#actually this movie is more of a horror film to be completely honest

[lythea-creation]

Caught on Camera - Shams x fem reader (Chapter 1)

summary: In a world full of wannabe influencers, (f/n) prefers to be a private person. But as Shams doesn't seem to care much about ones privacy, the two of them have quite a lot to discuss.

warnings: same theme as the series

word count: 975

Author's note: Feel free to check out my Masterlists and make requests. No reposting please! Reblogging, comments and requests are always appreciated <3 If you like the story/my writing, please don't be shy to say it via comments or asks! It takes you a few seconds and might make my day. It's the best appreciation you can show to a writer you like.

requested? Yes

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In a time where social media were basically ruling the world, people thought of me as weird for avoiding them most of the time. It was not like I was completely against them. I just did not feel the need to post my life. Actually I thought that people who were posting their life were not content enough with it to just enjoy it. Instead they had to waste it on making everyone believe they were being as perfect as possible.

Nevertheless I came along with my classmates, even the most popular ones like Tasneem and Hiba. I was simply a private person. Therefore I was alone a lot of the time as well, sometimes hanging out with Nadeen.

I liked her attitude, standing up for herself and others, staying true to herself.

Although that was also what got me caught up in this mess of sitting outside in the burning sun to make a stand. The irony of it all was that Nadeen, Shams and I were the only ones outside at the end, though we did not care that much about our phones.

To be honest I did not really know what to think about Shams. On the one hand she seemed to be nice, offering us food and talking to us, and I was curious because I barely knew anything about her. On the other hand I did not like the fact that she was carrying around a camera all the time. It kinda made me feel watched. Like I had to be on guard to make sure she was not filming me.

“What are you up to today? Wanna hang out?”, Nadeen asked me when the school bell rang for the last time.

“Sure”, I agreed. “But please no more horror movies.”

“Why not? Your reactions are too good to miss out on”, she proclaimed with a chuckle.

“It's not my fault that I take movies too seriously. Of course the scary ones freak me out”, I justified myself.

“Though they're not even scary”, Nadeen shot back.

“How about you tell my dreams exactly that?”, I suggested, now laughing myself.

In the end she persuaded me to watch another one. I just could not say no to her when she offered to let me sleep over because that was always my condition for watching horror movies with her. It was hard to fall asleep if I was alone afterwards.

“What are you watching?”, I wondered when Nadeen was laughing about something on her phone.

“It's one of Sarah's videos. But this one is actually funny”, she enlightened me and rewound it to let me see the beginning as well.

It was about different types of girls at our school. She depicted me as the artsy fangirl which I could not deny. After all I was always scribbling away at some quick sketches or short stories about my favorite book and movie characters.

But when the video showed The Critic, which was obviously supposed to be Nadeen. Honestly I could not understand how Sarah could post something like that about Nadeen, considering they were friends.

The hurt was written all over Nadeen's face before she quickly hid it behind a nonchalant mask.

“It's blowing up”, I noticed.

Her views, likes and comments were basically exploding the more time passed. It was insane.

And on the next day Sarah moved on from invisible to absolute spotlight.

I tried to stay close to Nadeen as Sarah did not seem to take any interest in talking to her friend, now that she had other options. That was one of many reasons to hate social media. But never mind.

My eyes moved away from Sarah as I observed my environment. It was nothing unusual for me to do. From time to time it could be useful. That way I could stay out of the trouble and drama.

But this time I did not like what I saw.

Quickly I made my way over to Shams. “Were you just filming us?”, I accused her.

The others were too busy crowding Sarah to notice our discussion.

“Why does it matter?”, Shams remarked.

“I didn't allow you to film me”, I pointed out.

“So what? Everybody is running around filming nowadays. Why is it different when I do it with a real camera instead of a phone?”, she considered.

“I don't care about the kind of camera. Just delete it”, I requested.

“I'll cut you out of it if you stop bugging me. And don't chat it around. People behave differently when they're aware of being filmed.”

“Why should I do that? I don't owe you anything”, I declared.

“Look. Maybe you don't like what I'm doing, but I'm just expressing myself through art like you do”, she claimed.

“What are you talking about?”, I inquired.

“Your sketches and stories. I haven't read any of them, but it's obvious that you're passionate about them. So you should be able to see my point”, she resonated.

“You truly are a stalker”, I noted, taking a step closer to her.

Somehow this discussion had quickly become heated and despite my anger I had to admit that I was feeling a pull toward her.

“I'm a film maker. That's the point. By the way, you're the only one that cares. Everybody else is way too busy with their petty online lives and little drama. So can you just let it go? I promise to cut you out. It's for the sake of art”, she stated.

For a moment we were staring each other down, contemplating what to do next. And for some reason it became harder and harder to stay close. So I gave in.

“Fine”, I grumbled and stormed off.

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Next Chapter

i decided to make this one a fanfiction with rather short chapters, so you guys won't have to wait as long to read another one as I don't know how much time I'll have to write. Thanks to sunwoniie for requesting. I hope you all like the first chapter. Feel free to make suggestions about the next chapters. Maybe I'll integrate some aspects you want.

Tag List: @sunwoniie

#al rawabi school for girls #lgbtqia + #shams x reader #angst #romance #drama #female reader #social media

[dunnodontask]

First Time pt. 1/?

Mike Schmidt x Ness the Waiter, securitywaiter, dreamtheory

Mike is emotionally stunted, its endearing and sad.

Somehow, this ended up not being smut. Just a buildup lol.

CW: none 👍

The transition from friendship with Ness to a romantic relationship with Ness was gradual and nearly imperceptible. Mike couldn’t pinpoint when everything changed.

When “Welcome back, sugar”’s became “Welcome back, sugar”’s with a kiss on the cheek.

When sleepy “good mornings” stopped occurring in the kitchen and instead switched to sleepy “good mornings” while curled together on Mike’s bed.

When opposite side of the couch movie nights became sharing a blanket movie nights, which became Mike’s hand on Ness’s thigh under the blanket just because he wanted his hand there movie nights.

They just sort of became that way, as time passed. Not that Mike minded. It was nice. That last one did scare him a little bit though. Not because he didn’t want it. He did, really. He wanted more, actually. But he didn’t really know how to broach the subject.

Mike was a virgin. He didn’t really have the time or emotional preparedness for relationships much of his life. He had a lot of baggage and it wasn’t a secret that most people found that to be a deterrent. And Mike was fine with that. Lonely, maybe, but fine.

But now he had Ness, who had somehow seen that baggage and decided to pursue Mike anyway. Why exactly, Mike wasn’t sure. But he certainly wasn’t going to question it.

So Mike wanted to take things further with Ness. Desperately. But he didn’t know how. Was he just supposed to ask? Or make a move? What kind of move? What did he even want? What was the next step?

Those were the kinds of questions swirling around inside Mike’s skull as he absent-mindedly rubbed circles on Ness’s thigh with his thumb that evening. It was late, nearly 11 pm, and some shitty late 90s horror film was playing on the tv. It served as little more than background noise to the conversations Mike was practicing in his head. Ness seemed interested in it though, so he didn’t have to worry about explaining his distracted silence to the other man. Not than Ness would likely mention it, if he noticed. He was pretty good at detecting when Mike’s social battery was nearly or completely empty and taking over a conversation so that he could just listen. It was one if the ways Ness just got him.

Ness shifted suddenly, drawing Mike’s attention towards him.

“This is so dumb, the plot doesn’t make any sense.” Ness murmured, reaching for the remote. “Do you mind it I turn it off?”

Mike nodded.

“I wasn’t paying attention to be honest.” He replied.

Ness hummed in response, as he powered down television. “You didn’t miss much.”

He replaced the remote on the table and sat back, leaning into Mike’s sturdy frame. “Everything okay, sugar? You’ve been quiet all night.”

Mike swallowed thickly, his cheeks turning pink as he searched for a good response. “Just thinkin about stuff I guess.” He managed, shrugging half-heartedly.

Ness hummed again. “Anything interesting?” He asked, tone light, almost teasing.

Mike’s brain stuttered as he tried to come up with something to say. He had the perfect opportunity, but he didn’t know how to use it. He felt his palms start to get clammy as his nerves got the better of him. Would Ness feel it through his pants? Mike considered pulling his hand away, but wondered if that would imply he didn’t want this to happen. IF anything was happening, which he wasn’t sure if it was.

He must have been quiet for too long, because Ness spoke up again, voice now concerned. “Mike? You alright?”

Ness placed a hand on his forearm, the touch light but excruciatingly tender. It made Mike want to scream, mostly at himself for stalling. Instead, he made a low, exasperated sound, that sounded a bit like a whine and a groan at the same time.

“I can’t- I don’t know how to do this.” Mike groaned, burying his head in his hands.

“Do what?” Ness asked, tone more concerned now. He searched for some kind of explanation to Mike’s statement. “Are you… breaking up with me? Or I don’t know- are you dying?”

“No!” Mike protested, than cringed at his own volume. He listened for movement in the next room, fearing he woke Abby. Hearing nothing, he sighed and continued. “No, nothing like that, I promise.”

Ness looked somewhat relieved, but still very confused. “Then what is it?”

Mike felt his face flush, and was thankful for the darkness of the room. “I- I want to move things forward… with us.” It was the best he was going to be able to do.

Silence. Mike felt his stomach cramp as his nerves took hold again. Did Ness understand what he meant? Was he upset? Did he-

“You mean like have sex?” Ness’s voice broke his train of thought.

“I- I mean yeah. But only if you want to!” Mike assured.

He felt a sudden smack to his shoulder, followed by Ness’s exasperated voice. “Mike! For the love of-“ Ness’s own laughter interrupted him. It wasn’t a cruel laugh, like Mike worried it would be. (But, when had Ness ever been cruel?) “I thought something was wrong! You had me worried for nothing!” He scolded.

Mike smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He apologized. “I just… I really like you, Ness. And I don’t want to ruin this.”

It was excruciatingly open, especially for Mike. He had spent a lifetime building these walls, tearing them down wasn’t easy. But he would do it, for Ness.

“Oh, Mike…”

Mike felt arms reach around his neck as Ness leaned forward to kiss him. It was chaste, lacking the heat Mike desired so badly, but had a sweetness to it that made his heart flutter.

“You aren’t going to ruin anything. No matter how hard you try, you’re stuck with me.” Ness teased, running long fingers through Mike’s hair. “And I do want to have sex with you.” He continued, lowering his volume slightly. “All you had to do was ask.”

Mike shrugged, a bit embarrassed in hindsight. “I know… I just. I’ve never… done anything like this before.”

Ness paused, fingers midway through another sweep across Mike’s scalp. “Wait- you’re a virgin?” He asked, leaning back to gauge the other man’s reaction.

Mike hesitated, than nodded slowly.

“Oh.” That was not what Ness expected at all. Though, it made sense. He wasn’t sure why he was surprised. “That’s okay!” He assured as the other mans face fell. “I was just curious, really, it’s not a big deal or anything.”

Mike shrugged, embarrassed. “I know, it’s just kinda lame. But I only have myself to blame, I guess.”

Ness frowned. “It’s not lame… lots of people are virgins. Like I said, it really isn’t that big of a deal. “Pluuuus…” He drew out the ‘uh’ sound as he tangled his fingers back in Mike’s dark locks again. “I can teach you.” A grin spread across his face as he spoke.

Mike felt his ears become warm as imagined what Ness had in mind. “Oh?” Was all he could manage.

Ness hummed in confirmation, before leaning forwards to kiss Mike again. There was more heat behind it than their earlier kiss. Mike’s heart thundered in his chest, and he wondered briefly if Ness could hear it. If he could, he didn’t mention it.

Continued in part 2

#securitywaiter #fnaf movie smut #fnaf smut #smut #mike schmidt x ness the waiter #mike schmidt #ness the waiter #mike schmidt x ness #five nights at freddy’s movie #fnaf movie #five nights at freddy's #fnaf #fanfic #dreamtheory

[lh-moth]

I recently watched Hot Fuzz for the first time. Loved it, of course, and now I'm slightly obsessed with it. Even if I am fifteen years late to the fandom...

One thing I've thinking about over the past few days is how the film touches on so many different genres. I'm probably not going to say anything new here (and I might not say if very well - I'm more than a little sleep deprived at the moment), but I kept noticing how well the changes in genre fit together. It was never jarring or discordant, which is something I think a lot of similar movies struggle with.

Then I had this thought that maybe it works because the genre shift isn't rooted in the story itself, but rather in the characters. It's like all the characters are in slightly different genres, so while they're experiencing the same events, it's all through different narrative lenses. If that makes any sense.

For example, the Sandford police officers could be in some sort of, like, rural sitcom. (If there's an actual name for that subgenre, I don't know it.) They're the quirky country locals, and Nicholas is the fish-out-of-water newcomer adjusting to life outside of the city. Looking at it from that angle adds another layer to why the other officers don't see the deaths as suspicious - in that genre a wild accident would be more likely than a grisly murder.

Meanwhile, Nicholas is clearly in a murder mystery, or at least he is from the first deaths. His view of the events follow the course that type of story pretty closely. The suspicious characters, looking for links between the victims... There's even the person with a vital clue who ends up being murdered before they can share their information. Of course, all culminating in the summation in Skinner's office, where Nicholas lays out a completely reasonable chain of events to explain the deaths.

Unfortunately, the murders are committed by the NWA, and their genre isn't mystery. It's horror. So a murder mystery resolution was never going to work. The audience is tipped off to the horror element, since we get to see the murders, but it takes Nicholas longer to realise that he's in the wrong genre. Not until he confronts the NWA at the castle. Possibly not even until they all stand up and reveal weapons. And he's so ill-equipped to deal with this new genre that if it wasn't for Danny, he likely wouldn't have made it out at all.

Finally, there's shift into the action genre. While the NWA might be overwhelming and terrifying in the horror genre, they're much less effective when it switches to action. I feel like there's something here that could be dug into, about how Nicholas has so little control over his circumstances throughout the film, and when he takes control he not only changes his own genre, but everyone else's, too. I mean, if we're looking at it through this lens, then this is the only part of the movie where all the characters are actually in the same genre.

The fact that it's the genre Danny's wanted to be in from the start also feels fairly significant.

And I think that's all I have on this. To be honest, I've only had time to watch the movie in full once so far, so I don't know if this will hold up on subsequent viewings. But it was fun way of thinking about the story, and maybe someone else will find it interesting, too.

Oh, and if anyone is worried that I forgot the romance genre, I promise I didn't! I just couldn't see a place where it switched on or off. As far as I can tell, romance - along with general comedy - is the only genre consistently present from start to finish. I'm sure everyone is able to draw their own conclusions about that.

#hot fuzz #moth rambles

[sparkymalone]

Something about the concept of movie nights really lends itself to friends-to-lovers ships, I think. Anyway, I'm writing some more nonsense. Enjoy?

They were on their third movie at this point, and the evening had reached that perfect level of delirium, when you're so tired you aren't making any sense, but you're too giddy to sleep. That heady sensation that only comes from being alone with your best friend for hours.

They weren't allowed many comforts in the Future Foundation recovery facility, but apparently DVDs were fine. Hajime wholeheartedly questioned that decision, since a DVD could easily be broken and used to cut-

He quickly shook away the negative thoughts, focusing instead on the good fortune of having something to do. Having access to DVDs meant that he and his friends could watch movies together. (The Future Foundation didn't allow them to have internet access, after all, so streaming was out of the question.)

Hajime wasted no time in trying to get the others to agree to movie nights. He gave up on the idea of a group activity pretty quickly - there was still too much tension between some of his classmates for that. And who could blame them, really? Asking someone to make nice with their own killer was a bit naive.

Instead, he opted for one-on-one movie nights, singling out whoever he thought was most likely to have a bad night and keeping them awake with cheesy movies and microwave popcorn. It seemed to be boosting morale, at least a little, so Hajime kept it up.

After a while, some of his classmates began asking him for these movie nights. He was always happy to acquiesce, just glad that his classmates were beginning to recognize their own needs. He would spend the night laughing and joking with them over comedies or bad horrors, or crying with them over dramas or romances, or sometimes just watching in silence, just keeping each other company.

But, if he was completely honest with himself, his favorite movie nights were the ones with Fuyuhiko. The yakuza heir was arguably one of the most well-adjusted of the former Remnants, and as such, didn't need that much attention. But Hajime always found himself working Fuyuhiko into his movie night schedule anyway.

It was more for himself at this point, as much as he didn't want to admit it. He spent so much of his time taking care of everyone else that, sometimes, it was nice to spend time with someone who was actually doing okay. Or at least seemed like he was doing okay. Hajime suspected that there were feelings Fuyuhiko wasn't telling him about, but he couldn't bring himself to dig.

This was one of those movie nights, the highlight of Hajime's week. He and Fuyuhiko were sprawled across Fuyuhiko's bed, laughing about some cheesy romance they were watching because they had run out of action movies. It had to be close to three in the morning. Both of them were exhausted, but neither felt capable of sleep.

"Jesus, this is lame," Fuyuhiko snarked, waving his hand at the TV. "Why did you pick this shit?"

"Me?" Hajime laughed. "You were the one who brought this trash."

The blonde squawked indignantly. "The hell I did! I brought that stack over there." He pointed to a small stack of DVDs near the foot of the bed.

Hajime snorted. "Yeah, and that's where I pulled this one from."

"Well... Why the fuck did you put it on?"

Shrugging, Hajime leaned back on the bed. "I don't know. It was something different, I guess." He turned to look at his friend. "Do you want to turn it off?"

Fuyuhiko stared blankly back at him for a moment before turning back to the TV. "...It's fine, I guess."

They watched the movie in silence for a while. Hajime glanced occasionally over at Fuyuhiko, just to check on him. The blonde was beginning to drift off, golden eye slowly closing before snapping open as he tried to stay awake. Hajime smiled at how cute it was.

The film neared it's conclusion, the hero rushed to catch up to his would-be lover in a field as rain poured down on them. He monologued about how much he loved her and they kissed.

Hajime must've been more tired than he thought, because the scene was actually starting to get to him. He turned to make a remark to Fuyuhiko, but stopped when he realized that the other boy was fast asleep.

He smiled fondly at how peaceful the surly blonde looked while sleeping. It was easy to forget all of the horrible things they had been through when he looked at that soft, freckled face. He leaned over and raised his hand to gently brush against Fuyuhiko's cheek, but paused before he actually made contact.

What the hell was he doing? He may not have had a lot of friends before all this weirdness, but he still knew that stroking someone else's cheek was a little much. And sure, he and some of the former Remnants tended to be a little more tactile than regular friends, given all the trauma they had endured, but this felt different.

The way he wanted to touch Fuyuhiko's face felt... intimate. And Hajime wasn't sure what to make of that.

He pulled his hand back, watching the other boy sleep. Maybe he did know what to make of it. Maybe he had known all along, but he had just been pushing it down all this time with the rest of his own wants and needs.

With a jolt, Hajime realized that he wanted Fuyuhiko.

Somewhere along the line, between being trapped in a killing game together, bonding over losing loved ones, waking up and facing the apocalypse they created together, he had fallen in love with his best friend. His feelings for Fuyuhiko were almost overwhelming, and he was honestly shocked that he hadn't realized sooner.

Well, that wasn't so surprising. Since waking up, Hajime had become very good at compartmentalizing his thoughts, locking away his wants and needs in favor of focusing on the wants and needs of his friends. He never really stopped to unpack any of his own feelings or desires, but something about being here, with Fuyuhiko, made him feel comfortable enough to finally take a look at himself and realize what he wanted.

And what he wanted was Fuyuhiko.

He felt an overwhelming warmth spread through his chest and he gripped the front of his shirt. How the hell was he supposed to deal with this? He couldn't tell Fuyuhiko... right? The yakuza heir would probably kick his ass, telling Hajime not to waste his feelings on him. He might not want to see him again, might cancel their movie nights, might refuse to be around him at all.

...But he might not. As sure as Hajime was that the other boy would react badly to a sudden confession, his logic dictated that there was still a chance that he would react positively. He might turn him down politely, or... he might even feel the same way.

Half of Hajime's life belonged to him, after all, so who's to say he didn't want the other half?

Hesitantly, Hajime reached out again. His fingers made contact with Fuyuhiko's cheek, stroking gently against the freckled skin. He slowly let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

The blonde's eyelid fluttered, but didn't open, and he made a soft noise in his sleep. Hajime's lips quirked into another small smile. The other boy looked so peaceful like this. He looked so... pretty.

Against his better judgment, Hajime slowly leaned down and pressed his lips softly against Fuyuhiko's temple. His heart leapt at the warm feeling of the other boy's skin, and he momentarily considered trying to kiss him on other parts of his face. As he pulled back, however, he realized that that would be a bad idea.

Especially since Fuyuhiko's eye was open and he was staring at Hajime in shock.

The taller boy felt his blood run cold. They stared silently at each other for a long time, both of them blushing deep red.

Fuyuhiko finally broke the silence. "What the fuck?" he hissed.

"I... uh, I can explain," Hajime told him, voice low.

"Then fucking explain," Fuyuhiko growled, rolling onto his back so that he could see Hajime better.

The other boy swallowed, trying not to think about the boy he loved being on his back beneath him. "...I thought you were asleep."

"That's your explanation?!" The yakuza heir crossed his arms self-consciously. "Do you kiss fuckin' everyone when they're asleep?!"

Hajime quickly shook his head. "No! Sorry, that was a bad explanation. I, um... I was..." he stammered, not sure how to salvage the situation.

"...So you only kiss me while I'm asleep?" Fuyuhiko asked, some of his venom draining away.

Furrowing his brow, Hajime responded, "Y-Yeah... I haven't done that to anyone else, if that's what you're asking..."

The smaller boy was still glaring at him, cheeks still glowing red. "... Okay, so... why me?"

Hajime winced, not sure how to answer that. Was there even a way to respond other than I think I'm in love with you?

"You just... looked really cute." Hajime knew it was a risky move, but it was one that felt easier to recover from than the truth.

Fuyuhiko blushed darker, glaring up at Hajime. "What the fuck did you just say about me, you bastard?" He sat up and grabbed the front of the other boy's shirt.

Hajime couldn't help but laugh at his friend's reaction. "I said you looked cute. You still do."

The yakuza heir gritted his teeth, glaring into Hajime's face. "Well, if I look so fucking cute, why don't you kiss me for real?!"

They both froze. Hajime's eyes widened as he realized what Fuyuhiko just said. The smaller boy looked mortified, but he didn't back down.

Slowly, Hajime moved closer, leaning towards Fuyuhiko's face. When he felt the other boy's breath on his lips, Fuyuhiko jolted and squeezed his eye shut, but he didn't move. Finally, Hajime allowed his own eyes to slide closed as their lips connected.

The kiss was tentative, testing. When Fuyuhiko didn't jerk away or shove him, Hajime allowed himself to press closer, kissing him more firmly. Gradually, he felt Fuyuhiko's lips move with his, cautiously kissing back.

Hajime started to pull away so that he could tell Fuyuhiko the truth, but the blonde yanked him back into the kiss, lips parting invitingly.

...Well.

Hajime obligingly kissed back, tongue venturing slowly past Fuyuhiko's lips. The yakuza heir let out an encouraging moan and Hajime couldn't help but give in. He wrapped his arms around Fuyuhiko, kissing him deeper, swallowing the soft noises he made. They kissed for a long time, slowly getting bolder and messier.

Before he realized it, Hajime was on top of Fuyuhiko, pinning him to the bed as he licked into his mouth. Fuyuhiko was apparently fine with it, if his legs around Hajime's waist were any indication.

The taller boy finally pulled away enough to speak. "Hah... Before we... If we... I have to tell you something," he panted. "I have to tell you how I feel."

Fuyuhiko stared up at him, flushed and wanting. "Well, hurry the fuck up."

Laughing breathlessly, Hajime cupped the other boy's face in his hands. "...I think... No, I am. I'm in love with you."

The blonde tightened his hold around Hajime's shoulders. "...Thank god," he mumbled. "I was afraid it was just me."

Hajime's eyes widened. "You mean you...?"

Fuyuhiko glanced away shyly before forcing himself to look Hajime in the eye. "...I'm in love with you, too."

Warmth exploded in Hajime's chest and he dove back into the kiss, eager to feel as much of the boy he loved as possible. Fuyuhiko moaned into his mouth as he happily kissed back.

I don't know how to end this because I don't even know why I wrote it?? Like this is so similar to the other one, wtf.

I kinda want to make it smut, though. Maybe I'll come back to it. Should I make it smut?

#fanfiction #kuzuhina #fuyuhiko kuzuryu #hajime hinata #danganronpa #sdr2 #more random drabbles instead of doing my actual job lmao #also #SPARKY WHY ARE YOU WRITING THIS AND NOT THE ACTUAL FIC YOU SHOULD BE WORKING ON #YOU DINGUS #sparky writes

[ivy-wisp]

The Defense of Samantha “Sam” Carpenter

Every series of movies or tv shows has a reboot, where new characters are introduced and they complete ignore what the original was all about. But, some reboot actually made the series better, but others suck ass. But do you know what reboot that hasn’t happened to let me down, Scream. I like Scream (2022) better than Scream 3. And I know y’all are gonna say “Scream 3 is better than Scream 3” or “Why do you like Scream (2022) better than Scream 3?” Why it’s just the bee knees for me guys. I think they did a good job with honoring Wes Craven for all of his work. I believe that if movies are gonna reboot, the crew should at least honor at least the person who started it all, I’m at you Lars Klevberg. To be honest, I kinda forgot that Child’s Play actually had a reboot, thank god Scream (2022) got more likes than that piece of shit. And the only thing I liked about the Child’s Play reboot was the soundtrack. But I don’t wanna waste my time talking about reboots and shit, that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the new lead for the Scream movies, Samantha Carpenter, preferably known as Sam. This is Defense for Sam Carpenter.

Samantha Carpenter is the main protagonist of the Radio Silence’s Scream film series, serving as the main protagonist of Scream (2022) and Scream IV.

Having run from a troubled past, the former Woodsboro resident returns to her haunted small California hometown to aid her younger sister Tara against a new Ghostface entity. Later, she and the Core Four (consisting of herself, her younger sister and the Meeks-Martin twins) are confronted with a series of Ghostface entities in New York City.

At age 13, she discovered the secret of her birth origin — she is the biological daughter of original Ghostface serial killer, Billy Loomis who derives from the original Scream (1996). Correspondingly, this also makes her the paternal granddaughter of the first copycat Ghostface killer, Nancy Loomis, who appeared in Scream 2 (1997).

After her legal father's abandonment due to her birth origin revelation, she spiraled into a life of drugs and crime. This dismayed soon-Sheriff Judy Hicks, who Sam would babysit the son of (one of these duties was during the second Woodsboro Murders). At age 18 (likely almost 19) — with Woodsboro no longer serving her any good — she abandoned it in favor of another California town.

In her departure, Sam did not say goodbye to her mother or baby sister (then age 13). Over 5 years later, Sam is confronted with both her troubled teen past and birth origin. Now a 24-year-old bowling alley attending, she joins forces with original legacy franchise survivors, Dewey Riley, Gale Weathers and Sidney Prescott, to stop the new killer. She finds herself to be Ghostface's primary target.

In the end, Sam proves to embody the rules of a real-life horror movie legacy "requel" (reboot and sequel); she is both the descendant of a legacy character, and the new Ghostface entity is her own boyfriend, Richie whom she is able to kill (staying true to the original Sidney-Billy dynamic), as well as his accomplice who lives at 261 Turner Lane, Woodsboro (Macher residence), Amber Freeman.

One year later, Sam still deals with hallucinations of her father. She is in therapy, dates Danny Brackett, and also deals with public scrutiny following conspiracy theories accusing her of being the true killer of the Legacy Killings. She lives in New York City where the rest of the Core Four study at Blackmore University.

Alongside former schoolmate Kirby Reed, the Core Four confront a trio of family killers—NYPD detective Wayne Bailey, and his children, Quinn and Ethan, who seek revenge against Sam for killing Richie, Wayne's son and the siblings' older brother. She successfully kills two of the three killers, and inspires Tara to get the therapy she needs. Meanwhile Sam herself is alluded to have embraced the darker side of her father and grandmother.

Samantha is portrayed by Melissa Barrera.

Racist and Hateful Comments

Let’s talk about Samantha Carpenter and her actress Melissa Barrera. Sam is the new main star of the Scream movies. However, she is quickly hated by fans and it pissed some fans for the way they treated her. How do I feel about it, I feel extremely disappointed and sad when they put out mean comments. It’s like threatening to make a ship cannon or something. I don’t know my brain is damaged right now y’all.

Anyway, I think it’s disappointing that people hate on the actress. If you hate the character that’s fine but don’t blame the actor or actress, no matter what nationality they are, it’s unacceptable, and I hope you guys realize that. Once again, Melissa Barrera doesn’t deserve hate in any way whatsoever. Just be glad the writers fix her character and Melissa’s and you’ll realize Sam doesn’t need to be the New Sidney. Because no one can outrun Sidney Prescott.

Sam’s Sister and Actress

Tara is Sam’s younger sister and she is played by Jenna Ortega. She became the first target for the Third Woodsboro Murders and the first victim to survive a Scream movies because she part of the Scream new leads. But how can people not hate her, I’m just saying so don’t sue me! Some people say they hate Tara because of that one scene. And I’m one of those people, because you can’t handle what you’re saying while you’re drunk and I think that’s the point. Tara, I know how you feel but don’t use your anger on your sister but on Billy Loomis, even though he’s dead.

It’s not like I don’t think Tara doesn’t deserve to know the truth but I do blame Sam for leaving her and not saying goodbye to her own sister. But I understand why she left, to protect her from her, because she’s afraid she’ll turn out like Billy. Dammit, now I hate Billy for putting the Carpenters in so much pain and trauma, even his own daughter.

But Tara doesn’t need to be the New Sidney either because she survived in the opening. That’s all I’m saying. Tara and Sam rules in my opinion.

Richie and his family

Richie was the ex-boyfriend of Sam. He was cool up until his reveal as Ghostface, I mean, I kinda knew it was him when I first saw the trailer. In fact, I suspected everyone except Wes and Tara. Btw, let me know in the comments if you knew Richie was Ghostface

After his reveal, in my opinion, Richie is a piece of shit. I mean this 27 year old motherfucker groomed an 17 year old girl, does his family not notice that before they reveal themselves? I feel bad for both Sam and Amber and most of y’all might know why? Thank god, Sam killed him.

And after he died, his family wanted revenge on Sam and her sister. That’s Scream for y’all. Also why the fuck is Ethan is as tall one even though he’s the youngest? Maybe? I already have a tall sibling, it’s not just Quinn.

But I do think the twist being the daughter of a serial killer is good and using it for Scream X check it out on Wattpad, a new chapter is coming out soon. This time, Richie is getting the role and he had a daughter after the Second Murders where he raped someone but I’m not saying who cause spoilers, duh. And I’m not saying who’s his daughter, guess you’ll have to figure it out yourself Muahahaha!

Conclusion

In conclusion I don’t think Sam will be the new Ghostface at all, along with Tara, Chad and Mindy. And here’s why I think that:

When Sam said "My father was a murderer. No matter what you think, I'm better than that." It doesn’t mean she had to follow Billy’s footsteps, Richie!

Or when it turns out Sam still has Billy’s mask but she later drops it, I’m getting the feeling that she’s rejecting her father and his murderous actions and letting him go, like she let Tara go, I don’t know.

But I think I should wrap this up, but let me know what you guys want me to do next:

My thoughts of Amanda the Adventurer

Or

Just about Deku

Whoever has the most comments wins.

Okay byeeee!

#sam carpenter #scream #melissa barrera #scream 6 #scream 2022 #radio silence #tara carpenter #jenna ortega #richie kirsch #wayne bailey #quinn bailey #ethan landry #dermot mulroney #jack champion #liana liberato

[frecklystars]

I'm curious, what's the werewolf driver AU about? I mean I can kinda guess, but like, what's the lore? Is there any lore? Curious minds are inquiring Keri (the minds are me).

(Also, I don't mind if you write like paragraphs about it, I want to see you gush about your werewolf bf like a dam is breaking)

OMG HI HONEY!!!!!!! THANK YOU FOR ASKING!!!!!! 😍😍😍😍😍

You have given me permission to explode? I SHALL EXPLODE:

I’ll be honest... I.... don’t have any actual information on the AU yet... 😳 [insert Plankton "I don't know, I didn't think I'd get this far" meme here] I don’t have a story or anything, but I DO know I wanna draw Driver as a werewolf at some point and I’m gonna be so real with you as to why:

OKAY SO;;; some time ago, I don't know if it has been a year or maybe even a couple of years ago, but it was confirmed Ryan Gosling was going to play the main character in the upcoming movie The Wolf Man (scheduled to release January 2025) as... uh, the wolf...man. It is a reboot of The Wolf Man 1941 (not The Wolfman 2010)

The details here are totally mixed for me bc every article says something different about the directing details, but I believe Derek Cianfrance (who directed a few of Ryan's other films such as Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines) was going to direct it at some point. I don't know if he was originally the chosen director... or if someone else stepped down and then Derek took their place? Either way, the monsterfucker in me was so excited for a werewolf Ryan F/O. Could you imagine the smut fics… the fanart… the video edits… I was SO READY. I have ALWAYS wanted a new werewolf F/O, always always always!!! I used to have one, but that was from [redacted source material] so now I was REALLY excited to add a brand new werewolf to the F/O list ❤

WELL. Flash forward, SOMETHING HAPPENS? We don’t have the details as to why, but in December 2023, it was revealed Derek pulled out of the movie, and so did Ryan. No more Wolfman. THE MONSTERFUCKER IN ME WAS CRUSHED........ WE ALL MOURNED.........

Not even one week later, I thought, "Well, whatever, I can still make my own OC, right?? Ryan Gosling as the wolf man can be real in my heart and in my art!!!" alas, I am not creative so I can't come up with a story... or a design... and I can't watch horror, so there's no way in hell I can watch the original wolfman movie for reference, unless if someone wants to watch it with me to give me some emotional support I guess 😅 so my plan to draw an OC who looks like Ryan Gosling, But A Wolf™ was thrown out the window.

Eventually, I find a very old post where someone clipped 30 seconds from a Drive interview where he talks about the main character from Drive (whose name is listed in the credits as... Driver... yeah don't worry about it) is a "metaphorical werewolf". In a separate article, Ryan brought up that Driver “is a regular guy during the day and then turns into a killer at night” which, yeah I guess he is, when you think about it! I won't spoil the events of Drive, but any kind of violence that Driver had to do in that movie was completely against his will. The dude just wants to drive his cars!!! But no. Shenanigans have to ensue? 😔 smh…

It was when I watched that video that I realized “hey??? you can do whatever you want forever???? I wanna make an AU where Driver turns into a werewolf to protect his girl :]” so now I have a tag for it! Do I have a story?? Not yet! Will I ever make one?? Haha... probably not :) BUT at some point I do want to make drawings of Driver with glowing golden eyes, or maybe hot pink glowing eyes (the font of the movie is a neon pinkish-purple and it's GORGEOUS and I love associating him with that). I'd love to doodle some really subtle stuff like his human form is standing in front of a garage door and his shadow silhouette is a wolf,,, or something. Maybe him snarling with sharp teeth. I don’t know if I’m skilled enough to draw an actual werewolf form, but hey, maybe with practice I can pull something off!! Or when I find another job and make a bit more money I can commission someone else to draw a werewolf form as a reference for me to work with LOL

And like. ok. ok. not to get TMI but listen. listen. the whole entire reason why I want this AU in the first place -- yes, I love my bodyguard F/Os, and I grip onto the idea of a fictional character being protective over me with the force of a thousand suns, and that's definitely a part of why I wanted to make an AU of a canonically violently protective character being even more violently protective than he already is -- but also. but also. BUT ALSO... [deep inhale]... I just... really, really, really... need some werewolf F/O smut. ok. I'm severely lacking in the monster F/O department 😤😤 all of us monsterfuckers were ROBBED of a Ryan Gosling Wolf, and by god, someone's gotta FIX THAT!!!!! 🔨✨

THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MY TED TALK. [drops mic] [immediately picks it back up because holy smokes mics are expensive why did I do that]

#iwishihadfangs #asks #werewolf!driver AU #THANK YOU HONEYYYY I LOVE YOU SO MUCH #youre one of the sweetest ppl EVER!!!!!!!!!!!! #[HUGS!!!!!!!] 🤗🤗🤗💙💙💙💙💙🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

[eternally-smitten]

Sweet Dreams

gift for: @bioexorcizm

description: Reagan tries to show Beetlejuice one of their favorite movies, but he starts to get tired quickly

word count: 803

author's note: EEEE THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME WRITE FOR BEETLEJUICE seriously i had so much fun with his character thank you mimi <3

banner credit: kgymz

The cold, almost empty house was pitch black and quiet. If anyone were to come across it or even stand in the doorway, they’d assume that it was abandoned. Even worse than that, they’d assume it was haunted. For this residence, the latter was true.

The only light and noise came from the tiny living room being inhabited by Reagan and their favorite supernatural presence, Beetlejuice. He sat on the edge of the couch, head in their hands while he intently watched the moving pictures on the screen in front of them. Beetlejuice, on the other hand, paid more attention to picking at it’s nails than the movie. Even while seemingly paying very close attention to the film, Reagan could tell his ghost was doing anything but.

“Are you paying attention, Beej?” They asked, “This is the best part and you’re not gonna wanna miss it.”

Beetlejuice let out an unamused hum and drummed his fingers against it’s face, “Sure it is. My eyes are just glued to the screen. This is better than any piece of art in a museum, that’s for sure.”

They pulled his eyes away from the television for a moment to frown at Beetlejuice, “I can tell you’re being sarcastic, you know. You’re not very subtle.”

“Woah, really? Didn’t know it was that obvious!” It replied in an even more sarcastic tone, “But seriously, how can I pay attention to some B grade horror movie when I have you seated next to me? You’re too cute, it's distracting.”

“B grade?” Reagan took offense to that, completely ignoring his compliment, “This is a classic work of art! How dare you insult such a masterpiece?! Do you just not have taste?”

He chuckled, “Uh huh. Are you even paying attention to this so-called ‘work of art’, Regs?”

They furrowed their eyebrows, “What are you talking about?”

“No offense but I’ve noticed that you’ve yawned like,” Beetlejuice started counting on his fingers, “...Five times in the last two-ish minutes. Why are you fighting sleep? I believe you are being just a tad hypocritical here.”

“I’m not! I don’t know where on Earth you got that from!” He yawned again, wearily stretching as he did so.

“Make that six.”

“Asshole.”

“I prefer the term ‘honest’!” It corrected them with a grin, “I’m impressed that you’ve been fighting it for so long, sweets. Usually you just fall victim to the Sandman without even realizing it. Then, you almost burn the kitchen down.”

“That was one time!” Reagan sleepily scowled at him, “Shove it, Bugboy. I’m not even tired.”

He wrapped an arm around their shoulders and pulled him close, “Aww, touched a nerve there, did I? Poor, poor Regs.” He said with a hint of sincerity in his voice, “Come on, quit watching this low budget brand X Hollywood crap and get some rest.”

Another yawn escaped their mouth, “But…I want to watch this with you.”

“Suit yourself, doll.” It kept his arm around his shoulders and planted a kiss on their head, “I just know you too well.”

“Uh huh, sure you do.” He snuggled into Beetlejuice’s shoulder and continued to watch the movie. 

They left the conversation at that and a comfortable silence fell between them. Beetlejuice actually tuned into the movie and was surprised to find himself very involved with it. He almost kicked himself for not tuning into the plot in the first half but then it figured that it could always ask Reagan to watch it with him again.

“Woah!” He let out a raspy laugh, “That was killer! Regs, did ya see that?” It looked over at them to ask them that question but then found him sleeping soundly on it’s shoulder. 

While doing his best not to move too much, he grabbed the blanket draped over the back of the couch and covered Reagan up with it, “Aww, wrapped up in a rug as snug as a bug, aren’t you?”

Reagan snuggled into it’s shoulder and let out a very quiet hmph as they continued dozing. Beetlejuice continued to tune into the film, checking in on his sleeping partner from time to time. For once, he didn’t feel a need to bother them while he slept.

“I’ll see ya in your dreams, Regs.” He muttered quietly, pulling them into it’s chest so he could sleep better.

They stirred slightly at that but remained asleep. This was probably the first time he has gotten good rest in a long time, so Beetlejuice didn’t want to ruin that. Instead, it enjoyed the rare quiet moment between the two of them. He didn’t have to enjoy it alone for too long, though, because he was able to tease Reagan endlessly for falling asleep during “such a work of art.” Even in their dreams, they can’t escape their darling bug.

#my stuff ♡ #Mimi! 🕸 #self ship fanfiction #ok to rb! #gifts ♡

[lorz-ix]

Skinamarink (2022)

A very divisive horror movie, though in my opinion it doesn't deserve to be, and is only "controversial" because of close minded movie watchers who equate anything weird and experimental that they don't like with pretentiousness and lack of quality. Because god forbid art steps out of line and does something "you're not supposed to do".

I'm gonna be completely honest here, I didn't even like the movie, personally. While I know appreciate what it's trying to do, and I always like having to think about what things mean instead of having the answers handed out to me, that doesn't mean I particularly enjoyed the experience of watching it. It's one of those pieces of media that I really like to think about, and I love that they exist, but I'm not a fan of actually consuming them. I thought that it was either too long or too slow for the payoff in the end, like an idea so specific didn't catch my attention for the entire runtime, because not that many things actually happen and that's the point of it. Blame it on undiagnosed ADHD if you want.

It was really cool I swear.

Heck (2020 short film)

So you know how I said Skinamarink was either too long or too slow? Heck is a sort of "proof of concept" short made by the same creator, and I actually liked it a lot more, precisely because it's significantly shorter so the appeal didn't overstay its welcome. It's a bit simpler, perhaps easier to understand, not necessarily better or worse, just depends on what you might prefer.

Maybe watch this (it's up on youtube) to see if you might like the concept, and watch the movie later if it's interesting?

I must say though, the final scare in this short freaked me out way more than anything in Skinamarink. That does contribute a lot to why I prefer the short film.

#lorz mediapost 2023 #movies #horror #skinamarink

[whoiwanttoday]

Well guys, the Oscars are upon us. The coming days will no doubt be full of pre-party pictures, Oscars red carpet pictures, Oscars viewing party pictures, after party pictures, and so on all revolving around Hollywood's biggest award. It is a cultural event that continues to drop in the ratings and overall esteem but has an out-sized importance on the culture and the film world. It's hard to explain how something has gone from the average person going, "These are the best movies!" when I was a kid, even though they were not, to "The Oscars are a joke!" when nothing about the Oscars has much changed. It more about the pop culture landscape, as the film world narrows and grows more top heavy but also now that the internet gives more voices. It is still important in the sense that it is a bellwether of what is considered most important by the most mainstream of the film industry. It tends to always be looking back but then most things are. Anyway, the Oscars are most decidedly not the best movies of the year in my mind, as a matter of fact some of the Best Picture nominees are kind of bad actually. Not in the microbudget horror DVDs I own bad, they are competently made by professionals but also forgettable tripe that will largely just be forgotten in a decade. So here are some movies that I think are worth your time from 2022, a year that people bemoan for not being that great but that's a weird way to look at it, there were great things in this year, just not the sort of great things people are going to give a gold statue to. This list is not exhaustive nor is it ranked. I feel like ranking art is a stupid thing for stupid people. I apologize if you really like this but it strikes me as completely destructive and counter intuitive to actually enjoying art, it exists to create drama online and drive "engagement". There is a reason listicles are one of the internets most common piece of journalism in the era of click bait, they are arbitrary, a monkey can do it, and they make everyone upset so they tweet about it, thus bringing in more eyeballs and that sweet, sweet ad money. I also am not great at favorites because I find the art I like best in this moment is the one that speaks to my current mindset, that's the joy of great art, it grows with you and what you bring to it matters a great deal, it's why things shift over your lifetime. If you like listing your favorite whatever though that's great, my weird commitment issues are not your problem nor an indictment of your taste. There's a different between favorite and best I am saying. Final caveat is that I haven't seen every movie this year. I tried to see a lot, I did see a lot but you know, some stuff falls through the cracks. Or I know it's not for me so why bother? I knew I wouldn't like the Fablemens but got pressured into seeing it because it was important and you know what? It kind of sucked. A totally mediocre movie made by a great director. Who cares. So that said, the movies I saw this year that I think are of real value are as follows: Aftersun, After Yang, the Banshees of Inisherin, RRR, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Pearl, And X. Honestly, it was a strong year for horror in general and Pearl and X might not even be the best horror movies of last year but they are the most interesting and most compelling to me. Aftersun was probably my favorite movie of the year and really was magnificent top to bottom. Two strong performances and an examination of both depression and memory and how our relationships with our parents shift over our life as we can see things differently and understand them in a different light as an adult. After Yang also has a lot to do with memory and how we remember and what makes us. RRR is an amazingly fun action movie that is pure joy if you can ignore all the Hindu Nationalism and let's be honest, most of you are Americans so I bet you can. The Banshees of Inisherin is a difficult movie about a lot of things that I still think about. Everything Everywhere All at Once is a wonderfully joyful and emotional movie that manages to be hilarious, action packed, and beautiful and in a just world will win the Oscar tonight. Luckily, win or lose it's also a movie that makes us realize being a loser isn't so bad if you keep trying. So those are mine, feel free to make recommendations my direction if you want, or to talk to me about any movie you saw this year. I probably have thoughts, I am very opinionated. Anyway, getting on to my opinions, let's talk about who I want to fuck today, the main opinion that drives this blog. I am posting Mia Goth for lots of reasons but the big reason she's in my brain is we may not see her anywhere this weekend and that's a real shame because she should have been nominated for an Oscar. I will preface this by saying I don't have the same issues with a lot of the acting nominees that I do with the movies, in that it's rare to see a truly terrible performance get nominated (though there are quite a few life time achievement nominations I spy this time out) but they are often safe and predictable ones. Performances that seem to have been created to win awards rather than to illuminate and empower in the way only art can. Mia Goth hands down gave the best performance I saw last year of any woman. Her role in X was very good and you know, she played two parts and that could be seen as gimmicky. Much more of a "give me awards" sort of thing if that was the performance I wanted to talk about. It was very good, most telling to me is we are told early on in the movie her character is someone with an extra something. That is often a curse because if we don't feel it from the character then it's tell don't show and can hurt the entire thing. But by the end I got it, her character, when the spotlight is on, lights up in a way that you could just feel. So she was good in X. I am not here to talk about her in X. I am here to talk about her in Pearl which would have been an astounding character piece no matter what. It's basically all her, the movie is her and the pieces the come in and out of her orbit. They are people but for her character they are accessories. Obstacles or facilitators to her own happiness. Mia Goth played someone with some very serious mental issues and managed to make that person sympathetic and monstrous. She was a monster and I knew it but the performance was so good and so powerful you could still feel her sadness, her desperation, her need for whatever it was that was missing inside her that she just could not seem to fill with anything. That alone would have made this a really good performance. It's just that I also saw X, where she was someone so radically different if I didn't know it was the same actress I never would have guessed. Which is why Mia Goth's performance really should have gotten her award nominations but these aren't the kind of movies that get awards because these aren't the kind of movies you can brag about yourself with nearly as easily. The movie where Mia Goth fucks a scarecrow doesn't quite signal the prestige and bring about self congratulatory masturbation the way giving an award to a movie about say deaf people would. So the world is what it is but I am going to recognize her today. She is amazingly talented, I hope to watch Infinity Pool soon and I am very excited for what she has coming down the line. Oh, she also helped write Pearl, feels important to explain what a complete artist she is, she really did built the character from the ground up. Today I want to fuck Mia Goth.

#Mia Goth #blonde #Actress #whoiwanttofucktoday

[scarletxvision]

Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness: Spoiler Review

Right, let's get into it. I have actually seen this movie twice at this stage, and I still don't know if I have truly wrapped my head around what played out to be honest. I wouldn't go as far as to say I hated it, but I definitely didn't enjoy it either.

We'll start off with some positives. The cinematography was beautifully executed, the horror aspects were fresh and exciting and the use of magic got a much needed upgrade as well. Overall, it was a stunning film visually, and every single person gave the performance of their lives, particularly Elizabeth Olsen.

Moving on to the elephant in the room... Wanda's character and storyline. Oh boy, there is a lot to unpack here. Now I now there had been rumours circulating since the end of WandaVision that she was going to be the villain, but I had figured it was going to be clear cut that she was acting on instinct to protect her children, or even during my first watch, that she was merely being manipulated by the Darkhold.

However, what we got instead was a slightly OOC Wanda who has no problem in killing another child to be with her own. It doesn't sit right with me that after all of her speeches about being a mother, after her own experience as a young girl discovering powers she didn't fully understand and couldn't control, she unapologetically wanted to kill America, a girl in the same position that she had been in.

What bugged me the most was the lack of continuity following the ending of WandaVision. The whole heart of that show was Wanda getting through her grief, and by the end, she had pretty much come to terms with everything that happened and even felt remorseful for holding everyone in Westview. Of course she had never truly finished grieving, no one ever does, but her moving out to her little cabin for some peace and quiet showed promising signs of her overcoming the first few stages of grief.

The main thing I immediately noticed had been forgotten about or discarded was the whole "MOM! HELP!" end scene. It would have been more realistic for Wanda's character if she had reason to suspect Billy and Tommy were in some kind of danger and therefore would be safer with her as their mother. Having her blatantly try to take them away from her variant self simply because she wanted her happy ending with them seemed so off and untrue to Wanda's character, regardless of the influences of the Darkhold.

In fact, they completely missed the mark by not having her look for Vision at all. I mean, she hardly even mentions him! Look, in one way I understand she has had more time to get over his death - WandaVision told that story beautifully - and now she has a new wound to heal with the loss of her children, but come on, we got like three references to him in the whole movie! You can tell that she still loves him dearly with how hurt she sounded in her conversation with Strange about sacrifice, so why not use that and the ability to travel the multiverse to reunite with her husband?

I was actually expecting a mention of White Vision, but surprisingly there was nothing. I do understand that it is primarily a Doctor Strange film, but with the amount they dived into what happened in Westview, I was hoping for some hint of where he has gone and what his deal is.

On the other hand, I loved seeing the full might of Wanda's powers, and there was something strangely satisfying about watching her single handedly take down the Illuminati. I want to point out that Wanda was never defeated, in fact, no one was even close so *cough* strongest Avenger confirmed *cough*. She had some powerful lines and as I said before, Elizabeth really put her heart and soul into her performance.

Overall, villain Wanda is not the direction I wanted her character to go in, and the poor execution makes it even harder to swallow. It was the most detached I have ever felt from her, and Wanda has been my favourite since I watched Age of Ultron in the cinema - she practically got me into Marvel movies. It felt like I was watching a completely different character, like I was watching 'The Scarlet Witch' and not 'Wanda Maximoff', as if they are separate beings. Watching her sacrifice didn't mean much because we know the rule that if there's no body, she didn't die, but it's still nice knowing that as far gone as she was, she still turned around and did the right thing in the end.

Getting away from my feelings on Wanda, I wasn't sure about Doctor Strange's character arc and development. If anything, he just proved Wanda's point of "You break the rules, you become a hero. I do it, I become the enemy." The plot reeked of hypocrisy, and I couldn't pinpoint how Strange grew from the start of the movie to the end.

I don't even want to get into Christine's character, whose only use seems to be as Strange's tragic love. In fact, their whole story resembles Steve and Peggy (I won't get into how much I dislike them here, that deserves it's own essay) and it's disappointing that Christine never got to evolve past male lead's love interest.

I enjoyed the Illuminati cameos, especially John Krasinski as Reed Richards - I literally gasped so loud when the camera cut to him. I thought they would do more with the characters, but watching Wanda pick them off like it was child's play was quite entertaining, I won't lie.

I want to say that, for the record, I think the whole Doctor Strange's third eye thing is so freaky and I am not here for it, but the first end credit scene introducing Clea is exciting and I'm looking forward to learning more about her.

I'm going to wrap it up there for now, but I could go on and on about this movie for days. All in all, it wasn't completely horrible, but I definitely didn't like it and won't be rushing to watch it again. I have no idea where they are going to go from here with Wanda's character, so I guess I'll have to simply stand by and hope for the best.

I'm curious to know what everyone else thought of the movie - do you agree with me or did you like the direction it took? I'd love to know! ❤💚

#doctor strange and the multiverse of madness #doctor strange and the multiverse of madness spoilers #dsatmom spoilers #spoilers #wanda maximoff #scarlet witch #doctor strange #marvel #mcu #aoife's thoughts

[twistedtummies2]

Top 7 Headless Horsemen

In my previous list, I talked about my favorite versions of Ichabod Crane - the central protagonist of Washington Irving’s timeless tale of terror, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Now, it’s time to talk about the spectral antagonist who haunts the Hollow himself: the Headless Horseman. Legends of Headless Horsemen, in general, are actually more common than you might think…but when people think of THE Headless Horseman, it’s always the one from Sleepy Hollow who comes to mind. The Horseman has become an icon of Halloween and classic horror, on par with such creatures as Count Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster. This is ironic, because in the original story, it’s actually left ambiguous if the dark figure who chases Ichabod down at the climax of the tale is the real Horseman, or just Brom Bones in disguise. Indeed, ambiguity is a big part of what makes the Headless Horseman such an iconic figure, I would venture to say: most takes on the Horseman aren’t really proper “characters” so much as they are monstrous entities, almost a force of nature rather than a developed person, so to speak. Even if their identity or reality is not in question, they, themselves, remain enigmatic, to a degree. Only a few versions really try to expand on the Horseman, with varying degrees of success. For this list, there are two basic rules. One, the character has to be either proven to be the actual Horseman, or the ambiguity of identity has to be kept intact. If they are revealed to be Brom Bone (or anyone else) in disguise, they don’t count. Two, I’m only counting the Horseman of Sleepy Hollow HIMSELF, so characters who are inspired by the Horseman or are completely different Headless Horsemen will not be counted. (So no World of Warcraft or Hecarim’s Horseman Form from League of Legends.) With that said, here are My Top 7 Headless Horsemen!

7. The Version from “The Hollow.”

This 2004 TV Film is…not very good, to be perfectly honest. In fact, until the Horseman shows up, it’s pretty darn boring, and some things in it don’t honestly make a lot of sense. It’s a pretty standard slasher-type film with a Sleepy Hollow motif, more than anything else: the movie focuses on a teenaged descendant of Ichabod Crane, named Ian, who effectively faces a modern-age, teenaged retelling of the story, as he has a rivalry with a jock named Brody, and a romance with a popular girl named Karen - obvious stand-ins for Brom Bones and Katrina. The Horseman doesn’t appear until the last third or so of the picture, swooping into town, galloping through the streets, lopping off the heads of various extraneous characters. The plot actually reminds me a LOT of an episode of the TV series “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” but the darker tone, in my opinion, helps make this Horseman standout. This version of the character REALLY ups the “monster” factor, turning the ghost into a demonic creature that is more fiend than man, with a moldy, nasty pumpkinhead. The film is pretty “bleh,” for the most part, but once the Horseman trots onto the scene, it becomes something of a guilty pleasure.

6. The Version from “Charmed.”

The TV series “Charmed” focused on a family of witches, combating demons and unfriendly angels, among other things, in suburban America. It was similar in tone to shows like “Once Upon a Time,” sort of a soap opera crossed with a fantasy/fairy-tale epic. In one episode, “The Legend of Sleepy Halliwell,” a young magic user - disgruntled with the world around him - summons the Headless Horseman straight from Sleepy Hollow to take revenge on those he feels have wronged him. Thankfully, the ones the Horseman beheads do NOT die, their disembodied craniums still able to communicate and think, but their bodies unable to do anything. The witches and their allies must work together to return the heads to their owners, and send the Horseman back into the book where he belongs. This was one of the earliest takes on the Horseman I can remember seeing, and it was neat to have this slightly more family-friendly “Whodunnit” with the character that still had a dark and unnerving edge. The result was one of my favorite episodes of the show, and definitely a Horseman worth mentioning.

5. The Hallmark Version.

To be honest, I’m kind of cheating with this one. Mostly because of how the Hallmark version works. Something that’s surprisingly common with adaptations and reimaginings of Sleepy Hollow is they try to play things down the middle with the identity and reality of the Horseman. By which I mean, Ichabod first meets a Horseman that is Brom Bones in disguise, but later the real ghost reveals himself. The Hallmark version does exactly that: the Horseman that chases Ichabod is actually Brom in disguise. Just as Ichabod learns this and is gloating with triumph, the REAL Horseman shows up. While the actual Horseman’s time onscreen is criminally small, I do think this is the best interpretation of that twist I’ve seen in any version. I also like how this one actually reimagines the Horseman as a GOOD character, rather than an evil one. Instead of being an enemy agent who was slain, and a devil-like figure of darkness, this Headless Horseman is a frightening but ultimately non-threatening entity, with his backstory painting him as a hero rather than a villain. It’s all interesting, but it’s not really even close to enough to get the Hallmark Horseman higher than fifth place.

4. The Rabbit Ears Version.

I didn’t count Rabbit Ears when I talked about Ichabod Crane. The reason is because the Rabbit Ears version is really just a telling of the story with minimal animation to paint the picture (literally). It’s one of my favorite screen versions of Sleepy Hollow, but it’s very different from something like the Disney version or the Tim Burton version (more on both later). While I didn’t think I could count Ichabod from Rabbit Ears, I DO feel counting the Horseman is acceptable. Because this is basically just an animated storytelling presentation, the ambiguity of the Horseman’s identity and reality is kept intact: we don’t know if it’s Brom Bones or the actual phantom. Indeed, I would argue never has that ambiguity been better illustrated (again, literally) than with the Rabbit Ears rendition. Why? Because we never fully SEE the Horseman. In every image featuring him, the Horseman is depicted as a solid silhouette, colored either ghostly white or shadowy black. The only sign of color are the vibrant, fiery hues of his pumpkin head. Because of the way he’s painted, and the fact no features are obviously visible, he becomes an unknowable entity. Everything from the music to his blank appearance makes him a sinister, haunting figure (no joke intended), and in some ways, I think this is much closer to what Irving imagined in his story. We can’t tell how much of the Horseman encounter is real and how much is in Ichabod’s head. Nowhere has that mystery been better portrayed.

3. The FOX Version.

In contrast to the total shadowy mystery of the previous pick, the FOX version of the Headless Horseman is actually the single most fleshed-out of all on this list. In this serie, not only is it revealed that he is actually one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, but the the twist with Brom Bones is handled in a uniquely different way. In this version, Brom - or “Abraham,” as the series typically refers to him by his full first name - genuinely IS the Horseman. Not in the sense of being in-disguise, either: they are literally the same character. In this version, it’s revealed that Ichabod and Abraham used to be friends. Abraham was engaged to Katrina Van Tassel, and asked Ichabod for help wooing her. Unfortunately, this had the adverse effect of Katrina falling in love with Ichabod, instead, and she eventually broke off her engagement to Brom. Abraham blamed Ichabod for this, and this led to the series of events that would eventually transform him into the Headless Horseman. As much as I loved this version, I also liked that the show didn’t use the Horseman as a crutch, so to speak: even though “Sleepy Hollow” is based on…well…Sleepy Hollow, the Horseman wasn’t treated as a constant villain. Instead, he’s treated more as the harbinger of doom: he doesn’t show up in every episode (unless you count the opening credits sequence), but when he DOES show up, you know bad things are going down in town in a big way. It was neat to see such a developed and yet such a restrained take on the character, but at the same time, that development works slightly against him: the mystery of the Horseman is a temporary thing in this show. But he still remains intriguingly dangerous, from start to finish, and was one of my favorite parts of the show.

2. The Tim Burton Version.

Perhaps the single most influential and popular version of the Headless Horseman. The Tim Burton depiction, in my opinion, hits a nice middle ground between the development of the later FOX series, and the more mysterious ambiguity of most other renditions. More of the Horseman’s background is given in this one than any earlier rendition, and we actually get to see him in action before he lost his head, courtesy of an extended flashback sequence that reveals the ghost’s dark origins. However, there are still mysteries surrounding the character, and for most of the story he is once again treated as an unstoppable, monstrous force more than anything else. In the flashbacks, the Horseman is played by - of all people - Christopher Walken. However, for most of the film, the character is played by Ray Park; the actor and stunt artist most well-known for playing Darth Maul from “Star Wars” and Toad from the first “X-Men” movie. Both actors do great with the character in their respective areas, and the Burton version is probably the one most people think of when they think of the Headless Horseman as a character. More artwork and more future renditions of the ghastly rider seem to be based on this one than any other. Yet there’s still one Horseman I like more…

1. The Disney Version.

When I think of the Headless Horseman, it’s the Disney version that I think of first and foremost. In my opinion, this one hits the nail on the head, expanding on what was found in Irving’s original tale brilliantly, and creating one of the most frightening creatures ever put to animation. Disney’s Headless Horseman, once again, plays things slightly down the middle, in a lot of ways: just like Rabbit Ears, the Horseman is wreathed in shadow, his horse and his own body totally immersed in blackness. The only signs of color are the red eyes of his steed, and the vibrant violet cape he wears. And while the Disney version does indicate this Horseman might be real, there’s still an element of uncertainty as to whether this is true or not. While this Horseman’s exact identity is unclear, we do get a bit of background on him thanks to the song Brom sings about his legend. Also, while he never speaks, he does laugh. A LOT. It is one of the coolest, most epic evil laughs in history, and it lends a bit more personality to this grim phantasm than some other renditions have. In short, it does everything later renditions would do, and thus perfects everything that could be perfected. In my opinion, this is the definitive version of the galloping Hessian, and without a doubt My Favorite Headless Horseman.

#headless horseman #sleepy hollow #the legend of sleepy hollow #best #favorites #list #countdown #halloween #films #movies #tv #animation #fox #disney #tim burton #top 7

[agentnico]

Pearl (2022) Review

Plot: Trapped on an isolated farm, Pearl must tend to her ailing father under the watch of her mother. Lusting for the glamorous life she's seen in movies, Pearl's temptations and repressions collide.

Earlier this year A24 released a horror flick called X which was a slasher in style of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and honestly it’s still one of my favourite movies of this year. A creepy old horny lady slicing a chap’s throat and then dancing over his dead body to the tune of Don’t Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult - what’s not to love? So yep, if you’re looking for a fun weird horror movie, X should do the trick. As for Pearl, director Ti West filmed a prequel to X only weeks after completing filming on the original film, hence we now got Pearl releasing in the same year as it’s predecessor. And now a third film has already been announced and being fast-tracked to film. Heck, at this rate Ti West will build up his X cinematic world faster than the Marvel Cinematic Universe! Not that I’m complaining, as Ti West seems to have really found a way of reigniting the horror slasher genre in a way that is familiar yet feels fresh.

Pearl serves as a prequel to X, and revolves around the younger years of the aforementioned creepy old horny lady who sliced and danced her way through X. And immediately what stands out here is Mia Goth’s performance as the titular character. Her tragicomic performance of Pearl wanting to capture her dreams of being famous and being appreciated for her supposed talents, yet in doing so literally killing her way to success, it’s very interesting to watch. For Pearl is, let’s face it, batshit crazy. Absolutely nuts. Definitely one flew over the cuckoo’s nest. But also through mannerisms and all the weird things she does, Mia Goth manages to make the character strangely comical yet also frightening and creepy due to the lengths she is willing to go. Especially there are two scenes, one a monologue and the other a lingering shot during the end credits that really signify how much Goth has thrown herself into this role, so much so that it makes me wonder if Mia Goth is actually sane or not in real life. Then again I am not planning on meeting her personally so I think I am safe. 

The film itself is also filmed in that over-saturated Technicolor glossy Disney fairy-tale style, and in some ways reminding me of The Wizard of Oz in like Dorothy, Pearl is being all lovely and nice and nothing could possibly go wro....oh wait, she violently killed a goose and fed it to her pet crocodile. Oh. Oh okay then. But Ti West definitely is having fun playing up to the irony of the fairytale dream in contrast to the psychotic nature of the central character. However when it comes to the story itself, the movie is a bit lacklustre. Don’t get me wrong, the elements of the plot are played out well, like the dysfunctional relationship between Pearl and her angry mother (the latter by the way would have been an amazing Health Secretary during the COVID pandemic, just saying) or Pearl building up towards an audition that she hopes will change her life forever. However none of these narrative are that game-changing or even memorable. The movie for the most part rests solely on Mia Goth’s terrific performance, and to be honest that’s not a bad thing, for Goth as I mentioned is fantastic and eerie in the role. 

Overall as a companion piece to this year’s X this movie is very enjoyable and provides enough slasher gore and twisted macabre to make for a fun watch, though I would still say X definitely shines more as the superior horror flick. As for Mia Goth, if she were to get nominated for an Oscar, I wouldn’t be too surprised.

Overall score: 7/10

#pearl #horror #pearl review #x film #ti west #2022 #2022 in film #2022 films #pearl movie #pearl film #mia goth #film #movie #movie reviews #film reviews #cinema #david corenswet #tandi wright #matthew sunderland #a24 #emma jenkins-purro #x prequel #prequel #slasher #x movie #x 2022 movie #pearl 2022 #pearl 2022 review #pearl movie review #pearl film review

[pancakeis]

Zhichu Interview for JJWXC (2021)

　　JJWXC’s signed author, Zhichu. Born by the Yangtze River, has a passionate love for all beautiful things. The writing journey began in the summer of 2018; creating and writing is a process of becoming more aware of the world. It has allowed me many rewarding experiences, as well as a continuous growth. 

　　

　　Q1：What is the origin of the pen name ‘Zhichu’?

　　A：The pen name actually originated from my profile page’s name The Child Born in Chu [1]. I’m a child of Wuhan; when I was young, my parents mostly read “Urban Chu Daily News” (such a distant memory haha). At that time, I couldn’t come up with anything good for a pen name,  then I happened to have a meal in the Chu River Han Street [2]. Suddenly an idea sprang up, and the rest was history.

[1]: the area nearby Chu River, a tributary of the Yangtze River

[2]: the new landmark of Wuhan. More info here and here

　　Q2：What made you decide to publish on Jinjiang?

　　A：To be honest, it began in the 2018 summer break. I was very free, lazing around at home and reading so many novels on JJ. One time experiencing the void [3], I suddenly had this urge to write something myself, so I told my mom, “Mom, I want to write novels.”

My mom said, “Then go and write, don’t say empty words.”

I’m more of the “actions speak louder than words” type, and with the push from my mom’s words, I went ahead and did it in the heat of the moment (my mom knows really well how to motivate me). When writing the first book, “BE-obsessing Survival System”, I suddenly realised that, creating your own characters and story is an amazing process. What I find even more inconceivable, is to have so many adorable readers giving comments and support. It was completely beyond my initial expectation.

[3]: the void left behind by a really good book

　　Q3：Do you have outlines or drafts when writing?

　　A：Don’t have such detailed outlines. I’ll draw mind maps, but usually the initial idea and the final product are two different entities altogether. Because my writing is more of an immersive style, towards the latter stage, the characters will develop their own consciousness to alter the plot developments. I do have saved drafts, except for the first title [4]. The newer works all have at least a 10k-word draft saved, however the daily updates were basically freshly written.

[4]: Referring to Zhichu’s first book BE System

　　

　　Q4：What has motivated you to serialise your novels?

　　A：Readers. I’m a procrastinator, so setting up a deadline for myself is very much needed. I’m also really afraid of disappointing others; when I think about readers waiting to read the updates every night at 9 o’clock, I’m fueled with determination to finish writing ahead of that time. Reading the comments grants me an immense happiness, a sense of achievement and pleasure that nothing else can bring about. I can still remember the username of the very first commenter. Really, very thankful.

　　

　　Q5：What are your usual hobbies?

　　A：Listening to songs, music inspires me a lot. Watching movies, reading books, scrolling through everyone’s comments, noting down nice eateries and gathering with friends at said eateries for a meal. Eating good food makes me very happy.

　　

　　Q6：Any genre that you really want to try your hand at?

　　A：Too many! I love sci-fi and supernatural very much. I’m a horror film enthusiast, but because I love it so much, I keep delaying, don’t dare to start writing it. However, in the future I’ll continue trying my hand at various styles, because I really don’t like to confine myself in a fixed scope of writing.

　　

　　Q7：What kind of style and characters can we expect from your next book?

　　A：Hopefully I can convey a really cool style of writing. Characters’ personas are: a shou whom you don’t know when he’ll be forced to transform himself from a pure and holy angel into a maniacal black lotus, and a big boss gong who is both languid and melancholic, showing a lack of interest towards everyone and everything except for the shou. Two people, evenly matched in power, yet strikingly different from each other. A new attempt, I hope everyone will like it.

　　

　　Q8：Anything to tell your readers?

　　A：What I want to say is the same as every time I end a book -- really, very, very thankful towards everyone for supporting my works. I’m someone with not too much self-confidence, and my health isn’t good either. Serialising a novel is both very lonely and taxing, but seeing your words and encouragement in the comments give me the strength to carry on. It’s also you who pull me out from the endless sunken loop of self-doubting, therefore I always want to express my gratitude towards all of you, no matter how many times. I’m only a flawed human being, not a persona that someone came up with, so I want to thank you too, for your tolerance towards me. 

Although started off as an impulse, I treat writing with lots of sincerity. Writing, and everything I’ve experienced ever since I began writing, have allowed me to grow into a new self. It’s thanks to your presence throughout this process that I could persevere. It’s hard to imagine that we’re friends who communicate solely through written words, because I have received so much warmth and kindness from all of you. Perhaps this is the value of writing and reading ba.

Love you all, sincerely wishing each of you safety and happiness.

---

Raw: JJWXC

Translation: keishi

First posted on Twitter @_keikaku

#zhichu #稚楚 #interview translations #not a new post just backing up stuff from bird app!

[romanorvmm]

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)

You’re tampering with the Supernatural!

Jekyll & Hyde is an extremely popular and arguably overdone Victorian horror story. The story follows Dr. Jekyll, an honest and respectful man, who decides to separate the internal “bad” part of himself into an ugly creature. The bad side is named Mr. Hyde, and he grows more powerful and demanding as the story progresses, which leads to the biggest conflict in the novel - Jekyll v. Hyde. Everyone has had an internal struggle at one point or another, even if not with a literal physical different part of yourself that murders people just because. This fact makes it easy for a general audience to relate to the story a little and fear the story a lot more, so it’s a perfect story to turn into a film adaptation. There are at least one hundred Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde films out there to watch, and that doesn’t include imitations or parodies or scripts that never made it onto the screen. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920), though, is widely considered to be the beginning of this subgenre within the gothic horror genre, and for good reason.

John Barrymore plays Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in this movie, and he puts on an absolutely killer performance. The early stages of Jekyll’s transformation are depicted without using any make up, and the director John S. Robertson instead lets Barrymore do the transformation entirely naturally - A.K.A., using his facial muscles. He has so much precise control over his face that he can act out the early stages of Jekyll’s transformation into Hyde and make it look absolutely amazing. His representation of Hyde throughout the film is haunting, especially when the audience is shown a close up and don't get the chance to look away from Hyde’s disformed head and teeth. The difference between Jekyll and Hyde in the film is so blatantly obvious, even when just looking at still images of them side by side, that someone who had never seen the film would probably guess that they were two separate characters played by two separate actors.

Apart from Barrymore’s spectacular performance, the film is a bit lackluster. The set design, costumes, and characters are big and luxurious and they definitely add a little to the atmosphere, but they’re nothing remarkable. There’s no specific style or artfulness that connects them to each other - no Caligari style shadows in the room where Hyde makes his first appearance or anything. The suspense built in the film is impressive, though, but the fear comes more from the story itself rather than something the film does. The audience is more afraid of Jekyll losing his control over Hyde and Hyde growing more powerful, and an unnerving close up of Barrymore’s face in the completed Hyde makeup transformation hammers that fear in deeper rather than providing something else to fear.

Since the story of Jekyll and Hyde is relatable in the sense of someone fighting themselves internally, many people have talked about what Hyde could actually represent: addiction, homosexuality, Britain, etc. In truth, the original Hyde probably represented repressed homosexuality seeing as the original author of the novel, Robert Louis Stevenson, is widely believed to be a closeted gay man, but it doesn’t matter what the “correct” metaphor is. The story is easier to digest, and then to fear, if there isn’t a clear specification on what the “bad” actually is. Granted, Hyde does go around and commit several violent crimes in nearly every version of the story, but his ongoing battle with Jekyll doesn’t feel like law enforcement v. criminal. It feels higher-stakes, and because he’s fighting himself, it’s a lot more personal and intimate. That’s where the fear is drawn from the audience: not from the actual bad acts themselves, but from the internal loss of control from your “bad” side.

[aviculor]

Halloween Ends. Just like I said, it was ripped off Peacock and uploaded onto pirate sites immediately. So here it is.

As much as I appreciate the stock "horror movie playing on the TV" trope using The Thing as a fun nod to John Carpenter's other work, Corey should have realized it was "actually pretty disgusting and probably not safe for kids" a long time before the operating table scene.

That was one fucking Hell of a cold open, though. Reminds me of how Carpenter wanted the franchise to be unrelated Halloween-themed stories.

It's been 4 years and Laurie's really been trying to heal and move on now. This is so sad, knowing Michael is coming back again.

This is...incredibly not the story I was expecting.

I guess the point is that Michael really was just some guy and that the evil that lurks within humanity, anyone can be the "shape" it takes. Interestingly, Corey followed in Michael's footsteps because he became ostracized and a social pariah because of a mistake he made a long time ago. People's perceptions of him snowballed and he was used as an easy scapegoat for the town's fear and paranoia. He was not only directly harmed by the people around him, but he was denied his community and the ability to heal and move past this horrible tragedy that traumatized him. And thus, he became the monster everyone treated him like. This is interesting because it's very close to what I said they should have rebooted Michael's character to be like instead of defaulting back to the "escaped mental patient whose thoughts we can never hope to comprehend" thing. There's almost an implication that this actually is the case for this version of Michael.

Though to be honest, I and probably every other viewer came here for Michael Myers vs Laurie Strode, not this. We did get what we came here for, but it was the last 20 minutes of a 2 hour film which was otherwise about a bullied white boy going full school shooter. Complete with a makeover from meek nerd to sociopathic bad boy who fucks. He even managed to overpower Michael and steal his mask, which is just Mary Sue-ing the Mary Sue. Him and his whole deal just completely came out of left field. Like, Michael let him live and began mentoring him in the art of murder? That's absurd. It raises more questions than it does answers. I think I would have liked this whole Corey business better if it was another film set in the same universe, like Spiral and the Saw franchise.

Anyway, I'm glad Laurie got her happy ending. The people of Haddonfield can come together and finally heal from their trauma. You know, ignoring how they already managed to bully someone into becoming a copycat killer. But he's dead now, so let's just sweep that under the rug.

#halloween #halloween ends

[hareefaree]

Journal - 2022 Fall Reflections - Game Design

Over the past semester, I’ve made a number of works - and even though I’m not happy with how I took care of myself this semester I can safely say that this semester of my college experience has been the most productive and creative yet. I have made works that I am incredibly proud of in close succession and have laid the foundation for multiple projects that I will be expanding on in the future! I kinda wanted to review my favorite/most exciting projects and detail why I loved them so much and where I want to take them next.

A project-by-project look under the read me, my animation work will be in a different post! :)

Personally I feel like most of my artistic work in the past few years have been stemming from a sense of grief and longing, which I feel like I’m finally starting to process both in therapy and in work (wow, working from your worst emotions unhealed actually hurts your creative process! Who knew.)  Working from these emotions raw was a good way to get them out, but I can’t say that I wanted to revisit and complete the projects I made prior to this year because they were just that - catharsis, for me. So now I’m trying to build distance again. And while the work I’m creating is still deeply personal (anything you spend hours on is), I feel safe presenting it to others now. 

I’ve also just been kinda… reconnecting with my heritage. I’m starting the process of properly learning Malayalam to help me solidify my ideas for my thesis film, and a few of the projects have just been me going through old family photos and trying to recreate the vibe of the memories I’m trying to capture (stiff and showy brown parties, photos and movies from 70s bombay, family dynamics that are exhausting and complicated but still important). I came out to myself as a lesbian this year and had the opportunity to properly explore my attraction and lesbian culture as myself, which was a long time coming. All the while I feel as through the world has suddenly become more and more reactionary, and I can’t help but emphasize the political dimension of myself and my art. 

All that to say is, I think I’m figuring out why I’m making art. So with the boring background out of the way, let’s get into what I’ve actually been working on!

GAME DESIGN

I had the amazing fortune to take a narrative design course this semester under the guidance of the creator of Twine Chris Klimas (if you’re interested in game design and storytelling just download it! It’s free, open source, and pretty versatile for text-based projects). I’d been struggling with game design prior, I wasn’t connecting with how I was being taught and I severely lacked (and continue to lack) the technical skills to make the games I want to make. But this class reminded me why I loved games so much and did a lot to reestablish my confidence.

Brown Party

Brown Party is a simple twine game and the first game design project of the semester. This was still more catharsis than art to me, if I’m being honest. I think going in there were a lot of ideas floating around - my relationship with my lesbian/desi identity, my issues with brain drain/Indian immigrant community culture, classism, and the overdone anti-artist prejudice trope. This shows in the writing - the narrative structure is a bit of a mess and I was so ambitious in terms of scope. But I made a game! 

I think, over the course of editing and revising this project that I actually stumbled upon some gems, stuff that I want to flesh out. I think it's a game that deserves to be bigger, that deserves more critical thought and cohesion put into it.

I want to genre bend this thing a ton- I kind of realized I was remembering this uncanny sense of space when I went to brown parties when I was younger. I may play with magical realism and whatever the fuck was going on in the RPG-maker horror game genre in the mid 2000s.

I also just want to hone in on the main characters, make them feel more like people and less like I’m ragging on the girls in my community. I have a lot of compassion for desi-american girls! I wish we as a community thought more about the world beyond our families but like. I grew up as that in that environment. It was grueling.

So yeah! I’m gonna be sharpening my unity skills and trying to see what sort of system would best serve this story…but its gonna be tabled for a while.

Ephemera/Your Mother Is Dead

Ahhhhh this game! I made this when I realized I desperately needed to be in therapy and it did me all the better. I had a pretty traumatic incident with my family and channelled all the fear and anxiety I was feeling at the time into this project.

This game, and I struggled a LOT with the technical aspects, ended up very different from my initial conception. The main narrative thread I was playing with was ‘packing up your mothers things after she died,’ and that vision stayed strong.

Game play wise, I was trying to build an inventory system in which you would stack things on top of other things and possibly break the things your mother had (the second person here refers to the player character! I feel like a lot of the aspects of this game were based in my heritage, upbringing specifically), revealing your own complex relationship with her. That didn’t work. I actually almost didn’t submit this because the system didn’t work. But the box packing wasn’t the important part, it was the relationship with your mother.

I think by channelling and solidifying my ideas in the writing, I was able to create a proper roadmap for where I want to take this. I will make the box stacking situation because I think it will help create closure, but I also wanted to incorporate dialogue with people, to have the gameplay be more about learning, knowing, and trying to understand how you feel about your parent.

I want to finish this game. I wanna rework the graphics so that it feels more homey and I want to create something I can properly cry my way through. 

And I will. :)

The Visitor

This was a collaboration with my good friends @addersmire (who led the charge on coding and designing the game) and Moss (I’m not sure if he has a tumblr so. hi moss, they did the sound design). I built the dialogue system (using yarn, they did the bulk of the legwork), wrote the most of the dialogue, and created the intro animation! 

It’s very different from the rest of my work this semester (probs because I was collaborating) and ended up being pretty fucking sick actually! I feel a lot more comfortable with Unity after this (especially bc addersmire is kind of a unity god? they have magical powers I think).

I’ll probs be incorporating yarn more into my work from now on since its such a good system (that needs more people to do forum answers for bc guys these hyper specific problems need answering)

The visitor is just an intro/prototype to a game we spent some time concepting. Not sure if it’ll ever be finished but it was a great experiment - you can play the intro on itch!

#journal #reflections #im proud of myself #but also im learning the value of caring for myself #so... gonna focus on that more! #game design