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kikilefangirl · 4 years ago

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Old Ties

Oscar “Spooky” Diaz x Reader

(Word Count: 1629)

This was your first time back from school since Christmas, and you missed home. You had elected to stay in an apartment near campus for the summer and rarely went back.

This was your birthday weekend, and you had to see your family and old friends after going so long without. Sometimes your mom joked you were too slippery to answer the phone, let alone stay on for long. It was true, with one notable exception: your baby brother Jamal.

“Y/N!” He hollered excitedly. You laughed when you pulled up because he had a fake neck brace on as his injury of the month. And his friends were there, all grown up.

“‘Mal! It’s so good to see you.”

“What about me?” Ruby asked incredulously.

“You too, Ruby. Monsé, look at you!” You praised. Then you were one off your count.

“Where’s Cesar?”

He was the only one missing from the group. Each kid had different emotions flash across their faces. Oh. You knew the feeling.

“Well get in, we’re going to get him.” You declared. They let out a chorus of protests and excuses, but you had already started the car.

“A seat has some of my bags in it, so one of y’all sitting in the middle.” You added.

You hadn’t been home five minutes and were already on your way to him. Indirectly, of course. All three kids piled in, and you drove off after a moan from Ruby about sitting in the middle seat.

“How do you know the way there?” Jamal asked skeptically. You gave him some throwaway response and put on some lip gloss.

You knew damn well why you expertly made the short drive to Spooky’s house, but they didn’t need to know that. Sooner that you were prepared to, you pulled up and hopped out.

You never once broke your stride past Santos and hynas. You heard your car doors slam, so the others were behind you, but you pressed on without soaring them a glance.

The music blasted along with the roar of engines and laughs from partygoers and clinking bottles. Your breath caught in your throat as you headed farther back in the driveway.

There he was, sitting down smoking a blunt next to him was Cesar. Damn, the kids had gotten older.

“Never thought I’d see you here.” Oscar said, finally.

He exhaled, and stood up not two feet away from you. Plump lips, intense brown eyes, no. You were never able to turn away from him.

Oscar was still fine as hell and you were losing focus.

“I came here to get Cesar.”

Not you.

The unsaid words were heavy between the two of you. Everyone who wasn’t drunk or oblivious could see the battle of wills going on. Even Cesar looked confused, and it was technically about him.

“He goes.” Oscar started, bringing a hand to your cheek, “You stay.”

Closure, you decided, was some bullshit because after two years of heartbreak and your determination to stay away...You accepted his trade.

Jamal, of course had heart palpitations the second a yes flew out your mouth. Ruby paled at the idea, and Monsé was staring at Cesar.

As soon as they left, it gave you some peace watching the four of them go off like they used to. Oscar struggled with the worst hand he could’ve been dealt, but his brother didn’t have to go through the same. Cesar was a different kid; Cesar was still somewhat allowed to be a kid.

Oscar put out his blunt and brought you inside.

You filled your eyes at the hoots and whistles from outside as you shut the screen door and then the real one.

You and Oscar were truly alone, now.

“How long before you’re gone, again.” He lamented, pulling out two beers from the fridge.

You winced at his words.

“The weekend.” You admitted. Spooky scoffed at you as he popped the top off of either bottle. He slid one over to you as you tapped your nails on the counter.

“Got over your little cholo phase and dipped, huh.” He spat out. You slammed your hand on the counter. Your palm stung from the impact, but your anger was more pressing.

“You know good and goddamn well that wasn’t it. Do I look like some white girl who took the wrong bus and got lost!” You roared at him.

He made it seem like an easy choice for you. That it was easy leaving everyone and everything for a whole new world you’d never even really seen before.

You flared your nostrils at Oscar, mostly to keep the tears at bay.

“I told myself I wasn’t gonna do this shit, Osc. You gonna keep doing your Santo shit, and I’m supposed to what? Sit here popping out your babies so twenty years from now they supposed to do the same shit? You go down, and I don’t got nothing to stand on? No.”

You shook your head violently. No. No, no, no. You spied where he kept his good liquor and grabbed it. You guzzled as much as you could in one pass.

Oscar stood there watching you with a look you couldn’t care to decipher.

Modesty wasn’t exactly a priority between you two. You and Oscar dealt in the raw, honest truth. It was what cooled the two of you, and it was doing so now. You knew it and he knew it.

“You messing with anyone up there?” He asked. Oscar was steady in his slow, rolling voice. Never tentative, always patient.

“Nothing serious.” You admitted. There was a fling that lasted a couple weeks in May, a failed date or two, and a car hookup once. In short, no one was ever him.

“You?” You stared intently at him, searching his eyes for any hint he was holding back.

Oscar’s list of names was shorter than yours. And to your surprise, you let out a sigh of relief.

He smirked and put his hand over yours, squeezing it for reassurance.

“We’re okay.” He said and against all reason you believed him.

He leaned in closer, and pulled you into a hug.

But like the ass he was, Oscar chose a less romantic course. His breath fanned your neck, and you short circuited. You always went blank when Oscar was so close to you and he took full advantage.

You had the willpower of a goldfish.

You hopped up on the counter, the two of you exchanging hungry, passionate kisses, desperate to make up for lost time and old grievances.

...

You stayed at the house well into the night.

You sweated out your edges, smudged your makeup, and damn near limped back to your car. By the time you left, the party had gone somewhere else and the lot was quiet. Not even Cesar had returned.

You sat in your car and Oscar leaned into the window.

“Happy Birthday.” He said. You smiled and gave him a long kiss, savoring the memory of him. When you pulled away, you deflated.

“I’m going back to school on Monday.” You said softly. You drummed on the steering wheel.

“Then come back tomorrow.” He suggested. It wasn’t the same anymore. You two weren’t teenagers sneaking away during football games. His life was as real as yours, if not more. You held in the tears threatening to spill over.

“I’m sorry, Osc. That doesn’t seem like a good idea.”

The silence that came next was deafening. You stared straight ahead and let the tears stream down your face with no abandon. A gentle hand wiped them away.

“No crying. You gotta go see the world for the both of us, ‘kay.” He told you. There was no bitterness or sadness in his eyes. Just love. Love for you, for him, and for everything the two of you went through together.

You let your forehead rest on his.

“I promise.” You whispered to him. At that, Oscar stepped back and you saw him in full view.

He nodded one last time, and you pulled off into the night.

...

“Oh. My. God. Is that a hickey? That’s a hickey. You let Spooky give you that! You could be infected with all kinds of diseases that will haunt you for the rest of your life!”

Jamal’s freakout made you crack a smile. He had only seen Oscar as the Santo Spooky, Cesar’s scary ass older brother. But you had known him since you were twelve and had been with him since you were fifteen.

“We had history, it’s over now. Chill out.” You replied.

“Damn it, Y/N you know I can’t fight, why would you put me in this position!” He barked out. You smiled.

“Oh I know you can’t fight, you know being a D1 athlete and all.” You teased. You knew he’d eventually work up the nerve to tell your parents the truth, but it was fun messing with him in the meantime.

“Okay seriously, are you and Spooky gonna keep--ew, I can’t say it.” He rambled. You put your hands on his shoulders.

“Jamal, listen. I love Oscar and I always will. But we’ve outgrown each other. We grew up here, this our home, but you and I have stability and a way out that Oscar never had. Neighborhood will drag you back in and I can’t afford to do that. Grown decisions, ‘Mal.”

You plopped down on your bed, and stared at nothing. It really was over.

Jamal hugged you tightly, and you hugged him back. You hoped Cesar wouldn’t share his brother’s path. You had given up hope a long time ago that Oscar would. He couldn’t.

And it was cruel of you to hold onto him any longer, so you didn’t.

#black!reader #poc!reader #on my block #Oscar Diaz #spooky #spooky diaz #spooky diaz x reader #oscar diaz x reader #on my block fanfiction #julio macias #Oscar Diaz angst #sad ending sorry #spooky Diaz angst

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sodalitefully · 4 years ago

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Enter freely and of your own will [GNR, Sluff AU]

I know, I know, I've written vampire AUs before… Several times. But I had to write something about what a nerd Slash is for vampire fiction! Mostly inspired by interviews Slash gave after gnr covered Sympathy For The Devil for Interview With A Vampire (so any digs at the movie adaptation are based on Slash’s opinion, not mine – I’ve never seen it!). Occasional mentions of blood and stuff, but not particularly graphic. This fic is expanding on an AU I originally drew here.

~~~~

In my mind, it all played out like the plot of a paranormal romance novel. I’ve gotten familiar with those lately, thanks to the collection hidden in the bottom shelves of Slash’s library, buried below the gothic horror classics, the crime thrillers, and about a mountain of nonfiction. Hell, I could probably write my own! “Tall blonde unexpectedly falls for rock and roll bad boy with a dark secret,” yeah, the readers would eat that up. Of course, our love story didn’t really start when the unsuspecting protagonist moved to a new city, or when the leather-clad love interest showed off his supernatural shredding skills. No, I’d say it started a couple years later, when I found out Slash’s other deep, dark, embarrassing secret.

It wasn’t a dark and stormy night… but it was a movie night at my place, a tradition for Slash and I. Whenever we needed a break from the so-called rockstar lifestyle, we’d get together for a night in, smoke some pot and put on a movie. Slash laid back on my couch while I dug through a cabinet packed with VHS tapes and listed off a few options:

“Let’s see, we have Jurassic Park, Alien, Interview With a Vampire – Uh, sorry, I guess that would be weird huh?” Slash made a sour face.

“Ugh. I hate that movie, it’s such a bad adaptation. Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, seriously?”

“Wait,” I dropped The Empire Strikes Back and Blazing Saddles onto the growing heap of tapes and sat back on my heels to look at Slash in surprise. "You’ve seen it before?”

“Uh…” Vampires may not be able to blush but I'd known Slash long enough to tell when he’s flustered.

“And you’ve read the book?”

“… Yes?” I laughed, Slash ducked and hid his face, obviously feeling self-conscious, but I didn’t mean to laugh at him. It was just…

I’d assumed that a real-life vampire would roll their eyes at the cliche, over-romanticized movie interpretations of their kind. Instead, I learned of Slash’s (nearly) indiscriminate love for all things vampire, anything from Carmilla to Buffy The Vampire Slayer. He was a sucker (hah, get it?) for dripping fangs, swishing capes, even those crazy accents, ever since he was a kid. And I can’t lie, it was pretty endearing. I wasn’t in love with him yet, but the more he told me about his obsession, the more warm and tingly I felt, charmed by how genuine he was – Hell, I barely even teased him about it! Somehow, that conversation felt even more personal than finding out he was a damn vampire. I was really touched that he felt comfortable sharing his interests with me, that he trusted me with his softer, nerdier, more romantic side.

I resisted the temptation to press for more details that night, but a month or so later, I caught him in the act! I remember waking up in the afternoon after crashing at his place so late it was early the night before. I wandered around his big, spooky house until I found Slash curled up in one of his fancy antique armchairs, his legs dangling over the armrest and a paperback book cradled in his lap. I couldn’t make out the curlicued script on the cover, but from the captivated look on his face it was a favorite – his eyes were bright as they darted across the page, and his lips curled into a warm, gentle smile.

I couldn’t stand to disturb him, so I snuck off before he noticed me in the doorway, and headed down the hall to the room he’d transformed into a tiny library – The man had a library in his house; between that and the subtly gothic decor it was hard to believe I never noticed that Slash was playing up the vampire aesthetic, consciously or not! Anyway, I poked around until I found where he hid his collection of vampire lit, and snatched a few that were, shall we say, not quite as acclaimed as Dracula or even The Vampire Chronicles. I don’t remember the titles, but there were a couple paperback romances and a horror novel with a badass-looking dude on the cover.

I had to see what all the fuss was about, you know? Yeah, this kind of thing wasn’t exactly up my alley, but Slash usually had good taste, so I figured it couldn’t hurt to check it out. Plus, if it was important to Slash, I wanted to know about it! And not just the well-known classics either; I wanted the guilty pleasures, I wanted to see what it was that could make Slash smile like that when no one was watching.

I’ll be honest, it wasn’t bad. I wasn’t a big reader at the time, but I raced through the horror novel in just two days, and trust me, I barely slept the night in between! The trashy romance was more enjoyable than I would ever admit; even with all the cliches and melodrama there was something compelling about unraveling the tangled web of forbidden love in a world full of the supernatural.

At this point, I was very cautiously beginning to entertain the idea that I might see Slash as more than just a buddy and a bandmate. As friends, were were closer than ever, hardly spent a day apart, and I was beginning to notice things that I hadn’t noticed before. Things like the way he always smiled at my lame jokes, the way he leaned on my shoulder when he was pretending to be drunk, the way he tossed his hair on stage… And I couldn’t help wondering whether Slash identified more with the heroine or the love interest. Did he want to be the cool, mysterious vampire lover, or the unsuspecting protagonist who gets drawn into an alluring new world?

I got my answer a couple months later, in town again after a leg on the road. It was a steaming hot summer day back in L.A., and Slash was dozing on his couch. This wasn’t unusual in and of itself, Slash’s sleep schedule had been fucked for as long as I'd known him. No, what made this instance significant was that I was also on the couch, reclined with my feet over the armrest and Slash draped across my chest. Tales From The Crypt played at a murmur on a brand-new TV set, but I wasn’t paying any attention.

See, at this point I’d recently learned that, when Slash focused hard enough, he could hear a living person’s blood pulsing in their veins and detect changes in body temperature. And that had me wondering: Could he tell that my heart beat faster when he leaned against me on stage? Could he tell that my ears got warm every time he turned a smile my way?

Could he tell how much I was affected by his weight on top of me?

He was like a huge cat in my lap, relaxed from head to toe. If you paid attention, you could tell that he was breathing more slowly that an ordinary human should be and his bare skin was slightly cool. Other than that he looked completely normal… Except for his teeth. His mouth was slightly open, allowing his pointed, knife-sharp teeth to scrape against his lower lip.

To Slash’s chagrin, they weren't gleaming white, perfectly straight fangs; instead they more closely resembled a shark’s jaw, crowded with small flesh-tearing blades. It was rare to see them exposed, Slash was careful to limit himself to tight-lipped smiles and mumbled dialogue whenever his secret was at risk. Even in private he was self-conscious about it, and I considered myself lucky when he grinned openly in my presence.

“Hey, Slash?”

“…Hmm?” Languidly, he shifted until he was looking up at me. Midafternoon sun leaked through the blinds brightly enough for me to make out a hint of red in his eyes, the other (un)dead giveaway that was usually obscured by his sedately lidded gaze.

"You know how you said the other day that you have really strong senses? Well... I was wondering what other, uh, non-human traits you have. How true are the myths about vampires, really?”

“Well… Hm. My eyes are pretty sensitive to daylight. And technically I’m nocturnal. But I don’t have fangs, I don’t really look like a vampire and I don’t have superpowers.” I swear to god, he pouted a little. "All things considered I didn’t really get any of the cool stuff."

“No super-strength? Or mind reading? Can you shapeshift into a bat?”

“Don’t you think I’d tell you if I could turn into a bat? At least I don’t have any of those stupid weaknesses, I can be in the sun and eat garlic and whatever.” He paused ponderously. “…You know, I might be immortal, I was around a long time before Tony and Ola took me in. Guess I’ll find out in a few decades.”

“That would be pretty cool.”

“Yeah, maybe."

“So... do you enthrall your victims?” I prodded, in a spooky, menacing voice belied by my goofy grin.

Slash snorted a laugh and shook his head at my antics. “No, I can’t do that either. Well, I don’t know, do you feel enthralled?”

I laughed awkwardly and counted my blessings when Slash didn't notice that my unspoken answer was an empathetic Yes.

Slash chuckled with me, then sighed. “Fuck, I wish vampires like that were real, though…” he confessed softly.

“Like what?”

“You know, badass, seductive, awesome powers…” He waved a hand toward a pinup poster on the wall with a corset and fangs, then let his head fall back to my chest. He mumbled into my shirt, “Is it really so much to ask for a sexy vampire to come and sweep me off my feet?”

“Slash, I hate to tell you this, but…” I couldn’t make it through the sentence with a straight face.

He swatted my bicep – pretty hard too, was he sure he didn’t have super-strength? “Fuck you, Duff, you know what I mean."

And, yeah, dreaming of being wooed by a beautiful, badass, intelligent and darkly mysterious vampire? Who appeared in my life and changed it forever, who blew me away with his capability and his passion? Who could captivate me with just a look?

Yeah. Believe me, I could relate.

~~~~

Happy Halloween!

#don’t think too hard about the timeline in this au #my sincerest apologies to any of you who is sick to death of my vampire aus #hell I’M not even that into vampires #I’m just into slash being into vampires…#slash #saul hudson #duff mckagan #gnr #guns n roses #guns and roses #halloween #gnr fanfic #guns n roses fanfic #sodafics

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dayasbun · 5 years ago

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kinda soft but reader and zendaya just had a baby :)

THISISSOCUTESTOPMAKINGMECRY okay this starts w you and z waiting for the baby to be born so you two are in the waiting room of the hospital. {ya’ll are married!!} the birth mom {Sofia} is in labor and you and z are nervous as hell waiting for this lil one to come out healthy and strong. then after that will be just a few new parent experiences! this is so precious and by far one of the cutest and favorite soft requests for z i have ever gotten, so enjoy angel, and i genuinely thank you for this request, it brought me so much joy to write

The Waiting Room.

“What if she doesn’t live or- what if she’s born with challenges? Baby, I don’t know what I’ll do with myself if she- I didn’t even carry her, I know Sofia did but-”

“Love.” You said in a soft and reassuring tone. “Our baby will be just fine. I know it.” You rubbed your thumb against your wife’s hand softly, something that always reassured her and calmed her down a bit.

Zendaya let out a shaky sigh and nodded. “I’m probably freaking out over nothing…”

“Yeah, pretty much!” You chuckled. “Baby Sky will be just fine. I bet you in less than an hour we’ll be holding her, telling her how gorgeous she already is and how many things she’s going to accomplish. Telling her that she’s a lover, not a fighter, just like her Mommy Z.” You leaned your head on Daya’s shoulder, closing your eyes and smiling. “It’s crazy, I couldn’t wait for 9 months to be up, and now all I gotta do is be patient for an hour or two and I feel like I’m over here dying.”

“Me too-”

“Zendaya and Y/N, I have news!” the male gray-headed doctor announced as he walked towards you guys. He was the same one that had told you two to stay calm from the start, and was sure to send nurses out now and then to update you two.

You and Zendaya quickly jumped up out of your seats, your eyes wide. “Which is?” You questioned. All you could do was pray in your head that your baby would be born healthy, and all would be well.

“She’s here. And she’s absolutely gorgeous- healthy too.”

The Delivery Room.

You had seen a multitude of beautiful people in your life, your wife being one of them. Some days you just looked at her and thought, ‘Wow. Out of all of the people in the world, I got her.’ It was a common thought you had, but never about anyone but Z.

But as you held such a little bundle of joy- such an angel in your arms, and as you felt her tiny hand wrap around your finger, you knew.

You knew that this little girl was one of the most beautiful human beings you had ever laid eyes on. You felt so lucky to be blessed to know she would call you ‘Momma’ or ‘Mommy’. And it was in that moment you decided that you would do everything you could- ever- to protect her from all of the dangers of the world, to keep her safe, and always smiling.

Miss Skylar Rose Coleman was born on October 10th at 9:42 A.M. Daya wouldn’t stop calling her ‘Spooky Baby!’ because every time she said it she earned a little smile from her. Skylar Rose had the most beautiful curly brown hair you had ever seen, and quite a head of it considering she had just been born. She cried when she first came out, but after that, she stayed quite silent. The doctors were worried for a moment, thinking something was wrong (which almost send you into a full panic attack), but soon learned she was just fine as long as she had some lovin’.

As soon as the nurses dared to pull the little one away from you or Zendaya’s arms, screams could be heard throughout the whole hospital. And though you told her to “Shhhh,” You didn’t really want her to. That was her way of showing you that she already loved you, and that was something you would never forget.

1 month.

“Daya!” You screamed upstairs. The woman quickly ran down the spiral staircase wearing a tank and shorts, her bushy brown hair pulled up into the messiest bun you had ever seen.

“What?!” She asked worriedly, and you could tell you had scared her.

“Look, just look.” You picked up Skylar from the floor and held her close to you. “Who does Momma love? Does Momma love…Daya?”

A quick grunt was heard from Skylar and the most unpleasant facial expression show on her face. Zendaya raised a brow and chuckled as she watched, fully amused.

“Oh, that’s right!…Does Momma love Skylar?”

Instead of the past reaction, this time the little angel cooed with a smile, blinking a bit as her lips turned to a satisfied ‘O’.

“See! Baby knows who Momma really loves more.” You teased, placing Sky in between some pillows for some supervised tummy time.

“Hmmm, I don’t know. I still think Momma loves me more.” Z replied, wrapping her arms around you from the back, her face comfortably fitting into the crook of your neck. She peppered kisses against it, causing you to shiver a bit.

“Shhhh.” You said spinning around and facing her. “Don’t tell Sky this but…I still love her more!” You giggled pulling away.

Daya shook her head laughing, sitting on the floor next to Sky. “I love you.”

“I love you too-” you replied, but were quickly cut off by a jokingly snarky Zendaya.

“Oh, is that you Y/N?! I was talking to Sky!”

4 months.

“Come on angel girl, you can do it!” You and Z cheered as though you two were cheerleaders at a (very soft?) football game.

But no, you were simply sitting on the floor with a very determined baby girl that you were lucky enough to call your daughter in front of you. She was trying to roll over, and god she was close. The doctor told you two not to force it, which meant not helping her to do it, and to let her do it herself. So you two weren’t per se forcing her- a bit of cheerful encouragement couldn’t hurt.

Just moments after you two had begun cheering her on, she rolled over completely- and Z got it on tape. You two burst into excitement, attacking the small child with kissies and little huggies. She beamed with joy and absolutely loved all of the attention.

You and Z knew from a very very young age that Sky would be a little show stopper. You both knew she would be gorgeous- which was something else within itself, but the way that girl did stuff just to get one of her Mommies’ attention was unreal. Put her down for two seconds? Suddenly it’s time for a diaper change. Gotta use the bathroom for two minutes? You come back to her striking a pose in the crib. It was quite precious though, the way she loved you two endlessly. And all you and Zendaya did was love her back just as much.

The press tended to ask you a lot of the exact same question. Since you and Z had decided on not bringing Skylar up in the public eye quite yet, that’s all they seemed to have questions about. The most common one was always, “Is little Skylar Rose spoiled at all?” And every time, the same answer.

“Yes.”

8 months.

‘They grow up so fast!’

Something you had heard your whole life and was so tired of hearing.

Until you started saying it.

You never realized how truthful the statement was, you still couldn’t believe your baby- your Skylar Rose was almost one year. She was crawling, babbling, feeding herself and playing with toys. It seemed as though she was trying to say words, and the growth was incredible to watch.

You talked to her often, she loved your voice. Whenever she would cry, all you had to do was talk to her and away went the tears. And don’t even get me started with when Daya started singing.

Sky was getting even more clingy, and at a whopping 21 pounds, it was harder to carry her as much as you usually did. Of course, that didn’t stop you from acting like your baby was velcro to you. Though Zendaya started trying to convince you that you should let your baby be a bit more independent, crawl more places and get to the walking stage, you honestly didn’t listen.

It was a warm June day the first time Skylar said both of your names. After doing a bit of research you learned that it was quite rare for a baby to officially start babbling names on repeat out of nowhere, so you felt blessed. The three of you- excuse me, four, Noon was included as well- sat on a light blue picnic blanket in the backyard. Skylar ate her applesauce as you and Z talked whilst eating sandwiches. And in the midst of the conversation came:

“Momma! Zee-Zee!”

You practically choked on the sandwich, while Z actually did.

“DID SHE JUST-” she sputtered out through coughs.

“SHE DID-” you exclaimed in awe, partly patting her back but mostly focusing on Skylar.

“Toon!” Sky giggled pointed at Noon, who scooted closer to her and placed his head by her feet. He had already embraced the name, he knew Sky didn’t say it right, but hey- it was an attempt.

Quickly pulling out your phone you turned on the camera. “Say it again cutie patootie!”

“Momma, Zee-Zee!”

“SHE SAYS TOON TOO LISTEN-” You screamed excitedly.

Sure enough, after 30 seconds of dead anticipation filled silence, out squealed Sky. “Toon,” she said softly, placing her chubby hand onto his fur. You dropped the camera as you hugged Z, both of you welling up with emotion and a sense of pride. “She’s not even 10 months yet this usually happens at 10 months-”

You usually didn’t post videos of Sky on social media, now and then maybe a rare picture. But this video was going up immediately.

1 year.

“Happy Birthday to youuuuu!”

Skylar Rose Coleman was officially a year old.

You called your baby a genius- she may not have been, but you still couldn’t believe how early she started talking. The doctors said it was due to you and Z never shutting up around her- Sky wanted to join the conversation too!

Now she had longer nails, longer hair. She had the cutest little button nose that had barely changed in the year you had raised her, and the tiniest fingers and little toes. She had the cutest laugh and the most gorgeous smile- she was a little person now, not just a small being that lived off of milk and crawled around looking for toys. She had a personality, she understood what was going on around her. It was quite scary to think that she was growing so fast, already beginning to comprehend things.

You grinned as you watched Tom smash cake in his hands just like Skylar did. The first birthday party was quite the success, everyone that knew Skylar loved her just as much as you two did. This resulted in gifts from not only friends and family that were invited to the party, but from people all over the world. A total of 1,798 gifts had been given to publicists, managers, or to you and Z personally on outings to give to Sky on her 1st birthday.

‘He’s such a mature man.” You joked to Z pointing towards Tom. Now he was putting the cake on his face, getting quite the laugh out of both Jake Gyllenhaal and Skylar.

“Mhm, remember when you used to be so jealous of that mature man?”

“Oh shut up, I was never jealous!” You defended yourself, knowing you were lying. Watching Zendaya and Tom together used to completely boil your blood, especially considering the rumors you and everyone else heard about them.

“Why do you spend more time with Tom than me?! Am I not good enough?!” She mocked you.

“One time- and that was like 3 years ago, how do you even remember that?!”

“I remember because that was the exact moment I decided that I was going to ask you to marry me.”

You smiled a bit and shook your head. “I love you…We did this. Can you believe it?”

“Can I believe I kept a living thing alive that wasn’t a plant or a dog alive for a full year? No, I can’t.”

You laughed wrapping your arms around her neck. “There are so many more years to come, Baby.”

“And I can’t wait to spend every single one of those years with you…by the way, the way that dress is hugging your body…”

“Damnit Daya can’t we have one romantic moment?!” You joked. She knew you loved the attention, both her girls did, you and Sky.

“Oh, I can get romantic if you’d like me to…you know Sky has started sleeping pretty much through the whole night now.”

“Mhm.”

“And there’s a lot of things I would absolutely love to do that we haven’t properly done in the past year.”

“Oh really now?

“Lemme just say be glad you’re not a man.”

“And why should I be glad about that?

“Because well…we would probably be making another baby.”

Your lips parted as you looked up at her and shook your head. “What am I going to do with you?!”

“Right now I would like to think that you are going to go cut me a piece of cake!”

“The way your moods change- and yes, I will. But before I do, one other thing.”

“Yeah?”

“I love you Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman.”

“I love you Y/F/N Y/M/N Coleman.”

“Forever!” You called back to her as you walked away and over to Sky.

“Foreva!” Sky giggled, smearing a bit of cake on your face as you leaned down to give her a kiss.

Yep, definitely a genuis.

#zendaya #zendaya coleman #euphoria #zendaya x y/n #zendaya blurb #zendaya x reader #zendaya fluff #zendaya fic #zendaya fanfic #zendaya imagine

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monstersdownthepath · 5 years ago

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Spiritual Spotlight: Yhidothrus, the Ravager Worm

Chaotic Evil Hybrid Fiend* of Age, Time, and Worms

Domains: Chaos, Death, Evil, Repose Subdomains: Ancestors, Demon, Entropy, Murder

The Complete Book of the Damned, pg. 104~105

Obedience: Meditate in a closed coffin partially filled with leech-infested mud or worm-infested soil. During the obedience, you must swallow or inhale at least a dozen living leeches or worms. Benefit: Gain a +4 profane bonus on saving throws against effects that cause magical aging, slowness, or anything that damages, drains, or penalizes ability scores.

Oh man that’s a painful Obedience. Not only have you got to lug around a coffin big enough to fully enclose you, but you have to lug around a coffin packed with a dozen pounds of soil that’s filled with squirming things. I won’t even get into how to hide this ritual from prying eyes or explain yourself if you get caught because it’s basically impossible to do if you’re in a Good-aligned party. If you’re among Evil, you can at least have your allies stand guard while you go eat your breakfast in the seclusion of your coffin so that no innocent civilians see you. Also, hefting that thing around basically necessitates some sort of extradimensional space, or a luggage-strewn cart and a very good cover story if gate guards check the contents out and spot it.

Yeesh, the logistics of this are giving me a headache. A normal funeral-grade coffin is usually as weighty as the corpse it’s meant to contain, but you can likely get by with a shoddy and lightweight one you’ve made yourself. In fact, the Worm may find that charming! Especially when you fill it with dirt and start eating worms in its name. Keeping the coffin filled with life is likely going to be a hell of a project in and of itself, basically necessitating turning the thing into a terrarium; make sure to weatherproof your coffin or it’s going to rot from the inside-out before you even make it a few months into your new faith! The Worm may offer a more generous interpretation of ‘closed’ if your coffin has worm-eaten holes in it, but the more they chew through it, the more likely it is the thing will break open like cheap plywood the next time you lay down.

All that trouble however is worth it, even before getting into the Boons. The benefit from the ritual is huge, basically giving you a +4 on saves versus just about every status ailment in the game, because it says “ANYTHING” that damages, drains, or even penalizes ability scores. Not only are poisons, diseases, and most curses affected, but frightened, blinded, exhausted/fatigued, negative levels, grappled, and many more conditions inflicted as secondary effects from enemy attacks can be more easily resisted thanks to the protection the Worm offers, and this is ON TOP OF the extra resistance versus Slow effects and magical aging. So, yes, this is an A+ benefit!

So lets see what kind of Boons the great devourer of time has to offer...

Boons are acquired slowly: the first once you reach 12 hit dice, the second at 16, and the third at 20. However, the Evangelist, Exalted, and Sentinel Prestige Classes can be entered as early as level 7; doing so grants you the Boons at levels 10, 13, and 16 instead. Servants of demons may also take the Demoniac Prestige Class; you don’t get the Boons any faster than E/E/S, but you may select which Boon set you get, and you get cool demon-related powers!

*Yhidothrus is technically both a Demon Lord and a Qlippoth Lord. This has no effect on whether or not you can enter the Demoniac Prestige Class, but it’s worth noting that its true loyalties will likely lay with the True Rulers of the Abyss. I’m mentioning this because it’s another cute little detail a DM can play with and a character can consider.

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EVANGELIST

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Boon 1: Consumption of the Worm. Gain Corrosive Touch 3/day, Acid Arrow 2/day, or Vampiric Touch 1/day.

Nice! Except for Corrosive Touch, I mean. It’s a melee touch spell that deals only 5d4 damage and, while that may be helpful when you need to break an object, but unless you’re an Evangelist-Fighter/Barbarian, there’s probably someone in your party better at breaking things. Both Acid Arrow and Vampiric Touch are better, with VT granting you some much-needed vitality when trapped in an enemy’s melee radius, and Acid Arrow’s low damage somewhat mitigated by the fact that it’s ongoing and stacks with itself.

Three damage spells with very obvious uses. Makes them easy to cover and move on, at least! I’d personally stick with Acid Arrow unless you Evangelized yourself from a more melee-oriented class.

Boon 2: Nightmare Below. You gain a burrow speed of 30ft that can be used to tunnel through sand, mud, soil, or other soft substances. You have +10 to Stealth checks while burrowing. Once per hour as a standard action, you can burst from the ground with a terrifying roar; all creatures within 30ft of your emergence that were unaware of your presence must make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 your HD + your Cha mod) or be stunned for 1 round and shaken for 2d4 rounds after. The burrow speed is an Extraordinary, but the emergence ability is a Supernatural mind-affecting fear effect.

I appreciate that there’s no indication as to how your character burrows, so I assume you move just like a worm does, slinking through the ground like an accordion. However, note that the burrowing IS an Extraordinary ability, not a Supernatural one, so there’s some sort of physical action going on that you presumably need at least one limb for. Perhaps you’re just eating the dirt?

Anyway, a semi-permanent burrow speed--and a decently speedy 30ft one, at that--rates pretty high on ‘things that are spooky for players to have’ because of the nonsense players can think up. Grappling someone and dragging them underground and leaving them there is just one of the many shenanigans you can pull. Being more than 5ft underground makes you immune to a great many attacks and spells, making it a solid defensive option too! However, as strong as this ability could be, it’s held back by something that’s extremely important:

You can’t see anything while underground.

Creatures that can burrow normally navigate by Tremorsense or the power to see through earth, but unless you’re a really weird race or have specific and rare magic items/effects on you, you’re as blind to your enemies as they are to you. That puts a huge damper on an otherwise incredibly powerful ability, because it forces you to rely on an above-ground ‘spotter’ to help you find your way around... Unless, of course, you pop your head out like a meerkat every so often to check on your surroundings, but that also runs the risk of ruining your terrifying arrival.

The terrifying arrival is a pretty good initiator, if we’re being honest. Sneaking around and seeing where your foes are clustered before burrowing over to that spot is a decent way to have a bunch of them trip over their own feet trying to get away from you... Or, rather, not getting away at all due to the supernatural stun. Stunning even one or two enemies out of a group of 6~10 during the surprise round means two less enemies get to roll initiative before being cut down. You have to give up your standard action to do it, but it’s a decent Save-or-Suck if your allies are waiting in the wings, ready to pounce when you explode from the ground like the world’s filthiest jack-in-the-box.

Boon 3: The Very Worm That Gnaws. When you perform your Obedience upon attaining this Boon, you are devoured utterly by the worms, your consciousness transferring into the swarm. You gain the Worm That Walks Template. Creatures that become shaken by your Nightmare Below emergence are also sickened for 1 minute.

Alright, alright alright alright ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT

This represents one of the very, very few ways for a player character to obtain a Template this powerful without jumping through some pretty hefty hoops. I mean, yes, you have to serve the Ravager Worm for years and years without being put down permanently, and you also have to meditate in a wormy coffin for more or less the entire time... But by god does it ever pay off.

Worm That Walks is one of the stronger Templates one could ever hope to obtain. Not quite on the level of the Vampire or the Lich, but certainly in the upper tiers, and with fewer obnoxious weaknesses! You become immune to physical single-target spells and effects, as well as spells/effects which target a specific number of creatures, such as Disintegrate and Magic Missile due to your wormy constitution, though you remain vulnerable to mind-affecting effects or effects which attack your senses. However, a great number of powerful effects such as Slow, Finger of Death, Harm, and most forms of Smite simply do not work against your innumerable tiny bodies, which can die off in droves without harming your overall consciousness. In fact, the worms comprising your form breed with such alarming swiftness that you gain Fast Healing equal to your CR (which is typically roughly equal to your level, but you gain an automatic +2 from the Template) and they reflexively dodge out of the way of incoming attacks so fluidly that they grant you DR 15/--.

Yes, you read that right. Fast Healing 18 (at least) and an insurmountable DR 15. If you were the party caster before becoming an Evangelist, you are no longer squishy in the gamer sense of the word. And if you were the party tank? You’re basically indestructible now, aside from your unfortunate weakness to area-of-effect attacks (from which you take half-again as much damage). The DM should be wary of people wanting to worship the Ravager Worm, if only because of how hair-pullingly resilient a WTW can be if played right. You even overcome the WTW’s biggest weakness, in that once they drop below 0 HP they become permanently staggered and lose access to all of their defensive abilities (including Fast Healing and DR), because Nightmare Below allows you to dig down to safety until you can recover.

I really don’t want to stretch this little article any more than I should, despite the fact that a character becoming a Worm That Walks is a huge can of worms that deserves a lot of explanation, but here: Take a look at the Template’s page again for yourself. Just take a look at all the stuff you get! I will close with a note for DMs though: if you find yourself needing to keep an unruly PC in check, note that their life becomes inextricably linked to the Ravager Worm’s will now. As written, you do not lose the template if you fail your Obedience (which, by the by, is much easier to perform now that you are the worms)... But failing too often for too long could cause Yhidothrus to simply cease providing you with divine energy, unbinding your mind from the worms and killing you instantly before pulling you into its Abyssal palace.

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EXALTED

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Boon 1: Blessing of the Worm. Gain Ray of Enfeeblement 3/day, Gentle Repose 2/day, or Slow 1/day.

In case you forgot that Yhidothrus was related to time, here’s a good reminder! Gentle Repose is a bit of an odd duck since the Worm holds dominion over the negative aspects of time’s passage, such as the wearing down of one’s body and mind as the ages move on. Stopping time from devouring the dead, then, is strange for the Worm to grant.

And I wouldn’t take Gentle Repose or Ray of Enfeeblement, either, since Slow is available and can completely turn an encounter on its head with a single casting. That’s all you get, but that’s all you really need. This one was easy to do, too, letting us move on to the meatier Boons here...

Boon 2: Curse of Brittle Bones. 1/day, you can cast Heightened Bestow Curse at 7th level as a spell-like ability. This curse is unique, advancing the victim to venerable age and imposing a -6 penalty to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution without granting them bonuses to their mental ability scores. These penalties do not stack with age-related penalties already present.

The save DC against this ability is 17+Cha mod, a high enough save that whoever you swat with it will likely struggle to surmount it. However, this is a touch attack negated by a successful save with an effect that does not instantly end combat on its own, which you all know by now is something I do not like seeing. Age penalties can’t reduce a victim’s stats below 1, and while this is a curse effect and not listed as an aging effect, it’s commonly accepted that Constructs, Undead, Outsiders, and Dragons simply do not age as mortals might and thus this curse would have no effect on them.

However, NONE of those creature types are inherently immune to aging effects unless it is specifically mentioned in their individual sheets. They can still experience the ravages of time, they just have to be magically forced to do so. especially in the case of Dragons (which normally get more powerful as they age) and Outsiders (which remain in physical stasis until something forces them out).

In case that’s not a convincing enough argument, the language of the ability is also important; the curse advances the target to venerable age, but it’s a separate sentence entirely that says “this curse imposes a–6 penalty to the target’s Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores,” which requires emphasis as it clarifies that it is the curse itself which brittles the victim’s bones, rather than their new head of gray hairs.

... anyway, all that being said, I still don’t really like it. Probably the most important part is the fact that -6 Dex means -3 AC and -3 to Reflex saves, while the penalty to Con means the victim loses 3 HP per HD they have. It combos well with stat-damaging poisons or spells, but on its own it’s pretty underwhelming.

Boon 3: Call of the Worm. 1/day, you may place your hand to the ground and whisper a prayer to the Ravager Worm. This acts as Summon Monster IX as a spell-like ability, except it always calls an avatar of Yhidothrus (an Advanced Fiendish Purple Worm) to your aid.

THIS, however, is anything but underwhelming. Aside from SM9s painful casting time of one full round (which can be mitigated by using it just before combat, or to initiate), being able to call a CR 14 encounter to your side even once a day is pretty big for a Boon. Sadly not as meaty as some final summons, as a Purple Worm is little more than an enormous tube into which enemies are shoveled (as you can read here), but the Advanced and Fiendish Templates at least give it a few new toys to play with in the form of a +2 to all the numbers it hits enemies with and a +2 to its AC. Fiendish also grants it 10 Resistance to both Cold and Fire, DR 10/Good, Spell Resistance 16, and a further +1 to attack and damage rolls versus Good targets.

If you need enemy mooks to back off, an enormous Purple Worm will either send them scattering or swallow them all down one by one. There’s also the potential to use it as an enormous battering ram, slamming its cow-sized head through walls and doorways because, lets be honest, a 35 in Strength means that only mithral and adamantine really stand a chance of keeping a Purple Worm out of whatever location you’ve decided it very much deserves to be in.

Given the casting range of SM9, ‘location’ can also mean ‘directly next to the enemy’s backline.’ Just note a few important things: While this is a spell-like, it has built-in somatic and verbal components in that you must put one hand on the ground and you must be able to speak a prayer to Yhidothrus. No having the monstrous aspect of your lord come to your rescue while you’re bound and gagged! Secondly, since it’s specifically a summoning, it can be dispelled or banished with relative ease. It also only lingers for 1 round/level, unlike a Called creature would, so you likely only get to summon the beast for one big battle.

Still, though, how many priests can summon a reasonably powerful facsimile of their own god to their aid? I think the fact it looks like Yhidothrus is a nice touch, though it’s a bit of a flavor snarl since no one has ever seen the back end of the Ravager Worm, while a Purple Worm very obviously has a backside (that’s where the stinger is).

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SENTINEL

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Boon 1: Hasten the End. Gain Expeditious Retreat 3/day, Silence 2/day, or Sands of Time 1/day.

I’ve spoken of Sands of Time before, so I won’t reiterate much here other than I wouldn’t take it when Silence is an option. Expeditious Retreat also pales in comparison to the tactical applications of Silence, since you can slap the dampening field on yourself or an ally to assist with sneaky sneak missions... Or, you know, slapping it on your hulking martial self and then charging at the enemy caster to tie them up for the rest of combat. The number of spells that can solve that situation which can also be used in Silence can be counted on one hand with fingers left over, and it quickly spells death for the poor fool you slither towards.

Silence ends encounters, is what I’m saying, and can sometimes do so without even offering a saving throw. Faced with that kind of utility, why take something as paltry as +30 to your walking speed, or waste your valuable action making a touch attack that may end up doing nothing?

Boon 2: Specter of Time. As a swift action after confirming a critical hit with a weapon against a living foe, you may instead deal normal damage and force the target to make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 your HD + Cha mod). Failing the save causes the victim to painfully advance into the next age category, taking all the penalties to their physical ability scores but gaining no benefits from their advancing age. This is a curse effect which lasts for 24 hours, and the creature returns to their normal age if they die. A venerable creature (this does not include creatures who have become venerable through a means beyond natural age, or this ability, such as through Sands of Time) that fails a saving throw against this ability is immediately slain and can only be raised with Reincarnate, Wish, Miracle, or True Resurrection.

And here’s even more reason to not take Sands of Time, it doesn’t even work with this ability!

Not to say that this ability is particularly good, mind. You need to confirm two or even three critical hits to kill most creatures, and confirming two or three critical hits will typically kill the creature through damage anyway. I do appreciate that there’s no per-day limit on this ability, letting you just use it whenever you have the swift action to do so and potentially swatting some stats off an enemy at the cost of damage... provided you can make it past their Fortitude. Yeah, complete negation by a save really makes Big Damage more attractive in most cases, except for the times when you can’t kill a creature through damage alone (such as if you have nothing to overcome a creatures Regeneration). This ability does get better if you have a crit build, obviously, but again--once you have a crit build in place, why would you want to do less damage?

That being said, critting an enemy that’s already venerable and forcing them to save or die is satisfying. The ancient warlord facing you in single combat, the elderly wizard who stepped a little too far forward, the old Rogue ready to teach you a new trick (play dead)... Just swatting the life out of them with a confirmed crit is tasty, especially since them being venerable means a -6 to Constitution, and thus a -3 to Fortitude saves in the first place.

Boon 3: End Time. "You can call upon the Ravager Worm to temporarily consume time itself in an area surrounding you. You can cast Time Stop once per day as a spell-like ability. When you use this ability, those in the area of effect are subjected to a powerful vision—that the world they are in becomes wrapped in the endless coils of the Ravager Worm. The affected creatures never glimpse Yhidothrus’s head, and know only for the brief instant of eternity they spend in your Time Stop area that the world around them is fully wrapped in the coils of something more foul than they even imagined.“

I quoted this directly from the book/website rather than simplifying it for a few reasons, mainly because it’s difficult to simplify this down. Why? Because Time Stop is not an area of effect spell. It affects you and ONLY you, speeding you up to the point that everything else appears to have stopped moving. Other creatures are not affected and do not even realize what you’ve done because, for them, basically no time passed at all.

This ability is worded as though it reverses how Time Stop works, instead trapping everyone around you in stopped time for a subjective few seconds while you slither off to do your evil deeds, subjecting them to the knowledge that the Ravager Worm exists and has circled the whole of Golarion a thousand times over. In fact, looking into it, NO version of Time Stop works like this ability’s wording suggests it does; D&D 3.5 and 5th Edition and Pathfinder 1st Edition all note that Time Stop affects only you.

The ability says “consume time itself in the area surrounding you,” which would seem to indicate that time only stops for a small section of the land containing you, but gives absolutely no details about how big this area is. For the sake of saving myself further headaches and further article space uselessly hammering against this concept, we’ll say that time only stops for an area that is 300ft around you. That way, everyone in that area (including your allies!) knows something is truly, deeply, and terrifyingly wrong. If people in the area weren’t alerted to your presence before, they will be now, provided they don’t immediately flee because--honestly--suddenly having your field of vision dominated by endless greasy coils of a pitch black worm and being forced to Know that their world is caged by this horror? Terrifying enough to make the weaker-willed quit on the spot. There’s no mechanics attached to this vision, but I like to think of it as the mother of all intimidation tactics.

Let me put it this way:

You can force your enemies to come to terms with the fact that Pathfinder is a cosmic horror story.

And that’s beautiful! Did you think your petty squabbles actually mattered in the face of the machinations at play beyond this pathetic world? No. And I’m here to tell you that, personally. I’ve appeared in your throne room to do so!

And that’s all you, the martial Sentinel, can really do with Time Stop, because without any easily-deployed traps, scrolls, or magic items or whatnot, you can’t actually make use of the rounds of freedom like a caster could. If you were a martial caster before entering Sentinel, good on you! You’ve got some extra rounds to get your buffs going! But for Barbarians, Fighters, and other Hit Things Hard classes, you don’t really get as much out of this as you may believe. Except, again, scaring the absolute everything out of everyone in the area not expecting their vision to suddenly be overwhelmed by nightmares.

Just... warn your allies ahead of time. Or don’t! It’s funnier that way!

You can read more about it here.

#Spiritual Spotlight #Sinister Spotlight #worms #maggots #ask to tag #Pathfinder #Dungeons and Dragons

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Best Horror Movies on Netflix: Scariest Films to Stream

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Editor’s Note: This post is updated monthly. Bookmark this page to see what the best horror movies on Netflix are at your convenience.

Is it Halloween when you’re reading this? If not we’re still close enough with fall here and the month of October almost upon us! It’s the time of year where we like our drinks spiced with pumpkin or apple, our flannel light, and the movies we consume scary. And lucky for you there are more than a handful of worthwhile scary movies on Netflix.

There is nothing quite as fun as embracing the spooky, the creepy, the scary, and things that go bump in the night. Thankfully we have horror movies to help us down these paths. If you ever find yourself in need of a thrill or a chill, check out some of the best horror movies on Netflix, we’ve gathered here.

Enjoy your tricks and treats.

Looking for the best horror movies on Netflix UK? Click here!

As Above, So Below

We know what you might be thinking: a found footage horror movie? Yes, this was one of the later adherents to a genre craze that got run into the ground during the 2000s and early 2010s. However, As Above, So Below is the rare thing: effectively creepy. With a crackerjack premise about the real Catacombs of Paris being a secret gateway to Hell, the film casts an energetic Perdita Weeks as a modern day Indiana Jones in a Go-Pro helmet. She and her colleagues make the unwise choice to go off the tourist-guided path in the catacombs, which is home to the remains of more than 6 million people who died between the early middle ages and 18th century.

But once deep below the City of Lights, the film’s dwindling protagonists find themselves crawling beneath a wall with the words “Abandon all Hope Ye Who Enter.” And things just get bleak from there. This is a ghoulish good-time for those who are willing to indulge in the gimmick storytelling.

Apostle

Apostle comes from acclaimed The Raid director Gareth Evans and is his take on the horror genre. Spoiler alert: it’s a good one.

Dan Stevens stars as Thomas Richardson, a British man in the early 1900s who must rescue his sister, Jennifer, from the clutches of a murderous cult. Thomas successfully infiltrates the cult led by the charismatic Malcom Howe (Michael Sheen) and begins to ingratiate himself with the strange folks obsessed with bloodletting. Thomas soon comes to find that the object of the cult’s religious fervor may be more real than he’d prefer.

The Blackcoat’s Daughter

Some kids dream about being left overnight or even a week at certain locations to play, like say a mall or a Chuck E. Cheese. One place that no one wants to be left alone in, however, is a Catholic boarding school.

That’s the situation that Rose (Lucy Boynton) and Kat (Kiernan Shipka) find themselves in in the atmospheric and creepy The Blackcoat’s Daughter. When Rose and Kat’s parents are unable to pick them up for winter break, the two are forced to spend the week at their dingy Catholic boarding school. If that weren’t bad enough, Rose fears that she may be pregnant…oh, and the nuns might all be Satanists.

The Blackcoat’s Daughter is an excellent debut directorial outing from Oz Perkins and another step on the right horror path for scream queens Shipka and Emma Roberts.

The Evil Dead

1981’s The Evil Dead is nothing less than one of the biggest success stories in horror movie history.

Written and directed on a shoestring budget by Sam Raimi, The Evil Dead uses traditional horror tropes to its great advantage, creating a scary, funny, and almost inconceivably bloody story about five college students who encounter some trouble in a cabin in the middle of the woods. That trouble includes the unwitting release of a legion of demons upon the world.

The Evil Dead rightfully made stars of its creator and lead Bruce Campbell. It was also the jumping off point for a successful franchise that includes two sequels, a remake, a TV show, and more.

Gerald’s Game

We are living in a renaissance for Stephen King adaptations. But while there have been many killer clowns and hat-wearing fiends getting major attention at the multiplexes, the best King movie in perhaps decades is Mike Flanagan’s underrated Gerald’s Game. Cleverly adapted from what has been described as one of King’s worst stories, Gerald’s Game improves on its source material when it imagines a middle-aged woman (Carla Gugino) placed in a terrifying survival situation after her husband (Bruce Greenwood) dies of a heart attack during a sex game.

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Handcuffed to a bed in their remote cabin in the woods, Gugino’s Jessie must face the fact no one is coming to save her in the next week… more than enough time to die of dehydration or the wolf prowling about. Thus the specter of death hovers over the whole movie, seemingly literally with a monstrous shade emerging from the shadows to bedevil Jessie each night. A trenchant character study that frees Gugino to show a wide range of terror, determination, and finally horrifying desperation, the movie delves into the shadows of a woman haunted by trauma and demons almost as scary as her current situation. Almost.

The Gift

Who knew Joel Edgerton had it in him?

The Gift is the Australian actor’s writing and directing debut and it doesn’t disappoint. Edgerton stars as Gordon “Gordo” Mosely. He’s a nice enough middle-aged man if a little “off.” One day while shopping he runs into an old high school classmate Simon (Jason Bateman) and his wife Robyn (Rebecca Hall). After their brief encounter, Gordo takes it upon himself to start dropping off little gifts to Simon and Robyn’s home. Robyn sees no problem with it at first. But Simon becomes disturbed, perhaps because of the unique past Simon and Gordo share.

Many horror movies understand there must be a twist of some sort or at the very least an unexpected third act. Even still The Gift‘s third act switch up is particularly devastating because it’s so mundane and logical. The Gift ends up being an emotional drama disguised as horror.

The Girl with All the Gifts

Just when you thought there was nothing left to be done with the zombie genre, in comes a shocking and original idea… one that has sadly grown only more scary in 2020 with regards to The Girl with All the Gifts. A brilliant little indie from Colm McCarthy, this underrated gem imagines a zombie apocalypse as something closer to a viral pandemic that lasts for generations…. and one where a vaccine is always just out of reach.

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Thus enters the class of Helen Justineau (Gemma Arterton). Years after a fungal infection ravaged the planet, turning the infected into “hungries” (breathing zombies), their offspring have shown a creepy ability to retain the ability to think, learn, and love… even as they crave living flesh.

Hence the students in Helen’s class, including her favorite Melanie (Sennia Nanua). The child is special… too much so when it’s believed her biology could create a vaccine that would spare anymore humans turning “hungry.” But to harvest her body, the military will drag Helen and Melanie through an urban hellscape which has reduced London to an abandoned refuge for Hungries and feral children who likewise hunt uninfected humans for food.

The Golem

The Golem is such an awesome monster from Jewish mythology that it’s hard to believe they don’t make more movies about him. Well now they have. The Golem isn’t a straight-up remake of the 1915 movie of the same name so much as it is the next step in the evolution of this grim mythological beast.

During the outbreak of a plague, Hanna (Hani Furstenberg) will do whatever it takes to defend her community from outside invaders. Unfortunately, and in true fairy tale fashion, the creature she conjures up to defend her community quickly develops a murderous mind of its own.

Green Room

Green Room is a shockingly conventional horror movie despite not having all of the elements we traditionally associate with them. You won’t find any monsters or the presence of the supernatural in Green Room.

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Instead all monsters are replaced by vengeful neo-Nazis and the haunted house is replaced by a skinhead punk music club in the middle of nowhere in the Oregon woods. The band, The Aint Rights, led by bassist Pat (Anton Yelchin) are locked in the green room of a club after witnessing a murder and must fight their way out.

Horns

A horror vintage for a distinctly acquired taste, Alexandre Aja’s Horns is a bizarre fairy tale for adults. As much a revenge fable as a typical chiller, this movie which put “Harry Potter in Devil Horns” is actually something of a grim love story based on a novel by Joe Hill.

Daniel Radcliffe plays Ig Perrish, an outcast in his local community who wants nothing more than to forever be by the side of his lifelong love Merrin (Juno Temple). After her brutal unsolved murder prevents that, Ig swears he’d sell his soul to get revenge.

Funny thing is the day after he makes such a proclamation, horns begin growing from his forehead. The greater they grow, the easier it is to get sinners around him to confess their most hidden shames, and indulge in others. But with the clock ticking before he becomes a full-fledged demon, and his soul is presumably claimed by Beelzebub, there is only a narrow window before he can get revenge while raising a little hell.

Hush

In his follow-up to the cult classic Oculus, Mike Flanagan makes one of the more clever horror movies on this list. Hush is a thrilling game of cat-and-mouse within the typical nightmare of a home invasion, yet it also turns conventions of that familiar terror on its head.

For instance, the savvy angle about this movie is Kate Siegel (who co-wrote the movie with Flanagan) plays Maddie, a deaf and mute woman living in the woods alone. Like Audrey Hepburn’s blind woman from the progenitor of home invasion stories, Wait Until Dark (1967), Maddie is completely isolated when she is marked for death by a menacing monster in human flesh.

Like the masked villains of so many more generic home invasion movies (I’m looking square at you, Strangers), John Gallagher Jr.’s “Man” wears a mask as he sneaks into her house. However, the functions of this story are laid bare since we actually keep an eye on what the “Man” is doing at all times, and how he is getting or not getting into the house in any given scene. He isn’t aided by filmmakers who’ve given him faux-supernatural and omnipotent abilities like other versions of these stories, and he’s not an “Other;” he’s a man who does take his mask off, and his lust for murder is not so much fetishized as shown for the repulsive behavior that it is. And still, Maddie proves to be both resourceful and painfully ill-equipped to take him on in this tense battle of wills.

Insidious

Insidious is the start of a multi-film horror franchise and a pretty good one at that. Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne star as a married couple who move into a new home with their three kids. Shortly after they move in, their son Dalton is drawn to a shadow in the attic and then falls into a mysterious coma from which they can’t wake him.

It’s at this point that the Lamberts do what horror fans always yell at characters to do: they move out of the damn house! Little do they know, however, that some hauntings go beyond mere domiciles.

The Invitation

Seeing your ex is always uncomfortable, but imagine if your ex-wife invited you to a dinner party with her new husband? That is just about the least creepy thing in this taut thriller nestled in the Hollywood Hills.

Indeed, in The Invitation Logan Marshall-Green’s Will is invited by his estranged wife (Tammy Blanchard) for dinner with her new hubby David (Michael Huisman of Game of Thrones). David apparently wanted to extend the bread-breaking offer personally since he has something he wants to invite both Will and all his other guests into joining. And it isn’t a game of Scrabble…

It Comes at Night

Surviving the apocalypse comes with a certain amount of questions. For starters, what do you do after you survive a global pandemic thanks to your secluded cabin in the woods…and then someone comes knocking? That’s the situation that the family consisting of Paul (Joel Edgerton), Sarah (Carmen Ejogo), and Travis (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) find themselves in in It Comes at Night.

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When Paul and his family come across another family in the woods seeking shelter and water, they hesitantly welcome them in. But this soon proves to be a dangerous decision. Having guests in the real world is annoying enough to deal with and it only becomes harder when you suspect that any one of them could be sick with a highly-contagious, utterly fatal illness.

Paranormal Activity

Ignore the sequels. Yes, you know they’re bad and we know they’re bad. But long before “the Ghost Dimension” (whatever the hell that means), there was this eerie surprise hit that started it all. A movie which was estimated to be the most profitable movie of all time in its day–earning $193.4 million worldwide on a budget of $15,000–Paranormal Activity put Blumhouse Productions on the map and is still a supremely affecting piece of atmosphere.

Presented as the true story of a young, and not wholly likable, couple (Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat), the film follows the pair as they attempt to document the bumps they’re hearing in the house at night–only to discover a demonic presence and some repressed memories for one party. A still brilliant exercise in sound design, tension, and the uncanny ability to trick audiences into believing what they’re seeing is actually happening, this remains the best found footage horror movie ever made.

Poltergeist

Before there was Insidious, The Conjuring, or a myriad of other “suburban family vs. haunted house” movies, there was Poltergeist. Taking ghost stories out of the Gothic setting of ancient castles or decrepit mansions and hotels, Poltergeist moved the spirits into the middle class American heartland of the 1980s. With a smart screenplay by no less than Steven Spielberg (and, according to some, his ghost direction), Poltergeist finds the Freeling family privy to a disquieting fact about their new home: It’s built on top of a cemetery!

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You probably know the story, and if you don’t you can guess it after decades of copycats that followed, but this special effects-laden spectacle still holds up, especially as a thriller that can be enjoyed by the whole family. Fair warning though, if your kids have a tree outside their window or a clown doll under their bed, we don’t take responsibility for the years of therapy bills this may inflict!

Red Dragon

The often overlooked other child of the Hannibal Lecter movie family, Red Dragon is no The Silence of the Lambs, no matter how much it wishes it was. Nor is it as visually evocative or luscious as Ridley Scott’s decadent Hannibal. Nevertheless, we find this prequel to both films to be at least worthy of association with the former, and ultimately more satisfying than the latter. A definite attempt to reshape Thomas Harris’ first novel to feature the Lecter character into a Silence of the Lambs clone, Red Dragon still has quite a bit to enjoy.

At the top of the list is of course Sir Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal for the third and final time. Definitely his hammiest iteration of the character, even a campy Hopkins is impossible to resist given the not-so-good doctor’s droll wit or distinct taste palate. Director Brett Ratner’s framing around Lecter is competent enough, and he wisely gets a superb supporting cast who can overwhelm any shortcomings.

Edward Norton is a compelling lead FBI detective; Philip Seymour Hoffman is delightfully repellent as a tabloid journalist who suffers a terrifying fate; and Ralph Fiennes roars as the serial killer who inflicts that fate on Hoffman. It may be no Manhunter–Michael Mann’s first adaptation of the source novel–but Red Dragon‘s the one on Netflix. So love the one you’re with!

The Silence of the Lambs

If you are only going to watch one Hannibal Lecter movie, this is the all-time masterpiece which remains the sole horror movie to win an Oscar for Best Picture. An absolutely gripping thriller even 30 years later, Jonathan Demme’s movie is an all-time great because of stellar performances and a sharp screenplay told by an even sharper eye.

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Here is the movie that kicked off the serial killer craze in Hollywood during the ’90s. Yet more than the gory details, what lingers in the mind are little things like an opening sequence that introduces Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) as the lone woman on an elevator full of FBI ubermensches, or the way Anthony Hopkins breaks his unrelenting stare to mispronounce “Chianti” with dripping disdain for the Yokel sent to interview him. Every facet of this movie works, and thus it hasn’t aged a day. We do recommend watching it with a side of fava beans, though.

Sinister

One of the better Blumhouse chillers to come out of the 2010s, Sinister is the case of a brilliant elevator pitch meeting a superior pair of talents in director Scott Derrickson and star Ethan Hawke to bring it to life.

The setup of the movie is simple: There is a pagan demon god who will consume the soul of any nearby children whenever someone sees him. And not just him, but recreations of his image on walls. And wouldn’t you know it, true crime journalist Ellison (Hawke) just moved into a house with an attic full of home movies stuffed to the gills with Bughuul. And Ellison’s daughter is right downstairs. Uh oh.

Sleepy Hollow

As much a comedy as a horror film, Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow should always be on the table when discussing October viewing options. After all, this demented reimagining of Washington Irving’s classic short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” never forgets the selling point is to have them rolling in the aisles. And more than a few heads do just that.

As a film with the most varied and imaginative uses of decapitation, Sleepy Hollow cuts a bloody path across Upstate New York. In fact, despite its American setting, we might as well confess what Sleepy Hollow really is: a modern version of a Hammer horror movie.

Burton incorporates all of his favorite tropes here: The intentionally stuffy faux-British acting (even though all the characters are of Dutch descent); the exaggerated and formal clothing; more than a few heaving bosoms; and lots and lots of gore. This film is so perfectly macabre and gleefully grotesque that you might even be forgiven for not noticing at first glance how dryly funny and deadpan a place this Sleepy Hollow tends to be.

Splice

What if Dr. Frankenstein banged his monster? That is just one of several creepy elements to Splice, a weird psychosexual sci-fi/horror hybrid. Directed by Vincenzo Natali and starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley as the world’s worst scientists, Splice follows two not-so-smart doctors who attempt to play God by creating an entire new species of creature they name Dren (Delphine Chanéac).

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At first a computer-generated child with alien eyes and a roping tail, Dren soon grows from girl to young woman, seducer to… well, something even more unexpected. Weird, unpleasant, and ultimately unshakable like that one bad dream, Splice plays with ideas of identity, gender, and parenthood.

Sweetheart

Don’t let the name fool you, Sweetheart is very much a horror movie. What kind of horror movie, you ask? Well, after a boat sinks during a storm, young Jennifer Remming (Kiersey Clemons) is the only survivor. She washes ashore a small island and gets to work burying her friends, creating shelter, and foraging for food. You know: deserted island stuff.

Soon, however, Jenn will come to find that the island is not as deserted as she previously thought. There’s something out there – something big, dangerous, and hungry. Sweetheart is like Castaway meets Predator and it’s another indie horror hit for Blumhouse.

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil is a fantastic little satire on the horror genre that, in a similar fashion to Scream, is packed with laughs, gore, and a bit of a message. When a group of preppy college students head out to the backwoods for a camping trip, they stumble upon two good-natured good ol’ boys that they mistake for homicidal hillbillies.

Their quick, off-the-mark judgment of Tucker and Dale lead to these snobs getting themselves into sticky, often bloody, and hilariously over-the-top situations. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil rides a one-joke premise to successful heights and teaches audiences to not judge a book by its cover.

Under the Shadow

This 2016 effort could not possibly be more timely as it sympathizes, and terrorizes, an Iranian single mother and child in 1980s Tehran. Like a draconian travel ban, Shideh (Narges Rashidi) and her son Dorsa (Avin Manshadi) are malevolently targeted by a force of supreme evil.

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This occurs after Dorsa’s father, a doctor, is called away to serve the Iranian army in post-revolution and war-torn Iran. In his absence evil seeps in… as does a quality horror movie with heightened emotional weight.

Underworld

No one is going to mistake Underworld for high art. That obvious fact makes the lofty pretensions of these movies all the more endearing. With a cast of high-minded British theatrical actors, many trained in the Royal Shakespeare Company, at least the early movies in this Gothic horror/action mash-up series were overflowing with histrionic self-importance and grandiosity.

Take the first and best in the series. In the margins you have Bill Nighy and Michael Sheen portraying the patriarchs of warring factions of vampires and werewolves, and a love story caught between their violence that’ shamelessly modeled on Romeo and Juliet. It’s ridiculous, especially with Scott Speedman playing one party. But when the other is the oft-underrated Kate Beckinsale it doesn’t matter.

The movie’s bombast becomes the movie’s first virtue, and Len Wiseman’s penchant for glossy slick visuals, which would look at home in the sexiest Eurotrash graphic novel at the bookstore, is its other. Combined they make this a guilty good time. Though we recommend not venturing past the second or third movie.

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blindedbythedarkness · 5 years ago

Text

Josh,

The world is fucking weird right now. I swear I’ve been saying for the best part of a year that we’re in a dark timeline and nothing right now is proving me wrong. I wouldn’t even know where to start with explaining it all to you if you came back now, and it’s not even been a year.

Everything has just stopped. There’s nothing to go outside for because everything is shut. I spend most the day next to my window and the only people I see are the occasional family on a walk for some fresh air (and I mean it’s hardly a picturesque area) and lone people trudging up the hill in masks with a Tesco bag in each hand. I actually can’t remember the last time I heard a car horn from that horrendous fucking roundabout down the road. It’s spooky. I swear I never thought our very out of date Halloween decorations which of course remain up (what did you expect?) would be so accurate. We still have a cross on the door made out of hazard tape!

I mean, the fucking Prime Minister is in hospital. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never liked him but I don’t want him to die. For one thing if he does all hell is going to break loose.... I wonder if you’d have stuck around if you knew how close you were to experiencing a literal apocalypse?!

I have to admit though, it’s not all fun and games being stuck at home all day. Sure, there never seems to be a dull day on social media but it still gets boring eventually. It’s been three weeks now since I’ve seen or touched a human other than A and it’s been even longer since I’ve been anywhere beyond my street. The world seems so small all of a sudden and I do just miss people. Crowds. Wandering around uni, even if I’m not talking to anyone. Just being around others. Instead I’m just surrounded by uni assignments. They have changed our exams to essays, but 10 to do in a month is still 10 more than I’d like right now.

It’s just lonely. On the days when A is working, I’m entirely reliant on people being online to have any sort of social interaction. Some days I can go til 7pm before I’ve had half a conversation, which is slowly killing me inside. I may be an introvert, but I’m an introvert that doesn’t enjoy their own thoughts for quite so long. It’s somehow too loud and too quiet in my own head.

Also Josh, I’ve gotta say I miss you like fuck. The times when it really hurts come in waves anyway, but this has really put some force behind the latest tsunami. You really would be a good person to have around right now. I mean, you would always be a good person to have around, but it would be amazing to have someone to game with right now and I’m realizing just how underappreciated you were as a lifeline and someone to chat to any time of day about anything at all. I never realized how rare people like you are and I really didn’t know what I had until I lost it. I’m sorry. Yeah, it all just really hurts right now. I made one of my usual dark humor jokes the other day in reference to suicide and I wasn’t prepared for my heart to sting right after I said it. It didn’t just hurt, it really stung. I didn’t even know hearts could feel that way. Just...I really wish ghosts were real so you could at the very least haunt my lonely self right now. I’d appreciate someone knocking my shit over and scrawling ominous messages on my whiteboard every now and then if it meant I had a little company.

Until the next dark timeline update, Josh.

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welcometothepenumbra · 6 years ago

Text

JUNO STEEL AND THE MAN OF THE FUTURE (PART ONE)

SOUND: RAIN. TRAIN ARRIVES, CREAKS TO A STOP. DOOR CLANKS OPEN.

CONDUCTOR: Ah, good evening, Traveler. And welcome… to The Penumbra.

SOUND: DOOR CLANKS SHUT.

Take your seat, please, take your seat.

MUSIC: STARTS.

The junction lies ahead, so if you’ll allow me just a moment.

SOUND: TRAIN WHISTLE.

We are now passing through Newtown.

SOUND: TRAIN MOVING.

Our next stop?

SOUND: TRAIN BRAKES.

Juno Steel and the Man of the Future.

SOUND: DOOR CLANKS OPEN, RAIN.

ALL SOUNDS: FADE OUT.

***

VOICE 1 (FROM TV): (FADING IN) Only forty-eight hours remain until the gates to Oldtown open, and town hall remains completely silent on this issue. Though some protestors have called for city officials to remove Mayor O’Flaherty from office completely, no such motions have been put into effect.

RAMSES O’FLAHERTY: (OVER THE BELOW) Time, time; just give me time. This will work. (SIGHS)

VOICE 1 [REPORTER] (FROM TV): (OVER THE ABOVE) Victories in the mayoral race by as large a margin as between O’Flaherty and former Mayor Pereyra are extremely rare, and it’s likely that a removal from office so soon would lead to rioting in the streets.

RAMSES: It has to.

REPORTER (FROM TV): The whereabouts of Pilot Pereyra remain unknown. The HCPD’s investigation into their disappearance continues—

SOUND: ELECTRONIC CHIME.

—but with funding to law enforcement cut so radic—

SOUND: TV CLICKS OFF.

THEIA (FROM SPEAKER): Mayor O’Flaherty. You have an appointment. With the citizen known as:

JUNO (FROM SPEAKER): —ey, get your metal-claw-gun-things off her, you lousy—

RITA (FROM SPEAKER): Mista Steeeeeeeeee—

THEIA (FROM SPEAKER): Would you like me to send them in?

RAMSES: Just Juno. Thank you, Theia.

SOUND: ELECTRONIC CHIME.

(SIGHS, GRUMBLES) A difficult conversation… an important conversation. But you’ve had those before, Ramses. And you have the most important advantage: you’re right.

SOUND: DOOR OPENS. STUMBLING FOOTSTEPS.

RITA: HEY you give me back my Mista Steel right now you nasty old robot or I swear I’m gonna fill you with so many viruses you’ll—

SOUND: DOOR CLOSES.

JUNO: (PANTING) Rita!

SOUND: DOORKNOB RATTLES, BANGING.

RAMSES: The door is locked, Juno.

JUNO: (PANTING)

RAMSES: She’ll be perfectly unharmed. I hope you know that. My goal is not to hurt either of you, and… whatever you think of me now, I hope you still know that good is what I’m after. I couldn’t possibly lie about that. Not to you. And it was always my plan, my honest intention, for you and I to work together in making that good; if you hadn’t run off like that I would have explained. You would understand.

(AFTER A PAUSE) Are you just going to stand there and stare at me, Juno? Say something!

MUSIC: STARTS.

JUNO (NARRATOR): I can’t take any credit for how well my silence was riling O’Flaherty up, because… honestly, I was shouting the same thing at myself. Say something, Steel; say… anything.

I had plenty to say – the whole way here, dragged by a huge spider-legged enforcer bot that called itself the Theia Peace, I’d dredged up a few thousand things I wanted to throw in Ramses-O’Flaherty-slash-Jack-Takano’s face. And now, standing in front of him… I couldn’t get a single one of them to come out.

My name’s Juno Steel. I’m thirty-nine years old, and, I don’t know how the hell that happened; because I still feel like a scared little kid who needs his heroes to keep sane in a galaxy that doesn’t give a damn.

That’s why I couldn’t speak. Ramses O’Flaherty was still my hero, and, at the same time I wanted him to drop dead, and the two incompatible thoughts were crowding out my one small brain and I just couldn’t. Move.

But I’d spent months by then doing things I just couldn’t do, and the secret was this: you just do ‘em anyway.

RAMSES: Juno…?

JUNO: So.

“Newtown,” huh?

RAMSES: (CHUCKLES) You make that dramatic an entrance, and you want to criticize my branding?

MUSIC: ENDS.

(LAUGHING) Oh, it is good to hear that wit again, Juno. It’s good to see you well.

JUNO: What’s goin’ on here, Ramses?

RAMSES: Going on? You and I are just talking. A reunion. I’ve found my partner in good again, and Juno… I can’t tell you how much of a relief it is. I can’t tell you how worried—

JUNO: You know what I mean. Newtown. Those giant… Theia-things outside. The closed borders, you, all of it, what in the hell is going on?

RAMSES: We’ll… get to that, I promise you. I have a lot to catch you up on, but first… let an old man be sentimental, won’t you? Because there’s, um… something I have to tell you… about our– well– …our acquaintance. How I found you… eh, well, uhm… although, it is a fact that—

JUNO: I can count on Jack.

RAMSES: What?

JUNO: (SIGHS) I know, Ramses. I know a lotta things now, and I suspect even more. For example: I know who you really are, and I suspect that’s why you hired me in the first place. Must have been spooky, setting up a big real estate con like that and then finding out the thorn in your side is the kid you screwed over thirty years ago? Must have been real spooky.

RAMSES: You… know.

Of course. You figured it out. Nobody else has, but, if it was going to be anyone, it– it would be you, wouldn’t it?

JUNO: Don’t think that’s why I came here to talk to you.

RAMSES: Ah that’s why you left.

I can’t possibly tell you how sorry I am, Juno. Everything that happened to your mother—

JUNO: Listen to me.

RAMSES: You have to understand that I had it all planned out. Her deterioration, Benzaiten, neither of them was supposed to happen. I didn’t want to steal from her; I just wanted to help the company, the people who worked there. And I was always going to send her the profits from Andromeda, every cred, but she never accepted a single payment—

JUNO: I said listen!

This is not about us. You messed up. Bad. And I’m never going to forgive you for it, no matter what you say, so don’t bother. I’m not here to talk to Jack. I’m here to talk to Mayor O’Flaherty about what he built, so drop it. Now.

RAMSES: (SIGHS) Fine, then. We’ll just talk business.

JUNO (NARRATOR): I realized I needed a drink worse than I had in decades. My throat was begging for the cold knife of it, the burning embers left behind, and… I knew Ramses probably had one of my favorites in those desk drawers – a bottle of Crater Moonshine, maybe Europa Black.

But I wouldn’t ask for it. I knew and feared and respected Ramses O’Flaherty, and– I knew it was gonna take every neuron I had to keep up with him. We weren’t shooting or brawling: we were talking. That meant I was fighting in his element.

RAMSES: You’re a citizen of this city. I’m your mayor. If you have complaints, say them.

JUNO: You shouldn’t have built all this. You shouldn’t have destroyed Oldtown.

RAMSES: Why?

JUNO: Because you kicked people outta their homes!

RAMSES: And gave them all new ones. Homes that don’t leak. Homes that run on government electricity, electricity which costs a fraction of what they paid the monopolies in the rest of the city. Homes with security.

JUNO: Security! It-it’s a police state out there, Ramses!

RAMSES: It isn’t.

JUNO: It is. I had my head out of the sewer for two seconds before a Theia stuck a cannon up my goddamn nose.

RAMSES: Because I knew you were coming to me through the sewers – a fact that the Theia Orders told you directly. There are not guards on every street corner. Only where I knew you would need an escort.

JUNO: An escort!

RAMSES: And besides, it was not a cannon. It was a stun blaster. Large, so that it cannot be concealed, but less forceful, even, than the stun lasers on your own gun.

JUNO: Like I believe that.

RAMSES: You don’t have to. I can show you, in hard numbers, the force of those bots’ firepower. The voltscanners we’ll use to do it were confiscated from the police office we closed – terribly corrupt. The very office responsible for the multiple robberies perpetrated upon your childhood home, which led Sarah to—

JUNO: Stop it.

I mean it. I’m not here to talk about her, or you, or us. I’m here to talk about my city.

RAMSES: Our city.

JUNO: You can’t just buy a town, you lousy—

RAMSES: So go ahead. What complaints do you have with Newtown? All ten minutes you’ve seen of it.

JUNO: (AFTER A PAUSE, GROWLS)

RAMSES: You’re on quite the roll, Juno, but may I interject a question into this litany of complaints?

JUNO: Fine.

RAMSES: What is wrong with Newtown?

(AFTER A PAUSE) I asked, “what is wrong with Newtown?”

JUNO: I heard you.

RAMSES: Let’s grant, for a moment, your assertion that I should not have evicted people from old, broken-down, dangerous buildings. That I should not have wiped the slate clean in Oldtown, the sector of this city with the most armed crime, the most murder, the most fatal drug use, the lowest graduation rates, the most egregious police corruption, the least access to clean water and healthy food. Though I find the assertion absurd, let’s grant that I should not have done that.

What now?

JUNO: What do you mean, what now?

RAMSES: ‘Shouldn’t have’ is useful for determining long-term policy and strategy. If you and I decide that my actions were at fault, I will write into action a slate of laws that ensure they never happen again. But no matter how many laws I write, Juno, none of them will reassemble Oldtown from its ashes. Oldtown is gone.

So what would you have me do now?

JUNO: “What would you have me do now?” “You and I decide?” I know when I’m being taken for a ride, O’Flaherty.

RAMSES: I said I wanted you as my partner in good, Juno. Discussions like this were always my final step. I trust your ability and your moral compass more than any other person, including myself.

JUNO: (SNORTS) Funny way of showing it. If you trusted me more than you, Ramses, the puppet and puppetmaster would’ve been switched.

RAMSES: You’re talking about the Theia Spectrum.

JUNO: You’re damn right I’m talking about the Theia Spectrum. You picked me up and tossed me around like a doll, O’Flaherty—you used me. You used me to kill Pilot—

RAMSES: You did not kill Pilot.

JUNO: And your Piranha-faced goon—

RAMSES: The Theia controlled you to avoid exactly that end, Juno, but you insisted—

JUNO: And who cares what else! I don’t give a damn about your excuses, O’Flaherty, because the fact is: you reached down and plucked my mind and muscles like a goddamn harp. You used me. You used me just like you used me when I was a kid, just like you used my mother—

RAMSES: Your mother—

JUNO: Sarah Steel! You used her—

RAMSES: Well then. Juno, is this conversation personal, or isn’t it?

JUNO: You goddamn—!

(BREATHES) Fine. It’s not about us. I’ll drop it.

But your point is still bunk, Ramses. If you trust my moral compass better than yours, why the hell aren’t you listening to me?

RAMSES: Because you’ve yet to make a single coherent statement for me to listen to, Juno. Not one.

I return again to my question. Oldtown is gone. So: what is the good thing to do now? Give them new homes? I’ve done that, and better ones. Treat them well, give them freedom to build the lives they wish, reimburse them for their pains? All these things, done, and many of them out of my own pocket so that the city still has plenty left for everyone else. What would you have me do now?

JUNO: Let them all go. They aren’t free; you have them locked up in here.

RAMSES: They will be let go, in forty-eight hours, when it’s safe to go—

JUNO: Safe! So you’re saying it’s dangerous! You’re putting them in danger!

RAMSES: If you wish to know what’s happening in Newtown, do not interrupt me.

It isn’t dangerous for the residents here. They are safe. But you can’t just drop a new neighborhood, a new way of life, into a pre-existing city and expect the transition to be flawless. We allow individuals across the border first; anyone may leave, but only Newtown residents and select guests can enter until the city adjusts to our idea.

JUNO: What idea? You keep saying that, but what—

RAMSES: The idea that a place can solve the big problems for us. The myth for too long has been that if we all just behave ourselves, paradise can be ours. But our surroundings have never allowed that. Now they do. In Newtown, there is no more crime, no more suffering. These things only happen when people want what they can’t have, and that does not happen here. The city itself solves it.

JUNO: That’s… come on, Ramses, that can’t be true.

RAMSES: You see? Even you are reluctant to believe it. What’s the rest of the city going to do to Newtown if we don’t acclimate them first?

JUNO: I don’t know, Ramses, but, it’s hell out there. People are scared. Really scared.

RAMSES: Well. What should I do about it?

JUNO: And the sewers – the rabbits, really? You had to kill them?

RAMSES: We… tried letting the rabbits up here. It… didn’t work. They just can’t understand. Yet.

(CLEARS THROAT) It’s, uh… horrible. I asked for them to be relocated, but with our remaining resources… so much had been put into Newtown itself, and projecting costs to the rest of the city—

JUNO: It’s awful, Ramses.

RAMSES: I know. But the human good is so massive, Juno. What would you have me do?

JUNO: Just… f-fix it!

RAMSES: Fix it! And what would that entail?

JUNO: I don’t know! That’s not my job!

RAMSES: You’re right. It’s mine. And yet you seem intent on not listening—

JUNO: Give up the job. Alright? That’s what I want you to do. You’ve only made people miserable with it, so step down and let somebody else pick this place up.

RAMSES: Like who? Is there anyone you trust with that, Juno? Is there even anyone you trust to choose someone like that?

JUNO: Y’know, O’Flaherty, you keep saying that you trust my opinions then tossing ‘em out when I give ‘em. If you’re gonna drag me in here to advise you I don’t know why the hell you’re treating me like a goddamn misbehaving kid!

RAMSES: Because I’m disappointed, Juno! You ask for everything and you don’t care if you contradict yourself and you don’t care if what you’re asking for is possible. You are acting like a child!

No, worse than that. When you were a child, you understood that a small, harmful act was acceptable if it led to greater good in the future. You understood that lying to your mother meant saving your brother, meant saving every job at Northstar! Do you think they’d still have jobs if Sarah—

JUNO: Saving my brother?! My mom?! They’re dead, Ramses, and it all started that day!

RAMSES: Because she wouldn’t just take the damned money! It all would have been fine if she just took the money I gave her!

Instead, she obsessed over what I should not have done for years, until it turned to rot inside her. Until she killed her son. When all the while, the opportunity for a better life was begging to be taken.

Don’t make the same mistake, Juno. Please.

JUNO: I’m not Sarah Steel.

RAMSES: You are certainly not.

JUNO: I make my own mistakes.

If you think they look like hers, that’s on you, but I’m a different person, in a different time, with… a different life, talking to a person she never met named Ramses O’Flaherty.

And I’ll admit it; I don’t know what’s wrong with this city, but I don’t know what’s right with it, either, ‘cause… here’s the thing, Ramses: I can’t talk about what’s going on in Newtown because you haven’t said a goddamn thing about it.

RAMSES: Hah. If I told you now, you’d accept every detail you liked, and accuse me of lying for the rest. That’s what happens when you go in with your conclusion already determined.

JUNO: You’re dodging the question. What is Newtown, Ramses?

RAMSES: This is a waste of my time.

JUNO: It’s not a hard question. No crime, no want, no suffering – how are you doing it?

RAMSES: If you want to know so badly then go out there and find out!

Yes. Yes, I think that may be the answer after all.

JUNO: What is?

RAMSES: I concede to your point, Juno. You’re right. It was unfair of me to engage you in a debate on a topic you knew nothing about. I cannot create good merely because I want it; it must exist without me. And Newtown is built to do just that. I am certain of it.

This is what we’ll do. With the time we have.

JUNO: I’m listening.

RAMSES: You assert that Newtown hurts people. That there’s something nefarious at work here. I assert that everyone in Newtown is happy, healthy, safe. Therefore: I will give you twenty-four hours to roam Newtown to your heart’s content. And if you find a single person suffering within these walls – even one person – I will call an end to this. I will resign as Mayor of Hyperion City. I will donate everything I have left to whatever causes you choose.

JUNO: Twenty-four hours isn’t a very long time.

RAMSES: I know. Believe me, Juno, I know. But Newtown opens in forty-eight hours, and there are… processes I must follow in order to close it.

JUNO: You could delay it.

RAMSES: And keep all those people at the gates without their families for how long? Another day, week, decade? It is agony to hurt them even this long. No. I cannot delay it.

JUNO: You talk a big game about givin’ me a fair shot, Ramses, but when I tell you what one looks like you got a lot of excuses.

RAMSES: You want what I can’t give. It’s no more complicated than that. (SIGHS) What do you want? What can I give you to help this investigation, Juno? A direction? Suggestions?

JUNO: Sorry, nope. Don’t take leads from the enemy.

RAMSES: You are the only one of us who sees it that way.

JUNO: Yeah, well. You have a census or anything like that? List of names, addresses, comms coordinates?

RAMSES: I do.

SOUND: ELECTRONIC BEEP, SCROLLING, BEEP.

I’ll send it to your comms immediately. Is there anything else?

JUNO: Not yet. But I’ll keep in touch.

SOUND: THUD.

The hell?

RAMSES: Your associate, I believe. I tried calling her several minutes ago, but, by now I’d imagine she has my Theia wrapped around her little finger.

SOUND: DOOR OPENS.

THEIA: The door is open. Yippee.

RITA: HA! Mista Steel, I saved you! Rita’s here—

SOUND: RUNNING FOOTSTEPS.

—and she ain’t leavin’ until we get what we—

JUNO: I’m done. Come on, Rita, let’s… get the hell out of here.

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS SLOW TO A WALK.

RITA: …Oh.

And you! Don’t you ever bother Mista Steel ever again, you…! You…!

(BLOWS RASPBERRY)

SOUND: RUNNING FOOTSTEPS.

RAMSES: Try not to break my town, will you?

SOUND: DOOR CLOSES.

(SIGHS)

JUNO (NARRATOR): I expected Ramses to excise, or– conveniently forget the name I was looking for on that census, but, there he was: name, address, everything.

I didn’t want to call his comms ahead of time because I didn’t want anyone to know where we were heading. On the way there I tried to keep track of what parts of Oldtown we were passing through, but… with no recognizable landmarks it was pointless. This was a new city on old land.

The place was on the fourteenth floor of a new skyrise. We passed a crowd of people leaving the building as we entered, not a single stitch of fear or hunger in their faces—

SOUND: DISTANT CROWD LAUGHTER.

—they seemed… content.

I felt sick watching them; and it just got worse when I felt how clean and clear the air was, and… when I realized I hadn’t heard a single shout or threat or slur since we got here. Sick like Ramses might’ve been right; sick like I was standing in the way of his progress. I tried to slow down. Desperation was just gonna make me jump to conclusions. If Ramses wanted a fight, I had to be better than this.

RITA: This is the address, boss.

JUNO: Seems like it.

SOUND: DOORBELL RINGS.

RITA: D’you think everything’s okay?

JUNO: Not sure yet.

SOUND: TWO DOORBELL RINGS.

MICK MERCURY: (THROUGH THE DOOR) Uh, just a second! I-I’m coming! I’m—

SOUND: MUFFLED CLATTERING.

Whoa! Oh! Oof!

JUNO: (SIGHS) Yeah, it sounds like everything’s… as okay as it ever gets with Mercury.

MICK: (THROUGH THE DOOR) Ah, just a minute! I just gotta… clean up, I guess…

JUNO: Yyyyep. Typical.

SOUND: MUFFLED CLANKS.

MICK: (THROUGH THE DOOR, OVER THE BELOW) Owww!!! Ah, c’mon, stupid…! (GRUNTS) Ahh!

JUNO: (OVER THE ABOVE) Listen… we don’t know what kind of trouble Mick’s in, alright? Even if he’s actin’ weird, we can’t ask why; we—

MICK: (THROUGH THE DOOR, OVER THE BELOW) Yeow!! Ow! Ow ow ow! (SIGHS)

JUNO: (OVER THE ABOVE) —we don’t know who might be listening and it could just put him in more danger. Alright?

RITA: Yeah, yeah, I know, boss, I been with you on a few cases now, I get it. I get the pictcha—

SOUND: MUFFLED HAMMERING.

—the pictcha is mine—

MICK: (THROUGH THE DOOR, OVER THE BELOW) There! That’s more- yeow!

RITA: (OVER THE ABOVE) —I own it the pictcha now. So give it a rest already, willya?

JUNO: …Okay.

SOUND: DOOR OPENS.

MICK: Sorry, sorry! I was just uh, doing some, uh, jazz redecorating and I…

Jayjay!

SOUND: THUD.

JUNO: Oof! …Mercury.

MICK: Oh man, it’s you, I can’t believe it’s really—

RITA: So what kinda trouble you in, Mista Mercury? Are you bein’ watched? Listened to? Smelled at?

MICK: Whuh?

JUNO: Rita…

RITA: How many bad guys you got hidden in there, huh? How many? Four or five in the closet, sixteen all balled up under the sink? Spill, Mercury!

JUNO: Or don’t, please.

MICK: I– is this what this is all about, you guys? You think I’m in trouble or something?

JUNO: (SIGHING) To be fair, Mercury, you’re usually in trouble.

MICK: Well! Yeah, I used to be. But not anymore!

JUNO: And you usually sa—

MICK: I know what I usually say, but not anymore to that too, alright? This is real, Jay, this is the real deal!

JUNO: What is?

MICK: Newtown, buddy! It’s amazing here! I’m back on my feet in a big way, and I got a great apartment, and a bunch of friends, and, my life hasn’t been in serious danger since the last time I saw you! Which, y’know, is maybe cause for alarm for me right now, but I’m willin’ to let bygones be bygones.

JUNO: Bygones?!

MICK: And I’m gettin’ cultured, Jay. I’ve got culture like they write about. I’m so full’a culture that if you squeezed my stomach fine wine would spray—

JUNO: Y’know, maybe don’t finish that thought, ‘cause I feel like it’s just gonna hurt your point, actually.

MICK: Then here, look, I’ll prove it to ya. (CLEARS THROAT) Would either of you ladies like… some tea?

RITA: Not really—

JUNO: Yes. Yes, we both want tea, just… so bad.

RITA: (WHISPERING) But boss, you don’t even like—

JUNO: (WHISPERING) Maybe not, but– I have to see him try to make some. I just… it’s been a rough couple of days; I need this.

RITA: (WHISPERING) That’s kinda mean, Mista St—

MICK: Alright! That’s two teas for Club Whispers over here. Now why don’t you two come inside and have a seat on my furniture. Ha!

SOUND: DOOR CLOSES.

(WHISTLES)

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS.

RITA: He’s got a nice place, Mista Steel.

SOUND: DISTANT DOOR OPENS, CLOSES.

Slidin’ door out onto the balcony. Soft sofas. It even smells nice, like… like… well, not like Mista Mercury, is I guess what I’m sayin’.

JUNO: Yyyep. Real nice.

So the question is who the hell Ramses must be screwin’ over in order to afford to keep up such expensive apartments for everyone.

RITA: Huh? They ain’t expensive, boss. Probably cost less than yours, and yours is a real dump, which don’t make any sense ‘cause y’know, as your financial advisor, I’ve been meanin’ ta tell you ta start spendin’ some of the money comin’ in ‘cause it ain’t like you’re usin—

JUNO: Not expensive? How?

RITA: Oh, um, I mean, they’re all mass-produced, Mista Steel. Like an assembly line. Except, if all the parts of the assembly line were bots with that same creepy lady’s voice.

JUNO: You mean this place was built by Theias? The ones with cannons for arms?

RITA: Nah, but they know how to. The ones I hacked into so far know how to do everything, Mista Steel, or at least everything any of the other ones know how to do. It’s weird ‘cause they ain’t got no security—it’s like they all got copies of the same one mind, y’see, except it ain’t a real mind, not an AI or nothin’, just a pretty simple cause-and-effect pipeline that knows how to put the solutions to formulas into new formulas, but it ain’t like it can learn or make new formulas from scratch or– OH! Maybe that’s somethin’ kinda weird an’ interestin’!

JUNO: Uhhh, yeah. I think so.

(MUTTERING) If only I knew what the hell it meant.

SOUND: DISTANT DOOR OPENS.

MICK: Here he comes, with some tea for his houseguests.

SOUND: CHINA RATTLING.

And he only burned himself twice.

RITA: Uhh… maybe, Mista Mercury, but that burn on your neck looks pretty bad…

JUNO: Burned his neck. (SNICKERS)

MICK: Hey, I’m still gettin’ used to this place, alright? Never had a toaster oven before.

Anyway, anyway, enough about me! Sit down, come on, make yourselves comfortable. You like couches? ‘Cause that couch over there is made from one hundred percent…

…couch.

JUNO: Sure, we’ll s– we’ll sit, Mick, but… you’re actually who we’re here to talk about. You and… Newtown.

MICK: Me and…? Oh, what, did I already do something wrong? Ohhh, I knew I shouldn’t’ve switched those two chairs when I moved in! They said this place was gonna be fit to my specifications exactly, and then I came in and saw the chairs and I went, “hey, maybe they’ll look better this way,” and then they didn’t! And now they’re gonna kick me out of Newtown, aren’t they?

RITA: No, Mista Mercury. We ain’t gonna kick you out. An’, we can help you move the chairs back if you really want.

MICK: (SOBBING) I already diiiiiiiiiid!

JUNO: So… h-hang on a second. This is exactly what we’re looking for!

RITA & MICK: (IN UNISON) It is?

JUNO: Yeah, it is! I– I knew there would be a catch. So, Mick, you’re saying that Newtown has these weird, inscrutable rules, right? And if you don’t follow them they kick you out?

MICK: Well, no, I didn’t—

JUNO: Ha! So much for a brand new world order, O’Flaherty; that’s got Fascist Renaissance written all over it!

MICK: Hey, Jay, listen—

JUNO: Fascist Renaissance, Fascist Renaissance…

SOUND: SNAPS FINGERS.

Torture devices! Executions! That must be what the carnival in the town square is all about—they open the doors… then public executions, to show Hyperion he means business.

MICK: Jay, quit it! There aren’t torture devices or whatever in the square, okay? I helped build some’a those. It’s just candy stands, and hologram light shows, and– I don’t know, just fun stuff!

RITA: That really does sound like fun stuff, Mista Steel!

JUNO: But– you were so worried about getting kicked out of Newtown. That must mean… y’know, that you’re scared here, right?

MICK: No way, man, this place is just great, and I don’t want to lose it. I’ve been waiting for the catch for a while now, but I can’t find it! This place is catch-free!

JUNO: You mean besides the whole completely-sealed-off-from-the-rest-of-society thing?

MICK: Well, they gotta do that for now, don’t they? I mean it’s competitive housing for now, sure, but, once they open this up and start expanding it, I mean, everybody gets a place like this. And it’s huge, Jay! And built just for us! People who can’t do heights get the first floor and—

JUNO: So where’s the liquor?

MICK: And… and… and… and… and…

RITA: Uh… Mista Mercury?

MICK: Uhhhhh, wh-what?

JUNO: You want to stay awake for like two seconds, Mercury? This is serious: the booze. If you got a place based on what you’re interested in—

MICK: I just, uh… I haven’t felt like drinking lately, I guess.

JUNO: You? Really?

RITA: That’s not such a bad thing, boss. Healthy, actually.

JUNO: What about your hovercycle? I didn’t see it coming in.

MICK: Who needs it? The buses here—

JUNO: I didn’t ask about need, Mick.

RITA: Mista Steel…

JUNO: You love that bike, Mick. Where is it?

MICK: It was busted. Dangerous, like… ughhh!

JUNO: Dangerous like what, Mick?

MICK: I mean… ughhh!

RITA: Mista Mercury… are you okay?

MICK: Yeah, I just… feel a little outta sorts. Headache or somethin’…

(CLEARS THROAT) I’m gonna get some more tea. That’s supposed to help you feel better, right? You just drink so much tea you feel like you’re gonna barf?

JUNO: Think that one through. Then you tell me.

MICK: Maybe I’ll think about it after I drink it… gotta take somethin’ for this headache…

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS DEPARTING.

RITA: Feel better, Mista Mercury!

SOUND: DOOR CLOSES.

Mista Steel, how come you’re bein’ so mean to your second-best friend!

JUNO: Because he’s a chump, Rita. I always knew he was a chump but it’s still disappointing to find out just how true that is.

RITA: Oh, come on, boss—

JUNO: You ‘oh come on!’ (GROWLS) Sorry, I’m just… disappointed. I really thought that he’d have the answer, or at least that… Ramses wouldn’t sucker him, too. Like he did me.

RITA: Aw, boss…

JUNO: Either way, I don’t think Mercury’s gonna help us with this one. And, we only have… twenty-one hours left. We gotta keep movin’.

RITA: But first…?

JUNO: But first nothing! All of Oldtown, hell, all– probably all of Hyperion’s on the line, and you want to ‘but first’ about my loser friend? No. Hell no.

Yeah, wow, that sounded pretty bad, huh?

RITA: Mmmmm-hm.

JUNO: I should probably just… apologize.

Fine. But, then we go.

RITA: Okay, Mista Steel.

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS.

JUNO: Hey, Mick… Rita and I’ve got to go in a second, but I just wanted to say I’m…

SOUND: DOOR OPENS.

Sorry…

Uh… uh… Mick? Where’d you go?

RITA: (DISTANT) Maybe he’s in the bathroom or somethin’?

JUNO: There aren’t any other doors back here. Just an… open window…

SOUND: RUNNING FOOTSTEPS.

What the—

RITA: What the what, Mista—

JUNO: Rita, duck!

MICK: (YELLS)

RITA: (YELPS)

SOUND: BIG CLUNK.

RITA: M– Mista– Mista Steel, what was that?!

JUNO: That was… Mick?! Rita, get over here. Quickly.

RITA: O- okay!

SOUND: RUNNING FOOTSTEPS.

MICK: What the…

Hey, my couch is upside-down!

SOUND: HEAVY SCRAPING.

Are you guys havin’ a party in here without me?

JUNO: Hands up, Mick.

SOUND: GUN COCKING.

MICK: Wh-whoa, there, buddy, be careful where you point that thing, alright? Rough-housing’s one thing, but—

JUNO: I said hands up!

MICK: (NERVOUS LAUGH) I think I mighta twisted my ankle, Juno. Can you help me up?

JUNO: Rita, don’t go any closer.

RITA: But why, boss?

MICK: Yeah. Why?

JUNO: This. Your voice. What you just did. This whole creepy apartment, it’s all wrong, Mercury, it’s all—

MICK: Me finally having my act together is wrong to you?

JUNO: That’s– not what I said.

MICK: After all we’ve been through? That hurts, Jay. That really hurts.

JUNO: What the hell is in your hand, Mercury!

MICK & THEIA: (IN UNISON) What happened, Juno? I thought we were buddies.

JUNO: When you jumped at Rita you had something in your hand! Tell me what it was right! Now!

SOUND: POWERING UP, THEIA BEEP.

Mercury!

RITA: M-m-mista…

SOUND: GRUNT & THUD; RUNNING FOOTSTEPS; BLASTER SHOT; GRUNT; TWO BLASTER SHOTS; GRUNT.

Steel…?

JUNO (NARRATOR): It… (SIGHS) It all just happened so fast. At the time I thought it felt like that because I wasn’t expecting it. Because I never thought– I-I mean… it never actually seemed possible that he would—

(SIGHS) First he jumped clean over the couch.

SOUND: GRUNT, THUD.

Then he started to run at me.

SOUND: RUNNING FOOTSTEPS.

Fast. It was faster than I’d ever seen him or… anybody else run. Ever. And in his eyes, I swear, in his eyes, I saw… absolutely nothing. So I fired.

SOUND: BLASTER SHOT.

It should’ve been enough to take him down. A stun blast in the shoulder from that close could’ve taken down anyone, it had taken down goons twice as big as Mick and three times as angry, but– he kept running. All it did was push him off-balance a bit, just enough… for him to miss when he swung at me.

MICK: (GRUNTS)

JUNO (NARRATOR): It wasn’t a punch. It looked like a slap, but there was something small and metal glinting in his palm. I panicked. I— (SIGHS) I wasn’t thinking. He didn’t feel like Mick Mercury anymore; just some… monster, and that’s why… I shot him again.

SOUND: BLASTER SHOT.

And again.

SOUND: BLASTER SHOT.

Which all went this fast:

RITA: M-m-mista…

SOUND: GRUNT & THUD; RUNNING FOOTSTEPS; BLASTER SHOT; GRUNT; TWO BLASTER SHOTS; GRUNT.

Steel…?

JUNO (NARRATOR): …and ended with Mick, on the floor, motionless as a doll.

No, I noticed. Stiller than a doll.

Dead still.

And that’s when I realized what I’d done.

JUNO: Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh n…

SOUND: RUSTLING.

RITA: Is… is Mista Mercury okay?

JUNO: Get over here, Rita. Please. He-help me find his pulse.

RITA: His pulse?!

JUNO: It’s supposed to be a billion-to-one chance, Rita. A-and it gets worse with more stuns but still, I didn’t think it would ever– but-but I stunned him like three times, Rita, and I can’t find his pulse. Rita, goddamn it, I can’t find Mick’s pulse!

RITA: His heart?

SOUND: RUNNING FOOTSTEPS.

I’m comin’, boss!

SOUND: RUSTLING.

I– I can’t find his pulse either!

JUNO: I gotta… uh, I-I gotta try CPR or something. But– but I barely remember, it’s been since the Academy, and… (BREATHES) Th-this is a nightmare, a billion to one chance, oh god damn it, this is a nightmare!

RITA: I can do CPR, Mista Steel. You just tell me when he’s breathin’, okay?

JUNO: You know– r-really?

RITA: ‘Course I do! Rita knows a lot of stuff. Just gotta find the right spot on his chest…

SOUND: RUSTLING. ELECTRIC SPARK.

JUNO: There! His heartbeat! I can feel his heartbeat again!

RITA: What? But I ain’t even start—

SOUND: SPARKS.

Ahhh!

JUNO: What happened?

RITA: It’s hot, Mista Steel! He’s got somethin’ on his chest and it’s really really burnin’ hot!

JUNO: He has… oh, no. Oh, hell no.

SOUND: FABRIC RIPS. RUSTLING.

RITA: Mista Steel you can’t just rip your friend’s shirt without askin’ unless this is just a thing for you two– oh my god what is that?!

SOUND: PULSING BUZZ.

JUNO (NARRATOR): It looked like a… computer chip. It looked like a little computer chip, with metal brackets rooted into Mercury’s chest. I could see it had something written on it but I couldn’t make it out: it was so hot, it was burning red, the skin around it was sizzling, and blistering, and cracking.

And then Mick’s hand moved. Just a twitch in the knuckles, but… enough that I knew we were almost outta time.

JUNO: Rita… we have to tie Mick up. Now.

RITA: Tie him up? But just a minute ago we wer—

JUNO: We don’t have time for this, Rita. Look at his hand!

RITA: Computer chips! Like the one on his chest!

JUNO: And he was trying to stick them on us.

MUSIC: STARTS.

(SIGHS) They say Theia on ‘em, don’t they?

RITA: I’m not sure, boss. I can’t—

SOUND: THEIA BEEP.

MICK & THEIA: (IN UNISON) The Theia Soul is now online.

RITA: Ooooooooh!

JUNO: It’s too late to tie him up. Hide, Rita!

RITA: Where?!

MICK & THEIA: (IN UNISON) Jay! Rita! You’re leavin’ already?

JUNO: The balcony! Get out on the balcony and we’ll see if we can find a fire escape or somethin’.

RITA: But boss—

JUNO: No time!

MICK & THEIA: (IN UNISON) Stay there.

JUNO: Come on!

RITA: (MOANS)

SOUND: PANTING, RUNNING FOOTSTEPS. DOOR OPENS.

RITA: He’s still comin’!

SOUND: DOOR CLOSES. WIND HOWLING.

JUNO: Hand me that chair, quickly!

MICK & THEIA: (IN UNISON) Give up.

SOUND: SCRAPING, CLINKS.

MICK: (CALLING, THROUGH THE DOOR) Juno! Rita! Come on, guys! You really gonna lock me out of my own balcony?

JUNO (NARRATOR): I tried to get a read on our surroundings, but it didn’t look good. No fire escape; the apartments were big, and– that meant the balconies were far apart. Nowhere to go, and, even if we managed to get out of here, it’s not like we had anywhere to hide—we were trapped here. Trapped in Ramses’s City of the Future, and Newtown liked it that way.

MICK: Come on, I don’t think this game is super fun. Why don’t you just give it up?

THEIA: (OVERLAPPING WITH ABOVE) Give up.

JUNO (NARRATOR): Was this really supposed to be O’Flaherty’s ‘good’? I didn’t know how to make sense of it. I didn’t know how to make sense of the fact that the chip that had turned my best friend into a monster had probably just saved his life, too. Ramses had decided that what we were all missing was a soul – and, I didn’t know how to make sense of the fact that so far… his plan seemed like it was working.

RITA: Mista Steel, what do we do?

JUNO: I… I don’t know, Rita. I don’t know.

MICK: Hey, I’ve got an idea! Why don’t you just give up.

THEIA: (OVERLAPPING WITH ABOVE) Give up.

RITA: (WHIMPERS)

MICK & THEIA: (IN UNISON) Give up control to the Theia Soul.

MUSIC: ENDS.

ALL SOUNDS: FADE OUT.

***

SOUND: TRAIN MOVING, MUSIC.

CONDUCTOR: If you’ve enjoyed this tale, please consider donating to The Penumbra on Patreon. Our artists work tirelessly to bring you these stories, and if you have the means, we hope you will support our efforts. Every dollar helps. You can find that page at patreon.com/thepenumbrapodcast. If you support us on Patreon at the $10 level or higher, you’ll receive access to commentary tracks like this one, from actors Joshua Ilon, Kate Jones, and Stefano Perti:

SOUND: TRAIN STOPS, DOOR SLIDES OPEN, RAIN.

STEFANO: …totally flip-flopped the script on me, one time a dentist called me trying to set an appointment. And, for like laser– free laser whitening. I was like ‘oh. Well hey, I’ll trade ya appointment for appointment.’ And the woman said ‘I dunno if we can do that.’ And then I said, ‘why don’t you put me on the phone with whoever can?’ And then she, uh, clearly faked putting her manager on the phone, and I said ‘hello?’ And then she just kinda got all befuddled and hung up. And s…

SOUND: DOOR SLIDES SHUT.

CONDUCTOR: You can also support The Penumbra by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter @thepenumbrapod, following us on Tumblr @thepenumbrapodcast, telling your friends about us, telling your friends to tell their friends about us, and especially by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. Every rating, comment, and kind word spreads our stories further and inspires us to keep creating more and better tales to come.

We would like to give special thanks to all who support us on Patreon, but especially to Minchowski, Camille Blanton, Garrett M, Atha Lang, Kim Zeugin, Jaimie Gunter, Fiona Parker, Jay Iannuzzelli, Ko, Canteloupe, Christine Kim, Regan, Charlie Spiegel, Karin Z-H, Ota Arcana, Rowan Collins, and Demi for their incredibly generous contributions per episode. Thank you.

Did you know that The Penumbra has merchandise for sale? It’s true! The Penumbra has partnered with DFTBA to bring you the posters, shirts, and pins your heart desires. Just go to dftba.com and search for The Penumbra Podcast.

This tale, Juno Steel and the Man of the Future, was told by the following people: Joshua Ilon as Juno Steel, Matthew Zahnzinger as Ramses O’Flaherty, Kate Jones as Rita, Stefano Perti as Mick Mercury, and Sophie Kaner as the Theia.

The Penumbra is created and produced by Sophie Kaner and Kevin Vibert. If you wish to know more about our ever-expanding, infinitely-creative team of artists, musicians, editors, designers, and managers, you can read about them in the show notes of this episode.

I’m afraid this is the end of the line for today, dear Traveler. We hope you will ride with The Penumbra again soon.

ALL SOUNDS: FADE OUT.

#juno steel

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newmusicmonthly · 5 years ago

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2019

Hello,

Missed me?

No longer a monthly mailer – just another end of year round up.

On reflection, perhaps I’ve played it a bit safe this year, but I didn’t feel there was as much great music out there as in previous years.

Yes, I too use Google, so I have listened to all the end of year Best Of lists online, and so those artists not included just didn’t resonate with me this year.

I maintain ‘bad guy’ off Billie Eilish’s record sounds like a Super Mario bonus level (probably in a spooky dungeon)… which I suppose isn’t a bad thing. And I love Lana, but I just didn’t think the latest record was all that. And the same was true of Angel Olsen, Nick Cave, Kanye, Hot Chip… but don’t get me started on Bon Iver: avant-garde “Kum ba yah” at best (sorry Rob).

But then that’s part of the joy of music, variety and differing opinions… so please share yours! What have I overlooked? What should be revisited? Where in the depths of streaming services is that killer track from 2019?

For now, here is my list of songs, somewhat crowbarred into the monthly format (as mentioned, this email was once called New Music Monthly Mailer with five tracks a month, and surely we need some level of constancy and accountability this year).

Enjoy, or not – but please do share your own choice picks.

Merry Christmas.

R x

NEW MUSIC 2019

JANUARY

Sharon Van Etten - Seventeen Just go and watch her performance from Glastonbury: https://youtu.be/BM6jn891seU Seriously, from 2:45, just fucking brilliant.

J.S. Ondara - Saying Goodbye Lovely acoustic number and a great voice that evokes Tracy Chapman.

Basekou Kouyate, Ngoni ba - Kanto kelena (feat. Habib Koite) Malian ngoni master returns to acoustic roots.

Delicate Steve - Selfie of a Man Synthy silly catchy instrumental pop-rock.

Steve Gunn - Vagabond Guitar troubadour telling stories of solitude with unostentatious guitar tones.

FEBRUARY

Mara Balls - Ikävä ikävää Driving Finnish Doom-lite.

Julie Jacklin - Body A narrative masterclass, sombre and brooding, but also simmering and pulsating.

Strand of Oaks - Weird Ways Big widescreen rock, which builds into a gorgeous swirl of sound, with Timothy on fine yet reflective form, backed by the band of My Morning Jacket.

Crows - Hang Me High Long awaited debut from Idles approved band, loud fuzz Mary Chain / Dom Keller vibes.

Kel Assouf - Fransa Desert blues, with all the best Tuareg styling, but added beefy production.

MARCH

Nick Waterhouse - Man Leaves Town Mr Waterhouse and band well in the pocket.

Dave - Streatham Heavy beats and piano lines soundtrack story of growing up in SW16.

Karen O, Danger Mouse - Turn The Light Danger Mouse brings the gentle disco grooves underneath Karen’s swooning vocals.

Small Feet - The Lake Down tempo reverb and echoes float throughout this woozy directionless jam.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Tombes Oubliées BJM do what BJM do best... in French.

APRIL

The Comet Is Coming - Summon The Fire How can you not move to this?!

W.H. Lung - Empty Room Great new band (c.f. mailer 2017!), and as I already included ‘Inspiration!’ this is my second favourite cut from a top album.

Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation - Feel The Sun Another great artist (championed back in 2016 I think you’ll find), spectral psych grooves.

Weyes Blood - Mirror Forever Great opening line, there’s a coldness but also strangely comforting.

Foxygen - News Now a lot people had fallen off the Foxygen wagon recently, including me, but this is catchy melody filled vibes, with a completely unexpected stonking T-Rex style groove that kicks in around the 3:30 minute mark

MAY

Lizzo – Juice Speaking of good vibes… I mean, again, just go watch the Glastonbury set: https://youtu.be/R9CTs1NsZRI.

Tyler, The Creator - EARFQUAKE Production values: A*, chances of not leaving… C-

The 100 Knights Orchestra - Soul Fugue Celebrating Daptone Records 100th RPM single, this special features every horn player the label has ever worked with, and it is glorious.

Death and Vanilla - A Flaw In The Iris Devendra Banhart vibes to begin, fazing in Mazzy Star style reverb and guitars.

Desert Sands - Are You There The best psychedelic space rock released… ever!

JUNE

Rose City Band - Fog of Love Warm tones and laid back ambles, which has producer Ripley Johnson’s stamp all over it.

Madonnatron - Goodnight Little Empire Disco ditty extraordinaire.

The Black Keys - Lo/Hi Have you heard of ZZ Top? You have?

The Amazons - Doubt It Future rock heroes get dark.

Fat White Family, Parrot and Cocker Too - Feet - Parrot and Cocker Too Remix Gone for the remix version of this great track: what isn’t improved by added shakers and throbbing techno?

JULY

Michael Kiwanuka, Tom Misch - Money (with Tom Misch) The first of two Kiwanuka tracks in this list, but this was a standalone single, and has all the bubbly bass groove it was impossible not to include.

Drake, Rick Ross - Money In The Grave (Drake ft. Rock Ross) Speaking of money… bounce!

DOPE LEMON - Salt & Pepper Weird keys give way to J.J. Cale style guitar noodles, whilst Angus heaps on the druggy references adding to the meandering stoned atmosphere.

The Quiet Temple, Moon Duo - The Last Opium Den On Earth (Moon Duo Remix) Speaking of druggy… 12 minutes of acid psych jazz in the last opium den on earth.

Nev Cottee - Hello Stranger Cinematic and pastoral, but also searing

AUGUST

Palace - Running Wild Top class indie pop nugget with great simple guitar solo to end.

Kandodo 3 - Everything Green's Gone This definitely isn’t for everyone: think Nine Inch Nails soundtracks at their most impenetrable, if you can make it two thirds of the way through this 13 minute wig out, there are some great slide guitars.

Clairo – Bags Breakout bedroom pop with one of the hookiest melodies all year.

Mini Mansions - Works Every Time Behind the beat smooth grooves.

Death Hawks - Whisper Squelchy over produced 80s style pop bananas,

SEPTEMBER

Native Harrow - Can't Go On Like This Inevitable Laurel Canyon / Joni Mitchell comparisons on this retro analogue sound ballad.

Ty Segall - The Arms Ty does a rare acoustic number, and even throws in a rather tasteful mandolin line.

Pixx - Funsize Synth bleeps and beats disguise a Radiohead-esque creeping guitar line.

Sleater-Kinney - The Future Is Here Love the motorik dirge vibes here, underpin lovely vocal lines and melodies which remind us: the future is here, and we can’t go back.

Marika Hackman - i'm not where you are Great pop hooks and guitar lines.

OCTOBER

Dylan LeBlanc - Renegade I’m a big fan of LeBlanc and his retro stylings, and this track is super lilting 80s driving rock.

TOOL - Pneuma I struggled to get TOOL for a while, but this record and this track in particular is fucking phenomenal.

Lightning Dust - Devoted To Amber Webber and Joshua Wells’ solo project (previously of Black Mountain), conjure spectral dreamscapes.

Sturgill Simpson - Remember To Breathe Sturgill goes electronic rawk – and Tomoyasu Hotei wants his production back.

Michael Kiwanuka - Hero Here he is again, with the standout track from a truly brilliant album.

NOVEMBER

Kelsey Waldon - White Noise, White Lines Kentucky country groove rock.

WIVES - Waving Past Nirvana Churning fuzz rock underpins laconic loose vocals, cool.

Pumarosa - I See You Tense synth verses give way to soaring superb choruses.

Jaako Eine Kalevi - Dissolution Finnish synth pop architect doing a very good Matthew Dear impersonation.

Warmduscher - Midnight Dipper “The offspring of a match made in hell between Fat White Family and Paranoid London” – full-on sleazy glam.

DECEMBER

Pond - Don't Look at the Sun (Or You'll Go Blind) – Live My favourite track the band perform live, now finally available on streaming.

Staff Benda Bilili - Jamais de la vie The famous Congolese street band return with tight uplifting grooves.

Khruangbin, Leon Bridges - Texas Sun Sit back, open a cold one, and enjoy (when summer comes back around).

Jimmy "Duck" Holmes - Catfish Blues Mississippi delta blues from the 72 year old Holmes, produced by Dan Auerbach.

Mikal Cronin - Show Me Long-time Ty Segall collaborator serves up some Tom Petty-esque soft rock.

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ask-joeydrewstudios · 7 years ago

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((Oh cool I love talking about muses weaknesses and fears in front of a bunch of people who totally don't want to use those against them. I've been putting these off for FAR too long, here's a masterpost of all the muses fears, weaknesses, and addictions. HCs under the cut ;P))

Things that apply to all the toons: They all have to be afraid of water, acetone, and religious symbols/items. Those things can literally kill them, they count as both a fear and a weakness. There's also a learned fear that only comes into play in another 70 years after everyone from the original crew has died: they start to fear befriending people because they know they're effectively immortal, and losing people hurts like hell and they don't want it to keep happening. Bendy legitimately tries to get Henry to toon-himself in an effort to stop him from dying, he was the last one from the original group alive and none of the toons wanted to see him go. When he declines it leads to an argument, and it was a very emotional argument because the fear of loss was very real. You'd think loss would get even a little easier after its happened enough times? You... would be incorrect.

Bendy: I've listed off Bendy's fears before, being forgotten and fading into obscurity are big ones. The studio never falls in this AU but it does take some small dips, and that terrifies him. Also, skeletons. Skeletons are scary. For addictions, I wouldn't necessarily say he's addicted to bacon soup? But he does love it... a little too much. You can bribe him with it even though it's readily available at any given moment. Bendy's also the idiot child that begs everyone to watch a horror movie, only to end up terrified and up all night because he's jumping at every shadow or creak of the building.

Boris:

Boris is braver than Bendy, but he’s still afraid of a good number of things. Sudden loud noises, cars, things that lurk in the dark, the dark itself, monsters, Spooky Things (October is not a fun month for him), spiders, and he shares Bendy’s fear of thunderstorms... he might be a wolf, but he’s a big scaredy-cat :P He’s afraid of way more things that he hasn’t even encountered yet. Weaknesses? Objects being thrown, specifically ball or stick shaped objects. He will always, without fail, run to retrieve it for you. He hates himself for it.

Alice: Nobody’s quite sure why or how, but because Alice was based on her voice actress she’s picked up a few personality traits and opinions from her. Fears are not an exception, and Alice shares Susie’s fear of war and violence and her fear of heights despite not being able to be hurt from falling large distances. She’s also afraid of losing form and shape-shifting too much from her original design, she likes staying the way she is and not having a stable form is weird and gross-feeling. Remember how all the toons are afraid of water and anything else that’ll make them melt? She’s afraid of it the most.

Joey: One of Joey's strong points is also one of his weak points, and that's his need to do the impossible. This does lead to him pushing boundaries and sometimes entirely destroying said boundaries, and he absolutely hates giving up so it'll take him a really long time to get his focus off trying to Do The Thing. Even then he never directly says he gave up on something, he says he shelved it. This stems from a strong fear of failure and not being in control, and the need to accomplish more and more as he knows he's getting older and he wants to achieve as much as possible. The studio's not in any danger but he goes above and beyond trying to make sure it stays that way, because losing his life's work is his biggest fear. Also, he's really paranoid. It's why he doesn't leave the studio too often, doesn't have a lot of friends, and forces the toons to stay inside for years. He's afraid of heights and flying too.

Also, Henry may not get drafted in this AU (I HC that he does in the main game, which is what pulled him from the studio) but that’s by sheer luck. When the US got involved in WWII and people started getting drafted, neither of them knew if Henry would be among them, and Joey was utterly terrified that he would be. Henry picked up on it but never said anything.

Henry: Henry's probably the most fearless of everyone, his biggest fears are falling behind and being a disappointment. Demons and witchcraft would be scarier if he wasn't exposed to it on a daily basis, he found them a lot more unnerving when Joey first starting messing with them but now its just a part of life. His workaholic habits partially come from the first fear, he knows he's super lucky to basically be HANDED this job (his dream job) and he really doesn't want to let anyone down, especially not Joey. As someone who values security he also fears death, not so much his own but the sudden death of his friends, family, and other important figures in his life. He's also got an acute fear of storms, but he doesn't get nearly as afraid of them as Bendy or Boris. Sometimes said toons huddle under his desk while he works when it storms, and Henry talks to them and tells stories so they can all feel more calm. Weaknesses and addictions? Caffeine.

Sammy: Right off the bat I can tell you Sammy's got a bad nicotine addiction. That's not a surprise to anyone. He starts getting antsy pretty quick if he tries not to smoke, and if he's already stressed out it only happens faster. He's terribly dependent on his cigarettes, they help his anxiety. He's also afraid of large crowds of people, which is why he prefers to go out later in the day and doesn't like going to studio events and parties. He usually has to anyway, but he doesn't like them and sticks close to Susie when he does. He doesn't like flying either, and he's afraid of something happening to Susie. If she ends up in trouble he will literally do anything to make sure she stays safe. He's not so much afraid of rodents as he is half-afraid, half-disgusted by them. He still jumps onto a chair or desk if one comes near him though.

Susie: Susie might be able to defend herself, but she's by no means unstoppable. She's afraid of walking around the city after dark alone (she’s afraid of being alone in the dark in general, as a kid she was afraid of the dark itself and it never entirely left her), if she misses the trolley she'd rather crash at Sammy's place than make the long and dangerous walk home. War is also terrifying to her, everything about it is upsetting - the unstable political nature of it, the way thousands of people are shipped out to fight and a lot of them don't come home, and their poor families... the ones that do come home, they're never the same. It's nothing but a terrible thing. Her dad is a vet from the great war (WWI) and she remembers being a kid, worried with her mum and older brother and sister about whether or not he'd come home. She's terrified of another war breaking out, and even more terrified about the people she cares about getting sent out and possibly dying. Also heights. Fuck heights. She's the most terrified of heights out of everyone at the studio.

Wally: Wally absolutely cannot stand being alone for more than maybe three minutes, and he hates small spaces (claustrophobia) and being trapped anywhere. He rarely closes a door behind him and if someone else closes the door he will immediately drop what he's doing to reopen the door. If the door is somehow locked, that's what he has his keys for - if he loses his keys as he so often does, or he can't pick the lock... he might literally kick down the door, or at least break the lock. He's also afraid of commitment (hence why he doesn't like starting romantic relationships, and when he does they fail within a month) and he's very dependent on money, because money is security and he grew up in the depression with six siblings and exhausted parents and he doesn’t want to be that poor ever again. He'll do almost anything to make a quick buck.

Norman: In his age he's gotten over a lot of fears, but if there's two things he'll be afraid of until he dies its bugs and the paranormal and otherwise unknown. Bugs make his skin crawl, and the paranormal and unknown... well, it's unknown. There's all kinds of spooky shit going on there. You can probably figure he wasn't too happy to hear Joey was messing around with witchcraft and demonic rituals, he actually almost quit when he did. A pay-raise and some convincing later, he pushed his worries aside - he only half regrets that decision now.

Shawn:

Shawn’s also a bit of a scaredy-cat if you can believe it. He screams at sudden loud noises, gets quickly unnerved at weird shadows out of the corner of his eye, and hates being in total darkness. Both the “not being able to see his surroundings” and “not being able to see what might be lurking in his surroundings” aspects of that last one really get to him, he always sleeps with the bedroom curtains open to let the moonlight in. His wife had to make a rule for how many stuffed animal comfort objects he’s allowed to have on the bed at once. Tell him a decent enough scary story and he’ll have trouble sleeping for a couple days. He’s a bit of a mess.

Thomas:

Thomas isn’t afraid of much, actually. It’s a perk to being mostly emotionally dead. He’s afraid of losing his dog, abandonment, and snails. Snails are just gross. Slugs are even worse. He’s not gonna scream if he sees one, he just really hates them.

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brigade-claire-opinions · 4 years ago

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Day 8: The Amityville Horror (2005)

Let's talk about this novel and this film.

The Amityville Horror was written by Jay Anson and published in 1977. It purports to be based on a true story, but a quick Google search will reveal that the claim is dubious at best. Sure, Ronald DeFeo Jr was convicted of the November 1974 murder of his family, and I wouldn't be surprised if their Amityville house is legitimately haunted, but there is no evidence that the events of the novel actually took place; au contraire, there is evidence that directly contradicts claims about damage to the house.

This novel concerns the Lutz family, who believe that they're getting the deal of a lifetime when they find a beautiful colonial home that's going for WAY below market value. The beginning of the novel tells you that the Lutzes moved into the home on December 18th, 1975 and then fled in terror in the middle of the night 28 Days Later™. The meat of the novel, of course, deals with those 28 days, in which spooky events begin to drive the family apart.

I actually really enjoyed this book. I picked it up at some point last year since it appeared on several "Scariest Books!" lists I found online and read it over the course of about 2 days last October. The narrative presented was well-written and gripping. It was the rare horror novel that got under my skin and had me occasionally flashing my phone's flashlight around the bedroom once the lights were out that night. I hope to read more horror novels that affect me in the same way, and maybe even talk about them.

I'd hoped the film would give me something similar.

Now, you may be wondering why we're going with this adaptation instead of the 1979 original. I'll explain why in three emojis:

💀💩👆🏻

Unfortunately, not even Mr. Pool himself could save this trainwreck.

So, I'll be frank and just get this out of the way now: this movie fucking sucked. It was annoying, loud, and just generally a chore to get through. I found myself frequently hitting Triangle on our Dualshock 4 to check how much of the movie was left. To my dismay, I checked it about an hour in to find that only thirty minutes had gone by.

Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George deliver some charismatic performances and provide some nice eye candy - hell, Chloë Grace Moretz plays a sizeable role here, and I was not expecting to see her in this film! - but everything here is shallow, obnoxious, and overwhelming. Nothing in this movie even remotely scared either of us. It was predictable and bland and committed every single cardinal sin that a horror film can commit.

I realize that the early-to-mid 2000s were more or less the awkward teenage years for horror cinema and served as a transition period between styles, but this was absolutely awful in every way. The score was annoying. The cinematography was headache-inducing - seizure warning, by the way, there are a lot of sequences with horrendous, unnecessary flashing lights - and, well, I don't really have anything nice to say. There are times where the film pretends to be setting up a cool scare or just doing something legitimately interesting, but then it immediately takes several leaps backwards!

As many of you may know, I was once an aspiring filmmaker. I wasn't a very good one, mind you, but my friends and I had a lot of fun filming things after school on Fridays. I never held those projects on very high regard; they were stupid student films, after all.

The point is, I had zero confidence in my filmmaking ability, and anything that would come out was absolute trash. All of that said, I wanted to make a short horror film when I was younger. I guarantee you that had that project come to fruition, it would be MUCH better than this piece of garbage. There were so many times when it could have been subtle and spooky, but it instead went with obnoxious and annoying.

Look, I'll stop talking your ear off. The point of this month was to talk about stuff that I actually enjoyed. I don't want to be that person who just angrily rants about bad movies because there's enough of that already. I don't want to waste my time watching something I know I won't enjoy, and unfortunately, that's what happened here. This movie has zero redeeming qualities and is just disrespectful to the source material and the true story of the tragedy in Amityville. The only enjoyment I had was riffing on the film with Rikka as it played out, and that's just... sad.

I did zero research on this one before I watched it tonight, and I wish I'd at least looked up something. Apparently the 1979 film is LEAGUES better, so I may look into that one in the future.

There are a few more adaptations I want to talk about before moving on. There's another haunted house book that I read and reviewed last year, and I think it may finally be time to discuss it and its most successful adaptation...

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dontbethatshank · 8 years ago

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You’re Drunk

A/N: I’ve had this idea for awhile but couldn’t figure out what to write. I drew some inspiration from various tumblrs who did the same/about the same imagines. But all writing is mine - if I can find the tumblrs I drew some of my inspiration from I will add them here later (: A/N: sorry they aren’t all the same length - I had more inspiration or ideas for some more than others.

Alby: The Flirty Drunk You had been with Alby since the day you both could remember - literally. You both entered this torturous lifestyle called the Glade together. You both became interlocked - a balancing act of the sorts.Where you lacked he surpassed and vice versa. So, to no one’s shock, you two ended up getting together within the first year of being in the Glade. Newt was happy for you and the others were mostly happy, some a bit disappointed, but mostly supportive nonetheless. You both had your quirks - Alby refused to eat burnt toast or to shower during the nighttime and you.. well your only major quirk is you refused to ever drink. You were a bit scared of what would happen seeing as you were the only girl and you had previously seen how the boys got... and no thanks. But after sometimes Alby finally convinced you He promised he would keep an eye on you. And that’s how you ended up here - drinking your fourth, or was it the fifth, cup of moonshine handed to you by one of the boys whom you couldn’t bother to even recall. Alby hadn’t seen you do much, just dance by the fire and tell some ‘spooky’ stories to Chuck. But... after that previous glass of moonshine hit you... you were gone. Soon you were dancing with all the boys - pulling Chuck towards you and dancing with him and then with Minho, then Zart, and even Gally, who was confused as all hell. But not only this, you were touchy and feely. You played with Newt’s hair, commenting on how you just loved his accent. You were laying on Minho’s lap, commenting on just how great his butt looked from all that running. Soon, Alby caught on. You were a flirty drunk. He was laughing it off, mostly because he knew nothing would happen, but also because many of the boys had the most bewildered look on their faces once you “complimented” them. And soon, it was Alby’s turn. You managed to work your way into his arms, humming and smiling, your body buzzing from the alcohol and energy from the night. “Mmm..” you mumbled, “you have a great body.” Alby looked at you quizzically, that was a... broad statement, he thought. “Like, your arms are real-ly nice. Ooh! And your abs - Dear God,” you groaned, poking at his stomach, “those are REALLY nice.” And so you went, ranting about anything and everything Alby. He tried to take you to bed, but the other boys kept asking you questions, encouraging you, until Alby was a blushing mess and you were about to pass out a drunken mess. Never again would Alby ask you to drink. Never. Again.

Minho: The Hungry Drunk It wasn’t uncommon for you to have a glass or possibly two glasses of Gally’s ‘special mix’ during bonfires. You enjoyed the laid back feeling you got from it... but after a hard week, a draining new Greenie from last month, and abnormally hot weather, you got plastered. You wanted to be so drunk you couldn’t remember why you got drunk in the first place. And, well, you succeed. You weren’t loud or rude or sexual or giggly... but you were hungry. You were a small person - you often annoyed Minho because you would sometimes skip lunch or breakfast, every now and again going through the day with only a few small snacks. But between working in the heat, being as small as you were, and working around the animals that had some foul smelling lifestyles, food wasn’t too appealing to you often. But drunk you disagreed. Frypan had skewered and cooked some meat, made some small sandwiches, and go stuff out for smores for tonight's bonfire. So far, you had eaten 10 s’mores, 4 sandwiches, and were eating your 5th skewer. Frypan looked at you with wide eyes and then at Minho. “Where does she put it..?” he asked, bewildered. Minho laughed and just watched you. You weren’t getting sick and you were having a good time. He decided that you could have two more skewers and split one last sandwich with him and then he would cut you off... but an entire sandwich and three skewers later, you were dragging Minho into the kitchen, determined to make yourself a grilled cheese before bed. Minho kept telling you that you ate enough, hell, you ate more than Gally, Alby, and himself combined. But you just shushed him, turning on a light and finding some bread and cheese. he just watched you and shook his head. You began “grillin’ yourself a cheese” and one for Minho, telling him random stories, half of which he couldn’t understand. Once you were finished, he picked you up, letting you eat your sandwich as you rambled on. At least he knew how to get you to eat now.... even if he was sure Frypan would kill him if he let you eat that much ever again.

Thomas: The Emotional Drunk Thomas learned early on how you got when you had too much to drink. You seemed to have one of the highest alcohol tolerance known to man, so very rarely could you ‘drink too much’. But four months after you came up, that exact thing happened. After one too many drinks, you were a bit of a mess. You were like a tornado of emotion. It was just you and Thomas, off in your small corner behind the log, talking about nothing and everything, when suddenly you became emotional. Thomas grew concerned... but after several mood changes and the numerous empty cups near you, he put two and two together himself. You went from laughing loudly, talking about how amazing the Glade was, how you loved being a cook and how Frypan was so hilarious and Newt was just so charming and Alby was the perfect leader. Then you would get angry, ranting about how terrible the Creators were. How you hated the stupid maze and how you wished you never existed just to live in this place. Then you became sad, crying quietly, mumbling randomly on and off about how you felt so alone being the only girl, how you wished you got to spend more time with Thomas, saying how you just wanted everything to make sense. This happened for a couple hours, and Thomas just laughed along wth you, calmed you down, and held you through every small, odd turn you had with your mind and with your emotions. He just reassured you that everything would be fine, that you weren’t alone, and he reminded you of what you loved so dearly about your little home in the Glade. It was a roller coaster of a night, but Thomas loved it oddly enough. He loved how you felt so passionately. He loved that you were so wrapped up in your emotions that they drove you through life. Your sadness pushed you to become stronger every day, your happiness encouraged you to be everyone’s friend, and your anger just made you resilient and refuse to give up. You lived a colorful life full of emotion, and Thomas wouldn’t have it any other way. There may be some tears, some angry shouts, and some too gleeful bouts of laughter, but he knew it was all you. So even though you were drunk, hiccupping randomly, and your emotions were just as unpredictable as the Maze, he just held you against him and played with your hair, listening to you.

Newt: The Giggly Drunk All the boys had a newfound love of bonfires, not just for the food, fighting, or alcohol - but also because of you. The boys all learned soon enough that once you were drunk, you became the giggliest person known to man. You would laugh at anything, you would poke Gally’s arms and giggle, whispering “mus-cles”, and would do everything just like a child. It gave the boys something to laugh over and it made them feel more at home, having someone to give them some laughter and make them all feel more connected. So here you were, celebrating the new Greenie, and you were already nicely drunk thanks to Minho, who had given you alcohol before the bonfire even began. You sat next to Chuck, the Greenie from last month, playing with his curls, giggling like mad Chuck just laughed as he watched you. You were like his sister, and you treated him like a brother. You were protective of him and always made sure to check on him throughout the day. And so there you were, fumbling with his hair, attempting to ‘braid’ it, while you giggled wildly as he told you crappy jokes. Suddenly, you stopped touching his hair and sat on your knees, facing him, a child-like joy dancing in your eyes. “Oh Chuck-ie,” you sang. “You wanna know a secret?” you asked, attempting you whisper, although everyone around you heard. Chuck was aware of this and was about to tell you no, no he did not because he didn’t want you to say anything to embarrass yourself. But, as per usual, Gally stepped in, slapping his hand down on Chuck’s shoulder before he could answer. “Chuck would LOVE to hear a secret, Y/N,” Gally said, a mischevious glint in his eyes, “the rest of us will cover our ears, go ahead.” Chuck glared at him, but you just giggled wildly. “Awwe! Gally Gal, you’re just so sweet,” you sighed, but then smiled at Chuck with immense glee. “Anyways, as I was saying,” you began, Chuck feeling his stomach drop, “you know how I re-ally like Newt? Like rea-llly like him?” Chuck felt his heart stop, the normal you would die before you said that out loud, you only told Chuck because he had flat out asked since he always caught you staring at Newt from your spot in the Deadheads where you and Chuck went to talk. “W-elll...” you drawled, “said Newt went into the wrong room last night after that big ole meeting all those smarty Keepers had yesterday night,” you giggled out, nodding as if stating an astounding fact. “He came into my room by mistake, and I was in the corner in the chair, ya’know, doin’ my thing; drawing on some spare paper and such. And Newt was soooooo tired he didn’t see me,” you told Chuck, and everyone else, Newt being one of them while he blushed bright red. “He’s got a lot of muscles,” you continued, nodding, now hugging your knees to your chest, “he got undressed for bed and everything, I tried to tell him he was in the wrong room, but by the time I said anything he was undressed and flopping into my bed. But wa-OH! I didn’t realize just how much muscle he had, did you? I didn’t, nope.” Newt was burning bright and Chuck looked like he was about to cry. Gally was stifling laughter and so was everyone else. “Buuut, I just went to his room and went to bed. I told him this morning I was in the showers and saw he went to the wrong room and just took his bed. He has NO idea,” you giggled, “so shhhhhh, don’t tell him!” After that night, several things happened. One, Chuck became a bit more intrusive whenever you got drunk, Two, you were endlessly harassed by all the boys, and Three, you ended up with Newt. It only took extreme drunkenness and life humiliation, but you finally got to be with him in the end,

Gally: The Honest Drunk Being the only female in the Glade, you became the mother of every single one of the boys. You had a job working with the animals and helping the slicers, but most of the time you were helping in the kitchen, helping the medjacks, or helping Alby and Newt creating lists for supplies and food and the like. You were honestly Mother of the Glade. SO instead of drinking during bonfires, you were typically helping some of the Gladers who decided to get wasted early. You helped them wash off from getting sick, helped them find good ‘hangover’ food and things of the like. But this time around, all the guys ensured you that you could drink. They all promised to take it easy, and they told you that you deserved to relax after a long and tiring week with the two main medjacks coming down with a nasty form of the flu and just now recovering and having the last couple of Greenies cut themselves up pretty badly while they trained temporarily with the slicers. And ith this offer, you happily obliged. You may have not been on the best of terms with Gally, but God damn could the boy make amazing drinks. Drink after drink, fight after fight, you were the life of the night. After three drinks your shirt came unbuttoned, after another drink your hair came down, and by the fifth drink, you had lost your pants. Most of the boys were enjoying the view and the ensuing entertainment, Newt was begging you to put your pants back on, but you blankly stared at him, and then grinned widely, grabbing his arms and beginning to dance. You placed his hands on your hips and began spinning in circles, Newt blushing madly and awkwardly trying to get you to let go of him. “Oh Newt,” you said, “you are one of the cutest fellas in here but you are oh so, so awkward.” With that you tapped your finger on his nose and giggled, deciding to go lay on the ground by a log, staring at the fire. “One of the cutest, eh?” Minho said, smirking. “So, who’s the cutest then, Y/N?” Minho probed. You looked up in thought. “Can I only choose one?” you pouted. “That wouldn’t be fair now would it,” Minho mockingly pouted back, “so... let’s start with Alby.” Alby looked from the said, eyebrows quirked, curious but also unintrigued by Minho. “Oooh! He has a real-ly nice voice, ugh, it’s like heaven. And his arms - those looks.. gah,” you explained, making weird hand motions. “Hmm... how about me?” Minho asked, smirking. You looked up at him, smiling drunkenly. “You have a really great ass, Min. That running does you good,” you said, patting him on his cheek, “Oh and your hair. You have great sex hair - just the right length to tug on.” As you spoke you played with Minho’s hair, who had a small blush but an even more noticeable smirk. He glanced around the crowd to find his next victim. “Oh really? Hm.. how about Gally? Do you find him cute, Y/N?” Minho asked, expecting a no possibly. You gasped loudly, getting up and sitting on your knees. “Gally! That’s my answer. He is the cutest. I really like Gally, but he doesn’t like me. But he’s really cute! And nice, he can be crabby, but he’s sweet still - he helps me with the leak in the roof a lot,” you smiled. Minho looked shocked,” Wait... you like, like Gally?” You giggled excitedly, Gally slowly making his way to the front, his arms crossed as he looked on, curious for your answer. “Well of course! Who wouldn’t? He’s a nice tall drink in this shucking Glade. That and have you seen him shirtless?!” you asked rhetorically, putting your hand to your chest dramatically. “I’ll happily take that boy for a ride any day of the week,” you nodded, humming. Silence. Everyone was silent. “Oh! But.. don’t tell him or anything. That might make things awkward, ya’know,” you smiled at Minho. And boy oh boy, could the irony be any richer.

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thisislizheather · 5 years ago

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September Shenanigans 2019

This is how I feel about the beginning of October.

To put it mildly, I’m excited. But before we start the greatest time of the year, here’s what went down in September!

I can’t seem to stop going to L’Artusi in the West Village, I might have a problem. This will be the only place I take all visitors for pasta from here onward. Recently I went to try a summer special they were doing: the summer ricotta gnudi with chanterelles, sweet corn and chilies. They also had their wagyu steak tartare as a special (they do this every once in awhile) and it’s by far the best steak tartare in this damn city. SO GOOD. And since summer was still well under way, I also got the corn with pepperoni, chilies and scallion ash as a side dish. (What the hell is scallion ash? Absolutely couldn’t tell you, but I gobbled it up.) SIDENOTE: I still can’t stop making their mushroom ragu at home. I tried it with Banza and holy shit, it was still good. I think I’ll be taking a break from making it any time soon since I’ve made it approximately 12,000 times, but you should definitely try it out if you haven’t already.

I’ve made this Crispy Balsamic Chicken a few times now because it’s insanely easy to make and comes together crazy fast. Also, I think I’ve learned the secret to crispy skin every time: PAT THE CHICKEN TOTALLY DRY! Maybe everyone knew this already, but I certainly did not. Nathan and I saw It: Chapter Two and loved it! I wasn’t expecting to since the first one is so great, but I might have liked this one even better! Also, hot tip: you know the Chinese restaurant they’re eating at in the beginning of the movie? Apparently (sources say) that was filmed inside the Mandarin on Matheson in Mississauga! That’s my Mandarin! I’m definitely going to ask about it the next time I’m there, because if that’s true that is MADNESS. So cool.

Since horror movie season has begun, Nathan and I watched Halloween 2 and Halloween 3: Season of the Witch and you know what? Not terrible! I remember seeing them as a teenager and bitching about how lame they were, but I was just acting my age, I think. Solid ass movies.

We also watched Psycho II and Psycho III and thought the same thing! Great movies! Okay, not great - but definitely not bad. Psycho II was a delight. We’re not better than horror sequels, people. We might think we are, but we ain’t.

I tried the new eyebrow pencil from Fenty and even though it’s a good product, it’s definitely not worth $20. I could get three Colourpop ones for less than that and it’s pretty much an identical product.

I’m a stone cold sucker for new Trader Joe’s products, so obviously I tried the new Organic Sparkling Apple Cider Drinking Vinegars and they. were. delicious. Both flavours. Insanely good.

I have been on a mission to find yellow underwear lately and finally found the motherlode at PINK. Yes, I hate that it’s part of the Victoria’s Secret brand, but I’m still on the hunt. Recommendations welcome.

I watched the new, short 9/11 documentary In the Shadow of the Towers: Stuyvesant High about the kids who went to school near the towers and it was really well done. Obviously incredibly sad, but I can’t help but watch any new 9/11 stuff that comes out for some reason.

I also watched Chelsea Handler’s new documentary about white privilege and parts of it were good, while other parts just made me roll my eyes a lot. The fact that there’s ever even a debate about white privilege will forever blow my mind. I get what she was trying to do with this project, but it kind of just missed the mark ultimately.

I finally wrote about my experience at the new TWA Hotel at JFK.

I have been toasting garlic and breadcrumbs in a saucepan until it’s lightly golden brown and then adding it as a heavy garnish to my pasta dishes lately and… I think I’m a new woman. Tastes unreal.

Here are some of my favourite photos from the summer and yes it looks like I love summer but I still think it’s the worst season, I promise you.

I wrote about our trip to Vermont last month.

I assessed how many things got done off of my summer list.

I rarely listen to new, whole albums anymore because… actually I don’t know why I don’t do that anymore. But people really wouldn’t shut up about Taylor Swift’s Lover, so I listened to it on Spotify and it was actually pretty good. Not all of it, god no. But my favourites include: Cruel Summer, The Archer and Paper Rings. And of course, I still can’t stop listening to this song.

I went to Bar Sardine for the first time and here’s what I didn’t like: the seating is wildly uncomfortable (stool seating? in 2019? pick it up, industry), the food was extremely decent but overpriced and the waitstaff (at least our waiter) was too pushy. Yes, the burger was good (I mean, what burger isn’t?), but for $17? Eat me. No. What are we doing here.

Also went to The Happiest Hour and passssssss. I’m so sick of this trend of TINY ASS BURGERS costing more than $15. Fucking done with it. I’m THIS CLOSE in vowing to never eat a restaurant burger again and just get Shake Shack instead. So sick of this shit.

I made my autumn list of things I want to do!

Some things that I’m looking forward to this month: new Big Mouth episodes on the 4th, I might take a day trip out to Sleepy Hollow, I plan to decorate, I’d really love to have an autumn party (and make use of this great punch bowl idea), think of Baby Dog’s Halloween costume, I’ll definitely watch a few of these, I may partake in the Pumpkin Float, I’m intending on doing my 31-days-of-Halloween celebration yet again (which means that I’ll try to do at least one spookily themed thing each day), and I cannot wait for the return of Riverdale (!) on the 9th.

Helloooooooo October, get your spooky ass in my bed.

If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went down in August over here!

#September #monthly roundup #this is liz heather #Liz Heather #Halloween #autumn #autumn 2019 #Halloween 2019 #Riverdale #Big Mouth

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cryptoriawebb · 8 years ago

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Dead Men Tell No Tales: review

What the hell, gotta start somewhere.

When I first heard about this movie, I initially wrote it off. The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has been around for so long and unlike, say, the Marvel Cinematic Universe or even the X-men films (of which I am personally partial to) they haven’t made any particular, long-standing mark, beyond Jack Sparrow as a character himself. That, and I wasn’t particularly impressed with On Stranger Tides. The story, I felt at the time, had wrapped up enough there needn’t be any further sequels, and standalone films (because that is what it felt like) seemed like nothing more than an excuse to keep pumping merchandise and Depp working in Hollywood.

However. I admit I have not seen On Stranger Tides since its release in 2011. I’m thinking I may go back and rewatch the entire saga, see if my overall opinion changes. I quite liked the first film, particularly the horrific angles and that it drew primary inspiration from a theme park attraction. When I heard this fifth installment was supposed to echo the first one in tone and supernatural involvement, I began to change my mind about writing it off. Then I saw the most recent trailer, a trailer that not only included Orlando Bloom, whom I assumed, along with Keira Knightly, left the franchise to pursue other opportunities, but Will and Elizabeth’s son. I admit, I’m a sucker for family relationship and tragic stories, and while yes, I would have been fine with leaving things At World’s End, a small part of me has always wondered what happened to the Turners after. Truthfully, I think I might have preferred a film focusing more on Bloom and less on Jack Sparrow; Jack’s…a unique eccentric, but as I said, I’m a sucker for tragedy.

Before I go any further I’d like to point out I tend to be anal about continuity. However many years apart these films are (any franchise, actually) they’re all telling one long story and things ought to flow as smoothly as possible. So I was a little confused, watching young Henry’s interaction with his father. If I remember correctly, Will could only return to land once every ten years, and the third film ended with the Dutchman sailing towards them. I may be wrong about that last part but I know for sure there was a ten year waiting period before reunion. So was this the first meeting between father and son? It didn’t seem that way, but the dialogue between them felt so melodramatic I couldn’t tell for sure. I’d like to think maybe it wasn’t, maybe Henry spent some months after meeting his father for the first time studying the Dutchman and mythology so he could find him at sea. Maybe along the lines of ‘finally meeting your father, seeing how much he cared for his family and how painful it was to say goodbye’ or something.

I blame the script more on Bloom’s delivery than the words themselves. I mean, they weren’t…the most original, reminded me of a soap opera, really, but there just didn’t seem to be any spark from Bloom, little or no energy. I don’t know if that was intentional or not but it kind of dampened what could have been a really dramatic moment. Ten years spent cursed among the dead…separated from your family against your will, that’s a lot to work with. I will say the boy who played Henry did a decent job capturing that urgent determination. I only wish it were reciprocated…

I’m not going to lie, part of me hoped, purely from a story perspective, Elizabeth had died. I think it might have added a little more to Henry’s character in adulthood; at the same time, I really did want to see the family reunited and I wasn’t expecting Knightly to appear, which might be why I informed my initial opinion. Off-screen mentions without appearance weakens a character’s intensity.

Honestly, I don’t have as much to say, scene-by-scene. Much of the film ran as most of in this franchise do: ludicrous schemes by Jack and his crew, chases and impromptu/chaotic character introductions, Barbossa’s sudden appearance, even the eerie sorcerous-types. Don’t get me wrong, the story itself contained elements I didn’t see coming; I’m referring to the overall method of delivery—the journey itself as opposed to the stops along the way.

I do want to mention Salazar before I forget. His opening scene was fantastic and probably my favorite moment in the film. It was, and such a tease. I’d hoped by the way he looked and carried himself I was in for a really dark, horrific ride. Instead, that promise fell a bit flat in favor of quirky inflection and sexual innuendo. I will give the movie points for blending both the dark and humor well together: I’ve seen a few movies over the last couple of years fail spectacularly in this regard. And I also admit my inclinations for the spooky really are more personal preference than anything implied by promotion. It has been a few years since I’ve seen the first movie; it may not be quite as dark or scary as I remember, older as I am now.

Back to Salazar…he was by far my favorite part of the film. Yes, I have seen a lot of villains driven half-mad by revenge, but he held a kind of captivating power about him when on-screen. I couldn’t look away. Normally I’m not the biggest fan of computer-generated effects over the practical but it worked really well for Salazar and his crew. His face, his hair…when he first introduced himself as death I genuinely thought he might be. I would certainly by Death having a vendetta against Jack. He escaped…twice now? Technically? Although not without help, if I’m remembering correctly. Going back to effects, I was absolutely fascinated by he and his crew: you could tell even before the backstory they walked exactly as they died—his hair mimicking the water he drowned in I didn’t catch until the flashback but damn…such a cool effect. I do also want to point out what practical effects there were though. Salazar’s mouth—really all their mouths. I watched a bonus feature included in the first film some years ago that went in detail about applying ‘pirate teeth’ to the actors. I’m sure methods have changed over the years, but it’s no less interesting. Oh, and the black blood, or whatever it was…that was truly horrifying. I loved it. Salazar was by far my favorite character in this film and in my opinion, its one notable highlight.

Praise aside, I’m not sure introducing a new villain in the ‘final’ film was the best decision. It hurts me to say it because again, I loved Salazar, but I really think bringing someone back, someone the audience saw perish on one of Jack’s adventures, someone who blamed him or perhaps actively pursued and failed to capture/stop/kill him, might have added emotional weight. I had read there was speculation regarding Norrington’s return; I personally would have preferred this. He really came into his own as a character and serves as a prime example of what getting involved with Jack Sparrow can do. To see him undead and commanding a power he never possessed in life would have been so…I don’t want to say horrifying again but it would have. Especially a reunion with Barbossa!

Don’t get me wrong, I do think there is importance and significance in delving into Jack’s past. We see a lot of who Jack is and hear of what he’s done but we never see who he was and what made him the way he is. Though Jack isn’t my favorite character I know he’s the heart of this franchise and he deserves development, too. He’s constantly called ‘the worst pirate [I’ve] ever heard of.’ And that’s true, he really isn’t a good pirate…but he carries with him the essence of someone who once was. He still sees himself as this great, untouchable captain and I bet that’s why he’s stepped in so many times and prevented a lot of awful things from happening. That, and I’m sure some part of him cares about the people he’s with (which in hindsight may be why some people see him as a poor excuse for a pirate.) I don’t know…this isn’t meant to be a character study. Just some things to think about.

While not entirely necessary I did find it cool, seeing how Jack achieved much of his iconic attire. And where the compass came from…although I can’t for the life of me remember why it’s tied to the Devil’s Triangle. I really should have rewatched the other movies beforehand.

As far as the other new characters, I was pleasantly impressed. I worried I’d see copies of Will and Elizabeth in Henry and Carina; while there were small nods here and there both stood out as individuals, Carina especially. I was afraid she’d follow the same trend several female protagonists seem to suffer from lately; namely, a staple for female empowerment and nothing more. Thankfully, she wasn’t. Yes, she was strong-willed and stubborn but so is most everyone in this franchise and those traits are not at all signs of surefire propaganda. Adding astronomy/horology to her character also helped her stand out; I haven’t seen a character in the PotC world yet really touch on it, and it’s such a fascinating concept, at least to me, in historical fiction. Before the world of google and apple maps, there were stars. And people who could read them as easily as Siri can our phones fascinate me.

Loved her banter with Henry, too. It was cute, playful but not without that stubbornness on both ends. I’m usually adverse to the whole ‘love interest’ subplot; there’s hardly enough time in movies and during ones that move ahead, rarely any chemistry. I didn’t mind these two, even though I expected it. I think that lively, friendly spirit between them helped: they felt a lot more like equals than a lot of other romances I’ve seen on-screen lately. Speaking of the on-screen experience, I did not at all expect her to be Barbossa’s daughter. I’ve seen enough movies now I can usually predict most twist and turns; I didn’t at all see this coming. That was a pleasant surprise, especially when so much else about this film carried an almost fatigued familiarity. I did enjoy it, and I would probably go see it again, if only to see if there’s more to pick up, but it never once heightened the stakes beyond what this series has come to be known for. That, in my opinion, was probably the greatest tragedy.

Going back to the characters, because I’ve still more to say, I’m repeatedly amazed how Barbossa’s character continues to develop. In my personal opinion, he stands out the most because of it. Looking back on where he came from in the first film to now…there’s a real, honest heart and realness to him—you really feel what he feels and I was genuinely saddened by his death. I know someone had to die—someone usually does in ‘final’ chapters but I really wish it hadn’t been Barbossa. I think some of this is definitely attributed to Geoffrey Rush, but some of it, too, to the script and direction. When he learned the truth about Carina, you could really see and feel what he felt; this continued in every scene following her but didn’t disrupt the pirate he was. Rather, I think it allowed another side only previously glimpsed to come out. Not just in previous films, but this one, too. I find it really interesting, and maybe clever, now, that he’s introduced as this lavish, temperamental ruler of the high seas. One might get the implication he’s become shallow, callous and full of himself, but this begins to change as his men begin to die and you discover more has changed than first assumed.

I really do wish Jack had been given an arc like Barbossa. Maybe not a surprise child, but something that drew more from him than his eccentricities. Although…one might argue the drunk, down on his luck pirate is development in of himself. We’ve seen Jack at his high points, but he isn’t where he was anymore and I wonder if the alcohol and insistence on tribute and whatnot are an attempt to cling to that greatness he once held…I digress. I would have liked to see more. Especially if this is the final installment. Jack is back on top again, but I’m not…entirely sure he earned it? If that makes any sense. He felt a lot more like a passenger in this film, an observer as opposed to an active participant. Strange, given the villain’s primary motives. In that regard, it is interesting when comparing him to Barbossa. At the start of the first film, they were in opposite positions. I mean Jack didn’t rule the high seas but he carried himself with an air that implied he believed it.

That sums up most of what I had to say. There are a few loose ends, however:

1) Why did no one age? Hollywood has this bizarre notion we can just pretend however many years have passed despite no one except the young characters aging. I don’t buy it, and I don’t like it. Barbossa was the only one I felt who looked older, but only just. I would have liked to see Jack with a bit of gray in his hair, or Elizabeth with a few more lines. I’m fine with Will not aging, it makes sense for his character and it’s kind of interesting to think about: he’s spent so long aboard that ship, so long trapped in his cursed state while his son’s grown up…and for Will, physically, it’s like almost no time has passed at all.

2) I’m glad Gibbs is back. He’s always been my favorite member of Jack’s crew. I did, however, miss those two goofy pirates. I forget their names, but one of them had a glass/wooden eye. They were always such fun characters and I can’t for the life of me remember what happened to them at the end of the last film (third film?)

3) Paul McCartney! Didn’t recognize him until afterwards. I enjoyed the exchange, but I admit, that little scene confused me; I wondered if Uncle Jack had been mentioned or seen before. Now I understand.

4) Did Barbossa know about the triton the whole time? Did he really believe it and study the location? I can’t remember.

5) That possession scene was not nearly as freaky as it could have been. Salazar seemed so assured the Triton would fix everything it kind of killed its encompassing awe. There should have been more emotional weight and it should have lasted longer. I think that would have helped heighten the stakes. Everything in this movie was ‘a little of this, a little of that.’ Sampling but never having a full dish to yourself.

6) I would have loved to see Poseidon. He’s one of my favorite Greek gods...although I doubt he’d actually look remotely Greek, but that’s another personal thing. I’m wondering if we’ll see him in a later film, now that his triton’s been destroyed. Or maybe he and the other gods have long since vanished—it kind of seems that way, with Calypso being a remaining oddity. Maybe the triton is a lone remaining artifact. Although I’m still surprised there wasn’t more protecting it. I can appreciate a different angle, although I think it hurt any direness the climax might have held.

7) Speaking of the gods, do their curses remain in place, with the triton broken? That was never made clear…I hope so. I love the mythos of the sea and if this isn’t the last movie I’d like to see it brought back in some way. It’s always (well, once I got over my crush on Jack) been my biggest draw.

8) What happened to Bootstrap Bill? Did he not board land with Will at the end of the film? Are we to assume he did even though we didn’t see it? Given the parallels between generations of fathers and sons, I’d hoped we’d see something more of him.

9) Speaking of Will’s return, I did tear up a little but I felt Bloom’s acting fell flat, again. I really hope that’s just me though. I loved Will’s character arc and if there is another film I hope it follows the buzz I’ve heard so far: focusing on him and his son. Provided Orlando’s up for it, of course. I don’t want to sit through two and a half something hours of him half-assing it.

10) Didn’t expect Keira’s cameo either. That was really touching.

11) Davy Jones????? Is he back? Wikipedia (yes, Wikipedia) said the Triton freed him from Calypso. I’m wondering if that means curses set upon by gods remain unaffected by the triton. It would explain that slimy, tentacle-silhouette. But if he has returned, then why? How? Is he the last cursed creature of the sea? What does he have against Will, now? And will there be another movie?

12) Less a critique and more personal wishlist: I wanted more skeleton pirates. I don’t know how or why, but I wanted them. Really bring everything full circle although I have no idea how you’d bring it back. Maybe Salazar succeeds in ‘killing’ Jack or something but the Triton’s power gets in the way? I have no idea. That final battle in the first film was so memorable I really wanted to see something similar. I also wanted to see the Dutchman in action. The sea was literally parted, how cool would it be to see that ship swimming alongside one wall?

I really need to rewatch these movies. So many unanswered questions! I can’t believe I’m getting excited about PotC again…never thought that would happen in a million years.

#pirates of the caribbean #dead men tell no tales review #jack sparrow #will turner #henry turner #hector barbossa #carina barbossa #armando salazar #returnedtothecrypt

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allyinthekeyofx · 8 years ago

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Dreamcatcher - Chapters 6 & 7

Prologue & Chapter 1 Chapters 2 & 3 Chapters 4 & 5

St Mary’s Hospital. May 4th 1999 1:07am Visitor’s room.

“You look tired.”

Scully raised her arms wearily and stretched them above her head, wincing at the audible cracking sound that came from deep within her shoulders.

“I’m fine,” she offered by way of reassurance. “Just been a long day, that’s all…”

As if to contradict her words, she trailed off as the end of the sentence was swallowed up by a yawn that she just couldn’t suppress.

Mulder grinned across at her.

“Want some caffeine, Agent Scully? You look like you could use some.”

“No, it’s OK.”

She got to her feet.

“I’ll get it. I could use the walk. Baseball lessons aside, my muscles are still protesting from too much inactivity. I’ll see if I can find anything out while I’m gone.”

On leaving the relative peace and quiet of the room, Scully was surprised to see the corridor beyond teeming with activity. She had spent a lot of time around hospitals, both as a doctor and as a patient, and in her experience even hospitals quietened sometimes.

Not so here apparently.

But then, she reminded herself, it was a small hospital, probably serving an area far bigger than its capabilities. Thankfully, though, its lack of facilities hadn’t seemed to detract from the care given to little Gina Robik when she was brought through to the ER. She had been assessed, treated and found a bed up in the children’s ward within an hour.

But then again, maybe the presence of two FBI Agents had speeded up the process somewhat, Scully reflected. Or maybe it was simply because it was such an unusual case.

By the time the ambulance had arrived at Brackenhurst, Gina had lapsed into what Scully could only guess was some kind of catatonic shock. In the space of ten minutes, the child’s breathing had become shallow, her pulse rate sluggish and despite everyone’s best efforts, she had remained totally unresponsive to external stimuli, although her eyes had remained open in an expression of pronounced fear.

Scully had never seen anything like it before, although in medical school she had read about cases of so-called waking comas, where the mind shuts down to avoid facing up to events beyond its normal rational capabilities.

Usually, though, a clear cause could be found, especially in children. She’d read about children who had witnessed the death of a parent withdraw into themselves, shutting out the world around them until some inner voice told them it was okay to come out again.

Tangible, explainable reasons.

Scully frowned.

What was Gina’s reason?

What had she seen in that room that would cause her to close down like this? Obviously it was tied in with the disappearance of Felicia Slabbert, but Mulder had ordered a thorough search of the building; forensics teams had been called in, their investigation centering around the area where Gina had been found. Their best efforts, though, had revealed nothing aside from the obvious - that Felicia Slabbert was gone.

There was no evidence of any kind to suggest that a third party had been involved, and Scully knew that her partner had already ruled out any misplaced kidnapping theories.

But if not kidnapping, then what?

The child had seen something, of that there was no doubt, but until the girl decided to join them back in the real world, Scully suspected that the answers would remain just out of their reach. It was anyone’s guess how long that might take. Hours, days, months, years even. There was just no way of knowing.

Deep in thought, Scully didn’t notice the figure coming toward her until it was too late, and before she could stop her forward momentum, they collided.

“Shit!”

She recognized the voice as belonging to the young doctor who had ministered to Gina hours before. He had been harried then. Now he seemed on the verge of hysteria.

Scully understood only too well the pressures heaped upon medical professionals and she didn’t even flinch at his choice of greeting. Besides, she had collided with the man after all.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

She held out her hand in apology.

“Special Agent Dana Scully. You met my partner earlier, I believe.”

Recognition washed over the man’s features, softening them slightly.

“Yes, Agent Scully. I remember. You and your partner brought the little girl in, right? I’m sorry for seeming a little brusque. It’s been kinda crazy here tonight.”

Scully waved away his apologies.

“It’s fine, really. I understand how busy you must be. But since you’re here, can you tell me, is there any change?”

He shook his head.

“I wish I could give you some good news Agent Scully, but no. I’ve just been up there, in fact. I’ve seen this kind of thing before. Only thing we can do is keep her as comfortable as possible and hope that she’ll come out of it. We’ve called her parents - they’ll be here tomorrow - often just the sound of familiar voices can help break through the barriers. For now, though, the best thing we can do is allow her to rest. She’s finally sleeping. I don’t expect her to wake before morning.”

He cocked his head on one side, contemplating the woman before him.

“Speaking of which, you look like you could use some yourself.”

“Excuse me?”

“Some sleep. To be perfectly honest, if I’d realized you were still here I’d have had one of the nurses send you home hours ago. But like I said, it’s been kinda crazy. Best thing you could do would be to go check into a motel somewhere and call us in the morning. I have numbers for a couple of decent places if you need them.”

Scully summoned up a tired smile, recognizing that he was just being polite. That he had better things to do than make small talk with her about local motels.

“No. Thank you. It’s fine. My partner has it all arranged already. But I do think I’ll take your advice. You have our numbers, right?”

He nodded curtly.

“Of course. I’ll ensure someone calls you if there’s the slightest change. Goodnight, Agent Scully.”

She watched as he continued down the hallway, his white coat billowing behind him until he was swallowed up by the dozens of other medical personnel and patients milling around the enclosed space. It suddenly felt too hot, and for a second everything seemed to turn liquid as she swayed slightly on her feet, the figures before her seeming to meld into one as they blurred and tumbled together. Clutching blindly at a convenient vending machine, Scully opened and closed her eyes rapidly, blinking until her vision returned to normal.

God, I must be tired.

Time to collect her partner and call it a night.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

CHAPTER SEVEN

Eeazy Sleep Motel. Cleveland Ohio. May 4th 1999 1:52am

They spent the journey back from the hospital in silence and Mulder suspected that their lack of communication had less to do with tiredness and everything to do with the perplexing nature of the case.

Certainly he had spent the drive formulating and dismissing several different theories as to what had happened earlier that evening.

And truthfully, he had no clue because, after all, he hadn’t been christened with the nickname Spooky for nothing and it was rare for him to be completely stumped by a case.

Usually he could rely on intuition to guide him through the tangled web that so often made up an X-File. Tonight though, this same intuition had all but deserted him.

A slight movement beside him, caught in the corner of his eye, prompted him to twist his head toward his partner.

Shit, she looks tired.

It had been a long day for them both, sure, but aside from when she had been sick, he couldn’t remember seeing her look so exhausted before. Her face was pale, lit by the ghostly glow emanating from the illuminated dashboard, and the carefully applied make-up of the morning had all but disappeared. It leant her a vulnerable, almost childlike air. It also allowed him to see the dark shadows underneath her eyes. Shadows that contrasted sharply against the creamy, white skin.

It worried him more than he would ever admit. This case, horrific as it already was, would be doubly hard for her to deal with in light of the lingering wounds she carried close to her heart. She never told him as such, but it wasn’t hard for him to appreciate that she was still grieving for Emily.

They never talked about it. He wasn’t sure that she talked with anyone. It wasn’t Scully’s way to admit need. Not about anything. And certainly not to him.

He had caught her unawares once though in the office they shared, the memory of the way she looked imprinted forever on his psyche.

He had left for the day, needing to gather some information pertaining to a case they were working on. Mind elsewhere, he had reached his car only to discover that he had left his keys atop the desk where he had casually tossed them earlier in the day. Cursing softly he had made his way quickly back to the office, only to freeze in the half open doorway when he saw her. Her back was to him, shoulders shaking as she sobbed silently. She was holding a photograph in her hand, tracing her finger over its surface.

Mulder hadn’t been able to make out the picture upon it.

He hadn’t needed to.

Emily.

Scully’s daughter. Known for such a short time before she was taken from her, but long enough for Scully to love her.

Long enough for her to mourn her passing.

Ignoring the need that ached within him to enter the office and take her in his arms, knowing that it wasn’t what she wanted, he had pivoted and walked away, out of the building and straight to the nearest bar. He hadn’t moved until the bartender had begun to pointedly sweep the floor around his feet, signalling that it was time for Mulder to get the hell out so he could close up for the night.

And now, looking across at her, he prayed that she wasn’t reliving past horrors.

“You okay, Scully?

He watched as she rubbed a hand across her face, attempting to bring herself back to alertness.

"I’m fine. I’m just hoping you have some insight into all this, Mulder, because I sure as hell don’t.”

He didn’t answer her. He didn’t know what to say.

“Mulder?” she persisted.

He shrugged.

“The truth, Scully? I don’t have a clue. Three missing girls. One who turns up looking like she’s been thrown into a Cuisinart? A school that looks like it fell off the pages of Country Life magazine full of kids who make Stephen Hawking look ignorant? You tell me. Maybe I’m losing my touch.”

Scully absorbed his words, struck suddenly by the defeat she heard in them. It wasn’t like him. She was accustomed to hearing any number of outlandish theories spill from his lips. And although she saw it as her purpose in life to balance out those same theories with the voice of reason, she also knew that she relied on him to make sense out of the things they encountered.

More than he would ever know.

“What about this? You were going to explain it to me.”

Mulder flicked his eyes away from the road and, for a second, settled them on the intricately woven framework of thread, beads and feathers.

“It’s called a dreamcatcher. There are several Native American legends as to its purpose. I thought maybe it meant something. Now I’m not so sure.”

Scully waited for him to continue, but after long seconds had passed uncomfortably between them, she delved a little deeper.

“Care to share or do I have to guess?”

Mulder sighed, the sound reaching her across the vast distance that seemed to separate them. She’d seen this before, seen her partner withdraw into himself when in the grip of a difficult case.

The fact that she understood it, though, didn’t necessarily mean she accepted it.

“It’s a kind of good luck charm. Meant to protect its owner against bad dreams. Sort of a preventative measure…it’s an age-old story. Passed through one generation to another…”

He trailed off as the lights of the motel came into view, and Scully waited until he’d piloted the car to a halt in front of the office before speaking again.

“I’d like to hear it.”

Mulder froze, his hand halfway to the door release.

“Hear what?”

“The legend.”

“Of the Dreamcatcher?”

He sounded so incredulous that Scully almost laughed out loud.

“That surprises you? C'mon Mulder, you’ve spent the last six years filling my head with alien abduction stories, prehistoric lake monsters, all manner of mutants and freaks of nature, and you’re surprised that I would want to hear a simple Native American folk tale?”

Mulder gazed at her, as though trying to figure out whether she was sincere or not.

Her asking to hear one of his outlandish tales was such an un-Scully-like thing to do that for a few moments he was literally rocked backwards. Ever conscious, though, that she might just be humouring him, he offered her one last get-out.

“It’s late. You sure you want to hear it? It could wait till morning.”

Scully smiled back at him softly.

“Call it a bedtime story then.”

Mulder laughed in response as the moment lightened perceptibly for both of them.

“Ahhhhh, Scully, if you only knew how many times I’ve waited for you to say that…”

XXXX

Thirty minutes later Scully regarded her partner from behind the over-sized Styrofoam cup of steaming hot chocolate, which he had magically produced from behind his back.

He had, he’d informed her, taken a quick side trip across the street to the all- night diner - because, he proclaimed, solemnly enough to make her laugh - that no bedtime story was complete without chocolate and marshmallows.

It had made Scully feel like she was six years old again, evoking as it did sweet childhood memories of her mother coming into the bedroom she had shared with Melissa and sitting with them in the warmth of the room, as they listened wide-eyed to the stories she had told from her own childhood.

It seemed like only yesterday.

A thousand childhood memories that she herself had hoped one day to share with her own daughter. Memories now that would remain forever locked in her heart, to wither and die with her when the time came.

There would be no one to share them with.

Not now and not ever.

They had both showered and changed for bed. She in comfortable satin pajamas, Mulder in cutoff sweats and an old T- shirt. There had maybe been a time, way back in the beginnings of their partnership, where Scully might have felt self-conscious to be seen by the man before her dressed so casually. Not anymore though. Now, sharing time and space with him before he retreated to his own room for the night had become almost commonplace. A way to allow the tensions of the day to flow from them before succumbing to sleep.

The Dreamcatcher lay at the bottom of the bed.

Scully had allowed herself to properly examine it while Mulder had jogged across to the diner to fetch hot chocolate. The intricate patterns had captured her imagination, and she had found herself tracing a finger along its edge, closing her eyes, drifting off.

She had to admit that something about it had piqued her curiosity, aroused a need within her to fully understand what it stood for.

So she waited for Mulder to begin, once again closing her eyes as his words swirled around the small room.

He spoke softly, from his position across from her, seated on the small, ratty sofa while she lay half lying, half sitting on the bed, almost like a father recounting a fairy tale to a small, sleepy child.

“Throughout history, nearly every person and culture has placed importance on the meanings of their dreams. Dreams are still a powerful force in many people’s lives, particularly because of the meanings that can be found in them. I have a half dozen X-Files that speak of just such phenomena, Scully. How dreams can affect our lives, our relationships, our everyday actions. How by listening to and understanding what our dreams are telling us we can shape our very destiny.”

He paused, and Scully was pretty sure he was sipping at his own hot chocolate, maybe getting his thoughts in order so as to tell the story in the way it was meant to be told.

“To the people of the Ojibway tribe, night visions, or dreams, were so important that children were not given a name until a person designated as the namer of that child had a dream of what name should be given. The namer would bestow a gift upon the child, a charm woven to look like a spider’s web. Hung from a loop above the baby’s cradle, the Dreamcatcher was believed to catch any bad dreams floating in the air, ensnaring them like a spider’s web traps an insect. It was believed that only good dreams could pass through the hole in the centre of the web, sliding down the feather at the bottom to fall into the baby’s head. The bad dreams couldn’t navigate the web, and would hang there, suspended until the first rays of morning sunlight burned them away.”

Scully opened her eyes and regarded her partner through hooded lids.

“Sounds like something you could use. Do you think they work? The Dreamcatchers I mean?”

Mulder shrugged.

“Maybe. If nothing else, you yourself know how powerful the act of suggestion can be. Call it superstition if you will…..good magic………whatever. I think if the user believes it will protect their dreams, then it will. Much like the modern day version of a placebo. Believe in something strongly enough and it becomes a kind of truth.”

He was silent then, dropping his eyes from hers, and something inside Scully cracked as she read his expression.

Mulder had spent most of his life desperately wanting to believe.

Steadfastly refusing to give up the belief, even in the face of ridicule, that he would one day be reunited with his sister. It was a hope he clung to as if for life itself.

His own version of a Dreamcatcher and just as elusive.

“Mulder…”

He shook his head wearily and rose to his feet.

“It’s late. You’re tired and we have an early start. I should let you sleep.”

Don’t go.

“What?”

He stopped in his tracks as though struck. Had she just said what he thought she’d said? He hadn’t heard her exactly, or at least not in any traditional sense. But her words had reached him as surely as if she had whispered them directly in his ear.

“Stay. Please.”

She looked as confused as he did, as though she didn’t know how to proceed.

Sitting up in the oversize bed, she looked suddenly vulnerable, unsure of herself, of what was real. But her expression cleared again, the confusion replaced with a kind of peaceful clarity. The same expression he had seen fleetingly cross her face that night at the park, and without hesitation, he headed toward the bed, waiting as she scooted across to make space for him to join her.

His heart beat painfully as she reached out to him. Allowing him to snake an arm around her so that her body rested against him softly.

“Tell me the rest of the story, Mulder.”

And so he began again, losing himself in long-ago tales of Indian women who could transform themselves magically into spiders, spinning webs to protect their fellow clansmen.

Of children protected for all eternity beneath the webs, sleeping peacefully beneath their silken strands as women bestowed upon them gifts of peace and tranquillity to carry them into dreams.

And long before he was finished, he felt Scully relax even further against him as she, too, was transported into gentle slumber.

Her breathing was deep, peaceful as she rested against him, and for a few minutes he luxuriated in the feel of her, watching over her as she slept, trying to make the agonizing decision whether to stay or go.

Finally, he carefully planted a kiss on her brow, feeling the heat of her skin against his own lips, before reluctantly disentangling her limbs from him and laying her gently against the pillows.

His movements were such that she didn’t stir, not even when he reached down and smoothed a few strands of the rich, titian hair from where it rested against her porcelain skin.

Sweet dreams, Scully.

Continued Chapter Eight

#dreamcatcher #my fic

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