video; un: v | cw for creepy dolls i guess?

[mehanizovati]

[the video starts focused on a shelf, and on that shelf is a doll. absolutely the kind that just exudes 'listed on ebay for having the spirit of an angry victorian child in it' vibes with its dead eyes.

when viktor speaks his tone could not be more dry.] Some of you might have noticed the unpleasant dolls that, when ignored instead of bought, come to life violently. This is a matter our household is not entirely aware of because Palamedes continues to gladly buy any unpleasant doll he sets his sights upon.

[offscreen, but not like, very far offscreen (it is not a big living space), palamedes chimes in with a pointed, 'While I respect your aesthetic tastes, you're wrong, they're delightful,' that viktor will pointedly ignore as he continues.]

He will not stop bringing them. Some of them vanish after a week or two. He calls this one Sensible Bethany.

['She calls herself that, actually, I explained this already,' from the peanut gallery. the camera shifts as viktor turns to address him back]

Is this entire place not haunted enough without ugly dolls, I ask again? There is a limit, Palamedes.

[in the unfocused corner of the camera the doll absolutely turns its head to stare directly at the screen.]

Comments

[mehanizovati]

Gods, do not give him ideas. I do not need a clown ghost here on top of it all.

[eudaimonikos]

I made up this whole series of clown-centric art one time. Paintings, mostly, but there were some sculptures as well.

[mehanizovati]

I suppose I should apologize in case you are an eh... enthusiast but truly, with my whole heart I must ask why?

[eudaimonikos]

I was torturing someone with them.

[He says like that's a normal thing!]

I was particularly proud of her bedroom doors. They were sliding - when you closed them, they'd form a giant picture of a clown while playing circus music. There were child cheers at the end. Really awful to witness!

[mehanizovati]

[well.

it takes him a moment to admit,] That is rather ingenious, really. Hostile architecture brought to a truly unfortunate conclusion. Why was she being treated to this exactly?

[eudaimonikos]

...it honestly wasn't a very good reason.

[Nothing in particular. Eleanor wasn't great, sure, but none of it warranted that.]

But it could've been a lot worse.

[mehanizovati]

In terms of torture? Oh yes, I think it's more agonizing prank level.

[he kind of assumed that was the point. hm.]

[eudaimonikos]

Yeah, that's what I was going for. The object was just to make her whole life a constant haze of stress and low-grade misery. It was a...whole thing, sounds kind of weird now.

[mehanizovati]

I admit I would love to hear an explanation that makes it less odd. [please, he is morbidly fascinated.]

[eudaimonikos]

[siiiiigh]

I was trying to revolutionize the torture industry. Because I was bored with physical torture and thought, "hey, you know what sounds fun? Screwing with people emotionally and mentally!"

[It is, in retrospect, sort of embarrassing.]

[mehanizovati]

[given the trench he wants to think things like, ok this guy is fucking with me. but. given the trench he knows in his heart there may be an actual world with a torture industry.

and he is speaking to a man who brought clown interior design into it. that's... better? which is not something he thought he'd ever say.]

I have to say, out of every world 'the torture industry' does manage to be the oddest one I have heard yet, which is impressive.

... I am very much hoping are no longer in the torture business, yes?

[eudaimonikos]

No one is now, I actually got it outlawed. There might still be clowns...but those are very tame.

[mehanizovati]

Oh, well that is a turn around. A shame about the clowns but there's only so much that can be done there I suppose.

[eudaimonikos]

Sometimes clowns are just a fact of life.

[mehanizovati]

Wise words. I have seen enough on this network to believe that belongs on a mug somewhere.

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael laughs.]

Oh, man, we haven't had a clown outbreak yet. I bet it'll happen sometime.

[mehanizovati]

Ugh, what is the expression? The eh, the knocking on wood, that. The dolls are annoying enough, at least they don't have horns and balloons.