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troubledinkbeing · 6 years ago

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Batim: Hunter’s Tale

Chapter one “New employee, new job, new friends!!”

Joey Drew Studios, January thirty first, 1932. Hunter walked into Joey Drew Studios, famous for their Bendy the dancing demon cartoons, and, her first job since her last one. “Hello?” Hunter called. Hunter had been taking in the studio’s interior and wasn’t looking where she was going when she bumped into someone. “Oops! Sorry!” Hunter apologized. “WATCH IT!” He snapped. “Sorry!” Hunter apologized. “Ya better be!!” He snapped. “TOM! BACK OFF, WOULDJA?!” Someone with a brooklyn accent shouted. So this must be Tom. “Wally. Late, as usual.” Tom growled. “I ain’t ever late! I arrive precisely when I desire!” Wally said. “So yer late.” Tom said. “That’s fair. Anyway, leave the newbie alone. She just got here and she’s new so she doesn’t know the layout yet.” Wally said. “Fine.” Tom said stalking off. “You okay, kid?” Wally asked. “You’re fine…..” Hunter said absentmindedly. “What?!” Wally gasped. “I-I-I-I-I mean I’m fine!” Hunter chuckled, hiding the lower half of her face to hide that she was blushing. “Well, okay then!” Wally said. Wally walked away, whistling a tune that Hunter had recognized.

The music department. One of the larger departments of Joey Drew Studios, but still somewhat small. Hunter was admiring the large space when she bumped into someone who was taller than her. (About 7 foot 7.) “Watch it, pal.” He grumbled. “Oh, sorry!” Hunter apologized. “Whatever.” He said, picking up the sheets of music he dropped. “Here, lemme help.” Hunter said, picking one up. “ ‘Untitled monument’ Wait-that’s the song composed by Samuel Lawrence!” Hunter gasped. “Of COURSE I AM, YOU FLAT B CHORD!” Sammy scowled. “Go easy on her, Sammers, she’s new.” A gruff voice said. “Fine.” Sammy grumbled. “Thanks…?” Hunter started. “Jack. Jack Fain!” Jack smiled. “Nice to meet you two!” Hunter smiled. “My sheet music please.” Sammy asked. “Oh! Right!” Hunter said handing them back. “Thanks.” Sammy said taking them back. “I was told to find Norman Polk?” Hunter asked. “Norman. Right. Follow me.” Sammy said walking to the projector room. “Okay!” Hunter said, following Sammy.

“No, no! Peter, yer flat! Ya gotta B sharp!” Norman said. “Wow. Like they haven’t heard that joke a bajillion times.” Sammy groaned. “Sammy. What’re ya doin’ back here?” Norman asked. “I have someone who was instructed to find you.” Sammy said. “Oh? Who?” Norman asked. “The newbie.” Sammy said. “Oh! The newbie! I thought they arrived tomorrow!” Norman said. “Sadly, no.” Sammy sighed. “Oh come on, Sammy! Ya gotta lighten up!” Norman smiled. “You’re very funny. Ha. Ha.” Sammy groaned. “Anyways, why’d they need to see me?” Norman asked. “Joey sent me to find something to do, Mr Polk, sir.” Hunter said respectfully. “Please! All my friends call me Norman! And what might your name be?” Norman asked. “Hunter. Hunter Cruz!” Hunter smiled. “Nice to meet ya, Hunter!” Norman smiled. Sammy walked out. “So, we’ve got a small issue here, we’re givin’ the toons some voices, and we have one for Alice and one for Boris, but we don’t have one for Bendy.” Norman said. “Want me to try?” Hunter asked. “Ya can try!” Norman shrugged. “Okie doki loki!” Hunter hopped down into the recording booth and started practicing a voice for Bendy. Joey walked into the recording studio and was caught off guard by how good Hunter was at the voice. “She could fit the role!” Joey gasped. “I think so, too! She’s a professional!” Norman mused. A few hours later, Hunter finished and walked out on Joey and Norman talking. “Oh! Sorry! Am I interrupting anything?” Hunter asked shyly. “Of course not!” Joey beamed. “So…..How’d I do?” Hunter asked. Norman and Joey looked at each other and nodded. “We’ll have to take it up with the head of the voice acting department, but ya did really well!” Joey praised. “Can’t imagine the little devil himself bein’ played by anyone else!” Norman smiled. “And if ya don’t get it, that’s fine! You can be the ‘mold’ of the studio!” Joey proclaimed. “Neat! What’s that?” Hunter asked. “Basically, we can’t think of a job for ya, so you’ll do whatever we need!” Joey smiled. “Oooooh! I get it now!” Hunter gasped. “Yep! Super easy!” Joey said. “Unless Wally dumps his responsibilities on ya.” Norman chuckled. “Wait-what?” Hunter asked. “What?” Norman asked. “What?” Hunter asked. “What?” Norman asked. “What?” Hunter asked. “Wha-I see what you’re doin’!” Norman said. “Be mindful of corners, though! Wally’s QUITE the prankster!” Norman warned. “Oh. Okay!” Hunter said. After excusing herself, Hunter left.

As Hunter was rounding a corner, she got lost in her thoughts. “Okay guys! Here she comes!” Wally grinned. “Don’t you think this is mean, Wally?” Henry asked. “Henry, listen; sometimes, ya gotta put standers aside and just have fun! Oh- here she comes!” Wally said grabbing the cardboard cutout. Hunter got close to the end of the corridor before a Bendy cutout leaned out from behind the wall. “AAAHHHH!!!!!!!” Hunter screamed. (Elsewhere) “*Sigh* There goes Wally again.” Norman sighed, shaking his head. (With Hunter) “WALLY WHAT THE EVERLIVING SAM HELL WAS THAT FOR?!?” Hunter snapped. “I’m sorry-I couldn’t resist!!” Wally cackled. “Sorry about that-it’s Hunter, right?” Henry asked. “Y-Yeah, and you are?” Hunter asked. “Henry. Henry Stein.” Henry said, shaking Hunter’s hand. “(HIS HANDS ARE SO SOFT OH MY WORD.)” Hunter thought. “Hello?” Henry asked. “Oh! Sorry! Got lost in my thoughts!” Hunter chuckled nervously. “Yeah, Joey does that a lot!” Henry smiled. After saying goodbyes, Hunter went off to work on something Joey instructed her to do; come up with new character designs. Should be easy, right?

After Hunter finished, she brought the designs down to the animation department. “So we’ve got a Bunny and a……?” Mike asked. “A dragon, sir.” Hunter said. “Huh……they ARE adorable….Lemme talk about it with Joey, okay?” Mike asked. “Okay!” Hunter said. Hunter walked out and sat down in the break room, spacing out. “Sorry ‘bout earlier, I was bored and wanted to spook ya! Hope yain’t mad!” Wally apologized. “Oh! It’s fine!” Hunter assured. “So, I heard ya auditioned for Bendy?” Wally asked. “Yeah, I think I did good! Why?” Hunter asked. “Well, I got Boris, so I was thinkin’ maybe we could be friends?” Wally asked nervously. “Sure thing!” Hunter said. “Wait-really?” Wally asked. “Yeah, did I stutter?” Hunter joked. “I don’t think so…” Wally hummed. “It-It was a joke.” Hunter said. “Oooooooh!” Wally said. “Sammy likes jokes!” Wally said. “Really?!” Hunter gasped. “Totally!” Wally said. “Let’s go! I have a BUNCH to tell!” Hunter said. Hunter bounced off. Norman leaned in, scowling. “It’s only her first day here, Wally. Her first day. Her first day, and ya kill her.” Norman scowled. “She’ll be fine, Norm!” Wally scoffed.

“Office of Samuel Lawrence.” A sign above the room boasted. Hunter shifted her hold on the report she was supposed to give to him, and shakily got ready to knock. She noticed her hand was shaking and that her vision was going blurry. She blinked and shook her head. She had to knock. This report wasn’t gonna deliver itself. She lifted her hand again, ready to knock, but…..She didn’t. This was NOT that hard!!! He’s just seven foot seven! A full two feet and five inches taller than her!! And she was significantly weaker than him……..And he could probably break her like a twig if he so desired……..This doesn’t seem like such a good idea after all. She turned around to walk away, but as soon as she stepped one foot away, she heard the door click open. “It doesn’t take that many muscles to knock, you know.” Sammy said sarcastically. “R-Right!” Hunter stuttered. Sammy gestured for Hunter to follow him inside and she shakily followed. Once inside, Hunter shakily handed Sammy the report. “There’s no need to be so afraid of me, you know.” Sammy said, reading over the report. “I know, I just have a fear of tall people is all.” Hunter chuckled nervously. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Sammy asked, glaring up from the report. “We-Well, I-I m-mean tall people a-are v-very i-intimidating-!” Hunter started before Sammy held up a finger to silence her. “Not ALL tall people are violent, you know. That’s just stereotyping. I use my height for CONstructive work. Not DEstructive.” Sammy snapped. “I know, I’m sorry-!” Hunter was cut off again. “I would NEVER use my height for anything bad, but if you think I would, I’ll show you what I CAN do with my height!!!” Sammy snapped. Hunter backed up nervously. “I-I’m sorry, I-I shoulda b-been m-more c-careful w-with m-my wording…!” Hunter whimpered. “Are you now? Golly, I should accept your apology! NOT.” Sammy frowned. “You’re afraid of me for no reason?” Sammy chuckled. “I’ll give you a gosh dang reason to be afraid of me.” Sammy said. Before Hunter could say anything, she felt a fist come into contact with her face, sending her launching into the back wall. “S-Sammy, I-“ Hunter started. “You what?” Sammy growled. “I-I’m sorry!!” Hunter whimpered. “Well, that’s a start.” Sammy sighed. “But, just to be sure that this won’t happen again-“ Sammy said picking Hunter up by the neck. Hunter struggled weakly. “Let’s show ya what my fists can REALLY do~!” Sammy smirked. Before Hunter could object, she felt some punches get thrown at her face, and her arm hurt abnormally. “Ouchie!!” Hunter whimpered, cradling her arm. Sammy dropped Hunter and walked off. A few seconds later, Hunter felt Sammy grab her arm. “Ow-!” Hunter started. “If you whimper in pain I will stuff this down your throat.” Sammy snapped. Hunter remained silent. Sammy made a makeshift cast for Hunter’s arm since it had accidentally broken. “Just keep it like that until you can schedule an appointment with your doctor.” Sammy said. Hunter nodded weakly. “I didn’t rough you up too much, did I?” Sammy asked. Hunter shook her head no. “Alright.” Sammy said. “S-Sorry again, Mr Lawrence, sir.” Hunter apologized. “Oh, it’s quite alright! I’ve done that with everyone at one point or another!” Sammy chuckled. “Except for Susie?” Hunter asked half-heartedly. A bright crimson blush dusted Sammy’s face. “W-Wait a second!!!” Sammy snapped. “Yeah?” Hunter asked carefully. “W-Well, she’s a girl-!” Sammy started. “As am I.” Hunter said flatly. “WHAT?!? But ya sound like a guy and look like one, too!!!” Sammy gasped. “O-Oh…..Th-Thanks for that…..” Hunter said sadly. “I did NOT mean to call you flat-chested!! Not at all!!” Sammy stuttered. “N-No no, i-it’s fine.” Hunter said, slowly getting up. “I-I’m sorry-!” Sammy started. “It’s FINE, Sammy!” Hunter accidentally snapped. “I’m sorry.” Sammy apologized. Hunter limped out. Shawn and Allison were chatting in the break room when Hunter limped in. “Hecking Ifreann. What happened to YOU?!” Shawn asked. “Sammy.” Hunter grumbled. Allison rushed over to Hunter and gave her an ice pack for her eye. “Thanks…” Hunter said icing her eye. “What didja do to get Sammy so mad at you, anyway?” Allison asked. “Just called him out for being tall.” Hunter said. “AN BHOIR MHÓIRÍ.” Shawn grumbled. “SHAWN!!! Language!” Allison said. “Jerk?” Shawn asked. “Better.” Allison said. “What did he say before?” Hunter asked. “Well-“ Shawn started. “Nothing you need to know, dearie.” Allison said. “GACH SPOILSPORT!” Shawn grumbled. “What’s he saying?” Hunter asked. “He’s just calling me a spoilsport.” Allison said. After getting fixed up, Hunter went back upstairs and finished up getting her office set up. After Hunter finished her shift, she started heading to the door. “Hey, Hunter? Can I talk to ya for a sec?” Susie asked. “Oh, uh, sure!” Hunter said. Hunter walked over. “What’d ya nee-“ Hunter started. “I saw you getting close to Sammy. Lemme say this, if you try to take him away from me, you’ll regret it.” Susie snapped. “I’d never do that to ya! It was JUST an accidental run-in! Nothing more!” Hunter explained. “Sure. Just watch your back.” Susie said. Hunter sped home, noticing the time.

#susie campbell #Sammy Lawrence #Jack Fain #Norman Polk #Shawn Flynn #Hunter Cruz #Joey Drew #Henry Stein #allison pendle #Thomas Connor #Peter Ano #Batim OC #My OCs #My Writing #Pregame Obviously #Batim Fanfic

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mamgt · 7 years ago

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Falling Stars

Chapter 5: The Stars Would’ve Waited

Song: Stars Falling Down by Kina Grannis

If you want to read the whole fic click here.

Today is Tom’s last day in L.A. before he flies off for the press tour of Avenger’s Infinity War. He came over to my house and asked if we could walk around. I asked Darnell to come along with us because I found it rude to just leave him in the house. Also, because I needed a little back-up just in case I choked. I had this idea of telling Tom about how I felt. I was just waiting for the right moment and if the right moment came while we were out, I needed some back-up.

However, once we were out, Darnell all of a sudden had some “errands” AGAIN. Of course, that meant he was finding an excuse for Tom and I to be alone. I knew it was him big brother-ing me. I told you, he knows me so well. I didn’t have to tell him that I had plans to tell Tom. That and because him and my mom talked about it behind my back. They did it because they cared, I know that. They’re all rooting for me. It’s just me who isn’t rooting for me. Walking on a red carpet was a different form of confidence than telling someone you like them.

I just need some sign, a green light to press on the gas and say ‘hey dude, I like you.’ Anything, give me something, universe.

Tom and I passed by a comic book store. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into it so fast that I started to see stars.

“Omg! Look at these!!” He was still holding my hand when we started looking through the comic books and only had let go when he jumped to another pile excitedly. I watched him as he moved around the store like The Flash (not the bully, the superhero), like there was something more interesting in the next pile and the next pile. He looked so cute running around and I could feel a smile creep up my face reminding me of how hard I fell for this boy. I mean, look at him. Who wouldn’t fall for him? Could he blame me?

“Hey!” Tom said, coming up to me.

“What?”

“Do you want that?” He pointed to the comic I had pulled out midway. I didn’t notice I was even holding it. I must have stood there like a deer in headlights - frozen. The whole time Tom was looking at comics, I was only looking at him. I inserted the comic back from where I got it.

“Nah…I was just looking at it.” I shrugged.

“Okay, good because I got you something better!” He pulled me towards the cashier.

“Hey Mike! Do you have it?”

“Hey Tom! Yeah I got it here!” who I am assuming is Mike was talking, a white guy in his late 30’s. He opened a slide door behind the cash register and emerged with a box full of comics. He dropped it on a table and had his back to us.

“Of course you’re the special lady he reserved this for!” Mike teased. He was talking to me when he turned to face us. In his hand, brought out in front of me was a Spider-man comic book. Not just any comic book. The very first one.

“Oh. I guess?,” I replied to Mike. I looked at Tom who wouldn’t look up at me and his big ears were starting to turn pink.

“Good haggler this one! He’s a keep—”

“Ha-ha! Okay… Thanks again Mike but we really have to go.”

“Right. Right. Do you want me to uh…put it inside a paper bag?”

“Z?” Tom asked me.

“Yes please!” I said.

Mike mumbled as he grabbed a paper bag and slid my comic book in,. “This is really one of a kind. You must be something, I mean your miss Zendaya, but would I give up…this comic book for any gal?” he said under his breath but loud enough that I could hear him but I was sure that Tom could hear him too.

“Uhhh thanks again Mike, see you soon man” Tom said as he quickly picked up the paper bag and went straight for the door.

“Wait! Wait! Tom!” I said lagging behind him. He stopped and I was able reach out for the paper bag. “What’s your hurry?”

“Oh. Nothing. Sorry. Yeah. You didn’t even get to…”

We moved out of the doorway and stood outside the comic book shop. I pulled the comic book from inside the paper bag and looked at it again. I couldn’t believe Tom got this for me. Several thoughts ran through my head.

I didn’t even know these still existed and right under my nose! There was one here in L.A.? This must’ve cost a fortune! Did he get one for himself too? I mean, he should be the one keeping this? He’s spider-man! Yeah, I’m a big fan and I’m not even being biased. Before, I got the role of Michelle, my favorite superhero has always been spider-man but—

“I can’t believe you got this for me…” I whispered under my breath, still staring at the comic book in mint condition still wrapped in plastic. “Amazing Fantasy” it read on the cover. “12 cents,” the little logo read and I touched it with my finger.

“Do you like it?” I looked up at and saw Tom with his big brown eyes staring back at me.

“I love it…” I smiled at him and gave him a hug. When we let go I said, “So you’ve been here before?” I pointed at the comic book store.

“Yeah, I mean. A couple of times,” he shrugged.

“Uh-huh. Couple times that the guy at the cashier already knows your name?”

“It’s an easy name to remember…”

“So I’m guessing it was just a coincidence that we passed by here too huh?”

“No. Okay,” he admitted with his head hung low. “I planned it but hey, it’s our last day hanging out together! I wanted to give you something spe— nice. Give you something…nice…”

“This…this is more than nice! Thank you Tom! This really means a lot. I can’t believe you! How did you even get this? Did you get one for yourself?”

“No..uh..it was just one copy and I wanted to give it to you. I know how much you like Spider-man.”

You mean you…how much I like you…

“But you’re Spider-man! Don’t you want this for yourself?”

“Nah… I really got it for you.” He put his hands in his pockets and his ears were still pink moving towards red now. I wondered if this was it. Was this the green light to tell Tom how I felt? Would any guy, who didn’t feel something for his friend, actually go out his way and do this? Can I still say he was just being nice? To be honest, I’ve only known him for less than two years and yet I spend almost every second I can with him. If he didn’t feel the same way, why spend this much time with me? He could literally get any girl, any girl he wants…

“Hey Tom!” It was Mike. He walked out of the comic book store and asked Tom if he could take a picture with the Spider-man statue.

“Sure, man!,” Tom said as he moved to the side of the Spider-man statue who was wearing the hoodie from our fictional high school in Spider-man: Homecoming. I didn’t even notice it because Tom was too excited to get into the comic book store. We admired it for a bit saying how cool it was they got all the details.

“They didn’t get one thing though…your height.” I used my hands to show the difference between Tom’s height and the statue’s.

“Shut up, Zendaya! Let’s just take the picture.”

“Nah, you go ahead. You can take a picture. You’re Spider-man!” I said stepping back. He can have this moment. He already gave me the comic book. I didn’t even think of a going away present. I mean, we could still talk to each other on the phone. It’s not like he’s going to be gone forever and we were still just friends, right? There’s no point getting sentimental. Unless…I looked at the comic book in my hand, already inside the paper bag.

“Hey, why don’t you join your boyfriend?,” said Mike and he nudged me.

“Oh. He’s not—“

“Mike…”

Tom and I said at the same time.

“Just go!” and with that Mike pushed me towards Tom.

“Come on, Z!”

“Go!” Mike encouraged, “Spider-man needs his MJ!”

“Yeah…” Tom said quietly.

I walked over and took the picture.

Darnell caught up with us and we decided to drive back home to my place. We ordered some take out because lord knows none of us can cook for shit. My kitchen is literally only used when my family comes over. Other than that, the refrigerator is the only appliance that gets noticed on a daily basis.

The sun was going down and Darnell decided to take Noon out for a walk. Ha get it because his name is Noon for afternoon… so…you know….never mind. Usually I would do it but Noon needs the exercise that only Darnell could give because I cannot run any faster than .05 km/hour. Okay, I don’t know if that’s the exact speed but you get my point, I don’t walk fast nor do I run.

I walked them out the door but before they left Darnell had asked me if I had told Tom about my feelings already.

“No…”

“Why not? What are you waiting for, Z?”

“Shhh… keep your voice down.” Tom was just in the living room going through Netflix. He didn’t seem to hear us or he would’ve asked why we were whispering.

“I need…time…”

“He’s leaving tomorrow. There is no better time! If he likes you, y’all can be cute on the phone and if he doesn’t, you don’t have to see him for like what? Three months?”

“Well! I need a sign then! Like a go signal. I can’t just come up to him and be like ‘oh yeah by the way I like you bro ha-ha’” I raised my eyebrows at Darnell to make my point.

“Zendeesha, listen, you don’t need signs” Noon was starting to pull at Darnell. “But if you still need it, it’s everywhere. The boy likes you, Z. Stop making him wait…Like how I’m making Noon wait.” Noon was becoming restless. “I’ll see you guys in awhile.” Darnell ran off before I even got a word in.

I closed the door and walked towards the living room. I plopped myself down on the couch beside Tom. He moved his arm behind my shoulders. Do I do it now?

“What movie are we watching?” Tom asked without even looking away from the T.V.

Or I could do it later…

We couldn’t decide what movie to watch so we started searching with out phones but easily got distracted when I found a meme on Twitter. Eventually, we never got to watching a movie. We just kept passing our phones to each other, looking for the funniest things the Internet had to offer.

“Ooooh…what’s this?”

“What?” I crawled over to his side of the couch and looked at his phone. It was a video from my app of me looking through my keepsake box that someone had reposted on Instagram.

“What’s a keepsake box?” Tom asked.

“It’s like a box of memories. You put little stuff in them from all your memorable moments.”

Tom was still watching the short clip of what was a longer video. It cuts exactly before I show the love letters that my ex had given me before.

“Aww! I wanna see the rest of what’s in it!,” Tom says to his phone before he turns to me to say, “D’you still have it?”

“Sure…” I said a little apprehensively. “It’s upstairs…” I didn’t understand where the fear was coming from but my gut was telling me it wasn’t a good idea to unbox a bunch of stuff my ex had given me. I mean, the whole box wasn’t filled with things he gave me but there was enough items to make the situation weird. Nonetheless, I lead Tom to the storage room where things like gowns I wore when I was 16 to items I had even before I got famous were kept. They were inside these neatly piled plastic boxes that looked like big tupperwares. Still, there were things lying around and it took me awhile to find my keepsake box. Once I grabbed it, I sat on the floor and Tom followed suit.

“Let’s see…” I picked up the first thing on there, which was the 3D glasses from watching the Amazing Spider-man movie.

“Oh cool!” Tom said as he got the glasses from my hand. “I saw this in the video! Your first date was to this right?” He looked up at me.

“Yup…” My voice was another pitch higher again.

“Cool…” Tom tried it on and then set it aside. He picked up another item inside my box. The letters were still at the bottom so it would take us awhile to get to them. Hopefully, we never get to them.

“You really like going to the movies, huh?” Tom commented on the amount of movie tickets inside the box. Some were already fading and you couldn’t make out what it said.

“It says….’The Lost City of Z’” Tom said.

“It does not!”

“That’s a really good film. I heard there’s a really amazing bloke on there. Really talented. Bred for an Oscar they say!” Tom said sarcastically.

“Shut up!” I said grabbing the ticket from him and tried deciphering the words myself.

“How can you read it!? You don’t even have your glasses on, love.” He grabbed the tickets from my hand.

“Well! I don’t have to read it because I’m the one who watched those movies, ‘kay?” He was right though. I don’t know why I was trying to fight him over what’s written on the tickets when even non-faded words are blurred to me.

Tom gasped dramatically, “You’ve never watched my film?!”

“Daaaaaaaaamn Tom!”

“What?”

“Of course I’ve watched your films!”

“Oh.” His ears turned really pink again like it did back at the comic book store. “You’ve watched my films?” he had a smug plastered on his face and I swear if I wasn’t so goddamn into him it would be the most annoying thing in the whole world.

“Yeah…”

“Like, everything?”

“…”

“Z?”

“Yeah okay! I did. It was for research! I needed to know if you had…”

“Had what?” Tom pressed on.

“Talent!” I sassed at him.

“OOOH!!! That was low, mate. Real low.” I was laughing hysterically and he joined me.

“I bet you haven’t watched my films” I said as our laughing died down. Tom suddenly made this face and reached out with his right hand.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m you! When you swung—“ he did the face again with the hand “and you met Zac Efron…like this…” then he started singing “I am brave, I am bruised...” I giggled. He was so stupid but I loved him for it. He could embarrass himself in front of people, none of that “too cool” for you attitude. Ugh. My thoughts were nagging at me to tell him already. A little voice kept saying “Say it. Zendeesha say it!” and it sounded a lot like Darnell. Yet, I still couldn’t find the courage.

“Nooo! The ones before!” I said as I poked him on his side and it tickled him a little. I just need a segway.

“You want me to watch your old films? Like what, when you were 12?”

“Good point. Nevermind.” Okay I don’t need a segway but this is harder than it looks. Do I just blurt it out?

“Like from Frenemies, Zapped, did Shake It Up have a movie? Because I don’t re—”

“Oh fuck you!”

“I personally, like Zac Efron better than the dude from Zapped”

“SHUT UP!” I flipped him.

“Awww come on now, how about you show me some…HAPPY SMILEY FACES!!!”

My eyes grew wide and my jaw swung open. I started swatting him things that were scattered on the floor: the movie tickets, some clothes that weren’t put into their proper bins, other papers that were inside my keepsake box. Tom stood up and tried to protect himself all the while laughing. I was laughing too. He started getting revenge and threw things at me.

“Can you smell the dinner, Z?” Tom teased, using the lines I had said in my very first youtube video that I had done a reaction video to on my app. This was some quality roasting. Not bad Tom, not bad.

He was getting pummeled by all the things I could get my hands on and that caused him to trip on the keepsake box and the contents went tumbling out until the red envelopes could be seen poking out. Tom looked down to see what he had tripped over and I felt my blood rush through me. He picked up the three envelopes, still with his smug face on not knowing that these envelopes were not just any envelopes.

“Oohhh….what are these?” I didn’t say a word. It was too late. I wouldn’t be able to hide it from him any longer and I didn’t see any reason to either.

“Z?”

“Yup?”

“Can I open ‘em?”

“I don’t think you should…they’re sort of…from my…ex.”

“Oh.” He looked at them. “Here. Sorry.” He handed them to me.

“It’s fine. I should probably throw it anyway. No point in keeping them, am I right?” I chuckled, trying to make the situation lighter. I looked down at the envelopes and rubbed my thumb on one them. I don’t know why I still kept them. I didn’t think it mattered.

“They’re love letters…from Valentine’s.” And I don’t know why I said that.

“Oh….yeah…they look like…they are…” Tom swallowed.

“Anyways!” I put the letters aside and sat back down and tried to collect the things we used to throw at each other. Tom squatted down and started to help me. Silence filled the room.

Why did I wait so long to tell him? Now I can’t tell him how I feel.

“Z?”

“Hm?” I said without ever looking up at him, I just kept putting stuff in the keepsake box.

“I don’t mean to be nosy or whatever…I mean, you can…not answer…”

“Go ahead, dude!” I said, trying to pull off a cool and collective Zendaya when I could feel myself getting all nervous again.

“I just uhm, I uh…why do you still uh…keep the, the…letters?”

“Oh.”

“You don’t have to answer. Sorry. None of my business.” Tom said quickly.

“It’s fine! I told you, I’m over it. You can ask me anything about…Trevor. That’s his name.”

“Oh ok.” Tom looked relieved but he was still waiting for my answer.

“I guess. I don’t know... It’s just a reminder that someone had loved me once, you know what I mean? Like, yeah my family and friends…love me but this was different. It was special....Remember, I said that it wasn’t all bad? These letters were one of those ‘not all bad’. I haven’t looked at them since the break-up. It’s not like I’m pining over him. I really am not. It’s just the thought, you know. Someone spending their time to handwrite this thing made just for you.”

“...”

“It cheesy I know…”

“It’s not. It’s sweet.” He gave a weak smile. I didn’t know how to read him. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. I searched his eyes that wouldn’t look at me but had nailed themselves on the floor. I could see his ears though, pink as ever.

“Zendaya?”

“Tom?”

“Do you think…uhm…” he swallowed. “You think you can…maybe, like someone else? I mean, after Trevor. Have you uh…I mean you said you moved on but can you see your, uhm…”

“Can I like anyone else?”

“Yeah?” His head shot up the way Noon does when I tell him it’s lunch time. So cute. It’s probably not wise to compare Tom to my dog but I love them both, anyways.

Darnell’s voice was in my head again, nagging me that this was the moment, this was the sign I was waiting for. Tom had turned this whole awkward situation to the perfect time to tell him how I felt. How can he do that? He always makes the bad into good somehow even as he stutters and avoids my gaze.

“I do.”

“You do?”

“Like someone…”

“Oh.”

“Tom I-”

“Does—“ We spoke at the same time.

“Oh sorry”

“Sorry” and we did it again.

“What were you gonna say?” Tom said.

“No, you go first.”

“Oh. Uhm. Right. The person you like…does he…make you happy?” He finally looked at me, locking his gaze with mine.

“Definitely.” This was it. I was about to tell him how I felt. That little smile he’s trying to suppress, I can feel that he too knows where this is going.

“Tom—“

“Z! TOM! WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?!” Darnell shouted from the bottom of the stairs. I closed my eyes shut, annoyed at the timing. REALLY DARNELL?!

“Z?! TOM?! THERE’S A PHONE RING—RINGING AND— OH SHIT THERE’S 10 MISSED CALLS!” Darnell continued to shout. I opened my eyes to a shocked Tom with his eyes wide.

“Shit!” Tom ran out and I followed him.

“Shit shit shit shit shit” He said as he grabbed the phone from Darnell.

“Where the hell were you two? Why weren’t you answering me?” Darnell nagged.

“Is that why you left 10 missed calls on Tom’s phone?”

“No. It’s Harrison. I was supposed to be back 30 minutes ago. Shit. I totally forgot. I haven’t packed for anything. Shit. I always lose time when I’m here… Sorry, Z. I have to go. Thanks for having me. I’m gonna miss you guys!” Tom came over and gave Darnell a hug and gave Noon a little rub.

“I’ll walk you out” I said. I followed Tom to the door and closed it behind me. He turned around before we could reach his car.

“Why am I always late for something when I come to your house? I’m pretty sure it’s cursed.” He joked.

“Me too.” I laughed.

“I’m really going to miss you, Zendaya.”

“I’m really going to miss you too, Tom. It’s not like we can’t call each other up. You know that, right?”

“Yeah…but it’s different…from having you around like this…” and with that he hugged me. I clung on as much as I could and tried to memorize how he felt. I won’t have this for a couple of months. It’s not that long, I know, but he’s right. It’s going to be different. So should I tell him now?

We pulled apart and his hands trailed my arms until they were holding my wrists. I wanted to give him something like he gave me the comic book. I wanted to leave him with my feelings, with my heart.

“Bye” he said and he let go of me. He got into his car and I felt the moment pass. I watched him as image got smaller as he drove away.

“Bye.” I whispered to myself. Not even a goodbye because we both knew there wasn’t anything good in our parting. I walked back into the house, restless that I didn’t get to tell Tom that I liked him. All this prepping up for nothing. I wondered if I could just call him up as he drove and just spill it.

“So what did Tom say?” Darnell peeped from behind the kitchen counter.

“He said bye.”

“WHAT?! HOLD UP! HOLD UP!” Darnell said as he clapped his hands together. “When you told him you liked him, he said ‘bye’? What the fuck?”

“Oh. That.”

“Yes. That. Miss Zendeesha? So are we blocking him out fro—“

“I didn’t get to tell him…”

“WHAT!? ZENDAYA MAREE! ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT YOU—“

“YOU CAME IN! I was going to say it and then you came in and started yelling and he had to go and this is all just one big mess…”

Darnell didn’t say anything. He just stared at me, looking pissed. Why was he pissed? He was the one who barged in on me trying to tell Tom that I liked him.

“What if I’m not supposed to tell him Darnell? Why is it so hard? It shouldn’t be this hard.”

“Z…did anything, and I mean ANYTHING you’ve ever gotten in your life come easy?”

“No.”

“NO! So you need to stop making excuses, stop prolonging this and just call up the boy and tell him you like him! It’s never easy to put yourself in a vulnerable position, especially after everything you’ve gone through with Trevor but I BET YO ASS you will regret not telling Tom sooner, and by sooner I mean now that you like him.”

“FINE!” I climbed up the stairs, remembering that I had brought my phone up with me when Tom and I went to the storage room. I come up and realized that Tom and I left the room in disarray. I couldn’t remember where I set down my phone. I looked around and I could feel myself panicking because as more time passed, the faster my courage to tell Tom about my feelings slipped away. Where is it? Where is it? Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Then I found it. Beside the three red envelopes. I rested my hand on top of my phone. This was it. My heart was going to be out in the open again and even though, I could feel somehow that Tom felt the same way…I was terrified. Darnell was right though, if I don’t do it now I’m going to regret it.

If it was out there again, it can be broken again. These letters remind me that there was once something beautiful between Trevor and I. More beauty than pain, if I were to be completely honest. Although, I know that Tom couldn’t hurt me, wouldn’t hurt me, didn’t I think that way before about Trevor? How was this any different? Trevor made me happy too. Tom could just turn out to be another set of old letters I keep at the bottom of a shoebox, ready for another person to find and ask “why do you still keep them?”

But I’ve never had it easy. Darnell was right again. I always had to work for the things I got. Sometimes even harder than if I were a little shade lighter. Why should love be the exception? Acting makes me happy. Dancing makes me happy. This life I’ve built makes me happy but there were tears to be shed so that I knew what happiness looked like. You don’t know joy until you’ve felt pain. You don’t know abundance until you’ve felt loss. Love was just something I needed to work hard for, get a little bruised up for until you find the right one. I’m not saying Tom is the one, I just wanted to tell him I like him, that’s all. Just a little risk.

Ding.

I checked my phone to see if the sound came from it. Nope. No messages. I opened it and searched for Tom’s name.

“Z! Someone’s at the door!” Darnell called out from downstairs. Now he sounds like a grandmother. Who even says that nowadays? Also who the fuck was ringing in tonight?

Ding-ding

“Z! Can ya get the door!? I’m doing the dishes!” Darnell called out again. I dropped my phone. Damn it, Darnell. I swear, it’s YOUR fault I haven’t told Tom how I felt. I ran downstairs and swung the door open. This better be some free vegetarian pizza or I’m—

“Tom?”

“I like you.”

Tom was standing outside my door, shifting his weight from one leg to another. Only a few minutes have gone by since he left and yet here he was in a new change of clothes. I couldn’t believe it. What did he say?

“Like, a lot actually…” he had a boyish smile and I felt lightheaded.

“What time is it? Aren’t you late for your flight? What are you doing here?” I panicked.

“I just— I uhm, did, didya-did you hear what I-what I said?” I did but I couldn’t fucking believe it. This was happening? This was actually happening. The thundering in my heart was like a thousands drums. I breathed in but for some reason I couldn’t release it like my whole body was physically trying to keep this moment forever, keep it in my blood to my bones.

“Yeah… Tom I-“

“I know it’s a risk telling you but I just had to like, I felt like, I felt like I should, I should say it you know? I do. I like you. Ever since.” He was talking so fast that he was also losing his breath but he kept going.

“The very first time I saw you and I keep saying it’s the most embarrassing thing EVER because I made such a fool of myself seeing you…. day one I just. I lost it. Z. I just fell hard. You haven’t even spoken two words to me besides ‘hey man!’ and yet, I, I just. I knew I was in deep. Just like that. And every moment being with you just made me sink in deeper. I’ve just been trying to figure out if I should tell you because, you know, you’re this big star and I-I don’t know. You got out of a break-up and I just got out of one and I didn’t know if you...like me. I’m not saying you do! I’m saying I…do.”

“Tom…”

“I know. I know. I know. Shit.” He paced back and forth. He was still standing outside my door. He had brushed his hair with his fingers and now they were all over the place. “I love our friendship. I do. I don’t want to ruin it. I hope I don’t by doing this. It’s even more complicated because we’re going to work together for two more films and that’s going to be weird, right?” He stopped pacing and looked at me “Having me like you? Because I’m going to like you until then, I think. I feel like I will, you know? It’s not going away. I mean, not to scare you, it’s just having you around makes me, so..so happy and you said you know, if it makes you happy and you really do that to me Z. You’re like fucking sunshine and I—“

I threw myself at him, or more accurately, I threw my lips unto his to shut him up. I couldn’t help it. All this pining and waiting, trying to make sure that I wasn’t going to risk our friendship when this whole time he had felt the same way.

His lips were soft like how I imagined clouds felt like when they looked the way they did when riding an airplane. There was so much longing in the way our lips touched not only my part but I could feel it in him too as he pressed a little harder. We would part for a millisecond catching our breaths then our lips would meet again. I held his face between my hands and towered over him but I felt like he was enveloping me. I could feel his heartbeat pulsate in sync with mine like it was running a marathon. He had wrapped his arms around my waist and I swear, I could have gone on like that forever.

When we pulled apart I could feel a tingly sensation on the spot where his lips were and it cascaded to the rest of my body, like a warmth, like how you drink hot chocolate and the heat flows through you. Our foreheads touched and bit the bottom of my lips. All this worrying and time wasted. If only I had done it sooner.

“I like you too, Tom,” I whispered. But it doesn’t matter because we have now, we have this.

Tom had this wide ass grin on his face and his ears a shade of magenta. I’m not ashamed to say that I, too was smiling ear to ear and I felt like my jaw was going to drop any second from the strain. “You should go. You’re going to be late.” I gave him a little push that caused him to stumble a little like he was in a daze. “I’ll text you.”

“Okay.” He mumbled, barely audible enough to hear. He slowly turned and then stopped midway. He turned to look at me and said, “You’ll wait for me right?”

“Yeah. These feelings won’t change, trust me.”

“Okay...I’ll call you.”

“Okay.” I nodded. He planted another kiss on my lips that took me by surprise.

“For the road.” He said as he shrugged. I shook my head and laughed. He held my hand and tugged it a little as he went away. I watched him as he walked to his car knowing that when he comes back, things were going to be different, but in a good way. In the best way possible. He turned around again.

“GO! You’re late already! Harrison is going to kill you!” He replied to my hollering by flashing me his biggest smile and I felt my heart trying to leap out of my chest wanting to follow him. He moonwalked backward to his car like a nerd and I chuckled. God. I love this, nerd.

“SEE YOU SOON, LOVE!!!” he shouted and my eyes widened hoping the neighbors didn’t hear him but I caught myself, remembering that I didn’t care about what others thought. Thomas fucking Holland likes me back. HAHA SUCKAS.

“I’LL BE HERE, BOO!!” I shouted back. I didn’t know his smile could grow any bigger but it did and I felt the butterflies in my stomach go chaotic. Even if I know that our situation is only going to make me miss him more, I was excited for when the time comes that we’ll see each other again and I’ll be his. And he’ll be mine.

“Finally…” I jumped. It was Darnell.

“How long have you been standing there?” He didn’t reply but instead was smiling at his phone. “Darneesha! I’m talking to you!”

“I just won myself twenty bucks!” still not looking up from his phone.

“You bet on me?”

“No I bet on Tom. Your mom bet on you. I knew it was gon’ be Tom!”

“I don’t believe this!” But I was too happy to be annoyed. Finally, indeed.

(this gif was inspired by a tweet, i just cant find it)

note: Thank you so much to everyone who ended up liking this fanfic. I really didn’t expect this kind of response, I just really wanted to write something about tomdaya because I’m so fucking whipped when it comes to them. This is sadly the last chapter but hopefully not the last tomdaya fanfic. Leave me messages on ideas for future fanfics, comments on this fanfic, anything tomdaya! I love getting messages.

*GIFS are mine unless stated otherwise, please don’t steal.

#tomdaya #tom holland #tomdaya fanfic #tomdaya fan fiction #zendaya #zendaya coleman #tom holland x zendaya #tom x z #tom x zendaya #z #fan fic #fan fiction #fanfic #zendeesha #spider-man #spider-man: homecoming #hoco #daya #spideychelle

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chaos-weekly · 4 years ago

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Micah looked at the note again, the translated version that had everything in English. Thorn had printed off a copy moments after Zion pledged his fealty. The man grunted and walked off, returning with the printer seconds later.

“Atticus couldn’t save Tom Robinson, but he could avenge him.” Micah studied the words, analyzing them. Donny always joked that she was as wise as Atticus. He was smart like Scout, but she was the wise one. Ginny had always been Dill. Now it seemed that Donny was Tom Robinson.

The system had slaughtered Tom, even if they didn’t do it themselves. Racism, judgment, xenophobia, ableism, and so many other horrible brands of hate had killed an innocent man. Except Dante wasn’t innocent. Micah knew he dealt weed to the biker gang. She knew he was also in league with some powerful people, but he’d never said more than that. On the few occasions he gave any details, it was when drunk. And when Dante was drunk he mostly talked about Indy.

But now Dante was dead, and he wanted Micah to bring him to justice. Except with the information shared in his note, he didn’t want justice. He wanted the system to change. He wanted the world to correct its misdeeds. And he wanted Micah to do that for him.

This wasn’t just about avenging her brother. This was about making sure it never happened again.

“Donny wants us to redo the system,” Micah said, voice weak and scratchy from all her crying. Zion pushed her sweetened, creamy coffee towards her. Usually, she’d offer him a smile in thanks, but all she managed was a brief moment of eye contact.

“How?” Thorn asked, leaning back in the booth with folded arms. He was gruff and grumpy, but he seemed to have taken an interest in Indy. Even now, his gaze constantly flickered back to Micah’s best friend.

“Bring it to the media. Undeniable, solid evidence. Videoed confessions. Recordings can be proven altered, but a video recording is much more difficult.” This came from Indy, who met Thorn’s gaze with a challenging stare. He stared back at her blankly, and Micah took the chance to glance at Zion, with his sharp cheekbones and sweet eyes.

“How well do you know your brother-in-law?” Micah asked. Zion gestured to her still ignored coffee cup, and so she took a sip. Her voice must have been bad.

“Better than I’d like to. Enough to know he’s not a good guy. Dirty cop at best. Hates bikers ‘cause of Jimmy and Eden. Hates most people. Always on a power trip.”

“We need to find out how Dante was involved with the cops,” Indy said, still staring Thorn down. He never looked away from her. While he studied her, she was challenging him to speak. Neither of them would win at this. They were both far too stubborn. Rather, Thorn was too stubborn, and Indy was too competitive.

“I’ll have Dylan bring the flash drive over,” Micah mumbled. She dialed her other best friend’s number and waited for him to pick up. Dylan was Dante’s roommate, but Dylan had always been closer to Micah than to Donny.

“Micah? Hey,” he greeted. Dylan’s tone was unusually gentle. Made sense, considering the circumstances. At least he didn’t ask about her condition.

“Dyl, Donny left a flash drive somewhere in his room. It’s probably the neon one he always used for important things. Bring it to Jimmy’s ASAP. We’ll wait here for you.”

“We? Who are you with? What’s going on? Why are you at Jimmy’s?” Micah hung up before he could ask more questions. Dylan always reminded her of Ginny, despite their many differences. She couldn’t handle another reminder of another dead sibling.

Another sob choked out of Micah’s throat, and Indy finally broke the intense eye contact to wrap her arms around her. Micah leaned into her friend’s touch and warmth, but it only gave so much comfort. There was only so much comfort to be found. Her siblings were dead, the cops had murdered Dante, and now Donny expected Micah to bring them to justice.

“Have y’all eaten yet?” Zion asked, looking among the group. They all shook their heads. Micah had lost her appetite before she’d heard the news. It hadn’t surfaced since then.

“I’m going to make us dinner. Once we have the flash drive, we’ll go to my apartment. I have a good wine selection that helps everything feel better.” Zion looked over to Micah; she saw no pity in his eyes. Concern, care, worry, but not pity or judgment. No, “Oh poor girl, half her family is dead.” Just genuine concern and care. Micah hadn’t seen someone look at her like that when she was upset since before Ginny got sick. It was strange how refreshing it felt.

“Okay,” Micah whimpered, sniffling and wiping her eyes on her damp hoodie sleeve. The sleeves were practically drenched now, but she didn’t have another jacket, and she got cold too easily to take it off.

////

Dylan entered Jimmy’s and walked over to the booth where the four of them sat. Micah scooted out and held her hand out for the flash drive. When Dylan put it in her hand wordlessly, he closed her hand and used it to pull her into a hug. As usual, his hands went dangerously low on her back, grazing the top of her butt. He’d also squished her chest against his. That was Dylan for you, though. He knew Micah would never see him as anything other than a friend, and he wasn’t going to push her on that, but he would like and prod the boundaries. Micah had given up scolding him for it long ago.

“Thanks,” she whispered, dropping her arms from around his waist. It took him a few more seconds to do the same, his hands grazing against her waist as he pulled away.

“Are you good, Mike?” Dylan looked at her like Zion did, except he did pity her. He had red eyes, too, and not just from crying. He and Dante got along well for more than one reason.

Micah shrugged and sat back down in the booth across from Zion.

“Bye, Dyl.” She handed the flash drive to Indy, not making eye contact with Dylan. Usually she’d laugh and push him away or slap his chest. Usually she’d threaten to tell Dante, who would surely try and beat Dylan up. It wouldn’t end well for either of them, since they’d break more objects than bones. But usually Dante was alive. Usually Donny was still there.

Zion took the top of Micah’s hand in his and squeezed it with a gentle smile. Again, Micah nodded in reply, her only way of thanking him.

“Go.” Thorn’s rough voice brought Micah back to reality. Dylan hadn’t left yet.

“Not until Mike’s okay,” Dylan insisted.

“She’s fine. Now leave,” Thorn growled, standing to his impressive height of six foot something. Micah knew her friend was only five foot ten. He was muscular, but the skinny kind of built. Thorn was tall and broad. He would shatter Dylan’s brain with one punch, more likely than not.

“I’m fine, Dyl,” Micah insisted in a shaky voice that made it very clear how fine she was not. Dylan didn’t move, so Thorn stepped closer. It took about five seconds for the front doors to close behind him.

“Is that your boyfriend?” Zion asked, earning Micah’s attention. She shook her head.

“Does he know that?”

“We’re not too sure,” Indy answered, saving Micah from having to delve into her complicated friendship with Dylan. When it was just the two of them, they broke down into fits of laughter or screamed at each other while playing video games. He made her happy and free again. And the flirting was kept to a minimum. Then, when they were around others, the flirting surpassed the minimum. It was like he was trying to claim her as his own. And now Dante wasn’t here to stand between them. Micah sniffled again.

“Okay, we’re going back to my apartment. Anyone need a ride?” Zion looked among the new friends, all shaking their head.

////

The drive over to Zion’s apartment was short. He lived in the cheaper end of town, but it wasn’t the sketchy part of town, either. Micah was the last to arrive, and she hurried up the steps to Zion’s apartment and through the open door.

“Here,” someone said. Micah looked up to see Zion holding a hoodie out for her.

“Yours is wet. Figured you might want a new one.”

This time, Micah almost grimaced in her efforts to smile. It was a sweet gesture, and it was progress to being okay. Or it was progress to faking being okay. Either way, it was good. Zion was good.

#Salemsville Shenanigans

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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The Flash Season 7 Episode 3 Review: Mother

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This THe Flash review contains spoilers.

The Flash Season 7 Episode 3

When we initially learned that the last three episodes of The Flash’s Season 6 would be rolled over into its seventh, some of us (read: me) were hopeful that it might serve as an impetus to rethink Season 7 entirely and build these additional installments into some sort of larger story that worked as a cohesive whole.

But, unfortunately, it’s very obvious that “Mother” was meant to serve as The Flash’s sixth season finale – for all the good and ill that designation entails. Season enders have never really been this show’s strong suit, and this hour is no different, an episode that leans fully into the show’s most aggressively saccharine tendencies and solves complicated problems using little more than the power of love and occasional random handwaving. Yet, the emotional beats help carry the day to something that generally feels satisfying, particularly if you don’t look too closely at how or why pretty much anything actually happens.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Central City is suddenly bursting with reports of pod people as Eva continues her sudden and largely inexplicable plan to take over the world by populating it with mirror clones. Or reflective surface clones. Whatever. Iris is back from the Mirror Universe but badly hurt, and Barry feels bad enough about causing her condition that it somehow disables the speedthinking that made him an automaton in the first place.

I’ve complained before that Eva is far too good a villain for this sort of basic and disappointing ending, and the sudden pseudo-environmental twist wherein Eva promises that she and her mirror creations will somehow take better care of the planet than the human race does feels like The Flash’s attempt to put some kind of meaningful spin on what is essentially a story we’ve seen a dozen times before. (Villain decides they are better than/the true next evolution of humanity and behaves accordingly, usually spouting terrible dialogue like “This is Mother’s world now.”)

Still, the ending sequence, in which Eva realizes the wrong she’s done and tries to correct it, is surprisingly lovely, even if the ultimate way to defeat her army of Mirror Mistress clones turns out to be the Arrowverse equivalent of the Care Bear Stare. (Why did holding hands with Barry and Iris help her amplify her mirror ability? Truly, I have no idea.)

The Flash Season 7 Episode 2 Review: The Speed of Thought

By Lacy Baugher

The Flash Season 7 Premiere Adds New Layers to Mirror Master

By Mike Cecchini

At the end of the day, at least Eva survives and goes back to the Mirror Universe to start over, rather than getting thrown in Iron Heights or killed, so things could certainly have been worse. But The Flash never really did right by her realization that she wasn’t human nor did it completely justify her sudden heel turn into “Mother” megalomania. (Even if she did choose the path of light in the end.) Maybe we’ll get lucky and see her again someday. Listen, a girl can dream.

The return of Harrison Wells also turns out to be something of a disappointment, precisely because he’s not entirely the original Wells. Instead, he’s some poorly explained combination of the original, mixed with pieces of all the other Wellses from across the multiverse, with some time travel dust on top. It’s all very poorly explained and nonsensical, and for those of us – like Barry, as it turns out – who always wanted to meet this particular Wells, ehhhh, joke’s on us, because now I kind of wish we hadn’t.

His primary purpose appears to be plot exposition, and while the fact that The Flash has always been deeply rooted in sentiment and emotion in a way that many other Arrowverse series are not, there’s something…honestly kind of annoying about the fact this particular Wells, the one no one actually even knows, gets the big rousing pep talk about how only the power of love can save the day. It’s obvious what they were going for, with his closing speech about his eternal love for his wife and all, but at this point, Frost might have been more believable in this role. At least I believe she cares about Barry.

Anyway, after a season’s worth of doing the absolute most to keep Barry and Iris apart, it’s nice to see The Flash’s marquee couple finally reunited, even if the dialogue does kind of lay the apparently cosmic power of their love on with a trowel. (Guys, I promise, we get it.) But, at least Iris’ connection to the Speed Force offers a nice tie-in to her own brief time as a speedster, and the fact that Nora’s lightning was a visual combination of her parents’. Thankfully, Grant Gustin and Candice Patton sell the crap out of Barry and Iris’ reunion and the continuing callback to the lightning rod imagery – here finally made deeply literal – is lovingly done.

Admittedly, though, I’m a lot more interesting in what all of this means for Iris. As this episode makes blatantly obvious in the original Team Flash versus Eva fight, Iris is the last main character who doesn’t have powers of some type, and even Harrison Wells can time travel now. We’ve been wondering since she went into the mirror if her time there would permanently change her in some way and Caitlin’s throwaway explanation about Eva talking all those abilities back into the mirror with her feels like exactly the sort of thing that will eventually turn out to be very wrong.

Guess we’ll find out in the real Season 7, which at least we don’t have to wait an entire summer to see.

Additional Flash Thoughts

I have truly never shriek laughed so much as at the arrival of melted and therefore unrecognizable Ralph Dibny. That’s certainly one way to deal with Hartley Sawyer’s exit. Would love to know what any of this was originally supposed to be.

The CGI during Barry’s love-fueled trip around the speed track was especially cringe-y this week. I guess last week’s Flash/Frost speedster battle really must have depleted the special effects budget.

“Need a ride? I’m ice bridging. Safest way to travel.” (Truly I love Frost and I’m not sorry.)

Chester watches Doctor Who! A perfect Venn diagram of my interests!

Maybe Tom Cavanagh can go visit Legends of Tomorrow? I don’t know how they bring a Wells back after this, and I don’t really even know that I want one.

I feel like this episode gave us an easy way to say goodbye to Ralph and Sue while leaving them together, but truly if this is the last we see of Natalie Dreyfuss I’m going to be so angry. We shouldn’t have to lose this character just because a completely different actor behaved badly.

The post The Flash Season 7 Episode 3 Review: Mother appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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gadgetgirl71 · 4 years ago

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Top Ten Tuesday 15 December 2020

Welcome to this weeks Top Ten Tuesday. Originally created by The Broke & The Bookish, which is now hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week it features a book or literary themed category. This weeks prompt is:

Books On My Winter 2020-2021 TBR:

The Trials of Koli Rampart Trilogy Part 2 by M R Carey

The journey through M. R. Carey’s “immersive, impeccably rendered world” (Kirkus) — a world in which nature has turned against us — continues in The Trials of Koli, book two of the Rampart Trilogy.The earth wants to swallow us whole…Koli has been cast out from Mythen Rood. Behind him are his family and the safety of the known. Ahead, the embrace of the deadly forests awaits. But Koli heard a story, once. A story about lost London, where the tech of old times was so plentiful it was just lying on the streets. And if he can safely lead Ursula, Cup and Monono to this sparkling city, maybe he can save the rest of humanity, too. In a world where a journey of two miles is an odyssey, he’s going to walk two hundred. But the city is not what it once was…and around him, Ingland is facing something it hasn’t seen in three centuries: war. The Rampart Trilogy The Book of Koli, The Trials of Koli, The Fall of Koli For more from M. R. Carey, check out:The Girl With All the Gifts, Fell side, The Boy on the Bridge, Someone Like Me By the same author, writing as Mike Carey:The Devil You Know, Vicious Circle, Dead Men’s Boots, Thicker Than Water, The Naming of the Beasts

Reflect Reclaim Trilogy Book 1 by Jesse Booth & Joanna Reeder

Their romance only lasted a short few months… but that was more than 100 years ago.

Ever since his fiancé, Gemma MacLugh, was killed at the hands of a dragon shifter, vampire Leif Villers has mourned his loss. Still, a part of him never gave up on her. He could hear her voice, feel her love even through the grave, relive her memories over and over until they were stripped from him.

Now Leif has discovered the final piece to bring her back from death’s clutches. He carried her brooch, never knowing it held the key to resurrecting his love.

Too bad it’s now in the hands of the formidable kraken shifter who nearly destroyed the Shifter Academy in the recent vampire/shifter war and then slithered away, never to be seen again.

————

Across time, powerful selkie Gemma MacLugh–a magic user who can shape-shift into a seal–should have a wonderful, comfortable existence at her home in New York in 1897. But jealous sisters target her with their cruelty, making life miserable. If not for her Grandmother and her best friend and fellow selkie, Frederick, things might have been truly unbearable.

But when a mermaid seer foretells her upcoming death and opportunity arises to leave her home and travel across the country to a boarding house in Washington, she takes it.

To get away from her cruel sisters.

To escape her destiny.

But is it luck or fate’s final joke when she meets a tall, dark and handsome man by the name of Leif Villers?

Their love will challenge time and death itself, but can Leif get Gemma back? Can Gemma truly escape her fate?

**Reflect is the first book in the Reclaim Trilogy within the Shifter Academy Universe written by USA Today Bestselling Authors, Jesse Booth and Joanna Reeder**

The Dictionary of Lost Word by Pip Williams

In 1901, the word ‘Bondmaid’ was discovered missing from the Oxford English Dictionary. This is the story of the girl who stole it.

Esme is born into a world of words. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, she spends her childhood in the ‘Scriptorium’, a garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of dedicated lexicographers are collecting words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Esme’s place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day a slip of paper containing the word ‘bondmaid’ flutters to the floor. Esme rescues the slip and stashes it in an old wooden case that belongs to her friend, Lizzie, a young servant in the big house. Esme begins to collect other words from the Scriptorium that are misplaced, discarded or have been neglected by the dictionary men. They help her make sense of the world.

Over time, Esme realises that some words are considered more important than others, and that words and meanings relating to women’s experiences often go unrecorded. While she dedicates her life to the Oxford English Dictionary, secretly, she begins to collect words for another dictionary: The Dictionary of Lost Words.

Set when the women’s suffrage movement was at its height and the Great War loomed, The Dictionary of Lost Words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men. It’s a delightful, lyrical and deeply thought-provoking celebration of words, and the power of language to shape the world and our experience of it.

Friends and Strangers by J Courtney Sullivan

An insightful, hilarious, and compulsively readable novel about a complicated friendship between two women who are at two very different stages in life, from the best-selling author of Maine and Saints for All Occasions (named one of the Washington Post‘s Ten Best Books of the Year and a New York Times Critics’ Pick).

Elisabeth, an accomplished journalist and new mother, is struggling to adjust to life in a small town after nearly twenty years in New York City. Alone in the house with her infant son all day (and awake with him much of the night), she feels uneasy, adrift. She neglects her work, losing untold hours to her Brooklyn moms’ Facebook group, her “influencer” sister’s Instagram feed, and text messages with the best friend she never sees anymore.

Enter Sam, a senior at the local women’s college, whom Elisabeth hires to babysit. Sam is struggling to decide between the path she’s always planned on and a romantic entanglement that threatens her ambition. She’s worried about student loan debt and what the future holds. In short order, they grow close. But when Sam finds an unlikely kindred spirit in Elisabeth’s father-in-law, the true differences between the women’s lives become starkly revealed and a betrayal has devastating consequences.

A masterful exploration of motherhood, power dynamics, and privilege in its many forms, Friends and Strangers reveals how a single year can shape the course of a life.

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

‘At first glance they’re magnificent, yet the more she looks, the more she realizes how sinister the mountains appear: raw, jagged spikes. It’s not hard to imagine, she thinks, looking out; this place somehow consuming someone, swallowing them whole.’

An imposing, isolated hotel, high up in the Swiss Alps, is the last place Elin Warner wants to be. But she’s taken time off from her job as a detective, so when she receives an invitation out of the blue to celebrate her estranged brother’s recent engagement, she has no choice but to accept.

Arriving in the midst of a threatening storm, Elin immediately feels on edge. Though it’s beautiful, something about the hotel, recently converted from an abandoned sanatorium, makes her nervous – as does her brother, Isaac.

And when they wake the following morning to discover his fiancée Laure has vanished without a trace, Elin’s unease grows. With the storm cutting off access to and from the hotel, the longer Laure stays missing, the more the remaining guests start to panic.

But no-one has realized yet that another woman has gone missing. And she’s the only one who could have warned them just how much danger they’re all in . . .

Book of Yeshua by Francis Chapman

The dual time-line conspiracy thriller that will make you question everything

Did you ever ponder the sheer absurdity of the story told in the New Testament? That humanity’s redemption lay in the execution of God’s only son?’

Elliot Ambrose is one of the few souls on Earth who knows the truth about Yeshua of Nazareth. His determination to expose this truth throws him into conflict with an ancient and powerful foe, who will stop at nothing to protect their secrets. Elliot must undertake a violent journey, and a war started in Judea two thousand years ago culminates in a final battle in the twenty-first century.

This dark, gripping, dual time-line conspiracy thriller will appeal to fans of Dan Brown, S. J Parris, and Raymond Khoury.

Dances & Dreams on Diamond Street by Craig Revel Horwood

An offbeat, funny and heartwarming romantic novel from the fabulous King of Strictly, Craig Revel Horwood.

Set against the colourful boho backdrop of London’s Camden in the 1990s, Craig Revel Horwood’s first novel, Dances and Dreams on Diamond Street, tells the story of an unlikely family of friends who each rent a room in a ramshackle six-bedroom, four-storey townhouse. Like any family, the residents of Diamond Street sometimes fights and often act up but when the chips are down, they’re there for each other in an instant – usually brandishing a cheap bottle of booze, and the offer of an impromptu kitchen disco.

Presided over by the wise-cracking but warm-hearted patriarch of the family, Danny Hall, a professional dancer turned choreographer, the novel follows a year in the life of the inhabitants of Diamond Street, rough diamonds one and all, as they try to achieve their dreams – with unexpected, heart-warming and sometimes hilarious results.

Tomorrow Will Be A Good Day by Captain Sir Tom Moore

Who is Captain Sir Tom Moore? You’ve seen him on the television walking the length of his garden. A frail elderly man, doing his bit at a time of crisis. But he wasn’t always like this.

From a childhood in the foothills of the Yorkshire Dales, Tom Moore grew up in a loving family, which wasn’t without its share of tragedy. It was a time of plenty and of want. When the storm clouds of the Second World War threatened, he raised his hand and, like many of his generation, joined up to fight.

His war would take him from a country he had never left to a place which would steal his heart, India, and the Far East, to which he would return many years later to view the sight he had missed first time around: the distant peak of Everest.

Captain Tom’s story is our story. It is the story of our past hundred years here in Britain. It’s a time which has seen so much change, yet when so much has stayed the same: the national spirit, the can-do attitude, the belief in doing your best for others.

The Diary of Bink Cumming Vol 3 by Bink Cummings

Must read: The Diary of Bink Cummings Vol 1 & 2 previously.

Tests, life is full of them. The world is constantly trying see how much you can take before you break. Before you’re no longer you. Before your world dissolves into nothing. How long you can preserver and overcome the endless obstacles. It’s no secret that Big and I butt heads. It’s no secret that I not only dislike my mother, I hate her, because she hates me. Can these people break me? Can they push me to the edge of insanity, ready to jump? Having moved in with Big, I was living the life I never even knew I wanted. Every day was filled with hope and love. Until it wasn’t. Until it all changed and I was forced to learn what I’m made of. It took a single day for my world to never be the same. One day to change me forever. A day of revelations. Twenty-four hours I’ll never forget…

Steamy Adult romance Warning: Contains Mature scenarios, and mass quantities of profanity. For Ages 18+

-This is not a Stand alone.

Satan’s Fury MC Box Set by L Wilder

From the New York Times and USA Today Best Seller L Wilder comes the complete Satan’s Fury MC series with this limited time offer. The boxed set will only be available through the Thanksgiving Holiday, and then it will be gone forever. Grab yours quick while you can.

Maverick- The sergeant at arms finds his silver lining.

Stitch- With this enforcer, there are no limits to his brutality, no lines drawn in the sand … until Wren.

Cotton- The president of Satan’s Fury gives in to his carnal desires.

Clutch- Sometimes closing one door, opens another.

Smokey- Chance brought them together. Circumstance tore them apart.

Big- Hacker verses hacker in the most intriguing way.

Two Bit- Where she was his weakness, he was her strength.

Diesel- He may look like the boy next door, but if you mess with someone he cares about, he’ll become your worst nightmare.

*The Satan’s Fury MC series continues with the Memphis Chapter. Be sure to check out Blaze, Shadow, and the latest addition, Riggs. All are standalone romances with no cheating and no cliffhanger.

Until next week.

#JustForFun, #Top Ten Tuesday, #TopTenTuesday, #TTT

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the-master-cylinder · 4 years ago

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SUMMARY Six girls have been found murdered in the apartment of famed Russian occultist Karl Raymarseivich Raymar and the police cannot explain it. When Raymar’s body was lifted onto a stretcher, bolts of electricity shot out from his fingers. His estranged daughter Olivia McKenna (Melissa Newman) and her husband Allan (Adam West) are unaware of this until they meet Samuel Dockstader (Donald Hotton), a feature writer for The World of the Occult; as a friend of Raymar, Dockstader explains that Raymar was a psychic vampire who gained great powers of telekinesis by kidnapping young girls, terrorizing them, and feeding off the bioenergy they produced. Allan does not believe him, but Dockstader shows Olivia a set of photographs to demonstrate how bioenergy works and gives her an audiotape that outlines his findings, which convinces Olivia to believe him.

Meanwhile, High school student Julie Wells (Meg Tilly) wants to be part of a club entitled The Sisters, which consist of three snobby high school girls named Carol (Robin Evans), Leslie (E. G. Daily), and Kitty (Leslie Speights). Unfortunately, Carol is the ex-girlfriend of Julie’s new boyfriend Steve (David Mason Daniels), and is jealous. She intends to get back at Steve and Julie by making Julie spend a night alone in a mausoleum, unaware that Raymar’s body was just entombed there. That evening, Julie is dropped off by only Carol and Kitty, as Leslie had refused to accompany them on the plan. Julie explores the mausoleum and sets up her sleeping bag, unaware of the cracks that appear around Raymar’s vault.

Carol and Kitty, hoping to scare Julie, dress up in costumes and sneak back into the mausoleum. While they succeed in frightening Julie who locks herself in the chapel, they are unaware that Raymar is slowly reawakening by using his powers to make the walls shake, windows explode, and door slam shut. Before Carol and Kitty decide to leave, Raymar’s powers open up the vaults containing coffins inside and many rotting cadavers telekinetically float and surround the girls before they pile on top of them to suffocate them.

Meanwhile, Steve has gone over to Julie’s house to find her missing. He catches up with Leslie, who reluctantly tells Steve about Julie’s initiation, and Steve angrily heads over to the mausoleum. At the same time, Olivia dashes over after learning about her father’s powers and the possibility that she might also possess them. Back at the mausoleum, Raymar finally breaks out of his coffin and controls the rotting corpses and the doors with his psychic powers. Just when Steve breaks in and finds a hysterical Julie, they become surrounded by the cadavers that advance toward them. Steve tries to fight the corpses, but they knock him out. Raymar pulls a dazed Julie closer to him before Oliva arrives to save her. Ultimately, Olivia takes her compact and reflects the bolts from Raymar’s eyes back at him, causing Raymar and the cadavers to disintegrate, saving Julie and Steve.

The three, including a now traumatized Julie, begin slowly walking out of the mausoleum. The film ends with Kitty’s toothbrush seen near the mound of corpses inside the empty mausoleum before a corpse falls in front and emits a scream.

DEVELOPMENT/PRODUCTION Not having much success with selling several comedy screenplays, McLoughlin and his friend Michael Hawes decided to make a gothic horror film similar to the works of Edgar Allan Poe. For inspiration McLoughlin drew upon his experience of exploring the catacombs in Paris, France when he was 19 years old, as McLoughlin recalled years later, “It was the first time that I ever felt psychological or supernatural fear. There was nothing there; there was nobody coming after me; but there was just something about knowing where I was and what I was surrounded by, that gave me a chill that was unforgettable”. McLoughlin and Hawes also came up with the idea of a group of people being trapped inside a mausoleum with a “psychic vampire” that fed on the life energy of the other members of the group.

After a period of four years failing to sell the script to various studios McLoughlin and Hawes found a group of investors. Tom Burman, told them about the Com World Group, the project finally took flight. Com World is a production company that had originally expressed interest in Burman’s own project, Footsteps, a motorcycle story, but the time and the weather were not optimum to begin the picture, so Tom suggested they do McLoughlin and Hawes’ story. “We came close to getting it off the ground awhile before Com World came along,” says McLoughlin, “but Friday the 13th hit and everybody kept asking for more blood and gore, and that’s not what the story’s about. It’s a fantasy story, not a murder story of ‘who gets it next?’ In fact,” smiles McLoughlin somewhat roguishly, “there’s no blood, no nudity, and no profanity in this film …just pus.”

“We finally did get the money, it actually came from a Mormon businessman who needed a tax shelter instantly,” recalls McLoughlin. “It was like, ‘Can you get this thing going in three weeks from right now? And then we have to show it in the Bahamas to qualify for the tax shelter before Christmas.’” Fortunately, McLoughlin had already storyboarded the entire film and knew exactly what he wanted the movie to be, should he ever get the chance to direct it.

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On the set of One Dark Night, the electricity metaphor becomes a reality as the effects crew sets up for the intense finale of the picture. A Tessla coil, a device that can turn 120 volts of household current into 300,000 volts of leaping lightning, is carefully placed and tested. Moments later the scene is shot, the second assistant director yells “Wrap!” and the unknown film crew strikes the set. The mood of the picture is very strange and other worldly. Extreme lighting effects are used to cast large shadows upon the walls of the mausoleum, giving a feeling of foreboding. “What we were trying to do here,” says director McLoughlin, “was to create an Edgar Allen Poe-ish feeling that progresses, getting eerier and eerier. When Julie first gets to the mausoleum there is still daylight, so everything is still fairly normal-looking; but as night comes, jagged pools of light begin to form and things begin to seem more and more bizarre.”

Designed and built by art director Craig Stearns and his amazing assistants, the interior mausoleum set, made of masonite, plywood and plastic, is a perfect replica of the Hollywood Mausoleum, where the story takes place. It took three weeks to construct, and one week to “marble-ize”. “Ordinarily,” says Stearns, “we would have just wallpapered it with a standard marble design, but we had to match the existing mausoleum,” which wasn’t all that easy, considering that they had to find a paint that would adhere to the masonite and also give the proper effect.

Michael Hawes on the set of One Dark Night

Apparently, Stearns and his group did a more than adequate job. Relates producer Mike Schroeder, “I was looking at the dailies with an acquaintance who said ‘This is great, but when are you going to show me the stuff done on the set?’ I explained to her that she had been watching it for nearly an hour.”

Part of the reason why One Dark Night worked out so inexpensively and so quickly is that the people who worked on it — cast and crew members all here are all professionals. Art director Stearns learned his lessons in dealing with small budgets from a true master of the low-budget thriller, John Carpenter. Stearns helped create sets for Halloween, The Fog, and Precinct 13. Hal Trussel’s experience in lighting design and as a student and protege of cinematographer Nestor Almendros lent a great deal to his debut as director of photography on RIP. Then there is producer/unit production manager Michael Schroeder, whose background is mainly in educational television and films in Utah. RIP is his first feature also, but his incredible efficiency gives absolutely no indication of that.

New faces and not-so-new faces make up the principal cast of RIP. Eighteen-year-old Meg Tilly, who has the role of the victimized Julie in the picture, has only been acting professionally for a little over a year, but her list of credits is already impressive. It includes Tex with Matt Dillon, and several television guest spots, as on the Jessica Novak series and After School Specials. Intelligent and very talented, Meg likes the idea of One Dark Night. “When I first read it,” she says, “I felt that there was more to it than just your usual gory horror movie. It’s more like an old-fashioned horror film.”

David Mason Daniels, who plays Julie’s boyfriend, has been a jack-of-all trades to keep his family afloat while he searched out acting jobs. “The worst times,” David recounts, “were when my wife was seven months pregnant and we were delivering phone books door to door at seven cents apiece.” The hard times seem to have paid off pretty well; David’s credits include Harry’s War, and a myriad of television commercials. “I was also saved by Wonder Woman once,” laughs the handsome young Daniels. As far as One Dark Night goes, he is quite pleased to be a part of “Demolition Bodies,” as he jokingly refers to it.

Tom McLoughlin on the set of One Dark Night

Raymar’s daughter, Olivia, is played by Melissa Newman, who greatly appreciates that there is little violence in the film, but will not dismiss the revolting corpses as being ineffective. “I’ve got a weak stomach,” she chuckles, “and there were times that I wasn’t sure if I could actually do some of the scenes because the effects were so gross!” she says, unwittingly testifying to the effectiveness of Tom Burman’s work. Melissa’s background in acting goes back about fifteen years or so to when she was first under contract at 20th Century Fox at the age of 16. She married quite early and was therefore retired for about 10 years, after which she decided to go back to acting. Her later credits include Robert Fuest’s Revenge of the Stepford Wives (TV Movie 1980), and other TV fare, She really enjoyed herself doing One Dark Night. “I had forgotten how fun acting can be,” she smiles.

But the film’s most familiar face belongs to Adam West. “If there’s any place to be in this business, it’s with a hot young director and a good property-and Tom McLoughlin is a hot director,” says West. Adam plays Olivia’s husband, a lawyer named Allan, and though it is a relatively small part, West’s professionalism and enthusiasm carry over to the other players and crew. “I’ve never done a horror picture before,” says Adam, who has recently finished two science-fiction features and two television pilots. “I wanted to do something different, and this is certainly it.” West goes on, “This is a different kind of a scare picture; very gothic and full of the things that really get to you. I’m very excited about it.”

None of the cast members wanted to be part of another “hack-em-to-pieces” feature. They all had felt that RIP was a worthwhile story and, just possibly, the beginning of a back-to-basics movement in the horror genre. “The thing! find intriguing about this picture,” says David Daniels, “is that they’ve done such a tremendous job with suspense and thrills without resorting to violent atrocities.”

Tom McLoughlin has nothing but praise for his actors. “They really make the film,” he says. “This movie is not so much what the gross things are that are chasing after them, it’s the characters’ reactions to them.” Tom cites the performances of Robin Evans and Leslie Speights, both newcomers to feature films who play the instigators of the hazing that helps start all the trouble, as being very, very good. “Especially,” Tom goes on, because they had been around the effects crew and had time to get used to the corpses. They know it’s rubber and that the pus isn’t real, but when they cross over that line and get into the reality of it, it’s so scary to them that it comes through the acting-and that’s terrifying to watch.” Tom admits that after having directed the girls and then seeing the shots on the screen-without seeing the cutaways to the disgusting corpses – he gets very tense just watching the terror of the girls’ response.

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One Dark Night is a visual film. Approximately 80 percent of it is without dialogue. The main reason for this is McLoughlin’s extensive mime background. His uncanny knack for non-verbal communication is what propels the film. Co-writer Mike Hawes is also quite learned in the area of mime. Together they have written a visual treat that brims with detail. “As director,” says Tom, “I tried to infuse slightly magnified bits of reality into non-real situations, such as the neighbors coming to their windows to see what’s going on. Yet, by the same token, I wanted to convey a very strange and macabre feeling all through it.” An example of this is the opening sequence of the film – the teaser-showing the exterior of Raymar’s skid row abode after seven bodies had been discovered there. For this scene Tom requested seven coroner’s vans. He was informed that there are only three in the whole of Los Angeles County, so he had his art department make them up. Says Tom, “One coroner’s van, which could probably handle the seven bodies if they piled them, is not very cinematic. On the other hand, seven coroner’s vans, while they may be a bit much if you think about it, are cinematic. But in the movie you don’t get time to think about it.”

In their research for the screenplay, McLoughlin and Hawes talked with psychics and read all the books and papers they could find on psychic phenomena-especially those written on discoveries made behind the iron curtain. “Everything we’ve touched upon in the story that has to do with psychic phenomena has been documented and is real. It actually occurs. We just took it to its fantasy extreme,” Tom says. “I think the maniac-with the-knife theme has pretty much exhausted whatever it has to offer, which is basically new and imaginative ways of doing someone in.” By combining psychic horror with gothic horror, Tom McLoughlin and Mike Hawes have attempted to start a new trend in horror filmmaking: finding new and imaginative ways to scare people.

POST PRODUCTION During the film’s post production the film was taken out of McLoughlin’s hands and re-cut with the original ending removed. As McLoughlin recalled, “There was a version of the movie that wasn’t shown in theaters, where there was this passing of Ramar’s energies to the Meg Tilly character… check out the end when Meg is walking out and walks down the hall. The close-up of her eyes are the contacts of Nastassja Kinski’s from the Cat People remake, courtesy of make-up man Tom Burman. “[Tom] put those into Meg’s eyes so there’s this thing where she doesn’t look overly possessed, but it definitely looks like something’s wrong She got whatever Ramar had in her now”.

SPECIAL EFFECTS A throwback to the gothic horror movies of yesteryear, the frights in R.I.P. are less a product of maniacal human misbehavior than of our own basic fears of the unknown and claustrophobia; and though the special effects are among the best that Burman has yet to come up with, they are not relied upon to mask a poorly written screenplay. To the contrary, the effects enhance and augment a fine piece of storytelling.

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The Burman Studio and Cosmekinetics put together some wonderful representations of Raymar’s bioenergy-gone-awry-in-the-mausoleum. Though Raymar is dead, his spirit lives, by feeding on fear. Raymar’s spirit wants more power, and to gain it, he must frighten the three girls that have come to the mausoleum. To do this, he levitates coffins out of their tombs and sends their occupants floating after the misfortunate trio; and, as the girls become more frightened, Raymar becomes more powerful.

Burman and his gang built, out of latex rubber, 14 corpses; some that have been long dead, and some of more recent vintage. Ellis Burman devised the manner by which they move through the air. “The corpses don’t come to life,” says Tom Burman. “They are manipulated by Raymar, like puppets.” There are no opticals to create the effect of dead things dragging through the air. It is done completely manually with dolly like contraptions that Ellis and his partner came up with.

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RELEASE/DISTRIBUTION McLoughlin’s project started out with a budget of a million dollars, but both Burman and McLoughlin know they could do it for quite a bit less than that, and cut it down substantially. With a 28-day shooting schedule, the picture was brought in for something like $22,000 under the second budget.

The film was conceived and filmed under the title Rest in Peace before Poltergeist, but due to post-production problems, the film was delayed and was released in theaters in 1983 by Comworld Pictures. “The film did so well everyone thought I had the midas touch,” he notes. “I was immediately bombarded with every splatter script in town. A couple weren’t too bad, and I considered doing them, but I had my own project that I was taking around at the time that I was really hot to do.”

One Dark Night (Premier Releasing, 1983). British Quad

One Dark Night (1983) Bob Summers

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CAST/CREW Directed Tom McLoughlin

Produced Michael Schroeder

Written Michael Hawes Tom McLoughlin

Meg Tilly as Julie Wells Melissa Newman as Olivia McKenna Robin Evans as Carol Mason Leslie Speights as Kitty Donald Hotton as Dockstader E.G. Daily as Leslie Winslow

David Mason Daniels as Steve Adam West as Allan McKenna Rhio H. Blair as Coroner

CREDITS/REFERENCES/SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY dreadcentral.com Fangoria#18 Fangoria#57 A STRANGE IDEA OF ENTERTAINMENT: CONVERSATIONS WITH TOM MCLOUGHLIN

One Dark Night (1983) Retrospective SUMMARY Six girls have been found murdered in the apartment of famed Russian occultist Karl Raymarseivich Raymar and the police cannot explain it.

#80sFilms #80sHORROR

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samdukewieland · 5 years ago

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Stuck Inside Media Diary Week 2

New week. New movies I had never seen before. Only one was on the DVR so now it’s just like a glorified streaming guide and for that I apologize. There were three movies this week that I had seen before, but I’ve decided, because rules are important, that I won’t re-watch a movie until I watch a new one. Does this matter? No. But it has made me realize that I might be exposing my ass in the upcoming weeks, because we all lie about saying we’ve seen some movies when we actually haven’t. Not the case for this week, but it’s impending.

Sunday, March 29

Warrior, O’Conner 2011 [as of now this is available on Amazon Prime]

As a person who doesn’t really care about MMA or UFC or boxing or bum fights or bare knuckle brawls I went in under the impression that there’d probably be some kind of barrier in my way of enjoying it, despite knowing its esteemed reputation for being man-weep canon. Any movie that opens and closes with a song by The National is fairly transparent about the type of movie its going to be, despite having an extremely yolked Tom Hardy as one of the main characters. My first cry came at a very unexpected moment, especially because Frank Grillo had a significant role in making that happen (though I will say, I had no idea Frank Grillo was in this movie and about midway through I thought “man, that guy kinda looks like Grillo, but he’s kinda small and has a fashion mullet”). However, I’m a cryer, so I don’t want to set the expectation of you will cry at this you piece of shit! but you might and it’ll come out of a good place, because this movie doesn’t trick you into crying by manipulating you into it (okay, it does at one point, but it involves Moby Dick, so again, it’s kinda unexpected). It opens with “Start A War” and ends with “About Today,” a top 5 sad boy song by The National and I’ll be damned if I didn’t listen to it once a day all last week.

Better Call Saul

“Sunk Costs”, “Sabrosito”, “Chicanery”, “Off Brand”, “Expanses”

John Getz hive, assemble.

Monday, March 30

Working Girl, Nichols 1988 [as of now this is available on HBO]

Sometime in college, I think in a detective fiction class I took, we talked about knowing a reference to something before knowing what it’s either paying homage to or directly referencing. For example: the first time I read The Long Halloween (which is a Batman comic by Jeph Loeb) I had no idea that basically everything involving Falcone is just ripped from The Godfather, because I had never seen The Godfather at that time in my life; literally the first page of the book is “I believe in Gotham City.” Or in Django Unchained when they go to Mississippi and the title card moves across the screen just like it does in Gone With The Wind (Tarantino movies are generally just long homages and references to other things, so if you need another example, just look to really anything he’s ever worked on). There’s probably a German word for this feeling of recognition and I just don’t have the energy to look to see what it would be, but I felt it while watching Working Girl in two regards.

The first was that I didn’t realize that School Of Rock is essentially just Working Girl and when you have a realization like this, you feel kinda dumb, because you just assume everyone figured this out before you did. The second was that Joe Swanberg has tried to model his movies after Mike Nichols ones like his life depended on it and he just can’t or rather hasn’t. Also I’m not a person who was alive in the 80s and I’m sure there’s some modern day equivalent (potentially her daughter) who I defend out of some weird sense of contrarian obligation, but what’s uh, what’s going on with Melanie Griffith and her as actor?

Better Call Saul

“Slip”, “Fall”, “Lantern” [Season 3 finale]

BCS season 3 really stepped up to the heights of Breaking Bad and I think I might like it just a little bit better than it? I haven’t watched Breaking Bad in long time, I find it pretty difficult to re-watch (it’s very fire works factory for me) so I’m sure there are some BB highs that I just don’t remember fully, but that BCS can juggle being three different shows all at the same time and do it excellently really has me taken aback. It’s like watching the Coen Brothers jump from genre to genre and not be worried about the end result.

Tuesday, March 31

Say Anything..., Crowe 1989 [as of now this is available on Hulu]

I’m unabashedly in the can for Cameron Crowe, which is a semi-embarrassing thing to admit, but whatever. I saw Aloha in theatres and watched We Bought A Zoo when it was on FX once (in real time too, so that means with commercials-this was also the only time I’ve seen We Bought A Zoo, but I think I’d do it again); you can’t hurt me. I think I kept my distance from Say Anything... for so long, because it was one of those things that I’d be annoyed at because it’d resonate with me too much, because feeling that is kinda hacky and embarrassing, but if there’s one thing that Cameron Crowe movies put an emphasis on of importance on, it’s being sincere. And I sincerely loved it (hot, HOT take). Thanks to Russillo for recommending it on Simmons’ podcast last week.

Better Call Saul

“Smoke” [Season 4 premiere]

Wednesday, April 1

The Graduate, Nichols 1967 [as of now this is available on Amazon Prime]

Sucks that this movie has been used by a certain type of dude who use it as a blueprint for their life and how they view relationships. Other than that, good job everyone. [I definitely thought it would be clever to watch this after watching Say Anything... because I just assumed Ben Braddock walked so Lloyd Dobbler could run-I was kinda right, whatever]

Hot Rod, Schaffer 2007

While April Fools Day means nothing to me I do try to watch a comedy on the day, because...eh, why not. Hot Rod is maybe a perfect comedy and I think I could spend hours talking about it. I don’t know how there hasn’t been some kind of programming that’s been done around The Lonely Island and their catalog, because it seems very obvious.

Hot Rod with Digital Shorts played before and after and then Wayne’s World

MacGruber and you play MacGruber shorts before and after and then whatever grotesque 80′s action movie you’d want, maybe Commando

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping with Lonely Island music videos before and after and then This Is Spinal Tap

The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience sing-a-long followed by The Lonely Island pilot and either a collection or the entirety of I Think You Should Leave

maybe this is all a lead-up to Palm Springs, a movie I have’t seen and know very little about other than they produced it and Samberg is in it

Thursday, April 2

The In-Laws, Hiller 1979

I wrote it as my letterboxd. “review” , but this thing’s 1979 funny until they go to South America and then it is actually funny. Falk is just gangbusters.

Better Call Saul

“Breathe”, “Something Beautiful”

Friday, April 3

You Can Count On Me, Lonergan 2000 [as of now this is available on Amazon Prime]

I say this as a very big fan of his, but! Timothée Chalamet, consider yerself on notice for borrowing heavily from the Mark Ruffalo school of acting. Also, I get it now with Laura Linney, who I’ve liked before, but thought she might kind of be overrated by some people. Also, Matthew Broderick made this after Election (and also Inspector Gadget), so quite the infidelity streak for Brody, probably not a double feature.

Better Call Saul

“Talk”, “Quite A Ride”, “Piñata”

Saturday, April 4

De Palma, Baumbach & Paltrow, 2015 [as of now this is available on Netflix]

The definitive documentaries for the directors of this friend group are basically perfect in their own ways. That this is just De Palma talking about himself and his career and movies, sometimes being incredibly critical of his own work and others. He seems pretty self-aware, probably the most of that group of directors, while still coming across as incredibly cocky. De Palma is perfect for Brian De Palma. However, if anyone wanted to make a 10 hour documentary on Scorsese, Spielberg, Coppola, De Palma and Lucas in this style or it’s just the 5 of them interviewing each other moderated by like Fincher or someone, man....I could really go for that. (I mean if Michael Jordan can get one, why not these guys?)

The Other Director Documentaries

Spielberg, 2017 (HBO) [Interviews and retrospectives about Spielberg’s career, with personal highlights. It’s essentially Spielberg in a nutshell: big, flashy with a lot of time on particular moments that are more important to him than they are to you]

Empire Of Dreams, 2004 (Disney+) [Ostensively this is about Star Wars, and it’s made by a company-man, it says so much about Lucas, a man who hated how institutions told him what he could do so he unintentionally created one that has copied what he hates]

Heart Of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, 1991 [A truly wild ride, tells you everything you need to know about Coppola]

Italianamerican, 1974 [While a new documentary about Scorsese is probably what I covet most, he’s a pretty open book about his controversies and he’d probably enjoy talking about other people’s work more than his own-catholicism’s a helluva thing]

The Godfather Pt. I & The Godfather Pt. II, Coppola 1972 & 1974

I don’t know if I necessarily endorse watching both of these back-to-back; I guess I’m glad I did it, even if the motivation was mainly to just see if I could. Obviously these movies are important and good and are about so much more than just gangsters and thugs, but a lot of the time it just feels like eating vegetables for me. I did not grow up in a household that emphasized the importance of The Godfather so maybe that’s part of it, but I’m definitely not as dismissive of these as I used to be (though part of that could be the mental Stockholm Syndrome Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan and Sean Fennessey have given me). Once I finished Pt. I, I felt like I could re-watch it; once I finished Pt. II I felt like my eyes were melting out of my head and onto my hands (this could be because I had just watched 377 minutes of a story). I will probably never do it again, unless it’s the weekend after Christmas and AMC is just going for it-at least then I’ll have intermissions every 20 or so minutes telling me to go shop at Target.

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junker-town · 5 years ago

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2 players smashed the offensive lineman NFL Combine records

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs beat wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb in the vertical jump.

The NFL Combine isn’t a place where offensive linemen typically shine. While receivers and defensive backs compete to put down blazing 40-yard dash times and huge vertical jumps, only a few of the drills actually matter for those who tip the scales at more than 300 pounds.

Tristan Wirfs and Mekhi Becton wouldn’t be ignored, though.

The pair of offensive tackles — both of whom could be top-10 picks in April — smashed records in Indianapolis. It wasn’t just those two linemen impressing Friday. The entire class of offensive linemen is full of ridiculous athletes.

Freakiest group of height/weight/length/speed OLinemen I’ve ever seen. Not close.

— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) February 28, 2020

But it was Wirfs and Becton who landed in the record books.

Tristan Wirfs had the best offensive lineman combine performance ever

The Iowa product measured in at 6’5, 320 pounds, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at his numbers in drills.

His 36.5-inch vertical was higher than both Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb, two receivers expected to be first-round selections. He also beat Jeudy in the broad jump with a 121-inch leap.

Both of those marks set NFL Combine records for offensive linemen, and his 4.85-second 40-yard dash was the fastest ever among players who weigh at least 320 pounds.

Notable Scouting Combine OL Records Iowa OL Tristan Wirfs Highest Vertical - 36.5” Longest Broad Jump - 10’1” (tied) 40-Yard Dash - 4.85 (fastest by player 320+ pounds or more) > Official combine data has been tracked since 2003@HawkeyeFootball @TristanWirfs74

— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) February 29, 2020

You may be asking yourself, “who cares if an offensive lineman can run and jump?” Well, it’s never a bad thing to have a player who’s more athletic than his peers, but Wirfs’ skills actually show up on tape too. The Iowa Hawkeyes loved to get their big right tackle out in front on stretch plays and let him bulldoze a trail downfield.

Tristan Wirfs elite athleticism showed up plenty on tape. This is a great example. pic.twitter.com/g17iDNVHbS

— Jordan Reid (@JReidNFL) February 29, 2020

Wirfs’ abilities to block at the line of scrimmage will ultimately determine how successful he is in the NFL (he allowed only seven pressures during the 2019 season). But his combine performance will live on for a long time, regardless.

Mekhi Becton is the new 350-pound combine champion

The Louisville left tackle is an absolute mountain of a man at 6’7, 364 pounds. He’s more than just an immovable object, though. Becton showed he can get all that mass moving in a hurry.

His 5.10-second 40-yard dash was 13th-best among offensive linemen in the 2020 class, behind only 12 prospects who weigh much less than he does. In fact, Becton’s time is the fastest ever for a player over 350 pounds.

Raiders general manager Mike Mayock couldn’t help but smile when he saw the big man rumble down the track.

Mekhi Becton running a 5.1 40 at 364 pounds had Mike Mayock shook @BigTicket73 @UofLFootball pic.twitter.com/lqUHctC38E

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) February 28, 2020

The previous record in the 40-yard dash for350-pounders was when Steelers defensive tackle Daniel McCullers ran a 5.18 in 2014. But he weighed 12 pounds less than Becton and was still almost an entire tenth of a second slower. The record for 360-pounders was 5.30 until Becton came along.

Just for some perspective, here’s Becton smoking Tom Brady down the track:

Mekhi Becton vs Tom Brady, NFL Combine 40 (@edsbs) pic.twitter.com/wSMwLUWwHJ

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) February 28, 2020

Brady, who apparently believes he’s very fast, didn’t stand a chance against a man almost 150 pounds heavier.

The performances of Wirfs and Becton set a bar that future offensive linemen will probably be unable to reach for a long time.

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wiremagazine · 5 years ago

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SPOTLIGHT FILMS: 22 OF THE BEST FILMS AT THE 2019 OUTSHINE FILM FESTIVAL FORT LAUDERDALE EDITION

Photos and film synopses provided by OUTshine Film Festival

ADAM (U.S., 2019) Director: Rhys Ernst In English

It's 2006 and awkward, self-conscious Adam Freeman has just finished his junior year of high school. His cool older sister Casey (Margaret Qualley) suggests he visit her in New York for the summer. Casey has enthusiastically embraced life amidst Brooklyn's young LGBTQ+ community and invites Adam to tag along with her to queer bars, marriage equality rallies and other happenings. When Adam falls at first sight for Gillian, a smart, beautiful young woman in this new crowd, she mistakenly assumes he is trans. Flummoxed and enamored, he haplessly goes along with her assumption, resulting in an increasingly complex comedy – and tragedy – of errors he's ill-equipped to navigate.

AND THEN WE DANCED (Georgia, Sweden, France, 2019) Director: Levan Akin In Georgian, with English subtitles

Merab is a talented dancer. His burgeoning romance with stage partner Mary is thrown into disarray by the arrival of the magnetic Irakli, leading to a forbidden sexual attraction that recalls those in Moonlight and God's Own Country. Georgia is a country that only celebrated its first LGBTQ+ pride event seven years ago and its society remains conservative. Because of this, And Then We Danced has stirred controversy and many involved remain anonymous out of fear. Amid the potential for socially explosive fireworks, Swedish director of Georgian heritage Levan Akin has captured something uniquely tender and personal.

BENJAMIN (UK, 2019) Director: Simon Amstell In English

In Simon Amstell's affecting, bittersweet comedy, a rising young filmmaker is thrown into emotional turmoil by a burgeoning romance and the upcoming premiere of his second feature. It's perhaps no surprise that the imminent release of Benjamin's sophomore feature plunges him into an existential crisis. In this heightened state of insecurity, even meeting his potential dream match, young French musician Noah, doesn't soothe Benjamin's fears and self-loathing. And that's before he has to screen his film to the merciless film festival audiences. Benjamin is a low-key, intimate film, exposing the contradictions of a creative culture while perfectly balancing drama and comedy.

DEFIANT SOULS (Cuba, Switzerland, 2018) Director: Fernando Pérez and Laura Cazador In Spanish, with English subtitles

Defiant Souls is based on the true story of a woman who, disguised as a man, became the first female surgeon in Latin America. In the early 19th century, Swiss doctor Enrique Faber (Sylvie Testud at her best) travels to Cuba to search for his son, who is said to have been killed in a slave uprising. The local population is jealous of Faber's success as a surgeon and his marriage to Juana, an attractive outsider. Before long, rumors spread regarding his high-pitched voice and his gentle features, and a drama of epic proportions unfolds around one of the most scandalous cases in Cuban colonial history.

EVERYBODY CHANGES (Panama, 2019) Director: Arturo Montenegro In Spanish, with English subtitles

The Ponce Family is the perfect family. They live in the quiet, close-knit mountain town of Bambito, where everyone knows everyone and, unfortunately, everyone knows everyone's business. Frederico is the successful father, Carol the loving mother, and they have three wonderful boys. Despite appearances, perfect might not be the best way to describe the family as Frederico and Carol share a secret: Lizzie, the woman that Frederico has always wanted - no, needed - to be.

FROM ZERO TO I LOVE YOU (U.S., 2019) Director: Doug Spearman In English

Pete Logsdon is just a guy in Philadelphia whose fear of intimacy creates his history of getting involved with married men. His father and his soon-to-be step-mother are on him to settle down and find someone who's actually available. Instead, he finds a man named Jack who is fifteen years into a perfect marriage, has two beautiful children and an enviable wife, and is firmly inside the closet. Could this be the one? Featuring strong chemistry between the leads, director Doug Spearman (Noah's Arc) creates authentic characters in this highly engaging, obstacle-filled romantic comedy.

HAM: A MUSICAL MEMOIR (U.S., 2019) Director: Andrew Putschoegl In English

In this dazzlingly filmed live performance of Sam Harris' award-winning one-man musical, Harris belts out original songs and beloved ballads while playing 11 different roles to tell his own life story - from growing up gay in Oklahoma's Bible Belt to his escape for Los Angeles, where his rendition of "Over the Rainbow" on Star Search led to fame, Broadway, television, platinum records and Carnegie Hall. But after the highs and lows of a life in show business, Sam ultimately learns to ask: when is enough finally enough?

LEONARD SOLOWAY'S BROADWAY (U.S., 2019) Director: Jeff Wolk In English

Through verité documentary footage, humorous storytelling, interviews and archival film material, Leonard Soloway's Broadway captures a Broadway few ever see as told through the eyes of a legendary Broadway producer you've probably never heard of. He lives an unconventional life on his own terms and, over a 70-year span, staged over 100 shows (and counting) which generated history making headlines, over 40 Tony Awards, 62 Tony Nominations, 21 Drama Desk Awards, 29 Drama Desk nominations and 3 Pulitzer Prizes, in addition to launching the careers of famous stars known the world over.

SELL BY (U.S., 2019) Director: Mike Doyle In English

Does every relationship have an expiration date? Adam and Marklin are about to find out. Their 5-year relationship has gone from a passionate flame to a medium burn, forcing them to reconcile with each other's shortcomings all while watching their support network crumble around them. But in this mess, hope springs eternal as they all muddle their way through to try and make life work. Featuring Scott Evans, Augustus Prew, Kate Walsh, and Academy Award nominee Patricia Clarkson, Sell By asks the timeless questions… how do you know who's right for you and how do you know when to let go?

SONG LANG (Vietnam, 2018) Director: Leon Le In Vietnamese, with English subtitles

An unlikely bond develops between hunky, brooding and tough debt collector Dung and Linh Phung, a charismatic young opera singer from a struggling Cai-luong troupe (traditional Vietnamese opera). The two meet when Dung comes to forcefully collect a debt from the opera troupe, but when their paths cross again, a friendship – and then more – develops, awakening surprising, tender feelings in both men. Their story, too, soon scales operatic heights. Director Leon Le has delivered a rich drama, a smoldering relationship between two apparent opposites set against the backdrop of a gorgeous, fading art form. Set in 1980s Saigon, Song Lang is a gritty underworld noir hiding a tender, romantic heart.

STRAIGHT UP (U.S., 2019) Director: James Sweeney In English

The path to relationship bliss is often filled with self-doubt, second guessing and other methods of self-sabotage, but Todd takes this to a whole new level. After all, he is questioning his sexuality… not a good start when forging a new relationship. Todd might be gay. Rory might not care. The result is a neat, romantic-comedy drama with a twist; this is a love story without the thrill of copulation. With wit, humor and poignant moments, coupled with some of the best rapid-fire one-liners in a movie, Straight Up is a feature film about intellectual soul mates.

THE PRINCE (Chile, Argentina, Belgium, 2019) Director: Sebastián Muñoz In Spanish, with English subtitles

Chile, 1970. During a night of heavy drinking, Jaime, a lonely 20-year-old young man, stabs his best friend in what seems a crime of passion. Sentenced to prison, he meets The Stallion, an older and respected man in whom he finds protection and from whom he learns about love and loyalty. Behind bars, Jaime becomes known as The Prince. But as their relationship grows stronger, The Stallion faces the violent power struggles within the prison. The Prince is brutal, raw and cold, yet also beautiful, sincere and honest.

THE SHINY SHRIMPS (France, 2019) Director: Maxime Govare and Cédric Le Gallo In French, with English subtitles

Matthias, an Olympic swimming champion at the end of his career, makes a homophobic statement on TV. His punishment: coach the Shiny Shrimps, a very flamboyant, very bad and very LGBTQ water polo team. They have only one thing in mind: to qualify for the Gay Games in Croatia where the hottest international LGBTQ athletes will compete. It's the start of a bumpy and joyful ride. If the Bad News Bears were a water polo team, and LGBTQ, they would be The Shiny Shrimps. Faster, higher, stronger… and fabulous.

UNSETTLED: SEEKING REFUGE IN AMERICA (U.S., 2019) Director: Tom Shepard In English

A remarkable look at the untold stories of LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers who have fled intense persecution from their home countries and who are resettling in the U.S. The film follows four new arrivals, each of whom have escaped potential peril in their native countries for being different. They've landed in the purported "gay mecca" of San Francisco, yet even there, building a new life in an adopted nation is a precarious undertaking. As new leadership in America continues to restrict immigrants and drastically cuts the flow of refugees and asylum seekers, Unsettled: Seeking Refuge in America humanizes a group about which few people know.

WHERE WE GO FROM HERE (U.S., 2018) Director: Anthony Meindl In English, French, with English subtitles

In Binghamton, an ESL teacher dealing with domestic abuse finds even greater violence at her school. In Orlando, two lovers drifting apart may be separated by the hate of another. In Paris, friends on an introspective night out are caught up in a brutal madness. Three acts of terror disrupt the lives of ordinary people. Will love win out over violence? With gripping performances and storylines all too familiar and frightening, Where We Go From Here is not an easy film to digest nor is it a question easily answered, but both are ultimately worth the effort.

MEN'S SHORTS

Black Hat Director: Sarah Smith, U.S., 15 minutes

Softer Director: Lovell Holder, U.S., 10 minutes

The Proposal Director: Gerlando Infuso, France, 15 minutes

Thrive Director: JamieDi Spirito, UK, 17 minutes

Touchscreen Director: Arthur Halpern, U.S., 15 minutes

Vacaciones Director: Juan Olivares, Spain, 21 minutes

Wonder Director: Javier Molina, U.S., 16 minutes

This was originally published in Wire Magazine Issue 20.2019

#wire magazine #wiremag.com #wire #miami #miami beach #south beach #sobe #fort lauderdale #wynwood #wilton manors #gay #lgbt #glbt #outshine film festival fort lauderdale #outshine #outshine film festival #spotlights #films

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theforgottengn · 7 years ago

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And Hope To Die

Characters: Quebec, Romeo, Mike, Lima, Oscar, November, Smith

Word Count: 2,654

Trigger Warning: Slight Swearing.

A/N: I finally figured out something to write for November and her boys! (This takes place before they get Charlie on the team.) I wanted to put the whole memory planting and activating stuff in this one to show you how that works but I couldn’t decide who to focus on for it so I didn’t do that. Also this is heavily Robec and Mima centric.

Summary: November Company gets called on a mission to track down a spy believed to be a double agent. Promises aren’t made. Arguments are had. Shots are fired in more ways than one. Fists fly. Coffee is chugged. Rubber is burnt. What more could go wrong? Click the read more if you want…

XXXXX

They exchanged the exact same conversation before every mission. Something that had started as a light-hearted joke years ago had become a staple in their lives. Neither thought that it would balloon into something so important and yet the three simple words had grown with them as they aged and matured. It had become something so much more than mouth movements and vocal sounds combining to create words. A ritual of sorts they needed to do every time they left the base or when they made a promise to one another. Today, Romeo started their mutual habit this time when he tapped Quebec on the shoulder as the team went to their briefing.

But before Quebec could turn around to talk to him Romeo snuck to his side; and they walked in perfect step with each other.

“Let’s finish this one quickly, yeah? Promise you’ll come back in one piece?”

“A promise is a promise; no matter how small.”

“Horton Hears a Who after all this time? Are you bloody serious, Q?”

Quebec shrugged; his quotes couldn’t always be winners. But the Horton quote was more than that. It was the only thing he would say when Romeo started the conversation. From the very first time the two of them exchanged the promise he half-quoted the movie. And that very first time it was in fact a small promise. One that Quebec had ended up breaking later that same day. He was only a kid after all and he was learning how to fight. Getting badly hurt was pretty much inevitable. He remembered that day as clearly as the sun that shone in the bright blue sky above their heads. The white coats weren’t allowed to touch their memories from training anyway. And even though memory wipes were a semi-constant thing movie quotes had been drilled into his head, from repeated watches and from reciting, and so they stayed.

He actually changed the quote ever so slightly but he wasn’t going to tell Romeo that.

“Cross your heart?”

“Cross my heart,” Quebec said with a small nod as he ran a finger over his chest in an X motion. But before he could return the question to Romeo their conversation was interrupted. Not five seconds ago, or so it seemed, the others were with them and talking amongst themselves. Now the rest of the team had gotten pretty far ahead of them in a few minutes. November understood the importance of their ritual of sorts but she was not having it today. She stood with a hand on her hip and an annoyed look on her face. Mike cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled.

“Y’all coming or what?”

They jogged over to catch up with the others as they all filed into the White Room. Smith was waiting from them with a look of exasperation on her face. It was already obvious that they would be short on time for this mission so they hurried. But they didn’t get to finish so they just had to hope that everything would turn out okay.

XXXXX

“Alright team let’s get down to brass tacks.”

Smith stood at the front of the room behind a white desk. She wore a navy blue suit, with a black top, and black heels. The heels gave her a bit of added height but she still stood quite shorter than the spies in her care. A whiteboard hung on the wall directly behind her, a projector sat in the corner to her left, and a small stack of dossiers lay on the desk. Each of the six spies sat at a long black oak table and grabbed the dossiers as their handler handed one to them.

After passing out the dossiers Smith went back to the front of the room and taped a picture to the whiteboard. Then she wrote a name with dry erase marker underneath the picture in thick, blocky, handwriting. Making bullet points she jotted down a few key facts about the intended target. When she was done she turned back to the group.

“This is your target.”

The picture was of a white man with blonde hair. He looked to be about in his mid forties. Wearing a black suit in the photo it looked to be one taken for a company ID card. He had this look in his eyes that they couldn’t quite place. It was either apathy or boredom or sadness something else entirely.

“He looks like he’s been rode hard and put up wet.”

“Mike look at him,” Romeo retorted. “And I mean really look, mate. He’s obviously pretty bloody angry at someone. Most likely his boss who made him come into work early to get his photo taken.”

“We all go a little mad sometimes,” Quebec quoted to no response.

“Yer all wrong. He looks like death on a prin stick.”

“Bubba, please. He’s not sick,” Mike said loudly as he leaned over the edge of the table to talk to Lima who sat at the very far end. The two of them had got in a fight not to long before they were called over. Lima had made fun of Mike’s teeth or the way his ears stuck out a little bit and neither man had calmed down on the jog. And the way Mike was talking it looked like they might fight all over again.

“The man looks like he was just told that Chevrolet stopped making trucks. His dog probably died. Or his momma. Have a little respect for the dead, will you?”

“According to his dossier he works for the DGSE. Why do we need to go after him?” November asked loudly; bringing her teammates’ minds back to the briefing. Times like these she really loved the way HERACLES made them travel to their missions. There was no fighting or arguing of any kind. Her question quickly shut them up and allowed their handler to answer.

“We have reason to believe Alexandre Rousseau, Le L’araignee Loup to his colleagues, has changed sides and has become a double agent. But the DGSE and the CIA couldn’t bring him in. Any agents that got close to him either died or mysteriously disappeared. Now he’s in deep cover; hiding out who knows where but…”

“We’re going to France?” Oscar half asked, half yelled in excitement.

“No. Greece. Where he was seen last.”

XXXXX

Hours later, after landing and being activated, they met up at the chosen rendezvous. Daily Dose a, small and charming, coffee shop that sat in the heart of Kalamata, Greece. It was the middle of the day so Psaron Street was practically empty. Normal people would be at work, school, or home and most likely eating lunch. The small, 20 square foot, shop barely had room for the six of them. It didn’t matter much since they weren’t staying that long. November walked up to the counter and ordered for everyone.

“One large caramel macchiato, one lemon poppy seed scone, one large black coffee, one large hot cocoa, a bottle of water, and… Greg? What do you want?” she asked turning to Romeo.

“Is that why you’re calling yourself Greg?” Quebec cut in before Ro could answer. False identities were a staple of their job as spies but Greg was such a lame name. Then again Mike was going by Fred, Lima was Lee, November was Em, Oscar was Devin and he was Jack. And they had to stick the codenames regardless of how much he hated his. Quebec wanted to go by Luke or Hal or something but their handler wouldn’t let him pick his alias.

At least it wasn’t Greg.

False identities were also the reason they all wore undercover outfits. November wore a black, spaghetti-strapped crop top, a red leather jacket, light washed jeans and black Chucks. She also wore a black baseball cap backwards on her head, lipstick, eye makeup, and nail polish that complimented her outfit. Mike wore a black shirt, an unbuttoned red flannel shirt, a brown leather jacket, medium washed jeans, and tan combat boots. Romeo wore black pants, a white v-neck, a navy blue trench coat, brown Tom Fords, and a watch on his left hand. Oscar wore an olive bomber jacket with black sleeve ends, which was adorned with a few of his favorite pins, a navy dress shirt, dark washed jeans with the bottoms turned up, and brown laced dress boots. Lima wore a navy beanie, white tennis shoes, a dark gray dress shirt, a white t-shirt underneath, a dark washed jean jacket, black jeans, and gray street sneakers. Quebec wore a navy t-shirt with the Back to the Future logo, but it read I drive at 88 mph just in case instead of the movie title, with the DeLorean underneath. He also wore a pair of jeans, a white hoodie that zipped up sideways, blue jeans, and black tennis shoes.

For all intents and purposes the group looked like a bunch of tourists completely unprepared for the country’s heat.

“That’s his name ya idjit.”

Rolling his eyes Quebec turned on Mike; “They have about sixty-three kinds of coffee here with about forty-two different things to put it in and you just get a regular coffee?!”

November shot Mike a sharp look and he crossed his arms; grumbling but said nothing. None of them had any time to argue. Time was of the essence and they needed to leave. But they also needed to eat. Wasting time with stupid arguments was a complete waste of the little bit of time they had.

“A hazelnut iced coffee, love,” Romeo said when he could finally get a word in.

“Name?” the barista asked when he confirmed that he got the full order.

“Em,” the team leader said with a smile.

As the barista made their orders the group stood around making small talk. When he finished he passed the drinks over the counter. November handed the drinks to their respective recipients but left hers. Reaching into the front pocket of her duffle she pulled out a small, square-shaped, gray wallet. She paid a couple bucks over the actual cost and the barista looked at her with a confused look.

“We don’t accept… Oh,” he said with realization. “You must be Americans. Are you here on holiday?”

“Oh no. We’re here for work,” she responded with a smile.

Walking out of the coffee shop with their drinks in hand the group passed their getaway car and continued walking down the street. They passed a many homeless people sitting on the sidewalk. Many were in tattered clothes and shivering despite the heat. An old man was playing a baglamas, singing a song, and had a small, black, felt hat at his feet. The country was still sliding into a depression despite Tsipras’ attempts to fix it and his recent claims of an up-swing.

As the group walked they began to discuss the mission.

“According to what we know Rousseau might still be in the area. He was last seen at the Sfera Club a couple times only a few weeks ago. If he’s here then he’s probably staying somewhere near the nightclub. Somewhere where he could easily pay cash and not get second looks.”

“The only place that might fit his MO is Galaxy. A cheap, 2-star hotel, which will probably accept cash from anyone without double checking. And it’s only a five minute walk from the Sfera,” Romeo answered.

“He was also seen driving a jalopy. Bastard probably thought it was good cover; reckon he’s still lugging it around?”

“He could be, Fred, he could be. I say we change into uniforms and then head down there.”

“Em,” Lima said; an anxious look on his face. “You said it yourself; he was spotted weeks ago. He’s probably not even in Greece anymore.”

“Stop worrying, Lee, and let’s get going.”

XXXXX

Once they all changed the group met back up at the car, a silver Honda Odyssey, and piled in. Mike expertly pulled them out of his professional parallel parking job and then slammed his foot on the gas. Lima, who always had to call shotgun so he could try to quell Mike’s recklessness, gripped the grab-handle above his door and began yelling at the Getaway. The four who sat in the back tried their best to ignore the argument that was brewing and focus on the mission.

“One of these days you’re gonnae get us killed, Mike!”

“I haven’t done it yet, have I?” Mike replied with a smirk.

“Jist coz you hae a death wish doesn’t mean you hae tae drag us alang your reckless path. Dae you e’en know th’ chances of us dyin’ oan this mission?”

“No. I don’t. But lemme guess, Bubba, You’re gon’ tell me, ain’t cha?” Mike said very condescendingly as he gripped the steering wheel and pushed on the gas.

The speedometer made its way to 90mph when the street signs clearly read 80 kmh. Since they were in Greece, and not somewhere that used miles, Lima had to quickly do the mental math. After a few minutes he gave up since conversions weren’t something he was good at. Watching the speedometer Lima’s face got redder and his lips pursed together. Times like these, when Mike was acting more reckless than usual to stubbornly prove a point, he couldn’t comprehend why he even cared about the crazy son of a bitch.

“Ye feckin’ divit! People’s li’es ur at stake haur an’ ye want tae act loch yoo’re gonnae die the-day? Whit is wrang wi’ ye?”

Mike laughed at how thick Lima’s accent had gotten in such a short amount of time.

“I done told you a million times I can’t understand you when you’re mad. Surprised I can the rest of the time.”

Lima’s expression turned to shock and then back to anger again as he turned away to stare out the window. Stopping at a red light Mike turned to look at Lima. He understood where the worry came from and he knew he shouldn’t do and say such dumb stuff all the time. But it was hard for him to control his recklessness and it’s not like anyone else helped much in that regard. All the doctors and psychologists they were forced to see during training never helped any of them. The only person who ever tried to help him stop was Lima and all he ever did was laugh in his face.

Just like how he laughed in death’s face.

Reaching out a hand Mike was about to lay it on Lima’s shoulder but then he saw the light turn green. Turning his body back to the steering wheel Mike eased the car out of the stop. And instead of gunning down the road like the madman that he was at times he drove the exact speed limit. Seeing Oscar reach over to tap Lima on the shoulder made Mike relax a bit. Oscar was sure to calm him down and get the man to stop worrying for a little while. He sighed and wiggled his shoulders; took a gloved hand off the wheel and cracked his knuckles against his knee.

“Simplest breathing exercise, okay?”

“Okay.”

“You have to sit up as straight as you can. Now, close your eyes, and just breathe through your nose. In for eight and out for ten. Then in for four and out for six. Keep going and increasing by two until you feel better. You can listen to my calming mix if you want.”

Lima took the ear buds and began breathing like Oscar instructed. November shot Mike an angry look through the rearview mirror as the group drove on in silence. When Lima finished and re-opened his eyes Mike had parked the car in the hotel’s lot.

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infinitehours · 5 years ago

Text

Chapter 2

The Story and Song of the Haunted Mansion is an audiobook much like a campfire story. It’s short, it’s sweet, and it’s not meant to have in-depth discussions or thorough characterizations. Karen and Mike were caricatures of the typical hero/heroine of the time; Mike is clearly the braver one. I hope…no one would mind if I edit the reason why Karen was so much more frightened just a little bit…

And for those of you who wondered why I made the house on Tom Sawyer’s road instead of Liberty Square or New Orleans Square, you get your answer here…

Trigger warnings: ghosts, death concepts/discussions, murder, suicide, abuse, blood, lots of scary stuff (horror), implied sexual abuse, cursing (damn and hell), drug abuse, attempted rape (never completed; in a later chapter).

~~~~

Table of Contents Link

Ch 2: Come On In (And Make Yourself at Home)

One Autumn night, not long ago, two teenagers were walking home from a date…

“I hate it when strangers are right.”

Karen tried to peer at Mike through the thick sheets of rain that seemed to endlessly descend upon them. “What do you mean?”

“That girl. Whatsherface; Nell. She all but told us it was going to rain tonight.”

“Maybe. But she wasn’t terribly clear about that, was she?”

Even though both held their own jackets above their heads, she could still feel cold water creeping down her back.

“I can’t even see the way back to the road. Can you?”

“There’s a sign up ahead!”

“Where?”

“Up there!”

The two of them trudged on, practically swimming at this point. The lightning bolt that flashed against the sky, with the thunder not far behind, was worrisome; they weren’t anywhere near town.

The sign that she saw, that she had pointed out before, was even more worrisome: it was old, with decaying letters, but it was more than enough to tell them exactly where they were.

Tom Sawyer’s Road Ahead. Thunder Mountain beyond. [Impossible to read] Mansion.

Whatever that was before the word “Mansion” was scratched off and replaced with “Haunted”.

They were on Tom Sawyer’s Road.

“Did you mean to lead us in this direction?” Karen said, worried.

“Sort of. I was aiming for it; didn’t think we’d actually find it, though. That lady said it was faster, and I really don’t want to be out in this much longer, do you?”

Mr. Vance’s words came to the forefront of her mind. “You actually trust that she was telling us the truth?”

“Well...at the very least it’s a path better covered by trees…Less chance of getting electrocuted.”

She gave a wry smile, which was probably lost on him in the horrible downpour. It was lucky she could even see him at all.

They smacked through the road a while longer, slick and muddy, their jackets doing nothing to keep their legs from getting drenched.

“Oh good. Hey, Karen there’s a building up ahead. I think we should get out of this for a while….”

The first thing she saw when he said that were the lights. Pinkish, bluish, and greenish hues all encircling the outline of a very fine brick house, standing tall and proud against the rain. It was a very old, very large, and very fancy looking building that spoke of rich extravagance in a bygone era where being in a wealthy family line was the very height of social status; the true American aristocracy.

The towering spires and glass enclosure on the side marked it as being different from the other debilitated rubble of the house they had previously passed on their way here. Different, too, in the notion of how…colorful the lights shining on the house looked. There was no accounting for why there should be a spectrum of colors fixated on this particular house; the lightning certainly wouldn’t have made it look that way.

She opened her mouth to protest, wanting to mention how odd it was to see a house so clearly from so far away when they couldn’t even each other standing five feet apart, but he was already sliding down the slope to the gates and she felt compelled to follow along.

The gate itself was almost as extravagant as the building. Iron wrought, with swirling twisted metal the likes of which you might find on old embroidery. It slowly swung open the very moment Mike’s fingers touched it.

There was a small cemetery out front. She’d visited a few old houses in her life and none of them ever had cemeteries in the front yard. She would have thought it would be off-putting to any guests invited over. Stained with age and crooked, they stood lonely against the bleakness of the dark sky, save for one. One of them had a fresh red rose that was so vibrant it could be seen even through the tears of rain.

“I don’t think we should be here, Mike…” Karen said, eyeing the grave with the bust of a woman whom she swore had just been looking at her.

“I don’t think we have much of a choice. We can barely go through that muck of a road, never mind find our way back to town.”

She could hear him rattling a door handle. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to get the front door open. No one lives here... we can wait inside until the storm’s over.”

Karen slowly backed away in disbelief, the prickly beginnings of goosebumps dancing over her skin.

She knew very little about architecture, she would admit, but the house in front of her was not the same as the one she saw from afar.

“It looks…different up close, doesn’t it?”

“Huh? I guess? What do you mean?”

“Before, it looked like a brown brick building. With a glass room.” She swallowed thickly. “…This is a white building, and the glass room is gone. It looks more like an old Southern Plantation home. With white pillars….”

“Pillars? What pillars?”

“The four giant ones. Right there! You’re staring right at one!”

“I’m sorry, Karen, I don’t see any pillars…”

“Stop playing around! You’d have to notice them, they’re right in fr-“

‘Don’t trust your eyes’

She shrieked and spun around, unceremoniously ending up on the ground of slick cobblestones in the process.

“What’s wrong? What happened?!”

“Someone just grabbed me! Someone just grabbed me just now! They grabbed me and whispered…and whispered…”

Even as she spoke, trying to get her breath in the storm, she felt unsure. Like the house’s changing architecture, there’s was something about the place that was…missing.

‘Missing’…yes, that was the word. ‘Missing’ was the most apt description her mind could scramble for her; looking around in the rain for the source of the voice was like looking at a jigsaw puzzle with several pieces missing. She felt compelled to sit there, her hands wrapping around a little piece of something stuck in the ground. Something that she felt she ought to grab….a ring…?

“I don’t see anyone. And I don’t think there’s anybody here but us. The storm must be getting to you. Come on, let’s go inside.”

“Not me. I'm not going in that old house! I'd rather stay out here and get wet.”

“And electrocuted?”

As if to respond, lightning streaked across the sky, and the immediate thunder made it seem too close for comfort.

“Alright.” She said, forcing herself to get off the ground, “But we leave the door open. This place gives me the creeps.”

Someone had grabbed her. She was certain of it. To be sure, perhaps she had a bit of an active imagination sometimes, but she couldn’t have imagined the unnaturally cold hands that had clutched her arms, or the eerie sensation of hot breath against her ear. Like the house’s changing features, both were too real to simply wave away as part of her imagination.

We really shouldn’t be here.

It was that thought that lingered as the two of them ventured inside, the door barely holding any resistance against them. It was uncomfortable how the giant pillars (real or imagined) felt like a gaping maw as if the house itself were ready to eat her alive.

“Well I'll be... this house is still full of furniture.” Mike said as he went to light a candelabra.

And indeed there was furniture! A few chairs, a writing desk cluttered with papers and strange objects, a marble bust, a couch in front of an intricate fireplace, and a round oil painting framed by curtains.

The inside was no warmer than the maelstrom kicking around outside, and there was something in the air….a dreadful feeling, like a suffocation, that clung to the items around them. She felt the feeling cadence as she went to trace a finger down the decorated wood of a nearby chair; not a single speck of dust upon it.

“It’s as though someone still lives here…” She muttered, half to herself, turning to look at the reassuring sight of the open front door and the pattering sounds of rain just beyond it.

“Heh. You know all the rumors they say about these old buildings up here? Spectral people, strange lights, ‘don’t ever get lost in those woods or else’? If I remember correctly, one of these houses was the site of a bunch of suicides-”

“Knock it off, Mike! This place is creepy enough without you reminding me of all that.”

She tried to distract herself. Her fingers wrapped around the ring she had found outside. Old, yet not rusted. And with a generous diamond at its peak. It felt important somehow, as though she was meant to keep it for another time. She pocketed it.

“Hey Karen, come check some of this stuff out! A few of these documents say they’re from 1865!”

She could hardly hear him. Her gaze was transfixed on the painting in its prominent place above the fire.

It was an old painting of a young man. His well fitted suit suggested an air of aristocracy about him, and his dark hair and sharply defined chin would have given him a very menacing look if it weren’t for his mouth. There was a faint smile on his mouth, so out of place with the rest of the portrait that it had to have been added by the artist out of complete irony. It was a striking portrait, for the beautiful blue eyes seem to stare directly at her, as though to peer into her very soul…

…And the portrait man was suddenly not smiling.

Or young.

She watched, unable to look away, as the man in the portrait began to seemingly age. Skin growing withered, hair growing gray, clothes fraying, until she was no longer staring at a man but a skeleton. A skeleton that seemed to leer at her as she backed away, slowly, fully intending to run out the door when thunder crashed quite abruptly.

And she was on the floor. Again.

“Are you…are you okay?” Mike helped her up.

“Yeah...” She said glumly.

“You think we should break up? You know, since my presence seems to make your knees buckle all the time?” She could hear him snicker a little behind her.

“Stop laughing! It isn’t funny,” She glanced back at the portrait, but sure enough it had reverted to its original state. That painted smile looking like it was mocking her.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Yet he seemed to keep going; his laughter never quieting down. She spun her head to give him a piece of her mind, but his pale face said it all.

He wasn’t responsible for the lingering, deep voice whose laughter currently echoed around them.

‘Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmmm’

“Who’s there?” Mike demanded, eyeing the suspicious looking marble bust.

“Mike, look!”

The door to the next room inexplicably lay open, and in its inky darkness, in the center of the room, stood the shadow of a very tall figure. It stood, unmoving, unbreathing, and though she could not see its face she could not help but be sure it was staring right at them.

‘When hinges creak in doorless chambers, And strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls; Whenever candlelights flicker where the air is deathly still - That is the time when ghosts are present, Practicing their terror with ghoulish delight!’

The voice was low and deep, speaking with the gravity of having all the time in the world.

“How is he doing that?” Mike said as the voice seemed to flit from one side of the room to the next.

“There’s no such thing as ghosts…” She muttered, trying desperately to reassure herself. But her mind was firmly recalling all of the strange happenings that only she seemed to notice, and the lingering chill on the back of her spine made her voice falter even as she spoke.

‘No such thing, hmm?’

Her stomach dropped as the voice chuckled darkly.

‘Well then…’

With a bang, the couch was thrown back by an invisible force, giving them a clear view of the fireplace as it erupted into roaring purple and green flames. The lightning flashed, as though on cue, as the room flared up in the two dancing colors.

‘Welcome, foolish mortals, to the world’s most Haunted Mansion. I am your host.

Your... ghost host.’

#chapter 2

0 notes

unto-myself-together · 8 years ago

Text

OF STORIES AND SONGS: A HAUNTED MANSION FANFIC CH 2

And for those of you who wondered why I made the house on Tom Sawyer’s road instead of Liberty Square or New Orleans Square, you get your answer here…

~~~~

Table of Contents:

Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 , Chapter 4 , Chapter 5 ,

Chapter 6 , Chapter 7

Ch 2: Come On In (And Make Yourself at Home)

One Autumn night, not long ago, two teenagers were walking home from a date…

“I hate it when strangers are right.”

Karen tried to peer at Mike through the thick sheets of rain that seemed to endlessly descend upon them. “What do you mean?”

“That girl. Whatsherface; Nell. She all but told us it was going to rain tonight.”

“Maybe. But she wasn’t terribly clear about that, was she?”

Even though both held their own jackets above their heads, she could still feel cold water creeping down her back.

“I can’t even see the way back to the road. Can you?”

“There’s a sign up ahead!”

“Where?”

“Up there!”

The two of them trudged on, practically swimming at this point. The lightning bolt that flashed against the sky, with the thunder not far behind, was worrisome; they weren’t anywhere near town.

The sign that she saw, that she had pointed out before, was even more worrisome: it was old, with decaying letters, but it was more than enough to tell them exactly where they were.

Tom Sawyer’s Road Ahead. Thunder Mountain beyond. [Impossible to read] Mansion.

It was scratched off and replaced with “Haunted”.