We know the students of Nevermore are neither alive nor dead, but somewhere in between. Like in purgatory style. Poppet calls spectres one of the perks of this condition, implying that in the land of the dead souls cannot change shape: there they either look like they did when they were alive, or they stay in spectral form all the time (which would be wildly cool) or some third option – orbs for example. We also know that to manifest students have to restore the emotions they experienced at their last moment. They don't even need to remember their death itself. And although the spectres obviously strongly depend on how person died, they are also influenced by how person lived in general: at least according to Monty's words about Dybbuk. And the deans, when describing Lady in Red, mention not only death options (jilted lover) but also the lifestyle in general (Jezebel, woman of vanity).
When Annabel first manifests, Poppet says that for her to transform back she needs to resign to loneliness and sadness that she cannot fix. Not right now.
And that flash of "not right now" made me seriously wonder: what happens if Annabel–or anyone else– 'fix' those emotions that activate their spectre and, apparently, accompany them every minute of their stay in spectral form?
This shit turned out to be very long. I tried to be brief, but it didn't work out. Enjoy the chatter below.
All spectres have one thing in common: they reflect not so much the inner world of a character as the framework imposed on them by society. This is their stigma, these are their traumas and chains that none of them could get rid of. Annabel is a vivid example. She is a Ghost Bride even though she hated the idea of marriage during her lifetime. She didn't want to get married and lead the life of an perfect pretty housewife, she didn't like being her dad`s 'show pony' that needed to be sold as expensive as possible. A trophy wife, a marriageable girl, a sweetheart for a certain respectable gentleman–in other words, an accessory to a man. When she manifested all class probably thought, "Well, if she's the bride, there must be a groom." I bet no one thought about whether she wanted to get married at all. At the snap of the deans` fingers, all the students began to see Annabel as a sad but beautiful fairy tale, rather than a person who would prefer to exist on his own, in isolation from a certain "beloved".
Prospero is a Plague Doctor, a controversial symbol of death in the image of a profession whose purpose is to treat people. But Prospero was a doctor in the era of the epidemic for which no cure had yet been found. His appearance promised not healing but death. More patients died at his hands than got back on their feet, and even his first flashback is a funeral. In people's eyes, he was not a healer but an omen of the worst outcome.
Montresor. Do I even need to explain? People have reasons to distrust him, despise him and drive him away but why is he so insistent on giving them that reason? Is it possible that he's used to being a scapegoat, rejected by his mother and the church and now just doesn't see any other option for himself? He drove himself into a vicious circle playing the role of a villain because if everyone hates you, at least give them a reason, and then the hatred will be deserved. Prospero doesn't even want to listen to him because Monty is "prince of lies." He bluntly declares he refuses to look at the true state of things because he hates Montresor.
Morella is our goody-two-shoes who no one will ever judge. How can you, it's Morella! An angel in the flesh! The messiah, the protector and the peacemaker. And if she ever commits controversial acts well she meant well! She had no choice! Everything has already been decided for her! And anyway, Morella has already repented. The only time she is openly condemned for what she has done is when Berenice blames her for letting Lenore go and even in that case no one supports Bee. Sometimes it looks like no one takes Morella seriously. She's sorry but who cares about that sorry if no one was mad at her in the first place? What is the meaning of good intentions and remorse when everyone takes them for granted?
Duke was an artist when he was alive. He's probably the only character who enjoyed his role. Most likely he chose it himself. However it was his stage image that brought him to his grave: while Duke was drowning in front of hundreds of spectators no one lifted a finger to help him, because it was all part of the trick! The fearless Fortunato does not need your help, he always has an ace up his sleeve! He gets a spectre when he hears Pluto's unreasonable confidence. And to be honest it's disturbing. Because at the moment of his death, Duke felt not a surge of energy from the applause, but a sense of helplessness from the realization that no one would help him. He's on his own. Alone in the spotlight, watched by hundreds of eyes that await his success.
Speaking of Pluto! I'm getting a little lost here. He is a Cryptid that is a soul that has experienced relief at the moment of death. At the same time, cryptids are usually wild animals while Pluto is a domestic cat. In the collar. We know that Pluto tried to escape from home, from his abusive father, but to no avail. And we also know that Pluto was the only breadwinner of the family whose money his dad successfully drank. The main problem here is that we don't really see Pluto's relationship with anyone outside the family. Although this is in many ways similar to domestic cats socialization most of which do not see the world outside the house (and maybe the vet's office). I can try to assume that from his father's point of view, Pluto is a domestic cat who can roam the streets as much as he likes, but eventually always returns home. Let's say that this is an allusion to futile attempts to get out of abusive relationships.
Eulalie is so obsessed with her dreams and ideas that sometimes she gets carried away and starts ignoring reality. That's how she dies: soothing children in a fire by singing them a lullaby to distract them from panic. When they try to bring her back to reality by saying that someone was outside, she replies that it doesn't matter anymore and continues to sing. In a way yes it really doesn't matter anymore: they can't get out of the fire. Eulalie chooses to spend her last moments in serene ignorance instead of fear. For others her stubborn optimism and fascination with the paranormal seems like childlikeness that borders on outright foolishness. With Baku's powers she can create any of her fantasies but they seem to be limited: Eula cannot support them from too far away. And the absorption of nightmares and evil spectres? No matter how cool it may sound, its a temporary struggle with the consequences, not the cause. The nightmares will return the next night and the evil spectres will regain their strength sooner or later.
RnF said that Berenice was inspired by the archetype of a vamp (this is literally the name of her spectre) – a femme fatale who seduces men for her own gain. Frankly speaking Berenice was a golddigger: she slept with a man from the highest elite for material privileges. And then Sterling died a mysterious death: no witnesses but a couple of lovers mentioned in the will. There's no alibi but there's a motive. Of course Bee didn't mean any harm but how will she prove it? So now we have a terrified femme fatale stuck alone with her psychotic cousin. The way she seduced the crowd with absinthe in her life is akin to how she poisons victims with her fangs after death. In her head Berenice is a faerie queen dancing carefree all night long. From the crowd point of view Bee and Egaeus are a pair of merciless heartbreakers who have drained Sterling to the dregs.
Will is our pawn. Our puppet. Our doormat. He has no role – he`ll be anything as long as hes called a good boy. If all other spectres share certain physical features with their human selves, then Will is completely unrecognizable in his spectral form. He's Monty's accessory that Eulalie can save, Lenore can use to figure out acoleetes' plans, posh besties can win from Monty like a pawn in bughouse chess. Very similar to Annabel, whose role also implies dependence on someone else.
Ada gives me even more headaches than Pluto. Because to be honest banshee origin has little to do with her. Well yes, let's say she's a crying hysterical drama queen. Ada is so obsessive and persistent that ignoring her is as difficult as a high-pitched scream and everyone is so desperate to close their ears (=get rid of her) that they don't hear her pain and loneliness in this scream. And what else?... Banshees are the guardians of the family, their cry or singing heralds the imminent death of the family member. Or sometimes they are restless keening women who have not fulfilled their duty when they were alive and are now doomed to keen forever (a reflection that Ada is insincere in her emotions perhaps). Sometimes there is a version that banshees, like the scottish bean-nighe, are mothers who died in the process of childbirth. It kind of fits the theory that Ada was pregnant and that's why Tamerlane killed her. But this is just an extremely fragile theory and this version of the banshee's origin is highly questionable. Perhaps it's worth referring to the design of Ada's spectre rather than its nature: she can't hide rot and bones behind bows and ruffles. That's her part–a hypocritical, poorly acting actress. An upstart who tries to take a place she doesn't deserve and yell at people who don't want to listen her.
And finally Lenore. This theory has been rustling in my head for a long time, but I've been waiting for Lenore's manifesting to figure out how much this idea works. And my god it couldn't be better! Lenore plays the role of a hot-tempered madwoman who corrupts innocent girls' minds with her example. Lenore plays the role of the curse that brings death to everyone, just like Bloody Mary who appeared in the mirror in front of the girls who were divining at their betrothed. And the worst part she believes in it. Lenore calls herself the curse of the Vandernachts. Lenore runs away from her friends because she believes they are in danger because of her. Lenore bluntly tells Annabel, "I wish we hadn't met." She seeks death to keep others safe. In the proposal scene she calmly accepts Annabel's resentment and justifies herself by saying that "well why the hell did they lock up a madwoman alone with the fire and flammable liquids lol."
It's a cage she's never been able to break out of. None of them could. Most don't even realize they're locked up. Someone has accepted an imposed role and is flaunting it in front of everyone – like Montresor and Lenore, who decided that if people need a villain, they will get it. Someone stubbornly drives themselves into a cage, like Ada and Duke (there are locks that cannot be opened). In any case none of them thinks outside of the imposed framework. No wonder they can't escape from Nevermore. How exactly do they intend to get a new life if they cling to the old one so much? No I'm serious. I'm being literal. Spectres are a reflection of their traumas and labels, the totality of all their past experiences. Hell, if you go to extremes, spectres are what killed them: Duke's show–off, Ada's thirst for attention, Berenice's addiction, Lenore's impetuosity.
At the beginning I mentioned how Poppet asks Annabel to put up with loneliness and cold to return to human form. What if that's the whole secret? Come to terms with your past and well, let it go? Outgrow the emotions that feed their spectres. This would be very ironic and very much in the deans style: the students were so desperate to manifest only for them to need exactly the opposite for reincarnation. But how can Nevermore students give up their main weapon in this survival battle? EXCEPT IT WASN'T A SURVIVAL BATTLE TO BEGIN WITH. According to Raven before the reign of the deans, souls traveled quietly to the threshold guided by the spirits that still inhabit the island. Perhaps they were coping with their traumatic past during this journey. Or maybe they didn't even remember it. Imagine: amnesic souls were washing up by the sea on the shores of Nevermore and safely were reaching the threshold at their own pace. And then the deans came and organized their "there's only one life" game.
So shortly the theory is that in order to get a new life, they need to give up their spectres, because these are literally the boundaries between their life and death.
LITERALLY NO ONE CHAT TO ME, THIS IS THE MOST DELIGHTFUL THING I'VE EVER READ.
Going on cute beach dates??? Spending quality time in the library?? DOING CHALLENGES WITH EACHOTHER AND AND AND SOLVING RIDDLES OMGGGG, THEY'D HAVE LOVED READING AGATHA CHRISTE TOGETHER DON'T EVENNNNN.
Rip Lenore and Annabel Lee, you'd have loved cute tiktok couple trends.
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