#undead Mary you so scary

[jessicafangirl]

It wasn’t long after the dead started popping back into life before the live ones realized how easy money could be made. There was an entire work force now that really didn’t have a say in what happened to them. They would work for food. Blood. Meat. They didn’t complain or the ones who could talk knew their choices were few.

It was a whole new world for the dead and the living and those who found themselves in between.

And for Mary Goore, when the guitar was placed back into their cold, pale hands it was a little like coming back to life for another song or two. But Mary was never one to follow orders for too long.

[bitterkarella]

Midnight Pals: Yellow Hill

CS Humble: Submitted for the approval of the midnight society, i call this the tale of the massacre at yellow hill Humble: it's about a black vampire hunter Barker: is it Blade? Humble: no Humble: not every black vampire hunter is blade for your information

Humble: this black vampire hunter and his adopted son are riding across the lonesome prairies of texas in search of vampires Robert E Howard: don't mess with texas! Humble: but also having philosophical discussions about the problem of evil Howard: [louder] Don't mess with texas!

Howard: hold on thar pardna are ya sayin' there's vampires in MY texas? Humble: right Howard: i ain't gonna stand for that! Howard: any 2 bit varmit tries to suck mah blood is gettin' a taste of my pea shooter! Howard: DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS!

Humble: this black vampire hunter finds he has to contend not just with the undead but also with the evil in men's hearts Humble: because the real vampire was racism the whole time! Howard: DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS! Humble: alright alright we get it we won't mess with texas

Humble: it turns out they're not dealing with just any old vampire Humble: not just some mundane nosferatu or some work-a-day dracula Humble: or even a boring old Lestat Humble: no he's dealing with some top shelf blood suckers Humble: they got an evil book and everything

Humble: and these vampires are gonna bring about the apocalypse and the arrival of their evil vampire god Humble: who's so big like you can't even see him Humble: except for his giant crab claw Guy N Smith: i knew it! Smith: i knew he'd be back!!

Humble: so this black vampire hunter is hunting vampires Lovecraft: oh jeez this story is too scary! Howard: don't worry pardna, ain't no vampires that can stand up to my pea shooter! Lovecraft: the vampires aren't the scary part

Humble: but in this texas town, where vampires run wild, there's a family, a widow and her kids Humble: and kids you know they just can't get enough of that old timey candy! Humble: salt water taffy Humble: bit o' honey Humble: ribbon candy Humble: aspic

Humble: licorice dandies Humble: sugared marrow Humble: cornmush bricks Humble: rootmush bricks Humble: saracen's delight Humble: horehound jerky Humble: and mary janes King: oh gross mary janes Howard: DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS!

[bismuth-209]

previously on this conversation on wild blue yonder (doctor who) featuring @rowanthestrange, @timetravelingsherlockian and me, we discussed things like "did the creatures turn into the ship?" "why was the tardis there?" "to what extent would the captain's plan have worked?" and mainly exploring the Captain's appearance as similar to the mari lwyd, but this post is trying to move the more creature focused discussion separate

SO.

The Doctor has ended up places where they don't save anyone/instead make everything worse (e.g. the First Doctor expanding the scope of the Daleks,"Waters of Mars", I'm pretty sure Five ended up in a few serials where his job was to witness everyone dying around him). I could see TARDIS logic of "I want those two to spend more time together, so I'll drop you off in a spot where there's double the Doctor and Donna!" Or even "we need you to start emotionally processing what happened with the Flux sometime this century." So it's possible all they were there to do was to hang out with their bestie and witness these beings' destruction. That being said, I'm not sure I'd conceptualize "nothing" as anywhere near "dead". A tree could fall in a forest, and it'd cease being a living tree—but one still would need to step over its trunk, ants would nibble and skitter under its bark, fungi spores would sneak between its growth rings, foxes would huddle under the exposed root ball. The tree would no longer be able to impose its will of "grow as tall as possible for as long as possible and photosynthesize"—yet a new forest would emerge from it. (Forestry experts tell you not to remove downed trees from the forest for this reason.) The fungi spores were there when the tree was alive, but living trees release antifungals to keep them from growing, imposing the tree's will of "protect the living bark and wood" on other creatures. The tree's death releases this will, and the fungi can now prosper from the wood. The problem of the mirror-beings wasn't that they were copies or existed—Doctor Who has loudly and proudly been shouting "clone rights!" for at least 15 years—it was that they couldn't see beyond a mission of destruction of all things. The universe didn't need the edge-beings to stop existing as much as it needed to break the sway of their will—i.e. death.

you are RIGHT saying that death isn't the end. like the being said in the episode: "things keep existing when they're gone". it was a realisation, but i think they might've been like "when i'm gone i keep existing too, so of course the tie itself would too"

the edgebeings want destruction. does that mean eviscerating the trees of the universe? or does it mean cutting them down to let a different form of life take root? to let something else grow?

and @timetravelingsherlockian also said this in the replies of that other post:

I am deathly (pun intended) curious if/how/whether the entities dying relates to the salt (given the ghosts/vampires/undead connotations of the superstition). Your proposition that they could be mirroring the ship itself is still making me crawl through the walls.

which is a GOOD point. the entities got scary teeth after being called vampires etc. would that have altered their mortality as well?

my initial theory that they were a bit of Becoming from the birth of the universe that hadn't Become yet also feels worth mentioning somewhere on this new post.

they also worked with expectations initially. Donna expected to see the doctor walk back into the room, not that soon, but she did, and she expected him to talk.

the doctor expected Donna, and expected her to listen (the most basic function of a companion is to be explained things, even if the doctor knows each is so much more than that, that's the basics), and the edgebeing that was donna said very little.

also something i think is important, wild blue yonder, the song, is a war song, or a jolly exploration song. the doctor sees the universe as something to jolly-ily explore, the edgebeings saw it as war

[roseofithaca]

The Ghosts thoughts after first meeting Silver (My OC)

Julian

"Great. A bloody hippy. That's all we need. But so long as she leaves all that tree hugging malarkey outside, we should get on swimmingly - as out of all this lot I'm the one who's most down with the kids of today. We can chat Tetris and Pac Man and Jason Donovan."

Humphrey

"Seems a sweet enough girl. Clearly got a bit of trouble staying focused but that should let her fit in well enough with the others. We had a bit of laugh for the fleeting moment we did chat, good sense of humor on her once you get her talking. All the woo stuff goes over my head but to each their own, at least she has a hobby."

Fanny

"Outrageous! As if I didn't think the company here could become even more debauched, we now have a scantily clad heathen child running about! Whatever next?! She claims not to be a prostitute but just look at those stockings! And that tattoo and that piercing! Can't the feral urchin remain in the woods?!"

Captain

"Tragic for anyone to die so young. With that said, the girl doesn't seem to care much for authority or my offer to take her under my wing to explain how we run things in this house. She's no Katherine, that's for certain, and I do hope her disrespect doesn't rub off on her if they're to become friends. Quite a fetching pair of boots though."

Pat

"Aww, it's always great to have a new face join us! Not so great that she's just a kid, but she seems to be handling it well, bless her heart. She says she loves the outdoors so am looking forward to sharing all my know how with her, though we're gonna have to rein in a bit of that potty mouth on her, for the sake of the vein in Lady B's forehead."

Thomas

"I admit to feeling the briefest of attractions when laying my eyes upon this new maiden who graced our home of the undead, with so much of her body on display it was a test of will to lower my gaze in respect. The moment of lust swiftly passed, as alas it seems, like our dear departed Annie, she seems to only have eyes for the fairer sex. I suppose we have that in common at least."

Kitty

"Oh hooray! A friend! A girl friend my own age, I never thought I'd be so lucky! And she has pink hair. PINK hair! Can I have pink hair? I know ghosts can't change outfits but we can change hair, can't we?! Oh and she loves games and dancing as much as I do! Not quite sure on some of the music she prefers, a bit too....scary for my taste but that My Immortal is hauntingly beautiful! The whole witchcraft thing makes me a little nervous, especially since Eleanor and I once tried to contact the spirit of Mama as children. But perhaps dear Silver could help me with a love potion?"

Mary

"Demon. Demon child. Beelzebub's brat. Lucifer's seed! Look at her, no shame at all, wearing the Dark Lord's symbol on her neck with pride! Doth she not fear the ducking stool? Wilt she not kiss the feet of the Virgin and beg for forgiveness?! Maybe she not be human. Mayhaps she be one of the Fae or a Changeling in disguise as a mere little'en. Can already see some of the others fallin' under her charms. She will bring ruination on us all.....Unless serious measures be taken, so they must...God have mercy on her soul, if one be there." [Mary's first impressions would later be SERIOUSLY redacted]

Robin

"Strange young lady dance alone under Moonah. Sing praise to Moonah. Drink funny smelling tea. See Robin. Dance with Robin. Then scream. Then dead. Then sleep real long time. She ask me to stay. I stay. Wait. It big boring but stay. She pretty. Young and pale. Remind me of sister. No not THAT sister, ew. Baby sister. Nah. We save her at birth with Moonah water but she still die young. Me lay her in blue flowers. Dad call her Moonah Girl. Me lay strange girl in same flowers. Tell others there dead girl in woods. They no listen. I visit new girl every day. Still sleep. On full moonah, she finally wake. She connected to Moonah. She new Moonah Girl. Funny and silly, chat very fast then sometimes go long quiet. Very strange. Have to protect. She need friend. I stay close. Failed first Moonah Girl...can't ever fail new one."

[savagemagician3]

ty so much for the tag @dusksimulacre 💞

Get to Know You / Catch Up Tag!

Currently reading: mary shelley's frankenstein. since i saw a live performance of it with a friend a few months ago i thought i should probably read the original! Last song I listened to: hosting the shadow by lacuna coil (feat. randy blythe from lamb of god). i really dig lamb of god and finding this song was a pleasant lil surprise cos ive been meaning to listen to more lacuna coil Last series: the last full series i finished was black mirror. it was my first time watching it, shit was whack but i'd watch it again. really enjoyed the different stories, watching some of them i was like 🤯🤯 and i love the plot twists! Last movie: i had to have a reaaalllllly hard think about this cos i barely watch movies and i genuinely couldn't remember! but it was five nights at freddie's (i think, either that or shaun of the dead lol) Currently watching: currently cycling between task master and american horror story. my friend hasn't seen ahs so we're watching it at the same time, task master is what i watch while i wait for him to catch up haha (tm is actually so silly and funny i love it) Sweet/Savoury/Spicy? sweet and savoury all the way, but definitely more sweet. spicy can go away i don't like my food to be painful and burny (my bloodline is weak leave me alone) Relationship status: single, i don't see myself in a relationship any time soon cos people are scary and it actually requires me to socialise and do things Favorite color: i love light blue but i honestly vibe with every colour Current obsession: i don't think i currently have one! i'm in that weird limbo where my adhd is making my interests seem boring and i'm trying to find something new to latch onto lol. i've been hiking every day for last month or so with my dog since the weather has warmed up, so maybe he is my current obsession (jk im always obsessed with him)🐶

Tea or Coffee? tea, gimme all the tea! coffee is too bitter for me

Last Thing I Googled: 'fire danger warnings vic'. unfortunately the sky was orange and smokey today, turns out there's been a few bush fires near us :( but on a lighter note the last thing before that that i googled was 'the simpsons living room', i needed a reference cos i drew my friend and their gf as simpsons characters for an xmas gift :DD

tagging @hymless @chxm1calkid @azeterna @living-undead @southernsimmin @bloody-soda @edmunderson + everyone cos i wanna get to know you all 💗 (feel free to ignore though hehe)

[starlight-time-machine]

Week in Review

04/21/2024 – 04/27/2024

Sunday

Week 11 of missing Cipher Academy

Girl Meets Rock good. Seems like the dynamics of the social web are about to shift again, with a rift growing between Takami and Ayame…

Undead Unluck super good…Feng getting stronger is a little scary, because if he ever manages to defeat Fuuko I fear that he’ll want to destroy everything in his pursuit of strength again…but also I want to believe in the connections he’s built with others in this loop…Ichico turning the previous loop’s tragedy on its head to change Nico’s version of Unforgettable is an amazing moment, though I can’t help but feel really sad for Nico regardless…Unforgettable is such a mind crushing ability even without the wife death thing, and I guess the implication here is that he held onto his sanity because of Ichico’s confession but I hope there’s some way for him to better cope with things in this loop…I’ve been really enjoying the fun and cheerful Nico we’ve been seeing so far, and I’d hate for him to just immediately revert back to his crotchety old man self from the last loop.

Monday

Touched some grass and ate some pizza

Tuesday

It’s time to get through some of these library books, the first being The Diamond Girls by Jacqueline Wilson. It’s one that I distinctly remember reading as a kid, and I think I still quite like it, reading today. It’s definitely my favourite of the three Wilson books I’ve read so far – I like the utter and overwhelming chaos that the story immediately throws us into, and even when it gives us some room for respite with the Mary segments, the nature of her living situation is so terrifying that it’s honestly like a horror movie. Dixie’s voice as a narrator is strong and distinct, and I like that you can still tell that she’s a dreamy little kid being put into these stressful situations. Some of the characterization got a little bit tiring, but I did appreciate Wilson subverting some of it by the end, like with Ryan turning out to be a decent-ish guy (still way too old for Rochelle though) and Jude actually becoming friends with the boys. Bruce was a nice character with a heart of gold, but I thought he got a little too attached to the Diamonds a little too quickly…although I guess if I were in his situation I wouldn’t want to turn a blind eye to them either. But immediately proclaiming that you’d like to be some kid’s uncle and stay in her life even though she’s just the estranged daughter of one of your clients is a little weird… Things got wrapped up a little too quickly too, by the end, but I think that’s Wilson’s trademark – just 95% stress and drama before a perfect happy ending, and I can’t really fault her for that.

Ummm Manga Tuesday I guess, which is just in time for the new Chainsaw Man chapter. As usual, I have no thoughts on it – I feel like I won’t be able to tell what’s going on in Part 2 until it ends and I can reread the whole thing from start to finish. Structurally I think I like Part 1 a lot more…

Dandadan good.

Took a break to watch the latest Game Changer episode while I ate lunch and wow I loved the chaos and the way it somehow accurately simulated people going insane in a time loop. All the bribery was fun, as was the contestants starting to say the scripted lines as they were being said by the other presenters. I also love how this continues to spur on the conspiracy theories that the fandom is cooking, and I really do hope there’s some multi-episode foreshadowed twist by the end.

Magilumiere good! Everything’s really coming together now.

One Piece good…I’m nervous for what’s to come.

Wednesday

Ah

Thursday

Very good episode of DunMesh today (with a side of meatballs). Loved all the action, especially with how brutal it could get due to the rules of the dungeon. Kabru doing all his little machinations in his mind was fun, as was him getting the sneak attack on Falin. The Laios and Shuro confrontation was also interesting and revealing of character, but I feel like everything about DunMesh’s writing has been talked to death already so I don’t want to just repeat what I’ve seen on Twitter. My general DunMesh thoughts are just that Ryoko Kui obviously has the writing chops to construct an absolutely original and airtight story, and it’s just fun to be a part of the ride.

Friday

I’ve been in the mood for some TV, and also wanted to pare down my watchlist a little, so I decided to check out Sharp Objects. I’ve heard good things about it and I like small town mystery stories, so I thought I’d like this one too…but the first episode just annoyed me so much that I dropped it right away and read the series synopsis on Wikipedia lmao. Everything about it was just so…screenwriting 101? In the sense that it was like they were checking off bullet points from a How to Write a Screenplay textbook; the tortured protagonist with substance abuse issues returning to their hometown to literally and figuratively confront their past is already well-trod ground as it is, but then every line of dialogue was so basic and boring and acted with all the enthusiasm of a mannequin going through the motions. At first I was wondering if the stock dialogue was some sort of tool being employed by the writers, like a metatextual façade being purposely put up for the sake of the mystery, but no it’s just how it is and I hate it. And judging by the Wikipedia summary that I read, I definitely would’ve hated watching the story progress and the ending, so I’m glad I can just write this one off.

The next show I tried was This is a Robbery, that Netflix documentary about the Gardner Museum art heist. I only got through half of it today, and it’s pretty…standard, I would say. You’ve got the dramatic graphic design and the million interviews and the goofy ass re-enactments of what happened (I know why documentaries do them but it doesn’t stop them from being silly as hell) – just the basic Netflix hyperproduced documentary flair with a dash of being high on its own supply in terms of drama. I thought I would like this documentary because I somewhat enjoy true crime but not the intrusive “accidentally ruin people’s lives due to media attention” kind, so an art heist felt like a nice middle ground between being interesting but still somewhat low stakes…but so far, it’s been pretty slow-moving and meandering and I wish they’d get to the point already.

Saturday

LMAO okay so the reason why This is a Robbery was so meandering and chasing all these dead ends was because there’s no real ending to this story, and I’m so mad that I wasted four hours of my life on this stupid shit. I guess I should’ve looked it up beforehand but I didn’t want to be spoiled…I kind of assumed that if they were making a whole documentary about it, there was going to be an interesting story or narrative to be told…but no, it was just an overproduced publicity stunt to get more attention on the case… They spent so much time interviewing all these people (LITERALLY WHAT WAS THE POINT OF GETTING A WHOLE EX-IRA GUY JUST TO SAY A FEW LINES AND “YEAH IT WASN’T US” BRO ALLOCATE YOUR RESOURCES BETTER PLEASE) and going into the granular details of the case and possible theories about the suspects and their whole organized crime web and I thought it was all going to tie together somehow or be in service of some grand narrative but no!!! This documentary has zero storytelling weight and really shouldn’t have come into existence. All it did was highlight how dogshit the FBI and the police really are. I just wanted some answers and to see how the heist was actually carried out, but I guess real life is rarely as interesting and narratively satisfying as Ocean’s Eleven. I’m giving this thing a 1/10 for annoying me so much and wasting my goddamn time.

Agh…most of the TV shows I’ve watched recently have been duds… This isn’t helping my irrational fear that I won’t find anything that’ll reach Succession’s heights ever again… Granted, I only finished This is a Robbery because I thought there’d be some sort of payoff by the end, but I need to be more discerning with which recommendations I should actually follow through on in the future.

[oddcryptidwrites]

ok SO I got tagged in the original with @the-down-upside-finch but never answered it because I couldn't pick a song for NYTF but since I'm working a little on the International Alliance of Superhumans (IASH) I figured I'd do it. Tagging.... actually no, this is an open tag. If you see this and want to play, consider yourself tagged!

IASH has always been a movie-type book in my head, compared to NYTF, which is a series, so I have a few more ideas for specific moments in IASH lmao

(Brigid) Intro: Teenagers by My Chemical Romance

IASH opens with Brigid moving back into their boarding school after the summer, for their senior year of high school, and just generally causing chaos. I think this would be taken more funny as anything, especially as we're introducing Melody/Mel too and the fact Brigid is a social media influencer. We end the song with Brigid being called to HQ by Owen.

Martin's Intro: HUMBLE. by Kendrick Lamar

We first meet Martin while in costume as Hueso Blanco, after afight, and this song I feel like could be well-worked intro his introduction

Some other Soundtrack songs:

People I Don't Like by UPSAHL -- First time Brigid and Martin interact in IASH, but before they know who each other are

9-5 by Dolly Parton -- Used somewhat ironically with Martin at work

Fireball by Pitbull -- First time we see Brigid (Fireball) in costume and the dynamic between their two personalities they've very carefully crafted

brutal by Olivia Rodrigo -- This song in general encapsulates Brigid/Fireball's whole shebang and I would sneak it in someway.

Elevate by DJ Khalil -- Fight scene song or like pre-fight scene song

Blood // Water by grandson -- Fight scene song

GOODMORNINGTOKYO! by TOKYO'S REVENGE -- Fight scene song

Spooky Scary Skeletons (Undead Tombstone Remix) by Andrew Gold -- I vividly attach this song to Martin because his whole supervillain persona is bone/skeleton themed. IDK how this would get used but

Bones by Imagine Dragons -- Once again, somehow attached to Martin/Hueso Blanco. I feel like it'd deal with his spiral? IDK

Mary on a Cross by Ghost -- Martin and Quinn seeing each other for the first time in over a year

Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana -- Pre-final battle

Outro: American Idiot by Green Day

I don't know why but it FITS. Not a final-scene song but like a credits-rolling song

(Also tagging @thetruearchmagos in case he would like to see this)

In honor of this dumb meme getting way more attention than I thought it would, I decided to make a tag game out of it!

If your current WIP were a show (animated, live-action, etc.) then what songs would be played during the intro and outro/credit sequences?

My WIP, Stained Integrity, has this soundtrack in the animated series that plays in my head:

Intro: Needed a Change of Pace (Jhariah)

Outro: Flight of the Crows (Jhariah)

(Yes I know the songs are from the same album, I just love the vibes so much)

I thought this might be a fun way to share music we like, as well as share some of the vibes that we associate with our WIPs!

Tagging (with absolutely no pressure): @my-cursed-prince, @r0tting-raspb3rry, @athenswrites, @tabswrites, @da-na-hae, @amaiguri and anyone else that wants to join!

(Also this is my first time doing one of these so please be gentle with me haha)

[mrxcreepypasta1991]

For: @toxic-and-the-gang

New Muse!

Amy's Madness Genocide V3

1st Muse:

Mary Rose

Alias:

• "Serial Killer" Mary Rose

• Mary

• Monika Rose (Hated Nickname)

• Roseiphanes

Relatives: None

Relationships:

• Monika (Idol)

• Amy's Friends (Victims)

• Maria Robotnik (Victim)

• AX (Ally)

Species: Hedgehog

Subspecies: Demon/Code

Birthday:

• October 31st

Gender: Female

Sex: Lesbian

Affiliation: Cult of the Juju Rose (Leader)

Eye Color: Red with Black Sclera

Fur Color: Pink

Skin Color: Normal

Quote: "Slither between the vile lines of code lying in wait." -Mary Rose

Based on:

• Sonic.EXE

• Doki Doki Literature Club (Partly)

Debut: Creepypasta

2nd Muse:

I HATE YOU Lilly

Alias:

• Lilly

• Lilly Rose

• IHY Lilly

• Burned Lilly

Relatives:

• Amy Rose (Loved sister, protecter)

• Sally Acorn (Despised Adopted Sister, Bully, Murderer)

Relationships: Dr. Robotnik (Ally) (Creepypasta)

Species: Hedgehog

Subspecies: Undead Hedgehog

Sex: Straight

Eye Color: Sunken Yellow

Fur Color: Yellow

Skin Color: Red

Occupation: Sally's Servant (Formerly)

Status:

• Dead (Creepypasta)

• Undead/Alive?

Quote:

• "I HATE YOU!" -Lilly, I HATE YOU

• "WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!" -Lilly, I HATE YOU

Based on:

• I HATE YOU! (A Mario Creepypasta written by Slimebeast)

Debut: I HATE YOU (Sonic Advanced Edition)

3rd Muse:

Beta Lilly

Alias:

• Lilly

• Sad Lilly (in chromatic folder)

Relatives:

• Amy Rose (Compromised Sister)

Relatives:

• Beta Luigi (Friend)

• Beta Sayori (Friend)

Species: Hedgehog

Gender: Female

Sex: Straight

Eye Color: White Sclera

Fur Color: Yellow

Skin Color: Pale

Occupation: Freedom Fighter

Status: Alive

Quote: "My sister is dead..." -Beta Lilly, after she lost her sister

Based on:

• Luigi's Mansion's Beta Luigi

Debut: Lilly's Mansion (E3 2001)

4th Muse:

22 Days Amy

Alias:

• Creepy Amy Rose

• 22 Days Scary Amy (Deviantart)

• Scary Amy

• Crazy Amy (Not related to Titototter's Crazy Amy at all)

• 22 days till Amy Rose steals your liver

Species: Hedgehog

Gender: Female

Sex: Straight

Eye Color: Black (Since she looks crazy)

Fur Color: Pink

Skin Color: Normal

Quote: "22 days..." -22 Days Amy, Deviantart

Based on:

• 22 Days Scary Amy (by DomesticMaid on Deviantart)

Debut: DomesticMaid (On Deviantart)

5th Muse:

AZ

Alias:

• Alice.ZIP

• D-Sides Amy.EXE

• Fake Freedom Fighter

• Goddess AZ

Relationships:

• Laura (Endless Victim)

• AX (Best Friend)

• Lordess A (Best Friend)

• Chaoamon (Pet)

• Pink Mist Mabel (Friend)

• Pobby (Friend)

Species: Hedgehog

Subspecies: ZIP Bomb Spirit

Gender: Female

Sex: Transgender

Height:

• 5 feet (Faker)

• 15 feet (Real Form)

Eye Color:

• Highlighted Yellow with Black Sclera (Real Form)

• Dark Green (Faker)

Fur Color:

• Lavender (Faker)

• Purple (Real Form)

Skin Color: Normal

Status: Alive

Universe: D-Sides

Quote: "Wondering through the emerald hill zone, running and running on for miles, think that you're in the clear, thinking you're safe, Until Goddess AZ begins the chase." -AX, Alice_'95/'98

Based on:

• D-Sides Universe

• Mario '85 (Creepypasta)

Debut: Alice_'95/'98 (D-Sides Creepypasta)

6th Muse:

Genocide Amy

Alias:

• Amy Rose

• Angry Amy

• Rampage Rose

• Genocide Amy Rose

Relatives: Lilly Rose (Sister, Accidental Victim)

Relationships:

• Sonic (Love Interest, Murdered by Dr. Eggman, Deaseased)

• Tails (Friend, Therapist)

• Blaze the Cat (Love Interest)

• Knuckles (Accidental Victim)

• Mighty the Armadillo (Annoying Friend, Accidental Victim)

• Sally Acorn (Hates, Victim)

• Annie Acorn (Sally's sister, Hates, Victim)

• Pinkie Pie (Rival, Victim)

• Metal Sonic (Enemy, Victim)

• Shadow the Hedgehog (Nuisance, Victim)

• Dr. Eggman (Enemy, Main Target, Victim)

Affiliation: Sega

Species: Hedgehog

Gender: Female

Sex: Bisexual

Eye Color:

• Emerald Green (Normal)

• Blood Red (Angry/Rampage/Genocidal)

Teeth: Razor sharp (Always)

Fur Color: Pink

Skin Color: Normal

Status: Alive

Quote: "YOU TOOK MY SONIC, MY BLAZE, AND EVEN YOU EVEN MADE ME TAKE IT OUT ON SOME PEOPLE I DIDN'T MEAN TO KILL! SO DIE!" -Genocide Amy confronting Dr. Eggman

Based on:

• Genocide (FNF Vs. Tabi)

Debut: Genocide

7th Muse:

Starved Amy

Alias: Amy Rose

Relationships:

• Starved Brenda (Current Partner)

• Furnace Amy (Searcher/Kidnapper)

• Furnace Baby (Searcher/Kidnapper)

• Furnace Endos (Cooks/Helpers)

• Furnace Endas (Cooks/Helpers)

Species: Hedgehog

Gender: Female

Sex: Straight

Eye Color: Black

Fur Color: Pink

Skin Color: Pink

Bio: Starved Amy is a creepy and hungry version of Amy Rose who loves to cook vampires, and Eggman and eat them. She is an incarnation of Amy Rose that has only one goal currently in mind: to feed her insatiable hunger she has worked up over time. She is the same Hedgehog to a marginal degree despite the difference in looks, her outlooks comparably before are much different than what she originally had planned in the beginning.

Quote: "I love that Eggman" -Starved Amy

Based on:

• Starved Eggman

Debut:

• Prey (Vs. Sonic.EXE 3.0)

• Fight or Flight (Vs. Sonic.EXE 3.0)

• Bold or Brash (Mistful Crimson Morning)

8th Muse:

Furnace Amy

Alias: Furnace Metal Amy

Relationships:

• Starved Amy (Creator)

• Starved Brenda (2nd in Command)

• Furnace Baby (Current Helper)

• Furnace Endos (Friends/Helpers)

• Furnace Endas (Friends/Helpers)

• Dr. Eggman (Enemy)

Species: Robot

Gender: Female

Sex: Pansexual

Eye Color: Yellow Burning Eyes

Fur Color: Metal

Skin Color: Metal

Bio: Furnace Amy is a Metal Amy counterpart created by Starved Amy specifically to cook vampires and to outmatch Dr. Eggman to ultimately capture him to be eaten.

Quote: "TARGET SPOTTED" -Furnace Amy, Prey

Based on:

• Furnace (Furnace Sonic)

Debut:

• Prey (Vs. Sonic.EXE 3.0)

• Fight or Flight (Vs. Sonic.EXE 3.0)

• Bold or Brash (Mistful Crimson Morning)

[phoenixyfriend]

Demon-Infected Kurenai

Whoo let’s go, this is an AU I brainstormed with help from @firebirdeternal​ back in September, and it’s finally time to pull it all together.

To whit, this all started with me sending this message:

“Just got hit by the overwhelming urge to turn Kurenai into some kind of horror movie monster after a mid-mission accident? Like there's an unknown scroll she picks up and WHOOPS you're kind of a demonic entity now, so sorry.”

And it kinda just... went from there.

Like, okay, Kurenai is already objectively terrifying.

"I'm going to psychically convince your brain that I was never real and lull you into a false sense of peace with the scent of pleasant flowering trees before I emerge like a nightmare from the branches to snap your neck. Then when your friend looks back they see you standing placidly in the street before wondering where that lovely scent is coming from?"

(Kurama being scared shitless of Kurenai is a fun mental image. Like he doesn't give a fuck about any other living or unliving creature, but this illusion master witch who can carve up someone's reality and murder them while they smile it all away? That's fucking scary no matter how big you are.)

BUT IT ALL JUST GETS SO MUCH WORSE WHEN SHE’S NO LONGER QUITE HUMAN

Kurenai is now upset because she keeps like... bleeding from the eyes? And is freaking out the Uchiha? And she can still eat dango and sushi and all that, but she's like really into raw steak and literal bloody Marys now? And she keeps seeing ghosts?

Kurenai, poking at her chest: My heart keeps stopping and I forget to restart it and then I get cold, help.

Kakashi: Hey Asuma, are you into fangs? Asuma: ...I'm straight and not into you so why does it matter? Kakashi: Not about me. Just answer. Asuma: Fine, uh... I guess it depends on the fangs? Extended eyeteeth, sure, deep sea creature needles, not so much. Kakashi: Great! So, your girlfriend got herself into a situation.

There are Offerings being left at her doorstep by minor demons from the forest. It’s fine.

Kurenai gets monsterized, a tad, and then just. Illusion makeup. For several weeks. Under the assumption/fervent hope that it'll get better on its own. 'It's not a cold Yuuhi, I expected better of you!' 'I panicked okay? And how was I supposed to know it wouldn't get better, I've never been possessed before!'

(Kurenai is a millennial and didn't want this going on her record and interfering with her chance of getting her promotion/a genin team.)

She's not even sure WHAT she is, just like. Probably semi-dead? And demonic? Just like. Kurenai gets into a Situation and it's not even a sentient entity, it's just like. A special kind of chakra... that acts like an infection... but isn't communicable. Or something.

And there's a second layer of chakra under her own, so it doesn't mess with her control of her normal techniques at all, but if she does reach for that second, creepy chakra, things start, like... dying.

Like she channels the chakra and all the grass or trees around her just turn grey. If she channels the creepy chakra, it works like magic instead of genjutsu, and she like... sings hypnosis and shit. Calls up the dead.

She has no idea what she's doing but ANBU is making grabby hands.

Konoha completely skips over everyone else when the Zombie Combo shows up because DUH we're gonna send Undead Kurenai out against immortal bullshit.

SHE HEALS LIKE THAT ONE NEBULA GIF BUT MORE ORGANIC AND LESS TECHNO

Also sometimes she’s just like “Why is my blood black?”

Mostly I'm just really enjoying the mental image of like Hidan: What the fuck are you?!?!?! Kurenai, mid-attack: GREAT QUESTION. I'll let you know when I figure it out!

It's been like ten years by that point and they still have no idea.

Honestly Ninjas are so used to weird bullshit by now that they'll just call it a "Technique" unless it turns out she can pass it on to kids in which case it'll be revised into a Bloodline. How does it work? 🤷. Why did it happen? 🤷. Can you use it to murder people effectively? Hell yes. Good enough!

Kurenai: Wait, what if I can't have kids anymore? [one pregnancy later] Mirai: [is born singing the wails of the damned]

Like one of those Evil Possessed Child horror movies except everyone has superpowers so the Ghost Murder Attempts are just Precocious Shenanigans and the kid eventually grows up to be a productive member of murder-society

"Mirai, honey, what do you want to eat?" "The souls of the innocent." "Uh-huh. We have miso soup." "That is acceptable."

Sometimes if she’s good, they give her a freshly dead pigeon. Asuma is not nearly as thrown by all of this as he could be.

Kiba is SO PUMPED to brag about how he has the scariest sensei in Konoha and people are just like "Yeah right" because they meet Kurenai and she is so??? Normal??? Compared to Gai and Kakashi and all them??? And she's polite and friendly and caring and gorgeous! How is she--OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK DID SHE JUST DO TO THAT GUY'S BRAIN

Kisame and Itachi's trip back to Konoha right after the Chuunin Exams and they get set to fight the Jounin team and Kurenai shows up and gets dismissed and then it takes a moment for everyone to be like "Oh my god, you weren't here when that happened, dude she's a literal creature from your nightmares now."

Itachi: Look, even if she's super dangerous, I'll just trap her in my unbreakable genjutsu it'll be fine. [uses unbreakable genjutsu that psychically links him to her] [several seconds pass] Itachi: [gets a nosebleed] Itachi: Hey Kisame quick question can you carry me and how fast can you run while carrying me because we need to leave right the fuck now.

Not a ‘ooh sexy’ nosebleed, a ‘my brain just completely misfired from horror’ nosebleed.

On at least one occasion, Kurenai does the Creepy Horror Movie Crawling after someone thinks they've snapped her neck.

She's functionally immortal but like. In the most unnerving way possible. She's “allowed” to return to life but the prerequisite to doing so is "freak everyone in the vicinity out as you do so." You're allowed to heal but only if you're a creepy, dramatic ho about it.

Some people have no idea that she's a Monster Person because they knew her in school when she was still mortal and then she learned all this psychology and illusion magic bullshit so when she does things like that they always assume that she's using said illusion magic to fake her injury and unnerve the enemy.

Poor, oblivious fool: Kurenai, good work back there. You can drop the genjutsu now though. Kurenai: Oh right, yeah. Kurenai: [snaps her head back into place with a sickening crunch]

"Haha god you're a freaky bitch sometimes" -Anko probably

Anko is the first person to just completely ignore the Creepy.

Orochimaru did weirder shit, the important thing is that they can still get drunk and bitch about how dumb boys are.

(As far as KureAnko goes, I like "roommates who have definitely done the young-and-experimenting sex thing a few times, and maybe some of the drunk-and-grieving sex thing a few other times, but are nowadays just non-sex buddies who like to wingwoman.")

So you know how I earlier mentioned something about Kurenai possibly being able to see the dead?

She. Figures out Obito's alive. Just. The weirdest fucking wrench in those plans. (Sorry, Obito, except not really.) It’s either because she sees all the other ghosts around periodically but never him, or she just... sees Rin. And Rin tells her.

Anyway

Orochimaru and Kurenai fight. It’s. Not a comfortable time for literally anyone in the area.

Orochimaru: STOP THAT. STOP... NOT DYING. Kurenai: Shan’t.

Just an endless background chorus of "necks don't BEND that way!" and "he just vomited up his own body is that normal" and "WHY THE FUCK DOES HER JAW UNHINGE AS FAR AS HIS DOES"

Honestly though I think Orochimaru is charmed. And wants her body for himself, because Orochimaru. Possibly like. Congratulates Anko on her good taste.

Orochimaru: I want to put my soul in that body. Inoichi: No, no you really do not, I can tell you.

Orochimaru: Can I have a blood sample? Anko, completely rabid: FUCK NO GET AWAY FROM HER Kurenai: [eyes rolled back to reveal black sclera, chanting an undead language that summons demons] Orochimaru: Delightful.

Inoichi definitely tried to mind walk her at some point to like, help her figure out what was going on? And came out of it shaking and speaking in tongues and to this day refuses to talk about it other than to say, "She's in control, don't worry about that part. Never ask anyone to mind walk her again."

He wanted to help and that's the only reason he got out relatively sane.

(Me, at any given point: But how can I turn this genre into a really dumb comedy.)

Kurenai: [on her knees in a random field, head tilted back to stare at the stars, mouth agape, black necro-chakra rolling off her her in waves] Kakashi: Does anyone know what the hell she's doing? [five minutes later] Kakashi: Aaaaaaaaaand that's an entire ROOT base. What the fuck, Kurenai.

Kurenai runs into an Edo Tensei and they burst into flames and nobody knows what's going on, least of all her.

"I'm here to ruin all the bad guys' plans but I honestly don't have any fucking idea what I'm doing" is just. A treat.

(This is such a niche AU.)

(I just point at the most random characters and give them a plot you'd normally only see in one of like... four characters.)

Asuma: [comes across Kurenai eating a dead crow, hasn't even been plucked, let alone cooked, mouth covered in blood and feathers, crouched over the kill like some terrifying, shapeless mass] Kurenai: ... Asuma: ... Kurenai: [swallows] Asuma: ...so, you good? Or... Kurenai: I... I think I need a minute. Asuma: Cool, cool, I'll be in the living room.

Demon Kurenai maybe? But with her actual red eyes, and black sclera. Though "grey skin and black veins" might be more on-brand for the Vibe

TL;DR

Kurenai suffers from a demonic infection. It’s permanent. She’s still super nice and talented! She just also like... exudes some creepy “necro chakra” and feasts on raw animals and all of creepiest things in the forest are leaving Offerings at her front door. When Mirai is born, she occasionally makes demands for human souls instead of baby food. (She is not provided this, but she does get a snack of freshly-killed pigeon if she’s good.) (Asuma is not nearly as thrown by all of this as he could be.)

[thecaffeinebookwarrior]

Monster of the Week: The Undead!

From spooky scary skeletons to the original zombies, let’s have a look at the undead who have risen around the globe! This will not include vampires (which I have already compiled a post on) or ghosts (which I plan to compile a post on.)

Note that many of these can best be understood -- or only understood -- in their original cultural context, and I encourage you to continue your research if the lore interests you.

Skeletons/Skeletal Creatures

I am, for whatever reason, enthusiastic about skeletons. There’s a drama to them. They look like they’re perpetually grinning, or grimacing, which makes them oddly relatable. As an artist, I’m always thinking about them as the framework for poses. 

More importantly, there’s one in all of us -- sorry if that made you uncomfortable -- which makes them a universally recurring being in global folklore. Let’s take a look at just a few.

Gashadokuro

Literally translating to “rattling skull,” the Gashadokuro is also called Odokoru (giant skull) or simply “the hungry skeleton.” That basically tells you all you need to know. 

These big boys (and I mean REALLY big) wander around the countryside at night. Their name derives from the eerie rattling noise produced by their giant skulls. As chill as this may sound, the Gashadokuro is not actually chill at all, and if you come across them they will not hesitate bite your head off. This may seem like a jerk move, since they don’t even have a stomach, but they need the energy of the living in order to sustain themselves.

Like most undead fellas on this list, the Gashadokuro has its origins in the real world. They are thought to originate from the mass-graves, usually of those who died under violent or inhumane circumstances, the supernatural byproduct of countless skeletons. 

The first Gashadokuro was thought to have originated after a specific bloody rebellion, in which the bereaved, sorceress daughter of a samurai summoned a giant skeleton from the mass grave of the rebelling soldiers and used it to attack the city. Queen behavior, if you ask me.

Santa Muerte

Image Source

Let’s conclude this portion with my favorite skeleton (excluding Baron Samedi, who doesn’t count, as he is often depicted as a man, or a man with a skull-like face), the goddess/folk saint Santa Muerte.  

I still have a lot to learn about the rich folklore surrounding Santa Muerte, but to my understanding, she was born of a combination of pre-Columbian Indigenous religions and Mexican-American folk Catholicism. 

Depicted as a skeleton in beautiful, feminine attire and considered to be embodiment of death, Santa Muerte is a healing and protective figure. She is beloved by legions of worshippers, despite condemnations from the Catholic church, and symbolizes a culturally positive relationship with death. 

Despite appearances, she is a life-affirming figure.

Zombies and Reanimated Corpses:

The Draugr

When we hear “zombie,” we don’t traditionally think of “Norse mythology.” And yet, the Nordics had their very own zombie mythos, boasting some truly terrifying undead.

It is said that they first emerge from their graves as little more than wisps of smoke and a stench of decay, before adopting a humanoid form that boasts superhuman strength, the ability to change size at will, and the ability to shape-shift. 

They aren’t mindless -- far from it. They boast an anthropomorphic intelligence, which makes them all the more dangerous.  

As to what drives them from their graves? Jealousy and bitterness towards the living. Relatable, honestly. 

The Jiangshi

(Note: I wish they were all as adorable as the one in this gif.)

This Chinese hopping corpse may have evolved into more of a vampire by Western influences, but it was originally far more zombie-like. And a unique zombie at that. 

Due to rigor mortis, the Jiangshi hops stiffly from place to place, holding its arms straight out. What’s even more singular is their origin. Try to guess. Go ahead, try. You won’t be able to.

The Jiangshi is what occurs when a bereaved family, lacking the proper funds to send their loved one’s body back to their ancestral land for burial, hires a necromancing corpse driver to reanimate the cadaver and guide it as it hops back to its resting place. They’d travel at night to avoid or minimize decay, either prodded by a stick or to the beat of a drum.

Other ways to create a Jiangshi include improper burial, suicide, or possession.

Looking upon a Jiangshi is said to be bad luck, and presumably very unpleasant. However, the real problem is their insatiable appetite. 

But fear not: if you see an unhealthy looking fellow hopping towards you with pasty, possibly decaying skin, you can protect yourself with mirrors, the hooves of a black donkey, or the wood of a peach tree. They can also be scared off by the sound of a crowing rooster, though that would require a bit of planning, and the cooperation of the rooster in question. Which, knowing roosters, is unlikely. 

Haitian Zombies

All legends of the undead have roots in real tragedies, but this one is particularly upsetting -- and the source of the zombie legend in the Western world today.

The enslaved people of Haiti believed that death would set them free, sending them back to an idyllic version of their homeland unburdened by colonialism. But only if death came naturally. Suicide would turn them into mindless husks, carrying out the drudgery of their captors. A haunting parallel to the practice of slavery itself. 

The concept was introduced to a contemporary audience by the 1932 film White Zombie, which sees a white “voodoo master” (who clearly didn’t know anything about the actual Voodoo religion) using witchcraft to create obedient slaves. He eventually uses this (ahem) “”voodoo”” on a white woman to try and force her to fall in love with him. 

With the term “zombie” in public consciousness, it became an applicable allegory for all of society’s ills, and can now be used to refer to anything from mob mentality to consumerism. But few are as haunting and as disturbing as its origins.

Videos on zombies: 

The Origin of the Zombie, from Haiti to the US

Where Zombies Come From

100 Hundred Years of Zombie Evolution in Pop Culture

Best Contemporary Zombie Movies*

*That I know of. Will update with more.

Night of the Living Dead - Though White Zombie introduced the term, it was arguably this film that popularized zombies as we know them today, particularly as an allegory for herd mentality and consumerism. Its successors, including Day of the Dead and Dawn of the Dead, prove similarly influential. 

The Evil Dead Trilogy - Established that zombies can be fun, while also serving as an allegory for various societal problems. Also features undead that are refreshingly ravenous and evil without necessarily being mindless.

The Re-Animator - These days, the average zombie movie pushes the bounds of creativity is “make ‘em faster!” The Re-Animator’s take on the genre, however, would make Mary Shelley proud. Based loosely on the Lovecraft story, “Herbert West - Reanimator,” the films greatest triumph is its ability to have fun with its grisly premise, and compel the audience to have fun, too. It’s also a cautionary tale about why it’s important to be careful while getting a roommate. 

Shaun of the Dead - I’m not kidding. This film is great, and shows that you don’t need a serious tone to be heartfelt, scary, or provide a thought-provoking social commentary. Way back when I was a sixteen-year-old college freshman, I turned up to class as a zombie cheerleader, and my psychology professor recommended Shaun of the Dead to me. She’s a woman of impeccable taste, and it did not disappoint. 

28 Days Later - Before Cillian Murphy gave us Tommy Shelby, a gangster so pretty he could give Al Capone a sexual identity crisis, he was proving his mettle in the zombie-addled UK. For 2020 reasons, watching him wander the abandoned streets of London with a questionable haircut feels very topical. Add a stellar performance from Naomie Harris, and there’s a reason it sent me into a bisexual panic it’s considered a modern classic of the genre. 

Little Monsters - An egregiously underrated flick, featuring a kindergarten teacher (who happens to be, you know, Lupita Nyong’o) protecting her class during a zombie outbreak. A must watch if you want a zombie movie with a powerhouse lead, a happy ending, and perhaps the most badass kindergarten teacher in cinematic history. 

[dork-empress]

A Lie of Leftovers.

This is my Fan-sidequest? set in the world of Calorum from Dimension 20's A Crown of Candy season. The introduction:

The Bulb is flickering, it’s power fading. Criminals, those who have been declared as enemies of the Bulb, are sent into the frozen wilds to investigate, not because they are strong, but because they are expendable. In the frosted tundra of the Freezer, they must survive and turn from scoundrels into heroes.

AKA there's a land north of Calorum called the Freezer, which is something of a penal colony for the Bulb's enemies. In theory, they are sent to join the Bite's Watch at Castle Snack, tasked with protecting Calorum from ancient monsters in the north, but really it's to get rid of people they don't want to deal with. Which is exactly what happened to our heroes:

(the 1st 6 are heroes, the last 2 are NPC's)

First is Angelo Wheaton, an Angel-hair pasta cleric from Ceresia. Raised in an offshoot family, that worships the Flying Spaghetti Monster. He's a tempest cletic, weilding both the Wet Noodle and the Ravioli shield, but you wouldn't know it by his attitude. He's more of a flirt, and was sent here for flirting with a Bulbian Archbishop's daughter (but really, how was Angelo supposed to know? Archbishops take a vow of celibacy, they shouldn't HAVE daughters). He's trying to make the best of this, flirting his way through the Bite's watch, but this whole Rot thing is Really Scary.

Then there's Bob Skewer, a Kabob hunter from the Blood Swamps of the Meatlands. He's...not the brightest, but he's good with the land. Didn't understand why the Bulbians were so upset that he hunted on their lands. It's all nature, innit? But he doesn't understand Bulbian stuff much anyway as he worships the Great Boar. He's a master hunter with his Meat Fork, the Charred Carver, and wants to protect creatures and people alike. Doesn't really know what's going on most of the time.

Next is Bonny Brach, a Bon Bon from the Candian Mountains. She's an older lady, and while she's definitely a heretic worshipper of the Sweetening Path, more specifically The Muffin Man, but no one's...entirely sure why she's here? She kinda volunteered? but who would do that? What could she possibly want? No one's really sure, fascinated by the seemingly crazy lady. Unlike most wizards, she uses a warhammer called the Starbasher which doubles as her magic focus.

Claire Margerine was a former pirate, and now a lethal marauder. She was left stranded and culpable for stealing the Lost Buttercow Statue from the Bulbian temple in Lacrimoore, hidden away from the people who would worship it. She knows she was set up by her cohort, Mackenzie Craft, a mac & cheese person, and she swears vengeance. Filled with rage, she carries the Butter Knives, Sweet Cream and Salted. She has trouble working with other people, but gets taken in by her friends.

The Bite's Watch rarely gets such a trained warrior as Marie Malade, a commander in the Fructaran army. She used to be pretty neutral on the bulb, worshipping instead the Golden Apple. However, when a Primogen was getting pushy with one of the soldiers under her command, she stepped in. One thing led to another, and that Primogen did not make it. Marie went away without complaint, though wouldn't change anything, and anyone who hurts her comrades should be warned before they are on the other side of her greatsword, Sharprind.

Finally, there is the Asparagus Druid, Peryn Spears, who lived deep in the Vegetanian Forest. He was offended by the Bulbian's destruction of the forest for it's resources and making temples in their place, and so was arrested for eco-terrorism. He is often quiet, but he is full of the power of the wilds, weilding both the Zucchini Shield and Spearmint. He has seen visions in the tea leaves, something big is coming, and there is a great destiny awaiting them.

I think if/when any character dies, they are revived as zombies, but saved by The Compost (as worshippers not of the Bulb), though the issue is that they can never again leave the Freezer. Everyone will have a modded mini that is their zombified form.

Episode 1: Highfrost is Coming--Character intros, suspicions about the bulb, and Oh No Zombies!

Episode 2: Snack Attack!--Castle Snack is attacked by zombies, only strongly affected by magic and magic weapons. Fascinating!

Episode 3: Walk-in to the Freezer--Commander Crust, in charge of the Bite's Watch, leads an entourage into the depths of the Freezer. They meet up with Frozen Foods who live out here, but they are traveling south to avoid the Rot. There are legends, though, of something deep under the frost.

Episode 4: De-frost De-caves--The Bite's Watch finds the Lost Mushroom caves, but must turn on the lost Oven Light of The Muffin Man to wake up the Kingdom and save them from the dreaded Rot trolls, giants, and mounds of zombies.

Episode 5: Mush-room for Improvement--The Mushroom people tell them of how all the spirits are real but change the bulb's power into something new. However, the bulb is now failing, and if it does, Rot will spread across the land. They must now go and Change the Bulb, or they will all succumb.

Episode 6: Change in Power--the heroes face demons of The Rot, zombies, and many other undead, and must protect and save the new bulb to change it out, and in so doing, infuse it with their own hopes and dreams that will spread out into the world through every person's magic.

@BRENNAN LEE MULLIGAN CALL ME! I have stats for all these characters. I have stats for their weapons. I have NPC's. I have the battles more planned out than this. pleaaaase.

[flowerslut]

DAY TWO: SOULMATES Rated: K+ for mentions of death. Words: 3,701

When you’re born with a dead soulmate, what more can you do?

THE CORPSE’S BRIDE

Disposing of newborns was far from Jasper’s favorite thing to do. He’d been forced to improvise as the years dragged on, using distraction, lies, and manipulation to lure the doomed vampires to their final resting place. Anything to keep their emotions from striking him harder than physical blows could.

He was finishing up cleaning out their lot—this year’s newborns had been a disappointing crew, not strong or skilled enough to help them gain back their eastern lands—when the strange feeling first took hold of him.

He’d been mid-sentence when he paused, turning to look around at the dark plains, their abandoned shack way off on the horizon.

The newborn he was to dispose of, a mild-mannered man who shook during battle yet had somehow avoided defeat all the same, turned as well, his eyes fearfully raking across the area as well, no doubt terrified that something he couldn’t see had caused the Major to stop and react.

Jasper brushed the feeling away as he turned back toward the man, lifting a disarming hand to give an almost-friendly smack against his shoulder, sending forth a wave of indifference as he led them forward. He couldn’t lead the man too far forward or he’d undoubtedly smell the venom that was seeping into the ground several hundred yards away, and he’d understand where the rest of their new crew had gone.

But it was in that instant, as he was patting Niko’s shoulder, that Jasper saw it, bright against his pale, scarred skin. He froze again, and any air of comfort he’d been carefully cultivating vanished into thin air as shock set in fully.

Niko reacted the same as Jasper, jumping slightly to twist out of the way of Jasper’s frozen arm, his frightened eyes looking from Jasper’s face to his wrist, and seeing the sight immediately.

A gasp shattered the silence, and for the first time since they’d changed him the previous winter, Niko stopped shaking. Instead, wonder filled the man and he stepped closer to examine Jasper’s wrist.

“A soul mark,” he whispered, red eyes wide as he leaned closer—but not too close, he knew better—to look at the tiny red heart that almost looked to be glowing. The man smiled then, still wracked with shock, and turned toward Jasper, “you have a soulmate! I—”

Jasper ripped his head off then, trying to act as quickly as he could to prevent the doomed man from speaking any further. As fast as he could manage he grabbed the remains and brought them across the clearing, tossing the body onto the rest.

He didn’t realize he was now shaking until he realized he couldn’t light the match.

His eyes moved straight toward the tiny mark again.

There was no way he could hide it. And even if he did what his brain was currently considering, and if he ripped the portion of flesh away with his own teeth, Maria would know.

She always knew.

Maria, whose own tiny heart was now a tragic, black color. Her mate—her soulmate—long dead and gone.

Eventually he lit the match, ignited the pyre, and turned to make his way back to the shack at the edge of the horizon.

If anything, Maria would see it, witness his indifference, and be pleased. What better way to pledge your loyalty then to overlook a newly minted wrist, fresh with the promise of true love?

Stomping his way back to Maria, he inhaled deeply, mouth filling with venom as he realized they’d get to go into town and feed now.

What was supposed to be the allure of love when fresh blood tasted so sweet?

————————————

It wasn’t until years later—nearly two decades since the mark appeared on his wrist—that Maria finally commented on it.

They were going over strategy for an upcoming encounter when Maria made a sad noise, her tongue clicking with pity as amusement began to radiate from her.

“Ah, muy triste.”

Jasper ripped his mind off their carefully-drawn map to meet her eyes. He didn’t need to follow her gaze to know exactly what she was looking at.

“Tu amor,” she frowned dramatically, her lip jutting out in a way that made Jasper suddenly angry, “está muerta.”

His eyes fell upon his soul mark instantly, but the red mark was gone. In it’s place, one that was startlingly familiar. A mark he’d seen on Maria’s wrist as long as he’d known her. A tiny black heart; indicative of a dead soulmate.

His soulmate, wherever they were, was now dead.

He forced himself to not care, ignoring the way the universe seemed to shift around him in that instant, and continued planning out their next course of attack.

His soulmate hadn’t mattered to him during their life; he’d be damned if they mattered to him at all dead.

————————————

When Lillian Brandon grew pregnant with her first child, she’d been elated. She’d been married for barely six months when her body began to weaken as her stomach began to expand. It was a hard, unforgiving pregnancy, but Lillian kept her spirits high, too excited about the prospect of a child of her own to care. 

Edgar, her husband, wasn’t a warm man. If anything, ‘business’ man could go at the top of the list of words used to describe him. She was sure he had colleagues with words far more descriptive, and far more cruel. But throughout her pregnancy, he pulled back from work, making it so that she never went without so much as a sip of water.

Through the months her body was racked with illness, the pregnancy something her slight frame could just barely handle, and by October of 1901 she knew that it was nearly time.

Two days into the month Lillian’s health took a nosedive, and Mary-Alice Brandon was born into the world.

Born cold and unmoving, suspected to be stillborn, she didn’t cry when introduced to the world. Her eyes calm and open and seeing from her first few minutes. Mary-Alice had all ten fingers, all ten toes, and a tuft of barely-there black hair on the crown of her head.

One thing Mary-Alice didn’t have, was a red soul mark.

The whispers floated through the hospital despite Edgar’s swift demand that her tiny wrest be covered immediately. While other babies born with a soul mark were all the same—small, red, and heart-shaped on the inside of a wrist—Alice’s had been different.

Mary Alice Brandon had been stamped with a full black mark, indicating something that only older adults and those struck by tragedy knew: a dead soulmate.

After Lillian was stable enough to hold and feed her baby, she examined the girl’s tiny wrist, held the infant close, and cried with all of her might.

————————————

It wasn’t until the marks began to appear, that they knew something was wrong. Those with living soulmates enjoyed many features of having a person tied to them beyond what could be seen or felt. Some had dreams that were shared. Others enjoyed eerily similar tastes in food and aesthetics. Lillian Brandon had a cousin who could feel his soulmate’s pain as if it were his own; an experience that was as scary as it was rare.

Alice was four days old when the first mark appeared. 

Scar marks weren’t uncommon, but to gain them meant one thing: you had a soulmate, and they were being hurt.

Mary-Alice had been gifted with a dead soulmate from birth. When the first bright purple crescent moon splotch appeared on her tiny forearm, Lillian had almost fainted.

Edgar had been beside himself with frustration, demanding that local doctors and clergymen help fix his infant daughter, using sums of money to ensure the utmost discretion.

But the marks never remained for longer than a week at a time. And by the time the baby was several weeks old, she’d already had a rainbow of marks appear across her limbs, and fade within days.

When Mary-Alice was four months old, the first mark appeared on her face and Edgar swore to Lillian that no child of his would be caught around town with a black heart and a mottled face.

————————————

Lillian theorized heavily for many years, trying to make sense of the marks that appeared and disappeared on her daughter’s skin, despite the proof of her true-love already lost.

It wasn’t until Mary-Alice was a girl, attending school with as much cover as they could get away with under the Mississippi sun, when they grew alarmed.

“He’s out there Mama,” Mary-Alice had smiled up at her mother, her two front teeth missing. “It’s okay. I’m not sad. You shouldn’t be either.”

When Lillian had made Mary-Alice swear to never repeat those words to her father, the girl had frowned, nodded, and skipped away. Her hair was braided down her back, dancing as she moved, revealing a sour yellow mark against the back of her neck.

————————————

When Mary-Alice was eight a group of boys on the schoolyard cornered her. A pink mark that bisected her face in two had appeared in the middle of their arithmetic lessons, causing a bit of a scene and a hefty disruption.

Miss Palmer had dismissed their lessons early that day, unable to control the unruly class, some children jeering, others screaming at Mary-Alice, who refused to even look ashamed at the mark. And when the child refused to move herself to the back of the room to continue on with the school day, the frazzled teacher had sent them all out.

The comments and taunts were routine now, but she hated them all so severely for each insult hurled her way as they circled her, laughing and preventing her escape.

“Off to the graveyard Mary-Alice?”

“How many dead people do you kiss?”

“Enough to try and find your husband?”

“Is it true the morgue lets you check all the arms before they bury the bodies?”

“Aye, Mary-Alice! Old man Kemper’s been dead three weeks now! Maybe he can help you find your husband!”

“Maybe she’s a witch—she’ll show up in a few years with her undead husband still covered in dirt and worms.”

Then, the boy with the lightest hair grabbed her shoulder and turned toward his friends. Alice tensed under his touch. The boy, Wilhelm, always knew what to say to get under her skin, and to push things too far. “Hey, hey. Maybe she is. But maybe he’s deader than a doornail and always has been! That’s why Mary-Alice gets so upset. She knows he’s never comin’ to find her and that she’ll probably die lookin’ for him! There, there, Mary-Alice,” he turns toward her and frowns, patting her shoulder with fake sympathy.

The surrounding boys all began to frown and nod, some of them fake-crying as they called out “Oh, poor, poor Mary-Alice! A husband deader than a doornail! Long dead and gone and never coming ‘round for supper! A dead-man’s soulmate!”

Mary-Alice ripped herself out of her classmate’s grip, put her arms in front of her and charged, pushing her way through the boys who called after her even as she easily escaped their circle. “Be quiet! Be quiet! Be quiet!” She shrieked. 

As she ran back home, tears stinging her eyes, they laughed and laughed and laughed.

————————————

Edgar put an end to the girl’s schooling not long after.

It wasn’t until the third day of home-lessons, upon realizing that this was to be a permanent fixture in her life, that she threw a fit.

“It’s not fair,” she yelled at her father when he returned home from work that evening, stomping her foot, her fists curled at her sides. “He’s out there! I’m serious!”

“Enough, Mary-Alice!” her father had bellowed, but when he lifted his hand to physically silence her, the girl flinched backward, out of reach of her father’s arm. “I am tired of these ridiculous ideas! You need to move past this… this soulmate business!”

“But he is,” Mary-Alice pointed to the orange mark on her palm, “he is alive! See?”

“You are to stay home to continue your schooling,” he spoke the words with finality. “Until you can get these wild dreams out of your head and control your rantings, you will remain here.”

And that had been that.

Mary-Alice cried herself to sleep that night. And the next night. And the next.

————————————

Mary-Alice was fourteen when she first saw her father with his wrist uncovered.

Well. No. She was fourteen when she saw the vision of the moment in which she would discover her father’s uncovered wrist.

She would be helping Cynthia prepare for a walk around the block, tying the young girl’s bonnet under her chubby chin, when her father’s form would catch her eye. His back would be to them where he was standing by the door, adjusting the deep brown band he’d always kept fastened around his left wrist.

An act of clumsiness would cause the band to fall to the ground. And he was none the wiser to Mary-Alice’s attentive gaze as he leaned forward, fetching the band to reattach it to his limb.

But in the seconds it took for him to grab the band, Mary-Alice would see the tiny space where a heart should have been, but wasn’t.

It would stun her into silence and she’d force her gaze back down to her little sister, managing a weak smile at the sound of the young girl’s prodding.

Back in the present day, Mary-Alice was still fourteen. The bonnet she would tie around Cynthia’s chin had yet to be purchased. And Edgar Brandon’s wrist was still firmly covered at all times. In the back of her mind she realized that in her strange absence from the present—something that happened more and more often as she grew older—she’d dropped a glass of water, sending it shattering and wet across the kitchen floor, but she couldn’t bring herself to react.

Shock was quick to strike, but betrayal sank deep into her bones, forcing her feet to remain planted.

Her mother had never hid her own soul mark. The white heart indicated that not only did she have a soulmate, but she’d met them. Most couples with soul marks that were together had matching white hearts. She’d even once witnessed, at the market, a meeting of two people. She’d watched, stunned as the man’s red heart slowly turned to pink and then to white, the newly-acquainted couple hugging tightly as the realization struck them.

Now, she found herself stunned at an entirely new realization.

Her mother had a soulmate, whom Mary-Alice had assumed was her own father.

Her mother had a soulmate. And her father didn’t.

They weren’t soulmates.

————————————

The discovery that her parents weren’t soulmates marked a changing point for Mary-Alice. She realized her father would never understand what she was going through; perhaps he was even jealous, she theorized once.

It also marked a point in time where Mary-Alice’s visions weren’t just rare occurrences, but now nearly daily disruptions. She would walk into door frames and stumble down stairs. She burnt herself on the stove and her first reaction wasn’t to remove her hand but was ‘I wonder if he’ll have a mark here’.

She refused to believe that her soulmate was dead, despite what the heart on her wrist said. She didn’t have visions of him. Instead, in her dreams, vague feelings struck her, bringing her hope, comfort, and a feeling so warm and exhilarating she could only describe it as love. She had a vague idea of what he might look like. Tall, she thought. With honey-blonde hair.

He was peppered with scars. He had to be. The colorful marks she still regularly found herself sporting confirmed it. Maybe he’d been ill as a child, or an infant, and maybe the universe had been wrong to mark her heart as greyed instead of full of life. Maybe he lived in a horrible place, around horrible people who hurt him constantly. Maybe his heart was beating, just broken. Metaphorically dead instead of literally.

All Mary-Alice knew was that her soulmate was out there, and that she would one day find him.

————————————

The day they buried her mother, Mary-Alice’s mind was far away.

She couldn’t think about anything except for whoever had Lillian’s matching heart. It was surely as black as her own, now.

————————————

Her first night in the hospital, Mary-Alice laid on her cot, eyes swollen shut from crying, throat raw from the screaming she’d done over the past few days.

The nights morphed into days, and together they formed weeks, and then months.

The treatments grew stronger until Mary-Alice knew that she wouldn’t be herself soon enough.

During one of the last night’s she was lucid enough to recall who she was, she contemplated digging words into her skin. If her soulmate also received marks whenever Mary-Alice was injured, maybe she could send him a message.

That night with a sharpened fingernail she carved the words ‘HELP ME’ into her thigh.

The next day they increased the intensity of her treatment.

The following day she forgot who Mary-Alice was.

————————————

Wandering rainy streets wasn’t something Jasper enjoyed making a habit of. After all, humans stared far more when a person looked out of place.

He wiggled his toes uncomfortably in the shoes he’d recently acquired and ducked beneath the awning of a closed down marketplace. It was Sunday and the humans had all made their way back from their services to their homes. The occasional automobile would roll through the streets but besides that, the area was quite empty.

It was something that didn’t bode well for Jasper. He knew it was wiser to wait until the night to feed, but he was so thirsty that he knew he would have to seek out a hobo sooner than nightfall before his self-control gave way.

A young couple ran past him, their shoes splashing through the pooled water on the sidewalks as they laughed, enjoying being caught in the sudden rainstorm.

Their scent wafted toward him, causing Jasper to take two steps toward them, entirely unintentional. It was when his eyes caught sight of their hands, joined tightly and swinging as they moved, that he was able to pull himself together and grind his feet to a halt.

Two matching white hearts stared back at him, and Jasper felt his chest ache.

On a list of regrets so long Jasper didn’t realistically have the time to even pen such a thing, disregarding the presence of his soulmate had slowly worked its way directly to the top.

It wasn’t something he’d given any thought to when his soulmate had been alive. And it wasn’t until years after that they he gave them a singular thought.

The night Maria had changed four newborns just west of Corpus Christi, Peter’s red heart had turned black. Jasper had been frustrated at the man’s distress for hours, abandoning his partner to the outskirts of town just to escape his emotional state.

When he returned that night, Peter had covered his mark with a torn piece of cloth.

It wasn’t until almost a year later, when he was slated to send Charlotte, a tiny, weak recruit, off to the pyres when Peter interfered.

“Look,” the blonde man had forced his wrist into his line of sight, Jasper smacking it away instantly with a glare. “It’s her, Major. You can’t do it.”

It had taken Jasper a few seconds for the meaning of everything to sink fully into his brain. Soulmate. Peter had had a soulmate. And she had died. But really, she had been turned. And it was his job now to kill her.

“Go,” Jasper spat quickly, not giving himself enough time to think about what he was doing. All he knew was that if the pair didn’t take his advice in the next five seconds, his hand would be forced and he’d have to kill them both.

He didn’t see them again until years later when Peter came back, pleading with him to follow.

And with his red-turned-black-turned-white heart impossible to ignore, Jasper followed Peter, and didn’t look back

Except, of course, to think about his own soulmate.

Peter and Charlotte had been almost eagerly supportive. After all, if they could find one another in their strange little immortal afterlife, what was to say that Jasper wouldn’t find his soulmate? They dragged him from city to city for a few years, and at first Jasper wanted to believe them. Of course, the idea of seeking out others of their kind was an asinine one—Jasper was sick of killing—but discovering that the north knew peace was almost too good to be true sometimes.

He’d last seen them four years ago. He’d grown weary. And their undying belief that he’d still find his person eventually made him miserable. In addition to the terror that haunted him with every hunt, Jasper had been barely holding onto whatever was left of his sanity for a long time now.

During his solitude he thought hard about his human life, wracking his brain for any information he could recall about soulmates, but he found himself coming up short. He couldn’t remember his parents names and faces, let alone whether they’d been soulmates or not. The only thing he was sure of was that he’d been born without a soul mark, given one around the turn of the twentieth century, and then soon after it had blackened.

Lifting his eyes, neon lights across the street earned his attention. It was a diner. Tiny, not-very-occupied. And with a quick decision he realized he could hide out in there until it emptied a bit more—and when the rain let up, he was sure that it would—he could help himself to a meal, and move on from this town.

He took one step into the street, pushing all errant thoughts of soulmates and soul marks straight from his head.

It would do him no good to think of things so hopeless.

————————————

In a small diner in 1948, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Alice found Jasper, Jasper found hope, and two black hearts turned white.

[alexsfictionaddiction]

The Best of YA Horror

I’ve always found YA horror to be made up of quite a small pool of books. As is natural when dealing with teen characters, so much of YA deals with romance and self-discovery and these things don’t often have a place in horror. I’ve read YA books that have been marketed as horror but they’ve substituted a lot of the actual scary stuff for typical YA tropes and themes. It means that genuinely dark, terrifying YA horror is rare but I believe the following books to be some of the best that I know of. Hope you enjoy them! -Love, Alex x

1. Shutter by Courtney Alameda.

Micheline is one of the last remaining Van Helsings and she has the ability to see the auras of the undead through her specially modified camera. She has been training her whole life to exorcise monsters but when a hunt goes wrong, she and her friends are infected with a horrific, deadly curse, known as a soulchain. This unique horror genuinely chilled me and the suspense was second to no other YA book I’ve read. Pick it up for a pitch-black ghostly ride.

2. Wranglestone by Darren Charlton.

Living in a small community haunted by the Dead, Peter is banished to the outskirts where he starts spending more time with Cooper, the rancher he has always admired. Yes, this has a wonderful gay romance but the cold, ominous air is inescapable in this fast-paced, zombie-infested tale.

3. The Merciless by Danielle Vega.

Riley, Grace and Alexis are the most popular girls in school but Sofia is regretting joining their gang. They believe that Brooklyn Stevens is possessed and take it upon themselves to perform the exorcism but the girls’ idea of this is actually more like brutal, bloody torture. I don’t remember the last time a horror book stayed with me like this one has over the years since I read it. I know that it has several sequels but the horrors of the first book have always prevented me from returning. It is truly horrific.

4. Here There Are Monsters by Amelinda Bérubé.

Skye has always been her little sister Deirdre’s saviour and she’s tired of it. When they move to a small, remote town, Deirdre becomes obsessed with the surrounding woods and begins making strange sculptures. Then she disappears and Skye is visited by a monster, claiming that she’s the only one who can bring her sister back. The atmosphere and threat in this book is incredibly well-written and is completely devoid of light. A truly haunting, ice-cold read.

5. My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix.

Abby and Gretchen are life-long best friends but when they start high school, Gretchen starts behaving strangely. The bizarre events that follow lead Abby to believe that Gretchen is possessed and she’ll do whatever she can to save her. Dotted with 80s pop culture references, this is a dark, emotionally-charged story that champions female friendship, while being full of high tension.

6. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan.

Mary has spent her life inside the walled community of the Sisterhood with the knowledge that The Unconsecrated lurk beyond the fence and that they’ll never give up. But slowly, her world and everything that she has always believed to be true starts to crumble. It’s incredibly slow burning, which isn’t ideal if you love fast-paced plots, but it is the perfect mirror for the descent into madness that unveils amidst this high-stakes zombie novel.

7. The Sacrifice Box by Martin Stewart.

When five friends discover a strange box in the woods, they each place something important to them in it forever and vow to never return to it alone. Years later, terrible things are happening and they realise that one of them has clearly broken the pact and angered an ancient curse. I’ve never read another YA book that has such strong Stephen King vibes. It has that same, overwhelming suspense and fantastic character dynamics that make it compulsively readable.

8. Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell.

When Sophie and her cousins spend the summer at the family home that used to be Dunvegan School for Girls, they discover a room full of vintage dolls and a girl who definitely shouldn’t be there. This book is nothing but terrible, brooding darkness -toxic character dynamics, a razor-sharp twist at the end and a highly disturbing plot.

9. Daughters Unto Devils by Amy Lukavics.

When pregnant teen Amanda’s highly religious family move to a prairie house, she is hoping for a new start, away from her guilt and shame. On arrival, the family discover their new cabin covered in blood and as time passes, Amanda learns that there is something very wrong. She begins to question whether the evil is really in the community or within herself. Exploring trauma, mental illness and unspeakable horror, this is a quick read that will leave you thoroughly disturbed.

10. House of Furies by Madeleine Roux.

On escaping the terrors of school, Louisa is happy to start working as a maid at Coldthistle House, a guesthouse with very dark goings-on hidden between its walls. When Louisa takes a liking to one the new guests, she decides that they must both escape. Interspersed with eerie black and white pictures, it has a wonderful Gothic atmosphere that leaks through the pages and a real sense of threat, making it a great pageturner. A fantastic, genuinely scary YA horror novel.

[twentiethcenturymoviesandtv]

Frankenstein: Genre and Themes

It doesn’t seem possible that Frankenstein can be sorted into any genre except horror.  A monster on a killing spree, a mad scientist in his lab, spooky shadows and an opening in a graveyard?  It can’t be anything but horror, can it?

Turns out, it can.

Like we’ve discussed before, every story ever created, no matter how simple or complicated, has to fall into at least one genre.  Genre is the sum of similarly themed parts that come together to give a style and theme to a story, a form of shorthand to give the audience an idea as to what kind of story they are about to see.  And in almost every case, it’s never as simple as it seems.

Characters, stories, settings, and even themes often correspond to different genres  As a result, it’s extremely useful as viewers to examine the categorization of films, as it not only sets up our own expectations for individual stories, it also helps us expand the boundaries of genres as their limits are tested.

Which is why Frankenstein is a bit of an odd duck.

I’ll show you what I mean.

Today, we’re going to be looking at the characteristics of the story of Frankenstein to determine what genres it is, what genres it is not, and the whys and wherefores behind them.  Let’s take a look.  Spoilers below!

An easy way to figure out the genre of any given film is to take a look at the setting of a story.  Movies set in outer space tend to be blanketed in the genre of science fiction.  Movies set in medieval times are often considered fantasy.  Movies set in creepy castles or spooky swamps tend to be considered horror.

Which would seem to be the case with Frankenstein.

It seems obvious.  Frankenstein, along with Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon created and codified the film genre of ‘classic horror’.  These were the templates from which all future monsters would spring, werewolves, vampires, zombies and fish-creatures alike.

The spooky, Gothic shadows and creepy angles, the mad-scientist lab, the scenes in the graveyard, skeletons at the fringes of shots, and of course, the monster himself, would seem to speak to an incredibly obvious horror leaning.  In fact, the story’s visual language was based on German Expressionism, which had been used in films like Nosferatu, a bonafide silent horror classic.

But…aren’t horror movies supposed to be scary?

There are no jump-scares in Frankenstein.  Characters do not die in horrifying ways.  They aren’t stalked, nor are they picked off in a way that’s traditional of horror films, and of the three characters who actually die, two were killed in what could be argued as self-defense by the monster.

Weirdest of all, except for possibly the initial scene of his creation, up until he breaks into Elizabeth’s room, the monster is not set up as being ‘scary’.  He’s set up as being sympathetic.

From the first real scene we have of the monster, where he’s lifting his hands in fascination towards light and then cowering from Fritz’s brutality, this is a creature that the audience finds themselves sorry for.  This is not typical of movie monsters.  There was no pity for Dracula, no concern for The Invisible Man or The Mummy.  They were truly monsters, who knew what they were doing.

The Frankenstein monster doesn’t.  For a long time, the monster reacts, rather than acts.  With that knowledge…he doesn’t really come out of this, at least, the first half, looking like a monster.  He’s a scared creature, mistreated into becoming a twisted version of what he could have been, a blank template upon which cruelty has been imprinted.

After the change has occurred, after the monster turns into an active character and goes after Elizabeth and attacks Henry, after so much time of the audience’s built sympathy for this creature, then we feel scared of him.  We realize that he is an incredibly threatening figure, that he can be dangerous, but we never truly let go of that sympathy.  At the end of the film, we don’t necessarily feel victorious that he is trapped, burning to death in that mill.  We feel sorry.  As much of a threat as the monster became, he didn’t start out that way.  It didn’t have to end like that.  But it did.

Hence my case for a rather unconventional idea.

I hypothesize that Frankenstein is a tragedy.

Like I’ve said before, this is a sad story, and I think it was that way by design.  I subscribe to the theory that you can best tell the genre of a film based on what kind of characters are in it, and that works especially well for Frankenstein.  

You see, as I’ve said before, there is no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ side in this film.  The monster is framed as both victim and threat.

And so is Henry Frankenstein.

As an audience, we are not encouraged to wholly dislike either character.  (In fact, the only character I believe we are meant to truly hate and fear is Fritz, a character who manipulates his power to inflict cruelty on the monster.)  We recognize Henry’s mistakes, we realize that he’s not making the best decisions and we want him to perhaps not reanimate the dead, or maybe at least once he does, treat his new undead son with some respect, but we don’t completely hate him, even as we accept that this whole thing is basically his fault.

Henry is framed as sympathetic.  We understand why he feels the way he does, even if we don’t agree with it, and we can figure out why he’s acting the way he is.  He has his redeeming moments: his relationship with Elizabeth, once he stops digging up graves is genuine, and the fact that he doesn’t want the creature destroyed could point to a sign of his caring about his creation, even if he sucks at showing it.  Even if we don’t relate to Henry, exactly, we understand him, and we don’t necessarily want him to die.  He’s a tragic character, a figurative Icarus who aimed too highly for a mortal.

Besides, he was so delightful in that whole ‘raising the dead’ scene.  I mean, that’s movie history, right there.

As for the monster?

The monster is actually the most sympathetic character in the entire cast.  (Except for maybe Elizabeth.)  We get to see his entire lifespan, his birth, life, and death, (Until the sequel) and it’s not a pretty picture.  He’s hurt, frightened, and alone, with no-one willing to actually help him function as a being, as a person, instead of as a successful scientific experiment.  Henry doesn’t seem to know what to do with him once he proved that he could create life, and as a result, the monster is left alone, with no education in how the world works.  He has to figure it out on his own, and the makeshift teachers don’t really help much, either.  Fritz abuses him, Dr. Waldman tries to dissect him, and Henry doesn’t pay him much mind after showing him light.  Even when the monster meets Maria, he doesn’t know enough about the world to understand that his actions would kill her.

Even further supporting my theory is the ending.

The end of the story, after Henry chases his creation down and faces off with him in the mill, eventually struggling and falling while the villagers burn the mill down, is not played as a victorious climax.  This is not the end of a good vs. evil struggle, there is no breath of relief that an audience feels after the defeat of Dracula, Michael Myers, or Freddy Krueger, or even Norman Bates.  The ending is solemn, if not sorrowful, as the audience is left with the death of a creature who had experienced misery for the few days that he had lived.

Both protagonist and antagonist share in what is, quite simply, a tragic ending.  Henry isn’t even the one to right his own wrong.  The monster is slaughtered by an angry mob.  Henry never reconciles his mistake.  People have died, senselessly, and it could have been avoided, and not in the no-don’t-split-up-you-idiots-there’s-a-killer-in-the-woods way.

The audience is not meant to feel happy or triumphant at the end of this film, in my opinion.  In my opinion, we are to mourn both Henry’s arrogance, and the monster’s demise, representative of a life wasted.

Does this mean that Frankenstein is not a horror film?  Absolutely not.

Frankenstein codified almost everything we know about classic horror to this day, potentially inspiring things like the zombie horror-genre and influencing Gothic horror in general.  None of this to say is that Frankenstein is not meant to be a scary movie, because, in 1931, it certainly was.  People were scared, and it was definitely the filmmakers goal to do so in some scenes.  The scene where the monster stalks Elizabeth in her room is definitely scary, and the dark lighting adds to the unsettling look and feel of the entire film.  The scene where Frankenstein creates the monster remains a staple of best horror scenes, and has influenced countless films since then.

No, Frankenstein is definitely a horror film, make no mistake about that.  It’s delightfully scary, full of creepy visuals, unsettling imagery, and a genuinely frightening core story idea: humanity being just capable enough to create life, but not capable enough to see it through competently.

But, horror is not the only genre that Frankenstein demonstrates.

Mary Shelley’s original Frankenstein novel, despite being an excellent example of horror fiction, is also considered the first example of science fiction.  If you’ve been following our ‘Legacy of Science Fiction’ series, you’ve probably noticed a few of the trends that tend to go along with science fiction.

A story doesn’t need to be set in the future for it to be a science-fiction story, nor does it have to have aliens or space-ships.  All it has to do is be about something just beyond our current understanding, founded in science of a sort.  With that understanding, it’s easy to see how Frankenstein fits that bill.

The very creation of the monster himself is the codifier of science-fiction.  Although it’s different in the original novel, the fact is, the idea of a man creating life that turns into a monster is an idea thoroughly grounded in the realm of science-fiction, a story concept rooted in the idea of science.  It’s also an example of speculative fiction: bringing the audience to contend with questions such as nature vs. nurture, man’s place in creation, and the dangers of not being aware of the limits of common sense and the laws of nature.

Mary Shelley’s original novel came at a time when technology was changing much of the landscape of the world as they knew it, and it makes sense that in her story, this strange, unnatural technology would create a monster to be feared and pitied.  In Frankenstein, the methods of this new generation of scientists, presenting seemingly no limits, is as horrific as the monster itself, the power that mankind can access without necessarily the wisdom to do so.

To quote Jurassic Park, the basic premise of the horror and science-fiction of this story is:

“Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.”

And in the end, much like Jurassic Park, it works out terribly.

Like we’ve discussed in the ‘Legacy of Science Fiction’ series, Frankenstein practically invented the science-fiction theme of humanity’s creations inevitably leading to our own destruction, whether directly or indirectly.  In the case of Frankenstein, it’s pretty direct.  Henry’s creation turns on him, and although Henry survives, (and the monster seemingly does not) the premise is still there as a science-fiction device, twisted into a bit of a horror spin.  The idea of human beings creating the things that will destroy them is legitimately frightening, especially when it’s played up as being ‘monstrous’.

But there’s a little more to Frankenstein than a tragic horror/sci-fi story.  It’s also a drama.

A drama film is a serious story, one that presents us with situations that show us realistic characters struggling with themselves, others, or sometimes, nature itself.  Drama usually doesn’t mix with horror, or science fiction for that matter, but it does here.

As I mentioned earlier, not only do we understand Henry and get where he’s coming from, we experience the exact same thing for the monster, if not more so.  Unlike many examples of horror films, we’re half on the side of the creature, and get to know him as a character, rather than just a monster.

The conflict is simple, and fairly obvious.  Henry’s created this being, and due to his own lack of care, is forced to ‘fix’ his mistake and go up against the monster himself.  While the idea of the creation of life, and the character of the monster isn’t ‘realistic’ in traditional terms, the character is understandable and sympathetic to the audience.  We understand him, and the conflict is made far more personal than it would be in a traditional ‘kill-em-all’ horror film.

In the end, that’s what sets Frankenstein apart.

Sure, the film is an excellent horror and science fiction film, but it’s not the scares or the sci-fi that we remember the most about this movie.  It’s the heart of it, the sad, personal stakes of the movie that sticks with us as an audience, and a culture.  There hasn’t really been another ‘Frankenstein’ type film, asking you to consider, not in a high-browed way, but in a simple, emotional way: who is the monster, and who is the man?

We don’t necessarily remember the ‘kills’ of this film.  Maybe we forget things like Henry’s wedding, or the scenes with his father, but we do remember the monster lifting his hands up to try to touch the light, his dynamic creation, and the ending, far from a happy one.

We remember Frankenstein because, not only is it a good horror film, it’s also a good story that, unlike a lot of horror films, forces us to care, not only about the men, but the monsters as well.  As long as we can still feel emotion for the ‘Other’, there will always be a place for Frankenstein, even almost ninety years later.

Thank you all so much for reading!  Stay tuned for next time, when we’ll be discussing the characters of Frankenstein.  I hope to see you all in the next article.

[lamiralami]

TMA Retro 4: Page Turner

I was touched to see some tag commentary on yesterday’s post! Honestly, it gave me an emotion - I am traditionally very anxious about engaging online, it speaks to my immense love of TMA that it brought me to Make A Post At Last. It’s very affirming and reassuring to get some response to my lunatic treatises. Y’all are all right. 💜

Anyway, grab some lighter fluid and a sturdy wastepaper basket, time to torch your haunted novel in MAG 4: Page Turner

It’s ironic that this statement is about the Vast when it is one dense motherfucker. so many dangling plot threads are introduced here, each ready to hook you and start reeling. we’ve been into the meta plot since episode one but this episode is the first time the audience is made aware of such.

seriously: Jurgen Leitner and his library, Gerard Keay and Mary Keay, Michael Crew. the figures introduced in this one thirty-minute installment loom large over the rest of the entire run

you could, your first time through, even file this away as a one-off scary story if not for the fact that Jon knows what’s going on (enjoy it while it lasts, my son). He’s heard of Jurgen Leitner. He alludes to an incident with his library in 1994. Deeper than that, he immediately takes the statement at face value and treats the claims within it as authentic, which is a complete 180° on the first three episodes

and this is such a smart story choice? Jon shapes our perspective into this universe and up until now he’s been utterly dismissive of the validity of the stories he’s telling. To go from practically rolling his eyes to scheduling a meeting with his boss about tracking down more haunted books - that tells us that Jon takes this seriously as a threat. And that makes us take it seriously too, makes us take note that strange books are dangerous things in this world. Any offhand mention of books in future statements will be enough to make us sweat

And! It starts winding the narrative tension on a character level. Why and what does Jon know about Jurgen Leitner and his library? Why does he say his name with such venom? And if he’s so sure about the supernatural nature of these books, why is he so loath to believe the other statements?

(and then it takes 80 + episodes to fully answer these initial questions. Jonny enjoys a slow roasted torment)

love that the statement giver presents, as proof of his iron-clad sanity, the fact that he works as a theatre technician. speaking as someone with an unfinished theatre degree: theatre people are feral my good buddy, try again. I mean, we refuse to say the name of one of the most famous plays in the English language because we think a ghost will trip us for the indiscretion. this is not the trump card you think it is.

a quick sidebar for the Red String Brigade: The Trojan Women is an ancient Greek tragedy that involves a baby being thrown off a city wall. The Seagull’s first published English translation was done by Marian Fell, and also a seagull is a bird and birds can fly. Much Ado About Nothing is very good and you should all watch the version from 2011 with David Tennant and Catherine Tate.

it’s interesting that these early episodes seem to take a cue from urban legends in some respects. Nathan Watts gets extremely drunk at a party and then is almost skinned by a monster while having a smoke. Joshua Gillespie is approached while engaging in a whirlwind of debauchery and has to take care of a cursed coffin after accepting money for what he thinks is a drug trafficking gig. Amy Patel regularly spies on her neighbour for her own entertainment and then has to watch him be replaced by a malevolent entity only she can perceive. and now Dominic Swain pushes past his guilty conscience to score a valuable book off an unknowing charity shop and...gets a bit dizzy and haunted by a phantom stink for a few days then gets ‎£5,000, well anyway, the point is he got spooked! spooked after doing something kind of iffy! that is pure urban legend procedure; modern day fairy tales imparting dire  consequences onto societal transgressions. in a horror story this structure offers a false sense of safety - if you’re a good person, the monster won’t come for you. I can’t recall which upcoming statement yanks the rug out from under us with the first completely random victim.

cannot comprehend how this guy didn’t start plugging the book into google translate the second he got home. that probably saved him from being taken by the book but I am still judging him for not even trying it. yeah you’d be sucked into some sort of sky hell but at least you’d know what’s in the book!! could never be me

(yes I am aware in this universe I would have been eaten years ago. I’ve made my peace with that)

grbookworm1818 slays me. I don’t know which is better, the idea of Gertude carefully curating the most sixty-five-year-old-on-goodreads username she could as a cover for her cursed purchase history, or her actual sixty-five-year-old brain just expressing itself naturally because Gertrude is a very busy woman who doesn’t have time to immerse herself in the ins and outs of internet culture, she just wants to buy the demonic tomes she’s selected for destruction and get on with her day thanks.

did Gertrude know what a meme was? which Archivist could convincingly pose as a millennial best, Gertrude Robinson or Jonathan Sims?

The Key of Solomon and its former keeper, Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, are both real historical figures. the book is basically Renaissance-era magical au fanfic of the Bible, and the man was a 19th century British occultist (and likely drinking buddy of Jonah Magnus) who founded a Very Serious Secret Society. this is a picture of him whiiiiiich rather dispels any sense of menace he’s meant to invoke. what kind of cosplaying nonsense

Mary Keay is such a striking figure. “She was very old and painfully thin, but her head was completely clean shaven, and every square inch of skin I could see was tattooed over with closely-written words in a script I didn’t recognise.” a Look, a vision!

I’m guessing that Our Gerard was blasting heavy metal at 2 am to try to drown out his undead mother while waiting for her manifestation to dissipate. I like to imagine him frequenting Reddit advice posts about dealing with toxic family members, poor lad

oh my gosh Mary refers to Gerard as “her Gerard” is that where Jon got “our Gerard” from?? I feel betrayed??

whatever, I’m reclaiming it. Our Gerard is meant with affection now babey! 

the eye portrait is a bit puzzling. the inscription - ‘“Grant us the sight that we may not know. Grant us the scent that we may not catch. Grant us the sound that we may not call.”’ - could almost be read as an invocation against the Eye? But in general Gerry is fairly Eye-aligned, so...shrug emoji

(honestly my main takeaway from the eye portrait is that it’s finely detailed and near photorealistic so we can add “tortured artist” to our list of Gerard Keay traits and is it any wonder that he’s so Fandom Beloved?)

Mary is Not Good at negotiating sales. her main technique involves terrible tea, bringing up repressed childhood trauma, and getting her magic book to drop animal bones onto customer’s shoes. I’m guessing Pinhole Books was in bad shape even before the police investigation and murder charges.

hahaha, the Vast pushes Dominic down the stairs. classic. you gotta grab what opportunities are available

so did Gerard have to follow Dominic back to his flat and wait awkwardly on the doorstep at like 3 in the morning, hoping none of his neighbours would notice and call the cops

the revelation that Mary’s been dead the whole time! this episode may be more intent on world building and plot set-up but damn if it isn’t still a good little ghost story.

kind of rude of Gerry to just burn a book in this guy’s flat without asking and then steal his wastepaper basket.

Jon may not call the statement giver a liar for once, but never fear, he’s still our petty bastard man. accuses Gertrude of filing statements without reading them, has Sasha double-check Martin’s research, grumps about his general misfortune . he’s stressed from the Archives’ disorder and having flashbacks to a certain picture book but by Jove, that won’t stop him making snide comments on what’s supposed to be an official audio transcription!

[meme-trash-queen]

anime, book, and movie recommendations for everyone’s coronation

Hi, I thought that this would be a good time since everyone is off from school or quarantined I would make a list of some good books and anime and movies to help bide the time until everything is good again. also, I know animal crossing just came out so people will be playing that but I know some people can’t afford the game or even want to play it so.

movies: next-gen (Netflix film), birdbox(Netflix film), coco, love Simon, bohemian rhapsody, venom, spiderman-into the spider-verse, jack, and the cuckoo clock heart, spirited away, howl’s moving castle, Ponyo, summer wars, the girl who leaped through time, princess Mononoke, my neighbor Totoro, the secret world of Arrietty, kiki’s delivery service, Coraline, the nightmare before Christmas, corpse bride, sleepy hollow (live-action with Jhonny Depp), Frankenweenie, 9, James and the giant peach, Kubo and the two strings, paranorman, monster house, the how to train your dragon trilogy, Atlantis the lost empire, meet the Robinsons, chicken little, hardcore henry, the gallows, the mist, I am legend, chappie, the hunger games trilogy, hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, the village, heathers, Godzilla (2014), kong: skull island, 10 Cloverfield lane, hairspray, Jumanji, Jumanji: Welcome to the jungle, ghostbusters (2018 and the original movies), san andreas, astro boy, the road to el darodo (animeted movie), zathura, leap!, gaurdian brothers, the book of life, pom poko, the greatest showman, detective pikachu, Klaus (netflix film), preditor (2018 and the original), clover field, 10-cloverfield lane, shutter island, aladdin (live action), my hero academia: 2 heros, my hero academia: hero’s rising, promare, venom, the garden of words, akira, and battleship 

those are only a handful of movies I have to recommend. some can be found on Netflix or Hulu but if anyone wants to know where to watch some of the others then send a message and let me know and I will help out. now from the anime. most of the anime I am recommending is mainstream but not all of them and most can be found on Netflix and Hulu. This is because I cannot afford other means to watch anime and the last time I watched anime on kiss anime my computer got a virus. also, a lot of the anime that I get recommended is mainstream. My cousin watches as well so I tend to watch with them a lot. I try and watch other anime as well but just because someone considers an anime mainstream doesn't mean it is bad.

anime: kill la kill, children of the whales, Durarara!!, sword art online (the Japanese version), Gurren Lagann, Jojo's bizarre adventure, haikyu!!, blue exorcist, full metal alchemist brotherhood, cells at work, death note, Ouran highschool host club, the disastrous life of Saiki k., one punch man, black butler, aggretsuko, neon genesis Evangelion, devilman crybaby, anohana, beastars, carol and Tuesday, rilakkuma and Kaoru (I know this isn’t anime), the devil is a part-timer, amagi brilliant park, black butler: book of circus, blue exorcist Kyoto saga, danganronpa: the animation, demon slayer, Durarara!!x2, fire force, future diary, high school of the dead, school live, love live, monster Musume, my hero academia, the promised neverland, sailor moon, sailor moon crystal, seraph of the end, terror in resonance, tiger and bunny, double decker Doug and Kirill, Tokyo Ghoul, Tokyo magnitude 8.0, another, and yona of the dawn, robihachi

once again these are only a handful and most can be found on either hulu or netflix. now for the books, I will split the books into two categories. manga and novels. so here they are.

books: milk and honey by rupi khar, go ask Alice by anonymous, my neighbor Totoro by tagiro Kubo, will Grayson, Will Grayson by david leviathan and jhon green, jays journal by anonymous, letting ana go by anonymous, lucy in the sky by anonymous, red scarf girl by Ji-li Jiang, 13 reasons why by jay asher, the hunger games trilogy, everything, everything by Nicola Yoon, the sun and her flowers by rupi khar, the mist by Stephan king, stop pretending by Sonya sones, the princess saves herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace, the witch doesn’t burn in this one by Amanda Lovelace, life as we knew it by Susan peffer, Simon vs the Homosapien Agenda by Becky albertalli, Kafka on the Shore by Haruki marukami, carry on by Rainbow Rowell, howl’s moving castle by Diana Wynne Jones, October sky by homer hickem jr, the book of david by anonymous, paper towns by jhon green, me, earl, and the dying girl by Jesse Andrews, the help by Kathryn Stockett, stranger than fanfiction by chris colfer, bird box by josh malerman, a long way down by jason Reynolds, 1Q84 by haruki marukami, wayward son by rainbow rowell, good omens by terry pratchet and niel gaiman, breaking baily by anonomous, deep and dark and dangerous by mary downing Hahn, wait till helen comes by mary downing hahn, scary stories to tell in the dark the complete collection by alvin schwartz, and the hunger games trilogy by susan collins

manga: another by kakito and akani, 5 centemeters per-second by makoto shinkai and yukiko seike, orange by ichigo takano, doubt by yoshiki tonogai, limit by keika suenobou, tokyo undead by tsukasa saimura, the flowers of evil by shuzo oshimi, shiver by junji ito, fragments of horror by junji ito, tohyo game by g.o., chiro, and tatsushiko, junji ito’s cat diary: yon and mo bt junji ito, disilving classroom by junji ito, magical girl apocalypse by kentaro sato, gyo. by Junji ito, Uzumaki by Junji ito, Tomi by Junji ito, ibitsu by kazuto okada, Shibuya goldfish by Aoi hiroumi, orange future by Ichigo Takano, Frankenstein by Junji ito, smashed by Junji ito, the princess and the dressmaker by Jen wang (this is a graphic novel but this post is already really long so here it is), the bride was a boy by chii, the garden of words by Makoto Shinkai, strawberry panic by Sakurako kimino, go for it Nakamura by syundei, judge by tonogai Yoshiko, I hear the sunspot by Yuki fumino, I hear the sunspot theory of happiness by Yuki fumino, I married my parents just to shut my parents up by Kodama Naoko, I want to eat your pancreas by yoru sumino and idumi Kirihara, no longer human by Junji ito (original story by Osama dazai), and dark metro by Tokyo calen and yoshiken

these are all of my recommendations for a fun coronacation. also, please take all of the necessary safety and sanitary precautions and stay safe. while I do support a lot of things that normal Christians don’t I am one and am praying for everyone’s safety. even if you don’t believe in God that is ok. I respect your beliefs and you have every right to not believe. No matter what I am keeping everyone in my thoughts and prayers. please stay safe and clean everyone.

p.s. keep the carona memes coming!