#I’m paraphrasing a bit from memory

[lavender-phannie]

Was explaining a bit of dan and phil lore to my parents and when I told them that Dan basically disappeared from YouTube for 5 years I had this interaction

My mum: so do they have real jobs? How did dan earn money during that time?

Me: well phil was still doing YouTube so it’s not like they both disappeared

My mum: yes but how did dan earn money?

Me: … they live together … they have a house together

My mum: oh!! Are they together? Are they a couple?

Me: 🧍

[calsvoid]

charlie: i think i could go back to any of my past fandoms

charlie2: yeah same except [that one popular minecraft server that blew up in 2020 that i will not be naming not because im embarrassed but because tumblr likes to put what should be 0 note posts out to fans whenever i mention a fandom]

charlie: oh yeah right

[pixiecaps]

recapping a bit of what haru said on stream

haru on her stream spoke about how shes had a really awful past five years and all her experiences just from this past year has been incredible. she gave a massive thank you to everyone and that she has no regrets.

“i never imagined i’d be where i am right now and i mean it with all my heart thank you so much. i had a very good time and i hope to have made you guys happy.”

she mentioned that since she was young shes always wanted to make content that makes people happy because she felt the world was missing a lot of love so shes happy to have given the world a piece of her heart. she mentioned how shes met so many incredible people who motivated her to see the good parts of life. to have found even this little bit of sunshine has left her so grateful. she says thank you for all the kindness, all the moments, all the memories, all the words, everything. shes very happy and mentioned this has been a very special experience for her. she reminded her chat that theres always another day and to enjoy life to the maximum, to live, to love, to talk, to hug each other, to be happy always, and that all the beautiful happiness we’ve given her will be returned back to us. she continues to express her gratitude. she mentioned this is one of the most beautiful communities shes ever had the pleasure of meeting in the entire world. she goes on to include the spanish, portuguese, french, english, german, and korean community in that statement.

“there is love in all types of languages and that love needs to be shared.“

she said her words will never be enough to express all her gratitude. she gave a reminder to always keep being kind. her voice falters a couple times from all the emotions. she mentioned shes cried enough and didn’t want to keep crying since she had something to do tomorrow and she didnt wanna have swollen eyes lmao.

she then shares a more personal moment. paraphrasing here.

“after i lost my dad i swear i felt like my life was falling apart. i never thought i’d be able to recover. after that many things happened and in those things, i wasnt destined to meet two people, this is a story i’ll always remember because i wasnt destined to meet these people. … they tell me hey the actor for this little thing didn’t show up and i say no way seriously? tell them to let me be it, tell them please because i want to be with you guys (harus two friends who were apart of the project). and i didnt think they’d agree… and they said yes. and i met two very important people and honestly (starts crying) thank you so much. thank you so much nussa. thanks to you i was able to meet them. i never imagined this would happen i promise you. thank you nussa. it means a lot to me that you decided to put me (into the leo spot). the only major thing in my life, i started being so happy, i started enjoying all the moments in my life as if it were the last, thanks to all this i’m here. and could meet you all. such a beautiful community.” she goes on to keep thanking nussa while crying and saying it was written in the stars. she goes on to say that shes gonna tell this as a story some day to her family, who doesnt know what she does or that she streams, and she’ll tell them about all of this with so much care and love. shes very thankful to have learned so much english and more about so many different cultures. she again reiterates shes very happy.

she also teases that she wants to go to brazil!!!! which… might be soon… and that theres little things being planned so hopefully if all goes well…👀 (an egg admin meetup would go so hard)

NOW GO SUPPORT HER ON TWITCH @ HarumiVT

[malenjoyer]

Hi!

I know right now may not be the best time to say this, but I'm kind of still processing how fast this all happened. As someone who likes to look over artists' past work esp my fav works daily and just suddenly noticed that they're almost all gone: twitter, instagram, and tumblr. It frustrates me that not only has this situation affected you, but how it really takes one selfish and inconsiderate person to ruin everything for others. I truly hope that you can heal from this and maybe we might see those pictures again, but this is just soo much to process. Just love and support for you <33333 🥹🫶😭🫶🫶🫶🫶

Hi. I’ve privated a lot of my work on tumblr and Instagram, so they’re not gone forever. I still have a lot of positive memories with them so I didn’t want to delete them. I wanted to keep all the nice comments and support I’ve gotten over these past few years.. I might unarchive them sometime in the future when I’m more okay with it being looked at. Twitter, I had no choice but to delete it, especially ones with dick, jason, and Peter Parker. My brain freaked out a little bit from seeing evidence of the person saving my art and making fake clip files with them. Logically, I am aware deleting my old art in response is stupid.

But it wasn’t limited to just comic art, it was other interests I had too which was really uncomfortable that someone would go to the extent of pretending they like other stuff I liked. They would also paraphrase tweets I’ve made about my personal life onto their own twitter. That just isn’t okay.

Every interest I’ve ever fallen in love with meant a lot to me. This is probably not publicly known information since I’m relatively private, as a depressed autistic person, a lot of who I am is what I end up liking. My friends and relatives describe me as dressing up like a cartoon character, because everything I like is so visibly obvious. I become utterly consumed in my favorite things. Suddenly, it feels like all of my control was taken away from me. My interests collected over the years were no longer just mine, it was someone else’s because they decided to lie and it was easier to continue lying. I don’t know how much was saved. There was a screenshot of a message with over 8+ of my art works sent excluding the fake files.

I don’t have control over it. The impersonation of my identity and my life experiences.

But I do have control over who gets to see what I put out in the future. I could probably write this better but I’ve rewritten a lot of things within these two days. Rewritten posts over and over so it sounds less aggressive, less hurt, less like I am trying to call for a witch hunt and more just taking extra precautions. I don’t think I have the energy to rewrite this to seem less vulnerable/pathetic.

I want to apologize to everyone who hoped I’d keep my past art public. I know how it feels. I’ve been fans of artists who just blew up their account one day and never came back. I only privated them on tumblr and Instagram. That’s all I can do. Honestly, I’m hoping a part of my brain just forgets some of this happened since depression does come with memory loss.. This post is now too long.. but I hope it gives some insight for what’s happening on my side of the brain. I appreciate all the support so far.

If you see me acting a little weird on twitter, I’m just trying to regain a sense of control over my identity.

[rada-76]

Sandwich, Nina, Muriel and Crowley's Memory

Сэндвич, Нина, Мюриэль и память Кроули

По-русски ниже. / In Russian further.

If we look at the connections between the second season and the first, we can find another sequence of facts that will close in a beautiful circle. Last time, the fact that Miranda Richardson plays both Shax and Madame Tracy helped us close the circle. Do you remember the silver and gold mirror?

And I wondered if there was a connection between the roles of other actors who played different characters in the first and second seasons? And yes! The roles of Nina Sosanya (cafe owner Nina and nun Mary Loquacious) came in handy!

I will give the sequence at the end, but I will present it briefly, so that all its beauty can be seen. But first, I will remind you of the details of several scenes that we will need. I have highlighted the words that echo each other.

* 

Scene “Nina and Mrs. Sandwich discuss Muriel’s first appearance.” (S2E3)

We need this scene mainly because it connects Nina and Muriel. Nina and Muriel are like the top and bottom of a sandwich, and Mrs. Sandwich is the adhesive layer that holds it together. She’s the one who brought Muriel to Nina’s attention. It also helps that Mrs. Sandwich mentions an “interesting kink” in the conversation.

*

Scene "I'm Not Nice" (S1E2)

Crowley gave people real guns instead of paintball guns, but prevented people from dying. Aziraphale called him nice, Crowley got angry and pinned him against the wall.

A: "I've always said that deep down, you really are quite a nice…" C: "Shut it! I'm a demon. I'm not nice.”

Like the weapon swap, this was a case of violence that did no harm. We see that Azi is not afraid of Crowley's wrath. Many viewers believe that he even enjoys the accidental intimacy (an interesting kink). 

They are distracted by Mary Loquacious, a former nun and now a paintball owner. Aziraphale and Crowley learn from her that the monastery, along with the records about the babies, was burned by Hastur.

*

Scene “Crowley won’t arrest Azi for lying.” (S2E2)

Aziraphale lied to the other angels about Job’s children. Only Crowley knew about it. Azi expected Crowley to take him to Hell. I’ll change the meaning of their lines a little so that they mean what they imply.

A: “Take me to Hell, I lied, and I’m ready to be arrested.” (I’m a demon now. I’m not nice.) C: “No, you won’t like it in Hell.” (…) C: “I’m a demon. I lied.” (I’m still lonely.)

*

Scene "Crowley does an apology dance" (S2E1)

This is an interesting kink. After the dance they say:

C: "Okay?" A: "Very nice.”

*

Scene "Crowley asks Muriel to arrest him." (S2E5 and S2E6)

To paraphrase a bit:

C: "Take me to Heaven, I'm ready to be arrested." (interesting kink) (...Crowley explained to Muriel how to arrest him.) C: "It's all right, officer, I'll come quietly." (...Muriel escorted Crowley to Heaven.) M: You're not really under arrest, are you? C: Not really, no.

I'll change the meaning of their phrases a little so that they mean what they imply.

M: "Did you lie to me?" C: "Yes" And a little further: C: "Mm, nice office." M: "It's a bit lonely.”

-

Now that the necessary information has been downloaded into your brain, you probably feel like Crowley, who narrowly dodged an oncoming truck when the task about the Antichrist was downloaded into his brain… 

Drumroll!

So, a ring of related scenes. I advise you to read first, and then compare the highlighted ones.

This is how Nina (the paintball nun) leads in the "I'm not nice" scene and to the lost records.

1. Sandwich, Muriel, Nina. (S2E3) 2. Nina is Mary Loquacious, she owns a paintball business. 3. Azi and Crowley in the paintball office. (S1E2) (Crowley showed power in season 1) (Crowley: "I'm a demon. I'm not good") 4. Crowley and Azi didn't get the nuns' records about the babies. 5. Records.

(My personal conclusion. The loss of the records is a symbol: at some point in the past, Crowley lost and was unable to regain his memory.)

This is how Muriel leads to "Crowley's arrest" and the recovered records.

1. Sandwich, Muriel, Nina. (S2E3) 2. Muriel won't arrest Crowley. (S2E5 and S2E6) (he does, but pretending, playing) (Muriel: I'm lonely) 3.1. Azi won't make Crowley dance. (S2E1) (he does, but pretending, playing)  (Azi showed power in season 2) 3.2. Crowley won't arrest Azi for lying. (S2E2) (Aziraphale: "I'm a demon. I'm not good") (Crowley: I'm lonely) 4. Crowley and Muriel got the records of Heaven about Gabriel. 5. Records.

(My personal conclusion. The records found are a symbol: in the future, Crowley will be able to keep his memory and even learn something else, new and important, perhaps he will be able to get his memory back.)

“Point 5” connects the lower ends of these two sequences into one.

And the wonderful Mrs. Sandwich is a layer, a link, connecting the upper ends of the two sequences into a ring with the help of “point 1”.

More amazing finds in Good Omens S2 are here.

***

Если рассматривать связи второго сезона с первым, можно сложить еще одну последовательную цепочку фактов, которая замкнется в красивое кольцо. В прошлый раз нам помогло замкнуть цепочку то, что Миранда Ричардсон играет и Шакс и мадам Трейси. Помните серебряное и золотое зеркало? 

И я подумала, нет ли связи между ролями других актеров, если они играли разных персонажей в первом и втором сезоне? И да! Роли Нины Сосанья (хозяйка кафе Нина и монашка Мэри Таратора) мне пригодились!

Цепочку я изложу в конце, но изложу ее кратко, чтобы было видно всю ее красоту. А для начала я напомню вам подробности нескольких сцен, которые нам для этой цепочки понадобятся. Я выделила слова, которые перекликаются.

* 

Сцена “Нина и миссис Сэндвич обсуждают первое появление Мюриэль”. (S2E3)

Эта сцена нам нужна в основном потому, что она связывает Нину и Мюриэль. Нина и Мюриэль - как низ и верх сэндвича, а миссис Сэндвич - скрепляющая прослойка. Это же она обратила внимание Нины на Мюриэль. Нам также пригодится, что в разговоре миссис Сэндвич упоминает “интересный кинк”.

*

Сцена “Я не хороший”. (S1E2)

Кроули дал людям настоящее оружие вместо пейнтбольного, но предотвратил смерти людей. Азирафель назвал его хорошим, Кроули рассердился и прижал его к стене.

А: “Я всегда говорил, что в глубине души ты действительно очень хороший…” (I've always said that deep down, you really are quite a nice…) К: "Заткнись! Я демон. Я не хороший (Shut it! I'm a demon. I'm not nice)”. 

Это, как и подмена винтовок, был случай насилия, которое не принесло вреда. Мы видим, что Ази не боится гнева Кроули. Многие верят, что он даже наслаждается случайно полученной близостью (интересный кинк). 

Их отвлекла Мэри Таратора, бывшая монашка, а теперь владелица пейнтбола. Азирафель и Кроули выяснили у нее, что монастырь вместе с записями (records) о младенцах сжег Хастур.

*

Сцена “Кроули не арестует Ази за ложь”. (S2E2)

Азирафель солгал другим ангелам о детях Иова, о чем знал только Кроули. Ази ожидал, что Кроули отведет его в Ад. Немного изменю смысл их фраз, чтобы они значили то, что подразумевали.

А: "Отведи меня в Ад, я солгал, и я готов к аресту” (Я демон теперь. Я больше не хороший. ~ I'm a demon. I'm not nice) К:  “Нет, тебе в Аду не понравится” (…) К: “Я демон, я солгал” (I'm a demon. I lied.) (мне все-таки одиноко)

*

Сцена “Кроули исполняет извинительный танец” (S2E1)

Это интересный кинк. После танца звучит:

К: “Сойдет?” (Okay?) А: “Очень хорошо” (Very nice).

* 

Сцена “Кроули просит Мюриэль арестовать его”. (S2E5 и S2E6)

Немного перефразируя:

К: “Отведи меня в Рай, я готов к аресту” (интересный кинк) (...Кроули объяснил Мюриэль, как его арестовать.) К: “Все в порядке, офицер, я пойду тихо” (It's all right, officer, I'll come quietly) (...Мюриэль провела Кроули в Рай.) М: На самом деле ты не под арестом, да? (You're not really under arrest, are you?) К: Нет, на самом деле. (Not really, no.)

Немного изменю смысл их фраз, чтобы они значили то, что подразумевали.

М: “Ты мне солгал?” К: “Да” И чуть дальше: К: “Мм, хороший офис” (Mm, nice office.) М: “Тут немного одиноко” (It's a bit lonely.)

Теперь, когда нужная информация в ваш мозг загружена, и вы, наверное, чувствуете себя как Кроули, который едва увернулся от встречного грузовика, когда ему в мозг загрузили задание насчет Антихриста… 

Барабанная дробь!

Итак, кольцо связанных сцен. Чтобы глаза не разбегались, сначала прочитайте, а потом уж сравните выделенное.

Вот как Нина (пейнтбол-монашка) ведет в сцене “я не хороший” и к утраченным записям.

1. Сэндвич, Мюриэль, Нина. (S2E3) 2. Нина - это Мэри Таратора, она владеет заведением для пейнтбола. 3. Ази и Кроули в заведении для пейнтбола. (S1E2) (в первом сезоне Кроули проявил силу) (Кроули: "Я демон. Я не хороший”) 4. Кроули и Ази не получили записи монашек о малышах. 5. Записи (Records).

(Мой личный вывод, что это символ: когда-то в прошлом Кроули утратил и не смог вернуть свою память.)

Вот как Мюриэль ведёт к “аресту Кроули” и к полученным записям.

1. Сэндвич, Мюриэль, Нина. (S2E3) 2. Мюриэль не арестует Кроули. (S2E5 и S2E6) (арестует, но не по-настоящему) (Мюриэль: Мне одиноко) 3.1. Ази не заставляет Кроули танцевать. (S2E1) (заставляет, но не по-настоящему)  (во втором сезоне Ази проявил силу) 3.2 Кроули не арестует Ази за ложь. (S2E2) (Азирафель: "Я демон. Я не хороший”) (Кроули: Мне одиноко) 4. Кроули и Мюриэль получили записи Рая о Гаврииле. 5. Записи (Records).

(Мой личный вывод, что это символ: в будущем Кроули сможет остаться при своей памяти и даже узнать что-то ещё, новое и важное, возможно, ему удастся вернуть свою память.)

“Пункт 5” соединяет нижние концы этих двух цепочек в одну.

А чудесная миссис Сэндвич - это прослойка, звено, соединяющее в кольцо верхние концы двух цепочек с помощью “пункта 1”.

Больше удивительных находок во втором сезоне здесь.

[antspaul]

Big ask: 18 for another hunger if its not too much work 🙏

NEVER TOO MUCH WORK!

18. Share the scene you just wrote from another character’s POV.

if i did the scene i just wrote, that would be 1. major major spoilers taken entirely out of context for chapter 2 and 2. kind of insane because it’s long and not super internal reflection-driven. so i wrote max’s pov of the scene from chapter 1 where charles blacks out in max’s hotel room, and max has to call lorenzo to get her. enjoy!

*

Usually when a hookup starts to cry in the bathroom, Max kicks her out of the hotel room. Tells the front desk to deal with it, charge a taxi to her room if need be. Whatever it takes. Max just doesn’t have the patience to do it herself. What is she supposed to do, comfort some girl Max barely knows just because she decided to melt down in Max’s ensuite?

There’s also the bit where Max is usually to blame for the crying, in which case Max is doing them a favour by pushing them out the door. Sparing her the humiliation of Max seeing them in a state for a minute longer.

A girl starts to cry, and they’re gone. That’s always been the rule. But it’s a bit different when the girl sniffling in Max’s bathroom is Charles Leclerc.

“I’m sorry,” Charles sobs practically into the toilet bowl. “‘m so fucking dest—degst— “

Disgusting, she probably means to say, but she gives up on the word in favour of hicuuping into the toilet.

Charles hadn’t been this far gone downstairs in the club. Or maybe she had been, and Max was just so eager to get her upstairs that she ignored the red flags. Like that whole fucking monologue she gave about dreaming about Max fucking her on the boat and how the memory of Max got her so wet it caused the second Great Flood (paraphrasing). Or like that Charles showed up at all, when she’d made it basically obvious after the yacht that she intended to shove her pretty head right back into the sand and fuck mediocre boyfriend after mediocre boyfriend like Max didn’t completely rock her world that night.

Charles’s M.O, as far as Max can tell: to lay herself bare in front of you, and then punish you for looking. Obviously, that’s what happened tonight. Charles got drunk, said what they both know she’s been thinking. Laid herself bare. So Max told Charles to follow her upstairs. She’d even pulled her luggage onto her bed and dug out her strap-on to use, if Charles wanted. When Charles knocked on the door, Max allowed herself to think that it would actually happen tonight. That Charles was brave enough to let it happen.

Max opened the door to let Charles in. She was already green, out there in the hallway, holding onto the wall for support. Then she threw up all over Max’s shoes, and ever since, Max has known that Charles won’t remember a thing about tonight. If she does, she’ll pretend like she doesn’t. She let Max see her, and now Max will be punished for it.

Really, Max should know better by now.

“It’s fine,” Max says shortly.

She’s standing against the cupboard opposite the bathroom, as far away as she can be from Charles and the rank odor emanating from the toilet bowl while still keeping an eye on her. A bad look, if Charles drowned in Max’s toilet. Would be a major headache, that.

“Charles, please tell me where you’re staying.”

She uses the loud, over-enunciated tone her mum uses with her almost-deaf senile great aunt.

“Can’t,” Charles says.

Max groans. It’s the third time she has asked, and the third time Charles has refused to give a straight answer.

“Why?” Max says.

Charles shrugs. She coughs a bit. Mascara and lipstick streak down her face like dripping paint. It’s like her composure landed in the toilet next to her guts.

This is sort of how Max likes to see Charles, stripped raw and unspooled. It’s the version of Charles that Max thinks of when she thinks of Charles. Not Charles the racing driver. Not Charles with the beautiful face and tapered curves biting her lip coyly on the cover of fashion magazines. But Charles, the girl she’s known since they were kids. Charles, who Max has seen covered in mud and red-faced, arguing with one of the boys. Charles, who was very kind to Max once for a period of time until Max took her seriously and paid the price.

“‘ll get better,” Charles insists.

“Like fuck you will,” Max says.

Max gives up on getting the information out of Charles and decides that guerrilla tactics might be her only option, unless she wants to explain to Charles tomorrow morning why she’s in Max’s hotel room, smelling of vomit. Max seizes Charles’s phone from the counter and holds it in front of Charles’s face. The screen unlocks before Charles catches on.

“What is… you’re….” But Charles is too spent to give Max any other grief.

Max finds the contact she’s been searching for.

“Who are you calling?” Charles croaks out. It’s the first full sentence she’s managed in a bit.

Max ignores her. Against her ear, the call rings out. She dials again. This time, Lorenzo picks up on the second ring.

He says something in sleepy French that Max doesn’t understand, so Max says, “This is Max. Can you come get your sister?”

Charles moans. “Why? Stop, Max, no.”

When Lorenzo speaks next, he sounds a lot more alert. “Max?”

“Your sister, she’s at my hotel room,” Max continues. “She’s— well, you should come get her.”

“Is she sick?”

Max looks at the disaster of her hotel bathroom and says, “Basically, yes. I think she drank a lot.”

“She had a lot of wine at dinner,” Lorenzo muses to himself. He sighs. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Ok?”

“Thanks,” Max says. She hangs up and tosses the phone aside.

“I hate you forever,” Charles says from the tile.

Max reluctantly enters the bathroom. “Yeah, whatever,” she says.

Max reckons that Charles probably won’t destroy the bathroom any more than she already has. So Max wets a cloth and hands it to Charles, who uses it to wipe off her face.

“Thank you,” Charles says blearily.

“You can lie down on the sofa or something,” Max says, helping Charles get to her feet. “Or the carpet.”

But when Charles stumbles out of the bathroom, she falls face-first onto Max’s bed. Precisely what Max had not wanted her to do. Eugh. She’d been planning to sleep on that thing herself.

“Sorry,” Charles mumbles into the duvet.

“Whatever.”

A moment of silence from Charles. She might be falling asleep. She says, “You hate me, don’t you?”

“You hate me,” Max says. “You just said so.”

“I lied. I don’t hate you.”

“That’s good,” Max tells her, and then because she’s certain that Charles won’t remember this tomorrow: “I wish I hated you, but I really don’t either.”

Charles makes a soft, muffled sound. “I wanna fuck you more than I ever wanted to fuck anyone in my whole life.”

A laugh tears itself from Max’s throat. “Now that I already know,” she says, and it’s the last thing either of them say until Lorenzo knocks on Max’s door.

“Where is she?” Lorenzo says, stepping over the soiled towels in the entryway. There’s something tender in his voice, a softness just at the thought of his sister.

Max feels uncomfortable to witness it. She points him towards Charles on the bed.

“Hi, Cha,” Lorenzo says gently, nudging Charles awake. They speak in quiet French. He gets her standing, draping Charles’s arm around his shoulders and holding her tight.

“Reminds me of old times, no?” Lorenzo says to Max, grasping Charles’s waist like he’s a soldier dragging his wounded countryman to the medical tent.

His grin contains an apologetic note. Not just for the current state of his sister. Maybe more for the whole of her, like she’s done something to Max that warrants his sympathy. Like he feels an intimacy with Max, but it’s unearned. Whatever he thinks he knows, just because of what he saw when she and Charles were younger—? It has nothing to do with anything between Max and Charles now. The past is completely irrelevant.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” says Max, and she doesn’t say anything else, just watches the two of them leave.

[grandwitchbird]

Seen a bit about ‘hysteria’ in Nosferatu (2024) but nothing really digging into what the film is doing with neuroticism. Let’s get Jungian. Spoilers and musings below the cut.

The central tragedy here isn’t that Orlok is a monster who cannot love or young lovers forever divided. The tragedy is love with the disturbing heart of passion cut out of it and passion that can only be fully embraced in death. The world itself is broken in a way we see reflected in the characters.

Ellen pursues. She calls out to the world with such a hunger that an ancient undead monster hears her and is irresistibly drawn in. She pursues Thomas. She initiates their sexual relations and begs for his attention and craves his company. He’s an acceptable outlet for her desires and the promise of a normal life, not just the man she loves. Orlok is the hunger itself. The cruelty of her dilemma rests in the fact that Thomas loves Ellen but is incapable of satiating her or even recognizing her desires, and Orlok is nothing but appetite and incapable of love. Ellen is love and desire, both embraced with ferocity and both rejected by the world. But she will not be denied or divided in herself. I’m paraphrasing loosely from memory, but it’s key that she tells von Franz that she’s never done any wrong, only lived in accordance with her nature.

Neurosis is social and cultural in this context. It’s embedded in the patriarchal domesticating interests of the setting. Thomas is nearly repression itself through no real fault of his own. He’s a husband. A decent man. In his figure we see the safe boundaries that hem in the potentially dangerous desires represented in Ellen and Orlok. He’s delighted to have “such a dirty wife” but shrinks from the real face of her desires. Thomas loves Ellen, but he retreats and denies and treats her libidinal qualities as ‘dirty’ and flawed aspects that must be repressed and avoided and sublimated. For all Ellen’s seizing and moaning and ‘hysterics’, Thomas is also neurotic in his retreat from the libidinal.

All passion is a challenge to fate, and what it does cannot be undone. Fear of fate is a very understandable phenomenon, for it is incalculable, immeasurable, full of unknown dangers. The perpetual hesitation of the neurotic to launch out into life is readily explained by his desire to stand aside so as not to get involved in the dangerous struggle for existence. But anyone who refuses to experience life must stifle his desire to live—in other words, he must commit partial suicide. This explains the death-fantasies that usually accompany the renunciation of desire. - Jung Vol. 5

We shouldn’t make the mistake of reducing the libidinal here to purely sex. Rather the libidinal is the all encompassing, messy pursuit of life: it’s the passion that drives creation, the desire for meaning, the wholehearted engagement with the entire range of human experience. Likewise the death drive exists here, but the desire for annihilation is simply the inherent negative to the libidinal positive. Hysteria or madness is the overwhelming outpouring of thwarted passion. It’s an attempt to live. Thomas’s repressed neuroticism is antithetical to the way Ellen moves and exists within the world but no less neurotic for that. His genteel repression and devotion to hierarchies are both attempts to live within a world that demands repression of the negative and retreats from passion that make him specifically ill-equipped to grapple with true darkness. The same darkness that Ellen is more than a match for.

And this is where we see clearly that these characters belong to two different realms that slowly converge over the course of the film. Ellen is trapped in a realm that has no space for her desires and so she is left to dream of death. Thomas hesitates until he falls from a literal ledge in a very literal partial suicide (poignantly still accidental to some degree: he must slip to take the leap). That he is revived by the church itself, a kind of resurrection by that ultimate domesticating force, highlights his distance from the realm occupied by Orlok and Ellen. His attempts to “launch out into the world” are to be as frustrated as Ellen’s in their own way. The world is already broken and must be remade. He is built for that other, more domesticated world, no matter how much he loves Ellen.

The power of God is menaced by the seductions of passion; heaven is threatened with a second fall of angels. If we translate this projection back into the psychological sphere from whence it came, it would mean that the good and rational Power which rules the world with wise laws is threatened by the chaotic, primitive force of passion. Therefore passion must be exterminated, which means, in mythological projection, that the race of Cain and the whole sinful world must be wiped out, root and branch, by the Flood. That is the inevitable result of a passion that sweeps away all barriers. […] As a power which transcends consciousness the libido is by nature daemonic: it is both God and devil. If evil were to be utterly destroyed, everything daemonic, including God himself, would suffer a grievous loss; it would be like performing an amputation on the body of the Deity. - Jung Vol. 5

What we see in Nosferatu is the fragments of what’s left behind when the libidinal drive is thwarted and abjected. We see divine amputations. We see it in the decent men who try to fight back a darkness they can’t understand or truly combat because they’ve cut it off and cast it out from themselves. We see it in Orlok, all the cast-off desires of the world reduced to pure destructive appetite. And in Ellen we see the cost of the abjection, in her passion reduced to ‘hysteria’. But only in Ellen does passion show its true and whole face in all its courage and devotion and madness.

So Ellen must die. She must die with Orlok because this world has already disfigured the divine body by rejecting and repressing that most fundamental of drives. But the repressed always returns, and it is always hungry. So Ellen plays the priestess. Unlike Orlok who has rejected death and thus impoverishes his desires into sadistic appetite, Ellen embraces her nature and her desires and death. No hesitation or halfway measures. She remains wholly and truly herself as she becomes the flood, a sacrament, a blood sacrifice, that wipes out the “chaotic and primitive forces of passion” leaving the world itself the poorer, if safer, for it.

Notes:

Ellen has “too much blood” both practically so she can play her role and metaphorically so that she can embody every nuance of the libidinal drive. Blood is life.

The virgin and the stallion, potent symbols of life, can locate a vampire.

Iron kills the undead (as it does fae and other undomesticated relics) because it is the symbol of man made power over the earth itself.

The blood sacrifice is also the marriage bed.

I could keep going, but you get it. The film is really consistent with all of this.

I won’t pretend to be particularly invested in what Jung intended with his framework. His intents are far less interesting than the artistic interpretations that give us films like Nosferatu. He certainly thought the soul was hermaphrodite, and we see that clearly in Eggers’s work here (particularly in the Wuthering Heights influence on our central romance/s).

[hurdy-girly]

The Batfam as quotes from my quote book part 4

(Part 1 here)

Tim: “I am the dumbest man alive and also the most academically dishonest.”

Cass: “I’m surrounded by either future murder authors or future murderers.”

Dick: “This is not a cult. We have M&M’s.”

Tim: “So which college would I be?”

Damian: “…so, Brown University has a 40% gay population-“

Jason: “My memory does not reach the required levels of punk rock for me to recall.”

Duke: “You listened to headbanging and doom on Monday nights.”

Ivy: “Are you photosynthaphobic?”

Jason: “Kill ‘em with kindness, and also a pistol for good measure”

Babs: “Eenie meenie miney moe. Just engage in a bit of digital bibliomancy.”

Steph: “Go to a psychiatrist! uwu.”

Bruce: “He asked me ‘do you want to be a cougar?’ and I said ‘don’t ask me like that.’”

Duke, in a crossover event: “You’re Kraven the Hunter? Who’s this hunter and why do you find them so interesting?”

Kraven the Hunter: “Please stop making this weird.”

Damian, paraphrasing his grandpa: "What, you don't want your soul enslaved forever? But it's all the rage with kids these days!”

[trashjuicesmidrewrite]

Episode 8 •_• (MID Rewrite)

IN CASE YOU WEREN’T COMFY READING LAST EPISODE (skip if you’ve already read): basically Ava woke up in a black void with doors of varying shades of greys. She goes through one of them and sees a dream version of one of Pierce’s childhood memories. After this, Ava and the guys continue to explore the palace until Pierce confronts Ava about it. He reveals to her that he’s trans and would rather Ava not talk about it to anyone. She agrees and then the gang dicks around for a bit before Ava and Pierce fall asleep. Now in a dream world, Ava and Pierce go through different childhood memories of Pierce’s (that sentence feels repetitive. I’ll probably fix it later) When doing this Asch and the gang go try to find Lady Grandma but get stuck running from Mrs. Oats’ rage. We then go over to Ava and Pierce and he’s, like, gone crazy. Ava comforts him and they try to find a way out of the void. Meanwhile in reality everything is goin to shit because the gang angered a bunch of soul cats that just so happened to be the reincarnated souls of Daemons the Chikarian royal family has made love with. They fight them off and eventually get their asses kicked being swept off like a wave. Pierce saves Rhys by throwing him across the hallway and him and Lady Grandma retreat temporarily before Rhys calls her a shit grandma (I’m paraphrasing the line is a bit better in the ep I swear) and goes off to save Asch and the rest and now we here!!!

My brain feels like writing this 24/7 so if you’re at all worried about the fact these are kinda being pumped out DONT. If I ever feel myself burning out I’ll chill for like a day or three and then get back to it, it’s like a stamina bar. Also I’m running out of faces to use for these. Ik there’s like an infinite amount of them but I can be slow at times so don’t judge. I think I’m just gonna experiment or swallow my pride and head to Google or ask a friend. Also also I am ASS at naming episodes bro I was struggling so much to come up with one for this I can imagine a person looking at the title for the episode and thinking “damn…this shit might be ass and filled with spelling mistakes a fetus couldn’t make. a toddler could come up with these.” And then ignore the rewrite like give me a chance 😭 btw there’s some Japanese dialogue in this and all translations should be in the bottom! The Japanese is from my own knowledge so if any of them are wrong that’s on me. Pls enjoy!

Episode 8: Meowing Fury Furry Frenzy

Rhys ran through the hall leading towards the sea of souls. He formed his staff and stuck it down through the floor, only barely cracking its surface.

“C’mon Rhys…remember…” he begged himself while biting his finger for blood to break.

Once a bead shown, he carefully put it on top of the crystal of his staff. He felt a small amount of dread throughout his body trying to remember the words of this incantation.

He was trying to pull off a ritual. It isn’t magic only because it doesn’t take away from the main source. Only your own body. The only thing a Daemon would have to do is remember what to do and what to say. The only problem being Rhys was having a tough time with the words.

He was never interested in rituals. He liked being prepared for the worst, but that was what learning how to fight with his staff was for. He never thought a wave of soul cats would threaten to suffocate his prince and a newly found friend.

“神さまはわたしのよびかけをきく” he heard a voice recite.

He quickly turned to see it was Lady Grandma. “Go on, you have to say it. It’s your blood.” She said getting as close to Rhys as she can. If she can get into the vicinity, she won’t get affected by the ritual.

He recited what Lady Grandma said still struggling to remember the rest. The cats were getting closer which caused his brain to churn. He never liked tense situations, but for some reason he always worked best in them.

“もう一度、あなたの助けが必要です。起きている間中、そうしているように。” He said, finally remembering more of the ritual. “キジャン、どうか私に時間の力を貸してください。”

As soon as Rhys uttered the last word, the wave of cats halted suddenly, right when it was about to hit him and Lady Grandma. The souls loomed over them, keeping their expressions of hate and despair.

“How much blood did you use?” Asked Lady Grandma while breaking through the middle of the wave.

“Only a drop, that’s about an hour, right?” Said Rhys following Lady Grandma.

The purple cat was focused on creating a path before saying “You’re part Umnotho, yeah? Their blood is considered more valuable to the gods, so you gave us a good two hours to find everybody and get the hell outta here.”

They picked up their pace and started tearing through to make a path a bit more carelessly. Trying to find five people in a sea of multi-colored cats was definitely going to prove difficult. Lazing around and talking like they didn’t only have two hours to find everyone would be certain death.

“At this rate we’re not going to find anyone. Would it be too risky to split up Lady Grandma?” Rhys questioned already splitting into his own path.

“Alright, but you’ll be doing some extra work if I find someone. I ain’t cutting through bigger holes than I have to.” Lady Grandma immediately started lessening her work and dug holes that were about her size.

Just like that Rhys was left on his own, but he didn’t mind. The faster he and Lady Grandma could find everyone, the more time they have to get out.

His sight and hearing were obviously not going to be of any help, so he thought that scent would be his best bet. As weird as it was, everyone had a specific smell to them. Rhys wasn’t one to want to notice this, but Asch had taught him to take advantage of anything he could.

Speaking of Asch, he wanted to look for him first. He always smelled of grilled meat, most likely because it was his favorite type of food. Although he hasn’t had the chance to eat it much, it’s like the smell had burned on to him.

Rhys dug up to see if he would have a better chance in the surface. He also was starting to hate the tight space digging had forced him into.

The higher he went, the more he started to smell a minty scent. This had to be Leif. He was a tad disappointed, but it was still someone he cared about. He started tearing through to where the scent was stronger, getting more and more hopeful.

There was a particularly thick layer of cats blocking his path. Even when he tried to dig around it, it just happened to be the exact same issue. Rhys cut through the layer and saw Leif with some serious injuries writhing on the ground.

The cats must’ve really messed him up. A lot of his wounds were deep, and the cat hair would most certainly infect them if not treated.

Rhys quickly went to kneel beside Leif. Just as he expected, the assassin was completely frozen in time. He had to be really careful with transporting him to Ava’s living room. Once Leif leaves the room, he’ll be back to normal, but will feel a bit of whiplash.

Rhys gently picked up Leif and put him over his shoulder. He didn’t have anytime to be casually walking, so he did have a bit of pep in his step. He was sure that Leif would be fine still.

Right as he made it to the makeshift fork in the tunnels him and Lady Grandma had made, Rhys heard her call out his name.

“Rhys! I found Pierce! He’s with Ava, help me drag ‘em both!” She shouted.

“Just a minute! I found Leif, I need to take him to safety!” Rhys shouted back speedwalking away.

“Just hurry up will ya!? These cats are freakin’ me out…”

As Rhys got closer to the area he had the ritual, he could hear subtle gasps and sobs coming from Leif. He wanted to run now more than ever, but that’d put Leif in more pain.

When Rhys walked past where his staff was still stuck in the ground, Leif started screaming clearly not in his right mind. Slobber started to run down his mouth and getting on to Rhys. The advisor slightly recoiled at this until Leif said a slightly coherent sentence through his yelling.

“Dumbass! IDIOT! Run! Run me to…OW!” Slurred Leif punching Rhys in the back to get him to move.

Rhys picked up his pace running as fast as he could to the passage that led them back to Ava’s living room. He practically crashed through it and laid Leif on the table.

“Shit man…fucking grass beds are softer than this.” Said the assassin groggily.

Rhys ignored Leif’s comment and scanned his injuries. There were two scratches that looked like they’d leave scars on his legs, but the rest looked fine. He had no idea how to treat any of it, as he always had relied on someone like Noi to take care of wounds.

With a clearer head, he thought it’d be a better idea to find Noi next, assuming he wasn’t badly hurt.

Rhys rushed back into the palace and into the sea of cats. He sprinted through the already dug hole he and Lady Grandma made, and started tearing through her path.

“Lady Grandma! I’m on the way!” He announced squinting his eyes at the blood that came from the tearing.

He was met with silence and strangely enough, purring. Confusion and the slightest bit of fear swam through his psyche.

“Lady Grandma? Did you-“ Rhys was cut off by a bewildering sight.

Lady Grandma wasn’t acting like herself. She was laying in the corner of the bit of space she made for Pierce and Ava, but she was acting like an actual cat. Her proportions were more normalized, and she seemed to be fast alseep.

Rhys surveyed what happened to Pierce and Ava before checking on Lady Grandma. They seemed to be alright with only a few cuts and scratches. Pierce seemed to have been in the process of bringing Ava to the surface. This made him feel a bit stupid for using the ritual, but if he didn’t, Leif most likely would’ve been dead.

He walked over to Lady Grandma and crouched beside her. “Uhm…Lady Grandma?” He said while poking the top of her head.

The cat slowly woke up and stretched with a loud meow. It looked up at Rhys with its round boba eyes.

It wearily crawled toward him and jumped on top of his head. Rhys cringed and wriggled around to try to get the cat off.

“L-Lady Grandma! Would you snap out of this?” He pleaded, but to no avail. Rhys was already losing his patience, and the fact that he was on a time limit didn’t make it any better.

Rhys sighed, swatted the cat away, and went to put Ava over his shoulder. He cursed to himself when he realized he had to drag Pierce all the way to the living room. There was no way he could do it by himself.

He started to dearly miss using magic, but he couldn’t betray the mission. He laid Ava back down on the ground and focused on his attention and strength on dragging Pierce.

He grabbed the larger Daemon by the feet and pulled with all his might. Sounds of frustration and struggle escaped him, but he paid no mind to how humiliating they may have been.

Right up until a pair of nimble hands grabbed his shoulders. The smell of blood invaded his nose, yet he could still catch an undertone of…mint.

“Leif! Why in the gods’ name are you here!? Do you know how dangerous it is to continue walking around like you don’t have the injuries you do?! How did you even-“

“Can you shut the hell up and let me help you?!” Yelled Leif, cutting off Rhys.

The taller reluctantly stopped chastising Leif and let him continue to pull. Eventually they started to make some progress, dragging Pierce very slowly throughout the cat tunnel.

When they were around the artificial entrance, Leif piped up. “Y’know, hearing you struggle like that was kinda funny.”

“You’re smaller than me! Don’t even act like you wouldn’t make more pathetic sounds.” Rhys grumbled.

They both continued to pull until Rhys thought of something. He interrupted them both by intentionally clearing his throat.

“How did you even get in here? The ritual shouldn’t allow anyone but Lady Grandma and I to use Kijan’s help.” Said Rhys, not pulling anymore to make Leif no to.

“Oh that was a ritual? My foot got stuck in it, so I panicked and kicked the staff over with my other.” Said Leif while smiling.

Rhys stayed silent for a long moment making the space between him and Leif awkward. The green Daemon opened his mouth to say something until Rhys smacked him upside the head.

“Ow! The hell was that for?!” He said sounded hurt.

“Were you dropped on the head when you were a child?! The time this ritual works gets cut in half when you cancel it!” Rhys smacked Leif again.

“Dammit! Would you stop hitting me?! How much time we got left!?” Yelled Leif trying to hit Rhys back.

“I’d say about 50 minutes. It’s not nearly enough time given how Lady Grandma looks virtually useless at the moment…if we sprint we might be able to make it.” Said Rhys while grabbing Pierce’s legs again.

Leif grabbed Rhys’ shoulder with a lot more force than earlier. One side of him told him it was to get a better grip, but the other side knew it was to get Rhys back for hitting him.

The pair made a lot more progress with the added stress of less time. When they made it to the stairs, they continued to drag Pierce down while they both said a quick sorry each time Pierce’s head banged against the steps.

When they went through the passage, Rhys and Leif both sighed heavily in relief.

“Gods that took forever…can we just leave him in here?” Wheezed Leif grabbing his lower back.

Rhys heaved before standing straight up. “Definitely. Let’s hurry, we need to find the others and get Ava out of there.”

Leif nodded and both him and Rhys ran back into the secret palace. Sprinting towards the wave of cats, the two Daemons noticed the slight movement of it.

“Oh shit. I fucked up so bad…” mumbled Leif while holding his head.

“There’s no point in sulking. We need to hurry, we should still have time.” Pointed out Rhys

They trudged on through the tunnel that was made eerie because of the cats slow descent towards them.

Leif got ahead of Rhys to get back to where they found Ava. Now that the souls were moving, it was harder to dig through and make a set path. Rhys eventually lost sight of Leif.

He wanted to call out to the assassin, but he didn’t know what would happen if he disturbed the wave with sound. At this point, he couldn’t even smell anything but cat hair. His sense of smell was never that good, but it feels even worse here.

Rhys could feel his throat closing up, but chalked it up to his panic settling in. Despite this, he felt okay. He wasn’t shaken up at all, so the sudden reaction was odd.

Unless he was allergic to cats. This would be bad, and morbidly funny, so he quickly threw away that thought for his own sanity.

As the cats started to close in, Rhys could feel his eyes starting to water. He wanted to call out to Leif, but the pain in his throat started to become unbearable.

The sensation of all the cats weighing him down, and the fur prickling at his skin, coupled with his supposed allergy made him want to turn himself off and try again later.

Obviously, he couldn’t just give up because his mind and body wanted him to. He had to power through it, as he’s done many times before.

Rhys pushed through the descending felines and dug up. If he could get to the surface, his newfound allergy could get less intense.

He couldn’t tell if it was his watering eyes or his lost sense of smell, but he started to lose his sense of direction. This was the worst situation he could be in, but he couldn’t just let the cats slowly devour him. He continued to dig the direction he was going and eventually made it to the top.

The way the soul cats moved was a lot like gentle waves in an ocean. Of course some of them tried to scratch at Rhys, but they were slow enough he could just push them away.

The dark purple Daemon was very disoriented. He started to blame Leif for this, but for whatever reason he couldn’t bring himself to.

The only good thing to his overstimulation was that he could sense every little thing around him. It made him even more distressed, but that was a sacrifice he was willing to make to be able to sense those around him more easily.

Rhys could feel the flow of the cats shift behind him.

“Leif? Is dat you…?” He said through sniffling “sorry I’m speaking improperly…I think I may be allergic to deez things.”

The flow change of the cats transferred to the front of him. Through Rhys’ blurred vision, he could see a pair of orange horns in front of him.

The horns rose up revealing it to be Noi. At least Rhys assumed it was him, he couldn’t really be sure.

“Rhys! Gosh, am I glad to see you! Have you seen Pierce anywhere?” Said Noi practically glowing.

“Guh…we d’already got him back to Ava’s ‘oom…” slurred Rhys.

“…You dal-eady god him bach to Ava’s ooze..?” Said Noi trying his best to understand Rhys.

Rhys shook his head and grabbed Noi’s face to put it closer to his. “I’m ‘orry Noi…” he sniffed “This algae is really bad. I’m seeing worst now…what’d you say?”

Noi started to tear up. “I have no idea what you’re saying!”

The two went back and forth trying to understand each other. Rhys’ ears felt as if they were getting more clogged, making it hard to hear Noi.

This would’ve went on until there was no time left if Rhys’ throat didn’t close up enough for the pain to be too much. He coughed and hacked, making his throat feel worse.

Even through his panicked tears, Noi could tell something was wrong. “H-Hey! Rhys? Are you okay?” He fretted.

The taller Daemon started sinking turning Noi into a frightened mess. He tried lifting him up, but was actively struggling.

“Ugh…Rhys, gimme a little help here.” Noi heaved. “I know your whole body is shutting down, but can you at least kick your legs”

Rhys didn’t respond, but he did start to take the brunt effort, carrying Noi on his back and kicking.

“Alright! You’re the mount and I’m the rider!” Announced Noi while grabbing Rhys’ hair.

The ginger pulled at the advisor’s hair to steer him in the right direction. It was literal hell for Rhys, yet every other sense he had was completely useless. The burning feeling on his scalp was the only proof that he wasn’t going through some type of sick dream.

Asch looked up at his impending doom. His head felt as if his brain was scratching away at his skull, begging to be let out and spread all over the floor.

Despite him accepting his death, it hadn’t come. He sat up and looked closer at the cats seeing that they were moving very slowly. He couldn’t figure out why this was, and his head still hurt like hell.

he laid back down in hopes the pain would lighten. Asch desperately wanted to close his eyes and sleep the pain away, but he had no idea if the cats would return to their regular speed and maul him.

Now that he was laying down though, he couldn’t bring himself to sit back up.

“C’mon Asch…this is embarrassing. Even a child could strike you down…” whispered a voice.

Asch shot straight back up feeling tension all over his body. He looked all around, but there was nothing near him the voice could’ve came from.

“What? Scared of a little sparing? Do you even want to be king?” Said another voice.

Asch’s body was in a cold sweat, and his head was reeling. Those voices were a lot like his father and Hitoma. He knew they weren’t here, or were they? His brain was beyond messed up.

“Asch! Strike me! Strike me now and prove yourself to me!” Shouted the booming voice.

The prince started to breathe heavily, and pushed away some of the cats in a panic. He looked around for the source of the voices, but there was none.

Asch figured it was his headache making him hallucinate. He didn’t remember taking such a devastating blow from the cats, but when he felt the top of his head, his hand was stained with blood.

He could hear scurrying coming from the right of him. His vision was blurry, but he could see a purple blob.

“Rhys? That you? My gods I’m glad to see you…” said Asch reaching out towards the shape.

The figure sighed, “I ain’t ya lil boy toy…we’re not even the same shade of purple! You colorblind?”

Asch was hit with a wave of shock before squinting his eyes to see who the figure really was. It was Lady Grandma, and a spate of embarrassment hit him

“B-Boy toy?!” He grabbed his head from the pain of yelling before saying, “what happened? Why is everything so slow?”

“Rhys did a ritual to slow time, but it seems someone might’ve interfered with it.” Lady Grandma went to paw at Asch’s arm. “We need to get outta here quick. He said how much time we had left, but uh…didn’t really comprehend.”

Asch rolled over on his stomach and followed Lady Grandma into the hole she dug. The old woman sliced bigger tunnels so Asch could have more space to crawl.

They both went at a steady pace to make sure they didn’t bump into each other. Lady Grandma constantly looked behind to make sure Asch was still behind her or dropped dead.

She felt a tinge of sadness at the fact she couldn’t remember much about him. He’s her grandson for crying out loud, she should at least remember the day he was born. She just couldn’t though.

She couldn’t remember his first day in the academy, his first spar, his first banquet, none of it. Bits and pieces, sure, but none of them was something that could tell her she was proud of Asch.

Lady Grandma also wanted to know why she just blanked out when tending to Ava and Pierce. The general looked a lot like someone she used to know, but couldn’t remember who.

She shook her head to rid of these thoughts and continued to dig. She could unpack this another time. Right now, she needed to get Asch out of here.

She picked up her speed and started mowing down the slow cats. Asch did his best to keep up. With his injuries, he was severely slowed down.

“Ma! Slow down a bit…” panted Asch, now going slower than when he started trying to catch up.

Lady Grandma seemed to have ignored Asch’s pleas, focusing on making a path.

Eventually Asch gave up because of the immense pain that took over his body. His breathing slowed, and his vision became hazy.

He blinked away tears as his body began to shut itself down. He couldn’t fight off these cats in his state.

“I should’ve known you weren’t ready. It’s not like you ever are.” Said a voice that sounded a lot like his father.

Asch could feel the cats slowly closing in on him. He tried to move, but his body didn’t seem to have the energy. Even though it’d make his head scream, he had to call out to someone.

“Hey! Ma! Wait for me, I can’t keep up!” He shouted while feeling a sharp pain in his head.

He waited while using up his little energy to move away cats that were a little too close to him. The prince was going to call out again until he felt a pair of hands grab both of his horns.

His body kickstarted itself in every place that he didn’t need at the moment. Whoever grabbed his horns was fiddling around, seemingly trying to get a better grip. This didn’t make the situation any better for Asch, as he squirmed around to remind his body this wasn’t the time.

The hands finally got a good grip and pulled. The tension and heat from his horns made Asch’s head want to tear itself apart.

After a while in the crowd of cats, the hands finally got Asch to the other side. The prince blinked and squinted his eyes to get a glimpse of who had the smart idea to pull him by such a sensitive place out of every other body part.

When his eyes settled, he noticed a distinct lack of horns on the figure. It was Ava, which in hindsight, should’ve been the first person he suspected.

“Queen Ava…what the hell?” He said lethargically not having the energy to be mad.

Ava looked scared out of her mind looking at Asch. “Oh damn! Was that from me pulling your horns? Oh my god, I fucked up I’m really sorry!” She panicked.

Asch flinched at Ava’s yelling. “If you’re talking about the head thing, that was from the cats. If you’re talking about everything else, Daemon horns are pretty sensitive…I’d be mad as hell if I wasn’t about to pass out.”

“…and that doesn’t mean I touched the equivalent to a penis, yeah?” She wished.

“What do you think?!” Shouted Asch, who immediately recoiled in pain from raising his voice.

Ava groaned in disgust while rubbing her hands on Asch’s chest. The prince couldn’t be more confused, but let it happen because he honestly didn’t care.

“Ugh…do you know what’s happening? I remember Pierce telling me, but I didn’t comprehend a thing.” Said Ava, scratching the back of her head.

“You people can’t remember…anything…” mumbled Asch, seemingly falling asleep.

Ava started shaking and hitting Asch. “Woah! Don’t go to sleep dude! I have no idea if you’ll wake up with a head scar like that.” She stammered.

Asch groaned in pain and looked away from Ava. He looked as if he was struggling to stay awake, but Ava thought that was better than him dying.

Ava grabbed Asch by his underarms and started slowly dragging him, making sure to keep his head elevated. She needed to find one of the guys to help her, or maybe that cat thing they keep calling Lady Grandma.

Moving away some cats in her way, Ava could hear a muffled voice. She hoped it wasn’t another one of the guys, if it was, she’d just have to pick her favorite and leave with them.

She moved towards the voice while making sure that none of the cats swiped at Asch. She came across a dense layer of cats. There wasn’t even a pocket of space or anything, just cats.

The voice was strongest in this area, so she kept digging in hopes she’d find the source of it. She started to hear a grunting noise followed by the cats shaking a ton. Whoever this is was trying to break down the wall of cats with a lot of force.

They were trying to break down the wall of cats.

With Ava behind it.

She scrambled to get on the other side of Asch and pull him by the legs, disregarding how his head might scratch the floor.

“What the hell are you doing?” Asch asked tiredly, still choosing to not look at Ava.

“Saving your head from getting crushed!” She growled while getting increasingly more anxious about the person knocking down the cats.

With a yell, Leif burst through the cats, inches away from squashing Asch’s head. He looked straight at Ava with surprise.

“Leif? Hey do-“ Ava started, but Leif cut her off by grabbing her and speeding through the cats. Ava quickly grabbed Asch by the legs and dragged him along.

Asch’s head dragged across the floor. “AH FUCK!” He yelled, “SLOW…down…” he trailed off as his body finally passed out.

Ava shouted at Leif to slow down so she could check on Asch, but he kept his grip on her.

She knew it wasn’t the time for this, but she couldn’t help but feel butterflies in her stomach with how careful Leif was when grabbing her. She needed to get her mind off this quick.

She tightened her grip on Asch’s legs so she wouldn’t let go. Gradually, she got her hands to grip on higher parts of the prince’s body while Leif was still running with her. She got to the point where Asch’s body was sideways as she held on to dear life to his head, keeping it elevated.

Ava was sure his head would pop right off if she kept this up, but this was the only way he wouldn’t get any more injuries there.

Leif made a quick stop and let go of Ava. He then started to slam into a wall of cats repeatedly with his body.

Ava took this opportunity to check up on Asch, and she had to admit, he looked very much dead. Her heart dropped down to her stomach until she put her head to his chest. She could hear his heart beating which immediately made her let go of a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“Queen Ava? What’re you doing?” Questioned Leif. Ava swiftly sat back up and tried to do a nonchalant pose that in fact made her look more conniving than what she intended.

“I was…checking his heart beat! He looked kinda dead and I panicked and-“

“And so…to fix that you…smell him?”

Ava didn’t think she could be more panicked on the inside than what she already was. This was worse than accidentally convincing a bunch of alien(?) guys to marry her because she’s the queen of earth. Leif was gonna think she’s weird.

Without a doubt, the worst feeling in existence. Someone you think is attractive calls you a weirdo? You’re gone. Finished. There’s no coming back from it.

“Wh-What?! No! No. I was scared and I was holding my breath! I swear I’m not weird!” Stuttered Ava while flailing her arms.

“I wasn’t gonna say you’re weird, it’s just a crazy way to check a pulse. Literally just take your fingers and put them on his neck.” Leif explained, making Ava feel kinda dumb.

Leif sighed, “Could you just help me break this down?” He asked while continuing to slam into the wall.

Ava was more embarrassed than she had ever been in her life, and she had no idea how to help. She swatted away a few cats that were slowly, but surely, swiping at him. That was all she thought she could do though, as she didn’t really think she’d make a difference in busting through to cats.

Leif suddenly stopped trying to break the wall and looked at Ava like she provoked him. “What? I can’t do anything to break this down.” Said Ava.

“But you could…I don’t know…dig around? See if it’s just another pocket? Be helpful?” Huffed Leif.

Ava scoffed, but still did as she was told. “Asshole…” she muttered.

“Oh, that’s it!” Shouted Leif as he pounced on Ava.

The ravenette quickly kicked the Daemon in spots she knew would stun him. Specifically between his legs.

Leif yelled in pain, and got off of Ava. She quickly turned the tables by kicking him in his chest. Leif got knocked back, but as Ava was about to kick him again, he gave her a taste of her own medicine by kicking her in the crotch.

“Gah! Fuck! My lil’ boat man…oh no…” she keeled over flat on her back.

Leif took a few breaths. “Damn, you fight dirty. I haven’t had to stoop to that level in a while.” He said while getting closer to Ava.

“Y’know…a queen like you deserves someone who can match your en-“ Ava bit Leif’s hand before he could finish his sentence.

The assassin yelped, but went to throw Ava over his shoulder. She got all the wind knocked out of her, looking up at Leif as he attempted to pin her down. She wasn’t gonna go down so easily though.

She right hooked Leif and spun around to kick him in his neck. He got knocked back, but seemed to have tanked those hits. He held his neck while attempting to pounce Ava.

She haphazardly dodged, seemingly becoming a bit agitated. “Dude this is gettin’ annoying!” She exasperated, attempting to kick at Leif.

“Heh, you keep fighting though. Clearly you don’t wanna lose.” Jeered Leif while grabbing Ava’s leg and pulling her towards him.

Ava tried to punch Leif, but he grabbed both of her hands and pinned them down above her head. “Damn it! I could’ve won that…” she grumbled.

Looking up at Leif, Ava noticed something different in his eyes. She couldn’t quite pin it down though.

“Where’d you learn to fight like that?” He asked, his voice in a way softer tone Ava had ever heard him speak.

Ava stuttered a bit before answering Leif. “I- uhm…I used to be in a MMA team back in high school, but…I got kicked off after I did some stuff that was like out of the rule book n’ stuff…” she blushed hard out of embarrassment.

Leif cocked his head to the side. “I…uh…was never good at the grappling part…I always forget to.” Stammered Ava, refusing to look at the Daemon.

Leif laughed to himself. “I’ve got no idea what that is, but I’ve never had a play fight in a while.” He said. “…and I’ve never had a play fight with such a fine woman like you.”

Ava finally set her eyes on Leif, seeing eyes filled with admiration. The assassin made his face impossibly close to the ravenette’s. His minty scent overpowering all of her senses.

“Could I steal a kiss from you, Queen Ava?” He said simply, yet there was a low growl in his voice that made Ava’s heart leap.

“Y-Yeah..! My lips are chapped though so uhm…” Ava trailed off as Leif let go of his grip on her wrists and moved his hand to move her hair out of her face.

“I don’t really care about that.” He hummed as he got closer.

Ava could feel Leif’s breath over her lips. She shuddered as he got ever so closer.

“GERONIMO!” Yelled a voice that sounded a lot like a certain short Daemon, followed by a crash and the slow rise of sound coming from the cats.

Both Ava and Leif looked to see who it was, and it was none other than Noi and Rhys. The ginger was on top of the advisor looking a bit dazed. Rhys on the other hand looked completely knocked out, his face flat on the floor.

“That kinda hurt…” said Noi before shaking his head. “Queen Ava! Leif! I’m so glad to-…what are you guys doing..?”

Ava immediately pushed Leif off of her and sat up. “Nothin’! Just normal stuff.” She said, actually sounding believable for a change.

Noi clearly knew something was up, but he didn’t pry. “Sure…oh! We need to find Asch and Lady Grandma! Have you seen them?” He asked, trying to change the topic

Leif cleared his throat. “I’m pretty sure Rhys is on top of him.” He said.

Noi looked down in shock to see Asch’s arms flailing around under Rhys as if he was a squashed bug. He quickly got off of Rhys and pulled him from Asch.

Asch took a deep breath while continuing to flail like he’s still being crushed. “Holy shit! I’m up! What’d I miss?! Are we out?! Is Ma okay? Am I okay?…” he went on, but the rest of the group started to tune him out once they realized he was just rambling.

“Noi, how much time we got left.” Said Leif, his tone more serious.

“Rhys was gonna tell me, but he’s allergic to cats and I couldn’t hear him because he was mumbling! So before I comprehended he said something of substance I kinda already crashed in here…” Noi answered while wringing his hands.

Asch started groaning with his hands on his head when Leif was about to respond. He started babbling about something but no one could understand him.

“None of you’s listens! None of ya! Just like him! I hate you all…I hate him so much!” Asch started crying uncontrollably as the group awkwardly tried to calm him down.

Noi started to have tears well up in his eyes. “Three of our smartest people are either not here or dumb now! We’re gonna die!” He joined Asch in the crazy wailing.

The crying coupled with the piercing screeches the cats started to emit got unbearable. Ava was starting to have enough.

“Could you all SHUT UP!?” She screamed. Noi stopped his tears and covered Asch’s mouth to stop his.

“We don’t know where that Lady Catma or whatever person is, and we don’t know how much time we have left.” She started to dig through some cats above her. “I remember Asch yelling something about her when I found him, so she left him. I say we get the hell out of here and pray she makes it out.”

Everyone that was conscious and sane seemed to agree with her, they started to dig up with Ava. Leif grabbed Asch, and Noi grabbed Rhys.

“Where’s Ma? I don’t know where she is…she’s okay?” Jabbered Asch while he was being carried by Leif.

The blanchette ignored him, focusing on digging up and being able to carry the prince. He silently cussed himself out for choosing to get the talkative one. Then again, Rhys would’ve been a huge hassle to carry since he was only a few inches shorter than Pierce.

Asch said something else, but Leif chose to tune him out. He was doing a good job of this right up until Asch punched him in the mouth.

Leif was inches away from completely dropping the prince. “What the hell dude?!” He fumed while grabbing Asch’s hand.

“You’re ignorin’ me! I’m your prince! You should respect me you troglodyte!” He whined.

“The fuck is a troglodyte?!” Yelled Leif, trying to get in a good position to carry Asch and climb up.

Asch kept rambling as Leif continued to tunnel up. He could hear Ava and Noi shouting his name, so he needed to get to the surface quick.

He started to call out to them so they could pull him up. His prayers were answered as Noi grabbed his hand and pulled him out.

“The cats are getting kinda unstable.” Said Noi while struggling to keep his balance. “I don’t think we’ve got much time.”

Leif nodded in response and transferred Asch’s body to over his shoulder. “W-Wait!” Shrieked Noi, startling the assassin.

“Rhys is kinda heavy, and I’ve already been carrying him for a long time so…” Noi pointed at the unconscious advisor to signal to Leif he needed help.

The taller Daemon groaned in annoyance, but still went to help. He grabbed Rhys by the feet as Noi grabbed him by the under arms. Slowly carrying him to the end of the wave.

They were speed walking, but with how the cats started to move faster and faster, they were severely slowed down.

“Hey! You guys are almost there! Are any of you strong enough to throw Asch over here?” Shouted Ava only a bit farther away from them.

“Oh yeah! Lemme just summon the strength of our dear general Pierce!” Said Leif sarcastically.

“That’s a good idea Leif! How would we do that though?” Piped up Noi.

Leif glanced at Noi disappointedly before turning his attention back to Ava. “These cats are getting fast too! It’s hard enough to balance, let alone get a good enough stance to throw someone!” He shouted

Ava looked a bit conflicted. At this rate, there was no way they’d make it in time. The panic was starting to kick in, and she started breathing heavier.

“Can’t you like, wake Rhys up?!” She worried.

“Like I said, he’s allergic to cats! He’ll just wake up delirious!” Hurriedly noted Noi.

Ava started to panic even more. She could leave them, but she cared about them now. It was terrible, risking her own life just to make sure these guys were safe.

She started to feel something pawing at her feet. Instinctively, Ava started kicking at it, but the paw showed its claws and scratched at her.

The ravenette made a yelping noise as the paw emerged to reveal Lady Grandma. “Before I do what I’m gonna do, tell them it was earth magic okay?”

Ava nodded and watched as the cat turned towards the Daemons and held out her hands. She mimicked her and pretended like she was doing the spell.

The purple fuzz ball clenched her paws and a magical aura started to revolve around herself, Ava, and the four Daemons. She swiftly flung her arms to the end of the hallway, and everyone was thrown.

All of them tumbled on top of each other with grunts. Behind them, they could hear the souls regaining their speed.

“What in the gods’ names are y’all doing?!” Chastised Lady Grandma. “Run like your lives depend on it! ‘Cause they do!”

Lady Grandma sped away, and the rest of the group followed suit. Asch was still out of his mind, but Leif guided him through the commotion. Noi was grabbing Rhys by his foot, and was dragging him painfully across the floor.

The wave of cats finally regained its speed, trailing behind the six. They turned the corner, and the wave almost zoomed into the other hallway. Some of the cats turned quick enough to chase the group.

“What’re we gonna do when we get to the entrance?!” Yelled Leif. “They’re obviously just gonna crash through it!”

“They can’t get on earth! I’ll explain it later, for now just run!” Shouted Lady Grandma, speeding up just a bit to get to the passage.

When Lady Grandma finally went through, Ava and the Daemons practically crashed into the room. They heard a huge thump, and then muffled cries that eventually got farther away.

“MY ROOM! I’ve never been so glad to see it!” Sang Ava while kissing the floor.

Ava was actually very energetic, which signaled to the conscious Daemons she was going down in three, two, one.

“Yup! I’m passing out!” She declared as she fell flat on her face.

Leif picked her up bridal style and laid her on her bed before turning to Noi. “So…what’re we gonna do about Asch?” He asked.

The ginger looked over to the prince. Asch seemed to have been poking Rhys with Ava’s lamp.

“He’s reeeeaaaallll sleepy, Hehehe” he mumbled while messing with Rhys’ face with the lamp shade.

Noi went to kneel beside Asch. He studied his face and some of his scars looking specifically at the one in the back of his head.

“I think it’s a mix of head trauma, blood loss, not enough oxygen, and spending too much energy.” He deduced.

Noi smiled a bit, “Luckily, he didn’t lose enough to need a transfusion. Water and rest should do him good, and also wrapping up his scars.” He explained.

Leif looked at Noi a certain way, but the ginger couldn’t really discern what he was thinking. “Hm…well Pierce is in the other room most likely passed out, so if you-“ Leif couldn’t even finish his sentence before Noi dashed towards the living room.

A rather high pitched “oh no!” could be heard before some shuffling. The assassin got curious and looked into the room.

He saw Noi trying to shove Pierce onto the couch while holding an ice pack. The general was doing a good job of pushing off the medic, but he was persistent.

“C’mon Pierce, Lay down! A head bump like that could be something serious! The last thing you need to do is look at something bright!” Lectured Noi, temporarily succeeding at pinning the taller down.

Pierce pushed the ginger away. “I’m not a child Noi, I’m fine with just sitting around!” He said sternly.

Leif took a look at Pierce’s supposed head injury. He had to admit, it was the biggest head bump he’s ever seen. He felt kinda bad, but not enough to out right say it was his fault. If he asks he’ll say he fell down the stairs, there’s no way he’ll remember.

Pierce surrendered, not really having the energy to fight back anymore. Noi handed him the ice pack and told him to hold it to the knot. He then got some blankets from Ava’s closet and laid them on top of Pierce.

“Please make sure to not look at the human entertainment thing,” cautioned Noi. “I’d turn it off, but I don’t know how to.”

Leif didn’t know what it was with small, frail looking people being kinda strong. He started to feel a disgusting warm feeling in his chest. He chalked it up to his body finally starting to feel tired.

Noi looked over at Leif with slight stress in his eyes, making the assassin’s chest tighter. “You okay Leif? You look kinda dazed.” He worried.

“U-Uhm mhm, I’m good man. Just tired…I uh, should be good enough to help you with Asch.” Leif stammered.

Noi beamed while clasping his hands together. “That’s great! You had me panicking for a second there! Honestly wouldn’t know what to do if you needed to be taken care of too…” he scratched the back of his head.

Leif coughed away a potential voice crack. “Yeah man…let’s just get it over with.”

Asch opened his eyes to complete darkness. It was almost eerie, but he could hear the snores of multiple people.

He sat up and squinted his eyes to get them used to the darkness. His head felt like it had a heartbeat, and he realized that one of his eyes were covered.

He figured that Noi must’ve taken care of his wounds from the fight. Everything still ached though, it was honestly more annoying than anything.

He looked to his right to see Rhys and Lady Grandma next to him. The old cat-woman was relaxing on top of a knocked out advisor, with her hands behind her head and legs crossed.

She opened her eyes and waved at him. “Nice to see ya alive.” She said while chuckling to herself.

Asch felt a tinge of anger and grabbed her by the scruff. Lady Grandma struggled and cursed at him, as he quietly took them both to the bathroom.

The cat finally freed herself from Asch’s grasp and climbed onto the counter. “What was that for?! Picking cats up like that hurts them y’know!”

Asch shushed Lady Grandma, being silent for only a few moments. “…Why did you leave me back there?” He whispered, his voice cracked slightly.

The feline was silent for a bit before sitting criss-cross. She took a deep breath, and decided not to look at Asch at all.

“I was just trying to save ya kid. It’s not like you called out to me anyways. I-“

“I did call out to you.” He interrupted. “And never in your life have you ever called me kid. What do you usually call me?”

Lady Grandma could tell Asch was furious, and messing up this question would make him livid. She had to think what suit him best. She didn’t remember being good at nicknames anyways.

“Uh…キッド…?” She guessed.

Asch looked as if he was gonna bite her head off. He kept starting and stopping his sentences before accidentally letting out a sob.

He held his head in his hands. “Your little 溶水…you used to call me that…I know I hated that nickname when we were back home, but I’d literally do anything for you to call me that again and mean it.”

Asch looked at Lady Grandma with tears in his eyes. He waited for her to say something, but was met with disappointment when she didn’t say a thing.

He started to walk out of the bathroom until Lady Grandma ran to paw at the back of his leg.

He clenched his fists. “If you can’t remember anything, then don’t even bother talking to me. I just…I just can’t bear it.” Said Asch, refusing to look at the cat.

“Listen Asch, I may not be able to remember much, but I want to. You’re making it way harder than it has to be.” Scolded Lady Grandma.

Asch turned, intentionally almost kicking away the purple feline. “Clearly you forgot what this fucking tells me!” He yelled. He quickly covered his mouth and put his ear to the door.

Once he hadn’t heard anything, he looked back over to Lady Grandma. She was shocked Asch would even think to curse in front of her. She was going to give him hell about it to change the topic, but Asch stopped her.

“…It tells me every single moment you were with me was hell. That whenever I cried in your arms you were begging for it to be over…when we spent time together when I was little you despised every single second of it. You hate me, so I hate you.”

Asch walked out of the bathroom, leaving Lady Grandma alone with her thoughts. Her head hurt like crazy, and she squirmed around to make it stop.

She started blanking out because of the pain. It couldn’t be healthy for this to happen two times in one day. If only she hadn’t started caring, she’d never be in this mess.

She wouldn’t be stuck having to relive everything she didn’t have to. She wouldn’t be stuck having to look at someone who looked exactly like her husband.

That damn general. because of him, she had to use magic. If she hadn’t been cat-ified then, she would’ve had time to help save everyone. None of this was her fault. None of it.

Eventually, her body started to succumb to its instincts, reverting her back to a thoughtless kitten. Another memory regained, and more damage dealt.

OKIE DOKIE. Before I say anything else I just wanna give a quick translation for all the Japanese. If any of it is wrong that’s completely my bad since I used my own knowledge in Japanese 😭

神さまはわたしのよびかけをきく(Kamisami wa watashi no yobikake o kiku) should translate to gods hear my call (I’m not very confident with this truly. If any of these are wrong it’s most likely this.)

もう一度、あなたの助けが必要です。起きている間中、そうしているように (Mōichido, anata no tasuke ga hitsuyōdesu. Okite iru manaka, sōshite iru yō ni) should translate to Once again, I require your help. As I do in every waking moment.

キジャン、どうか私に時間の力を貸してください (Kijan, dō ka watashi ni jikan no chikara o kashite kudasai.) should translate to Kijan, please lend me your power of time to continue to serve you. (Kijan is the name of the time god btw. What’s that? This isn’t that great of world building and it feels like I’m just cramming it in? That’s okay bc that line of text right there is what I imagine you’re saying bc I usually think my world building is ass)

キッド (kiddo) should translate to kid

溶水 (Yōmizu) is actually just half of lava and all of water. So its literal translation is Lavawater or if you wanna be funny Lawater. Funny story, it was originally going to be obsidian, but straight up it wouldn’t have worked because having a nickname that long would be a lil dumb, (it’s 黒曜石 or Kokuyōseki btw) so I went with this. 溶水 fits better anyways since literally that’s how a lot of nicknames are made, which is combining two things that can describe a person in a cute way, so it worked out. I know that’s not how MOST nicknames are but that’s how it is for me personally

AGAIN if any of the Japanese is wrong that’s completely on me since I was the one who wrote it. I’m still learning the language, so if you’re at all knowledgeable on it I’d appreciate any criticism!

[thedreadpiratebonnet]

Every time I rewatch and Alex says 'no such thing as a locked door when you're a prince, I suppose,' it makes me think about keys and how they're used in relation to Henry in the book vs the movie. In the book, Henry says:

“Funny thing about being a prince—people will give you keys to just about anything if you ask nicely.”

(Which that line from Alex is obviously a nod to)

And it creates this nice juxtaposition between Henry, the prince, who can go anywhere he wants, who has this illusion of freedom, vs Henry the man who is trapped in this life and sees no way out. (Although, by the point that he says this, he’s already starting to see that freedom in Alex.) And I love that! But I also love the changes made in the film. Instead, we get this (paraphrased from memory) exchange:

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever owned a key in my entire life.”

“No such thing as a locked door when you’re a prince, I suppose.”

“Well… You’d be surprised.”

So, here, it's used to emphasise Henry's situation and how he feels trapped in his life—literally without a key to get out. Until Alex. Alex unlocks Henry's life

And, so, the symbolism of Alex giving Henry his actual, physical key, after Henry gives him the ring, is strengthened by Henry never having had a key. Like, Alex is literally the key to unlocking Henry from the shackles of his life, to unlocking Henry full stop. Henry has never had a key—metaphorical or literal—until Alex.

And it's just... It's really lovely, the way it all ties together! That conversation from their first night together, to Alex giving Henry the key, and to him using it to bring Henry into his home, the way it all circles around. And the idea of love setting him free—it does sound kinda corny when you say it like that, I guess, but it's really a beautiful thing. The love he thought he couldn't have, that he initially ran from, is what allows him to be himself. Being queer and loving a man—the parts of himself he thought he’d always have to hide—is what frees him

There’s definitely more to say and I’m not even saying anything new but I was just thinking about it and wanted to ramble a bit even if I’m rambling about very obvious symbolism lol

(As an aside, I do want to mention Henry grabbing that random key from like under the rock, or whatever, as he leads Alex out of Kensington Palace. I mean, I'm sure it's more of a communal key, or something, so it doesn't 'belong' to Henry, and they still have to sneak out under cover of darkness, but it might muddy things a little? I'm not sure. Maybe it fits in because it’s when he’s starting to allow himself to think of the possibility of being open and being with Alex. I do know the idea of, in the universe of the movie, there being a key to the gates for Kensington Palace under a rock right by said gate is so funny to me though)

[merp-blerp]

Some Tincrow Moments From The Wiz Production I Just Saw While It’s Fresh In My Mind

Note: I had never seen the stage version of The Wiz before last night, so I could be missing things and points. Also, my memory might be just a bit fuzzy on exact details, but I know this stuff mention did indeed happen at some point.

Avery Wilson was Scarecrow and Phillip Johnson Richardson was Tinman. They absolutely killed it. Everyone did. I’m going to need a cast album and pro-shot please!

Scarecrow is a dance God once they get him off the poll in time for “You Can’t Win”. Why they kept Michael Jackson on a damn poll in the movie despite the fact that his dance moves would've been really cool for Scarecrow, I’ll never know.

This is the first direct Oz retelling I’ve seen to give Scarecrow a human backstory (Wicked is more of/better off seen as it’s own thing in my opinion). He was once a scientist who got his brain taken by one of the witches and turned into a Scarecrow. I don’t remember if it’s mentioned if he had a family in this show—it might’ve not been—but if he did I guess he would’ve completely forgotten because he “has no brain”. And I might be wrong, but I think it was mentioned he had a name too, but if so I don’t remember it. I find that interesting and fun to play with, especially if one would be able to compare and contrast that with Nick Chopper’s backstory (and/or whatever the Tinman’s name might be in this version of Oz; guy collects names like candy). I would have to see The Wiz again in order to do that myself, but you know, I like the idea.

Tinman’s backstory is slightly different. He was too gay and sassy for his own good, saying one of the witches was a “rusty” singer, causing her to turn him from a lumberjack into a “heartless” Tinman who gradually lost almost all of his memories outside of the mere fact that he once had a family due to this curse. He thinks he doesn’t have a heart because he can’t remember the ones he loved, just that he used to. Nimmie Amee isn’t a part of his story in this show. That’s about as tragic as the backstory Baum gave him, if not worse.

Give me an angst with a happy ending AU where Tinman and Scarecrow knew each other as humans but both forgot due to their curses, only to rediscover each other through their found families. Imagine Scarecrow having Nimmie Amee’s original role in a way—noooo—

Scarecrow mimicking Tinman’s rusty dance moves while they oil him (he mimicked a lot of people throughout the show—Dorothy, the wizard’s announcers calling his name, maybe etc., so I guess it was just his cute little thing).

When Dorothy’s trying to convince the gang to bring Lion along Tinman says “Are you sure? We already have to bring Captain Brainless?” (or something a lot like that, I'm paraphrasing), thinking they had too many already as if his husband wasn't first in line on the journey before him, only for Scarecrow to say, “I’m captain?!?!” *Insert cute happy head waggles* (Hits different when you know Scarecrow becomes the ruler of Oz after the first book till Ozma’s found, but his leadership wasn't mentioned in The Wiz so maybe that's not on purpose) I adore Avery Wilson’s take on Scarecrow. Tinman has always been my favorite of Dorothy’s friends if I had to pick one, but Wilson’s performance really made Scarecrow stand out even more than usual. I don’t know if I can explain it, it might just have to be seen; pray there’s a slime tutorial out there.

Lion’s kinda gay too, but in solo. And I know Ozma’s not here, so there’s not really any evidence for Dorothy’s queerness… but she is—I can feel it in my lesbian soul, okay!?!?

All of Dorothy’s friends not only want their gifts, but don't see the point in their existences without them. It made me sad for them.

I don’t know where to mention it, but Toto’s not in this show at all—poor guy. EDIT: I just learned that in the original production, Toto was played by a white dog as a joke that there was an all-black cast as opposed to him traditionally being a black/brown dog with a white cast. That is hilarious—why didn't they recreate that???

Tincrow’s only straight-feeling moment is with them both being distracted by the poppies (which caught me off guard in this show because traditionally Scarecrow and Tinman are the only ones not affected by the poppies because they’re not flesh and blood like Dorothy, Lion, and Toto; in this Dorothy was the one to break everyone free from them. I’ve been trying to understand the purpose of this change. Maybe to give Dorothy a bit more agency). The poppies were these sensual flower ladies trying to convince the gang to be lazy, which on it’s own is a fun twist on the flowers that put Dorothy and Lion to sleep. But hey, maybe that makes it not straight, just lazy. I'm all for Bi4Bi Tincrow too.

After the Kalidahs attack they comfort and hype each other and Dorothy up (Dorothy’s their sapphic adopted daughter, in this essay, I will—).

I forget when exactly this happens, maybe during the Kalidahs scene, but at one point they casually cling to each other's arms for no(?) reason. They just met and they’re already married.

Scarecrow backup-singing a little before everyone else joins Tinman during “What Would I Do If I Could Feel” (at least at my showing, I don’t know if this is a regular occurrence as a part of the show or just something that happened to happen at mine).

Making fun of the Wicked Witch together, calling her smelly, and having Lion join in. Bros, that’s what got you in trouble to begin with—messing with a dang witch!

Interestingly, the idea of Dorothy’s friends having they’re gifts all along isn’t here. Instead, it’s implied that after they kill the last wicked witch the curse is mostly lifted, with Tincrow’s gifts returning to them, but they stay a scarecrow and tin-man for some reason. I like to think they still had them all along though, that idea’s too cute and sweet for me to let go of.

The last time we see them they leave the stage together, Lion going ahead of them to reunite with his mom. I can’t explain why this feels important to me. I guess because usually characters exit the stage individually as like a goodbye queue to the audience, knowing that that last step off the stage will detemand the last impression of the characters. So the fact that the last impression of both of them is them together feels special. Or maybe it’s just me.

They both had such sassy black queer vibes the whole time. The show itself already has such sass, but both of them, Scarecrow especially, were oozing it in different fonts. They were giving off bear x twink—or maybe otter couple vibes.

Gay or not, The Wiz is so great! I recommend it so much!

[moltengoldveins]

ok i have a pacific rim question-

when herc hanson is unable to pilot striker eureka, the marshal takes over to copilot with his son. when chuck questions if they'll even be drift compatible, the marshal says "i bring nothing to the drift- no memories or emotions or [something i cant remember]" (paraphrased). how can he bring nothing to the drift? how does that work (if its ever addressed)?

Ok ok ok. Please keep in mind I’m only a fan of the movie here, not necessarily the extended universe, but I shall do my best to explain how I saw this scene after a few watches (I’ll admit, this is a scene I was a bit confused on at first :/ I kinda wish it were elaborated on more but also. Limited run time. Shame it never got a sequel) -

First big thing is that Stacker is extremely talented at drifting and piloting Jaegers. He’s the only known person to have finished a fight with a Kaiju alone other than Raleigh, and he did it in gen 1 janky tech with no backup, and then walked away largely unscathed. The sheer mental capacity and tenacity of spirit that would require is astounding, and implies that if nothing else was stopping him, he’d probably be right on the edge of being able to pilot a Jaeger on his lonesome.

Next big thing is that drifting is tricky to explain. The Doyalist (writing) reason for this is that it’s a metaphor for love, the Watsonian (in-universe) explanation is that it’s an open flow of consciousness between two brains and that can take a lot of forms. You CAN open and maintain a drift without sharing memories with the other person - Newt and Herman drift with a Kaiju, so technically it doesn’t even require you to be the same species - it’s just So Freaking Hard. It requires an immense amount of mental discipline, control, and energy to keep your mind from wandering into your own memories when you catch a glimpse of theirs and if you’re not careful someone might end up chasing a rabbit or seeing something you don’t want them to yadda yadda yadda. It’s easier to just find people who have enough overlap between them and enough willingness to share their experiences that the connection can sort of hold itself open. You’re not necessarily using the memories to create the bridge - you’re threading two minds together and then using a combination of shared emotions, memories, and experiences to make that thread stronger.

Stacker mentions earlier in the film that Mako is a risk when drifting because she’s ’carrying too much emotion into the drift’ which at first seems to contradict this, but it’s not quite the same thing. The things you ‘carry into’ the drift are the things you cannot let go of, the things you’re gonna get stuck on, the things that will clog that open line of communication and tangle the thread. Trauma, unresolved issues, hangups, grudges, the kinds of things that poison relationships. It’s hard to drift with someone who has those issues - it’s even harder to do it if you aren’t expecting those issues. Mako and Raleigh don’t heal from their respective traumas after their first drift - they just know what to expect from one another and talk it through beforehand, so it’s easier to keep the line clear.

Stacker is essentially saying “kid, I’ve got no unresolved trauma and no beef, I can keep my mind on the task at hand so you won’t be getting any stray thoughts out of me, there’s nothing in me that’s gonna trip you up, and there’s definitely nothing in you that’s gonna trip me up. I’ve had you sorted since day one, no surprises there. I’ve got the mental strength and drift skills to pilot with anyone. Your job is to not get in my way, and to handle that one glaring Daddy Issue before we get going.”

the out-of-universe why-is-this-even-happening-in-the-story-explanation? Drifting is a metaphor for love, of all kinds. Stacker isn’t necessarily the most affectionate person, but he is by far one of the most loving people we see in the film, and every ounce of his being is invested in loving his people. The men under his command are his friends, his comrades, it’s his job to keep them alive long enough to see that clock stop. He’s not doing it for glory or revenge- he’s doing it because he loves these people, all of them, but that love is not a two way street like most other forms of love. In the sort of metaphorical idealized sense we’re working in right now, love between a commander and his soldiers is not the love between a solider and his commander. The hypothetical commander’s job is to know everything there is to know about his men and care for them regardless - the soldier never learns enough about his commander to see him as human, his love is more like hero worship or devoted loyalty. Stacker even directly says that this is the kind of figure he’s trying to be for all of the people working for him re: “the only thing I need to be to you and everyone else in this dome is a fixed point”

Respect is a form of love. Mako makes that incredibly clear all throughout the film. Stacker understands and is equipped to lead Chuck - Chuck respects and is willing to trust and follow Stacker. That’s love. It’s not love the way most western cultures use the word and if I could I’d use another word but English is kinda limited :/ but it is. and the drift is love. And that’s what I think makes stacker and chuck at least slightly drift compatible.

[audriandae]

*ahem* have you heard about the life smp mafia 2: electric boogaloo lately?

let me share

it started off as a silly little mafia game. as you do. 23 players and a handful of watchers, plus our lovely admin Hydro. it was going to be just like the first one, little bit of roleplay, a lot of confusion, silly little mafia game. right? wrong.

now you see, it went sort of like this. (everything is paraphrased btw this a summary)

The players (Bdubs, BigB, Cleo, Cub, Etho, False, Gem, Grian, Impulse, Jimmy, Joel, Katherine, Lizzie, Martyn, Pearl, Pix, Ren, Sausage, Scar, Scott, Shubble, Skizz, and Tango) entered the Rift. (normal timeline, the Hermitcrafters were meant to go into Empires. they ended up in a different world. Skizz made it in through a nether portal in one of his survival worlds.) On the other side of the portal was a world familiar to some, unknown to others. The ruins of Third Life. At night.

Night 0 We arrive! in the land known as the Ruins of Third Life most people have come through the rift that crossed hermits over to empires the empires folks also entered the portal tho- there's a handful of people who've been in third life, and a handful who've never seen it before twenty three players some people remember it all some people remember nothing at all memories are a'jumbled but the majority of players remember where they came from. empires or hermitcraft. no one seems to remember both the night is silent. peaceful. relaxing

Day 1 … alliances are formed, marriages occur No one dies No one is voted out No one has any reason to vote anyone out Until the very next day …

Day 2: Dawn … MythicalSausage was doomed to fall by ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ リᔑ∷∷ᔑℸ ̣ ╎⍊ᒷ … . . . … > MythicalSausage was aligned with the Town … . . . … The players gathered at spawn The sun was just beginning to rise in the east On a perfectly clear day, lightning struck down from the sky … SolidarityGaming was struck by lightning … Next to the crater where Jimmy once stood, Scott grasped at his chest He fell to his knees … Smajor1995 died of heartbreak … . . . … > SolidarityGaming was aligned with the Town > Smajor1995 was aligned with the Town … . . . … The players dispersed, making graves for the fallen They grieved They tried to figure out who could’ve killed these three players houses were built, alliances strengthened ...  something was found out important information was spread around … > Grian voted for Ren > Scar voted for Ren … those who went to learn straight from the source got a special crystal those who didnt just had to trust the words of the others … > Lizzie voted for Ren > Cleo voted for Ren > Pix voted for Ren > Shelby voted for Ren > False voted for Ren > Pearl voted for Ren > Martyn voted for Ren  > Gem voted for Ren  > Tango voted for Ren … A majority was reached. …

Day 2: Dusk … Ren stood at spawn, surrounded by other players He warned them of the others who would harm them . “You’re not safe after this. They’re still out there, the Hands.” . When given the chance, he tried to defend himself, lies spilling from sharpened teeth . “I’m just helping you." . “Ren… did you kill Sausage?” “HE WANTED TO GO HOME” “He was home” “you’re all being eaten alive by this server! The only way off is death!” … "I’M SAVING YOU ALL, CAN’T YOU SEE??!" "If death is our saving grace… do me a favour, Ren, and save yourself." … Renthedog was slain by GeminiTay … . . . … Renthedog was aligned with the Hands … [19 players remaining] …

Day 3: Dawn … The dawn is glowing a bright amber. … Ethoslab was struck by falling stalactite … InTheLittleWood didn't want to live in the same world as ᓭ𝙹∷∷| ╎ ↸𝙹リℸ ̣  ᔑᓵℸ ̣ ⚍ᔑꖎꖎ|| ꖌリ𝙹∴ ∴⍑𝙹 ╎ℸ ̣  ╎ᓭ … Dogwarts burnt down … . . . > Ethoslab was aligned with the Town > InTheLittleWood was aligned with the Town . . . … a search went out for the bodies of the fallen both were found in the ruins of Dogwarts neither of them touched by the flames … those with the crystals got a new message … Another hand had been found … > Tango voted Joel > False voted Joel > Pearl voted Joel > Scar voted Joel > Lizzie voted Joel … A game was built.  Specifically, rebuilt A new model of Dare to Flare stood at spawn The walls were glass The entrance was from the top The lava was the same … Lizzie spoke to Joel, confronting him with the truth she knew He didn’t deny the statement Her vote against him had sealed his fate … “You didn't ask me.” “Asking would make it real.” … Joel said his goodbyes to Lizzie  … “It's the Red Winter, Lizzie. The Red King fell, the Red Winter is upon us. I wanted to make it to the spring.” … > Shelby voted Joel > Katherine voted Joel > Grian voted Joel > Cleo voted Joel … A majority was reached. …

Day 3: Dusk … They walked arm in arm to spawn A crowd had already gathered there  Something twitched in Joel when he saw the looming structure of Dare to Flare He’d lost his first life in 3rd Life to the game that was meant to be in the swamp He was marching himself to his execution – his last death– to the very same game …  Joel said his goodbyes He asked that Lizzie would be taken care of He also asked that his dog Geraldine would be taken care of … the watchers are of the belief that Geraldine cannot be hurt. they would smite anyone who tried. Lizzie on the other hand… well, that’s a story for another time … “The Red King's going to rise again, and none of you know it, but- You do not stand a chance.” … “Rest assured, people don’t respawn in this world. I won't, Sausage won't, Jimmy– Jimmy won't. But the Red King fell, and he will rise again.” … Joel climbed down the ladder into the death chamber Lizzie knelt on the glass ceiling, hand reaching out for him Joel didn't move It must've hurt … Smallishbeans swam in lava … ╎ ⊣⚍ᒷᓭᓭ ∴ᒷ'ꖎꖎ リᒷ⍊ᒷ∷ ᒲᔑꖌᒷ ╎ℸ ̣  ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ᓭ!¡∷╎リ⊣ (It is not for you) … . . . > Smallishbeans was aligned with the Hands . . . … [16 players remaining] …

~~~~~

will update with days 4-6 later on!

[moonlightreal]

The Night World’s end of the world

A bit of pondering, with bonus picture of Sarah Strange.

The setup: animal attacks, natural disasters and strange diseases are on the rise! The end of the world is coming! Most of the Night World thinks it’ll be the end of the human world and they will be free to live their best vampire- and shapeshifter-lives, enslaving humans to feed from like they did back in prehistory. But Circle Daybreak is not down for mass human destruction and wants to try and stop what’s coming. Luckily there is a prophecy! There are four “Wild Powers,” four people with a special gift-- blue fire! Very cool. If they all work together they can stop the darkness. Circle Daybreak has a guide to help find them:

One from the land of kings long forgotten;

One from the hearth which still holds the spark;

One from the Day World where two eyes are watching;

One from the twilight to be one with the dark.

The first three we found in the books that have been published. A vampire prince, a ditzy but soulful lost witch, and a vampire hunter who is herself half vampire. The three of them are from the “royal families” of the Night World, the vampire Redferns and the witchy Harmans.

Information from Strange Fate indicates that the fourth Wild Power is Kierlan Drache, from the “royal family” of the shapeshifters. His family name is linked to some very cool new shapeshifter lore that Ms. Smith added for the last four books. The Drache family are dragonborn, before Skyrim or Game of Thrones did it.

In ancient times the dragons were the most powerful and cruel of shapeshifters, ruling whole kingdoms and keeping humans as cattle. Ms. Smith’s dragons seem to be totally evil, drawing on all the darkest ancient serpent mythology. Being shapeshifters, they can be dragon or human, and have the unique power to take on any human or animal form they wish. Ordinary shapeshuifters are limited to one human form and one animal form, the descendants of the dragons are able to choose their animal form while true dragons can shapeshift into any animal or human.

The true dragons are the villains in the end of the world arc, rising from centuries of slumber to bring about the end of the world. Exactly how this will happen is a bit murky; despite the disasters Jez hears about in Huntress, by Witchlight the human world still seems to be puttering along with high school continuing as usual.

This made me wonder: was this “end of the world” arc Ms. Smith’s idea? Or did the publisher decide the series needed a dramatic wrapup? Because Ms. Smith doesn’t seem super invested in the apocalyptic worldbuilding of it all. She had great fun writing the post-apocalypse story that was originally part of Strange Fate then split off to become the standalone novel The Last Lullaby, and I know this because she told me. :-) I emailed her to say “post-apocalyptic is fun to write isn’t it?” and she sent a brief “it sure is!” reply. My only actual conversation with the woman of mystery. But she seems much less into the apocalyptic event itself. This is what made me wonder if Ms. Smith wasn’t the decider in the whole end of the world thing and just wanted to keep writing her supernatural high school stories.

Thinking about the spread of Wild Powers it occurs to me that we have an uneven spread. Witches, vampires and shapeshifters are represented, but humans only get a half-inclusion.

So… is Kierlan a confirmed Wild Power or just a likely Wild Power? ‘Cause Circle Daybreak agents tracked down Iliana through her ancestry long before she could use the blue fire. What I’m saying is, I wonder if Kierlan is a ringer and Sarah will turn out to be the real Wild Power.

On that subject, we have a picture of Sarah, made by Ms. Smith on a dollmaker. (Wherever you are now, Ms. Smith, I hope you’re having loads of fun making all your characters with AI art because it is a blast.)

I’ll have to paraphrase the description since I couldn’t find it again but in my memory Ms. Smith waxes eloquent about how Sarah “May be a bit clumsy and a bit of a crybaby…” which, uh, reminds me of somebody.

And Ms. Smith goes on to talk about Sarah’s bluegreen eyes, shimmering as if with unshed tears, as her most beautiful feature.

[sarah-sandwich-writes]

yo sara i gotta know more baout we were gods fic and also robot apocalypse dream sounds very much intriguing and i would also like to formally request info about that if u would like to share o7

@the-gayest-tree-you-ever-did-see WEEE thank you both!!

I got some duplicates so I'll respond to robot apocalypse dream here and then talk about We Were Gods (we were kids) in a different answer and tag both of you (∩^o^)⊃━☆

Robot Apocalypse Dream was an actual dream I had lol I don't usually have story-like dreams so it was pretty cool just to have it and then I couldn't stop thinking about what a cool story it would make.

In-dream me was part of a family where dad was dead, mom was adrift, very lonely, and super into following fads and trends. My in-dream sister was a scientist. No people skills. Envious of machines. All about that “no maintenance” lifestyle. Eating, bathing, sleeping—who has the time??? And she sees how badly mom is hurting after losing dad. Wouldn’t it be nice to just… cut out that little bit of gray matter that makes it hurt so much?

Here is a rough snippet!

There’s a robot in the center of the room. Hovering. It has four arms--harsh steel, with pincers at the ends corrugated for griping. It speaks with my mother’s voice. It says things I've heard her say before. I can’t tell if it is quoting her--an imitation of the real thing--or if my sister has done something horrible. “Where's mom?” “I’m right here, silly,” says the robot. It flits around the space like it’s comfortable here. Like it belongs here, surrounded by my mother’s things. “What did you do?” She killed our mother. She explains it to me as though it was not murder. As though it was not a heinous thing to generate a code based on our mother’s consciousness and transfer it into this dithering contraption. When I ask after the body she tells me it was disposed of, no longer necessary, as though a human being must be “necessary” to be allowed life. As though this thing paraphrasing my mother is a desirable replacement. It’s not my mother. When I hug it in a desperate attempt to leach comfort from its motor-warmed metal, it asks why I'm restraining it. The more I converse with the thing that is not my mother, the more I learn of what my sister did. It thinks machines are a new fad. It assures me it's at the front of the trend for now, but sister promised before long the entire city will be following it's example. I ask if it remembers that time, years ago, when my mother fell down the stairs. It was an ordeal. She broke her leg and spent four months on a scooter. It remembers… at first. It recalls the incident, but quickly grows confused. How could it fall when it has stability thrusters and hover tech? There must be a malfunction with its recall ability because it doesn’t even have lower appendages to break! It logs the incident with some central computer program before I can say anything to stop it and the memory is wiped entirely within seconds. My sister thanks me for spotting the error and asks if I would keep the thing that is not my mother company and identify any further oversights. She admits most of her attention was on erasing my father so small things like having legs were missed in the conversion process. “You ship of theseus-ed our fucking mother.” “I don’t know what that means.” “If you did we wouldn’t be in this mess!”

[cupcakesinfedoras]

I’m still working my way through my DAO replay, I’m actually doing two at once, one repeating my “canon” female dwarf commoner warden, and one uh… slightly more unhinged playthrough with a female elf mage.

It’s interesting to see the differences between the two, here’s some thoughts! (just from the beginning because I haven’t gotten past Ostagar with my elf warden)

Oh my god people are so racist towards you if you’re an elf. You get that a little bit when you’re a dwarf but people are mainly just baffled by your presence. But if you’re an elf they’re so mean!

Dwarf-specific dialogue seems to overrule female-specific dialogue (in places where they would clash), there’s two instances at the beginning that I noticed immediately (all dialogue paraphrased from memory)

When meeting Alistair, if you’re a female dwarf he says:

“There haven’t been a lot of dwarven grey wardens, I wonder why that is”

But on my female mage elf:

“There haven’t been a lot of women grey wardens”

To which you can respond: “you want more women in the wardens, do you?” <- I HAD NEVER SEEN THIS OPTION BEFORE

And when meeting Morrigan, if you’re a dwarf she says:

“You there, dwarf. You have nothing to fear from any mage.”

But female elf:

“Women do not frighten like little boys”

It’s just interesting! Of course with any origin if you’re a girl at the Joining you have the option to say “I swear I’m the bravest one here and I’m a woman!” because ohohoho GENDER