#I’m so sorry Charlie Manx

[dylanoteforever]

Girls that pee vs BITCHES who PISS

[rosevanhelsing]

WHAT IF

Vic McQueen went to the garage and took his bike to go for a ride. She was disgusted, all the people who were upstairs in the room, pretending that they were sorry for the death of his grandfather when in reality they had always despised him, even Chris McQueen himself. Also, she was worried, she had recently gone over a wooden covered bridge, which was supposed to have been demolished a week ago, to find a bracelet that her mother had lost and she thought she was going crazy.

As she pedaled, she thought of that bridge and suddenly it appeared before her. Vic felt a sting in her left eye and thought:

- I want to find someone to explain this to me...

And she started to run across the bridge at full speed… practically shooting out onto a road, Vic braked, skidded and fell into the road… a huge black car slammed on the brakes and skidded to a horizontal position in front of Vic.

Two minutes before:

The Wraith's radio began to make some strong interference, Charlie knew that possibly some creative was using her powers, although the car had never made so much noise, also that she began to sound the horn

- What the hell…

Manx suddenly saw how a boy or girl was crossing the road on a bicycle just 5 meters ahead and slammed on the brakes, making the car skid and it was stopped just in time not to crush the boy.

For her part, Vic started to get up a little dazed from the fall and the shock of having almost been run over.

- Holy Virgin! But what were you doing crossing the road without looking, girl? You could have been run over.

Vic turned her head and looked at the man who had spoken to her. A tall man with dark hair and dark eyes, with a few grays at the temples. He was wearing pants and a dark coat, as well as gloves and a chauffeur's cap, even though it was almost June and hot. However, he seemed kind and attentive and had a look of genuine concern on his face, so she accepted his outstretched hand to help her up. Charlie turned and saw a huge covered bridge on the side of the road and he understood everything. The girl was a creative one, a very powerful one, but she surely didn't understand her powers and she was disoriented.

- Are you okay, little girl? Charlie said.

- Yes sir. Sorry for the scare I gave you.

- It's okay, pretty. And my name is Charlie Manx, dear

 Vic suddenly complained with an “ouch” due to a scraped knee.

- Poor thing, you're hurt... Come, lean on the car, I think I have a first-aid kit...

- No, you don't have to...

Charlie made Vic sit on the hood of the Rolls, pushing her gently but firmly and went to get a small box from the glove compartment of the car.

- Well, Vic McQueen, I suppose you want to know how it is that you can make a bridge appear from nowhere...

Vic's eyes widened in surprise and she said:

- How do you know my name?

- I know a lot of things… Like that your father calls you “Brat”, that you want to be a painter and that you also draw very well, right? …

- Illustrator… Vic corrected him. - I just want to know if I'm crazy.

- You're not crazy, little one. You are just very creative. That is why you must also have a knack for drawing. Charlie said as he reached down and gently placed an alcohol-soaked handkerchief on Vic's knee.

Vic stoically endured the sting of the alcohol and said:

- Because I?

- I don't know, daughter. We just had to be like this...

- Are you like me? - Vic said surprised - Can you also find things or people?

Charlie smiled to herself; the girl had told him her powers without realizing it.

-Not pretty. You see… With this very special car I can access a place called Christmasland. It is a place where I take children to keep them safe from their parents… It is an amusement park, full of rides, trinkets and gifts… Every day there is Christmas and every night Christmas Eve

-Well, what a pain to always celebrate the same thing... she escaped Vic

Charlie looked at her surprised and seemed even disgusted. Vic regretted having been so loud, apparently, she had hurt that man's feelings and she hadn't done him any good. Vic began to be afraid and she didn't know why. She wasn't sure if it was the black-as-night car she was leaning on and that she saw full of gifts in the back seats, suspiciously things that she had wanted to be given..., or Charlie that, despite his kindness, there was something sinister about him. like the pointed teeth and long fingernails… he looked a bit like a vampire and she didn't understand how someone like that went unnoticed.

- And how can we do that?  she said trying to divert the subject and learn more

-The fact that?

- I find things and you go to Christmasland.

- Ah, well, because we all use something that we really like to do that. Christmasland is in my head and when I have someone in my car, the Wraith, then I can access the San Nicolas highway, the road to Christmasland. Tell me, what do you want most in this world, and I mean an object, not a person or a pet...

Vic was hesitant to tell him, but thought it best to clear up her doubts and said,

- I think my bike.

-Good. And can you get over that bridge without your bike?

- No. But you don't understand. That bridge shouldn't exist. I mean, it used to exist, but they knocked it down, but I keep going...

- I know, dear, you have that bridge in your mind and when you take the bike it is as if you took it out of your head into the real world, you use it as a knife. It's complicated, believe me. It's like magic.

- Do they always have to be vehicles? I have my bike and you have a car.

- No. It can be anything, as long as you like it a lot.

Vic nodded, her head and left eye hurt terribly, and she said:

- I'd better go home. I feel a little sick.

- That must be from using the bridge. -Manx said, grabbing her gently by the shoulders and looking into her eyes- This gift gives you powers, but it takes something away from you. That's why there are so few of us, and some burn out before they reach their potential. And you, Victoria McQueen, have a lot, a lot of potential. It would be a shame if you lost it, but I can teach you how to avoid it… You need a teacher and I could be that teacher.

Vic hesitated, for a moment, it was so tempting the idea of ​​a place where she could do whatever she wanted, without being judged and now she could take advantage of her powers…perhaps helping Mr. Manx find other children with her bridge… Vic shook her head as if that way he could get rid of that idea and said:

- I prefer to tell my parents. They will know what to do and help me.

- You know perfectly well that they won't believe you, Vic...

Vic yanked free, quickly jumped on her bike and ran out of there. Charlie didn't follow her; he already knew where to find her. Without Vic realizing it he had given her one of his candy canes and he was sure that when she found out she wouldn't throw it away. However, the Wraith's engine roared with a frustrated growl, sounding like a dog being removed the bone.

- Calm down, my friend, Charlie said, stroking the long hood of the Wraith- Vic McQueen will end up in Christmasland.

[cherry-moonlight]

Life Could Be A Dream - Chapter Five

{NOS4A2 - Charlie Manx x Reader}

{A/N} Sorry this one took a little longer, mid-chapter my wrists started acting up. Carpal tunnel is a monster. D: Anyways, I hope you enjoy and that I’m doing our beloved Charlie some justice at least so far. <3 Warnings: None.

Chapter Five - This Isn’t Real

My voice had returned and my mind was racing even more than I expected it could’ve when Vic stopped talking. She picked up a pen from the table we sat at in the kitchen and fidgeted with it, clicking the top a few times as she looked me in the eye. It was clear she was waiting for any kind of response to the boatload of information she’d dumped on me.

“So I’m a… strong creative,” I made air quotes around the words that sounded more like a question than a statement.

She looked at me and nodded. “You don’t need to lose your voice every time you use it, though. I have a friend who’s just like us. Her name’s Maggie.. She figured out how to keep herself from dealing with the cost of using her gift.”

“What’s her gift?” I interrupted, curious.

“Her tiles,” she rasped. “She has a purple bag with scrabble tiles in them. They’ll tell you anything you want or need to know as long as you ask them. But, we have gotten the tiles mixed up before.”

All of this sounded like some magical bologna that I could’ve found in a novel somewhere, and had I not used my gift myself and seen the outcome with my own eyes, I would’ve laughed and told her she was losing her mind.

“Anyway, Maggie told me you either have to hurt yourself… or someone else.”

It sounded as though she was reluctant to tell me the latter of the two options.

“What’s the cost of your gift?” I asked again.

She hesitated, setting the pen down and looking me in the eye. “My eye,” was all she said, and I put it together.

I had seen her come back countless times that week with a bloodied eye, but the last time it seemed to have gotten worse. When we left Christmasland, it was bleeding. It all clicked then.

“But Maggie burns herself with a cigarette every time she uses her tiles,” she continued. “I’m sure you can find something to keep you from losing your voice. You have to focus on the pain in order to make it work. But don’t hurt people, {Y/N}.”

I nodded, taking mental notes of her advice. I’d never been told to hurt myself for any reason before but I guessed there were a lot of things that were new to me when it came to this seemingly supernatural situation. My lungs filled with air as I absentmindedly sighed. It felt as though I was thrust into a film and forced to figure out the plot. I was more thankful for Vic than I could’ve ever expressed.

The clock on the wall felt as though it ticked slower than usual as I realized how late it was. Time had gotten away from all of us once we’d started looking for Wayne together. After Vic extracted me from Christmasland on her dirt bike through the tunnel I saw in the forest, she instructed me not to say a word to anyone about what had happened. Wanting to gain her trust enough to figure out what all of this meant, I complied. Once we arrived back at their place and Lou went to bed, she stayed up to elucidate what was going on. But before she got into my gift, she explained that hers was not what I thought was a tunnel, but the bridge.

She called it an inscape. Her “shorter way.”  

But after all of our efforts, it came to be that Wayne hadn’t actually been missing. He’d simply run off to play and threw Vic and Lou -and me- into a spiral of worry. Or at least, that was his story and he was sticking to it.

“Your knife is your voice,” she began again. “And your inscape…” Her brow furrowed as she looked around, picking up the pen again. “Well, I’m not sure. What were you doing when you found Christmasland?”

“Singing,” I said immediately. “I was looking for Wayne and singing.”

She clicked the pen on the table a few times, looking as though she were completely uneasy.

“Maybe you have a shorter way, too,” she swallowed hard, as though that wasn’t the first thing to come to mind.

“But Wayne was never at Christmasland,” I added.

“No.. No he wasn’t. But that bastard Charlie Manx is trying to change that.”

Ah. Charlie Manx.

The man of the evening that I wanted desperately to know so much more about. Vic had abruptly taken me from Christmasland without so much as an explanation, and at least now I knew why she was there. Still, curiosity had gotten the better of me to say the least. He was all I could think about during our search for Wayne and I was slightly bitter that I didn’t get to figure out what I was doing at the winter wonderland in the past through questioning him. He seemed to know far more about me than I knew about myself.

“What about him, anyway?” I questioned, trying not to sound as though I were too excited to get into the subject. “Who is he? What is Christmasland? Where is Christmasland?”

She leaned back in the chair, slipping out of her motorcycle jacket and hanging it on the backrest as her eyes seemed to grow dark.

“Christmasland is Charlie Manx’s inscape. It’s just a big, intricate figment of his sick imagination. His knife is a classic Rolls Royce Wraith, and he picks up innocent kids and he kidnaps them with it, and then brings them to Christmasland.”

Her voice became rushed and shaky.

“Once they’re there.. Well, I don’t know if they ever get out. They turn into something else.. Something inhuman. They attack people and they think he’s their father.”

She spit the words out like venom on the tongue. I wasn’t sure why, but I almost felt offended that she was speaking of him that way. My thoughts drifted back to when he called me by his last name.

“He thinks he’s doing them a service, these kids, by taking them from what he calls “neglectful parents” and giving them the home they never had,” her expression twisted into a cringe. “It’s somethin’ out of a horror movie. Probably why the plate on the Wraith says Nosferatu…” she finished, the statement sounding like a solemn attempt at a joke.

I had a voice now but I still sat in silence, mulling over everything she’d said. It was easy to remain quiet, especially when I had no idea how to handle what was going on when none of it seemed real. It was a lot to grasp, but the more information I had, the better. I must’ve looked as though I were deep in thoughts I shouldn’t have been having, because she reached over and grabbed my wrist then, her slender fingers squeezing it tightly.

“You can’t go back to Christmasland, {Y/N}. No matter what you do or what you think you need. It’s not safe. He’ll kill you. He’s tried to kill me, and Maggie, and..” she trailed off, clearly remembering something else. “Just don’t go, okay? Promise me.”

Somewhere deep in my chest, I felt a pang of hurt again. That kind of sensation where your heart breaks and you know the tears are next. Holding it in, I looked her in the eye, and against what I knew I wanted, I nodded.

“I promise.”

-x-x-x-

This was all more information than I could process in a day. My eyes were heavy as I layed on the couch and pulled the fuzzy blanket they’d given me over my shoulders. The house creaked and groaned occasionally as it settled for the night and it was warm and cozy inside despite the chill outside.

My day had been long and confusing, from the funeral, to visiting my house to grab my things, to finding myself at Christmasland. While I knew I promised Vic I’d never go back, I couldn’t shake the thought of it. The way the snow glistened under the lights; the way the maze of ice seemed to go for miles; the way the houses looked like gingerbread creations and— the way he smiled. His dark, deep set eyes narrowing at the corners just a bit as his lips pulled upwards with them. As though he had a million secrets and he was about to let you in on every single one of them.

I rolled over on the couch, and tried to think of something else as I dozed off, but I couldn’t help that my thoughts were too adamant for my own good. I didn’t understand how I could’ve been so captivated by him, especially after Vic’s rendition of Charlie as she knew him. Something deep inside told me I knew another version, and I just had to figure out which. But I’d made a promise to her, and learning about him personally was no longer an option. No matter how hard I tried to think of anything else, the last fragments of imagination that materialized behind my eyelids were of him.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the road to what I thought before was nowhere. The snow topped trees lined either side, but the moon in the sky was brighter than usual— in fact, so were the stars and everything else that surrounded me. The entire Milky Way could be seen above me, and everything I set eyes on was awe inspiring. Studying myself, I noticed I wore a deep crimson rockabilly halter dress with a big black bow tied in the back. I felt like a present wrapped under a tree, and while dresses weren’t my norm, I felt just as pretty as the atmosphere around me.

Oh, it was my usual dream, but it seemed every time I dreamt it, the more it changed. This time, it was gorgeous.

Snowflakes fell like glitter as I made my way forward, admiring the beauty of the surreal world that surrounded me. It was as though everything was suddenly clearer; as though my place in this icy dreamscape was solidified. My ears caught vague hints of the song that brought me to Christmasland, and I quickly realized that I was facing the wrong way. The twinkling lights weren’t ahead of me anymore, but a spectrum of colorful lights caught my attention as they reflected against the snow from behind me. With a deep breath I tried to conceal my smile. If I couldn’t visit it in real life anymore, my dreams did me the honor.

Upon turning around, I was met with the sight of Christmasland’s gates just up ahead. I’d finally reached my destination, and I knew exactly what my dream was all about. The entire time my subconscious was trying to remind me of a memory; a memory I’d soon revisit.

Seemed a little dramatic to me to have the dream so often, especially after how short my time there was, but at least I knew. I knew that there was more to me than just being the girl with a rough past and an unstable future.

When I took a step forward, I heard his voice.

“It is wonderful, isn’t it?” He said somewhat wistfully.

Charlie had appeared next to me at some point and I hadn’t even noticed in my mystified state. Still, just as he had in person, he stood a small distance away from me. I hoped my voice worked this time as I opened my mouth to speak.

“It’s beautiful,” I smiled.

Thank goodness I still had my voice. However, I had to remind myself this was only a dream. Even if it was lucid, it mattered not what I said or how I said it. But it was still the only chance I’d get to immerse myself in whatever fantasy this was anymore. It was the only place I could let my desires run freely without the repercussions of losing my only friend, and really, my only hope as survival. I rolled with my audience of Charlie Manx. Maybe my subconscious could answer a few of my burning questions about the situation, but he spoke before I could again.

“I must say, I was surprised to see you so quickly after your mother’s passing. My condolences..” He ended his sentence with a hint of joy, as though he were glad the death of my mother brought me to Christmasland, accident or not.

“It wasn’t my intention, but I guess it was meant to happen.”

I held my hands in front of me, letting our eyes meet. The electricity I felt buzzed through the air. I didn’t know what to make of it, but I didn’t want to lose myself so soon in the illusion. Fidgeting with the ends of my hair, I stood taller and began my small line of questioning.

“What is this place? Why do you know me?”

There was a glint in his eye as I spoke to him, as though he were absorbing my voice, some kind of odd pride becoming him. With a wave of his hand to gesture me to follow, he began a stroll towards the gates. I did as he suggested, wanting to hear what he was going to say.

“What do you remember?” He countered instead.

Damn it.

I tried my best to pull any memory I could from the darkest parts of my mind, sighing with a faint shrug.

“Not much.. I remember riding the carousel.. And playing the carnival games. Running between the flashing lights and laughing with other children,” I tried to rattle off, hoping a new memory would suddenly appear. “I remember how to get out of the maze, but I can’t remember ever being there..”

I peeked over at him.

“You did love the carousel,” was all he said, like he was waiting for me to make a breakthrough on my own. Until he spoke again.

“You were a model child at Christmasland, my dear. You played well with the others, made sure no one was left out. In fact, you enjoyed Millie’s company very much.”

Millie…

The name rang a bell, but before I had time to ask, he continued.

“You came to us one day quite on your own, which hadn’t happened before, and hasn’t happened again. I’m sure you’ve realized by now that that voice of yours brings you to Christmasland. Of course, you didn’t know that the night your father laid hands on your mother. But you left your cruel home to soothe yourself with song. The next thing we all knew, there you were. Tearful, and quite pitiful-looking outside of the Candy Cane Gates.”  

“I came here on my own..” I reworded out loud, attempting to piece together any thoughts from that night.

It happened in my house more often than not, more often than anyone should’ve endured or any child should’ve seen. I remembered the night I left, the only night I left. For the life of me, I could not remember singing my way to Christmasland. At the same time, it was nice to hear that my scrambled memories weren’t just things I’d made up or imagined. They were real. I was there. Then again, no matter how vivid the entire dream was, I had to remind myself it was just that. A dream. This was all coming from my own mind.

“From then on we took you in,” he finished. “I knew there was something special about you.. That you were a strong creative, just as myself. That, and you wouldn’t have dreamed of putting yourself in a predicament that would place you on the naughty list.”

He offered a charming smirk at his quirky bit of information about me and I looked away, fighting the pull towards him I felt when he did. I assumed that my need to be good was out of fear after what Vic told me about him. But what he said next surprised me.

“You must bring Bruce Wayne McQueen to me, {Y/N}.”

My brows pinched together almost immediately. Victoria was right.. Or was this just my subconscious making Victoria right?

“Why?” was all I said.

“Because he wants to be here, with me, my dear. He’s told me so himself. I was well on my way to helping him, and then you made an appearance at Christmasland.. I’m man enough to admit that your surprise arrival distracted me enough to let the boy slip away. You must help me get him back now. Do not listen to Victoria. She doesn’t understand how unhappy her son is. He longs to join me and the other children. To finally be safe from her derelict ways of alcoholism and neglect.”

For being my dream, the request was odd.

“I— I would never bring Wayne here.. Vic told me all about you. All about how you think you’re doing right by these children but you’re not. I would never betray her like that. She’s given me a home when she didn’t...“  I cut myself off and regrouped, not wanting to get personal, whether it was real or not.

Despite my rattling off, he didn’t make a sound. He simply let me, as though he knew something I didn’t. As though it didn’t matter what I said, because he would find his way anyway.

“This isn’t even real.” I continued, stopping in my tracks, not moving any further towards the gates. “You’re not here. I don’t know why my thoughts are panning out this way, but I’m not bringing Wayne to Christmasland. I don’t know why I chose to stay here when I was a kid but I have a feeling I didn’t have a choice.”

He stopped several ahead and turned to face me. Shaking my head, I ran my hand back through my hair and dared to let my eyes rest on his again. There was a hint of sorrow in his eyes, like I’d disappointed him— but only for a second. I immediately began to speak again.

“This isn’t real,” I repeated, though I wasn’t sure who I was trying to convince anymore.  

“Not real?” The expression on his handsome features changed into something near mischievousness as he arched a single thick brow and approached me. It was the closest he’d gotten to me since we’d met again.

My heart pounded in my chest as I wondered what was going to happen. Each step he took was slow and calculated. It felt as though he didn’t want to get so close, but had a point to prove in doing so. My dress began to feel tight around my chest as I tried to steady my breathing.

Can you die from a dream?

He towered over me once we were opposite each other, and I allowed myself to look up, holding his gaze. Swallowing hard, I inhaled deeply and waited for whatever fate was to become me, mustering the strength to endure whatever was going to happen should I not wake up. It crossed my mind to pinch myself; to wake up before anything traumatic happened. But something within me wanted to stay. It was a strange sensation to stare what might’ve been my brightest dream or darkest nightmare in the face and not know which way the chips were going to fall.

Confusion was all I could sift through when his large hand reached for my neck, placing his thumb and index finger on either side of it as his palm rested lightly against my clavicle. I watched his features, noticing his jaw clench just enough for me to wonder if I had imagined it.

My {E/C} eyes were full of fear that I knew he had to see, but I stood still, waiting for his grip to tighten or his careful movements to turn into some kind of gruesome act. But as the seconds passed, I instead felt how cold his hand was despite not feeling the chill in the air around us; how gentle his touch was against my warm flesh. He treated me as though I were a porcelain doll, set to break at any moment if he made the wrong move. The faintest of smiles placed itself on his lips then, and my heart kicked up for a different reason that I hoped he couldn’t detect in my pulse.

“Wake up,” he instructed, showing off the velvet in his voice.

I gasped awake. Blinking my eyes rapidly through the blackness that was the dark room to gain any kind of clarity about my surroundings. I haphazardly reached over to the coffee table in front of the couch, tapping my phone’s screen for the time before looking around the room through the small amount of light. It was the middle of the night and I was still at Vic’s. Of course the dream wasn’t real. A quiet laugh passed through my nose as I shook my head and settled back into the couch, listening to the quietness around me. Almost hoping deep down that I would hear his voice again. But it all was silent.

What a strange dream it had been this time.

Charlie Manx had certainly made an impression on me, and I wasn’t sure yet in what kind of way. I didn’t want to think I was infatuated by his charm and devilish good looks, but it seemed more and more that I couldn’t deny the feeling. At least the only place I’d ever see him anymore was in my dreams. I couldn’t break my promise to Vic.

As I laid back down and stared up into the darkness of the ceiling, I let my hand linger up to my neck where his hand had been in my dream.

I bolted upright again when I felt a necklace that wasn’t there before.

My fingers swiftly felt around for a pendant or any sort of indication of what the piece of jewelry contained, and when I found it, I lost my breath altogether. Remaining deathly still, I held it.

It was the locket I’d hidden in my little cedar chest for years.

[bunnylouisegrimes]

Episode 9 Review (The Future: What Does It Hold?)

Tagging @coldsoba per request

This episode was a headache for me. I was anticipating it, and although it wasn’t entirely bad and it wasn’t the worst, I think this episode highlights all the bad aspects of this season and brings them together. It brings some of the good that this season brought out together as well, but it’s evident to me now that we’re reaching the end so far that the bad is outweighing the good. This episode has me worried about the future of the series, and angry overall. I’m concerned that if this series does continue and has a season 3, it won’t be good, and it will turn into a shit show like The Walking Dead did (they want a season 3, although, based on the low ratings and low viewership, AMC might cancel, no one truly knows yet, especially if BBC and all that other stuff helps boost it).

Before I start this review, I’d like to say right here and now: this is a pretty critical analysis, and possibly has a bunch of unpopular opinions, but I’m saying it anyways. I’m mad, I’m annoyed, and I’m ticked. Last week’s episode ticked me off, this... Oh, man... just know I’m cool if you disagree with me, but I’m hoping by the end you all understand why I feel this way.

Now, don’t get me wrong: like most episodes of this show from this season, despite entire scenes and plot points being bad, it has great moments to enjoy. Did this episode contain lots of action and intensity? Hell yes, and I liked that. Did it stay true to the book ending so far? In a few ways, yes. Pretty much all the ways it didn’t due to the changes they made that were already questionable were the things I didn’t like, which leads me to this: Do I like the direction the story is going, based on what we know and have so far? Hell no. Of course, we don’t know 100% the direction it’s going until next week’s episode, but right now, I’m very on the fence.

Because there is a lot of bad I’m going to discuss, let’s get the good out of the way.

Lou and Vic in the beginning, as per usual, are sweet and I love them. Tabitha and Lou’s interaction was sweet as well. Seeing Charlie frightened and shook was oddly cute, but also funny. And Wayne and Charlie’s interaction... I’m sorry, it was just adorable. I like the idea of Maggie and Vic going to Christmasland together, that was a good choice (although now... I’m uncertain).

To begin the negativity, we’ll start with Charlie and the house scene. I like Charlie confronting his own fears, it’s a very interesting concept. I find it kinda stupid and confusing Charlie wouldn’t know this house exists in his own mind, I mean, it is a part of his own mind, even if it was in the back of it. Why would he not know? Despite that, we’re gonna move onto the meat and potatoes. Now, Cassie’s POV, based on how she was presented in the show (which I still hate, btw, and I am greatly annoyed with how she is not the abuser she was in the book, but I’ve discussed this already a million times), makes sense. We get why she’s pissed, she should be, although I don’t think she understands that her ex-husband had all of this shit happen to him as far as creating Christmasland and becoming a vampire and all that by having a mental snap. It all happened due to his mental pressure. He didn’t have full control (if any control!) over that entire situation. It happened, his life depended on souls and energy from that moment on, and he had to make do with the shitty end of the stick being presented to him. Christmasland is both good and bad, and vampirism is both good and bad, and Charlie has to try to make do with what he can to give himself and his daughter happiness, and focus on the positives. Cassie could’ve maybe given him at least that credit, but she makes it out like, “You’ve brought her happiness in presents and candy, not making her a woman.” Uh... Cassie? Charlie and Millie became vampires out of his control. All this shit happened, how the hell could he reverse all of it? Is there anyway he could? It’s not even explained if he can, but the writers ignore this fact and make it out to be like, “Look, he’s so evil!” Writers, is there anyway he could change these things, even if he wanted to? “Well, no, not exactly, but look, he’s still evil!” So... you’re not even allowing him to have an opportunity to change, and then when he’s stuck in the situation and making the best out of it, even if it isn’t 100% the best way... he’s still super heinous and evil? “Yes!” Okay... whatever... see this is another reason why it annoys me how they’re writing Charlie as “the worst person in the world,” when really, he isn’t. He’s not an angel, but he is not as evil as this show wants to present. Pretty much all of Cassie’s criticisms are valid, but she could’ve at least given Charlie some credit. Nope! But the thing that really bothered me in the back of my mind was how much better this scene would’ve been had they actually written his backstory properly. I kept thinking how much better it would’ve been if an abusive Cassie comes back to haunt Charlie and taunt him, degrading him, and mocking him, how much more sense it would’ve made. And if Millie pointed these things out to him, it might’ve changed his mind some (he would think, “oh, even my daughter kinda agrees with the abuser”). It works here with the way they portrayed her, despite the point I mentioned about Charlie making the best of shit falling flat on Cassie’s end, but it would’ve been 1000% better if they made her an abuser and she scared Charlie, then Millie brings up similar points and Charlie’s POV starts to change a bit.

(Plus, I’d like to add that by doing that, you’re setting potential up for a Charlie redemption arch, and he wouldn’t have to die, Vic and Maggie wouldn’t have to die, and season 3 has interesting potential, and you still have your main characters that we enjoy).

On the topic of this scene, here is a take a friend of mine gathered from it that I definitely can see as well: The point they were trying to make in this scene is that Charlie is a coward. This is their interpretation of Cassie being ‘abusive,’ they didn't leave it out (her being angry at him) like we thought they would. They wanted to give her a concrete reason to hate him so much and call him out for his bad deeds. Also, this house, which was hidden away at the back of his mind, is a mesh of Charlie's fears and his guilt. Based on his facial expressions and his mannerisms, and how he forcefully held Millie, this was all out of fear and guilt for what he did to them that first time and how The Wraith pretty much consumes you. She's literally trying to tell his stupid ass that they can never leave, otherwise, they'll turn to static, which they will. Millie can't go anywhere because she's stuck there and Charlie knows because he was selfish, he robbed her of her future without intending to. Charlie is highkey a yandere, even for his own kid, but it makes sense because he's never really had anything, Also, as to why he’s sort of controlling in a sense: he's driven by fear and also anger if you think about it. Christmasland is how he projects and saving other children because he had a rough and traumatic childhood, he has some serious mental health issues. This I see 100% presented here too, which is a good aspect coming out of this scene. This season does show us a really vulnerable Charlie as they explore his past and give him a breaking point, which we like! But we both definitely agreed that they wanted to make Charlie more of a dick than needed throughout this whole season. Maybe these writers really wanted more drama, especially Manx family drama, through Charlie acting worse? Not so sure. Either way, it gets on my nerves, and it’s almost inconsistent with the narrative they want to spin. They keep going back and forth with “Charlie’s so sad” (which, I would agree, he is, but they even mess that up and somehow still make him look worse) and “Omg he is the worst person ever.” I hope I’ve explained myself well enough in this area, it’s a very complicated and convoluted topic that has me conflicted and annoyed myself.

I think most importantly, the thing that annoys me about all of this Manx family drama the most is: How tf are they gonna “live normal lives” and “escape?” Millie grabbing onto the ornament prevents her from disappearing, which really doesn’t make sense. I’m sure they’ll clarify it next episode, but how is she gonna become a woman and live a normal life? For Christ’s sake, Charlie can barely understand the modern world as an adult man! You think a kid like her is gonna truly enjoy it or understand it? I have my doubts on this and how they’ll write all of that. Plus, she’s a vampire! If she returns human and all the other kids do when their ornaments break, and this is something that confuses me even in the book... where will they go? Oh yeah, they’ll somehow find normal lives! Honestly, it would make more sense to have them move onto the afterlife. Are they gonna keep them human and alive to make them the stars of the show? That possible concept of, “Oh, the kids are gonna be the stars of the show now!” No, writers... just no. Nobody is gonna care about that. Again, it’s a possibility, and it’s a possibility I’m not thrilled by personally. I don’t want them to be the stars. They can be awesome supporting characters, but not the main focus. Idk man, I’m just saying right now, I’m not so sure how this whole concept is gonna work and I fear how they’re going to write it.

Next up: Wayne’s shitty behavior. Wayne is acting like a really big asshole, and it’s getting on my nerves. “He’s now a vampire!” I hear someone say. “Of course he’s acting this way!” Yes, but the reason why it’s especially annoying is because Vic keeps trying and trying to get the point across to him, and it’s all for nothing. We know Vic’s opinions and her heartfelt feelings for her son, and she ends up having to repeat herself when she might as well be taking to the wall. What’s the point? Filler? We already know Vic’s determination is strong. In the book, how Wayne was acting was better. He held onto himself, but he also didn’t, but Vic’s words managed to get across to him quite a few times throughout his journey. This would’ve been much better on screen, but the writer’s were like, “HA HA NOPE!” The scene that really angered me: what was the point of Vic making her speech (which was really nice btw) only for Wayne to not listen... you’d think that’d be the scene where he changes, but the writers decided to turn it into a shock value filler moment (similar to Chris’s death, which, btw, all this nonsense is making his death for near nothing). And, let’s not forget my question from last week.. where is Craig in all of this? Hmmm... guess he decided to take a vacation from helping his biological son, because he’s just gone! Why?! What was the point?! He better at least appear next week, but even then... too late now, buster! Probably should’ve been here earlier! I mean, for real, what was the point of Craig’s character at this point? What a waste of potential...

The worst part imo from this entire episode: Okay, so the writers make Charlie an even worse villain, even giving him those subtle sadistic undertones even as Vic is trying to talk to Wayne (alright, I get it, there’s that element to “saving” Wayne that’s vengeful when it comes to Charlie, but it’s honestly just too much darkness; it’s almost out of character, especially when it’s in a scene like this. I get it, he likes the idea of getting revenge on Vic, but does he have to be THIS dark? That laugh he gave was funny, yes, and I couldn’t help myself but laugh just because of how stupid it sounded, but looking at the reason why he laughed... if anything, he would’ve stood there with a smug smile and say something like, “I told you he loves me more.” They make him way too dark and it really takes away from the fact he is a villain with moral code, but these writers have seemingly forgotten that with the exception of the one scene in episode 7 where he condemns Bing’s rape. Of course, the rapist might be getting a redemption arch anyways, not Charlie, but uh... moving on from all that past shit!). Yeah, as I was saying, they make Charlie darker. Okay, let’s forget my opinions on that for a moment: the characters have the opportunity to make him, this super evil and irredeemable villain, weak to the point he couldn’t get up at all... But Maggie stops him from being in this state? WHAT?! That shit is very out of character for her, and it’s very out of character for Vic to just stop! Vic would’ve persisted, and if the roles were reversed, Charlie would’ve persisted. That’s the thing about them both: they are persistent and protective about their kids. Why did Vic need to stop? “We need to find your son!” MAGGIE! You’ve both tried multiple times already! Focus on Charlie when you have the chance! How stupid are you two?! And better yet: Why would Vic drop the weapon?! She would’ve grabbed it!!!! What the hell is this shit?! I can’t even express how stupid this is... I get you can’t exactly kill him, but you could make absolute certain he would be subdued and unable to even have the chance to get up and grab his weapon. But nope! They need to attempt for the thousandth time to save Wayne in the exact same way, when it has shown not to work. You’d think they’d at least attempt to think of something else, even if their options are limited, but nah, we’re gonna do something very out of character instead... why?

Things aren’t looking too good for Maggie, so I have to ask: is Maggie gonna die? And if so, that is beyond fucking stupid. They set up the potential for a plot with Tabs and Mags for the third season. I didn’t pick up that they officially broke up, rather just separated for now, and... for what?! If she’s seriously gonna die, I’m gonna be extremely pissed. That wasted potential and insult to her character would be so fucking stupid. Yes, she dies in the book (in a different fashion, and it’s probably not that great how she goes there either), but look at all they’ve done for her character, especially giving her a girlfriend, a character that’s become even more important. Her death would be questionably more insulting here for sure!

Overall, while there were things I liked about this episode, I am majorly disappointed and concerned for the future of the series. I’m afraid it will take directions that are not good, and if it does continue, I am afraid it will be a living dead show of sorts. I think the only true way this show can carry on and be good is if all our main most important characters (Vic, Maggie, Charlie, Lou, Wayne, and Tabs) are all alive. Now, Vic and Charlie might be the only exception to this, just because they both do die in the book, and although even that is rough and not the best, it is expectant and I think this show can still be good with Maggie, Lou, Tabitha, and Linda taking care of Wayne (I’m not gonna go into the potential with Millie in this scenario because that’s a rocky topic lol). But if this show follows the path of TWD, where we have a whole new cast of characters you’re not really gonna care about and all the old cast you got to know and love is just gone... that’ll be the cherry on top of this shit sundae. I am excited for the concept of exploring the world of other Strong Creatives, as many rumors speculate the next season will contain, but if the show that explored the world of zombies failed by getting rid of pretty much their whole old cast... what about this show? They’ve already messed up quite a few things I don’t like this season I’ve discussed before, and if they go the route of doing anything that can get worse... I can’t describe how disappointing it would be. Not saying things have to be perfect or my way all the way, but it has to be generally good and enjoyable for everyone. Growing attached to a cast of characters only to erase many of them and focus on a new one is not a way that is good and enjoyable for everyone. AMC: This happened with TWD; for the love of God, don’t let it happen with NOS4A2.

As I said in my last review: let’s hope next week is better, and AMC, for the second time in a row, doesn’t deliver a disappointment of a show.

[victoriafreakingmcqueen]

Masquerade

@wraith-of-christmas-future

“You know it’s rude to kidnap someone straight from the looney bin,” Vic McQueen muttered at Willa, who was busy trying to pile the brunette’s unruly curls up and sticking little rhinestone pins in it to boot. 

“Yeah, well, after your ‘friend’ crashed my party the other day, you owe me, Vic.” Willa uncapped a can of hairspray the size of Vic’s forearm. She closed her eyes just before her hair was assaulted repeatedly with the can, the sticky substance getting on her bare shoulders at one point and making Vic squirm a bit. 

“Look, I’m sorry, okay? Maggie’s been through a lot,” flashbacks of watching the Wraith hit the other strong creative before Charlie Manx so smoothly slid back into the car made her voice trail off. “She’s not even in town anymore.”

Willa’s huff interrupted Vic’s downward spiral of thoughts. 

“Well thank whoever for small favors,” Willa muttered before clapping her hands triumphantly and stepping back. “Alright, girl, I think you’re done!”

Vic really looked at herself then. Willa had gotten her hair up into a small coif of sorts, the rhinestone pins glittering in her dark hair. Her lips were the color of a dark bruise and her eyes had a smokey texture to them. The dress was an off the shoulder affair with a sweetheart bodice in a crushed velvet hunter green that belled out to the ground.

“Don’t ya think this is a bit much?” Vic asked finally. 

Willa smiled gleefully at her through the mirror, decked out in her own powder blue French ensemble with a huge freaking ostrich feather sticking out of her own updo. “Not even a little bit, Vic. And here!”

She handed Vic a black and green fan and a matching mask. “Now let’s get downstairs and dance!” Willa squeaked and pulled Vic down into the masquerade ball in full swing downstairs. How she got pulled into this, Vic would never understand. 

It took all Vic’s concentration not to descend the stairs in her new heels like a freaking baby giraffe and she was sure everyone was staring, and not in a good way. The room was filled with laughing, champagne glasses clinking, and an honest to gods live band playing ballroom music. It felt so alien to Vic, like being stuck in someone else’s dream and at the same time, she was getting caught up in it. Watching the people who knew how to sweep around the floor in tuxs and ballgowns make a whirling spin of colors and grace. 

Willa refused to let Vic stand in a corner and instead swept her into a group of faces she didn’t recognize, but after a while their voices gave them away to the kids she’d met at the last two parties. Here at least, she started to find comfort in something familiar. 

[allyvampirelass29]

The Lost Boy

A NOS4A2 Fanfiction By: Allyssa J. Watkins

"Vicki? Where are you!? Vicki, come here!"

"You're scarin' her, Linda, all your damn screechin'! Brat? Baby, come back here."

"Yeah, sure, Chris, you're the one drinkin' and throwin' whiskey bottles, and actin' like a freakin' lunatic, but my voice is scarin' our daughter! GOD, Mister Hero, and I'm always the BAD GUY!!! Damn it, Vicki, I SAID come here!!!"

Eight year old Vic McQueen hugged her denim jacket with the pink sparkly stars on the shoulders, tighter around her, rolling her dark eyes, as her parents fought in the open doorway. Biting her lip, she snuck her way around the side of the house, climbing on her red bike, pedaling away, shooting a quick glance over her shoulder, to make sure she wasn't being followed.

"Do they always engage in so unsightly a row?"

Vic squeezed the brakes on her handlebars with a gasp, her unruly brown curls falling in her eyes, as she stopped short, swerving, just narrowly missing the older boy, standing in the street.

"Geeze, Pal, ain't your mother never told you not to play in the street? What? D'you want to get hit by a car or somethin'? What's that mean anyway, row?"

"Feisty for a girl, aren't you?" The older boy, about twelve chuckled, adjusting his red silk kerchief, and dusting off his black vest. Vic was sure she'd never seen him before, dark wavy hair, and them thick eyebrows, he sure didn't sound like he come from Haverhill.

"Yeah, what of it?" She shot back, raising her chin defiantly, balancing on her bike. "Girls can be just a tough as boys, y'know? Ask Danny Merckle, I popped him one good. And if row means raise the dead with a lot of damn noise, then yeah, they sure row a lot."

The dark, mysterious boy shook his head with a smirk. "Girls shouldn't curse, nor should they engage in fisticuffs."

"That mean scrappin'?" She asked, screwing up her little face. Geeze what an oddball, this guy.

"More or less," The boy shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, well, I ain't exactly the type to play with dolls," She shot back, and he smiled again, his head tilted.

"So I see...... Well, Feisty, to answer your earlier question, no. My mother practically told me to go play in the street, nor would she have batted an eyelash if I'd gotten run over like a stray."

"Man ALIVE, your Old Lady is worse than mine!!!" Vic gasped, and she couldn't help but notice how sad the boys eyes looked. Real damn sad.

"You have NO idea, he said with a sigh," And they both jumped as the front door to Vic's house slammed shut.

"That's my cue," She whispered, leaning forward to pedal away again, when the older boy, grabbed one of the handlebars. "Hey, watch it guy, cant'cha see I'm tryin' to make a break for it?"

"I'm sorry." He said softly, his eyes going all sad again. "I'm sorry, you have to listen to them fight, and throw things, but you don't have to be scared."

"I ain't- I ain't scared," Vic's shoulders bristled, and the boy watched unconvinced as her lip quivered, and the autumn light caught in her pink sequins.

"It's okay..... to be scared. I am, sometimes."

"Pshhh are you kidding me?" Vic scoffed, resting her arms on the handlebars. "What's a tall guy like you got to be scared of, huh? Yeah, your old lady sounds like a witch, but, c'mon she's still your ma. She might carry on, but they love us. They gotta, right?"

The boy smiled again, but it was very sad. "One can only hope, Feisty. May I....... accompany you, on your daring getaway?"

"If that's fancy talk for tag along, then yeah sure." Vic shrugged her shoulders. "Damn, you're sure different, most boys older 'an me just want to push me around, you know, pick on me."

Vic pedaled down the sidewalk, away from her house, the sun hanging low in the sky, as the boy in the red kerchief walked alongside her, fighting his smile.

"I can't imagine anyone pushing you around. You're quite the novelty to me too."

"Thanks....... I think," Vic looked at him, scrunching up her brow. "So you got a rough home life too huh?"

"Horrendously so...... Your father may take to the drink, but I have the great misfortune of living in a bar, surrounded constantly by drunkards, and my mother, let's just say....... has a lot of boyfriends."

"No foolin'? GOD, that's gotta be some kind of awful! Folks get bonkers when they're drunk, at least mine come home...... most of the time, anyways. Boyfriends huh? What about your old man? Mine's a drinker, yeah, but he ain't all bad. He makes me laugh, y'know?"

"I don't have one...... I mean, I do, of course, but....... his identity could never in probability be ascertained. Whomever he is, he sure did not want me."

"God....... That's real rough. Everybody needs a dad......."

Vic's front tire hit a rock, and she swerved, accidently slamming into the boy, and he groaned as he fell back hard.

"Yikes! Holy sh- Are you okay?" She yelled, leapfrogging off her bike, kneeling down beside him, reaching to help him up, when she saw them....... "Hold on, guy, there's something on your neck there......"

"I'm perfectly sound, just a little jostled, hey, stop that, what are doing?"

Vic pulled off his silk handkerchief, and his hands flew to his neck, nervously. "Give it back."

"Hey........" Vic frowned, pursing her lip, and the boy shuddered, as she leaned over him, and pulled down his shirt collar. "You're bruised somethin' awful....... Did I-?"

"No-" He snapped quickly, leaping to his feet, one hand still hovering over his neck, the other held out impatiently, wiggling his fingers. "That's mine, thank you very much."

"No." She shook her rebellious curls stubbornly, clutching the kerchief tight. "You're not getting it back until you tell me....... Who did that to you, huh? You get in one of them rows with somebody?"

"Something like that...... Now give it, before I take it from you......." He scowled, knitting his dark brow.

"Like to see you try it, Buddy," She snarked back, holding it behind her back. "Who whaled on you, tell me....... It couldn't have been your old lady, c'mon."

The boy tried to look angry, tried to hide the guilt, and shame in his eyes, but they pierced through the dark shine, and he sighed, hanging his head. It was then Vic noticed the cuff on his sleeve had inched up, revealing the dark circles of even more bruises.

She gasped, her little hand flying to her mouth, slowly handing him the kerchief, which he snatched back, and carefully re-tied.

"I take it back...... Your mother's a witch with a "b."

The older boy couldn't stifle his smirk, hastily pulling down his long, starch white sleeve, fiddling with it. "Quite so."

"My ma used to get mad, and slap me around sometimes when I was talking back, but....... she ain't never left bruises like that....... You got to get yourself the hell out of there.

"I will....... Someday." He shrugged, hands in his pockets, and Vic walked her red bike alongside him, the sun casting long shadows behind them. "Someday, I'll drive away, in a fancy car, somewhere no one will ever hurt me again.

"Sounds real good, guy. You ever need a friend, you got one in Vic McQueen."

"Who's Vic McQueen?"

"Me, Stupid!" Vic laughed, elbowing him in the ribs. "You got a name, Kerchief?"

The dark-eyed boy smirked, bowing graciously, with a flourish of his hand. "Charlie Manx, at your service."

"God, you are so freaking weird. Well, put 'er there, Charlie!" Vic beamed, holding out her little hand with a smug grin, and hesitantly, Charlie took it, with a firm shake.

"A pleasure, Victoria."

Charlie Manx awoke with a jolt, bolting upright in bed, his hands flying instinctively to his neck, and he shivered, the sweat cooling on his skin.

"What on GOD'S green earth was that......!?"

His palm slid slowly down his neck, and he felt the pale brunette slumbering beside him stir, but she didn't fully wake. He stroked her face, breathing heavy, envying her expression of heavenly peace. How perfectly dreadful....... How dare you, Victoria....... Damn you, invading my sacred dreams, unearthing my- my secrets and shames. He rubbed his neck again, finding it still bare, and free of bruises, his skin, of course, flawless.

The angry tears stung his eyes, and he wiped them furiously away, his thumb circling his wrist over and over........ He had to admit this miniature McQueen wasn't quite so irksome....... Little Victoria was so far removed from her scathing, impulsive, teenage self, that there was something almost endearing about her, fussing over him and his boyhood inflictions. “How odd to think of us together, Victoria, as children, the bruised yield of broken homes. What might you have thought of him, The Lost Boy without his Neverland? We might even have been friends.......... How's that for a scary thought?”

He slowly fell back back onto the bed, his silky raven head sinking into the soft pillow, and he froze as his sleeping beauty whimpered, and eased her body against his, skin melting against skin, laying her crown of shiny curls on his bare chest.

"This one......." Charlie breathed, flaring his nostrils in a sigh, his claws caressing her luxurious curls, letting them sift, one by one, through his fingers. "She had a much different upbringing than the two of us........ An ideal childhood, and I envy her, Vic........ I envied her, her happiness, yes, I watched her grow up, loved, cared for, precious in her mother's eyes, and I ached to know what that was like....... To flourish in a tended garden, instead of left neglected in the thistle........ Ironic, isn't it......? She would have had no need of me to come, and spirit her away to Christmasland, and yet you....... who despise it most of all........ were exactly the kind of girl I would have saved.

He ran his hands through his mussed coif, his obsidian strands damp with sweat. "Imagine us, Vic, as childhood friends, the feisty girl, and the dapper dan, creating together, walking worlds that others can't even imagine....... Look at us now, scrapping, as you so eloquently phrased it, for a chance to kill each other, and I feel the swelter of your hatred, but even you can't deny that we....... are not so different."

I'm going to have to kill you, there's no way around that, not now. And I'm going to enjoy it, have fun, get...... creative with your meticulous undoing. He chuckled to himself, winding one of Ally's ringlets around and around his finger, with a menacing smirk. But that does not mean I won't miss this, our delicious conflict, the obscene pleasure that comes in hating you, hurting you....... In a perfect world, I would have you both, my conflicting passions, satisfied, her pleasure, your pain, my ultimate fantasy. But this one....... She was made too tender, Vic. Where your parents' endangerment hardened you an edge, this one feels too deeply through another's heart, even yours. She couldn't love a man that inflicts pain with such indecent pleasure, courting her tenderly with the same hand that harms you. In time, she will beg me to stop, fling herself at my feet, sobbing bitterly while you bleed, and being so affected by her, I will grant her wish. I will grant yours as well, and finally finish it, quell your flame, waste all of that Creative potential, killing you in secret. Then I'll tell her, Vic, I'll tell her I let you go.......

Charlie felt his heart quicken, imagining Victoria's aghast face, as though she were listening to his thoughts, racing by in a frenzy. That's right, My Feisty One, I'll make myself the hero of our doomed fable, and say I've decided to give up our fantastic feud, all for her, because she's changed my heart, absolved me of my sins, and she'll love me for it, Vic, praise me, reward me, even while you lay dead in the frozen wilderness. He closed his eyes, with a dark chuckle, a sinful breath escaping. You'd hate that, wouldn't you, Victoria? ANSWER ME!!! Tell me how much you'd hate that.......

You're messed up, Pal. You do that, and you're worse than your slap happy old lady.

Charlie's eyelashes fluttered open as he heard Little Vic's angry voice linger in his mind.

That's enough out of you, Young Lady. Only good girls get to go to Christmasland, and you've long outstayed your welcome.

You want me to scram? Make me.

Oh, I intend to....... Consider yourself grounded.

He simpered, feeling blissful, pressed against his wife's womanly warmth, visions of battling Vic frolicking through his head, as he smelled Ally's hair. You make me so happy, the both of you........ In hating one, and loving the other, The Lost Boy became a found man. You might not be one to play with dolls, Vic, but I certainly am......... And I don't intend to share.

[siegelst]

NOS4R2 2X07 SPOILERS BEWARE RATING 5/6

Another flashback episode, show was eventful. Tragedy of Charlie Manx childhood told almost right for once. Bing and Wayne’s last minute actions that brought the show down. This episode only focuses on Manx Bing and Wayne.

Trigger warnings (TW) are in this review just so you know:

Bing is back, questions Manx, manx does what he does best- talk himself out of a situation. In CL - lights flickering and Millie goes to ghost mum and Manx biggest fear is Millie wanting to become an adult, start a career, and be independent from him, and the mum warns her to get out of CL while she can before the enscape itself dies. She also state Manx blames the nearest person when bad stuff happens to him *which we see evidence of that later on*.

Manx past happens and it was better than what was expected. We get to meet manx’s mom *who is surprising nice**Error???*. Manx was exposed to a lot of adult content - prostitution and ended up helping a bad man get younger kids - similar to what Bing is doing for Manx now.  Manx as a young kid was bring younger kids to his boss for who knows how long in exchange for money. *ERROR THIS NEVER HAPPEN IN THE COMIC - IT WAS A RANDOM EVENT and where’s the coffin he sleeps in? and isn’t his mum abusive??*and end up *TW* having pedophile boss go after him and rape him *END TW*. Manx childhood ends up with his 1st killing the pedophile boss and MORE SHOCKINGLY later his own mother, even though she did warn Manx about the boss and told him off he himself knew what he was doing. *EXCUSE ME THIS DOESN’T EVEN HAPPEN IN THE COMIC.* Yet he puts the blame on his mother and kills her.

I am glad that they stuck most of his tragic past because this was the build up of his character we were looking for, what made his character tick and why he is the way he is. And really if his mother was bad, she would have guilt trip him manipulate him into selling himself as a prostitute as well. and in the comic she could have done this but she didn’t. so her death was hard to watch. *wasn’t she supposed to be abusive to him? in the comic?*

Wayne is back with Ghost! Craig and they have a bro moment. Craig also influence Wayne enough he doesn’t seem that effected by the wraith draining powers. as long as Wayne remembers his family, he be able to fight off changing.

Bing at the wraith car and almost about to fix the car but decides to go after Manx. This is were there was a big confusion. but I found a twitter feed of the person that wrote this episode did clear up.

*TW:

. *END TW* So nothing happen, bing changed his plan. phew.

Afterwards Bing think both him and manx are monsters - he thinks its right to crush the car with manx and him inside would be a good ending for them*big SURPRISE*.  Wayne stops the crushing machine. manx fix the car and regenerate back to his 40yrold self *ERROR*. damage was done to him - so either he has to drain a kids lifeforce energy in order to recover??

what is worse is Manx manipulate wayne back into the car, even ghost Craig is yelling ‘NOOO!’ in the backseat. It was satisfying to finally see Manx going after Bing for once and almost kill him but they always mess up the part by leaving before the character even dies - Bing would be alive next episode.

This episode was packed with information and while I thought nothing that Bing will do would be considered to erase his past sins - *it does NOT* -he was trying to get wayne to  runaway and send message ‘tell Vic i’m sorry and don’t worry about Manx anymore’ which was a BIG turn around for him.

the Errors: This whole Trigger warning*

Where’s the coffin?  Why they again skip manx’s past of abusive relationships. ARE they trying to tell the world that abusive relationships for men don’t exist and it only exists for women? cause they doing a great job with that *sarcastic here*.  In COMIC -his mother was uncaring, abusive and forgot about him most of the time.

tvshow. yes they live in the pub. yes, they got the atmosphere right, i’m glad they changed the bad random guy to be a person that charlie once trusted before the event.  i was more concern that they won’t do the topic of his event with the bad guy.  His mom seem caring *Error* and him - finding young boys to give to this pedophile bar guy - was out of character because it never happen in the comic. it was random event on a hill in the forest and no other kids were involved but Manx.

but amc seem to like to SKIP abusive relationships 4 men when they really should count. and where’s the coffin??  and just because bing did a 360 in this episode to try “redeem himself’, he’s still shit and abuser.

[omniversalobservations]

NOS4A2 (July 2019)

In the scene, Manx travels to a bar called Parnassus for some advice. Though it initially seems like this bar is real, it becomes clear that this is actually most likely the Inscape �� short for inner landscape, a dimension created in the mind — of Abe (Reg Rogers), a steampunk-esque dude who runs the bar. Parnassus is a gathering place for some of the darker elements of the world, creatures/people who use their Inscapes for bad, instead of good (like Vic).

…and though it’s pretty clear that Manx is the baddest of the bad, as his mere presence makes everyone else clear out immediately, the venue is packed full of horror icons. Most of which I, uh, could not identify. To be honest. I tried! I’m sorry! That said, here’s who I did notice:

Pennywise: This is the most obvious one, a clown with a red balloon prominently featured at the bar. That’s Pennywise, from Stephen King’s “IT” and the recent hit movies. And in fact, this isn’t the first time the show has referenced one of NOS4A2 writer Joe Hill’s father’s most famous creations. Back in the first episode, Pennywise’s Circus was referenced on Charlie Manx’s map of Inscapes, roughly around where Derry is in King’s book. And if the idea of Pennywise and Manx exchanging tips doesn’t send a shiver up your spine, I don’t know what would. That isn’t the only King character in the bar, though…

Lloyd: Who else would be tending bar other than the Overlook Hotel’s creepy bartender, Lloyd? Played by Joe Turkel in Stanley Kubrick’s classic movie The Shining, the Lloyd here is sporting the same suit as his cinematic counterpart — though he does look a little younger. And it makes sense to incorporate Overlook into the Inscape universe, as most of that seems to be happening at least partially in Jack Torrance’s mind, as well.

Freddy Krueger: Hey, if you’re going to have a bar full of child-murderers who can enter dreamscapes, why wouldn’t you invite the star of the Nightmare on Elm Street series? This is a decidedly pre-burning Krueger, but he is sporting the iconic sweater, and holding a teddy bear; though he doesn’t have his claw gloves on, so grain of salt there. Krueger is neither from Hill or King’s work, but it’s a natural fit nonetheless.

The final few, I had a little trouble identifying. There’s a character identified as “Steampunk” in the credits, played by New York actress Sarah Boatright. That seems to be the green-haired woman spotted as Manx is entering, wearing a leather outfit and sporting big hoop rings in her ears. She’s opposite a man in a black suit who looks to only have one arm, who I initially thought might be The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) from the Phantasm movies, which also deal with nightmare type scenarios, but the man here is too young, and The Tall Man has both his arms.

Also going by quickly, a shadowy woman drinking with Krueger wearing a cable-knit sweater and blonde hair, who could be Carrie’s Mom Margaret (Piper Laurie), though that doesn’t exactly track with the whole Inscape thing? There’s also a man who seems to have a gun or something else sticking out of his back, and a woman with a gold mask who gets up before Pennywise. It’s clear that they’re either literary or filmic references, and most likely have access to dreamscapes like the other characters. But I’m drawing a blank, sorry folks.

Regardless, it’s a neat sequence, and one that again opens up a world of possibilities for the show. Where the book was very focused on a few Strong Creatives, the series is adding details that could keep the show going far beyond the initial conflict between Vic and Charlie. At the very least, we need to see much more of Parnassus (though drink there at your own peril).

Source: Decider

(images via YouTube)

[vyrulent]

“Stop squirming, I’m trying to help ! ” It came out under more of a bark tilted toward frustration, though hefty amid his tongue it coagulated concern in intermingling with his demand.

meme || @wraith-of-christmas-future

There’d been the soft touches between them in recent past, but there had been far more of a rougher nature. The burned flesh at her temples was a reminder of the hellscape she’d been held within. Doctors and police officers had made the decision to have her committed. There wasn’t a fancy man in a fancy car -- a car like she’d told them about would have been easily seen, it would have stuck out. Charlie Manx was not real.

It was his touch that frightened her in this moment. His movements so quick and so unexpected. Jolene was like a frightened kitten, nervous and so uncertain with her new surroundings. She stopped in her fidgety movements as she looked at  him, eyes bloodshot and heavy from exhaustion. 

“I’m s-sorry,” she told him, head still pounding from the medical tortures they’d put her under, that she’d yet to fully recover from. “I’m...I’m not...” features softened as hurt was revealed, “okay. Charlie, they shocked me.”

It was wholly evident by the marred flesh, though she couldn’t recall if she’d specifically told him the tale of what had happened. Jolene wanted to cry, but found her head hurt far too much. 

“They...they didn’t take my skates, did they?”

[spdcadetsandcrew]

Before the storm (Charlie drabble)

*Takes place before A-squad’s doomed/turncoat mission

Other than brief glimpses in uniform when they were off to fight monsters or go about other duties, few, if any, actually saw the members of A-Squad. If anyone saw them at all, it was brief, and it was usually accompanied by a barked order to get the hell out of the way. The one exception to this was Charlie, the squad’s leader, and she was often dreaded most of all, as rumor had it she’d been known to send a recruit or two flying through the wall when she was in an ill temper (though Commander Crueger swore that was just an exaggeration).

Charlie was aware that they’d probably have to ship out soon-it was a gut feeling. It was why she’d spent the past couple of days helping train three of the soon to be B-squad recruits. One in particular she was watching, though most would think her crazy.

She hadn’t run Bridge, Syd, or Sky through any walls yet, but she had run them ragged. “Take a break,” she ordered. “Meet back in-

“Hey Charlie, you stuck baby-sitting again?” The rest of her squad passed by and gave the three D-squad cadets a cool glance. “Bet they didn’t even last five minutes.”

“Well actually, it was ten for me, seven for Syd, and Sky-” Bridge started to say.

“Bridge!” Sky and Syd chorused.

“Sorry.” Bridge grinned sheepishly.

“They need some work, but they can keep up,” Charlie said of the three. “Mostly.”

“I don’t know why you even bother with a group of nobodies who aren’t even fit to shine our boots. You trying to get some brownie points with the commander or something?”

“Hey, at least we’re trying,” Sky said. “We’re just as good as you guys-I mean, our parents were all SPD.”

“Yeah, a bunch of nerds, and a guy so busy saving nobodies that he couldn’t even save his own skin-”

That remark might have sent one Sky Tate flying at the four A squad members and sent him six feet under were it not for the intervention of Charlie, who stepped between them. “We all have our own definitions of what a hero is,” she said. “Winning the tough battles is important. But so is what Tate’s father did. A wise man once said, ‘Greater love hath no man than he who lays down his life for his friends’. You four may not believe that, but I’m the leader and you’re obliged to listen. Now get the hell out of here unless you have some constructive criticism.”

“Whatever, traitor.” But they backed off anyway. Four against one were tough odds, but Charlie was-Charlie.

While they were backing off, Bridge read their auras. “Odd,” he said.

“What is it, Bridge?”

“Something seems off about their auras...something dark. But I can’t put my finger on it.”

“Ma’am,” Sky said. There was a hint of emotion in his eyes. “Thank you.”

“Your father was a hero and I’m sure he’d be proud of you,” Charlie said. She jerked her head in Bridge’s direction once she caught his remark. “Darker how?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never read them completely before-they usually don’t stick around long enough for me to do it.”

“I see. Tate, Drew, take a walk. Carson, come with me.”

When they were out of earshot, Charlie said, “We’re probably going to be shipped out soon to the Helix Nebula. There’s been a lot of activity building up there. You, Drew, and Tate show the most promise, so chances are that you may end up becoming rangers in our absence.”

Bridge blinked at the news, and then voiced the first question that came to his mind. “Why are you telling me?”

“You think differently than everyone else. You saw something in their auras that no one else would have noticed. They’ve always been full of themselves, but it’s been getting worse for some time now.” She shook her head. “I need you to do something for me.”

“Anything I can do to help, ma’am.” He saluted.

“Screw the salutes Carson, this is soldier to soldier,” she said. “I’m trusting you when ideally I should be going to the commander or Dr. Manx-but I don’t think they’ll entirely believe that things are as bad as I’m suspecting.”

“Do you think they’ve turned-”

“Don’t even say it, Carson. Listen, I have installed in my watch a time travel device. If something goes wrong, it should send me back moments after my squad leaves.”

Bridge blinked. “How did you-”

“Never mind that, Carson, there’s no time.” She motioned for his hand. “Hold out your hand.”

When he did, Charlie removed what appeared to be a small computer chip from one of her pockets and installed it in his watch in a matter of seconds. “That is another precaution of mine,” she explained.

“You’ll notice,” she went on, “when it activates by a flashing red light on your watch here. When it does, I need you to hit that button there, and my own watch will respond accordingly. I’ve looked into the ranger archives and managed to mimic the old teleportation technology used by the original rangers.”

“I thought that knowledge was partially lost.”

“Nothing is completely lost if you look in the right place, Carson,” she replied. “Not a word of this to anyone else until the time is right. I’m leaving it up to your judgment to know when. If anyone asks, just tell them I needed your help with something, and you’ll tell them about it when you can. Gotta go.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“One more thing, Carson. I noticed your necklace.” She nodded to his Star of David. “When we leave, say a prayer for me.”

Before Bridge could reply, she was gone.

[rtcecere-blog]

Favorite 5 Novels (as of July 2017)

First off, let me say this: Stephen King is (as of right now) my favorite author, so I’ve read a lot of his books compared to other authors, in other genres. Meaning, you’ll see King’s novels on here often.

This list is subject to change over time. As of July 2017, these are my favorite novels.

1. Bucky Fucking Dent - David Duchovny

David Duchovny, being one of my favorite actors, I had to pick up his book–and (pssh) not because in anyway, shape or form, after watching him play Hank Moody in Californication.

For the first few pages I felt that I would put this book down, due to its literary language. (I’m a genre guy, and don’t care much for fancy wording). Instead, I decided to read on, and finished within a few days. My mind blown: the story of a writer and his estranged father knocking on Death’s door.

The pair were likeable characters, and the story ended sadly, and heartfelt. If I didn’t have so many books on my TBR, I’d read it again, soon, in a heartbeat.

2. The Shining/Doctor Sleep - Stephen King

Here’s Johnny! Oh … wait, this ain’t a Kubrick thing!

All right, I’m cheating a little here, but since The Shining and Doctor Sleep are connected, they both deserve the spot. And they’re both that good.

Unlike the Kubrick film adaptation, where Jack Torrance is crazy from the get-go (no thanks to Jack Nicholson), and his wife’s only there to scream, the REAL story of The Shining revolves around a recovering alcoholic writer caretaking the Overlook Hotel with his wife Wendy and son Danny, born with a gift known as the shining. As the evil spirits of the Overlook terrorize Danny, his father slowly descends into madness.

Doctor Sleep starts after the events from The Shining, and follows Danny into adulthood as he becomes an alcoholic himself, and ends tasks to save Abra, a young girl with powerful Shine that’s hunted down by a tribe of monster campers (their name is skipping me at the moment). With a quicker pace than The Shining, Doctor Sleep feels like an action/adventure story and pulls off a nice sequel to a classic horror tale.

3. NOS4A2 - Joe Hill

Ah, Joseph Hillstrom King: son of Stephen King. In front of David Duchovny and behind Stephen King in my list of favorite writers, I picked up NOS4A2 because SK’s son wrote it, but that’s not the main reason. The plot dragged me into a world I needed–no–demanded to explore! I read it in 2016, so some of the names are fuzzy to me; the story follows Vic McQueen over the span of about twenty-five years (and let’s just point out, she was a pretty cool kid, owning a bicycle that took her to find lost objects, and kick ass adult with tattoos, a kid and overweight husband on the verge of a heart attack). What really interested me was Charlie Manx, a supernatural killer that rode an old Royce that ran on children souls and death, bringing them to an off the grind place known strictly as Christmasland.

Joe Hill could easily take number one spot as my favorite author. I like his writing style more than his father’s, but SK has more books under his belt and it’s hard to judge an author that you haven’t read much of.

I don’t want to give to much away, so check it out.

4. Carrie - Stephen King

What’s not to like about Carrie White? She’s your typical high school bully target with a lunatic of a mother–an overly religious woman that makes Carrie’s life hell. She’s gifted with telekinetic powers and just wants to fit in, but can’t seem to catch a break. You feel sorry for her and root for her throughout the book. It’s King’s first published novel and a quick read.

5. Bag of Bones - Stephen King

Did I mention how I enjoy novels featuring writers? Now you know.

From the moment I turned to page 1 I couldn’t and didn’t want to put it down. The writing was strong, as were the characters. I thought this book started off strong and ended equal. Mike Noonan lost his wife and is suffering a serve case of writers block. He goes to a cabin on Sara Laughs and a mystery surrounding his wife unravels. It’s filled with mystery, ghosts, and grief.

I’m far from the reviewer type, so the reviews I gave are minor and terrible. But each one here gets a 5-star rating, hands down, and deserves a read if they haven’t been on your TBR list yet.

[rosevanhelsing]

Wendigo

Chapter  21

Vic stared at the police cars until the lights were lost on the horizon, then she went back inside, full the tank of the Triumph and when she got out and accelerated the Shortcut Bridge appeared again that took her home.

Meanwhile, Charlie returned to Christmasland and was full of good humor, her plan was going from strength to strength. It was a matter of time before Vic ended up abandoning Lou and Wayne, well he didn't mind him going back to Christmasland either. Suddenly the Wraith sent him a telepathic message

-You are not getting too illusions with her again, are you? I don't think that overnight she will abandon that man.

-I know, but she will sooner or later, even if she did not abandon him of her will, I do not think that Mr. Carmody will live many years, he has already had a heart attack ... Vic knows, deep down, that I can only be your partner. I am sure that we are soul mates as they say ...

-While I was with her, I have delved into her mind ...

-Hahaha, you have to see how gossipy you are ...

-Well, you will not like what I have found out ... She has no affective feelings towards you except gratitude because you saved her life ... In fact, for her, you are only a necessary evil to be able to defeat the Wendigo ... if you fall into that confrontation, she will not care.

-No, that's not true! I've seen it in her eyes. She no longer looks at me with disgust and contempt ...

-At most you can expect her to forgive you for what you did to her and you know it. She is in love with Lou Carmody and she will marry him and even she may consider having children with him.

Charlie screamed in rage.

-No, that won't happen ... Shut up.

The Rolls fell silent and continued on. Charlie spent the rest of the trip in a bad mood, killed a hitchhiker to feed the children, and returned to Christmasland.

When Vic came back she hugged Lou and brought him up to date. Since the next day was Wayne's birthday, between the two of them they wrapped the accessories for the puppy as a gift to surprise Wayne and then the three of them would go to find the puppy. Possibly they would stop by a good restaurant to eat.

 For his part, James had gone to Boston to do a merchandise delivery, when he was taking the regulatory break, he noticed a poster announcing the Halloween party of the publisher that published Vic's books. James returned to the truck, He picked up the book he had bought and checked the publisher's name. A wicked smile played on his lips.

- I think I know where we'll meet again, Vic McQueen.

James went to the publisher and at reception asked:

- Good morning, I would very much like Vic McQueen to sign the book for me and send you a letter of admiration. Could you give me her  address?

The receptionist looked at him and she had a strange feeling that this man was shady. Since she was little, she had always had a very good intuition and she was never wrong in judging people and also that intuition had saved her once from a strange woman with  a top hat.

- Sorry but no. Our publisher protects the privacy of our authors - she said professionally - If you wish, you can leave your letter and the book along with your  address and she will send you the signed copy.

- Well, I'll do that. Thank you, Miss. By the way, do you know if she's going to attend that Halloween party, miss?

- I don't know, sir. However, this party is free. What I know is that we have sent you the invitation

James greeted her with his hat and left. He got a notepad and a package and wrote:

"My dear, and newly discovered, cousin

I can't wait for us to get to know each other better, I think the Halloween party at the publisher you work with would be a great place for us to talk. Let's have a friendly conversation and I won't hurt you but if you refuse or call the police, your family will pay the consequences.

James the Wendigo "

James packed everything up and delivered it leaving a zip code for reference. After a few days, Vic received the package, picked it up and opened it, seeing that it was one of her books, he proceeded to open it to sign it and then he saw the note. He carefully kept it in plastic to preserve the prints and hid it so Wayne wouldn't see it and when Wayne went to walk Hooper he showed it to Lou.

- Call Tabitha, now- said Lou

 Vic swallowed hard and nodded. She called Tabitha and she came over.

- You've done well, Vic. We'll catch that bastard, you'll see.

- Well, then I'll be the bait, I let him approach me, I take him to the hotel parking lot and there and you catch him.

- Yes, you are the bait ... but don't worry, we will keep you and Lou safe. Wayne will also have protection in case he gave her for trying to kidnap him or something.

-Yeah ... if you do as well as when Manx took him ... -she said sarcastically

- Vic ... we did not know that Manx had an ally who was like him, and there was also Bing. And the Wendigo is not like Manx, thankfully. Go both of you to that party, me and other agents will be disguised and incognito, you won't even know who we are.

- It's okay.

Later, while she and Lou were in bed, Lou said:

- It's a trap, don't you know?

- Of course, and I think he must also assume that I will call the police. And not only that, I think he's also looking forward to Charlie Manx coming.

- But he didn't mention Manx

- Needless. I think you already know that I have sided with Charlie against him and I will tell you.

- And what are you planning to do? Will you leave it all to Tabitha or are you going to have a plan B with Manx?

- Both things ... I want the Police to take care of Wendigo, but if the Police fail, we both know we can stop it. And Charlie won't want the Wendigo to hurt Wayne either. I did not tell you, but Charlie "adopts" the children he takes, considers them his children even if they turn into that kind of demon, soulless vampires that Wayne was about to become.

- So you have to go back to Christmasland to tell him, right?

- I'm afraid of that, yes.

- Do you want me to accompany you?

- I would love if you could join me but I don't want you to turn it into a Christmas Dinner. When he took Wayne away, he wanted to put you in the trunk of his car to serve you to the kids as food. And he had the same intention with Craig Harrison.

- Wayne's father?

- Yes.

When Vic made sure Wayne was asleep, Vic and Lou both went out and drove the motorbike a couple of miles, far enough away that Wayne would suspect nothing and think that his parents were out for a walk or a drink.

"Are you ready?" Lou asked.

- To be honest no. I'm even afraid to go back there.

"I suppose Christmasland is as twisted a place as Manx."

-You suppose very well. But I have no choice ...

Vic sped up the Triumph until the bridge appeared and crossed it back to Christmasland.

[rosevanhelsing]

Wendigo

Chapter. 22

Vic arrived at Christmasland in no time, got off the motorcycle and hid, she wanted to go as unnoticed as possible until she reached what looked like the center of the park. She prayed to meet Charlie directly, or at least Millie… she even  preferred to meet the car rather than any of the other children.

While Charlie was in her office, sitting in his chair and pensive as he watched the snow fall. He refused to believe that Vic hated him. No, he was sure that she did not hate him and she was willing to collaborate with him, to establish a bond with him ... he had perceived it in her eyes before saying goodbye to her. If she hated him and she wanted to see him dead, she would have left him to his fate, she would have let the Wendigo run over him with the truck, she would not have helped him again ...

Millie, who was reading the book Vic had given her, looked up and said enthusiastically:

- ¡Dad! ¡Vic Mc Queen is back!

And she ran away.

Charlie felt as if he had been slammed into the head with the autopsy hammer he used to use and got to his feet. He put on a robe over it as he was wearing only pajamas and peeked outside in case he saw her

Near the Russian Sled, the Christmasland roller coaster, Vic was cornered by several children, these were armed with knives and other sharp instruments.

- Look, she's the witch who wanted to destroy Christmasland!

- To her! Scissors for the drifter!

-I want her eyes!

-I want her nose ...

- Stop! - said a voice- It is Father who must punish her!

Millie stepped between Vic and the other children and hissed her teeth at them. The other children backed away, Millie roughly grabbing Vic by her arm and dragging her away.

- Come on, witch. You must be punished

Vic watched as Millie was dragging her from her but grabbing her by her clothes and he hadn't touched her skin, nor had she spoken a word from her since she had dragged her away. Millie watched and paused for a moment.

- I'm sorry I called you a witch, but I had to hide a bit but why have you come Victoria McQueen? And don't lie to me

- Easy, I have not come to destroy Christmasland or to harm your father. I just have to talk to him about how to take down a bad man.

- That bad man who almost ran over father?

- Yes, but how…

-Father explains everything to me now ...

Vic nodded but said nothing, Millie led her to Charlie's office and said pushing her into it:

- I'll be watching you. Don't do anything weird.

Vic knew that even though Millie hadn't attacked her and saved her from the other kids, she was still a little suspicious of her. She couldn't blame her, after all, she herself had come close to destroying Christmasland and her father.

The office was dark, but Vic knew Charlie was there, she could sense him, despite the silence.

- Come out of the shadows, Charlie, I know you're there.

Charlie grabbed her from behind and whispered into her ear:

- Well, well ... so you have dared to come to see me yourself ...

Vic put his hands on Charlie's arm to get him off her, it was one thing to have to ask him for help and collaborate with him, even admit that she had saved his life twice ... but she was not going to indulge him anything else.

- Charlie ... let go of me now!

Charlie released her and turned on the lights, there was also the fireplace light on. Vic looked at him, he was dressed in pajamas and a robe and he was looking at her mockingly.

- You weren't expecting me ... Vic mused

- No ... I honestly did not expect you to have the courage to come to Christmasland to find me. What happened? Did the Wendigo attack you?

-Almost right… Take a look at this, she said giving him a photocopy of the note the Wendigo had sent her.

Charlie took the note and read it

- However, you've already asked that cop for help, right?

- Just because Lou insisted. But I really don't trust them to stop it and you know why. Maggie knew it and she was never wrong. I have a plan, an alternative plan...

Vic told Charlie about her plan.

- So if the police fail, what do you think will fail, is that when you and I will take care of him?

- Yes. Remember that you must be in Boston for Halloween, at noon, at the latest. Me and Lou will drop Wayne off at Haverhill with my mother and then go to the Boston Hotel to change clothes.

- Change your clothes? Why?

- Because it's Halloween. I know that for you there is only Christmas, but not for the rest of the world. In addition to that party we have to go disguised as if we were in the 30s, in a gangster plan, femme fatale etc ...

Charlie rolled his eyes but said:

-I'll be there.

- Okay, we'll meet at the Hilton hotel to finalize the strategy. Would you mind taking us from there to where the party is held if necessary?

- In the Wraith? No problem, dear.

Vic nodded and said:

- Agree. See you on Halloween. But before I go I want to ask you a favor, a very big one. And I want this to stay between us

 Charlie raised his eyebrow without showing any more expression, although inside he was overflowing with happiness as he interpreted that as a gesture of maximum confidence from Vic with him and said:

-  What is it about?

- If the Wendigo kills me and Lou, I want you to do whatever it takes to protect Wayne. I want you to promise me for what you want the most ...

Charlie grabbed Vic's hands, theatrically knelt before her and putting his hand on his heart, he said:

- I swear by Christmasland that Wayne will not be harmed, I will protect him with my life. And so you can see that I trust you, I'm going to ask you the same favor- Charlie approached Vic's ear and whispered some coordinates- If I fall, I want you to free the children of Christmasland and my daughter. Especially my Millie.

- I promise Charlie.

Charlie stared at her, he had an almost irrepressible desire to kiss her and submit her right there, but it was not the time. Little by little she would be his, and that favor that she had asked him was a test. Proof that she already trusted him, enough to entrust him with what she loved most in this world, her son Wayne.

Charlie called the Wraith with his mind and said to Vic:

- Hide inside the car and she will take you to your motorcycle and the Shortcut.

- Thanks, Charlie. See ya. I'm sure we will defeat the Wendigo. Maggie's tiles were never wrong, most likely we don't have to take our oath.

Vic waited until she heard the car's engine, quickly opened the door of the shed and got into the car. Once there she lay down on the ground at the rear. N0s4a2, she turned off the interior lights and walked over to where Vic had left the motorbike. Once there, Vic looked out the window, checking that there were no children, and went out:

"Thanks, pretty," Vic said, closing the car door gently and running her hand over the long hood.

The Wraith's engine purred in response. The Rolls waved the lights as if to say goodbye and left. Vic got on her bike and crossed the Shortcut on her way home.

Meanwhile, Millie had entered her father's office.

-How was it, Father? Has Vic forgiven you? Have you made up?

- I think so, my sugar plum. Although I do not say so, I am convinced of it.

-How do you know? -She said hugging him

-Because she has sworn to me that if something happens to me, she will come looking for you and she will take you and the rest of the children out of Christmasland, although that will not happen ...

Charlie explained to Millie that he had planned, if circumstances allowed, to drag the Wendigo to Christmasland. Millie licked her lips and said:

- We will play with him scissors for the drifter ...

- I'm sure of it, my girl. And his head will decorate our new Christmas tree.

And telling himself, Charlie added:

- And Vic, in time she will become Mrs. Manx

[rosevanhelsing]

Wendigo

Ch. 18

James had walked through all of Manx's ancient caches, noting that they had all been emptied and some even burned. The old fox had come forward.

- You are a very clever man, Mr. Charlie Manx. - James said to himself - As they say in some countries, "the devil knows more for being old than for being a devil", but even the devil can be fooled. Sooner or later I will catch you.

James got into his massive Peterbilt 359 truck, which he affectionately nicknamed-"HUNTER," and drove down the road. A plan was beginning to hatch in his mind to trap these two creatives. They were going to be his main hunting trophies, but he had to know them better. Knowing the enemy was the priority, both intrigued him a lot. How the hell had Manx managed to become immortal? And what power did Victoria Mcqueen have? If he devoured them, will he acquire their enormous powers? Would he finally be able to become a creative? Why could he only glimpse his previous landscape but not access it?

James stopped at a truck stop outside of Haverhill for his statutory break and went to the gas station store to buy food and a few other things. He grabbed some cans of Red Bull, non-alcoholic beer, and sandwiches. When he passed by the bookstore section, a book caught his eye. A children's activity book, illustrated and designed by Victoria McQueen. James leafed through it carefully, it was very nice and original.

"Sir, do you want to buy it for your children?" Said a female voice.

-Sorry, what did you say to me? -Said James

- You cannot browse without buying.

- Ah, excuse me. Yes, I'm taking it.

- Well. Shall I gift-wrap it?

- It's not necessary, I'll do it. Do you know that the illustrator is a distant relative of mine?

- Really? Oh well she makes some beautiful and super original books. My daughters love those books. The next time she stop by Haverhill to sign copies, I'll take my girls….

James was playing along with the clerk without thinking and suddenly the clerk said:

"… .I think she'll be back here for Thanksgiving, I think." Her mother lives here.

- Wow. Maybe I'll have to come back here around that time.- James took note, maybe it would be a good time to catch Vic Mcqueen. He paid for the purchase and went back to his truck. On the way, he stopped to talk to a couple of acquaintances. One of them named Fred said:

- How about my new truck? - He said pointing to a red and blue Peterbilt. James was familiar with having seen that color pattern in some movie and he was thoughtful, Fred saw James's expression and tapping the nose of the truck he said:

- Say hello to my new partner: Optimus Prime.

 - That's why that color pattern sounded familiar to me. Is beautiful.

- You guys are stupid. Cars and trucks are girls. That's why I call my precious "Christine" - said Bob.

- Well guys, I'm going to rest for a while. See yaJames lay down on his seat to rest for a while and had visions. In these, he saw a girl of about six or eight years old, blonde and running with her parents with a stuffed rabbit, suddenly in a nearby tree a hole was opened and the girl entered that hole, just like Alice in Wonderland was going into the White Rabbit's den, and he saw the name of the town Libertyville near the park. James woke up, started Hunter's engine, and set off in pursuit of his next prey. A small and very tender prey.

Hundreds of miles away, Vic dreamed of the same girl and that a dark shadow with horns on its head loomed over her. Vic awoke with a cry and sobbing, scaring Lou to death who was suddenly awakened.

- My God, he's going for her, he's going for her….        

- Excuse me, what are you talking about? - said Lou

- The Wendigo. She goes for a girl. He will kill her and eat her… I have to rescue her!

-Vic, Vic ... you can't go find this girl and take her away ... How do you explain it to her parents?

"They'll probably be dead and gutted by the time I get there." I will save her and take her to the police for protection.

-  Ah okay. You already scared me. For a moment I thought you were going to take her to Christmasland so the Wendigo wouldn't catch up with her

Vic had that idea crossed her mind for a split second but she said:

- Don't say crazy, Lou ... I would never give her to Charlie ...

Vic got dressed quickly and ran for the bike.

At Christmasland Charlie was fast asleep and he was having the same visions as Vic, he got up, got dressed and went to the Wraith.

-We have to find a litlle girl, a creative ... -he said stroking the steering wheel of the Wraith- And I know that Vic is also going to rescue her, but we will not let Vic take her, that girl deserves to be in Christmasland. Safe from that savage Wendigo ... and who knows what foster family ...

 Vic had reached Libertyville thanks to the Shortcut, she saw a huge black truck in front of a house and there was screaming inside the house, as well as a couple of shots. She gulped, hoping she wasn't late. Suddenly, a litlle  girl ran out of the house, whimpering in fear, she was the one she had seen in her dreams.

"Little girl, come with me!" Vic yelled, roaring the Triumph and drawing her attention with the lights.

The girl froze for a moment, but she went to Vic.

- Come on get in, I'll save you from that monster ... - Vic said, putting her on the Triumph, and turning around.

At that moment, James came out fully dressed in Wendigo's outfit and covered in blood and shouted:

- That girl is mine, Victoria. Give she to me.

- Fuck you!

Vic accelerated the Triumph, almost making it do a wheelie.

- Hey yo, Silver- thought Vic.

James grunted and leapt into Hunter's cockpit, to chase them. He started  the engine and it roared like a fierce beast, blowing copious amounts of smoke from it’s tailpipes and coming after her. Vic saw the huge truck behind her chasing her, she revved the Triumph to full throttle and said:

- Hold on…

The Shortcut  appeared before her and she crossed it without thinking. On his side, James grunted and stopped Hunter before he hit a wall and said:

- So that's your power, how interesting ...

When Vic came out of the Shortcut she sighed in relief and said:

- Well, now we will call the Police and they will take care of you ... What's your name, little girl?

- Alice ...

- You don't have to call the police, Vic. I'll take care of her.- Charlie said coming out of the shadows.

[rosevanhelsing]

Wendigo

 Chap. 8

Charlie arrived at the Parnassus and saw that Vic had not yet arrived. That way he would have time to warn Abe. Manx entered the Parnassus, noting that there were too few people, too few even for a place like Parnassus, and he wondered if it was the Wendigo.

-Hi, Abe- he said placing a glass of whiskey on the table

- Wow ... what do you want now? You already collected your debt for the issue of the man who walks backwards when I introduced you to the Hourglass ...

- That you clear this den of rabble ... because you are going to have a very special guest ...

- You're kidding! … Victoria McQueen? And what do you want me to do, to put on a red carpet?

- I want you listen to her. Apparently there is a guy who calls himself the Wendigo and has already killed two of our acquaintances. One of them was The Hourglass itself, the other was a friend of Victoria's who was also a creative soul with psychic gifts, Miss Margaret Leigh.

- The one that beat Jonathan Becket?

- That same one.

Abe got up and said:

- Very good gentlemen, the Parnassus is reserved for a private meeting. Leave the premises.

The rest of the creative souls came out and left.

- I hope it's important, Chuck. Because you screwed up the collection of the day ...

The Parnassus lights flickered, and Charlie said:

- I think our guest of honor has arrived, I am going to receive her. Don't blurt out any impertinence ...

Outside Vic got off the bike and took off her helmet, the lights of the Wraith flickered as if greeting her, and she saw Manx at the door of the premises, he was beckoning as if inviting him to come in. Vic stepped into the Parnassus in front of Charlie. Vic saw a man sitting at a table, Charlie gently walked her there and said theatrically:

- Vic McQueen present to you the honest  Abe, creator of the Hollow Forest and Parnassus on the Night Road.

Charlie pulled up a chair and sat Vic across from Abe.

- Do you want a drink, Vic?

- Do you have Coca Cola?

Charlie nodded and went to the bar. Abe looked at her and said:

- Well, well. The famous Vic McQueen. The lady from the Shortcut Bridge, the one who defeated the mighty and immortal Charlie Manx is in my bar.

- I have come because Charlie thinks that you can help us to identify some people, and to verify my theory.

Abe studied Vic in a few minutes. She was a brave, determined woman with character and one of the most powerful creative souls he had ever known. He was not surprised at all that Charlie had found his greatest rival in her. Abe said

- Let me see, dear.

Vic showed him the photos of her cell phone, the portrait of the Wendigo, explained her theory and Maggie's prediction.

- Let's see, what I can assure you, dear, is that all adults were creative souls, although some did not have their powers.- said Abe

"What about the children?" Charlie asked, handing Vic the Coke.

- I'm not sure if they were, maybe they hadn't developed their powers yet.

- And have you ever seen this guy? - Vic said

- Never. And it gives me the impression that he is not a creative soul, but he is someone who knows of our existence and hates us to death. Or maybe it's something much more sinister ...

- What do you mean by something more sinister? - Manx said uneasily

- Someone who has been possessed by the spirit of a creative soul. Many, many years ago I heard of a creative soul who, to make up for what he lost due to his gift, ate human flesh. To the people who did that, the indigenous tribes said that they had been possessed by ...

- the spirit of the Wendigo- Vic finished

Charlie looked curiously at Vic and Abe. Abe continued.

- I have no idea who the Wendigo could be, but I do know someone who could help you. He is a historian, he is not a creative soul but he knows that we exist. Maybe he can give you more clues.- he said giving a card to Vic

- Thank you

- Yes, Thanks for almost nothing, Abe- said Charlie

Vic stomped on Charlie viciously

- Don't be ungrateful. At least we have one more clue. Let's go

Abe laughed inwardly as Vic left the premises.

- Charlie, did you really think you had a chance with this woman? For God’s sake, Vic McQueen is not for you. You cannotdominate her. You are incompatible like ice and fire.

Manx glared at Abe, but he didn't say anything. He just turned and got out of the Parnassus. Vic was waiting for him on the motorcycle.

- Good, Charlie. Let's go see that historian. We're tight on time, so why don't we take a quick trip with my bridge?

- I'm sorry, Vic, you won't trick me into putting the Wraith back in your bridge,- Charlie said.

- You didn't understand me, Charlie. You are going to get on my motorcycle. I traveled in  the Wraith, now YOU will ride with me on my Triumph.

[rosevanhelsing]

Wendigo

Chapter 10

Henry installed his guests in the drawing room and said:

- Make yourself comfortable. Now I will explain my research, although your collaboration would be great for me…. Do you want something to drink?

-First of all,- Charlie cut him off, -I want to know how you found out about the existence of creative souls.

- Ah, that… well, it's very simple. I had a girlfriend when I was 16 who was. One day I discovered her making use of her power. And she was forced to explain it to me

-What power did she have? -Asked Vic intrigued

-I could see things of all kinds in her mirror. She said that she allowed him to cut the veil between the real world and the thought world and she could see things of the past, of the present and of possible futures. But that power had a very high cost for her….

-What happened to her?

-When she was 20 years old she became blind and could no longer use her power. She was so depressed that she smashed her mirror and cut her veins on the pieces of glass.

-Christ! - Vic said- poor thing.

-And you? Does it also have a cost for you? Which?

Vic opened her mouth to reply but Charlie gently covered it with his hand and said:

- For each creative soul it is different. And do not be offended but we just met you, so for now we will be discreet with our "personal" matters .- Charlie said quite curtly.

 - You're right, excuse me. - Said Henry.- Well, she told me that there were more like her and after her death I wanted to investigate everything about you. And I have to say that it is extremely difficult to discover you ... but as a Historian I looked in the past to find your origins.

-And did you get something clear? - Vic said

- I found things here and there. Articles from old newspapers with inexplicable events, chronicles, fragments of personal diaries ... I was also able to trace two families that came from Europe and that inexplicable things were happening around them, which made me suspect that one or more of their members could be creative souls.  The families I am referring to are the Locke * family who settled in Lovecraft (Massachusetts) and the McQueen family

- Sorry, did McQueen say?

- Yes, Miss. Is your last name like that?

She nodded. Henry continued with his speech

- Well. Then I'll focus on the McQueen family. He  rummaged through some papers that he had on the table - Many years ago, a member of this family was tried for ...

- Cannibalism? - Vic mused with a trembling voice

-Yes ... but how do you know?

- Remember that the powers of a creative soul carry a cost, right? - said Manx- but this cost can be compensated in two ways: you hurt someone or you inflict it on yourself. An acquaintance told us that he had heard that many years ago a creative soul had made up for the cost of its power by eating human flesh, but he did not know the name.

- Very interesting… - said Henry writing down the data in a notebook- well the subject we talked about was called James McQueen…. He had dealings with the Micmacs and lived in the Passamaquody Lake area...

Vic's blood ran cold, they were too coincidences... and she said:

- Is there any way to find out if that man and I were related? You see, there is a man chasing us, his name is James and his nickname is Wendigo.

- Well, well, very curious ... Henry wrote down more information in his notebook and added- I could try to find out by your family tree to see if you has any relationship with that person that I mentioned  but I would need some more information about your family. As for his pursuer, it would have to be with DNA ...

- And where do you get that DNA thing from? Asked Charlie

- From the blood or from the hair- Vic said

 Charlie went to the garage and came back with the autopsy hammer and placed it on the table, it had blood and Wendigo hair on it.

- Would that help to find that DNA?

- Yes of course. Wait,  a while ago I wanted to study if creative souls had some kind of genetic peculiarity, a mutant gene as it were ... so I bought some kits that some laboratories sell in which they analyze your DNA and tell you where you come from ... but I have a trusted source at the University. Do you consent to me, Miss McQueen?

-Yes

Henry took blood samples from the hammer, placed them in a bag and labeled it, then took Vic's saliva sample.

- Well, let's see what my friend finds, but it will take a few days. And you, Mr. Manx, would you please give me a little of his DNA?

- Leave me alone…

- I'd love a DNA sample from you. You see, one of my most plausible theories is that gift comes from some mutated gene and I'd like to see if that's true. It also occurred to me that it could be hereditary ...

- I don't think so-  Charlie said.- My mother was a common and ordinary woman, just like Vic McQueen's father. And our children so far have never given any indication of being so. But if you insist so much on knowing why we are special, I will do you the favor of giving you my saliva or my hair. But I think it  goes beyond blood… we have a magical gift.

Henry gave Charlie the sample stick and he got chills when he saw Charlie's pointed teeth as he took the sample. Charlie also gave him a small lock of hair.

- Great. That will help me a lot. Tomorrow I will take the samples. It's very late, why don't you spend the night at my house? I can leave you a bed or the sofa

- The truth is that it would be good for me to rest. - Vic said- I'm going to make a call and lie down a bit on the sofa

- I'm going to sleep in the car. - said Charlie

Vic called Lou and explained everything. Lou got excited about the doctor's theory.

- Wow, so you could be a mutant like in X -Men ...

-Maybe, but what scares me, Lou, is that maybe I’m related to this Wendigo.

- Vic, for the love of God, you've never hurt anyone to use your bridge, right?  Well then it is evident that you are not like him, nor like Manx.

- Good night, Lou. Tomorrow I will come home.

- I love you. By the way, I wanted to tell you something about Wayne's birthday present.

- Great, we'll talk about it tomorrow.

After a while, Charlie and Vic were peacefully asleep.