#pondering malevolent pod

[the-acer-scientist]

john doe is such a jealous bitch. how dare his boyfriend talk to oscar for one (1) car ride. time to drive around in circles for an hour while Arthur's eyes sulk. on that note. why is the blind guy driving.

[the-acer-scientist]

“I am trying to become the thing I should have been a long time ago. It doesn’t come without blood, and it doesn’t come without cracked ribs and broken bones. I am CLAWING my way, stumbling in the dark, just as you are. Towards a better version of myself. I am FUCKING UP as I move there. But that doesn’t make me a monster. That makes me human.” -John Doe, Malevolent episode 19.

[the-acer-scientist]

setting a reminder for myself for when i have the time. explained the implications of lily in re john's humanization arc to my college sibling Scotty and they asked me if John's tears out of Arthur's eyes were bright gold. i will draw this as soon as i have the time, hell or high water. have i drawn anything in the last year and a half? absolutely not. will i make this my personal mission because i'm obsessed with the concept of a physical manifestation of empathy? absolutely.

they also headcanon Cain (is it kayne? i keep seeing it spelled Kayne but personally i like Cain better) as like three foot five. which. simultaneously yes and no

[the-acer-scientist]

do y’all think that Collins “The Butcher” Malevolent did his own top surgery with that piano wire

[the-acer-scientist]

I am going to smack Arthur Lester fucking senseless. <- just listened to the end of malev 25

Arthur. you dumbfuck. have you maybe considered that John having more empathy and compassion and humanity than you might not be a him problem? that maybe if the piece of the creature that was known for callousness and thinking of mortals as insignificant and is now trying to be anything but that said that he’s glad he’s not like you that that may warrant a bit of INTRO FUCKING SPECTION

WHO THE FUCK SHOT ARTHUR WITH THE GHOST BULLET AND MADE HIM A SLAUGHTER FUCKING AVATAR

wait one of KIYs things is placing earworms right? like driving people mad by placing something in their head that will just bug at them? …..is that why KIY brought up Parker when they talked? and is that why Arthur brought Parker up in 26 as reasoning? because my thought is that maybe KIY somehow burrowed into Arthur’s mind and is the reason why he’s lost so much of his humanity

oh. oh Arthur. John is right, you’re disguising your self-loathing and guilt as masochism again. martyring yourself over this won’t fix anything. suicide missions are still suicide, and John is right, she wouldn’t want that. the people that care about you don’t want that.

when did John have time to memorize poetry? and why am I crying a little? (it’s because this podcast keeps smacking me in the mental illness)

“you can’t eat everything” “I can bloody well try” good for him

HES TAKING JOHN OUT TO DINNER WHEN THEY GET HOME AWH

[the-acer-scientist]

it's all harlan himself? it's ALL!! HARLAN!! HIMSELF!!

[the-acer-scientist]

I adore malevolent so much- spoilers for part 17 ahead

I’m half listening to this as I’m working on homework in this boba shop and not only did I get the lovely experience of having Malevolent in one ear and Careless Whisper in the other when I took my earbud out, but I also zoned out for a little bit and went from Arthur reminiscing about Faroe to John suggesting throwing a Molotov cocktail at the Minotaur- the whiplash these two give me is unparalleled

[the-acer-scientist]

listened to another couple episodes (am now about to start ep 5: the gift) and I have a few more thoughts. again, spoilers, these are my semi-live thoughts

…y’all mean to tell me Voice can coordinate well enough to drive but not to aim? didn’t they just meld left hands? babes you spent most of the last episode or two telling Arthur how to dispatch the gas mask guy and it never occurred to just. do it yourself?

gas mask guy and that whole arc is Fully Terrifying, how the Sweet Dashboard Jesus FUCK can he hear Voice too? speaking of fully terrifying, basically the entire forest thing with the kid n the laughing woman was…hmmm. don’t love that for them, nope not at all. these couple of eps cemented Malevolent as #2 spookiest podcast I’ve listened to (second only to Janus Descending)

I stopped roundabouts the bit where arthur decided he’s gonna reel in the chain with the drowned head. Arthur. Babes. I appreciate that you want answers, really I do. However, who in gods name stole your sense of self-preservation? get OUT

and I think I’m gonna end this with the thought that I absolutely adore the dynamic the main duo have. Arthur n Voice are very eddievenom (platonic) and I love it for them. I genuinely can’t tell if it’s Voice or Arthur that can’t tell left from right but one of them is really struggling in that regard (see again my thoughts on letting them drive). I think I should start a tally of times that Voice calls Arthur some variant of a dumbass

started malevolent the podcast today. initial thoughts: (very vague spoilers ahead)

holy mother of audiodrama this is beautifully written and executed, I fully adore the plot, the characters, and especially the voice acting.

secondly. how do they drive. they should not be able to drive. when did the disembodied voice get its license.

thirdly. somehow both of the main voices are Incredibly gender envy, do Not ask me why (it’s probably the accent and the gentlemanlyness) (it’s also probably the way samglyph on here draws them. they’re so shaped /affectionate)

[the-acer-scientist]

⚠️ malev 31 spoilers ⚠️

KELAND?? what the FUCK

that’s John in the background that’s John’s muffled voice is this king shit again

you don’t REMEMBER plastic dashboard JESUS ARTHUR you JUST GOT HIM BACK

okay the multi voice thing is very cool

this mindscape thing is very very awesome, I didn’t think a podcast, especially Malevolent, could have done the “inside a character’s mind” thing that a novel can do because everything has to be spoken, but having Arthur talk to his inner monologue via other characters works really well

“How many times can you fracture a soul” oh I Do Not love the implications of that

Arthur’s own voice mixing with Keland was very spooky

BELLA LORE??

ugh Arthur’s VA is so incredible, he sounds so existentially pained

lovely. he’s drowning again

interesting that John still sees himself as blind in his own mind. He still needs a narrator

There’s something to be said about Keland asking Arthur to bury him and the framing of this episode… “burying something in your memory”

Hmmmm, musing on good versus evil as you’re burying someone you killed out of necessity

Oh yup yeah we’re gonna deal with the Arthur/Larson parallels this ep aren’t we

“Not like your golden boy. Your Undefeated” I still love John the Undefeated as his title

no shut up something gold can stay, shut up John can stay shut up and let him come back he’s trying I can hear him in the background

ohhhh twas a shotgun weddin, that’s why he wasn’t there

who is James

“you really make it easy to hate you” I mean… I’m all for protags but Larson might be a little bit right

more importantly who is scratch

“even my own self loathing knows it” I mean. Yeah

of course maries house is haunted by a demon of guilt and self loathing, because God Forbid Arthur Get a Break

something something finding joy in the midst of misery, something about experiencing happiness despite and because of the past

tendrils? like when he got hive-minded?

how many more mortal gut wounds is this poor guy gonna take

arthur Lester 🤝 Jon sims <- releasing an entity by destroying its housing (idk why the parallel between scratch and the web table is striking me and I’m too tired to explain it properly)

JOHNS BACK YAY

oh Joy he’s now the dream demons favorite. Yknow. The demon that’s going to unleash untold horrors. *thats* who picked him as it’s favorite

started malevolent the podcast today. initial thoughts: (very vague spoilers ahead)

holy mother of audiodrama this is beautifully written and executed, I fully adore the plot, the characters, and especially the voice acting.

secondly. how do they drive. they should not be able to drive. when did the disembodied voice get its license.

thirdly. somehow both of the main voices are Incredibly gender envy, do Not ask me why (it’s probably the accent and the gentlemanlyness) (it’s also probably the way samglyph on here draws them. they’re so shaped /affectionate)

[the-acer-scientist]

okay I lost my notes but I’m all caught up now and from what I remember my live thoughts were basically

kayne is so sillay I love him

what do you MEAN ulterior motives, kayne? what do you MEAN John chose between the devil and the deep blue sea?

no Arthur don’t make him go through that twice in an episode don’t make us go through that twice in an episode please- NO

Oooo okay so Irish assassin guy’s name is Collins. Gonna make a note of that

THIS IS THE MOVIE BIT THAT EVERYONE WENT INSANE ABOUT augh and they were completely valid in doing so Arthur be a good host and take your eyes to go see a movie he’s done enough for you

John wants to be a PI that’s so sweet!!!

Oooo I love Collins’s voice he’s so aurally interesting

Marie is such a girlboss I am imagining her looking like Maggie Smith

you ever just think about how these two are permanently and irrevocably stuck in the ‘there’s only one bed’ trope

okay That’s certainly a place to end it. Firstly- John can dream now??? Let alone have a nightmare? Wtf was Marie saying, who was she talking to? When do we get the rest of the episodes?

started malevolent the podcast today. initial thoughts: (very vague spoilers ahead)

holy mother of audiodrama this is beautifully written and executed, I fully adore the plot, the characters, and especially the voice acting.

secondly. how do they drive. they should not be able to drive. when did the disembodied voice get its license.

thirdly. somehow both of the main voices are Incredibly gender envy, do Not ask me why (it’s probably the accent and the gentlemanlyness) (it’s also probably the way samglyph on here draws them. they’re so shaped /affectionate)

[the-acer-scientist]

Update as of episode 24: the mine

Ooooo Larson lore dump about the old gods, yay for information

Add another scar to the list, y’all! Van Gogh ass bitch

HOLY SHARKS HES BACK johns back he’s back he has his memories HELLS YEAH

he’s been back for like five minutes and he’s already helping Arthur through anxiety ATTA BOY

ARTHUR babes you’ve had him back for TEN MINUTES and you want to start that argument again? I’m w John on this one, it’s fascinating how for every inch that John gains towards humanity it feels like Arthur loses- OH MY GODS IS THAT WHAT KAYNE MEANT BY WINNING

on that note tho. Yes, Larson absolutely deserves to die and absolutely at Arthur’s hands bc of personal backstory but John is right, Arthur’s getting a little too comfy with murder

Oooo we’re starting with the “what makes you different” argument again? John does have a point, who’s to say that Yellow couldn’t have grown had he had the same chance? who’s to say that John just so happens to be the one who could change

Okay woah wasn’t expecting this one to hit me right in the eldest golden sibling trauma- “I’m congratulating you and you’re telling me I’m wrong in doing so” YES BECAUSE ITS ABOUT GIVING EACH SEED EQUAL CHANCE TO GROW, ARTHUR- John isn’t special because he’s John, John is special because you cared enough to provide him the resources to become special.

The turns are tabling babes, Arthur is too comfy with murder and has info that John doesn’t, and John can’t see and is fighting to believe in the ability for change… this is a fascinating episode

It continues turning!! Arthur’s entire thing used to be helping anyone in need regardless of personal danger, and now John is the one having to convince him to stay? -ooooo that’s gotta be Awful for John, he mentioned a couple of eps ago that he’s frustrated with his inability to act and now that these tables have turned it’s even worse

started malevolent the podcast today. initial thoughts: (very vague spoilers ahead)

holy mother of audiodrama this is beautifully written and executed, I fully adore the plot, the characters, and especially the voice acting.

secondly. how do they drive. they should not be able to drive. when did the disembodied voice get its license.

thirdly. somehow both of the main voices are Incredibly gender envy, do Not ask me why (it’s probably the accent and the gentlemanlyness) (it’s also probably the way samglyph on here draws them. they’re so shaped /affectionate)