Now with a sandbox!
It appears that many Nightmare Fuel pages have problems, including:
1. Listing non-scary things that made the viewer feel slightly uncomfortable at worst.
2. Having spoiler tags on them (which is against the page's guidelines).
3. Listing Fridge Horror and fan theories.
And much more!
On a few occasions, people from outside the site's community have pointed out our overly lax usage of Nightmare Fuel to make fun of us, meaning that it can legitimately harm our reputation to let this go unchecked.
The TRS thread
meant for redefining Nightmare Fuel started to become a place for cleaning up Nightmare Fuel pages in general, so we may as well move these discussions to Long Term Projects where they belong.
Here are the guidelines to determine whether something is Nightmare Fuel or not.
- This is a page whose name is intended to be taken more literally than most. It's not enough for material to be scary; to truly qualify, it has to be frightening enough to legitimately unnerve/disturb the viewer, with actually being nightmare-inducing as the ultimate endpoint.
- Good signs that something IS Nightmare Fuel include if:
- It left you feeling shaken even after the credits had rolled, you turned the last page, or are otherwise done with the work.
- You have a hard time falling asleep if you think about it at night, or have a literal nightmare about it.
- You dread that episode, scene, level, chapter, or song during re-watches, and consider skipping it.
- With that said, don't add something just because it happens to be your personal phobia. For example, spiders can be scary and many people have arachnophobia, but just because a spider happens to be in the work, it does not make a Nightmare Fuel entry. It needs to reasonably be scary to someone without the phobia.
- Don't confuse tension with fear. If the hero is in trouble, but you know he'll make it out okay at the end, it's probably not Nightmare Fuel unless the threat is especially disturbing.
- Good signs that something IS Nightmare Fuel include if:
- Explain WHY the entry scared you. Try to convey your sense of fear to your readers. Avoid putting up Zero-Context Examples.
- Remember that Weblinks Are Not Examples, and neither are quotes on their own. You should explain the horror in your own words, rather than rely on others to do so.
- Don't add things that might have scared someone. If it didn't scare you, and you don't personally know anyone else who was scared, you shouldn't be adding it to Nightmare Fuel.
- Nightmare Fuel should stick to you even after you're done with the work.
- If something is initially presented as scary but turns out to be harmless, it's most likely not Nightmare Fuel since The Reveal makes the scariness vanish.
- Jump Scares are a good source of Nightmare Fuel, but not all of them automatically qualify: being startled is not the same as being scared.
- Hypotheticals are not Nightmare Fuel:
- Remember that Trailers Always Lie: a scene that is presented as scary in the trailer could very well turn out to be inoffensive in the finished work. Only add examples from unreleased works if they were especially terrifying in the previews.
- Fan theories do not belong on the Nightmare Fuel page under any circumstance. No matter how much evidence they have to support them, don't add them until they've been officially confirmed. In the meanwhile, take them to Wild Mass Guessing.
- Fridge Horror goes on the Fridge page, not Nightmare Fuel. Don't add it unless it's Ascended Fridge Horror.
- Keep in mind the work's intended audience when considering whether or not something is Nightmare Fuel.
- If something is normal or expected in the genre, it does not automatically qualify. Violence in a Fighting Series or gore in a horror movie must be especially disturbing or gruesome by the work's standards to be Nightmare Fuel.
- Remember that Kids Shouldn't Watch Horror Films. If a work is rated PG-13 or higher but would only be scary to young children, it's not Nightmare Fuel.
- The standards on what qualifies as Nightmare Fuel are especially stringent on works aimed at children and pre-teens: kids have hyperactive imaginations, so even something benign can give them nightmares.
- Spoiler tags do not belong on Nightmare Fuel pages. Much of what scares us comes from inherently spoilery stuff such as death and the unknown, so finding spoilers on these pages should be expected.
- Nightmare Fuel is an Audience Reaction, so it needs to be scary for the audience. Describing how the characters react to something scary isn't needed. Just because something scares them, that doesn't mean it scares us as well.
- Nightmare Fuel is a No Real Life Examples, Please! page. Meta-examples involving the actors, production, or behind-the-scenes incidents are not allowed.
Guidelines when proposing cleanup of a page:
- Some rules are pretty objective. If you see a Zero-Context Example, Fridge Horror, Real Life example, speculation, In-Universe reaction that isn't scary to the viewers, examples that explicitly describe themselves as not being very scary (including "mildly creepy", "somewhat unnerving", and other synonymous phrases), or examples that are just scene summaries without going into detail about why it's so scary, you can (and should) remove them immediately without coming here to ask.
- You should also strip all spoiler tags from the page. Itty Bitty Wiki Tools has a tool for that, but it can cause problems, so if you use it be sure to preview the page and thoroughly look it over.
- Once you've fixed the objective issues with the page, bring it here so we can look at the more subjective problems, such as examples that may not be scary enough to qualify. If a consensus is reached that a certain entry does not qualify, it can be removed.
Edited by Zuxtron on Aug 1st 2020 at 9:40:30 AM
Yeah, it downright demonizes people with missing arms.
Slice it.
"Listen up, Marina, because this is SUPER important. Whatever you do, don't eat th“ “DON'T EAT WHAT?! Your text box ran out of space!”
kiby :]
Otaku
The NightmareFuel.Torchwood page is a mess. It's filled with zero-context examples that explain why certain scenes or things in the series are scary.
- "Everything Changes":
- Owen uses an alien form of Rohypnol — which he easily pocketed at work — on a woman who turns him down at a bar. When her boyfriend arrives and threatens to punch Owen, he sprays the boyfriend...who immediately calls a cab for all three of them. The Fridge Horror in that scene is off the charts — and has a lot to do with why many viewers hated Owen's character in Season 1.
- The Weevil chomping down on the security guard's neck (complete with blood spray). And he walks right up to the thing, because he mistakes it for a human wearing a mask.
- From "Ghost Machine": It's 1941. You are an 8 year old who just got transported to Cardiff while the Germans are bombing the everloving shit out of you. You said farewell to your mother and sister, not knowing that you will never see them again. Due to a paper error you are left stranded all alone on a train station for a whole night. An 8 year old, all alone, spending the night aimlessly wandering around a train station, completely lost, trying to find someone. You don't.
- Even worse, the fate of Lizzie Lewis.
- The "fairies" from "Small Worlds". There's no way to stop them...
- Especially the ending with the creepy music/whispering/singing, the image popping up on the screen by itself, and Gwen zooming in to see Jasmine as one of the fairies.
- "Countrycide". Not only are the monsters particularly demonic and frightening... they're human. Enough said.
- Gwen gets filled with buckshot by a panicking captive of the villagers. A few minutes later, we are treated to a HORRIFIC shot of Gwen's waist looking like swiss cheese, complete with Owen plucking out the pellets. Happy retching.
- In the end, Gwen demands that the village ringleader tell her why he helped murder and cannibalize hundreds of people. His response? "Cos it makes...me...happy."
- "Greeks Bearing Gifts". You really don't want to know what the people around you are thinking.
- The man on the street (Neil) who plans to murder his family. Tosh overhears him and manages to put a stop to it, but if she hadn't....
- One random woman Tosh overhears in public hints that she's pregnant by her grandfather.
- In "Combat", Gwen's conscience finally catches up to her and she decides to tell Rhys about how she's been cheating on him with Owen for months - but she also slips him an amnesia pill, so she won't have to deal with the long-term consequences of doing so. She wants this to be a moment of emotional catharsis for her, and only her. The casual way in which Gwen drugs her own boyfriend is already very unsettling, but when Rhys does not give her what she wants and passes out instead, she grabs hold of his unconscious body and starts yelling at him to forgive her, which is actually much creepier.
- The scene in "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" where the bomb molecularly bonded to John comes undone and he's able to pry it lose... peeling off several layers of skin in a bloodied mess.
- "Adam" had a TON of Nightmare Fuel. Just something about Ianto shrieking and weeping because Adam brutally mind raped him into thinking he's a psychopathic killer is chilling.
- "And I liked it..." OH GOD.
- The very idea that a stranger could re-write your entire personality just by altering a few select memories. It's Mind Rape in the most literal sense of the term. And you'd never even know anything was amiss until it was too late.
- The Night Travellers of "From Out of the Rain" are just creepy as all hell.
- "Adrift". Particularly the description of what happened to Jonah overlaying the primal screaming.
- ''What were you hoping for? That I'd say a few nice words...That I'd be grateful...'' Oh yeah, and this line is said in a creepy low voice. BY IANTO!
- From "Fragments", the alien monster/parasite that was feeding on Katie's brain in Owen's backstory. Just seeing it latched on her brain like that...
- Not to mention the lovely shot of Katie with her head cut open on the operating table.
- The episode also features a truly chilling depiction of a Hellhole Prison during Tosh's flashback.
Announcement: This is a UNIT facility. Your rights as a citizen have been withdrawn. You'll be held here indefinitely. We are not required to provide you with legal representation. Anything you say will be recorded. You will be allowed no communication with any person or organisation outside this facility. There is no right of appeal. If you fail to comply with the rules, we are authorised to discipline you. - "Exit Wounds" has Jack being Buried Alive in the earth. Because he can't die permanently, he's locked in a constant cycle of death and reviving, awakening only long enough to choke and suffocate under the weight of six feet of earth crushing his entire body. For almost 2000 years. How he manages to remain sane after this ordeal is never explained.
- Owen's final "death" in that episode. He's sealed in a room that slowly floods with nuclear radiation, which dissolves his flesh on contact — and because he's undead, he's forced to remain conscious the entire time, watching as his body disintegrates.
- The sheer amount of Fridge Horror attached to his permanent and Cruel and Unusual Death. The fact that he doesn't feel pain is inconsequential.
- The first two seasons open with the narration of how the 21st century is when "everything changes" and that it's Torchwood's job to be ready. Considering how decidedly UNready Torchwood ends up being for every crisis, generally only solving things by the seat of their pants, with a little bit of luck, and frequent collateral damage, just think about how badly things would have ended up if Torchwood hadn't been there at all...
- "Changes Everything
- Just because Big Finish is writing the episodes now doesn't mean the audience gets off easy. Cardiff goes to hell in these episodes, and the incredibly realistic portrayals of terrorism and bombings in set one do a lot to prove that.
- The moment at the end of the episode where Alexandria Riley's character is revealed to be Gwen Cooper. The audience at this point have absolutely no clue what's going on and it's intensely creepy.
- "Aliens & Sex & Chips & Gravy"
- Based on that incredibly, um, Torchwood title, you would think this would be a lighthearted episode. The beginning moments at the Hen Party seem to confirm it. A Woman is then eaten alive. The awful, awful sounds as she and many other innocents at the Hen Party who just happened to walk in are just...truly horrific.
- Aliens aren't invading Cardiff. This episode reveals they're already here, walking Among Us. They could be anyone.
- Gwen comes home from her work shift, smiling, has a happy conversation, and SHOOTS HER OWN MOTHER WHILE HER OWN VOICE BEGS HER TO STOP.
- Gwen isn't in control of herself anymore. We've had two episodes with the minor hint that something is wrong, but due to the fact that Alexandria Riley is such good an actress and it's just audio, you just let it slide. After all, so much other things are going on. And bang. She shoots her own mother while her own actual voice, not Ng's, begs her to stop. It is genuinely horrifying, especially at the end of a fairly average Monster of the Week episode.
- "Orr":
- The episode actually depicts a suicide bombing, complete with a woman chanting 'God Is Great' as she blows herself up.
- Orr is just slightly unnerving enough until you get to know them, but coupled with a fact that they've been used as a trophy their entire life in a life of essentially sex slavery, their backstory becomes more and more horrifying. This is before, in a later episode, when Orr remarks that they've chosen to keep Catrin Parry's face because Mr. Parry was one of the nicer ones. Jerkass Mr. Parry was one of the nicer ones. Holy shit.
- "Love Rat
- We're treated to a similar scenario to "Day One" but instead of Carys, Jack is infected. It doesn't kill the hosts, but you could argue that's almost worse.
- There are many rape scenes. It's not fun. Least of which is Jack, out of his mind, tries to seduce Gwen...who as established, isn't herself either. It's an incredibly uncomfortable moment.
- "A Kill To A View"
- Bilis is back.
- For most of the episode, no one knows who he is. Not even Rhys recognizes him. He's just a random caretaker to these characters, which is especially awful as we know what he is.
- The sheer adult fear of Colin's situation. You're living in an incredibly racist city, and you're a gay muslim. You've been forced to buy an expensive apartment to stay off the streets, where you can be safe from all of the awful people who want to kill you, simply because you're being yourself. And then as soon as the caretaker wills it, your neighbors come at you with knives, and your husband is nowhere to help you.
- "Zero Hour":
- This is just an awful experience. It's the darkest Aliens Among Us episode yet, as dark as Classics like Countrycide.
- OH, SO MUCH. The entire audio is just a thinly disguised Amazon Parody that incinerates their workers alive and sends them out in packing shipments of dust after two weeks of them working for them, because after two weeks, the company has to worry about giving them a human rights package.
- The way the revelation is delivered is just absolutely awful. Tyler can't wait to see his new boyfriend after his shift, but he slowly begins to figure out the boxes he has been packing onto the walls during his shift are not sand, but burnt humans. His boyfriend is one of them.
- "The Empty Hand"
- ONE OF THE WORST EPISODES YET.
- Andy, sweet Andy Davison, who has been throughout the entire series, the nicest character we've ever met, is forced against his will to shoot down immigrants on the street. The brutality and realism of how Police Officers treat people of different races in real life, is definitely in play, and the worst part, is that even if we're in his perspective and sympathize with him - He did shoot those people.
- Due to cautious editing judgement, it's difficult to say more, but the entire episode is just really harrowing throughout, and unlike many other Torchwood episodes, just real. Because minus Ro-Jedda's sci-fi hand implants that made Andy do it, there are next to no sci-fi elements. Andy has shot someone and no one will trust him, because, well, he did it.
- "Poker Face":
- Yvonne Hartman, previously just another Tennant era extra, takes over the entirety of Torchwood in under six hours. She does most of it without leaving her cell, cementing herself as a Seventh Doctor-level Mastermind.
- Jack's position. He insists that Yvonne is evil, that she's gonna take over everything and not one of them believe him, because Yvonne is just so darn dang charming. All he can say to support himself, is "don't trust her," and from the perspective of all of the characters, he just looks crazy. But he's right.
- Made all the worse by Yvonne's tactics hinging on her reputation, her publicity, and showing how easily even the smartest people can be taken in by a maniac that just happens to look professional.
- "Tagged":
- The Sheer Dissonant Serenity of Serena going through the people in her day to day life. Happily pointing out Andy, the guy who gives her coffee, and then, Mike. Oh, yeah, Mike. He date-raped her.
- With the same smiling dissonant cheerfulness, she shoves him under a bus.
- I know what You've Done. I Know What You'll Do. Everyone in Cardiff is told this, and Paranoia takes over in minutes.
- Colchester ends the audio with giving a terrifying threat laden The Reason You Suck speech to Jack.
- Which he ends with a growly, "I know what you've done. I know what you'll do." Brr...
- Ng continues on her lovely old murder spree to continue to convince people that she's definitely Gwen Cooper. The body count keeps increasing, and the audience still has no clue what she is.
- The Sheer Dissonant Serenity of Serena going through the people in her day to day life. Happily pointing out Andy, the guy who gives her coffee, and then, Mike. Oh, yeah, Mike. He date-raped her.
- Escape Room":
- Trapped in an Escape Room, with deadly traps and religious iconography everywhere, it all designed to make you recant to the person who's running it's God.
- Out of nowhere, Colchester kills Rhys. It's an illusion, but still!
- Ng is willing to kill everyone, Rhys, Colin, Colchester, any of them, if it gives her a chance to escape. She pulls a lever that she is told would do so, and without any hesitation whatsoever. It's obviously a fakeout, but it's a damn scary one.
- Ng stuffs the man running an Escape Room into one of his Escape Lockers, one that he needs someone to let him out of. But there's no-one there...
- It's implied he starves to death.
- Herald Of The Dawn":
- A Crowd of People Suddenly Begins Chanting That God Is Great before Lightning Smites Them All to Death.
- Ng finally reveals herself, which is a relief, but Gwen is so traumatized and shaken from the entire last few months - having just been there, not being able to do anything as Ng took over her life, her husband, and killed people, all for a cover which now means nothing- It's easy to see why she's so shaken.
- Colchester dies. In the back of his van. Calling for help, bleeding out. None of Torchwood can save him.
Captain Cryptic
I'm thinking this entry from Nexo Knights can go.
- Nightmare Fuel: Jestro appears to have a Glasgow Grin. On a KID'S TOY.
For the record, it's a Slasher Smile and this
◊ is what the character looks like.
Angry babby
A Glasgow Grin isn't really horrifying when they're a LEGO. All of their faces are permanent.
I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
That is not at all what a Glasgow Grin is.
Here are some iffy examples from the General folder of Family Guy, along with some notes (which are in bold):
- If you pay attention, the concept of family with the Griffins is very disturbing if you think about it. Each family member is, or represented at least one trait of a mentally ill person. In the most recent episodes, it is easier to say that the family has become so dysfunctional, they make The Simpsons look like The Brady Bunch. Comparisons have even been made to the Gang, one of the most dysfunctional and dangerous groups on television! Fridge Horror, Natter, Fan Myopia, and potential violation of Examples Are Not Recent.
- "Seahorse Seashell Party" had Meg snap at her whole family, blasting them for their flaws and how badly they had treated her over the years. One would think Meg finally catches a break as her family breaks down in tears from the revelation, but Meg later realizes that the reason her family treats her like shit is because they need someone to expel all their negative energy into and without Meg for that, they would turn on each other. Meg decides to apologize for what she said and lets her family abuse her again for the sake of keeping everyone slightly sane. Most fans may see this as a cheap in-universe reason for why Meg is abused in nearly every episode. This seems more like a Tear Jerker than anything, and is loaded with complaining.
- Much of the Meg-bashing. Face it, it sucks to be her! Too general, and (again) more of a Tear Jerker.
- Quagmire raping Marge and killing all the Simpson family is very disturbing, especially if you love The Simpsons more than Family Guy. It was so bad that Matt Groening was mad at Seth MacFarlane about it. They've since made up. Yes, this is disturbing, but the "If you love The Simpsons more than Family Guy" part just seems like an excuse to complain.
Edited by Shadow8411 on May 5th 2021 at 5:19:51 AM
Berserk Button: misusing Nightmare Fuel
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
All good points. I'd agree with cutting these examples (or shortening the last one).
The last is a cutaway gag, and Family Guy has done even more disturbing shit in recent years like there was one episode involving Bestiality Is Depraved, Fresh Heir involving incest and pedophilia and stuff worse that really just doesn't stand out much anymore.
Also Seth only wrote the first three seasons. Saying Matt Groening hates him for his shoddy product is not only misleading (Groening as well as Trey and Stone all of which are Caustic Critics of Family Guy have all admitted Seth can be funny if he tries) but it's also wrong.
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
It doesn't matter if it stands out now. It matters if it stood out to the people watching the episode.
And yes, Matt did hate Seth over it. It caused them to cease contact for a while.
Edited by WarJay77 on May 5th 2021 at 11:46:49 AM
Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
Angry babby
I looked up the scene and it's not nearly as graphic as the critics make it out to be (the sex and murder scenes are all offscreen), but there is that scene of Marge and Quagmire in a struggle that's pretty disturbing. It's Played for Laughs but still.
I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
I'd say for Family Guy standards, while it wasn't funny for me, Family Guy is known to cross the line several times even in early episodes pre-Cancellation.
Angry babby
It can be played for laughs and still be scary, though I'm unsure if it's graphic enough.
Keep in mind this is a show for adults. A Gory Discretion Shot which would be scary in something for kids, isn't held to the same standards as one for adults.
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
And in that case, adults might be disturbed by the portrayal of rape, especially if it manages to hit Realism-Induced Horror points. I haven't seen the episode so I can't actually say for sure, but I think you need to keep in mind exactly what's being portrayed there.
Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
Well I guess the rape bit is scary enough on it's own. After all, rape of any kind is scary regardless of your age. And even if it was played for laughs, it still crosses into Dude, Not Funny! territory, and Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil.
Honestly, and this is just me speaking from what I've seen, Quagmire is very rarely portrayed in a sympathetic light which makes me think this is the Family Guy equivalent of the Scott Tenorman chili scene. In other words, it COULD be seen as a Moral Event Horizon. It literally stands out as one of the most disturbing things on the show, and only serves as a Take That. The nicest thing Quagmire has done is give Meg a lecture on sex, while wearing a tiger print male thong and I wouldn't really call that "nice". There's also him killing Brenda's abusive boyfriend, but that wasn't just him.
Edited by Klavice on May 6th 2021 at 12:21:54 PM
I've cut the first three bullet points for the reasons I mentioned. I'm going to leave the last one for now, and give it some more thought, but if someone else wants to remove or change it, feel free to.
Edited by Shadow8411 on May 6th 2021 at 12:31:17 PM
Angry babby
Not a Moral Event Horizon if it doesn't specifically alter his character depiction from that point on, and it's basically a throwaway joke so that's a no. Also I'm pretty sure other episodes have had Quagmire rape someone.
I'd argue said cutaway can stay. It's true Quagmire is a rapist (both regular and satutory) and rarely sympathetic. That being said, this scene is still remembered and widely considered disturbing. It might also have to do with him killing the other Simpsons (they're still famous and often beloved characters) to get the opportunity. Either way, the entry definitely needs a rewrite.
Yeah... Like I said I don't have as much experience with Family Guy as Simpsons.
Anyway, someone who's seen the scene could rewrite it, I'd rather not as despite it not being on screen, it's still unsettling to watch.
Resident Evil: Village’s nightmare fuel page should be re-ordered. I understand that nightmare fuel pages aren’t supposed to have spoiler tags these days, but I was expecting the moments to be listed in the order they happened in-game, as many other nightmare fuel pages do. I got a gigantic plot point spoiled trying to find something that happened much earlier than it’s reveal.
The Unknown Unknown
Hey, long time no see, NF cleanup thread. I have the Genshin Impact page to bring to attention:
- The terrifying amount of power the Unknown God has and the absolute ease with which she delivers a Curb-Stomp Battle to both twins fighting her simultaneously. The battle ends with her covering both siblings in her energy cubes and forcibly transporting them through space, ripping them away from each other. Worse still, we know nothing about her - not her name, her position, why she is out to punish humanity, how she intends to do so, etc. If you thought the likes of Herrscher of the Void or even "God Kiana"note weren't terrifying enough, then this mysterious character will.
We know next to nothing about the Unknown God, and her fight with Traveler twins isn't scary whatsoever. Also speculation. Snip.
- Dvalin, the Anemo dragon and one of the Four Winds, has gone crazy due to The Corruption magic performed on him by the Abyss Order to stoke his rage and resentment towards humanity, and becomes known as Stormterror by most of Teyvat. Upon his arrival in Mondstadt, he nearly tears the entire city apart with his wind storms. The long and arduous ordeal to stop him and bring him back to his senses spans throughout the entire three-part Prologue. We're in for a very long and dangerous journey, folks.
While the fact the Abyss Order is giving Dvalin painful tumors to control him is pretty nasty, (and they look pretty visceral) the entry doesn't delve into that. Cut or rework?
- The Reveal that, most likely due to the God's actions, the Sibling of the Traveler seems to have succumbed to some sort of corruption and is now the leader of the Abyss Order.
- The Internal Reveal of this comes at the end of an extremely creepy questline, and is paired with a reveal about Khaen'riah that is pure Nightmare Fuel on its own.
The reveal isn't scary at all. Now, the second bullet on the other hand has some merit... We'll get to that in a second.
- The eleven Fatui Harbingers. Currently, the most prominent one is Signora, and despite being a mortal given power by the Tsaritsa, she seems to have no trouble whatsoever in giving Venti (Barbatos, A GOD) the Curb-Stomp Battle of a lifetime (albeit Barbatos is much weaker than he normally would be due to not actively being in charge of his city), ending with her straight-up knocking him out while her Elite Mooks pin the Traveler down and knock them out as well. This is her introductory scene, and it comes soon after the heroes managed to free Dvalin. It effectively demonstrates that there are many more dangerous enemies out there who will not go down easily. Worse, she's just one of eleven, and she's not even the leader.
Nothing scary. Cut.
- The Tsaritsa herself, the currently-unseen Cryo Archon who seems to want to control the cities of all the other Archons, starting with Mondstadt. She is the one who empowered the eleven Fatui Harbingers, resulting in Signora beating Venti senseless. The Tsaritsa's motives remain a mystery, but there is no doubt that the Traveler must confront her in the near-future.
Speculation and lack of NF. Cut.
- There's a particular book that explains how Hilichurls are able to weaponize Pyro Slimes; by dunking them in water so they almost drown repeatedly until they can't light themselves anymore, stuffing them in pouches to use later, and then slamming them into the earth to create a spark and re-ignite them.
The Slimes don't react to such treatment in a way that would horror players. This is just an observation taken out of context.
- Childe’s One-Winged Angel form. After he finds that the Exuvia didn’t have Rex Lapis’ gnosis, he goes absolutely ballistic, and unleashes the full power of his Vision and his Delusion, turning into a one eyed creature that can wield both Hydro and Electro elements complete with a Voice of the Legion.
Mmmmm, maybe? I personally found Tartaglia's Phase 3 form Creepy Awesome. Then again, it is mentioned that the Fatui used technology such as Delusions to empower themselves without Visions in ways that seem unnatural. Might need to rework.
- The Stone Forest right off the coast of Liyue is not a natural rock formation - it's a seal that Rex Lapis set up to trap an ancient god at the bottom of the ocean. And after the Traveler defeats Childe, he uses a number of Seals of Permission to break the seal releasing said god, whose form is a giant hydra made of water.
Nothing about the Stone Forest or Osial (the ancient god) is scary. That whole scene is an epic climax meant to entertain and get the adrenaline pumping for the player. Cut.
- In Zhongli's Quest, where you enter the grave of the Goddess of Salt. You find countless people petrified in salt after receiving the full brunt of the energy released after Havria was murdered. You can see most of them running for their lives and with most of them cowering and praying.
This is legit. Keep.
- The statues of the seven are great for a quick heal, so you'd think that going to a friend's world you can visit the statues to heal works just as well, right? And it does... unless you decide to interact with the statue instead. After the initial '...' message you don't receive the usual choices you can pick from. Instead, you get a message from your own traveller. It only says 'Leave', without punctuation and nothing else, then the interaction ends. There is no explanation anywhere in the game for this and it's never addressed anywhere else.
I guess this sounds like Nothing Is Scarier, but I'm not seeing a reason to keep.
- A region in Dragonspine named Wyrmrest Valley is full of the colossal bony remains of Durin; the dragon that Dvalin defeated a long time ago. The sheer scale of these bone structures gives a truly terrifying sense of just how big Durin really was, dwarfing even Dvalin himself, so imagine seeing him when he was alive. Furthermore, there's a cave in the center of the valley which still contains his beating heart. One must wonder if Durin is truly dead or just "sleeping" by undead standards, waiting for the day that he could wake up once again to reign terror on Mondstadt.
Contains speculation, but there is something salvageable in regards to the still-beating heart contained with the harrowing mountains of Dragonspine. Speaking of which...
- Entering the cave is a spooky experience in its own right. The deeper you go in, the more the music fades out until it's eventually replaced with the sound of a heartbeat, while the ground becomes a carpet of gooey-looking... something. What really sells it is how your Sheer Cold Meter goes down when you're close to the heart. It's a bit of a shock in a game that otherwise has zero on-screen gore.
Keep. Probably just cut the entry before this one.
- The "We Will be Reunited" Archon Quest starts off with the Traveler going out to investigate the Treasure Hoarders activities around some ruins connected to the Abyss Order. It starts off as pretty tame but then the atmosphere changes once you enter the ruins. It's eerily empty (save for a few Hillichurls inside) despite the Treasure Hoarders from both Liyue and Mondstadt snooping around. You then reach a room with a Defiled Statue and a lone Treasure Hoarder who turns out to be dead. Paimon and the Traveler immediately attempt to bolt out of the ruins after realizing that this isn't just an ordinary problem.
- The unsettling reveal of the dead treasure hoarder is upped by the way they're posed - kneeling in front of the Defiled Statue as if praying, with their clawed hands drooping in front of their turned-down face. It's not immediately apparent that they're dead, so the player may find themself bracing for a Jump Scare.
I lean "keep" for the sheer eerieness of the atmosphere of the latter half of the quest. Also, recall that bit above the Khaen'riahs? This is where it happens. Basically, they're a whole race of formerly human people that got screwed over by the gods. But, as you can tell, nothing goes into the bits worthy of troping. If deemed a keep, it needs a rework anyway.
Thoughts?
Edited by erazor0707 on May 9th 2021 at 7:50:08 AM
A cruel, sick joke is still a joke, and sometimes all you can do is laugh.
Hi
NightmareFuel.Eurotrip had its image removed in an Image Pickin' thread, and looking at the page, I think it needs some attention. I haven't seen the film so I can't personally comment on any of the examples.
Edited by Willbyr on May 10th 2021 at 7:10:14 AM
I'm leaning towards cutting it.
back lol