Average sibling relationship

Halloween 2023 - Day 7 - Halloween Ends (2022)

Does Halloween End with a bang or a whimper?

So, not quite Day 31 but this is indeed Halloween Ends in every sense of the word. Not just the season but the very franchise itself…sort of. But we'll come back to that. This is the last of the David Gordon Green directed trilogy, a man who has taken a sharp turn into horror in the last few years after that little stretch into stoner comedy back in the late 00's, early 10's. After this trilogy, he's moved onto The Exorcist with the newly released Believer, with another sequel Deciever planned in 2025. That seems to have opened to fairly poor reviews so we'll see if they'll make it to that next sequel. I kinda fell off that franchise after the third one but since we've wrapped up Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm St, there might be room for it to slip into the schedule.

Speaking of poor reviews, I remember this time last year when this was getting a lot of negative feedback. I managed to keep myself at a distance in terms of plot, trailers etc and only really had a vague sense of the feedback to go on where the word 'weird' kept coming up, in that it's weird for a Halloween film. That is something I would agree with but, for me, it's a good weird.

Does it reflect badly on me that the opening of this movie elicited a laugh from me? Not like a belly laugh or anything, I do tend to have this almost nervous laugh as an immediate reaction to something that should be considered scary or intense. And there's perhaps little more intense than a guy dropkicking a door open straight into the face of an 8 year old who is sent flying down a multi-storey building to his untimely death. Geez, this movie isn't fucking about, is it? Kids don't die in a Halloween movie, Michael Myers has at least some standards. Maybe that's what people were complaining about?

But the curious case of young Corey Cunningham, a young kid just trying to get through college before this accident sends his life into a tailspin is just the catalyst for the ever spiraling events of the movie but he's also a shining example of the kind of world building that I've come to love about these new movies. There's this idea that's brought up that for a town that has been living in the shadow of Michael Myers and his crimes for the last 40 years, and lest we forget still living in fear that he's still on the loose somewhere, Corey is the monster that the townspeople can see. He's the one that they can point their fingers at and unleash their angry energy towards. Arguably you're never going to have a good time of it if you kill a child, accident or no accident, but I like the idea that it's so much worse for him given that this is Haddonfield and it's residents are at the end of their tether with this whole thing.

Without wanting to delve too much into other people's criticisms at this stage before logging my thoughts, I am curious how much of it is down to the lack of Michael and the emphasis on Strode family drama, which is obviously something I was wanting them to lean into more in the 2018 Halloween so I was on board when it started playing out that way here. 'Where's Michael' is always the initial criticism of something like Halloween 3 and he is very much a peripheral character here. Or maybe it's more that as a movie presumably built up as this grand finale and a final showdown between Michael and Laurie, which we do get, felt like it was tacked on in a 'Okay, you sat through the meat and veg of our spin on Halloween so he's here's your treat.' Without going through the trailers and hype going into the movie I'm unsure if that's how they were building it but that's certainly the impression I got from the end of Halloween Kills.

After a run in with some punk kids, Corey is introduced to Laurie's granddaughter Allyson at the local hospital and the pair hit it off, a duo of nihilists whose trouble backgrounds seem to serve as a bit of a bonding experience. She's the survivor of a homicidal maniac, people think he is a homicidal maniac, they're just a perfect fit as they wallow in their collective misery and intent to watch the world burn.

But after another run in that leaves Corey injured, he's dragged into some sewers by a shadowy figure that we come to learn is Michael who promptly strangles Corey to near death but seemingly lets go. Michael is shown to be frail at times so did he just lose his strength, did Corey break free or did Michael see something in this youngsters eyes that made him set his victim free?

It's something that Laurie sees as well, particularly when Corey starts lurking outside her house like he's The Shape from 40 years ago. But as on the ball as she is, you do sound like the boy who cried wolf when you start protesting that he's 'just like Michael Myers' which is something you've been bleating on about for the past four decades. It's kinda like that meme about Boss Baby, when you spend your life fixated on Michael Myers then you're probably going to get a lot of Michael Myers vibes from this…

The only thing I am iffy on is the relationship between Corey and Michael. Corey is played off as this young apprentice of sorts but it's not as if Michael is readily accepting of help, even Dr. Sartain in 2018 he killed off pretty much the first chance he got even though they were meant to be buddy buddy. There are times when it looks like Corey thinks he's in control of Michael, which is probably just in his head, but there's moments when he's doing weird things with his hands and due to the scar he has, I did wonder briefly if they were going for some weird mark of the Cult of Thorn type thing here. I guess it is just this weird connection between them, like Michael understands this shared anguish they have or maybe a sort of 'passing the torch' thing given Michael's advancing years. Or maybe he just recognizes a greater evil than himself, like I said, even Michael knows when to draw the line when it comes to child murder so he's just paying his respects to Corey.

And I guess the ending in a way I'm a bit iffy on as well, specifically the Laurie/Michael showdown. I get that they felt obligated to include it, you probably would have had people rioting in the streets if you didn't show that after these 3 movies, never mind all the other ones in the franchise and especially given this is likely the last chance saloon for the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis. But the vibe I got from Halloween Kills was that there never was this connection between the two that Laurie seemed to play out in her head, it's all just some cosmic coincidence that she happened to be the one all those years ago so it seemed like plot convenience that Michael just happened to make his way out into the world now to track her down.

But the actual ending itself I really like because, spoiler warning, not only does she incapacitate him and slit pretty much every available appendage, they make sure this fucker is never coming back by taking him to a giant metal grinder that they promptly feed him into. Unless he's planning on reassembling the quivering piles of jelly T-1000 style, this guy is deader than he's ever been. Granted, they stopped short of burying whatever bits are left in a concrete filled coffin 2 miles beneath the Earth's surface like I would but they put a good shift in.

In the build up to that moment though, there's this whole procession where everyone in town shows up to witness this momentous occasion. Even when the cops look on uneasy about what's about to play out, like this isn't in the rule book, the sheriff from Halloween Kills shows up to stress that tonight it is. The whole moment is very cathartic, not only for the viewer in that we've finally seen good triumph over evil, but for the entire town of Haddonfield. Even if his timeline has been retconned six ways from Sunday over the years, it's almost as if every resident from every possible continuity is here to finally witness the moment his corpse is destroyed so they can get some closure on the vast body count he must have built up over these last 40 years.

So, whilst I can appreciate that people going into this movie last year with all that hype behind it might feel like they were on the end of a bait and switch, I really loved this. I've said it til I'm blue in the face over the years that slasher movies can be very hit and miss for me and something like Friday the 13th just bores me to tears. Something like Terrifier that I watched this year, it felt like it was just going for the immediate, visceral reaction but trying to be as gory as possible for cheap pops. But it hadn't earned the real weight behind those deaths because these are just disposable characters. When you have people like Dr. Loomis or Laurie Strode who bring some actual gravitas to proceedings, they can actually make you care, there are actual stakes involved and you're not just cheering for the bad guy and waiting for him to stab Camp Councillor #12.

If you want your bog standard slasher movie, go nuts. I'm sure there's hundreds of them out there. Hell, there's like a dozen other ones in this series alone so I'm all for when one of them wants to try something different. If someone wants to mix their indie, moody, coming of age teen drame in with Halloween then I'm all for it. It certainly has a unique atmosphere to it unlike anything in the series, it put me in mind of something like It Follows in artistic terms, the look and feel to it as well as that general overarching look at these younger characters and their lives being shaped by these traumatic events. Here we have this culmination of movies that has been building up Haddonfield as this deeply toxic place where misery is just a way of like and everyone in it almost seems cursed, with two characters specifically that have every reason in the world to want to get out, with things in their lives ripped away from them in harrowing events but ever after all of that, they feel trapped and bound to this place and unable to break free.

And what does the future hold for Halloween as a franchise when everyone has ridden off into the sunset, quite literally in Laurie's case? Well, everyone seems content for now to let things lay but considering the number of reboot and remakes we've been through, whose to say this will ever truly be over? This is easily one of the biggest franchises in horror, if not the biggest, so it's not going to lay dormant forever. This timeline might be over but I'm sure someone somewhere will start a new one in 5-10 years. Hell, multiverses are all the rage, they'll probably end up drawing in all the different iterations of Michael for some monster mash. And that's just speculation on the future of the silver screen, because we've already had word this month that Miramax has won the TV rights for Halloween so we'll be seeing that before too long.

But, for now, we must retire our Halloween cap as we look forward to the next major event of Christmas and the hopes that I might make the effort to round up the full dozen reviews this year. We live in hope…

DIE BULLY DIE – Sweet Revenge Will Fill The Screen When Matt Backer And Drew Weston Debut Film

By Matt Myers / September 15, 2023

Ever wanted to get even with your high school bully? Local theatre hunks and DNA favourites Matt Backer and Drew Weston are doing just that, well sort of. 

The two actors have written a short film of vengeance, also paying homage to the slasher films of the Nineties. Described as Fleabag meets Final Destination with a dash of Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion, Die Bully Die tackles homophobia, gay shame, forgiveness and bearing a grudge! 

Admit it, we’ve all dreamed of it!

Speaking to Matt Myers about the inception for their Die Bully Die! show, creators Matt Backer and Drew Weston explain that it’s loosely based off their experiences in high school and facing down old bullies through art.

“I went to an all-boys Catholic school in the Nineties and had a rough time. I held onto it for way too long and it affected my growing up in becoming an adult and my relationships,” says Backer. “I came out quite late at around thirty because of that damage, but I’m now happy working as an actor with a supportive and loving family.”

Feeling that the past is always present in our lives, Backer also saw a chance to create some interesting characters which he developed with Weston. 

“Drew and I get along so well,” he says. “We have the same sort of humour and we thought this was a great concept to write, play and produce. So, we drew from my experiences to create the story and it’s now evolved into a greater metaphor for trauma. It’s not necessarily just homophobic or queerphobic but something relatable to people in letting go of the past. It’s about tackling the future with greater hope.”

Set in a plush restaurant, the plot sees Max (Backer) meeting up with his high-school bully Adam (Weston) after a sixteen-year gap. But things don’t go well and Max’s grudge manifests into revenge of the classic teen-horror comedy genre.

Nineties teen dramas are familiar turf to Drew Weston, having recently played lead hunk Sebastian in Cruel Intentions: The Nineties Musical.

“I had a different high school experience to Matt,” says Weston. “I had a little bit of bullying, but nothing to the extent that he had. In Die Bully Die! my character bullied Max in high school and he’s turned out to be gay himself. It’s a frustrating situation for Max, but Adam is there to apologise, which doesn’t really go to plan!”

For Weston, the experience has been a learning curve in producing and writing as well as acting. He also sees the production reaching beyond the LGBTQIA+ community. “It’s a universal topic,” he says.

“Whether it’s bullying for being gay or overweight or a cultural background, everyone can relate in some way, whether as the victim, witness or actually the bully who now realises what they had done.”

“It’s seen through the lens of the Nineties slasher films we grew up with, which sells well. It’s more Black Mirror than a sentimental ‘woe is me’. But even though it’s full-on, it does have some heart-warming moments.” 

The film also stars Ben Gerrard and Shannon Dooley, with Nick Annas and Ethan Lamb-Kelly playing younger versions of Max and Adam. Production is taking place around Sydney with aspirations to extend into a full-length film or series.

Backer and Weston are also looking for support from the community, with a crowdfunding account set up through the Australian Cultural Fund. 

“The crowdfunding is going great, and support has been beautiful,” says Backer.

“A lot of people have been through a similar journey, but we also have wonderful allies too. They want to see this type of story and the Australian Cultural Fund has been fantastic in providing our crowdfunding platform. We wanted to support an Australian organisation that supports local artists, and it also helps that donations through there are tax deductible!”

HPHM Profile: Em Wen-Hui Lin

Template by @hogwartsmystory​

Profile subject to change.

IDENTITY

Name: Emily “Em” Wen-Hui Lin

Gender: Female

Age: 12 as of May 31, 1990

Birth Date: February 19, 1978

Species: Human

Blood Status: Half-blood (both parents are Muggle-born attending wizarding institutions)

Sexuality: Undetermined

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Ethnicity: Chinese

Nationality: Um...British, I think?

Residence: Oxford, England

Myer Briggs Personality Type: ISFP

THE MAGE

Wand: Rowan and Phoenix feather, 11 inches, quite flexible

Animagus: N/A. Of the three siblings, only Clara has become an Animagus.

Misc Magical Abilities: Like her siblings, Em is a Legilimens--although she did not recognize the power until late in her 6th year.

Boggart Form: Her inner demons are her downfall. Her Riddikulus form makes the entire room dark, leaving her in the spotlight, standing in front of the glowing column of a Cursed Vault, while shadows of her past begin to echo her worst thoughts. Most of them pertained Jacob’s permanent disappearance, or her older sister abandoning her for good. She just cannot stand the thought of standing there, helpless while her family suffered.

Riddikulus Form: Her Riddikulus form is of the demons popping like soap bubbles all around her, the voices warbled with every bubble that rose. The prevailing darkness will fade as well. The Cursed Vault will become a giant teddy bear. 

Amortentia: (What do they smell like?) Freshly ground mint, cinnamon, freshly baked fudge, and tomato juice.

Amortentia: (What do they smell?) She smells fresh linens, nutmeg, smoke from a fire, and...wait, is that honey lemon tea?

Patronus: If she can produce a Patronus, it would be of a black swan. A little strange when compared to Jacob’s falcon and Clara’s unicorn, but her grace and poise is not to be underestimated.

Patronus Memory: the day the tension from the Cursed Vaults finally subsided and she saw the light return to her siblings’ eyes.

Mirror of Erised: She sees herself with her older siblings, both of them genuinely smiling in happiness. Her family has completely reconciled, and she feels at peace.

Specialized/Favourite Spells: Before Em goes to Hogwarts, she knew already of the Herbivicus Charm, which her father taught her to speed up the growth of flowers. This was very useful for her whenever people requested her to make flower crowns at the arts and crafts club she heads along with her friend Dawn. Em can cast a really good Expelliarmus as well--a powerful one that could send the wand flying far away from the owner. In later years, one should watch out for her Tarantallegra and Obscuro. Unbeknownst to several of her classmates, she could also perform a good shield charm thanks to training with her siblings in her first year.

APPEARANCE

Faceclaim: TBD

Voiceclaim: TBD

Game Appearance: (may subject to change every once in a while)

Height: 4’10 at 11, but grows a bit before reaching adulthood

Weight: She is on the slightly light side, lighter than average.

Physique: Relatively frail, but her glare can make up for her strength and power behind her spells.

Eye Colour: Dark brown

Hair Colour: Black

Skin Tone: Pale

Body Modifications: N/A

Scarring: N/A

Inventory: Em carries two silk bookmarks, a beaded bracelet, her wand, a few flower clips, several quills and bottles of ink, and some parchment.

Fashion: Most of the time in school, Em wears her school robes. Yes, even when she’s not in class, she wears her school robes. She would always have a flower in her hair.

ALLEGIANCES 

Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff

Ilvermorny House: Pukwudgie/Wampus?

Affiliations/Organizations: Hufflepuff House (Hogwarts); Circle of Khanna (Hogwarts); Order of the Phoenix (1996-); St. Mungo’s Hospital

Professions: Healer at St. Mungo’s

HOGWARTS INFORMATION

Class Proficiencies:

Astronomy: A

Charms: E

DADA: O

Flying: A

Herbology: O

History of Magic: A

Potions: E

Transfiguration: E

Electives: Care of Magical Creatures (E), Ancient Runes (A), Muggle Studies (E)

Quidditch: Em does not join the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, but she is a great supporter of the team in the spectator stands.

Extra Curricular: Arts and Crafts Club (leader), Duelling Club

Favourite Professors: Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall

Least Favourite Professors: Professor Binns

RELATIONSHIPS

Brother: Jacob Pan-Hui Lin

Although she and Jacob never really were that close, she still admires him for what he does and never held a grudge against him for his mistakes. She longs for them to reunite when she learned he went missing, and always wanted to know him and get along with him.

Older sister: Clara Xing-Hui Lin

Em didn’t really get a chance to connect with Clara until the summer before her first year at Hogwarts. Still, she was firm on helping Clara through her trying times and helped her in any way she could to break the final curse and stop R once and for all.

Father: Sueh-Yen Lin

Mother: Renee Lin (nee Tao)

Love Interest: currently N/A

Best Friends: Dawn Everett, Hillary Redstone, 

Rival: Travis Poulter, Eunice Ahn

Enemy: R, Voldemort and Death Eaters

Dormmates: Dawn Everett, three other Hufflepuff girls

Pets: Cheddar (rat), some others TBD

Closest Canon Friends: Penny Haywood, Chiara Lobosca, Nymphadora Tonks, Diego Caplan, Andre Egwu, Charlie Weasley, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Cedric Diggory, Badeea Ali, Barnaby Lee, Liz Tuttle, Tulip Karasu

Closest MC/OC Friends: 

Sarahi Silvers (@dat-silvers-girl )

Nora Magnus (@dat-silvers-girl )

BACKGROUND/HISTORY

Pre Hogwarts: 

Em was around 5 or 6 when Jacob disappeared. Since then, all she had known was broken bonds and tears.

Her sister drifted away from her as well in her first 5 years at Hogwarts. She had to learn in this time to stand alone in the worst of the storm. 

1st Year: 

Em was Sorted into Hufflepuff on the first day at school

The statue curse prevailed during little Em’s first year at Hogwarts

Following the Halloween Feast, Em created the Arts and Crafts club at her friend Dawn’s suggestion--where members create many wonderful things out of everyday items

She and Clara take up Bill’s offer to go to the Burrow for Christmas.

After Rowan Khanna’s death, Em was roped into the Circle of Khanna by Diego Caplan who insisted the group needed her duelling skills

While Clara was preparing the Polyjuice Potion to infiltrate R, Em got to see all the Vaults firsthand that have been broken

Prior to Clara’s trip to the Black Lake with Ben, Merula, and Jacob, Em comes around and gives Clara a flower crown to present to the merqueen

After the curse was lifted, just as Clara threw a party at the Three Broomsticks, Em threw a party in the courtyard with the people who were unable to go to Hogsmeade

2nd Year: 

Em returns to Hogwarts for her second year prepared to help her siblings take down the rest of R

3rd Year: 

Em returns to Hogwarts without her siblings for the first time. However, it was then when she met the Boy Who Lived--Harry Potter.

The year passed pretty normally for her

4th Year: 

When the Chamber of Secrets was opened, little Em was one of the first to ensure that all the younger Hufflepuff students remained calm in this time

She already knew firsthand that Gilderoy Lockhart was suspicious, and so she wrote her mother when he was outed (and his memory was permanently wiped)

5th Year: 

Em becomes a Hufflepuff Prefect for her fifth year along with Cedric Diggory

The year that Sirius Black escaped has been a tough one for her. Imagine Percy constantly on high alert, especially since he’s Head Boy--she’s adapted his high alertness once more, fearing for the entire student body once more

Despite all this, little Em came out successful in her OWLs, obtaining an impressive eight OWLs while only failing History of Magic (she dropped Muggle Studies after her 4th year)

6th Year: 

Enter: The Goblet of Fire, and the Triwizard Tournament!

Em was too young to participate, so she ended up sitting by the sidelines cheering both her friend Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter on

She did not develop a crush on any of the boys in her year (mostly because she can’t be bothered right now with romance, maybe), but she did go to the ball with another Ravenclaw boy in her year

The loss of Cedric Diggory at the end of her 6th year had put her in another mute grief. First, she sat through Rowan Khanna’s memorial--she didn’t expect to sit through another one five years later, and one for one of her closest friends too.

7th Year:

Prior to starting her 7th year, her older sister Clara left for China

Em becomes one of the Head Girls in her 7th year, but the arrival of Dolores Umbridge and the way she instilled all these regulations made her secretly pissed off

She wholeheartedly supported Fred and George in testing their joke products so that they could make a profit out of their talents

When they left Hogwarts on their broomsticks after a while, she too was one of the few who wished she could leave the school but could not

Order of the Phoenix / 2nd Wizarding War:

Em was roped into the Order of the Phoenix along with her brother, Jacob, by none other than Professor Dumbledore immediately following graduation

While her sister was in China holding back the Japanese forces, the times they had to talk were far and few in between--however, they were able to talk when they could, and Em relayed everything that happened to her through encrypted letters sent to her grandmother

Em was the one who alerted Clara of the upcoming Battle of Hogwarts--while the siege went underway, she stuck close to Diego

Em survives the battle--she mourned for Fred and the many lives that were lost

Post-War:

Em ends up becoming a Healer at St Mungo’s, helping those who have undergone traumatic experiences during Voldemort’s rise

Future relationship TBD.

PERSONALITY

Though she comes off as a shy soul, little Em is not completely fragile. Behind her kind eyes laid years of suffering from her family’s arguments and broken bonds--yet she pushes forward, and her persistence does not go unnoticed

Em is always willing to offer a helping hand, even though she’s the one who needs it most.

She cares deeply for those who she ends up befriending and trusting. This also includes most of Clara’s friends at Hogwarts.

Though soft-spoken and easy to knock over, her spells could pack a serious punch.

MISC

Em’s love of Herbology came from her father, whom she loved helping in the family gardens long before Jacob’s disappearance.

She doesn’t play many instruments like her sister, but she has a decent singing voice good enough to join the Frog Choir. However, the thought of that made Em shake her head--she really only sings for fun, after all.

Em’s love for crafts came from the time Jacob gifted her a Hippogriff ornament at her first Christmas that he made himself.

The First Interview

Part 13 of Seventy Percent

Series Summary: When you left on your trip to Vegas, you’d planned on letting loose for one last weekend before heading back to reality and getting your affairs in order so your best friend wouldn’t be left cleaning up your mess when your cancer finally ended your life. What you hadn’t counted on was waking up married to a celebrity who has a knight-in-shining-armor complex, connections with an oncologist, and amazing insurance…

Chapter Summary: Sebastian talks about you on his interview with Seth Myers, and something shifts in your relationship when he gets home that night

Word Count: 1,874

“Sebastian Stan everyone!” Seth Meyers announced. You watched through the screen as Seb walked onto the stage.

You hadn’t watched any of his other interviews, but this was the first one where he was going to talk about you, and you were nervous. You weren’t nervous about what he was going to say, per se. You hadn’t lied when you said you trusted Seb’s judgment. You were just nervous about what came after. What nosey journalists or fans might dredge up. So you figured it was best to be prepared.

While Seb greeted Seth, you decided that you needed to tell him about your past. You wanted him to know. Maybe tonight when he got back…

“So, besides your movie coming out, you’ve been in the headlines a bit lately.” Seth moved on from the small talk about Seb’s upcoming movie.

Sebastian nodded. “Yeah, I have.”

“And you haven’t been alone,” Seth prodded.

“No, Seth, I haven’t been. We had hoped to keep it to ourselves a bit longer, but I suppose a drunken wedding in Vegas isn’t the most secure of wedding venues.”

Seth laughed good-naturedly. “No, it is not. For anyone who hasn’t seen the picture yet, here is Sebastian and his wife in Vegas.” He held up the picture that had been circulating of the two of you and Elvis. That night (or rather, morning after) felt like so long ago. “Now, we were chatting backstage before the show and this is quite the story.”

That understatement made you snort from your blanket nest on Sebastian’s couch. Your snort matched Sebastian’s and he grinned. “That’s one way to put it.”

“First off, this wedding… it wasn’t planned, was it?”

“No. Not at all. That night was basically the most cliché night I’d ever had.”

“Sounded like it belongs in the beginning of a quirky rom-com,” Seth offered.

“My wife, when we discussed this, mentioned how much the people who write or read fan fiction are going to love our story.”

So he was going with the truth. You sighed in relief. Before this moment, you hadn’t thought you would have minded either way. But not having to come up with a lie or half-truth in the future would make your life so much easier.

“We actually just met each other that night. Most of the night was a blur, but the next morning I about had a heart attack when I woke up next to her and saw that ring on her finger and the marriage certificate on the hotel dresser…”

“And the pictures of Elvis on your phone.” Sebastian laughed at Seth’s words, nodded in agreement. “Then you went out to breakfast before heading to the courthouse, is that right?”

“What kind of a husband would I have been if I didn’t take my wife out to eat before going to get the marriage annulled?”

“Not a good one, that’s for sure.” Seth sat forward. “You never got the annulment though. Why was that? Most people, when they wake up married to a complete stranger in Vegas would get the annulment as soon as possible.”

“That was the plan. She was very insistent on the annulment. Kind of a bruise to my ego, you know?” The joke played well and you could tell the laughter of the audience calmed his nerves some. “But her reasons for wanting the annulment became my reasons for putting it off. See, she has cancer and didn’t want to pull anyone into that.”

As soon as he said the c-word, a hush fell over the room. The tension was palpable even through the TV screen.

“The treatment options she had weren’t promising, and there were a few other complications that led her to decide that she didn’t want to pursue treatment. That Vegas trip was supposed to be her last hurrah.”

“Hell of a last hurrah,” Seth said. “So, it was your idea to not get the annulment?”

“Yes. I had to practically force her to get on a plane and see my friend, who is an oncologist, for a second opinion. She was insistent on not getting me involved. And the entire time, I wasn’t sure why I was pushing the issue so hard for someone I had just met.”

“But you’re glad you did.” Since it wasn’t phrased like a question, you had to assume Seb had spoke to Seth at length before the show.

“I am, yes.” No hesitation. “We got her into a promising treatment plan and, though it hasn’t been easy, and even though she has horrible taste in music, I have absolutely no regrets.”

Seth waited a moment for the applause to die down. “From what you told me backstage, she sounds like a wonderful, strong woman. I’m sure it was quite the adjustment to go from bachelor life to living with someone who doesn’t take no for an answer.”

Seb laughed. “You’d think that, wouldn’t you? But, no. It wasn’t that hard. I’ve liked getting to know her and becoming really close friends with her. And you’re right, she is so great. And strong. But cancer treatment is really tough and the idea of being hounded by the press has caused her stress that she shouldn’t have to deal with while going through this.”

“I’m sure that after a day in the hospital, the last thing she wants to do is be bombarded with cameras and questions, right?”

“Right. She’s strong, but all of her energy needs to go towards focusing on getting better. We’ll be putting out an official statement soon, but I’d like to use this opportunity to request that everyone respects our privacy. Our relationship isn’t conventional, and I know that makes us exciting, but we need to focus on her health right now. Not the curiosity of the media.”

“It’s obvious you care for her quite a bit, and we hope both of you the best. Hopefully the next time you’re in that seat, your wife will be cancer free.”

Seth finished up by reminding the audience about Sebastian’s movie that was coming out and the camera panned away to commercials now that the allotted time for the interview was up.

Not caring for the rest of the interviews, you turned off the TV. Before the TV even went dark, you turned it on again and put on an old sitcom for background noise.

It’s obvious you care for her quite a bit.

What the hell had Seth meant by that?

Your phone vibrated and you checked the text from Seb.

Sebastian: You see it yet?

Me: I have bad taste in music, huh?

Me: That’s rich coming from someone who has never heard a Weird Al song before he met me

Sebastian: You made me listen to that song about Albuquerque and Sauer kraut so now it’s a valid opinion, since I have heard a Weird Al song

Sebastian: What’d you think about the rest? Did I fuck up anywhere?

Me: It was good. I’m glad you went with the truth

Sebastian: It’s a good story

Me: makes you sound like a selfless hero

Sebastian: I AM a selfless hero, thank u very much

Sebastian: But it’s also our story and I like it

Sebastian: Wouldn’t change a single thing

You stared at his texts for a good minute before getting the courage to type what came next.

Me: No regrets? Really?

His answer came almost instantly.

Sebastian: None at all

Sebastian: That fight over the weekend sucked, but I think we needed it. Cleared some things up for me at least

The fight hadn’t been what you’d been going for. You weren’t fishing for any apology. In fact, you weren’t really sure why you’d asked.

Sebastian: I should be home in an hour or two. Think you’ll be up still?

Me: I make no promises, but I’ll try

Sebastian: See you soon sweetheart

A hand on your shoulder woke you. Groggily, you opened your eyes to see Sebastian smiling at you from where he was knelt in front of the couch.

“Did I fall asleep?”

“Yeah. Unless you’ve been ignoring my texts, you fell asleep like, five minutes after you said you’d try to stay awake.”

“Shit, I suck.”

“Nah,” he assured you. “Blame Helen and Dr. Chowdhury. They’re the ones making your body literally attack itself.”

“Mmm.” You blinked a few times, trying to clear the sleep from your eyes. As you looked at his face, you remembered your decision to tell him about your family. “Hey, Seb? I wanna talk to you about something.”

He smoothed his hand over your hair, cupping the back of your neck. “Can it wait ‘til tomorrow? We’ve both had a long day and I’m beat.”

“Suppose it can.”

“Good.” Before you could say anything, he slid one arm under your knees and the other around your back, lifting you easily. “Then let’s get a good night sleep and talk about it tomorrow.”

“What are you—I can walk, you know.”

“And I can carry you.” Any response you’d had was cut off when he walked past the guest room and nudged open his bedroom door with his hip. He set you down on his bed and leaned over you, arms straight with hands next to your shoulders. “We done saying obvious things?”

No. “This is your room.”

“Yeah,” he raised an eyebrow. “That okay?”

Was it? You searched his eyes, looking for something… a reason, perhaps? Why were you in his room? “I—I guess.”

“Yeah?” Behind his bravado, you could finally see a slight hesitation. A little insecurity. That flicker helped calm your nerves. Sure, you still didn’t know why he wanted you here, but it was nice to see that he wasn’t sure about it either. Equal ground and all that.

“Yeah. Long as you don’t steal the blankets.”

Your teasing unlocked his grin and he pressed a kiss to your forehead before standing up straight. “Wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart.”

There it was again.

“I, uh, I need to wash my face and, uh, grab my pajamas.” And have a moment alone to think so I don’t explode from whatever the fuck this feeling in my chest is. “Can I walk myself, or do you want to carry me?”

“Hurry back,” he said in lieu of an answer.

When you closed the guest bedroom door to change clothes, you leaned back against it for a second and tried to calm your heart.

Sure, you’d cuddled on the couch over the last few weeks. It wasn’t like this was much different.

But it was.

He’d started calling you sweetheart. He’d started kissing your forehead. He’d started holding your hand more. You’d started holding his hand. As in initiating the physical contact.

This wasn’t just cuddling, you thought to yourself as you grabbed your pajamas from the dresser. The thought was scary, but you almost didn’t care.

And, after you’d gone through your bedtime routine and hesitantly pushed open his door, all of your concerns flew away when he grinned at you and held open the sheets for you. As soon as you were secure in his arms, you came to the terrifying realization that there was nowhere else you’d rather be.

Sleeping in the same bed!?! The world knowing about her cancer!? Her wanting to tell Seb about her past?! What is the next thing that’ll go wrong? (Because you know it’s not all smooth sailing from here)

Chapter 14: The First Conversation

So ...about "The Warrior in the Woods"...

Okay so this morning, this squiggle meister took a read at a preview for one of the stories that would be featured in the upcoming RWBY: Fairy Tales of Remnant set to release this year September 15th. It’s titled “The Warrior in the Woods”. If you haven’t read the small preview of the tale for yourself, you can find it right here on kobo.com where you can also preorder a digital copy of the book.

Speaking of, does anyone know where one can preorder a hardcopy version of this book? Or do I have to wait till it comes out in September to order the hard copy version then? Of all the upcoming RWBY-related projects that I was most looking forward to, it’s definitely this one and I’d definitely love to own a tangible copy of the book for myself if it’s available.

Anyways let’s talk about “The Warrior in the Woods” story specifically. Obviously I read it and without spoiling much from the short story, all I can say is that I definitely loved it. I think right out the gate, I’m going to peg this one as one of my favourites of the fairy tales purely because I found it to be a rather sweet one.

[SPOILERS AHEAD! NUFF SAID]

Plot-wise, the tale focuses on a young boy who ends up getting lost in the woods after wandering out too far from his home village while out playing with his friends. Basically the gist is that the people of this boy’s village have lived in peace away from the Grimm; so much so that the villagers; as well as its youths had never encountered a creature of Grimm before.

While lost in the forest, the boy is attacked by a Bolbatusk Grimm (I believe) during which he is rescued by a woman with silver eyes. In a nutshell, the boy is saved by a Silver Eyed Warrior which leads into a routine where every year from the day they met, the young boy would always return to the forest in the hopes of meeting the Silver Eyed Warrior again.

Let’s get into what I liked about this tale:  The whole relationship between the young boy and the Silver Eye who I will hereby refer to as “Warrior”. From the get-go, it’s very evident that the Boy is infatuated with the Warrior but what I found adorable was that this boy’s interest in the Warrior was what encouraged him to brave the forest in the hopes of seeing her time and time again for two to three more years (I believe if I’m remembering correctly). And what I thought was interesting was that each time the boy ventured into the forest, he was described as being much braver and stronger than previous encounters.

During his first encounter with the Warrior, the boy was completely powerless during his first run in with a Grimm but as the years went by, the boy would learn from his experiences and would go in a little more prepared each time. While he still needed the Warrior to come to his aid (which she always did in spite of saying she wouldn’t save him and telling him never to return), I definitely dug how much the boy began to mature with each time he met the Warrior as reflected in his growing combat competency.

I liked the angle of the Boy being motivated to become a stronger person thanks to his meeting with the Warrior. I liked that just as much as I love the angle of how much the Warrior in turn grew to care for the Boy in her own way.

When we first meet the Warrior, she described as strong and beautiful (by the Boy) yet hardened and reserved due to her past experiences since according to her story, her kind were known to be hunted and slain by humans because of their power (as we the readers are aware of from the main series as of V4-V6).

So due to this, the Warrior has basically settled into a life of solitude and survival. This is even reflected in her initial attitude towards the Boy since after saving him the first time, she warned him never to return again.

Unfortunately for the Warrior, she had underestimated the Boy’s persistence since he did return to her and each time they’d meet in the woods upon her saving him, the young boy would bring her gifts as a token of his appreciation and fondness of her as well as a symbol of their growing bond.

And in spite of pushing him away at first and all the times they would “meet” afterwards, I liked how it was shown how much the Boy had grown on the Warrior and how his compassion had warmed him up to her to the point that I think she began looking forward to seeing him in a way---or rather she expected him to always return to her in a sense.

Until one year when the boy returned to woods, he would find his Warrior gone. Whether that meant the warrior had eventually met her fate or simply moved on, I don’t know. It is of my assumption that the Warrior was ultimately killed in battle. The ending of story in regards to the Warrior’s fate felt a bit ambiguous to me. The story mentioned the possibility of the Warrior being dead but honestly never confirms it. Not really. So for me, I’m only assuming that the Warrior did die since that’s how the tale left her conclusion.

Now for the real meat of this post---the comparison that I’ve already seen my Rosegardening peers make after reading this tale and now I’m going to chip in and basically say the same thing too. 

Yes, the Boy and the Warrior definitely remind me of Oscar Pine and Ruby Rose. 

It’s actually kind of hard to NOT make that stark comparison.

After finishing the tale, my theory is that the Boy was probably around the same age as Oscar is currently when he first met the Warrior. Probably 14-15 years of age and I’d like to think that he was probably 17-18 years old by his third and last encounter with the Warrior since later in the story, the author began referring to the boy as a “young adult man” (I believe).  

As for the age of the Warrior, that one has me stumped to be honest. In the story, she is described as “woman”. I also recall the author describing the Warrior having strands of silver in her hair which made me think she was probably a much older woman---probably in her 40s.

Then again…women in their late 20s to early 30s can start showing signs of grey hair. Not to mention that people as young as 18 can start greying out due to family background and stress. 

So…in that case, I dunno. Going off the featured artwork of the Warrior in the preview, she doesn’t look to be that old at all. So I’m going to safely assume, that compared to the Boy, she was probably in her late 20s or so.  

That’s my cookie crumb deduction.

Either way, here we have yet a second example of a RWBY content featuring an adolescent male expressing romantic interest in an older woman with the writers behind the tale treating this dynamic as something wholesome and rather quite sweet. I would be lying through my teeth if I said I wasn’t rooting for the Boy and the Warrior to end up together-together.  I am NOT sorry. My hopeless romantic of a shipping heart couldn’t help but find the boy’s interactions with his Warrior to be adorable since the story treated it that way.

It’s for this reason why despite the story’s ending, a part of me is still kind of hopeful that the preview isn’t the whole story for that specific tale; y’know what I mean? Like I’m kind of hoping that once the full book is out, there will be more to the Warrior in the Woods story that potentially reveals the young boy and the Warrior reuniting and having their happy ending together.

I could be completely wrong here but dagnabbit, they got me again folks. Not gonna lie. I want this now. I need Roosterteeth to adapt this book into a new animated series like World of Remnant. These characters don’t even have names and already I adore their bond and story together.

Overall, as you can tell, I’m smitten with the relationship between the Boy and his Warrior. And the ending where the boy; now a man, professes his love for his Warrior since the day they met only made me gush even more over this pair. In the squiggle shire, we stan “A Boy and his Warrior”. That’s what I’m going to call this pair.

I guess the point that I’m trying to make here is that it’s nice to see a love---even if it was unrequited in a sense---between a young man and an older woman be treated respectfully in literature. We live in a time when people would screech over the slightest age difference while ignoring the context of the relationship itself.

Though only a short story, I’m happy that the author of Fairy Tales of Remnant portrayed the rapport between the Boy and his Warrior as a sweet relationship.

It’s here where I’m reminded of the Rosegarden dynamic. For the most part, the CRWBY Writers have always treated the bond between Ruby and Oscar as wholesome. It’s what makes the arguments against it in regards to their small 2-year age different sound so silly in my opinion.

So that being said, thank you CRWBY and E.C. Myers for creating yet another sweet dynamic between a young adolescent teenage boy and an otherwise “older” and much more experienced Silver Eyed Warrior.

“…I wish I could have been there for her,” he said slowly, “the way she was there for us.” If she was dead, she had died alone.

“Why did you keep going back there, year after year?” a village woman asked him. “Because she saved you?”

“For that reason, and for many more,” he said slowly. “But I believe she knew the deepest reason of all.”

The group waited. He gazed into the fire.

“I fell in love with her the moment I saw her silver eyes.”

- “The Warrior in the Woods” | Fairy Tales of Remnant by E.C Myers 

 I would like to say more about this story but I’m afraid right now, all I can give are my first impressions. In a way, my mind is all a tizzy with how much this tale got me thinking in respect to the growth and potential future of the Rosegarden relationship.

I’m not trying to imply that I’m taking this as a sign of their endgame. Nah. That would be too premature of me. But it did get me thinking and excited for them in respect to Oscar’s continued development.

I think what I loved and enjoyed the most out of this tale is how much the Boy reminded me of my favourite little prince and how his endearing love for his Warrior made me think of how much Oscar looks to Ruby as someone to believe in and perhaps, even fall in love with.

And what got me the most was the line about the Boy wishing he could’ve been there for his Warrior the same way she had been there for him and by extension the people of his village.

That line hit me deep since that’s exactly how Ruby has been with Oscar from the moment the two met!

Out of everyone amongst the hero team, Ruby has supported Oscar the most from the start. She’s always stood by him. Looked out for him. Protected him and believed in him or supported him even when others were reluctant about that.

She was the first person to mention how brave he is in spite of his fears. And above all else, Ruby inspired Oscar to be a stronger person. Not just for himself and the huntsmen in his care; like his teammates. But for her.

The Boy was inspired by the Warrior to become a stronger man, not just for himself but also the people of his village. Not only that but I loved how the young man even wanted to be strong enough to support his Warrior too

“…I wish I could have been there for her,” he said slowly, “the way she was there for us.”

I love that. I love that line because it reminds me of everything I’ve been saying about Oscar and his inspiration from the Little Prince.

What was the lesson the Fox taught the Prince? Love and responsibility. To be responsible for the people who love and support you just as much as you love and support them.

I got the same vibe from this story from the relationship between the Boy and the Warrior. The sad reality is that the Boy never got a chance to be there entirely for his Warrior and thus she was believed to have died alone; never truly knowing the whole truth of how much she meant to him and how much he loved her.

This is a parallel that I’m hoping for in V8 in respect to Oscar’s side of the story with him on his own in Mantle with only Oz. I’m hoping that during his journey back to Atlas; Oscar comes to terms with his feelings for Ruby. What would even be amazing is if at some point, the tale of the Warrior in the Woods is brought to life and told in the main series.

I would absolutely love it if at some point Oz would tell Oscar the Tale of the Warrior in the Woods when the little prince starts thinking about his rose. Even better, what if…“The Warrior in the Woods” is how Oscar learns the “Fox’s lesson to the Little Prince”?

Imagine if…Oz, fairy tale and it through hearing that story and learning of the Boy’s dedication to his Warrior that it helps Oscar realize how much Ruby means to him!

Overall, what I’m mainly anticipating is for Oscar to come to terms with his true deepest feelings for Ruby. For me, I would love it if Oscar really is no different than the Boy in the fairy tale. 

What would even be more of a trip is if Oscar is a descendant of the Boy or meets someone in his travels who is related to that boy in the tale and it’s a story and lesson that’s been passed down throughout their family for generations.

I know that might be pushing it a little bit but it’s not a bad concept. Either that or…Oz is the one who tells Oscar the Tale of the Warrior in the Woods. It would make sense for Oscar to hear that tale through Oz since, ironically, isn’t he the one who compiled the Fairy Tales from Remnant book? Correct me if I’m wrong. I know his notes are a feature of the book.

Anyways,  either way, I want to see Oscar realize how much he loves Ruby and it’s his love for her that further fuels his drive to support and protect her.

The Boy never got his chance to be there to protect his Warrior. While he kept her legacy alive through her story, the sad truth is the Warrior died alone never knowing how the Boy felt for her.

This is something I’m expecting NOT to be repeated with Rosegarden. I want to see Oscar promise to Ruby that he will always be there for her; fighting by her side for the cause they both believe him: Saving humanity. And above all else, I want to see Oscar realize his love for his rose in the hopes of one day telling her that to her face.

While I don’t know if we’ll have Ruby return Oscar’s feelings. Regardless, this is what I’m anticipating to see at least for Oscar’s side of things and this fairy-tale gave me more believe for that. Then again, it’s just a story and only time will really tell for what the CRWBY Writers have in store for V8. But a squiggle meister can wonder and hope, right?

In the meantime, like I said, I’m excited for the official release of Fairy Tales of Remnant.

I don’t plan on reading any more of the previewed stories though. I don’t know about some folks, but for this squiggle meister, I more want to wait till the book is out so I can hopefully get a hard copy because I do want to own the book itself.

That way I can read it through, make notes of things and always have that stuff on hand when I want to make a point of analysis for future musings and headcanon posts. Plus I really want that book. This is one of the sure-fire times where RoosterTeeth will actually get my money. (Still waiting patiently on dem Oscar merch though).

So with that being said, I think “The Warrior in the Woods” will be the ONLY story preview I will read and talk about for now.

I know there are previews for the other stories available but I’d rather not read them now. I think I’ll wait for the full book to go through and give my official thoughts then. We’ll see. Until then, this is all I got to say for now folks.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2020)

Chapter 21 of Looking for a Place to Call Home

Still not editing before posting.

Still on AO3.

Thanks for reading

                                                                                                                    ~ * ~

Derek wakes up screaming.

He’d been dreaming that he was back in New York and that she—that Kate—had been torturing him again.

He can still feel the glide of her knife as it skimmed him, the skin peeling back, exposing his twitching muscles.

Without realizing it, Derek shifts into his delta form, scrambling off the bed and under it. He whines high in his throat, more human than wolf.

The lights come on almost immediately, and Laura and Cora crawl under the bed with him while Isaac tries to explain what happened to Boyd and Erica.

With his sisters by his side, Derek shifts back. “Just a nightmare,” he tells them.

Erica sits next to him and pats his back. “That’s okay. You’re okay. We won’t let anyone hurt you anymore.”

Boyd nods his head in agreement, and Derek wonders at the contentment he smells on him.

“You’re safe here,” Erica continues. “Do you want to talk about your nightmare?”

Derek looks at his sisters. “No. Not really.”

“That’s okay too.” Erica lets Derek burrow against her side, seeking comfort. He’s glad that she’s staying behind with him and Cora while Laura, Boyd, and John go to New York.

He is also grateful for the small mercy that he isn’t going with them. He isn’t sure that he would be of any help to them. He wasn’t kept in the same compound. The hunters he ran away from are not the same ones that abused his sisters.

Erica is a solid weight beside him, her arm around his shoulder, the chemical smell of her medication as comforting as her warmth. Secretly he hopes that she and Boyd decide to keep them, even if Laura is technically old enough to be his and Cora’s guardian.

He wants the stability that will come from living in a house, from having actual meals, and if Erica has her way, school. Derek wants all those things, but above all, he wants Laura to find her daughter. He wants to put their damaged pack together, like a puzzle with missing pieces. They’ll be stronger together. Even with Peter—if Peter can escape the murder charges.

“Think you can go back to sleep now?” Erica asks. Derek realizes that everyone else has gone back to bed now. Even Isaac is tucked in, his blanket pulled over his head.

Even though he doesn’t quite feel ready, Derek nods. Erica kisses his forehead.

“I’ll check on you in a bit,” she promises. “Do you want me to leave the door open?”

There is a nightlight in the hallway. She’s offering him a source of light so that he can still see. Except she’s forgot that he is a werewolf and doesn’t need the nightlight.

He nods anyway.

Isaac is already blocking the light from the overhead. He won’t mind the nightlight.

Derek watches as Erica switches off the room’s light and leaves the door wide open as she heads back to her room. Then, he climbs off the bed and pads across the hall to his sisters’ room. Laura lifts the blanket and he crawls between them.

In the three years that Kate had him, there was nothing Derek missed as much as his family. He’s glad that he still has his sisters. And if Peter gets away with the murder he’s committed, then he’ll have Peter too.

                                                                                                                    ~ * ~

Ramirez slams her head down on the table, the third time in an hour. Kincaid startles awake from where he was leaning against the wall.

“Sorry,” she apologizes. Kincaid grunts, moving to sit next to her.

Stiles spares them a brief glance before turning back to his work.

The list they’ve been studying isn’t long—only about seventy names—but they’ve been researching each one, trying to match faces with names. So far, they’ve made it through about fifty-five names and all they have is a tree of the deceased, all Hales in some way, and a few of the arson investigators. Most of the paperwork has been signed off by either Stiles’ dad, early in the investigation, or Sheriff Lahey.

The difference is marked.

Where his dad made little tick marks and initialed on every line, Lahey only signed at the bottom of the reports.

“Deputy Stilinski, sir,” Ramirez says, and Stiles lifts his tired eyes to her. “Look at this.”

She thrusts a stack of papers under his nose. Kincaid snores gently, leaning on Ramirez, while Stiles flicks through the papers.

“This is an insurance investigation.” He checks it against the arson investigative report and then checks the signatures on both. The arson investigation has been signed by the fire chief and his dad while the insurance investigation has been signed by Lahey and a new name, Garrison Myers. “Is Myers listed anywhere else?”

Ramirez points at to his name on the manifest. Number seventy himself. “It looks like he joined late.”

Stiles finds Myers’ card tucked away in a box of evidence. “He’s an insurance fraud investigator.” There’s only a number and a slogan on the card. Stiles makes a note to call the number in the morning. For now, he knows they need to call it a night and pack it up.

“Up to driving home?” he asks Ramirez. Kincaid is definitely down for the count, slumbering still. She shakes her head. “Neither am I. We can bunk here for the night and resume the search tomorrow.”

And tomorrow, he fully plans on meeting with the Hale children to see what they know.

Stiles puts the evidence back in its boxes and shoves them onto the shelves while Ramirez gently wakes up Kincaid. They head for the bunk room, and Stiles locks the evidence room behind them.

The bunk room is barely used, many of the deputies preferring to head home after their shifts, so it’s a little musty, but Stiles doesn’t care. He crawls onto the top bunk, Kincaid face-plants on the lower one, and Ramirez flops on the only cot.

Stiles is so tired that he hopes to drift off quickly, but his mind keeps buzzing, zipping from thought to thought in a way he hasn’t had to deal with since college.

Great. Looks like no sleep. He rolls onto his side and tries, unsuccessfully, to organize his thoughts.

Myers was investigating the fire for potential insurance fraud, which makes sense since the arson investigators determined the cause to be unnatural. But, the house was supposedly abandoned, so who would be collecting insurance on it? And how did they link the burned house with the murdered Hales? Why did they think Derek, long thought to be the only survivor, had set the fire and-slash-or murdered his family?

Before his untimely passing, Lahey had implied that he had evidence that Derek was involved. Why? Was he trying to cover something up? Is that why he’d brought in Myers to look into it?

Hopefully Myers will be able to shed some light when Stiles talks to him tomorrow.

And they still need to locate Deaton.

Stiles isn’t holding his breath that the former veterinarian is still alive. Peter Hale is an efficient killer. He’s already proved it three times. What’s a fourth?

When sleep won’t come even after breathing deeply and clearing his mind, Stiles climbs down and heads to his desk. He might as well research Garrison Myers and see if he’s investigated any other cases in Beacon County.

The night shift desk officer, Myrna Walsh, a deputy even greener than Kincaid, nods at him when he drops into his seat and he nods back at her. When his computer is fully booted, he enters Myers’ name and phone number into the Sheriff Department’s search log.

Six cases come back. Four closed and two on-going. The house out in the preserve is closed with a verdict of arson. Guess when the cops find the bodies of ten people with obvious non-fire related wounds, there’s no way to call it an accident, and Myers agreed by closing the insurance fraud investigation in favor of the insurance company not paying out.

There’s a photo attached to the Hale file, and Stiles downloads it, tapping his fingers as he feels an energy spike cresting in his veins.

He opens it and freezes. It’s Lahey in his Sheriff’s uniform, talking to a man. Stiles zooms in on the other man’s face.

It’s definitely his John Doe.

And if the picture is correct, then his dead John Doe is Garrison Myers.

It’s… Stiles doesn’t actually know how to feel about it because on one hand, now he knows who Peter Hale killed, but on the other, more pressing hand, valuable information regarding the Hale murders likely died with Myers.

Stiles saves the picture, labeling the people in it for Ramirez and Kincaid to look at tomorrow. They’ll have to looking into Garrison Myers and if he’s been reported missing yet.

He scrubs at his face, tugging at his hair. “Crap.” He can’t tell if the investigation is going well or not anymore.

It doesn’t feel like it is. It actually feels like Stiles is playing with half of a deck of cards that keeps exploding every time he thinks he makes progress.

“Fuck this,” he decides out loud, muttering angrily to himself. He needs sleep desperately.

Myrna waves him over as he stumbles back to the bunkroom. “Deputy Stilinski?”

“Yeah, Myrna?”

“This came for you today.” She hands him a thick envelope encased in an evidence bag. It doesn’t have a return address, and the flap is already neatly slit.

“Been examined?” He can see where it was dusted for fingerprints. He’s not holding his breath for evidence. It’s been that kind of case.

“Yeah. Nothing useful.”

“Contents?”

“Coded letter. For your eyes only, but I’m sure whoever sent it realized that more than you would see it.”

Hence the code. “Obviously.” Stiles weighs the envelope, the kind important ‘do not bend’ documents are sent in. He shakes his head, heading for the evidence room. He puts on a pair of gloves, grabs some evidence bags, and sits down at the table, spreading out the contents of the envelope.

There are seven pages, written back and front in code, all sealed in Beacon County Sheriff’s Evidence bags and initialed by Detective Benjamin Votsky, the only California state detective who lived in Beacon Hills and operated out of the Sheriff’s Department.

There is also a bagged single sheet of notebook paper with his name on it. Stiles picks it up first.

Deputy Stilinski, it reads, I am writing to you to confess my perceived involvement in a homicide. I want to make it perfectly clear that I knew nothing of what was going to happen nor how my knowledge would be applied to this heinous crime.

It has only recently come to my attention that someone I spoke with nearly five years ago used my answers to her simply fascinating questions in order to perform that most horrible task.

I am not stupid, Deputy. I know I will likely be charged with accessory to murder even though the things we talked about were purely hypothetical—until she went and proved my hypothesis into a theory. Therefore, I have opted to 1) encode the information I am revealing and 2) not reveal myself until I can be guaranteed that I will not be charged with any crimes. The key to the code is simple, Deputy. It’s Mischief in its true form.

Stiles sets aside the page. He has a feeling he knows this person if “Mischief in its true form” is the key. Stiles assumes that the anonymous letter-sender means that the key is actually his birth name.

He finds a piece of paper and writes down in block letters his full birth name, shoving it into an evidence bag and sealing it, scribbling his initials on the seal. He then carefully puts all the pages back into the envelope in its evidence bag and carries it all back to the front desk.

He hands it to Myrna, along with the paper with his name. “Give that to Detective Votsky. That word,” Stiles points at his name, “is the key. Tell him to find me when he’s done.”

Votsky used to be a deputy under Stiles’ dad’s terms as sheriff. He’d made detective right before the shake up, so he’d managed to skirt the firing. He also has a specialty in codes, which is probably why he was given the evidence first.

“Will do. Hey, Stiles?”

Stiles pauses. “Yeah?”

Myrna looks at him kindly. “Get some rest. The case won’t get solved any faster if you’re not able to see something because you’re too tired.”

“Sure,” Stiles says. What else is he supposed to say? He knows he needs sleep. He’s just having trouble shutting off his brain. “Thanks.”

He walks away before Myrna can give him any more futile advice. He knows she means well, but there’s a reason she’s on the front desk now instead of Kincaid.

He climbs back into his chosen bed in the bunkroom, cramming his head under his pillow to block out the snores of Ramirez and Kincaid. Surprisingly, he manages to fall asleep in minutes.

                                                                                                                     ~ * ~

MP, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21

Don't let the candles go out, and they'll protect you okay uwu

Something a little late but eh X3

The day had finally come.

Ula was finally a year older, and she was quite proud of it.

This year, she decided that she did not want some “big” celebration, but she only wanted the day to herself and her small family. Specifically the tiny clowns she called her siblings, and so, her parents allowed her to roam around town with the two of them, and of course her trusty companion Mana.

“You really like those, huh?” Ula asked with a bright smile, looking at her axolotl who practically pranced with every step he took. “I guess I did a good job for my first time.”

Mana barked up at Ula, wagging his tail in excitement before he turned to look at his back where his new bat wings harness was. His little one made a pair just for him and one for Kala, the former clearly excited and showing off his wings as he strolled with the little clowns.

“Going back to today’s lesson,” Ula cleared her throat, dragging along her red wagon while her two siblings comfortably sat inside. “The second rule of Halloween is to always wear a costume. Tradition says that wearing a costume was basically a disguise for hiding away from the bad spirits, so don’t listen to what those dummy Halloween-haters.”

“Okay.” Davey replied, tapping his tiny fingers on his belly as he enjoyed being wheeled throughout town. “Candy?”

“Oh yeah, that was rule number one.” Ula nodded before noticing that Davey made a grabbing motion with his hands, making her giggle. “But yeah, I’ll make sure to give you guys some candy too. It is October after all. I saved up some money just for the occasion.”

Davey gave a hum of content, soon laying back once more as he and Cordelia watched their surroundings.

Houses were already adorned with Halloween decorations, as were the stores that the kids now walked by.

Little Cordelia’s eyes lit up at the sight of pumpkins situated at nearly every spot she looked, smiling while gripping onto the red wagon in complete excitement. Soon she had started to make thrilled, gibberish sounds, bouncing in place while pointing to the pumpkins.

“You like the pumpkins Cordie?” Ula asked, stopping the wagon to admire the scenery. “Well, that takes me to the next rule of Halloween. You must never blow out your jack-o-lantern before midnight. That also keeps the bad spirits away.”

Cordelia continued to speak her own language, pointing at what were arrays of different sized pumpkins. At the very top were the smallest of them all, and at the very bottom were the large and heavy ones.

“Excuse me sir?” Ula called out to the vendor who turned to her with a warm smile. “How much are the pumpkins?”

“Big ones are three bucks. The tiny ones are fifty cents. It all depends.” he replied, chuckling at the sight that was Cordelia clapping her little hands while bouncing in place.

“Huh. Then can I have...three big ones and one tiny?”

“You know how much that’ll be?”

“Pay attention.” Ula whispered to her siblings before clearing her throat. “Each pumpkin is three and I want three, so three times three equals nine. Plus a tiny one, nine-fifty.”

“Nice! And you want them in the wagon?” 

“Yes please!” Ula nodded before pointing to Davey and Cordelia individually. “One in front of him, the other in front of her. The third one right here. I’ll carry the tiny one.”

“You got it.” the man helped Ula load the pumpkins into wagon, eventually saying their goodbyes after Ula paid up and resumed her birthday stroll.

“You see this Cordie?” Ula presented a candle that she had also purchased from the man. “This goes into the pumpkin after we carve it and make it look cute or scary. Like I said, you don’t blow out the jack-o-lantern before midnight. Don’t let the candles go out and they’ll protect you, okay?”

The infant gave her version of a nod, far too entranced with the pumpkin she refused to let go of. 

“Yeah, I thought you’d like that.” Ula ruffled Cordelia’s hair, immediately repeating the action with Davey who clearly felt left out less than a second later. “Anyways, I’m starting to get hungry. How about we visit uncle Pepper’s shop?”

_____________

After some more walking, Ula opened the glass door that led into the small shop where she expected to find her uncle. Instead, she saw a baby sitting on the counter, and not one that was fathered by Pepper.

“Bingo? What are you doing here?” Ula asked the baby who sat on the counter, all alone as she ate a cupcake adorned as a spider. “Where’s your mommy?”

“Right here! I’m right here!” sounded Ferry’s voice as she hurried to the front, everyone seeing as she came in with the first born of the triplets. “Hello Ula! Happy Birthday to you.~”

“Oh thank you.” Ula giggled before bringing her wagon closer, her siblings staring up at Ferry and Ally who attempted to hide behind Ferry while being carried. “Have you seen my uncle Pepper?”

“He went to go do some errands and he took Ben with him. Had to buy more supplies for all the Halloween goodies.

“Oh. Huh.”

“Were you looking to see him?”

“Not really, I just wanted to see if I could get a treat for my baby brother and sister. I was showing them around town, and teaching them the rules of Halloween.” Ula motioned to the pair, then hearing a bark from Mana. “And maaaybe something small for Mana too.”

“I can arrange that.” Ferry nodded with a grin. “I mean, we also do give out free candy to whoever comes by. I know that rule of Halloween.~”

This alone made Ula smile widely, getting quite giddy on the inside before Ferry walked more towards her.

“Do you think you could hold Ally for a bit?”

“Sure! I love Ally.” Ula reached out to grab the baby who clung onto Ferry, eventually letting go and instead clinging onto Ula who laughed to herself. 

“I’ll be right back then,” Ferry started, then looking down at the wagon to see Cordelia finally releasing her pumpkin to instead reach up towards Ferry who giggled. “And I guess I’ll be bringing a little trick-or-treater with me.”

Cordelia cooed as she was carried by Ferry, cuddling into her chest as the woman made her way to the back of the bakery.

“Those are some cool cupcakes.” Ula looked at the glass display next to the cash register, Davey looking from inside the wagon as he was brought a sense of awe at the sight of gorey cupcakes. “Uncle Pepper and Ferry make all of these. Also aunt Belinda, but she has her own job too. I wonder if Ben and Greta are gonna do this when they grow up, the twins are already learning.”

“Cupcake.” Davey stood up on the wagon, having to lean against the glass to hold himself steady as he continued to scan all of the cupcakes. “I want one.”

“I’ll tell Ferry when she’s back.” Ula leaned down to kiss Davey’s cheek, making him giggle before he plopped back down on the wagon. “You’ll get a bloody one. And Cordie will get one with gummy worms.”

“Okay.” Davey looked around, soon locking eyes with Ally who immediately hid her face on Ula’s shoulder.

“You wanna play with Ally?” Ula asked, eventually lowering Ally onto the other side of the wagon after having moved the pumpkin that was in between the infants. “I’m gonna grab Bingo.”

Bingo soon looked at Ula with a face that seemed almost offended that that thought even crossed her mind, shocked when Ula picked her up from the counter just as Ferry came in. She looked over at Ferry, almost asking for help as Ula held her against her chest.

“I brought some chocolates for Davey, and Cordelia picked out some gummy brains.” Ferry mentioned as she set Cordelia down on the counter, also placing a box in a bag beside her. “I almost forgot, your mommy made an order and I was meant to deliver it today after taking the girls with their dad. Would you mind taking it with you?”

“I don’t mind at all.” Ula shook her head while petting Bingo’s, not really realizing that Bingo kept staring at her, fully offended. “What did she order?”

“Oh, just some cookies for work. She’s giving them to her employees I guess.” Ferry gave a giggle before whispering to Ula. “And I know that rule of Halloween about the candies, but just this once, don’t check your candies okay?”

“Mmm, okay I guess.” Ula shrugged, soon trading Bingo for the box Ferry provided. “Before we leave, can I buy the treats for everyone? I want cupcakes for Davey and Cordie. And also a doughnut with sprinkles for Mana.”

“Of course!” Ferry walked behind the counter, chuckling at the sight that was Cordelia squealing and giving an unexpected hug to Bingo who’s eyes had widened greatly. “Just know, they’re on the house.~”

_____________ 

The day had started to come to a close, Ula realizing that the sun was close to setting and that her siblings had grown drowsy.

“We’re almost there.” Ula told the two, really only telling Cordelia who was fighting her hardest to not nap like Davey already had. Ula was smart enough to bring along pillows and blankets for the two.

“I wonder what mom and dad have been up to this entire time.” Ula pondered to herself, then petting Mana’s head as he walked alongside her while holding the bag in his mouth. “Maybe we’ll get to watch a scary movie once we’re there. I hope mom made some dinner.”

Mana, not able to bark, gave a nod and a wag of his tail before their home finally came into their line of sight. Right on the window was Kala, no doubt having been waiting for their arrival to make sure they all got home safely.

Barks were heard from inside as everybody got to the front door, with the exception of Davey and Cordelia who were still on the wagon.

“You spent quite the while outside.” Ula heard her mom after the front door opened, Jelly helping her bring the wagon over the steps before everyone was inside. “We thought Michael Myers had taken you.”

“Oh, pssh.” Ula’s cheeks turned pink as she walked inside, soon gasping at it all. “Whoa! Look at all of this!”

“While you were out, your mom and I worked on all of this.” Lennie soon appeared, ruffling Ula’s hair before kissing her cheek. “Happy Birthday Ula.”

All around the house there were Halloween decorations, the ceiling being adorned with stickers and even hanging figures like bats and spiders. The couch has orange and black pillows, a good amount of the house having similar color schemes.

“Wowie! I love it all so much!” Ula jumped in place, then seeing as Jelly came around with the box they had brought from Pepper’s bakery.

“Did Pepper or Ferry tell you what was in here?” Jelly took the box out of the bag, Ula shrugging. 

“She said some cookies for your employees.”

“Good.” Jelly nodded, soon opening up the box and angling it so that Ula could properly look inside. 

“Wait,” Ula blinked inside at the box. “That’s not cookies.”

“You are correct.”

“That’s a cake. With my name on it.”

“It sure is.”

“Ferry lied to me!” Ula gasped, eventually realizing why. “Because it’s a birthday cake for me!”

“There you go.” Lennie chuckled to himself, helping Davey and Cordelia out of the wagon before placing them on the couch to nap. “Your mom bought popcorn and other snacks so we can enjoy the cake while we watch scary movies.”

“Yes!” Ula exclaimed, hearing Mana bark excitedly. “All night?”

“Until we all pass out.” Jelly nodded, soon feeling Ula engulf her in a hug.

“I love you guys so much.”

“We love you too kiddo.” Lennie soon received a hug, hugging her back before the family got down to business.

Since you're also in other fandoms, are there any ships/pairings you like? Who's your favourite pairing in POTO? Who are your favourite characters (from POTO to all your other fandoms) and why? Ooh, here's a rather unusual one: who's your favourite side character (name one for all your fandoms!) and why?

Yeah, definitely! Though whether some can be counted as actual “ships” is debatable, as you’ll see in a bit.

For Phantom, my favorite “ship” is the love triangle - E/C/R. Not in a polyamorous, threesome way, but one where I love the dynamics of the characters, the way they affect one another, the ways Erik and Raoul are similar and different. So it’s not quite a “ship” in a traditional sense where I want characters to end up with each other, but more in the sense that I like to explore and analyze them.

As for other “ships” or pairings, I’m just going to list, like, every fandom or random-ass thing I’ve ever loved in semi-chronological order (time to go back to my middle school fandoms!). Under the cut for length.

Harry Potter: Sirius Black and Harry Potter. I adored the godfather-godson bond between the two (absolutely no romance; I clicked on an mpreg fic of the two when I was but a wee lass of twelve and it scarred me): how Harry was the last living reminder of Sirius’s best friend, whose death he still feels responsible for; how Sirius is the parental figure Harry wanted, how they were never able to be happy god damn it Rowling. (You can imagine how much my eleven year old self cried when I read the fifth book. Oh boy, the tears.)

Star Wars: Vader and Luke. Again, totally familial, father-son relationship only. (Speaking of scarring experiences, I once stumbled on a romance fic between the two, where yes, both of them were still father and son, and I have that summary etched into my brain permanently.) The way Vader obsessively hunts down Luke, the first emotional connection he has had with a person in literal decades! The way Luke has just ached all his life for a father figure, to the point where he will take a homicidal Sith lord if that’s who he is! How he never gives up on trying to redeem him! How Luke is right. Loud screeching.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Will Turner and Bootstrap Bill and Will Turner and Henry Turner. More sad father-son dynamics (you may be noticing a pattern here). Repeat what I said with the Star Wars relationships, only with more pirates and less homicide. (And way more parental abandonment guilt.)

Halloween: Michael Myers and Laurie Strode,  remake universe. Yet again, no romance, just a severely messed-up brother-sister relationship. I can’t begin to tell you why I like the horrific relationship between a serial killer and the little sister he was so obsessed with he ruined her life, completely traumatized her, and ended up leading to her death, but I do. Maybe it’s the dark obsession aspect of it, that in the midst of all his murders, there’s still one person Michael Myers longs to have a connection with, the baby sister who represented total innocence in his mind. Maybe it’s the “what could have been” aspect too, as Laurie never recognizes him or realizes their connection until it’s far too late. Maybe I need to re-examine my life choices. I’ll figure it out someday.

Bat Boy The Musical: Bat Boy/Shelley. Yes, this is a romance; yes, they are half-brother and half-sister, yes, you can get on me about this, but in my defense how about you watch the musical and NOT come out of it shipping these two against all your better instincts.

POTO: E/C/R, as stated above and for all those reasons. Oh, and you know what - The Phantom and Gustave from Love Never Dies. Can’t get away from those father-son ships. I actually care about that relationship than E/C or R/C in LND (maybe because both E/C and R/C suck in the sequel so what else am I going to latch onto).

Batman: Listed here, but my heart really lies with three ships. Jaytim is the first: it’s the whole “angry woobie destroyer of worlds who hates everyone meets seemingly well-adjusted and cheerful individual who is secretly hiding their own issues” dynamic. Bane/Talia from The Dark Knight Rises is the second. Doesn’t matter if it’s familial, friendship, protector and protectee, or romantic, I eat it up, and to be fair, it’s never explicitly stated what the relationship is in the movie. All we know is that the two grew up together in a hellhole prison, probably dependent on and solely trusting only one another, and that bond continues even after they leave, and not even death will make them leave one another. Finally, we have Jason Todd/therapy from the Arkham games. Because the poor guy needs it.

MCU: STEVE/BUCKY (aka Stucky). This ship (again, could be friendship or romantic) dominated my thoughts for four years. Steve’s fish-out-of-water status! Bucky’s horrific imprisonment under Hydra. The way the two find each other after and the angst. The fact that Steve refuses to kill Bucky and, even after seventy years, succeeds in breakthing through to him because their connection runs that deep. The fact that Marvel just ruined this relationship so now I have to rely on fanfic. Oh yes, and I also slowly fell into the Kastle ship (Frank Castle aka The Punisher and Karen Page). Another “hardened killer with sad backstory who connects to idealistic young woman with hidden darkness” dynamic.

Terminator: T-800 aka “Uncle Bob” and John Connor. Returning to sad father-son dynamics, I have this from Terminator 2. A robot learning emotions! A boy learning to take his place as a leader and all-loving hero. The bond they form, partially because the T-800 will do nothing else but protect John and partially because John has no father-figure of his own, so his robot bodyguard will do. THE ENDING.

ASOIAF/GOT: I actually have very few ships from here other than Arya/Gendry (and only when they’re older) and, weirdly, Theon/Sansa from the show. The Gendrya ship is just cute, it may well be the most wholesome ship on here, while Theonsa has shades of Stucky in it, I suppose, given that Theon has been tortured so badly he can barely remember his own name, until Sansa turns up and reminds him enough that he breaks out of it to help her.

Favorite characters from each of those:

Harry Potter: My favorite characters from here are probably more side characters, so I’ll just say Hermione Granger. Her focus on academics, fear of failure, and conviction that the library holds all the answers, felt all too reminiscent of myself.

Star Wars: Darth Vader,  no contest whatsoever. Cool mask, cool cape, cool lightsaber, and the absolute worst life one can imagine.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Interestingly, Will Turner. Yeah, I guess Jack Sparrow is cool and Elizabeth is absolutely awesome to watch and has the greatest change in the series, but oh-so-serious Will, with his deep loyalties and slow slide into moral ambiguity because of those loyalties, fascinates me.

Halloween: Laurie Strode, all versions. My favorite final girl, my survivor of trauma (except in the remake, where, well, she doesn’t survive). Also, her daughter in the Thorn trilogy, Jamie Lloyd, the most tragic little girl to walk across a horror movie screen.

Bat Boy The Musical: Ah, wow, haven’t thought about this. I guess Bat Boy and Shelley, more by default than anything.

POTO: Christine Daae, no contest. Love her character, love her arc, love her songs, love her costumes.

Batman: Listed here.

MCU: Bucky Barnes (unless he counts as a side character), but I also love Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Karen Page, Elektra Natchios... and I’ll leave it at that.

Terminator: John Connor. (There’s a reason I haven’t watched Dark Fate yet... or ever.)

ASOIAF/GOT: Three of them! Daenerys Targaryen, who I love because she tries so hard to rule well, who is so observant and cognizant of the things going on around her. Then Sansa Stark, who makes such astounding growth, who retains her empathy and compassion throughout, who is capable of startling perception and insight which most others underestimate. And finally, Cersei Lannister. She’s terrible. I love her.

And favorite side characters from each of those:

Harry Potter: Sirius Black may well have been my first fictional crush. But Remus Lupin is the kind of person (and teacher) I aspire to be.

Batman: I swear, depending on the comic series or movie, everyone is a side character. I’ll just link to my old ask again.

Star Wars: Batman syndrome all over again; every character in Star Wars might be a side character elsewhere, and every side character gets to be the main character of their own comic, book, movie, etc. Erm... I really liked Rose from the sequel trilogy and Chirrut Imwe from Rogue One. I find Mara Jade from the Legends universe fun to read. WAIT I GOT IT - Queen Amidala’s handmaidens from Episode I (Sabe, Rabe, Eirtae, Yane, Sache). Highly trained in both politics, decorum, and weaponry, able to be utterly nondescript or the Queen’s decoy at the drop of a hat? I love.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Hmm... you know what, I thought Syrena the mermaid was pretty cute.

Halloween: Rachel Carruthers! Your typical girl-next-door but well done and with a touching relationship with her foster sister. I will die mad about her death in the fifth movie.

Bat Boy The Musical: Uh.... I’ll get back to you on this...

POTO: Carlotta is super fun.

MCU: Oh heck, Dottie Underwood. (My taste in female characters goes like this: a) intelligent and observant, 2) sweet and compassionate, 3) batsh*t insane. She’s the third.)

Terminator: Not sure how much of a side character she is, but Kate Connor. Wife and second-in-command to John Connor, able to heal wounds and kick butt depending on what the movie requires.

ASOIAF/GOT: I’ll probably think of someone else, but you know what? Queen Rhaenys Targaryen, younger sister and wife to Aegon the Conqueror, whom he wed out of desire. Playful, spirited, loved to fly, sponsored musicians, initiated reforms for the smallfolk, what’s not to love? (Apart from one possibility of her death... but we don’t talk about that.)

Part two for soulmate AU ??? ❤️❤️❤️

Here it is!! Sorry it took so long, I wanted to go more indepth with the AU instead of just doing general headcanons. This came out a bit longer than I intended it to lmao. Part I here 

Freddy’s is a little…. open to interpretation at the end. Do what you will with that information. 

Michael Myers:

The months subsequent to the meeting on Halloween were full of nothing but trepidation and unease. You’d called in sick to work more times than you cared to count (with it being the time of year that colds and viruses were running rampant, no one really could complain about your absence), and your friends and family had questioned your sudden social withdrawal more times than you had fingers on your hands. 

Regardless of how many times they asked you what happened or what was wrong, you dismissed their concerns with lies about you just being sick, seasonal depression, fatigue, and the like - all further from the truth than you’d care for them to know. 

Hiding the fact that you’d met your supposed soulmate was an entirely different story, though; the absolute last thing that you wanted to be public knowledge was the fact that Michael Myers was, apparently, the one you were destined to be with. You had to lie your way through that; pretend that you weren’t aware of what color an object was, or how the sky looked that day. A few friends and relatives of yours had already met their soulmates, so you had no choice but to play stupid and keep up your act of “I have no idea what that’s even remotely like” constantly.

Alone, though, you were a complete wreck. Why did it have to be him? Why did it have to be a fucking serial killer, of all possible options? And why did it have to be you? You kept yourself up at night, your stomach churning, your body tense with anxiety as you mulled over the shitty fact that you were inevitably going to have to come to terms with the truth. Were you ever going to see him again? Was he going to stalk - and, probably inevitably - kill you now? Surely he had to realize what was up - unless he’d never even learned that that was a thing that happened. Is it why he was following you in the first place, or were you just randomly chosen to be his next victim who so happened to be his soulmate? Regardless of what the truth was, you tore yourself apart mentally while trying to figure out what to do.

Months passed, and you’d managed to bury the event in the back of your mind as best as you could. You’d since gotten used to the color change of your surroundings and playing dumb, and your life was made leagues easier by pretending you’d seen a completely random person that sparked the change as opposed to Michael Myers. It was late, late autumn, and the news was filled with reports about the fact that Myers still had yet to be caught after he managed to escape Smith’s Grove last Halloween. 

You, of course, remained on edge as the holiday grew closer. You refused to walk to or from anything; your funds running low from you constantly filling your car up with gas and dishing out gas money to those who offered to drive you places. Your plan was working as you’d had yet to see any sign of Myers again, and you began to believe that you were in the clear.

At least, until you were met with some mighty unfortunate circumstances on the actual night of Halloween.

It was near 7pm, and you were left shit out of luck for transpiration. You’d forgotten to fill your gas tank up enough to get you both to and from work, and a coworker was generous enough to offer you a two-way ride - until they informed you that there was a family emergency and they had to dip early. Of course, you were more concerned about their situation than you were for your own, but you couldn’t help but dread your walk home. Dread it or not, life was unfair and you had no choice but to take it. 

Much to your relief, though, you’d made it home with absolutely no issue - in fact, the walk wasn’t bad at all. The atmosphere was the exact opposite of how it was last year (which made sense considering it was Halloween and not the night before) - the town full of laughter and shouts from the children and teens running around in costumes, the streets illuminated by the soft orange and yellow lights that were emitted from the countless jack o’lanterns and decorative lights that the houses were adorned with. You’d been setting your keys and belongings down on the counter while you debated on dressing up and calling up a few friends to go out with when you glanced out the window and about had a heart attack. 

Your back yard wasn’t exactly large or anything, but it melded into the yard of your neighbors and as a result was quite full of trees and coverage. Towards the back of your yard, near the shabby fence that existed to block your house off from some creepy alleyway, you saw him. You almost laughed; for a brief second you thought you’d spotted some teen or adult just trying to play a prank, but the fact that it would’ve been quite a fucking coincidence that they ended up in your yard of all else’s threw that thought right out of your head. 

There was no hesitation from you as you sprinted from the kitchen, down the hallway of your house, straight into your bedroom - just like the idiots in horror movies that you always made fun of. You made a reach for your back pocket to pull your phone out so you could phone the police - only to realize that in your daze of fear you’d forgotten to grab it off the counter. Upon remembering that, the realization that you’d forgotten to lock the door you’d come in hit you like a truck as well, and you couldn’t stop yourself from groaning out of both fear and annoyance.

Turn the lights off! Hide! Quickly!

You didn’t bother with flipping the switch on your lamp, and instead opted to just yank the cord straight from the wall, resulting in sparks. Hastily, you clambered over your bed and down into the small space between it and the wall so you could hide under the less-obvious side of the bed. 

You’d made that move just in time, seeing as the second you settled into your spot, the door of your room creaked open. 

Your mouth clamped shut, your hand flying up to cover it in attempt to muffle any noise you may inadvertently make out of fear. Your breath remained caught in your throat as you laid there silently, listening to the floor creak under the weight of Michael as he crept through your room. Your eyes were burning from a combination tears and the fact that you refused to shut them, instead staring out towards the dark wall that was directly across from you. 

It felt like hours had passed once the sound of his heavy footfalls faded into another part of your house, and you took that as the opportunity to wiggle yourself out from your spot so you could - hopefully - manage to stealthily pry open your bedroom window and get out through it. Your movements were awkward as you tried to be as fast as as humanly possible while simultaneously staying quiet, and you were lucky as you’d managed to get the window open wide enough that you could probably shove yourself through it you did it the right away. 

Before you had the opportunity to even stoop down and plan how you’d climb through it, you were yanked back from your spot and straight into a tall, solid mass while a hand clamped itself over your mouth to muffle your scream. Before you could think of anything better to do, you opened your mouth and bit down on his hand hard enough that he pulled it back, and you took advantage of the lapse in his grip to give his stomach a solid elbowing and broke free from his arms, turning around and sprinting out of your room, down the hallway. 

But alas, you were far from from being graceful while in a state of distress and your foot caught on the edge of your living room carpet, causing you to trip forward and tumble to a stop awkwardly on your stomach. You scrambled to your feet, taking about a hundred glances over your shoulder as you watched Michael leave your room, his stance tense as he slowly closed the gap between the two of you. While the hallway was dark, the lighting in your kitchen and living room were enough to illuminate it just enough to cast shadows on him and the eerie lighting did absolutely nothing to improve the situation. 

Michael was right in front of you by the time you fully regained your balance, and you were trapped between him and the small wall that sectioned the kitchen off from the living room. Your voice was caught in your throat, not even as much of a whimper could be heard as you stood before him, staring up at him with eyes wide with fear and tears. Any attempt to speak was met with choked sobs and stutters from you, and when he made a slight movement towards you you recoiled so hard you’d almost tripped backwards into the wall. 

When he made a reach for you with his hand, you’d finally been able to force yourself to speak. 

“W-wait!” It came out much more aggressively than you’d intended for it to, but it would have to do. When he didn’t make another motion towards you, you took that as the opportunity to swallow your fear and actually confront him. 

“What do you want?” The obligatory question that anyone being stalked by a serial killer is legally required to ask, despite there being no use for it. It’s not like he’d answer you anyway. “We can figure this out - you don’t have to kill me or anything like that, please..” 

Now really wasn’t the time to try and reason with him, seeing as he was probably about to make you his next victim, but what other choice did you have? Running wouldn’t get you very far, and you had no doubt that he’d find you soon enough. 

You noticed the ever so slight droop of his shoulders, his posture relaxing marginally - a good sign, you hoped, and continued to speak.

“Did you see it too?” It came out more like a whisper than anything, but it was loud enough that he heard it as indicated by the tilt of his head. Whether that was a yes or a no you weren’t sure, but the fact that he hadn’t attempted to kill you yet was relieving. You were still absolutely petrified, though, and when he took a step closer to you, you instinctively threw your hand up to try and put some sort of futile shield between the two of you. 

“Please don’t -” your plea for mercy was cut short by a sudden grip around your wrist, accompanied by a sharp tug which pulled you almost right up against him. Your efforts at pushing against him were fruitless, but before you could start screaming for help, his other hand quickly returned to press against your mouth, effectively silencing you. Fear induced tears welled in your eyes as you realized that with how pressing his hand was you wouldn’t be able to rely on your bite to free you this time, and as you were about to give up and just let him end your life, you noticed the ever so slight shake of his head- “no”. 

Of course it wasn’t actually spoken by him, but it was as if he was able to read your mind and was answering. No, he wasn’t going to harm you. No, he wasn’t going to kill you. No, there was no reason for you to scream and cry for help. 

While every nerve in your body screamed no, no, no!, you slowly brought your free hand to his that was covering your mouth, and much to your surprise, he put up no resistance when you moved it away. 

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad, after all.

———————————————————————————————————–

Freddy Krueger:

You’d about mastered the art of waking yourself up every time you felt yourself dozing off. After countless nights spent awake, drinking copious amounts of coffee and soda and busying yourself with literally anything you could get your hands on, the urge to sleep was becoming far too much to resist and once you began experiencing minor hallucinations you’d decided that enough was enough and you needed to do something about it. 

First you started setting alarms for every 90 minutes so you wouldn’t get into a REM cycle and dream - but eventually you worried that Freddy would be able to actually pull you into dreams at will, and so the alarms were then set for 20 minute intervals instead. While that worked for a bit, eventually you began to find the call of sleep entirely too alluring and accepted the fact that sooner or later, you’d succumb. 

In the nights spent awake, part of your time was dedicated to figuring out just what the hell you were supposed to do when the inevitable happened. You had no doubt that once you fell asleep and began dreaming that Freddy would be waiting for you, and not knowing what exactly was going to happen only worked to make your apprehension worse. Would he kill you immediately? Would he toy with you, then kill you? Did he even give half a shit about the whole soulmate ordeal? The last words he’d spoken to you - “Gotcha” - indicated that he was aware of what was going on - but didn’t he already have a soulmate? Didn’t he used to have a wife? That’s what everyone said about him. Unless, her death had turned his world back to black and white again, or she wasn’t actually his soulmate.

Christ, none of it made sense.

A friend of yours, Nancy, caught on to what was going on after you’d showed up to class late one day, the dark circles and sullen look on your face giving everything away. While you didn’t tell her the extent of what was going on, you just clued her in that you were struggling with some serious nightmares that were making it hard for you to sleep, and it was really beginning to take a toll on you both mentally and physically.

Nancy, though, like the angel she was, let you in on a small not-so-secret; a new drug that’s come to the market that her own somnologist and psychiatrist prescribed her, an experimental sedative called Hypnocil that could suppress your dreams. You swore you could hear the chorus of angels singing when she told you about it, and you wasted absolutely no time in asking her how you could get your hands on some. 

Life wasn’t fair, though, and turns out it was incredibly rare for a doctor to even mention it to a patient. Upon seeing the look of distress plaster itself onto your face, Nancy leaned in a bit closer to you and whispered a little something to you:

“As long as you don’t tell anyone… I don’t mind giving you a few.” 

It’s not like they’re a controlled substance, right? And it was only a few - a week at most, no one needed to know.

And so it was done, and you were back to sleeping almost-normally in no time. One pill, by mouth, once a day 20 minutes before bedtime, and you were set - and it was working! You had no nightmares, no dreams even, and you no longer dread nighttime and sleep. Despite the relief of finally being able to get a good night’s rest, worry was gnawing at the back of your mind about how eventually you’d run out of Hypnocil, and how it would be unfair of you to assume Nancy would fork over her own personal medication for your use. 

That was a worry for another time, though, and you wasted no time in pushing it to the back of your mind. You’d cross that bridge when you got to that.

———————————————————————————————————–

You’d always complained about how it felt like time was flying by entirely too fast, and now was certainly no exception. Almost a week later, you’d been completely out of Hypnocil and left on your own, left to defend yourself. You’d about had a panic attack that last night once you realized the baggy of small blue pills was empty, and just like that you found yourself dreading sleep again.

You knew Freddy would be waiting for you - you had absolutely no doubt about it, and you weren’t ready to return to your old ways - you were just starting to feel rested again! You were debating on calling around to any offices you could - doctors, psychiatrists, somnologists, anyone - to try and get some sort of help - but how would you even explain what was going on? They’d probably think you were delusional if you called, begging for a medication that was new on the market while claiming that you were being stalked in your dreams. 

Night came quickly, and you’d tried to prepare yourself. Alarms set to be as loud as possible at 20 minute intervals were lined up, and every time you’d wake up you’d stand up and do jumping jacks to get the blood flowing and wake yourself back up enough so that you wouldn’t immediately fall back asleep. As you laid there in bed gazing at the dimmed lamp on your desk, you found yourself hoping, praying, that in the unfortunate circumstance that you met Freddy again, your, most likely inevitable, death would be swift. A small part of you wondered if you’d even see him again, and as you dozed off you wished for that to be the reality.

It wasn’t.

As soon as your eyes closed, it became evident that your body had had absolutely enough of you depriving it of sleep, and you slept through three of your alarms, slipping into dreams with ease. The first handful were pleasant; warm memories, weird happenings, nothing out of the ordinary. As the night went on, though, your dreams began to change. Things were out of place, things weren’t right. The new colors weren’t right - people sounded different, looked different. You found yourself wandering down the hallway to your small bathroom, probably planning to get water or something, but once you entered it, the smell of rust and blood hit you like a truck.

You were back in the boiler room, and the raucous cackle echoing throughout the corridor scared you enough that you whimpered. 

You turned around, reaching for the doorknob of the bathroom only to realize that the door was gone, and the once off-white wall of your bathroom was now a chipped, brick wall that was hot to the touch. 

You also noticed the lack of any pipes around  - your go-to method of escape by burning yourself wouldn’t work this time, it seemed.

His laugh was closer this time, and you knew deep down that he liked to see you scared. That was part of his whole shtick, right? Nightmares, scaring people - it was what he liked, and he enjoyed seeing you terrified.

“Nowhere to run now.” 

His voice was deep, gravelly, and as unpleasant as you’d imagined it would be. Your eyes were locked onto his bladed hand, and you couldn’t stop imagining how cold and sharp they’d undoubtedly feel piercing your stomach or slitting your throat. He seemed to take notice of this, and raised his gloved hand up so you could get a better look at it, waggling his fingers in a way that caused the blades to scrape against each other. 

Before you could stop yourself, you found yourself blurting out the only thing you could think of.

“Those knives are pretty big - are they supposed to be compensating for something?” It was your turn to taunt him, and much to your surprise it seemed to… entertain him? 

Immediately, you clamped your mouth shut and couldn’t bring yourself to look away from his gloved hands. You were waiting for him to shove them into your abdomen, and you felt your eyes water as you couldn’t pull yourself from your spot to run. 

The way he cackled in response sent chills down your spine, and you found yourself equally as uncomfortable with the situation as you were afraid. He took a few more steps towards you, leering up at you from under his worn out fedora as he closed what little space there was in between the two of you. You, in response, pressed yourself back up against the wall as much as you could to try and gain more space, but that proved to be absolutely fruitless as he practically stood up against you. Though he was on the shorter side for most men, he stood taller than you, and as a result you were forced to stare at the tattered material of his sweater - something he didn’t seem all too pleased with as soon you felt the cold metal of his blades push lightly under your chin hard enough to force you to look up at him without actually drawing blood. 

“You aren’t stupid, so quit acting like it.” His voice trailed off as he spoke, one of the blades brushing against your cheek as his eyes bore into your own. You could feel his breath on your face as you stood there, frozen with fear. Why wasn’t he killing you? 

“It… It’s all color now.” You all but whispered, your brain completely failing in the department that served to produce complete, intelligent sentences, thus leaving you with such a vague statement. You really had no clue what else to say other than stating what was blatantly obvious, hoping that he’d have at least some idea of what was going on.

A sneer crossed his face as you gathered the courage to reach up and push his hand away from your face. “That’s more like it.” His voice was barely above a whisper.

He spoke up again, his voice cutting yours off before you could even open your mouth to speak. 

“I’ve got no desire to kill you, but that doesn’t mean I’m just gonna.. let you go again. I’ve got you right where I want you,” He said as his gloved hand found it’s way to your neck, his palm pressing lightly against your throat as the blades brushed along your jawline. “- and I’m not about to just let you leave easily.” He punctuated his words with a short flick of a blade, just enough to scratch your skin ever so slightly. 

“We’ve got something to talk about, and now that I’ve got you, I want to have some fun.” 

You had a feeling you wouldn’t be waking up any time soon. 

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings Anthology Review

5/5 stars Recommended for people who like: anthologies, fantasy, sci-fi, female-led stories, South-East Asian folklore, Indian folklore, Chinese folklore, Middle Eastern folklore, Japanese folklore, Korean folklore, Hmong folklore Forbidden Fruit: Roshani Chokshi 5/5 stars Filipino Chokshi's story is based on the Maria Makiling folktale based around the spirit of Mount Makiling. The style of writing feels like a traditional folktale, the ones that include morals at the end and cautionary warnings (which is perhaps a redundant statement), and is set in fantasy. I like how Chokshi included cautions about the tale "do not trust the fruits of Maria Makiling. If you find your pockets full of thorny fruit, throw it out the window" (5) as bookends to the tale. In this story, the spirit of the mountain is in the form of a girl, and since it's a love story, she of course falls in love with a human boy. The story is only 12 pages, but Chokshi develops the emotions of the mountain so she goes from curious and solitary to someone who would risk losing her heart, and though we don't really see the village or know what's going to happen, Chokshi also weaves suspense and the development of greed and jealousy within the pages as well. Olivia's Table: Alyssa Wong 5/5 stars Chinese Wong's story is based on the Hungry Ghost Festival, and is set in a mix between modern-day Arizona and the Old West. In this story, our MC Olivia has taken up her late mother's task of feeding the ghosts in an, pun intended, Arizona ghost town during the Hungry Ghost Festival. I really enjoyed Wong's interplay between loss and family and helping others. Olivia's mom died about one or two years before the story began, though she still keenly feels her loss and reveals that it's what led to her girlfriend breaking up with her. Going back to the Ghost Festival to cook the food is Olivia's way of getting closer to her mom--both a figurative and literal attempt, as Olivia hopes her mom will show up as a ghost. As Olivia helps the ghosts find peace and closure through her food, Olivia begins to heal by helping a forgotten ghost and a lady ghost she had a crush on as a kid. I'm not explaining it well here, but it's one of my favorite stories in the collection. Steel Skin: Lori M. Lee 5/5 stars Hmong This is one of the sci-fi stories in the collection, and it's the one that goes the deepest into the realm of sci-fi. Based on the tale The Woman and the Tiger wherein a tiger kills a hunter and sneaks into the home of his family, killing most of them, only to get killed by the remaining family in turn. Lee flips this on its head a little, and even after reading it twice I'm still not sure who's the tiger in the story. Yer is the main character of this story, and she lives with her father and memories of a mother who was killed in an android uprising. Yer's father starts acting strangely and seems to be working in a now-illegal field of technology. The story starts out kind of slow and slowly builds as Yer's dad starts acting stranger and stranger until Yer tells her neighbor/boyfriend she thinks her father's been replaced by an android and the two decide to finally find out what's going on with her dad. Still Star-Crossed: Sona Charaipotra 3/5 stars Punjabi Based on the Indian folktale of Mirza and Sahiba, two star-crossed lovers who end the way most of them do--with one of them dead. This story is a modern reimagining of the original tale, set in New Dehli, New Jersey. This one is mostly just creepy. At first, I thought it was going to be a reincarnating story, where the star-crossed lovers knew each other from a past life and they'd both remember and it wouldn't be quite as creepy. Not entirely the case, though Charaipotra hints throughout the story (and in the afterword) that it's kind of reincarnation for the both of them. However, it mostly seems like the guy remembers the girl and keeps 'finding' (read: stalking) her in hopes she'll agree to hang out or enter into a relationship with him. The twist toward the end makes it even creepier. The Counting of Vermillion Beads: Aliette De Bodard 4.5/5 stars Vietnamese Bodard's story is a reimagining of the Vietnamese tale Tam Cam, which is about two sisters engaged in a jealous rivalry. Bodard turned it on its head and made it so the two sisters are loyal to one another, but have different ideas of what they want and can do in life. Set in fantasy Vietnam, the two sisters are census takers for the emperor. The elder sister, Tam believes they can escape and be free and go back to their home, while the younger sister, Cam, believes that the only way to freedom is through the system. Tam and Cam both tug their own direction, leading to a rift between the two for a bit, until they realize they can reconcile their ideas of freedom into something new. Cam is the narrator and is more passive than Tam, unwilling to view the system they've been a part of and the walls that surround them as a cage for most of the story, which is why the half star was dropped. The Land of the Morning Calm: E.C. Myers 5/5 stars Korean This one is a meld of sci-fi and contemporary, as it is technically set in modern-times, but also deals with a computer game that may or may not have real elements...okay, so it's also technically fantasy as well, since the game centers largely around magical, ancient Korea. Based on the Chasa Bonpuli epic that follows the main players of death: the god of the underworld, a grim reaper, and a guide to the underworld. Sunny, the main character, lost her mom five years prior while playing a computer game beloved by the whole family. Since then, none of them have touched the game. As the story opens, the grandfather is convinced the mother is back as a gwisin, or a ghost/spirit, and is trying to tell them something. Both Sunny and her dad brush it off, though Sunny decides to play the game one last time before it's shut down forever, and is thus transported into the land of fantasy and sci-fi. During the story, Sunny struggles to reconcile the death of her mother and the difference between clinging to the past and honoring it. The Smile: Aisha Saeed 4/5 stars South Asian A retelling of the legend of Anarkali, a girl who danced for the king and purportedly fell in love with one of his sons. I liked the story at first, though there were creepy undertones in this one as well. It's in a more historical setting than a fantasy one, and I enjoyed the way Saeed built the world and the people in it. I also like how Saeed explored consent in a relationship where one is royalty and the other is a servant/dancer of the palace. I mostly docked a star because of the creepy factor and the anger of the prince. Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers: Preeti Chhibber 4/5 stars Gujarati A contemporary reimagining of Navratri, a Hinu holiday about community and dancing and being good to people. The story intertwines the actions of the main characters in the contemporary, magic-free world with the events happening that create the origin of Navratri. Three friends go to a Navratri celebration together and come into contact with the infamous (to them) Dinesh, who's sloppy dancing on Navratri years ago led to one of them having their skirt come unwrapped. In the spirit of the holiday, they decide to get revenge. It's a funny, lighthearted story and the star drop is mostly just me being unable to handle people being embarrassed, which both the girls and Dinesh end up being, to varying degrees. Nothing Into All: Renee Ahdieh 5/5 stars Korean This is another story about siblings and jealousy, this time based on the Korean story The Goblin Treasure, where goblins give two siblings the chance to gain treasure beyond what they know. Ahdieh is one of my favorite fantasy authors and I really enjoyed her contribution to this anthology. In this one, two siblings venture into the woods in search of the goblins they saw one year. The elder sibling, the sister, still feels guilty for something that occurred in childhood and thus attempts to hide her successes from her brother for fear they'll upset him. The brother has since grown up to be jealous and angry over his sister and what he views as his sister's selfish wishes. Naturally, one finds the goblins and the magic and the other does not and an argument ensues. The story is an interesting exploration through guilt, forgiveness, selfishness, and what one will do for family, even when said family has done wrong. Spear Carrier: Rahul Kanakia 3/5 stars South Asian This is a take on the Mahabharata, a famous Indian epic and, I believe, the longest epic that's ever been written. In the Mahabharata there's a huge battle toward the end of the story, and Kanakia has retold a portion of this battle from the perspective of one of the millions of people/creatures that have shown up to fight. It's another mix between contemporary, fantasy, and sci-fi. This is a story that I'm disappointed I didn't like better, especially since I generally like retellings of Mahabharata stories. I thought this was a really interesting take on the kinds of massive, all-out war we so often see in epics and high-fantasy books, even if I didn't necessarily like the story itself. The narrator of the story seems to be a high school- or college-aged guy who basically ends up accidentally agreeing to be a part of the battle and spends the time thinking of heroism and who we consider heroes and brings up the rather good question of why people were even fighting in the battle to begin with. I think this question, which is what the author says inspired the story, is really what saved this one for me. Let's face it, when we read stories of epic battles, we don't really ask where every soldier came from and why they decided to fight, we just role with it. Spear Carrier offers the answer that people came from all over, from all times, some for good and some for bad reasons, to fight in a war that needs corpses. If the narrator had been less....I don't even know, less preachy and less like the kind of person who thinks that just because they think deeply has few friends it means everyone else is shallow. Other than that, it's a great concept. Code of Honor: Melissa de la Cruz 3/5 stars Filipino This story is based on the aswangs, which de la Cruz describes as "banshee-like beings" (237) in Filipino folklore, and from what I've gathered from research for one of my books, can also be thought of like a cross between vampires and witches. Basically, they're awesome, oft-forgotten in the West, mythological creatures, which is why I'm so disappointed I didn't like this story better. The premise of the story is a good one: an aswang who's been orphaned and is searching for the rest of her bloodline. Unfortunately, this comes through by the aswang attending a prestigious high-school in contemporary New York and then being discovered by the bratty popular girl. With the undelivered promise of the story, the fight in the bathroom scene, and the not-quite-answered questions still left at the end of the story I had to drop two of the stars. Bullet, Butterfly: Elsie Chapman 5/5 stars Chinese Chapman's story is based on the Chinese folktale of Liang Zhu, translated as The Butterfly Lovers, where class and duty keep apart two lovers who, again, like most star-crossed lovers do, end up dying. In the original, these two lovers end up being resurrected (reincarnated?) as butterflies. This is the only dystopian/sci-fi story in here and it actually makes me wish there was more of them. Chapman flips the original on its head a little and instead of having the girl dress up as a guy to go to school, the guy dresses up as a girl to go to the factory. In this world, the girls are the only ones to work in factories until they're old enough to go to war while the guys are stuck at war or in training for longer (unsure how long, I don't think it's specified, but the guys go off first). Viruses keep ravaging the country, which is why the main character isn't off fighting in the war at the moment, he's in recovery. So, he dresses up as a girl and goes to the factory and befriends Zhu. I like the realness of the two of them as they work and get to know each other, the little details Chapman adds, such as the corner they eat lunch in where no one thinks to look. I also like the metaphors she weaves throughout the story, such as the butterfly bullet that's been invented and the gun smoke choking out parts of the country. It's a very metaphorical story based in tragedy, but the characters and their relationships make it worth any heartache. Daughter of the Sun: Shveta Thakrar 4/5 South Asian I believe this one is set in a urban fantasy (or rural fantasy??) setting, though I'm not entirely sure. It retells the story of Savitri and Satyavan from the larger Mahabharata epic as well as the story of the goddess Gangu and King Shantanu. In this story, Savitri is born with a sun heart, and because her parents worry for her, they remain mostly isolated on a large museum-estate. One day, Savitri finds a boy with a moon heart standing by the lake being coaxed into the water by a swan. She saves the boy from drowning and brings him back to shore, and the two become fast friends and lovers, only, Savitri is hiding from him what the swan said and why she was luring him to the water--an incident which he has no memory of. As the story goes on, Savitri realizes that the swan, and the goddess she meets, is correct and she cannot make decisions for Satyavan, even if it means letting him 'die,' and thus she gifts him back his choices. I like the story and I like the characters, but I'm a huge fan of choice, so Savitri's decision to take Satyavan's choices without thenletting him know is a hard no for me, hence the dropped star on an otherwise fantastic story. The Crimson Cloak: Cindy Pon 5/5 stars Chinese Set in a fantasy world with a golden ox, Pon's story is a retelling of the Chinese legend The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, which tells the tale of a cowherd whose talking ox tells him to steal the red cloak of a fairy girl because it will mean she must marry him. The two marry, have some kids, and then are separated by the fairy's mother who makes the Milky Way to keep them apart, only allowing them to visit on the seventh day of seventh moon. Pon makes the girl the narrator and a goddess in this one. In it, the girl, Hongyun, sees the cowherd and sets out to trick him into meeting her because she's curious. The two become friends and then lovers, and then realizing that she cannot give him what he wants, Hongyun tries to let him go. It's a story of loving and letting go and coming back together again and how we remember in parts even if we love whole. One of the things I particularly like about this story is how Hongyun directly addresses the reader "despite how the legend goes, the truth of the matter is, Dear Reader, I saw him first" (282). I think it adds a clever dimension to the story, and even in short stories I feel like it's not something that happens a lot. Eyes Like Candlelight: Julie Kagawa 3/5 stars Japanese Based on the Japanese myth of the kitsune, trickster fox creatures that have the ability to manipulate the mind and transform into humans. The premise of the story is good, it's set in feudal Japan and centers around a young man, Takeo, as he tries to find a way to meet the rice quote for the daimyo's tax. He comes into contact with a kitsune...which is sort of where I stop liking the story. I'm going to be 100% honest, I think this story has some rapey undertones to it. While the kitsune family helps Takeo and gives him the rice he needs to in turn help his family and town, the girl kitsune also heavily manipulates his mind and at the end there's hints that the two of them have had a kid even though they only meet as humans once and Takeo doesn't even seem to fully remembers what happened during that time, despite literally being the third person narrator.

*  —  stats —   kelsey dyer !

* — basics !

full name:   kelsey nicole dyer. nickname(s):   none standard. age:   twenty-two. date of birth:   december fourth. place of birth:   boston,   massachusetts. gender:   female. pronouns:   she / her. sexual orientation:   bisexual. level of education:   high school graduate.

* — physical !

tattoos:  none. piercings:   ears pierced twice,  right cartilege pierced.   used to have her belly button pierced, but she’s someone’s mom now. notable features:   big ol’ doe eyes. weakness(es):   too trusting :pensive: scar(s):   a faint one,   right above her left eyebrow.

* — domestic !

occupation:   front end clerk at the superstore. residence:  lives in an apartment with anthony. social class:   upper middle class. parents:   joseph dyer,   age 49,   a contractor,   he can’t relate to kelsey on much, but they try their best to get along. heather dyer,  age 48,    the parent kelsey has historically been closest with. siblings:   joseph dyer jr,   age 26,   the most supportive member of her family by far.   he takes being the oldest serious.   cameron dyer,  age 9,   a fundamentally good kid,   even if won’t stop getting caught drawing dicks in the window on the bus. children:   indigo harding,   who is born the second i post this.    she’s an aries destined 2 overpower kelsey One Day. extended family:  her father has 3 sisters,   they spend holidays with her paternal grandparents and then all her cousins and stuff.

* — personality !

positive traits:   lively.   big-hearted.   encouraging. negative traits:   naive.   judgemental.   holds a grudge. myers-briggs ( x ):   enfp,   the campaigner. temperament:   sanguine. moral alignment:   neutral good. horoscope:  sagittarius,   the archer. hogwarts house:  gryffindor.

* — favorites !

movie:    uptown girls. tv show:   america’s next top model. book:   the wizard of oz by l frank baum. drink:   cherry cola. food:   mac n cheese. animal:   raccoons. color:   lavender. song:   long live by taylor swift. artist:   britney spears. celebrity crush:   chris hemsworth.

* — impressions !

first impression:  she makes a decent first impression. she lacks a filter and can sometimes cross a line with things she says without realizing it,  but,   for the most part,   she’s pretty bubbly and friendly and all that. self impression:   she’s got a healthy self esteem,   for the most part.   she thinks she has a good head on her shoulders and a strong moral code.   she thinks she treats people well,   and that’s what really matters. lover impression:   she’s a good girlfriend,   i think. supportive,   tries to relate to their interests  ( even if she simply cannot get baseball ).   she thinks there’s power in little things and rolls with that.

* — et cetera !

turn ons:   tall people.   ambition.   kindness. turn offs:   condescension.   hipsters.   mustaches. drink/drugs/smoke:   yes/weed/no. dominant hand:   left,  but claims to be ambidextrous,   her right hand just sucks. clean or messy:   messy. early bird or night owl:   night owl. hobbies or special talents:   she did ballet for years,   she’s a pretty good dancer.   she’s also double jointed and can do that thing where u flip ur eyelids inside out.

* — QUESTIONNAIRE !

01. where was your character born? what brought them to boston? what do they like most about the town?

kelsey was born in boston.   she’s stuck around because of circumstance,   she couldn’t afford to go off far after she graduated,   and her family needed her to stick around a little,   but she doesn’t know if she would have left,   even if she could.   she doesn’t think about it much anyway,   because she knows boston is where she’s meant to be:   if she hadn’t been here,   she wouldn’t have met anthony,   she wouldn’t have had indigo,   and it just feels like it’s where she really truly belongs at this point in time,   at least.

02. who are your character’s friends and family? who do they surround themselves with? who are the people your character is closest to?

in the past year,   kelsey’s really been Figuring this out.   her relationship with a lot of her friends and family changed after she got pregnant.   she’s never been exceptionally close with her father,   and he’s tried his best to be cool about all this,   but it took a toll on her relationship with her mother.  they were always close,   but her mom is just Simply not jiving with the decisions kelsey’s been making.   her brothers have passed less judgement,   and of her actual family,   she’d say she’s closest to them  ( even her mom has Limited her access to cameron lately ).   but anyways all that is part of the reason she’s so apt to call her palls from the superstore her family.   she really does consider them her closest friends,   as they’re people who didn’t start treating her different.   she feels like nobody skipped a beat.   outside of that,   there’s anthony,   of course,   and by extension of him,   the college Gang.   she doesn’t feel as Welcome among their ranks:   she knows she isn’t as fancy or smart as most of them and just tries to keep to herself when they’re all out.

03. what is your character’s biggest fear? who have they told this to? who would they never tell this to? why?

kelsey’s current biggest fear is that her mother is right,   and she is messing up her life or anthony’s with having this baby,   or that she just generally won’t be a good mom.   most of her is confident she’s doing the right thing:   she’s excited to be a mom,   she loves anthony,   she feels like they’re gonna get through this.   but she knows it won’t be a walk in the park,   and she’s not stupid enough to not realize that people don’t see her as the Most Competent.   she’s ready to give it her all,   and work to make it all fall into place,   but she’s worried she won’t be enough,   and she’ll screw up indigo,   and ruin things for anthony,   and mess up her life.   she’s probably pretty open about this,  in the kind of way where she’s looking for validation.   its a conversation she’s had with anthony more than once.   she’s never tell her mother this,   she’s not about to give her the satisfaction.

04. has your character ever been in love? had a broken heart?

kelsey had two “”serious” partners before anthony:   a high school sweetheart  ( a football player who proposed to her before they graduated,   prompting her to call it off )  and a Grown Up relationship  ( a girlfriend she had fresh out of high school,   she dumped kelsey before she studied abroad,   didn’t want to be held back ).   she thought she loved both of them and felt pretty heartbroken after they were out of her life.   being In Love with anthony has definitely  made her reconsider how intense she thought those relationships were,   but ultimately,   she doesn’t discredit them because they were so important to her at the time,   she’s taken the thank u next approach.

06. it’s saturday at noon. what is your character doing? give details.

if she’s not working,   she’s probably either goofing off on youtube enjoying a grilled cheese or,   in recent weeks,   she’s taken to scouring mommy forums online that,   quite frankly,   scare the shit out of her.   she’s been trying to do things like take midday naps and go see rated r movies while she still can,   so maybe she’s out there just fucking around and enjoying her freedom.

07. what is one strong memory that has stuck with your character since childhood?

kelsey did ballet for most of her life,   from age 5 through all the way through high school.   she remembers sitting in her mother’s bathroom before one of her first recitals,   getting all dolled up in the mandatory makeup:   mascara,   lipstick,   all that jazz.   she remembers how grown it made her feel,   even if her eyes watered and ruined the mascara twice,   and it frankly stands out to her more than the recital itself.

09. what is something that upsets your character? where do they go when they’re upset?

kelsey is a Bit Tender and a lot of things make her upset,   at least on a surface level.   but it takes more to actually get under her skin and make her Truly Upset.   its mostly people related,   rude little comments with bite,   feeling like people don’t like her or judge her/someone she loves.   she’s protective of her brood.   when she’s upset,   she likes to curl up in bed with junk food and watch a little mindless tv.   maybe it doesnt fix things,   but its a distraction.

10. when your character thinks of their childhood kitchen, what smell do they associate with it? why?

her dad is one of Those Guys that has a special chili recipe he’s Very much a diva about.   he made it at least weekly,   and the smell of it all sitting out to simmer for hours stands out to her.   she liked to help him with it,   it was one of the few things they could bond over.

Halloween 2018 Film Retrospective (no major spoilers ahead)

Throughout the entirety of the month of October 2018, I had watched a movie everyday that was, in at least some tangential way, related to Halloween. I can't really call all of them horror films (and to find out why, please see below), although I will say that many of them were unfortunately films that ranged from mediocre to downright unwatchable; had I not been forcing myself to watch these movies for the month, I would have given up ten minutes or so in. And I know I'm a bit late to the party since I'm only posting this on November 3rd, but fuck it, here's the list anyway. So without further ado, let's begin this retrospective with not the first film I watched this October, but the last film I watched for September, which I will call Film #0.

#0: The Babysitter (2017)

The plot: A twelve-year-old boy still hangs out with his babysitter when his parents are away, and just as he is developing deeper feelings for her, he learns a dark secret about her and her friends. This prompts him to undergo a night of survival that forces him to grow up and move on from his own feelings of inadequacy.

My thoughts: This movie feels like it was somehow a holdover script from the 1990s; when the film brings up an element from 1996's hit movie Independence Day, a movie that no one gives a shit about anymore (see how its sequel, 2016's Independence Day: Resurgence, flopped hard at the box office), it serves as only one piece of evidence for that claim. However, I did find the movie to be quite fun nonetheless, even if not all of the jokes in this horror comedy quite landed the way they intended to, but to me, it did have a stable story structure and everything storywise paid off with what was established early on. It's an easy less than 90 minutes to kill on Netflix and I recommend it even if you're not a horror fan.

#1: Leatherface (2017)

The plot: In this prequel to Tobe Hooper's seminal 1974 horror classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, we see the birth of the cannibalistic Sawyer family's iconic member turn into this film's titular villain.

My thoughts: By all means, this was a stupid and unnecessary film that shouldn't have been made. But I went into this expecting to simply be entertained by the violence and gore that was to come about. And was I? Yes, I was, and admittedly, the film did make me feel stupid in misleading me as to who Leatherface was going to be, even though there was a piece of evidence in the movie that did make me think, “Naw, it couldn't be.” So, for that, I can't completely shit on this film. If you're not a fan of gore, you'll despise this movie, but for me, it's a guilty pleasure by far.

#2: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

The plot: In this remake of Tobe Hooper's seminal 1974 horror classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre... pretty much the same shit from that film occurs in this one with only a few slight differences.

My thoughts: Having watched this not long after watching Leatherface, I knew that I was going to get something significantly more conventional, and boy did I get it. It's as boring and unmemorable as most other horror films from the 2000s are, and if I wasn't doing this retrospective, I would have forgotten this one altogether. And moreover, the kills in this are so much more disappointing than in Leatherface, with little to no gore here, so I can't even watch this from the POV of basic primal enjoyment. Skip this one whether you're a horror fan or not.

#3: Goosebumps (2015)

The plot: What starts off as a boy-meets-girl story turns into a spooktacular tale of adventure that involves stopping an army of monsters that come directly from the mind of children's horror author R.L. Stine.

My thoughts: This is a movie that I imagined that I would have enjoyed watching as a kid every now and then, especially during Halloween, but as it stands, it's a little too dull for me and it makes me question what kind of threat do any of these monsters pose to our characters if they never actually kill anyone. It's still fun, if even in a standard way, and Jack Black as R.L. Stine, while incredibly hokey in the role, is obviously having a lot of fun here, so for that, I guess I can recommend this one if you have kids. There's nothing in here that'll actually scare them (unless they're a young Justin Bieber type who'll have nightmares over fucking Scooby-Doo) so you won't have anything to worry about showing them this.

#4: Silent Hill (2006)

The plot: When a young woman takes her adopted daughter to a ghost town called Silent Hill to solve the mystery of the girl's nightmares, they are quickly separated from one another and plunged into a dark demented world with hints of a core secret that must be solved.

My thoughts: I heard about how bad this one was for years, but as I was watching it once the characters actually reached Silent Hill, I found myself enjoying it and finding it to be a legitimately scary movie. The problem? The payoff at the end. I don't know if this is the payoff in the game, but the solution somehow felt a little too mundane and I kind of eye-rolled at the film's jabs at religion (and I speak as someone who's not religious at all). Decent movie for the most part, but I can't really recommend it on account of where it all leads.

#5: Venom (2018)

The plot: When disgraced San Francisco journalist Eddie Brock sneaks into the lab owned by the business magnate who ruined his career, he is bonded to an alien parasite who gives him extraordinary abilities and the antihero persona of Venom. Together, Eddie and Venom must work together if they are to take down business magnate Carlton Drake and the symbiote that he bonded to, Riot, before they can unleash a symbiote invasion upon Earth.

My thoughts: Okay, I know this is kind of cheating because it's not really a horror film in a conventional sense, but since the movie deals with a man being bonded to something that can kill him from the inside if they are both not properly fed, I thought I'd include this movie in this retrospective. Now, with that being said, I found this movie to be pretty standard for a superhero film, and in the year that films like Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Deadpool 2 came out, Venom looks kind of subpar in comparison. However, as standard as the story and action scenes were, I still enjoyed it for what it was, and as cliched as it is to say this now, Tom Hardy as both Eddie and Venom have some magnificent chemistry that makes me want to see more of them in a sequel. I'd recommend it, but with this stipulation: Only if you're not too versed in superhero films.

#6: Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

The plot: A pair of mysterious death leads a medical doctor and the daughter of one of the victims to investigate a conspiracy in a Halloween mask-producing factory that can have far-reaching consequences.

My thoughts: I regret seeing this movie for only one reason: That this wasn't the film I saw for October 31st, because this is, by far, the most Halloweeniest movie I have ever seen. Otherwise, I enjoyed this movie more than I did the original 1978 Halloween or any of its sequels or remakes (which I'll get to later in this retrospective). While not exactly having the best atmosphere, Halloween III: Season of the Witch is a very interesting movie that is draped in its titular holiday, with a unique premise to boot, that is kind of suspenseful, even if it doesn't have a real resolution. It's a film I wouldn't mind rewatching for next year, especially if it's a rainy day.

#7: Final Girl (2015)

The plot: A teenage girl is trained in rigorous self-defense techniques by a mysterious man for the purpose of combating those who seek to wrong others.

My thoughts: As trite as that premise may sound, it's still very interesting in execution, especially if one is familiar with horror movie tropes like the defenseless teenage girl who wins at the end despite all odds against her. It's decently acted and directed, it runs at just the right length, and if I have any complaints about it, I just wish we went into this movie with our killers believing that this was just going to be another of their victims so that we could be surprised at the turn of events. Other than that mil critique, it's a quaint, simple film that you could watch on Netflix on a rainy day like the previous movie above.

#8: ThanksKilling (2008)

The plot: A 500-year-old talking turkey is brought back to life via dog urine on his grave and intends to kill the nearest people nearby.

My thoughts: This movie was an abominable piece of shit that's as unbelievable in every way as the premise that I laid out above. I'm not even joking about the dog piss thing either; that's how the killer comes back. The filmmaking here is student-level amateurish, the acting in it is jaw-droppingly bad, and this film's attempts at trying to be humorous make me want to punch a cat. Never watch this movie ever.

#9: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

The plot: Ten years after his killing spree in 1978's Halloween and 1981's Halloween II, Michael Myers has returned (as the title would indicate). With his sister Laurie Strode having died in a car accident in between films, Michael's new target is his niece, Jamie Lloyd, and his titular return renews the carnage that his psychiatrist, Dr. Sam Loomis, must stop.

My thoughts: A fairly dull film that's only half as decent as the first two films and nowhere near as entertaining as the third. The acting on the parts of Donald Pleasance as Dr. Loomis and Danielle Harris's turn as Jamie Lloyd were the bright spots in this film, and the ending is famous for being one of the most shocking things in this series that is never followed up on. Unfortunately, I can't recommend anyone watch this, whether you're a normie or a Halloween fan, especially considering what follows...

#10: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)

The plot: Pretty much the same shit as the last movie only with more self-aware corniness this time around and a shittier Michael Myers mask.

My thoughts: Ditto from what the plot described. I feel bad for Pleasance and Harris here, they are way too good for this movie.

#11: Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)

The plot: Michael Myers finally kills his niece Jamie Lloyd, but now must go after her child as per instructions from the Cult of Thorn. But not if Dr. Loomis, Kara Strode, and Tommy Doyle have anything to say about it!

My thoughts: If you thought that how I delivered this plot wasn't exactly all that Halloweeny, believe me, this movie doesn't deserve to be treated with that kind of respect. I honestly don't want to say anything more about this movie except for these two things: what an awful last movie for Donald Pleasance to go out on before he died, and for a first movie, who woulda thought that Paul Rudd could be so damn boring?

#12: Halloween II (2009)

The plot: Director Rob Zombie takes one last shit on the Halloween franchise after his 2007 remake of the first movie debacle. Is it sad that this movie gets less of a respectful plot synopsis than the last three Halloween movies discussed on this list?

My thoughts: I saw Rob Zombie's 2007 Halloween remake in the theater, and it was one of the worst movies I'd seen on the big screen. I'm so glad I missed out on this one when this came out in theaters because holy fuck, this one makes Zombie's first Halloween look like a masterpiece in comparison. I could go on to explain why for those of you haven't seen these movies, but all I have to do is point you to Phelan Porteus's reviews of Rob Zombie's Halloween movies; he'll explain it all.

#13: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

The plot: Deranged child murderer Fred Krueger returns from the dead in the form of a dream demon to kill the teenage offspring of the people who murdered him through those teenagers' dreams.

My thoughts: Finally, a legitimately good movie on this list that I don't have to dismiss as just mindless fun or even scary but with a bad payoff at the end like with Silent Hill. This movie is good even if you're not a horror fan; I whole-heartedly recommend this. And if nothing else, it's interesting to see how young Johnny Depp was, what with this being his first movie, and I could see just what the ladies saw in him back then.

#14: A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

The plot: Freddy's back! And this time, he intends to enter the real world through the form of a troubled teenage boy who may or may not have some repressed feelings about himself...

My thoughts: This movie is about as subtle in its homo-eroticism as a series of Michael Bay explosions (not that I'm against homo-eroticism, since I'm a bisexual myself, I just think that this movie was a little too on the nose with that kind of stuff). And while I did find this movie to be surface-level enjoyable for the creative kills, I can't help but think that this was kind of dull, especially in comparison to the first film and as we move forward with the other sequels. The worst part about this is that I find myself scratching my head as to why this is a Nightmare on Elm Street movie when, in spite of the use of dreams here, this doesn't really feel like the Freddy Krueger we know from the first movie nor does this hold up with the character we see in the subsequent sequels. I don't know how to explain it, but somehow, Freddy's characterization seems off in this one. In spite of this film's inclusion of homo-eroticism, something we seldom see in movies like this, I have no problem saying that you can skip this one.

#15: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

The plot: Nancy Thompson, the sole survivor of the first Nightmare on Elm Street, returns with Freddy Krueger this movie, and this time, she intends to help his intended victims fight back. In a sanitarium for suicidal teens with sleep disorders, Freddy intends to kill the last of the Elm Street children. But Nancy intends to utilize the help of one of the teens, Kristen Parker, who has the special ability to unite people into a single dream space and allow them to develop their own dream powers to counter Freddy.  But Freddy isn't as easy to defeat as one may think.

My thoughts: Honestly, this is as good of a sequel as the first Nightmare on Elm Street deserved, as it's a unique take that manages to continue the story of the first in a natural yet unorthodox way, not unlike what Aliens did with Alien. The horror of the first film may be toned down significantly here, but at least the story was interesting, the characters were fun to watch, and Freddy is so much fun here. I recommend it for how Inception-y this movie can get, even if this doesn't have the same level of intelligence as that movie did.

#16: A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)

The plot: Despite his defeat at the end of the previous film, Freddy Krueger is resurrected and he finally accomplishes his goal of murdering the last of the Elm Street children, accomplishing his goal once and for all. However, Freddy isn't so satisfied; he wants more children and teens to kill, and he will get more, through Kristen Parker's friend, Alice Johnson, to whom Kristen gave her dream-sharing ability. So unless Alice can find a way to stop Freddy, the latter's fun could continue...

My thoughts: I think it's safe to say this is the point in the franchise when all the horror in Freddy Krueger is pretty much gone and replaced with fun schlocky Freddy. And you know what? I'm okay with that, because it's always great to see Robert Englund have fun in this role. And in spite of the writing not being as strong as it was in the first and third films, I still find myself caring about our characters like Alice, and I was genuinely saddened when the last of the Dream Warriors died. It's rare when I can actually feel that kind of sadness for dead meat characters like these. Fun watch, would recommend, but be prepared to look at Freddy in a different light. And stay around after the credits, as Freddy sings a hilarious rap that just made me smile.

#17: A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)

The plot: Freddy just can't stay dead, for now he has a new dream master to kill people through: Alice Johnson's unborn child, who spends 70% of his life in a dream state in his mother's womb. So how can Alice defeat Freddy this time without having to sacrifice her dream child in the process?

My thoughts: “Faster than a bastard maniac! More powerful than a loco-madman! It's Super-Freddy!” If you don't know what that scene is, I urge you to look it up, as it's the best scene of the whole movie and it really capitalizes on just how much of a joke Freddy Krueger has become at this point in the series. However, unlike the bastardization of a character like Michael Myers in, say, one of Rob Zombie's Halloween movies, Freddy is still an enjoyable enough character where even one who despises the Nightmare sequels overall can still find little jewels like the aforementioned line. Give it a watch if only for just that one scene.

#18: Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

The plot: Freddy Krueger has all but run out of kills in his hometown, and now he wants to expand nationally. But not if his daughter has anything to say about it!

My thoughts: This has become pure comedy at this point. But my God this is golden. When one of this movie's kills is an extended scene of a guy jumping around with cartoonish sound effects to boot while dreaming that he's in a video game being played by Freddy, you know that the filmmakers know what kind of movie they're making. And I enjoyed this as one of the most guilty pleasure films I'd ever seen. I do think that the film ended on a somewhat anticlimactic note, but alas, the film was an interesting end to Freddy's evolution as a character of horror to a character of dark comedy, and for that, I recommend this one.

#19: Halloween (2018)

The plot: Forty years after he terrorized Haddonfield, Michael Myers has once again escaped from Smith's Grove Hospital to return to where his reign of terror all started. But this time, the one who got away, Laurie Strode, is ready for him... but her daughter and granddaughter may not be.

My thoughts: Aside from Jamie Lee Curtis's fantastic performance in this film, I thought this was just a run-of-the-mill horror film that's competent enough and has its moments but is otherwise forgettable if you forget that this is a Halloween film. If you're a Halloween fan, I think you'll be satisfied; it's certainly better than the majority of its sequels (especially The Curse of Michael Myers and Resurrection) but that's all.

#20: Meet the Blacks (2016)

The plot: During the Purge, the Black family (yes, that's their last name, and yes, the film does make several racially inappropriate jokes about it) move into an upper class white neighborhood where they are confronted by their patriarch's past in the forms of those he's financially wronged in some way or another.

My thoughts: This is only the second worst movie I've seen for this retrospective (yes, ThanksKilling is number one). Aside from all the racist jokes going on here, this movie is just a failure of a comedy and as a spoof/satire of the Purge franchise. It doesn't say anything new or fresh or in any interesting ways, and in fact, some of the “comedy” here just doesn't make any sense (then again, I just might be missing out on a reference, as if that's supposed to justify bad comedy). This movie may have been less than 90 minutes, but my God, it felt like an eternity having to slog through this piece of shit. Do I honestly even need to say skip this one?

#21: The Rezort (2015)

The plot: Years after the cancellation of the zombie apocalypse, the remaining zombies have been rounded up to an island owned by a private company where people can come and pay as tourists to shoot zombies. But when a conscientious objector sabotages the island's systems, the zombies quickly take over and many people die. So a small group of tourist survivors must reach a rendezvous point at the end of the island if they are to escape not only the zombies but also a strafing bombardment meant to eliminate the zombie outbreak.

My thoughts: For a movie that was obviously conceptualized as Jurassic Park (or Jurassic World since this park is actually running) but with zombies instead of dinosaurs, this movie ain't half-bad. The characters are nothing to write home about, although there is a Dirty Harry-type I was routing for the entire movie, and the action and plot are pretty standard for a zombie flick. Still, it's a mildly fun time and I recommend you give it a go.

#22: Scream (1996)

The plot: A mysterious serial killer who is savvy in the ways of the slasher subgenre of horror is gradually killing off various people around high schooler Sidney Prescott. So who could it be?

My thoughts: Talk about a standard slasher flick elevated by the principle of being meta. I enjoyed it, yes, and with the way the film is constructed as a whodunit, it certainly manages to stand out as above average overall. I could see how this was revolutionary back in the 1990s, but now, with pretty much every single genre movie being self-aware in some way or another, I just kind of shrug my shoulders at it as an experience. I think it helps if you're familiar with the slasher subgenre if you're to watch this, but I think it's a good enough film to stand on its own to someone who hasn't seen a slasher flick their whole lives, if only for the story.

#23: Hush (2016)

The plot: A woman with an instinctive writer's mind who is both deaf and mute in a cabin in the woods is thrust into a deadly cat-and-mouse game with a deranged serial killer who wants to toy with her before he kills her.

My thoughts: This is a movie that squeezes every bit of tension and suspense it can in the eighty-something minutes it has, and it makes good use of that tension and suspense in conjunction with its expert pacing. At no point did I think anything was dragged out; everything here was just as long as it needed to be, and it was all resolved in a satisfactory (and quite bloody) way that left me feeling, “Yep, that was a good time.”

#24: The Bye Bye Man (2017)

The plot: There is a demonic entity known as the Bye Bye Man who will psychologically torture you before he kills you if you think or say his name. And he's doing that to three young adults who are all living together in a haunted house. Yeah...

My thoughts: A very forgettable, subpar horror film with an antagonist with an awful name and no memorable appearance. Skip.

#25: Scream 2 (1997)

The plot: One year after the Woodsboro killings, Sidney Prescott is once again haunted by the return of Ghostface as she is attending college this time around. But who could Ghostface be this time? And what meta-commentaries could this movie bring forth about the slasher genre and sequels both?

My thoughts: This is a film that feels like it was planned out from the beginning as a companion piece to the first film; by that, I mean that it feels like writer Kevin Williamson always intended to have this movie be made after Scream had come out. And considering that this movie was released only a year after its predecessor, I think that theory may be true (then again, I haven't done any research for this movie, so for all I know, Williamson and Wes Craven didn't even intend for there to be a sequel in the first place). Regardless, this feels like a natural progression of the first film and while not necessarily surpassing it in terms of quality, I feel like it lives up to the first Scream in a satisfactory way.

#26: Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)

The plot: After years of killing horny teenage counselors at Camp Crystal Lake, Jason Voorhees is finally blown away into literal bits and pieces by the FBI. However, his spirit lives on as his essence is passed on from person to person until he can find a permanent new body through a living blood relative, and all the while, his killing spree resumes.

My thoughts: As a movie that was intended to be the finale to Jason Voorhees, this did have some silly moments in it like Freddy's Dead but not nearly as over-the-top. And it is a little disappointing to not have Jason in his prime form like he was in Friday the 13th Part VI to VIII and, again, it was a little bit more disappointing than Freddy's Dead (which is far more entertaining), especially since this movie retcons so much of Jason's mythology that it feels like no one who worked on this movie has ever seen a Jason movie. So, yeah, I can't recommend this one unless you're a Friday the 13th fan (and even then, I don't think you'll like it).      

#27: Terrifier (2016)

The plot: A mute man in a creepy clown costume stalks multiple victims in a condemned apartment complex with ruthless killing methods that make him worthy of the moniker Terrifier.

My thoughts: Holy shit, this movie was fucking creepy... and I fucking loved it. Of course, I can't recommend it to everyone, as this movie was also ridiculously over-the-top with its violence and gore. I don't want to give anything away, but as an example, there is a scene that involves our killer, Art the Clown, with a saw and a woman's who's upside down that's one of the most shocking things I've seen... and, again, I fucking loved it. It was an unnerving film that's worthy of having been watched for this month.

#28: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)

The plot: Take Jane Austin's feminist classic Pride and Prejudice and then shoe-horn a half-baked zombie plot into it. Okay...

My thoughts: I'm not familiar with Pride and Prejudice, so I went into this completely blind. But with that being said, I still thought that this was one of the most pointless, unfunny and unexciting parodies I've seen. The action scenes aren't all that good and it makes me wonder why this was adapted to the big screen. And as for the parts that are actually in Pride and Prejudice (at least as far as I can guess), I thought they were competently done, but they're just not for me. I guess someone who really Pride and Prejudice might like it, but that's only if they have a taste for zombie violence, too. Otherwise, skip this one; it's just dull.

#29: Zombeavers (2014)

The plot: A container of radioactive waste falls from a truck and floats down a river to infect a number of beavers that are nearby a cabin where a bunch of horny teenagers are. And those beavers become zombie beavers, or zombeavers.

My thoughts: I thought I was going into a movie that was going to be on the same level of bad as ThanksKilling, but thankfully, while the comedy isn't anything to write home about, the acting is at least competent and I was amused by the events that were going on. It was interesting to see what would happen if a zombeaver infected a human, and there were decent amount of subverting of expectations as to who was going to die first and who would live (and not in a Rian Johnson way either). I could see this movie not working for everyone, but it's fun enough as a creature feature with a supernatural element to it.

#30: Event Horizon (1997)

The plot: In 2047, a spaceship dubbed the Event Horizon mysteriously reappears near the edge of Earth's solar system and a salvage team is sent to investigate what happened. But as they arrive, they find that the ship may be more than just a ship now...

My thoughts: As much as I'd love to see what this movie would have looked like had the filmmakers not toned back on the violence and gore, I was still satisfied by what we got here. Sam Neill delivers a deliciously evil performance once Dr. Weir goes to the dark side that it practically borders on Tim Curry territory, and I thought the movie was a good space horror film that was just original enough to be its own thing and not be a knockoff of, say, Alien. Give it a watch; the violence you do see here ain't that bad.

#31: Halloweed (2016)

The plot: A couple of stoners move to a small town so that one of them can get away from the reputation of being the son of a now-dead serial killer. But what these stoners don't know is that they've arrived just in time for a slew of killings to start as Halloween approaches.

My thoughts: I'm mentally kicking myself for having this be the movie I ended the month of October on. This was one of the lamest comedies I've ever seen in my life; I can't remember laughing at all in this bland turd. And it could hardly qualify as a slasher film since the slasher killings don't start until there's about 49 minutes left in the film, and even then, it's barely focused on for the rest of the movie until it's resolved at the end. Skip this and don't let it be anywhere on your viewing block for next Halloween.

And that's it. Those were all 31 of the films I'd seen for the month of Halloween, one for each day. It was quite a venture, but one worth the time if only for bragging rights if not for entertainment (especially since very few of these movies were any real good). So please leave a comment, let me know if you saw any of these movies, if not for this past Halloween, then if you have seen any of these at all, and if so, let me know if you agree or disagree. Until then, here's to better films next Halloween!

*This post has been paid for and sponsored by Silver Shamrock, Inc. When you want quality masks at affordable prices, and a guarantee that they won't unleash killer insects and snakes that will trigger a potential apocalypse, look no further for a Happy Happy Halloween, Silver Shamrock!

35 fun facts about Farah!

Hey hey hey, have some fun facts about my weird little SHSL Gonzo Journalist!

Farah has two middle names, so their full name is Farah Cecily Anaïs Fujibayashi-Beauregard!

Their parents considered many different names for them before they were born, including Chloé, Léa, Amandine, Natsumi, Kei, and Akie.

As you might have guessed, Farah is biracial-- they’re half-Japanese on their father Tetsudō’s side, half-French on their mother Odette’s!

Farah lived in three different countries for the first 11-ish years of their life: they lived in Les Sables D’Olonne in France’s Vendée region until they were two and a half with their parents, then lived with their paternal grandma in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture until they turned six, and then after that lived in the city of Liverpool in England for about nearly six years! All those early-life moves and influences have noticeably tinged Farah’s accent, FTR, so that’s something one would notice off the bat should you hear them talk.

Since then, Farah has been travelling from place to place all over the world with their dad, never staying anywhere for too long! (He’s a travel writer, so he’s paid to do it, but the main reason is an insatiable wanderlust that struck him in his early teens and never quite left.) Odette travelled with them for a while, but returned to live in France a while ago to obtain a Masters in Film, among other dreams.) They’ve been writing fervently about their experiences everywhere they go, and they have a lot of interesting stories to tell.

For the last couple of months, though, Farah’s been living pretty solidly stuck to one place-- Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture.

Farah, as you’d expect, is most fluent in Japanese, French, and English, but they know lots of bits and pieces of various languages!

Naturally, travelling the world on a pretty consistent basis means you can’t really be carrying around that much, so Farah lives light and doesn’t keep anything they can’t pack away very easily. In fact, they’ve probably been able to bring nearly everything they personally own in the bags they packed for school.

Farah’s grandmother Nanami (Tetsudō’s mother) was a MASSIVE motorcycle enthusiast, and it’s an interest which Farah also very much shares! Their dad owns one, and they’d love to own one of their own someday in the future.

Farah has an odd lack of physical resemblance to either of their parents-- they look a lot more like the grandparents and cousins of their extended family.

Farah is an only child with no siblings. They do have cousins their age, though.

Farah is ambidextrous! They make sure to use both hands as much as possible to keep ‘em in shape.

Farah has two pet rats, Gonzo and Salem! (They’re usually creative with their names, but they kinda slacked on ol’ Gonzo there.) Gonzo and Salem are actually third-generation pet rats-- rats don’t live very long, so Farah’s current rats are the kids of previous rats of theirs! (Also-- I confirmed with Pate & Cam that they could, so Farah officially has their rats with them to school! Yay!)

Farah loves rats in general, and identifies heavily with them-- they call themself a rat a lot. (They love their animal metaphors, really.) They’re also fond of other animals generally associated with neg/ative imagery-- s/piders, vultures, hyenas, snakes, shar/ks, w/asps, what have you.

Farah probably definitely has a fursona, TBH.

Farah really likes mints! They always have a packet or two on their person, and will offer people some at any time. In particular, they’re partial to peppermints.

Farah’s favourite physical traits about/of themself are their teeth and their legs.

Back when they were growing up in Liverpool, Farah went to gymnastics classes every week, and they really enjoyed them! They still love to handstand and cartwheel around the place, and will do so more than they should.

Farah is a massive daredevil. They loooooove to do dangerous, reckless, adrenaline-inducing shit, and generally has a very “live fast, die young, do anything that gets your heart thumping” philosophy, which will almost definitely get them killed someday, but hey-- bad enbies do it well, baby!

Farah is nosy as hell and loves to learn as much as they can about people they deem interesting. This has gotten them into real physical fights, and more than once.

Farah loves to dance, whether it be with somebody else or just on their own!

Farah, in general, has very active, constant body language-- they’re always doing stuff like rocking on their heels, moving around, making a lot of hand gestures, pacing, etc.

Farah has highly eclectic and expansive taste in music! Their dad’s caravan has a CD player, so they still buy a lot of CDs and try to listen to a lot of genres and artists! In particular, though, they’re partial to 60s rock, late 70s/early 80s British punk, quirky 80s new wave, and experimental hip-hop/rap, among others.

Their karaoke signature song choice would probably be “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” by R.E.M. 

Farah finds 60s iconography and memorabilia incredibly fascinating in particular, and have collected it in the past (though they think there’s fun and fucked-up things to be found in every decade all over the world-- they’re a history buff like that).

Farah really likes looking at old tech, such as early cameras and voice recorders.

As you’d expect, Farah is a highly avid reader-- they’ve read several hundreds of books a year more than one.

Farah keeps diaries, which they update constantly! They also give everybody codenames in them, including people like their parents and their rats, just in case.

Farah’s thought about starting a podcast more than once. If they did, it’d probably be about political scandals.

If Farah doesn’t stick with this whole Gonzo-style journalism thing, they might get into making cutting, revealing, controversial documentaries instead.

Farah is the kind of person who uses makeup more like war/face paint than anything-- they use a lot of weird pop colours to accentuate different parts of their face and to look distinctive (and unusual). If they’re wearing makeup in a more traditional manner, chances are it’s for something Important And Official and/or they need to impress someone.

Farah’s assured in their gender, but isn’t really sure about their sexuality. They’re primarily interested in girls, but I can see them potentially falling for dudes and fellow NBs (although thinking about romance makes them stressed bc human attachments are hard.)

In terms of the Myers-Briggs personality test, Farah is an ENTP!

I have a Major Arcana assigned to all 18 of my DROCs, and Farah is the Death arcana!

While very blunt, passionate, and coarse in their writing, Farah in person tends to be more mysterious and held-back, although in their own bright, merry, good-natured, delightfully weird kind of way.

Fist of Fire.2.16.

Summer had come and with it the release of school. Kids from schools all over the Atlanta Metropolitan Area were now running among the streets with their friends or parents, going to the many parks, or enjoying their break in the comfort of their homes. On this particular June day, Jade was hanging at Riley’s. Riley’s parents were both at work, so that left them the whole apartment to themselves. However, there was no touching going on. Not because of any animosity between the two of them, but because the Air Conditioner was broken. Jade draped herself over one of the arms of Riley’s couch, fanning her head with a magazine. Riley herself was laying on the floor, spread out like a starfish, with a fan blowing directly into her head.

The rather large TV was on the news discussing the recovery of the Charleston area, something Jade and Riley were SO done hearing about, when a piece of news was dropped that was different.

“In better news today, and still in relation to the Charleston event, former professional hero Reverse was released from Hospital care today. Although no one had any footage of his departure, a release was put out by the Hospital pertaining to his injuries. They -”

The Tv was turned off by Riley, who in a show of abdominal strength pulled a full Mike Myers and sat up quick. “Jade, did you hear that? He’s out of the hospital!” 

Jade had in fact heard the newsman, but had held her excitement from public view. If she were to fully show her true nature to the news, she was afraid she would light the Kim’s room on fire.

In truth, when the news anchor spoke those news, Jade had almost dropped the magazine she was waving herself with on top of her head. And what it did do was startle her so mightily that she fell off the couch arm and onto the floor in a large THUD. She slowly rose to her feet, keeping her breathing steady. “Riley, I think I need to go home. I fear I might burn something in this house.” Riley turned her head on the floor to face Jade, and gave a smug smirk.

“Fine by me, you might want to put on a shirt first sweetheart.”

Jade looked down and, face turning red, forgot she had taken off near everything in a futile play to not feel the glowering heat. However, it was all for naught, as now she feels the same if not worse heat of shame burning within her.

It took awhile for Jade to leave the apartment, looking for her shirt, losing it, taking one of Riley’s, finding it was too big for her, tucking it in, saying her ‘goodbyes’ to Riley, and finally leaving the apartment itself took an endeavor well over fifteen minutes. However by the end of it, Jade was a very happy near-adult. During her walk on the way home, a several block stretch going through various neighborhoods, she had a small skip in her step. Every so often she would hug herself and imagine it was Riley, and a surge of happiness would overtake her once more. A never ending song was playing in her head, and those looking on could see it. A smile would crawl across their face, the sight of young love was always a welcome one no matter the circumstances. Even the mugger that jumped her and got burned nastily for it saw the happy look upon her face before blinding light shot into his body. He’s not dead, but he is wiser now.

When Jade got to her mom’s apartment door, she noticed a few things were off, and the happy look fell from her face. One: the door was not closed all the way. Two: the sides of the door frame looked damaged. As if someone broke them. And three: there was a small box that looked like it was tossed to the ground, its contents pouring out. Mom went shopping..something is wrong.

As she was thinking this, she heard her mom’s voice shriek from within the apartment, and in an instance Jade lept to action. Her arms sparked up into a whirling vortex of spinning white light as she shoulder charged the door and ran in. She raised her arms up like a boxer and yelled out, “MOM WHERE ARE YOU?!” And then Jade’s fire died much like how they appeared. Because what she saw was her mom looking at her with a strange look, holding a cup of wine in her hand looking quite un-in danger. And sitting next to her was a bearded man with a short beard that hugged his face and a crew cut atop his head. The man was in a wheelchair, dressed in a white shirt and white and blue boxing shorts, the ends of which were covering the gap where his legs past his knees would usually reside.

Jade had no idea who the hell this guy was.”Mom, what's going on? Who is this?” The man in the wheelchair gave a laugh he was trying very hard to hold in, it coming out as a squeal almost.

“Jade, that is so rude. I can’t believe you don’t know who this is!” Jade looked at the man and saw nothing. His hair was unknown, his dress style looked like literally any person in this time of year, and she’d think she’d remember someone in a wheelchair. “Mary, it's ok,” the man said in a deep gravelly voice that came across Jade like an old record of Johnny Cash, “Jade, I don’t blame you for not recognizing me. I’ve been gone for a while.” He turned his wheelchair away from Jade’s mom and faced Jade. He wore on his shirt the AHA logo, with the word coach underneath it.

“Wait..” Jade’s legs were wobbly and she shakily walked over to a nearby counter to hold herself.

“Yeah, I just got back from the hospital. Heard you beat the shit out of some blonde hair kid.

Wanna tell me about it?”

Jade’s eyes were beginning to fill with tears of Joy as she ran and hugged the man in the wheelchair.

“Reverse.” He hugged her tightly. 

Countless nights she wondered if she would ever see Reverse again. In the beginning before his survival was announced she wondered if she would see his body to pay her respects, and afterwards it was if she could ever see him again to apologize. That it was all her fault that Emesh attacked the stadium in the first place. But all those words of sadness and self doubt choked in her throat as she held onto her da..d’s friend. Just dad’s friend.

Don’t just go throwing words out like that in your own head, Jade.

“Alright now Jade, give Joseph some room to breathe now.” Jade’s mom spoke as she gave a motion with her hand to separate Jade from him.

She did so begrudgingly, sitting down at one of the stools at the kitchen counter and looking at Joseph. “What..happened? What’s going on here? Why are you here?”

Jade’s mom shot her a look, “Jade, that is  so rude of you to ask that!”

Joseph laughed, winced a bit from the jostling it caused him, before speaking,“Its ok, I’m used to this from her.Well, you were there for the big kaboom as i’m gonna call it from now on, when I punched the existence out of Emesh he pulled one last evil deed and stabbed- “

Jade’s mom elbowed Joseph in the side, which made him cough. “He uh..just kinda took my legs. Gonna leave it at that. I think I died for a couple of weeks, and then I woke up in the hospital. Got to meet my old friend All-Might.” He ignored Jade’s mouth drop open when he spoke. “After they discharged me from the hospital, it was too late for me to go fill out a summer teacher’s lodging form out at school, and also I was legally dead for weeks so that caused some finance issues. My gramma won't speak to me anymore(she thinks i'm a demon), and my sister won't return my calls, so I thought I could ask Mary-er, your mom- If I could stay with her until the teacher homes open up again.”

This was a large amount of information that left Jade’s train of thought derailed and on fire. Reverse and her mom were on this level of familiarity? Reverse, thought to be invulnerable to any permanent damage, lost his legs? He’s gonna be living here?! AND HE IS GOOD FRIENDS WITH ALL MIGHT?!?!?!

“Now, as for what's going on? I had just arrived and your mom and I were talking about things.”

Reverse looked at the door. “I can see why you thought something nefarious was going on, so I commend you for coming in ‘guns blazing’ as you were. However, not calling for backup? Tsk, Jade. Just a few months of my absence and you make these mistakes,” He ends with a small chuckle, before coughing. Jade’s mom places her hand on his back, but her reassuringly shakes it off.”By the way, you can’t call me Reverse anymore. I can no longer be a hero. Call me Mr.Ellington, Joseph, whatever. Call me Joey and I clock ya.” Jade’s mom smacked him upside the head for that last comment, and he gave a fake ‘ouch’.

Jade just sat there, confused, but that feeling of happiness returning to her. She would have a family again.

Mycroft Submission form

Name:

Raija

Age (note that if you are under the age of consent your score will be significantly lower for Marriage, Friendship and Partnership):

32

Gender:

Female

Occupation:

I work as a librarian, but I have a degree in human resources.

Nationality:

Finnish

Country of origin:

Finland

Personality type (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator):

ISFJ (did the test online and it seems legit)

Education:

Human resources at college

Marital Status (if not applicable put N/A):

single

Number of children (if not applicable put N/A):

none, I have a cat and that’s more than enough

Who would you shoot out of John, Sherlock, Mycroft and why:

John, he pisses me off too often. I would prank Sherlock if he got on my nerves.

Height:

168.5 cm

Position in the family (oldest, youngest, middle):

That kind of depends which way one is looking at it. I am mum’s youngest, dad’s oldest and all in all I have a big brother and two little sisters. So a middle one, with a twist.

Best subject:

History

Favorite Subject:

History and English

Worst subject:

Maths and Swedish

Last song listened to:

Alice Cooper’s Paranormal

Favorite color:

deep green

Thoughts on Molly and Sherlock’s impending relationship:

I wish they got a move on.

Illness/allergies/impairments:

Overweight with a bad back and knees and mushrooms give me a stomach ache

Last sentence uttered to another living human being:

I love you. (To mum)

Hair color/length:

A bit under shoulders and dyed dark brown

Who do you feel more sympathy for Sgt. Donovan or Anderson’s wife:

The wife

Eye color:

brownish green

Constantly cold, hot or prefect:

Too damn hot (to handle)

Seven Noteworthy skills (ex: can play an instrument, fire most guns, ride a unicycle, etc.):

-       I can smile innocently while wanting desperately to shoot someone (thanks  to customer service experience)

-       I can quote most of the elvish in the Fellowship of the Ring

-       I have a lot of dirt on people and have kept their secrects for years

-       I am excellent at falling down on flat surfaces

-       I can usually find the information the customer needs given a bit of time

-       One can trust my word

-       I know how to make bread (it’s a new skill)

Nine noticeable sins: (ex: moody, bad listener, selfish, etc.):

-       I am a bitch when I am hungry

-       I get roadrage

-       I get offended easily when I feel I am wrongly accused and I can’t let it go either

-       I am lazy

I am foul mouthed

-       I like to shop, a lot

-       I am messy

-       I like the 6th Doctor

-       I always mean what I say, I just don’t always mean to say them out loud

Languages known/spoken:

Finnish of course, English, some Swedish, some German, some Russian, some Spanish and I have studied Latin as well. I am fluent in only Finnish and English,

Cats, dogs, both or other:

I own a cat, but I like them both

How often you help your community (1 never, 2 sometimes when prompted, 3 average, 4 often, 5 weekly):

Depends what do you mean by helping, I don’t volunteer for example, but I donate a lot good stuff (unused clothes for example) to local flea market that is run by the unemployed peole and aimed for them as well.

Favorite Holmes family member:

Mycroft Holmes

Body type (1 obese, 2 overweight, 3 averages, 4 fit, 5 skinny):

1

Number of past lovers (put N/A if virgin or not seeking marriage):

N/A

Level of cleanliness (5 slobs, 4 messy, 3 average, 2 pretty clean and 1 spotless):

4

Would you rather piss off Sherlock or Mycroft:

Sherlock

Rate your mental health on a scale of 1-5 with one being terrible and 5 being fine:

3, been better and been worse. I am alright.

Rate your confidence on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being poor and 5 being Sherlock levels:

3, on a good day 4

Combat level (1 sitting duck, 2 somewhat okay, 3 can hold their own, 4 pretty damn good, 5 a proficient fighter):

1

Circle of friends:

3 close ones, 2 pretty close ones and a lot people that I like, but aren’t exactly close friends.

Who do you side with more Sherlock or Mycroft:

Mycroft, I know how it feels to be the responsible one (and we are not taking mummy’s opinion on this one)

Level of intelligence on a scale of 1-5:

3, I am average and I know it. Why pretend?

Who do you side with more Mycroft or Mrs. Hudson:

Mycroft most of the time

Introvert or Extrovert:

Ambivert, which is a bit of both and yes it is actually a used term. I didn’t get it out of thin air.

Political alignment:

Labour

Who would your rather be trapped in a long car ride with Mummy Holmes or Holmes Senior: 

Holmes senior

Go to outfit for everyday:

black jeans, nice t-shirt, biker jacket and high heeled boots, all black

Go to outfit to impress:

One of my little black dresses and blood red heels

5 hobbies (not to be confused with noteworthy skills):

-       books                      - whiskey

-       sudoku

-       walking

-       movies

Opinion of Rosie Watson and Mary Watson:

Rosie is an innocent child and Mary… I quite liked her.

Favorite music/book/movies:

I have lately listened a lot of punk, but I prefer the dark tones of gothic music. I can’t name one band because I like so many. Lord of the rings is my all time favourite book. There are a lot of movies that I greatly enjoy, but I like the old horror movies quite a bit.

How well you take rejection on a scale from 1-5:

I am not good at it, so 2 because I try to have a bit of dignity. But I will avoid the person for a long while.

Religious or religious affliations:

I am an atheist

Kids or no (note this is wanting them not the ability to have them):

No, but if one comes even after all the things I’ve done to prevent it, then they will be welcome.

Out of the Holmes family (Siger, Violet, Sherlock and Eurus) who would you kill, maim, kiss or roommate with and why:

I would kill Eurus, I have no emotional attachment to her and she would happily kill me. I would maim Violet because I am still too angry at her I would kiss Sherlock because why the fuck not? And I would roommate with Siger, because he is the least annoying

Do you think what Mycroft did with Eurus (at the time) was justified and needed:

I just don’t know. But I do believe he did his best with what he had to work with.

Please bold the following that you wish to have with Mr. Holmes:

Friendship

Partnership

Marriage

Mentorship

My three questions

Parents buy cookies for their kids. They are saving money so they buy two discounted ones (few days after best before). They don’t want to look greedy so they also buy two cookies for the full price. When they come home their two kids grab cookies, and each get two. They don’t check best before so their choice is random. Do you think that life is fair and each kid gets one expired and one good cookie? Or one kid gets both expired? What is more likely to happen?

- Life isn’t fair, but a chance is a chance and nothing is impossible in this world. Just highly improbable. So I really don’t know what kind of cookies each child got, but in the end, does it really matter? Each got two cookies and I think the children wouldn’t give a damn if the parents kept their trap shut. The children were happy to have cookies, just leave it at that.

Prison guards are bored so during dinner they announce the prisoners that they will play a game: In the morning they will stand in a line so that every prisoner will see all standing in front of him but no one behind him. Guards will randomly paint red or white stripe on their back. They will ask prisoners one by one from the last to the first. They will be allowed to say just one word “red” or “white”. If the prisoner says the color he has on his back he may go home in opposite case he will be executed without delay. The prisoners are in one cell during the night and they can discuss the tactics. Which is the best? How many will survive?

- There is an explanation to this I am sure, but since I am rebel (and a bit of idiot with these kind of questions) I am going to think outside the box and say they will all survive because the guards will have a mutiny in their hands and the prisoners refuse to play. It’s better to serve the sentence than leave their life in the hands of shithead guards. I mean the guards could watch football and read a book if they are bored. Fucking wankers.

Once upon a time there was a kingdom. A king and a clown lived in this kingdom. Unfortunately they hated each other so they agreed that they will poison each other one day. There are only twelve vials of poison in whole kingdom and they are locked in one chamber in the castle. The poisons have numbers from 1 to 12. The higher the number the stronger the poison. Effect on human body is simple – you drink the poison, you die. Each stronger poison neutralizes all weaker poisons which means that poison 12 neutralizes all poisons, number 11 all poisons but 12 etc. (If you drink 11 and than 12 nothing happens. If you drink 12 and than 11 you die.) The king enters the chamber with poisons first and takes all the even poisons (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12). Than the clown enters and takes the rest. They meet in the throne hall where each fills one cup and hands it over to the other who immediately drinks it. Now each fills the cup once again, now for himself, and drinks it (hoping to save his own life). What did the clown do that he woke up the second morning and the king was dead? Premises: Each of them (the king and the clown) PRIMARILY wants to survive. If he survives he wants to poison the other as surely as possible. There is one dose of each poison – it’s not possible to divide it. The poisons are fluids without color or smell and they have the same consistency as water

- Absolutely no idea.

Questions 1/3

Friendship: 7.38/10

Mycroft’s answer:

Well Raija, it is always good to acquire new contacts but as a newly formed acquaintance might I suggest hiring a driver or cab to help alleviate road rage? I must confess that like my brother I too had a bad habit with such (which is why he’s not allowed to drive considering he’s mister ‘we can afford a new car every month for the rest of my life anyway so what’s the big deal Mycroft’) ; the urge to run smash my car into the offending party was almost unbearable as it was unthinkable but even I can admit that I’m not always the better man when it comes to patience and virtue.

 Although I am a bit surprised John peeve you so greatly (there are times when the man annoys me just because he won’t follow my lead as opposed to Sherlock’s) but am quite on the same point with you when it concerns Miss Hooper and Sherlock’s relationship. For years since the pair have interacted I had hoped MIss Hooper would either buck up to make a move or at the very least Sherlock would come to his senses and throw her a bone. Who would of thought Eurus would be the one to force Sherlock to face those feelings that he’s long since ignored or for Molly to be as brave as to confess them (even if all of us Mrs Hudson included already knew) aloud. it was something that I had not initially planned for but despite the circumstances and deaths along the way I cannot say that I am not somewhat pleased by their development from all of it. Now if I can only get them to marry within my lifetime that would certainly help me die peacefully knowing that the Holmes line will live on.

I must confess Sudoku is a guilty pleasure of mine simply because I enjoy  solving the puzzles (even if it usually is simple mathematics) at my leisure between flights. I have yet to find an app on my cellular device that gives me the same quality of puzzles without crashing but rest assured when it is made you’ll be the first to know. I find that Sudoku in other languages to be a bit more difficult to do as translations are not always 100% correct but enjoy them no the less. Now doing the crosswords for the Beijing paper-now that is something that only a mad woman like Eurus would do for the fun of it.

Languages may be a forte of mine (as it is with the rest of the Holmes clan) but recalling all the characters in the Chinese language which are often borrowed by other Asian countries makes for a migraine inducing sit when you know more than one language. As someone that knows more than one and is attempting to add more to your repertoire I’m sure you of all people Raija will understand.

I will send you a text at your convenience and I look forward to our blossoming friendship. 

-M