#scared me more than Pan's Labyrinth

[mygreatadventurehasbegun]

Y’know, I’ve been thinking about the upcoming Frankenstein adaptation that Guillermo del Toro is going to make...and how people (myself included) were surprised that Andrew Garfield is in talks to play the Monster.  

I remember thinking what a weird choice that is...wouldn’t he be better as the Doctor?  But Oscar Isaac is in talks for that role.  It feels like these casting choices are backwards...but then I realized...maybe that’s the point. 

*side note, the idea of both of these men in a movie together makes me soooo happy*

I remembered GDT’s framework for making movies...particularly monster movies:  The Monster is never a monster.  They are almost always sympathetic.  The real villains in his monster movies are just....people.

In Pan’s Labyrinth, you think you need to be scared of the Faun or the Pale Man (which you do, but he’s not the antagonist), but you really need to be scared of the Fascist Capitan. 

In Crimson Peak, you think the ghosts are going to be scary, when in reality, they’re just trying to warn Edith, and you should be worried about Lucille.

In the Shape of Water, the Amphibian Man is a victim and Michael Shannon’s Strickland is the terrifying one.

So, these casting choices make a lot more sense to me after thinking about it...I wonder if he’s going to re-work the story to make Dr. Frankenstein the antagonist.  Not just a well-meaning scientist who went too far or even someone with a God Complex...but an actual villain.  Maybe there’ll be a bait and switch?  He starts as the hero and halfway through shifts to the villain.

And who better to make you sympathize with the Monster’s plight than Andrew Garfield?

*And yes, Boris Karloff’s creature is very sympathetic, but he was also terrifying for audiences in the 30′s.  I feel like in the hands of another actor, he could have just been a lumbering brute, but Karloff brought that humanity, which is what really makes that movie stand the test of time.*

Anyway...if this casting does happen, I’m actually 100% here for it, because I have a feeling that this movie is going to be pure horror gold (hopefully gothic horror, but I’m cool with any era).

*I’m also really curious what he’s going to do with Elizabeth’s character...it’d be interesting if they told the story from her point of view.*

[wh0lemilk0vich]

okay, misha, it has been a couple days since we got something magical, soo.

chubby fae-esque!mickey. what do we think.

actually, it could also be nicely turned around with fae!ian wanting to care for mickey. damn. now /i/ am in a dilemma.

I promise I didn't forget about this! It's just been a crazy time!

I have to say I'm super invested in fae Ian and escapist Mickey

It's making me think of Pan's Labyrinth and Mickey running scared and sad away to the forest and being found and nurtured and loved by Ian. It just keeps repeating and eventually Mickey's a young adult and Ian doesn't feel like an imaginary friend anymore, he feels much more attractive than that. And Ian plays the faerie lover who's trying to woo Mickey away from hardship and pain and just be with him forever. Take his place at Ian's side where he belongs ❤️❤️❤️

[officialvoiceofgenerationx]

A teenage girl, frustrated and hurt by the cold indifference of her family wishes for escape. She enters into a fantasy world where no one and nothing can be trusted. The innocent are never safe, the beautiful turn out to be malicious and her friends are plotting against her. She is lied to, misdirected and constantly blocked by random obstacles. She is always in danger of being sexually exploited by a powerful older man, who tells her that it's all her fault. In the end, victorious at last, she returns to reality, which is so much fucking worse than anything she's been through so far. The final consolation is that she can always disassociate to escape.

What a perfect movie for children growing up in the '80s.

Well, not quite perfect. Sarah Williams, the main character, is 16, which is 4 or 5 years too old for the girl-coming-of-age plotline, and the whole thing is a bit too cutesy. Nevertheless, it is pretty accurate for a fantasy movie.

Some people get their panties in a bunch about the age difference between Sarah and the Goblin King, as if they were romantically involved. That's bullshit. The Goblin King is not Sarah's boyfriend. He's a predator. He doesn't want to marry her and live happily ever after - he wants to rape her.

I was pretty happy to watch Labyrinth with my kid a few years ago, when they were 8 or 9. They enjoyed the funny parts and were scared by the scary bits. They were satisfied by the ending. I, of course, was able to see shit that I hadn't seen before. It's dark, yes, but the best stories for children have always been dark. Go read Little Red Ridinghood - that's some dark shit. The Big Bad Wolf is Satan and you can bets your ass the threat of rape looms large in that story.

You want to talk about a late '80s fantasy movie that is problematic? Sit through The Princess Bride.

Twenty years after Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro did Pan's Labyrinth, which is a much better version of the same story. Pan's Labyrinth stands alone, of course, but I think it benefits from familiarity with Labyrinth.

Addendum: I got some replies and Tumblr won't let me respond as Official Voice Of Generation X for some reason, so I'm doing it this way.

How the fuck you gonna tell me I'm reading too much into a metaphor? It's a fucking metaphor - reading shit into it is why it exists.

"16 is THE age for coming-of-age plot"? Really? Here's a couple other girl-coming-of-age stories for you - Little Red Riding Hood, Pan's Labyrinth. In both of those the girl is 10 or 11. The triggering event is the onset of menses, not getting a driver's license. All the other late '80s movies that portrayed teenagers - Heathers, The Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink &c - showed them being sexually active, using drugs and dealing with serious issues like physical and emotional abuse, violence and mental illness. Labyrinth showed a 16yo girl playing with dolls. I was born a year after Molly Ringwald and a year before Jennifer Connelly. The Breakfast Club is a much more realistic portrayal of teens in the '80s than Labyrinth.

I'm pretty open about my trauma here, honey. I'm fuckin' Gen X - we're all fucked up.

Labyrinth and Pan's Labyrinth are both about girls who have infant brothers - representing their own maternal capabilities. In both, the girls have to face off against monsters to save their brothers. There are a lot of differences, but those two movies have a lot more incommon with each other than either does with Alice - which is also great.

The Goblin King wants Sarah to be his queen. He wants to have a marital relationship with her. He's an adult, she's a child. The actors were 39 and 16. In case any of this was unclear, the filmmakers made sure that the Goblin King's bulging crotch was prominently displayed in several scenes. Watch the ballroom scene - that's overtly sexual. Maybe you think a 39yo man coercing a 16yo girl into a marriage is fine, but I call that rape. And he clearly tells her it's her fault. The predatory older man is the standard villian in girl-coming-of-age stories because girls need to know what to look out for.

[starscelestialspells]

Autumn Emoji Asks ✨

🍂: Make a simple autumn moodboard to show us your vibes this season! (or simply name the things you would put on such a moodboard)

👻: What is something in an animated movie or cartoon that scared you as a kid? 

Woody the Woodpecker lol

🎃: What are some good memories you have of celebrating Halloween? And do you have any plans for this year?  

Last year I spent Halloween at a rave, that was pretty spectacular. Halloween as a kid was always awesome also :) I don't have any plans this year yet but I think I just want to make spooky baskets with my partner and have a spooky movie night

🥧: Regardless of skill, if you could bake anything right now (pie, cake, muffin, brownie etc.) what would you like to make? 

Pumpkin Bread

🌧️: Time for a movie marathon on a rainy day. Pick your top 5 movies to watch!

Practical Magic

Any of the Twilight movies

Pan's Labyrinth

Queen of the Damned

Beetlejuice

🍊: What is your favorite scent? 

Rainy Cedar or Pumpkin Vanilla Campfire

📺: Do you watch horror movies? If yes, which are your favorite? 

Not really, but Midsommer was very visually stunning

🍄: Write a short essay about your thoughts and opinions on mushrooms.

Mushrooms are wonderful wonderful things, I love them. They're cute in art, they're great in food, they're the beauties of nature, they expand the mind, they HEAL! And when I say they heal I mean in more than just the psychotropic ways. They can communicate under the earth. There's so many of them and they can thrive through so much that other plants cannot. I love mushrooms, I wish I could be a mushroom. Mushrooms have taught me about myself and others. Mushrooms changed my life.

🤖: If you were a video game NPC, what would be your catchphrase? 

"Sweet strawberries, oh my!"

🍪: Favorite kind of cookie? 

Turtle Pecan

📢: Shout any random thing that your followers really need to know.

@zepheriasimmer is my sims 4 cc account :)

💁‍♀️: What are items you definitely don’t need but tend to keep and collect anyway?

buttons

cool tags from clothes/other products

tiny boxes

🧡: Which 3 songs remind you instantly of autumn and why? 

the obvious sweater weather, im not explaining lol

Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - it just gives me big singing to your love drunk by a bonfire vibes, coziness

Boy with a Coin by Iron and Wine - this one gives me witchy tambourine around a bonfire vibes

📆: Is there any event or upcoming activity you look forward to? 

THE RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL!!!

🎲: Which kind of board games do you like to play? 

I haven't played a board game in a very long time, maybe I should change that. I like dnd though :)

🛏️: Describe 3 specific items that are in your room.

I have a fabric rainbow woven basket full of incense and I just adore it so much

My partner built me a desk shelf and its just absolutely perfect, if I was at home I'd share a photo of it but its just a lil mini table thing with two shelves on it. I put all kinds of cute little figures and plushes on it, figures from naruto, avatar (aang and toph), a lil cubone dude and other desky things haha

My dnd dice are purple with a pink to gold shift sparkle and they have witchy looking numbers that are gold

👹: Favorite fictional monster or villain?

Beetlejuice obviously

😿: Describe any scene in a movie/series/book that never fails to make you cry.

Really any Studio Ghibli movies, rewatching them as an adult you just see all these themes you never understood before and it just really touches me.

📚: What are your favorite book? 

Circe by Madeline Miller

💀: Do you have any fears/phobias? 

Grasshoppers

🎪: If you could go see any broadway show or theater play right now, what would you like to see?

Oh I have no idea I'll be honest, I don't know much about theatre.

🤡: What is the dumbest way you have been hurt or injured? 

Pulling something slipping and giving myself a black eye haha

🍵: Top 3 favorite tea flavors?

Chai

Peppermint

Sweet (I'm from Texas lol)

💻: To feel nostalgic; what are some old games/websites you spent lots of time on when you were young?

The Sims, Animal Crossing, Online Dress Up Games

🧛: Did you ever dress up for a costume party, or maybe cosplay for a convention? If yes, which character? 

I did Velma for Halloween at Six Flags one year

🍯: If you could choose any three-course menu, what would be your ideal starter, main and dessert? 

Crab Ragoons, Some kind of spicy crunchy sushi, Ice Cream Cake

🍬: All-time favorite candy? 

Sour Belt Candy

🏡: You can make it as crazy and silly as possible; what would be some must-have features of your ideal dream house?

Oh an art studio/craft room with all the organization things installed but also a free wall to put tons of inspiration, an indoor heated pool in a glass room, a glass sunroom period, plants growing all over the outside (stone house), fruit garden, pole room with also room to just dance and be about, trip/mediation/spiritual/witchy room with big ass windows, just lots of windows, lots of natural light, canopy bed, butterflies come and visit, in the wood lots of wildlife, a pond, big full trees you can sit under, gaming room :)

🎮: Whether you���re waiting for its release or just until you can buy and/or play it; are there any video games you are looking forward to? 

The Hogwarts game!!

🍁: A new website, fandom, video, song, fun fact or anything, name a recent discovery you would like to share with your followers.

Trees with Human Skin by Head Empty - I promise you it's beautiful and angelic you will not regret giving it a listen!!

Original Post

[inlovewithaspiderguy]

Need to watch pan’s labyrinth again. to get scared and dissect fascism more thoroughly than the first time my dad showed it to 15 yo me

[izzyjoel]

Pan's Labyrinth

Pan’s Labyrinth is a mystical story that weaves both fantasy and reality together, it is a powerful narrative that shows childlike innocence in a time of war and pain. For me this movie is about how a Ofelia uses her powerful imagination to help her get through the pain of her life, although the movie is presented to show that the underworld is real and that she is the princess, I interpret is as her imagination rather than her reality. Ofelia has experienced a world of pain and fear in her short life, so I am not surpassed that she create this alternative reality to help cope with it. I though of this idea specifically in the last scene when she is talking to the faun and the commander comes in unable to see it, which could be interpreted either through he is not worthy of seeing something so magical or Ofelia is imagining it in her head. But that to me is a really interesting concept, how nothing is really answered, how everything is left up to the viewer to decide. I thought that this movie was incredibly well done, from the idea that it will not be doubled over, having only its original language only making it seem more personal to the characters, to the beautiful story line. This movie I feel is quite magical, the balance between fantasy and reality is a really good mix and I think that the costume design for the faun and the pale man were incredible, they looked realistic and. loved how they would probably scare a child but Ofelia didn’t seem scared of them as much, until they were chasing her. What I really loved was the foreshadowing of her death in the first scene, I feel as though it very much set the tone of the movie not to be childish but to be more realistic, and I’m also happy that in her death she imagined herself to the place she’d been trying to go to for so long. I think that this movie is a must watch for everyone at leats once in their life.

[writer59january13]

The finis sing touches touché

Knead dull brows knitted;

belief system I cogitate gearing thee ordinary bipedal hominid

acquiesces to deck the halls of the mountain (dew) king with boughs

of sister golden haired sprinkling angel dust

from cremated remains

in bleak midwinter unwittingly interweaving pagan rituals

tacitly accepted yet quietly jeered

as anathema to march of the kings,

who instilled obedience or death which layman forswore, whence his loss

of life or limb as mass of cries neared resounding like tortured souls

self flagellating their inherent

joy to the world,

whereby unsuspecting cynics among

the madding crowd paired amidst common everyday folk

beckoning ad lib lip-synced first noel extemporaneously grafting customs

taught when reared as just a little drummer

boy/girl pipsqueak, since straying from mainstream religious

parameters scared the silent night

with unimaginable ogres

on the warpath to smite mortal

man/woman with flaming torches

angering unfriendly beasts tiered

inside the city state panning labyrinth

ready for total mortal kombat while shepherds watched their flock –

as the latter veered away from getting fleeced

such as this writer,

who might be lambasted for verging on the brink

of being sacrilegious and/or weird

after forking over a tidy sum a million bucks? Not by a far stretch.

Please keep on the que tee i.e. hush

regarding this soupy poetic fabrication

bravely bursting buttucks amucks

thus haint wise to mess wit me lest cha wanna split high knee a fate worse than death with hen whoopsy tipsy daisy excuse employing faux pas impairment via this Gypsy.

Diabolical harassing lurked poised – ready to strike yours truly, when he obliviously frolicked, during his boyhood carefree before the onset of self loathing.

Drunk with knowledge

whither hearing, vis (ideally, liberal commentators I adore), asper "NON FAKE") news, more than weather, latest sports score or reading, (yes of course out loud applying index finger de rigueur of right hand as pointer)

poetically mentioned once before

ditto via select publications

(oh...alright TIME Magazine, The Nation,

and/or Mother Jones) all of which boar like a mellow red bull at four

after midnight, nonetheless, who decrees

(hmm... maybe ludicrous

to ask Jeeves courtesy deplore able basketcase, but inquisitiveness persists

what body electric discriminates furthermore

freedom of what gets published, or determines permissible broadcasts

made by Federal Communications Commission

allowing, enabling, and providing galore

of choice morsels pollinating mass media buzzfeeding popular culture

additionally permitting opinions

shared by hardcore investigative journalists, putting life and limb at risk

nonetheless inherent within constitution delimiter

i.e. bureau to censor radical, subversive, more

treasonous than Socialism with Iron Maiden on tour must serve as kickstarter

to stifle: tyranny, mutiny, anarchy, et cetera and shore

up defenses (perhaps in guise of a reinforced wall) toward those who ignore

codas defining complex edifice of government

trumpeting defiance, uncivil disobedience, insouciance, et cetera in an attempt to restore

totalitarianism stripping away inalienable rights of life, liberty and pursuit

of happiness endowed by a smoothbore!

[possession1981-moving]

23, 26, 60, 65? (<- last one is just there so you can be cool and say most of them don’t even scare you 😎)

thank you thank you these are so good 💖 i had to think about the second one for a long time actually

Favorite movie soundtrack? okay hear me out there is a 100% correct answer for greatest soundtrack ever and that is house of flying daggers. THE best one there's no competition.

Best experience going to the movies? so in 2013 i went to watch stoker by park chan wook in the cinema and it had an incredibly small release in sweden i think maybe only like 4 theaters in the entire country showed it, and only on a few days each, and there was also like absolutely zero marketing for it or anything so idk if me and my friend were the only two people in the country (hyperbolic but u catch my drift) who decided to go watch it at all or what, but we saw it in this very tiny cinema with like 25 seats total, with no one else in the place, and that was such a great time it felt like having a private cinema at home

Most visually stunning movie you’ve seen? this question is so popular i have gotten i three times now but i can always come up with new examples 😌 this time i'm gonna say pan's labyrinth actually! i still think it's an incredibly visually stunning film that i can watch gifs of forever and ever tbh but the first time i saw it i was really young like preteen i think, and i was absolutely floored by the way it looked because at the time i had literally never seen anything like it and i think it shaped a lot of my tastes in the visual aspects of film to some extent.

Horror movie that didn’t scare you? lmao it still doesn't make me any cooler that i have a hard time getting scared by horror movies but i need to say that when i watched psycho for the first time i had heard so many people say that oh it's so scary and then i watched it and i was like............... that was it? like idk what i expected lmao but it was i think the first hitchcock i watched, i was a kid and all but i definitely had expected it to be. more splatter than what it actually is. i had expected something scarier.

[volixia669]

Y’know what’s funny. When I was a teenager, I thought Guillermo Del Toro created horror movies, mainly because I walked in on my parents watching Pan’s Labyrinth and the pale man scared the shit out of me. Now that I’m older, I understand so much better. Guillermo Del Toro uses the horror aesthetic to make commentary on the world. Pan’s Labyrinth is not horror. Like many people have said, it’s a fairy tale. Not the disney-fied ones either. No, this is the stories told for both adult entertainment, and to warn young children. On the magical side, you have the Pale Man, representation of institutions, and if you pay attention to the paintings, you can tell the pale man was once human. A greedy businessman gobbling up children. Yet. The more ‘realistic’ world is still a fairy tale in its way. The little girl ran from the fascist Captain, and while she may have died, her brother survived and will never know the fascist’s name. That in itself is its own fairy tale. And if you’ll notice, the magical world is not necessarily better than the realistic one. They both have their horrors. Crimson Peak, advertised as a horror movie and if I recall correctly did use some color themes often found in Italian horror. But it wasn’t a horror movie. It’s more in the Gothic genre. Gothic fiction tends to be about a character’s journey of self discovery. Which sounds happy and uplifting, until you realize that often the self discovery is ‘oh, I am actually a horrible person and these are my consequences for being a horrible person.’ THere is also a decent amount of gothic fiction where it’s another character discovering someone is actually a horrible person, or the horrible person is recounting their journey of self discovery before jumping off a cliff or something. (19th century fiction had a tendency to use gossiping about other people for hours as a narrative device.) There’s also various sub-genres of Gothic which is how you get Southern Gothic (Think The Awakening) vs. Victorian Gothic (Picture of Dorian Gray). BUT WHAT DOES THAT INFO DUMP ABOUT GOTHIC LITERATURE HAVE TO DO WITH GUILLERMO DEL TORO ASKED NO ONE? Well No One. The Gothic movie Crimson Peak may have been advertised to show the skeleton ghosts as the monsters, but the real monster was the sister all along. From the very beginning, the victims are framed as monsters. It’s not until Edith listens to the victims, that she realizes who the murderer is. It is also through Edith that Thomas goes on his little ‘oh fuck I am actually a horrible person.’ Lucille has her own...But Guillermo del Toro shows us visually how she and Thomas received very different realizations as that.  In short? Using the Gothic Horror aesthetic, he shows us how society views victims. And then there’s Shape of Water. Admittedly haven’t seen that one yet, but, the meaning is clear. The monster is not the fishman. The monster is the government agent, keeping both Eliza and the fishman captive. The monster is the government that does not see this disabled woman, the black woman, or the fishman, as human. And what I love about Shape of Water? It has the appearance of a 1950s/1960s monster flick. The fishman could have been taken from many of those. And often in those movies, the chick is saved by the government agent, who kills the creature to keep the population safe. Incidentally, often the monsters in those films represented a marginalized group. So Shape of Water spins that around. And asks, but what about the creature’s story? What about all the people the creature represents?

TL:DR: Pan’s Labyrinth uses Fairy Tale horror to show us facism=bad, as well as Greedy White Men in power=bad. Crimson Peak uses Gothic Horror to show us how society views victims. Shape of Water uses 1950s monster horror to show us how society views those who don’t ‘fit’. Guillermo Del Toro’s movies are not horror*, but use a horror aesthetic to send powerful messages. *(Unless you’re a facist white man, or a greedy person in power. Then I suppose it would be horror. Also if you are these things, get off my blog)

[j3ssisam3ss]

Childhood Friends - Fluff

For @animebookworm16

It got kind of long and I’m not really sure it still counts as fluff, but here’s my piece for @maribat-angst-fluff-april, prompt 25, Childhood Friends.

Damian Al Ghul-Wayne was five years old the first time he met a girl his age. And in typical League of Assassins style, he went for efficiency by meeting ten at once.

“These are your betrothed,” Talia told him. “All but one will be dead by your twelfth birthday. You will marry the sole survivor on your eighteenth birthday and produce an Heir to carry on the great legacy of the League of Assassins.”

Nine of the girls heard the words without so much as a flinch. The last stared in shock at Talia, then broke into tears.

“Quiet, Marinette,” Talia hissed.

“No,” she yelled defiantly, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I want my mama!”

Talia backhanded her and she fell to the floor with a yelp.

Damian surveyed the girl – Marinette – with distaste.

“Mother, surely you don’t consider this sniveling coward worthy to compete for my hand?”

“Her mother, Sabine Cheng, was our best assassin for years before she turned traitor. I suppose she’s lost her touch if she raised such a weak daughter.” Talia shrugged elegantly. “No matter, if she turns out to be useless, we’ll ship her mutilated corpse back to Sabine as a reminder of what happens when you cross the League.”

She waved the girls away. “To your training now.”

Damian watched as Marinette sniffled and followed the other girls out the door.

She won’t last a week.

He had no idea how wrong he was.

.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was five years old the first time she won a fight. And in typical Dupain-Cheng fashion, she did so in the most unpredictable way possible.

“You’re going down, pigtails,” shouted a pretty brunette, charging at Marinette with a sword that was as tall as she was.

With a startled shriek, Marinette darted away. She hated how behind she was here. Back home, she was good at everything – reading circle, art class, tussles when the teacher’s back was turned. Here, it felt like she was constantly playing catch-up.

Not to mention, the constant threat of death was not fun.

Skidding around a corner of the labyrinth arena, she tripped over a protruding stone and fell to the ground. The brunette grinned viciously, advancing towards her.

Marinette smiled nervously. “Can’t we talk this out?”

“Not a chance, shortie,” said the brunette.

Marinette glanced around frantically.

I don’t want to die!

She reached for a rock, a stick, anything that could help her fight, but came up with only a handful of sand. With a pleading glance heavenward, she flung it into the brunette’s face and lurched to her feet, grinning when the girl had to stop to get the grit out of her eyes.

Taking off into the labyrinth of passages, she nearly stumbled again, this time over a nearly buried metal object.

She shifted away the dirt surrounding it and smirked. “Finally, a weapon I know how to use.”

Ten minutes later, the watching League members straightened in surprise as the smallest and weakest of Damian’s betrotheds utterly decimated her opponent.

With a frying pan.

.

“What are you doing here?”

The two children spoke in unison, glaring daggers at one another.

“I always come here,” Marinette said. “It’s my drawing spot.”

“The vents are my domain, Dupain-Cheng,” Damian said. “Get out.”

Two years’ worth of resentment and anger simmered beneath Marinette’s skin.

 Drawing is the last thing I have of home. I won’t let him take it from me.

“No.”

Damian looked thunderstruck and Marinette couldn’t keep the smirk off her face.

“I am Heir to the Demon! You will obey me!”

“You may be Heir to the Demon, but right now you’re also a kid skipping classes,” Marinette argued. “And if you make me leave, I’ll tell Talia exactly where you go when you’re not in class.”

Ha, take that, you tyrant!

Damian froze. Marinette watched as emotions overtook his face – anger, resentment, then acceptance.

“Fine,” he grumbled.

Marinette smiled and returned to her sketchbook – which wasn’t really a sketchbook, just some loose papers she’d tucked into her history book.

A few minutes later, Damian peered over her shoulder. “What are you doing?”

“Drawing,” she said, holding out a few of her older sketches, the ones she wouldn’t mind losing if Damian decided to rip them. “There’s your mother fighting, cook making soup, the sunset from this other spot in the vents – actually, that one’s pretty bad because I didn’t have any colors.”

Damian stared at the drawing of his mother.

“I’m keeping this,” he announced.

Well, at least he didn’t tear it up.

The next week, when Marinette arrived at her drawing spot, Damian was already there. With an annoyed grunt, he shoved a sketchbook and colored pencils into her hands.

Marinette looked between him and the supplies in confusion. “What’s this for?”

“Teach me how to draw.”

Marinette bit her lip, looking longingly at the colored pencils. Then, she pushed them back towards Damian.

“I want you to give me weapons training. As often as I teach you drawing.”

I may be naturally talented at combat, but the other girls have been training their entire lives. I need to catch up.

Damian eyed her suspiciously. “That’s against the rules.”

“So? Are you scared?”

“Never.”

“Then it’s a deal?”

“It’s a deal.”

.

Damian lunged, making a displeased noise when his quarry danced out of his reach.

“You’re slow today, Dami,” Marinette teased. “Losing your touch?”

Marinette was no longer the scared little girl she’d been at five, or even at seven. She’d thrown herself into her training with single-minded determination and two years of training with Talia by day and Damian by night had made her a formidable – and snarky – combatant.

“Never,” Damian replied. His next attack nearly threw her off-balance.

With a grunt, Marinette recovered her footing and countered with a flurry of blows that would have left a lesser opponent dizzy.

Damian smirked, parrying each attack easily. “Completely mediocre. Should I tell my mother that her protégé is slipping?”

Although he’d never admit it, Damian was proud of her. She’d gone from being the worst of the League’s trainees to the only one able to keep up with him in a fight.

“Me? Slipping? Not a chance.” Marinette flipped backwards, knocking his weapon away. “Hey, Damian?”

“Yes, Marinette?” He scooped up his katana, readying himself for her next move.

“The floor is lava.”

With a startled intake of air, he leaped onto the nearest table.

“Really?” he asked, half annoyed, half amused.

Marinette giggled, peering down at him from her spot in the ceiling rafters. “I thought we could use an extra challenge.”

Damian glanced up at her. “You just like having the high ground.”

“Technically speaking, it’s the high rafter,” she pointed out.

“Either way, it won’t prevent me from defeating you,” Damian said, pulling himself into the rafters.

At that moment, the door opened and they both immediately went still.

“Damian? Are you here?”

Marinette raised an eyebrow at him. “Skipping again?” she mouthed.

Damian shrugged in response.

Rolling her eyes, Marinette gestured to the vents behind him. “I’ll meet you in the lower training rooms to finish our bout.”

“Marinette!” The teacher startled as she caught a glimpse of the pigtailed girl. “What are you doing up there?”

Effortlessly, the girl swung down from the ceiling, drawing the teacher’s attention away from Damian’s hiding place.

“Just improving my arm strength, Mistress Eva.” As she distracted his teacher with false information about his whereabouts, Damian climbed into the vents.

Marinette makes a surprisingly tolerable ally.

.

It didn’t seem to matter how many people Marinette killed; it never got easier. Surrounded by the bodies of Deathstroke’s traitors, she retched.

She was alone. Somehow, in the midst of the fight, she’d gotten separated from the rest of the League’s loyalists.

I need to get moving. I’m an easy target right now.

With a shuddering breath, she climbed to her feet and made her way out of the compound and into the shadows. It was there, staring at the ruins of the League’s strongest base, that the realization hit her.

“I’m free,” Marinette whispered, tears trickling down her face.

The Head of the Demon was dead, his followers scattered.

“I can finally go home.”

She ignored the voice in her mind that said her home was here, with the League, with Damian. She ignored the tightness in her chest at the thought of never seeing Damian again. She ignored the fear that he might already be dead.

The League kidnapped me. Talia abused me. Even if I managed to be happy here, I owe the Al Ghuls nothing. A vow of loyalty made under duress is no vow at all.

Her hands curled into fists.

And if they come for me again, I’ll be ready.

.

Damian scowled as their plane descended into Gotham.

“This is imbecilic. I should be assisting you in decimating our enemies, not hiding like a frightened child.”

“Damian,” his mother’s voice was cold. “This is not up for negotiation. You will stay here and train with your father.”

“Yes, Mother,” he replied bitterly. A moment passed, then he tilted his head in thought. “But what of my betrothed? If she is to be my equal, should she not train with me?”

Talia studied him carefully. “You use the singular of betrothed,” she noted. “Despite the fact that three remain alive. I don’t suppose you’d care to tell me which one you consider your wife-to-be?”

“Tt. Your protégé, the Cheng girl, is the only one that even approaches competent. You know this.”

“I also know that you trained her separately – against my orders,” Talia said.

Damian nearly flinched. “And yet you didn’t stop me.”

“I wonder if that was a mistake,” his mother said. “You feel more for her than you should.”

“She is an effective ally. That is all.”

“Then you won’t mind being separated from her for a while.”

“Not at all, Mother,” Damian lied.

.

“Marinette? Is that you?” Her mother looked as if she’d seen a ghost.

Marinette smiled. “Hello, Mama.”

Sabine reached out a shaking hand to cup her face. “How are you here? We saw you die.”

“Sabine, do you know where – ” Tom dropped the pan of croissants. “Marinette?”

He jumped over the counter and raced to her. Marinette took a step back before her mind caught up with her body.

This is Papa, you idiot. He’s not a threat.

She threw herself into his arms, shoving away her fears.

Twisting to face her mother, she said, “I don’t know how my death was faked, but I never died. The League kidnapped me.”

Tom’s arms tightened around her.

“The League?” Sabine’s face went pale. “What did they want with you?”

“The usual,” Marinette said with a shrug. “Revenge on you for leaving and a capable assassin and potential wife for Damian if I turned out to be any good.”

“Who’s Damian?” Tom asked with a frown.

Marinette grinned. “Oh, Damian’s great! He’s the Heir to the League, but he’s actually pretty okay for an assassin. He helped me get good enough to survive. You know, after I blackmailed and bribed him.”

“What?”

.

Meeting his father did not go the way Damian had imagined.

Talia always spoke of Bruce Wayne’s great intellect, his strength in combat, his determination in all things. She never mentioned his brainless playboy act, his absurd prohibition of killing, or his habit of taking in strays. Damian wasn’t sure which one was most offensive, but he was incredibly disappointed in his father regardless.

He had to reassess after he saw Batman at work. When not purposely acting like a buffoon, Bruce Wayne was everything his mother had described and more, entirely deserving of Damian’s respect.

He set out to prove himself in his father’s eyes. It didn’t go well. Whatever he did, it was the wrong thing. In any fight with the imposter sons, Damian was punished – even if he won. Assisting his father with Wayne Enterprises was met with an eye-roll and a request to stay away from Bruce’s office.

It should have made Damian angry but instead it hurt and Damian did not understand why.

And then his father was gone. Richard Grayson became Batman.

Damian became Robin. Finally.

And yet the triumph felt hollow.

Not to mention, it came with strings attached: ‘Murder is bad.’ ‘Justice, not vengeance.’ ‘Robin doesn’t kill.’ ‘Protect rather than avenge.’

Grayson’s teachings were imbecilic. And yet he had to follow them. His mother had yet to finish with the traitors.

He wondered where Marinette was, if she was undergoing similar training, if she fought the way he did to reign in the bloodlust. Considering how she had to hide her dislike of killing, how she helped heal her competitors, he thought probably not.

Slowly, things got easier. Grayson became tolerable. Damian learned to suppress the instinct, the muscle memory that said ‘kill or be killed.’ He found an adoration for animals and learned to deal with his classmates. He finally began to understand why Grayson and his father valued life so highly. His father came back and he chose to deny the League. Wayne Manor became home.

On days when he struggled, he retreated to his room and the comfort of his sketchbook. And if a certain blue-eyed girl made an appearance every few pages, well, who would know but him?

.

Returning home did not go the way Marinette had imagined.

She knew it wouldn’t be sunshine and roses, of course. But she hadn’t expected the magnitude of the changes in her home, or in herself.

School was laughably easy. Marinette had the equivalent of several college degrees. Finding x and learning how to spell ‘earthquake’ was a waste of her time. Instead, she spent class drawing and coming up with increasingly complex plans for fighting off the League should they try to kidnap her again.

She kept herself closed off from her classmates – she didn’t know how she’d ever called them friends. They were neutral parties at best – not one ever stood up for her against Chloe. Her parents encouraged them to give her classmates a chance, but the League had trained her well. Misplaced trust could kill. And Marinette had fought long enough for survival to know that dropping your guard was a death knell.

She hated hurting her parents though.

Though they tried to hide it, she saw the pain cross their faces when she flinched away from hugs. When she moved like an assassin rather than a child. When she gave away her stuffed animals. When she skipped family game night and spent her time training.

She hated hurting her parents. So she changed.

Marinette locked away her lethal grace, faking clumsiness and turning it into an art form. She hid her weapons, training only when her parents were asleep. She returned to family game nights; she initiated hugs. At school, she became bubbly and friendly again, though she trusted no one.

More than anything, she tried to atone. She sought out those in need and tried to help – whether by providing food, babysitting, or making them warm clothing. She discovered an interest in fashion design, but mostly stuck to making the essentials for those in need. She met a tiny floating bug named Tikki and became a superhero.

On days when she struggled, she retreated to her room and the comfort of her sketchbook. And if green eyes and a cocky smirk featured prominently in the book, well, who would know but her?

.

Damian frowned as he followed his brother into Wayne Enterprises.

"I don't understand why it's so important for me to be here."

"C'mon, Baby Bird!" Dick said. "You said you wanted to be more involved in the company!"

"I meant the business side of things," Damian said. "I have no interest in showing around a gaggle of unruly teenagers."

"You're a teenager too," Dick pointed out. "It'll be fun!"

Damian sniffed. "I'm an adult. And fun, really? Surely you don't truly believe that?"

Dick sighed. "Just give it a chance, okay? They seem like really great kids."

They walked into the lobby and Damian stopped short, eyes catching on long black hair and brilliant blue eyes.

"Marinette?"

.

In truth, Marinette wasn't all that excited about the Wayne Enterprises tour. The architecture was interesting, sure, but her class had a habit of making themselves a target and Bruce Wayne's patronage was not helping.

She gave it three days, at most, before they got in trouble with Gotham's Rouges.

Which meant she was on 'keep the class from dying' duty. Joy.

She kept her eyes and ears peeled, which meant that she heard the faint whisper of her name from an unfamiliar voice.

"Marinette?"

Forest-green eyes filled with far too much emotion had her breath catching in her throat.

"Damian?"

With obvious effort, the League's Heir pulled himself together. "Fancy meeting you here, Dupain-Cheng."

His voice. Oh, kwami, it should be illegal to look AND sound that good. Nope. Nope. Not doing this. He's an assassin, get your act together, Marinette.

"Al-Ghul." She was proud that her voice betrayed nothing. "I have to admit, I'm surprised to see you here. This doesn't seem like your scene."

She reached out for a handshake and was taken off guard when Damian kissed her hand instead. She blushed.

"It's Wayne now," Damian said. "I'm... no longer associated with the Al-Ghuls. Or their business."

He's not an assassin anymore? Yes! I knew you were a good person deep, deep down, Dami!

"Really? I broke ties with them several years ago myself."

See that, Damian? We're both good people. Good people that would be great toget - no! Bad Marinette!

Damian grinned. "In that case, I look forward to reconnecting. Perhaps after the tour?"

Oh, kwami, I'm doomed.

"I'd like that."

.

"What was that?" Dick asked in a low voice. "I've never seen you open up to someone so quickly."

With difficulty, Damian tore his gaze from Marinette.

Stars, she grew up gorgeous.

Damian smirked. "Don't be ridiculous, Grayson. I met Marinette over a decade ago."

I wonder, does she still consider our betrothal valid?

"Wait, so she's an assassin?" Grayson blanched. "Who is she here to kill? Who do I have to protect? Ugh! Why can't you ever have normal friends?"

"Relax," Damian chided. "She's an ex-assassin. Like me."

"That does not make me feel better. Who is she to you?"

Damian hummed in thought, running through years of teasing, fighting, and spending time together. "She was my first friend."

And maybe now something more.

[mythicalninjas]

From anon's request: "For all the boys: an S/O who’s good at singing but is really really shy about it? Like, they just freeze up and will not sing If they notice that anyone is hearing them".

(Leo's and Raph's part are here)

Donnie:

He is drinking coffee and eating a massive and delicious sandwich while sit alone at the big space of the lair in the dinner table area

Well, he's not totally alone. He could see Leo talking to Splinter in a distance about something he doesn't know. Raph was sharping his sais and Mikey was sleeping beside him with his mouth open and snoring

Donnie loves the panoramic view of everything and everyone in the lair

It's amazing and funny at same time

He was waiting for your message for him get you to bring you to the lair. Of course, you still do not get used by these never-ending New York's labyrinthitis.

"Where is Y/N?" He thought

Then the radio on his right shoulder rings

"Hey, dove!"

"Hey, love! I already got here"

"Got it! Wait for me, dove. I'm on my way."

Then he stands up from his place and ran to out of the lair, leaving his empty coffee mug on the table and eating the rest of his sandwich

"Where the fuck you're going?"

"Take Y/N. She said that she's coming today."

Raph just shares a shrug and slaps Mikey's shoulder to stop snoring

While you wait for your boyfriend, you move your body from a side to another, slowly with your mind distracted with your favorite song "Somewhere Only We Know by Lily Allen"

"[...] Is this the place we used to love? Is this the place I've been dreaming of? Oh simple thing. Where have you gone? I'm getting old and I need something to rely on... [...]"

Your marvelous voice echoed through the tunnels

You knew that Donnie would take some time to get where you are so you took this moment as opportunity to sing.

You love singing. It's your hobbie.

But you refuse to do it in front of your boyfriend or anyone else

You're pretty shy about it

You closed your eyes, appreciating the moment

"[...] And if you have a minute why don't we go. Talk about it somewhere only we know. This could be the end of everything, so why don't we go somewhere only we know..."

You smiled

This song kinda remains of you and Donnie

But this moment was broke with clapping hands noise

Oh no...

"DONNIE?!"

"This was the most beautiful performance I've ever heard"

Your eyes went wide. How did he arrive so fast? How long has he been here?!

You placed your face in your hands, hiding your shyness

He chuckled "Dove, your voice is beautiful! Why are you hiding yourself?" he pulls you closer and softly lift your face from your hands towards his

"I don't know... I... just don't like singing when there's someone watching"

He caresses your cheek with his massive thumb

"I know" the tall terrapin bowed to place a kiss on your soft lips "Ya know, I'd love to hear you more"

You smiled softly "Really?"

"Really. Can you... sing more?"

You let out a soft giggling "Yes, love. But just to you"

That cute grin on his face. How you could say no?

Mikey:

"No One by Alicia Keys"

This song is echoing through your apartment

You're in the kitchen cooking your dinner

"[...] People keep talking they can say what they like. But all I know is everything's gonna be alright!" You sing

But something tells you that there's more than one presence at your home. You looked around to certify that you're alone

Nobody but you

You shrugged and continued to cooking

"No one, no one, no oooooonneee. Can get in the way of what I'm feeling!"

"No one, no one, no oooooonnneeeee! Can get in the way of what I feel for you!" he yelled behind you

You got spooked and almost dropped a pan

"MICKEY! WHAT THE HELL YOU'RE DOING HERE?"

"To make you a surprise, angelcakes!"

You put your free hand above your chest

That was unexpected

How the fuck did he got into your apartment?!

"Mikey, you scared the shit out of me. I swear to God that I'll-"

"Why did ya not say to me that you can sing?"

"Uh... 'cause I only sing for myself, love." You said slowly "I am shy about it."

He froze. You? Shy?! Bullshit!

"Angelcakes! Listen to me. Me, Michelangelo, the king of singing will make you feel comfortable in it! Come here!"

He grabs your hands and pulls you closer

"Mikey, stop!" You pushed away from him, not too hard of course.

And you turned your playlist off

Mikey just stands there staring at you. You never behaved like this to him before

"Sweet cheeks. What happened? Why did you get mad suddenly?" He started to walk towards you and lift his arms to hug you "Sorry, sugar..."

You hugged him back "No. It's me that I have to apologize. I didn't wanted to treat you like that, honey."

You both kept there, embraced in each other's arms

Poor boy. He just wanted some fun moment with you.

You got regret

"Honey..." You caress his cute and baby cheek, his baby blue eyes staring at yours "Wanna sing with me?"

"But... You don't like s-" you shut him by putting your finger above his mouth

"I only like to sing with you. To you."

The moment got even more excited when a big grin reappeared on his face

So cute!

You both spent the rest of the night doing your own karaoke

[harpidiem]

Hi, you and I seem to have very similar tastes in art and in other things and as a begging artist I would like to know your art journey and any resources you used such as books and things or where you get inspiration from, thanks in advance

Hello! I'd be happy to!

I've been drawing since I was a kid, but I only started drawing seriously when I was about 12 (I wanted to become an animator, I didnt know that jobs like illustration on concept art were a thing). I never took a formal art class, expect for one that was on acrylic painting, and I didnt really learn that much there, and it was only for 4 weeks. (Maybe I'll learn to love acrylic someday, but not today).

For inspiration, I write down favorite memories of mine, and sometimes unimportant ones (memories of sitting at a gas station on a hot summer day, waiting on my dad to buy some sodas so we can get going on our trip; walking under football bleachers at night), and most times I'm a little too scared to post these because they're personal, but im working myself up to it.

I collect moodboards on interest, just whatever catches my eye, even if the aesthetics don't match. When I'm out, I take pictures of places I would like to draw later (abandoned farmhouses, old mill houses, a lighthouse far off in the water alone, a stretch of road completely covered in graffiti).

Books! Ok so I have a lot of art books but few that have actually been beneficial, so I'll post those here.

Color And Light by James Gurney: A Guide For The Realist Painter; I cannot reccomend this book more!! This book is excellent, it talks about how to paint different light conditions, and how it effects light scientifically. Very easy to understand, and Gurney is a master painter.

Adorning The Dark by Andrew Peterson. Another excellent book, and one I don't think I'll ever be over. While this is a book from a Christian standpoint, and I don't know your opinions on religion, this book for me was unputdownable. I read it cover to cover in a day, and did the same thing the next day. Reflections on self and the creative process that takes place in the mind and spiritually, and how we effect others. A simply wonderful book. Id go as far as to say life-changing.

Any Ghibli art book (I own Howl's Moving Castle, and Spirited Away.) These are excellent if youre wanting to look into illustration or character design. It doesnt give much advice, but I find myself inspired every time I open the ghibli books I have.

Sketching From The Imagination: Characters by 3d Total Publishing; this book has many MANY artists of various art styles, and they give their process and advice! Little nuggets of "Oh! Yea that makes sense." are scattered throughout the book, at least for me.

As for fiction books, I read a wide range of genres, so I can't really make a HUGE list of books I reccomend, but I can give a few that I feel have been important to me personally the last few years.

Jeff Vandermeer's Southern Reach Trilogy, and Borne Trilogy. Rick Bragg's All Over But The Shout'n, and Ava's Man, Flannery O' Connor's A Good Man Is Hard To Find, C. S Lewis's A Space Trilogy, and Madeline D'Engle's A Wrinkle In Time. Comics like Batman: The Long Halloween, Calvin and Hobbes, and Minna Sundberg's Stand Still Stay Silent have been great to read as well!

Movies and TV shows are HUGE inspirations for me, but as a general guide, I adore movies like Alien, Fury Road, Pan's Labyrinth, Lord of The Rings, Oh Brother Where Art Thou?, and TV shows like Stranger Things, Over The Garden Wall, and The Twilight Zone. Video games are important as well, like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Kentucky Route Zero, and Death Stranding.

Anyway, heres what I have to say: Use everything. Dont be afraid to deviate from your "aesthetics". Yes, you'll feel a bit lost at times, like you have no identity, but thats a good thing for growth. When I was 12, I was dead set that my thing was extremely cartoon art styles, pokemon, and drawing dragons. While these are still great and huge inpirations, if I didn't branch out, I would be stuck in a rut.

It is not important to have a set aesthetic. Youre not an aesthetic Instagram page at heart! Find what you are drawn to, what imagery catches your eye, what symbols have meaning to you. I will change throughout my life, but my core values are still there. And I think its important to understand that, to loosely quote Andrew Peterson, that self expression is an endless, and often fruitless chase. You gotta shift your direction outward, and you'll discover things about you, good and bad.

Wow, this post is getting very very long. Apologies. Anyway, one more note. Just explore. Collect things, look for details! Note that swirl in the sand, a wrinkle next to an eye, get a feel for a place or thing. I have dozens of books that make no sense together (2 books on sharks, 1 on specifically waterplants, 5 on animal species, 2 on surgery, 1 on the history of medicine, 1 on car mechanics, 1 on martial arts, 3 cookbooks, and a book on the history of wood working.) Yes, I tend to hoard books. Get a book from the library on a subject you know nothing about once a week. Glance through it, take at least 20 minutes hopping page to page, even randomly. You'll find something! Just keep your eyes open, dont stop learning! I encourage wiki rabbit holes 100%.

And please, please dont be afraid to post new things. In the end it doesn't matter if your followers are unused to the new thing you like! As long as you are conveying meaning behind what you create, you'll find your way. Im uh, still learning this. People latch onto concepts more than skill, I've found.

So yea, thats just what I have to say. Sorry for the long, LONG post. I hope this helped!!

[heavensmortuary]

🍁🍂🍁🍂Alright, since its mid-September, its time for my annual spooky movie reccomedation list! I include ratings, and I can include trigger warnings for any of these films upon request as well! I'm also looking for horror movies to watch myself, so feel free to comment/ask any as well!! So, here we go, in no particular order...🍁🍂🍁🍂

Fantasy/sci-fi horror:

The Thing 1982 [R]: A group of scientists find a shapeshifting alien underneath the ice in Antarctica, and they just survive as it imitates them. Trust no one. The Thing is one of my favorite movies in general. Its scary, retro, and the special effects are insane. It reminds me of classic Lovecraft, but better. Very terrifying. 10/10

Pan's Labyrinth 2006 [R]: During the Spanish Civil War, a young girl named Ofelia enters a world of twisted fantasy while above, her step-father's brutality causes trouble in the midst of a rebellion. Genuinely a beautiful movie. It's like a fairy-tale, and sometimes you forget it's a horror movie. It's simply magical, but frighteningly real. If you love classic fantasy, monsters, history, and horror, you'll love this movie. 10/10

Alien 1979 [R]: A team on a shipping vessel in soace come in contact with a parasitic alien within the clausterphobic confines of the ship. A classic, and it's still absolutely terrifying. Sharp insight on early 80's consumerism (in more than one sense), and a marvel of alien horror. Its very claustrophobic, tense, and 100% worth watching, especially if you love scifi. 10/10.

Aliens 1986 [R]: Continuing the story of Alien, space marines must investigate a distress signal from a colony, and what they find is more horrifying than they could have imagined. Full of retro action, humorous quips, scares, and plenty of bullet spray, it's a terrifying and fun watch. I enjoyed it just as much as the original, and its just awesome, while being scary at times. 10/10

Annihilation 2018 [R]: After the mysterious death of her husband, a Biologist goes into Area X to discover what horrifying cosmic entity his team found there. Not nearly as good, or accurate as the book (I CANT reccomend the Southern Reach trilogy enough), but this movie genuinely frightened me at points and the setting is simply beautiful. Its clever, creepy, and it's a strange watch. 8/10

Signs 2002 [PG-13]: After strange symbols appear in the cornfields on a family's farm, they must protect each other, and their faith, during the invasion. Love this movie, it's just spooky enough, but outside if the monsters, the people in this movie are what really matter. It's compelling, and a beautiful story. Simply excellent. Plus you'll know where the screaming guy in a closet meme comes from after seeing this one. 10/10

A Quiet Place 2018 [PG-13]: Could you survive a world where making a single sound could spell your death? Monsters decend upon the Abbot family, just as a baby is on the way. One of my favorite movies ever. Its beautiful and ABSOLUTELY horrifying. I think I forgot about eating my popcorn while watching this one. Overall, the desperate survival of the Abbots is heartwarming, but oh so stressful. If you can, PLEASE watch the sequel right after this one. 10/10

A Quiet Place 2 2021 [PG-13]: The Abbots face new challenges as they traverse a devestated landscape, and monsters wait around every dark corner for them. An EXCELLENT sequel. I caught myself actually going "NOOO AAAA" at some points, and its totally a worthy sequel to the scares in the first one. Again, great story, great characters, great cinematography, great message. 10/10.

Coraline 2009 [PG]: Coraline Jones, unhappy with moving to a new house, suddenly finds a whimsical world in a little hidden tunnel inside the house, but she learns the sinister truth behind the candy-colored world beyond the wall. Dont let the stop-motion animation confuse you; this movie is terrifying. A classic from my childhood, and its a treat to watch every Halloween. The Beldam has to be on the list of the most horrifying villains ever. 10/10

Zombies, ghosts, ghouls, and everything in between:

The Haunting 1963 [G]: Based on the novel The Haunting of Hill House, a group of people must stay in a supposedly haunted mansion. Eleanor, one of the women, suddenly believes that the house is talking directly to her. One of the many adaptations of the book, it's spooky, and it's very disturbing, while also having a nice theme. Perfect for setting the mood on a October night. 8/10

Night of The Living Dead 1990 [R]: Survivors take shelter in an abandoned farm house while the undead attack. Can they work together, or let their own prejudices get the best of them? I havent seen the original yet, but I love this movie. Very scary, and its directed by Tom Savini, so lots of good ol zombie gore. Not only that, there's a good bit of social commentary here on racism. The classic was the original zombie film. 9/10.

Dawn of The Dead 1978 [R]: As the undead rise up, survivors take to a shopping mall in order to survive. I don't know how to describe this movie's vibe. It has this weird retro 70's feel, mixed with uncanny horror. It's campy at times, but it doesn't take away the scariness. Very fun in a weird way, and its an on-the-nose satire of american consumerism. 10/10

Train To Busan 2016 [R]: While the world crumbles around them, a small group of survivors must learn to protect each other on a train headed to Busan. Seriously, please watch this one. It's completely unique to any zombie film I've seen. It's scary, but you genuinely care about the characters, and its VERY intense. Love this one. 10/10

Murder and ect:

Scream 1990 [R]: A masked serial killer stalks high school students in middle class suburbia. Its a parody of the modern horror genre, clever and scary all at once. I enjoyed it as a classic and I liked the commentary on how violence with no essence effects people, especially when glorified with horror films. Definitely not for everyone, but its good never the less. 8/10

Wait Until Dark 1967 [NR (I give it a PG-13)]: A gang of criminals looking for heroin attack the home of a blind woman, and it turns into a horrifying game of back and forth between them, until it can go on no longer. Literally one of the best thriller movies ever. Genuinely scary, and genuinely clever. This was actually the first film I saw Audrey Hepburn act in. Super tense near the end, I was biting my nails the whole time. 10/10

The Village 2004 [PG-13]: A rural community is faced with a hard decision as the monsters in the woods leave bloody warnings around their small town. I watch this one every autumn. Its atmospheric, the score is breathtaking, and its a great story. Its beautiful, gently frightening, and its overall a love story. I love this one a lot, even though I know a lot of people didnt like it. Don't go in expecting a great twist at the end, and you'll enjoy it. 10/10

Jane Eyre 2011 [PG-13]: Jane Eyre becomes the governness to an estate, and find a dark secret there. Not necessarily horror, but its gothic and absolutely beautiful. Its the perfect october movie. I love it lots. Nothing hits different than a rainy october day, a cup of chai tea, and this movie playing. 10/10

TV Series:

Stranger Things 2016- [PG-13]: After a child is taken by a supernatural force, the small town community of Hawkins must search for answers and find him before its too late, but as they search, a horrifying conspiracy comes to life before them. I adore this series. Its a love letter to the 80s. Cant reccomend it enough. 10/10

The Twilight Zone 1959-1964 [PG]: A serialized series featuring many different stories ranging from scifi to horror and everything inbetween. Its genius honestly. Each story is compelling, and thought provoking. A great Halloween watch. 10/10

The Walking Dead 2010- (seasons 1 & 2) [R]: A sheriff wakes up from a coma to find himself in a terrifying world of the undead. Its a decent series, at least in the first two seasons! Its pretty scary. Its great if you like zombie movies! 7/10

Over The Garden Wall 2014 [PG]: Two brothers find themselves lost within the world of the Unknown, a place where time is blended together and reality isn't quite right. Ok, real talk here. Its my favorite series of all time. I could go on and on and on about it. If you haven't seen it, please I beg you. Theres nothing like it. Its literally the BEST autumn show to watch. Clever, funny, lightly disturbing, deep, nostalgic...its fantastic. 11/10

So, there you have it. Huge list of horror movies I've enjoyed and actually reccomend. I have seen quite a few more than this (Halloween, Dawn of the Dead 2004, Nightmare on Elm Street, ect), but I specifically picked out the ones I love the most. Enjoy! And have a great autumn.

[subtlereferencetomyinterests]

Hi Remus! So I’m a little bit of a horror fan, but I wanted to take the time to really explore it, plus all its sub genres. And I was wondering if you had any recommendations for new, beginning fans? Like movies, books, podcasts, etc. I’m not really picky about the form of media.

dude when i tell you i got SO excited about this ask ok-

When I first started getting really into horror, I just kind of watched whatever I could find on Netflix or Hulu (which has a better collection of horror films than any other reputable streaming service, by the by, unless we’re counting my beloved effedupmovies.com as reputable). That said, I’ve never been picky with horror and I like literally anything with a slightly scary theme, so taking my accumulated knowledge, I’ve compiled some recommendations of genres and movies to look into. They’re organized by what aspect of horror- a beautifully diverse and broad genre!!- one might be interested in.

Interested in having fun and seeing some violence but not getting too scared, just enjoying the vibes of a horror movie?

genres to try: slashers, teen-screams, horror-comedy, thriller.

movie recs: Scream, Cabin in the Woods, Freaky, Jennifer's Body, Willy's Wonderland, Tucker and Dale v.s. Evil, the Final Destination series, The Babysitter, Friday the 13th, and the Evil Dead franchise!

Interested in getting genuinely freaked out or even scared?

genres to try: found footage, psychological horror, maybe supernatural horror.

movie recs: Creep & Creep 2, It Follows, Spree, Blair Witch, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, The Lodge (2019), As Above So Below, Oculus, The Descent, and No Through Road (short film).

Something thought-provoking that uses horror to evoke emotion or express a message?

genres to try: psychological horror, (some) horror-fantasy, dark comedy/satirical horror.

movie recs: Us, Get Out, Pan's Labyrinth, Before I Wake, Promising Young Woman, The Babadook, Oldboy (2003), Possessor, Ma, Train to Busan, Teeth, and American Psycho.

Do you really just want to see some gore?

genres to try: slashers, "torture porn”, splatter films.

movie recs: Hellraiser, Terrifier, House of 1,000 Corpses, Wyrmwood, Would You Rather, the Saw franchise (for the most part), and Repo.

And lastly, do you want to push yourself just to see something incredibly fucked up for like no reason?

Now we get into my favorite part! 

genres: Exploitation horror, splatter, new french extremity. 

movie recs (from least to most intense by my personal opinion): Nekromantik, Se7en, Tusk, The Poughkeepsie Tapes, A Serbian Film, Cannibal Holocaust, Slaughtered Vomit Dolls (& ReGOREgitated Sacrifice & Slow Torture Puke Chamber, its sequels), and Martyrs (2008).

There’s definitely plenty I missed in this list, though, especially considering it only touches on film, so if you want more elaboration on one of these categories, genres, or even movies in particular, feel free to dm me about it!

[threeminutesoflife]

Favorite Horror Movie from every Horror Genre... GO!

Horror movie subcategories

Supernatural horror- Needful Things (was tempted to put this in Psychological but it’s the devil after all). House on Haunted Hill- Vincent Price, The Fog, Poulturgist, Stir of Echoes, The Innocents, From Dusk till Dawn, and The Haunting. Carnival of Souls. The Fog- the 80s film. Friday the 13th tv series- loved it as a kid.

Psychological- Misery. Gerald’s Game is good dont let the very, very end of the movie stop you from watching it. If you watch it, let me know what you thought of the last minute. 28 Days Later for how society reacted. The Divide, but it’s another I hated the very, very end- cut out the last 30 seconds and we’re good. Das Experiment (and the other takes of it- The Experiment and The Stanford Prison Experiment) are good when it comes to seeing people and their actions. Les Diabolique is enjoyable as is What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, Deliverance. My Name is Julia Ross. (love this category this most).

Gore- Battle Royale is just good, just watch it. Hills Have Eyes gore type flicks- I like those duck out of water, random attacks, wrong place at the wrong time chaos flicks. I will forever be annoyed that they didn’t show more of the foot being sawing off in Saw, since they marketed the shit out of that scene.

Folklore- Snow White Tale of Terrior, Pan’s Labyrinth

Slasher- probably enjoy the trio- Mike, Jason, Freddie.. hmm, maybe Michael takes this bc of his curious head tilt at blood. Scream (I was tempted to put this in comedy tbh.)

Monster- I like old classic monster movies the most. There also Monster Squad, Silverbullet and Tremors as a kid. Sweet Home series. The Descent- liked both endings. REC is better than Quartined. The Thing- both the oldie and Carpenter’s. Hitchcock’s The Birds work for this?

Sci-Fi- Alien and Predator movies (they might be more action than scare, but they’re fun to watch) and IT- the tv special. The Thing (80s)/ The Thing From Another World (50s). They Live is fun. The Devil-Doll, it’s an safe revenge film from 1930s. Flatliners. Soylent Green- chef kisses, not really horror tho. Resident Evil- the further the sequels, the more rubbish tho. Dreamcatcher is meh but I’m putting it down here bc a guy shitting out an alien sticks with you.lol Another honorable meh mention that sticks with you- Slither, bc- yuck.lol

Comedy- Army of Darkness. Arachnophobia humorous stepping stone for a pg-13 spider scare, I remember it having good suspense as a kid. Shaun of the Dead but I admit thought it was sad in some parts the first time I saw it. Dale and Tucker vs Evil. Ready or Not, Cabin in the Woods. Killer Klowns From Outer Space from what I recall. Cooties (kinda slow and sometimes there’s some meh jokes, but the idea is entertaining). A regretful 80s B-list mention, Black Sheep- it is absolutely not going to win any awards but it’s an ice breaker when you ask if they saw the movie with killer sheep.. but is this me saying to watch it? Gods No.lol This isn’t a re-watcher but it’s another to joke abt movie, Maximum Overdrive

Gothic- Vincent Price/Edgar Allan Poe films. Vincent Price’s House of Wax is a good one but it’s a remake of Mystery at the Wax Museum, and I found myself liking that original 1930s one more. Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee were a good team with lots of good movies together. Gaslight. The Innocents. I feel like I’m picking these bc of aesthetics rather than anything else, so I apologize- but: Sleeply Hollow, Crimson Peak, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Interview with a Vampire

[desterea]

for the horror movie asks, Halloween and The Witch!

Halloween: Favorite horror movie of all time?

oh god this one is hard. ig if this question is separate from "scariest movie" i can mention horror movies that mean a lot to me even if they weren't super scary

favorite of all time i think would be pan's labyrinth, even though it's way more than just a horror movie. made me feel the full spectrum of emotions, and i've only watched it once so far but it sticks with me and i think about it and cry every so often

although shoutout to what we do in the shadows, ringu (1998), and the descent as contenders for my favorite horror

The Witch: Scariest horror movie you’ve ever seen?

i recently saw as above, so below and it was scarier than i expected. i complain a lot about horrors that only rely on cheap jumpscares (not to say all jumpscares are bad but movies that only cut the music so that they can scream at you 5 seconds later are not fucking scary or good), but this movie didnt so that. it had jumpscares, one of which made my mom SCREAM scream in my ear which freaked me out way more than the actual jumpscare, but they're in between slow, creepy scenes or surreal what-the-fuck scenes or blink or you'll miss it scares (which are my favorite kind). i had a lot of fun watching it, especially since i went into it knowing nothing about it.