2023 Inktober 4 - Malachi's Disney Moment

Most fauns are known to be fantastic singers, musicians, and dancers; some say it's impossible to outshine a faun in dancing, while others say it's always fun to try. One of the superstitions about fauns was that they used their musical talent to enchant you, lure you into a trap, just like how a unicorn's wonderful beauty was only a ruse to get you to lower your guard.

 

Then again, fauns are known to make terrifying noises when they're angry or frightened. They can really raise the roof and scare you to pieces when they want to, and it would take someone pretty strong or exceptionally clever to beat a faun in a physical tussle. Most people who try to pick a fight with a faun will only land themselves in the hospital before they know what hit them, and that's assuming the faun goes easy on them.

 

For the less superstitious folk, they find fauns genuinely entertaining. And Malachi Ephraim Windwillow was among the first fauns to really make it big in show biz.

 

Before he was finished with school, some big show biz people came along and talked him into auditioning for a few plays and possibly a moving picture. This was about the time that moving pictures (or movies, as we'd call them) came out and became huge by themselves, so for anyone to get into one at all, even if it was just a brief cameo appearance, was definitely bragworthy. Malachi's parents believed school was his top priority, but Malachi was talked into it and he ended up auditioning behind his parents' backs.

 

Not only did he make it in, but he was on his way to stardom in no time at all. He was making enough money to where he quit school altogether, much to his parents' disappointment and anger. They didn't really have anything against the entertainment industry, but they found themselves frowning more and more on their son's increasingly less savory roles, on top of his growing criminal behavior outside work. Some of his costars had a list of crimes as long as your arm, but as long as they kept a low profile, they believed nobody could touch them and nothing could happen to them. Malachi rubbing elbows with royalty (it was his grandfather who first ignited the friendship with the Lactantiuses) also came in his favor, or so he thought.

 

In Malachi's defense, his parents were hardly around anyway. He wouldn't admit it, but he wished they would spend more time with him and his brother and sister. It often hurt him to see other children playing with their parents in the park, or children simply hugging their mothers and riding around on their fathers' shoulders.

 

In his parents' defense, they were trying to give their children a good life, with plenty of luxuries. They were trying just as hard to prove themselves as high-standing politicians (Silas became a senator for a time) as Malachi was trying to prove himself as a big star. But Grandfather Miles was deeply concerned to see his son and daughter-in-law focus more on providing their children with money than with actual attention and affection. As busy as Miles often was with his own medical career, he was never too busy for his family.

 

It didn't help that the few times Malachi did see his parents face to face, all they did was snap at each other. Instead of reaching out to their son in love and understanding, Silas and Tabitha only reacted with anger and pushed him further away.

 

While most of their fights were Malachi's fault, his parents handled the situation like pouring oil onto a fire instead of water. This was something Miles gently rebuked them for a few times, and they saw the unpleasant toll this was taking on Jubal.

 

To make a long story short, Silas and Tabitha resolved to do better, or at least try, but then Malachi came home one morning to hear from his heartbroken grandfather's lips that they had both died in a terrible accident the night before. A drunk carriage driver ran them both over, and they died before they made it to the hospital. Fauns aren't killed easily; they even have an incredible tolerance to pain, including the does, so it had to be very bad to kill two fauns almost instantly. The driver survived, but was immediately arrested, for this and for three other cases of manslaughter.

 

After the funeral, Malachi dropped his acting career like a brick, along with his criminal activity and his so-called friends. No one could fire him because he'd already quit. Any bribes to make him come back or threats to his future prospects fell on deaf ears. He just plain didn't care anymore. If not for his grandfather, if not for his belief that it was an undeserved easy way out, he would have committed suicide.

 

After he found solace and a renewed purpose for living in the Christian church, he was still at a loss for what he could do for an occupation. He had enough money for his needs but he felt the need to make something useful of himself. He couldn't just mope around a cave, a forest, or a church all day.

 

Miles gently encouraged his grandson to give acting another try, but to aim for more wholesome roles this time. Luckily for Malachi, he still had a few friends in the entertainment industry who were kind enough to put in a good word for him and help him get back on his hooves.

 

His big comeback was Dancing in the Snow. A few people couldn't believe this was the same actor from Five Hundred Shades of Fur, and some were even disappointed. But the majority of the crowd absolutely adored him, and the moving picture was an explosive hit. Malachi easily made more money and received more glowing reviews than he'd ever seen from 500 Shades. Best of all, this was a role he actually enjoyed, one he can say he's proud of to this day.

 

He went on to have a long, successful career, though he maintained a much healthier ego and put his money to better use. He was huge on charity, of course, and he was able to send his own children to great schools. Caleb was among the first fauns to graduate from one of the most prestigious universities with perfect marks.

 

Jonathan had no trouble providing for Herminia, who loved him for more than just his money. For that matter, most people expected Jonathan to become an entertainer, too, since he can also sing and dance quite well and he's been in a few plays and moving pictures.

 

Sometimes Joanna got to perform with Malachi, and she was good enough to where a few people will still ask for her autograph or listen closely when she's singing.

 

Long after Malachi retires, he still enjoys an occasional performance for old times' sake and his reputation even comes in his favor when dealing with prejudice in the Church. When a murderous mob gangs up on him, plenty of people are outraged on his behalf and it would have been ugly for the perpetrators if Malachi had died. Some feel Beowulf went way too easy on them.

 

So, getting to the point of this picture, I thought it would be fun to show Malachi giving a lively, worldly performance, and it was "Friend Like Me" that first sprang to mind. The Robin Williams version, mind you.