#and the radio person found that very funny which is good

[autism-disco]

plot twist i actually do know two birthdayers today i can say happy birthday specifically to them

happy birthday to someone, somewhere. hope you have a wonderful day

[beatledumpster]

Blur - Interview on Fun Radio, France (1997)

PART 1/4

(PART 2 - PART 3 - PART 4)

(Sometimes I was not 100% sure who was talking, so there might be mistakes, sorry!)

[weirdly-specific-but-ok]

for whom good omens is being written

Hey maggots and the rest of the fandom, it's the Good Omens Mascot here. Today I read a post about this tweet:

The accompanying video genuinely made me cry. And I've been thinking about this for a long while, as far back as February, when I saw a lot of conflicting opinions on what people wanted from the third season. It really is true that no matter what you do, some people will be dissatisfied. But what matters is that Neil is writing this for Terry.

And I was reminded of some paragraphs from the Good Omens TV Companion, which I'd read in Amazon's sample excerpt of the book. I know this is a long post, but I really truly do think you all need to read these, I've done my best to select only the most important parts. Here you go:

'His Alzheimer's started progressing harder and faster than either of us had expected,' says Neil, referring to a period in which Terry recognized that despite everything he could no longer write. 'We had been friends for over thirty years, and during that time he had never asked me for anything. Then, out of the blue, I received an email from him with a special request. It read: “Listen, I know how busy you are. I know you don't have time to do this, but I want you to write the script for Good Omens. You are the only human being on this planet who has the passion, love and understanding for the old girl that I do. You have to do this for me so that I can see it." And I thought, “OK, if you put it like that then I'll do it."

'I had adapted my own work in the past, writing scripts for Death: The High Cost of Living and Sandman, but not a lot else was seen. I'd also written two episodes of Doctor Who, and so I felt like I knew what I was doing. Usually, having written something once I'd rather start something new, but having a very sick co-author saying I had to do this?' Neil spreads his hands as if the answer is clear to see. 'I had to step up to the plate.' A pause, then: 'All this took place in autumn 2014, around the time that the BBC radio adaptation of Good Omens was happening,' he continues, referring to the production scripted and co-directed by Dirk Maggs and starring Peter Serafinowicz and Mark Heap. ‘Terry had talked me into writing the TV adaptation, and I thought OK, I have a few years. Only I didn't have a few years,' he says. 'Terry was unconscious by December and dead by March.'

He pauses again. 'His passing took all of us by surprise,' Neil remembers. 'About a week later, I started writing, and it was very sad. The moments Terry felt closest to me were the moments I would get stuck during the writing process. In the old days, when we wrote the novel, I would send him what I'd done or phone him up. And he would say, "Aahh, the problem, Grasshopper, is in the way you phrase the question," and I would reply, "Just tell me what to do!" which somehow always started a conversation. 'In writing the script, there were times I'd really want to talk to Terry, and also places where I'd figure something out and do something really clever, and I would want to share it with him. So, instead, I would text Terry's former personal assistant, Rob Wilkins, now his representative on Earth. It was the nearest thing I had.'

(...) As Neil himself recognizes, this is an adaptation built upon the confidence that comes from three decades of writing for page and screen. But for all the wisdom of experience, he found that above all one factor guided him throughout the process. 'Terry isn't here, which leaves me as the guardian of the soul of the story,' he explains. 'It's funny because sometimes I found myself defending Terry's bits harder or more passionately than I would defend my own bits. Take Agnes Nutter,' he says, referring to what has become a key scene in the adaptation in which the seventeenth-century author of the book of prophecies foretelling the coming of the Antichrist is burned at the stake. ‘It was a huge, complicated and incredibly expensive shoot, with bonfires built and primed to explode as well as huge crowds in costume. It had to feel just like an English village in the 1640s, and of course everyone asked if there was a cheap way of doing it. 'One suggestion was that we could tell the story using old-fashioned woodcuts and have the narrator take us through what happened, but I just thought, “No”. Because I had brought aspects of the story like Crowley and the baby swap along to the mix, and Terry created Agnes Nutter. So, if I had cut out Agnes then I wouldn't be doing right by the person who gave me this job. Terry would've rolled over in his grave.'

And, finally, this paragraph:

"Once again, Neil cites the absence of his co-writer as his drive to ensure that Good Omens translated to the screen and remained true to the original vision. 'Terry's last request to me was to make this something he would be proud of. And so that has been my job.'"

I think that's so heartwrenchingly beautiful, and so I wanted you all to read this, too, just in case you (like me) don't have the Good Omens TV Companion. It adds another layer of depth and emotion to this already complex and amazing story that we all know and love.

Share this post, if you can, please, so that more people can read these excerpts :")

Tagging @neil-gaiman, @fuckyeahgoodomens and @orpiknight, even if you've definitely read these before :)

[theyapper0]

Litte details abt my Hazbin rewrite that i wanna share :)

OK SO!!! IT'S DOOOOOONEEEE!!!!!!

So I FINALLY finished drawing out everything I wrote out for some major plot point in my hazbin rewrite 😋 BUT!!!

There's some things that I have made art of or talked about that are sorta important (but they're really not, just some silly things that I pictured in this that I never got the chance to talk about yet LOL!!!)

If you don't really care, feel free to skip this but there are some little doodles here too that will basically get all my points across just as well!

-So first point, I've touched on this a little bit here but Niffty and Husk are BROS. Like fr ride or die with each other.

In this rewrite, I want Niffty to have been an overlord like Husk (or at least just as powerful as he is because I feel like Alastor is EXTREMELY attracted to power and he wouldn't just make deals with weak as shit people unless he was gaining something GRAND).

But Husk and Niffty, they both.... really hate Alastor. I think Husk is much more vocal with his hatred towards Alastor but do NOT be fooled, NIFFTY WANTS HIS ASS IN THE GROUND TOO!!!!!!

And I think it's because of this hatred, because of this shared, unfortunate situation that they've both found themselves in in regards to being contracted to the Radio Demon, I think they are really close. Like, they look out for each other and watch each others backs because who else is gonna do it? ALASTOR? LOL!!!!

-Here's my Sir Pentious and Cherri Bomb designs!! I realized when I was making all those drawings for the rewrite that I never drew them! So here they are! 😋

Pentious has prosthetic arms that he made himself not too long after he arrived in Hell YEARS AGO bc I wanted to REAAALLY lean into the whole snake thing. And I also made him more steampunk-y because I think it's cool and that he'd look super adorable with little gear markings on his scales

And I read that Cherri died in around the 80's so I wanted to give her an aussie rocker look LMAOO Wild hair, big ol' hoop earrings and tattered clothes because she's COOL!!

-Niffty is the (m)hotel's maid/rooms keeper still (and it was only SLIGHTLY degrading in the beginning). The biggest reasons Alastor made her the maid is because of her OCD (he's an old man from the 1930's, he thinks OCD means being a neat freak) and because she is able to control all kinds of insects and vermin- which the hotel is INFESTED with

Niffty is also the only one with a spare key to Charlie and Vaggie's house, she's honestly the one they trust the MOST out of everyone at the hotel to have a key to their place in case of an emergency (and she only abuses it SOMETIMES)

-HUSK IS NOT THE HOTEL BARTENDER IN THIS!!!!!!

When I designed the hotel to look more like a motel, obviously there was no place to put a bar and I WANTED THAT! Like, I understand the humor in having a bar in a rehabilitation facility (it IS REALLY FUNNY I KNOW) but I really don't think that, even in this, neither Charlie or Vaggie would allow Alastor or Angel or anyone else to tell THEM what the hotel needs.

Like, they LITERALLY built this place with their BARE HANDS, I think they're both verrrry resistant to any changes and such that others may want to implement (for both the good and bad), even if that person was THE Radio Demon

So instead, Alastor had brought him in as a sorta bodyguard for the hotel (as a huge middle finger to Vaggie, who is not only the hotel manager but also is a very ready protector of this place)

(Husk DOES still sell liquor though, like that is something that is totally happening, it's just very hush-hush. He keeps it in his room and sells it to the patrons of the hotel (sometimes Pretentious and most of the time it's just Angel. Charlie and Vaggie have no idea this is happening))

(Niffty 100% knows since she's the one who cleans the rooms but she wouldn't sell out Husk because that's her bro)

-And speaking of the Radio Demon!!! Neither Charlie or Vaggie are scared of him. I mean, they're not really scared of him in canon (they could be sometimes tho ig)

Charlie is one of the strongest beings in Hell and Vaggie is (secretly) an angel who, as far as they all know, can't be killed by a Sinner. So neither of them are really threatened by him. Vaggie definitely voices this more than Charlie does, in fact, Charlie is almost always more than happy to just let Alastor talk and threaten as much as he wants because she's not violent and is very humble (that's what good people do, right?)

Alastor is also just as good of a Facility Manager of the Hazbin Hotel as he is in canon, and by that I mean he does not do his job and when he does, he sucks at it LOLLLL. He is very unhelpful.

-Sundays are the only day where the hotel isn't doing any reformative work/lessons so it's everyones' day off (it's holy day AMEN!) 

(Charlie WOULD make them pray on Sundays if it wasn't for the fact that every time she would try to guide a prayer, she would bleed from every hole in her body) 

-AND THE LAST POINT IS....

The Hazbin Hotel doesn't JUST do lessons in goodness, they also teach about the 10 Commandments and go on “field trips” to do volunteer work (soup kitchens, cleaning parks, helping Hell with one smile at a time :)

Thanks for reading and be sure to check in tomorrow for the first page of a comic retelling Charlie's meeting with Adam in episode one!!!

[sunrayram]

im super interested in alastor’s and niffty’s dynamic in this au!! im not really sure how to word this question but do you have anything youve been thinking about with them, outside of him just being very protective/possessive over her, and her still being fairly loyal to him? any headcanons or ideas you have for the two of them?

Alastor has two whole friends before the events of canon, Mimzy and Nifty. Even though he'll never admit it, he desperately needs both of them.

I've gone into his relationship with Mimzy before, but she basically acts as the only person Alastor can really let loose around. Alastor only really has some genuine fun when Mimzy's around.

When it comes to Nifty, she's the closest thing Alastor has to family on this side of the mortal plane. Nifty is the first soul Alastor owned, and it was honestly a pretty painless affair. At the time, Nifty's ex-husband had still been alive in hell, and Alastor promised to keep her safe in exchange for her soul. The ex-husband has long since been dealt with, but Nifty has no complaints about Alastor still holding her soul. She once jokingly told him that it was likely in safer hands now.

here's some fun stuff about these two!

Alastor cooks, and Nifty bakes. Nifty is the only one who's allowed to go in and out of the kitchen with no complaints from Alastor, and they can spend hours there together, singing along to classic jazz from the radio.

Alastor is not allowed to just say whatever he wants on his radio show, since it's now a part of the Jackpot Casino. That means he has a lot of opinions built up that he's not allowed to share. If he's not yelling these opinions at Husk, he's passionately sharing them with Nifty. She thinks they're funny. Sometimes, she'll bargain with him. He'll be allowed to rant for an hour, and then she'll get an hour to read her latest fanfiction out loud. Only her sfw stuff tho, obviously. (She reads him found family fic as a not-so-subtle-hint of how she feels about him. It goes right over his head.)

Nifty and Alastor play a weird version of fuck/marry/kill when they have the same shifts at the casino. Nifty points out the people she'd fuck/marry, and Alastor points out the people he'd kill. It's fun, I guess.

Nifty really really wants them to get a pet. Alastor banned any discussion of dogs, and Nifty's slightly allergic to cats. She has a list she's been secretly making of animals she thinks Alastor would like. It goes as follows:

Possum: eats bugs. Frog: no fur, not dirty (?) eats bugs. Alligator: Alastor has an alligator skull. Might like them. Bat: eats bugs. Con: Might have rabies? Deer: Maybe some form of kinship. Pig: Actually pretty clean. Makes funny noises. Anteater: eats bugs.

Alastor loves collecting trinkets, which actually annoys Nifty to no end bc it means his room isn't clean/organized. He apologizes by bringing back little gifts whenever he goes out. He also keeps his collections away from areas Nifty frequents so it doesn't bother her as much.

Alastor has banned Nifty from gambling at the casino. The one time she tried, she lost almot 500,000 dollars in one night. Even Husk was horrified.

They're both a bit mad, but they like it that way. Nifty's one of the only people around who doesn't want Alastor to change. Whether or not that's a good thing ... ehhh who knows. But it's priceless to him.

[lancrewizzard]

Please tell me you’re not a gaiman fan because it seems like you have issues with him and goddd me too

Okay this is a complicated question to answer and has got both more and less so in the last couple of weeks. Since there's still information coming out about the sexual assault allegations, I don't want to say too much now and then have to backtrack hugely, but even the very best case scenario makes his behaviour scummy as all hell. And I don't believe it will turn out to have been the best case scenario. So we'll just bundle the whole thing up with "yikes" and move on to things I've had a long enough time to think about and put proper thoughts around.

A month ago I'd have said that he seems like a decent bloke, but seems to have real trouble understanding experiences he can't relate to. The foreword to his short story collection Trigger Warning is a great example of this. He spent a while wittering on about his misgivings about trigger warnings as a concept, then remembered he knew someone with a severe phobia of tentacles and conceded that they had their place. He then proceeded to give a very dumb non-warning which completely failed to mention how something like one in three of the collected stories involved sexual violence. Great job Neil.

I already mentioned in the tags of that previous post my issues with his obvious lies to TV Omens fans who don't know any better. It's just annoying and stupid to lie about something that unimportant, unless it was actually an attempt to get disillusioned Book Omens fans back on side (in which case, wow that failed spectacularly).

And now I realise that everything else is about specific works of his, so I've stuck it under a cut if you don't want to see me bitch about Good Omens adaptational changes changes for the umpteenth time or go on a short heartfelt ramble about what was almost a perfectly crafted short story.

I'll be blunt, I only saw S1 of Good Omens, and while I enjoyed it, it was an incompetent adaptation. The fucking radio play managed to tell the same story with greater faithfulness and more elegance without a 3rd person narrator (and had the brilliant idea of having the opening and closing credits performed by Agnes Nutter's voice actress). Compare and contrast the show making God the 3rd person narrator and exposition dump, and how that changes the whole story from a humanist tale where people are all people and whose choices matter, where God's grand plan night not even exist, to a story where everything implicitly or explicitly is going to God's plan under God's watchful eye.

And I will never comprehend how Gaiman successfully argued to have a whole set built to film Agnes Nutter's death, but then said that for practical reasons they couldn't have Crowley revive the dove. The angel accidentally killed a dove and the demon intentionally revived it! It's so thematically important! Neil why are you like this? Do you understand your own works or was Pterry the only one of you who put actual thought into things' meanings?! HOW DO YOU FUCK THIS UP NEIL? I UNDERSTOOD ITS IMPORTANCE WHEN I WAS 15 NEIL!

Ahem. Moving on.

Neverwhere is the most recent Gaiman book I've read and it's a good showcase of all the issues I have with his writing. The protagonists are dragged along by the plot, they're Special TM by birth or fate, not by the choices they make. The world they inhabit is wonderful, detailed, and vibrant, but I found that far more interesting than the protagonists inhabiting it. We got a random rape backstory for a girl whose main role was to die so the male protagonist feels bad. The way Gaiman described every female character bar one in terms of their attractiveness made me unsure if it was him or the protagonist who was weird about women (although I guess I have the answer to that now). Funny how Gaiman didn't shy away from things and people smelling bad right up until a hot woman who had been fighting, running, and falling over in a swamp apparently smelled not of sweat and stagnant water, but "musk". Really normal, that. There were wonderful descriptions and great moments, but after that first SA moment I couldn't relax and enjoy the ride because I was always on edge waiting for the next time Neil felt the need to be Like That.

Then there's my beloved, hated The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains. It's almost the perfect neat fairy-fable where every little detail is paid off later. It's a story of grief and vengeance and greed. It's about the price of fairy magic. And it has a pointless scene stuck in of marital rape. It has no purpose. It does nothing for the pacing or themes or characters. It never comes up again. I hate it.

Stuff can be horny or harrowing or both, I don't care, but Gaiman just drops SA into things for no clear reason as a generic Bad Thing Happen, Make Tone Dark. It's distasteful and inelegant. It cheapens the rest of the writing by its presence.

The simple truth is that Neil Gaiman seems to have a near pathological urge to shove sexual violence into places it has no need or right to be. It's disgusting but sadly not shocking that this apparently includes his personal life.

[gemsofgreece]

10 best animated movies to watch in Greek

One of the best ways to practice a language is by watching a movie. Even more so, watching an animated movie dubbed in your target language can be really fun and useful, as these movies tend to include jokes (even inside jokes specific to the language) and songs. So, without further ado, here is my personal list of 10 best animated movies to watch in Greek.

10. Shrek 2

The reason I am recommending Shrek 2 instead of Shrek is just because I have the - maybe not standard, but certainly not unpopular - opinion that Sherk 2 is overall a funnier movie than Shrek. The Greek dub maintains successfully all the witty and somewhat adult-oriented humour. The voice casting done for characters like Donkey, Puss in Boots and Gingy is memorable and accurate.

9. Lion King

The voice casting is really good. Adult Simba has a sympathetic voice, Mufasa has a superb kingly radio voice, the hyenas are hysterical, Zazu is funny too, Nala's voice is warm and womanly. I also love Scar's voice. Scar has a sinister voice but it's a weaker, not as “thick” a voice as Mufasa’s, just like Scar relied on the evilness of his mind and not his muscles. Timon and Pumba's dub is iconic. Greek Can you feel the love and Be Prepared are fantastic versions of the songs. And Greek Mufasa just steals every scene vocally, especially those when he appears in Simba's memory.

8. Monsters INC

Another amazing voice casting for all characters but we all (Greeks) know that this is one man's show. Christos Hatzipanayotis just KILLS it as Mike Wazowski. I believe Greek Wazowski is much funnier than the original. Also let's remember "Fovízume yatí sas frondízume" lol the Greek "We scare because we care (for you)"

7. Finding Nemo

This dub did something special with the casting. It casted as Marlin and Dory two actors that had already worked together in a super famous comedy series as a couple. As a result, their chemistry is off the roof and Dimitra Papadopoulou's voice is incredibly accurate for Dory's character. Dory's whale language is hysterical and I also love the incredibly relaxed voice actor they found for that turtle reincarnation of Bob Marley. All other casting is good too, except I want to slap the extremely nasal Nemo.

6. Sleeping Beauty

Although I love this movie dearly and I really like its Greek version, I actually place it that high because I have found it to be really popular with foreign people. Some say they like Aurora's song better in Greek, which I find interesting as I really love the original. It is surely a masterful work though. It is an old movie and the Greek actors speak more elegantly, more sophisticatedly like people tended to, back then. The voices suit properly an aethereal princess and her dreamy prince, the fairies have these warm, elderly, ladylike voices and Maleficent also is imposing and very cold.

5. Aristocats

This is a perfect example where it is clear that both the voice casting directors and the actors worked their asses off. Every actor chosen is simply ideal for their character, including the kittens, Edgar the evil servant, the diva, the super SUPER old lawyer, the tomcats, Lady is so prim and proper, Uncle Waldo and the goose nieces with their Britsh accent Greek lol BUT. I have no idea how it dawned on them to make the dog couple have a comedic Heptanesian island accent but whoever that was, they were a bloody genius. Not only it's impeccably performed, it's twice as hilarious when you see them in an old Parisian environment speaking some really strong Heptanesian out of nowhere. The dogs in the original do not have any particularly heavy accent to my understanding, so if you watch the original after you have watched the Greek, you won't even understand they are supposed to be funny. I love that the Greek directors took the uneventful speech of the dogs and were like "Clearly, we 're gonna make them speak extreme Heptanesian" XD

4. Spirit: The Stallion of the Cimarron

Spirit has mostly narration and songs, it has very few dialogues. Its songs are amazing though and they really make a difference in the movie. In the Greek dub, both the narrating and singing role was given to singer - actor Yannis Savvidakis who is very talented. Not only he performed those songs wonderfully but I liked how well it maintained the feel of rock ballads coming from America, despite being sung in a language from a place that has nothing to do with any of this.

3. The Emperor's New Groove

Okay, we reached the Golden Triad. The Emperor's New Groove is, simply put, the best Disney comedy to date. If we consider that the Greek version is funnier than the original, as I strongly believe, you get a comedy for the ages. The voice casting is PERFECT. Every voice chosen is like it was created for the character, the characters get life and personality through the vocal performances. Kuzco sounds blasé, egocentric, sarcastic and you want to slap him silly, Kronk sounds like a soft dumbass himbo which is what he is, Pacha is your everyday good-hearted peasant, Yzma is killing it as the old ambitious narcissist. The humour is awesome and tranferred ideally into Greek comedy. It just works on every level. I can't explain it more, it's just perfect. While this movie is unfairly obscure and underrated on a global level, in Greece it was a hit and people still remember quotes by heart, exactly beause the dub was so god-tier level.

2. The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Okay. The dub of dubs. The Dub of Notre Dame. Seriously, this is a masterpiece on every aspect. Again, this is better than the original. Esmeralda has a sensual, really beautiful speaking voice and an outstanding singing one (Alcestis Protopsalti y'all), Frollo has an ideal casting in that he sounds like a bad person but in a totally realistic way (as he is also a very realistic villain) and he sounds so very sophisticated, very elegant. Sinister and elegant, which makes total sense as in the Disney version he is the supreme justice minister of Paris. Quasimodo is voiced by Sakis Rouvas (a sexy singer with a soft voice), who a few found like a somewhat odd pairing but it works perfectly since Disney's Quasimodo is soft, sensitive and considerably sophisticated as well. Clopin's singing is done by tenor Konstantinos Paliatsaras. The songs in the Greek version are in my opinion better performed than in English. Hellfire is quite possibly the most loved villain song in Greece. A small example to understand the level of perfection; the intro song "Bells of Notre Dame" has an extremely difficult ending note that only a few versions globally managed to hit. Even the original singer struggles with the note, he hits it but a little weakly, he is very supported and almost covered by backing vocals. In other versions, even this is not possible at all and singers just skip the note. The Greek version by Paliatsaras is one of the very few where the note is hit correctly, he essentially rips it apart, but I think it is also the only version (unless something escapes me) where the lyrics were different in a way that it made a difference to the singing. All versions I have heard are a variation of the original "bells, bells, bells, bells" which prepares the crescendo / raise of the pitch and then, "of notre DAAAAAME". Greek is the only version I have listened to where a full sentence is delivered effortlessly, without a repetition of "bells". "Ke ihún pandú kambánes stin karthyá tis panaYAAAAAS". It's a full sentence instead of a convenient one-syllable word over and over. Of course, it had to be done because the word for bells in Greek (kambánes) wouldn't work but it still was a harder thing to deliver than the repetition and it was accomplished even better. Okay, in short, Oscar worthy dub. Perfect in every way. I am in love with it, you can tell. The only reason it is not first is because the first spot had to be saved for the obvious one.

1. Hercules

The obvious first spot. Of course, it doesn't take it without deserving it. Greeks really made sure to give this one even more attention to detail. So, it doesn't only feel like it's natural, it also IS the most natural one, as contemporary languages go. All voice casting is once more ideal. Hercules, or Heracles as he is of course in Greek, has a sensitive, warm, sympathetic voice. They did a great thing with Megara when they gave the role to Evridiki who has a more mature, seasoned voice which fits Megara's character and not like a girly, princessy, out-of-place voice. Famous comedian Lakis Lazopoulos steals the show in all his scenes and they are MANY, since he plays Philoktetes and Pain AND Panic, all three of them! But he can't steal the scenes where Hades is in, as Konstantinos Tzoumas is in reality the big star of the movie. First and foremost, you watch this movie for Hades. One more fantastic detail in my opinion is what they did with the Muses. So you know, the original movie Muses are singing a liberal style of American gospel. Instead of ditching it as unfitting and entirely inaccurate, the Greek directors played along with it. Most notably, one of the Muses is voiced by Julie Massino, a vocal coach and singer born and raised in the US (I don't know if she has Greek descent) who lives and works in Greece, so she has a natural and strong American accent in her Greek! I just found this so cool. It is a really cool dub. They knew the stakes were very high and they delivered down to the very last detail.

*We really had to title this: Heracles - Beyond the Myth...!

[that-sarcastic-writer]

Upon a second watch of the trap and analyzing it from a psychological perspective (not taking into account the silly direction and at times nonsensical plot holes and character choices) and not a horny perspective, I think it’s so facilitating. Gonna leave my in depth thoughts below.

I think it’s fascinating how cooper just bullshited his way through the entirety of the concert. He didn’t know what the fuck was happening but he adapted to his surroundings and manipulated every single person he encountered in such a clever and cold way. He smiled in people’s faces as he listened to the police radio, he sneaked into a swat meeting and was even like “wow! You guys are huge!” (Which like lol no baby YOU are with your 6’3 mf ass). And his switch of body language as soon as he stepped out. He just seemed to know exactly what to say and what to do, and if it didn’t work, he thought of something else. I also want to note I find amusing that he almost thought of it as a game, in typical sociopath fashion (which yes ik is an outdated term but saying APD seems a little too clinical for my horny blog), he kinda enjoyed the chase and was even making faces at the description of himself (he also laughed at lady raven when she was like “you’re such a good boy”). He was very unbothered and collected up until he realized his perfect life was ruined, that the perfect image his family had of him was gone (the two lives mixed). Which is very on par with his antisocial personality traits.

Though I will acknowledge the fact that man actually was being dumb asf going back to the house knowing Rachel was the one that ratted him out (yes ig he didn’t know for sure but he suspected it, and let’s be real, he’s smart enough to piece it together without Rachel telling him verbatim). Unless maybe he wanted to get caught? It just seemed like very impulsive thing to do, which doesn’t seem on character for his more cold and calculating personality. His survival was the most important to him (other than his perfect dad of the year and upstanding member of society persona) and I don’t think it made sense for him to go back to the house and top of that eat something from Rachel when he suspected her, but then again maybe he wanted to get caught (or this is just bad character choice).

I also think it was incredibly dumb on his part to straight up tell lady raven he was the butcher. When this happened my expectation was that he’d kill her before she told everyone? I mean I can see why logically that’d be complicated but I expected a better outcome. It didn’t sit right with me that suddenly the focus was shifted to her and in the process they made him panic and make impulsive decisions (i.e run after her and pound on the bathroom door in front of his family, try to kidnap her instead). For someone who was shown to be incredibly smart and calculating and was described to never panic, this seemed like a very rash choice. Like what did you think was going to happen? But this movie does have character flaws and plot issues so I can’t be too critical.

Going back to the positives, another thing I found fascinating is once again his ability to manipulate every situation to his favor. Realistically speaking, in no sane world would a bunch of swat officers allow a suspected serial killer to grab something, they’d be dragging him to the van. But they allowed him to fix the bike. And the reason why I think Cooper knew this would work was because he already knew they knew he had OCD, so they knew if he had a “compulsion” he had to do it or else he would potentially lash out or get violent (this is typical when a compulsion can’t be accomplished there is a lot of anxiety that may lead to aggressive behavior or some type of breakdown). The thing was, this wasn’t a compulsion. He didn’t need to fix the bike. But the cops didn’t know this. Hence why (in my in movie understanding, regardless of logic) he was able to get the metal thing. But what’s funny about this is that you can see it in his face as he’s undoing the cuffs he’s like ooh and he laughs. I think cause he realized that he actually got away with that, that he manipulated everyone to his advantage once again, even when he was supposed to be “under control” and “subjected”. Even in cuffs he manages to be in control of the situation by coming up with ways to manipulate people to benefit his survival.

And I think that’s wonderful. I often enjoy seeing sociopaths actually be sociopaths (from a scientific standpoint as a psychology major) Like the level of manipulation and calculating cleverness (Dexter is my biggest example of this). Regardless if this movie is good or bad (I think it’s alright but it does fall apart after the concert), I think Josh (my hubby) did a fantastic job with what he was given. His mannerisms and facial expressions were so on point you could tell when he was being himself and when he was putting on the act. It was fantastic.

Anyway Josh I love you and everything you do, you’re so perfect you made this nonsensical silly movie enjoyable <3

[cryssyd]

A Love Beyond Hell

Good Day Everyone:) I hope it is a good one. This is my first fan fiction for Hazbin Hotel.

It is an adaption to "Always and Forever" by ChaoticDoll (MadamMimic505) at Quotev.com.

Pairings: Alastor x Reader (Julia), Female

Summary: Romance was a funny thing. Something, not many people had the pleasure of having it or finding. When Julia hit the age of twenty, she had never thought of being swept off her feet by a charming radio host. She had always thought love at first sight had been a silly thing. Surely something as doubtful as that couldn't exist, right? Her and Alastor had courted (dated), loved, and married. But as we know, happiness often felt fleeting in the world, her husband, Alastor, was killed. About a year later near the date of his death's anniversary, strange occurrences begin to happen around his widow's house. It all started with his beloved radio. "Remember when I said until death do us part? Well, I lied. I'll never part from you darling."

Warnings: 18+ Content, Established Relationship, Violence, Death, Graphic Details, Pregnancy and Birth, Smut, Minors DNI

Chapter 1

Romance was a funny thing. Something, not many people had the pleasure of having it or finding. When Julia hit the age of twenty, she had never thought of being swept off her feet by a charming radio host. She had always thought love at first sight had been a silly thing. Surely something as doubtful as that couldn't exist, right? Oh, how wrong she was. Her family had moved to New Orleans in search of new opportunities, the kind she could never have found back in her small hometown. Her father had gotten a very good-paying factory job, while her mother owned her very own boutique, where she would sell beautiful gowns to the townspeople. Her mother said that she didn't have to work if she didn't want to. But Julia craved an excuse to leave the house, to break free from the shell of her shyness. She had been homeschooled, an only child, and had spent far too much time cooped up in her room. Her passion for music and the arts was her only outlet, rough drawings in a leather-backed sketchbook that captured her dreams. She thought she wasn't pretty, but her mother always reassured her that she was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. Julia was modest, and her mother of course would say such a thing. But deep down, a spark of hope ignited in her heart. Maybe, just maybe, romance was a funny thing that could happen to her after all.

Julia never really had any gentlemen callers. Sadly, she had always shied away from men usually. She would never think she would be good enough. Even if she did feel envy a few times from seeing just how happy her mother and father were.  She had found a job in the newspaper as a secretary for the local Radio Station. She happily took it and walked to the two-story building in hopes of getting the job. Thinking, it would help her come out of her shell and be more of a people person. A pretty, petite woman greeted her with a warm smile on her first day, and she was kind and friendly to her. She had led her to the new boss’s office. He was dressed impeccably, a bright red blazer with a crisp white undershirt with his sleeves rolled up neatly. His blazer was buttoned up perfectly, with a sleek black bow tie that matched his sleek slacks. And polished wing-tipped shoes. Alastor was surely something else. Julia had never in her lifetime seen a man as attractive as him. She was a nervous wreck the whole interview with him, and he remained calm with a dazzling pearly white grin. Finding her and her nervousness utterly adorable. He had never seen such a woman as Julia, he was used to women falling head over heels for him, and trying to seduce him to get the job. All of which he had turned down every time, but she had fallen for his charm as well. Julia didn't try to jump him in ten seconds, however.

She was dressed modestly, her cheeks rosy thanks to him. He rested his head on the backs of his hands as she was interested more in the job than him. Which he found, oddly charming. Needless to say, Julia had gotten the job in a heartbeat. He was charming as the devil. He knew just the right things to say just to make her heart flutter even more the more and more time she'd spend with him. As his secretary, she would answer his calls for him, and go over the scripts he had for his broadcasts. Looking for any mistakes, when there were hardly any. He had very nice handwriting, which made her a little jealous as her penmanship wasn't exactly the greatest. Her s's looked like lowercase g's.

Julia's heart would flutter as Alastor played his swing tunes. Sometimes she couldn't resist tapping her heel to the infectious rhythm. She made a point to arrive at work early, just so she could see his smile when he walked in. And oh, that smile - it made her feel like she was floating on a cloud. She could tell he felt the same way, his eyes following her around the room. Each time Alastor drove her home, her mother would give her a knowing wink. It was clear - Julia had fallen head over heels for the gentleman with the golden touch on the radio.

"Oh, I know that look!" she would always say, giving him a playful nudge. "You're up to something, aren't you?"His mother said the same thing, teasing him to no end. She was the first woman to catch his eye, after all, and she loved hearing about her. She was proud of him. The two of them only grew closer as time went by. Until he had shown up at her home with a bundle of red roses in his hand, she was pleasantly surprised, and immediately pulled him into a hug accepting the flowers, and his affection. Her parents loved him. Her father didn’t care for anyone else usually, but Alastor was polite to him and her mother, showing that he had nothing but good intentions for her. He wasn’t just some shmuck on the street looking for a quick lay, he was far from it. As for his mother, well she more than happily welcomed Julia with open arms. She adored her instantly! When she had told her, she had been the first girl he brought home she was surprised.

“Oh, you must be Julia!” Alastor's mother exclaimed, enveloping her in a warm hug. “It's so wonderful to finally meet you. Alastor has told us so much about you.” From that moment, Alastor knew he had found his one true love. They kept their relationship secret, sharing private moments away from work. But there were hints - love songs on the radio, whispers in the hallway. On special nights out, Alastor spoilt his belle, taking her to the finest places New Orleans had to offer. At the Christmas party, he finally made their love public. With a proud smile, he introduced his radiant Julia to the rest of the office. Blushing, she hid her face in his shoulder, a soft laugh escaping her lips.

“There is no need for you to be so modest, darling!” Alastor had said.That spring, Alastor surprised Julia with a beautiful engagement ring. It was pure gold, with a ruby in the center of it. Julia burst out in happy tears, eagerly pulling him into a hug and covering his face in many kisses. The both of them laughed before he returned the embrace. Once she turned twenty-four, she happily married Alastor. The dance the newlyweds shared with family members all around was the happiest day of her life. Just being in the arms of the man she loved was enough to keep her satisfied, and she smiled more with him around. Alastor's mother would often tease them about having grandchildren, which made Julia blush and try to change the subject.

"Mother, please," Alastor sighed, wrapping an arm around Julia to comfort her. If it's in God's plan, they may one day have children together - and if not, she was completely content with that too. He truly is an incredible lover, always cherishing her and making sure she feels appreciated. He adores her, showing immense care and consideration as he guides their intimacy. It's almost surprising that she was his first, as he handles everything with such confidence and skill.

Nestled within the Louisiana backwoods, not too far from New Orleans but far enough that it was still considered the countryside, stood a lovely two-story cabin that exuded the charm of a hunter's lodge yet was modest enough for a family home. It had been Alastor's mother who had played a crucial role in helping the newlyweds find this wonderful abode. The house occupied a fantastic piece of property that bordered hunting grounds, surrounded by sprawling wooded areas and thriving with diverse wildlife. Truly, a haven in nature's embrace!

Loving the country air, the smell of moss and scents of pine and cypress, and the way the birds sang each morning was far better than the honking of cars and city noise. She had even placed some bird feeders in the grassy yard to attract some of the birds. Julia would stand on the front porch in a wrap-around with a warm cup of hot chocolate in her hands staring out into the woods with a pleasant smile. Alastor would wrap his arms around her waist, resting his chin on top of her head, to not hit his head on the wind chimes, she had. She would stand there with his warmth around her, just watching the wildlife carry on with their day. Rabbits would search around and snack on the carrots and other vegetables she had thrown out for them, as would the deer. It was their little slice of heaven.

She had always had a soft spot for deer. The way she adored the graceful fawns with their cute spotted coats and the majestic bucks with their impressive antlers was truly heartwarming. Despite knowing that Alastor was a hunter, she trusted his promise never to harm the wildlife that frequented their home to graze. But as we know, happiness often felt fleeting in her world.

When Julia had said goodbye to Alastor for the day. She had no idea that it would be the last time she would see him. She had been asleep when it had happened. She was getting comfortable on the bed, wrapped in the warm comforter that smelled of Alastor, which smelled slightly metallic and like expensive cologne. When she was suddenly woken up by the loud crack of a gunshot, nearby. She nearly fell out of the bed in shock, her heart thundering in her chest at the sudden crack. She knew there were some hunting grounds near their home, but gunshots had never sounded that close before. She quickly grabbed her handgun from the nightstand and a flashlight.

She hoped, feverishly praying to a higher power that Alastor hadn’t been caught in the crosshairs. She wandered through the woods near their home, justifying all manner of what ifs or scenarios that could have resulted in the gunshot, and not any possibilities invoking her husband. As she neared the suspected area in which she had judged where the sound had come from, Julia was shocked and horrified by the scene in front of her. Alastor was lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

In the dying embers of twilight, Julia found herself surrounded by a chilling tableau. A vicious pack of dogs circled her husband's lifeless form, their snarls and growls echoing in the still night air. The man who had once been her rock, her partner, the love of her life, lay sprawled and mutilated, his tan skin slick with blood. The bullet wound in his forehead had robbed him of his sight, and the savage mauling of his limbs had reduced him to a twisted, broken shell of a man.

Julia's heart shattered into a million pieces as she knelt beside him, her hands trembling as they cradled his blood-soaked head. His chestnut eyes, once so full of life and warmth, now stared back at her, devoid of any hint of consciousness or emotion. They were empty orbs, soulless and haunting. Tears streamed down her face, mingling with the blood on his ruined blazer, as she whispered his name, a prayer for the dead.

With trembling hands, she aimed the revolver at the man, her mind clouded by grief and rage. Her heart pounded like a drum as she aimed the weapon, her vision blurred by hot tears. Her finger tightened on the trigger, and with a deafening roar, the bullet tore through the air, shattering the oppressive silence. And the man was shot in the leg by her.

As the police descended on the scene, their flashing lights painting the scene in harsh, unnatural hues, Julia stood frozen, her mind reeling. The man who had murdered her husband was whisked away, his guilt etched in every line of his face. The lifeless body of her beloved was loaded onto a gurney, his shattered form wrapped in cold, sterile linen. She clutched at the broken glasses, the only tangible remnants of Alastor, as the world spun around her.

In the days and weeks that followed, Julia's world crumbled. The vibrant colours seemed to bleed from her vision, leaving her surrounded by a monotonous grey. She stopped smiling, her laughter turned to hollow sobs, and she retreated into herself, finding solace in the empty silence of her home. The pack of deer that had once brought her joy now served only as a stark reminder of the life she had lost.

On the anniversary of his death, something strange began to happen. The old radio in the living room would crackle to life, its static hiss filling the silence. Julia would find herself humming along to the melancholy tunes, the notes a balm to her shattered soul. It was as if Alastor's spirit had found a way to reach out to her, to let her know he was still with her, still watching over her.

¯Put your head on my shoulder, hold me in your arms baby. Squeeze me oh so tight, show me that you love me too¯

¯Put your lips next to mine dear, won’t you kiss me once? Baby just a kiss goodnight. Maybe, you and I

will fall in love¯

¯People say, that loves a game. a game you just. can’t win. But if there’s a way, I’ll find it someday. ¯

¯Put your head on my shoulder, whisper in my ear, baby. words I want to hear. Tell me, tell me that you love me too. ¯

In the quiet solitude of her home, Julia would find herself swaying to the music, her body moving in time with the rhythm. The familiar melodies would carry her back to happier times, to the memories of their shared laughter and love. And in those moments, she would allow herself to believe that maybe, just maybe, a part of Alastor still lived on, woven into the very fabric of the world around her.

As the hauntingly beautiful notes of their song drifted to a close, Julia's gaze fell upon the old radio resting on the dusty shelf. Her heart pounded in her chest, a fluttering echo of the melody that had filled the room. This wasn't just any radio - it was a cherished relic from a bygone era, its warm wood grain glowing in the soft lamplight. It was a symbol of the love and connection that had once thrived within these walls, a tangible reminder of the life they had shared.

Alastor had been the one to bring the radio into their home, his hands expertly dismantling and rebuilding its antique mechanism with love and precision that bordered on obsession. He would spend hours poring over its intricate parts, his brow furrowed in concentration before finally coaxing it back to life with a spark of electricity. And when it played, oh how it played! The old radio would fill their home with a symphony of melodies, each notes a testament to the enduring strength of their bond.

As Julia approached the radio, her fingers trembled with a mixture of awe and trepidation. It wasn't plugged in, yet the haunting strains of their song had filled the room. How was this possible? Was it a ghostly echo from the past, or something more? As her mind swirled with possibilities, she reached out a tentative hand, her fingers tracing the smooth wood surface.

With a gentle touch, she turned the dial, her heart pounding like a drum in her chest. She expected static, or perhaps silence, but instead, the radio burst into a cacophony of crackling and popping. Yet amidst the chaos, a familiar melody began to emerge, notes weaving together in a hauntingly beautiful pattern.

Julia's eyes widened as realization dawned - this wasn't just any radio; it was a conduit for the unseen, a vessel for the echoes of their shared past. With trembling hands, she carefully examined the device, her mind racing. Had Alastor left some hidden mechanism that allowed it to function beyond the ordinary? Or was this something...other?

As her fingers traced the familiar contours of the radio, Julia felt a strange warmth emanating from the device. It wasn't hot, exactly, but rather a tingling sensation that prickled her skin. With each passing moment, the radio seemed to hum with a life of its own, the static taking on a rhythmic quality.

"My love," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the music, "I've been here with you all along. Even in death, I cannot leave you. This radio...it's not just a machine, my dear. It's a part of us, an echo of the love we shared." Tears streamed down Julia's face as she reached out to the old radio. The music swelled to a crescendo, the notes intertwining with her sobs as she clung to the apparition of the man she had lost.

"Forever and always, my love," she whispered back, her voice choked with emotion. "Forever and always."

Next: Chapter 2

[sunkissedliterarylightofchrist]

Favorite TØP album?

Actually I've been trying to decide if it's Vessel or Blurryface. I am having a Very Hard Time picking. Here's two experts from a SUPPPPPPER long post I wrote about every single TØP song ever.

Vessel

This album [Vessel] dives into even tougher themes this time around and I am here for it. Mental health, purpose, meaning of life, faith, doubt, all with a lot of emotional intensity and shaking-you-by-the-shoulders urgency here, and it really does cement their signature stuff.

I LOVE this album musically SO MUCH. UGH its just GREAT. I love the rocking rhythms, the beat switches and changes and drops, and its really where they developed their style of ukulele-rap-pop-punk-screamo

Ode to Sleep We get started with a bang. This is where I think he really unlocks his awesome rapping and then beats his mental health using it, and fights the demons and it ends in hope. 10/10 no further notes needed

Holding On To You Also a Top 10 song for sure. I could jabber about this song for an entire post. I adore the piano and drums in this and his rapping is so on point and perfect. The music video is wonderful as well. But the lyrics are what makes it so epic. Him taking his body back and shoving his flesh out the door??? Through writing and thinking he wants to give his soul to Jesus??? And that God is always around him and Tyler is holding on to Him??? And then we have the verse to end all verses where he goes DON'T KILL YOURSELF OKAY! and shows that you've gotta control your emotions and not let your emotions control you??? And then how he just repeats over and over and over how he needs God to continue to entertain his faith so that he can hold onto Him??? I'm literally speechless guys, 100000/10 its AMAZING that he's not gonna be a slave to his own mind anymore.

Migraine I love how the intro asks the question that I have found that 99% of teenagers think- 'Am I the only one I know who is struggling with this?' It's one of the biggest lies for the teenage age group that Satan throws at them. It sure worked on me. By thinking I was the only one who'd ever felt Like That, I thought that no one could ever possibly understand me, so I never bothered to talk about it and instead just silently wallowed in my misery and was really selfish about myself and my emotions. Also I just love that part where he screams 'I AM NOT AS FINE AS I SEEM!!!!' then quietly goes 'pardon' because its both funny and very true. And then he goes on to elaborate how terrible and dark his mind is, then says one of my favorite lines ever, 'Cause sometimes to stay alive you gotta kill your mind' Which is so true and so well said. A lot of us really do need to learn how to tell our thoughts to simply Shut Up. And then the song ends on the best note ever. 'That life has a hopeful undertone.../We've made it this far kid' One of their best songs in my opinion

House of Gold It's a really cute and sweet song about his love for his mom and I like it. Don't have much to say on it, its just solid. (I do not get the mv at all though, it seems so out of place and morbid with the context to me)

Car Radio A complete and utterly iconic masterpiece. Top 10 club here. I love how the main themes are Peace Will Win and Fear Will Loose and While Music is a Great Tool for Fighting Darkness, You Need to Have Silence and Allow Yourself to Deal With Your Thoughts and Personally Fight Them Because Music Can Become a Mask that Allows You to Get Away with Bad Things. Which is really important and something I think the fandom needs to be reminded of, especially as we get to later albums like Trench which are all about how using music will defeat your demons. Sometimes too much of a Good Thing turns it into a Bad Thing.

Semi-Automatic One of my favorites. I love how he's just like 'Yeah, I am Messed Up. And my flesh likes being messed up, but my soul is revolted by it and I need Hope and Sun to shun my darkness out' It describes the human condition so well. And the instrumentals??? I love them so much! The opening is the best, with the synthy stuff with the beat drop and then Tyler's vocals sounding like a punch. I love how he teases tension along the whole time. And the do-do's make me very happy :D

Screen I like how this song goes 'I know you can see my flaws, and I'm okay with that, even though it scares me' and he encourages us to do the same. And the instrumentals are sweet.

The Run and Go I love how this song is about guilt, and how Tyler wants to hold his cards to his chest about who he is and what he's done, but admits that he needs help and for someone to be with him through the dark nights. The banging introduction is ~iconic~ to me and makes me want to lace up my shoes each time because its the first song in my running playlist and its a great song to run to. And once again, the do-do's make me very happy :D

Fake You Out I like how this song talks about hiding your struggles from everyone and putting on a mask to pretend that you are find and a better person than you really are. I think that it continues this theme of not being as good as you seem really well.

Guns for Hands This song is very direct about self harm and suicide. Acknowledging it, and the lies and hurt that come from it, and offering hope in it's place and suggesting a less violent course of action. And yes the upbeat ba-bum-bah's of the drum and piano are awesome.

Trees I like how he is reaching out to God, knowing that He is there, but not sure where, and longing for assurance and safety and comfort, and he continues to seek God even when it seems like He's gone, but Tyler knows that He's just testing his faithfulness.

Truce Tyler's going, "Stay alive. Have hope. I'm looking right in your eyes as I say this, holding your hand, you've gotta take things one by one. You are not alone. There is Hope and Light in the world. Look for it." Its the perfect ending to this album.

Blurryface

Here [Blurryface] is where everything clicks together so perfectly. The lyrics? Gut wrenching as ever, forcing you to wake up and take a look at the world and yourself, and with SO MANY allegorical references and the album (and most of the songs) start out dark but end in triumph as he defeats Blurryface. The themes? Captivating. This is probably their deepest and most thought-through album, talking about self-doubt, anxiety, inner conflict, insecurities, and self-focus, and about breaking the cycle by facing it head on. The background music? EPIC! 

This is where they really step it up and slam dunk their style and sounds. Every song on here is a banger. I love how the chaotic electronic songs perfectly support the chaotic feel of what Tyler is saying, and Josh's drumming here is elite. The music videos and imagery? AFADJFHADLFKAHSA don't even get me started. Every single one of these songs right here could be an entire post.

Heavydirtysoul Best song on the album hands down. In their Top 5 for sure. The rapping is utterly brilliant, trying to get the dark voices out of his head, then getting cut through his pleading singing of 'Can you save my Heavydirtysoul, from me?' Its SOOOOOOOO apparent how he's talking to God here, and it's incredible. "All the mindless zombies walking around with a limb and a hunch, saying stuff like, 'You only live once, one time to figure it out'"? I almost fell over the first time I heard it, it's genius. It's so true what people do and say and pressure other people to do and say when they aren't even really living themselves! 'Death inspires me a like a dog inspires a rabbit'? He's scared of dying you guys. He knows and understands morality and is scared shirtless (literally sometimes, have you seen those tour clips lol) that he won't make enough of his life, and NEEDS God to save his Heavydirtysoul. Iconic and perfect. And then the I n s t r u m e n t a l s??? Insanely incredible, anyone who says otherwise needs to get their hearing checked lol. The frantic beat and killer drums and gunshots that get the entire thing started? SO GOOD! Everything about it is epic, and the way that they were able to mesh all of those sounds together was quite the epic feat, I've listened to this song on loop for hours, trying to figure out how they made it sound so good and couldn't figure it out. This song is genius. And the music video was also awesome, because it has so much depth to it, but mainly because at the time, it was the kickstart of the DEMA storyline and nobody knew it yet! That was probably a pretty cool experience I imagine. 

Stressed Out I really enjoy this song for three reasons. 1) the music video. It absolutely reeks of nostalgia, and the imagery is perfect. 2) How the current insecurity is tainiting your good memories 3) How some of those 'good memories' aren't actually as good as you want to make yourself believe. I also go more in depth about this song here if you'd like. This song doesn't really resolve, but that's kinda the whole point with this one, it works.

Ride I love the emphasis on living > dying. Like we know that we'd be willing to make certain sacrifices for certain people, but it would be a whole lot better and even more meaningful if you live for them and sacrifice in other ways. And he's like, 'you gotta find purpose' but leaves the dot dot dot on what gives you purpose. It is also very catchy.

Fairly Local BAM Blurryface as a person > just a concept is introduced. And in an incredible way. I think that the way they split up Tyler's vs. Blurry's verses is intriguing. Cause Blurryface is remind Tyler, 'Look at yourself, look at me. We are the same, which makes you a worthless, terrible person because you allow me to exist, and it's all your fault.' But that kinda has the reverse effect of waking Tyler up, and him going from I'm evil to the core-> I'm not evil to the core, there are terrible parts to me, yes, but it isn't all that I am since I've placed my trust in something higher than temporary emotions, there is hope for me if I defeat you. Which is a great storytelling shift. Also it's the first introduction to the phrase 'The few, the proud, the emotional' which is such a cool and cold line that could be broken down ~lots~. And the darker instrumentals and vocals are epic.

Tear in My Heart Character limit for posts here you go

Lane Boy This song is okay, but not my fav. I think actually the best part of it isn't even in the audio of the song, it's in the music video where the screen says 'Why do I bow to these concepts? [Talking about Fame and Success] Tempted by control. Controlled by temptation. 'Stay low' they say' and then they dance before collapsing at a kneel to each other, with Tyler still standing. And I like that line 'Don't trust a perfect person and don't trust a song that's flawless' Which I think reads into don't trust anything or anyone that acts like they are perfect. Which is very true and very good. HOWEVER. There is a line that gives me pause. When he says that he doesn't know where he'd be without music. Which I think is reallllllyyy something after he wrote Car Radio, where he said sometimes you HAVE to allow yourself to sit with your thoughts and grapple with them, because music can't be a constant distraction from them. But I do understand how much good has come from his music, and I love it, its just like... idk man, I can't put my finger on it.

The Judge I could write a LOT about this, but unlike Tear in my Heart, I will hold myself back this time lol. I LOVE how this song is just him talking to God, the Judge, pouring out his doubts and insecurities and begging for mercy, knowing that he doesn't deserve it because of how he's messed up and sinned in life. And itends with having to trust in God and His strength and knowing that he is saved and needs to take rest in that fact. I adore the instrumentals of this song as well, it contrasts so wonderfully.

Doubt "Even when I doubt you/I'm no good without You" Do I need to elaborate? And how he's just beging God to not forget about him and cast him aside over his mistakes (which God will NEVER do, but it is something that I think is a common Christian experience, we all have that worry at some point or another). Blurryface is kinda winning in this one, and Tyler is trying his best to look past him and to Jesus with every shaky syllable.

Polarize I love the song introduction so much, okay? His synthy voice is the best here. I love that line 'Want to be an adversary to the evil I have done' which the first time I heard it, thought it said 'Want to be an adversary to the Evil One' but you know whatever. They are both good things to say. And his voice breaking when he goes 'I don't know where you are/You'll have to come and find me, find me' It makes me SCREAM its SO GOOD. I love how he wants to polarize the two split parts of his (and the human) condition. I talk about this a lot in my pinned post, we were created to be good, but we chose evil, and we're haunted by the fallen nature of the world and by our own sin and darkness. And then when we put our faith in Jesus, we become holy once more, redeeming and restoring us. His song is exploring the duality of our hearts and human nature and being saved in a more ambiguous way than creature, but still well.

We Don't Believe What's on TV I like how this song talks about the scary side of chasing your dreams- that you could fail, or that it could stop being your dream. And then wondering what people will think of it. But then knowing that people who are worthwhile and love you will still be there, even then. The ukelele in this makes me very happy as well.

Message Man A Top 10 song hands down. The lyrics of this are FIRE and the beat to it is crazy awesome and incredible and I love it. I know that this song has a lot of richness that I still need to chew over to write a post worthy of it, but I love how Tyler is saying, "Look, I am being authentic as much as I can in my music, I've written multiple songs on it, but what you see doesn't even scratch the surface to all this darkness in here. I am messed up. There is a lot of darkness you haven't seen. 'Use discretion when you're messing with the message man/These lyrics aren't for everyone to understand'"

Hometown Nautrally, we live in the dark, where there's no sun (which I'm like 97% sure is their imagery for God). It's our hometown. And yet the shadows that live here are tilting their heads at me (which I think is saying that Blurryface is going like "uh-oh, he's winning this fight and I'm dying, what do I do?") I love how he's acknowledging his hometown (haunted by our flesh) but is going "I don't want to stay here"

Not Today I LOVE THIS SONG SO MUCH. He's exposed Blurryface now, exposed him, taken him out of his mind, and forced the light in, allowing himself to be seen as who he is without Blurryface controlling him. This is the song where he's really taking action and being like, "You have an eviction notice my evil dude, get out." And then he's also once again touching on something that the entire album is about, getting your insecurities on the outside. Which I think is such an excellent and important messege. With insecurities (and habitual sin, if you wanna go there, which I do), the best weapon you have to defeat it is to get it out of your head, so that you can see it more clearly, and then allow others who are close to you to help you in fighting it too. Which is the only way I've ever been able to defeat insecurity and habitual sin, is by exposing it and telling people I loved and trusted about it, so that they could encourage me and help me fight it, as well as hold me accountable for it and when it starts to win again, not to mention also be like Tear in My Heart ideas. I think some of his best singing in this song right here. And this song has quite a few funnier moments, especially with his contradictions and the phrase "This one's a contradiction/Because of how happy it sounds/But the lyrics are so down" which is the driving force of Scaled and Icy later on.

Goner "I wanna be known by you" he says that 2342 times and its so obviously a plea to God here. "The ghost of you is close to me"??? "I've got two faces/Blurry's the one I'm not/ I need your help to take him out"??? It's a very raw and pleading ending, thinking he's a goner but not ready to get up cause he's got an ace up his sleeve, Jesus. Yeah, he's got fears, but also ultimate hope. And he's going to choose to keep fighting Blurryface with God. A very contemplative ending, which is at odds with the sounds of the rest of the album, but in a way that makes a lot of sense I think. I like how he goes from just vulnerable with the lyrics to being just as vulnerable sounding with the piano. We haven't heard that kinda sound since Before You Start Your Day, and its a good ending to the fight.

Basically, Vessel runs through the Romans 7 cycle, in a really intriguing and incredible way. And basically, Blurryface is a personification of mental health struggles and sin and defeating them through God.

I can't pick which one I like more yet 🫠

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

Did anyone else know that Rhys James, the little shit from Mock the Week, does stand-up that features feminist spoken word poetry? Because I was quite surprised when I learned that a couple of years ago. I learned it by watching the two stand-up specials he'd released before, both of which I found good at times, dragged at other times, but had some real flashes of brilliance that made me wish he'd released something more recent (the two he'd already released were Remains, from 2015, and Forgives, from 2016), because they seemed to be from a comedian who was full of potential to develop into something really really good. And maybe he already had, but I had no way of checking, because of the ocean (an ocean that I crossed this summer, but unfortunately Rhys James didn't go to Edinburgh this year).

Anyway, I saw last week that he was releasing a new special, Spilt Milk, on November 7th. I remember thinking at the time that that was an unfortunate release date, since I was excited about the idea of a new Rhys James stand-up special, but I figured the day it actually comes out, there's a fairly good chance that I'll be too lost in the depths of bleak despair to give a shit whether some comedian I rather like has put something up online.

Well, it's online now, and my most pessimistic predictions about my mental state at the time of release were correct. But instead of that meaning that the release has passed me by... nope, I'm going the other way. I'm rallying all my brain cells like a general commanding an army. "Come on, guys! We're all going to care about the new Rhys James special! It's something that might be fun! We're going to have fun and have some positive feelings about this!" It's a lot of pressure to put on one stand-up special, really, for it to eclipse the collapse of civilization. I wonder if Rhys James considered that pressure when he chose the release date.

It is released in my favourite way for comedians to release stand-up specials, which is directly on his website, where you can pay some money (five pounds, very reasonable), the money goes to him (and to the other parties involved in getting this video out there, but the point is that my money isn't going to some corporate streaming service that may or may not pass on a little to an artist once in a while), and I get to watch the video in exchange for that. I mean, my favourite way for artists to release stand-up specials is an unedited audio file on Bandcamp, because that's the sort of person I am, but this is pretty good too:

I assume it's good. I've paid the 5 pounds already, but I've not watched the special yet. It might be shit. If he endorses the rise of fascism in there or something, I don't want the assumption made that I support whatever he said just because I've shared it. But it might be good. Rhys James is funny. He was consistently the best thing in most of his Mock the Week episodes, he recently created a football-based Radio 4 sitcom that I quite enjoyed, and he used to do stand-up that featured feminist spoken word poetry. That's pretty good.

[palomahasenteredthechat]

I KNOW WE KEEP BRINGING UP TOM HIDDLESTON AND I'M SORRY! But at the risk of giving myself away, I have been saying since the beginning that Joseph's breakout into fame mirrored Tom's in a big way! I made a few posts about it back when the fans were being insane in late 2022. I was there in 2012 when Tom first rose to overnight fame and I stayed for about 3 years before fully moving on. Just before the T.S fiasco thank goodness. The point of saying this is that in the beginning when I was seeing Joe do all these interviews and saying whatever he wanted without really thinking and making inappropriate jokes I was reminded of how Tom used to be and I wondered if the similarities in their journey's would continue in the coming years. I wondered, would we see this version of Joseph that we started seeing in the media tour for AQPDO. Because I used to wake up in the mornings and read Tom Hiddleston's twitter like the morning paper. The man was SO funny and he posted ALL THE TIME. But about 6 months in, after someone found his old Myspace (showing my age there) and posted a bunch of photos from his 20s and screenshotted all the silly things he said as a young man, he hired a publicist and that just stopped. Not like, slowly dwindled. Like went from posting several thoughts he had 10 times a day since like 2006 to radio silence. Only ever posting to plug his new things . He went from giving titbits about his life and making jokes in interviews (He sang a very inappropriate part of a Tim Minchin song in an acceptance speech after Tim gave him an award for example😂) to strictly professional and very private. His Publicist at the time (Luke Windsor) was always watching to the point that it became a fandom joke because he was just THERE all the time in the background of photos, giving looks off to the side of interviews etc. It was pretty clear that he was getting absolutely reamed behind the scenes for saying things he shouldn't and posting things on socials that they didn't approve of. Don't get me wrong, Luke was seemingly lovely and the fandom enjoyed his presence but he was GOOD AT HIS JOB which meant that while Tom lost a lot of fans that "missed 2012 Tom" and wanted him back, he was taken way more seriously in a professional setting and ultimately it was great for his career. This is what's happening to Joseph. The parallel of 2012 to 2014 Tom Hiddleston to 2022 - 2024 Joseph Quinn is so extremely interesting to me, I could go on about it forever but I won't force you all to listen. The point of the message is to say that Tom never did go back to "who he was" or at the very least his public persona changed completely and we never did get "The Old Tom" back. Even if he may have still been that person behind closed doors, we never saw him again. So I'm sorry to say, for anyone hoping that Joe will magically reverse his image and behaviour after the DC thing ends or if he changes publicists that that is not likely to happen, especially now that he's signed with Marvel. So I encourage you all to do your best to digest that info. Sit with it for a bit and decide if you want to be a fan of or follow "The New Joe" because unfortunately, he's here to stay. :(

Fascinating, fascinating stuff Nonny. I also remember Tom's 'I am incredibly excited' tweets.

I have to believe these publicists do what they do not only to professionalize the actor's brand/career prospects but also to help the actor manage fame. If you are constantly giving up a part of yourself to everyone it can consume you. Only giving the 'persona' is probably a shield.

Thank you for writing!

[synthshenanigans]

woah hey a year has been passed wowie :0

First two weren't posted here cos they were too long ago & not CJish related but love the way he took up 70% of the year lol

[ Full images + templates below :} ]

[TW for Bright Colors, maybe blood & very very vague themes of depression/suicide for like 2 drawings I believe]

Long text about the arts if anyones actually curious!!

January: An old OC I completely forgot about until making this. He's based on old radio like things :}

February: Played Person 5 Royal last year & drew Joker cos idk he's neat. Fun fact, the same day I fully finished the game was the day Storm & a Spring came out. Also while grinding in the game, I had his Bidding & VoaC covers on repeat. Which was a bit annoying to do since they weren't on Spotify yet & YT on mobile didn't have looping then.

March: The Hawaii Part ii album cover :} I did post that eventually but that's the time I actually made it. Had listened to TME a couple of months before then which got me into the album, so months later I drew it cos why not? [Also the month Vol.1 fully released on everything. What's funny is my gallery for that day was a handful of memes I saved at 4am before I fell asleep. And then the next image saved is when I woke up which was a screenshot of the whiteboard in TfaR lol]

April: First main Jash art !!! And its not even with any of the songs from Vol. 1 lol. I had his Moss cover on repeat again & now that all of Vol. 1 was out, I drew Heart in some moss. Or really in the image from the video.

May: Lil animation I made of Heart with the song Don't Hit the Lights! Link to my post & the song can be found here :}. Still really like the song & even the drawings. Might remake em eventually idk

June: Sky/socialc1imb's Clue AU! I like murder mysteries & this one was real interesting so I drew it a lot lol. Might remake that one or one of the others I made at somepoint? It'll be a bit later if I do but ye

July: A redraw of a HMS piece I originally made back in May, based on the Three Wise Monkeys thing. I like the idea of it so I keep wanting to remake it.

August: I honestly can't remember if I posted that art or not. Actually yea I don't think I ever did PFFT. It's one of the few drawings I did of myself this year & its from CJs Not Perfect cover [as you can tell by the lyrics on it]. Also one of the very very few vent-ish arts I made. I like the background more than anything but its still neat ig?

September: Art for one of the best songs ever. I love Fine, I'm Fine its so good & I listened to it for like 70% of the 20+ hours it took me to make the drawing. Still proud of it so there's the sketch I drew on paper, the one on my tablet & then the final versions.

October: There was a lot from this month due to Jashtober. I still like this one lot & it wasn't insanely rushed so I picked this one to show lol.

November: I have no idea why I made a fun lil soul. I was having an identity crisis over my art style & ig decided to draw the guy who is a walking identity crisis/j

December: Same as September. One of my favorite songs ever was covered & released, so I made a drawing like everyone else lol.

[grazinginthefield]

Most of the reviews and reactions I've seen said that they did not foresee the story to go in a direction they were expecting for. It was the same case for me. I went into the book by pure recommendation, and did not check what it was about.

I thought it was really just about the problem, that alien life form would be portrayed strictly as a microorganism, and that the character's emotional journey would be about his deceased crews. And I'm so happy to be clueless about it.

(Spoilers!)

I found it so refreshing that the human-alien encounter was amicable, at the same time, it doesn't feel like it's far from reality. Maybe because it's also not an "alien invasion" story, but it could have gone to aliens-shooting-lasers-in-outerspace. Or that was just me getting scared it would go that way.

Now, Rocky is my favorite alien, and I couldn't emphasize enough how much I adore the Ryland-Rocky friendship. There was the scene where I unexpectedly bursted into tears. I even surprised myself. It was the built up and hoping nothing happens to Rocky, and all of a sudden the scene was all laid out, and I was an emotional wreck.

On their first encounter and learning about each other's species, I realized Ryland was the perfect person to talk to an alien. He is a schoolteacher with a scientific background, so he knows how to communicate and educate in a basic way, or in layman's terms. I was warned though, that as I go on reading, I'll learn something about him that would make him seem unfit. Coming to that part of the book, I did judge him for reacting that way. I had to stop there and get some sleep. Funny thing was, when I woke up, the first thing I thought of was "It's not fair to think of him as a coward when he was only given 5 hours to decide." In fact, his reaction was very appropriate considering factors like knowing all the intricacies of the mission, being there from the beginning, and had the assurance that he won't have to leave Earth and die. And all of sudden, it was just splurted out on him. I would have done the same, even though that would be the last thing I do on this planet.

Then the ending, which was also a mystery to me. I couldn't predict where it was going. When I was talking about it with my partner and he asked me what ending do I want, I said I want them to go home, save their respective planets, and find a way to have instant communication, because I didn't think I could take it if one of them dies. I think the only thing I was sure of is that their planets would be saved. Then again, the actual ending was waaaaay better than the ending I wanted. It was the best for Ryland too to go with Rocky in Erid as he seems to have no one else back on Earth. And I just found it super cool that they saved both planets. Rocky did save Earth by saving Ryland, right? You can just tell how pure and selfless he is as the first thing he said was save Earth.

Also was laughing and slapping my knees reading this book. The humor is so good, along with the banters.

"Sample device radio signal strong," Rocky says. "Getting closer. Be ready."

"I'm ready."

"Be very ready."

"I am very ready. Be calm."

"Am calm. You be calm."

"No you be cal---wait. I see the sampler!"

That was just so funny and adorable. Amaze amaze amaze!

Another interesting part for me, that I just want to put here quickly, is the discussion they have about both being there at the same time and place. Because they're right, if they're more intelligent beings than they are, they would have already found a solution, and if less intelligent, then they're probably dealing it with it in a much slower pace. I just love how that was discussed in the book.

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

hii, just wondering what the relationship between mariah and gothpool is with assata? do they get along, do they spoil her, who's more likely to babysit, etc.

(love ur ocs, they are so cool)

OOOHHH I don't think I've really thought about this so this is exciting!!

What Mariah-Janet (Hobie's Mary Jane) and Milo Mason (Hobie's Deadpool) are like with Assata Brown (Hobie's Adopted Daughter) -

[Funny Headcanons about Hobie's found family]

Funnily enough - I think Milo would be closer to Assata than Mariah

Mainly by Hobie's choice, which sounds kind of bizarre.

For Mariah -

Mariah and Hobie have a complicated relationship, kinda.

They're close, and they care about each other to the end and back, but they also don't see eye to eye quite often.

Mariah isn't really good with kids. She had to grow up too quickly, and spent most of her childhood alone, dreading the moment her father got home. So when Hobie brings Assata home, she kinda holds her breath.

It hurts a little bit, seeing how kind Hobie is to Assata.

Mariah is also very far left, and many would call her an extremist. Case in point, Hobie would not let Assata be around when Mariah is broadcasting her radio show, or doing activism work.

Mariah is not above talking about casual violence. She's completely fine with being like 'that person needs a guitar to the head' (i'm being kind with her language here.)

So Hobie is kinda hesitant to have her around Assata.

But Assata seems to like Mariah and her aura, and Mariah is nice enough. She usually treats her how we see Miguel treat Mayday

For Milo -

Somehow, Milo is GREAT with kids.

Cause..he kinda acts like one. Milo can do funny voices, and cool tricks, and he gets kid logic. He's one of those people who likes impressing kids.

And since he's always at Hobie's boathouse and Hobie can't get him to leave, Hobie is....somewhat comfortable with leaving Assata with Milo. Milo seems to adore him, and Milo hasn't lost her. Yet.

He won't spoil her, but he lets her get away with anything (he thinks she can reasonably pull off).

He's not gonna give her a knife, she's a kid! She needs nunchucks. Get her dexterity up first. Then maybe a bo-staff if she's good at it.

He's more like a big brother instead of a babysitter, and growing up he gets her into old-school 70's games and later on, PS1 games with the console Hobie traded with a Spider-Person for.

Hobie would NEVER admit that Milo is a good babysitter though.

Half the time when he tells Diane that Assata is with Milo she's like 'SHES WHAT'.

[nicsalazar]

Not hunting season || Kieran & Nicole

TIMING: Recent. LOCATION: The State Park. PARTIES: @debauchfairy & @nicsalazar SUMMARY: Kieran runs from a warden by sneaking into a cabin. Nicole checks on the intruder. WARNINGS: Head trauma.

The rangers communicated a fair amount while patrolling. Nicole didn’t enjoy it, it involved more speaking than she found comfortable, but it was a necessity. How else would a limited group of people cover the great lengths of the State Park and ensure everything ran smoothly? Smoothly as they could while understaffed and with insufficient resources, but smoothly nonetheless. 

The radio call she received from Daugherty wasn’t odd. Strangers trespassed quite regularly and abnormal situations around campsites were handled on the daily. Nothing out of the ordinary. As the call about a mysterious man roaming one of the lakeside campsites ended, Nicole turned her vehicle around and drove toward the area to corroborate how legitimate the information provided by witnesses was. It used to be a mixed bag of people not wanting others around while they enjoyed their downtime in nature, and real situations that could escalate to something dangerous.

Hoping for the former scenario, Nicole arrived at the campsite, got out of the car and scouted the area for any suspicious activity. It was a nice summer day outside, ideal for families to gather around the picnic area. Would be easy for anyone who wasn’t staying at one of the cabins to sneak in. Or for misunderstandings to occur. Her initial scan revealed nothing of concern— though the children screaming to a level that could rupture her eardrums should be considered a personal concern— so Nicole decided to pay the campsite manager a visit. Ask some questions. 

Before the idea solidified in her mind, she spotted a figure dashing inside one of the empty cabins. Something she likely wouldn't have noticed without enhanced senses. But nothing about this action was wrong yet, so Nicole approached without a rush, peering inside the window to confirm there was a man inside.

When she opened the door she didn’t expect said intruder to look— fuck, she wasn’t good at facial expressions, but— not good. He didn’t look good. Stressed possibly. Slightly disheveled. Instead of asking about what she saw him do, Nicole frowned.  “You alright?”

—

It was a situation that could have been amusing - at the very least, Kieran definitely would have laughed if anyone other than himself was dealing with this current predicament because it was funny. It was just also a complete and utter pain in his ass, not to mention the literal, physical pain that was the wound on his upper arm (and the irreparable damage to a favored jacket).

When iron was avoided as well as Kieran managed it, one could easily forget just how painful the damn things were. 

Nothing good ever came from connecting with nature - Kieran had well and truly had his fill of it during his younger years but last night (this morning? Semantics, didn’t really matter) properly proved his stance on the great outdoors. Even if the ‘outside’ part wasn’t technically responsible for throwing a warden in his path, it still sucked. And no, this obviously wasn’t Kieran’s fault for letting himself get dragged into this mess in the first place. He’d been promised decent company, drinks, maybe even some party favors and a bonfire - the last bit he was neutral towards - but a stupid warden being a part of the group? Not part of the deal. 

Kieran was reluctantly impressed by the warden’s patience, biding his time until the first crack of dawn had arrived and the rest of the group had trickled off. As soon as the presumed third wheel - the warden had put up a good, flirty act, alright? - vanished into the tree line, true colors had been revealed. Which was how Kieran had ended up spending the last three damn hours traipsing through these damn woods with a damn iron blade cut that would not stop burning. 

Salvation, possibly, came in the form of a campsite. It was filled with loud, annoying children and the kind of people Kieran normally would have avoided like the plague but desperate times. There was a small chance he’d managed to lose the warden but his heart still pounded as he stood obscured in the tree line, disgustingly vulnerable as he scraped together the last dregs of concentration to force his glamor back up. Kieran and his ‘dressed to impress’ outfit would already look out of place crossing through this hellscape of a campground, no need for the added attention his true form would have attracted. 

Once the door had closed behind him, Kieran finally allowed himself a breath of relief, as well as lamenting on how annoyingly funny this all was. The relief was short lived, each and every muscle tensing as the door opened. It wasn’t the warden, which allowed him to destress once more, even if this woman’s worried frown immediately annoyed him. “Do I look alright?” he shot back, letting go of the still seeping wound on his arm to wave his hand at this stranger and the door. “Either leave or get in and close the door.” Her outfit, or uniform more precisely, finally registered and wasn’t that just dandy - being told off by a park ranger was exactly what this morning was missing. 

—--

He didn’t look like he belonged in the campsite or the forest, it was her first impression. He was better suited to be the kind of person renting some unaffordable resort far away and having his every whim catered to him. Perhaps, he even owned the resort. The second thing Nicole noticed was the nasty gash on his upper arm. It resembled both a burn injury and a knife cut. Her eyes widened in alarm.  

He wasn’t alright, that became evident, and his attitude toward her question confirmed it. Nicole let embarrassment blaze through her for a moment, the heat rising in her cheeks, knowing she would dwell on that stupid question for the rest of the day. But she heard that tone aimed at her too many times around the park, she was able to separate her human reaction from her job as a ranger. “If you were attacked inside or near the camp you should tell me,” she stated, forehead creasing into deeper concern. The door stayed open when she approached, despite his demand. She had the years of experience not to take everything said to her by a pissed off visitor at face value. Who was to say he wasn’t playing victim after an altercation got the best of him? She traced the edge of her radio, debating whether to report back and call management at campsite of if she wanted to sort things out herself first. 

She studied him, trying to decipher what he was hiding. On a good day, Nicole should have been able to pinpoint the look on the stranger’s face. On a good day. But most days she could only divide facial expressions into three categories: happy, sad or angry. He looked angry, clearly—no. There was something else, in the rise of his brow, between each labored breath, a thing Nicole was familiar with, but the meaning evaded her. It wasn’t a good day. But she decided he didn’t have to pay for her shortcomings. Not yet. Her hand trailed down to her back pocket instead, pulling up a handkerchief, offering it to the man to stop the bleeding. 

It was far from the worst attack she witnessed at the park, but the frequency of them never got easy to deal with. Part of her doubted the man would be willing to cooperate the way others had in the past, though. “The attacker could still be around, gotta make sure they won’t get anybody else,” she explained before sinking into another silence, contemplating. “Got first aid in the main cabin if you want it.”

—

Tell this protector of plants and bears about a warden? Yeah, Kieran would very resolutely turn down that offer, his distaste at her… order? Suggestion? Whichever it was, his distaste was clearly visible on his face. “Is there a specific distance from the camp where you’re not required to care anymore?” Kieran responded instead of providing any useful information, being difficult not just for the sake of it but also because of his identity. Maybe like just over half of it was being difficult because he was tired and in pain and she looked so damn concerned that it was pissing him off. Well, concerned morphing into downright staring which granted, Kieran liked a lot of things about humans but the social constructs of ‘appropriate time and ways to look at someone’ were such a miss. 

The damn door was still open but finally, something useful from her aside from just staring and pretending she would somehow be useful against this warden if they showed up. With only a tiny bit of disdain, Kieran accepted the offered handkerchief, pressing it against the still seeping wound. It would probably be much more helpful to tie the thing around his arm, no way every show and movie got that bit wrong, but neither of them looked particularly interested in closer contact than was strictly necessary at this point. 

Granted, the logic of a crazed attacker running around with a knife and needing to be caught was sound, except for the fact that this attacker was a specific kind of insane. The righteous and honestly, quite prejudiced kind. “Trust me, they only have eyes for me,” was all he offered, which still felt like more explanation than he was strictly willing to give. She already seemed wary of him - being the sole object of someone running around slicing and dicing probably didn’t do much to fix his image. At least he looked presentable and she wasn’t averse to offering him first aid despite all of this. “Alright,” Kieran finally relented after a long, quiet moment of deliberation. Worst came to worst, he’d force her to stop asking these questions and slip away but for now, some better bandaging didn’t sound horrible. 

—

Not many things made Nicole laugh. Her dog Nacho, mostly. Outside of that, cracking a smile remained a foreign concept, her muscles atrophied to the action. Something that she found amusing, however, was confrontational visitors. She believed it had more to do with a natural response to her nerves, than finding anything particularly humorous. Yet any time someone tried acting as if they were an exception to the rule, it earned a dry huff from her. She supposed, as far as reasons to act defensive, the man in front of her had a great deal in his favor. Nicole understood, she was cranky when she got hurt too. She huffed, shaking her head at him. Her lips pressed into an apologetic grimace. “Within the park? No— Afraid’s part of the job to care. Even then— wouldn’t you— Who wouldn’t stop to help an injured person?” 

He seemed understanding of her intention to extend a hand, as inconvenient as it was for him. Eventually reaching for the handkerchief Nicole offered. Her thumb hooked on her belt, mere inches from her radio. Nothing wrong about being cautious. And though he begrudgingly accepted the help in the shape of a piece of fabric, the man wasn’t any closer to divulging who’d been responsible for his injury to begin with. Nicole waited in an uncomfortable silence —not unlike most silences when it came to people— until he supplied one extra sentence of information. Nicole tensed at that. It was a personal matter then, criminal possibly?

Why would they need to settle their differences in the middle of the woods? That part stuck out. Nicole’s mind swarmed with questions, however her train of thought stopped when the stranger relented, accepting her other suggestion: The first aid kit. Something set in the pit of her stomach. Wasn’t relief but— it was nice. Things would be handled swiftly, and perhaps, should his mood look up, he could give more information regarding the mysterious attacker. “Right, c’mon. Then.” The main cabin was a short walk from the campsite, they would be there in a few minutes. 

The wooden floor creaked as Nicole turned around, signaling for the man to follow her. Yet two steps were all she took when her ears picked up on shuffling feet outside, brushing past foliage. Nicole halted. It was oftentimes difficult to trust her gut, when her gut treated everything like a worst case scenario, but this she knew felt categorically wrong. She held her hand up, stopping him from walking further. In turn, she was the one to step forward and close the door for a moment. She would take uncomfortable silence or snarky remarks if it meant— 

She only got her hand on the doorknob when a body slammed against the door, brute force almost sending Nicole to the ground. By reflex she pushed forward, intent on closing it, opposing who she assumed was on the other side. Fuck. She should’ve listened. Why didn’t she? It was too late. She pushed, shoulder against the wooden surface, but there was a foot on the door, preventing her from doing anything. She was no match for his strength. Her arms screamed in resistance, until they gave out. She tumbled backward, but didn’t let go of the doorknob. Unfortunately she had given too much space for the attacker to slip inside.

The stranger wasn’t wrong, this man only had eyes for him. And that vicious look on his face shot up real panic in her chest. She recognized that look. That look froze her completely, mind peeling away from her body, sending her back in time.

—

Oh, humans and their bleeding hearts. Who wouldn’t stop to help an injured person? A lot of people, human or otherwise. An injured person could be a huge bother, a trap or an opportunity, maybe even a meal for those inclined towards meals of the flesh. Sure, Kieran was currently benefiting from this incessant need to ‘do good’ but no one would convince him it was the way the world worked. So he skipped the question - better to let this park ranger cling to the hope that she was helping out a fellow do-gooder. 

Not that it mattered in the end as the helping would have to wait. 

Kieran hadn’t needed her gesture to stop, having already halted once he’d picked up on the same crunching of leaves and branching that she apparently had, too. It was too late to hide, the warden would have picked up on his presence at this point and as far as he could tell, this park ranger wasn’t carrying anything resembling a weapon. 

His eyes didn’t move from the foot that had managed to slip between the door and the jamb, keeping it from closing and he felt the blood drain from his face. Should have kept running, stopping in here was a bad idea, chatting with a park ranger even more so– The warden was inside despite the stranger’s valiant but ultimately pointless efforts. Kieran had backed himself against the furthest wall without fully taking notice, expression fixed into one of neutrality despite the angry gaze currently staring him down, forcing his heart to work double time. 

“I thought no witnesses was more your speed. Unless you’re upgrading to stabbing humans, too. And a public servant, at that.” It wasn’t quite certain whether Kieran was simply poking at a loaded gun but as someone not exactly equipped to fight, he sure as hell wouldn’t go down quietly. The park ranger looked… well, useless, seemingly frozen in terror. Would the warden kill her too simply to avoid catching heat for stabbing someone in broad daylight? Only one way to find out, he supposed. With the warden weighing his options, Kieran forced himself to focus before forcing all that focus onto the park ranger, exerting his influence on her as it was useless on the warden. 

“Help me,” he told her, fully unsure as to what exactly that help would entail but her odds of survival against cold iron were better than his and, what was that saying? Better you than me? 

—

Nicole backed herself up against the small nightstand by the bunk bed, too busy trying to work past the fear expanding in her chest to feel guilty or ashamed that this was her reaction to someone needing help. She was meant to provide assistance, wasn’t she? She didn’t have an ideal track record with— them. The kind of problem that barged into the cabin, brandishing a knife. Pure hatred in his gaze. Hunters. She knew the word, but even thinking it sent a shiver down her spine; mysterious pain searing into her lower back. Perhaps the man was better off if she didn’t try to intervene. His chances of survival shouldn’t rely on a woman who couldn’t save anyone.  

Nicole had some training for situations like this, self-defense classes, but against supernaturally enhanced humans? His plea came nonetheless, and Nicole locked eyes with him. Help him? How the fuck was she supposed to do that? Her own apprehensions aside, she wasn’t a law enforcement ranger, she had no weapons big enough to face a hunter. Some fucking bear spray wouldn’t do shit against a knife, or a gun, should he pull out one. Why were all rational arguments slowly slipping away, burying themselves into a warm comfort blanket in the back of her mind? She knew— She couldn’t— Could she? No. N— 

The hunter approached his prey, with a calculated move. And something snapped inside Nicole. The spirit stirred beneath her sternum, clawing at her ribcage. Goosebumps spread along her skin as the cold struck with surprise. Overriding the fear that sat on her chest a moment before. What was there to fear, when she carried a mighty beast, an ancient predator within her? The hunter was no match for the creature she was. 

She ripped the lamp on the nightstand and lunged forward to smash it on the hunter’s head. Her steps must’ve been too loud, too telegraphed, because he was ready for her attack. When she swung, he knocked it out of her hand with frightening speed. In his next move, he counter attacked with a hook to her stomach that sent her tumbling back. It did nothing but ignite a bigger fire within her. She wasn’t backing down. Why— why wasn’t she? She didn’t feel like it. It didn’t feel like it.  

She surged again, a hand gripping the hunter’s shoulder, to get him off the other man. Her muscles burned white hot, a pained growl tumbling past her lips as claws grew, sinking into the man’s shoulder, tearing his flesh. The jaguar was— it was as if— the closest sensation she could think in the moment to describe it was— a sneeze. She felt the spirit pulsing in her hand, not fully taking over, but as an extension of her rather than distinct entities. Her ribcage vibrated with the energy of something vicious. The hunter twisted in pain, hissing as he tried to push her away, swinging his knife around. If he sliced her, she didn’t feel it. At best, Nicole was holding him up, her burst of energy would surely only last a few moments. She looked at the lamp on the ground, the amber gaze of the jaguar found the man backed up against the wall, signaling for him to pick it up, try knock him out, otherwise they were both done for. 

—

This wasn’t a situation in which Kieran was used to brandishing his hypnosis, at least not to this extent. He’d instigated a fight or two, even avoided getting caught in a skirmish by having someone else take the fall for him but never life-or-death. Even so, he was amazed by the visceral shift he saw in the park ranger’s eyes, not merely the familiar glazed over look but rather something new and strong. A fire, confidence that hadn’t been present before, and Kieran did like it when his ability brought out a new, unexpected side in people but this wasn’t really the time to enjoy it. There was a flurry of movements, attacks blocked and punches thrown and Kieran tried to seize the distraction, make an attempt to escape. The warden noticed, quickly moving to trip Kieran up and maybe, he thought as he hit the ground, he shouldn’t have been so focused on keeping his glamor up because the hooves would not have been as easily fumbled. 

The knife caught the light as the warden raised it, no more messing around since chaos had already broken loose but the park ranger wasn’t done. And… oh. Her eyes had fully shifted into something inhuman now, along with what were definitely claws, locked into the warden’s shoulder. Not like the slitted irises Kieran had first seen in Wyatt but animal-like all the same. Lucky break, maybe this wasn’t doomed after all. 

Pain and the threat of something more dangerous than Kieran dragged the warden’s attention away and the faun scrambled to his feet. The route to the door was now fully unguarded. Maybe this shifter would be able to keep his attention long enough for Kieran to get some distance away - would the warden spare her now that her human cover had so dramatically been blown? Not that it was Kieran’s problem, technically. Even if he had forced her to join the fight but really, wasn’t that her job anyway? He met the unnaturally colored eyes right as he had made the decision to bolt, following that gaze to the discarded lamp. Getting a hit in as payback for the wound still burning on his arm would feel nice. 

Cursing under his breath, Kieran lunged for the lamp before he could change his mind. It wasn’t until he had raised the damn thing in the air that he realized just how close he needed to get to the warden but there was no turning back now - instead, he let his glamor drop and with it, the influence on the shifter, the increased agility of his real legs coming in handy as Kieran brought the heavy lamp down to smash over the warden’s head. Blood immediately bloomed on the hunter’s forehead as his eyes rolled back, previously swinging arms going limp followed by his whole body. It hit the ground with a satisfying thud and Kieran exhaled happily, resisting the urge to stick his tongue out at the unconscious form. 

—

Nicole couldn’t wrap her head around what was it that kept the spirit raging, pounding in her chest, yet somehow contained. Was that always a possibility? She never knew they could work as a unit. The energy burst through her in an electrifying way, she didn’t want to let go of her —its prey. Blood seeping from where the claws punctured stained the hunter’s shirt, spurring her on. She watched transfixed. Why not end him? Why not unlock the beast and let it take care of it? Would be a matter of seconds. One less of them roaming in town, hurting innocents, ruining lives. The jaguar sought revenge on past losses, and Nicole didn’t question why she recognized or validated the spirit’s desire.  

The decision was made for her, before she could seize the hunter’s other arm, before sharp teeth could find purchase on the man’s windpipe, the other man shuffled closer, wood creaking underneath him. He was coming to deliver the hit, wasn’t he? Part of her — the animal side— resented it. It was supposed to be the jaguar’s kill. Nicole watched him expectantly, part human part jaguar, and ready to act if he didn’t have what it took. Only it wasn’t a man who stood before her, not entirely. She was no longer the only one with a secret inside the cabin. 

She had never seen something like it, however, her brain racking to find any ounce of knowledge she had on similar monsters. Unfortunately, there was no time to launch into an interrogation. He was being hunted, and Nicole suddenly understood why. 

She stepped backward just enough for the man to pick up the lamp and smash it against the man’s head. He was immediately reduced to dead weight. With a loud thump against the planks, he hit the ground unconscious. The wound beckoned her yet again, though. The scent of fresh blood that normally would’ve been jarring, now felt irresistible. The jaguar stirred proudly inside her ribcage, strong despite the threat being gone. Nicole couldn’t find it in her to worry about a potential takeover. Why? If that was what the balam desired then— Eyes wide, she stared at the other man, the adrenaline of the moment slowly subsiding. The time for processing was near. 

Her gaze fell on the half-man’s legs. Hooves. He had— Nicole didn’t have vast experience with shifters. She’d known of werewolves, and balam. She’d heard of bird-like shifters and once stumbled upon a talking croc—alligator? Something. Not him. This went beyond what she’d known thus far. What the fuck? Her claws retracted, and the tension in her forehead eased. She realized everything looked slightly less sharp around her. 

There was an unconscious man on the floor, and two human hybrids staring at each other. The strange, euphoric haze occluding her judgment was gone, temerity melted cold along her ribcage, a more familiar sensation of fear replacing it. Nicole had to protect the jaguar, despite everything. “Will— uh, keep my mouth shut if… you keep yours,” she mumbled, appealing to a shared sense of otherness. She wasn’t sure if he was bold and proud of what he was, but— after a close call with a hunter, secrecy should be encouraged. She leaned down to grab the lamp’s cord, tying the man’s hands behind his back. If he retained his agility and strength when he woke up, at least this would hold him back for a moment. 

The image of a man with hoofed legs was a hard one to move past, but Nicole tried. For both their sakes. “Gonna call the other rangers. Keep him locked in the cabin while—” she blew a tense breath. What the fuck just happened? She almost wished she was running on adrenaline or whatever it was that made her act so bravely before. But her chest was silent, and she no longer believed in the jaguar’s mighty power. The spirit didn’t vanish like this, though. Something lulled it into slumber. She was so confused, if she were alone it would’ve sent her into a spiral. But the man stood before her, proud of what he did to stop the hunter. He ought to be, she supposed, saving both of them. More importantly, “you should go—” she pressed. She, a parker ranger, reprimanding an intruder wouldn’t look suspicious. And with her reputation for avoiding altercations, his wounds would be deemed necessary. The other man, however— No point in drawing more attention to him. “Go. Something tells me— whatever bandaid we can offer won’t do much for you”.

—  

The change came quickly, first in the way the familiar haze vanished from the park ranger’s still amber eyes, followed by the return of irises more befitting a human. She looked confused, disoriented by the hypnosis most likely but seemingly far from slotting the pieces into place. From her expression, it wasn’t hard to gauge that she had never seen anything remotely similar to Kieran before. She was staring and while the faun was never uncomfortable, a slightly bitchy request for her to stop staring did linger on the tip of his tongue. Not like she was the picture of normalcy, blood coating her fingertips where claws had retracted back and vanished. In turn, Kieran inhaled deeply to slow his rapid heartbeat, dragging focus away from the still aching wound on his arm to reclaim his glamor. 

“Sounds like a plan,” he agreed, wondering for a moment if a bind was smart or whether the knowledge of mutual secret sharing was enough. It was probably fine, seeing as she didn’t really know much at all about him, anyway. The park ranger continued speaking timidly and Kieran decided he definitely preferred the intense version willing to fight literal tooth and nail (claw). 

His eyes moved from the warden’s face, still menacing even in this state of unconsciousness. Why hadn’t he pushed the shifter to change fully, tear into this man like he so clearly deserved? Kieran regretted the hesitation, the waste of power he could have wielded but didn’t, a way to make sure this warden never tracked him down again. He still could. The thought floated tantalizingly around his head, vision of blood covering this cabin floor to ceiling, the helpful ranger shifting back into the mess she’d made… She didn’t seem the type to take enjoyment from it if her current manner was anything to go off, her reluctance to step in before Kieran made her. 

It didn’t fit. 

A shifter, someone powerful, working in a job like this? Helping humans who have gotten themselves into dumb dilemmas (along with the occasional handsome faun in trouble through no fault of his own). At least Wyatt’s job, lack of control he seemed to have over it, seemed fitting for something so deadly. This woman was just… confusing. You should go. 

As much as Kieran didn’t like being told what to do, the shifter wasn’t wrong. And despite his knack for reading people, he didn’t have but the tiniest insight into the park ranger. Maybe she was meek except when it came to exacting revenge on people who made her murder hunters. Kieran wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of another Emilio situation except this time, against a wild animal. “I think you’re right,” he admitted, somewhat reluctantly, shifting back a few steps towards the door. “Guess I’ll see you around.” He did kind of want to, mildly curious now. And, as he realized once he was quite a ways from the wretched public park, he had a handkerchief to return. Not to mention making sure no secrets got spilled.