#but it occurred to me that Renfield would 100% be like 'JACK YES'

[luanna801]

Live Renfield Reaction - 7/20

(Aka, probably the most dramatic roller-coaster of these reactions so far. As always, further notes in my original post if you want more context.)

I gave Renfield a strong opiate to-night, enough to make even him sleep, and took away his pocket-book to look at it.

!!!!! That is not for you to look at!! How dare you-

The thought that has been buzzing about my brain lately is complete, and the theory proved.

Wow. Congratulations. Only took stealing from me and invading my last scrap of privacy to do it.

My homicidal maniac is of a peculiar kind.

I am my own homicidal maniac, thank you very much.

I shall have to invent a new classification for him, and call him a zoöphagous (life-eating) maniac;

Catchy!

what he desires is to absorb as many lives as he can, and he has laid himself out to achieve it in a cumulative way. He gave many flies to one spider and many spiders to one bird, and then wanted a cat to eat the many birds.

Somebody give the man a prize.

What would have been his later steps? It would almost be worth while to complete the experiment.

!!!! YES!!! YES IT WOULD!!!

It might be done if there were only a sufficient cause.

OH???? WHAT KIND OF CAUSE??? WHAT WOULD GET YOU TO AGREE--

Men sneered at vivisection, and yet look at its results to-day!

EXACTLY!! VIVISECTION IS FASCINATING!!

SO DOES THIS MEAN YOU'LL GIVE ME THE CAT, OR--

Why not advance science in its most difficult and vital aspect—the knowledge of the brain? 

... Don’t you mean the knowledge of life??

Had I even the secret of one such mind—did I hold the key to the fancy of even one lunatic—I might advance my own branch of science

Ohhhh, I see. This is still all about you.

I study animals and you study me, is that it?

-to a pitch compared with which Burdon-Sanderson’s physiology or Ferrier’s brain-knowledge would be as nothing.

... Sure. Fine. Whatever. Can I have the cat or not??

If only there were a sufficient cause!

THERE IS!!! DAMN IT!! JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED TO HEAR-

I must not think too much of this, or I may be tempted;

👀

a good cause might turn the scale with me, for may not I too be of an exceptional brain, congenitally?

... You know, now that you mention it, yeah. I'm pretty sure a normal doctor wouldn't even be considering this.

Not that I'm complaining, mind you...

How well the man reasoned;

😊

lunatics always do within their own scope.

Well, fuck you too.

I wonder at how many lives he values a man, or if at only one.

That depends on the man, doesn't it? There are definitely some men whose lives I'm not rating very high right now...

He has closed the account most accurately, and to-day begun a new record. How many of us begin a new record with each day of our lives?

Wow, deep.

So, about that cat...

To me it seems only yesterday that my whole life ended with my new hope, and that truly I began a new record. So it will be until the Great Recorder sums me up and closes my ledger account with a balance to profit or loss.

Ohhhhhh, here he goes...

Oh, Lucy, Lucy, I cannot be angry with you, nor can I be angry with my friend whose happiness is yours; but I must only wait on hopeless and work. Work! work!

Yes, yes. Lucy, Lucy, Lucy. Very sweet. Very sad.

Are you getting back to my experiments anytime soon, or... ? What would be a sufficient cause?? If I tried explaining it to you, could I make you understand?

If I only could have as strong a cause as my poor mad friend there—a good, unselfish cause to make me work—that would be indeed happiness.

You can take part in it!! Join in the cause!!

For example, just throwing out a suggestion here, you could start by getting me a cat...