#Vox is a terrifying and manipulative asshole but I fucking love him

[echoarts03]

OKAY RANT TIME!

Y'all, I have NEVER recommended such sus stuff, let alone FANFICS, but this one deserves it, okay?

I've been staying up until 4am the past 3 nights in a row to read an ongoing Hazbin Hotel fanfiction with 32 chapters and 145,000 words that I have now finished catching up on. To put it plainly, it is an absolute MASTERPIECE. Somehow, the author has perfectly captured how it would feel to form relationships (both platonic and romantic) with the characters and not make it feel like their personalities were manipulated.

I don't usually like stories that use such sensitive trigger tags, but it was recommended to me by a fellow Vox simp and OH MY GOD, IT'S NOT EVEN JUST THE VOX CONTENT THAT I CARE ABOUT ANYMORE, IT'S LITERALLY EVERYTHING ABOUT IT! THE PLOT IS GENUINELY GOOD, AND I WANT TO SEE HOW IT ENDS!

PLEASE, if you're into sus Vox/Readers, SUPER slow-burn Alastor/Readers, or stories with mild Baxter/Reader content on the side, GO READ The Medusa Complex over on Ao3!

⚠️ WARNING! IT HAS EXTREMELY SENSITIVE TOPICS WITHIN IT, SO READ THE DAMN AO3 TAGS! ⚠️

#I can never find fanfictions that truly keep me on the edge of my seat so this is incredible #The author hasn't updated since March...but they have said the story isn't being canceled so that's good! #Hazbin Hotel #hazbin hotel fanfiction #fanfic rec #archive of our own #ao3 fanfic #ao3 link #tw: abuse #tw: invasion of the no-no square without permission #Vox is a terrifying and manipulative asshole but I fucking love him #alastor hazbin hotel #vox hazbin hotel #baxter hazbin hotel #charlie hazbin hotel #vaggie hazbin hotel #niffty hazbin hotel #angel dust hazbin hotel

[thessalian]

Thess vs TLoVM Ep. 6

So now that I have a decent desk chair, actual liveblogging!

Hello, Dominic Monaghan!

Matt really is in every episode, isn’t he? Then again, men with brown longish hair aren’t exactly uncommon. Still, there was an eyepatch! And then he was crushed like a soda can.

So the giants look like Ryuk from Death Note. That’s ... special.

“What, ‘cos we all know each other?” THANK YOU, GROG.

So @true0neutral needs to watch this because Yennen is such an awesome priest of the Dawnfather.

Oh SHE SEES ORTHAX DAYUM. I’m sorry, but seriously - beyond the white hair and everything, he hasn’t said enough to determine how much he’s changed yet.

See, I liked the conversation about who’s actually leading, and Keyleth did actually put it best. They each lead when it’s appropriate for them to lead. They shift and change leadership roles depending on what strength is required to get through anything that gets in their way. That’s always been Vox Machina’s strength. It’s when they start thinking any one of them is The Leader that they get all fucked up.

Okay, this is Grog as I know and love him. “Yeah, all this sucks and it’ll probably make a good fight and that asshole fucked me up with his sword so I kind of want to kill him but this just sucks and-- wait. These assholes mean no ale? I. Would like. To--” “GROG NO.” “Oh, let him destroy a thing or two. It’ll be a good warm-up for him.”

I’m sorry, Yennen. But it sounds like Percy’s friend Archie hasn’t changed one tiny bit.

“You’re playing on my emotions. And I can’t say I blame you.” Yeah, nobles and priests sometimes have to be manipulative little shits, but I do love the, “You’re playing me. And it’s working. And I’m so proud of you” tone of voice.

...They’re actually going to do the beret. Oh. My gods.

This is a “Pike needs to internalise the fact that she’s worthy” thing, isn’t it. The fight with the Briarwoods even before she got hit with Delilah’s spell, her not being able to help as much as she wanted to, it’s all a doubt thing.

Well, Stonefell, there might be no room for heroes in Whitestone, but there’s clearly room for dishonourable weasely cowardly bastards using a chained-up dwarf as a punching bag. (Also you’re gonna find that heroes don’t take up that much room until they’re busting your door down. Just by the way.)

Also, HI DARIN DE PAUL! He must have had so much fun with this...

Rory. McCann. HELLO. ...So wait, we get to see Scanlan force that guy off a roof? I’m liking this idea.

This is why At Dawn, We Plan was a whole thing. You’re right, Vax. Mostly. Keyleth’s plan wasn’t bad. I mean, assuming there are any animals worth a shit in Whitestone.

"Nothing but Bad News.” PERCY YOU SHITHEAD. Still, great use of the scope.

I mean, I knew they kept the door bit, but AAAAAAHAHAHA.

“Congrats. Everyone’s getting out early for bad behaviour.” AHAHAHA I LOVE YOU VEX.

Well. That’s ... one way to get through the door.

Nice use of illusions, Scanlan!

And that, right there, is a call to vengean-- DAYUM KEYLETH. I mean, narratively speaking, crushing the head of the resistance fighter who saved the life of one of their own basically marked Stonefell and the entire Briarwood rulership for extinction, but it’s nice to see that as a catalyst for Keyleth coming into her own righteous fury. Also, hello Minxie.

Okay, now THAT was a shot. A shot that could break the haft of a maul that heavy? Also the accuracy of it. Just a really nice touch.

“I wanted you to know it was me.” GAAAAAAAH THAT’S FUCKING TERRIFYING. Kudos to the animators. Also to Taliesin Jaffe because this is all way creepier than his original yelling.

...Then again, the yelling is equally creepy. And again, kudos to the animators; rage like that tends to look laughable in this animation style, or at least ... well, two-dimensional, pardon the pun. But the combination of rage, horror and just plain disgust on his face, both during the shooting of Stonefell and later, when yelling at Vax about his vengeance...

And then the animators let him go to horror-tinged vulnerable shock. No one gets to say the animation in this is bad. Ever.

Yeah, even knowing what does ultimately happen (though I understand that liberties will be taken here), I still get that feeling that whether “I have a sister” ends well is up in the air. I mean, that “This changes nothing” scene is all it took to flag up a few very key points: that Cassandra’s in a bad situation and might well just be going along to keep herself alive, that Cassandra might hold a grudge about being left for dead (because we can see that de Rolos hold grudges), that she has been in the custody of a vampire who likely has no qualms about messing with her head... Just a couple of lines and it sets up Cassandra’s whole moral and psychological battleground, and the defenses Percy’s going to have to get through in order to make “I have a sister” a reality.

So, six episodes in ... while the campaign will always have a special place in my heart (and now I kind of want to watch it again), I like this version ... not better, but in a different way. They’ve managed to find ways to set up the important themes in a lot less time, in subtle yet powerful ways. Haven’t seen much of Mae Catt’s stuff - then again, Mae Catt hasn’t written that much - but this was a winner.

Wait.

Waitaminit.

I happened to see who wrote Ep. 7.

Travis. And Sam.

I have got to see their writing chops. I have to. It’s not an option. I require food first, though.

#the legend of vox machina #tlovm spoilers #Thess watches Critical Role