#the girl in the basement

[starlightsuffered]

The Girl in the Basement (p1)

Info - disabled reader, over protective dad, family death, dub con kiss, mentions of gambling/smoking, inexperienced reader

Unbearable loneliness was as common as rainfall, and my father had moved us to the Lake District in England. I’d begged him to choose somewhere sunny because of his rule that I was only allowed out when the weather was good.

I was resentful of this command, though I understood it. I’d been disabled since birth. It could be easy for me to slip and fall. Having brittle bones disease on top of uneven legs could definitely cause a lot of chaos. Even when I tried to be careful, it wasn’t enough.

My mother had died early, as a result of Scarlet Fever. I’d been kept with my father in a safe in a quarantine. Half the time my father seemed distraught over my mother’s sickness and other times he seemed relieved.

I resented him for job searching while she was ill. I especially hated it when he would look for ones far away. I didn’t like that he seemed eager to leave…. Eager for the inevitable. Just because it was bound to happen didn’t mean I wasn’t sad about it.

When she’d passed, he hadn’t even taken 24 hours to announce to me he’d found a job in England. He seemed to be excited. He was finally a professor in a large college that was highly esteemed.

I was devastated about my mother but I hoped this would be a new chance at life. I’d spent nearly twenty years of my life as a sheltered, homebody. I was hoping I’d finally be able to get out in the world and do things. I didn’t want to do anything crazy, I just wanted a friend.

When we’d gotten to the school my father told me we’d be living on campus. This made me even more excited because I’d be constantly around others, or at least I thought.

When we got there, my father showed me my quarters. They were composed of two small rooms, and a bathroom, in the basement of the school. I’d silently held back tears. It took all my strength to answer when he finally asked me if I liked it.

I had wanted to scream and throw every dish he’d furnished the place with at him. Of course, they were all plastic. Father couldn’t have his baby girl breaking something then cutting herself when she tried to clean it up. He treated me like a bloody China doll.

He told me he’d bring me all the books I needed and he would be delivering my papers and homework to the appropriate teachers. I was not to attend classes like a normal student. He said it was too dangerous. I felt utterly helpless now that my mom was gone.

She had always been the one who believed in me. She had pushed father to let me do more despite my situation. Best of all, she’d always encouraged me in my dream to become a veterinarian.

My father said I should go into something that kept me seated. He decided himself on an accountant. I hated every class I took to earn my degree in this. It was droll and uninteresting to me.

“The wounded can’t help the lame run,” my father would always say to me when I talked about wanted to be a vet. He didn’t think I could do it. It hurt. He didn’t think I could do anything.

I’d made dinner for him tonight. His birthday was a month before mine. He had been absolutely shocked that I’d been able to fix something so delicious with my crutch. He thanked me for the watch if bought him with some of my savings. He hadn’t let me clean anything up. He did all the tidying himself and handed me several projects from my teachers.

I was looking at my assignments now and gulping back tears. I didn’t want to live like this. Why was the most exciting part of my week making a meal that someone thought I couldn’t handle? I felt like an infant.

“Always remember my sweet y/n, you’re stronger than you think.”

I remembered these words from my mother. I had been encouraged by this many times. I used it again now. I was going to explore the campus, or at least the building. I didn’t care that my dad said not to leave. I was going to do it.

I grabbed my crutch just in case. I took a deep breath after I cleaned the flour off the skirt of my dress. I took the old rickety elevator up to the ground floor.

It was very late at this point. The grounds were mostly dark. A comfortable silence and some low soft lighting made the college feel homey. I took a deep breath in, inhaling the smell of books and knowledge. I was so happy to be out of what I now considered a prison.

I knew father would hate this, but his quarters were on the top floor with the rest of the professors. He would have little reason to be down here.

There were some people awake. As I walked and marvelled at the ancient building I saw some students up late studying. A tired looking library was stamping books in a rhythmic pattern.

I saw a few students playing marbles, some cards, one was sitting in a window sill and smoking. It nearly felt like I was visiting a zoo. I was observing so much that I had never been apart of before.

As usual, I slid through the crowd, no one noticing me. I was like a spirit. The only thing that gave me away as corporeal, was the clunk of my crutch. Even with its strangeness, there still weren’t many looks my way.

That’s when it happened.

A gorgeous boy came careening through the double doors about 300 feet in front of me. He had a huge grin on his face. His coat streamed behind him.

I was rather confused. If he was running from something shouldn’t he look scared? I didn’t have time to think of much else. He grabbed me. He lifted and moved me as if I weighed nothing. At the same time, he did it gently, fluidly, gracefully, and I was in no pain as he did it.

My back was now towards the hall he’d just been running down. His large green eyes sparkled at me before he did the last thing I expected. He slotted his lips against mine and began kissing me. His hand were in my hair and oh blimey I could hardly breathe.

This was all too beautiful. I did not care that my very first kiss was from a stranger. He looked like a mischievous fae and kissed like a prince from a fairytale. I responded to his lips as best I could, wanting, no, needing this to last. I was filled with every emotion I’d longed for over my lonely years. I was touch starved and long overdue for affection.

“You bastard Theadore Laurence!” Came a loud cry that startled me. I nearly jumped back from the embrace but the boy expertly coaxed me back into the heady kiss.

“You KNOW I won that round! How dare you run off with my winnings?” Demanded the intruder. I resented that other boy for interrupting my dream come true.

I was using every skill I’d learned from romance novels while trying to ignore the youth who was ranting about earnings from a game of cards. I was a crackling Fire and nothing damp would put out my flame.

Finally, the complaining boy exited out another set of double doors. I was relieved at first. However, when the distraction left, my romancer stopped his administrations.

“Phew, he’s finally gone,” the boy said. His accent was American to my surprise. He looked around me to make sure he was in the clear.

“I’m dreadfully sorry about that,” he said with an awkward chuckle. He was staring at me and I could say nothing. I felt such a storm of emotions and I couldn’t pull one away from the other.

“Um,” he began slowly. “I’m Theadore, Theadore Laurence, but you can call me Laurie.”

@pmak2002 @softhecreator @plutoispurplw @sp1deyyf4ngz @seungcheol17daddy @jesschalamet @vvsdreaming

[cinemaslife]

#135 La Chica del Sótano

Sarah tiene 17 años, y vive con su madre y su padre Don, y recibe la visita de su hermana Amy con asiduidad, pese a que está en la universidad. Su hermana tiene un carácter más tranquilo y sumiso, como su madre, pero Sarah choca mucho con su padre, quien la castiga con asiduidad, y que es la razón por la que se escape a ver a su novio Chris.

Un día hablando con su madre y su hermana confiesa que está harta de su padre y de lo estricto que es y confiesa que quiere irse a ver mundo y que empezará por Florida, que quiere ser libre y caminar libre.

Esto lo escucha Don y decide limpiar una habitación secreta en el sótano y que está cubierta por dos puertas metálicas y tapadas con una puerta, y que solía ser un búnker en caso de guerra para enseñarle a Sarah una valiosa lección.

Don es agresivo y les pega a las tres mujeres teniéndolas atemorizadas, por eso después de la graduación de Sarah y días antes de que cumpla los 18 años y haga realidad su sueño de escaparse de casa con su novio Chris. Don aprovecha que Amy está en la universidad y que su mujer sale a hacer un recado, para pedirle a Sarah que la ayude a bajar unas cosas al sótano. Dejan la caja en el búnker (que Sarah no sabía ni que existía) y la encierra dentro de un empujón.

Don tiene el sótano preparado para que nadie entre, la puerta se abre con llave, accedes al sótano, ahí hay una estantería que se desplaza sobre unos rieles, una puerta metálica cerrada con código y al entrar otra puerta metálica cerrada con código y ahí está Sarah.

Después de descubrir que había en la caja que ayudó a bajar a su padre, Sarah se da cuenta de que les va a hacer creer a todos que se ha escapado de casa, y por mucho que grita y se desespera, se da cuenta de que salir es imposible.

El búnker solo tiene un cubo que usar como váter, una ducha y un grifo que usar como pila. A los tres días Don baja, pero ella lo ataca y le dice que todo lo que tenga a partir de entonces debe ganárselo, cediendo a sus deseos y comportándose como una persona sumisa. Si pone tres veces mal el código de la puerta, el sistema de ventilación dejará de funcionar y el aire empezará a cargarse.

Menos de una semana de estar en el sótano, Don viola a Sarah y le dice que deje de llamarle papá y que ahora solo se puede dirigir a él como si fuera su dueño, y que por cada vez que sea más sumisa, le traerá algo del exterior que ella quiera. Esa vez Sarah pide un reloj.

Nos cuentan que Don está bien situado en su empresa y que su cargo es importante. Su mujer entra en depresión ante la desaparición de su hija y él le resta importancia, diciendo que tarde o temprano aparecerá. Es curioso como lleva dos vidas diferentes en dos pisos diferentes de su casa.

Sarah no tarda en quedarse embarazada y en parir sola con la ayuda de un libro. Don sigue pegándole y maltratándola, así como violándola durante los primeros años, incluso con la primera hija de ambos en el sótano. Marie.

Dos años después de Marie llega Michael, para entonces el búnker parece menos una prisión debido a la sumisión constante de Sarah y sus hijos. Don baja a visitarlos y a llevarles comida y suplementos para que sobrevivan, pero nunca es generoso de más con ellas si no es porque quiere algo a cambio, y Sarah sabe que quiere Don.

Don de normal cena con ellos bajo, abusa de Sarah y vuelve arriba con su esposa para hacer vida normal, y negarle que busque a su hija, asegurando que es una perdida de tiempo. Pasan 10 años encerrados y Sarah está de nuevo embarazada, estaba vez de Thomas. Sarah es consciente de que tres niños y ella en ese espacio tan reducido es inviable, sobre todo, cuando Marie desarrolla asma y problemas respiratorios. Por eso le pide a Don que suba a Thomas arriba y que sea criado por su madre. Al final Don acepta a regañadientes, y así mantiene la esperanza de la madre de que su hija está viva, por eso la obliga a escribir una nota falsa.

Thomas al criarse en el exterior crece fuerte, sin ningún tipo de problema, sano y sin enfermedades físicas o emocionales como sus hermanos del sótano. Marie y Michael son casi adolescentes y no pueden entender por qué no pueden salir con su padre al exterior, están cansados de no tener amigos, y de vivir la vida a través de un televisor y de cintas de VHS. Además, no entienden por qué su madre no se divorcia de su padre y viven la vida real.

Sarah se ocupa de la educación de sus hijos con libros viejos, y entiende su dolor, ella también quiere salir y aunque lo intenta varias veces, para esa época, 18 años encerrada, vuelve a estar embarazada, a recibir palizas diarias y a estar harta porque Don se muestra cada vez más interesado en abusar de Marie.

Don le da una paliza a Sarah estando embarazada y pierde al bebé, del que Don se deshace enterrándolo en el jardín. Sarah pare con dolor y una vez más sola y decide que es hora de hacer algo.

Sarah se confiesa con sus hijos y les dice que Don no es solo su padre, también es su abuelo, ellos no son matrimonio, él la secuestró y la encerró y le pega y la viola casi todas las noches para castigarla.

Para este momento Don ha sido despedido de su trabajo y tiene una orden de desalojo sobre la casa por no pagar, por lo que se le ocurre la idea de envenenar con dióxido de carbono el sótano y que así mueran encerrados tanto Sarah como sus hijos. Pero cuando inicia su plan, Thomas le pilla y decide abandonarlo. Por culpa de esto, Marie tiene un ataque de asma y está al borde de la muerte.

Don está haciendo vida normal arriba en una barbacoa después de un partido de beisbol y cuando decide bajar, Marie está a punto de morir y lejos de escuchar los llantos de los niños y de Sarah dice que quizás sea lo mejor. Michael golpea a Don, y este le dice que es un enano y que su hermano Thomas es más grande y fuerte que no le da miedo. Don cede cuando Sarah le llama papá y llevan tanto él como Sarah a Marie al hospital, dejando a Michael encerrado.

Don no puede controlar a Sarah en el exterior por mucho que él quiera, y cuando la doctora les pregunta por qué Marie no tiene vacunas, ni expedientes médicos, ni nació en un hospital, puede ver en la cara de Sarah que hay algo que va mal, por eso cuando la chica se aleja de su padre, se abraza a un policía y dice que necesita ayuda, Don intenta escapar, pero le detienen.

Don va a la cárcel, Michael es liberado ante los ojos incrédulos de su hermano Thomas y su abuela, y la escena final es de las tres mujeres en el porche de su casa, viendo a los hijos de Sarah jugar a la pelota entre ellos, como verdaderos hermanos.

Evidentemente, la película está basada en lo que Josef Fritzl le hizo a su hija Elizabeth durante 14 años, encerrándola en una casa subterránea y teniendo con ella 7 hijos, de los cuales uno murió. 3 fueron criados con su madre en el sótano y tres más fueron criados por sus abuelos arriba.

Sobre este tema, me parece mejor película la de The Room con Brie Larson como protagonista. Ya que la película de la chica del sótano está enfocada más bien como una peli de sobre mesa, donde no se dan muchas explicaciones ni se ahonda en los personajes. The Room es una película más completa y compleja.

[ellies-enrichment]

[skellydun]

painted my bathroom pink and u would think I killed somebody with the way some people have reacted

[nemugyo]

dinner time

[sacchiri]

r/malelivingspace

[kamabokobun]

Not Mineru I mean Raumi <3

[butterflysonnets]

absolutely insane that mike literally p a n i c k e d when will was like "well what about us?" because will wasn't even really making things gay he was honest to god just inquiring about the state of their estranged friendship and wondering why mike didn't make time to talk to him when they're supposed to be best friends but MIKE was the one having an aneurysm like "🏳️‍🌈⁉️ W H AT!!"

“WE'RE FRIENDS” “i know mike” “WE'RE!!! F R I E N D S!!” “right so why don't you call me — ” “I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND” “… that in no way answers my question"

[ratatatastic]

cats: in bath robes

the nhl: well i guess we have to put provactive "lively" music over it

2024 nhl global series finland game 1 | 11.1.24 (x)

[lemonlimestar]

that post is actually really huge for me but i do have to speak my truth: despite the bat symbolism i do believe in my heart that tim wouldn’t be the vampire in the situation. in fact kon being a vampire can highlight the fact that tim is enough of a freak about him that he would willingly be a blood bag <- who said that

[nemonclature]

GUYS. I HAVE A THEORY. IT’S SUCH A GOOD THEORY. ACTUALLY IT’S THE BEST. Actually I’m just gonna go ahead and call this canon. I’m staking my entire identity on it.

So, I was gonna do an in depth art post bouncing off this excellent bit of research. I was expecting some thematic hints a la Hannibal and much fun to be had.

I decided to start with this:

Francis Bacon’s Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, which hangs on the wall in the Dubai apartment.

Let’s sidestep the Christian connotations of the crucifixion* IMO the Christ bit is misdirection (mostly. We’ll come back to that)

Armand: Witnesses to Christ’s agony. Mr Bacon also referred to these as the Three Furies.

Who are they? The Furies/Erinyes are Ancient Greek Goddesses of vengeance. "The Erinyes, that under earth take vengeance on men, whosoever hath sworn a false oath" ... They are traditionally depicted as … preoccupied with avenging patricide and matricide by hunting down and killing violent criminals ... Their task is to hear complaints brought by mortals against the insolence of the young to the aged, of children to parents, of hosts to guests.” (wiki)

Kinda on point for a vampire that tried to kill his maker, no? Or for a vampire that’s abusing the guests in his home? Or an old man shit-talking two much older vamps. (lol jk not you Danny boy, you trash them all you want bb).

Armand: We��ve received an aggressive offer for the Bacon triptych.

Louis: Oh? I didn’t know we’d made it available.

Armand: It’s a new name, so I’ll have to run due diligence.

Hmm, who could possibly be being setup to enter late season under cover as some innocuous buyer? Who would Armand let into his theatre home in order to wreck it? Who’s presence/interest/existence would he keep from Louis? Who better to complete Bacon's intention and provide the crucified final figure of the set, but...

YES! Our favourite victim of patricide. The ultimate Daddy Vampire. Lestat de fucking Lioncourt.

Guys there’s a reason I’ve been calling him White Vampire Jesus and it’s not (just) because I find myself hilarious.

Real Rashid: The lawyer for the buyer is ready for the teleconference.

Not a massive deal, rich people make lawyers do things for them. But so do VAMPIRES WHO DON’T WANT TO BE IDENTIFIED.

But yeah, lets’ get into that phone call. Mr Philips, the lawyer, is introduced to Mr du Lac (like, in case anyone was wondering how Lestat knew it was Louis who owned it, just fucking use your real name Louis, sure.) The buyer wants it for her husband (GUYS. HE WANTS IT FOR LOUIS).

This is episode 2.03 and, guys, Lestat is EVERYWHERE in this episode. We get Armand opening up, but not about his full past, just about his past with Lestat.

Dreamstat dogs Louis’s footsteps

Louis admits to Armand that Lestat was his maker in this episode.

And the scene directly before the lawyer calls?

Louis and Claudia are talking about Lestat, it moves on to Bruce, but it starts with Lestat.

We could also talk about how, this season, as the focus has moved away from Loustat to Loumand, the action has moved away from the main room with the Triptych, to the tree room and the dining room.

Lets start with the tree room, where Armand (the clinging vine) reaches, but never touches Louis (the tree).

"For woman is a branching tree, and man a clinging vine. And from your branches carelessly, he’ll take what he can find."

(Let no man steal your thyme, trad)

Too much? Then how about the dining room of equally symbolic paintings. (and, side note. Paintings have been IT this season. This is the Armand season, the Amadeo season, the Louis photographer season, the breaking into museums to look at or steal art season. If S1 was music, S2 is art).

The dining room where we find the Ron Bechet, Transformation (A TREE AND VINES FFS), representing Louis (or Loumand) and the (stolen - can we take a moment to appreciate the hilarity that is Louis and Armand dressing up as police officers to carry out one of the biggest art heists in recent history?) Rembrandt, Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee representing Daniel (Fear and Faith).

You can see them more clearly in the S1 scene where Dan and Louis are at either end of the table, each before their own painting.

But also in S2 in combo with the Marius christ-and-demons, representing Armand (or representing Armius?? Lol do they have a ship name? kill me now). I find it very interesting how Armand is sometimes framed with Dan's painting behind him and at other times with Louis', almost like he's being pulled between the two.

Anyway. Point is the GIANT RED ORANGE LESTAT CHRIST SYMBOLISM is suspiciously out of frame this season.

See the difference in framing here in Season 1: (note, this is DanLou first meeting. It's BEEN THERE FROM THE BEGINNING)

And this itty bitty corner shot in Season 2:

And when does the triptych come back into frame? Oh just DIRECTLY AFTER THIS BIT OMFG:

Me too, Dan. Me too.

The triptych has been on the wall from the start of the show. Looming over everything, haunting the narrative, like a giant bleeding meta signpost.

[evilkaeya]

domestic skk

[gaysforbyler]

I LOVE how Mike’s face is the second biggest on this poster. Literally name one thing he did this season besides get into arguments with every person he loves and get bonked on the head a couple times (ilyyyy my useless little guy)

[ozzo-the-wozzo]

Trying to explain Adrien’s subplot in miraculous to anyone but it’s literally just this:

[thelesbianluthor]

I want to see Joyce mother Robin and Nancy so bad. I need good mother, kind mother Joyce who knows the shit that these kids have to go through, giving these two girls a hug because they deserve it!!!

[askchilchuck]

Whats your favorite book would you say?

Honestly? I don’t do a lot of reading for fun… He thinks back for a moment to remember the last time he’d read a non-academic book. He suddenly remembers the fables book he used to read to his girls every night when he was in between jobs, and how excited they’d every time he’d put them to bed.

Actually, there is one. I don’t know if they printed any in common, but there’s an old collection of Half Foot fairytales I used to read to my girls a lot when they were little. I think I still have it in a drawer somewhere…