#nmt starkid

[reverseisekai-richie]

Lords in Black Sensory Headcanons - Voices

While they don't actually speak in the way that people do, what we perceive as them speaking to us comes across this way:

Pokey: The deepest sounding of his siblings, a low, dramatically slow and enunciated tone that harmonizes with itself. Tends to come across sing-songy the more he speaks. It reverberates through you, like someone wired bass-boosted speakers directly through your marrow, the vibrations almost painful, driving you to find any means for channeling it out of yourself.

Pokey - Through the Hive: The affect is flattened, droning from multiple mouths at once in an off-putting harmony. The force of His Voice channeling through the infected causes them to twitch and jerk as they speak. Prefers to speak through multiple bodies at once, as solos are reserved for Him (speaking through infected is not the same as making them perform, and carries different "rules").

Blinky: The highest voice of his siblings, nasal and mocking. Always seems to be coming from directly in front of you, a heckler behind the fourth wall. Being addressed directly feels like an ice pick coated in stinging nettles is being jabbed directly into your sinuses.

Tinky: Lower and booming, a perpetual giddy cadence. The closest he gets to an "indoor voice" is an exaggerated stage whisper. It seems to come from everywhere at once, bouncing and echoing around a dramatically different space than wherever you actually are.

Nibbly: Guttural, sounding like every word is being forced or dragged out from deep within. Can sometimes sound almost wet, saliva choking out the words. Tends to project from whichever mouth he is using as his primary at the time, but can speak through multiple mouths or all of them at once. Something is off with the tone, sounding more like something mimicking human speech trying to lure you into the woods than an actual person talking to you.

Wiggly: The softest-spoken - a higher, quieter voice, almost breathless at times, sounding like someone speaking directly into your ear no matter where he is. Any language you perceive him speaking in, he is using an accent that comes across as a blend of the traditionally polite and cutesy accents. The effect is almost soothing, but there's something off about the clipped, staccato pronunciation that can put people on their guard if they're already wary of him. When he's pissed or excited enough to drop the act, his voice is immediately much lower and practically a feral growl, sometimes dropping out of the range of human perception entirely. It feels like it has replaced all the air in your lungs, filling your chest cavity, the crushing pressure change feeling like you're on the cusp of catastrophic decompression.

Bonus:

Webby: Soft, but firm and authoritative, low and lilting, but without the melodic undertones like Pokey. Takes care to make it seem like her voice is coming from whatever form or avatar she is manifesting in, but it always seems as if it's coming from a distance. There is an otherworldly resonance whenever she speaks that she tries to downplay unless she wants to go for the Shock and Awe effect. How you imagine "BE NOT AFRAID" sounds from a Biblically-accurate angel.

[daily-starkid-what-if]

Day #54

What if Blinky fully possessed Bill during Watcher World?

Submitted by: @visualisvery

[styxthecaracal]

Some more Nerdy Prudes (and one high af critter) from my proportion studies that my art teacher didn't approve of (clearly shown by the blue pen where the features were "supposed" to be)

[riverstyxandsolidago]

WELCOME TO WATCHER WORLD

I'm very iffy on how it turned out but I ran out of time to work on it.

Alice was also supposed to have a gun but because it's a school project I had to change it so she gets her little cell phone

Critiques on the art or my description (in Alt text) are open but I ask that they stay constructive

[reverseisekai-richie]

Watcher World Nightmare Nights Scare Zone - Symphony of Screams

Symphony of Screams - A tragic fire burned down the Danse Macabre Theater with everyone inside, but the show must go on!  The undead performers haunt Drowsy Town Station, looking for closure by putting on their perfect finale.  Audience participation MANDATORY.

The next goriest zone, though it’s less fake blood and more raw skin and seeping burns.  Probably the most classic-style scare-zone, lit just enough to avoid lawsuits, with undead characters roaming around.  This is also the zone where contortionists, crawlers, and the fastest shambling/limping gaits you’ve ever seen patrol alongside actors who can banter and play off of guest nonsense.

Obviously the zone centers around the Drowsy Town Station Theater, and over the pavilion for outdoor performances.  Tunnel Vision, one of the park’s wooden coasters, is re-themed to Devil’s Trill, with hellfire motifs, and a soundtrack featuring its namesake.  Other rides in the zone are also paired with special soundtracks synced to their movements, ranging from classical to metal.  The semi-enclosed teacups ride in the zone is blacked out and lit with strobes, decorated to look like a nightclub floor with a monster DJ.

As this zone has the entertainment pavilion, it obviously hosts the special Halloween musicals and freakshow/circus acts.  Scare actors are pulled in for a dance party with the park’s shows cast and audiences twice a day, once in the afternoon during the day that’s explicitly kid-friendly, and one at night.

MORE In-depth design details and Haunt Nerd rambling below the cut:

GENERAL/TACTICS: 

Populated by some of the scariest people in haunt casts - the theater kids and the adult thespians who for some ungodly reason think they’re going to get their big break in a haunted house. A very actor-driven area, with a good blend of movement-based actors and talkers.

A classic scare tactic, the yappier actors try to attract guest attention, while the others sweep in from an angle or behind to scare. Actors will encourage photo ops, because it is so fun and easy to sneak up on people distracted with their cameras.

SET DRESSING: 

The streets are barely lit, streetlamps set with flickering bulbs, fire effect projections against walls, fences, and ride supports with crackling sound effects layered under the zone music. Fog machines are scattered around the zone, with a denser low-hanging formula, with smoke/fire scents blended in. Creepy cloth/netting is used to quickly distress and obscure parts of structures to add to the illusion parts are burned.

There are some raised platforms and semi-fenced off areas guests can't access, where contortionists and crawlers can move without worrying about being kicked.

There is only a phantom/ghost animatronic or two under shelter in the whole zone, to avoid guests stopping to watch them and congesting the queue areas for the shows.

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP: 

This area uses the most prosthetics and special effects make-up, as well as a few silicone masks.  Looks vary from basic corpse/ghoul paint and stippled ash to look more ghostly, to very detailed silicone masks with embedded LEDs to look like embers are glowing under the cracked skin.

The more talkative actors have mostly make-up based looks, with prosthetics (if any) limited to the upper face to avoid muffling voices or peeling off from movement.

Costume looks are varied, from fancy evening wear, old-school usher uniforms, (cheap) Shakespearean costumes, and street clothes.  All of their clothes are torn, shredded, burned, and covered with soot.  Some actors may wear bodysuits printed to look like exposed muscle/bone instead of standard black thermals. Crawlers and contortionists wear gloves and knee pads for protection.

[reverseisekai-richie]

Watcher World Nightmare Nights Scare Zone - THE TOYBOX OF TERROR

Your discarded playmates of yesteryear are back to settle the score!  Dodge haunted dolls, feral teddy bears, and creepy clowns, or you may end up being dragged off to the scrap heap!  Home of the Labyrinth of Madness premium scare maze!*  

A classic theme that allows a grab-bag of phobias and characters. Scared of clowns? Mascot costumes? Creepy dolls? This zone has them. Costumes department found a ton of army surplus gear for pennies in the off season? Time to spray-paint it and add some GI Joes to the mix. Stunt/jump stilt actors tower over guests and close distances in a heartbeat, while roamers ambush from blending in with the props or hunt targets in full view. The actors here are as eclectic as the wide-spanning theme, and like in the Feast of Fear zone, they can focus on chasing and harassing visitors to their twisted little hearts' desires.

This zone covers the arcade/carnival thoroughfare, as well as the surrounding rides, and houses a scare maze - essentially a third, open-air haunt (though much shorter than the dedicated haunted houses). Made of narrow, twisting chainlink fences covered with all sorts of questionable junk pulled from Watcher World's scrap yard, a handful of high-intensity actors are given free reign to climb, crawl, leap, chase, and break shit within its confines. As soon as guests figure the actors are separated by the fence, one will squeeze through an almost invisible gap to get in their faces.

MORE In-depth design details and Haunt Nerd rambling below the cut:

GENERAL/TACTICS: 

Again, this zone is basically a high-energy catchall, and a chance to break out the classic phobias the other zones don't get to cover. After all, what is a haunted attraction without a ton of random clowns roaming around desperate for attention?

The tone is very high-energy, with lots of chasing and in-your-face interactions with the actors. Some are big into the entertainment factor, and will goof around with guests, others just want to hunt. There is a nightly "Sacrifice" where actors will haul out a stuffed animal found abandoned or gifted by a guest, and chainsaw it to a ridiculous display of stuffing and fake blood. Some actors will talk guests into waiting in imaginary queue lines, pretend rides, or other silly gags. Not a good zone if you hate being part of a joke.

SET DRESSING: 

The whole zone is designed to be brighter and more colorful at the entry points, but as you go towards the Labyrinth in the center, things become more broken and twisted. Ride vehicles from retired rides decorate fenced-off areas the actors can access but guests can't. Lots of junk and props zip-tied to chainlink fences placed around to control traffic flow. Relatively well-lit, especially compared to the other zones, but as you get deeper into the zone, the lighting is reduced, until there are some patches lit mostly by strobes. Lots of over-sized props are used to make guests feel like they're shrunken and wandering a messy child's room. The deeper you get, the more broken the prop toys and animatronics look, becoming more of a Sid from Toy Story vibe.

Closer to the center, dummies are strung up to look like people disemboweled, with stuffing crammed into the cavities, buttons sewn onto their eyes, and rough stitching holding together disparate limbs. Going from mutilated dolls, to mutilating people to create dolls.

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP: 

Given the theme, this zone has the most freedom to play around with looks. Mascot suits, plastic or latex doll masks, simple clown face paint and some injuries/gore are all common design points. The stunt/jump stilt walkers are in full-body shaggy fur suits to look like oversized stuffed animals (as with any stilt walkers, there are actors with full freedom of vision and movement lurking close by to guard them from guests attacking). Like with the props and set design, the deeper into the zone, the more warped the costumes and make-up become, with masks being more common to replicate melted features or nightmarish mash-ups.

[reverseisekai-richie]

Watcher World Nightmare Nights Scare Zone - DEMONS OF THE DEEP

Find yourself immersed in a strange new world of terror, stalked through an alien landscape by sea devils and other eerie creatures.  Can you evade their jaws and find your way back into safe harbors?

The most conceptual Scare Zone - Demons of the Deep aims for atmosphere and making you feel like you've stepped outside of reality than a more traditional scare zone with gore or aggressive chases. While there are still jumpscares, the aim is to create such a pervasive displaced ambience it creeps into your dreams. This is the showy, big-budget zone.

Bubbles drift around, bursting into whisps of fog when they land, lighting effects like light rippling off water are projected onto walls, and almost everything else is bathed in blacklight. Instead of hiding in the dark, the scare actors here blend in with the glowing UV painted backdrops and props, lit up with vibrant patterns.

The actors in this zone are more movement-based than Feast or Symphony. Almost no English is spoken beyond a few commands - actors instead speak a made-up language, and make feral noises like croaks, snarling, and growls. Some masked characters may have a noisemaker like a deathwhistle or hunting call hidden within to make truly inhuman sounds.

Quad stilt walkers based off of odd sea creatures, their forms camouflaged with draped seaweed and netting, will appear and roam through the crowds, closely guarded by the more agile aquatic demons literally, you have no idea how many guests try to purposefully kick out stilt walkers' legs out from under them.

Almost anywhere with a roof has vinyl flaps and temporary walls installed to convert them into laser swamps - areas with dense fog and lasers cutting through it at chest level, making it look like you're wading through a pool, and obscuring anything beneath the lasers in the fog. An actor is stationed within, to sweep around beneath the light and abruptly surface near guests in a jumpscare.

MORE In-depth design details and Haunt Nerd rambling below the cut:

GENERAL/TACTICS:

This zone is less focused on jumpscares and chases than any of the others. Actors train in movement and body language, more mobile cast members often climbing and crawling on whatever they can find. This is a zone where guests are expected to stop and watch the actors (and are therefore very distracted and easy to sneak up on for a quick scare from another actor passing by). The primary goal is to have a creepy, eerie impression that follows guests home long after the show is over.

The stilt walkers come out at intervals, and rotate to give the performers time to rest and recuperate. The sea devils patrol around the stilt walkers whenever they are out, staying close enough to keep guests from doing something stupid and dangerous. This zone is heavy on team/group scare tactics, with actors pairing off and moving in seemingly random patterns, but never out of view of at least one another actor in the area. When guests stop to watch one, the other is in an easy position to get a scare from behind.

SET DRESSING:

As stated above, this zone tries to set an otherworldly tone with lighting and fog effects. Rippling light effects on higher surfaces, and a blanket of low-hanging fog create an illusion of being submerged. There are a few fog bubble machines set up outside of main pathways, to avoid creating traffic jams as people play with them.

This is probably the most lighting-intensive zone. There are some ambient lights in blues and greens, with bright green lasers creating the laser swamp effect in covered spaces. Most of the lighting, however, is with blacklights, creating a trippy effect (though skipping the 3D glasses gimmick often accompanying blacklight haunts). UV reactive streamers and other flowing decorations are strewn around, creating movement and bright patterns to keep the blacklight-painted actors from standing out too much. Instead of hiding in the dark, the zone is decorated so actors blend in with the vibrant decoration.

There are a few animatronics in covered areas, including giant megalodon/anglerfish/eel head pop-outs, similar to Gore Galore puppets. The eel definitely needs a secondary set of snapping jaws in its mouth. There are a few human victim animatronics or props around the zone, chunks bitten out of them, impaled on hooks, and tied up in netting and fishing lines.

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP:

This area utilizes the most masks and bodysuits, with a few actors designated as demons with only prosthetic horns and heavy airbrushed make-up. These demons are actually paired with an actor in a mask or on stilts, subtly guarding and covering blind spots while still moving through crowds and lunging and scaring guests.

Demons are in clothing decorated with UV reactive paint, and avoid too many loose or hanging parts to keep mobility high. Actors have different kinds of clawed gloves, from repurposed and customized monster hand, to finger extensions, or claw paws. Their make-up consists of horns, pointed ears, and maybe some small appliances like gills or facial spikes. Airbrushing alters the shapes of their faces, looking almost mask-like, and painted details in UV paint mimic sharp teeth, gill flaps, stripes and spots like fish.

The masked costumes are humanoid sea creatures, with inspirations taken from various species. Largely just mash-ups of whatever features look cool, from teeth to tentacles. These are paired with bodysuits, including webbed silicone/latex gloves, and some have matching foot pieces as well.

This zone has quad walkers that come out periodically in rotating shifts. The walkers are designed as a compilation of various features, their actors' forms and the structures of the crutches and stilts camouflaged with padding, dorsal fins and draping seaweed or tentacles also assist in masking the form underneath.

[reverseisekai-richie]

Watcher World Nightmare Nights Scare Zone - FEAST OF FEAR

The Sucre Supper Club has served the upper crust of society only the most exotic and exclusive dishes over the years.  Tonight, YOU’RE on the menu.  Can you make it through without being caught by the ravenous diners and their chainsaw-wielding butchers?

The most gory scare zone by far, with heavy slasher-flick vibes. Like, a comical amount of fake blood and prop bodies/parts are used. Some guests consider it the most intense/adult-themed zone because of the gore and weapons.

The zone is centralized around the Eye Drop flume ride (which has a seasonal cosmetic re-theme as Exsanguination, with slaughter-house vibes, and the flat rides within the zone share similar butcher-y make-overs). It covers the picnic/rest area, and the theming/decor continues through the major food court hub at its border, though actor presence in the actual food court is not allowed (obvs. zone leads will turn a blind eye to a few sneaky scares there because it's funny).

There is an event-exclusive game/contest: The Wheel of Fear. Entrants spin a wheel and must eat what it lands on to claim the prize. Items on the wheel range from normal, slightly exotic to the Midwest foods, to widely hated food items, offal-based foods, extreme hot sauces, and live insects. Head-to-head contests continue between competitors until only one remains, the others tapping out or becoming physically sick. As the night goes on until the finale, the selection becomes more extreme.

MORE In-depth design details and Haunt Nerd rambling below the cut:

GENERAL/TACTICS:

This is THE chainsaw alley of the event, courtesy of the butchers. They use the traditional functional gas-powered chainsaws with custom paintjobs and the actual chain removed. To add to the chaos, some of the diners/club members are sliders, and may have spark gear.

The zone tactics are very much geared towards breaking up groups and chasing individuals as far as they can. Usually the more maneuverable and verbal diners will dart in and break off some individuals, or provide a distraction for the chainsaw-wielding butchers to take advantage of.

As Watcher World is a theme park, there is a ban on actors using swears and vulgar language, but speaking from experience, you may be surprised by how much detail you can go into about cutting someone up and eating their organs before it violates the "offensive language" restrictions. Diners are the talkers, butchers are more about being imposing and letting the chainsaws speak for them.

SET DRESSING:

The primary colors are of course visceral shades of reds and pinks, with lots of wet-looking finishes. Spotlights and accent lights are shades of red and pink, with some fake candles placed on surfaces in a parody of a dinner table centerpiece. Strands of intestines and ropes of sausage links alike are wound around posts/across ceiling and roof edges like Christmas lights. Broken kitchen equipment and snack carts are brought in from back storage to litter the areas and force certain foot traffic flow - they are, of course, filled with body parts. Partially dismembered mannequin or dummy props are strung up along some fences and walls.

The covered shelter areas have been converted into "meat lockers" with low-hanging fog, and rows of fake pig carcasses, body bags, and dismembered human corpses hanging from the ceiling, close enough together that guests will have to shoulder their way through. This creates prime ambush points for the actors, who can duck into the spaces and break guest line of sight with the bodies before charging out into the open from a new angle or towards a new target.

There would be minimal animatronics in the area, as wide, level street space is a priority for actors to be able to move and swing weapons safely. Maybe a shaking cage with screaming effects in a corner by a ride, or a table-based pop-up body by a heavy traffic area. I can see a wood-chipper/meat-grinder in a fenced off area to keep guests from reaching it, that would spray a mist of water and red light over a side path, but avoiding too much moisture on the main zone to reduce slipping hazards.

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP:

Actor make-up is limited to regular stage make-up for diners and eye-blacking for diners and butchers. They are not undead or monsters, they are "regular" human cannibals. Everyone is liberally painted with fake blood and gore/chunky blood, especially around the exposed mouths and down the fronts of the diners.

Diners' costumes are artfully torn and distressed formal wear, with painted patches of fake blood or silicone for a wet look. They have latex or silicone half-face masks, mostly designed like pigs. They can style their natural hair to look like it is falling out messily of carefully-done styles. Some may carry prop cleavers, knives, clacker or spark gloves, and some are bare-handed.

Butchers are dressed in either blue-collar wear or chef whites, with patchwork "human skin" latex aprons. They either have full-face pig/boar masks with enlarged eye holes, or burlap sack cloth hoods with large tears for the eye holes (the eye holes on any masks must be large enough to grant as little visual obstruction as possible for safety). Balaclavas under the masks are optional for butchers, depending on their preferences.