Happy Anniversary of Alice In Wonderland!
Jul. 4th, 2012 11:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crossover_chickYes, on this day in 1862, Charles Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll, first told the tale that would become Alice's Adventures Underground, then Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, to Alice Liddell and her two sisters Lorina and Edith on a boat ride with Reverend Duckworth.
Oh, and there's also this thing about America getting it's independence from England or something like that.
In honor of the event that gives me an excuse to hang out with my British lovelies all day, let's have an Alice memory!
Queensland
Ugh, does everything have to be – wait a moment, what’s that?
Alice looked down. There was another ledge below the one she was aiming for – one with a violet, a few dried-up pustules, and a crystal butterfly. If it had just been the flower and the pustules, she would have passed it by. But getting to hear a friendly voice in this horrible, squelchy place would be worth having to go back and adjust the weights again. She jumped down, collected her teeth, then touched the butterfly.
“No one should t-talk to women the way Jack Splatter does! Particularly not to you! If I h-hear him suggest you should start w-working the streets again, I might just – w-well, it wouldn’t be v-very gentlemanly of me, that’s all I’m s-saying.”
Alice shook her head. Dear Victor, being too protective for his own good. He’d said that after Splatter had made some very suggestive comments that he’d strongly objected to. As in, her normally quiet and shy friend had snapped and told Splatter to leave her alone or he’d hit him. Splatter had found the comment amusing, fortunately, and Alice had been able to drag him away before he said anything that would land him in the gutter with a knife wound in his gut. Victor had been furious, but Alice had told him firmly that, while she appreciated the sentiment, she didn’t want to be the reason he ended up as someone’s latest murder charge. God, the very idea of Victor being dead chilled her right to the core. Yes, she knew he had a wonderful afterlife to look forward to, but that wouldn’t change the fact she’d never see him again. Never see that shy, sweet smile. . .never hear that quiet laugh. . .never feel the gentle pressure of his long fingers as he held her hand. . .never dance – with –
I’m in love with him.
The knowledge hit her like a lightning bolt. She stood there, stunned, gazing out across the cloudy abyss and not seeing a damn bit of it. Somehow, as the months had passed, what had started out as friendship had blossomed into love. The very idea of being apart from him made her feel – made her feel almost as lost as she had when she’d lost her family. She’d tried to guard against that feeling, tried to separate herself from the world so she’d never get close to anyone again. But somehow he’d crept in like a whisper, slipped past all her defenses and taken up residence in her heart. And now there was no getting him to leave – not that she wanted him to go. No, she wanted him to stay – to be with her for the rest of their lives. The feeling warmed her inside, made her feel more complete. More herself. I love him, she thought, a giddy smile appearing on her face for a moment. I love Victor Van Dort.
She should have realized it earlier. The fact that she wanted him to share in all this, the way his memories kept distracting her – the fact that he had memories here at all. It was all so bloody obvious. But she was very good at denying things she didn’t want to think about. (As Queensland was showing, with some of the memories she’d found from Lizzie. . .) No more, though. She loved him, and she wasn’t afraid to admit it to herself. But did he –
Of course he does! she thought, shaking her head. That was obvious too! His smiles, his laughter, his touches, his dancing – it was all for her! Not to mention his drawings, and the piano – she’d been right to think his offer of lessons meant something more, all the way back in the Deluded Depths! For God’s sake, Nanny and Fred had told her straight out that he was smitten and she ought to marry him! How had she not seen it before? I am a blind, oblivious idiot, she scolded herself, although she couldn’t help smiling through it. Madly in love and I don’t even let myself know it!
She leapt back to the weight, feeling distinctly lighter than before. Her new knowledge seemed to give her jumps an extra boost. Sure, there would be problems. Even if they were mutually in love, Alice couldn’t see his parents liking the match. They would have to figure out how to get money, where to live, what to do if they had children (children! The thought was terrifying and exhilarating all at once). And before any of that, she had to fight off this fresh bout of madness, stop the Infernal Train, and save Wonderland. There really wasn’t any time to celebrate being in love. But that didn’t stop her from letting the warmth of it fill her up. Victor loves me, and I love him, she thought, placing another bunny and jogging her way back to the weight that would let her proceed. And I won’t let anyone get in the way of me being with him. I deserve some happiness – we both do.
And finally Alice lets herself admit to being in love! :D
-TTV: Heh -- well, as she herself said, she's a master of denial.-
Indeed -- and she's always been worried about falling in love, since the last people she loved -- well. . . Anyway, this is just another wake-up call for Alice, in a level filled with them. It's basically a little fluff to lighten the horrors of Queensland. It's also probably the last "happy" Victor memory we get -- both the Dollhouse ones are less than pleasant. :( Technically, so is this one, but since it leads to Alice admitting her feelings. . .
-M: What's this business about a dance, though?-
I'm thinking of ending "Finding You" with Victor and Alice having a playful dance together (which REALLY ticks off Bumby, though he tries not to show it). Basically, I'm going to hint at it being the moment when Victor realizes his feelings, because he's openly thinking about how much he loves Alice in "Forgetting You." He just hasn't had the courage to tell her yet.
-D: And, admittedly, her having psychotic episodes while they both discover Dr. Bumby is an evil bastard is not the best time.-
No, not at all. But it gets said eventually. Once Victor's got his memories back and all. No matter how much horror they go through, this series DOES end happily.
All right, allow me to continue celebrating the 4th by watching A:MR game footage. Also, we watched Balls of Fury earlier. Verdict: Meh. It's not nearly as funny as the commercials make it out to be. There's little to no build-up for the romance, or even some of the training, so it all just feels kind of rushed. Bleh. Alice is better.
Oh, and there's also this thing about America getting it's independence from England or something like that.
In honor of the event that gives me an excuse to hang out with my British lovelies all day, let's have an Alice memory!
Queensland
Ugh, does everything have to be – wait a moment, what’s that?
Alice looked down. There was another ledge below the one she was aiming for – one with a violet, a few dried-up pustules, and a crystal butterfly. If it had just been the flower and the pustules, she would have passed it by. But getting to hear a friendly voice in this horrible, squelchy place would be worth having to go back and adjust the weights again. She jumped down, collected her teeth, then touched the butterfly.
“No one should t-talk to women the way Jack Splatter does! Particularly not to you! If I h-hear him suggest you should start w-working the streets again, I might just – w-well, it wouldn’t be v-very gentlemanly of me, that’s all I’m s-saying.”
Alice shook her head. Dear Victor, being too protective for his own good. He’d said that after Splatter had made some very suggestive comments that he’d strongly objected to. As in, her normally quiet and shy friend had snapped and told Splatter to leave her alone or he’d hit him. Splatter had found the comment amusing, fortunately, and Alice had been able to drag him away before he said anything that would land him in the gutter with a knife wound in his gut. Victor had been furious, but Alice had told him firmly that, while she appreciated the sentiment, she didn’t want to be the reason he ended up as someone’s latest murder charge. God, the very idea of Victor being dead chilled her right to the core. Yes, she knew he had a wonderful afterlife to look forward to, but that wouldn’t change the fact she’d never see him again. Never see that shy, sweet smile. . .never hear that quiet laugh. . .never feel the gentle pressure of his long fingers as he held her hand. . .never dance – with –
I’m in love with him.
The knowledge hit her like a lightning bolt. She stood there, stunned, gazing out across the cloudy abyss and not seeing a damn bit of it. Somehow, as the months had passed, what had started out as friendship had blossomed into love. The very idea of being apart from him made her feel – made her feel almost as lost as she had when she’d lost her family. She’d tried to guard against that feeling, tried to separate herself from the world so she’d never get close to anyone again. But somehow he’d crept in like a whisper, slipped past all her defenses and taken up residence in her heart. And now there was no getting him to leave – not that she wanted him to go. No, she wanted him to stay – to be with her for the rest of their lives. The feeling warmed her inside, made her feel more complete. More herself. I love him, she thought, a giddy smile appearing on her face for a moment. I love Victor Van Dort.
She should have realized it earlier. The fact that she wanted him to share in all this, the way his memories kept distracting her – the fact that he had memories here at all. It was all so bloody obvious. But she was very good at denying things she didn’t want to think about. (As Queensland was showing, with some of the memories she’d found from Lizzie. . .) No more, though. She loved him, and she wasn’t afraid to admit it to herself. But did he –
Of course he does! she thought, shaking her head. That was obvious too! His smiles, his laughter, his touches, his dancing – it was all for her! Not to mention his drawings, and the piano – she’d been right to think his offer of lessons meant something more, all the way back in the Deluded Depths! For God’s sake, Nanny and Fred had told her straight out that he was smitten and she ought to marry him! How had she not seen it before? I am a blind, oblivious idiot, she scolded herself, although she couldn’t help smiling through it. Madly in love and I don’t even let myself know it!
She leapt back to the weight, feeling distinctly lighter than before. Her new knowledge seemed to give her jumps an extra boost. Sure, there would be problems. Even if they were mutually in love, Alice couldn’t see his parents liking the match. They would have to figure out how to get money, where to live, what to do if they had children (children! The thought was terrifying and exhilarating all at once). And before any of that, she had to fight off this fresh bout of madness, stop the Infernal Train, and save Wonderland. There really wasn’t any time to celebrate being in love. But that didn’t stop her from letting the warmth of it fill her up. Victor loves me, and I love him, she thought, placing another bunny and jogging her way back to the weight that would let her proceed. And I won’t let anyone get in the way of me being with him. I deserve some happiness – we both do.
And finally Alice lets herself admit to being in love! :D
-TTV: Heh -- well, as she herself said, she's a master of denial.-
Indeed -- and she's always been worried about falling in love, since the last people she loved -- well. . . Anyway, this is just another wake-up call for Alice, in a level filled with them. It's basically a little fluff to lighten the horrors of Queensland. It's also probably the last "happy" Victor memory we get -- both the Dollhouse ones are less than pleasant. :( Technically, so is this one, but since it leads to Alice admitting her feelings. . .
-M: What's this business about a dance, though?-
I'm thinking of ending "Finding You" with Victor and Alice having a playful dance together (which REALLY ticks off Bumby, though he tries not to show it). Basically, I'm going to hint at it being the moment when Victor realizes his feelings, because he's openly thinking about how much he loves Alice in "Forgetting You." He just hasn't had the courage to tell her yet.
-D: And, admittedly, her having psychotic episodes while they both discover Dr. Bumby is an evil bastard is not the best time.-
No, not at all. But it gets said eventually. Once Victor's got his memories back and all. No matter how much horror they go through, this series DOES end happily.
All right, allow me to continue celebrating the 4th by watching A:MR game footage. Also, we watched Balls of Fury earlier. Verdict: Meh. It's not nearly as funny as the commercials make it out to be. There's little to no build-up for the romance, or even some of the training, so it all just feels kind of rushed. Bleh. Alice is better.
