#my VERY bad edits lets go

[eyepatchdate]

i was saying this as me and @abysskeeper watched the episode

[hivemindscape]

im a big fan of esper powers slipping loose in harmless ways when they're happy

[sadisthetic]

its the hard rock life

[hiemaldesirae]

The Hazbin Graduate’s Guide to Homicide (3)

HAZBIN'S MIDSEMESTER STUDENT REPORT Student: Vox Vanhal Supervising Staff: Professor Enoch Leviathan Sponsor: Not Applicable To the Board: Vox Vanhal may be one of the most brilliant students this school has seen in decades. In all my years of teaching at Hazbin, I have never met a student more insanely ready to learn and apply their skills- due in part, of course, to said student's own possible insanity. I mean this in a jovial way, of course, but I will admit that when young Vanhal's true identity was revealed to me that my first thought was along the lines of 'is this student insane?' Whether or not my student's reason should be called into question is something myself and my fellow professor Asmodeus have discussed in length, but there is one thing that we can definitively agree on: If there is any one student in this school who I would choose to place my bets on, it would be Vox Vanhal. There is nothing more to say at this time of report evaluation. Sincerely, Professor Leviathan.

May God's blessings be with you now and at the hour of our deaths, Amen.

[ 1 ] / [ 2 ] (<- read these first for context and more murder academy radiostatic content!)

Though Alastor may have thought that Vox was much more knowledgable in how Hazbin's Institution for Homicide worked, the truth was, Vox was still fully flying on the seat of his own coattails.

He had no damn clue what he was doing still, and although it'd been two weeks since he'd arrived, part of him still felt like how he did when he'd first arrived: hesitant, scared, not knowing where to go or what to do besides the want to make his boss suffer as he killed him.

That level of animosity might sound strange to anyone not a Hazbin student or alumnus, but it was perfectly normal for any student enrolled in the academy to have such feelings. After all, there was quite a rigorous process involved in the application, and for Vox, this application process (and what led to it) was perhaps more intense than most.

There had once been a time where Vox had dreamed of becoming a Hollywood starlet, one who lit up the silver screen and was blessed by hundreds of thousands of cheering, dedicated fans who would fawn over his every move and action. He'd wanted to follow in his mother's footsteps, at one point. But after taking on his first roles in Carmine Studios, the glamour of Hollywood had shattered like fine glass.

"Miss Vesper! Would you please look over here for a second?"

"Miss Vesper, when is your next movie coming out?!"

"Miss Vesper, is it true that you and your co-star on Anna Karenina, Valentino Vega had an affair-?"

"Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck! That- fucking bastard!" Vox rushed into the privacy of his and Val's shared apartment, slamming the door behind him as he collapsed into the couch, head cradled in his hands. He couldn't even begin to start detailing the number of ways he'd wanted to fucking butcher and rip apart his boss.

Andrealphus Goetia was no stranger to the spotlight, naturally. One of Hollywood's top directors, the man had been an influential cornerstone in the history of movie-making, a real legend to light the days. But behind that picturesque platinum reputation laid a monstrous piece of shit.

It had been a complete accident that Andrealphus had found out about Vox's identity.

Vox himself hadn't even really planned out what to do about himself at that point, only that he'd known that the dresses he wore on screen were far more suited to his best friend than they were for him. Knew that the copious amounts of makeup flattened on him everyday made him feel more like a clown than a princess, that it was the most uncomfortable feeling to have to sit and play the pretty face for the audience's sake.

But he persisted, telling himself, one more year, one more year til my savings account has enough to supply Val and I with a comfortable life and we can leave.

But of course- of course Andrealphus had to ruin it for him.

The man had found out and immediately proceeded to blackmailing Vox with the information, holding things such as promotions, media gossip and rumors over his head. And now... now... Vox stared down at the script he held clutched in his hand, his knuckles turning white as he grasped it with an iron grip.

"Dieser verdammte bastard," Vox muttered under his breath.

Though he'd never loved the spotlight that came with his first taste of fame, he had loved acting. Had loved being adored for his skill, applauded for the emotions that he could evoke in crowds of people and the way he could twist people's hearts. He had wanted to be one of the best, a household name.

And now, he stared down at the script for a movie that Andrealphus knew would tank his reputation. It was absolute bullshit. The plot was held together by thin strings and a bit of glue, despite being an adaptation of one of the past decade's best selling books. Not only that, but the moment he left the safety of the apartment once more, he would also have to contend with the rumors that were steadily piling against him and dragging his loved ones and friends into it too.

All this, because Vox had refused to sleep with his shitty boss.

He could still hear the fucker's voice- come on, don't you wanna say that you got a piece of me? I'll even leave out the part about you being a transvestite, darling, just the fact that I got a piece of you is enough.

God. If only.... if only he could see that bastard's face when he crushed his fucking skull in between his hands. He wanted to see Andrealphus' stupid face contort in revulsion and terror when Vox finally did the deed, wanted to bathe in the the fotze's inbred blood. He'd do anything for the chance to just kill that piece of shit-

"Amorcito?"

Val's voice makes Vox jump on the spot, quickly shifting to hide the script from view. His friend comes around the corner, eyebrows furrowed with concern, and it's this that makes Vox break his composure, a single tear falling down his face as Val frowns, taking a seat next to him on the couch. "Voxxy, amor... tell me what's wrong."

And because he can never keep his mouth shut when it comes to his best friend, Vox tells him everything. Val nods along, pauses at the right moments, all of that stuff that friends do when they're trying to let you know that they'd rip apart your shitty boss if not for the law.

But- and perhaps this is something that Vox knew deep down to be true anyway- Val was a bit different in that aspect. He'd met the man under... less than legal circumstances, after all, and he knew that Val was the heir to quite the illustrous cartel career.

So when Valentino stops him with a firm hand on the shoulder and hands him an application paper for Hazbin, telling him to think it through, Vox barely takes even a second glance at it before filling it out.

Now, two months later and sitting in the auditorium of Hazbin's famed Music Hall, Vox doesn't find himself regretting the decision. Sure, it's a bit lonely without Val's supporting presence by his side, but the students he's met so far have proved to be some of the friendliest people he's had the pleasure of knowing: ironic, considering the kind of school they're studying at. And he's even managed to make a friend! Not that bad a start, altogether.

Vox absentmindedly doodles on the edge of his notes as Professor Leviathan's soothing voice lectures them on the importance of a proper alibi. "If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, but it has an airtight alibi, it is...?"

"Not a duck," the auditorium echoes back to the professor, who nods, looking satisfied with the class's response. "So, then! The first step to alibi making is...? Miss Velvette, perhaps you'd like to answer this one for us?"

The girl sitting beside Vox shoots up in her seat, looking as if she'd just fallen asleep and was awoken by the professor's question. "Uh... the..."

After a moment of silence and stuttering, Vox takes pity on the girl, sliding Velvette over a slide of paper that she squints at before reading. "Make sure you're in a different place from the crime?"

"And how would I do that?"

"I... uh. Use an accomplice...?" Velvette stutters.

Professor Leviathan shakes his head, looking disappointed. "Not quite. One thing you will have to learn at Hazbin's is that you should never rely on any other person to carry your deed out for you. No hiring accomplices- after all, paid personnel's loyalty is shaky and they have no honor code preventing them from taking you to the police- and absolutely no committing crimes as lovers, unless you can guarantee that neither of you will be snitching. Would anyone else like to take a try?"

Vox raises his hand hesitantly. "Move the crime scene or otherwise obscure the culprit?"

Professor Leviathan snaps his fingers, "Yes! Absolutely. One of the best ways to make yourself an iron clad alibi is, if the pope is shot in the church at midnight, make sure that you are seen halfway across town in the bar at midnight; so drunk that you cannot even leave until your wife comes to pick you up at two- and no one will suspect you, even if he was actually killed right outside the pub and moved to the church instead. By moving the crime scene, you can make yourself an ironclad alibi. Obscuring the identity of the perpetrator and making it someone who couldn't possibly be you also works splendidly. After all, if the police believe the murderer to be a six foot tall adult man, then the actual perpetrator, a four foot tall young woman, would be able to pass by completely unnoticed. Thank you for that input, Vox. Now, onto the actual creation of such an alibi..."

When class ends, Vox is the first to leave his seat and head for the door, intending on leaving and getting to Track with Professor Satan as quick as possible when someone stops him in his tracks with a firm grip on his shoulder.

"Hey. Vox Vanhal, right?"

"That would be me, yes," Vox turns to face the person he's talking to, only to be met with the young woman that Professor Leviathan had called out in class earlier. "You were... Velvette?"

"Yep, that's me," the chipper young woman responds. "Listen, I know you don't know me at all, but I really need to get through this school year. Like- look, okay, I'm in a little bit over my head right now. I still want to go here and do what everyone here does, of course, I'd love to just go and plunge a damn butcher's knife into my cunt of an ex-friend's neck, but... well, you saw how I did back in class- look, what I'm trying to get at is I need someone to help me. And you're like, Leviathan's star student. So- I don't care what I have to do, I'll-"

Vox holds up a hand to stop her.

"I don't need you to do anything for me, unless you've got any tips on how to kill my boss and make him suffer during it. But I'll help you with whatever you need to study during your courses. Just..." He pauses, taking a moment to think out what he's about to ask. "Could you teach me how you did your makeup on your own?"

Velvette blinks, clearly not expecting that response. She laughs, a shrill, sharp bark and grabs his hand to shake it firmly. "Yeah, 'course I can. So, do we have a deal?"

"We do," Vox smiles. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

[cent-scratchnsniff]

from a bit back. sorry to you yesod in particular the bees called

[non-un-topo]

Well that was one of the most intense things I've ever fucking written.

[redyarns]

snippet (cherry blossom edition, ch. 2)

hello to all my new followers (where did u all come from). i decided to also rewrite about 90% of the next cherry blossom chapter, which i was reluctant to do because it wasnt necessarily bad, but it was going in a really weird direction that i felt wasnt in line with what i envisioned. unfortunately that meant deleting a lot of stuff i was somewhat pleased with... grrrrrr....... but this version is much more aligned with what i wanted so i guess its fine.. kinda....

[gideonisms]

This is a very vague question, but do you have an advice on writing? I really enjoy reading your fanfiction! I want to practice more but sometimes it’s difficult to move beyond an idea to actual prose.

This is so sweet and deeply flattering. Thank you SO much for reading and enjoying!! it is all I could ever want to write fun fics that appeal to the mutuals ❤️

As for advice on moving past the ideas stage I have the same problem and it's literally the hardest part of writing to me. Those executives do NOT function at all in my brain. To get anything done I have to just set a timer for myself for like 20-45 minutes and tell myself there are no bad ideas and I can just write Anything as long as it relates to my fic. So I will often start with a couple paragraphs that sort of lay out the general concept then move on to some bullet points with a few sentences describing scenes I think I might need. THEN I write the easy parts of the scenes, like the dialogue. Then I flesh them out. Then I typically have one long burst of writing where I go crazy and throw everything I can think of in and stay up all night. Then I go to bed, wake up, usually send it to my beloved beta, and edit several times. And THAT is the process.

I think the main thing I have to do is give myself permission to write things that are bad. I can make it better later. If I ever have an idea I'm not sure about because I think it might be too much I make sure to write that one. Idk

[revserrayyu]

One HSR Character a Day Extra 3 (Day 54): Feixiao

[seventh-district]

7am, eating cold leftover teriyaki stir-fry for breakfast and crying over blorbos

[dors-ee]

Hmmm. No. I still don't take it as canon. I mean it actually isn't canon or truly official, but even if it was made canon and truly official by Riot, I still would reject it.

(Quickly :I am genuinely happy for those that liked it and love the fact they kissed btw! I'm happy for you you got something you like! Truly!)

I don't think they kissed. Like i reject the MV making them kiss and for me they didn't kiss. I don't think whether it was 1 or 2 days or a few weeks or a month, that they did anything. Not with the situation, not with their past, etc.

I prefer and think it better, where they don't kiss and where they know there's something, the love is definitely there, but don't act on it, in in a very very... idk. Conventionally romantic explicit way I mean. I'd rather have this realism, like in term of psychology, and this... I don't know. It is terribly romantic* too, whilst realistic. (* wide meaning including artistic/literary movement.).

For me, timebomb is romantic (wide meaning. encompasses the artistic/literary movement) and poetic, and not into stereotypical and conventional romantic gestures. Not yet I mean, for the MU. (one can be romantic/poetic and have conventional romantic gestures yes. Those are not exclusive in general. Depends how it's done and the context.) Because that's how it was made in canon and what fits their story and them for now.

Ofc in the future I wouldn't mind kisses and all. Would more than welcome them actually. It depends how it'll be done, but I would really more than welcome them in the future.

But right now, where they were in s2, it didn't fit. Even with notions of poetry and romanticism and conventional romantic gesture and personal preferences and thoughts aside I mean. It didn't fit. (psychology and characters and relationship developments and story and context etc )

We didn't need a kiss. (I can like kisses, and more, in pre war, in purely fanon exploratory stuff. But purely as a "this is imagination and fun to explore". My mind is open to exploration and fun. It's for what wants to pass as canon that I take issues with.)

If I go further and into more personal territory, it actually bothers me that one was made. I get it, for most people kisses are needed as a show of romantic love. Like I get it.

And i do acknowledge this is partially personal, why it bothers me that well. we got a more stereotypical conventional show of romantic love. But it bothers me. It feels like a "you all want a conventional show of love in the form of a kiss so here!" whether it truly works or not... It's what's expected so it's what is given.

and it does feel like fan service a little.

I don't like that there's a kiss and I don't want it and... whatever pple believe for themseleves, like be free of course (and again, genuinely happy for those that liked it), but it isn't canon. Like objectively it isn't, but again even if it was made canon by riot I would still reject it personally.

to summarize : I don't think that they kiss fits -where they were with their relationships, where they were individually in their development, the context of the story, psychology, etc.- and was even needed as a show or romantic feelings, like that is outside of personal taste and preferences and feelings I mean.

And ... well inside of personal taste and preferences I also do not like it. I do have a preference for romantic -wide meaning- poetic and not conventional romantic gestures but the love is still there everywhere type of dynamics. (which the mme mv did do and do so well and it has inspired and pushed me so much.)

Also, for me, where they where in s2, it is tentative. For me there is a knowledge and acknowledgement of feelings but no action. Things are still tentative, there's still an open wound, or several, plus the war looming over. They can't show overt big reciprocated gesture of affection yet. It is there but it can't flow freely yet.

I mean again, everyone is free etc etc. But bc everyone is free, i say nope. Not for me.

I am not saying it is a bad MV. I am saying not for me and I think it doesn't fit timebomb in canon to have kissed pre war. And I also as a personal preference prefer them to not have kissed.

(and yes, as a more general parenthesis and tangent: I will be picky about content. It's not bc we don't get a lot that we have to settle for anything. I saw this opinion recently and like no. No no no. We can be picky, we can expect, and demand quality. Actually we should. We can be grateful for what we got without being doormats. we should ask for quality, or we won't get it, if we just settle for anything.

I'm not saying this specific world collide mv is not quality. I am speaking in general. We can be picky. And we can demand better. We should actually, and not just with timebomb or arcane. Bc this sentiment "be grateful don't ask for more" i've seen it with other medias and outside of it and... no? we can and should ask for more and better.)

also : yes. it's not that serious in the end and it's just fiction. Doesn't mean emotions and opinions about it can't exist. But it's just fictional characters and fiction at the end of the day. I am aware.

And it's just a kiss, i'm aware of that too. Would I be sooo upset if it was made canon? no. Would i still reject it for me? yeah. but I wouldn't be upset.

[zhuhongs]

just found out the lead singer of taiwans biggest death metal band is also an active parliament member since like 2015.... and is still active as a death metal singer. he's a pretty standard taiwanese center left anti communist from what i could gather. which like as a leftist i dont really agree with but i also dont know enough abt taiwanese politics to like make a full judgement. though he seems to be a standard liberal nothing remarkable, radical, or new, not overtly horrible but just bland. but that was something i definitely did Not expect. apparently he's very pro indigenous rights and self determination for indigenous people but being in a centre left mega party like the DPP does not seem like the best way to achieve that. But yea, just thought I'd share

[garlculean]

      𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐂𝐊 𝐎𝐔𝐓 my updated versions of my reaction icons... I actually ended up getting photoshop so I can actually use the proper edited layers that was intended for them! Credit goes towards @sangdelune-archive2 whom I'd commissioned.

[orcelito]

OKAY i fixed the most glaring canon inconsistency for ITNL that i discovered last night

which is. the fact that i fully thought the final battle happened in December. but turns out it happened in Octovern!

idr if they mentioned it outright that they were heading there, but they mentioned "humanity's last stand" in December so. i just. fully thought that's where everything happened. but then Meryl mentions Octovern at the end & i double checked and. yea it sure says Octovern on the wiki lmfao.

i'll have to read thru it more carefully (i wasn't exactly reading too closely for details yesterday) to figure out Exactly what the fuck is going on with the locations here. but for now, every reference to the final battle in ITNL has been changed to Octovern

sigh.

[timeskip]

I finally finished (sans editing) this Akane fic I've been working on since june 👍 Sometimes writing is like that. Sometimes a fic gets put down in a corner and collects dust for a while

[kaijutegu]

Alligator Bites Might Never Heal, But Doechii Is Good At Holding Alligators

Doechii won the Grammy for Best Rap Album for Alligator Bites Never Heal, but she also should have won the coveted and definitely not fictitious "Best Alligator Handling" award for the way she held Coconut on the cover!

(Yes, it's this Coconut.)

And the best part? She released a BTS video showing how they shot the cover, meaning that we can see more than just the still image! If a picture's worth a thousand words, video's worth... a lot more. (Sorry if it autoplays I don't think I have any control over that either way)

So, using the photoshoot images and video as evidence, let's take a look at how Doechii handled this alligator very well! I'm going to go into excruciating detail here because I think it's important to know why something is good just as much as it is important to know why something is bad. It's hard to understand alligator body language a lot of the time, so in this writeup, I will address how Doechii's holding the gator and what she's doing right, as well as point out how you can tell from Coconut's reactions that she is not distressed.

Body Support

In the album cover image, Doechii is seated, which is good, because even though she's a small alligator, Coconut is a very strong and powerful creature. That tail is pure muscle! But even in the standing images, you can see that Doechii is giving Coconut great body support and holding her correctly- close to the body, but without grabbing too tightly or being restrained uncomfortably. I think for a gator of this size I would have recommended pinning the back foreleg against her body for a little additional support and movement restriction- but I don't think she had to restrict movement because Coconut seems quite relaxed!

In the seated image, Doechii has one hand under Coconut's chest, supporting her sternum and head. The other hand is on top of her tail, and her knee is under the pelvic girdle. This type of hold lets the alligator feel safe; remember that these are aquatic and terrestrial creatures. An insecure hold that risks dropping them is going to stress them out and make them uncomfortable. By holding the alligator gently against her body and not squeezing, she's avoiding any uncomfortable pressure.

Head and Throat Support

In all of the images, Doechii is bringing her hand under Coconut's neck, creating a cradle with her hand so that the alligator can rest her head. But what she's not doing is she is not squeezing or grabbing the throat. The throat is one of the soft bits of an alligator, and squeezing it too tightly is very uncomfortable for them. But the way Doechii is supporting her gives her several degrees of freedom to move her head if she so chooses.

Body Language

Another indication of good handling is that it's clear that Coconut is not uncomfortably stressed. Alligators express displeasure with being held in a lot of ways, including struggling to get away, hissing, and holding their mouths open. (If you want to know more and see my sources, you can read my post on alligator body language. LOTS of info there, including peer-reviewed ethology sources that explain what alligators do and why they do it! Go get your data-driven answers!)

But Coconut isn't doing that; she's calm and alert. You can see in the BTS video that she's active on set. She's not shut down, and when she wants to walk around, she's not restrained. Obviously the video is an edited timelapse, and it's not the whole story- but when people show alligators in media, they usually don't know enough about them to edit out any uncomfortable body language. So I think that if she had been upset, we would have seen that.

We can also see in the video that Coconut is unbanded, meaning her mouth was not held shut. I thought they might have banded her and then edited the band out for the cover, but no, there was nothing restricting any distress cues. Banding is usually done for public safety, but the facility Coconut's from... doesn't do that, so I'm not surprised she's unbanded. At least it gives more evidence that she's not trying to gape!

One more good indicator that Coconut was comfortable is that she's got her eyes open, which you can even kinda see in the video if you zoom in. Reptiles will often squinch their eyes shut to avoid distressing stimuli or signal distress, and albino alligators have even more reasons to do this. They're much more sensitive to light than their pigmented counterparts. But it looks like her on-set work was completed quickly, meaning that she didn't have to be around bright lights for long.

In conclusion:

Doechii's album cover is an example of good alligator handling. Yay!

That said, please note that this is only about handling and is divorced from any other issues surrounding this particular alligator. (Read the body language post if you want more on that.) These are not issues I'm touching in this post, because that's not the point! I simply want to point out an instance of good handling and how you can identify relaxed body language in an animal that is notoriously hard to read when posted on social media.