The Once-ler (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thneedifestdestiny) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
entranceway2014-04-14 02:41 am
thneedifestdestiny) wrote in entranceway2014-04-14 02:41 am
Video
[Eventually, the Once-ler makes it into the mansion (though he spends a considerable amount of time outside where he first arrived in the garden, marveling at everything around him). He finds his old room and all of his stuff inside, but it feels too crowded to him now. So, the first thing he does is gets rid of all the clutter and all the things he doesn't need until more than half the room has been emptied out.
He sets up the camera on one end of the room and stands kind of awkwardly in front of it to film his message. Instead of his usual attire, he's wearing an over-sized green suit - which is old and tattered now, as though he's been wearing it for a couple of years.]
So, uh. I'm back. I guess.
[Well, this is going swell already.]
Look, I'm going to make this quick. I just want know if someone's here. He's orange and furry, about yay tall- [He has to bend down to gesture how tall, which is apparently not very tall at all] -and he's got this mustache. He's the Lorax, and he used to be here once. I just...
[He frowns a little, trying to find the words. His shoulders fall, and it takes considerable effort to shrug them.]
...I was just hoping maybe he turned up again, that's all. If anyone's seen him around, let me know.
[He quickly moves to shut off the camera after that, as if he's a little sick of the spotlight already.]
He sets up the camera on one end of the room and stands kind of awkwardly in front of it to film his message. Instead of his usual attire, he's wearing an over-sized green suit - which is old and tattered now, as though he's been wearing it for a couple of years.]
So, uh. I'm back. I guess.
[Well, this is going swell already.]
Look, I'm going to make this quick. I just want know if someone's here. He's orange and furry, about yay tall- [He has to bend down to gesture how tall, which is apparently not very tall at all] -and he's got this mustache. He's the Lorax, and he used to be here once. I just...
[He frowns a little, trying to find the words. His shoulders fall, and it takes considerable effort to shrug them.]
...I was just hoping maybe he turned up again, that's all. If anyone's seen him around, let me know.
[He quickly moves to shut off the camera after that, as if he's a little sick of the spotlight already.]
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It shouldn't drag anyone here. Even if you can get away from something that's messed up or hurtful for a while this just takes over on that.
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[He sighs, and then shrugs.]
Even if it stinks here, something's still probably better than nothing.
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[ She couldn't give the best answer to it but she could see his point ]
I guess... when things are quite it's not that bad here.
[ She didn't exactly have nothing left at home but she was still in the mind to run and hide ]
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[There have definitely been some terrible events that he'd never want to repeat, but not choking on smoggy air all the time is definitely a plus.]
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[It's hard to find the words, that's what it is. But he tries.]
...There aren't any trees. There used to be, but, uh. ...They were cut down. And the Valley, it's so gunked up with pollution that nothing can even live there anymore. The grass is dead, the river's thick with glup and schlop, and the sky's full of smog. It's...pretty bad.
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Uh, well...I happened.
I made these things called Thneeds out of the trees. And I mean, they were pretty cool; they could do just about anything, but...things got out of hand. I got greedy and started cutting down more and more trees just because it was faster to make the Thneeds that way. My company biggered and biggered and I...I got so caught up in the fame and wealth that I just. I didn't see what I was doing until it was too late to stop.
[He's not looking at the camera anymore. It feels too much like having to look her in the eyes.]
...All the trees are gone because of me.
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...Not a lot, really. My family packed up and went home, now that I'm officially a huge disappointment. They didn't want anything to do with me, and neither did anyone in town. Hundreds of people worked in that factory, and they were all out of jobs. There were all kind of lawsuits from anyone who wanted to try an squeeze money out of me, but none of it was about the trees. ...I created a monster.
[He wraps his arms around his stomach, guarding himself. Just the thought wrenches his stomach in knots. No one cares whether they have trees or not anymore, and it's because of him.]
So, uh. I kinda just threw what was left of my money at them and told them to leave me alone.
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[ Sure, maybe someone could have stopped him along the way, maybe warned him about what was happening but would it have been so easy to see? When you're stuck in doing something you don't always see what everyone else does. She knows that from her own mistakes, even if she would never admit it ]
You don't always know what's going to happen until it does.
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Doesn't change the fact that I still did it. There were plenty of chances to stop, and the Lorax tried to warn me, but I didn't listen. It doesn't matter whether I meant to do it or not, because it still happened.
[It comes out sharper than it really needs to be, but he's most angry at himself really. He wants to accept those excuses and put the blame somewhere else, but he can't. This is all his own doing.]
It's not like it would undo anything. Even if I didn't mean to, there's still never going to be trees again.
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[ That happened, right? That could happen? She didn't want it to be the worst case scenario, anyway ]
And yeah, maybe you could have stopped but listening to other people isn't always easy.
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[He sighs heavily.]
Look, kid. I know you mean well, but it's not gonna happen. They're gone and there won't ever be any more and it's something I have to deal with.
[Not that he's been dealing well, but that's not the point.]
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[ Mr Schue says to sing about it but she's not 100% convinced ]
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[Singing's probably gonna cut it this time.]
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[He hasn't had his pep talk from Peter yet, so he's not exactly feeling optimistic about any of this. Maybe she just meant him dealing with his own feelings of guilt, but if she did it just flies right over his head.]