#story of moxie

[dovesick]

(following the trail) the black market is located in an old warehouse. sellers have taken up residence there over the past year, after repeated shutdowns in other locations. moxie walks past various stands, with all manner of items for sale. the memory seller is at the back, and he follows the trail to his stand. 

[yanguazalie]

Aah! Unattractively loud machine noise! A dog's number one adversary!!

-Not so fast!

-Yeah, not SO fast *hop!*

-Do you or do you not feel bonita?

-... I feel bonita.

You LOOK bonita!

Thinking on what made it click for me with this movie, it was always the simple scene of Mandy chasing Uglydog with the hairdryer. The interaction... the way they one-up each other so comfortably despite only knowing each other for a day... it just pulled out my heart! It made me love everything that all the characters and their universe could show me, only to find out that talk of a second movie and TV show fell to the wayside💔 And so my mission to draw all my thoughts for this silly movie began! I'm only at 25% in completing said mission, ouch. But I don't think anyone minds that :9 I'm drawing fanart for the long-run!

[0perfectimperfections0]

Would you write a story about maybe Lou and Mandy bonding somewhat, pre-redemption? Maybe they reminisce about their relationship from before the Uglydolls arrived

The tape between her glasses wasn't holding up in a way that made it a permanent solution. She could feel a gap forming in between where the tape was gradually losing its adhesive. The subject of her glasses came up during a conversation with her friends while aimlessly wandering around in her salon. She was getting everything ready to open it that morning.

"Why don't you get new glasses?" Moxy asked as she tested the metal bar of the chair. It pushed up quickly and she found this to be entertaining. Uglydog hopped into the chair with her and LuckyBat pushed up and down on the bar to bring them up and down.

"Because I don't know where to get them at." Lies. She didn't know where to go but she knew who to go to. It wasn't an appealing option.

"Where'd you get those?" She followed up with another question while they played.

That one had Mandy hesitating for a second too long. The Uglies paused in their newfound toy to focus on her. She fiddled with the hem of her skirt, not making eye contact. "Lou made them for me."

Silence.

"Oh, like, someone named Louis? Not like, Lou Lou, of course."

"N-No, I mean Lou."

"He knew this whole time you needed glasses?" Moxy asked in a weird mix between a statement and a question.

"Yes," Mandy shrugged. "I just...didn't want you guys going around and telling the other dolls. And the robots are usually around Lou, so...I didn't want you saying anything to him. No one else knew I wore glasses."

"He knew you weren't perfect," Moxy couldn't wrap her head around it. None of them could, by the looks on their faces.

"Yes," Mandy sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "but...that was back before he started keeping secrets. Before we both started keeping secrets." She muttered the last part.

"Secrets?" Now they were invested. This was like a hidden story that had yet to be uncovered. A different side to Lou? An unknown friendship between Mandy and him?

This was the moment where she started venting, lost in the memories. She started pacing, staring at the ground where she walked. "Yeah, like, for some reason he never told me he was a prototype. Which is-- I don't get it. Why couldn't he tell me? Did he not trust me? We were friends! I told him -- well, he figured it out -- that I needed glasses and he magically made a pair the next day. A-And whenever he got lost in his thoughts or depressed I was always there for him to talk to. But not once did he mention being a prototype! He didn't tell me he was stuck here. It just seems weird that he would open up about other things but not-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Moxy hopped off the chair, holding her hands up, "you mean to tell me that you and Lou were actually friends? Like for real? It wasn't some manipulation or gaslighting tactic?"

"No, it was real. I think it was...," Mandy held an arm, trailing off as she considered the alternative.

Moxy didn't look convinced. "I think he was tricking you."

"Yeah," UglyDog shook his head, "there's no way he would genuinely be friends with anyone. Not even Ox."

"Right," Mandy pursed her lips, eyes trailing to her feet. A part of her had earnestly believed they were friends. Maybe more than that. But...maybe he had been tricking her the whole time. It was just another lie. Another secret that he had been harboring.

Moxy must have seen the disheartened look on her face, because her own expression softened a little. "I'm not saying it was impossible...but Lou's not exactly...well...someone I would think of as a friend. Not without strings attached."

"Yeah, no, you're probably right." Mandy averted her gaze and went back to one of the styling stations. "Knowing Lou, he probably just wanted my trust or something like that. My adoration." Mandy rolled her eyes, trying to play off what she was mentally thinking. The problem was that she did know Lou. They had been really close friends.

She had gone to his office multiple times before, in the middle of the night, because she knew he would be there passed out over his desk in what would surely make his neck sore the next morning. She'd put his suit jacket over his shoulders and turn off the lamp at his desk before closing the door behind her and heading back to her home.

She'd walk with him around the Institute for hours. The two of them would talk about anything that came to mind. It was obvious he was desperate for some kind of interaction. He was lonely. That much was made obvious to Mandy.

And, looking back on it, the vague "friend" he always referred to that had left him was Ox. She knew about Lou's side of the story, and a part of her was certain that she was the only one that did.

Honestly, to see him get tossed in the air that night and sent off to the washer...she felt like she'd betrayed him, too. He had looked at her with those pleading, heartbroken eyes when he begged for mercy. Despite what he had done to her in the pipe, and what he had been planning on doing...she still felt like turning her back on him had been the wrong choice.

She had tried to convince herself that he deserved it...but something about the look in his eyes still hurt her. After listening to him for two years and being his closest confidante...she could understand, to some extent, why he went down the path he did.

The only reason she had even stayed at the Institute for that long, unlike the normal four or five months, was because of Lou. She had merely told him that because of her poor eyesight, she didn't feel ready to run the Gauntlet. And he had bought it.

She stayed for Lou.

____

Mandy had managed to get the conversation in a different direction for the rest of the time. And while her mind still lingered on what they had said about Lou, she maintained the facade that she had been unbothered by it.

Because it really shouldn't have bothered her.

It was just difficult to keep thinking that when she was walking back home that afternoon, the tape of her glasses just barely visible in the corner of her eyes. The sharp corners where the tape folded over itself to stick was scratching her nose a little.

She wasn't going to ask Lou how he got these glasses. She wasn't going to ask him for a favour. Be it pride or whatever else, she refused to do it. She'd just have to fix the ones she had somehow.

Because maybe her friends were right. He was manipulating her that whole time, maybe to get her to stay. Or to be like the Spy Girls and do his dirty work when it came to getting rid of imperfections.

Lost in those thoughts, she nearly steps on the object in front of her door. She lifts the toes of her shoe up to avoid doing so, looking down curiously at...the pair of glasses.

Face pinched in confusion, she bends down and picks them up. They look identical to the ones she's wearing now. Obviously aside from being broken. Tentatively, she removes the glasses she's wearing and slides the news ones onto her face.

They're perfect.

Mandy can't help the small smile on her face as she adjusts the new glasses.

Maybe their friendship had been real.

[unfortunatetheorist]

Did Lemony write 'That's Not How The Story Goes' (Netflix canon)?

***N.B. This theory is based on the Netflix canon***

We first hear the sombre melody of That's Not How The Story Goes at the end of The Miserable Mill: Part Two. Everyone from Lemony to Olaf to the (creepily cheery) Mr Poe joins in as a part of this song, before at the very end of the song/episode, we see that the song came from Mr Poe's radio, when he says "Mm, that's nice."

My theory is that Lemony wrote this song as a part of his depressed chronicling of the tragic story Baudelaire orphans:

We know right from the start that the song is about the Baudelaires, as Lemony['s verse] starts,

"You may think that the Baudelaires ought to prevail, and be tucked someplace all safe and sound"

Given that:

"My name is Lemony Snicket and it is my solemn duty to investigate the lives of the Baudelaire orphans, because if I do, [typewriter dings] I may be able to find them again." ¬ L.S., The Penultimate Peril, Part Two

it makes sense that he opens the song referring to the three protagonists.

However, the reason I think it's Lemony, and not anyone else, is because of the verse:

"I once loved a girl, and she thought well of me, we thought we'd be happy together;

But now I'm alone, as you can well see, and she's cold in her grave forever"

There are a few people Lemony could be referring to here:

His Beloved Beatrice Baudelaire

Kit Snicket

Duchess R of Winnipeg

Ellington Feint

Moxie Mallahan

Firstly, we can more-than-safely assume that Lemony is NOT referring to Ellington or Moxie. His relationship with both of them has never reached that extent, to the point where he loved them so much he considered a future with them...

His Beloved Beatrice Baudelaire

Kit Snicket

Duchess R of Winnipeg

Ellington Feint

Moxie Mallahan

He could be referring to Kit... but why would he start a future with his sister? Ugh.

His Beloved Beatrice Baudelaire

Kit Snicket

Duchess R of Winnipeg

Ellington Feint

Moxie Mallahan

Yes, Lemony did have quite a close relationship with Duchess R... but if Duchess R is the swimming woman from The Grim Grotto (@snicketsleuth amazing theory), it can't be her, as R is not dead by the time Lemony writes the verse in the song. Beatrice is the only dead one (assuming, of course, that Ellington and Moxie are alive).

His Beloved Beatrice Baudelaire

Kit Snicket

Duchess R of Winnipeg

Ellington Feint

Moxie Mallahan

But... if Lemony wrote and published A Series of Unfortunate Events in-universe, why would he need to write a song as well?

This has a very simple answer - ASOUE was banned from Prufrock Prep at the time Kit was teaching, so the only way Lemony could get his point across was by song.

Under a pseudonym of course - no enemy of his should know he's alive.

¬ Th3r3534rch1ngr4ph, Unfortunate Theorist/Snicketologist

[silentgrim]

drew my son who i stole legally from tumblr user gunthernospacemunch!

@butterbunch

[moxie-girl]

for @onepiece-fight, the prompt was Vivi with flowers in her hair!

+ some notes on flower meanings (minor chapter 1084 spoilers I guess?

[jessicas-pi]

makes me giggle when someone says that i must have put a lot of thought into the plot of time heals. like on the one hand yes i do spend at least 1 hour per day thinking about it. on the other hand. babygirl you have no idea how many of the plotlines have shown up out of absolutely nowhere.

[madhatterscomic]

Epi 11 Page 9

Posted using PostyBirb

[unproduciblesmackdown]

still rotating lsoh in that way of like well it's fun it works well enough where like you know at every turn whatever's happening is supported by Some element coming through as the strength of such material & like the basis of like, you can forget [jrr tolkien voice] the Applicability of the plant when the foundation underneath that is "plant that eats people. would that be fucked up or what" like does it have to be human (i guess) does it have to be mine (i guess not) the answer is if a plant ate people would that be fucked up or what?

the great nexus provided where it's like of course the one "correct" interpretation of The Story here doesn't exist & neither does "here's the way to Present an experience that will be perfect & perfectly interpreted by everyone ever" but it's also Rich Text time enough to have a great time analyzing the workings & results & musing on re- or deconstructions forever. as a "never seen a stage version, only seen the theatrical release movie" i'm like yeah i would blow this whole building up Myself if they die noooo :( no you can't do that and i think it's great that like the full situation is us all having such Multiple versions and that when it's a movie everyone is like well you can't do that. the theory about the difference in medium between stage production & movie for an audience experience, i definitely buy that as a factor. i'm not gonna resolve this in this text post lmao like i'm going "i mean the theatrical ending Also Works, which feels conclusive in its own right, & the issue to me seems like, you know, they're simultaneously standing in for Any/Everyone but just like Any/Everyone they're actually specific people still. if they're not sympathetic then it could be seen as diminishing [don't feed the plants] to [don't do whatever makes them less sympathetic] like rip to your employee but i'm different, i would have done the perfect blood bank heist every other day & done the perfect marketing & then done the perfect plant killing move after doing the perfect planning to know i'd definitely been set for life & making the perfect decision to not let it go on another day & how about another etc"....that no matter how sympathetic you are (and you are, i'd blow this whole building up) don't feed the plants then huh

but. it's a story. we can have different versions and that that's the case even within the [same book] Stage situation, within that no two performances of the same production are The Same, that people sitting in different seats at the same show will have different experiences, notice / focus on different details, have different interpretations because they're different people....i can assume if i'd seen a stage version first i'd go "oh interesting" at the happier ending in the film rather than be like no Noooo the other way around lmfao. again that like, you still get the message. uh oh audrey could've died. uh oh seymour could('ve) die(d) & this plant is malicious & never gonna stop & very hard to kill, we can extrapolate. uh oh is the danger present for anyone? for you? we get it either way so i can't reluctantly give it up lmao. like i get "uh oh the plant even ate them, and You" actually acted out sure can be seen as having more emphasis & clarity. But like also never any absolutes like oh if they live it diminishes that, Maybe in some interpretations, maybe as a matter of preference....but, again, the Tradeoffs coming through. we lose like that emphasis for the rewards of Character. no Metaphor of the plants is ever really gonna shake out, but the tradeoff is always "would that be fucked up or what" and scifi fun.

like, pacing, also just like as ever can't even really declare One Thing for all, for ever, that makes a work a Tragedy, much less the Definitively Successful one or anything. is it tragedy because of tone. because people died. because anything bad enough happened that wasn't undone. because it was "serious" in tone And being "about" something someone deems worth expression / exploration. but always shakespeare problem plays and where does greek tragedy come from & what did it mean & that obviously comedy isn't like there's no consequences, no "substance" or "seriousness" or whatever other supposed metric of Worth by whomever gets to judge that. comedy requiring a level of questioning / analyzing Everything (technically it doesn't, if you do like "comedy is when Some people / things are laughable" which idc about that. Encompassing context / framework or else) and in that there's more room for things that otherwise might be presented as that matter of "tone" defining whether something is "serious." like there's Nothing Unrealistic about from the start it just being matter of fact everyday stuff that audrey's getting beat up but that doesn't make it not "serious" unless the world ground to a halt & everyone else around her fell to their knees. the most serious shit including indeed interpersonal abuse goes on all the time as everyday matter of fact stuff just like that, world still turning, nobody falling to their knees or else it's not that big a deal. again like suppertime sequence is just really ominous lmao like yeah it Would be fucked up if a giant sentient plant ate a person. the horrors of being matter in flux are endless but like "isn't this fucked up" gore or whatever is really never the kind of Vision Of Violence that comes across as half as unpleasantly disturbing as the shit that happens quickly and without much detailed fanfare in my experience/opinion, & this is a bit like that. just spending some time in suspense knowing this plant is gonna eat a guy and then it does, yikes. likewise saying it's memorable like he sure does look like plant food to me, just a what like whole ten second sequence of silhouetted abuse that is perfectly harrowing because we experience audrey's harrowment.

going on a tangent But Not Really and i welcome it, whaddaya gonna do. it's still also more about "these are characters in a story and not Real People but art imitating life style we think of them in the framework as though they're real people. they could be anyone and so could real people, but also, just as with real people, they are specific people" but that like also We're The Audience. we don't have to imagine any particular character or their experiences / pov as "what if this one was me / vice versa" but we also never have to Be these characters b/c we not only Aren't, but they exist to us only As Presented, unlike real people, who exist outside our observation, awareness, assessment. like, real violence happening that isn't only made real by someone outside it standing there Observing, much less necessarily realizing what's going on, nor following it around as it affects someone day to day. the issue of like ""showing"" us in media that someone's been abused. if we see it In Process, it's Not That Bad unless it's supposedly "that bad" all at once, in say like, simply a scene, perhaps merely several, perhaps one episode or movie, etc: and in thusly being "convincing" to an Audience, the reaction can be like "well, obviously it's That Bad. so why would this person put up with it" and the idea that it's the victim's responsibility actually can be accepted, like, since it's so clearly Intolerable, beyond the pale, must be something wrong with Them for tolerating it, if only they'd get it together enough to stand up for themself once & for all. never mind that, yknow, who cares about that, would they deserve this anyways & gosh why is it never about focusing on the people treating them this way. anyways like its leading to "well, couldn't be me" washing your hands of it as you wanted to do anyways. handy if you're presented with Whatever like "oh it's not even that bad anyways" too of course. all versus like, forget what seems "intolerable" like how about "can you escape it. what do you risk happening to you if you try." like people's reactions to Real images of like, someone taking a casual everyday pic of a living situation & it's got a lack of polish that's just like, ordinary Being Poor type of deal. mentioning any detail that's pretty ordinarily a part of that, no matter how they feel about it, and then the way people can have a big reaction like it's perhaps absurd to them in a way inspiring shock, perplexment, rejection/disdain. vs like supposed "oh no, being poor" living situations In Media like, it's either presented as Shocking, the realm of the [omg couldn't be me] consummate Other, or hey, just Not That Bad (i.e. not particularly realistic, just like....maybe shown as less spacious & Interior Designed into relatively sparse detail) like nice just something to vicariously go "how Great (perhaps Of Me, in surely innately being this person who Could Never. i'd never put up with that) that that's so Not Me" like okay, dead end. what if it's not some inviolately Other lower class of inferior Not As Much Of A Person As You people who don't know better or have better taste or better self respect or better moxie or etcccc. then it would ask you not to dehumanize and also it wouldn't end in the realm of Individual Choice as the ultimate / only truly relevant context for "when abuse happens is that fucked up or what"

anyways we can bring it all back to lsoh specifically like it's great they're not like "hope to god nobody's Relating to like, orin, say" like it's not presenting us like well even before you start feeding plants, just don't be jerks, for one. hard to go "rip to your granpa but i'm different" about the applicability focus if we don't go "it'd never apply to Me or otherwise just like, generally" b/c they're up to unsympathetic business. which, also, sidebar, of course i'm not even going "wow, the lesson is Never Murder." like yeah let's kill orin even without the plant, oh well whatever at mr. mushnik lmfao. that also like a whole big thing i think is that lsoh has this clarity about everyone's Broader Situations existing in a context where their individual choices aren't enough to save them from Tragedy, or let them Escape whatever's already shit. like, uh oh, you're already fucked. you don't have family? family's not reliable social support, perhaps including not Not being detrimental / extractive / violent in its own right? well, guess you're fucked. seymour's stuck with this Parent and we see the [your child is your property] there, oh well for him i guess. audrey as A Woman is like well your escape is into being [your wife is your property] and what if he's terrible, oh well, just leave, and do what, and risking what violence to prevent that escape? rewarded with what when you don't have money? both of them having jobs that obviously aren't enough, we aren't presented like "if only they'd been Hardworking enough, or perhaps Savvy enough to be Smartworking" like that'd have Saved them. we Do get like, oh hey, We could be a social unit (i.e., married) lol and it's like well that's a) an option if you want to at all & the genders are deemed proper & b) like well alright lmfao seymour's your friend, great, like that again it doesn't even matter much if it occurred to them like lavender marriage, it's all for the Economic considerations. nor does this really upend the broader context like yeah whew their options are still Limited thusly. this relates right into like yeah get our rod serling Or Is It? ending with Move Into A House type happier ending, but it's also like, of Course there's still limits to what they could do then or at any point, and we'd kind of have to "break out" to have it be anything But some version of like, "yeah nice now we can afford to not live on the street, definitely." which we can do, feasibly lol, just in a way that i think would be less readily conveyed as "okay they'll be fine enough now, we prommy, probably, or will they???" so [yep, that's a Conclusion] for the purposes of a film

when like it goes back to the Inciting Incident, like, well, what are seymour or audrey gonna do out here otherwise? they're in this context where we understand their only escape is [have money] and they're doing that how they can, with jobs, and a guy who'll let them live inside shelter. from this point like i guess they can become revolutionaries but there wouldn't be a "if there was a big plant that talks and eats people would that be fucked up or what" plotline. they can't even go "hey, what if We got married! we could both live somewhere with a roof & walls & not be awful to each other" without more money, probably, and probably without still killing orin (i think this is a great what if lmao. no plant, yes murder). and like then there's consumerism like you have to be told that everything wrong with your life and everything that can possibly be right can be resolved through purchase, audrey ii is advertising for a business, and i mean, stays that [increasing demand, increasing sales] until it's like uhh. quick foray into "actually now there's this [As A Famous Person] interlude where the celebrity is themself not a person but a Product, and in this case likewise now kind of framed as potential advertising for Other products as audrey ii remains for the flower shop until the Cuttings As Product twist" and like even at that point it's like, metaphorically [wow audrey ii is a product] doesn't exactly hold up, [audrey ii is consumerism] is Right There like literal consumption for one lmao and i hardly think like "oh it's not a perfect fit? throw it out" applies here when No metaphor is that, and again like, we do have literal consumerism, audrey framing her ideal life as available for sale to her via magazines, clear [hm, socioeconomics] framing like hm they sure Do just need money or they're fucked, this plant keeps trying to fuck them, illustration of a shift of contextual power from sexual solicitation to aggression (but it was aggressive the whole time also just as it was also the whole time a threateningly giant sentient plant demanding human flesh)

anyways also consumerism like [increasing consumption of goods is always desirable] relevant like ah Infinite Growth you say? that you can go "it's like 'why would vampires want more vampires when that's a dead end lol of someone who stops producing blood' / 'vampires would just run out of humans'" but when it's also like, well haha, irl Application style, wow why would people adopt a practice of "uh oh lol, This isn't sustainable and there'll always be some crash. well not my problem" like yeah audrey ii & clones taking over the world Infinite Growth would hit a wall lmao but doesn't mean uh oh it's not Now breaking through the wall eating Me, in the audience....and you can see the application to like, any Relationship between anyone & anything that apparently requires Infinite Growth, only ever More, only ever a one way process of Extraction for unilateral benefit. and also it's always like, major overlap with the Consumerism but still also a bit different: audrey ii like Commodification. it's just a strange & interesting little venus flytrap, until it's indirectly commodified at least as Business Advertisement, making the other plants into successful commodities. (also shoutout to that one guy. i can see the theory now like he was a plant of the plants to make sure audrey ii would be valuable and nourished. wouldn't change anything at all like, sure, or no, it's Style and Humor, he's a stock Some Guy & it's comedy, nobody's """normal""", unquestioned unexamined "normality" doesn't exist here thank fuck.) but you know, it's like, oh you like botany? well you'd better figure out a way to get rich from that, right. oh you're a Woman, you'd better figure out how to Be the commodity to an extra degree beyond the wage laborer, All domestic work has to be done for free or as close to it as possible, vs paid a bit more for a "job" proper, with the precarities still increasing / decreasing according to different systems of creating classes.

(such as like, see "what about the vampires as like origins in what vulnerable Othered parties are seen as infiltrators that corrupt / kill?" and that class necessarily exists in the socioeconomic context of lsoh, we don't get suburbs without Selling them like "ugh you know the poorer not white and even black people in cities? what if you could access the cities without having to live amongst them, share any resources, as though Equals" and you can try some like libertarian white supremacist analysis like don't feed the plants? white man's burden and eugenics and it's white people struggling for Control that will keep black people out and not killing you and etc. naturally any metaphor falls apart, in what we see there's no particular separation of seymour &/or audrey as inherently other from those poorer than them (although like having poorer people's existence as a "this could be you" ""threat"" requires emphasizing the perspective that, for now, you are Not them) and they're not posited as threatened by proximity / mutual access / equivalency to nonwhite / black people around them, we can infer that Racism Time as an interpretation is not Intended lol but analysis never has to end with inferred or expressed intent, and little concepts like Classes of race, gender, owner vs property, etc aren't Neutral where they're relevant, such as in not just a story set in any twentieth century US city, but Any story say, produced From a perspective that invokes that as Known, any story experienced where we as audience Know of these contexts. all the "normality" of every ideology alleging someone in a group you are impermeably separated from has to stay Other in their systemic subjugation or else everything you have (your elevated status in this very context) will be destroyed, everyone being taught said ideologies, it's not simply "normal" unless & until someone does intentionally explicitly invoke "it's racism time" & racism all over the place, ah, a simple Fiction, unless someone is a woman without explaining why, perhaps openly queer, disabled, nonchristian, nonwhite? why'd you have to make it political. we can just Say like, i suppose this extraterrestrial plant is doing some colonialism. easy. indeed it is some Other, here for infinite growth, eating people like would that be fucked up or what, voiced by a black man, watch this maneuver: even disabled in the context of being effectively a person once introduced as such. everything we can consider when presented with an invading incontrovertible malicious Other, which is Much. rich texts, hooray

but back to the commodification point. you love botany, how can you monetize it? so that it can save you, by way of money, b/c how else can you be saved? also makes me think of [audrey ii as some form of what would be considered Art]. that for art to bring the theoretical Individual Creator Artist Responsible power in the form of money &/or status, for it to be thusly vauable art, the artist has to draw (as in, extract) from their life, from Themself, put themself into it, literally in this case. then potentially have to turn to what access they have to Other people as sources of what made that Successful. but uh oh how do you keep that going forever, when you only have access to so much, when the success / exposure / demand changes everything that made it possible to quietly feed some blood to a weird little plant in a basement in the first place, much less has the Life Of Its Own and is too big for one person / escapes containment in that way. not to say in the least like ah indeed i believe in True Art(tm) and the status of true Artist(tm) or some extrapolation like wow uhh you start with a Woman as your Muse & have a cute little plant & give it a Little blood of course, that's fine, just stop there i guess or you might end up with Mass Media and that's awful....our culture and your kitcsh, our technique and your crafts, our "the 'ideal' (true) artist not worrying about making money off of it" vs "the uncouth impoverished that Does make 'art' for money (or entertainment, the Masses, any other randos, vs the true arbiters & appreciators as selected audience) and if they come up with anything good it was on accident really and we'll just be taking that thank you. ironically. for now" like i also don't think the metaphor goes oh so far here But. the idea that "good" art that'll be valued & bring money, status, Save You, has to have like your blood put into it, You and Your life, or start looking to other people around you whose lives overlap with yours also....could read further into it from that lens, but again really just like Commodification more generally, seymour's personal passion for botany that is thus far outside the flower shop but now he can finally make it be Useful in that it'll bring in money, gotta point to That same as audrey dreaming of products she can Own as concomitant with her ideal life as [pointing to Consumerism]. infinite growth, what if the pyramid scheme never stops, [the ride never ends I Want To Get Off Eternal Damnation post] etc etc

uh well anyways bring it WAY back around, i'm not agreeing to "tragedy is when you go Oh No" like well sometimes it's tragedy and i Don't lmao. sometimes i go Oh No and it's not tragedy. and of course there's no consensus like ah decisively both defined & bounded Genre, format, even medium. i can't relinquish like "b/c i'd go Oh No even harder if they died, i'm [dying ending only] now" lmao ofc i know no one demands picking one or certainly i wouldn't respect such demands nor comply. it's the power of "this is a story and it can be told different ways" like, we can Get the same points even when they don't. it's not like "oh, consumerism can go on forever just fine then" when a) we get a rod serling Or Can It? too anyways and b) we also know and always know these are, in theory, and Would Be in practice if we understand the context of [as if this was Real Life], specific people, not Everybody, now & forever. audrey ii is the pyramid scheme infinite growth inherently unilateral extraction violence consuming capitalism? like well we all feed the plants at all. we can't draw a line Anywhere, such as: when is the financial success too much? the Process of putting the personal into a product form too personally costly for you or anyone? back to like "no you can't control this, yes this will always corrupt & consume no matter who you are or your intentions and sympatheticness or whatever" like then the Metaphor / Applicability being universal, like, even You, aaah it's getting You in the audienceeee is like yep i get that Strength of that [everyone dies. You die] ending lmao. but the strength of They're Specific People [handshake] they live, you live, but still watch out, still, it's not over ending. like you know that other person in reality? that's you, extremely important, however it's also not you, just as extremely important. this tale of these specific people, like, their escape from situations including [interpersonal abuse, we don't need to See one big show of supposedly intolerable, outward suffering; whose life is constrained, who has the power, who can't escape], well they're fucked if they don't have money, so there's only so much [you Failed the cautionary tale so bad you gotta die] like, if they don't, if they only have So Much success and then wanna back out, and then realize like ohh right it's not gonna stop on its own & will also Worsen....like okay lol. how much Difference in "uh oh audrey could've been mortally wounded i guess, good thing she wasn't. Not Today" or "seymour's gotta try to kill it, so he does try. and he succeed. Today, In Fact" like yknow he could try to kill it from the inside and get eaten and we're like aaaa and Then the plant explodes b/c well, he did it, was willing to risk it after realizing the situation, same as we get in the happier theatrical ending. ("theatrical" having some ambiguity...musical theatre....i mean the film though lol)

like that it Can't be conclusive re: some theoretical perfect combination of intention, execution, interpretation. it Is this story. they Are [anyone] they Are [my specific friend seymour. i'll kill for him too] like it's more emphatic a Concept to have whatever worst case scenario, most permanent loss, vs that like, prefer the Practical instead: how much could they do? how much can you do? when it is also constrained by: they have to do the things that facilitate there being a giant talking alien plant that eats people and would that be fucked up or what? when like rather if there was no plant, i think a heist with these two zany besties where the heist is murdering orin and perhaps like ah sorry you do also know too much mr. mushnik is like, well you know that story could happen with these two characters and their personalities and be so much fun. audrey would walk in on that ax murder and start helping. the Medium Difference idk like yeah i'll help them kill whoever, i'll kill that plant, that it's also fiction and magic so of course we can't go "alas....isn't that always the way, it Has to be" like no he could blow it up. no he could kill it from the inside anyways. The Power Of Fiction, always gonna be living that "they both live or i blow the building up" life lol. while simultaneously like i even theoretically get it like no yeah of course they die, is someone else's primary Story ending. while this doesn't change my like No you can't kill them. when because it is a story and not something that actually happened and we're just able to be thinking about Meaning and Effects from something that only exists as a way of communicating an idea of Meaning and Effects like of course it's a multiple choice multiple answers deal, and having multiple versions spices that up

which also. that again like when it is not real life. difficult to pick something of more Impact / Significance than mortality, & Dying as [difficult to think of a more significant Mortality Moment], but like, again in juxtaposing art vs real life like Real death not happening Only to have "meaning" besides that uh oh everyone's mortal and someone just died, in fact. while we don't read meaning into things Only if someone dies for real, even when of course that tends to be interpreted as having import. art imitating life like, of course "don't do this. they did it and died" having impact that perhaps "don't do this. they survived though" doesn't, is gonna be an Interpretation. but there's of course never gonna be actual rules. like oh Always kill them in a cautionary tale. someone like "Wrong never have an actual other being in the cave horror. the cave is one's self, the scariest journey of all" like well i disagree. here we are where to get Us eaten by the plant we have the protagonists eaten by the plant, vs that they'd better not be, while it's not about us. separation from [that is a movie] vs [on stage in front of me? yes, i'm already a part of this] yeah sure maybe i dunno. being closer up? the plant can intrude on the audience like fall from the ceiling and change joe iconis's life but like, a Movie sequence of a plant outgrowing a city and world and even also implicitly fourth wall breaking like, that's not my business. the stakes weren't really raised there in an unbroken sequence from our heroes' demises playing Directly into a finale dropped in the audience's laps that way. i don't know. and what were they gonna do, am i right? i'll kill this vine. hang on besties....like you did make them my friends. we can go "no don't kill them, because of the concepts" and we can go "no don't kill them, because of the concepts, and also they're my friends," truly, while having grasped the [because of the concepts] either way

anyways, amidst the power of [there's no Conclusivity here. yaaay conclusivity as not even the Goal in the first place] whew like how much blood have i put into this one? none. but also addendums. i forgot to musically mention that somewhere that's green opening with that "i know seymour's the greatest...but i'm dating a semi...sadist..." like holy shit lmao superlative right there. addendum that take it way back to the beginning like "so they're fucked if they Don't successfully get more money. or end capitalism" like they go lihn mode. but who says they don't? in this story? already, they Do, the endings aren't that different even as of course it Is that different saying the pretend people's pretend actions in a pretend situation killed them, or didn't. happy ending Or Is It? it's a tuesday like haha oh come here look at this, shaking my head. killing the little plant and hitting the road, the airwaves, with [knife emoji We're Coming For You invasive plant (that eats people)] goals. anything could happen. and it's not that big a deal if they Then just did make money and happen to have more choice in their lives, like, that was the context all along lmao. and, again, if we just kill some mfs ordinary style. seymour as "aw jeez" about it but ya gotta do what you gotta do. which is relevant to like, i also hardly think like oh no it's about the slippery slope of murder. not even once. just say no. & your divine retribution will be eaten by plant, otherwise. he do kinda gotta do, sure, yeah, it's not very meaningful like "i think he could've talked it out & had orin see the light" nor "if i was seymour i would've ingeniously generated flower shop business in the wisest way, free of cost. economics" or otherwise rip but i'm different i would've gotten money in a non feed the plant way, i would've gotten complete control of my life without getting more money, ha ha....take the risk like well gotta try to kill this plant, oh wait, i did, happy ending, maybe there's more out there, dealing with them forever / at any time? sure, maybe! ask musical be more chill all about it.

i had another addendum but while not irrelevant it's also like, truly a whole tangent & maybe i don't have the wherewithal for it at this juncture. so instead yknow tl;dr much to wrestle with like as art imitating life like nobody's "doomed" like the characters died because you had that happen. in reality there were also reasons people died and there was a context that is only their "doom" if drawing a line and washing our hands of it. is a doom we supposedly share as an audience but feel more separated from in thee cinema more cathartic or whatever. whereas if our besties died without us it's like i'm blowing this whole building up, you can't make me was my hands of them and understand myself as Separate, Other, Couldn't Be Me? we may ask ourselves. and idk look at our little guys yknow it's like yeah you can't do this sorry. how do we do it with stage little guys? i don't know, having experienced such neither First nor Ever. tragic deaths, you only don't actually care, or it's like, hey. no. are they So Us that they're Too doomed by dying? idk but of course the success in being upset about it either way. failure is if i don't give a shit, don't have fun & be myself along the way

[tangledinink]

man.... frog reminds me of the time I was in college, and I saw smth moving on the window, and looked closer to see just. a lil frog on the window, probably attracted by whatever bugs the light from the window was attracting bc it was real dark outside.

I was just. Real confused, and a lil concerned, bc the dorm building was 3 stories. We were on the 3rd floor.

how did this llil guy climb three whole stories

bro. frogs are sick. i love frogs.

[dovesick]

(echoes from the past) moxie is 10 years old, exploring with his brother in the forest near his home. his brother runs ahead, and he shouts after him as the moray-hawk swoops down. it is a shapeshifter, confined to the forest, preying on creatures that venture into its path. before moxie can do anything, his brother is dead. it turns to moxie, but expresses disgust at the prospect of eating him, leaving him to return home alone. 

[yanguazalie]

🎼Don’t you let ‘em in your head, doesn’t matter what they said. Get up on your feet instead and then, show ‘em who you are🎶

[0perfectimperfections0]

What if the all the dolls watched Lou getting punished by the factory/ the dolls watch Lou also get taught by the factory on how to "properly act" to be a "proper prototype."

Thanks go out to @natalie-the-writer for giving me a nice punishment to work with for our little Baby Blue.

<><><><><>

"Don't like being in the spotlight now?" A random doll jeered. Not random. Sebastian. Model/Carpenter. First day at the Institute was July 27th, 2019.

Lou didn't meet his eyes or the eyes of any of the other dolls. He stood in front of the crowd, face stoic and hands behind his back as a robot stood beside him. The dolls were under the impression that they'd be getting another chance at tossing him into the washer. His hair was already tousled and his clothes has shrunk. Still, he had to stand up straight and poised.

The giant screen against the dome lit up and a human face presented itself. Slick, black hair and Russian blue eyes looked down at the dolls, unimpressed. "I won't waste time with introductions. I'm only here for one reason. Louis here has brought it to my attention that the rules have been disregarded in the Institute."

"What rules?" Moxy stepped forward, glaring at the screen. It brought back distasteful memories for Lou. He wished she would keep her mouth shut. Another robot rolled forward, that giant book in its hands. Her eyes landed on it before she glanced at Lou. "We weren't told any rules."

"That's exactly the problem. See, Louis here is supposed to enforce the rules. But apparently, the book has been stowed away from you all. Mind explaining that, Louis?"

He wasn't that stupid to fall for the trap. He wasn't allowed to speak unless blatantly told to. Lou kept his mouth shut, eyes staring ahead. The only reason that book had been pushed to the side was because the rules were so tedious. What good would they have done for these dolls? They had hardly listened to him during his younger years, why would they listen to a book?

More than that. That rule book wasn't his Bible...and he wasn't going to be preaching from it. The dolls deserved better than that, regardless of how they treated him.

The man hummed. "At least you remember something. Let's start with that rule then. Robot." He called out and something cold pressed against Lou's neck. He closed his eyes, already knowing it was that blasted tazer. "Rule number 53."

Lou kept his eyes closed, nerves beginning to go on edge. "Prototype must never speak unless spoken to."

"Rule number 3."

His tongue grazed over the back of his front teeth for a second. "Any doll not up to standard with factory protocol is not allowed to run the Gauntlet." Murmurs started in the crowd.

"Rule number 1." Greyson watched his creation intently. Waiting for any mistake.

Lou took in a breath and finally opened his eyes to stare ahead. "Prototype is not allowed to run the Gauntlet."

They were all rules for him. Very few were meant for the dolls collectively.

"Rule number 52."

"No dolls not up to par with factory standards are allowed residence in the Institution." Moxy straightened at that, eyes looking between his even as he refused to meet her gaze. Or maybe he wasn't allowed to.

"Rule number 77."

"Prototype must be presentable at all times." He really didn't look presentable at the moment.

They kept coming. More rules. More answers. The fact that it even went over ten had the dolls shuffling in their spots. Were they supposed to know all of that, too? What would happen if Lou got one wrong?

Why wasn't he getting any of them wrong?

It was drilled into him. Every rule in the book was burned into memory. The man skimmed through his own book laid out in front of him with the rules. "Rule number 30."

"Prototype is to submit to the factory." Lou closed his eyes again. He didn't like that rule. That might've been the one he hated the most.

"31."

"Prototype must obey every command given."

The muscles in the man's jaw tightened. He flipped to the last page to see there were only 350 rules. He gave a short grin, looking back at the screen and down to his prized puppet. "Rule number 351."

Lou's eyes opened and he tensed. There weren't 351 rules...

The nerves in his stomach bundled up as he realized what his Creator was doing. He was a fool to think he could skate by with just a simple quiz. This man was out to see him suffer. In every way imaginable.

"Louis," the tone was sharper. "What's rule 351?"

He forced those tears to not let go. The cold metal of the tazer was pressed further against his neck. Oh gosh, it had been so long since he'd made a bad enough mistake to be shocked. Would he be able to handle it? Lou swallowed and tried to keep his voice steady. "I don't know, Sir."

"Louder."

"I-I don't know, Sir," Lou closed his eyes, bracing for the shock. Don't tense your muscles. Don't tense your muscles. It would amplify the pain. He remembered that much. Just breathe and count down from ten. It'll be over soon. The anxiety was making him feel nauseous.

"Robot."

It was worse than what he had prepared for. Knuckles went to his mouth and he bit down to muffle his screams. He didn't want to give his Creator the satisfaction. The dolls gasped and backed up as electrical bolts of light shot into Lou's neck and he crumbled to the ground. A hand braced him from falling flat on his face. The other was still in his mouth. So much for keeping the tears in.

"What's rule number 351?"

This stupid, conniving--

"There is no rule 351," Lou panted, releasing his hand to hold himself up better. Another shock went through his body and he didn't have time to muffle his screams. His eyes glitched between blue and grey, voice distorting like radio static.

"Are you saying I'm wrong?" The man challenged.

"N-No, Sir." Lou watched red droplets fall to the ground between his hands. The metallic taste made him shudder and his stomach rolled.

"Then what's rule number 351?"

Lou squeezed his eyes shut. He wanted to break down and cry and punch something and scream and die and burn everything in this forsaken Institute--

"What's rule 351!?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Lou screamed and it blended with the one that came shortly after as the tazer was pressed flush against his neck again. The robot didn't pull away. Lou's arms trembled and he ended up on his side. The robot extended its arm to keep it pressed to Lou's neck as he choked on the pool of red liquid in his mouth.

"Stop." The man ordered and the robot did. "Let this be a lesson to the rest of you. There are rules for a reason. I expect complete obedience and adherence to these rules. Not only for yourselves but for Louis here. If any of you see him breaking any of these rules, let the robots know. We have standards here at the factory. Have a good day." The screen turned off.

No one moved until the robot disengaged the tazer and rolled away. Moxy watched it disappear before hurrying over to the gasping doll. Lou was struggling to breathe and he was choking on what she hoped (and it possibly couldn't be) blood. She cupped the back of his head and turned him so that he could cough it up onto the ground instead of breathing it in. There was a pool of it.

A soot-black mark stained the felt on his neck where the tazer had been pressed against it. It smelled like it was burning. The other Uglies and a few brave Pretty Dolls came over to try and help.

Sebastian kneeled in front of Lou. Hazel eyes looked into blue as he grabbed a cotton cloth from his vest pocket and pressed it to Lou's mouth. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

Lou couldn't care at the moment. His heart was thundering against his chest and it felt like someone was squeezing it. The taste of the silicone discharge made him want to throw up. Body trembling. Breathing labored. The smell of his own felt burning.

Moxy moved Lou's head to her lap as Lou gave up the strength to keep himself up. "Take your time," she rubbed up and down his arm.

Things were worse than she even considered them to be.

[evtoine]

omg i've never gotten the gale pouch scene before

mal was just standing there like "wow! the theatrics of it all. what an interesting man" (does not realize how wild this is or think about why him being dead puts them in so much danger)

[zincbot]

okay west of loathing is so good

[demon-dance-club]

Thinking about the person who complimented my mcr tee on the way back from class one day. Ended up having a whole conversation, only to find out against all odds we went to the same concert, about the same section on opposite sides of the stage, and are both studying artsy stuff…and both not necessarily enjoying it :’)

And now I wonder if there’s a possibility they could have seen my Joan of arc piece, and they’ll never know it was me…that would be kinda cool and poetic ig

Idk I still think about that moment a lot, it made my day! hope they’re doing good wherever they are ^^