#this sure was something

[gigizetz]

Just a Man | EPIC: The Musical ANIMATIC

yea this one got me

[cursemewithyourkiss]

PHOTOGRAPHING FAIRIES (1997) dir. Nick Willing

[caranoirs]

[forthegothicheroine]

New-to-me movies watched in 2023: The Velvet Vampire (1971)

“Why fight it?”

“Fight what?”

“The animal in us.”

[aviel-the-trans-bucket]

Welcome back my madlads, today is our last foyer down emo nostalgia lane as my next post will likely be on Gerard’s solo album hesitant alien and his singles. Today we’ll be doing an mcr medley, any song I missed because it wasn’t on one of the main albums and also covers they’ve done. I’m excited to see what all is left so let’s get this started.

So this is kinda an eclectic mix of songs ranging from every snowflake is different to desolation row. I’m excited to listen to what’s left which does include fake your death and foundations of decay. I am hopeful maybe we’ll see a new album on the horizon but if not it was nice to feel a part of this sphere during this comeback. We’ll go by date and start with the songs that aren’t dated as they remain unreleased.

Note I’ll likely be very unfamiliar with most of these covers, the exception being all I want for Christmas because Mariah Carey is an scp and she lives in all our brains.

The Drugs: ok starting off, this one kinda rocks man. Good opening guitar. Ok is pretty good, but I’m pretty neutral on it. I might just be a lil over saturated on mcr after all this tbh, it may take a lot more to wow me now.

Sister To Sleep: ok this one is real difficult cause of my audio processing issues, I literally have no idea what’s being said, audio too crunchy. It’s probably a bop tho. Maybe I should have listened to a video of them playing it live instead.

Still Alive: ok so I literally could not find any reference of this on YouTube, oh well maybe one day some of these will get studio releases.

Jack The Ripper: ok cover time, let’s see what this one has to offer. Pretty groovy, not bad so far. Oh ok I think this one is gonna fuck. Once again my autism ears not liking crunchy audio. Again not bad I’m neutral on it, maybe if I was capable of hearing properly I’d like it more. It can’t be helped.

All I want For Christmas Is You: Ah yes, the cursed texts. I’m excited to hear their take on it, but I feel like every time I listen to it normally I take psychic damage. His voice is magic, gritty in the best ways. Slam me with the fucking guitar in the face man cmon do it. Yea this one is bop. I like it it, it’s nice. It’s not blasting my tits off but that’s fine.

Astro Zombies: ok next song, maybe this one will obliterate my shit. Ok got guitar. Oh this one kinda rocks. Got a good groove to it. Not bad, again we’re in like nice/good tier.

Under Pressure: so this song has a reputation, and yet I still haven’t even listened to the original. So of course time to listen to a cover. Oooooo I like this, oh fuck yea. This is what I’ve been waiting for! It’s not melting my face but it’s super fucking good tho!

Desert Song: ok acoustic time, this one is about to knock me on my ass into my feelings ain’t it? Oh this is beautiful. Also I’m getting some serious foundations vibes, “did you come to stare or wash away the blood” and “let it flood, let it flood, let it wash away” feel like parallels. Ok it’s somber and beautiful but it isn’t putting me in my feelings thank fuck. But this and foundations really do feel like sister songs. I really enjoy this, oddly relaxing in a way.

Song 2: this seems like another with crunchy audio, let’s hope I can understand what’s being said. Oh hello, guitar fucks. Oh damn, sassy. This one does fuck. Oooooooh fuck yea the guitar FUCKS!!

Untitled/ Someone Out There Loves You: oooo haunting opening melody, very pretty. And the guitar fucks! Ok this one rocks, like pretty fucking good.

The Black Parade Is Dead: ok short and sweet, the killing of the black parade, a nice interlude. Welcome back from the dead you beautiful bastards.

Desolation Row: Not sure what to expect but I’m kinda excited. Now this fucks! This rocks, I like this :). Maybe I should go back through and do all the mcr music videos, because for all these posts I’ve just been doing the audio.

Common People: ooo synthy. Ok this one is ok not bad. Again pretty neutral on it, but not bad. God damn the guitar is going nuts tho.

Every Snowflake Is Different (Just Like You): ah yes, the yo gabba gabba song. Let’s hear it, see how this goes. Yo why’s the audio so crispy. Ok new video. That’s better. This is cute, charming. It’s a good time, very cute.

Hell Hath No Fury: very short but kinda a banger, shame it’s was unfinished but what exsists is pretty nice.

Fake Your Death: damn we’re almost done, this is the last song I haven’t heard yet, before I get m6 face ripped off by foundations. Oh this is nice. Oh damn I like this beat. Man this is a fucking bop. Good song, I like.

Foundations Of Decay: here’s the last one until they drop new music boys, she’s been living in my liked videos almost since it dropped and boy does it blow our tits clean off. Comfortingly nostalgic but at the same time some entirely new and I’m so here for this glorious rebirth. Starts slow and staticky and lovely, then it drops and punches you in the face and I fucking LOVE It!!! And as the vermin crawl 😌. Shit moves through you man, I adore this song. GET! UP! COWARD!

Quite the journey, and I’m really hoping it isn’t over just yet! There were many songs, some ok and some that make me feel like I’m getting hit in the gut. This has been a wonderful journey from birth, to Black Death, to our own little Renaissance. I look forward to where we’ll go from here but for now, I must say goodbye. From here on I’ll be listening to the solo music of each of the members, my next post should be hesitant alien. It’s been real my madlads and my top 5 of this medley of songs are…

1: Foundations Of Decay (obviously)

2: Fake Your Death

3: Desolation Row

4: Desert Song

5: Under pressure

Man…it’s finally over. Well I guess I’ll see you madlads back with hesitant alien. Maybe I’ll see you back with a new mcr album if we’re lucky. It’s been a joy going down this walk down emo memory lane with you all, lots of love ❤️

[soundcrusher]

Back in the nightmare

Part 8 of season 3 from my ongoing series set in the sentient Sg/Lost Light au from @cuppajj is out....

I'm not going to say much. I'm not even going to say enjoy...

Trigger Warning: Gore, Dismemberment, Trauma(?), Sentient Sg/Lost Light (yes, they are their own warning now)

-;-.-;-.-;-.-;-.-;-.-;-.-;-.-;-.-;-.-;-.-;-.-;-.-;-.-;-.-;-.-;-.-;-.-;-

It was time. 

Deep down, Rodimus knew that he could never escape the Lost Light. Not as long as his spark beat. And even then, he doubted that the Lost Light would ever truly let him go. They have burned themselves into his spark and mind and made a home there. 

Even if Rodimus and ‘his team’ managed to shut the Lost Light down, rendering them forever frozen in a state of nothingness. Turning them into nothing more than a ship, their memory would live on. They successfully casted a shadow over the lives of not only him and his brother, but also over all those they killed and, in extension, the families of those who died on board. Cybertronians who will never return home to those they love, or call a friend. And it would stay that way forever. Nothing would be able to change history, and even if he went back in time, Rodimus was sure that the stream of time would stay the same. 

Never changing and always leading to the same outcome. 

A terrible thought, if he was allowed to admit. To think that everything he has ever done would lead to this, no matter what. It made him feel… sad. 

But then again, maybe there was a universe where everything was different. Where he was a good mech and where the Lost Light wasn’t like his. Maybe this other Rodimus would also have a Phoenix. One untouched by the wickedness of Lightlost. One who had to never be subjected to their manipulation and corrections. Ah, but who would be able to ask these kinds of questions? Who could tell him if this kind of  Universe even existed? Brainstorm might have been able to tell him at one point, but he was long gone. Dead, grey, and propped up in Swerve’s next to Perceptor.

Rodimus could still remember walking into Swerve’s for the first time in centuries. He was expecting to find nothing, maybe some corpses lying around, but never would he have imagined to see some of his crew being propped up like toys. Sitting on tables with drinks in their servos, or leaning against the bar as if they were ordering something. But then, there was Phoenix amongst all of the corpses. Sitting in his favorite booth, drinking his energon and studying for an entrance exam he never got to take. And as he saw him, his face lit up with so much joy, before he showed him around. Telling him how he made the bar more alive. How wrong it felt at first, but then he got used to it. Phoenix got used to propping corpses up like toys! And with the Lost Light always listening, Rodimus couldn’t tell his brother how that wasn’t normal. How this was-

The prime was pulled out of his thoughts by Dominus. He doesn’t know where the turbofox came from, but he was still thankful. Who knows where his mind would have wandered too, if he didn’t decide to trot over and pump his head against Rodimus’ leg. 

“I doubt you have ever seen the ship…” Muttered the prime, as he ran a servo over Dominus’ head. “Back then, when we started our journey, we didn’t know that the ship was alive. So, we simply had our adventures… our fun. We just lived and did some things you and the rest of the DJD wouldn’t like… Heh… Thinking back to those days still feels strange… To think the Lost Light was alive through all of that. Maybe if I was a better captain, I would have realized it sooner…” Rodimus grew quiet for a bit, as he stared out of the window and towards the Lost Light. This was supposed to be his ship, but now? It didn’t feel like that anymore.

The Lost Light no longer was his home. And he doubted he would ever remember it as such. 

“Alright… I better find Kaon before I make my way over there.” Rodimus couldn’t help but chuckle at Dominus’ look. For someone who underwent ‘domestication’ that mech still has a lot of personality. Most likely thanks to the efforts of the DJD. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not going to scare him, cross my spark, I just have… something to give to him before I charge into the lion's den… And no, I can’t take you with me. On both trips. I don’t want to hear Phoenix’s whining, should something happen to you.” And with that said, Rodimus gave Dominus a small, cocky, salute, before making his way to where he knew Kaon was. Knocking on his door and entering. Scaring the poor mech half to death. 

“Wh-what are you doing here?”

“Look,” he started, while pulling out a data-pad from within his subspace. Walking over to the table in the room and placing it there, because Rodimus knew that if he took one step towards the skittish mech, he would probably scare him half to death. “I know that you don’t trust me. Pit, I probably scare you by just standing in this room, but I need you to have this.” Rodimus looked over at Kaon, noting how the mech was shaking like one of those leaves found on earth, before raising his servos in a non threatening gesture and stepping away. “These are all the files I could collect on one of my… ‘assignments’. He was a mech who did some ‘domestications’ during his time as an Autobot and might be able to help Dominus get his life back.”

“And why are you… why are you giving me that?” Asked Kaon, as he walked over to the data-pad. Picking it up and looking through the files to make sure they were legit. After all, Tarn might trust the prime, but that didn’t mean that Kaon did. “I don’t understand why you would try to help Dominus, when you were one of those who did this to him.”

Rodimus was quiet for a moment, before letting out a defeated sigh and shaking his head. Turning around towards the door and leaving the room, but not before answering the question. “Through a twist of fate, or a cruel joke from Primus and Unicron, I not only wound up with one brother, but two.” And with those strangely ominous words said, Rodimus left. Making his way towards his ship where Softstreet, Fungus and Pharma were already waiting for him, to go over some parts of the plan, before it was time for the prime to go back to the Lost Light. With Pharma coming with him in case Phoenix or someone else would need medical treatment right away and the DJD following a few moments after, while the Scavengers stayed behind together with Softstreet, Fungus and Dominus in case their plan goes wrong and they have to make a quick escape. 

And as Rodimus landed his small ship inside the hangar of the Lost Light and took the first step outside, he could feel nothing but contempt towards the ship. But he pushed past that feeling and made his way towards where he assumed was his brother. Calling out to the Lost Light every now and then in the hopes of drawing them out, much to Pharma’s concern. He was trying to make them drop their act and do something, anything, but never did Rodimus get a reaction from them. Although, he could feel their invisible optics on him and the medic. How they raked over their frames, his especially, in something he would describe as happiness for seeing him back in his former glory. It made Rodimus’ plating bristle and spoiler hike up in defense. 

“Are you alright Rodimus? You seem to be more agitated than usual.” Asked Pharma softly, as he placed a comforting servo onto the speedsters shoulder. “If it’s because of your worry towards Phoenix, I am sure that he is fine. If not, I’ll be able to patch him up without any problem.”

Rodimus could only laugh dryly at Pharma’s question. “Agitated? Who? Me? No. It’s not agitation I am feeling, but… I believe someone is impressed by your work.” Said the prime with a small smirk on his lips, before he turned his head slightly to look at Pharma. “I mean, you did an amazing job. It probably was hard to rebuild my whole frame without the original as a reference.” That statement seemed to not only get Pharma talking about how he, and his team, rebuilt Rodimus’ frame and how he made sure everything was correctly put together and would function without any trouble, but also got the Lost Light’s attention. 

Good. 

Rodimus might doom the doctor to a fate worse than death, should their plan fail, but at least he was now someone the Lost Light would consider useful. The DJD though? Rodimus wasn’t sure what the Lost Light would do to them, but if push comes to shove and they should fail, Rodimus was willing to give the Lost Light the one thing they want, in exchange for the DJD to return freely to their ship. But that was only in case they would fail, and Rodimus was sure that they would succeed. 

They had to succeed. 

And with that in mind, the prime and doctor continued their journey through the empty halls of the Lost Light. With Rodimus noting how dirty the ship has become with no-one running through its halls and cleaning them. Although, the few paintings on the walls seemed to be taken care of quite well. Even the arrows and descriptions were still as fresh as the day they were painted. It made the prime think of the small paintings Phoenix made in their ship. Especially the one depicting every single Cybertronian Phoenix called his family, even Lightlost. He did once ask Phoenix why he didn’t paint over them, but he never got a clear answer. His brother always seemed to distract from the question, by either telling him about his day, or showing him what he was studying at the moment. 

After a while of walking around, and opening many different doors, or continuing if the door didn’t open, Rodimus and Pharma stumbled upon the medical bay. At first, Rodimus didn’t want to enter, but as Pharma said that he could hear something in there moving, the prime was quick to open it. Hoping that it would be Phoenix, but all he found was a grotesque scene of various body parts laying around and, if he wasn’t mistaken, the detached right gun arm of the poor mech laying on the berth was hanging from the ceiling. Wrapped up in cables that slowly retreated, taking the arm with them into the ceiling. 

While Rodimus was observing the room, Pharma was quick to rush over to the damaged mech. Checking his vitals, before starting to take care of his new patient. “Rodimus! Get over here! This mech is still alive!” Shouted the medic, and as the prime was close enough, he was quick to get him to help with saving the poor spark bleeding out in front of them. Or, at least he was bleeding out. Pharma successfully managed to save the dying mech from offlining. 

And as the spilled energon was wiped down from his frame, Rodimus recognized the wide optics staring back at him. “Thrillchaser? I thought the Lost Light would have killed you by now. You’re one sturdy bastard, if even dismemberment couldn’t kill you.” Oh, what Rodimus wouldn’t give for a camera right now, because Thrillchaser’s look was just too good. And it seemed like the flier had at least some sense of humor left in his spark, because he lifted his remaining arm, only to flip Rodimus off. Which caused the prime to laugh louder than he intended, before giving Thrillchaser the bird back. After that though, Rodimus helped Pharma in fixing the flier's damaged voice box. And despite the odds, they managed to find a fitting replacement for the broken mech. 

“First time… seeing me since… that day, and… and you give me the middle finger?” Thrillchaser asked in between coughs, while Rodimus only laughed and Pharma looked at them with the ‘disappointed grandpa look’. “Well, you sure enough deserve more after what you did, but seeing you like this… I think the Lost Light already made you suffer enough. Also, you flipped me off first. So, I was fully justified in doing the same to you.” Said the prime, before his cocky attitude shifted to one of concern. “Are you alright though? Can you move?”

“...My legs… can’t feel them… useless like this…” Muttered the mech quietly, as he slowly sat up. Minding his freshly patched up frame, or, at least, what remained of it. “Rodimus… Phoenix… He’s… He’s… Oh no…” Thrillchaser was becoming frantik, Rodimus could see that, but as he tried to calm the flier down, he got grabbed by the front of his plating and pulled down to be face to faceplate with Thrillchaser. “I… made mistakes… many of them… leaving Tankcrusher and Phoenix was….. was my…. was my biggest…. But… but…. made me watch… had to watch…” Thrillchaser’s optics had a hard time concentrating on the prime in front of him. They kept on flickering on and off, while his grip slowly slipped. Looks like the Energon loss was finally making him faint. And here he was wondering when exactly it would happen. “Primus… they made me watch…”

“What did they make you watch?” Asked Pharma softly, as he carefully separated the flier’s servo from the primes plating. Guiding Thrillchaser back down onto the medical berth with one servo, while the other clutched his in a comforting manner. “It’s okay, if you don’t want to tell us. It’s okay. Just keep talking with me.”

“N-no…. no…” Muttered Thrillchaser quietly, as he clutched Pharma’s servo as tightly as he could, before forcing his optics to concentrate on the prime standing behind the medic. Giving Rodimus a look the prime could only describe as horrified. “Took his wings… they… they took his wings and legs… Primus… it’s my fault… Everything is my fault!” He cried out. “Everything, my fault… Bessie… oh Bessie….”

Rodimus watched the broken mech cry, while Pharma did his best to comfort him. “Pharma… stay with him. Make sure that he doesn’t die, while I keep on searching. If something should happen, comm me.” Was all the prime said, before turning around and running out of the medi-bay. Transforming into his alt-mode as soon as he was in the hall and racing towards the halls towards the bridge. It was the only place coming to mind where the Lost Light could keep the youngspark. And if he wasn’t there, Rodimus was going to look in one of the many hab-suits.

It didn’t take long for Rodimus to end up in front of the bridge, but before he could enter, he received two messages. One from Pharma, who informed him that Thrillchaser just passed out and that he was going to move him towards the ship in the hangar, and one from Tarn, who informed him that they made it onto the ship and were now on their way to the place Rodimus told them to go to. And after sending a quick message back to both of them, Rodimus took one deep intake to calm his nerves, before entering the bridge. Finding the Holo-Avatar of Lightlost leaning against the captain's chair and talking to whoever was sitting in it. 

“Ah, welcome home captain. I was wondering when you would show up. Both of us were wondering that, isn’t that right?” Asked Lightlost sweetly, while they softly ran a servo over the helm of whoever they were speaking to. The room was too dark for Rodimus to make out who it was, but considering everything, the prime didn’t have to guess.

“Y-yes… Lightlost….” The voice that answered was quiet, barely even a whisper, but Rodimus could hear it clearly, and as the lights on the bridge turned on, he could see who was sitting on his chair. And by Primus and Unicron, did Rodimus wish that it would have been anyone else, because sitting in his chair was his brother. Young, innocent Phoenix, who no longer resembled the excited youngspark ready to show Rodimus his newest patch of Energon cookies, but rather a broken youngling who flinched just from the slightest movement.

And as Rodimus kept on staring at his brother's face, he couldn’t help the servo coming up to cover his mouth as he saw the missing wings and legs. This was sick, even for his standards, and combined with the fact that his once upbeat brother was now resembling him when he was sitting in that chair, it made his Energon boil.

How dare Lightlost ruin the only good thing in his life? 

Rodimus could feel his flames shoot out of the pipes on his arms, but before he could even take one step towards them, Lightlost wagged with their finger as if they were scolding a disobeying sparkling, before grabbing Phoenix’s right servo. “Ah, ah, ah, captain. I wouldn’t try anything, if I was you.”

“Why?” Asked the prime, which was met with a small chuckle from the holo-avatar, before their smile grew even sweeter. “Because, I will have to do something like this if you do.” And with one swift move of their servo, Lightlost ripped Phoenix’s servo clean off. Throwing it in front of the prime’s feet, while the youngling cried out in horror. 

“Because the little bird has only so many body parts left, before all that remains is his spark and head.”

[unsung-idiot]

don't show him modern technology; it won't end well

bonus under the cut:

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Expertise can't help you here.

[liquidstar]

If my mom sees a significant amount of blood she gets lightheaded, and has fainted on some occasions. Once it happened when we were kids, I wasn't there to witness it but I heard the story from my dad. Basically my brothers, around 7 or 8 at the time, were playing outside while my mom was making their lunch, and she accidentally cut her finger. It wasn't anything serious, but it drew a fair bit of blood and she passed out. My dad saw this and rushed over, but he didn't really know what to do so he just sort of started slapping her to wake her up (not recommended, but he had no idea and panicked)

At that exact moment my brothers both came in from playing, and all they saw was our mom unconscious on the floor and our dad slapping her. So, like, without even saying a word to each other they both just INSTANTLY start whaling on him, like, full blown attack mode to defend our mom. Which obviously didn't help the situation, but she did wake up and everything was fine.

Now our dad says that he's actually really glad they attacked him over what they thought was going on, because it means he raised good boys. And I still think that's true, they're very good boys.

[inkskinned]

she's singing in another room and my dog is asleep at my feet. my grandma asked me why i haven't found a man yet and i laughed. oh, you know. i like my house clean.

my girlfriend is also my man is also "my partner" if i'm in a professional setting. yesterday we went to a ren faire and a man mimed at me - you're together? and at my delighted nod, his baffled, you're gay? made me laugh. a woman with rainbow hair said i love the two of you together. you're both so beautiful it's absurd.

my dad introduced my partner as my "..... friend. or whatever" the other day. he knows we're dating. in the same way, i was never able to get my sister's husband to stop saying that's gay like it's 2008. he still uses the word fa***t, and my sister's defense of him has always been well, he's just kidding.

my lover and i dance to old music in a tiny kitchen. we judge new music together and take food critique very seriously. we watch love is blind before we fall asleep and agree that if they had a queer season, it would be bloody but also make for excellent tv. of fucking course queer people would know someone for only 2 weeks and agree to get married. what are you saying.

at a bar with friends, a man puts his hand on my wrist. got a boyfriend? and yes, i do have a boyfriend, she's amazing. i am texting her while i wander around a gas station named after geese. i am visiting a swing state for a wedding. in the candy aisle i overhear: she's actually like a lesbian it's disgusting. two teenage girls with packaged sandwiches in their hands, giggling. no literally, like. i'm not, like. okay with her being there while we're all, like, naked and changing.

my girlfriend and i tailgate, drink gin and cider out of cups. from the frat group beside us, a man corrects himself with one of his friends: bro, i mean, nonbinary entity, and it makes everyone around him laugh, myself included. he razzes his friend the same way i would have killed for at 19 years old - like nothing happened, he continues: you apply sunscreen like an alien. he does a little sassy (and fairly accurate) dance interpretation of the motion. his friend is laughing so hard they're crying.

i am lucky, i live in a safe neighborhood in a safe state. my masc passenger princess comes up from DC. i drive her for an hour to where all the leaves are a violent arrangement of color. we walk along the trails, letting autumn into our blood. in this part of the state, there's a lot of pickup trucks and trump signs. when we chastely kiss before getting into the car, i accidentally make eye contact with a woman holding her child's wrist. she looks disgusted. she looks fucking pissed.

two hours later my girl and i are eating dinner on a patio, soaking in the last warmth of new england sun before the chill of winter sets in. we are giggling and trying to talk through plastic vampire teeth. at another table, i see a young woman sit up straighter. i watch her watch us. she blushes and takes her partner's hand from across the table. shy, like the taste of evening has just become something deeper.

it's worth it for this moment, i think. my lover is still humming the same song she's been singing for four days straight and i don't want to kill her for it. her guitar is beside my bed. her toothbrush is in my bathroom. in a few moments i will make us lunch. we are lucky enough to have found each other. it is lucky enough to be in love.

[goddamnshinyrock]

people not realizing the extreme rarity of captive walruses is k i l l i n g me dear god. Just any old zoo does not have them! They are hard to transport, hard to care for, and hardly ever successfully breed in captivity so zoos only get them when an injured or orphaned individual gets picked up by a rescue in the arctic and is deemed unreleasable. That’s not a frequent occurrence! This isn’t a tiger king situation with backyard breeders all over the place!

[wheatormeat]

His silly rabbit

[upon-the-snow]

I can’t believe it took me this long to draw her!

[pinkravat-art]

i cannot keep my identity secret anymore. I am harrier du bois

[theshadowrealmitself]

I like to think that Vulcans who come to understand that Humans just can’t try to process emotions the same way as them, it’s just healthiest to let it out in harmless ways, decide that venting and stuff should be taken just as seriously as Vulcan’s meditation time, and will encourage the Humans around them to complain about what’s upsetting them

People who are used to aloof Vulcans who avoid Humans at all cost running into one comforting a Human

“-and then they said my cheesecake was subpar, and they didn’t even bring a dish!!!”

“The purpose of this event was that every participant brings a food item of sorts, correct?”

“Yeah!!”

“And they did not follow this rule while insulting dishes that were brought?”

“Mostly just my dish but yeah >:(“

“How illogical”

“That’s what I’m saying!!!”

[elodieunderglass]

changes and trends in horror-genre films are linked to the anxieties of the culture in its time and place. Vampires are the manifestation of grappling with sexuality; aliens, of foreign influence. Horror from the Cold War is about apathy and annihilation; classic Japanese horror is characterised by “nature’s revenge”; psychological horror plays with anxieties that absorbed its audience, like pregnancy/abortion, mental illness, femininity. Some horror presses on the bruise of being trapped in a situation with upsetting tasks to complete, especially ones that compromise you as a person - reflecting the horrors and anxieties of capitalism etc etc etc. Cosmic horror is slightly out of fashion because our culture is more comfortable with, even wistful for, “the unknown.” Monster horror now has to be aware of itself, as a contingent of people now live in the freedom and comfort of saying “I would willingly, gladly, even preferentially fuck that monster.” But I don’t know much about films or genres: that ground has been covered by cleverer people.

I don’t actually like horror or movies. What interests me at the moment is how horror of the 2020s has an element of perception and paying attention.

Multiple movies in one year discussed monsters that killed you if you perceived them. There are monsters you can’t look at; monsters that kill you instantly if you get their attention. Monsters where you have to be silent, look down, hold still: pray that they pass over you. M Zombies have changed from a hand-waved virus that covers extras in splashy gore, to insidious spores. A disaster film is called Don’t Look Up, a horror film is called Nope. Even trashy nun horror sets up strange premises of keeping your eyes fixed on something as the devil GETS you.

No idea if this is anything. (I haven’t seen any of these things because, unfortunately, I hate them.) Someone who understands better than me could say something clever here, and I hope they do.

But the thing I’m thinking about is what this will look like to the future, as the Victorian sex vampires and Cold War anxieties look to us. I think they’ll have a little sympathy, but they probably won’t. You poor little prey animals, the kids will say, you were awfully afraid of facing up to things, weren’t you?