rhodrymavelyne

Sage was a adventurous gray cat with white paws, and a streak of white down his back, like an exclamation mark. He had an inquisitive pink nose, always ready to nudge the red button he shouldn’t touch, alert whiskers, and a look of wounded innocence in his green eyes when he was guilty. Especially when he was guilty.

Sage was definitely the kind of cat who’d crawl into a TARDIS, while Cinnamon, his more sensible brown tabby of a sister with few positive notions about anyone in the universe, would watch him go with a grumble of scorn.

I would scream Sage’s name, as the TARDIS disappeared with him in it. The first time he could, he would nudge the wrong red button with his nose. I knew it.

Much as I enjoyed Doctor Who; the Doctor’s adventures with his companions, their complicated adversity with the Master/Missy and the Rani, I’d be furious with the Doctor. If they thought that slap from Jackie Tyler hurt, just wait until they got a load of me.

Sage would have the time of his nine lives; just investigating the TARDIS console. He’d drive the Doctor crazy, utterly charming the TARDIS. She’d help Sage send mocking messages across time and space back to Cinnamon, who’d ignore them. Don and I would get weird dreams about Sage’s adventures with the Doctor; leaving us uncertain if our cat would ever return to us.

Sage is truly gone; leaving Don, Cinnamon, and myself with nothing but an urn. How lovely to think that something took him away to have fun adventures, something which wasn’t cancer. How lovely to imagine Sage in time and space, waking up in a sunbean in the Temple of Bast, or becoming a beam of light, streaking across the universe with the spirits of my other deceased loved ones.

Sage was far too sweet and special, brought too much joy to many lives to end simply as ash. Even if I’m just indulging myself in a flight of fanciful fandom from the fate of all living things, it’s comforting to think of what could be.

I was one of those tender teenagers Lestat described at the beginning of Queen of the Damned; when I first fell in love with Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. Nor were those the only books of hers I was enchanted by.

I was utterly ensnared by Cry to Heaven, which reminded me of V.C. Andrews’s Flowers in the Attic I’d read a few years earlier; only it was brothers, not a mother and a daughter with an uncanny likeness and at odds. Cry to Heaven took place in 17th century Italy, rather than the 1950s America. The familal conflict of Tonio and Carlo was centered in Venice, with Venice also as the prize. The betrayal involved castration, rather than being locked in an attic. As for Tonio’s vengeance, it was part of a complicated journey and a rebirth of self, beautiful and fascinating; where the world of opera and castrati, along with the ideals of manhood were tightly wound together.

Cry to Heaven, Interview with the Vampire, and The Vampire Lestat became my favourite books. How eagerly I awaited Queen of the Damned in mass media paperback. How I devoured that book (I ordered it from Walden’s), seduced by Armand, alluring antagonist/lover to both Louis and Lestat, watching with delight as he swept Daniel Molloy off his feet, while discovering the heart and soul of the 1980s in an endearingly hilarious fashion. How I enjoyed Khayman losing and rediscovering himself; while Jesse Reeves was enthralled by an all-powerful overwhelming mother figure. How jealous Claudia must have been! No wonder the child vampire haunted Jesse, the mortal embodiment of all she wanted to be. The way Jesse stumbled upon Claudia via the Talamasca, only to hurt herself into Lestat’s arms at the concert was great fun. Poor Jesse, but Maharet wasn’t about to let a tragic ending take her child, if she could help it.

Speaking of tragedy, the whole Legend of the Twins made me think of Helen and her lost sister in Talamasca: Secret Order. I wonder if that was a deliberate reference? It’s a classic trope, twins separated from each other, but I enjoy it.

I’m not sure if any of these characters in the new series will survive the resurrection of Akasha, if Lestat’s music awakens her. How fascinating Akasha was in Queen of the Damned in her flawed matriarchal vision and her exquisitely toxic love affair with Lestat. She hated being Queen the Damned. The very notion of her children being proud Children of Darkness made her want to burn them all. She wanted to be good, to be the queen of heaven, as Lestat wanted to be good.

Neither of them were good. They were too good at being monsters, but Lestat was a bit more pure-hearted than Akasha was, or was he? There’s a tremendous irony that Akasha fell to the hands of a pair of women she wronged, all things considered.

In spite of the main conflict; Armand stole the show in many ways in Queen of the Damned. Not only did I love his romance with Daniel, but his beautiful reunion with Marius, from Marius’s perspect. Marius was one of those characters I utterly fell in love with in the books. No wonder Lestat wanted Marius to adopt him. He made a very benevolent, lovably flawed mentor to those he took in.

I really don’t like the way Armand described Marius on the TV series Interview with the Vampire. I hope that wasn’t true.

Strange seeing televised versions of Anne Rice’s work, now I’m middle-aged, when I loved it as a girl. I wasn’t disappointed in The Tale of the Body Thief. I wasn’t truly disappointed in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, until Memnoch the Devil, and even that was compelling, particularly in the beginning. Only recently, after watching both the original Rocky Horror Picture Show and the 2016 version; I found myself imagining Tim Curry as the Victim and Laverne Cox as Dora. The two of them had a spirited argument, while the Vampire Lestat lovingly spied upon them, a disapproving David at his side.

Vampires felt like they rose above the binary constraints and prejudices of mortals in the book, while witches were trapped in them. Much of The Witching Hour was gorgeous, yet Rowan Mayfair felt more like the victim than the protagonist. Michael Curry, with his resurrection, his goals, and his driving passion to return to New Orleans felt like he drove the plot far more than Rowan did. Michael’s meeting with Aaron Lightner and their bond felt as powerful as Michael’s romance with Rowan. This meeting certainly felt like it changed Aaron’s life, far more than his sweet liason with Beatrice Mayfair.

As for Aaron Lighter, he felt like the heart and the soul of the Talamasca, charming the socks off me and everyone else he met with his cozy graciousness and gentlemanly panache, topped with his psychic ability.

I see some of Aaron’s charm in Helen, the agent of Talamasca: Secret Order, even though that mini-series is more about spy-based intelligence, not to mention the Talamasca seems much more tight-fisted with money than they ever were in the books. The Talamasca feels a lot more like White Wolf’s World of Darkness, perhaps reflecting our actual world now. One of the things that made the Talamasca seem painfully different to me than in the books was that they were too cheap to spring for a suit and a dinner table for Guy Anatole in the nice restaurant, so he could spy on Archie.

Welcome to the World of Darkness. Female vampires are still stuck with their mortal fear of rape, while the mortal world is no longer a place immortals can feel detatched from. Bad things happen to witches, but they’re not without power. Rowan was the protagonist in the TV series The Mayfair Witches in a way she didn’t feel like in The Witching Hour or Lasher, due to the sexual biological terror she endured and how she lashed out against that terror. Rowan didn’t really felt like a protagonist to me, until Taltos, when she declared war on Aaron Lightner’s enemies.

I’m sad certain characters are missing from the Immortal Universe. I was looking forward to meeting Mona Mayfair, Yuri, and Quinn Blackwood. At the same time, I’m intrigued by the new characters we’re meeting; Guy Anatole, Doris, Helen, Caroline Ridge, Barton, and Jasper. I’m not sure if any of them will survive Akasha’s resurrection, but I look forward to seeing what will happen next.

It’s a new year and I’m not just utterly hooked on Critical Role. I’ve fallen in love with the Mighty Nein animation, enjoying how it explored a dysfuctional relationship I was, perhaps, a minority in being fascinated by in Campaign 2.

Matt Mercer and Liam O’Brien have fantastic chemistry, bringing layers of depth to their roleplaying together. I saw this in action when vampire lord Silas Briarwood stalked and bit Vax in Campaign 1. I saw it whenever Vax and Gilmore interacted, or that powerful moment Hjortis tried to take revenge upon Vax. I saw it in the development of Caleb and Essek’s bond in Campaign 2, a bond I’m hoping we’ll see more of in the Mighty Nein animated series. (Was that there first meeting in a single, shared glance in Episode 8 The Zadash Job? Whoo hoo!)

I noticed this chemistry again, taking a terrifyingly intense turn of master and student turned enemies as Trent Ikithon and Bren faced each other at a dinner party. Listening to their conversation, I wondered at how much of Bren’s pain was carefully planned by his master. Trent reminded me of the Smoking Man on The X-Files, weaving an elaborate web of agony and manipulation, which Bren, like a hapless Fox Mulder, can never escape, grasping strands, only to have them slip out of his hands.

Only was Trent Ikithon’s truly so inescapable? His favorite student may have been crushed by his master’s schemes, yet he rose from the rubble of his former self, remaking himself into a formidable foe.

This was something the Cereberus Assembly master manipulator never failed to take credit for. Pain was a learning tool for Trent Ikithon, and Bren was his masterpiece. Trent’s proudest moment as a master and a mentor would have been his death at Bren’s hands, right before his favorite student took his place on Cereberus Assembly. If Bren failed in his teacher’s expectations, Trent would destroy Bren himself, using the pain such an act would cause to better himself.

All of this was the impression I got of master and student watching Campaign 2 and the one shot in London. Now that Mighty Nein is an animated series, new elements of that relationship are coming to the light.

Mark Strong is doing a marvelous job of bringing Trent Ikithon to life via his voice; even as he allows his villainy to hang out in a classroom, slicing living creatures open to show a response to pain. (I thought of how Caleb in Campaign 2 once said there were wizards who’d cut him open if they caught him. I can see where Bren would have gotten this idea!) Curiously enough, Trent shows a measure of dignity and courage undergoing torture him, revealing he’s quite a gambler with his monarch’s regard and the Beacon itself.

Viewers see Trent’s strength and callousness, yet he reveals a tender, nurturing quality Liam O’Brien commented upon for Bren; his little spark he coaxed into becoming a bonfire. True to Trent, there is a creepiness to all of this; taking the nickname Bren’s mother gave her son and applying it himself. I got the chills, when Trent sat down with Bren and his family, thinking of the London show. I’m guessing that was another deliberate reference. Frumpkin was not amused. No wonder he scratched Trent Ikithon. Trent being Trent, decided the cat was a threat to the Empire, putting Frumpkin on a list of spies and traitors with Bren’s parents as collaborators for Bren to deal with. Ahem. Such a dark and disturbing scene as the death of Bren’s family makes desperate jokes bubble to the surface.

Viewers haven’t seen the rest of what Caleb Widogast revealed about his past, what happened to put him on the streets. Hopefully, we will see it, along with Molly’s kiss for Caleb. Ahem, back to the topic of mentor and student.

What’s different from Campaign 2 is that Trent Ikithon seems to want Bren back. Trent asked Bren to come back, to help him study the Beacon. There was a moment when Caleb lowered his hand, seemed to consider his former master’s offer, where Nott feared Caleb had turned traitor.

I found this moment fascinating; the complexity of not only Trent’s feelings for his favorite student, but Caleb’s for the powerful mage who believed he was special. It might be enough to prompt a moment of treachery, even if it was just a moment.

Speaking of treachery, Trent Ikithon now has Essek. after Essek fought with Dynasty soldiers to take back the Beacon. This might well be the end of Essek, although I hope it’s not. Master Ikithon may have a use for this Kryn dunamancer of dubious loyalties. It may be to retrieve the Beacon, but I wonder if it might not be to retrieve Bren as well? At the very least, Essek may have been commanded to spy upon Trent’s former favorite, learn as much about Bren and his new allies as possible.

This could lead to a very interesting development of Essek getting to know all of the Mighty Nein, particularly Caleb.

Whatever happens next, I’m eager to see it.

I just watched Lust for a Vampire again.

Often I roll my eyes at tropes, but tropes are better than total trash, which the swaggering, bullying villains making real life miserable seem to be these days.

The tropes in Lust for a Vampire may be cheesy, but they’re a tasty goat cheese on top of a decent bread with peppers marinated in olive oil on top. Yes, it’s a pretentious cheese, but it’s fun, not tacky, tasteless, and overpriced.

Once this movie would have been considered tasteless, but this is the innocence of never having had a truly atrocious, nightmarish lack of taste inflicted upon you.

I love the black capes lined with red silk, which the vampires in this movie wear. I love the wood-paneled rooms; how elegant and commanding the Countess Herritzen is in her fashionable emerald green and black attire, facing off the men who’d cowed the headmistress with their anger.

She may have been evil, but she had style, which is more than I can say for some of the real life villains, threatening all that’s stylish with their sleaze.
The vampires in this movie; like the Countess and Mircalla, were the embodiment of seductive evil. Even the doctor/count, who committed human sacrifice, covered up the murders, and controlled Mircalla, when she had a moment of too much humanity, had a certain elegant allure in his menace. (I found myself wondering if he might have inspired Muraki in Yami no Matsuei/Descendents of Darkness.)

Victims opened their arms in adoration to these vampires, before seeing their fangs and screaming.

I guess I never fell under the spell of our modern monsters in corporations or politics. I could understand the appeal of a beautiful skyscraper, gardens, space, vintage furniture; all the trappings of wealth.

To undercut and cheapen every product so only the mediocre remains is to oppose beauty, deny it to your customers. To drag everyone into that spiral makes me wonder if you aren’t in league with the World of Darkness’s Wyrm, or you might as well be.

Movies seem to be a record of the lost beauty and elegance we once had, even in what was considered a cheesy movie.

I miss having such beauty and elegance; in restaurants, shops, homes, and products. It saddens me that so many corporations no longer strive for excellence, but seek to suck the elegance out of the world, and spew out mediocrity.

They may be vampires, but they’re not very classy, or fun.

My imagination’s attic is jammed full of sprawling fanfic ideas I never had the time to put into words. Sometimes, I just didn’t have the words.

Once upon a coffee house with a notebook and a pencil during the late 1990s, I started writing a scene with Alex Moreau of Poltergeist: The Legacy, sitting at a table with a dinner party of the undead. It was the very same party of undead which greeted Joe, Jeremy, and the doomed girl with them in the movie, ‘Return to ‘Salem’s Lot.

I always had a soft spot for that movie. I’ve thought of its characters, their failed attempt to mainstream, as I saw that experiment practiced widescale by vampires on the TV series True Blood.

Back to my fanfic idea. Rachel Corrigan and her daughter, Kat were with Alex. They were trying to find Kristen Adams, even though they’d believed her to be dead.

The vampires at the table were quite congenial, especially Mrs. Axle and Amanda. They’d known Kristen by another name; Hallie Stokes.

Yes, here comes the Dark Shadows crossover.

Judge Axle wasn’t quite as friendly as his wife, but he respected Alex, whom he was acknowledging as a vampire, a vampire who somehow outranked him.

Not too long ago, a vampire named Kakistos had moved into ‘Salem’s Lot territory, tried to take it over. The vampires of ‘Salem’s Lot had been quite relieved that Hallie Stokes brought a Slayer to town, a Slayer who injured Kakistos, convincing him to leave the area, even if it was only to seek revenge.

Here comes the Buffy the Vampire Slayer crossover.

Amanda leads Alex, Rachel, and Kat to the place where Hallie Stokes died at Kakistos’s fangs and claws. Alex and Kat pick up some of the emotions of the place, including Hallie’s.

Hallie Stokes feels like and unlike Kristen, something Alex doesn’t understand.

The second scene I wrote involved Alex Moreau going to Sunnydale, trying to find Faith. What she finds is Scott Hope, whom she realizes is actually Ethan, Kristen’s brother.

Kristen and a mysterious aunt of hers with government connections arranged for Ethan to switch with the real Scott Hope, whom was actually a romantic interest of Ethan’s. He’s quite upset to learn that Scott died, killed by someone who thought he was Ethan. He didn’t believe Kristen would do anything that ruthless. It does sound like something his aunt would do.

Enter the First Wave crossover; for I was already imagining the aunt was Colonel Grace, a very interesting antagonist in that series. I always suspected she was part of the Illuminati. I could also see her as part of the Syndicate, if one were to crossover First Wave with The X-Files.

I was already thinking of The X-Files crossover, for cloning was involved. At the same time, I thought something else might be used, to stop the various Kristen look-alikes from dissolving into green goo, which causes temporary blindness.

Ethan wasn’t convinced that Kristen was dead. He did feel that his aunt might have something to do with the various versions of Kristen popping up.

The last scene which came to me was Kristen awakening, after dreaming of her death on Poltergeist the Legacy and being ripped apart by Kakistos as Faith screamed.

Colonel Grace would be standing by her beside, a proprietary smile on her face, her ring on her finger.

“Welcome back, my darling,” she’d say.

Ideas came to me years later, about weaving a younger Tara McShea (back to Buffy the Vampire Slayer) into the narrative as a “cousin” of Kristen and Ethan’s, whom Colonel Grace was also watching, as she’d watched Tara’s mother. Tara might have been contact with Kristen and Ethan. She might even glimpse Willow from afar before they meet in the canon.

I always meant to put these pieces together in a coherent narrative. There was never enough time and time passed. Those ideas remained in a prominent spot in my Imagination’s Attic, waiting to be dusted off and written.

I’ve got a lot of similar ideas in that attic. Some of them have become fanfic. Some are ongoing fanfics in want and need of finishing.

I never forgot this particular story idea. It’s one I hope to polish up and add more words to, even if it ends up shorter and more condensed than what I’d visualized.

I’ve been able to unpack and condense similar stories. I got very distracted by detail in this one; expanding and exploring, fleshing out the characters. They were fun story fragments to write, even if I was shy about sharing them.

Overcoming my shyness has been rewarding thus far.

Here’s hoping it continues to be.

I’ve been thinking of found families a lot in the Star Wars universe. Found families in the Force tend to link many people who choose to be Jedi or Sith.

Ahsoka Tanno expanded Anakin Skywalker’s found family in the Force; a family which included Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jin, and even Count Dooku, with Yoda presiding over them all as the elder; later instructing Anakin’s son in the ways of the Force.

Seeing some of the Star Wars series on Disney+; The Clone Wars, Ahsoka, Rebels, Tales of the Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Visions have made me increasingly aware of this family. For some members; like Obi-Wan, it was all he had.

The Jedi, as well as the Sith took people from their friends and families, something which struck me as a bit sinister, yet the Force did take over the lives of those who wielded it. I remember how in some of the Star Wars books; Leia struggled to balance the various demands of her life, including her Force-sensitivity; while watching Luke drift away more and more as being a Jedi came to completely define him.

The Star Wars universe deepened and diversified as other Force families were brought in, overlapping with Anakin’s. I feel like there’s a whole untold story about Ahsoka taking on Sabine Wren as an apprentice, despite Sabine not being particularly strong in the Force. Getting to know the characters of Rebels; such as Ezra and Kanan broadened that universe, along with Kanan’s rivalry with Darth Maul over Ezra’s tutelage. It’s nice to see Jacen back in the Star Wars universe, even if he’s Hera and Kanan’s son, not Han and Leia’s. Perhaps Jaina will return eventually as well.

This galaxy far far away captivated me when I was a child, taking me far away. As a middle-aged woman, I’m delighted to see that galaxy continue to develop with new generations of creators and fans.

I’m still marveling at the flight of fanciful fandom it takes us on in various forms of story. May it continue to fascinate many generations.

Grand Guignol is a term I only learned in recent years, yet it’s something I’ve been aware of for years. It may have been the beginning of modern horror with its theatrical attempts to shock and splatter.

The term comes to mind when I think of the series; Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. This went beyond the gothic thrillers I enjoy, dipping into gore and shock, disturbing me, yet it was peppered with cozy moments. As dark as this series got, it never lost sight of heart, family, or friendship. Humor often tapped a beat out in time amidst the horror tropes, as the characters subverted those tropes as part of their journey.

Much of the cozy involved Sabrina’s aunts, Zelda and Hild, whom I came to enjoy as much as Sabrina. They were living out a stereotype of witches as Satanists in the Church of Night, yet their strength and love of family wouldn’t allow them to stay that way. They found a way to be witches serving Hecate, abandoning Lucifer as their dark lord.

Not that Lucifer liked it or the men in the Chuch of Night. Satanism forced witches into a submissive position, under their dark lord. Witches found they wanted far more than what the Church of Night had to offer.

Trope after trope from a girl in a white dress forced to sign her name in the devil’s book to a vampire overwhelming a girl’s will to bite her was introduced and challenged.

I marveled at the carnival of Grand Guignol (and yes, there was an actual carnival) which made an appearance, only to be subverted in some fashion, being exactly what I expected, and yet not what I expected at all.

Somehow this felt very traditional, and yet there was an arc, leading the cast away from tradition.

It’s intriguing to watch and very cleverly played out. It makes me think about the way we can play with tropes and subvert them. There’s a lot of love for these tropes, yet an acknowledgement expressed in the characters’s growth that you can go far beyond them. A label does not express the whole truth of a person or a community. More can seethe within that community than the trope can contain.

This has given me a lot of food for thought.

At a time when I seek to get away from my own despair, I latched onto this show.

Complex characters developed over the course of four seasons. These teenagers grew up in a time more technologically and socially advanced than mine, yet they showcased an all-too familiar pecking order. Many of the insecurities they suffered from, I remember only too well.

Hannah was such a strong voice, speaking for attractive, smart women who don’t fit smoothly in the category of either social elites or outcasts. I felt she was falling into a crack, which I often felt yawning under me, when I dared to show how much I didn’t fit it.

Clay and his family did something my parents and I did; allowing friends of mine whom were having a hard time to stay with us. Only Clay took it a step further; Justin became part of his family. He became his brother.

I marvel at seeing how they were romantic rivals and enemies in the beginning over Hannah, yet her memory brought them together, forming a bond which was among the strongest they had. It was beautiful and bittersweet, seeing how this evolved and changed.

One thing I envied was being able to go to formal dances without a date of the opposite gender, a change I’ve found wondrous. Having two prom kings was a dream come true, something I’m delighted to see future generations celebrate.

I do remember at regular dances forming a circle, those of us without a date. We’d sway together during the slow numbers; feeling the power of honoring a more communal and less intimate love than that of a twosome.

I recalled this when Clay’s friends surrounded him during a song which reminded him of Hannah. Seeing them all link arms and slow dance together echoed that power, yet it had a unique sweetness all its own.

The court trial brought back a recent memory of anxiously awaiting results of how fate and the law would effect the future. The result was like an echo in fiction of what happened in reality.

When all of the survivors of abuse showed the courage to stand up and declare it, I cried. I remembered all the people I’ve know who survived sexual abuse. I found myself crying and crying, yet I felt my spirits lifting, as if I was relieved of a weight I hadn’t realized I’d been carrying.

There was so much pain in high school, yet there were moments I wouldn’t have taken back for anything. I could see one of those moments in the prom. Seeing the two kings, seeing the various kids dancing reminded me of times when I danced, gathered with a club for a picture, or shared a moment with my friends.

High school is a difficult rite of passage, but what would we have without it? What would we lose, if we didn’t have it? If kids didn’t go through it?

No one should terrorized or bullied, but everyone should have a chance to learn, grow, and develop their thoughts; discovering themselves as they do.

May future generations never lose the power to flourish as individuals. May you find wonder and encouragement as you learn, regardless of what obstacles stand in your way.

How strange the different directions my fannish thoughts may wander.

I was listening to Niko’s theme on the Dead Boy Detectives soundtrack. It reminded me of something; one of the strains. I couldn’t remember what.

It came to me while I was unloading the laundry; listening to Fred Mollin’s score for Forever Knight Season 1: Dark Knight.

I wasn’t thinking of Niko’s theme at all. I was too delighted to recognize the moment when LaCroix and Nicholas were reunited while Alyce Hunter watches, feeling a utter shiver of delight which I kept private for years.

Yes, I was part of the Unnamed Faction. LaCroix and Nick didn’t have to touch, just speak and look at each other. I was utterly enthralled.

Recognizing that moment brought back that swoon, that moment of excitement.

The score to Dark Knight gave way to Lori Yates’s song; Touch the Night. I recalled how it was used in one of the Forever Knight boxed sets as a Nick’N’Natpacker video. I found myself appreciating that aspect for the first time as I listened to the music, the lyrics.

Natalie Lambert could touch the night when she touched Nick, feeling her own mortality, her inner ticking clock, along with the temptation embodied by him.

I have softened so much towards this pairing with time and the easing of homophobia; if Nat is allowed to be a full, complete character rather than reduced to some feminine ideal of love, guiding Nick to heaven. If she’s allowed to be tempted, falter, facing with snark and her wits the many obstacles between Nick and herself.

All of this was in my mind when I realized what Niko’s theme reminded me of; the music playing in Daughters of Darkness when Elizabeth Bathory lit the black candles for a final meal with Valerie and Stefan before Elizabeth and Valerie make a meal of Stefan. There’s something delicate about the strain as Elizabeth plays her final word game with Stefan, right before he gives into his violently possessive feelings about Valerie, rousing the violence in Elizabeth, and awakening it in Valerie.

Elizabeth is denying being a ghoul, lightly saying she’s one of those outmoded characters, the beautiful stranger in a lonely setting. Stefan responds by saying death follows her everywhere.

Curious to hear an echo of that strain while Crystal speaks to Niko on Dead Boy Detectives; the two girls discussing the lonely voids in their lives left by lost family members, voids which echo and overlap, drawing them together.

It’s only the music, as Heather Alexander sang years ago in a song or is it?

Regardless, it’s a lovely tune.