#anyways hope my fellow tv demon enthusiasts enjoy this :-)

[snezario]

Power Outage; Vo/x

This took so much longer than I anticipated and I kind of got frustrated with it towards the end so it's not proofread at all. The scenario is based off an anon ask I got about a month ago.

Nursing a steaming mug of coffee, Vox plods his way down the spiral staircase from his penthouse. He drags a tired hand down his screen as he stands in front of the door to the room he had been heading towards. It looked plainer than he remembered it. Best get to it. He wraps his hand around the doorknob and enters the room.

The motion sensors detect his presence immediately (at least those were still working) and the overhead light flickers on to illuminate the mess of an office–files scattered along the floor, various colored sticky notes on the desk, and an outdated computer. He squints at the harshness of the fluorescent lighting. After his screen adjusts to the lighting, he places his mug down on a free spot on the messy desk and surveys the room.

It had really been some time since he spent time in his private office, rather than in front of his multitude of screens. Especially after upgrading his personal hardware and software, he didn’t see the need to be down here anymore. 

He had to be very careful moving shit around with the amount of dust coating all the surfaces. Vox mentally berates himself, closing any unnecessary vents. Why oh why did he not send his personal assistant to grab the file? Gingerly sifting through the folders, he lets out a frustrated sigh. Of course, he wouldn’t have left out a file of this importance just strewn amongst these mundane ones.

Vox gazes around the room, thoughtfully tapping his clawed fingers along the bottom of the screen. His gaze finally falls upon a dingy metal cabinet, with a stack of folders perched on top, nestled in the far corner of the room. Bingo. The television demon saunters over to it and reaches to grab the drawer handle, frowning when it doesn’t open immediately. He grunts as he tugs harder on the handle but the drawer won’t budge. His eyebrows knit together after he gives  a couple more forceful pulls.

Sighing when his efforts prove fruitless, he crosses his arms in front of his chest as he glares at the stubborn storage container. Does he even really need it? He has half a mind to give up the venture and get back to preparing for tonight’s broadcast. No, he came all the way down here to fetch the file and he’s not about to leave the room without it.

Marching back over to the cabinet, he rolls up his sleeves and grasps the handle with both hands, one leg against the cabinet and one anchored to the floor. Put your back into it you prissy fuck! Vox grits his teeth as he yanks the handle with a truly unnecessary amount of force. Aha! The drawer squeaks as it finally gives way, a grating sound to Vox’s audio system but he’s grateful because it indicates to him the sweet, sweet sound of success.

However, Vox’s triumph is short-lived. His eyes widen with excitement that quickly devolves into horror as the cabinet drawer finally bursts open and the tower of folders on top of it teeters dangerously before toppling over. It all happens faster than he can react and before he knows it, the whole stack of dust-laden folders smacks him in his face. Shitshitshit.

Vox swallows uncomfortably watching the dust motes swirling in front of him as a result of the commotion. He really was beginning to regret coming down here. That’s what he gets for neglecting to assign cleaning staff to this office, despite not having used it in several years.

It was just a bit of dust, no biggie. Or so he thought all those years ago when he first found himself in the chaotic realm of Hell. Turns out that he and dust don’t really mix. He learned the hard way that despite the excitement and power that came with his abilities, they tended to go haywire at a time like this—as in, he had no control over them whatsoever when he sneezed but especially when he suffered from an allergic reaction.

The delicate skittering across his internal wiring is becoming harder to ignore. He’s pretty certain he’s overthinking it but it feels like someone blew dust directly into his vents because of how itchy it feels back there. At this point it won’t be long before–hh! Vox feels his screen glitch which accompanies the breathy hitch that spells the end of days. Without an actual nose, he can’t really quell the tickle either and no amount of holding back ever did him any good. After a few more decidedly desperate gasps, Vox snaps forward.

“hh–hhZZSHHH! ih…ihh? H-hell… ihh’ZCHH’uh! ”

Vox groans after the outburst, slumping in the desk chair as he scrubs at his screen. The tickling feeling is quite literally beyond his reach, given that the sensation is rooted in his internal wiring. Sure he could try and get back there but what exactly would he be able to do. There was also a high likelihood that he would damage something vital. Especially with how persistent the tickle is. What made it worse was he could never stop at just one, it always had to be at least two or three minimum.

“ehh'ZZTCHHhiew! hihh'TSHHH’uh! hhKTSHH! Guh…” Vox pants, hunched over in the chair as the trio of sneezes leaves him winded. His reprieve is short-lived as a shaky inhale escapes his throat, and he finds himself pitching into his elbow as the sensation peaks again, “ih…ih’DTSSHhhuh! hh’Z̶̨̛̙͙̱̤̰͋̊̋́͊̓Z̷̬̞̦͕̦̃̃̆̿̊̃͌̐̅̍͊͐̒̑̚Ş̷̧͍̺̯̘̱̯̱̈͛͑̔͐̋̊͝H̷̡̦̤̘͓͓͓͎̳͉͎̘̒H̶̹̼̣̦̍H̸̠̞̹̻̘̗͉̼͍̄́́̕hiew!”

He frowns when sparks shower him as the overhead light fixtures burst, engulfing him in darkness. It’s only momentary, as the emergency lights kick in. A warm yellow glow fills the room since these lights utilize an older type of lightbulb, but Vox isn’t sure they’re exactly protected from his involuntary outbursts.

The television demon jumps as Velvette slams open the door. He hazards a glance at his business partner while avoiding eye contact. She is positively fuming. He’s actually surprised she knew he was her, given that she wasn’t around when he even used this office.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, Velvette?” Vox flashes her a sharp grin and tries to keep his voice level while he plays dumb.

“Oh piss off! You know exactly why I’m here, Vox,” the social media Overlord snaps at him, her hands on her hips.“The ceiling lights in my department flickered a bit, which isn’t usually cause for concern. But a couple minutes later it happened again and then the whole fucking floor lost power. We were going to reroute power from the floor above but it looks like that’s out too. Care to explain yourself?” She taps her foot rapidly as she waits for him to make up an excuse. 

“N-nothing you can’t h–hh!–andle,” Vox tries to dismiss her concern with a wave of his hand. Velvette’s eyes narrow at the audible hitch in his voice, which he had hoped would have gone unnoticed.

“I swear to fuck, if you blow out the power on another floor–” Velvette warns him as Vox visibly struggles to keep a lid on the feathering in his head. He chuckles nervously, taking in Velvette's imposing demeanor. He really didn’t want to get into it with Velvette. Due to her smaller stature between the Vees, Val was a fucking bememoth of a demon as it was, Sinners tended to dismiss her. A huge mistake on their part, she was the youngest Overlord for a reason, which is why Vox had taken her under his wing as she began acquiring power.

He presses a hand to the back of his head, against the vent that’s been giving him the most trouble. A futile attempt of course, as the irritation in question is far deeper in his components.

“ihh'TZZSHh! Fhh–ucck me… hh’DTCHhieew! hih’IZZSHuh! ehh’Z̴̠̮͛̓̃̾͂D̴̞̳̕Ṱ̵̬̭͉̒̾C̸̘̠̥̝͓͌̊̎͝͝C̷͖̫͚̫̩̈́Ḣ̸̥̮͝Ȟ̴̡͇͚̟̈̓̂͝!”

The lights in the office momentarily dim but remain intact. Small victories. On the floor immediately above them, Vox can hear a cacophony of sounds–no doubt caused by his latest fit. Vox pinches the middle of his screen where the bridge of his nose would have been. Never before did he want a nose as much as he did right now. At least he knew how to deal with it, but this was something else.

“THAT’S IT!”

Vox’s pupils shrink as the younger Overlord stomps over to him.

“N-now, Velvette let’s take a moment–” The television demon stammers, his screen glitching slightly, as she swiftly crosses the room. The expression on her face is beyond annoyance now. She backs him into a corner of the room. Despite being a whole head shorter than him, Vox shrinks under her glare as she looms over him menacingly. The intense magenta glow of her eyes are the last thing he sees before everything goes dark.

Valentino looks up lazily from the show he was watching as Velvette slams open his door. His gaze tracking her trajectory as she trudges past him to flop on the couch beside him with an exasperated sigh. He takes a long drag from his cigarette, before nonchalantly blowing the ruby colored smoke into the air. “Seems like you got Vox under control.”

Velvette scoffs and rolls her eyes, before returning her gaze back to her phone, which she is simultaneously posting on her Sinstagram, ordering the two of them takeout, and texting 3 other sinners. “No thanks to you. But I couldn’t have him short-circuiting and causing another city-wide blackout.”

“So… what happened?”

“I just knocked him out,” Velvette says in a very matter-of-fact tone.

“With a sedative?” Valentino raises an inquisitive brow.

“Something along those lines,” Velvette finally looks up from her phone and smirks mischievously at Valentino, whose eyes widen at her coy response.

“Crisis averted, I suppose. I have a couple of whores already tending to repairs on the affected floors.” Valentino shrugs and goes back to scrolling on his phone.

[prettyinpiercings]

Ramadan

Why do so many of my friends view fasting as some kind of sacrilegious torment?

Ask any Muslim, or even a health "enthusiast", what their favourite time of year is and you might as well just ask one person. The majority will no doubt answer; "when I get to fast".

Fasting for Muslims is the month of Ramadan, and for health enthusiasts, it's just a detox whenever they like and can vary in length and regulations. However what most people don't realise is that there are more than just health benefits to fasting in Ramadan. I'll explain to you why Muslims fast and why you might consider trying it too.

Mind, Body and Soul. These three things all strengthen and become heightened in the month if Ramadan. Firstly the health benefits (body) are fairly obvious. Giving your body an extended period of time to digest food, absorb minerals/vitamins and clear it's self of toxins leaves ones body in a much better state after fasting. Just because this year has a very long fasting period, because it takes place in summer, doesn't mean you have to fast from 2am till 10pm like I will be doing. Setting a regulation for yourself any will work, wether it's fasting for 8 hours a day or 20 hours a day, whatever suits you! It is all for you remember!

If you're not interested in dropping a couple pounds and feeling just that much more pumped then what about doing it for the mental perks? A few uneducated but vocal people will tell you that fasting is extremely unhealthy and can even result in death. My advice to those people is to talk to a Muslim or two who have been fasting for their whole lives, and by no miracle of god, are alive and well. My point is, there's nothing about fasting that is unhealthy. In fact there are guidelines to when it acceptable to not fast, so as not to harm one's body. These exemptions include when a person is: pregnant, menstruating, ill, travelling and if a person is young or old.

Anyway, back to my main argument, fasting is also good for the mind too. In the month of Ramadan many Muslims tend to think of their hunger as empathy for the less fortunate. Fasting is difficult, yes, but not without reason. It's highly enlightening to people that are privileged, or better off then most, to take a moment and imagine what it's like to not have a meal always readily available.

One of my favourite mental perks of Ramadan is self restraint. Not only can no food pass ones lips from sun rise to sun down but a lot of Muslims also must restrain from activities such as sexual interaction, swearing and listening to music. Self restraint is one of the hardest things a person can teach themselves but Ramadan is just one mere month in a year where Muslims can better themselves and become more refined and resolved people.

Lastly soul.

Now I understand that not everyone is religious or spiritual but even someone who is struggling with life or trying to find themselves can benefit from fasting. Muslims call Ramadan the holy month for a lot of reason. One being that the devil (shaai'tan),all demons and jinn are bound during the month of Ramadan. Not only that but the heavens are open for each and every prayer to be received by god. That is why many Muslims will pray extra in the month of Ramadan and have special communal prayers on Fridays (al jumm'ha).

If you're not religious however you can still enjoy the perks. I often suggest to my friends to try meditating. It's not just a fad people. It essentially works the same way as prayer does, calming the soul and being but just without the religious worship and intent. Meditating is not just sitting with crossed legs and chanting "Ouuummmmm".

No, it's serious. Have your ever tried clearing your mind? It is surprisingly difficult but if you achieve it, amazingly calming and peaceful. A bit of stress relief for you type A's out there.

And a break from anyone's busy life is a good idea.

For those not too keen on meditation, try using the time you're abstaining from doing normal activities to think about your life or yourself or anything you damn well please. Just take time to your self! Ignore phones, tv shows, books and other distracting things and think about the trajectory of your life and where you want to be. There's no time like the present to do it and everyone knows that taking a break once in awhile can't hurt.

I hope I have convinced even one person to try and fast for any period of time at any time of year. It really is a time when I do feel at my calmest and best. Remember to stay healthy though. That means no 24 hour fasts, no stuffing your self silly at sundown (Iftar) and please eat well. I shall be fasting for 20 hours in a day this Ramadan due to it falling in summer, that might sound terrible but, fortunately for me this year it doesn't fall on my birthday! (like it did last year).

So there you have it. Ramadan and fasting explained, no sacrilegious torment involved whatsoever. To all my fellow Muslims I hope you have a great Ramadan (don't forget to eat some dates and say Bismillah) and to everyone considering it, give it a go.

Good luck everyone and Ramadan Mubarak.