(Warning? uhhh reader is a bug so to those who don't like bug you can scroll away)
The round loads. The title appears in the sky like a bad omen:
KILLER: BRAINY
Nobody knows the name.
Nobody wants to know the name.
They find out fast.
Screams echo through the map like something being peeled open. Shapes dart in the shadows. A low, insectoid chorus ripples under the floorboards, under the grass, under the bones of the players unlucky enough to be here today.
She tears through the team in minutes.
Elliot? gutted.
Shedletsky? found hanging over a railing, throat crushed.
Two Time? folded in half, like a snapped puppet.
007n7? dragged under the bridge, gone without even a death sound.
(i am too lazy to mention the other bro..)
And then there's Chance, who should've been first to die but somehow crawls his way into being last. His luck is a rusted coin today every gamble failed him. No gun. No coin. No charges. His whole kit might as well be made of rubber and regret.
He's slumped beside a half-fixed generator. His breath comes in torn scraps. Blood sticks his shirt to his skin. His legs shake like they're full of loose dice.
He feels her before he hears her.
A shift in the air.
A tremor in the ground.
A low, resonant churn from beneath his spine.
He turns.
She towers over him.
Her upper body, humanoid but armored in earthen plates, is bare, gleaming with the dust of the hunt. Four amber yellow eyes lock on him, unblinking. Her hair hangs in dark, soil colored strands. Her lower body coils behind her in a long centipede form, hundreds of silent legs resting against the floor.
She is hunger carved into a shape.
And she leans toward him.
Chance tries to speak but it comes out shredded.
his knees give up and fall on the ground and lifts shaking hands like a broken surrender flag.
"W-wait, Brainy, please! just… one more chance."
It sounds pathetic, even to him.
But he can't outrun her.
He can't fight her.
All that's left is begging.
Her mandibles click softly. A warning? A curiosity? A promise?
He doesn’t know.
She slides closer, centipede abdomen curling around him like a slow moving trap. Her head tilts with sharp precision, one eye narrowing, the other widening. He tenses, ready for teeth, for claws, for the end
And then she inhales.
A shudder goes through her thorax.
Her posture changes.
She inhales again, deeper, mandibles opening slightly as a low, soft churring vibrates out of her chest.
Chance freezes.
Did he… do something?
No...
His perfume did.
The scent rose touched plant oils and strong alcohol hits her instincts like a lure. A plant she craves, camouflaged in human grooming.
A weakness.
A comfort.
A trap for the predator herself.
Brainy lets out a high frequency chitter of excitement. She presses her face against Chance's shoulder, then his collarbone, then the curve of his neck. Her antennae brush along his hairline. Her entire centipede body wraps around him in a spiraling embrace, not crushing just holding, smelling, nuzzling with unsettling eagerness.
Chance goes stiff as a statue.
She purrs.
Purrs.
He stares at the air like it might explain anything.
"…this is… new."
Brainy answers by burying her face into his shirt, churring louder, mandibles clicking softly as she breathes him in like he’s a living incense burner. Her tail curls protectively around his legs.
The round timer hits zero.
And from that match onward?
Survivors start carrying that exact perfume as a new strategy.
Brainy becomes strangely friendly when the scent's in the air.
and chance He buys her shirts so she doesn't run around upper body naked every round.
He feeds her the special grass she likes, holding it out while helping her slide into sleeves like she's some oversized, dangerous pet.
Sometimes she eats while he's dressing her.
Sometimes she grabs the grass mid motion and chomps it while he tries to navigate her legs through pant legs she'll end up ripping off anyway when she shifts.
It becomes… a thing.
A strange, quiet bond between a luck-cursed gambler and a picky, monstrous centipede woman who decided he smells like comfort.
-The survivors debrief in a chaotic, panicked huddle. "What the hell was that?!" "She was... cuddling You?" "wait so he just wrapped around you and started making... noises!"
Through the confusion, one detail stands out Chance's distinct, expensive cologne. The survivors, being pragmatic (and desperate), put two and two together.
The next time Brainy is the Killer?, it's a comical sight. Survivors are frantically spraying themselves with decanted bottles of "Chance's Gambit" before the match even starts. The loading area smells like a high-end barbershop
(..well they do that before every round since they don't know if it will be her or another killer so they just spray a lot of it in case if it hers.. the other killer be in the round? they just smell that strong perfrume bro)
-Generators get repaired with a terrifying, purring centiped woman draped over them. Healing happens while she curiously clicks her mandibles at the medkits. It's the most terrifying "friendly killer" match imaginable.
The Strategy's Flaw here is This isn't a foolproof plan. The scent distracts her, it doesn't pacify her entirely.
like If a survivor fails a skill check or makes a sudden, loud noise, it can startle her out of her euphoria, triggering her predatory instincts for a moment.
or If a survivor isn't wearing the perfume, they become the sole, clear target. Poor Noob, who is too terrified to remember to apply it, often finds himself the focus of a very single minded and hungry hunt.(this guy jave phobia from bugs bro noob don't even be near her if she was friendly or not)
-also? brainy name come from the killer who agree to name her like that since she eat brain when she kills. literary. tiny other thing? brainy is naked. yes she don't have clothes so she kill Survivors while she is naked chance did make her wear things but she take it off right after the round ends the killer don't like seening a grown women naked but yeah.. she is just like that at least she wear the shirt chance give her before the round start..(killers btw can see if they're the one for the round before it start)
-This new meta creates a fascinating internal conflict for Chance.
it's waa Annoyance at First He's initially a bit miffed. "Hey! That's my thing! That's our thing!" His unique, life-saving connection to her has become a common strategy.
then the Insecurity This is the core of the slow burn angst btw. It leads to a painful, silent question Does she only care about me because of the scent?
He even test it. One match, he deliberately doesn't wear the cologne. He approaches her slowly, his heart pounding. How will she react?
The result is crucial for their development. She might initially be confused, clicking in agitation because the expected scent is missing. But then she recognizes him the shape of him, the sound of his breathing, the memory of his hands offering grass and fixing her clothes. She might still approach and churr, albeit more cautiously. This small confirmation that she responds to him and not just the perfume would be a monumental step in their relationship(...it's was bc she still remember he is the one who bring her food.. that the only reason why she didn't kill him)
-At first, Brainy's attraction is purely instinctual. She likes his scent and the food he provides. But over time, she starts to associate him with the good feelings. She begins to seek him out specifically, not just for the cologne or grass, but for his presence
-Chance, the ultimate talker, finds a strange peace in her silence. He can rant about his problems, his fears, his boasts, and she just... listens, with her four focused eyes, occasionally chittering or purring in response. He learns to read her sounds and body language better than any spoken word.
-The First "Gift" That Wasn't Food After weeks of cologne and grass, Chance brings her something new a smooth, river worn stone, dark grey with a single, perfect amber stripe that matches her eyes. It has no practical use. It's not food. He just... thought she'd like it. Brainy is baffled. She clicks her mandibles, tilting her head, sniffing it, even lightly tapping it with a claw. She doesn't understand it, but she doesn't discard it. She eventually coils around it when she sleeps, incorporating the strange, non-edible treasure into her nest.
-now and then with every round brainy is a killer chance start Learning Her Language.
Chance starts a mental and later, an actual physical journal. it's was like
Page 1: "Soft 'churring' = happy. Occurs during feeding, neck-sniffing."
Page 47: "The low growl isn't always for me. Heard it at Two Time. Means 'stay away from what's mine.' ...HMMM.. interesting."
The first time he correctly anticipates her mood based on a sound she hasn't even fully made yet, she goes completely still, all four eyes fixed on him with an intensity that's no longer purely animalistic. It's the first spark of being see
-a thing start to form uhhh let's call it The Vulnerability of Grooming.
basically Chance notices dirt or a leaf stuck in the delicate joints of her chitinous plates. Tentatively, he reaches out.
"Hold still, darling. You've got a little... right there."
She freezes, every muscle tense. A human touching her in a non-essential way is a profound violation of her personal space. But she allows it. He carefully picks the debris away.
This becomes a ritual. She will sometimes deliberately present a segment of her arm or her back to him, a silent request for grooming. It's an act of immense trust.
-Brainy gets visibly agitated when other survivors (especially female ones) get too friendly with Chance, her clicks becoming a warning rattle.
But Chance? He finds himself getting irrationally annoyed when another Killer let's say, guest 666 leaves a mark on Brainy during a scuffle. He'll fuss over the scratch, muttering
"Look what he did to your plating. Clumsy oaf." He's jealous of a rival predator, and it's completely ridiculous.
-Brainy has watched his mouth move for months, connecting the shapes to his name. One day, she points a claw at him. She struggles, her vocal cords not meant for it. A staticky, guttural sound comes out, something like "Ch...sss..."
It's nowhere close to perfect, but his name is unmistakable. Chance's face goes slack with shock, then breaks into the most genuine, unguarded smile he's ever had. It's a failed word, but it's the most beautiful thing he's ever heard
-If another survivor try to threatens Chance or well..try to help chance after getting hit by her accidentally, Brainy's purring stops instantly. It's replaced by a sharp, violent clicking of her mandibles and a low, ground shaking growl. She will viciously defend what is hers. She might not understand "boyfriend," but she understands "MINE."
-It finally hits Chance. He's not just "taming the monster" or playing a new, high stakes game. He's in deep. He's buying specific grass, he's learning insectoid body language, he's feeling jealous, and the sound of her purring is the only thing that calms his own gambling-induced anxieties.
He looks at her, curled up and content in the shirt he wore, and the realization is a gut punch "Oh. I'm not just surviving with you. I'm living with you." And he has no idea if she feels even a fraction of the same way, because she can't tell him. The uncertainty is agony.
-Chance starts wearing a loose, silk scarf. He makes a show of dousing it in his cologne, but the real reason is more intimate. After a long "session" of her nuzzling and purring against his neck, he'll take it off and gently drape it around her shoulders.
It's a piece of clothing that can accommodate her form. When he's not around, Brainy is often found coiled around the scarf, her face buried in the fabric, her churring soft and lonely. It's his scent, left behind to comfort her. It's the first "gift" that is purely about emotional comfort.
So I watched the film “Possession” last night for the first time.
I heard about this movie for the first time from the now defunct Killer POV podcast (now the shockwaves podcast(the deep end of horror)). A blu ray for the film was released by MondoVision (http://www.mondo-vision.com/possessionle.php) and I bought it without having seen it purely on the recommendation of the podcast, specifically by Elric Kane (@Elrickane on twitter).
Now this film has been sitting on my shelf for some time now, even though the packaging on this blu ray is gorgeous, I have had serious reservations in watching the film. I felt like this movie was going to be very intense so I put it off even after buying it. For some reason I decided that last night was the night to try this film out. I’m not sure if it was because of the recent election but it felt likes the perfect time to watch this film.
This film is incredibly upsetting, incredibly beautiful and has some of the most amazing visuals I have seen. This is not your average horror film. It is more art house horror than anything but has some of the most disturbing visuals and intense scenes in any horror film I have seen. I am so happy I purchased this film even though it will be a long time before I watch it again. If you can afford to make the purchase or you find it playing in a theater near you get out there and see it.
I am listen to Killer POV's (http://geeknation.com/podcasts/killer-pov-ep-51-lance-henricksen-nuff-said/) latest podcast where they speak with Lance Hendriksen, he is discussing Lee Marvin and he searches mentally for the title to the movie Paint Your Wagon and then he quietly sings just a little bit of Wandering Star before moving on with the conversation..
I have no idea why but I loved Paint Your Wagon as a kid, just loved it..
Hearing Lance Hendriksen quietly murmuring the lyrics to that song would be a acceptable lullaby for the rest of my days.
Cinefamily programmers Tom Fitzgerald & Bret Berg plus Heavy Midnites' Phil Blankenship went on the Killer POV podcast to talk all things United States of Horror.
