THE ASYLUM - Emilie Autumn's Official Forum

I was a stegosaurus in a past life

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http://voltic.com/P/recordings/Bad_Romans2.wav

I do not doubt you.

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i'd say since rats can talk in the book it's totally plausible that Emilie could come back from the dead to complete the letters. there's a certain level of suspension of disbelief that is requested from the story.

i don't know, i've only read the excerpts from the product details, but i do remember talking rats.

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thoughts of a Mad Queen
questions welcomed!

I never really took it to be a plot hole and instead a sort of symbolic collapse of both the fantasy-reality to real-world-reality. The Asylum crashing down was Emilie coming to the bitter realization of her fantasy being a product of her mind, her imagination, and her internal defiance -- she was quite figuratively reabsorbing the part of herself that was defiant enough to survive despite obstacles.

I also think it's worth mentioning that one of the rats, Sir Edward, says earlier in the book that the Asylum is built on rather unsturdy ground from the start, and that accounts for its bizarre slants and angles. So either that's a hint that the Asylum in the story is eventually going to come down (literally) even the girls never overthrow the staff, and that the world Emilie uses as sanctuary will eventually come crashing down, too.

Lastly, it's probably not a good idea to read a difficult book when you aren't in full control of your faculties.

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Sometimes you wake up.
Sometimes the fall kills you.
And sometimes, when you fall, you fly.

Better to be bound than free to feel pain.

^ All that first paragraph.

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(I'll try not spoil the story)

I just finished the "Asylum Letters" and I am abit confused.. could someone please explain it? I understand what happened but I can't understand why it ended that way are the concerts a continuation of the books ending? Because I honestly can't see why it would end like that... it's kinda sad.

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I'll be Bach.

there's a spoiler section for these types of discussions, the link is a bit hidden away under the flavour text of the asylum, at the bottom of the table.



i'll ask a mod to move it for you so you don't have to open a new thread.

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check out my blog: ♥Ims♣Oti♠Red♦
thoughts of a Mad Queen
questions welcomed!

I took is as a metaphor of EA realizing that she needed to start dealing with reality. Having an escape mechanism is necessary for everyone and it can be a healthy way to relax, but at some point, one needs to start living real life. The Asylum collapsing and the girls dying was indeed a sad ending, but it had to end because reality is something that needs to be dealt with, whether one wants to or not. And the very ending, I think, is sort of bittersweet because, realzing that the Asylum is a part of her (which makes it kind of real), is a good thing, but it's a burden at the same time. She loves the safety of her own fantasy world, but she'll always have to deal with the stigma that comes with it.

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the world was my oyster, but i used the wrong fork. --oscar wilde

^Wow, very very beautiful explanation!

What I didn't understand was the mention of how the Butcher escaped. I was expecting him to return to The Asylum or at least another mention of him that might clarify why EA hadn't just let him die...

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Learn what you can from the beasts you defeat, you'll need it for some of the people you meet.

^The Butcher could have been easily based on a real-life person, like the photographer character. I always expected him to be someone like Jack the Ripper, or something.

Maybe it was a Metaphor that there were some people in her life that escaped punishment of their actions towards her but she is thinking they will die as cold cruel people anyway that people don't love them so she is not all that concerned.

I liked the ending to be honest.

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Tones sound, and roar and storm about me until I have set them down in notes- Ludwig Van Beethoven

I think 0livia0live is dead-on. Then again, if Emilie was having delusions of the escape (letters), then I believe her freak-out in the end is her realizing that she is, in fact, crazy. Those are just my 2 cents.

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What if I'm an ocean, far too shallow, much too deep ...

This could have been a big reason that kept Emilie up that night she freaked out.

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What if I'm an ocean, far too shallow, much too deep ...

Yeah, that really confused me during my read too. In diary entry styled books if the main character dies the character either eludes to the fact that they may die soon and then the book ends or the death is recorded by someone else.

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Learn what you can from the beasts you defeat, you'll need it for some of the people you meet.