#trailblazers

I love this meme. I imagine it must have been insane watching TCSM 74 for the first time at a drive-in theater. This was one of Pam's three desperate attempts to escape Leatherface. Gunnar and I had a lot of fun filming these! We started early in the morning and finished just as the sun had set, and we lost all light. To get these scenes, the collaboration between everyone was tight. Gunnar was very strong, and we wrestled mightily up and down that hallway all day, along with the crew in that stifling heat. All the windows in the house were closed, no fans, no AC because they needed to block any outside noises. Wow. She almost made it on this one!! By the end of the day, I remember it was almost dark, I’d lost my voice, and Tobe wanted one more shot. Kim handed me a bottle of Jack Daniels black, and I welcomed a couple of slugs. In a daze, we got ‘er done and wrapped for the day. On a personal note, it was my favorite moment. I planned on losing those most uncomfortable oh-so-chic sandals that I'd bought at Scarborough's Department Store on Congress Ave in downtown Austin the year before. When I brought various wardrobe choices in for them to pick from for Pam's costume before we started filming, they chose those sandals, the red shorts, and the bathing suit with the matching shirt. I soon wished I'd never brought them at all. OW! I was delighted to kick them to the curb at that moment on the porch!

In the mid-80s, horror cons became a thing. Dedicated horror conventions in the US officially began in 1985 with the launch of the FANGORIA Weekend of Horrors, and Gunnar began working the evolving circuit. When I was happily busy running my flower biz all through the 90s, Gunnar was going to horror cons. He’d come by for visits and bring along a stack of pics of Pam and Leatherface or me to sign to take to shows. He even paid me $5 bucks a signature! (Does anyone remember purchasing one before 2008?) We all know what happened. Gunnar Hansen became an icon, beloved across the planet. I don’t think the franchise ever understood what an amazing PR ambassador he was for building TCSM’s fan base. Over and over, he’d try to convince me to ‘come out’ as Pam, and I’d tell him I was sure no one wanted to meet Pam, always convinced I was awful in it… for 35 years. Finally, when he visited me in Venice Beach in 2007, he brought it up again. This time was different; he became very frustrated and said the thing that shocked me. “Teri, they’re mad at you!" Stunned, I replied, "For what??!" GH: 'They always say to me, “Why won’t she come out and talk to us?” ' He never once mentioned all these guys that had crushes on Pam! I'm convinced now: If he had, I would have come out a whole LOT sooner!!

I don't even know if these are unhinged anymore…

Whatever

Also, HOME STRETCH!!!!

Ahem, anyways onto the thing!

This time it's about Akivili and perhaps how/why THEY died and what happened after

Ok for THEIR death we actually get just about nothing that hints at it. I don't believe anyone in game have said or revealed anything about it either (correct me if I'm wrong)

We can assume many things so let's start with the first possibility, THEIR death

Now the first thing we would want to figure out is HOW

Just how did they die? How did something/someone kill an AEON? Was it because something killed Akivili or because Akivili sacrificed themself? Did another Aeon kill Akivili? Was it something on THEIR travels? Were people with them or not?

Perhaps when going to a new planet/place THEY were betrayed, or more accurately, the nameless were. Perhaps Akivili sacrificed themself for the nameless, to protect them

Perhaps it was in a fight against someone/something. But why was Akivili fighting? How were THEY even killed?

(this is where I cut it short)

No matter how much I think over this I can really only come to one conclusion.

Akivili died for others/the trailblaze

But how? What threat got an Aeon to die? Was it a threat? Or was it a way to continue the Trailblaze, to make the nameless realize that this journey involves loss?

The next option we reach is Akivili left

But that also raises questions

Why did THEY leave? Were THEY or the nameless in danger? If there was danger why did Akivili leave? Was it to draw the danger away? But then why did Akivili not come back?

If it wasn't a danger then why did Akivili leave in the first place? Were THEY forced to leave? Or was it perhaps even to protect them all? Just what could force THEM to leave or make THEM think that the best course of action was leaving?

Did Akivili leave willingly? Why? What caused THEM to want to leave? DID Akivili want to leave? Or did THEY think they should leave because it was the best course of action?

(Again this is where I cut it off)

Anyways for this au let's say that somehow Akivili died. I'm not going to go into the specifics because if I do then I'll start spiralling into the possibilities again

Now when Akivili died it didn't destroy or damage the Astral Express (not that I found anyway) and so this made me think.

Using Idrila as an example (though I don't know how true this is for the other dead Aeons whose paths weren't taken by other aeons) we know that even if people FOLLOW the path of Beauty, they technically aren't walking it. Not like people walking the paths of, lets say, Destruction anyway.

So if Akivili is dead then why is the Trailblaze still active and fine.

Now this could be attributed to Trailblaze being the journey that keeps going no matter what but still (or the fact that some theories suggest Akivili is future Trailblazer in one timeline but we're ignoring that for now)

But I want to take a different route on this. I have two specifically right now

The first one is probably a little weird but I'll try to explain as best I can

What if when Akivili died THEIR soul didn't pass on? What if Akivili's fading consciousness latched onto the thing that most resembled THEM?

The Astral Express.

The train was made using Akivili's essence so the Aeon's fading soul latched onto the Train.

Now see Akivili was drained of power, so THEY weren't really conscious though THEY had vague feelings and stuff. THEY/the train was semi-sentient and as more and more years go by, THEY start to regain THEIR sentience, and then THEIR power.

Akivili was sorta merged with the train, except also not.

When the train was destroyed Akivili was in a haze of pain until Himeko fixed it/THEM. Akivili is fiercly protective of THEIR Nameless.

To the Nameless/others the train seems to hold a sort of sentience, though they don't think it's too sentient and merely just feelings. They love the train, think it a sorta last will from Akivili (protect the nameless and continue the journey).

Now the other option is…

Well it's Pompom being Akivili.

Again Akivili died but instead of THEIR soul latching onto the train, it instead coalesced into a smaller, more sturdy body.

Deep within the train, where Akivili had resided and no one had found/been to before. There a small rabbit like being woke up.

They didn't know who or what they were.

This being was Pompom.

Now YEARS go by and Pompom is with the current Astral Express crew. Pompom doesn't know how they were made or who they used to be. Pompom is pompom, that's all there is to it.

Pompom just has the added bonus of their past as Akivili.

And no one knows this because from everyone's perspective, including Pompom's, they were made by Akivili.

-🦔 anon

I can't decide which i like better. Akivili possessing the Astral Express or THEM actually being Pom-Pom. Both ideas are so good! 🤩

Though, crack idea? A 3rd option? Have you seen the Cat Cake Akivili? And you know how you can create cake cats? Imagine if Caelus/Stelle ended up accidentally creating Cake Cake Akivili, and unknown to them Akivili's soul just wakes up in this Cake cat all confused and tiny!

I know it's a stupid idea, but I wanted to share it. 😅