#spooky scenes with dogs battle

[art-that-fucks-you-up-tournament]

SET TWO - ROUND ONE - MATCH THREE

"Dead of Night" (? - Dragan Bibin) / "You Won't" (2012 - Marcin Cienski)

DEAD OF NIGHT: -scary -no seriously where the fuck does that rope lead??? -cute dog (unendingballofstress) [Also submitted by grasswaves]

YOU WON'T: I don’t know if I have words for how this makes me feel. I saw it mentioned in a tumblr ask once, looked it up out of curiosity, and it hadn’t left my mind since. Every few months I have to pull it up on my phone and look at it for a while again. I have the link to it bookmarked on my phone. There’s something about the lighting, the shadows, the harshness of both. The little girl and the big dog. A scene that should be comforting and commonplace is rendered other and eerie. “You won’t,” the title asserts. It might as well be a question, might as well be a, “You wouldn’t.” It asks what else could be in the room. It feels like being in danger, of being only moments from disaster. It feels like a still from my childhood. (sherlockwatson)

("Dead of Night" is an oil on canvas painting by Serbian artist Dragan Bibin that measures 50 x 80 cm (20 x 31 in).

"You Won't" is a 2012 oil on canvas painting by Marcin Cienski. It measures 18 x 24 cm (7.1 x 9.45 in).

[whiteeyes-is-a-mad-scientist]

Gaze mini comic

Got into a small discussion about humans in wof today and got inspired. I just cant imagine being a human during the war of the sandwing succession and seeing a bunch of giant dragons battling it out

Small warning for implied death, no gore is shown tho

A wings of fire book from a humans pov would be cool only if it was horror themed and set during some dragon war. How scary it would be to be surrounded by battling dragons and like humans can understand dragons as much as warrior cats understand dogs (refrencing mainly that spooky scene with brightheart and the "pack pack kill kill")

Anyways I still think dragon stories will always be cooler but still the idea is neat 👀

apologies for any spelling mistakes or hard to read words 💔

[bullet-prooflove]

Past Mistakes Part Ninteen: Mike & Nora - Mike Duarte x Reader

Tagging: @crazy4chickennuggets @kmc1989 @oureternalbond @nessamc @jayblackpanther @mysoulisasunflower @resonmalvo @littleone65 @thesandbeneathmytoes @katluke25 @mydarkestsecretlol @evee87 @wooshwastaken @hearthockey @justreblogginfics @im-just-a-mississippi-girl @rosaliedepp @storiesofsvu @whateversomethingbruh @burningpeachpuppy @smellsliketeensspiryt @legit9thlunaticwarrior @xoxabs88xox @kiwiithecrazybird @spooky-pomegranate @chavez-ashley @telepathay @weiwei0210 @spaghettificationandpretzels @plaidbooks @irishavengersassemble

Past Mistakes Series:

Part One: Try - Mike turns back up in your life after three years apart.

Part Two: Hope (NSFW) - Mike and you get reaquainted.

Part Three: California - Mike and you discuss the past.

Part Four: Favours - Mike asks Liv for a favour.

Part Five: Choices - Mike comes face to face with someone from his past.

Part Six: Truth Hurts - Mike begs you to tell him the truth about what happened three years ago.

Part Seven: Sharing - Mike and Joe have a conversation.

Part Eight: Buried - Mike discovers that McGrath’s misdeeds go far futher than he thought.

Part Nine: Complicated - Mike discusses moving forward.

Part 10: Feral - Mike returns to the apartment to find you’ve disappeared.

Part Eleven: Torture - You wake up in the basement.

Part Twelve: Fire - You and Joe discuss moving forward.

Part Thirteen: Lost Time - You and Mike get real on his porch.

Part Fourteen: Plan B - Mike always has a plan B.

Part Fifteen: Proud - Mike tells you how proud he is of what you’re doing.

Part Sixteen: Mattituck (NSFW) - You show Mike how much you love him.

Part Seventeen: Seven - Joe makes a discovery.

Part Eighteen: Patterns - Benson and Murphy discover the reality of McGrath’s misdeeds.

Over the course of the investigation Joe learns the story of you and Mike, not the shit he’s read in the reports but the essence of it. It’s through the interviews with the people in your lives back then that he discovers the truth of it.  He hears about the softer side of Duarte, the man behind the legend that dogs his steps.

Currently he sits in the kitchen of your old neighbour Mrs Evanisto, she’s still spry at almost seventy. She moves around her kitchen faster than Muncy does at SVU and that’s saying something. You’d lived alongside the older women for five years before you’d gone undercover. When she sits down at the table she sets a large French Press down in front of Joe along with two mugs. She talks about you fondly, she doesn’t have any family left and had viewed you as a surrogate daughter.

You were always checking in, sharing meals, she’d taught you how to bake Pineapple Upside Down Cake when Mike first introduced you to his family. She discusses Duarte in similar manner, he was always fixing things around her place because the landlord was a little slow. He’d been a massive help when she’s broken her hip, picking up her groceries on the way home, cooking for her.

“The way he looked at her, it was like she hung the moon and the stars.” Mrs Evanisto tells Joe before adding the milkto his coffee. “He showed me the ring before he proposed, it was beautiful but he was a little sad. He’d wanted to do it with his mother’s ring, but his father had gambled it away after she died. That man, he had a lot to answer for. I’m surprised Mike came out so well adjusted.”

Joe finds this insight fascinating, to him Duarte is impenetrable. An enigma that walked onto his crime scene one day, hardened and ready for battle. Seeing the way he interacted with you, hearing about the man behind the brash Captain was changing his perspective. He thinks it's your disapperance that turned him cold, all the love was stripped from his world so he adapted.

“He was so happy when she said yes. The three of us had a toast right here with a bottle of champagne he bought.” She pauses to take a sip of her coffee. “They were planning to get married in the spring after she passed the Sergent’s exam, something small and low key. They asked me to be a witness.”

The information tracks. By that time you would have been able to transfer out of Duarte’s unit and take up a new position, start fresh and get your happy ever after. Only it didn’t happen like that.

“Do you remember anything strange happening before she left?” Joe asks, his pen tapping on the surface of his notebook. “I know it was a long time ago…”

Mrs Evanisto sighs as she wraps her hands around the mug.

“I remember Mike wasn’t around as much, she told me he was away on assignment. I could tell she was worried about him; she spent a lot of her time here studying. I think she didn’t like coming home to an empty apartment. The two of them were practically living together.”

She pauses before picking up the French press and refilling their mugs.

“There was this one night, it must have been a couple of days before she left. She was heading to a charity event. I remember because I did her hair, I used to run a salon back in the day and we were trailing out something for the wedding. She was excited she wanted to bid on this weekend away in Napa, surprise Mike when he got back. I waited up for her, I wanted to see if she won but she never came home.”

Her dark eyebrows furrow as she takes a sip from her coffee cup.

“About three in the morning, there was someone pounding on her door, he was wearing a tuxedo. He was drunk, yelling at her to open up. I opened my door, told him to go away, said that her boyfriend was a Lieutenant in the NYPD so he better not bother her again. He went quiet after that, really quiet and then he just left.”

Joe considers that for a moment because Mrs Evanisto has just given him a puzzle piece that’s been missing for him. How McGrath knew about you and Mike, that there was a relationship to leverage, why his punishment was so severe. You had chosen another man over him and McGrath couldn’t stand that, he hated the idea that anyone else got to have you, so he buried you.

“Would you recognise this man if you saw him again?” Joe asks Mrs Evanisto, raising the coffee cup to his lips.

“Of course, he’s on the news every time any of you solve a case.” She huffs before gesturing towards Joe’s notepad. “His name’s McGrath.”

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Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[jenringwrites]

WEEKEND ARTINGS: Art in the Park, Halloween block parties and more

This weekend's artful options include a Halloween-themed block pARTy in Pinellas Park; a brand-new art event in Clearwater's Coachman Park; a Halloween Makers Market with festive food, pumpkin carving, and live music in St. Pete; Beetlejuice the Musical at the Straz in Tampa; and more.

Shop-O-Ween - St. Pete

The weekend starts early at Neat, Neat, Neat and Uptown Eats' Shop-O-Ween. This Halloween-themed night market brings artist wares, pumpkin carving, live music, and an especially spooky menu to Uptown eats. Thurs. Oct. 26, 6-9 p.m.

Beetlejuice the Musical - Tampa

Beetlejuice the Musical is at the Straz now through Sun. Oct. 29.

Tampa Bay Art Battle - Tampa

Coppertail hosts the Second Annual Tampa Bay Art Battle, a contest to see which team can paint the best 8x8 wall in only three hours. Sat. Oct. 28, 12-8 p.m.

"The Haunted Flesh" book launch at Marcolina's - Tampa

What do you do when your photography runs a little creepy/gory? You host your photo book release party on Halloween weekend, that's what. Sat. Oct. 28, 5 p.m.

4th Saturday Block pARTy - Pinellas Park

Pinellas Park's 4th Saturday Block pARTy is Halloween-themed this month. Sat. Oct. 28, 4-9 p.m.

Saint Paint Arts Live hosts a black light art show and costume contest where anything glows.

And Urban Dog's pet costume contest and vendor market returns.

Art in the Park - Clearwater

Clearwater hosts its inaugural Art in the Park in Coachman Park this Sunday with a special ArtWalk, Pop Up Art Exhibit, and live painting. Find out more in this feature I wrote for Creative Pinellas. Sun. Oct. 29, 12-5 p.m., ArtWalk starts at 11 a.m.

La Luchaween - St. Pete

La Luchaween returns to The Palladium with live music from La Lucha, scenes from classic silent horror films, and jokes. Sun. Oct. 29, 7 p.m.

WATERLICHT - Water Street Tampa

Last but not least, this weekend is your only chance to see Studio Roosegaarde's WATERLICHT exhibition. It's up from Friday through Sunday, and each night comes with a different musical performance.. Oct. 27-29, 8-11 p.m.

Happy artings!

[rosalilly2]

Audio visual note taking

1) Dramatic

I only read the titles after I had finished doodling my ideas. Fod the first I had several different thoughts like a villain plotting in front of a window during a storm. Or a lady poisoning someone's drinks for whatever reason, but she looks sad about it. Maybe she has no choice? And lastly, I imagined a girl trying to free a creature locked in a cage only to find out it was a monster.

2) Suspense

I imagine things that remind me of Halloween. Spiders, wolves lurking. Someone having to head down a spooky, dark staircase and a man being followed by a threating presence.

3) Fun/Happy

I drew these ideas of people having fun with their friends, or skateboarding, going to the pool, graduating and randomly a dog wearing sunglasses. Kinda looks like Scooby.

4) Celtic/Adventure

The music really sounded celtic from the very beginning. It had a lot of nature sounds too which made me think of outside scenes. This music made me think of Merida so I think that inspired a lot of the woman drawings doing things like archery and horseback riding. I also did a really bad drawing of a leprechaun. The last idea was my favourite and that was an idea of these little people, who are used to traversing the big natural world. I made them jumping branches and running from a squirrel.

5) Sad monologue

In the beginning it sounded like a girl telling a dramatic story and what happened to her, so I drew her telling an interviewer, and a different one where she's opening up to her mum. Then after she explained she was a ghost I drew two drawing of the sad ghost girl. I could really see my mind trying to work out the story here.

6) Powerful

This one was very intense and dramatic there was a feel of danger, so my drawings followed that theme. At the beginning I drew a man planning on attacking his friend and changed that scene to be his friend at his grave but it's there that he leaves his knife like he's making it clear he's the killer for the audience. I did one of a woman running form a monster. Then two men in a battle. Maybe there's two armies fighting? The last was a woman escaping from a burning building, maybe it wasn't an accidentally fire? All of these I was focues on there being a villain.

7) Scary

For scary I thought of these dangerous moments. Like a tightrope walker doing an impossible feat, a woman in danger from a massive wolf, and a man giving up a fight.

I had some more ideas so I drew a second page. First one being a man trying to catch his friend from falling, maybe he's too late. And the last makes me think of Sleeping beauty. There's a man trying to take on a dragon.

8) (Was unavailable)

Also I can't fit anymore photos on so the last ones will be on a separate post.

[s3x-repulsed-warnings-and-recs]

Shows that I’ve watched with none-to-few sex scenes

(Part 1)

Merlin (2008)

- No sex scenes in the entire series

IMDB Summery: These are the brand new adventures of Merlin, the legendary sorcerer as a young man, when he was just a servant to young Prince Arthur on the royal court of Camelot, who has soon become his best friend, and turned Arthur into a great king and a legend.

Reasons I liked:

- its gay (in my heart and in the magic metaphor)

- slow burn enemies to best friends (to lovers /j)

- kinda spooky sometimes ??

- homophobic (magic metaphor) dad gets what he deserves 

Criminal Minds (2005)

[I do not recommend this show if you are triggered by discussion or depiction of sexual assault, or excessive violence. There’s a list of episode specific warnings at the bottom of this section. ]

[if you're looking for an episodic investigative type show with a much more funny and light-hearted tone that also has an autistic coded main character with the name Spencer (insert doofenshmirtz nickel meme here), Psych is pretty great]

- many episodes revolve around sex related crimes but these can be easily skipped over without missing many plot details

- some implied scenes where people have sex- characters kissing very passionately -but there are few and can be easily skipped over without missing many plot details

IMDB Summery: The cases of the F.B.I. Behavioral Analysis Unit (B.A.U.), an elite group of profilers who analyze the nation's most dangerous serial killers and individual heinous crimes in an effort to anticipate their next moves before they strike again.

Reasons I liked:

- its an anthology (I love anthologies)

- good actors playing interesting characters

- spencer reid is asexual and no one can convince me otherwise

TWs: this is a list of possible triggers relating to harm to children, harm to animals, and sexual assault for each episode. I pulled it from a comment on reddit by u/princessgalaxy43 on this post. I’d also recommend taking a look at Does The Dog Die?’s page on Criminal Minds before you watch.

Literally any cartoon that is targeted at kids

My Recommendations:

- Dead End: Paranormal Park

IMDB Summery: Two teens and a talking pug team up to battle demons at a haunted theme park and maybe even save the world from a supernatural apocalypse.

Reasons I liked:

(I haven’t finished it yet I’m sorry)

- its gay & trans!!!

- spooky

- neurodivergent rep

- The Owl House

IMDB Summery: Accidentally sent to the world of the Boiling Isles before a trip to summer camp, a teenage human named Luz longs to become a witch, with the rebellious Eda and pint-sized demon King at her aid.

Reasons I liked:

- its gay

- I relate to the characters 

- cool magic system

- also a cool magic school that isn’t homo/transphobic

- character development

- Gravity Falls

IMDB Summery: Twin siblings Dipper and Mabel Pines spend the summer at their great-uncle's tourist trap in the enigmatic Gravity Falls, Oregon.

Reasons I liked:

- it’s gravity falls

- cool villian

- ~mystery~

- nice sibling duo

- Steven Universe

IMDB Summery: A team of intergalactic warriors fights to protect the Earth, but the combination of three highly trained beings and one quirky young boy leaves the team struggling to overcome the dangerous scenarios that are put in front of them.

Reasons I liked:

- it’s gay

- there’s banger music

- steven is the sweetest person on the planet

- Infinity Train 

(highly recommend, it’s underrated)

IMDB Summery: Various people find themselves on a mysterious train with an endless number of cars, each one being its own universe, and they must find a way to get home in this animated anthology series.

Reasons I liked: 

- interesting concept

- good characters

- cool character design

- it’s an anthology (i love anthologies)

-  Over The Garden Wall 

(also highly recommend, also underrated but probably because it’s a limited series)

IMDB Summery: Two brothers find themselves lost in a mysterious land and try to find their way home.

Reasons I liked:

- cool character designs

- elijah wood can voice act ?!

- singing frog

- villian is an eldritch horror

[incorrectbatfam]

DC has been awful to Damian recently. Can we have some fluffy/sweet headcanons for him pls? 🥺

How about some October-themed ones for the season?

Damian cut holes in a sheet and drapes it over Titus. He sends his “ghost dog” to bother his siblings when he’s not home

He and Carrie worked for 48 hours straight to engineer a night vision setting on her glasses, all so they can catch and keep the possum in their yard

His first time carving pumpkins was at Kent farm, where he and Jon found one the size of a small car and created an elaborate fantasy battle scene. Meanwhile, Lois melted some wax into a giant candle to properly light it up at night

For spooky month, Damian helped Kate decorate her motorcycle to look like Ghost Rider’s because she needed an artist’s opinion. Duke wanted in so they decorated his too

He and Bruce went as Batman and Robin (Damian as Batman, Bruce as Robin) to a father-son costume contest and won first place

He made tiny peanut butter “candies” and took them to the animal shelter, where the employees had dressed the animals up for trick-or-treating

Jason taught Damian the fine art of TP-ing... on Commissioner Gordon’s house. Babs threatened to snitch, but they bribed her with licorice and chocolate coffee beans

Dick and Damian set up a “haunted hallway” in the Manor. Anyone who wanted to get to their rooms had to endure: Dick in a Pennywise costume, several grotesque drawings, jack-o-lanterns with sinister smiles, mesh cobwebs, Titus the Ghost Dog, and Damian stroking their calves with asparagus taped to his fingers from behind a potted plant

He made a TikTok of Alfred the Cat dancing to Spooky Scary Skeletons

Damian and Harper went straight to Home Depot after watching Texas Chainsaw

Cullen, Cass, and Damian made a human pyramid so they could hang fake spiders in hard-to-reach places

Tim and Kon wound up chaperoning Damian and Jon when they went trick-or-treating. They flew to Star City because Oliver Queen gives out mega-king-sized candy bars

He helped Alfred decorate the Halloween sugar cookies. Their biggest challenge was keeping Steph out of the kitchen. Damian doesn’t even use a spray bottle on the cat, but he’ll gladly use it on her

[neonscandal]

6 WTF Moments in Anime That Got Me Like 👇🏾

Spooky bitches, rise up. 👻 This month, I'm departing from the usual format to serve up blood and that which is unsettling. If you're looking for something gory and depraved, look no further. Expect a grab bag of the supernatural and/or explorations into the innate wickedness of man. In addition to including slightly longer recommendations than my normal lists, below specifically focuses on titles with a scene(s) that elicits genuine shock for the viewer regardless of whether the overall series was good or not.

Tokyo Ghoul (series)

Filed under: “That first episode tho 👀”

Humans won't always be at the top of the food chain and Tokyo Ghoul takes naive Ken Kaneki and exposes him to the dog-eat-dog world that writhes just below the surface of his everyday life.

The WTF moment? Let's just say, I hope you don't have a fear of bugs.

Sub/Dub | Funimation, Hulu, Crunchyroll

Another (series)

Suppose, at the edge of reason, you suspected that you or your loved ones were damned to die gruesomely because there was someone in your presence who simply refused to move on? When in the proximity of certain death, how far would you go to balance the scales to maintain your hold on life as you know it? Class 9-3 clings desperately to the hope that they'll survive the school year and stave off the Calamity but it doesn't take long for despair to bleed into mass hysteria.

The WTF moment? As tension mounts, all hell literally breaks loose in a crescendo of gore. This show makes the list for that WTF but also because I genuinely recommend it for anyone into horror thrillers. The rise in tension is very reminiscent of that of Battle Royale (another fave).

Sub | Crunchyroll

Akame Ga Kill (series)

Filed under: “I love the kind of woman that will actually just kill me.” “Don’t get too attached” and “That first episode tho 👀” and also included on this list.

Perhaps the best instances of horror are those that peel back the veneer of seemingly decent people and reveal how positively insidious they are. Monster themed scary movies never really compelled me as much as supernatural or plain and simple human antagonists because the latter always felt more possible than a werewolf or vampire.

The WTF moment? Akame Ga Kill accomplishes the above, if I recall, in the very first episode.

Sub/Dub | Hulu, HiDive, Crunchyroll

Attack on Titan (series + ovas)

Filed under: “I love the kind of woman that will actually just kill me.” “Don’t get too attached” and “That first episode tho 👀”

This is the main departure included on this list despite its long run, also, it's so popular, why include it? BECAUSE, the exposition of this story creates so many WTF moments. One, big human-like monsters eating life-size humans (who can sometimes be monsters).

The WTF moment? How to narrow down? The first episode, the introduction of Zachary's chair (the purpose for its inclusion was never satisfactorily explained except to highlight how twisted people can be), half of season 3 and half of season 4 like - just when you think you have the world figured out, there's another curveball. While most on this list are included for a singular moment within the series that grabbed and held my attention, AOT is a good watch for anyone interested in action, gore, or drama.

Sub/Dub | Netflix, Funimation, Hulu, Crunchyroll

I realize this is from the movie and not the series which is what my blurb below is about so I'm kind of cheating but... *gestures vaguely* aesthetic.✨

Ninja Scroll (series + movie)

In the Ninja Scroll series, Jubei went through it and mans really couldn't catch a break despite his ultimate goal really just being to take a nap. He remains unreasonably calm (and punny) despite his lack of rest and in the face of constant supernatural adversity. The design and body horror illustrated by the opponents he comes across are definitely a part of what makes this series so over the top as is the violence against a certain character which I found unnecessary and drives us to our WTF.

The WTF moment? Episode 7, that's a particularly unsettling way to pass a stone IMO.

Sub/Dub | Prime Video

Elfen Lied (series)

Filed under: “I love the kind of woman that will actually just kill me.”

Elfen Lied is definitely one of those series that shocked people at the time for its gratuitous blood and violence if only for the sake of gratuitous blood and violence. When you consider the premise of the plot, I suppose it's not without purpose per se but, I think there were a few things that were just included for the shock value.

The WTF moment? Amidst sprays of bloods and exploding bodies, the biggest WTF is actually not even shown and will linger with you regardless.

Sub/Dub | Prime Video

[fichohiddenpowers]

It lives in the woods replay: Chapter 2 and 3

Decided to mixed the next chapter cause I was busy yesterday and it deserves to have a longer thought. Also I wa solaying on a mod to get the remaining diamonds scenes.

First off, Lucas diamonds scene was so wholesome. Helpinh him with his interview felt like we were still friends with him after all these years.

Then we have the patio discussion. Andy correcting Lucas about his gender was so interesting because Lucas didn't say it in a malicious way and Andy knew about that. Like they didnt talk in a long while but they knew each other personally.

And of course, decided to bring Ava and Andy cause in my previos replay I didnt have the diamonds.

Then on chapter 3 we have stacys problem. Im so glad that in the first chapter, the mc is trying to rekindle their past friendships because of a spooky monster. Thanks jane redfield. And stacy being the first person to start reconnecting with Lilly felt so precious.

Next we have preparing for dan's search. I love meeting Connor formally and seeing the other scenes with Ava and Andy. And of course I made Andy lift mc. The talk with Noah was deep and soft and im kinda sad on what will happen next. And yes, I bought candy the bat.

Finally we have the battle against the vine dogs. Super thrilling and teaching those dogs who is boss. Poor dan who is now traumatized and just make mr red more powerful.

Wow that was much. But anyway cant wait for chapter 4!

[0verthinking1t]

Mental health media warning

(this post is about disabilities and episodic triggers, please check tags before reading)

Hi guys. Just wanted to give a PSA for no reason at all, definitely not inspired by personal experience that kept me up til 2am on a work night crying like a little weenie or anything ha ha ha ha ha.... Bit of a long one, spoilers are all together towards the bottom, some of this is just about my shitty life, so TL;DR: the movie Babadook is not a fun scary spooky season film like The Grudge or Saw. It is an extremely heavy commentary on mental health crises and generational trauma. Maybe skip it if you're in a less ok spot, brain-wise.

I know this is old news, but for anyone else who lives with me under this "I don't like scary movies" rock: Babadook is not a scary movie for some folks with trauma caused by toxic family; it is a horror movie. It follows the story of a single mother and young child through the terrors of grief, depression, unhealthy spiraling, and mental breaks. The title monster isn't real, but the unhealthy and dangerous behaviors from the characters very much are, and it is unsettling and horrifying on a level that twists the pit of your gut and pulls tears down your face— especially if you or your family have ever been in the mother or child's shoes. The plot uses grief and acute depression after a loss as a carrier, but the concept speaks to a wide variety of experiences and mental health issues; it is about watching a loved one rapidly decline into crisis until they become so unrecognizably different they are barely human, and about the feeling of desperate powerlessness to help them. It is about the very real experience of living with a parent with mental health issues.

PSA: Babadook can be extremely triggering for folks currently fighting battles with cPTSD, death of loved ones, depression, anxiety, domestic assault, schizophrenia, psychosis, DID, severe Bipolar Disorder, and more. It can also be triggering for people who experience these all secondhand, who care for family and others close to them who fight these battles. It will go deeper and farther than you could possibly be prepared for. I don't want to tell anyone a hard "do not ever watch this", but I do advise watching it where and when you feel safest and having a friend you can confide in on deck for after (if not watching it with you).

My mother is an alcoholic. I don't just see myself in Samuel, the child; I WAS him, from when I was 13 until I finally made it out of that house at 27. Amelia, the mother, wears my mother's expressions and shouts my mother's words. The only differences are that I had to watch her unravel and wither in agonizingly slow motion by comparison, and that we don't have a happy ending. she's still possessed by her monster, and it very nearly took me many times over. Amelia's transformation in the movie is real, Sam's lines "you're not my mother!" And "I promise to protect you if you promise to protect me; then I won't talk about it," are so horrifyingly real. To this day, I also feed and comfort my own monster, spawn of my mother's before it, and her parents' before hers, and I fight for my life every day to make sure its lineage ends with me. I'm very fortunate and grateful to have an amazing team of primary and mental healthcare providers supporting me and the branches of my ongoing treatment today, which includes both a therapist I can trust to share the weight with me and a psychiatrist who talks to me as an equal partner.

**Spoilers (Trigger Talk)**

🐶❌ there is a scene, foreshadowed in advance, where a dog is killed— the act itself is sensored with dramatic camera angling, but it is partially onscreen. This is the only death that takes place during the events of the movie.

👨‍👦❌ A child is forced to take, and implied, abuse sedative drugs for part of the film. (Personal example: I ended up going to bed really late and needing to take an OTC sleep aid. It took me a good minute or two to be ok just opening the container.)

🚙❌ The main characters are involved in a minor car crash when Amelia is mentally unwell and loses control of the car— there are no injuries in this scene.

👨‍👦🟡 A little girl is pushed off a bit of a height; she survives with just a broken nose (that she kind of deserves 🤷‍♂️).

✅ The old lady neighbor is an absolute peach, and nothing bad happens to her.

👨‍👦❌ A child is choked but breaks free before suffocating.

✅🟡 as a major credit to the writers and developers, they gave the audience a bit of aftercare in a lovely and satisfying happy ending where everyone gets the help they need and the main characters are able to heal and move on together. If you do want to give it a try and get overwhelmed, key scenes where things get better are (🤢❌) after Amelia gets tied down and vomits, and after that (🟡✅) where the monster gets locked in the basement. The second one marks the start of the conclusion, and nothing after that is scary or uncomfortable.

I want to include a disclaimer that I am in no way a mental health/disability expert. I speak only from my own experiences of depression, anxiety, probable cPTSD, and exposure to toxic family members, and from experiences described to me by close ones who fight PTSD, schizophrenia, DID, Bipolar Disorder, and psychotic episodes. I do not presume to know what reality is like for anyone outside myself and those I've cared about through life; I simply include this limited list of examples knowing what we as individuals are extremely bothered by, as a warning flag for anyone who might share similar triggers and experiences. This movie caught me off guard and seriously upset me, and I worry for others who may not have the tools and skills to manage such an unexpected emotional response yet. If you're having a hard time with just anything in life— especially your mental/emotional health— I encourage you to seek treatment; find a therapist/psychiatrist/primary care doctor/medical caseworker, tell them it's time to get help and that you don't know where to start, and from then on make yourself an equal part of your care team. It's long and exhausting, but there are professionals out there ready and willing to be your safety net. ❤️

[zatsy]

Stretch's Horror Corner: Eyes Without A Face (dir. Georges Franju, 1960)

"Dr. Génessier is riddled with guilt after an accident that he caused disfigures the face of his daughter, the once beautiful Christiane, who outsiders believe is dead. Dr. Génessier, along with accomplice and laboratory assistant Louise, kidnaps young women and brings them to the Génessier mansion. After rendering his victims unconscious, Dr. Génessier removes their faces and attempts to graft them on to Christiane's."

Like 3 other movies in this marathon, I went into Eyes Without A Face without knowing much about it, aside from it being an inspiration for a song of the same name by The Flesh Eaters. I had no idea that it was entirely in French—thank God for baked-in subtitles.

The music choices in this film were...interesting. The theme for Louise while she stalked young Parisian girls to strip faces from came off as goofy rather than tense. It ended up destroying the tension of those scenes.

It's got some pacing issues as well. The story moves along at a meandering pace, lingering far too long in some places and not long enough in others. We spend a lot of time with Dr. Génessier, Louise, and Christiane, but I never felt much for any character. Dr. Génessier clearly felt regret for disfiguring others to restore his daughter's face, but it's something he says through words rather than actions. Louise is one-note, believing in Dr. Génessier's surgical abilities because he was able to restore her own face & luring girls to the manor, but that's about it. Christiane is the most developed—she resents her father for her disfigurement & battles between regaining her former beauty and dying to prevent more suffering—but we spend far less time with her compared to the other two. There's also the two policemen & Jacques, Christiane's fiancé, but they get so little screen time that they don't get any meaningful development.

There's also an element to the story regarding Dr. Génessier experimenting with skin grafts on dogs, but the exposition for this comes far too late in the story to make sense. By the time we see this, we've been hearing the dogs bark in the background for almost an hour. It's ignored for too long and glossed over too quickly, which makes his death via dog mauling unimpactful.

In spite of that, it's got some pretty eerie moments. Christiane's mask resembles that of a mannequin, making her scenes pretty spooky. There's also a surprising level of gore! Christiane's mangled visage, the scene where Dr. Génessier & Louise peel off Edna's face, and Dr. Génessier's death scene looked startlingly realistic considering the time period.

Unfortunately, a few good moments does not an entertaining film make. The suspension of this film isn't nearly as powerful as previous entries. I found myself checking the remaining time more than once wondering when it would end, and when it did, it left me unsatisfied. It has its merits as horror movie history, but it's not for the casual fan.

Final score: 4/10

[merakiaes]

Falling - Oscar “Spooky” Diaz

Pairing: Oscar “Spooky” Diaz x reader

Requested: No. 

Prompts: None. 

Warnings/notes: This wasn’t a requested piece, I just got this idea when I was watching the pool scene in ‘Bring It On Again’ the other day. It’s shit and it’s messy but it took me the entire day to write so please show it some love and let me know what you think xx NOT PROOFREAD!

Wordcount: 6776

Summary: You distract Oscar from the fight with his father and take his mind off of the fact that he left again, helping him be happy if only for a short moment. 

Freeridge was nothing like the neighborhood you had grown up in, of that much you were sure, and it was tough for you to get used to the big change considering the heavy circumstances under which you had been forced to move.

You had grown up in a really nice neighborhood, surrounded by rich, upper-class snobs pretty much your entire life. You had lived in a big, white villa and attended a fancy private school and never had to worry about anything in your entire life. 

Your parents were both deadbeats, having abandoned you when you were still very young to be raised by your single grandfather, but you couldn’t bring yourself to complain about it no matter how much it had scarred you, because you knew that you lived a life that others could only dream of.

But that all changed when your grandfather lost his two-year-long battle against cancer and you were left entirely on your own.

He left everything he owned to your name in his will but you had to take it all and pay off his last hospital bills and funeral and even then, it wasn’t enough to pay off the ridiculously large sums and you were forced to sell his house.

It pained you to do so, with all of the memories you had in the place, but you knew you had to move on from the past and start a new chapter of your life, and you wouldn’t have been able to afford to keep that big of a house, anyway.

So you sold it and started looking for a new place, and Jasmine had wasted no time in jumping to your rescue when you came out short in your search.

She was a longtime friend of yours, the two of you having met online and kept in touch on a daily basis over the course of four years, way before your grandfather got his diagnosis.

You had found her a bit strange to a start. She was a few years younger than you and she over-shared to the point that you knew that she had a birthmark in the shape of a pear in her groin and that she had a heavy blood-flow during her monthlies – mind you, you found this out already during the first week of knowing her.

She wasn’t shy, that much was for sure.

But in the end, it was her strange personality that made you like her, and it was also because of her that you grew out of the shy, held back bubble you had been trapped in since early in your traumatizing childhood.

She was loyal and always there for you, as were you for her. You were pretty much each other’s only real friends, despite the large age gap. You knew that people her own age made fun of her, and she knew that you had a very hard time trusting people, and you adjusted yourselves to properly be able to be there for one another.

So, of course, it was a given that she was there for you when you needed to find a new home, too. 

You had talked to her dad on a few occasions over video chat and he had been the one kind enough to find you a house for sale in Freeridge.

It wasn’t nearly as big as your childhood home had been and it was in a pretty bad shape, with flaky paint and broken plumbing, but you managed to make it feel like home with the help of your grandfather’s furniture, and either way, it was just big enough for just you.

It didn’t take long for you to learn first-hand how tight and supportive the community in a less-fortunate neighborhood really was when Dwayne Turner turned up at your doorstep to offer you a job at his barbeque restaurant without ever having spoken a word to you, only having heard about you and your need for a stable income in order to pay for your studies from Jasmine’s dad.

Neighbors were constantly helping out, doing each other favors and opening their homes to people in need of a roof over their head, and you felt more at home there than you ever had in your old neighborhood.

There, everything was about money. Whether it was about having a more expensive breed of dog, a faster car or bigger jewels, people were always trying to be better than each other. Over there, there was no such thing as celebrating each other’s success, something your grandfather had never stood beside.

You knew he would have liked Freeridge, despite the high criminal activity and dangerous streets. He would have liked the solidarity, selflessness and connection between people.

Jasmine had rounded up all of her friends, including Cesar who you found out was living right across the street, and they had spent the entire day helping you move your things in. 

Cesar and Jamal had been quick to offer to repaint the front wall of the house, and you had left them alone at the house to go pick up some paint.

Oscar had come home from an odd job when you were gone, finding his little brother and all of his friends busying themselves with carrying boxes inside the house on the other side of the street, right across from theirs.

Him and his fellow Santos had made themselves comfortable in the couch in front of the house, watching from a distance as a shiny, red car drove up the street and parked right in front of the house as the driveway was already occupied by another, cheaper car.

The beautiful car had instantly caught Oscar’s interest and it had piqued even higher when he watched you step outside with a can of paint in your hand, his brother coming up and grabbing it from you almost instantly.

That’s how you had first met the infamous Spooky, leader of the Santos. He had wasted no time in getting out of his seat and crossing the street to introduce himself to you, asking questions about your car.

It was a Pontiac LeMans from 1969, painted in a pristine coat of maroon with a glittery hint to it. It was beautiful and in a condition that almost made it look like it had never been touched, not a dent or scratch in sight and tires, rims and interior in perfect condition.

It was the only thing aside from some furniture that you had kept of your grandfather’s, but of course you didn’t tell Oscar that, not wanting to bore him with your sob story.

Your shared interest in cars was the first conversation you ever had with each other.

After interrogating you about your grandpa’s car, he showed you his 1964 Chevrolet Impala SS, briefly introducing you to the Santos still sitting around on the couch, watching you, before Jasmine and Ruby came and stole you back.

After that first day, Jasmine and her friends kept coming over to your house almost every day. You cooked for them and gave them a place to hold the strange meetings they had ever so often and drove them around when they needed to go somewhere and Spooky and Ruby’s abuela weren’t available. 

They had you wrapped around their fingers but you didn’t mind. They were like the younger siblings you never had and you owed it to Jasmine after the way she had been there for you every day for four years.

When Cesar was alienated by his brother and his gang, you offered him a place to stay for as long as it was safe, keeping it a secret from Oscar whenever you happened to bump into him.

He didn’t find out that you had been giving his brother shelter before the shit with the Prophets was cleared and he allowed him back home, but when he did, he thanked you, and you and Cesar remained close after having spent so much time together.

You didn’t hold a particular friendship with the gang leader even though you considered each other mutuals, but that all changed when his dad returned home after being released from prison.

He was offered a job at Dwayne’s restaurant already on his first day back just like you had, making you co-workers.

He was a good cook and he talked fondly about Oscar and Cesar a lot during your days working together. 

You could hear in his voice when he talked about them how much he really loved them, but you also knew he had a lot of internal battles that came in the way of him showing that in the right way.

You liked him despite his mistakes, but you could also understand why Oscar would resent him. He had left him and Cesar to fend for themselves just like your parents had left you and you understood his anger.

Cesar was over the moon to have his dad back in his life but Oscar couldn’t even bear to be in the same house as him when he was home, which originally was what drove him to you.

You had offered him to come inside for a beer one night when seeing him storm out of the house, being able to put two and two together when seeing Ray looking after him in the window, and he had accepted.

You didn’t talk about his dad. In fact, you stayed as far away from the subject of parents as you possibly could as you could see that it wasn’t something he wanted to be reminded off more than necessary.

Instead, you talked about your studies to become a nurse, and he told you about how good he had been doing in high school before he was forced to step up and raise his brother.

At the end of that night, you had learned that he had won the spelling bee two years in a row in seventh and eighth grade, that he liked to cook and swim, and that his favourite kind of donut was the ones with sprinkles on top.

They weren’t the deepest or most significant things to know, but even the dumbest person on earth would have been able to understand that it was a big deal that someone like Spooky was opening up at all, so you took what you could get.

He luckily didn’t ask about your family either, probably because he knew that you would ask him too if he did. But you were glad that he didn’t because no matter how much you loved hanging around Jasmine and the others, Oscar was the first acquaintance you had made that was your own age.

It felt nice to be able to be at the same level as someone and you didn’t want that to be ruined by him finding out that you were a former uptown girl who had been spoiled to bits throughout your entire life while he had been fighting to make ends meet every day of his life since he was probably very young.

You knew rich people weren’t very smiled upon in these parts and you understood why. Most of them were truly horrible.

That first night you had spent together hadn’t been the last by far. Whenever he needed a distraction from the jealousy and anger that came naturally when watching Cesar having so much fun with their dad, he would come right to you.

Some nights you talked, but most of the times you barely said a word to one another, sitting silently side by side in your backyard with a beer each, looking up at the sky.

On this day in particular you were taking the nice weather to your advantage by sitting outside and studying for your upcoming exam about the muscles of the body. 

The sun was blinding, forcing you to wear a pair of really dark sunglasses, but the sun was soon about to set.

Jasmine had been by for lunch a few hours ago when Cesar, Monse, Jamal and Ruby had, once again, excluded her from their shady activities, but unfortunately she had to leave pretty quickly when her internship shift at the police station started, again leaving you in your lonesome.

Your concentration was starting to waver after a good hour and a half in the sun despite the fact that the only sounds that could be heard were the light breeze going through the leaves of the trees and the chirping of birds.

The words in your book seemed to blur together and you soon realized that you wouldn’t be getting any more studying done on this afternoon.

You closed the book after a final minute of trying to regain your concentration and dropped it on the glass table in front of you. Letting out a loud and long sigh, you slid down in your chair and closed your eyes, enjoying the last minutes of sunshine.

Just then, the sound of a door opening rather violently across the street cut through the peaceful air, and your head instantly turned to look at the Diaz residence where Ray was now walking out with a bag in his hand, Oscar marching after him while yelling loudly.

“Everything bad that’s ever happened in my life is because of you! You’re gonna crush him the same way you crushed me!” Oscar yelled out and you instantly connected the dots; the angry and hurt look on Oscar’s face along with the bag Ray was holding.

Ray stopped, looking down at the ground. Oscar kept talking, his voice now too low for you to be able to catch what he was saying, but whatever it was caused Ray to turn back around.

As Oscar kept talking, Ray walked back over to him, stopping right in front of him, and you watched as Oscar’s face suddenly screwed up in pain, tears now evident in his eyes as he spoke. 

Before you knew it, Ray had wrapped his arms around his shoulder, pulling him into an embrace.

Oscar responded by hesitantly wrapping his arms around his dad and just for the slightest moment, your heart jumped with hope that they were resolving things, but then Oscar violently tore himself out of the embrace and shoved him away.

The sight forced you to turn your head away, the guilt of invading their private moment finally catching up with you, along with the hurt you felt for Oscar.

You looked down at the ground for a few seconds, gulping down the tears that were building up in your eyes as the situation hit so close to home for you.

Your pulse was beating in your ears and you carefully turned your head back to look at them, finding that Ray was now once again walking away from the house.

Your eyes met his briefly as he walked past your house, but he quickly averted his gaze out of shame, knowing you had witnessed the entire thing.

As he walked away from the scene, you moved your gaze to Oscar who was still standing in front of his house, finding that he was already looking at you. 

Your eyes connected and you swallowed simultaneously, his Adam’s apple bobbing and his face stern as he was obviously trying to hold back the tears.

You slowly and hesitantly raised your hand in a small wave at him, and when you did, he seemed to break out of the trance he had been in and turned around, furiously storming back inside, the front door slamming shut behind him.

You remained still in your seat for a moment after that, thinking over what you had just witnessed. 

You had been lucky enough to only be abandoned once by your parents, but Oscar had just been abandoned another time, and who knows how many other times before this he had been walked out on.

Your heart bled for him, and you suddenly felt a desperate need to take his pain away, so you stood up from your seat with your book in hand and walked inside.

You dropped the book on the table in the hallway and walked into the kitchen where you picked up the keys to your grandpa’s car – that had been standing in the garage ever since you moved in -  and turned right back around, returning outside and quickly locking up the front door before heading across the road.

Before you knew it, you were standing in front of Oscar’s door, contemplating whether or not you should actually disturb him right now.

But you knew that the worst thing that could happen was that he would get angry at you and when there was a slight chance that you could distract him for a while, that didn’t seem all too bad.

So before you could change your mind, you raised your hand and knocked three times on the door. The sound of heavy footsteps reached your ears within a second and the door was almost instantly flung open.

Oscar towered over you where he now stood in the doorway, tracks of dried tears visible on his tanned cheeks. He looked at you with a glare, as if he had known it was you before he even opened the door.

"What do you want?" He wasted no time in spitting out, squaring his shoulders that you knew without a doubt in your mind was his way to cover up his vulnerability.

You were at loss at words for a moment. You had expected him to be unwelcoming given the circumstances, but his tone still managed to stun you, as it was always so easy going when you talked otherwise.

But you quickly regained your composure, trying to look as unsympathetic as possible. “Do you want to go on a ride?” You asked, tilting your head slightly and fiddling with the keys in your hands. “I promise I won’t ask questions."

His glare hardened at your words. "I don't need your pity." He said, glowering down at you, but for some reason, you didn’t find him intimidating at all.

"Good.” You agreed, the words coming more easily to you now. “Because you're not getting it." You mustered a smile at him, trying to keep a playful hint to your tone in an attempt to ease the situation.

But his glare didn’t waver even for a second and the next thing you knew, he had taken a step back into the house and started shutting the door in your face.

Before it could close, however, you hurried and stuck your foot in between the door and the doorframe. You could see his furious face through the small crack of the door and held up the keys in your hand, your eyes pleading.

"I'll let you drive my car." 

He stared at you for a good few seconds, before kissing his teeth and opening the door wider again, snatching the keys from your hand and angrily marching past you towards your house, the door slamming shut behind him.

You were forced to run in order to keep up with his long strides, and wordlessly opened the door to the garage once you came back to your house.

Oscar didn’t utter a single word to you as he walked to the driver’s side of the car and got in behind the wheel, leaving you to find your own way to the passenger side. 

Once you were both situated, he stuck the keys into the ignition and turned them.

You watched his face from the side silently, taking in the way his eyes flickered with much more positive emotion for a just a second as he listened to the engine of the car roar alive. 

It was only a brief change of attitude, but it was enough to have you smiling as he backed the car out of the garage; it was the first time it was driven since your first day in Freeridge. 

You sped down the streets of Los Angeles, the roof of the car down and your hair whipping around in the air. 

The dark had now fallen and you hadn’t spoken a word to each other since leaving, but you could feel Oscar slowly starting to relax in his seat beside you.

After an hour of just driving around with no particular destination in mind, you told him to make a right to take you back to Freeridge, and not long after, you found yourself pulling up in front of the neighborhood pool.

As he turned the car off, you wasted no time in opening your door and getting out, slamming it shut behind you.

You turned around to look at him, meeting his wary eyes, and flashed him a grin, nodding your head backward. “Come on.” You urged him, and he narrowed his eyes, letting his gaze flicker from you to the fence behind you.

“It’s closed.” He said, speaking for the first time in over an hour.

You snorted as he stated the obvious. “No shit.”

He gave you a look but didn’t question you any further, following your lead and getting out of the car, making sure to take the keys out of the ignition.

You turned back around and headed right for the fence, gripping at the wires. As he came up behind you, you turned your head to the side and threw him a look over your shoulder. “Hoist me up.”

His eyebrows raised in surprise, but his eyes were amused. “You a criminal now?” He questioned and you smirked.

“I’m hanging out with the leader of a gang, what’s a little break-in in comparison to that?”

He hummed, as if to say ‘good point’, and bent down by the knees, clasping his hands and allowing you to put your foot in his grasp. 

He hoisted you up like requested with barely any struggle at all and wasted no time in jumping over the fence himself once you were successfully standing on the other side.

When his feet hit the ground, you were already walking straight for the pool, where lights were lighting up the water and casting a blue shimmer all around the entire area, making it look near magical.

By the time Oscar had caught up to you, you had already removed your shoes and pulled up the legs of your pants, your feet now dangling in the water.

He followed your example, pulling the legs of his grey sweatpants up to his knees and kicking his shoes to the side, dipping his feet into the water as he sat himself down beside you.

You sat in silence for a while, your eyes trained on the small ruffles of the water in front of you and your hands gripping the edge of the pool, your feet swirling around.

Crickets were chirping by then and was the only sound you could hear aside from the sound of the water hitting the walls of the pool.

Turning your head to the side slightly, your eyes fell upon Oscar’s profile. He was staring down into the water just like you had been doing only seconds before, looking to be deep in thought. 

His diamond earrings sparkled in the light of the pool and his Santos cross dangled from around his neck, the black and white plaid he was wearing almost looking green in the blue hue surrounding you.

Your eyes traveled from his face and down to his feet where they were hanging limply off the edge, catching sight of a long, ragged scar going down the side of his knee.

Before you could stop yourself, you had reached your hand out and flicked the scar lightly, instantly making his head turn to you.

“What happened there?” You asked and watched as his eyes flickered away from yours and to the scar in question, his fingers reaching out to touch it.

“Got caught up with some bad people in prison.” He responded, and you hummed, chewing on the inside of your cheek.

“Have you ever considered leaving this life behind and starting fresh?”

He glanced at you, before turning his head back to the water. “I think about it every day.”

At his confession you tilted your head to the side, a frown settling over your face. “So why don’t you?”

“You’re smart-” He turned to look at you, his eyes now narrowed. “You know it’s not as simple as that. And even if it was, los Santos is my family.”

You knew that the defensive look in his eyes and strained tone of his voice should have been enough of a sign for you to drop the subject, but stupid and curious as you were, you kept pressing it, insisting. 

“It can’t be fun to be running from the law all the time, to handle every moment of your life with hatred and anger. That’s no life.”

“It’s the only life I know.” He defended, staring straight into your eyes, and you shrugged your shoulders, the corners of your lips tugging into a soft, lopsided smile.

“Doesn’t have to be.” You argued. “Letting go of what isn’t right for you won’t be the end of you but rather the beginning. It’s clearing a path for what’s waiting, what’s pulling you, what’s telling you there’s something better out there, even if you don’t know what it is yet.”

“It’s not that simple.” He shook his head, tensing his jaw. “I wish it was, but it’s not.”

“It is what you make it to be, isn’t it?”

His head whipped around to face you in one swift movement, admittedly frightening you slightly. “It’s my turn to ask you something.” He demanded, eyes narrowed with slight annoyance.

You only nodded your head slowly in return, letting out a breath. “Okay.” You agreed.

He raised his head slightly, sending you a questioning glance. "How come you never drive your car?"

You instantly felt the insides of your stomach starting to twist into a knot.

“I drive my car.” You answered quickly, a little too quickly, and you knew he could see right through you and identify the stress that was quickly building up from now being the one in the spotlight.

“I meant the nice one.” He clarified flatly, knowing that you already knew what he was talking about. “Not the heap of twigs you drive my mano and his friends around in every day.”

You tensed your jaw, but didn’t break eye-contact, knowing fully well that you had walked yourself into this position. 

"It was my grandpa's car.” You admitted, swallowing. “It's the last thing I have of him and I don’t trust my clumsy ass not to mess it up."

He scanned your face, trying to figure you out. "You let me drive it." He pointed out and you adverted your eyes back to the water.

"I guess I trust you more than I do myself." You mumbled with a shrug, and he chuckled.

"Bad idea."

You could see him shaking his head in the corner of your eye and the sight of his smile caused your lips to tug.

"Probably." You agreed.

"Were you close?” He asked. “You and your abuelo."

You could feel his stare burning into the side of your face but you didn’t move your eyes from the water, kicking it slowly as you nodded.

"I never spent a day without him.” You told him softly. “He watched over me, made sure I had clothes on my back, food on the table, a roof over my head and a good education. He raised me and made me who I am today.”

Oscar nodded again, his eyes soft and understanding. "He sounds like a good guy.” He said and he seemed to hesitate for a moment, before asking. “No parents?”

That question brought an automatic scoff from your lips. "Barely.” You muttered, turning your head to meet his eyes. “Deadbeats." You shrugged and he nodded.

“I feel you.”

“Do you want to tell me about your dad?” The question slipped out before you could stop it, and he tensed. But your stupid mouth just had to keep running. “I’ve only heard his side of the story, and Cesar doesn’t seem to know much about him.”

You expected him to glare, to stand up and leave, but much to your surprise, he smiled at you; a playful smirk. 

“I thought you said you wouldn’t ask questions.”

His voice was teasing, clearly trying to be polite, but it was clear that his true feelings didn’t match the forced smile on his lips. His eyes were sad, a flurry of emotions battling against each other behind them, and he was obviously trying very hard not to lose control of his temper.

So you finally decided not to press it any further, and before you even got the chance, he took the subject into his own hands.

“What about your parents?” He asked. “Chicas are always so quick to complain about their problems, but not you. Why don’t you talk about them?”

Unlike him, you didn’t find it hard to talk about your parents. You had forgiven them a long time ago. Not for them, but for yourself, and ever since you had, you had been able to talk openly about them.

The only reason you hadn’t talked to him about your parents before was because you didn’t want him to see you as some spoiled brat, but now that you knew that he still saw you as an equal, there was no reason for you not to open up.

It was the least you could do after he had actually agreed to come here with you, despite the circumstances.

"Parents or no parents, I was privileged growing up. I know it and I don't deny it.” You shrugged simply. “People have bigger problems than I do so I don't like going around complaining and feeling sorry about myself."

He nodded his head along as you spoke, a wide smile stretching across his full lips when you finished, and for the first time that night, it actually seemed to reach his eyes, dimples becoming visible at the corners of his lips.

"There's something I've never heard before.” He looked at you, amused but impressed.

"Well, there’s a first for everything.” You chuckled, raising your eyebrows with a smile. “We're not all spoiled and oblivious to our privileges. I might not live a life in luxury anymore but I’m still better off than most and I’m grateful, for all that I have."

He nodded his head again, his eyes turning softer. "I like that about you." He said, shocking you. It wasn’t like him to say something like that at all.

It made your smile widen, and you raised an eyebrow teasingly, your attitude growing playful. "Oh yeah?” You challenged. “What else do you like about me?"

“You got one of those pretty smiles." He said, and while your smirk turned genuine, his smile turned into a smirk as he joined in on the teasing. "And you have a nice ass, too." He drawled, raising his eyebrows and pulling a hand over his goatee as he shamelessly leaned backward and checked your ass out where you sat.

The shameless flirting brought an amused scoff out of your lips, your hand shooting out to slap him on the chest, heat crawling up the back of your neck. "Idiot."

He laughed, using his hands to protect himself. “What?” He asked. “You’re a fine ass hyna, mamas.”

“Oh, yeah?” You raised an eyebrow, an evil smirk rising to your lips, and before he had the chance to answer or even process what happened next, you delivered a rough push to his shoulder, the unexpected force sending him right into the water.

You let out a high laugh as he disappeared under the surface, shielding your face with your arms as droplets of water went flying into the air.

Oscar quickly came back up to the surface, his face murderous.

“¡Qué mierda!” He swore, furiously wiping the water out of his eyes.

“What’s the matter?” You laughed loudly. “I thought you liked to swim.”

“What’s wrong with you?!” He yelled, glaring as he fought against the weight of his wet clothes, now heavy with water. But you only smirked, kicking some more water at him with your foot.

He let out a guttural growl, wiping his hands over his face, and when his eyes made contact with yours again, you knew you were in trouble.

“No, no-“ You quickly tried to protest, eyes growing wide as you began shuffling backward. But he was faster.

“You asked for it.” He growled, and before you knew it, his wet hand clasped around your ankle and pulled you toward him, your body being submerged in water only a second later. And it was cold.

You flailed your arms in the water and kicked your legs, trying to get to the surface as quickly as possible. Your head soon emerged with a splash and a loud gasp immediately left your lips. “Fuck me, it’s freezing!”

The glare was now long gone from Oscar’s face, his head thrown back with laughter as he swam around you. “You brought it on yourself, mami.” He mused and you smirked, blowing some water off your lip.

“Oh, you’re on.”

You raised your hands and started sending waves of water into his face and he wasted no time in covering himself with his own hands, trying to move out of your line of fire. 

Your laughter mixed in with the sound of splashing water, but your fun was short-lived when he managed to get a grip of your wrists.

All of a sudden, you were pulled into his chest, and your laughter died down when your eyes met his. 

Your hands automatically went to his shoulders in order to hold yourself steady and your chests pressed together.

His face was stern, his hands slowly dropping your wrists and falling back into water, and he was just tall enough to be able to stand on the bottom of the pool. The expression on his face was unreadable, and the look in his eyes was nothing you had seen before.

He blinked, small droplets of water dropping from his long, black eyelashes, matching droplets spread through his dark facial hair.

You weren’t sure when the atmosphere between you turned from playful to… this, but you regretted to admit that it was making your heart feel like it was about to beat out of your chest.

The look in his eyes was so intense, like he was staring straight into your soul, and it was making your head spin. 

His hands suddenly made contact with your waist and you jumped at the sudden and unexpected touch, but you got no time to think or react to it, suddenly feeling a wet pair of lips pressing against yours.

A small sound of surprise rose in your throat but it was muffled into the kiss. 

His hands were gripping at your waist like he hadn’t touched another human in a lifetime and as you came back to your senses, you found yourself responding to his actions with just as much desperations.

Your eyes fell closed and your hands moved up from his shoulders to the back of his neck, your legs wrapping around his hips in the water, pulling him as close as you possible could.

A guttural groan formed in his throat at the feeling of your groin rubbing against his and you moaned into the kiss, tingles spreading through your core and your breath getting heavy as his hands roamed up and down your body.

They moved from your waist to your back, back down to your hips and down to your ass where he held you with a firm grip, pushing your pelvis closer to his which only caused you to hold onto him even harder.

Your head had been spinning before, when you hadn’t been doing anything other than looking into each other’s eyes, but now you were barely even able to form a coherent thought.

Tingles were going through your entire body, your chest heaving against his and your fantasy running. But before things could get too heated, the two of you pulled apart, both breathless and in desperate need of oxygen.

Your eyes met again and your foreheads pressed together, the two of you still holding onto each other like your lives depended on it.

“Holy shit…” You breathed, sucking your swollen lips into your mouth and letting out a breathy chuckle. “That was…”

You raised your eyebrows. You couldn’t even find the right words, still dizzy from the intense moment you had just shared. 

But no words were needed. The tiny smile tugging at his lips told you that he knew exactly what you meant, and that the feeling went both ways.

You watched as his eyes fell shut and listened as a small sigh escaped through his nose. Your hands moved from the back of his neck to his jaw, cradling his face, thumbs caressing the stubble of his cheeks.

“What are you thinking?” You whispered, searching his face.

Another breath left his nose, his lips pulling into a tight line and his grip on your waist tensing. “I’m gonna have to tell Cesar about that pendejo leaving.” He spoke, the strain evident in his voice. “He’s going to blame me. I know it.”

“Hey.” Your eyebrows furrowed together and you raised his head, watching his eyes open and meet yours. “Whatever happens, your brother loves you to pieces. You're the one who raised him and at the end of the day, he'll always remember that. So don’t beat yourself up."

His brown eyes were hard, suspicious. “Why are you being so nice to me?” He asked.

His question caused your eyebrow to raise. “We just made out in a pool and you’re asking me why I’m being nice to you?” You asked, finding the question amusing. But he wasn’t amused, he was as serious as ever, as if he really didn’t understand it.

“Not just now.” He clarified, raising his head in a nod. “You’ve treated me like a person ever since day one.”

“Isn’t that what you are?” A smile played on your lips and your head tilted to the side. You leaned in closer to his face, rubbing your nose against his playfully. “I’m nice to you because I like you, stupid.”

The small, childish act of affection caused his serious attitude to falter, a smile rising to his face, but it fell just as quickly as it got there, his face turning cold again.

“Are you angry at your parents for walking out on you?”

You were taken back by the sudden change of topic, and unexpected topic at that. Every time you had tried to have a sentimental conversation with him, he had shut right off. And now there you were, with him initiating a conversation himself.

“I used to be.” You answered honestly, a crease forming in between your eyebrows as you scanned the thoughtful look on his face. “Furious, really. But not anymore.”

He looked at you, hesitant, battling his own mind. “What changed?” He asked, and you shrugged.

“It was controlling my life so I let it go.”

Understanding what you were trying to hint at, he scoffed, turning his head to the side. “Easier said than done.”

You smiled sadly and softly pushed at his face, forcing him to look back at you. “I know it is.” You agreed. “But you can do it, if you really set your mind to it.”

His eyes fell shut at the feeling of your fingers tracing the lines of the tattoo on his neck, his breathing slowing down.   

“I used to have potential and shit.” He said, and you listened silently, not stopping your movements. “I was smart, had straight A’s. Planned to go to a good college and culinary school. I gave it all up to raise Cesar because our mom kept leaving and Ray got himself locked up.”

You listened with a heavy heart as he finally opened up to you about his personal life, absentmindedly stroking his jaw and keeping to nimbly move your fingers over the inked skin with your other hand.

“You still have a lot of time to make yourself what you want to be.” You spoke softly, slowly. “It’ll come when the time is right. I believe in you.”

The smile playing on your lips when you said those last words were more genuine than any smile he had ever seen in his life. 

He gave you one last look before burying his face in your neck, holding you close and tensing his jaw as he realized things just got a whole lot more complicated.

Your soft, understanding and non-judgmental personality wasn’t at all what he was used to be at the receiving end of. 

He hadn’t been looking, not even a little, but you had found him and he knew that he was fucked because he was falling. He was falling fast, and he was falling hard.

[heroloverangel]

Stray

Happy Spooky Month, my Halloween costume is Villain Fucker.

You always did have a bad habit for taking in strays. As a kid, your parents constantly scolded you for feeding random dogs and bringing unfamiliar cats into the house. Keep giving it a place to go, they’d warn you every time, and you’d only tempt a stray animal to stick around. 

Meeting Dabi was a lucky coincidence for both of you. You were being harassed by a pair of criminals on your way home, and were lucky that their threats were loud enough to annoy the real villain passing by. They were easy enough to deal with, and he was lucky that you wanted to thank him for his help. By the time you realized he only planned to take care of the muggers for bothering him, and never meant to help you, he was already in your bed. Months later, those old warnings still echo in your head whenever he shows up unannounced, eager for some comfort before he runs back off into the night.

You know it’s irrational to worry about him. He kills people for fun and profit, the world would objectively be a safer place if he were captured. Yet somehow, whenever you hear news about heroes clashing with the League of Villains, you’re secretly hoping he gets away and is headed towards your tiny, broken down apartment. Even though he’s never said it, you like to think he’s grateful for the safe spot to recover after a rough fight.

Today sounds like a really rough fight. It’s been hours already and the reporters are still describing the battle that happened earlier. Four heroes have been rushed to the hospital, and at least one villain was injured before fleeing. It’s disappointing that they don’t tell you who it was, and you’ve been glued to your phone the entire day. It’s not as if you can just call him like a normal person, but this wouldn’t be the first time you’ve gotten a vague text from an unknown number letting you know he’s alive.

It’s well after dark now, and the wait is driving you crazy. After another twenty minutes, you finally turn off the news and stand up to stretch. It won’t do much for your frazzled nerves, but a shower will at least help relax your tense muscles while you wait for information. You stay there until the hot water runs out then stand in the bathroom, breathing in the remaining steam and trying to take your mind off off him. You’re wrapping a towel around yourself when you’re startled by a sudden, loud SLAM from the other room that scares you half to death.

It’s silent for a minute before you gather enough courage to open the door and peek out. Immediately you let out a sigh of relief at the scene in front of you. Dabi’s standing with his back to you, reeking the distinct scent of ash and smoke that you’ve come to associate with him, his jacket sporting plenty of fresh damage. Blood drips from his knuckles, and it takes you too long to notice the smoldering, fist-sized hole he’s just punched into your wall. Well, that explains the noise.

“Hey,” you begin, but there’s no reaction. Cautiously you step closer. “I...um. I saw what happened, I’m glad you came over.” Still nothing. “Are you okay? Dabi?” You reach out to touch his shoulder, and it breaks him out of whatever thought he’d been focused on.

He spins around to face you and for the first time since you met, you’re actually afraid of him. You’ve never seen him this angry before, glaring at you with a look of rabid fury in his eyes. Automatically you step back but he’s fueled by adrenaline and moves too fast to avoid. His hand latches around your throat and squeezes, holding you in place as his lips crash down on yours. 

The staples decorating his face are warm, a familiar side effect of his quirk, and scrape roughly along your skin as he forces your mouth open for his tongue. His free hand yanks off the towel wrapped around you and gropes at your chest before you can stop him. Your nipples harden at his touch; despite his harsh treatment, he knows more than enough about how to get your pulse racing for him. A calloused thumb rubs over your nipple and he tightens on your neck in response to the moan you let out.

You push at his chest for air, and eventually he releases you with a final, stinging bite to your lower lip. There’s a metallic taste of blood when you swallow. You chance another glance up at him and his grin does nothing to put you at ease; he looks far too much like a wild animal baring his teeth at his prey. “Hey, doll.” He grabs your chin and forces another kiss on you the moment you open your mouth, barely restraining his agitation with every move. The grip on your shoulders is almost painful as he pulls you against his overheated body, his cock already hard beneath his pants. Your skin is so soft and vulnerable compared to his, and you struggle in protest when his nails sink into your arms. “You gonna reject me?” His voice is a snarl when he pulls back next. “Really? After all the shit I’ve been through today?” You can tell from his tone, it’s more of a warning than a guilt trip.

“Sorry,” you offer, rubbing soothing circles into his tense shoulders. “What can I do?” You’re always so obedient for him, practically begging him to leave you bruised and aching. That’s what keeps Dabi coming back more than anything, and the tiny gasp that slips out of you when he pinches sharply on your nipples has him throbbing. You’re such a cute toy for him to play with.

“Get on your knees, slut.” You lower yourself in front of him without an argument, watching him fumble with his belt until he’s able to free his dick for your attention. “Put that fucking mouth to good use.”

You nod, giving him a sweet smile before wrapping your hand around the base and running your tongue over the leaking tip of his cock. Dabi lets out a pleased grunt when you suck gently on the head and release him with a wet pop. You focus on the underside of it, giving slow, gentle kisses to the row of piercings along his shaft. He’s sensitive there, and the horny growl he gives you has your cunt dripping in anticipation. Your other hand moves lower to cup his balls and you trace over his veins, enjoying how they pulse eagerly under your fingers. Carefully you graze along his length, and are rewarded with a violent yank at your hair.

“Cut that teasing shit out before I break your goddamn teeth.” Your apology is muted by his dick shoving back into your mouth. You swirl your tongue over him again, opening wider to take more of his cock past your lips. You know he wants to jam himself down your throat, but you’ll need to work up to that. You bob up and down on him, slowly sucking more of his dick and his hips begin to rock with your movements. A hand weaves into your hair and you wince at the feel of his staples catching on the strands, but he ignores your discomfort in favor of pulling you further around him. “Take me like a good little bitch.”

He keeps the steady pressure on your head but lets you work at your own pace, and soon enough the tip of your tongue is rubbing against the last of his piercings. You’ve only got a few inches left, surely you won’t mind a bit of help. The squeal you let out is muffled as Dabi’s fist tightens around your skull to hold you steady as his hips rut forward, jamming the full length of his cock into your unsuspecting mouth. You’re too busy trying not to gag to appreciate the delighted moan he gives you, your poor throat spasming wildly around the intrusion. You look up at him with watery eyes and he’s smirking at you with pride. “Don’t keep me waiting, doll.”

For a moment you’ve forgotten how to breathe and only kneel there choking on him until he withdraws just a fraction and you remember to take merciful air into your lungs. You relax the muscles as best you can, a difficult task with his dick rammed against your tonsils. You start moving again, letting his strong hand guide you back and forth on his cock exactly how he likes it.You focus on his heavy panting, the obscene things he hisses at you through gritted teeth make you pussy clench. You can tell he’s getting close, and you double your efforts to help him finish.

An unexpectedly harsh buck of his hips has your throat tightening around him on instinct, and his moan signals his impending release. He tugs your head back and pulls out of your mouth, saliva coating every inch of him. You don’t have time to react as his free hand grips his twitching cock, jerking himself for a few seconds before he orgasms, strands of cum spurting out onto your lips and sliding down your chin to your chest. “Fuck,” he sighs. “You look good like that.” He looks down at you expectantly and you get the message. You make a show of running your fingers through the mess, dragging the hot cum further over your breasts and hard nipples then bringing it to your mouth to lick it off. 

Dabi’s insatiable now that you’ve made the mistake of encouraging him. “Up,” he demands, and you scramble to your feet before he can yank you up by your scalp. He inspects your face, admiring his work and his thumb wipes off a tear you hadn’t realized had escaped. He kisses you again while his hands roam over your heated skin, and the wetness between your thighs is undeniable. “You sure play innocent when you’re getting soaked over choking on my dick,” he taunts. He doesn’t wait for an answer, grabbing you instead and dragging you towards your bed. He shoves your face into the pillows and you struggle to lift yourself but he presses on your back to keep you down. You hear him stripping off his clothes and then rough, feverish skin is flush against your own. He gropes at your hips, pulling your lower half onto your knees. “Ass up, slut,” he orders, cock already recovered and rubbing along your dripping folds.

“Dabiii,” you whine, wiggling to make him slide against you. “Just put it in already--ohhh…” He slides in and you get no time to adjust to the stretch of him as he bottoms out without stopping. You’d been nervous about his piercings the first time you slept together, but now they send a shiver down your spine when you feel the warm metal rub inside you. Positioned like this, they stroke over your g-spot with each thrust and you’re babbling praise at him within minutes.

“I never get enough of this pussy,” he murmurs, bruising grip on your ass. “Always so ready to milk my cock, huh?” You dig your fists into the pillow and nod, words catching in your throat as he fucks into you more aggressively. He stretches over you, warm chest pressing against your back while he bites sharply along your neck. You clench down on him and he laughs at you. “That’s my sweet little cumdump.”

“God, Dabi…” you trail off, hissing when his nails sink into your hips to pull you onto him. He hammers inside you faster, chasing his own end and merely taking you along for the ride. This deep, you can feel him throbbing with a need to dominate you; the sounds forced from your abused throat tell him you’re loving every mark and bite he leaves on your naked body. His teeth sink deeper into the smooth skin of your shoulder and you wince. “That hurts,” you complain, trying to squirm and put some distance away from his jaws. He only fucks inside you harder in response, obviously enjoying your struggle.

“That’s the point.” One hand slides over your bruised hip to finger your swollen clit and your back arches up against him. “Oh, shit. Feel how hard you’re squeezing my dick?” You shudder, his ragged voice in your ear makes you feel like you’re burning alive. You bury your face back in the pillows and do your best to keep your cool, but tonight he wants to hear every filthy noise he can urge out of your needy mouth. He releases your hip to yank your head up, grip hard enough that for a moment you wonder if he’s actually trying to snap your neck. “You’re gonna make everyone in this piece of shit building know who’s fucking you.”

That’s how it always is with Dabi. He gets to keep some sense of self respect when he comes, while you’re reduced to a squealing mess for him. His fingers grow merciless as they tease your clit, demanding louder cries from you with every touch. “Don’t stop,” you pant, the tension inside you straining to the breaking point. “I’m gonna...fuck, there!” You hadn’t realized that he was just as close, and the steady twitch of your pussy around him is enough to send him over the edge. “Feels so...D-Dabi!”” you wail, feeling every drop of his hot cum pooling inside you. Your own orgasm feels like fire in your veins as your greedy cunt takes everything he’ll give you, battered voice begging for it. You’d be embarrassed with yourself if your brain hadn’t effectively shut down long before this point.

He releases you, letting your spent body drop face-first into the bed while he rides out his pleasure. You can feel the punishing smack of his hips slow to a lazy grind before he finally pulls out. He looks down at your exhausted, marked up form and gives a solid slap to your bruised ass to bring you back to your senses. “You good?”

“...Ugh. Good enough,” you mumble. You lay there boneless and immobile while he stretches and wanders off to your bathroom. You hear the shower turn on and an insult shouted out at the freezing water, and manage to pull yourself up to a sitting position by the time he comes out. Of course he’s scrubbing the remaining ash out of his hair with your last clean towel. “Wow, you look like shit,” he taunts as he collects his clothes.

“Yeah, well fuck you too.”

There’s a flutter in your stomach when he smirks at you in return. “You couldn’t handle that again.” He shoves his boots back on and to your surprise, leans over to kiss you. “Gonna lay low for a week maybe. Fix your hot water before I get back.”

You roll you eyes. “You make a lot of demands for a guy who doesn’t live here.”

He shrugs, pulls his jacket around himself and heads for the door. “That’s your fault, doll.”

The door slams behind him and you sigh, your limbs protesting as you stretch your sore muscles. You’re left alone with your thoughts, and outside the heat of the moment you wonder if you should feel guilty. You’re not stupid; you know what he is, and that some day this is all going to end badly for both of you. Still, in your heart you know that you’ll never be able to turn him in to the heroes. Maybe it’s some misplaced sense of loyalty, maybe it’s just the sex, but you hate the idea of seeing him caught.

He’s trouble, but he’s your stray. 

[sexycraisinthanos]

I’m gonna infodump about my favorite movie

Rise of the Guardians

It’ll be under the readmore, but TL;DR: Watch Rise of the Guardians and read the books

Rise of the Guardians is a 2012 animated film released by Dreamworks. The story is childhood figures (Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, Sandman, and Jack Frost) trying to defend the children of earth against Pitch Black, (The Boogeyman) 

It’s based on a book series called Guardians of Childhood, written by William Joyce. Who, if you don’t know, writes children’s book. Guardians of Childhood is more of a “Young Adult” series compared to his other Guardians books (The Man in the Moon, Sandman: The Story of Sanderson Mansnoozie, and Jack Frost are all part of the series, but they are picture books.)

He’s also written other books you may be familiar with.

The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs and A Day with Wilbur Robinson 

Sound familiar?

Maybe you’d recognize them as their movie counterparts, Epic (animated by Blue Sky Studios) and Meet the Robinsons (animated of course by Disney)

Also Rolie Polie Olie, which was a favorite Disney Jr cartoon growing up for me, and was also a book series. 

I could honestly go on and on about William Joyce, his work was a part of my childhood a LOT (even credited for working on some of my favorite films like Buddy, Robots, Toy Story, and A Bug’s Life) and that’s probably why I love ROTG so much.

I read all of the Guardians books and own all of them save for Jack Frost and The Art of Rise of the Guardians and the books are not cheap, but what books are? I have HARD COVER BITCHES. Half of them were gifts and I also own the ROTG DVD.

The art in the books (all drawn by William Joyce himself) is really good (this is my favorite art from the books)

And the animation in the movie, as expected from Dreamworks, is beautiful. 

You get to see all their unique homes and they’re such varying types of environments. Of course, you have the North Pole, where it’s chaotic and wonderful. Just look at this concept art 

And then you have the Tooth Palace, where the Tooth Fairy does her work

It’s very obvious that there are some Indian inspirations in the design because Tooth herself is actually Middle-Eastern (in the books it’s explained in depth more and one of my complaints about the movie is that they whitewashed her even though her concept art in the ending credits shows her with brown skin)

The Warren, where the Easter Bunny paints his eggs

Which is something you never really think about because people only focus on the North pole so seeing so much thought put into it is really nice

We never see where Sandy works/lives (in the MOVIE. But the GAME on the other hand lets you explore EVERYONE’S homes and that’s a whole nother story)

We DO however see Pitch’s lair and

it’s rightfully spooky. When you actually see the scene play out in the lair, you get all confused and don’t know which way is which and it always unsettles me which is GOOD because that’s what it’s SUPPOSED to do

What’s really unique about ROTG is that there’s a source material (and as of now there are eight books (five novels, three picture books) and the series isn’t DONE yet) and instead of turning the books into a movie even though the plot is literally RIGHT THERE, they took the source material and turned it into a prologue. The movie takes place about 300 years after the books do and since the books are supposedly still ongoing, and William Joyce was CONTINUING to write the series while the movie was in production. (Three books have come out since the movie came out.)

I love how challenging that must have been for William to try to include stuff from his previous books in the movie AND to try and link the movie to his newer books despite some continuity errors (also worth noting that he has written a book about Santa and his wife, but Mrs. Claus is YET to be seen or even mentioned in the movie) but I appreciate the effort he put into it and I can’t wait to see what else he’ll come up with.

The characters look a BIT different from their book counterparts

Jack is voiced by Chris Pine and his voice is WAY TOO DEEP and the creators can’t agree on an age for him (book age is 14, but he can age himself up and down to a certain point and some producers said they imagined him 17 or 18) and (imo) I think Jack’s design was pretty lazy (a blue jacket with brown pants) compared to everyone else’s. I mean you have North, who is 

BIG

His design is based more on the worldly Father Christmas than the Saint Nick/Santa that we know. 

When he’s not in the Pole he’s wearing his big red fur coat and a cossack hat

Because he’s Russian

I’m pretty sure he canonically was raised by bears but that may have just been me imagining it. His book appearance is way different because when we meet him, he’s not Santa yet. So he’s still young

Of course, as the books go on, he looks like Santa

Bunny has the most drastic character change from his book design, as depicted by this fanart (which i couldn’t find a credit for that wasn’t pinterest so if anyone knows please tell me)

And there’s a CANONICAL reason why he looks so different (two actually)

Once they put Hugh Jackman in the role, they wanted a more dry Australian ranger-type design for him, and then the robes got in the way because of how he was moving, even when they changed him to just a lab coat, so they decided to forgo clothes altogether

Fun fact about Bunny. He’s a Pooka, a shapeshifting folklore creature that can turn into either a rabbit, goat, cat, dog, or horse. (or even a human with animal like features) Which actually gives a lot of people the headcanon that Pitch uses the souls of all Bunny’s dead people (yep he’s a sole survivor) as Nightmares

But he’s a different kind of Pooka. He’s an alien technically. And this breed of Pooka CANNOT eat chocolate because it does things to their body. Like giving him six arms. Or making his ears into helicopter propellers. 

This is relevant because he uses chocolate in battle multiple times. So the canonical explanation for why Bunny looks so different is that he ate too much chocolate and it permanently changed his body.

Which I love. I could go on about him but all the characters are interesting

Tooth has probably the second most confusing design

She’s based off a hummingbird with dragonfly wings, which aesthetically makes so much sense, but in the books she has regular feather wings. I also don’t like how weird her proportions are. Her feet are tiny nubs, her head is too big for her body (her body is actually pretty nicely designed it’s just every other part of it that bothers me) and I already mentioned the whitewashing

PITCH on the other hand had the biggest glow down compared to the books

He’s just wearing a black robe and, apparently, he doesn’t even have sleeves, which you can’t even really tell because it’s just all smudgy and shit

I mean I guess that’s the point, that he looks like he’s clothed in shadow, but it’s frustrating to look at especially compared to his book design where he’s wearing a FABULOUS coat

Meanwhile Sandy has the PERFECT character design

He’s just ROUND and wears a bathrobe made of sand. Like it’s not even that different from his book design (his hair has more frills than the book version) because it’s such a perfect design and I love how he’s animated. You can’t see it that well because the gif quality, but the sand also sparkles and it just makes it so fun to watch on screen 

The movie itself has its share of flaws. (the movie likes to pick and choose the rules it wants to follow about its universe, a huge plothole, and some cheaply constructed arguments between characters that really just make me annoyed because I don’t want to see the easter bunny making a child cry I want to see him get into a fist fight with Santa it’s like you don’t even KNOW your demographic) But I love it and there’s SO MUCH I could talk about. There are characters in the books that weren’t in the movie and there were characters in the movie that weren’t in the books (because they weren’t born yet but IRRELEVANT) 

It was a HUGE flop despite critics praising it. Like 8,000 people lost their jobs over it that’s how big a flop it was. But it’s such a dear movie to me and it’s clear that William Joyce holds this series close to his heart (dedicating it and the movie to his late daughter) which makes sense because it’s based on stories he told her when she was young and I’m so honored that he chose to share these stories with us. I just love the series and I should do a re-read at some point

[theparanormalperiodical]

The REAL Story Behind The Omen (1976) And The 7 Most Terrifying Omens You Should Definitely Know About

You don't get much irony in horror.

You get buckets of fake blood, you get lashings of sexism with subtle notes of transphobia, and you have dozens of plot holes to get twisted up in. But The Omen (1976) in a very dark, very deathy way, was ironic.

Somehow a film about the rise of the Antichrist - AKA the end of the world - would be accompanied by wild animal attacks, sudden deaths, and even a decapitation. Yep, The Omen was, well, an omen. In fact, this cult classic horror flick is known as one of the most cursed films to date as a result of the story put to the screen and the events that took place behind it.

But the infamous tales surrounding this movie is not the only time an omen has preceded horrific events. In fact, we've been searching for signs of what is to come for millennia. Some of these signs still haunt our darkest nightmares.

You need to look out for them.

Today we will be determining just how accurate the portrayal of The Omen is to the prophecies of the Antichrist, the spooky events that took place behind the camera, and any other signs of death or misfortune you should be wary of.

*crow caws in the distance*

First, let's recap The Omen

The Bible is undoubtedly the best-selling book of all time. And, just like many other chart-topping hits, it’s been turned into a whole host of films. Each has suffered its own onslaught of criticism for its unique take on scripture.

The Omen is one of them.

But The Omen doesn’t follow Jesus’ life story, nor does it CGI various jungle animals onto Noah’s ark. It follows the Antichrist from birth to demise across 3 films (including a made-for-TV Canadian movie which we’ve all agreed to not talk about). It charts the rise of Damien as he develops his paranormal powers and loosely fulfils the prophecies set out for the Devil’s spawn.

Our story starts at his mysterious birth: after a woman has a stillborn child, her husband swaps it for a child whose mother died at birth. When Damien is just 5 years old strange things begin to occur. Animals act strangely around him, various aggressive dogs appear - oh, and Damien’s nanny rudely interrupts his birthday party by throwing herself out of a window with a noose around her neck.

Enter a new nanny who is less Mary Poppins and more Mary Most-definitely-a-satanist-who-wants-to-protect-Damien-and-overthrow-Christ. Things get worse (yes, it’s possible) when everyone around Damien begins to slowly work out that he may or may not be the Antichrist and in turn get killed in assorted horrific - but also mildly hysterical - ways.

It’s the father of Damien (the adoptive one, not the actual Devil) who leads the investigation into his origins. He traces back Damien’s origins back to his dead mother’s grave. Turns out she was a jackal.

Enter the Antichrist expert - he gives Damien’s father the low-down on dealing with demonic children, and explains that the naughty-step is simply not enough. He has to be killed on hallowed ground with a collection of knives I’m pretty sure I saw on Antiques Roadshow. He takes the Daggers of Megiddo and his infant son into a local church, forces him onto the altar and prepares to kill him.

The police shoot him before he can do this.

The following films chase up the rest of Damien’s short but eventful life and include: one sex scene, one King Herod-inspired ‘kill all babies born on this day cause one of ‘em is Jesus’, and even a last minute cameo by Christ himself.

Unlike most horror franchises, however, The Omen is not based on some paranormal investigation or a forgotten urban legend - the story inspiring it is kept very close to the hearts of many around the world. It’s this troubling premise which makes this film one of the most terrifying to date. Question is, just how accurate is The Omen to the actual end of days forecasted by Christians?

How accurate was The Omen to actual prophecies regarding the Antichrist?

Like most things mentioned in The Bible and other religious texts, things are typically vague or lost in translation. This means many concepts and stories have been rewritten and rethought in numerous different ways.

The Omen kinda had to connect the dots.

But there are a few defining features of Damien and his life story which are uncomfortably close to what might just be the apocalypse…

First, the Antichrist is supposed to be born as the opposite of Christ: he is not born of God and a virgin, but of Satan and a ‘whore’. Whilst The Omen appears to be slut-shaming a jackal, we do know Damien is the spawn of Satan. His animal mother (which is referenced later in the franchise when Damien is discovered to have Jackal bone marrow cells) is a reference to Jackals’ biblical presence as tricksters.

The Omen also sticks to the dominant line of thought on Damien’s career path. The Antichrist is mentioned 3 times in the New Testament and follows the end of the world, something we see in the dying moments of the final film: the Book of Revelation and other prophetic texts claim he will rule for 7 years before being defeated by Christ/Angel Gabriel’s army. He will be a tyrant, a trickster, rise to power, and (perhaps) claim he is a messiah.

The Omen is an abridged version of this. Damien is at one point a CEO and then an ambassador to the US before he sees an image of Christ when he gives out his last breath.

But here’s the thing.

Everyone has a different take on how the Antichrist will take his first steps to almighty power before being dethroned by the JC. And everyone has a different take on who it is.

Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, the Pope (I’m pretty sure all of the popes have been accused of being the Antichrist), Prince William… Type in a celebrity name - literally any celebrity name - and the word ‘antichrist’ into Google and there will be “proof” of Kate Hudson using satanic subliminal messaging in How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days. By all accounts The Omen is just another version of how the Antichrist could rise and fall.

The Omen does include a few other suitably-satanic references: the Daggers of Megiddo don’t actually exist according to lore, but are associated with the end of the world. Megiddo is the site of the final battle between the Antichrist and Jesus Christ as mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Its Greek name was even ‘Armageddon’.

We also see throughout the franchise a satanist plot to ensure the Antichrist grows up safely and is ready to do his dark bidding. Modern theorists claim the Antichrist will arrive hand-in-hand with a satanic plot to overturn the Christian faith.

The Omen effectively charts out how the world might end. But for many people working on the film, they were experiencing hell in their own way.

What really happened on the set of The Omen?

An omen is defined as a phenomenon that predicts and hints at the future, or signals a change. The birth and rise of the Antichrist probably fits the definition as it signals the Second Coming of Christ, Judgement Day, and numerous other events anticipated by Christians across the globe. It is an omen for the end of the world.

Hell, it’s the ultimate omen. It doesn’t get more omen-ny than that.

But in some weird omen-ception, The Omen was an omen for the people producing the film. *squints in confusion*

Basics, it is now known as one of the most cursed movie sets ever. And here’s why.

Gregory Peck, the father of Damien, allegedly canceled his seat on a flight that would crash and kill everyone on board. When he did finally get on a plane and flew to England his plane was struck by lightning. The film’s writer experienced the same thing on a separate flight days after Peck’s.

The producers and some actors also nearly attended a restaurant one evening when it was destroyed in an explosion. One of these same producers, Mace Neufeld, also happened to check out early from a hotel in London which was blown up by the IRA shortly after.

The special effects designer witnessed traumatic events mirroring the movie far too closely, too: his wife was decapitated in a car crash, a similar event to one we see in the film. Even an animal trainer used for a scene from which Baboons act wildly and crazed around Damien was killed after being mauled by a tiger.

Yeah.

It’s all very ommeny.

But what are the other omens you should be looking out for?

The 7 omens you should most definitely be watching out for

#1 - Crows

All films or TV shows that feature death or war also feature crows. Their fateful cawing has historically been an omen of misfortune or death and is used for foreshadowing as obvious as the colour black. A single crow is an omen of bad luck - a murder of crows (more than five) is an omen of death or illness for either you or someone you know.

In ancient times birds were common omens and it was the type of bird which signaled different positive and negative changes. Crows in particular were believed to be messengers between the mortal world and the afterlife. Witches were also believed to use crows to cast their death spells.

They have since gained a reputation for being cunning and intelligent creatures, much like the jackal mother of Damien in The Omen.

#2 - Owls

I told you - we are convinced birds bring death.

Much like crows, owls are very deathy. Walking under a tree and hear an owl hoot? You or a family member are gon’ die. One lands on your roof? Death is a-coming.

Owls are even historically believed to herald doom with one Roman Emperor - Antonius - dying after an owl was seen perched above his bedroom door. They are considered wise creatures according to ancient civilisations, as if they know something about the future we do not.

The Welsh, on the other hand, believed they bring fertility. If an owl hoot is heard by a pregnant woman she will have an easy labour.

#3 - Doppelgangers

According to German and Irish folklore, seeing an ‘exact replica’ of you born to different parents is a sign of your death. If your family members or your friends see one, beware of impending danger.

These ‘double-goers’ are considered evil twins in folklore. If you spoke to your doppelganger, they’d try and trick you and plan evil ideas in your mind.

Breton and Cornish folklore claim they are Ankou, servants of death himself who thus personify it.

#4 - Death Knocks Thrice

Let’s set the scene: you’ve just ordered a Nandos and you hear the knock at the door. But instead of a halloumi-topped beanie burger, you open the front door to no one.

Rather than a delicious meal you will soon experience death.

Irish, Scottish, and Native American communities follow this folklore and it is referenced in many different films including The Conjuring. The Perron family hear continuous knocking which comes in threes - the Warrens, however, claim it is a demonic entity or spirit mocking the holy trinity.

#5 - Phantom funerals

Funerals normally come after the omen of death, you know, when the actual ‘death’ part has occurred. But fake funerals led by ghosts are an omen of the death of a loved one. They will take the same place and same route of the actual funeral, however.

If you do see one, however, don’t look into the casket; otherwise, it’ll be your own.

(Dun dun duuuh)

It is believed they are sent by fairies who are infamous for causing mischief. A similar phenomenon, ‘the tolaeth before the coffin’, is when one hears the coffin making process or the funeral take place.

#6 - Solar eclipses

We now have the benefit of science and astrology to tell us that sometimes it gets really dark and really cold in the middle of the day. But way back when, the sun effectively disappearing for a few moments was rather more terrifying.

Ancient civilisations believed it was a warning from pissed off gods that they were going to exact some revenge and send some impending danger or death. Most cultures even believed a folkloric beast or native animal was eating the sun. In fact, that’s why many communities would bang pots or pans together during eclipses to scare away the demon doing it.

They are still considered a mysterious sign something bad is about to go down.

#7 - Black butterflies

We end on an omen I’m probably going to incorporate into my aesthetic for 2021. A black butterfly is considered to be a symbol of misfortune and death in some cultures and a positive sign for others. It could also equate to a less lethal ‘death’ - that is the death of a relationship or a project.

It can thus be considered an omen of renewal or rebirth. And lord knows we all need that for next year.

Have you ever seen an omen?

Let me know in a comment below.

If you liked this post make sure you like, reblog, and then hit follow. I post a new article on the paranormal every Saturday and a new ghost story everyday!

*flies away with the black butterflies*

[mysterylover123]

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL: Mysterylover watches Bleach Episode 304

1. We open with IchiSisters Reanimating Ichigo as the Frankenstein monster! OH MAN I just reread that book. Go walk among the world Ichi!

2. I was told this episode is spoiler free; I hope the OP is the same, since I am watching it. I can’t really tell what’s going on in it cause there aren’t a lot of character shots. (There’s some cool scenes of Aizen, Orihime, Gin and some of the hollow trainers, Urahara, Yoruichi, Rangiku, Uryu, Rukia, and finally Ichigo, who has sexy longer hair now. So I assume they’re all involved in whatever filler arc this episode is set around.)

3. So how did Ichigo end up as Frankenstein’s mosnter?! Also RUKIA IS A VAMPIRE FAIRY NOW?! Cool cool. 

4. And she stabs him back into the castle. Cool cool. We need a spooky castle to be truly Halloween. Let’s see everyone else’s costumes. Rangiku, Hitsu, Ishida, HIME And Renji are here!

5. OK so Uryu is a vampire...drinking milk for some reason. And Ishi points this out. Apparently he’s protesting blood drinking because blood is red. Wow Ishi. Even the Twilight vampires drank blood (animal but still)

6. Rangiku is a witch. Orihime is...A PUMPKIN GHOST?!? Cause she’s the best. Interesting, Hime is the only one of the girls who isn’t in a sexy costume. Though to be fair Ichigo isn’t wearing a shirt. 

7. Apparently Ruki is a seductress vampire and she implies she wants to seduce Byakuya. I knew they were an OT3 with Renji the Mummy, I just knew it. Though apparently Renji is a pirate mummy. (his pirate flashback costume is pretty sexy too)

8. Hitsu is the wolf. Though he looks more like a sexy cat. AND HE FETCHES LIKE A DOG. That’s adorable.

9. So Villains! Hunting the Monsters! (our protags. Neat). They want a crystal macGuffin. 

10. Plot of filler is going on but I’m distracted by Orihime eating a huge stack of pancakes in the background. YAS. 

11. YES, WHAT IS HALLOWEEN WITHOUT SPOOKY WIND AND AN EYE IN THE SKY!!

12. The villains are Ichigo and Uryu’s dads?! Didn’t se that coming. (though it fits the whole Frankenstein thing. That’s kinda brilliant)

13. Ichi wants to turn human but the others don’t especially. For some reason. 

14. Renji joins the fight! Yay! I’ve just realized that his bandages are also skin tight. So since the Vampire look is inherently hot regardless of skimpiness, that officially means everyone but Hime is wearing a sexy costume. Cause she’s the Quirky One. 

15. So we get a whacky battle scene where Ichigo and the two dads get captured and Rangiku gets to cast a Magical Girl Spell.

16. And Hitsu upgrades to full Wolfie form. Yay? I guess Uryu is basically gonna try and kill them. But it doesn’t work and Ichi is fine. And now Hollowfied. Damn you guys are screwed. 

17. Or not cause he immediately collapses. And dumps the mask. And we get the  cute “we just killed two guys” laughter before they prove to of course not be dead.

18. BACK TO HIME! Who is stacking pumpkins to form a barrier. The wild crew rejoins her. Uryu is hanging on Ichi cause they’re boyfriends. 

19. Unfortunately the crystal is gone. Who stole the crystal? OR WAS THERE NEVER A CRYSTAL TO BEGIN WITH ?!

20. Ichi and Uryu team up as Frankenstein and Dracula and it’s really badass. But then the dads just quit. LOL. 

21. Hey there’s Rukia! SHE IS THE SNOW CRYSTAL!? Cool plot twist. And Ichi gets electrocuted. Kinda randomly. And turns into a werewolf. Apparently it was a dream in the mind of this guy I don’t recognize. Ah well. Any excuse for Halloween filler

22. That was fun! I’d actually been kinda down about Halloween this year cause of COVID and all, so having a little sample of halloween fun was definitely a treat. Nice going Bleach!