Survival Of The Fittest

It’s time for your typical late-night ritual on cold, lonely Fridays.

You get your popcorn, popped freshly on the stove. You get some soda. You sit down on the floor in front of the old television set. After a few commercials, it is time.

A person wearing a rabbit costume appears on the screen, accompanied by ominous music.

“Hello, gentle viewers! It is I, your lapine Mistress of All Evil, Kamilla! And welcome back to my lair!”

Kamilla laughs as she swings around a skull cup with an umbrella sticking out. The set is a stereotypical Gothic castle, but it has been decorated with tropical decorations for this episode. She takes off her dark sunglasses and winks.

“My, I am enjoying this summer heat. I’m having my Hot Girl Summer, but unfortunately, she screamed when I put her on the grill!”

Another cackle from her.

“Alas, it has been a cruel summer. But now– What’s that?”

A green, decrepit hand peeks out of a basket, handing her a folded note. Kamilla takes it and reads it.

“It is September?”

She frowns, crumpling the note. She takes a giant chug from her drink, tossing it aside exaggeratedly after she finishes. Then, she grins.

“It is September! It is now OUR season!”

Two black cats pop up.

“OUR season?”

“OUR season!” Kamilla repeats.

She swings around.

“It is September! It is almost Halloween!”

One of the cats speaks up. “But Kamilla, it won’t be until October!”

“Quiet!” she raises a finger. “If Christmas can keep creeping up where it doesn’t belong, the Halloween season starts now!”

She reaches from a shelf of film reels, and continues speaking.

“Speaking of a cruel summer, did you know that statistically, you are more likely to die from a vending machine than a shark? It’s true! I saw one machine just eat someone right in front of me! Swallowed him whole! So folks, the beach is safe until there’s a vending machine. Tonight’s movie is a pretty good example. In fact…”

Survival of the Fittest is a late-night horror anthology series, hosted by Kamilla, a rabbit monster. There is also a cast of two black cats, a water monster, and a set of crawling hands that do miscellaneous work. It’s pretty clearly low-budget, but it helps with the charm. It also helps that Kamilla throws out lame puns and jokes at every turn, which makes it better.

You wouldn’t miss it for the world.

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Going OOC…

First off, thank you for voting for “Cruel Summer” by Bananarama! It’s legit a good song.

Second off, the theme is…


Here’s how we’ll do this. Express your interest, whether in this thread or over DMs. I’ll then spin a wheel I made in wheelofnames.com, and pull up a horror trope or genre. Then, I send it over to you, and you have to pick a song based on the prompt. It can be a horror genre, a horror trope, or even a few joke prompts! I have upwards of 40 on the wheel right now, so don’t worry about me running out.

Special notice/disclaimer for this contest: Given the nature of this theme, some songs may play off more goofy interpretations of the prompt, while others may play it more… dead serious. As such, broad potential trigger warning for various horror tropes. I’ll state what the prompts were when I post them, as well as any additional triggers that may apply. Additionally, I am willing to reroll for any reason, even if it’s just ‘ew, can’t think of anything for this prompt.’ Don’t be afraid to ask for specific TWs, too!

[+] The Rules of Being Spooky

• Send me (Kami) your submission and votes on the board, via Discord DM, what have you! I am not in main chat, so I cannot be pinged there if you need anything, but I can be talked to on Mini!
• One round if there are 15 or fewer, two if more!
• Make sure you listen to every song, then rank them like this: 12 to your favorite, 10 to your next favorite, 8 to your third, and all the way down to one! Don’t vote for your own song, though, because that’s cheating!!!
• If you’re up, you must vote, or else you will be fed to the water monster! You may also do a public vote if you're not up, which will be half the points!
• Whoever wins this round will go on to host the next one! There are rumors that Kamilla will retire, but the show is looking for a new host!
• Don’t be a blazing dickhead. Being a blazing dickhead isn’t scary, it’s just dumb, annoying, and frustrating. Having opinions on songs and such is fine, just be polite. If I find out you aren’t being nice, I’ll start sending you actually scary things in the form of cursed memes, making sure you’re pinged for each and every single one. Don’t test me, I will do it.
• General song rules:
  - No songs already submitted to a previous songtest!
  - No penalty for length, but if it goes over seven minutes you are not obliged to listen to the entire length.
• Each round will go on for five (5) days. However, if you need an extension, let me know ASAP so we can arrange something.
• I'll be reminding people every 24 hours if they haven't voted yet.
• Extensions will only be given in extenuating circumstances. Forgetting isn't an extenuating circumstance. IRL issues, me messing up, site technical problems, etc. are.

Got that? Good? Now let’s get SCARY.

1. KamiKaze
2. Murderweasel
3. AnimeNerd
4. Ahab9
5. Kotorikun
6. BlizzardeyeWonder
7. Fiori
8. Laurels
9. Pancapples
10. Maraoone
11. dmboogie
12. Zetsu
13. Carlisle
14. LordofAwesome
15. DerArknight
16. Skraal

Italics are peepz who haven't picked yet.

Deadline to get everything in order is September the 12th at 11:59pm, PST!

AAAAAHHHHH!
(Sign me up, please!)

o shit this is cool

I'd like to spin the wheel, Pat.

[scromes a scream] in!!!

This sounds fun! Sign me up.

What's the scariest thing of all?

Is it vampires?

Ghouls?

Witches?

Werewolves?

Why, it's missing deadlines! Especially on opportunities. This is your just-over-25-hour reminder to sign up and submit songs if you haven't already.

Crap, I actually forgot.
Thanks for the reminder!

Boop! Just over 6 hours left!

One hour notice, last call!

Update: sorry for the delay! I already said this in Mini chat, but in case you didn't see, I was dealing with tech issues + sicky. I'm getting the post ready right now, so you should be able to vote shortly.

These people are up:
We have a total of 16 for this round.

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1. Sometimes, after coming home from a long journey, you feel almost like a stranger in a place you once found familiar. Alex Shepherd, of course, found out from experience. A young soldier, coming home from service! Only to discover just how much things had changed. I call this one… “Alex Theme (Machine Head Mix)”.
Prompt: Action Horror | Additional TW: N/A

2. Fun fact for you all: did you know the most burglarized state is New Mexico? I went there once, and took a wrong turn at Albuquerque. Anyways, this is the tale of a young man who starts a debt he cannot pay, and he learns– the hard way– that you should always pay your debts. This is the tale of " Alpha Desperation March".
Prompt: Home Invasion | Additional TW: N/A

3.What do you see when you look into the deep? Sometimes, I see fish. Waves. People I’ve buried. And, of course, the creatures that lurk in the deepest depths. The water monster gets hungry sometimes, you know? This tale is called… " Black Eyes."
Prompt: Cryptids | Additional TW: N/A

4. Speaking of the deep! Did you know that from 2019 to 2022, a total of 807 boats sunk in the ocean? Now, have you ever been on a ship? Have you heard their songs? Enchanting, isn’t it? But be warned. It may be best that you avoid… the " Craving."
Prompt: Aquatic Horrors | Additional TW: Illustrated artistic nudity in album art (tasteful, but warning to be on the safe side), mind manipulation themes

5. Ah, lucid dreaming! What a gift. I had a chase dream recently, but I remembered I was dreaming and I caught up to them. I was so sad when I woke up. But alas. Maybe you and your friends can become… "Dream Warriors."
Prompt: Slasher Horror | Additional TW: N/A

6. Two things that are always stressful: family reunions and new jobs. I think the protagonist of our tale, Mike, would agree. Working at his new technician job, learning the dark secrets of his family? And those robots! Well, I think we can all agree. Despite everything, one skill that always helps with a new job is learning… “ How to Pretend.”
Prompt: Automatonophobia | Additional TW: N/A

7. They say that the past always haunts. Mine does. I would forget my exes, but they keep coming back after I bury them! Anyways, the heroine of our tale is Anya, a young woman who is the sole survivor of a tragedy. However, there are still a few things watching her, waiting to make their move. Can she survive even… “ In the Dark of the Night”? Let’s find out!
Prompt: Kid-Friendly Horror | Additional TW: N/A

8. Man, who likes public transportation? I know I don’t. But maybe you can relate to the protagonist of our tale. A young woman, trying to regain the words she lost, and hitching a ride on the local train. Unfortunately, she comes up with a unique feeling of dread. Can you make it through… the “Lagtrain”?
Prompt: Existential Horror | Additional TW: N/A

9. They say that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. I think the protagonist of our tale learned that the hard way. He abandoned his girlfriend when she needed him most, and now… he will face the wrath of…. the “ Macabre Rotting Girl.”
Prompt: Zombies | Additional TW: Animated bloody violence in music video

10. You don’t really get to know someone until you date them. Sometimes, they take you by surprise! Our story is about a young werewolf, looking for a bite of love. But, the woman he falls for turns out to have a bit of a dark side of her own. But hey, it happens, right? This is the story of… “ Me and Mr. Wolf.”
Prompt: Yandere/Stalker | Additional TW: Animated bloody violence in music video

11. Plenty of creatures get their night. Vampires have theirs, witches have theirs, and ghouls have theirs. And I, Kamilla, get my night. I usually sit at home, eating. What am I eating? You don’t want to know. But you don’t want it to be their night. Who are they? The creatures who come out on a full moon. Get ready for… the “Night of the Werewolves”! Awoooooo!
Prompt: Werewolves | Additional TW: N/A

12. Have you ever heard of the word ‘bloodsucking’? Well, it refers to some of my old jobs, that’s for certain! But no, today’s story is about literal bloodsuckers. Sometimes, they suck other things, like energy! But come, let them show you how they stay alive. This is their… “ Poetry of the Poisoned.”
Prompt: Vampires | Additional TW: This a four-part song that lasts a total of nine minutes. The lyrics also allude to the classical incubus mythos, which may be an SA TW.

13. Now, what do you think of when you think of the future? I think of robots, AI, the impending end of the world! But in today’s story we get a classic from the cyberpunk genre. Our story takes place in the city of Rengkok, in the year 2091. Our silent protagonist is lead to commit the assassination of a lifetime. Unfortunately, he finds himself in too deep. But worry not! He will, in a sense… “Rise.”
Prompt: Sci-Fi Horror | Additional TW: Police brutality imagery in video

14. Ah, school clubs. Always full of drama. I think the protagonists of our tale would agree. A typical literature club! Four girls, all devoting themselves to literary analysis and poetry. Until, one day, a new member joins. Then, they are forced to not only confront their inner demons, but the nature of their reality. This one is called… “Sayo-nara.”
Prompt: Psychological Horror | Additional TW: Song is infamous for playing over a depiction of suicide. Video and song by itself is fine, but comments section may not be.

15. What is happiness? Is it friendship? Love? A good nap? Or is it something forced upon? The heroine of our tale has to ask these questions. A spokesperson for a major movement, she takes the time to reflect. But ah! Who has time to reflect? “This is the Happiness and Peace of Mind Committee”!
Prompt: Cults | Additional TW: Lyrics include mentions of brutal executions

16. How far would you be willing to go for something to believe in? If you’re dead in the eyes of your friends, would you have someone to pick you back up? Our protagonist wonders, but soon he breaks the boundaries of what is correct, and finds himself in a world of his own. This is called… “Watercolour.”
Prompt: Mad Science | Additional TW: N/A

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You vote like this:
12- Song Name
10- Song Name
8- ...
7- ...
6- ...
5- ...
4- ...
3- ...
2- ...
1- …

The deadline is September 18th at 11:59 PST. Please get your votes in! Also, please let me know if the links work, if there are any potential TWs and such I missed, etc.

Boop, two day notice.

Boop. Update.

I realize I haven't been keeping up with reminders, so I'll do everyone a favor. Your new deadline is September the 20th at 11:59 PST PM. Enjoy your extra time, as our time on Earth is limited!

Boop. Under two day reminder.