Phone call from Darren Lynn Bousman 8/30

[Anonymous]

At the risk of breaking NDAs I’m throwing caution to the wind and posting this.

Darren just called me. It was his number. It wasn’t a No Caller ID.

I pick up.

Me: Hey man!

DLB: ….*long pained sigh* I’m so sorry.

Me: Um… what happ-

DLB: *audibly upset* Don’t ever contact this number again.

Click.

So… Something is happening with DLB.

And he’s sorry for something.

I wasn’t chatting buddies with DLB by any means, but we’ve known each other for a long time through the horror world. Worked together on a few things and I was looking forward to picking his brain on directing at some point in the future… so this is kind of heart breaking that this whole fucking thing would take that away.

I can really only say… 🙁

[Chelsea]

This has been the week of “welp”.

[Megan]

oh my god…. 🙁

[Lawrence Meyers]

“What if this is not theater?”

[Brad Ruwe]

Shit…. that’s an incredibly tough call to take. I’m sorry to hear that man.

[Cristen]

Jesus that’s heavy. Worth noting also that when Steph called me on HIB day she also called from her own number, likely for the same reason: no ambiguity, I guess.

[Sage]

Could that have been Clint’s “just do it?”

[Blondie]

Saying I hope he’s ok is clearly redundant… But jeez, I can’t even imagine what he’s going through right now that led up to that call… </3

And I hate to say this, but is he apologising for something that is going to happen to Buz that he has no control over?

[Kevin]

Damn, anything and everything has gone sideways in the last 24 hours.

[Meghan Mayhem]

For what it’s worth, because I’m a woman of legal loopholes…

He didn’t say “never contact me again”, he said “don’t ever contact THIS NUMBER again”

[Bryan Bishop]

@blondie

And I hate to say this, but is he apologising for something that is going to happen to Buz that he has no control over?

Or… something that they’ve done to all of us by bringing us into contact with the people they’ve been working for?

This feels 50 shades of bad.

[Blondie]

Because he now has evidence that that number is compromised?

[Cara]

That certainly seems like DLB is suggesting that number is no longer safe to call. @thebuz have you tried reaching out via different means?

[Jackie]

Anarchy is reigning supreme.

[Andrew Kasch]

That’s heartbreaking. I really hope Darren and Clint are okay.

[Kristin]

This bums me out and also terrifies me. ?

[Hannah Schenck]

Hoping whatever he is saying sorry for, isn’t as bad as it sounds. Maybe he is referring to his number being jeopardized and not a safe place to use for communication anymore. Perhaps it is like @bcbishop suggested, and he is apologizing for something that will happen to all of us, leaving the mods with no avenues to make it stop or less of a blow.

[Megan]

Maybe he’s just sorry for the phone call? For having to tell you not to call him again?

[Bryan Bishop]

For a long time now, we’ve all been able to find some comfort in the consistent rhythms of this Experience. Paintings and quotes in the morning, songs in the evening — and generally speaking, consistent communication with the members of the cast that had become part of this community’s collective family.

This quiet… I don’t know how to take it. I don’t like it at all. And I’m extremely nervous about what it could portend.

[Mike]

This makes me wonder if this is the Community’s version of “You can’t save her, just let her go”. Because DLB and Clint mean EVERYTHING to us…just like Stephanie means a ton to @larry and Sabrina means a ton to @russell

But you know what, fuck that. They’re a part of this just as much as we are. We can’t just let this happen. Too many times in life we bow down and let things happen that we think we could never change. We CAN make change things. We are The One goddamnit! Look at last year with @thebuz and III. He didn’t take threats to @kasch very well and made that change to defend his friend (and ultimately the Community) instead of chalking it up to theatre and laughing it off. Maybe we should start posting gifs about Mason to draw him out or something?

The question is what can we do right now?

[Anonymous]

But what if the best thing for him is to escape? If we keep trying to contact these people are we potentially putting them in danger? Are we potentially putting each other in danger?

[Mike]

With the data OSDM has on them, and all of us, there doesn’t seem that there could be an escape. They can always find us. We’re probably screwed either way, but have a much better chance at survival as a group, looking out for one another, than running away from this.

[Russell]

@thebuz I think for all of us the old horror / action movie cliche of “You can run, but you cannot hide,” holds true. If there is true danger, it is present, no matter what we choose to do.

[Brad Ruwe]

@russell Makes me think back to when Sarah had the visitor to our apartment a few weeks ago. She was insistent Sarah run and leave the apartment. I don’t know if that would’ve made much difference then, but it sure as hell won’t make much difference now if the level of bugging our apartments / phones is really that high.

[Violet]

Yup, I’m with @mike & @russell here. I think we’re all too far in for any chance of escape, so our best bet is banding together.

It is suuuper SUS that things seem to be really quiet right now, especially after the past couple days. The calm before the storm??

[Sean]

As part of the email exchange that Kasch so… graciously provided, it was noted that Darren was going through a rough time right now. It is highly likely that the recent days’ events only helped to exasperate that and cutting people off during times of strife is not unexpected

[Andrew Kasch]

@mike We don’t need to “draw out” Mason. He’s already here. He has stated that he wants us to actually LISTEN to him.
That seems like a good course of action. Do I trust him? Hell no. He’s weird as fuck. But I also think he deserves the benefit of the doubt. He might just be the key to unraveling the OSDM.

Something is brewing and I have a gut feeling that LUST is about to implode. This whole experience seems like it’s about to come tumbling down like a house of cards. Remember what they whispered in our ear back at the very beginning of TENSION: “This isn’t what you think it is…”

[Mike]

@kasch – Right, but so was III. What I mean is, he’s only made phone calls up until now. What will make him actually meet someone(s) in person?

[Andrew Kasch]

III was a petty asshole who did nothing but go on power trips and make lots idle threats (plus, he tried to kill Special Agent Dale Cooper). Mason seems more genuinely concerned with the road we’re going down.

So far, Mason’s been pretty responsive to me ever since he appeared, and ended yesterday’s call by saying he’ll be in touch. So far, I think I’m in a pretty good position to actually meet him and see what the fuck he’s all about. Maybe all the Exhibit C people will be called upon again? We’ll just have to wait and see.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by Andrew Kasch.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by Andrew Kasch.

[Russell]

@kasch

Do I trust him? Hell no.

The guy insinuated he (or someone) was going to break into my home. I am with you, Andrew.
(So happy to hear I am not the only one with trust issues these days! Ha!)

[Violet]

I definitely don’t trust Mason, but right now, I think he may be a lead worth pursuing.

[Lawrence Meyers]

@mike An impassioned call, to be sure. However, there is a bigger picture here.

1) Sabrina told me to my face at the OOA. “I don’t need saving”.

2) Stephanie said to me, to my face, in no uncertain terms, “I don’t need you to save me. I don’t need you to protect me. I can take care of myself.”

3) I am (was?) easily manipulated having exposed my weakness. And you’ve exposed yours. How many scenarios have I foreseen whereby I get a call from a distressed Stephanie, only to find myself barging into a warehouse and ____________ (fill in black with bad consequence). I’m still not certain I wouldn’t. I’d like to think I’m not that stupid.

4) I am not much for prophetic dreams, but I have had them. The unconscious delivers us insights via dreams. And you know I had a dream (now telling everyone else) Sunday night in which I was kidnapped by the OOA, indoctrinated, drugged to be compliant…and Stephanie ends up dead. Thank you, no. (Well, maybe a sex retreat ritual is acceptable, but I digress).

5) As I told @111error, unless someone asks me directly for help, or there is a clear and present danger someone is unaware of, it is not my place to interfere. “We cannot save anyone. We can only love them”.

Finally, if one is to believe that our entire journey is about the Ouroboros, that means not succumbing to our complexes — including the Savior Complex.

As for Mason, seems like he’s a perv after my own heart, and while he’s been pushy in contacting people, I don’t see why anyone shouldn’t meet with him — in a public place, during the day. Hell, I’m up for it. I know 5 of the actors from Tension and can tell him what little they have told me. Hmm, guess I should let him know that….

• This reply was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by Lawrence Meyers.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by Lawrence Meyers.

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