#who wants to make a dracula video game with me

[cjbee]

Look, the Phantom miniboss reminded me of Dracula...

[amelee23]

Interpretation of messages and references in Railway

I would like to first say these are my interpretations and I could very well be wrong about these or read way too far into it

!! So take this with a grain of salt !!

TW: BLOOD, GORE AND DEATH TOPICS

1. The text in Romanian

Now, I have seen a few translations because this text is well, spelt wrong. (Idk if it was on purpose or not, maybe to throw us off?)

Special occasion info reveal, but I am Romanian.

My own interpretation is this:

"Castelul meu este un loc al intunericului." which translates to "My castle is a place of darkness."

This translation makes the most sense to me, but like I said, I have seen other translations by people which are a tiny bit different. (but nothing too game changing.)

Personally I like "My castle is a place of darkness" because I feel like it could reference something like a mind palace. So basically saying "my mind is a dark place."

2. Vampire concept

This vampire concept to me seemed to be inspired by Bram Stoker's Dracula at first, but then I realized it was more than that. I'm gonna bring a few arguments as to why I think that it might be a lot more well documented.

Dracula was based on the real Romanian Emperor Vlad the Impaler, a violent leader who used to stake people alive.

These creatures, to me, seem to be tied to these flags, and honestly this imagine immediately made me think of Vlad the Impaler's gruesome history. He was such a cruel man that the people back then used to think he was feeding off of the blood of people, and that's why he was so eager to kill.

However!! Before these concepts really set into the Romanian folklore, 'vampires' (the correct name is actually strigoi) were the souls of people (dead or alive) turned evil, that would come to haunt people.

"The evil dead committed always returns to the person who committed it"

Romanian folklore followed this rule as well, up to a certain point, as it was said that people who weren't allowed into Zalmoxis's (A god) kingdom after death would come back to haunt the earth. (So basically sinners.)

On top of that it was also said that strigoi used to crawl out of the earth during a full moon,

And perhaps the most interesting part of all of the references, to me, is the idea of duality. Because Vlad the Impaler as an Emperor, ruthless as he was, was an excellent warrior and army commander, and has led the country to victory (although it was through very gruesome methods). Therefore, historians have been torn in between calling him a tyrant or a hero.

All in all, as Chan is also a leader, I think it makes sense to somewhat represent the duality of a person in command, the tension between goodwill and the means of it, if you will.

3. Final thoughts

Personally I think the most general interpretation I can make out of all I have collected is that he killed the dark side of his mind. Or wants to, at least, in order to let the kind, good one take charge. I see the English quote as a reference to the weight of responsibility, and how one's actions can affect others. That's why I consider it important to translate the Romanian into "my castle is a place of darkness" because then it becomes obvious that the MV symbolizes an inner battle. So, as gory as the video is, I think Chan is saying that he'll always choose kindness, no matter how complicated his mind is. 😁

[cant-say-tomorrow-day]

guys hear me out HEAR ME OUT...

Dracula, but it's Smosh...

Dracula: Damien! Spookiest guy, vibes fit the best, and could probably do the most accurate accent if he chose to. Oh and there's also that recent Games video where he bites Keith, so... he has an audition tape.

Renfield: Tommy; my vision for this is that he plays him like he plays Mental Illness... "Helloooooo Dr. Seward, it is me, your mental patient! I am going to eat a rat now and you are going to watch! Teeheehee!"

Jonathan Harker: Shayne would be really great for this, honestly. I think he'd be able to play into the creeping fear slow descent into terror incredibly well. He makes the best bewildered expressions too.

Mina Harker: Courtney, and not just because of Shayne's role. They would kick some serious ass as Mina, I think seeing her as an investigative character who can put all the pieces together would be really cool.

Lucy Westenra: Amanda would get a kick out of three guys proposing to her, c'mon. Plus I think she would make the role really campy and play into the damsel aspects in such a silly way, it'd be so fun to see.

Arthur Holmwood: I want to say Trevor for this, mostly because he's always so fantastic in the Gentleman videos and I think he'd play up the aristocracy part of the character really well if we're going for a more comedic tone, which I think we are considering it's Smosh.

Dr. Jon Seward: Maybe a weird pick, but I want to see Angela for this. I just love the idea of her playing someone very practical and level-headed, and then getting more and more confused as the story goes on and shit just keeps getting crazier and more fucked up. She also has great chemistry with both Tommy and Angela.

Quincey Morris: Spencer would be perfect, honestly. We've seen him do a southern accent a few times and it's always golden. I also think his sassiness and wit would really make the part stand out.

Van Helsing: I'm actually really stuck on this one. Damian would be perfect, if he wasn't already playing Dracula. So apart from that, my gut is actually telling me Anthony. I think that he has the right visual aesthetic for it, I think he'd have fun playing someone so cooky.

[purrlockswatson]

Thank you, @greenfinchwriter , for tagging me in this tag game! I know we're supposed to reblog, but I can't hide long posts when they're shown on the "my posts" tab and that sometimes gets my goat, so I hope it's all right if I make a separate post!

Last TV show: Arcane

Last movie: Hammer's Dracula... I think? I've completely lost all sense of time.

Last book: A vampire romance in which the vampire, I kid you not, conjures cheesecakes.

Last thing I searched: Just checked. It's "bub meaning." I wish I could say it's "Sherlock Harpoon," but that was this morning.

Sweet/savoury/spicy: You are asking the gremlin who puts sugar in soup. Sweet.

Relationship status: extremely occupied with matchmaking my original characters.

Favourite drink: Cocoa, tea, soup, blood

Songs playing 24/7: "Judas" by Lady Gaga, "Love me normally" by Will Wood

Current favourite character: Van Helsing and Mina Harker (specifically from the Dracula book)

Fun activities I wish to get into: I want to try animating softwares, but it'll have to wait until I have a computer again. My antique PC is sadly ignoring me.

Last video game: Good grief, this ancient Undead hasn't played one in ages. Probably the Halloween game on Google Doodles?

Anyway, I drew Sherlock with a harpoon ages ago.

Oh, yes, I forgot to tag! @frommarshtheycome @windforkthewriter @t4z-0n-p4wz @whyisthereacentaur

[imagionationstation]

*Throws more turtles at you and runs away*

And a litle bonus

TURTLES- Why does Mikey looks like he’s breaking the fourth wall in the last one. He looks like he’s playing narrator.

ARE WE MAKING EYE CONTACT-

1) "She saved me" I mean, objectively, he's not wrong XD He just doesn't have the right reasons in mine. Ah, Leo.

= New Girl In Town

2) SPLINTER! DONNIE IS GOING TO HAVE TO FIX THAT TV DON'T BREAK THINGS YOUR KID HAS TO REPAIR!!!

= The Noxious Avenger

3) All I'm saying is that KARAI was stalking the turtles 24/7 and that's how she ended up needing Leo's saving. Plus, most of the time it was only with the worst intentions, but no one's going to talk about that or how creepy it is. Is it because she's human? Or she's puuuurty? 🤨 

Sexism or specism, okay, pick a side /jkjkjk

= Enemy of My Enemy

4) The shift between The Super Shredder and Darkest Plight always jars me because they have the same conversation but slightly tweeked between episodes and it's like: WHAT'S THE CANON CONVERSATION WHICH ONE IS A LIE??

Or maybe they have the same conversation twice because of grief or disbelief. I don't pretend to understand turtle minds.

I love how in this scene shows just how much they've adapted to their roles when Mikey pops up and exchanges a subtle look with Leo who nods and then Raph smirks and Donnie watches them move with a calculated gaze because they're all on the same wave length and then Mikey distracts like he does best and hkjhkhgks GROWTH

= Darkest Plight

5) ...Donnie honey no don't look so sad *sad sounds* Raph coming in with that hand on his shoulder for comfort OH THIS SCENE-

= The Mutation Situation

6) GUYSER- GYSER? GY... GEYSER CAVE!! Also. Chimera ✨

= Eyes of the Chimera

7) Green gas room. Mikey be doing his thang.

= New Girl In Town

8) I originally thought The Crypt of Dracula but then I was like: April wasn't there. She was bitten. Soooo, space outfits! They're in space. When did they temple in Space? Oooooh-

SAVE THE MIKEY, RAPHIE! GO!

= Riddle of the Ancient Aeons

9) Yeah I can't sleep when I'm annoyed either, Mikey. BUT THAT DOESN'T GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO STEAL FROM DONNIE'S LAB WHEN HE BORROWED THAT FROM SOMEONE ELSE, MIKEY!

Donnie SHOULD be getting coaxed to bed and instead his nap is going to get interrupted so the sleepy kid can get YELLED AT

This is why this kid can't ever get his 8 hours.

Everything goes wrong when he tries to snooze!

= Bat in the Belfry.

10) 👏 I should👏 know👏 this 👏

But I cannot remember for the life of me what it is. HUmf.

11) I HAVE NO IDEA BUT I NEED CONTEXT FOR THIS PLEASE??

12) iT'S VIDEOS GAMES. BUT TRAINING! (Teenage turtles 🙄)

= The Arena of Carnage

13) Egyptian! I see Egypt stuff in that backgrouuuund!

= The Curse of Savanti Romero

14) Mikey is just so randomly awesome all the time. It really does him injustice to pretend like he's some depressed child who's constantly underestimated or mistreated by his brothers. "Mikey, you never cease to amaze me" like c'mon they know his potential.

His whole gig is "this shouldn't work" BUT HE MAKES IT WORK

He's just "super dope like that, fool!" jgdlkjgldfkjgldfk

= End Times

15) Room full of screens. "Not now DonnIe- ohhh, sorry Mr. O'Neil." Yep yep yep I'm pretty confident in this assumption

= Operation Break Out

16) Literally have no idea what this comes from. BUT HE'S CREEPING ME OUT NO NONONNNO- AHHAHAHAHAHH- I WANT TO STOP MAKING EYE CONTACT NOW-

[beevean]

https://x.com/adishankarbrand/status/1844916313363448166

Friendly reminder that this guy has read Berserk and wants to animate it

Oh sure he says he's trolling in other tweets but after seeing his take on Dracula I ain't convinced

Yeah no this is 100% consistent with his take on Dracula that he released on interviews:

“The best villains, in general, are the heroes of their own story and the trick to making Castlevania resonate was this idea that Dracula isn’t a bad guy, he isn’t a villain, he’s just a person consumed with darkness," Shankar told us. "That first episode in Season 1 we start to see why he wants to eradicate humans. He’s not just this mustache-curling, one-dimensional villain. What Dracula is doing is not really a war against humanity. It’s more a suicide note.”

What about the whole concept of redemption arcs? That I’m totally on board with. Because let’s say, let’s say Dracula had been a cartoonish villain, then you wouldn’t have had in season one. You wouldn’t have had that entire backstory of trying to get in touch with this humanity and all that stuff and why all of a sudden his war against humans in the show is justified. So without that backstory, he becomes this like cartoony villain. I just I feel like, it’s important to kind of get across that the bad guys are really the heroes of their own narrative.

So when he insists on saying things like this?

You don't get to jump up and down yelling "I'm kidding! I'm just kidding! Haha I was just pretending and y'all fell for it, sike!" when we have proof, including a whole season of an acclaimed show (and I'm not talking about the whole show because I don't know how much input Shankar had on S4, I don't think much) of you exposing your views that a monstrous, genocidal villain who was willing to exterminate humankind and let vampirekind starve to death did actually nothing wrong and he's just a sad little bean.

Also, didn't he also call Sephiroth an anti-hero?

“It’s true,” he tells USA Today. “I’m drawn to anti-heroes with a strong point-of-view. Sephiroth is from an era where ‘bad guys’ felt one-dimensional across all media and in video games they felt especially mustache twirly. From a style perspective, I feel like the Final Fantasy series in its futurist dystopian entries had amazing fashion that I would – and do – replicate with my own spin.”

I think Shankar deadass thinks that anti-heroes are villains with a tragic backstory. He really would, unironically, propose that Griffith did nothing wrong because he was tortured.

I know why he's doing this: he thinks he's crafting some deep, morally nuanced narratives. But by insisting that destructive villains are just poow widdle meows meows and really Not So Bad After all, while relegating "villainy" to what he describes as "mustache-twirling" (basically the older stupid games), he's flattening the narrative. Evil can come from anyone, even from those who we find sympathetic. You can mean well and still do harm. You can have suffered more than you deserve and still not have the right to inflict that suffering back. His narrative in NFCV was heavy handed and forced me to sympathize with a lethargic monster who is in some verses even more callous than his game counterpart just because wife died, instead of simply allowing me to come up with my own conclusions.

I'm sorry, DMC fans. Good luck.

[thecreaturenewt]

i feel like this is the only website where i can share my honest feelings about nosferatu because every other website has an audience that does not have enough vampire media knowledge to understand where im coming from when i say i was disappointed. SPOILERS AHEAD

i had incredibly high expectations for this film. this is as and enjoyer of the 1922 nosferatu, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and a plethora of other vampire media. The sexuality and lack of will associated with vampires and their hypnotic abilities is something I was expecting to see as well as the hypersexuality imposed on the vampire’s thralls (like the brides of dracula) but the focus of the story not being on nosferatu himself but ellen writhing around, gyrating, and telling her husband he could never fuck as as good as the maggot infested nosferatu who comes to her in her dreams? not compelling to me, especially when there is so much incredible source material to inform any character writing.

in the beginning of the film we can hardly get a good look at our titular character which i understood, we want a ghastly reveal, but i was underwhelmed. there was no big reveal, at first he was blurred and in shadow- then he was there,, again really letting me down. to depict his control over thomas we get skips of time that are meant to feel dizzying but mostly felt lazy,, like they weren’t willing to put the effort into showing us some type of control or hypnosis, and with ellen we get her eyes rolling back and seizing and moaning with her responding to Orlok’a disembodied voice.

While the film was comprised of a great deal of well still shots I couldn’t help but feel there was a great deal of focus on aesthetics opposed to writing a genuinely compelling piece which I was so surprised by because the director, Robert Eggers has blown me away with previous projects! (The Lighthouse, The VVitch, The Northman, etc.) I also noticed a great deal of the scenes felt sort of shoddily mashed together. There would be a scene, a quick transition, and another scene with very little time to comfortably shift,, this may also seem a strange critique but I found a lot of the scenes felt like video game cutscenes.

One thing I think contributed to the was the almost NPC like behavior of some of the characters. The characters were introduced and I immediately knew what role each of them would be filling in the film. Freidrich, the non-believer and the husband, Anna the friend of Ellen and wife of Freidrich, the daughters,, just daughters- no real depth, Ellen the friend of Anna the wife of Thomas- her character was more full as we heard of nightmares she’s suffered from since childhood and a love oof her husband that saved her(?) from this,, again making her a wife and sexual object first and an individual second, and Thomas,, there to sell a house, husband of Ellen, and other than that quite a flat character, even Nosferatu, we didn’t get the classic ‘oh I need her because she looks like one of my wives from years ago!’ Ellen was just ??? lonely??? when she was younger so she called out to a presence and Nosferatu answered?? from Transylvania?? and has been waiting this entire time?? to see her??

I understand wanting to come to the Dracula/Nosferatu mythos with your own twist or some original ending but choosing to have Ellen open herself to be the ‘willing victim’ felt so easy? and thoughtless? and somehow also convoluted? sacrificing the young maiden is really the most boring choice that possibly could’ve been made here, and again I wouldn’t be harping on this so severely if there wasn’t so much incredible source material to work off of.

The most compelling parts of the movie must have occurred in the first 20 minutes because that was when I was most engaged. It was unsettling, it was dark, it was gothic, and from there I was let down. Sure there were good scenes here and there after, and if I had never read Dracula, seen the original Nosferatu, or consumed a great deal of the vampire media I have- I think I would’ve really liked the movie; but I have so I didn’t.

[soapytrash]

💚Hello everyone💚

I figured I should make an intro post for anyone who wants to know more about me :>

My name is Soap

2(5)0 years old

I draw, a lot

I only speak English, apologies

❌ Some of my posts may contain blood/violence/foul language! I will not post nsfw/suggestive content.

I don’t take commissions, but I plan to in the future! ❌

Some stuff I really like

Movies!

Wreck it Ralph

Batman Returns

Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Alice in Wonderland

Hunchback of Notre Dame

Phantom of the Opera (1925)

Dracula (1933)

My Man Godfrey

Every Marx Brother’s film

Stephen King’s IT (1990)

Haunt

Video games!

Vermintide 1/2

Left 4 Dead/Left 4 Dead 2

Bloodborne

Dark Souls 3

Dead by Daylight

Slime Rancher

Luigis Mansion

Gmod

Mario Kart

Baldi’s Basics

Fnaf

Music!

Night Club

Maroon 5

The Garden

Insane Clown Posse

Muse

IDKHBTFM

Mother Mother

Will Wood

Lemon Demon

Bryan Scary

The Real Tuesday Weld

The Dear Hunter

Shayfer James

Poor Mans Poison

Jukebox the Ghost

The Family Crest

Bear Ghost

I also really like Classical and 1920’s-1950’s jazz

Other shtuff

I’m a furry lol

I love GREEN I’m in love with GREEN GREEN IS MY FAVORITE COLOR

I have a boatload of oc’s, but I mostly draw fanart

I’m very very bad at responding, I apologize if you say something and I don’t say anything back for obscene amounts of time

🚫 If you support any kind of bigotry or hate speech, get away from me. 🚫

🚫 Pro shipping is gross, don’t interact if you like it. 🚫

🚫 I absolutely ABHOR AI with my entire existence, ANY kind, funny meme images bother me just the same as stolen art. 🚫

💚💚💚Thank you for your time :)💚💚💚

[gravecircuit]

Act 2 Review + Act 3 theories (FULL spoilers)

ouch

Maddie is up there waiting in Caitlyn's bed while this Shakespearean bloodbath is going down lmaoooooo

Jayce pancaking Salo made me cackle like an idiot, I heard the mario bros game over theme play when he did that, put that thing down you murderhobo omg

Vi didn't see the slap coming because Jinx was winding that one up since Season 1, Episode 3

I really thought Cait army vs. Jinx army was going to be a more fleshed out / dramatic arc but I'm not against the Metal Gear Powder episode we got instead.

My previous theory of it not being LeBlanc is essentially debunked in this batch - I was theorizing against it because of power scaling but looking at Mel's power, I thought she would have a force field but she's got some sort of phoenix force thing going on. (There's theories out now that MEL technically blew up the council in reflex to deflect the jinx rocket). I'll leave the Du Couteau theory on the shelf, but if were going all the way up to LeBlanc's office + reading all of Ambessa's lines, what on earth did Kino do to piss off DRACULA!?

To go further, because of in game descriptions people were speculating if the "Pantheon" in Ambessa's music video was just some Noxian stand in. But the Ambessa plot snippet + Mel's power maybe being hereditary makes me think actual Pantheon might be on the menu, as in, Mel is the child of the Matriarch and Aspect of War. Pin this for now, I'll browse the wiki again later.

Silco, Vander, Felicia flashback: new context dropped. Literal actual godfathers of Zaun. At this point how many generations back does sibling conflict go omg, Felicia's a descendent of Morgana or something.

Cait doing a 180 out of her heel turn felt a little rushed to me. We didn't see "commander" Caitlyn command anything?? It felt like she was in that ceremonial position Jayce offered her in season 1, it's like, "I'm a dictator /j" - Vi also didn't seem mad enough idk, off screen timeskip call her cupcake kiss and make up end scene bleh. They switch back sides with very little conflict idk.

"I won't fail, I swear it." Did Jayce enter the Viktorverse? Who else would he swear to if he's tasked with crossing that line?

Isha. Fortiche established 2 new cinnamon rolls in Act 1. The way they terrorize us with both of them in opposite ways omfg.

Overall, Act 2 felt like a lot of bullet points wanted to be covered. but still keeping Vi & Jinx as the through line. It's not perfectly paced, but I still think that they will stick the landing (especially after the end of this batch aaaaa).

Act 3 thoughts:

The Noxian invasion seems to be kicking off in Act 3, I wonder if there are any other tricks remaining up Ambessa's sleeve or if another Noxian character is who show's up with the air balloons / army. (Cast feels pretty full as it is but still)

It looks like Mel escapes and returns to Piltover maaaaybe in episode 7? The thing with Mel's story is again, I don't know what Piltover should do if LeBlanc actually rolls up. Everyone fire all their abilities I guess.

On that note, I really doubt any other characters are coming in as backup for Piltover. Maybe some from Zaun? (Urgot clutch LOL no). "Prototype Blitzcranks" might be used idk.

Heimerdinger might hard carry. Also, the in-game Arcane theme turrets looking like hex gates I think is intentional. Potential Piltover death laser incoming?

I'm hopping on the train of thought that Act 3 will have a scene of everyone dying and Ekko going "you're probably wondering how we got here" *rewinds the tape*

I think Viktor will be the final boss.

[sweetlikehoneystingslikeabee]

Riddlers with a s/o who really likes horror movies, old ones, news one, everything in between long as it's horror? Need to know who's ear I can talk off

"Riddlers and Horror Movies" Riddler party x Reader

Several of these riddlers share direct horror movie quirks with me have fun guessing which. Also listed favorite horror film(s).

TW: horror films, blood and gore descriptions, mentions of emotional self-harm

Gotham

He's the guy who is going to contradict and tell you every medical inaccuracy of the deaths and mechanics in the movies. Yes, of course there's suspension of disbelief but at some point things are just wrong.

Babe, that should be arterial blood but they're portraying venous blood consistency :(

If you don't mind him talking at length about how these things would actually go OR conversely how well the sfx portrayed real injuries, he is your horror movie buddy! None of it bothers him considering how many real life murder, suicide and accident victims he's had to perform autopsies on.

Cuddling with his gangly legs on the couch bundled up in a big blanket with you while the sounds of screams echo from the tv and fill the room. Huge smile. He especially old classics when you're in the mood. Black and white films and transatlantic accents... It sounds like a great night to him.

Favorite Horror Movies: Might be a surprise but he really loves "Freaks" from 1932. He will talk for a long time about how, even though many of the disabled actors were ostracized on set, the fact that they were present at all is significant. The ableist assholes get theirs in the end! He also has a lot of fondness for "Re-animator."

Btas

He's the one interested in the sfx rambles. What, you think he designed a video game and labyrinth for a theme park just because he's intelligent? He likes behind the scenes work. God help everyone if he and Scarecrow decided to get together to make a haunted house.

You ever see those huge animatronics in horror mazes, especially the huge end show pieces? That's where his interest goes.

Depending on how much you watch and express interest in that kind of thing, he genuinely might start making horror animatronics and programs. He has the know-how! His would be the realistic looking ones, especially for animals. Spooky but definitely based in forms you see in real life.

Well, beautiful, you might have helped him find a very profitable side gig. Everyone else might be sore at you for a while, though, given Edward scaring the fuck out of them with holograms and mechanics. Plus more team-ups with Scarecrow.

All this because you wanted to watch horror movies with him. His darling <3

Favorite horror movie: "The Thing" (1982) and while it's not his absolute favorite, he ends up enjoying "Willy's Wonderland" a lot for both the animatronics and video game nods.

60s

The old ones with little to no gore is fine! More modern hack and slashers might be a little too spooky for him :( definitely never show him "Hostel" or anything in that vein.

Truthfully, it's not the violence or the blood, he's seen that. It's the suffering that gets him. It all seems so pointless and needless. At least when he's attempting to cut batman into tiny pieces using a comically giant fan, there's a goal or point. In his mind, anyways.

Before dating you his idea of horror was "Dracula", "Frankenstein"... "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken".... Start with horror that has a more comedic or cheesy element- "Little Shop of Horrors" to "Tucker & Dale vs. Evil." "Creepshow" 1 and 2 from the 80s! If you ease him into it and don't go too extreme, he'll love watching horror movies with you.

Favorite Horror Movie: OKAY THIS IS CHEATING BECAUSE IT'S NOT A MOVIE BUT. He'd be a HUGE fan of the "Tales from the Crypt" show from the early 90s (that is almost impossible to find streaming rip my horror uncle The Cryptkeeper). Horror plus puns. He will always take a funny, morbid pun! Plus... man can appreciate a cackle. He also has several opinions about the original "Suspiria."

Zero Year

It has to have something of a decent story or he's not paying attention. Where is the BACKGROUND? Sidenote: if you get him into something like Bloodborne (I know, not a movie) with lots of lore, expect to not see him for a hot minute as he consumes all the information he can like a sponge.

He tends to favor psychological horror- Although, if it means spending time with you and gaining favor, he would watch most anything. Especially if there's the possibility of close physical affection... ANYWAYS. He's also the one who wants to watch a bunch of foreign language film horror such as "Les yeux sans visage" in original French.

Another thing is that he will watch things over and over and over again with you if you want. Part of it is the undiagnosed neurodivergency. Part of it is because you always catch new details when you watch things again. Him noticing something that you didn't and him getting to tell you and impressing you is a special kind of high. He will talk about movies for hours afterwards. "Jacob's Ladder" has been a several hours long dissection MULTIPLE TIMES.

Favorite Horror Movies: "Angel Heart" is his top all time favorite. If you haven't seen it, he will practically tie you up to watch it together- He also really enjoyed "The Lighthouse" and "Us."

Arkham

Similar to BTAS, he is also interested in the animatronics. His, however, would lean to body horror and sci-fi. Something about biology and machine blending together... it gets him kind of excited.

He will sit and work while watching you play something like Deadspace (sorry, a game again) for HOURS. Then he wants to watch the prequel movie with you. Also if you don't mind subtitles, he has this recommendation for "Tetsuo: The Iron Man" if you haven't seen it already. And if you haven't... You are in for an experience.

In short, this man is about the body horror. He likes other horror too, but that's his bread and butter. Sci-fi horror as well. Bonus when there is overlap. He's seen "Annihilation" at least twenty times and has the books dog-eared and rough from multiple reads somewhere in his belongings. Yes, they are ultimately different, but he's in love with the concept enough that to him he appreciates both.

He is going to scare you with animatronics he makes. Sometimes intentionally. Sometimes not. Have fun with that.

Favorite horror movies: Cronenberg period but he has a special fondness for "Videodrome" and "The Fly" (1986).

Telltale

Despite it being an excellent movie, he despises "Jacob's Ladder." It brings up too many unpleasant thoughts. Movies, especially horror, with medical experimentation are a trigger though he'll never say it out loud. You find this out as you discuss watching certain movies and see the connection between all of them.

That being said, the horror movies he likes have two themes: they have meaning/ a message or they involve transformation. The first is because anything too simple bores him. The second is totally absolutely NOT because of projection of his own trauma.

Show him "Get Out" and "Nope" and he gains a deep reverence for Jordan Peele as a writer and director. Intelligent, entertaining, and the perfect amount of horror mixed in. Kind of a fan, only you know, really.

80s version of "The Fly" makes him emotional and you probably only watch it once with him. He likes it a lot! Just... the slow transformation via a science accident is very relatable. Madness overtaking you.

Favorite horror movies: "An American Werewolf In London" it's a classic. Not to mention in his opinion one of the best transformation scenes in a movie.

2022/nashton

Ha... so here's the thing. He likes "Hostel" and movies like that with lots of violence and gore. He's even seen "Wolf Creek" and got some real excitement out of it. HOWEVER. Movies in that vein are a form of emotional self-harm for him. He likes them in the moment but they also usually trigger massive anxiety and depression episodes for him later on in the day/night.

Others like "Se7en" (I know it's a thriller not true horror), "Saw" and the like are usually okay. There's a distinctive difference that may only exist in his own mind, but the more you watch with him, the more you'll find out which movies are "safe" for him. Which is good! He does like horror movies, but as we know from the prequel comics, he's not always good at taking care of himself due to massive amounts of trauma.

He loves films that are gems that aren't super well known in the US when he can find them. Have you seen the Korean horror film "The Silenced"? No? You're in for a treat.

He likes movies that have a logic or puzzle to them. Complex mechanics and traps. A sick sense of justice dispensed.

Favorite horror movies: The "Saw" series. Also "The Collector." He sees the upside down shot with the reflective contacts and the spider allegories and his eyes dilate like a cat seeing it's favorite toy.

[scarlet--wiccan]

Sorry to send two asks about this but I was reading through some of the rivals lore dumps and saw some interesting things. Strange is his own reality’s sorcerer supreme and he’s fighting against Dracula, who has trapped New York in endless night and seeks the darkhold. He also mentions having a daughter named Sofia, who I just learned was a character (intended to be his daughter but never established as such).

He and au SS Wanda team up to fight Dracula and get the darkhold (Wanda wants it bc she thinks she needs it to save her reality from collapsing) and Wanda suggests recruiting Moon Knight, which I assume is the reason for her moon knight cosplay outfit and I’d imagine is setting up some kind of midnight sons mystic team in universe? I’d love to see blade added eventually.

Unrelated but Storm’s lore kind of implies Krakoa and arakko are long running societies and not something established within the last few years, though magneto also discusses genosha

Yeah, so it seems like most the characters in Rivals are from different realities. Again, this is nothing new-- a lot of recent Marvel video games have used a multiverse crossover as a basic premise-- but I appreciate that Rivals makes very intentional continuity references, including some deep cuts that really show a famliarity with the source material.

Wanda is from a world where many of her fellow magicians, including Stephen, have died in a "Demon War" in Las Vegas, which reminds me of the Damnation event from 2018. Wanda is now the Sorcress Supreme and her Sanctum is located on Mount Wundagore. She's never encountered the Darkhold herself, but is apparently familiar wiht Chthon and, obviously, has a mastery of chaos magic, which she has been using the stabilize her reality throughout the Timestream Entanglement.

I don't know if I agree that Storm's story entry necessarily indicates that Krakoa or Arakko have been around longer than they were in 616 continuity-- don't forget, the Arakki civilization existed for millennia before being brought back to Earth. Similar to Wanda, Storm uses her powers to stabilize reality during the Timestream Entanglement, although it causes the two islands to merge together. I thought this was a really clever use of Ororo's Omega-level atmokinesis— she approaches the Entanglement as a sort of time-storm, which allows her to control it.

Stephen's story doesn't reveal much-- he basically gets cut off from his body while astral projecting and trapped in the Astral Plane when it gets messed up by the Entanglements. He sees a bunch of alternate-universe Sorcerer Supremes, inlcuding Sofia Strange, who is a character from a one-shot comic from 2004, so that is a truly impressive deep cut. There's a Jericho shoutout in here, too, which is nice.

[thedragonofbadasstemple]

Got tagged by @klutenpetter to share 9 new movies, games, and tv shows I got into in 2024! Not all of these debuted last year but last year was when I started to watch/get into them so I'm putting them in!

I was away on holiday so just now getting the chance to share. I had to really think about it to get 9 choices since I didn't really pick up many new animes last year, much ones I enjoyed immensely, and I'm too busy to play video games, but overall I enjoyed some real bangers in 2024! Put everything in approximate order to when I started them...

Witch and The Beast. LOVED IT!! The anime and the portion of the manga it covers is great, the following arc is even better. Everything covered in the anime felt like an extended prologue to the actual plot. I read the Manga from start to finish after I finished the anime since I enjoyed the art. I hope the manga comes back from hiatus soon.

Slam Dunk. I watched this with my partner and we greatly enjoyed it. Hanamichi's voice actor is incredible. We did not enjoy The Final Slam Dunk very much, it was a huge let down. I really want to read the manga so I can enjoy the intended plot from start to finish, but even if half the 90s anime is filler I still really enjoyed it a lot!

Dungeon Meshi. Also watched this one with my partner! Its very inspiring, both creatively as well as in making me feel motivated. I haven't bought any merch for this series, I'm telling myself Senshi and Laios would want me to spend money on cookware and food instead lol. I would like to purchase the manga and read it in Spanish some day. We can't wait for season 2!

BANGx9 BRAVERN!!!!. FUCKING LOVED THIS. Easily in my top 10 anime of all time. PLEASE WATCH BRAVERN IF YOU HAVEN'T YET!!! My sales pitch is its Yuri on Ice but Mecha AU. There is even a yurio equivalent. Its very funny and very gay. I got one of the t-shirts Smith wears as well, he's such himbo goals.

The Fall Guy. I watched this in the theaters with my mom! We went just to have something to do with low expectations and no idea what the plot was and we both enjoyed it. I bought it on blu ray as soon as it released! I really enjoyed this film, it is filled with love for the art of filmmaking and you can tell everyone is having a great time. I'm sad its a bit of a box office bomb, it deserved better.

House MD. I picked this up to have some background noise to help me accomplish tasks since I have ADD. Kluten, who tagged me, likes it, and I like having new things to talk with him about. I haven't finished it yet, I'm on season 6, but I do really love it so far. I also blame the Rasputin AMV for making me interested too, and all the memes in general. The House MD fandom propaganda really putting in the work!

Saw. Yes, I really didn't see the original Saw until 2024. I've wanted to watch it for years, ever since I saw an (incomplete) retrospective of the series and just didn't get around to it. I thought the series was just torture porn before said retrospective, but the original film is actually quite different from how the series ended up. I watched Saw 2 right after the first and it didn't charm me as much. I do not plan to watch further entries. The original is enough for me! <3

Mouthwashing. I didn't play this one directly, I watched ManlyBadassHero's play through. I actually had to watch it twice as the first time didn't really catch me, but it exploded in popularity and I watched it again and that's when I really fell in love. Swansea/Daisuke is Calladashi but a different font for me. Somethings never change I guess LOL.

Nosferatu. Watched this in theaters in Spain with my partner. It was the first movie date we had and we both really enjoyed the film. We're both freaks and related to Ellen a lot. I really enjoyed this adaptation of Dracula and its made me want to read the book again! I really loved that Orlock had a book accurate [REDACTED], I'm still very delighted just thinking about it! I can't wait to watch it again, I'm picking it up on blu-ray when it releases!

For this I will tag @solanum-iycopersicum, @wanderingpierrot, @tardigradetv, @dagaaz, aaaaaand @themetro5000.

[hopeymchope]

Hector, a.k.a. the biggest misstep of Castlevania Seasons 3 and 4

I think pretty much everyone was in the tank for Castlevania's first two seasons, and just yesterday I made my feelings on the first season of "Nocturne" clear. But I want to take a moment to discuss the third and fourth seasons—the weirdest seasons, because they have the least to do with any of the video games.

Spoiler for my own thoughts, but: Season 3 is the worst year of Netflix Castlevania by a fuckin' country mile.

Season 2 was partly an abbreviated adaption of Castlevania III, but most of its running time is set on seemingly setting up its direct follow-up — Castlevania: Curse of Darkness. We meet Hector and Isaac, we learn how they came into Dracula's service, and we grow to understand Isaac's undying loyalty to his master juxtaposed with Hector's growing doubts. By the end of the season, Isaac believes Hector is a traitor, and Hector... is enslaved by Carmilla.

I loved this setup. It's a great twist on the game's backstory of Hector having betrayed Dracula because he was disillusioned by the genocide mission; instead, the animated series has his "betrayal" be more of a misunderstanding, but his doubts about the genocide are still very much there, made evident by how Dracula has to lie to him about his true intentions for humanity to get Hector to cooperate.

For the record, I loved Isaac's redesign and new backstory for the TV series. The Isaac from 'Curse of Darkness' an utter clown of over-the-top hamminess. We love him for it, sure, but we also sure as fuck don't take him seriously. :P

And his enslavement at the hands of Carmilla is a great hole to make Hector dig himself out of so he can become the hero we know him as from the games. It's better than the generic "my wife was executed as a witch just like Dracula's was, and it was Isaac's fault" backstory that the game gave him as an initial motivator. So I was amped to watch the story of Curse of Darkness unfold here: Isaac would become dedicated to resurrecting his master, and Hector would inevitably stand against him as he learned to hone his draft of making "innocent devils" — a version of the supernatural creatures he once forged for Dracula that were solely to Hector's will and his fight against the forces of the dark. Seeing a man who once served Dracula become a conflicted hero against his former master's resurrection... it's all I wanted. And the idea of seeing the show's version of Hector and its version of Trevor finally meet up in battle (as in the video game) and realize that they shared a mutual interest in stopping Dracuia had me absolutely TINGLING with anticipation.

....and by now, if you're an animated-series-only fan, you're wondering what in the FUCK I'm talking about. Because obviously, none of this comes to pass. The series throws out all of the games' story in favor of its own, completely different narrative. That's not necessarily an awful thing if you can make it thematically compelling and gripping to watch, but what we ACTUALLY got was slow, meandering, depressing, and unsatisfying.

I will not be dignifying THIS worthless subplot by spending any time writing about it. Y'all get this caption and this screencap; that's it.

In the TV series, Hector never becomes a hero. He spends the entire series tortured and imprisoned, slowly going through a very painful two seasons of hell. He never shows the strength of will he's defined by in the games, only barely beginning to even TRY to break free by the time Isaac shows up to kill Carmilla. That's right: Hector doesn't even get to fight and defeat his own slavemaster and captor! He just sits there and is pitiful while Isaac does all the real work.

If you're waiting for this badass to leap into the fray? KEEP WAITING.

Other elements from Curse of Darkness get introduced to the series in season 3, like the mysterious Saint Germaine and the Inifinite Corridor. But they're not even a part of the Hector-and-Isaac storyline; they're part of Trevor and Sypha's all-new storyline for some reason? See, Trevor, Sypha, and Alucard spend seasons 3 and 4 going through some stuff that's wholly concocted for the TV series. Their material in these years contains some good elements — top-notch action and certainly some wonderful dialogue... but Saint Germaine in particular gets done dirty, acting like two different characters in each of the two seasons. He undergoes a character shift that the writing fails to justify. He's the SECOND-biggest missed opportunity in the show.

But back to the main event here: the lack of Hector and the increasing prominence of Isaac. Instead of Hector becoming a hero who stands against Isaac, it's Isaac — you know, the main villain of Curse of Darkness? — who goes through some sort of redemption arc. I hesitate to call it a full-on redemption when he murders so many people wantonly along the way, but he's the one who becomes the action hero that fights vampires instead of Hector. And the reasons for this are... kind of interesting? Some of his dialogue exchanges as Isaac grows and learns during are pretty engrossing to watch, at least. These conversations are probably the more interesting parts of season 3, which is definitely the show's weakest season. (Isaac's stuff in season 4 isn't as good, mind you. But S4 is still the better of the original series' latter two seasons for other reasons.)

Warren Ellis, the writer of the first four seasons of the show, said that the voice actor for Hector — Theo James — sounded so heroic and yet so vulnerable that he enjoyed torturing his character as much as possible. Which is a pretty wack-ass motivation for a storyline, but it's nevertheless exactly what he did. As a result, Hector's arc is to be the series' "butt-monkey," to borrow a term from Buffy.

Suffice it to say that the result is not faithful to the games even in its basic tone or concept, and worse, I certainly don't find it narratively satisfying. Something that skewed closer to the video games by bringing the Trevor/Sypha storyline together with the Hector/Isaac storyline, making Isaac an increasingly powerful antagonist? That could've easily been so much greater than the path we ultimately went down via the disparate storyline of seasons 3 and 4. It's hard for me not to imagine that world... Hector, Trevor and Sypha in a battle against Isaac and the still-reviving Dracula, now fueled with greater rage at having experienced death, and now having no reason to hold back because his son isn't present in the new fight.

I think if you're going to deviate from your source material as hard as seasons 3 and 4 do, you need to justify it by giving us something better. There are certainly deviations from the established game lore in seasons 1 and 2 as well as in the first year of Nocturne, but I think those deviations acquit themselves admirably. "Nocturne" in particular goes for some big deviations that I was pleasantly shocked to see pay off.

And I'll give season 4 of Castlevania this: Making the final battle for Trevor be Death was a pretty good idea. (It would've been even better if they'd done the Father Zead twist from the games, but... ) Moreover—even though it REALLY fucks up the overall narrative of the video games and kind of screws up all future series/season attempts—giving Vlad and Lisa a happy ending was actually an EXTREMELY narratively satisfying thing to do. Viewing that in its own microcosm, its own universe? That's kind of brilliant. I have to respect it.

But even in its own universe, the new Hector storyline winds up feeling mostly like pointless angst-porn injected with some sexed-up titillation. It's by far the biggest mistake of the adaption, and it positively HAUNTS the show in retrospect; I can't even revisit season 2 without seeing how much that perfect setup was utterly blown. It makes most of season 2 hard to sit through now, knowing where it eventually went... and how much it wasn't worth the trip.

[kazoosandfannypacks]

Interview With A Fic Writer

tagged by @kanerallels. You can read her interview here!

How many works do you have on AO3? 62! This does count a couple drabble collections posted as multi-chapter works, too.

What's your total AO3 word count? 301,432 words! I tend to be very verbose in my writings 😂

Your top five stories by kudos/likes:

5. This is (Kinda) The Way ❤ 107 4. Window Seat ❤ 110 3. My Weak Spot ❤ 112 2. Open to Interpretation ❤ 123 1. Wishing it Wasn't, with a whopping ❤ 333 kudos???

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! Comments are one of the biggest things that keep me writing, and I love nothing more than being able to respond to them and tell people how much their comments mean to me!

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

Aside from drabbles, probably either How Much You Have, (Sabine post-rebels,) The Monsters (Varian and Catalina realizing a bad reputation is hard to shake,) or Poor Little Eugene Fitzherbert, (which is more of a character analysis than anything else.)

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending? This is (Kinda) The Way comes to mind first!

Do you write crossovers? Not yet. I have a REALLY good idea for a Sabezra Camp Half-Blood AU, and I also think a Dracula / The Shuttle fic would be awesome too!

Have you ever received hate on a fic? I don't think so, no? I've had a couple comments of "awww, I was expecting ____," but nothing major, no.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Absolutely NOT!

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Yes, actually. The very first fanfic I ever posted was a Lego Nexo Knights fic I wrote as a teenager and posted as an adult. Sometime later I recieved a comment that said they saw my fic reposted as part of a collection on Wattpad. I made a Wattpad account specifically to confront them, and I asked them to take it down. They said they would, and I checked back often to see if they had, but last time I checked they still hadn't.

Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope. I have had comments in other languages though, and I always run them through google translate and weep tears of joy. I also sometimes include Mando'a phrases in fics, and once even used them as chapter titles!

Have you ever co-written a fic before? I've started a couple with people, but never really finished any, except for my little brother adding the video game sequences in need a player 2?. The funniest one that me and another person started but never finished was when my church camp friends and I started a fic about a vintage camera one of them had and the person who owns the camera keeps seeing the same person in the background of all of the photos, and he finds that it's one of the members of the Beatles, and he's trying to signal for help because he's been trapped inside the camera for decades.

What's your all time favorite ship? Just one? I'm probably gonna say Bettina Vanderpoel and Lord Mount Dunstan from The Shuttle. I read that book almost a decade ago and it permanently altered my brain chemistry to the point that the first time I got into a relationship, I was disappointed that my then boyfriend didn't have red hair. I read that book in literature class (homeschool) every day for a half hour, but when I got towards the end I was so enthralled in it that I kept reading for three hours and didn't even take a break for lunch. All of the parallels they have with each other make me go FERAL.

What's a WIP you want to finish but don't think you ever will? A couple OUaT fics, for sure. One was about Killian telling Henry some stuff about Milah, and another was a series of Soulmark AU fics. There's also a sabezra and kanera fic I was co-writing with someone who I fell out of contact with, and even though she never actually contributed to it, it doesn't feel right to keep telling this story without her.

What are your writing strengths? Flowery, lengthy descriptions, especially of emotions. I'm also pretty good at prose too!

What are your writing weaknesses? I'm not too great at action scenes, but I'm working at it!

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in fics? It would be really cool to do if I knew how to do it well! I would also probably ask someone who speaks the language to help make sure I have it right.

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to? I'll probably end up writing JFO fic by the end of the year. I also might end up writing something for my newly discovered and beloved crack pairing, Tristan Wren/Shin Hati. A full-length kanera fic would also be fun to write!

What's your favorite fic you've written?

A few of my favorites I haven't mentioned so far are As the Sun Rose And Seasons Changed, Operation Lunchbreak, and Wildflowers.

Tagging the following to participate as well, if desired! @jessicas-pi @ana-cantskywalker @booksteaandtoomuchtv @kmomof4 and literally anyone else who wants to do this!

[esperata]

End of year wip round-up

Time to look through my files of notes and see what plots I have still waiting attention, and perhaps assess where they are in the scale of projects. Colour coded for riddlebird, hattercrow, wahsbands or octogoblin. I'm always open to questions on my projects. In fact, please do ask if you want to encourage them to be written.

Starting with some I have posted as unfinished works.

OTT (LEGO Batman) : I intend to post a second chapter for this, showing how well Riddler's plan turns out.

Gay Attorney (Gotham/Ace Attorney) : This is supposed to have multiple chapters with the various 'witnesses' taking the stand.

Little Bird (Batwoman) : Not sure where this is heading but a follow up chapter seems necessary.

P.I. Riddler (DC comics) : I have an outline of the idea for this but not sure how many chapters it will require to complete.

Urban Legends (Batman - all media) : There is going to be a continuation here with other rogues making an appearance.

What Is Reality? (Btas) : I already have a second chapter started and a concept of where its going, including a 'final' scene.

A few extra Mahou AU story ideas.

Killer Croc vs Jonathan (Arkhamverse) : This is an interesting conflict I'd like to write.

Grown up Ed gets powers (Burtonschumacher) : We only saw one half of this duo in my first story so it seems fair to bring in Riddler.

Take A Chance on Me (Arkhamverse) : Pitting the pair against the machinations of Hugo Strange.

Oz mentors Ed (The Batman) : Does what it says on the tin.

The Curse of Alice (1960s) : Again an interesting development I'd like to explore.

Future Hattercrow (Gotham) : Not sure about this but considering this pair twenty years further on.

The Telltale series.

You Only Live Twice : Oswald is being mentored but demands Edward treat him as an equal if he truly respects him.

For Your Eyes Only : Edward gets trapped by the Agency and suffers their virus before returning to Oswald.

The Spy Who Loved Me : Oswald helps Edward through the aftereffects, unwilling to lose anyone else to madness.

Live and Let Die : Riddler is planning his return to Gotham, letting Oswald into the secrets of his past to convince him.

The Living Daylights : A continuation of the story arc.

New stand alone ideas.

Babysitter : Wario is cajoled into babysitting Bowser's kids and calls Waluigi in for reinforcements.

Sherrif Wario : Waluigi rides into town and immediately gets called a trouble maker by the Mario bros. Wario makes his own assessment.

Good Omens : A friend suggested Alfred Molina as Aziraphale and Willem Dafoe as Crowley which is a fantastic idea.

Fate Or Something Like It : I really wanted to consider the timeline after Norman got back from No Way Home. How he might try to save Otto from his fate.

Old Friends, Bitter Enemies : I watched the Spider-man PS game and love the dynamic of Norman and Otto. It would be worth playing with.

Skyscraper : Basically a PWP. Be fun to write.

Misunderstandings : Oswald overhears Ed saying something he shouldn't.

Batman vs Dracula (2004 cartoon) : A re-write of the film except bringing Riddler into the story.

Halloween Topsy Turvy : A fancy dress party at the Lounge causes feelings to run high.

Streamer Ed (btas) : Ed works as a streamer, with Jon and Jervis as mods, and a habit of review Iceberg Lounge promotional videos.

Gotham Gossip (Gotham) : Newspaper column style fic charting their rising and falling relationship. I still like this concept but am struggling with the media.

Kids museum meeting (comics) : A look back at how they might have met as children.

Secret Admirer : Where both Oswald and Ed are the other's secret admirer.

Tattoos (comics) : Oswald has tattoos - Ed is intrigued.

Olga My Queen (1960s/Gotham) : What if the Queen of Cossacks was Oswald's maid?

Gotta Shape Up (Harley Quinn series) : ngl I lost impetus with this show but I still like this idea - Ed having to step up with Joshua after Oswald's demise.

The King Is Dead : Similar concept in that it looks at how Riddler might react in the wake of Penguin's demise.

Wrap You Around My Finger : Ed is new to Gotham and thinks it'll be easy to cajole favours from Penguin. He is wrong.

Western AU : I wanted a fic with Jonathan on a horse thus this idea was born.

Are We Friends? (Gotham) : Ed struggles to pin down just what their relationship is during Oswald's eye recovery period. Again, not super confident writing in this media now.

Rogues Go Skiing (LEGO) : Cutesy vacation style slice of life.

Arkham sitcom : Exactly as it says, chapters done with mini plots happening, all within Arkham asylum.

Bookshop (1960s) : Penguin owns a book store and has suitors competing for him - Riddler vs Bookworm

Pre-Arkham : What if Jon and Jervis met before either became rogues?

Trans Oswald (The Batman) : Not actually a romantic fic but more angsty, considering what if he'd had a child in his younger years.

Merman Oz (2004 cartoon) : I just like the visual of him as a mermaid.

What You Love Most (Arkhamverse) : Another angsty piece where Ed doesn't realise Oswald's feelings.

Drive-in Movie (Batwheels) : Simultaneous riddlebird and Ducky/Quizz.

Music Meister (Arkhamverse) : Don't tell me the concept of Oz being forced to sing isn't hilarious.

Rumour Mill : Jonathan steps in when rumours spread about Jervis.

Trans Ed (Arkhamverse) : I wanted to write Oz facing his own transphobia but I'm not sure I can do the topic with the required sensitivity.

Hypnotism : As a hattercrow fan, its almost a rite of passage to write Jervis using his powers on Jon.

Merry Little Batman : I'm always drawn to new media variations.

More continuations.

The World Is Your Oyster sequel : What would life be like living with an octo-person?

Post Game (Arkhamverse) : A possibly final installment to my arkham Games series.

Nobody Said It Was Going To Be Easy sequel (btas) : Not sure this is something I still want to do honestly.

The Boss (The Batman) : Picking up their story post film.

Angel!Ed/Demon!Oz (2004 cartoon) : Bringing the contrasting pair actually together.

Pax Penguina sequel (Gotham) : I have no impetus to continue this one at present.

The Real Deal sequel (btas) : Considering whether Ed might get his own larger than life Penguin doll.

The King Of Gotham sequel (comics) : Picking up where the story ends off. Not finished posting the original yet.

[cyberpunkonline]

The Best Halloween-Themed Games on the SEGA Genesis: Spooky Throwbacks to Die For

Alright, fellas and fellow gals, grab your oversized 90s flannel and load up on candy corn because it’s time to dive into the dark, twisted, and totally gnarly world of Halloween-themed SEGA Genesis games. We all know the Genesis wasn’t just about saving princesses and throwing blue hedgehogs into loops—nah, this bad boy had some games that’ll make you sleep with the lights on. Or at least, make you appreciate pixelated gore while you munch on leftover Halloween candy. Let’s break down some of the best spooky classics you need to play, whether it’s Halloween or just another night of chasing ghosts on a CRT screen.

1. Splatterhouse 2 (1992) Gore, guts, and a chainsaw-wielding dude in a creepy mask? Yeah, sign me up! Splatterhouse 2 is like if your favorite slasher flick was shoved into a video game, wrapped in pixelated blood, and handed to you with a "don’t tell your mom" warning label. You play as Rick, a guy who’s been to hell and back (literally), trying to rescue his girlfriend Jennifer. The atmosphere is a delicious slice of 80s horror cheese with grotesque monsters, eerie settings, and that iconic terror mask. No joke, if Jason Voorhees saw Rick, he’d nod in approval. Resource: Retro gaming nerds, check out Hardcore Gaming 101's breakdown of the Splatterhouse series for extra tidbits on this bloodfest.

2. Castlevania: Bloodlines (1994) You can’t talk about Halloween without talking about vampires, and Castlevania: Bloodlines delivers the blood-sucking goods. Set across Europe, you’ve got to slay Dracula’s niece, Elizabeth Bartley, before she revives the infamous Vlad himself. We’re talking gothic architecture, spooky music, and some of the best whip-cracking action the Genesis has to offer. It’s spooky, it’s tough, and it's got the best excuse to don a cape and say, "I vant to suck your blood!" if you're into that.

Resource: The RetroRGB site has a killer write-up on Castlevania: Bloodlines that’ll make you wanna fire up your Genesis right now.

3. Haunting Starring Polterguy (1993) Want a game where you play as a wise-cracking ghost out for revenge? Well, Haunting Starring Polterguy is your jam. Polterguy (yeah, you read that right) haunts the rich Sardini family by jumping into household items and scaring the living daylights out of them. Picture it: You’re a green-skinned rebel ghost messing with the elite—sounds like the ultimate 90s rebellious move, right? This one’s spooky but also hilarious, with an aesthetic that screams "anti-corporate punk" more than "Halloween horror."

Resource: GameFAQs has a surprisingly in-depth guide on Haunting if you need a few tips on scaring people senseless.

4. Ghouls 'n Ghosts (1989) Alright, Ghouls 'n Ghosts is less of a slow-burn spooky and more of a "let’s throw everything at you at once" kind of game. You play as Arthur, a knight who’s way too comfortable running around in his underwear after losing his armor, battling demons, zombies, and all sorts of nasties. The Genesis version is a wicked hard arcade port that'll make you scream in frustration—and not because it's scary, but because of how brutally difficult it is. But the haunting atmosphere? Oh, it’s legit.

Resource: For an even deeper dive into the Ghouls 'n Ghosts lore, check out Sega Retro's archive of the game and relive the pain.

5. The Immortal (1990) For those of you who prefer your scares with a side of fantasy RPG, The Immortal is a solid choice. It’s more "what is happening?" creepy than in-your-face horror, with plenty of traps, puzzles, and grizzly pixel deaths. Seriously, if you mess up, you’re gonna see your poor wizard bite it in some of the most horrifying ways Genesis pixels could muster. Dungeon crawling has never felt this tense, and for all the trick-or-treaters out there with a taste for fantasy, this one’s worth your time.

Resource: RPG fans, the MobyGames site has got all the juice on The Immortal for your inner dungeon master.

6. Zombies Ate My Neighbors (1993) Halloween fun doesn’t always have to be about gore and darkness—it can be about saving your neighbors from zombies, werewolves, and giant babies (yes, giant babies). Zombies Ate My Neighbors is an absolute classic, where you grab your water guns, weed-whackers, and whatever else you can find to fend off the undead. It’s funny, goofy, and a total riot to play with friends. The Genesis version holds its own against the SNES, and while it might not be as colorful, it’s still a blast. Also, no better time than Halloween to yell "Zombies are attacking Karen!"

Resource: For a nostalgic review and to dig into some fun trivia, hit up IGN’s retro game section to read about why Zombies Ate My Neighbors still rules.

Closing Thoughts Whether you're into blood-soaked beatdowns or a cheeky ghost pulling pranks, the SEGA Genesis has something for every Halloween mood. These games aren't just about scares—they're about diving back into a time when pixelated graphics were enough to make you hide under the covers. And come on, playing these gems on Halloween? That’s how you roll with the ghosts and ghouls in style. Game on, boys and ghouls. Don’t forget to keep that extra life handy—you’re gonna need it.

Special Shoutout: Hit up Sega-16 and RetroRGB for even more spooky 16-bit goodness to keep the Halloween vibes going long after the last trick-or-treater has disappeared into the night. - RAZ.