#same with wallace and hugo

[snakeunderyourboot]

Finished reading “Under the Whispering Door” by TJ Klune and I need to scream about it, so beware spoilers ESPECIALLY under the cut

okay, so I have read 2 other TJ Klune books - The House in Cerulean Sea and In the Lives of Puppets, and while the first was an easy and happy read, the second is my top 5 books EASILY. I love In the Lives of Puppets, I love the world-building, characters, narration, ending, every little thing that is there - I love it.

So I was looking into some other TJ Klune books and I was considering reading Under the Whispering Door before and the only thing stopping me was the premise. You see, when you read the short description of the book, the first impression you will get is that this book is about asshole character that died but then brought back to life and now has 7 days to become a better person while living in the tea shop with this strange guy. And you will think how now this asshole character would try to change his life in 7 days, but also will fall in love with this strange guy and its going to be very sad, because they cant be together and then something will happen and they will get a chance to live happily ever after. Also the asshole guy will change himself completely in just 7 days. The premise is sort of interesting, but also seems so unoriginal and predictable, that I pulled off reading it for a long time.

BUT I was going on a stressful trip and I needed some nice cute book, to better my mood and I knew that TJ Klune books are always very funny and have a good moments, so I decided fuck it. Even if plot was going to be predictable at least there are going to be cool characters and it would do a fine job of keeping me company during this trip.

LET ME TELL YA HOW WRONG I WAS

Not about the characters, they are amazing and I love all of them, but about the plot. The premise is totally lying, because the book does start with a main character death and he stays DEAD. The whole deal with “7 days to live” comes only in a second half of the book and I was so shocked when it happened, because I completely forgot about it.

In fact, we spend huge deal of first chapters just getting to know Wallace(main character) and how the death works(really cool concept by the way, love it). The other characters are also great and I loved each and every of them. From Hugo who is such a patient and nice and encouraging, but at the same time so troubled and hurt, but he cant afford himself to break because other depend on them; to Mei who is actually pretty funny and a deep character, who experienced a lot and it shaped how she behaves, but she still chooses to be better; to Nelson, who is the best old man ever, the guy made me laugh so many times and cry, like Nelson is such a cool grandad(I didnt met my grandad, he passed when I was little, so I got attached to Nelson so quickly); to Apollo who is the best boy ever, the best dog; and to every other small character that appeared in the book. TJ Klune always has great characters, but my god in this book they are all amazing.

Wallace was also interesting character, that I grew to love with every chapter. His change from asshole to an actually nice guy felt a little bit rushed? Honestly, I noticed in TJ Klune’s books, characters who start as assholes but then changed to a nice guys, always have a good start and good finish but a little meh middle? Like Wallace was presented as such a big jerk and by even a middle of the book he become a completely different character which threw me off a little. On the other hand, considering that he died and then put into an unknown situation for who knows how long, maybe it is understandable why he changed so much. Still, I would prefer if he stayed a little bit as a jerk, just a little. A nice amount. Still, I liked him and his progression.

Remember what I said about Nelson making me laugh? This book is so funny, I laughed so much. Genuinely, the jokes are almost always hitting right in the center, especially the running ones. People who read the book - Walce truly does have a legs for it;))

The only thing that I a little bit disappointed about was the ending AND HERE IS HUGE SPOILERS DONT READ IT IF YOU HAVENT READ THE BOOK GIVE IT A CHANCE PLEASE GO RIGHT NOW AND READ DO NOT LOOK FOR MORE EVEN IF SOMETHING THAT I SAID BEFORE INTERESTED YOU EVEN A LITTLE GO AND READ IT I PROMISE YOU ITS REALLY GOOD

okay okay here the ending

I knew that Wallace wasn’t going to really go, even if book truly tried so hard to make me feel like that(and did a very good job with it, BUT I JUST KNEW he is going to be alright) and I thought that by the end he is going to remain a ghost but will now be allowed to stay in Tea Shop.And it sort of happened, expect he was also resurrected and made into a ferryman. Which felt too good to be true. I think I would prefer if he stayed dead but was allowed to stay in Tea Shop and they still had a relationship with Hugo even without touching and kissinf. I dont know, I feel like it could have been interesting and not as nice as the actual ending is. For all the talk in this book how life is unfair and we need to deal with it and try to get the best if it, the ending kind of undermines it. Maybe thats just aroace talking in me._.

Also can I talk how amazingly Wallce and Hugo fot for each other? Hugo who always put everyone first and then himself, who never allows himself to have something good, sometimes that he truly wants and Wallace who always took everything for himself and never thought about anyone. And how with Wallace, Hugo allowed himself to care and fight and ask for nice things for himself and he still cares about people, but now he cares about himself too. And how with Hugo, Wallace learn to care about other people and putting their needs first and how it culminated into him basically sacrificing himself for the good of others, because he truly learned how to love. They are such a good fit together, perfectly combining their strengths and weaknesses, like damn, my poor babies

TL;DR this book is amazing, olease read it, I love it so much

[angryshortstacks]

Some Hugo x Wallace headcanons because I just finished Under the Whispering Door (spoilers obviously)

Hugo’s pet names for Wallace are honey or hun, sweetheart, love, and very occasionally babe but in like a jokey way

Wallace calls him dear, darling and love (Wallace is British in my head and this is critical to this point)

After Wallace’s resurrection he was just overwhelming emotion. When Hugo woke him up the first morning Wallace just curled into the pillow and said “oh god. I forgot how much I missed sleep.” When Hugo sets him down at the breakfast table and placed a hot scone in front of him (one’s he’s been smelling but never eating for weeks) he picks it up tentatively and takes a small bite. it tastes so good the butter melts on his tongue. it’s like that scene from spirited away where he’s just eating and crying. Hugo rubs his back and encourages him “it’s okay hon. Eat some more you’ll feel better,” and Wallace just shovels it in between sobs. Needless to say they impulsively decide to close the store for the day so Wallace can acclimate himself a little more.

On a more long term level he has trouble getting used to being alive again. He forgets to eat and doesn’t sleep well. And when Hugo does manage to get him to bed at a reasonable hour he has nightmares about having another heart attack and dying in the bed next to Hugo. And so he gets up and wanders the tea plants or sits with Nelson by the fire until Hugo eventually wakes up and stumbles out of bed all squinty and sleepy to bring him back to bed. Nelson keeps asking him why he’s not sleeping but Wallace shrugs it off or dodges the question. Eventually Hugo confronts him about it when Wallace is still up on the back porch at 4:00 am. Hugo, “Wallace seriously. Why don’t you ever want to sleep.” “I sleep” “not nearly enough” Hugo smoothes down Wallace’s hair “talk to me. I won’t be upset.” Wallace is quiet for a moment and then he says “I keep having nightmares about dying.” Hugo, “honey you went to the doctor your heart is fine-”. “I know it’s silly. I know but… I can’t help it. I just I’ve been given this second chance and I- I don’t want to squander it.” Hugo sits in his lap and leans his forehead against his “your not going to squander it. This is different. Your different.” Wallace nuzzles his head “I just didn’t consider it would be hard.” “Hey,” Hugo kisses his cheek then his temple “there’s no rush. It’s the same as it was before. We have nothing but time now.” Wallace drops his head against his shoulder, “you can’t be my boyfriend and my therapist.” Hugo chuckles “how about I just be your boyfriend who gives really good advice?” Hugo stands and takes his hands “you look tired. Cmon It’s bedtime.” And he pulls him up to stand and they go inside and Hugo spoons him to sleep.

Wallace price is the little spoon. I will take no criticism.

Hugo can lift Wallace up despite their height differences. He has thrown Wallace over his shoulder before when he wouldn’t come to bed.

Wallace has crows feet around his eyes when he smiles and Hugo always kisses them.

Wallace love to kiss the back of Hugo’s hand

one year after Nelson and Apollo cross, Wallace gets Hugo a dog for his birthday. He had mei take Hugo into town and when they arrived back home Wallace was sitting on the front porch with a dog between his legs wagging her tail. Hugo stopped dead in his tracks “Wallace why do you have a dog?” and Wallace just grinned “because she’s yours.” Hugo just burst into tears and sat on the porch for hours petting her and saying “she’s perfect. I love her.” He and Wallace decide to name her peppermint (pepper for short). She’s a rescue, some kind of terrier mix, and she’s a little skittish at first but within a couple months she greets every customer at the door with a grin and a wagging tail. She sleeps at the foot of their bed and when Hugo is anxious she pressed her head into his lap.

[pridepages]

The Opposite of Regret: Under the Whispering Door

I just finished Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune. I have thoughts...

here there be spoilers!

This Thanksgiving weekend, I find myself musing on the idea of being grateful. And I found myself reading the perfect book...

Under the Whispering Door is the story of Wallace Price: a selfish, unremarkable man whose days passed one after another very much the same. He's prickly, self-centered, and generally unpleasant. Not a good person, but not the worst there's ever been. He'd tell you he's just been doing his best---right to the day his black heart takes him out.

Picked up at his funeral by a lovable 'reaper,' Wallace is brought to 'ferryman' Hugo Price. By day, he's the owner of Charon's Crossing Tea and Treats. The rest of the time, he's helping the recently deceased make peace with their change of state and get ready to cross to the other side.

Making peace, grieving, is a process with many facets: reflection, shame, anger, pride, joy...

and regret.

People have been around a long time. And yet, we still haven't found a way to cope with our own impermanence and imperfection. 'Life is short,' we cry, 'Carpie diem! If not now, then when?' For what could be worse than dying with regret?

I'm here to tell you right now that there will always be regret.

Everyone from the ghost of Hugo's grandfather, Nelson, to the spectral Manager tells Wallace the same thing: there's never enough time.

You could live grandly. You could just live. It doesn't matter. We all have things that we leave regretting. Whether they were things we failed to do...

Or things we did.

"To err is human, I guess," Wallace observes. "I wasn't like you, though. I didn't let it affect me. I should have, but I just...I always blamed others and told myself to learn from their mistakes, and not necessarily my own."

As Wallace learned, when all's said and done--we're going to have blemishes on our record. Being human is being imperfect and messy. Sure, it's better to learn from it. We'd be better if we did. But in the end...

We're inevitably going to fuck up.

"Of course," laughs Nelson. "But that’s the beauty of it, don’t you think? Life is messy and terrible and wonderful, all at the same time."

Embracing imperfection means letting go of perfection. It means living with regret.

But...what if it didn't?

As I closed the book, I had to wonder...

What if the opposite of regret...is gratitude?

I'm not trying to say it like a platitude. I'm not expecting anyone to give thanks for the time they got their heart broken, or said something hateful...

I'm just thinking: what if we embraced it?

What if we welcomed those moments as proof that we were alive, that we did something...

That we tried.

If the choice becomes living imperfectly and not living at all...

Then I'd rather do it.

Regret implies wishing something undone. So I don't regret my life.

I'm going to be grateful that it happened. All of it.

It's not grand. It's definitely imperfect.

But it's mine.

And that much I can be thankful for.

[averytalllemon]

Okay so- I just finished the book Under the Whispering Door and I just jlkasdfhigkleyau8t6iw79

I have so much to say- listen to my rant if you want, but if you don't then don't.

!!HUGE Spoiler Warning!!

I genuinely mean it, if you feel like spoilers will lead you to not read this book in the future then don't read this post. I am so serious about this- I want people to read this book so badly because I need people to rant to who understand what I'm talking about, people that I can agree with (or disagree with, of course). But in the end, do what you wish, though if you take anything from this, let it be: Read. This. Book. (please)

Anyways, onto my rant!

First off, this book is overall so well written and makes some amazing points. I honestly think it changed me as a person, I feel like it changed my view on the world, only slightly though. I just feel- wiser maybe? Like Hugo taught me something, how to be a better person, better at being there for others, better at understanding, ya know? I think it was the bits about how no one knows what you're going through, though experiences can be similar none are the same. I like that, I think about it a lot now. If I notice my friends having a hard day and I have the time to help and talk to them I no longer say "I get it" or "I know" when they explain what they are going through (or I at least try not to) because though I already sort of knew this, I feel like Under the Whispering Door helped me better understand or see more clearly that I in fact don't know. I don't know a lot of things. I'm wrong most of the time. There's plenty of things I don't understand and I'm okay with that, I'm content by that idea. Recently I've been working to better myself and I feel like this book really helped with that, so thanks. Thank you, TJ Klune, for writing this book, and thank you to my friend who got this as a present for me for my birthday I really appreciate it. (Yes, I did already thank my friend for this book ^^)

Now for the part I'd imagine most of you who have read this far are waiting for (or not, I could be wrong).

Wallace and Hugo. I cannot explain them they're just my new favorite ship. I love them so much- aewrohruilt9y4q3i2gk4yhfjT -I'm fine. My friends, for the past week (because honestly, it took me a few months before I picked up the book) I have been ranting to them non-stop about these two. I love them so much. I am horrible at explaining ships and ship dynamics but these two- they just work together, they click. I love how at the start of their relationship, when Wallace first started to develop feelings for Hugo he was thinking about him more than anyone or anything else yet also going "Pfttt- me? have feelings for Hugo? Neverrrr-" (this isn't just an exact quote of course but it sums everything up well) until he was pretty much like "Oh shit- I love him, don't I?" (Again, not a direct quote from the book.) There's also their little therapy session things where they go outside and chat. This is what I was talking about earlier, what I felt changed me in a way. They just stand there, sometimes they talk about big things that they need to get off their chests, other times they'll just chat like good friends about random things, and on some days, they just don't talk at all, and it's perfect. They're perfect. They can just exist with each other and need nothing more. They can be at peace with each other. It's amazing! They have a connection, a bond like no other. I love it. I love them so much. They are just so cute.

And though this may come as a bit of a surprise, my favorite character, not Wallace or Hugo but Nelson. Nelson is so amazingly funny- he always lightens the mood with his silly comments. He's so chaotic in the best way possible, and he really just doesn't give two shits sometimes, when it's the right moment of course. When the moment calls for it, he can be serious, calm, caring, and wise. Gosh I love this man- he'd the best- I think I would've been more said when he left if I didn't know that they'd meet again, eventually, they'll all be together.

Gosh I love this book so much <33333333

If you haven't read it yet, read it. And if you have, read it again. I promise you it'll be worth it.

Also feel free to reblog, I wanna hear some opinions on the book, characters, etc.

[callthefruitsquad]

Rereading Under the Whispering Door as a coping mechanism to deal with a death of a close family member and I am taking so much psychic damage but also god this book is such a gift. Who let him write such a beautiful book about death and grief and what those mean but also having some of the funniest shit i’ve ever read in the same paragraphs. Who gave tj klune the right. Nelson, Hugo, Mei and Apollo, I have no notes, luv u. Wallace, c’mere and let me punch you but also luv u. 

[twittercomfrnklin2001-blog]

He Ran All the Way

The blacklist hangs over John Berry’s HE RAN ALL THE WAY (1951, Criterion and often TCM) like a sword. Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who adapted Sam Ross’ novel, was on his way to prison for contempt of Congress and submitted the script under friend Hugo Butler’s name. By the time the film came out, Butler and Berry were also on the blacklist, and star John Garfield was fighting his way back from blacklisting, only to die of a heart attack at 39, a year after the film’s release. Does that, perhaps, strengthen the film’s sense of doom? Garfield is a small-time crook who kills a cop in a botched payroll heist and holds Shelley Winters’ family hostage in their cramped apartment while trying to figure out how to escape. Berry shoots the film with lots of tight, claustrophobic closeups, reinforced by cinematographer James Wong Howe’s creative use of light and shadow. The apartment becomes a prison not just for the hostages, but also for Garfield, who quickly realizes he really has no way out. Adding to his growing sense of doom is the contrast between Winters’ caring family and Garfield’s own background. In the first scene, he and his mother (Gladys George, whose lack of vanity in roles like this is impressive) trade barbs. Some critics complained he was too old for the role, but the fact that George is just 13 years older than he adds to the sense of family dysfunction. Wallace Ford and Selena Royle are quite good as Winters’ parents, and the early scenes between Garfield and partner in crime Norman Lloyd (also soon to be blacklisted) are sheer poetry; their handling of Trumbo’s dialogue is masterful. Franz Waxman provided the propulsive score the same year he and Winters worked on a much more successful film, A PLACE IN THE SUN.

[bookwyrminspiration]

I have read “Under The Whispering Door,” and I have to admit that I felt like it was an emotional roller coaster. I don’t want to spoil it, but the epilogue, and just what happens to Wallace in general is such an emotional experience. I want to know what you thought of it?

From,

⚙️

(this will contain spoilers) Reading it for me was wild because the entire time I wasn't sure how I felt about it, and even afterwards I pondered over it for a while.

Approaching the ending I genuinely had no idea how the story would conclude, because the focus is on death and death is such an amorphous, personal concept you don't know what the author wants to say about it. So it was like "what does Klune want to say about death?" and how was I supposed to know?

I was a little conflicted as well, because so much of the book had been talking about acceptance and processing and moving on, talking about how Wallace doesn't get a second chance and how you can't un-do death. That was such an accepted part of the story that at the end him being brought back to life--something they'd mentioned wasn't how death worked multiple times--was a little bit of a surprise, like hey weren't we just saying it doesn't work like that?

But at the same time, the lead-up to Wallace entering the door, doing what he was supposed to do, also made it feel very much like leaving was not the right thing for him. He was supposed to be in Charon's Crossing and going through the door wasn't where his story should go. Because he had accepted his death, he had moved on, he had become a better person. So he did all the steps and was fully prepared to move on, meaning at the same time as his revival feels contradictory to some of the message, it also fulfills it.

Learning that Klune wrote this as a way to process a death in his own life (something like that I believe? i'm going from memory at the moment and may be wrong) made it make a little more sense in that, perhaps, it was wish fulfillment. That somewhere in the world, even if not with him, whoever he lost could have everything they wanted and be the best version of themselves. That they could have another life to live, even if he didn't get to be in it. I think the ending would've impacted me more if I had more experience with loss, but I've been very fortunate to have practically none.

My final thoughts are that it's a message about death, one of many, and is formed by the author's experiences. It's not the only view or conclusion to take, but it's an endearing one. I wasn't sure how the story was going to end, but I also recognize this story isn't one meant for me--as in even though I greatly enjoyed it (and lent my copy because I wanted to share it), it's not one speaking to experiences I've had. So I don't feel I can comment on its final message or arc.

It definitely was a roller coaster, and I'm glad Hugo and Wallace can be happy together and live the lives they deserve. Even if the conclusion perplexed me at times, I still enjoy it :)

[thejuniperjinx]

Book 42 of 2024

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

Overall, this a book about grief. It was a beautiful look at the different types and stages of grief, everything from a parent losing a child, to a person facing their own mortality. The setting of a tea shop that offers solace, companionship and a good cup of tea to each customer gives me the warm fuzzies. The main character Wallace, who was a cutthroat attorney, dies, and suddenly has to face the fact that he is dead, and he does not handle it well. Mei the Reaper and Hugo the Ferryman, are well equipped to assist him, joined by Hugo’s ghostly grandfather and faithful dog. I love the undercurrent of acceptance and growth that Wallace goes through, and of course the slow burn, sweet, seemingly doomed love he falls into with Hugo. The story that Hugo tells about Lea and Nicole adds the right amount of melancholy and tension to the story that is largely lacking, as there is no real villain. This is just a tale of learning from your past, and moving on. 

I loved how Wallace handles the conundrum of Cameron, and the changes he makes because of it. I also love Mei. She is a feisty spitfire who takes no shit. 

I did not like the psychic or the health inspector. They felt like two sides of the same harassing coin. 

[llpodcast]

(Literary License Podcast)

Coraline  is a dark fantasy horror children's novel by British author Neil Gaiman. Gaiman started writing Coraline in 1990, and it was published in 2002 by Bloomsbury and HarperCollins. It was awarded the 2003 Hugo Award for Best Novella, the 2003 Nebula Award for Best Novel, and the 2002 Bram Stoker Award for Best Work for Young Readers. The Guardian ranked Coraline #82 in its list of 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. It was adapted as a 2009 stop-motion animated film, directed by Henry Selick under the same name.

 Coraline is a 2009��American stop-motion animated dark fantasy horror film written and directed by Henry Selick and based on Neil Gaiman's novella of the same name. Produced by Laika as the studio's first feature film, it features the voice talents of Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Keith David, John Hodgman, Robert Bailey Jr., and Ian McShane. The film tells the story of its titular character discovering an idealized parallel universe behind a secret door in her new home, unaware that it contains a dark and sinister secret.

 Just as Gaiman was finishing his novella in 2002, he met Selick and invited him to make a film adaptation, as Gaiman was a fan of Selick's The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach. When Selick thought that a direct adaptation would lead to "maybe a 47-minute movie", the screenplay had some expansions, like the introduction of Wybie, who was not present in the original novel. Selick invited Japanese illustrator Tadahiro Uesugi to become the concept artist upon discovering his work when looking for a design away from that of most animation. His biggest influences were on the colour palette, which was muted in reality and more colourful in the Other World, similar to The Wizard of Oz. To capture stereoscopy for the 3D release, the animators shot each frame from two slightly apart camera positions. Production of the stop-motion animation feature took place at a warehouse in Hillsboro, Oregon. Bruno Coulais composed the film's musical score.

 The film was theatrically released in the United States on February 6, 2009 by Focus Features after a world premiere at the Portland International Film Festival on February 5, and received critical acclaim. The film grossed $16.85 million during its opening weekend, ranking third at the box office, and by the end of its run had grossed over $124 million worldwide, making it the third highest-grossing stop-motion film of all time after Chicken Run and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. The film won Annie Awards for Best Music in an Animated Feature Production, Best Character Design in an Animated Feature Production and Best Production Design in an Animated Feature Production and received nominations for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film. It has since developed a cult following in the years since its release.

 Opening Credits; Introduction (1.20); Background History (9.33); Coraline Plot Synopsis (10.37); Book Thoughts (12.26); Let's Rate (31.40); Introducing a Film (33.14); Coraline Film Trailer (36.35); Lights, Camera, Action (38.55); How Many Stars (1:00.24); End Credits (1:02.03); Closing Credits (1:03.30)

 Opening Credits– Epidemic Sound – Copyright . All rights reserved

 Closing Credits:  Dollhouse by Melanie Martinez.  Taken from the album Cry Baby.  Copyright 2015 Atlantic Records.

​

Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 

 All rights reserved.  Used by Kind Permission.

 All songs available through Amazon Music.

[lunasohma]

coming home, an under the whispering door fanfic

[ ao3 ]

late night conversations & cups of tea

It wasn't a particularly bad one. Especially in hindsight. But he’d taken off all the same, refusing to look back at what he knew was waiting just behind him. If he’d only just look.

It’s the same as the first time he left after seeing Nancy. The feeling of the hook and cable stretching taut between them. He can feel it now and he knows Wallace can too. Of course he can. And still, Hugo goes.

.

The stag is waiting by the guardrail. Flowers stream down to the ground from his antlers. Every now and then, he’ll pluck one from midair, chew, swallow it down. It is disconcerting, seeing him in this place. Hugo knows that he knows what it means to him. He’s the Manager, after all.

“Hello, Hugo.” Hugo grimaces. He would rather hear those words from someone else. The boy’s voice sounds in his mind. Attempting to reconcile that with the unfathomable creature towering over him is giving Hugo a headache.

“Stop that. It’s… weird.” The stag tilts its head to the side. Teeth that do not belong to a deer flash at him in an approximation of a grin.

“What was that, Hugo?” The voice comes again, now mixed with another. The childlike tone clashes discordantly against something else dimensions deeper. The voice of a Forest God.

Hugo stares flatly at him.

“One or the other.” The Manager stares back, preternaturally still.

Finally, the stag gives a toss of his head which sends petals raining down around him. Pawing at the ground, he stirs them up again as they fall and jauntily prances through them. Then, with a leap and a bound, he’s up on the guardrail.

He’s laughing, Hugo realizes belatedly. The scene would almost be enchanting if it weren’t for the fact that he was so impossible large and Hugo knew what he really was.

“Okay, I’ve chosen.”

At full force, the Forest God’s voice reverberates in his chest. Hugo’s teeth buzz unpleasantly. He sets his jaw.

“You don’t like me very much, do you, Hugo?”

Absurdly, the direct question raises the ever-magnanimous tea shop owner in him. Hugo attempts to decline to answer.

But the Manager is content to wait, deftly stepping along the rail. Asters bloom in his wake, each appearing from the metal with a tinny squeak.

“No, I don’t.”

“The truth will out!” With a ridiculous un-stag-like bark, he throws his head back in triumph. Hugo shakes the celebratory shower of petals out of his hair.

The Manager turns to survey the scene before him. The sea of trees, the moon high above. He radiates majesty and poise from his perch.

“I do enjoy a view. But why are you out here?”

Hugo can't bring himself to answer.

"Oh yes," The Manager continues, darkly gleeful, "when my very generous gift is waiting for you. It's almost as if you don't-"

Hugo won't let him finish. He can't let such words even be uttered. It's bad enough they've already formed in his mind, that they now exist in some capacity. And though he shouldn't be able to, Hugo reaches up to grasp one of the stag's antlers. Velvet threaded with rose vines, thorns bite into his palm. The Manager simply watches, for he has eternity.

"Don't. Please."

It feels like an eternity before he slowly breaks their contact. Beads of blood well up around a single rosebud left in his hand. He lets it drop to the ground.

The spell breaks.

If stags could roll their eyes. He rears back indignantly.

"Are you kidding? After all the work I did? No way. You can't even imagine all the paperwork. I was drowning in the stuff for ages!" The Manager stalks down from the rail, hooves trailing foxgloves. "Last time I ever raise anybody from the dead, gosh!"

All of a sudden, the stag's attention snaps back to him.

"Hugo." His name twists into something frighteningly unfamiliar on the Forest God's tongue. "You should hold me to that."

Hugo does the only thing he can. Throwing his leg over his scooter, he thinks he can hear laughter as he pulls away.

—

There's a figure waiting for him on the front steps. Wallace is wearing one of Hugo's bathrobes. One that is far too thin for the night's chill. Hugo worries, but still, he busies himself with the scooter, slipping his helmet off.

("Helmet!" The word became an angry invective befitting their argument as Hugo storms out the door. But he stops momentarily, bewildered, before said helmet is thrown out behind him, glancing off his shoulder. Wallace still slams the door and Hugo still takes off. The helmet hangs between.)

The robe is shorter on Wallace.

Legs, Hugo thinks dazedly, when he finally turns to face him.

Wallace holds two mugs, steam lazily curling up into the stars. Earl Grey, he recognizes. Sweetened with honey and a splash of milk.

"I made tea." Hugo watches the flush work its way down Wallace's neck. "For you."

"And you." Despite everything, Hugo is amused.

"Yes, well, it's best to share these kinds of things." Wallace huffs, handing one of the mugs to Hugo. His face brightens when he tastes it, but he keeps his expression carefully neutral as he watches Hugo's reaction.

"Delicious." He smiles as Wallace rolls his eyes.

"I know I shouldn't believe you, but I am glad I can actually drink it."

-

Ever since Wallace had expressed interest in brewing tea, delicious and variations on the phrase had been Hugo's verdicts for each one of his attempts. Even when one of them had sent Mei running for the kitchen sink with Wallace hot on her heels.

"I don't know what you mean," Hugo had said, leaning back on the counter, as they sputtered their disgust. He'd taken another hearty sip before Wallace tugged the cup from his hands with a worried look.

"Please stop, you'll get sick." His voice had faltered, strangely hushed on the last words.

With a start, Hugo realized what he'd almost meant to say. He’d pressed a hurried (guilty) kiss to Wallace's brow.

"Just a little too strong, that's all," he'd reassured him. "You'll get it next time."

Wallace had smiled self-deprecatingly, eyes lowered to the cup in his hands. "I know I'm being foolish."

Hugo had quickly shaken his head. "No, no, not at all." Especially Wallace, of all of them. How could he think that? After everything?

Hugo had pressed kisses to every part of Wallace that he could reach until he was laughing again and Mei had recovered enough to shriek at them to get out of her kitchen.

-

"I've never lied to you," Hugo says mildly. "They were all delicious. They were yours."

Wallace shoots him a wry look, but takes a shuddering breath and takes Hugo's free hand.

"I'm sorry. I don't really remember what exactly I said, but I am sorry for it. But you know, as soon as you left, all I knew was that I wanted you to come home. I could feel—” His hand pulls away suddenly, involuntarily brushing his chest where the hook once was.

"Me too," Hugo says, suddenly unable to stand that Wallace might not know. Because he needs to know that Hugo feels the same. "I... as well." He's frustrated that his words are failing him.

Speaking to the dead is somehow easier, but when it comes to the living, Hugo is floundering miserably.

But Wallace needs to understand. They both do. And keep understanding. That is the work. Hugo feels the weight of the Forest God's gaze.

Yet everything he says, everything he does—none of it feels like enough. And oh, a life is so short. Suddenly, Hugo acutely wishes his grandfather was here.

"Hey, hey—!"

His mug is out of his hand, set on the step beside Wallace's.

"Hugo." The two syllables are warm, fond. They are at home on Wallace's tongue.

They are home.

"What are you thinking about so hard?" The question is muffled now that they are embracing. When did they start? Hugo never wants to stop.

"I am sorry," he says, embedding each word with every bit of gravity and meaning he can.

"I am too," Wallace says gently, his breathing slow and measured. His heart keeps pace with Hugo's and Hugo feels absolutely everything.

"And for uh, throwing your helmet, too," Wallace adds.

Hugo smiles into the crook of Wallace's neck. He needs him to feel it.

"No harm done."

"Really?" Wallace's hands trail up his back, fingers poking and prodding experimentally. "I've been told I've got a mean right hook."

"Multitudes," Hugo sighs happily.

"Yes, yes," Wallace grumbles, "that's all well and good until someone ends up in the hospital."

"Wallace."

"Okay, okay." He quiets and stills against Hugo.

.

And so they stay like that, wrapped up in each other for as long as they can. The sun waits to rise and the night air is heavy with tea and honey and velvet and roses.

And it is enough.

[libraryspectre]

I just learned TJ Klune is asexual and I want to write a post about how I can see the influence of that in his writing (as another gay ace, anyway, I can't speak for him) but I feel like I need quotes for Evidence

Edit: i did expand on my thoughts in the reblogs!

[pridepages]

Wallace: I'd probably make a mess of things. Nelson: Of course you would. But that’s the beauty of it, don’t you think? Life is messy and terrible and wonderful, all at the same time. What would you do if Hugo was before you and there was nothing stopping you? Life or death or anything else? What would you do? Wallace: Everything.

[mail-me-a-snail]

Is Hugo present/working during a specific plague? And if so, is it a real plague (such as the bubonic plague) or a new/different plague unique to the story he's in?

I’ve been using the bubonic plague as a reference, that era as a whole, but lately I’ve been playing around with the idea of making up my own plague, so definitely leaning towards the latter there. Tho, if it was my own plague, I’d still use a lot of real world elements like the uniforms and the quack doctors

[alystar00]

I read and finished today Under the Whispering Door and I cried for half of the book. I was a fucking mess, I swear.

At the same time, I laughed so much. Every scene with Wallace trying to change clothes and in general every scene with him and Nelson being a chaotic duo was so funny, I swear. And Mei with her need to murder someone... Same girl, same.

How Hugo didn't loose his mind during Wallace permanence is still a mystery to me, I swear.

(Wallace and Hugo relationship for me was Linus and Arthur's relationship but, like, in a different font. I loved it. Bless Hugo and Arthur for their patience.)

[ram-reads]

Plot: Wallace the lawyer was insufferable in life and now he is dead. Even after becoming a ghost he refuses to believe he actually died, so when a reaper named Mei shows up to help him start the process of moving on he adamantly refuses. After coaxing him to come with her he finds himself at a strange tea shop in the middle of nowhere. The owner of this tea shop is named Hugo and is a ferryman meant to help the dead pass on. Once they meet Wallace tries again to convince them that his death was a mistake, but to no avail. Since no one will listen to him he tries to leave and discovers that if he does he’ll start to flake away. With little other choice he decides to stay at the tea shop where Hugo and the others living there try to help him come to terms with his death so he can continue on his journey. The longer he stays at the tea shop though the more he wants to stay, and it’s not because he is missing his old life but because he is starting to enjoy the life he now lives.

Review:  I think we’ve all read a book that impacted us in such a profound way we had a hard time articulating our feelings in a review. That is what Under the Whispering Door did to me to the point where the review is coming so late. Under the Whispering Door is a heartfelt story that is able to explore grief and death while also keeping Klune’s signature sense of humor. Books that are able to balance serious moments and lighthearted moments well are rare, but Klune achieves this balancing act perfectly.

It admittedly took me a while to get into this book. The first few chapters had me intrigued but I eventually grew bored. This was mostly because I felt like Wallace was having the same conversation over and over again for about fifty pages and there’s only so much repetitiveness I can take. Once Wallace starts getting out of his stubborn phase around page 150 I started to get back into the story and before I realized it I was hooked. I love found families and Klune writes found family stories so well. The plot is character driven which worked perfectly fine with me because my favorite parts of the story were when the characters were interacting with each other. Their interactions caused my heart to feel all warm and fluffy, but there were also times that they made my heart ache too. I’ve only read one other book by TJ Klune, but just based on what I heard about his other books I would say that this is his most serious one. Of course there is still plenty of humor, but it also explores death and grief. I personally liked the observations and insights the characters had pertaining to those topics. There’s discussion of pretty much every type of death in this book, so if you’re worried I would look into content warnings. Klune also has a disclaimer at the beginning of the book.

As for the worldbuilding, it’s pretty much the same old world except there are a few people who have the ability to actually see ghosts and help them move on. The concepts of reapers and ferrymen were easy for me to understand, but at times the logic Klune used when discussing ghosts and what they could do confused me. I get that they’re ghosts and any logic used will already be a stretch of the imagination, but if that’s the case then why try using any logic at all? I’d be content if the reason a ghost can do something or can’t do something is simply because they are a ghost. Klune tries to use logic to explain what ghosts can or can’t do though, and it just left me confused. I still don’t know if I fully understand what “unexpect” is supposed to mean. As I’ve already stated, the characters and their interactions were my favorite part of the story. Klune’s characters have such personality. They’re written in a way that feels exaggerated but when you really think about it you realize that it’s actually pretty realistic. His characters sometimes remind me of the citizens of Pawnee in the show Parks and Recreation. The main cast consists of our main character Wallace who at the beginning of the book cares more about his job than other people. He’s the sort of character who can’t have any fun because he takes everything seriously, but that slowly changes as he grows as a character. Then there’s the tea shop owner Hugo who is an absolute sweetheart full of empathy and is a prime example of how people can still struggle with anxiety even if they are usually a ray of sunshine. To round out the cast there’s Hugo’s mischievous grandfather Nelson who has already passed away but is staying around to watch over Hugo, the reaper Mei whose first instinct in any sort of conflict is to resort to violence, and of course I can’t forget to mention the ghost dog Apollo who was Hugo’s service dog and is the absolute best boy. While I did find some of them annoying in the beginning I came to care for each one of them. They are all so lovable and care about each other so much. I enjoyed watching Wallace warm up to each of them. There was also a memorable cast of supporting characters that brought a lot of the humor into the story. The romance between Wallace and Hugo was beautiful. I was cautious about getting attached to it at first because I didn’t know how a relationship between a ghost and a living person could work, but I quickly threw my cautions to the wind because I loved them together too much. Their pessimistic and optimistic dynamic fit together perfectly. I’m weak to relationships where someone opens up to the world more because of another person. I’m also a fan of characters yearning for each other and the yearning is strong in this one because they can’t physically touch. I don’t think I conveyed my feelings about the book well mostly because I think it’s a more personal book. The conversations on death and grief left an impression on me but I can’t begin to articulate how they left me feeling. I can say that while the book started a little slow I ended up loving the characters and their found family dynamic. The romance between Wallace and Hugo was just my cup of tea (pun intended) along with the platonic relationships Wallace makes with the other residents at the tea shop. I really hope TJ Klune continues to write books in this vein because there aren’t many of them out there and they vibe with me perfectly.

[longitudinalwaveme]

Arkham Files: The Flash (Wally West)

Hugo Strange: From the patient files of Dr. Hugo Strange, director of Arkham Asylum. Patient: Wallace “Wally” West, also known as the Flash. Session One. So, Mr. West, how are you? 

Wally: Let’s go over the situation I’m in, shall we? My wife and I visit your creepy, Gothic asylum-perfectly legally, by the way- to make sure that Bruce Wayne is okay, and you get us arrested on bogus charges of trespassing. Then you pull strings to get me stuck in Arkham Asylum while I’m awaiting trial, and now you’re trying to have me declared legally insane so that you can lock me up in here for good. How the heck do you THINK I’m feeling? 

Hugo Strange: Your hostility is unnecessary, Mr. West. I am trying to help you. 

Wally: If this is your definition of ‘helping’ me, I’d hate to see what you do to people you want to hurt. Seriously, did you go to the Zoom Academy of Making Things “Beeetttteerrrr”? 

Hugo Strange: I am nothing like Mr. Zolomon, Mr. West. 

Wally: I’ll say you’re not. Hunter...he’s sick. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. But you? What’s your excuse? 

Hugo Strange: I do not need an excuse, Mr. West. You may not realize it yet, but you-and all the other costumed vigilantes-are doing more harm than good. 

Wally: What do you mean, more harm than good? I’ve had my powers since I was ten years old, and since then I’ve done my best to hold to the promise that I made to Uncle Barry: to use my speed only to help those in need, to combat evil-and never for my own personal gain. I haven’t been perfect at it-I’m not as selfless as Uncle Barry, and I’ve got quite a temper-but I’ve tried. I’ve really, really tried. 

Hugo Strange: Let’s talk about your Uncle Barry, shall we, Mr. West? 

Wally: Why? So you can twist my words and use them to make him out to be some sort of misguided lunatic? Not gonna happen. 

Hugo Strange: Mr. West, I assure you I bear no ill will towards Mr. Allen. Obviously, you bear a great deal of affection for him. I simply wish to know why that is. 

Wally: Because he’s a hero! He’s brave and loyal and honest and kind and good. He cares about everybody. He uses his powers to protect the weak and help the poor and defend the helpless. He became friends with Albert Desmond when nobody else would’ve given him a chance and got him his job at S.T.A.R. Labs, and he’s tried to help Mick Rory get the treatment he needs for his pyromania, too. He’s raised billions of dollars for charities, and he’s helped to save the world more times than I can count. (Pause) And he does all that while also working for justice as a police scientist! 

Hugo Strange: Mr. West, the exploits of Mr. Allen are well-known. I was asking you why you, in particular, are so fond of him. 

Wally: Well, he did marry my favorite aunt. (Pause) More importantly, though...as a kid, I really needed a hero, and he….he was my hero. My parents barely knew I was alive, except when I did something that inconvenienced them. When that happened, my dad would call me names or hit me, and my mom would wail and cry and guilt-trip….and then they’d go right back to obsessing over their own problems or arguing with each other. I...I felt like I was all alone, except for Aunt Iris. She was the one person in my family who really seemed interested in me, and she also had this awesome job as a reporter in a big city. She was really cool, but because I lived two hours away from her, I didn’t get to see her very much. (Pause) When Uncle Barry first became the Flash, I didn’t know who he was...but I idolized him. I was his biggest fan! I was even the President of the Blue Valley Flash Fan Club. (Pause, laughs) President and only member. The other kids thought he was cool, but they weren’t as invested in him as I was. To me, he represented freedom. 

Hugo Strange: It sounds as though you were a rather lonely little boy, Mr. West. 

Wally: Yeah, I guess I was. (Pause) That’s why I was so excited when my folks sent me to live with Aunt Iris in Central City during the summer when I was ten. And that’s when I first met Uncle Barry. Like I said, I didn’t know he was the Flash yet, so at first I thought he was...well, honestly? Kind of a dweeb. But then he told me that he knew the Flash and could introduce me to him. I was so excited, I probably could’ve inhaled an entire shoe. Anyway, Uncle Barry used his super speed to change into the Flash and act like he’d been waiting for me to arrive, and that’s when I met the Flash. He was everything I’d dreamed he would be. Even though I had been a little bit of a brat to him as Barry Allen, he treated me with respect; like he was happy to meet me and have me around, and it put me over the moon. Eventually, he started to explain how he’d gotten his powers, and that’s when it happened: lightning struck twice. I was doused in the same chemicals he’d gotten his super speed from, and I gained access to the speed force. It was the best day of my entire life. Besides the day I married Linda, of course. I became his sidekick, and from that point on, he was like a second father to me. He laughed at my stupid jokes, got me ice cream, took me on field trips, played games with me….all the things I dreamed of having my dad do with me. Eventually, he told me his secret identity. It was shortly before he and Aunt Iris got married, and I was ecstatic to learn that my favorite aunt was going to marry my hero. I was the ring bearer at their wedding, and from that point on, Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris basically raised me. They helped me through my parents’ divorce. Uncle Barry taught me how to balance a checkbook and apply for college scholarships; Aunt Iris helped me get my driver’s license and taught me how to really notice when other people were in need. (Pause) If it hadn’t been for them, I...I don’t know what would’ve happened to me. Maybe I’d be one of Captain Cold’s strays right now. 

Hugo Strange: Mr. West, let me posit a question to you. If your uncle loved you so much, why did he put you in a costume and allow you to fight dangerous criminals? You became the so-called Kid Flash at ten years old, and by the time you were eleven, you had already faced the Weather Wizard, Captain Cold, and the first Mirror Master-to say nothing of your garden-variety gangsters and thugs. Surely, a responsible adult would have ensured that you stayed far away from such violence...and yet Mr. Allen seemed to almost thrust you towards it. 

Wally: (Annoyed) Thrust me toward it? Are you kidding? If Uncle Barry hadn’t allowed me to be his sidekick, I’d have struck out and done superhero work on my own. I wanted to be just like him, remember? If anything, I thrust him into letting me fight criminals. (Pause) Besides, it wasn’t like he was just letting some random kid fight crime. I had super speed, remember? The chances of my getting shot were virtually nil. And the Rogues have a thing about not hurting kids. I wasn’t in any particular danger, especially not with Uncle Barry watching out for me. 

Hugo Strange: Mr. West, you obviously are unaware of this, but your uncle is a very sick man. 

Wally: Have you been listening to anything I said? Uncle Barry is the best man in the world. If that makes him crazy...well, I don’t want to be sane! 

Hugo Strange: Mr. West, I understand that this is difficult for you, but you must face reality. Your uncle was a very eccentric, very lonely man. He had few friends; most of his life was absorbed in his work. He always wanted to be someone special, but he knew that slow, lazy Barry Allen was no one important. Like you, he idolized a superhero-in his case, the Mystery Man known as Jay Garrick, and, like you, he wished that he, like his hero, was special. When his metahuman powers were activated by the lightning strike, his mind, already fragile from years of being mocked and looked down upon by his peers, shattered. He decided to use his powers to emulate the hero he had read about and idolized as a child, so that he could finally be special. Eventually, his antics drew the attention of other, even more damaged individuals, thereby indirectly inspiring the debut of all the costumed oddities that both you and your uncle spend so much time playing cops and robbers with. And then he met you. Another lonely little boy who wanted to be special. When you got your powers, he saw a chance to expand his fantasy world; recklessly endangering you. He may have been deluded enough to call you a sidekick, but what you really were was a child soldier. No wonder your life was sent into such a tailspin when he was temporarily lost in the speed force five years ago. Without him around to help maintain the fantasy that he had indoctrinated you into, you were lost, and the only solution you could think of was to take up the role that he had once filled. You are not a hero, Mr. West. You are a sad, deluded child; just as your uncle is a sad, deluded man. But I will see that you get the help you need. 

Wally: (Furious) That’s a load of bunk, and you know it! I don’t know what your game is, Dr. Strange, but you’re not going to get away with dragging my uncle’s name through the mud! 

Hugo Strange: Mr. West, your loyalty to your uncle is misguided. He is a dangerous vigilante, one who took advantage of your innocence and loneliness to turn you into yet another costumed freak. What he did to you was wrong, and it is my duty to make sure that you, and the rest of the world, realizes that fact. 

Wally: (Very loudly) Don’t you talk about Uncle Barry that way, you filthy liar! (Stands up rapidly; knocks over the chair he was sitting in) 

Hugo Strange: Mr. West, I would advise you to refrain from such open displays of hostility. Otherwise, I will have to recommend that your children not be allowed to visit you, for the sake of their own mental health. 

Wally: And how do you think it affected their mental health to have their parents locked up on phony charges, huh? 

Hugo Strange: Neither of you were fit guardians for them, Mr. West. I understand that having them separated from you was upsetting, but it is for their own good. You and your wife obviously love them, but you are too ill to properly care for them, and your wife was only enabling your behavior. It was simply not a safe environment for the children, so they have been removed from your home until such time as you have been cured and can properly care for them. Two generations of costumed vigilantes is quite….(Hugo Strange is frozen solid) 

Capt. Cold: And he’s got the nerve to call us crazy. Really, accusin’ you an’ your missus of being bad parents? I seen how you dote on those kids, West. Only a nutjob could think you were unsafe for ‘em. 

Wally: Captain Cold? 

Capt. Cold: The one and only. You ready to bust outta this joint, kid? 

Wally: Are you seriously asking me to help you escape prison? 

Capt. Cold: Sam got Lisa and all the guys out already, and I’ve pretty much already escaped, kid. Just figured I’d be nice and get you outta here, too-before the Doc decides to give you a lobotomy. (Freezes and breaks Wally’s metahuman power dampener) Besides, Central City is furious over what happened to you and your missus. They ain’t exactly gonna expedite you back here. 

Wally: All right...but as soon as Iron Heights gets rebuilt, I’m taking all of you Rogues straight back there. 

Capt. Cold: I wouldn’t have it any other way. (Pause) C’mon, kid. Let’s blow this popsicle stand.