Phoenix fucking witch, the longer I sit here and think about it, the more my heart ACHES for the WKM crew.
William, who had to sit by and watch the woman he loves with another man for years, and not just any man, but the man whom he considered a brother. He had to watch as his best friend turns into someone he doesnāt recognize, becoming rich and cocky and selfish. Who sits by and watches as the woman he loves walks out of his life after he finally, finally has her. Who watches as his friend group falls apart, and has to live with the guilt of knowing that he caused this. To watch as everyone around him dies at his hand, even though he didnāt mean to hurt any of them. To lose his grip on reality completely, because if death was so impermanent, why should he treat anything seriously?
Mark, whose wife and best friend utterly betrayed him in the most devastating way. Who was so broken by the loss of his friends that he stewed away and became a hermit, falling into depression for years, and tried to kill himself. Who just kept trying, even after the house brought him back, who kept trying thirty-seven times. Who let apathy consume him, to the point where the house could easily manipulate him and enable his revenge fantasies. Who could never really face reality after it all, who had to treat everything like a story. Who saw his former friend as nothing more than the āvillainā, forcing everyone into roles, because heās so broken he canāt face reality.
Celine, who watched her husband turn into someone she couldnāt recognize. Who watched the same happen to her other lover. Who just wanted to keep her brother safe, but inadvertently makes him in more and more danger the longer sheās around him. Who gets her eyes opened to a world beyond, and has no one believe her, insisting that sheās crazy or dangerous. Who had her own body ripped away from her, inhabited by the spirit of the house that she once called home. Who was so consumed by rage and a need for revenge that she trapped herself in a never-ending cycle of wild goose chases and her brotherās torment. Who has to rest knowing that she couldnāt keep her brother safe, and that he chose to become the villain to protect her.
Even the District Attorney, who just wanted a fun night out with their friend. Who tries to pull everyone together as everything descends into chaos, even though they donāt know what to do themself. Who has to watch as their friend is sick with distress, and no one else seems to be listening to him or care as much as he does. Who gets shot, square in the chest, by a newfound friend they thought they could trust. Who is forced to watch as their body is no longer their own. Who is trapped in a mirror, waiting, wondering if their friend is really going to come back for them, or if he betrayed them. Who gets pulled out of the mirror by the very man who caused all their torment in the first place, then be stuck with this man because where else can they go? And he treats them as if nothing happened, as if itās all some āstoryā with set roles and no real feelings, but if they want answers or an attempt at fixing all of this, they have no choice.
And Damien, oh, Damien. Damien, who just wanted his friends to get along like they used to. Who hated everyone for the decisions they made, but couldnāt stop them, because it was their choices to make, and not his. Who just wanted to live his life, to choose, and then his autonomy is completely torn from him. To be stuck never really alive, because life was about choices, and he couldnāt really choose, not anymore. Mark and the house needed a body, Mark needed a villain, Celine needed a protector, so now heās stuck with something thatās not quite him and not quite Celine and not quite the house and heās splitting apart at the seams constantly, but what else is he supposed to be? itās not like he has another choice.
all of them made poor decisions, and all of them still have to shoulder some of the blame. but despite their poor decisions, but it never had to turn out like this. It was both only in their control and entirely out of their control, purported by the forces of the house and the Void. They didnāt have to do any of that. They never stood a chance. None of them are happy, and they havenāt been happy for a very long time.
