#Earshot horror podcast

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, October 24

Xander: Dammit! You know what? I'm sick of this crap. I'm sick of being the guy who eats insects and gets the funny syphilis. As of this moment, it's over. I'm finished being everybody's butt-monkey!

~~Buffy vs. Dracula~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Pretty When (Buffy/Angelus, E) by Anonymous

Cute When She's Sleeping (Buffy/Angelus, E) by Anonymous

Laying the Slayer (Buffy/Xander/Joyce, E) by WestorEast

from my heart and from my hand (Fred/Buffybot, E) by evesock

Time to Heal (2) (Buffy/Spike, SFW) by spuffybaby

Time to Heal (3) (Buffy/Spike, SFW) by spuffybaby

A Man in Shadow (Buffy/Spike, 13+) by Zab Jade

[Chaptered Fiction]

Be Back Before Dawn, Chapter 10 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Blissymbolics

Fury of the Fallen, Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by CheekyKitten

Unconditional, Chapter 15 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Blade Redwind

Slayers Interrupted, Chapter 3 (Crossover with Batman, FR18) by BlueStories

Inner Daemons, Chapter 11 (Anime crossover, FR15) by batzulger

A Sword in the Man, Chapter 13 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Desicat

Exorcise, Chapter 9 (Buffy/Spike, PG) by Desicat

Going AstralChapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Geliot99

reciprocity, Chapter 11 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by HappyWhenItRains

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork:[Buffy & Spike] by smoochiekissies

Artwork:[Buffy Summers] by tiredartzyaries

Artwork:Ethan and Giles break up by yarboyandy

Artwork: Good luck, babe! Chappell Roan (Buffy version) by theveryunlikelywonderland

Artwork:Good luck, babe! Chappell Roan (Cordelia version) by theveryunlikelywonderland

Manip:Collage #214 by thedecadentraven

Gifset:Buffy Summers + Ponytails by clarkgriffon

Gifset:Buffy Locations: Dracula's Castle (5.01) by 5bi5

Gifset:Faith Lehane + Outfits by clarkgriffon

Gifset:BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER REWATCH-> Nightmares (1.10) by creulsummer

Video: [BTVS Scrapbook] by Scraptasty

[Reviews & Recaps]

50 ̶F̶i̶r̶s̶t̶ Worst Dates | Buffy The Vampire Slayer 7x14 "First Date" | Normies Group Reaction! by The Normies

Buffy the Vampire Slayer 4x21 & 4x22 REACTION | "Primeval" & "Restless" by The Horror Bandwagon

"Tough Love" (5x19) | *Buffy the Vampire Slayer* Reaction by cass reacts

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER 1X5 REACTION | First Time Watching | Season 1 Episode 5 by Chance's House of Horrors

Dirty Girls: Buffy 7x18 Reaction by Dakara

Buffy-less: S1 E3 by Vampires and Mermaids

Buffy's Angels: Doomed by The Franchise: A Film Podcast

1-06 - The Pack - BUFFY REACTION COMMENTARY PODCAST by Definitely Doomed: A Buffy Commentary Podcast

Buffy's Angels: A New Man by The Franchise: A Film Podcast

Buffy's Angels: The I in Team by The Franchise: A Film Podcast

Buffy's Angels: This Year's Girl by The Franchise: A Film Podcast

Buffy's Angels: Goodbye Iowa by The Franchise: A Film Podcast

Episode 050 - Dopplegangland by Boys Watching Buffy

Episode 052 - Earshot by Boys Watching Buffy

[Recs & In Search Of]

buffy/giles recs recced by buffygiles

spuffy fic rec recced by mistigrisunshine

ISO: Cassie's website from season 7 by fang3d4

[Fandom Discussions]

[Dawn's connection to Joyce's illness] by snixregal and fang3d4

I decided to list the names Spike called Buffy BEFORE he realized he was in love with her by thequeenofsastiel

[Cordelia in Dead Man's Party] by forcebookish

[Spike's reaction to Angelus killing Buffy] by thequeenofsastiel

[Lily and Buffy parallels] by fang3d4

[Buffy leaving her mom with Spike] by thequeenofsastiel

anyone else wish we got more creature!spike? by captivebf

One thing about season 6 that is so sad is how Spike helped the gang all summer just for them to act like he never did. by jjmorelikeotp

one thing I really really love is how Spike is just so...comitted. by jjmorelikeotp

one of the most satisfying moments in the series for me is in 7x21 by thequeenofsastiel

[BTVS season 3 complaints] by stolehisdog

[Dawn was the audience] by fang3d4

[Angel on Spike's soul in ATS season 5] by thequeenofsastiel

my buffy the vampire slayer playlists by puppethistoryhive

Scoobtober: Favorite Buffy Moment? by Plasma

https://buffy-boards.com/threads/are-new-buffy-comics-still-being-made.81315/ by multiple authors

Weekly Watch-Along [18th Oct-25th Oct] by BPD-and-Lipstick

How would (later seasons) Scoobies deal with a Connor situation? by multiple authors

Who else? (I cannot be the only one). by multiple authors

Are the Summers Episcopalians? by multiple authors

3rd season Cordelia is the most beautiful woman in the whole Buffy/Angelverse by multiple authors

Petty Bone to Pick with “This Year’s Girl” (S4) by multiple authors

You deserved so much more, Cordy. by multiple authors

Pure demons.. I'm confused. by multiple authors

What was the public’s response to Buffy’s resurrection when it was aired? by multiple authors

Played the Buffy Board Game last night by multiple authors

Favorite/Least Favorite Cross Over Episode and Why by multiple authors

"If I had any real power..." by multiple authors

S4 and S5 Xander is my favorite Xander by multiple authors

What's Your Favorite Line? I'll go first, What Is Your Childhood Trauma? by multiple authors

Anya by multiple authors

Episode Nitpicks: The Zeppo by multiple authors

Would Buffy and Angel had been as popular if Angel was the show's version of Pike? by multiple authors

Buffy's Impact by multiple authors

Can we talk about… by multiple authors

First time watcher. SMG in this scene? I am amazed by multiple authors

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

Publication: Amber Benson Recalls 'Bananas' First Day on Buffy Set 25 Years Later (Exclusive) via TooFab

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

[worldwright]

Good evening !

Today marks the first year anniversary of my attempt and it's heavy on my mind (of fucking course), but i need to focus on my tattoo (i want to get it NOW)

I want to be able to at least finish one month in college, but ffs, it's so fucking hard, not that i have much choice but Oh Well

t a t t o o

(it's my new mantra) (getting to another day because TATTOO) (even if getting you neck done hurts like a bitch)

have a wonderful morning my friend !

ough, yeah neck will be FUN 😂😂 I only had a small part on my lower neck and it was. certainly the most distracting part of the tattoo LOL

my friend isn't sure whether she wants to accept this job offer and I personally think it's really not a good idea to refuse it with less than a month of funds left when it took three months to get this one offer but I need to be supportive even if I feel like she's making a bad decision ughhhhhhhhhhhh

week left until classes :3

relistening to re:dracula, ugh I love this drama hehehe

ALSO like. do horror podcast cast & crew just have like a email list or something because I swear there's almost always multiple creators crossing over between them lmfao. there are two (possibly three) cast members from tma in re:dracula, one of whom is a boat captain in BOTH 😂😂

jfc if she doesn't accept this job I'm gonna go out of earshot and SCREAM

I can't believe it's been a year already..... anniversary of us starting asks as well 👀🫶

stay safe, do a nice thing this evening, love you, friend <3

[hoggleswart]

viiktorious  asked:      🧱    &    👪    &    🏆      for  justin.

how  would  you  describe  your  muses’  morality?  what  are  their  core  values?

justin  is  your  typical  lawful  good  character.  he  follows  the  rules,  he  believes  in  the  greater  good.  he’s  built  on  the  belief  that  the  world  can  be  a  better  place  if  everybody  just  held  each  other  in  high  value.  a  lot  of  his  core  values  stem  around  this,  making  him  loyal,  honest,  an  exceptionally  fair  team  player  and  above  all  else,  he  has  strong  integrity.  he’s  less  likely  to  stand  up  for  himself,  but  highly  likely  to  defend  a  friend  or  someone  he  cares  for.  it  isn’t  impossible  for  him  to  break  rules,  proven  by  joining  dumbledore’s  army,  but  it’s  usually  under  only  exceptional  circumstances  in  which  he  believes  the  necessity  outweighs  the  consequences.  in  some  elements, 

is  your  muse  multitalented?  what  are  their  hobbies,  and  why  did  they  pick  up  these  hobbies?  if  they  don’t  have  hobbies,  why  don’t  they?

justin  is  not  a  naturally  gifted  person  in  general.  he’s  clumsy,  he’s  unorganised.  he  still  accidentally  glues  his  fingers  together  if  trying  to  do  something  creative.  i  don’t  think  he  has  a  lot  of  impressive  talents  so  to  speak,  but  he  does  have  a  lot  of  hobbies  and  he  approaches  them  all  with  a  strong  enthusiasm  that  can  often  make  up  for  his  lack  of  precision.  these  hobbies  include,  but  aren’t  limited  to;    video  games,  skateboarding,  watching  documentaries,  anything  pokemon  related,  equally  anything  old  horror  -  related    /    even  if  it  gives  him  nightmares  after,  and  an  odd  one  to  finish,  pumpkin  -  carving.  no  other  art.  just  pumpkin  carving.  he  does  have  a  strong  talent  of  being  able  to  absorb    &    pick  apart  information,  however,  which  helps  him  greatly  in  running  his  true  crime  podcast.   

what  is  your  muse’s  relationship  with  their  parents  like?  was  it  always  this  way?

the  relationship  between  justin  and  his  parents  is  parts  complicated,  parts  simple.  ultimately,  at  the  end  of  it  all,  justin  adores  them    &    they  adore  their  boy.  he  was  an  only  child  and  a  surprise  one  at  that,  which  naturally  saw  him  become  the  apple  of  their  eye.  raised  by  muggles,  nobody  in  their  household  knew  about  the  wix  world  until  that  letter  came  through.  still,  discovering  their  child  was  a  wizard  was  never  the  real  issue  as  much  as  the  consequences  that  quickly  came  with  it.  he’s  barely  at  hogwarts  two  years  before  he’s  petrified;    an  incident  mr    &    mrs  finch  -  fletchley  can’t  ever  wrap  their  heads  around.  that’s  when  the  doubt  starts  to  sink  in    (    are  you  quite  sure  you  wouldn’t  be  happier  at  your  old  school,  dear?  there’s  still  a  place  waiting  for  you  at  eton  when  you’re  older.    )    and  in  turn,  that’s  when  justin  starts  to  lie.  he  covers  up  what  he  can.  opts  not  to  tell  his  parents  about  students  dying  in  tournaments  or  war  impending.  it  isn’t  because  they’re  not  close,  but  rather,  fear.  he  didn’t  want  to  be  ripped  from  this  extraordinary  world  he’d  discovered.  he  also  feared  the  more  they  knew,  the  more  at  risk  they’d  be.  keeping  them  in  the  dark  seemed  kinder.  to  this  day,  his  parents  are  still  relatively  unaware  of  the  horrors  they’ve  all  faced  during  that  second  wizarding  war.  any  friends  lucky  enough  to  meet  them  are  well  -  versed  in  what  they  can    &    can’t  talk  about  within  earshot.  he’s  truly  convinced  it’s  better  that  way  and  even  if  someone  could  change  his  mind  on  that,  he’s  been  lying  so  long  now,  he  doesn’t  fully  know  how  to  stop  without  imploding  their  entire  relationship. 

[bureaukat]

Superlatives: 2022

I have an enthusiastic dislike for ranked, annual lists -- not because there is anything inherently wrong with them, but because they are, personally, a bad way for me to experience things I'm supposed to enjoy.

But I did make more of an effort to be mindful of how I felt about the culture and activities I engaged in this year, and have some thoughts, if you'll have them.

Books I'm Happiest to Have Read

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (2015)

A dark fantasy tale full of interesting, productively broken characters, told with immediacy and care. So mad that this was someone's first novel.

The Auctioneer by Joan Samson (1976)

This was Samson's only novel before she died of brain cancer. Every part of that statement is sad. The Auctioneer is about the confluence of modernity and hucksterism, taken to horrific extremes. Has shades of my beloved Shirley Jackson.

Films I'm Happiest to Have Seen

Attachment dir. by Gabriel Bier Gislason

Surprise! It's a foreign horror film that dabbles in religion and broken love. It is often very funny without drawing attention to itself. I fell hard for all the performances. Happy to see Shudder picked it up.

Everything, Everywhere, All at Once and Glass Onion are also on the list, but I don't have a single interesting thing to say about either.

Podcast I Was Most Obsessed With

I've listened to You Must Remember This for years, but 2022 is the year I went back and listened to as much as possible and annoyed everyone in earshot about it. The run on Polly Platt shifted something that finally got me to start writing again.

Games that Brought Me the Most Joy

I spent months grinding for the next neat thing in No Man's Sky. I have no desire to return currently, but it soothed some rough days. It's an interesting game that keeps evolving and has deeper mechanics than I initially guessed.

After Fortnight launched a no-build mode, my husband I have gotten very into the dominant battle royale. It's main aim is to delight, and it very often does.

A year after release, I played Cyberpunk 2077 and could not believe how good it was. It's my favorite action, open-world RPG I've played since Fallout 4, in an environment when those games are increasingly expensive and risky to make. Plus, my player character looked so damn cool all the time.

Right now, I'm absolutely obsessed with and delighted by Marvel's Midnight Suns. As much as I'm loathe to allow any more Marvel IP into my life, this is not the MCU. This is the corner of Marvel I still enjoy and am interested in. The turn-based combat is fun and satisfying and I've found my true calling as a superhero therapist. I would die for my best friends, Blade and Magik.

Food I Ate That Made Me Question If I'd Ever Enjoyed Any Other Food Before

My husband perfected a homemade mochi donut that was so good I hollered.

I finally went to Uchi for happy hour. I had the sake tom kha and nearly blacked out from pure pleasure.

[earshotpodcast]

The grandmother of a woman in the middle of her husband's chest. What did the woman do? Listen to More Earshot Horror Podcast know to Click Season-2 https://bit.ly/3yFbZYT

[thehipsterzombiejointexperience]

Shadowlands Unveil New Single From Upcoming 003 LP Shadowlands is back with a new single from their forthcoming 003 LP (see Big Takeover premiere…

[damienthepious]

ah shit we broke 50k on this beast. happy Lizard Kissin’ Tuesday

Scattered on my Shore (Chapter 12)

[Ch 1] [Ch 2] [Ch 3] [Ch 4] [Ch 5] [Ch 6] [Ch 7] [Ch 8] [Ch 9] [Ch 10] [Ch 11] [ao3] [Ch 13] [Ch 14] [Ch 15] [Ch 16] [Ch 17] [Ch 18] [Ch 19]

Fandom: The Penumbra Podcast

Relationship: Lord Arum/Sir Damien/Rilla, Sir Damien/Rilla

Characters: Rilla, Lord Arum, Sir Damien

Additional Tags: Second Citadel, Lizard Kissin’ Tuesday, Pre-Relationship, (for the three of them. it’s established r/d), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Injury, Injury Recovery, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, (this will also be), Enemies to Lovers, (for damien and arum eventually lol)

Fic Summary: Strange things wash up out of the lake near Rilla’s hut, on occasion. But this monster… this monster is certainly the strangest.

Chapter Summary: Damien and Arum, Arum and Damien, and Rilla- Rilla is having a difficult evening.

Chapter Notes: Yesterday was the one year anniversary of the day I first started writing Penumbra fic. Oh, how time flies. Oof. Also. Hm. I've been mentally calling this the emotional whiplash chapter. Be gentle with yourself? Warnings for blood, violence, fighting, canon-typical deception, canon-typical monstrous horrors and canon-typical monster-horror deaths, including some upsetting imagery that I wrote at like two a m and then was a little perturbed by the next morning. Uh. I think that's everything? I swear this fic is soft sometimes.

~

Rilla still tastes sticky pink at the back of her sinuses, reeking strange but somehow vaguely sweet, and Tal's voice calls out through the jungle. Tal's voice is not the only noise, though. There is crashing, tree limbs cracking, shouting and roaring and rattling that makes Rilla's stomach twist with familiarity she doesn't want to place.

She clings to Marc's shoulders as Dampierre runs them towards his brother's voice. She catalogs symptoms, catalogs coincidences in the back of her mind, and she hopes that the twinge of instinctive terror in her gut is wrong.

~

Time sighs past them, tortuously slow, and Arum is beginning to suspect that the knight is deliberately attempting to drive him out of his skull. Eventually Arum's thin patience snaps, and he sits up straight in the bed, tail thrashing as he scowls.

"Must you do that?"

Damien doesn't seem to hear him. He paces in a tight circle on the other side of the room, seemingly unaware of the book still clutched tightly in his hands, unaware that his knuckles are going pale with that tightness. "Saint Damien above, please," he murmurs to himself, for perhaps the eighteenth time, "oh I cannot lose her, I cannot- how can I remain here, still and unharmed while she flies towards danger with a smile, my Saint? How can I endure the torturous burden of safety while my beloved could be in any peril, any peril at all? Perils unknown! Perils unknowable, teeming in the dark of night, and with my forever-flower accompanied by so untrustworthy a companion-"

"Songbird, honestly, the squawking-"

"The Salamander, of all companions, and I must remain behind, must either leave her unprotected- or precariously protected, at the very best, or else I shall break my word to her! To act otherwise would be to break not only the bond of my word, but to break her heart in the same moment-"

Arum barks a laugh. "Oh please, honeysuckle. I do not think Amaryllis' heart is quite so fragile as that." He snorts. "Not quite so fragile as yours, that is, always aching and cracking within you."

Damien pauses his pacing, then shoots the monster a scathing look. "What business have you, beast, in discussing either of our hearts?"

"You certainly won't shut up about it in earshot," Arum growls. "Forgive me for misconstruing a conversation out of your ceaseless heartsick blather."

"I would not expect a monster to understand the value of prayer, Lord Arum," Damien says through his teeth. "Nor the ache of love."

Arum opens his mouth, meaning give a biting retort, and then he remembers Amarayllis' eyes, and how soft they were when she asked-

He closes his mouth again, sighing, and Damien eyes him suspiciously for a few moments before he resumes his pacing, resumes his muttering.

The poet's heart speeds again as the minutes continue to pass, his breaths growing more shallow. Arum does not know what else he is meant to focus on, besides Sir Damien slowly twisting himself to pieces. His words are running so fast that they have begun to bleed together, almost too panicked for Arum to parse into individual thoughts, and when Damien chokes on a breath and his eyes go bright Arum cannot keep his mouth closed another moment longer.

"You are not helping, Damien," he says, and the knight turns towards him, his lips curling in something that could have been a scowl, if he did not look so otherwise distressed. "If your prayer has value, so be it, but it does not appear that it is doing anything at this moment beside causing you to pull your own feathers out. Stop- stop thrashing about and find another thought to worry on. Threaten me again. That certainly seemed to amuse you, before."

Damien startles, oddly, somewhere in the middle of Arum's words, and then he goes still. "I…" he pauses, coughs. "I suppose… I suppose I have been- twisting and drowning in the mire of this misery for far too long," he mutters, pressing his hand over his mouth. "Tranquility is… so terribly far from me, this night," he says, even more quietly, more to himself than anything.

"Amaryllis is clever and ferocious. I very much doubt she would bolt off in foolishness at the risk of her own neck. Do you imagine that she would wish for you to drive the both of us to madness in your worry? If your words are not helping, find other words, or other action. Do something useful, honeysuckle. If you continue as you are, you will simply distress yourself further." He pauses. "And continue to give me a headache."

"Something useful," Damien echoes, his gaze distant. "What … I cannot compose in this state. I cannot- I do not know what to do. I am…"

Enough tension pulls at the poet's frame that he looks as if he may crack in two.

Arum sighs. "Here," he says quietly. "Give me that book, at least. Before you go ahead and snap its spine in your little talons."

Damien looks at his own hands, then, as if he had forgotten that they existed entirely, his grip on the book finally loosening. "Ah-"

"Amaryllis was going to share the notes with me anyway. I may as well begin work on my translation. Perhaps I can have a page or two to share with her when she returns."

"When she returns," Damien whispers. "When she returns. Yes. Of course, when she-" he shudders out a breath, and then he steps close enough to Arum to pass the journal to him.

The leather of the binding feels warm from Damien's hands, and Arum brushes his thumb over the label on the cover, written in Amaryllis' impatient but neat scrawl. "Excellent," he says, because he does not wish to say thank you. "Now, perhaps you should check the food, as she asked, honeysuckle. Perhaps it will be easier to calm yourself if you have a moment where you need not share the room with so foul a beast as I."

Damien opens his mouth, his cheeks darkening, and then he snaps his jaw shut again, looking away. "The food. Yes," he murmurs, and then the poet retreats.

When Damien leaves the room Arum leans back, sighing and allowing himself his own moment of worry.

A couple hours. Amaryllis is- Arum's words were in no way false, she is both clever and ferocious, and he does not know this other human she has gone into the wilds with, but he cannot imagine that she would trust her protection to someone unworthy of that honor. This is her home. Certainly she knows the territory that surrounds it. Certainly she will be in no danger at all.

Certainly.

He composes himself before Damien returns with their meal, and Damien is tense and stiff but he finishes his bowl without another muttering collapse, which Arum is learning is as close to a success as he is likely to manage. He resumes his translation, then, poring over the thin botanical tome and trying not to notice as Damien's heart gradually begins to race again.

The poet straightens, suddenly, standing from his lean against the counter, and then without a word he goes back out to the front room again, leaving Arum watching his back in alarm. When he returns he is clutching what appears to be- his bow, his armor, his quiver and packs and all manner of miscellany. Damien crouches to drop the lot of it on the floor, somewhat close to Arum's bed, and then he sinks to sit beside the pile, pulling his bow out first and examining it with keen, narrowed eyes.

"What are you up to now, honeysuckle?" Arum asks, lowering the books in his hands.

"Something useful, I hope," Damien warbles in response. "I have been meaning to restring my bow for weeks, now. I cannot do much else, at the moment, so I may as well perform the tasks I have been delaying in favor of more pressing matters, as I am being currently pressed to stillness instead."

Arum certainly cannot complain about that. Damien's expression has gone focused, poised, as he carefully and skillfully bends his bow into the proper position for him to remove the current (apparently unsatisfactory) string. Arum eyes the rest of the pile curiously, observing the well-battered armor, the quiver which looks both old and loved, patched with many careful mendings.

Arum narrows his eyes at the rest of Damien's packs as the knight carefully begins the process of restringing his bow, and a small plain leather sheath catches his attention. He reaches with his tail to pull it out from the rest, lifting it to take into his hands, setting Amaryllis' book and its translation aside on the sheets for a moment.

"Hrm…" Arum notes that this leather is vaguely tattered, but not mended with care as the quiver is. He slips the knife out, and Damien turns towards him and tenses at the edge of his vision but Arum is far too distracted to care because- "Honeysuckle, have you no respect at all for your weaponry? I understand that you favor your bow but-" he turns the blade in the light, noting the dullness of the edge, the light speckling of rust across the metal. "This is a travesty. It is dull as a branch and it looks as if it went swimming with you. You would be more likely to harm yourself with this mistreated thing than any enemy." He growls low, scraping his claw along the edge of the blade, bringing it closer to his snout to inspect more closely, clicking his tongue in disappointment. "Careless. Negligent. You must have a whetstone somewhere, oils and the like, honeysuckle. Bring them here this instant and I will give this little blade the care it has been denied."

Arum continues to turn the blade close in front of his eye, and it takes him a long moment to realize that Damien has not moved. Arum blinks, shaking his head, and then he looks over the metal and Damien meets his eye, his seated stance tense, his hands on his bow gone slack and his eyes bright with worry and with- something else Arum cannot interpret.

Arum frowns, unsure for a long moment precisely what the issue is, before he realizes-

A knife in his hands. An armed monster, and a knight with his bow unstrung.

Of course.

Arum looks away from Damien, his breath rattling in discomfort, and his hands flex against the hilt of the blade. He inhales around the strange weight in his chest, and then he hisses the breath back out through his teeth. "Don't be foolish, honeysuckle," he manages in a growl. "What could I do with this wretched knife that I could not do with my claws already? If I wanted to hurt you, there would be cleverer ways than this. Bring me the tools. I do not care to watch you oil and polish and spoil your favored toy over there while this little edge remains in disrepair. Besides," he gives a short, stilted laugh, "a dull knife is far, far more dangerous than the alternative. I will protect you from your own negligence, have no fear."

Arum does not look back towards Damien, so he does not see whatever expression it is that the poet wears as he stares for another long moment. He manages not to look when he hears Damien rise to stand, as well, though when the knight leaves the room he cannot keep his shoulders from sagging.

Damien does not have the first clue what Arum is capable of, with any sort of blade. Damien does not have the first clue what Arum is capable of at all. But obviously, obviously the knight's instincts are sound. He is more correct than even he knows.

Damien returns, and without a word he hands Arum the requested tools, and then he goes to resume his own tasks.

Without a word, Arum turns the blade in his hands, and then he begins the slow, gentle work of restoring it to its proper sharpness, and shine.

 ~

The false Rattlepanther is a puddle of melted spores behind them, and Dampierre bursts out from a tangle of bramble and glossy leaves. Their entrance into the clearing scatters the thick pink mist enough that Rilla sees the source of the noises immediately, the shouting, the fighting-

Damien and Arum, trying to kill each other in the mud, just beneath the enormous thumping threat of the Numb-Cap.

They're both bloody already. The bandages on Arum's midsection are soaked through with red beneath the dirty brown, his frill is worse off, even, than it had been when she found him in the first place, and Damien- Damien's arms are totally sliced up, obvious claw wounds, and there is a similar gash across one cheek, too, bleeding brightly over his chin and down his neck as they grapple with each other, their legs caught tight together in the sticky grip of a writhing pink slime mold beneath them.

"Damien! Damien stop-"

They do not pull away from each other, but both of them glance towards her for a moment as she leaps down from the saddle, Arum with his teeth bared and bloody, Damien with his eyes flat and hard and blank.

"Of course," Damien says in a cold murmur. "Of course. I begin to doubt and- and you, my precious flower, you come like dawn to show me my true path. To remind me of my duty. This creature has twisted your mind, has pulled your heart from me-"

Her heart plunges like a stone, actually, at the accusation. "Damien, that's not-"

"Has upset the order of our very lives. It is for you, my love, that I must kill this monster. I must slay this beast."

"If you even can, you boasting little fool-"

"Don't! Stop! Just- don't do anything, I'm coming over there and-"

"Rilla, wait-" Marc grabs her shoulder, and Rilla fights back an urge to smack him. "Remember how it was with Talfryn. They're knee-deep in slime, and for all we know they could be more of those spore illusion things, right?"

"I-" Rilla looks back towards them, and then she meets Marc's eyes. "I don't know. I don't know if- I don't know why they would-"

"If you go over there you're gonna get stuck in it too," he says, and Rilla grits her teeth together tight.

"If they're real they're going to kill each other!"

Marc's brow furrows, but he shakes his head. "So what do we do, then? Maybe we can pull Damien out, but that monster's not gonna make it easy, and we gotta do that without getting sucked in in the meantime."

"I know, I know," Rilla chokes, her mind spinning in helpless circles as Damien and Arum fight. "I just- I'm thinking, I'll-"

"Do you think they're real?" Marc presses, squeezing her shoulder, and Rilla looks up at him for a moment before she looks back towards the grappling pair. "Talfryn- those things he said. All of that- it was on my mind today. Would Damien fighting a monster like this, would that have been on your mind today? Or- is there any chance Damien would even be out here?"

She and Marc have been turned around enough- Rilla doesn't even know how far they are from the hut, anymore. Could Damien and Arum actually be out here? Is that possible? Rilla doesn't have a clue. Possible or not, though-

Real or not. Rilla's heart is pounding and pounding and pounding. Louder than the Numb-Cap. Twice as fast, too. Damien and Arum trying to kill each other- would they? Would they really, or is Rilla just so scared, does the idea hurt her so much-

Arum isn't evil. Arum wouldn't hurt her. She knows that. She's been hoping that Arum not hurting her would extend to Damien, too, but- but Damien still thinks-

Rilla can't even tell who's winning. Damien's bowstring is snapped, it looks like he's just trying to stab Arum with one of his arrows instead, and Arum is holding him back from completing the strike with two clawed hands digging into his wrists, his other hands swiping towards Damien's stomach.

"Stop!" Marc's hand on her shoulder is the only thing that keeps her from bolting towards him. "Saints- stop it! Stop fighting! You're going to kill each other-"

"I will slay this beast," Damien snarls, his muscles straining as he twists, barely avoiding the claws and barely having his own strike held off. "I must do my duty-"

"Get on with it, then, honeysuckle," Arum snarls, claws drawing blood at his wrists, and Damien cries out-

"Arum!"

"I told you, Amaryllis. I warned you that you would not be able to collar him-"

"Be silent, beast," Damien shouts, wrenching his arms back from Arum's resisting hands, "and die-"

Damien's hands bring the arrow down, and Arum's hands swing his claws up-

And Rilla isn't even sure which terrifies her more.

Damien plunges the arrow into Arum's shoulder and he gives a pained, gasping snarl that stretches into almost a howl, and at the same moment Arum's claws find Damien's ribs, making him scream.

Rilla could scream too. She can- she knows- the angle of the arrow, the depth of Arum's claws, she can still fix them, both of them, she can still make this okay if she can get them away from each other-

If they're real.

Arum digs his claws in, twisting his wrists. Damien shouts, and grits his teeth, and pushes the arrow deeper, and behind them, the Numb-Cap beats like a giant exposed heart.

Rilla takes a breath. She digs her hand into the satchels at her belt.

"Step back, Dampierre," she says, and as the horse moves she moves with him, until they are just barely far enough, and then she throws the explosive.

It catches quickly. The slime mold races with fire as if it is soaked with oil, and the fighting figures are caught within it, so-

They burn beneath the mushroom, screaming and writhing, and Arum does not pull his claws from Damien, and Damien does not release his grip on the arrow. Not even when the both of them melt and pop into a flurry of burning spores, as the Numb-Cap's horrible beating heart finally scorches out.

Death grip, Rilla thinks grimly, and then she leans heavy against Dampierre.

She guessed right. It wasn't them. She didn't kill them.

The light of the flames is still burnt into the back of her eyes, two twisting silhouettes, intertwined.

She guessed right.

That doesn't make her feel better. Not at all.

~

"There," Arum says softly, and Damien, who has long since finished with his bow and has now resorted to rearranging the entire contents of his traveling packs, looks up.

"There?"

"It has been treated as well as possible, with the tools provided. I hope it shall not be so neglected again."

He holds the knife out between them, then, hilt first, and Damien-

Damien stands, slowly, and steps close enough to reach out and take the blade back.

Arum drops his hand and his gaze once the knife is in Damien's hands. Damien lifts it closer, inspecting, and-

It is beautiful. Arum even polished the hilt, even cleaned the grit from the engravings. Damien can see the surprise in his own eyes reflected in the new shine of the metal, and he can tell when he tests it against his thumb that it is sharper, perhaps, than it has ever been.

"It is nearly as sharp and dangerous as I am, now," Arum hisses low with a flick of the tongue, and something about his tone coils in Damien's stomach, and his breath catches and his fingers twitch and-

"Ah!"

Damien only barely manages not to drop the blade, though he has run the curved tip across his palm, below his thumb, pulling open a shallow red line.

"Honeysuckle-" Arum sits up straighter, his tongue darting in the air again, and then his brow furrows deep. "Foolish creature. I sharpened it. Did you not think it would then be sharp? "

"My- my hand slipped, Arum, I assure you it was not some intentional testing of your word. Ah, ah-"

Arum slips from the sheets, rolling unsteadily to his feet. "Let me see- ah, not too terribly deep, then." He reaches a hand out, taking the blade back, and then he pushes Damien so that he stumbles to sit on the bed instead. Damien makes an instinctive noise in protest, but Arum narrows his eyes sternly. "Sit, you delicate little songbird." He turns away then, limping to the counter and then reaching to rummage through the cabinets, grumbling to himself as he goes.

"Arum, I-"

"Hush. I have seen the doctor work enough that I believe I can manage so small a wound as this." He returns with disinfectant and a roll of bandages, and when Damien opens his mouth to protest again he scowls. "I should certainly love to see you attempt to apply all of this one handed, honeysuckle. It was my efforts that you managed to damage yourself upon, allow me to fix it so you may not lay this blame on me as well."

Damien feels his cheeks darkening as Arum kneels heavily beside the bed, and then he takes Damien's hands in his own with an inarguable sort of gentleness, turning his palm upwards and hissing low. His eyes glitter as he examines the injury, as he begins to treat it.

Lord Arum does not work with the same smiling sort of care that his Rilla does, but he is efficient and attentive, even as he growls under his breath. When he slices through the bandage with a claw to separate it from the roll, Damien's pulse jumps oddly, his breath catching, and Arum meets his eye for a moment.

"Careless little honeysuckle," he murmurs as he finishes the wrapping. Then he draws his claws over the white of the bandages on Damien’s palm with a delicacy that makes Damien's skin race with something that feels like lightning. "If I did not know any better, I would think you were trying to have your petals plucked…"

Damien feels heat rush through him like a furnace door thrown open at his back, his hand flexing in Arum's grasp. "I… Lord Arum, I…" he pauses, and Arum's eyes are so vivid, so strange. "Th-thank you."

Arum blinks, and then his vivid eyes drop. He releases Damien's hand, then shifts to grip the bed so he can pull himself to stand. "Don't thank me," he mutters, his tone so entirely blank after the strange warmth that came before. "It was my sharpness that cut you. I was simply ensuring that you would have no evidence to throw in Amaryllis' face to push further towards my death, little knight."

The coldness of the words pushes Damien to stand, far more than Arum climbing back into the bed does.

"Arum-"

"What?" Arum is already curled onto his side atop the blankets, already turned away, but he shoots Damien an irritable look over his shoulder. “What, knight?”

Damien feels his mouth hanging open. His eyes draw slow along the strange, elegant curves of Arum's snout, his teeth, his horns, but he cannot find the right words.

The pause hangs too long, and Arum drops his eyes with a sigh, rolling to face away.

Damien feels his heart, thudding like a stranger at the door. He lifts his bandaged hand, cupping it to his chest, and he feels the wound pulse too, with each unceasing beat.

~

The jungle is darker, after all that fire, and there is a glass jar rattling heavy (in metaphorical weight) in Rilla's pocket, and Rilla has enough Numb-Cap to make Marc's medicine for years, now, and she's so tired that she feels like she could collapse. And Marc-

"So… Rilla… do you want to-"

"No."

"You didn't even let me finish!"

"You were gonna ask again if I wanna talk about it, and I don't, Marc."

"But, Rilla-"

Rilla scowls and starts walking faster, pulling ahead of Marc and Dampierre for a moment or two.

"Rilla! C'mon, don't- don't be like that. You can't honestly expect me not to be worried! That- that whole thing-"

"We handled it, Marc. It's done with."

"We did and don't get me wrong, any adventure with that many explosions is gonna wind up featured prominently in my memoirs, but seriously, what the hell was that?"

"A bunch of big, gross, mutated fungi with shitty magic metaphor powers," she gripes, but Marc pulls Dampierre in front of her, making her stumble to a scowling stop. "Marc. I want to go home, finish your pills, and go to sleep."

"You know that's not what I meant, Rilla." He stares down at her, his eyebrows furrowed with uncharacteristic gravity. "That fake-monster that fake-Damien was trying to kill. You called it by name, Rilla."

Rilla's muscles tense. She hadn't- she didn't realize that-

"If you're doing something dangerous- we're family, Rilla. I just want to know that you're safe, okay? It's been … things have been dangerous, lately. More dangerous than normal, I mean. The monsters have been pulling stuff like that fungus, you know? Stuff that gets in your head, uses your fears against you, turns you against each other, and I just- I know you won't take a break from your work, but I need to know that you're at least looking out for yourself."

"I'm looking out for myself, Marc," she grits out through her teeth, and then she pushes her way around Dampierre. They're close enough to the hut that she can see the light through the underbrush, and she just doesn't have the energy-

"I'm just- c'mon, I'm not being unfair here, I know I'm not," he says, trotting after her again. "Just tell me why you seemed just as freaked out about Damien hurting that lizard as you did about it going the other way, Rilla, because I just can't-"

She spins back, scowling. "Drop it, Marc!"

"Just give me something to go on, here! Give me something that lets me know you aren't doing something illegal and dangerous again, because right now I'm scared that the next time you get caught red handed, they're gonna skip the exile and go straight for execution!"

Rilla's breath catches. "I- I-"

"Rilla," Marc says. "Please. You know that I love you. You gotta talk to me, because if things have gone so wrong that I'm the one worrying about you? We're breaking the natural order of the universe, here. Water's gonna start flowing uphill next thing you know."

A laugh pushes past her panic, choking but sincere. She hesitates, then steps closer to Marc again, reaching a hand to rub Dampierre's ear as she meets Marc's eye.

"I love you too," she says, first, and then she sighs. "I wish I could explain, Marc, I really, really do, but- but I don't know how to. You just have to trust me. You have to trust that I know what I'm doing."

"You say that even when you don't know what you're doing, though," he points out, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, well." She shakes her head. "This time I mean it, okay? Look, just- I didn't know for sure that they were fake when I burned them, Marc. I had a solid theory, but I didn't know, and I still did it because I knew it was the right thing to do. Because I knew Damien would rather burn than kill himself with guilt, and because I knew if I was wrong about A-" she stumbles. "About the monster, if he would hurt Damien or anyone else, it would be my fault. So- so I burned them."

"Rilla…"

"You have to trust me," she repeats. "I know that I'm right. That I'm doing the right thing. But- but if the evidence doesn't bear that out, I'll … I'll face those consequences. I'll deal with the situation. I'll fix it."

Marc's frown eases, just slightly, and after a moment he sighs, reaching out to pat the back of her hand. "Alright, Rilla. Okay. Just… be careful? And- and just- let me know, y’know? If you need help, if- if things get out of hand."

Rilla sighs, too tired to bristle properly at the suggestion that she might need help, and then she nods. "I know, Marc. I will. Now c'mon, we're almost there, and I still gotta make your medicine."

~

They hear Rilla come in through the closed exam room door, and she calls out very clearly to Marc through the outer door before they hear her pull the window open so she can continue to talk to him as she starts to mix her ingredients together.

It takes about an hour, all told, and Damien does not relax that entire time. From the way Arum keeps forgetting himself and growling low, from the way his tail continues to flick and thrash, neither does the monster. Eventually, though, Rilla passes some quiet words to Marc, and then she finally, finally closes the window again. Even through the door Damien can hear Rilla sigh so deeply it makes Damien's heart pull, her exhaustion a physical sort of pain within him.

Once he hears the hoofbeats fade away from the hut, Damien pulls the door of the exam room open and Rilla is already standing just outside, her legs muddy to the knee, her hair pulling from her braid and clouding around her, her eyes bright, and she looks at him and then over his shoulder at Arum and then her shoulders sag and her face splits with such relief that it looks as if it may crumple her.

Damien takes her into his arms instantly, without thought, guiding her back out into the front room. "Rilla, my dearest, my Amaryllis, you aren't hurt, are you?"

"No. I promise, I'm not, I just-"

"What happened?"

"Monster mushrooms, basically," she mumbles, shrugging, and Damien tries not to feel it like ice in his guts, his failure to protect her. "We- we dealt with it."

He inhales, exhales, prays for a silent moment, and then he asks, "And you are certain that you were not hurt?"

"I'm just-" her voice is too thick, but she gives a laugh through it, waving a hand in the air and pushing her hair out of her face. "Tired, that's all. I'm just- exhausted and covered in gross fungus slime and- and I've got about a thousand sticks caught in my hair, and- and- and I'm glad," she laughs again, a little wild. "I'm glad you didn't f-fight, while I was gone."

"Of course not," Damien says, as soft as he can manage, and then he pulls her closer, squeezing tight for just a moment before he spins, turning her as if they're dancing for only a breath. She chokes a surprised laugh against him as he gently maneuvers her to sit by the table, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. "Now. I can help with at least one of your dilemmas, my love. Let me fetch a brush, and I will at least help you comb the jungle from your hair before we sleep."

She inhales a shaky breath, then nods. "Alright. I'm- I'm not gonna argue if you wanna- if you wanna spoil me a bit," she murmurs weakly.

"Always," he murmurs through a smile, "I always do." He kisses her temple again before he straightens to go fetch the comb.

When he returns, Arum is in the doorway of his room, peering out at the herbalist with obvious concern, leaning heavily on his crutch.

"You are- not injured?"

Rilla sighs, and that more than anything assures Damien that her exhaustion is no small thing. Ordinarily, she would at least scowl at having that question asked of her a third time.

"Merely weary, she assures me," Damien says, and Arum flicks his eyes towards the knight for a moment before he frowns, and then nods. The monster watches as Damien steps close again, sinking to sit behind Rilla so he may take the tie from her hair, and slowly begin to comb out the tangles, the leaves and- and bits of ash that seem to have stuck there.

She sighs again, deep and tired, leaning back into Damien's hands, and he slowly, soothingly, quietly combs out her hair. He's nearly forgotten Arum watching them by the time the monster slowly crosses the room, sinking to sit at the other end of the table, watching with suspicious, curious eyes. When Damien is finished, when he has managed the worst of the tangles and brushed out the soot and debris, he sighs, and then he starts to separate out the sections to pull her hair into a new braid, but-

"Ah. Hm."

His hand. The hurt is almost entirely dulled, by now, but the placement of the cut and the resulting placement of the bandages make it so he cannot quite bend his thumb in the way he needs to. Rilla glances over her shoulder, blinking at him muzzily, and then she finally seems to notice the injury herself, sucking in a startled breath.

"Damien, what- what happened? " She pulls his hand into her own, her thumbs gentle on his skin, and over her head Damien watches as Arum cringes, drawing his shoulders up towards his chin, clearly expecting-

"Simply a cut, love. I was going through my packs, and I was careless, and I cut myself. I assure you I am fine."

She frowns, and then she shoots him a look. "This bandaging is too neat. You didn't do this."

Brilliant, Damien thinks helplessly, his heart pooling with bright, sparking love. "No," he says. "It would have been too difficult, of course, with only the one hand. Lord Arum was… generous enough to assist."

Lord Arum hisses under his breath at the mention, his frill raising and his face turned decidedly away from the both of them, now, hidden by the folds.

"He was, huh?" Rilla says, and her amusement manages to push through the layer of exhaustion that hangs upon her. Amusement, and a clear note of fondness, as well. "Well…" she pauses, gently turning Damien's hand in her own, biting her lip. "I… my hands are a little… shaky, at the moment. Maybe he'd wanna be generous again, just for a second?"

Arum freezes, and then his frill presses to his neck and he glances towards the pair of them with a look of alarm.

"Wh- what do you mean? What do you want?"

Rilla ducks her head, and then she glances up at the monster and Damien knows what she means, even if Arum does not.

Damien feels, perhaps, that he should be… concerned, at the very least. Disgusted, perhaps. But…

"Do you… do you know how to braid, Lord Arum?" he asks, tilting his head, and Arum blinks, and then scowls.

"Of course I do. Don't ask foolish questions."

"Would you… perhaps… would you help me to braid Rilla's hair, again? With my hand…" Damien frowns gently at himself, and he fully expects the monster to snap, to laugh, to bolt.

Arum stares, his violet eyes wide and stunned, and then he drops his gaze, pulling his hands close to wring awkwardly in front of himself for a moment before he seems to become aware of what he is doing, and then without answering he- he crawls closer, bringing himself beside Damien and stubbornly not looking at Rilla as she smiles, breathing a soft laugh.

"Fine. Helpless little thing. Move aside, will you?"

Damien shifts, moving to sit beside Rilla instead, and then he gestures for Arum to take his place, and the monster does so with a graceless grumble. Rilla exhales, her eyes closing again as three of Arum's hands (the fourth, his broken wrist, apparently not quite dexterous enough for the task just yet) sink into Rilla's hair, parting and sectioning it off before he starts to weave an elegant braid slowly down.

Arum's shoulders are stiff, at first, but Rilla is quiet in front of him and the monster seems to ease into the pattern of the motions, eventually, and Damien is quiet as well as he watches, the movements of Arum's scaled hands almost hypnotic in their rhythmic consistency.

Rilla falls asleep before he is halfway done. Damien thinks that Arum notices that this has happened as well, considering the way that his motions grow slower and more careful as his claws carefully twine her hair together. When he reaches the last few inches, Damien passes him the little leather band for him to tie at the bottom of the braid. Damien tilts his head to better see the rippling whole of it, a complex and beautiful weave, even if it was only done with three of the monster's four hands. Damien is unsure if he could replicate it with only his two. He finds himself wondering what sorts of complexities they could create if he and Arum were both to…

Arum is staring at the braid as well, and he lifts a hand as if to drift it down the softness of Rilla's hair, but he stops himself just before he makes contact. He pulls his hand back to his chest, clutching the scales just over his heart, and Damien feels his own heart skip, oddly.

Arum glances towards him then, his tongue flicking.

"What… ah… she has-" he pauses, hissing a low, concerned noise. "Amaryllis is sleeping on my legs, honeysuckle. What- what- what do I do?"

Damien barely manages to muffle his laugh so that it does not bubble bright and loud. He does not wish to wake her, if he can help it, but it is- ridiculous, utterly absurd, for Lord Arum to be so thoroughly trapped merely because he does not wish to wake Rilla. Damien has some degree of practice in this arena, however.

"Just be still for one moment, Lord Arum," Damien murmurs, and then he comes closer, eyeing the both of them and taking a moment to determine his approach. He leans down, slipping one arm beneath Rilla's knees, the other behind her back. It is impossible not to touch Lord Arum in this, too, since she is leaning back against the monster, and his scales are cool and strange against Damien's arm. Arum hisses low at the contact, and his chest is rumbling in a way that vibrates against Damien's skin. Damien tries not to notice. Tries not to feel the way the contact makes his stomach twist, the odd contrast of Rilla's gentle warmth in his arms beside Arum's coolness, and then he carefully, carefully lifts.

Rilla, safe in his arms, her head slumping to rest against his shoulder with her monster-woven braid rippling down her back, and Arum stares up at the both of them with his head tilted, his expression focused and wary, and Damien smiles without meaning to.

"Thank you," he murmurs, and Arum scowls but does not deflect this time, and Damien drops his gaze from the monster as he carefully carries Rilla to the bedroom.

When he reaches the doorway, however, he hesitates, and then he glances back towards Arum, still sat amongst the cushions by the table.

"Can… can you manage back to your room on your own?" Damien asks, after a pause, and Arum looks away.

"In a few minutes, perhaps," he mutters. "I believe the doctor put my legs to sleep along with herself."

Damien stifles another laugh, pressing his lips softly to Rilla's hair to hide his smile. He hesitates again, but then-

"When I have settled her… I will come help you to your feet again, at least," he murmurs.

Arum blinks, his thin lips parting in surprise, but Damien simply nods and carries Rilla into her room, before Arum can thank him. Before Damien can memorize that precise look, flustered surprise shaping Arum's inhuman face.

[->]

[nightmareonfilmstreet]

Franchise Black Sheep NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 5: THE DREAM CHILD Celebrates 29th Anniversary

Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child celebrated it’s 29th anniversary on August 11, but does it stand the test of time? With four successful films under his belt, Freddy Krueger had carved out a cozy spot for himself in just five short years. He (literally) killed it at the box office the previous year with his fourth attempt at massacring  teenagers in increasingly imaginative ways. He made the leap to the small screen with the Freddy’s Nightmares anthology series, and he even had a hit rap song or two out there. By 1989, Freddy Krueger was a bonafide pop culture phenomenon. So what’s a guy to do but start a family. Freddy tried to settle down and make things work, but it was not an easy task to rebirth himself, nor was this new arrival so openly accepted.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master premiered in theaters on August 19, 1988. The Dream Child premiered in theaters less than a year later, on August 11, 1989! In the documentary Never Sleep Again director Stephen Hopkins said that he would never again shoot on the type of schedule that he had with Dream Child. According to Hopkins, the entire production was so chaotic that set pieces would be in construction within earshot of where the crew was filming, and the script was being rewritten for scenes as they were already completed.

    The Dream Child‘s final tally was $22,168,359, less than half of The Dream Master‘s, $49,369,899. At the time, The Dream Child was the lowest grossing Nightmare film in the franchise. The rushed production is probably why the 5th installment didn’t fair well, but what really led the film to such a bland response?

I am not aware of the political stances of the late 80’s but I can only assume the writers and producers had along going against them, using teen pregnancy as their central theme for the movie. Perhaps the topic was at a different space in the late 80’s, but the subject of abortion could have been hit a little more heavily, in my opinion. Maybe this would have led to further decline in the film’s criticism but one would think that if you’re going to tackle teen pregnancy, and if you’re going to have that pregnancy as a killing tool, abortion becomes the subject matter regardless. Just like the writers did on this point though, I digress.

Our Final Girl Alice, has found herself a new group brave enough to befriend the girl who seems to have people dying all around her. We are introduced new Elm Street kids Greta, Mark, and Yvonne. Each comes with their own baggage as all Elm Street kids do. Greta is being molded and shaped by her overbearing stage-mom, Mark’s insecurities come from not being macho enough, and Yvonne is an overachiever. We also still have Dan whose sole priority in the film is Alice. Oh, Dan.

      Each kid’s baggage is ultimately used to meet their demise. Speaking of those demises, there are only three! 3 deaths in a slasher film? Seems like chump change in a sub-genre renowned for it’s body count. But I will definitely go on record as saying that they are three of the most imaginative and far-out deaths the series has ever produced. The Dream Child is what The New Blood is to the Friday The 13th franchise. The MPAA gutted it, and there weren’t even many death scenes to gut! Three!!

Dan‘s motorcycle fusion happened so sloppily in the final version of the film that the gory details of  how his motorcycle molded to his body aren’t even there. When it looks like something hardcore will almost happen, the film cuts away to another chopped scene. Greta‘s death sequence is so scattered that you literally have no idea of what is going on. It looks like she may be eating a doll’s innards, but wait!, she suddenly has a hole in her stomach? Is she eating her own insides?? Based on today’s standards, the small things that were exorcised are just that, small things, and really should not have been left on the cutting room floor. Luckily, both can be viewed in their entire glory on Youtube.

    Complaints aside, The Dream Child has never been given full credit for delving into Freddy‘s history. We get a bit of it in the original and Dream Warriors, but it isn’t until The Dream Child that we go back to Freddy‘s beginnings. As it’s explained, Freddy is the bastard child of a hundred maniacs. Literally. New Line Cinema were keen to avoid any conversation about abortion, but they sure as heck had no problem with a nun being raped by 100 insane men. Her inclusion in this sequel should have set us up for more of her in the next and final chapter, but her story ends here. While we do see more of Freddy‘s past in the next film, it has absolutely nothing to do with her.

As for Freddy, Robert Englund gives another golden performance. We have all heard how Freddy went “soft” in the later sequels, and how he became more of a joke than a threat. But has anyone making those accusations actually sat down to watch The Dream Child? Freddy is just as sinister as he’s always been, and his campiness was even scaled back a bit for this entry. Those infamous one-liners are still being spat out, but it’s only pure evil radiating from the character. There is one scene towards the end where the film goes silent. We see Freddy down a long hall. He advances slowly, as the film splices his advancement down the hall. It’s a small scene, and it’s without sound or score, but it’s proof enough that he is as evil as menacing as ever.

          While Heather Langenkamp’s Nancy and Englund’s Krueger reign supreme in the Nightmare franchise, Lisa Wilcox’s Alice is just as much a part of the franchise heart. The Dream Child is Alice‘s story. Not only does she have to deal with the loss of her friends from the previous film, she’s also coming to terms with her surprise pregnancy. Not to mention the fact that her unborn child is possessed by the spirit of the man who has relentlessly tormented her. She loses Dan in the process of all of this so when Alice‘s maternal instincts kick in, it is felt. She goes into full “mama bear” mode, and doesn’t look back until she’s finished, literally pulling Freddy from her own body.

The Dream Child had a lot going against it. A rushed production, detrimental cuts from those pesky folks at the MPAA, and limited effects and deaths overshadowed everything good about this black sheep of the franchise. The Dream Child has since found a home in the hearts of horror fans, and this Nightmare purist thinks the film is a wonderful addition…unlike the one that would eventually follow, but that’s a bedtime story for another night.

Freddy already had a lot on his plate in 1989. How do you rank Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child? Do you think he should have (New Line should have) waiting another year or so before heading back into battle with Alice? Let us know in the comments what struck your Elm Street heart, and what ripped it out! Let us know in the comments below, over on Twitter, or in our Horror Group on Facebook!

  The post Franchise Black Sheep NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 5: THE DREAM CHILD Celebrates 29th Anniversary appeared first on Nightmare on Film Street - Horror Movie Podcast, News and Reviews.

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[gigsoupmusic]

Just in Time for Halloween: AUTOPILOT Releases Zombie Filled Music Video for "Living Dead (Night of the Living Dead)"

Canadian Alternative Rock Band AUTOPILOT has released a zombie dominated music video for their single, "Living Dead (Night of the Living Dead". Featuring footage from the classic horror film, Night of the Living Dead, "Living Dead" is off of their 2018 released Afterglow. "Love can be terrifying. In the spirit of Halloween, director Kevin Van Witt put together his take on our track Living Dead edited to the classic movie The Night of the Living Dead." Marlon Harder Over the last few years, Canadian alternative rock band Autopilot has become a staple in the Saskatoon indie music scene. Known for their thoughtful lyrics, powerful hooks, dynamic stage show, and obsessive hard work, they somehow seem to effortlessly walk the line between passionate art and massive appeal. Over the course of 3 full-length records, and one EP, they’ve become road warriors, touring relentlessly across Canada and the US. They’ve been praised for their tireless work ethic by publications like Canadian Musician Magazine, who called them “quite possibly one of the hardest working bands in the country.” https://youtu.be/c9Z4W1wnxpM Autopilot's highly anticipated new record Afterglow, their most impressive and accessible record to date, produced by legendary Saskatchewan producer, S.J. Kardash, and backed by their most ambitious marketing campaign yet, finds the band reaching for bigger sounds, bigger ideas, and much bigger audiences. The release of their new single “Undisguised” following the success of preceding singles “Living Dead” and “Weightless”, is proof positive of this growing momentum. Marlon Harder, the driving creative force behind Autopilot, has a knack for finding beauty in simple moments, and hope in the challenges life tends to bring. Inspired by the early writing of Modest Mouse, he seemed to know very quickly what he wanted to do in life. After the release and College radio buzz of their first record Now It’s Time You Know What We’re Losing For, unexpected illness struck, effectively putting the band on the back burner for the foreseeable future. But he never quit writing. Health improved, lineups changed, and in 2013 they teamed up with S.J. Kardash for the release of Diamond Rough, a sophomore full-length forged in the fires of struggle, faith, and growing maturity. The record widely expanded their media exposure across North America; in print, online, commercial rock radio, CBC, podcasts, and through licensing placement on major US television networks. Their 2015 release, Desert Dreams, reunited the band with Kardash, and represented a significant leap forward in both the ever expanding sound, and rapidly growing fan base the band had built strongly upon with 2013’s Diamond Rough. Along with debuting on Earshot’s Top 50 chart, Desert Dreams received heavy rotation on The Verge, Sirius XM’s Iceberg Radio, and garnered the attention of New York’s prestigious CMJ; while securing the band showcases at Toronto’s CMW and Indie Week festivals, AYE Fest in Cincinnati, Fairfield Revival Festival in Minnesota, and opening doors to tour extensively in the United States. Autopilot has always been a dedicated touring band. In support of Diamond Rough, Desert Dreams, and the 2017 release of the single "Hurricane" / "Crooked Lines", the band spent countless months on the road touring across Canada and the United States. These tours have included stops at Jersey Shore Festival, Millennium Music Conference in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and a mainstage performance at Mesa Music Festival in Arizona supporting hard rock legends P.O.D. October 2018 marked the release of Afterglow, which chartered in the top 200 on the NACC North American College Charts as well as specialty radio in the US. The future is truly wide open for Autopilot. Everything they’ve learned is on the table for 2019 while they continue to promote the release of Afterglow. They are casting their net wider, and going all in. Never content to sit still or play it safe, they’ve crafted a remarkable live show, and plan on spending as much time over the next year as possible, getting the new songs in front of as many new fans as they possibly can.

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[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, July 18-Friday, July 19

Joyce: I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put down... Buffy: Yeah, well, you did. It doesn't matter. I have to go. I have to go on one of my pointless patrols and react to some vampires. If that's alright with MOO... And nice acronym, Mom.

~~Gingerbread~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Dig Deeper (Buffy, PG-13) by veronyxk84

Make Me Better (Buffy/Maggie Walsh, M) by MadeInGold

What Was That Noise? (Angel/Spike, T) by MadeInGold

When the Hellmouth Freezes Over (Giles/Maggie Walsh, T) by MadeInGold

Game Over? (Giles, G) by LonesomeSundown

Drunken Dreams (Giles/Spike, E) by MaggieLaFey

Buffy's Bad Day (Buffy/Angel, G) by badly_knitted

Groovy Baby (Buffy/Giles, E) by unendingwanderlust

[Chaptered Fiction]

Forgiveness Doesn't Come Easy, Chapter 35 (Buffy/Spike, R) by slaymesoftly

Shadowed Suspicion, Chapter 434 (Crossover with Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, T) by madimpossibledreamer

are we destined to burn?, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Giles, E) by Skyson

Spuffy Drabbles, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, T) by spikesummers

Leveraged and Bestowed, Chapter 1 (Giles/Ethan Rayne, T) by CoffeeMilkLuvr

the face of someone (i don't know), Chapter 1 (Buffy/Giles, E) by guin_ramble and zombiesam

Dead Man's Afterparty, Chapter 1 (Giles, Buffy, G) by Greensword101

Stygian Nights, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by JamesMFan

Waiting for You, Chatper 13 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by honeygirl51885

The Degradation of Duality [Series Part 2], Chapter 30 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Ragini

A Blackcap's Song, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Murray

Tale as Old as Time, Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by honeygirl51885

Yes or No?, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by scratchmeout

In The Dark With You, Chapter 31 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Geliot99

A weapon of victory, Chapter 12 (Crossover with Lord of the Rings, FR7) by fpb

Unicorn, Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Desicat

Lie To Me, Chapter 32 (Buffy/Spike, AO) by In Mortal

Perception, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, G) by flootzavut

First Love, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, AO) by Spikesgirl

[Images, Audio & Video]

Craft:A little bracelet that I made! by DasSockenmonster

Artwork:just a bit of light reading by mistyintherivers

Artwork:Now Kith by fallinginaforrest

Artwork:Fantasy by ice-fire-art

Gifset:No, look at me. I love you. by ladyverdance

Gifset:6x07 | "Once More, With Feeling" by clarkgriffon

Gifset:Every Tara Look: S4E10 Hush by lovebvffys

Video: Buffy Summers x Rupert Giles - «I Always Wondered About You Two» by Kiss The Librarian

Video: Buffy Summers - The weight of living by Faith Victoria

Video: Buffy, The Vampire Slayer - Right Way To Do The Wrong Thing by Boo Harder

Video: Buffy Summers | forever young by Spuffylove Edits

Video: loml [buffy + angel] by Aurora Edits

[Reviews & Recaps]

The Hero We Needed | SEASON 6 FINALE | Buffy the Vampire Slayer 6x22 "Grave" by The Normies

Selfless: Buffy 7x05 Reaction by Dakara

Buffy The Vampire Slayer | 2x2 "Some Assembly Required" | REACTION by Andres El Rey

The Re-Watcher's Council | "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" Buffy S02E16 Spoiler Review by LGRN - Entertainment

"Blood Ties" | Buffy 5x13 - First Time Watching by Dodo Reactions

Buffy The Vampire Slayer 5x17 Forever Reaction | First Time Watching by Jules Reacts

Buffy the Vampire Slayer 3x15 & 3x16 REACTION | Faith in the Hot Seat & Vamp Willow Returns! by The Horror Bandwagon

Buffy the Vampire Slayer REACTION | Season 6, Episode 21: Two to Go by JayPeaKay

Podcast: Angel S4E5: Supersymmetry by Booze & Buffy

Podcast: Once more with feeling - 5x22The Gift by Nerd Subculture Podcast

[Fandom Discussions]

Buffy should have had a cat by 5bi5

What If: Cordelia did pass on the visions by multiple authors

Did anyone else notice that Anya talked a lot less about her victims/ demon days after this episode? by multiple authors

Why did Buffy not use her powers in 3x18 Earshot to defeat the big bad? by multiple authors

What would have happened if Angel hadn't left? by multiple authors

What's something from the Buffyverse that shocked you, but at the same time, it didn't shock you? by multiple authors

Giles leaving in Tabula Rasa by multiple authors

Does anyone else not feel strongly about Buffy and Dawn's relationship? by multiple authors

Has anyone had thoughts on the size of angels and spike (reproductive organ) [NSFW] by multiple authors

Between Superstar, Real Me, and Storyteller how would you rank these somewhat atypical character-centric episodes? by multiple authors

Food For Thought… by multiple authors

Let's talk about Buffy by multiple authors

Tento di Cruciamentum Slayer deaths by multiple authors

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निर्मला-देसराज कांड निर्मला और देसराज प्यार करते थे, एक दिन उनका इश्क गांववालों को खटक गया, सुनिए उसके बाद हुआ क्या Listen to More Indian News Podcast Know Click Here... https://bit.ly/3lddGce

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Two friends raided a 300-year-old abandoned palace at night in search of rare items. They heard a loud scream in the basement and found a cursed locket as well. The consequence was a terrible death for one of them. Listen to More Bengali Podcast App Know to Click Here... https://bit.ly/2W9cZq5

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নিশা কাৰ উচুপনি শুনা যায় সেই ঘৰটোৰ পৰা।

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Sushil Kumar Khel KhatamOlympic champion se hatya ke aaropi , jaaniye wrestler Sushil Kumar ki sachchai.

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ESL ও ইউরোপের ফুটবল বিদ্রোহইউরোপিয়ান সুপার লিগ এবং শ্রেষ্ঠ ফুটবল ক্লাব গুলির বর্তমান পরিস্থিতি নিয়ে এই সিরিজ।

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