#ever since i started listening to chappell to be exact

[spacedustmantis]

chappell roan is exactly what swifties want taylor swift to be (a queer woman and a good lyricist)

[cwartsy]

Mistletoe (Hazbin Hotel)

A plan had been put into place.

Christmas was coming and as the Happy Hotel was owned by Hell's very own princess, everyone who knew her knew that come December first, the entire place would look like it should be on a cheesy Christmas card. What surprised them though was who Charlie wanted to do the decorating. Most people in Charlie's position would have simply hired someone to do it, but Charlie wouldn't have dreamt of missing out on the fun. To Charlie, Christmas was every bit as magical as was to a child. Even something as simple as hanging a stocking was special. Her childlike love for the holiday didn't keep her from knowing and respecting that not everyone enjoyed Christmas as much as her but her Christmas spirit made her want to help others enjoy themselves during Christmas. To spread love and cheer, or at least, a little fun. That was why, when it was time to decorate the hotel for Christmas, she got a brilliant idea. She proposed this idea to her band of misfits with no hesitation the moment it popped into her head. She proposed to her friends, the staff, supporters and patients who had grown close enough to her to become a second family that instead of getting someone else to do the decorating, how about they decorate the hotel together?

Reactions were mixed, as we're their opinions. Most thought this was just typical of Charlie's character. Some thought it was sweet while others groaned and rolled their eyes but still agreed to help anyway. Alastor however,  like always, smiled. For in this, Alastor saw an opportunity. An opportunity he could and was without a doubt going to exploit.

You see, Alastor was madly in love. And when you're madly in love and asked to decorate a place for Christmas, only one thing comes to mind. The most romantic of all Christmas traditions, hanging mistletoe.

No one in hell would ever be able to tell just by looking at him but Alastor was a hopeless romantic at heart. Ever since he fell head over heels for the one who held his affections, and possible obsession as well, that's what had constantly been on his mind. He plotted ways to get romantic with this gorgeous specmin more than he plotted to take people's souls. So if one were to give him the opportunity to hang up a plant people traditionally kissed under during the holidays, then  Alastor was going to get a ton of the stuff and set it up like traps to catch his prey. Since the moment Charlie had suggested decorating the hotel themselves, that had been a goal he was determined to achieve. But he knew he was going to need a little bit of help do to this and so, six hours, four extra crates of mistletoe and an eleven foot tall spider demon later, the task was completed.

The traps had been set, now all he needed to do was lure the prey. His target was not an infatuation he admired from afar but his beloved partner of over a year. This partner of his was a snarky and often bad tempered but shy, sweet and awkward dork of a demon who made up Alastor's entire world. He went by the name of Baxter but Alastor had all sorts of nicknames for him. His favourite was Gourami, like the kissing fish. If things were going to go to plan now, then they would soon be doing a lot of kissing. The plan was simple. Alastor was just going to let Baxter go about his day with him and every time they stepped under a bit of mistletoe, which would literally be every other step they took, Alastor would kiss him. The plan was in place right from the start of the day, when Alastor and his beloved went together to the dining room for breakfast and it seemed to be working beautifuly. For every few steps they took, they would step under some mistletoe and Alastor, respecting tradition would bend down and give Baxter a kiss. They reached another branch of mistletoe and Baxter would get another kiss and so on as they reached another, and another, and another.

Baxter was completely oblivious of course. His partner being affectionate towards him was nothing new and no one really looks up at a ceiling when they walk, unless they're walking through the Sistine Chappel. But after he had received ten kisses in under two minutes, that was when he had started to catch on.

"You're very affectationate today. Even more so than usual." He commented, casual and sweet but obviously hinting he wanted to know if there was a reason.

"Well, it is tradition after all." Alastor smiled and complied, pointing towards the ceiling.

Alastor loved to do things like this to Baxter. When he performed grand, romantic gestures like this, Baxter would always tell him he was ridiculous. He'd insist there was no need go such lengths to show he loved him, a simple kiss would do just fine. But he would giggle and blush every time. Without fail, his cheeks would glow, literally and he would smile a warm, blissful smile that wouldn't fade for the rest of the day. Alastor lived to see his partner react like this.

He expected Baxter to react like this now, that was the whole point, but instead he was very surprised and confused to see Baxter recoil in horror.

"Oh, no." Baxter exclaimed as his eyes followed the stream of mistletoe that ran all the way down the hall, "Who's daft idea was it to leave Nifty in charge of the decorating?

A laugh escaped Alastor despite it being utterly out of place. He always did find the worst times to see the funny side.

"Nifty is the exact type of person to do this, isn't she?" he chuckled "She sure is boy crazy enough. I should have asked her to help. She would loved to have been involved in this."

Baxter looked stunned.

"You mean you did this?" He asked Alastor in what seemed like disbelief.

To Alastor, his was getting stranger and stranger. Why was Baxter looking at him like he betrayed him?

"Yes." Alastor hesitated very cautiously, "I did it for the two of us. I thought it would be romantic."

"Oh Lord. That's what this is, isn't it?" Baxter groaned as he buried his face in his hands, "This one of your ridiculous grand gestures again. Why, Alastor? You don't need bloody mistletoe to kiss me, I'm your partner for God's sake."

Alastor wasn't sure how to answer. It was hard to come up with an answer to something when you had no clue what the hell was going on. Luckily for him, Baxter continued, saving Alastor from flailing trying to think of one.

"Jesus. If you're behind this, that just makes it even worse. If I know you, Alastor, and I do all too well, then this wretched stuff isn't just contained to this hallway. It's not even contained to this floor. It's everywhere, isn't it?

Alastor was getting more confused by the minute. Baxter clearly seemed to have a problem with what Alastor had done, but Alastor just couldn’t see what it was. Maybe he should ask but if Baxter was angry with him, he didn't want to do anything that could make him angrier. So instead, he decided to just listen. Maybe if did that and answer his partner the best he could, Baxter would simply tell him.

"Well, I did put up large quantities of it here and there." He told Baxter truthfully.

"There's more mistletoe than ceiling, isn't there?" Baxter fired off another question straight after the last, as though this were an interrogation.

"More or less." Alastor admitted.

"Be honest with me." Baxter partly asked calmly and partly demanded, "Is there a single place in this building that isn't like this?"

"Not really, no."

Baxter's reaction to this news was one Alastor had seen many times but it couldn't have been further from the one he had been hoping to get. What Alastor was looking at now was what Baxter looked like when he was trying to keep calm. His forced natural expression would have you believe that Baxter was perfectly calm but his wide eyes betrayed he him. So did his quiet but shallow, rapid breathing and the idle hand that ran through his hair.

"Oh God." He began to ramble in a way that would always make Alastor worry and feel like panicking himself, “Oh Jesus. Oh no. No no no no no. Just no. No."

Without another comprehensible word, or with any explanation as to what was wrong, Baxter turned around and power walked straight back to his room. Leaving a baffled Alastor behind.

"Darl, wait." Alastor called after Baxter before running after him too.

He managed to catch up to Baxter just as he got through the door. He caught it with his hand before Baxter could shut it in his face.

"I thought you'd like this." He desperately tried to explain, in hopes that Baxter would forgive him, "Clearly, you don't but I don't know what I did wrong. Please, darl. I don't want you to be angry. Just tell me what's wrong and I'll fix it."

Baxter looked pained and his response was immediate.

"I'm not angry with you, you silly thing." He insisted and swung the door wide open. He pulled Alastor down to his level of hight and kissed him on the forhead.

"You haven't done anything wrong at all." He assured him like the good partner he was. "I keep telling you that you don't need to do things like this to make me feel loved, and you really don't, Alastor, you effortlessly make me feel loved all the time, but I say it knowing full well that you'll never stop. You know it works, don't you? I'm sure I've made it obvious. Otherwise, you wouldn't do it so often. It's not what you've done that I don't appreciate. I'll always adore it when you go out of your way like this for me. I just hate mistletoe. I can't begin to discribe to you how much I despise it.

"Really?" Alastor asked, deflating with relief.

Baxter nodded.

"You know what I'm like." Baxter, at last, explained, "I don't like people getting close to me. I'm perfectly fine with someone being in my personal space if it was someone like you or Nifty, but you two are people I've grown close to after knowing you for a very long time. If it was someone I didn't know very well, or god forbid, a total stranger, then I wouldn't want them anywhere near me. let alone touching me. Being kissed by a stranger, or anyone reallnow.hhart from you, that's a nightmare to me. Certainly, that's why I have never been able to take well to a tradition that requires being kissed for standing under a plant. It was worse back in my day, when standing under mistletoe with a woman meant people thinking you might put a ring on her finger but even now, I still hate it. I haven't had that many experiences with it, as you can imagine but they've all been absolutely awful. I've avoided the stuff like the plague every Christmas for as long as I can remember."

Baxter looked up at Alastor, hopeful that he understood. In response, Alastor smiled and chuckled. Now that he had a proper explanation, he indeed understood. In fact, he found it to be very amusing.

"Baxter, my timid little gourami, you’ve always been so adorably awkward." He said to his partner with every bit of affection he had, "You've never liked interacting with people all that much. You've always been far too shy for that. I have always known and loved that about you but considering I already knew, I should have known better than to think you would like a tradition that involves intimacy. I see now how uncomfortable you are with the idea of it but I think you're only looking at it from a certain perspective and I believe there are some factors you're overlooking. Surely, I'm an exception to this, aren't I? I am your partner after all."

Baxter paused at this. His eyes clouded over for a brief moment with thought.

"Well, yes." He thought out loud. "You are. Of course you are."

"And do you really think I would let anyone else kiss you?"

Baxter laughed at the very idea.

"God no." he sniggered, "You nearly tore someone's throat out just for offering to buy me a drink once."

"That's right." Alastor proclaimed, "Tradition or not, no one is kissing my little Gourami but me."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Baxter said, pausing to give Alastor a small kiss. "I'm starting to see what you mean now and I must say that I agree. When you put like that, being under a bit of mistletoe doesn't sound bad at all:

"If you're under it with me." Alastor finished for him before realising in a moment of joy this could mean he and Baxter had reached a new milestone. Could it be that they now knew each other well enough to finish each others sentences?

"Exactly." Baxter confirmed. "But even so, Alastor, would it be alright if we take the majority of the mistletoe you put up down? I feel awful asking because I realise it took a lot of effort to put up. Knowing you, you spent hours on it. I'm alright with leaving some of it up but it's making me feel really anxious knowing so much of it is all over the place. And also, I'm terrified of standing under some and not realising until it's too late and some rando is trying to kiss me."

"Well, we certainly don't want that." Alastor agreed, "It would be a terrible waste of energy clearing up their remains. But you are right, my beautiful angel fish. It did take me hours to put up all that mistletoe and it'll take hours more to take most of it down again. I'm more than happy to do it for you, but for my troubles, I would like to make just one request."

"And what would that be?" Baxter asked.

Alastor put on his best flirtatious smile and turned his charm on to its maximum capacity.

"For every piece of mistletoe I take down for you, I would like a kiss."

Hearing those words, Baxter immediately brought a hand to his mouth to contain his giggles. It wasn't very effective and the sound of his laughter broke through and drifted like music into Alastor’s ears. His cheeks began to glow and his smile was bright and beaming. If Alastor wasn't already smiling, he would have thought it was contagious. Although, Alastor acknowledged he felt significantly warmer than he had a moment ago. He was looking at the reaction he had hoped would come from the mistletoe itself, but who cares? He had gotten what he wanted.

"Well, that sounds perfectly reasonable." Baxter chuckled, taking a now much happier Alastor by the hand and leading trough the door and back down the hall, "Very generous. Very fair. I would even go as far as to say it was a steal. You've got yourself a deal, my love. A kiss for every piece of mistletoe it is. Oh, look. Here's some now.

[novachimerablog]

Why Did I Pick These People For My Video?

Denzel Washington

Denzel is in an inspiration to me because of how seriously he takes his craft. Denzel never aspired to be an actor when he was young, and it was only when he was down on his luck and at his lowest point, where he decided to take the risk and pursue acting. Once he committed himself to the art, he put his heart and soul into being the best actor he could be and has now gone on to be in some of the best movies of all time and win two Oscars. He has also used his fame to spread a positive message to others, about hard work, consistency, and discipline, which is why I often listen to his interviews and speeches intently.

Serena Williams

The reason I chose Serena Williams for the video is because she is the perfect example of hard work from a young age, leading to success in the future. Serena didn’t start off with much, but she worked hard and trained many years to reach the very highest level. She broke down so many racial barriers in Tennis and in sports in general, simply by being as dominant as she is. She’s is now looked as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, as well as one of the greatest athletes of all time.

Elon Musk

The reason I chose to include Elon Musk in my video is because he is one of the greatest thinkers of our time. He uses his money to constantly to try to create cool and innovative things. He is a man who thinks in the future and want’s to push us into a greater tomorrow. He has already left a massive footprint on the world and looks to only increase that footprint as time goes by, with projects such as Tesla, Space X, The Boring Company and Paypal. His mind is truly like no other and he inspires me to think bigger and not limit myself to others expectations.

Bruce Lee

The reason I chose Bruce Lee for the video is because of his philosophies on life as well as his teaching’s on martial arts. Bruce Lee became an icon through his many successful movies but was also a teacher to many and inspiration to millions. Even though his time on this earth was short lived, he made a massive impact with the time that he had, and no one has been quite able to replicate his impact on cinema and martial art’s since.

John Lennon

The reason I chose John Lennon for the video is because he was someone who came from a tough background and became not only one of the greatest musician of all time, but also one the greatest thinkers of his generation. Through his music, he spread a message of peace, love and prosperity and went on to create of the greatest and iconic songs of all time. He could easily could have played it and made simple music, with a safe message, but instead a lot of the time he challenged listeners and helped revolutionize the sound music.

Robin Williams

The reason I chose Robin Williams for the video is because of how the legacy he left behind in the comedy world as well as the acting world. Robin is such an influential figure because of his bright personality, his many iconic performances and his effect on those he worked with. Despite his many demons, Robin always tried his hardest to make those around him smile, which was such a selfless act for someone who was clearly in pain for many years.

Conan O’Brien

The reason I chose Conan O’Brien for the video is mostly because of his part in the early years of The Simpsons. In my opinion, when Conan was part of the writing team for the Simpsons, that’s when the show was at it’s best. When he was part of the writing team, The Simpsons was the best TV show on the air and was a strong contender for being the greatest show of all time. Conan has also gone onto being one of the best talk show hosts of all time and is still providing audiences with funny, smart and witty content still to this day.

Will Smith

The reason I chose Will Smith for the video is because of how he transitioned from being the first rapper to win a Grammy, to being a TV star, to being a blockbuster movie star, to being a two time Oscar nominee. Will Smith is a very multi-talented person who take his craft very seriously. He is one of the hardest working people in the industry to date and his way of thinking Is truly inspiring. He doesn’t consider himself to be “talented” but rather he sees himself as “skilled” because he works constantly to be the best at what he does, which is very inspiring, especially since I grew up on his TV shows and movies.

Dave Chappelle

The reason I chose to include Dave Chapelle in my vide is because of his evolution as a person, as well as a comedian. At the height of his fame and popularity, he rejected fifty million dollars and moved to Africa, because he longer wanted to be a puppet to the TV industry. Him rejecting this money and moving away led people to thinking he had gone crazy, but in actuality, he realized taking that money would have cost him soul and his integrity. Dave rejected the money and spent many years finding himself, learning new things and enjoying his freedom. He then came back to the mainstream and has returned better than ever. He’s funnier and he’s wiser now. It takes a very honourable person to reject a large amount of money, if that money comes with going against your beliefs and morals. I think a lot of people would have taken the money, and I think that’s what makes Dave so special in my eyes.

Kobe Bryant

The reason I chose Kobe Bryant for the video is mostly because of his legendry work ethic and his unrelenting passion to win at all means. Not many people on earth wanted to be successful like Kobe. He was a person who took his craft very seriously, almost to the point where he had it worked down to an exact science. Whenever Kobe spoke, you could hear how much he loved basketball and how much respect he has for the sport. Kobe is the epitomizes what it means to have an unbridled passion for something. Only the luck ones are able to find something they’re so passionate about, that they will put their heart and soul into it every day, and that was Kobe. And even after retirement, Kobe kept working, he became a creative and used his legendary work ethic to create interesting projects away from basketball, which even resulted in him winning an Oscar.

Nelson Mandela

The reason I chose Nelson Mandela for the video is because he truly was a freedom fighter who fought for what he believed in. He gave up many years of his life, fighting for equality and justice. He fought against prejudice and was eventually elected president of South Africa after spending twenty-seven years of his life in Jail. Nelson’s story has inspired billions across the world and is one which will be told for many years to come. He is someone who never have up on what he believed in, and in the end he was rewarded for his efforts.

Steve Jobs

The reason I chose to include Steve Jobs in my video, is because he was one of the greatest innovators of all time. He changed the scope of technology and smartphones forever. Without Steve jobs we wouldn’t have apps and games on our phones, he was the one to think of these ideas and put them out there, even though everyone told him it wouldn’t work. Steve was also the one who made computer more personalized and was the one who strived for normal people to have computers in their home. After getting fired from his own business, he never gave up his ambitions and continued to innovate. His hard work led him to being rehired as CEO of apple once again and in turn led to the revival of Apple as a company. He may not have been the best guy personally, but his mind and drive are what make his someone to respect.

Audrey Hepburn

The reason I chose Audrey Hepburn for the video, is because of her passion for the art of acting and her multi-talented skill set. Not only was she a talented Actress, she was also a fashion icon, a wonderful singer, a sublime dancer and innovator in the craft. Away from the performing art’s she was an incredible humanitarian, often spending her latter years helping those less fortunate in poor countries. She would often use her celebrity for good and as a means to bring attention to issues involving poverty, violence and War, which is very commendable.

Malcom X

The reason I chose Malcom for the video is because despite his controversial takes, he was someone who strived for justice and equality for black people. He was someone who made mistakes in his past and re-invented himself into someone people would want to follow and listen. He was a great speaker who was instant on making sure his people were treated fairly and got the respect and equal opportunity they deserved. He was fearless in his pursuits and became an icon who died fighting for what’s right.  

Oprah

The reason I chose to include Oprah in my video is because of how she rose from the traumatic and hard childhood, to being a billionaire and one of the most influential people who has ever live. Oprah didn’t let her past dictate her future and she worked hard to get where she is now. Oprah is a true underdog story and she proves that if you’re unrelenting in your ambition and believe in your talent and worth, then you can rise from any hardship and achieve your goals.

Martin Luther King Jr.

The reason I chose Martin Luther King for the video is because he was a man who fought for was right. He fought against racism using peaceful tactics and was a man who felt love was solution over hate. He was and still is an inspiration to millions and his words and speeches still live on to this day. Martin was a man who knew the risks of speaking out against racism but still did it anyway, which unfortunately was the reason he died at such a young age. However, his message still lived on through the man lives he inspired. Martin was a brave and intelligent man, who had a dream for himself and his people, and he did everything in his power to make that dream come true, even if that came at the cost of his life.

James Baldwin

The reason I chose James Baldwin for the video is because of how he used his very skilled writing to talk about the injustice in America towards African American people. In James writing you can truly feel the pain and anger leap of the screen. He was a thinker that was as conservational as he was talented. James was not afraid to give his unfiltered take on racism and discrimination, and he did so with a high-level writing prowess, bravery and dignity.

Muhammad Ali

The reason I chose to include Muhammad Ali in the video is because he issues someone who stood up for his own beliefs, at the cost of his career. Not only was he the greatest boxer of all time in my opinion, he was also one of the most entertaining sportsmen to ever live. You never knew what he was going to say next and his box style was truly one of a kind. But aside from being an incredible athlete, he was also a very vocal activist and was unreserved when it came to talking the plight of black people in America. By him refusing to go to Vietnam, he was suspended for a large chunk of his prime and had his belts takeaway. Despite this, he never relented on his stance against the Vietnam war and in the end, inspired millions to voice their own objections to the war.

Date: 17/07/20