The Precision of the 'Caul X Percival Murnau' Pairing
I will now prove to you that the 'Caul X Percival Murnau' pairing is both scientifically and literarily coherent.
The Scientific Relevancy
I will now quote bits of a few articles on the science behind relationships, and do some cross-checking.
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The Article: 'We tend to chose partners who treat us like we were treated in our family, so our adaptations fit.'
The Book: 'Mollycoddled like a pair of princes, they were.'
The Pairing: 'He put the skull back, muttering something about the master will be so pleased with me.'
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The Article: 'The most important thing to consider in your decision is to choose someone you really like being around.'
The Book: 'I like a man with ambition.'
The Pairing: Marnau's goals and actions in the literal entirety of 'The Conference of the Birds'.
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The Article: 'It is commonly said that opposites attract, but the data says otherwise. Those differences that initially excite us can eventually create tension and misunderstandings in relationships. Long term happiness seems to blossom when there is more similarity. Basically ‘opposites attract and then attack,’ so finding someone that is compatible is more important than you may have first thought.'
The Book: 'That's right children!' Caul sang mockingly. 'Listen to your headmistress! Ymbryne knows best!'
The Pairing: ''And you,' Marnau said, kneeling down in front of Noor. 'How's the search for Mommy going? Think she's just dying to see you again? Is that why she abandoned you- because she wuves her wittew baby so much?''
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The Article: 'All healthy relationships require mutual and unguarded trust between partners.'
The Book: Percival literally resurrected Caul.
The Pairing: Caul trusted Percival enough to know that he'd work to resurrect him. Percival trusted Caul enough to know that he'd infiltrate the Library of Souls.
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The Article: 'One of the best things about being in a healthy relationship is having a supportive partner who you know has your back.'
The Book: Ah, the joys of having a partner that supports you so much that they'd go extreme lengths to summon you from the void.
The Pairing: See above.
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The Article: 'The participants' sexual orientations must first fall in line for their relationship to develop.'
The Book: 'I like a man with ambition.' (Credits to @ymbrynes-and-peculiarities for this one!)
The Pairing: Whenever Percival refers to Jacob and Noor's relationship for mockery- or something akin- he always refers to the male side of the relationship. I'll quote a few of his dialogues here, as examples.
''The boy rushes to her defense. How romantic.' He sighed.''
''No thanks. You've served your purpose already. But if you try anything tricky, I'll make your mom suffer more than she needs to.' His eyes cut to me. 'And your boyfriend.''
I'm not a professional writer or interpreter, but this is how I'd present someone who had been/is in a male-love-male relationship.
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There's a lot I could mention, but covering everything would take ages.
The Literary Rationality
I'm now going to compare and contrast this pairing with 'Jack and Jill'. (Yes, I'm talking about the nursery rhyme, and no, I'm not pulling your leg.)
(I'm going to link the article used at the end.)
If you need to be brought up to speed, 'Jack and Jill' is a traditional nursery rhyme.
The phrase "Jack and Jill" existed earlier in England to indicate a boy and girl (forget that, things are much gayer now) as a generic pair. It is so used, for example, in the proverb "Every Jack (shall/must) have his Jill", (AKA, every Jack must have his Percival) to which there are references in two plays by William Shakespeare dating from the 1590s.
A hobby of mine is researching dark meanings in nursery rhymes, but I found the summary of the entire series in this one.
I'll quote the stanzas, and explain how they coincide with the series' general plot. (I'd also like to add that the stanzas may not be in the right order.)
Here's 'Jack and Jill', featuring Caul and Percival Marnau!
'Jack and Jill Went up the hill To fetch a pail of water Jack fell down And broke his crown, And Jill came tumbling after.'
This is the first stanza, and, for me, it talks about how Caul (Jack- which is kind of a coincidence, since his real name is Jack) 'fell' was trying to gain the Library of Soul's power (fetch a pail of water), but, was trapped under a loop collapse (Jack fell down).
Before I continue, however, I must mention that the 'crown' of your head is basically the top part of your head. It is also a 'crown', which is the ornament worn on the top of your head, in a symbol of authority. Caul wanted to crown himself King, but when he did consume the soul in 'Library of Souls', he could only utter gibberish. It kind of sounds like... he injured his crown (And broke his crown).
Anyway, let's fast-forward to 'The Conference of the Birds'. After Percival got his hands on V's heart, he ran head-first into that tornado (And Jill came tumbling after), which, as I've theorized quite a long time ago, represents Caul.
*SLIGHT 'THE DESOLATIONS OF DEVIL'S ACRE' SPOILERS MENTIONED HEREWITH*
'Up Jack got And home did trot, As fast as he could caper; Went to bed To mend his head With vinegar and brown paper.'
In 'The Desolations of Devil's Acre', After Caul was summoned, he retreats to gather followers and rally (Up Jack got/ And home did trot/ As fast as he could caper;/ Went to bed/ To mend his head/ With vinegar and brown paper.).
The compress of vinegar and brown paper to which Jack resorted after his fall was a common home cure used to heal bruises.
*SLIGHT 'THE DESOLATIONS OF DEVIL'S ACRE' SPOILERS END HERE*
'Jill came in And she did grin To see his paper plaster; Mother, vex’d, Did whip her next For causing Jack's disaster.'
We'll need to go back to 'The Conference of the Birds' for this one. The authorial figures brought Percival in, but he didn't seem particularly bothered for the short time he was imprisoned (Jill came in/ And did she grin).
He wasn't in despair about Caul being trapped in Esoteric Sequestration (To see his paper plaster). The Ymbrynes put him behind bars for siding with, working with, and helping Caul (Mother, vex'd/ Did whip her next/ For causing Jack's disaster).
*SLIGHT 'THE DESOLATIONS OF DEVIL'S SPOILERS BEGIN HERE*
'Little Jane ran up the lane To hang her clothes a-drying; She called for Nell to ring the bell, For Jack and Jill were dying. Nimble Dick ran up so quick, He tumbled over a timber, And bent his bow to shoot a crow, And killed a cat in the window.'
This can represent a little behind-the-scenes after Percival had ran into the tornado, since there was a two-day wait before things kicked into overdrive.
These are all the stanzas I've found, but I'll add on to this if I do find more.
This type of poem is made up of 'trochees', which are foots consisting of one long or stressed syllable followed by one short or unstressed syllable.
If you think about it, this is how the entire series goes. The first trilogy is slow and less in action, and the second trilogy is fast-paced and intense.
Anyway, there you have it! The scientific and literary accuracy of the 'Caul X Percival Murnau' pairing!
'Jack and Jill' Wikipedia Article
