#Evil Within Review

[totwototwo]

There does not need to be a "good" vs "evil" in every single movie/tv show. There can be, and are, complex characters who embody both "good" and "bad" traits. That being said, someone who has done "good" things can be a "bad/evil" character and someone who has done "bad" things can be a "good" character.

There are so many wonderfully complex and challenging characters out there that people fail to properly represent, watering them down to one aspect of their story. Of course, there are those who are simply "good" or "bad," but there are certainly those who are not.

For the sake of providing an example, I want to briefly look at Oh Beomseok from Weak Hero Class 1. He is a prime example of a young character who has done bad things but is still easy to sympathize with and understand to a certain extent. People continuously water him down to what he did to Sooho, failing to acknowledge any other aspect of his life. Yes, what he did was wrong, and he easily ruined the lives of multiple people, but that does not make him "evil." He was abused and overwhelmed with loneliness and the fear of being left behind/bullied. He made poor decisions based on his clear misunderstanding of the dynamics he had with other characters and his desperation to find a place where he belonged. It is also important to acknowledge his reaction after he realized what he did to Sooho.

I am not trying to excuse his behavior or claim that he is a "good" person, but I am simply saying there is so much complexity within his character that people completely fail to recognize. I firmly believe that Beomseok should have faced criminal charges and gotten the help he needed as it is clear that he suffered from mental issues as a result of the intense abuse and bullying he faced. However, I also firmly believe that he should not be written off as the "villain" of the story. He was there for both Sooho and Sieun during other parts of the show, and only did what he did after he felt he was being left behind.

Again, I think it is very important to stress this, I am not saying he was a "good" person because he very clearly is not. But I am also saying he is not a "bad" person because, again, it is clear he is not. This means that he is something in between and my complaint is that people are not seeing this with Beomseok and hundreds of other characters. Most characters are way more complex than people make them out to be as they are a reflection of humans. You may have met a completely "good" or completely "bad" person, but you've most certainly met a thousand more complex people who have done both "bad" and "good" things in their life.

There is often a complaint that fictional characters aren't complex enough but that's not true as most of them are, but people just aren't willing to see it.

[missnorn]

[jesterday1]

These are great

The Evil Within + steam reviews

[moviesandmania]

LURED aka THE EVIL WITHIN Found-footage horror: reviews and release news

Lured is a 2019 found footage horror film about a young man who travels to Asia to meet an attractive female stranger he met online. In 2024, the movie is being released as The Evil Within by BayView Entertainment on digital platforms worldwide on 30th April 2024 (excluding Amazon). A worldwide AVOD release will follow on 25th June 2024. Confusingly, the film has been retitled on IMDb as The Evil…

[rosewood-multifandom-writer]

The Evil Within Review:

This is going to be a bold take coming from me, a Resident Evil fan, but I want to say that The Evil Within nailed the survival horror elements a little better than Resident Evil 8. Then again, this could be because of the fact that my love for Resident Evil started late back when RE6 was the newer installment of Resident Evil at the time which came out in 2012. And The Evil Within came out in 2014, with it’s sequel coming out three years later that I have not started yet.

I’m also going include “atmosphere” to my game reviews because when it comes to specific games, in this case, a horror game, it’s gonna be scored based on how well the scary and creepy atmosphere is captured.

Story:

Let’s see, a horror story where the main focus is on psychological terror and screwing with the main character Sebastian Castellanos’s mind as well as learning about Ruvik, a vengeful spirit who screws with everyone’s minds? What’s not to love?

This game’s story is fifteen chapters long and is well paced in my opinion. The beginning as usual by Bethesda’s games has had an awesome beginning. Sebastian Castellanos, Joseph Oda, and Juli Kidman (who I need you to remember and keep in mind while reading this review) investigate a crime happening in the Beacon Mental Hospital where the cops all get killed by an entity named Ruvik. Sebastian gets knocked out via a syringe by Ruvik. That is the first clue about the type of ending we’re about to get.

Sebastian is then chased by Sadist, a monster in this game who injures Sebastian’s leg with a chainsaw and Sebastian has to limp desperately for safety. And he successfully does so. Just barely.

Then in the next chapter, his leg is just fine, which is the another clue that everything that was happening in the game all happened in his head.

As the story progresses, Ruvik’s backstory as well as Sebastian’s backstory as well when you find his journal entries and police reports are slowly revealed. Ruvik’s real name is Ruben Victoriano who was fascinated with the brain and how it functions. This fascination started at age 10 and he worked with the shady and backstabbing Marcelo Jimenez.

Leslie is also the key to Ruvik’s true power in the game, hence why Marcelo tries to use Leslie to escape from Ruvik’s world and why Juli Kidman (the best morally grey character in a video game I’ve played) reluctantly but tries to kill Leslie before Ruvik could get to him.

Also that nurse you see in the hospital that Sebastian gets sent to whenever you wanted to save your progress or raise his stats? That also acts as a slow burn of fridge horror.

And this game LOVES fridge horror.

In the climax of the story, Sebastian and Ruvik fight in Sebastian’s mind after Ruvik fuses with Leslie. And this fight is badass and slightly reminded me of how most Resident Evil final fights go, except this took place in Ruvik’s world while he’s trying to screw with Sebastian’s mind.

Afterwards, Sebastian wakes up and yanks the cord from the back of his neck and exits Beacon Mental Hospital where it all started, and he sees a quick glimpse of Leslie, before he gets one last wicked bad headache and Leslie just disappears.

Then the credits start with the song “Long Way Down” playing, marking the start of Sebastian’s descent into madness.

Yep, the events of the game were all just a dream. I mean, think about it, Ruvik knocked him out with a syringe, he’s walking around just fine after his leg nearly got torn by a chainsaw, the hospital visits with Tatiana, a nurse who went missing, and it was revealed in the climax that Sebastian and the others were connected into the device where Ruvik’s brain was connected to. Since the game has psychological horror elements, this type of ending makes sense.

The story was engaging to follow, and I especially loved learning about the story lore, hence my score for this part of TEW.

Characters:

I really liked the characters in this game. Especially Juli Kidman.

First, a round of the characters that act as supporting characters:

Oscar is the first guy to be turned into a Haunted and crashes the ambulance after the intro.

Joseph Oda is a young detective in his late 20’s who is the smartest character besides Ruvik in the game, but has a lot of bad luck. Dude almost turns into those Haunted creatures in the game, loses his glasses, gets shot twice in the game and his fate is unknown. Honestly, a character with an unknown fate is scary in the context of horror.

Marcelo Jimenez. This scummy scientist who is being secretive around a police detective like Sebastian took all of the credit from Rubik’s work and research and threw Ruvik into the machine that was used in the game on the main characters.

Now that the supporting cast are out of the way, the main characters.

First, Sebastian Castellanos. So the TL:DR of Sebastian’s backstory: Sebastian is a veteran cop turned detective in his 40’s who was also married to another detective who ended up dying while investigating a house fire that “killed” his daughter Lily. I say it in quotes because she appears in the second game, alive and somewhat well. But ignoring that for now, after that, Sebastian became alcoholic and started bending the rules as a result of his grief. In the events of the first game, he is the type of character who has impulsive tendencies and acts like a protective father (because he is one) even around characters that are not his kids. Even better, Sebastian is the typical Stoic male character that never came off as boring or robotic. He makes jokes from time to time and there is a justifiable reason why he has nerves of steel, because he started out as a cop then became a detective.

Speaking of fire, we got Ruben “Ruvik” Victoriano who was a victim of a fire accident, but even after the horrible stuff that happens to him in the game, we all need to always keep in mind, that he is still a psychopath. Yes, he got screwed over by Jimenez, yes, he was forced into a machine, yes, he lost his sister in a fire, yes, he suffered the worst of it with the severe burns on his body, and yes, his father is a piece of shit, but he is still a serial killer whose interest in killing and experimenting on animals while they were still alive as a kid expanded to doing it to people when he got older. Not to mention that he’s targeting Leslie, a patient with Scizophrenia who is the most vulnerable person in the story. And it’s even heavily implied that he successfully possessed Leslie and is now out in the real world. And he also killed his own mother even though she had nothing to do with what his father did to him. He’s a great villain, and he has a tragic past, but the game doesn’t gloss over his actions or the Sweet Home Alabama feelings he has for Laura, his older sister.

Between Ruvik being a serial killer and Marcelo being an amoral shady person who kept trying to be secretive with Sebastian about everything, I couldn’t tell who was the true bad guy in the story.

So I love both the hero and villain of the story, especially the villain of the story who has had misfortunes happen to him which can make the player feel for him, but at the same time, the game still acknowledges that he is a villain whose childhood hinted that he’s had evil thoughts that he is now acting on after he grew up, and thanks to Marcelo, he basically created that monster. It sometimes starts with a child torturing and killing animals and then they grow up to be a serial killer.

I felt more sorry for Sebastian in the game, because he lost his wife and child in what the game is heavily implying to be an arson crime. Not to mention that Sebastian went into father mode when it came to Leslie when he was in distress.

The next character that deserves a lot of the spotlight is Juli Kidman. At first, we’re led to believe that she is a rookie working alongside Sebastian and Joseph, but then it’s revealed that she’s working with a different organization and is no rookie.

Furthermore, Juli attempts to kill Leslie so that Ruvik doesn’t get to him and use him to get into the real world. Sebastian stops her from doing so, and that is when he realizes that Juli is no rookie. She works with the shady organization MOBIUS and of course, in the events of the game she’s working with STEM, and she defied her orders of killing her partners Joseph Oda and Sebastian Castellanos. Not to mention that she was nearly in tears when she was about to kill Leslie, showing that she does not enjoy having to do the dirty work of a shady business.

At the end of the game, she told one of her associates in the organization she was working for to leave Sebastian alone.

While Sebastian is a rule bender, Juli is straight up a rule destroyer as she has a rebellious streak. Take notes, Resident Evil, Juli is how you write a good morally grey character. That is a topic for another time, and just so I don’t get sidetracked while reviewing this part, Juli Kidman is the best character in this game, and I would say more if I played the DLC stories The Assignment and The Consequence, but I haven’t done so yet, so those will get separate DLC reviews plus more on my thoughts on Juli.

For now, Juli Kidman is my absolute favorite morally grey character from fiction in general. In fact I will argue that if I were to make a fanmade Evil Within 3, I’d make it about Juli. That is how much I love her as a character.

The characters in this game are good, and I hope that TEW2 keeps this up with both the story and characters. Or they don’t and it will make me go back to the first TEW.

Gameplay:

The gameplay for a 2014 game feels satisfying to navigate and alter. I stuck with the default controls for this game.

First, the health and stamina system. Both can be improved with the Green Gel or what I like to personally call it: Brain Juice, so it will be called that throughout this review. You need to collect and save up a lot of Brain Juice if you want to raise Sebastian’s stats like his health, his melee attack strength, his stamina so that he can sprint longer, and how much of his health gets recovered by a syringe.

The medical kit you need to use sparingly and ONLY if you’re at low health and away from danger, because the syringe in the medical kit will fully heal you instantaneously, but it will have Seb taste sound and hear colors for a few seconds because of the brief side effects that come with the medicine inside.

And now, the weapons (in order of how you get them, excluding the weapons you receive after beating the game for the first time and the knife): the handgun, shotgun, crossbow, sniper rifle, and revolver. Also, even on the lowest difficulty, this game does NOT mess around and really does live up to the survival horror genre, because towards the very end of the game, I lost damn near ALL of my ammo. I just had the few last bullets in my rifle and revolver, so I was screwed lol.

Since this is also an early 2010’s game, it doesn’t do the predatory business practice we’re seeing in games now where instead of having to buy in-game models with points or in-game currency, you get them after playing for the first time. The only time you spend actual money on this game is the Assignment, the Consequence, and the Executioner DLCs. TEW2 does not have DLC at all.

But for a 2014 title, the gameplay has aged well. TEW executed the stamina and sprint concept better than RE6. Also, side note, it really says a LOT that a 2014 game has better graphics than the new Silent Hill 2 Remake’s gameplay teaser.

Atmosphere:

And now the first review to get the atmosphere scoring… how is the atmosphere of The Evil Within?

I’d say, it’s genuinely creepy. Especially the abandoned hospitals and the sewers. Even the safe hospital with Tatiana has creepy and unsettling vibes.

The best creepy area that isn’t the hospital is the area where you get chased by Laura. It gets so intense when she’s chasing you in areas where you need to try to light her on fire. I remember freaking out and truly running around in a panic trying to set her on fire to defeat her because she’s a one-hit kill enemy.

The Victoriano Mansion was also creepy to explore because it feels like you’re visiting a haunted mansion knowing that a vengeful spirit is after you.

Every level has the best creepy and scary atmosphere all around especially the Ruvik boss fight.

Overall:

Is this game an effective horror game? Yes. I remember being scared of the Sadist at the very beginning and freaking out when I got spotted.

I also love how Sebastian and Ruvik both have backstories related to losing their loved ones to a fire and even though TEW2 contradicts this very hard by having Lily survive the fire but ignoring that for now, I love the parallel between the two.

I also loved the characters overall, there was not a single character I actively hated or got annoyed by. I did expect the game to undermine Ruvik as a villain due to his tragic backstory, but thankfully, that didn’t happen.

Give this horror game a try if you’re a hardcore horror game fan.

I hope that if Bethesda is going for an Evil Within 3, they do much better than Evil Within 2 because I did not like that game as much as this one.

Score: 18/20; one of the best games from the 2010’s I’ve played.

[guywithbeer]

Check out my review of THE EVIL WITHIN survival horror game here.

#theevilwithin #review #survivalhorror #videogames #gaming #horror #survival #singleplayer

[theyellowbinge]

The Evil Within 2

I am a Bethesda simp. Yes, this will be biased. Put me in jail.

Positives

Fun action

Polished aspects of the first game

Less stress, more fun

More ammo, more equipment, more more more

Tied a few loose ends from first game

Very open

Lots to do

More colorful

Love the design of the game overall

Negatives

Clunky movement

Clunky hitboxes on a lot of enemies

Glitches a lot

It crashed a lot

Added more loose ends

Story felt rushed in the last 6 chapters

Why is the gasmask section here? Forced First-Person? ewww

Camera feels way too zoomed in on Sebastian

Achievements had a tendency to not unlock after meeting requirements

Hardest achievement: “You asked for it … again”

Complete it? Complete the story, actually hunting achievements is just as hellish as STEM

Recommended for YOU: You liked the first Evil Within for the world, and you like a survival horror with abundant resources

Started 12.11.2017 / Finished 11.08.2023

Time spent: 70 hours

Personal rating: 85 / 100

More in-depth review being published later on the second blog.

[thenightling]

Dead boy Detectives review

I've watched all eight episodes of Dead Boy Detectives and it was a decent show. It's not something I may obsess over like The Sandman, or The Witcher, but it was decent.

Dead Boy Detectives is the story of Edwin Payne and Charles Rowland. Edwin was killed during a Satanic ritual in 1916. Charles died from hypothermia and internal bleeding after some bullies drove him into an ice-cold lake while throwing rocks at him.

(Note: That was not how Charles actually died in the source material. In the comics, Lucifer had quit and shut down Hell (the basis for the TV show Lucifer) so many evil souls returned to Earth, including the boys that sacrificed poor Edwin. They badly burnt Charles' back on a hot stove and Charles died from his injuries.)

The two ghosts decided to dedicate their afterlife solving mysteries to help other ghosts find peace. They are aided by psychic, Crystal Palace, who is haunted by her abusive ex-boyfriend who happens to be a demon.

Both Edwin Payne and Charles Rowland originated in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman: Season of Mists, The Sandman: Volume 4. Issue 25 of The Sandman comics, and within Act 2 of The Sandman audio drama.

The Dead Boy Detectives made their TV first appearance in Doom Patrol for HBO Max (now Max). During a shakeup at Max the show was moved over to Netflix as to better connect it with The Sandman since that is where they originated.

The show features different actors from the ones that played Charles and Edwin on Doom Patrol.

The Dead Boy Detectives is a decent show but ...it feels a bit like a CW teen drama. I had been told that some of the show's writers were originally writers for the CW... and it shows.

There are some deliberately surreal elements of the show that I think are a callback to their appearance in Doom Patrol.

I love the variety of supernatural entities in the show, including the appearance of two of Morpheus's siblings. Death and Despair. The things I don't like about the show can be considered CW tropes or cliches. The angsty romances and unrequited love. The ham-fisted abusive ex metaphor between Crystal and David The Demon.

And of course the most tedious of CW tropes, the end of the episode pining and angst while a sad pop song plays in the background.

If you look past the CW-ness of it, the show is enjoyable.

The only other things I can complain about is the "connecting thread" subplot of The Afterlife: Lost and Found feels like unnecessary filler. And I wish they would openly establish that Edwin, being an innocent, would NOT return to Hell if collected by Death now. I don't think that should be left hanging over his head. Especially since we're supposed to see Death as a kind entity. Also I think Charles says "Aces" a little too much. It's very distracting and makes me feel like the writers didn't know much late 80s English slang. It would be like if he was an American and they had him say "Radical" all the time. I get that it's kind of his catchphrase but it also got a bit annoying.

The parts I don't like are CW tropes and what I'd consider to be late 90s Vertigo edginess.

The thing I liked were plentiful though. The protagonists were and are likable. The ending is satisfying enough so that if there is only one season this was still good. I liked that it appears that one can ascend out of Hell after some self-reflection as is indicated by the boy Edwin confronted in Hell. The blue light was established to mean ascension, a good afterlife.

I also LOVE the opening credits theme music and animated sequence. It reminds me of the intro to Showtime's Creature Feature movies. (See the trailer for 2001's She Creature, not the 50s version. Watch the trailer at thirteen seconds in, on Youtube, and you'll see what I mean).

That's two Gothic themed shows from Netflix in the last two years with great opening credits sequences. The first being Wednesday. That one won Danny Elfman an Emmy.

It's funny, Wednesday and Dead Boy Detectives (which is a spin-off of The Sandman) have great opening credit intro sequences but The Sandman does not. Apparently Neil Gaiman was told people don't watch the opening credits anymore so The Sandman doesn't have them.

I feel we were cheated out of what could have been a great opening sequence for The Sandman.

Episodes 7 and 8 of Dead Boy Detectives were probably the best of the series. I liked it well enough that if Dead Boy Detectives gets renewed I'll happily watch season 2.

[stjohnstarling]

When you think about it, the success (relatively speaking) of What Manner of Man is kind of miraculous. I have no social media presence outside of Tumblr (not for lack of trying! I just utterly do not have the knack,) no connections, and I've already given the book away for free. I simply have not written this book in a way that gets me anywhere with BookTok, Bookstagram, the Facebook communities of Kindle Unlimited readers - any of the online indie publishing infrastructure.

And yet it’s been wonderful! In some ways, writing this book has gone indescribably better than I ever dreamed it could. Every day I'm floored by the number of people who’ve read What Manner of Man and cared enough to help it along. The little community of friends and readers this story has gathered around it is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had creatively.

Now that the book is about to be irrevocably published, though, I’ve become wracked with doubts. What if it’s still not enough? What if all the people who’ve read and enjoyed the free version of the novel vanish tomorrow in a puff of smoke, and I have to start again from scratch with a more conventional publishing model? What if my subject matter is just too transgressive/queer/kinky/blasphemous and I have to pivot to writing something that’s less of all of those things? What if I run headlong into the woods and get torn apart by coyotes? Etc.

Listen, I’m going to be so real with you guys right now. I hate all ads with a deep, personal hatred, and I loathe and despise writing self-promo stuff. It’s by far the worst part of this job. But this is a very weird, risky thing I’ve done, and I need to make an appeal to Tumblr for help. For this to work - for this risk to pay off - I basically need enough people to 1. buy the e-book and 2. leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads within a certain timeframe to catch the favor of the evil god known as The Algorithm. If that happens, I might be able to sell enough copies to enable me to continue doing this.

Without further ado, therefore - if:

You're tired of being sold safe, sexless, sanitized, advertiser-friendly queerness in stories 

You want more art that embraces uncompromisingly queer, transgressive desire

You view - now, more than ever, in this moment of religious backlash towards all manner of sexual expression - sexual freedom as inseparable from queer liberation

(And you want to see that explored in metaphor via a vampire seducing a priest)

Then may I present... ✨ What Manner of Man ✨

(Now with a beautiful cover by @beastliness!)

You can read the draft version for free here, and, if you enjoy it, acquire the completed version from your preferred retailer or DRM-free on my itchio store.

If you've made it to the end, thank you for reading all that 💜 (and thank you in advance if you decide to share it!)

[jessamine-rose]

⋆˚♱ଘ Requiem for the Damned ଓ♱˚⋆

*holds head in hands* Idk why Dottore keeps haunting me with writing inspo. And for this idea to manifest just before Holy Week….fuck it, I hope you all enjoy the blasphemous tale of Priest! Dottore x Demon! Darling _:(´ཀ`」 ∠):

Tw:: yandere, violence, death, religious abuse, dubcon, mention of nsfw, MINORS DNI

Note:: fictional depictions of religion

♡ 2.7k words under the cut ♡

♡ Despite your status as a wandering demon, you have no place in human cognizance. Rather, you conceal yourself from mortal eyes in favor of close observations and whispered temptations. Humans, from your perspective, are interesting creatures—they are ambitious, easily influenced by spiritual beings, capable of both good and evil.

♡ And what better example than the one who summoned you on a starry night? Such rituals are not uncommon amongst heretics, but most only succeed in invoking the contempt of their fellow humans. And few would invoke your name, much less commit sacrilege within the walls of the Church.

♡ You sense danger immediately upon your appearance. Within the summoning circle, you take note of your sigil perfectly illustrated in blood against marble. Beyond it, what alarms you is not your sacred surroundings nor the fresh corpse mixed with your offerings of books and fruit. It is the figure standing over you, cloaked in moonlight, gazing at you with eyes the color of hellfire.

“My ritual is a success. Welcome to my humble church, o noble demon…or would you rather be addressed by your epithet? ______, Fallen Seraph, the Seeker of Forbidden Knowledge.”

♡ A glimpse into his soul is all it takes to strike fear into your heart. Within Hell, there are rumors of a small village in Sumeru. Its people are nothing of note, a congregation of simpletons whose lives revolve around the beliefs of their Church. The lone exception is the main priest, Father Zandik, better known as Il Dottore.

♡ The stories, passed through human voices, speak of a child ostracized for his unconventional beliefs and his interest in the macabre. Branded a madman, he was placed in the care of the Church elders who corrected his ways of thinking. Once he became of age, Zandik was given the choice to move out of the rectory or to remain as a priest; he chose the latter of his own volition.

♡ Since his ordination, Zandik has proved himself to be an exceptional priest. He educates the masses, reviews theological texts, performs exorcisms, and provides religious counsel for the doubtful. He even serves as the town’s doctor, fully gaining the acceptance of his community.

♡ The rumors don’t stop there. For Il Dottore earned his title by performing miracles. It is he who guides the people into religious ecstasy, he who cures the sick from mysterious curses, he who blesses the weak into “enhanced humans.” There are already whispers that once Dottore’s mortality catches up with him, he will surely be canonized as the Patron Saint of Doctors and Miracles.

♡ But spiritual beings such as yourself know the truth. That Dottore is neither a kind priest nor a devout believer, that his days in the Church only magnified his heretical inclinations. Disillusioned with God, Zandik decided to turn His religious sanctuary into his own laboratory, one where he could fulfill his lust for knowledge through a mask of holiness.

♡ He manipulates the people with false teachings. He triggers religious ecstasy with drugged incense. He singles out devotees to “test their faith” during the quiet hours of the Church. And what the town perceives as curses and miracles are actually scientific experiments in which Dottore plays god.

♡ It’s too late to escape. No matter your divine powers, nothing prepares you for Dottore’s traps. The incantations, the barrier of the summoning circle, an aura so holy yet sinister that it couldn’t possibly come from ordinary religious objects—all you can do is fall to your knees and beg for his mercy, all the while he watches you with a confident smile.

♡ His intentions are like that of any human: He summoned you to form a contract. In exchange for his soul, he demands your knowledge, your resources, your full servitude for so long as he roams the mortal plane. Your hesitation only triggers another wave of scorching pain, followed by panic as Dottore grips your horn and forces you to face him.

“Make no mistake, ______. The mere fact of your divinity does not make you indestructible. In exchange for your cooperation, you will bear witness to experiments of the same magnitude as God’s creations. What say you?”

♡ You have no other choice. And that is how, in the sanctity of the Church, you make a deal with the human named Zandik. Once the pact has been forged, Dottore admires the bright sigil on his chest, plucks a few feathers from your wings, and disables the summoning circle so you can leave. Thus begins your personal hell.

♡ It is easy for you to answer Dottore’s questions about the divine. The horror lies in assisting him in experiments, responding to his summons no matter the inconvenience, allowing him to extract your blood, tears, and feathers. No, what’s most humiliating is when he uses your body for his “research,” bending you over the altar and bringing you to physical ecstasy against your will.

♡ At this point, you don’t know who to pray to. One night, Dottore shows you a secret room in his laboratory. As soon as he lights the lamps, your eyes take in numerous bodies and skeletons of a different classification from his usual victims. The extra bones jutting from the scapulas, the amputated wings, the halos pinned to the walls, the holy aura you’d felt from his religious objects…instantly, Dottore’s powers make sense.

“This is my first specimen. She was my guardian angel…no, I jest. She was a mere messenger who implored me to repent for my sins. From her words, I deduced it had been within Heaven’s capacity to save me during my youth���and yet God only sent an angel to me after my first act of blasphemy.”

The angels…how many has he killed? Not even during your fall from Heaven did you feel such primal fear for your life. But you cannot scream—you have long been trained to resist fight and flight. All you can do is listen to Dottore’s explanation, watch as he approaches a pure white skeleton and wraps his hands around its fractured hyoid bone.

He gives you a calm smile. “Luckily, her body provided me with indispensable resources for my experiments and my procurement of her brethren. I believe her name was Sohreh.”

♡ Just when you think it can’t get any worse, Dottore points at the far corner of the room to reveal a space dedicated to demons. Four dead bodies, their causes of death vividly described. Horns, wings, and other body parts amputated in exchange for lives spared after exorcisms. And when Dottore returns to your side, tracing the wound from where he broke off your horn, you can only tremble and acquiesce to a checkup. It grows back fully by the end of the year.

♡ He has his moments of vulnerability, however. Perhaps it is due to your nature as a demon, a creature which represents evil, that Dottore does not hide his heart from you. Once, after his usual confessions—he always makes up trivial sins—he remains in the confessional until his fellow priest has left. Then he goes to the altar and summons you.

♡ What catches you off-guard is not his lack of greetings. Rather, it’s the way he pulls you close to his body, lips ghosting the curve of your ear. There, in the heart of the Church, he whispers to you every sin he has ever committed. Despite his normal tone of voice, his words have never betrayed a language so guiltless, so sincere, so human.

♡ He asks how much of his madness is to blame on the influence of demons, or if he had been born wicked. He asks if humans were truly given the mental faculties to withstand temptation regardless of their circumstances. He asks if the same can be said for spiritual beings, questioning why former angels like you were also created with the capacity to sin. He even asks if praying for a demon can offer them any hope of salvation.

♡ It takes you a while to answer his questions. It’s just like him to put your emotions in disarray, to make you feel pity for the very cause of your current suffering. Against your nature, you wonder if there is still a chance for Zandik, if he can somehow repent or find a way to save himself from your contract and all of his sins. Even if it is too late, He has always been more forgiving to humans than angels.

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨

“Do you know why I became a demon, Zandik?”

Your question is what prompts Zandik to pull away from you, though his touch lingers. His gaze, as always, is unfathomable; you can never discern what hides within those pools of crimson.

“No, I do not. Few demonological texts allude to your existence, and only the Lesser Key of Deshret cites your previous status as an angel of the highest ranking. I have made theories in relation to your epithets but I respect all possibilities. Now what would you, as the primary source, reveal to me?”

Now it is your turn to confess.

“Seraphim are the closest to God but for that reason, we are the most distant from His creations. Everything we know of the world is derived only from what He tells us, not our own insights. And so I defied His Word and ate the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, committing the same sin which condemned all of humanity.”

The tip of your upper wing brushes against Zandik’s face, while your middle wings encircle his body in a loose hug. As for your lower wings…they are nothing but twin scars covered in short feathers. After your descent, it seemed like a rational decision to chop them off, broken as they were. It helped that your wings had just outgrown their original purpose.

For once, you barely flinch at the sensation of his touch against your scars. Many times, Zandik has inquired about the loss of your lower wings and even asked if he could have them. They still remain in Hell, tucked away in a corner of your home, eyes forever closed.

It takes a few seconds for him to respond. “Do you ever regret your decision?”

You shrug. “It was difficult at first, naturally. Many of my eyes were blinded—yes, that is why I rarely open the ones on my wings—but those which still function have seen so many wonderful sights up-close. Neither must I cover my face with my remaining wings. And despite being what your kind and my former brethren would dub a monster…I’m happier now.”

“I see, I see.” His curiosity appears far from sated, however, a sentiment you can empathize with. “As I thought, God is incomprehensible. For Him to deny even His greatest creation of salvation…it confirms that there are limits to the forgiveness of that which humans call a ‘loving god.’ Thank you for sharing this knowledge with me.”

And just as quickly as he initiated his confession, Zandik steps out of your grasp and dismisses you. But you make no haste, silently watching him after you “leave.”

His expression is thoughtful. A gloved hand touches his chest, right above your sigil.

Such an interesting creature.

Honestly, you don’t know what to make of your feelings for this human. Much as you despise his cruel treatment towards you, he never fails to capture your interest with his experiments and philosophies. Whenever he speaks of God, you wonder if a small part of him still desires to be saved. But that will never be.

Zandik preaches salvation with the knowledge that he will never receive it. For the Church never taught him how to love.

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨

♡ Il Dottore never became the Patron Saint of Doctors and Miracles. Neither did he have a funeral mass befitting of a priest, nor a peaceful death from natural causes. Instead, he died young, laicized, once again denounced as a heretic by his community.

♡ You don’t know how his crimes were exposed, and why now. Perhaps it is God’s punishment for him, a blessing for his victims, or both. Either way, Dottore paid for his sins on a sunny day, burned at the stake before a disdainful crowd. Not long after his heart stopped beating, his belongings were thrown into the fire—research, tools, anything which carried his memory.

♡ You never left his side. After his last rites, led by an elderly bishop who condemned Zandik as he did in the past, you sat next to him and offered a final conversation. He didn’t express any fear nor sadness in regards to his imminent death, merely stating it a pity that his achievements could never be appreciated in his town.

♡ …He did ask if there is any chance of meeting again in Hell, but you reminded him that the punishment of sinners is out of your jurisdiction. Plus, it’s better that way—you have no desire to avenge yourself, and you’d rather not witness Zandik’s suffering for all eternity. You can only imagine the severity of his punishment, what more if he is assigned to one of the demons he exorcized.

♡ During his execution, you stood at the front of the crowd. You kept your eyes trained on him, for so long as his scarlet orbs remained open, whispering the prayers for the dead on his behalf. While a part of you felt liberated, another was mournful. You hope your last words to Zandik gave him solace in his final moments.

“Rest now, Zandik. God may never forgive your sins, but I shall.”

♡ And thus ends the life of Il Dottore. In the following days, the Church is purged of its holy, sinister aura, mainly because they discarded the religious objects tainted with angel remains. You continue your usual obligations as a wandering demon, but the humans you observe pale in comparison to your companion of many years.

♡ Not long after, you return to Hell for your other divine duties. As soon as you appear in your abode, however, something feels off. The sinister aura, the offering of books and fruit, your lower wings gone from their original place… The answer comes in the form of a hand grabbing you by the horn, pulling you backwards, twisting your body to meet a familiar gaze the color of hearth-fire. Only, this time, those eyes are brimming with pure joy, paired with a genuine smile.

♡ Apparently, Dottore’s soul did end up in Hell but not in the way you expected. In a proud voice, he explains that the Devil gave him a special fate. Whether it was due to vacant positions or everyone’s fear of the infamous “Demon-Killer,” you’ll never know. What Dottore does confirm is that as the demon bound to him via contract, you have to take responsibility and act as his companion in Hell.

“Rather than subject me to eternal suffering, the Devil believed that my talents would prove useful for the punishments of my fellow sinners. How wonderful is it for my achievements to be recognized in Hell? …Oh? I didn’t predict such a physical reaction from you. All of your eyes are wide open, and you seem to be on the verge of fainting.”

♡ You don’t know if you want to laugh or cry. To think your personal hell has been extended to eternity—are your sins enough to warrant such a fate?! But after confirming your misfortune, all you can do is sigh and tend to Zandik. He looks exactly the same, with the exception of a few burn scars on his body. And judging by the familiar black feathers on his person, he seems eager to discard his former religious attire along with his mask of faith.

♡ And when Zandik unfastens his scorched cassock, he takes your hand and places it on his unburned chest, right above your sigil. It glows vibrantly, brighter than any light you laid eyes on in Heaven. And beneath the flesh, you can feel his heart beating in sync with yours.

“Tell me, ______, do I still appear human to you?”

“You already know my answer to that question. But fine, I’ll admit it: Yes, you always have.”

♡ 

More Church AU here!! Capitano ๑ Arlecchino ๑ Pantalone ๑ Pierro ๑ Dainsleif

Note:: Please do not send me any Church AU asks/ requests involving other characters or dynamics who are not listed in my masterlist.

At long last, I am free from Priesttore…thank you to everyone. To my readers, to my fellow Dottore simps, to my mutuals who indulged my tortured DMs after midnight, to the artist whose fan art inspired this idea to begin with. May you all have a lovely day╰(*´︶`*)╯♡

Tag a Dottore enjoyer!! @leftdestiny-posts @beloved-blaiddyd @mochinon-yah @diodellet @lcveaesop @oofasleep @bye-bye-sunbird @yandere-romanticaa @boundinparchment @harmonysanreads @teabutmakeitazure @yandere-wishes @yanmaresu @nicebonescomrades @nimandu @lesanyanyas @moarar

[exhaslo]

Corruption

(Villain!Miguel x F!Hero!Reader)

Warning: Minors DNI, smut, mentions of sex, violence, blood, murder, twisted thoughts, experimentation, language, wannabe fluff, established friendship?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Five months before D-Day

It was quiet. Something nearly unheard of in the city of Nueva York. Not even a whoosh of wind or a click of a heel could bring noise to this silent room. Especially not after the vulture of the lab had demanded everyone's silence.

You sat in the corner of the lab, quietly tapping against your tablet. You could not even hear another's breathing. That is how powerful the lead of this lab was when he demanded silence. That was how powerful-

"Miguel?" You whispered lowly.

Miguel O'Hara, otherwise known as Mike, due to his father's pestering nicknaming. Miguel O'Hara was the son of Alchemax's CEO, Tyler Stone, and the smartest scientist in the corporation. He was a man of power, and a man to be feared.

"This better be good, (Y/N)" He said with a hiss.

Oh, how you loved it when your name rolled off his tongue. If only he would have said it a little nicer. You raised your head from your tablet, looking ahead at the scene before you. A man, strapped onto a metal table with lights and strange liquid being entered into his blood. A twisted science experiment that never ended well.

Sometimes you questioned your job. You questioned how you found yourself seated as a secretary, recording each horrible experiment Miguel did. This was not for the faint of heart. You started working for Alchemax about two years ago thanks to a friend who helped you out of college.

You met Miguel a year ago, when you were assigned to be his personal assistant. Since, apparently, everyone else refused to take the job. Once you did your first report with him, you immediately found out why, but that wasn't going to stop you.

"According to my report, the subject purposely ate a peach before agreeing to this test." You explained.

"So?"

"So, the patient is allergic to peaches and is about to go into shock in a matter of minutes now." You huffed.

"Shouldn't affect the procedure."

Oh, how sometimes you wished you could enter Miguel's head and wonder what sick and twisted mind worked in there. Miguel was fascinated with genetic splicing. He always had a new test subject on his table once a week. He wanted to learn how to manipulate their DNA.

However, each experiment always ended in failure and death. The body count Miguel had was enough to lock him up a hundred times over. The man had not a single shred of humanity in him. It was always about the experiment.

"Begin,"

You rolled your eyes, wishing you could stop all of this. You had begged for a way to find the light in Miguel. How could someone so handsome be so evil? It almost made you sick the amount of times you had wet dreams about your monster of a boss.

"Another failure, sir. Perhaps we made a mistake-"

"I never make mistakes." Miguel hissed as he watched his now deformed monster patient lie dead on his table, "Get him out of my sight! Now!"

Right as you started to fill out your report, you noticed the patient's stomach start to inflate. You furrowed your brows before yelling out to everyone that the body was going to pop.

Your efforts were for not. Within the second, everyone in the room was covering in disgusting blood and body parts. You had wanted to throw up, but you did your best to hold it all in. Miguel was already throwing a fit about his lab being dirty, you didn't want to add to the mess.

----------

Once you were all cleaned, you made your way back to your office. You still had to finish your reports and send them over to Miguel for review. Miguel always demanded perfection. It was amazing how long you even lasted as his assistant. According to everyone, you were the more insane one.

"Oh, Miguel," You muttered, spotting the tall man in your office. Miguel lazily looked at you,

"Took you long enough," He spat. You placed your tablet down,

"Remember that time I told you that being a female requires more shower time?" You said with a smirk. Miguel scoffed as he placed himself onto your work couch, "Not even a smile," You huffed.

"Get working,"

"Yes, yes, oh chosen one." You teased once more.

The only thing that you could collectively agree on was that you were in love with the mad scientist. Giving Miguel a head massage, you stared down at his gorgeous face. You had been working with Miguel for a year. You knew what he liked, what he didn't like and how he worked.

It was safe to say that you were probably the only person in this whole building who understood Miguel. If only he wasn't evil. You would totally asked him out on a date long ago. Each passing day, you hoped that these feelings would go away.

"(Y/N), do my shoulders too," Miguel whispered in a low and sweet voice.

You folded far too easily. Doing what he asked, you knew that Miguel was using you. You had to be blind not to see that, but shit, you couldn't help it. That, and you physically could not quit your job. Both Miguel and his father made sure that no one would quit.

If you'd try, you'd be drugged.

Perhaps one day, you could bring this place to justice. You wanted Miguel to see the error of his ways. If there was any way to change Miguel to see the light, you would. Of course, taking Alchemax down was going to have to be the first step.

But, that was just a fleeting dream.

--------

Miguel inhaled deeply as you worked on his tense muscles. The only thoughts coursing through his mind were his experiments. How they could have been done differently. Perhaps he needed a different breed of test subjects.

"Let's resume our experiments with spiders," Miguel said with a low groan as you pinched just the right spot. He heard your small whine and scoffed, "We do this every other month."

"I know and you still torture me with it!" You cried softly, moving his to hair. Miguel closed his eyes, enjoying the massage,

"And as usual, I let you pick the next creature to study."

"A seahorse?"

Miguel resisted a chuckle since his first thought was getting males pregnant. How amusing that experiment would be, yet also horrifying. If he were to do that, then he would truly live up to his name as a mad scientist.

You had some dumb and ridiculous ideas. You weren't as smart as the rest of them and Miguel liked that. You were good for him to have around. Someone to remind him that there were those who were just dumb naturally. Of course, he could never say that to your face, or you would start crying.

"Like last time," He whispered ever so softly.

"Hm? Are you thinking rude things again?" You asked with a huff, gently pulling against his hair, "I can always stop this."

"But you won't." Miguel hummed and lazily opened his eyes, "Just be ready for tomorrow. I don't want another disappointment."

Getting himself ready to leave, Miguel fixed up his lab coat before giving you one last glance. He knew that you were attractive. Hell, he had to force his ignorant coworkers to get back to work since all they did was talk about wanting to date you.

Perhaps in another universe, where Miguel wasn't obsessed with his experiments, he would date you. Stepping out of your office, Miguel knew full well what he was doing. He got a rise knowing that he was keeping you all to himself.

Call it villainous, but Miguel enjoyed being selfish. That's how he always got what he wanted. Entering his private office, Miguel's eyes sparkled as he saw a case full of spiders.

"I'll make the perfect specimen, this I swear." He said with a wicked smirk.

----------

You squirmed in place, not ready to deal with today's experiment. You hated spiders. You wanted nothing to do with them, but Miguel loved them. He was so fascinated about the great hero age and about Spiderman.

Slowly making your way inside the lab, you gasped as scientists dashed past you. Everyone was running around in a panicked frenzy. Wondering what was happening, you gasped as you saw Miguel shaking with anger.

His spider enclosure was knocked over.

You wanted to jump and scream, but you knew that would only anger Miguel more. Hesitantly, you approached Miguel to try and distract him. As you did so, you felt something bite the back of your neck. You flinched and slapped your neck, praying that it was a mosquito.

You bit your lower lip, spotting a spider and nearly cried. Quickly shaking the foul creature away, you hurried to Miguel's side and gently tugged on his sleeve. Miguel hissed as he turned towards you violently,

"WHY AREN'T Y-Oh, (Y/N)," He growled. You were still biting your lower lip, glancing away from him,

"I know now isn't the best time, but why don't we-"

"Whatever it is, let's go while these fucking IDIOTS find my spiders," Miguel roared in anger.

You just nodded, leading Miguel out of the room as you quietly prayed for your fellow coworkers. Miguel was not going to let them rest until all of his spiders were found...including the one you just murdered.

"Why don't you tell me what you were going to work on while we go to lunch? I think a meal break would help," You suggested, tapping away on your tablet. Miguel stroked his hand through his hair, cussing lowly in Spanish,

"Sounds like a plan."

You smiled as you led Miguel to your lunch destination. You were proud to say that whenever Miguel was going to have a meltdown, you were able to calm him down someway or another. Call it talent, but you loved being reliable.

However, that talent seemed to be failing you now. You couldn't keep focus during lunch and Miguel seemed to be getting annoyed. You weren't sure what was happening to you, but your body felt like it was on fire. Could it have been from the spider bite?

"Sorry, Miguel...I just...need to..." You whispered before collapsing.

-----------

Miguel was growing irritated as he watched you waver in place. You were fine just a moment ago. If there was one thing Miguel hated, it was when someone lost interest in his conversation. This had never happened to you, so why now?

Right as you stood, you immediately came tumbling down. Like instinct, Miguel caught you and noticed that you had a fever. A small scoff escaped his lips as he carried you out of the restaurant and back into his company car.

"Take us to (Y/N)'s apartment. Fool got herself sick,"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next Chapter

@tojishugetiddies @miguelsfavwife @foulsharkheart @club-danger-zone @ivkygirly @jollystrawberrycycle @amber-content

[justaz]

merlin and mordred fic where mordred just out and confesses that he’s a druid one day and arthur and the knights welcome him without blinking and merlin is Not Not Jealous at how everyone just accepted him and didn’t get upset about the lies and hiding or magical background and arthur is even reviewing the laws to try and find a way to keep mordred out of legal trouble which leads him down a wormhole of research and comes out the other side wanting to repeal the magic ban entirely. merlin is Not Not Not Not Jealous or Envious at how mordred was able to change everything that merlin has been working his ass off to achieve one day, all his bloodshed and misery and pain in the name of a future he only had hope for - only for a druid boy with bigger dreams to come along and change everything within like a year of barely hiding and no bloodshed.

mordred brings up his abysmal magic from his childhood and merlin thinks the open admittance of magic maybe then they’ll start to grow suspicious but they DON’T and instead watch mordred with fascination and call out encouragement as mordred tries to light a fire. merlin is. Slightly Envious. the life mordred has created for himself here, the dynamic he’s forged between him and merlin’s friends - that’s what merlin wanted. he wanted to be seen, be valued, be appreciated entirely without the hiding or secrets. he wanted his friends to watch, entranced, as merlin wove magic through the air. mordred comes to merlin, unaware of his emotional turmoil, and asks for merlin to teach him magic bc he is just not getting it.

merlin wants to reject him and the words are halfway out of his mouth before his mind conjures an evil plan. if he teaches mordred magic and helps him grow in power, then the others might see him as a threat and treat him differently. he agrees. one sided enemies to brothers where merlin begrudgingly teaches mordred magic in hopes of ruining the life and friends he’s made but ends up growing to care for him and taking him under his wing and becoming a reluctant older brother who will never admit that he cares for the annoying little shit but he’d slaughter a whole army to keep him safe

[razangy]

I saw Trolls Band Together last Saturday, October 21st and it was beautiful, easily my favorite Trolls movie.

a film full of feeling, you empathize with all its characters, Branch's brothers are great and their relationship is so ruined as they try to save Floyd that it affects Branch very personally.

The same happens with Viva and Poppy, although I am not very convinced of Viva's origin story and since it connects with Trolls 1, I must say that she is an excellent character, full of energy but at the same time scared of the outside world.

Velvet and Venner are great villains, the best antagonists Trolls has ever had, they are selfish and evil but their music is extraordinary, you really enjoy watching their scenes and listening to them sing.

The cherry on the cake: Broppy!! 🩷🩵

Broppy in this movie was on another level, full of emotional scenes, a level of support and understanding between the two, the most mature that has been seen within Trolls.

The characters grow together and you feel the deep love they have for each other.

Poppy's two most important scenes are with Branch, where she not only shows how much she improved as a character, but as a girlfriend. From her She went from not listening to anyone, to trying to get Branch to open up his feelings with her, to be really honest with her.

and she also made him understand that she would never leave him, no matter what happened.

It is time to recognize that Broppy is one of the most developed couples within DreamWorks, on par with couples like Hiccup and Astrid or Shrek and Fiona.

and that is my humble review, I had the opportunity to see the film in a preview in Argentina.

Totally recommendable movie.

[snailygoon]

Put the last few pairs of clown kidz up on my etsy🎪link below✨

Also got two more sets of mushrooms left!

Thanks to all the cool people who have supported my shop in the past :) you are very cool and lovely

(P.S. Only shipping these last few within the USA because evil international shipping prices🥲)

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

I love being a wild card in this fandom.  

What I love about Sauron/Mairon x Galadriel is that their dynamic isn’t some basic Light vs. Dark nonsense. Because this is Tolkien, not some Hollywood digested cr*p, as the professor says himself:

Some reviewers have called the whole thing simple-minded, just a plain fight between Good and Evil, with all the good just good, and the bad just bad. Pardonable, perhaps (though at least Boromir has been overlooked) in people in a hurry, and with only a fragment to read, and, of course, without the earlier written but unpublished Elvish histories. But the Elves are not wholly good or in the right. Not so much because they had flirted with Sauron; as because with or without his assistance they were 'embalmers'. They wanted to have their cake and eat it: to live in the mortal historical Middle-earth because they had become fond of it (and perhaps because they there had the advantages of a superior caste), and so tried to stop its change and history, stop its growth, keep it as a pleasaunce, even largely a desert, where they could be 'artists' – and they were overburdened with sadness and nostalgic regret. Tolkien, Letter 154

This is what I've been telling you guys. The Elves are not hopeless victims of Sauron, nor are they the "heroes" of the story. Tolkien lore is complex, it's not "pure Good vs. pure Evil" like the "lorebros" or the Peter Jackson fanboys claim. Stop believing their nonsense, they don't know what they are talking about. The battle of “good vs. evil”, in Tolkien legendarium, ultimately, happens within each character.

When they first met, Mairon and Galadriel both turned their backs on literal heaven (Valinor) because of their pride: Galadriel wanted the glory of seeking and destroying Sauron for herself; Mairon couldn’t bring himself to face judgement from the Valar. Mairon was the repentant sinner, while Galadriel was on her way to become one.

Galadriel is a literal ticking bomb, ready to explode and turn Dark at any moment, in "Rings of Power". Mairon was drawn to the darkness within her, and not to her “light” (this is another way he self-deceives himself). Her “light” (= Two Trees of Valinor) is merely aesthetic. She doesn’t have that light, and that’s why she’ll use Nenya, and her Mirror and her Phial to harvest purest Light, and become the “Lady of Light”.

In “Rings of Power” there is a clue that Mairon might be blood bound to Morgoth, and, so, he’s always unconsciously seeking his former master, and that’s why he wanted to serve Galadriel. Because he's a Maia, he was created to be a servant to a Vala. The deal, wasn't her becoming his servant, but the other way around.

And we are talking about Sauron, here: his whole character arc is not one of redemption, so he the interest he believes he has on "Light" is not real, it's one of his self-deceptions. And for Sauron to never stop grouping Galadriel’s mind, thousands of years into the future, when he’s already officially the “shadow of Morgoth” it’s because he recognizes her potential for darkness, not her light.  

This doesn’t mean that he’s unredeemable, mind you. Tolkien’s work is infused with Christian doctrine (mainly Catholicism), and in this religion one can always find redemption and forgiveness if one actually repents for their sins, and makes amends for them (which will be Galadriel's case). And this is also present in Tolkien lore: no character is unredeemable on his world. But in the legendarium, after refusing to stand trial before the Valar, Sauron never truly repents, and becomes the "a reincarnation of Evil" aka Morgoth come again.

And there is Sauron. In the Silmarillion and Tales of the First Age Sauron was a being of Valinor perverted to the service of the Enemy and becoming his chief captain and servant. He repents in fear when the First Enemy is utterly defeated, but in the end does not do as was commanded, return to the judgement of the gods. He lingers in Middle-earth [Halbrand]. Very slowly, beginning with fair motives: the reorganising and rehabilitation of the ruin of Middle-earth, neglected by the gods', he becomes a reincarnation of Evil, and a thing lusting for Complete Power – and so consumed ever more fiercely with hate (especially of gods and Elves). All through the twilight of the Second Age the Shadow is growing in the East of Middle-earth, spreading its sway more and more over Men – who multiply as the Elves begin to fade. Tolkien Letter 131

Sauron was of course not 'evil' in origin. He was a 'spirit' corrupted by the Prime Dark Lord (the Prime sub-creative Rebel) Morgoth. He was given an opportunity of repentance, when Morgoth was overcome, but could not face the humiliation of recantation, and suing for pardon; and so his temporary turn to good and 'benevolence' ended in a greater relapse, until he became the main representative of Evil of later ages. But at the beginning of the Second Age he was still beautiful to look at, or could still assume a beautiful visible shape – and was not indeed wholly evil, not unless all 'reformers' who want to hurry up with 'reconstruction' and 'reorganization' are wholly evil, even before pride and the lust to exert their will eat them up. The particular branch of the High-Elves concerned, the Noldor or Loremasters, were always on the side of 'science and technology', as we should call it: they wanted to have the knowledge that Sauron genuinely had, and those of Eregion refused the warnings of Gil-galad and Elrond. Tolkien Letter 153

Halbrand was repentant Mairon. Annatar is Mairon falling back into evil.

Galadriel is not yet the “repentant sinner” Tolkien described her to be, in his legendarium, either. In Season 2, she doesn’t own up to her actions, and is still making excuses for them: “I was deceived”; “Sauron used me”; “Under his harp I was played to a melody not of my choosing”, bla bla bla.

She’s still in self-denial about her actions in Season 1: she’s the one who tempted Mairon with promises of power and, pretty much directly, caused him to choose deception over redemption, and condemned Middle-earth to Sauron’s tyranny (this is also somewhat compatible to what Tolkien wrote, because in the lore the Elves are also to blame).

And I’m almost certain she’ll have to f*ck up even harder in order to have a “eye opening” moment. Because one can’t really be a “penitent” (using Tolkien’s words) unless one takes ownership of one's actions, and makes the conscious decision to atone for them. 

[buggywiththefolkmagic]

Scams Within The Witchcraft Community

This is by no means a complete list, but here is a rough couple of examples and methods for figuring out what's legit and what's a scam! TW: Mentions of death, blood, and threats below. Today I’ll be going over key things to look for, things to avoid, and how to deduct if someone’s services are legitimate! Unfortunately scams are everywhere and that includes within the Witchcraft community. There’s quite a few different scams floating around out there, below I’m going to list some of them and then list different things to notice and be skeptical about. The most common scam is readings via DM/PM on instagram, tumblr, social medias like that. They’ll contact you via DM/PM and claim their ancestors, guides, intuition, etc, etc called them to contact you for a reading. The reading itself might be free...but the information they nd will not be. They’ll claim you have something attached to you, a curse, evil spirit, tar spirit, demon, Djinn, family curse, a curse from an ex, etc, etc. And that you’ll need to pay them in order for them to get rid of it for you. In short: They seduce you into conversations by promising something free, and then pressure and scare you into paying them to ‘make this bad thing’ go away. If this ever happens just block and report them and move on. ALSO: If you do want a reading from a reader you follow...make sure it’s not a copied account! Big follower base instagram accounts get copies made of them all the time, do your research before reaching out! How can you tell a reader/practioner is fake? Just one of these warning signs doesn’t mean it’s fake, use intuition. Does the reader/practioner have any sort of personal information on their page? Where are they from? Are there photos of themselves and not stock-image photos? Did you find the practitioner through a youtube comment? Did the comment seem...super copy and pasted? Like so? What sort of reviews do they have elsewhere? MASSIVE RED FLAG. These are comments leading to what we like to call the ‘African Priest’ scammer. More info on them below! When you talk to them...do they ignore your comments or questions about them? Do they seem a little...botlike? Below is an example of a scam-bait youtube comment found on a witchy influencer's video.

SPELL SCAMS: Below is a screenshot of some obvious spell scams available on Etsy right now.

How much is the spell? If it’s an ungodly amount, like above...it will likely be a scam. What does talking to the spellcaster sound like? Are they applying pressure or stating that they need more ingredients than what you already paid for? Also a scam. Have they asked you for personal information? A full name/date of birth/photograph/mother’s maiden name/etc, etc? This is an identity fraud, they will likely sell it to the highest bidder or use it to apply for things. Please remember to be safe and keep personal information...personal. If the spellcaster insists that you don’t talk about the spell, don’t go to anyone else, or that if you back out they’ll send their ‘spirits’ or ‘demons’ after you or even harm you spiritually? Cleanse and GTFO. Block them with every method available, and don’t worry or fret. It’s a classic scam tactic, and you can see it within other groups of people as well.

The African Appropriating Priest Scam:

The person will make very outrageous claims for what their magic can do. Sometimes they’ll go to the extremes of faith-healing...get you out of a wheelchair, or they’ve brought the dead to life. Most of the time they tend to say they’ll get your ex to be obsessed with you, make you into a millionaire, get you that dream job or funds with no effort, etc. Usually the African Appropriating scammer will claim to use Vodou or some ‘ancient practice’, but yet have no knowledge on the practice if actually asked about it.

They’ll then state the cost of the spell, usually a couple hundred dollars, and that they’ll need to buy specific ingredients from particular African countries, send you pictures that are easily traceable of a hut with bones in the ceiling or something vaguely aesthetic like that, and claim this is their workspace.

The usage of over-familiarity, love, dear, precious, is also common instead of using your name. Then they’ll give you specic instructions, sometimes it’s payment via gift cards, or it’s ‘avoid driving for a week’ or other off the wall commentaries that don’t make sense in the grand scheme of things. Afterwards if you back out, they’ll claim they are sending spirits, Djinn, demons, or even whole deities after you for ‘breaking a pact’. This is a lie, and just a scare tactic. Again...just block and move on. No need to fret! Selling Entities/Changes to Your Person Scam:

This one’s a bit on the odder side, but stick with me! This is actually a pretty big scam right now. I am also not saying you can't buy a VESSEL that houses a spirit such as a porcelain doll, haunted object, etc, etc. This is a bit different you'll find.

Some people in some discord servers or communities will claim to sell you entities. The same groups may also claim they can change you from masc to fem, or visa versa, or give you an ego death. Below is some examples of one of these servers/offering up for sale:

Now that you’ve seen some examples, it shouldn’t take much for you to realize how scammy this seems. Not only is there stolen artwork being used...but frankly the descriptions of what will happen are...unbelievable at best. Some of these ads can even seem like they’re just selling you some sort of original character cooked up for a fantasy novel...you would be very correct on that last part. Do yourself a favor and just...don’t buy things you can’t tangibly touch or get proof of in some way, shape, or form, okay? Let me be abundantly clear: If witchcraft could change your gender in a snap, or heal all of your mental wounds, trust me, it wouldn’t be some long kept secret somewhere. Same goes for healing or even in some cases...turning you into a werewolf, vampire, demon, etc, etc. How to tell a legitimate spellcaster/reader:

The reader or spellcaster will be willing to go outside of DMs for readings or work. They’ll be willing to send photographs, videos, instagram stories, or meet with you via skype or zoom. The spellcaster will have distinct methodologies, and will likely explain what will happen step by step instead of being vague or just saying to ‘let the magic work’. A real worker will likely show you their labor for you. The prices seem reasonable. A few dollars or a few tens of dollars for a reading or work is quite reasonable. If they’re willing to work with you on prices is also a very good sign. Has the practitioner set boundaries or asked you questions about what you’re comfortable with? If you set boundaries are they willing to work with that? What is setting up an appointment with them like? Are they giving you options but making it clear they have books already? Is the practitioner or reader willing to talk with you one on one and make a personal connection? Do they seem reasonable? Now that we’ve gone over some things to look for and look OUT for, hopefully this will help you in the future if you start searching for practitioners to interact with and support. Don’t be afraid to ask others if something seems off or weird!

Edit: Edits to this lesson have been made with thanks to @artinvain who was kind enough to point out some problematic language being used. I am always learning and appreciate anyone who points that out to me.