#Demon In My View

[major-gilneass]

Going through the entirety of Amelia Atwater-Rhodes books. Just finished the Maeve’ra series, gonna restart the Den of Shadows (I’ve read the original quartet, but not the extended series), then the Kiesha’ra series…and I just ordered the Mancer series from ThriftBooks, so YAY.

[shesamreads]

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South Side by Moby ft Gwen Stefani is forever linked to Demon in My View by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes.

[catmask]

rotating this freak

[battlekidx2]

I want to elaborate even further on why I think Alastor’s breakdown in the finale was (at least in part) motivated by the fact that he has come to care about the people at the hotel. A few people have responded to me saying they don't believe he actually cares or asking me about my opinions on certain counterarguments against the interpretation that he cares and I figured it would be easier to just make one post in response. (this is just meant to expand on my thoughts. You don't have to agree. That's half the fun of media interpretation.)

The consistent throughline I keep being told is that his breakdown was purely motivated by pride and loss of control and I do think these were massive parts of the breakdown.

Alastor is very aware of the fact that the situation around him is spiraling out of his control. That the notoriety he had cultivated as an unchallengeable overlord is crumbling. His time away allowed the fear he sowed to dull. He keeps coming face to face with beings that rival or surpass his strength. People who wouldn’t dare question him before are banging on his door. His foothold in the world isn’t secure like it once was and that has him reeling.

Alastor's pride is a driving factor in his actions, but, like I said in my last analysis, I think this is only part of it. I think this breakdown is motivated by the fact that he feels like he’s losing control of himself on top of the situation around him.

I'm going to start with the points/questions I've been asked first then expand on my thoughts after.

The first one I was asked about is the interpretation that Alastor was mocking the very idea that he would sacrifice himself for someone else when he says "Great Alastor, altruist, died for his friends." and I think that would work if it wasn't for the visuals paired with this line.

He literally looks like THIS when he is speaking the line. This isn’t the face of someone mocking the very idea that he would do this.

It was actually this shot that convinced me there was some truth to the words he was saying because it looks like he’s beginning to have a breakdown over the fact that this is almost exactly what happened.

The second one that I was asked about was the idea that he was forced to fight and protect Charlie by whoever owns his soul. But if he was forced to fight in this battle due to his contract why not describe it this way when alone? How could he even leave if he was forced to fight and protect the hotel? I doubt there was a caveat that he could leave the fight if he was seriously injured if he was ordered to fight and protect Charlie and the hotel.

I do think he's at the hotel because of whoever owns his soul, but I don't think it's why he fought or why he helped Charlie get Cannibal Town to aid them through his connection to Rosie.

And the last one that I was asked about was the idea that the demons had to be fighting for love like Carmilla said to Vaggie to defeat the angels and the reason Alastor didn't win was because he was fighting purely for his own interests. Freedom, power, and control.

And, while I think the base idea of this is really interesting (This is a genuinely cool idea!) and could challenge Alastor's more selfish motivations, the show itself doesn't really back this up.

Charlie is the literal embodiment of fighting to protect those she cares about-- she has the biggest heart out of anyone at the hotel-- and yet she doesn't defeat anyone in this battle.

Before she faces Adam all she uses is a shield to protect herself and the other residents. She apologizes to those she hits, while Vaggie finishes them off. When she does face Adam she doesn't beat him. She gets in a good hit, but she isn't able to finish him off. She would have been killed if Lucifer didn't step in.

Plus, Alastor's shield killed multiple exorcists before Adam destroyed it, so I don't think this means he hasn't grown to care about the residents of the hotel or that there wasn't some part of him that was fighting to protect them.

Now to expand on my own thoughts now that I've answered the questions I've gotten, it's not just the final battle/fallout that brought me to believe he had come to care about the hotel and its residents.

The show itself seems to want us to think he is starting to grow “accustomed” (In Alastor’s words to Niffty) to the group with little moments that are played straight like when he sends Mimzy (possibly his oldest friend) away, telling her she can stay if she truly wants to try for redemption, but if she just wants to put the hotel in danger then she has to leave.

When he says he believes in Charlie and wants to mentor her in cannibal town. He even gives her his microphone which is a literal extension of himself to help her.

When he talks to Niffty (who he is clearly fond of) and admits he finds the group enjoyable to be around. He says he could grow accustomed to them after Niffty says she really likes them almost in agreement with her.

There is no sinister undertone or hint of the usual facade Alastor puts on in these scenes.

Like I said above I don't think that the fact that Alastor has come to care about the residents is the only factor in his breakdown or the only reason he fought in the first place (Alastor's blatant overconfidence in his fight against Adam makes it clear pride was a factor. That overconfidence is why he lost that battle). It's a combination of multiple things (his pride, loss of control, desire for freedom, etc), but I do think it's a valid reading that it was a part of it considering all the information the show has given us.

This isn't to say I think Alastor is going to melt and be a team player for the hotel from now on. In fact, I think he's going to lash out against this internal change.

Alastor has always put himself first and in the finale he almost died trying to protect this hotel and it's rattled him. It's challenged his entire self-perception. He doesn’t like that it’s being challenged. That he’s losing control of himself on top of the situation around him. So, he doubles down on his initial goals.

I think this internal conflict is fascinating. I wouldn't have written so much about it if I didn't. I genuinely can't wait to see what they do with it in season 2.

If you feel differently feel free to send an ask, message, or respond to this post. I'd love to hear what other people think! Differing views and connections to characters is what makes media so impactful and fun to consume.

[deranged-dr-void]

Demon In My View // London

@glorifiiedgore​

Cut beneath a read more for the sake of not taking up space on the dashboard. Thanks!

Smack!

London O’Dempsey jerked upright, startled. 

A loose keyboard piece stuck to her cheek indicated she had once again nodded off at her desk, well beyond normal working hours. She cast a bleary-eyed gaze around the darkened office, finding no sign of human life, her computer serving as the only light source available.

What a fine way to spend a Friday night.

In hindsight, she should have just bit the bullet and gone out with her coworkers for cocktails, but she was determined to plow through the rest of her work and have it polished up by Monday. As an intern at The Denver Post, London faced primarily grunt work for the first few months, and had only just begun to turn a corner this past week, after Mr. Brentley had her conduct some of the interviews on the latest “Grabber” kidnapping.

Frankly, Mr. Brentley more than likely provided her with the project because no one else wanted the task of interrogating mourning loved ones about their vanished kids. Still, London was determined to not let him down, and felt this could make or break getting her foot in the door in U.S. journalism.

At her mother’s insistence, she had completed her Master’s in Literary Studies at the University of Toulon, but had jumped at the first opportunity for some work back in the United States, refusing to let her mother guilt-trip her into staying in Nice, France after graduation.

Against great protest from her mother, she had spent most of her young life in Ohio with her father, and wasn’t about to let her squabbling parents continue to curtail her passions. That said, as soon as she got word that she was accepted to complete an internship through The Denver Post, she snapped up the first flight available to Denver, Colorado.

London stifled a yawn and checked her watch. 2:33AM. “Shit,” she mumbled, pushing her hair out of her face. Maybe she really should have gone out for a drink—at least then, she would’ve had a safe ride home.

White lightning cracked outside the nearest window, startling London to her feet. Maybe her coworker Matthew was right...she was jumpier than usual.

Earlier that afternoon, Matthew had damn near given her a heart-attack, springing up behind her and yanking her office chair backward to make her think she was falling. 

“Oh, take a joke, O’Dempsey,” he had cackled as she slapped at his arms. “You’re so uptight lately. What’re you worried about? The Grabber?” He had snatched the newspaper from her desk, waggling it in her face. “He takes kids, Lo. I know you’re ‘fun size’ and all, but I don’t think that counts.”

“Shut up!” London had lunged for the article, which he held high above her head. “I’m just tired. And you’re—“ she jumped to swipe at the newspaper, “—making it—” her fingertips had grazed the paper, “—worse! I’m...I’m going to stab you with my pen if you don’t put it back!”

“All right, all right, pipe down, blondie,” he had jeered, setting the newspaper atop her head. “But seriously, go easy on yourself, will you? At this rate, you’re going to burn yourself out in a week.”

London now staggered on her feet, sighing reluctantly as her fatigued limbs actually agreed with Matthew. What was making her so anxious? Maybe now was a good time to cut back on her caffeine intake.

Locking up, London trotted down the empty stairwell, shutting off lights as she went. She hadn’t thought to bring an umbrella, but her apartment complex was only a few blocks away, and she planned to shower anyway. Her primary concern was the lack of streetlights in this part of town, and a frisson of fear ran the course of her spine as she hugged her trench coat closer around her shoulders.

It’s fine, you’re just exhausted, she reminded herself as she exited the building, the rain making quick work of soaking through her hair and coat. We’ll go home, have some of that cheap wine that’d make Mum cry if she knew you were drinking it, and go to bed. It’s fine.

[posessedmp3player]

🧠💥

[mooechi]

hi. so u see, its about to be my last day in school and yall know what that means?

IM 1 MONTH FREE FROM HELL🗣️🗣️

but the thing is that i am now bored af+there is no reason for meto wake up on a daily basis no mo

which is texhnically yalls signal to drop anything yall would like me to doodle/sketch! i’ll draw whatever(as long as it isnt anything ykyk creepyweird ehhshsus u get my point) comment/ask that is requested within the 24hr period diz is posted….,.feel free to go crazy pls i need thsi so bas uddont unddersth (yallcan ask me anything abt akari to while were at it)

anyways heres sum riri+hashbrown offerihs/low quality manga redraws to improve myown goofyart

[waku-waku-week]

[pocketpen]

Okay so MOST people I've seen draw Luci as an angel have made him either blue or gold, and that's lovely BUT I RAISE YOU

PINK LUCIFER 💖

[vaggieslefteye]

It gets worse with every hour...

[prof-byona]

Tour posters from when Laa was alive

[snowyh2o]

Dumb late night Hazbin ideas:

Ok, so hear me out. What if, Alastor gets a redemption arc? But it happens so slowly and unnoticed that by the end of the series you just turn around and find out that he’s already been redeemed and no one has any clue how it happened.

Alternatively, AU where the hotel’s very presence forces redemption on everyone who stays there whether they want to or not and one day Alastor wakes up and wonders if he should let Vox broadcast his shows uninterrupted that day before promptly glitching out in absolute horror at the thought. And then absolutely going out of his way to decimate one of Vox’s broadcasts just to prove to himself that he’s still just as much of an evil bastard as he always is.

Cue multiple scenarios where Alastor is trying really fucking hard to be eeeeevil and then somehow utterly failing. Watching as he’s slowly forced into being a good person against his will, and knowing there’s nothing he can do to stop it. Oh he’s still just as petty and sassy and sinister as ever, but whatever edge he had ends up lost in the thought of perhaps he should do something special for Charlie and the other residents for their first month of the hotel opening and—GODS BE DAMNED!

No one else notices it, partly because he’s always toned down the Clearly Scheming Aura when he’s around them, but also because he’ll be damned if anyone of them catches on. Husk sees through his bullshit, but ends up with the wrong conclusion and Alastor is happy to let him think whatever about leashes and deals as long as he keeps his mouth shut, buuuuut maybe he’d been a bit too harsh on the barkeep. He should make up for it with some higher quality booze and— really, it’d be nice to have something that’s more to his taste than the stuff that’s usually kept around.

Of course, Alastor’s not the only demon being forced into becoming a good person, he’s just the only one who’s noticed it. Charlie, who is 99% of the time a good person, is absolutely convinced that the better than usual behavior of the residents is a result of her efforts in the hotel. Vaggie’s also already a decent person for the most part, and after that conversation with Husk, Angel’s improved by leaps and bounds. Nifty doesn’t notice anything’s off at all, and Husk just thinks his better mood and temperament in general is because the quality of his liquor’s gone up and the company really ain’t all that bad. Sir Pentious also hasn’t noticed anything, but agrees with Charlie that her efforts have been working.

And then the hotel gets attacked and Alastor discovers this wonderful loophole in whatever spell’s got him entrapped and absolutely decimates the attackers. He’s so gleeful about his discovery and the absolute beat down he gave out without feeling the need to pull his punches that he ends up cooking everyone dinner. Everyone else is understandably very weirded out by this. Alastor couldn’t care less.

Charlie: uh, Alastor? Are you feeling alright there?

Alastor: why Charlie, I’m doing absolutely wonderful! Thank you for asking.

Charlie: oh, that’s uh, that’s great to hear!

Charlie: …

Charlie: so do you mind telling me why you’ve decided to make dinner…?

Alastor: mmmm. Just in the mood for it, I suppose. It’s been a while since I’ve cooked for others, and I’m feeling rather— creative right now!

Alastor: tell me, should I include a portion of today’s unlucky patron into the stew? It’s a bit stringy, but the stew should soften it right up!

Charlie: oh uhm. How about we don’t include any demon parts into the food?

Alastor: *raises eyebrow*

Charlie: I mean, we don’t know where it’s been! He could have had all sorts of diseases inside him. It’d uh, ruin the food if we added…. Bad meat? *nervous smile*

Alastor: mmmmm, fair enough.

[voodoo-art]

Marketland!

(with added @ricochete29 & @irbcallmefynn)

[bisexualcherdegre]

D:BH Rarepairsweek 7 | @dbhrarepairs

Day 3: Hank/Markus After the revolution, Markus and Hank are both trying to deal with the new situation they've been handed. Their paths cross.

[nyaagolor]

Something that really gets me about Nemona is that despite having the social awareness of a brick wall, there are a few cases where you can see her have a complete demeanor flip if you respond negatively to her questions and I am SO interested in those. Her eyebrows furrow, she brings her hand closer to her face like she's visibly curling up, and she looks genuinely concerned-- whether ur saying you want to rain check a battle or you don't want to be her friend. It's such an extreme reaction to ultimately trivial things, but in combination with her railroading you / being her overzealous self and the way she panics about coming off too strong, it just gives me pause

I'm probably overthinking this, but those strong reactions remind of kids who were told they're Too Much by the adults in their lives and then get stuck in a push-pull of doing what comes naturally to them but also trying to be cognizant of when they're being Too Much as they struggle to grapple with social cues. Nemona only ever seeming to realize when she's crossed a line after someone tells her that explicitly or responds badly to her just gives me such confused neurodivergent teenager vibes, it is driving me insane. She acknowledges her emotional distance from other students and worries out loud to the player about Coming Off Too Strong in their first meeting, but doesn't seem to connect those ideas with any specific behavior she's doing, and the entire thing is just setting "autistic high school sophomore" alarms off in my brain

It really feels to me like a case of someone who has internalized the understanding that they're too overwhelming for others after having been told it countless times, but doesn't understand WHY; just stuck in this loop of getting negative reactions and desperately trying to work backwards from there to figure out what about them and their behavior is scaring people off. She immediately goes from this boundless confidence to insecurity (shown via pose or dialogue) the literal second she's faced with a "no" and it really makes me think it's because she's terrified of losing you as a friend and sees ur negative reactions as a precursor to that. In the absence of an actual understanding of how her own actions drive people away she's stuck relying on your reactions, and something like a simple "no" reads as a red flag that she may have crossed some invisible line that everyone else but her seems to see. (slaps her forehead) u can fit so much autism in here

[therealdevonsworm]

Do you even care?