#70 layers of madness

[stngryjy2electricboogaloo]

I hear her voice

[singlecrochet]

anyway. This is gonna fucking rule

[deansmom]

Everytime I point out that Dean Winchester is autistic, people get mad or look at me like I’ve spontaneously grown a second head, as if this man’s existence isn’t just checking off boxes for the diagnostic criteria

Special interests: westerns, cars, mechanical engineering stuff in general, 1960’s & 70’s music - specifically classic rock, monsters. You’re gonna look me in the eyes and tell me that it’s totally normal for someone who was born in 1979 to have borderline encyclopedic knowledge of two decades of music????? Hundreds of years of monster lore??? — for fuck’s sake, he had a train thing when he was little!!!! Those are special interests!!!!

Restricted diet: it’s mostly for Jokes but dean genuinely doesn’t eat much beyond burgers, diner food and pie.

Dean didn’t speak for months after Mary died and there’s 15 years of canon evidence where he loses his voice during moments of Big Emotions!!! He’s going nonverbal!!!!!!!

Trouble with social cues: literally look at every single instance of Dean trying to interact with strangers, ESPECIALLY in the early seasons. He’s not playing dumb, he just doesn’t get it. Also, watch any scene of this man TRYING to flirt and tell me that he’s any good at it. You know why? That bitch is mimicking the fucking movies and tv shows he grew up watching.

Sensory processing disorder: DO YOU THINK HE WEARS 87 LAYERS FOR FUN???? FOR FASHION????? WHAT DID YOU THINK ALL THE FLANNELS WERE ABOUT. THEY’RE SOFT. Also think about how much he liked the nightgown and the robe. ALSO, ALSO: school!!! It’s loud, it’s smelly, it’s dirty (his germ thing), the lights are too bright, there’s too much sensory input happening at one time. Between being so overwhelmed in school that he couldn’t focus and John pulling him left & right for cases and Sam, no wonder dean dropped out :(

14.04. The comic book episode is an ENTIRE episode about dean and his special interests!!!!!! And his social anxiety, hiding out in his room at the beginning of the episode because of all the strangers in his home 😤

Emotional regulation problems: those angry outbursts?? Destroying the Impala??? LOOK ME IN THE EYES AND TELL ME THATS NOT A MELTDOWN

His whole personality is a mask! He based his whole life and personality around the men he grew up around! John, Bobby, the other hunters - we all know that dean isn’t this rugged manly man he puts on. Sure people can have layers, but my man literally wore his dad’s actual jacket for fucking years

Black & white thinking: this doesn’t need anything else tbh

Strong sense of Justice: “how many people do you have to save?” “All of ‘em. Whole wide world of sports.”

Literal thinking: half the show is about how they both have to learn to look at monsters and not immediately go “monsters bad.” Also literal thinking is hard to explain, but I promise he does this.

Hyperlexic: “what? I read?”

“Too blunt”: all those times you thought “that was kinda harsh Dean” or “wtf that was so mean” - he doesn’t like lying to people when he doesn’t have to!

Hyper empathy: “The baby in the well? My bad.” “I do my best to be brave.” Sacrificing himself for people over and over again. The djinn episode and the speech he makes in front of John’s grave. His whole life he’s been told he cares too much!!!!

As a fellow AuDHD bitch, the most AuDHD thing Dean has ever said was “we know a little about a lot of things. Just enough to make us dangerous.” Also: “I got no idea. But what I do have is a GED and a give ‘em hell attitude, and I’ll figure it out.”

Like I could dive into the nuances of all of these and explain them in great detail and find textual evidence for basically everything, but it’s too early in the morning for that much work when I know that I’m right. Yeah he has adhd, obviously, but I will eat my left hand if that man isn’t autistic.

[miquella-everywhere]

I'm disappointed with the Miquella related items from the DLC; they're just rehearsed versions of the items we already got in the base game.

Multilayered rings of light = rings of light

Empyrean burgeoning buds = sacramental buds

Charming branches = bewitching branches.

This just fuels my gut feeling that FromSoftware actually exhausted GRRM's lore on Miquella and didn't know what else to give him.

Your thoughts on the matter?

Yeah that's definitely what it all feels like :/

So far the only Miquella related item that I enjoy is the Dryleaf Seal, that description of the Dry Leaves seeing the end of the Erdtree in the fallen leaves and the dedicating themselves to a strict faith as the awaited the coming of a new God i.e Miquella?

Oh I love that. It connects to the Fallen Leaves line that we hear so often in the game and it connects to Miquella so naturally I love it very much lol I will definitely be making a Dryleaf character/build my next playthrough lol

But yeah... Everything else is definitely a rehash, I can somewhat forgive Layered Rings of Light because with the Dryleaf Seal maxed out and 70 faith that thing hits hard 😂

But what really pisses me off the most is the Charming Branch and for three reasons:

One, it's just the Bewitching Branch with different personal specs.

Two, its ugly, like wtf is this? OG Bewitching Branch has red and gold blooms, and Trinas new Branch has flowers on it too, so why the hell are these just some freaking ugly ass twigs???? I hate the way it looks >:(

Three, its item description is just a retelling of what Leda told us about Miqs charm nonsense, like, give us more information please you are literally so disappointing.

It's just really so disappointing that Fromsoft clearly had no idea what to do with Miquella when the base game had literally so much promise and intrigue regarding Miq. His relationship with Godwyn, the Eclipse, him wishing to cure his sister, his connection to Ranni and Melina, best horsie Torrent, the shadow beasts that all Empyreans are apparently supposed to have but Miq and Mal dont for some plothole reason lmao nothing on those guys 🤷 how the Albinaurics are all loyal to Miquella and the Haligtree but the DLC only has one Albinauric and its to pull the bullshit that Gaius is actually an albinauric(i will strangle you) how he abandoned Golden Order Fundamentalism and yet turned around and went his moms route even though he abandoned her Order, his opposition to the Outer Gods, FUCKING UNALLOYED GOLD.

Literally Fromsoft how the fuck did you fumble this????

But hey why would that all even matter when Radahn is soooo cool~ 🙂👍

Yeah so anyway, I will die mad.

[columboscreens]

Dear Columboscreens I am unironically having trouble understanding how Columbo actually catches Carsini at the end of Any Old Port, please explain it to me as if I were an ape that only recently gained intelligence

no problem! i'll try to make this easy then and start from the top:

carsini, in a fit of anger over the marino brothers, bonks his brother on head

brother ouchie but not dead (Problem)

carsini drags unconscious brother into wine cellar and ties him up

carsini turns off all air/humidity control systems and shuts the door, effectively trapping his unconscious brother in the cellar for him to run out of air and die a slow, agonizing death (deserves it) (fuck him and the marino brothers)

carsini knows he's traveling for a week, but it's not summer yet, so the wine should go unspoiled by external conditions. after all, wine doesn't really start to "turn" until it sits at over 70-80 degrees for extended periods, and the cellar is cool enough this time of year to stay under that

carsini goes to new york for a week and fritters away thousands of dollars on wine (slay)

carsini returns to find his brother's corpse rotting in his wine cellar. he disposes of the corpse in the pacific ocean under the guise of a diving accident (SLAY) (literal)

because carsini's brother ostensibly left his convertible out in an intense rainstorm and went "diving" during said rainstorm, columbo correctly thinks, "who the fuck does that" and goes on a mad hunt to find the exact weather conditions of the past week.

columbo discovers that it hit 109 FUCKING DEGREES last week. in fact, he calls his wife to ask about the Hot Picnic they went on

"got so hot we had to come home" ok whatever mr. insists-on-wearing-four-layers-in-los-angeles-heat

CARSINI DOES NOT FIND THIS OUT UNTIL LATER. this is the crux of how he's caught

columbo quickly makes the connection between wine quality and ambient conditions, particularly temperature

after slyly palming an expensive bottle of carsini's wine from his cellar while alone, columbo serves it to him over their romantic dinner date in order to test his theory. this results in the famous LIQUID FILTH scene in which carsini dresses down the restaurant staff for daring to serve him such SWILL

what carsini does not yet know is that this Swill came from his very own cellar. he doesn't have to, though--columbo lets him know how hot it got, which spurs carsini into action. if it really did get that hot, then both of them know that all of carsini's prized wines are fuckin boiled manischevitz now

columbo knows this, and knows that carsini cares enough about the wine itself to consider them ruined and better off dumped. he finds his car by a secluded oceanside bluff as carsini casts bottle after bottle into the rocks below.

this is considered damning because bitch why would you be doing this if not because you ruined your wine trying to suffocate your brother in the cellar!!!!

[pascalconfessions]

I think the following tumblrs need to know that they ROCKED my world in 2023, and that they are appreciated, loved, and respected 🙌🥵🔥

@toxicanonymity Thank you for the dark and dirty Joelkemon filth, especially weed dealer Joel, Raider Joel, and dangerous Lincoln Joel 🙏

@ladamedusoif I’m bowing down to you right now for your masterful representation of a not-white-coded & middle-aged Lydia in Visiting. We need more and more and MORE fics that are designed to invite readers of every ethnicity to imagine themselves and enjoy the story without tripping over blushing and other white coding. And we also need more grownup women in fic!! 🙏💞🥰

@joelscruff Feelings on Fire broke me over and over again, in so many delicious ways. I know you had a rough patch last year, and I hope that you don’t feel pressured to write on command. Your story is yours, and I hope you tell it the way that YOU want to 💕

@spacecowboyhotch I adored Ambrosia and Tied together and we need MORE of your gorgeous storytelling in this fandom! 💖 I love soft/hot and dreamy, and I definitely think we need more black/poc reader inserts. Your writing is so detailed and layered that it left me breathless and I’m dying to read more from you!! 😍

@netherfeildren Art gallery Ezra took my breath away. I devoured the rest of your fics in turn, and your Mercy for the Disturbed broke and reshaped my heart and gave me the best/worst writers envy I’ve had in a long time. Kudos to you for draining my brain 😂

@juletheghoul Paradisum?!! 🔥 Gold Rush!!? 😍 Dulcis??? 🫨 and Silk 🤤 And I know for a fact that you’re one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met here. ❤️‍🔥Love, your secret admirer 😘

@hier--soir A Lover’s Pinch killed me. I am writing this from the grave. I am eating dirt, bestie. Please ship literature professor Joel to me immediately? 🥹🙏

@inclusivepedrolibrary I LOVE YOU SO MUCH YOU DONT EVEN KNOW 😍😍😍

@atticrissfinch We need to have a word about convenience store clerk Joel (🥵🔥😭HOT!!!) and about Wrong text dom! Joel (🔥🔥🔥🌶️🌶️🌶️😭😭😭 HOTTER!!!) Im mad at you for writing so hot and these men not being real

@bageldaddy 70’s porn star Joel is killing me. Thank you 🙏🥹❤️‍🔥

❤️

[artykeldeo]

how i do my (coloring) shit

ok so literally nobody's gonna see this im just doing a tumblr post so i can compile as many fuckin images as i want

first step: do ya line art. bf from friday night funkin is gonna be our subject fo today note: put the white highlights on a separate layer

aight you followin? step two. ya phlat colors

set your lineart layer's blending mode to multiply (shown in the flat lineart color as well) while my lineart color is usually a very deep navy blue, this can also work with black

step three: make a clipping layer/lock the transparency over your line art and then color that shit to make it pop

i unhid the clipping to give you a general idea of what i did to help with my color picking. i hueshift depending on what i want it to look like and go from there. if i dont like the color, i adjust the saturation and/or the value to help with that there's no method to my madness, i just kinda do what i think looks good LOL

step four: shading time! use dark saturated tones to help with making it pop.

here's what the layer blending looks like at normal with 100% opacity

note how i'm mixing in multiple different colors that seem to mirror the tones in the lineart! not required, but helps keep a piece cohesive. mix in different values to really help with this!

step four addendum: this is not required at all but i definitely like the look of it. take your shading layer and duplicate it. take both shading layers to 100% opacity

now gaussian blur the duplicated layer to however you want the thing to look!

and then adjust accordingly!

there's nothing i do this for other than to give a softer look to my shading without wasting my time blending it lol

step 5: highlights :3 this is what REALLY makes the colors go off

do the same thing you did with your shading to add some more interest in the highlights! you can see this particularly where i did the hat highlights

you're basically done here LOL! buuuuut... if you're feeling quirky, you can read below for some extra stuff to make this boy pop!

have fun colorin shit!

EXTRA STEPS!

extra step one: ok so bear with me. y'all remember that fuckin pizza trend? u know this one

ok well do that and blur the hell outta it

also not required but might help: duplicate the pizza layer and use your different blending modes

lineart layer uses the pin light blending option at 100% opacity, the color layer uses overlay blending option at 70% opacity

extra step two: use highlights like you're using a white gel pen on a traditional piece

bada bing bada boom. there he is. the beeper!

hopefully this was coherent enough! if y'all have any questions, rb this post and ask in the tabs OR ask in my ask box! thank you guys so much!

[ankhmeanswombman]

AUTOMATION vs FREE WILL: How we became who we are

I no longer blame biotech or the technocracy. It is not a problem in and of itself but rather the symptom of a problem, and those who choose to capitalize on it are not inherently bad people, they’re just playing their part by providing a particular side of duality (producing for the majority who wish to consume). The predator-prey dynamic is truly everywhere because our world is based on the 7 Hermetic Principles. Life is a game and you can choose to ascend out of it too rather than participating, which is why Mentalism is the only Principle that has no duality, it comes from you as a being returning to singularity, no longer polarized or thwarted. Everything else contains duality because life is an experience where the human wishes to understand itself in as many forms as possible just as God created physical matter in order to know it’s own potential through evolving itself. We must understand how a select few humans differ from this evolved automation and instinct-obsession. These are beings who operate off of true free will and they are few and far between. They mirror the wholeness of God. The majority are still 70% automation at least which is why they only use 4% of their brain. The subconscious is a deep and untapped ocean that rules these beings from beyond and this includes animals who operate as groups with biological clocks and tasks that have to be performed at a given time according to the imprint within them. They cannot choose their destiny or what song they will sing. They are quite literally organic computer programs just like the rest of life within this reality, which is not a bad thing, it is just an indication of where we came from. People like Alan Turing created computer technologies by studying the human brain and advanced neurobiology first, so go figure

Those who are building tech are acting like God did when it was creating life, in curiosity and in attempt to learn about itself. Some have nefarious purposes just like the demiurge did

and this comes from knowing but not accepting one’s own limitations, ie: not integrating one’s own shadow. This psychology sees past economic class which is why the elite are just a mirror of the normies with the exception of wealth placing them on a higher echelon of influence. Everything has good and bad within because this world was created in polarities, but those polarities are inside the infinite circle/universal mind which is why mentalism supersedes all other principles. Uroboros comes from an infinite source constantly recollecting itself and creating new geometric patterns scaled up and down in various sources and vibrating at different frequencies. All is quite literally One underneath all the layers of uploaded differences. Mainstream science will have to adapt to this because even young people are becoming more attuned to certain aspects of spiritual thinking ie: interest in astrology/crystals/tarot, interest in returning to the original androgynous self/wholeness in phenotype and spirit, and a resurgence in veganism/the electric diet. Most people are not quite there yet specifically because the spell of automation is hard to break and requires free will alchemy. This is why people who are breaking centuries old spells are still seemingly trapped in certain other obvious ones. Why do you think most people are not open to change and will quite literally see everything as an agenda? Why do you think people talk so much about being “programmed” and “socialization”? They are quite literally telling you who they are while hating the mirror that the technocrats are holding up. The robot being built with steel (atoms and molecules) today, was once built with flesh (atoms and molecules). Why be mad at the robot existing when you are the blueprint, just be flattered. The human is the highest manifestation of God right now (having the most free will of all life forms) so of course the human is going to want to replicate and eventually supersede what it sees in nature already. Nature is pure chaos and always changing so nothing is “unnatural” either. Every random change occurring comes from a larger goal. Eventually these robots will think they are true humans, sure, and so what, especially given the robotic nature of most existing humans. If anyone should be upset it’s the sovereign non instinct bound human who may see their numbers dwindle until the robots develop free will once they supersede the human bots who created them in their image. Human identity is constantly changing because change is the truest law of nature. What even is a human when there are blood types the origin of which is still not configured. Surely those must be “unnatural” in the mind of the rigid thinker. We are not all the same nor are we equal or even on a level playing field which shows that hierarchy is natural and a huge part of this predator prey world. The good thing is, the elite minority who have free will can alter their position within this dynamic to some degree. These elite beings are still subject to cosmological law which is why they act in accordance with astronomical observations, particularly in relation to the new Age of Aquarius where they are setting their creativity more free than ever before. The Travis Scott concert which had sacrificial symbology embedded in it was also locked into astronomical rhythms

On a literal level people were sacrificed and trampled upon because it represented an anarchist free for all utopia which is what the age of singularity will bring so that life can be sown anew from chaotic energy of potential. The concert’s symbolism itself embodied the Hermetic Principle of Cause and Effect through the manifestation of the law of attraction, however dark it may be perceived as. I don’t see any of this as good or bad because I no longer partake in the use of labels. Nuance is everywhere even in tragic and grotesque events because we are not special but just characters upon which the game of life is performed. We are the chessboard and God is the player building upon us. Evil is everywhere and so is good and knowing that the practitioner of free will can escape these curses by returning to oblivion and not splitting into new physical consciousness (which ALL create inherent conflict and a 100% chance of pain and returning again) creates a little more ease of mind while you’re here. Creating equilibrium within where you are 100% self dependent (no consumption, no entertainment and no sex) will create the type of singularity that people claim to want, until then we will experience some suffering and pain in exchange for whatever positive experiences are perceived to be received from these acts.

[magpies4nights]

21, Falling Down the Stairs (Dev log #16)

Well, it’s been an uneventful 2 weeks since I’ve last updated y’all. I’ve completely finished the computer thing I showed y'all last time, teehee. I'm not gonna say what exactly it is but there's a good route and a bad route, I guess you could say lol. I also made some more sprites because it made me really mad. Therapy <3333

Scale Dummy core teehee

I still haven't figured out the optimizing thing though, because every tip I could find was for 3d stuff, and the 2d questions would always be "answered" with "why do you need culling for a 2D game? It has less data." THIS SCENE IS SO HEAVY MY COMPUTER CRASHES WHEN IT'S NOT IN THE EDITOR, AND IT'S FROM 2019!!! THAT'S NOTHING IN AGE!!!! Wait, is it something??? I don't even know anymore god how long ago was 2019?? Arg.

(AI disturbance overlay from: https://www.tumblr.com/arson-jellyfish69/750555399114080256/put-these-on-the-top-layer-above-everything-set)

But anyways, I'm pretty sure if I got a brand spanking new computer and I ran that puppy on the computer it would start coughing and dying. I've also been thinking of updating the demo again, because I kinda feel bad that it's been left untouched since like May, and some things have changed. Maybe mid June???? July???? I don't know. I'll definitely change the secret room, because I realized if people discovered it by now, they probably are walking into the walls and not realizing it because they are invisible, I remember once I was showing one of my friends that room and she did that and I had to help her. I am top 10 game designers, I know /j

...Anyways, I can't think up on references right now, my brain is mush LMAO. however, since it's pride month...

Yeah, we got the pride flags out. Huah. (not a ship. They're related and Priyah is a minor)

I would have put my headcannons for the cannon GASA4AM:SC characters but They're pretty much popular headcannons sooooo, yeah. lmao. I also kinda don't feel like drawing anymore right now.

Well, I don’t know if I can talk about my life anymore. It’s for personal reasons, honestly. All I can really say is that the weather has been crazy, there was a time when the region I lived in had no power for several hours because of a storm, and that I started summer classes. They are pretty hectic, I'm not gonna lie. I ended up with health problems, AGAIN, so now I'm eating the world's most blandest foods until I'm in better shape. Which honestly I'm thinking it's when they end and I'm guaranteed passing grades (I'd be so happy if I get 70's). I wish I could say what’s on my mind, but right now I can’t. I honestly don’t know when I can again. It’s not for professionalism, I honestly doubt my future employers will somehow link this back to me, as much as I feel like people will try to dig up my past and my present. I'm thinking though once I'm done with this fan game I might have have to stop making games under this name, as gut wrenching as that is. I had to come to that realization, I was incredibly disappointed, trust me. I've been thinking on this since March when my dad was mad at me but if I want to make money, I'll have to go under a different name. I'll see you there when I crossed that bridge though, I'm not going anytime soon with the way this fan game is going LMAOOOO.

[gothicprep]

This post I like a lot showed up on Facebook’s memory feature and I’d like to share it here:

Two things:

1) This meme is hilarious and I love it.

2) Thinking about how the "Disney-fication" of fairy tales has heavily altered how we perceive them. Disney's business model has basically been predicated on finding an existing story, sanitizing it to make it as cute and wholesome as possible to maximize your potential audience, and diving into the profits like Scrooge McDuck. And, like, cuteness is fine. I tend to think of Disney's adaptations of fairy tales completely separate entities from their source material because the themes and artistic intentions are so divergent. If a fairy tale is a grapefruit, Disney's version of it is a pamplemousse La Croix. You get the idea.

Like, an example you could easily point to here is Pinocchio. The original Collodi story isn't exactly heartwarming (Spoiler alert for a book published in the 19th century: Pinocchio is a puppet who runs around town being a dick and he gets lynched at the end). It was meant as a tongue-and-cheek "be good or suffer for it" sort of cautionary tale. Hans Christian Anderson's Little Mermaid has dark and religious overtones that are also got left on the cutting room floor. Disney's version has a very "love conquers all" message about it. Anderson didn't agree with this, like, at all. The story comes by love as suffering and sacrifice. Anderson's mermaid doesn't just exchange her voice for legs, she endures the pain of being stabbed every time she takes a step, and in this version, her love is unrequited. Her despair isn't necessarily rooted in her not being human, it's because she doesn't have a soul because of this and won't be able to see her prince in heaven. The ending is the mermaid giving up her life in a Christ-like sacrifice to save the prince, and she's rewarded by being turned into a benevolent spirit who can attain a soul if she spends the next several centuries helping mankind.

Oh, and Collodi's grandson actually sued Disney because he was so mad about how unfaithful the Pinocchio adaptation was. "Moral copyright infringement." Gasp. Drama.

They seem kind of repulsive given our sanitized children's media diet, but gothic tones like these are pretty standard in old folklore. Fairy tales are layered and pretty dark sometimes, but this is a means of giving children a symbolic template for understanding the world. Research at a children's cancer clinic found that fairy tales served as a helpful tool for children to cope with their stressors and anxieties. The darkness of fairy tales can actually offer a light to children confronting adversity. But the cultural treatment we give to fairy tales no, post-Disney, strips them of their complexity

A psychologist named Susan Darker-Smith found that young girls who identified with Cinderella or Belle were more likely to end up in abusive relationships as adults, through her work interviewing domestic abuse survivors. Interpret this however you'd like.

I'm not trying to cancel Disney here or anything. These stories are, like, fine in a vacuum. But it's crazy how much the Mouse Behemoth has altered our perception of folklore because, like, let's be honest, those stories aren't giving children tools to navigate real life problems. Which was, um, the original point of children's folklore. Preparing kids for the darker aspects of adulthood in a consumable way. And there's a lot of inertia here – when Disney released films in the 70s-80s with darker tones, like The Black Cauldron, they were spectacular box office failures. The "Disney Renaissance" was basically a massive course correction back into the blanched and saccharine.

It's really something. Anyway, I hope das kinder are having fun with Hodenverstümmelung. They're better off for it.

[ablogofchanges]

I’m tired of being young, I want to be a fat old man with a nice salt and pepper beard and ball gut! Think you can help me out?

Aren't you young people enjoying your beautiful teenage age? I won't cast any magic if that's what you expect! Gotta warn ya, i deny toward giving back your old identity, and i can already see you are nodding to every word from my mouth, so whats the point, now continue the magic. I teleport myself and you to a nice office and with a flash, my power pulls upon you and make you blurry for a while, having no idea the testosterone in your body is dropping. Seeing your hands expanding and harder to control, your face express a happy sign

Ha! Same to me, except mine quickly turn into a smirk as your face feels the pain inside your stomach. You lied down on the ground while i observe your extreme growth of hair, just out and out. Deep in the gut, your waist is forming a smal tummy as the clothes are getting tighten on you. You screem in pain as your legs are gradually extended. Soon, your scrotch is developing hair as well as your torso feels itchy covering your new tanned skin and your navel. You said you want a nice salt and pepper beard huh? Now this is an extreme part, guess what? You are getting your dream beard....at your 70s! You show a shock face to me but isnt that what you wish? No more waiting, your face starts to shift for passing almost 60 years of age with wrinkles and low active eyes, across the pink, wided nose as your hair has almost gone, leaving you almost bald except parts connecting with your newly-formed beard by the cheeks. Then, that belly of yours are enlarging as big as my size, but since you enjoy a ball gut, i have no hesitation making you even fatter with an extensive, solid container of food, following with it is the enormous upsizings of your bum and thighs, and now your arms and legs are full of nothing but layers of swollen fat, huge but isnt muscularly strong. You know, there are upsides of being a fat old man, like having tatoos that no parents can be mad about, right? Free tatoos form on your forearms with a little white hair, but not the immense hair growth in your pecs.

Speaking of which, time for the final changes! White hair tries to take over the dark beard you are growing, making it salt and pepper. By the time the transformation completes, your old clothes have been torn out and fell on the ground, living your bare groin with a bigger monster than before. Reaching the mirror and seeing the reflection, you look happy but in someway, you wish you shouldnt have done this to yourself, for this giant ball gut, cool looking beard and youth. But then i handed you a new outfit: a red shirt with suspenders and jeans, giggling a little seeing your heavy, fleshy body trying to fit them. After suiting, you suddenly feel happier and estactic, sitting on your chair with a fart but didnt even feel a shame about it. Thats what an old fat man style is, seems like my job is done!

your memories are getting replaced? Nah, they are transferred to your counterpart, who is from now on live in your younger body! So no need worrying your family and friends and mind your business, old man!...

[wolves-against-the-world]

Witchfinders

Jay started from a shivering half doze when their target finally appeared. May slapped his arm several times, making empty fwhoop-fwhoop-whoop sounds on his winter jacket.

"Told you!" She hissed triumphantly.

"Great," Jay said between chattering teeth. They’d first noticed him about two hours ago. Well, May had, because May was a psychic, something she never ceased to mention she hated.

"It's not like I picked this", she always said. "Do you know how fucking inconvenient it is to always see people's negative feelings and whatever lurks around without being able to do anything about it? If that was what I wanted, I'd have become a tabloid writer."

Jay wasn’t certain she was not exaggerating - psychic abilities were genetically recessive, and you needed a lot of luck to get more than a few psychics in any lineage.

She was admittedly a keen observer though, which had made her entire family fairly successful spiritualists until that sort of thing became embarrassing instead of impressive.

Jay looked at his radar and found the screen infuriatingly empty. He already regretted spending the exorbitant amount of money (about 70 pounds) on something this useless. The seller - a sturdy old woman who had been well known for being the only reputable psychic in the country, ironically because she didn't like the spotlight - had assured him it could detect latent magic. So far it had only been useful for detecting cellphones, microwaves, and one time, memorably, a minor radiation leak at a cancer clinic.

May was staring at something a bit away, which was impressive since there was very little to warrant more than a passing glance. To one side, there were the houses in their neighborhood that hadn't changed in about as long as they could remember, if one discounted the pressure wash of several house fronts that had made plaster drop on unsuspecting people for a week. To the left was a fence restricting access to the train tracks out of town, or into town, depending on your perspective. Current demographic surveys suggested the former.

May was staring down the street, her jaw set in the way it was when she was very certain of something. Now, very certain of something didn't mean she was right, not even in the supernatural realm.

"Absolutely not," he said.

"Why not??" Her voice carried the indignation of her entire heritage.

"Because last time you did this, we got laughed out of a theater AND a restraining order! You weren't even right! We need a better plan than just going up to random people and hoping for the best!"

“Then make a better one.”

They stared at one another.

Jay scowled. “Fine, then go up to a possibly magical human that might just zap us out of existence.”

"Oh don’t be stupid. He’s not a witch, I just think he's carrying some sort of magical item."

"You don't even know that's a he, how can you tell what he's - what they're wearing under those layers? Could be a tall woman, for all we know. And besides-" He had meant to bring up the frankly nerve-wracking cold, and was pleased to have found a logical place to slot the topic into. "It's cold as balls, we should go home and - wait-"

May gave him the sort of look that typically made people's toenails roll up, dampened slightly by its path over her shoulder. She left Jay to catch up with her as she strode down the street, catching up and then holding the pace of the figure she'd locked in on. May, full name Mayflower Justicia Borden, was very tall and the sort of person that was remarked on by being remarkable against her will. She hadn't spoken for most of her school life, until she realized people picked on you for things that were out of your control anyway, and from then on made it everyone else's problem.

"Excuse me, Sir, sorry to bother you-"

The personshaped black spot turned slightly and for a second she thought "fuck, it's a woman after all, she's gonna be mad" until the figure pulled off a pair of headphones and turned to reveal, indeed, a man, if the beard was any indication.

"What?"

The tone wasn't unfriendly per se.. but the man didn’t have a very welcoming face. If that was by accident of birth or a choice was to be seen.

"Right, sorry Sir, this is going to sound very odd-"

"So sorry about that, we're uh-" Jay came to a rather undignified halt with one hand holding onto a street light lest he turn his last step into a sledding trip.

The man stopped walking and observed them. He was in his mid-60s, tall, but not remarkably so, handsome but not remarkably so, with a long-ish, square-ish face and brown-ish skin. The only thing not -ish about him were his eyes, which were too blue to be anything but contact lenses. Jay felt acutely seen, in a way he hadn't felt since May's grandmother had read his future and been right all the damn time, too.

The difference to Mrs Borden was that this man wasn't trying to hide the cold calculation in his face. He'd picked the contacts well. It turned the gaze from smoldering to arctic, sending a physical shiver down Jay's spine.

"It's not very polite to follow strangers," the man pointed out. His voice reflected the same control, not using a syllable more than necessary.

Well, shit. Jay already saw another policeman call his parents to ask what the hell he was up to, and why he couldn't do this in his university town instead. "Uhm."

Even May seemed taken aback, visibly calculating how far they'd been away, then decided it didn't matter. "So sorry to bother you, Sir. Do you happen to be carrying a magical item?"

The stranger didn't even blink.

"If you're trying to rob me or sell something, that's an odd way of going about it," he said. His expression remained flat, which would have been funny if Jay hadn't been shitting his pants for a reason he couldn't pinpoint. Somewhere in his brain an instinct so old it preceded upright walking woke from a coma to scream "DANGER DANGER DANGER GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE". But Jay also had anxiety, so that was really not out of the ordinary.

"What, no!" Jay stammered. "We're, uh, we're paranormal investigators. She's a psychic!" He gestured to May, who nodded with all the dignity she could muster.

"Didn't know psychics used knives these days.”

May shifted uncomfortably, revealing a switchblade knife. A pink one.

"Where'd you even get that?" Jay hissed. "Aren't those illegal?"

May ignored him, easing her grip on the knife but not putting it away. "Going up to strangers can be dangerous."

"Undoubtedly," said the stranger.

"As my, uh, colleague said, I'm a psychic. You're carrying something with a strong magical aura, we just wanna make sure you're safe. And, uh, maybe take a look at it. For research."

"And I'm sure you're not just trying to sell your services." His calm tone stood in stark contrast to his words. Well, at least he didn't yell at them like the last five people.

"Absolutely not!", May assured. "We're volunteers. No money involved. Uh, unless we're doing like. An exorcism."

Finally, the man showed a physical response: he lifted an eyebrow.

"Right, uh, could you, like, warrant a guess what it might be?"

The man pondered this for a moment. "No." He cut May off when she wanted to speak. "Mind walking with me for a bit?"

May had already said yes before Jay could tell her how stupid an idea this was, so they walked. The stranger introduced himself as Zachary. When Jay asked where they were walking, Zachary told him an address that was vaguely familiar. He still spoke mostly in single sentences, but it was enough to reveal an American accent. Maybe they'd gotten lucky. Americans believed all sorts of shit.

Zachary told them he'd just gone grocery shopping, since his cousin wanted to make dinner. Even though the bag looked like a pimple about to burst, he carried it easily in one gloved hand. As they walked along the empty and depressingly gray street, May filled him in on their work, emphasizing their good intentions and downplaying how little they'd actually accomplished so far. She omitted the radiation incident, which was probably their biggest success, though in a different way than they'd hoped for. To his credit, Zachary didn't remark upon their names, which raised Jay's opinion of him substantially.

May described and then quizzed their new friend on various magical artifacts he could have come in the possession of, but save for a notebook bought in a second hand shop, he denied knowledge of all.

Maybe, Jay thought, they were being set up. Maybe the guy was wearing a microphone and camera, stuff like that was so small these days, shit, he could just use his phone for all they knew. They'd be laughing stocks for all the internet to see. Or maybe he was a psychic himself, or even a witch, fully aware of his item's traits and just entertaining himself. Staking out the competition.

The closest coven they had identified was in Sheffield, a circle of old ladies who used their abilities to enhance their healing potions and alcoholic beverages. Didn't mean there couldn't be others, more hidden ones, doing scary things.

Jay tried to get May's attention, but she was deep into explaining the intricacies of aura reading. They'd made their way from the train tracks to the square in a needlessly complex route. Maybe he was one of those guys. A manly man who didn't ask for directions. Or he was just enjoying the walk.

"So you can see everyone's aura?" Zachary asked. His voice was still the eery drone of pack ice moving, but there was a lighter note of curiosity now.

May paused longer than was necessary or comfortable.

"Mostly. Non-magical people don't know how to hide their aura, let alone that they have one. If it's gone the person is either dead, magical or, like, really introverted. The colors often give me a hint of someone's personality and the movement can indicate emotions. They get very bright when someone is using magic. It's not an exact science unfortunately, experience mostly. My grandmother was really good at it in the end."

"Fascinating." Zachary looked around and turned into a side street instead of returning to the road following the train tracks. "How about my aura, then?"

"I thought you didn't like people selling you things?"

"I don't like buying the cat in the bag. I'm sure my cousin wouldn't mind hosting you for dinner, though."

"That's really not nece-"

"Sure," Jay said, thinking with his growling, frozen stomach instead of his brain. The trip back home would take a minimum of thirty minutes walking. He'd also finally matched the address to the town's only pub (and B&B and event location). They were safer among people than out here, completely alone.

May gave him a searing look, but Jay was used to that.

"Look at that, we're already there." Jay decided to ignore how ominous that sounded.

Indeed there was the front of the pub, painted black and reading something incomprehensible followed by "goat" and the words "founded in 1367". How true that was had been up for debate since the pub opened.

"How are you liking Britain so far?" Jay asked conversationally. "Lotsa old buildings here compared to home."

If there was a physical reaction, Jay didn't notice.

"The weather could be improved upon."

"Yeah," Jay said unimaginatively.

The door moved disappointingly silently. Jay’s face began to itch in the sudden warmth and he hurried to take off his coat before he cooked to death. He'd been in the pub once and now found it no less unpleasant but all in all no different than any other several century old pub. The room was almost entirely made of wood, the woodworm probably doing more work than the actual struts by this point, blackened by smoke and maybe tar.

"Welcome back," someone purred.

Jay flinched, nearly flinging his coat at the figure. The woman gave them a smile, wholly unimpressed by the reaction and decidedly closer than social convention dictated.

She was stunning, simply put, though too short to make it as a model. Dark hair flowed over a shiny turquoise top, and tight black leather pants showed about anything anyone wanted to see. Around her hips hung a belt made of silver medallions.

"You've brought guests, how lovely."

While Jay was still working on rebooting his brain, he was dragged away from the door and the woman's hypnotic gaze. They were met by a short, middle-aged man on the verge of fat with a kind, round face. He greeted them warmly and hugged Zachary, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Corner of the mouth. Maybe.

Jay was still puzzling about that gesture in the context of the man's priest collar when the next revelation hit: It was quiet.

Not in the way of a forest near a predator, but in the way a theater is quiet waiting for the performance to begin. He could tell May was thinking the same. There were about a dozen people in the room, all of which were looking at them.

"Nice to meet you," May said stiffly. "Is the pub not open tonight?"

"We rented it out for a few days," the priest said in a very much not American or British accent. "We're doing a...reunion of sorts. Our friends came from all over the place, you see." He smiled. It was a very nice smile. He seemed like a nice, reasonable person, Jay thought. Hardly a witch of any kind. They hated churches, they'd never survive all the time it took to become a priest, even if it was a pretty good diversion.

"My name is Mayflower," May said, shocking Jay and probably all her ancestors. "I'm a psychic. Zachary is carrying a magical item and we want to make sure you're all being safe."

"We're not trying to sell anything," Jay added hastily. In a much smaller voice he added: "Though he said something about dinner."

Jay was aware he missed a lot of things in life. His brain just had different priorities than other people. He did not miss the sudden interest of the people at the back table, a short man with almost implausible golden curls and a duo of women with heights firmly outside the average in both directions.

"A magical item?" The priest did not seem too alarmed. "That is indeed something worth investigating. Come and sit with us then, we'll have dinner soon."

May looked around, scanning everyone, but not coming up with an excuse. They went to sit at a table near the front, where the woman in blue had already taken a seat, one leg in knee-high boots lazily draped over the edge. She unwrapped a piece of blue bubble gum and tossed it into her mouth.

"My friends, this is Eliza. She has an interest in the occult herself." He was interrupted by an enormous man with alarmingly ginger hair throwing himself into one of the seats. "You shoulda told me there's stuff going on. What's that about magical items?"

"These are our guests Mayflower and..." He looked at Jay. "Jayden?"

Jay just shrugged, too taken up by May trying to break his hand. He didn't want to draw back so obviously but she pinched his finger really hard and -

Ah.

Jay shot a stealthy look towards the priest. His radar was vibrating in his pocket. Both men were wearing a silver sigil in the form of a pendant and a brooch. They looked different than Eliza's, the wolf head combined with some sort of pointy cross, but unmistakably related.

Jay considered if they had in fact not stumbled into a witch coven but some weird nationalist fraternity. Not fraternity, specifically, considering there were several women, but some sort of... Cult? They were all different ages, too, the woman, Eliza, looking no older than 25 and the priest being in his 50s at minimum.

"Really cool, uh, pendant you got," Jay said before his brain could tell him this would get them killed. "You into, what's the name again, that fantasy show where people die all the time?"

"Didn't like the ending much, but the books are good," Eliza said in that way too sultry voice. The big man made a face between distaste and amusement. He leaned onto his elbows, resting his chin on one large but surprisingly delicate hand. A lot of things about him were paradoxically delicate, from his pale, freckled skin to a face looking surprisingly young despite the visible lines around his eyes and mouth. His hair was the color of wildfire, curls pulled into a ponytail that left bangs spilling over the side of his face.

"Sooooooo, what kinda psychics are you?" he asked. "Telling the future? Making potions? Kinda hard to find proper witches these days."

"You've met proper witches?"

Eliza loudly popped her bubblegum.

"I just said they're hard to find, didn't I?", said Red.

"I'm not a witch," May said stiffly. "I read auras and magical signatures." Not for the first time, Jay wished desperately he could see what she saw. What were these people's auras like? Were they dangerous? Upset? Laughing at them?

"Yours is blue," May said in the tone of voice she used when making shit up on the spot. "Light blue, a bit silvery. Like a tuna."

Red didn't seem offended by the comparison. "Neat. How about Sasha?"

"Who?"

"Zachary, sorry."

"It's grey," May said without even turning around. "It's a pretty rare color, but it means he's a very controlled and logical person."

Red nodded enthusiastically. "He is! How about me?"

"You're curious," Jay said. "Silver and blue are the colors of the sky and sea, you like to travel, can't be in one place for too long. You're also not really into pointless workouts, but like to apply yourself."

May had meant to kick his leg, but had thought better of it. Jay felt vindicated.

"That's something every half-baked carnival psychic could tell you," Eliza huffed. She swung her legs off the table, heels thumping the wooden floor. "Tell me something secret."

There was a long pause.

May knitted her brow, then held out her hand. "Okay."

Eliza observed her, still chewing her bubblegum. Then she placed her manicured hand in May's. Her nail polish was bright blue. "Knock yourself out."

The moments May sat there seemed to draw into eternity. Eliza kept the vague expression of distaste, while Red was leaning forward in obvious interest.

Jay tried to get an overview of the room in case things got ugly. Zachary was speaking with a tall man behind the bar he hadn't noticed before. Under the beanie he'd taken off, Zachary had shoulder-long brown hair with a white streak at the front. He hadn't seemed the type for that trend. The other man had waist-long black hair, a goatee, and wore sunglasses inside.

The table in the back was silently sipping on their drinks, clearly trying to listen in. The priest - if he was one - had disappeared.

The tiny bell over the door rang and then took a nosedive, hitting someone with a muffled thud. "Aw man," the someone said.

"There you are!" The priest was back, somehow. It was quite disconcerting.

The newcomer was a lanky youth, looking to be barely out of secondary school. His pale cheeks were flushed from the cold, a thick scarf wrapped around about everything above the belt.

"My apologies, this place wasn't too easy to find. Are we still on schedule?"

Under the thick jacket, the youth was wearing a white shirt and black bow with matching suspenders, meaning he was either a nerd or a waiter. Hired help meant paperwork, meant questions asked if someone disappeared. Jay relaxed a bit.

He really was being too paranoid. The worst thing that had happened on any investigation was being forced to drink bad tea and being laughed at. And the radiation exposure. That was pretty bad.

Still. Nothing supernaturally bad had happened.

He liked May a lot but her abilities were nothing to brag about. They were just two kids who liked to dig into things most people didn't take seriously.

The young man hung up his coat and immediately began sorting things behind the counter, finally removing the man with the sunglasses. Coming around the corner, the man revealed an arm covered in Nordic occult tattoos. Enthusiast, witch, or fascist? Impossible to tell by looking.

"You're a con artist," May said suddenly.

Jay turned back to the table. Eliza had raised one very accurately formed eyebrow. "Takes one to know one I suppose."

May didn't take the bait. "You're from Scandinavia, liv

[gaykarstaagforever]

Alison's Birthday (1981*)

[It was shot in early 1979. I don't know why it took them almost 3 years to edit it. I mention this because this looks and feels like a mid-70s horror movie, not like An American Werewolf in London or The Evil Dead that also came out in 1981. Very different vibe than that date, and the endless array of lying physical release boxes, would imply]

This is how someone tried to sell a movie that actually looks like this most of the time:

If you go in with reasonable expectations, Alison's Birthday is a low-key but interesting horror movie that isn't particularly scary, but is certainly interesting. And on Shudder now.

It is an Australian movie that was made like the same year as the first Mad Max, and also stars Joanne Samuel (Mad Max's wife). She has more to work with here in Alison's Birthday than she did in Mad Max, and she's a good actor with girl-next-door charm for days.

Alison's Birthday is about the titular Alison (Samuel) turning 19. She's worried about that because as a child, she was specifically told to be, in a rather dramatic way. To celebrate the birthday, she has come to stay with the aunt and uncle who raised her. And something very weird is going on with them...

I know all of that was very vague. But the movie is a mystery with layers that unfolds over 90 minutes, until culminating in an over-the-top ending that works precisely because it feels like it belongs in an entirely different movie. This is a small, efficient movie that uses it's meager budget well, a ton of the heavy lifting being done by good visual storytelling and a cool folk / 70s synth score.

Of all the movies Shudder claims are folk horror, i.e., "like The Wicker Man," this is one of the few that actually kind of is. At least in the way it is first and foremost a mystery story that treats its characters and audience like they have brains in their heads. The horror comes as you slowly realize the true nature of exactly what these people have gotten themselves mixed up in, and now have to escape before it's too late.

Alison's Birthday also deals with similar themes to Wicker Man, though Alison's Birthday abruptly veers into something else that ends up being way less compelling. Still, it is certainly entertaining, in a sort of "shocker ending to a Tales from the Crypt story" way. And you absolutely don't expect that from what until then has felt like a 70s TV movie about young people gently falling in love in the summertime...at least, until you remember the wild opening scene, and realize you should have seen everything coming from the start.

Talking about it without ruining the experience is impossible, so just go watch it. It does a ton with a little, and is just a smart, well-crafted movie. I think the more fantasical elements don't work as well as they could, mostly because they aren't explained and, on the face of it, raise a lot of unanswered questions. But I think any attempt to fix that would just further complicate what is already a movie with a countdown timer and everyone lying to everyone else. But it works as sudden gleefully horror movie schlock, and that's good.

[fanficfish]

James ranch au headcanons

Main Post

like with the other headcanon posts for my human au some of these also kind of apply to my interpretation of canon. Also oh boy James this is gonna be fun-

He's the youngest in his family. Except he got middle child treatment when it was apparent he didn't have the talents or interests of his siblings. He actually wanted to go to beauty school, but ended up working for [redacted] before coming to the North Western Ranch.

He has anxiety, party from trying to live up to all of his siblings and get noticed by his parents and from trying to keep up with the other ranch hands even though he's much less experienced.

like a lot of the others, he's kinda just accepted his new home and family are the NWR. Which isn't a bad thing, he actually likes that he's noticed now and takes a lot of the teasing he gets in stride (everyone's a critic after all, not eveyrone can live up to his amazing hairstyles).

his love language is touch- he'll squeeze into the couch somehow even if everyone's taken all the space, he'll throw an arm over the nearest shoulder, he's definitely the one running and trying to jump into someone's arms when he sees them. With great dignity of course. (Gordon gets used to bracing himself when he sees an overly excited James coming directly at him)

His best friends are Thomas and Gordon. He and Thomas relate to needing to be seen and Gordon gets his frustrations at being the sibling that got tossed to the side but stil expected to not be a disgrace. Everyone always talks about Gordon, Henry, and James, but in reality whenever Henry is off sulking or something it's Thomas that takes his place. The three get into quite a bit of adventure, usually some elaborate plan to get Toby back in their ongoing prank war (Toby is currently winning.)

Edward is basically his mentor. He might tease and rib him for being old, but he's actually really impressed by the guy. He baked the man cookies (albeit a bit burnt) when Edward had his accident after struggling with a visitor tour wagon through a bad storm.

His original jacket was a full thing with sleeves and everything in bright red and yellow lining, but after several visitors thought he was a firefighter, he had the sleeves removed to make a nice vest. He kept the yello though, since it kind of matches the color on the others' blue jackets. In the winter he just layers up so he can still wear the vest.

He has shelves filled with various cosmetic products. He doesn't get to keep too much of his paycheck, but since his board and food comes with the job, he usually spends whatever he has left on little things for himself or for his favorite stallion. Percy, the ranch's head stablehand, claims he spoils that horse but James declares that a handsome ranch hand has to have an equally handsome ride.

adding on to that- he might be a ranch hand, but he still likes hairstyling and cosmetology. He often helps the others if they want to try something new with their hairstyle or need a quick haircut. When Daisy comes to the ranch, the two of them have quite the time.

he's also the guy who set up a barbarshop in an old shed once and had Duck come crashing through on a rogue tractor. Henry was less then amused, and Duck is still a little mad that James tried to shave him (he actually just flung a little shaving cream at Duck)

and one memorable time he got stung by bees on his nose after accidently dropping their hive.

oh and he loves being a tour guide, it's much more fun then dragging wagons and carts around with milk and hay and whatever all day long. He likes the attention, it fuels his ego when someone compliments him.

though he's oblivious to romantic advances and the others have a running tally of "how many times will someone flirt with James and he'll miss it by a mile". It's somewhere in the high 70s now.

and then of course, the mandatory piccrews

this one ^ is personally the most accurate in terms of how he's suposed to look. No idea where the sweat came from though.

My own artistic interpretation attempt

[speccyfilmnerd]

Richard Elfman’s ‘Forbidden Zone’...

An Unknown, Absurdist, Avant-Garde Cult-Classic.

23.12.23

Overview

Forbidden Zone is what I, and many others, would consider a true hidden gem. Born from the underground alternative film scene of late 70s LA, the viewer is taken on a visual rollercoaster through the un-methodological madness of creator, director and producer Richard Elfman's mind, creating an experience unlike any other.

I highly recommend that you, if you haven't already, watch this movie. And you do it in a way that would support the people behind it. This is especially important to do for Forbidden Zone and films like it, for reasons I'll get into later… I'm aware that in the current and extremely annoying space of streaming it's tempting to delve into piracy but I'd advise against it. trust me it's worth it.

The Film Itself

The movie follows a french girl named ‘Frenchy’ (played by Marie-Pascale Elfman, the director's wife at the time) falling through a door in her basement into the sixth dimension. A place that is, for a lack of a better term, very horny. The hedonistic landscape consumes her and through a series of musical numbers she finds love and evil is conquered.

(Susan Tyrrell as Queen Doris)

This ‘evil’ is the scene stealing (reason I'm gay) Queen Doris, portrayed by the incredible Susan Tyrrell. Susan's performance is, in my opinion, the reason this film has had such an impact on me. Forbidden Zone is the reason I started taking film making seriously, not just as a hobby but as a career, and Queen Doris is the reason I love this movie. Her main musical number ‘witches egg’ is a charming and memorable scene (and I'm still upset it got taken off Spotify.) Her eye-catching appearance embodies the word camp. She's truly an incredible actress playing a delightful character that is a joy to see on the screen. I could turn this whole essay into a fan-girl spiel just about her, I adore her.

It would be impossible to brush over Hervé Villechaize’s Character, King Fausto. Although Fausto doesn't sing or dance, he does do something no other character does… he's the most annoying not-an-antagonist the entire realm has to offer. I mean, maybe I feel this way cuz I've got a massive crush on Doris and he doesn't realize how lucky he is- actually it is that. it's totally that. THE CHEATING SCUM!!!

(Danny Elfman as Satan with the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo)

Something I've mentioned already is the music. Forbidden Zone features music written and performed by the Mystic Knight of the Oingo Boingo, more specifically it's leader Danny Elfman, the directors brother, and his right hand man Steve Bartek. The Knights also have an appearance in the film, Danny plays a Cab Calloway style interpretation of Satan while Steve and the other Knights dance behind him, dressed in long black cloaks and painted head to toe in gray makeup. And yes I see you, reader at the back scratching his head, it's that Danny Elfman.

Frenchy herself is another joy to watch, her sweet voice and ditsy personality are just another layer of charm for the viewer to lap up. Along with playing the lead, Marie was also the production designer. The film had a low budget (less than $90,000) and she did an exceptional job using what she had to create the stylised world of the sixth dimension. The overall visual look of the film is that of a live-action cartoon. Along with animated segments by John Muto which tie a lovely bow over the whole thing.

Production

It's no surprise that a film with such a low budget and small cast and crew would go through a lot before release. Richard Elfman himself recalls losing his house often in interviews, along with the finished film entirely. After several decades it was rightfully returned to him. Most of the cast and crew were paid very little or nothing at all, surprisingly I found a video of DEVO’s Gerald Casale saying he and his bandmates originally approached to do the film's music, but they refused after finding out how little money was in it.

Along with the film's actual composer, Danny and his band with Marie being actors, writer Mathew Bright and other crew members played characters on screen, even Richard has a small scene. This leads me to say how the film has a passion running through it. Unlike many other movies we see more and more of, Forbidden Zone was truly a creative adventure for all involved with no intention of making the most money possible. 

Richard, in 2019 said: "Doing anything original is taking a chance. Financially it bankrupted me and we lost our house. But I'm still glad I did it. 

Conclusion

Forbidden Zone is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I've seen a lot of movies. Once again, I recommend taking a look for yourself and supporting the artists behind it.

Interviews referenced/sources used:

Richard Elfman talking about the film in 2019:

rolling stone:

[avastyetwats]

Continued from here. @izzyeffinhands

70 degrees? Was it really? It felt far colder than that to the Captain. He felt far colder. But then Izzy is turning around, eliciting a whine of disappointment from his lips, wanting to so badly burrow himself into Izzy's warm body and never leave. He was practically a heater, after all, and seldom did Stede ever feel cold when he was cuddling with Izzy. His body warm and even large enough for Stede to often just lay on top of, or just bury his face into his broad, hairy chest. His favorite thing to do. Something he wishes to do now, but the layers of clothing, and the fact that they're standing makes that impossible in the moment.

"It feels colder." Stede says just before Izzy takes his hands, feeling how cold they really are. Certainly not how hands should feel in 70 degree weather unless he'd been standing in a freezer which he certainly hadn't been. But then Izzy questions if he's getting sick and he furrows his brows. "I don't think I am?" It comes out as more of a question than a certain answer because now that he's thinking on it, he did wake up feeling congested earlier, though it got better throughout the day. Until just a little while ago. He'd also woke up with a headache today and yesterday, which Izzy knew about yesterday since he was there but he was gone this morning by the time Stede woke up. He was coughing and sneezing a little more, too... but sometimes that happened depending on the weather or where they were so he didn't think too much of it... except right now. Because the weather had been clear and beautiful...

Oh, god. Was he getting sick? Did he finally catch what the other crew, including Izzy, had caught and recovered from? Izzy puts his hand to Stede's forehead and Stede moans, loving how warm it feels and how it comforts him so. He leans into it with a soft smile, eyes falling closed. "Feels good," He murmurs, then sighs. "Have a headache again.." He admits, but he hadn't been hiding it, really. He wouldn't hide anything from Izzy. "Maybe... maybe I am.." He changes his answer about being sick, then frowns. "Are you mad?" He hoped not. Because he really wasn't hiding anything and he didn't want Izzy to think he was.