#like it's worse BECAUSE i really like the stuff that is about internet mysteries or lost media

[mister13eyond]

least favorite kind of youtube experience is when you're watching something like "unsolved reddit mysteries" and most of them are interesting searches for lost media or attempts to figure out strange internet phenomena, and then somewhere mixed in with all of that is a post from someone who's clearly just experiencing paranoid delusions and it gets presented as a Mysterious and Spooky Secret

#like it's worse BECAUSE i really like the stuff that is about internet mysteries or lost media #i find those really cool and interesting #but i hate getting smacked right in the face with someone posting during the midst of an episode and the narrator treating it like that #bro please do not highlight this person's unfortunate mental health moment in your video and immortalize it for all of youtube to gawk at #yeah i get it delusions are sooooo unsettling blah blah blah #they're 100x worse for the person experiencing them #and i would Not want one of my breakdowns or episodes getting ATTENTION DRAWN TO IT by a fucking REDDIT CONTENT AGGREGATOR RUBBERNECKING #anyways #back to ur regularly scheduled program

[grimrester]

i am really so sorry to continue harping on about the watcher entertainment streaming service. but this kind of stuff (internet content as a business & marketing it as such) is truly my obsession, and i think i will implode if i don't talk about some of the takes i'm seeing.

i'd like to emphasize again i don't have strong feelings about watcher either way. i like ghost files, i watch mystery files sometimes, i watched worth it back in the buzzfeed days. i don't watch any of their shows religiously.

anyway, here's the main things i keep seeing crop up and my thoughts on each:

"watcher has 25 employees they have to pay, and employing people in this economy is good, so we should be banding together to pay them."

employing people is good if you currently have the capacity to pay them. i checked watcher's linkedin page, and many of their employees were hired within the last year or two. if they hired people they cannot pay with the business model they had before, something is seriously wrong with their internal bookkeeping/decision making. it means they either didn't know they couldn't pay these people long term, or they did know and were content with risking newly hired employees' livelihoods on a huge content pivot in the next year.

of note is that none of their employees' titles have anything to do with managing the finances of the company. they are the size of a small business but have no one aside from the figureheads of the company in charge of their finances.

this is the kind of company decision making that leads to downsizing and layoffs, which can be devastating. but you know what's worse than laying off a portion of your staff? laying off everyone because your business is going under.

"not everyone can afford the subscription, but those who can should pay it to support the watcher team."

no. $6/month for a couple hours of content (depending on what shows you actively watch and the natural fluctuation of their release schedule) is a fundamentally bad value. i can pay that much for a few movies on amazon. i can pay that much for dropout, if i want to support a smaller business instead.

and to be totally frank, even if people do sign up, i don't think they'd get enough to compete with the amount they get through patreon/sponsorships. and the fact that they didn't know how many of their subscribers would realistically sign up is a bad sign.

a pretty good conversion rate of free to paid subscribers of a service or content is 3% (usually accomplished through a free trial). given the very poor reception of the announcement, let's say about 1% of their 3 mil youtube subs pay for their service. that's 30k people paying for their new platform. that's $180k a month in their pocket.

(they currently only have 12k subs on patreon so we are being generous here.)

a sponsorship deal (based on my googling, i have less direct experience with this) is anywhere from $10-50 per 1000 views. they've gotten about 1 mil views on their last few videos. 3 mil subs is nothing to shake a stick at, but let's say they're on the lower end of the payscale at $25 per 1000 views. that's $25k a video, $100k a month if they release 1 video a week. their lowest patreon tier is 5 bucks, so even if all their subs are at that tier, that's another $60k, so $160k total. it's entirely likely they're bringing in much more than that when you factor in merch, adsence, etc.

did anyone on their team crunch numbers on how many people would need to sub to make the switch worth it? did anyone do market research on how many people they could convert to paid users? because if not, if they really didn't have a game plan for this, the subscription service was always doomed to fail.

"this was their only option to continue making the content they want to make, with the production value they want."

i watched their announcement video. a key point in that video is that they have done sponsored videos and that's what used to pay for their content, but they did not like the amount of creative control the sponsor had over the content.

look, i get that's no fun. we'd all love creatives to be able to make whatever they want. but when you are a small business with a team of employees relying on you, you have to think about making money, sometimes at the cost of creative liberties.

and they had so many other options to make money for the projects they want to make without jumping to a subscription platform.

they could have started actually promoting their patreon, and maybe done some restructuring of the tiers. why not a highly produced, special series just for patreon members? or a special high-budget episode of each series, while the main series is lower budget?

bite the bullet and continue taking sponsorship deals on some less-produced shows, while axing sponsorships from the ones the crew feels more passionate about.

schedule larger, blowout-production shows only when they can be afforded. this is what Notorious Amongus Guy streamer jerma does. he saves up for big productions like his baseball or dollhouse streams, so he can really get creative with them.

they had other options and they've tried very little, especially when you compare them to other content house business at similar scales. try guys and good mythical morning both put out significant content with significant staff, and have had to diversify their income streams with auxiliary products, shows with widely varied levels of production, etc. but it seems to be working for them. watcher has merch and that's about it, and seems to only want to increase the production quality of ALL their shows.

really, all this just boils down to a terrible business decision. it's hard to say if the watcher team is working with a consultant or anyone outside of their team, but they certainly don't have anyone internally who is experienced with running a business like this. to me, it seems very much like they got in a room together and did some extremely optimistic income ballparking with no research behind it.

and that might have been fine for three dudes running a channel alone, but if they're a business, they have to start making decisions like one.

#i encourage discussion on this in my notes btw! #you can even be mean to me if you disagree. i dont actually care #watcher

[j0kers-light]

Hi Chaos! MASSIVE FAN of your work!

A little headcannon/short story idea (If you find it suitable and to your liking, of course <3)

We keep on hearing of how y/n interacts on social media- but what about the Joker? Does he have a secret account for fun, does he stay away from it or is there a third alternative?

Bonus! (In honor of Spotify wrapped coming out): What type of music genre do you think the Joker enjoys listening to?

Hey hi anon!!! 🖤✨

wow, haven't had one of these in a hot minute. I miss answering anon... 🥺🥺ANYHOO!!!

THANK YOU FOR BEING A MASSIVE FAN! I LOVES YOU MUCH! *opens up my docs so I can work hard to make content for mi sweet loving anon*

Let's get into it! Straight to the point because I can go into heavy detail AND I WILL. I WILL GO INTO HEAVY DETAIL! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

First and foremost, Joker isn't addicted to modern technology like we are as a culture, this man is soooo old fashion it makes your eyes roll.

He doesn't see the appeal of TikTok or apps like Snapchat even if the filters make him all sparkly and look cool. He takes silly selfies with you if you beg him to and he lets you save some on your phone however; if he sees them anywhere else-- say goodbye to fun selfies forever!

He can't have any evidence of his real face floating around. Phones can be hacked! So you suggest Polaroids and Joker breathes a sigh of relief.

Get it? Polaroid? Just like in the infamous photo Joker snapped in the chapter Push and Pull! 🤭

If Joker uses any social media platforms, it’s in an anonymous fashion.

Joker is on Twitch because he's secretly a gamer but he doesn't use a cam. He loves stalking your personal blog and he's always going down a rabbit hole on YouTube.

You won't find him anywhere that requires a legal profile. Anything that can be traced back to him and most importantly you is a no go. He won't risk you being used as blackmail or worse.

He'll check your Patreon from time to time if you're a digital artist or something of the sort but other than that, his phone is used primary for communication with you.

Joker would rather leave behind sticky notes or his signature playing cards than send a text. He scatters the apartment with little love notes; it’s so corny but sweet.

Now on the other hand if you need assistance whether it be for a skit, making a reel, etc., best believe Joker will hold your camera for you, he'll help you edit videos, he’ll even direct the content so its the best on the internet!

He'll be so supportive if you're a content creator. Scratch that. Joker is supportive in everything you do!

Granted he doesn't understands a lick of social media or its lingo, he will go above and beyond to make sure your content is phenomenal.

Need a nice shot of the Gotham Bridge or a background of somewhere cool? Its mysteriously empty for your use...

Need good lighting for a quick reel? Joker is setting off explosions in the background. Fire is really good natural lighting... far better than a ring light. 👀

Whatever you need, say the word and its yours. Joker will get anything for his Light.

THAT BEING SAID! BONUS ASK ITS A TWO FOR ONE DEAL!

I think I answered a similar ask like this but I'll do it again because I love to answer questions!!

(I have a confession to make. I do not have a Spotify... so I can't do the viral wrapped thingy but I'm aware of it!)

I fully support Joker being older than you (teehee we stan mature older men around these parts!!)

That being said.. Joker grew up with good music like back when music meant something—not just mindless noise to add onto a video for likes.

He has an ear for jazz, crooner, classic R&B, and the occasional rock, heavy metal stuff if it has relatable lyrics (it channels his inner psycho don't judge him)

He cannot stand pop music or anything that's featured on the top 100's or played on repeat in a department store. He will stab someone over it. No questions asked.

If his Bunny is singing/dancing along to it he might make an exception because your voice is so soothing to him, it puts a different spin to the song. There's still a fifty fifty change he's tuning it out.

But he strongly believes all boy bands should be executed, no exceptions. That's where he draws the line.

Totally forgot I made a oneshot about Joker and music too!

Slippery When Wet lol...

Hope that answered your ask beloved! 🖤✨

#thanks anon! #thanks for the ask! #ledger joker x reader #reader insert #black!fem!reader #ledger joker #heath joker #joker x reader #joker x y/n #dark knight joker #Joker's taste in music #it varies but he's coming around #his lighthouse

[mysticaltora8276]

Is it really bad that when I saw the giggle and the main premise was that the Toymaker was making everyone crazy by “everyone’s opinions being right.” And the first thing I thought it was not “oh how horrible” it was “oh so like in Internet discussion group, talking about certain franchises.” I wasn’t so much as terrified, just more of annoyed, because anybody who’s been on the Internet with certain franchises knows that this more or less is the constant state of things in certain areas. As was the Giggle wasn’t that bad but then again, there were some erasure that really ticked me off. Firstly, Toymaker, didn’t mention Rory the Lone Centurion. You know, one of the big central factors of Amy’s life and a big factor of Eleven’s run. River isn’t mentioned at all. Then they completely ignore Nardole. NARDOLE, the guy who stuck with the Doctor for 70+ years, and was the only one authorized by River to kick the Doctor’s butt if he got out of line. That’s not getting into the fact that ignored Yaz, Ryan, Graham, and Dan the more recent companions that all left on their own terms. I felt so annoyed on their behalf, because all I could think was “excuse me, there were other people there are you deliberately forgetting that fact?” To make matters worse the Doctor doesn’t even bother to correct him. I did like the ending said that he will see how long he stays in one place. I’m guessing a few weeks at most before he gets antsy. Not to mention the fact of another thing that grind my ears was I got the severe impression of Avengers envy. You know about 11 years too late….yeah. Also, the whole thing about “having a family, the one adventure I can never have.” Excuse me, does the name Susan mean anything to anyone? Anything at all? Doctor’s granddaughter? His first companion? No? Well, then that’s not fine then let me remind everyone that the Doctor did indeed have a family and did settle down. He decided to leave with his granddaughter for reasons which they never gotten into but that’s OK that’s part of the mystery. But the point in the matter is acting like “oh the one adventure I can never have.” Yeah, sure show let’s ignore Susan.

Edit: What was up with the weird German accent with Toymaker? I mean yay they got rid of Yellow Peril stuff so they went with stereotypical German……weird

#doctor who #the giggle #fourteenth doctor #again he is a traveler so that’s kind of their thing #rtd critical #the toymaker

[purplekiwis]

𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒 (𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟐)

Summary: An emergency admission to the hospital gives rise to a series of strange events in your life. By fate, when things take a dark turn, a unexplainable force leads you to Harry. The hospital's shy and perceptive botanist who will help you solve the frightening mystery that links the two of you together.

Genre: Witch AU / Soulmates AU (Green wizard Harry x Seer witch Y/N)

Warnings: Sexual Content (Sub-ish, soft Harry 🥺), Mild Cursing, Witchcraft and Demon Stuff (Nothing too crazy or disturbing, I promise)

Words: 10k

READ FIRST: PART 1

**

Y/N kissed Harry.

She kissed him – and he kissed her back, and they kept kissing until their lips had went numb and sore all the same… and then they went inside the house and cuddled each other to sleep. Bodies glued together despite their swimming clothes still feeling quite wet and sticky, and the usual pleasant scents of their skins being tarnished with the chemically one of chlorine. And it felt good. It felt so good… which is why Y/N was surprised when she woke up on aunt Rowena’s guest room all alone. Had she slept past the witching hour? That had never happened before… Well, except for the times she was sick or had one too many boozy drinks before bed.

Which wasn’t the case this time.

So, she’s guessing it can only have something to do with Harry, because that’s the only logical explanation. Maybe not him directly, but the calming capacities of his energy… and the way the smell of flowers, and freshly washed sheets dancing in the wind practically oozes from his pores. Because sure, they’d had a few cocktails last night, but not nearly enough to leave Y/N feeling tipsy… let alone tipsy enough to crash for the whole night without having to get up in the middle to be, well… a witch. Or to go for a wee. Which speaking of, Harry wasn’t in the en suite bathroom having one like Y/N had first assumed him to be…

She had rolled over in bed and clung to his pillow, giving him a few minutes to come back so that she could persuade him into coming to cuddle her for a bit longer… but the room was all too quiet.

She called for him and got no answer.

Her heart leapt at the thought that he might have slipped away in the middle of the night… frightened over what her aunt had told them hours before. Or worse, for regretting what had happened right afterwards… but his luggage was still sitting on the bedroom floor next to hers, so she figured it shouldn’t be that.

Before she got up and went looking for him however, Y/N checked her phone out of habit, only to find 4 missed calls and a bunch of unread texts from her best friend Margery, asking for a call back as soon as possible.

Y/N’s hand flew to her chest as she pressed the call button, already waiting for Margery to tell her that something had happened with Azura. The cat had a bad temper… and could act like a hell born little imp sometimes. Which was why Y/N usually never left her under anyone’s care for longer than a couple of hours… and this time it had been almost 10 consecutive days.

Luckily her worriment didn’t have time to escalate, as Margery answered the call after two rings with her usual cheery, gleeful tone. “Thank fuck you called! We were about to ring up Salem’s assembly and report you as a missing witch…”

Y/N winced slightly. “Where are you? It’s so static-y…”

“Oh sorry.” There was a shuffling noise from Margery’s side, and then her voice got clearer. “We’re at Pam’s house. Axl’s here too…” That got Y/N to smile, of course they were at Pam's house. In the middle of nowhere, where the phone network was horrible, and the internet was even worse. “Axl thought you had lost your mind for good and drove out of the country with some hot lesbian biker you had married in Vegas…”

“What?” She couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought. “Did you guys really think you'd get rid of me that easily?”

“Of course not, - Shit. Hold on, I think I lost you.” Margery's voice sounded robotic and far away, as if she were calling from inside a spaceship. Y/N figured she was probably bending over backwards to try to get even one line of signal inside Pam’s cottage, so she chose not to complain about it. “Sorry, I’m back – I don’t know for how long though so tell me everything! How’s Vegas? Have you gone out already? I bet there are so many hot normies there…”

“Hot normies.” Y/N snorted… and huffed and then biting her lip she mumbled “I’ve sort of met someone magical, so… can’t really say I’ve been looking.”

“Excuse me- WHAT?”

Margery’s shout pierced Y/N's eardrums, making her pull the phone away from her ear before she mumbled lowly, “I can't tell you the details right now because he might listen but-”

“He? Who is he? Is he there with you?”

“Um, well… yeah, I mean - I'm by myself right now but…” Y/N got up and walked to the bathroom, just to double check that she really was alone – and as soon as she realized that she was, the babble gushing began. “I don’t know what came over me last night. I just… kissed him, and I thought – I really thought he liked it at the time- but now I woke up and he isn’t here. What if he regretted it so much that he couldn't even stomach to look at me when he woke up?!”

“You’re freaking out for no reason… he’s probably in the bathroom taking a dump right as we speak.” Margery suggested, but Y/N denied that possibility immediately. She had checked the bathroom after all… – “Well then… maybe he’s an undercover vampire? You know they always have to skip the breakfast in bed part…”

“No, of course he’s not a bloody vampire!” Y/N hissed, trying to keep it quiet. “He works at the hospital, inside a greenhouse - under the sun.”

“Wait… you’re screwing the hospital guy?! Oh my god guys, she’s screwing the hospital guy!”

Y/N’s body froze in alarm. “Did you just-” There were laughs and rustling coming from the other end of the line. “Margery! When I tell you these things you are not supposed to let everyone know!” The girl grumbled, but the only response she got were more weird stirring noises and a shout letting her know that she was now on speaker. “…and I am not screwing him- It’s not like that…”

“It’s not like that?!” Axl’s voice broke through the speakers of the phone, his tone pitched with amusement. “Correct me if I’m wrong but weren’t you just bitching to Margery about having woke up alone? ‘Cause that seems to me like you went to bed… not alone.”

“We just… slept. Like people do. Every night.”

“Oh…” They sounded a little disappointed. “But why was he there with you anyway? We thought you went to visit your aunt because of that weird omen stuff you told us about…”

“No, I did but- there’s some other stuff going on also…”

“What stuff?”

Y/N huffed deeply, “Do you guys remember what went on at the hospital? With that old witch who ran away?”

“Yeah, what about it? You said you didn't know anything…”

“Yeah well… I didn’t, at the time.” That was a lie, but it was a harmless one. “To keep it short, we found out the witch made a deal with a demon before she ran away… and we’ve decided to investigate a little. We’re meeting with a demonologist today, actually-”

“Wait, wait, wait… you’re meaning to tell us you have been messing with demon stuff without us? That’s whack, Y/N! You know how much we love to read about black magic and all that forbidden, creepy stuff…”

“Oh I know, which is exactly I didn’t tell you… No offense but you’d get too excited and end up doing something careless that would get us all killed…”

“When are you coming back? We should meet at Bones and Burgers just so you could run us through everything… and bring your doctor friend too! We’d like to meet him.”

“No, we won't- do that.” Y/N hissed, feeling flustered. “I told you before that he’s shy. I don’t think he would do well in that kind of environment. It’s too crowded.”

“Come onnnn… are you serious? So, that’s how it’s going to be? You get a little boytoy and now you’re going to start putting us aside…?”

“He’s not my-” Y/N wheezed on the defense, but the muffled laughter that followed had her realizing her friends were just trying to get her riled up. She threw her head back and squeezed the bridge of her nose, eager to move past the topic. “Look, unless you guys happen to know any magical ways to discover the old witch's hideout, there's nothing that you can do to help.” The sudden silence on their part alarmed her… because it was telling that they were starting to consider. “It was a joke, okay? You are absolutely forbidden to go poke into the matter!”

“But-” Their voices sounded simultaneously.

“No! I am not doing this with you. I said what I said. I don’t want you guys getting involved, and that’s the end of the story!” A light knock on the bedroom door interrupted Y/N’s speech, giving her the perfect excuse to hang up without further discussion. “I have to go now, someone’s at my door.”

“No, wait-” They still tried, but Y/N cut them off.

“Don’t forget to check Azura’s litter box, she’s very picky about it. I’ll talk to you soon, bye-bye.” She didn’t give them time to reply before pressing the button to end the call. Her shoulders slumped, trying to push back the unnerving thought that had just come to mind. Would she really get to talk to her friends soon?

Another soft knock on the door brought Y/N back to the reality of the bedroom she was in. “Come in.” She called, with expectant eyes stuck on the gaping door, from where Harry’s curl-framed head popped in just the slightest. “Oh, hi. You can come in, silly.” She added, smiling curiously at how reticent he seemed to be from walking inside, even though she’d given him permission.

He finally walked in, closing the door behind him with a delicate thud. “Sorry, I thought I’d heard you talking to someone and didn’t want to interrupt.”

“It’s okay. I was just about to hang up anyway.” Y/N said as Harry sat down on the edge of the bed beside her. “Have you been up for a long time?”

“Just about half an hour, I think.”

“Where did you go?”

“I forgot to charge my phone overnight and it died. It’s why I got up, ´cause I went to check the time on the wall clock. I was planning to come back, but then I bumped into your aunt and uh… I don't know how she knew, but she knew I liked plants, so she offered to show me a few books,” Y/N’s eyes squinted out of strangeness… as far as she knew, her aunt didn't care much for plants, so why should she have- “and then showed me your old photo books as well.”

She groaned, taking her hands to her eyes. “You weren’t supposed to see those photos…”

“Why not?” Harry frowned slightly. “I liked them. Especially the ones from daycare where you were playing outside with a bunch of huge snails… those were cute.”

Y/N laughed a little at the memory. When she was younger, she went through a phase where she was obsessed with snails and slugs - much to her mother's dismay, because she always wanted to take them home to keep as pets. She made moss beds for them, fed them leaves, and even gave them baths. It was a gross little hobby… but she was happy like that.

“See… that’s embarrassing.” Y/N fretted. “No one ever wanted to play with me ‘cause I was always covered in snail goo.”

“It’s not.” Harry averred. “I swear if we were at daycare together, I would’ve loved to play with your snails. I wouldn’t ask obviously ‘cause I was even more awkward as a kid, but I would’ve sat by myself in the corner wishing you'd come ask if I wanted to play too.”

“You aren’t awkward, you’re just quiet… it’s not the same thing.” She told, scooting a little closer to him on the bed before she added, “Awkward would be when I started having a crush on you and asking if you wanted to play house and be my pretend husband – and father of our snail babies, of course.”

Harry smiled bashfully towards the floor, shrugging one shoulder. “I mean… I think I’d said yes ‘cause I would’ve had a crush too - unless you were a mean kid and not anything like you are nowadays.”

“Are you flirting with me?” Y/N asked with a giddy laugh as she fiddled with her fingers - twisting and untwisting them before her eyes jumped up to gawk at Harry, whose cheeks had just mottled a vibrant shade of pink, perhaps pinker than she had ever seen them before. “I’d like it if you were, but if not, then that’s okay too…” She added through a hesitant bite of her lip.

Harry snickered, still looking rather bashful. “I don’t know how to flirt,” His voice wavered, and then came out in a hurried murmur. “But if I did, then I would- with you, all the time.”

As it turns out, the address aunt Rowena gave Harry and Y/N led to a two-story house surrounded by a tall picket fence in a quiet residential enclave of Henderson.

The first thing Y/N took notice of was that the place didn’t look like an evil lair or an abandoned cottage like she thought it would… you know, with the whole skulls dangling from the front porch's ceiling, a spooky pumpkin patch in the back and a scarecrow a little too realistic for anyone to feel comfortable turning their back to it sort of deal. – As far as the second thing goes, it was that this Lord Darkmore persona didn't look nothing like she was expecting a demon expert to.

She had pictured a severe looking man, dressed in black clothes, with maybe some scars or eccentric tattoos on his face and neck that screamed 'Watch out: I’m into some real funky stuff' – Not a toned-looking wizard picking weeds from the lawn of his garden in a piping tracksuit and reeboks.

The brown skin of his face gleamed like bronze under the sun, long braids were tied in a bun atop of his head to keep them away from his face. He was rather attractive and didn’t look a day older than 47 – what put him right up Y/N’s aunt’s alley when it came to her favored choice of romantic flings. Y/N doesn't want to imagine her relative and this man together like that, but her intuition is hinting that they’re both into fuzzy handcuffs and blindfolds for some reason and she’s having a hard time pushing that undesired information back.

“Mr. Bellamy?” Y/N called, what immediately caught the wizard's attention. He straightened his back up and quickly rubbed his hands together to wipe the dirt off what she was assuming would be heavily calloused fingers. Then, at lazy pace, he began to approach the fence's gate, stopping a couple of feet from the visitors. “Hi, um…” The girl greeted a little gracelessly. “My name is Y/N and this is my friend Harry - we’re here because-“

“I don’t do autographs or take pictures.” He interrupted before she could finish. “The two of you can piss right off my property.”

“No, that’s not why-“ Y/N shook her head quickly, following him around from outside the picket fence. “My aunt, Rowena,” She raised her voice an octave, hoping the name would manage to get his attention back. “She recommended your services because – well, it’s a complicated story but we were sort of caught upon an evil-purposed summoning situation and we were hoping tha-”

“Reena has a niece?” The wizard questioned, seemingly disregarding all words spoken in favor of trying to find any physical similarities between Y/N and her aunt. Spoiler alert, he probably wouldn’t be finding many. “I didn’t know she had family around… I could swear she told me she was orphaned.”

Harry frowned at the news, guessing he was about to witness a similar reaction from his friend. “Yeah, I can sort of picture her doing that…” He heard her say instead. Rowena must've had her reasons. There’s no better way out of introducing a partner to the family, than pretending not to have one, right?

“So, um… Mr. Bellamy…” Y/N insisted, taking advantage of the additional moment of attention he had spared them. “I know your schedule is probably very busy, but we are open to pay extra for out of hours consultation if need to. We've been searching everywhere for someone like you, who is highly knowledgeable in demonology and well, since my aunt said you were the best, we thought-”

“You are not going to pay for my services.” Mr. Bellamy said decidedly, and Y/N almost breathed out in relief. They might have saved some money by staying at her aunt’s house, but she knew that an emergency appointment with the uppermost demon expert should cost, at least, about a week's worth of motel stays. “Because I’m not offering services.” The man deadpanned, making Harry and Y/N’s smiles close in an instant. “I've retired from that stuff. I don't have the patience to deal with any more demons or magical circles, so sorry… but you’ll have to go find another door to knock on.” He finished, before turning his back on them and beginning to stumble towards the door of the house.

“What happened to your leg?” Harry inquired out loud, causing Y/N’s eyes to widen. He usually never let out as much as a peep around strangers, so she was quite shocked he had chosen to question Mr. Bellamy on his limp so carefreely.

The man paused midway, not bothering to look back. “Ailments from the past.” He replied drearily. “But that’s none of your business.”

“Actually,” The usual raspy tone of Harry’s voice went slightly sharper from desperation. “I can prep you a remedy that will make it go away if you help us out.” He proposed, knowing this was the last chance the two had before they got shut out for good.

The man guffawed humorlessly, turning around with difficulty. Y/N hadn’t realized just how bad the state of the man’s leg was until Harry commented on it. He limped quite a lot. Judging by his movements, it looked like his leg had been swapped by a tree trunk - Constantly stuck to the ground and refusing to move along with the rest of his frame. “I’ve tried dozens of different meds and analgesics… they never changed a thing. Why would yours be any different?”

“Because you’ve been trying to cure a Maleficium injury with non-magic drugs.” Harry’s sure answer surprised Mr. Bellamy, but oddly, the verdict did not seem all that unforeseen to him. “I’m guessing you know that already…” Harry supposed, “You just haven’t done anything about it because you’ve been marked by whoever evil entity did that to you, and now you’re scared of the repercussions of our people finding out you work with forbidden magic.”

The man’s pink tongue darted out to lick his lips that had gone a little dry from the morning sun, but there was a gleam of interest in his eyes. “Who are you?” He asked Harry. “Some type of witch doctor?”

“I prefer the term botanist, but yes.” Harry said brightly, taking a step closer to the fence and placing his hands in between two spiky boards. “We wouldn't be taking up too much of your time, just enough to ask you a few questions and in return, I'll make you an effective medicine to treat your leg. I will need to go get some ingredients to make it first, but tomorrow it should be ready… all we ask for is a couple of minutes of your morning.”

“And how do I know you're not just saying that to get a free consultation?”

“You have my word, Mr. Bellamy.” Harry said seriously, like he truly believed that should be enough to appease his worries. “Besides, I’m always interested in helping people feel better if I can.”

The man's distrust seemed to melt at the genuineness of Harry's green gaze, and after a moment, with a deep sigh, he gave in. “Lock the gate on your way inside. I’m not looking for any more unexpected visitors.”

Y/N and Harry both couldn't contain a little jolt of accomplishment that rushed through their bodies as they hurried to unlock the gate and follow the man inside his house.

It wasn’t like Y/N was ever not wanting to kiss Harry, but right then the urge to lurch herself into his arms and push their lips together to show him just how much she appreciated what he did was almost uncontrollable. He was so hot – in his own shy, soft, ingenuous ways, and what made it even more endearing was that she had a feeling he had absolutely zero notion of that fact, let alone of how much Y/N had been itching to tell him how remarkably perfect in every sense of the word she thought he was.

She had tried to pay him little compliments at times, but his reactions were always somewhere between embarrassment and apprehension, what admittedly made her heart ache a little - that he doubted himself so much that he refused to accept a compliment with a simple 'thank you'.

Now wasn’t the time to be focusing of that though…

Because they were about to enter the home of a stranger who knew a shit ton about demons and probably a lot of hazardous spells as well.

The home wasn’t as ostentatious and time-honored as aunt Rowena’s mansion, but it was still ritzy enough to make someone feel like they should cross their legs and mind their posture as they sat on one of the green leather sofas of the living room.

“Alright then… tell me what your problem is.” The demonologist challenged as he planted himself on one of the other sofas and reached for the Marlboros perched on the side table. He tried to stifle a hiss of pain as he did so, but the unavoidable wincing of his face let it show that there was likely a sharp pungency running through his leg as he bent.

A short, expected silence followed his question, in which Y/N hem and hawed for a moment whilst staring at Harry, who only granted her a soft nod as silent encouragement. “Um… okay, well-” She spoke first, guessing that Harry would prefer for her to go over the knotty storytelling part. “Basically, what happened was that we found that a dark witch has summoned a demon back at the magic community where we live. We don’t know exactly what kind of deal she made with it – but what we do know is that innocent creatures and people have been hurt.” Y/N took a deep breath and glanced at Harry again. “We need to send this demon back to where it came from, but the catch is that- um… the casting circle has been… wiped out?”

“So?” The expert shrugged, blowing out the cigarette smoke lodged in his mouth.

“So…” Her tongue prolonged the vowel. “…what do we do?”

The man looked confused by the question, until the recognition that he was talking to absolute newbies sank. “You two know jack-shit about demons, don’t you?” He pumped the question, although he had already figured the answer before the two were nodding their heads. “You make a new circle – and then, trick the demon into coming to you with the promise of a better bargain than the one offered by his previous summoner. Demons are not loyal to the ones who work with them. They are selfish and hoggish – a demon won’t hesitate to break a contract if it believes it can chalk up more than they were promised beforehand.”

“Oh.” Y/N’s brows jumped with the realization. “I guess we hadn’t really considered that faking a deal with the devil could be a possibility…”

“If we’re going to be doing that, what kind of deal are we meant to propose?” Harry inquired timidly. “Cause that got me thinking… if the promise should be that much more enticing, won't the demon realize it's a frame-up straight away?” He speculated further.

“Yes, certainly.” Mr. Bellamy confirmed. “Usually, a tribute of magic blood is enough to lure them in. There’s two of you. That means two disparate blood tributes – what should already make it all more enticing…” Harry eyed Y/N for a moment. His see-through expression letting her in on the fact that he thought she was about to balk out on him at the news - that maybe the whole blood tribute part was too much for her to handle.

And granted, maybe having to drain her own blood and offer it to a demon on a silver platter was a bit more than Y/N had been expecting, but still not nearly enough to scare her away. Now that she is thinking about it, there’s nothing really that could have come out of Mr. Bellamy’s mouth that would scare her away from the game plan… Because as long as she’s got Harry by her side, she thinks she can do anything – walk on blazing coals, kayak over a waterfall, swim with great white sharks – you name it, and she’d do in a heartbeat because they’re…

Soulmates?

And well, maybe this is really unideal time to realize that perhaps she has found her soulmate, but doesn’t it also always happen somewhat like that in movies?

Y/N reached between their bodies and locked her fingers together with Harry’s, giving a sure squeeze as a subtle indication that she wasn’t planning on leaving anytime soon. He squeezed back. “Let's say we succeed in attracting this demon for bargain… what’s next?”

“You'll have to snare him and perform the expulsion ritual… but first things first –which demon is it that you are trying to send back to the Abyss?” Y/N and Harry traded a panicky look between them at the question, the man sighed with disgruntlement. “You don’t know? What kind of magic people are you?”

The girl swallowed before she replied. “Good magic people?”

“Okay, well – good magic people,” Mr. Bellamy repeated derisively. “You have to know which demon has ascended to send him back. Without a name there is nothing that can be done.”

“But- we weren’t there when it was summoned… how are we going to discover its name?”

His gaze swiveled between the two. “Do you know who the spell caster was?”

“Yes-” Harry answered with more certainty than he truly had. “Or well, at least we think we do.”

“Well then – that’s a good place to start. Track them – cage them – put them through the wringer – torture the name out of them if need to. That’s what I would do.” He said nonchalantly, smiling smugly once he noticed the utter horror that had washed over their features. “But of course, the good magic people aren’t keen on using any torture spells…” His mouth curled mockingly, but when Y/N was about to snap at him for being rude over their lack of knowledge when it wasn’t their fault that black magic teaching has been banned in schools since 1977, he wiped the jeer off his face and went serious.

“Alright. Here’s what you’re going to do… You’ll work on finding that demon’s name… and as soon as you do, you call me. – I have a list with the names of the demons I’ve met or heard of in the past that might be helpful. Now, I can’t guarantee the one you are looking for is in that list, but it may be, since there aren’t that many demons willing to come to our world – the ones who do are usually the ones who once lived among us, as they have a human form to come back to and don't have to borrow someone else's body.”

“You want us to call you? Why? I thought you had retired…” Y/N questioned intently, finding it somewhat strange that Mr. Bellamy was making himself available to carry on helping them through the expelling ritual. She hadn’t been counting on that – hell, after the way he greeted them at the door, she had been expecting nothing but for him to spit out some basic tips and tricks and send them on their way with a mind full of unanswered questions and maybe a threat or two that something bad was going to happen if they failed to bring him his remedy the next day.

“I did retire.” The man huffed heavily, rubbing lazily at his scruff. “But quite frankly, with your lack of knowledge and artlessness, it would be a danger to society for me to allow you to go and perform a ritual without assistance from someone who knows what they’re doing. Else ways, you’ll end up getting killed and devoured before you manage to utter out a single spell word.” His lips twitched into a tight smile at their glowers. That hurt. It really did - but despite the heavy bruising done on their egos, neither Harry or Y/N had the mind or the gut to contest Mr. Bellamy on his, most likely accurate, belief. “If you’re going to stick to that favor you promised earlier, I'm willing to help with your problem until that’s sorted… if and only if that remedy proofs to be as effective as you claim it to be.”

The first thing Harry and Y/N did after leaving Mr. Bellamy’s house was go for a walk around downtown Las Vegas.

The goal was to go and visit some witchcraft shops and plant nurseries throughout the afternoon, so that hopefully Harry could get the missing items he needed to make Mr. Bellamy's medicine.

It wasn't so hard to find wizardry shops in Las Vegas. It was a big city for magic practice, after all… Even despite the large number of posers pretending to be real occultists – like the astrologers and psychics offering miracle cures for all kinds of love and money problems. Those could be spotted at practically every city corner, the real deal witchcraft places, on the contrary, were usually the most clandestine and the ones who didn’t have social media pages washed in witchy vibes, aesthetic-like pictures, and made-up pentagram designs.

Before hitting the shops however, Y/N had managed to convince Harry to go visit the Las Vegas Neon Museum… well, convince might not be the right word, since all she had to do really was let out an excited gasp at the sight and stare at him with her lower lip puffed out a little bit.

It was a fun time of roaming around and taking lots of pictures - Harry even insisted that she would let him take pictures of her next to her favorite signs, and she managed to take some of him as well, although most of them were when he was distracted because he kept hiding his face and claiming he didn't like to get his pictures taken, although he still managed to look adorable in each one.

Speaking of adorable, Y/N had also been secretly hoping she would stumble upon some stones to make matching gem necklaces for her and Harry. She had been aiming for Amethyst, a soothing gem that mollifies negative energy and alleviates feelings of anxiety, something that she had realized that Harry had plenty of, paired with Aventurine, because in addition to being a protective and luck-bringing stone, it also happened to be almost the exact shade of Harry’s eyes – green, with a silvery blue sheen. Just thinking about how pretty it would look on him was enough to make her feel giddy throughout the whole day, so it was no surprise that when she happened to find some at the back of a witchcraft emporium, it became a real struggle not to let her excitement show.

They were a bit expensive compared to the ones Margery usually ordered from her regular supplier, but Y/N wasn't worried about the money… She wanted to have the necklaces done before her and Harry had any sort of contact with this demon, hoping that the extra protection from the stones would help them stay connected and grounded throughout the ritual. She wasn't going to tell him about these plans though, wanting to surprise him with a little gift just like he did with the magic tree he had given her at the hospital.

“Hey, do you think your aunt has a pestle and mortar at home? I’m gonna need some to crush these indigo milk caps later.” Harry wondered out loud behind her, shaking the transparent bag of plump mushrooms in his hand. His voice startled her off her bones a little. She hadn’t heard him coming, figuring he should still be distracted gathering things in the aisle where she had discreetly abandoned him at so that she could come pick her stones.

“Uh… yeah! I think she should…” Y/N stammered, covertly hiding her hands behind her back, since they were thronged with not only the gemstones, but also some complementary beads and wire she was planning to braid into a support net. “I mean, I think all magic people do, don’t they? Even I have one at home, despite never using it…”

“Hm, yeah… you’re probably right.” Harry agreed, glancing back at her with a curious smile as he picked and tossed a jar of something into the shopping basket hanging from his arm. “Why are you perching against the shelves like you’re trying to hide something from me?” He asked with a comical scrunch of his brows.

“It’s ‘cause I am.” She admitted bluntly instead of welshing the topic, leaning farther back so that Harry couldn't get a peek even though she doubted he would try. “It’s just a gift I’m getting for a friend.”

“Oh? Okay.” His voice sounded somber, maybe even a little doleful. “Why can’t I see?” From the way his eyes widened, she realized that the question came to him without thinking and that he immediately regretted having let it slip away. “I’m sorry. You don't have to answer that, I know I have nothing to do with it…”

“No, it’s okay.” Y/N assured with a small laugh, finding it amusing how he had so quickly assumed her secrecy did not concern him. He couldn’t be any more wrong, obviously, but she was glad he wasn't the least bit suspicious. “It’s something I have yet to make… I don't want you to see until the final product.” She told, knowing it would make her life easier if she could tell Harry what she was going to be doing instead of having to come up with silly excuses for sneaking away while he was preparing Mr. Bellamy’s potion. If he agreed not to peek, perhaps she could even make the necklaces while keeping him company in the kitchen. “I promise I’ll show you once it’s finished.” She said earnestly. It was meant for him anyway - he just couldn’t know that part yet.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to…” He said quietly, not averting his stare away from the items displayed in front of him. What ultimately was making Y/N a little worried that he might have taken her secrecy as lack of trust or something silly like that, since there was nothing particularly interesting or attention grabbing in those shelves - just a stack of sand timers and keepsake boxes – and yet, his eyes remained settled on them like glue.

“I want to.” Y/N assured as she began to walk the aisle backwards to the front of the shop, where the cashier was. “I'm just going to pay this, but I'll come back in a second to help you get the rest of your stuff.”

“Okay.” Harry nodded. “I’m almost done too, but I’ll wait here until you get back.”

He stuck to his promise, continuing to wander the aisles at the back of the emporium, picking this and that until the small list of ingredients in his hand had been fully scrawled in check marks. Y/N helped him pack and carry the bags outside, even though he insisted that she didn’t have to.

As they walked the sidewalk away from the storefront, the pair was still quarrelling back and forth over who was to carry whose shopping bags… until suddenly Harry gawked up at the sky, noticing a falling object cutting swiftly through the air – seemingly, aiming right at their heads. “Wow- watch out!” He yelped, right as he reached for Y/N's arm and swung her aside. His free hand raised instinctively to his face to shield it from what he was sure would be a painful strike, but much to his surprise the object flew right into his open palm - as if it were a piece of candy purposely sent into his hands for him to grasp. Y/N winced at first, guessing it had been one of those creepy black beetles that Nevada seemed to be infested with as of lately, but surprisingly, when Harry opened his hand, what she saw wasn’t an icky little bug. It was… a glass pebble? Of the grave covering kind.

The two of them scowled up at the sky, just in time to catch a glimpse of the feathered offender - cawing and hovering at the distance. “…That’s funny.” Y/N stated.

“Funny?” Harry scoffed, going all grumpy in the face. “You would have gotten hurt bad if that thing hit you, Y/N.”

“No, I know but… the pebble. It’s from a gravestone, I think.” The boy frowned at her statement, still looking rather upset over the situation. “I haven’t seen one of those since my grandpa passed away. That’s why I thought it was funny… in like, a bizarre way.”

“Hm.” Harry drawled, moving the stone around. “So what does it mean, then?”

“Huh… that there’s probably a graveyard close by…?”

“No, I know but- what does it really mean? Like, why would it drop it here?” Harry emphasized, rolling the glossy, purple-colored pebble around his palm. “Wasn’t aunt Rowena saying to pay attention to behaviors that are out there? Well then, does this qualify as out there? I mean… how often do crows drop graveyard pebbles over your head?”

Y/N’s lips puffed out in thought. “Never, I guess? But crows like shiny things, and they sit around graveyards all the time, so… my guess is that it picked the pebble because it liked it and then ended up deciding it didn’t want to keep carrying it around all day…” The witch shrugged nonchalantly, continuing to walk alongside Harry on the sidewalk with her shopping bag swinging at her side. “Besides what special could there be about a graveyard anyway? Only human bodies are buried there… not demons. Fine, Mr. Bellamy did say that the demons who come around Earth are the ones who have been human before because-“ She paused, taking in her own words. “…they still have their old bodies to come back to.”

Her body reeled abruptly, and so did her grip on the bags that soon dropped to her feet. “Harry, that’s it!” She bounced, grabbing his face and planting a loud smooch on his lips, leaving him staring back at her with stunned eyes and rosy cheeks. “I could smother you in kisses right now, you whiz! Only we have a demon headstone to go find, so that’s probably going to have to wait a little while…”

Harry’s nod came out befuddled as he witnessed Y/N pick the bags off the floor, grab his hand and usher him into a quieter downtown alley, only letting go so she could fish her phone out the pocket of her jeans. “Alright then, let’s see what Google Maps has to say about graveyards in the area.”

The nearest cemetery was an 11 minute drive away.

There was a gravedigger working nearby, and by the single look he had spared, Harry and Y/N were figuring he had taken them as a duo of tombstone tourists. Perhaps it was just due to their non conservative outfit choices or the wicked energy their bodies gave off, but his gaze felt a teensy bit judging - slightly curious too once he witnessed their eyes bouncing between Mr. Bellamy’s demon name list and the tomb rows ahead of them, possibly looking like two very confused people that had arrived at the wrong destination… but after a few seconds of glancing, the careerist seemed rather unphased by their presence.

“Okay, so-” Y/N soughed out loud as she walked aimlessly around the place. “I was thinking we should compare the names to the epitaphs on the gravestones – also, maybe keep an eye open for the ones with decorations of some kind, because that could have been a hint as well.”

“How many options are we looking at exactly?” Harry asked, peeking over her shoulder to stare at the list. His eyes swelled in size at the long record he was presented with. Y/N hadn’t bothered counting but there had to be more than 150 names in there, without a doubt. “Does this mean we are going to have to run through all these names by each grave looking for a match?” Harry asked diffidently, eyes locked straight ahead at scope of never-ending headstones.

“I know, it’s a lot…” Y/N exhaled harshly, on board with his frustration. The graveyard was huge. This could take ages upon ages, and to make things even worse there were only a few more hours of sunlight until nightfall - and nobody wants to be in a cemetery after dark. Not even wizards. “But I think that in a little while we will have most of the names memorized, and it will become easier.”

“Can I make a silly suggestion?” Harry queried, twisting his body so that he was facing Y/N as he walked. “What happens if you look… inside, and ask your instinct where it is?”

The witch chuckled at the suggestion, shaking her head. “You place way too much trust in my abilities, did you know that? I’ve told you before, I’m not a good Seer. I was never even that much of a talented witch, let alone-”

“Stop that!” Harry scolded, what brought both of them to a halt. “Do you even realize that without you and your abilities I would have never, ever made it halfway to where we are now? You are so clever! And you have the craziest… most fascinating powers! And on top of that you are also so, so incredibly brave - you really are. It takes my breath away. You take my breath away.” He mumbled the last part, as if his heart had been itching to say those words for a while, but his head was still reticent in putting them out in the open. “So, for once just… try to put as much trust in yourself as I do, please.”

There were emotional tears forming in Y/N's eyes at what Harry had said. She couldn’t classify the exact reason why, but she knew the unshakable confidence he was placing in her was to blame. “I’m just scared I’ll get it wrong. I don’t want to disappoint you… or myself.” She admitted, hurriedly wiping at her eyes with her wrist. “I don’t want to screw things up by relying on something so… fractious.”

Harry reached for Y/N's wrist, so that she was facing him. “That could never happen. You could never disappoint me.” He assured, smiling just as softly as his fingers felt tracing the skin of her arm. “I promise that even if you weren't a Seer, I'd still suggest following our intuition first… you know, anything to avoid leg working this whole yard…” He joshed, causing a smile to start pulling at her mouth, regardless of the tears that the sunlight had not yet dried, still shimmering up her features. “But seriously though, if it doesn’t work all we have to do is go back to the original plan, but for now… you’re spearheading.”

“Alright fine.” The witch huffed, handing Harry the list so that she could relax her body to the fullest and focus on her insights thoroughly. She could detect traces of otherworldly energy in the surroundings… uncovering their source, however, was proving to be befuddling like a riddle. Furthermore, she tried pinching her eyes in concentration, guessing that maybe her attraction to Harry was what was messing with her focus.

His face was very distracting, especially so when his pretty green blinders were fixed on her like they were then… but even with her eyes shut tight, no matter which way she turned, the orientations ended up only leaving her more frustrated – if she took a tentative step to the left, her intention said right, but then, right as she went right, it said left. “It’s not working!” Y/N puffed her cheeks, grumbling her way around another unintentional pirouette. “I can feel the stupid energy, but it's not dragging me anywhere!”

She had noticed Harry had gone strangely silent, but thought nothing of it while she blindly did a few more experimental shifts and turns in place. Huffing and puffing beneath her breath each time she tried something new (like diagonals and so) and ended up not getting any decisive results again.

“Y/N, I’m not trying to spook you or anything, but…” Harry started hesitantly, the rasp of his voice startled her some, but there was a weirdly positive intonation to it that made her open her eyes in question. “I think you might have led us to the right place without realizing while you were distracted talking to me…” He beamed, verifying the writing on the paper, despite already having done it multiple times while Y/N had been spinning and turning nowhere and everywhere like a blind dog in a meat market. “I'm not misreading this, am I? This name,” He pressed his digit over it on the print. “Is what’s engraved right there, isn't it?”

“Alastair Krauss…” A chilling, unsettling feeling lodged in Y/N's stomach at the profession of that name. She didn’t know if it was legitimate or just from suggestion effect, but there was no denying that everything was starting to feel much more real now… It might sound odd but, until that point in time, it had been easy for her to ignore the scary, threatening parts that would inevitably come from this demon hunt – hell, there were moments during the weekend where she had almost forgotten that her purpose in Vegas wasn’t just to have a fun, short little getaway. Now that she could finally annex a name to the monster though, all fears had briskly awakened from the subdued slumber they had been in for the past days.

The stone inscription below the demon’s name still made her snort though, finding it to be awfully amusing that someone had picked “Have faith we'll meet again” as a saying to honor someone who ended up turning into an evil spirit who still came back to Earth from time to time to ruin people’s lives. That made her wonder if it ever happened that demons ran into people who had once shared the Earth-life experience with them prior to their passing… even if it did happen though, it was unlikely it should be happening to this demon, considering that according to his headstone, he had died in 1927 at the precocious age of 38.

Therefore, all the people he could have met during his human life should already be dead or old enough not to recognize any of his features anymore. Y/N found herself eager to know what Alastair had been like during his previous life and wondering what beastly events could have led him into becoming the creature he now was… One thing was certain, he must not have been the epitome of a treasure man if his soul ascension rights had been ripped away from him - limiting him into dwelling between worlds as a lost soul until the devil had chosen to welcome him as one of their own.

Y/N and Harry were currently in aunt Rowena’s kitchen.

That wasn’t shy in pink nor in size like every other house space of the mansion. The focal piece of the room was a T-shaped island - a long counter that ended with a perpendicular breakfast area with padded high stools. All of the state-of-the-art appliances in it were tucked to the walls or perched over the room-surrounding counters. They weren’t the latest models in the market, but rather expensive brands known for their excellence and guarantee to last practically a lifetime. Where the counter ended, was the back door that led to the garden and the pool, and right in front of the sink, was a half round window that overlooked the busy Las Vegas Strip.

“Do you think we should’ve called Mr. Bellamy right when we found out who the demon was?” Y/N asked Harry from her seat on the breakfast counter, that she had outlined as off limits for him to cross until she was done with her supersecret matters, like Harry had begrudgingly been addressing them from the moment she refused to tell him what it was. She had also made him swear not to peek behind the long floral centerpiece perched on the kitchen island to check what she was doing, and so far, he had kept true to his promise.

“I don't think he was going to do anything about it until we gave him the potion anyway…” Harry replied from where he stood over the stove, currently grating some ginger into the bubbling concoction he was cooking in a cauldron over the electric stove. “I really hope this works, otherwise I think the demon will be the least of our problems… Mr. Bellamy is a bit scary too, don't you think?”

“Well, yeah but as scary as the demon… or Lucinda. We haven't decided what to do with her yet. Evil witches like her shouldn't be running around loose.”

Y/N's statement was followed by a ringing. Harry's phone that was buzzing over the countertop. He grabbed it, and immediately his eyebrows furled. “Can you keep an eye on the cauldron for a bit? I have to take this call.”

“Yeah, of course.” She confirmed, and so Harry walked past the back door into the garden. Leaving her alone with her eyes stuck on the cauldron, wishing with her entire heart that whatever was brewing in it didn't start acting up now because if it did, hell… she wouldn't know what to do besides screaming for help.

But luckily everything remained calm, so Y/N went back to her crafts again. She was almost done anyway…

And so it was, after a couple more minutes the two pendants laid finished over the marble tabletop. Y/N smiled proudly at them. The nets weren't perfect like the ones Margery made, but they were almost there. Inside each net were two small complementing gemstones: Amethyst – dotted in hues of purple and lavender, and Aventurine – shimmering in shades of aquatic green.

She jumped to hide them in one of her pockets, however, when Harry's voice startled her suddenly. “The hospital called.” He’d said solemnly. Y/N couldn't make neither head nor tail of his expression. His features looked stony, almost impassive… like he was still trying to process something that had been said to him.

“Oh.” She sputtered, a little surprised. “Do they- do they want you to come back to work earlier or something?”

“No- I mean… yes, partly but…” He hesitated for what felt like a prolonged moment. His arms unconsciously wrapped around his frame, seeking for the comfort the latest news had stripped him of. “Something happened.”

The girl’s eyes bulged for answers. “What. What happened?”

Harry took a big breath, leaning against the stove counter just so he was facing her. “They uh… they admitted a witch there last night whose body showed signs of dark magic bewitching… like the ones we found on Mrs. Carrington last week.” Harry briefed, with a crestfallen gleam in his eyes. “Apparently, she was known to have quite a hostile relationship with Lucinda too… a certain Althea Morelli…”

Y/N’s fists closed pressingly over the tabletop. “Hostile in what sense, exactly?”

“I don’t know… but if Lucinda bargained for a demon to attack her, I suspect it wasn’t in the harmless type of way.” He sighed sorely. “They said there have been others… all within a close ratio, which I thought was odd until I remembered that back at the hospital, you’d read from a book that entities usually don’t operate within very large distances.”

Harry rushed to his bag to get a pen and the pamphlet on Nevada’s main attractions that had been given to him at the Neon Museum reception, that happened to include a foldable map of the area. “As far as people from the hospital know, there has been 3 attacks so far… Althea Morelli,” He leant over the island counter and circled the area of Boulder City on the map, where their magic community was located. “One in Paradise, and one other here in Las Vegas.” He scribbled those areas in the map as well. “I’m thinking Althea must have been the first… that Lucinda might have summoned the demon for the purpose of… doing away with her, so to say. And the others, well… they could have been her enemies too, or innocent people who are being tailed as human sacrifices.”

Already fearing the answer, Y/N’s eyes lifted from the map to face him. “…Did they succeed? In doing away with Althea.” Harry’s jaw clenched as he nodded solemnly. “Dear god…” The tragic news prompted the witch to get up from the kitchen chair, hoping the action would help calm the sudden queasiness that had taken over her. “This is insane…” She buried her face in her hands, walking around in circles. “How many? How many more innocent lives could that heinous, hideous witch be willing to take?”

The silence settled for a few beats, the only sound heard inside the room being the steady bubbling coming from Harry’s cauldron. “I keep thinking about it, you know?” He spoke. “And just… wondering what would’ve happened if I had stayed a little longer at the greenhouse that night. And every time I do, I feel horrible… like I could’ve- should’ve stopped Lucinda somehow.“

“Harry…” Y/N’s soft voice attempted to disrupt his speaking, as she rushed to meet him on the opposite side of the kitchen island.

“No, Y/N.” He shook his head, adamantly. “I know what you're going to say. None of this is my fault and there was nothing I could have done to stop it. And I know that, rationally speaking, you’re right. I know, but that is still not how it feels. It’s not how I feel.”

And then it happened… it was sudden and without warning. It started with a dry sob, followed by another. Harry’s heart rate quickened, the wind pipe in his throat tightened, causing his breaths to become quicker, shorter, and labored. His chest started to heave. His hands wrapped tightly around the counter’s edge. The simple act of breathing seemed hard for him… painfully hard.

“This is m-my fault. People are d-dead and it’s my fault.” He spat amidst painful sobs and unregulated inhales. Y/N noticed that his words were almost an exact repetition of those he uttered in between cries on the day of the attack on the hospital. Had he been feeling this way back then too?

She felt terrified. She desperately wanted to do something - anything to make him feel better, but she didn’t know what to do. “Harry,” She called for him, trying her hardest to keep her voice soothing and not panic herself. “Talk to me… tell what you need.” The girl asked, but he couldn't seem to hear over whatever turmoil was happening inside his head. Unthinkingly, she reached for his hand, that was still curled in a tight grip around the marble surface. “Squeeze my hand. Let’s try breathing together, okay?”

He held her fingers in his, squeezing them tightly. “I can’t. I can’t breathe.”

“I know. I know… but let’s try slowly, okay? In-“ Y/N forced a deep inhale, filling her lungs with as much air as they could take. “…And out.” She exhaled slow, repeating the process again and again until Harry’s ragged breathing gave way and began to keep up with hers. “That's it, breathe. It's all right. You’re not alone, I’m here. You’re with me. You’re okay.”

Harry’s eyes turned foggy from dampness once their gazes met. Y/N desperately wanted to say something else - wanted to tell him how wrong he was for blaming himself for something that was so beyond horrid and vile. But the more she stared at him, the more words seemed little. There was nothing to be said. She stepped closer and hugged him tight… and kept on hugging him - until the heartbeats coming from his chest slowed to a steady rhythm and the back muscles that at first had felt stark beneath her fingertips began to soften and turn limber on behalf of her hand’s soothing strokes.

“I- um. Thank you.” Harry gasped after a long beat. “I don't know how you do it, but your hugs always manage to calm me down…”

She simply smiled and placed a chaste kiss on his shoulder before mumbling against his shirt, “Speaking of calming, there’s something I want to give you.” She pulled away from the hug, snickering nervously once she saw that inquiringness had washed over Harry's face. “I can’t promise it’ll feel like anything like my hugs but…” With hesitant fingers Y/N reached inside her pocket, pulling out one of the pendants, though the other came attached in a tangle.

She quickly undid the knots and placed her favorite one around his neck. “They… um… match.” She explained, feeling a little embarrassed once Harry picked at the gemstones falling over his chest to inspect them. “I thought it might help us deal with the demon and also um… if we're both wearing them at the same time I'll get to feel your energy and vice versa, so we'll always know if the other is okay,” Her voice quieted when Harry stared at her wordlessly. “I hope this isn’t too forward or weird. I just thought that maybe…”

“Did you make these…” Harry asked practically inaudibly, still looking rather astonished by the jewelry held in his palm. “…For us? for me?”

“I-uh… I did.” Y/N chuckled nervously again. “It’s what I bought at the store earlier… that's why I didn't let you see. I wanted it to be a surprise.”

“No one-” He practically choked, chest sizzling with emotion. “No one has ever done anything like this for me… I- I adore these! I adore every single thing about them.” With that, Harry initiated a hug for the first time - his arms wrapped around Y/N and pulled her to collapse into his chest. He smelled good. So, so, so good that it made her legs feel like they were melting. Gosh, how was it that hugging Harry felt even better when he was the one holding her? She would stay in his embrace forever if she could, where they both felt safe, and snug and-

Ahem.

The sound of someone clearing their throat made both their heads vault - to Rowena, who stood by the kitchen door, wearing both an ostentatious, brightly colored dress and a self-satisfied smirk. “Sorry to interrupt, my dears, but… does nothing smell a little… burnt to you?” She asked, nodding towards the stove.

Crap. The potion.

#harry styles fluff #harry styles fic #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles imagine #harry styles smut #harry styles x you #harry styles fanfics #witch!harry #witch!yn #harry styles fanfic #harry styles writing #harry styles x reader #harry styles x y/n #sub harry styles #witch!harry x witch!yn #witch reader #harry styles drabble #harry styles au #harry styles blurb #harry styles angst #harry styles supernatural au #supernatural au #in the witching hours #purplekiwis

[thenonbinarydetective]

I literally do not care if this is long. Read it.

@neds-nickerson

Alright so hey we're going to talk about fatphobia because I'm not gonna pretend that issues such as this do not exist in the fandom. Because they do, and not being vocally against it contributes to it.

So Bess Marvin.

She's plus size, she's chubby, she's a big girl, she's fat. We know that and we shouldn't deny that

She's also beautiful, charismatic, compassionate, and a "fraidy cat'

We all know that the books have a history of fat-shaming. Mostly coming from George, who constantly ridiculed her cousin for simply existing. The main target is her weight. I've always said that the rewrites could use another round of rewrites to get rid of the fat-shaming, the rest of the racism, and honestly fix the mysteries a bit. But, you know, the first two are more important.

Something that does stand out about Bess is the way that she really isn't treated like a lot of other plus-size characters. If you compare her directly to Chet Morton, who was fat-shamed way worse and purely existed for comedic relief. Bess is different. How many fat characters can you name that are like Bess? How many are seen as attractive? How many don't exist purely to make fun of their weight? How many constantly stuff their face with food as if it's the only action they're capable of? Compare that with skinny characters.

Bess was allowed to be more complex. She was allowed to be seen as attractive. I remember when y'all practically bullied that person who pointed out that it's actually iconic for Bess to be the one with a more active love life while not exactly fitting the beauty standard. Y'all called them sexist for "putting a women's worth on how men find them attractive" that's not what they meant. You know sometimes when you point out that someone is attractive, you talk about the people that find them attractive.

Which reminds me, the Originals and the Rewrites weren't the only ones that were guilty.

Girl Detective

"She definitely isn't fat. In fact, Bess is totally gorgeous"

Because the two can't exist at the same time?

Bess is the pretty one and she has always been the pretty one, so even with the fat-shaming the originals and rewrites still were able to acknowledge that you can be plus-size and pretty.

But yeah other things go along the "fat can't also mean pretty" line. Files is the literary candidate who made Bess' "weight problem" basically something that she is exaggerating. That she was constantly "ten pounds from being perfect." She was never described as being chubby or plus-size. She actually was canonically thin here. According to them, she just didn't realize it.

Obviously this “making Bess skinny” thing isn't stuck to Files. In fact, there is no live-action Bess Marvin played by a plus-size actress. That is fatphobic. That is just pure fat-phobia and I don't care if you like any of the actresses or not. It is still just fatphobia

It's fatphobic for casting to consider them. It's fatphobic for the creators of any live-action to portray Bess as thin. It's honestly also fatphobic for the thin actress to go for this role. I'm not excluding them because you can fucking research a character from a property that already exists. Especially in modern times with the internet. There is no fucking excuse to not know anything about a character that's existed for 90 FUCKING YEARS.

Even with the swearing, I'm not saying this to be mean towards anyone in particular. I'm being harsh. And there's a difference. All you guys preach positivity and yet you contribute to fatphobia. Think of your fellow fans. You are not only being harmful towards a fictional character, you're harming real people.

Real people are like Bess Marvin or even Chet Morton.

You should be angry at fatphobia.

You should be done with it

You should acknowledge that a character with a far more complex personality than some tropey chubby one-dimensional fuck exists. And you shouldn't take that away.

Acknowledge Bess' weight when you write fanfiction. Acknowledge when you draw fanart. Acknowledge it when you fancast.

Bess Marvin is plus-size. That's it.

#bess marvin #ned nickerson #nancy drew #nancy drew games #clue crew #her interactive #nancy drew books #george fayne

[katzirra]

Aggressively rubs my face, complaining about anything in life feels so tedious compared to what's going on in the world. World events and disasters and genocides and just fucking everything make you feel so small and worthless. Like god damn I feel guilty for thinking how stressed I am because HAHAH COULD BE WORSE, BITCH. WHICH is kind of a weird thing the internet really uh, perpetuates. Which is kinda what people get at when they say take care of your mental health.

Like I'm staying as up to date as I can but it's... wow it's hard to stomach, and it's hard to know what to do when you're in a financial spot lmao... Fucking god damn. Like carrying on like normal is really hard because there's that thought in the back of my mind right now about how upsetting it is realizing so many people can't do that. Will never do that again. It's like tv static in my head lately low key saddening me more and more.

But yaknow that just sounds like I'm complaining about a world event, but it's not. It's just...a profound sadness. Saturating things. I find myself just kinda sitting lately unsure what to be doing that feels... productive in this time. Not really feeling, uh, creative or happy. I dunno. Low simmering fear as well tbh.

That wasn't the topic I was planning to post about uh... FRIVOLOUS UPDATES I GUESS... I USE TO DO THOSE, YEAH? IDK WHO CARES ABOUT MY PERSONAL LIFE THESE DAYS TBH LOL

Taking a break from Xig because I'm just ..out of it and need the expectations off me for a second.

Having anxiety even checking my art blog because people weirdly correcting me/giving me a compliment that's shorter than a correction and making me come off rude telling them I'm not wrong makes me anxious as hell :))) so I end up avoiding my own haunts!!! How fucky is that.

I am almost done with my small sketchbook?? I was fixing a few pages up before hitting a few dried out Copics, which lead to me checking all of them to see who I needed to fix/replace and uh... relocate them in my office. Which became redoing my pen pouches and seeing if those got fucked up. Hopefully I'll finish that and start scanning. 2018-2023... with huge gaps in there lol...

I miss doing art I liked. Its kinda stagnant atm so I might take the rest of the year to do studies on angles and shit tbh. I need something. It all feels same same.

Uhhh figuring out some dental stuff - bought myself a bougie electric toothbrush and I think my old one's timer was fucked up and making me brush too long?? Which is bad!!! So this new one already has my teeth feeling better 👏 mom's genetics have me terrified!! My teeth feel better after two brushes??? insane.

Getting bloodwork done Thursday so hopefully figuring some shit out about my weight and health :))) I'd like to lose the like 20-45lb I mysteriously seemed to gain over the past few years??? Uhhh??? And figure my periods out, money has just been BAD since Hannibal's surgery....

Having panic scares about if my job is going away in December or not and hating every job listing I see online so I gotta look for whatever listing sites exist outside indeed. Also something this decent with the same pay :)))))) so that's on my todo list... again.

Box spring is busted on my bed, so hopefully I don't have to replace the mattress just yet because of the previous point AND THE FACT I JUST STARTED GETTING TO SAVE FOR MY PC..... first world problems but fuck, dudes. Vakarian is fucking suffering sometimes... :(( but we'll see because MATTRESS PRICES.......!!!

I cleaned my office and room and that made me feel like I've accomplished something for myself so that's... something.

Trying to focus on things. Depression cocktail is going on..... money, job, housing, health, the world... it's all so much all the time, man.

#kat life #kat talks #ignore me #this is just feelings and ugh updates on my shit!!

[kurokoros]

If they don't put the stage play on Netflix, what's the point, because I'm from a non English speaking country. How am I supposed to know stuff when that play won't be in our theaters? It takes also so much time to translate it in order to be played. It's stupid, honestly why not give us the information in the actual show? Or make a separate mini series. They just should have given us more episodes within the show, even if they are just "filler" ones. God I hate this so much because I just know as an international fan I keep losing yet again, which makes me upset. Every time someone claims the Duffers are geniuses I have to laugh because did we watch the same show? Stranger things had so much potential, it hurts me physically what they have done, especially to the characters, worldbuilding aside but the way they assassinated 70% of the main characters for action plots is insane to me. Def hard to be a Steve stan when we get nothing each season.

I'm not a huge fan of any secondary media for works of fiction that have direct tie-ins to the primary media. Like, a huge part of why I refuse to get into the MCU is because it's basically impossible to enjoy later films without having watched everything else.

With Stranger Things I think it would be fine to do tie-in media that's part of a shared universe, but has absolutely nothing to do with the Hawkins characters. Because why the hell do we need a prequel about Hopper and Joyce? In stage play format? When nothing sci-fi has happened in Hawkins yet?

S4 was an absolutely shitty attempt at trying to tie everything into a nice big bow with Vecna/Henry/One and I absolutely hated it. Like, wow Duffers you introduced three new characters with mystery backgrounds??? Obviously they're all the same fucking person. And now we need a prequel about Hopper, Joyce, and Henry Creel? I'm already mad about the Creel murder retcon because a huge part of S1 was how Hawkins is a small town where nothing bad happens, and then the town is suddenly bombarded with missing person's cases (and a suicide that doesn't make sense), and the Duffers directly took away from that premise when they threw in a mysterious family murder that no one mentioned for three seasons.

I'm not even going to talk about the stage play anymore. I'm not going to watch it purely on principle because I can't think of a worse waste of time than a tie-in stage play. Like... we know what happened with the last stage play tie-in to a major franchise.

I'm just pissed about how far Stranger Things has fallen from S1 and S2. The early seasons actually focused on the characters and their trauma. Now everyone is a caricature with a vague semblance of personality, the worldbuilding is inconsistent, and the plotlines are horrible. I know some people think Stranger Things is slow-paced and somewhat boring, but I really do wish there was more filler to fully flesh out the characters. They could even add more action to the filler. Win-win.

I haven't trusted the Duffers' writing since S3 when they did that to Hopper. I also don't like the way they made Steve into kind of a loser. blah blah blah people will argue that it makes him endearing because the internet loves pathetic wet men, but there's a clear shift between S1-2 Steve and S3 Steve specifically, and the shift is that they made him stupid and took his charisma out back and shot it because they're insecure nerds who hate jocks.

The Duffer Brothers don't have teeth. Regardless of what they say, they aren't willing to make bold choices with their storytelling. They aren't willing to flesh out their characters more, or delve into their trauma. They aren't willing to make the world--the Upside Down--a real threat to the characters, because that means raising the stakes and needing to come up with more clever solutions to the plot than "El screams at the monster until it dies".

Regardless, I'm not watching the stage play. I'm only watching S5 because I still want to see how the story wraps up, but I'm not going to hold my breath about it being good.

#alisha babbles #anonymous #stranger things #strangerthoughts #stranger thoughts

[poppy-in-the-woods]

Be mysterious, be safe (Or How you should not trust people on the Internet who insist on knowing sensitive information about you)

So, back in my day, things in here were different. The Internet was a lot wilder, a lot emptier and had a lots less corporations wanting to steal your data. It didn't mean there weren't people who wanted your data for nefarious purposes, though, so a lot of us received a set of rules from our parents or teachers:

Do not trust anyone with your private information, you don't know who you might be talking to.

Never mention your full name, age, the school you go or your workplace, nor on your profile nor on any chat, especially if you are a minor.

Never ever, under any circumstances, tell a stranger your home address or even the city you live in.

Do not send pictures of you/your face to strangers.

We were told those things could lead to people identifying us and kidnapping us, or even worse, so we kept quiet about this stuff. Generally speaking, until Facebook and other social media entered the scene, people didn't post that much info about themselves online.

But now we have a lot of information about ourselves online. Still, some of these rules are worth mentioning and remembering, because not all social media is created equal, and not all profiles are equal, even if the same person is behind them.

An example:

I might have my full name, picture and the school I went in my Facebook, but I have none of those things in here, nor the city I live or the place I work at.

I have long term internet friends who don't know my legal name or how I look, and that's okay.

So be very suspicious of those who insist of knowing things of similar nature about you that aren't in your profile already. Hold on to your boundaries. The information other people give you unprompted is their choice and in no way constitutes and obligation for you to give the same information.

Generally speaking, be prepared to give the same information you ask (it's common courtesy) but if someone has their actual face in their profile picture and asks for a photo of you, you are in no obligation to reciprocate. You can say "no, sorry, I don't do that/don't feel comfortable doing that" and if they're cool, they probably won't insist. Distrust whoever insist you have to do it because you know their face, and distrust whoever pretends to let it go but insist again after a short period of time.

You don't want to be friends with people who don't respect your boundaries. If they get mad because you don't want to do it, that's their problem. I recommend you block them and forget about them, and beware attempts at manipulation if you don't. Sentences like "we're friends, right? You're safe with me" or "if you were truly my friend, you would do it" are just blatant attempts at coercing you into giving up, one way or another. I would say emotional blackmail is pretty easy to spot, but some people are really subtle, so keep your guard up.

Check the vibe before revealing stuff, and always trust your gut. And that's it, I guess.

Be safe out there.

#text #poppy's thoughts #internet #safety guide #psa

[sunbeamstress]

i struggled for a very long time to understand why i didn't want to make art.

it was such a mystery! some blind spot in my psyche i couldn't get a fix on.

"why haven't i drawn in months?"

"why am i sitting here playing video games? i still can barely draw hands"

"why don't i post my work online?"

"why haven't i started a webcomic yet? i wanted to over a decade ago"

why? why? why?

why was i torturing myself? all i could see in the back of my mind was my mother, seated in her armchair, the dated old phone stretching across the living room with her at the center of its web. she would always couch the phone against her cheek and shoulder and lay her knuckles against it for stability; her left hand - the one i use, myself - would reach for a pen and fill page after page of doodles into a notepad.

i remember beautiful filigree designs and landscapes and pretty flowers and sometimes an instance of something lovely in the faces of her husband or her children, captured on paper without her even having to think about it. entire worlds spilling out of her fingertips while her mind was occupied with other things.

but she stopped.

she can't draw, now. she no longer has the talent. she used to beg me to sing because my voice was a gift to god, but she had a gift from god and she left it in a dumpster. these days i don't believe in god, and i don't believe in my mother, either.

in a circumspect way i'm grateful to her for this. i'd think about her every time i picked up a pencil. this unforgivable act of waste, in my eyes, was a fire under my ass that kept my hand moving. it gives me pleasure to admit, with honesty, that while i rarely sketch or paint, i only ever seem to get better at it. to this day, i'm not half bad. in my late thirties, i'm at a skill level that i was seeing out of the very most gifted artists in their mid-twenties.

but isn't that a silly way of looking at it? "i'm 37, and i draw at least as well as a really good 24 year old". what nonsense is this? this is the sort of invasive thing that likes to run amok in my head. what sense does it make to compare myself like we're talking shonen manga power levels? why am i racing other artists? why do i have to compete?

it took me a very long time to realize that Competition Itself had supplanted what i loved about art. it wasn't something i did consciously; it just sort of happened when i was in my late teens, my early adult years, and the internet's artistic community had exploded, a detailed landscape peppered with talented people, all with their own gifts from god, gleaming and gilded and razor-edged. they were doing things i'd never imagined. they were making comics and putting their work in indie video games. they were doing animations in flash. holy shit - they were making porn! this might sound quaint to you, O reader, but by internet standards i'm what you call an "old-ass bitch" and in those days, this was pretty novel.

god, i wanted what they had so bad. i wanted a webcomic. i was going to call it "Absolute Vertigo", whatever that meant, and it would have been garbage, but i didn't care. i wanted "Absolute Vertigo by <SCREEN NAME>" at the top of a kitschy website and i wanted people to gush about how cool it was and put it into their RSS feeds and--

this was the beginning of the end, in many ways. i really wasn't cut out for competition. it would take a really long time to figure this out. my peers were putting out improbably cool stuff and i felt like i was flagging. i didn't realize it yet, but the internal language i was using to talk to myself about art was changing. suddenly i was "worse" or "better" than other artists. suddenly they were "doing more" or being more "successful" than me.

art had become a commodity.

it's wild how this sort of mindset can take a mind of its own, can build its own character, can work its way deeper into your brain. at first art was discouraging - it was this thing my mother was good at but neglected. it was this thing i felt like i was worse at than everyone else. but then it became depressing. Art, this platonic ideal of it, this idea of it in the abstract, was turning into a weapon i was using to torture myself. reader, you have no idea how many nights i couldn't sleep. to merely ideate failure was to hurl myself back through time, back to the moment i realized my mother had given up.

"why haven't i drawn in months?"

"why am i sitting here playing video games? i still can barely draw hands"

"why don't i post my work online?"

"why haven't i started a webcomic yet? i wanted to over a decade ago"

i didn't have an answer for these questions, but still they were there. they weren't important or meaningful questions, they were tools i used to torture myself. i was supposed to improve for the sake of improvement, and to enjoy art as an act of pure creation, but instead it was a hammer i would hit myself over the head with because i wasn't doing it good enough. crazy how you can talk about your own talent the way you can talk about a dead-end job.

looking back now, it's astounding that i didn't understand all of this. it seems to make so much more sense. i've always had stories and characters floating around in my head - it's literally my favorite pastime - but it took me a very long, very painful time to realize that having stories and having characters doesn't mean you're a failure if you don't immediately march to the nearest sketchbook and jot them down.

the gift of art does not obligate you to produce it. if you cast it aside, the world isn't made better or worse.

your art exists for you. it should please you, should bring a smile to your face or evoke feelings you don't dare face on your own. art should help you work through trauma. it should express when you're happy. art is a frame for the picture of you.

it should even be okay to let it go.

it's going to take me a long time to forgive my mother. but i think i understand her a little better.

#art

[xodiumdotnet]

What do I do, Xfinity?

The internet problems saga continues, I suppose.

Back in October or so, I opened up a dialogue with Xfinity (on their official subreddit, which hey, that's kinda nice) concerning their internet in my area going down hard from 7pm to midnight. What I mean by this is that I'll lose a good chunk of my downlink speed and almost all of my uplink, making things like streaming or even uploading pictures in chat apps a bit of a chore.

This began around the time our plan was upgraded from 600/35 (down/up in Mbps, respectively) to 1200/35 in May of 2022. I initially thought it was due to an equipment issue, so I did the financially irresponsible thing and splashed out on a good modem, a Motorola MB8611, which is a modem that received high marks from a friend and Cisco employee who lives and breathes this stuff, so if he says it's good, well...

That unfortunately fixed nothing. Thus, the dialogue was eventually opened.

To their credit, Xfinity did swat down some low-lying issues. They pretty much rewired our house, so the modem now has an entirely new cable run between it and the main splitter that comes off the ground block.

They also did check to make sure the run between the ground block and tap was good. The only interesting thing was that they apparently found something noteworthy with the tap, and filed a mystery ticket against it, a ticket that Xfinity support refuses to elaborate on other than confirming that it exists.

We went back and forth for a bit, and through a couple techs before they eventually fell off and quit responding. Which was fine because at the time this was when the holidays were starting to get into full swing and I was tapped out.

There were still slowdowns, but thankfully things remained somewhat usable, pulling about 400/10. Is that acceptable when you're paying for 1200/35? Not really. But I'll take what I can get at this point.

Everything at this point was pointing to one conclusion: This is a capacity problem. The only variable was that I was using my own equipment that may have some dumb incompatibility. Given how adamant Xfinity support was that this cannot be a capacity issue, maybe they were right?

Some months later, I put it to the test. I went to the Xfinity Store, I rented an xFi XB7, and let 'er rip. It was super nice to be able to take full advantage of our internet connection (as it has a 2.5G Ethernet port), but...as expected, the cursed hour rolled around, and the speeds torpedoed.

I gave it another day, but I was already growing tired of the XB7 because of how dumb the configuration utilities for it were and the UX for advanced users was just utter trash. Upon the second night of it falling on its face at the cursed hour, I put it back in the box and took it back to the store, rolling back to my "old" equipment.

(I've since upgraded routers to be able to take full advantage of my rated internet speeds. I now have an Asus GT-AX11000 Pro, and the thing is gigantic and awesome. The live traffic stats are awesome to have for troubleshooting, too.)

Anyway, up until a couple weeks ago, I kinda just sat with this, with the fact that the speeds are never going to be good during these times. But things began getting worse and that's what prompted me to both reopen dialogue with Xfinity and write about this. Because this service is not cheap, and now our connection is going down harder.

Rather than the not ideal but usable 400/10, now our connection is crashing down to 100/4. Yeah. I'm losing 90% of my downlink, now.

This is not okay, and damn it, I'm not giving up again. This has been going on long enough and I'm not sure what I need to do, but...something's gotta give.

UPDATE 3/20/23: You...you can't be serious, they're literally telling me this is not an Xfinity problem, that my modem is to blame, and I need to call Motorola to fix this as this is their problem. Did they...completely miss the part where I said I had an XB7 and the problem still persisted WITH THEIR OWN EQUIPMENT?

Holy shit. I can't even. I really can't.

UPDATE...a few minutes later: Got swapped to someone a little more understanding, but made it clear there's no way to escalate unless a tech deems it so. You know, the tech who can't be out here past 6pm, before the problem actually occurs. This is going to be a pain.

#xfinity #internet problems #comcast

[hillarysss]

astrology observations 🌸

Do not repost, plagiarize, “reword” my observations, I don’t wanna see this anywhere else.

Aries placements could benefit a lot from taking care of their third eye chakra (They rule the head & just a theory.

Pisces risings can be somewhat aggressive and possessive when it comes to their own material things & belongings, and somewhat impatient. (Aries in 2nd)

Gemini I.C (Pisces Rising) could have more of a talkative & chatty household that could be more emotionally detached.

This only goes to underdeveloped Scorpio placements and not to the mature ones (I have Scorpio Placements) but I’ve noticed a pattern where underdeveloped Scorpio placements are prone to copying / using sly techniques in order to get power, wether this is cheating off other people or anything of that nature, some really underdeveloped ones can be very hungry for power and recognition they’ll do anything at almost any cost.

Leo placements literally have cat eyes, some have round eyes, or whatever shape it may be, they tend to intimidate people by their eyes, in my opinion Leo placements have very bright noticeable eyes no matter the color. (Eyeliner brings out their cat like eyes)

Air moons could have a harder time trusting their intuition at times, since they’re logic over anything. (Check other placements)

Libra moons are the definition of sweethearts and truly try to keep things peaceful and pleasing and they’re the true suckers for aesthetically pleasing things, they won’t tell you this but a lot do wear their hearts on their sleeves.

Gemini placements could be really good shufflers. (Totally random, but they rule the hands. Example: Tarot Cards)

Scorpio placements ideal date is to snuggle up in a cozy room and watch some mysteries together.

People with Jupiter in 3rd may have an accent or / and speak a different language. (Theory)

People with Sagittarius placements usually have a prominent nose shape, a lot tend to have button noses.

Pisces placements may find it hard not to fall asleep in any comfortable dreamy place.

Whatever planet and maybe the sign over your 4th house could tell you potentially the aura and perhaps the physical looks of your house. (Theory I made but also some research behind this)

Mars in 4th= Trophies, Awards, Sporty Environment. At worse it could manifest for example as home not looking safe, for example holes in the walls.

Moon in 4th= Nostalgic aura, maybe an area around the house is filled with memories and nostalgic pictures perhaps there mother.

Pluto in 4th= Psychic environment, definitely not for everyone, perhaps Witchy stuff, divination tools could be around & things of that nature.

Taurus placements may like to whistle or sing out of nowhere for comfort. (Theory)

Everyone always talks about Sagittarius and Scorpio placements for being blunt (can be true), but Aquarius placements do not care if you don’t agree or like them they’re the true care- frees.

Cancer moon can dominate the natives physical appearance. They could be mistaken as a Cancer rising often. They tend to embody Cancer physical traits. Moon likes being in Cancer hence it is very dominant. It would generally give more feminine traits.

Gemini mercuries tend to talk really fast to let all their thoughts out and people could ask them to slow down at times. (Theory)

Chiron in 3rd could make someone really shy / timid in activities where they have to present communication, the type to not like to present in class because they were too scared. (Real life, not online)

Uranus in 3rd individuals could find themselves expressing themselves and thoughts online better. Example= Blog made online to rant. (Theory, Uranus rules internet)

Underdeveloped Cancer Venuses or Venus in 4th may run to their ex often or old friends that perhaps weren’t good to them because they were once home to them.

Leo Mercuries may actually present themselves more serious and formal when it comes to communication rather than dramatic.

Virgo mars tend to like formal and mature approaches, they hate arguements and are the least to entertain anything childish or have people that they know aren’t good for them around.

Taurus placements may like grounding areas, they may like leafs specifically, and tend to like more of a nature like environment for them to relax in.

Earth placements over the 4th house, could’ve grown up in a more nature like environment.

Water placements over the 4th house could have at one point lived near the water or water was significant. (Theory)

8th house placements generally are more open minded to the darker side of things and they can acknowledge their darker side when developed. (& Their demons)

Lilith - Ascendant aspects could’ve been told things like “Cover up” or things of that nature because people tend to see them in more of a troubling nature.

Capricorn placements make really attractive models of research because of their body structure.

Lilith in 10th individuals (Choose whatever Lilith) tend to have people trying to tame them down or control them in career life and perhaps spread rumors.

Lilith in 11th individuals could have troubling natures on the internet and perhaps more sexual. One worse manifestation can be= Nudes leaked all over the internet or personal info they confided in someone leaked), personal advice would be to be careful and remember you’re not “doomed” because of a placement.

Pluto - Ascendant individuals tend to be very blunt individuals and this could cause some reactions on other people. They tend to have a mixed reputation.

Gemini placements tend to have hooded eyes from what I’ve seen or more smaller shaped.

Kids may be drawn to Cancer placements & some Cancer placements may have had to babysit at one point.

Venus in Virgos & Virgo placements tend to like a routine or at least adore the idea of a routine. For example a lot like working out at a specific time.

Moon in Sagittarius tend to be the biggest procrastinators.

Lilith in 7th individuals could have problems with the legal system not going their way. (Theory)

Lilith in 4th in Synastry could indicate the mother could be envious of the connection. ( Check other placements)

People with Moon in 11th could have more of a best friend relationship with their mother.

People with Sun in 7th at least at one point may have thought of being a Lawyer because their ways of seeing every side.

Sun in 6th individuals love the idea of having a bunch of healthy boundaries up because they tend to prioritize what is worth their time:

Women with Water moons may feel more intuitive when on their menstrual cycle since moon does talk about the cycle, having water moon would make you feel more spiritually inclined during then.

Cancer risings (Sagittarius in 6th) could make someone scattered during work / routines. (Check other placements)

Women with Scorpio moons tend to be seen as intimidating and could also make them have very piercing eyes. (And very attractive & a lot of beautiful models have this)

Fire placements tend to get a boost of energy and motivation out of nowhere especially Aries placements.

Sagittarius moons may have had a mother who prioritized education a lot. (Check other placements)

Pisces placements can be as paranoid as stereotypical Virgos can be. They can purposely make themselves believe something that is false. Example; Closed the door, but for some reason they convinced themselves they didn’t.

Cancer mars are hard workers just like Capricorn mars, but they tend to get emotionally tired and drained from environments / situations easily and Capricorn mars usually have the ability to keep on pushing themselves.

Air placements (Especially Venus) are very open to ideas in relationships which why as I stated before in another Astro Observation that they are prone to being in open relationships (Gemini & Aquarius the most or 3rd & 11th houses) or at least not dismiss the idea of it completely, but if you are not fun or don’t entertain them the least everything else good about you will not matter to them.

Pluto in 12th could have scary and vivid dreams.

People with Mercury in 8th may find it hard to trust their siblings. (Theory) 8th house rules enemies as well.

People with Jupiter in 3rd from what I’ve noticed, tend to have a LOT of siblings.

People with Venus in 4th literally desire a beautiful home and probably wouldn’t settle for any less, a lot have had a “beautiful home / place” fantasy for a while.

Venus in 5th in synastry could indicate one of you guys like the idea of unprotected sex. (Theory)

9th house placements in synastry / composite could indicate long- distance / travels in relationships.

Air placements tend to love experimenting with things often.

People with Saturn in 3rd may have a limited amount of siblings.

#astrology #astrology observations #astro notes #gemini #aquarius #virgo #pisces #cancer #capricorn #libra #hillarysss #astro observation #zodiac #astro tips #tarot #spirituality #astrology observation #vedic astrology #sidereal astrology #astro love #air sign #fire sign #earth sign

[plush-rabbit]

Coping with Homelessness

Request: So I'm homeless now aaaaaand to cope, can I get request Shigaraki, Dabi, and Mr Compress finding out their boyfriend is homeless?

A/N: Please take care of yourself! Im sure there are places you can go and people you can ask for help! Agencies, family, friends, just take care of yourself and one step at a time! (this is written before they met the league (dabi and compress) and shig’s is written after the kamino since thats when they lost their main base/house

-

Dabi:

A big part of his life was shaped from how he survived for so long. Dabi has faced homelessness and he knows about all the little things that could prove to be helpful. Being homeless isn’t easy- especially in a country where it’s looked down upon and isn’t like in other countries. There is no begging for money, there is no sleeping under a highway or behind a building; it’s sleeping by the river, staying hidden and trying to not inconvenience the working class. He faced homelessness when he had absolutely nothing and no one on his side, and because he cares for you, he’ll help you out.

There’s a big shift that comes from having a home and knowing that you’ll have a roof over your head, to nothing, to the fear of not knowing where you’ll sleep, the shame that fills one in having to know that wealth can be so easily taken away. He understands coming from wealth and having it burn at your fingertips. He understands your first few days of panic and dread and will be by your side a large majority of the time, not wanting you to be alone if this is your first time. He’s done this all before and he’ll help you out. He’ll find places for the both of you to crash where you can sleep without the worry of school children throwing rocks or the elements from the outdoors. Finding a place first, is the most important step in his eyes.

Due to quirks and the arise of people using them for bad, it’s common to find a few places that don’t discriminate based on who you are. Of course, it can only go so far, so when you bring in a man who has a body count, he has to stay behind or hide his appearance the best he can. He knows quite a few places where the food is edible, and the people are nice. You can’t be picky when you don’t have a home and it might take a bit of getting used to, but it’s manageable for the most part.

You’re his partner, he’s going to keep you around and take care of you. It hinders his ideals a bit to make sure that you’re safe, but he doesn’t mind. You both stick together and that’s what matters. Joining the League is a new home and with the promise of knowing that you all protect each other and handle difficulties together, it’s easier to handle the weight and shift of becoming homeless. He doesn’t want you to go through it alone, not like when he had to at such a young age. Plus, you’re young, and you know more than he did when he first left his home, you’ll have an easy time getting back on your feet. He’ll support you from the sidelines and make sure that you have everything that you need- or at least most of it.

It isn’t easy, and it’s all so new to you, but Dabi is there. He can act like he’s indifferent to the entire situation, but he cares. Your needs will always be met before his. He’ll let you sleep for a long time, not wanting for you to wake up and protect your stuff from going missing. He’ll let you take the bigger portion of a meal, and get in line before him when you go to gather supplies from social workers. He can go a day without eating if it means that you get to eat most things. There’s a bright side to a lot of things, and being with him, is a bright side of its own. He’s ruthless and has a flame quirk that will keep you both warm and provide light. There’s hardly any attack from the others that you do run across, but just in case, he’s there.

Sako Atsuhiro:

There’s always a plus side to keeping your identity hidden from the public for so long, and one of those is that you’re harder to find. The world can know his name, but his face remains a mystery and because of that, it’s easy to find places to keep the both of you safe. He’s been homeless before, had his few run-ins where he kept having to move. He knows what to do, and where it's safest to go. Atsuhiro knows that it isn’t easy and that it can be scary, but you aren’t alone in the affair, you have him and he just happens to be a showman whose quirk is helpful in gathering items that you need. There may be a whole security system to prevent people from stealing, but he isn’t like the others. If you ever need something, he’ll go into any store and leave with marbles in his pockets. You won’t go without anything when you’re with him.

He’s been homeless before and certainly knows what it's like, but once more, his quirk proves to be useful. It’s easy for him to blend in and hide you with him. He can sneak somewhere without being caught and will gladly bring you along with him. People don’t know his face, and as far as he’s concerned, you haven’t committed any type of crime, so it’s easy for the both of you to still go out and receive supplies from people who work at shelters or even spend a night there.

It’s no surprise that people can be cruel, and in the community of those that are homeless, there are a few bad seeds, but most people are trying to survive and be kind. It’s the citizens that believe they are better than others that you have to watch for. He’ll do his best to protect you and oftentimes, it means having to marble you away to avoid you getting mugged or at least protecting your things.

When the weather gets colder, he’ll offer to marble you for a bit so you aren’t exposed to the cold. Worry will consume him when you’re tucked away in his pocket, your marble pinched between his index and thumb as he stays up. He’s careful with you, so delicate as to not accidentally break you or release you from your glass entrapment. When you’re in there, it’s harder to protect you, but at least you aren’t in any danger from the outside and he already protects you when you’re so big, so this is nothing. He doesn’t want you to be out here, to worry and panic when you don’t know when your next meal will be, he’s got you right here, in his fingertips.

If you rather not be trapped inside of a marble, he only shrugs. He has a smug grin on his face and he acts hurt, but he understands. However, it’s still cold and you need to be protected before him. He’ll pull you close and wrap his coat around your shoulders and give you his gloves. The cold affects Atsuhiro a bit worse given his injury, but he won’t say anything about it; his main goal is to protect you. He’ll hold your hands in his and breathe war air against your palms as you try to fall asleep. It’s difficult, but you’re with him and he’s going to protect you for as long as he can. He doesn’t want this life for you, and he’ll always encourage you to take any opportunity that falls on your lap. He can be damned, but you deserve to have a home and a life.

Shigaraki Tomura:

Surprisingly, it’s Tomura that knows very little about being homeless. There was a point where as a child he wandered the streets, but that is such a distant memory that he can barely recall it. It’s only after the Kamino Incident, that he experiences being homeless. It’s new to him, and he doesn’t know what to do, but he’s a fighter, and he’s survived it. He had the League with him, and you not only have him, but you also have the League. He’s going to take care of you and try to give you what you need.

It’s a lot more difficult for him to blend into society given his quirk and appearance, but you aren’t like him. In his free time- before any of the League activities happened- he would frequent internet cafés where it was common to find people sleeping on the couches for a low fee. It might be scary, but you just have to hold onto your possessions as tight as you can. It’s warm and safe from the elements, and it’s better than what he can provide. He has run down buildings, but you can at least have air conditioning where you aren’t dying from the heat. If you rather not, then he understands, He won’t push for you to sleep or stay where you don’t want to. He’ll take care of you and will keep you with him at that point.

He tries to not care, to be apathetic to you, but he cares so much. He’ll tell you that being homeless isn’t rare, and that it is a very real possibility that people rather not think about, but he never expected it to happen to you. He understands that it’s difficult to not have the things that you normally had at your touch, after the incident he lost a lot of his belongings, so he gets it. It takes him a bit of getting used to learning how to be nice and empathetic rather than telling you to get over it, but he learns, and he’ll nod and offer some words of encouragement that when everything is done, he’ll get you better versions of what you had before. At the end of he say, he cares, and he'll show his true colors after a sad look.

You will come first for him- always. He’ll give you a share of his rations, will make sure that when you two go and look for food, it’s you who gets the biggest cut. He’ll do his best to put you first for whatever he can get a hold of. Food is difficult to come by after a while and with his notoriety, you can’t really be picky. However, the amount of effort he will put in for you to look for food that he knows that you like or can stomach, is outstanding. He wants what is best for you and will always give you that. Whatever he can get a hold of, will be yours before it can be anyone else’s.

With you being one of the few people that he cares for in the world, he tries to do a lot for you. There is hardly a time where he will not fight with and for you. It’s you that he puts first, even before himself, and he’ll always make that wherever you sleep for the night, you have the soft side of the bed, or the softest couch, or the one with less springs. Tomura isn’t a romantic by any means, but he really does care a lot for you. He won’t show it in the traditional sense with flowers or sweets, but he will show it by giving you what he can. Once he has the Paranormal Liberation Front, he gives you so much. It’s almost as if he’s trying to make up for the time where he couldn’t give you everything.

#bnha #bnha shigaraki tomura #bnha shigaraki #bnha headcanons #dabi x reader #bnha dabi x reader #bnha dabi headcanons #bnha dabi #mr compress imagines #mr compress bnha #mr compress headcanons #mr compress x reader #mr. compress x reader #atsuhiro sako imagines #atsuhiro sako x reader #atsuhiro sako #sako atsuhiro x reader #i hope you like thi #it was kind of difficult for me to write #because im not too informative in this department #i hope i did it tastefully #if you have any issue with it #please let me know

[from-the-dark-past]

Interview with Anders Ohlin in The Black Metal Murders: English translation

Translator’s note: Black metal-morden (English: The Black Metal Murders) is a radio documentary from 2017 produced by Radio Sweden (download). It’s about Mayhem and the Norwegian black metal scene in the ‘90s and contains interviews with Jørn “Necrobutcher” Stubberud, Kjetil Manheim, Eirik “Messiah” Norheim and Anders Ohlin (Pelle Ohlin’s younger brother). 

Here, I’ve translated the parts where Anders Ohlin speaks into English (from Swedish). I’ve added time-stamps and short descriptions for the different sections of the interview. 

I am working on translating the interviews with Necrobutcher, Manheim and Messiah and will post them soon. 

1:51 - 6:35 [Talking about him and Pelle getting into extreme metal]

Anders: We’d started listening to hard rock and it was… We’d, like, worked through all of those… Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. 

Narrator: It’s the mid-1980s in Västerhaninge, a suburb of Stockholm. Pelle Ohlin lives here. He plays in the extreme metal band Morbid and his stage name is Dead. Pelle has introduced his five-years-younger brother to hard rock. Together, they’ve worked through all of the main bands. 

Anders: And you, like, hungered for this… This Other. 

Narrator: The ‘Other’ that younger brother Anders is talking about is extreme metal; music that is faster, darker and harder. A progression of hard rock. Music that isn’t easy to get your hands on at this time. Anders is in his early teens and has gotten his first girlfriend. 

Anders: It was my first relationship and it was super-exciting, and I was at her house, she lived in Jordbro, which is, like, the neighbouring suburb. 

Narrator: Anders’ girlfriend’s older sister has an LP that Anders simply must show his older brother Pelle. 

Anders: It was, like, you knew it was good music, and it was that Destruction record. 

Narrator: Anders sees the German death metal band Destruction’s cover and it’s enough for him to understand that this must be good music. [...] 

Anders: This. This here isn’t Judas Priest and it isn’t Iron Maiden; it’s something else. I’ve got show this fucking record to Pelle. 

Narrator: Anders nags [his girlfriend’s older sister] to borrow the LP. He’s allowed to, but only for the day, so he bikes home in the rain from Jordbro to Västerhaninge as quickly as he can. 

Anders: And it was like [excited noise], like a cartoon; the evil wolf, their eyes bulge out and we both ran -- because we hadn’t heard the LP, only seen the cover -- ran to the record player och then Mom walks up and is like: ‘Stop! You’re forbidden from using the gramophone.’ And it was like, fucking hell, is it going to die here and then we explained to Mom -- ‘This is an extreme record and we’ve borrowed it for the day and it’s going back tomorrow,’ -- and Mom was super-harsh and was like: ‘It doesn’t matter. [...]’ And then we started negotiating and agreed that we could record the LP onto cassette [because you don’t need volume for that]. So, it was on full-blast the entire night and we recorded it and stood bent over the record scratches and were like,‘Shit, this is good stuff’. 

Narrator: Pelles hard rock style stands out against the usual sweatpant-Bagheera-jacket [style], not least the music. 

Anders: The ideals that existed at that time were that you were supposed to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, which neither he nor I did [laughs]. You were supposed to be handsome and cool and have some fucking helipad on your head. 

Translator’s note: Anders is talking about a flat-top haircut commonly referred to as a ���helikopterplattafrisyr’ -- helipad haircut -- in Sweden. Think H.R. Haldeman. I’m not sure what the English term for this haircut is. 

Narrator: Anders and Pelle are apart of a small subculture; extreme metal, with subgenres such as trash metal, death metal and black metal, which provokes with its satanic and morbid symbols. Pelle’s band Morbid pushes the limits of what music can sound like. With his stage-name Dead, Pelle sings on the demo December Moon. The new subculture is not embraced by the adult world. 

Anders: Like, we faced this fucking cultural oppression as hardrockers. It was that time-period… And especially if you wanted to do something that was worse than hard rock; it was completely judged. 

14:52 - 15:53 [Talking about Pelle being bullied] 

Anders: He was beaten at school and to such an extent that he actually died for a while, or however you put it. 

Narrator: There’s an explanation to Pelle’s obsession with death. At 13, he was bullied at school and once, he was beaten so badly that his spleen burst. Pelle’s brother Anders Ohlin tells the story.

Anders: He was beaten to death and had some near-death experience as he was laying in the hospital and he kept coming back to that all the time, and I think you can see that as some sort of theme in his songs too. Like, it’s always about the fact that he was actually there and touched something that he doesn’t know what it is, and that was the engine in all that. He was definitely [at the bottom of the pecking order] at school, precisely because he was a bit… He had his special... his special style and was, like, uncompromising, and that was what singled him out, I’d say, markedly from other teenagers. 

18:07 - 18:30 [Talking about Pelle’s depression]

Anders: He would neglect to eat, just to get a cassette tape out or arrange a gig somewhere. 

Narrator: Anders Ohlin, Pelle’s brother. 

Anders: To be a bit harsh, I think that the others gave up at some point. And that’s my personal interpretation. That he suddenly turns around and notices that he hasn’t got the gang with him. And I think that destroyed him. 

21:50 - 22:30 [Talking about Pelle’s suicide] 

Anders: At first, I was actually really pissed at him… Or, like, angry, enraged. I thought that he’d abandoned us -- which he has. That it was so shitty of him; to just take off and leave this big fucking abscess to the rest of us that just kept growing and growing as the years passed. 

Narrator: Christmases become especially painful for the Ohlin family, because that was the time Pelle usually came home. 

Anders: No one felt good on Christmas Eve. It was like a fucking ghost all Christmas. Brutal. So, I remember that I couldn’t celebrate Christmas at all for a very long time. 

1:06:39 - 1:09:31 [Talking about how he and Pelle’s Swedish friends remember him and his life today]

Anders: All of his Swedish friends see him as this exuberantly happy guy that spews ideas and is funny and has a sense of humor and stuff. Then, it’s like a line is drawn when he goes to Norway and they see him as introverted and mysterious and, like, difficult. And that’s two opposite images. 

Narrator: The Pelle Myth is associated with a lot of darkness and death but that’s not how his brother Anders and Pelle’s Swedish friends remember him.  

Anders: I think that’s been the devastating part, but it, like, helped him build… strengthen that myth. It’s hard being that funny dude and saying that you’re, like, Satan. It’s hard, it becomes, like, silly. 

Narrator: Anders is often reminded of Pelle. Usually because of happy memories but also because of that image that he is fighting to remove; the image that Øystein took of Pelle’s corpse which spread because it became the album cover of a Mayhem bootleg, Dawn of the Black Hearts. The image lives its own life on the internet. 

Anders: It’s difficult. It’s very difficult. 

Narrator: Pelle’s fans often want to become Facebook friends with Anders; he receives 3-5 friend requests per day. Sometimes, the people sending the friend requests have themselves shared the image on their social channels. 

Anders: You say you want to be my friend yet you have an image of my brother from when he’s just killed himself and like… body parts all over the wall. Would you think it was okay if I had an image of your brother like that? ‘What,’ they excuse themselves. ‘Oh, fuck, I’d forgotten that I had that image, that’s… Of course, I’ll remove it and I’m ashamed.’ 

Narrator: When Anders asks people to remove the image, most do. 

Anders: I’m terrified for when my children will start to Google those images… Øystein’s parents inherited the rights after Øystein died and [Øystein’s dad] has destroyed the images and I’ve received the rights, gotten to take over the rights from Øystein’s dad, so if anyone uses them in any form is printed media, I can sue the shit out of them. 

Narrator: It’s a small comfort every time one of Pelle’s fans tells Anders how much Pelle means. 

Anders: Most often, they have some story. They tell me how they’ve had a tough period in life and how they’ve, like, really been at a crossroads or something and feel that they received guidance from Pelle’s music. That warms -- That makes you happy. That really warms your heart. 

Narrator: Pelle’s grave is well-visited and every now and then, there’s a handwritten letter or a box of snus by it. 

#mayhem #the true mayhem #per ohlin #pelle ohlin #per yngve ohlin #jorn stubberud #necrobutcher #kjetil manheim #eirik norheim #manheim #messiah #black metal #black metal history #true norwegian black metal #lords of chaos #my translation

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About "Knock Knock Knockin' on Hooty's Door" from The Owl House

Wow. They are really pushing it for that secret message, huh?

Anywho--Salutations, random people on the internet who certainly won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons!

I think it goes without saying at this point that Season Two of The Owl House is setting itself up as a season without filler. Now, filler episodes aren't always bad. Yes, it hurts when a series turns away from the main plot for a week. But at best, they're utilized as a chance for the writers to play around with the characters and developing said characters without it relating to the overarching story. So, some people who see that consider it a bad thing that a series doesn't have that many filler episodes.

I like to call those people: F**king morons.

Don't get me wrong, I see where some of you are coming from. And I'd be willing to agree...if The Owl House was a plot-driven series. Which it's not. It is a character-driven series. Because for every plot thread and narrative that the show presents, they always relate to the characters and develop them further each time these threads get brought up. For example, look at "Knock Knock Knockin’ on Hooty's Door" (It pains me just to write that). Several narratives move forward, and it’s all done to make the characters grow. And to explain how requires going into spoilers. So keep that in mind as you continue reading.

Now, let's review, shall we?

WHAT I LIKED

Hooty: Might as well start with the character that this episode is about.

To tell you the truth, I wasn't a huge fan when I found out we're getting a Hooty-centered episode. I've grown to love him over time, but he is a comedic character that's best used in small doses. Primarily due to how his voice is grating to me (My ears are still bleeding...). With that said, I do really love his contributions in "Knock Knock Knockin' on Hooty's Door" (Seriously, there couldn't have been a less awkward title?). Hooty's antics when trying to help everyone are as hilarious as they are heartwarming. He deeply cares for his friends but just doesn't understand how his plans could do some unintended harm, which is pretty lovable if you ask me. We also get some surprisingly great insight into his character, as he feels insecure about basically being the comic relief who doesn't really do that much other than being funny. Rarely do you get that level of dimension from a comedic character, and it's even more uncommon for that to work out as well as it does here. It once again proves just how competent the writing is in this series to the point where we get an episode about Hooty, and it's funny and heartwarming instead of being annoying. And whoever is responsible for that, you're the best.

Lilith’s Letter to Hooty: I mean it when I say that I love how Lilith kept her word about her and Hooty becoming penpals. Their friendship was something I would have never expected to love, and I'm still shocked that it works so well, so seeing it continue like this just warms me to the bone. Plus, it is pretty sweet that Lilith's kind words are what inspired Hooty to do what he's done in this episode...meaning it's Lilith we should thank here--SON OF A WITCH! Even when she's gone, she's still working her way into my heart!

King going through Puberty: What?! KING IS EVOLVING!

(There, I made a Pokemon reference. Do I get my cookie now?)

Eda Keeping Herself Awake to Train Herself: I'm willing to bet a large sum of money that this has everything to with Raine getting captured last week. If Eda was still the most powerful witch in the Isles, she might have actually saved them. But she isn't, and now the love of her life is in the clutches of a tyrant planning something that could potentially be the end of everything. So I can understand Eda pushing herself to her limit to get back on top again, as I would probably do the same. It's not healthy in any way, and Eda would be doing more harm than good. But when it comes to the people you love, logic doesn't always win out in the end.

Luz Wanting to Make her Way into Amity’s Heart by Making the Echo Mouse Happy: ...That's it. I Just...I just love everything about it, ok?

This was also when I knew that I was wrong to doubt that there would be zero Lumity in this episode. I realize my follies now, and I humbly apologize.

Hooty Teaching King About Demons: This was so funny. So, so funny. Probably doesn't come as a surprise, especially since The Owl House proves itself as a comedy before, but the jokes have never hit as frequently and as hard as they did here. From Hooty getting offended by King's dance to him and Dana's insert wanting a "DNA sample," everything managed to successfully make me lose my s**t. It does come at the expense of King suffering, but I can stomach that much more than if it were Eda or Luz. And, as a bonus, we get lore about how demons work, added with another great joke of King getting in trouble with Hooty for saying he already knows this stuff. Humor isn't always the show's strong suit, but when it works, it f**king works.

King Wanting to Know What he Is: But despite how funny King's vignette was, we still get to see more of his character grow. We learn that he's frustrated now that there's this big question mark over his life now, feeling extra angry that his father "abandoned" him to leave such a present mystery. It shows the hidden resentment he has that Lilith inadvertently brought out, made even worse when King's father hasn't responded to the video yet. King hasn't really gotten that much development until "Echoes of the Past," so it's pretty cool that the writers haven't really slowed down on it. Especially when it leads to these great moments of King venting his frustrations.

King’s Shouting Powers: KING learned FUS RO DAH!

(And now that's a Pokemon reference AND a Skyrim reference. WHERE'S MY GOSH DANG COOKIE!?)

Eda’s Nightmare: If King's vignette hits you hard with the laughs, Eda's will absolutely hit you harder with the feels (never make me say "feels" unironically again). Knowing that Eda's life got thoroughly screwed over by the curse is something we could figure out on her own. But seeing just how much the curse ruined her life and tore apart relationships that mean the world to her really does a swell job at ripping apart the soul. What's even more tragic is, technically speaking, it's all sort of Eda's fault too. She kept hiding the curse, refusing to be a burden to others who would do all they could to help. If she had only been open and honest, things probably wouldn't have changed much, but they most likely would have been better than they are now.

Eda Attacked her Father as the Owl Beast: ...I don't know what I was expecting when "Keeping Up A-Fear-Ances" hinted that there was some possible tension between Eda and her father...but it definitely wasn't this.

The fact that we see blood where his eye used to be doesn't make things any happier, either.

Raine Broke Up with Eda: Before we get into anything else, let's celebrate the fact that it's now confirmed that Eda and Raine really did use to date in the past. Because this show is just f**king phenomenal with its LGBTQA+ representation!

But, seriously, this is a fantastic reveal that goes far beyond just shipping...well, sort of. It shines a new light on Eda and Raine's interactions from last week, revealing that while they're not a couple anymore, they still very much love each other. It helps make their last interaction especially tragic, as they were both on the same page now and could very well be together again. Only for them to be forced apart for the second time in a way that's much worse than the first. And I frickin' adore that this series changes the impact of one episode one week later. Again, it shows just how competent these writers are, and kudos to them for making something so...perfect.

The Moon Person: WHO THE FU--Nope. Nope! We have more than enough mystery bulls**t to deal with through CreepyLuz and Philip Wittebane, so I am PUTTING YOU ON THE BACKBURNER FOR NOW!

(They're probably nothing more than a one-off character, anyway)

The Owl Beast and Eda are Connected: Through visuals alone, we, the audience, can clue into what the curse really means. The Owl Beast doesn't want to be a part of Eda as much as she doesn't want it to be a part of her. Whether they like it or not, and they very much don't, they're stuck together. The thing is, and this is what I love the most, they still decide to make the best of their situation rather than let it ruin their lives even more. This might be the best possible turn Eda's curse could have made. It'll still affect her, and there are probably more negatives than positives, but at least now, it's not the worst thing in the world. And I feel like that's all anyone can ask when in a position like her own.

Eda's “Pretty Dream”: I don't know what emotions are toiling inside me more with this moment. Awe and wonder over how beautiful Eda's dream is, or heartbreak over the implication that she has only had nightmares since getting cursed...I'm gonna say both. Yeah, it's definitely both.

Eda’s Harpie Form: Well, fan artists are gonna have a field day with this...especially the freaks.

(You know who you are. And you're weird!)

Luz Calling Amity a “Cotton-Candy Haired Goddess”: ...Have I ever mentioned how much I love this show?

Hooty Kidnapped Amity: ...Hooty, if your stupidity wasn't charming, I would be more than willing to call the authorities over how you kidnapped a girl in your version of a knapsack and locked her in the basement. For that is going to ring SO MANY alarm bells in people's heads.

Amity and Luz Stuck in a Tunnel of Love: *Smacks lips* Mmm. The adorable awkwardness of this moment is just *chef's kiss* magnifique!

Luz being afraid of getting made fun of:

Amity’s look of hope: I mean...just...f**king--LOOK AT HER:

That is the look of a girl who, while embarrassed as hell, still is ecstatic to learn for a brief moment, everything that she is hoping for has a high chance of being real. Who, in their right mind, wouldn't go "Aw!" at something so pure and innocent?!

Luz Destroying the Tunnel of Love: This is how to effectively utilize dramatic irony. The audience can understand why Luz is tearing the place apart because she explicitly states that she's afraid of Amity rejecting her in the end. They also know that's bogus, thus making it extra painful to watch Amity's heart break more and more with each second (which is perfectly represented through Amity's expressions). You feel bad for both of them, and even worse when you know that it can easily be prevented by the simple art of communication. That's what makes it great dramatic irony. Knowing the point of view of each character results in a scene that evokes emotions in two different ways.

Hooty’s Breakdown: This was...genuinely hard to watch. Not that it was badly written, far from it. It just...hurt seeing how destroyed Hooty was when he realized he failed the people he has such an admiration for. On the upside, a wholesome moment follows soon after as the Owl House gang tries to reassure Hooty that he's done a lot of good that night. It's a pure action that shows even though Hooty gets on their nerves all the time, they still care about him...damn it. I think I'm gonna cry.

Eda’s Advice for Luz: ...Eda...You're the best.

You found out that your surrogate daughter wants to ask a girl out, and not only were you quick to deliver the best possible advice ("Just go for it!"), but you also quickly reassure her that it doesn't need to be perfect.

And you know what? That's it. Eda is the best cartoon mom! She might not technically be Luz's mom, but I don't give a s**t because she is the best!

Luz and Amity Ask Each Other Out: Shh-sh-sh-sh...

Do you hear that?

...

...

...It's the sound of dozens of Lumity fans collectively losing their s**t...and I'm one of them.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

HOO-HOO-HOO-HOO!

IT!

IS!

CANON!

AH-HAHAHAHAHA!

HOLY S**T! Holy s**t! Holy s**t...might just be the best way I could possibly describe this! Finally, after all the waiting, speculating, and praying, THESE TWO IDIOTS FINALLY GOT TOGETHER! AND IT WAS PERFECT! I mean, it was awkward as s**t, but that's what makes it perfect! You know why? You wanna--Hey! *snaps fingers*. You want to know why? It's because they're teenagers. Of f**king course, it's going to be awkward! This is their first relationship, so there will be a lot of missteps along the way. And that, in itself, brings me to the best (second best part?) thing about it happening in episode eight of the new seasons. Most endgame couples get together in the climax or even at the end of the series. But to have them get together this early on, means there will be quite a few episodes dedicated to showing them grow as a couple.

And better than that--EVEN F**KING BETTER THAN THAT--dozens of kids are going to see these two, a realistic depiction of young love that just so happens to involve two girls, and are going to learn once and for all that there is nothing wrong with being who they are. That fact alone is f**king incredible. Yes, it sucks that season three got cut short, and we'll have even less time with Luz and Amity, but knowing how many kids have felt seen today almost makes it worth it in the end.

And if I see one mother f**ker saying this was poorly paced, I might just hunt them down for SPORT...Sorry if that was an overreaction. I'M JUST SO HAPPY! Because they're happy! Look at them. Listen to them! It's so...GAH-HAHAHA!

“They’re adorable! And deserve all the happiness!”: You're darn right, Hooty! You're darn right.

King’s Father(?) Shows Up: What the--WHAT?! They're doing this now?! Here?! After everything else?

Oh, man. What could this mean? What dynamic changes will this cause in the main cast? How could the writers fit this in during the next two episodes? And what--

Hooty Eats the Letter: ...Pfffft--HAHAHAHA!

Oh, man...I should be mad, and I wouldn't blame others if they are...but that is too much of a brilliant f**k you that I can't help but appreciate it. Bravo writers. Bravo.

WHAT I DISLIKED

...Dislikes? Dislikes? You would honestly believe that after everything I witnessed in this episode, that I would have the gull to list anything wrong with it?!

HOW DARE YOU ASSUME THAT I WOULD BE SO CALLUS TO--Actually, I do kind of have an issue with the episode's title. It's just too much of an awkward mouthful for me to get behind. I understand that the writers wanted to sneak the K into the secret message, but were there really no other titles starting with K that they couldn't come up with?

But that's just a personal issue, and in no way do I think anybody else would feel the same way. Especially with how well-written everything else is anyway.

IN CONCLUSION

"Knock Knock Knockin' on Hooty's Door" (title aside) is another A+ episode. It was hilarious, heart-wrenching, and downright adorable while keeping me entertained with every minute. I'm sure there are some issues I was willing to ignore due to how expertly written everything else was, but why bother looking for the chinks in the armor when I could just enjoy a perfect episode for being so...perfect! Some of you might be willing to disagree with me, but to that, I say: Don't knock it till you've tried it.

(Now, if you don't excuse me, I'm going to go lie down. It's...It's been a day.)

#the owl house #the owl house season 2 #the owl house reviews #the owl house spoilers #toh spoilers #toh hooty #king clawthorne #eda clawthorne #raeda #luz noceda #amity blight #lumity #lumity is canon #what i thought about

[scottymcgeesterwrites]

90′s kids are actually 00′s kids

Let’s be honest: there are only four things I really remember about the 90′s - Princess Diana, Monica Lewinsky, Seinfeld, and Pokémon. Everything else is a random mix of personal memories, like friends I made in school and the times I got seriously injured or sick. But the outside world was still a bit of a blur, waiting to be discovered. A few years ago, my fiancée and I went to NYC Comic Con. They had these mystery boxes that you could buy. Each mystery box had a different theme, so Star Trek, Star Wars, DragonBall Z, etc. You would pay like $50 or something like that for items inside the box related to that theme. We saw a 90′s theme mystery box and bought it. 

We opened it up, expecting to be excited about reliving the 90′s.  We didn’t recognize a single fucking thing in the box. 

No idea what any of that stuff was. 

My formative years were really the early ‘00′s. That’s when I was becoming a “person” and when I developed my emotions, for better or for worse. 

For me, the real “nostalgia” is the GameCube, skinny jeans, drum and bass, Fatboy Slim, bad action movies with washed out colors trying to imitate The Matrix, Homestar Runner, Internet forums, and the final days of the true arcade. The early ‘00s were truly a weird, transitional and liminal space between two worlds. It was a world of twilight, where two ends met. It saw the decline in physical copies of movies and music and the rise of the digital age. It was the final goodbye to the analog world. It saw the rise of hacktivism, and the early days of social media was the Wild Wild West before the corporations brought the hammer down with rules and threats of copyright infringement. The new millennium was unsure of what it would become, but storm clouds loomed in the distance. The 90′s didn’t end on December 31st, 1999 at 11:59 PM; they ended on September 11th, 2001 at around 8:45 AM EST. That was when “the fun” stopped, and when we all had to rethink our lives.

I remember Craig Ferguson (my favorite late night host), and a bunch of underrated celebrities who we used to make fun of (or loathed) who have now been vindicated. Keanu Reeves. Britney Spears. Guy Fieri. Robert Downey Jr. Cara Cunningham. Everyone you loved back then turned out to be a monster, but everyone you took for granted was really a good person all along. I remember being mad at seeing open fields being taken over by cheaply-made, mass produced McMansions near my house. I vandalized one of the construction sites. When I confided in someone about it, they called my cause petty and stupid. Two years later, the Great Recession started because of the housing bubble. I tried, in a brief violent moment, to fight back something I didn’t understand. It was inevitable.   I saw the world transition and the storm clouds roll in. I felt the paradigm shift. I saw the party end as millions of people looked up and said, “I have a bad feeling about this.” I overheard thousands of conversations from the stairwell late at night as my parents talked worriedly with their friends about the Iraq War and the Patriot Act. I remember the start of the Bourne movies. In a way, they were a response to the Bond movies. James Bond was the 20th Century hero, the upholder of “Western civilization” and the status quo. Jason Bourne was the first of the 21st Century heroes - the hero who regretted and fought to change the status quo. I remember movies trying to make bold, serious takes on superheroes. Some succeeded, like Batman Begins and X-Men. Others failed, like Daredevil and Ghost Rider. Everyone wanted to be serious then. That, and so much more, is what I remember about my childhood - my real childhood. In my heart, I am a 00′s kid.

#90s #00s #90s kid #90s kids #onlife #iraq war #politics #seinfeld #princess diana #monica lewinsky #pokemon #life #great recession #james bond #jason bourne #keanu reeves #britney spears #free britney #leave britney alone #batman #9/11 #September 11 #craig ferguson