I’m afraid I have to disagree Mr Speedy.  I think Cam’s anecdote was,first, an excellent character moment.  He’s been intimidated into silence by some truly evil, inhuman monsters for a week and now he’s got something to say.  And dammit he does.  You can almost hear the desperation in his voice as he rattles off his tale.  Like he’s afraid he only has so long to talk.  It feels so real and emotional.

Second, he is raising a very cogent point.
In addition to being a hopeless romantic, I am also an animal lover (NO, not like THAT...) I come from a very rural area, (one of the reasons I root for Oliver so strongly) and we have something called Future Farmers of America.  I’ts an organization that teaches young people animal husbandry.  Now I could never do this, but we have these kids raising farm animals.  The neighbor girl raises a lamb every year.  And let me tell you, lambs are crazy cute.  Now, this girl names this lamb, feeds it, pets it and every year it wins a ribbon and gets auctioned off.  It then get’s butchered and eaten by whoever bought it.  Sometimes she cries, but next year she get’s another lamb.
Try to imagine the lamb is your little sister or brother.
So, the story Cam tells is not saying she’s changed from that nice girl, it’s asking if she ever was a nice girl.  Was the kindness she showed the kindness the neighbor girl shows her lamb?  Did the fact that she was all about her “potential” show her true nature? And Cam has always been a price she could live with paying?  Or did something change her? Cam was not just saying “you never know” but also “you still don’t know.”

While Cerys can sound sincere, Sersi can carry on what seems like sisterly banter with Cam while planing his humiliation, dehumanization and probable death.

Cam's totally right, trust none of them.

(insert joke about FFA and weasels here)

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     That is a very good question @Shrinkmeister.  It does seem like a confirmation of Cerys’ pitch, but I’m guessing she’s using bits of conversation Oliver may or may not have heard and weaving her story around them....so he’s heard about slimy Samantha, but not about the missing stone. 
     Remember how good these creatures are at pretending to be humans....I’m sure at some point, when she was young and digusting, a bunch of her peers got together and put young Cerys in her place.   She stopped saying "I want to be a chef and bake you all in a pie." and stated saying "when I grow up I wanna be a nurse and help people."  So, naturally she has nightmares about someone doing that to the whole lot of them.   She can imaging that any ethically normal person would expect such an organization to rise up.  She imagines a bunch of her own turning on her.  She weaves that dread into her tale.
    I can also imagine her sucking up to Alley or Vesper at some point when the other is around and hearing about the missing stone. 
     Lets face it, it’s still a sorority house, something weird happens like Oliver gets away and gossip and speculation are going to run wild....”did you hear about Oliver’s mother?”  “Could it have something to do with the missing stone?”  She knows Oliver could overhear any of this.  Being something other than morally retarded he can’t imagine a resistance movement not arising.  He’s going to be a sucker again.  

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Why am I thinking “holy shit?”

     I really don’t want Stan to run.  But I really don’t want him caught by these harpies.  God, this is so unfair.  Stoopid ‘megs.

     I like Stan’s presence in the story.  He’s really adding a great perspective.  I really like that he and Deacon have chemistry.  That is a great touch, orphan and fill-in father hitting it off.  Of course, now that we know Stan is also an orphan, we see him being a great parent because...maybe because his own dad had to step it up without mom there, maybe.  If dad wasn't around, maybe he's trying to give Oliver what he never had.  That is amazing.
     It makes me wonder if the ‘Megs are going out of their way to target really great guys.  Clearly they aren’t that picky, look at Bear, but if they get the chance to destroy the decent guy or the douche bag...it looks like they aim high.  That explains why it seems like there are so many jerks in the world today. 

     Frost is spooky.  We know there’s a rumor that she doesn’t need the weeping stones, but remember the business with the arm bands?  Does she need his consent?  3 times even?

     She might be tempted to rush things.  Not get permission.  What happens then?  Try and see things as she might see them, Oliver escapes and then Stan shows up, Stan is another “one who got away.”  She might just see this as the universe saying “dig in.”

     However, usually someone like Stan wouldn’t live to see 19.  But, here’s Stan, mature and experience and manifesting a pretty clear danger sense.  What else might he have up his sleeve that even he doesn’t know about? 

    And tactically, he’s only stepped into the foyer.  That means he only has to take one or two steps back and he’s on the steps or leaning on the door frame again.  Make them do what they’re gonna do where there are possible witnesses.

     So while he’s in a great deal of possible danger, he’s not completely screwed.  And he’s not stupid.

     We get to say “Go Stan” and not just hope.

     Tense situation in a super cool chapter Duggernaut.  Thanks for sharing this.

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Damn!  Suspenseful chapter!  With Stan as our POV character, you can smell the evil coming off the ‘Megs.
And he escaped their clutches!  Stan is da’ man!
If this were just some action piece, this chapter wouldn’t amount to much for our side.  But Viewed as a horror piece, this was a pretty awesome win for the good guys.
Stan knows there’s something extraordinary going on.  He’ll know to be cautious when dealing with the harpy house.  He’s seen how pretty they are, but after this, they won’t have a lot of luck using it to distract him.  He knows to look up stairs.  Since he’s concerned about poison, he’ll never drink anything they hand him. Plus, Edith mentioned Samantha, that should help him avoid the most dangerous pitfall in his path.
I am a bit concerned about how long Edith’s attack will affect him.  Will he get back to Deacon and wind up tiny?
But then was it an attack?  Was that all Stan’s danger sense going off so hard it made him ill?   Or something else entirely?

So damn much awesome, but so damn many questions!

All I can say is: We’re not worthy!  We’re not worthy!

Thanks Duggernaut.

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PS 400th review!  Superfan!

So, time for a serious literary examination of the story of our friend Cam.  I liked Cam a lot.  But lets look at his tale in terms of literary themes. 
Cam’s story is one of consumption.  He is a victim of first his own lust.  He was consumed by his desire for Brooklyn.  The trap set for him was powered by this weakness.  From this stand point he served himself up, he made himself prey.  It was joyous and it was natural,but the Megs made it sinister and horrific. 
Once he was in their clutches, (symbolically) they fed on him.  Consumed his essence, lessened him in rather obvious ways.  But as they fed on him....they grew beautiful and powerful.  They gained, he lost.   A parasitic relationship.
Once literally in their clutches he decides to live.  This costs him.  He is silently humiliated and abused.  So much is taken from him; dignity, perspective, hope.  All eaten up to fuel the meg’s little games.  I know we made jokes about “the Brooklyn diet,” but that was the case.  He got more of her inside him than he wanted.  And he was starving.  There is nothing these creatures have to offer.  Once you are in there proximity there is nothing for you.  The have nothing to offer.  They are hollow and empty, nourishing neither your body nor your soul. 
Finally, Cerys feeds on him...he disappears....there is nothing left.  If Oliver dies he will not even be a memory. 
It not just demonstrates their evil...how they are parasites.  It gives them an iconography.  In the last millenia the term consumption was applied to any wasting disease.  Any disease that consumed the body.  In the 19th century the term settled on tuberculosis solely.  The implication is that they are a virus...a disease of our reality.
Cam was a great character, but his sad tale brings the horror into focus.  Would you care as much if all this befell Bear?  I know I wouldn’t.  The contrast might be more dramatic, but who really engages with someone like him?  
Sometimes great stories have sad endings, Cam’s is one of those it seems.  But, it was so worth reading.  So smart and so captivating. 

Thank you Duggernaut and goodbye Cam.  Great work.  Great reading.

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     I have to say that I like that Oliver thought of Cam, but this raises a most important question.

     Does Edith’s story about Samantha confirm Cery’s story? 
     Not really.  Again, all that is required is for Cerys to be privy to all this drama.  And it doesn’t seem all that hard for her to be able to find out.
    What good is it making an example of someone if nobody knows the story?
     Cery’s knows the tale and used this knowledge when she “storied” Oliver and Cam.

     And Samantha’s little man comments as she say's good bye to Oliver and thoughts about how Oliver was never her’s....as she’s on her way to feed on some poor soul...sure don’t inspire me to invest a lot of faith or hope in her.  Maybe at one point she was worth putting your hopes on, but no more. 

     If Edith is telling the truth.

     She said they usually let the fathers go...but the older / younger sibling question puts that in doubt.  Cam had no memories, but had some photos.  That seems to put a lie to her version of things.
    Maybe she said that so that Oliver would believe that they would let Stan go. 
     Look how they fell on Stan when they thought they had a shot at him.  They even knew he was with Samantha.  Yet they were all ready to do something. 
     No, Edith is lying through her fangs and every guy in orbit about one these vile things is fair game.  

     Dang, Duggernaut.  I think you’ve made me a little untrusting.  Thanks again for your awesome work.

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Even though in peril, this is a chapter full of win for Stan. 

I love that he’s listening to his gut, even though he’s teetering on panic.  He’s showing he’s smart enough to not get honey trapped.  He’s not another dummy to fall before a pretty face.  That will make things interesting when he next meets Samantha.

Jill the cop raises some questions.  First and foremost: is she an agent for the Megs, or is she an agent for Edith?   Maybe, Vesper?   How much does the organization share it’s spies and enforcers?  And does Jill know why she’s looking at Stan?  I can understand why the sorority doesn’t know much.  But what about someone like Jill or Vesper?  How much of the big picture do they see?  Does someone like Cady (is she or isn’t she) acting as their agent, innocently, by spreading rumors set Stan off because she grows their power by growing their mystery?

And the mystery deepens...thanks Duggernaut.  Gonna be pondering this for a bit.

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Yep, I hate it when Sersei’s happy. 

I find it interesting she’s not comparing him to any previous victims.  I would expect some rudeness like that from her.

Poor Oliver, he’s really summoning inner reserves of strength and self control to get through this.  It’s admirable, even though he’s being deceptive.  So turnabout really must be fair play.  I hope he finds a way to hurt her, really hurt her, on every level.  She has this picture of herself as loveable, but it’s only a reaction to her public mask.  The real her is tacky, monsterous, abysmal and greasy.  I would love for her to be forced to see herself as she truly is.

I have an idea, how about when Oliver goes deep inside her he finds some demon weasel eggs...little guys who just need a little help to get out of their shells and start chewing their way out of a certain psycho.  Yum yum.

Great chapter Duggernaut.  Thanks for my latest dose of reasons to hate Sersei.  It must have a recommended weekly allowance, cuz I find I’m craving more. 

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Okay, it's official: Stan is The Man with the plan.

He's asking the right questions and harboring a healthy paranoia.  Good for him.  But he's not paralyzed by fear.  He's gutsy and decisive.  Every chapter he's in he steals the show. 

And I've always been suspicious of this "Carol."  Too good a spot to pick up local gossip and such...

So, does this mean Cady is on the side of the angels?  Acting as an unwitting agent?  Is that why she set off Stan's danger sense?  If so, it's really pretty impressive.  Hopefully he can learn to read it quickly. 

Great read Duggernaut.  You just keep delivering with this story.  Suspense and intrigue really make this a great work.  Awesome stuff.

Thanks

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Okay, I really love that Stan’s original plan with bands fell by the wayside.  It was a great plan, but that has such a ring of truth about it.  And adapting a new plan, his improvising on the fly, gives the story such energy.  Great work!

I am a little curious if Carol’s flirting is a result of real interest (whatever that means for one of the Megs,) the information network Stan describes ...or Cady phoning her while Deacon stepped out to talk to Stan???

Loving the dramatic tension.  So awesome, Duggernaut.

Peace


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