#torn between yelling and being all🥺🥺🥺

[isalabells]

Bis jetzt noch nicht dagewesen, in Barcelona? Nein, noch nicht, nein. Aber der Besuch, sozusagen, der wird– Die nächsten Wochen auf jeden Fall, hab ich's geplant!

[stesierra]

Okay! Since people are asking, here's some of my writing. I'm not used to sharing because on Twitter no one really cared... 🥺 Please let me know if you're interested in learning more about this book or being added to a tag list for my stuff! I love questions about my stuff too... This is new adult fantasy even though publishing says new adult isn't real.

(please excuse my MC's attitude because she is depressed! We've all been there when we released a plague of skeletons.)

The Bone Queen

Chapter 1

When I fell in love with Aubrey, I never thought I'd dream of killing him one day. Why would I? He was already dead.

Now, two years after he’d won my heart with lies, we stood alone in my dimly lit parlor, between its lion-footed couches all in pine green and gold and blood red, Queen Idony’s colors. The golden tapestries that thickly coated the walls depicted Bandrum Palace as seen from the streets of Asteraxe: a many-floored edifice that sprawled across the top of a hill, half hidden behind a mighty wall.

The enormous skirts of my dress weighed me down like I was dragging my own casket around. The bodice hugged my ribs and the corset I didn't need, embellished with lace and embroidered birds, and the sleeves poofed around my skinny arms. It left my scrawny shoulders bare, and even with the fire that crackled in my fireplace, the winter air inside the palace chilled me.

The dress was ivory. The same ivory as my fiancé’s bones.

He clenched my hand, his icy finger bones pinching my skin, and his touch revolted me. But I didn't draw away. I'd learned by now that there was no escape. What point was there in trying? Besides, I deserved this unhappiness. I'd brought it upon myself. Upon the entire kingdom of Sweelough.

When I'd met Aubrey, he'd been nothing but a handsome ghost on Lake Langlyn’s shores. But since I'd freed him—freed them all—he’d become something more. Not alive, even Queen Idony couldn't do that, but she'd given him back his skeleton with which to wield swords and write notes and touch my vulnerable skin. His ghost hadn't gone anywhere; it wrapped around his skeleton like transparent flesh around bones. Now, when I looked into his face, I saw both sharp gray eyes and yawning sockets, both a full, cleanshaven mouth and a skull’s grinning teeth. And the clothes his ghost wore echoed the very real doublet and hose he'd pulled over his bones. Green and red and gold, of course. He honored the queen in everything he did.

He bent close to me, brushing the top of my fashionable tower of hair with his jawbone. He stank of potpourri and dust. “Tell me you love me, Elise.”

I said nothing, just breathed and thought about hitting his bones over and over again with a hammer. In my mind, he crumbled into bits, nothing but ashes in a grave. Of course, it was a fantasy; no one could kill someone who was already dead. I knew because so many people had died trying. Because I had hit him with an axe down on the shore of Lake Langlyn, and it had only torn his clothes.

He said again, “We are to marry in a month. Tell me you love me. Smile at me and say my name, the way you used to.”

“Aubrey,” I said. I didn't love him, but what good would it do to tell him again, when he would only yell at me? It was pointless. Everything was pointless.

His ghostly eyes narrowed, and he crushed my hands in his. “Smile, Elise. Thank me for taking you to wife. For when we met, you were nothing but a serf too stupid to write her own name. Now look at you. Aren't you grateful?”

Tears stung my eyes. When I'd met him, at sixteen, I'd been happy. I'd had parents and four brothers who loved me, and it hadn't mattered that none of us knew how to read or write. What did farmers need letters for? Now, two years later, life was meaningless, and it didn't matter that the tutors he'd forced on me had taught me to scribble my name and read a handful of poems.

Aubrey sighed and leaned down to kiss the back of my hand. For a horrifying second, his lips passed through me, and his teeth brushed my skin. “I'm sorry, Elise. I know I push you too hard. You'll be a good wife. Docile and obedient. Quiet. A good mother to my children.”

If I was docile and quiet, it was only because I'd given up. But his last sentence made me whip my head up. “Children? What do you mean, children?”

He smiled up at me, his spectral mouth matching the grinning teeth of his skull. “Why, Elise, didn't you think I would want a heir?”

“Why would you?” I cried. “Lady Kinburg tells everyone how she had no choice but to hang her descendents when she came back, because they wouldn't return her lands. The dead don't want heirs. You're planning to rule forever. Aren't you?”

“Of course,” my fiancé agreed, straightening up. “But I would still want children. Offspring who will love and admire me, just as you do.”

Unless they inherited my ability to see and hear ghosts, all the children would see was a skeleton that couldn't even talk to them. They wouldn't admire him. They'd fear him, just like I did. Somehow, that didn't matter, not when there was a bigger issue. “Aubrey, you're dead. You can't sire children. It's impossible. Are you planning to have some living man bed me?”

He scoffed, reaching up to seize my chin. “I'll kill any man who lays a finger on you. You're mine. Forever.”

I ripped my face out of his grip. “If we adopt children, they won't be able to see you.” No other living person in Asteraxe, the capital of Sweelough, saw and heard the dead like I did. They just saw skeletons, awful and deadly. It was my gift and my curse to see more. A curse that had doomed me and all of Sweelough.

He let me retreat to sit upon one of the couches. “But children born of your body will, my love. And it's not impossible. Do you have so little faith in the queen? In one month, on the day of our wedding, she will cast spells upon me to give me the ability to lie with you. With her magic, she'll quicken my seed in your belly. And nine months later, you'll bear me a perfect son.”

Aubrey was going to have sex with me. He was going to force me to bear his child. My thoughts ran in terrified, anguished circles. My limbs grew weak, and I sank into my couch. I wanted to vomit all over his pointed shoes. If I could've, I'd have bolted out into the halls of the palace and straight out the front doors. Running for my life had never sounded more appealing.

But the queen's magic brand wrapped my ankle like a jagged red tattoo, and even now I felt it burning against my skin. She'd promised me, when she enchanted me two years ago, that if I ever tried to escape, it would punish me. And Aubrey had stood beside her, smiling because I could never leave him.

“You look faint, my love,” Aubrey said, stepping up close to me. “Come to dinner tonight. Sit at my side and display your beauty to all the court.”

“I'm not hungry,” I said, and it was true. I was never hungry, and after the horrible news he’d just dropped on me, I might never be hungry again. If I accompanied Aubrey to the Great Hall, where the nobility gathered over feasts of roast beef and fish and fresh fruit, I would only sit uneating in front of plenty, just like all the dead who wanted to pretend that they were still alive. Aubrey couldn't eat, being nothing but bones. I had a stomach and all the equipment needed, but I'd lost my appetite with my family, and now that he’d threatened to impregnate me, it was doubly gone.

He took my hand and kissed it again. “Very well. I will send your maids in to tend to you. But after dinner, I will come fetch you. Queen Idony wishes to speak with you.”

My stomach dropped, and I tore my hand out of his. “What? Why? I haven't done anything wrong.”

He patted my cheek, and his bones were so cold that surely they'd never belonged to a living man. “Fear not, Elise. She doesn't want to punish you. She merely wishes to tell you your new duties in the days ahead.”

“Duties? What duties?” Dread constricted my throat. Duties, whatever they were, would take me away from my rooms and safety. They'd put me in the eyes of the living nobles, and all of them hated me. Not because I was a peasant pretending to be one of them. Because it was my fault they had to bow to a dead queen. I didn't blame them. I hated me too.

Aubrey beamed at me. “Great events are on the horizon. Do you remember that the queen made overtures to our wealthy neighbor to the west?”

Only one county bordered Sweelough to the west. “Ahheleisa. But you said nothing would come of it. That the living were too superstitious to see a gift when the queen offered it.”

He waved a hand. “The living are cretins. But in this case, I was wrong.”

“I’m still alive, Aubrey,” I reminded him. For now. Every other night, I woke from nightmares that the queen had stripped me down to nothing but a ghost and dry old bones.

“Yes, yes. That doesn't matter. We have news now that an ambassador and his party are coming here to Asteraxe. In fact, they are nearly upon us. And so Queen Idony has plans for you. But she’ll tell you the details tonight, I am sure.” He patted my leg through my layers of skirts and petticoats. “Now, promise me you'll eat something.”

“I'll eat something,” I lied. But after he'd left and sent my maids in to check on me, I tilted my head back and closed my eyes and tried to think of nothing. Thoughts kept sneaking in of a dead man's touch and a dead man's children, and I had no peace at all.

[widowsofchaos]

8 with steve rogers please🥺🥺♥️ thank you

𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧

synopsis: a mission goes wrong, and all there is left is pain. but, there’s always light.

ao3

a/n: “You take me instead, do you hear me? Give her back and take me instead!” requested 8 from this dialogue prompt list, with Steve Rogers. sorry tumblr ate the inbox message.

warnings: mention of SA, ptsd, minor angst, recovery.

The ruins of ghosts’ past haunt you.

You were once as pure as a church, clean and holy —- now desolate, abandoned, and corrupted. Ruined. Broken pews where little children once bowed their little heads in prayer.

All these disregulated nerves alight with fire, and terror. Cautiously awaiting for the monsters to come out of the darkness, and finally devour the remaining carcass.

Five months ago.

Armed to the teeth with strapped weaponry, and confidence. An abandoned Hydra base left to rot in the middle of wilderness.

Cautious steps tread the corridors with precision, and stealth. As your husband was scouting the other end of the base, he entrusted you to be safe.

Found a laboratory, old vials of chemicals, and gasses. Dead silence hung over you as a wet blanket—- ears straining, faint footsteps near.

It was a blur.

All you can recall was the acidic scent of gas, shouting, a kick to your ribs, and your name being shouted through your comm.

His sweet voice bellowing, pleading for your life, sweet Steve. ‘You take me instead, do you hear me? Give her back and take me instead!’

Held onto those words wound tight, as if you could weave them between your fingers from it’s vibrations, pull the static itself and wear it as brass knuckles.

Endless days of pain, stripped of your sanity, stripped to the marrow of nothingness. Girlflesh licked and bit at, one eye swollen shut, and upper lip plumped to a ripe bruise.

Split knuckles, torn and raw. Calculated blows bled to feral clawing, and biting, punches earning cherry stained ivories. Pinned to the cold floor by your wrists, and ankles by filthy palms, multiple men snickering in German, as they hovered over you, thrusting as swine.

Locked away to rot, no sunlight, no fresh air, only the stale scent of your urine, and … other bodily fluids. Every few hours, another agent came, and beat your weakened state.

It was hell.

Time was nothing but imagination.

Until finally, yells and gunfire erupted from the outside. A man’s skull smashed against the door, bursting the metal door wide open.

Light surrounded his blonde tresses as a halo. Towering over you, with soft hands.

He gently held your body, causing you to shrill in agony. Steve silently cried over you, whispering ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry’ under his breath, pleading for forgiveness for every wail that seeped from you.

Steve held you all through the ride on the jet. Friday’s monitors checking over your vitals, and not even blinking away.

Once the doctors at the compound told him the extent of your injuries, and what was found inside of you. He nearly broke into a rampage that only settled with Bucky tackling him into a bear hug.

The mental scars weren’t healing. You felt pathetic, and weak. You never lost control.

Tiresome training that stretched itself through hours, day after day, demanding for the most brutal discipline from Natasha. Demanding for more and more, barely any water breaks—- for a moment to breathe.

Compulsive need to feel the pain, to bare your teeth in reaction, triggering fear which led to lashing out and screaming—- and a concerned Natasha.

Eventually, this habit led to a halt with a towering Natasha hissing, enough . Her green eyes lidded, with concern. Hands at the jut of her hips.

“Replacing the grief with aggression, isn’t going to fix it.”

“How would you know? You’re the world’s deadliest woman.” You snarked back, monotone and sarcastic.

A pregnant silence.

“I wasn’t always.”

Her tone is soft, and speaks with an unspoken feeling. You understood, but didn’t dare ask. Ending the conversation at that.

And it was never brought up again.

-

Sex only brought revulsion, not towards Steve. But towards yourself, all you saw was ugliness. A mere touch brought you back to that dark cell.

Vices became familiar habits again, smoking, and rarely eating.

Every-time he touched you, you cried. Bawled as a child, hysterically. Hyperventilating as all he can do is watch, and guide you through it, just like the therapist instructed.

Days not spent on training, are held up in your bedroom, blankly staring up at the ceiling, tailbone aching from oversleeping.

The waves of stress crash against the strong willed ship that is your marriage. Irritated to even talk, disconnected from everyone, every mirror has been smashed.

Now you lay here, in the dark.

From the corner of your oculus, faintly in the crevices of your mind, there is an inky black mass—— just staring, always near.

And yet, somehow, you’re convinced that it’s real, that you must respond to the plaguing thoughts; but the body doesn’t recognize false visions, only fear.

The bedroom door quietly opens. Taking most of the entrances' space, divine shoulders squared, and those knowing blue pools with murky green swirls.

Coiffed blonde hair, and tender blue eyes. A nose that rivals a roman god, a man that would be mounted in a church, the face of a saint.

Your saint.

Century old eyes that seen more than it can bear, ever so knowing. Perhaps, he heard your thoughts, and came to your aid.

His footsteps dull against the carpet, gently coming towards you. His hand hesitatingly stretches out, unaware if touch is right.

But you yearn for it, silently asking for comfort.

Gently his hand lays on your chest, circular rubs to soothe the haggard breathing. Shooing away the bad thoughts as a mother would.

“Deep breaths.” Steve says, “It’s okay.” Filling your chest with gusts of air, being guided by his voice, with the lulling twang of that Brooklyn accent.

You want to break through the fog. You yearn to heal these angry wounds.

Watery sigh escapes you, eyes never leaving the ceiling, and for a fleeting moment, you wish you died in the cell. Then maybe, you wouldn’t subject your husband—-

“Mama?”

—- and your daughter to your troubles.

A creek at the door is followed by small footsteps. Her small body shuffles and ruffles on the blanket at the edge of the bed, quickly lifted by Steve by her belly.

Steve gently shushes her, a reminder saying, ‘be careful, remember, mommy isn’t well’. Soft snuffles, and grunts follow with each tug of the blanket, and your legs as support.

Climbing over your body, your daughter’s little chubby hands dents onto the flesh of your body. Slowly the black mass evaporates, its suffocating presence dissipates into nothing.

As a fog clears from your mind, and a small smile forms at the corner of your mouth. Steve smiles a little, his hand caressing her little head.

“Mama, are you okay?” Her baby voice lulls you, and brings tears to your eyes. “Yeah,” your voice raspy, “Mama’s okay.” Nodding weakly.

What was it your therapist said, again?

‘There’s always light at the tunnel. You just have to find it.’

Her little cherub brown cheeks puffed, and plump. Ripe for kisses. Her little fingers toying with your face.

‘And if that light isn’t your husband,’

Your eyes gaze up at Steve, love emitting from his blue hues. Your weak hand shakingly moves to his cheek, he leans into your touch, closing his eyes.

‘Then I’m damn sure, it’s your little girl.’

Slowly, your eyes sheen wet at the brim, looking at such innocence. Untainted, and pure. Life doesn’t end, it just changes, like the seasons. Some good, and some bad.

‘You don’t have to heal today, and I don’t expect you to heal tomorrow. But remember what we have created. She’s so much more than us.’ Steve’s words from therapy ring in your mind.

It doesn’t end.

“I love you, mama.”

You inhale a watery breath, smiling from ear to ear. A relief curling in your chest.

“I love you too, my little bubble.”

[threehuskiesinatrenchcoat]

I just thought of something funny

So you know how Alejandro still thinks that graves is dead? Like imagine one day Rudy kidnappeds graves and shows Ale that he’s still alive so then ale requests that he and graves be left alone and graves is like tied to a chair and then Alejandro is like Pedro Pascal in that one SNL skit where Pedro is like “ay mi hijo!! DONT YOU EVER LEAVE ME AGAIN” or something like that and Alejandro is like that with graves

50% “WHY AND HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU STILL ALIVE 😡”

50% “oh my god my sweet baby boy oh how I’ve missed you 🥺”

DSJFHGSDH no fr he'd be SO torn between "i want to kiss you" and "i want to punch you" but also!! nice coincidence cuz me and @instantpartykidrascal were discussing a very similar concept recently, and had some moderately angsty ideas how graves is used to alejandro being emotional and having outbursts, but he's just... silent. how graves expected him to yell, pace around the room, insult him, punch him, but he just stands there, watching him. how graves expected him to hate him, but he just looks so... sad. because alejandro made peace with it, what's the point of being angry at a dead man? he tried to remember the good and shove aside the bad. that whole thing was out of his control now, really. he won't be able to see him again (and hold him close), he won't be able to get the answers (and help), he won't be able to tell him how much it hurt (and forgive), so no point in dwelling on it. or so he thought. he was so sure it's all in the past now, what the hell is he supposed to do now that it's all rushing back? sorry for turning your funny into emotional damage

[vermwerm]

very normal queenkaard headcanons (1/2)

sorry this has to be a 2 parter cuz. i legitimately could not fit the entire thing in here

I totally dont have problems /s Yippee rou headcanons that make no amount of sense and that i wont explain!! For rou ive probably repeated some of these as, the list is very. long. He takes good care of his hair He likes pirates a very normal amount He hast adhd Rou very frequently forgets his accent around Queen He disregards his health in all aspects, a lot He uh. Eats raw meat- i dont know why i added this tbh, maybe its cuz i gave him sharp teeth He constantly wears Queens sweaters n stuff Ok ive seen this hc like. 3 times, but he can play piano He doesnt really, find himself worthy of much at all. Unless his worth is “given” to him by other people he doesnt believe he can give himself any sort of hint of being more than a laughing stock He has heterochromia He is. Always sleepy I have an entire list of things he would try and eat, theres like 30 things on there He smells like rainwater or coffee He does that thing ferrets do, where they like dont wake up when you try n wake them but they arent dead He either doesnt know how to cook at all and will set the kitchen on fire or he knows how to cook very well cuz malewife He is either a fucking god or just this silly little guy everyone laughs at He make bug noises Yeah he can blep, the entire family (lancer, queen, rou) can!! He hates King (hes just like me fr) He hates being alone, ironic cuz he lives alone but lancer visited him, and then ofc que appeared and ghhhsjhrenerggjfr Why did i add this wth, he has hydroreceptors or smth He doesnt have bones, why would he?? He can melt into a little Rou puddle He likes to snuggle up to que all the time, and for the most part immedietly reciprocates any affection he gets from her Im torn between if he can down an entire bottle of that psycho serum hot sauce shit and not feel a thing or eat one taki and die He calls Que “schönes” a lot (basically means beautiful in german) He cant stand sweet things/overly sugary things, but he does like black licorice and cinnamon candies He has memorized how to play a lot of card games, and in Card Castle would often play said games with Lancer

He prolly has to ask every like. 3 seconds what the fuck Que is saying cuz her frequent use of internet slang Rouxls gets swooned when Queen, yknow? He very rarely gets positive attention, so he normalized (kinda glorified) negative attention in his head, but ofc que andnshujrfhrhrghkrgh and basically he kind of always wants her attention cuz he knows she wont be.. A dickhead- If he got positive. Affection. He would cry He probably likes Will WoodHas the possibility of being emo when teenager Very rarely gets sleep, either temp insomnia or just forcing himself to stay up Im not too sure abt this one, but what if, jelly organs His posture is terrible, he looks like a blue shrimp when he sits Awwww the scrunkly 🥰🥺🥺🥺 double tap if youd scrunkly the when 😆 (imsorry) He can kinda mold his skin- cuz yknow… slime…. But he can only do it for a short period of time I have a list of blue moths, aka Rouxls moths I maybe partially imagine his mother is a crunchy mom and thats one of the sources for his problems He often misjudges how loud he is, so he could be talking like. To what seems to him as yelling but it seems very neutral to everyone else. And what he imagines neutral in his head is very quiet- that makes no sense Rou prolly has agoraphobia, like a lot of phobias tbh Ok time for huge block of text: he has a lot of mental illnesses tbh (oemgee hes just liek me-) but he tries to push them into obscurity, which isnt healthy at all!! What a surprise. But im unsure of whether or not mental help would exist in Castle Town, so he doesnt really know what hes doing is really fucking bad, he doesnt really tell anyone, and he also cant get help for his mental problems. He constantly tries to ignore his problems, using either an unhealthy or very rarely healthy . ignoring?? Mechanism????? Thats not the right term but whatever. Like any, bottled up mental problem, he sometimes lashes out. But he feels really horrible afterwards, he doesnt do anything detrimental but like yeah.. anywaye I dont think mental health problems would be stigmatized in castle town, but considering Rouxls is well. Rouxls. its more likely for people to immediately form a bias against him for something that if he was anyone else, they wouldnt hold said bias. hypocritical but common, some people who stay by their beliefs wont but like i said, its common for people to hold something over someone they dont likes head that they otherwise have said they hold no negative opinions on. I drew him in, Lady Demistrescus dress once. I now expect more people to draw him in that /j Whenever he tries to get back into the hobbies he originally gave up on, hes always quite scared of messing up his hair (at least with hobbies that can. Do that- like painting) so yippee bun rouxls He has a list of his favorite moths, almost every moth you can find is on there He has probably gotten a nose bleed so bad hes passed out. This has also probably happened multiple times He is transmasc, transfemm, and enby at the same time He loves doing his makeup <33 He sometimes, gets dressed all nice somedays even when he has nothing to do. He just “wants to feel pretty” yknow

He eats kitkats the immoral way He may have a heart chamber, but as much as i love adding bug aspects to characters i like im unsure if i want to keep this headcanon

[on-a-lucky-tide]

15 or 19 for Eskel and Lambert? I’m feeling soft tonight🥺 (if you’ve closed your asks that’s totally okay)

19. “I thought I’d lost you”

"Where's Eskel?" Geralt bellowed over the melancholy drone of hunting horns and the scream of cold winds.

Vesemir looked south, his face twisted with chagrin. "Dammit. We agreed he'd open that gate."

"Hasn't done it yet, means..."

"He'll be fine. We've got Triss to worry about!"

Lambert watched them sprint towards Triss' position. He should have followed. Should have stuck to the plan. But he couldn't. The thought of Eskel being torn apart by the Hunt's hounds made his blood run colder than the frost beneath his feet.

Three years of drinking alone as Lambert let their relationship falter. Three years of bitterness after Eskel wouldn't just... walk away from it all. Three years of pain knowing that Eskel had chosen the Path over them. Over whatever they could've had. Three years of trying to convince himself he hated Eskel. Didn't need him. Had never needed him.

But Lambert had lost Aiden. Had barely started mourning him properly. He wasn't losing Eskel too. And if he already had? Well, he didn't have time to think about it.

Lambert cleared the courtyard, the steps, the walls between him and Eskel. He headed towards the gate. Towards Eskel and whatever fate awaited him.

As Lambert drew closer, he could hear the clash of steel, the glass-shattering noise of splintering shields and the crunch of broken bone as something heavy and unyielding smashed into something made of muscle and bone. When Lambert rounded the corner, Eskel was struggling to his feet, one arm across his torso, his face spattered in blood. The Navigator swung his staff and knocked Eskel back to the floor before moving in for the kill.

"No!" Lambert's voice carried over the tumultuous roar of the winds and the Navigator froze for a second. A second was all Lambert needed. He sprinted forward and threw an Aard with all the ferocity he could muster, and put himself between the man he loved and the icy talons of fate. If death was to reap souls tonight, it would take them both.

A flash of green - a glint of steel - a shock of ash blonde hair. "See I can do it, too!" Ciri yelled as she knocked the Navigator away, parrying each of his blows.

Lambert took the reprieve and crouched by Eskel. Unlike the others, he had never underestimated Ciri. Even as a young urchin flipping over the combs he had treated her as an equal, never a child. She could hold her own long enough for Lambert to reassure himself that Eskel was still alive. He slipped a leather-clad palm beneath Eskel's head, and his chest only loosened when honey-gold eyes gazed back at him. "Thought I'd lost you, big guy," he rasped.

"Ahh, he..." Eskel coughed and flinched; some ribs had broken, "...hits like a girl."

"Pretty fucking hard, then." Lambert wiped the hair from Eskel's face, and they both managed the flicker of a smirk before Lambert said, "I'm done drinking alone."

Time held its breath and Lambert watched recognition and light flood Eskel's eyes. They stood together as a guttural noise, like a large foghorn, rung out. Caranthir disappeared into fog and light, leaving more foot soldiers in his wake.

Eskel jutted his chin at Ciri, who drew her sword up to her shoulder, and then at the cluster of soldiers approaching their flank. "I'll take these!" he said. She nodded, glanced at Lambert, and the three witchers rushed forward together to defend their home.

Because 'home' wasn't a building - a mouldy castle with a leaking roof - it was family.

[actualbird]

IM IN SHAMBLES OVER EVIE 😭😭 She's so cuteee

Ahhhh just imagining her interactions with the other nxx members 🥺

Her having Very Serious conversations with vyn about what's the better dinosaur, helping artem with cooking and learning to cook from him, wanting to be just like MC when she grows up so sometimes imitating MC's mannerisms and outfits.

And Marius is just a big child himself, they would have SO MUCH FUN teasing each other and Marius letting her play in his studio with his art stuff afahsjsks

Idk theyre JUST ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY 😭🥺

sorry for rambling so much ASFSHSJS pls take ur time and looking forward to this whenever you write it! :) have a great day!

- 🐍

irt to my 4895834th fanfic idea where luke has an adopted daughter

same disclaimer: dont take this idea and write it. my idea. imma do a full fic of this when god allows me to.

HI SNAKE!! im glad u think evie is cute, i actually love writing kids despite the fact i havent been in speaking proximity of a child in a very very very long time (i think i held a baby two years ago? that baby liked me, he hit my face while laughing a LOT) BUT YES YES YES EXAAAAACTLY!!!!

hhhhh like luke in this au would be so worried protective over evie. but also hes SO PROUD OF HER. so hes torn between yelling at everybody in the grocery store "HAVE YOU SEEN MY DAUGHTER WHO IS SO AMAZING AND THE BEST THING IN MY LIFE??" or wrapping evie in 5km of bubble wrap. he loves the nxx investigation team but if anybody 1) is mean to her or 2) does not like her, luke pearce is going to go feral

thankfully in this au, the team LOVE HER TO BITS. AND ALL THOSE SCENES U SAID MAKE MY HEART MELT INTO HAPPY GOO!!!

vyn would be so kind and gentle, a little sneaky tho, getting evie to really develop the argument for her candidate of best dinosaur. also evie likes stealing vyn's glasses and going all "ooooohhh vyn your eyes are so bad!!! how do you even see without these!!!" and vyn would let her run off with his glasses, fondly resigned to losing the ability to read for a while

artem does NOT let her go near the stove or the the knives or anything that can possibly hurt a human being until she's like, 12 years old at least, but she does like sitting on the counter and playing taste tester ("artem, dont tell dad but...your cooking tastes a loooooot better...can you teach him too?") but artem has been scolded by luke for ruining evie's apetite. artem CANT SAY NO TO HER!! shes like "taste test, please!" and artem gives her so many bites that shes not hungry for the actual meal anymore.

MARIUS IS BASICALLY BIG BROTHER TO EVIE!!! SO MUCH TEASING!!! it's because of marius that evie learns some snark and bite (and luke suffers that from her now, WHY, MARIUS, WHY DID U TEACH MY DAUGHTER THE WAYS OF TAME ASSHOLE-ERY??) and yep yep yep she gets her hands in his paints and makes a MESS. marius is so happy

and PLSSSS mc bringing evie to the law firm because luke is busy with a thing and evie DEMANDS to have an outfit like mc so that shes office ready!!! mc sends luke pictures and luke starts crying

sometimes a family is 2 attorneys, a psychiatrist, a ceo, a super spy, and a very happy little evie

(oh and peanut!!!)

[shiningsagittarius]

🎶 We all live in a broken submarine, a broken submarine, a broken submarine! 🎶

(Spoilers for the book and show ahead! These are my thoughts and opinions)

1 x 06

ORPHANAGE FLASHBACK

NICKY!!!!!

These two are gonna kill me I swear!!

(Hey, anybody ever read The Secret Series? Pietro and Dr. L, anyone? Kinda?)

A SUBMARINE???? WHAT ON EARTH??? WHEN… HOW… WHY……. I HATE IT HERE

“Significantly sized adult” hdkdgskdvksgdkdhsks

“Didn’t that story end horribly?” “Yes it did. But this will work!” Whatever you say, Mr. B…

I love Rhonda’s accent omg

“You haven’t failed. You just haven’t finished yet.” EXACTLY!! He wants to stop so the kids can be safe, but he’s closer than he’s ever been to stopping the Emergency!!

Emo Mr. Benedict…. Nobody understands him…..

Dr. Curtain is so DONE hdkdgdlsgjdl

The violin strings when the camera zooms in on Dr. Curtain

THEY SPEAK SO LOUDLY!!

Kate and Constance are ready to throw hands…. Queens…..

O R G A N F A R M S

I mean, yeah… the Whisperer can return memories….. but it also takes ‘em away first!!

Man, I feel really bad for Sticky. He wasn’t keen on this mission in the first place, and now he’s torn between his friends and the Institute. It’s hard to watch him get drawn in like this.

And Reynie desperately trying to keep everyone together!!

He’s wanted for messenger duty. Not reporting to messenger duty, wanted. Dr. Curtain definitely told Jackson and Jillson to say wanted specifically

Jackson and Jillson backing away into the elevator in unison jdlfgsldh

Ah, so the Messengers aren’t even consciously reciting the messages, like in the book

Dr. Curtain could tell Reynie was fighting the Whisperer!!!

NOW THEY’RE YELLING OVER THE TABLE TO EACH OTHER… I can’t even be mad anymore, I think most of the students have hearing loss or something

Also, the girls piling food onto their plates XD Reynie needs to eat more! Get some nutrients!!

Martina’s an Executive! I was wondering if they’d add that!

Constance being left out again :(

The messages are getting louder…….

MS. PERUMAL AND MRS. PERUMAL!!!!

Ah, so Mrs. Perumal is affected without the TV being on! I wonder if most people are becoming more aware of the messages now, or if Mrs. Perumal is sensitive like Constance

And now, for the Marvelous Misadventures of Milligan!!

CONSTANCE SNUCK OUT OF THE INSTITUTE?????

NATHANIEL STEALING THE SHOW…. THE SECOND HAND EMBARRASSMENT….

RHONDA’S NEW ‘DO!

S.Q. is such a good artist…..

He’s got a whole forest all to himself??

Uh-oh, Martina is suspicious….

Wait, she’s inviting Kate to hang out with her???

THE SERVER FARM… S.Q.’s FOREST….. IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW

I WAS STRUGGLING TO PUT TOGETHER WHAT FARM AND FOREST IS SUPPOSED TO MEAN LAST NIGHT!!!

A key card……. 👀

Dr. Curtain is so freaking condescending to S.Q.

GOD, it’s so interesting how Dr. Curtain is really suspicious of Reynie, unlike in the books!! I truly thought this version of him was gonna trust Reynie, too

S.Q.’s face….. I wanna c r y 🥺 get him away from Curtain ASAP. Or I will.

REYNIE’S MENTAL LETTERS!!!!

Is the music a version of the music when he was talking to Ms. Perumal in episode 1, but in a minor key??????

Him struggling with lying, even going so far as to draw a picture on his notebook to seem more authentic and hating every second…….

Lunch with Dr. Curtain??

The perfectly arranged school supplies, how Wes Anderson of you 👀

Starting Sticky’s confidence arc from book 2 here really works!!

“Somewhere deep down, you like when I’m anxious, don’t you?”

I always love seeing more of Stonetown

Milligan’s goggles…… oh yeah and he’s like. Currently drowning. I should get my priorities straight.

But seriously, every time they cut back to him in this episode, I was like “Oh yeah! Milligan!”

“He yelled at me for even considering it.” I found this line really interesting, but I can’t really articulate why. Curtain never raised his voice, so is S.Q. specifically saying he yelled to make Reynie leave him alone, or is S.Q. unable to really express how the conversation actually went (which was a very emotionally manipulative tone from his dad)? Idk, comment if you feel the same way or have any thoughts

S.Q. and Reynie friendship 🥺 I really really hope S.Q. doesn’t feel betrayed later on 😭

Ah, ‘tis better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. The motto of every teenager

Nathaniel spouting off poetry………ok you got me, I kinda sympathize with him…….. he’s trying so hard to impress them, so he’ll be adopted……

Haha, he said ocean

“If you can only take one, we understand. We want what’s best for each other.” Damn, Curtain thought Benedict betrayed him, when he was straight up about to sell out Nicholas!!

WAGYU STEAK

Compatibility index scores??

“But after seeing his compatibility scores…”

Dr. Curtain knows somebody is lying to him now, and he can tell it’s Reynie

S.Q.’s birth father!! Worked with Dr. Curtain!! What… what did he do to him?? There’s absolutely no way he was sick, right??

Kate, you’re gonna get caught…..

She’s so awkward omg XD

She’s copying the key pattern!!

FELLAS… 🏳️‍🌈👀

MARTINA MADE HER A K E Y C H A I N????? Oh my GOD……………. seriously, does Martina have a crush on Kate or something?? Or really wants to be her friend, at the very least. Too bad Kate is very focused on the mission 😥

Oh yeah! Milligan!

THE PUTTY FROM THE COMMERCIAL GFKSGKDGKSGD

The deer 🥺

“They cause tumors or something. Hope somebody tells the deer.” Hey have I mentioned I’d die for S.Q. yet???

THE BERETS!!! I THOUGHT HE WAS PICKING A HAT FOR HIMSELF…. I WAS SO WRONG…… OH MY GOD HE’S SEEING IF HE CAN GET EVERYONE TO DO WHAT HE TELLS THEM TO NOW

Constance swiping a hat XD

“It should have been me. What do they even see in you?” That’s… ouch. Even back then, he’s putting his own brother down constantly. Or constantly enough for Nicholas to say he KNOWS his brother should’ve been picked, and he’s not sure why anyone would pick him instead……… Jesus…

The bunk beds…

“I was left to be, without my brother trying to constantly control my every move!” SO CURTAIN HAS ALWAYS BEEN OBSESSED WITH CONTROL

He blames himself for never even asking if Nathaniel could live with them… are y’all trying to destroy me from the inside out or

Constance hiding in the raspberries gdkdgkdgdkd

THE TURBINES!! MILLIGAN WATCH OUT!! HE CANT HEAR US, HE HAS HIS AIRPODS IN, OH GOD OH NO-

(Fortunately, Milligan is simply too Powerful to be killed by pathetic mortal means)

She’s been sober for five years, and you’re pressuring her to drink :/

“Straight into the coconut.” Jskagsksgjx

“Thank you, cult!”

I literally hate seeing them fight :(

The group is breaking apart at the seams…

TLDR:

Someone on here mentioned that this episode is definitely the furthest away from the book plot so far, and I agree. HOWEVER… I really liked it. I truly do hope the next two episodes incorporate more plot lines and moments from the book, but as far as departures from the source material go, this isn’t bad at all. Again, we can see some solid storytelling, great cinematography, and intriguing character moments and emotional beats. I think this episode is a 9/10 in my book! There are definitely some smaller nitpicky things I could think about more, but I won’t at the moment.

Milligan: *Literally drowning*

Me, who has read the books:

[parisakamali]

hi miss bie congrats!!!!! i'm so happy for you!!!!! you deserve all the followers and even more!!!! can i get ♡ and ❀ + tagged/mine* ALSO my birthday is march 20th ty ily

miss salma i love you, but you know that already!!! thank you so much for always being such a sweet sweet soul and being my buddy 🥺💖 i’d think i dont have enough words to describe you, but apparently i have a LOT to say about amazing people 😌

join my celebration uwu

♡ : YOUR BLOG IS PERFECT. there’s nothing about it that i don’t like, literally aesthetic goals 😭 you just changed ur url and lemme tell ya... big fan, big fun!!! (le: you changed it again. no words. only love for mia khalifa <3) you always have such iconic urls anyway, how does it feel being a legend? i love ur icon sm the coloring is so beautiful, but thats expected from you! and your header too omg!!! i feel like i keep repeating myself but fr dude everything is so gorgeous!!! the TITLE!! the only title that matters! the taste truly jumped out with that one. i don’t even know what to say!!! YOU ARE SO TALENTED OHMYGOD!!! all your edits are stunning but we’ll get to that in a second. you’re like?? such a sweetheart??? you have big sister energy, even though it’s the chaotic kind sometimes. now, all grandma jokes aside, i look up to you a lot, actually. you’re very smart and i love how outspoken you are! you take no prisoners, you’re really a force to be reckoned with, and the type of person i’d like to have close during the apocalypse! but you’re also so 🥺🥺🥺 sweet and loving and supportive!!! your tags always hype me up and im sure a lot of people feel the same!!! im so so happy i know you, i always say that, but it’s true! you’re a blessing in anyone’s life and im happy you’re in mine <3 please, i am begging you, get some goddamn rest!!!!!!! y’all yell at me to go to sleep, but i’m not the one getting 3 hours 😭 treat urself, queen, you deserve the world!

❀ : uhm excuse me how dare you make me choose between your edits? when i’m so in love with all of them?? leave me alone, get out! go stand in the corner and think about what you did. smh the audacity of some people who call themselves your friends! anyWAY:

this silena edit! have you ever seen an edit so beautiful you cried? bc same. this is... no thoughts head empty, absolutely stunning! from the textures to the pictures and text, everything looks incredible! im super in love with the coloring, it’s so soft and it truly makes you think “yeah, she’s the daughter of aphrodite”. the second frame might be my favourite because of the way the text looks! i love the outer glow effect on both the text and the “mirror” (not a mirror, but the sky thingy idk could be a mirror), it ties everything together.

special shoutout to this tkak edit! since the style is kinda similar! i LOVE the text inside the mirror, it looks so cool, and with the outer glow too!! i guess i just like mirrors... but you found a really nice way to actually use the space both mirrors provided, and i really like that. also. coloring legend!!!

this hazel edit! first of all, big fan of the coloring! the torn paper texture looks really cool and i like the ripped part in the first frame. also really like the text placement, it’s not too much text and doesnt overwhelm the edit, but adds to the minimalist aesthetic. the dots on the second frame too! and i dont even think i wanna know how long it took to crop that horse, but it looks really good.

this manon edit! i don’t go here, but thiS!! EDIT!!! omg!!! at this point we know im a sucker for dark edits, so there’s no surprise i like this one so much. but what really fascinates me is the usage of textures!!! i love the smokey one in the first frame, it looks very ~mysterious~ and it creates a bit of a horror-esque aesthetic? also the moon!!! the moon looks dope, i love how you overlapped the blood and the person; also the fact that you can’t see her eyes adds to the mystical aesthetic.

this renee edit! i love. her and this. i’ve seen that picture of the girl used for renee before, but the way you cropped it and how you added textures and the background/text is so unique i wouldn’t even think it’s the same picture. the text placement in this edit is impeccable, especially on the last frame (++ i love the quote you chose!). i also really like when people make darker edits for renee for some reason, so this one is definitely a fave of mine overall.

this gopaf edit! DO YOU SEE WHAT YOU DID HERE??? ARE YOU AWARE OF HOW STUNNING THIS IS??? spare. some. talent. even like. a teaspoon of talent, pleASE 😭 it’s such a complex edit, so so many elements to it, but it still doesnt look like too much?? i love the red and blue colour scheme, especially the shade of blue you chose cause it kinda balances the brightness of the red? does that make sense idk!! also! the t e x t looks insane!!!! OH OH AND!! the way you made her look like she’s on fire or like she’s MADE out of fire!!! that’s also so damn cool!!!

another special shoutout to this renee edit! cause i spent a long time trying to find it! it has the coolest coloring and it’s one of my favourite poster edits cause it’s really simple, but it really makes me think about renee! big fan of the pink/blue combo, looks cool!!!

ANSWERING THIS TOOK ME SO LONG 😭 but that’s because you’re so talented and i didn’t wanna give you just some generic compliments, but im also not good with describing stuff??? BUT i love your edits, you’re an amazing person and i love having both you and your stunning creations in my life! hope you’re having a wonderful night!!! or day!!! but if you get like. 3 hours of sleep that’s a night. ily!! ✨💛

[drabbles-mc]

The way that I have been so excited for this update. And now it's here. And I'm going to proceed to lose my mind!!!!!!!!!!!!

"I know what that's code for, and I'm not cleaning your bike, tontín" the way that reader just stays calling Angel out. I love. 

OH MY GOD WE SO QUICKLY GET INTO THE CHUCKY OF IT ALL. I WISH YOU COULDVE SEEN THE LOOK ON MY FACE THE SECOND I READ, "scratched-up phone screen in his palm" IM SQUEALING LIKE A MANIACCCCC

HER HAIR MATCHES THE ONES IN THE BASKET???? MJ PUT A G O D D A M N FORK IN ME IM DONEEEEE

"I think you're the guy girls dream about, Chuck," okay but he IS. I love him I'm fucking weeping I'm too hormonal for this today 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

YES, READER. YOU DEFEND CHUCKY AND CHERRY 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Okay but the way I snorted at, "who knew drug-running requires so much fucking bureaucracy" because truly. Who knew???

I'm torn between my amusement at the club not being able to keep their mouths shut about the litany of illegal activities they partake on, and my curiosity of Bish not talking to reader. I'm split in half. I love antics but I also love mystery and drama!!!!!

"Any detail that could get you killed, he can keep." My eyes are fucking MASSIVE and my heart is in my THROAT

Fucks sake the way I'm fucking CHORTLING at, "he's too busy not having sex with his almost girlfriend to help you." I'm dead. So Angel. That's just what it's like to have siblings I'm yelling 

Not Angel shielding himself from the loml Nela with a fucking moving box 😂🤦🏻‍♀️

"So, like, moving dead bodies and shit?" Fucking Angel. Tontín is too kind of a descriptor 😂

Ohhhh the dual repression of their feelings. Change is hard and of course!!! They don't talk about it!!!!

"I ain't buying you at auction." Oh he's funny and he's also a liarrrr 😂😂 he'd be the highest bidder for sure lmao

"He's all legs, and arms, and stupid comments." God the way you summarize him so perfectly. I'm justrightblobbing all over the place

ANGEL WASH YOUR FUCKING HANDS YOU TALL GREMLIN MAN!!!!

Ohhhh it's party time!!!! All of my babies in one room!!!!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰

Don't get me started on the Damelo exchange. It's going to haunt me I KNOW it

Omg the way I forgot about Mick because you’ve given me all these other characters to love. Fuck that guy and his freshly upholstered couch. 

OHH THE TENSHUN HAS STARTED. WE HAVE BEARD TOUCHING MY FRIENDS!!!! WE'RE IN IT NOW!!!!!!

HE WANTS TO KISS THEM SO BAD!!!!! FROM HIS LIPS TO GODS FUCKING EARSSSSS I AM RIPPING MY SHIRT LIKE THE HULK!!!!!!!!

I don't have the vocabulary to express the feelings that little kitchen scene gave me. I'm suddenly??? Sweating???? Gasping for air??? My heart will never return to a normal rate??????

And fucking EZ breaking the moment. I love him. I love him so much fucking hell.

GILLYYYYYYY the way I'm cheering. I love that bear of a man. 

FUCK IT AND DO WHAT YOU WANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE WAY I A M THE HELLMO GIF RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm fucking speechless. The show doesn't even exist to me anymore. Just this fic. God. I'm unwell. I can't believe this was 6k it fucking flew by in the BEST way. I'm feasting. Devouring. I'm truly fed.

when the crows come home, 5

parts: one / two / three / four & ao3 link

angel reyes x gn!reader, part 5 of ?, 6038 words, 18+ (alcohol use, mature language, etc etc)

a/n: accidental unavoidable break between chapters OVER and now they’re flirting heavy heavy (and throwing the “friends” boundary into the wind) so. enjoy!!!! (ps. next chap will start off where this is left so 👀)

taglist: @drabbles-mc​ @cositapreciosa​ @yourlocalspacewitxch​ @ashlingiswriting​ @marissa53115​ (i think you wanted to be added to the angel taglist, but if i’m wrong let me know!!) 

A few days a week, that’s what you’d agreed on. A few days, maybe a couple weekends, just when Chucky needed the help. Just enough to keep you going until you can find something else. Money in your pocket, yeah?

‘I know you like doing shit with your hands,’ Angel had said, when he was trying to sell you on it. ‘Plus, maybe you could learn something about bikes while you’re there?’

‘Yeah,’ you’d replied, ‘I know what that’s code for, and I’m not cleaning your bike, tontín.’

‘I’m doing you a favour, asshole. It’s a good gig.’

And it is, and it was nice of him. Kind, even. He didn’t have to help you out like that. You never expected it from him, you didn’t think he’d have thought about it at all after all your complaining that night. But he’s not who he used to be, he’s considerate now. Learned how to think outside of himself.

Keep reading

[dodgefred]

this!!!

however, i’ve always thought alice would be the deaf one out of the pair, and here’s why:

alice being deaf could represent how figuratively deaf she was to the trauma that surrounded her. the only thing alice is focused on through the entirety of the show is getting back to alfred and keeping him alive, not the bombs, not anything else. she didn’t care that a war was going on around her because to her, the only war that mattered was alfred fighting for his life. alice is ignorant to the real world as wendla is to the concept of sex.

alice is also stuck in this world of “misfits,” in wonderland, and so alice being deaf would symbolize this disconnect between the hearing / non-signing characters like the nurse / queen.

not about deaf alice but just a side note: in west of words when alice sings the verse describing what’s in wonderland (“there’s a hatter holding tea on a madder lawn,”) the character she’s describing can sign along with her. for example, on the hatter line, harold joins in signing for just that line. it could foreshadow wonderland to come and give less vague exposition to the show.

when alice and alfred are whispering behind the curtain during and after west of words, alice could be signing silently while alfred signs and whispers.

alternatively, all real-world scenes could be exclusively signed or shouted by alice, while her voice speaks for her during the wonderland scenes. choose your own adventure.

after west of words, alice (not her voice) yells the “don’t! that’s mine! it’s all that’s mine!” line.

after still, during the “dear dear,” monologue, alice’s voice could stand in as her mirror reflection.

before chillin the regrets, when the caterpillars start to speak, alice’s voice protectively grabs alice’s shoulder, unsure if this is meant to come next or not.

during sick to death of aliceness, for the entire song, her voice is trying to pull her away and keep her from making a mistake.

alfred’s final “sick to death” could be yelled by alfred, not signed, as a representation that this argument has gone too far- to the point where they can’t communicate with each other anymore and are just yelling. they aren’t listening to each other. alice’s final line can be signed in silence or shouted by alice for this same reason.

after sick to death of aliceness, when the jabberwocky emerges, we get more moments of alice’s voice being protective🥺.

during some things fall away, alice’s voice leaves. alice signs the “it was so dark overhead,” line in silence. when her voice returns, she hands alice a torn out page of the book and says, “and soon, alice found she had cried herself into a pool of her own tears.”

at the beginning of the trial scene, alice doesn’t really understand what’s going on so she looks to alfred for help with translation but he’s only standing still. the king is the one transcribing what the queen says to the courtroom.

the lines introducing i’ve shrunk enough: “watch me shrink?” is said aloud and signed by her voice, and “i don’t think so.” is signed silently by alice. alice’s voice frees her from the trap and then alice and her voice give a high five or a hip bump or something before they go and change the ending of the story.

the final line of winter blooms is signed in silence by alice, reminiscent of what deaf west spring awakening did with the song of purple summer.

sandra mae frank playing alice. need i say more?

okay so here’s a concept

deaf west alice by heart

i can’t help but think what an absolutely brilliant idea this is, especially as i feel steven slater’s musicals work very well with the dual language format, especially with his themes and lyrical styles.

alice is played by a hearing actress, and alfred is played by a deaf actress. the reason alice knows alice in wonderland by heart is because she could not read aloud to her friend because he is deaf, so she memorized the entire thing so she could sign it to him.

alfred’s voice symbolizes his life and love for alice. his voice seems eager to go back into wonderland, and often it is the words that alfred is signing that holds his voice back. his voice does not sing in sick to death of aliceness, rather letting the mad hatter’s voice and the dormouse sing the lines until the last “i’m sick to death” when the deaf actor yells it out himself.

the other deaf actor’s voices symbolize people they’ve lost. clarissa’s is her aunt. harold’s is his boyfriend. tabitha’s is a family member. during my shell of grief, their voices interact with them as their sorrow and create a human shell above the actors. otherwise, in the scenes where the people in the shelter are different wonderland characters, their voices are often singing in the background as a chorus.

one of the reasons nigel get’s so scared is because he’s one of the only people in the shelter (besides alice, dodgy, angus, and the red cross nurse) who can hear the bombs dropping.

instead of just the air raid sirens bringing them out of wonderland and into the air raid, alfred’s coughing brings them back to reality

the red cross nurse is played by a hearing actress, and dr. butridge is played by a hard of hearing actor (i think it’s cool that this story already has a canonically hoh character so that could add a great deal of layers)

there are still two caterpillars, one who speaks and sings, and the other who signs. there is a great deal of play around the many legs of caterpillars and the extra hands of the two people. at times both of them sign together and weave their arms around each other.

the dutchess has an actress behind her acting as the cook (which you may remember as being a character from the books) and she translates the dutchess’ words into asl.

harold pudding is a soldier who lost his hearing in the war.  whenever he has ptsd flashbacks, harold speaks instead of his voice, symbolizing life when he could hear and didn’t have his lover speaking for him.

when they dance together in those long eyes, alice guides alfred to the rhythm of the music

the queen of hearts never signs, symbolizing her oppression over the young people of the shelter and society. instead, the ensemble signs for her, except for alfred, who is conflicted as to what to do.

in the end of afternoon, alfred dies towards the end of the song as alice sits beside his cot. she however, does not notice, as alfred’s voice continues to sing with her and also begins signing. as the song ends, his voice exits, and alice notices that alfred is dead.

at the end of winter blooms, on the last “down the hole you go/and there you are” alfred’s voice appears opposide of alice on the stage and she looks directly at him. he walks towards her and hands her a fully restored copy of alice in wonderland, showing that alfred will always be with her because his voice is the story.

anyway, i just really want this to be a thing because i absolutely love deaf west spring awakening and deaf west big river and i feel this type of inclusion is really beautiful and adds so much to theatre and art in general.