blacknedsoul-blog

[blacknedsoul-blog]

I think this is the collective hc I tend to disagree with the most. An extremely important part of the construction of the Addamses as individuals in all of their portrayals is that they accept ANYONE as a member of their family. For them to have trouble accepting Enid because she is colorful would be completely out of character for them.

At best they might be a little confused or cry about "their baby is growing up", but to not accept Enid? That would never

If we go by official sources, that is Addams Family Values, Enid would not be accepted into the Addams family as Wednesday's spouse, not because she is a wolf or a girl, it's just that Enid wears pastel colors and they could never forgive her for that. I'm just saying.

[blacknedsoul-blog]

Nevermore Mocktail themed: Stolen Moments

At the request of @raven-nerd4life and @anumacy: a non-alcoholic version of Stolen Moments.

Ingredients

15 ml of non-alcoholic gin (most of them are herbal, so you get the same effect)

10 ml of tonic water

15 ml rose water (you can get it in stores or prepare it at home)

5 ml simple syrup

Preparation

Add all ingredients to a shaker and shake. Serve in a shot glass.

Notes

I have not tried this recipe, but the ingredients should have exactly the same effect.

Since it doesn't need to be a shot, the ingredients can be mixed in a 1:3 ratio (30 ml of tonic water, 30 of syrup, 90 of rose water and 90 of non-alcoholic gin).

[blacknedsoul-blog]

Nevermore themed cocktail: Stolen Moments

Information

Based on the stolen moments of Annabel and Lenore. A shot with a floral and caramelized taste, but that inevitably leaves a bitter aftertaste in the back of the throat.

When I thought of a recipe based on this specific part of Annabel and Lenore's relationship, I decided that I wanted something that was sweet to the palate, but inevitably tainted by a touch of bitterness. And brief, because that's why it's a stolen moment :3

Recipe

 Ingredients

5 ml of red wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon) 

5 ml of white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)

5 ml of simple syrup 

15 ml rose liqueur

15 ml of herball gin

Ice

Preparation

Place the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake until the shaker is cold. Serve in a shot glass.

[blacknedsoul-blog]

(Knuckles cracking) You just took some interesting things out of the box. Let me complement this.

Now that you mention the thing that grabs Lenore, it has a pair of glowing white eyes. The Deans have only one, could it be because they only have part of that thing's power?

Regarding minions and Lovecraftian entity hierarchies, it's a “well no, but actually yes”. Lovecraft was more interested in putting together an imaginary that felt plausible than in putting together a consistent mythology, but that hasn't stopped his fans from making the effort to classify these creatures and it is true that in his works it is mentioned that there are entities more powerful than others. Sometimes there are vague hints of relationships between them.

On this subject, there is one interesting thing: Nyarlathotep is a servant of Azathoth, but in general, Nyarlathotep's servants are humans who make pacts with they. Can someone bring me out of the closet the theory that Nevermore's staff were humans once?

Finally, let me give some context on the Threshold: this nickname comes to Yogg-Sothoth from a story of the same name “The Lurker at the Threshold”. A descendant of an ancient family comes to reclaim a family property and, after being possessed by one of his ancestors, ends up releasing terrible forces.

I wonder if Lenore will end up doing it unwittingly.

Regarding Lenore's Spectre: I'm not sure. It would be interesting, but given that this moves in parallels, I have a hard time seeing how a Spectre based on this stuff would match Annabel's Lady in White. Still, I wouldn't rule it out entirely.

I think the Deans are fucking Lovecraftian gods

If you're a regular reader of my nonsense, you may have noticed that on more than one occasion I've referred to the Deans as "Nyarlathotep Tumblrsexymen": no, I didn't have a stroke on the keyboard, this is a reference to an entity that appears in the stories of Howard Phillip Lovecraft. A writer who is widely known because there were even people who thought that the Necronomicon, a fictional text part of his work, actually existed (and because he was such a recalcitrant racist that it has become a meme about how extremely racist he was).

And since I'm still going through my pile of papers on Gothic fiction, let me take a moment to talk about Lovecraft's work, why I have reason to believe that the Deans have something in common with these creatures, and what that might mean for the development of Nevermore.

A Little About Lovecraft's Gods

To understand a little bit about the kind of creatures we are talking about, I have to stop at a brief (seriously brief) description of cosmic horror: This is a type of horror that takes elements from the scientific publications of the time (which makes it close to science fiction) to give it verisimilitude, it has at its core a deep nihilism, the breaking of scientific canons, the fragility of the human mind and societies contrasted with the vastness of the universe, an enormous fear of "the unknown" for the white man (fed by his racist paranoia), and seasoned with tentacles and creatures that remind us of sea creatures, because Lovecraft had an enormous fear of the sea.

The gods in these stories represent, on a symbolic level, the vastness of the universe, the terror of the unknown, and the fragility of the human mind: they are entities older than time itself, contact with them tends to shatter the mind, and humanity must be very, very grateful that most of them are locked away or incapacitated in some way. Also, the way to access them is through very specific rituals that have been lost over time, so thankfully they're not very easy to contact either.

Similarities with the Deans

Let's start with the most obvious: the Deans, like the Lovecraftian gods, seem to operate in their own plane of existence, beyond what humans understand as "life" and "death": Nevermore is a kind of limbo, but we know, thanks to the Raven, that these guys came from another place and had enough power to kick the crap out of psychopomps without any problem.

However, just like Lovecraft's gods, these enormous powers don't make them able to do whatever they want; as I said, these entities are usually locked up or incapacitated in some way and can only have contact with humans under certain circumstances (like being summoned in rituals), and getting out of their prisons usually requires vague events like astral alignments that are completely out of their control.

The Deans, like Lovecraft's gods, seem to be subject to rules that are above them, and while they can bend them a bit to achieve their goals, it's not like they can do much about it.

Another thing they have in common with Lovecraft's gods is the ability to create servants that function as extensions of them to fulfill their designs. There are many creatures that follow this line in the stories that speak of The Myths, but the best known are the Shoggoth that appear in the novel At the Mountains of Madness: artificial beings created by the Old Ones to rule the Earth, described as amphibious, amorphous masses similar to amoebas.

Although the Deans prefer their minions in the form of animated dolls. I suspect this decision is based on the story The Sandman by E.T.A. Hoffman. I have no proof, but no doubt.

Now for the joke that brings this essay to life: the creature in Lovecraft's universe that most resembles the Deans is a being called Nyarlathotep. This creature belongs to the category of "Other Gods" (not the old ones like Cthulhu) and gets very nice nicknames like "Crawling Chaos".

Nyarlathotep is a being who enjoys causing chaos, death and madness wherever they go. They can communicate with humans, which they use to psychologically torture them and make them lose their minds. Something they seem to enjoy quite a bit. In the same way that the Deans view this sadistic battle royale, they have set up a fun game.

Then there is the ability to manipulate and alter the human mind, which is called into question in stories like Nyarlathotep and The Rats in the Walls (where it is apparently Nyarlathotep who messes with the protagonist's mind so that he tries to kill his friend).

This is something we've seen manifest in Nevermore in two different ways: the ability to trigger or unlock memories.

And the ability to change them. While we can't know if what was shown to Annabel is 100% real, we do know that showing her the end of her life caused a permanent change in the way she retrieves her memories: from the end backwards. If this memory is somehow altered, we also know that the Deans are capable of photoshopping people's memories.

Finally, Nyarlathotep has the ability to shape-shift, which allows them to appear as humanoids in several stories, such as The Oniric Quest of the Unknown Kadath or Dreams in the Witch's House. His human form is considered "unnatural", "strange" and "disturbing" by those who see it (remember that Lovecraft was extremely racist, so he always presents himself as a black man). As a pharaoh in the Randolph Carter cycle and as a charcoal humanoid figure in the second story cited).

Here, the human form of whatever the Deans are is also quite atypical: not only are they ridiculously tall (7 feet), they have heterochromia with a white-colored eye (which I would venture to say may be a reference to the cataract eye mentioned in the story "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe), and their synchronized movements are amusing on paper, but possibly strange to look at for the characters.

Otherwise, there are two other entities in Lovecraft's universe whose descriptions can be loosely associated with the Deans: Yogg-Sothoth and Azathoth. Both are beings of dual nature.

The former is an entity associated with omniscience and appears in stories such as The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward and The Dunwich Horror. and is described as "the key and the door".

Azathoth represents omnipotence, is the center of the universe, and is described as "the beginning and the end" or "the alpha and the omega.

Implications for the comic

The fact that the Deans have elements in common with Nyarlathotep brings up an interesting point: although Nyarlathotep has far greater freedom than other beings, they is a servant of Azathoth. In other words, them powers are subservient to a more powerful being whose plans they must follow. They may amuse themselves in the process, but they is still essentially a butler.

On the other hand, the Azathoth connection might be vague, since this creature is a lobotomized god, so he can't do much. But if the reference is to Yogg-Sothoth, it gets a little more interesting, because that entity is the one who is supposed to release the original gods when the time is right.

And I don't know about you, but these references have me wondering if the Deans are working for something much more messed up than they are, or if they're using the souls of the students to bring back something much more sinister.

[blacknedsoul-blog]

I think the Deans are fucking Lovecraftian gods

If you're a regular reader of my nonsense, you may have noticed that on more than one occasion I've referred to the Deans as "Nyarlathotep Tumblrsexymen": no, I didn't have a stroke on the keyboard, this is a reference to an entity that appears in the stories of Howard Phillip Lovecraft. A writer who is widely known because there were even people who thought that the Necronomicon, a fictional text part of his work, actually existed (and because he was such a recalcitrant racist that it has become a meme about how extremely racist he was).

And since I'm still going through my pile of papers on Gothic fiction, let me take a moment to talk about Lovecraft's work, why I have reason to believe that the Deans have something in common with these creatures, and what that might mean for the development of Nevermore.

A Little About Lovecraft's Gods

To understand a little bit about the kind of creatures we are talking about, I have to stop at a brief (seriously brief) description of cosmic horror: This is a type of horror that takes elements from the scientific publications of the time (which makes it close to science fiction) to give it verisimilitude, it has at its core a deep nihilism, the breaking of scientific canons, the fragility of the human mind and societies contrasted with the vastness of the universe, an enormous fear of "the unknown" for the white man (fed by his racist paranoia), and seasoned with tentacles and creatures that remind us of sea creatures, because Lovecraft had an enormous fear of the sea.

The gods in these stories represent, on a symbolic level, the vastness of the universe, the terror of the unknown, and the fragility of the human mind: they are entities older than time itself, contact with them tends to shatter the mind, and humanity must be very, very grateful that most of them are locked away or incapacitated in some way. Also, the way to access them is through very specific rituals that have been lost over time, so thankfully they're not very easy to contact either.

Similarities with the Deans

Let's start with the most obvious: the Deans, like the Lovecraftian gods, seem to operate in their own plane of existence, beyond what humans understand as "life" and "death": Nevermore is a kind of limbo, but we know, thanks to the Raven, that these guys came from another place and had enough power to kick the crap out of psychopomps without any problem.

However, just like Lovecraft's gods, these enormous powers don't make them able to do whatever they want; as I said, these entities are usually locked up or incapacitated in some way and can only have contact with humans under certain circumstances (like being summoned in rituals), and getting out of their prisons usually requires vague events like astral alignments that are completely out of their control.

The Deans, like Lovecraft's gods, seem to be subject to rules that are above them, and while they can bend them a bit to achieve their goals, it's not like they can do much about it.

Another thing they have in common with Lovecraft's gods is the ability to create servants that function as extensions of them to fulfill their designs. There are many creatures that follow this line in the stories that speak of The Myths, but the best known are the Shoggoth that appear in the novel At the Mountains of Madness: artificial beings created by the Old Ones to rule the Earth, described as amphibious, amorphous masses similar to amoebas.

Although the Deans prefer their minions in the form of animated dolls. I suspect this decision is based on the story The Sandman by E.T.A. Hoffman. I have no proof, but no doubt.

Now for the joke that brings this essay to life: the creature in Lovecraft's universe that most resembles the Deans is a being called Nyarlathotep. This creature belongs to the category of "Other Gods" (not the old ones like Cthulhu) and gets very nice nicknames like "Crawling Chaos".

Nyarlathotep is a being who enjoys causing chaos, death and madness wherever they go. They can communicate with humans, which they use to psychologically torture them and make them lose their minds. Something they seem to enjoy quite a bit. In the same way that the Deans view this sadistic battle royale, they have set up a fun game.

Then there is the ability to manipulate and alter the human mind, which is called into question in stories like Nyarlathotep and The Rats in the Walls (where it is apparently Nyarlathotep who messes with the protagonist's mind so that he tries to kill his friend).

This is something we've seen manifest in Nevermore in two different ways: the ability to trigger or unlock memories.

And the ability to change them. While we can't know if what was shown to Annabel is 100% real, we do know that showing her the end of her life caused a permanent change in the way she retrieves her memories: from the end backwards. If this memory is somehow altered, we also know that the Deans are capable of photoshopping people's memories.

Finally, Nyarlathotep has the ability to shape-shift, which allows them to appear as humanoids in several stories, such as The Oniric Quest of the Unknown Kadath or Dreams in the Witch's House. His human form is considered "unnatural", "strange" and "disturbing" by those who see it (remember that Lovecraft was extremely racist, so he always presents himself as a black man). As a pharaoh in the Randolph Carter cycle and as a charcoal humanoid figure in the second story cited).

Here, the human form of whatever the Deans are is also quite atypical: not only are they ridiculously tall (7 feet), they have heterochromia with a white-colored eye (which I would venture to say may be a reference to the cataract eye mentioned in the story "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe), and their synchronized movements are amusing on paper, but possibly strange to look at for the characters.

Otherwise, there are two other entities in Lovecraft's universe whose descriptions can be loosely associated with the Deans: Yogg-Sothoth and Azathoth. Both are beings of dual nature.

The former is an entity associated with omniscience and appears in stories such as The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward and The Dunwich Horror. and is described as "the key and the door".

Azathoth represents omnipotence, is the center of the universe, and is described as "the beginning and the end" or "the alpha and the omega.

Implications for the comic

The fact that the Deans have elements in common with Nyarlathotep brings up an interesting point: although Nyarlathotep has far greater freedom than other beings, they is a servant of Azathoth. In other words, them powers are subservient to a more powerful being whose plans they must follow. They may amuse themselves in the process, but they is still essentially a butler.

On the other hand, the Azathoth connection might be vague, since this creature is a lobotomized god, so he can't do much. But if the reference is to Yogg-Sothoth, it gets a little more interesting, because that entity is the one who is supposed to release the original gods when the time is right.

And I don't know about you, but these references have me wondering if the Deans are working for something much more messed up than they are, or if they're using the souls of the students to bring back something much more sinister.

[blacknedsoul-blog]

I think I'll take this as an opportunity to comment on something that crossed my mind a while ago: webtoon is not a platform that is friendly to bodily diversity.

Let me explain: for your comic to be popular, it has to be visually appealing, but you still have to keep a weekly publication rate because that's what the algorithm likes. That means you have to juggle those two things.

And one way to reduce the workload is to make production more efficient. Nevermore, for example, does it with the bodies: all these people have the same body type and you can identify them from each other by other things (clothes, hair, skin color, extra details [like Bernice's teeth]). They have lots of details in these aspects, but the base has to be the same in all of them so they can work on that.

I've seen a lot of other webtoons that do something similar (it's the same with manga, too). But if you have characters with different bodies, you have to work with different base types and that requires more work.

So, this ends up generating -at the platform level- the impression that being thin is a standard and it's hard to find in the official webtoons stories with more diversity in that sense. It's really screwed up.

Hey I don’t know if this blog is still active but I just needed to get the written down somewhere. I love Nevermore loads along with all the characters, but I really do wish there was more plus sized representation in the comic. Honestly I would even take background characters. At this point it feels like any body variation is just making them shorter than everyone else. And before anyone is like “This is set in the past, there weren’t as many plus sized people then.”

I mean that’s just weak, a quick google search will prove that wrong. Even Bridgerton got a plus sized character in!

This isn’t a huge issue I have, like I said I love the characters, it just annoys me that every single one of them is as skinny as a twig

You thought I was gone, didn't you?

The Nevermore Characters are, to put it lightly, on a pretty hefty dose of celebrity Ozempic. It fits a Tim-Burton vibe, I guess, so there's that; and, it fits some of them!

For example, Lenore:

Lenore was wheelchair-bound, drugged, and it's not specified how often she was fed during her time in the attic. She's weak and fragile, skin and bones.

Annabel Lee is on the curvy side, with wider hips, a bigger bust, and thicker thighs than Lenore. And that waist was corsetted from birth. (Oh, Annabel, you're my body goals, girl. What's the workout routine?)

You know who I wished was plus-sized? Some of you might not see this coming, or maybe you do.

I think that if Morella lived longer, she would've been plus-sized. Sometimes, when picturing her in my head, I'll ignore the canon; she'll have a thicker, bigger figure a la the granddaughters of the Irish Women that survived the Famine. (I'm going to toss the word "Epigenetics" out there.)

That, my friend, would be "historically accurate." I mean, we all saw that giant meal she had, right? She's eating to survive, baby.

(Hey. Psst. Did you know that there was no "famine?" It was forced starvation from the British. Anyway.)

Headcanon aside, I also wish we get some more plus-sized representation. I'd love to see more variations of body types.

[blacknedsoul-blog]

That's one thing I've been thinking about, because the Wild Humt will either blow something up or leave everything in such a precarious balance that the status quo of the comic will go to hell.

If Lenore goes looking for Annabel (she has the pendulum with the lock of hair, she can try using it) the misfist will end up finding out. Something that Annabel, who would rather have Duke throw her off the balcony than have Lenore expose herself as a traitor, won't be happy about

But if Lenore doesn't go, how will she live with herself knowing that Annabel could have died and she wasn't there to protect her? More so now that, after recovering her last memory, Lenore absolutely thinks she's to blame for dragging Annabel to Nevermore because "if she hadn't gone looking for her, she wouldn't be dead" (another thing that Annabel won't fucking like because Lenore is completely denying her agency as an individual with that line of thinking)

What if when season 2 starts, we get a cut away between Annabel being at the mercy of the Wild Hunt, desperately hoping that somehow Lenore will come for her. That she will come to her rescue like she’s done before. That she will somehow make the impossible possible once again from this situation that seems like certain deaths…only to switch to Lenore’s perspective as she’s stuck on the other side of the school, not knowing where Annabel. WHAT THEN?

<(65/??)

[read more]

+Bonus!

[blacknedsoul-blog]

When I see things like this I love to bring up a wonderful article called "Authors Don't Owe You Books". A text written by Nataly Layne Baker, Patrick Rothfuss's editor whose content is summarized in: "if I, as his editor -a person who makes a living from this man's work- can treat him as a human being who has a life besides writing for, then his readers can do so as well. Stop throwing tantrums because he doesn't do what you want him to do"

The article deals with some pretty tough mental health issues and other things, but it has always stuck with me: if people who literally live off someone else's work can give them a break, so can we. Because sometimes it's really hard to remember that fiction creators are human

To everyone freaking out over NM S2 premiering a wee bit later than expected. The amount of time/effort R&F put into this is colossal. They constantly and consistently pull 60-70 hour weeks. Week after week with no break, upwards of a year and longer, to the point they flirt with burnout like Leo/nore flirts with Annabel. That to me is the exact opposite of lazy. Over the last year, I and others have witnessed this mind-blowing work ethic first hand. Its insane the amount of work they put in. Often eps are well over the minimum panel amount, they don't have to do 10-20 panels more than the minimum, but they do it as they want to tell a good story with each episode ending where it feels natural. The next thing: Nobody is entitled to any creator's time, or gets to dictate how they spend their personal time off. A hiatus is merely an opportunity to create buffer. R&F are under no obligation to use it that way. It is their choice to. It is also a time for them to regroup, recover from fatigue -- as any artist or writer knows headspace is important to the creative process -- attend to the shop, catch up on any admin that needs doing, and a litany of other things that people need to do to go about their daily lives. This break -- because lets call it what it is, if this were a normal 8-6 we'd call it UPTO -- is for them to take time to themselves, same as any other job. If they want to play Star Dew Valley to relax or decompress or ruminate on an idea, who the heck are we to deny them that? They're two human beings, not machines.

Thirdly: Please consider: There is so much more that goes on behind the scenes of a comic of this calibre that we as readers don't see. (Think of an iceberg, how they are so much bigger than the tip that pokes above the ocean's surface.) R&F don't just make it up on the spot. There's script writing, planning, research, editing, more planning, rough storyboarding, more research, tests, and probably a heck of a lot more pre-production stuff than I can even guess at before sketching can even be considered commencing. We don't know their creative process, nor are we entitled to demand an explanation of their process, or that they use their personal time differently. (Personally, I listen to music and walk but what is one person's jam, might not be another's.) Nevermore S2 premiering a little later than expected is not some big drama its being made out to be. Its perfectly normal. I cant count the amount of times I've heard some comic/ book/tv series/movie has been delayed for whatever reason. (I've been waiting seven years for one book I won't mention here, as an example.) I don't know about you, but I know Id much prefer to read something that has been well thought out, with attention to fine detail applied to it than something rushed and shoddy. Give them grace to cook! I know we might be a wee bit disappointed, especially when we're so eager to find out what potential horrors might befall characters we've grown to know and love on the eve of one heck of a tantalising cliff hanger, but I ask that you all show a little patience and, more importantly, understanding.

[blacknedsoul-blog]

Nevermore themed cocktail: Posh Besties

Information

Based on Annabel and Prospero. A sweet tea-based cocktail with two versions: hot and cold. Perfect for sharing while making Machiavellian schemes.

When I wanted to do something with posh besties in mind, I told myself that if or if it had to be something with tea. And sweet. Because these two share the sweet tooth, so I had in my head something they would both enjoy drinking (even if they don't seem to prefer alcohol over other beverages).

Recipe

Cold version

 Ingredients

2 ounces - 60 ml of black tea liqueur

1 ounce - 30 ml of cherry liqueur

1 ounce - 30 ml of almond liqueur

½ ounce - 15 ml of lemon juice

Ice

Preparation

Place the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake until the shaker is cold. Serve in a glass.

Hot version

Ingredients

2 ounces - 60 ml of hot black tea

1 ounce - 30 ml cherry liqueur

1 ounce - 30 ml of almond liqueur

½ ounce - 15 ml of lemon juice

Preparation

Place the liqueurs and the lemon in a cup.

Pour the boiling tea

Stir with a spoon

Notes:

I highly recommend pairing it with a pastry. Especially in its hot version!

The tea liqueur is prepared by steeping tea in liqueur. In theory, one hour is enough, but I recommend leaving it for at least one day! I recommend using vodka for this

Regarding the above: you can add sugar syrup, but keep in mind that cherry liqueur and almond liqueur are already really sweet

Served in a tea cup it looks more ✨aesthetic✨

[blacknedsoul-blog]

If I may add to this: I like to think that this was a situation where everyone (except Lenore) had realized that something was going on between Pluto and Duke, but no one had commented on it. This changes when Lenore introduces them to Annabel and after the exit it is a:

-A: your friends are nice, how long have they been together?

-L: Pluto and Duke? No, no, they are not dating.

-A: No? Oh, that's a little strange. But I guess I can't judge him tactics.

-L: ?

-A: the way your friend teases him, how he smiles at him...even calls him "Mon Minou," I thought they were together, but I guess he's testing the waters.

-L: I always thought that nickname was a joke or something.

-A: Pet, it's means "My kitten" in French.

And the next thing is that Lenore is kicking Eulalie and Berenice's door saying to call Morella because this is a situation that needs to be remedied because her friends can't be being this stupid.

How do you think Pluke would go in the modern au? Who asked out who? How was the first date like?

pluke hours!!! i am obsessed with them you have no idea.

OK. so my whole thing with duke is that i don’t think he’s all that confident with showing vulnerability. when it comes to stuff like actual romantic feelings that isn’t just flirting or casual, he is kinda nervous abt it. i think for a long time it’s just him teasing pluto for his cute reactions, but it’s also to sort of try and figure out how pluto feels about him in general without flat out asking

as for pluto he doesn’t dare to say anything either. he just keeps clinging to him and being obvious and stupid. i can’t see either of them making a move. they need outside help- everyone is tired and wants it to happen already. in a world where they DIDNT get outside assistance however, maybe one of them would accidentally word something wrong that implies feelings/shit gets kinda awkward

but wingman misfits sounds funnier. lenore, berenice, eulalie, and morella all forming a little team and trying to figure out the best way to get them to either confess to each other or set up a scenario where they can do it easily

first date would definitely be something they usually do; stay home, or go somewhere they’ve been before. it’s moreso for plutos comfort and to not rush anything/keep the vibes comfortable and familiar. maybe a frequent eatery or they just chill at home. lenore stays with berenice and eulalie that night to give the place to themselves

which they don’t understand because they don’t do anything different anyway, but it’s just nice because it’s their first official date!!

[blacknedsoul-blog]

Fourth reason: that it is not immediately obvious that they are from different eras. Yes, some of them may be wearing accessories that might be a bit strange (the male neckerchief worn by Lenore might seem old-fashioned to Prospero, who wears a type of neckerchief, but probably more modern). But just that: the clothes might seem a bit old-fashioned to someone, a bit daring, maybe even a bit eccentric. But not out of place, not enough for anyone to think there's anything wrong with it

One thing that is not talk about enough, is the reason behind why nevermore students have school uniforms. There are many reasons why they have them.

The first reason is to gaslight the student into believing that they enrolled themselves in to nevermore academy. Let me explain.

In the 2 chapter, lenore and Annabel lee entered nevermore academy and spoke with the deans. lenore remarks that they weren't enrolled, but then the deans said that they were, in fact, enrolled. They say this to make the student stay longer by trying to figure out what is going on. basically distracting them from the fact that they are now stuck there, and from the fact that they are making them fight for their second chance in life. Also, mind i recall, they dont remember anything about themselves and their past. so if a random person comes up to them and says that they are from that specific school, they would automatically believe it because of their uniform, which has the logo of the academy on it. There is a chance they might not believe it at first, but they would probably go there to ask questions, because of the uniform. Like, why would you have uniform on, from a school that you dont attend, that doesn't make any sense.

Second reason is so that they don't find out immediately how they died.

Like imagine pulling up with a bloody ass wedding dres to school. Like, yeah, I really wandered how I died.

The 3 reason is for aesthetic purposes.

[blacknedsoul-blog]

I've been stuck on this fanfic: a painful conversation between Will and Annabel that lets you see how trapped they both feel and how it's tearing them apart. I've been wondering for a while what Will was doing when Annabel finds him crying.

Thanks, you've given me several interesting answers. I really appreciate it!

y’all notice how will kinda has eyebags. like he just looks kinda tired compared to the others. i think he has a hard time sleeping. imagine he sits there awake at night staring at the empty side of the room. wondering how nothing would be different if it were him that didn’t make it and not his roommate.

Imagine him staring at the ceiling at night, practicing duke’s french or lenore’s vocabulary as to not disappoint montresor. he feels mildly nauseous every time he thinks about montresor and ada being together. then he goes to sleep telling himself that monty will finally be proud of him (he says this every night and it doesn’t happen.)

[blacknedsoul-blog]

One thing I love about ships with Prospero is exploring how the other half of the relationship takes Prospero being arromantic. Like, he'll never be able to offer a romantic relationship and that's something that whoever wants to be with him should be clear about

And in Will's case, it's something that I find so sweet and so tragic at the same time. Will is someone who has been hurt in horrible ways, but he may find in his relationship with Prospero the reassurance of not being pressured to heal. Who knows, maybe this wound will never heal and Will decides he can't give a romantic relationship to anyone. But that's okay, because Prospero doesn't want one

Do you think the wills ever spero? Do you think,,,, willspero kissing? Do you think……….. he finds value in another guy only to fall into a similar cycle of disbelief that he could be worth anything or that he could be loved in any way?

YEEEEEESSS I SO WILL THE SPERO!!!! they lowkey might be one of my favorite pairings theyre so so goofy. i love the idea of them helping each other with their issues. i have willspero angst wips but perchance another time… will would definitely feel odd receiving care and would not know how to process someone showing they value him and i’m kinda eating it up. they may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they’re mine.

btw these r all doodles i made a bit ago of doe’s (@cherrycokedup) college au

the qpr ever.

expect more willspero in the future.

[blacknedsoul-blog]

Montresor (and Willtresor) are the Bad Ending of White Raven III: now it is personal

Well, after realizing that I have like (check the list) two unfinished "sagas" of essays, I remembered that I had this 80% done and I told myself that maybe it was an excellent time to get on with this shit to keep kicking the archetypes and gothic tragedy essay under the rug

When I thought about this ("hey, if Montresor has so many similarities to Lenore and Annabel, where does that leave Will?"), my first thought was that the parallel would be this:

We have a charming blondie charlatan who arrives just in time to offer their "friendship" (wink, wink) to a poor individual who couldn't be hungrier for affection and validation. A deal sealed with a handshake, otherwise.

Here the parallel between Will and Lenore is drawn in that they are both rather reactive people: they don't take the initiative to do things, they react to things that happen around them. For example, Will wasn't the one who came up with the idea of putting Duke behind the wall, just as Lenore didn't come up with this whole fake rivalry scheme.

But neither of them refuse to participate, either because they think they can get away with it, or because they don't stop to think about the consequences of the things they get into. And, in general, they tend to panic when things don't go their way and immediately back off (even when that's not possible).

But this is where the parallel ends, because their personalities and approaches are completely different: Will tends to curl up in a ball and look for excuses not to get hurt, while Lenore is an extremely blunt weapon capable of taking whatever is thrown at her.

So you can imagine the look on my face when, after thinking it over, I realized that the person Will has the most in common with is not Lenore.

It's Annabel.

Because if we had a nickel for every time we saw a character in Nevermore…

Be willing to tolerate physical harm to protect an object of affection whose game has backfired.

Idealizing that object of affection to obsessive levels.

Taking harmful attitudes out of a desire to be accommodating because they think that's what that person expects of them.

And putting up with it even though it is tearing them apart inside...

We would have two nickels. It's not much, but it's interesting that it happened twice.

With that, I could up the ante and point out something else that Annabel and Will have in common: they're both invisible people. Will is someone no one gives a second glance to, while Annabel is seen more as an object or an idea than an individual (a pretty accessory in life, an unbeatable queen in death). They don't really matter to anyone.

Except for one person. One person for whom they are willing to give absolutely everything. Their lives, their physical integrity, their identity.

This creates an enormous fear of being abandoned by that person, when they have given them such an important part of their self-construction, who are they without them?

Then there is the particular way in which they both understand relationships. Annabel has openly stated that she sees social relationships as commercial exchanges. It is not known whether Will has a similar view, but in practice he behaves much like Annabel in this respect: they see themselves as important to the extent that they can be useful to their particular person. Tools to be used, rather than individuals deserving some form of appreciation, care, or even affection for simply being them.

Under that premise, it's to be expected that Montresor or Lenore will discard them the moment something more useful or better comes along, because that's what you do with tools. If some of them end up in the trash, it's because Annabel or Will have failed to remain useful, and they need to make amends for their mistakes in order to be considered worthy of a second look.

Which makes it tremendously ironic that Lenore says this to Will…

When in the midst of a panic attack, this is one of the first concerns Annabel has to express.

At this point, the difference between the two situations jumps out: Lenore cares about Annabel. Where Montresor is more than happy to use Will's complexes to keep him chained to him, Lenore is far from being comfortable with all that crap. Again, what draws the lines in the end is that there are people who have their hearts in the right place and there are people who don't.

But I think there's one thing that's a little darker: please watch Montresor's face when he realizes that the person he's choking is Will.

And watch his complete lack of reaction when Lenore pulls it out of his face.

I think the fucked up thing about the situation is that Montresor seems to care about Will. At least enough to feel a certain amount of remorse. But in a world where there are winners and losers (a perspective he shares with Annabel), where it doesn't pay to care about the losers if you're a winner, Montresor doesn't have the resources to treat Will any better. Even if he wanted to, he's too deep into toxic patterns of behavior to show him any degree of kindness, because the only way this man is able to relate is through abuse, control, and manipulation.

This is extremely fucked up when you consider that this is the fuzzy line that separates Lenore and Montresor in the roles they have within the relationship with Annabel and Will.

At the end of the day, the Willtresor is a dark reflection of the White Raven, because that's the consequence of instrumentalizing the relationship in this way: you have one party who benefits from what the other is willing to do for them -and no matter how much they care, it still relegates them to the role of tools- and another person desperately picking up crumbs of validation because they don't think they deserve any better.

[blacknedsoul-blog]

I feel that the dynamic between these two would boil down to: -A: That's not ladylike behavior! -B: (in a squeaky voice) That's not ladylike behavior ñiñiñi

ada x berenice crumbs 👁️🙌🏻🩵

I LOVE BERENADA SO MUCH THEYRE SO CUTE ‼️ they would so gossip together

[blacknedsoul-blog]

Please have Lenore do this to Annabel and someone take a picture of them like this:

Nevermore Pool day headcanons!!

- Pluto wears a swim shirt

- in fact, he tries to avoid getting in the water as much as possible. the most he’ll do is dip his feet (until duke pushes him in)

- Annabel tries for like 10 minutes to keep her hair dry with a very intricate updo but someone splashes her so quick. - likely splash culprits: any of the misfits minus morella, monty - will puts on sunscreen and lays in a chair, falls asleep, and nobody wakes him because he is just so forgettable. he burns. - + slight chance morella catches him and applies sunscreen on him while he's half awake. she's a ginger, she burns too easy and is very careful with being in the sun - morella wears a super cute hat so her scalp doesnt burn - duke and berenice yank each other under by the ankle when the other least expects it - eulalie can hold her breath for a scarily long time. nobody has beaten her record yet. - montresor is too rough. chicken fights are banned because he would take down the other team and nearly drown them - prospero reads under the umbrella the entire time, only gets in if he can lounge on one of those long floaties and not get touched - montresor innocently pushes him around the pool and flips him over without warning - lenore likes to float around on her back, her ears in the water. just listening to the muffled voices. - ada wants to tan so badly. she never succeeds. - ada wears a really intricate bathing suit that keeps loosening so she has to keep asking morella to retie it - pluto gets too used to the water temp and doesnt want to get out because the air is colder than the pool - after will wakes up completely sun burnt montresor purposely touches him more to watch him wince. he finds it funny - ada says she too has a sun burn so montresor can pay attention to her too - prospero does not take off his gloves. not even to apply any sun screen, so he looks like an idiot later when he takes them off and their slightly lighter than the rest of him - lenore blows underwater kisses at annabel - every time someone goes down the slide will is too close to the vicinity and either gets splashed or hit by a body - duke dramatically pretends to faint in the water too frequently. its expected.

[blacknedsoul-blog]

Some time ago I remembered this fanfic format where the structure was loose scenes that were based on the zodiac sign between the two characters and the compatibility between them. Can I use this as a reference? You've given me ideas.

(And it made me laugh that I'm one day after Montresor jajajajaja)

Nevermore Birthday Headcanons

to celebrate my birthday coming up (aug 5th save the date /j) I thought it would be fun to share my take on the characters' birthdays!! Annabel Lee: Autumn, maybe Late September/Early October. I'm feeling October 2nd. Tell me she is not a Libra. Annabel Lee in this season just feels right; everything dying slowly and winter creeping over your shoulder...sort of like how her impending marriage is just around the corner! Lenore: Late March. March 23rd. It's just the vibe, plus she is so an Aries. It's very very close to spring but not quite, just hanging off the edge of winter...it just seems fitting. Duke: August 16th. He's definitely a summer type of guy (and a leo) it just goes with his outgoing, charismatic vibe. Pluto: June 29th. He is a sopping wet cat and putting him in a summer birthday is ironic in a cute way. He does not want to go outside. It is too hot. Morella: April 17th. April because Spring and flowers, the 17th, is just vibes. Eulalie: December 11th. She is SO winter. She is cozy. Berenice: This girl is so July!! July 25th is her vibe! She and Duke are both Leos and full of life Prospero: January 20th. It's hard to explain, I just feel like January has an elegance to it. Plus, he just seems like a winter kind of man. Ada: Sometime in November, hates it because it is cold and dead outside, is bitter that there isn't a lot of outdoor activity to be done in November. I'd say maybe November 8th. Montresor: June 6th. I am not elaborating. Will: Either September 9th, the most common birthday in the US, or a holiday that would completely overshadow his birthday like January 1st or February 14th. I think his birthday being on Valentine's Day would be kinda cruel, considering how he's always ignored + the holiday being "more important".