#only under the cut

[vickyvicarious]

This has confused me even back when I first read the book, but is Van Helsing even meant to be his actual surname or was Bramothy just not aware of Dutch naming conventions? Of course there's toponymic surnames and I assume they were already in use by the Victorian era, but I think it's the capitalization of "Van" that always throws me off, if only because I'm so used to seeing it in lower-case in other names. As a funny haha, I also like to believe Jack messed up his professor's name so much when they first met (be it due to misremembering or misunderstanding), but Abraham was too nice to say anything, so "Van Helsing" just stuck.

Without doing any research I can fairly confidently assert that Stoker just didn't know/care about Dutch naming conventions. I think the capitalized Van Helsing is just a reflection of that. Last year I matched how it was written in the book whenever I talked about it, but this year I've found myself shifting more towards the lowercase van Helsing as would've been more typical. (Although apparently Belgian custom would be to keep the capital V? Maybe the Professor's actually from Belgium, and that was Jack's mistake).

Speaking of your funny explanation... actually I just went to check, and everything van Helsing writes up to this point (27 September note, and also amusingly his 4 October recording) is signed in all caps, so it's theoretically possible Jack made a mistake and he just has never corrected it. But if that's the case then he adopts it himself later, because I'm fairly certain in days to come he will refer to himself with the capital-V spelling several times.

Which could actually still be very funny: (spoilers)

van Helsing, writing a record to be read by his good Friend John should he die before completing his quest: Let me be accurate in everything, for though you and I have seen some strange things together, you may at the first think that I, van Helsing, am mad—that the many horrors and the so long strain on nerves has at the last turn my brain.

van Helsing: ....wait. Friend John would feel most foolish to know that he has been writing my name wrong all this time. *writes over the 'v' to turn it into 'V'*

van Helsing: There, that's better. Now, to continue the tale of this so fearsome journey...

[ink-the-artist]

Rabbits

Some bonus art, I initially started making this in a totally different art style but changed my mind about halfway through lmao, here are the parts I finished

[dunmeshistash]

Dungeon Meshi - Kobolds and Werewolfs

Translations given by a helpful anon .

Observations and TL note under the cut.

TL note by anon: * basal dog breeds: not sure how scientifically sound this is (only did a cursory search to confirm I was using the right term, because normal dictionaries only translate genshu as "purebred" and it didn't make any sense in this context ^^") but they're a number of specific breeds that are not exactly ancient but they did differentiate earlier than most other dog breeds - shiba are among these obviously.

---

A few more observations of my own:

On another version of the kobolds from daydream hour 2 (slightly different from "The complete Daydream Hour") Ryoko Kui Mentions "Jackals, African Wild Dogs or wolves" which I think its interesting.

I don't know much about DnD so I thought it was strange most Kobolds showed up as lizard people when I searched them on google and I learned that Kobolds are popularized as dogs in japan due to D&D first edition describing them as having dog faces. This was the post that first made me aware of that.

[bamsara]

Doodles I've made in art stream for future AU stuff. More major spoilers for TROD AU below

sorry :)

[lemongogo]

i just like his long hair ok 🧎

[autoraton]

same as it never was.

[vamprisms]

pick the best horror setting

[front-facing-pokemon]

[ride-a-dromedary]

"Halsin shouldn't be that big or muscular or look middle aged because he's an elf and the lore sa-"

I actually think he should be bigger and look more middle aged, personally.

[chloesimaginationthings]

(continuation of previous ask) I looked at their blog just now and they actually might be a bot? idk tbh

Thanks to everyone who’s brought this to my attention!

I’m pretty certain @/jyedthrry6 is a bot, they were uploading commonly reposted text posts, until somehow stumbling into lifting from my account. I think the give away to em being a bot is how they’ve reposted not just my comics, but my patreon announcement images, and images I shared on ask replies, so the same cropped images just on its own

My suggestion is just to report them for spam, cause I think it is a legit spam bot who accidentally got wind of my work 🙏🏾

[zivazivc]

Sorry if this has already been asked before but why did the band break up? And did they break up on decent terms? Do they still talk to each other sometime?

It has been asked before, I just never answered jshfbdjcbh I'm still piecing everything together and stuff is changing or getting tweaked all the time, so I'm always super hesitant about answering these types of questions, afraid that people will take whatever I say as the final answer. So basically what I'm going to answer now will already contradict what I told some people already. And maybe in the future the story might go a little differently too (although I'm pretty satisfied with the current events)

Uhhh, get ready for a long info dump. I didn't expect I'd write this much...

Floyd basically stayed with the band for 8 years (from 14 till 22) and got pretty messed up in the process. The rest of the guys are all quite older than him so I guess I could say they were more responsible, or at least had a better understanding of their own limits (also they grew up in this kind of environment or grew up aware of it, while Floyd was oblivious and naive about all of it) and while they do get drunk and do drugs often, none of them are really dependent on them. They are also pretty good judges of character and know how to avoid trouble. Floyd on the other hand drove in with no breaks and constantly got himself in trouble that the rest (mostly Les) had to drag him out of. He also developed bipolar during this time (in my story Floyd constantly fluctuates between being saturated and being desaturated because of this) and his manic and depressive episodes started getting out of hand after his teenage years. (None of them are aware it's a mental disorder that's making him act so out of character.)

Floyd was becoming miserable because of this and all of his problems pilling up, and started blaming Les for the way he was. Les never argued this which only fueled Floyd to blame him more. In the end he was getting so frustrated and irritable that Floyd constantly tried starting arguments with him, even putting him down and getting aggressive at times because Les gets very unresponsive and closed off during personal conversations (guy is a giant onion of suppressed trauma that Floyd is hellbent on peeling open).

Eventually there was one fight too many, terrible things were said, some objects flew through the air, and Floyd walked out (or Hed kicked him out, I haven't decided yet) with the promise of going home and never seeing them again.

So, yeah, it was very messy and Floyd was the primary asshole, even though he's not really to blame either...

But Floyd didn't make it home (was too scared to sneak through Bergen Town to get to the tree (i don't think i can judge him for that either)) and he just returned to the reckless lifestyle, this time without anyone being there to keep him safe. So if he was messed up before, this is the time period where he got absolutely fucked up. This is also when he got heavily addicted to sour worms. And when he chronically slept around (half the time just to get offered free worms or have somewhere to sleep, other times because he was having manic episodes and was feeling hypersexual). (This is also potentially the period when he had the two eggs with that techno troll, but I'm still thinking if I want that to be canon to the story or not.) During this time he also grew to become very anxious and his self-confidence went to shit when he was being himself.

Then after about three years of that, he bumped into Les at some party. He wanted to dodge him out of shame but Les grabbed his arm and manhandled him outside to talk. Floyd felt like shit about the way they had split up and tried apologizing for all the stuff he had said and done to Les, but Les wasn't having any of that because he wasn't angry at Floyd, he was just worried about him. Les is also insanely empathetic like Floyd, and he knew that Floyd never really meant any of it, and that he was just looking for an outlet when he was hurting. Also he does think he is to blame for the way Floyd ended up.

Les wanted to know why he didn't go home like he had said (because that was the only reason Les had even let him walk out in the first place). A few exchanged words later and Floyd broke down telling him all the awful things he'd done, and Les promised to help him, feeling insanely guilty. Floyd wondered if he was allowed back in the band but Les made it clear that the band wasn't good for him and that he was never taking him back. Instead Les helped him go though rehab. I don't think trolls have those institutions (or at least not many are aware of them or how they work (I'm sorry but I refuse to believe the Trolls world has internet and cellphones, Mountrageons can keep that for themselves lol)), so it was more or less just Les finding Floyd a job and his own place to stay in the middle of bumfuck nowhere where he had no option but to detox, and constantly checking up on him to make sure he was doing okay. During this time they grew pretty close again. Or maybe the better term would be that Les slowly started putting his walls down again.

Hed needed a while to warm up to Floyd again. He's almost as protective of Les as Les is of him, and he resented Floyd for the way he had treated him.

Flea is pretty phlegmatic when it comes to any sort of arguing or drama. He was casual about seeing Floyd again, they were never super close anyway.

And Liv, she left the band when she and Hed broke up (haven't decided if that happened before or after Floyd left), so Floyd didn't get to see her again after bumping into Les at the party. And I haven't thought yet if they'd ever meet again somewhere later in life. But if they did, I think they'd both be happy to see each other.

Anyway...

Floyd managed to detox and successfully kept the job for about a year, but then he became manic again and messed it all up. After that he returned to his nomadic lifestyle, but he never fell as hard as those three years again. In my story Floyd's life is a constant cycle of getting his life together and fucking it up and booking to the next place. And he and Les are trapped in a never-ending cat and mouse game where they're both trying to fix each other.

So, uh, Les and Floyd are still very close and see each other somewhat often...

(sometimes monthly, sometimes yearly)

Yeah...

I am so fucking obsessed with them I'm gonna hurl. Please take this song before I combust:

[vickyvicarious]

I am anxious, and it soothes me to express myself here; it is like whispering to one's self and listening at the same time. And there is also something about the shorthand symbols that makes it different from writing. I am unhappy about Lucy and about Jonathan.

Welp, that didn't last long, did it.

It's really painful to see Mina's anxiety here, especially as she tries to soothe herself and we already know that in fact the situation is quite possibly worse than she suspects, at least in regards to Jonathan. And as for Lucy... well, I'll come back to that in a minute. For now, I want to just take a moment to appreciate how poetic Mina is here. The self-soothing via journaling is very sweet, but I absolutely love the way she phrases it "like whispering to one's self and listening at the same time." That is evocative as all get-out, and I love it. Somehow it gives me the impression of people hiding under blankets and whispering together. Mina has such an excellent way with words.

...yesterday dear Mr. Hawkins, who is always so kind, sent me a letter from him. I had written asking him if he had heard, and he said the enclosed had just been received. It is only a line dated from Castle Dracula, and says that he is just starting for home.

Another reminder here that we don't get all correspondence, just the relevant stuff it seems. And even though Jonathan's letter here may be relevant it would also be repetitive, since we know it's one of the ones dictated by Dracula. From this we can infer that we won't get repeated accounts of the same event typically either (a detail that can certainly leave room for some missing moments or missing perspectives in fanfic that are still canon compliant).

I really do wish we had access to these mentioned letters though. Or at least to Jonathan's letter. It would be especially powerful in the audio medium of @re-dracula - imagine if we'd gotten it, and the content is very short and pleasant, but it's read in the tone matching how Jonathan felt when writing it. I'm imagining it now and it would have been absolutely heartwrenching. Not to mention, hearing his voice again for the first time in a while, and while still so uncertain about his fate - it would've been very powerful for listeners/readers as well as Mina (more so than in the original format of the book, since the time elapsed has more of an effect this way). Sadly, we don't get that experience.

Then, too, Lucy, although she is so well, has lately taken to her old habit of walking in her sleep. Her mother has spoken to me about it, and we have decided that I am to lock the door of our room every night.

Okay, and here I can talk about Lucy. There's some really interesting stuff going on with both her and her mother in this entry. I'm going to get the Mrs. Westenra stuff out of the way first. So... we see here that Mrs. Westenra is a nervous person. Mina seems to think her fears about Lucy's sleepwalking are a bit overdramatic (love the little smile in her voice as she says the line about sleepwalkers falling to their deaths), even if it perhaps is getting to her a little more than she's admitting. And Mina tries to excuse Mrs. Westenra's anxieties as well, but it seems noteworthy that she has them. She also seems to be quite controlling. We've gotten hints of that already in Lucy's letters, but here we see it in action in two ways. First, she went over Lucy's head to talk to Mina about locking their bedroom door every night. And secondly, this may be just me, but the phrasing about the wedding planning seems quite vague. Going right from the description of Mrs. Westenra's fears to Lucy's wedding planning read at first to me like it was Mrs. Westenra who was doing all the planning. On a reread, it's probably supposed to mean Lucy, but. I dunno, even though it's quite possibly just my mistake I can't help but feel influenced enough to think the confusion reflects that Mrs. Westenra is also quite involved in Lucy's wedding plans. It fits my understanding of her character. And that is someone who is nervous but doesn't speak about her concerns to her daughter (fear over her sleepwalking, possibly worry about how her/Lucy's life will change after the marriage) and instead tries to control the situation in order to take care of Lucy (arranging matters with Mina, being super opinionated/involved in the wedding planning). *

While it's perhaps more mild/excusable here than I may be making it sound, it points to a possible tendency to exclude Lucy in the name of protecting her. It's kind of infantilizing in a way; it certainly isn't putting equal trust in her as an adult who has equal right to know what's going on. Admittedly yes, she is quite young, and yes, this is her mother, so it's somewhat understandable. But even if I get where it's coming from, I think it deprives Lucy of agency in a way that is not at all helpful for her. It shows a lack of trust in Lucy's ability to handle things well, and it just strikes me as really unfair to her.

Because again, Mrs. Westenra spoke to Mina (she says "to me" not "to us"). There's no mention of her speaking to Lucy about this at all. Now, I feel like Mina would mention this locking the door plan to Lucy and she would be okay with it, but the fact that this discussion/decision was seemingly made entirely without Lucy's input rubs me the wrong way.

But there's a lot of not talking going around already.

With the context of this entry, we can infer that probably part of the reason Mina didn't go around on those "duty calls" the other day was because she was worried about Jonathan. She went off to spend some time alone and distract herself by emulating a lady journalist and focusing on plans for the future. By this point she had already written to Mr. Hawkins (probably before leaving for Whitby) and was awaiting his reply, but she didn't mention that until she had some kind of news. I highly suspect she didn't mention it to Lucy either.

After all, Lucy is stressed too. Enough to resume her childhood habit of sleepwalking.

A couple of things are important about that: first, Lucy did this before and so did her father. It's nothing new, but it has been a while. Now, sleepwalking tends to run in families, but the fact that she hasn't done it in so long points to some kind of trigger. I highly suspect the trigger here is stress (along with lack of sleep, a pretty common factor for sleepwalkers I think). I headcanon that Lucy's sleepwalking as a child got worse for a while after her father's death. Regardless of that though, the correlation between the major impending life changes and Lucy suddenly sleepwalking again is certainly suggestive to me. She's going to get married pretty soon, and as happy as she is about that, it's a lot! She's super busy preparing for the wedding. Her entire lifestyle and to an extent social position is going to change. She's going to have new responsibilities, a new home... she can be eager for all of it and still be really nervous.

But Lucy isn't talking about any nerves she may have. She isn't confiding her worries or fears to Mina, at least not that we hear. I think she's happy, and she knows she's expected to be happy, and thus she doesn't feel like she's able to talk about any negatives that go along with that as well. We know from her previous letter that she sometimes finds it hard to open up even when she wants to ("...I would try to tell you what I feel. I do not know how I am writing this even to you.") - and while some of that may have simply been embarrassment about love talk, I still think it's also just a part of her character. Currently, while she does have Mina visiting to support her, Arthur isn't there. He's going to be her partner in life; this wedding involves him too. Having him there would be incredibly soothing, and I think that's a big part of why she's looking forward to his arrival. She probably also hopes that he at least will be genuinely excited and not as worried as her current companions. Because as it stands right now we have:

Mina (afraid for Jonathan, worried about Lucy) (whispering to herself in her journal rather than talking to someone else)

Mrs. Westenra (worried about Lucy **) (talking only to Mina)

Lucy (worried about her future. quite possibly worried about Mina and her mother if she notices their stress) (talking to no one and instead sleepwalking about it)

All of these women care for one another. In fact, they're united by Lucy, whom the other two love and who loves them both. And yet all three of them are hiding things from one another. And Lucy, who is the center of these relationships, is instead left out if anything. They all want to protect each other by hiding the truth. Mina, likely to avoid having to verbalize her fears for Jonathan and to keep from being a damper on Lucy's happiness. Mrs. Westenra, because she wants to protect her daughter from any distress. And as for Lucy... she probably feels like she can't talk about what's bothering her, probably wants to pretend and make it go away. I'm even tempted to say she probably notices that the others are worried and doesn't want to pile her own (surely less important) concerns on them.

It's only in small details right now but when I think about it, it's really frustrating. They're isolating themselves needlessly, and I'm sure they would feel better if they talked to each other! ***

Spoiler notes below:

*This also ties in to Mrs. Westenra hiding her own illness from Lucy, and especially with her gifting everything to Arthur in her will. In both cases she is trying to ensure Lucy isn't stressed or bothered with anything too demanding (her mother's poor health, financial responsibilities). But in both cases all it really does is rob Lucy of knowledge and power. She lacks context for why her mother keeps refusing to sleep with her, and it ends up just being hurtful/isolating and actually dangerous since it leaves her vulnerable to Dracula. While she isn't alive long enough for it to be an issue, and knowing Arthur's character it also isn't likely to have been a huge problem, getting cut out of her own mother's will would also have likely been very hurtful. And it would deprive Lucy of any independence at all; if Arthur weren't so trustworthy or their relationship went sour in the future that could also be quite dangerous for her. Mrs. Westenra wants to protect Lucy from everything, and does so by putting her faith in a trustworthy older friend (Mina) or especially trustworthy men (Arthur, then the doctors to an extent). It's like she thinks Lucy herself couldn't handle it.

I also think the characterization of Mrs. Westenra as a nervous and possibly highstrung person who worries a lot about her family could be a major reason why everyone conspires to hide things from her. They know that her weak heart combined with her personality means that she is very likely to stress out so much that she actually makes herself sicker (or has a heart attack and dies even), whereas another person might be able to handle it. And even if she made it through the shock okay, her reaction wouldn't be helpful. It's easier for everyone not to let her know. This is kind of a mirror to her own treatment of Lucy, but feels more reasonable for her than for Lucy.

** her own illness is of course also worrying Mrs. Westenra. As of yet she hasn't confided in anyone about that either.

*** And of course, this is an ongoing theme all throughout the Lucy section of the book. It stands at odds with the eventual sharing of information that is so key to victory against Dracula. But what is especially frustrating is that the seeds for all that later pain are laid here. Jonathan wanted to tell everything to Mina, and eventually was able to do so via entrusting her with his journal. In this way, he was able to get around Dracula's efforts to silence and isolate him. But while Dracula certainly contributes to silencing and isolating Lucy, he isn't the source of it all. Society, her loved ones, her own personality... everything is already working to do so to an extent.

One of the reasons I love Arthur for Lucy is that he is able to notice her truth even when she tries to hide it. He can bridge the gap that others in her life can't always cross, that even she can't seem to cross even if she wants to. But he's kept away from her for so long that even though she has that relationship it isn't directly helpful to her a lot of the time (though Arthur's willingness to call in the cavalry is a major boon). As we see here, Mina isn't necessarily able to always be fully open with Lucy but she is still hugely instrumental in protecting her, and she too is torn away. That one is related to Dracula, since it's thanks to his effect on Jonathan, but once again he wasn't intentionally doing that. It was convenient for him, much like how Lucy starts out as merely a convenient victim from his perspective. He was even willing to leave her behind in Whitby and then she coincidentally/conveniently for him wound up going to London too, because the plot has fated her to die.

Lucy is surrounded by people and plot devices (her mother being both) that isolate her, and she can't ever openly ask someone else for help when she needs it. Like, maybe a little bit, but... honestly, she never gets to pour her heart out on paper and then share it with a friend the way the others do. Or even in person. When she eventually opens up about her 'nightmare' while being drunk from the first time she laughs it off. She lies to Mina about being better. She tries to tell Arthur she's fine. Even outside of the more strictly supernatural reasons/ways she hides what is happening to her, she can't ever ask for help. I think the closest she comes is that request to van Helsing on her deathbed (because she never was able to knowingly share that memorandum with anyone, and it was one of the times she spoke most openly). And that wasn't entirely for herself even then.

I'm so sad about it.

[whaliiwatching]

memes in defiance of valentine’s day

(blood & artistic nudity under readmore)

[vyxated]

[CAS BG] Triple Mirror

A little gift for those who want this and this combined. Enjoy!

Info & TOU

Don’t re-upload & claim as yours! Just link back here :)

Since there's this issue with the reflection, you won't be able to recolor the background.

Let me know if there are something I missed!

DOWNLOAD

SimFileShare / Google Drive / Patreon

// CASBG_01 - TripleMirror

Available in 2 versions and only in black/white option.

Keep only one CAS BG replacement in your Mods folder.

Previews taken with the SimpleGlo cas light.

@maxismatchccworld @sssvitlanz @public-ccfinds @alwaysfreecc

[naffeclipse]

Okay okay, so there was an ask about photographer y/n being jealous of some siren that Eclipse met. What about other flavours of y/n?

How would Humpback!y/n react to some rival? As they are portrayed as the most chill one of the bunch. Would they be completely unbothered due to their strength and size? Would they get annoyed by the siren?

Would leopard seal!y/n straight up jump into a fight with the siren trying to woo their mate? Would they get scared of being left alone again and imidiatly assume the worst? I imagine that would be a hard situation for them due to the abandonment they experienced from their previous relationship.

Would Harpie!y/n get scared or sad? After all Harpie is the most incapable of ,,defending" their place due to them being a ,,prey"', so I imagine they would feel hopeless in "show off your strength category" Would they went off to find the prettiest pebble for Eclipse? Would they find another way to show the siren they are the boss?

At the end of the day I imagine Eclipse cuddling and comforting his mate as well as assuring them they are his birdie, sending the message to the siren in question as well. But I'm curious how y/ns would react and handle the situation

Sending love!

Ohhh, jealousy!

Humpback Y/N is stoic regarding their jealousy, and though they wouldn't easily give away how green they are, they would silently mull over what Eclipse wants. There's someone of his own kind—not a natural-born enemy. Why have them when he could have someone closer in form to him? Humpback Y/N would act aggressively if such a siren showed up and attempted to woo Eclipse right in front of them, but Y/N would also ponder if Eclipse wants this orca siren when they're apart. Eclipse would gather that something's eating away at Humpback Y/N when they're together and his birdie isn't focused. Once he nudged Humpback Y/N enough to explain, he would be shocked that Y/N hasn't fought this other siren yet if they're so concerned about losing him! Y/N would say they were giving the siren the courtesy of mercy in case Eclipse would be happier. Such a confession would melt Eclipse; he would hold Humpback Y/N's face and tell them he has fought so hard for them. He would keep fighting for eternity just to keep them—don't worry. He's theirs entirely.

Leopard Seal Y/N would be ferocious and fierce to any suitor attempting to steal Eclipse away. Y/N has terrible anguish from the past coming back to life and is tormented by a future where she and her baby are abandoned—again. She would be furious at how much she wants Eclipse to stay for Sedka and for her. An orca siren attempting to sing to Eclipse would result in Y/N lunging for the rival's throat without hesitation. Eclipse would intervene immediately to shoo the other siren away and pull Y/N back. He'd hold her as he demanded to know why in the ocean would she ever try to fight an orca siren who was not attacking her or Sedka? Y/N would be seething before snarling that if Eclipse wants to leave her and Sedka, he should never have stayed with them in the first place! Eclipse would shush her, soothing her until she stopped trying to claw her way back to a violent encounter and tell her how he only wanted her and how he wouldn't trade her and Sedka for the whole world. They are everything he wants and needs, and he would not leave his family.

Harpy Y/N would be in shambles if another orca siren showed interest in Eclipse. Y/N has no way of chasing off a would-be suitor and would be inconsolable at the thought Eclipse decided the orca siren would be a better co-parent than her. She would be frantic and in near panic, watching Eclipse closely for any signs that he was going to take the babies and leave her behind. Mentally, Y/N would prepare a list of reasons to keep her around for him and the baby's sake. Eclipse would notice that she's much more apprehensive than usual and then ask what is causing her such grief. She'd burst out with all the arguments she'd been compiling to let her stay with him and the babies (which Eclipse would agree vehemently with each claim, much to Y/N's building confusion). In tears, she'd be trembling in waiting for his response until Eclipse burst out in laughter. Y/N would stare in her bewilderment. He'd pull her close and kiss her cheek with such adoration at her silliness. He'd tell her softly and gently that she is the only mother of Sun and Moon, and he quite loves Y/N. He would even admit that he has a bit of obsession with her, and no one else, orca siren or otherwise, is going to lead him away from her.

[theyarewrestling]

Dan and Phil, The Blair Witch Project, and taking back agency.

In their latest video, «DanAndPhilCRAFTS - Slime» Dan and Phil have made a very clear homage to the 1999 found footage film «The Blair Witch Project» directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez. The movie tells a story about a group of students, who travel to a small town in order to film a documentary about a local legend. In the process of filming, however, they get lost in the woods and never make it out of there, being haunted and then presumably killed by the witch. In this essay I am going to analyze how the visual narrative is structured in both films in relation to one another, the way «Slime» differs from «Blair Witch» and how that difference conveys the shift in Dan and Phil’s public presence.

Let's start with imagery associated with the paranormal in both films. In Blair Witch one of the signs of the witch's presence become the "dolls" made out of sticks. They are filmed by the characters, who are naturally freaked out by the dolls appearing seemingly out of thin air, signaling the presence of the dangerous and inhuman Other.

Dolls are also used in Dan and Phil's video, the main difference being that the pair are not haunted by the paranormal and unexplainable Other, no, they willingly put the dolls there, they are taking active steps in bringing about their own doom.

While in «Blair Witch» the dolls are placed ominously in between tree branches, filmed from below to make them look like they’re floating above the camera, being forces of a power that the characters ought to be afraid of, in «Slime» the dolls are nailed to a steady surface at camera-level, and while they do provide an unnerving atmosphere, they are not a danger to the characters, at least not a danger they’re not aware of.

The same can be said for other "occult" imagery and artifacts. While in «Blair Witch» the characters finding strange symbols and even bloody remains in the forest strengthens the tension and suspense, signaling the close presence of the witch, in «Slime» all of the unnerving, "occult" and "satanic" exists under the characters' control. Dan draws the symbol on the wall himself, the animal skulls are presumably also brought in by the characters. Instead of being signs of danger, uncontrollable, they are merely tools in the hands of the pair.

The interior of the shack where the students meet their end in the 1999 film is filthy and decaying, which only strengthens the fear within the characters and us as the audience. It is filmed using close up shots which show the shack in it's decrepit and unnerving state. The shack that Dan and Phil's video is filmed in also seems abandoned from the interior, it is broken down, dark and dusty. However, instead of being mortified, like the characters of «Blair Witch», they occupy the space quite comfortably. Instead of being haunted by the building, they become the ones who haunt it, once again taking back control of their own demise. The interior is filmed at strange angles, almost reminiscent of German Expressionist films, in which the odd angles conveyed the detachment from reality and perpetual insanity, which in Dan and Phil's case could be used to depict the pair's descent into madness which leads them to their ritual.

Nature plays a crucial role in «Blair Witch» as the witch herself is never shown. The characters are "surrounded" by the unnerving dark trees, which presumably hide the horror that is never allowed to be seen directly.

Dan and Phil make an obvious homage to that with their shots of the trees, however there is a major difference. While the shot is still desaturated and somewhat unnerving, the flowers on the tree are in bloom, symbolizing a new beginning and the hope that comes with it. The new "life" that is going to happen after the pair summons Baphomet.

In «Blair Witch» Heather's final message is a long shot filled with pure fear and desperation. Dan and Phil's shot mimicking it is almost unnecessary as it lasts only a few seconds, however in those few moments it manages to showcase the pair as a unit, they are calm and in the process of their ritual, determined to bring it to fruition. While Heather is left alone in the dark forest in which she will die, Dan and Phil are not alone: they are in this together, they are a team. If they die, it's because they chose to do so. "Creativity is nothing without friendship".

Now for the infamous "Blair Witching it in the corner". In this memorable scene from the 1999 film one of the students is stood in the corner facing the wall. Heather and the audience both know that, according to the Blair witch mythology, this position is a prelude to being killed, as that is how the murderer, who was persuaded by the witch, used to place his victims, for he couldn't bear to look them in the eyes. This face-to-the-wall position conveys pure helplessness at the hands of the persecutor. In «Slime» there is a scene that makes an obvious homage to the «Blair Witch» scene: Phil is stood in a dark corner of a room, the shot is in black and white. There is, however, a stark difference: Phil is facing the camera. With just this one change the scene no longer feels like a display of helplessness. Phil is looking straight at us, he is not a victim at the hands of unknown horrors, he is in control.

The way the "monster" is presented in both films differs significantly. A big part of the horror in «Blair Witch» is our inability to ever see the witch herself. The "monster" not being shown to the camera is a trope as old as low-budget horror: it helps build suspense and also hides the lack of budget. In «Blair Witch» the rapid movement of the camera also makes it feel like the horror is too great for a human mind to comprehend, too great to be caught on camera, Lovecraftian in nature.

The 1999 movie starts with the characters interviewing Blair locals, who tell the characters and us, the audience, the legend of the Blair witch. The witch was sentenced to death for practicing witchcraft, so she haunts those who try to disturb her peace. Here we can make the connection between those persecuted for "practicing witchcraft" aka being Other with being queer and being othered and, historically, persecuted for it.

This interpretation correlates well with the fact that the "monster", in this case the devil Baphomet, is present in «Slime». More than that, Dan and Phil actively seek him out. In the final scene of the short film, Baphomet has his arms around the pair, claiming them. The characters are willingly allying themselves with the Other. Dan and Phil see the "monster" and yet they do not run away, instead, they worship him. In the theme of reclaiming your agency, this could symbolize coming out, proudly and purposefully becoming part of the Other.

They are doomed from the start, but they are not helpless victims of the Other, scary and unknown, they are the ones bringing about their own doom. This is taking your agency back, and I feel like this narrative rhymes really well with Dan and Phil's current presence on the internet. While the early years of their careers were filled with public speculation and being stripped of their agency, something that "was just theirs" being scrutinized by the public, which definitely affected the way they had to behave, their current self-described "chaos era" is very different. They no longer make the effort to pretend to be anything they're not. They are the ones in control of the narrative, keeping their private life private, while also sharing way more openly and freely, knowing that we know and not really caring about the public's perception, as post coming out they have taken the power and agency back into their own hands.