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drinkthehalo · 2 months

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I saw the Boy Witch again last night.

It was the first time I'd seen Jordan Morley in the role since 2011, and the 13th anniversary of the opening of Sleep No More NYC.

It was magical. Jordan moves like a witch. Little movements of the hands, ways of floating through the space, supernatural.

Jordan finds so many moments of connection.

In May (?) 2011, Jordan's Witch drew me to sit with them at a little table in the lobby dining room, put a little milagro on a red string around my neck, and whispered, "Wear this always. It will protect you." (My memory of this is fuzzy, and I have other memories from this time that couldn't have been accurate, but I think this one is real.) I put the milagro on my bedroom mirror - it was a little hand - and it remained there for ten years, until I moved in 2021. Other trinkets came and went, but that one stayed, along with other milagros from Boy Witches, until they stopped giving them out a couple years later.

Why did I keep it there for so long? That moment of connection had been so beautiful. I knew it was a performance, I knew it wasn't "real," I knew it happened to whoever was in the right place at the right time multiple times per night. And yet somehow, in that brief moment, it had been so deeply moving and meaningful.

I felt it again last night. For the first time since my son was born, my back didn't hurt. I floated through the space like walking on air, like I was 13 years younger.

I've puzzled for so many years about why I am so drawn to the Boy Witch. Often I'd feel ashamed, wondering if it was something prurient, if I was just coming back to be flirted with by an attractive person who gets naked.

It came to me last night though, what's really going on. The Boy Witch is reaching out for connection. With these little moments of fun, and play, and teasing, and then these moments of great longing, of extended eye contact, of tears, of hugs.

He is a character who is cloaked in darkness, narratively an omen of tragedy and death, literally cloaked in the dark shadows of the McKittrick, and yet he reaches out through that darkness, always trying to find human connection. Last night I felt in those moments that he was seeing me as the Porter, as that embodiment of his lost love and humanity.

(Maybe the tragedy of the character is that he can never truly maintain the connection, that the tears aren't real, that those moments are ephemeral, that one moment he looks deep into your eyes and the next moment he spurns you. (Although I take the Boy Witch/Porter's recent NYE wedding as canon!))

What a miracle that this performer I've never spoken to outside of the show, and never thought I'd see in the role again, could reach out through the darkness of 13 years and create such beautiful moments of connection again.

#sleep no more #boy witch

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drinkthehalo · 2 months

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the thing about the references in lymond, is that they do not fucking matter. the man is a snob, you're not supposed to know what hes talking about, hes just showing off.

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drinkthehalo · 6 months

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He’s considerably older than Enoch now! And any dayfly you can name.

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drinkthehalo · 8 months

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CQL/The Untamed's Original script (Compilation of Deleted Scenes)

Note: This is an updated version of an old post from my sideblog. Leaks from the original script are still coming out occasionally so this post might have to be updated again sometime in the future.

Episode 13

Wei Wuxian saves Wen Qing from being hit by Wang Lingjiao's iron brand.

🔗 Video

Wang Lingjiao attempts to burn Mianmian with the iron brand. Wen Qing pushes Mianmian away and she almost gets hit by the iron brand. Wei Wuxian swoops in and saves Wen Qing.

Wei Wuxian fell backwards, also knocking Wen Qing down, the two of them rolling across the ground together [...] Wei Wuxian looked down at his chest, his clothes were scorched black and smoke was rising from his burnt flesh.

Wen Qing: (whispering) "Wei Wuxian!"

Wei Wuxian smiled at her as if he wasn't hurt.

Wei Wuxian: "Wen Qing, take care of yourself,"

Then he got up and returned to the ongoing battle. Wen Qing reached out, wanting to hold on to him, but his robes slipped from her fingers.

(‼️ In the novel, Wei Wuxian rescued Mianmian.)

Episode 19

When Wei Wuxian gets caught by Wen Chao and Wang Lingjiao after the golden core transfer, they bring Wen Qing in and threaten to kill her in front of him.

Wang Lingjiao: "That day in Xuanwu Cave, the hero rescued this beautiful maiden. Does Miss Wen keep you inside her heart? Shall I rip her heart out so you can see it for yourself?"

Episode 36

When Wei Wuxian unseals Wen Ning's consciousness there are some deleted lines of Wei Wuxian inquiring after Wen Qing's whereabouts.

🔗 Full video with audio

Wei Wuxian: "So that is to say...you have no idea where to find Wen Qing, either?"

Episode ???

Not sure which episode this is from but it should be post-reincarnation and before episode 39.

Wei Wuxian dreamed that after he fell off the cliff he woke up in a stone cave with his body covered in bandages. Wen Qing is in the cave with him, crushing herbs and brewing medicine.

31-6

[...] He couldn't see the figures clearly, couldn't recognize who they were. They seemed to be calling his name but he couldn't hear them clearly. The sound of the wind whistling in his ears reminded him that he was falling. Wei Wuxian wore a smile on his face, unbothered by the prospect of imminent death. The edge of the cliff is getting farther and farther away from him....farther and farther away...

Boom!

A loud noise, and then the world around him was plunged into darkness.

31-7 [Dreamscape]

Time: Night

Location: Inside a room

Characters: Wei Wuxian, Wen Qing (with her face concealed)

Wei Wuxian wakes up in a stone cave outfitted with basic facilities. Medicine was being boiled in a small pot, and sitting on a bamboo table near him was a woman who was crushing medicinal herbs. His vision is blurry but he thinks this woman is Wen Qing.

He tried to call out to her but realized that he couldn't make a sound. He stretched out his hand, wanting to touch the woman and tell her that he was awake, but he couldn't move his body. After several attempts he could only lift his hand, and it was then that he saw that his arm was covered in bandages. The woman finally realized he was awake and she quickly rushed to his side, overjoyed.

She rushed to Wei Wuxian, bent down to look at him, and called out his name. He still couldn't see her face properly. Wei Wuxian was very anxious. He struggled, wanted desperately to talk to her, wanted to wave his hands. He wanted to see if the woman in front of him really was Wen Qing, but the more he struggled, the more his vision blurred. The image before him slowly started to fade, leaving only her hazy voice calling his name over and over again.

Wen Qing voiceover: (voice getting louder and louder) "Wei Wuxian! Wei Wuxian! Wei Wuxian!

Then the world was plunged into darkness once again.

31-8

Time: Day

Location: Guest Room

Character: Wei Wuxian

Wei Wuxian suddenly opened his eyes. His entire body was covered in cold sweat and he was panting lightly. For a moment, he was unable to tell whether the scene he saw was merely a dream, or if it was actually a memory.

Outside the window, dawn was just beginning to break, but Wei Wuxian could no longer fall asleep.

(‼️ These scenes seem to imply that after he fell off the cliff, Wen Qing took him away, brought him somewhere else, and then tried to save him. In the novel, he was ripped to shreds by fierce ghosts and didn't leave an intact corpse, but the way he died in CQL should have left a corpse. This is a 'plothole' that people have been bringing up often since the show first aired. These deleted scenes with Wen Qing could explain why nobody found Wei Wuxian's body, and also why Jiang Cheng managed to retrieve the flute from the bottom of the cliff, but not his corpse.)

Episode 39

Wei Wuxian walks around Tanzhou city market and mistakes a random woman in red for Wen Qing.

33-33

Time: Night

Location: Tanzhou City Gate

Characters: Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, Wen Qing (illusion), Random woman in red

A woman in dressed in red stood under a lantern. She turned her head and smiled at Wei Wuxian. It was Wen Qing. Wei Wuxian stared at her in a daze. He slowly reached out a hand, wanting to call out to her, but hesitated.

Wei Wuxian: (in a soft voice) "...Wen Qing?"

But then reality struck him as the woman turned around. Although she had a lovely face, she was not Wen Qing.

Wei Wuxian: (Had a blank look on his face, then he laughed casually) "Sorry about that! I mistook you for somebody else,"

The woman covered her mouth, and walked away with a smile. Wei Wuxian sighed softly, then turned around and saw Lan Wangji standing under a dim lantern.

Episode 43

Wei Wuxian asks Lan Xichen about the scars on Lan Wangji's back. Lan Xichen tells him that back when Wen Qing surrendered herself for punishment to the Jin clan, Lan Wangji broke into Jinlintai to rescue her, and fought with cultivators from the LanlingJin and GusuLan in order to protect her.

🔗 Full video

36-17 [Memories]

In the dungeons of Jinlintai, where Wen Qing is being held as prisoner, the Jin cultivators standing guard suddenly fall unconscious to the floor.

36-18 [Memories]

Lan Wangji enters the dungeon where Wen Qing is held captive. He asks her to leave with him and she refuses. Lan Wangji tells her that by sacrificing herself, she's only hurting Wei Wuxian. She asks him if she has any other choice.

Wen Qing: "Then tell me, Hanguang-jun, is there any other path I can take?"

Lan Wangji fell silent. Wen Qing turned away from him.

Lan Wangji: "Wei Ying also asked me this question,"

Tears finally started falling from Wen Qing's eyes.

Lan Wangji: "I now have an answer, I'll help you,"

Wen Qing turned to look at Lan Wangji. Her face was streaked with her tears and her expression was uncertain.

Lan Xichen voiceover: "Wangji fought and injured thirty cultivators from the LanlingJin and the GusuLan in order to rescue Miss Wen. This matter was kept secret, and the Jin clan did not wish to make it public. It could have been swept under the rug, but I didn't expect that later on..."

36-19 [Memories]

Lan Wangji stands in front of the Burial Mounds, surrounded by other cultivators and Su She (I think this is the scene where Lan Wangji says: "You are not qualified to talk to me" but the rest of the script is not visible in the photo)

(‼️In the novel, the one that Lan Wangji rescued was Wei Wuxian. Lan Wangji fought and injured 33 Lan elders in order to protect him, and because of that he was punished severely using a discipline whip, which left him with deep scars on his back. This is one of the most important WangXian scenes and is a major turning point in their relationship)

Episode 46

In Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng's argument leading up to the golden core reveal, Jiang Cheng says that he thinks Wen Qing is alive. He then accuses Wei Wuxian of hiding her from him. Wei Wuxian insists that he doesn't know where Wen Qing is either.

(Can you tell whose script this is? It's Xiao Zhan's 😂)

Episode 50

After the conversation with Nie Huaisang in Cloud Recesses, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji part ways. Lan Wangji leaves to become Chief Cultivator while Wei Wuxian goes on a journey to find Wen Qing. The story ends after Wen Qing and Wei Wuxian reunite.

42-51

After their confrontation with Nie Huaisang in Cloud Recesses, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji part ways.

They are finally going in different directions. They stood facing each other, the breeze rustling their robes.

Lan Wangji: "Have you decided where to go?"

Wei Wuxian looked up at the white clouds floating in the sky and shook his head.

Wei Wuxian: "I haven't. I think I'll go look for Wen Qing. Perhaps she's still alive,"

Wei Wuxian then turned and led Little Apple down the mountain path. With his back turned to him, Wei Wuxian raised his hand and waved.

Wei Wuxian: "Lan Zhan, goodbye,"

Wei Wuxian walked into the distant mountains, amongst the emerald-colored greenery. Lan Wangji watched Wei Wuxian's retreating figure before slowly turning around and walking in a different direction.

42-52

Lan Wangji suddenly stopped walking. He could hear the sound of the flute Chenqing from a distance, playing a very familiar Gusu tune.

Wei Wuxian voiceover: "Lan Zhan, the next time we meet each other, you better have a name for this song,"

Lan Wangji did not look back, but there was a smile on his face.

Lan Wangji: "Way ahead of you,"

Lan Wangji shook the hems of his robes, and continued walking forward.

42-53

Wei Wuxian played a tune on his flute as he rode on top of his donkey. Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to him from behind.

Wen Qing voiceover: "Wei Wuxian!"

Wei Wuxian was stunned. He slowly put Chenqing down and turned his head to look behind him.

[END]

Character Biography

It's stated in both of their CQL character descriptions that Wen Qing is alive, and that Wei Wuxian looks for her at the end.

WEN QING

'Wen Ruohan's niece, descended from the branch side of the Wen family, who is a highly respected medical practitioner. She is known as a peerless beauty of the realm and has a generous and proud personality, but she is very shy when it comes to her feelings. Afraid that other people will say that she likes Wei Wuxian, she took great pains to hide the admiration that she felt for him in her heart. After the fall of the Wen clan, she was rescued by Wei Wuxian and the two of them become a quarrelsome yet loving couple who relied on each other for support. Later on, Wen Qing rescued a heavily injured Wei Wuxian, then she disappeared without a trace.'

WEI WUXIAN

[...] After his return, he worked together with Lan Wangji to solve the mysteries of his past, and in the end, he went to find Wen Qing.

(‼️ There are more deleted scenes that were leaked but they were very minor, inconsequential scenes: Wen Qing fainting in Wei Wuxian's arms, the two of them holding hands in Qiongqi pass, the two of them sitting together in the floor of Xuanwu cave, etc, etc, and since tumblr limits the amount of photos per post, I only chose the most plot-relevant leaks. Most of them can still be found on weibo)

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drinkthehalo · 9 months

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Important Lymond Chronicles alignment chart

#Lymond #The Lymond Chronicles

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drinkthehalo · 9 months

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“wah wah what am I supposed to watch if all the actors and writers are on strik—“ my name is John Crichton AN ASTRONAUT a radiation wave hit and I got shot through a wormhole now I'm lost in some distant part of the universe on a ship, a LIVING SHIP, full of strange alien life forms help me help me listen, please is there anybody out there who can hear me? I'm being hunted hunted by an insane military commanderI'm doing everything I can I'm just looking for a way home

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drinkthehalo · 10 months

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@humans If you could reblog this, that would be great

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drinkthehalo · 10 months

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I was reading something about Whitestown, Indiana and my eyes nearly popped out of my head thinking it was one of THOSE comically racist towns. Nice to know, at least the name, wasn’t that.

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drinkthehalo · 10 months

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Which of these would you rather see on your dash?

Hey @staff. This is a perfect example of why collapsed reblogs is such a bad idea. Seeing the full thread, you go like this: 😮 ooh, that's cool 😀 "they're free," hehe! 🤣 "16 cents," perfection!!

I have achieved joy, I feel positive feelings toward Tumblr, I want to engage, I want to stay, my eyeballs land on more ads, you make more money, everyone wins! 🎉

Seeing the collapsed thread, you go like this:

😮 ooh, that's cool 😐 "16 cents"? yes, that's literally what the pic shows, not sure why you felt the need to say that

There is no motivation for me to uncollapse the reblog chain—it looks like a boring conversation about the denominations of coins. And even if I do uncollapse it, you've ruined the joke by showing me the punchline before the setup. I am sad, Tumblr is boring, I go elsewhere to entertain myself, I see less ads, you make less money, everyone loses. 😥

Reblog chains are the best thing about Tumblr. They are your unique super power. They are the thing that makes people screenshot Tumblr and share it around. Why on earth would you kneecap them??

I don't know exactly how you plan to implement this. Give people the option to keep them collapsed if there truly are people who are annoyed by how long they can get (you already have a version of this feature), but don't collapse them for everyone or new users by default. Please. It will make Tumblr so much more boring.

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drinkthehalo · 1 year

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You keep talking about the origins of AO3 as this group effort by an actual group of people who were friends and who spent time discussing this with each other in person. It's kind of blowing my mind. Is there a post or a journal somewhere that specifically keeps record of this?

I'm dying.

Nonnie, seriously?

No, that's mean, I know you're serious. It's just flabbergasting how much fandom has expanded and how much there isn't a direct link to the past.

Astolat and Cesperanza floated the idea at Vividcon and various places, I think, though I wasn't going to cons in that era. We were all on LJ in those days, and Astolat made a big post nailing her theses to the door. Discussion in the comments was instant and prolonged.

A LJ com was set up to discuss. It was later renamed to otw_news, but if you go all the way back to the beginning, you can see brainstorming mess instead of official news posts.

Fanlore page linking to Astolat's post and giving a little context.

Early brainstorming: https://otw-news.livejournal.com/2007/05/

For example, here I am collecting links to older archives to look at for research when designing AO3.

Fun fact, we never intended to call it AO3. There was a whole call for name suggestions, but nothing was as evocative as astolat's original post title referencing Virginia Woolf. (For those who haven't thought about it, AO3's name is a reference to A Room of One's Own.)

Here's the name discussion

Here's the poll that came out of it

But also notice how many people voted: 562.

That's how many people cared at the time: a few hundred. Maybe a thousand if you count lurkers, but frankly, that community was not as lurkery as now. It wasn't just ten friends. It was a community effort. But what "our" community looked like at the time was vastly different. It was six degrees of Kevin Bacon astolat, not a vast sea of strangers like fic fandom on AO3 is now.

Here's an early post suggesting we ban the under 18s from the site entirely. Pity we didn't do so, given the rise of antis.

Here's the invite to a fundraising party at astolat's in NYC that following Halloween. I dressed as Amanda from Highlander, not very well.

You can tell we knew each other by looking at those comments on astolat's initial post. You can also tell how discussion-based that part of fandom was back in 2007.

The way my tumblr is now with a ton of text, back and forth, and hopping around between threads of conversation, all featuring a consistent set of faces, is very much like LJ. Most of tumblr is not.

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