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magictragictidalwave · 20 days ago

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I can’t get Maelle’s ending out of my head

I know it’s already been discussed to death but like…first off that final image of her is burned into my brain cause it legit freaked me out, that whole ending was so eerie to me

so it surprised me a little see others here and elsewhere online saying they prefer the Maelle ending because everyone has come back to life. But they haven’t. Or, well, not in the way you’d think

Perhaps Lune and Sciel are the same as they were when Maelle first brought them back. Maybe they’re still the original Lune and Sciel, more or less.

But it’s clear Verso isn’t. Gustave and Sophie aren’t. Pierre isn’t. No one else that died or were gommaged are the same, because none of them are her original creations—they’re all recreations of Aline’s creations. They’re all a copy, and imperfect ones at that

Monoco warns us about this when he explains how gestrals return. They can come back to life, but they’re never the same. They lack all the memories of before, they lack all the experience. When Noco comes back, he’s a different Noco. As he grows, he won’t gradually become like the old Noco, he will continue to be a different Noco who is becoming his own unique version

(Granted Noco and Monoco are allegorical fo the family dogs, this idea that when one Noco-the-dog dies you can get another dog and name him Noco but it won’t be the same Noco. But still, narratively, we see this happen with Monoco, and I think it’s meant to be a sign or a hint that it would be the same for others inside the canvas)

Gestrals are used to this, and Monoco finds something beautiful in the fact that the original Noco, who was his mentor, could be reincarnated and have a fresh new beginning and become his ward (the second iteration of Noco, if you will). But he’s clear he mourns both his mentor Noco and his ward Noco when Noco is killed in Old Lumiere, and even after Noco is reincarnated again he mourns.

It isn’t the same Noco.

Maelle only really knew Lune, Sciel, and Gustave well. She also knew Emma, several orphans, and perhaps Sophie semi-well. But well enough to paint them back into existence exactly as they were? I just don’t see it.

And Verso is the clue. While Lune, Sciel, Gustave, Sophie, all of them look happy, there’s a sense of…suspension in her ending while everyone is waiting for Verso to play the piano. The silence is deafening. Verso, now looking a little older, may or may not have all the memories of his 67+ years in the canvas—perhaps he’s an entirely new Verso—but it’s clear he seems all too aware of his circumstances. He hesitates. He seems unwilling to perform, literally and figuratively. It’s not nervousness that stays his hand.

It looks like he’s weighing his options. Play (perform) for Maelle, put on a show…or get up and leave. But does he really have a choice?

Maelle’s smile in that scene seems strained, almost faked, performative. In some shots it almost seems like she’s crying, despite her smile, cause of the sheen on her cheeks. And then we snap to that one shot of her, with the paint dripping down her face, and we know she’s spent too long in the canvas already.

It’s hard to say what that moment means, if it’s just to warn us that Maelle is spending too much time painting everyone back into existence and trying to shape Lumiere into this world that she wants to live in with the others, or if it’s a suggestion that she’s exerting some kind of control over Verso. I don’t think it’s the latter. I don’t think everyone is a mindless puppet around her. But I do think it’s a hint that she might become another obsessed Paintress…and since she’s in the habit of repainting anyone who has been lost…

I don’t know. Maelle doesn’t seem to be in the business of painting original things. She can only copy. If she’s stuck in a cycle where she can only copy things, where she doesn’t go out to explore new places or meet new people or find new inspiration, then she and Lumiere will stagnate inside the canvas.

Either way, it’s a haunting ending. It’s a facade of happiness that is thinly painted over a darker, more desolate reality. You get this very real sense that Maelle will never leave the canvas. And I’ll say it—that’s tragic.

And what about the soul of real Verso? That’s what bothers me the most. He is so tired. He’s the soul fragment of a child who is plagued with nightmares from the Nevrons, who is trying to make sense of this fragmented world of his creation that no longer looks like his creation, and he’s tired.

But Maelle forces him to stay painting anyway. Because without him, there is no canvas. And without a canvas, she can’t have the fabricated world of her own making, where she can hide for what seems like forever.

Yeah. This ending will haunt me for a bit

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magictragictidalwave · 26 days ago

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Don't Be a Stranger (pt 2)

Summary: You end up in the hospital after your neighbor’s kid has a minor accident, guess who you run into while there!

Pairing: Jack Abbot x Reader

Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings: Dead brother, medical inaccuracies, no gore or anything specific

Author’s note: Here’s part 2! I had fun with some new characters here so I hope y’all like them! As always I cherish every bit of feedback y’all send so please please please flood me with more (it’s your fault anyways for spoiling me up to this point lmao)

Part 1

The emergency department of the PTMH was not exactly where you envisioned spending your Saturday, but you supposed you didn’t have much else going on.

A large crash from next door had you sprinting out of the house without much thought and finding your neighbors teenage son Jamie splayed awkwardly on top of a few of the bushes that lined the side of their house had you ushering him into your car without any consideration as to what you were wearing.

That was how you found yourself shivering slightly in the waiting room of the PTMH in an oversized t-shirt and shorts that usually never saw the light of day. Jamie had knocked out after the first hour, leaned back dare you say comfortably in one of the waiting room chairs with his ankle elevated on your knee to keep it from hurting, you were truly impressed with the kid’s ability to fall asleep anywhere.

You hadn’t even thought to bring anything to pass the time while you waited, had only grabbed your phone, wallet, and keys before you left with Jamie, who spent the whole drive complaining that he was fine from your passenger seat. Now that you were on hour three and your phone was nearly dead though, you were really starting to regret it.

With 10% to spare Jamie’s name was finally called and you were ushered back and onto a bed with a curtain pulled around to offer some privacy, thus starting the second period of waiting.

Again, just as you were about to reach your breaking point, Jamie perking right up after his afternoon nap and containing far too much energy for his fourth hour within the hospital, the curtain was suddenly pulled back and a familiar looking face was emerging.

“Robby?” The name startled the man who had been looking down at the tablet in his hand, his gait stuttering as his head whipped up to connect his gaze with yours.

“Y/N?”

You couldn’t help but chuckle at the surprised look on his face, admitting to yourself that when you had met him wearing scrubs the other day you’d hardly thought you would see him here either “I swear I’m not stalking you”

He laughed appreciatively at that as he sat down in a backless roller chair “I hope not it’d be incredibly boring” he joked before giving his hands a small clap and rubbing them back and forth “now what brings you and uh-“ he frowned slightly as he turned back towards Jamie who was sitting back with a mischievous smirk, eyes dancing eagerly back and forth between you and the doctor, you could practically see him forcing together puzzle pieces that didn’t fit in his mind.

“Jamie” you supplied the name for Robbie as he trailed off, sending a glare at the kid himself in warning, silently begging him to behave.

“Jamie right” Robby nodded as you watched him wrack his brain for Jamie’s name, clearly looking for the connection between the two of you “Sorry I just didn’t know you had a son”

Your eyes went wide at his statement, panicked gaze turning to Jamie to see the exact expression you had feared on his face, nothing short of pure malevolence and barely contained glee.

“Please no” you groaned under your breath, Robby turning a confused look to you just in time for Jamie to start spouting off.

“You’re adopting me!” He pitched his voice loud enough to draw the attention of everyone in the area, a wide grin on his face as you buried yours in your hands to hide your flaming cheeks.

“You have no idea how much this means to me” the kid was pulling out all the stops, dabbing his eyes to keep the fake tears at bay, Robby taking in the whole display with bewilderment and poorly contained amusement.

“come on mom, bring it in” he brought it home by holding his arms out wide to you, and though you complied by stepping into them you made sure to supply a loud fake gag as you squeezed him too tightly.

“Please never call me that again”

Separating yourself from Jamie you stood by his side by the bed, sending Robby what you hoped was an apologetic smile, though based on the smirk on his face he didn’t think one was necessary.

“Jamie is my neighbor” you supplied finally, giving the kid a soft elbow in the side that made him laugh gleefully “his mom’s at work so I came running when I heard a sudden crash from next door”

“And the cause of this crash?”

Robby directed the question at Jamie with a raised brow, and though you had hoped the kid would be at least a little sheepish beneath the doctor’s gaze he instead answered with a gleeful smile. “fell off the roof”

Your head was in your hands with an exasperated groan as soon as the words left his mouth.

Robby was doing his best the swallow back his chuckle as he nodded in understanding.

“and why were you the roof in the first place Jamie?” You asked sweetly, pointedly ignoring the glare he sent your way.

“I don’t think we need to bother the doctor with-“

“I do” you cut him off with a grin and a raised brow, a silent threat sent that had him folding immediately.

“I was smoking pot”

“Ahh” Robby hummed in understanding, standing back up to begin typing notes on the terminal, the pieces all finally falling into place.

“but since my mom is right here we obviously don’t need to notify anyone else as to why I was on the roof tonight right” Jamie tried desperately, putting on his best charming smile that made you snort.

“Nice try kid I called her as soon as we entered the waiting room”

He narrowed his eyes back at you in response “I changed my mind I don’t want to be adopted by you anymore”

“Feeling’s mutual” you responded stoically, turning your attention back to Robby “left ankle is tender and swollen, but mostly I wanted to get his head checked out. He claims he feels fine but-“

“but never hurts to check” Robby supplied easily “you did the right thing we’ll schedule a CT to check and in the meantime I’ll take a look at your ankle, go ahead and scootch back”

Jamie complied with the request without a word, you jumping in to help him carefully raise his leg while Robby snapped on some gloves.

Carefully taking the joint in hand he examined it delicately, poking lightly at the swollen area before addressing you softly. “Jack know you’re here yet?”

“why would Jack know I’m here” you asked, Robby’s gaze snapping up to meet yours with a furrowed brow.

“You two haven’t talked yet?”

You shook your head, still failing to see why you would need to notify Jack that your neighbor was in the hospital. “Not since I gave him my number a few days ago” You watched Robby’s frown deepen, suddenly feeling the need to defend Jack “I told him it was no pressure, so I get it”

“No I know I just thought-“ he trailed off suddenly, light frown still present on his face as he searched your expression for something.

Jamie took the silence as the perfect opportunity to jump in with a shit eating grin “who’s Jack?”

You glared back at your neighbor, ignoring the cough Robby used to try and disguise his laugh as Jamie grinned back at you. “keep talking and I’ll make sure you leave this hospital in crutches one way or another”

“Doc” Jamie protested to Robby through his laugh “you going to let her abuse me like that, didn’t you take an oath or something”

Robby shook his head in response as he took off his gloves, making his way back to the tablet “since she’s your mom not much I can do”

You barely had time to properly revel in your victory when the curtain somewhat surrounding the three of you was pulled back again revealing the man of the hour himself looking slightly frazzled behind it.

“Jack?” his name was spilling out of you before you could think better of it. You could practically feel Jamie’s grin get wider at the news.

“Front desk said you were here what’s going on, are you okay” he asked quickly, eyes already scanning you head to toe for injuries, clearly not realizing you weren’t the one on the bed in a gown.

“no I’m good” you assured him, gesturing with a tilt of your head to Jamie as you said it “not here for me”

Not quite satisfied his gaze stayed on you for a second longer, silence lingering for just a tad too long before he turned his gaze to Jamie, a kid who was on a roll with filling these awkward silences “so you’re the famous Jack I’ve heard so much about”

Robby hadn’t even tried to contain the snort that came out of him at that statement, Jack’s gaze whipping around to glare at his friend while you turned on Jamie with a threat “I will disown you”

He grinned back, clearly reveling in the embarrassment he could see rising within you as he fought back “I just think if he’s going to be my new dad-“

“Finish that sentence I dare you” you threatened with raised brows, Jamie happily shutting his mouth as he recognized that he got the important bit across.

Turning almost reluctantly back to the two doctors you made eye contact with Jack first, his brow furrowed as he cast his gaze back and forth between you and Jamie just as Robby had done initially, his friend watching his confusion with as badly contained mirth as Jamie had.

“I’ve actually never met this person before” you tried weakly, “Actually I think I’m in the wrong place entirely” you ignored the loud cough Robby used to cover up his laugh, Jack’s gaze pinning you to the spot with a curious expression, the silence lingering just long enough for Jamie to decide he needed to fill it again.

“You know, this one” he threw an arm over your shoulder and jostled you dramatically “will not stop talking about you. It’s always Jack this and Jack that-“

“Okay and that’s enough out of you” you pushed his arm off of you as laughter spilled out of Jamie despite his best efforts to tamp it down as you sent Jack a desperate look and nodded back out into the hallway “can we”

The smirk on his face was much too smug for your liking but he complied nonetheless, following you out of Jamie’s curtained off area leaving the teen alone with Robby who you were fairly certain was giving him a fist bump as the two of you exited. You were almost out of earshot before you heard him yell out after you “Wait Jack we need to talk, what are your intentions with my mother”

“I’m going to kill him” you groaned in exasperation.

“As a mandated reporter I have a pretty good idea on how I can help you get away with it”

You snorted at the quick response, shaking your head softly as you looked up at him, properly getting a good look at the man for the first time, not realizing the two of you had been silent until it felt like it was too late, the two of you trying to break it at the same time.

“I didn’t know-“

“Jamie’s my neighbor’s kid”

The two of you stopped as soon as you recognized you were talking over the other, you chuckling softly while Jack smiled down at you.

“sorry-just-before you make the same assumption Robby did, I’m just the neighbor, was there at the right time”

“he’s lucky to have you” he spoke soft enough you almost felt the need to lean in further, encroach further on his space, you held back for now.

“He won’t think so when his mom shows up and learns he was smoking pot on the roof”

He chuckled softly at that “you two seem close”

You nodded at the implied question, a smile growing naturally on your face at the thought of it “after my brother died they kind of took me in, his mom’s the only real reason I stayed fed for months straight”

His smile dimmed slightly at that but he nodded, gaze cutting back briefly to Jamie’s room before returning to you “It’s good to have someone to lean on”

“Yeah it really is”

Another short silence stretched, you couldn’t help but notice that with Jack they hardly ever felt awkward, before he broke it “Listen I meant to call you-“

“You don’t owe me an explanation” you cut him off with a wave, Jack frowning back at you in response.

“Really I was going to call. I am going to call”

“I told you it’s fine”

“You know most people let it go after one insistence” the smug smirk was back as he threw your words back at you, you hated how well it suited him.

“Well I’m not most people”

There was a pregnant pause, Jack searching your gaze for a moment, you offering a soft huff and a smile as a silent invitation to properly end the cycle “I don’t know how he could ever stand you”

You chuckled softly at that, shaking your head, giving it a moment before responding “you know that’s a really fucked up thing to say to someone who’s brother died”

You didn’t even try to keep the smirk off your face as you said it, Jack huffing back in response as he shook his head, the corners of his mouth ticking up in response as well.

Another silence, a small comfort.

“I usually work nights” he offered up the information softly “or whenever they need me. It’s a little hard to find time to talk during the day for me”

“It’s fine whenever you find the time works” you assured him just as softly “plus I have a shit sleep schedule so don’t be afraid of calling too late”

“4am work?” You snorted in response, the speed at which he did this to you always catching you slightly off guard.

“May have to shift a few things on my calendar but I think I can pencil you in”

Jack smiled back at that, a small silence falling over the two of you before a newcomer whirled in and broke the bubble that had formed around the two of you.

“Y/N sweetheart” Jack hadn’t even realized how close he’d gotten to you until he was jumping back at the sound of the stranger’s voice, clearing just enough room for the woman to swoop in and throw her arms around your neck. “I got off as soon as I could”

“Marnie it’s okay Jamie’s fine” you were assuring her quickly with a tight hug, giving the woman a small rock before the two of you separated “he’s been a pain in my ass for the past four hours believe me the kid will live”

“Oh that sounds like him” Jamie’s mom nodded, giving your arm a final squeeze “Where is he?”

Jack, for some reason, decided it was time for him to jump in, pointing back down the hall towards Jamie’s bed “He’s just down the hall bed 20”

This seemed to be the first time the woman acknowledged his presence, her eyes widening slightly as she turned to Jack “Oh I’m so sorry you are?”

“Dr. Abbot” he introduced himself with a polite smile, extending his hand to Marnie who immediately pushed it aside.

“Oh you saved him” she exclaimed, Jack immediately recognizing where Jamie got his theatrical spirit from, before she wrapped her arms around his middle in a bone crushing hug catching him completely off guard.

He heard a muffled cackle from over the woman’s head and looked to find you hiding your laugh behind your hand. Sending you a glare as he awkwardly patted the woman’s back, Jack carefully extracted himself from the tight hug. “no actually that would be by colleague Dr. Robinavitch, he’s with your son now” he gestured down the hall towards Jamie’s bed again “he’s a huge hugger though” he added with a wink in your direction as he watched you attempt to swallow back another laugh from behind Marnie.

“Oh well thank you still” Marnie brushed off the mistake easily, giving his arm a soft squeeze before turning back to you and hooking her arm into yours, giving you little choice but to follow back to Jamie’s bedside.

He did his best to bite back the grin on his face as he heard the flurry of questions you were fielding from Marnie on the way back about the “tall, handsome doctor” but given the wolfish grin on Dana’s face when he returned to the nurses’ desk he didn’t do a great job of it.

“Worth coming in early for right?” She asked with a teasing tone, enjoying way too much the small smile on Jack’s face even as he shook his head disapprovingly.

“You’re trouble”

She cackled in response. Just as he was looking up at the board trying to choose the case that would get him away from her for the longest time possible Robby came swooping in, a slightly haggard look on his face that had Jack chuckling “I see you met Marnie”

“Do something nice for the man and he sic’s his future mother-in-law on you” Robby grumbled under his breath, Jack doing his absolute best not to choke on air at the title.

“I didn’t ask for either of you to do something nice to me” he protested as he crossed his arms over his chest “I don’t need your help”

“Clearly you need it considering you never called her” Robby sent a glare in Jack’s direction, Dana immediately jumping in with a disappointed admonishment.

“Jack”

He pointedly ignored them both, deciding instead that the next patient he laid his eyes on would work just as well.

“Dana, Jack does still keep that napkin with her number on it in the pocket of his scrubs correct” Robby asked facetiously.

“It’s either that or he’s just happy to see us”

“It’d be a little more obvious if I was just happy to see you” Jack cut in stoically, not taking his eye off the board as he spoke.

“Not sure it was us he’s happy to see” Robby ignored him with a smug grin.

“This why you called me in early, so you two could practice your comedy routine?”

“Come on what’s the issue” Dana tried to steer the conversation back on track “she’s cute, she’s single, and she’s clearly into you”

“She didn’t give me her number for that” he brushed Dana off entirely, the bitterness in his tone rose to a noticeable level for the first time that conversation making Dana and Robby share a glance “she gave me her number to talk about her dead brother, who was my best friend”

“That doesn’t necessarily mean-“ Robby tried but a yell from across the Pitt cut him off.

“Bye Jack!” Jack whirled around suddenly at the call of his name, chuckling slightly as he saw Jamie waving at him eagerly, clearly for the sole effect of embarrassing you further. Something that was obviously working as you elbowed the kid sharply to make him stop, mouthing out a silent sorry to him from across the room.

“He needs our help” Robby muttered behind him to Dana who snorted in response with a nod

“he needs our help bad”

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