#the title is a reference to call of cthulhu yes | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

cerberus253 · 4 years ago

Note

How do you see Drago's possible future after the events of the series? Can it be happy? Change anything for him? I endlessly resent the show's ending, Drago doesn't deserve it. Yes, he seemed to be trying to cripple our world and all that, but this is more like an offended teenager who, without asking, took an expensive car from his father for a drive, just to spite him. And what would Drago do if he took over the world in the finale? I think he will get bored quickly

Welp, as far as we know, he is forever trapped in limbo/oblivion with his abusive father and racist relatives, with all of them being egotistical assholes. So, uh, I say no; his future wouldn’t be good.

I talk about this in the future post about the eight Demon Sorcerers, but I’ll state it here as well. Shendu explicitly states that the spell Drago used to absorb all that chi is irreversible, meaning that Drago is PERMANENTLY a Cthulhu ripoff monster. “But in the monster form, he transferred some chi to the Crew? That means he can willingly depart with it?“ That is true, which leads me to believe two things: 1) The chi didn’t settle in all the way yet and he could transfer it still, or 2), because Shendu was talking to Uncle about creating a spell to undo what has been done, Shendu might have just been referring to that a human could not possess/create a spell that would reverse it. Either way, we’re led to believe he is stuck like that forever.

However, in theory, maybe his relatives could reverse it, since it is their chi and they are naturally magical creatures, having the ability to do things and stuff and more than a human. So, if all eight of them work together, or seven, if Drago got to keep his fire, he could go back to normal.

The problem with this though is if the sorcerers are willing to do it or not. Of course Shendu would want it reversed, but what about the other seven? Well, here’s my explanation, which of course gets dark and sad:

If you’ve read/remember my talk on when Drago could have been, er, “born,‘ I guess, it would have been when Shendu was ruling the world on his own with all the other demons in the Netherworld. It’s safe to assume Drago never actually met his aunts and uncles in person, but it could have been entirely possible he read up on them or asked his Dad. I also think the other sorcerers never met/been told about him either, since they’d probably be disgusted by the whole “fornicating with a human“ aspect and bring it up a lot. So, Drago never met the rest of the family, and the rest of the family never even knew about Drago’s existence. Imagine their surprise when they see Shendu come floating in, attempting to strangle a foreign looking demon who he seems to have personal relations with.

“Why look who has decided to drop in! Shendu, you miserable little-- wait, who’s that?“

“Uhhhh, I can explain“ or “Uhhhh, no one important“ (with the latter getting a big ol “>:o” form Drago)

I’m not sure how it would come to be explained, but once the Demon Sorcerers find out that Drago is Shendu’s son, who looks strikingly human, they. Would be. REPULSED. Their entire existence is built upon demons having the right to enslave humanity, seeing them as nothing more than worker ants and piles of dirt; absolutely beneath them. Then all of a sudden they get to see some human/demon abomination housing (maybe even considered stealing in their eyes) their chi. What kind of disgusting embarrassment is this?! No! They will not be having this! He does not deserve the label of being a demon; he is not one of them; not part of the family! Then they would take all the chi he has, reversing him back to his original form of being small and powerless (in comparison to them). I would not be surprised if they never referred Drago to be their “nephew.“ Hell, maybe even never calling him ‘he‘ or say his name. Just ‘it‘ and ‘thing.‘ His fate after this would be up in the air, either being tortured along with his father, or straight up killed.

And then from Drago’s perspective, he would be absolutely heartbroken to witness their reactions. He spent all this time trying to bring demons back to Earth, and THIS is his payment. Yeah, he wanted to rule the world himself, but he actively states that he wanted to free his demon brethren. If he were to explain this to his relatives, they might feel a little appreciated, but would still not be above imprisoning or killing him in the end because of what he is, especially since he’s related to Shendu (”Oh God, it’s a mini Shendu; and we thought one was bad enough!”). Man, and we thought he was miserable and self-loathing before. Poor baby bean...

What would his view on demons be after this whole debacle? Probably grief of not being accepted anywhere, by humans and demons, the two most opposite things in the universe; you’d think one hating something would want the opposition to like it, but nay, that’s not how things turned out.

Alright, time for the second half of your question :V

What would happen if Drago did take over the world... hm, well, he’d be a Cthulhu thing, so that would earn him respect-out-of-pure-fear points with human and demons alike. However, like I said, his relatives would eventually usurp his worked-for throne, like I’ve stated previously.

But let’s just say they got along to tolerable degrees, yeah, Drago probably would get bored. But hey, that’s what jesters and needless wars are for! Pure boredom! Anyways, of course his human needs/wants would kick in and ruin everything. Ya know, like wanting companionship (friends and/or lovers) and having manic depression to constantly fight. I’m not sure if you’ve seen Steven Universe, but there is a moment in the epilogue show (Steven Universe: Future) where a character is talking to the emotionally distraught halfling Steven that he is the only living being of his kind, and that makes him much different than both races, leading to confusion on how to help him. Yeah, that’d be Drago, sadly.

There’s also the line “I always thought you were failing this world, but maybe since you were happier on Earth, maybe this world was failing you.“ I want to tell this to Drago’s face, watch him hold back tears, hug and care for him, and then watch him cry. Cry! Cry you little emotionally compromised creature of complex thought and beauty! It helps get the energy out without physically harming others.

In conclusion, Drago’s future will always be bad. The only thing that would give him a chance for a happy future is if he met someone who loves him for who he is. Not for what he has done/can do, what he could become, the title he carries, nor his position of power. Just purely, and unfiltered, him. Drago is perfect because he is a being unlike any other, and because he is the only one of his kind, there is no one he can compare himself to and think “I’m imperfect.“ How can you deem something as tainted if there is nothing to base the opinion on initially?

#ask #anon #jackie chan adventures #jca #drago #ending #future

8 notes · View notes

majingojira · 4 years ago

Text

Spider-Man Real-Time Aging Timeline

I’ve been asked to get on my crazy again with this, this time for Spider-Man. Well, here goes and boy, this is about to get WEIRD! A lot of this IS based on Spider-Man: Life Story, so if you are wondering about something, refer to that.

Because there’s a LOT of Spider-Man events out there, I couldn’t include them all without going totally nuts. If you have a question about them, ask! Though beware, “The writers made that up” is a possible explanation. 1946 - Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson, Jessica Drew, Luke Cage, “Flash” Thompson, and Gwen Stacy born. 1947 - Peter’s Parents die under somewhat mysterious circumstances. His Aunt May and Uncle Ben Parker take him in.

1950 - Julia Carpenter born. 1962 - Peter Parker, 16 years old, invents a quick-drying temporary adhesive with properties similar to spider silk as an entry in a science fair (with hopes of catching someone’s eye to sell the invention to in order to aid his aunt and uncle). Unfortunately, one of the other entries was a might volatile and explodes. Peter is caught in the blast radius and injured. Worse, while on the ground an escaped Tarantula bites his hand in its panic. Peter recovers, but the incident was quite traumatic, and he associated everything that followed with that spider.

When he recovers, he finds himself stronger, faster, and tougher than he was before, and more ‘aware’ of his surroundings. Worse, he was ‘seeing’ things before they happened. He doesn’t know what to do with these abilities at first but is inspired by seeing the masked wrestler El Santo perform on TV. He hits on the idea of fighting for money with a masked identity. It goes rather well, but we know how this song and dance goes by now.

After his, he invents gloves and boots to better help him climb across surfaces, as well as web-shooters for ranged entrapment. He soon figured out web-swinging from there. And thus, Spider-Man was born! But what did cause his powers to awaken? It goes back a few hundred years. One of the greatest swordsmen of all time was a man named Zatoichi. Upon learning of this man, one of the greatest criminal masterminds of all time (Fu Manchu) attempted to re-create this man’s skills. This eventually led to the creation of the Nanjin, a sect of Warrior Monks who ritually blinded themselves to “See With the Heart”. Over time, The Devil Doctor did his best to be eugenic about the subject, but random mutation is going to random. Peter Parker his the jackpot with his genes. Upon suffering a horrendous injury, an epigenetic response kicked in and he became as they were--more in fact with an enhanced musculature and reaction time on top of it. How strong is he? Well, starting out, he was a very athletic human, far more so for his size and weight. After fighting and working out for a few years, he could give some species of vampire a go without much problem. Especially with his “spider-sense”.

And yes, Daredevil is a trained Nanjin. Obviously.

Also, this year, Jessica Drew is the only survivor of a car crash into a chemical truck that kills her family. With no one to watch her, she is kidnapped and experimented on by HYDRA. 1962-1966 - Many of Spider-Man’s classic rogues appear in this timeframe. Notable oddities about them based on what people assume are as follows: Vulture’s ‘flight harness’ was based on the old Doc Savage designed Rocket Pack, most famously employed by the Rocketeer (Cliff Seacord) back in the Late 30s/Early 40s; Otto Octavius is a Cthulhu Cultist; The Sandman is a person who absorbed a juvenile Founder/Changeling and gained some semblance of their shapeshifting abilities; The Lizard is likely tied to the experiments which created the “Alligator Man” of Bayou Landing (The Alligator People); Electro is one of several known “Electrical Mutants” -- people who were born with an electro-kinetic ability.

1964 - Norman Osborn becomes the Green Goblin.

1965 - Peter Parker meets Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy.

1966 - Flash Thompson goes to Vietnam.

1969 - The death of George Stacy, Gwen Stacy’s Father.

1972 - Giant-Size Spider-Man #2 - Spider-Man and Shang-Chi team up against Shang’s Father, Fu Manchu.

Peter Parker marries Gwen Stacy. 1973 - Giant-Size Spide-Man #1 - Spider-Man tangles with (a) Dracula.

1974 - Giant-Size Spider-Man #3 - Spider-Man helps resolve a case started by Doc Savage in 1934.

Flash Thompson comes back from Vietnam with a wife, Sha-Shan Nguyen-Thompson, but without his legs.

Jessica Drew escapes Hydra’s indoctrination and tries to make headway as a hero on her own as “Spider-Woman”. It does not go well.

1975 - Marvel Team-Up #36-37 - Spider-Man meets Frankenstein’s Monster. Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man - Spider-Man is tricked into fighting the legendary Superman by the machinations of Otto Octavius and Lex Luthor. They eventually team up and stop the malcontents. 1976 - Jessica Drew decides to re-invent herself as the heroine “Jewel” since her powers really have very little to do with Spiders. 1977 - Professor Miles Warren’s plan of making Gwen Stacy his own via “cloning” is exposed by the ‘new’ Green Goblin, Harry Osborn. Unfortunately, tat technology is over a decade away, and his “Clone” is more “Human Meat Puppet” and rather horrifying. In the conflagration/confrontation, he and Gwen Stacy are killed. Harry Osborn disappears for a time... Mary Jane Watson-Osborn and Peter Parker comfort each other over their mutual losses.

Jessica Drew finds herself under the thrall of a mind-mage known as “The Purple Man.” The thrall is eventually broken, but though she manages to recover, it leaves scars.

1978 - Marvel Team-Up #79 - Thanks to a mystical malady, Spider-Man battles Kulan Gath, and things could have ended up badly for him, if not for the revelation that Mary-Jane Watson was a descendant of Red Sonja of Hyrkania. Touching an artifact allowed the She-Devil to manifest in the present and aid Spider-Man in taking down her ancient foe.

Spider-Man first encounters the blind seer Madame Web.

Birth of Samuel Thompson to Flash and Sha-Shan Thompson.

Jessica Drew takes up two new identities, Knightress (for about 5 minutes) and Jessica Jones to distance herself from what happened.

1980 - Marvel Treasury Edition #28 - Spider-Man manages to accidentally thwart the plans of Doctor Doom, to turn the monster known as Parasite into a massive energy storage device after it drained the life force from the Hulk, Superman, and Wonder Woman.

Secret War - Spider-Man is one of the many people invited to this decade’s Mortal Kombat tournament. Unfortunately for Shao Khan, so is Superman (Clark Kent), and he utterly wrecks the event, making the whole thing a wash, forcing Shao Khan to wait another decade to continue his win streak. The monstrous being known as “Venom” follows Spider-Man from Outworld. One of the people taken in by this is a survivor of “The Shop”, Julia Carpenter. Taking a cue from Spider-Man, she dubs herself Spider-Woman (II).

Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson marry.

Mattie Franklin born.

1981 - Marvel Team-Up #111-112 - Spider-Man has a time-traveling adventure featuring King Kull, battling against Valusian Serpent-Men. Marvel Team-Up Annual #5 - Spider-Man has more adventures with the Serpent-Men and their ancient enemies, Kull and Conan.

1982 - The monster “Venom” reveals himself. Its first host is Eddie Brock.

May “Mayday” Parker is born.

1983 - The Venom creature spawns, creating the horror known as Carnage. It goes on to spawn more Symbiotes. Jessica Jones has a child with Luke Cage (Daniel Cage) and later marries him. 1984 - Spider-Man and Batman: Disordered Minds - Spider-Man and Batman (III) team-up.

Kraven’s Last Hunt occurs.

Cindy Moon, the grandaughter of Flash Thompson, born.

1985 - Batman/Spider-Man - Batman and Spider-Man team up once again.

1988 - Anya Corazon born.

1990 - Julia Carpenter retires as Spider-Woman, Madame Web begins recruiting her as a replacement for herself.

1991 - Richard Wentworth jr., the descendant of the pulp-era anti-hero known as The Spider takes to the streets, and takes umbrage with the ‘pretender’ that is Peter Parker. He and Peter clash several times over the next few years, and the comic industry uses the presence of a ‘second Spider” to inflate the “Clone Saga” to ridiculous levels.

Thanks to developments from InGen being stolen when the company was liquidated in 1990, Efforts to Clone Spider-Man go forward under multiple groups. The results are nicknamed “Kaine” but artificial again technology doesn’t exist, so it wouldn’t bear fruit for many years.

1993 - May Parker Sr. passes away.

1995 - Richard Wentworth jr. goes to more volatile places around the world to sate his bloodlust.

Miles Morales born.

1996 - Gwen Stacy (II), niece of Gwen Stacy (via Gabriel Stacy) is born.

Mattie Franklin, a half-demon with arachnid affinities decided to become “Spider-Woman”. Her desire to prove herself causes quite a few problems.

1998 - Mayday Parker has her first outing as Spider-Girl under her parent's noses. After a few of these outings, she catches Mattie Franklin’s attention, who challenges her to a “Title Fight.” Mattie loses and chooses to go by “The Scarlet Spider” for a time afterward.

Benjamin Parker is born to Peter and Mary Jane Parker.

Cindy Moon is identified by the Nanjin and is kidnapped for ‘training’ by them. She ends up with a similar condition to Peter Parker.

2000 - Peter Parker retires from being Spider-Man and working Biotech to become a teacher at his old High School. Mayday Parker takes over properly as Spider-Girl.

2003 - Anya Corazon is kidnapped by the tattered remains of the organization known as Shocker and partly transformed into a quasi-magical cyborg super-soldier by them. She is rescued before she could be brainwashed by Kamen Rider (Kamen Rider Spirits). She takes her new ‘gift’ and becomes known as “Arana”, though people often call her “The Other Spider-Girl” to both her and Mayday’s annoyance.

2004 - Mattie Franklin dies battling drug-runners.

2005 - Samuel Thompson becomes bonded to the “Venom” Symbiot (or a facsimile thereof) by the U.S. Government. Dubbed “Agent Venom” he works with them as he furthers his military career.

Julia Carpenter takes over formally as Madame Web on the original’s passing.

2009 - Miles Morales is bitten by a spider carrying an attempt to create a retroviral payload to make Nanjin Adepts. He nearly dies from the venom, but it works -- with an added perk or two.

2011 - Miles Morales becomes Spider-Man with Peter and May’s blessings.

Kaine Parker reveals his existence to Peter, but more out of obligation, as he’d rather be left alone. He is not, thanks to mystical shenanigans. Even moving to Huston doesn’t help in that regard. He dubs himself “The Scarlet Spider”.

2012 - Cindy Moon escapes the Nanjin order and goes to “Spider-Man” to help. Mayday Parker does her best to get her settled after over a decade in isolation.

2013 - The “Ghost Spider” appears, and is eventually revealed to be Gwen Stacy (II), niece and namesake of the Gwen Stacy Peter knew. She is ‘accepted’ by the family, but has been through quite a lot and is often chastised for making bad decisions.

2018 - Miles Morales has his mind swapped with that of the extremely aged Otto Octavius via a dark ritual.

2019 - Miles Morales is freed of Otto’s domination of his mind. However, the Grand-Nephew of Otto Octavius (name currently unknown) begins causing him problems, dubbing himself the “Superior Spider-Man.”

#Spider-Man #Chronology #Timeline #Peter Parker #Mary Jane Watson #Crossover #Crossover Timeline #Miles Morales #Anya Corazon #Cindy Moon #Kaine Parker #Jessica Drew #Jessica Jones #Gwen Stacy #Ghost Spider #Julia Carpenter

31 notes · View notes

aion-rsa · 4 years ago

Text

The Horror Movies That May Owe Their Existence To H.P. Lovecraft

https://ift.tt/2T7puxi

With Lovecraft Country finishing its acclaimed first season, you may be looking to fill that new gap in your viewing schedule with more content based on or inspired by the works of the enigmatic author from Providence, Rhode Island.

Let’s get one thing clear upfront: Howard Phillips Lovecraft was very much a product of his time and upbringing, and his views on race, ethnicity, and class — while commonplace for where and when he lived — were truly noxious, an aspect of his legacy that Lovecraft Country addresses in its own themes. But it’s also clear that Lovecraft was arguably the most influential horror writer of the 20th century, with a reach that extends to this day.

While there have been a number of movies based directly on stories by Lovecraft — including titles like Die, Monster, Die! (1965), The Dunwich Horror (1970), Re-Animator (1985) and its sequels, From Beyond (1986), Dagon (2001), The Whisperer in Darkness (2011), and Color Out of Space (2020) — you may be surprised just how many more readily available major horror films and cult favorites have been influenced by his writing in terms of plotlines, themes, mood and imagery.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Here is a readout of 20 movies, spanning the last 60 years, in which the pervasive presence of H.P. Lovecraft had an undeniable impact, making many of these efforts into mostly effective and often great horror films. Even the Great Old Ones would approve…

X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963)

Legendary filmmaker Roger Corman had just adapted a Lovecraft story in The Haunted Palace (although the movie was marketed as part of his Edgar Allan Poe cycle), but this sci-fi film also clearly channeled some of the author’s sense of cosmic horror.

Ray Milland plays a scientist who invents a formula that allows him to see through just about everything, eventually peering into the center of the universe itself. What he views there leads him to a shocking decision that fans of Lovecraft’s work would appreciate.

The Shuttered Room (1967)

This British production was based on a short story by August Derleth, Lovecraft’s publisher and a noted author in his own right. Derleth based his story on a fragment left behind by Lovecraft after the latter’s death, with the movie expanding on the tale even further.

Behind the Scenes on Inside No. 9’s Most Terrifying Episode

By Louisa Mellor

Movies

Bram Stoker’s Dracula and the Seduction of Old School Movie Magic

By David Crow

Gig Young and Carol Lynley star as a couple who inherit Lynley’s family mill only to find something horrifying living at the top of the house. Lots of Lovecraftian elements — a cursed house, a family secret, and strange locals — are all here.

Alien (1979)

Lovecraft’s work arguably existed on that knife edge between horror and science fiction — the Great Old Ones of his Cthulhu Mythos were, after all, ancient entities that existed in the darkest corners of the universe.

One of the greatest sci-fi/horror hybrids of all time, Alien, clearly took a cue from Lovecraft’s work: the origins and motivations of its xenomorphs were utterly unknowable to human understanding, and even the look of the alien echoed the gelatinous, glistening flesh of the Old Ones (too bad later movies like Prometheus and Alien: Covenant ruined it by explaining far too much of the alien’s history).

Scorpion

City of the Living Dead (1980)

Italian director Lucio Fulci directed several films inspired by the work of Lovecraft, starting with this gorefest starring Christopher George (Grizzly) and Catriona MacColl. When a priest hangs himself on the grounds of a cemetery in the town of Dunwich (a town created by Lovecraft), it opens a portal to hell that allows the living dead to erupt into our world.

Talalay’s Terrors! The Director Breaks Down Her 5 Scariest Scenes

By Kayti Burt

Boy Meets World’s Slasher Episode Was Scarier Than it Had Any Right To Be

By Nick Harley and 1 other

Fulci’s movie is often nonsensically plotted and more reliant on gore than Lovecraft ever was, but the otherworldly, surreal atmosphere is definitely sourced from the master.

The Beyond (1980)

The second film is Lucio Fulci’s “Gates of Hell” trilogy (the third was The House by the Cemetery) is perhaps the most heavily Lovecraftian, with Fulci regular Catriona MacColl inheriting a hotel in Louisiana that turns out to be — you guessed it — a portal to the world of the dead.

Like the director’s other work, it’s inconsistently acted and directed, but it oozes with a surreal, unsettling atmosphere that almost becomes intentionally disorienting. Hell of an ending too — literally.

The Evil Dead (1981)

Sam Raimi was just 20 when he and friends Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell set out to make a low-budget horror movie called Book of the Dead, based on Raimi’s interest in Lovecraft. The finished product, The Evil Dead, featured plenty of Lovecraftian touches: a book of arcane evil knowledge, entities from another dimension, reanimated corpses and more.

Movies

New Evil Dead Director Has Been to the Woods Before

By Don Kaye

Movies

Evil Dead Movies: The Most Soul Sucking Moments

By David Crow

It also became one of the greatest cult horror movies of all time, spawning an entire franchise and — even as it veered more into comedy — staying true to its cosmic horror roots.

Universal

The Thing (1982)

Even though it’s squarely set in the science fiction genre, John Carpenter’s brilliant adaptation of the 1938 John W. Campbell Jr. novella Who Goes There? (filmed in 1951 as The Thing from Another World) is unquestionably cosmic horror.

Movies

The Thing Deleted Scenes Included a Missing Blow-Up Doll

By Ryan Lambie

Movies

John Carpenter’s The Thing Had An Icy Critical Reception

By Ryan Lambie

Although the title creature lands on Earth in a spaceship, its immense age, apparent indestructibility, utterly alien intelligence and formless ability to shapeshift make it one of the most Lovecraftian — and terrifying — monsters to ever slither across the screen. The remote, desolate setting and growing paranoia among the characters add to the terror and awe.

Ghostbusters (1984)

Yes, it’s one of the best combinations of horror and comedy to ever emerge onto the screen. But Ghostbusters’ second half — in which an apartment building designed by an insane architect turns out to be a gateway to a realm of monstrous demons led by “Gozer the Gozerian” — is pure Lovecraft.

The monstrous nature of the menace, the ancient rites and secret cult used to summon it — all of this is still quite cosmically eerie even as it’s played mostly for laughs and thrills.

Prince of Darkness (1987)

The second entry in what came to be known as John Carpenter’s “Apocalypse Trilogy” is perhaps the least influenced by Lovecraft. But it still packs a cosmic wallop with its arcane secrets long buried in an abandoned, decrepit church, its portal to another dimension ruled over by an Anti-God, its mutated, reanimated human monsters and its mind-bending combination of religious legends and scientific speculation (credit as well to British writer Nigel Kneale, an even more massive inspiration here).

In the Mouth of Madness (1995)

Carpenter completed his trilogy (arguably his greatest achievement outside of Halloween) with the most Lovecraftian of the three, in which a private insurance investigator (Sam Neill) looks into the disappearance of a famous horror author and learns that his books may portend the arrival of monstrous creatures from beyond our reality.

Books

An Introduction to HP Lovecraft: 5 Essential Stories

By Ethan Lewis

How Lovecraft Country Uses Topsy and Bopsy to Address Racist Caricatures

By Nicole Hill

Not only are the ideas right out of Lovecraft, but the movie oozes with allusions to the writer’s work and ends up being as disorienting and genuinely disturbing as some of his most famous stories.

Event Horizon (1997)

While we will always argue that the execution of this film was faulty, which stops it from becoming a true cult classic, we won’t debate its central premise: a spacecraft with an experimental engine rips open a hole in the space-time continuum, plunging the ship and its crew into a dimension that appears to be hell itself and endangering the rescue team that arrives to find out what happened.

Movies

Exploring the Deleted Footage From Event Horizon

By Padraig Cotter

Movies

Event Horizon: From Doomed Ship to Cult Gem

By Ryan Lambie

Director Paul W.S. Anderson provides some truly macabre touches to an often incoherent movie, and again the whole invasion-of-evil-from-outside-our-universe concept points right back to old H.P. and his canon.

Hellboy (2004)

Hellboy creator Mike Mignola has often cited Lovecraft as a primary influence on his long-running comics starring the big red demon (Lovecraft’s vision has impacted a slew of other comics over the years as well), and it’s no surprise that Guillermo del Toro’s original movie based on the books touches on that too. The film’s Ogdru Jahad are a take on Lovecraft’s Great Old Ones, while the movie is stuffed with references to occult knowledge, forbidden texts, alternate realities and more.

Del Toro’s own direct Lovecraft adaptation, At the Mountains of Madness, remains abandoned in development hell, but his work here gives us perhaps a taste of how it might have looked.

The Mist (2007)

Stephen King has often cited the influence of Lovecraft on his own vast library of work, and both the novella The Mist and Frank Darabont’s intense film adaptation are perhaps the most overt example.

While the premise is vaguely sci-fi — an accident at a secret government lab opens a portal to another dimension, unleashing a fog containing all kinds of horrifying monsters — the mood and the entities are Lovecraftian to the extreme, as is Darabont’s unforgivingly bleak ending (altered from King’s more ambiguous one).

The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

Director/co-writer Drew Goddard and co-writer Joss Whedon take on two of horror’s most criticized subgenres, the slasher film and the torture porn movie, in this sharp satire that ends up being a Lovecraft pastiche as well. The standard set-up of five young, horny friends heading to a remote cabin in advance of being slaughtered turns out to be a ritual performed by trained technicians as a sacrifice to monstrous deities — the Ancient Ones — that reside under the Earth’s crust. The ending — in which the survivors decide that humanity isn’t worth saving after all — would have met the misanthropic Lovecraft’s approval.

Stephen King’s It (2017/2019)

The more metaphysical elements of King’s gigantic 1987 novel (such as the emergence of the godlike Turtle and the journey into the Macroverse) didn’t really make it into either this two-part theatrical version of the novel or the 1990 miniseries.

Upcoming Stephen King Movies and TV Shows in Development

By Matthew Byrd and 6 others

Movies

How It Chapter Two Differs from the Book

By David Crow

But the influence of Lovecraft is still felt in the title menace itself, an unimaginably ancient, shape-shifting entity that can exist in multiple realities and feeds on fear and terror. The way that It slowly corrupts the town of Derry and its inhabitants over the years has precedent as well in Lovecraft tales like “The Dunwich Horror” and “The Shadow Over Innsmouth.”

The Endless (2017)

Indie horror auteurs Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead have touched on certain Lovecraft tropes in all their films, including Resolution and Spring, but The Endless is perhaps the most directly influenced by the author. The writers/directors also star in the movie as two brothers who return to the cult from which they escaped as children, only to find it has become the plaything of an unseen time-bending entity.

Genuinely eerie and more reliant on character and story than special effects, The Endless is a good example of what a modern twist on the Lovecraft mythos might look like.

The Void (2017)

A small group of medical personnel, police officers and patients become trapped in a hospital after hours by an onslaught of hooded cultists and macabre creatures in this virtual compendium of well-loved Lovecraft tropes and imagery. Writer/directors Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie channel an ’80s horror vibe, with all its pros (and some cons) but the overall atmosphere is surreal and the story taps effectively into the sense of cosmic horror.

Annihilation (2018)

Alex Garland’s (Devs) adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer’s frightening novel Annihilation is brilliant and terrifying in its own right, and both serve as loose rewrites/reinventions of Lovecraft’s classic “The Colour Out of Space.” In this take, four female explorers are tasked with penetrating and solving the spread of an alien entity over a portion of the coastal U.S. that is mutating all the plant and animal life within. The sense of awe and cosmic dread is strong throughout this underseen gem.

The Lighthouse (2019)

The second feature from visionary writer/director Robert Eggers (The Witch) is more a psychological drama than an outright horror film — or is it? The story’s two lonely lighthouse keepers (Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe) may be going insane or may be coming under the influence of an unseen sea entity and the beam of the lighthouse itself.

Movies

A24 Horror Movies Ranked From Worst to Best

By David Crow and 3 others

Movies

The Lighthouse: the myths and archetypes behind the movie explained

By Rosie Fletcher

With its black and white cinematography, windswept location, half-glimpsed sea creatures and sense of reality crumbling around the edges, The Lighthouse is just a Great Old One away from being a genuine Lovecraftian nightmare.

Underwater (2020)

It’s hard to believe that this Kristen Stewart vehicle came out in early 2020 — given the way the world changed since, it seems like it came out five years ago. Although its story of workers on a deep sea drilling facility battling monsters from the deep was an overly familiar one, the creatures themselves were more unusual than most. Director William Eubank took it a step further by saying that the movie’s climactic giant monster was none other than Cthulhu itself, the Great Old One sleeping under the ocean and namesake of Lovecraft’s entire Cthulhu Mythos — which takes us back to where we began.

The post The Horror Movies That May Owe Their Existence To H.P. Lovecraft appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/34bCWqy

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

11 notes · View notes

asoftervirge · 4 years ago

Text

Of “Love” & Murder - (5/13)

CHAPTER TITLE: The Tragedy of Roman Scarlet

RATING: M PAIRINGS: P. Sanders/V. Sanders (main/one-sided); R. Sanders/V. Sanders (former); V. Sanders/L. Sanders (former); V. Sanders/D. Sanders (former); Remy/E. Picani (side); T. Sanders/OMC (mentioned)

CHAPTER WARNINGS/KINKS: mentions of Remus, mentions of Lovecraft & his Racism, Alcohol, Singing, Musical References, Flirting, Kissing, Touching, Implied/Referenced Smut, mentions of Murder CHAPTER SUMMARY: Roman tells Virgil his backstory on how he met Virgil.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: And here we’re introduced to Roman! :D Again, from here on, the content warnings are heavier than the previous chapters, so please take care of yourself if you decide to keep going! Have fun reading everyone! xx Virge

INSPIRATION: This post by @phantomofthesanderssides

AO3 || Buy Me A Ko-Fi!

Patton blinked in astonishment while the figure continued to smile gently at him.

Was— Was he dreaming, or was this actually happening?

A soft giggle breaks him out of his shocked state. It was a very melodic sound, and despite the surprise that was currently surging through his body, it somehow put him at ease.

“What’s the matter, darling?” the voice called to him, almost amused by Patton’s shock. “You happen to look quite pale. Paler than the man who lives here, and he happens to wear quite a lot of foundation.”

Backing away slightly, Patton tugged at his sweater nervously. “You…Who are you?”

The person— ghost? vision? hallucination?— gave him a sparkling smile. It almost made him blush. “You don’t remember who I am?” he asked. Patton was confused by this. “Perhaps you should get a closer look. Come, come. There’s no need to be shy! My face is a familiar sight for many of my adoring fans, especially if they who went to Storytime.”

If they went to the bar? Patton became a little more confused, but he did as Roman asked and stepped closer, albeit shyly. With his smile still bright, Roman moved his head about to give the confectioner a glimpse of his profile. As he did so, baby blue eyes widened in sudden realization.

The sharp angles and high cheekbones. The ruby red lips. The hourglass figure. The curly auburn hair and reddish-brown eyes. There was no mistaking who this was anymore.

“Wait,” he breathes out. “You…You’re Roman Scarlet.”

“So you’ve remembered.” Roman smiled wider. “I am, indeed.”

Patton looked at him in awe. This was the famed Scarlet Rose who Remy and Thomas gushed about so much. The one whose photographs hung on many of the lounge’s walls.

Though he looked very different from both the painting here, and the photograph that he saw at Storytime. Instead of a beautiful, glittering red dress, it was a three-piece suit. A suit that consisted of a cream blazer with a yellow shirt underneath, along with white dress pants and black boots. Red and gold patterned designs decorated his attire in various places. And a red-colored ascot was wrapped around his neck.

Nonetheless, he was still very handsome as he was beautiful.

“I-I…” the confectioner didn’t know where to begin. “How— How are you here? How am I able to see you like this?”

A sad smile now came to Roman’s face. “I’m here to warn you,” was all he said.

“Warn me?” Patton echoed confusedly. “About what?”

Roman didn’t say anything. He kept his head down, gazing at his clutched hands that sat upon his lap. The confectioner noted how his nails were colored the same as his lips. His eyes held a bevy of emotions in them: bittersweetness and a little bit of mournfulness.

“Ms. Scarlet?”

“It’s Mr., actually. Oh, don’t look guilty, dearie, it happens.” Roman reassured as he saw Patton look bad for accidentally misgendering him. “I’m just,” he shook his head. “It’s not the most pleasant thing to look back upon.”

“You don’t have to—”

“No,” the former thespian said firmly, suddenly, causing Patton to look surprised. He corrected himself, using a much more calmer tone, “No. I need to warn you of the Cruel De Vil that lives in this house.”

Patton let out a noise and nodded. “Take your time, Mr. Scarlet.”

“Call me Roman, please,” Roman tells him with a faint tug of his lips. “And…I suppose I should start at the very beginning. It’s a very good place to start.”

Patton nods again, waiting patiently as the former thespian takes a deep breath.

“As I was growing up, I always wanted had a passion for singing and dancing,” he begins. “All types of music would play from either the record player or Mama’s radio.” A faint smile traced his ruby lips. “My parents always encouraged us to follow our dreams in the same way my grandparents did them when they first came to America so many years ago; and I’ve stuck by that ever since. I remember putting on little performances for my family after dinner or whenever we had guests come over; I remember how joyous I felt whenever I received applauds or cheers from my audience. That only fueled me to aspire acting unlike my brother, Remigio, or Remus as he likes to be called, who pursued literature…albeit of the more…horrific genre. Think Edgar Allan Poe or, even worse, H.P. Lovecraft.”

Patton shivered, an ugly feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. Roman agreed with his sentiments.

“Don’t ask me why my brother would want to affiliate himself with a notorious racist,” he scoffed with a small eye roll. “Once he read The Call of Cthulhu, by the head of Nessie, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. All of his works had some form of cosmic entity, or encryptic language, or some reference to a cult that always gave me the heebie-jeebies.”

The confectioner grew a little bit sick.

“Now where were we?” Roman mumbled to himself as he lost his train of thought. “Ah, yes! My life story, not my brothers’. When I was in high school, I started joining drama clubs, classes, and performing at my local theater. My first ever performance was Teen Angel in Grease; it was a small role, but I immersed myself in it. So much so, that I started grabbing people’s attention from the get-go. I then stared in My Fair Lady, Annie Get Your Gun, and a couple small name plays.”

“However, my biggest chance came through when I got the parts for two big productions: Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, and Romeo in Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet.” Patton could see Roman’s eyes light up as he talked. “It was these roles that could show people that I was serious about acting, that I wanted to be more than a celebrity in my community. And boy did I wow them! I made them laugh, I made them cry, I stunned them with my acting. Nobody could have that more so than me, and I did it.”

“That was when I was scouted by a talent agent in the audience. He told me with my voice and my talents, I would become star on the Great White Way.” Roman shook his head, almost like he still couldn’t believe it. “And I took the leap of faith, and thus, Ramon Alexandre de la Rosa became Roman Scarlet.”

“Why change your name?”

Roman shrugged. “I had to appeal to the Americans somehow. No one would remember someone with a Spanish name like mine. Besides, a lot of us celebrities changed our names in order to reach fame.”

Patton nods. It made sense. “So how did you end up performing at Storytime?”

“About a year or so after it opened. I wanted to go back to my roots of performing for small audiences. I was performing in Hamlet when I met Alejandro Reyes and Thomas Sanders. We had dinner that night and the rest, as they say, is history. I started performing there on the weekends when I didn’t have a show.”

“And that was how you met Virgil?” Patton dared to ask.

Roman grew silent. Then chuckled emptily. “Yes,” he said finally. “That, was how I met Virgil. Or rather, how Virgil met me.”

…

One of the first things Virgil saw upon entering Storytime were a bunch of excited people clambered near the stage and its runway, faces aglow by the spotlights as they yearned to see their Prince. As he moved towards the bar, he took a closer look at the steady stream of people; it was a remarkably varied group— a mix of skin colors, genders, ages, along with sexual and romantic orientations mixed together. The air was thick with excitement as they continued to fill the lounge like sheep or cattle.

He casually slid onto one of the barstools, back against the bar and elbows resting on the counter; he reclined languidly, crossing one leg over the other.

Virgil looked around and also noticed some performers in scantily-clad outfits, sequin sparkling as they swayed their hips, going up to the bar to order some liquid courage. The fingers of the musicians drummed against their instruments, creating a low, thumping bass noise as they tested them and got them ready for the show.

“Hello, there,” a kind voice spoke from behind him. “Can I interest you in a cocktail?”

Casually, almost nonchalantly, Virgil tilted his head back so he was staring at the bartender from upside down. They were looking down (up?) at him with kind eyes and a pleasant smile, in his hand was a cocktail shaker.

Virgil thought a moment then nodded. “One espresso martini, please.”

The bartender nodded as he prepared his drink. He mixed vodka, simple syrup, coffee liqueur, and freshly brewed espresso together in the shaker with ice. He strained it into a chilled cocktail glass, garnished it with espresso beans before sliding the glass to Virgil.

He took a long sip of his drink, the taste of vodka and coffee hitting his palette pleasantly. He looked at the bartender and nodded, signaling that he did a good job. The bartender smiled wider and then moved on to making cocktails for the other patrons that walked to the bar.

Sipping again, Virgil blanked out any of the noises surrounding him until he caught wind of two very familiar looking people near the far-right corner of the bar. One having dark brown hair with lavender dye, the other having burnt orange hair; the both of them were chatting about something, but what, he didn’t know.

Remy’s golden brown eyes met his for a split second. He whispered to Toby before pointing to Virgil. This caused him to force a smile and nod cordially, receiving a wink and a blow of a kiss back. If he were honest, he was glad they didn’t motion him to join their conversation, otherwise, he would’ve just hissed and made sarcastic jabs at them.

Then the lights flared dramatically; all who were still standing quickly made their way to any open seats available as a man appeared on stage.

“And now, ladies, gentlemen, and all of our beloved guests here at Storytime, please welcome the star of the hour— Ms. Roman Scarlet!”

The audience broke out into the loudest of applauses as the starlet’s name was announced, though they quickly quieted down as the lights dimmed and a singular spotlight shone against the thick velvet curtains.

“You had plenty money 1922,” the voice crooned as a long, smooth leg appeared onto the stage from the small parting left open. Then the curtains slowly drew back as the instruments picked up to her voice. “You let other women make a fool of you…”

Virgil sat up a little, looking slightly fascinated.

Red-painted lips twisted up into a sultry smile as they strutted over to the piano, leaning against it in a suggestive manner. “Why don’t you do right, like some other men do?”

She then sauntered across the stage to the cheers and hollers and whistles. Her red sequin dress had a long slit that left little room for imagination. “Get out of here and get me some money too?” Roman stops to raise their long leg up, running the skin of her foot along the jawline of a lucky patron. You could almost swear they were nuzzling it.

“So, this is the illustrious Scarlet Rose that charms people to their knees, hmm?” Virgil notes as he takes another sip of his martini glass. He says this as if he doesn’t know who Roman Scarlet is, but everyone in the city knows who they are.

“Yep.” A voice rung from beside him. He looked to see Toby and Remy eyeing him with teasing looks that really made Virgil want to hiss and growl at them. Toby smirked and took a swig of his whiskey.

“And ain’t we lucky people to watch this bombshell every weekend, sugar?” Remy lowers their sunglasses and winked at him before taking Toby by the arm and leading him to a more secluded part of the lounge.

When they left, Virgil turned back to the stage. The dress clung to her body like a second skin, showing off her toned and slim figure; muscles shifted visibly as she prowled, blowing kisses and winking at the captives surrounding her.

“You’re sitting there wondering what it’s all about. You ain’t got no money, they will put you out,” Roman’s fingers carded through her hair, tousling it in a flirtatious manner. “Why don’t you do right, like some other men do? Get out of there and get me some money too?”

Roman then strides down the runway, one hand sliding down her belly and resting on her hip. “If you had prepared 20 years ago, you wouldn’t be a-wanderin’ out from door to door,” She reached down and ran her free hand down the side of a lucky patron’s face. They kept their eyes trained on her as their mouth hung agape. “Why don’t you do right, like some other men do?” she crooned as she slid her fingers away from their chin.

They nearly fainted.

She then hops onto one of the tables, heels clicking against the wood. Some of the patrons volunteered their hands for Roman to take as she steps off the table. “Get out of here and get me some money too?”

Virgil watches as she moved away from the stage and runway, the thickest part of the crowd and over to the bar. “I fell for your jivin’ and I took you in,” The bartender slid Roman a dry martini with a couple of olives. “Now all you got to offer me’s a drink of gin,” He watches with an impressed look as she slams the martini down the back of her throat, then popping both olives in her mouth.

The bartender takes the glass and Roman smiled sweetly at them, leaning in to kiss their cheek. “Why don’t you do right, like some other men do?” She looked over to her left and wiggled her fingers at Toby and Remy when she saw them. “Get out of here and get me some money too.”

Finally, her passionate eyes finally met the stormy eyes of Virgil Nyx.

A cheshire grin appeared on her face as trailed her hand across Virgil’s back, fingertips gently scratching at the back of his neck making him grown more and more intrigued. Then she was moving in front of him, both hands moving from Virgil’s back to his shoulders. She slid her hands underneath of his trench coat, touch blazing even through his thick turtleneck.

“Why don’t you do right,” she purred, now wrapped her arms around his neck as the audience whooped in delight. As she straddled him by a leg, Virgil felt the flames of her presence burning brighter. “Like some other men—”

Roman squeaked as Virgil instantly pulled her onto his lap, now sitting on him completely. She was warm and solid there as they were pressed chest-to-chest, stomach-to-stomach. The raptured audience’s breath hitched along with Roman as they all saw this sudden and dramatic interruption of the song, but none of them minded; in fact, they were equally drawn to the mysterious man boldly challenging their starlet.

Her heart hammered frantically against her chest as she felt skinny, calloused fingers tickle her back, seeing the smirk in his eyes as she squirmed on top of him. Whether she was squirming closer or further away from him, Virgil didn’t know, but he enjoyed watching such a composed performer crumble from his touch.

Virgil leaned closer until their noses nearly touched, breath brushing each other’s lips. Despite Roman knowing they were in a room with a mass crowd of people, all clinging onto to her every note, but in that moment, with the spotlight shining on both their faces, they were the only two people in the building.

“— D-Do~…” Roman finished the last note with a small stutter as she slid off Virgil’s lap, quickly trying to bring the sensual look on her fact to no avail.

The drums, followed by the bass, and finally the piano sounded the encore of the song as the Scarlet Rose strutted (more like scampered) back to the stage. The spotlight faded entirely, and the curtains swung closed, Roman’s last not echoing through the showroom.

There was an crescendo in applause as it died, not really wanting to break the enchantment, but wanting to scream their love at their diva. A few claps, followed by more, then it became a roar or feral howl that couldn’t be tamed by the band’s random playing during intermission.

As the spell broke over the audience, many of them went over to the bar to refill their drinks while others went and chattered to other patrons; and there were those that grabbed others to drag them to rooms outside of the lounge (probably to either smoke, make out, or have a quickie.)

It was during this time that Virgil turned in his seat and casually ordered another espresso martini. The bartender (who he learned was named Thomas) smiled and complimented at how he made Roman flustered like that; apparently it was a rare thing to do. Virgil hummed and sipped his martini, silently shooing Thomas away, who complied and filled even more drinks for patrons.

Perhaps five or more minutes later, the piano started up in a jazzy, ragtime tune. The crowed swarmed back to the stage, runway, and any empty seats as Roman sauntered back onto the stage with a less flustered face.

She got into position in front of the microphone, long fingers wrapping around it suggestively. Virgil turned back to the stage as Roman started singing another tune: “All that Jazz” from Chicago. Even he, who wasn’t all that much of a purveyor of the glitz and glamor of The Great White Way, could see the appeal— though this might’ve had more to do with the actual performer than the performances themselves.

Roman held the audience in the palm of her hand for another four more songs after that. She toyed with them playfully as she danced and swayed her hips in that very provocative dress and her high, alluring voice raising goosebumps on fevered skin.

Eventually, the final song, “Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag,” also from Chicago, came to a crashing halt and Roman stood on the stage, damp with sweat and grinning triumphantly. A model shotgun was in her hands and a red top hat was on her head.

“Thank you, ladies, lords and non-binary royalty!” She blew a kiss, gathering bouquets and individual roses in her arms. “Thank you for another wonderful night! I’ll see you again next weekend!”

The curtains fell to thunderous applause, yet Virgil cancelled it out. He stood up along with the audience as they gathered their belongings; then discreetly walked backstage as they now prowled the lounge. Dark grey eyes narrowed and scanned the halls at the other performers, backstage crew, costume designers, and makeup artists scuttling about. Finally he caught sight of a glittering gold star with the cursive ’Roman Scarlet’ underneath.

Making sure no one was looking, he opened the door with a single twist. Walking inside, he closed it with the faintest of clicks. His eyes grew intrigued and wicked as he glanced over the dressed-down starlet.

Roman’s sequin dress and boa were hanging on a mannequin in the far right corner of the room, which was decorated in red wallpaper with golden details. The furniture— a couch, fainting chair, and vanity seat— matched the seating in the lounge, also red velvet cushioning. Four lamps darned the walls to give it extra lighting even with the lights from the vanity table. Speaking of the vanity, makeup ranging from palettes, lipsticks, and polishes were scattered about its surface along with playbills and pearl jewelry. A giant bouquet of red and pink roses lay on the floor by the actor’s feet, next to her red heels.

The star herself was sitting in front of the mirror, wiping any remnants of sweaty makeup off her face and reapplying it. Her curly auburn hair glowed in the lighting, and her skin looked a little shining from being on stage. Covering her body (or barely) was a long, red chiffon robe with a silk ribbon tied loosely around her waist, attached to the sleeves and bottom were red feathers that looked identical to the white ones on her boa.

In the silence between them, Roman was quietly humming a tune: “What’s New, Buenos Aires” from Evita.

Virgil smirks faintly as he shuffled across the room. And as the final bars of the song were hummed, he finally addressed her, “Roman Scarlet. I’ve heard so much about you before I came here.”

A squeak, followed by the dropping of something. (A palette? A compact mirror? Virgil didn’t know and frankly didn’t care.) Roman turned around to see the amused man standing behind her. “Y-You?!” she cried out in surprise. “H-How did you get in here?!”

“Door’s unlocked,” Virgil motioned to it. “But that doesn’t matter. What matters is, I’m finally pleased to make the acquaintance of someone of your caliber.”

Roman blinked, a flattered blush dusting her cheeks. “I-I thank you, truly,” she tells him. “But I’m not that special, for I am only an actor. Nothing to shout about, only a person enjoying their passion.”

“But you’re more than that,” Virgil insists, sitting on the arm of the couch. “When you act, you take us away from the squalor of the real world.”

The surprised expression on Roman’s face quickly disappeared, eyes lighting up in an excited manner. “A man who also knows Andrew Lloyd Webber?! Are you trying to tempt my theatrical heart?”

“Depends,” Virgil shrugged, raising a cocky eyebrow. He moved closer to the actor, pulling out a dark red rose tied with a black ribbon out of his trench coat. “Is it working?”

Roman takes the rose, breath hitching as their fingertips brush each other. She observes the richly colored petals before smelling it. She’s been given all sorts of roses throughout the years, but never one like this. “I believe it might be.”

Virgil smirked. “Good.” He rested his right ankle over his knee. “I must say, you have quite the voice, Ms. Scarlet. Or is it Mr. now?”

“It’s Ms. Scarlet currently. And thank you again for your praises.” Roman says, her newly painted lips twist into a smirk of her own. Her eyes grow half-lidded, allowing Virgil to see her sparkling red eyeshadow. “So,” she coquettishly crossed her legs. “What brought you to Storytime, Mr…?”

“Nyx. Virgil Nyx.”

Roman hummed. The name sounded very enticing in her mind. “You seem to be of the dark and gloomy type who doesn’t enjoy the nightclub scene. Again, what brings you here to flirt with a someone like me, hmm?”

“Well, I just so happen to remember some old friends who come here regularly, Remy Moerani and Toby Hallows.” That wasn’t completely true, as Virgil had only met them once or twice while still working at the bookstore. He would barely call them acquaintances, let alone friends. “But I personally came to see the beautiful rose performing at this establishment.”

A bright blush came to Roman’s face. “O-Oh come now!” she squeaked, averting her eyes from Virgil. “Y-You’re just being charming!”

“I mean it.” Virgil moves so he was directly kneeling in front of the vanity seat. His fingers carded themselves in her curly auburn hair, causing her breath to hitch again. His hand moved to where it was now caressing Roman’s cheek.

His thumb lightly ran across her bottom lip, the smooth and glossy lipstick coating his calloused skin. They parted obligingly. Dark grey eyes met reddish-brown ones; ones were sharpened in concentration, while the others were widened in anticipation.

Then, in a blink of an eye, Virgil kissed her.

Roman melted into the kiss the second their lips met. Her long, delicate fingers entangled themselves around Virgil’s neck and in his hair. In turn, he could feel the other man’s trailing magically down her body, causing her to squirm and writhe deliciously in his arms.

It was like an explosion— unrestrained and all-consuming.

As quickly as it started the kiss broke, and when Roman was about to whine and complain, she felt lips marking her skin. Fang-like teeth grazing against her sharp jawline, rapidly-beating pulse point, all the way down her hourglass figure.

Biting her reddened (and newly smeared) lips, she looks down at Virgil with hazy eyes as he touches her in a way she’s never been touched before. His faded hair tickled her skin as his kisses got lower and lower; she whines at him tracing the hem of her red, lacy panties before resuming all the way down her thighs, legs, and to her feet. Her fingers gripping and loosening against the arms of her chair.

“Wh— What are you doing…?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Virgil looked up at her with seductive eyes as he kissed all the way back up her leg and thigh, nipping occasionally. Roman gasped sharply, wanting to throw her head back and let herself be immersed in this tantalizing pleasure, but she kept her gaze on him. “I’m tempting your theatrical heart,” he continued, smirking. “Or better yet,” He kissed the hem of her panties before tugging them in his teeth. “Your body.”

Roman whimpered and felt herself growing weaker. “V-Virgil~” She really wanted him, but she was worried since, well, they were in her dressing room and not her apartment in the upper part of town. “W-We’ll get caught—!”

“Well, if someone decides to listen in…just tell them we’re playing patty-cake.” He tells her sitting up, unbuttoning and unzipping on his uncontrollably-tight leather pants.

Roman gulped and nodded, sighing happily as she was pulled into another searing kiss. Lips messily attacking each other, and hands roaming and groping each other. The balls of her heels were pressing hard into the small of his back.

She could feel herself slowly growing weak, weak for Virgil Nyx, weak for what he was doing to her, weak for the fire growing ablaze in her belly. She was pressed closer and closer until Roman couldn’t think of anything but heat, skin, pressure, pleasure, Virgil.

Virgil, Virgil, Virgil.

Her hands flew to his turtleneck and trench coat, yanking and tearing them off his body. As she did this, Roman could feel him undoing the ribbon around her waist then swiftly taking off her panties.

The first moan ripped from her throat after a few agonizing minutes of kissing, touching, and prepping each other. Her nails begin clawing and scratching Virgil’s back as he rocked his hips in and out of her, panting and groaning lowly against her ear.

Any members of the show or crew that were backstage blushed and gossiped amongst themselves as they heard pleasured cries, deep grunts, and lewd praises/comments.

(When Roman came out of the dressing room and made her way to the lounge— fully dressed and with a bright blush on her cheeks— reactions to her varied. Most giggled while some dared not look at her in the eyes, others coughed awkwardly and some even wolf-whistled. Her friends were no different. Toby snorted into his whiskey glass, Remy cackled and slid her a screaming orgasm, Alejandro sighed and made his way to the stage, while Thomas shook his head and tended to other patrons.)

…

Patton blushed furiously as Roman giggled. He didn’t expect the ghost to give him such…details about his love life with Virgil, even if he glossed over some things (which he was grateful for). Then again, he suppose it came with the territory of being some so sensational like Roman, and mystifying like Virgil.

“Oh, I apologize, darling.” Roman said with an apologetic look. “I don’t mean to make you redder than Dorothy’s shoes, but it’s something I can’t help. Virgil was…well, quite the tempestuous lover,” A thrill went up his spine, a blush appearing on his own cheeks. “Just one little touch in the right place and he made me weak in my knees~” A blissful sigh.

“S-So uhm…” The confectioner said a little suddenly, growing redder. He didn’t know how to continue in the conversation in the first place! “H-How did you remain so close with Virgil?” he asked lamely. “D-Did he keep coming to Storytime or—?”

Roman snapped out of his lovestruck trance and moved over to the dresser. Patton didn’t know why, but he felt a sudden chill come through the room. He returned with a beautiful white picture frame with golden embossing on it, the stand out of it was the photograph of Roman and Virgil.

Baby blue eyes stared closely as he inspected the details. Auburn hair tickled a pale cheek as they curled into each other’s sides, arms linked with one another.

Virgil looking surprisingly handsome. His hair was actually kept out of his eyes and more violet than what it is now. A distant smile was on his face that was half-turned towards the camera. His attire was also fancier than his usual trench coat and turtleneck; he was wearing a wine colored button up, black suit pants, a lilac vest, and purple tie. He was also wearing dark eyeshadow and purple lipstick.

Roman also looked very beautiful, lovely even. He was wearing a white, lacy mermaid gown that fit snugly on his body. The detailing on it was also lined with gold, from the bodice, to the sleeves, and all the way to the skirt. His signature red makeup painted on his face. A thin, lacy veil was adorned on his hair attached to a sparkling little tiara. In his hands was a giant bouquet of red roses.

They were standing in front of Storytime, surrounding them were Thomas, Alejandro, Remy, and Toby. All of them had varying expressions on their faces, but they all had one thing in common: happiness.

Written on the bottom right corner of the photo, in bright red ink were the following words, a red heart encircled around them:

‘Virgil + Roman February 14th, 1975’

“He became my husband.” Roman says, confirming everything Thomas told him. “We were married on Valentine’s Day.” He looked at the photograph, his face softening as he recalled that day. “It was magical. The most happiest day of my life. Everything seemed so wonderful back then. Like nothing horrible was going to happen.” His expression then turned sad, almost bittersweet. “How foolish and naive I was.”

Patton look at him. “What do you mean?” he asked in confusion. “What happened?”

Silence.

Then something Patton wasn’t expecting at all.

“He murdered me.”

#Sanders Sides #Patton Sanders #Roman Sanders #Virgil Sanders #Moxiety #Prinxiety #Of Love & Murder

4 notes · View notes

how2to18 · 6 years ago

Link

DURING THE POSTWAR PERIOD, the genres of the fantastic — especially science fiction — have been deeply intertwined with the genres of popular music, especially rock ’n’ roll. Both appeal to youthful audiences, and both make the familiar strange, seeking escape in enchantment and metamorphosis. As Steppenwolf sang in 1968: “Fantasy will set you free […] to the stars away from here.” Two recent books — one a nonfiction survey of 1970s pop music, the other a horror novel about heavy metal — explore this heady intermingling of rock and the fantastic.

As Jason Heller details in his new book Strange Stars: David Bowie, Pop Music, and the Decade Sci-Fi Exploded, the magic carpet rides of the youth counterculture encompassed both the amorphous yearnings of acid rock and the hard-edged visions of science fiction. In Heller’s account, virtually all the major rock icons — from Jimi Hendrix to David Crosby, from Pete Townshend to Ian Curtis — were avid SF fans; not only was their music strongly influenced by Heinlein, Clarke, Ballard, and other authors, but it also amounted to a significant body of popular SF in its own right. As Heller shows, many rock stars were aspiring SF writers, while established authors in the field sometimes wrote lyrics for popular bands, and a few became rockers themselves. British fantasist Michael Moorcock, for example, fronted an outfit called The Deep Fix while also penning songs for — and performing with — the space-rock group Hawkwind (once memorably described, by Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister, as “Star Trek with long hair and drugs”).

Heller’s book focuses on the “explosion” of SF music during the 1970s, with chapters chronicling, year by year, the exhilarating debut of fresh music subcultures — prog rock, glam rock, Krautrock, disco — and their saturation with themes of space/time travel, alien visitation, and futuristic (d)evolution. He writes, “’70s pop culture forged a special interface with the future.” Many of its key songs and albums “didn’t just contain sci-fi lyrics,” but they were “reflection[s] of sci-fi” themselves, “full of futuristic tones and the innovative manipulation of studio gadgetry” — such as the vocoder, with its robotic simulacrum of the human voice. Heller’s discussion moves from the hallucinatory utopianism of the late 1960s to the “cool, plastic futurism” of the early 1980s with intelligence and panache.

The dominant figure in Heller’s study is, unsurprisingly, David Bowie, the delirious career of whose space-age antihero, Major Tom, bookended the decade — from “Space Oddity” in 1969 to “Ashes to Ashes” in 1980. Bowie’s 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars was a full-blown SF extravaganza, its freaky starman representing “some new hybrid of thespian rocker and sci-fi myth,” but it had a lot of company during the decade. Heller insightfully analyzes a wide range of SF “concept albums,” from Jefferson Starship’s Blows Against the Empire (1970), the first rock record to be nominated for a Hugo Award, to Parliament’s Mothership Connection (1975), which “reprogramm[ed] funk in order to launch it into tomorrow,” to Gary Numan and Tubeway Army’s Replicas (1979), an album “steeped in the technological estrangement and psychological dystopianism of Dick and Ballard.”

Heller’s coverage of these peaks of achievement is interspersed with amusing asides on more minor, “novelty” phenomena, such as “the robot dance craze of the late ’60s and early ’70s,” and compelling analyses of obscure artists, such as French synthesizer wizard Richard Pinhas, who released (with his band Heldon) abrasive critiques of industrial society — for example, Electronique Guerilla (1974) — while pursuing a dissertation on science fiction under the direction of Gilles Deleuze at the Sorbonne. He also writes astutely about the impact of major SF films on the development of 1970s pop music: Monardo’s Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk (1977), for example, turned the cantina scene from Star Wars into a synth-pop dance-floor hit. At the same time, Heller is shrewdly alert to the historical importance of grassroots venues such as London’s UFO Club, which incubated the early dimensional fantasies of Pink Floyd and the off-the-wall protopunk effusions of the Deviants (whose frontman, Mick Farren, had a long career as an SF novelist and, in 1978, released an album with my favorite title ever: Vampires Stole My Lunch Money). Finally, Heller reconstructs some fascinating, but sadly abortive, collaborations — Theodore Sturgeon working to adapt Crosby, Stills & Nash’s “Wooden Ships” as a screenplay, Paul McCartney hiring Star Trek’s Gene Roddenberry to craft a story about Wings. In some alternative universe, these weird projects came to fruition.

Heller’s erudition is astonishing, but it can also be overwhelming, drowning the reader in a welter of minutiae about one-hit wonders and the career peregrinations of minor talents. In his acknowledgments, Heller thanks his editor for helping him convert “an encyclopedia” into “a story,” but judging from the format of the finished product, this transformation was not fully complete: penetrating analyses frequently peter out into rote listings of albums and bands. There is a capping discography, but it is not comprehensive and is, strangely, organized by song title rather than by artist. The index is similarly unhelpful, containing only the proper names of individuals; one has to know, for instance, who Edgar Froese or Ralf Hütter are in order to locate the relevant passages on Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk, respectively.

That said, there is no gainsaying the magisterial authority displayed in assertions such as: “The first fully formed sci-fi funk song was ‘Escape from Planet Earth’ by a vocal quartet from Camden, New Jersey, called the Continental Four.” And who else has even heard of — much less listened to — oddments like 1977’s Machines, “the sole album by the mysterious electronic group known as Lem,” who “likely took their name from sci-fi author Stanislaw Lem of Solaris fame”? Anyone interested in either popular music or science fiction of the 1970s will find countless nuggets of sheer delight in Strange Stars, and avid fans, after perusing the volume, will probably go bankrupt hunting down rare vinyl on eBay.

While Heller’s main focus is the confluence of rock ’n’ roll and science fiction, he occasionally addresses the influence of popular fantasy on major music artists of the decade. Marc Bolan, of T. Rex fame, was, we learn, a huge fan of Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, while prog-rock stalwarts Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer managed “to combine science fiction and fantasy, fusing them into a metaphysical, post-hippie meditation on the nature of reality.” What’s missing from the book, however, is any serious discussion of the strain of occult and dark fantasy that ran through 1960s and ’70s rock, the shadows cast by Aleister Crowley and H. P. Lovecraft over Jimmy Page, John Lennon, Mick Jagger, and (yes) Bowie himself. After all, Jim Morrison’s muse was a Celtic high priestess named Patricia Kennealy who went on, following the death of her Lizard King, to a career as a popular fantasy author. Readers interested in this general topic should consult the idiosyncratic survey written by Gary Lachman, a member of Blondie, entitled Turn Off Your Mind: The Mystic Sixties and the Dark Side of the Age of Aquarius (2001).

Heller does comment, in passing, on an incipient musical form that would, during the 1980s, emerge as the dark-fantasy genre par excellence: heavy metal. Though metal was, as Heller states, “just beginning to awaken” in the 1970s, his book includes sharp analyses of major prototypes such as Black Sabbath’s Paranoid (1970), Blue Öyster Cult’s Tyranny and Mutation (1973), and the early efforts of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. This was the technocratic lineage of heavy metal, the segment of the genre most closely aligned with science fiction, especially in its dystopian modes, and which would come to fruition, during the 1980s, in classic concept albums like Voivod’s Killing Technology (1987) and Queensrÿche’s Operation: Mindcrime (1988).

But the 1980s also saw the emergence of more fantasy-oriented strains, such as black, doom, and death metal, whose rise to dominance coincided with the sudden explosion in popularity of a fantastic genre that had, until that time, largely skulked in the shadow of SF and high fantasy: supernatural horror. Unsurprisingly, the decade saw a convergence of metal music and horror fiction that was akin to the 1970s fusion of rock and SF anatomized in Strange Stars. Here, as elsewhere, Black Sabbath was a pioneer, their self-titled 1970 debut offering a potent brew of pop paganism culled equally from low-budget Hammer films and the occult thrillers of Dennis Wheatley. By the mid-1980s, there were hundreds of bands — from Sweden’s Bathory to England’s Fields of the Nephilim to the pride of Tampa, Florida, Morbid Angel — who were offering similar fare. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos inspired songs by Metallica, Mercyful Fate, and countless other groups — including Necronomicon, a German thrash-metal outfit whose name references a fictional grimoire featured in several of the author’s stories.

By the same token, heavy metal music deeply influenced the burgeoning field of horror fiction. Several major 1980s texts treated this theme overtly: the doom-metal outfit in George R. R. Martin’s The Armageddon Rag (1983) is a twisted emanation of the worst impulses of the 1960s counterculture; the protagonist of Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat (1985) is a Gothic rocker whose performances articulate a pop mythology of glamorous undeath; and the mega-cult band in John Skipp and Craig Spector’s splatterpunk classic The Scream (1988) are literal hell-raisers, a Satanic incarnation of the most paranoid fantasies of Christian anti-rock zealots. The heady conjoining of hard rock with supernaturalism percolated down from these best sellers to the more ephemeral tomes that packed the drugstore racks during the decade, an outpouring of gory fodder affectionately surveyed in Grady Hendrix’s award-winning study Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of ’70s and ’80s Horror Fiction (2017). Hendrix, himself a horror author of some note, has now published We Sold Our Souls (2018), the quintessential horror-metal novel for our times.

Hendrix has stated that, prior to embarking on this project, he was not “a natural metal fan”:

I was scared of serious metal when I was growing up. Slayer and Metallica intimidated me, and I was too unsophisticated to appreciate the fun of hair metal bands like Mötley Crüe and Twisted Sister, so I basically sucked. […] But I got really deep into metal while writing We Sold Our Souls and kind of fell in love.

The author’s immersion in — and fondness for — the genre is evident on every page of his new novel. Chapters are titled using the names of classic metal albums: “Countdown to Extinction” (Megadeth, 1992), “From Enslavement to Obliteration” (Napalm Death, 1988), “Twilight of the Gods” (Bathory, 1991), and so on. The effect is to summon a hallowed musical canon while at the same time evoking the story’s themes and imparting an emotional urgency to its events. These events also nostalgically echo 1980s rock-horror novels: like The Armageddon Rag, Hendrix’s plot chronicles the reunion of a cult outfit whose breakup decades before was enigmatically fraught; like The Scream, it features a demonic metal band that converts its worshipful fans into feral zombies; like The Vampire Lestat, it culminates in a phantasmagoric stadium concert that erupts into a brutal orgy of violence. Yet despite these pervasive allusions, the novel does not come across as mere pastiche: it has an energy and authenticity that make it feel quite original.

A large part of that originality lies in its protagonist. As the cock-rock genre par excellence, its blistering riffs and screeching solos steeped in adolescent testosterone, heavy metal has had very few notable female performers. But one of them, at least in Hendrix’s fictive history, was Kris Pulaski, lead guitarist of Dürt Würk, a legendary quintet from rural Pennsylvania that abruptly dissolved, under mysterious circumstances, in the late 1990s, just as they were poised for national fame. Kris was a scrappy bundle of nerves and talent, a kick-ass songwriter and a take-no-prisoners performer:

She had been punched in the mouth by a straight-edge vegan, had the toes of her Doc Martens kissed by too many boys to count, and been knocked unconscious after catching a boot beneath the chin from a stage diver who’d managed to do a flip into the crowd off the stage at Wally’s. She’d made the mezzanine bounce like a trampoline at Rumblestiltskins, the kids pogoing so hard flakes of paint rained down like hail.

But that was eons ago. As the story opens, she is staffing the night desk at a Best Western, burned out at 47, living in a broken-down house with her ailing mother and trying to ignore “the background hum of self-loathing that formed the backbeat of her life.” She hasn’t seen her bandmates in decades, since she drunkenly crashed their tour van and almost killed them all, and hasn’t picked up a guitar in almost as long, constrained by the terms of a draconian contract she signed with Dürt Würk’s former lead singer, Terry Hunt, who now controls the band’s backlist. While Kris has lapsed into brooding obscurity, Hunt has gone on to global success, headlining a “nu metal” outfit called Koffin (think Korn or Limp Bizkit) whose mainstream sound Kris despises: “It was all about branding, fan outreach, accessibility, spray-on attitude, moving crowds of white kids smoothly from the pit to your merch booth.” It was the exact opposite of genuine metal, which “tore the happy face off the world. It told the truth.”

To inject a hint of authenticity into Koffin’s rampant commodification, Hunt occasionally covers old Dürt Würk hits. But he avoids like the plague any songs from the band’s long-lost third album, Troglodyte, with their elaborate mythology of surveillance and domination:

[T]here is a hole in the center of the world, and inside that hole is Black Iron Mountain, an underground empire of caverns and lava seas, ruled over by the Blind King who sees everything with the help of his Hundred Handed Eye. At the root of the mountain is the Wheel. Troglodyte was chained to the Wheel along with millions of others, which they turned pointlessly in a circle, watched eternally by the Hundred Handed Eye.

Inspired by the arrival of a butterfly that proves the existence of a world beyond his bleak dungeon, Troglodyte ultimately revolts against Black Iron Mountain, overthrowing the Blind King and leading his fellow slaves into the light.

One might assume that Hunt avoids this album because the scenario it constructs can too readily be perceived as an allegory of liberation from the consumerist shackles of Koffin’s nu-metal pablum. That might be part of the reason, but Hunt’s main motivation is even more insidious: he fears Troglodyte because its eldritch tale is literally true — Koffin is a front for a shadowy supernatural agency that feeds on human souls, and Dürt Würk’s third album holds the key to unmasking and fighting it. This strange reality gradually dawns on Kris, and when Koffin announces plans for a massive series of concerts culminating in a “Hellstock” festival in the Nevada desert, she decides to combat its infernal designs with the only weapon she has: her music. Because “a song isn’t a commercial for an album. It isn’t a tool to build name awareness or reinforce your brand. A song is a bullet that can shatter your chains.”

This bizarre plot, like the concept albums by Mastodon or Iron Maiden it evokes, runs the risk of collapsing into grandiloquent absurdity if not carried off with true conviction. And this is Hendrix’s key achievement in the novel: he never condescends, never winks at the audience or tucks his tongue in cheek. Like the best heavy metal, We Sold Our Souls is scabrous and harrowing, its pop mythology fleshed out with vividly gruesome set pieces, as when Kris surprises the Blind King’s minions at their ghastly repast:

Its fingernails were black and it bent over Scottie, slobbering up the black foam that came boiling out of his mouth. Kris […] saw that the same thing was crouched over Bill, a starved mummy, maggot-white, its skin hanging in loose folds. A skin tag between its legs jutted from a gray pubic bush, bouncing obscenely like an engorged tick. […] Its gaze was old and cold and hungry and its chin dripped black foam like a beard. It sniffed the air and hissed, its bright yellow tongue vibrating, its gums a vivid red.

The irruption of these grisly horrors into an otherwise mundane milieu of strip malls and franchise restaurants and cookie-cutter apartments is handled brilliantly, on a par with the best of classic splatterpunk by the likes of Joe R. Lansdale or David J. Schow.

Hendrix also, like Stephen King, has a shrewd feel for true-to-life relationships, which adds a grounding of humanity to his cabalistic flights. Kris’s attempts to reconnect with her alienated bandmates — such as erstwhile drummer JD, a wannabe Viking berserker who has refashioned his mother’s basement into a “Metalhead Valhalla” — are poignantly handled, and the hesitant bond she develops with a young Koffin fan named Melanie has the convincing ring of post-feminist, intergenerational sisterhood. Throughout the novel, Hendrix tackles gender issues with an intrepid slyness, from Kris’s brawling tomboy efforts to fit into a male-dominated world to Melanie’s frustration with her lazy, lying, patronizing boyfriend, with whom she breaks up in hilarious fashion:

She screamed. She broke his housemate’s bong. She Frisbee-d the Shockwave [game] disc so hard it left a divot in the kitchen wall. She raged out of the house as his housemates came back from brunch.

“Dude,” they said to Greg as he jogged by them, “she is so on the rag.”

“Are we breaking up?” Greg asked, clueless, through her car window.

It took all her self-control not to back over him as she drove off.

Such scenes of believable banality compellingly anchor the novel’s febrile horrors, as do the passages of talk-radio blather interspersed between the chapters, which remind us that conspiratorial lunacy is always only a click of the AM dial away.

While obviously a bit of a throwback, We Sold Our Souls shows that the 1980s milieu of heavy metal and occult horror — of bootleg cassettes and battered paperbacks — continues to have resonance in our age of iPods and cell-phone apps. It also makes clear that the dreamy confluence of rock and the fantastic so ably anatomized in Heller’s Strange Stars is still going strong.

Rob Latham is a LARB senior editor. His most recent book is Science Fiction Criticism: An Anthology of Essential Writings, published by Bloomsbury Press in 2017.

The post Magic Carpet Rides: Rock Music and the Fantastic appeared first on Los Angeles Review of Books.

from Los Angeles Review of Books http://bit.ly/2SMN28U via IFTTT

#Blogger

2 notes · View notes

rosymaplemoth · 7 years ago

Note

Hey there I was wondering if you had any book or online recommendations for information on outer gods/great old ones? I've been wanting to interact with them a bit creatively but it's been hard to find a concise source ^^;

I’ll do my best!

One thing to know about Yog-Sothery/the Cthulhu Mythos (I am going to start calling it Yog-Sothery because that is the best name ever) is that it is a living, malleable universe. While H.P. Lovecraft’s original texts are the authorities, countless other authors have added their own twist– this is something that the Old Man himself encouraged in his lifetime. Still, I’d take these outside sources with a grain of salt, ESPECIALLY the ones who tried to pass off their stories as collaborations (yes, I’m referring to August Derleth).

I would recommend starting off with HPL’s work, and that’s what I’m going to recommend here, as I’m still not as familiar with other Yog-Sothery writers.

The only downside of this is that I feel like Lovecraft’s work focuses more on how humans interact with or are affected by these beings, as opposed to the beings themselves actually doing things. Off of the top of my head, I can really think of only two Outer Gods/GOOs that make physical appearances (and one of them is an aspect of a GOO). I mean, unless you count Dagon. Is Dagon even a GOO? I don’t know. I feel like HPL’s fishy gods are more accessible.

First of all…

What is the difference between a Great Old One and an Outer God?Oh lordy, I’m not entirely sure. I’m not even sure HPL himself really differentiated between the two. I personally classify an Outer God as being directly created and/or descended from Azathoth itself. (This family tree is a bit tongue-in-cheek (I see you on there, HPL), but I still use it as a resource)

That limits Outer God classification it to Azathoth Nyarlathotep (who I kind of treat as both an avatar Azathoth itself and a child of Azathoth)The Nameless MistDarkness

I also throw Yog-Sothoth and Shub-Niggurath in there, though The Dunwich Horror talks about Yog-Sothoth as an ‘Old One’ so who even knows. WHO KNOWS.

And again, this is just me, because according to Derleth there are like five gajillion Outer Gods.

I’m going to list the Lovecraft stories that include/mention Azathoth, Nyarlathotep, Yog-Sothoth, and Shub-Niggurath below. This is going under a cut, because this post is already super-long.

AZATHOTH

“Azathoth”

Surprisingly, Azathoth doesn’t make an appearance here, but this fragment of a never-finished novel was conceived as a journey for someone to meet the Daemon Sultan.

“The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath”

Pretty much the master source for both Azathoth and Nyarlathotep. Again, Azathoth himself never makes an appearance– thank goodness for our hero– but you do learn what it is and its role in the cosmos. He’s really described in the story’s climax.

“The Dreams in the Witch House”Or, how to become a cultist that worships Azathoth. The protagonist only escapes this fate because he knows what Azathoth is, and the madness it entails.

Azathoth is mentioned in a few other stories, but it’s mostly just “the chaos that lies in the center of the universe listening to mad piping bla bla bla bla”.

NYARLATHOTEP

“Nyarlathotep”This is a good place to start for him. I mean, he’s right in the title. This is a story about how an average, ordinary human might meet him, and the consequences of listening to his words. Also some folks theorize that this story was inspired by Nikola Tesla, which I think is pretty fun.

“The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath”HE IS SO BEAUTIFUL HERE. Ahem. Though allusions and mentions and threats of him are made to throughout the story (seriously, read it) the beautiful pharaoh himself makes an appearance at the story’s climax.

“The Dreams in the Witch House”Or, how to become a cultist that worshiwho is that beautiful man?! Nyarlathotep shows up here as ‘the Black Man’, a cloven-hooved avatar straight out of a witch hunt.

“Fungi from Yuggoth Sonnet No. 21″About Nyarlathotep and his relationship with Azathoth.

“The Haunter of the Dark”Or, how to piss off an avatar of Nyarlathotep. I think this one is important because it introduces one of my favorite HPL artifacts, the Shining Trapezohedron, a beautiful gem that induces madness and grants knowledge from the Crawling Chaos himself.

“The Whisperer in Darkness”Your mileage might vary with this one. Some people say that Nyarla shows up in this story impersonating a human, others don’t. I think he does, because this is a fun story and everything is better with Nyarla.

SHUB-NIGGURATHI think part of the reason I included her on this list is because I was hoping, almost praying that I’d find more stuff about her. There isn’t. She scarcely shows up in HPL’s works, and when she does it’s mostly as a chant (IA! SHUB-NIGGURATH!) and her being mentioned as The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young or as the Lord of the Woods– a title that I find much cooler, especially since she’s one of the few gods that Lovecraft explicitly refers to as a ‘she’. I love her.

OH! HPL also said in a letter that she’s Yog-Sothoth’s wife. Some people write them as divorced, which I think is 100% more fun, but I love me some drama.

YOG-SOTHOTHYog is almost as confusing with Nyarla when it comes to avatars– no, I’d say he’s MORE confusing, as at least with Nyarla it’s pretty obvious like “oh hey this ridiculous prettyboy is Nyarlathotep”.

Might as well start with the story that everybody ever knows that I’ll be talking about…

“The Dunwich Horror”Okay, so to be fair Yog-Sothoth himself doesn’t make an appearance here (though some do argue that he’s the bolt of lightning that struck Sentinel Hill at the climax). I’m putting this here because Yog-Sothoth is ridiculously important for this story. I mean, he’s the father of one of the protagonists. You also learn more about his motivations (though the mileage might vary because Old Whateley is a douchecanoe) and about the nature of the GOOs themselves in the biggest appearance of the Necronomicon.

“Through the Gates of the Silver Key”Yog is actually pretty chill in this story (and I’m not even talking about ‘Umr, I’m getting to him later) as he gives Randolph Carter choice. He offers to share his knowledge of All and will not harm him… himself. I mean, the whole madness-inducing thing is typically due to humans being exposed to knowledge so vast that our puny brains literally cannot comprehend it.

Then again, it could be argued that Yog is nicer to Carter because he’s an ‘aspect’ of him. Some humans are ‘aspects’ of gods, I’m not sure how exactly that works but I tend to think of it as… the gods are kind of like mirrors, and some pieces of the mirror end up in the souls of humans. Or something. I don’t know. I need to re-read this. Carter is an aspect of ‘Umr at-Tawil who is an avatar of Yog-Sothoth and aaaaaaa

‘Umr at-Tawil(I personally believe that ‘Umr is an avatar of Yog-Sothoth, and some other sources do too. I’m just putting this here because there are some people out there who classify ‘Umr and Yog as two different entities.) He watches over Ancient Ones and welcomes the protagonist and… you know, it’s been a hella long time since I’ve read this. I’m just going to list this here as a resource because it’s important, I just don’t want to mess up on the details.

I hope this helps some! … You know, except for the part where I ramble about Yog-Sothoth and end up just kind of like “???” because ‘Through the Gates of the Silver Key’ makes very little sense.

HPL fans, please confirm or let me know about changes or anything. I’m really not an expert, I’m just a nerd. Also, August Derleth still grinds my gears.

#I'M NOT AN EXPERT #I MIGHT BE WRONG #h.p. lovecraft #lovecraft

11 notes · View notes

analysis-by-vaylon · 7 years ago

Text

Animation Retrospective: The Real Ghostbusters

Something that's been on my mind -- the staff behind Star vs. the Forces of Evil have been getting away with quite a bit lately: a lot of violence, use of words like “death” and “kill”, and some honestly pretty psychologically dark and heavy stuff.

And thinking about all that got me remembering a cartoon that I used to watch when I was a kid in the late 1980s -- The Real Ghostbusters. I was -- and still am -- a huge fan of Ghostbusters. It is my favorite movie of all time. And as a kid, I watched The Real Ghostbusters -- the animated series based on the movie -- religiously.

Recently, I noticed that the first two seasons of the animated series were available on Netflix (as of this post, they still are!), which prompted me to briefly part from my previous topics here and write this post instead.

This will be a long discussion of my favorite three episodes from The Real Ghostbusters, during which I will also incorporate guidelines on three things: writing with internal logic, writing good dialogue, and using conflict to craft a compelling story. Despite the length of this post, I welcome you to read it in its entirety and provide feedback.

Before we start, though, I'd like to say that the writing isn't the only thing I like about The Real Ghostbusters, of course: I also love the voice acting, the character designs, the composition -- even the animation has moments of loveliness from time to time (though admittedly the series is mainly comprised of bog-standard '80s animation).

The writing, though, is where this series truly shines. Unlike Star vs. the Forces of Evil, which is storyboard-driven, The Real Ghostbusters is a script-driven series -- which makes a lot of sense for an animated series in the ‘80s. There wasn’t a whole lot of budget for animation (and the studios they had access to weren’t particularly remarkable), so the production staff focused on quality scripts. These three episodes in particular are emblematic of not only a well-made children's animated series but also just good, old-fashioned enjoyable storytelling for any audience. In my opinion, anyone who is interested in writing a script for an ensemble cast or in improving their dialogue could learn a thing or two from The Real Ghostbusters. Now -- let’s dive right in!

Episode 44: "The Thing in Mrs. Faversham's Attic" and Internal Logic

Yes, that J. Michael Straczynski. He was not only a writer for the series but the story editor as well, and the show's quality in its early run reflects that -- until ABC foolishly forced him out (but that's a story for another day).

This episode stands out because of its truly dark subject matter: it involves a haunting in a house caused by an entity -- heavily implied to be demonic in origin -- conjured up by a well-meaning father in dire need.

Looking back on it, I can't believe an episode like this got made in the 1980s. Many of you reading this now were not around for it, but the 1980s were a time of baseless widespread fear of rock music, Dungeon & Dragons, cults, and Satanism -- moral panics.

An episode like "The Thing in Mrs. Faversham's Attic" would have normally been nixed by ABC's Broadcast Standards and Practices, but this episode -- along with the two other episodes chosen for this post -- is part of the 65 episodes produced for syndication, meaning that they were subjected to looser restrictions than normal. As you'll see, it's because of those looser restrictions that we see darker themes, more action, and more adult-oriented dialogue. (Frankly, it's still amazing that these episodes got made at all.)

The episode, like many other early episodes of The Real Ghostbusters, has an undeniable internal logic acting as its driving force: the thing in Mrs. Faversham's attic has been confined there, and it's been making that place larger, day by day, year by year, nursing its grudge against the man who trapped it there. It takes on scary forms that are based on the sort of junk that people leave sitting around in attics -- it's both creatively inspired and eminently reasonable.

The Ghostbusters also figure all this out through detective work, a process we see in action: after an initial encounter with the thing, they return to the station to ask Mrs. Faversham some follow-up questions based on what they've learned, and Egon is the one who puts all the pieces together in a way that not only is consistent from what we've been shown but also is engaging and interesting to watch. The Ghostbusters aren't just occult-themed exterminators, after all -- they're paranormal investigators, and these three episodes really play up that aspect.

By building an episode around a sort of internal logic -- but not drawing too much attention to it -- and using those rules to bring the episode to the conclusion which follows, a writer can create a resolution which is immensely satisfying, even if the audience is not at first entirely sure why. (Indeed, one of the benefits of script-driven animation is that this internal logic can more easily remain consistent from episode to episode!)

"The Thing in Mrs. Faversham's Attic" also has some examples of excellently-written dialogue -- the dry, wisecracking humor so often associated with the Ghostbusters as well as a really quite menacing speech from the villain (especially menacing when coupled with its design):

Peter: (talking to himself) "'So, Peter, have a nice day?' 'Oh, yeah. Argued with a hat and a coat rack.' 'Really?' 'Yep, nothing new. How's about you?'"

Egon: Janine, why don't you show Mrs. Faversham the Containment Unit? I'm sure she'd find it fascinating. Janine: Of course. Come along, Mrs. Faversham. I'll show you where they figure out new ways to do stupid things.

Peter: Seven years of college, and I can never remember if it's positive to negative or positive to positive.

The Thing: So long have I awaited you, Faversham, here in my prison. Do you like it? I built it all myself. Every inch of it has the word hate written on it. That is how much I hate you for keeping me here. Only one thing has kept me from going mad: revenge! Revenge on the one who had imprisoned me! And now, here you are.

I won't spoil the climax of "The Thing in Mrs. Faversham's Attic" for you -- I want you to watch and enjoy all of these episodes for yourself -- but suffice it to say that it is genuinely terrifying, even to adult me.

Episode 41: "The Collect Call of Cathulhu" and Dialogue

First things first: yes, it should be "Cthulhu" -- the person making the title card thought the name was misspelled (not to mention that Lovecraft's works were not quite yet in the public domain at the time of production). That being said, there's so much to appreciate in this episode; really, it's a love letter not only to Lovecraft but to science fiction writers everywhere. Like every other episode on this list, it also has some great dialogue:

[The Necronomicon has been stolen.] Kline: We must get it back! Otherwise, the city, perhaps even the world, is in grave peril! Peter: I don't see what all the fuss is about. It's just a book. Ray: And an atomic bomb is just a couple of rocks slammed together. Egon: This is the only English translation of the Necronomicon. If someone were to read the spells in it aloud, the results would be catastrophic.

Using this example, I’d like to show you that good dialogue ought to be doing several things at once:

Dialogue characterizes. We learn about characters through the things that they say, and their words reinforce what the audience already knows about them -- i.e., characters act according to what the writers have previously established. That creates a familiarity with the audience that allows them to get to know those characters. The audience can also learn new things about those characters or gain more awareness of traits that were previously only hinted at -- both of which should be in keeping with aspects that have already been established. (Though it's fine to surprise people, of course. People are indeed complicated and full of surprises.)

Dialogue captivates. Each character's diction -- their manner of speaking and word choice -- should engage the audience by being interesting while also fitting their character. In the example above, Ray is technically-oriented and knows Peter well, so he comes up with a rather surprising metaphor and presents it in a way that Peter can understand -- and the audience is meant to find the gallows humor wryly amusing. (Telling a joke is one way of keeping the audience's interest.) Egon, who is even more technically-oriented than Ray, reflects this with his unusual word choice, particularly in the use of the word “catastrophic”, which also foreshadows just how serious the threat will prove to be.

Dialogue establishes the setting. Characters should refer to the world they live in as if it is ordinary -- i.e., the audience learns something about the world through what the characters have to say about it. With the example above, for instance, we are able to infer not only that magic exists but that it's also extremely dangerous as well. Yet these facts are unremarkable to the characters; the writers assume we're smart enough to make inferences on our own, without them being explicitly spelled out for us.

Dialogue sets the tone and theme. Take another look at the example dialogue above; Peter's flippant remark (which is usual for him) is responded to with grim humor and grave warnings. In a less-serious episode of The Real Ghostbusters, Peter might simply have gotten away with such a remark, but in this episode, he is immediately corrected, establishing that, no, this is far more serious than a normal episode. In addition, the characters' discussion of the danger sets up the theme of magic being a dangerous force that few people can be trusted with.

Dialogue explains what's going on. In my opinion, this is the very last thing that dialogue ought to be doing. Once your dialogue does one or more of the previous things, only then can characters explain what's happening. The audience should learn something new about the immediate subject matter the characters are dealing with, or the plot should be advanced in some way. I don't believe in having expository dialogue simply for its own sake -- but if you think you can make it work in your writing, then go for it. (There are no hard-and-fast rules for writing, and people will like pretty much anything. I've seen it.)

Here's another example of dialogue from this episode:

[After running away.] Winston: Sometimes I really regret answering that ad you guys ran. Peter: Egon, what do you got? Egon: His power is completely off the scale. None of our equipment can even begin to stop him. We don't have a prayer. Peter: You're such a Pollyanna, Egon.

In addition to the dialogue, there are dark elements that got surprisingly overlooked by network censors: the Necronomicon, the cultists -- who, incredibly enough, literally chant "Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!" -- the spellcasting, and the riskiness of everything the Ghostbusters end up doing. (I am truly boggled that such an animation was ever made in the Satanist-fearing 1980s.)

Indeed, in order to convey the danger of the threat that the Ghostbusters face, this episode incorporates a number of elements from the film -- which is itself is a serious treatment of a comedic idea -- to give the episode a cinematic treatment. For instance, the opening shot of the New York Public Library is directly lifted from the film, and much of the dialogue -- there's mention of Gozer -- refers back to moments from the film in new and interesting ways, all of it serving to underscore the danger the characters face.

If you watch this episode yourself, you'll see what I mean when I say that this entire episode is a love letter to science fiction writers of old.

Episode 43: "The Headless Motorcyclist" and Conflict

This is my absolute favorite episode, and I saved it for last. There's so much I could say about this episode: I love how cinematic it is; I love that it takes a fictional story from real life and adds some personal tragedy to it; I love the composition and how so many scenes take place on the dark and dirty streets of New York; I love the sophisticated and gritty, almost film noir themes in it (yes, really!); I love how Peter is depicted as the shameless womanizer he is (you know -- for kids!). It's just a perfect episode.

I could bore you for hours by talking about this episode, but I'd like to focus on the conflicts and how the problems these conflicts present offer opportunities for the story to move forward. First, a list of the central conflicts in the story, from beginning to end:

Bud vs. Kate

Peter vs. Bud

Officer Frump vs. Peter

The Headless Ghost vs. Kate (and Her Family)

Officer Frump vs. The Ghostbusters

The Ghostbusters vs. The Headless Ghost

The episode starts with Bud and Kate having an argument at a party. Peter initially gets involved because he's attracted to Kate, but after he overhears the argument and Bud starts to hurt Kate, he steps in, and they almost fight. Bud leaves the party. After Bud leaves, he's followed by the Headless Ghost, who destroys his car. This chance encounter provides the impetus for Bud to contact the police, who naturally assume Peter had something to do with it:

[Officer Frump shows the Ghostbusters photographs of the burnt-out car.] Officer Frump: And the guy was lucky not to end up the blue plate special at Bob's Barbecue Hut. Peter: Okay. So you want us to investigate this motorcycle spook, right? Officer Frump: Wrong. Peter: Wrong? Officer Frump: (taking out a photograph of Bud) Know this guy? Peter: Yeah, sure. I met him last night. We had an argument -- Officer Frump: That's the guy who was almost barbecued. Peter: (quietly) Ohhhh.

The small conflict between Bud and Peter escalates into a larger one: Peter needs to prove his innocence, or he'll be going to jail for a crime he didn't commit. Because the Ghostbusters are scientists and paranormal investigators, they employ logical thinking in order to solve their problems. Their first idea is to retrace Bud's steps using the same car he drove, which works. After gaining an idea about the ghost, they contact Kate to find out more about the ghost, where they learn about her family's history.

It's then that the Ghostbusters realize the true scope of the conflict taking place and decide to do something about it. By this point, as more information is revealed and multiple parties become involved, further pressure is put on the Ghostbusters -- they need to figure this out, or else they'll all be going to jail -- which ratchets up the dramatic tension.

This is good writing! Start with a small conflict, then raise the stakes. As the characters react to the raised stakes, the situation continues to escalate, propelled by a kind of logic (sometimes a horrible one in particularly violent stories), until a final confrontation becomes impossible to avoid. In “The Headless Motorcyclist”, the Ghostbusters go about their problem-solving methodically; not only is that entirely in keeping with their scientifically-minded characters -- it's also interesting for the audience, especially when their plan is at last revealed.

The dialogue underscores the adult nature of the conflict taking place; read this dialogue and try to remember that this is a kid's show:

[The Ghostbusters are working on something.] Janine: (off-screen) You can't just barge in here like this! Officer Frump: Well, what have we here? Not preparing to let some ghosts loose, are we? By the way, I found that this Bud character is an insurance investigator -- and you were selling ghost insurance at the party. What a coincidence, eh?

I told you that this episode has an almost film noir-ish feel to it, and it's definitely dialogue in scenes like this that help give this episode that extra punch it needs. Even the ending of the episode is some kind of cinematic experience -- just look at the expression on Kate's face and the way the camera pans in:

In just a few seconds, you can see all those years of hate and fear of being followed and tortured by the Headless Ghost. We feel her pain in those moments. And yet -- and yet all we're truly looking at in these moments is a bit of paint on a plastic film. To me, that is the epitome of the true magic of animation.

What Do You Think?

If you have Netflix, I highly recommend watching The Real Ghostbusters -- and, in particular, the episodes I mentioned above. Please, please try giving the series a shot. I’ve tried to say as little as possible about the endings -- I think that if you watch these episodes, you’ll be pleasantly surprised, and you may find that you like other episodes as well! Fan favorites include "The Boogieman Cometh", "When Halloween Was Forever", "Ragnarok and Roll", and "Cold Cash and Hot Water".

If nothing else, here are the main ideas in this post I want you to come away with:

The very last thing that dialogue should do is explain what's going on. It should always serve to give life to characters first, then the world, and so on until finally getting to the narrative.

All of your characters in an ensemble cast can have something in common -- a shared dry, sardonic wit, for example -- and yet still be distinct based on other characteristics, such as temperament, word choice, and outlook.

Animation for children doesn't have to be vacuous or insipid. It can be wry, complex, and dark.

Feel free to ignore everything I’ve just told you. I like to give stylistic guidelines on how to write well -- but those are merely my opinions on what good writing is. That is a style. Ultimately, there are no hard-and-fast rules for writing. If you like writing long paragraphs of internal monologue with no line breaks or punctuation, and you think your style works for what you're trying to accomplish, then go for it. There seems to be an audience for just about everything these days, so don’t be afraid to forge your own path.

Thank you for reading this post! I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to submit any questions you may have, whether on Star vs. the Forces of Evil or The Real Ghostbusters or whatever else is on your mind. If you have sent me questions previously, don't worry; I will answer them soon. If you’d like to chat with me, you can also join me in IRC at the link in my about page, and you can check here for a list of my previous analyses and theories. Take care of yourselves!

#the real ghostbusters #real ghostbusters #dialogue #writing #j michael straczynski #michael reaves #randy lofficier

35 notes · View notes

wonderfulworldofmichaelford · 7 years ago

Text

Michael Ford’s Top 50 Castlevania Enemies

Castlevania is one of my absolute favorite video game series of all time, particularly the Metroidvania titles. A big reason for that is just the sheer variety of monsters you can fight. Drawing from basically every mythology and pop culture, you’d be hard pressed to find a monster not on display here; there’s Goetic demons, succubi, Christian demons, mummies, valkyrie, Greek mythological beasts, Wizard of Oz characters... there’s a lot of shit being thrown at you. It also helps the artists seem to have this unspoken belief that every time they do a palette swap, a small child dies, so there are tons of one-shot monsters that appear in a single room, or a scant few rooms.

So here I’m going to countdown my fifty favorite fiends being thrown at the Belmonts, Alucard, and Soma by Dracula. Here’s the criteria:

1. The monsters have to be from a Metroidvania game - Symphony of the Night, Harmony of Dissonance, Chronicles of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, and Order of Ecclesia are all fair game.

2. No Death or Dracula. As far as I’m concerned calling them a favorite is cheap, because they’re ALWAYS awesome. Same thing for any fight against a Belmont, which includes the Whip’s Memory.

Other than that, bada bing bada boom. Be forewarned: My three favorite monster types are Sexy Monster Girls, Skeletons, and Jojo References. You’ll see a lot of them, especially the former one. Now without further ado, let’s dive into Dracula’s castle and see what I’ve chosen:

50. Medusa Head

Various

There’s no denying that these enemies are the biggest pain in the ass in existence, always appearing in treacherous areas like Clock Towers packed with spikes or areas packed with bottomless pits… but quite frankly, the series just wouldn’t be the same without these stupid fucking things. They’re just such an icon, as much as Dracula and Death I’d say, and an icon of gamer frustration. Gotta give respect!

49. Ladycat

Order of Ecclesia

The first sexy lady monster on the list, these are cute cat girls, plain and simple, and they can give Shanoa the power to turn into a cute cat girl herself and befriend them.

48. Kyouma Demon

Aria of Sorrow

Appearing to attack from mirrors and resembling an ugly old guy, this demon is probably a reference to Hanged Man of Stardust Crusaders. Alright, I’ll admit it’s a bit of a stretch, but the Chronicles of Sorrow games are stuffed with Jojo references; even if THIS isn’t meant to be one, don’t worry, there’s plenty more down the line.

47. Arachne

Aria of Sorrow, Order of Ecclesia

There’s not much for me to say here except… hot spider woman. A+. Fuck yes.

46. Yeti

Dawn of Sorrow, Order of Ecclesia

As mysterious and hard to find as he is in real life, the yeti appears in the very first area of Dawn in the background, and on a lonely mountain bridge in Order of Ecclesia. In each place, he’ll make like a guard in Metal Gear and get a ! over its head before fleeing into the background like a little bitch. If you’re quick, you might be able to kill it and reap the rewards

45. Skeleton Glass

Harmony of Dissonance

Harmony of Dissonance is not the most memorable Castlevania game in terms of bestiaries, but damn if you’ll ever forget the Skeleton Glass! Appearing in a group in one hallway and being easy to kill, they seem to exist solely so you can farm tons of EXP before moving on. In a game of otherwise unremarkable opponents, these skeletons stand out.

44. Sand Worm

Portrait of Ruin

Sand Worms appear in scant few locations; a one-time encounter appears early in the first desert area and then another one at the end of the map. Sinking into the sand the first one comes out of lets you step a round its insides for a free HP Up. Look, I don’t have much to say, I just really love sand worms as a concept and this just hits all the right keys for me.

43. Human Face Tree

Symphony of the Night

Since this guy only appeared in the Sega Saturn version of the game that only came out in Japan, I have not personally had the honor of fighting this guy. BUT HOLY SHIT LOOK AT HIM. How could I NOT love him?

42. Mad Snatcher

Order of Ecclesia

Wielding an anachronistic chainsaw and being some unholy mashup of Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, and the Creeper, this freak is one of the cooler, yet simultaneously deadly, enemies to pop up in Order of Ecclesia. This game’s already throwing so much shit at you, and now you have some slasher mashup with a gas-powered saw in a time when the latter didn’t exist; Castlevania is some crazy shit, son.

41. Flea Man

Various

One of the classic enemies of the series, this is yet another monster it just doesn’t feel right to not have in the game. They also come in all kinds of varieties, whether they’re riding dragons, wearing armor, being dropped by eagles, being born from trees, or just straight up throwing knives, so no matter how you see a Flea Man, there’s a good chance it won’t be the same as the last time.

40. Wallman

Order of Ecclesia

Wallman gets a spot solely for being the funniest fucking boss of all time. You can beat him in under twenty seconds if you’re quick enough, since the goal is to absorb the glyph he uses to hide inside a wall… while he’s inside the wall. Cue the most obvious result happening, and cue you getting a shiny medal for taking no damage.

39. Nova Skeleton

Symphony of the Night, aria of Sorrow, Order of Ecclesia

There’s just something so charming about magical green skeletons that shoot incredibly deadly dick lasers at you. And if that’s not cool enough for ya, check out what they can do with just about any attacking glyph in Order of Ecclesia. Your inner Star Wars fan will squee in delight as you slaughter your way through Transylvania with a big fucking lightsaber.

38. Jersey Devil

Order of Ecclesia

Look at this guy. He’s just so damn cute for a monstrous bat-horse-dragon creature. He’s so cute it keeps me from wondering why the Jersey Devil is in 18th century Transylvania.

37. Nyx

Portrait of Ruin

It’s pretty cool Konami owns Yu-Gi-Oh, but that brings up a disturbing question: why are there not more Yu-Gi-Oh references in Castlevania? Well they finally threw us all a bone with Nyx, a cute demon nurse carrying a big ol’ syringe that clearly is taking cues from Injection Fairy Lily.

36. Malachi

Symphony of the Night, Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin

Here we have what is basically Cthulhu… though sadly not named as such due to a translation oversight. Still, a giant evil demon squid being is as Lovecraftian as you could hope for, and the presence of Cthulhu certainly makes the monster mash of the game an even more exciting affair, no matter the name he’s under.

35. Werebat

Order of Ecclesia

Half-human, half-bat, all sexy, as any lady monster in Castlevania should be. And of course, big plus for giving out a glyph that lets Shanoa become a sexy bat-lady too.

34. Schmoo

Symphony of the Night

You may think these guys are on here because if you kill enough of them, they may drop the mighty, unstoppable Crissaegrim… and you’re right! But honestly, I think in a weird way these flying, bloody sacks with faces on them are kind cute, in the way a hideous gory Castlevania monster can be.

33. Waiter Skeleton

Aria/Dawn of Sorrow

Yet another weird and funny skeleton, these guys do nothing but toss spicy curry at you to attack. In Dawn, they toss their curry and then run headfirst into a wall and die. The weird skeletons Dracula employs give me life, I swear.

32. Wakwak Tree

Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin

And the award for the funniest fucking name goes to… Aside from having the most goofy name imaginable, they’re also one of the weirdest enemies in the series, being tress that… grow Flea Men. What.

31. Jp Bonepillar

Harmony of Dissonance

An unholy combination of the Scarecrow enemy (bounces around and deals damage) and the Bone Pillar (shoots fire) this is an unusually yet delightfully gruesome skeletal beast. I mean, look at that thing! I mean I guess Dracula technically IS Vlad the Impaler, and he liked to do stuff like this… never would have guessed he’d use his arts & crafts projects as weapons, though.

30. Galamoth

Symphony of the Night

Galamoth has quite a reputation for being hard as balls (as long as you don’t have that Crissaegrim). And… he is! His HP bar is so big that it doesn’t even appear in the bestiary. And he’s a giant cyborg demon from ten thousand years in the future, which is pretty hardcore. It’s kinda sad he never appears again after Symphony, because with his desire to usurp Dracula and rule over the netherworld, he could be a pretty interesting antagonist, especially in games taking place after the Chronicles of Sorrow where Dracula is definitively dead.

29. Miss Murder

Order of Ecclesia

Finally, a Castlevania enemy based off of the kuchisake-onna! At least partly; kuchisake-onna are not known for opening pocket dimensions and attacking from pocket universes. It’s like a cross between the kyouma demon and kuchisake-onna, and while this monster isn’t necessarily a hot monster girl like you’d expect when I put a lady monster on the list, it IS a really cool monster.

28. Fake Grant, Trevor, and Sypha

Symphony of the Night

While it’s one thing to fight against cruel imitations Alucard’s old partners, the best part about this fight is thinking how it must effect Alucard emotionally to be forced to fight and kill monsters wearing the faces of the only friends he has ever had. Dracula’s kind of a dick for doing that to him.

27.Yorick

Symphony of the Night, Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin

This is one of my favorite skeletons in the whole series. It’s not only a hilarious enemy concept – a skeleton chasing its own head that it has dropped around – but it’s an amusing allusion to Hamlet to boot! And in some games, when you kill him, his head sticks behind. What’s not to love?

26. Erinys/Valkyrie

Aria/Dawn of Sorrow

Yet another hot monster, this time, what appears to be a hot angel. Why angels are working for Dracula is a mystery, though Erinys is named after the Furies, so THAT makes sense. A valkyrie though? That’s something. Also, the valkyrie got a sexy update to not be a palette swap, so that’s good shit. Still, I might like Valkyrie better in Aria, where her soul basically gives you a Stand with some impressive jiggle physics.

25. Persephone

Aria/Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin

One of the Metroidvania’s most enduring antagonists on handheld games is this adorable demon maid. Armed with kung fu moves and a mighty vacuum cleaner, she’s ready to kick ass, take names, and maybe have an orgy with witches and succubi like in that one room in Dawn. Awww yeah.

24. Old Axe Armor

Portrait of Ruin

Old Axe Armor is a monster that appeared in a couple of the old-school games, and then came with a playable version in the form of an equippable armor in Symphony of the Night. But in Portrait of Ruin, if you fight and kill 1000, you can unlock a special mode where you play as a mysterious redhead lady Old Axe Armor (evident from official art) and play through the castle. It’s a really cool and challenging special mode, and that hot Axe Armor in the artwork is pretty easy on the eyes.

23. The Creature

Various (Particularly his Portrait of Ruin appearance)

The Creature is a mainstay of Castlevania, and one of the better ones to boot; he’s a lot better than snoozefests like the mummy boss. While he does appear in Symphony of the Night, his look there really sucks; in Portrait of Ruin, however, he not only looks awesome, he comes armed with machine guns and rocket launchers! And in the bonus dungeon, the most deadly room contains TWO AT ONCE. Beat that and you’re truly a hardcore motherfucker.

22. Nemesis

Symphony of the Night, Aria of Sorrow

Who isn’t a sucker for cute ghost girls? One of the ghost swordsman group of monsters, she’s a cutesy little huntress who stabs at you with a rapier and glows. She’s not too tough, but she tries her hardest, and I love her for it.

21. Cagnazzo

Aria of Sorrow

Cagnazzo, on the surface, appears to be little more than an unremarkable demon whose name shouts out to The Divine Comedy. But get his soul and you’ll see why he’s so awesome: HE LITERALLY GIVES YOU STAR PLATINUM. YOU GET A FUCKING STAND FROM THIS GUY THAT PUNCHES ENEMIES AND SHOUTS “ORAORAORA!” The Chronicles of Sorrow duology is where they really stopped playing coy with the JJBA references, and I love every single one of them.

20. Astarte

Portrait of Ruin

(Link to artist)

This hypnotic Egyptian woman is one of the sexiest monsters in the series – canonically even! She charms Jonathan if you try to use him and makes him try and kill Charlotte, making this one of a scant few boss battles it’s actually smart to use Charlotte in. Hope you got a good spell handy!

19. Tsuchinoko

Aria of Sorrow

Tsuchinoko REAL… pain in the ass! This thing is already dug halfway into the ground half the time you enter the single room you can find it in; the other half, if you can’t kill it quickly, it might bounce about a bit, poison you, and flee. And of course if you want 100% completion and to get that Soul Eater Ring a little easier, you need to snag this little brat’s soul. You’re not gonna feel like the epic badass you will after getting that Sky Fish soul, but you’ll likely feel accomplished nonetheless.

18. Frozen Half

Symphony of the Night

What would be yet another unremarkable palette swap is interesting for two reasons: the first is that it is, according to its bestiary entry, a servant of the aforementioned Galamoth, the giant time traveling cyborg lion man. The second is that she is a trans woman. Yeah, the servants of the most powerful boss in Symphony of the Night are icy trans ladies. Fuckin’ rad.

17. Mad Butcher

Order of Ecclesia

Out of all the horror monsters one could expect to show up in Castlevania, did anyone ever expect Leatherface to pop in? Appearing as a normal enemy in a few locations, the Mad Butcher is the kind of awesomely bonkers shout out that makes me love this series! Also, as pointed out earlier… chainsaws did not exist when this game takes place. That makes this guy even weirder, yet even more awesome.

16. Lerajie

Portrait of Ruin

Taking a male demon and turning it into a lady? With a sniper rifle? Who gets her own voice acted lines???? Smart move Konami, real smart move. I’d hit it.

15. Lilith/Succubus

Various

A couple of mainstays of the Metroidvania handheld titles, they tend to be palette swaps of each other. Sexy, naked palette swaps. They tend to get used for some suggestive room jokes, such as the Lilith and Succubus in the bathhouse of The Arena in Aria, or the bedroom orgy in Dawn. And of course, I’d be remiss to not mention the most notable appearance of the Succubus: her boss battle and cutscene in Symphony of the Night, where she tries to trick Alucard in a dream but realizes all too late that fucking with the head of Dracula’s son is probably not the best idea if you want a long life.

14. Skull Bartender

Portrait of Ruin

See, this is why I love this series. Sometimes they crank out something so silly and stupid I can’t help but love it. Here we have a skeleton that greets you with a “Welcome,” tosses cocktails at you, and dies like a bitch. He also only appears in a single room, one that is hidden, so you have to go out of your way to find him. Boy is he worth it.

13. Blackmore

Order of Ecclesia

You thought the Jojo references would end once Soma was out of the picture? HA! THINK AGAIN, SUCKER! Blackmore is a garishly dressed man with a name that’s a musical reference, loves to pose, and has a massive shadow coming out of his back that, when hit, causes damage to synchronize with him. I guess at this point since they already had Dio and Star Platinum and the stone mask, they might as well just make a Stand user into a boss battle.

12. Medusa

Symphony of the Night, Portrait of Ruin

One of the original four monsters that pop up from time to time, and is quite frankly almost always hot when she shows up. In Symphony, she has that well-toned ass going for her, and in Portrait, she’s not only HUGE, but she has big ol’ titties. And the hotness aside, it’s just a lot of fun to reenact one of my favorite films (Clash of the Titans) every time she shows up by killing the shit out of her.

11. Enkidu

Order of Ecclesia

One lone specimen of this hulking monster appears in the game, and it raises so many questions. Why is he carrying that pillar? What is the White Dragon doing with him? Why is there only one of him? It’s monsters like these, these one-shot monsters that appear in only one area and raise so many questions that are never really answered, that really make this series what it is.

10. Chronomage

Aria of Sorrow

It’s the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland… and he can use The World. How can I NOT love this stupid enemy?

9. Jiang Shi

Order of Ecclesia

How absolutely bonkers; a Chinese hopping vampire as a bonus boss? And not only that, he’s infinitely refightable due to only being able to be sealed after his fight, so if you’re in the mood to kill some more hoppy suckers, boy are you in for a treat!

8. Sky Fish

Aria of Sorrow

One of my favorite cryptids made it into the game, and boy will you never fucking forget it when you see it. Usually nothing more than a blur, getting the ability to stop time does nothing but slow it slightly, giving you a limited time frame to kill it for a rare soul drop… did I mention it only appears in two rooms of the game and that you need to have frame-perfect timing to catch this thing before it zips offscreen? It’s so fucking frustrating, but you will feel satisfied upon getting that soul. I know I always do.

7. Graham

Aria of Sorrow

(Link to artist)

I ain’t talking about regular Graham here; I’m talking about that… thing he turns into, that horrifying, visceral, nightmarish amalgamation of body parts and organs. This might be some of the most fucked up imagery the games have ever thrown at you; I honestly think this thing should be mentioned up there with Legion and Beelzebub as one of the most unsettling monsters in a Metroidvania title.

6. Slogra

Symphony of the Night, Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin

Death has a couple of cool bodyguards, but Gaibon is much less cool due to being a standard gargoyle-esque demon. Slogra, on the other hand, is a weird demon with a yellow beak and a big spear who looks like an emaciated turkey man. It’s not the weirdest design in the series, it’s not super out there, but it’s simple, sweet, and kinda cute in an ugly way.

5. Alura Une

Symphony of the Night, Aria/Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin

My vote for the best sexy monster in the series is the Alura Une, a lovely lady monster that rises out of an equally lovely flower. Called Venus Weed when she first appeared on the scene in Symphony, she would go on to become a mainstay in Metroidvanias after under the name Alura Une. Her incredible sexiness is on full display in her soul’s abilities, especially in Dawn, where she lovingly embraces Soma and kills anyone dumb enough to fuck with him.

4. Legion

Symphony of the Night, Harmony of Dissonance, Aria of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin

(link to artist)

Legion is considered to be one of the more disturbing Castlevania bosses, which is hard to argue with; it’s a massive, flying ball made entirely of corpses that is a one-monster zombie apocalypse, spewing out shambling zombies while you fight. And even if you manage to break through the outer shell, what you get on the inside is… really, REALLY not pretty, no matter the game. It’s appearance in Aria may be its best, what with the horrifying atmospheric buildup consisting of the several rooms prior being devoid of music, the only sound the groaning of the dead as they shamble towards the boss room in the background. Brrrrr.

3. Beelzebub

Symphony of the Night

Beelzebub has quite a reputation as one of the most disturbing and grotesque bosses in the series. And I have to say… COME ON. It’s just a giant, gory, rotten corpse hanging from meat hooks and attracting monstrous flies to attack! what’s so gross about that? Whether you can stomach Beelzebub or not, there’s no denying he’s a pretty memorable boss fight, and hey, if it’s too much he IS skippable!

2. Zephyr

Dawn of Sorrow

Look, I’m sure you saw this coming a mile away. The knives, the time stop, the fight on the clock tower… it’s fucking Dio. Konami literally did not give a shit and just put Stardust Crusaders DIO right in the goddamn game and had him go at you with The World. Shame you can’t get the Cagnazzo soul in this game; it would have made this battle perfect.

1. Gergoth

Dawn of Sorrow

I’m sure some people will find this a weird choice. Gergoth is kind of a strange enemy, all things considered, but he’s the most fascinating one in my book. He has a backstory just vague enough to be tragic but leaves you wanting more, he has an incredibly memorable boss fight with loads of attacks and a memorable fall smashing through dozens of floors of a condemned tower, a really gruesome yet also somewhat adorable design… Gergoth is really a perfect summation of what I love to see in Castlevania bosses.

#Castlevania #Lists #Dracula #Portrait of Ruin #Symphony of the Night #Harmony of Dissonance #Chronicles of Sorrow #Dawn of Sorrow #Aria of Sorrow #Order of Ecclesia #Is that a fucking Jojo reference?#JJBA #Monster girls #Skeletons

8 notes · View notes

arplis · 4 years ago

Text

Arplis - News: Lovecraft Country doesn’t really grapple with its namesake

It takes a total of 120 seconds for Cthulhu to appear in HBO's new horror series Lovecraft Country. The Great Old One rears his unmistakable "octopus-like head" — now of bumper sticker lore — over our hero, Atticus Freeman, poised to take a bite, only to be sliced into a mass of writhing green goo by the chop of Jackie Robinson's bat. It's a blunt metaphor, but it mostly works: H.P. Lovecraft would have been driven "mad with indignation" by the scene of his Elder God getting sashimied by a Black man, Slate observes.

Unfortunately, it's also about as much as Lovecraft Country is willing to engage with the author who gives the show its name. Lovecraft today is remembered as both the "master of horror," a writer with a wondrous talent for giving words to the existential dread of the cosmos, and hideously racist, even for his time. The tension between these two facts has troubled writers, and particularly writers of color, for decades. But rather than be precise in its refutation of the legacy of Lovecraft, Lovecraft Country only takes the broadest possible swipes at the monster of racism, leaving the show feeling oddly one-note and shallow in the first five episodes made available for critics.

As the introduction to my Penguin Classics edition of Lovecraft's collected writings mildly puts it, Lovecraft "expressed prejudice against African Americans, Jews, and other minorities throughout his life." This sort of glossing-over doesn't do it justice: the author was an outspoken white supremacist, excusing Southerners for "resorting to extra-legal measures such as lynching," arguing "the Jew … must be muzzled [because he] insidiously degrades [and] Orientalizes [the] robust Aryan civilization," and sympathizing with Adolf Hitler. Lovecraft's views about "miscegenation" and racial "taint" bled into his work: "The Shadow Over Innsmouth," also known as the "fish people story," was Lovecraft's "not-very-subtle way of dealing with race-mixing," Matt Ruff, the author of the 2016 novel Lovecraft Country is based on, told the Los Angeles Times. Particularly vile were Lovecraft's "The Horror at Red Hook," in which the monsters are the "Syrians, Spanish, Italian, and Negro[s]" of New York City, and his 1912 poem "On the Creation of [N-word]," which is as appalling in content as its title suggests. The poem also gets referenced in Lovecraft Country's first episode, an important recognition by the creators of who they're dealing with.

Lovecraft Country begins as Korean War veteran and sci-fi nerd Atticus (Jonathan Majors) — more commonly called "Tic" — returns home to Chicago from Florida during the 1950s. The occasion: Tic's father is missing. Soon, Tic joins forces with his Uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) and childhood friend Letitia "Leti" Lewis (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) on a cross-country trip to "Ardham," Massachusetts, in order to find him.

If you caught it, yes, that's another wink at Lovecraft: the fictional "witch-cursed, legend-haunted" Arkham was one of the author's favorite settings. As showrunner Misha Green has previously teased, "genre fans will definitely see those Easter eggs and influences throughout" Lovecraft Country. But "Easter eggs" are only the most cursory of acknowledgements; to meaningfully grapple with horror's troubling roots requires more involvement than passing, cheeky references.

Perhaps most revealing is the way the characters in Lovecraft Country behave nothing like Lovecraftian protagonists ever would. Tic and Leti repeatedly find themselves in situations they want to escape from. It's a classic trope of the genre: stick an unsuspecting character in a haunted house, or a murdery sleep-away camp, or a motel with an over-reliance on taxidermy for decor, and watch them try to get out. A hallmark of Lovecraft's stories, though, is that instead of running away from the nightmare, his characters try to probe deeper, to find the source of the horror even if it drives them mad. The makers of Lovecraft Country seemed here to have missed that memo; over and over again, the show shies away from meaningfully excavating the themes of race and horror that it raises. But as every horror fan knows, it is not the locked attic door that is scary; it's the potential of whatever is ultimately behind it. You can't have a horror story if no one ever bothers with an investigation.

Part of Lovecraft Country's draw since its announcement has been Jordan Peele's involvement as a producer, although comparisons to the Get Out and Us director's previous work don't do it many favors. Both of Peele's features, which dismantle liberal racism and class in America and our fear of the "other" respectively, are precise, airtight, and incisive. Lovecraft Country also attempts allegorical horror: What if a sundown town was literal, and monsters emerged at night? What if KKK Grand Wizards were actual wizards? Another episode uses a horror metaphor about housing segregation, while another tackles white privilege; there's even a Raiders of the Lost Ark-style caper about the colonialist history of museums and exploration. But this monster-of-the-week structure gives viewers no time to wonder why real-enough ghouls like bigoted police officers need the embellishment of also belonging to supernatural cults. The resulting effect feels a little like Scooby and the gang pull the mask off the ghost at the end of each episode and, gasp, it's our old nemesis racism underneath each time.

It may be that Lovecraft Country simply has no interest in its namesake beyond making a sweeping and surface-level observation that there are already monsters in America as terrifying as any of those dreamed up by Lovecraft. It ends up being a bit of a sandbox of horror tropes instead: there are bodily fluids aplenty, for example, including an Eraserhead baby look-alike birthed by a cow, a woman whose skin graphically sloughs off, and a lingering shot on the aftermath of an elevator-induced decapitation — but it also feels rote, gory because that's what horror is "supposed to be." At worst, this propensity results in the inclusion of an extremely brutal rape scene in the show's fifth episode (directed, notably, by the great Cheryl Dunye), which in practice comes worryingly close to seeming like it's supposed to be played for catharsis.

Either way, imagery alone doesn't feel quite ambitious enough to sustain a show in 2020. "The weight of fantastic imagery [like Lovecraft's] can and has been violently deployed against people of color," including in toxic narratives that persist to this day, Wes House wrote in an examination of the author's legacy of white supremacy for Lit Hub. But responding with a Black protagonist and unfocused observations about racism in America doesn't quite tackle this all on its own. "It's difficult for me to enjoy a whizbang romp through a horror fun house inspired by the historical (and current!) violence against Black people," Vanity Fair put it more bluntly. Besides, Lovecraft Country is hardly alone in subverting Lovecraft's vile viewpoints by using the author's own devices against him at this point; recent examples include Amazon's Carnival Row, N.K. Jemisin's new book, The City We Became, and the video game Bloodborne. Something more was required to set Lovecraft Country apart.

"Stories are like people," Tic says early in the series. "Loving them doesn't mean they're perfect. You just try to cherish them, overlook their flaws." But it's also possible to overlook flaws to the point that one might start to wonder if you only skimmed the material. Lovecraft's horror endures as an influence on the genre in part because "the encounter with the nonhuman other ... [was] vitally shaped by [his] racism," as Lit Hub describes it. It's a complicated, tricky, and unpalatable truth, and worthy of being challenged and explored with precision. Instead Lovecraft Country swings, and strikes out.

Arplis - News source http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Arplis-News/~3/wV9xLBK4S0E/lovecraft-country-doesn-t-really-grapple-with-its-namesake

0 notes

anotherwellkeptsecret · 7 years ago

Note

Neil Gaiman wrote a Sherlock pastiche?

Yes! It’s called A Study in Emerald.

Copy/pasted from Wiki: "A Study in Emerald" is a short story written by British fantasy and graphic novel author Neil Gaiman. The story is a Sherlock Holmes pastiche transferred to the Cthulhu Mythos universe of horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. It won the 2004 Hugo Award for Best Short Story. The title is a reference to the Sherlock Holmesnovel A Study in Scarlet. "A Study in Emerald" first appeared in the anthology Shadows Over Baker Street, a collection of stories combining the worlds of Arthur Conan Doyle and H. P. Lovecraft; it has subsequently been available as part of Gaiman's short story collection Fragile Things, in the collection New Cthulhu: The Recent Weird, and is available online. The online version takes the form of a Victorian periodical or newspaper, which includes various advertisements that reference characters such as Vlad Tepes, Victor Frankenstein, Spring Heeled Jack, and Dr. Jekyll.

#a study in emerald #neil gaiman #Anonymous

93 notes · View notes

diversegaminglists · 8 years ago

Text

Games with Nazis, Nazi and Fascist Imagery

This list is intended primarily as a content/trigger warning resource. I’m including fascism in general as well as the more obviously named Nazis.

Content Warnings: Mentions of concentration camps, prisoner of war camps, ethnic cleansing, the holocaust, anti-Semitism, eugenics, rape, abortion, and general fascist horrible things.

As with all lists, suggestions and corrections are encouraged,

Fantasy/Fictional Games Featuring Nazis:

'Allo 'Allo! Cartoon Fun! - Licensed game from the 1980s British TV comedy series, set in occupied France.

Another War - Polish made RPG set during WW2 in the style of Baldur’s Gate.

Bionic Commando - The Japanese NES game originally had Hitler as the final boss, but the International versions changed his name without changing his appearance.

Bloodrayne - Set in 1933 and 1935, deals almost entirely with killing Nazis and Nazi vampires. The PC and Xbox versions have had the swastikas removed and replaced with a triskelion style symbol, which is also used by other real world white suprematist groups.

Bugs vs. Tanks - The player is a tank crew of Nazi tanks who have been miniaturised.

CannonCrotch - About killing Nazis with a dick cannon, yeah.

Call of Cthulhu: Prisoner of Ice - Something about Nazi scientists trying to harness the power of eldrich abominations.

Call of Duty: Zombies - Nazi zombies

Captain America: Super Soldier - Features the Iron Cross (the Marvel super soldier, not the medal) and Agents of Hydra, who are both Nazis.

City of Heroes - This defunct MMO had a villain faction who were Nazis.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert - Time travel led to Russia becoming the aggressor in WW2.

Death to Spies Franchise - Hitman style games about killing German spies in the Soviet Union.

Deus Ex - Brief mentions of Nazi gold.

Dino D-Day - As you’d expect from the title, D-Day with dinosaurs.

Double Hitler - A QWOP game where Hitler is two small kids in a trench-coat.

Download 2 - The plot involves terrorist trying to bring back Hitler with digital technology.

Enemy Front - FPS about an American War Correspondent fighting with the Resistance

Epic Fantasy Battle Series - The second game features a Nazi as the final boss. He joins the party in the 3rd and 4th games. Both the Swastika and the Iron Cross symbolism show up in his outfits, though the Swastikas point in the wrong direction.

Ethnic Cleansing - I don’t think I need to explain this one.

Flight of the Amazon Queen - Features a company which is a front for a Nazi group with the names filed off.

Fists of Resistance - Game about punching Nazis

Freedom Fighters - Alternative history where Russia won WW2.

Freedom Force vs The Third Reich - It’s in the title so I’m being redundant for sake of completeness, it features alternative history and time travel but no actual swastikas.

Golgo 13: Wolf's Lair - Infiltrating a Neo-Nazi lair and killing them.

Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode - The Japanese original features a cyborg Hitler and obvious Nazis. These were apparently changed in the English language localisation, but the imagery and use of the swastika remains

The Great Escape (1986) - Based on the movie, not the real events which inspired it.

The Great Escape (2003) - Based on the movie, not the real events which inspired it.

Gran Turismo - Something about Nazi cars??!

GROM: Terror in Tibet - RPG about fighting Nazis with mystical Tibetan magical relics.

Guntu Western Front June, 1944 - FPS set in occupied France

Hans Kloss - A platforming game based on a Polish TV show about a spy stealing German plans.

Hellboy: The Science of Evil - Story involves Nazi scientists, Nazi robots and Nazi gorillas or something.

Hour of Victory - A FPS set in Europe and North Africa

I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream - One of the playable characters is a former Nazi scientist.

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis - It’s Indiana Jones.

Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb - It’s Indiana Jones.

Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures - It’s Indiana Jones.

Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade - It’s Indiana Jones.

Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings - It’s Indiana Jones.

The Intercept - Text Adventure about the Enigma decoders.

Into the Eagle’s Nest aka Eagle’s Nest - Gauntlet style game set during WW2

Iron Sky Invasion - NMR

Jang Pung 3 - Something about punching a Nazi Cyborg Dinosaur.

KZ Manager - A series of Concentration Camp simulators.

Kronolog: The Nazi Paradox - Alternative history where the Axis won.

La Croix Pan - Adventure game about an Allied solider.

The Last Resurrection - Some edge-lord nonsense pretending to be satire where Jesus is an anti-Semitic (yes, really) supervillain rapist and Hitler is his right-hand man or something.

Laura Bow: The Dagger Of Amon Ra - Set in 1926 but features a Germany security guard who goosesteps.

Lost Horizon - Point and click adventure game in the style of Indiana Jones with Thule Nazis, though all swastikas are replaced with the Iron Cross because it was made by a German company.

Len Deighton's Blitzkrieg: The Game - From the Rise of Hitler to the Fall of England - RTS where you play as Germany in a fictional scenario where they win the war.

Marine Raider - Text adventure about Allied forces in Japan.

Metal Gear Solid 1 - Hitler is briefly mentioned in dialogue.

Mortyr: 2093-1944 & Mortyr 2 - Alternative History FPS about time travelling to stop Hitler winning WW2.

Mr. T - Something about Mr. T and Will Wright teaming up to fight Nazis,I don’t know either.

Operation Darkness - Fire Emblem style JRPG with vampires and werewolves as well as Nazis and Vampire Nazis.

Opération Teddy Bear - French Edutainment title to teach kids about WW2 history and the French Resistance.

Operation Wolfsburg - FPS about stopping Nazis from doing... something.

Outlast - Nazi scientist research is part of the game’s backstory.

Partisan - Action RPG set during WW2.

Pathways into Darkness - FPS featuring Nazi ghosts.

Pearl Harbor: Attack! Attack! - Alternative history where you shoot down the Japanese planes and prevent the Pearl Harbor bombing.

Persona 2: Innocent Sin - Features Hitler as an antagonist who is actually an eldritch horror in disguise.

Pilot Down: Behind Enemy Lines - Stealth game about a pilot trying to escape to Switzerland

Police Quest IV: Open Season - Something about interrogating a very old Nazi.

Project: Weltuntergang - Mod for Wolfenstein 3D

Raiders of the Lost Ark - It’s Indiana Jones.

The Reckoning - Mod for Mount and Blade: Warband which features a Neo-Nazi faction.

Redcon - You play as an officer in an alternative history fascist future.

Red Shark Franchise - Flight sim involving a time travelling helicopter.

Relic Of War - Strategy game where WW2 didn’t end.

Ring of Red - Alternative history with mecha in WW2.

Rescue Raiders - Helicopter game involving time travel.

Rocket Ranger - Game involving time travel and a Nazi moon base.

The Saboteur - GTA clone set in occupied France.

Secrets of the Vatican: The Holy Lance - Hidden Object Game about trying to get the Lance of Longin (the spear which pierced Jesus’ side during the crucifixion) before the Nazis find it.

Signatory: Chouinsha - I can’t find anything about this old Japanese game but it has Hitler on the front cover.

Spear Resurrection & Spear End of Destiny - Fan made sequels to a Wolfenstein game

A Stroke of Fate: Operation Valkyrie - Adventure game with a German protagonist in the SS and Gestapo who sets out to assassinate Hitler.

The Simpsons Game - Features a level set inside a WW2 shooter.

Soldier of Fortune - FPS where the enemy is a Neo-Nazi Group who have stolen nuclear weapons.,

Southpark: The Stick of Truth - Features Zombie Nazi aborted foetuses, because of course it does.

Super Mario World Dark Horizon - A Super Mario fan game featuring a Super Saiyan Hitler.

Stalag 1 - POW Camp simulator

Stuart Smith's Adventure Construction Set - This early RPG creation kit features a Nazi castle as part of its included settings.

Time Gentlemen, Please! - Involves time travel and alternative history with Hitler and robot dinosaurs.

Titanic: Adventure Out of Time - Point and Click about a retired spy dying in the Blitz travelling back in time to redo a failed mission on the Titanic which will stop WW2 from happening, or something.

The Train: Escape to Normandy - Train simulator about trying to prevent Nazis from getting French paintings.

Turning Point: Fall of Liberty - Alternative History where Nazis invade New York.

ÜberSoldier Franchise aka Crimes of War - About a German soldier who gets super powers and then recruited by the Resistance to fight against Nazis.

Uncharted 1 - Features a U-Boat full of dead Nazis.

Uncharted 2 - Brief references to Hitler.

Undercover: Operation Wintersun - Point and Click adventure set during WW2.

Velvet Assassin - Loosely based on a real British spy. No swastikas because it was made by a German company.

Vogelstein 2D - Top down shooter inspired by Wolfenstein

Walker - Side scrolling WW2 shooter with a walking tank.

War Front: Turning Point - Alternative history RTS where Hitler was assassinated and the Germany and Allied power joined forces to fight against Russia.

Weird Wars: The Unknown Episode of World War II aka Weird Wars: Operation Pantherauge - Polish Isometric RPG involving Nazis and a mystical weapon.

Wolfenstein Franchise -Various reboots turned the series into Alternate History, Jewish-American Protagonist.

Wolfram - Remake of Wolfenstein 3D

Wolfschanze 1 & 2 - FPS inspired by the real life attempted assassination of Hitler by Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg.

World War II: Prisoner of War - Stealth game about escaping a POW camp.

Zombie Army Trilogy aka Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army Franchise

Nazi/Fascist Imagery/Fascist Empires:

Absolute Obedience - This yaoi game is set in Germany and uses a lot of fascist militaristic imagery (also rape) but the exact historical period is unclear (it has the Berlin wall in it, for example,) and is visually all over the place.

Akatsuki Blitzkampf - Japanese Dōjin fighter which uses a lot of fascist militaristic imagery and is clearly inspired by the Axis and Allies of WW2.

Battalion Wars - The Xylvanians are based on the WW1 era German Empire rather than Nazi Germany.

Bioshock Infinite - Despite being set in 1912 Columbia is influenced directly by Nazi Germany in-game because of the time tears. Massively fascist racist society.

Bloodrayne 2 - Set in “modern times” but features a flashback with Nazi imagery and occasional triskelion imagery.

Borderlands Franchise - Handsome Jack is often referred to as a fascist in game, he kills people for no reason, has a massive ego, has huge statues build glorifying him, and wants to kill everyone on Pandora who doesn’t work for him because he has decided they are “savages”.

Bully aka Canis Canem Edit - During the Halloween section Gary’s costume is clearly a Nazi Officer uniform, but without any insignia

Civilization: Beyond Earth - The purity affinity is about glorifying humanity and destroying anything that doesn’t conform.

The Darkness - Apparently features Nazi imagery in a bonus comic which came with the game.

Einhänder - What’s left of the world is run by a German-speaking evil Empire.

Fallout 2 - The Enclave wanted to exterminate everyone who wasn’t part of them, though the later games made them a bit less extreme.

Fallout: New Vegas - Caesar’s Legion attempts to emulate the Roman Empire, complete with hating women, and crucifying all their enemies.

Fallout 4 - The Brotherhood of Steel in this instalment is obsessed with “purity” associated with not being irradiated.

Final Fantasy 2/II - The Empire of Palamecia.

Final Fantasy 6/VI - The Gestahlian Empire is definitely a fascist regime and the Emperor even uses a Nazi salute in game.

Final Fantasy 12/XII - The Archadian Empire.

Final Fantasy 15/XV - The Empire of Niflheim

Final Fantasy Type-0 - The Milites.

The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim - Both the Thalmor and the Stormcloak factions are really into the “racial superiority” of the Altemer and Nords respectively.

Half-Life 2 - The Combine.

Killzone Fracnhise - The Hellghast are obviously based on a mixture of Nazi and Stalinist sources.

Lusternia - This MUD has a fascist empire called the Empire of Magnagora.

Maken X - Apparently the Japanese features Nazi imagery but was censored for American release (not sure if this was deliberate or not in context, given the use of the manji symbol in Japanese culture and religion, but the game also apparently features a boss fight against the Pope, so maybe it was).

Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy - The Movement brainwashes people and has a uniform with red arm bands and jackboots.

Resident Evil Franchise - Almost every antagonist movement in the series has some element of fascism to it, from wanting to “improve” humanity through genetic therapy, to killing off everyone who is not “worthy”, to experimenting bioweapons on African villagers.

Starcraft Franchise - The UPL & UED are into genetic “purity”and purging humanity of “undesirables”.

Star Wars - Any game which features the Sith Empire, but especially The Old Republic MMO.

Tales of Symphonia - The half-elven Desians round up humans and put them in camps for being “inferior”.

Team Fortress - The design of the Medic evokes a Nazi doctor, especially since he has a German accent and refers to himself as “ze ubermensch”.

Tropico Franchise - The Nationalist faction hates foreigners, and in Tropico 4 their leader is depicted as a skinhead.

Under Defeat - Nazi inspired uniforms.

Valkyria Chronicles - Has an evil empire which is a mashup of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

Special Mentions and Exceptions:

Assassin’s Creed Franchise - In the lore Hitler was apparently a Templar with a piece of the Apple of Eden, but I’m not sure which game(s) contain Nazi imagery, if any, so needs more research.

Bazooka Bill - Is set during WW2 but all the enemies appear to be ninjas instead of German officers.

LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures - Unlike the films it’s based on, and most of the licensed games, the LEGO game contains no references to Nazis or Nazi imagery. Characters who were Nazis in the originals are referred to as “Enemies” in game instead.

Mass Effect - The Cerberus group is a “humans first” organisation in their first appearance but their portrayal over the three games is inconsistent.

The Secrets of Atlantis: The Sacred Legacy - Set in 1937 but omits direct references to Nazis and swastikas even though the Hindenburg is a location.

#list actually #nazi mention #abortion mention #rape mention

11 notes · View notes