#this game just. has That factor for us femmes

[goldenhour-s]

HIII i might be coming back to playing sims soon!!! idk what’s up on simblr, though - i’m excited to catch up ♥️

[maxknightley]

Which Touhou Girls Can You Plausibly Read As Butch? A Comprehensive Overview

Earlier on Tumblr I saw a post complaining that someone called Hecatia Lapislazuli from Touhou Project butch. This is Hecatia Lapislazuli:

Obviously, like most Touhou characters, she is in fact quite feminine - she just shops at Hell Hot Topic. But it got me thinking: In a series like Touhou, with a cast overwhelmingly defined by feminine (if rowdy) ladies, how many characters could you say are 'butch' without sounding like a complete doofus or significantly redesigning them to fit your headcanon?

CRITERIA

I'll be using four main criteria to judge characters' butchness. In real life, of course, butchness is a multivalent and extremely personal thing, but I'm talking about funny cartoon women from a video game here, so I'm willing to be a little reductive.

These criteria, in order of descending importance, are:

FASHION. In a series where goddamn near everyone is in either a dress or a skirt, the mere act of Wearing A Dress Shirt can be enough to make a powerful statement. Hats may also play a role here, given how many Touhou characters have gay little hats.

HAIRSTYLE. Short hair is not the be-all and end-all of butchness. I, myself, am Decidedly Butch even though I've been growing out my hair since college. But the length and styling of the hair are still a valuable indicator of how someone thinks of themself and wants to be seen.

'TUDE. Could this character be accurately described as "kind of a frat boy?" How do they speak to others? Do they just kind of seem like a character who ought to be butch, regardless of their looks? Do they even lift?

COMEDY FACTOR. Self-explanatory. This will probably only come into play if I run into a weird edge case.

I'll also emphasize that we're grading on a curve here - butchness is being assessed relative to the characters who do not appear on this list. Nobody in this series has a buzzcut, you know what I mean?

THE TIER LIST

AS CLOSE TO CANON AS WE'LL GET

Fujiwara no Mokou. The girl wears a dress shirt, fucking suspenders, and trousers. Not shorts, actual full-length pants. She's also in a perpetual love-hate mutual-murder situationship with Princess Kaguya, who is femme as all fuck. Obviously you don't have to be butch to date a femme - I'm just saying it feels Fitting given their whole deal.

Yuugi Hoshiguma. Most of the time, her fashion sense is actually quite feminine - but her look in the most recent chapter of Cheating Detective Satori, with the one exposed shoulder and the sarashi and all that, significantly alters the balance. Her hair actually reads as more masc to me when she keeps it long and unruly - when she puts it up in a ponytail, she ends up looking very kempt, even elegant. The deciding factor here is 'Tude: Her sheer levels of butch swag are off the fucking charts. (Still, I wouldn't blame someone for arguing she should be knocked down a tier - especially since I'd argue the Comedy Factor works in reverse here. She's way funnier if she doesn't think of herself as butch in the slightest.)

Minamitsu Murasa. In his original appearance I'd argue that Murasa is in "Reasonable" tier - maybe even as low as "Kind of a Stretch." But her big gay Jotaro jacket in Sunken Fossil World, combined with the emphasis on the weightiness and solidity of his trademark anchor, put her over the top. One of the only Touhou girls I consider worthy of being He/Himmed.

Shinmyoumaru Sukuna. The other He/Him-worthy Touhou girl. Very short, slightly messy hair; wears a kimono, not a dress; inheritor of Issun-Boshi's legacy; wears fucking dinnerware as a hat. Why do you want to be Big so badly, huh? So you can pick up women more easily? So you can carry your awful wife through the upside-down threshold of your upside-down bedroom?

Raiko Horikawa. For the longest time I thought her skirt was a pair of shorts because I straight up could not parse it as anything else. Even now I'm like "that can't possibly be a skirt, ZUN just drew it weird. She has to be wearing a full two-piece suit." Skirt aside, her jacket/dress shirt/necktie are still undeniable, as is her short hair. Also, she is a taiko drum given life, and I feel like taiko and timpanis are naturally butch. Maybe if she was a tambourine or a set of bongos I'd rank her lower?

Momoyo Himemushi. Rough-talking miner. Wears a dress shirt, leaves the top button(?) undone. Tromps around a big weird cave with no shoes or socks on. Wears bows and bangles basically everywhere but in her messy, tangled hair. Also, maybe I'm stereotyping here, but I just can't picture a centipede as being femme.

REASONABLE

Wriggle Nightbug. The dress shirt, cape, and puffy shorts all paint a vivid picture, but I just feel like I don't have a strong enough opinion on Wriggle as a character to put her in the top tier. In other words, she's got plenty of points for Fashion and quite a few for Hairstyle, but I just don't think the 'Tude is sufficient for me.

Reisen Udongein Inaba. The skirts are a strike against her, but her whole "dress shirt + necktie + sometimes suit jacket" thing makes a big difference, especially given that we're grading on a curve. Her rumpled ears and (particularly in Inaba of the Moon, Inaba of the Earth) pathetic demeanor go a long way towards giving her a vibe somewhere between "overworked salaryman" and "Detective Columbo."

Aya Shameimaru. All you need to know about Aya is that her "human reporter" disguise looks like This:

Mononobe no Futo. Butch, but in a really weird, circuitous way, imo. Like. She's sort of wearing a dress, but it's sort of a robe - the contrast of the hemline with her big flowy sleeves makes it hard to pin down - and her outfit quite notably has tassels rather than any kind of frills. I don't know what the hell is up with her hat but it's definitely not femme by any stretch of the imagination. Then thou hast the wayes in which she speaketh all "faux-olde-timey," even though nobody else in the setting does that... she transferred her soul into a plate, but she also throws plates around as weapons... It's like she's constantly putting on a performance that only she truly understands. It's like she reverse-engineered "masculine womanhood" by hanging out with a bunch of queens and doing kind of the same thing but kind of the inverse. The more I think about Futo the more I think she's entirely on her own wavelength, but I think "Reasonable" tier is a... uh, reasonable... approximation for the sake of this post.

Sagume Kishin. She dresses like if Bill Nye were a woman, and I think that cuts to the heart of it - she reminds me of a professor who you're not ever sure is gay, but you kind of pick up on a vibe, and near the end of the semester she offhandedly refers to "her partner" and you're like HOLY SHIT I KNEW IT. I went back and forth between putting her in "Reasonable" and "Kind of a Stretch"; ultimately, the Comedy Factor decided it because I couldn't stop thinking about a scenario where she says she's a woman, accidentally upends her whole understanding of gender in the process, and ends up taking testosterone while still ID'ing as a lesbian. I don't actually know if her powers would work that way and I don't care.

KIND OF A STRETCH

Eiki Shiki. I don't have a lot to go on, here, because she hasn't had many official appearances and seems to spend most of her time lecturing people or tormenting sinners. Her uniform(?)/apothecary outfit(??) is pretty snazzy; combined with the hat, it gives her a vaguely "military officer" look to me. We'll call her "butch pending further investigation," which I think she would agree is the correct course of action.

Sekibanki. She's here partially because of the cape, and partially because being sandwiched between Wakasagihime and Kagerou makes her look way more masc by contrast. I know what I said.

Ringo. It's pretty much just the hat and the pants, though - as a butch woman who Loves Eating - I am also inclined to project my own experiences onto her.

Aunn Komano. She reads as more "tomboyish" than outright "butch" to me, what with her whole puppy-dog vibe, but at the same time... she's very much wearing shorts and the kind of goofy-looking button-up shirt that is central to my own wardrobe and the wardrobe of other butches in my life. I'm willing to count her.

Takane Yamashiro. A living testament to the power of small character design choices. I would never in a million years call Nitori butch, even with her gay little hat and all the pouches on her outfit - she just looks like a girl scout. Takane, though? Takane, with her little hair swoopy, and the fucking suitcase slung over her back, and her camo-print dress? I mean - ultimately it is still a dress, which is why I can't justify scoring her higher, but she's definitely chewing tobacco and riding around on an ATV on weekends.

Chiyari Tenkaijin. If she's butch, it's not really because she's trying to be butch, it's just because being femme seems too expensive and time-consuming. She's got better things to do (drink blood all day). Still, I think an argument could be made.

DEFINITELY A STRETCH, BUT I RESPECT IT

Renko Usami. ZUN is kind of inconsistent with how he draws her hat - sometimes it's more of a porkpie/fedora type thing, other times it's round-topped and looks a bit like Koishi's hat. To me, this is a crucial distinction. In a more general sense, I feel like Renko's outfit gets a little less plausibly-masc with each passing album, which says a lot about our society. Or her society, anyway, since she lives in the future. Still, the capelets and bowties...

Rinnosuke Morichika. I think it would be really funny if the only significant male character in Touhou wasn't actually even a dude. I'm not aware of any real textual support for this interpretation, though.

Shou Toramaru. Pretty much only on here because of the hair and because I think there's a certain je ne sais quoi to her whole deal of "she's not a real tiger, she's the idea of a tiger that pre-Meiji Japanese people came up with from secondhand accounts."

Seija Kijin. Not even remotely butch by any stretch of the imagination... But if she did consider herself butch, isn't that exactly what she'd want you to think?

POTENTIALLY NOTEWORTHY EXCLUSIONS

Cirno. "Tomboyish" is not the same thing as "butch," to me, especially if you exclusively wear dresses. Also, I'm not sure Cirno even knows what a lesbian is.

Saki Kurokoma. Not actually butch, just a horse girl. (And a horsegirl.)

Mike Goutokuji. Can't tell if she's wearing a skirt or shorts. She's got short hair, sure, but the whole "matching bell collar and wristbands that also have bells attached" thing makes her look more like a Very Online Trans Woman who just figured herself out and hasn't started hormones or bought any new clothes yet.

[pralinesims]

Hii~ wanted to ask a fun question abt ur ocs :3

what roles would you assign them if they were in a horror movie?

Ooh, this is an interesting question, thank you sm for sending <3 Hmm, I thought a bit about it, feel like these ones would fit quite good:

The hero - Emilio Absolutely selfless and wants to help all. the. damn. time. But might become selfish when it comes to protecting people. Would probably die, maybe even early OR very late, and save everyone along the process, sacrificing himself for the greater good.

The survivor - Vale Regularly suffering and surviving the worst events, even without intending so, cause he hopes for his early demise. His ongoing survival torments him, as he wants everything to just be over. Also, everyone would cry if he DOES end up dying, despite it being his own wish.

The vigilante - Luca He'd always get his way, no matter what boundaries would be needed to cross. I'd see him going down in a big fight against the hero, while both of them would realize afterwards that the two of them were actually fighting for the very same thing.

Femme fatale - Sharon She'd make others bend at her will, with her (lingering) nefariousness at times probably getting overlooked because of her sheer seduction factor. Secretly maybe, even without realizing herself, the big villain behind everything and has so much more going on than what the others expected.

The nerd - Aaron Would surely figure out the mistery behind whatever is happening very fast. People would likely ignore him first, but as dangers get more dire, they'd start to listen to his analyses and advice, even if too late at times. Other people would probably be the ones to execute his plans.

Final girl - Gina She'd ABSOLUTELY have the skills to survive and make it to the end. And also, confront the villain to seek justice. Like, I don't doubt that for a second, she's capable of the very best. I can even see her turning bad people to the good side because of her sheer positivity factor.

The skeptic - Devyn I very much imagine so that he wouldn't care/wouldn't believe all the stuff going on. Probably either dying cause he realized too late, or would be the one overturning everything and be the main force in overcoming the crisis, I'd dare even call him Final boy? (him surviving everything along with Gina is also such a NICE scenario? I like.)

The harbinger - Kaia I can see her being the type of character who is already aware of everything since the very beginning, and got used to living with whatever is nearby pretty fast, possessing the right know-how, tricks and skills to perfect survival. Warns everyone who comes near the area, but of course nobody listens, and those fools wander into their impending doom...

The jester - and/or: betrayer - Maggie The game was rigged from the start (or other scenario, got lured to the bad side by nice promises and benefits). Would provide accidental solutions, or sometimes even intentionally steering people the wrong way. I can either see her surviving very long, or going down a fast, brutal way. Either way, she'd have very much fun, no matter what role she plays.

[tigerbears]

Ok, going to add to the "Trans Noelle antlers" discourse.

First, disclaimer this is all just for fun and stuff not telling you that Noelle is or is not trans, just had some thoughts after thinking what causes antlers to grow.

Let's go through the debate cycle again.

"Noelle is trans because she has antlers." "Noelle is a reindeer and both male and female reindeer have antlers." "Male and Female reindeer loose their antlers at different times"

I want to add another step to that cycle.

"Would HRT affect when Noelle sheds her antlers?"

From this paper, testosterone lowers when male reindeer are about to lose their antlers, but those that are castrated (and thus dont have any T in their system) actually keep their antlers over the winter in the long run. The study also shows that hormones like estradiol are likely what lets female reindeer keep their antlers into spring.

Now this can mean many things for Noelle. If Noelle is on HRT, she would likely have a similar Antler cycle to IRL female reindeers if she like cycled her hormones or something.

(Basically similar to how some folks try and change their hormone doses to match a menstrual cycle, except for Noelle this would be a yearly cycle and not monthly.)

Or, maybe Noelle doesn't cycle her HRT, and in that case idk what would happen. Maybe she'd lose her antlers later then male reindeer, but earlier then female ones. Maybe if its high enough it would keep her antlers for longer, or prevent them from shedding or something? Idk I just skimmed the article and I feel like I'm already doing to much to research a lesbian deer girl from a video game.

Even if Noelle was on puberty blockers, then she'd at least keep her antlers for the winter, like male reindeer without testosterone.

(Also, if Noelle was a deer and not a reindeer, then hormones/blockers would likely prevent her antlers to grow in the first-place once they've been shed.)

I have only just learned (in April) that this is inaccurate for deer. If Noelle was a deer and started blockers before growing antlers, the above is correct. If she started blockers after developing antlers, she'd still grow antlers, it's just they wouldn't leave the velvet stage and wouldn't naturally shed.

I have no clue what HRT would do though because I don't think scientists have injected male deer with estrogen. (COME ON SCIENTISTS DO IT FOR SCIENCE!)

Now I guess there's one more question, if Noelle is trans, would she be able to access HRT or puberty blockers?

Well, Rudy at least supports her identity, so he likely wouldn't have any problem with Noelle medically transitioning.

If Mayor Holiday was transphobic, and had the authority to keep Noelle from gender affirming care like Hormones or blockers, you would think she'd also put her hoof down on her daughter presenting femme too. (and Rudy might have something to say if his transphobic wife tried to prevent his daughter from transitioning.)

Money likely wouldn't be an issue seeing as Noelle's mom's the mayor, (and has been for awhile) and even then the large ornate gate at their house makes me think that Holiday's are on the richer side.

Only way I could see Noelle being trans and not on Hormones or Blockers is either if she for some reason didn't want them, or if Hometown is located in some transphobic country or municipality that banned trans-kids from accessing gender affirming care, and the latter honestly seems a little too depressingly real for a Toby Fox game.

(Insert something plagiarized from Shadow of Roserade's video on UT/DR's queer joy.)

Now, dispute all this arguing and stuff I think there's one factor we're ignoring here; we're assuming that reindeer monster biology and IRL reindeer biology are analogous.

We don't know how monster reindeer antlers work. Maybe all reindeer monsters have them, but they don't shed them so we cant use antlers to determine if Noelle is trans. Maybe AMAB reindeer monsters grow antlers, their permanent, and Noelle got hers before medically transitioning meaning she'd need like "antler reduction surgery" or something to remove them when she's older.

All the above theorizing means is that if Noelle has a similar antler cycle to IRL female reindeer, it doesn't mean she's cis because HRT can affect that.

There's no way to confirm if Noelle is or is not trans unless like more concrete evidence shows up in later chapters, like estradiol tablets in Noelle's room or something.

The most we've got is unused sprites for Noelle's room in queen's mansion that show pill bottles (Shown earlier in this post). This is still not enough as we don't know what these pill bottles are. They could be anything from anti-depressants to medicine for Rudy! (also the fact the sprites we're never used.)

TL;DR, there's no way to tell if Noelle's trans or cis, and trying to track when her antlers shed is futile as HRT would likely effect that.

I'm still going to pretend she's trans though as I love the headcanon for no particular reason. (spoiler alert, the reason is I'm trans!)

[fantasyfantasygames]

Stickshift

Stickshift, Final W Games, 2007

Did you watch Initial D? So did the folks at Final W Games! Did you have no idea whatsoever how to adapt it to an RPG? Same for the folks at Final W Games!

Stickshift is a driving RPG that focuses on a drift-racing team (your PCs) as they try to win illegal street races.

Most of the mechanics for Stickshift are fine. Well-designed, even. Your stats are all either social or tie directly into driving. There's a "risk tolerance" factor that tells you how much your character is willing and able to risk in a given situation, and your risk tolerance goes up when something you care about is at stake. I love that. Dice are a unique d6 rating where you add 4, 5, and 6, and subtract 1, 2, and 3, which gives you a weird bimodal distribution. You're more likely to get higher or lower rolls than mid rolls.

However, I said "most" mechanics. And the one that hurts the most is that the racing mechanics are trash. You can put together the solid base mechanics and the risk/reward tradeoffs and your car's maintenance level and... it's all still just a time/distance meter that you fill up on your own. There's no real sense of competition. Roll dice, add to total, keep rolling, keep adding, whomever gets to 100 first wins. You might as well all be rolling separately, and then comparing afterward. There aren't any real tactics you can take advantage of that aren't blindingly obvious. You could make bad choices, but it's obvious that they're bad, so you don't. How do you make a driving game where the driving is not fun?

Another unfortunate thing in Stickshift is that most people have no idea how to describe driving. We've all seen fights in movies and TV shows. Most people come up with Star Trek technobabble or noble intrigue plots without too much trouble. How do you describe driving fast? "I shift into 3rd and floor it," sure, but how many different varieties of that description do you have? I played in a group where one person had seen Initial D, one had seen Tokyo Drift, and the others hadn't seen either, and boy did it show. Stickshift might have benefited from a big chart of descriptions that people could throw into the game.

The art initially looks like it has three clashing styles, until you get to the two-page spread in the middle of the book, when all three styles are used in the same piece you realize that there are three teams of drivers, each with their own art style. That two-page spread slaps. Anime-style guy high-fiving spraypaint-grunge-style guy while newspaper comic guy looks on with disrespect? Yes. The art direction is on point. I say guys because they're almost all guys. Gals are generally in the three classic "chick" stereotypes - the extra-femme girlfriend, the short hot-tempered driver who has to prove herself, and the mechanic with extra-baggy clothing who is secretly super-hot. There are worse stereotypes, I guess, but there's a much wider range of representation they could have gone for than "the standard 3 chicks".

Grab a copy if you want to scavenge it for parts, but most of it you can leave in the junkyard.

[alders-simblr]

CC MasterList - Sliders, Genetics, Overlays

Continuing on with my CC documentation, we're finally in the homestretch of all the Create-A-Sim content. Much like the Build/Buy organization, I'm going to split this into creators that I pretty much grab everything and then specific items when I only have one or two from that creator.

Unlike Build/Buy. This will have adult content links which will be marked with an (A) and there will be a small section of Wicked Whims content at the bottom of the list as well.

Sliders

Some of the Body Presets require certain sliders to look right so I suggest checking to make sure that you have them on the body preset you're looking at and not just assume that I haven't missed something here!

I love the overall Sim Height slider to give a slight variety but I'd be careful with how extreme you get as it absolutely will mess up animations with significant enough differences. (Especially if you're using high heels with built in height adjustments).

Lemon -> Male Neck Thickness Slider

Squeamish Sims -> Temple Slider Nosebridge

Dani Paradise -> Cheek Slider, Thigh Slider

Dumbaby -> Chin Slider

HellFrozeOver -> Shoulder Sliders

Luumia -> Height Slider, Hip Shape

Miiko -> Chin Slider

TeaNMoon -> Mouth Scale Slider

VibrantPixels -> HipDipSlider

Obscurus Sliders:

Esotropia and Exotropia

Eye Width

Eyebrow and Eye Corner

Eyebrows N1

Eyelids N1

Nose Sliders: N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, N6

Genetics

I go over the default overrides I use in my Mod List, so I won't duplicate those but these are the additional non default skins, eyes, etc that I include in my game play.

Eyes Eye Genetics can get a bit funky with too many swatches so I tend to prune this regularly to minimize problems.

Oydis has a fantastic write up here about how EA organizes your eye genetics and how things can get wonky, (and how to fix them if they do).

Northern Siberia -> Patreon | Tumblr

Wrixie -> Patreon | Tumblr

Twisted Cat -> Comet Eyes

Solistair -> Elche Eyes

Lashes

Eyelashes tend to conflict with either glasses or rings, or piercings. So if you notice artifacting in the lashes, you'll want to use a different slot for them to fix it, or take off the other accessory.

Kiijiko -> Website (All)

Obscurus -> 3D Eyelashes

Twisted Cat -> 3D Eyelashes

Northern Siberia -> Patreon | Tumblr

Jellypaws -> Patreon | Tumblr

Miiko -> Patreon | Tumblr

Brows

Chewy Butterfly -> Patreon | Tumblr

GreenLlamas -> Patreon | Tumblr

LadySimmer -> Patreon | Tumblr

StretchSkeleton -> Eyebrow Packs 1, 2

Northern Siberia -> Patreon | Tumblr

Twisted Cat -> Patreon | Tumblr

Obscurus -> Eyebrows 61, 62, 63, 64, 65

Skin

Northern Siberia -> Patreon | Tumblr

Chewy Butterfly -> Patreon | Tumblr

Jellypaws -> Patreon | Tumblr

La Matisse -> Patreon | Tumblr

Overlays

Not technically genetics but the overlays make a huge different in the look of the sim and I have ones that do everything from replace everything to ones that simply tweak parts, like nosemasks, etc.

Chewy Butterfly -> Patreon | Tumblr

Frenchie Sim -> Pregnancy Mask

Katrina-y -> Abs Shadow

Northern Siberia -> Patreon | Tumblr

GPME -> Patreon | Tumblr

Jellypaws -> Patreon | Tumblr

Meeshi -> Softie Skinblend

Miiko -> Patreon | Tumblr

Narsimssitic -> Cloud Skinblend

Obscurus -> Patreon | Tumblr

Twisted Cat -> Patreon | Tumblr

Adult Body Details

These objects are for Wicked Whims modded games typically, or Wicked Whims bolt-ons. I highly recommend joining Turbodriver's discord and reading the information on it about the danger (and super gross factor) of ColonelNutty mods and what things to avoid in turning your game 18+. You can see more details attached to Turbodriver's Twitter here. If you read the document, I recommend switching to the version that has purged links so that you don't accidentally send yourself to the very sites you are getting warned about.

Body Mesh Options

Wicked Whims lets you select the meshes you use. For alternate versions of meshes, I use Noir's bottom meshes which include trans femme and trans masc options. You can find them all on their patreon here. (A) I also have female top meshes from them as well as alternates though I prefer the default I have from Sopor for females and the Adam from Kleos. (Both are on my Overrides Post)

I also use Noir's remeshing of parts for the Werewolf body defaults. You can see that specific page on the patreon here. (A)

[possessionisamyth]

I'm not a shipper or anything

I just don't like how people downplay Ada's influence in the remake of 4 and deem that Leon and Ashley saved each other only because of each other when that's not true, even if she didn't do it for any other reason but Luis she still helped them and he saved Ashley thanks to both of them no matter how some people spin it

Remake really made me like Ada and it sucks to see her get tossed around like this sometimes

Completely understandable. Some fans who were here before the remakes don't like Ada cause they did slap some poor chinese stereotypes onto her. Which is fair, and could leave a bad taste in anyone's mouth! An unfortunate amount of japanese people are so casually racist about chinese and korean people especially, and I don't mean in the standard US conservative or liberal way. I mean in the UK way!

There's people who don't like her cause they don't care for antagonists or femme fatales. Whatever, right? Personal preference. I will not comment on them sucking Wesker's dick when he's the most basic blonde white villain trapped in the 90s/00s era. Iconic cause he's inspired many copycats, but basic because he's inspired too many copycats. Doesn't quite hit if you don't see him doing his thing first, but also could be the biased factor of me reading enough books with characters like him that seeing him in game didn't hit.

There's people who don't like Ada cause she has no character outside of like 3-4 traits until we got the RE4 Remake DLC. Whatever, right? Personal preference. I will not comment on how some of them immediately go to suck Piers' or Ethan's dick when they have the same issue of only possessing 3-4 character traits. Not as though they'd take the time to fill in those gaps for a woman like they would a white man, hahaha!

There's people who don't like Ada cause she's "mean" to their favorite character. Which is just standard child level of media interpretation when it comes to character interactions.

There's people who don't like Ada cause they remind them of someone they hate IRL. Which is just standard child level of media interpretation when it comes to character interactions.

There's people who don't like Ada because they're dedicated to the misinterpretation of anything she does for the crime of existing or getting in the way of a relationship they prefer. Which is both standard child level and fujoshi level media interpretation when it comes to character interactions.

This kind of behavior from fandom is not unique to Ada or Resident Evil. Be in enough fandoms where the woman character you like is ignored, hated, or held to ridiculous standards, and this behavior is actually the norm. It's highly unfortunate, but no one ever said fandom wasn't as misogynistic as it can be racist. When you get down to it, at some point, you just gotta scroll past those posts with a simple spoken "explode into one million pieces" out loud to yourself. And that's if you don't slap the block button immediately. It will save you time and energy knowing that person can never bring that nonsense on your feed no less in your inbox.

Side note: Absolutely okay to not like a character for no reason at all. You never have to justify yourself. Sometimes you don't care for their vibe, and it's okay if that's the only reason. It's only needs to be unpacked and examined if the kind of character you continue to dislike is just like...women or brown people or something....

[mica233333]

Blog 5# Femme fatale: Sex and Horror

Warning: This post has naked and horror pictures that might make you feel uncomfortable.

In 2021, with the release of Resident Evil Village, the image of a tall, sexy female villain lady Dimitrescu quickly became viral. Back when the trailer for the game was released people were excited about her because of her sexy looks. As a creepy vampire lady, she kidnaps the protagonist and tortures him in a bloody and violent way. During the final battle, she transforms into a disgusting giant monster. But unlike the other 4 main bosses that known for their horror-level design and gameplay. Lady Dimitrescu is only remembered for her sexy appearance and the contrast of this sexiness combined with horrific disgust.

(Lady Dimitrescu and her monster form from Resident Evil Village)

After I did some research, I found she is not the only female villain character who is remembered for their sexiness and horror. In Dante's Inferno, the third boss Cleopatra is also a naked lady, and one of her attacks is to release the demon baby through her nipple. These female villains' femininity and secondary sexual characteristics were amplified. Just like the marked and unmarked theory we mentioned in the last blog. The use of sexiness, as well as secondary sexual characteristics to shape the villain, seems to have become a female exclusive. Each of the main bosses in the Resident Evil Village leaves behind a crystal statue as a trophy after being defeated. All the other characters are normal, except for Lady Dimitrescu's crystal statue is her body in a sexy posture, and is also been commented in the game in a very male gaze way. These game designs associate sexy women with evil, while their beauty becomes a sin. Just like the Sirens in Greek mythology. Clearly, it's the men who are attracted, and the women are the ones who are at the faulty party.

(Cleopatra from Dante's Inferno)

This kind of portrayal is not only disrespectful to women but also stigmatizes the female sexual organ. The disgusting and exaggerated representation of the female sexual organ or parts that are associated with the female sexual organ undoubtedly inspires disgust. Over time, this creates a negative stereotype of the female organ. There has never been a male villain topping his penis and using it as a disgusting appearance. It reminds me of chastity education for women and sexual shame. Female sexual organs shouldn't be used as an added gross-out factor in a horror game.

(Aricoh from Shin Megami Tensei V)

[shadowen]

Disclaimer: I work for Activision, and my opinions are my own.If you haven't seen the news, the state of California filed a class action lawsuit against Activision-Blizzard-King for sexual harassment and discrimination. The articles about it mention a lot of difficult things, including sexual assault and suicide, so proceed with caution. https://www.npr.org/.../activision-blizzard-lawsuit...

Several people have reached out to me since this news broke to check in and make sure I'm ok, which I appreciate it. I thought it would be worth it to say something from my perspective as a femme-presenting employee at the company.First, as far as I can tell, all of the accusations have to do with the California office and management-level positions in the company, none of which I can speak to. I work as a Quality Assurance tester - likely the lowest tier position - in the Minnesota office, and I can only comment on my own experiences. Most of my time with ABK has been working remotely, so I don't have much sense of the normal in-office culture.

All QA testers receive the same pay ($14/hr), regardless of any other factors. There are Senior testers who may receive more, but I don't know. Of the Senior testers I know, I would estimate about a third of them are female-presenting. The few ocassions I know of in which someone has made inappropriate comments in a work context have been dealt with immediately, and I have heard team leads proactively warning against using specific terms or images in work communication. The working environment, as I have experienced it, is extremely casual and relaxed, but still professional and respectful. My pronouns and boundaries have been respected, and I have never been made to feel uncomfortable or dismissed.

I have consistently been impressed with the company's response to  everything that has come up since I've been there. The internal response to the lawsuit has included repeated emphasis on the resources available for employees to report problems, including links to a third party contact outside the company. The lead who made a statement to my team on Thursday encouraged employees to express their thoughts on social media, so long as we disclose that we do work for ABK.

This is not in any way intended to downplay the accusations being made against the company or to suggest that they are anything but absolutely true. I don't know the details. I don't know any of the people involved. I can't comment on other offices or what the company has been like in years past. In general, I'm inclined to #BelieveWomen, and I genuinely hope that those who have been wronged receive the justice and closure they need.

My intention, here, is just to reassure everyone who knows me that I'm not trapped in a toxic workplace and to reassure the gaming community at large that ABK isn't completely rotten from the ground-up. I like my job and the people I work with. If that changes, you bet your ass I will let you know.

[dgchg]

his eyes and horns and spinal plates blood red

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Shoppers hit stores and websites at record numbers over the Thanksgiving weekend, according to a survey released by the National Retail Federation on Sunday. His new Unsullied are an obscene jape. A recent study at the University of Toronto showed that teams playing group sports had better overall mental health and less stress. Derry, Ashley and Andrew entered solo and were put into a group with two other contestants, who Tulisa replaced with Charlie. I had that happen the other night with a project that was just fine minutes before. Braavos would have suited me better, but Lynesse wanted someplace warm. The actual distinct factor that we are able to provide with the technology of using the electrodes is that we make sure that moderate execution is taking place.. Also enjoy strolls through the art galleries, an Asian inspired fashion show and copious food and drinks. It was thrice the size of his captain’s cabin on Black Bessa, and even larger than the cabin Salladhor Saan enjoyed on his Valyrian. She would not see them either. More than that. Part One: Millennium Approaches will be captured live and broadcast to cinemas on Thursday, July 20 and Part Two: Perestroika will be captured lived and broadcast to cinemas on Thursday, July 27.. Upon this announcement, the audience cheered loudly. But only in the royal tent. And for the rest of that long night they let her sleep.

[felineincognito]

Just A Tentative Theory

So I'm new to the Larry and 1D fandoms -brought in by Harry and Loui's solo careers- and I've just binged so many proof videos in literally the two months I've been a part of this thing. Along with all of those I've seen a fair few proof vides of other ships within the fandom, some really biased and others that almost make sense.

Not hating on or discrediting other ships!! This is all just based off my own observations and what I’ve been able to piece together from all of the content I’ve gone through. And I'm sorry it's so rutting long and rambley at bits, I am running on so little sleep I wanna cry and caffeine fumes.

So... this is my babyfan theory and feel free to comment or run with it just remember I'm new to all this and had to get this idea out?

So what if in the beginning, when Louis and Harry met on X-Factor, you have these 2 sweet young boys who like each other but don't really have a lot of hope of anything working out because they're both contestants shooting for the same prize so they harbor these innocent little acquaintance crushes like you'd get on someone you sit down the row from in class in highschool or something right? But then they get made into a group and all of a sudden they're all up in each other's space and they're bunking together and they realize they really do like each other but neither have much experience in relationships yet or more intense emotions so they keep it fairly quiet. They figure that with the press they're getting with the show and the stress of wanting to do well and everyone feeling each other out as a group they really would rather their little romance be just theirs for a little while longer. And of course people in charge of publicity encourage this mindset, telling them that if they come out as a new/forming couple or let it be known they like each other (or just boys in general) that way there would be more attention on that (not all of it good either) than their actual talents or performance(s) and the other boys would be pushed to the sidelines in favor of them and that's just not fair to the other 3 now is it?

Then they don't win X-Factor and they think that's it until they get brought in to make a boyband even though they didn't win because they're just that f-ing popular. But this thing between them is still new and fragile and they haven't had time to work out just what it is or if it's something that's going to last and the label swoops in with a legal gag dressed up as a temporary fix. They don't tell anyone about them, don't do anything overt in public, maybe be seen/paired off with a girl or 2 as a red herring for the press, giving them time to just figure this all out and see if they really will work. And they take it because they're young and this is the chance they've always wanted and there are 3 other lads who will suffer if the two of them turn this down. So they sign and they try to follow the scripts and listen to what their handlers and managers tell them but they're cheeky kids in puppy love and it's almost like a game to see how far they can push it and just what counts as too much when all of the boys are so tactile and affectionate with each other.

And they really do fall in love. In the whirlwind that is the first couple of years, the song writing, the tours, the hours put in at the recording studio and every single press conference and public appearance in between, they fall in love. And it's great and it's good and somewhere along the way they think this might be it for them and they're ready to come out but then the label hits them with the gag they signed and they realize just what it means. They realize that they basically signed away their rights to talk about it or show their love or share it with their fans because it might hurt their image, affect their popularity and hurt their profits. But that's okay, because they have each other and they're in love and the girl Louis is 'dating' isn't so bad and she's cool about the whole thing.

But then it gets hard. The press is making Harry out to be this womanizing sex symbol and pushing for Louis and the girl he's with to start getting serious because supposedly they'd been together while Louis was on the show and really it's about time isn't it? And during all of that the Larry Stylinson fandom has been born and they're putting the pieces together and the lads are cheeky things who are hurting because they can't tell the world they're in love and while Niall supports/ships them (at least from how he acts in proof videos I've seen) Liam agrees with management about not being open about it while Zayn is an odd mix of the 2. So they push it and they let things slip and they give the fans enough to put it together without violating their contracts and yeah management pushes back and takes measures so they don’t seem as close and to hopefully quiet the rumours but overall it's okay again for a while.

Then Harry starts figuring parts of himself out. And he wants to start wearing pretty shirts, bright colours and flashy patterns and painting his nails but they tell him he can't because those are girl shirts and it's too femme to paint his nails and wear bright colours and pastels and it hurts because he just can't be himself. And he wants out. He's tired of being scared he's going to mess up on stage or people won't like their songs enough for the label's liking and he just wants to be able to love Louis without worrying about what everyone else thinks and their little codes and touches just aren't always enough anymore.

So they start to fight. Louis is too scared to leave because he doesn't think he's good enough without the band and they're both still so young and have only been in this world for a few years how can they be sure they'd make it? How do they know that they won't just crash and burn and that will be the end of it? So they fight and they hurt each other and they're already living apart and barely seeing each other outside of work related or group functions because of management and Louis kind of lets himself fall into the illusion of the relationship he's being made to partake in and Harry finds himself growing closer to the other lads and pushing his limits with his wardrobe and public persona.

Now the next bits are where my theory starts to get a little more wobbly because like I said I'm new and my info digging skills are not as good as others in the fandom. A lot of it is based off of videos by freddieismyqueen (before she took them down), larrystylinson 28, Larry Stylinson's Utopia, s e p t e m b e r 2 8 and FireproofLarry.

So in the midst of the fighting and the hurting and both being so scared for so many different reasons they kind of fall apart. To Harry, Louis has chosen his career over their relationship and Louis is hurt and upset that Harry can't/won't see where he's coming from on all of this. And this is where Zarry comes in.

Throughout the Larry jealousy videos one of the things that stuck out to me was that there were a lot of Zarry moments and they seemed closer to the end of the 1D timeline. Before that most of them were just the references to Harry with girls, him being 'flirty' with interviewers or fans or just general cheeky sort of passively possessive moments probably played up to irk management and give the fans more to go off of. But then we get to the points where Harry and Zayn interact more on stage and Louis starts to look right pi**ed and just watches without doing any sort of possessive holding or touches or cheeky little looks and whispers like we're used to. No, Harry and Zayn start flirting on stage or being closer during interviews and Louis is angry and passive aggressive. And in the background Niall looks like he has no idea what the heck to do about all of this and Liam is just done with their cr*p.

So Louis gets his head out of the dirt and tries to make it up to Harry. And it works because this lad is head over heels for Louis and Zayn is left behind. But maybe Harry doesn’t realize that things were a little more on Zayn’s end. Maybe it hurt a little more than expected when the two lads finally figure themselves out. Or maybe Harry and Zayn really were just friends and the ‘Zarry’ moments just ruined his friendship with Louis and he felt it ruined his friendship with Harry too because Louis sees Zayn as a threat now so there’s bloody tension and such all over the place. (personally I’m leaning towards the last and that Louis’ jealous streak probably came out and he had a few a**shole moments because come on guys, he’s only human and they went through a lot as performers in the public eye and if you listen to a lot of his interviews there’s a lot of insecurity issues he’s dealt with over the years)

Then that blessed September 28th happened and it helps their relationship because honeymoon phase yo. But that’s 2013. Life goes on and it gets hard again and they’re pushing it again and life happens. Zayn leaves and it hurts the band because they’re in the middle of a tour and from what I’ve gathered he kind of just shut them out of his life. And so Harry is hurting because losing a friend is hard and Louis is upset that the band is falling apart and the media is having a heyday with the story and they’re in the middle of a blasted tour and that good old jealous streak comes out with Harry being so upset over Zayn leaving. So he’s scared and hurting, and mistakes are made.

Now we know that Liam confessed to a drinking problem at one point and there have been references of Louis having his moments as well. And Louis and Harry still have to ‘date’ girls and Louis is always the long-term one so it would stand to reason that he would have a decent rapport with the girls he’s seen with, that these would be people he learns to be comfortable with. And overindulgence in the presence of someone you trust or are familiar with when you’re hurting can lead to lapses in judgement. Which is probably how we got little Freddie. (And that is all being said of him because we don’t need to drag a child into all this drama people)

Louis being unfaithful, even if it wasn’t intentional, right after Zayn left would put a strain on their relationship and would cause another off period. But they’re still fools in love and married at this point so they try to make it work and they kind of come together again and they figure out how to move forward. But Louis is going to be a dad and their contracts are almost up and Harry still wants out.

So the band splits and Louis is so scared of what comes next and he’s trying to make it all work and the songs he’s released get good responses but not as much as he’d hoped and X-Factor doesn’t pan out and the other 4 are off living their lives. Zayn’s music career is a success and Niall waits awhile but his music is popular fairly right off the bat as well and Liam at least is still in the public eye and Harry is making waves. He’s wearing clothes he couldn’t before and he’s wearing all of the bright prints and flashy colours and those pearls happen and he’s in a movie ya’ll and he’s good at it.

And it takes Louis awhile but he finds his sound and he starts to make music he’s happy with and proud of and he’s finding himself. But he’s still with that old label and the same management.

So here’s where it gets closer to the present. Harry has a thing with Kendall but they part on good terms and I’m guessing it has to do with he tried for appearances sake and she gets it and probably low-key ships them but understands being discreet and giving them time to work it out.

So Louis wants Harry. Harry wants Louis. Louis is probably bound by another form of that dratted legal gag. So Harry waits. Because Harry isn’t scared anymore and he’s figured himself out and he’s happy with himself and he’s in a place where he can be himself and can encourage others to do the same. He gets it now that he’s older and seen more of the industry outside of their 1D bubble and he’s had to handle stuff on his own and he’s killing it.

Louis writes songs about them and being young fools and how love hurts and you have to be either young and dumb or just f-ing brave to go through with it. Harry writes songs about the stages a relationship (specifically theirs) goes through and they have their little rendezvous and Harry fosters this community of love and acceptance of others and Louis talks about finding yourself and being happy with yourself. And Harry has found himself, is happy with himself and Louis is almost there and he’s got that pesky legal gag anyway.

So Harry waits and he’s okay with that because in the end they love each other and he knows where Louis’ heart is and no matter what they have each other, He’s waited this long he can wait a bit more to tell the world just how much he loves this stupid wonderful man.

[disfordevineaux]

Chase x Julia (Chasulia) Headcanons

Part 1

Requested by @mimeless​ & @cyborglovesong​

Height difference. Enough said. 5′11 vs 5′2

Chase will do something, impulsive, against Julia’s wishes which will cause them both to get into trouble by Chief. Julia is already in lukewarm water with Chief (let's not even get into Chase’s stance with Chief, he’s basically just a tool to her at this point let’s be frank) and is devastated by this: ‘I’m not angry, just disappointed’ lecture they will both receive.

Following this will be the moment she does ‘snap’. It will be a cataclysmic event in which Chase is thrown down a flight of stairs breaking every bone in his body, metaphorically speaking of course. He will be put in his place and forced to stay there and reflect on his actions. The dynamic is forever changed, Julia has asserted her dominance as the bigger brain and it has terrified Chase.

Chase does take the time to officially apologise for his previous transgressions in a formal way. During the time before, he briefly touched on the notion of his wrongfulness towards her character but never completely said ‘I’m sorry’. He would sometimes trickle in a ‘well, you know I’m wrong so-’ or an ‘I guess you were correct all along-’ here and there. Her forgiveness (but insisting that she will not forget) soon weighs upon his good conscious and good-natured soul and devises up a script of repent he will definitely butcher upon presentation. Julia will be touched simply by the effort he put into trying to do the right thing and mend things as he bumbles it and makes sure he is aware of her appreciation and acceptance of his apology. On conditions.

Once Julia officially takes the lead in their partnership, people often mistake Chase for her assistant and or bodyguard because of how he is now forced to step back from the situation and mill about, shadowing her.

Julia begins to match Chase at his own ‘sass’ game and starts peppering in quick quips whenever she can. At first, they aren’t always the best but with enough practise and dedication, she is incredibly good at taking a jab at him.

Chase is very good at giving Julia compliments riddled with unintentional insults - a Complisult, Part insult, part compliment. Reference: Britta from Community.

‘‘You should stop taking slander from people Miss Argent, you deserve better than disrespect from those below you. Someone as ‘self-declared’ intelligent as you should be able to come up with something witty in the moment. You can practise on me if you need. I have thick skin.’‘

Chase does not have thick skin.

Julia will comprise a list of things Chase must and mustn't do for them to be able to work together without complications and for his own safety. All copies are laminated (waterproof) and she even made a mini one for his wallet. The main point on the list he will attempt to revoke will be: ‘Chase shall not drive any ACME vehicles unless given express permission from Julia Argent.’

Chase will always hold the umbrella between them when they need to share one on a rainy day because he always forgets to bring his own. He tells Julia that she should walk a little faster when he holds it above them both and Julia retorts that he should simply walk slower, as it’s not like he ever has anywhere important to go, being him.

Chase unintentionally memorized Julia’s coffee order, hot and cold. He insists it’s because she always makes him go and get it but that is only a small contributing factor.

On that note, Chase will sometimes volunteer or suggest to get her a coffee, even when he doesn't want one himself. He just sometimes feels like being nice, only to Julia because she always is nice back.

Chase becomes oddly willing to share his food with Julia or even go get her food and make sure she’s happy with it. He is the one who will send the food back at a restaurant if it wasn’t what she asked for. He tells her that life is too short and pain-ridden for settling for subpar food and that he is happy to make sure she is free from that.

They both agree that marriage is completely overrated. Chase insists it’s a financial scam used by the property market and bank organisations to force money stricken couples into overspending and gathering unneeded debt to commit to the social norms of companionship, as well as the source of overpopulation. Julia sees marriage more of a poor means of expressing one's true love but can see where Chase is coming from. Chase insists it’s a money-laundering scheme set up by patriarchal ideals no longer relevant in society and that it has nothing to do with love, just money.

Long stakeouts often consist of simple conversational fillers that turn into a critical analysis of the society and the poor way it operates, in Chase’s opinion. Julia just enjoys the stimulating, rather educated conversation, even if he often unravels once Julia puts her very unerring 2 cents in about how the world isn’t all bad.

Julia is far too nice in Chase’s opinion. Especially in regards to him. He will often state how if he was her, he would have been much harsher to himself. Julia finds this self-reflection a welcomed sign and in a moment of teasing, she then comments that he’s right and that she will be much harsher and unforgiving to him from now on. This wasn’t the desired outcome Chase was hoping for and ultimately regrets ever saying something.

Chase will fight anyone who disrespects Julia even to a minute degree. He jokes, in an unusual way to outsiders that insulting Julia is ‘his and only his job.’ that it is a ‘privilege, not a right’. At first, Julia didn’t find this funny but after an uncomfortable interaction with a slightly sexist and condescending governmental man, witnessing Chase sucker punch him right in the face in broad daylight allowed her to fully understand and appreciate the point Chase was cryptically trying to convey in a really bad way.

Julia insists that she can fight her own battles, like a functional adult. Chase says that he never said she couldn’t, that throwing that hot coffee over the rude officer and shoving the snobby personal assistant who said Julia looked like a knock off career barbie doll into the lobby ornamental fish pond was strictly based upon personal previous gripes with said individual.

When given the chance to relax and not feel like he is being rivalled, (why does he feel this way? Toxic masculinity forced upon him throughout his entire childhood he still can’t seem to shake or get away from, that’s what) Chase is endearing with his loyalty. It’s the best way he can show affection, romantical and non-romantical.

After screaming it far too many times, Chase has been banned from saying ‘LA FEMME ROUGE’ ever again and Julia stipulated that if he even murmurs it in his sleep she will take legal action against him for every penny he has. Chase at first took this with a grain of salt and yelled it as loud as he could laughing in defiance as she grimaced. The next day, Chase had a young man ask if he was in fact, ‘Chase Devineaux’ while waiting in line for coffee. Once he said yes, all the man said was say; ‘you’ve been served’ and handed him a formal document to say he is being sued by Julia Argent. Whom had, overnight, copyrighted the saying: ‘La Femme Rouge’ and is formally suing him for unlawful use of her saying in a public space. Chase no longer questions Julia’s intentions from this day forward and is equally terrified and in awe of her follow-through.

Julia has also banned Chase from using puns or wordplay in lieu of Carmen Sandiego’s name. With the previous threat having substance he does not test it. Chase still tells Julia for someone whose passion is history and literature, she lacks the theatrical flair that comes with it and thought someone like her would appreciate the wordplay, especially when it comes from someone whose first language isn’t English.

It’s safe to say that Chase becomes additionally thoughtful in his actions, more so because he doesn’t want to upset Julia by making an easily avoidable mistake. He wasn’t completely devoid of forethought, he just didn’t take time out for it, now he does.

There weren’t many instances before where Chase smiled, not being a cocky smirk. His genuine small smile is a welcomed thing they both enjoy at the right time.

It doesn’t take Julia very long to figure out that mints were a substitute for his cigarette addiction he later tells her is a ‘European thing’ when really it’s something he started doing at 14 to 1) look cool and 2) because he liked it. Now it mainly quells the stress that pools inside him. It started out with more mints and no cigarettes, then slowly adapted to all cigarettes and no mints. She makes an effort to always have some with her so he doesn't smoke as when he does because his clothes reek and also because it’s incredibly unhealthy. It’s especially apparent when they are in close quarters for days on end. Julia comments on how diligent he is on his appearance and insists that smell is a part of that too. Chase tries to deflect the awkwardness of Julia’s care and comments: ‘’Didn’t know you were so focused on my looks Miss Argent, I’m flattered.’’ Although, this comment immediately backfires as Chase found that this just made himself feel horribly more awkward with what it may imply.

Julia never thought or expected that Chase could talk with a hushed voice or even in a warm tone about normal things. Seeing him casually, sitting comfortably slouched as if relaxed in his car seat is humbling, comforting and humanising. It reminds her that he is, in fact, just another person trying to do their best at whatever they can.

Chase slowly comes to expect and enjoy Julia’s informational talks and explanations. When actually listening, because he has to now, he understands their relevance to the case on hand and finds it like watching the history channel on TV, except the presenter isn’t an unattractive 80-year-old man with an unbearable cockney accent. Her voice is oddly pleasing when not forcing himself to be angry at every second of his existence. He notes that she is a very good speaker.

Julia teaches him to slow down and Chase guides her on taking what’s rightfully hers.

Chase is a good shot. He is the type of person who is better with their hands than their mind. For some reason, it’s the one thing he doesn’t brag about when he really could be, as he is a really good shot. Julia learns of his skill and implores him to teach her. Absolutely vexed at the idea that he can finally teach her something he accepts. He teaches her well and with great success until they are kicked out of the shooting range because Chase decided to show off. He shot down every lane hitting each target in the head, chest and groin perfectly exclaiming that you get ‘triple points’ for combos. The manager of the range and other customers found this incredibly insensitive but with how joyful and upbeat it made him, seeing him smile with genuine happiness, Julia couldn’t help but laugh along too, accepting the lifetime ban from the range with pride.

[stella-monstrum]

Rob Zombie; "Why it's time to step outside the confinements of his own box."

For close to four decades,

 Rob Zombie has brought nonstop psychedelic grooves and a rockstar presence while gracing his own music and the silver screen with gut-churning, drug-tripping visuals. He not only commands quite the presence in films (whether his own successes or others’), but also makes appearances within many other horror soundtracks. There’s no denying that Zombie is a bloodied savant who has stayed incredibly consistent. 

[ᴿᵒᵇ ᶻᵒᵐᵇᶦᵉ. ⁽ˢᵒᵘʳᶜᵉ: ᴳᵒᵒᵍˡᵉ ᴵᵐᵃᵍᵉˢ⁾]

(Written by Stella, edited by Jacob J.)

(Side note; tumblr’s photo formatting is a pain)

Let’s take a dive into his music before getting into his film library. From 1985-1997, White Zombie released six albums (between studio and compilations). La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume One didn’t break into the Billboard 200 chart until a year after its 1992 release. Shortly thereafter, it became the hot and groovy bong success of the band, going on to sell two million copies. Astro Creep 2000, their final and fourth studio release, was their first and only album to chart within the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 in 1995. Up to this day in 2020, “White Zombie” has been featured in 47 TV, film, and video game soundtracks, from Beavis & Butthead to Pen15 to Bride Of Chucky (which includes a personal favorite moment of mine), amongst many others.

After the disbandment and separation, Zombie continued on his solo journey. He has gone on to release six studio albums, with a seventh on the way in March 2021, titled The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy. A multitude of hits—eight to be exact—sat within the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 records. 

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Zombie’s extensive film career is a “Super Beast” on its own. 

He has been very vocal about gaining inspiration from 1920s-1980s horror culture. In many interviews, he’s cited Stan Lee, Bella Lugosi, Alice Cooper, and Steven Speilberg as being responsible for molding the brain that we know today. 

Some of his influences include:

George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead (1978)

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) 

The Shining (1980)

Zombie’s upbringing in the carnival industry alongside his family is another key influence.

[[I’ll only be focusing on Zombie’s live-action films here.]]

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In 2000, Rob made his directorial and (very memorable) screen debut with House Of 1000 Corpses. 

It took three years to be released because of quarrels with major production companies regarding the film’s majorly aggressive themes of torture, blood, violence, sex—not to mention his arrogance with MGM, fighting to get rights back from Universal. Eventually, Lionsgate bit the bullet, albeit with the major stipulation of having Rob edit it down much further so House could pass with a “tame” R rating. 

[[House of 1000 Corpses: Rainn Wilson as taxidermy merman (Source: Tumblr—and if you’re brave, you can view the scene here.)]]

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In 2005 and 2019, the franchise’s next two installments—Devil’s Rejects and 3 From Hell—were released. The franchise is heavily influenced by the shocking, sickening, and unforgettable ’70s classic Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It follows a family of psychotic, sadistic, and bloodthirsty (if I’m being honest) necrophiliacs. They kidnap, kill, torture and brutalize anyone who gets in their way. At the end of Devil’s Rejects, they somehow manage to survive a police shootout, escape prison, and waltz on into Mexico (as seen in the franchise finale 3 from Hell).

Look, it’s all complicated.

Main Characters from the franchise:

Captain Spaulding—Sid Haig

Baby Firefly—Sheri Moon Zombie

Otis B. Driftwood—Bill Moseley 

Momma Firefly—Karen Black (recast as Leslie Easterbrook after Karen’s passing)

(Other notable appearances throughout: Chris Hardwick, Rainn Wilson, Danny Trejo, Dee Wallace, Ken Foree, and Diamond Dallas Page.)

⁽“ʰᵒᵘˢᵉˢ ᵗʳⁱˡᵒᵍʸ”, ᵈᵛᵈ ˢᵉᵗ﹔ ˢᵒᵘʳᶜᵉ﹔ ᵗᵃʳᵍᵉᵗ.ᶜᵒᵐ⁾

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The notorious/controversial Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978) remakes from 2007 and 2009.

(ᵃ ᵛⁱᵉʷ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ᵇᵒˣ ᵃʳᵗ ᶠᵒʳ ᵗʰᵉ ʰᵃˡˡᵒʷᵉᵉⁿ ʳᵉᵐᵃᵏᵉˢ ⁽ˢᵒᵘʳᶜᵉ﹕ ᵃᵐᵃᶻᵒⁿ⁾)

Look, this is a remake that you either adore or hate with a burning passion. If you’re a horror fanatic, you know what’s up with the original.

I personally adore Zombie’s take. The fact alone that he gave us an entire background story as to why Michael became the psychotic slasher that we’ve come to know and love. Plus, with an increased suspense and gore factor? Worked incredibly well and did justice (in my opinion).

The film made me feel bad for Michael, with moments of child Myers in therapy, particularly his love for making masks to pass the time while he was locked up and the touching family moments between him and his mother Deborah (Sheri Moon).

ᵈᵉᵇᵒʳᵃʰ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵐⁱᶜʰᵃᵉˡ ᵐᵉʸᵉʳˢ ⁱⁿ ʲᵃⁱˡ ᵗʰᵉʳᵃᵖʸ. ⁽ˢᶜʳᵉᵉⁿᶜᵃᵖ, ʰᵃˡˡᵒʷᵉᵉⁿ. ˢᵒᵘʳᶜᵉ﹕ ᵍᵒᵒᵍˡᵉ⁾

[Michael’s cell in the 2007 Halloween remake. (Source: Google)]

Add in the supporting cast of Michael McDowell (Loomis), Brad Douriff (Sheriff Leigh), Scout Taylor-Compton (Laurie Strode), etc., and I honestly think that it came together very well as a remake.

The films rated relatively low, but they did gross higher than the budgets that they originally had to film on. Again, I’m not going to give much attention to the higher-ups of critical perception—it all comes down to personal taste.

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“Lords of Salem” (2013) 

[[Promotional art for Lords of Salem. (Souce: Google Images)]]

A film that’s centered within Salem, Massachusetts, 

this film—you guessed it—tackles witches, occultism, possession, Satan, and all the usual topics. Heidi (Sherri Moon) is a radio DJ who gets sent a mysterious record that’s labeled as being from “The Lords.” From then on out, shit gets a little dicey and admittedly, very disjointed. You can’t fault the cast here, and I loved the visuals that they were going for. However, with set schedule conflicts and multiple rewrites, which led to essentially running out of time to film? As a whole, what looked great on paper just couldn’t be done justice.

My FAVORITE sequence within the film (SPOILERS): 

I can forgive the disjointedness solely because of how mind-boggling and brilliant the film’s history and proper visuals were. Also, we got to see Dee Wallace, Judy Geeson, and Patricia Quinn as creepy and badass witches who moonlight as Heidi’s landlords. Also Meg Foster who leads their coven? Can we talk about what a femme-fueled power cast that is?!

[[Left to right: Patricia Quinn as Megan, Dee Wallace as Sonny, and Judy Geeson as Lacy Doyle. (Screencap, Lords of Salem. Source: Google) ]]

[[Meg Foster as coven leader Margaret Morgan. (Screencap, Lords of Salem. Source; google)]]

Like I said prior, the film gets a little wild. If you’re...well, buzzed prior to watching, it may make a little more sense. 

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“31” (2016)

[[Film poster for 31 (Source: Google)]]

[Synopsis from IMDB; “Five carnival workers are kidnapped and held hostage in an abandoned, hellish compound where they are forced to participate in a violent game, the goal of which is to survive twelve hours against a gang of sadistic clowns.”]

Here, we clearly see that Zombie is invoking his childhood growing up within carnivals. In a 2013 interview with LA Weekly, Zombie divulged more about it:

“When we were kids, my parents would [work at the carnivals], and me and my brother would get dragged along to these things all the time and have to work.”

He went further on to say;

 “Yeah, and it's not the nicest world. As a kid, you get exposed to the crazier underworld of the carnival. Me and my brother, when we were very little, we'd be inside the haunted house playing all day. So, already, what people are paying money to be scared [of], we're just playing in because it's fun. We saw the inner workings behind the machines.”

(”31″ trailer, source; Youtube)

Once again in this film, Zombie brings a powerhouse cast:

Jeff Daniel Phillips as Roscoe Pepper

Meg Foster as Venus Virgo

Malcom McDowell as Father Murder

Judy Geeson as Sister Dragon

Richard Brake as Doom Head

You can view the entire cast at IMDB here.

Set in 1976, Zombie stays true to his nods. Again, depending on taste, this is a huge hit or a wild miss with mindless homicidal violence, campiness, and climbs across the monkey bar of standards that we’re used to seeing from him.

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So at this point, you’re probably wondering why I think that it’s time for Rob Zombie to step out of the confinements of his own box...

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It’s no secret that Zombie sticks to only a small group of tropes: 

Slashers, families or groups of homicidals that lack remorse, the occult, etc. There’s no shame in sticking to what you know. Hell, Zombie has seemingly cracked the code over the past two decades that he’s been in the film industry that so many directors still don’t seem to get.

IMO, despite whatever you personally feel about the films mentioned above- I feel like we’re living a freaky groundhog day repeat within Zombie’s filmography. 

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Now, if it ain’t broke, why fix it? Look, I’m not saying that Zombie has to change anything. However, I would love to see him tackle some other nuances that we’ve already seen from him in small doses.

- Children: We haven’t seen Zombie exactly take on what horror films depict kids as. Sure, he made a breakout and impeccable choice with young Michael Myers (Daeg Faerch) back in 2007. I personally would adore to see a reimagined (NOT remade) Children of the Corn on acid, one we all know Zombie can tackle and turn every existing view on its head.

- Witchcraft, The Occult, Satan, Voodoo:  Zombie genuinely had a phenomenal concept (on paper) for 2012’s Lords of Salem. It was unfortunate that they ran out of resources and ran into unfortunate circumstances on set while filming. 

The film wasn’t a total tank, though, given how inspiring and insane all the visuals were throughout the 1 hr, 41min film. I am absolutely positive that, given a full-force opportunity, Rob could rectify the mess that was out of his control. We completely saw that he provided visuals that left quite the impression, and he could take those taboo subjects by the goat horns.

- Animals (not the human form): It’s no secret that Rob and his wife Sherri are ethical vegetarians. It would be so tongue and cheek to see them take on such topics as animals getting their revenge, or even vegetarians torturing carnivores. This twist on the formula would make for an interesting viewing.

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2.) In regard to time periods, 

Zombie stays within—and pays homage to—the 1970s and 1980s quite a bit. Obviously, those are the eras that Zombie personally loves the most when it comes to filmmaking. However, it would be very interesting to see him take on current day settings. 

Zombie has such a unique viewpoint. Given changing climates in politics, human decline/growth, the economy, etc., he would do work that could easily put Ryan Murphy to shame.

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3.) He could also do with some different casting every now and then.

Let me preface this by saying that I adore every repeat casting choice that Zombie has made for his films. 

Of course chemistry is a huge thing, and sticking to his friends is a very smart choice. However, he also has the potential to make new stars, boosting the power of those that may be under the radar. He can support those new stars with cameos from classic actors that we haven’t seen in awhile. I can’t begin to even fictionally cast those who fit the bill, but I do believe that with the “Zombie Touch,” he can bring so much more fresh air to the usual casting.

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There’s no doubting what Rob Zombie is clearly very good at. Despite mixed reviews from the horror world and critics, it’s time that his fans open their eyes to new possibilities. Of course, there are die-hards, but digging your feet in further doesn’t allow the growth of horror and its ever evolving themes.

[[ʳᵒᵇ ᶻᵒᵐᵇⁱᵉ, ˢᵒᵘʳᶜᵉ﹔ ᵍᵒᵒᵍˡᵉ ⁱᵐᵃᵍᵉˢ]]

This theory has been on my mind for a very long time—since 3 from Hell came out. I’m sure, in his usual fashion, we won’t be seeing any new films from Rob anytime soon (what with his new album set to release in March 2021, not to mention the toll that the pandemic has had on Hollywood.)

Still, it never hurts to challenge the set standards and ways.

[arofili]

🏳️‍🌈 for sauron and maedhros if you’re still taking them?? :3c

Sauron: honestly, my thoughts on sauron’s sexuality & relationships are pretty much summed up in this post from the last ask game i did. the short version: he is the embodiment of evil twink energy. as for gender….yeah, “evil twink” pretty much sums that up too. i have…….Thots on ainur gender in general, and while mairon is fairly femme, he’s also mostly a dude. he’s an evil gay twink willing to do whatever takes to get what he wants, and that includes shapeshifting and sleeping with people he’s not attracted to! it’s just bonus if he gets to do what he feels like doing and get what he wants.

Maedhros: [CW: the usual maedhros-related subjects. tread carefully] ooof. this is a big question. i’ve had a lot of flip flopping headcanons for him, which means i’m very open to however anyone else decides to depict him.

for gender: maedhros is trans and there’s nothing you can do about it!!! joking aside, i’m very flexible with his gender. trans guy maedhros is excellent, and i’m really fond of nb mae too, but for example in my modern au series i have him as a cis dude…but fingon is trans. so whatever i do with him, it’s highly likely there will be some trans stuff involved! so far i’ve pretty much gone with russingon where either gender doesn’t come up as a factor / he’s cis by default (boring, i know) or where one of them is trans but the other is cis. smh i should really write some russingon fic where they’re both trans! so in short: maedhros is trans, except when i don’t feel like getting into it.

as for sexuality….he’s gay, i suppose. the one time where i was presented with a situation where to depict him with a woman i literally couldn’t do it, lmao. but i also see him as arospec, somehow? probably greyro? (i actually Just read a post about this which helped me solidify that hc!) idk, i haven’t quite figured it out, i’m not sure. i think fingon is probably the only person he’s ever felt Really In Love with, but he’s had (and continues to have!) emotional attachments to other men.

after thangorodrim i think he’s caedsexual (ace due to trauma, basically) and sex repulsed for a long time. he’s still very much emotionally attached to fingon, and he wants what they had to come back, but he’s permanently altered from his experiences in angband. i do think he “gets better,” in many ways (ie, his sex repulsion is temporary/goes away after awhile for the most part, and he goes from straight up ace to more aceflux; he’s sometimes attracted to fingon and sometimes wants sex, but it’s not really reliable/consistent) but it’s not the same as it was before. fingon, of course, takes this all in stride, because he loves maedhros and respects his boundaries and is there for him in every way, pretty much.

- of course, i don’t always go with this interpretation, and a lot of the time i’m just like “they FUCK” because i want them to, but this is my main headcanon for “canon,” which honestly is quite different from “what i write usually.” but if i wrote a “this is what i think actually happened in canon” fic, not a “i want to explore this dynamic/possibility/au” fic, it would absolutely include caedsexual maedhros. and i think mae is very conflicted about this and has a lot of internal issues about being suddenly ace when he was allosexual before, even apart from the trauma of angband everything awful experienced there - with fingon, he’s on his way to some form of recovery, and then. fingon dies. and maedhros blames himself. and everything goes back to being Very Terrible. he might start using sex as a form of self harm :(

personally i’m very much squicked by dark!maedhros aus, so i don’t think he ever forces himself on anyone. he’s not the kind of person to intentionally hurt others (kinslayings aside…), even when he’s trying to hurt himself. and i’m not a fan of feanorian incest either, esp in combination with dark!mae….

as for ships: russingon is my otp obviously, but i also dabble with maedhros/azaghal (i’m a slut for elf/dwarf ships, what can i say!) and maedhros/finrod (pre-russingon) and i’m dabbling in maedhros/turgon post-nirnaeth.

so yeah, that’s a lot of me rambling on about my very favorite sad kinslayer, and in the end not saying very much at all. it’s a lot of “i like this in this context” and “this is my main headcanon but i’ve never actually written a fic with it” and “you can convince me of a lot if you write it well enough.” i guess tl;dr: gay, greyro, caedsexual after thangorodrim, trans in some way probably, but really whatever suits the story i’m working on at the moment!