#Alligator MS

[nameforthemain]

Infinity Paws Issue #10

(click images for better quality 😭)

[100prcntbitter]

[hasellia]

Hey, guess what! Tried out some casual voice acting in a loose fan reading / fandub of I wani hug that gator! The game is a romance visual novel set in a high school full of dinosaurs and other prehistoric folk.

(Wani is a pun on the Japanese word for alligator since the main love interests is one).

I appear halfway as Ms. Prockling and more later on as Randy.

[saritamanyalu]

Meme of the Dead

Characters (c) Day of the dead (1985)

[sleepless-in-starbucks]

the first purchase i make with my Adult Money from my Adult Job is going to be neon tye-dye crocs. weep, mortal

yeah well IM going to buy . an alligator . so

[alligator-dreaming]

01-05-2023

I had some dreams last night

I went to a farm and a chicken got pissy and beat the crap out of me. On my way out, I witnessed an alligator pooping and laying eggs uncontrollably before burying itself in the Earth

Then I was in this multi-story building full of students. I had a pink flip phone with me, but I got mad when someone took a picture of me (presumably to get a photo of all the scratches from when I was attacked by that chicken). I threatened them and forced them against a railing, but then I dropped my flip phone and had to track it down.

People kept trying to throw the flip phone up towards me, but I kept missing it. By the time I finally got my hands on the phone, it was ruined. I took it to tech support and they fixed it into a film camera

There was another dream where I decided to walk away from my life. I took a train or a bus part of the way out of the state, but around Tennessee I decided I’d rather walk to California. Somewhere around Missouri, though, I realized I’d lost my wallet, and was 100 miles from home.

Then there was another dream where I was on a school trip with a pretty girl and one of every Pokémon. Ms Frizzle was the chaperone

We were in a house when everyone was called outside, leaving only me, the girl, and an Eevee inside. Suddenly, everyone outside started getting massacred, and then they came for the house.

I managed to get the girl and the Eevee away to safety, but I needed to get my shoes on, and the killers sent a train into my room on a collision course with a stack of dynamite in my closet. I couldn’t defuse the dynamite in time and died.

After dying, I turned into a pigeon and flew away. The last thing I remember was flying around the ruins of Helm’s Deep from Lord of the Rings.

[waterlootrout]

Some MSP stuff since I recently got a laptop and I’m too lazy to download an actual art program

[currymanganese]

this rant / change of heart about the decision happened in a matter of minutes

tale of two sydcarmies 😭

GUYS, I CAN'T ACTUALLY BELIEVE I'M SAYING THIS, BUT WHAT IF THEY ACTUALLY HAD A GOOD REASON FOR JOHN CENA BEING CAST AS SAMMY FAK?

please bear with me (pun intended) and let me know what you think of my speculation under the cut~

In a mind-boggling case of a seemingly big-lipped alligator moment in season 3 - John Cena appears in a bizarrely over the top (even by the tonal comedic standards set previously by The Bear e.g. Ecto Cooler punch at a kid's birthday party getting spiked with Xanax in Season One) and jarring scene that stretches on and on as he obnoxiously squabbles, blathers and exchanges nonsensical rapid-fire quips with his brothers Neil and Ted Fak as they buff polish The Bear's dining area before a food photographer from The Chicago Tribune arrives to take a photo for a review of The Bear.

In this scene, he also intimidates and threatens to 'haunt' (in a Fak family tradition ( that even the Faks find annoying) - that involves pranking and being an unrestrained nuisance to their loved ones especially when they least expect it) his brother Ted for, "stealing his SD cards"......

This scene and the increased screen presence of the seemingly plot-irrelevant Faks this season is currently being eviscerated by plenty of fans and critics alike.

..................................

But what if there's a (debatable, but) really good reason for this scene and the increased involvement in Seasons 2 and 3 of the massive numbered siblings family of Carmy's pseudo cousins, the Faks?

See Exhibit A:

In season 2, episode 3, Sundae - after Carmy has already asked Sydney out to Kasama, a husband and wife owned restaurant run by Tim Flores, and Genie Kwon*, ostensibly just to brainstorm and gain inspiration for planning for the new menu, and after Sydney has already gone home and freshened up and changed her clothes, then arrived to Kasama early, despite the meeting only being scheduled for an hour after she last spoke to Carmy at his apartment, Claire calls and interrupts the whole hypothetical shebang with Syd and Carmy at Kasama (the Tagalog WORD FOR TOGETHER) with the words,

"Did you mean to give me a fake number? You do know that I know your entire family [translation: she must know Donna too and Claire assumes that Carmy's folks approve of her - and she's proven to be technically right throughout Seasons 2 and 3 ], right? And I know ALL the Faks! [translation: tee hee! they're bigger than you - to quote Neil and Ted with their Uncle, "We Faks do have a particular shape, don't we?😇" - and they outnumber you, you scrawny punk, slay!😉✨]"

Claire then proceeds to playfully threaten to have said "massive numbered siblings" Faks, which includes Sammy Fak, played by John Cena (a professional wrestler, from an industry that is mixes both bawdy over the top theatre, a performance art that values Kayfabe (legerdemain/slight of hand anyone?) and comedy, and an athletic discipline) that is TALL. BUILT. HENCH. AND BUFF AF.....Claire 'playfully' threatens to have THESE FAKS, beat up Carmy, who is short in stature and cannot fight well from all the previous physical confrontations we've seen him be involved in, despite supposedly being a former high-school wrestler, and who has already been seriously physically abused thrice in the series run thus far (not counting him play fighting or trying to fight with Richie) after being JUMPED by a GROUP of assailants, not once, but TWICE in season one, by the Ballbreaker nerds in the pilot, and the Bachelor Party attendees in the season finale (the first season started and ended with Carmy being beaten tf up, Holy Shit! 🤯); AND AFTER BEING SLAPPED IN THE FACE IN SEASON 2 BY HIS OWN MOTHER, DONNA.

Notice the way Carmy goes from being lost in his thoughts but being completely relaxed after his menu planning session with Sydney, and in anticipation of seeing her on their would be inspiration seeking meet-up (definitely not a date, no Sir! 👀) at Kasama, to being tense and jittery and apprehensive when Claire calls him (after going behind his back and getting his number from Fak).

Notice the way Carmy's voice shakes when he asks Claire if she really knows all of the Faks.....

Notice Carmy's defeated and annoyed reaction after he hangs up the phone.

No wonder Carmy is being so avoidant and conflict averse in his handling of Claire in both Season Two and Three, he has absolutely no faith in himself or his loved ones at present to defend himself should he assert the type of boundaries he may have been desiring to have with them for these past two seasons, after all - who can he count on to fully have his back even to the point of physically intervening for him if he gets into a scrape or is genuinely attacked, by the Faks on account of Claire taking offense at or misrepresenting his words and actions to them, e.g. Claire apparently twisting Carmy's self loathing stream of consciousness confession (that she eavesdropped on) and telling Tiff that they broke up because Carmy said that "Claire will ruin everything good for him?" while he was trapped in the fridge?

What if Carmy knows he has to rip the band-aid and call Claire and apologize for his part in the superficiality and disintegration of their dalliance, but is afraid to do so because he knows in so doing, if he is being fully honest with himself and with Claire, he never truly wanted to be with her in the first place?

And who knows how Claire will take that revelation - it probably won't be pretty will it?

And.....

to quote Neil Fak,

"Claire's the best."

"We love Claire."

"I did that." [setting Carmy and Claire up in Pop)

And.....

Claire. knows. all. the. Faks.....

TL;DR

They cast John Cena as Sammy Fak, and the Faks had a lot of screen-time this season because they are the physical manifestation of being haunted in their family's sense of the word:

and a satirical visualization of Carmy's desire for Syd being cock-blocked ; plus Claire is a Love-able Alpha Bitch, and Carmy is ambivalent towards her, and even a little scared to face her, because her henchmen are the Faks!

If you enjoyed this post, then thank you for reading and I'd recommend that you check out the following meta on the way Christopher Storer and Company have seemingly (and controversially) committed to sticking to the bit of lying to the audience and breaking the fourth wall throughout this entire season:

Richie and the viewer - by @whenmemorydies with my add-on in the reblogs about Richie, not Carmy, potentially being Christopher Storer's author avatar in this series (from a post originally written before season 3 premiered.

Fourth Wall being broken - by @brokenwinebox and @thoughtfulchaos773

Claire being a possible representation of addiction, being a habit that is hard to kick - by @thoughtfulchaos773 and my and @devisrina 's add-on speculating that Claire may also be meant to be interpreted or revealed as a bit of a mean girl, to reference TVTropes, she (and by extension Season 3) may be a deconstruction/ mashup /send-up / subversion of the: Girl Next Door, the Cute Bookworm, Nerds Are Sexy, MPDG, Yandere, Alpha Bitch, Loveable Apha Bitch, Childhood Friend Romance, High-School Sweethearts, Sickeningly Sweethearts, Getting Crap Past The Radar, Freeze Frame Bonus, Parental Bonus, Viewers Are Geniuses, Give Geeks A Chance, Even Nerds Have Standards, Beauty Equals Goodness, Face-Heel Turn tropes etc.....and a subtler mirror version of Donna Berzatto.

and another reblog add-on of mine to the thread linked above - on The Faks as the living embodiment of all that is fake in Carmy's life, C Storer's handy dandy tools for slight of hand,

you can't spell fake without FAK.

4. The parallels between The Bear and Burnt by @ambeauty - a post Season 2 post which was proven to be prescient and insightful given the Easter Egg inclusion of Bradley Cooper's character from Burnt on the photo wall of chefs at Ever in the Funeral dinner in the finale.

5. The parallels between The Bear and Boiling Point - a gritty film and mini-series set in a restaurant which features several plot elements and characters reminiscent of certain character archetypes and subplots present in The Bear - seriously think of this IP as The Bear's cynical, dramatic, older British cousin.

Decision to leave by @anderwater

This anon that recommended Boiling Point to me and wrote about its connections to The Bear.

The difference between The Bear and Boiling Point by @theblvckvenus

The similarities between The Bear and Boiling Point in this reblog add-on to @happylikeasadsong et. al's thread.

6. Claire/Carmy and the Walk In - my old post on the parallels between Strange Days (1995), Can't Hardly Wait (1998, and The Bear.

and @ambeauty 's meta on Claire as a representation of the fridge

7. My post on the possible connection between The Bear Season 3 and Andrei Tarkovsky's experimental, semi-autobiographical, psychological Oedipal drama film The Mirror (1975) - a film which was incredibly divisive upon its initial release, but has since gained wide acclaim and re-evaluation as a masterpiece, and that has had a legacy of subsequently inspiring multiple renowned filmmakers.

8. The Bear series' lead actress, and the director of Napkins, one of the only episodes of The Bear Season 3 to receive almost universal acclaim - Ayo Edebiri's trollish sense of humour and assertion that lying is the pinnacle of comedy.

9. And last but certainly not least with the inclusion of a Genie Kwon*'s, of Kasama fame, cameo in the season finale and the prominence of Kasama being key to Syd and Carmy's stymied relationship progression, courtesy Claire, see

The Kasama of it all by @gingerylangylang1979

@mod-doodles @lunasink @vacationship @chansoooo1-blog

@bioloyg @msmoiraine @nerdyblerd @ripley-stark @uncriticalbunny @prowitchazel @msmoiraine @mswyrr @anxietycroissant @turbulenthandholding @tvfantic87 @laryssamedeirss @tejidaepoque @angelica4equity @inalltheirgorgeouscolors @houseofevangelista @glitterslag

@uncriticalbunny @imliterallyjustablackgirl

@bioloyg and @ambeauty please don't say I told you so or welcome back, I'm flabbergasted that I wrote this, but I want to believe! 😭

P.S. If you're still reading this, do yourself a favour and read @brokenwinebox 's post

New Paradigm

and this follow up

Mocktail is a dirty word

and check out her #the magic trick tag!

and also check out these Sydcarmy and Rosalind x Orlando parallels from Shakespeare's As You Like It:

First Meetings

Fumbling with your crush

Separation, keepsakes and lovesickness

and also C Storer really did tell us in the music that this season would inspire

Mixed Emotions 🥴

[tf2incorrectquotes]

Ms. Pauling: *pulling on her hair in anxiety* I am officially screwed.

Scout: Hey, don't sweat it! There's one more way I could stall.

*jump cuts to the Administrator’s hospital room*

Scout: And now, shadow puppet theatre! *poses his hands* Arf, arf! I'm a dog!

The Administrator: *scoffs* Lame.

Scout: Come on, I'm just getting started. *hollers* Team, places!

The Mercs: *all charge in and pose in complicated patterns*

Soldier: *narrating* Pearl Harbor, December 7th, 1941…

*shadows of military ships, in different sizes and positions, project onto the wall*

Soldier: It started as a peaceful day, and then... BAM! Aggression from the Japanese!

Demo: This is totally unexpected!

*shadows of airplanes fly past, bombing the ships*

The Administrator: *in genuine shock, the ash of her cigarette falling to the floor*

Demo: *imitating explosions*

*the shadow of a giant alligator crawls onto the screen, nom-ing on a battleship*

Pyro: *muffled mooing noises and giggles*

Scout: PYRO! There were no alligators at Pearl Harbor… probably.

Pyro: *muffled whine* Battleships are so boring...

Scout: Back to work!

[shouts-into-the-void]

Am I the only one who thinks the designs of the ghosts in Death Mark 2 aren't as scary as in the first game? There's still an element of body horror, but in a way that's almost...comical? As opposed to the previous horrific grotequeness.

Like, sure, Ms. Zoo was an alligator head on a woman's body but it still seemed creepier than the girl with giant scissors for legs? Maybe it's the new art style or the increased animation, or maybe they were just going for something less scary? Idk

[whispering-about-loki]

Behold, the Young Avengers:

Peter Parker / Spider-Man

Kate Bishop / Hawkeye

Kid Loki (and Alligator Loki)

Riri Williams / Ironheart

Cassie Lang / Stature

Eli Bradley / Patriot

America Chavez / Miss America

Tommy and Billy Maximoff / Speed and Wiccan

Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel

Love Thordottir

[color-palettes]

Ms. Alligator Visits Austria - Submitted by SeesawSiya

#9cbdc6 #497f4b #8d936f #ddd333 #f8edab #f2d0aa

[saritamanyalu]

Just found out this movie because of the game Lab of the dead from Evildog-games. Then i saw an alligator on this movie soo.. Why not let Rhodes take it as a pet? Captain Rhodes (c) Day of the dead 1985

[maniculum]

Welcome to another Scorpion Sunday! We're almost through all the ones from the original post, but I've still got a couple that people have sent me sitting in my inbox. This'll get more sporadic once we're through the list though -- only one left, I believe.

This one is from the Breviari d'amor, a book by 13th-century French author Matfres Eymengau (and variant spellings). I can't tell you about this particular manuscript of the Breviari d'amor, because it's Harley MS 4940 at the British Library, and... yeah, cyberattack still ongoing, you know the drill. The text itself is a bit odd; a "breviary" is a type of prayer book, and... well, in the absence of being able to access the manuscript listing or being willing to trawl through the university library's holdings just to fill out a Tumblr post, I'm going to just tell you that Wikipedia says this book's "sole purpose is the reconciliation of love for God with the erotic amours of the troubadour lyric". I think there's a 50/50 shot of that being really interesting or incredibly tedious, so I might have to check it out later.

As for the actual illustration, it's a bit of kismet that this one was slated for today. I originally mocked this scorpion for having a head that, let's be real, looks like a butt. Ever since, I've been getting occasional notes on that post telling me this is actually a pretty realistic scorpion head in outline. And just earlier today, @bogleech reblogged that post with an actual photograph of a scorpion with this head shape:

Which really calls into question how this illustration came about. How did the illustrator nail such a weirdly specific detail but otherwise draw something that only looks like a scorpion in general silhouette? Bogleech suggested they might have seen a damaged specimen with pieces missing and filled in the blanks; I think it's also possible that someone drew a scorpion from personal experience, then someone else copied that drawing and messed up a couple details, then someone copied that drawing... &c. You know, Manuscript Telephone. Or maybe it's a bit of both and this can be traced back to a damaged manuscript. Or maybe this artist was working from a description that included "head like a butt" but not "pinchy claws" for some reason.

Anyway, moving on to the points:

Small Scuttling Beaſtie? ✓

Pincers? ✘

Exoskeleton or Shell? ... hm. I honestly think we have to consider this one. Given the context of what that head looks like on an actual scorpion, maybe this one does have a carapace of some kind over its head. And there's something going on with that spinal ridge thing. On the other hand, the rest of it is clearly furry. I think i'm going to split the difference and give it ½.

Visible Stinger? ✘

Limbs? 6

As for vibes... would I like to meet this thing more or less than I would like to meet a regular real-world scorpion? Honestly, I think it balances out. I'm a little concerned that what I'm looking at here is a furry alligator with a weird head, but i do also think it has a certain charm, and i feel like it all boils down to just how large this thing is. If it's alligator-sized, I don't want it around me; if it's scorpion-sized, I think i'm cool with it. Again I will split the difference and give it the middle-of-the-road "about the same as a real scorpion" score: 3/5.

That means the scorpion with the strange-but-accurate head gets:

5.1 / 10

i'm sorry, it really does look like a butt

[possum-quesadilla]

Chapter seven of Time is a Flat Circle is up and boy oh boy is it a doozy! Here are the extras for this chapter! <3

- This chapter’s title is from “Nobody” by Mitski. She was my rock throughout writing this chapter. If I had less self restraint, the entirety of both of the LoopJuice playlists would be all Mitski. I feel like this song, and the line I chose for the title in particular, really reflect what our sweet little demon wants deep down.

- “Christ on a fuckin’ bike” is taken straight from a coworker’s vernacular.

- “When did I teach him how to summon new clothes?” He did! It was mentioned in passing in a previous chapter that he showed both Adam and Barbara how to conjure new clothes. This is to show how shoddy his memory has gotten.

- “‘Beebleboose’” is, of course, a reference to everyone’s favorite sad puppet show. Also, he can’t even type out his own name due to the curse.

- “.. that erotic Colonel Sanders romance novel..” this is a real thing, unfortunately.

- “The idea of eating brought the bitter taste of bile to the back of his mouth.” One unfortunate possible side affect of burnout is an aversion to food. Everything suddenly seems disgusting, and just the idea of eating sickens you.

- “His lips remained still. It felt as if his whole mouth was coated in cotton.” This is sign of overstimulation I personally experience quite regularly. Your mouth just refuses to work!

- On that same note - a side effect of persistent autistic burnout is significant memory loss and/or brain fog. Hence why Beej forgot (and still continues to sometimes) that the humans can now remember everything.

- “Can I touch you, Bug?” Always ask permission before touching someone who you believe to be having some sort of panic attack or meltdown. Barbara knows to do this due to her experience with Adam!

- “Look at those chompers!” Indeed! Beetlejuice’s teeth are based on that of a spotted hyena, like Adam theorizes later. They have a specialized premolar that can break bone. Here is a pic for reference!

- “How come your tears are black?” It’s actually because they’re mixed with soot from the hellfire in his chest! Beetlejuice’s tears smell like a campfire.

- “Sometimes he still felt like roadkill again.” He has yet to be hit by a car, but he has been trampled by horses.

- “He was a bit taken aback at how curly and.. fluffy his hair had gotten.” They have hair that naturally curls, it’s just been so long since it was clean enough for them to see it. After this point, Beetlejuice’s hair is curly and voluminous! That’s why the other characters find it hard to resist playing with.

- “.. odd rumbling sensation..” Beetlejuice doesn’t know what purring is, or that they do it. They just find the noise embarrassing.

- Adam had a hyperfixation on animals at large when he was young, and spent his free time as a wee tot rereading books of animal facts. This is why he is so knowledgeable and enthused about BJ’s animalistic traits.

- “I met a real foxy witch in a swamp who had an alligator familiar once.” This is a reference to the webcomic Muted, which is about queer witches in New Orleans. Give it a read!

- “C’mon Beej, don’t be like that! You’re, like, the Mike to their Debbie and Dave!” “… what?” “You’re the Gonzo to their Kermit and Miss Piggy!” These are references to my (and Lydia’s) favorite throuple ships in media, besides Beetlands. Mike, Debbie, and Dave are from “Killer Klowns from Outer Space”, and Gonzo, Kermit, and Miss Piggy are, of course, from The Muppets.

- Beetlejuice’s frantic shrimp pocketing is based on another character I deeply relate to, Eleanor Shellstrop from “The Good Place”.

- “‘who in this wide world does not know the great B-” This line is a reference to the musical “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”, specifically the song “Pretty Women”. I cannot stop the musical references unfortunately

- Ms. Keaton is supposed to be the old woman who tries to bring a pie to the Deetz family in the musical, but her name is, of course, a reference to Michael Keaton, the original actor for Beetlejuice in the Tim Burton film.

- On the surgeries Beetlejuice mentioned - he has gotten top surgery! He is very proud of his top surgery scars. They are not the scars he mentioned being ashamed of in a previous chapter.

- As stated, Lydia is a demigirl! She uses she/they pronouns, and Beetlejuice is nonbinary and uses he/they/it pronouns.

- On the head bumping - Lydia picked it up shortly after Beetlejuice first did it to her. It’s how cats and Beetlejuice show affection. Barbara and Adam are slowly starting to adopt it over time as well.

- Beetlejuice’s horns are, like Adam theorizes, based on a sheep’s. Here is a little sketch of how they used to look, and how they look now! (Also, a peek at his ears. I’m not entirely happy how they came out in the drawing, so this may change.)

- The tail!! Here is a rough drawing of how it looks.

- It is not scaled like a snake, but rather like a possum’s tail. It is prehensile, meaning it can grip things and even support his weight if he used it to hang upside down. It reaches down to about his ankles. The tip shakes like a rattlesnake’s (no noise, though) when he’s nervous or deep in thought, or just as a self-soothing thing. This is based on what my own cat’s tail does when he’s nervous!

- The ear-piercing scene is meant to evoke a similar one in “The Parent Trap”, since it is a sibling bonding scene I really enjoy and find very affective.

- On the demons of their past - each demon’s name is based on a star, like Beetlejuice’s own. They are unafraid to envoke Rigel’s name because he is dead. Deb and Cyrus are nicknames based on their true names, like Beetlejuice and Betelgeuse. I am excited to have Deb and Cyrus to show up in Part 2!

- Beetlejuice’s first marriage was by choice to someone he knew. Their second marriage was an arranged political union.

- Deb is a trans woman!

- “I’ll talk more, just cut it out with the weird… teary eyes!” Not even demons are immune to puppy-dog eyes.

- Beetlejuice’s favorite meal was a bone broth made from meal scraps and various herbs.

- “Chari-sard” Adam was comparing Beetlejuice to a Charizard. Both the demon and the Pokémon have flames that are connected to their life force, and they will die if it ever goes out.

- The whole scene describing Beetlejuice’s favorite meal is based on a similar scene in “Isle of Dogs”, where a stray dog describes the only time he was ever adopted before. He bit a member of his new family so hard he had to be hospitalized, and he doesn’t know why he did it. He says he thinks maybe he was scared. The grandmother of the family brought him a bowl of chili while he was locked in the garden shed, which he says he likes to imagine was for him. He escaped after that and went back to being a stray. This scene strikes a chord with me, and reminds me very deeply of Beetlejuice. He doesn’t understand why he lashes out. He doesn’t want to. He’s not a violent demon. He’s just… scared. (Highly recommend “Isle of Dogs” if you enjoy this fic! It, along with Wes Anderson’s other films, really resonate with me and my experience as an autistic/neurodivergent person. There will be references to “Fantastic Mr. Fox” and “Asteroid City”, as they also greatly influenced how I think and write.)

- Barbara enjoys cooking, as she has a very perceptive palette and likes to experiment. Adam is more adept at baking, because he likes to follow instructions.

- The “shrimps is bugs” hoodie is a real one that one of my good friends has. He is studying etymology.

- “Don’t be suspicious, don’t be suspicious-” this is based off of a popular gag in “Parks and Rec”, one of my favorite shows. (And Adam and Barbara’s! The millennials in my life love a good workplace comedy.)

- “Why couldn’t he just he just grip the spoon the same way he had with his left hand?” Beetlejuice is unaware that dominant and nondominant hands are a thing.

- Like my beloved millennial dad figure, Adam has a deep love for a random movie from the 80’s. I feel like every dad’s got one. His is, of course, “The Terminator”. Arnold Schwarzenegger was his bisexual awakening. All of the factoids he shares about the film are true!

- Finally, the legs! Like his horns, Beetlejuice’s legs resemble that of a sheep’s own back legs. His hooves are cloven, like stated, and his fur is black with brown undertones, like a black cat, or this sheep below! The fur doesn’t grow out much due to stress, but he used to have to shear it often by himself as a child. He probably will have to start doing so again the healthier and happier he gets!

- Nurse Ratched is a villainous nurse from pop culture. Research her with caution, as she does some rather heinous things. Barbara likes true crime!

- A “Texas Switch” is a technique used in filming, and is used in “The Terminator”. My favorite example is in “A Quiet Place Part Two”!

- “Odd, reattached limbs had never healed that quickly before.” That is because they are getting proper care!

- “To distract from the odd little sound they involuntarily made, (seriously, what was that? A chirp?)” It was a trill! Or as I call it, a ‘mrrp’. Some people call it the “cat activation noise”.

- “Some strange show about people working for the government” this is, of course, “Parks and Rec”!

- And that’s it, nothing else happened in this chapter and it ended happily :) (The flashbacks BJ had while having a panic attack are from his mother, Rigel, and Lydia stabbing him, obviously. Yes, all of them stabbing him in some way.)

[witchersmistress]

Home Sweet Home

this is a picture of a resturant from the French Quarter, found it on google :)

Summary: Another dual pov from both New Orleans present day and New Orleans 1865 from both Syverson and Aurora their back story

Permission is not given to copy my work in any shape, way or form. i'll haunt you for the rest of your days if you do K?

Trigger Warnings: Blood, violence, bodily harm/ injury, death. an 800 pound alligator named Old Louise, resentment towards me for what you are about to read.

Word count: 3K

 New Orleans 2023

 Aurora’s  POV   

I couldn't stop thinking about that interaction. I was sitting down at my laptop when there was a knock on my door “Come in!” I yelled. Mama J walked in “ Hi sugah, my granddaughter was telling me that you are looking for an old New Orleans home” I nodded, she leaned against the door frame. “Well sugah, my family has been here for over 150 years, my daddy used to tend garden's  for a number of homes in his younger years, tell me what you know and I'll see if I can help” I smiled excitedly. She walked over and sat on the edge of the bed as I dug out the drawings I had and began to explain my dreams to her. 

She never questioned anything, just giving me a small smile and looking at the pictures i've found on the web, that looked similar. " There was a spiral staircase that led up to a library that was filled with so many books' '' I told her as I scrolled to find the picture. She let out a light hearted laugh " Child, I know that house, c'mere" she got up and I followed out of the room and down the stairs into the sitting room.

She pulled an old photo album off the bookcase and took a seat on the couch. "Sit child, let me tell you a story" I sat next to her tucking my legs underneath Mr as she flipped through the book and stopped at this gorgeous house. Mama told me as she continued to flip through the pages. She has pictures of the ballroom, the stairs in the foyer of the house, the gorgeous gardening wing and the spiral staircase.

She let out a laugh " look at your grinning like a possum" she flipped to another page and showed the image of a man  in a military uniform, the picture had aged well even with some watermarks. She pointed at him "This fine young man was Captian James Logan Syverson, of the 1st Louisiana cavalry" she flipped to another page of him and a young woman together, she was sitting on a swing, her hair obscured her face, but the smile on his face said it all.

"She's pretty as a peach isn't she? That's the only photo they ever managed to capture of her. She shied away from the camera. She never liked to be on film." I cocked an eyebrow at her " how did you know this?" She flipped a few more pages in the book and landed on the staff of the house and she pointed to two of the ladies in the back " that there is my great great  grandmother Arlene, and her daughter Charlotte. The story of Syverson and Ms. Hathaway has been passed down in my family." She smiled a sad smile. "They first met in 1860, it was a founders day party, Captain Syverson walked in that room and was blown away by her from the moment their eyes met. He began courting her in 1862. This house was completed in 1863, he built it for her, their future home." She continued, flipping back to the picture of them. " She sadly passed away in the early months of 1865. Some say she was killed as an act of revenge against Syverson, others say she got sick and her body couldn't take it. They were to be married in that spring" 

She clicked her tongue, closing the photo album, placing a hand on top and one on her heart. "Logan was unable to set foot in that house again. The house stayed in the family. I believe it's currently owned by his grandson, that handsome man who climbed up on your balcony this morning, that cheeky boy" she placed the book in my lap as she stood.

"Where was Ms. Hathaway buried?" Fiddling with the locket around my neck. " Her family has a family plot in Lafayette Cemetery. The first one, they have a plaque with her name on it, but I doubt she is there." I turned my head with a quizzical expression, she tutted me several times " sweet child, she is buried with Syverson. No doubt in my mind, he has the money and the military on his side. Even in death he couldn't let her go" the sound of footsteps had me turning in my seat. It was her granddaughter, Emily, she was holding a house phone in her hand, " Excuse me gram but auntie is on the phone for you" extending the phone out to her. 

Looking at the photo album. I kept coming back to that picture of them. Running my fingers over the edge of the photo, suddenly I'm transported to another time. I'm the one sitting in the seat of that swing and I cannot stop laughing at Syverson. He took the two ropes and twisted me around and let them go so I would unravel with a squeal “Logan” I called out to him, he stopped the swing from spinning as he looked at me with so much love, my heart beat erratically as he leaned in closer.. “Rory child” Mama had called me, I shook my head and was brought back to her living room. “ Hmm '' I hummed at her, she was smiling like a fool, “ I just got off the phone with my sister, Freya, she said the Syverson boy just left and he'd be by to pick you up and show you his family home. He will be here in about 10 minutes” putting the photo album down on the coffee table. I bolted up the stairs to put my bag together and get my camera. 

Syverson’s POV

I didn't even get the chance  to knock on her front door before it opened “Logan what do I owe this pleasure ?” Freya said, she looked over at Gus and her eyes narrowed at him. Looking back over my way with one eyebrow cocked, holding up the strands of her hair “ I think i found her” her eyes widened “Say no more get in here” we made our way into her house, to her sun porch out back, where old Louise was out back basking in the sun, i grabbed a raw chicken leg out of his bowl and threw it out to him “ Here you go big fella” he growled as he chomped down on it, bone crunching and all. Gus shuddered at the sound and turned away.  She gestured for us to sit, she placed the strands of hair in a bowl of water and mixed them in, before she stood and went over to her bookcase and pulled out a small hope chest, and pulled out the few remaining things from Aurora, her favorite perfume, a couple of her hair pins, i could have sat for hours and wa\tched her pin her hair and lastly her silver hair brush.

She pulled a few strands from the brush  and mixed it in with the other strands, she mumbled over the water and smoke started to rise as Freya spoke in a language I did not understand. I watched the two strands of smoke curled and intertwined with one another. At the top of each smoke spiral was a visual of both Aurora’s past and present. Freya hummed as she waved her hands over the bowl and the 2 pictures became one. “Do you remember the night she died, Logan?” 

I nodded my head, it feels like it was just yesterday when she died in my arms. “I’ll remember that day for the rest of my life” she nodded and leaned back in her seat.

New Orleans 1865

It was the end of the winter season, spring was coming and soon with it my marriage to Aurora. Making my way into the sitting room, I saw her in her rocking chair, working on her needle point, her bottom lip twitching as she worked on her pattern. I placed a few more pieces of kindling into the fire, before kneeling in front of her, she gave me a small laugh and smile running one of her hands through my hair before going back to her work. I laid my head in her lap as she continued to work, humming softly. Her stomach let out a loud growl, “ I’ll get dinner started” she said as she put down her needle point. She stood up “I don't think so darlin,i can get you dinner, you just rest, you've been running non stop these last few weeks, you need to rest” she nodded up at me before she settled back down again. 

Making my way to the back of the house and into the kitchen, I found Ms. Charlotte turned to face me. “Good evening Captain, soup is almost ready."I nodded at her, “ Would mind so terribly to bring her a cup of tea, she needs to calm her nerves” she nodded and walked out the kitchen. I had finished grabbing all the silverware, when I heard a blood curdling scream come from the front of the room, dropping the ladle, I grabbed my gun and went racing towards the screaming

I skidded to a halt upon entering the sitting room, two men dressed in all black had, Charlotte and Aurora. “ Ahhh” a familiar voice sounded from my right, I turned to see who it was, it was John Davenport, Caroline’s  husband. But that was impossible, he was imprisoned to be hung for the murder of his boss

“I see the confusion written on your face, old sport” he sneered at me. “ I should be in jail but a strange man came to me with an offer, your life for mine” he strutted around the room as Aurora struggled in the man's hold, I narrowed my eyes at her begging her to relax, she looked at me and settled. “ You see Logan, you made some very powerful enemies who would do anything to see you crumble. So come to my surprise to see that you were taken here with Ms. Aurora, you made it all to easy to bring you down" he had a wicked gleam to his face as he twirled a small hunting knife in his hand " you really are a bastard John" Aurora spit at him, he walked over and squished her cheeks together " That pretty little mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble one of these days" she wrench her head from his grasp and gave him a hard stare. He turned back to face me “But I am prepared to offer you a deal, I’ll kill Aurora, which is a better fate than what he has in store for her."

 He nodded at his men who started to wrestle the girls but Charlotte broke free, the guy went to grab her and Aurora stuck her foot out tripping the bastard “Get out of here Charlotte” she yelled as she took off out the door and into the night. 

I drew my gun to fight with John but he was much quicker than I. He had an arm wrapped around my neck and he had brought me to my knees and forced my gaze on my sweet girl. She was breathing heavily, “It's ok Logan, everything is going to be ok” I fought against John’s hold but it was no use, I couldn't get free,  I struggled against his grip " you'll live to regret this John."  I seethed. He threw his head back and laughed " It's not me, you need to fear Logan, it's August.. Do you remember him?"I remembered a Union General named August. He was a ruthless and a cold blooded killer. I saw him tear a man apart on the battlefield, his reputation precedes him. Very few men who went up against him lived to tell the tale, even then none of them in the end made any lick of sense, they talked about his glowing red eyes and his fangs. He was indeed a monster. A few select men, myself included, were tasked with disposing of him. We broke into his home, others looted and damaged his home, me and 2 other people stayed focused on the mission and it was to find him. Realization and terror must have been showing on my face, because John laughed. “Good you remember him, because he  never forgot you and he has been patiently waiting for a chance to get back at you.” he snapped his fingers and his goons, shuffled about and sandwiched Aurora between them.

 “You know old sport  i hate for it to come to this but you've left me no choice”he snapped fingers and the one of the me, withdrew his knife, with a singular thrust, he shoved the blade into her stomach and up into her ribs “NOOOOOO” i roared and tried to get to her as she dropped to her knees, john released me as i raced over to her and cradled her in my arms, placing my hands on her wound “Breathe for me, i know it hurts.." her hand cupped my cheek, " it… doesn't hurt Logan" a blood started to drip out of her mouth.

John let out a sadistic chuckle as he stood up, “ this might work out even better than the boss wanted” he turned his back to me and shout as we walked out “It was good to see you old boy, but i have bigger fish to fry this evening”

It took all my strength to not get up off that floor and go racing after him. “Aurora” a feminine voice yelled, Arlene and her daughter Charlotte made their way in through   the door with a younger man behind them. Charlotte’s eyes locked on us and she let out a gasp as she sank to the floor and the gentlemen behind her caught her. Arlene stood there, eyes wide and unshed tears shining in them. A soft touch on my face drew me back to reality, i looked down at her pale face, the blood staining her lips and chin. Her vibrant green irises seem to bore into me as she spoke

" don't you dare lose yourself, Logan Syverson. Don't you give into the darkness" she cupped my cheek, I pressed my hand to her wound, but I knew it was useless. With a nod of her head, Arlene and Charlotte came in closer. I let out a low growl " Logan '' Aurora scolded " enough they are going to help you, they are friends' ' I nodded at her, tears blurring my vision, she let out a sharp breath. 

 I turned to look at Charlotte but she just shook her head, turning back to face Aurora, she grabbed my hand and squeezed " there are some many things I want to tell you Logan, but from the moment I met you, I knew you'd be my undoing, but I didn't care, what was going to happen, I just wanted to love you while I could. I love you so much Logan Syverson, don't you ever forget that. We will meet again of that I am sure" I brought her lips to mine for one last kiss, when our lips connected, something in the atmosphere shifted, I pulled away and looked into her green eyes, " I'll find you again, no matter how long it takes" i assured her,  her eyes shined with the unshed tears, as the light faded from her eyes and the closed one final time. I pulled into my chest and roared in anguish.

New Orleans 2023

Syverson pov

My eyes shot open, a fresh tear rolling down my face, that Freya promptly swiped up and dropped into the bowl. A shiver rolled through my body as I watched the smoke grow and turn into a vision of Aurora and I walking in 1864. My heart swelled at the idea. "Congratulations Logan, she came back to you" she got up and grabbed her phone. "Emily, is mama available?" she asked. My heart soared when she finally came back to me.  I’ll be damned  sure  to give  her  a  spanking for taking so long, the damn brat that she is. Freya  chatted away with  her sister, I looked over at Gus whose eyes were firmly placed on old louise. “Gus' ' i said “He isn't going to attack you, he is just a big puppy' ' his eyes bugged out of his head' ' A PUPPY?!?! SYVERSON, HE IS A 800 POUND ALLIGATOR, WITH 80 TEETH WAITING TO TEAR YOU APART!!” Old Louise moved his head in his direction and opened his jaws. Gus jumped back in his seat “ Actually Gus, darling” Freya chimed in cause the poor fucker to jump out of his skin, “He wouldnt eat you right away, he drowned you but since you are so large he would stuff you under water for a few weeks, letting your meat and bones soften before ripping you to pieces to eat” he turned a shade of grey and louise, the cheeky thing snapped his jaws closed, sending Gus over his chair and out the door like a bat out of hell. 

I dropped in my seat in a fit of laughter as Freya walked over to Louise and gave him a scratch on his chin before crawling back into the water. “How is the old man hanging in there?” I asked her as we watched him swim away, she gave a heavy sigh. “He is good, getting up there in years, but still hanging tough” she watched the space he was for a few more minutes before she spoke “ I just off the phone with my sister, Jezabel, she was telling me that Ms. Rory as she called her, she remembers the family home you built her and like to see it” i shot up from my seat “ Relax sugah, i told her that you'd be there in 10 minutes for her” i ran out of the sun room, i turned back to thank her and she shooed me away “Go on get outta her go get your girl Syverson” she said with a laugh, i was down those front steps and into my truck with spinning tires and throwing gavel as i hauled ass back to the French Quarter.