#netflix is run by satan

[noizchild]

Netflix is Evil and I am Still Working

Netflix needs a way to make it so that it can remember devices permanently. Asking for the main account to be varied is getting ridiculous. There are only three people with separate profiles that use our account. Come on, Netflix. Get your head out of your asses!

Rant over. Onto everything else.

Tea Leaves and Pale Lace and Ghosts of Wonderland are coming along rather impressively. High Fever is just about over. I am currently on volume eleven. I have one more volume before the series is over. After that, I am going to work on the prequel/sequel, Brave Soldier. I don't know when that will be though. I will just keep on trucking.

This Week's Work:

Tea Leaves and Pale Lace

Ghosts of Wonderland

High Fever

Winter Blossoms

Childish Devil

Tenshi Trail: Comet

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

The Radio Times magazine from the 29 July-04 August 2023 :)

THE SECOND COMING

How did Terry Pratchett and Neil gaiman overcome the small matter of Pratchett's death to make another series of their acclaimed divine comedy?

For all the dead authors in the world,” legendary comedy producer John Lloyd once said, “Terry Pratchett is the most alive.” And he’s right. Sir Terry is having an extremely busy 2023… for someone who died in 2015.

This week sees the release of Good Omens 2, the second series of Amazon’s fantasy comedy drama based on the cult novel Pratchett co-wrote with Neil Gaiman in the late 1980s. This will be followed in the autumn by a new spin-off book from Pratchett’s Discworld series, Tiffany Aching’s Guide to Being a Witch, co-written by Pratchett’s daughter Rhianna and children’s author Gabrielle Kent. The same month, we’ll also get A Stroke of the Pen, a collection of “lost” short stories written by Sir Terry for local newspapers in the 70s and 80s and recently rediscovered. Clearly, while there are no more books coming from Pratchett – a hard drive containing all drafts and unpublished work was crushed by a vintage steamroller shortly after the author’s death, as per his specific wishes – people still want to visit his vivid and addictive worlds in new ways.

Good Omens 2 will be the first test of how this can work. The original book started life as a 5,000-word short story by Gaiman, titled William the Antichrist and envisioned as a bit of a mashup of Richmal Crompton’s Just William books and the 70s horror classic The Omen. What would happen, Gaiman had mused, if the spawn of Satan had been raised, not by a powerful American diplomat, but by an extremely normal couple in an idyllic English village, far from the influence of hellish forces? He’d sent the first draft to bestselling fantasy author Pratchett, a friend of many years, and then forgotten about it as he busied himself with continuing to write his massively popular comic books, including Violent Cases, Black Orchid and The Sandman, which became a Netflix series last year.

Pratchett loved the idea, offering to either buy the concept from Gaiman or co-write it. It was, as Gaiman later said, “like Michelangelo phoning and asking if you want to paint a ceiling” The pair worked on the book together from that point on, rewriting each other as they went and communicating via long phone calls and mailed floppy discs. “The actual mechanics worked like this: I would do a bit, then Neil would take it away and do a bit more and give it back to me,” Pratchett told Locus magazine in 1991. “We’d mess about with each other’s bits and pieces.”

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch – to give it its full title –was published in 1990 to huge acclaim. It was one of, astonishingly, five Terry Pratchett novels to be published that year (he averaged two a year, including 41 Discworld novels and many other standalone works and collaborations).

It was also, clearly, extremely filmable, and studios came knocking — though getting it made took a while. rnvo decades on from its writing, four years after Pratchett's death from Alzheimer's disease aged 66, and after several doomed attempts to get a movie version off the ground, Good Omens finally made it to TV screens in 2019, scripted and show-run by Gaiman himself. "Terry was egging me on to make it into television. He knew he was dying, and he knew that I wouldn't start it without him," Gaiman revealed in a 2019 Radio Times interview. Amazon and the BBC co-produced with Pratchett's company Narrativia and Gaiman's Blank Corporation production studios, with Michael Sheen and David Tennant cast in the central roles of Aziraphale the angel and Crowley the demon. The show was a hit, not just with fans of its two creators, but with a whole new young audience, many of whom had no interest in Discworld or Sandman. Social media networks like Tumblr and TikTok were soon awash with cosplay, artwork and fan fiction. The original novel became, for the first time, a New York Times bestseller.

A follow up was, on one level, a no-brainer. The world Pratchett and Gaiman had created was vivid, funny and accessible, and Tennant and Sheen had found an intriguing romantic spark in their chemistry not present in the novel.

There was, however, a huge problem. There wasn't a second Good Omens book to base it on. But there was the ghost of an idea.

In 1989, after the book had been sold but before it had come out, the two authors had laid on fivin beds in a hotel room at a convention in Seattle and, jet-lagged and unable to sleep, plotted out, in some detail, what would happen in a sequel, provisionally titled 668, The II Neighbour of the Beast.

"It was a good one, too" Gaiman wrote in a 2021 blog. "We fully intended to write it, whenever we next had three or four months free. Only I went to live in America and Terry stayed in the UK, and after Good Omens was published, Sandman became SANDMAN and Discworld became DISCWORLD(TM) and there wasn't a good time."

Back in 1991, Pratchett elaborated, "We even know some of the main characters in it. But there's a huge difference between sitting there chatting away, saying, 'Hey, we could do this, we could do that,' and actually physically getting down and doing it all again." In 2019, Gaiman pillaged some of those ideas for Good Omens series one (for example, its final episode wasn't in the book at all), and had left enough threads dangling to give him an opening for a sequel. This is the well he's returned to for Good Omens 2, co-writing with comic John Finnemore - drafted in, presumably, to plug the gap left Pratchett's unparalleled comedic mind. No small task.

Projects like Good Omens 2 are an important proving ground for Pratchett's legacy: can the universes he conjured endure without their creator? And can they stay true to his spirit? Sir Terry was famously protective of his creations, and there have been remarkably few adaptations of his work considering how prolific he was. "What would be in it for me?" he asked in 2003. "Money? I've got money."

He wanted his work treated reverently and not butchered for the screen. It's why Good Omens and projects like Tiffany Aching's Guide to Being a Witch are made with trusted members of the inner circle like Neil Gaiman and Rhianna Pratchett at the helm. It's also why the author's estate, run by Pratchett's former assistant and business manager Rob Wilkins, keeps a tight rein on any licensed Pratchett material — it's a multi-million dollar media empire still run like a cottage industry.

And that's heartening. Anyone who saw BBC America's panned 2021 Pratchett adaptation The Watch will know how badly these things can go when a studio is allowed to run amok with the material without oversight. These stories deserve to be told, and these worlds deserve to be explored — properly. And there are, apparently, many plans afoot for more Pratchett on the screen. You can only hope that, somewhere, he'll be proud of the results.

After all, as he wrote himself, "No one is finally dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away, until the clock wound up winds down, until the wine she made has finished its ferment, until the crop they planted is harvested. The span of someone's life is only the core of their actual existence."

While those ripples continue to spread, Sir Terry Pratchett remains very much alive. MARC BURROWS

DIVINE DUO

An angel and a demon walk into a pub... Michael Sheen and David Tennant on family, friendship and Morecambe & Wise

Outside it's cold winter's day and we're in a Scottish studio, somewhere between Edinburgh and Glasgow. But inside it's lunchtime in The Dirty Donkey pub in the heart of London, with both Michael Sheen and David Tennant surveying the scene appreciatively. "This is a great pub," says Sheen eagerly, while Tennant calls it "the best Soho there can be. A slightly heightened, immaculate, perfect, dreamy Soho."

Here, a painting of the absent landlord — the late Terry Pratchett, co-creator, with Neil Gaiman, of the series' source novel — looms over punters. Around the corner is AZ Fell and Co Antiquarian and Unusual Books. It's the bookshop owned by Sheen's character, the angel Aziraphale, and the place to where Tennant's demon Crowley is inevitably drawn.

It's day 74 of an 80-day shoot for a series that no one, least of all the leading actors, ever thought would happen, due to the fact that Pratchett and Gaiman hadn't ever published any sequel to their 1990 fantasy satire. Tennant explains, "What we didn't know was that Neil and Terry had had plots and plans..."

Still, lots of good things are in Good Omens 2, which expands on the millennia-spanning multiverse of the first series. These include a surprisingly naked side of John Hamm, and roles for both Tennant's father-in-law (Peter Davison) and 21-year-old son Ty. At its heart, though, remains the brilliant banter between the two leading men — as Sheen puts it, "very Eric and Ernie !" — whose chemistry on the first series led to one of the more surprising saviours of lockdown telly.

Good Omens is back — but you've worked together a lot in the meantime. Was there a connective tissue between series one of Good Omens and Staged, your lockdown sitcom?

David: Only in as much as the first series went out, then a few months later, we were all locked in our houses. And because of the work we'd done on Good Omens, it occurred that we might do something else. I mean, Neil Gaiman takes full responsibility for Staged. Which, to some extent, he's probably right to do!

Michael: We've got to know each other through doing this. Our lives have gotten more entwined in all kinds of ways — we have children who've now become friends, and our families know each other.

There have been hints of a romantic storyline between the two characters. How much of an undercurrent is that in this series.

David: Nothing's explicit.

Michael: I felt from the very beginning that part of what would be interesting to explore is that Aziraphale is a character, a being, who just loves. How does that manifest itself in a very specific relationship with another being? Inevitably, as there is with everything in this story, there's a grey area. The fact that people see potentially a "romantic relationship", I thought that was interesting and something to explore.

There was a petition to have the first series banned because of its irreverent take on Christian tropes. Series two digs even more deeply into the Bible with the story of Job. How much of a badge of honour is it that the show riles the people who like to ban things?

David: It's not an irreligious show at all. It's actually very respectful of the structure of that sort of religious belief. The idea that it promotes Satanism [is nonsense]. None of the characters from hell are to be aspired to at all! They're a dreadful bunch of non-entities. People are very keen to be offended, aren't they? They're often looking for something to glom on to without possibly really examining what they think they're complaining about.

Michael, you're known as an activist, and you're in the middle of Making BBC drama The Way, which "taps into the social and political chaos of today's world". Is it important for you to use your plaform to discuss causes you believe in?

Michael: The Way is not a political tract, it's just set in the area that I come from. But it has to matter to you, doesn't it? More and more as I get older, [I find] it can be a real slog doing this stuff. You've got to enjoy it. And if it doesn't matter to you, then it's just going to be depressing.

David, Michael has declared himself a "not-for-profit" actor. Has he tried to persuade you to give up all your money too?

David: What an extraordinary question! One is always aware that one has a certain responsibility if one is fortunate and gets to do a job that often doesn't feel like a job. You want to do your bit whenever you can. But at the same time, I'm an actor. I'm not about to give that up to go into politics or anything. But I'll do what I can from where I live.

Well, your son and your father-in-law are also starring in this series. How about that, jobs for the boys!

David: I know! It was a delight to get to be on set with them. And certainly an unexpected one for me. Neil, on two occasions, got to bowl up to me and say, "Guess who we've cast?!"

How do you feel about your US peers going on strike?

David: It's happening because there are issues that need to be addressed. Nobody's doing this lightly. These are important issues, and they've got to be sorted out for the future of our industry. There's this idea that writers and actors are all living high on the hog. For huge swathes of our industry, that's just not the case. These people have got to be protected.

Michael: We have to be really careful that things don't slide back to the way they were pre the 1950s, when the stories that we told were all coming from one point of view and the stories of certain people, or communities within our society, weren't represented. There's a sense that now that's changed for ever and it'll never go back. But you worry when people can't afford to have the opportunities that other people have. We don't want the story that we tell about ourselves to be myopic. You want it to be as inclusive as possible

Staged series 3 recently broadcast. It felt like the show's last hurrah — or is there more mileage? Sheen and Tennant go on holiday?

David: That's the Christmas special! One Foot in the Algarve! On the Buses Go to Spain!

Michael: I don't think we were thinking beyond three, were we?

So is it time for a conscious uncoupling for you two — Eric and Ernie say goodbye?

David: Oh, never say never, will we?

Michael: And it's more Hinge and Bracket.

David: Maybe that's what we do next — The Hinge and Bracket Story. CRAIG McLEAN

[directdogman]

My cat, now may I have a fun fact that’s stored in your brain, directsogman?

Also she looks a lot less dead inside irl I promise

here's a fact for you: after satan launched his failed rebellion (cringe), most of the participants in his naughty coup were cast down into the flaming pits of hell (as seen in Dante's Inferno: the Netflix special) but since a good chunk of the place was being zoned off at the time to test for asbestos (and thus, could not safely house the demons that were designated to reside there), those unlucky demon souls were instead cast down to earth.

To ensure these wicked souls could do no further harm, they were transferred into the bodies of dumb cats (all of whom happened to be orange, in order to not lose track of which cats had divine court appointments coming up.)

So, that's why orange cats are like that. it's down to demonic software running on dodgy hardware. hopefully this will make things clearer the next time your cat walks head-first into a wall and then sprints away, as if something stationary somehow snuck up on it. That was actually William Blake's intention when he painted The Flight of Moloch:

...as you know, the art world hadn't really adapted to painting cats well yet. esp orange ones.

depicting these demons in their origin forms was the only way to get the art taken seriously. but it's them. the very same lunatics. goodnight, all.

[hollywoodroses]

Divinity School for Girls: PSA | only on Netflix

A Damiano David fan fiction blurb

a/n: The fictional Divinity School for Girls is a university, every student is 19 years of age and older.

a/n #2: This is just an introduction to the story, written as a commercial of a Netflix film. Enjoy!

warning: mention of satanism

oh hi, my name is Anna and welcome to the Divinity School for Girls. Located just outside the Vatican in Rome our school is run by head nun, Sister Mary Ragazzi with our medical team lead by youth therapist Dr. Damiano David. Be careful what you wish for as Dr. David is secretly the son of satan, sent to corrupt all the school girls. Applications open for our Fall Semester! [screen goes black] releasing October 31

[steamyearlgray]

Thought I’d jump onto this train for once… What an odd combo… either way I love it. Honestly, Star Trek TNG has always been a comfort show for me. I used to watch it every day after school and on weekends whenever it was on WGN.

Real honest moment here below the cut. Feel free to skip if not. [TDLR: Thank you to their creators. They mean so much to me.]

Star Trek TNG has always been there for me. As a kid growing up I would turn it on every day after school and on weekends in the afternoons when it would come on BBC America or WGN. I stopped needing it constantly on after my parents got divorced. Don’t get me wrong I’d still turn on an episode or two every so often but it wasn’t every day like it had been.

My senior year of college I found myself needing it again. First I turned it on for one of my classes. (I wrote so many papers on Data and the federation that semester.)

Then… I just didn’t turn it off until I moved out and discovered (You guessed it correctly) Ghost.

I would turn on daily marathons of TNG whenever I was in my apartment needing to escape the passive aggressive silence that filled it. I felt like Data again. Not understanding the humans around me and the emotional ‘cues’ that were being given to me. Any time I could have TNG on, I did. I felt that no matter how I approached the situation with my roommates I wouldn’t catch any hidden meanings in their tones. Only they wouldn’t take the time to explain or share exactly why they were upset. I remember having the apartment to myself at the beginning of the spring semester, just laying on the floor with it playing in the background and sobbing. (Between the living situation and losing my Grandma it was an odd combo of things)

Ghost came into my life around then. I didn’t fully look into it until later that summer after graduation. I found comfort in the bumbling anxious Cardinal. He seemed just as unsure about social interactions as I was. (It also helped that the music fucking slapped.)

I started obsessively listening to everything I could. My partner was so supportive, happy to see me have some sort of outlet while I worked my lonely accounting job. I loved the concept of them and when I managed to snag tickets to a ritual this past August I cried.

That ritual opened a fucking floodgate my guys, let me fucking tell you. I joked with my partner about starting to write Ghost fics, bringing up the line between regular fic and RPF, and when he traveled for a month I guess I had a bit too much time….

That month I wrote over 81,000 words. That month I posted around 3,000 words every other day. I created a massive fic that seemed to run and drag me along by the wrist.

I’m so grateful for everything Ghost has given me. New friends, a newfound passion for writing, and the spark I needed to start drawing again.

I guess what all of this was leading to was this: I’m so grateful to my boys for supporting me through these past few years. I’m grateful that when Tobias turned to his wife and pitched the idea of being a satanic pope on stage full time she said yes. I’m grateful that ST:TNG was available on Netflix and on cable for my entire childhood. I’m grateful that my mom introduced me to Star Trek and Star Wars early on.

I uh….yeah. Thank you to my boys. Thank you to the fandoms.

Imma just set this one down and walk away for a bit…. It’s time for bed.

[savrenim]

watched the first 30 minutes of the new live action ATLA bc I was Curious and they have already committed three different mortal sins that I can't Not Rant about, spoilers for the first 30 minutes below the cut

1. They rearranged the order of storytelling to open with the Fire Nation attacking the Air Nomads.

And I'm not.... totally sure why? Like, my guess is either "we need to make an immediate dramatic hook for the people who have never seen ATLA before!" or "we need to explain the background for the people who have never seen ATLA before!" But the truth is, people never saw ATLA before it came out, and they were perfectly fine catching on to learning about what happened to the Air Nomads and the geopolitical state of the world in media res!! That is not an excuse!

By opening with The Attack On The Air Nomads, not only do they rob the audience of getting to do my favorite thing throughout, which is the ability to piece together backstory via being told details as the story goes on, but it also..... vastly undermines the impact that That Attack Happening is going to have later in the story. Instead of piecing together tragedy from 100-year-old ruins and getting the moment of "oh god" and imagining it, we're shown it directly upfront onscreen, which not only to me comes across as unnecessary and gratuitous violence, but it means that every time in the story that The Air Nomads Are All Dead is going to come up, instead of it being this weighty thing that we can only imagine that each small detail adds even more to that weight, the payoff was all upfront. We've seen it, there's nothing to imagine, any detail they give us is not adding to our understanding of the tragedy and increasing the tragedy to us at all, it's just a reference to the opening scene.

2. STATUS!!!!!

So 'Status' is a concept that I rant about a lot and am highly sensitive to in writing, probably bc in the gay theater camp day camps the first thing you need to teach your 8-year-olds in improv workshop is How To Respect Status if you want to have at all a reasonable adventure game; otherwise you have kids interrupting the king's big dramatic speech and hence Undermining The King's Authority and the adventure game falls apart but also so you don't get trapped in scenes where you've got two characters yelling back and forth "well I'm [this thing] so you should respect me!!" and the complete lack of respect between them totally undermines what both of them are saying and the fiction falls apart. I kind of joke but not really that I stopped watching Supernatural in like. season 8?? 9?? because there was some episode with Greek Gods and you got to the finale of the episode and Zeus was going "dO YOU KNOW WHO I AM??? I'M ZEUS. I'M A GOD. PUNY MORTAL" and Sam and Dean went "dO YOU KNOW WHO WE ARE??? WE'RE THE WINCHESTERS. WE TOOK DOWN SATAN AND ALSO SATAN'S MORE EVIL OLDER COUSIN. PUNY MONSTER OF THE WEEK" and I went "by day three of camp my nightmare 8-year-olds can do Status better than this. Why am I even watching this?"

In the first scene, the live-action ATLA severely undermines the status of the Fire Nation and Fire Lord and then continuous to do so throughout the entire opening.

The initial scene is some random Earth Kingdom spy running away with Fire Nation plans to attack the Earth Kingdom and getting captured and dragged before Fire Lord Sozin (to be?? monologued at by Fire Lord Sozin of 'HAH you fell into my TRAP, those plans were FAKE, we're attacking the AIR NOMADS' which is just. dumb. kill the spy, don't monologue at him and kill him, but also why the fuck are you letting an Earthbender spy into your presence in the first place???????) which besides the aforementioned letting?? an earthbender spy??? into his presence in the first place????? He:

is not wearing particularly fancier clothes than the other people around him; like, they're okay, but the 'total desaturation of all colors including/especially in the clothing' aesthetic that Netflix has going makes it not look very royal. that shit should have been BRIGHT red or 10x fancier to make up for the fact that it wasn't Bright Red

they are STANDING IN THE THRONE ROOM and INSTEAD OF BEING BEHIND THE CURTAIN OF FLAMES he's just STANDING DOWN THERE on the SAME LEVEL AS EVERYONE ELSE????? WHY ARE YOU EVEN IN THE THRONE ROOM IF THE FIRE LORD IS???? NOT ON THE THRONE?????? JUST STANDING AROUND???? THE FIRE LORD DOES NOT JUST STAND AROUND WHERE IS THE POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE OF THE OFFICE????????????

and then beyond the absolute idiocy and letting a nobody no-name spy into his presence like that and dramatically revealing battle plans fucking idiot deserves to be assassinated for letting a spy earthbender get within three feet of him that's just extremely bad royal security, Sozin personally Murders this Random Spy. with his own firebending hands.

One of the whole things that makes ~the Fire Lord~ so terrifying is the sheer amount of weight around The Institution Of The Fire Lord, the courts and the backstabbing nobles of the fire nation, both the extreme imperial politics and complications there but also the almost deification of the office itself. The Fire Lord is untouchable, I forget if it's fanon or canon that they've got a 'descended directly from Agni / divine right' thing going but if it's fanon at least canon has those vibes, and one of the biggest aspects of the finale of the whole show is the combination of Azula's meltdown making it so that even though she was 'Fire Lady' she.... wasn't particularly scarier because in panicking and banishing everyone she'd totally undermined her own power structure, but also realizing that Ozai was Actually Just Some Dude Who Sure Was Pretty Good At Firebending And A Really Shit Person And Terrifying For What He'd Done With His Power but he wasn't a god, he wasn't impossible to defeat, when push came to shove he was just a firebender and as such his power could be stripped.

Fire Lord Sozin standing on the same level as his advisors and a random earthbender spy, and then doing things with his own hands, instead of, you know, sitting on that throne behind that wall of fire while this scene was happening if this scene really needed to happen in the first place, totally undermines that sort of deification level of status that the Fire Lord is supposed to have. Sozin becomes an Evil Scary Murderer Villain, sure, but what proceeds to be established about his character is. Nothing to set him apart from "a particularly skilled Firebender." Hell not even that, as nothing ever demonstrates that he's substantially more skilled than the firebending soldiers around him!!!!!!!

And it undermines the severity of the threat of the whole Fire Nation to undermine the status of the Fire Lord and hence the Thing That Makes The Next Fire Lord So Scary. hnnnnnnnnnng.

3. Every single character keeps giving extremely stilted monologues about how they're feeling?

It just feels like Bad Writing. And it also kind of feels like incorrect characterizatons? Big "he would NOT say that" mood but also just, like. Aang giving a three minute monologue purely to Appa about how he never asked for the responsibility of being the Avatar, he just wants to be like other kids, that just feels. So Cookie Cutter. So "gotta check off our refusing the call so our protagonist is Relatable!" and also just he would not say that.

This doesn't quite bother me as much as the other ones because it doesn't feel like a fundamental undermining of the narrative and/or the setting but it is Highly Annoying.

anyways defs not worth the watch. 30 minutes of my life Wasted. some of the costumes are kind of nice tho so might go back for the costume refs.

[trulyeattherich]

Thanks so much for tagging me! @violettskies 🖤🖤🖤🖤 the best moot ever!

Last song:

Currently watching:

true crime documentaries on Netflix. Currently Love On The Run.

Last movie watched?

Smile

Sweet, spicy, savory?

Savory for sure!

Relationship status?

Single like a Pringle

Current obsession?

Weird or out of place things in reality.

Last thing I googled?

Dutch bros coffee hours.

I tag: @satans-lil-d3mon @brain--rott @fairy-skullz @gingeremo @stonedlittlewraithx

Of course you all don’t have to do if you don’t want no pressure. ☺️🖤🖤

[msclaritea]

Does anyone want to know why? Bridgerton is another piece of Pre-Programming, as they call it.

Recall how Shonda Rhimes made a sudden split from Disney, claiming they'd wronged her. She then went to Netflix. I followed Bridgerton when it came out, on social media and loved the show. First season, 'fans' online talked about the first couple. Second season landed right around the Doctor Strange promo, during which, for SOME reason, the 'fans' online didn't spend much time on the second couple. They spent all of their time, talking about the LOVE STORY they claimed to want to see....

Benedict and Sophie

Benedict and Sophie

Benedict and Sophie

Picture that being spammed, nearly every day, for weeks, with Cumberbatch being swept into it. His Partner is Sophie. The intended romantic partner in Bridgerton for that Benedict, also Sophie.

And no, this is not a coincidence. It reinforces an idea. It's also not a coincidence that since the unofficial split, the show keeps skipping over the Sophie & Benedict story. BECAUSE THEY FUCKING KNOW BETTER.

And this is why it is not a good idea for a huge, Totalitarian cult, based in Satanism, running half of Hollywood. Using media in this way is truly horrific, insane, and should be criminal.

[shvroyism]

everyone believing that “after nine years…” summary for s4 is DUMB, I’m sorry. They literally just took that from the first comic summary, copied it for the s4 description and called it a day.

Tua updates could tweet that the hargreeves were run over by a taco track after the ending of s3 and s4’s plot will be about defeating satan because they are went to hell, and yall will still believe it like the Netflix CEO came to your house to confirm it.

Let’s use critical thinking for a minute please 🫶

[queenofmistresses]

The Third Musketeer

Chapter 6

A/N sorry this has taken me so long, I’m going to try and get another chapter out before the end of the month because teen wolf is being removed from netflix and I don’t know how long it could take me to get access to the show again. Sorry guys this is entirely out of my control

Stiles is upset with Scott. I can’t say I blame him, I’m upset too. Neither of us are talking to him. 

Or at least I thought we weren’t. After our first class they seemed to be okay again. Well I’m still mad. Stiles spots me while they’re talking and comes over to me, leaving Scott. “Did you know he went to Derek for help?” He asks.

“What?! No! Jesus.” I sigh. He nods in agreement. 

“Look I know you don’t think he’s all that bad because… you know, but do you think it’s a good idea?” He asks.

“Probably not. Derek’s… different to how he used to be. I mean who wouldn’t be after that but, he seems less kind. It’s, a little intimidating to be honest.” Stiles nods, thinking.

“I’ve decided I need to teach Scott how to control it myself, could you help?” I chuckle.

“Of course I’ll help. But right now, I need to go eat with Lydia and Allison. You want to come with?” He shakes his head, still in thought. I smile, he’s cute like this. “See you later then.” I reach up on the tips of my toes and kiss his cheek quickly, before running towards the cafeteria. 

“The what of who?” Lydia asks Allison while I sit down with them. 

“The beast of Gevaudan.” Allison says, though I’m not sure what’s happening. “Listen. A quadruped wolf-like monster prowling the Auvergne and South Dordogne areas of France during the year 1764 to 1767. La bete killed over 100 people, becoming so infamous that King Louis XV sent one of his best hunters to try and kill it.”

“Boring.” Lydia interrupts, making me laugh. 

“Even the church eventually declared the monster a messenger of Satan.”

“Hmmm, still boring.”

“Cryptozoologists believe it may have been a subspecies of a hoofed predator, possibly a mesonychid.”

“Slipping into a coma bored.”

“While others believe it was a powerful sorcerer who could shapeshift into a man-eating monster.”

“Any of this have anything to do with your family?”

“This,” Allison continues, “It is believed that La Bete was finally trapped and killed by a renown hunter, who claimed his wife and 4 children, were the first to fall prey to the creature. His name was Argent.” 

Shit. That was a werewolf wasn’t it? Is her family telling her about this? Does this mean they’re going to involve her soon? 

In all my overthinking I miss part of the conversation so I’m not quite sure why Lydia walks off, but she seem to be doing better. 

Allison reads her book some more while I eat, I see Stiles and Scott on the table over talking about something. It’s not long before I see Stiles get up, seemingly a little mad at Scott. So I quickly say goodbye to Allison before running after Stiles. Butttt Allison follows me, trying to chase down Scott while I follow Stiles. 

The three of us head out to the lacrosse field during our free period. “Okay.” Stiles starts, setting his bag down and sitting on the bench, I sit next to him. “Now, put this on.” He says, handing Scott a heart monitor band. 

“Isn’t this one of the heart rate monitors for the track team?” He asks. 

“Yeah, I borrowed it.” I chuckle a little, it’s not technically borrowing it if you didn’t ask. 

“Stole it.” Scott responds.

“Temporarily misappropriated.” Stiles says, seemingly already tired of Scott. 

“Coach uses it to monitor his heart rate with his phone while he jogs, and you’re gonna wear it for the rest of the day.”

“Isn’t that coach’s phone?” Scott asks.

“That I stole.” I actually laugh at that. “Your heart rate goes up when you go wolf right? When you’re playing lacrosse, when you’re with Allison, whenever you get angry. Maybe learning to control it is tied to learning to control your heart rate.” I love it when he talks smart like this.

“Like the incredible hulk!” And then there’s Scott, I roll my eyes. 

“Kind of like the incredible hulk yes.”

“No I’m like the incredible hulk.” 

“Just shut up and put the strap on.” 

I love Stiles’ plan. Stiles is going to try and get Scott mad and Scott has to not react. Stiles starts by duct taping Scott’s wrists together, then gets his bag and lacrosse stick and steps away. I stay on the bench and watch. 

Then, Stiles picks up a ball with the stick and throws it at Scott, making him curl over a little. He repeats this a few times, hitting Scott almost every time. “You know what? I think my aim is actually improving.” He looks over at me and winks jokingly. 

“Yeah I wonder why!” Scott says, clearly get angry, but Stiles quickly continues hid assault. I can’t help but grin as I watch. 

Suddenly though Scott starts groaning and kneeling down, and the monitor starts beeping rapidly. “Shit.” I say, running over. Scott pulls apart the duct tape in his frustration and I stay slightly away. The heart rate monitors beeping slows down as does Scott’s heavy breathing. Stiles starts to get in closer and talks to him gently. 

“Scott? You started to change.” I come in closer and kneel on the ground next to him. 

“From anger.” Scott starts. “But it was more than that.” He looks at both of us. “The angrier I got, the stronger I felt.”

“So it is anger then, Derek was right.” 

“I can’t be around Allison.” 

“Just because she makes you happy?” Stiles asks. 

“No, because she makes me weak.”

I sigh, he’s made a decision, there’s nothing I can do to change that. But, I can see that that’s pretty crappy. “Okay.” I whisper, making them look at me. “Jesus, Scott. Come here.” Scott seems hesitant but inches closer to me. 

I run my fingers through his hair, which I know helps him relax. He quickly does relax and lies his head on my lap, closing his eyes. He needs peace for a little bit. Poor guy’s had a tough start to this year. 

I look up at Stiles and he seems shocked to say the least. I shrug a little and smile, looking down at Scott. I think it’s safe to say he’s fallen asleep. “I didn’t realise you guys…” Stiles starts but trails off. I shrug again. 

“He hasn’t needed me for a while. But he’s been quite stressed.” I chuckle slightly. Stiles still looks confused. “When we were younger, whenever he got upset by anything he used to come to me. We were close, in a way. Guess I got used to being depended on. Then, high school happened and he stopped wanting me near him. Guess it’s the puberty.” 

“That’s so wrong.” Stiles mutters. I look at him, the confused one now. He sighs and takes one of my hands, and looks down at Scott to see if he’s still sleeping. “Have you ever been able to depend on him?” He asks. I look away and shrug again. Stiles has always had an opinion about how Scott treats me. “So, what? He gets to depend on you whenever he needs it, but you have to hide in your room alone when you need help?” 

“Stiles.” I squeeze his hand. “It’s just the way things are.” 

“He’s your big brother! He’s supposed to protect you! Instead, he’s the one causing you to be upset half the time.” I bring my hand up to his cheek. 

“You’re so sweet. And I love how protective you are, but I’m okay, this is just how he deals with things. He’ll grow up one day.” I give him a look that I hope tells him that I want to leave this discussion here. He nods and leans his head against my shoulder, grabbing my hand again and holding tight. 

Next we have coach’s class. Stiles tries to sit behind Scott so Allison can’t but she makes it there first. Scott seems annoyed but I’m pretty happy because it means Stiles is sitting behind me. 

I feel sorry for Allison immediately. Scott tried to avoid her but she clearly wants to talk to him. Luckily coach starts before it gets too painful to watch. Coach asks to start by going through last nights reading. Unfortunately, coach calls on Scott, and I’m almost 100% sure that he hasn’t done it. 

Coach quickly starts teasing him as it’s obvious Scott hasn’t done it. It doesn’t take long for Scott’s heartbeat to increase. I sit as close to Stiles’ desk as possible and he leans forward over my shoulder and shows me the phone. It’s quickly increases as Coach’s attack on Scott gets more and more humiliating. 

All I want to do is help him, but I think that would just make it worse. Suddenly, just as Coach threatens Scott with suicide runs, his heart beat slows down. Fast. Me and Stiles look at each other confused before we look over at Scott to try and figure out what’s happening. 

Then we see it. Allison and Scott holding hands. It makes me smile a little. “He’s such an idiot.” I whisper to Stiles, chuckling. 

“So are we.” Stiles responds, and I look at him to see him smiling sadly at the sight. I quickly kiss his cheek before telling him to sit back, which he does. 

As soon as we walk out of class me and Stiles are ready to make sure Scott understands what just happened. “It’s her.” Stiles starts. “It’s Allison. Remember what you told me the night of the full moon? You were thinking about her, right? About protecting her. Remember the night of the lacrosse game? You said you could hear her voice out on the field.” 

“Yeah I did!” Scott responds. 

“Right so that’s what brought you back so you could score. And then after the game in the locker room, you didn’t kill her. At least not how you were trying to kill us. She brings you back is what I’m saying.” 

“No no no! It’s not always true. Because literally every time I’m kissing her or touching her-“ 

“No, that’s not the same. Because when you’re doing that you’re another hormonal teenager thinking about sex, you know?” Scott starts smiling, and Stiles looks disappointed. “You’re thinking about sex right now aren’t you?” Scott glances at me and nods apologising. I wave it off, not important right now. “Look, back in the classroom, when she was holding your hand, that was different okay? I don’t think she makes you weak, I think actually gives you control. She’s kind of like an anchor.” 

“Because I love her.” Scott responds, way too casually. 

“Exactly, that’s what it’s like when you love somebody.” Stiles doesn’t seem to care that he said it either. Me? I’m excited. 

“Wait Scott did you just say…?” 

“Did I just say that?” 

“Yes, you just said that.” Stiles responds, seeming bored. Scott chuckles.

“I love her.” 

“That’s great! Now moving on-“

“No no no, really, I think I’m totally in love with her.” 

“And that’s beautiful, but before you run off and write a sonnet can we figure this out please?” I can’t stop myself from grinning. “Because you obviously can’t be around her all the time.”

“Yeah, sorry. So what do I do?” 

“I don’t know, yet.” Stiles sighs and then turns to me. “You got any ideas or are you just gonna keep grinning like that.” 

“I don’t think I can stop now, I’m stuck like this.” I say giggling, making Stiles roll his eyes playfully. Then he suddenly puts his idea face on. “Oh no you’re getting an idea aren’t you?”

“Yeah!” He responds

“Is this idea going to get me in trouble?” Scott asks.

“Maybe.”

“Is this idea going to cause me physical pain?”

“Yeah definitely, come on.” Stiles says and leads us out of the school building. 

He takes us to the car park and stops us near a random car. “What are we doing?” Scott asks and Stiles tells him to stay still, tells me to stand back, and makes Scott stand with his car key pointed up. 

“Now, whatever happens, try to think about Allison, okay?” Stiles says before walking over to the car, scratching the paint job with his keys, and then he runs over next to me and starts shouting out. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing to that truck bro?” In Scott’s direction. 

This gets the attention of who I assume is the owner of the car. The car owner and his friends walk over to Scott and swing a punch at him, Scott tries to fight back but he quickly gets over powered and they start beating him up. 

I hear Stiles wince and I quickly look away from the fight, watching the heart monitor rise.

Eventually a teacher comes over and breaks up the fight, giving Scott a relief. But by the time he’s come, Scott’s heart rate has already gone down. Thank god. 

Later, Scott calls me and Stiles to tell us that we need to get to the school. He explains that he got to work and found Derek having tied his boss up and interrogating him about the alpha. We meet Derek and Scott’s boss (though he’s unconscious in Derek’s car) at the school. 

Scott tells us that he’s somehow going to see if he really is linked with the alpha, I’m not entirely sure of the plan, I don’t think it’s smart, but I don’t think I should say that in front of Derek. 

We walk into the school to the reception. Stiles starts asking more questions about Scott’s plan (specifically the flaws in it) and Scott doesn’t seem to have anything beyond what we’re about to do.

We give him the microphone that will allow him to speak into the speakers around the school. A howl is meant to signal a wolfs position to the rest of the pack, we’ve just got to hope that this doesn’t make him a part of the pack. 

When Scott tries to howl, he let’s out a shrill, pathetic noise that makes me cringe, Stiles looks disappointed. Scott starts getting frustrated and unsure of himself so Stiles walks around to him, starts rubbing his shoulders and tries to encourage him. 

This time when Scott tries, he lets out a loud, deep howl that has the whole school shaking. I have to admit I’m impressed.

When we walk back out to the cars and Derek, he does not seem happy. “I’m gonna kill both of you.” He says pointing at Stiles and Scott. Always lovely to be ignored. “What are you trying to do attract the entire state to the school?”

“Sorry, I didn’t know it would be that loud.” Scott replies somehow both sheepishly and cocky all at once. 

“Yeah! It was loud.” Stiles starts, clearly proud. “And it was awesome!”

“Shut up.” Derek says to him. I want to say something but honestly? Derek intimidated me. 

“Don’t be such a sour wolf!” Stiles replies, clearly not bothered. 

“What’d you do with him?” Scott questions, indicating to the car.

“What?” Derek turns to look in the car and we realise that Scott’s boss is no longer there. “I didn’t do anything!” 

Suddenly, Derek jolts forward and a thick dark liquid (presumably blood) starts coming out of his mouth. He gets lifted into the air and we see the alpha. Oh my god. Stiles and Scott start flailing around in fear, but I freeze.

I feel them leave my side, running off but I can’t stop staring at Derek. I feel someone tugging on my shoulders and I’m brought back to reality. Stiles. “Y/n come on! We need to go!” He keeps pulling on my shoulders and I turn around. He grabs my hand at starts running. 

We run straight into school, shutting the door and holding it shut, leaning down and hoping the alpha can’t see us through the windows. 

What do we do now?

[jillianrose305]

More obey me scenarios from me maladaptive day dreaming ^3^

SAMS AND COSTCO EDITION

Lucifer:Rember we don't want to cause chaos in the human realm during our vist if you do you be punished at home

Mammon:yeah yeah Let's go already!

Lucifer:Mammon...

Mammon:I mean Yes sir!

*insert sadistic lucifer smile here*

Luke:*grabbing mc's sleeve* come on i want to go see if they have ingredient for that new dessert recipe

MC: oh my diavolo yes let's go

*both about to run off*

Simeon:luke you both have to grab a cart first

Luke:oh right

*after every pair grabs their cart*

Lucifer:Alright stick with your pairs im gonna say them one more time[just read the pairs below]

Group 1 latte duo: Satan and Asmodeus

Group 2 "Dialuci is what I've heard people call us! Oh no..." = Lucifer and Lord Diavolo

Group 3 : lukes dads = Simeon and Barbatos

Group 4 : Best Brothers = Beelzebub and Brlphagor

Group 5 : Act most like siblings = Leviathan and mammon

Group 6 =Mephistopheles and rapheal

Group 7 = Thirteen and Solomon

Group 8 : unsupervised = Mc and LUKE.<3

[Just little tidbits not full thing]

Asmo: Oh my look at all these facial kits~

Satan:*holding romance books and a new coffee maker* ...

Asmo:...

Satan: Romance movies and facials while drinking coffee.

Asmo:your the best brother Satan!~

[Next group]

Lucifer: Lord Diavolo are you sure this is neseaccary

[Diavolos goofy laugh]

Diavolo: Of course it is!

*the cart full of random items and diavolo is holding up matching pajamas for him, lucifer, Mc, and Batbatos*

[Next group]

Barbatos: I feel this would be best for a new recipe I've been wanting to try.

Simeon:oh?

Barbatos: i sall this tea jelly to put on pastries when reading a book the other day sometimes people glaze it with honey or some sort of cream.

Simeon: oo sounds delicious would you mind if I also tried to make it when we get back i feel the jelly itself would be good in bubble milk tea.

Barbatos: I wouldn't mind at all and that does sound delightful.

[Next group]

Beelzebub: hmm this looks delicious

Belphagor: mhm.. we should get more bedding and food for a sleepover with MC later.

Beelzebub: I agree. ... do you think MC wants chocolate or strawberry pudding..

Belphagor:hmm get both

Beelzebub:hm your right..

[Next group]

Levithan: woah! They have limited edition Tsl Plushies!

Mammon:..get 5 of each I want to sell 1 of each..

Leviathan:heh? What are you gonna do with the other three of each...hehe are you gonna gift them to MC and Beel?~

Mammon: Sh- shut up!

Leviathan:but I can't figure who the last set will go too...wait ARE YOU A TSL FAN!

Mammon: JUST PUT THEM IN THE CART

Leviathan:lol lower

Mammon:YOU LITTERALY LIKE IT MORE THEM ME

Leviathan: Shut up Mammon

[Next group]

Mephistopheles :This camera would be great for the Newspaper club!

Rapheal:[lost somewhere in the store]

[Next group]

Group 7: they weren't aloud inside and just went into a boba shop nearby

[Next group]

Luke:MC Look at this! Can I get it for Simeon?

MC: of course Luke . *ruffles his hair*

Luke: hey I'm not a kid!

MC:*giggles*

[Alright next is what everyone bought]

Asmodeus and Satan: Hello kitty coffee maker, k - cups, coffee beans, Creamer, sugar, hello kitty blankets, Fluffy body pillows, nail polish, Facial kit.

Diavolo and Lucifer: Cat keyboard, Random bakery items, Choclate fountain, 4 pairs of matching silk PJs, 4 matching slippers, Nail polish, Orbees spa feet thing, INSANE amount of stationary and note books, Wine , tea, and seafood.

Simeon and Barbatos: 15 Times of teas,milk,sugar, Mason jars, Costers , pens, 5 cook books, Aprons, Books, matching Sunglasses , and Diet coke.

Belphagor and Beelzebub: 2 Alaskan king beds , 10 throw blankets, 8 comforters, 30 pillows, 15 oversized Plushies, insane amount of snacks, matching PJ'S, Hulu subscription, Netflix subscription, Disney + Subscription, and 4 board games.

Leviathan and mammon: 5 full TSl plushie sets.

Mephistopheles and rapheal : New camera and a churro.

Solomon and Thirteen: Boba.

MC and Luke: Gift for Simeon and matching hoodies.

[strawberry-cowmilk]

Pt 2 on the past au.

Obviously during the war the brothers would send a small fraction of soldiers to save their mother figure.

However like I said, the place where she was sent was a place that could turn any angle mad.

After being informed that she was rescuded, the went to check on kaigo. Lilth had already rushed to her in kaigos new room.

What they saw was this, lilth was crying on kaigos lap apologizing. But kaigo just brushed her hair.

Kaigo changed. She wasn't smiling, nor crying. She just looked at lilth while saying everything was fine.

Kaigo was broken. |Reaction. Also HIIIIIIIIIIOIIO

Hi! I am so sorry about the three year long delay, I hope you enjoy this regardless

the brothers react to their old caregiver 'changing'

a/n: maybe a but unrelated but this request reminded me of a fun little horse show on netflix that may or may not still have me in a chokehold ♡♡

not proof read, also I'm putting satan here for the sake of 'completion' (??)

content warnings: somebody gets broken mentally (I don't know if a term for that exists), yelling, crying

-----

Lucifer

sadly he saw this coming, but he kept denying the possibility

does she even know who they are anymore or is she now a complete shell of herself?

as the eldest sibling, lucifer feels like he has to be everybody's rock

he doesn't allow himself to be sad, his siblings need him

Mammon

well, she's saved from the place and all is okay, so why does he feel so uneasy while stepping into the room?

there's no way this is happening, must be some prank lilith and kaigo are pulling

then mammon realises this denial isn't bringing him anywhere, he refuses the urge to grab his old caregiver by the shoulders and beg for her to come back

Leviathan

same as mammon, he had a horrible feeling before entering the room

levi stood near the entrance, watching his siblings freak out over the situation but he wasn't actually processing a thing

in his mind, everything was like how it was a week earlier

he had half a mind to just leave

Satan

he doesn't believe what he's seeing

and if it is actually true, surely there is a solution right

but the chaos and panic in the moment kind of take him over

he starts yelling at kaigo to 'stop fooling around' and 'come back'

Asmodeus

like satan, the shock of the moment overtakes him and he kind of starts yelling

for a while, it's satan and asmo screaming until lucifer decides to step in and calm his brothers down

asmo then proceeds to run away and cry, running away mostly because he doesn't want the others to see him cry

Beelzebub

even though nothing is his fault, beel still blames himself

some protector he is, he can't even keep his loved ones safe

he just apologises to kaigo, not knowing what to do next

beel is probably the one who stays with his old caregiver the longest before leaving

Belphegor

he also blames himself, he blames those who put kaigo in that place to begin with

belphie's just angry at everyone right now, but doesn't show it

he also is pretty passive, he watches everything happen in front of him while not doing much himself

he leaves when a lot of others do too, only he comes back to check on beel

[enquiringangel]

Ooh, could I get a DVD commentary on Sacrilege?

You most certainly can!

From this meme here. The fic in question is here.

Sacrilege

The idea for this one was born from the single image of David and Michael doing the nasty in a church. This in turn was, at least subliminally, inspired by a scene in the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime where Ryou Bakura is trying to escape from the evil spirit that frequently possesses him by running into a church. In that scene the church utterly fails to offer him protection just as it does here.

The last time Michael had set foot in a church was for his grandmother’s funeral years before. He’d been eleven. 

This is based on a throwaway line by Lucy where she says her mom died eight years ago. As Michael is meant to be going into his senior year after the events of the summer, he's eighteen. Also from dialogue in deleted scenes trips to visit Santa Carla may have happened while he was a kid, but the Emerson kids and Grandpa are very much strangers to one another.

Michael is by his own admission not even a religious person and neither am I, though faith as a topic fascinates me. There are a few pieces of imagery I put in like Michael turning away from the cross and the 'sad-faced saint' that are meant to reflect this and the futility of the whole endeavour.

David's shadow covering up the altar was maybe a little heavy-handed of me, but the devil in folklore (who is not quite the same figure as Satan) is usually depicted as the Man in Black. In Robert Eggers' movie The Witch, he also appears wearing spurs, so the detail of David's spurs jangling was one I had to include.

His mouth was curled in a faint smirk—Caught you, again those lips seemed to say—but the look in his eyes was one of bitter disappointment.  

David wants Michael, but it's not enough to have him. He wants Michael to want to be there, of his own volition (because the devil doesn't just take souls, you have to surrender them to him) which in this AU where I imply the vampires won and killed his family, is not something that is likely to happen. They are, as my tags warn, in a deeply dysfunctional relationship.

“You know,” David began conversationally as he plucked a cigarette from behind his ear and lit it. “My folks were Catholic. Went to mass every Sunday, confessed away their many sins. Never did either of them a blind bit of good. Or me.[...]"

This is venturing into entirely made-up headcanon backstory stuff. I pictured that David's grandparents were Irish immigrants fleeing the Potato Famine by coming to America. You will note that while he says his parents were Catholic, he doesn't consider himself to have been so. This is also for backstory reasons that David was largely on his own from a young age and was too focused on surviving to bother about going to church. (Unless it was to steal money from the collection plate.)

The discussion about the church's ineffectiveness at keeping vampires out is a bit of worldbuilding based on a few things. My assumption is that it is the power of faith that gives holy items their sting, rather than Christianity having some special claim to vanquishing evil. But also on a vaguely remembered piece of apocrypha to the effect of 'no building of wood or stone' being necessary to house god because god is everywhere (I cannot for the life of me remember where this comes from and google is failing me). But it's also inspired by the demon BlueFangs in Netflix's Castlevania adaptation, who taunts the corrupt bishop by saying: "God is not here. This is an empty box." (cw: gore)

My cw against misrepresentation of religion is for the discussion of Wicca, where David and Michael assume all Wiccans are women and that they always practice their religion naked. Neither is true, but they are (mentally at least) teenage boys content to indulge in the fiction of conventionally attractive white ladies dancing around ritual bonfires in the nude. Plus it's the 80s and Wicca is an 'alternative religion' and not something most people are likely to be well-informed about unless they have either researched it or dabbled.

The lead up to their coupling is violent with Michael actually maiming David by tearing a lump out of his throat, because I feel like this is how vampires roll, especially if they can heal very quickly. I don't subscribe to the trope that vampire bites feel pleasant per se, at least not to humans. It's more a case of "Hmm, how kinky are you".

Which in Michael's case here, is very.

And of course the closing image is David mocking the very idea of a god who could keep him from Michael.

[dawnofdoom]

me and my genuine anger regarding netflix caos … the concept of iola / madam satan is so fucking good in itself. i’ve been working heavily on shifting lilias entirely into iola rather than caos’s very poor rendition of L, and i think i want to split her different runs into different verses / arcs; from madam satan ( my hell’s queen ) to hell on earth, to an entirely different universe where she does actually abandon throne to return to parading as mary wardwell. i’m probably going to scrap a lot of what i’ve written for the last two to three years ( scary ) and rework her from the ground, up. admittedly i’ve already begun doing this on twitter but i feel like it might be a lot easier to do on tumblr.

[historyhermann]

Counting Beans: Power, Mental Health, and Queerness in "Disenchantment" Part 4

On February 9, the ten episodes of Disenchantment's Part 4 aired on Netflix. It continues the story of Bean, a fearless Princess, attempting to return to her homeland, Dreamland. She hopes to reclaim the throne but faces internal and external challenges which prevent her from completing this quest.

Reprinted from The Geekiary, my History Hermann WordPress blog, and Wayback Machine. This was the thirtieth article I wrote for The Geekiary. This post was originally published on February 18, 2022.

Disenchantment is an animated fantasy, sitcom, adventure, and satire, by Matt Groening. He is best known for his long-running animated sitcom, The Simpsons, and his late animated sci-fi comedy-drama, Futurama. Groening is the series showrunner along with Josh Weinstein and Claudia Katz. Eric Horsted, Bill Oakley, and Patric V. Verrone are co-executive producers.

As a warning, this review discusses some spoilers for Disenchantment. It will also discuss topics such as death, blood, murder, trauma, sexual intercourse, and mental health.

Part 4 of Disenchantment begins with Dagmar (Sharon Horgan) kidnapping her daughter, Princess Bean (Abbi Jacobson). Dagmar tries to force her to marry the King of Hell, Satan (Rich Fulcher), in an attempt to "seal the deal" between Bean's homeland, Dreamland, and Hell. Bean's friend, Luci (Eric Andre), tries to leave Heaven. Elfo (Nat Faxon) tries to escape the ogres who have captured him.

Luci and Jerry (David Herman) help Bean flee Hell. They are able to commandeer an airship en route to Dreamland. On the way, they rescue Elfo. Once back in Dreamland, they discover that Bean's devious cousins, aunt Becky (Lucy Montgomery) and uncle Cloyd (Fulcher), are ruling Dreamland. Later, agreement Bean and her dad, Zog (John DiMaggio), agree to share power in Dreamland. Becky, Cloyd, and their newfound puppet friend, Freckles (DiMaggio), try to manipulate whoever they can to gain power. Bean tries to be a better ruler. She has recurring nightmares and faces Satan and Dagmar. The latter pushes Bean into the water and seizes control of the throne.

The series maintains its "good rhythm." It has occasional humor, like a recurring joke where Luci loses his head, and has to put it back on. There are twisted plots, occasional nudity, smoking, and drinking, mainly by Bean. This is so important to her character that when she drinks less, her friends Luci and Elfo get worried.

Throughout the series, there are bloody scenes and casual violence. Characters injure each other with swords, spears, and other weapons. Some are even eaten by worms. The level of violence is akin to the violence in Inside Job.

Power, authority, manipulation, and exploitation

There is the continual struggle for power and authority in Disenchantment. Cloyd and Becky engage in human experimentation to create their own goons. They also try and manipulate anyone to complete their goals. After their reported defeat, Bean and Zog agree to rule together. Both face an evil puppet named Freckles who works for Becky and Cloyd.

Later, Bean tries to give back and let people come to her in hopes of solving their problems. This is akin to what Rapunzel sings about in a Season 1 episode of Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. In the case of Bean, it doesn't work out, and she ends up getting exhausted.

Freckles becomes one of the most evil characters of the series. After Sorcerio brings him "back to life," in an homage to Frankenstein, he tries to manipulate Zog. He has more success with Jasper and Derek (voiced by Tress MacNeille), teaching them to fight dirty. As a result, Derek ends up killing one of the bullies by accident. He feels bad about this and goes with Jasper and Derek, leaving town. Before they leave, Freckles visits the bullies and he reveals that he had staged the fight.

Freckles tries to drive Zog and Bean apart

This reminds me of how Khepra paid off people to fight with her, and the show's protagonist, Cleo, in Cleopatra in Space. Like Freckles, Khepra did this to gain her trust, while she was working with the villain the whole time. In Disenchantment, his efforts are for naught. The series ends with Dagmar and Satan in charge, willing to do anything to keep their power.

This series has a major focus on organized religion, just like gen:LOCK. There are places named "heaven" and "hell." Luci appears in Heaven despite the fact he is a demon. God (voiced by Phil LaMarr) tells Jerry that God is everywhere, even in a toilet when people are taking a crap. He also says that the troubles of humans are for them to sort out, so he doesn't intervene. Hell is a place that people can travel to with a scary elevator. On the one hand, the series depicts religion as restorative. Zog becomes more at peace with himself while in a monastery. On the other, it is a place of violence. Bean's doppelganger kills her inside a church during one of her nightmares.

Organized religion is only one form of exploitation and oppression depicted in Part 4 of Disenchantment. Some episodes serve as commentary about trophy hunting, explorers, and zoos. In episode 7, explorers from the League of Gallivanting Scrutinators come in an airship from Steamland. They hope to catch game in the forest.

While they can't capture the "right" animal, they still capture a "beast." When a huge fire burns a huge swath of the forest after explorers speared Zog's cigar rather than him, they leave and don't look back.

In the final episode, Odval and Zog search for Derek, Jasper, and Freckles. They try and save them. Unfortunately, someone in Steamland kidnaps them for an exhibition, making them part of a supposed "freak show."

Memories, dreams, and mental health

Like Inside Job, memories and dreams are a central part of Disenchantment. This begins with Freckles invading the dreams of Zog and Bean. He probes into the Zog's repressed memories. This reveals hidden trauma. He hopes to turn Zog and Bean, who is 19 years old, against one another. This strategy is unsuccessful.

Episode 6 takes place almost exclusively in an underwater kingdom, Bean wants to atone to the sea trogs for what their ancestors did. This is after Zog reveals that humans took Dreamland from the elves. She finds out that the sea trogs put worms into people's ears, mind-controlling them, a little like the brain worms in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. She barely escapes alive.

Throughout the last few episodes of Part 4, Bean begins to have recurring nightmares. She becomes so dedicated to stopping them that she cuts the rope to the elevator to hell. This causes causing Hansel and Gretel to plummet to their deaths! This is because she believes that the person in her dreams is her sadistic mother, Dagmar. When she drinks a special liquid, her nightmares become clearer. She then discovers something horrifying: the person she had been following is herself. It was an unexpected twist, for sure.

This makes for an exciting final episode. Bean debates her evil doppelganger, who she calls "Bad Bean." She begins starts to trust and believe Bad Bean. Akin to Darth Sideous training Anakin Skywalker on how to concentrate his hatred, Bad Bean tells Bean that her electric powers only flow when she is angry. She riles her up, saying she should be furious at the "damn patriarchy" and the "whole system." At one point, she taunts her by saying she knows what a mermaid kiss tastes like.

As it turns out, Bad Bean is a total snake. She does the switcheroo and traps Bean in her own dream. She only gets rescued with the help of her friends and is able to kill the Bad Bean. Although Bean does not defeat her sadistic mother, the series has an optimistic message.

Disenchantment seems to be saying that you can take control of your mind and body, and push out bad thoughts and attitudes. The series makes clear that everyone has a part inside them capable of great harm. This means that it is a struggle to keep that part of yourself in check.

Bad Bean (on the bed) talking to "good" Bean

This connects to the show's commentary on mental asylums. Early on in Part 4, Zog expresses his trauma from someone burying him alive during Part 3 and has "therapy sessions." He even begins to speak normally, rather than honking, even to his fellow inmate, Giggles.

At one point, he tries to kill the therapist after the therapist declares he will stay there forever. Instead of the therapist facing consequences, they believe Zog is the one at fault. Zog is then taken away to a room and put in a straightjacket. The series seems to depict mental institutions as agents of oppression that engage in structural violence.

Chazzzzz (voiced by Herman), the practitioner who tortures people, works at the asylum. He is someone who enforces this structural violence onto Zog and other inmates. Luckily, Zog is able to flee and his loyal servants, Vip and Vap help him.

In these ways, the series has some similar themes to ND Stevenson's Nimona. That webcomic, and later graphic novel, does a better job at showing structural violence than Disenchantment.

Romance and queer themes

Early this month, David Opie, TV editor for Digital Spy, tweeted that Part 4 of Disenchantment could have been "queerer this time round." I have to agree. I say this as a person whose first review for The Geekiary was about Disenchantment parts 1-3. At the time, I argued that queerness in Disenchantment is "integrated into the show itself." I noted the casual queerness, the gay relationship between Odval and Sorcerio, and the possible relationship between Big Jo and Porky. I pointed to Bean and Lady Bowmore crushing on one another, the love story between Mora and Bean, and that Bean is bisexual or pansexual.

I even said that the story is a step forward for Matt Groening, in terms of inclusive storytelling. I pointed to stereotypes in Futurama and the lack of strong queer representation among The Simpsons main cast. I have become a better writer and editor since then and I'm more critical of the series now than I was back then.

Romance is an important theme in Disenchantment. The series sends the message that love should be heartfelt rather than forced. Dagmar's arranged marriage between Satan and Bean is portrayed negatively. Even the theme of their wedding is "love is hell" which is like how Greg Universe described love as "torture" to Rose Quartz in Steven Universe.

Although Bean's mom puts her in leg irons and handcuffs, she still rebels. She gets Satan to dislike her and cuts Dagmar's hand, so that she is the "Queen of Dreamland" on paper rather than her. This will likely have significance in future seasons. In other episodes, Zog reconnects with Ursula, learning he has another son named Jasper, a bear cub. He later bonds with his daughter, Bean, as well.

This interconnects with queer moments weaved throughout Part 4. In episode 4, Bean realizes what the audience already knew: her romance with the mermaid, Mora (voiced by Meredith Hagner), was real. In a later episode, Freckles refers to Bean's romance with Mora to set her off. In another episode, Luci tells Bean that "pearls don't go with your whole tomboy femme thing anyway."

The first part of the phrase could refer to the term "pearl-clutch," with gay men using it to mean a "sense of shock, surprise, and awed admiration." Alternatively, it could be a reference to another related term: "pearl-clutching." That is a charge often lobbed at women, accusing them of "not being liberal, or feminist, or open-minded enough." The latter seems more likely than the former.

Luci's use of the term "tomboy femme" likely refers to when someone plays with their gender presentation. It blurs the "lines between what it is to be purely on one side of the feminine to masculine spectrum." This includes pairing designs seen as masculine with those seen as feminine.

Bean-Mora slow romance and other queer moments

Part 4 of Disenchantment continues the very slow romance between Bean and Mora. At the end of episode 6, Mora saves Bean, and she slips away, telling Bean, saying "damn it, I got to go." As such, Bean doesn't realize she was even there. In the following episode, she is defensive about who saved her. She wears the necklace Mora gave her but hides it.

At one point in Part 4, Bean admits to her father, Zog, that she is in love with Mora. He reveals to her that his first love was a mermaid, and adds that there is never a right time for love. Later, Bean avoids the pub and goes to the beach instead, believing she needs to "get over" Mora before it is "too late."

In episode 8, one character tells Bean that his wife is bisexual. In the same episode, she has a nightmare with Mora telling her to wake up. In the final episode, Bean's toxic, and controlling, mother, pushes her into the ocean. Once there, Mora pulls her close, with both kissing and embracing one another.

Mora and Bean together in the final episode of Part 4

The slow romance leaves a lot to be desired. Fans are rightly happy at the Morabeanie moments in Part 4, and have posted beautiful fan art. Even the official Instagram account has posted Morabeanie fan art. The official Twitter account, when responding to a fan about Bean and Satan together, added "I think she has her eyes on someone else...," hinting at Mora. Despite this, the moments Bean and Mora have together in the actual episodes are too far and few between.

The romance between Mora and Bean is, perhaps, better than the slow-moving romance between Vi and Caitlyn in Arcane. But, it seems like there was more time between Mora and Bean in Part 3 than in the recent episodes. There was a whole episode about it, "Last Splash." In the episodes that followed, Bean reflected on what happened, believing that it was not real.

A major sub-theme of Part 4 of Disenchantment is Bean realizing she has feelings for Mora and trying to act on them. The plot focused more on Zog's new son, Jasper, manipulative beings like Freckles, and other lore than Bean's romance with Mora, or Mora's feelings for Bean.

I wish there had been more "conversations about love, romance, and relationships" like those in the Part 3 episode, "Last Splash." Both actresses adlibbed lines about romance in the episode. Hopefully, future episodes expand on the relationship between them, allowing Bean (and Mora) to be happy together. I'd like Bean to be more of a "messy queer."

Other queer moments in the series were also minimal. For example, Odval and Sorcerio did not have many scenes where they experienced their time together. Furthermore, the series makes it clear that Jo and Porky are not a couple. Instead, Porky doesn't mind when Jo is taken to the mental asylum, in place of Zog, and seems glad he is gone.

This means that the series is more likely saying that Jo and Porky have a toxic relationship. This is like some descriptions of the Gem fusion between Lapis Lazuli and Jasper in Steven Universe.

Bean, bisexuality, and pansexuality

Part 4 of Disenchantment hints that Bean is bisexual. For Bean, gender does not seem to be a barrier to attraction. She has kissed a male elf, Elfo, and a female mermaid, Mora, and had various male callers in the past.

Bean fulfills GLAAD's definition of someone who is bi. This means someone who has the "capacity to form enduring physical, romantic, and/ or emotional attractions to those of the same gender or to those of another gender." The organization also says that those who have "the capacity to be attracted to people of any gender" might consider themselves as part of the bi+ community, or use terms like pansexual, omnisexual, polysexual, and so on.

You could say that she is only attracted to those of specific genders, with gender as a factor in attraction. This is further supported by Netflix Geeked describing her as a "new bisexual icon" and voice actress, Jacobson, as a  bisexual woman.

In Part 4, Bean said that she does not like labels. Some might guess that idea of pansexuality would draw her in. It has been described as a "sense of freedom" which validates the "fluidity of attraction...[with] no boundaries or limitations" by some people. You could argue that Bean is not limited by gender, sex, or gender identity in who she loves, and that she loves those of any gender. Even so, for those who are pansexual, there can still be "gendered elements" in a person's attraction toward someone else.

Bean would likely not describe herself as "bisexual" or "pansexual." The creators have not directly addressed Bean's sexual orientation, just as Mike McMahan has not confirmed whether Beckett Mariner in Star Trek: Lower Decks is bisexual or pansexual.

Abbi Jacobson recently described her role in voicing Bean in a recent interview. Jacobson said that she has been voicing Bean since 2017. She said that is "changing with the character...grow[ing] and chang[ing] with them a little bit." She called it "a huge gig," saying she now feels "more confident with her" than in the past.

She described how she has a similar vibe to Bean. She remarked that Bean's character development has included "Bean's finding her sexuality and that part of herself." She added that started to "lean toward" her in a way as a result, seeing even more similarities. Since Jacobson is one with the character and it is an inherent manifestation of her, it again confirms that Bean is bisexual.

Jacobson added that she feels the "seeking, searching part of her, and finding your people." She argued that Elfo and Luci are her "chosen friends and found family," which she relates to more than anything else.

Bean is not alone in this. Tamara in Star Wars Resistance and Reagan in Inside Job, both have chosen or found families of their own. Taken in this light, Disenchantment has a story that makes clear that "the ones who accept and love us aren’t always blood-related."

Drama, fantasy, adventure, and satire

On February 9, 2022, Opie, tweeted that Part 4 was a mess, that the narrative is all over the place and said the jokes were "pretty sporadic." He added that something about the show kept him watching."

Opie has a valid point. The narrative of Disenchantment moves rapidly. Even so, it stays together as one story. At the same time, the narrative could be stronger. There are some "subplots that fall flat" as one reviewer put it.

Part 4 of Disenchantment emphasizes drama, fantasy, adventure, and satire more than comedy. There are some funny parts, like the scenes with Laughing Horse, Elfo chased by a boulder, and an elf admitting he writes "elf erotica." There is some morbid humor. For example, Stan the executioner (voiced by Noel Fielding) admits that he killed a teacher because she was starting a teachers union.

The episodes are more serious than any of the other parts of the series. This tonal change may cause some to pull away from the series and not watch it. Even if this is the case, Part 4 is doing very well. New episodes are pulling in millions of viewers.

Despite the changed tone, family togetherness is a major theme. In Part 4, Elfo learns that his mother is an ogre named Grogda. She had sex with his dad, a traveling candy salesperson, and that they lived in the trees to hide from gnomes. But, this didn't last. Their home was destroyed during a gnome attack. Elfo returned to Elfwood with his pop, while Grogda stayed on the outside. Later, he learns that Junior, a ogre he stabbed earlier in the series, is his half-brother. They agree to not fight one another, with Junior accidentally killing his stepfather.

In another episode, Luci tells Bean that Dagmar sees her not as a person but as an extension of herself. He suggests she stop focusing on revenge, anger, and wrath if she wants to break free. In other episodes, Derek and Jasper, who are Zog's sons, take a dislike to each other at first. They later agree to work together. Both say they can hurt people better if they work together than if they are apart, with Elfo as their first victim.

Art, animation, lore, voice acting, writing, and beyond

Airship driven by Bean leaving Steamland

The background art and animation are superb. This includes the art of Steamland, the steam-powered steampunk city. It is one of my favorite locations in the series. It first appears in episode 2 when Bean, Luci, and Jerry stumble into an elevator from Hell. I found it fascinating that while Steamland is progressive on the surface, the steam which allows the city to run comes from Hell.

It was funny to see Alva Gunderson (voiced by Richard Ayoade) watching cartoons. I loved seeing the splendor of Steamland. I also loved seeing his invention, a steam-powered wheelchair, which he dubbed the "ass chariot." The huge airship that Bean and her friends stole from him so they could get back to Dreamland, is a tremendous work of machinery and science. It is not immune from attack, however. In typical Disenchantment fashion, it is shot down, and Bean, and her friends, somehow escape.

The design of Steamland makes me think of the mix of medieval and modern in High Guardian Spice. Disenchantment is a series that does something similar, blending both together. Some fan fiction writers on Archive of Our Own even focused on Steamland in their stories. Apart from Steamland, the background art of the series remains amazing. The storyboarders, animators, and background artists have done a great job.

These episodes reveal a lot of lore. This begins with the elves attempting to find their legendary homeland which they believed was Dreamland. The airship from Steamland has settings like Dankmire, New Cremorium, Dullsville, Naked City, Twinkletown, and Oxnard.

Bean is shown to have magical powers of some type. She is even able to heal scratches on her father's arm. In another episode, she touches a sword and it flashes her back to the battle in the cove. We also learn that the elves and trogs are interrelated.

One of the strongest parts of Disenchantment is the voice acting. This is evident in Part 4. Voice talents of Jacobson, Horgan, Fulcher, Faxon, Herman, DiMaggio, and Montgomery stand out, as does the voice acting for supporting and minor characters.

For instance, Mary (voiced by Lauren Tom), otherwise known as the mop girl, had a bigger part in this season. Oona (voiced by Tress MacNeille), the unnamed owner of a "freak show," and Stan the executioner (voiced by Fielding) stood out as well.

Disenchantment's voice actors have appeared in animated series like Inside Job, Amphibia, Solar Opposites, The Great North, Housebroken, and Twelve Forever. This makes clear the strength of the show's voice cast. While the cast is not very diverse, it includes voice actors like LaMarr, Andre, and Ayoade who are Black men.

The writers and directors of Part 4 episodes are a talented group of individuals. Of the eight episode directors, five directed Futurama episodes, and two worked on The Simpsons and Drawn Together. Others worked on Sym-Bionic Titan, Bob's Burgers, and Rick and Morty. Only one, Ed Tadem, was new to animation directing and had not directed on any show previously.

Two directors, Crystal Chesney-Thompson and Edmund Fong, are part of Rough Draft Studios which is producing the series. The same studio produced the original Star Wars: Clone Wars series, seasons of Futurama and subsequent made-for-TV films.

The writers of Disenchantment Part 4 are similar. Of the show's nine writers, four wrote for Futurama. The others wrote for Simpsons video games (Jamie Angell) and Bob's Burgers (Jameel Saleem). One of the writers, Liz Suggs, has written for live-action series and is co-producer of an upcoming animated series, Wings of Fire.

Saleem, a Black man, has a production company of his own named Black Bear and Fluffy. Adam Briggs is an Indigenous Australian rapper. Abe Groening is the son of Matt Groening. This series appears to be the first writing credit for Abe Groening. As such, the show has some diversity in the writers room, but could still do better.

The music of Disenchantment fits with the story. It ties in with the opening sequence of each episode which previews what will happen in that episode. Mark Mothersbaugh is the series composer. He is the co-founder, keyboardist, and lead singer of Devo. He has worked on series such as Regular Show, Summer Camp Island, and Close Enough. As Groening described it, Mothersbaugh put together a "theme song that’s Eastern European brass band-klezmer with accordions and tubas"

Future of Disenchantment

Netflix will likely renew this animated series. Despite the fact that executives sometimes can make wild decisions and cancel shows, it is unlikely to happen with Disenchantment. After all, there is already nice fan merchandise and the show seems to be getting a lot of attention.

Although some vowed to stop watching the show because Andre is selling an edible NFT, it is extreme to boycott a show because of what one actor has done. For instance, I could stop watching Young Justice because Greg Cipes (who voiced Beast Boy) digests and expels crypto-babble. If I decided to boycott it because of Cipes, I would miss out on stories featuring Halo/Violet (voiced by Zehra Fazal), a genderqueer character, and my favorite in the whole series.

Apart from the obvious continuation of the Bean-Mora romance, future stories could focus on Bean's possible ancestor, characters who were absent from Part 4 episodes, and Bean's attempt to retake the throne. That's only some of the many storylines for possible Parts 5 and 6.

The show could be under strain because Futurama is coming back for an eighth season in 2023 on Hulu. The return has been controversial because DiMaggio, who voices Bender, has not agreed to come back. This has led some to say that they would not watch the series unless he returns.

Even so, there is a possibility of a crossover. Disenchantment references Futurama various times. This includes a reference to the Futurama episode "Devil's Things Are Idle Playthings," Doctor Zoidberg, Futurama comics, and Enos Fry.

The creators of Disenchantment will be pushing for another season. A new season may be announced in the next few months and released sometime in February 2023 or March 2023. In February 2021, Josh Weinstein, one of the showrunners, said that if Netflix renewed Disenchantment, there would be two more 10-episode parts before the story came to an end.

In the end, Disenchantment deserves a watch for its queer content, strong voice acting, storytelling, art, animation, writing, music, and focus on mental health. Disenchantment is currently streaming on Netflix.

© 2022-2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

[usagirotten]

The final season of Disenchantment is hitting your screens this September

The streaming giant on Tuesday announced that the animated comedy from The Simpsons creator Matt Groening has been renewed for its fifth — and final — season, which will debut Sept. 1. The series initially landed on Netflix with a 20-episode order before being renewed in 2018 for a second batch of 20 installments. Rather than calling each run of 10 episodes a season, Netflix has split the orders and billed each batch as a “part,” a tactic many networks and streamers employ to avoid standard pay raises for creatives and stars. The fifth “part” will conclude with another 10 episodes. The Matt Groening-created series debuted in 2018 with a twenty-episode first season that was divided into two ten-episode sections. The second season was also in two parts, meaning that the upcoming episodes are both season three and part five, depending on how you want to slice it.  The teaser for the season, above, gives a little summary of the hijinks so far, and just a taste of what’s to come. Here’s the synopsis:   It all endeth here. The misadventures of hard-hitting, hard-drinking Queen Bean (Jacobson), her feisty elf companion Elfo (Faxon) and her personal demon Luci (Andre) culminate in an epic battle for Dreamland in the fifth and final installment of Matt Groening’s comedy fantasy series Disenchantment. To save Dreamland from Queen Dagmar’s (Horgan) wicked rule, Bean must vanquish her mother and outrun a prophecy that foretells she will kill someone she loves. The stakes are as high as ever as our heroes face Satan, a headless corpse, an evil stientist and most terrifying of all- their true destiny. Those parenthetical last names refer to Abbi Jacobson, Nat Faxon, Eric Andre, and Sharon Horgan; the cast also includes John DiMaggio, Tress MacNeille, Richard Ayoade, Matt Berry, Noel Fielding, Meredith Hagner, David Herman, Maurice LaMarche, Lucy Montgomery, and Billy West. When the series was first announced, in 2017, Groening said, “Disenchantment will be about life and death, love and sex, and how to keep laughing in a world full of suffering and idiots, despite what the elders and wizards and other jerks tell you.” The laughter is coming to an end, at least for now; the world full of suffering and idiot, alas, remains. Disenchantment returns for its final ten episodes on September 1st. Read the full article