#like it was a little goofy but i think portraying it as this like otherworldly style is fun i just wish again they pushed it more

[teamisc]

I think people hate on the use of cg in csm too much I actually wish they pushed it further.

[rosecorcoranwrites]

Thoughts on Horror (Plus Recommendations!)

“Horror” is a difficult genre to pin down, because there are so many things that horrify us. Gore, death, the unknown, stepping on a snail barefoot (10/10 would not recommend). For the longest time, I didn’t think I liked horror until I started reading r/NoSleep, a subreddit wherein people tell fictional scary stories, but everyone—author and readers—pretend they're real, like a strange forum for people who have had terrifying and otherworldly experiences that you might accidentally run across if you were researching the supernatural (there is, by the way, a different subreddit for nonfiction accounts of supernatural encounters). I love the stories on r/NoSleep, and after thinking about it, realized that I also really like Asian horror like Seeds of Anxiety, The Eye, and some episodes of xxxHolic. On the other hand, I’m not a fan of Ringu or The Grudge. I can’t stand most American horror movies, be they monster movies, zombie flicks, or slasher films, but I like do A Quiet Place and most of Shyamalan's work. I theorize that, for me, it’s comes down to the type of horror in question. Thus, I thought I would examine these types and break the horror genre into several subcategories, based on how the horror is achieved.

Slasher: These are your basic blood and guts visceral scares. Obviously franchises like The Purge and Saw fit in here, but I would argue that Nightmare on Elm Street and a great many Steven King movies (the supernatural ones, anyway) fit in as well. Some might argue with this last assertion, saying those fears are psychological or psychic in nature, but I think that they're still handled like slasher movies. Anyone can die, usually in over-the-top gruesome ways. While Pennywise or Freddy Krueger might have the trappings of dark entities that can manifest your fears or invade your dreams, they’re actually just souped-up spree-killers who happen to be able to murder a little more creatively than most. The “horror” of this genre comes from disgust and shock. Jump scares and gore are used to great effect. To be honest, I’m not a fan of this kind of horror, first because I think it’s gross and icky but also because it doesn’t really stick with you. It’s scary while you’re watching (or reading? Are there slasher books?), but once you’re done, you don't really worry about any of it anymore.

Suspense: These are based around a sense of unease and nervousness. These are edge-of-your-seat stories. Who can you trust? What is real? Some of these will use dramatic irony (we know there’s a murderer in the house, but the character doesn’t!). A great deal of them use disability as a theme, whether to make the main character appear more vulnerable (as in The Spiral Staircase, Rear Window, or Scream of Fear), to portray the villain as more terrifying (like The Visit and Don’t Breathe), or to examine something interesting about the disability itself (like Wait Until Dark or The Eye). Occasionally this genre will add supernatural or scifi elements for added scares. The Thing is a great example of this: the monster spends most of the film on screen, and the audience knows this, but it’s a shapeshifter, so they don’t know who it is. Suspense often has twist endings, and will leave you thinking, if not actually frightened, long after the story has ended.

Uncanny: This horror is one of existential dread, brought on by the question, what was it?. This is the realm of things being where they just shouldn’t (staircases in the middle of the woods, teeth anywhere other than in a mouth, a mouth anywhere other than on a head), or of things that should be there, but that aren’t (like chilling out with a friend one night, only to get a text informing you that he had died the day before). These stories raise your hair and shiver your spine, because unlike the violence of slashers and the fear of suspense—two things which our primate brains can wrap around—uncanny horror can’t be understood on a purely physical level. Real-life strange-encounter stories fall into this category: I heard someone call my name, even though I was home alone; we caught something big on camera crawling up the side of a building; I saw a white thing. Fictional stories of this nature are best when kept short, with as little explanation as possible. The horror comes from not understanding, of not knowing, and of kind of not wanting to know. The best uncanny stories stick with you, making you a little afraid to look in mirrors or check on noises or walk along rivers at night, because what if you saw something, and worse, didn't know what it was.

Spooky: Ok, so this one isn’t actually a type of horror, and it’s not horrific in any way, but I had to add it as an honorable mention. This is a difficult genre to fit anywhere. Is it fantasy? Supernatural? Horror? Books like Something Wicked this Way Comes and cartoons like Over the Garden Wall epitomize this genre. They aren’t scary, but parts are kind of… spooky. They’re fun, and low-key, and usually kid-friendly, but they still have that slight otherworldly autumnal feel, like when you’re taking a walk and you feel like maybe this particular spot on the trail might be a little haunted, but then you think that’s a weird thing to think, but you still can’t shake the feeling that you're right. There’s something oddly natural about their supernatural elements, like the writers have tapped into something that we can’t see, but that we all know is there. If you’re the sort who wants to read or watch something for Halloween, but you hate being scared, find something spooky!

And that is my breakdown of the horror genre. It’s probably not exhaustive, but I think those are the three or four main groups. They may be combined (in monster stories especially) or refined, and come as movies, books, video games, short stories, and even comics. Because it’s October, and you might all be looking for some scary or spooky stories, I’m here to help (not with slasher stuff, though, sorry). These include old and new stories, from both professional writers and random people on the internet. I highly recommend them all: For suspense:

Wait Until Dark (movie)

The Visit (movie)

The Eye (movie (Hong Kong version))

For uncanny:

Stories from a Canadian Research Outpost (r/NoSleep series)

I'ma Search and Rescue Officer for the US Forest Service, I have some stories to tell (r/NoSleep series)

Seeds of Anxiety (manga. As far as I know, it's not available to buy in English, so I don't feel bad linking to a scanlation site. Starts a bit goofy, but gets scarier as it goes on. DO NOT READ if you don't like being royally creeped out.)

For spooky:

Something Wicked This Way Comes (book)

October Country (book of short stories)

Over the Garden Wall (TV mini-series)

Hard to categorize, but still highly recommended:

Tales from the Gas Station (r/NoSleep series, but soon to be a book)

The Things We See in the Woods (r/NoSleep short story)

The Yellow Wallpaper (short story)

Originally posted on www.rosecororanwrites.com

[brydeswhale]

Top Ten Wolf Names

@northstarfan, top ten best Wolf names, but I don’t know if they’ll be very interesting to you.

I actually found this a really hard list to compile, although I do admit I didn’t allocate too much time to it. It’s mostly WARP canon wolves, with the exception of a Wild Hunt character.

One thing that became very, very clear while going through this list was the fact that, like cat and rabbit owners, the Wolfriders prefer the rule of cool when it comes to wolf names. This might also be an element of how, until post KOTBW, the wolves were not mounts or pets, but full fledged members of the community in their own right. 

So, one of the things I incorporated into my list was how the name indicated something about the wolf’s elf friend, as well as the wolf itself. I wanted to think about why someone might give a certain name, and what that reflected on the elf. 

10. Holtfinder

So, Holtfinder is Moonshade’s new wolf friend, as of “The Quest Begins”. Most people might not know it, but Moonshade’s wolf is one of the two that dies during the desert trek. Obviously, this is a new wolf friend, acquired during the sojourn in the desert.

You might picture Holtfinder as a squirming puppy, the kind that spends their time trying to find a little den to snuggle in, maybe under the blankets with Moonshade, and being named for that reason.

However, Moonshade is noted for being one of the Wolfriders who adjusts the most badly to Sorrow’s End. Even up until Cutter decides to leave, she’s asking if they can come along, back to the forest. Moonshade is often portrayed as happiest in the woods, and in the holt(making her sudden decision to turn into a palace dweller very jarring), and her decision to name her wolf friend after this desire may have symbolized her homesickness and desire to return.

9. Smoketreader

One Eye has always fascinated readers, even me. From his outfit, like Scouter’s, it’s straight out of a book of Fairy Tales, to his missing eye, to his relationship with Clearbrook, we love him, unquestionably, completely dismissing the fact that he is actually incredibly boring. Perhaps the appeal is that his character is nothing more than what we choose to make of it, and that he doesn’t look like our fathers.

Smoketreader would have been higher on this list, except that I have been completely misremembering his name as Stormtreader, so, I had to reconsider it.

Smoketreader is a simple, straightforward name. One Eye’s few characterization points include that he is a simple, straightforward elf. Smoketreader makes sense in that way, if you’re trying to convey that your wolf is as quiet as smoke. Or maybe he named him because he ran out of the smoke during the fire.

This is mostly an excuse to point out that One Eye got a wolf friend during his eye loss. See, while the humans were burning his eye out, he sent to his wolf-friend, who had died months ago. Another wolf answered this sending, and it’s romantic to imagine that Smoketreader’s name came from his arrival. One Eye’s remaining eye sees his rescuer through the smoke of the burning brand descending toward his remaining eye.

Then Wolfrider happened and Wendy forgot what timelines were, so...

8. Bundles

While I stand by my multiple previous statements about Tyleet and her entire childhood being a timesuck of epic proportions, that it adds nothing to the story, and that it takes precious comic book space away that might have been devoted to Venka, she does give her wolves good names. “Bundles” is adorable, exactly the kind of name that a little girl might give to her puppy, based more on, well, how the word sounds than what it might mean.

7. Silvergrace

Amazingly, there aren’t a lot of shots of Silvergrace with Rainsong, her elf friend. There aren’t any body shots of Silvergrace at all, this is a random wolf with puppies that helps call the Wolfriders to help Cutter after Bearclaw dies.

Silvergrace and Newstar are both simple, descriptive names, but what they describe is pure loveliness. It’s as easy to imagine Silvergrace sliding like mercury through the world as it is to imagine Rainsong looking at her newborn daughter and seeing her as a bright burst of hope following a horrific tragedy. Woodlock must have named Wing, because Mender is another descriptive name, full of hope. Rainsong is a mother and a poet.

6. Filcher

Filcher is, basically, one of the bright lights of FQ. He provides some fun and humour in the frankly terrible series that it otherwise lacks.

Cutter likes to give wolves obvious names. “Nightrunner” and “Holdfast” were a little too symbolic, though, whereas one can easily see Cutter giving Filcher his name in a moment of amused frustration. Cutter’s wolf friends are usually dignified or angsty, but Filcher is pure joy, and you get the feeling that Cutter felt the same way.

5. Snapper

Snapper is a pretty indication of how Bearclaw names wolves, with a possible predecessor named Crest. He likes quick names that indicate a physical or personal characteristic of the wolf in question, which goes with his mental tendencies to snap judgements and impulsive behaviour. The wolf snaps? Snapper, forevermore.

4. Blackfell

More an omen of Bearclaw’s descent into violence and hatred than a true wolf friend, Blackfell was always unusual in both his introductions. In Blood Of Ten Chiefs, volume 1, he appears as a stranger wolf who, having lost his cubs, has stolen a human child for his mate to care for. This story shows Bearclaw as a hero, who returns the child and allows Blackfell’s mate to care for Cutter and Amber’s new baby, Nightfall. Yeah, Warp has always been this bad.

In Wolfrider, Blackfell is almost demonic, otherworldly. He reinforces Bearclaw’s violence, and, almost until the end, seems to delight in it, although he does have a genuine affection for Bearclaw. He’s not a member of the pack, but the leader of another pack that neighbours with the Wolfriders. 

Both times Blackfell is not named by Bearclaw. He knows Bearclaw’s soulname, and Bearclaw knows Blackfell’s name, as if it appears inside him. And what a name it is, evocative of the black dogs of British legend, the foretellers of death and misfortune. He disappears after Bearclaw’s death like the ghost dogs of legend. It’s tempting to wonder if Timmain and Kimo are truly the only shapechanging elves who took to the form of wolves.

3. Patch

Patch has a sweet backstory. Sort of?

Um...

Patch is actually a gift from Teir during his stalking phase.

But Patch is a good point about how Ember resembles her grandfather. Clearly named named for the smudge of black fur on his nose. Ember went for the obvious here. Patch is loads of fun, and Ember clearly adores him, but she just as clearly made a choice about his name in about three seconds.

2. Warfrost

Most people go for the obvious when looking for images of Warfrost, and I have to admit that he’s pretty cute when he wants Cutter’s attention, but for my mind this image of two damaged souls barely reaching out for each other is the best illustration of Cutter’s tenuous bond with his second wolf.

One of Cutter’s many poetically named wolves, Warfrost is my favourite, so he might not deserve to be on this list, let alone this high on the list.. He had even more personality than Nightrunner, with abuse and imprisonment making him stubborn and independent. He always made it clear that he just happened to be in the same place as Cutter, doing the same thing, and that it didn’t have anything to do with love. “Warfrost” was named for Cutter’s hope for recovery, both for his tribe, himself, and for this strange, fierce wolf. 

Warfrost died during Cutter’s long wait. It was another loss for Cutter, one more wound among many, but the old warrior had clearly found his peace, and I’d like to think he’s looking at Cutter and hoping his old friend finds his.

1.Choplicker

It’s one of the great moments in Elfquest.

Back when WARP still pretended that the Wolfriders had ritual and traditions beyond “the (poorly defined) way”, Wolfrider children expecting their first Wolfrider waited outside a wolf den for a pup who emerged, expectant of loving bonds.

Choplicker’s name illustrates Ember’s childhood personality perfectly. Impetuous, happy, not afraid to be a little goofy. Suntop, like Cutter, is a poet, Ember loves to go with whatever comes in her head. “Choplicker” is obviously her first thought on confrontation with puppy kisses. Choplicker himself never outgrew his goofy name, and we were all the happier for it. It’s the perfect name, both for him, and for his rider.

[jungshoox]

Faded - Chapter 2

The morning Jungkook went back to work, he woke up feeling good, he hadn't felt that well rested in months. Tae had to have been right, the break was definitely what he needed. He stretched his arms out and ran a hand down his face, his eyes half open and lips pursed from sleep. Before getting up, he looked around the room and his eyes landed on one of the sketches he'd done. A small smile stretched it's way across his lips and he felt a rush of energy. Practically jumping out of bed, Jungkook hurried to the shower to start his normal routine. However, today was different. He just felt good, something he hadn't felt in a long time. He stared at his reflection, like any other day, but the bags were filled in and his eyes had a sparkle to them as he smiled back at himself. He wasn't even sure what made him feel so good, but he wasn't going to question it. His routine went by faster than normal as he was excited to start back up at work so he didn't waste any time. After getting out of the shower, he quickly brushed his teeth and towel dried his hair at the same time, rushing to then get dressed in a pair of gray sweatpants, a loose black t-shirt, and black boots. Rushing out the door, he locked it and set off for the studio at a fast pace. He couldn't seem to get the smile to go away, either, not that he was complaining or anything. The people he would pass didn't seem to be bothering him as much today as they usually​ did, too, even though they still made the same expressions when he read the time out loud, just as he always does. "2m: 9d: 0hr: 1m." Instead of awkwardly avoiding eye contact, he just smiled and kept walking. He had never felt this optimistic before, and all he did was draw a few sketches, sketches he wasn't even sure held any relevance to his life. But even just thinking about them made his heart flutter and his stomach flip with the way the jaw cut so sharp and the way the puffy lips pouted. And the eyes, they held such a deep emotion, but Jungkook couldn't for the life in him decipher what it was. He was infatuated with this person, but he had to remember that they might not even be real. He arrived to work on time, finding the doors already unlocked. His eyebrows drew together finding it odd, they never left the doors unlocked until the first group of students showed up. Quickly he shut and locked the doors and headed to the office. When he opened the office door, he found Taehyung with his big, goofy grin sitting at the desk with a colorful, rectangular box with a just as colorful bow on top sitting on the counter. "Uh..hi Tae. What's that?" Jungkook pointed to the box on the counter. "That, my friend, is a present because I've missed you and I'm glad you're back." The rectangular-smiled boy slid the present closer to him and he eyed it suspiciously. "You didn't have to get me anything, you know." Nonetheless, Jungkook grabbed the box and began unwrapping the patterned paper. Inside was a plain white box taped shut. He carefully tore the tape and opened the cardboard box to find a single used paint brush, taking it out to inspect the black paint on the bristles. Jungkook looked at Taehyung to find him looking at him excitedly. There wasn't a person that could resist a smile when Kim Taehyung was looking at them like that. "Thanks, Tae." "Kookie, there's more! Look in the lid." Obeying instructions, Jungkook looked in the lid and found the words, 'Follow me!' "'Follow me'? Follow what?" With furrowed brows, he looked to Tae for help but found he was pointing to the wall behind him. On the wall there was a sheet of paper with a black arrow painted on it, the same paint from the tip of the brush he assumed. "Follow that, Kook! That will take you to your real present." Jungkook did as told, now getting slightly excited but still cautious. He followed the various black arrows that were placed around the building until he ended up in a spare room that they used for storage. Except this time, the extra equipment had been organized and moved toward the walls and standing alone in the center of the room on a big cloth square was a beautiful easel. The easel was already holding a decent sized canvas and to the side was a bookshelf with dozens of bottles of paint in different colors and paintbrushes all varying in size. Jungkook's mouth hung open and he just stared at the set up. It was perfect, he couldn't even find words to explain how the sight made him feel. "Tae...what is..." He felt an arm wrap around his shoulders. "You know how we get those bonuses when we hit our two year mark here? Well, I got mine and I couldn't think of something else I'd rather do than try to help my best friend get back in his normal groove." Taehyung walked over to the set up and began to excitedly talk about the stuff and how he wasn't sure what colors he would need so he got a little of everything and he went with the best stand he could find, and that the brushes are 'supposedly the best you'll find in town.' Jungkook couldn't stop staring in awe at the surprise, his mind was already thinking about all of the ways he could turn his sketches into paintings. He could honestly say he had never received a better gift. "Taehyung, I can't thank you enough...this, all of it..it's so perfect, thank you so much!" He excitedly hugged Taehyung and went back to looking at everything. "I set it up here because I know your place is kind of cramped as it is, so Jhope and a couple of his friends helped me clean it up, organize things and such, getting it ready for this. I'm expecting a lot of paintings to hang around here, the walls are too bare." Tae kept smiling proudly as he watched his best friend sift through the supplies. - Over the next couple of months, Jungkook used the makeshift art studio frequently, he was there almost more than he was at his own apartment. Taehyung even found a couch sitting on the side of the road on his drive to work and brought it for Jungkook so he could spend nights there if he needed. He had spent so much time painting and sketching in that room, he had created dozens of pieces in just that short amount of time. However, out of every painting he'd done, he had yet to do the one he was the most excited to paint. Every time he would try to start it, he would get nervous that it would lose some of the vulnerability it seemed to portray when he recreated it. Jungkook looked curiously at all of the paintings he had made, staring at the different colors, the blends, taking in everything about them. He was proud of them, but there was just something off, they all seemed to be lacking a specific element, but he couldn't pinpoint it. "Ok, Kook, just do it. Don't think, just do..." He gave himself a small pep talk and marched over to the easel with an expression just as determined as his mind. He turned on a stereo he kept near the set up and turned the volume almost all the way up with beautiful piano blaring from the speakers. He knew what he needed to paint, it had to be the thing that was missing. Picking up his paintbrush, Jungkook began to finally recreate his sketches, using one he kept with him as a reference. The brush glided across the canvas so smoothly, making each angle and color fit perfectly together to make one big, beautiful piece. It made Jungkook think about the music he was listening to, how to the pianist the keys were like their canvas and their fingers were the brushes, each note being the colors and shapes and patterns. They, too, worked beautifully to create something bigger and magnificent. After several hours, Jungkook made one final stroke and stood back to make sure everything was in its rightful place. And there it was, his sketch but almost otherworldly. The paint added a depth that pencil or pen just couldn't. He wanted more than anything for this person to come out of the painting and to tell him what he's thinking, why his expression is the way that it is. He turned the music off and stared at the final product proudly, his eyes shining with admiration. His attention was pulled from the painting only when he heard what sounded like loud music from the somewhere down hallway and left the room to find out where it was coming from. He found the hallway empty, but noticed a door left cracked at one end that the music was obviously coming from. "Tae? Is that you?" A head popped out from the room with the open door, but rather than Taehyung, Jungkook was met with Hoseok's bright, smiling face. "Jungkook! I heard the music, figured you were busy so I didn't want to bother you." He disappeared back in the room at that, Jungkook following him inside. "Ah, it wouldn't have been a bother. What are you doing here? It's late, you should be at home." Jungkook found a chair in the corner of the practice room and dropped onto it, his body sore from standing in the same position for too long. "I stayed after, I wanted to get a little extra practice in before tomorrow. We're going over some new moves and I wanted to make sure I had them down perfectly before trying to teach them." He chuckled and turned on the music, his body beginning to move in time with the beat. Hoseok had nothing to worry about, he always executed his dances perfectly. Jungkook watched in amazement, he loved Hoseok's dancing. After a few moments, he got up and began going over the steps with the other, wanting to help and to learn. When they decided they'd had it down enough for the class tomorrow, Hoseok grabbed his bag and followed Jungkook out of the room. "I left my bag in the storage room, hold on." Jungkook took off down the hall and into the room with his stuff, quickly grabbing his things and shoving them into his bag. When he threw the bag over his shoulder, he heard a quiet 'wow' and turned to find Hoseok in the room as well, staring at the new painting. "You painted that?" His voice sounded cautious and amazed at the same time, making Jungkook slightly nervous. Jungkook's eyebrows drew together and he bit on the inside of cheek, his form shrinking slightly. "Uh, yeah. That's what I've been working on all night." He stepped over to the painting to inspect it again. Maybe it wasn't actually as good as he thought. Was it the eyes? Are they too sad? Or the big lips too pouty? Why had Hoseok sounded so strange?