the best horror pods of all time. Archivist, Jonathan Sims, is tasked with sorting through the old and stories of the Magnus Archives, though his tasks soon become much larger, and much more terrifying. The stories are amazing and scary, and the metaplot is spooky and mysterious, AND all the characters are complex and lovable! It is an absolute must listen for any horror lover!

not horror (everything else)

💕- Wooden Overcoats: sitcom about two competing funeral parlors and a mouse. I know how it sounds, but it’s genuinely one of the funniest and most emotional shows i’ve ever listened to i will do anything to make the whole world hear this one (that finale 🥹🥹)

💕- Wolf 359: One of my absolute favorites! 3 astronauts and one AI on a space station that’s much to big for just the three of them. It’s kinda silly, but the plot picks up pretty fast, and theres a balance between comedic relief and more sinister aspects of the Hephaestus! the payoff on this one is phenomenal, it’s my most listened to show of all time 🥰

pasithea powder: On a faraway world, Captain Sophie Green is recovering from a war that ripped her planet apart and left her personal relationships for dead. Among the many atrocities committed on both sides was the invention of Pasithea Powder, a drug with memory altering properties. Thankfully, the drug has been eradicated and only a handful of scientists—now political prisoners—know how to recreate it. When Sophie sees one of those scientists walking free, she has no choice but to turn to an estranged friend for help. (such good scifi & romance elements here! and SO compelling!!)

Erraticus: Three beings- you me who is not a condemned criminal, one who is not a nerdy bomb enthusiast, and one who is not an artificial intelligence—end up on the same spaceship, traveling intentionally towards the edge of the solar system and unintentionally towards the center of an insidious scheme (very funny plus smarmy AI rights)

💕- Victoriosity: a detective comedy show in a very very alternate 1887! it’s weird and funny and compelling with fantastic characters (queen victoria is a cyborg amongst other things) (10/10 writing it’s so fast paced and punchy)

Brimstone Valley Mall: Demons (the funny kind) working in a California Mall in the wonderful year of 1999 trying to collect enough sin coins to get home !! (top tier comedy)

The Strange Case of Starship Iris: A very straight foreword scifi show about rebellion, survival, espionage, resistance, identity, friendship, found family, romance, and secrets. (Also, there's jokes & it’s wholesome most of the time)

Okay, it’s been too long so I have no clue who my followers or mutual are anymore.

SO, lil ice breaker for whoever sees this. Ima list all the podcasts I love and have listened to/am listening to and if you’re into any of ‘em, tell me about your favorite character and why you love them in the replies or recommend other podcasts based off my list!

Welcome to Night Vale (the gateway drug)

Alice Isn’t Dead

Within the Wires

The Bright Sessions (a FAVE. WHERE IS THE FANDOM)

King Falls AM (bring them back please)

Midnight Burger (also hello where is the fandom. Doctor Who fans will love)

The Amelia Project (do yourself a favor and start listening if you haven’t)

Desert Skies (three hour season finale is coming.. I’m not ready)

Girl in Space (BRING ME SEASON TWO)

The Left Right Game

Leaving Corvat

The Orbiting Human Circus

Hello from the Magic Tavern (genuinely surprised by the lack of presence on Tumblr)

[wifeymakesgifs]

Hello! Me again! I also love commentary youtubers. I'm even subscribed to your three favorites! I love reading too so when the secret part is over I definitely have recs for sapphic stories that aren't solely romance if you're interested! Anyways onto todays questions: What's your fav trope? Fav plot bunny you never got to use? Go to sentence starter? Fav character name you've created? Did you ever write fanfic? Fav fandom? Do you rp in fandom rps? In a canon rp what character do/would you play?

rfjkenfkjewnfnewf OMG REALLY??? love your taste, bestie!! and yesss, im all up for book recs, because like my goodreads is a little dry atm and the last book i tried to read was Mexican Gothic, which I didn't really vibe with :(

Putting under readmore BECAUSE GOOD GOD I LOVE TO TALK

FAVOURITE TROPE: im a big fan of ship tropes, like grumpy x sunshine, lovers to enemies to lovers???? and some more im forgetting.

PLOT BUNNY: i dont think i have any! im usually just going with the flow of things. and some plot bunnies are just partner specific that i could never replace, so i never think about them anymore lol!!

GO TO SENTENCE STARTER: i hate writing starters, so if you can teach me to write a good starter, i will kiss you anon! like, i genuinely suck at them to the point where i depend on my partners to keep it going, bc.....it SUCKS and i just feel bad for everyone involved

FAVOURITE CHARACTER: i think i answered this already!!! Here we go!

FANFIC: ......perhaps. once upon a time i did. it was Big Time Rush fanfic and I'm sure it no longer exists (it was on Wattpad and it was eons ago, so if my account is still standing, then i guess it will be there????). it never went anywhere, and i am not like....I do not think about it anymore looooool

FAVOURITE FANDOM: oh BOY IM IN SO MANY like....my tv tag on sydsweeneys might give you an idea??? but i am like in the Shadow and Bones fandom, just anything Leigh Bardugo writes tbh. Then there's Marvel, Harry Potter (fuck JKR it's my own canon at this point, so fuck her terf ass pls), i tried to get into DC and there's only two characters i'm okay with writing lol, some TV shows that I'm into and would create content for them on and off, and the audiodrama scene <3 im in Wolf 359, The Black Tapes Podcast, The Magnus Archives, Unwell and Wooden Overcoats! Also these are great recs if you're into spooky shit or just funny British humor!

CANON RPS: it's been a hot minute since ive joined those because I cannot stand tumblr roleplays and jcink sites take a lot of brainspace to keep going. Same with fandom rps. I used to be in those Marauders rps, but the cattiness and competition and always talking about who plays James Potter better gets on my nerves, to the point where I just....indie that shit instead. It's easier that way. As for what kind of characters I play??? Love me a nice anti-hero or villain character. It started with the whole "im not like other roleplayers, i dont need to play good guys" to now me just....really liking giving everyone a redemption arc!

i'm a simple bean, i write my simple bean nonsense and just try to have fun with it, bc otherwise roleplay would be another chore i have no interest in anymore :(

[fivefriedtofu]

↳ ❝ ahoy there! ❞ | #thoma headcanons ; normal + modern au.

thoma w/ chubby cheeks? his fav petnames?? simp rambling??? & more!

ft. gn reader, the kamisato siblings, +1 bonus childe.

cw: none! completely sfw. only cringe romantic scenerios & maybe lots of mentions of kisses because i'm in love w/ him.

♡. edit: the link to the tiktok i added to the last headcanon (normal au) got deleted oh my god 😭

an: thoma go brrr. had to squeeze my brain like a powdered orange just so i could make this coherent enough to post.

i also wanna apologize if i've written some things that are suspiciously familiar to other works before. i only just noticed. i swear i don't know how it happens!! i've just never had an original thought i think _( ༎ຶ⌑༎ຶゝ∠)_ please forgive my sins.

pics: 🐶 🍡 🌿 (fun fact: the shiba's name is marutaro!!)

NORMAL AU!

we are married.

please consider... thoma with chubby cheeks.

irresistibly cute and soft.

ge ntly h olds... 🤲

the grannies at the market like to pull on them from time to time whenever he goes for groceries.

by the end of those days, he'd come home whining with aching cheeks.

"whining" i.e asking you for healing kisses? 🥺👉👈

he does not know how to swear.

thoma: "gee wilikers...", "oh to heck with it!", "gosh diddly darn it!"

ayato, tears in his eyes: pls,,, ju,,st say fuck,,

"he's a grown man with a job and pays taxes" ok maybe he does and just chooses not to BUT listen—

he says bejeebers in one of his voicelines 😭😭😭.

a cheesy romantic, the type to greet you with hand kisses. however ☝️👀

turn the tables and kiss his hands and he'll be reduced to mush.

secretly it's actually one of his favorite places for smooches. such hardworking hands, they deserve all the loving, don't they?

speaking of favorites, his favorite nicknames!

pretty boy, my prince, handsome — casually, politely, LOVINGLY he will pass away.

to be fair, he's a sucker for any sort of praise you give him but something about being called those just makes him feel so special.

BECAUSE HE IS. MUMUMU BESO MUUUWAH—

he makes me feel so soft and happy, he's like the song 'cloud 9' but personified.

this goes with any genshin character, but i'm a thoma simp. just,,, p,, please just imagine.

let me tell you, as a short person, i started screaming. rolled around my bed even, clutched my phone to my chest. at this age of mine. absolutely no shame, embarrassing ✋.

MODERN AU!

modern! thoma would probably enjoy the waitress musical.

his fav songs are 'what baking can do' and 'you matter to me.'

cried the first time he listened to the latter. cried again the next time he listened to it. they... were emotional days 😔.

enjoys musicals in general.

thoma/kamisato siblings theater kids canon i'm the left shoe of one of hyv's soundtrack artists.

he likes listening to them whenever he does chores and ends up singing along when he gets really into it.

doesn't really have the best singing voice, but he doesn't care. all that matters is that he's having fun 💪 king mentality.

and if you, as his s/o, decide to sing along with him ESPECIALLY IF IT'S A LOVE SONG DUET— shee, he just might propose to you then and there.

idk why but i feel like he'd be a swiftie. loves almost every one of her songs but lives for her 2010 era songs. gets so hyped for sparks fly.

his favorite animal crossing character is goldie and i will die on that.

i think he'd be a horror fan. specifically for spooky folklores and cryptids.

(based on that one voiceline of his - thoma's hobbies. also occasionally, he'll utter 'spooky stories...' if he's in your teapot.)

his youtube feed reccomends stuff like 'creepy urban legends from around the world' or 'inazuma's terrifying monster stories.'

when he's not in the mood to listen to music, he lets those vids play in the background instead.

thoma just vibing in his apron and cleaning gloves, waxing and polishing the floor with earphones in, listening to horror podcasts.

he is ANNOYING if he ever gets in a playful mood before going to bed.

both of you could just be peacefully cuddling, innocently talking about whatever until you fall asleep when he'll suddenly bring up a scary story he just learned. and as a result, ends up scaring you a bit.

too creeped to sleep now, you give his chest a soft smack, whining his name.

but then he just laughs! 😡 he's quick to apologize, but he's still laughing!!

as if pulling you in closer against himself, burying your face in his neck, and nuzzling into you will easily let that slide — nah, scoot away from his mean ass. ignore how he whines for you to come back.

he rolls across the bed and follows you. immediately wraps himself around you once he reaches where you placed yourself by the edge.

"noo, 'm sorry." he mumbles, lips brushing against your skin, you could feel him smile. "i'm sorry."

he sighs then plants a kiss against your temple. "here. this way no monsters will get you."

like an inconvenienced cat, you huff, burying your face into his chest. "cringe."

...

you turn back up and quickly press a kiss on his collarbone, before shoving your face back to where it hid.

ok but on the topic of the waitress musical, 'never ever getting rid of me' gives me huge childe vibes.

sorry if this ain't much, i'm fighting demons (ง｡•╭╮•｡)ง​ plus school just started.

[hopeshoodie]

A comprehensive list of Fusebox staff members and projects to support instead of Matchmaker or S4~

With S4 coming out on a seperate app and Fusebox continuing to insist their “””codevelopment””” model is just as good, I wanted to update this list with the people who made LITG the game that we love. People marked with asterisks are still looking for work/self employed, so if you can support their past and current projects it’s more important for them.

If you're looking for information on what happened, click my tag 'fusebox layoffs' on this post

Please let me know if I’m missing anyone/projects to link

This little project devolved into me playing demos, reading work, listening to multiple podcasts, and enjoying their indie content in earnest. It introduced me to so many new IF adjacent things, some of which I’m still enjoying playing. I highly recommend going down the rabbit hole.

Writers

Andrea D’Acunzo: twitter | website | working with Quantum Soup Studios who have a stealth/puzzle PC game out with this beautiful art style 

**Anna Winterstein: twitter | website |  She has a ton of small game demos, but my favorite is her short story The Colors of Sand. Fantasy gaysssss. It looks like she’s currently working with 3ofCups and/or Electric Square, but she’s got a ton of small art projects to support on her website

Ben Kaestner-Frenchman: twitter | Just super fun to follow and his WIP novel looks super interesting, I’m not sure if there’s much to do to support it at this point but *eyes emoji*, He’s also currently working with Electric Square

**Ben Sabin: twitter | website | Again, another fun twitter follow (can’t convince me to get twitter lmfao)

Carles Salas: linkedin | he’s currently working with Neon Play, who have a bunch of idle games on the app store

**Chavonne Brown: twitter | website | One of the more active projects I found was the ttrpg game Daemonologie which I have not played but might pick up if I make friends lmfao | He’s also an editor at Fiyah Magazine and I haven’t purchases any of their editions yet but it’s sci fi and fantasy short stories so I definitely need to 

**Courtney Byrne: twitter | website | The poetry fragments on their website were uh.... steamy 

Daniel Nicholson-Coombes: twitter | website | He designs logos if anyone’s in the market, also he’s working with Dlala studios  who are working on an arcade/smash type xbox game

David Evans: linkedin | Working with Netspeak Games on Sunshine Days (my beloved)

Ed Sibley: twitter | He’s working with Netspeak games and they’ve released Sunshine Days which I downloaded from a tumblr ad before realizing he was involved lmao. It’s reminiscent of animal crossing/stardew/every mmo from the 2010s and I’m really enjoying it

**Eir Causey: twitter | website | Actively job searching!! 

Elizabeth Smyth: twitter | website | her spooky games are free to play, super interesting, and well written as shit. It gives me TMA vibes. She’s got a bunch of short twines linked to her twitter and I’m kinda obsessed with her

Fiona Sangster: twitter | medium short stories | Here’s a link to her horror  game demos, not really my cup of tea but if you like first person survival games or undertale adjacent gameplay mechanics maybe you’ll dig them! She also has a bunch of short stories you can check out

Fred Francis: twitter

Frankie Wakefield-Harrey: twitter | looks like she’s freelancing and currently working with Terrible Posture Games, if I had a Nintendo Switch I would 100% buy their game 3 out of 10 

Hannah Powell-Smith: twitter |  patreon | Buy!!! Their text based game Creme de la creme!! (or download it on the app store, the first three chapters are free) I bought it purely out of reparations for the money I’ve spent on gems for LITG and while I’ve only got through four chapters so far I’m enjoying it. Scratches my dark academia/royalcore itch. They also wrote one called Blood Money which is about half the length but not really my cup of tea because it’s a mafia AU but maybe you’re into that! It has really good reviews on the app store!

**Heidi McDonald: twitter | The best ongoing project I can find is the book chapters she’s written about video game development and a book about sexuality in gaming. If you’re interested in that, check her books out. Actively job searching!!

Ian Michael Waddell: twitter | podcast | He has a huge backlog of work but my fave is the text based game and his podcast. I’ve started listening and am? Enjoying it more than I thought I would? They review a bunch of IF games that were made specifically for one IF competition and it’s been fun to get recs. They’ve got 8 episodes, and they’re all about an hour a piece which is *chefs kiss* I lowkey judged and played all the games submitted for 2021 and was really excited that this introduced me to it

Ines Robin: twitter | artstation She’s taking commissions for portraits through DMs, and seems to have a new project in the works

**Kaj Jensen: website 

Leah Muwanga-Magoye: instagram | website

Leigh Alexander: twitter | website | She’s got a TON of really cool articles about sci fi concepts intermingled with activism and is a writer with Reigns and also an odd blog that seems like it’d be super well suited to be on tumblr

Lizzie Huxley-Jones: twitter | website | books | They have a rec list on their website of books with autistic representation, and I’ve read one of them already, added some others to my to-read list. 

Luke Duffy: twitter | portfolio/website He’s working with Frontier Games now, and they make some really mainstream titles like Roller Coaster Tycoon and Jurassic World. Good for him. 

M. Vittoria Patti: twitter | I can’t bring myself to download it, but she now works for Football Manager the game if you’re into sports game, consider playing!

**Maria Callas: twitter 

Nathanael Yau: linkedin | if you have more media for him hmu

Rhea Newton: twitter | They’re working with Tributary games so keep an eye out for new content from them- it looks like it’s going to be narrative based and their art style is super cool

Sarah ‘SJ’ Longthorne: twitter | website | Now working with SumoDigital and their game Hood: Outlaws and Legends. If you’re into console or PC gaming, maybe try it out

Seema Iyer: twitter | website   

Artists

Dan Fiddis: Art Portfolio

David Galopim: instagram | He’s working with the app Puzzle Heist now. If you like empire building games like Clash of Clans or Game of Sultans, you’ll love this. The characters do look DOPE af, but the story is a bit lacking and the Match 3/Best Fiends format burnt me out pretty fast. I did play for a couple months, so it’s good enough for that.

Katie Jackson: art portfolio

Leda Chung: twitter | She’s now working with Tripledot Studio. I played Word Hop for a couple of days and enjoyed it, a lot of their games are bubblepop/solitaire/brain teaser kind of thing, so if you like that support them. It looks like they might be working on a Match 3 ala Lily’s Garden or Homescape?

Paul Alexandrescu: art portfolio

Pedro Alves: twitter

Music

Lauren Middleton: Buisness Facebook | fiverr  | instagram | portfolio | soundcloud She’ll compose music for video game and adjacent projects through fiverr, and just has a lot of samples uploaded for listening

Engineers/Product Data

Alice Cheng: I can’t find any public facing social media for her, but it looks like she’s working with Marmalade Games now, and they do a lot of board gamey type apps in you’re interested in that. 

Anita Ghoddoomi-Zadeh: Again no public networking (which makes sense), but she’s currently working with Space Ape Games, which chiefly seems to make an arcade/tapping music app.

Ariane Sivam: I can’t find any social media, but I did find a podcast episode (and have since listened to the entire podcast, highly rec!) where she talks about why LGBTQ+ stories are so important to tell through mobile games *eyeball emojis* It’s episode 6, not sure if the link worked correctly

Dave Lewis: twitter 

Joshua Samuels: twitter 

Robert Bateman: twitter

Customer Support (show them some love because some of yall were ANNOYING with that ‘Help’ button

Shelley Coates: twitter | 

Teri Murkin: instagram | twitch | patreon | podcast (guest star) | not that it matters but the fact that yall were spamming her with frustration about S3′s LIs through the support feature, when she was this interesting and creative all along? a crime. 

[oddlittlestories]

Can’t wait to add these to my own list

Sorry in advance if anyone else recommended the following already. Some of these are not that spooky, but some of the ones you posted are not *that* spooky, so I figure it’s fine. Putting a couple podcasters who could use some love up first.

The Cellar Letters

Inspire by TMA, a character moves into a new place desperate for a fresh start only to discover there is something deeply wrong with it. What does it have to do with the letters of horrifying supernatural occurrences in the basement?

Vibes rating: lots of long drawn out tension. really nice dramatic tension. also s1 or so is surprisingly funny.

The Way We Haunt Now

A young woman moves into a new house only to be haunted by the desperate ghost their. Their existences, and the worlds of the living and dead, intertwine in surprising ways.

Vibes rating: spooky and sweet. Fun worldbuilding (such as castoff scraps becoming ghost fabric). Gentle tongue in cheek humor. Has somewhat 12:37 / Far Meridian vibes imo.

Death By Dying

A town's obituary writer covers offbeat, goofy deaths that no one seems to notice are strange. Lurking in the shadows is something stranger still.

Vibes rating: it's funny, it's bizarre and uncomfortable in a really enticing way, and it is Spooky.

Project NOVA

Four people wake up on Station NOVA with no memories. As they fulfill a series of dangerous tasks, things start to seem… deliberate.

Vibes: the characters are fun to listen to, and the narrative tension from the mysterious station AI is, in my opinion, quite spooky.

Station Blue

A man takes on a job to maintain and prepare an Arctic Research station for the coming scientists. All alone. Themes of isolation and mental illness, with some themes of violence and systemic issues.

Vibes: this one is dark and sometimes viscerally gory. I love the main character and the others who pop up in his self-reflection.

Diary of a Space Archivist

A space archivist encounters more than she expected, working with a broken assistant and dodging a seemingly… precise government.

Vibes: cute and tense

Valence

A tech suppresses magic tendencies. One magic user is caught in the middle. Themes of friendship, mental illness, and internal identity. The MC's internal dialogue (often mean) is a character. Caveat, I have only listened to one episode so far.

The Two Princes

A prince sets out to save his kingdom from an encroaching darkness. He befriends and begins to fall for the enemy nation's prince, but the curse upon their land may set them at odds.

Vibes: oscillates between intensely gay cuteness and spooky fantasy quests. Seasons get spookier as you go along. Not all podcatchers have it, my favorite one doesn't.

Woe.Begone

Mike Walters plays a dangerous game with a mysterious tech. Themes of exploring empathy especially through a neurodivergent lens, ethics, and why we do what we do.

Vibes: this isn’t a death game per se but it feels like a death game. (Think Squid Games.) Mike Walters has this somewhat detached, flat tone way of speaking that feels very ND and compelling to me. He knows what he can do and he pushes himself further. I really like him as an MC. Still this is super dark and a little psychologically disturbing. I can’t do too many episodes in close proximity.

Stellar Firma

A clone is born to work with a messed up, zero brain cells self-centered planet architect who got the job bc of his parents. The two of them spark off each other for ridiculous planet plans, and the clone has to egg the architect on into doing his job so he doesn’t die (and so they both don’t die in the long run). Over time they realize the systemic problems in their little office might run a lot deeper than they thought…

Vibes: goofy, spooky, infuriating, funny, creative. Sprinkle of burned out chosen one

Ones that are not really spooky but you might still like given your list

StarTripper

An accountant sells off all his stuff to buy a starship and become a space traveler!

Vibes: strong adventure plot with cute, heartwarming, chill & hopeful themes

Ostium

A man finds a mysterious town in Northern California where the doors are numbered. They open for him, one at a time.

Vibes: mysterious, magical, otherworldly. Does get more spooky by season 2 but reads more fantasy than horror to me.

The Amelia Project

A comedy about a business that fakes peoples deaths! Every episode covers their story, the reason they want to die. And then it follows up with how they’d like to come back. Note: there IS an overarching plot that really heats up by season 3.

Vibes: goofy, strange, ethereal. Weird comedy, sometimes surrealist. Soft world building with lots of mysteries to dig into

Tides

A scientist is stranded on an alien planet when tidal forces are so much greater than calculations that they crush her submarine. Stranded on foot, she slowly traverses the briefly walkable tidal zone to find relative safety. While walking, she records audio of her experiences for documentation and in the hopes of her fellow crew members finding and rescuing her.

Vibes: ponderous, magical. It made me feel like the natural history museum did as a kid.

Shows I have only seen a couple eps of that you may enjoy

The Six Disappearances of Ella McCray

A young socialite disappears in full sight on a family holiday. Her six companions tell impossible, wildly conflicting stories of what they saw when she disappeared.

Vibes: supernatural, overlapping stories, eerie

Unwell

A young woman returns to her hometown when her mother breaks her ankle. Her mother’s boarding house is populated with a teen who helps out and a PhD candidate doing research on the blights of small towns. Mysterious occurrences mount and they are pushed towards the looming realization that not all is as it should be. And the main character’s denial—of her mom’s age and frailty, of her own past, and of the whirlpool of secrets at the town’s core—clashes against her lived reality.

Blackwood

Three kids disappear. Their investigation into the Blackwood Bugman, a local urban legend where all is not as it seems, may have played a part. Overlapping story and mounting dread vibes.

We Fix Space Junk

A fun little found family sci fi pod that people recommend in tandem with Girl in Space a lot.

EOS10

A scientist listens to audio from space, seeking extraterrestrial life.

The Mistholme Museum

Think if you could enter the museum from Archive 81. That’s how Mistholme bills itself. I think the stories are often rooted in reality, and it slowly winds the threads into a disturbing secret truth.

The Silt Verses

Idk what the plot is but the episodes I listen to describe death in the same beautiful language used to describe sublime landscapes. I thought that was pretty neat.

The Beacon

A college student (I think) starts a podcast about having unusual powers to connect people. Including herself.

hey can anyone give me recs for good spooky audio dramas?

Also bonus points if there’s gays in it (although honestly at this point I go into podcasts assuming there will be, and am hardly ever wrong)

Ones I’ve liked and listened to are: the Magnus archives, the box, king falls am, old gods of Appalachia, darkest night, limetown, spines, the bright sessions, wolf 359, all the public radio alliance ones, Alice isn’t dead, archive 81, life after, the message, the far meridian, the bridge, mirrors, the 12:37, penumbra, strange case of starship iris, girl in space, the leap year society, Mabel, and the white vault

[ieattaperecorders]

So I’ve been listening to The Wrong Station. It’s a horror anthology podcast – a true anthology, no overarching plot or recurring characters, just some standalone spooky stories.

Overall I like it – there’s more consistency to it than most anthology podcasts because it keeps the same writers rather than taking submissions. They generally have good narrators, and there’s a nice vibe of “Lights Out” and other old-timey radio horror programs to it. Like any collection of short stories it’s still a little hit or miss, but there’s a nice variety and a bunch I liked.

I’ve made a list of some of my favorite episodes for anyone interested. (CWs under the cut, this list is highly subjective and probably speaks as much to my personal taste in horror as anything else.)

Top Ten:

S2E11: Bad Road – Cursed/haunted highways are a criminally underused setting for horror.

S2E13: On Black Lake – This one makes me sad, but in a good way.

S3E25: War Comes Home – I liked where this one ended up.

S3E26: The Attendant – This one is just brutal, truly communicates a feeling of actual horror.

S3E28: In The Dead Of Night – A nice, menacing ghost story. Has a real “Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark��� feel.

S3E32: Northland Bus – I love this one. It’s just weird, weird, weird.

S3E43: Into Pigment – Do you like your horror with a side of painful and messy emotions? Buddy have I got a story for you.

S3E45: Aquarium – A story about a really weird fish. That’s it.

S4E52: Roses – Nice, solid spooky story about messed up things happening to messed up people in a messed up house.

S4E59: The Door – Gotta love a mysterious door.

Other decent/notable episodes:

S1E8: Family Business – Your basic creepy funeral director story, this one is fun.

S2E12: These Old Trees – A man takes you for a walk in the woods and tells you a story.

S3E27: Come And See – If you liked Season 2 of Archive 81 you’ll probably like this. If you hated Season 2 of Archive 81, you’ll probably hate this.

S3E34: Velvet – DEER HORROR DEER HORROR

S3E41: Flynn’s – A horror story about gentrification. That’s not a spoiler, you’ll pick it up fast.

S4E53: Auld Tup – I’ll be honest, I’m not even sure why I like this one so much, or if anyone else will enjoy it as much as I did. The “reveal” isn’t really a reveal as it’s pretty obvious where things are going to go from the start. There’s just something about the weird, deadpan vibe of this little folk horror story that delights me.

S4E65: Unbridled – Scifi-horror. Getting some ‘Annihilation’ vibes from this one.

S5E67: Pollo Rojo – The real nightmare here is being stuck in a shitty, shitty restaurant job. Don’t listen to this one while eating is all I can say.

S5E75: Sweets – The villain was colonialism all along! A silly, nasty little story for anyone who wants to watch a terrible person slowly destroy themselves.

S5E78: My Darling Little Cat – Another silly, nasty story. This is one where the narration really elevates it.

Snip Or Treat – “Short Snips” are their flash fiction collections, and this is their first Halloween-themed one.

Snips in Stockings – Christmas themed horror stories aren’t that common, and I like some of the things they try with this.

Please Consider This – More of a trailer than an actual episode, but a fun one. Some vaguely “WTNV Twitter” vibes with the short, strange images.

CWs:

S2E11: Bad Road – References to police violence and child abuse.

S3E25: War Comes Home – Themes of war and PTSD.

S3E26: The Attendant – Abuse of someone in a wheelchair, brutal animal death.

S3E43: Into Pigment – Medical neglect/long term illness.

S2E12: These Old Trees – Child death.

S3E27: Come And See – Body horror (LOTS), gore.

S3E34: Velvet – Body horror, animal death.

S4E65: Unbridled – Body horror.

S5E67: Pollo Rojo – Animal death (chickens slaughtered for food), gore.

S5E75: Sweets – Colonialism and associated attitudes.

S5E78: My Darling Little Cat – Child endangerment, animal death, body horror.

Snip Or Treat – Child endangerment.

Snips in Stockings – Child death, animal death.

Please Consider This – Possible paranoia/unreality trigger (the premise of the episode is that listening to it will rewrite your brain.)

[juiceboxman]

NEW D&D SOURCE BOOK OUT

Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft came out a few days ago. I bought it an read through it. The book expands stuff in the classic module the Curse of Strahd, a Gothic Horror centred campaign in which a party are pitted against a very powerful Vampire and other types of horrors in a cursed land.

Most of the book’s content details these things:

How to make a horror centred campaign

How to make scary encounters

How to scare your players while also not crossing personal boundaries

I have to commend the book on how informative it is on how to maintain a healthy playing environment. Such as having a thorough discussion with the players before you begin about what players are comfortable with and what they aren’t, so you have topics and themes in the story that you know not to touch upon as it may upset players and ruin the fun. The book also recommends that you avoid using players irl phobias in the game as it ruins gameplay experience as well. For more advice on how to run a healthy fun playing experience, I recommend checking out Dimension 20′s Adventuring Academy podcast. Its a great advice podcast on all things table top.

All the stuff in the Source Book is horror specific, so if you’re not into horror or any scary stuff in D&D, the book is not for you and that’s fine. For those that like horror, the book does a great job of helping set the tone for a horror game and how to build and maintain tension.

It also sets out a guide for how to adapt elements of Curse of Strahd into homebrew games. So say you love the vibe and mechanics in Curse of Strahd, but you don’t really care with the BBEG being a Vampire. The source book lists at least 16 adventures with varying genres of Horror with different creatures and encounters. 

So in one adventure, you can play in this accursed desert where the BBEG is a powerful Mummy Lord. Or in another you can play in a strange carnival in which the BBEG is a Fey creature. There’s zombie outbreaks, mindflayers- everything you can imagine, you can create and play and the book will help you to do so.

The book polishes up some Unearthed Arcana stuff, namely three new playable races. Dhampir (a watered down vampire that you can play as a PC), Hexblood (a humanoid mutated by Hag magic) and Reborn (an undead or construct reincarnation) all of them are pretty interesting.

They also sort out two UA subclasses, namely College of Spirtits Bard and Warlock patron of Undead. he latter of which you can have someone like Strahd be your patron.

There’s also some new backgrounds that are interesting and a new Dark Gift feature that is also pretty cool. A character can choose to receive a Dark Gift from a Dark Lord, an example being Strahd, so that they get some benefits but also some negative impacts as well. It can make some very fun game play for those who are interested.

But, the main thing I buy source books for is the classic DM stuff. NEW MONSTERS! Here are some of my favourites. 

Dullahan, a headless horseman. Very spooky and potentially lethal

Death Head, very interesting monster that can be flavoured to a DMs whims. ou can have a flying medusa head or a flying nothic head, or any type of flying head. The head is your oyster. They go well with the Dullahan and there is a specific adventure in the Source Book that includes both of them in case you wanna play a sleepy hollow esque game

Gallow Speaker. Picture a mix between an Oracle and a Spectre, you have one very creepy monster that can also make a very spooky NPC

Gremishka. A very creepy monstrous cat that is like the opposite of a familiar. In fact, its whole existence is just to be the bane of Spellcasters. Very creepy and has some interesting features, though I think you’d have to juice it up if your Wizard is higher than lvl 3.

Inquisitors. You have three separate Inquisitors whose whole lore mixes with Curse of Strahd but I won’t get into. There are; Inquisitor of the Mind Fire, Inquisitor of the Sword and Inquisitor of the Tome. If you like elements of the Githzarai but don’t know how implement them into your campaign, Inquisitors are a good alternative

Jiangshi. A very interesting undead. Basically a mix between a Ghoul and a Vampire, would make a very interesting monster for low level PCs

Loup Garou. An alpha werewolf. For werewolf fans like me, I imagine you’re disappointed that werewolves are only a CR 3. With Loup Garou though, you now have a werewolf with legendary actions. Very interesting monster and there is a very cool adventure in the source book that features the monster. It also has some very cool werefwolf mechanics if a PC gets infected with lycanthropy and also has a magic item linked to it thats pretty cool

Nechricor. Imagine if a Lich failed at Lichdom and accidentally turned themselves into an ooze; that’s Nechricor. I always love the tope of very powerful villains trapped in like a bottle or a knife or a statue, so a Nechricor is right up my alley

Nosferatu. Very much like a Vampire Spawn but a hell of a lot grosser. They have a feature where they can hurt people by projectile vomiting blood on them. Very nasty. If you wanna remove the romanticism from vampirism, Nosferatu are the way to go. Also if you wanna use vampires with lower level PCs, Nosferatu can be very good alternative

Vampire Mind Flayer. Enough said

And that’s most of my favourites. There’s plenty more, such as the Relentless Slasher- which is great if you wanna play a murder mystery campaign or a Friday the 13th one shot- very interesting monster.

There’s a lot of other monsters that are also really cool but I don’t really want to share them cause they’re so gross or creepy. There’s a monster called the Boneless which is literally just a bunch of skin that chokes people. There’s a bog star spawn monster that is just super gross and horrifying. There’s also a monster called a Carrionette, which is just a doll that can steal your soul- super creepy! The artists definitely outdid themselves on this source book.

If you wanna check the, out or get a hold of the stat block of these monsters above, check out Van Richtens Guide to Ravenloft

[kelasparmak]

hey I'm trying to get into podcasts and I'm intrigued by your posts. what are your recs?

THANK YOU FOR ASKING! So like, knowing nothing about your personal taste, I’ve given you a long list of shows I like, separated by vibe more so than genre. I’ve bolded my faves and put an asterisk by the ones I’d recommend starting out with if you like the sound of the premise, and I’ve also flagged which ones are Queer Podcasts and which ones have fandoms, given that we’re on the queer fandom website. Also there are SO MANY of these and I know there are some huge ones I’ve forgotten to include lmao. It’s very much intended as a menu depending on what you personally enjoy in media! Feel free to follow up with more info and I can put together a more tailored list.

Good ones to start off with, not too intense (incl some comedies) -

*Mockery Manor: The production values on this are INSANE. It’s sort of an 80s teen horror movie, based around a bunch of 18 year olds working in a theme park for their summer job, but Something Is Afoot! It’s incredibly fun, the voice acting and sound design are amazing, and it’s made me crack up laughing on the tube. There are 2 seasons so far and I really really rate it. There’s at least one queer character.

*Wooden Overcoats: Comedy drama about two rival undertakers trying to do business on an extremely small island in the English Channel. A good one to start out with as it’s not too long, but it’s exceptionally funny – the writing is excellent but the actors’ comedic timing and tone really sells it. Starts out very silly but there are lots of heartwarming moments and some genuine drama. Several queer characters and there’s a very fun little fandom.

*Girl in Space: Scifi drama about a scientist living on an increasingly dysfunctional spaceship. Starts out as just her diary, and develops into an ensemble cast ft ACTION, REVOLUTION and THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP. It’s well-produced and quite short (~13 episodes). The main character is very likeable and it’s fun to listen to. It’s a good intro to the format if the premise is your cup of tea.

The Ballad of Anne & Mary: Not a typical podcast so I guess perhaps not the best intro to the medium, but it’s extremely good and I think it’s a great example of what can be done with the audio medium when you create a show with its strengths in mind, rather than when people just have a thing they want to do and figured a podcast would be the cheapest and easiest way. It’s very short (like 5 30-minute episodes) and it’s a musical! It’s a take on the story of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, and it blew my tits clean off the first time I listened to it. It’s one of my favourite musicals, I immediately bought the MP3 soundtrack and pretty sure I know it word for word, and it’s an impressive cast – the male lead is played by the London actor for Alexander Hamilton, for example. The songs, sound design, acting and writing are all beautiful and it’s so well-put-together. I really can’t recommend this enough. It’s also v queer. Gay pirates, getchyour lovely gay pirates here, fresh out the oven! Same creators as Mockery Manor.

*Monstrous Agonies: Performed as a late-night ‘agony aunt’ style radio show for the supernatural community. Very funny and well thought-out, with some genuinely good advice, and the presenter has probably the world’s most calming and beautiful voice.  Develops a plot but I don’t want to spoil it for you! Queer, I think there’s a fandom but I’m actually not entirely up to date so I haven’t looked into it yet.

More serious / horror:

*The Magnus Archives: Starts off as a horror anthology with the connecting thread being that the individual stories are being read by a narrator who works in Spooky Research (TM), and then develops a plot around the individual stories and the Spooky Researchers (TM) over the course of 5 seasons. Many of the individual stories are extremely well-written and the sheer amount of them is really impressive, and because the bulk of each episode is largely a stand-alone story, it’s a good one to start off with if you’re new to podcasts despite the length of the series. It’s a lot queerer than you would expect from the first season, and there was an enormous fandom which has produced some stunning work (and some equally stunning discourse); since the ending of the show it’s quietened down a lot which is the way I like it personally. MY BLORBO GOES HERE. 

I Am In Eskew: Starts off single-narrator and then drawing in other characters and a plot. The narrator describes his experience in a sort of alternate universe where Things Are Not Right, and again, it gradually introduces a plot. This one’s more focused on the horror element really, and it’s very good at creating an immersive listening experience.

Mabel: Dark fantasy drama. Really poetic, well-acted, really good at suspense. A cool take on changeling/fae mythology. Very intense and maybe not one to de-stress to, but definitely worth a listen. It’s very queer, there’s some neat fan content for it but less of a fandom.

In Strange Woods: Another musical! This one’s about grief, trauma, and how small and powerless humans are compared to nature. Really, really good. You’ll cry. It’s  a quick listen – 5 episodes, all less than an hour long. When I listened to it, there was some kind of glitch with the audio that meant sometimes bits of scenes were missing or played twice? I think that was just my podcast app though. Hades from Hadestown is in this one!

The Silt Verses: Horror drama. Starts off following two members of a cult dedicated to an outlawed god, in a world where gods and the power of belief play sort of a similar role to corporations/the economy in our society. People get sacrificed to them a lot and it’s just how the world works, there are agencies dedicated to inventing new gods, etc. I’m really impressed by how they’ve built that worldbuilding and lore, as narrated by characters who have never known any other world, without ever losing the horror element. Really well-performed. Queer but it’s not a primary element of the show. I think there is a fandom but people in the tag kept massively missing the entire point of the show so I actively disengaged from it lol.

Alice Isn’t Dead: Really well-written, acted and produced. Follows a lorry driver searching for her wife, who she thought was dead, and encountering various spooky situations along the way. It’s very immersive and does creepy very well.

Harlem Queen: Drama set in the Harlem Renaissance. Another serious one, and deals explicitly with heavy issues including racism and violence, without much reprieve in the form of soft moments or humour. But it’s very well-made and worth a listen, and there’s not a lot of it.  

Fun listens, often a bit surreal (similar genre to the first section but for various reasons I might be less inclined to recommend them as your intro to the medium)

Welcome to Night Vale: You’ll almost definitely have heard of this. It’s a radio show from a very surreal desert community, which again, slowly develops a plot. It’s good and it’s very fun to listen to, but at this stage there are so many episodes, I maybe wouldn’t recommend planning to listen all the way through in one go lol, but you also can’t really start it massively out of order. I’d say this is one to start from the start, but take your time listening. Iconic queer podcast, used to have a huge fandom, I think a lot of people have sort of moved on from it, but there’s still a lot of great content and a lot of affection for it.

Victoriocity: Drama/comedy set in an alternate universe London. Feels very Discworld – really inventive worldbuilding, fun twisty plot, political intrigue, hilarious deadpan narrator, great acting. There’s some cast crossover with Wooden Overcoats so if you enjoy that you’ll like this one too.

Caravan: Western/fantasy which I wouldn’t classify as a comedy per se, but it’s still frequently very funny. Great acting, very fun and relatable protagonist who just keeps on choosing compassion over violence. Thoughtful coverage of mental illness, being brown and queer, and sexy vampires. 18+ but not super smutty and has content warnings.

Oblivity: Sci-fi drama comedy, very funny, very found family. You’ll be surprised how much you care about the characters given how stupid it is. The primary viewpoint character epitomises bisexual disaster.

The Prickwillow Papers: Fantasy drama about a young half-elf who’s just graduated from Wizard School, moved back in with her parents while she tries to find a job, and ends up taking care of the most cantankerous fae you’ve ever encountered (I love her). Lots of fun and incredible voice acting. Deals with the difficulty of letting yourself be helped, coping with guilt, and not being ‘special’. I think the show is abandoned unfortunately but still very worth listening to.

Love And Luck: Queer Australian slice-of-life audio drama comprised of a series of voice mails between two guys, following them through when they first start dating to becoming a hub for their local community. It’s very sweet and all about the importance of community and taking care of each other. Also magic brain powers.

Unseen: A series of urban fantasy stories, some connected and some not, most with a single narrator, and varying in tone. The premise is that magic is real and exists in ‘our’ world, but just below the surface and invisible to people who don’t have magic. Really well-written and well-performed. There’s one that’s based on Jeeves & Wooster but make it gayer and also magic, and I think about it a lot.

Greater Boston: Drama more than comedy but also deeply funny. Lots of apparently separate stories converging, clever writing (really good at giving a massive cast of characters distinct personalities), really emotionally impactful coverage of topics like grief, racial inequality, addiction, classism and more, doesn’t try to give easy answers but is also very focused on community power and optimism. Also there are cheese robots. Lots of queer characters. Really good but because of the complexity and the massive size of the cast, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend starting out with this one.

Doctor Who Redacted: An official BBC-produced Doctor Who spinoff podcast! Primarily recommending this to Doctor Who fans, you don’t need to be super familiar (I’m not a big Doctor Who fan personally) but a baseline understanding would help lol. The premise is that everyone who has interacted with The Doctor is being erased from history, The Doctor is trapped elsewhere and unable to help, and three queer women who do a terrible conspiracy theory podcast about ‘The Blue Box’ are quickly becoming the universe’s only hope because anyone better-equipped to help is being systematically deleted. It’s fun, very queer and feels very real, and has a lot of really touching moments.

We Fix Space Junk: Sci-fi drama comedy, very anticapitalist, queer, big found family feelings. Lots of fun, job-of-the-week episodic format makes it a relatively low-focus thing, even when the stakes are high it feels very safe to listen to, and the characters are v likeable (even the ones you really wouldn’t have expected).

Midnight Burger: Surreal sci-fi drama comedy, set in a time-travelling multidimensional roadside diner staffed by a set of lovable weirdos. Two of the weirdos live in a radio. Also the show is now about revolution. There are a few things I’m a bit :/ about it on, but it’s a very fun listen and the cast of characters are incredibly likeable.

Death By Dying: Dark surreal drama about an obituary writer and the bizarre town he lives in, with the initial plot being moved along by him meeting the niece of one of his writing subjects and her quest to find out the truth about her aunt’s death. I don’t know if I’d call it a comedy per se but it’s very funny. Deals with grief and mental illness pretty prominently, but in a very reassuring way.

Gather The Suspects: Murder mystery set in a slightly alternative universe version of Wales where they’ve seceded from the UK and also possibly the apocalypse is happening? It’s very funny, and follows two roommates and their neighbour trying to solve the murder of another neighbour from their apartment complex. It’s in English but it’s still very Welsh.

The Amelia Project: Drama/comedy about an agency that helps people fake their deaths. Great voice acting, very fun, and I really enjoy how international it is. Uses the episodic ‘client of the week’ format in combination with big picture plot in a really engaging way. Feels a bit Leverage-y especially because of how clever/absurd the plans are.

Actual play podcasts (i.e. Critical Role style, people play a collaborative storytelling game together - I don’t listen to a ton of actual plays because I don’t have the attention span, I know there are others not on this list which are very popular)

Campaign Podcast: Improv comedians play a TTRPG and chaos predictably ensues. There’s two campaigns, Star Wars (which is Star Wars) and Skyjacks (set in an invented world focusing on skyship pirates and heavily influenced by The Decemberists). The two campaigns have very different vibes, the first is mostly just goofy (though occasionally gets very real), the second is a lot more expansive, more heavily edited, and more drama-oriented I would say. I love both, they’re very funny and in particular a couple of the players are amazing. Lots of queer characters in both and a very fun fandom.

*Chapter and Multiverse: this is a very new show, but it’s GMed by Maddy Searle (who wrote and performed The Prickwillow Papers mentioned above) so I can wholeheartedly recommend it. It includes a ‘main’ arc, currently following a group of young superheroes, interspersed with one-off games (typically sillier) which feature a broader rotating cast of players, many of whom you will recognise from other shows on this list. Because it’s so new it’s a great place to start, and there’s already a very productive fan community since so many people involved have already developed a following from other shows.

Rogue Runners: based on the Hades game and set in that universe. Features a cast of shades including a teenage girl, Alexander the Great, a very horny assassin, and an elderly Scandinavian bartender not sure what he’s doing in the Greek afterlife, all trying to escape the underworld and return to the mortal realm. Very funny, extremely queer, and I was really impressed by how the GM (Tau Zaman, who also created the Caravan podcast rec’d above) adapted the typical D20 system to really replicate the feel of Hades.

Realms of Peril and Glory: like Chapter and Multiverse, it’s an assortment of RPGs played by a rotating cast of people within the (primarily UK-based) podcasting/audio drama community – Maddy and Pip are big fixtures in both podcasts. I haven’t listened to all of it, but the main campaign, Vael, is very funny and full of heart, and the comedic timing on some of these guys is absolutely impeccable. I also really enjoyed their Nibiru and high school horror games, and they’ve got one coming out using Thirsty Sword Lesbians very soon, which I’m personally looking forward to a lot.

The Adventure Zone: to be honest I’m not still listening to this, but I reckon it has to be included just for the influence it’s had on the genre of audio-format actual-plays. If you’ve somehow not come across it, the idea is that a set of brothers who have a popular comedy talk podcast play D&D with their dad, and their first campaign starts out as a very standard D&D plot arc and is quickly derailed by them goofing off and the very patient GM brother weaving it into a narrative which will punch you in the heart. I really enjoyed the Balance and Amnesty arcs; the Balance arc in particular was incredibly popular. It has a lot of queer characters and I’m confident there’s still a fandom, though it’s not as dominant as it was for a while.

Non-fiction (i.e. what 90% of the people you meet off Tumblr think ‘podcasts’ means – I don’t listen to a ton of non-fiction but figured worth including)

*No Such Thing As A Fish: A bunch of researchers from the show QI get together, each share their favourite bizarre fact of the week, and discuss. Informative and very fun. One of the UK’s most-listened podcasts so don’t just take my word for it.

Bad Gays: Discussion podcast about ‘evil and complicated’ queer historical figures. Ft nuanced discussion and some very cool Facts.

Hey Riddle Riddle: Improv comedians (one of whom is in Campaign Podcast, mentioned above) plus occasional guests attempt to solve riddles, mostly do improv scenes.

Bill Buds: Improv comedians (both in Campaign Podcast) discuss a different pop album each week, going through song-by-song with a quick clip from each. They don’t really know anything about pop music. This is one I listen to when I want something on in the background while working/getting to sleep. I enjoy the enthusiasm and the total lack of knowledge, and given that I’m not a big pop music fan, it’s also a good way of finding music I’d like to listen to. However, I probably mostly like it because I enjoy the hosts on their RPG podcast, I don’t know if it has any appeal to people who aren’t familiar with them from that.

Cautionary Tales: Narrator tells you about fuckups from history, and explains the psychological factors that made each of them possible and what we can learn from them.

Ipsos Views: I’m sorry to end on a corporate podcast rec, but if you’re at all into psychology/sociology this (and Ipsos’ various other podcasts) are an interesting listen. Ipsos if you’re not familiar do a lot of polling and market research in the UK, which they’re commissioned to do by other organisations, so they have an enormous amount of insight into trends in what people are thinking, saying, and doing (which don’t all necessarily overlap). I haven’t listened to every episode, I just scroll through and pick out the ones that interest me or are relevant to my work, but so far they’ve all been pretty good. Because it’s corporate though, I would just say, y’know, take it with a pinch of salt lol.

[patrick-hockstutter]

Modern!Bowers Gang:

Patrick:

Really into cinematography and photography of the unsettling

Never captions his Instagram posts

Goes live on Instagram a lot, even though people really wished he wouldn’t

Makes art out of dead animals or animal bones he finds

Think Banksy, but with roadkill

He’ll take some (somehow) tasteful photos of them, post them, then leave the scene there for some unexpecting bystander to find

Has a nosering (fight me)

Never uses incognito mode

If someone happens to stumble upon his search history, he’s not paying their therapy bill

He likes reading smut more than he likes watching porn

A ps4 guy

Loves spooky games like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Until Dawn and Death Stranding

He’s not really into school, but he surprisingly reads a lot when he’s alone in his room

Only about things he likes though

Abnormal psych, criminal psych, and sometimes some zoology (u kno y)

Watches serial killer documentaries like he’s paid to

Listens to grunge, nu metal, and 80s alt

Won’t admit it, but sometimes listens to Joji

He’s not super into emo music, but he’s the only one who will listen to it with Victor (he fckn vibes to Brand New)

Ironically uses a Zune

Has an Android but lowkey wishes he had an iPhone

Doesn’t have a computer, just jailbreaks/hacks the school issued laptop

Has a black line tattooed around some of his fingers, one of his wrists, and the shell of his ear

Has a foot tattoo

Has a fucking Juul

Watches LeafyIsHere on YouTube (tell me I’m wrong)

Spends too much time on Reddit

Wears flannels, skinny jeans, and Vans (a beanie if he’s cold)

Mostly cycles through the same three or four outfits

Wears the same pair of Vans every single day

Victor:

Big into aromatherapy

He uses lavender soaps and has an essential oil diffuser in his room

Uses incognito mode to watch Vampire Diaries

A Nintendo ass b i t c h

He has the gray Switch Lite

He brings his Switch with him everywhere (yes he’s that guy)

But what else are you gonna do when you wanna ignore Patrick?

Watches conspiracy theories about ghosts, cryptids, and aliens

Also big into podcasts (mostly true crime and conspiracy ones)

He listens to them on his headphones while he takes walks or draws

Posts his drawings on Tumblr

Does art streams on Twitch when he gets really bored

Has an eyebrow piercing (but it’s a small stud one, not a ring)

Has little tattoos on his hands

Wears bomber jackets, skinny jeans, joggers, army jackets, converse, and combat boots

The boy has style okay

Had an emo phase but still listens to the music (especially Tiny Moving Parts)

The emo phase was pretty short because Henry made fun of him so much

He just fucking liked MCR and Taking Back Sunday a lot, okay?

And Pierce The Veil and Sleeping With Sirens, but he doesn’t readily admit that

Now mostly listens to new wave, synth pop, and lofi hiphop

His favorite bands are Drab Majesty and Choir Boy (look up their new album btw)

Has a black iPhone and a space gray MacBook Pro

Uses Apple Music

Vapes, but only fruity flavors

Watches BoJack Horseman

Doesn’t really eat fast food but never passes up an M&M McFlurry

Paints his (and Patrick’s) nails black

One time Patrick caught him doing a facemask, so Patrick put one on and started chasing him around screaming as a joke

Cue: hmm… this feels kinda good tho

So now Victor and Patrick have secret mini spa days

Drives a Subaru

Belch:

Makes Spotify playlists like he’s paid to

He’s just really good at putting songs together

He tried to get into music theory, but he wasn’t one for actually making his own songs

Really into metal (obvi) but also likes some classic rock and punk stuff

Has records hung up side by side all around his room where the wall meets the ceiling

Still buys CDs

His Instagram feed is full of vintage cars and custom import cars

Fast and Furious is his favorite movie series

His favorite shows are Sons of Anarchy and The Walking Dead

But he also loves early 2000s comedies

Has a mini projector to watch movies on his room wall

Wears band tees, flannels, jean jackets, Carhartt stuff, d a d  h a t s

Really wants a tattoo but always gets nervous

Uses incognito mode to watch porn and buy some of his band tees from Hot Topic

Only one in the gang that uses Facebook (Mama Huggins made him so he could keep in contact with family)

Follows a few meme pages but also some cooking ones so he can send his mom any cool recipes he finds

Victor lowkey makes fun of him for actually using the Facebook page

Invests money in really good headphones and car speakers

Has a black iPhone

It’s always at 20% battery cause it’s always connected to his headphones, Bluetooth speaker, or car stereo

Him and Victor FaceTime when they’re bored

Sometimes they won’t even say much, they just like the over the phone company

Doesn’t smoke, but sometimes hits Vic’s vape

A social vaper if you will

Watches Idubbbz and Filthy Frank on YouTube

His favorite fast food place is Wendy’s

Not really into video games but fucking slays at Guitar Hero

And when Rock Band came out nobody saw him for like two weeks

Has a black Hydroflask with band stickers on it

Henry:

He plays a lot of Xbox

Mostly Halo, COD, Destiny, any first-person shooter really

Baits people on Xbox Live cause he thinks it’s hilarious

He’s also a fucking cyberbully but we all expected that

Has Victor’s old iPhone

Never fucking charges it

He’ll text you back in 3-5 business days (if at all)

And if you try to call him he’ll block your number

Plays iMessage games like cup pong and 8 ball with Belch

The only social media he uses is Snapchat and Tinder to look at girls

In one of his Tinder photos he’s holding a fish (srrynotsrry)

Doesn’t really listen to too much music

He doesn’t dislike music, just usually prefers to do things in silence

His mind is chaotic enough, he doesn’t need background noise

But he will listen to Cigarettes After Sex and TV Girl on a really low volume when he goes to sleep

Uses incognito mode to pick and choose random soft or angsty songs that he likes to put into a bedtime playlist

Otherwise just listens to whatever Belch listens to

Has a tattoo on his wrist

Takes a lot of drives into the countryside/national forests/mountains with Belch

Takes a lot of scenery photos, but never posts them anywhere or shows anyone except Victor

Still smokes cigarettes (he thinks vaping is douchey)

Watches South Park and American Dad

If he’s willing to spend money to go see a movie, he’s going to an IMAX theater

Sometimes he likes 3D, but most of the time it just hurts his eyes after a while

Longboards everywhere

Needs prescription glasses but refuses to wear them

They’re mostly for reading, which he doesn’t do anyway

But he does listen to audiobooks sometimes

Likes Frappuccinos but will kill you before you find out

He orders them through Uber Eats under a fake name so nobody will find out

BONUS: all four!

Victor still has his childhood GameCube that they play Mario Party, Mario Kart, and Melee on

Henry is banned from playing Mario Party after breaking a controller while beating Patrick with it

Patrick only ever picks Waluigi in Mario Kart and everyone is sick of it

When they play Rock Band Patrick is on bass, Henry plays guitar, Belch absolutely slays the drums, and Vicky boy sings his lil heart out

One night a week they order a shit ton of Dominos and make a drinking game out of watching Vine compilations

Victor does everyone’s birth charts

They collectively made a fake Tinder account on Patrick’s phone and catfish guys with it

They all try to one up each other doing vape tricks yikes

They buy bags of chips and candy from Costco and lounge around eating them on weekends

They’re banned from the city metro busses because Belch’s car was in the shop for a week and that week was hell for every bus driver in the city

[serialreblogger]

Should I start listening to TMA? I know very little about it and have never really listened to a podcast series before

Hmmm I mean. My gut instincts are at war here. Because on the one hand TMA owns my entire heart at this point and I love every single character with an everlasting passion (excepting, yknow, the ones that I hate and despise with equal ferocity) (which can at times overlap), but on the other hand, it is. a horror-tragedy. There Is That

If you like supernatural thrillers, spooky stuff, etc., The Magnus Archives is pure gold. It consistently nails the Ideal Creepy Vibe without leaning on sexual overtones for shock value or w/e, ever, and there’s also the part where No Animals Were Harmed In The Making Of This Podcast (i.e., animal death is a thing, but it pretty much always happens “offscreen” and pets are off-limits. If a pet is alive when it’s introduced, you have the creator’s guarantee that it won’t die on you. which is very nice). Plus the extensive tws at the beginning of every episode, I really appreciate those! So: if you enjoy Dracula, then you’ll probably like at least some parts of TMA, and they make it relatively easy for you to skip over your personal squicks.

Also, the CHARACTERS. TMA really looked at all of television and cinema and went “well that’s no good” and gave us a bi ace main character (also, short king confirmed), a slowburn mlm romance for said main character, two wlw subplots that are both compelling and complex, and our incredibly hot bicon Tim Stoker (kayaking king). There’s also a consistent sense of respect for typically-marginalized people that I just really really appreciate (Jon may lambaste every single statement-giver in season 1, but he never falls back on ableism or misogyny or anything of the sort--he tells Naomi Herne “trauma can make the mind do strange things” which isn’t fair but he also doesn’t, idk. it just never feels dehumanizing, yknow? which is a low bar, and kind of ironic given Everything About the tma plotline, but. i find it very refreshing). Bonus, there’s no dealing with homophobia!

I also really appreciate how the diversity carries over into the fandom--we don’t actually know what any of these characters look like, really, but we’ve all seemed to collectively decide that absolutely no one is white except for Elias and probably Martin (because of that one “but,, they’re the police! they have to protect us!” comment, but I love that we all looked at him and went “aye, that’s a very tall, fat redhead, and we would die for him”), and as often as not Jon’s depicted as a cane user with chronic pain and probably ADHD who regularly wears very nice dresses and skirts. It’s just so incredibly wholesome, yknow? at least by comparison to some other fandoms I’ve been in, there’s just so much room in the tma fandom. The only thing that’s absolute is that Tim is hot, Basira’s a hijabi, and Jon is ace, and I love that for us.

Onnnn the other hand, the fact that all the characters are IMMENSELY well-written and complex and flawed and compelling means it,, can be A Lot Of Emotions, given. yknow. horror-tragedy. TMA canon is the “nobody lives” AU, which is not necessarily a fun time. If you’re not down to get your emotions absolutely wrecked and then say “thank you” to Jonny Sims at the end, I cannot in good conscience recommend listening, because that IS what’s going to happen. (I do still want to rec S1, though. You won’t be able to stop there, probably, but I’m everlastingly fond of the OG crew, even though you’d be missing out if you don’t get the full Tim Trauma Experience or Drama and Developments with Daisy, and Basira Trying Her Best feat. Utilitarianism And Selective Blindness, gosh i love them so much--uh. If you want the fun spooky tma times but not the emotional roller-coaster, season 1 is a pretty good bet. Bonus points for light stimmy background static a la tape recorders. The sound of the tape recorder is what started my hyperfixation, which still shows little sign of slowing down anytime soon.)(You do have to make it to s3 for the worldbuilding to really fall into place, and to the end of s4 for Big Reveal Fun Times, but as mentioned, those things come at the cost of emotional well-being. Then again, we’ll always have fanfiction?)

[vanishingpod]

Podcast Rec Sunday

Happy Podcast Recommendation Sunday from us here at The Vanishing Act! 

1) Believer: A relatively new addition to the audio drama community, Believer tells the story of Lara Campbell, a faux-psychic that goes looking for her ex, Rose, who has gone missing in a small town where there’s definitely something...off. This show hooked us from the excellent first ten minutes (there’s some fantastic show-not-tell work done in our protagonist’s intro that we don’t want to ruin for you) and the introduction of Soda Pop, played by truly the best dog voice actor in the biz. There’s a little bit of everything for conspiracy-lovers, cryptid fans, and ghost hunters to be found here, as well as some relationship-based subplots and moments of great humor. The music is eerie and sad and spooky and feels sort of suspended in time the way the music in Lore can feel, and gives it a kinda WTNV vibe we really enjoy. Find them @believerpod​

2) King Falls Am: This is a show that we fell in love with towards the beginning of our audio drama journey, one that is beloved for very good reason. They also just reached 100 episodes so if you’re worried about running out of back catalog, you’re set for awhile (we find it’s best binged in 10-20 episode bursts at a time). The show consists primarily of the broadcasts of a small-town radio station where spooky stuff tends to happen (I know, spooky things? In a PODCAST?!). Despite the promise of spookiness, it also has a real warmth for its characters, well-crafted comedy, and some fantastic worldbuilding. We got into it because the premise sounded similar to other stuff we were enjoying at the time, but it ended up having a really unique vibe of its own with lovable characters and a super vivid world it’s very easy to get immersed in. Find them @kingfallsam​

3) We Fix Space Junk: Moving on from spooky small towns, here’s a space sitcom for your listening pleasure! Look, even if this wasn’t one of the tightest, most well-designed shows out there (it is), or if it didn’t have a banging theme song (it does), or if the acting wasn’t committed, specific, and excellently directed (they are), the writing alone would be enough to recommend this show. This is an old-school sci-fi comedy a la Douglas Adams and it. is. lovely. We love odd couple bickering! We love reluctant fugitives who become part of a team because they have no other choice! We love saying fuck capitalism and the debt system (but in, like, a fun way)! We love AIs and cyborgs! Also episodes are roughly 10-20 minutes long so they’re lovely little bite-sized bits of wonderful space adventures. Also maybe weird note, but Kilner’s voice is so so soothing, it’s just nice to listen to. Find them @wefixspacejunk​

4) Arden: Do you like true crime? Do you like odd couples who bicker but slowly grow on each other? Hilarious fake advertisements? Shakespeare references? Genuinely intriguing mysteries? Oh boy this is the show for you! The show is about the search for answers about the disappearance of a young starlet named Julie Capsom (star of a movie called Jane Austen Fight Club which like, fucking genius I want to watch this film NOW) and two women who take on the search. This show is so ambitious and innovative and paced so incredibly well--it’s not just a straightforward take or a spoof of the true crime/investigative podcast form, it’s a genuinely good mystery with compelling characters and some really funny moments that never been out of line with the more serious aspects. They have a new season coming out now so it’s a perfect time to get caught up! (Also genuinely, those ads? Amazing. Aural emojis are a true fave.) Find them @ardenpodcast​. 

As always, if you love any of these pods or fall in love with them because of this post, PLEASE leave a review! We’ll be leaving reviews for all of them today as part of #AudioDramSunday. And if you have any recommendations of podcasts, send them out way, we’d love to listen! 

Happy listening! 

[sirladysketch]

Horror Podcast Recommendations

Sounds like The Magnus Archices is coming to a close, so if you guys are looking for recommendations of new series to try, check out my thread below! (Links in the titles)

The White Vault

Super creepy story, excellent cast of voice actors, sound design is awesome. Final season is coming out this fall, but you have 4 seasons to catch up with, and 2 short story offshoots are available on their Patreon.

The Black Tapes

This one *has* ended and it ended on a very open "will they/won't they" note. I really enjoyed it and found the storytelling to be very compelling. It has an early Supernatural monster-of-the-week vibe that quickly becomes an obsession. Is the main character breaking some laws in the name of journalism? Eh, probably.

They’ve just started a new series “Fairie,” but it seems like almost the exact same premise/plot of TBT. If demons aren’t your thing but you like the Fae, you can check that one out.

Knifepoint Horror,   No Sleep Podcast,   The Wrong Station

If standalone short stories are more your thing, check out Knifepoint Horror, No Sleep, and The Wrong Station podcasts. Some stories are better than others, but there've been a few episodes that were great from a listener's AND a writer's standpoint. :)

Welcome to Nightvale

WTNV is a classic, of course, and I'm sure many of you have already listened to it. If you haven't and you like TMA, you're gonna love WTNV!

Old Gods of Appalachia

If you like the showy horror from TMA, check out Old Gods of Appalachia. I've only listened to the first season but I liked what I heard. The narrator has a homey, welcoming voice that feels like you're hanging out w/ a distant cousin recalling the weird shit in his hometown.

True Stories

If you’re looking for “true ghost story” type stories, check out Lore, Spooked, and Jim Harold’s Campfire. These also segue nicely into some fun Cryptid podcasts, which I seem to have misplaced the links to at the moment, sorry. -_-

The Bright Sessions

It’s not horror or spooky per se, but I enjoyed The Bright Sessions pretty well! I was upset with the way they handled the resolution of one of the character’s issues, but that was me mostly projecting a lot of Vanitas onto him, lol. Worth a listen, tho it takes a few episodes to get into the characters.

Blackwood

Blackwood is only six episodes and the pacing is a little wonky, but it flowed like a long oneshot and had a nice balance of supernatural/believable content.

Borrasca

Hesitate to add this one, but Borrasca was also incredibly creepy & built up the horror well. Unfortunately the big twist/reveal ended up being a huge squick for me; if it had been properly tagged, I would NOT have listened to it, so… listen at your own risk.

That's all I can think of right now! People have also recommended things like Alice Isn’t Dead, Tanis, and Limetown – I couldn’t get into them, but they may be worth looking up! If you guys have additional recs, please feel free to add them below!