70's Alt Rock -King Crimson-Lark's Tongue In Aspic
80's Alt Rock - Talking Heads-Remain In Light
90's Alt Rock- Nirvana- Never mind
2000's Alt Rock-The Strokes-Is This It
2010's Alt Rock Tame Impala-Lonerism
Alt Country -Wilco-Summerteeth
Alt Hip Hop-MF Doom- Mad villainy
Art Rock-Dark Side Of The Moon-Pink Floyd
Brit Rock- The Clash- London Calling
College Rock-REM-Murmur
Emo Rock-My Chemical Romance-Welcome To The Black Parade
Experimental Rock-Swans-To Be Kind
Goth-The Cure Disintegration
Grunge- Soundgarden-Superunknown
Hardcore Punk- Black Flag- Damaged
Heavy Metal-Black Sabbath-Paranoid
60's Hard Rock-Led Zeppelin I
70's Hard rock-Led Zeppelin-Physical Graffiti
80's Hard Rock- AC/DC-Back In Black
90's Hard Rock-Nirvana-In Utero
2000's Hard Rock-Queens Of The Stone Age-Songs For The Deaf
2010's ˙Hard Rock- Tool-Fear Inoculum
Indie Rock-Joy Division-Unknown Pleasures
Indie Folk-Big Thief-Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Lo-Fi-Neutral Milk Hotel-In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
New Wave-Elvis Costello-This Year's Model
Progressive Rock- Tool- Lateralus
Punk- Ramones-Rocket To Russia
pop punk-Green Day-Dookie
Post Punk- Wire- Pink Flag
Shoegaze-My Bloody Valentine-Loveless
Blues-Nina Simone-Sings The Blues
Blues Rock-The Rolling Stones-Sticky Fingers
Avant Garde- Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band-Trout Mask Replica
Baroque Pop-The Beach Boys-Pet Sounds
Symphonic Rock-Moody Blues-Days Of Future Past
Comedy/Novelty album-Adam Sandler-They're All Gonna Laugh At You
Stand Up Comedy-George Carlin-Back In Town
Americana-The Band-The Band
Bakersfield Sound-Buck Owens-Best Of Buck Owens
Bluegrass-Old & In The Way-That High Lonesome Sound
Outlaw Country-Willie Nelson-Redheaded Stranger
Classic Country-Johnny Cash-Live At Folsom Prison
Country Rock- The Flying Burrito Brothers-The Gilded Palace Of Sin
Dance/Club-LCD Soundsystem- This Is Happening
Christmas /Holiday Album-Vince Gauralidi-A Charlie Brown Christmas
EMD/Techno-Burial-Untrue
Ambient-Brian Eno-Music For Airports
Electronic Rock-Radiohead-Kid A
Space Rock- Spiritualized- Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
Synthpop-Depeche Mode-Violator
Synthrock- New Order-Power, Corruption and Lies
Industrial-Nine Inch Nails-The Downward Spiral
Krautrock- Can-Tago Mago
Folk-Bob Dylan-The Freewillin' Bob Dylan
Folk Rock-Bob Dylan-Blood On The Tracks
Southern Rock-The Allman Brothers Band-At Fillmore East
80's Hip Hop-The Beastie Boys-Paul's Boutique
90's- Hip Hop Wu-Tang Clan-Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
2000's Hip Hop-Outkast- Stankonia
2010's Hip Hop-Kendrick Lamar-To Pimp A Butterfly
2020's Hip Hop-Run The Jewels-RTJ 4
East Coast Hip Hop- Nas- Illmatic
West Coast Hip Hop-NWA-Straight Outta Compton
Southern Hip Hop-Outkast -Aquemini
Midwest Album-Kanye West-My Dark Twisted Fantasy
Trap-Travis Sott-Rodeo
Instrumental Hip Hop- DJ Shadow- Endtroducing....
Indie Pop-Belle And Sebastian-If You're Feeling Sinister
Noise Rock-Sonic Youth-Daydream Nation
Post-rock- Godspeed! You Black Emperor-Lift Your Skinny Fist Like Antennas To Heaven
Acid Jazz- Medeski ,Martin, and Wood -Shack-Man
Trip Hop -Portishead- Dummy
Gospel -Aretha Franklin-Amazing Grace
Christian- Sufjan Stevens -Illnoise
Jazz-Miles Davis-Kind Of Blue
Avant Garde Jazz-Ornette Coleman-Shape To Jazz To Come
Swing/Bebop-Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers-Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers w/Thelonious Monk
Jazz/Fusion-Miles Davis-In A Silent Way
Jazz Rock-Miles Davis-Bitches Brew
Jazz/Funk-Herbie Hancock-Head Hunters
Jazz/Rap-A tribe Called Quest-The Low End Theory
Latin- Los Lobos-Kiko
Speed Metal/Thrash- Metallica- Master Of Puppets
Black/Death Metal-Deafheaven-Sunbather
Symphonic Metal-Haken-The Mountain
Glam Rock -T.Rex-Electric Warrior
Hair Metal-Guns N Roses-Appetite For Destruction
New Wave Of British Heavy Metal-Iron Maiden- Number Of The Beast
Sludge-Electric Wizard- Dopethron
Nu Metal-Korn-Korn
New Age-Popol Vuh - Hosianna Mantra
Pop-Prince-Sign O' The Times
60's Pop- The Beatles-Revolver
70's Pop- Carole King-Tapestry
80's Pop- Peter Gabriel-So
90's Pop-Madonna-Ray Of Light
2000's Pop-Madonna-Confessions On A Dance Floor
2010's pop-Robyn-Body Talk
2020's Pop- Perfume Genius-Set My Heart On Fire
Adult Contemporary- Billy Joel-The Stranger
Europop- ABBA- Arrival
Latin Pop-Ruben Y Seis Del Solar-Buscando America
Dance Pop-Dee-Lite-World Clique
Dream Pop- Mazzy Star-So Tonight I Might See
Power Pop- Weezer-Blue Album
R&B- Marvin Gaye-What's Going On
60's R&B-Aretha Franklin-I Never Loved A Man The Way I Loved You
70's R&B- Stevie Wonder- Songs In The Key Of Life
80's R&B- Janet Jackson- Control
90's R&B Album- Lauryn Hill-The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
2000's R&B- D'Angelo-Voodoo
2010's-R&B-Beyonce-Lemonade
2020's R&B- SZA-SOS
Disco-Donna Summers-Bad Girls
Doo Wop- The Chantels- We Are The Chantels
Funk-Funkadelic-Maggot Brain
Motown- Marvin Gaye-Let's Get It On
Neo-Soul-Erykah Badu-Baduizm
Psychedelic Soul- Curtis Mayfield-Curtis
Soul-Aretha Franklin-Lady Soul
Reggae-Bob Marley- Exodus
Ska-The Specials-The Specials
Swing Revival-Big Bad Voodoo Daddy-Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

Comment if you have other resources or posts that I should include.
Phantom time
* Glitch in the matrix or parallel of history
*A synopsis of Phantom Time theory in my own words. A short introduction to the work of Anatoly Fomenko
* The world fairs were used as an excuse to demolish America's ancient architectural heritage.
* Ottonian Empire vs Ottoman Empire. The truth about the Siege of Vienna and when did the Roman Empire really fall.
* The Star Fort conspiracy. Some star forts are called "Batteries" why is that?
* The little known "Woman's holocaust" was part of a larger cultural genocide in the 16th and 17th centuries when the old knowledge was wiped out.
* Renowned brain surgeon Dr. Leonard Shlain stumbles into the cultural layer by accident and gives up medicine to become a historian when he realizes our history has been stolen. \(Skip intro 2:19\)
* The mysterious origin of Saint Petersburg. Impossible engineering marvels prove our history has been stolen.
* The linchpin of why phantom time exists. No old books exist! Only dishonestly copied and "corrected" books are used to support the official history. When genuinely old books surface they often contradict the official history and are ignored by the mainstream historians.
* [Introduction to the world wide culture that used to exist prior to modernism that was subsequently deleted by historians. \(Sylvie Ivanowa narrator\](https://www.reddit.com/CulturalLayecomments/7zvfri/introduction_to_the_world_wide_culture_that_used/)
* The Fate of the "1000 cities of Bactria," Kingdom of Buddhist Greeks. Probable gap in history. Kingdom mysterious disappears only to reappear under a different name when 1,748,000 people died in one hour according to some legends.
* Scythian/Bactrian gold
* American Scythians
* History's greatest con job: the life of Genghis Khan is a work of fiction largely made up by one man named Baavuday Tsend Gun in 1908
* Origins and Spread of the Mongoloid Race
* [Sir Isaac Newton: The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms, Amended \[PDF\](https://www.reddit.com/CulturalLayecomments/8569t4/sir_isaac_newton_the_chronology_of_ancient/)
* The oldest "clock" in Britain at Wells Cathedral could prove phantom history true.
*! New Chronology by Nosovskiy and Fomenko Philipp Druzhinin
* The cemetery of "longevity" In Turkey ...
Anomalous Soil Accumulation
*Gondola unearthed at Lucknow’s 220-year-old Chhatar Manzil
*The cultural layer above more thousand years Roman villa has grown by only a meter, while the cultural layer of the century and a half building has grown by several meters
*"The chapel provides evidence of Myra’s swift entombment. If the sediment had built up gradually, the upper portions should show more damage."
*Bauman Street, Kazan Russia
* The original streets and houses can be found under present-day Prague *Istanbul Gate Nicaea
*Buried bridge Orel Russia
*Mosaic floor city of Er Rastan Syria
*Buried Barcelona * Apocalypse of the 19th century. The true story of genocide
* the post catastrophe world of Piranesi
* Scratching the surface of the Indian "Cultural Layer"
* The full US capitol building exposed.
* Deadwood Underground
* How Shakespeare Drained Venice- The Merchant of Venice contains not a solitary reference to gondolas or canals, and nor does Othello * [Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha, Coimbra, Portugal - c1954 vs now \(Excavated\](https://www.reddit.com/CulturalLayecomments/c72qkh/monastery_of_santa_claraavelha_coimbra_portugal/)
* [Anomalous Soil Accumulation \(Large album\](https://www.reddit.com/CulturalLayecomments/b8sqw5/anomalous_soil_accumulation_large_album/)
* "Polytechnical Museum" Moscow
* Grant street Hump District excavation:Pittsburgh "1900s"
* Buried Russian Churches; A Look Inside
* The Whitehouse is buried in the cultural layer. On August 24th 1814 Washington DC was sacked by the British and then saved by tornadoes. The storm buried the Whitehouse in mud up to the 2nd level.
* What is under the Washington Monument? An ancient structure resembling a Mayan Pyramid. It was excavated in the 1800s and buried under cement.
* The Arch of Septimius Severus
* Buried Copenhagen part 1
* Officially In the 13th century people poured 7 meters of dirt over the whole of Prague. Should we do the math? Where is the logic?
* Greek Floor Mosaic uncovered in 2014 in Turkey near Syrian Border
* 4 albums containing hundreds of examples showing an anomalous build up of soil and the necessary re-modeling.
* Moscow in early 1800's oil paintings , everything is overgrown with vegetation
* Napoleon in Moscow paintings
* The Town of Rockwell, Texas
* At some point in time, possibly between 1875 and 1905, Chattanooga built up its roads and abandoned the first stories of the buildings in the downtown of the city, turning them into basements. Today, no one knows exactly why or how it happened
* Old Bayfield County Courthouse, Wisconsin built c.1896
* Chichen Itza
* Castle filled with dirt
* Unburying Rome - Italy
* Observing the cultural layer of the Ipatiev House \("Romanov murder house"\)
* Cincinnati, Ohio, Eden Park, old resivoir walls.
* Church of St Sofia, Bulgaria
* Mysterious tunnels discovered in Florida
* Mud flood in the 19th century?
* Omaha Mud Flood: St. Mary Magdalene Church 1920 transformation
* Ancient rail-road tracks unearthed
* An interesting take on the history of canals and "train" Tunnels: Could they hint at something greater?
"A side walk, curbing and all, found several feet under the surface"-Asheville North Carolina (repost)
Egypt
* Change my view: The floral wreath found in king Tuts tomb is not 2000 years old.
* The Great Tutankhamen Hoax
* til; aerial photography is illegal in Egypt.
*Graffiti and chronology of vintage Egyptian photographs
Europe
* Were wars originally more similar to a sports event?
* The Medieval London Bridge \(the one with all the buildings on top of it\) being destroyed. Notice the megalithic blocks?
* Bank of England in ruins by Joseph Gandy
* [The language of the Roman Empire](https://www.reddit.com/CulturalLayecomments/8jtv93/the\_language\_of\_the\_roman\_empire/)
Asia * Utsuro-bune
* Discussion; is Japan as we know it a fabrication?
* Ainu/Japan general discussion
North America
* Thousands of years ago a 'Mystery Culture' dug a massive network of tunnels, cavities, and chambers beneath the city of Teotihuacan. The exact purpose of this ancient underground system of tunnels and chambers continues to elude scholars.
* A man takes very close look at a wall.
* Megalithic structure in Jersey City is 6 times wider than the great wall of China and weighs more than the Great Pyramid in Giza
* The ethereal staircase of Loretto Chapel
*The mysterious helix staircase of the Loretto Chapel in Sante Fe, New Mexico; allegedly built by a mysterious man in the 1870s from an unknown species of wood with no nails and without any obvious means of structural support) * Toronto
* What do y'all think is goin on with the top of this building?
Russia
* Anomalous Polygonal Masonry in the small town of Chusovoy , Sverdlovskaya District, Russia
* Bathtub \(granite: 196 cm, 152 cm, 53 cm\) m made for tsar Alexander I, Russia 19th c.\[705x555\]
* In a bombed out shed south of St Petersburg lies the Tsar bath, weighing nearly 100,000 lbs and standing 6 foot tall it is perhaps the largest single granite work outside of ancient Egypt.
* Moscow 1867 -- Where are the people???
* The empty streets of Saint Petersburg in the 1860s - where is everyone?
* Finding hints in the official narative. "Garðaríki"
American civil War
* Is General Robert E Lee dead in this 1865 photo
* American civil war strangeness continued
People/Pseudo characters *In 1819 English academic Richard Whately wrote a book questioning the Napoleon myth.
* General Robert E. Lee astride
*Fake Rasputin
*What in the ever-loving fuck is going on with this photograph? Archeology
*Çatalhöyük and international relations
*Archaeologists uncover ancient street food shop in Pompeii
*How ancient Greek columns were made: photographer Bonfils inadvertently filmed the technology of building ancient columns by ancient Athenians
* [Hagia Sophia is built on the foundation of an older temple, that is built on the foundation of an even o older temple.
* Year AD J775 ?? Year J788 ? Gravestones in a cemetery in Stratford, CT
* Is it or only me or this structure looks like the frame of an very modern building?
* Mexican temple of Santiago, master builder monks and our failed archaeology
Architecture
* "Antique World". Alternative title; "Grand unified architectural style"
* Grand Unified Architectural Style: Antique Africa
*Our architectural heritage restored to it's former glory only after the retreat of the Reds from East Germany.
Technology
The Autoped was an early motorized scooter *Embed Metallurgical technology that allows create medieval knight’s armor appeared in the industrial era
*Is it possible free energy was once a reality ? Or another form of energy transfer at least?
* Interesting analogy
* Free energy capacitors in Bangladesh
* Mohenjo Daro nuclear strike, just not 3000 years ago.
* Mechanical fish and swan from the 1700s in simulated water of moving glass. Such intricate craftsmanship we cannot reproduce today. The people of the past were much smarter than us. This is technology from the phantom era historians erased from existence.
* We have been lied to about the capabilities, techniques and reasoning of our ancestors.
* 439 year old reservoir dam, outlasts its modern counterparts
* Lets talk about classical architecture. And other global architectural phenomenon, polygonal masonry, impossible craftsmanship, and strange metallic elements
* Steel staircase? Encased in marble?
* Why London Underground is nicknamed "The Tube"
* The electric city of the 1800s. What powered their electric cars?
* Granite polygons of Kronstadt \(not a single structure within the city is built with granite\)
* Cast-iron flooring in ancient temples.
* Vorontsov palace, window frames hewed from a single piece of ultra hard diabase stone using crude iron hand tools?
* The medici lions at Vorontsov palace. Peculiar holes...
* a collection of lesser known yet stunningly detailed sculptures
* Staglieno Graveyard, Most Beautiful Cemetery in Italy and possibly the world
* Steel beams in antiquities?
* In electronics, porcelain \(and ceramic derivatives\) is widely used for insulating material due to its excellent non-conductivity.
*Anointing oil and oriental wellness. Part 2 Alt title: "Traces of technologically advanced society in east Asia"
* The Ancient Airfield Yundum
*The 100 year old Russian warship still in service.
* Lets talk polygonal masonry
Giants
* HomoGiganticus * Skeletons of unusual growth in the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo
* Peculiar Decorations Of The Medici
* let's find out where the Boyers in Russia came from. Boyar coat -large cloaks of honor passed down through the generations.
* Giant Skeletons in old etchings
* Continuing the theme of mythological creatures representing true creatures.
* giants on the streets of european cities
* giant roman shoe
*giants in the picture of leonardo da vinci *Boyars as decedents of Hyperborean giants; A growth of around 2.5 meters as indicated by the length of inherited clothing.
Religion
*Parallels between Shinto and Judaism
Catholics versus Cathars, or how the Cat-lovers competed with the Cat-worshipers
Geography
Samandar, the second capital of Khazaria thought to have been destroyed 1000 years ago, was marked on European maps of 300 years ago at the site of modern Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan
*Judia is the ancient capital of Thailand. Maps and engravings show this
*Lakes Urmia and Van were connected on the old maps The medieval ‘New England’: a forgotten Anglo-Saxon colony on the north-eastern Black Sea coast
* Australia could be something else...
* Continent of North America does not exist... or could it be a part of Asia?
* 17 maps of the World, Poland, Italy, Rome, Northern Europe and Germany \(1557-65\)
* 17th Cent. map \(Willem Blaeu\) indicates Tartarians settled in N. America
* why would maps of Africa from 1800's show more uncharted territory than those made in 1500's?
* Pompeii on maps from 1570?
* Clear evidence for the supposition that Giovanni Battista Piranesi was recording what he saw in the minutest detail and was not illustrating fantasy as is often claimed
* Despite the general consensus antique corsets were and are not oppressive torture contraptions, but instead highly technical devices that correct posture, and positively effect spine heath.
* Old newspaper articles on Chilaga
* Legendary city of Norumbega: could it be Washington, DC?
*Kings of Florida, and vanished white Native American Kingdoms
* [Ruins of Old Earth \(Schoenung\)
Meta
StolenHistory.gov
Miscellaneous
*The purposefully forgotten crucifixion of the Antean king Boz
*Three Remarkable and Calamitous Travels through Italy, Greece, Livonia, Muscovy, Tartary, Media, Persia, East India, Japan and various other Districts
*https://www.reddit.com/CulturalLayecomments/lwcuoc/the_unrivalled_maestro_tito_livio_burattini/
*Sultan Suleiman and King Solomon
*The most unusual icons of the “Holy Trinity”
*The Prussian school: all power to the canon
*114 years ago: Mammoth Recovered from Northern Siberia
*TIL: Richard Wagners Grandson Wieland claimed that he was molested By Hitler
* Why Are There Underground Jesuit Caves in Europe Filled with Egyptian and Islamic Art?
*Inconvenient questions about the war; Just a few queries the world should answer before we do it all once more
* TIL: The basic outline of history taught to every child in America since the mid 1900s was written by prominent communist and science fiction writer H.G Wells in his "The Outline of History"
* Blackened cityscapes of the world
* American cars with their soviet twins. Is there something weird here or is it just me?
Symbolism
* Smithsonian logo
Resources
* Best Of CulturalLayer And Resource Guide, Amended- Again
* best links about cultural layer theory?
* Anatoly Fomenko - New Chronology - History; fiction or science? -- A fascinating Russian attempt \(playlist, English subtitles\) at seeking clarity through the distortions of modern "history"
* collection of images i've gathered depicting south american sites before or during their excavation or "reconstruction"
* Huge archive of StaBastion Fort images/pics/designs \(useful resource\)
* "Declassified photos from U2 planes are helping archaeologists unlock the past
* starforts.com
* starforts.org Heavily moderated
stolenhistory.net
stolenhistory.org Defunct www.wildheretic.com megaliths.org
Wikipedia
*New chronology (Fomenko))
*Phantom time conspiracy theory
* Vérendrye stone (" Jesuit priests concluded that it was written in "Tatarian" writing."..."The Minnesota Historical Society has offered a $1000 reward for the stone's rediscovery.")
* Invention Secrecy Act \(1951\)
* Ringwoodite is notable for being able to contain hydroxide ions \(oxygen and hydrogen atoms bound together\) Combined with evidence of its occurrence deep in the Earth's mantle, this suggests that there is from one to three times the world ocean's equivalent of water in the mantle transition zone.
* Hyperdiffusionism
* According to local folklore, the region was inhabited by Caeté Indians, who woke up one day to find their town covered by sand
* Gunnar Heinsohn
* Vitrified fort
* star forts
* Polygonal masonry
* ionic wind
* Sharing this wikipedia page to illustrate how, with the right eye, you can pick apart an mainstream article and get at the meat of whats been hidden.
other subs
* tartarianarchitecture
* Tartaria
* alternativeastronomy
* mudfossils
* Thunderbolts
* plasmacosmology
* historicalstreetview
* fringehub
* newchronology
* AlternativeAstronomy * AlternativeHistory
defunct
homogiganticus
Youtube channels
* New earth
* Wise Up
* Cognitive TV \(russian\)
* Philipp Druzhinin
* CONSPIRACY-R-US
* Deciphering The Devil's Details
* baltimore fats
* Static in the attic * streets of tartaria
*jon levi
defunct
* [jacksfan](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFC1HJnadTPqc\_xy0gHvAIw) * Curious Life * Nik research * Mud Flood Mystery North
* posting livejournals in the comments

Part 1
"Make sure you’re memorizing any landmarks, man. Don’t want to turn this into a permanent residence," Tyler said, his voice now slightly more serious but still light enough to keep the edge off.
"If we see anything down here, I'm sure I'll remember it for longer than I want to," I jokingly assured him. "See, I can be adventurous and organized."
"Look at you, wild and free, isn't going on an adventure the break you needed?," he teased, and I could almost hear the smirk in his voice.
"Just because we’re in a creepy tunnel doesn’t mean this is an adventure," I retorted, my words echoing slightly in the cramped space.
Tyler laughed, a sound that rang clear and true in the darkness. "That’s what I love about you, Eric. You can be on an adventure in the middle of a haunted tunnel and still think about being responsible."
Our banter continued, the humor a lifeline that tethered us to the world we had left behind, a world where the sun shone and shadows weren’t quite as menacing. Each joke, each shared laugh, made the darkness a little less daunting, the adventure a little more exhilarating. As we delved deeper, making another turn, the familiarity of our friendship lent courage to my steps, pushing back against the unknown that awaited us.
The tunnel widened as we ventured deeper, the walls smeared with layers of graffiti that seemed to shout warnings and tales from those who had come before us. My flashlight beam landed on a particularly bold inscription: "STAY OUT," with an arrow crudely pointing back the way we had come. I paused, the starkness of the message sending a chill down my spine.
"Tyler, look at this," I called, gesturing towards the graffiti. Tyler approached, his light joining mine, illuminating the ominous words.
"Heh, someone really wanted to keep people away, huh?" Tyler chuckled, but there was a tightness in his voice that betrayed his unease.
"Or warn them," I replied, unable to shake the feeling that the message was more than just an empty threat. We continued on, the air growing cooler and the silence deeper, punctuated only by the distant drip of water and our own footsteps.
Not far from the warning, we stumbled upon an unexpected sight: the remnants of an abandoned camp. The area was scattered with the detritus of habitation—a few rusted cans, a tattered blanket draped over something that might once have been a mattress, and a small pile of personal items that seemed oddly poignant in the gloom.
I bent to pick up a diary, its pages swollen with moisture, the writing smeared beyond recognition. Beside it lay a child's drawing, the crayon lines depicting a series of winding tunnels and stick figures that might have been a family. Tyler held up a photograph, the edges curled and the image faded, showing a group of people smiling, unaware of the camera's ability to capture the last traces of their presence.
"Why would anyone bring a family down here?" I mused aloud, my voice echoing slightly off the close walls.
Tyler flipped the photograph, looking for a date or a name, finding neither. "Maybe they had no better place to go," he suggested, his tone somber. "Or maybe they were hiding from something... or someone."
I considered his words, turning the diary over in my hands. "Or maybe the city decided it was time to clean up the tunnels, pushed everyone out without notice. It wouldn't be the first time."
"But to leave everything behind?" Tyler questioned, his brow furrowed as he glanced around at the scattered remnants. "Seems like they left in a hurry. Makes you wonder if it was the city... or something else."
We stood in silence for a moment, the weight of history pressing around us. The items felt like echoes of lives interrupted, the camp a frozen tableau of desperation and secrecy.
"Whatever happened, it doesn't look like they planned to leave so abruptly," I added, my mind racing with the practical implications and the less tangible, more troubling possibilities that Tyler’s theories suggested.
"Guess we might find more clues deeper in," Tyler said, a spark of his usual curiosity returning as he turned his flashlight toward the tunnel that stretched further into the darkness.
Reluctantly, I placed the diary back where I had found it, a mark of respect for the unknown stories it contained. As Tyler and I gathered our gear, preparing to leave the remnants of the abandoned camp behind, a profound silence enveloped us. It was deeper than the absence of noise—it was as if the very air was thick with expectation, muffling sound and pressing in on us from all sides. I paused, realizing that even our breathing seemed strangely quiet, the usual sounds of our movements subdued in the dense atmosphere.
"Tyler," I whispered, unsure why I felt the need to keep my voice low, "do you notice how quiet it is?"
He stopped, his hand on the strap of his backpack, and listened. After a moment, he nodded, his brow furrowed. "Yeah, it's like we're in a vacuum. Even the drips from before have stopped. It's eerie."
As we stood there, a sudden chill swept through the tunnel. It wasn't the gradual decrease in temperature we had been experiencing as we ventured deeper; this was an immediate drop, as if a door to a colder world had abruptly been opened. The unexpected change made me shiver, and I saw Tyler rub his arms vigorously.
"Man, did it just get colder?" Tyler asked, looking around, as if he might see the source of the sudden chill.
I nodded, pulling my jacket tighter around me. "Definitely colder. This place... there's something about it, Ty. It's not just an old tunnel."
Before he could reply, a palpable sense of dread washed over us. It was so intense, so sudden, that it felt almost as if someone—or something—was watching us. My heart raced, and my usual caution transformed into a visceral need to move, to get away from the campsite.
"Let's get moving," I said, more sharply than I intended. "Now."
Tyler didn’t argue. He slung his pack over his shoulder and turned on his flashlight again, its beam shaking slightly as he led the way forward. Our pace quickened, almost to a jog, as the oppressive atmosphere of the tunnel seemed to press closer. Every shadow seemed darker, every small sound—our quickened breaths, the scuff of our shoes on the damp ground—was amplified in the intense silence.
As we moved, the chill remained, a constant companion in the darkness. The dread that had spurred us forward lingered, a reminder that the stories and legends surrounding these tunnels might hold more truth than either of us wanted to admit. This was no longer just an adventure; it felt like a flight, a desperate bid to return to the world we understood—a world of light and noise, where the weight of silence couldn’t suffocate us.
After several minutes of quickened pace through the increasingly oppressive darkness of the tunnel, I stopped to catch my breath and check the time. The chill seemed to cling to my skin, a constant reminder of the unease that this place instilled in us. I pulled out my watch, the one my father had given me, always reliable—until now. The hands were frozen, pointing stubbornly at just past noon. The same time it had been when we entered the tunnel. I tapped the glass, then shook it next to my ear, listening for the reassuring tick that did not come.
"Still ticking over there?" Tyler asked, noticing my fidgeting.
"It's stopped," I said, my voice tighter than I intended. "Hasn’t moved since we entered."
Tyler let out a low whistle, then chuckled, though the sound was off, failing to echo in the close, damp air of the tunnel. "Maybe we stepped into a time loop, huh? Like in those sci-fi books you read."
I tried to smile at his joke, but it felt forced. "Time loops are fictional, Ty. This is probably just a mechanical failure. Maybe... maybe there’s an electromagnetic field interfering with it."
"Electromagnetic fields, here?" Tyler's interest was piqued, his previous humor shifting into a mix of curiosity and thrill. "Dude, what if it’s something unexplained? Something beyond what we know?"
His enthusiasm was typical, but under the current circumstances, it only served to heighten my anxiety. "Or it could just be a broken watch," I countered, clinging to the mundane explanation because the alternative—that something beyond normal understanding was affecting the watch—was too disconcerting to entertain.
But Tyler was already ahead of me, his flashlight sweeping eagerly over the walls and floor as if he might find visible proof of his wild theories. "Come on, Eric, where’s your sense of adventure? We might be onto something amazing here. Let’s see how deep this rabbit hole goes."
Despite my reservations, I followed, driven not just by Tyler’s infectious enthusiasm but by a part of me that couldn’t deny my own curiosity. What if there was something extraordinary at play? My rational mind battled with the possibilities as we pressed deeper into the tunnel’s heart.
"I'm serious, Ty. If there is some kind of field affecting the watch, we need to be careful. It could be harmful," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt.
Tyler paused, turning back to me with a grin. "And that’s why you’re the brain of this operation. You keep us safe, I’ll keep us on the edge. Deal?"
I nodded, the pact settling something within me. "Deal. But let's keep track of physical markers to ensure we can find our way back, just in case."
"Always," he agreed, and we moved forward together, the mystery of the stopped watch hanging between us like a challenge, pushing us deeper into the unknown.
At a junction deep within the tunnel, Tyler and I came across an unexpected sight: a dirty lawn gnome with a noose tied around its neck, standing sentinel next to a scatter of old movie theatre popcorn containers. The bizarre tableau stopped us in our tracks, the absurdity of it stark against the damp, dark seriousness of our surroundings.
"Looks like someone had a weird sense of interior decorating," Tyler remarked with a chuckle, shining his flashlight on the gnome. Its painted eyes seemed to gleam mischievously back at us.
I couldn't help but smirk, despite the eerie setting. "What do you think he did to earn the noose?" I asked, playing along.
"Must've given someone really bad directions," Tyler shot back, his grin visible even in the dim light of our flashlights.
The levity helped to ease some of the tension, but as we faced the fork in our path, the choice before us weighed heavily. The left tunnel, where the gnome seemed to point with its perpetual, frozen smile, stretched into an even deeper darkness, while the right path seemed slightly less daunting, lit faintly by some distant, unknown source.
"Alright, Mr. Gnome says we go left," Tyler said, his tone light but his decision swift as he stepped toward the left passage.
I hesitated, peering down both options. The gnome, with its eerie, joking marker, didn’t inspire confidence. "You sure? Just because a creepy gnome is facing left doesn’t mean it’s a good idea."
"Come on, Eric, where's your sense of adventure? Maybe he's trying to tell us something. Plus, it’s not every day you get directions from a gnome with a noose," Tyler laughed, his voice echoing slightly down the left tunnel, as if inviting us to see what lay beyond.
I took a deep breath, the logical part of my mind firing off a dozen reasons this could be a bad idea. Yet, there was an undeniable pull to the unknown, a part of me that Tyler always managed to bring out, despite my better judgment. "Alright, let’s trust the gnome," I conceded, my words tinged with reluctant amusement.
"Trust in the gnome," Tyler repeated, a mock-serious expression on his face as he began to lead the way. His easy confidence was reassuring, and I found myself falling into step behind him, the image of the gnome's twisted smile imprinted in my mind as we delved deeper into the left path.
As we moved forward, our laughter at the gnome's expense faded into a comfortable silence, filled only by the sound of our footsteps and the distant drip of unseen water. The decision made, we pushed onward, driven by a mix of curiosity and the thrill of the unknown, each step taking us further into the heart of the tunnels.
As we pressed deeper into the left tunnel, guided only by the inconsistent circle of light from our flashlights, I began to notice shapes moving just beyond the reach of the beams. At first, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, a trick of the shadows dancing against the uneven walls of the tunnel. But as we continued, the silhouettes became more defined, more distinct.
"Tyler," I whispered, my voice barely carrying over the sound of our footsteps. "Do you see that?"
Tyler paused, directing his light to where I pointed. The beam cut through the darkness, revealing nothing but the damp walls and the occasional drip of water from the ceiling. "See what, Eric? It's just the tunnel, man."
I shook my head, trying to dismiss the uneasy feeling crawling up my spine. "I swear, there was something there. A shape, moving just outside the light."
Tyler chuckled softly, clapping me on the shoulder. "It’s the dark playing tricks on you. Happens to the best of us. Your eyes start thinking the shadows are moving. It's all just part of the adventure."
I wanted to believe him, to write it off as a simple trick of the mind caused by the low light and our heightened senses. Yet, as we resumed our trek, the occurrences grew more frequent. Each sighting was clearer than the last, fleeting glimpses of figures that seemed almost to be watching us, retreating whenever we tried to focus. The rational part of my mind battled with the primal fear that these shadows were not just figments of my imagination.
"Eric, come on, you're letting the spooky setting get to you," Tyler said with a hint of concern after I flinched at another passing shadow. His voice was light, trying to ease the tension, but even he couldn’t ignore the strangeness of our surroundings.
"I know, I know. But something feels off," I admitted, my grip tightening around my flashlight. "Just keep an eye out, okay?"
Tyler nodded, his usual easygoing nature sobering slightly. "Alright, man. I’ve got your back."
As we pushed forward, the sightings did not cease; they seemed to grow bolder, shadows flickering at the periphery of our vision. Despite Tyler’s skepticism, the atmosphere in the tunnel grew heavier, the darkness more oppressive. Each step forward felt like a challenge, a defiance against the unseen watchers that haunted the edges of our lights.
The further we went, the more the fear grew—a tangible, thick presence that hung in the air like mist. I clung to Tyler’s skepticism, hoping it was enough to keep the growing dread at bay, but the increasing clarity of the figures lurking just beyond our sight made it difficult to keep my fears in check. Each fleeting encounter left me more anxious for what lay ahead, each shadow a whisper of doubt about what we might find deeper in the tunnels.
As we delved deeper into the twisting maze of the tunnel, the air around us seemed to thicken, pressing in with an intensity that made each breath feel heavy. The faint flicker of movement at the edge of our lights became more frequent, more deliberate. Tyler, usually the skeptic, began to glance over his shoulder, his flashlight gripped tighter in his hand.
"Eric, do you hear that?" His voice was lower now, tinged with a note of real concern as he paused, tilting his head slightly.
I stopped, straining my ears. There it was—a soft, sibilant whisper that seemed to curl around us, words indistinct but unmistakably intentional. "It’s speaking," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, "or at least trying to."
Tyler looked at me, his eyes wide in the dim light. "You think it’s... what, a ghost?" Despite his words, his tone lacked its usual jest.
"I don't know," I admitted, feeling a chill that had nothing to do with the coolness of the tunnel. "But it’s something. Something that knows we’re here."
We proceeded with even greater caution, the whisper growing just a bit louder, a bit more urgent. It was as if the tunnel itself were alive, aware of our every move. The shadows no longer felt like mere tricks of the light; they seemed almost sentient, shifting and reacting to our presence.
Suddenly, a clear, sharp whisper cut through the murmur, so close I flinched away from it. "Stay Out," it hissed, the word echoing off the walls, chillingly articulate.
"That’s it," I said, the fear finally overtaking my curiosity. "We need to go back. This is beyond us, Tyler. It’s not safe."
Tyler looked at me, then back down the tunnel, his expression torn. After a moment, he nodded, his usual confidence replaced by a sober acceptance. "Okay, let’s head back. This is too weird, even for me."
We turned to retrace our steps, the whisper now a low, mocking murmur in our wake. As we hurried back toward the safety of the surface, Tyler suddenly paused, his flashlight sweeping back to a point just behind us. There, in the brief intersection of our lights, a shadow darted away, too quick and too fluid to be anything natural.
"Did you see that?" he asked, his voice a mix of fear and fascination.
"Yeah, I saw it," I replied, my heart racing. "Let’s not wait around for more."
The return journey was tense, each shadow and sound magnifying our anxiety. Tyler’s occasional backward glances and the unrelenting feeling of being watched hastened our steps. Whatever doubts Tyler had about the supernatural, or whatever this was, seemed to dissolve with each hurried stride, replaced by a mutual desire to reach the daylight.
As we retraced our steps, the tunnel seemed to conspire against us, the whispers threading through the darkness, more persistent but still frustratingly unintelligible. Each murmur sent a shiver down my spine, chilling me with the awareness of an unseen presence that felt almost sentient, as if it were watching, waiting.
Upon reaching the location where we had first encountered the peculiar gnome, the sight that greeted us halted us both in our tracks. The gnome now hung ominously from a piece of rebar jutting from the tunnel ceiling, the noose tight around its neck. Its once mocking expression seemed transformed into one of a grim warning.
"Did you do that?" I asked Tyler, my voice barely above a whisper, not wanting to disturb the thick silence that seemed to have swallowed all other sounds.
"No, Eric, when would I have done that!?" Tyler responded, his usual easygoing demeanor replaced by an edge of genuine fear. "It was just standing there when we left it... Wasn't it?"
As we continued, a creeping dread began to set in, the familiarity of the path we had taken now gone. Markings that I had mentally noted, graffiti that had been landmarks on our initial journey, were inexplicably missing or altered. Even the rock formations seemed to have shifted, their once distinct shapes now morphed into unrecognizable shadows.
Tyler stopped, his voice low and tense. "Something's off, Eric. This isn't the same path we took in. It can't be."
His admission, his voice tinged with unease, only heightened my own anxiety. The logical explanations that usually grounded me seemed increasingly futile against the mounting evidence of our altered reality.
With each step back toward what we hoped was the exit, the whispers grew louder, more taunting. They seemed to bounce around us, a chorus of murmurs that felt as if they were herding us, though to where, neither of us could be sure.
Suddenly, we stumbled into a small, narrow chamber—a suffocating, claustrophobic space that neither of us remembered passing before. The air was colder here, the walls closer. Every breath seemed to echo off the tight confines, amplifying the pounding of our hearts.
"Eric, we didn't pass this on the way in, did we?" Tyler's voice cracked slightly, the space amplifying the tremor of fear that neither of us could disguise anymore.
"No, we definitely didn't," I managed to reply, my own voice sounding foreign in the compressed air of the chamber.
The realization that we were truly lost—that the path we had taken had somehow altered or that we had been driven off course—struck us hard. Panic, sharp and urgent, clawed at my chest. The whispers, now almost mocking, swirled around us, as if delighting in our confusion and fear.
"We need to keep moving," I said, my decision borne out of desperation more than any concrete plan. "Staying here isn't an option."
Tyler nodded, and we pushed forward, the space seeming to compress around us as we hurried, driven by a primal need to escape the oppressive darkness and the whispers that now felt like threats. Every shadow seemed alive, every sound a signal of some looming peril.
As we navigated the dimly lit tunnels, a new sound began to permeate the heavy air around us. The whispers morphed into distinct voices—clear, human voices speaking in low, conversational tones. It was such a stark contrast to the unintelligible whispers that I stopped dead in my tracks, trying to discern the words, to latch onto something tangible.
"Eric, do you hear that?" Tyler's voice was tense with a mix of excitement and apprehension. "It sounds like other people. Could be explorers, maybe even city workers?"
His hypothesis sounded far-fetched to me, but in our current predicament, any sign of other human presence felt like a lifeline. Driven by a mix of desperation and the dwindling hope of finding a way out, Tyler picked up the pace, heading towards the source of the sounds with renewed vigor.
I trailed behind, my thoughts a whirlwind of disbelief and worry. "Tyler, wait!" I called out, my voice barely above a whisper, not wanting to draw too much attention, even if they were just city workers. "We don't know who or what that is. It's risky to just run towards it!"
But Tyler was already moving with purpose, his figure illuminated intermittently by the shaky beam of his flashlight as he navigated the rocky path. My own flashlight trembled in my grip as I followed, the light flickering over damp walls and the occasional scurrying shadow.
We approached a sharp bend, and Tyler, ever the impulsive one, rounded the corner without hesitation, his figure disappearing from my sight. "Tyler!" I shouted, a bit louder this time, my voice echoing off the tunnel walls.
I quickened my pace to catch up, but as I reached the bend where Tyler had just vanished, I was met with a startling sight—a dead end. The tunnel path ended abruptly, the walls closing in as if the path had never existed. "Tyler?" I called out again, my voice rising in panic. There was no sign of him, no echo of his footsteps, just the oppressive silence that seemed to mock my calls.
I stood there, frozen, my mind racing. The reality of the situation sank in; Tyler had vanished, swallowed up by the labyrinthine nature of these haunted tunnels. A cold dread settled over me, heavier than the damp air that filled my lungs.
As the initial shock began to wear off, the whispers returned, now carrying a sinister tone, almost as if they were laughing at my plight. The sound was chilling, unsettling in its glee. Panic surged within me, primal and overpowering.
I knew I had to move, to find Tyler or a way out. But as I turned back the way we had come, every shadow seemed menacing, every noise a threat. The whispers grew louder, urging me to flee, to escape the dark that now felt alive with malice. The weight of isolation pressed down on me, each step forward a battle against the fear that clawed at my sanity.
As I retraced my steps, the narrow confines of the tunnel seemed to constrict further, the walls drawing in as if they could sense my solitude. The air around me grew perceptibly colder, each exhaled breath a visible cloud in the beam of my flashlight. The echoes of my own footsteps sounded different now, as if absorbed by the walls, which seemed to lean closer with each step I took.
The whispers that had so relentlessly pursued us now dwindled to sporadic murmurs before falling away entirely, leaving behind a suffocating silence. It felt as though the tunnel itself was holding its breath, enveloping me in a heavy, oppressive quiet that seemed intent on smothering any sound I made.
With a pounding heart, I reached the abandoned camp, the scene of our earlier exploration. To my horror, it was no longer deserted. Figures sat huddled around the remnants of a fire that had long since died, their presence silent and unnerving. Their faces were turned away, their bodies motionless except for the occasional shiver that seemed to pass through them.
I approached cautiously, my voice echoing strangely in the open space as I called out to them. "Hello? Can you help me?" My words hung in the air, unanswered. The light from my flashlight swept over them, revealing eyes that stared blankly into the void, unseeing, unblinking.
One of them—a man with a ragged coat—slowly turned his head to follow my movement. His eyes, when they met mine, showed no recognition, no sign of life; they were as empty as the darkness that filled the tunnel. The sight sent a chill deeper than the cold air could account for, rooting me to the spot with a primal fear.
Realizing the futility of seeking help from these lost souls, a surge of terror spurred me into motion. I turned and ran, my only thought to escape the oppressive atmosphere of the camp and the unnerving vacancy in those haunting eyes.
As I rushed toward the entrance, the tunnel seemed alive with malice. Shadows pulsed along the periphery of my vision, dark forms that seemed to reach out, urging me to quicken my pace, to flee the darkness that clawed at my heels. My breath came in ragged gasps, my heart pounding against my chest as if it too sought an escape from the looming threat.
In my frantic dash, I spotted the familiar graffiti from our entrance—STAY OUT—its warning now a cruel mockery of my desperate situation. Relief mixed with dread filled me; I was close to the exit, yet the feeling of danger was more acute than ever. The shadows grew denser, more menacing, as if aware of my impending escape, and seemed to thrum with a sinister energy, urging me to hurry, to escape the darkness that felt as if it were alive and hungry.
With every fiber of my being screaming for release, I pushed forward, the exit now just a sprint away, my fear peaking as the boundary between the tunnel’s dark heart and the promise of the outside world grew tantalizingly near.
As I stumbled through the damp corridors of the tunnel, each twist and turn only seemed to lead me further into confusion and fear. My panic escalated when, cutting through the silence, a distinct yell echoed down the tunnel. The words, sharp and clear, rang out: "The outsider went this way, hurry he's gonna escape!" The voice was unmistakably human, which in the shadows of the underground, filled me with an even greater fear than the whispers had.
It was a harsh reminder that I wasn't alone; someone or something was not only aware of my presence but was actively pursuing me. With adrenaline coursing through my veins, I pushed my tired legs to move faster, the cold air stinging my lungs as I raced through the darkness. Paranoia began to claw at my mind as I sensed movements at the very edge of my flashlight’s reach.
The oppressive atmosphere of the tunnel intensified, whispers morphing into the sounds of scuffling feet somewhere behind me. The noise seemed to be closing in, a cacophony of echoes that played with my senses, making it impossible to pinpoint how close the threat truly was. Every rustle, every echo felt like it was coming straight for me, each one a potential harbinger of whatever chased me through this endless labyrinth.
Driven by paranoia I had to check behind my back more often, my flashlight’s beam jittery as I threw frequent glances over my shoulder. On one such glance, my heart leaped into my throat as I caught what looked like the reflection of eyes in the distance, pairs of them, glinting like animal eyes caught in a car's headlights. I didn't have time to observe in detail, I just needed to run.
The terror of the pursuit was relentless, and as I ran, the line between reality and my fear-blurred perceptions continued to blur. Each step felt increasingly desperate, a frantic attempt to escape not just the physical darkness of the tunnels but the growing darkness encroaching upon my mind.
As I pushed forward through the increasingly oppressive darkness, the faint glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel emerged as a beacon of hope. My heart lifted with a surge of relief, my steps quickening towards the promise of the outside world. The light, growing brighter with each stride, was like a physical pull, drawing me towards safety after the nightmare journey through the depths of the earth.
But as the entrance came into clearer view, a wave of guilt washed over me. Tyler was still out there somewhere, possibly lost or in danger. The weight of abandoning him wrestled with my desperate need for escape, casting a shadow over the relief that had momentarily lifted my spirits. The thought of leaving Tyler behind felt like a betrayal, yet the instinct to flee the oppressive, whisper-filled darkness was powerful.
Reaching the entrance, the daylight spilled into the first stretch of the tunnel, casting long shadows but also illuminating the way with a reassuring clarity. I paused, the outside world just a few desperate steps away, and turned back one last time. Shining my flashlight into the darkness, I half-expected to see the shadows moving or to hear the sounds of pursuit. But there was nothing—only the empty, silent darkness.
The absence of any sign of pursuit or presence of those sinister whispers left me momentarily confused. Had it all been a manifestation of fear? The silence now seemed as eerie as the whispers had been. With a heavy heart, I contemplated heading back to search for Tyler, to venture again into the darkness for my friend. But logic held me back; after everything that had happened, going back in seemed like a sure path to disaster.
With a mix of relief and guilt, I stepped out of the tunnel, the daylight embracing me with its warmth and brightness. I walked back to Tyler's car, parked in the gravel lot where our journey had innocently begun what felt like a lifetime ago. There, I decided to wait, hoping against reason that Tyler would find his way out as I had.
Sitting on the hood of the car, I watched the entrance to the tunnel, every shadow and sound making me tense. I waited, clinging to the hope that Tyler would emerge at any moment, ready to laugh off the adventure with a wild story to tell. But as the minutes stretched into hours, my hope began to wane, replaced by a deep, unsettling worry for my friend lost somewhere in the twisting labyrinth we had dared to explore.

In the summer of 1986, the air in our small town thrummed with the relentless cicadas, and the sun hung heavy in the sky. It was the season of freedom, the summer after our high school graduation, and the world seemed wide open with possibilities—especially for Tyler and me.
Tyler, with his sun-bleached hair and a reckless grin, was always the one to challenge the limits of that freedom. He had an adventurous spirit that often led us into unforeseen escapades, his eyes alight with the thrill of the unknown. I, on the other hand, approached life with a more measured pace. My decisions were calculated, the product of a childhood steeped in the ethos of caution and deliberation. This contrast in our personalities was not just a surface difference but the bedrock upon which our friendship was built.
One particular memory from that summer stands vivid in my mind, a testament to our complementary natures. We had discovered an abandoned house on the outskirts of town, a relic rumored to be haunted. Tyler, fueled by a mix of curiosity and bravado, was determined to explore it. I remember standing at the threshold, the musty scent of decay wafting out, my mind racing through every possible scenario of what could go wrong.
“Come on, Eric! It’s just an old house,” Tyler had teased, his voice echoing slightly in the open expanse of the dilapidated foyer. His casual disregard for the potential dangers was typical, his enthusiasm infectious.
I had hesitated, my hand resting on the flashlight in my backpack, ensuring it was there along with the first aid kit, water bottles, and other essentials I had insisted we bring. “We don’t know what’s inside, Tyler. It could be unsafe,” I had countered, my voice tinged with the usual caution.
Tyler had laughed, the sound bold and unfettered. “That’s the whole point, isn’t it? To find out?” He had a way of making the irrational seem perfectly reasonable. With a shrug that seemed to dismiss all my concerns, he had stepped over the threshold, his movements sure and eager.
I had followed, of course. Tyler’s confidence was a beacon that often led me out of my comfort zone. Inside, as our flashlights sliced through the gloom, Tyler’s excitement was palpable. He moved from room to room with a kind of wild energy, while I lingered at doorways, alert to the creak of floorboards and the rustle of unseen creatures.
In that dusty, shadow-filled house, our differing worlds had collided beautifully. Tyler’s zest had unveiled the mystery and thrill of the exploration, while my caution ensured we were prepared for any mishaps. As we emerged back into the sunlight, Tyler clapping me on the back, I realized how these adventures, fueled by our contrasting natures, had not only deepened our friendship but also expanded the boundaries of my own world.
In every chuckle from Tyler and every cautious step I took, our friendship found its rhythm. It was a dance of light and shadow, risk and safety, and it was during that summer that I truly understood the value of balancing on the tightrope between the known and the unknown.
The sun had begun its descent, casting long shadows across the room as I stepped into Tyler’s sanctuary. The walls of his bedroom were a vibrant collage of interests and aspirations: posters of rock bands, climbers silhouetted against impossible peaks, and faded maps of forgotten parts of the city. Metallica's Master of Puppets played on the stereo, the notes a perfect backdrop to the chaos of his passions. His room was an organized chaos, with each item having a place amidst the apparent disarray. On one side, a shelf meticulously arranged with books on urban legends and survival guides stood in stark contrast to my pile of gear thrown carelessly in the corner.
Tyler was sprawled on the floor, poring over a map lit by the golden hue of the setting sun streaming through the window. He looked up with a grin that spelled mischief and adventure.
"Eric, check this out," Tyler said, tapping a spot on the map. "The old storm drains under the city. Rumor says they're haunted. Perfect for a little summer thrill, don't you think?"
I hesitated, the analytical part of my mind cataloging every possible risk. "Haunted, huh?" I replied, trying to keep my tone light. "You know those are just stories people make up to keep curious kids out, right?"
Tyler chuckled, his eyes glinting with excitement. "That's what makes it exciting! Imagine what we might find down there. Besides, you've read more about urban legends than anyone I know. Don’t you ever want to see if there's any truth to them?"
I sighed, running a hand through my hair as I considered his words. "It's not about the legends, Ty. It's about being prepared. What if we get stuck? Or worse, what if the legends aren’t just legends?"
"Come on, Eric. When have we ever been unprepared?" he countered, waving a hand towards his neatly organized shelf that held all our past expedition gear, a testament to our adventures that had ended without incident.
Pulling out an article I’d brought with me, I handed it to him. "Here, read this first. It talks about the history of the drains—unexplained disappearances, strange noises. Not just ghost stories, but real events that never got explained."
Tyler skimmed the article, his brow furrowing. "Sounds like a mystery waiting to be solved. And who better than us, huh?" His enthusiasm was infectious, but I knew better than to let excitement cloud my judgment.
"I'll consider it," I said finally, a concession that earned me another of Tyler's famous grins.
"Consider it? With that brain of yours, I know you'll have us equipped like a couple of Navy SEALs," Tyler joked, clapping me on the shoulder.
I couldn’t help but laugh, though the nervous flutter in my stomach didn’t subside. "Alright, let's plan this out properly then. If we’re doing this, we’re doing it right. Safety first, adventure second."
"That's my man!" Tyler exclaimed, his laughter mingling with the fading chords of the music. The thrill of the unknown beckoned, and despite my reservations, I found myself drawn into the promise of an adventure only Tyler could make seem worthwhile. In that moment, surrounded by the artifacts of our many escapades, I realized that these adventures weren’t just about the thrill or the mystery—they were about understanding and challenging our own limits, together.
The next morning broke with a mist that clung to the small town streets like a lingering whisper. I arrived at Tyler's house just as the sun began to assert itself, scattering the haze with its warming light. Tyler’s front porch was strewn with gear—a chaotic assortment that looked more like the aftermath of a yard sale than preparations for an exploration.
As I stepped inside, the smell of coffee mingled with the sharp scent of oil and old metal, the remnants of Tyler's last-minute bike repair that now lay forgotten in favor of our new adventure. Tyler was in the kitchen, shoving bags of chips and an assortment of hastily chosen snacks into a backpack that had seen better days.
"Eric, you’re going to love this! I’ve got us snacks for a week!" he exclaimed with a grin, obviously pleased with his contribution.
I smiled, though my mind was already ticking through a checklist of more practical items. “Did you grab the map from the desk?” I asked, knowing full well the answer from the blank pause that followed.
“Map? Right, the map!” Tyler dashed off to his room, rummaging through piles of papers with a speed that only urgent forgetfulness could fuel. He returned, waving the crumpled piece of paper triumphantly. “Found it! Knew it was important.”
I shook my head, amused yet not surprised, and began unpacking my own gear on the living room floor. My preparations were meticulous: a first aid kit with neatly arranged bandages, antiseptics, and tweezers; multi-tools with various useful attachments; high-powered flashlights along with a pack of extra batteries. Each item was checked off against a list I had prepared the night before, ensuring nothing was overlooked.
“Dude, you’re like a walking hardware store,” Tyler joked as he watched me lay out the contents. His tone was teasing, but I caught a flicker of appreciation in his eyes. He knew that my methodical nature often saved us from the pitfalls of his more impulsive decisions.
“Someone has to be,” I replied, tucking the flashlights into an accessible pocket of my backpack. “You never know what we might need down there. Besides, it’s better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.”
Tyler nodded, the lightness in his voice giving way to a more serious tone. “True that. I guess that’s why we make such a great team, huh? You plan; I provide the entertainment.”
As he slung his less carefully packed bag over his shoulder, I couldn’t help but agree. Our friendship was a balance of contrasts, each of us bringing something necessary to the table—caution and thrill, planning and spontaneity. And as we set out that morning, with the light of a new day rising behind us, the streets of our town whispering stories beneath our feet, I felt the familiar thrill of anticipation mingled with the comfort of being well-prepared. It was these moments, right before diving into the unknown, that I cherished the most—the perfect blend of excitement and readiness, with Tyler by my side, ready to face whatever lay ahead.
As Tyler secured the last of the gear in the trunk of his weathered Camaro, I lingered by the passenger door, gripped by a familiar knot of apprehension. The early morning light filtered through the trees, casting long shadows that seemed to mirror my hesitation. Tyler, sensing my pause, leaned against the Camaro, his expression a mixture of concern and encouragement.
"Eric, what’s up? You’ve been quiet all morning," he observed, his tone casual but attentive.
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of my own expectations mingling with the risks of our impending venture. "I'm just thinking about all the variables, Ty. The unknowns in places like this... they're not just physical challenges, they're mental too," I confessed, my voice steady despite the churn of my thoughts.
Tyler nodded, his eyes reflecting a depth often obscured by his adventurous facade. "I get it. But remember that old quarry we explored last summer? When you thought we’d get stuck because of the rain? Turned out to be one of our best trips. We always manage, man."
His reminder brought a slight smile to my face. "True, but it's not just about managing," I admitted, my gaze drifting to the map in my hand. "There’s a part of me that needs to prove I can handle this, not just to myself but... I don’t know, maybe to prove that being careful doesn’t mean being fearful."
Tyler pushed off from the Camaro, his movements embodying the confidence I admired. "Eric, you're the bravest guy I know," he said earnestly. "Bravery isn't about not feeling scared. It’s about doing it anyway, and you always do. Besides, you keep us safe. You think of things I don’t. We balance each other out."
I considered his words, the sincerity in his voice anchoring me. "And you think there's something worth finding out there?" I asked, half-teasing, half-serious, as I gestured toward the dense forest that led to the storm drains.
"Absolutely," Tyler replied, his enthusiasm undimmed. "But it’s not just about what’s out there, Eric. It's about what these trips do for us. For me, it’s a break from the everyday. It’s a piece of the extraordinary, something that feels different from the usual grind. Isn’t that worth a little risk?"
His question hung between us, rhetorical yet significant. I nodded, feeling the truth of his words settle around me like a mantle. "Alright, let’s do this," I said, more to myself than to him, a declaration of readiness I wasn’t entirely sure I felt.
Tyler clapped me on the shoulder, a grin spreading across his face. "That’s the spirit! And hey, if we come across anything strange, we’ll face it together. Like always."
As we climbed into the Camaro, the engine coming to life with a reassuring rumble, I allowed myself a moment to appreciate the simplicity of Tyler’s philosophy. Perhaps it was his willingness to dive headfirst into the unknown that had always drawn me to him, his light balancing my shadow. Today, it wasn’t just about exploring a haunted storm drain; it was about exploring the limits of my own courage, pushed and pulled by the gravity of our friendship.
We parked the Camaro in a gravel lot, the surface uneven and littered with the detritus of urban neglect. The lot was on the fringe of the city's forgotten district, where buildings wore their decay like a badge of dishonor. As we stepped out, the air carried the tang of rust and the musty scent of abandonment. Weeds clawed through cracks in the asphalt, and graffiti sprawled across nearby walls, the vibrant colors clashing with the gray desolation.
Tyler locked the Camaro with a decisive click and glanced around with an eagerness that seemed out of place in such a somber setting. "This is it, Eric. But I'll admit, you're right to be cautious," he said, his voice carrying a hint of reverence that piqued my curiosity despite my reservations.
Tyler led the way, his steps sure and swift, a stark contrast to the slow, deliberate pace I adopted. As we walked, he launched into the story of the tunnel we were headed to, his voice animated, echoing slightly off the concrete and empty spaces.
"Legend has it," Tyler began, his tone taking on the timbre of a seasoned storyteller, "that back in the '50s, this tunnel was the site of a tragedy. A group of teenagers, much like us, ventured into the drains for a bit of thrill-seeking. They were caught off guard by a sudden storm. The rains came down hard, fast. The tunnels flooded in minutes. Only one kid made it out. He claimed he heard his friends calling for help long after the water should have silenced them."
I felt a shiver that had nothing to do with the cool air. "And you still think this is a good idea?" I asked, my skepticism unable to mask the undercurrent of alarm in my voice.
As we continued our trek toward the rumored haunted storm drains, the scenery grew increasingly bleak. Broken windows stared down at us like hollow eyes, and every so often, a chill breeze would stir the litter at our feet, sending candy wrappers skittering down the deserted streets like lost spirits.
Tyler stopped and turned to me, his expression serious for once. "I know it sounds bad, but think about it, Eric. It's been decades, and nothing like that has happened since. We're prepared, we've checked the weather, we have the gear, and we know the risks. This is about exploring, about finding out if there’s any truth to the stories, or at least having our own story to tell."
I looked around, the graffiti leering at me as if mocking my cautious nature. Despite Tyler's reassurance, the weight of the place’s history bore down on me, each spray-painted tag and piece of broken glass a testament to the many lives that had intersected with these streets, not all of them ending well.
"Alright, Tyler," I said after a moment, my decision firming up with the resolve that came from knowing I could trust him to keep us as safe as possible. "Let’s find our story then."
As we resumed walking, the city’s pulse seemed to quicken with ours. The wind whispered through the abandoned corridors of commerce and living, carrying with it echoes of the past—both real and imagined—and I couldn't help but feel that we were walking into the heart of a legend, one that would test the limits of both our courage and our friendship.
The walk through the crumbling outskirts lasted longer than expected, but Tyler's brisk pace never faltered. I trailed slightly behind, my gaze taking in every detail of the decrepit buildings and overgrown sidewalks. When we finally reached the location Tyler had marked on the map, he stopped so abruptly I nearly bumped into him.
"Here it is," he said, a thrill in his voice as he stepped toward a tangled mass of overgrowth that shielded whatever lay beyond from view. With a practiced hand, Tyler reached into his backpack, pulling out a pair of gloves and a machete. He set to work, hacking at the thick vines and brush with a vigor that belied the midday heat, which even the dense canopy overhead could not fully dispel.
I watched, heart pounding, as the vines fell away, revealing a dark, gaping maw of a storm drain, its edges jagged and unwelcoming. It was like the mouth of some great beast, and for a moment, I felt a visceral chill course through me. Despite the sweat on my brow, I shivered.
Tyler, oblivious to my apprehension, stepped back to admire his handiwork. His face was alight with the kind of excitement that only the promise of the unknown could bring. "Look at that, Eric! It's just waiting for us," he exclaimed, his voice echoing slightly against the concrete entrance.
Drawing a deep breath, I approached the threshold, my practical mind kicking into gear. I glanced at my watch—just past noon. "Let's keep track of the time," I said, my voice steady despite the unease that clung to me like the damp. "We entered just after twelve. We should monitor how long we're down there."
Tyler nodded, clapping me on the shoulder. "Good call. I’m guessing we’ll lose track of time once we’re inside. It’s easy to get caught up in the adventure."
I couldn't help but agree silently as I followed him into the shadowy entrance. The cool air that met us was a stark contrast to the summer heat outside, carrying with it the musty, earthy scent of damp and decay. It enveloped us, thick and almost tangible, as if we were walking into another world.
As Tyler's flashlight beam cut through the darkness, illuminating the rough, graffiti-tagged walls of the tunnel, the reality of what we were doing settled over me. We were not just stepping into a storm drain; we were descending into the belly of a long-forgotten part of the city, a place shrouded in mystery and old fears.
Yet, despite the chill that whispered warnings in my ear, there was no denying the thrill that came with stepping into the unknown, a thrill I knew was mirrored on Tyler's face. As we ventured deeper, the light from the entrance faded, and the darkness seemed to swallow us whole. It was here, in the bowels of the earth, that our adventure truly began.
As we descended into the gaping maw of the storm drain, the shift in atmosphere was immediate and palpable. The playful banter that had accompanied our earlier trek through the city faded into a hushed reverence as the entrance receded behind us, swallowed by the encroaching darkness. With each step forward, our flashlights cut through the black, their beams flickering across the damp walls that seemed to pulse with the echo of dripping water.
The tunnel's air was cooler, a stark contrast to the summer heat we had left behind. It carried a musty, mineral scent that filled my lungs with each breath. I could hear our footsteps, a slow, steady rhythm at first, that became increasingly distorted as the passage narrowed and the acoustics shifted. The sound bounced off the concrete, creating a series of soft echoes that made it difficult to gauge how far we had really ventured.
Tyler moved ahead with an eagerness that seemed to magnify with the tunnel’s darkness. His steps were confident, almost defiant, as if each stride challenged the shadows that stretched endlessly before us. "This is incredible, Eric!" he called back to me, his voice bouncing off the walls and blending with the ambient sounds of our environment.
I followed more cautiously, keenly aware of the uneven ground beneath my feet. The flashlight in my hand was a lifeline, its beam a small island of certainty in a sea of obscurity. I was struck by the profound isolation of this place, a stark domain far removed from the orderly world I was accustomed to. Here, the rules were different, the risks magnified.
As we ventured deeper, the connection to the world above seemed to dissolve completely. The faint sounds of the city—the distant hum of traffic, the sporadic cries of street vendors—faded until all that remained was the sound of our own movement and the intermittent drops of water that seemed to weep from the tunnel’s ceiling.
Each step seemed to take us further from the familiar, deeper into a realm that belonged more to phantoms of the past than to boys on an adventure. The walls of the tunnel felt closer now, their surfaces slick with moisture and the detritus of the city. Here and there, graffiti marked the passage of others who had dared to tread this path before us, their messages cryptic and ominous under the beam of my flashlight.
"Feels like we're walking into another world, doesn't it?" I murmured, my voice low, almost swallowed by the surrounding darkness.
Tyler paused, turning to look back at me, his face a mask of thrill and apprehension illuminated by his light. "Exactly why I love this stuff. It’s like we’re stepping through a portal, leaving everything behind. Just us and whatever’s waiting in the shadows."
I couldn’t help but feel a thrill, an echo of Tyler’s enthusiasm, despite the nerves that tingled at the back of my neck. There was something intoxicating about this descent into darkness, this surrender to the unknown. It was a testament to our friendship—a blend of his daring and my caution—that kept us balanced, even as we delved deeper into the depths of the city’s forgotten veins.
As we ventured deeper into the shadowy bowels of the tunnel, our flashlights casting eerie, dancing shadows along the damp walls, the silence between us grew. It was a heavy, pressing silence, the kind that weighed on your shoulders like a thick fog. I could feel the tension mounting, the darkness seeming to press in from all sides. Just when it felt almost suffocating, Tyler's voice cut through the gloom, light and teasing.
"Hey Eric, you know what this place reminds me of?" Tyler asked, his tone mischievous.
I played along, grateful for the distraction. "No, what's that?"
"Your room, before you do your monthly clean-up. Only, I think the tunnel might actually be a bit cleaner," he joked, and I could hear the grin in his voice.
I chuckled, shaking my head. "Very funny. At least I don’t have ancient spider webs and the scent of mystery mold in my room."
"True, but maybe you should consider it; adds character," Tyler quipped back.
Our laughter echoed down the tunnel, bouncing off the walls and filling the space with a brief respite from the creeping dread that seemed to linger just beyond the reach of our lights. The sound of our amusement felt strangely out of place in this forgotten artery of the city, yet it was a welcome sound.
As we made the first turn in the tunnel, the light from the entrance had completely vanished, replaced by the artificial glow of our flashlights. The path ahead twisted and turned, a sprawl of old concrete and shadows.
Part 2

This is taken from and is copyright protected by globalsoup.net, a website that promotes flash Fiction with annual writing contests.
I am reprinting these Flash Fiction Prompts because they are outstanding ways to freewrite and offer plenty to work with for those who want to learn how to write Flash Fiction.
So check out these prompts and the article and work some of them into your journal! Post the best responses!
100 Awesome Flash Fiction Prompts - Plus Bonus Prompts!
We’ve put together 100 flash fiction prompts, each one designed for a very short story. These prompts will probably be best suited to a story of between 300-1,000 words. If you want to write a longer story using these prompts, you can easily expand these ideas to fit a story of any length.
What is flash fiction?
Flash Fiction is defined as a very short story that can be anywhere from just a couple of words to about a thousand in length. The beauty (and difficulty) of writing flash fiction lies in trying to tell a complete story in so few words. Great flash fiction is succinct, emotive, thought-provoking, and impactful.
What’s the difference between flash fiction and a short story?
The only difference between flash fiction and a typical short story is the word count. However, this scarcity of words means that writing flash fiction can feel like a completely new skill. Just like the short story is a different animal to the novel or novella; flash fiction is kind of unique.
When writing flash, you’ll need to use fewer characters, a simpler plot, and you’ll have to make each word count. This is why editing is so important. You have to be brutal. Cut out everything superfluous and really make sure each and every word is performing an important function in the story. If you’re interested in writing very short fiction, why not check out drabbles? Drabbles are stories of exactly 100 words in length, and they can be a great way to practice keeping your stories very, very short.
How to plot a flash fiction story
When you sit down to write flash fiction, you must begin by choosing an appropriate plot. You cannot simply use a short story plot and tell it using fewer words. A typical flash fiction plot is like looking at one part of a story under a microscope.
For example, let’s look at prompt #21 in our list of 100 Flash Fiction Prompts:

1. Two people on a sinking ship must decide who should take the last seat in the last lifeboat. If you were writing a novel about a sinking ship, you’d probably want the actual sinking to be the climax of the story. Of course, there are infinite ways to write a novel about a sinking ship, but this would structurally be the most obvious. You’d use the first part of the novel to introduce your characters and describe the voyage leading up to the sinking and the sinking of the ship would be the dramatic climax, leaving the last part of the book as the resolution.

The golden rule of writing short stories is to begin as close to end as you can. So, to turn the same story from novel to short story, you’d probably want to begin with the ship sinking. You haven’t got time to introduce the characters before the action begins, so you’d need to feed in exposition and backstory here and there during the events.
All stories need a good climax. So, you would find the most dramatic moment in the story and build up to it. Perhaps your climax would be the two main characters having to decide who will take the remaining seat on the last lifeboat.
Finally, you need a resolution. In a longer short story you do have time to bring in some kind of satisfying resolution at the end.
But, if you’re writing flash fiction and your story is only a few hundred words, you really need to zoom in on one tiny moment in that story.
You don’t have time to tell the entire story of a sinking ship, but you can turn one moment into a story.
We’ve chosen the lifeboat situation as the key moment in this hypothetical story. Two characters must decide which one of them will take the last seat on the last lifeboat. This is an appropriate plot for flash fiction because it’s simple, high-stakes, dramatic, and thought provoking.
Not all flash fiction will have a plot quite this dramatic, but all great flash fiction will have a plot that can be expressed in just one or two sentences.
If you have a plot in mind, but it seems more suitable for a longer story, you can sometimes find several flash fiction plots hidden within it. Just look for little stories within the story, like the lifeboat moment in our hypothetical tale of the sinking ship.
This brings us to our top tip for coming up with ideas for flash fiction stories:
if you’re ever stuck for ideas, you can find little stories within the story in books, movies, and TV shows. A full length feature film might have as many as 20 little incidents in it that could easily be flash fiction.
Don’t directly write a story based on the film, though. Just carefully pick out those little moments, write down what’s happening as a one or two sentence plot, and then use it to inspire your own, completely original flash fiction story.
One of our 100 Flash Fiction Prompts was actually taken from the movie Pulp Fiction!
How to write very short flash fiction
There are several reasons writers might start writing flash fiction. Of course, it could be that they just love and enjoy the form, but sometimes they’ll be a more strategic and practical reason at play.
Perhaps they want to practise the process of writing stories within the confines of a certain word limit. Maybe they are trying to develop a daily writing routine and they don’t have a lot of free time. It could be that they’re trying to break a habit of not finishing writing projects, or perhaps they are entering a flash fiction competition.
Whatever the reason, very often when we sit down to write flash, we must work under an imposed or self-imposed word restraint. We’ve set ourselves (or been set) the task of keeping the story under a particular number of words.
So, how do you plot a flash fiction story when you have to keep your story very, very short.
We’re not going to discuss stories of 100 words or fewer here. Technically, those stories are still flash, however, we prefer to categorise 100 word stories as drabbles and anything under 100 words as micro fiction.
But what if you have to keep your flash fiction story under, let’s say, 300 words? How do you write a flash fiction story that short?
The answer is: get your microscope out again. Remember earlier when we said writing flash fiction is like looking at part of a story under a microscope? If you have to write very short flash fiction, you’ll need to zoom in even further.
Let’s look at a couple of examples from our 100 Flash Fiction Prompts:

1. During a match, a young boxer must decide whether to throw the fight.

If you had 1,000 words to devote to the story, you could have time to tell the story of the entire fight. With only 300 words, it might be better to zoom in on the very moment when the boxer must choose whether or not to go down.
In a longer flash fiction story you might have time to go into detail about why he’s in this situation and why he’s so conflicted. In a 300 word story, you might only devote one or two sentences to his gambling debt and the large sum of money waiting for him if he goes down in the third round, as instructed.

1. A family must decide what to take and what to leave behind as a wildfire approaches their home.

If you had 1,000 words to devote to this story, you might be able to write about the whole process of choosing what to take and what to leave behind. You might be able to mention many different choices and have the whole family participate in the story. You’d be able to go into some details about certain choices and the stories behind individual objects or mementos, as well as the implications of choosing certain things over others.
With only 300 words, it would be advisable to zoom in on one member of the family and to focus on one profound and important choice.
How to write a flash fiction story
Now you have your mini plot, you still need to make sure your flash fiction feels like a complete story. It should still have a beginning, middle, and an end.
Just like a short story, you may need to bring in a little exposition here and there to give texture, context, backstory, and to bring some depth to the characters. But, unlike a short story, you won’t necessarily need to end with a full, detailed resolution. It’s quite common for a flash fiction story to end with a quick twist or plenty of ambiguity.
Flash Fiction is much more about eliciting emotions and provoking thought, than setting up and resolving a complex story.
100 Awesome Flash Fiction Prompts
A young ballet dancer chooses not to tell the other dancers in her troop about a loose paving stone outside their dance studio.
Two sisters realise they’ve both been on a perfect first date … with the same man.
On the car journey home, two parents realise they’ve left their child’s favourite teddy on a park bench several hours away.
A writer suffering from writers’ block looks for inspiration in a strange place.
Set 200 years in the future, a young man realises he’s too emotionally dependent on his robot assistant.
A young woman discovers she’s taken the wrong suitcase home from the airport. The contents of the case make her question her own life choices.
A murderer realises he has only 10 minutes to dispose of a body.
A child decides to walk home by themselves after their parent forgets to pick them up from school … again.
Your protagonist manages to talk the grim reaper out of collecting their soul.
Your protagonist suddenly realises they’ve been living in a simulation.
A young couple has chosen to spend the night in a haunted house to fix their marriage. Your story starts just as things get very weird.
Your protagonist finds a letter they wrote to themselves when they were a teenager.
Your protagonist must decide whether or not to drink from a fountain that erases all painful memories from the mind.
Your protagonist comes across a street called ‘Memory Lane’. They quickly realise the name is eerily apt.
A bride finds out something startling about her future husband an hour before the wedding.
Your protagonist finds an advertisement for a company that promises everlasting youth.
A youngest sibling shows up at a family reunion they weren’t actually invited to.
Your protagonist finds a piece of paper with a spell on it. If they say the words out loud they aren't sure if something terrible or wonderful will happen.
Your protagonist is watching a jazz band play when they realise they know the drummer from somewhere — but where? It takes a whole song for them to figure it out.
Your protagonist must meet their ex for lunch to tell them they’re now engaged. It’s been just a few weeks since they split up.
Two people on a sinking ship must decide who should take the last seat in the last lifeboat.
During a match, a young boxer must decide whether to throw the fight.
Your protagonist must pack their belongings before moving to a new colony on mars.
A pilot realises they have lost control of their aircraft.
Your protagonist doesn’t want to attend their 100th birthday party — and for good reason!
Your protagonist gets stuck in a lift with their ex … 5 minutes after breaking up with them.
A child says goodbye to the fairies in his garden before moving to a new home.
Your protagonist saves someone’s life … and then wishes they hadn’t.
Your protagonist arrives at a blind date. They’ve been set up with someone they actually know a little too well.
Set in a dystopian future in which public displays of affection are banned, your protagonist faces an agonising choice.
An agoraphobic must face their fear in order to save something important.
Your protagonist must make her partner fall out of love with them. Both their lives depend on it.
Your protagonist is hiking with her small children, they come face to face with a grizzly bear and her cubs.
Cinderella and Prince Charming realise they got married too quickly.
A message written in graffiti on a bathroom wall has serious implications for your protagonist.
Your protagonist finds a bag, looks inside, and realises the owner might just be their soulmate.
Your protagonist has been seeing the same stranger everywhere they go for months. They finally decide to confront them.
A couple realise their relationship is over during the trip of a lifetime. They’ve been saving up for the trip for years.
A public debate sees two previously married people letting their private grievances come into their arguments.
Your protagonist plans their escape from a retirement home.
A couple realise their fundamental beliefs are at odds with each other.
An artist develops an obsession with drawing a next-door neighbour.
Your protagonist finds themselves trapped in a cabin with a group of hikers during a heavy snowfall.
An ice skater must face going back on the ice after a dangerous fall.
A couple must decide their plan for New Year’ Eve. They both have secret reasons for their choice.
A family must decide what to take and what to leave behind as a wildfire approaches their home.
Your protagonist is waiting for someone important at the airport. They begin to think that person isn’t going to show up … and then they realise why.
Your protagonist must find their way through a maze. What they find in the middle of the maze is the last thing they were expecting.
An actor waiting in the wings has forgotten his first line.
Your protagonist is wrongly identified as a hero. Do they come clean?
Your protagonist realises their past is catching up with them.
Your protagonist overhears something that has serious implications for them while trying on clothes in a changing room.
Your protagonist is in a costume shop trying to decide what to dress up as for Halloween.
Your protagonist realises they’ve slipped into an alternate dimension.
A surgeon must make an impossible choice on the operating table.
A pregnant journalist interviews the mother of a missing child.
Your protagonist must ask his girlfriend’s father for his blessing, only to discover the father knows his deepest secret.
Your protagonist sees something on social media that will change their life forever.
Two work colleagues realise they’ve been dreaming the same dreams for weeks.
A reluctant daughter comes to terms with having to carry on the family business.
Your protagonist realises she must go on the run.
Two bank robbers disagree on their plan to rob a bank. This leads to a disastrous consequence.
A strange case of deja vous leaves your protagonist convinced of supernatural interference.
A sceptic begins to question their beliefs during a psychic reading.
Your protagonist uncovers a scandal at their workplace.
A hapless cook tries to recreate her late father’s favourite recipes in an effort to feel connected to him.
Your protagonist has a premonition that makes them certain they can’t visit their mother-in-law for Christmas. Now he must convince his husband.
A young backpacker discovers something unexpected in a cave.
An impulsive character and an indecisive character are brought together by chance. They must make an important choice.
Two characters cleaning up after a party discover an object that sheds light on something strange that happened earlier.
Two strangers are trapped together during a blackout.
Your protagonist must take a leap of faith in order to save something important to them.
Your protagonist discovers a huge part of their life has been a lie.
Your protagonist has set up an elaborate way to propose. Inexplicably, everything goes wrong.
Your protagonist must buy a dress for her mother’s funeral.
Your protagonist goes back to her favourite city in the world, only to find it has completely changed.
While stargazing, your protagonist realises the stars are forming secret messages in the sky.
Your protagonist hears a news story on the radio that will mean the world changes forever. However, she seems to be the only person who heard it.
Your protagonist is crossing a frozen lake. They see something under the ice that definitely shouldn’t be there.
A workaholic must come to terms with retirement.
An Olympic athlete must decide whether or not to report their teammate for doping.
A young mother feels isolated from her childless friends.
Your protagonist is about to realise their greatest ambition. Will it be everything they were hoping for?
Onboard a spaceship, a couple prepare to go into stasis for hundreds of years.
Your protagonist has an obsession with thinking about the past.
Set in a post-apocalyptic future, your protagonist meets an unlikely love interest.
Your protagonist visits a place from their childhood and realises their memories of that time might not be accurate at all.
A small child has decided to run away from home. Her parents watch on with amusement as she decides what to put in her backpack.
On a whim, a bus driver decides to radically change his route, much to the chagrin of his passengers.
Dystopian. A couple in love are only allowed to spend time with each other one day a year.
A shapeshifter begins to realise their powers are fading. They must decide what form will be the last one they take before they cannot change again.
The devil visits your protagonist with an offer on her soul.
Your protagonist suddenly has the ability to read minds. There’s only one place they want to go now!
Your very wealthy protagonist has designed a simple test to see who will inherit her estate.
An archaeologist discovers something that will change how we see the history of the world. It could be dangerous. Does he keep it to himself?
Your protagonist must clear out their late mother’s house. She discovers an incredible family secret.
Your protagonist is meeting his brother. They haven’t seen each other for 20 years.
Your protagonist develops the ability to see the world literally through someone else’s eyes.
Your protagonist starts to believe their partner might be a spy.
Your protagonist discovers a hidden camera in their living room.
Looking for a flash fiction competition? Check out our ‘Big List of International Writing Competitions!’ Looking for inspiration? Why not check out our list of the 20 Greatest Short Story Writers of All Time! Just received another short story rejection? Here’s our post about ‘How to Deal With Story Rejections’ Bonus Prompts! Two characters waiting by the side of the road realise they are both meeting the same person.
A woman loses her young niece in a busy shopping mall.
Three strangers must solve a riddle in order to gain entry to a secret club.
A poor woman must borrow ingredients from her neighbours to bake her husband a birthday cake.
A waiter finally finds out why an old man has been coming to the restaurant where he works every day at exactly the same time.
Two work colleagues must decide which of them is to take the blame for a terrible mistake at work.
Your disgruntled protagonist goes to confront the couple next door about the strange noises they’ve been hearing at night.
A family dinner party sees three characters make three very surprising announcements.
Two women argue over who should get to buy the last dress available in a store. How do they decide who should get it?
A young couple find out they knew (and disliked) each other vehemently as children.
Love writing stories? Register now for our free 7 Day Story Writing Challenges. Write a short story in a week, get extensive feedback on your entry, and compete for a prize of £500 in each round of the challenge. Register today!
Mastered the art of flash fiction? Now you can try submitting your stories to literary magazines! We’ve compiled a list of the best literary magazines that don’t charge a reading fee! Check out our Big List of No-Fee Literary Magazines.

70's Alt Rock -King Crimson-Lark's Tongue In Aspic
80's Alt Rock - Talking Heads-Remain In Light
90's Alt Rock- Nirvana- Never mind
2000's Alt Rock-The Strokes-Is This It
2010's Alt Rock Tame Impala-Lonerism
Alt Country -Wilco-Summerteeth
Alt Hip Hop-MF Doom- Mad villainy
Art Rock-Dark Side Of The Moon-Pink Floyd
Brit Rock- The Clash- London Calling
College Rock-REM-Murmur
Emo Rock-My Chemical Romance-Welcome To The Black Parade
Experimental Rock-Swans-To Be Kind
Goth-The Cure Disintegration
Grunge- Soundgarden-Superunknown
Hardcore Punk- Black Flag- Damaged
Heavy Metal-Black Sabbath-Paranoid
60's Hard Rock-Led Zeppelin I
70's Hard rock-Led Zeppelin-Physical Graffiti
80's Hard Rock- AC/DC-Back In Black
90's Hard Rock-Nirvana-In Utero
2000's Hard Rock-Queens Of The Stone Age-Songs For The Deaf
2010's ˙Hard Rock- Tool-Fear Inoculum
Indie Rock-Joy Division-Unknown Pleasures
Indie Folk-Big Thief-Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Lo-Fi-Neutral Milk Hotel-In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
New Wave-Elvis Costello-This Year's Model
Progressive Rock- Tool- Lateralus
Punk- Ramones-Rocket To Russia
pop punk-Green Day-Dookie
Post Punk- Wire- Pink Flag
Shoegaze-My Bloody Valentine-Loveless
Blues-Nina Simone-Sings The Blues
Blues Rock-The Rolling Stones-Sticky Fingers
Avant Garde- Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band-Trout Mask Replica
Baroque Pop-The Beach Boys-Pet Sounds
Symphonic Rock-Moody Blues-Days Of Future Past
Comedy/Novelty album-Adam Sandler-They're All Gonna Laugh At You
Stand Up Comedy-George Carlin-Back In Town
Americana-The Band-The Band
Bakersfield Sound-Buck Owens-Best Of Buck Owens
Bluegrass-Old & In The Way-That High Lonesome Sound
Outlaw Country-Willie Nelson-Redheaded Stranger
Classic Country-Johnny Cash-Live At Folsom Prison
Country Rock- The Flying Burrito Brothers-The Gilded Palace Of Sin
Dance/Club-LCD Soundsystem- This Is Happening
Christmas /Holiday Album-Vince Gauralidi-A Charlie Brown Christmas
EMD/Techno-Burial-Untrue
Ambient-Brian Eno-Music For Airports
Electronic Rock-Radiohead-Kid A
Space Rock- Spiritualized- Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
Synthpop-Depeche Mode-Violator
Synthrock- New Order-Power, Corruption and Lies
Industrial-Nine Inch Nails-The Downward Spiral
Krautrock- Can-Tago Mago
Folk-Bob Dylan-The Freewillin' Bob Dylan
Folk Rock-Bob Dylan-Blood On The Tracks
Southern Rock-The Allman Brothers Band-At Fillmore East
80's Hip Hop-The Beastie Boys-Paul's Boutique
90's- Hip Hop Wu-Tang Clan-Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
2000's Hip Hop-Outkast- Stankonia
2010's Hip Hop-Kendrick Lamar-To Pimp A Butterfly
2020's Hip Hop-Run The Jewels-RTJ 4
East Coast Hip Hop- Nas- Illmatic
West Coast Hip Hop-NWA-Straight Outta Compton
Southern Hip Hop-Outkast -Aquemini
Midwest Album-Kanye West-My Dark Twisted Fantasy
Trap-Travis Sott-Rodeo
Instrumental Hip Hop- DJ Shadow- Endtroducing....
Indie Pop-Belle And Sebastian-If You're Feeling Sinister
Noise Rock-Sonic Youth-Daydream Nation
Post-rock- Godspeed! You Black Emperor-Lift Your Skinny Fist Like Antennas To Heaven
Acid Jazz- Medeski ,Martin, and Wood -Shack-Man
Trip Hop -Portishead- Dummy
Gospel -Aretha Franklin-Amazing Grace
Christian- Sufjan Stevens -Illnoise
Jazz-Miles Davis-Kind Of Blue
Avant Garde Jazz-Ornette Coleman-Shape To Jazz To Come
Swing/Bebop-Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers-Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers w/Thelonious Monk
Jazz/Fusion-Miles Davis-In A Silent Way
Jazz Rock-Miles Davis-Bitches Brew
Jazz/Funk-Herbie Hancock-Head Hunters
Jazz/Rap-A tribe Called Quest-The Low End Theory
Latin- Los Lobos-Kiko
Speed Metal/Thrash- Metallica- Master Of Puppets
Black/Death Metal-Deafheaven-Sunbather
Symphonic Metal-Haken-The Mountain
Glam Rock -T.Rex-Electric Warrior
Hair Metal-Guns N Roses-Appetite For Destruction
New Wave Of British Heavy Metal-Iron Maiden- Number Of The Beast
Sludge-Electric Wizard- Dopethron
Nu Metal-Korn-Korn
New Age-Popol Vuh - Hosianna Mantra
Pop-Prince-Sign O' The Times
60's Pop- The Beatles-Revolver
70's Pop- Carole King-Tapestry
80's Pop- Peter Gabriel-So
90's Pop-Madonna-Ray Of Light
2000's Pop-Madonna-Confessions On A Dance Floor
2010's pop-Robyn-Body Talk
2020's Pop- Perfume Genius-Set My Heart On Fire
Adult Contemporary- Billy Joel-The Stranger
Europop- ABBA- Arrival
Latin Pop-Ruben Y Seis Del Solar-Buscando America
Dance Pop-Dee-Lite-World Clique
Dream Pop- Mazzy Star-So Tonight I Might See
Power Pop- Weezer-Blue Album
R&B- Marvin Gaye-What's Going On
60's R&B-Aretha Franklin-I Never Loved A Man The Way I Loved You
70's R&B- Stevie Wonder- Songs In The Key Of Life
80's R&B- Janet Jackson- Control
90's R&B Album- Lauryn Hill-The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
2000's R&B- D'Angelo-Voodoo
2010's-R&B-Beyonce-Lemonade
2020's R&B- SZA-SOS
Disco-Donna Summers-Bad Girls
Doo Wop- The Chantels- We Are The Chantels
Funk-Funkadelic-Maggot Brain
Motown- Marvin Gaye-Let's Get It On
Neo-Soul-Erykah Badu-Baduizm
Psychedelic Soul- Curtis Mayfield-Curtis
Soul-Aretha Franklin-Lady Soul
Reggae-Bob Marley- Exodus
Ska-The Specials-The Specials

I'm building a robot with an 9 pound shoulder stepper so it will be big enough to flip around and hit me in the face if I don't have WiFi? I'm having visions of getting smacked on top of the head by the robot arm and having my arm smashed by a janky rotation, the shoulder motor is 9 pounds and gear optimized for 5 RMP maximum, with end stops keeping it always forwards to the work zone. Is it a valid worry? It's a portable telescopic graffiti bot crane for wall art.
I figure ESP32 WiFi good way to communicate with the robot outdoors, the best would be to have an SD for onboard memory and WiFi for other control tasks?
There are 3 heavy steppers for movement, plus 2 x2 y2 steppers which mirror the primary XY steppers to point the spray can forward. Can I parallel the XY stepper signal wires to a big and a small stepper controller and use only 4 axes?
I was going to go for an Arduino Mega, but it's from 2009, I found an Arduino-Giga board for 50 euros, however ESP32 can do the same thing... They are very different platforms, one is GRBL and one is Arduino based? I dunno.
What kind of trial board should I buy, a 6 axis ESP32 one for FluidNC, right? Then I can deffo run GCODE from WiFi with the option of an SD LCD addon? What advice can you give me? I'm an electrical and programming guy so I understand tech, however I have no idea about robot electronics control and config files. IO pins, it's totally confusing. Cheers.

Sevika deals a winning pair of tarot cards in her game, Death and the Magician. In the Magician's hands is an object marked with Jinx's \"X\" tag rotated clockwise.
In the tarot card scene, Viktor's card, the Magician (which looks like a new version of the Machine Herald), is depicted holding a sphere (the Hexcore) engraved with a mysterious symbol.
This grafitti tag was used as part of the first teaser for Jinx's champion debut. The tag reads, \"X WUZ HERE\".
It took some time but I finally realized the symbol is actually Jinx's graffiti tag. It not just any tag either, this was used for Jinx's debut champion teaser, the artists just turned it sideways.
Both tarot cards in the scene are decorated with a \"VJ\" on them.
Then I noticed that the cards tarot cards are initialed with "VJ". Unfortunately a lot of characters have names that start with either "V" or "J", but I choose to believe this it's referencing Viktor and Jinx because the Death card in the same scene looks like Jinx.
Viktor tells the player, \"Remember that Jinx was once a child of Zaun, just like me. Perhaps there is a way... No, don't mind me. Best of luck\", right before you go to confront Jinx after she stole dangerous tech.
Viktor tells the player, \"Whoever she was, remember that Jinx was once a person...\", at the finale as you defeat Jinx and repair the magical chaos she created. Everyone else thanks you or encourages you, but Viktor asks you to think of Jinx.
It really sheds some light on new dynamics that could develop for next season. Viktor and Jinx haven't met yet, but Arcane's promotional material wants you to know that in a world where Viktor knows who Jinx is and what she's done, he still believes Jinx should be treated with basic compassion, and is generally nice to her. You can see it in the RiotxArcane visual novel and the Christmas art.
Jinx looks up at Viktor in awe as he winds up his old toy boat.
In the Christmas art, Jinx and Viktor positioned in a way to reference Viktor's boat scene, but in reverse. Instead of Viktor cautiously showing his handmade toyboat to a curious but reserved Sky, Jinx is openly interested and impressed by what he's done and Viktor's proud of it.
A young Sky looking down curiously at Viktor and what he's doing.
Young Viktor looking up at Sky and showing his toyboat.
I can see their partnership lasting longer than Vi and Jayce's brief team up. Jinx and Viktor will both be on the outs of Piltover and a good chunk of Zaun next season. Jinx is controversial for obvious reasons, but Viktor might not be welcomed into Zaun because he's associated with a Councilor that not only shut down the bridge, but also killed a chembaron's son while raiding Silco's Refinery (who knows how many people were arrested during that). You also can't forget the fact that Viktor killed a Zaunite with his hexcore too. Viktor's going to need as many friends as he can get.
Viktor defusing Jinx's bomb which he described the design as \"inspired\", while telling Jayce \"there's always a choice\".
I don't think Jinx will be that hard to win over because she responds to people that empathize with her, that's why she clung to Silco so hard. If it works out I can see a relationship where Jinx enables Viktor's descent (is Jinx afraid of the Void?), while Viktor might actually deescalate her plans. Why else have a scene where he defuses her bomb?
Sidenote: With more digging I found that others pointed out Jinx's champion tag can be found on Ekko and Vi.
Vi's prison uniform where she's designated \"Prisoner 516\", but the X is never stated by any guard or Caitlyn, and is later discarded and never seen again after Vi is freed.
The difference is that Vi has Jinx's tag upside down, and Ekko's is in the correct position. No other champions seem have Jinx's tag, not Jayce or Singed, characters that Jinx's actions have deeply affected.
The image is fuzzy, but Jinx's tag can found on the lower left side on the front of Ekko's jacket. It's not in view often and Ekko doesn't wear the jacket by the end of the show.
The only ones in the show that get it are champions that are emotionally significant to her.
Caitlyn in her Arcane skin before she snaps Jinx's flag.
I did find that Caitlyn's Arcane skin has a gag animation that Jinx swapped Cait's rifle with a fake one that has Jinx's tag on it, probably to remind the audience the tag is still associated with Jinx.

Sevika deals a winning pair of tarot cards in her game, Death and the Magician. In the Magician's hands is an object marked with Jinx's \"X\" tag rotated clockwise.
In the tarot card scene, Viktor's card, the Magician (which looks like a new version of the Machine Herald), is depicted holding a sphere (the Hexcore) engraved with a mysterious symbol.
This grafitti tag was used as part of the first teaser for Jinx's champion debut. The tag reads, \"X WUZ HERE\".
It took some time but I finally realized the symbol is actually Jinx's graffiti tag. It not just any tag either, this was used for Jinx's debut champion teaser, https://youtu.be/xtFBPVimDxA?t=115, the artists just turned it sideways.
Both tarot cards in the scene are decorated with a \"VJ\" on them.
Then I noticed that the cards tarot cards are initialed with "VJ". Unfortunately a lot of characters have names that start with either "V" or "J", but I choose to believe this it's referencing Viktor and Jinx because the Death card in the same scene looks like Jinx.
Viktor tells the player, \"Remember that Jinx was once a child of Zaun, just like me. Perhaps there is a way... No, don't mind me. Best of luck\", right before you go to confront Jinx after she stole dangerous tech.
Viktor tells the player, \"Whoever she was, remember that Jinx was once a person...\", at the finale as you defeat Jinx and repair the magical chaos she created. Everyone else thanks you or encourages you, but Viktor asks you to think of Jinx.
It really sheds some light on new dynamics that could develop for next season. Viktor and Jinx haven't met yet, but Arcane's promotional material wants you to know that in a world where Viktor knows who Jinx is and what she's done, he still believes Jinx should be treated with basic compassion, and is generally nice to her. You can see it in the RiotxArcane visual novel and the Christmas art.
Jinx looks up at Viktor in awe as he winds up his old toy boat.
In the Christmas art, Jinx and Viktor positioned in a way to reference Viktor's boat scene, but in reverse. Instead of Viktor cautiously showing his handmade toyboat to a curious but reserved Sky, Jinx is openly interested and impressed by what he's done and Viktor's proud of it.
A young Sky looking down curiously at Viktor and what he's doing.
Young Viktor looking up at Sky and showing his toyboat.
I can see their partnership lasting longer than Vi and Jayce's brief team up. Jinx and Viktor will both be on the outs of Piltover and a good chunk of Zaun next season. Jinx is controversial for obvious reasons, but Viktor might not be welcomed into Zaun because he's associated with a Councilor that not only shut down the bridge, but also killed a chembaron's son while raiding Silco's Refinery (who knows how many people were arrested during that). You also can't forget the fact that Viktor killed a Zaunite with his hexcore too. Viktor's going to need as many friends as he can get. I don't think Jinx will be that hard to win over because she responds to people that empathize with her, that's why she clung to Silco so hard. If it works out I can see a relationship where Jinx enables Viktor's descent (is Jinx afraid of the Void?), while Viktor might actually deescalate her plans. Why else have a scene where he defuses her bomb?
Viktor defusing Jinx's bomb which he described the design as \"inspired\", while telling Jayce \"there's always a choice\".
Sidenote: With more digging I found that others pointed out Jinx's champion tag can be found on Ekko and Vi.
Vi's prison uniform where she's designated \"Prisoner 516\", but the X is never stated by any guard or Caitlyn.
The difference is that Vi has Jinx's tag upside down, and Ekko's is in the correct position. No other champions seem have Jinx's tag, not Jayce or Singed, characters that Jinx's actions have deeply affected.
The image is fuzzy, but Jinx's tag can found on the lower left side on the front of Ekko's jacket.
The only ones in the show that get it are champions that are emotionally significant to her.
Caitlyn in her Arcane skin before she snaps Jinx's flag.
I did find that Caitlyn's Arcane skin has a gag animation that Jinx swapped Cait's rifle with a fake one that has Jinx's tag on it, probably to remind the audience the tag is still associated with Jinx.

Welcome to Reading The Big Book of Cyberpunk!
Each week we (u/FarragutCircle and u/fanny_bertram) will be reading 5-ish stories from Jared Shurin’s The Big Book of Cyberpunk, which includes a curated selection of cyberpunk stories written from 1950 to 2022! We’ll include synopses of the stories along with links to any legally available online versions we can find. Feel free to read along with us or just stop by and hear our thoughts about some cyberpunk stories to decide if any of them sound interesting to you.
Every once in a while, we reach out to people who have more insight, due to being fans of the author or have some additional context for the story. (Or we just tricked them into it.) So please welcome u/Dianthaa who will be sharing their thoughts on "Alligator Heap" by E. J. Swift!
“Alligator Heap” by E. J. Swift (published 2016; available as “A Handful of Rubies” as part of the STRATA digital project, only available on mobile here; also comes paired with a nonfiction essay about the future of food)
Rich restaurant magnate who literally lives at the top of society is reluctant to transfer his consciousness to a new body while nurse Tarek struggles “downstairs.”

• Special Guest Dianthaa: I read the story and I felt mostly confused, like I couldn’t tell what it wanted from me and where it was going (also looked at the pages wrong and thought it would be twice as long). I settled on feeling disgusted at the rich dude, empathy towards the nurse and his more down-to-earth problems, and cheering on Louse for her strong survival spirit. But then Farragut found the essay linked to the story in the Strata project [see link above], and that cleared things up for me. When I focussed less on the characters and more on the world, I realised I’d just accepted it all as a perfectly realistic world: a stratified society in which the rich have access to high quality food and healthcare, while those that work for them struggle to make ends meet and have to settle for lower quality food and healthcare, while the people who have nothing are often ignored, except when their stories are useful for some other purpose, it all doesn’t seem like a far-flung sci-fi scenario. (Side rant: As opposed to The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov that I recently read, where people mostly act like good little drones, and the human instincts for exploration, loving nature, or rebellion have all vanished, made no sense to me.)
• I do still have a couple of questions I haven’t come up with a good answer to in the story, what was Polyakov’s plan, I can’t see what the gain would’ve been if Vardimon were insane. What purpose did Louse serve for Tarek? I can see how Vardimon got thrills from her story, but why did Tarek make her up in the first place?
  
• Farragut’s thoughts: Swift is a British writer whose most recent book is eco-fiction The Coral Bones, which was nominated for several awards. This story (as “A Handful of Rubies”) was originally published as part of a shared setting/digital project called STRATA, which I’ve linked in a convoluted way above. I thought this one was very interesting, though Tarek’s story about the “new woman” at the bottom of the heap felt a little jarring from the rest of the story, even with its effect on Vardimon. Like, what’s going on here?
  
• fanny’s thoughts: I really liked this story. Tarek as a nurse trying to help another rich person manipulate a different rich person was very reflective of issues. This society is very striated and the incredibly wealthy are completely different from the nurse and his problems. The Louse story within the story further illustrated it, though Louse also seemed to be an evolved species. I don't know entirely what I read, but it was engaging and interesting. (I did not read the Strata article so I may have missed everything in the story.)
  

“Glitterati” by Oliver Langmead (2017; also available in the anthology 2084 edited by George Sandison & later expanded into a novel of the same name)
Simone, one of the glitterati, accidentally wears the wrong outfit, which spirals to a stunning conclusion.

• Farragut: Langmead is a Scottish writer who later expanded this story into a novel. This was hilarious. Simone’s life is utterly ridiculous with his concerns about fashion and avoiding doing any work other than looking fashionable. After some surprising success, Langmead ups the ante by a factor of a thousand, leading to the most ridiculous climax. I’m rather curious to see how Langmead can reimagine this story for a full-length novel.
  
• fanny: I found this story so ridiculous and funny. Simone’s problems are all fashion related and everything is driven by that. It spirals very quickly after Simone wears the wrong outfit and suddenly thinks he is an icon. Simone makes insane choices driven by fashion. I absolutely loved how they do no work, but have to be fashionable. Simone takes 3 hours to get ready to roll into work at 3 pm to look amazing. The stakes take a drastic turn in the end, but it's all surreal and in the name of fashion.
  

“Rain, Streaming” by Omar Robert Hamilton (2019; also available in the anthology The Outcast Hours edited by Mahvesh Murad and Jared Shurin)
Val and his AI assistant Val participate in the VR Patriot Games to achieve a chance at interacting with a Britney Spears music video.

• Farragut: Hamilton is award-winning filmmaker and writer and lives in both Cairo and New York. This is a reread for me, having read it in Shurin’s earlier anthology, and it’s incredibly hyperactive. It’s another future corporate future with ads running constantly and Val almost barely able to hold a coherent straight thought, other than his focus on winning the reward of being inserted into Britney Spears’s “Oops!…I Did It Again” music video, but it ends poorly for Val due to a hasty decision (and a crappy AI).
  
• fanny: Val’s goal is to be the first person to get to interact in a Britney music video, which I can respect. The future depicted here is entirely interactive and simulated. The AI Val keeps inserting ads because Val is in ad-supported software all the time. It is hyper commercialized and just psychedelic. Val makes a rash decision out of annoyance and ends up in a bad situation.
  

“Found Earworms” by M. Lopes da Silva (2019; also available in the anthology A Punk Rock Future edited by Steven Zisson)
In a post-apocalyptic setting, Lopes is one of the underclass and while creating art, strikes a blow against the normies.

• Farragut: Lopes da Silva writes queer California horror. The epistolary format (technically just diary entries, not letters) works to good effect here, painting quite a picture of Lopes’s life just hanging with their friends. The conflict with the normies and access to medicine create the conditions for the climax, and to the bittersweet ending. I did like their attempts at writing songs, though.
  
• fanny: I really like the epistolary format. I usually do in books and was surprised how well it worked in a short story format. The attempts at writing music are great and the writing also has a very good rhythm to it. There is a lot of social pressures packed into this short sorry, specific around access to medicine. The ending is poignant, but not exactly hopeful.
  

“Electric Tea” by Marie Vibbert (2019; also available in the anthology A Punk Rock Future edited by Steve Zisson)
Struggling young artist Tsui tries to get some artificial inspiration in the form of “electric tea.”

• Farragut: Vibbert wrote a space motorcycle book called Galactic Hellcats, which is just the best title. Tsui is one of three “starving artists” shacking up together, and after admiring an anonymous street artist making fire graffiti (literally), decides to indulge in “electric tea” (the tea is normal, it’s just cups that send special brain waves out). I liked the discussion of art and effort, and Tsui’s self-reflection that she just isn’t good enough yet.
  
• fanny: So tea in special cups gives you some special brain waves, which is a very fun concept. The story focuses on three artists living together and trying to find inspiration/jobs/stability. Tsui is searching for a mystery artist that made impressive graffiti and Tsui cannot figure it out. Eventually we learn about the tea and the mystery, but ultimately this is a fun tale focused on art and self-reflection. I really liked it, even if I didn't understand it.
  

That’s it for this week! Check back the same time next week where we’ll be reading and discussing "Exopunk's Not Dead" by Corey J. White, "Études" by Lavanya Lakshminarayan, "Apocalypse Playlist" by Beth Cato, "Act of Providence" by Erica Satifka, and "Feral Arcade Children of the American Northeast" by Sam J. Miller.
Also posted on Bochord Online.

I prefer PayPal F&F but also accept Venmo, Cash App, Zelle and Amazon GC.
Assume codes are split where applicable. Redeem only portion as specified. Unless otherwise specified DMI points for Disney MA codes are not included. Universal All-Access Rewards can be earned for certain Universal movie redemption. You must have an account in good standing & properly connected to MA to earn points (ref myuniversalrewards.com). Note that Universal Rewards will end soon (Last Day to Earn Pts June 30, Last Day to Redeem Pts July 31st)
MA = Movies Anywhere, GP = Google Play, Vudu is the same as Fandango At Home

Universal Movie Codes

iTunes Code unless otherwise stated. Each title redemption can earn 500 Reward Points /w Universal All-Access Rewards connected to MA. See bottom of page for April Universal Reward Titles.

• Atomic Blonde 4K - $3.50
• Bad Moms - $2.50
• Best of the 70s Universal Bundle (MA) (Choose 3) - $12 (Earn up to 1500 Pts.)
  • American Graffiti 4K, Jaws 4K, Smokey and the Bandit 4K, National Lampoon's Animal House 4K, The Sting 4K, Airport, Car Wash, Deer Hunter, Earthquake, High Plains Drifter, The Jerk, Rooster Cogburn, The Sentinel, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Wiz
• Carlito's Way 4K MA - $5
• Despicable Me 2 4K - $3.50
• Dracula Untold 4K - $3.50
• Duel 4K MA - $5
• The Fast and the Furious 1-8 4K - $18 collection, ($2.50 Each individual except no. 5)
  • All iTunes except Fast Five is MA redemption. Set can Earn up to 3500 Pts.
• Fifty Shades of Grey 4K - $3
• Fifty Shades Darker 4K - $3
• Girl on the Train 4K - $3.50
• The Great Wall 4K- $3.50
• The Gunman (2015) - $2.50
• The Lost World: Jurassic Park (2nd movie) 4K - $3
• Lone Survivor 4K - $3
• Meryl Streep 8-Movie Collection MA - $16 (Set can Earn up to 4000 Pts)
  • Mamma Mia 2-Film 4K, Death Becomes Her, It's Complicated, One True Thing, Out of Africa, Prime, River Wild
• The Mummy (2017) 4K - $3.50
• Neighbors - $2.50
• Non-Stop - $2.50
• Pitch Perfect 4K - $3.50
• Pitch Perfect 2 4K - $3.50
• The Purge Election Year 4K - $3.50
• Ride Along - $2.50
• Ride Along 2 - $2.50
• The Secret Life of Pets 4K- $3.50
• Sing 4K - $3.50
• Snow White and the Huntsman Extended Edition 4K- $3.50
• The Huntsman: Winter's War Extended Edition 4K- $3.50
• Warcraft 4K - $3.50

Individual Movie Codes

• 10 Cloverfield Lane 4K (iTunes or Vudu) - $4.50
• The Addams Family (1991) (4K iTunes) - $4
• Arrival (4K iTunes) - $3.50
• The Bad Guys (HD MA) - $2.50
• Barbie (4K MA) **SOLD**
• Big Hero 6 (4K iTunes) - $4
• Brave (2012) (HD GP) - $3
• Captain America: Winter Soldier (4K iTunes) - $5
• Captain America: Civil War (4K iTunes) - $5
• Captain Marvel (4K MA) - $4
• Casablanca (4K MA) - $5
• Cool Hand Luke (4K MA) - $5
• Creed III (4K Vudu) **SOLD**
• Doctor Strange (4K MA) - $4.50
• Dredd 4K (iTunes or Vudu) - $3.50
• Evil Dead Rise (4K MA) - $4.50
• Evil Dead Rises (HD MA) - $2.50
• Expendables 4 4K (iTunes or Vudu) - $5
• The Flash (4K MA) - $5
• Frozen 2 (4K MA) - $5
• G.I. Joe: Retaliation (4K iTunes) - $3.50
• Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins 4K (iTunes or Vudu) - $4
• Heat Director's Definitive Edition 4K (MA or iTunes) - $3.50
• The Hurricane Heist 4K (iTunes or Vudu) - $4
• The Hurt Locker 4K (iTunes or Vudu) - $4
• Incredibles 2 (4K iTunes) - $4
• Iron Man 3 (4K iTunes) - $4
• Inside Out (4K iTunes) - $4
• John Wick Chapter 4 4K (iTunes or Vudu) - $6
• Jungle Cruise (4K MA) - $4
• Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen Part 1 (4K MA) - $5
• Knives Out 4K (iTunes or Vudu) - $4.50
• Knock at the Cabin (4K MA) - $4.50
• Life of Pi (4K iTunes) - $4.50
• The Little Mermaid (4K iTunes) - $4.50
• Maleficent (4K iTunes) - $4
• Men in Black: International (/w Sony Points) (4K MA) - $4.50
• Moana (4K iTunes) - $4
• Morbius (/w Sony Points) (4K MA) - $4.50
• Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind (4K MA) - $5
• My Fair Lady (4K iTunes) - $3.50
• National Lampoon's Vacation (4K MA) - $5
• The Nightmare Before Christmas (HD MA) - $2.50
• Nope (4K MA) - $5
• Onward (w/ 200 DMI points) (4K MA) - $5
• Pet Sematary 1989 4K (iTunes or Vudu) - $4
• Pet Sematary 2019 4K (iTunes or Vudu) - $4
• Prometheus (4K iTunes) - $4
• A Quiet Place (4K iTunes) - $4
• Ralph Breaks the Internet (4K MA) - $4
• Ron's Gone Wrong (w/ 200 DMI points) (4K MA) - $5
• Shazam! Fury of the Gods (4K MA) - $5
• Sonic The Hedgehog 4K (iTunes or Vudu) - $5
• Sonic The Hedgehog 2 4K (iTunes or Vudu) - $5
• Soul (w/ 200 DMI points) (4K MA) - $5
• Spiderman No Way Home (/w Sony Points) (4K MA) - $5
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day 4K (iTunes or Vudu) - $4
• Terminator: Dark Fate (4K Vudu) - $3
• Terms of Endearment (4K iTunes) - $3.50
• Total Recall (1990) 4K (iTunes or Vudu) - $4
• Toy Story 1 (HD GP) - $3
• Toy Story 4 (HD GP) - $2
• Toy Story 4 (4K iTunes) - $3.50
• Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (HD Vudu) - $3
• War for the Planet of the Apes (4K iTunes) - $3.50

Collection/Bundles & TV

• A24 Horror 5-Film (Hereditary/ X /The Witch/Green Room/It Comes at Night) (HD Vudu) - $10
• Back to the Future Trilogy (HD MA) - $6.50
• Battle Los Angeles / Lockout (Double Feature) (HD MA) - $5
• The Bourne 5-Movie Collection (4K MA) - $18
• The Croods 2-Movie Collection (HD MA) - $5
• Die Hard 5-Movie Collection (HD MA) - $12 (or $3 Each Individual)
• Friday the 13th 8-Movie Collection HD (iTunes or Vudu) - $18
• Game of Thrones Seasons 1-7 (HD GP) - $23
• The Hunger Games 4-Movie Collection (4K iTunes) - $10
• John Wick Trilogy (4K iTunes) - $10
• Jordan Peele 3-Movie (Get Out/Us/Nope) (HD MA) - $7
• Jurassic World 6-Movie Collection (HD MA) - $10
• Mission: Impossible 6-Movie Collection (4K iTunes) - $22
• Night at the Museum Trilogy (HD MA) - $7
• Outlander Season 6 (HD Vudu) - $6
• Predator 4-Movie Collection (HD MA) - $12
• The Purge 4-Movie Collection (HD MA) - $8
• Rob Zombie 5-Movie Collection (HD Vudu) - $10
  • House of 1,000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects, 3 from Hell, Lords of Salem, 31
• Scream 3-Movie Collection HD (iTunes or Vudu) - $7
• The Smurfs 3-Movie Collection (w/ Sony Points) (HD MA) - $6

May Universal Rewards Titles (MA) - $3 Each (or 2 for $5)
NOTE: You can also earn FREE through Universal All-Access Rewards at 1000 points each.

• Backdraft 2 (4K)
• Black Christmas (2019) (4K)
• A Dogs Journey (4K)
• The Sparks Brothers (4K)
• Agnes Brown
• Antz
• Being Frank
• Dont Let Go
• Final Account
• Kicks
• Loving
• Raw

“Get the fuck out of my house with this ‘ old country’ shit Sylvia, I’m serious. “ I hear my dad say from the kitchen downstairs.
“I give children and idiots three warnings. That’s your first. “ It takes me a second to recognize my aunt’s voice. I’ve only met her a handful of times, and it’s nearly 2am.
“Syl, he’s right, this is crazy. I’m Roma, I’m proud, but your part of the family, and mine are two separate things. “ My mom interjects. Her voice is calm and level.
I woke up about half way through whatever is going on, and I’m fuzzy on the details, but everyone involved is three kinds of pissed.
“So you say, but just because you ignore the other side, doesn’t mean the other side ignores you. “ Aunt Syl replies, I could never quite place her accent, but it makes her statement all the more sinister.
“Might as well make that the family motto.
Syl, there are a couple dozen other kids Nikolas’ age in the family. Half of which are already hip deep in whatever is going on nowadays, you don’t need him. “ Mom isn’t pleading, but I can hear she’s worried.
“Why are we trying to reason with your crazy aunt? Time to go Syl. “ My dad isn’t worried, he’s angry.
“That’s two. “ Aunt Sylvia replies.
I hear a chair squeak then fall to the floor.
“That’s three. “ Sylvia says, her voice is cold, and I swear I could almost hear an echo.
I can hear my dad start to quietly cough, he sounds like he’s trying to talk but can’t. My heart starts to race, I don’t understand what’s going on, but I know it’s bad.
“Syl! Jesus Christ, that’s my husband. “ Mom sounds more offended than scared now. I wish I could say the same.
I stand next to my cracked door, fear beginning to take hold.
I can hear my dad start to take long wheezing breaths, I have no idea if this is a good or bad thing.
“Happy?
Now that any hope of doing this quietly is over, Nikolas and I have a long drive ahead of us. He’s 16, he has a license, yes? “ I hear Sylvia say, sudden footsteps walking up the stairs.
“No, he’s not interested in driving. You can’t take him Syl. “ my mom sounds frantic, Sylvia’s steps are measured and heavy.
“Not interested? You sure we are related? You raise soft children. “ Sylvia ends this with a dismissive laugh.
The few minutes that followed were kind of a blur, with my mom trying to convince me that I was just going to visit family, as if I didn’t just hear everything.
It's a couple hours into a long drive in a small car when my brain finally catches up to the fact that I’m awake, and going 30 miles an hour over the speed limit.
Aunt Syl sits in the driver’s seat, she’s 40 something, olive skinned with pitch-colored hair. Her style, it’s, something.
Her outfit was the middle of a Venn diagram of hippie, punk rock and carpenter. Bracelets, flannel, paisley, and enough piercings I lost count.
“Any chance of putting both hands on the wheel? “ I say, I’m mad, but I don’t even really know why.
She holds up her left arm, and I’m shocked. It’s an ancient looking blued steel prosthetic. She flexes, the clawed, almost mitten-like hand.
“Go through too many steering wheels that way. “ She says with a smirk.
“What’s going on? “ I ask, after an agonizing fifteen minutes of silence.
“You’re a big boy, so if you want the truth, I’ll give it to you. There’s a job that needs to be done, a dangerous job. And I want you to do it.
Now, I want you, not because you’re strong, or smart, or special. We have many strong, smart, special boys.
You, I want, because you’re unknown, and, little one, disposable. “ Sylvia lets this comment hang like rotten fruit.
The next hour goes in silence, at no point do I even entertain the notion this is some kind of joke. Something about this woman’s energy, about the way she carries herself, it scares the shit out of me.
We board a plane, somehow she had all of my travel documents. Even stranger is that we get escorted past the security checkpoints, into first class.
The next words I say to Sylvia are, “You have to put that out! “ as she lights up a short, yellow, hand-rolled cigarette.
She grins, taking a long drag, it smells horrible, the cheapest roughest tobacco odor I’ve encountered.
She relaxes, a cloud of thick, grey smoke forming.
I’m stunned, not a single person says anything. At first I think maybe she’s some kind of, I don’t know, mobster or something.
But that isn’t quite right. No one is looking at her in fear, no one is telling anyone else not to say anything. It’s like no one notices what she’s doing.
“How does she do this? The little boy wonders.
I don’t come offering you a thankless task Nik. I come with an opportunity. “ Sylvia says before crushing the cigarette on the arm of a chair and tossing it into the isle.
I had questions, and between the fear and the confusion I asked every one of them.
The only response she gave me was, “You’ll see when we get there. “.
She was right.
The flight lands, and after an hour or so of driving the world’s oldest pickup through the English countryside, we wind up at an old farm house, in the middle of nowhere outside of Hammersmith.
The sign outside says “ Gritt Auctions” the letters are old, bronze and tarnished, the grounds are littered with car parts, statues, and errata of every type.
Dozens, maybe even a hundred people mill about each stopping for a moment to give a suspicious look at the interloper in their midst.
Sylvia seems amused at my nervousness. I try and give the rough looking folks around me as much space as I can.
“They’re family, mostly, by blood or marriage, with a handful of lost souls and hangers on. “ She explains.
I probably should have guessed, seeing my mom’s family name on the sign, but my brain is basically nothing more than fear, anxiety and jet lag at this point.
“When do I get to know what’s going on? “ I say, waving at a cousin of some form and receive a uniquely English rude gesture in return.
My ear is ringing, and I stumble , the left side of my face burning. I’d say Syl slapped me, but it was more of a polite punch.
“Don’t whine. You’ve been stolen from your mother, treated like a dog, and judging by Robert’s attitude, rejected by your family.
I don’t want to hear whining, you angry, soft boy? “ Sylvia stops and turns toward me. I notice the people around us stop their tasks, interested in our conversation.
“No… “ I begin, not wanting to piss her off.
I don’t even see the next slap, but it puts me on my ass.
“Next one’s with the left hand.
Are you angry Nikolas? “ Sylvia looms over me like a raven.
I feel something before I get to my feet, a hot, quick flash of hatred. A context free rage at the fucked up situation I’m in.
“Answer is still no. Because to be angry, I’d have to know a God-Damned thing about what’s going on.
But my lunatic aunt just picked me up and now I’m standing in the middle of whatever the English equivalent to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre family is.
For all I know, I’m your new King. So no, I’m not angry, I’m annoyed, and maybe a bit worried my gene pool really needs some chlorine. “ I’m shocked at what I’m saying, but I see some smiles, hear a few laughs.
Sylvia’s face seems to soften slightly.
“There’s the Gritt in you. “ She says, starting to walk to an old barn.
I catch up to her as I attempt in vain to dust myself off.
Sylvia opens a small, strangely modern looking door, inside a row of lights automatically flip on.
In contrast to the rotten wood exterior, the inside of the barn looks modern, design wise it’s half way between a hospital and a car repair shop. Equipment of unknown purpose, gurneys and cages of all sizes and types surround me.
Sylvia walks to a door at the back, then pauses.
“Before I open this door, you need to understand something.
There is no fortune telling, or reading of cards here. The cloak of the traveller, the bangles of the gypsy, these are all ways of navigating the world to us. Ways to exist on the fringes of society.
The Gritt family, we trade in the unknown. We find, we collect, and we sell. And ours is no petty collection of trinkets and tools not meant for the hands of man.
Our grift, is livestock. “
The woman opens the door, and what I see, sitting, chained in one corner of the industrial cement walled cell shakes everything I thought I knew about reality.
He's six and a half feet tall, his skin a waxy yellow, and every spare inch is festooned with black stitching, rusted pieces of metal or small splinters of bone.
His face is noseless and asymmetrical, almost as if repaired or modified over and over. One eye is a small, sinister looking orb with a red pupil, the other a massive, almost reptilian thing, wildly twitching about.
He wears no shirt, but a long, grey hide Trenchcoat hangs down to his knees. I start to shake as I see it’s made from layers of stitched human skin.
He sneers at us, long, conical teeth catch the harsh halogen light.
The thing strains against the chains, but they bind him tightly enough to the wall he can barely move.
“You’re not lasting more than 4 seconds kid. Just turn the fuck around. I’ll have you slitting your wrists in the corner by nightfall. “ The thing says, it’s voice is foul, almost a physical force. Grating, rage filled, and with a lunatic edge to it that makes me question exactly how much those chains can take.
“ 3/10, Augustus, who do you think you are scaring with that limp dick of a threat? “ Sylvia says, confidently walking up to the creature.
It snaps it’s jaws with a sound like a rifle shot. No where near Sylvia, but enough to make me jump on the other side of the room.
“If I could stop being threatened and hearing my aunt talk about dicks, I’d be a huge fan. “ I say, something deep within me, pushing past the fear and lack of sleep, “And if anything feels like just telling me what’s going on instead of being vague and creepy, even better. “
The chained thing looks to me, curious. Sylvia smirks.
“Augustus is going to be forced to fight others like him until eventually he gets what’s coming to him for years of evil.
You, are going to stand next to him while he does it. “ Sylvia begins to walk away from the thing, ignoring vile threats of both the violent and carnal variety.
I try to follow her out the door and she blocks me.
“If your still sane and alive in the morning, I was right. Good luck soft boy. “ She says before closing the heavy metal door.
Without her, I feel tiny, that spark of rage is snuffed out and replaced with a cold sense of dread.
“You’re going to have to turn around sometime kid. “ The chained creature says.
I turn, slowly, resolving to make eye contact with the thing. I manage a second or two before looking away, the creature cackles, mocking me.
“Holy shit, they sent me an honest to God pussy. Whole family full of void fucked apes and they send me you?
The best part is, you don’t even get it. I can see what you’re thinking kid, I can see that tiny collection of hormones and goo you vainly call a brain going into overdrive trying to figure this out… “ Augustus starts.
The creature kept going, I don’t have an exact count but it was at least twelve hours.
I can only describe it as a verbal assault. Augustus drew from some dark wells, how it knew half of the things it did scared me as much as it’s clawed hands or, piranha-like teeth.
I lost something that night. The fears that thing drug up, the insecurities it played on, the secrets it knew, it crushed any childlike notions of safety or understanding the world I had.
Don’t take that the wrong way, I don’t mean it toughened me up. It broke any sense of confidence I had, took away any feeling of safety. That God Damned thing in the trenchcoat, changed me.
I’ve lost track of how long it’s been since I’ve slept, but I’m brought a tin plate heaped with eggs, sausage and for some twisted reason, brown beans. And realize it’s been at least a day since I’ve eaten.
I sit around an abused, graffiti carved picnic table with an eclectic combination of family I’ve never met. Syl sips a tea I can smell from ten feet away and looks at me like I’m a used car.
“I’m always right soft boy. Remember that. “ She says.
It takes a half dozen guys built like construction workers, with Sylvia following behind whispering things that wilt vegetation, to wrangle the creature into the back of an old, reinforced horse trailer.
The inside is covered in totems, runes, and other spooky looking errata. The entity becomes sluggish and disoriented as the heavy wooden doors close, and get sealed with a massive brass lock.
My mind begins to wander on the three hour trip through the back country of the UK. The sun sets, and my brain screams for sleep. That scream is silenced by the sense of mounting dread as we get closer to our destination.
We pull up to an abandoned theme restaurant, the parking lot is full, the windows are boarded, and the walls covered in graffiti. The place is huge, more the size of a small stadium than a diner.
The parking lot is full, the sputtering, sparking neon sign flashes “Faron’s Funhouse. “
It’s a few minutes outside of a town I forgot to catch the name of. We can see lights on the horizon, but there’s a feeling of wrong surrounding the building that makes them seem a million miles away.
A half dozen ‘cousins’ of mine move Augustus into a strange, almost coffin-like box made of wood, steel and glass, covered in trinkets and symbols. The thing sneers groggily from within, it’s mismatched eyes rolling in it’s skull.
I don’t hear Sylvia approach, I notice her as she smacks me in the back of the head hard enough to make my ears ring. The old, cruel woman is walking toward the doors of this meeting place.
“Eyes forward, sneer on your face, and walk like you know where you’re going. “ Are her only instructions.
For once, they’re clear and simple. What I see inside easily keeps my attention, and I’m equal parts scared and pissed off, so looking edgy and miserable is my default state.
At one point, this place was exactly what you’d think. I know you’re all expecting it to be a run down, rat infested haunted house now, but it was, stranger than that.
The place was well kept on the inside, but everything was either in use or repurposed to house the couple hundred eclectic customers milling around. In the centre, is a massive Lucite Cube, crystal clear and housing a ball pit, jungle gym and what looks to be a functional canteen, complete with a deep fryer and popcorn machine. It’s a couple hundred meters a side, and shaped like a flawed rectangle.
Smoke hangs in the air, my aunt greets old friends in a handful of different languages, I smile and nod, still trying to understand what the hell this place is.
We see Augustus being wheeled to the Lucite box, Sylvia cuts a laughing Cyrillic conversation short, and her and I make our way to the box that barely restrains the hatred and death inside.
At the other end of the Lucite Cube I see a few people dressed in blue and maroon uniforms ( if I were to guess vintage, from when this place served shitty food instead of violence.), they surround a massive, hulking, lanky thing. It’s obscured by smoke, and poor lighting, but it’s nine foot frame, and unnatural gait are clear.
The box holding Augustus sits about ten feet away from me, inside the massive cage. The front opens, my instinct is to step backward, get as much distance between me and the thing inside as possible, but instead, I’m shoved, before I can catch my balance, a workbook clad foot is in front of me.
I fall and stumble into the cage, I turn around to try and get out as fast as I can, I’m standing inches away from the creature, but I see Sylvia closing the clear, impermeable door.
It hits me then. For the first time since this ordeal started, I realize how grim things are.
Just like everyone else here, I’ve been raised on spooky shit packaged to be marketable. Little monsters, The Adams Family, Harry potter, hell let’s throw Pokemon and the like in there as it’s basically just dog fighting with a cute hat on.
And I thought what was happening to me, was somewhere on the Venn diagram of those things.
But as I see the impassive look on the face of a woman I’ve known since I was a child, ( at a distance or no.) as I’m locked in here with God knows what, I get it. I really get it.
His laughter is like an ice pick, I turn to face him, Augustus brushes himself off, casually looking around the massive arena.
“Just hit ya didn’t it, bud? “ He says, walking over to me, his steps impossibly quick, almost insect-like, “You’re not my trainer, or my wrangler, you certainly aren’t my fucking partner. “, the entity grabs my chin between two clawed fingers, “ You’re a bait dog. Something for me and that new blooded walking pun to fight over. “
My blood runs down his thumb, his grin cracks his face like a rotten melon, the monster pulls down, throwing me to the floor.
A buzzer sounds, and a three minute timer, projected in transparent red appears on the walls of the Lucite arena.
“If I’ve got to hunt you down in this shit-hole, things are going to be a lot worse for you. Stay put, bud. “ The trenchcoat clad thing says, casually walking toward the creature on the opposite side of the arena.
Closer now, I see it clearly. Inside of a pristine uniform, is a twisted attempt at the human form. The torso is lumpen, asymmetrical, but lean. It's arms nearly drag on the floor, yellow, infected looking flesh, weeping pus like a snail’s foot.
It's eyes are black caves, with just the hint of something deep within. It’s face is blank, a torn, haggard looking grey tongue runs over rotting green teeth.
The kid beside it looks around my age, he’s big though, just as confused and afraid as I am. He wears a similar uniform to the creature, but his looks, abused, torn, blood stained. Like it's been handed down from one unlucky owner to the next.
As the buzzer rings, the lanky, disgusting creature moves in a flash, tearing off the kid’s right arm and beginning to chew it.
The blood didn’t set me off, as terrible as it was. It was the three seconds between the act, and the poor kid realizing what happened that pushed me over the edge.
He started to scream, a horrible trapped animal kind of noise. He backs away from the monster beside him, gripping the crushed and torn remains of his forearm.
Augustus laughs, his trenchcoat drags on the floor, leaving a streak of blood as he walks.
“Man after my own heart.
So, I say, we split these sides of beef for two minutes then talk shop for a bit. Fuck these pretentious apes and their show. “ Augustus looks up to the massive thing. It remains impassive, gnawing on the hand.
“Don’t be like that. We both know two halves are better than one whole . Win-win for both of us“ Augustus gets a noise that sounds like an angry sewer pipe, and a dismissive wave of a long snake-like arm in response.
The thing in the trenchcoat shrugs, turning around and stalking toward me.
“You have no luck at all kid, I was going to let you go last.
But the pinworm back there wants to be a dick about things, so looks like things are getting started early. “ Augustus grins, his mouth opening shark like.
I stare down certain death, Augustus radiating fear, seeming to become more demonic with each step toward me.
From behind him, a noise.
I would have just assumed it was some part of the worm-like, filth ridden thing eating. Augustus clears up that misconception.
He turns, shaking, body language that of a wild animal.
“Was that a fucking snicker? A giggle? Are you fucking laughing at me, you literal fucking worm. “ He’s panting, hands twitching like dying insects.
He stands, inches from the other creature, dwarfed by it, teeth grinding, muscles straining.
The worm thing casually tosses the flesh bare hand toward Augustus. As it touches his coat, the arena erupts into a kind of wild, senseless, limitless violence.
It doesn’t feel like watching a fight, it’s more like a car wreck, or natural disaster. Pieces of jungle gym turn into lethal shrapnel as the blurred, filth spewing scrum destroys them.
I see the timer, 2:15. My mind starts to catch up, and I see the other kid, pale, whimpering, and trying in vain to staunch the blood spurting from his arm.
I’m running, low and likely poorly, pulling my belt from my pants, and thanking myself for actually listening when I was forced to take a first aid course for a summer job last year.
The kid is scared, he tries pushing me away, but I’m determined, and not down a couple pints of blood. I pull the belt with two hands, pull it through again and twist, it’s ugly, it’s not perfect, but the flow of blood begins to slow, then stop.
We crawl behind a prize counter, decades old candy and stuffed animals surround us as we cower. A liquid filled roar loud enough to crack the cheap glass cases fills the room.
The kid is looking rough, blood still trickling from the torn stump of his forearm. I see some plastic bags and get an idea.
I lean over to get them, and feel something strange, at first I think I pulled a muscle.
Then there is a deep, burning pain, instinctively I pull away, and turn around.
The kid is on his knees, sanity has left his eyes, a cheap hunting knife in his remaining hand he has a look of panic and determination on his face.
“We have to win. “ he says, lunging at me with the blade.
He’s slow, and I avoid it, but not by as much as I’d like. Blood runs down my back, for a moment I wonder how bad I’m hurt, but it doesn’t really matter right now.
I retreat, but the only thing keeping us from being torn apart by the whirlwind of shrapnel caused by the creatures is the counter, I can’t escape.
It's a stalemate, I’m no athlete, and the kid is built like a rugby player, but he’s missing a hand, and delirious from blood loss. I plead, I try and reason, and I dodge crazed strikes by increasingly narrow margins.
Something large, either thrown or knocked loose destroys the counter behind me. Suddenly all is chaos. I’m thrown into the kid in the uniform, plaster dust surrounds us in a grey cloud.
By the time the air clears the kid is on top of me. I have his wrist in one hand, keeping the split tip of the blade inches from my face.
The angle is too awkward, I can’t get any leverage. It’s not a stalemate, it’s a war of attrition that I’m losing.
I catch a glimpse of the two creatures. The worm thing is striking at Augustus, who stands still, limbs moving in arcing blurs deflecting the blows and tearing off chunks of foul, tainted flesh.
The tip of the knife begins to dig into my cheek. A drop of blood hits my eye.
I grab the makeshift tourniquet with a free hand and roughly yank forward. The kid on top of me screams, bloods begins to pour. Torn flesh and a gore soaked belt hit the ground.
For a moment the weight on me eases up, and I push the knife forward. But the kid, he’s too stupid or far gone to just back off. As I feel is strength start to fade, he presses himself harder.
I expect him to back off as I begin to drive the roughly sharpened back edge of the knife into his neck. But he doubles down, leaning forward, trying to press the knife toward me.
For a moment, every other fucked up thing going on around me doesn’t matter. The world is small, silent, and consists of nothing more than the image of the knife ripping away a fist sized strip from the kids neck.
He backs off when he realizes the extent of the damage. Staring at me shocked, as if just not realizing the consequences of his actions.
He dies slowly, poorly, and within inches of me. I feel no victory, no sense of being a winner, just a dark pit in the back of my mind. The loss of something that comes with taking someone’s life.
I stand, shell shocked, staring at the corpse. My safety the last thing on my mind.
The worm thing is hurt, and attempts to dive into the ball pit, but somehow, defying physics, Augustus grabs it, holding the half ton monster out with one hand.
He arcs the thing, slamming it into the floor behind him, the spray of gore and viscera rivals pyrotechnics, the force leaves a blood filled crater in the floor.
Without missing a beat Augustus starts to walk toward me, making a token effort of flicking pieces of bone and organ from himself.
I’m frozen, I know nothing I can do could stop whatever he has planned.
The creature picks up a jagged piece of lumber, and looks at the clock, “We’ve got 45 seconds of fun left kid. “ he says with a sneer.
But as he passes the counter, and sees the corpse the look of imminent violence turns into amusement.
“How’s it feel to be a child killer, bud? “, Augustus laughs, “Not that I can’t tell from the look on your face.
Fuck me, that knocked some gears loose didn’t it? “
The thing walks forward, looking me over like a collectable.
“I can’t let that go to waste, now can I? “ he slaps me lightly, “It’s going to be a fucking blast watching you break down kid, wonder what drives you nuts first, this kid being in your dreams, or the fact that, at some point I’m going to get bored and start giving you all the pain you feel you deserve? “
Of course, I made it out alive. It’d be kind of hard to have posted this if I didn’t.
But now, I sit in a dingy room in a farm house half way across the world from home. Surrounded by family and monsters, all of which seem out to get me. Being forced to risk my life in some kind of blood sport.
Maybe I’ll be back, maybe I’ll be dead by the next time I get a chance to post anything. If anyone has any help, please, post it in the comments. I’m in a dark place here and no one else seems to be on my side.

On Wednesday I will be uploading the pro life if Danganronpa World Wide the best students from around the world attend hopes peak only to get trapped in a killing game
(I will be uploading them on my deviant art page I use the same user name there lol so it’s Joelowes on deviantart)
They are
Guys
Joe Lowes-Ultimate Wrestler-A hardcore punk rock style wrestler from the uk Joe accepts an invitation to hopes peak to further his wrestling dreams (Me-Protagonist)
Alfredo Desuza- Ultimate Cyclist- A Mexican Cycler considered to be one of the best extremely confident and competitive Alfredo is happy to train at hopes peak
Kabir Deshpande-Ultimate Cat Burgler- a calm and calculated master theif Kabir has stolen many rare gems in his heists in many Indian museums and gem collections he steals because it’s a revenge against his parents who were extremely rich but never cared for him
Raul Cavalcante- Ultimate arachnolgist- this Brazilian guy is a genius when it comes to spiders often keeping a live black widow in a specially designed container to show to people he loves spiders and finds them fascinating
Jamie Edwards- Ultimate Graffiti Artist- an Australian guy with a love of freedom Jamie caused a new art craze in Australia with his graffiti and he decided to roll with it getting more ambitious with his spray painting art style which includes aboriginal designs
Nathi Mabasso- Ultimate Pilot- An South African guy with a easy going laid back demeanour despite this he is a expert when it comes to aeronautics and flight patterns he attends hopes peak to fly high
Hassan Chatwal: Ultimate Horror novelist- an Ethiopian guy who when he was young he read Frankenstein by Mary Shelly inspired he began to write horror novels quickly reaching the top of the best seller charts in many countries he accepts a hopes peak invitation to further his writing career
Richard Reyes - Ultimate Crewman - A Filipino chap who can do just about any job on a ship, from fixing the engines, anchoring the vessel, catering, securing cargo... But he's always wanted a chance at the captain's seat. Maybe Hope's Peak will get him the respect he needs for that?
Girls
Mozu Hari- Ultimate Farmer-The shortest member of the crew Mozu is a hard working b it shy girl from Japan and has experience with all kinds of farm animals and equipment she attends hopes peak after they ensured her farm would only get better with their help
Ginevra Rizzo- Ultimate Golfer Ginevra born to a poor family who lives near the Royal Park Roveri Golf Club Ginevra entered a all young players Welcome competition to win the prize for her family turns out she had a natural talent for golf and decided to keep playing humble and always carryigg by a golf bag Ginevra attends hopes peak to further her golf skills
Natalie Lefevre- Ultimate Baker, A pretty and fun loving French Baker she keeps helping those in need with fresh baked goods filled with grapes and other fresh fruits she attends hopes peak to rise her baking talents
Alva Nilsson- Ultimate Harpist, a Swedish harp player she grew up in a very loud house full of heavy metal music so she often stayed at school and practiced playing the harp eventually her musical talents got wind and she was playing classical concerts in Stockholm where she was scouted by Hopes peak
Elise Hoebee-Ultimate Banker, A Dutch girl with a mind for mathematics and numbers Elise enjoys studying under her Uncle who runs a very successful Bank in the heart of Amsterdam
Maniko Nada- Ultimate Marine Biologist, a Chinese girl with a love of marine life and the science surrounding it she is extremely intelligent but socially awkward
Rosemary Tafalla- Utimate Daredevil- from skydiving to base jumping this Peruvian girl seeks out the most extreme things to do she is always looking for her next adventure
Nin Chaiket- Ultimate Museum Curator- Nia is a Thai girl fascinated by history and art and when she was young helped bring her local museum out of debt by helping bring in exciting new exhibits for this she got offered a part time job belong out now at hopes peak her dream is to open the greatest museum in the world
If you have any questions please feel free to ask

(all airtimes E.S.T.)
WED MAY 01
(1:15AM) The Children's Hour (1961/1h 47m/Drama/William Wyler)
(3:15AM) The Apartment (1960/2h 5m/Comedy/Billy Wilder)
(6:00AM) From the Earth to the Moon (1958/1h 40m/Science-Fiction/Byron Haskin)
(7:45AM) The Snow Devils (1965/1h 18m/HorroAntonio Margheriti)
(9:30AM) The Green Slime (1969/1h 30m/HorroKinji Fukasaku)
(11:15AM) Moon Zero Two (1969/1h 40m/Roy Ward Baker)
(1:15PM) Countdown (1968/1h 41m/Drama/Robert Altman)
(3:00PM) Toward the Unknown (1956/1h 55m/Drama/Mervyn Le Roy)
(5:00PM) Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959/1h 19m/HorroEdward D. Wood, Jr.)
(6:30PM) The Thing from Another World (1951/1h 27m/HorroChristian Nyby)
(8:00PM) Laura (1944/1h 28m/Film-NoiOtto Preminger)
(9:45PM) Rebecca (1940/1h 55m/Suspense/Alfred Hitchcock)
THU MAY 02
(12:15AM) Marnie (1964/2h 10m/Suspense/Alfred Hitchcock)
(2:45AM) Agatha (1979/1h 38m/Mystery/Michael Apted)
(4:30AM) Penelope (1966/1h 37m/Comedy/Arthur Hiller)
(6:30AM) The Angry Hills (1959/1h 45m/Suspense/Robert Aldrich)
(8:30AM) The Pride and the Passion (1957/2h 12m/Adventure/Stanley Kramer)
(11:00AM) Sweet November (1968/1h 54m/Romance/Robert Ellis Miller)
(1:00PM) My Fair Lady (1964/2h 50m/Musical/George Cukor)
(4:00PM) I Want To Live! (1958/2h 0m/Drama/Robert Wise)
(6:15PM) The Defiant Ones (1958/1h 37m/Drama/Stanley Kramer)
(8:00PM) No Greater Glory (1934/1h 57m/Drama/Frank Borzage)
(9:00PM) Man’s Castle (1933/1h 6m/Romance/Frank Borzage
(11:00PM) Secrets (1933/1h 30m/Western/Frank Borzage)
FRI MAY 03
(12:30AM) A Farewell to Arms (1932/1h 18m/Romance/Frank Borzage)
(2:15AM) Stranded (1935/1h 16m/Romance/Frank Borzage)
(3:30AM) **Desire (1963/1h 31m/Romance/Frank Borzage)
(5:15AM) The Circle (1925/1h 0m/Silent/Frank Borzage)
(6:30AM) The Half Naked Truth (1933/1h 7m/Comedy/Gregory La Cava)
(7:45AM) Texas Carnival (1951/1h 17m/Comedy/Charles Walters)
(9:15AM) Maisie Was a Lady (1941/1h 19m/Comedy/Edwin L. Marin)
(10:45AM) Flamingo Road (1949/1h 34m/Drama/Michael Curtiz)
(12:30PM) The Unholy Three (1930/1h 12m/Crime/Jack Conway)
(1:45PM) The Mind Reader (1933/1h 9m/Drama/DirectoRoy Del Ruth)
(3:00PM) Lili (1953/1h 21m/Musical/Charles Walters)
(4:30PM) The Wagons Roll At Night (1941/1h 24m/Drama/Ray Enright)
(6:00PM) Carnival Story (1954/1h 35m/Drama/Kurt Neumann)
(8:00PM) Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982/1h 28m/Comedy/Carl Reiner)
(10:00PM) Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988/1h 50m/Comedy/Frank Oz)
SAT MAY 04
(12:00AM) Father of the Bride (1991/1h 45m/Comedy/Charles Shyer)
(2:00AM) Pennies From Heaven (1981/1h 47m/Musical/Herbert Ross)
(4:00AM) Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964/2h 3m/Musical/Gordon Douglas)
(6:15AM) Maya (1966/1h 31m/Adventure/John Berry)
(8:00AM) MGM CARTOONS: Grin and Share It (1957/0h 6m/Comedy/Michael Lah)
(8:07AM) Believe It or Not #10 (1932/0h 7m/Short/?)
(8:15AM) Glimpses of Peru (1937/0h 8m/Short/?)
(8:24AM) The Walking Dead (1936/1h 6m/HorroMichael Curtiz)
(9:30AM) Brush Roper (1955/0h 30mWestern/Stuart Heisler)
(10:00AM) POPEYE: Never Kick a Woman (1933/0h 6m/Animation/Dave Fleischer)
(10:07AM) The Falcon Takes Over (1942/1h 3m/Mystery/Irving Reis)
(11:30AM) Buzzin' Around (1933/0h 20m/Comedy/Alfred J. Goulding)
(12:00PM) Tonight and Every Night (1945/1h 32m/Musical/Victor Saville)
(1:45PM) Angels in the Outfield (1951/1h 42m/Drama/Clarence Brown)
(3:45PM) The Liquidator (1966/1h 44m/Suspense/Jack Cardiff)
(5:45PM) Billy Budd (1962/1h 52m/Drama/Peter Ustinov)
(8:00PM) A Face in the Crowd (1957/2h 6m/Drama/Elia Kazan)
(10:15PM) Ace In The Hole (1951/1h 59m/Drama/Billy Wilder)
SUN MAY 05
(12:15AM) Dark Passage (1947/1h 46m/Film-NoiDelmer Daves)
(2:15AM) Yentl (1983/2h 14m/Musical/Barbra Streisand)
(4:30AM) Portnoy's Complaint (1972/1h 41m/Drama/Ernest Lehman)
(6:15AM) Harlan County, USA (1976/1h 43m/Documentary/Barbara Kopple)
(8:15AM) Black Fury (1935/1h 32m/Drama/Michael Curtiz)
(10:00AM) Dark Passage (1947/1h 46m/Film-NoiDelmer Daves)
(12:00PM) Random Harvest (1942/2h 4m/Romance/Mervyn Le Roy)
(2:30PM) Raintree County (1957/3h 7m/Drama/Edward Dmytryk)
(5:30PM) Gypsy (1962/2h 29m/Musical/Mervyn Le Roy)
(8:00PM) The Big Trail (1930/1h 50m/Western/Raoul Walsh)
(10:15PM) White Heat (1949/1h 54m/Crime/Raoul Walsh)
MON MAY 06
(12:15AM) The First Auto (1927/1h 15m/Silent/Roy Del Ruth)
(2:00AM) A River Called Titas (1973/2h 39m/Drama/Ritwik Ghatak)
(5:00AM) Busses Roar (1942/0h 58m/Drama/D. Ross Lederman)
(6:00AM) I Loved a Woman (1933/1h 30m/Drama/Alfred E. Green)
(7:45AM) The Keyhole (1933./1h 9m/Drama/Michael Curtiz)
(9:00AM) Age of Indiscretion (1935/1h 18m/Drama/Edward Ludwig)
(10:30AM) My Past (1931/1h 23m/Romance/Roy Del Ruth)
(11:45AM) Mannequin (1938/1h 35m/Romance/Lew Borzage)
(1:30PM) The Common Law (1932/1h 15m/Drama/Paul L. Stein)
(3:00PM) His Brother's Wife (1936/1h 30m/Romance/W. S. Van Dyke)
(4:30PM) Man On Fire (1957/1h 35m/Drama/Ranald Macdougall)
(6:15PM) One is a Lonely Number (1972/1h 37m/Drama/Mel Stuart)
(8:00PM) The Cheat (1915/0h42m/Silent/Cecil B. De Mille )
(9:15PM) The Dragon Painter (1919/0h 53m/Silent/William Worthington)
(10:15PM) The Tong Man (1919/0h 58m/Crime/William Worthington)
(11:30PM) Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood (2019/0h 54m/Documentary/Clara Kuperberg and Julia Kuperberg)
TUE MAY 07
(12:30AM) China Sky (1945/1h 18m/WaRay Enright)
(2:00AM) Sayonara (1957/2h 27m/Romance/Joshua Logan)
(6:00AM) Bed of Roses (1933/1h 7m/Drama/Gregory Lacava)
(7:15AM) Honeysuckle Rose (1980/1h 59m/Drama/Jerry Schatzberg)
(9:30AM) The Subject Was Roses (1968/1h 47m/Drama/Ulu Grosbard)
(11:30AM) The Blue Gardenia (1953/1h 30m/Suspense/Fritz Lang)
(1:00PM) Inside Daisy Clover (1965/2h 8m/Drama/Robert Mulligan)
(3:15PM) Brooklyn Orchid (1942/0h 50m/Comedy/Kurt Neumann)
(4:15PM) Brother Orchid (1940/1h 30m/Crime/Lloyd Bacon)
(6:00PM) Black Narcissus (1947/1h 39m/Drama/Michael Powell)
(8:00PM) North by Northwest (1959/2h 16m/Suspense/Alfred Hitchcock)
(10:30PM) A Matter of Life and Death (1947/1h 44m/Romance/Michael Powell)
WED MAY 08
(12:30AM) Forbidden Planet (1956/1h 38m/Science-Fiction/Fred Mcleod Wilcox)
(2:15AM) Citizen Kane (1941/1h 59m/Drama/Orson Welles)
(4:30AM) The Fountainhead (1949/1h 54m/Drama/King Vidor)
(6:30AM) The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968/2h 42m/Drama/Michael Anderson)
(9:30AM) Lone Star (1952/1h 34m/Western/Vincent Sherman)
(11:30AM) Rio Bravo (1959/2h 21m/Western/Howard Hawks)
(2:00PM) The Westerner (1940/1h 40m/Western/William Wyler)
(4:00PM) The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972/2h 0m/Western/John Huston)
(6:15PM) A Big Hand for the Little Lady (1966/1h 35m/Western/Fielder Cook)
(8:00PM) Shane (1953/1h 58m/Western/George Stevens)
(10:15PM) Hud (1963/1h 52m/Western/Martin Ritt)
THU MAY 09
(12:15AM) Spartacus (1960/3h 2m/Drama/Stanley Kubrick)
(3:45AM) Heidi (1937/1h 28m/Drama/Allan Dwan)
(5:30AM) Kim (1951/1h 53m/Adventure/Victor Saville)
(7:30AM) Dance, Fools, Dance (1931/1h 21m/Drama/Harry Beaumont)
(9:00AM) Possessed (1931/1h 12m/Romance/Clarence Brown)
(10:30AM) Laughing Sinners (1931/1h 11m/Romance/Harry Beaumont)
(11:45AM) Dancing Lady (1933/1h 22m/Musical/Robert Z. Leonard)
(1:30PM) Forsaking All Others (1934/1h 24m/Romance/W. S. Van Dyke)
(3:00PM) Chained (1934/1h 11m/Romance/Clarence Brown)
(4:30PM) Love on the Run (1936/1h 20m/Romance/W. S. Van Dyke)
(6:00PM) Boom Town (1940/1h 56m/Adventure/Jack Conway)
(8:00PM) History Is Made at Night (1937/1h 37m/Romance/Frank Borzage)
(10:00PM) Smilin' Through (1941/1h 40m/Romance/Frank Borzage)
FRI MAY 10
(12:00AM) Seven Sweethearts (1942/1h 38m/Musical/Frank Borzage)
(1:45AM) Flirtation Walk (1934/1h 37m/Musical/Frank Borzage)
(3:30AM) Shipmates Forever (1935/1h 49m/Musical/Frank Borzage)
(5:30AM) Hearts Divided (1936/1h 27m/Romance/Frank Borzage)
(7:00AM) No Other Woman (1933/0h 56m/Drama/J. Walter Ruben)
(8:00AM) Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936/1h 38m/Drama/John Cromwell)
(10:00AM) The Prisoner of Zenda (1937/1h 41m/Adventure/John Cromwell)
(12:00PM) Viva Villa! (1934/1h 55m/Western/Jack Conway)
(2:00PM) A Star Is Born (1937/1h 51m/Romance/William A. Wellman)
(4:00PM) Reckless (1935/1h 36m/Romance/Victor Fleming)
(5:45PM) A Tale of Two Cities (1935/2h/Drama/Jack Conway)
(8:00PM) Rebel Without a Cause (1955/1h 51m/Drama/Nicholas Ray)
(10:00PM) The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962/1h 44m/Drama/Tony Richardson)
SAT MAY 11
(12:00AM) Rumble Fish (1983/1h 34m/Action/Francis Ford Coppola)
(2:00AM) Wild Boys of the Road (1933/1h 17m/Drama/William A. Wellman(
(3:30AM) Crime School (1938/1h 26m/Drama/Lewis Seiler)
(5:00AM) Haunted Gold (1932/58m/Western/Mack V. Wright)
(6:00AM) Jungle Book (1942/1h 49m/Adventure/Zoltan Korda)
(8:00AM) MGM CARTOONS: Little Buck Cheeser (1937/0h 7m/Animation/Rudolf Ising)
(8:08AM) Believe It or Not #11 (1932/0h 7m/Documentary/?)
(8:16AM) India on Parade (1937/9m/Short/?)
(8:26AM) Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958/1h 5m/HorroNathan Hertz)
(9:30AM) Tom and Jerry (1955/0h 30m/Drama/Leo McCarey)
(10:00AM) POPEYE: Little Swee' Pea (1936/0h 7m/Animation/Dave Fleischer)
(10:08AM) The Falcon's Brother (1942/1h 3m/Mystery/Stanley Logan)
(11:30AM) Forbidden Passage (1941/0h 20m/Short/Fred Zinnemann)
(12:00PM) Sweet Charity (1969/2h 29m/Musical/Bob Fosse)
(2:45PM) Point Blank (1967/1h 32m/Crime/John Boorman)
(4:30PM) Roadblock (1951/1h 13m/Film-NoiHarold Daniels)
(6:00PM) American Graffiti (1973/1h 49m/Comedy/George Lucas)
(8:00PM) The Fisher King (1991/2h 17m/Dramedy/Terry Gilliam)
(10:30PM) Synecdoche, New York (2008/2h 4m/Dramedy/Charlie Kaufman)
SUN MAY 12
(12:45AM) Follow Me Quietly (1949/0h 59m/Film-NoiRichard O. Fleischer)
(2:15AM) Murder, She Said (1961/1h 26m/Mystery/George Pollock)
(4:00AM) Murder at the Gallop (1963/1h 21m/Mystery/George Pollock)
(5:30AM) MGM Parade Show #11 (1955/0h 25m/Documentary/?)
(6:00AM) Three Daring Daughters (1948/1h 55m/Musical/Fred M. Wilcox)
(8:00AM) Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960/1h 51m/Comedy/Charles Walters)
(10:00AM) Follow Me Quietly (1949/0h 59m/Film-NoiRichard O. Fleischer)
(11:15AM) So Big (1953/1h 41m/Romance/Robert Wise)
(1:15PM) Pocketful of Miracles (1961/2h 16m/Comedy/Frank Capra)
(3:45PM) Mildred Pierce (1945/1h 53m/Drama/Michael Curtiz)
(5:45PM) Imitation of Life (1959/2h 5m/Romance/Douglas Sirk)
TBD
(8:00PM) I Remember Mama (1948/2h 14m/Drama/George Stevens)
(10:30PM) Yours, Mine, and Ours (1968/1h 51m/Comedy/Melville Shavelson)
MON MAY 13
(12:30AM) The Merry Widow (1925/1h 51m/Silent/Erich Von Stroheim)
(3:00AM) Unknown Pleasures (2002/1h 52m/Comedy/Jia Zhang-ke)
(5:00AM) The World (2004/2h 19m/Adventure/Jia Zhang-ke)
(7:30AM) Night Flight (1933/1h 24m/Drama/Clarence Brown)
(9:00AM) Sadie McKee (1934/1h 30m/Romance/Clarence Brown)
(10:45AM) Song of Love (1947/1h 59m/Western/Clarence Brown)
(12:45PM) Intruder in the Dust (1949/1h 29m/Drama/Clarence Brown)
(2:15PM) White Cliffs Of Dover (1944/2h 6m/Romance/Clarence Brown)
(4:30PM) Edison, the Man (1940/1h 47m/Drama/Clarence Brown)
(6:30PM) Wife Vs. Secretary (1936/1h 28m/Romance/Clarence Brown)
(8:00PM) Tokyo Joe (1949/1h 28m/Suspense/Stuart Heisler)
TBD
(11:45PM) Daughter of the Dragon (1931/1h 10m/Crime/Lloyd Corrigan)
TUE MAY 14
(1:00AM) Daughter of Shanghai (1937/1h 3m/Crime/Robert Florey)
(2:15AM) Escapade in Japan (1957/1h 33m/Adventure/Arthur Lubin)
(4:00AM) Bridge to the Sun (1961/1h 52m/Drama/Etienne Périer)
(6:00AM) Key Largo (1948/1h 41m/Crime/John Huston)
(8:00AM) Wind Across the Everglades (1958/1h 33m/Adventure/Nicholas Ray)
(9:45AM) Sweet Bird of Youth (1962/2h 0m/Drama/Richard Brooks)
(12:00PM) Bright Road (1953/1h 9m/Drama/Gerald Mayer)
(1:15PM) Good-Bye, My Lady (1956/1h 35m/Drama/William A. Wellman)
(3:00PM) Louisiana Story (1948/1h 17m/Documentary/Robert Flaherty)
(4:30PM) Cry of the Hunted (1953/1h 20m/Drama/Joseph H. Lewis)
(6:00PM) The Drowning Pool (1975/1h 46m/Mystery/Stuart Rosenberg)
(8:00PM) Rancho Notorious (1952/1h 29m/Western/Fritz Lang)
(9:45PM) Beach Party (1963/1h 41m/Musical/William Asher)
(11:30PM) Breathless (1983/1h 40m/Drama/Jim McBride)
WED MAY 15
(1:30AM) Two Weeks in Another Town (1962/1h 47m/Drama/Vincente Minnelli)
(3:30AM) Querelle (1982/1h 48m/Drama/Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
(5:30AM) The Boy Friend (1971/1h 48m/Musical/Ken Russell)
(7:30AM) Design for Scandal (1941/1h 25m/Romance/Norman Taurog)
(9:00AM) Live, Love and Learn (1937/1h 18m/Comedy/Geo. Fitzmaurice)
(10:30AM) The Kid from Kokomo (1939/1h 35m/Comedy/Lewis Seiler)
(12:15PM) Tender Comrade (1943/1h 42m/Drama/Edward Dmytryk)
(2:15PM) A Guy Named Joe (1943/2h 0m/Romance/Victor Fleming)
(4:30PM) We Who Are Young (1940/1h 19m/Romance/Harold S. Bucquet)
(6:00PM) Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945/1h 45m/Drama/Roy Rowland)
(8:00PM) Gigi (1958/1h 56m/Musical/Vincente Minnelli)
(10:15PM) Lili (1953/1h 21m/Musical/Charles Walters)
THU MAY 16
(12:00AM) Oliver! (1968/2h 33m/Musical/Carol Reed)
(2:45AM) Roberta (1935/1h 25m/Musical/William A. Seiter)
(4:45AM) Mame (1974/2h 12m/Musical/Gene Saks)
(7:15AM) The Pitfall (1948/1h 24m/Film-NoiAndre De Toth)
(9:00AM) The Set-Up (1949/1h 12m/Drama/Robert Wise)
(10:15AM) The Maltese Falcon (1941/1h 40m/Mystery/John Huston)
(12:00PM) Lady in the Lake (1947/1h 43m/Mystery/Robert Montgomery)
(2:00PM) They Live by Night (1948/1h 35m/Crime/Nicholas Ray)
(4:00PM) The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946/1h 56m/Film-NoiLewis Milestone)
(6:00PM) The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946/1h 51m/Film-NoiTay Garnett)
(8:00PM) The Mortal Storm (1940/1h 40m/Drama/Frank Borzage)
(10:00PM) Three Comrades (1938/1h 40m/Romance/Frank Borzage)
FRI MAY 17
(12:00AM) Flight Command (1940/1h 50m/Adventure/Frank Borzage)
(2:15AM) The Spanish Main (1945/1h 40m/Adventure/Frank Borzage)
(4:15AM) Strange Cargo (1940/1h 45m/Drama/Frank Borzage)
(6:15AM) The Shining Hour (1938/1h 20m/Drama/Frank Borzage)
(7:45AM) One of Our Spies Is Missing (1966/1h 0m/Adventure/E. Darrell Hallenbeck)
(9:30AM) Where the Spies Are (1965/1h 53m/Comedy/Val Guest)
(11:30AM) The Prize (1963/2h 16m/Mystery/Mark Robson)
(2:00PM) The Venetian Affair (1967/1h 32m//Mystery/Jerry Thorpe)
(3:45PM) How to Steal the World (1968/1h 26m/Adventure/Sutton Roley)
(5:15PM) 36 Hours (1964/1h 55m/WaGeorge Seaton)
(7:15PM) MGM Parade Show #11 (1955/0h 25m/Documentary/?)
TBD
(11:30PM) The Murder of Mary Phagan (1988/4h 11m/Drama/?)
SAT MAY 18
(4:00AM) Freedom on My Mind (1994/1h 45m/Documentary/Connie Field)
(6:00AM) Gunga Din (1939/1h 57m/Adventure/George Stevens)
(8:00AM) MGM CARTOONS: Old Smokey (1938/0h 7m/Animation/William Hanna)
(8:08AM) Believe It or Not #12 (1932/0h 8m/Documentary/?)
(8:17AM) Natural Wonders of the West (1938/0h 8m/Documentary/James H Smith)
(8:27AM) Devil's Island (1940/1h 2m/Drama/William Clemens)
(9:30AM) Rookie Of The Year (1955/Comedy/John Ford)
(10:00AM) POPEYE: Hold the Wire (1933/0h 6m/Animation/Dave Fleisher)
(10:07AM) Falcon in Danger (1943/1h 13m/Mystery/William Clemens)
(11:30AM) The Song of Fame (1934/0h 21m/Short/Joseph Henabery)
(12:00PM) The Great Ziegfeld (1936/3h 0m/Musical/Robert Z. Leonard)
(3:15PM) The FBI Story (1959/2h 29m/Crime/Mervyn Le Roy)
(6:00PM) Cahill, U.S. Marshal (1973/1h 43m/Western/Andrew V. McLaglen)
(8:00PM) Jailhouse Rock (1957/1h 36m/Musical/Richard Thorpe)
(10:00PM) Forty Guns (1957/1h 18m/Western/Samuel Fuller)
SUN MAY 19
(12:00AM) Take Aim at the Police Van (1960/1h 19m/Film-NoiSeijun Suzuki)
(1:45AM) The Cowboys (1972/8m/Western/Mark Rydell)
(4:00AM) Chisum (1970/1h 50m/Western/Andrew V. McLaglen)
(6:00AM) Behind Office Doors (1931/1h 26m/Drama/Melville Brown)
(7:30AM) The Boss Didn't Say Good Morning (1937/10m/Short/Jacques Tourneur)
(8:00AM) Executive Suite (1954/1h 44m/Drama/Robert Wise)
(10:00AM) Take Aim at the Police Van (1960/1h 19m/Film-NoiSeijun Suzuki)
(11:45AM) The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961/1h 44m/Drama/José Quintero)
(1:45PM) Sex and the Single Girl (1964/1h 54m/Comedy/Richard Quine)
(3:45PM) Adam's Rib (1949/1h 41m/Comedy/George Cukor)
(5:45PM) Some Like It Hot (1959/2h 0m/Comedy/Billy Wilder)
(8:00PM) The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984/1h 34m/Musical/Frank Oz)
(10:00PM) Little Shop of Horrors (1986/1h 28m/Musical/Frank Oz)
MON MAY 20
(12:00AM) The Kiss (1929/50m/Silent/Jacques Feyder)
(12:50AM) Love (1927/1h 22m/Silent/Edmund Goulding)
(2:30AM) No End (1985/1h 44m/Drama/Krzysztof Kieslowski)
(4:30AM) Blind Chance (1981/2h 2m/Drama/Krzysztof Kieslowski)
(6:45AM) Athena (1954/1h 36m/Musical/Richard Thorpe)
(8:30AM) The Last Days of Pompeii (1935/1h 36m/Drama/Ernest B. Schoedsack)
(10:15AM) The Slave (1962/1h 32m/Adventure/Sergio Corbucci)
(12:15PM) Land of the Pharaohs (1955/1h 46m/Adventure/Howard Hawks)
(2:15PM) The Silver Chalice (1954/2h 24m/Drama//Victor Saville)
(4:45PM) Quo Vadis (1951/2h 51m/Drama/Mervyn Le Roy)
(8:00PM) House of Bamboo (1955/1h 42m/Crime/Samuel Fuller
(10:00PM) Green Mansions (1959/1h 44m/Romance/Mel Ferrer)
TUE MAY 21
(12:00AM) Hell to Eternity (1960/2h 12m/WaPhil Karlson)
(2:30AM) Grand Prix (1966/2h 59m/Adventure/John Frankenheimer)
(6:00AM) Mr. Chump (1938/1h 1m/Comedy/William Clemens)
(7:15AM) Mr. Hex (1946/1h 3m/Comedy/William Beaudine)
(8:30AM) Mr. Dodd Takes the Air (1937/1h 26m/Musical/Alfred E. Green)
(10:00AM) Mr. Doodle Kicks Off (1938/1h 17m/Comedy/Leslie Goodwins)
(11:30AM) Mr. Imperium (1951/1h 27m/Romance/Don Hartman)
(1:00PM) Mr. And Mrs. North (1941/1h 7m/Mystery/Robert B. Sinclair)
(2:15PM) Mr. Skeffington (1945/2h 7m/Drama/Vincent Sherman)
(4:45PM) Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948/1h 34m/Comedy/H. C. Potter)
(6:30PM) Mister Cinderella (1936/1h 15m/Comedy/Edward Sedgwick)
(8:00PM) The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953/1h 28m/Musical/Roy Rowland)
(9:45PM) The Red Shoes (1948/2h 14m/Romance/Michael Powell)
WED MAY 22
(12:15AM) Donkey Skin (1970/1h 30m/Drama/Jacques Demy)
(2:00AM) The Glass Slipper (1955/1h 34m/Musical/Charles Walters)
(3:45AM) Brigadoon (19541h 48m/Musical/Vincente Minnelli)
(5:45AM) Thief of Bagdad (1940/1h 46m/Adventure/Ludwig Berger)
(7:45AM) Lord of the Flies (1963/1h 30m/Drama/Peter Brook)
(9:30AM) Tunes of Glory (1960/1h 45m/WaRonald Neame)
(11:30AM) Tom Jones (1963/2h 11m/Comedy/Tony Richardson)
(1:45PM) The Lady Vanishes (1938/1h 37m/Suspense/Alfred Hitchcock)
(3:30PM) Oliver Twist (1948/1h 56m/Drama/David Lean)
(5:30PM) Sense and Sensibility (1995/2h 15m/Romance/Ang Lee)
(8:00PM) Marty (1955/1h 31m/Romance/Delbert Mann)
(9:45PM) Harvey (1950/1h 44m/Comedy/Henry Koster)
THU MAY 23
(12:00PM) Alice (1990/1h 25m/Comedy/Woody Allen)
(2:00AM) Tommy (1975/1h 51m/Musical/Ken Russell)
(4:00AMP Lenny (1974/1h 51/Drama/Ken Russell)
(6:00AM) Marriage on the Rocks (1965/1h 49m/Comedy/Jack Donohue)
(8:00AM) The Tender Trap (1955/1h 51m/Comedy/Charles Walters)
(10:00AM) Big City (1948/1h 43m/Crime/Norman Taurog)
(12:00PM) Neptune's Daughter (1949/1h 33m/Musical/Edward Buzzell)
(2:00PM) On the Town (1949/1h 38m/Musical/Gene Kelly)
(4:00PM) Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949/1h 33m/Musical/Busby Berkeley)
(5:45PM) Words and Music (1948/1h 59m/Musical/Norman Taurog)
(8:00PM) How Green Was My Valley (1941/1h 58m/Drama/John Ford)
(10:15PM) Seven Samurai (1956/2h 40m/Drama/Akira Kurosawa)
TBD
(10:45PM) In the Name of the Father (1993/2h 7m/Biography/Terry George)
FRI MAY 24
(2:00AM) The Battle of Algiers (1966/2h 0h/WaGillo Pontecorvo)
(3:15AM) Lust for Life (1956/2h 2m/Drama/Vincente Minnelli)
(5:30AM) MGM Parade Show #11 (1955/0h 25m/Documentary/?)
(6:00AM) A Day at the Races (1937/1h 45m/Comedy/Sam Wood)
(8:00AM) I Love You Again (1940/1h 39m/Comedy/W. S. Van Dyke II)
(10:00AM) The Loved One (1965/1h 56m/Comedy/Tony Richardson)
(12:15PM) The Awful Truth (1937/1h 30m/Comedy/Leo McCarey)
(2:00PM) No Time For Sergeants (1958/1h 59m/Comedy/Mervyn Le Roy)
(4:15PM) The Sunshine Boys (1975/1h 51m/Comedy/Herbert Ross)
(6:15PM) The Producers (1967/1h 28m/Comedy/Mel Brooks)
(8:00PM) The Caine Mutiny (1954/2h 5m/Drama/Edward Dmytryk)
(10:15PM) Platoon (1986/2h 0m/WaOliver Stone)
SAT MAY 25
(12:30AM) Men in War (1957/1h 44m/WaAnthony Mann)
(2:15\AM) The Steel Helmet (1951/1h 24m/WaSamuel Fuller)
(4:00AM) Go for Broke! (1951/1h 32m/WaRobert Pirosh)
(5:45AM) The Human Comedy (1943/1h 58m/Drama/Clarence Brown)
(7:45AM) Merrill's Marauders (1962/1h 38m/WaSamuel Fuller)
(9:30AM) They Were Expendable (1945/2h 15m/WaJohn Ford)
(12:00PM) Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943/2h 7m/Musical/David Butler)
(2:15PM) Onionhead (1958/1h 50m/Comedy/Norman Taurog)
(4:15PM) The Story of G. I. Joe (1945/1h 49m/WaWilliam A. Wellman)
(6:15PM) A Farewell to Arms (1932/1h 18m/Romance/Frank Borzage)
(8:00PM) Attack (1956/1h 47m/WaRobert Aldrich)
(10:00PM) Captains of the Clouds (1942/1h 53m/WaMichael Curtiz)
SUN MAY 26
(12:00AM) Bad for Each Other (1954/1h 23m/Film-NoiIrving Rapper)
(1:45AM) Men Of The Fighting Lady (1954/1h 20m/WaAndrew Marton)
(3:15AM) The Red Badge Of Courage (1951/1h 9m/Drama/John Huston)
(4:45AM) Wings For The Eagle (1942/1h 23m/WaLloyd Bacon)
(6:15AM) The Fighting 69th (1940/1h 30m/WaWilliam Keighley)
(7:45AM) Mister Roberts (1955/2h 3m/Comedy/John Ford)
(10:00AM) Bad for Each Other (1954/1h 23m/Film-NoiIrving Rapper)
(11:45AM) The Naked and the Dead (1958/2h 11m/WaRaoul Walsh)
(2:15PM) The Dirty Dozen (1967/2h 29m/WaRobert Aldrich)
(5:00PM) The Great Escape (1963/2h 48m/WaJohn Sturges)
(8:00PM) The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress (1944/40m/Documentary/Lt. Col. William Wyler)
(9:00PM) The Cold Blue (2018/1h 41m/Documentary/Erik Nelson)
(11:00PM) The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946/2h 52m/Drama/William Wyler)
MON MAY 27
(2:00AM) The Flying Fleet (1929/1h 27m/Silent/George Hill)
(2:15AM) The Flying Fleet (1929/1h 27m/Silent/George Hill)
(3:45AM) The Burmese Harp (1956/1h 56m/WaKon Ichikawa)
(4:00AM) The Burmese Harp (1956/1h 56m/WaKon Ichikawa)
(6:00AM) The Cranes Are Flying (1957/1h 34m/Romance/Mikhail Kalatozov)
(7:45AM) Appointment in Tokyo (1946/0h 55m/Documentary/Maj. Jack Hively)
(8:45AM) The McConnell Story (1955/1h 47m/Drama/Gordon Douglas)
(10:45AM) War Nurse (1930/1h 20m/WaEdgar Selwyn)
(12:15PM) Cry 'Havoc' (1944/1h 37m/WaRichard Thorpe)
(2:00PM) Bataan (1943/1h 54m/WaTay Garnett)
(4:00PM) The Rack (1956/1h 40m/Drama/Arnold Laven)
(5:45PM) Darby's Rangers (1958/2h 1m/WaWilliam A. Wellman)
(8:00PM) Three Came Home (1950/1h 46m/WaJean Negulesco)
(10:00PM) The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957/2h 41m/Drama/David Lean)
TUE MAY 28
(2:00AM) Assignment in Brittany (1943/1h 36m/Drama/Jack Conway)
(3:45AM) Sergeant York (1941/2h 14m/WaHoward Hawks)
(6:15AM) Mummy's Boys (1936/1h 8m/Comedy/Fred Guiol)
(7:30AM) My Demon Lover (1987/1h 27m/Comedy/Ted G, Vujovich)
(9:00AM) The Smiling Ghost (1941/1h 11m/Suspense/Lewis Seiler)
(10:30AM) Singapore Woman (1941/1h 4m/Drama/Jean Negulesco)
(11:45AM) The Reptile (1966/1h 30m/HorroJohn Gilling)
(1:30PM) Death Curse of Tartu (1966/HorroWilliam Grefé)
(3:00PM) Curse of the Demon (1958/1h 35m/HorroJacques Tourneur)
(4:30PM) The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964/1h 21m/HorroMichael Carreras)
(6:00PM) Sphinx (1981/1h 58m/Adventure/Franklin J. Schaffner)
(8:00PM) Jason And The Argonauts (1963/1h 44m/Adventure/Don Chaffey)
(10:00PM) King Kong (1933/1h 40m/HorroMerian C. Cooper)
WED MAY 29
(12:00AM) Metropolis (1926/2h 23m/Silent/Fritz Lang)
(2:45AM) Modern Times (1936/1h 27m/Silent/Charlie Chaplin)
(4:15AM) Eraserhead (1977/1h 40m/HorroDavid Lynch)
(6:00AM) Beauty and the Beast (1946.1h 35m/Romance/Jean Cocteau)
(7:45AM) The Merry Widow (1934/1h 39m/Musical/Ernst Lubitsch)
(9:30AM) The Red Danube (1949/1h 59m/Drama/George Sidney)
(11:45AM) Conquest (1937/1h 52m/Romance/Clarence Brown)
(1:45PM) National Velvet (1944/2h 5m/Drama/Clarence Brown)
(4:00PM) Invitation to the Dance (1956/1h 33m/Musical/Gene Kelly)
(5:45PM) The Sea of Grass (1947/2h 11m/Drama//Elia Kazan)
(10:00PM) Ninotchka (1939/1h 50m/Comedy/Ernst Lubitsch)
THU MAY 30
(12:00AM) Camille (1937/1h 48m/Romance/George Cukor)
(2:00AM) Suzy (1936/1h 39m/Drama/Geo. Fitzmaurice)
(3:45AM) Marius (1931/2h 5m/Comedy/Alexandre Korda)
(6:00AM) British Agent (1934/1h 21m/Suspense/Michael Curtiz)
(7:30AM) Crossroads (1942/1h 24m/Suspense/Jack Conway)
(9:00AM) Mission to Moscow (1943/2h 3m/Drama/Michael Curtiz)
(11:15AM) Princess O'Rourke (1943/1h 34m/Comedy/Norman Krasna)
(1:00PM) A Majority of One (1961/2h 33m/Comedy/Mervyn Le Roy)
(3:30PM) The Notorious Landlady (1962/2h 3m/Comedy/Richard Quine)
(5:45PM) The Ugly American (1963/2h 0h/Drama/George Englund)
(8:00PM) The Front Page (1974/1h 45m/Comedy/Billy Wilder)
(10:00PM) The Front Page (1931/1h 41m/Comedy/Lewis Milestone)
FRI MAY 31
(12:00AM) His Girl Friday (1940/1h 32m/Comedy/Howard Hawks)
(2:00AM) Switching Channels (1988/1h 45m/Comedy/Ted Kotcheff)
(4:00AM) Hooper (1978/1h 39m/Comedy/Hal Needham)
(6:00AM) Wild Rovers (1971/1h 50m/Western/Blake Edwards)
(8:30AM) The Great Bank Hoax (1977/1h 33m/Comedy/Joseph Jacoby)
(10:15AM) Larceny, Inc. (1942/1h 35m/Comedy/Lloyd Bacon)
(1:30PM) Going in Style (1979/1h 37m/Comedy/Martin Brest)
(3:30PM) The Getaway (1972/2h 2m/Crime/Sam Peckinpah)
(5:45PM) Dog Day Afternoon (1975/2h 10m/Crime/Sidney Lumet)
(8:00PM) The Public Enemy (1931/1h 14m/Crime/William A. Wellman)
(9:30PM) Brian's Song (1971/1h 30m/Drama/Buzz Kulik)
(11:00PM) The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings (1976/1h 50m/Comedy/John Badham)

70's Alt Rock -King Crimson-Lark's Tongue In Aspic
80's Alt Rock - Talking Heads-Remain In Light
90's Alt Rock- Nirvana- Never mind
2000's Alt Rock-The Strokes-Is This It
2010's Alt Rock Tame Impala-Lonerism
Alt Country -Wilco-Summerteeth
Alt Hip Hop-MF Doom- Mad villainy
Art Rock-Dark Side Of The Moon-Pink Floyd
Brit Rock- The Clash- London Calling
College Rock-REM-Murmur
Emo Rock-My Chemical Romance-Welcome To The Black Parade
Experimental Rock-Swans-To Be Kind
Goth-The Cure Disintegration
Grunge- Soundgarden-Superunknown
Hardcore Punk- Black Flag- Damaged
Heavy Metal-Black Sabbath-Paranoid
60's Hard Rock-Led Zeppelin I
70's Hard rock-Led Zeppelin-Physical Graffiti
80's Hard Rock- AC/DC-Back In Black
90's Hard Rock-Nirvana-In Utero
2000's Hard Rock-Queens Of The Stone Age-Songs For The Deaf
2010's ˙Hard Rock- Tool-Fear Inoculum
Indie Rock-Joy Division-Unknown Pleasures
Indie Folk-Big Thief-Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Lo-Fi-Neutral Milk Hotel-In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
New Wave-Elvis Costello-This Year's Model
Progressive Rock- Tool- Lateralus
Punk- Ramones-Rocket To Russia
pop punk-Green Day-Dookie
Post Punk- Wire- Pink Flag
Shoegaze-My Bloody Valentine-Loveless
Blues-Nina Simone-Sings The Blues
Blues Rock-The Rolling Stones-Sticky Fingers
Avant Garde- Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band-Trout Mask Replica
Baroque Pop-The Beach Boys-Pet Sounds
Symphonic Rock-Moody Blues-Days Of Future Past
Comedy/Novelty album-Adam Sandler-They're All Gonna Laugh At You
Stand Up Comedy-George Carlin-Back In Town
Americana-The Band-The Band
Bakersfield Sound-Buck Owens-Best Of Buck Owens
Bluegrass-Old & In The Way-That High Lonesome Sound
Outlaw Country-Willie Nelson-Redheaded Stranger
Classic Country-Johnny Cash-Live At Folsom Prison
Country Rock- The Flying Burrito Brothers-The Gilded Palace Of Sin
Dance/Club-LCD Soundsystem- This Is Happening
Christmas /Holiday Album-Vince Gauralidi-A Charlie Brown Christmas
EMD/Techno-Burial-Untrue
Ambient-Brian Eno-Music For Airports
Electronic Rock-Radiohead-Kid A
Space Rock- Spiritualized- Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
Synthpop-Depeche Mode-Violator
Synthrock- New Order-Power, Corruption and Lies
Industrial-Nine Inch Nails-The Downward Spiral
Krautrock- Can-Tago Mago
Folk-Bob Dylan-The Freewillin' Bob Dylan
Folk Rock-Bob Dylan-Blood On The Tracks
Southern Rock-The Allman Brothers Band-At Fillmore East
80's Hip Hop-The Beastie Boys-Paul's Boutique
90's- Hip Hop Wu-Tang Clan-Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
2000's Hip Hop-Outkast- Stankonia
2010's Hip Hop-Kendrick Lamar-To Pimp A Butterfly
2020's Hip Hop-Run The Jewels-RTJ 4
East Coast Hip Hop- Nas- Illmatic
West Coast Hip Hop-NWA-Straight Outta Compton
Southern Hip Hop-Outkast -Aquemini
Midwest Album-Kanye West-My Dark Twisted Fantasy
Trap-Travis Sott-Rodeo
Instrumental Hip Hop- DJ Shadow- Endtroducing....
Indie Pop-Belle And Sebastian-If You're Feeling Sinister
Noise Rock-Sonic Youth-Daydream Nation
Post-rock- Godspeed! You Black Emperor-Lift Your Skinny Fist Like Antennas To Heaven
Acid Jazz- Medeski ,Martin, and Wood -Shack-Man
Trip Hop -Portishead- Dummy
Gospel -Aretha Franklin-Amazing Grace
Christian- Sufjan Stevens -Illnoise
Jazz-Miles Davis-Kind Of Blue
Avant Garde Jazz-Ornette Coleman-Shape To Jazz To Come
Swing/Bebop-Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers-Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers w/Thelonious Monk
Jazz/Fusion-Miles Davis-In A Silent Way
Jazz Rock-Miles Davis-Bitches Brew
Jazz/Funk-Herbie Hancock-Head Hunters
Jazz/Rap-A tribe Called Quest-The Low End Theory
Latin- Los Lobos-Kiko
Speed Metal/Thrash- Metallica- Master Of Puppets
Black/Death Metal-Deafheaven-Sunbather
Symphonic Metal-Haken-The Mountain
Glam Rock -T.Rex-Electric Warrior
Hair Metal-Guns N Roses-Appetite For Destruction
New Wave Of British Heavy Metal-Iron Maiden- Number Of The Beast
Sludge-Electric Wizard- Dopethron
Nu Metal-Korn-Korn
New Age-Popol Vuh - Hosianna Mantra
Pop-Prince-Sign O' The Times
60's Pop- The Beatles-Revolver
70's Pop- Carole King-Tapestry
80's Pop- Peter Gabriel-So
90's Pop-Madonna-Ray Of Light
2000's Pop-Madonna-Confessions On A Dance Floor
2010's pop-Robyn-Body Talk
2020's Pop- Perfume Genius-Set My Heart On Fire
Adult Contemporary- Billy Joel-The Stranger
Europop- ABBA- Arrival
Latin Pop-Ruben Y Seis Del Solar-Buscando America
Dance Pop-Dee-Lite-World Clique
Dream Pop- Mazzy Star-So Tonight I Might See
Power Pop- Weezer-Blue Album
R&B- Marvin Gaye-What's Going On
60's R&B-Aretha Franklin-I Never Loved A Man The Way I Loved You
70's R&B- Stevie Wonder- Songs In The Key Of Life
80's R&B- Janet Jackson- Control
90's R&B Album- Lauryn Hill-The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
2000's R&B- D'Angelo-Voodoo
2010's-R&B-Beyonce-Lemonade
2020's R&B- SZA-SOS
Disco-Donna Summers-Bad Girls
Doo Wop- The Chantels- We Are The Chantels
Funk-Funkadelic-Maggot Brain
Motown- Marvin Gaye-Let's Get It On
Neo-Soul-Erykah Badu-Baduizm
Psychedelic Soul- Curtis Mayfield-Curtis
Soul-Aretha Franklin-Lady Soul
Reggae-Bob Marley- Exodus