#frankenstein cliff notes

[readbooksummary]

Frankenstein Summary

Frankenstein is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment.

[boxingcleverrr]

Look, I understand misgivings re: GDT casting a very slender broomstick man as The Creature, sure.

But if your reaction is any flavor of "Ahaha, GDT, making the monster hot and fuckable aga-"

NO.

MARY made the Creature hot and fuckable.

Victor goes on and on about picking HOT BOI parts. He's trying to make Rocky, not Boris. There's SO MANY reasons GDT has always lauded Mary Shelley, chief among them: OG MONSTERFUCKER. She suffered through a season stuck in a house w/Byron so Guillermo could make Doug Jones a sexy fishman.

It's not their fault Victor was horrified by his own Gay Feelings once his Hot Boi started moving around.

[thebetterboogerman]

The website I-mockery released a fun article about Boogerman Halloween Costumes! I haven't been able to access the site, but thankfully I have a backup saved of the page, and will do my best to recreate the article here. Also, some bits of the article are a bit too mean-spirited for my tastes so I've tried to edit my copy accordingly, but there's only so much I can change without losing whole paragraphs. Credit for the original article goes to Dr. Boogie. ---------------------------

Halloween is nearly upon us, and so it is time that we all started thinking about costumes. Any jackass can go as a gangster or a naughty nurse, but Halloween is when you're supposed to concoct a really great costume idea and wow your friends and neighbors as you go door to door making vague threats for candy. Luckily for you droogs, I've come up with an oft-overlooked idea for some winning costumes. And best of all, they should be fairly easy to make yourself. The source for these spiffy ideas comes from a certain video game. Nowadays, it seems like anyone who would ever think of parading around dressed as a character from a video game would be a dork carrying several tons of weapons-grade nerdium. I assure you, however, that if you go with these ideas, people won't think you are a loser, but rather a genius of the highest caliber of self-made Halloween costumes. The game in question is a wonderful little gem made during the 16-bit era called Boogerman. It tells a tale rife with vengeance, pollution, and bodily fluids. As the title character, you belch, fart, spit, and fling snot at a variety of equally colorful villains. This Halloween, you have the opportunity to dazzle the costumed community by dressing up as a character from this delightful game:

Boogerman

The most obvious choice would be to go as the hero. In that case, all you'd need to make the costume are some green spandex, brown gloves and shoes, a red cape, and a black mask. The five o-clock shadow might take a day or two for you to whip up, but if you're not particularly patient, you can just grab some cheap five o-clock shadow makeup from one of those seasonal Halloween stores.

Hickboy

Some tattered overalls and a red shirt will put you well on your way to looking like the hillbilly villain, Hickboy. To complete the look, you can pick up some fake crooked teeth, and you can sew a red "H" on the overalls a la The Scarlet Letter, only without the scorn of the puritan community. Lousy bonnet-wearing, musket-toting, Columbus-lovers. Anyway, the final touch is the chicken. No mere rubber chicken will suffice. You could go get a convincing stuff animal chicken (Stuffed chicken? No, that sounds edible), but it would probably be cheaper to just grab a real one. Your best bet is to shop around for the farm with the least attentive rooster and snag a chicken while the rooster is busy mocking the weathervane, as roosters often do.

Revolta

If you've ever gone as Supergirl for Halloween, you can just take the old costume and spraypaint the blue parts red, and the red cape yellow. Next you'll need to attach a yellow "V", which is sort of like The Scarlet Letter, only this is more of a Marigold Letter. It may not have been as bad, but I don't know for sure; I only read the Cliff's Notes. You'll also need a yellow girdle, which I imagine will be quite uncomfortable, but if you want to look really good for Halloween, you need to make some sacrifices. For your extremities, you'll need some yellow dish-washing gloves and matching flippers. The veil can be produced with little more than one or two pieces of tissue paper. Last but not least, your hair will need a good amount of mousse to retain that look, so I suggest you grab a Bride of Frankenstein wig and spray-paint it red.

Flyboy

A generic Superman costume with the shorts painted green will do for the body. Make sure there's enough of that paint left over to cover some gloves and a pair of go-go boots. For the headgear, you'll need an old-fashion aviator's cap (goggles optional) and a small butterfly net to go on top. For the wings, just grab one of those fairy costumes that manufacturers are always trying to push on little girls. If you wind up with one that had a bunch of glitter all over it, douse it with grey paint. Or don't, and you can go as a more flamboyant Flyboy.

Deodor-Ant

This one will require some time and effort. The costume itself isn't too hard. Red shirt, cap and tights, grey gloves and briefs, a deelybopper hat, and a grey mask will take care of that portion of the overall look. The hard part, however, is the physical training you'll have to endure. You'll need to adopt a sort of reverse Atkins diet, wherein you eat nothing but carbs, supplemented with chocolate and anything that can be deep fried. By the time Halloween rolls around, you should be in perfect shape to really pull off this costume, and there will be no doubt in anyone's mind who you are supposed to be.

Booger Meister

This costume will take even more time and effort than the Deodor-Ant costume. Some clown shoes, oversized gloves, and another one of those giant cloth letters will combine with an appropriately-painted wetsuit and Speedo to take care of the below-the-neck portion. For the head, just take a gorilla mask, an oversized nose, and some coat hangers with papier-mache draped over them, and spray the whole thing green. If the gorilla mask has insufficient teeth, you may have to steal a set of those giant plastic teeth they have at the dentist's office for display purposes. Easy enough.

And there you have it, my friends. I've bestowed upon you something that is both a gift and a curse. On the one hand, it's great to have a bunch of nifty ideas for Halloween costumes, but on the other hand, you now have no excuse for going as something lame like a serial killer (Yeah, I know, they look just like everybody else. We all know you just forgot to get a costume, you ass). If despite your best efforts, people are still confused about who or what you're depicting with your costume, just drop a little scatological humor on them. That should erase all doubt as to which mid-90s video game character you represent. If not, then you must've done a crappy job on your costume, in which case I will disavow any knowledge of this whole affair. For shame!

-Dr. Boogie

article source

[brightside-brigade]

Lycan Varients Lycan Varients Lycan Varients-

Note: these are all rough sketches/concepts so if it's a mess thats why.

Note note: I'm fully aware lycans aren't actually werewolves/werecreatures/are usually mostly humanoid/ect, these are my headcanons/concepts for my current comfort media and I am having fun.

Drawings/info under the cut

Lycans and Lycanity as a whole are among the most common mutations in the Village and surrounding areas. These creatures often form their own packs or other group settlements, usually lead by a Urias variation or the strongest of the group if one is not available. The most common of these are standard or Lowland types, these are the ones found throughout the main village and surrounding forest.

However, lycans that live in proximity to or within the domain of one of the four lords tend to mutate in different ways to suit said environments, sometimes with the direct influence of the areas lord. These are as follows

Castle/Harpy variant

These are perhaps the furthest from a standard lycan, made for flight and climbing, as well as airborne hunting. These are exclusive to the area of Castle Dimitrescu and the surrounding mountain and cliffs. They evolved in such a wild fashion due to Alcina not wanting to be involved with such creatures, leaving them to grow and change on their own.

Their hind legs are incredibly strong to aid in take off, and their tail is both prehensile and helps them steer in the air. Similar to the castle denizens, they feed on blood and flesh, using their hollow tongue to drink, and their strong jaws which are capable of opening at a ninety degree angle to rip through flesh and crush bones. There's the vestigial remains of human fingers on the edges of their wings. They live in matriarchal flocks lead by one or two strong female memories.

Common mutations within these variations include: compound eyes, non developed wings or extra wings, multiple tongues or ears, and serrated wing edges.

Valley/Mist/Wraith Variant

Known as the ghosts of the Valley, the lycans of the area surrounding Beneviento Estate are rarely seen and few in number. These evolved for life within the mists, and work to scare away trespassers. They're more civil than other lycan variations, and keep to themselves unless someone enters their territory. They use bones from the surrounding graveyard to decorate themselves.

They have developed long, whispy fur that blends into the mist and looks like dress clothes, and incredibly fragile skin thats prone to cracking. These cracks leak both black liquid and black mist that can create illusions to confuse, distract, or frighten prey and intruders. It isn't certain what they're societal structure is, as they're rarely seen.

Common mutations within these variations include: extra limbs or elongated limbs, lack of eyes, full body fur, lack of lower jaw or elongated lower jaw.

Reservoir/Kelpy Variant

Living within the reservoir and underground tunnels, these lycans have left behind most of their humanoid features. They mostly in water, but are capable of coming onto land for short durations. They're known for their pack hunting in both water and on land if it comes to it.

These have developed for a more aquatic life style, with webbed front and back feet, a rudder like tail, otter like fur, gills, and fins. They have camouflaging fur that resembles underwater plants, and a sail along their back that helps them sense vibrations in the water. They live in pods similar to dolphins or whales with no distinct leader.

Common mutations within these variations include: extra eyes, fused hind legs, tentacles, fleshy growths, long bioluminescent whiskers.

Factory/Junkyard/Frankenstein variant

The most varied and most versatile of the lycans, the factory variant lives within the Junkyards and fields surrounding Heisenbergs factory. He was very hands-on with their evolution and development, through both experimentation and selective breeding in some cases. They're capable of following simple commands and can do menial tasks if asked.

There's no real standard for this variant, as they both absorb metal into their bodies, thus altering their appearance, or are whisked off to the factory on occasion and modified. The only standard is their short fur and bipedal stance, along with dexterity. They are capable of making and using tools and weapons, making them effective hunters. They live in factions of their own, each with leaders, but ultimately answer to Heisenberg (who is thought to be some subset of a Urias, who didn't take on the form due to his other mutations taking priority within his body), as do the lowland packs.

[flowers-all-around-me]

Yeah, I'd love to know which mechanisms songs you think I should start with, or if it's a particular album. I actually went and listened to a few seconds of one after reblogging the post. They remind me just a little of The Amzing Devil. I'll be honest, that specific specific song didn't keep my interest too long, but I'm sure someone who knows their music could point me toward the better ones. :)

Ahhh! Thanks for reaching out :3 (and also hope you don't mind if I make this public, just in case someone interested might see it :'>)

I'm going to assume you know nothing about them just in case (and also since I know some songs are less good for casual use/can take a little warming up to :'3)

The gist of it is that it's a storytelling cabaret where every band member is in character as an immortal space pirates; as such, their albums are retellings of "actual events" they have "witnessed" during their travels in space.

I think I will put the rest under a Read More though because! I went off a bit! Sorry about that :'D

I recommend listening to their albums as they interest you to get the general gist of the stories. Once I got that, I added them to my shuffle playlist and listen to my faves - that way it's not confusing to me and I don't have to "suffer" through the other parts when I don't wanna listen to a whole concept album.

The "main" four albums all follow a similar structure of switching between narration/song, with varying amount of information relayed in the song (as in, sometimes it's just about a concept of the story, sometimes it's more akin to a musical piece where the story moves as well). The songs themselves are often based on various extant, mostly folk, songs (e.g. Bella Ciao, WW1 songs, and I can't think of any more rn because my brain is cooked).

If you want the cliff's notes version of these albums (none of which have a "happy" ending, so be aware of that going in):

Once Upon A Time (In Space): their first album, Grimm's fairy tales but it's about a space rebellion against an immortal, tyrannical king with an army of clones.

Ulysses Dies at Dawn: greek mythology but it's a noir cyberpunk planet-wide city. Contains (in my unbiased opinion lol) very good and interesting takes on how the setting would influence some of the myths we are familiar with today. Fair warning though: will contain references to the original material you might miss if you are unfamiliar with the OG characters, but it's still enjoyable

High Noon Over Camelot: Arthurian legend but it's a diesel-punk desert space station with bike-riding cowboys. SPECIAL MENTION TO THE MOST BANGER BANJO (again, in my opinion), specifically in Peacemaker. It's going wild in there.

The Bifrost Incident: Norse Mythology but told as a space-train noir mystery. Notable for not being narrated by an outer character, but actually told as a "recording" of the police officer investigating. Features a very good banjo in "Expert Testimony" (which is narration) (also the banjo is in a genre I like to call "bastard" because oh yeah, what is happening in-story is that a character is being A Bastard <3)

As for Tales to be Told I and II, they contain smaller stories (either relating to the main albums, origin stories for in-universe band members, or self-contained ones)

There is also a standalone single, "Frankenstein." Guess what that one is about lol. It, along with "Alice" and "Gunpowder Tim vs. The Moon Kaiser" are "songs" on the longer side that contain shorter narration/song segments.

Lastly, there's Death To The Mechanisms, which was the band's farewell concert in 2020 when they disbanded. It's been recorded and put together as a live album and contains fun banter and character lore regarding their deaths.

IF you want my favourite songs, regardless of album, it's probably Red Signal, Peacemaker, Blood and Whiskey, Thor, Rose Red, Alice, Acatea and Lyssa, Lost in Cosmos, The Ignominous Demise of Dr. Pilchard (which also has fun banjo), Elysian Fields, Ragnarok II: The Calling, and Riddle of the Sphinx.

ANYWAY! Extremely long, heatwave induced rant aside, I do hope you'll check them out! Feel free to reach out and let me know how you liked the songs/stories, I am always down for recommending the band to more people :3

Lastly, allow me to link the unofficial YouTube channel TheVoidSings (here!) which has all their albums with lyrics and in neat playlists so you can listen to them in order!

(I would link the band's channel so that they'd at least get some youtube cents from it, but it got demonetised under the new guidelines a few days ago, so that's fucked and yes, I am mad about it :'D)

[simgrump]

❦ Szalinski Household, Day Sixty-Five ❦

To get a head start on their school year, both Parker and Dax spent the first bit of their morning making sure they’d finished all of their prep work and summer reading. Parker had been assigned Frankenstein while Dax had been assigned The Scarlet Letter. Parker had done the reading. Dax had done the reading of the cliff’s notes. 

Gen One || Legacy Page  

[123moiaussi]

Hannaford Prep by J Bree

Started off strong- and then fell off the cliff

Don't read it. it was awful.

Noted! I’m hoping to read The Idiot as well as Cleopatra and Frankenstein over the holidays and I HOPE that I did not waste a big gift card😅

I’ve also accepted that I’m more of a non-fiction and contemporary reader (I’ll get into fantasy when I have the brain space again).

[earthstellar]

Rewatching Transformers G1 S2: Episode 1: Autobot Spike

Yes, this is where the Surprised Ratchet meme image comes from:

This episode has a lot going on including near-death of a human character on screen, body horror/a Frankenstein plot, and some genuinely unsettling scenes mostly made creepy due to the combination of some interesting dialogue/voice acting and typical G1 Quality. 

And Spike shoots Starscream in the ass mid-flight, which is fantastic. 

He also shoots his dad, which is less fantastic. 

Being a horror nerd, I love this episode, so here we go! 

Gonna put this below a cut because I’m taking a lot of screenshots here:

You can watch the whole episode on YouTube here in 4 parts, if you want to watch along! 

Alright, so it opens with Sparkplug trying to create “Autobot X”, which is straight up just a Frankenstein’s Monster of autobot parts. It’s weirdly creepy, and vaguely reminiscent of the infamous Ratchet-Megatron fusion in the Marvel comics.

I want to point out that Sparkplug says “I wanna see what I can do with a lotta spare Autobot parts and some human ingenuity” before the reveal shot above, and that’s horrific if you think about it for more than like, three seconds. 

It also may have been the origins of the MECH plot line in TFP, actually! Very similar body horror type thing going on. Anyway.

It works briefly, but it flips out and has to get shut down. 

Ironhide fires a laser, problem solved, nobody’s worried. They put Autobot X in storage, because surely a rampantly aggressive seemingly sentient pastiche of random Autobot parts is nothing to worry about. It’s fine. 

Wheeljack is like, hell yeah, I’ll help you work on it later. Which is when we get the Surprised Ratchet image, because yeah, I bet Ratchet’s freaked out a little since this thing is made of SPARE AUTOBOT PARTS. 

Then we’re swept immediately into a fight with Megatron, as many Seekers as you can fit in frame at one time, and Soundwave. 

For whatever reason, Bumblebee shows up driving through a bunch of partially blown up missile/rocket components, with Spike in the driver’s seat. Even Spike is like, dude, why are we here? And Bumblebee is just like, I mean, we couldn’t NOT show up. lmao

Unsurprisingly, Bumblebee gets shot-- In alt-mode, with Spike inside. Uh oh. 

Megatron leaves, because Frank Welker can only voice so many characters at once, and our attention is turned to the carnage. 

Ratchet is like, sure, I can fix Bumblebee right up! Meanwhile, Ironhide is like oh god, oh my god, is this how you hold a human??? Is it dead??? Optimus is gonna be pissed. 

So Optimus rolls up like, listen, take him to the hospital, come on. Ratchet lets him in the back of his ambulance mode, and Prowl goes with him so that he can throw his emergency lights on to give the illusion of a police escort, ensuring the drive is even quicker. 

(I miss the days when Prowl wasn’t a total asshole.) 

It cuts pretty quickly to Spike in an operating theatre; Apparently getting shot by alien space lasers isn’t conducive to human health: 

It cuts again to the attending physician standing at Spike’s beside, presumably in ICU although they appear to be in a private room, with Sparkplug on the other side of the bed. 

The doctor says “Hmm, if only there were a way of separating Spike’s mind from his body while we work...” Which, uh, what? What surgeon says that? You can sort of already do that in actual human medicine, it’s called an induced coma. 

But sure, we need exposition here, I get it. The screenplay here is tight. Sparkplug says he has an idea...

Back at the Autobot hangout, things seem fairly chill, considering. 

Ratchet is welding Bumblebee’s ass in alt-mode, while Bumblebee complains about how long it’s taking. lol 

Meanwhile, Wheeljack and Sparkplug somehow have Spike hooked up to a Ghostbusters colander helmet, which will hopefully transfer his mind into the malfunctioning/in stasis Autobot X frame. Yikes. 

It works! Spike is now also Autobot X. We will call him Spike X for short. 

And for some reason, Spike saying “D-Da-ad?” with this faceplate expression is incredibly funny to me, while also being really weird and creepy: 

However, this is only cool for like two seconds, at which point Spike X truly starts to lose his shit. 

It gets real creepy here, with Spike X saying in a very oddly flat inflection “Why? Why did you do this to me? Why?” and it’s pretty wild. There’s even a mild strobe effect for a few frames. 

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker try to help calm him down, but Spike X throws them both across the room. 

Optimus is like, oh shit, we made a giant metal teenager. Stop him, but use low power, because if the Autobot X frame is damaged too much, then Spike’s consciousness may not be able to be returned to his actual human body. 

Note that Optimus says this in a pretty relaxed way, then levels a shoulder mounted cannon straight at Spike X, which is incredibly funny. 

It quickly gets deeply weird and creepy again when Spike X is temporarily able to talk with his dad, and states that “it’s hard to think, like something is telling me to do... bad.... things!” Yiiiiiikes. 

He gets it under control again, apologises to his dad for the outburst (I think it’s OK, Spike), and Optimus says that he’s cool to stay at the base and he’ll be taken care of while his human body heals up. 

However, oh shit, the Decepticons have found out that Spike now has an Autobot frame-- And they know he’s unstable. 

Starscream tries to roast him, but Megatron’s like, shut up nerd, we’re gonna make Spike X turn against the Autobots! It’s a good plan, I’m serious! 

Back at the Autobot base, Ratchet is still welding Bumblebee’s ass, and Bumblebee is still complaining. Wheeljack hooks up Spike X with some network television, and he’s watching... Frankenstein. Because the six year old kids who are the intended audience of G1 may not be familiar with the source material for this episode’s plot, I guess, which is fair. (Frank Welker nails it here as Dr. Frankenstein, but that’s unsurprising, because he always nails it. I think he’s also voicing Frankenstein’s Monster, but I haven’t checked the credits.)

Obviously, this isn’t a great thing for Spike X to be watching at this particular moment, so he freaks out again. 

Wheeljack and Sparkplug come running, and somehow Sparkplug is covering ground faster than Wheeljack. It’s fine, don’t worry about it. 

Ratchet’s progress on welding Bumblebee’s ass is interrupted by Spike X breaking through the wall and seemingly flying away. lmao 

They just sort of stand there, like, well, we lost him, I guess. 

Bumblebee is like, alright, gonna go get my boy. 

So he drives out of this massive crater, and Ratchet is like, wait! Your radio transmitter still doesn’t work. (Apparently their radio transmitters are located in their asses. Fascinating.) 

Spike X sits on a cliff and says “what a drag”, which, yeah. Being a Frankenstein space robot would be cool if not for the immense psychological damage this is absolutely causing. 

However, he also calls himself a “walking garbage can” in a completely genuine put-out tone of voice, which absolutely sells that this is a teenager in a giant robot body and I laughed, I won’t lie. 

Some of Megatron’s cronies locate him and hold his position. 

At the same time, Bumblebee shows up and tries to talk Spike X down from a random destructive rampage. 

He throws Bumblebee off the cliff! And Megatron’s squad is rolling up. (Well, flying up, anyway.) Uh oh! 

Spike X is like, hell yeah, bring it. More ass to kick. And it turns out his arm mounted cannon works, because he shoots Starscream directly in the undercarriage and says “YEAH, MAN!” and it’s so genuine. 

This is the perfect reaction to being a teenager in a giant robot body and just suddenly being able to shoot lasers and kick ass. Look at how happy he is, that he just shot Starscream in the butt mid-air. It’s awesome.

Unfortunately, the Seekers do actually beat him up, although Spike X puts up a good fight. 

Megatron then takes advantage of his further weakened state, and swoops in to pitch a classic “Join Us” speech. Spike X calls him “Megacrumb”, which is probably acceptable because he’s absolutely concussed by this point. 

Megatron is willing to overlook this for the sake of teaming up. 

Bumblebee eavesdrops, and drives away-- But Spike X gives Megatron a handshake, and agrees to “make them pay”. Oh shit! 

For some reason, Optimus and Ironhide are back at the rocket facility to watch a launch. Because I guess whatever, this whole situation is chill, let’s go watch rockets? IDK 

But either way, Optimus roasts the inferior quality of human technology, while Bumblebee just drives up on site despite Military Police levelling sniper rifles at him in order to report that Megatron is taking advantage of Spike X’s inability to think clearly. 

Optimus says “I feared something like this might happen”, which, if that were the case, why not take actions to prevent it, maybe? Not the strongest Optimus episode. 

To be fair though, Ironhide transforms and is already driving off before Optimus even gives the order to roll out, so I guess Ironhide either really wants to kick some ass or cares slightly more about Spike X’s wellbeing. He has no dialogue here, so we can only guess. 

They get there, with even more Autobots who showed up at some point in the rapid scene cuts here, and Spike X is super unhinged-- Charging his weapons, he starts speaking in a more strained and angry way, and engages the Autobots! 

He hits Optimus with what appears to be a chest laser? It’s hard to see. But it’s super effective: 

Optimus pleads with Spike X to calm down, but Spike X straight up pulls MEGATRON IN GUN MODE out of his sub-space and shoots Optimus directly in the faceplate. Damn! 

The Seekers and Soundwave drop in, and start rapid firing on all the Autobots present. 

We get some great shots of Megatron in his gun alt-mode as he tries to convince Spike X to keep attacking. Optimus and Bumblebee hide behind cover, attempting to bring Spike X to his senses long enough to disarm him. 

Suddenly, Wheeljack and Sparkplug roll up; Sparkplug attempts to talk some sense into Spike, too. 

Optimus and Bumblebee are at a loss; If they take out Spike X, the damage might take him out for good. 

However, Sparkplug fails in his efforts to talk to Spike X; He SHOOTS HIS DAD AND KNOCKS HIM OFF THE CLIFF. 

Can you imagine if they put an ad break here? lmao 

Luckily, he has like, a claw machine arm, and he catches his dad before he becomes a human smoothie. 

This shocks Spike X badly enough that while he still has Megatron in gun mode, he takes a few pot shots at the Seekers and the Decepticons decide it’s time to bounce, so Megatron bails too. 

He apologises for almost killing his dad, his dad is like hey no beef man, and it cuts to them in the hospital: 

Sparkplug takes his son’s body back to the Autobot base (that sounds worse than it is), and they prepare to transfer him back into his body. 

What’s extra funny here is that he nervously laughs and says “Hope you fixed this thing up good, Ratchet!” And Ratchet says absolutely nothing. Not a word. 

It’s a success! Dad and son hug, totally not even addressing anything that happened this whole episode, because that’s a job for a therapist. 

Ratchet, who continues to not really care about any of this, tells Wheeljack “You know, I could probably repair that mess, but I think it’s best that I don’t.” (This is a play on what Wheeljack said earlier in the episode when he offered to help Sparkplug fix up Autobot X to begin with.) 

I love how tired Wheeljack looks. LOL

Spike, now recovered, leaves us with a great question to close out the episode: “I wonder what it’d be like for a robot mind to be transferred... to a human!” 

Depending on what kind of kid you were, his question was either imagination fuel for fun humanformer ideas, or was a blatantly bad question indicating he learned nothing and providing nightmare fuel trying to imagine one of the Autobots losing their shit in a human body the same way Spike lost his shit while inhabiting Autobot X. 

Anyway, great episode! 10/10 Scary, funny, creepy, Starscream got shot in the ass by a teenager. 

[the-gay-prometheus]

Frankenstein AU Segment: “Always You”

I promised some gay shit today so have some gay shit.

Warning: it is extremely gay, I think.

This lil segment is Henry and Victor being silly and dumb and not realizing until just now that they are desperately in love with each other, and I think that is very gay of them.

Anyways actual little mini warning for this one: Victor refers to his assigned gender at birth and also mentions his deadname at one point in this segment. I know for some trans folks, reading things where a trans person makes a reference to their AGAB and/or their deadname it can be triggering, hence why I’m making this warning just to be on the safe side. The entirety of this segment is genuinely wholesome though, so no other warnings needed to my knowledge.

On a completely different and random note, “In A Week” by Hozier is officially Victor and Henry’s love song, and no I will not be accepting constructive criticism on that.

As always, likes, reblogs, and comments of any kind are greatly appreciated!

~~~

The peaceful song of crickets chirping was interrupted only by the occasional trilling call of a boreal owl which seemed to echo across the cliffs and peaks. Above the gnarled branches and wispy needles of the pines the moonless sky was illuminated by uninterrupted glimmering starlight. Victor and Henry lay atop a massive boulder they had climbed in the midst of the woods, savoring the moment alone together as they stared up through the canopy above into the shimmering heavens, each with their hands folded over their chests. Though Henry was entirely still, Victor tapped his fingers against the back of his other hand as he picked through the millions of thoughts racing through his head. “You shouldn’t stay,” he mentioned suddenly. Henry glanced over at him. After a long pause, Victor continued. “I mean you shouldn’t stay here. You’ve… you’ve got your whole life ahead of you.”

“So do you,” Henry answered, turning onto his side and resting his elbow on the stone and his head on his palm. Victor turned to look at him.

“No, not really. I made my choice, Henry. I made a mistake, and this is my burden to bear - not yours. You shouldn’t be throwing your life away for my sake.”

“Victor - you know I’ve always got your back,” Henry replied, giving him a comforting smile. “I really don’t mind it.”

“I know that but… it’s not fair to you.” Victor rested his head back and stared up to the  sky, and Henry laid back to do the same. “You should be finishing your studies at Ingolstadt, or traveling the world, or finding some beautiful woman to settle down with.” Henry tensed as he spoke, but didn’t answer. “I’m thankful that you’re here with me, and it really has been wonderful and I can never repay you for how much you’ve helped but… it kills me to think I might be causing you to miss out on all the things you wanted in life.” There was a long moment of silence between them, and Victor began to grow restless, tapping his fingers against the back of his hand again. “Do you… not agree?” Henry tensed more, then let out a sharp exhale.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Victor blinked, then turned on to his side and sat up slightly.

“Of course!” he exclaimed. “It’s… not like I really have anyone to divulge it to other than… well… you know who. And he certainly doesn’t have anyone to divulge it to.” Henry gave him a half smile, then turned his hazel eyes back to the sky.

“Victor I… I have-” He hesitated. “I’m… I mean I- I’m-” He pinched at the bridge of his nose, then dropped his arms to his sides. “I have no interest in women.” Victor glanced over at him, then lay back down and returned his own gaze to the stars.

“Oh.” Henry cringed, expecting some kind of other reply, but relaxed slightly as Victor spoke again. “Well… that’s fine. You still shouldn’t stay. I know you always wanted to finish your studies and travel the world at least. I don’t want to hold you back.” Henry swallowed hard and clenched his eyes shut.

“That’s not what I mean Victor.”

“Then what did you mean?” he asked, glancing back over at him.

“I… I have no interest in women because I-” Henry hesitated again. “My only interest lies in… other men. It… it always has.” Victor looked upward once again.

“Ah.” His eyes widened. “Oh!” Henry cringed at this response. He wasn’t sure why he was so afraid but… part of him was terrified. Victor suddenly sat up, a look of revelation on his face. “That’s a possibility?” Henry’s eyes snapped open and he looked up at him.

“You say that like you didn’t know.”

“Well- how was I supposed to know? It’s not like I’ve ever... seen it before.” Henry gave him an odd look.

“...What about Percy and Alex?”

“Who?”

“Back in Ingolstadt? Your classmates? You can’t tell me you didn’t know. It was obvious! Not… that they were necessarily public about it, and for good reason, but the way they looked at each other and talked to each other, there was no way they were anything less than lovers.” Victor frowned and glanced over at him.

“You assume I paid any attention to my classmates.” Henry blinked.

“...Oh. Yes that… that’s certainly a good point.” He shook his head. “Regardless! Why… why wouldn’t it be possible? If a man can love a woman, why can’t he love another man?” Victor thought for a moment.

“Well this… this changes everything,” he muttered, eyes still wide. Henry glanced away, suddenly worried again.

“...How so?”

“Well - it means I’m… I’m not broken!” Victor exclaimed, suddenly grinning. Henry snapped his gaze over to him.

“What?” Victor turned, sitting fully upright with his legs crossed and his fingers tapping excitedly on his thighs.

“Henry. After all I’ve done, after everything I’ve made of myself, after all the changes, there was one thing that always continued to irk me. I have changed my name, altered my body, filled myself with the correct chemicals, and yet despite all of that, one thing never changed. Even though I had finally become the person I knew I needed to be, I still was attracted to men!” Henry’s own eyes grew wide. “I had simply chalked it up to being some sort of strange flaw, that maybe I hadn’t perfected myself enough, that I hadn’t entirely rid myself of my… my…” He hesitated, as though he didn’t want to say it. “My womanhood - but no! Perhaps it has nothing to do with my sex!” Henry couldn’t help but chuckle at that statement.

“You really thought your attraction was tied to your sex?” Victor shrugged, then nodded, prompting another quiet laugh from Henry. “Victor, have I ever mentioned you are by far the most intelligent imbecile I know?” Victor smirked.

“Not in those words exactly, but something akin to that, yes.” 

“Victor Frankenstein, ladies and gentleman, brilliant scientist capable of creating life from death, entirely incapable of understanding human attraction,” Henry announced sarcastically, throwing his arms wide as he spoke with a big grin. Victor snickered and batted his hand away.

“Oh hush, Henry, the poet who couldn’t figure out the difference between a daisy and a dandelion,” he mused in return. Henry sat up.

“Hey! I know the difference! I just… got the names confused!” he exclaimed. Victor laughed, and flopped back onto his back, Henry laying back down beside him.

“Sure you did,” Victor retorted with sarcasm, glancing over at him. The two regained their composure as their giggles faded back to quiet smiles, though Victor’s smile quickly faded. He let out a sigh. “Well… regardless, Henry. You really should go. Go study, go explore, go find a kind man to settle down with. Live the life I’ll never get to have.” Henry’s own smile faded as his mind suddenly raced, trying to think of how to respond. “I’ll be ok here on my own. I promise.”

“But… Victor I-” Henry’s heart began to pound in his chest. Don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say it, he repeated in his mind as his pulse quickened. Despite the repetition, though, he glanced back over to Victor. His breath caught in his throat. “I’ve already done those things.” Victor looked over at him, confused, his own heart seeming to skip a beat.

“...What do you mean?”

“Well… I’ve travelled - maybe not around the world, but I traveled to Ingolstadt. I may not have finished my studies but I certainly came close enough. And…” He turned his face away. “I’ve… I’ve already found a kind man to settle down with.” Victor felt his heart shatter in his chest upon hearing those words, and he turned away.

“...I see,” he muttered dejectedly. “Then you should go to him. Go to him and live your life with joy.” Henry looked back over at him, feeling terror clawing at his chest as he mulled over whether he should or shouldn’t reveal himself.

“You… you don’t understand Victor.” Victor turned back toward him, his own eyes already starting to fill with tears of worry. “It’s… it’s you. It’s always been you.” Victor blinked away his tears, his eyes widening as he suddenly felt as though his heart stopped. He was frozen - stunned - and his face turned bright red as he blushed. Henry, seeing this reaction, grew tense and turned away. “I’m sorry- I’m so sorry I- I didn’t mean to make things strange between us. I shouldn’t have said anyth-” He was cut off as suddenly he felt Victor’s fingers upon his cheek, gently coaxing him to return his gaze to him.

“Henry I… I misspoke,” Victor whispered softly. Henry clenched his eyes shut, fearing the worst. “When I said I was attracted to men, what I should have said was… I am attracted to a man.” He hesitated as Henry slowly opened his eyes. “It was always you, Henry. Always.” For a moment the two stared deep into each other's eyes, their fears falling away as they finally began to realize the intensity of the connection between them, until Victor suddenly pulled back and gave Henry an odd look. “Wait. No- no. You’re lying. You have to be lying.” Henry’s eyes widened with shock.

“I- Victor I just bared my soul to you. Do you genuinely think I would lie about something like that?”

“Well… no. But it makes no sense. If you always knew you were interested solely in men, then how could you have always been interested in me? Good god Henry, when we first met I wasn’t even Victor, I was Emily Frankenstein, the strange girl who refused to wear a dress and practiced needlepoint while sitting out in the mud!” Henry’s shock dissolved into a short huff of laughter at the memory of seeing that younger, drastically different version of his boyhood crush, with long, frizzy dark brown hair (a far cry to his now short and messily cut hair) sitting in the mud by the lake wearing boys’ clothing while intently working on an embroidery that read ‘Alchemy is Relevant’ with the symbol for the philosopher’s stone above it - young Victor’s way of spiting his father.

“You know how you thought you were flawed because somehow despite everything you still felt attraction toward men?” Henry asked. He paused, then smiled. “Attraction to me, I guess.” Victor frowned slightly.

“Yes?”

“Well… that’s how I felt when I first met you. It was so bizarre to me. Up until that point, I had never understood the other boys my age, all pining over young girls while I was admiring which of them was the most handsome. And then I met you, and even though I was so sure of myself and who I was, you turned it all on its head. For the first time I wasn’t just admiring, I was fully, deeply enthralled by someone. I simply chalked it up to the fact that, perhaps this just meant I finally found the right girl, like my father always said I would, and that maybe everything I thought I knew was wrong. And yet… I continued to find myself admiring only other boys my age, and no other girls. I was so deeply conflicted - until that day years later when you returned after having run away and confided in me that you had come to realize you were never meant to be a girl at all,” he explained. Victor’s expression softened.

“So… what you’re saying is… you… you knew all along? Before I was even aware of my own identity?” Henry thought for a moment, then smiled.

“Come to think of it, I suppose maybe I did! I’ve… never really thought of it like that before.” Victor stared at him for a moment, then lay back again, smiling brightly. Henry smiled back at him, and lay beside him again - though moving a bit closer this time.

“Then I suppose we were never broken after all,” Victor remarked. “All this time, we knew each other far better than we ever realized. I’ve never much believed in soul mates, but… considering this evidence, I’m almost considering rethinking my stance on that,” he concluded half jokingly. 

“You jest, but… you have to admit it might have some merit,” Henry pointed out as he stared calmly up at the sky. “How truly remarkable that the stars should align for us to meet, that the strings of fate should tie us together so neatly and that we should lead each other, even if unknowingly, into the light that is living our truths. We may have no evidence for the existence of some higher power, but there is proof that the world works in mysterious and wonderful ways that even science cannot define. Our very existence is such a specific rarity, a mere blip on the scale of time, and somehow here we are, together, here, now.” Victor turned on his side, lifting himself up slightly as he stared in awe and admiration as Henry spoke. “We are miracles, Victor, common miracles yet miracles all the same. There is so much we have to learn and to discover about the world and about ourselves, and how brilliant it is that we should have the chance to do so together, and to lift each other up to be the very best versions of ourselves that we can be. We-” He suddenly was cut off as Victor was suddenly leaning over him, propping himself on one hand that rested on Henry’s other side, his light brown eyes staring down into his hazel ones with a gaze of pure wonder. He shuddered, his heart suddenly fluttering in his chest as he looked up at him, and he gasped softly as Victor placed his unoccupied hand onto his cheek and brushed a long strand of ginger hair away from his eyes.

“Is it too early?” Victor inquired in a quiet whisper. Henry pressed his face into Victor’s hand.

“Too early for what?” Victor hesitated.

“Is it too early to say I... I-” Henry grinned, breathing deeply and slowly shaking his head as he lifted a hand and placed it on Victor’s cheek.

“I love you too,” he murmured. They stayed frozen for a moment, silence returning between them as the creatures of the night continued to sing their songs and the trees creaked softly in the breeze. As they searched each other’s eyes for some unspoken answer to some unheard question, it was Victor who suddenly leaned down, his pulse racing as his lips locked with Henry’s. At first Henry’s eyes widened, but his eyelids fluttered closed as he lifted his hand higher and gently gripped Victor’s short, messy brown hair between his fingers, softly pulling him in closer. Though it only lasted a moment, it felt like a blissful eternity before they slowly broke away, both of them shaking with the joy and excitement of it all. As Victor lay back on his side, he wrapped his arm around Henry tightly, and Henry moved closer, wrapping his own arm around him. They lay contentedly in each other's embrace, silently staring at one another as though there was nothing else in the world they’d rather see than each other’s eyes. That was, until, a sudden cry from just outside the forest jolted them both upright. Victor let out a soft sigh, and slowly started to rise to his feet.

“I’ll be back,” he muttered disappointedly. Henry gave a sympathetic smile as he stood as well.

“No, I’ll come with you.” Victor hesitated a moment before descending the boulder and landing on the ground with a soft thud, Henry following close behind.

“You don’t have to. I’m sure it’ll only be a moment,” he mentioned. Henry took his hand and squeezed it tightly.

“And I don’t want to lose a single moment to spend with you,” he murmured, leaning forward and tenderly kissing Victor’s cheek. Victor blushed and smiled sheepishly.

“If you insist-” He was cut off by the sound of a sudden loud sob. “Come on. It sounds like one hell of a nightmare,” he mentioned as he began to lead the way back to their cabin home.

“Sometimes I think you make a surprisingly good father, despite everything between the two of you,” Henry mentioned as they exited the trees. Victor gave a contented sigh as they came upon the dwelling and he reached for the door.

“You really think so?” he asked quietly as they walked in and continued toward where they could hear his creation now quietly crying inside. “Well… at least I won’t have to do it alone now.” He paused just outside the door to the creature’s room, looking back at Henry. “You will stay, won’t you?” Henry chuckled softly, gripping Victor’s hand tighter.

“Oh, Victor,” he murmured, leaning forward and resting his forehead against his. “From the day I first got here, I never wanted to leave.”

[melodicwitchlight]

@ofimaginarybeings​

“sometimes i wake up and my body does not follow.”

she audibly whispers above sentence to the scientist, victor frankenstein, before her, not wanting to raise volume. grey bloodless he was of face, contrasting with red rimmed eyes, which scared her upon initial.

sansa missed her family; her lady mother, her brother, her father, her direwolf. they had been slaughtered in her past life.

she prayed now in the new modern world, unable to find her family ; reincarnated they were not. the modern world was strange and horrifyingly lonely, and it took her a fair time to adapt to the customs. 

she had perished in her past life when attempting to escape with ser dontos from king’s landing, dontos having clumsily knocked them off the cliff with his weight. dontos was well intentioned though, drunken and homely he was. he was not after just gold, she refused to believe; he looked after me, wanted to repay for the kindness I showed him.

she eventually comes across this strange man called the doctor, and he had granted her fair passage one time to attempt to travel back to the past. albeit with warning that it could be dangerous, if she could not picture this peculiar time period like the war of the roses.

she lands on the ground of the victorian era (unbeknownst to her), noticing old fashioned clothes worn by passers-by. is this the fashion nowadays…? fleetingly thought. hold on, seven gods!! this was not westeros!! shocked she was. yet it was pretty fashion, to be sure.

she had bumped into this odd character, victor, when leaving his career for the day, the only one she could weirdly somewhat trust in this world, lightly touched upon conversation they were. she felt so LOST in this world, and she was glad he granted her kindness to help her understand this world.

the surgical room which resided as the proprietor’s assistant’s house? laboratory? was rather freezing in its uninsulated dirty brick interior, light from lamps against the wall. it was a dark dwelling to be sure, smelling slight like…the poorer side of king’s landing.

the bloody appendages from inert bodies she noted on table, was quite frightening.

she did not quite know why she confided such words detoured from the courteous ease to ensure her survival. perhaps it was because...

“victor, about what you said about all feeling shame and having committed sin---would it matter how terrible the transgression was?”

helping perpetuate her family’s destruction ; would victor be horrorstruck?

[itsthenovelteafactor]

Superhero Gothic

Thanks to everyone who responded to my previous post (special shoutout to @jeyfeather1234 💛 ) about superheroes and gothic media! I know it’s been, like, a month, but here we go.

Here’s a bit of a look into some common gothic themes, and how they apply to Doom Patrol, The Boys, Watchmen (2019), and The Umbrella Academy. This one’s a bit long, not gonna lie, but I hope you enjoy! 

Part I: Let’s Talk About Gothic Media

There is not actually an all-encompassing definition for gothic media, or even a universally agreed-upon one. You’re probably familiar with some well-known gothic works (think Dracula, Frankenstein, Edgar Allen Poe, Stephen King) but there is a lot of debate on what exactly makes them gothic. 

There are some common themes in gothic works, though: families/characters under the control of a tyrannical paterfamilias, the crumbling of the established order/estate, long-buried secrets that have consequences in the present, and supernatural events that are stand-ins for/reflective of the emotional state/past actions of the characters. 

(Note: these aren’t all the themes of gothic works or even most of them, but for purposes here, I’d like to limit this analysis to them. I’d love to talk about other themes/ideas, though, if anyone has them. 😊)

So… superheroes (quick overview in case you haven’t watched any of them… spoiler warnings for the rest of this discussion)

Doom Patrol:

Five misfit superhumans attempt to rescue their mentor figure when he is kidnapped by an old enemy.

They are very, very bad at it.

Also features a singing horse head, a sentient nonbinary teleporting street (who is by far the best character) and the narrator is the fourth-wall breaking series villain. 

Beautifully weird but will also emotionally devastate you. Criminally underrated, tbh.

Watchmen (2019):

Story takes place after the canon of the graphic novel which is too much to summarize.

Alternate history (that should really feel more fictitious than it does) where white supremacist organization the Seventh Cavalry, masked police officers, and former superheroes in hiding all collide in Tulsa Oklahoma

Swept the Emmys this year and ABSOLUTELY DESERVED TO

The Umbrella Academy:

Washed up former child superheroes are forced to reunite when their father dies under mysterious circumstances 

Time travel, dysfunctional siblings, and a killer soundtrack

Basically a family drama with the superhero story as secondary (complimentary)

Probably the most obviously gothic of all of these it is aesthetic AF 

The Boys: 

Superheroes exist but they are corporate sellouts under the control of evil company Not-Amazon (AKA Vought)

Regular human protagonists try to hold them accountable for their actions with varying (read: usually minimal) success

Yes, it’s the one from those weird ads earlier this year

Billy Joel!! 

Part II: Niles Caulder, Ozymandias, and Other Terrible Father Figures

The Tyrannical Paterfamilias: 

Does not always mean a father figure explicitly, often relating to the notion of a patriarchal tradition, or family inheritance that plays a role in controlling the main characters. 

Sometimes, it is a father figure. 

Sometimes, it is a representative of patriarchal tradition/male head of pseudo-family unit.

So, uh, role call: 

Reginald Hargreeves (even in death) holds power over his children, and has shaped all of them into the adults they have become, and that drives the majority of the conflict. Each of the major character individually grapples with the after-effects of his abuse. Luther feels the need to be the leader and protect everyone and alienates his allies as a consequence. Diego constantly asserts himself as a hero (often to dangerous extremes) because it is the only way he was ever valued. Allison has to teach herself boundaries and responsible use of her powers after he encouraged her to abuse them for years. Klaus turns to drugs to cope with his childhood trauma. Five disobeyed his father with disastrous consequences and is constantly fighting to not become him. Vanya spent her entire childhood in the background, and never learned to assert herself in a healthy way. Thanks, Reggie.

Homelander says that The Seven are like a family. While whether or not this is accurate (it isn’t) is up for debate, he does occupy the tyrannical paterfamilias roles incredibly well. Homelander controls every member of the Seven, threatening them and their loved ones whenever they step out of line (read: do not do exactly what he wants in the exact way he wants them to do it.) He is also very closely tied with conservative/patriarchal rhetoric in-universe and at one point dates a literal Nazi. 

William Butcher less evil than most of the other characters on this list but the bar is also like, on the ground. Butcher tries to control the Boys in a similar way (Butcher and Homelander are character foils, okay? it’s actually pretty neat). He’s perfectly willing to sacrifice them in pursuit of his own goals, disregards their points of view and the well-being of their loved ones, and tries to cut loose anyone who disagrees with his methods (recall when Hughie tried to rescue his friends at the end of s1 and Butcher… punched him in the face? Yeah, that.) The difference is that the Boys can push back against his without being, you know, brutally murdered. (And also the Butcher isn’t a literal monster; I’m not anti-Butcher, okay? He’s an interesting character and the fact that he seems constantly on the verge of becoming that which he hates most is part of what makes him interesting.)

Guess what, folks? It’s hating Niles Caulder hours. He engineered accidents to turn the main characters into his test subjects, and then kept them conveniently hidden away in his large manor. Stole their autonomy and independence but paints himself as a benevolent father figure. And that’s not even including what he does to his actual daughter, Dorothy. He’s terrified of her growing up (read: becoming a young woman) and so he locks her away for almost 100 years and, when she is freed, yells at her constantly and makes her terrified of showing any signs of maturation (even though she’s 111 and clearly tired of being written off as a child).

The relationship between Ozymandias and his daughter, Lady Trieu, is integral to the final act of Watchmen. Heralded as the “smartest man in the world,” Ozymandias refused to acknowledge his daughter as his until he needed something from her. While Lady Trieu is more self-sufficient and independent than some of the applications of this trope, she goes to great lengths to prove herself, first to him, and then to herself when he rejects her.

Part III: Been a Long Time Gone (Constantinople) 

Gothic fiction is often associated with change, and particularly, the collapse of established systems of power. For example, many works like The House of the Seven Gables and The Fall of the House of Usher take place in old, crumbling manor houses. There is a reason for this! These kinds of estates are remnants of a past that is irreversibly gone, and their continued presence in decrypt forms serves as a reminder. 

Each of the four series takes place at a moment, either on a wide scale or on a personal scale (or both!), in which an established order is being questioned, and the constant reminders of that failed order are used to gothic effect.

The Umbrella Academy plays this most directly (In fact, there are TONS of parallels between the end of s1 of TUA and House of Usher that I don’t have the time to get into right now... lmk if you want that meta). We can see the Hargreeves mansion as a very literal example of this. While not worn down, the house is notably both very large and very empty. Shelves are filled with merchandise for a superhero team that disbanded over a decade prior, and portraits of a family that no longer speaks to each other. None of the family members ever seem truly comfortable or at ease in the house, and for good reason - every back corner is a reminder of their incredibly traumatic childhood. 

In The Boys, the story begins with the fridging death of the main character’s girlfriend, Robin, at the hands of a member of the Seven, a group of heroes so ingrained in the public consciousness that when they later hide out in a costume shop, literally every single costume is for one of Vought’s heroes. The Seven represent the system in power, which, at the disposal of Not-Amazon means corporate greed, shallow altruism, and the cultivation of public personas at the expense of actual humanity. 

From that moment on, the sheer presence of The Seven on everything from public billboards to breakfast cereal is a remainder for Hughie (and the audience) that this established system doesn’t work and is based on lies, which serves this effect on a personal level. In the broader scale, however, we also see that the Seven themselves are fracturing under an unsustainable business model. Even their name, “The Seven” starts to seem a bit dated when halfway through season one through the end of season two there are notably... less than seven of them. 

The main characters in Doom Patrol are all in recovery after the accidents that irreversibly changed their lives. We see through flashbacks the people that they used to be, and the difference is striking. They were each established in their own elements: Cliff a famous race-car driver, Rita a world renowned actress, Larry a hero pilot, Jane was involved in counter-cultural movements, Vic was a student and athlete. The foundations upon which their worlds were established are completely decimated by the accidents, and now they (save Vic and sometimes Jane) live mostly in isolation in Niles’ manor house, an estate that is far larger than would be necessary to comfortably house a group of their size.

And you feel the emptiness, both in the manor, and in the lives of the characters. They have barely created a shadow version of their own existence when the series starts, so fragile that a simple trip into town devolves into utter chaos. 

Angela Abar of Watchmen has also constructed a life following the terrifying act of terrorism on the White Night. It’s a bit of a double life, and we see that the balancing act is challenging for her, even before the story truly begins. The death of Judd Crawford, and the revelation about him that follows is not only traumatizing on a personal level (but it definitely is that), but also upsets her understanding of the world. People she’s come to trust are not just dishonest but truly monstrous. And the more Angela learns about what has been happening, the more her understanding of the world begins to unravel. Her memories, and the memories of those around her are cast in a much more sinister light, and the effect is genuinely chilling. 

Part IV: “I’m the Little Girl Who Threw the Brick in the Air”

In episode 3 of Watchmen, Laurie contacts Dr. Manhattan on the cosmic phone booth to tell him a joke. It’s a version of what TVTropes calls the “brick joke,” and it relies on set up taking place early on, other stuff happening, and then the response coming at an unexpected moment. 

So, yeah. Events of the past/buried secrets resurfacing with consequences in the present.

Continuing with the theme from Watchmen, the entire series is punctuated with the way the past and the present intertwine, with elements from both the original Watchmen graphic novel, and actual American history. One of the things we talked a lot about in my gothic lit class was the manner in which the overhanging specter of past atrocities casts a shadow over the present, and how many works cannot help but have gothic themes because there are so many horrifying things in the past that cannot be ignored, and provide both context and nuance for the discussions we have in the present. No series tackles these topics quite so directly (and with as much care) as Watchmen. (note: it does not always make for easy viewing, but if you’re in a place where you feel like you can engage with that kind of material, I highly recommend the show.)

In Doom Patrol, the past actions of the characters very much control the storyline (see: previous discussion of Niles Caulder), but the character whose storyline I want to talk about here is Rita (partially for plot reasons and partially because I just love Rita, okay?). We learn when we first meet Rita that in the past she was... not a great person. We know that the trauma of the accident that gave her her powers has changed her, we also know that she still holds on to the guilt and that her guilt has limited the scope of her world for years, but we don’t know what exactly it is that she’s done. 

Enter Mr. Nobody, all-powerful narrator who is not just aware of Rita’s greatest sins, but perfectly capable of manifesting reminders of them into the story. She is confronted with empty cradles, and the sound of crying children in the background of many scenes and we see how much it effects her, without a full understanding of why it does (see: The Tell-Tale Heart). Her past begins to haunt her physically, and she begins to crumble in response to it, until finally she is forced to confide in a stranger (and thus the audience). The past actions do not just inform the audience of Rita’s character - they show up to influence her behavior in the present. 

The ending of The Umbrella Academy season 1 is super evocative of the gothic genre with Vanya breaking open the soundproof chamber (wherein she was silenced for years) and rising from the basement to destroy the last remnants of the Hargreeves legacy (which would be awesome if the last remnants of the Hargreeves legacy didn’t include the rest of her family). Pretty much every mistake the siblings make over the course of the season feeds together to create the finale, but the primary cause isn’t something any of them actually did. It all ties back to Reginald Hargreeves’ complete inability to be nice to children. Any children. His own and random strangers that need help. 

In The Boys, while the extent to which people are making f-ed up choices in the present cannot be expressed enough, we see through the characters of Homelander that many of the present difficulties are a result of past mistakes. Particularly, the profit-seeking corruption within Vought. We learn in s1 through Vogelbaum that Homelander was raised in a lab by Vought as an experiment, only to be unceremoniously thrust into the spotlight and told he was a superhero (which... does not justify a single one of his actions but is still a major yikes). As the head scientist of the project, Vogelbaum is very aware that ignoring his conscious if the name of research has essentially created the biggest threat their world has ever seen. 

(Seriously y’all just stop raising your super kids in isolation) 

Part V: Put Them Together, and They’re the MF-ing Spice Girls 

Having the environment respond to characters’ emotions/mental states is pretty common in gothic works (it was a dark and stormy night = someone is probably not doing super well). One of the advantages of the genre’s tendency towards the supernatural is that, often, those elements of the stories, as well, are reflections of the main ideas of a work of fiction (see: Stephen King’s really unsubtle period metaphors).

Because all of these shows have a ton of supernatural/scifi elements by virtue of being, well, superhero shows, I thought it would be easier (and more fun!) to come up with a short list of elements, what they mean, and what cases they might apply to.

1. A Nonlinear Experience of Time

The Umbrella Academy: legitimately about time travel. Characters are attempting to fix the timeline but are unable to because they are both mentally and sometimes literally stuck in the past. 

Watchmen: In the episode This Extraordinary Being, Angela experiences firsthand the experiences of her grandfather, under the influence of a drug called Nostalgia. The episode touches on many themes, one of which being the impact of generational trauma in marginalized communities. Throughout the series, Dr. Manhatten is cursed with experiencing all time at once, and the episode A God Walks into Abar illustrates that, because of this, he is constantly facing the consequences of particular actions before, after, and while he is preforming him.

Doom Patrol: Mr. Nobody is able to physically travel to one of Jane’s flashbacks via his fourth-wall breaking powers, and gives Dr. Harrison an ultimatum for the future. 

What it implies: Events, particularly events that evoke guilt or conflict, are not as rooted in the past as one would like to think.

2. Powers/Abilities that reflect personal trauma/failings

Doom Patrol: Larry’s abilities/bond with the Negative Spirit have made it so that he is constantly covering himself with bandages/avoiding other people, which reflects his experiences having to hide his identity as a gay man in the 50/60s. Rita forced herself to walk a thin line, betraying everything in pursuit of her image; her abilities require constant effort to keep her entire body from becoming misshapen and out of control. Vic’s father with boundary issues can literally control his perception of the world through his cybernetic enhancements. Dorothy’s abilities manifest as imaginary friends because she was kept isolated for years at a time. 

The Umbrella Academy: pretty much all of the kids’ powers are representative of the interpersonal skills they were never able to develop. Luther is super-durable but also the most emotionally vulnerable of the group. Five can teleport and time travel but always seems to be too late to stop things. Diego can manipulate the trajectory of projectiles but cannot escape the path his father set out for him, not matter how much he resents it. Vanya always forced herself to stay quiet until the sound literally explodes out of her.

The Boys: Annie’s abilities allow her to control light, but she struggles (in the beginning) to bring to light the horrible things done to her behind closed doors. 

Watchmen: Not technically a power, but Looking Glass’ mirror-mask is a constant reminder of the hall of mirrors that both saved his life and traumatized him forever. 

What it implies: from a story perspective, these allow for an exploration of trauma/guilt to occur on a scale much larger than people simply talking about their problems (as if anyone on any of these shows knows how to talk about their problems...) It also means that the trauma/guilt of the characters takes on a physical form that is able to haunt them, and constantly remind them/hold them accountable for their past actions.

3. Diluted Sense of Reality:

Doom Patrol: The first season is narrated by its main villain, and throughout the season we see that the act of narration itself has an impact on the story.

Watchmen: The event that kicks off the plot of the story is hinged upon a paradox introduced by Angela near the end of the series when trying to speak to her Grandfather in the past through Dr. Manhattan.

The Umbrella Academy: The pair of episodes in season 1, The Day that Wasn’t and The Day That Was take the same point in time and explore two possible avenue for the future from there, with The Day that Wasn’t ending with the events of the entire episode being completely erased from the timeline.

What it implies: you can’t necessarily trust everything you see, even from the audience perspective, giving them a position not unlike that of the characters. The character’s uncertainty and confusion is magnified and reflected in the world that surrounds them.

Other examples: an apocalypse (The Umbrella Academy, Doom Patrol, Watchmen (of a sort)), ghosts (The Umbrella Academy - hi, Ben!), immortality/invulnerability (Watchmen, Doom Patrol, The Boys), and characters that look significantly younger than they actually are (The Boys, The Umbrella Academy, Doom Patrol). 

Part VI: Why Did You Write a Literal Essay Don’t You Have Real Schoolwork (yes... shhhhh...)

And... there you have it. I don’t really have some grand conclusion here. This is (clearly) far from a complete analysis but it is the most my finals-week brain can concoct at the moment. 

If you have other ideas, let me know! You can always add to the notes or message me – my inbox is always open!  If you got this far, thank you so much for taking the time to read this! Much love! ❤️

[knightbird]

(Text from Steven Forry’s Hideous Progenies)

i was born 200 years too late... i should have been able to see frankenstein and the creature (fail to) die by elephant.

image descriptions under the cut

A digital comic, followed by a screenshot of text from a book. 

Comic description: It is set on the slopes of snowy mountains.  The creature wears simple ragged clothing, Frankenstein wears winter gear. 

A pulled out shot of the mountain landscape - the figure of Frankenstein’s creature is seen from behind, walking beside a snow covered cliff face.  The same shot, but closer - a bullet bursts against the cliff face, sending snow and debris out. (Text: BOOM.)  The creature flinches away from the shot.  An extreme close up of the creature’s face as he whirls around to glare behind him.  An extreme close up of Frankenstein’s face, staring back at the creature in anger.  Their breaths are visible in the cold air.  Over the creature’s shoulder, we see Frankenstein climbing up the mountain towards the creature.  He tosses aside the fired gun.  The gunshot is shown echoing throughout the last three panels.  (Text: OOM OOM OOM.)  Two panels side by side show Frankenstein drawing and firing a second gun.  As it fires, the smoke of the discharge is illuminated orange.  The creature leaps out of the way and the bullet hits the snow.  Text: BOOM.  The creature lands a few meters away, and Frankenstein is seen reaching for the rifle he’s carrying.  Another pulled out shot of the mountains - the two characters are tiny figures.  The shot’s echo continues.  (Text: OOM OOM OOM.)  Frankenstein begins to hold up the rifle, but hears a noise.  (Text: BRRRRR.)  An over the shoulder shot behind Frankenstein as he and the creature both pause as the noise continues.  (Text: BRRRRR.)  A shadow falls over both of them, as they look back and upwards in fear and surprise.  The noise intensifies.  (Text: RRRRRR.)  An elephant bursts through the snow, falling downwards towards the camera.  Frankenstein and the creature are shown running away, as the avalanche crashes down towards them.   The elephant falls onto the slope, sending snow flying.  (Text: BOOM.)  The same place on the mountain is shown, covered in new piles of snow as it settles.  Then, the same panel, but the elephant’s trunk and tusks are poking out of the largest pile, and it is blowing snow out of its trunk.  Frankenstein's face and limbs are poking out of the snow on the left, and the creature’s head and shoulders can be seen on the right.

end comic description

Text transcript: In truth, Bunn’s production was doomed from the outset.  Not only were costumes lacking for the cast (O. Smith, who played the Creature, was forced to wear a dress shirt with a plaid coat pinned to his shoulders), but the theatre did not have enough white canvas to stage the elaborate avalanche in which, at the play’s conclusion, Frankenstein and his “unhallowed abortion” are destroyed.  Rather, a large canvas elephant, which earlier that year had been commissioned for a production of Thalaba the Destroyer, was white-washed and shoved over the flies followed by a quick curtain.  Even this expedient miscarried, however, as a review for the Birmingham Spectator (3 July) notes: “Thunder and Lightning would have done better, had they been less metallic and smoky; and Avalanche (the stage elephant) came down before the cue was given to him, so that Franky and his Demon were obliged to seek death from some source other than excessive snow-ball.”  O. Smith later recalled the scene in his memoirs:

before we reached our elevation a pistol was fired from behind the scenes, when the Master Carpenter being over anxious for the success of the experiment let go - when down came the elephant with a tremendous crash, knocked down the platform and scenery and came rolling down the stage to the footlights where it ran some danger of being roasted till it was dragged off the stage by the green-coat men, and the curtain dropped upon Frankenstein amid laughter and applause of a good natured audience.

end image descriptions

[recurring-polynya]

Request: RenRuki; Mad Scientist!Renji shocks Frankenstein Monster!Rukia with electricity to test the endurance of Mikasa's heart

I am not quite sure who you mean by Mikasa-- I am guessing either Masaki or Hisana? I really enjoy making Renji into Byakuya’s beleaguered minion in any universe, and I was extremely charmed by the idea of the latter, so that’s what I went with. I supposed this is a little less “Mad Scientist” and a little more Ticked-Off Postdoc, but a crumbling castle on a moonswept cliff? In this economy??

CW: Some detailed discussion of building a monster out of body parts. It’s not intended to be scary or gross, but just wanted to be on the safe side.

Read on ao3 or ff.net

🧪   🧠   ⚡

I should have finished my dissertation, Abarai Renji thought to himself, irritably rubbing at the nicotine patch under the collar of his shirt.

Education-in-perpetuum was a rich kid’s game, though, and when he’d had to choose between a paying entry-level gig at Kuchiki Biotech or a continued monk-like existence grading freshman papers and scrubbing out the autoclave, he’d followed the money. It had seemed like such a good idea at the time, working in industry. Eating food that didn’t come with a seasoning packet, living in an apartment that had both heating and air-conditioning, the indescribable luxury of a monthly transit pass. Yeah, it stung a little when Kira and Hinamori sent selfies of themselves at that conference in Berlin, and later, in their stupid graduation get-ups, but after seven years of working his ass off, of being on time every day, of covering his ink and minding his manners, Renji had been noticed by Kuchiki Byakuya himself, the reclusive CEO of the company.

“You were a student of Dr. Aizen Sousuke?” Kuchiki had asked, his cold grey eyes skipping past Renji’s carefully knotted tie and spotless lab coat to linger on his bandana and the cover-up smudges that protruded from beneath it. “The cephalopod neurophysicist?”

“That’s correct.”

“His work on artificial chromatophores was stunning.”

Right. That.

“Er, the camouflage stuff wasn’t my area of interest, but I have a couple of friends in that area if you’re--”

“You studied nervous system regeneration. But you did not graduate.”

Renji had tried not to look surprised, because his supervisor had warned him that Byakuya liked to try and surprise people and then judge them for being surprised. Byakuya had probably just dug up his resume from HR prior to this interview. “That’s right. Well. About the nervous system thing. I did graduate, just, y’know, ABD. That’s not even true, I wrote about half a dissertation. Maybe two-thirds.” His mouth snapped shut. Kuchiki Byakuya definitely did not want to hear about his two-thirds of a dissertation.

“I read your article in the Journal of Zoological Neuroscience, the one about using a donor octopus brain to reanimate a dead specimen? I assume you wrote it. You were listed as second author, but it was not rife with Dr. Aizen’s usual bloviations. It was excellent work.”

Renji had failed in his attempts to keep from looking surprised.

“I am starting a special project that could use a man of your expertise. Dr. Shirogane spoke well of your time here, and felt that you were ready to take on the role of primary investigator.” Byakuya looked at his extremely expensive watch, as though he were already getting bored of this meeting. “It is a small project, a one-man project, and I am afraid it will not produce any sort of publishable results. In fact, I will require you to sign a number of non-disclosure agreements, should you accept. But it is a very important project to me, personally.”

Renji could still remember the excitement, the feel of his heart stuttering in his chest. He imagined telling Kira and Hinamori about the personal project he was doing for the wealthiest biotech entrepreneur in Japan. He felt smart. He felt important. He felt like industry was finally paying off for him.

Two days later, he found out that this project involved grave-robbing.

It turned out that Kuchiki was a widower. His wife had been a kind, beautiful angel who had died of complications from cystic fibrosis at the tender age of 34. Despite everything, her heart has been very strong at the time of her death. So Kuchiki kept it, y’know, like a normal person. And then he found one of his employees, a guy with big muscles and no family and a lot of student debt, and asked him to make a new body to put that heart in.

That was three years ago. Since then, Renji had acquired his own sub-basement laboratory and a used pick-up truck. He had a lot of middle-of-the-night meetings with Kuchiki, where he got used to delivering absolutely deranged progress reports in a calm and conversational tone. He’d taken up smoking again, but then he had to quit because Kuchiki didn’t like the smell. He stopped seeing most of his old friends, in favor of his fabulous new friends, like Isane, the nervous assistant mortician at the hospital, and Hisagi, who worked down at the funeral home and drove a hearse like it was a Shelby Cobra. His new best drinking buddy was a guy named Akon, who worked over at Kurosutchi Heavy Industries and was building some sort of cyborg daughter for his creepy boss.

And now he had her.

Maybe she’ll turn out to be better than a dissertation, Renji thought, contemplating the girl-thing floating in an antifreeze bath in his sub-basement lab.

She was small, in part because the original Hisana had been small, but also because regrowing the nervous system had been the hardest part, and the less he had to grow, the better.

At first, he’d put a fair amount of effort into making her look like Hisana, but Byakuya never seemed to give a shit about stuff like that, so Renji started to take a few liberties here and there. An athlete’s limbs (well, more like three different athlete’s limbs) gave her a lean and powerful build, instead of the wispy slenderness of her predecessor. He’d been very picky about the eyes, but his patience had paid off when he scored a stunning pair from Ishida, a bitter med student who had a part time job in the university’s dissection sample acquisition department. They were deep blue, nearly verging on purple, like a starless sky. Renji wasn’t very good at suturing at first, and the big, clunky stitches that held her mismatched parts together were a little jarring. Renji had come to rather like them, though. She wasn’t a perfect, flawless angel. She was a pile of lost potential, cobbled together and given a second chance, and he liked that she wore that openly on her skin. If she didn’t like it, well, he could always offer to take her down to his tattoo place.

The only thing Byakuya had objected to was the brain.

It was a criminal’s brain, or at least that’s what Byakuya said. The brain had belonged to a teen girl who’d been caught shoplifting, and in her attempt to make a break for it, darted into traffic. It was extremely fresh, though. The girl died in the hospital and Isane called him right away. By the time Byakuya even found out about it, Renji already had the brain nestled in among the little baby human-octopus hybrid nervous system he’d been growing, so there was nothing to be done. Renji had assured Byakuya it would be fine, she wasn’t going to remember anything about her old life anyway. He did not mention that he’d done a fair bit of petty theft in his youth, and he’d turned out… well. Never mind.

He’d turned out to be an insane person, actually. A person who flaunted the rules of ethics and nature. He was an actual, real-life, mad scientist (ABD). Well, assuming all this worked.

In the morning, Byakuya was expecting a demonstration. The demonstration. The part where Renji pulled a lever and sent enough voltage surging through that precious little Kuchiki heart to bring Byakuya’s new sister to life.

He’d run and re-run all the individual organ tests. Reviewed his check list three times. Read and re-read all his notes. It was either going to work, or it wasn’t. If it worked, he was a genius, a mastermind. Kuchiki would give him a pat on the back and a big bonus and he was also going to start addressing Renji as Doctor Abarai, dissertation be damned.

If it failed, Renji was going to be lugging his belongings to the curb in a cardboard box.

It was now 2:16am.

If he went home, he’d just stare at the ceiling for four hours, but at least he would be able to shower before he had to face his moment of doom.

You could just do it, he realized. Pull the lever. Pull it right now.

Byakuya would be pissed, of course, he wanted to be there for the Big Shock, but if it worked, he’d be so happy to have a living, breathing, undead sister that he’d probably overlook Renji jumping the gun. If it didn’t work, Renji would have those four hours to troubleshoot.

The more he thought about it, the better the idea sounded. He honestly wasn’t real sure what kind of mental capabilities, if any, his monster girl was going to have. If she woke up spitting and clawing, he was okay with that, but Byakuya might not take it so well. Yeah, it definitely made good sense to give her a boot up now, so there were no surprises in the morning.

Renji stood up, and strode over to the portable generator he’d rigged up over the weekend. His hand hovered over the switch. He was gonna do it.

No.

In a minute.

He walked back over to the cold tank and plopped down in the chair sitting next to it, where he often sat when he had Serious Thinking to do. She floated serenely an inch under the liquid, her pale skin tinted blue, her hair floating in a cloud around her face. The cold was necessary to keep her organs in stasis, and it’s not like she could feel it, but he felt a little bad about it anyway.

“Hey, there,” he said softly. “It’s me. Renji. We’ve been through a lot, you and me. I’m gonna turn you on, in a minute. I’m not sure how it’s gonna go. I’ve been kind of a screw-up my whole life, but you seem pretty perfect, so may we’ll even each other out.” He chewed the inside of his cheek. “Another guy is gonna come by in the morning. He’s rich and powerful and has, like 17 cars. He’s gonna be your brother, and if you can be a convincing enough person, he’s gonna treat you like his sister and you’ll be set for life. But I want you to know that even if you’re a failure, even if you try to eat my face or something, that I always liked you. Hopefully, I’ll still get to see you a lot. But if not… I just wanted to let you know that I’m only giving you up ‘cause I gotta, not ‘cause I want to.” He breathed out through his nose. “Kuchiki’s probably gonna give you some flowery princess name. He’s never told me. But a while ago, I started thinking of you as ‘Rukia.’ I don’t really know where it came from. I think it means ‘light.’ So if you don’t like whatever name he gives you, you always got that one to fall back on.” He slapped his knees and stood up. “Enough of this! It’s time for you to get up.”

Once again, Renji stood, gripping the on switch in one sweaty hand. “Here goes nothing,” he declared, and flipped it.

First, there was a hum, which gradually raised in pitch until his ears rang. The needle on the voltage gauge climbed steadily. A few wisps of Renji’s hair began to stand on end. Rukia’s body bucked.

And then, with a loud crack, all the lights went out. Fuck.

Of all the things he had double and triple checked, the power supply to the generator had not been one of them. Renji groaned, and scrolled through his phone, trying to find the damn flashlight app. He only had 6% battery, which meant it was going to last about sixteen seconds. Fortunately, his lab was on an isolated circuit, so hopefully, he hadn’t knocked out power anywhere else in the building.

He had his phone pointed the wrong way when he turned the app on, and it immediately blinded him. “Ah, shit!” he exclaimed.

As he was blinking the stars out of his eyes, he heard a splash and he realized that he might have actually managed to bring Rukia to life before the generator died. He dashed over to the bath frantically. If she tried to get her own oxygen mask off, she might drown. Renji scanned liquid with his flashlight, but it was murky with bubbles. He couldn’t see anything. Had she sunk down to the bottom? He was practically leaning over the tank when he felt a hand on his arm that was so frigid that it burned, even through his lab coat and the shirt beneath it.

Slowly, Renji panned his already-dimming flashlight around, keeping it pointed at the floor, in part, so he didn’t blind her as he had himself, and in part because… well, because…

“Hi,” he said, as a pale face swam into view.

“Hi,” she repeated in the exact same inflection.

She could talk. She had speech, or at least repetition abilities. Renji wanted desperately to take notes, but he was frozen. “How do you feel?” he asked.

Those big, dark blue eyes blinked at him. “Cold,” Rukia replied.

[darkicedragon]

Fanfic: Collection of Frankenstein/Muzaka Snippets [Learning Curve]

Fandom: Noblesse Summary: Frankenstein still has a lot to learn about werewolves. Notes: Set before the split in the timeline. Tied in with Post-Spar Effects, where Frankenstein first learns about it. :) Rating: G Genre: General Word count: 1,152 Total word count: 29,001 Status: Work in progress Start of the verse | Full collection Frankenstein exhaled as he leaned back against the tree, Muzaka next to him, his arm around Frankenstein's shoulders. The spar had been good, better than their previous ones. Which is what he would have hoped, but it was still nice to see the progress. Muzaka was growling low in his chest, and Frankenstein had started associating that with how content Muzaka was. He was breathing deeply as his wounds healed and Frankenstein exhaled, letting his own body heal as they relaxed together.

* * * "Do you think we should wash up now?" Frankenstein wasn't sure how long it had been since the spar had ended, but he had cooled down enough that leaning back against the tree bark  was becoming uncomfortable. He didn't get an answer, and he glanced at Muzaka, who was still growling softly, his eyes half-lidded. "Muzaka?" Still nothing. Frankenstein frowned, lifting a hand to press the back of it to Muzaka's forehead. He was warm, but not much warmer than usual. What was more worrying was that Muzaka didn't react to his touch. Well, he did, just not in the way that Frankenstein had expected, or hoped: Muzaka leaned into his hand, his growl intensifying for a breath. But reacting to his name? No. As if he hadn't heard Frankenstein, or hadn't understood him. Was this another part of werewolf transformations that he didn't understand yet? Frankenstein turned his hand over, leaning in as checked Muzaka's pupils. They seemed to react normally when he covered one eye and then uncovered it again, so it didn't seem like it was a head trauma. Not that they'd had many blows to the head in the spar. Not Muzaka, anyway - Frankenstein didn't tend to aim for the head, since that left him too open most of the time. Muzaka didn't react to that either, except to watch him as he moved in close. It was rather unnerving. Muzaka didn't seem so inclined to actually move around at that particular moment, so while Frankenstein could reasonably hope that Muzaka wouldn't suddenly decide to do so and inadvertently walk off a cliff or into a river (neither of which would permanently harm Muzaka in any way, but it would make it harder to find him again later), he could try to gain more information in the meantime. Just to ensure Muzaka would be all right, and for his own peace of mind. * * * Garda turned as he approached, and before he'd opened his mouth, she sniffed deeply and then attempted to hide a smirk, her lips twitching. "Did you have a good spar?" Of course she could smell that on him - werewolves could smell who he'd sparred with even after a wash and now, when all he'd done was pull his top back on so that he could find someone faster? "Yes, which may be the problem..." "Oh?" She lifted her eyebrows at him in question. "Muzaka's been...dazed since our spar ended," he said. Garda no longer tried to hide it, her smirk coming into full view. "A great spar then." He studied her reaction for a second. She didn't seem worried about it, and knew what he was talking about. That was a good sign. "That's normal, then?" She nodded, then paused, the smirk slipping from her lips. "That just happened?" "Yes?" Was that a problem? Was it supposed to happen at a different time? "That's why I'm he-" "You left him alone?" she demanded, her eyes going wide. "Am...I not supposed to?" Would Muzaka wander off a cliff in that state? "I had assumed he wasn't so affected that an attack-" "An attack?" she spluttered. Right. Who would attack a werewolf in their home territory, let alone the werewolf Lord? ...Aside from himself, of course. "It's because he needs touch after a big spar!" Muzaka needed what? The confusion must have been clear on his face, because Garda shook her head, huffing. "What do humans do after a good spar?" "...Tend to each other's wounds?" Sometimes. But that occurrence didn't happen with werewolf warriors, since the only treatment for injuries they had was 'Wait two minutes, at most'. She narrowed her eyes at him, studying him. "Do humans not have the haze afterwards?" "The haze?" ...Wait. A change in mental status after physical exertion, and the need for touch afterwards. It was familiar to Frankenstein, but not in this context. "You make it sound as if we were intimate with each other." "You were," she said, shaking her head at him. "You sparred hard enough to make it happen!" How was sparring similar to - oh. Oh, of course. Werewolves didn't experience physical attraction, but a kind of strength attraction, and their numbers were low enough they clearly weren't intimate as often as humans were. So it would make sense that werewolves experienced intense pleasure through sparring instead. And some people needed physical contact afterwards to help ground them. Ah.   "Talk later...?" he said sheepishly, her reaction now making sense. "Or talk to him once he's thinking like himself again. Go." Frankenstein ran. * * * It was easy to find his and Muzaka's sparring ground again, the area now familiar to Frankenstein after the time he had spent travelling to and fro. And because he could hear a faint whimpering. He followed the sound and when he arrived at their sparring ground, the difference between how he had left Muzaka and how he was like now was subtle, but still clear. Muzaka's expression was strained, a confused drawing in of his brow as his hands listlessly clutched at the ground. As if searching for something. Frankenstein. Guilt wrapped around Frankenstein's heart as the realisation of what he'd done and how Muzaka might be feeling settled in. "I'm here," Frankenstein said, hurrying towards him. Frankenstein had never seen Muzaka like this before, which was why he'd been so concerned in the first place. But now he could see what it really was now: Muzaka was vulnerable. While Muzaka had been open with him, the role of werewolf Lord was always there, ready to slide in place if something were to happen. Now, it wasn't. It was just Muzaka, who had just wanted to hold him, and Frankenstein had left him alone instead. Muzaka relaxed at the sound of his voice, turning towards him. "My apologies, I didn't know what was going on." He wasn't sure if Muzaka could understand him at the moment, but his voice alone seemed to be helping. "I'm here now," he said as he sat down next to Muzaka again. Muzaka curled an arm around him again, leaning into him with a deep sigh, and the whimper faded into nothingness. Frankenstein stayed there as Muzaka nuzzled his shoulder, Frankenstein putting an arm around Muzaka's hip. Clearly, he still had a lot to learn about werewolves.

[howaminotinthestrokesyet]

Wherever They Have Roamed: Kirk Hammett

Kirk Hammett was born on November 18, 1962 in San Francisco, California. His ancestry combines Irish, Scottish, and German from his father’s side, along with Filipino on his mother’s side. As a child, he developed a passion, still strong to this day, for horror movies. He soon became enthralled with his brother’s Frankenstein toy figures after watching a horror movie on television. This led to the young Hammett spending almost all of his milk money on horror magazines. This all changed when he began listening to his brother’s record collection including UFO, Led Zeppelin, and Jimi Hendrix. He soon began selling all his horror magazines in order to buy records leading him to purchasing his first guitar at the age of 15. This first guitar self described by him as quite “unglamorous” was purchased straight out of the Montgomery Ward catalog. Kirk would soon pick up more of a standard Gibson guitar after failing to customize a Fender Stratocaster copy. In high school, he would meet Les Claypool of Primus, who is still a close friend to this day. He even later appeared in a music video for Primus, while Claypool actually auditioned for Metallica as a replacement bassist following the tragic death of Cliff Burton.

In 1979, at the age of 16 he joined the band Exodus named after the Leon Uris novel of the same name. He would remain with them for four years even playing on their 1982 demo. This band is still remembered to this day as highly influential in San Francisco’s early metal thrash scene. In April 1983, Hammett joined Metallica after original guitarist Dave Mustaine was fired by the band. James Hetfield said this of his audition. “The first song we played was "Seek and Destroy", and Kirk pulled off this solo, and it was like ... things are going to be alright!" Hammett has played on every Metallica album since their second one, Ride the Lightning. He has written a number of popular riffs for the band including “Enter Sandman'' and “Creeping Death.” In 1986, bass player Cliff Burton died in a bus accident as he slept in a bunk bed. Before their departure, Hammett had intended on sleeping there, but he lost a bet to Burton. The tragedy of this accident and how close it came to being him still haunts the guitarist to this day. He has said, “You know to this day I just think, it could have been me or it couldn't have been me but ... its never left me to this day."

The guitarist has also studied other forms of music including a period involving blues and jazz music. His contributions to the Load and Reload albums were probably heavily influenced by his interest in those other genres at that time. By the time of Death Magnetic, he chose to stop listening so much to jazz music because he felt it was heavily influencing his own roots in metal. One thing he has said that really helped when listening to other genres was seeing the origins of their own metal riffs within other music. In 2005, he contributed to the song “Trinity” along with guitarist Robert Randolph on an album by Santana. They had met five years earlier at a benefit show, which even led to Metallica inviting Santana to their St. Anger sessions. In 2006, the guitarist embraced popular culture by appearing as himself on an episode of The Simpsons. He has also lent his voice in various ways to Adult Swim shows including Metapocalypse and Space Ghost Coast to Coast. In 2009, Hammett along with other members of Metallica past and present was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 2012, Hammett published his first book entitled Too Much Horror Business. This represented a photographic collection of the expansive memorabilia collection on horror films he had purchased over the years. Items included costumes from actors such as Bella Lugosi, movie posters, movie props including one from George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead, and more. The work also includes three conversations focusing on his childhood, the connection to horror comics, and how this was translated into Metallica‘s music. He would write, “This is my gift to all the other horror nerds out there who are just like me. It's (the book) been made with great love for all the many characters and movies which guided me through childhood, into adulthood and which still keep me on track today.” In 2014, the guitarist began his own horror fan festival called Kirk Von Hammett's Fear FestEvil in San Francisco. The convention featured panels, autograph signings, live music, and vendors. Some notable guests included the son of Bella Lugosi, Tom Savini of From Dusk Till Dawn and other George Romero films, Kane Hodder of Friday the 13th fame, Robert Trujillo, Scott Ian of Anthrax, and Slash from Guns N’ Roses. The festival proved to be so successful that Hammett would host a second one the following year in San Jose, California. His love of horror has always held a special place personally as he has talked about his addiction to cocaine during the Damaged Justice tour. Kirk was able to stay away from that lifestyle after reaching the decision that it made him much too depressed. He would even go on to say that his fascination with horror comics helped him in finding a safe alternative to drugs. Lastly on a personal note, Kirk Hammett has been married twice. He has been married to his current wife Lani since 1998 with two children.

[heartual]

omgggg