#everyone points out blood transfusion scene

[weltato]

I'm going to gush about a very old character (as in the original run of the show is very old, not the character himself).

Hello Tumblr! I remembered the finale of M*A*S*H the other day, as you do, and it just hit me as to why I fucking love Benjamin Franklin 'Hawkeye' Pierce so much.

If you don't know this character/show, dw, I'm keeping things under the cut so you can scroll away :)

If you want to read on anyway, warning for infant death.

So, Hawkeye :)

My goodness, this man is SO well written. I need to explain to you why I find him so endearing.

He's a jokester, that much is obvious right off the bat, so he pranks others and can get a dig at others quite well, but he never does it maliciously. Well, sure, he's an ass to Frank and Charles most especially and will absolutely take any and every opportunity to fuck with them, but he's not out to actively harm anyone.

Which is nice, since he's the Head Surgeon. You'd like to think that your Head Surgeon isn't a serial killer.

He's a ladies man. A chronic ladies man. He makes a pass at almost every single nurse at camp - especially Houlihan - and that's iconic about him. But d'you wanna know what's even more iconic?

As soon as he finds out the girl he's seeing is married or in a relationship, he'll stop. Sometimes he's even outright asked if they're taken, then he'll make a joke and move on if they are.

Hawkeye isn't a marriage breaker.

And I love that about him. He doesn't want to come between couples; it doesn't matter if the marriage/relationship is a happy one or not, he's not about to go and break up a marriage/relationship for his own personal gain. He's just not that kind of guy.

Any time kids come into it, he's immediately protective. He's not going to show a child more pain and suffering when they've already been brought through a warzone and are probably orphaned now and also had to have major surgery.

I mean, that's his whole thing in the finale. THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT!

Quick reminder for context: in 'Goodbye, Farewell and Amen' we begin with Hawk away from the M*A*S*H and in a mental hospital for some reason. We (the audience) don't know why, but it's clear that everyone else (the characters) do know. Hawk doesn't think he should be there and seems pretty miserable about it, but then we learn why he's there - a baby died.

And here's the kicker: Hawk blames himself. He thinks it's his fault that the baby is dead. Why?

Well, at first he remembers the event as everyone having a fun day out for once and Hawk in the back calling out for a bottle of something alcoholic for a guy he's sat with.

Then it turns out it's not for fun. The guy he's with is bleeding out, he needs a bottle of either the clear stuff (idk what that would be, I'm not a medical student) or a bottle of blood for a quick transfusion.

What's great about how this scene is shot is that, at first, it stays with the upbeat and happy tone from Hawk, but then the deadly silent and morbid passing of the bottle, and then it shifts to the darker tone.

Now, that's not the baby scene.

Here comes the baby scene.

Hawkeye at first remembers a woman with a chicken when the bus ran into enemy territory and everyone had to be quiet. The chicken wasn't quiet and so he asked the woman if she could get the chicken to be quiet. And it was. It just stopped.

Sidney asks about it - "It stopped?"

"Yeah, it stopped."

Then we cut back to the woman at the back of the bus. The crying woman at the back of the bus. And the still bundle in her arms.

It was her baby. Her little baby that was also crying just a few seconds ago. The noise that Hawkeye wanted to make stop because they'd be caught with all these casualties and innocent people and he's stressed, ok?

That baby is dead. The mum had to smother her own child so they wouldn't be found. And Hawkeye is distraught over this, because he's the one that told her to.

Ugh. I can't even. This man has been through SO much and has seen death and destruction daily, so much so that he's basically numb to it at this point, but a baby dying is too much and he just breaks-

He's in a high stress situation 24/7, it makes sense that eventually the rock of the 4077th would crack. He couldn't say goodbye to Trapper, Henry died on his flight home, Radar left them to go back home to his mum - Hawk has the friends he still has, of course, but he's only human and a human can only take so much.

It's when Sidney deems him well enough to at least go back to the camp that Hawkeye gets his next challenge. Wounded have arrived and they really need him to help out, so he does and it's going pretty well for the most part (y'know, as well as meatball surgery can go) until a child comes across his table. A little girl, probably no older than 6 or 7. Everyone in the room goes quiet, though they're still working since they can't exactly pause while elbow deep in someone's guts, and Colonel Potter (or BJ, I can't remember which) asks if Hawk's ok. BJ (or Colonel Potter) says he can take her. Sidney watches on as Hawkeye takes a second, looks this girl over, then nods.

He can do it. Sidney smiles - his job is done.

Sure, it's hard, but Hawkeye can work, and that's all he needs to know.

Hawkeye, the man who loves a joke and loves messing around with his friends.

Hawkeye, the man who chases after every 'single' woman but not the ones in relationships.

Hawkeye, the man who plays pranks on the whole camp but is kind hearted enough to never cause actual harm because he believes in the Hippocratic Oath so. strongly.

Hawkeye, the man who cares for the children that come into the M*A*S*H despite having none of his own because those are children and they should be anywhere but a war.

Hawkeye, the man who sticks around the longest out of everyone (except Margaret since she's there as long as he is) and can always find something to smile at even though he's always wanting to leave and never does.

Hawkeye, the man who takes his job very seriously and gets angry when other doctors try to come in and flaunt their fancy-schmancy skills that mean nothing out there.

Hawkeye, the man who takes offense at generals who think they can change something when they don't know what the fuck goes on at all.

Hawkeye. The man I would love to be friends with.

I love him so much. I love the writing of him so much. He's just...he's Hawkeye. And I love him.

#long post #wel rambles #m*a*s*h #4077th #mash 4077 #m*a*s*h 4077 #benjamin franklin hawkeye pierce #hawkeye #(not the marvel character. sorry) #hawkeye pierce #btw. m*a*s*h means mobile army surgical hospital :) #tw infant death #cw infant death #i love him i love him i love him i love him #he's just so. #him #y'know? #fandom #old fandom #i love this show so much

[innocentbeing]

this chapter actually gave me a little bit of hope because I wanted Finny and the kids to leave Snake with Doll

i don't see the point in snake dying right now lol. if he does it's just like.. what was the point in o!Ciel recruiting him then? why have all that if you're just gonna kill him before he even gets the chance to confront O!Ciel?? 😆

the only way it makes sense to me is if he's saved by Doll and lives from blood transfusion. that way he can stay with her without all the tension and hear her side of the story. Finny already told him about the kidnapping so she can't lie her way out of that, but she can at least let him know why she, joker, and the rest of the crew did it.

If Finny is allowed to explain why he killed Snake's first family, Doll should be allowed to explain why they did those things. It's unfair for Snake to only hear one side and die not knowing about Kelvin and what was going on behind the scenes of the circus.

i don't see any point in turning him into a bizarre doll either. it literally does nothing to the plot lmao. like, the only thing I can see is that maybe it'll cause some conflict in shutting down blood transfusions since Snake will rely on it to live as a bizarre doll.. but even then that conflict wouldn't last more than a few panels because we already see where everyone's loyalties lie. it's with o!ciel. so even if the servants care for snake they'll still choose to end him for o!ciel.

he can't die thinking that his first family was nothing but murderers and kidnappers when the circus arc went hard in painting them as victims of their circumstances. like, WHY show Doll and them as good people forced to do evil to survive then turn around and paint Doll as if she's just evil through and through?? WHAT. 😆 Snake's last words were "you wouldn't do such a thing.." while crying, like, c'mon. he needs to know why.

plus if Snake does die then what would that do to Doll? is she just gonna be like, "damn, this sucks. welp, im still gonna kill phantomhive in a violent blinding rage :/" ?? is she going to be depressed and just give up completely? What would be the point in THAT?? i just dunno...

also i don't think Snake becoming a BD will automatically make him want revenge against o!ciel.. unless Undertaker alters his memories and makes him somehow forget Finny telling him why they had to kill the circus crew, but like WHY would Undertaker do that LOL?? Doll already wanted revenge against O!ciel before she died, Undertaker didn't do that to her. Altering Snakes memories JUST to make another enemy for O!Ciel..??? like why? LOL. I don't think he would do that. despite everything, I don't think he's antagonizing o!ciel for the sake of it.

and ofc o!ciel wouldn't hesitate bc he has his own personal stakes in this but also bc once Snake dies, that's it. o!ciel doesn't believe dead things should come back to life.

so yeah, the thing that makes the most sense to me is Snake gets to live and hears Doll's explanation then the two of them can confront O!Ciel.

#kuroshitsuji spoilers #dnt look at me

[ariel-seagull-wings]

@thealmightyemprex @themousefromfantasyland

Panels from the comic Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane: I'm Curious... Black.

In this comic, Lois Lane is a reporter for Metropolis newspaper “The Daily Planet” and is given the assignment to write a story on the experience of being black in Metropolis, specifically in the city’s black neighborhood, Little Africa. Lois is very excited, proclaiming that this is “the assignment of her life” and that she will win a Pulitzer Prize for her outstanding work. 

 Lois takes a taxicab to Little Africa and approaches a wide range of black citizens, but no one wants to talk to her. As she walks through the neighborhood she is ignored by everyone she meets, except for a blind woman, who leaves when she hears Lois’s identifiably white voice, and a black man who points her out as “the enemy,” Lois becomes frustrated and disappointed. Superman comes to check in on her, and Lois convinces him to take her to use one of his machines, which will transform her into a black woman for 24 hours. She thinks will allow her to get black people to talk to her. 

 After her transformation, Lois rushes to change clothes, then attempts to hail the same cab she took on her first trip. The cab driver does not recognize her as the white woman he knows by name, and seeing her as a black woman, drives past her to pick up a white man instead. Lois is horrified, proclaiming that she has just had her “first lesson in the meaning of black.” She then takes the subway, where she is stared at by other passengers. This experience prompts Lois to think about how awful it is that black people experience such stigma every day, being constantly made aware of their status compared to whites. 

 Once she arrives in Little Africa, Lois smells smoke in an alley and runs to try to put out the fire. A black woman opens the back door to her apartment and invites Lois inside, sharing coffee with her as she tells Lois about the terrible conditions that she and her children live in. Lois tears up at the woman’s generosity and goodwill even in her state of poverty. Lois ventures back into the street, where she runs into the black man who had earlier pointed her out as an enemy. He introduces himself as Dave Stevens, and then spots a group of unruly teenagers running into an alley. Dave tells Lois that they are up to no good and tells her to wait where she is, as “this is a man’s job”, but Lois comes along anyway. In the alley, Dave confronts the older drug dealers that are commanding the teenagers and the men to shoot him, just as Superman arrives on the scene. Superman and Lois take Dave to the hospital, where they are told that he needs a blood transfusion. Dave has a rare blood type, but fortunately Lois is a match. Lois volunteers to be the donor, and Dave is very grateful. While he is recovering, Lois presses Superman on whether or not he would marry her if she really were black. Superman skirts the marriage question, but assures Lois that he is not even a human man, so how could he think that way? Lois suddenly phases back into whiteness again, ahead of schedule, just as the nurse walks in to inform her that Dave would like to see her. Lois frets about what Dave would think, seeing her whiteness, but decides to go in. On the last page of the comic, Lois walks into the room, and Dave is startled at first, but then breaks into a big smile as the two shake hands. 

#lois lane #superman #race and representation #comic books #superheroes

[oveliagirlhaditright]

INT. HOSPITAL - NIGHT

Angel bursts into the emergency ward, Buffy in his arms.

ANGEL

I need help!

A NURSE approaches him--

ANGEL (cont'd)

She's lost a lot of blood.

NURSE What happened? ANGEL

She needs blood!

The nurse has led him to an operating table, he deposits Buffy onto it.

NURSE

Try to stay calm.

DR. POWELL approaches as Angel talks, looks over Buffy.

ANGEL

Something bit her. She needs a transfusion right now.

POWELL

You found her?

ANGEL

Yes.

POWELL

Was she conscious?

ANGEL

Yes.

POWELL

Are you sure?

ANGEL

I'm sure

POWELL

(to the nurse)

I need a type and cross match. Get her on two lines of ringers lactate and watch for hypovolemic shock.

He pulls angel aside, looks at him hard. Angel is practically tripping, unable to contain the energy of Buffy's blood in him.

POWELL (cont'd)

Tell me what happened.

ANGEL

Something bit her. I don't know what.

POWELL

(to the nurse)

I'll need a rabies shot treatment.

(to Angel)

Any allergies?

ANGEL

None. Just help her!

He is holding onto a doorframe -- and he RIPS it off in his urgency. The doctor eyes him, warily.

POWELL

You two doing drugs?

He eyes the doctor.

POWELL (cont'd)

You want her to live, you'll be straight with me.

ANGEL

She's clean.

...

(My--OveliaGirlHaditRight's--commentary here: More vampire blood drinking can be like "drug abuse" metaphor with Angel here. And fans who pointed out that Angel said Buffy was clean, but didn't say that he was... I think you were of course right here, in thinking that was an obvious choice on his part. He doesn't think he's clean, and in fact thinks that he fell off the wagon here.

More stuff from the script that is interesting and kind of fun: mainly effects that the script writer wanted, that--if memory serves--they couldn't pull off in the actual episode, but it would have been cool if they had (I'm still happy with what we got, though):

...

NURSE

We have another young girl, severe blood loss, Dr. Powell wants you to prep to assist on an antecubital cut down.

GOLD

All right.

The Mayor hears this. Slowly he turns, heads to where they are keeping Buffy.

ANGLE: BUFFY

Unconscious, an IV hooked up to her arm.

The Mayor walks calmly up to her and clamps his hand over her mouth and nose. She starts to thrash weakly, but he doesn't move. Finally the nurse notices.

NURSE

Oh my god! Sir, no!

She tries to pull him off. He won't budge.

NURSE (cont'd)

Somebody call security!

Angel grabs the Mayor by the throat, pulls him away.

ANGEL

Don't do that.

MAYOR

I will. I'll do that and worse. Murderous little fiend, did you see what she did to my Faith?

ANGEL

Hadn't made plans to weep over that one.

MAYOR

Well, I'd get set for some weeping if I were you, I'd get set for a world of hurt. Misery loves company, young man, and I'll be looking to share mine with you and your whore.

Angel throws him back -- through the wall (thin drywall to the next room, not the outer wall). (And if that's not doable, then into or over something. The point is, Angel is unnaturally strong, so it's probably a ratchet gag.)

Everyone backs off, appalled. The Mayor gets up and dusts himself off. He takes a few steps back towards Angel, the old smile returning to his face.

MAYOR (cont'd)

Well. Looks like someone's been eating his spinach.

A security guard arrives on the scene. Stops, unsure what to do.

MAYOR (cont'd)

Okay, folks. Show's not over but there will be a short intermission.

(to Angel)

Don't want to miss the second act. All kinds of excitement.

ANGEL

I'll be there.

They eyeball each other a moment. They Mayor exits, Angel's eyes never leaving him.

#long post #buffy the vampire slayer #angel #buffy summers #the mayor #bangel #mayor wilkins #richard wilkins #graduation day part 2 #graduation day #buffy script #buffy season 3 #buffy season three #angel about faith: hadn't made plans to weep over that one #angel about faith later: so that's my best friend faith and if anything ever happened to her i would kill everyone in this room and then #myself:D #i love it so much. lol #and God bless the nurse--and the doctor!--in this episode. seriously

[scripted-downfall]

A Study in Identity: Alec McDowell

I recently stumbled across the show Dark Angel and just… Okay, so, I love “The Berrisford Agenda” with all of my heart, but my head is currently completely and utterly fixated on the delectable tragedy that is Alec’s role in “Hello, Goodbye.”  (This is prolly gonna be long, featuring a quick selection of scenes from the show and then the analysis at the end, just btw.)

I mean, first off, you’ve got his very first scene in the episode, which is an interaction between him and Asha at Crash.  Leaving aside shipping debates, it’s canon that, despite Max being infected with the retrovirus, she and Logan were together, and that Asha wanted her own relationship with Logan; it’s also canon that this unrequited affection resulted in her turning to Alec for comfort (leading to them drinking and, were it not for her falling asleep in “Borrowed Time,” sleeping together).  

Their conversation then turns into the two of them essentially breaking up, with a heavy emphasis on the It’s not you; it’s my enemies, since Alec’s still dealing with the events of “The Berrisford Agenda” and everything that happened therein.

The next time we see him, it’s when Max calls him to ask — though that term is generous, since she demanded it more than anything else — that he give a blood transfusion to a recently-infected Logan.

Which is immediately followed by Alec walking out the door to help, only to be arrested for his clone’s killings.  And, while Max does go to help get him out eventually, it’s only because Original Cindy pointed out that Alec being exposed as a transgenic would cause additional exposure for everyone (specifically, Max and Joshua).  The killings continue to be attributed to Alec even after Max gets there — she doesn’t look closely enough at the case to realize they’re Ben’s work and not Alec’s — and she rebukes him for being a cold-blooded killer before being prepared to leave him for White to track down, torture, and kill.

Even once it is revealed that Ben was the killer, even once Max helps Alec get out of custody, she still confesses that at least one reason she treats Alec so shittily all the time is because of how much he looks like/reminds her of Ben.

Then there’s the doubly- or triply-tragic section at Joshua’s.  Despite his canine appearance, Josh had been able to carve out a potential relationship with Annie (who’s blind), but that same it’s not you; it’s my enemies returns with increased public awareness about Manticore transgenics.  Josh breaking up with Annie “because he had to go back home” was already sad, and it’s made sadder when she asks to remember what he looks like by memorizing his face, something he’d never be able to give her.  Instead, he asks Alec to stand in for him, and Alec obliges.

Then, finally, comes the ending, where Logan — who’s been acting rather creepy and stalkerish all episode, ngl — asks Max about having seen her with Alec earlier, having obviously come to the conclusion that she and Alec were together; she does nothing to disabuse him of that notion.

So, in short, the entire damn episode is a study in identity, with the end result being that the entire episode is Alec not being able to be himself and paying deference to other people’s needs.  Asha was using him as a distraction from Logan; Manticore was/is preventing him from pursuing normal relationships; Max is using him for his blood; he’s unfairly taking the blame for his brother’s crimes while simultaneously taking backlash for not being Ben; he’s essentially giving Joshua his face (which, while a willing and kind gesture, still kinda cheapens his own personal identity); and he’s unknowingly being signed up for a role in a fake relationship that Max doesn’t even bother to tell him about for two or more episodes.

And this entire thing is made even worse by the fact that this is exactly what Manticore did.  It took people, turned them into soldiers that subverted their own… well, everything… in favor of doing a job, completing a mission.  They stripped away identity, gave people numbers instead of names, insisted that emotions be buried (and forced that through PsyOps if necessary), and overwhelmingly ensured that they’d all be good little sheep, playing their part… And, for all Max and Logan and the others claim to want to stop that, they’re just as bad about perpetuating it as the people they’re fighting against.

This was a really long post, but I just cannot stop dwelling on the cruel irony of this entire episode, and how nobody in the show seems to notice (with the possible exception of Joshua, since he’s the only one who actually seems to care about getting to know Alec without the information being forced upon him, and his situation was unpleasant all ‘round, so it wasn’t actually his fault).

#dark angel #alec mcdowell #anti max #anti logan #anti manticore #a study in identity #specifically alec's #he deserves a hug #at least #he deserves better #always #manticore's a+ parenting #by which I mean manticore's a+ supersoldier building

[possibleplatypus]

So I watched She Hulk to see if it was as bad as everyone was saying. Thoughts under the cut. (Spoilers yes I'm going to be critical lol)

Things I liked

- I did enjoy the part in the beginning where Jennifer was practicing her closing argument. Sticking up for the little guy, in a case where it seems a big business caused the deaths of some innocent people. The kind of thing I admire in a hero *looks at Steve Rogers* and the kind of thing that ordinary people, ordinary lawyers, can accomplish in their daily lives.

- The scene where Jennifer wakes up disheveled and bloody and a bunch of women swarm her to help her out in the bathroom of a bar was pretty sweet.

- Bruce reminiscing about Tony. The Bruce/Tony friendship was strong in this episode. Tony built Bruce’s hideout in Mexico, and he has Tony’s cracked helmet with him, and the BB+TS carved into the wooden bar that Bruce built himself. Very sweet.

Things I did not like

- The CGI looked terrible. Professor Hulk looked better than She Hulk, who looked like a thinner, taller version of Fiona’s ogre form from Shrek.

- After a strong character introduction, Jennifer immediately goes into ranting about Steve’s virginity to Bruce during a drive 🙄 I never read the comics, but I heard that Jennifer’s original story had her becoming She Hulk because Bruce transfused his blood into her when she was dying from a car crash from tangling with a crime boss. They changed that to Jennifer was so engrossed in telling Bruce how much of a virgin Steve Rogers was before he died that she failed to see a spaceship in front of her car and crashed it. (Really, Disney?) She got a few drops of blood from Bruce into a cut on her arm when she was trying to save Bruce from the car crash. Minus a thousand points for the obsession with Steve’s virginity, but I give them points for her saving Bruce 🤷

- The hulk fight between Bruce and Jennifer was boring and totally unnecessary imho

- Jennifer constantly dismissing Bruce’s advice? I get that she’s a lawyer with a life and a big trial coming up, but maybe show a little more sympathy for a guy who had to wrestle with becoming a giant green death monster and being hunted by his own government for years?? I am not minimizing how difficult it is to be a woman just existing in society, but I also do not think she should have dismissed Bruce’s suffering and experiences so easily.

- Speaking of, isn’t Thaddeus Ross going to come after Jennifer now? She’s a Hulk and he’s all about controlling the Hulk. Where is Ross, anyway? Maybe he’ll show up in a later episode?

- The episode ends with Jennifer, again, crying about Steve’s virginity. Fucking why??? It’s creepy and gross. If a male character did that with a female character you would see how gross and unfunny that is. “OH IT’S JUST TRAGIC THAT NATASHA DIED A VIRGIN BECAUSE SHE HAD A GREAT ASS” BITCH PLEASE!

Things that made me lol

- Apparently Tony would get drunk and complain about Steve. (So were they really good friends? Civil War I’m looking at you 🙄)

Things I was meh about

- The fourth wall breaking. Is this another Deadpool situation? Do we need one? If Deadpool and Jennifer appear together, are they both going to break the fourth wall with each other? 🤷

- Hulking out from being catcalled-- I feel like this is a wish fulfillment fantasy for a lot of women? If I was in that situation I think I would have liked to become a giant green monster too lol.

Things to think about

- Jennifer’s closing argument in the beginning was basically a refrain of “with great power comes great responsibility.” Then she gets Hulk powers and Bruce says that she needs to become a superhero and save the world. I mean, sure, but I don’t think she needs to be a superhero? She’s doing heroic things already while being a lawyer? The important thing is not hulking out and destroying things because she can’t control herself. And also not letting the government disappear her :P

Fun fact

- My best friend, who is a lawyer, told me that if they were the defense attorney, they would have immediately called for a mistrial, because there is no way the jury could be impartial after having their lives saved by the prosecuting lawyer. Maybe the showrunners should have consulted a lawyer 😂

Conclusion

- Very underwhelming. I think that if you’re a casual MCU fan who wants something more lighthearted you might enjoy it. But if you think/care about the characters and their backgrounds in more depth you probably won’t. If I continue watching this, it will be to see how the lawyer thing goes, but given that the showrunners themselves said they weren’t good at writing lawyer procedurals, I think they’re going to keep disappointing me 😂

#mcu #she hulk #🤷 #marvel meta #steve rogers #long post #she hulk critical

[aye-of-newt]

Do you think Klaus will wanna go back to the void? Even without powers. It's gotta be tempting, knowing he could peace-out of hargreevestopia and do what he wants in the void instead. He called it his House ;_;

It would make for a good angsty low moment for him to think about it (and we all know how I feel about low angsty moments...) but ultimately I think that Klaus won't actually want to leave his family behind.

Klaus is a character that requires you to pay attention to his actions more than his words. He describes himself as useless and unreliable and selfish... but he doesn't really act that way. Or at least no more than any other character does. He may drag his feet and complain and make a big fuss about helping out but ultimately he always shows up when it's really important.

In season one, he follows Diego when he's confronting Hazel and Cha-Cha after not only being given a pass to sit this one out, but explicitly told not to get involved. He follows Diego into danger because he knows how big of a threat Hazel and Cha-Cha are and he doesn't want Diego to get hurt. He saves his life! And that's not to mention that he knows Hazel and Cha-Cha are dangerous because he was tortured for information for hours! During which he held out for a really long time on giving anything up because he's loyal to his family. He goes after Luther a few episodes later when he's shaking from withdrawal. He's the first to offer up his blood when Allison needs a transfusion. He gets Ray out of jail as soon as he finds out how important he is to Allison and then without missing a beat welcomes him into the family. He's the first to follow after Viktor in the iconic Hargreeves clown-car scene. He doesn't give up on sparrow Ben in season three even after everyone else has dismissed him. I mean really. He will swear up, down, and backwards that he doesn't care... but he just so clearly does.

The only thing you can believe Klaus about is that he's a liar.

And that's not even to mention that leaving for the void will now be permanent. Without his powers... he's not coming back. That would make it a significant decision if he were to choose to take that way out. While I can see potential in a story line about a genuinely suicidal Klaus (though maybe don't trust the writers to handle it with quite the level of tact it deserves cough cough) I don't know if we're going to get there. It just seems like it would take a LOT to get Klaus to a low point of that magnitude when everything that has happened up to this point hasn't been enough to have ever convinced him to stay dead before (and based on his conversation with Luther in the void it seems like that was actually a choice he could have made.)

Maybe if it involved Dave? But I just don't feel like we will get there. Klaus is at his core a hopeful person. He has to be to have gotten up and tried again after so many terrible experiences. His personality is brash but his nature is gentle. He's so much more resilient than anyone gives him credit for, not even himself. Something really big would have to happen to get him to a place where he would want to be permanently dead.

(Obviously mental health is complicated. My point isn't that there is a personality type that "couldn't" commit suicide because that's over simplifying a very complex issue. All I mean is that if Klaus hasn't been suicidal enough to kill himself before after everything he's been through... I just don't know if anything could get him to that point. I mean, what trauma hasn't this poor dude experienced????)

Now, I could see him sacrificing himself. He does have low enough self worth that he would toss himself away for the sake of others fairly easy (and then that would be the moment his powers come back after we've all had a beat to get super sad) but I don't see him just deciding to kill himself. Or at least I don't see him killing himself just because he wants to go to the void.

I'm personally hoping for an approach that explores how Klaus' new-found mortality impacts his already unique relationship with death. I think it's pretty obvious that the powers are going to come back at some point in season four because that's how these things go, so I think a Klaus that has had time to do some deep soul searching about the fleeting nature of life will approach his powers differently. I appreciated his power-up in season three but I think we can push him further with some unity of mind/body/soul/powers shit. It'd be fun!

#thanks for the ask! #I love answering these #I love people who give me an excuse to ramble #suicide mention #klaus hargreeves #tua

[lonelyzarquon]

dr. van helsing in horror of dracula

#everyone points out blood transfusion scene #i love this one #his little kill-a-vampire kit #confidence in his look #slightly messy hair in the last shot #ahhhhh #peter cushing #hammer horror #dracula #horror of dracula #50s horror #horroredit #mine #my caps

[cassyapper]

ive been asked to share with the class so here’s my kakyoin wound notes

tw lots of bodily trauma and medical procedure discussion

uh disclaimer im not a doctor ive never taken an anatomy class this is all thoughts based on the little reading ive done surrounding major bodily trauma lololol so please take what i have to say with a grain of salt

so he’s wounded right here

looks to be a little under the sternum but the origin (like point 0,0 of the circle shape of the wound) is somewhere near the border of chest and abdomen it seems to be

we also know from this shot that he is gouged all the way through. the world’s fist is completely poking out on the otherside jkdfn ew ugh oh god kakyoin

sorry anyway

so the implications of this.

his stomach pancreas and liver are definitely gone. they turned to mush. reduced to gore flying across the cairo skyline (sorry i know that was a bit much jsut JKDFKN;FK;)

it doesnt seem like anything else comes out tho (tho i doubt they’d animate his guts flowing out with the water to be fair JKN;) but im gonna give him the benefit and say liver pancreas and stomach are all he Lost lost

i think it’s low enough that his lungs werent directly affected (in the second screenshot i posted he’s hunched over so the wound looks higher than it actually is), but some of his ribs definitely completely snapped, and it would be quite easy for them to then penetrate one or both of kakyoin’s lungs (he is seen to be coughing up blood so at least ONE definitely was deflated)

obviously there is also the issue of his spine. dio took out a whole chunk of it right from the middle of the structure it seems (or a little lower than the middle). so there’s no way kakyoin is walking again, least not normally

last biggest problem is the massive blood loss but we all already know that i presume

so with the problems all lined up, let’s get to healing this monstrosity. first things first kakyoin’s heart giving out is the more immediate problem. thankfully for kak tho we know star platinum explicitly has the ability to pump ppl’s hearts for them so as long as jotaro is within range star plat can make sure kakyoin’s heart stays pumping. hehehe this can be an evil scene in that case

second order of business i feel would be to get kakyoin’s lung(s) back online and get his ribs wrapped up so they can start healing properly and so he doesnt develop a lung infection lol that’d be the LAST thing he needs they reset the ribs and probably would WANT to give him a rib belt but due to the Hole In His Chest they can’t. thankfully kakyoin isnt awake during the like 6-12 weeks it takes to heal ribs. maybe they put something in on the inside that will eventually dissolve to help keep them in place but im not sure

lmao just an aside kak probably goes through so many blood transfusions just to stay alive during the surgery process jesusbkjf

anyway once his lungs r good tho we turn to the other organs in the area

i am thinking they dont bother to replace kak’s stomach or pancreas cause him adapting to digesting with solely his intestines/just taking meds to monitor his enodrine production and blood sugar would probably be easier and safer than the risk of his body rejecting a the transplants. but they do gotta replace his liver

SINCE presumably this is the speedwagon foundation working on kak i feel justified in saying yeah they probably just so happen to have the right match up for kak (maybe after kak got blinded or something joseph or avdol or even jotaro had them take notes on everyone’s blood type and body size Just In Case)

once theyre done with that they probably talk about giving kak a replacement for his spine so he can at least sit up but since that isnt life threatening they leave that for him to decide when he wakes up. plus they’ll have enough to monitor ANYWAY esp regarding the liver transplant so the last thing they wanna tack on is an artificial spine

last thing they do right at that moment are split-thickness skin grafts to cover the wounds. they take the skin from kak’s thighs cause there’s no other alternative lol. tho there might be enough skin on the top of his back to offer Something

anyway im sure he’d have to go through one or two grafts on each side before they finally properly heal

once he wakes up and consents 2 the spine procedure, im thinking they’d do something like give him a bunch of artificial disks and then secure/stabilize them with an expandable rod or a bunch of cages/rods/plates. or they’d do something like a sci-fi cybernetic spine considering the speedwagon foundation made a fully functioning whole-body prosthetic in the fucking 40s. i gotta be real idk much abt what happens with spines when theyre fucked up i just know it’s fair to believe the speedwagon foundation gets kak SOMETHING that allows him to Kinda walk again at least for a little while

as for lasting effects i dont think kak has any sensation on his stomach or back. like the nerves were blown out of him and skin grafts dont fix that so the area is just numb

as for loss of sensation related to his spine

the area of the spine that got taken out seems to be the half of the thoracic/the lumbar sections so in addition to his legs being numb, he also has abdominal loss of sensation (so even if the nerves didn’t get punched out of him, he probably wouldnt feel anything). man that fucking sucks lmao

god

#cass cries #^ here for those who were curious

[angryschnauzer]

Blackwater Lake - Chapter 1

Summary: There’s a little town high in the mountains where everyone has a secret, and every family has something that makes them unique. In Blackwater Lake those that are outcast by nature come together. 

Characters: Werewolf!Captain Syverson, Werewolf!Female Reader, Vampire!Walter Marshall.

Warnings (for this chapter, all small mentions but warning just in case): Breastfeeding, Accidental Cutting Injury/Blood loss, blood transfusions. This chapter contains no sex scenes or scenes of a sexual nature.

A continuation of previous Werewolf!Sy stories Moonlight on the Sand and Castle Under The Stars. This will be a series of stand alone stories/2 parters, which will revolve around the residents of the town, with some recurring characters.

I do not run a tag list, but please follow @angryschnauzerwrites​ and put that blog onto notifications. You’ll then get an alert every time i post something new.

Blackwater Lake - Chapter 1

The late spring day brought pleasant scents and mouth watering flavours, Blackwater Lake’s town May day parade in full flow as you held two month old Luna in her carrier to your chest, turning to smile at your husband Sy as he balanced Mikey on his shoulders so your son could watch the floats whilst they slowly cruised past. You knew he would be most excited about the Fire Department bringing their trucks past. At the first whoop of the siren Mikey squealed with joy, the ice cream cone in his hand tipping slightly and setting a blob of blue bubblegum flavour gelato into Sy’s cheek;

“Hey, no wriggles! Its raining ice cream down here”

Pausing the consumption of your own cone you handed it to Sy as you reached into your bag and found a baby wipe, moving to wipe his cheek before stretching to wipe your son’s face. Finding a trash can to toss the wipe into, you smiled as you watched your two boys as they waved to the Fire Trucks, the crew making sure to honk their horns when they saw Sy.

Everyone in town loved Sy. You’d moved there together when you’d found out you were pregnant with Mikey, your army days behind you and wanting to seek somewhere quiet where you could live in the woods to allow for full moon runs whilst being close enough to civilisation to raise a family. The aging receptionist at the realtor had pulled you aside the second you’d arrived in their office when you’d visited the town, recognising one of her own as her nostrils had flared and she’d explained that there were ‘all sorts’ in the town. That was your first meeting with Edith, and you’d gone on to move in just up the mountain from her. Once Sy had finished in the Army and baby number two was on the way, he’d started working alongside retired detective Walter at his construction company where they specialised in commercial buildings. They were always on call for when businesses had emergencies, so had come to the aid of half the town after storms and accidents.

As the parade dragged on Luna woke, grumbling for a change and a feed. The two boys were transfixed with the parade and you’d lost your ice cream cone to Sy who was now mindlessly munching away on it. Tugging on his sleeve you caught his attention;

“Luna’s woken up, i’m gonna take her into Sue’s Coffee Shop to change her and give her a feed”

“Sure thing Darlin, we’ll come find you in a bit”

-

The coffee shop was quiet, its doors opened onto the sidewalk and as the radio played soft rock music, just one or two tables taken outside but the inside empty. Sue - the owner - smiled at you as you walked in;

“Hey Sue!”

“Hey there! What can I get'cha?”

“Can i get a decaf iced latte? I just need to change Luna if that’s ok?”

“Of course, no need to ask, the restroom is empty”

A couple of minutes later your little girl had a clean butt but was still grizzling, now hungry for your milk. Sue had set your drink onto a table in the corner, a soft window seat she knew you liked to sit at to feed. Settling in you pulled your cami top down and unhooked the strap of your nursing bra, helping Luna to latch on as she cried before a blissful quiet descended over you as she happily suckled on your breast. In the quiet of the coffee shop you reached for your drink and sipped on it, smiling down at your beautiful daughter as she gazed up at you;

“Hey there my little Luna, better now? Is that the good stuff? Yeah? Well that’s what your Daddy says it is…” you said with a whisper and a smirk.

“Hey”

The sudden greeting made you jump, looking up to see Walter standing near your table;

“Oh, Hi Walter”

“Sorry…” he glanced away, averting his eyes from where you were feeding; “I just asked if you wanted anything?”

“Oh no, i’m fine, i’ve got a coffee… but you’re welcome to join me if you like? Sy and Mikey will be along once the Parade’s over”

Nodding once the quiet man went to order before returning with what looked like a quad espresso but faltering when it came to taking a seat;

“Where did you want me to sit?”

“Oh anywhere you like” you shifted Luna as she had finished on one breast, hooking that side up before shifting and moving her to the other breast. You’d mastered the art of switching breasts without revealing anything, the baby's head blocking any view of a nipple, and you were a vehement supporter of breast feeding - in fact any feeding - and had been known to get into loud shouting matches with anyone that told you to cover up something that was completely natural.

“I mean, i don’t want Sy to think i’m here oggling his wife’s tits”

Laughing, you kicked out a soft chair with your foot;

“This is fairly low, take this one and here…” you moved the upright menu on the table in front of Luna’s head, knowing that she would now be shielded from view and with your breast, and saving Walter’s embarrassment.

Just as Walter sat down Sue brough over his sandwich, the scent of it hitting your nostrils and making your stomach audibly growl;

“Oh wow, what is that?”

“A steak wrap with chimichurri sauce” he lifted one half and offered it to you, but you shook your head.

“Thanks, but that’s just a little too rare for me… looks like a good veterinarian could bring it back to life”

Walter laughed as you called out to Sue, ordering one of the same.

“You want yours still mooing too?”

“Medium, please” you laughed as she nodded and walked away.

As she cooked your meal you turned back to Walter. You’d had a few conversations with him over the 11 months he and Sy had worked together, but knew very little about him apart from his reputation of being quiet and surly, generally sleep deprived and a little pale most of the time. He’d been medically retired from the Police Department after an accident where he’d lost a lot of blood and had never fully recovered.

As Luna happily fed and Walter devoured his sandwich you sipped on your drink, watching with curiosity as the man ate in silence, savouring each bloody bite. When he finally crumpled the napkin onto the plate and sat back he caught you watching him;

“What? Do i have something on my face?”

“No” you laughed softly; “Just watching how quickly you devoured that sandwich. Rachel not feeding you at home?”

Walter’s face dropped;

“She left”

“Oh fuck. I’m sorry Walter, i wouldn’t have said anything if i’d known”

“S’ok. She got fed up with the way i lived my life, but i can’t change who i am”

“True”

Just then Sy and Mikey came running into the coffee shop;

“Hi Darlin! Hi Sue! Hi Walt… be right back, Jnr has a bathroom emergency!”

The two Syverson boys disappeared into the restroom, and you could clearly hear Sy’s voice;

“Point! POINT IT AT THE TOILET! That’s it, stand on your tippy toes… there we go! Got here in time!”

You suppressed a laugh, Walter raising his eyebrows;

“Potty training?”

“Uh-huh… it's been a challenging few weeks to say the least, but Mikey wanted to give it a go”

The sound of the dryer could be heard as Sy and Mikey reappeared, Sy giving you double thumbs up from behind his son who ran to you;

“A perfect aim Darlin, no leaks. Think this deserves a cookie!”

As Mikey squealed with joy you groaned;

“Sy… not more sugar! He’ll be up all night. Mikey, honey, how about some fries?”

“And Eggies?” Mikey asked

“Sure thing honey, get Daddy to ask Sue”

As the afternoon wore on and the boys chatted, you listened as Sy and Walter discussed work stuff, Luna sleeping peacefully in your arms as you ate with Mikey. Finally glancing at your watch you motioned to Sy the time;

“Hun, i’ve gotta go collect our meat order from Walkers Meats”

“Oh yeah, sure. Here…” He opened his wallet and peeled off a bunch of $20’s as he turned to Walter; “She makes the best Steak Tartare… it's unbelievable”

“You make that?” Walter asked

Angling Luna into her carrier sling you adjusted the straps and nodded;

“Sure do! Hey, did you want to join us for dinner?”

“Yeah, join us!” Sy parroted; “And before you say anything, you wouldn’t be intruding”

With a weak smile Walter nodded;

“Sure, that’ll be nice. I gotta go to the lumber yard before though… pick out the stuff for next week's job”

You noticed that Mikey had finished his meal and was looking sleepy, holding your hand out to him he slid off the chair and stood next to you;

“How about I take the kids home, Sy you catch a ride with Walter?”

With everyone happy with the arrangements you made your way along main street to where Sy had parked his enormous truck, helping Mikey into his seat before unlatching Luna and settling her into her carrier. They were both fast asleep by the time you got to the drivers seat. 

You managed to park directly outside the door to Walkers Meats, and Freya the weekend girl helpfully brought everything out to you when you called inside that the kids were asleep in the car and you didn’t want to leave them.

-

Dinner had been fun. The two kids were peacefully sleeping as the three adults chatted after the meal, before you finally stood to load the dishwasher and start hand washing the items that couldn’t go in there. Just as you were about to start you heard a cry from the kids, Sy standing;

“It’s Mikey, i’ll go”

As you started to handwash the various knives and delicate glasses, Walter stood at your side to dry items, the two of you talking casually before you let out a cry and pulled your hand from the soapy bowl of water. The dark crimson of your blood flowed from your finger, the knife you’d forgotten you’d put in the sink the cause;

“Fuck… hand me a towel…” you asked Walter, but were surprised when he sucked in a sharp intake of breath and turned, hunching over. Clutching your hand to your chest, you were surprised by his reaction, before he suddenly turned and you let out a shriek.

Sy appeared at the doorway in a panic before rushing to you, wrapping a napkin around your hand before he finally turned to look at Walter;

“What the fuck…”

Walter was pale, paler than usual, but that wasn’t what shocked the pair of you. No, it was the fact his eyes were pure white except for dark pools for his pupils, and as he opened his mouth to speak you saw his fangs;

“It’s… it’s the blood…” he gasped out; “It drives me…”

Sy wrapped his arm around your shoulders, but looked at his friend as he slumped onto the floor, shaking and sobbing;

“Think we need a chat Walt”

-

The three of you sat around the kitchen table, a hefty glass of scotch in front of each of you as Walter spoke;

“So umm yeah… this is why i left the Department. Went into a supposedly abandoned building, but it wasn’t empty. Two what we thought were junkies in there, looked like they were frail and would snap in a keen wind, but they had this strength and speed… They overpowered me, latched onto my neck. Drained my blood, and when the last drop was about to pass their lips one of my officers finally found me and shot them. They bled into me. The EMT’s took me to New Mercy and gave me a massive blood transfusion, and treated me for severe anemia… well guess what, the fangs and fucked up eyes were a surprise a few weeks after i was discharged”

You sat wide eyed and mouth agape, not touching your drink;

“I have so many questions...”

“Okay”

“Garlic. Crosses. Being invited in. Sunlight…”

Walter chuckled;

“Most a load of complete bollocks. Garlic? Well you put some in your steak tartare didn’t you? In fact it helps with the anemia. Crosses? No issue. Being invited in, again that’s just rubbish. Sunlight however… why do you think i’m so pale, huh? Have to wear factor 50 all the damn time otherwise i end up looking like a Maine Lobster at a cookout”

Both you and Sy were transfixed, Walter chatting away but his eyes hadn’t returned to normal and his fangs occasionally caught on his lip as he spoke.

“What ‘bout blood then?” Sy asked

Walter cleared his throat;

“Well, i’ve been making do with cows blood since Rachel left”

“You used to suck her blood?” you asked in a high pitched voice

Again Walter cleared his throat, this time just the faintest hint of a blush crept over his cheeks above his beard;

“Err yeah, about once a month… but she had enough in the end and left”

“I got another question” Sy interjected; “Why are your fangs still out?”

Although he answered Sy, Walter looked directly at you;

“Because she’s bleeding”

You looked down at your hand, puzzled as the wound had now sealed, before it hit you;

“Oh… I should go and sort that out”

Sy caught up quickly, glancing at the back of your dress;

“You’re fine Darlin, Walt caught it in time”

When you returned to the kitchen the two men had knocked back their drinks, Sy pouring another hefty glass for the pair of them. Pouring your drink into Sy’s you smiled at him;

“Luna won’t appreciate it”

Making yourself a herb tea you sat down next to Sy, leaning on his shoulder as you sipped your tea. Walter cleared this throat;

“You two have taken this a lot better than i envisioned anyone would… better than Rachel did…”

You looked up at Sy and smiled, his own grin crossing over his face before he nodded and you both turned to Walter as Sy spoke;

“Oh… we have a bit of understanding of this kinda thing”

With the full moon starting tomorrow night you knew that you could both force your eyes to turn orange, the bright ring of fire in your irises flaming like a pyre, shocking Walter so much he slipped back on his chair and fell to the floor. Greeted by both of you giggling, he pulled himself back up using the table as he righted his chair, knocking back the rest of his glass;

“What… the… FUCK?”

#blackwater lake #henry cavill #captain syverson #walter marshall #werewolf!sy #Vampire!Walter

[trashforhockeyguys]

Don’t Hold Me -20- Carter Hart

A/N: So umm the whole thing takes place in a hospital. Mentions of serious injuries, and all that goes with that. Other than that though, nothing too triggering? I don’t think? As always all previous parts are linked in my master list.

Travis scanned over all of the articles that came out as soon as it became public knowledge who was involved. The media team was doing everything they could to keep it quiet and control the coverage, but news crews were already set up outside of the hospital. They didn’t know who did it. Carter didn’t know the guy, nor could he give an accurate description. It was too dark, it all happened too fast. All anyone knew was that you nearly died. Hell, you still could. 

Travis locked his phone and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He’d never seen you look so pale, even all those years ago. You looked twenty times worse now. They were told that you lost a significant amount of blood before anyone could get to you. Travis couldn’t even think about Carter trying to keep you from bleeding out in the street. 

Carter, of course, wouldn’t talk about it. He refused to leave, just like Ethan. But Kora eventually convinced both of them that they needed showers and food. But Carter also had to go to the rink. The media team thought it would be best if they held a press conference. Especially since the media was reporting that Carter had been hurt as well. But physically, he was fine. Mentally though? Travis knew this wasn't something he’d get over easily. None of them would.

Your parents were stuck at home, they couldn’t get on a flight out here, nor could they take the time off from work. They tried everything they could think of, but they just couldn’t. So when Ethan wasn’t here, Travis was in charge of sending them as many updates as he could. Nolan would stop by from time to time to bring Travis something, or just sit with him so he wouldn’t be alone while Kora and Ethan were gone. 

“She looks better today,” Nolan said, sliding into the chair on the other side of your bed. 

“She looks like shit,” Travis mumbled, “They said the biggest concern now is going to be infection.”

Nolan reached over and carefully grabbed one of your hands, “She’s still cold.”

Travis nodded slowly, “They did another blood transfusion like an hour ago. Apparently her body is still trying to regulate.”

Nolan reached for his phone, he scrolled through a couple of notifications, “They’re going to announce that they’ve postponed the game tomorrow. Other teams are reaching out with support. And Carter is about to go live, do you want me to turn it on?”

He shook his head, “No. I don’t want her to hear it.”

Nolan, for the life of him, couldn’t imagine exactly what Travis was feeling. He loved you, sure. But he didn’t love you anywhere near how Travis did. You were Travis’ little sister, the sister he never had. He’d never seen Travis act so protective over anything before he saw him with you. 

He was with Travis when he got the call. Ethan and Kora had just fallen asleep. Carter couldn’t get ahold of anyone else, so he called the first person he knew would be there. Nolan spent the entire drive to the hospital trying to calm down everyone, not just Travis, but Ethan and Kora too. Even Nolan wasn’t sure how he was able to stay so calm. 

“She’ll pull through,” Nolan assured his teammate. 

“I don’t know what I’ll do if she doesn’t.”

Meanwhile, across town, Carter was in a cold sweat. He hated the media to begin with, much less in a situation like this. He had to practically be dragged from the hospital by Kora and Ethan. He’d refused to leave your side. Everything was a blur at this point, but he knew that he didn’t let go of your hand once until you were being wheeled into an operating room. 

He couldn’t remember all of the terms that the doctors rattled off after you came out. Kora was the one who had enough presence of mind to ask them to use simple terms so everyone knew what was happening. But all Carter could hear was that you lost too much blood before you were brought in, that you’d flatlined several times. That it could still be touch and go. 

“Carter? They’re ready for you.”

His hands shook as he followed everyone into the room and towards his seat behind the table. Cameras started flashing automatically. When the Flyers said that a statement was being made, no one thought Carter would be the one to make it. The media was reporting that he’d been hospitalized too. He wished it was him, and not you. 

He blindly answered the questions that were thrown at him. The media team coached him on what needed to be said, less was more. Especially given that they didn’t even have any leads on who did this. 

Everytime he closed his eyes he saw you in his arms, growing paler by the second, as he screamed for someone to help. He wasn’t sure that he would ever get that image out of his head. How could he?

Kora was waiting outside the arena. Her hair was wet like she’d just showered. She was in oversized sweatpants with an old faded sweatshirt to match. She held her arms out, offering Carter a much needed hug. For a second he wondered if he wouldn’t just fall apart right there in the parking lot. 

“C’mon, I’ll take you back to Travis’ place, it’s closer to the hospital,” She told him, “You need to sleep.”

“No, I need to go back to the hospital,” He replied quickly. 

“Carter, you’ve been up for over twenty four hours,” Kora explained, “You won’t do her much good if you’re sleep deprived.”

But when he looked at her, with eyes filled with so much pain, she knew she couldn’t keep him away from you. So, Kora just held Carter as tightly as she could before promising to take him back to the hospital after he at least ate some food. 

The scene at the hospital hadn’t changed though. The rest of the boys were still crowded around you. Nolan came out to meet Kora as Carter rushed in to join Travis and Ethan. But Kora couldn't bring herself to walk in, not yet at least. She didn’t want to see you like that, not up close. 

So instead she handed Nolan a coffee cup and leaned against the wall, “How’s Travis?”

“A fucking wreck,” Nolan breathed out, rubbing his face with his free hand, “Did you get Carter to eat?”

Kora nodded, “Barely.”

Nolan looked behind him, studying his friends gathered in your little room, “The doctor stopped by about half an hour ago, they want to try to back off her sedatives this afternoon. Her vitals have held long enough apparently.”

It seemed that there was a little light to the day. If Kora understood Nolan well enough, you were out of the woods now. Save for the potential recovery complications, but enough that they were willing to try to wake you up.

She took a deep breath, feeling like her chest was going to cave in from the weight that settled on it the moment they got the first call, “You should go home Nol. I can take care of them.”

He forced a small smile, “Yeah but who’s gonna take care of you?”

She shrugged, eyes focused on the three boys huddled around your bed. Kora wondered what would’ve happened had none of you gone out. If you’d all gone right home, rather than staying late at a club. Maybe none of you would be here right now. 

“I’m going to go grab some food across the street,” Nolan said quietly, “Call me if something changes.”

He had to fight himself from looking back at you in the bed. You looked so different from the girl he’d come to love like a sister. Definitely not to the same level as Travis. But he found it to be impossible to be around you for very long without feeling protective over you, just like he was with his own sisters. Nolan never really thought that he’d have to imagine a world where you wouldn’t be around. But now he had, and he didn’t like it. 

You just seemed to make the world better. He wanted that back sooner rather than later.  

It was several hours later when you felt yourself being pulled from the dark. Reality started coming back to you, and that’s when the panic set in. Your heart started to race as you felt the pain, at first what felt like a dull ache felt like a white hot iron being plunged into you. You wanted to scream out, but you couldn’t. You could barely move. 

“Y/N? It’s okay, you’re safe.”

You knew that voice. The same calming voice you’d heard all your life. Ethan shouldn’t be here. You were in a dark part of town, alone on the sidewalk. No...not alone. Carter. Carter was with you. 

“Y/N, I need you to relax, okay? Please,” Ethan seemed to beg.

Your eyes finally opened to stark white lights. You could hear the rapid beeping of a machine next to you, it sounded like a warning. You tried to move, to speak, to do anything, but the pain only worsened. Even breathing hurt. 

“Hey, there you are,” Ethan let out a broken laugh that seemed to almost border a sob. 

You couldn’t think straight, but you knew none of this seemed right. This wasn’t where you were supposed to be. Your head felt like it would split open before you could even get a word out. Your body didn’t feel right. None of it felt right.

“Hurts,” You forced out, the effort of the one word made everything worse. 

“Okay, okay. Hold on, I’ll get a nurse,” Ethan reached over and pushed some sort of button and a few seconds later a nurse came strolling in. 

Everything felt cloudy to you. Like you couldn’t quite wake up all the way. The nurse said a few words to you before moving to your IV port. Pain medication, that’s what she was doing. Maybe without the searing pain you could think. Why did it hurt so much?

“There you go sweetheart,” The nurse said gently, “That should help. You just call us if you need anything else.”

Ethan said a quick thank you, not taking his eyes off of you. You wondered just how bad you must’ve looked. Your whole body felt stiff and heavy. The pain dulled just enough. Almost like the sun breaking through a thick layer of clouds. 

“Carter? Where-”

“He’s fine,” Ethan said quickly, “Kora made him and Travis leave so they could sleep.”

You felt your body relax just a little. He was okay. Zachary didn’t touch him. He was safe. You could take all the pain, as long as you were the only one who had to deal with it. 

“How bad?” You questioned, voice straining. 

You could tell just by the way that Ethan’s face changed that it wasn’t good. Hell, just by the way your body felt it wasn’t good. You could remember little bits and pieces of what happened. But it was like things kept going in and out of focus. 

“Pretty bad. Don’t ever do that to me again,” He begged, “I swear to god. I thought we’d lost you.”

You held his hand, tightening your grip on it. It seemed you hadn’t really come all that far from where you were in high school. There was a time when you were in this exact same situation. You hated that he had to go through this again. Once again, Zachary proved that he would do anything, he simply didn’t care. He never had. 

Some silly part of you still had hope that deep down he cared. Maybe if for just a second. You thought he wouldn’t be capable of something like this. Despite everything, despite all you knew and all he’d put you through, you still had a sliver of hope.

“You look like shit,” You tried to joke. 

“And you look like hell,” He replied flatly, “But you almost died, several times, so I’m allowed to look like shit.”

You nodded, knowing he’d been through enough. Not just in the last few days, but ever since Zachary came into your life. You once hoped that coming to Philly would mean a fresh start for you, but once again he proved that nothing changed. She was still the same little girl, so afraid of her own shadow. 

“I’m going to go call mom and dad,” Ethan said softly, “You just get some rest. I’ll be back in a bit.”

You nodded, trying to relax back into the bed. Every little movement hurt. You knew if you looked under the thin hospital gown that your midsection would be bandaged up. You didn’t want to know the details yet. Part of you still thought you could wake up from this nightmare. Maybe if you didn’t know you could act like it wasn’t that bad. 

But then the thought of what you told Carter before it all happened….You couldn’t go to Canada now. You couldn’t do that to him. Zachary could easily follow you there. It obviously wouldn’t be the first time that he tracked you down hundreds of miles from home. You felt sick. This really wouldn’t end. He would always be there in some way or another. You’d always carry these scars around. 

You would never really be free, and Carter would never really be safe.

#carter hart imagine #Carter hart imagines #Carter hart fanfic #Carter hart fanfiction #Carter hart #nhl imagines #nhl imagine #nhl fanfiction #nhl fanfic #hockey imagine #hockey imagines #hockey fanfic #hockey fanfiction #Philly flyers imagine #Philly flyers imagines #Philly Flyers #nicolewritesthings #don't hold me #dhm

[meatcrimes]

so i finally finished The Frontier. here’s my final thoughts:

new vegas runs so much faster and smoother since uninstalling the frontier and all related hotfixes

i will say one positive thing about this mod and it’s the sheer variety of different items in the world. not just the guns, but the consumables, workbench & campfire recipes, combining consumables to make healing items that are on par with the wasteland omelette or fiend stew.

i know this mod was being developed before fallout 4 was released but this would have been so much better, from a technical standpoint and from a story standpoint, if this were a fallout 4 mod. if this was essentially a Where Are They Now mod that explored what the ncr/legion/bos did following the second battle of hoover dam, this would have been a better story. for example, legate valerius becoming the next Caesar after the deaths of Edward Sallow and Legate Lanius and how the changes he implemented made the legion almost unrecognizable

speaking of legion, i played the legion quest line and most of the crusaders quest line so these are all opinions from that perspective

the de-fanging of the legion was disappointing. i wanted to play with the villain faction, or at least a morally gray faction who is no better than the other choices. the legion could still be evil even with the “liberal” valerius in charge. the ending where the northern legion abolished slavery, gave women equal rights and power, and allowed modern technology was disappointing because they were clearly trying to remove a lot of what made the legion evil in the first place. a “liberal” legion that, for example, uses slavery as a punishment for crimes that you’re freed from when your sentence is up, is still evil and still villainous

or a legion that allowed women to have limited roles as priestesses, doctors and frumentaria (which i hc that the mainland legion is already doing but wtvr). that could have been what the “liberal” new caesar has done while still maintaining the legion’s misogyny

SPEAKING OF WHICH. legate valerius had an epiphany and supported women’s equality when his daughters were born which is unintentionally hilarious because that’s how a lot of real life men start caring about women’s issues

the mission where you have to kill a slaver and when you get to her you find she’s already been captured by other slavers. and how that was the end of the quest. and you lost karma for killing her or setting her free. there’s a lot to unpack here but let’s just set the whole suitcase on fire

also the indigenous coded tribe that was wiped out by an STD. yeah. not over that

and the Followers doctor who knowingly gave the courier a blood transfusion from someone with syphilis

the other followers doctor, Welick, who blamed all of his problems in life on arcade gannon

(from subtext we can gather that Arcade exposed illegal/unethical things Welick was doing and the reason everyone “had arcade fever” was just them acknowledging that Welick was wrong. and the reason he “left” the followers is that he was actually kicked out. welick is an unreliable narrator but i’m willing to bet 35 bottle caps and a wrinkly $5 NCR bill that most of the players did not pick up on that)

scrapz my beloved ❤️

seriously scrapz was the highlight of this mod. you know that post that’s like “when you know you can do a canon character better so you just steal them and make them your oc”? that’s what i wanna do with scrapz. he deserved a better mod

also… the fact that we can flirt with scrapz with a black widow check (and i think confirmed bachelor too but i am not replaying this mod in order to see) and he openly admits to being horny on main for humans (paraphrased, but honestly tell me that doesn’t sound like a real line from this mod) and yet we can’t have sex with him!??

he clearly has advanced enough AI to give him the ability to consent, since he leaves the player if you get too far in the crusaders quest line (and i assume ncr too but once again. not replaying to check). we can fuck the chem-obsessed Argonian queen. we can fuck a deathclaw. but we can’t fuck a robot despite being able to have sex with FISTO in the base game

the entire Dr Voss quest. i’m still not sure what that was. it’s just a blur of blood sewers, finding keys, and increasingly incomprehensible notes

when callidus revealed AJ was his sister and he didn’t want you to kill her but capture her and reunite them. and then i killed her anyway because it’s what she would have wanted, between death and the legion

“you prevented silus from being interrogated” x103

the weird romance-but-not between legate valerius and the courier. like he lets you sleep in his bed for a well rested bonus, his personal quest is called I Was Made For Loving You, his weird protectiveness of the courier, and of course that unintentionally erotic interrogation scene. and near the beginning i swear there was dialogue with him that was like “you were out cold for days, but I never left your side. it looked like you weren’t going to pull through, but I ordered my men to spare no expense to ensure you recovered. i tended to most of your wounds myself, working late into the night to set your broken bones and repair your torn ligaments” etc etc you get the point

the NCR commander named Tiberius Rancor who no one suspected was a legion plant

the radioactive super mutants that had a melee weapon called Kitchen Sink and it literally was a whole entire kitchen sink ripped from a building. and the courier couldn’t use it

the repair tool for the cars in the game but when you used it, it kept giving you the achievement for knocking down enemies so it was basically a source of infinite xp

the fucking space enclave. the enclave, in space. they never were defeated by the chosen one or the lone wanderer, they just fled to outer fucking space for some reason

the cannibal ice ghouls with 3500 hit points. you know what i mean. the fact that this mod was set way too far south to be seeing them, and basically did nothing accurate to the mythology at all except that they were cannibals, and didn’t even pluralize the word correctly. i understand this was probably inspired by fallout 76 but 76 should not have had those creatures either

in conclusion: i was determined to finish this mod and i’m glad i can say i did, but was it worth it? was it really worth it? no

#t #long post #elijah’s last words #fallout new vegas #the frontier #weathur plays the frontier #fallout the frontier

[maxwell-grant]

Speaking of Tod Slaughter... any thoughts on Grand Guignol theater..?

Looking back on it, the first time I encountered the term Grand-Guignol was also the first time I looked at Fantomas, when I picked up the book above titled The Theater of Grand Guignol, which is all too fitting as Fantomas is Grand-Guignol to it's core. It's also a term that I've seen applied a couple of times to The Spider as well as some darker fan reinterpretations of Batman. Like film noir and sword-and-sorcery, it's a term for a type of storytelling that's associated with dime novels and pulps, influenced and was influenced by them in return, but isn't really the same thing and is, in fact, a separate "genre" (not quite the right term).

Indeed, if the common cultural association of pulp is that of something trashy and violent and darker than it's contemporary culture, one can see Grand-Guignol as perhaps the darkest of it's adjecent family, the Dario Argento to pulp's John Carpenter, the cracked mirror to all that exists.

Short and full-length plays were based on the hot topics unseen onstage at this extent before, from graphic scenes of murders, tortures, sexual violence to psychological thrills like resurrections of the dead, incest, suicide, characters being hypnotized, trapped or guilty of their loved one’s deaths. In most cases, it was a combination of several of those themes in one piece, which of course, multiplied shows’ popularity - AngryFishTheatre's article

‘At one performance, six people passed out when an actress, whose eyeball was just gouged out, re-entered the stage, revealing a gooey, blood-encrusted hole in her skull. Backstage, the actors themselves calculated their success according to the evening’s faintings. During one play that ended with a realistic blood transfusion, a record was set: fifteen playgoers had lost consciousness. Between sketches, the cobble-stoned alley outside the theatre was frequented by hyperventilating couples and vomiting individuals.’

Despite of its scandalous nature, for France Grand Guignol was more than a theatre: it was a tradition, an institution, and an attraction like the Eiffel Tower or the Folies Bergères, and Maxim’s... It was then highly fashionable. Celebrities of the day, South American millionaires and errant royalty went there assiduously to be scared out of their wits.

Going to the Grand-Guignol was less a social act than a private one and certain audience members preferred not to be seen. Some witnesses reported that the iron-grilled boxes in the back of the theater encouraged a certain ‘extremism.’

The cleaning staff would often find the seats stained - — Mel Gordon, The Grand Guignol: theatre of fear and terror.

It lasted almost the exact same time period as the American pulp era (from the late 1880s to 1950s), and even in it's origin, as the theater itself was built out of the ruins of a church, and it would attain fame and legacy as the shadow opposite to Moulin Rouge's glamour and spectacle. It's original intent on being focused on naturalistic theater led to breakthroughs of horror that made it the whole selling point, and much like the pulp lords of terror I talk about, their staged and spectacled terrors were still no match for the horrors of reality that followed.

“We could never equal Buchenwald,” the Grand Guignol’s final director, Charles Nonon, told TIME magazine that year. “Before the war, everyone felt that what was happening onstage was impossible. Now we know that these things, and worse, are possible in reality.”

And of course it goes without saying that the Grand-Guignol's influence on storytellers long transcended it's original lifespan. Gore for gore's sake is hardly something I enjoy, but I've definitely enjoyed many, many films that reached to extremes of horror and violence and gore for horror and comedy alike. I would not claim the Grand-Guignol started this because I could very well be missing out on something, but they are undeniably a huge part of the history of horror as we know it, along with the German Expressionist works of the 1910s that were as well both inspired by, as well as influential, on the Grand-Guignol.

Time and time again we see the pattern emerge, of creators or outlets or mediums that emerge as cheaper and less critically-reputable alternatives to the mainstream attain extraordinary and influential success both in their circles as well as those who would never admit to looking at them for inspiration otherwise. In fact, you could very well argue that it’s alive not just through films and comics and so forth, but in newfound forms of media created by people with all the freedom to put together whatever their imaginations and limited resources and lack of restraints can create.

Like Youtube Poop.

Now maybe I'm biased here because I grew up with YTP, but really, the main intent behind every YTP is to twist the media it's using to provoke a new reaction from you, every YTP is varying levels of a rollercoaster of jokes and edits and little narratives stacking up and flowing together, references and poop jokes and murder jokes and slurs and parody and criticism and SuS and literally anything the creator thinks is gonna get a reaction that wasn't in the original material. And it doesn't even have to be exclusively about jokes, there's a lot of YTPs that are centered on horror or drama or even are just completely original narratives using the assets at hand, sometimes even clocking in at almost movie-length.

There's no filter or censors or teams making sure it's tested to the audience, it's just as much chaos as someone with video editing skills can manage to create, and more so than anything else nowadays, it's the medium that abides and amplifies the same principle that ruled and defined Grand-Guignol: "The Hot and Cold Shower"

Grand Guignol, was not the inventor of this concept, but probably the first performing arts company that used it as its main programming principle. Every evening at the theatre was programmed with plays heavily contrasting in their nature. In the 6 plays presented on a regular night, every 2 horror plays were followed by a light comedy and the light comedy by another horror play or two. Using this contrast the creators aimed to give their audiences a fuller range of emotions. They called it a "hot and cold shower".

You could also make a similar argument for creators that used Garry's Mod or Source Filmmaker to create Youtube content, many of whom either followed the styles of YTP or created their own which ended up influencing others in return, and you can definitely see how YTP as well as these have influenced our current generation's taste in comedy as well as the editing styles of many prominent creators. It even seemed for quite a while that GMOD and SFM content of this type was dead, but it definitely seems like it's gotten a revival recently, and really just never went away. Likewise, a lot of people think YTP died circa 2012 or 2015, which is completely false, it just changed a bit, as things tend to do if they are to stick around.

The entire approach of extreme hot and cold, extreme horror and comedy shuffling per second and extreme absurdity overriding is something you definitely get nowadays a lot more out of these newer forms of media than anything that film and television's capable of giving, and just as Grand-Guignol started out relatively ordinary (focused mainly on naturalistic horror) before it completely spiraled into a perpetual race for excess, we've gotten so desensitized so quickly to surprises that you can see in real time the growing needs for content that's faster and more chaotic and funnier and more dramatic and more absurd and more well-produced but also worse produced and, yeah.

I definitely wonder how we may see future filmmakers and cartoonists and creators be influenced by, not just the above, but also the rapidly changing landscapes of meme culture and social media and the gradually less-funny theater of the absurd that reality's become. I definitely imagine we'll be in for some interesting times.

Y'know, if we make it that far.

Alternatively you could also argue Jackass is also a modern Grand Guignol and they just cut out the narrative middleman to get straight to the "people getting fucked up for your amusement" part, but at this point I'd just be inviting a retread of all the "Is -X- pulp" questions I got for "Is -X- Grand Guignol", and I may have stepped straight into a rake with this one.

#replies tag #grand guignol #fantomas #pulp fiction #tf2 #team fortress 2 #poultrygeist #youtube poop #ytp #sus

[thethistlegirl]

Seeing others make content for a fandom you thought was dead is always reinvigorating. I really appreciate the time you took to explain the decision to make him a tiger. And the research that went into choosing the right animal to fit Magnum's personality... it makes me wonder, would Higgins be a doberman? Have a nice day!

AHHHHHH thank you!!! I love that you're happy I'm here, because I'm having a marvelous time in this fandom and I have no intention of stopping!!

I can totally see were-Higgins being a doberman! Or possibly an English bulldog with his tenacity. I haven't written him yet as anything supernatural/nonhuman, but I've got a sort of burgeoning idea of writing him as a vampire, with his host of stories encompassing centuries of history that he has lived through! I'm still sorting out what parts of vampire lore I'd be able to use and what I might have to re-invent (because a traditional vampire in sunny Hawaii might have some serious issues) but I love the idea of him having an EXTREMELY long and colorful past, and also that he's protective of the wine cellar because that's where he stores the blood he needs. It's also got delightful potential for what happens on missions where they're stranded somewhere and everyone starts to realize that at some point they're going to have a hungry vampire on their hands...reverse version of "All for One"'s transfusion scene perhaps?

Thank you SO MUCH for these asks and I'm SO delighted you're enjoying my work in the fandom!!!

#magnum pi #og magnum pi #jonathan higgins #asks

[tsaritsa]

BEYOND THE WIDOW’S WEEDS: AN INTERVIEW

by Violet Whittaker for PRIMA Magazine (photographs supplied by Riza Mustang)

“I don’t like to hear that I was poised, or maintained a good appearance for the cameras. I am not a movie actress.” On the fifth anniversary of Führer Mustang’s assassination, Violet Whittaker sits down with his widow, Riza Mustang, and listens to her open up about her husband, the horrifying moments leading up to his death, and what the country meant to him.

CENTRAL EVENING TIMES MUSTANG SHOT DEAD Gunned Down During Campaigning In Eastern District

FÜHRER PRESIDENT MUSTANG was assassinated today. The President was shot as he gave a speech at the recently completed Amestris-Xing Railroad Hub. The Governor of East District was also badly wounded, as well as a number of diplomats representing the Empire of Xing. The President died at 3.07pm. After a burst of gunfire that cut down the President, he was rushed to Eastern General Hospital, where emergency blood transfusions were given. He was 47, and was in the final stages of an incredibly popular re-election campaign that likely would have seen him take on a third fifth-year term. He is survived by his wife, Riza Mustang, who was also in attendance today. Preliminary reports suggest she was also injured, but these are unconfirmed as of printing.

On December 3rd, 1932, four days after becoming the country’s most famous widow, Riza Mustang slipped on a mourning veil. The delicate shroud reached beyond her waist, and it moved lightly in the cool winter wind as she followed her husband’s coffin in the cortege that travelled from the official residency of the Führer President to the Philip Andersen Military Cemetery. The veil was sheer enough to reveal her pale, drawn face – though not completely. The widow of Roy Mustang, just as much as she was during his tenure, ensured she was both visible and protected from the public eye.

“I don’t like to hear that I was poised, or maintained a good appearance for the cameras,” she says now, five years later, on a similar, windy December 3rd.  “I am not a movie actress. I never have been.”

Although largely withdrawn from the public eye since his assassination, Riza Mustang has not been resting on her laurels. She is heavily invested in projects that focus on economic development in deprived areas of Amestris, as well as increasing the capacity and reach of educational programs for young women. Those who she works with on a daily basis agree with the assessment that Riza Mustang is a hard worker; albeit one who shies away from taking credit, preferring to uplift others over herself.  

“People always tell me that he would be proud of me, for the work that I do.” A strained kind of smile graces her face. “There’s no doubt that he would be. It’s just quite funny how people assume to have known my husband better than myself.”

Whether she intended to or not, Riza Mustang’s actions and presentation of herself to the public in the minutes, hours, and days after her husband’s assassination is embedded in the cultural zeitgeist of Amestris, arguably just as much as her husband’s impact on the country. Her quick thinking, reflexes, and experience as the Führer’s primary bodyguard, ensured that the assassin had only moments at best to flee the scene – something they were unable to achieve. Lucas Alexander, a 23-year-old university student with ties to Aerugean intelligence, was apprehended only 11 minutes after the first shot rang out. As Riza was performing CPR on her husband, she was also instructing his service team about the trajectory of the bullets, spray pattern, and likely points of origin. While there have been many enduring images of the two during Mustang’s tenure as leader of the nation, none will ever surpass the visceral impact of her covered in blood, attempting to revive her husband and simultaneously protect him from further harm. The country was torn in two at the violent exhibition in the evening newspapers, but sources close to Riza claimed the embargo on those photos was dropped deliberately at her command. She was quoted as saying “I want them to see what they did.”

I don’t ask Riza who ‘they’ are – widely understood to be the loudest of Mustang’s political detractors, whose divisive rhetoric was thought to directly embolden the attack in the first place. I don’t ask her whether the quote is true or not, or whether she regrets not being officially assigned as her husband’s primary bodyguard for that day.

Instead, Riza explains her frustration that such a large proportion of the attention surrounding her husband’s assassination was rooted in her actions and image, rather than what she believes to be more important. “It was like people wanted to forget the fact that these attitudes – particularly around the projects being implemented in the East – were not coming out of a vacuum. My husband was famously vocal in his defence of all Amestrian’s, regardless of race or creed. To see his name and legacy become entwined with a political circus that serves to undermine his achievements rather than honour them is disgraceful. It should not have mattered that I tried to save his life on that stage. It should not have mattered that I looked ‘the part’ as I watched them bury him in the earth. Roy was the sum of his parts; not mine.”

Although she had come to expect – and anticipate – attempts on her husband’s life, not only for what he personally represented, but for what his station represented as well, Riza agrees that Amestris has a fraught relationship with its leaders. “I don’t think it’s lost on many people that we’ve lost two of the last four leaders by successful assassinations. Roy wanted to address the crevasses in this country that we collectively have gotten very good at ignoring. Establishing the railroad formally with Xing was a decade’s worth of bilateral work, proving not only to our neighbours – but to ourselves as well – that we could forge bonds with one another, rather than break them.”

Her disaffected outlook is perhaps why she has pulled back from the public eye – not that, she admits, she ever enjoyed being there in the first place.

“I don’t have the patience for politics – for people,” she hedges, over a cup of earl grey. “I remember some of our critics complaining about how closed off we were here –” she gestures around us, in the small homestead on the outskirts of Central that the Mustang’s called their home for the entirety of his presidency, the home that she still resides in, five years on, “– saying we needed to be more accessible to the people – namely, my husband needed to be accessible, needed to be available for everyone at any given moment.” Riza laughs bitterly at that, fiddling with her rings, clearly deciding whether or she wants to continue down this train of thought. “He joined the military when he was eighteen. His move into politics immediately followed his retirement as a General. My husband has always belonged to this country, and to her people.”

“On the whole,” she begins after a lengthy pause, “We were happy to play that role. The power and prestige that comes with this kind of position – you have to acknowledge it, make some sacrifices. You have to give to receive in turn.”

“I don’t want his legacy to be reduced to a few, violent moments,” she continues. “But unfortunately, it will remain that way until this country comes to grips with its history in its entirety. We need to see what we’ve sacrificed willingly, and what we’ve taken in return.”

#fullmetal alchemist #fma #royai #roy mustang #riza hawkeye #BOOM BABEY #interview trilogy is DONE #the first quote from riza is shamelessly stolen from jackie #as is the veil photo lmaoooo #look the woman constructed the myth of jfk that's no easy ask #ppl prolly expected royai!kid #sorry. no happy endings in this version #my fanfic

[inblackwoods]

#This is my favorite Dracula ship and I have Reasons for it#Ask me about it and I'll pull book quotes and everything - please do, as someone who also loves them together a lot, I'd love to hear your reasons

Phenomenal! I can now ramble, thank you. A warning: this did get long. 

I’ll start with the weirder reasons I like Morward and end with the more obvious ones.

The weirdest scene that makes me think they’ve got an interesting dynamic is actually the start of Chapter 19, immediately after Renfield begs Seward to let him out of the asylum and Seward, of course, says no. Everyone feels a bit odd about all of this, but Quincey is the only one to say anything, very directly questioning Jack in saying, “it was pretty rough of him [Renfield] not to get a chance.” Van Helsing then defends Seward a bit, saying he knows best on this issue and they all move on. But! Very few characters question Jack like this and whoever I ship him with, I would want to interact with him in a critical way/be even with him in terms of authority [this is why Renfield/Seward or Dracu/Mina or whatever are Not Good to me. Those are very uneven power dynamics]. They seem to be on very even footing here, so much so that Quincey can call him out and not much fuss comes of it.

Next: Quincey is described by Jack as "phlegmatic in the way of a man who accepts all things, and accepts them in the spirit of cool bravery, with hazard of all he has to stake" [Chapter 16]. And Jack describes himself as "a sceptic, who can see nothing but a travesty of bitter truth in anything holy or emotional" [chapter 25] and describes his own "nature" as being of "dogged argumentativeness" [chapter 15]. Quincey is open-minded and agreeable [but not naïve or stupid] and Seward is stubborn and argumentative.

So. I think they're ･ﾟ☆✧Character Foils･ﾟ☆✧

Then in Chapter 26 we have the part where the CoL splits up into three groups of two. Seward says, “I think I had better go with Quincey. We had been accustomed to hunt together, and we two, well armed, will be a match for whatever may come along.” I just find this cute because 1. They have an apparently well-established history of hunting together [good friends make good partners] and 2. Seward could almost be a little whimsy here, like he’s saying they can fight anything if they’re together [and armed, of course]. Which might be a stretch on my part but… I love it.

Finally, what seems most obvious to me, the final blood transfusion scene in Chapter 12. At this point, Quincey has not even been mentioned in about six chapters. When I first read the book, I assumed he had fallen out of the narrative and might not come back because he was gone so long. Him coming back was one of the most exciting parts of the book for me because!!! It was so shocking and so wonderful! He seemed like a hero come to save the day! And I think most of this feeling is dependent on the way Seward describes the scene. It’s Seward’s excitement, relief, admiration, etc. that makes Quincey’s return hit as hard as it did. He says “the voice came from the sofa across the room, and its tones brought relief and joy to my heart, for they were those of Quincey Morris… I cried out “Quincey Morris!” and rushed towards him with outstretched hands.” This is all somewhat dramatic and even a little out of character for Seward who seems to usually try to cover up his emotional expressions [though he’s not always Great at that]. I think it’s Seward’s emotions that make this scene so exciting as the reader gets to really feel those emotions through him.

Anyway, this was really long and I feel like I’ve probably even got more I could say that I can’t think of it right now and… I did really ramble. Thank you, again!

#gellavonhamster #Dracula #Jack Seward #Quincey Morris #Morward #Sorry this took me a bit #I was at work #But this was very fun to get to write up so Thankyouthankyou #Do add on if you have thoughts : ) #nabalysis