#eric cabin tales

[rhithefella-sillytimes]

Memento Mori, Memento Vivere

A Cabin Tales Quick Fic

-----

"Alright... if I gave you all one more year, what would you do? Will you... make the most of it? Or will you just waste it like you humans always do?"

This question left the mouth of the Storyteller, as he glanced at the unfortunate lot. Its fingers tap against his arm, his cold gaze piercing into their bodies like a well-aimed bullet.

-----

Wayward 01 - Cassidy White

A young girl who ran away from home and never came back. Perhaps there were a few things she wishes to do differently if she returned?

Cassidy sniffled, wringing the tips of her hair dry. She seemed out of it, and was shivering even though she was placed close to the fireplace. She looked up at the Storyteller, before looking away again. She seemed like she was moments away from either sneezing or sobbing her eyes out.

"Well..?", the Storyteller asked. "I don't usually do this 'second chance' thing, so consider yourself lucky that I even considered this."

"I... I...", Cassidy tried to speak with a shaky breath. She was stopped by a sudden itching of the throat, and she leaned forward, coughing up water.

Begrudgingly, the Storyteller stood up from its seat, walked to Cassidy and patted her back. It waited until the spirit could be able to speak without pausing to spit lake water. To him, it felt so tedious, but he has to do this if he wants an answer from her.

After what seemed to be forever, the girl was finally ready to talk. The Storyteller moved away from her, making his way back to his chair. He peered close, locking eyes with her. She couldn't look away, or at least she felt like she couldn't. She looked hesitant, which was reasonable. After all, she was sitting face to face with Death themself.

"Go on.", the Storyteller urged her. Cassidy's mouth quivered, but she knew she had to speak now.

"Well... I... I want to go home.", she started, holding her arms close and leaning closer to the fireplace.

"I just want to see my mom again. I have... to talk to her. I just want to get back in good terms with her. Oh shit, she might hate me now. I just want to tell her that I'm so sorry...

Most importantly, I wanna actually say goodbye to her. Please, let me have this chance for once..."

-----

Wayward 02 - Eric

A boy who was the unfortunate victim of a curse that haunted the orphanage he lived in. An acquaintance tried to save him, but they failed... what would he do in this chance he may be given?

Despite the circumstance he's found himself in, Eric looked a lot more bummed out than scared. It was almost like he's been called to the principal's office instead of sitting right in front of Death.

At least, that's how he seemed outwardly. Death knew better. It knew this child was scared. Well, why wouldn't he be? Such a young soul, having faced a horrifying situation that he barely had control over. But the kid knew how to feign a lack of fear, as he had done many times before this.

The spirit just picked at his teeth with his fingernails, staring back up at the Storyteller with a bored but wide-eyed expression. He didn't even seem to react to the blood trickling down his throat as it stained the wooden floors red. Once the Storyteller said their question, Eric paused, wiping his finger against his shirt.

"Hm... Let me think.", the boy said.

Time dragged on, and Eric was still thinking. The Storyteller grew impatient, and they waved its hand in front of the boy's eyes.

"Hey.", they said. "Do you have an answer yet? I have all the time in the world, but I can't say the same about you, boy."

Eric laughed a little, some blood spraying onto the mysterious entity's clothes as he did. "I kind of forgot what you were asking. What was it again?", he replied, much to the Storyteller's annoyance.

It groaned, pinching its forehead with an annoyed sigh. "I said, if you had another year to live, what would-"

They were cut off by the orphan snapping his fingers. It gave Eric an unamused look, annoyed by the kid's audacity or ignorance.

"Oh, I remember now!", the boy says, before clearing his throat. He slightly winces from discomfort after the gesture, before continuing his response.

"There's this kid I knew. I think his name's Ethan..? He seemed like he would be cool to be around. I just... regret not talking to him.

I dunno, it didn't cross my mind. I didn't really think I'd be dead, so I always thought I'd start talking to the guy some other day. Besides, the other guys would pick on him, I could've been next if I did do that."

He shrugged, before he sighed.

"I guess I just wish I didn't have cold feet before this. Maybe if I had one more year to do things right, I could talk to the dude. We would've been great friends, I can tell."

-----

Wayward 03 - Samuel Larson-Watts

A boy who died alongside his friends, but was the deciding vote that caused his own friend to die alone. Now that he's gotten a new chance, will it make things worthwhile for his friends?

Sam looked like all the blood had drained on his body, as he sits still in front of the Storyteller. In his bloodied and slightly charred face was an expression that was equally frightened and defeated.

The Storyteller leaned forward, their head tilting slightly. "What's with the face, boy? You haven't even answered anything yet, and it already looks like you've given up on convincing me." It then chuckled snidely, their voice echoing throughout the cabin in a low rumble.

The loud voice caused Sam to partially duck his head low by instinct. He squeezed his blurry eyes shut, balling his hands into fists. He opened his mouth to apologize, stopping before the first syllable could even escape his lips. He slowly opened his unfocused eyes, trying to look up at the Storyteller with the toughest expression he can manage to make.

The Storyteller's sneering expression remained. "What? Are you gonna give up? Go ahead, you can just give up. Don't answer anything. It will be easier for the both of us."

This remark made Sam's eye twitch, and he sighs before finally talking. There was annoyance and frustration in his voice, which was almost enough to mask his defeated expression. "No I'm... I'm not giving up. I just... I'm just trying to think. If you aren't going to help me, don't talk at all, ok?"

This made the Storyteller lean back on his seat. Finally, the boy's decided to toughen up a little. It was a little worried that Sam would just give up. Despite their smugness, they wanted to see the boy struggle and fight, like he's always done in life. "Okay kid, just tell me when you're ready."

"Fine.", Sam says with a scoff. A minute passes, before the spirit lets out a sigh. He looks up at the Storyteller.

"I don't know.", he admits, looking down and letting some blood drip from his forehead to the floor.

"What do you mean 'you don't know'?", The entity asked, almost looking furious that the boy seemingly just gave up on finding an answer.

"Well...", Sam responds, still looking down but also looking to the side. "I wouldn't know what I'd do by myself. You don't just... come up with answers to this on the go. You'd need to think about them.

But... whatever it is, I don't think I could do it alone. So if you bring me back, I'd rather have this chance with my friends, please. Besides, I want to make up for them, and maybe I could if we all came back.

I've been a bad friend... and I want to do things right this time. And I promise, I will."

-----

Wayward 04 - Timothy Conroy

A kid quickly taken by forces beyond comprehension and barely even had the time to process what happened to him. I wonder, would things be different if he knew how much time he had left?

Timothy leaned back against his seat, his eyes fixated towards the fire. He then stretched his back, an audible and sickening crack heard as his bones locked in place. Even the Storyteller looked disturbed by the noises his spine and ribs made as he adjusted his back.

"Ooh... that sounded painful.", it said with an amused but surprised laugh.

"That's cuz it is.", Timothy said with a slight cough, stretching once more. "My back is... killin' me. Got any painkillers I could use there?", he says, wincing as he rubbed his presumably dislocated shoulder. "Got hit really bad 'round here."

The Storyteller can only let out another laugh of disbelief, though he felt a little bit of amusement as well."It's normal to feel like that after what happened to you. You'll get over it."

"Heh, hopefully it'll be soon, this sucks.", the spirit says, sighing. "Now back on what ya wanted to ask. It was what I'd wanna do if I lived again for a year, correct?"

The Storyteller nods, and Timothy continued. "Well, last thing I recall before things went dark was somethin' attackin' my family. If I get this extra year, maybe I'll try to get them outta there. Or y'know, fight that thing that got me."

The Storyteller shrugged. It seemed unusrprised by his answer, but almost looked unsatisfied. He then slightly changed his question, adding onto it. "Well, what else? That can't just be your goal now, can it?"

Timothy shrugged. "Well, if you want something else I guess I'll just help pa as much as I still can. Y'know, with workin' on the farm. Maybe find Bandit if he's still alive, but I doubt it."

Wayward 05 - Matthew Godrick

A young man struck down at the prime of his life by what many would say is an act of self-preservation. Does this person even have any regrets from his time on earth?

Matthew was quiet after the question was asked, busy thinking of how he'd respond to such a question. Only moments ago, he's been repeatedly apologizing to the Storyteller for bleeding all over the place. To the Storyteller, it was getting annoying so perhaps this silence was better than that.

It was still evident to Death that the poor soul was still anxious. He's slightly hunched over, his arms crossed across his body and his knees pushed against each other as he tried to prevent his visibly painful wounds from dirtying the floor even more with a dark red. Bloodstains and wood aren't a good mix. And if they looked closer to him, they could see him shudder. His mouth was slightly agape and his breath escaped in quick shaky gasps, as if his lungs were seconds away from collapsing.

The spirit's eyes weren't fixated on the Storyteller's, instead looking to the flame that refused to die despite the wood having burnt down into a pure pile of ash. He can still see its vibrant lights dance around, and to him it seemed even stronger than it did before its fuel had ran out.

The Storyteller's patience was going thin, as he wasn't fond of this silence that followed the question they asked. As much as it was used to waiting, the Storyteller didn't like this kind of wait. So they decided to say something, just to urge the conversation. But before it could even utter a word, he was interrupted by the spirit raising his hand.

"Wait!", the young man exclaimed, before looking up at the Storyteller. Almost all semblance of nervousness had disappeared on his face, replaced with a look of confidence. Or at the very least, a feigned confidence. But it was enough to fool everyone, even the spirit himself. "I just... want to see my family again. I want... to help them."

The soul clasped his hands, as if he were going to do a business proposal, before continuing. "You see, my life was taken from me at a time where I was just going to settle down with them. It was so unfair that it had to happen to me, and I want-"

He paused, trying to hold back from saying something else. He then talked again, his confident smile unbreaking but his body stiff, like a corpse.

"I want to use this extra year to spend time with my family. To help us settle down better. I didn't want to leave them alone like that, but... I never had the choice. That... man never gave me the chance. I hope you do give one to me. You're better than him, right?"

The Storyteller looked back at the spirit, before tilting his body to the side. His gaze looked up and down at him, before it looked directly at his eyes once more. Something was... off with what he said.

It leaned forward to the adult, giving him a stern look. "I know that isn't the full truth, Godrick."

"Hahah, of course. I didn't want to waste your time. You might shoot me like he did.", Matt said, his eyes glancing towards a rifle mounted on the cabin's walls.

A chuckle released from spirit's throat that just sounded painful. "Of course, of course. There's still that... bucket list I never got to finish."

"Please cut the nonsense, Mr. Godrick. I know what you've done back there.", the Storyteller says, a disappointed expression in its face.

The spirit's stiff smile finally faltered albeit slightly, and his eyes look back at the flame. "Ah, so you think I want to do bad things... is that it? You think I wanted to hurt people?"

He looked up at the Storyteller, letting out another bitter laugh. "For shame, Death. You really let that crone's lies affect you too. I thought you were better than the humans, hahah..."

He sighed, before looking up at the Storyteller. "But... you would be right for once. But only just this once."

He looked at his nails, watching the green light of the fireplace shine against them. They looked sharp, as if they hadn't been cut for months. "I did do bad things. And I did think about horrible things when you asked." His hand did a small grabbing motion, and he clenched his hand into a fist.

The spirit rested his hand on the armchair, and he sighed again, giving a sad smile to the Storyteller. Tears welled from his eyes, and he wiped them off with his bloodstained sleeve, leaving a red smear on his cheek.

"But what else would you do if you were killed the way I have? It would've been alright, if I were just dead... but that man decided to ruin me. Made up a whole web of lies just to make everyone see me as the one who started it. He even shot my wife, for crying out loud!

So... of course I'd be angry. Of course I'd want revenge. Of course I'd try to get it. That news lady got what was coming for her. I've managed to confuse her enough to not trust a single soul. But I'm not done yet."

The ghost looked back at the flames, his teeth almost grinding as he spoke in a ghastly, raspy wheeze. "If I had one more year, I would try to avenge myself. Avenge my wife. We didn't deserve this to happen to us. And he didn't deserve to get away."

-----

The Storyteller looked over at the loose pages, pieces of paper that documented the spirits' responses. They were stacked neatly on his wooden table, and each one perfectly labeled after each poor soul he interviewed. It picked them up, giving them short glances as it thought to itself. It then walked off, having made their decisions on what to do with each of them.

[angelic-writer]

I choose to believe eric survived 1.4 as once ethan unfroze he could've just stopped the bleeding himself and called for help (i mean at least a few people must've been woken up by them) plus it takes a while to die from a slit throat!

Anyways hi did you know I'm from denial land/silly

OooooouuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!

Potential angst/whump incoming!!

Ethan couldn't move. He couldn't even breathe. All he could do was stare at his classmate's body. Eric who was bleeding from a gaping hole in his throat. The garden shears lay discarded on the floor a few feet away from him. Blood pooled out of his wounds, staining the bathroom tiles and seeping into the cracks, turning them into little rivers.

He failed... He failed to save Eric... He answered the woman's riddle, but it was only for Eric to solve. He didn't answer the riddle in time and he paid for it with his own life.

Just like Max.

He could feel his hands begin to shake. Sweat was beginning to form on his skin and his breathing was rapidly increasing. His vision began to darken. His legs threatened to give out from under him.

I failed. I failed. I failed.

Failure failure failure failure I'm a failure I'm nothing but a failure I can't even save anyone

He thought he caught something out of the corner of his eye. He thought he... saw Eric's hand twitch? But that's impossible. He slit his own throat. He was sure he severed all the major arteries. Unless he missed something? He wasn't sure.

When he looked closer, Eric's fingers twitched again. Ethan's breath caught in his throat. "Eri-"

He was cut off by the sound of Eric's weak gurgles. He's alive?! But how- How did-

No time for that! I-I gotta help him!!

Forcing his body to move, he got on his knees, grabbing one of the bath towels and pressed it against the wound, making sure it didn't cut off his breathing. The crimson liquid spread on the white sheet, staining it like blood in the snow.

Eric moved his lips, trying to say something, but all that came out were weak gasps. Blood bubbled out of the corners of his lips. Nonetheless, he mouthed the words "I'm sorry."

"Hey hey hey hey, don't talk. I'll get you help, okay?! Just s-stay with me, alright?!" He yelled out from the bathroom. "HELP!! I NEED HELP!!!"

A few other boys gathered around the bathroom door, one of them grumbling while rubbing his eyes. "Jesus Christ, Ethan, can you keep it down? Some of us are trying to sle-" He was cut off by one of the boys screaming "What the fuck?!"

"Oh Jesus fuck! What happened?!"

"I'll explain later!! Just call 911!!" Ethan screamed.

One of the boys ran back to their rooms, presumably to grab his phone from his nightstand. Ethan turned to one of the taller boys, Logan, he presumed and motioned for him to help. He just stood at the doorway, eyes wide and mouth agape. "Okay, can you tell me what the fuck happened?! Why is Eric-"

"Can you shut the fuck up and help me, please?! He's dying!! Just- Get the towels!"

"Okay okay, jeez!"

Logan stumbled into the bathroom, grabbing another towel as Ethan commanded. Scanning Eric, Logan could see that he had long cuts all over his arms. Judging by the way they were cut, it didn't seem like a deliberate suicide attempt. Pressing the towels against his wrists, Logan could feel Eric's pulse, quick and thready. He held back the bile that was rising in his throat.

"Eric? Eric, hey, y-you still with me? Help's on the way. Y-You're gonna be fine. They'll fix you up. You'll be good as new, o-okay?" Ethan tried to keep his voice steady, but he ended up stumbling on his own words. No matter how much he tried to put on a brave face, he was mortified.

Eric's life was in Ethan's hands. He was still alive, but only by a thread. Only he and Logan were the only ones keeping him from bleeding out. With his free hand, he held Eric's hand, flinching from how cold he was becoming. No no no no no... Please... Please don't do this to me...

"Eric please... Just stay awake... Stay with me..."

Eric's eyes fluttered, trying his best to keep them open. He wanted to talk to him, to say something, but he couldn't. The blood building up in his throat made it hard for him to talk. Still, he knew what he would say to him when he sees him on the other side.

I'm sorry, Ethan... I never paid that much attention to you. You seemed like a cool person to hang out with. You looked so lonely. I wanted to be there for you.

Maybe in another life, we can be friends.

[rhithefella]

OHHH SHIT

AND FOR 2.4 AND 1.8, I THINK I HAVE AN IDEA THAT MAKES THIS SO MUCH WORSE(/pos)

Like maybe each of the friends in 2.4 are represented by someone in 1.8

Except for Kevin.

Pretty heartbreaking fanart idea for any friend group in CT:

Those "In another universe, would we still be friends?" thingys

FUCKING COLLAPSES

[love-that-we-were-in]

the harder the pain, the sweeter the sun

the aftermath of Luke's quest. or the consequences of not being a hero.

a/n: hello i didn't mean to be so sad on my entrance but we move! have fun (i'm so sorry)

It shouldn’t be like this, he thinks as he steps back across Camp Half-Bloods borders. There’s still the same mill of activity, archery and pegasi and swords grating against one another. Everything is exactly as it was when he left. Some people notice him as he makes his way towards his cabin - they don’t make small talk, what’s the point of that when he’s not the hero returned. His scar, still fresh, still raised and red across his face, feels heavy. It’s almost a beacon; a guiding light towards his failure. No one comments but he can feel it, the shift in energy as he walks past each cabin. Pity for the son of Hermes. 

His bunk is untouched. 

Collapsing onto the sheets, he glances around the space. It’s only him here, faced with his own reckoning and renown. His bunk is untouched but there’s two abandoned opposite, a careful stack of belongings at the end of each. Before dinner, he’ll change those sheets. He’ll pack Cora and Eric’s belongings into a box to stow away in the big house, amongst a dozen others he’s left there over the years, and he’ll burn shrouds to them with his campmates in the evening. 

Luke wonders, as he takes in the makeshift beds on the floor, if it was even worth coming back at all. 

Everyone moves on. Within days, there’s barely a mention of either of his quest companions. Both of them were unclaimed, watching their lives tick by in the two years he’d known them with little idea of who they were. The Stoll twins were given their beds upon their arrival at camp two days after he returned. They had been claimed, sent in the right direction by Hermes himself, and Luke despises the way he has to sit down with people he’s known for years and tell them they’re back to sleeping on the floor. Seniority is one thing - being claimed is more important. 

He trains. It’s the only thing he can do. There’s no pride that comes with failure. Some of the Ares kids jeer at him but none of them try to fight him, just watch as he fights with Annabeth like old times. Knife against sword. He trains and he studies and he watches as the floor of Hermes cabin becomes a minefield of belongings as summer peaks. 

Little will change between now and fall, he knows that with certainty. He’ll still be stuck burning food for his father, willing something to happen that will earn him a deserved quest. Maybe it’s foolish, this desire to try again, to keep going on quests until he returns from one he can say was his. Not a feat of Hercules, but a tale of Luke. He has camp glory, he needs more than that.

*

Summer ends, as it always did. He says goodbye to more cabinmates than anyone, standing at the edge of the borders until the sun is nearly setting in the sky. Thalia’s tree is behind him as the last kid leaves, an eleven year old girl that had done nothing more than stare with wide eyes every time he lifted a sword. He wonders if he’ll see her next June at all. 

“Back to basics again,” Annabeth says from behind him and he rolls his eyes as she shimmers into existence, baseball cap in hand. “Do you think it’ll get easier?”

He forgets sometimes that she’s still a kid. Wise beyond her years, a strategist to be admired, but just a kid. And a first time cabin counselor. She hasn’t said goodbyes like this before, to everyone she’s housed over three months. Teenagers that had looked to her as their leader, even if they didn’t understand her being given such power. Children who revered her position and her history as if she were a Greek tale herself.

Luke had understood it, had fought for it in April when Kieran Ho had sent word to Chiron that he wouldn’t be returning that summer. She had seemed so prepared to take on the role. He hadn’t realized that it might take more of an emotional toll than she was ready for. 

“Honestly,” he leans back against Thalia’s tree, surveying the camp below them as if he’s never seen it before. Annabeth glares at him for it. “It gets harder every year. It doesn’t end.”

“Some of those kids aren’t coming back.” Annabeth says it as a statement, a fact of life that they’ve both come to terms with. But there’s a shake to her voice, the kind saved only for when she’s terrified of being wrong, so he lets it linger in the air and get carried away. He thinks that’s answer enough. 

*

Winter Solstice comes and he feels ready. Months of only fighting Clarisse and Annabeth. Meals spent with the busiest table still, but with nothing to talk about. So long dedicated to being angry, to dreaming, to waking up in a cold sweat from everything he’s been given permission to see. 

He steals the bolt. It’s a simple plan, one he doubted originally, but it works a charm. There’s no questioning how important the Gods think of themselves anymore, how above everybody else they view themselves (literally and figuratively) to be. He escapes from floor 600 of the Empire State Building with the source of Zeus’ power in his possession and no one bats an eye. 

Annabeth will never have to come to terms with losing campers. Thalia’s sacrifice won’t be in vain the way it has been since his return. Hermes won’t be able to ignore him any longer, pretending as if being a glorified mailman means more than his son. By next summer, the world will already have begun to change. 

Trekking through Manhattan, he understands now why he was destined to fail against Ladon. What his scar will come to represent in years to come. Luke Castellan was never meant to steal an apple - he was destined, instead, to change history and with that, the world.

[jgroffdaily]

Karan Soni and Jonathan Groff to Lead Rom-Com Movie ‘A Nice Indian Boy’ [Exclusive]

Directed by Roshan Sethi, ‘A Nice Indian Boy,’ which will begin shooting later this month is a rom-com about changing traditional norms and pursuing a life of happiness

Deadpool star Karan Soni and Mindhunter star Jonathan Groff are all set to lead the gay rom-com movie, ‘A Nice Indian Boy’ for Scythia Films and Levantine Films.

The film will be directed by Roshan Sethi based on a script written by Eric Randall. ‘A Nice Indian Boy’ will begin filming on May 29, 2023, in Vancouver, BC, Canada, and will take just three weeks to officially wrap up on June 23, 2023.

‘A Nice Indian Boy’ is a contemporary tale about Indian marriage in the 21st century. The protagonist, Naveen Gavaskar (Karan Soni) is aware of his parents' expectations of him and his sister. They want them to profoundly respect their Hindi background, uphold all Hindi traditions, and, most significantly, exult in strictly Hindi marital ceremonies. This proves to be much more difficult for Naveen, who is openly gay in a culture where being gay can be tough. His parents want him to have a traditional Hindi wedding, but he worries he will never live up to their expectations. Naveen meets a white male, Jay (Jonathan Groff), whom he is attracted to and begins a relationship with. Despite his fear of introducing Jay to his parents, Naveen ultimately expresses his love for him and proposes in a dramatic fashion. The story is about changing traditional norms, having acceptance of who you are, and pursuing a life of happiness.

Tory Metzger is producing through Levantine Films, while Daniel Bekerman is producing on behalf of Scythia Film.

Karan Soni is known for starring as Dopinder in the Deadpool film. He will again reprise his role in the upcoming Deadpool 3 shooting at the end of this month. Karan is also giving voice to Spider-Man India in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which will release in theaters on June 2, 2023. Karan's acting credits include films such as Strange World, Trolls World Tour, Ghostbusters, Goosebumps, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, Office Christmas Party, and many more.

Jonathan Groff is an award-winning actor known for the Netflix series Mindhunter in which he portrayed Holden Ford and Frozen and Frozen II where he voiced Kristoff. He recently appeared in M. Night Shyamalan's Knock at the Cabin, Netflix series, Lost Ollie, and The Matrix Resurrections. He is also set to appear in a mysterious role in the upcoming season of Doctor Who. His acting credits also include Hamilton, Glee, Invincible, and many more.

[ill-try-to-do-book-reviews]

The Cabin at the End of the World

Paul Tremblay

RATING: 🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯 (5/5)

The Cabin at the End of the World is a horrifying tale of homophobia, cultism, and perhaps even Catholic guilt. It has a slow start, but when it picks up speed, it absolutely does not stop. No matter where you are in this book, you will not figure out the ending. You will find yourself questioning if maybe this little pseudo-cult is right, and you will wonder up until the very end about who, if anyone, is going to make it out of this story alive.

SUMMARY: Seven-year-old Wen and her parents, Eric and Andrew, are vacationing at a remote cabin on a quiet New Hampshire lake. Their closest neighbors are more than two miles in either direction along a rutted dirt road.

One afternoon, as Wen catches grasshoppers in the front yard, a stranger unexpectedly appears in the driveway. Leonard is the largest man Wen has ever seen, but he is young, friendly, and he wins her over almost instantly. Leonard and Wen talk and play until Leonard abruptly apologizes and tells Wen, “None of what’s going to happen is your fault.” Three more strangers then arrive at the cabin carrying unidentifiable, menacing objects. As Wen sprints inside to warn her parents, Leonard calls out: “Your dads won’t want to let us in, Wen. But they have to. We need your help to save the world.”

Thus begins an unbearably tense, gripping tale of paranoia, sacrifice, apocalypse, and survival that escalates to a shattering conclusion, one in which the fate of a loving family and quite possibly all of humanity are entwined. The Cabin at the End of the World is a masterpiece of terror and suspense from the fantastically fertile imagination of Paul Tremblay.

MY DETAILED REVIEW (SPOILER WARNING):

This story is fucking gut-wrenching. There were times that I had to take a break from reading for my own sanity, despite how much I wanted to keep going until all of my questions were answered.

And all of your questions will not be answered. Is the apocalypse actually happening? Who fucking knows. But really, isn't that the point? It doesn't matter if the apocalypse is happening or not - because we will go on.

Normally, I'm not a reader pushed on by romance. I could normally not care less if the protagonists have somebody waiting for them back home - it just doesn't motivate me to read any faster than if I were already hooked. But Eric and Andrew's love for each other, and their love for Wen, it was a pretty big factor in my finishing of this book in 7 hours, 48 minutes. I wanted, needed, to know if their small little family would make it out alive. I couldn't bear the thought of little Wen being without one of her dads, or one of her dads being without his husband, or, gods forbid, her dads being without their daughter.

Wen's death was a gut punch. Not a wholly unexpected one, I admit, but still a heart shattering moment to know that the little girl they had fought so long and hard for had died. And, though I do regret to admit it, the fact that she died so unceremoniously.

A gruesome death befell everyone in our story, and narratively, it is rather fitting that Wen was shot, on accident, by a man who loved her and a man who lied to her and took advantage of her trust and naievity.

As much as I feel whether the apocalypse was real or not does not matter to the story, I also can't help but find myself making my own interpretations of whether or not it was. As a born Christian, now pagan, I found myself on Andrew's side for a majority of the book.

But what is all the more frightening is how I was also finding myself beginning to believe Leonard and his gang, just like Eric.

I made notes to myself throughout my reading that I was predicting Eric was going to give in and believe, at least partially out of Catholic guilt, once that second earthquake and tsunami hit. Finding myself to be partially right was vindicating, but finding that I am also susceptible to cult-like mentalities, especially on the basis of end-of-the-world, the-Rapture-is-here talk that is so engrained into my mine, was also a reminder. A reminder that no matter how sure you are of yourself, you are not immune to propaganda.

Anyways, as for whether I believe the apocalypse or not, no. I think that it was a religious nutjob who rallied other religious nutjobs. Granted, I cannot explain whether Redmond or O'Bannon was stalking Andrew or if it was n unfortunate coincidence that they were the ones at the cabin, or anything like that. There are questions I have leaving this book that I do not have enough evidence to base an idea or theory or solid answer off of.

All in all, The Cabin at the End of the World is a gut-wrenching story that had me biting my fingers in suspense from start to finish. I have a feeling it is going to be one of those books that you read once and the story sticks with you for the rest of your life. Regardless, a physical copy is in my future, because I loved this book from front to back.

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: Knock at the Cabin

Ya know, as far as apocalyptic films goes.....wait a second. Has it really been at least 5 years since we've had another one of these type of films. Yeah sure you could count the big blockbusters The Tomorrow War or maybe A Quiet Place, but those are more in line with post apocalyptic and time travel. I'm talking about the films that build to the inevitable destruction of everything we know. This film decided to go the other way and bring back that classic amount of tension and fear of the unknown. Is the apocalypse actually happening or are the antagonists of the film delusional? Is the evidence being presented as fact or a well crafted deception? Those are the many questions you begin to ask yourself throughout the film and I loved that. Although the tension, intensity and pain were very well portrayed, I couldn't help the feeling that the subtlety of each was quickly starting to falter and overstay their welcome. There are some moments of pure illogical behavior that were almost unforgivable and I won't spoil them here. Lets just say that there is an item that changes the tide in the struggle that any normal person would have ready to dispatch an intruder with at all times.

Ben Aldridge was great and combative as Andrew. I liked that he was the most skeptic in the couple as the clues presented themselves of whether what was happening was real or not. Johnathan Groff was loving and kind as his husband in the film, Eric. He represented the heart of the relationship and he was the most understanding and inquisitive. Kristen Cui was outstanding as Wen and I loved her pureness of heart. She was genuinely curious, but smarter than most kids in films like these and I appreciated that. The three of them were a lovely family and you feel the love they all shared for each other. Dave Bautista has continued to truly surprise me with the ever growing quality of his dramatic performances. As Leonard, he was so charismatic, heartfelt and remorseful as he reluctantly has to follow the path laid before him. I loved the opening scene with him and Wen as you see that friendly giant spirit within him shine. That scene set the tone of the film and he led it to so effortlessly. Nikki Amuka-Bird is one of the best at delivering true heartbreak, determination and yet care. As Sabrina, she did all of that and helped truly sell the nurturing nature of the character. Abby Quinn was excellent as Adriane and I loved that she was actually pleading for some sort of savior. She may be the very confident one of the group, but she really had a kindness in her eyes as she divulged her life before ending up in this situation. Rupert Grint blew me away as Redmond. He was a harder edged character that truly was full of pain, trauma and regret that I really felt sorry for. He nearly stole the film in his moments and it was great to see him back on the big screen again in a role I didn't know he could portray so powerfully.

The score by Herdís Stefánsdóttir was haunting, pulse pounding and emotionally charged in the best moments of the film. The only negatives I felt about the score is that it sometimes telegraphed or tried to force you to feel a certain way in a number of scenes. Sometimes a film can be over scored and I believe this one was one of them. The power of silence can really deliver the best tension or scares and I wish there was more of that in this film. Aside from one of the biggest mistakes a character could make happening in the latter part of the film, I did enjoy this apocalyptic tale. It delivers great tension and mystery, but it does lack some breathing room to truly make it as memorable as it could've been.

[fearsmagazine]

SWALLOWED - Review

DISTRIBUTOR: Momentum Pictures

SYNOPSIS:  Benjamin and Dom have been best friends since they were kids. On their last night together, Dom plans to send Benjamin off with a pocketful of cash. All he has to do is deliver a package over the border for his cousin’s friend. What appears to be a simple plan turns into a nightmare of drugs, bugs, and horrific intimacy.

REVIEW: Dom’s friend Benjamin is an aspiring gay porn star and they are celebrating his leaving for L.A. but the night spirals out of control when they are forced at gunpoint to swallow the contraband to get it across the border. It’s a shame that violence and terrifying bugs are what it takes for these friends to get in touch with their true feelings for each other.

Carter Smith’s screenplay is more of a thriller or a crime caper, with a horror element, than it is a horror film. Right from the beginning it becomes clear that there is a lot of tension between Dom and Ben than just Ben relocating to Cali. When the duo encounter Alica, the result of a request by Dom’s cousin, both get a sense that there is something shady going on as the rules of the deal that was presented in the call begins to change quickly to the point where they are forced at gunpoint to swallow the packages. Alice is ruthless, but clearly there are other things at play as she is frequently answering her phone to give the caller updates. Smith does an excellent job of maintaining focus on Dom and Ben as he adds in other strong, colorful characters that strengthen the narrative. The concept of the bugs adds a new dimension and sense of peril to the tale, in addition to figuring nicely into the climax. It was interesting on how Smith switches gears and the narrative style. He does give a nod to the film’s climax but it’s not glaring or obtrusive. He does try to wrap things up with a sequence over the end credits that felt a bit out of place with the rest of the film’s tone.

SWALLOWED features solid production values. The film has this 80’s cinematography style, nicely framed, and an energetic editing style. The bug designs are simplistic and effective. Christopher Bear’s score delightfully underscores the action and emotion sequences. Many of the film’s locations are adequate and the cabin in the woods is especially interesting. The special effects are solid without being overly gory.

SWALLOWED features a great ensemble cast. Cooper Koch and Jose Colon feel like long time friends. Clearly they are worldly, but they both project a sense of innocence. As things become dire, Koch nicely transforms from a victim to a predator. Actress Jena Malone, recently seen in the lead role of Grace in “Consecration,” delivers another memorable performance. She creates a complex role of a gangster with a conscience. Mark Patton, who most horror fans will remember as Jesse Walsh in “A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge,” creates a complex villain queen ruled by his lust and love of money. He is as creepy as he is sympathetic.

I enjoyed Carter Smith’s 2008 adaptation of the horror novel “The Ruins,” so I was interested in taking in SWALLOWED. It’s a quick paced thriller that brings in many different genre styles as the last night of these two friends together goes off the rails. The focus remains on the friends and the elephant in the room as these other ideas are nicely woven into the plot. Likewise, I felt the gay themes were balanced with the other plot points. Not really a horror film, this native of Maine serves up a well executed thriller. Smith is currently finishing up his next project, “The Passenger,” with several of his team who worked on this film. Also listed as a horror, I have it on my radar to view when it becomes available.

CAST: Jena Malone, Mark Patton, Cooper Koch, Jose Colon, and Michael Shawn Curtis CREW: Director/Screenplay - Carter Smith; Producer - Noah Lang & Ross O’Connor; Cinematographer - Alex Wolf Lewis; Score - Christopher Bear; Editor/Sound Design - Eric Nagy; Costume Designer - Rob Younkers; Production Designer - Jay Carroll; Bugs Designer - Dan Martin; SFX & Creature Design - 13 FINGER FX

OFFICIAL: N.A. FACEBOOK: N.A. TWITTER: N.A. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/jHRUGQx5SC4 RELEASE DATE: On VOD & Digital - February 14th, 2023

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay),  or 👎 (Dislike)

Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri

[philippmichelreichold]

Space Dreadnoughts by Dave Drake

Space Dreadnoughts is a Military Science Fiction anthology by David Drake, Martin H Greenberg and Charles G Waugh. The contents in order of appearance are:

"Introduction: A quick Look at Battle Fleets" by David Drake

"The Only Thing We Learn" by Cyril M. Kornbluth

"C-Chute" by Isaac Asimov

"Allamagoosa" by Eric Frank Russell (won the Hugo Award for bestshort story in 1955)

"A Question of Courage" by J. F. Bone

"Superiority" by Arthur C. Clarke

"Hindsight" by Jack Williamson

"The Last Battalion" by David Drake

"Shadow on the Stars" by Algis Budrys

"Time Lag" by Poul Anderson

The first Military Sci Fi story I remember is the Star Trek TOS episode "Balance of Terror," in which Enterprise duels with a Romulan interloper. The military conflict was setting to other conflicts between the crew, the story was full of suspense, and actual battle was a small part of the story. And so it is here.

The book's title is a misnomer. The back cover blurb is misleading-- "Massive and arrogant, they patrol the final war zone-- deep space. All great battleships before them-- . . . are mere toys in comparison." It goes on about "bristling artillery" and "battalions of souldiers." I expected fleet actions involving capital ships. Tactics. Maneuvers. Gunplay. While there are fleet actions and even battleships in some of these stories, they are mere backdrops on a stage where people play out the stories. Truly good Science Fiction involves people, and in all these stories, the people overshadow the military settings that serve only to bring out the characters and whatever lessons there are to be learned from them. All of these stories are well worth reading.

"Introduction: A quick Look at Battle Fleets" Mr Drake's introduction is a wonderful introspective about the history of the Dreadnought battleships with a mention of two 1950's Astounding essays on the armaments of spaceships-- one by Willy Ley, the other by Malcolm Jameson. If one is going to write stories about ship-to-ship combat, the introduction is a good starting point. But only a starting point. One should definitely read Mahan, and consider the lessons of Taranto and Pearl Harbor. And the US Navy's Harpoon's and Tomahawk's are wonderful arguments in favor of missles over guns. One should also consider the time honored techniques of ramming and boarding actions.

Perhaps the question of guns vs missles is mooted today. The arms race has continued in Sci-Fi beyond what could be imagined with a knowledge of 1950's physics. The Ley and Jameson essays were written before Empire of Man fighters raked Formoria, before rail guns, and CTD imploders, before GRASER's, X-ray LASER's and phaser banks, before the Moties bombarded Mote Prime with asteroids, and before Captain Sheridan laid a gigaton on Z'ha'dum.

"The Only Thing We Learn" Kornbluth tells a cautionary tale of faded Imperial glory. The barbarians at the gates will one day have descendants that are as decadent and prissy as the effete and ineffectual empire they deposed and replaced. History blurs and magnifies the epic tales of glory. The details are lost. The character is lost. One day a fresh wave of barbarians sweeps aside succcessors that their ancestors would be ashamed to acknowledge. The reader may decide what relationship if any there is between this story and the quote from Friedrich Hegel. A fun story despite the dire consequences for the past and future losers. In his column, "Rereading Kornbluth", Robert Silverberg calls The Only Thing We Learn, "a subtle, oblique, elliptical, sardonic piece of work."

"C-Chute" Dr. Asimov wrote this story in 1951. It is a psychodrama set aboard a passenger ship taken as a prize by a race of chlorine breathers in Earth's first intersteller war. Each of the passengers is sketched by Asimov to reveal their several flaws of personality, physicality or character. Each has reasons why he should not exit the cabin via the C-chute, EVA, and enter and retake the control room from outside the ship. The reason for the dubious hero to take the heroic action required to retake the ship is one unlikey to appear in the work of any author but Dr. Asimov.

"Allamagoosa" This story won the 1955 Hugo for best short story. It's a farcical look at officious bureaucracy of the greatest gravity. It's sort of a shaggy dog story, wink, wink. This story in and of itself is worth buying the book for. The build up and so obvious in hindsight ending is fresh enough to be as enjoyable today as it was then.

"A Question of Courage" Sometimes flair and heedless risk taking can be mistaken for true personal courage. When the genuine article appears, there's no mistaking it. Bone craftliy deveops his characters and sets the reader up for the old maidish Captain "Cautious Charley" Chase of Lachesis to reveal his true nature. It is available from Project Gutenberg.

"Superiority" Sir Arthur requires no introduction for this story, a reductio ad absurdum about the principle of Illusory Superiority. Technology and bedazzlment with the latest, most theoretically wonderful advances are no substitutes for common sense and sound military doctrine. Perhaps this should serve as a cautionary tale at a time when Iraqi insurgents hack into our drones. According to Wikipedia, this gem was required reading at West Point. The reader easily empathizes with the narrator and his plight, revealed at the end.

"Hindsight" Jack Williamson has won both the Nebula and the Hugo Awards, and had a career that spanned about seventy years. This story involves temporal mechanics and love, oppression and liberation, and meeting engagements. Incidentally, the guns employed by the Astrach's fleet are of 20-inch caliber and fire four salvos per second. It's a tightly written story, though I think the ending is a little drippy.

"The Last Battalion" Imagine that Hitler did not die in a bunker in Berlin, but escaped via U-Boat to a secret Waffen-SS base in New Swabia. There German scientists built flying saucers from which they reached the moon to to mine aluminum and build more flying saucers. Now imagine them getting into a war with aliens. With things not looking so good, they kidnap a US Senator to let him know what is going on, intending to drag the US into the conflict. Before they can get where they're going with the Senator, the aliens lay a nuke on their Antartic base. They drop the Senator off to find his own way home. He asks them what they will do. Their colonel replies, we are SS-- we will fight.

"Shadow on the Stars" Budrys's Farlans are felinoid aliens who at first blush look like humans in cat suits. But they are, on a closer look, "raving paranoid quote." The paranoia is pathological and eventually fatal for Farla-- any military leader with sufficient ability to be effective cannot be trusted by Farla's rulers, and will be killed at the earliest sign of that fatal disease, military competence. The story is a retrospective, the central character telling how he and Farla came to be in their present straits. It is too late for him to convey the warning against trusting Earth, and to late to avoid the inevitable dissolution of Farla.

I have a problem accepting the plot device Budrys uses to set up the narrative, but otherwise the story is interesting and fun to read. The prose is a bit over decourous and affected, but that brings out the effeteness and pretentiousness of the Farlan culture. At the start, the Farlans are hard-pressed by a barabarian culture, the Vilk, and need a strong, capable leader to drive them back. OF course the strong, capable leaders keep their heads down so has not to find themselves assassinated by the Ministry of Preparedness-- and then comes L'Miranid. A previously unknown reservist, he quickly dominates the Fleet and whips them into shape. Victory follows victory until the Vilk host is driven back, their subject planets pounded to rubble, and a Farlan imposed king seated upon their throne.

The real story action is not fleet engatgements and daring raids, though. The story is related by Henlo, one of those capable leaders who has balanced command of a capital ship wtih avoiding notice by the governmental hunters down of competence. He starts the story as having a clear understanding of Farla's problems and the steps necessary to remedy them, but can't afford to be noticed. He becomes L'Mararind's aid, admirer, vice-admiral, intended assasin and successor, and finally, his unwilling co-conspirator and successor. Unwilling to be assasinated himself, he seizes control of the Farlan government. By this time, the sad (for Farla) truth is known to him, but (I love Latin quotes.) "alea jacta est." This is a fine little story with a lovely twist toward the end.

"Time Lag" Poul Anderson has won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards. Time Lag is a study in contrasts-- evil, greedy invaders against noble, selfless defenders. Chertkoi is a heavily overpopulated industrial planet, drowning in pollution and resource starved. Vaynamo is pristine, with a population sustainable through resource management. Vayanmo is never the less technologically advanced, with the technology's goal as preservation rather than exploitation. Expolitation is the name of Chertkoi's game. It's people conquer other worlds to fuel the industrial fires that smother their world under a cloud of pollution.

The archetype of the Chertoi is the Admiral commanding the invasion fleet. He is matched against the story's view point character, Elva. Elva is the widow of a Vayanmoan noble and prisoner of the Admiral. He is gross, vulgar and uncouth. She is pretty, cultured and well-mannered. He is a love struck boor, hopelessly smitten by her. She subtly endures his presence to manipulate him so that she an return herself and the other captives to Vayanmo in a portrayal that is believable and sympathetic. The invasion is a leveraged takeover in three stages-- a scouting raid, a strategic strike to destroy what little industry the Vayanmo posses, and a full-scale invasion. The title relativistic time lag (fifteen years) gives the Chertkoi time to build their invasion fleet and the Vaynamo time to prepare their reception.

References

Space Dreadnoughts by Dave Drake. Philipp Michel Reichold. JUL 19TH, 2017

Space Dreadnoughts. ed. David Drake, Martin H. Greenberg, Charles G. Waugh. July 1990.

Star Trek. "Balance of Terror."

The Mote in God's Eye. Jerry Purnelle and Larry Niven.

Various Polity universe stores. Neal Asher.

Babylon 5. "Z'ha'dum"

The Battle of Sauron. John F. Carr and Don Hawthorne.

[deadnightcoffeetime]

The Monster Of Willow Creek (Tales Of Horror Segment 2) (COPY RIGHT) Page 35

It’s 10:45 a.m., and Alyana is still walking through the mine. As she walks through the mine while looking back every now and then, the sound of footsteps occurs. She sees an open space to hide, not knowing if it’s the monster. In the open space, there’s a barrel and a wooden plank. She grabs the wooden plank and sets into position to attack. The sound of footsteps grows louder, letting Alyana know who, or what, is getting closer. Alyana strikes, swinging the wooden plank to her right. With Leon’s quick refluxes, he grabs Michelle, allowing the wooden plank hit him on his back. “Ow! That hurt!”, said Leon. “Are you okay?”, said Michelle. Leon speaks out, as Alyana realizes it’s Leon and Michelle. “Yeah, I’m fine.”. Alyana exits out the open space. “Oh my god! Oh my god! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”, said Alyana. “It’s fine. The main thing is that we found you, and that you’re okay.”, said Leon. Michelle hugs Alyana. “Aly! I’m so glad that you’re okay.”, said Michelle. “I’m glad that you two are okay as well. How did you guys find me?”, said Alyana. “Your family and us, were looking for you out there, and we found a cave, thinking this would be the last place to hide.”, said Michelle. “My family is here?”, said Alyana. “Yeah. You’re pops, mom, and your uncle are here in the mineshaft looking for you.”, said Leon. “Oh, thank god! But, why aren’t they with you?”, said Alyana. “Your pops wanted to split up, since this place s like a labyrinth.”, said Leon. “Now we have to find my folks too.”, said Alyana. “Speaking of finding, did you find Isaac?”, said Leon. “Yes..he’s dead. He’s been eaten. I also found Steven’s and Tanya’s body, they were eaten too. And…Becky is dead too.”, said Alyana. “What? What happened?”, said Michelle. “I bumped into Becky hours ago, and out of nowhere the monster grabbed and killed her. I couldn’t save her. Then that fucker chased me through the woods, then into an abandoned cabin, and into this mineshaft.”, said Alyana. “Well, your pops found Eric’s body eaten on the dirt road. it’s just us and your family now.”, said Leon. On the acknowledged the monster growls again, startling them. “It’s probably heading here! Not far from here!”, said Alyana. Leon and Michelle are running back to the same spot where Zahn told them to meet, Alyana follows them. “Where are we going?”, said Alyana. “We’re heading back to the entrance of this mine.”, said Leon. Just as they about to make a left turn, the monster surprisingly strikes from the right passage, scratching Michelle on her shoulder. She screams in pain and falls to the ground. The scream was loud enough to get the attention of Zahn and the others. “Did you heard that?!”, said Sarah. “Yeah! Sounds like they’re in trouble! Let’s go find them.”, said Zahn. Zahn and the others are heading to area, where they heard the scream. The monster grabs Michelle by her legs and starts to drag her. As Michele screams for help, Leon quickly takes out a flare for himself and throws another flare to Alyana. “Alyana,catch!”, said Leon. She catches it, and both lights it up. The monster sees Leon coming with the lit up flare, it releases one of Michelle’s leg in order to hit Leon with its hand. Leon is hit incredibly hit hard, causing him to fall and go unconscious. Alyana surprisedly jumps on the the monster’s back and tries to stab it too,. Trying not to lose grip and stabbing it with lit up flare, the monster over powers her. Hitting her from wall to wall, and shaking her off. Alyana loses grip and is shaken off, falling into the ground and in pain. Michelle is still screaming while still being dragged, the monster then grabs one of Alyana’s leg, dragging both of the girls. Leon I still on the ground unconscious with the lit up flare. As the screams continues, Zahn and the others are still following. The screams are dying down now, which became a problem. Since the screams are done, now they’re having trouble where to go. “Ahhhhh! Great, which way do we go now?!”, said Zahn. Sarah sees a faint red glow along the passage.

[praphit]

A Knock at the Cabin and a Giggle in the Bush.

To truly live your best life, and to show your family that you love them, at some point, you've got to head to a cabin for family vacation. Tons of stories involving cabins show us how fun it can be:

"Cabin in the Woods" "Friday the 13th" "Evil Dead" "The Strangers"

We all need to treat ourselves, and our families, and go, right??

Even if you don't like your family. You could go alone ("Secret Window" is an excellent tale about what could happen when one does that). You could take your other family; your "hush family". I won’t tell.

I can picture myself out at a cabin....

 aaaah, that's nice.

All of sudden, there's a knock at the door. I open it - 

It's M.Night!

I want to rip him for certain movies like "The Happening" of which I'll never forgive him for, but I wouldn't do that (to his face). We brown people need to stick together. I might simply say "Hi M.Night. It's weird that you're out here. I'm not in the middle of some bullshit story that some might say (not me:) you never totally think through, am I? He replies with giggles and runs off into the bushes. I shut the door.

There's another knock - 

Hey, it's Dave Bautista! I loved you as Drax. Say something silly!

Dave replies: "Do you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?"

That's more random than it is silly, but yeah, JC and I are good. I shut the door (quickly).

Then, yet another knock at the door.

Dammit! "What?!" 

It's Dave Bautista AGAIN, and he brought friends (Abby Quinn, Nikki Amuka-Bird, and Rupert Grint) . His friends break-in, knock me out, and when I wake up, I'm tied-up, and they're babbling something about the apocalypse. 

"*sigh* Motherbleeping M.Night." He's giggling in the bushes outside.

That's what happens to this family here. 

Eric, Andrew, and Wen. get tied-up and told by Dave, that one of the members of their family must die in order to prevent the end of thr world as we know it. A simple plot. A crazy plot, but a simple one. I like simple. This family not only has to choose someone, but they must also do the killing themselves.If that were to happen to us, I can imagine most people looking around the room for the grandparents (similiarly to how some thought about Covid :) But, then you’d have to bash granny’s head in yourself. In this case, do you take out one of the dad’s or a cute lil kid?

That's a lot to chew on. They're obviously going to need a few more dialogues about this matter.

Most of the discourse takes place in one room. My first reaction to this scenario was "This is a horrible pitch."

Although I don't recall Dave and the gang ever saying that God is commanding all of this, most will come to that conclusion ( and that's fair, I guess). They just keep saying that they all had visions. Speaking of God - there are some bible stories that have horrible pitches in them as well, so I guess it fits.

Moses was sent by God to Pharoah (we all know that story). Pharoah could have destroyed Moses with the snap of his fingers, and yet God sent him to make demands of Pharoah, armed with only a stick. And Moses still went through with it, so maybe... Of course, I imagine God to be a smooth orator; kinda like if you could combine the vocal powers of Obama, Morgan Freeman, and Adele. But, who knows what any of us would do??

This whole... "challenge", we'll call it, adds to an intense movie, as does Dave Bautista's acting. 

I'll say that again - Dave Bautista's acting (in a serious role) had a net positive effect. In fact, his acting carried the movie. I'm not saying he's ready to win any Oscars, but... let's see The Rock pull off some legit acting. Dave's buddies were also good at keeping up the cinematic tension.

The nurse (Nikki). The cook (Abby). The bigot (Rupert). Abby Quinn was second in acting only to Dave. She came off as very sincere. None of them wanted to be doing this to the family. They were all very polite. But, at the end of the day (and remember this, kids), good manners don't negate murder.

M. Night had me, man! I was concerned about the family. I didn't know what to make of Bautista & company, but Abby def had me feeling some sympathy for her, and I was intrigued. Are they crazy? Are they delusional? or is this all real? We do find out which one of these three theories is correct, annnnnnd THAT'S when M.Night lost me.

What happens just doesn't compute. M.Night gives you the (WHAT?), but he forgot about the (WHY?). In retrospect, none of these theories make much sense without a solid motive:

The four intruders are too normal to be crazy in this one act. Sooooo, if they're not crazy, then why are they doing this? “VISIONS!” is insufficient. 

You can fight delusion with a few thoughtful questions and the means to answer those questions. There's a point in the movie when Dave is showing the family the tribulations brought upon the world by their inaction. He does this by showing them the news ( which I also have some issues with), and then, one of the family members asks a very good question. They ask good questions throughout, and are never met with good answers. Sometimes, Dave just walks out of the room in response. I'm like "Yeah, that's a REALLY good question. Dave, get yo ass back in here and answer it!" Dave looks at them as to say "Hey, it's not in script, buddy."

And if it's God (or whatever force) - why? You're telling me that God chose this random family, of a gay couple (not a good look, God :)

to kill one of their own, and if they comply, He'll stop killing all of these other people around the world?" Why?! At least attempt a WHY! God took a day off, and was bored, so He did this... sure, works for me. Some sort of WHY!

No matter how you shake it, we need a WHY! Bleepin , M. Night! He twisted us again!

Most of the movie was good though. There's just so much more they could have done here with suspense, story, and even cgi. A good idea though. As always, not thought out very well. However, It'll have you thinking through some things; especially considering the state of the world in which we're actually living. And plus we’ve all got a new game to play - “Which one of us has to go?” Dave Bautista could knock on your door at any moment. 

Grade: C+

What is this power that M.Night has over me? If he were to come out with another movie this year, I'd vigorously rush to see it. In my mind, thinking, perhaps he'll recapture the magic of that ONE great movie he made (and we all know the ONE). And he never will. I'll just keep giving him my money, and he'll keep laughing at me from the bushes.

*smh* Bleepin, M.Night.

[tawneybel]

Male Clown Characters

Note: Clowns, mimes, jesters, fools, and so forth! All either monsters, ghosts, and/or evil. This is more a live-action list, but I’ll probably post one for cartoon characters later.

Please feel free to suggest more! I’ve liked clowns (and monsters) since I was a little girl and I plan to update this. List of male cartoon clown characters.

Kai Anderson from American Horror Story: Cult 

R.J. from American Horror Story: Cult

Jack Samuels from American Horror Story: Cult

Harrison Wilton from American Horror Story: Cult

Twisty from American Horror Story: Freak Show 

the Laugh from Amusement 

Contortionist Clown from Are You Afraid of the Dark? (“Carnival of Doom”) (Added 6/16/2022.)

Hideo from Are You Afraid of the Dark? (“Carnival of Doom”) (Added 6/16/2022.)

Scary Clown #1 from Are You Afraid of the Dark? (“Carnival of Doom”) (Added 6/16/2022.)

Stilts Clown from Are You Afraid of the Dark? (“Carnival of Doom”) (Added 6/16/2022.)

Ticketing Clown from Are You Afraid of the Dark? (“Carnival of Doom”) (Added 6/16/2022.)

Crimson Clown from Are You Afraid of the Dark? (“The Tale of the Crimson Clown”) (Added 12/20/2021.)

Ghastly Grinner from Are You Afraid of the Dark? (“The Tale of the Ghastly Grinner”) (Added 12/20/2021.)

Zeebo from Are You Afraid of the Dark? (“The Tale of Laughing in the Dark”)

Joker from Batman 

Crossbow Clown from Batman Returns

Fat Clown from Batman Returns

Rocket Launcher Clown from Batman Returns

Small Clown from Batman Returns

Spinning Clown from Batman Returns

Terrifying Clown from Batman Returns

Thin Clown from Batman Returns

Unicycle Clown from Batman Returns

various from Mr. Sandman (by Blind Guardian) (Added 12/20/2021.)

clown from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (“Nightmares”)

clown from The Cabin in the Woods (Added 12/21/2021.)

fortune teller clown from Carnival of Rust (Carnival of Rust) (Added 12/20/21.)

Kent McCoy (AKA Dummo the Clown) from Clown (Added 12/20/2021.)

Herbert Karlsson from Clown (Added 12/20/2021.)

bus driver from The Dark Knight

Chuckles from The Dark Knight

Dopey from The Dark Knight

Grumpy from The Dark Knight

Happy from The Dark Knight

Joker (AKA Bozo) from The Dark Knight

Jack Attack from Demonic Toys (Added 12/20/2021.)

Hobo Clown from The Devil’s Carnival 

H0rny the Clown from Drive-Thru (Had to censor his name to comply with Tumblr.)

boggart jack-in-the-box from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Added 12/21/2021.)

clown from Hellbound: Hellraiser II (Added 9/14/2023.)

Captain Spaulding from House of 1000 Corpses

Eric Slater from The House on Sorority Row (Added 12/20/2021.)

various from Storytime (Imaginaerum) (Added 12/20/2021.)

Pennywise the Dancing Clown from It

Joker (AKA Carnival) from Joker

Biffo from KGB commercial (Added 12/20/2021.)

Bibbo from Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Boco from Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Chubby from Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Fatso from Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Frank from Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Joe from Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Jojo the Clownzilla from Killer Klowns from Outer Space 

Jumbo from Killer Klowns from Outer Space 

Magori from Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Rudy from Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Slim from Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Spikey (AKA Spike) from Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Storefront from Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Talls from Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Der Klown from Krampus 

clown from Little Caesars commercial (Added 12/20/2021.)

clown from Midnight Man (Added 5/25/2022.)

Pineapple the Clown from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 

various from Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (Added 12/20/2021.)

Clown Doll from Poltergeist 

Nosey the Clown from Power Rangers Dino Thunder 

Jester the Pester from Power Rangers Mystic Force 

Invidious from Power Rangers Super Megaforce

Tranceferer from Power Rangers Super Megaforce 

Boohoo the Clown from Power Rangers Zeo

Jester from Puppet Master (Added 12/20/2021.)  

Kaptain Krazee from R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour: The Series (“Afraid of Clowns”)

various from R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour: The Series (“Afraid of Clowns”)

Clown Doll from Scary Movie 2

Luna Ghost from Scooby-Doo (Added 12/20/2021.)

Stitches from Sky High (Added 12/21/2021.)

Clown/Violator from Spawn (Added 9/14/2023.)

Pennywise the Dancing Clown from Stephen King’s It

Clown from Star Trek: Voyager (“The Thaw”)

Joker from Suicide Squad 

Art the Clown from Terrifier

clown from Salvation (To the Faithful Departed)

Dan Hollis from The Twilight Zone (“It’s a Good Life”) (Added 12/21/2021.)

Sweet Tooth from Twisted Metal (Added 9/14/2023.) (Haven’t seen this yet, but REALLY want to.)D

clown doll from USPS commercial (Added 12/20/2021.) 

Hi-Hats from The Warriors 

Clown Zombie from Zombieland 

[densi-mber]

Frozen, Part 2

A/N: Here’s the second part of Frozen. In the first part, Kensi and Deeks were trapped in the cold after hunting down some suspects. Deeks was also injured.

***

“Oh my god, babe, how could you not feel this?” Kensi asked, kneeling in front of Deeks with his shirt peeled up to chest. Fortunately the cut wasn’t terribly deep, but it was bad enough. Bad enough to have soaked through his shirt already.

“I feel it now,” Deeks said, yelping as she pressed down on the wound. “Actually, that really hurts. Stop poking it!”

“I’m trying to see how bad it is.”

“Well, your warm little hands are heating it up and now it’s burning.”

Her hands were anything but warm and his blood was actually starting to freeze on his skin and clothes.

“Ok, I’m going to put a bandage on this, see if you can get through to Eric,” she told him. She slipped off the small backpack which had a bare minimum of supplies, including a first-aid kit. She tossed an extra pair of gloves to Deeks while he called Eric and then ripped open a bandage.

“No signal,” he said a minute later, shaking his head.

“Damn it!” They couldn’t stay out here for much longer without any protection, especially with Deeks being wounded. She glanced at him, noticing that the tips of his ears were bright red and if she wasn’t mistaken, his lips were just the slightest bit blue. “Deeks, what happened to your hat?” she snapped, realizing that his hair was damp and loose around his face.

“I had to take it off cause I couldn’t hear anything and I lost it somewhere along the way,” he answered with a shrug. Kensi muttered under her breath, realizing how accusatory she sounded.

“I know you didn’t do it on purpose.” She grabbed his hand by way of apology, glancing around them.

“We need to start moving, Kens.”

“You really think we’re going to make it five miles in this cold?” she asked rhetorically. “And it’s only going to get worse in a couple hours.”

“No, I don’t think we’ll make it that far, but I remember Nell saying something about there being a bunch of old cabins around here,” he said with the barest of grins.

***

Have I ever-ah-mentioned how much I hate Iowa?” Deeks asked casually, pausing in between words to pull in shallow breaths. “We would never be in danger of freezing to death in Los Angeles.”

Despite his efforts to stay positive, the cold was definitely starting to get to him. His toes and fingers were stiff, although he supposed it was a good sign that they were still burning and not numb.

Plus, though he hadn’t dared mentioned it Kensi, exhaustion was starting to set in. His legs felt heavy and his abdomen somehow ached and felt numb at the same time. It was a disconcerting sensation.

“With our luck we’d get locked in an industrial freezer or something,” Kensi said with forced lightness, pausing in between words to breath. Her arms were firm around him, making sure he didn’t stumble over hidden tree roots and rocks.

“I think I saw that on a show once.”

“Cabin.”

“No, it was called Castle. You know, the one with Nathan Fillion where he’s a writer and-“

“No, there’s a cabin,” Kensi repeated, cutting off his tangent, and pointing to an area maybe a couple hundred feet away. Sure enough, there was a small cabin buried in a dense copse of trees.

“Fantastic,” he muttered. As they moved closer, it looked completely uninhabited and probably for some time, based on the piles of snow, debris around the doorway, and cobwebs in the windows.

Kensi cleared the snow away from one of the windows and peered in.

“It doesn’t look like there’s anyone inside. C’mon.” She shouldered the door open, which stuck a little, but eventually gave way with a loud creak.

“Very homey,” Deeks commented, shivering as they walked into the small space which was barely warmer than outside. It was pretty barren with jut a single cot and bare mattress that had definitely seen better days, a splintered cupboard with a couple pots on top, and most importantly, a fireplace.

“Sit down, I’m going to look for some blankets and firewood,” Kensi directed him.

“I can help,” he offered, feeling pretty stupid just standing there. It was partially his fault they were in this situation. If he’d been a little more careful, he wouldn’t have gotten stabbed. “The faster we heat this place up, the less chance we have of becoming popsicles.”

Kensi shook her head, already searching through the cupboard. She pulled out a box of instant potatoes and a can of beans and set them to the side.

“And the more you move around, the more you’ll aggravate your wound.” She turned back to look at him with another can of beans and Campbell’s chicken soup in her hands. The faded labels on both made Deeks think they’d been sitting there untouched for several years. “Are you saying you don’t have faith in my fire building skills?”

Her breath puffed out in a great white cloud as she attempted to keep her teeth from chattering. He could tell the cold was getting to her too, but predictably, she was ignoring it.

“I would never,” he said, dropping his backpack beside the cot. “Kensi Marie Blye’s survival skills are world renowned and-agh!” He’d sat down and his cut gave a painful, tearing sensation. Kensi spun around immediately at his scream, but he waved her off, ignoring the fresh gush of blood he felt seeping into his shirt. “I’m fine. I just sat down too fast. Did you find any blankets?”

She gave him a suspicious look, turning back to the cupboard, and pulling out some more random items before she made a triumphant sound.

“Three,” she said, throwing him a grayish bundle. “They look a little thin, but I guess it’s better than nothing. Ok, I’ll get some fire wood and then we’re bandaging your cut again. Don’t touch it until I get back.”

Deeks rolled his eyes at her instructions, which seemed a little ridiculous given the severity of said cut, but didn’t protest. He knew Kensi was worried and felt better knowing where he was.

After a few minutes, he stood up again and started pacing, trying to force some feeling into his legs. He tucked his hands under his armpits, singing “Staying Alive” to himself until his voice grew hoarse. Every few seconds, a blast of wind tore through the cabin and blew in bits of snow through minute cracks in the walls and ceiling.

Just as he was getting ready to go after Kensi, the door slammed open again, and she stumbled in with a giant armload of logs and branches.

“I found some wood,” she said unnecessarily as he rushed to help her. “There’s a shack about half a mile from here filled with chopped wood. I left another pile outside.” Her entire face was red and wind-chapped and Deeks wanted to demand she immediately get in bed and cover up.

Since that didn’t seem likely to happen, he brought in the rest of the wood while she was distracted with building a fire. By the time he finished, his hands were completely numb, his clothes completely wet and sticking to his skin.

As Kensi finished lighting the fire, he noticed her hands shaking uncontrollably, making her movements jerky and uncoordinated. She’d spent even more time outside, completely unprotected. She fumbled with the lighter a couple times before she managed to set the kindling on top of the logs aflame.

He grabbed one of her hands between his and rubbed them, wincing at the bright red color, and nearly white tips of her fingers.

“Baby, we need to get you warmed up,” he said, starting to get truly worried about hypothermia. Even with the fire, it would tale at least a couple hours before the cabin was warm.

“I’m fine Deeks,” she insisted, tugging her fingers from his. Ignoring his concern, Kensi grabbed her bag again, pulling out more first aid supplies. “Take your coat and shirt off.”

Deeks reluctantly pulled off both, knowing Kensi would probably freak out when she saw how much he’d bled. His shirt stuck a little, tacky with drying and frozen blood. He had to admit that the cut looked nasty with varied levels of dried blood smeared all around. As the cold air hit it full force again, it started burning more intensely.

Surprisingly, Kensi didn’t say anything when she leaned over him. She dabbed away the fresh blood with a couple cotton swabs and then tore open a packet of liquid bandage.

“Can you hold the edges together?” she asked. That sounded awful as far as Deeks was concerned, but he followed her directions, putting pressure on either side of the cut while Kensi squeezed the glue-like substance on in small incriminates.

“Ok, I think I’m fine with just bleeding out,” he groaned a few minutes later, the wound burning as the glue seeped in.

“That is not even remotely funny,” Kensi commented tightly. “Besides, I’m almost done.” Her hands were still trembling and a little clumsy. He didn’t comment on her technique though; if a slightly lumpy scar was the worst result of this catastrophe, he’d be a happy man. Kensi insisted on applying a cloth bandage just in case and then she was finally done.

“Ok, now we gotta get you warmed up,” he said as he grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around Kensi’s shoulder and then started tugging off his boots and socks.

“What do you suggest?” Kensi asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

“There’s only one option.” He paused with a boot in his head and gave Kensi a serious look. “Naked cuddling.”

[jgroffdaily]

Excerpts from a review at them.us:

It’s the sort of premise that works well in literary form, where we have more direct access to the characters’ interiority — and indeed, Shyamalan and his collaborators have adapted this film from Paul Tremblay’s The Cabin at the End of the World, albeit with some major plot revisions. But Shyamalan draws tremendously affecting performances out of everyone involved, especially Groff and Aldridge, to the point that the novel’s close third-person narration is barely missed. In so doing, the horror director produces his finest work since The Sixth Sense and delivers one of the more moving queer-themed genre films in recent history.

At its core, and beneath its high-concept trappings, Knock is a family story: Eric is uptight, Andrew has a temper, but they love each other and would do anything to protect their “miracle,” Wen. The movie’s LGBTQ+ representation hits the exact (and often elusive) sweet spot between being casual and pronounced. The homophobia that Eric and Andrew have endured over the course of their relationship is real, shown in painful flashbacks, but there is nothing didactic about that acknowledgement. Those scenes from the past serve a purpose, for both plot and characterization, and avoid coming across like Very Special Episodes.

I never would have expected Shyamalan, who — speaking of sacrifice — often offers up his own characters on the altar of abstraction, to nail this balance. But in Knock, Shyamalan seems to have matured enough as a filmmaker to stay put, confining himself largely to a single location, keeping his lens focused on Eric and Andrew’s pained faces. He avoids big twists in favor of tight close-ups and the occasional monologue. Shyamalan wants you to believe this family’s love for each other, and thanks in large part to Groff and Aldridge, he succeeds.

This family is just like any other family, but it also isn’t. Love is love, but also — as Billy Eichner’s character memorably puts it in Bros — love is not love; queer love is different. For some reason, it seems impossible for many filmmakers to hold those two ideas together. The temptation is strong to either homogenize or tokenize — to make LGBTQ+ characters either the same as everyone else or markedly other. Shyamalan avoids that temptation here, letting the family be messy, imperfect, and all the more likable for it. That surprising human touch only accentuates the director’s long-established talents for crafting suspense and framing shots. For all his past foibles, the man knows how to construct an image.

Knock is many things: a parable about the end of the world, a study in belief, a thriller perfectly poised for our misinformation era. But in addition to those layers of meaning and metaphor, it is also a film about the beauty and fragility of building a queer family. Eric and Andrew have overcome so much to create something that’s at risk of being capriciously destroyed. The movie understands something that queer people know on a gut level: we are strong, but we are outnumbered and we are, after all, only human.

I won’t say how Knock ends, suffice it to say that a certain 1975 disco hit becomes a genuinely gutting musical cue. But I will say that it made me do two things I never expected to do while watching an M. Night Shyamalan film: cry and feel proud to be queer.

[jayankles]

We Need to Talk: Part 2

Pairing: Dean x Parent!Reader

Sam and Dean need the Reader’s help with a case involving her expertise but Dean and the Reader need to have a little chat.

Word Count: 2700

Warnings: Dean is rightfully angry in this. Talks of sex. (if I missed anything let me know.)

Written for: @spngenrebingo​​ / @badthingshappenbingo​​ / @spndeanbingo​​ / @spnaubingo​​ / @/spnonewordbingo

Squares Filled: meet the parents /  voice breaking  / single parent au / free space / rocky

Also written for @sdavid09​​ ’s Tale Tellers 2020 Bingo Challenge, covering the ‘Slice of life’ square.

Part 1

FEEDBACK IS GOLD AND APPRECIATED

“Uh, Y/N? Who’s this?” Dean said as Ollie had stopped playing with his toys and started to stare between the two new giants in the room.

Awkwardly, you rub and twist your hands around each other, a nervous act that you had acquired over the years. “This is my son, Oliver. Dean, I think we need to talk.”

“Hey, Sam? Could you watch him for a few minutes please?” When he accepted it, you graciously thanked him, leading Dean up to your bedroom away from prying eyes and ears. It was tough, stepping into your bedroom thinking about the last time you saw him and his brother.

“It’s really good to see you.” You break the silence as you sit on the edge of your bed.

He only nods, obviously it’s awkward, it’s been over three years since you had seen each other. “So, you wanted to talk.” 

Damn it, the man is smart as hell but he could be oblivious to the most obvious things. Or maybe he knew about it and wanted to punish you. Either way, you were screwed and was going to have to tell him, you were going to have to spell it out for him.

“Oliver’s father hasn’t really been in his life-”

“What a douchebag! You need me to find him and beat him to a pulp?” Dean interrupted, his hand finding yours to stop them wringing together. 

“Dean, he doesn’t know. It was a one time thing and he didn’t really have the capacity to take care of a kid, he was scared that he couldn’t keep anyone safe. I wasn’t about to spring him with a kid that he probably didn’t want when I could take care of Ollie myself”

“Was it another hunter?”

“Dean Winchester, I swear. I will lose my shit if you don’t let me tell you on my own terms.”

“Sorry, I just care about you. You know that, right? I’d do anything for you and Oliver.”

Your nose tingled as tears came to your eyes, hearing him say those words meant the word to you. You wished you had someone like that in Oliver’s life and it was your own fault for not telling his father in the first place because you were a scared piece of shit and chickened out on making that one phone call that could have potentially saved any of this embarrassment. 

“Remember that night that shapeshifter took out my leg,and we hid in Bobby’s cabin and you took care of me?” You tried to explain slowly, his eyes widening as soon as the cogs in his head turned into place, suddenly remembering how that fateful night had ended. You couldn’t help but be ashamed of yourself. How you had deprived the man, the man you considered a best friend, the truth. The tears fell but you wiped them as quick as they came, you were not the victim, Dean was. It was of course a shitty thing to do.

“So, Oliver’s mine?” Dean asked, wrapping his head around what you had implied. With your bottom lip between your teeth, you nodded solemnly. Dean’s tongue brushed over his teeth, sucking on them. “And you didn’t think to call me at least to tell me that I have a goddamn son? What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you that fucking selfish? What if I wanted to help out, be there for Oliver, for you? You really think I don’t have the goddamn capacity to take care of a kid - my kid?” 

He was right, of course he was, you were selfish to keep his own son away from him. You were scared and that was still no excuse. You swallowed, sniffling and nodding your head. “I tell him about you, you know.”

“Tell him that he’s got a deadbeat father that doesn’t know he exists?” Dean scoffs, almost a choked out laugh. He was on the verge of tears but the anger ripped right through him; all he could see was red.

“Nope,” you stand from the edge of your bed, scratching at the side of your face. You rummage through your bookshelf and find the box that you had hidden up there. “Quite the opposite actually. Told him you were practically a superhero. I tell him that I used to be yours and Sam’s sidekick.”

You both chuckle at that, Dean more so just because he knows that you were pretty much the Batman when you were at the bunker and more often than not, you were there to save their asses. 

“He doesn’t believe it about me being out there with you because I’m just his mommy but he knows that you’re out there protecting him.That kid’s mind is like a sponge; he takes in all the information you tell him and-” You choked out, hiding it as a faux cough. “He’s smart, he definitely gets that from you. I didn’t want you to find out like this. I wanted to tell you before but I just got scared. I want you to be it Oliver’s life, even if that means you’re not in mine. This is all your decision.”

With that, you left the box on the bed,waiting a few seconds before you tapped him on his thigh, letting him ponder your words as you leave the room and head downstairs to where Oliver and his uncle is. You would have to tell him too.

Fuck.

“You havin’ fun there baby?” You ask Oliver, already knowing the answer as Sam throws him up into the air, catching him as soon as he falls back down. Almost a heart attack? Check. But the feeling all but dissipated when you hear his loud laughter. 

“Yeah,” he laughs maniacally this time, it’s contagious and you can’t stop your own laugh. It was then that you knew the answer. Oliver was having the time of his life. At least he was bonding with his uncle Sammy already, babbling over and over about how he wanted to go again and higher this time. 

“Ollie, you wanna go show Dean your dinosaur bed sheets? He’s upstairs in mommy’s room.” Sam handed him over to you and you lifted Oliver over the stair gate, watching as he toddled his way up the stairs safely. “You want a coffee? I’m sure you and Dean had a long drive.”

“Thank you,” he nods, following you into the kitchen. “So, I’m guessing you told him.”

Furrowing your eyebrows, you gave him a lost expression. “What are you t-”

Sam raises an eyebrow, lips pursed before he interrupts you. “Come on, Y/N. Don’t play dumb with me. You know what I’m talking about. Oliver looks exactly like a miniature Dean with a perfect mix of each of your skin tones. It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out either. We last saw you about three years ago and Oliver is two. Besides I heard the two of you before you left. It was gross so I slept in the car.”

“I guess, it’s pointless to say that you’re an uncle now, huh?” You scratch at your arm before grabbing the coffee pot and pouring him out a cup. “Sugar’s in the cupboard in the corner and creamer in the fridge, you know, if you changed your preferences from the last time I saw you.”

“The shouting upstairs kinda gave it away, made sure to play with Oliver to distract him.” You were thankful to have Sam, he was a good egg. 

“I am sorry you had to find this way. I wanted to tell you but I didn’t want for us to become a liability. You were better off saving the world whilst I could protect me and Ollie. I didn’t want to be a burden to the two of you, especially when you had already looked after me, when we were young and stupid and I didn’t wanna listen to the two of you. I wanted to be the one to kick the shit out of you guys for lying about what goes bump in the night but the vamps beat me to it so I had to believe that the shit was real.”

“You shouldn’t swear, Oliver could pick up all the bad words you’re spewin’.” Dean says as he enters the kitchen, hand in hand with his son. “There better be enough coffee for me in that pot over there.”

You nod, making him one before you grab yourself an energy breakfast bar from the fridge. “You boys had breakfast?”

*

You made it to the small cafe, giving your friend a small wave as you entered with Oliver, Sam and Dean close behind you. Liah was quick to round the corner and say hello to her friend and her favourite little guy. The tall dudes that came behind her were just a bonus package to brighten her day.

“Hiya, sweetie.” She came in for a hug, squeezing you before she ruffled Oliver’s hair and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “How are my favourite customers?”

“Better now that I’m seeing you.I feel like it’s been forever.”

“It’s been two months, Y/N. Of course it’s been forever but I’ve been busy with Eric and college.” She huffed and you told her that she didn’t have to say another word. You know how hard she worked. It was hard to balance work and college but you knew that Eric was good for her; he was keeping her on the right track, making sure that she slept, ate, took breaks from her studies. He really cared about her.  “Take a seat with those fine ass men and I will take your order after I get some tips from that old geezer over there.”

She left, her notebook shoved into her apron as skipped over to the other side of the quiet diner.

“After you, find a booth anywhere you want, you’re my guests.” You said, waiting for the boys to find a table for the four of you.

“I really hope you’re paying because everything looks so good on this menu.” Dean groaned, overlooking the menu, you had to agree, they did cook some amazing things and you came in so much they made a secret menu item just for you.

“I’m paying but anything over two plates, you pay for yourself. I’m not made of money.” 

Dean nodded, smiling when he noticed Liah come back with her pen and pad. “Am I getting you the Y/N special?”

“You know it, baby. Can you get Oliver some eggs and a little bit of bacon?”

“Sure thing. And for you boys?” Liah quickly scribbled down your order and waited for the boys to make up their mind.

Sam tucks his curtain of hair behind his ear. “Would it be okay to get a chicken salad with an egg white omelette on the side?”

Liah hummed, “any drinks with that?”

“Coffee, please.”

“And for you?” Dean is next on Liah’s list. 

“Here we go, a stack of pancakes to start me off and then a plate of your greasiest breakfast foods you have.”

“Coming right up, you want a coffee too?” 

Dean nods, thanking Liah as she walks away putting in your order, he’s almost certain that she’s spoken the words ‘baby daddy’ but he’s not too sure, his ear may have deceived him.

Liah comes out no later than 10 minutes, you know that everything is freshly cooked so you’re not worried about the wait. It gave you some moments with your favourite men, quietly catching up on the time that you lost with them, you never got tired of hearing their stories; even if it was their lives, you still loved that they were here to tell the tale.

You tucked into your food, watching over your family as they ate. Oliver inhaled his food almost as soon as it was set down on the table, you looked over at Dean and he had finished all but one of his pancakes. Like father, like son. You should have known really. All those years you spent with the Winchesters, all those annoying habits that got on your last goddamn nerve. But you still loved them - as much as you could.

“So I guess I’m finally meeting both of Oliver’s parents, right?” Liah whispers with a smile on her face, looking over your shoulder, making sure that you were out of earshot of the Winchesters and that Oliver was already preoccupied.

 She was happy to meet Dean after all those times that you spoke of him. “Y/N’s told me a lot about you. All good things I promise, which is surprising because she talks a lot of shit about others. You must be really special to her.” 

“He’s good people. One that protects others.” You look at Dean sincerely, catching his lips curl up into a smile before he watched Oliver play with his toy dinosaurs. “Sam’s not too bad either. Now go do your job before you almost get fired...again.”

After your meal, before you even have the chance to reach into your pocket, Dean takes the bill and pays for it all and by the smile on Liah’s face, you know that he left a tip. The four of you were back on your way to the place you called a home.

“So why Oliver? The name I mean.” Dean asks later that evening as Oliver watches his favourite show. 

“Named him after my favourite superhero, duh.”

“Please don’t tell me his middle name is Arthur after Arthur Curry.” He groaned, almost whined. He hated Aquaman with a vengeance, a fish man that controls water.

“No Dean, you don’t have to worry about your son being called Oliver Arthur. He’s Oliver Dean, after my other hero.” You whisper, leaning back in your seat and staring into those gorgeous green eyes of his.

 “The one who has saved my life countless times. The one who I should have told about his son. You’re the one who I loved Dean, the one who gave me the best gift of all even without knowing it.”

Dean doesn’t say anything. He can’t. Not with the tears gathering in his eyes, the ones matching yours. You’ve missed him. Missed the way the two of you would joke around. Missed the way that he would flirt with you. Missed the way that you could sit in complete silence, letting yourself bask in each other's company without ever being bored or would never be uncomfortable. But right now all you wanted to do was kiss him. You wanted him in your life but you couldn’t until you were sure that he wanted to be in Oliver’s life. That he wanted to be in your life.

“I loved you too.” His voice is small, almost unheard but you’ve trained your ears for any noise ever since Oliver was born. He licked at his lower lip, tugging it between his teeth before he whispered again. “I still love you, Y/N.”

His eyes drop to your lips before they drag away seeing Oliver asleep and Sam had already retired to the guest room upstairs. He’s slow, so slow, in fact, that you almost don’t see his movement but you know that he is when you feel his breath on your face. You know he’s there when his palm softly connects with your cheek. You know he’s there when he presses his forehead against yours. You missed his musky smell and you can’t help but press your lips against his.They’re familiar. One’s that you haven’t had the chance to remove from your memory. You didn’t really want to either.

Hands finding their way to Dean’s shoulders, you crawled into his lap, deepening the kiss. You wanted this, you wanted it from the moment you left three years ago but you pulled back. “I’m sorry. I-I shouldn’t have done that. You’re mad at me and I should have asked.”

You make a move to get off of his lap but he stops you. “Don’t stop. I’m not letting you go again. I’m not losing my family.”

FEEDBACK IS GOLD AND ALWAYS APPRECIATED

Forevers: @super100012​ @lupine-princess​ @plaid-lover-bay25​ @atc74​ @growningupgeek​ @sophiebobzz​ @docharleythegeekqueen​ @poukothenerd​ @grace-for-sale​ @mrswhozeewhatsis​ @jesspfly​ @supernaturallymarvellous​ @sammysgirl1997​ @roxyspearing​ @mogaruke​ @be-amaziing​ @deanandsamsbitch​ @frankiea1998​ @hennessy0274-blog​ @spn-dean-and-sam-winchester​ @iwantthedean​ @capsheadquaters​ @emoryhemsworth​ @notmoose45​ @essie1876​ @cassieraider​ @brewsthespirit-blog​ @its-my-perky-nipples​ @riversong-sam​ @jotink78​ @captainradicalpassion​ @jadalecki-jackles​ @spnbaby-67​ @holyfuckloueh​ @gh0stgurl​ @alyssa6marie​ @esoltis280​ @bumber-car-s @alexwinchester23​ @x-waywardaf-x​ @thisismysecrethappyplace​ @randomparanoid​ @kellianz​

Dean: @kenmen02​ @ain-t-bovvered​ @deans-baby-momma​  @ericaprice2008​ @shamelesslydean​ @thing-you-do-with-that-thing​ @wingedcatninja​ @mayasmedberg​ @kurosaki224-new-blog @valerieshubin @milo-winchester-4ever​ @sandlee44​ @ruprecht0420​ @akshi8278​ @smoothdogsgirl​ @dslocum89​ @plaidstiel-wormstache​ @ria132love​ @welldonebeca​ @iamabeautifulperson18​ @starry-chaos @deans-treasure @larajadeschmidt13​  @nyxveracity​ @dean-winchesters-bacon​ @adoptdontshoppets​

[prettyoddfever]

P!ATD in summer 2007

THE MAIN POST

Some stores still had a release date of late summer 2007 for P!ATD’s second album. Even at the start of July, HMV had the 8/20 release date posted:

Then MTV reported towards the start of July that a spokesperson for P!ATD confirmed that the second album would not be released in 2007 (this news happened before Summerfest). MuchMusic shared the same news a few days later and said that the band was still working on writing songs. The second album was expected in January or early February 2008 at this point.

SUMMERFEST

here’s a tag for the event. 

here’s a playlist

the event was on July 7th in Milwaukee and the venue seated around 23,000 people.

Eric Ronick wasn’t at shows in 2007, so Brendon did the piano parts. Bden’s solo piano cover of Round Here was still amazing.

A lot of fan commentary from Summerfest revolved around what the guys were doing offstage and on the side of the stage while other bands played. Most of it wasn’t very important: the 3 girlfriends were there, Jon apparently seemed annoyed with Brendon’s general existence, Ryan was drinking a beer while watching TAI, and Brendon mostly hung out with Zack or by himself. Brendon also came out to sing with The Hush Sound. 

Brendon & Ryan left each other alone, so there were no Ryden moments for people to share. But Jon wore flip flops onstage so that was fun too?

P!ATD played Summerfest instead of Live Earth but here’s a FOB moment there that mentions them.

Brendon’s voice was pretty rough throughout this show... it definitely wasn’t one of his best performances. 

One fan spent a LOT of time making some stuffed cats to give each guy at the meet & greet. Ryan thanked her and said he’d give it to his dog lol. The poor girl. That still makes me laugh though.

Brendon was still wearing his white shirt and black tie. One review of Summerfest said: “Frontman Brendon Urie's New Wave skinny tie and white dress shirt were sartorial emblems of Panic's tendency to smash together old stuff in a frenzy that makes it seem new to those who haven't heard any of it before.” Because Brendon was clearly trying to make a statement when he grew up dressing like that in the Mormon church too.

The most notable part of the show was obviously when the band decided to play a completely new song from the material they’d been working on at the cabin that spring. Ryan had mentioned in recent interviews that they would probably play new material, but that they still had to figure it out because “there are a lot of things that we've demo-ed but there's stuff that's missing from the songs that we wouldn't be able to play live right now.”

The band played a song that fans ended up calling “True Love” or “It’s True Love” (here are some videos). A fan who saw the setlist said that it had been listed as “NYC,” but I think the general consensus was that this wasn’t particularly exciting because it could easily just stand for “not yet confirmed.” Anyways, I thought Brendon’s voice wasn’t having a good day at Summerfest in general... I wish we could hear a recording of It’s True Love from another day too. I genuinely loved the song, so its reception still makes me a little sad. It felt like the majority of fans completely hated it and were absolutely brutal. There were seriously thousands of comments online tearing the band apart. Even fans who were at Summerfest said the crowd didn’t seem too impressed with the new song. 

Yes, the song was a repetitive fairy tale cliche... but who knows where it fit into the album’s storyline or what the tone actually was! Brendon said that a lot of the cabin album was satirical. This song was being judged like it was a serious single that was meant to stand on its own, though. A decent amount of fans got really upset that Keltie had ruined Ryan and made him want to write stupid love songs that sounded like a middle schooler (even though Keltie confirmed to fans that the song was not about her). A few other people were saying that this garbage was proof that Brent was clearly the mastermind behind AFYCSO lol. Basically, a huge amount of people were hating on the lyrics (but some people still seemed to love the melody, Brendon’s vocals, or other small parts). 

The band absolutely saw what so many people were saying online. There’s no way they could’ve missed that even if they didn’t lurk (which Jon did). Right after Summerfest they decided to scrap the cabin album and completely start over. The album’s release date had been pushed back before Summerfest, though, so it sounded like the band was maybe already uncertain about their new material before the overly negative response.

THE CABIN ALBUM GETS SCRAPPED

In a nutshell: the cabin album had become too complex and the band wasn’t really having fun with it, so they scrapped the songs after Summerfest and started over. They later talked about how they’d decided to stop overthinking the songwriting process, go on inspiration, and keep it simple.

Jon said the process of starting over was “actually quite liberating.” Ryan said it became easier to move forward after the band decided to abandon the cabin album. He also seemed relieved about the change in direction. He talked about how he’d been writing the lyrics alone that spring, but now the whole band was contributing to the process.

The main thing that matters here in terms of events is that they had left LA, moved back to Vegas, and were now in a practice space in the same building where they wrote AFYCSO. (I’m not entirely certain when the band left LA, but Ryan said around the start of August that they’d left LA & returned to Vegas “a month ago.”)

Some fans had fun suggesting titles for the scrapped album later that fall... here are some favorites I saved:

I Write Songs Not Albums

There’s A Good Reason The Release Date Got Moved Honey

Whoops We Didn’t Do It Again

Better Than Brent

Lying Is The Best We Can Do Because We're Afraid To Come Out

But It’s Better If You Do Release an Album

The Only Difference Between Starting Over and A Sophomore Slump Is Press Coverage

We heard some basic news about the scrapped album by early August, but it became bigger news that fall.

A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE REPORTING

The fact that there was so little to report about the band in 2007 really showed which news sources were more reliable… and where most writers got their info from haha. There were a lot of variations on the story about how P!ATD was writing in a cabin and then scrapped that album.

Basically, MTV wrote a few articles after actually talking to the band and then Kerrang, NME, Rolling Stone, and a bunch of other sources all paraphrased those articles and recycled the quotes for several months. Here’s MTV’s article from early August. (I’m not saying MTV was always accurate btw... but that specific article had good info because it was mostly direct quotes from the band instead of James Montgomery’s explanations). Then this clipping below was from Kerrang in late August... notice how the quote that MTV had attributed to Jon accidentally got switched to Ryan:

And this article from NME was a total fail on every level lol. They copied the info from the MTV article, but somehow managed to mess up almost everything… they said that the band had debuted It’s True Love at Virgin Fest (it was Summerfest a month earlier). Then they attributed Jon’s quote to Ryan, missed the part where Ryan said they wouldn’t be using It’s True Love on the next album, and skipped the news that the band was starting over... so that meant some other writers assumed that all of the newer info in August should be lumped onto whatever they already knew about the cabin album. That’s why you’d see some confused journalists in October/November who suddenly thought the new album was getting scrapped.

Other sites like Buzznet just cited whatever NME had written and this turned into a bad game of telephone where all of the info sounded relatively similar, but still had big errors that could be confusing if someone only read a couple articles without following the evolution of how the news had spread. Other mistakes weren’t too important, but they were still entertaining… like NME said in a different article that the band “wrote their first batch of songs in an isolated cabin deep in the Nevada desert.” Another story made it sound like the guys needed to hike a snowy mountain to reach their remote hut lol.

Oh, and NME waited until October to post an article that the band had scrapped their album, so at that point some fans panicked that it had happened all over again. I think NME might have only said that because Rolling Stone got really confused that month.

At the end of the year MTV said that the failed second album "has been about as well-documented as it has been confusing.” And we were like no –– none of this was confusing unless you’re a reporter who’s trying to write a quick article without paying attention… y’all just confused yourselves.

OTHER STUFF FROM THIS SUMMER

here’s a picture tag (that category is mostly stuff from June – August outside of the shows, but I put August in Europe in this tag).

It sounded like Jon was living with Ryan, so the band would often get together at Ryan’s place to work on songs.

there’s more in this post about the “Ryho” stuff and how part of the fandom was treating Ryan

A group of fans started this rumor and it was actually picked up by legit news sites haha.

Some pockets of the internet sounded like they were anticipating a sophomore slump since most fans hated It’s True Love and the band was changing their direction this far into the writing process. MTV put the band on their “anti-buzz” list and said “why will [the next album] suck? Jeez, why won’t it?” with nothing substantial to back up that claim. MTV seemed like they wrote whatever they thought people wanted to read... if they sensed that the public opinion might be going downhill, they’d distance themselves from any former enthusiasm and hedge their bets (which is what they started doing to Ryan in summer 2009). 

2+ years between albums is a big chunk of time when you’re in middle school, so a lot of the previously intense fans found new interests and drifted away from the fandom this year.

P!ATD’s German site was updated with the news about the postponed album. It said “Neues Album in Sicht Ja, Sommer ist nichts geworden - Aber macht nix. Das neue Panic! At the Disco Album ist für Frühjahr 2008 geplant.” The part that made me laugh roughly translates to “Yes, summer didn't happen - but it does not matter.” 

I think my 18-year-old self would be very disappointed if I didn’t include a note here about how Ryan & Spencer were really really ridiculously good-looking in August 2007. In hindsight, I also think Ryan’s style peaked that month. I mean, his style was obvs great other times too... but August 2007 was like perfect. I did not understand why so many fans were hating on that look at the time.

FOB was still working IWSNT into some of their shows. Pete also used lyrics from Nine in the Afternoon in August… “eyes the size of the moon” was a blog post title and something about nine in the afternoon was a buzznet picture caption. (update: this does not mean that P!ATD copied the lyrics from Pete lol. it means that Pete would subtly hype new material his bands were working on). We heard that song for the first time on August 5th... I moved everything about the August shows into this post.

there were fan rumors that Keltie & Ryan broke up and that they were getting married soon. some fans were reallllly invested in their relationship.

Zack put some videos on his youtube channel this summer. Those ended up getting deleted, but luckily other fans uploaded them. Here’s the one with Spencer + the tray (which was filmed in late 2006) and then Spencer + ice (from March 2007 in Atlanta).

there were SO many fan projects for the guys omg. I know I mentioned this in the spring post, but I just really need to emphasize how ridiculous it got (especially once Projects! at the Disco got rolling). There was even a project where fans would mail a lot of flip flops to Jon... idk what he was supposed to do with all of those. There was also a project to submit pictures of your feet in flip flops for Jon’s birthday. Ryan got things like a mix cd, a montage of video greetings, a collection of pictures of fans wearing Ryan-style makeup, yet another scrapbook, a list of fan messages, etc. Spencer got the sneakers, fan-decorated drumsticks, a binder of letters, and some other stuff. People were still fighting to be in control over the various projects lol. Here’s one account who did birthday videos that are still up.

Wikipedia was being edited by people who definitely hadn’t been around during the Fever era, and who didn’t really have a good grasp on basic info about the band. Wikipedia even said that Jon had replaced Brent before the European tour in spring 2006 ha.

The flood of silly fan edits on Wikipedia that had been going on in early spring 2007 had decreased by this point, but this description was on P!ATD’s Wikipedia page for a decent stretch of time this season: “It is rumored that their sophmoric concept album is a semi-autobigraphical tale about a group of young kids training to join the circus (ala Disney's Totally Circus) and their journey from their small town Neveada homes into drugs, homosexuality, and eventual superstardom. The concluding track "The ringmaster becomes the student as they make him deserve " ends the album in an epic manner as the final practice before their concluding show turns into a drug induced all male orgy. The line "I pulled out and blew on the God damn floor" is repeated as a thunderous collection of drums and piano bring the track and story to its climactic conclusion.”

this was the best thing to come out of July (skip to 5:09):