Wow! I had to skip a few threads because it was just moving SO fast! Apologies to missing many thoughtful entries.
The following is just my own opinion MOO, just speculation, k?
I believe it is important to recognize what a HUGE Chuck Palahniuk fan-boy BL was. I am curious which book he took with him when he fled. I definitely believe he did NOT travel without one. I am curious if he took his journal with him. The author encourages people to write an outrageous sentence daily. The author characterizes his work as “satire”. But absolutely part of the recipe for success is writing about off the wall gruesome stories involving outcasts. Sometimes, he states stories are “true”. Personally I believe they are truly stories but not biographies, that’s part of the gimmick/hook. Some of these CP fans are huge devotees. There are old interviews on YouTube with his then publish and publisher who mention this and the “cacophony” wannabes. BL is a huge fan boy. It’s in “his” art, making stamps based on novel cover art. It’s in the description of he and Gabby reading passages to each other (who does that?) regularly. Apparently, the books were so sacred, he marked his place with art stamps rather than a bookmark. BL was a guy with few friends. I believe in his mind, CP IS his friend, they just haven’t met yet.
more MOO. Gabby has been described by many as likable, cheerful, kind. I believe the relationship between she and BL began when she saw him usually alone, perhaps picked on, and she felt sorry for him and befriended him. And then he love bombed her. And she knew he NEEDED her. And then began the slippery slope. I think part of his de-valuing her over time had to do with his rejection by peers, ie ‘you must be pathetic to want to be with someone like me’. I think she spent a lot of energy trying to fix him to the point she likely started to blur her own likes and dislikes. She did know she wanted to travel and do the van life vlogging thing. BL went along with it for his own motives. I think it probably started to significantly stress her out when it became clear he wasn’t fully on board with the Team Plan.
So, MOO, why did BL want to go on this trip? Because the ending destination was outside of Portland. Guess who is a longtime resident outside of Portland - CP. He is famously still an active member in the Portland chapter of Cacophony. Prior to the pandemic he did lots of travel for book tours/readings. Now seems to be virtual. I believe he still wants to be near CP. so anybody in the northwest, keep your eyes open. Also, if CP resumes book tours in person, that would be a good place to look also.
MOO, Parents are definitely covering for him. One of the things CP has stated in some of his interviews is that he believes by telling this gruesome fantastical tales that enables and frees some of his readers to disclose their own ‘confessions’. Contrary to what a typical person might do, I think BL TOLD his parents about ‘accidentally’ strangling GP to death. As soon as the parents contacted their lawyer, I am sure they knew, MOO. I also believe, MOO, is the s’mores family get together was a final memory making moment. Unbeknownst to Cassie and her family, it was planned to be the last time they would see Uncle Brian for awhile.
ok, last one. MOO. He’s not hiding out in the swamp, no way. It is not his skill set.
