#or something equally peak white dad that absolutely does not fit

[tsukidrama]

what do you think the name of annie's father is? calling him Papa is really cute. but i imagine he has a strong name

i always pictured that he just doesn't really use it that much because it's unpronouncable in the language they speak.

no idea what it could possibly be though... imagine if it just says [REDACTED] on his birth certificate lmao

[thesffcorner]

Kill Creek

Kill Creek is a horror novel written by Scott Thomas. We follow Sam McGarver, a best selling horror author who is suffering from a massive writer's block. He has separated from his wife and is teaching at a university, while trying to write his next novel. He gets an invitation to do an interview for WrightWire, a pop culture website known for putting on massive, scripted shows, and he accepts, not realizing that not only will he not be alone during this interview, but it will also take place at the notorious Kill Creek Manor, a house with a dark and haunted past. The idea of this book sounded awesome; 4 horror authors have to spend a weekend at a haunted house for an interview; kind of like Until Dawn, but instead of teenagers the victims are masters of the genre and could therefore have a unique approach and even predict what the house would throw at them. The first half of this book was excellent; I liked the set-up, I liked the characters, the history of Kill Creek was suitably dark and twisted, and I really liked the direction of the plot. Unfortunately, as soon as the characters arrived in Kill Creek, much like his own lead character, Thomas’ story quickly devolved into cliches, nonsensical plot twists, characters acting completely opposite to what they did before for no reason, and this really interesting premise was squandered. The book never recovers from the wasted potential that is the interview, so I figure I should start with the positives. For a start, I appreciated that all of the characters, while not all likable, were at least relatable and consistent. With the exception of one, each character had an understandable starting point, and though they all end up doing questionable things, I still rooted for them, and wanted them to survive the book. I liked the way each character’s personal trauma and past informed the ways in which they interacted with the house, and for the most part found all of them equally intriguing, at the start. The house itself was really well done. A lot of the book relies heavily on the Southern Gothic tradition, which I enjoy. It’s a big house that has been abandoned for decades, in the middle of nowhere in Kansas, and it does all the things creepy houses do; cold spots, sounds, apparitions, power turning off and on, rooms that go nowhere, creepy crawl spaces, etc. I almost wish, considering the role the house played that we got to spend more time inside it, and really delved into it’s dark history, like Del Toro did in Crimson Peak. I also liked what we get to see of Sam’s classes. His 5 elements of gothic horror were brilliant and I kept reading the book wondering and theorizing about how everything fit in them. I also liked the interview, where Sebastian was explaining what true horror means to him; it was a great deconstruction of Lovcraftian horror and I really liked that the queer character was the one who gravitated most to it. There were other scenes that left an impact: Sebastian seeing Richard for the first time, Sam hugging Wainwright after he tells them what happened to Kate, his stunt with the Underground, Daniel mourning his daughter. The moments of humanity and genuine kindness made me root for the characters, which is something modern horror desperately lacks, often treating its characters like disposable blood bags. Unfortunately, there are more issues than positives. Now, I am by no means a purist; different genres can borrow and modify elements from each other, as even Sam points out in his lecture. There are elements that make a specific piece of work ‘Gothic’ horror, but that same work can also fall under the slasher, body horror or even religious horror category. What Thomas is essentially trying to do here is to take 4 genres of horror fiction: Lovcraftian horror, southern Gothic, slasher and erotic horror and piece them together into one book. And the effect is much the same as the one you get at the end of Cabin in the Woods; confusing, predictable and not particularly effective at any of the genres. I am never scared of Gothic horror; the most I am, is unnerved or unsettled. However, when I watch/read anything pertaining to torture-porn, body horror or even slasher, I am terrified, and there wasn’t a single point in this book where I was even slightly unsettled. Gothic horror and straight up slashers don’t mix, at least not the way Thomas has done it here. For example, we have quiet scenes of Sebastian being haunted by the mistakes of his past, the dread of losing his memories, losing his ability to tell stories, and in the same breath we have Moore getting the shit kicked out of her, or Kate slicing her arm open, Ghosts of Mars style. These simply don’t work together, and the end result is an uneven feeling throughout the book where I’m not sure what I should be scared of, because anything goes. The other main issue was the horror element. The idea that the house was never evil, but people believing that it is made it haunted was just… unsatisfactory. How can rumors actually make a house haunted? And I don’t mean, oh because people think this place is bad, anything even remotely strange or distressing that happens in it is automatically prescribed to the location; no I mean somehow people’s notions that the house is haunted created or called a primordial, decaying evil that has a physical form, and can take on the shape of specific people enough to fool others that it is human, save people from dying, and also kill them in unrelated bus accidents? What? The ending was such a mess, because there are no rules to this creature! It can do absolutely anything, and there was no suspense left in the climax or the epilogue, because I knew exactly what would happen. Thomas just borrows tropes from other horror works, and does nothing to subvert them; he just let’s them play out with no critical eye, which is why we get such a dumb Bloomhouse ending, to what was otherwise a book that really seemed to respect the genre and it’s traditions. There were also major issues with the characters. Let’s start with the ones I had the least amount of problems with: Kate, Wainwright and Sebastian. Kate was boring as hell; she had no personality other than being southern and black. There is a line in the book about how her dad would hate that she’s sleeping with Wainwright not because he’s her boss but because he’s white, which is a can of worms I don’t want to touch with a 10 ft pole. There was an attempt to tie her to the history of the house, seeing as a freed slave woman who lived there was lynched, but we know nothing about Kate or her relationship with Wainwright, other than he is white and she is black. Wainwright at least had a lot of potential to be interesting. There are hints to his personality throughout the first half which never pan out; he has daddy issues, he feels inadequate and like a fraud, he has a temper that fires off when things don’t go his way, he is willing to do anything for clout. I thought the reveal was that he would rig the house for the interview Until Dawn style, or he’d trigger the haunting with something he does, but nothing of the sort happens. I thought maybe his temper and aggressive streak might make him abusive to Kate, but that also never happens. Sam hates and suspects him, but there is no reason for it; he’s just a rich boy who gets way in over his head and nothing beyond that. Sebastian was the character I liked the most, but he was wasted on this book. He is old, he has been closeted his whole life, he has lost the love of his life to cancer, and his father to dementia and is now aware that he too is slowly becoming forgetful. How interesting would it have been if Thomas actually grappled with his past, the wife he betrayed by using her as a beard, his fear of losing his memories of Richard, his desire to remain famous or at least remembered because he himself is starting to forget. How novel to actually have a queer protagonist in a Gothic novel where their sexuality isn’t punished by death of suffering. But no, he’s just barely in the book, and though I appreciate that at least Thomas didn’t have a third act twist where he suddenly became evil, it was clear Thomas had no idea what to do with him. Then we get to the characters I actively hated. Daniel I liked for most of the book; I hated the way his character was treated by the author however. I have never seen such little respect for a religious character in anything; I legitimately felt like I was watching God’s Not Dead, except Daniel was losing his faith instead of finding it. If I had to guess, I’d say Thomas doesn’t like religion, and doesn’t have any interest in actually exploring the complicated relationship characters who are religious have with themselves, their church, their families and God. Daniel is religious because he survived a spider attack as a child, and though he seems to be questioning his faith, we never really get to see why, or what drives him to be a Christian author at all. Every debate Daniel has with Moore is dumb, and the way he answers questions is purposefully written to have Moore come out on top, instead of presenting reasons as to why a person would believe certain things. It came off as fake and disingenuous, especially because the relationship Daniel has with his daughter was so good, and the scenes with him and his wife at the house were heartbreaking. But then, because Thomas needs a villain it’s just Daniel, for no reason other than… Thomas hates parents and/or religious people. I also didn’t appreciate how many fat jokes the other characters made at his expense of how everyone treated him like he was dumb just because he was excited to be around authors who were his peers and influences. Then we have Moore, who was probably the worst female character I’ve ever had the misfortune of reading; worse than Mara Jade, worse than Razorgirl. She deserves to be taught in class as an example of how not to write female characters; a complete caricature of feminism, and ambitious career driven women. She’s rude, abrasive, a massive inconsiderate asshole that is constantly constantly defensive, takes every single gesture in the absolute worst faith but also still has to be a) straight and b) hot. I actually wouldn’t have minded a female writer who started out as an indie erotica writer whose work became successful and her writing darker. I liked that she was clearly an Objectivist with an Ayn Rand level of strict work ethic, who is also rude and unpleasant. But the way she was written made absolutely no sense, and her fucking insulting backstory, about how she was severely abused by her ex, was just the icing on this shit cake. She oozed with ‘I’m not like other girls’ and ‘strong women as imagined by men’; she has an unnecessary and frankly unbelievable romance with Sam, is the only one who is described to write in the nude and is also the token woman in the male group, and if I can say one positive about her character is that it at least stayed consistently rude and disgusting to the very end. Sam was clearly the writer insert character and for the most part he was fine; at least he read like a real, flawed human, not a human-shaped robot. There were many moments where he describes other male characters as beautiful or comments on how attractive their eyes or faces are, so I got excited that maybe this book would explore his sexuality, but no; he is a boring, bland straight protagonist. I appreciated that he had depression and anxiety and was actually being treated for it, I liked that he explored toxic masculinity in his stories, but there was still the ridiculous ‘romance’ between him and Moore, and the reason why he refused to tell anyone what happened to his mother was… unclear. Like he’s clearly an adult and mature enough to know that therapy works, but still childish enough to cling to what his brother told him to protect him when he was 10? Ok? Also I didn’t like that he made no effort to make things better with Erin and he still got her back in the end. If I could recommend half of a book I would, because everything in this novel, up until the authors have their interview was great. Everything past that point kept becoming more and more convoluted, and what made the book interesting, the characters and the mystery of the house completely unraveled. I would be interested to see what else Thomas has written, because there is a good story in him; it just wasn’t this one.

goodreads

[childofmyth]

Sing Me To Sleep - Chapter 7

(So I decided to start writing a Gustafa/Reader fic and here is the result. If you enjoyed this, why not like and reblog it for others to see? And hell, come tell me what you liked, i’d love to hear your feedback!)

ARCHIVE PAGE

Previous Chapter -> (YOU ARE HERE) -> COMING SOON

Summary: You had always been a Mineral Town girl, born and raised on the pavel stone roads and friendly neighborhood. You used to think you’d die there, and that thought left you feeling… Empty.

So what did you do? You left for the town next door to seek new experiences, and you found an abandoned farm, not unlike the ones in Mineral Town, and you found pavel stone roads like Mineral Town, and you found(decidedly new) friendly neighbors like Mineral Town had.

But Forget-Me-Not Valley had one thing Mineral Town did not.

Gustafa

"Let's see..." You muttered to yourself in concentration, tapping a pen to your lips at your desk. You pet Rowdy, who sat on your lap while you stared down at a map of the valley.

"I've met Celia and Marlin..." You mumbled, writing down inhabitants names on each home that you've visited. This helped you organize who all you've met and who you haven left to meet.

"Okay, then I met Gustafa, then Tim, Ruby, and Rock... I've meet Muffy, Griffin and Lumina... So now there are three houses across from the bar I haven't visited, and three other houses behind it. Not to mention the mansion or campsite by the waterfall. Soo..." You continued to yourself, leaning your head against your palm. "I suppose I'll stay with heading west. Three houses across for the bar it is tomorrow." You concluded finally, dropping the pen onto your desk and picking Rowdy up into your arms. He hardly stirred.

Passing your mirror, you saw yourself in your pajamas, a tired but satisfied look in your eyes. Gustafa had walked you home after your excursion, and you thanked him for showing you something so special. He had just tipped his hat a little and thanked you for joining him before you both said goodnight.

Now it was really time to get to sleep.

You curled up in bed, Rowdy cuddling close, and closed your eyes.

Your dreams were a hazy blue, full of flowers and shimmering water. A lovely melody floated through the air. You felt serene.

When you woke, you hopped to your duties, thinking it would be fine to let Rowdy run around the farm by himself while you were gone. You watered your plants, perking up when you saw small sprout protruding from the ground. Then you milked your cow, before finally realizing what you should name her while you were pet talking to her.

"Hey there girl, how are you doing?" You paused, hand brushing over her side. A smile split your lips. "Hey, that's it. Old Girl. That can be your name, huh Old Girl? You like it?" Your cow only mooed in response and you took it as a yes.

After you shipped her milk and let her out to pasture, you left your farm in a hurry, feeling oddly chipper. You jogged down the street until you found yourself next to the very first house of three. You knocked on the door twice, stepping back to wait.

There was a long pause and the sound of shuffling inside when the door finally opened. You smiled brightly and looked ahead to see... No one standing I'm the doorway. You blinked in confusion.

"We'll hello there dear." A soft but weak voice spoke and drew your eyes down to find that there was in fact an old woman standing in the door. She was just very, very short. But she smiled up at you sweetly, white hair still fluffy where it curled out of her red and black hat. You gave her a winning smile.

"Hello, Ma'am! I've been introducing myself to everyone in the valley. I'm the new farmer." You explained and the woman only looked up at you calmly, supported by her cane.

"Well it's very nice to meet you, dear. My name is Nina, and my husband Galen is just inside. One moment." She turned around to call back into the house, and moved aside to allow and equally old man join her in the door frame. His face was stuck in a frown and he only grunted in greeting. The couple were both slouched from age, but Galen was very tall compared to Nina. You found it kind of adorable.

Nina and Galen were kind folks, very grandparent-esque. You felt you could trust them. Nina was happy to inform you that a Wally, Chris and Hugh lived next door, but the third building was unoccupied as the previous inhabitants moved away a while ago. You thanked them and went on your way next door.

Your knock received no answer, and you were set to move on again when a man's voice rang out behind you. You turned as saw a very fit man, jogging towards you down the road. She shone from sweat but honestly couldn't look happier. As he stopped to tell you he was, in fact, the owner of this house and his name was Wally, a small boy also jogged up alongside you two, bandages on his cheek and nose.

"Hiya, I'm Hugh!" He introduced himself and Wally explained that his wife, Chris, worked in the city while he was a personal trainer and fitness freak. Hugh seemed to follow in his Dad's footsteps.

You happily introduced yourself and mentioned having to meet Chris some time later, prompting Wally to invite you to dinner some time. You replied that you might like that.

Then the two went off to jog around the Valley a few more times, and you simply watched them go, intrigued.

"Odd people in this Valley..." You muttered, turning to walk to the bottom of a sloping hill. At the top, sat a manor. You took one look up the hill, and turned away. The exorcise could wait a day, besides, you were pretty sure you had just head a small explosion from the scrap heap behind you.

Well, actually... upon closer there were scrap piles, but there was also a shabby shack in the corner and a silo in the very middle. As you drew closer, you realized there were sharp curses coming from the silo, and a rope leading out of it to the ground.

Then, before you were even right beneath the structure, the panel in the bottom opened and smoke flooded out. You jumped back just as a small man slid down the rope, coughing wildly and covered in black soot.

Then he slid down the rope again, mimicking the first ones actions. Now you were just standing there, watching two soot covered men cough and wave the smoke away. They must be twins.

They finally seemed to be able to catch their breath, smearing soot over their faces before beginning to bicker at each other with thick Scottish accents. You just stood there staring at them, when suddenly, one glanced in your direction, turning back to his brother before doing a sudden double take.

He smack his brother's shoulder. "Kassey, Kassey, shut it. There's a lass." The other brother turned to look at you too and you froze, slowly lifting your hand up in an awkward wave.

Turns out the brother's were actually pretty funny and enjoyable to be around. They introduced themselves as Kassey and Patrick, the twin pyrotechnics. Which explained the explosion.

They invited you in for biscuits, but you kindly declined, pointing out their shack was very small. They looked back at their home, then to each other, and nodded understandably. Before you moved on though, you pointed down at the metal sculptures next to the twins home. The ground there was even plated with metal over the grass.

"What is that, exactly?" You asked, and Patrick glanced over, while Kassey hazard to look back into the smoked out silo. The prognosis was grim by the look on his face.

"Oh that, there is Cody's house. He's a metal artist, or so he says. Scary lookin' fellow but wouldn't hurt a fly, that boy." You just nodded and thanked the two, wishing them luck with their pyrotechnics, and approached the looming structure. You could hear the sound of a hammer clanking against metal as you came closer. You slowed down, cautiously turning the corner of the building to find a man with a mohawk crouched over a smaller metal statue. You watched him hammer it into submission on one side before approaching.

"Um, hello. I'm the new farmer." You called out as you came closer and the man, Cody as Patrick called him, slowly drop the hammer back down and look over his shoulder. You hesitated for only a moment, seeing the angry expression on his face. he nodded to you though and stood to his full height, which was much taller than yourself. He came towards where you had frozen and you looked over this muscular arms, and-- where those tattoos or merely paint marks over his body?

He loomed over you, brow heavy over his eyes to give him an absolutely pissed look. Then he raised his hand and shook yours; to your memory, you have never felt someone with such a calloused hand, give such a gentle hand shake. You couldn't help smiling in relief at that. Cody paused before cracking a small, somewhat shy smile back.

Gentle giant were the words that came to mind upon looking him up and down again. You felt you would like him quite a lot.

"I'm Cody... An artist... It's nice to meet you." Even his tone was soft, though his voice had the clear possibility of being booming.

"It's wonderful to meet you too, Cody. I like your art, it's all very interesting." You complimented, looking around happily. Cody seemed to falter for a moment, and then... was he blushing?

"Thank you, I feel like my creations reflect my emotions." Hh replied softly and you looked around again, interest peaked. You pointed to one twisted statue.

"What does that one reflect?"

And so, you sat with Cody for a whole hour, going over his creations and emotions attached. Honestly, he was very interesting, and you fully enjoyed your time. After a while though, you felt a change in his demeanor and he seemed less responsive and more tired. So you thanked him for spending time with you and said your goodbyes. You thought you could see relief and thankfulness in his eyes as you left.

Up the small hill to the right was a walled in laboratory, protected by an electric fence. You took one long look at it before deciding to return to its inhabitants later. Maybe never. The place looked creepy. So instead you decided to visit the ocean once more.

When you looked up ahead, you saw someone with red hair standing on the beach. Next to her, was Gustafa.