#The Hunchback Assignments

[pastel-books12]

The Hunchback Assignments By Arthur Slade

The mysterious Mr. Socrates rescues Modo, a child in a traveling freak show. Modo is a hunchback with an amazing ability to transform his appearance, and Mr. Socrates raises him in isolation as an agent for the Permanent Association, a spy agency behind Brittania's efforts to rule the empire. At 14, Modo is left on the streets of London to fend for himself. When he encounters Octavia Milkweed, another Association agent, the two uncover a plot by the Clockwork Guild behind the murders of important men. Furthermore, a mad scientist is turning orphan children into automatons to further the goals of the Guild. Modo and Octavia journey deep into the tunnels under London and discover a terrifying plot against the British government. It's up to them to save their country.

[dibator]

Governor General’s Award-winning author Arthur Slade continues his popular Dragon Assassin series—and this time, Brax, the dragon, gets to tell his own tale!

I, Brax: 1. A Battle Divine, the just-released new novel by award-winning Saskatchewan author Arthur Slade, continues his popular Dragon Assassin series with a twist, giving the narrator spot to the wisecracking dragon Brax. Published by Shadowpaw Press in print, the book will be launched online on November 15 at 1 p.m. Eastern, with author Marty Chan acting as master of ceremonies. This madcap…

[book-challenger]

Has anyone read these books and could tell me the genre?

The secret runners of New York by Matthew Reilly

The hunchback assignments by Arthur Slade

Creepers by Joanne Dahme

Thank you

[beezybubbybones]

The soldier that's been assigned to shave my head for execution with a secret passion for cutting hair: so are we thinking just short layers all over or a taper?

Me: can we do Abit of a slick back with some texture in the back? Not too mullety though

Soldier: say no more!

Me about to be executed serving maximum levels of cunt:

[theoriginofoghond]

Go watch the Hungarian version, which also uses the Kandel cut.

Good god, the mixing there is NIGHT AND DAY.

It fades out eventually in the Hungarian dub, and I don’t know if it was due to the mixing or if that’s just how long Kandel could hold it for, but still. That’s a *D5.* That’s a note that is *very* hard for a tenor to hit (unless your name is Geddy Lee in the 1970’s). That note took Kandel a full *year* to hit.

I don’t care how long he held it for; that’s still impressive.

But yeah, we were robbed in the mixing.

Weird ask, but does anyone on this website have a vocal only version of the bells of Notre Dame from the Disney movie? I've been trying to hear the last note that clopin sings for my whole life and I still can't

[blues824]

Second Years with a MC who is like Esmeralda from the Hunchback of Notre Dame(maybe include the pet goat?)

ColorMyTree is open! Feel free to leave a message on my Christmas tree. It’s free, so no money required. I also set it so that you don’t have to log in.

Disclaimers: I am not an expert on Romani culture. This is purely based on Esmeralda’s personality. Gender-neutral reader. Reader lives in Ramshackle, but is not Yuu. Characters include Riddle, Ruggie, Azul, Jade, Floyd, Kalim, Jamil, and Silver. In Silver’s, I put a small reference.

Riddle Rosehearts

You both actually despised each other at the beginning. You were very free-spirited and often enjoyed teasing him about everything just to make him upset. However, you always made sure to check in genuinely to see if you had gone too far with his boundaries. The first time you did that, he was actually surprised at the caring tone you had.

In classes, you were actually able to hold your own amazingly well. Not only were you competent, but you often found yourself neck-and-neck with Riddle when it came to answering questions and studying. However, unlike Riddle, you were also street-smart and not as naive, so you did feel a bit of a disconnect with him there.

Djali, your goat companion… familiar… whatever he was… he found him unsettling. He often headbutted into his leg whenever you both were walking together. However, he would switch up and lay in his lap when you both were in his dorm working on a project together. We just love a bipolar king, really.

Anyway, when you both end up getting romantically involved… everyone was surprised. However, it did actually happen that day you were at his dorm. The tension was clear to the both of you, and academic rivals turned into academic lovers. That was when Djali started really appreciating Riddle… especially since he could see that the Heartslabyul Housewarden looked at you as though you were the only being in existence.

Turns out, a free-spirited partner was really what he needed. After he overblotted, you took relaxation and breaks with him a bit more seriously. More dates, both large and small… more quality time… more words of affirmation… more physical affection like kisses and cuddles as well.

Ruggie Bucchi

You both related to each other on a book-smart and street-smart level. You respected his hustle, and he respected yours. However, you often danced for money, while he took up and assortment of odd jobs. Again, a hustle is a hustle, and game recognizes game.

However, he never realized how smart you were until you were both paired up during a project. Your goat seemed to like him, especially with how he settled into the hyena’s lap, which made you laugh a bit. But, that did lead to you pressing a kiss to Ruggie’s cheek as a ‘thank you’ for his help with a different assignment you were struggling with.

This was the start of your relationship. You often earned quite a bit of money as a performer at the Mostro Lounge, so you liked to spoil Ruggie with donuts whenever he had a particularly rough day in class, at his club, or serving Leona.

Everyone was a bit surprised to hear that the two of you got together. I mean, when you found out that Ruggie was behind Savanaclaw’s cheating, you were very upset and distanced yourself from him. However, he showed up at Ramshackle with a bouquet of flowers and some of your favorite snacks that he busted his ass to be able to afford for you.

From then on, you noticed that he always tried to make you happy, and the effort alone accomplished his goal since you loved him and his efforts. He considered himself a better person, especially with your encouragement to do better. Besides, the ear scritches were enough incentive.

Azul Ashengrotto

You had originally applied to be an entertainer in his lounge, and he asked what you could do. Needless to say, when you pulled out all sorts of magic tricks, your goat, and your dance moves, he was sold and immediately put you on the stage. The pay wasn’t incredible, but you were able to afford a few more luxuries that Crowley didn’t bother with.

Other than that, you both didn’t have much interaction outside of boss and employee, but then you saw your friends get taken advantage of. You were angry and you quit right then and there, which harmed the Lounge. Curse you for being a social butterfly with connections, Azul thought. So, he let your idiots go, and you returned to the Lounge.

Ever since his overblot, you felt bad for pushing him to his furthest limit, so you made him a self-care basket as he recovered. That was the start of a more romantic relationship, where he genuinely apologized to you. He allowed you to quit the Lounge in place of being his partner, who he loved to spoil.

You didn’t know struggle as much anymore, which you were grateful for. Djali was very happy to receive some snacks every single visit, and often rested in Azul’s lap as he completed homework or paperwork for the Lounge, or conducted business deals. That solidified this relationship for you.

Everyone noticed that Azul seemed a lot more chill ever since he got in a relationship with you. He also noticed that he often carried a new handkerchief in his breast pocket. Turns out, it’s yours, and you sprayed your cologne/perfume on it. He just wanted to carry around a small reminder of his beloved partner.

Jade Leech

He met you officially when you started working for the Mostro Lounge. Your dancing was enchanting, to say the least, and Jade found himself intrigued. Often, he would ask about your homeland, Fleur City, and the plant life there. You didn’t have many answers, so you just shrugged and brought some seeds back during one of your breaks where you got to return home.

During the events leading up to his boss’s overblot, you both were on different sides of the battle. You wanted your friends’ freedom, stating that the deal was unfair and unachievable to begin with. Your magic disappearing trick was definitely one that threw Jade for a loop in the ocean scene, and the way you teased them about not being able to catch you.

To say that at the end of everything, you were angry at Jade, would be an understatement. You were absolutely furious. You took back the seeds, which were plants at this point, and even sold off the terrarium he had made for you during your friendship. Fortunately, Yuu convinced you to forgive him (totally not because they were forced to), and you agreed to hear him out.

Jade presented you with a new terrarium, as well as the old one you sold off when you quit the Lounge in order to pay for some necessities. He bought it back from the student and gave it to you, which nearly made you cry and apologize. You paid him back with a kiss, and he was greedier than before and asked for a few more.

That was the restart of your relationship. He was happy when you came back to the Mostro Lounge, and you both would spend your breaks doing homework at one of the booths. It was a lovely way to spend time together, and it was a great way to get assignments done as well. It did take a while for Djali to like him again, though.

Floyd Leech

You were one of the only people who did not mind his clinginess. You were used to it with Djali, so it was like having another animal familiar trailing you around. However, this one was over 6 feet in height, and he was an eel, not a goat. It didn’t matter to you, though, since he offered a great deal of protection in exchange for attention.

However, shit hit the fan when Azul put your friends under contracts that were impossible to carry through, so you went on strike. Not only did this hurt the Lounge in terms of revenue, since you were an entertainer there, but it also made Floyd angry that you were no longer hanging out with him.

After Azul overblotted, Floyd went to Yuu to ask for help in getting you to forgive him. Yuu had never seen a grown eel-mermaid get down on his knees and beg for help, but there is always a first time for everything. He repeated the getting down on his knees and begging when he got to your room, and you offered to cuddle the sadness out of him which made him happy.

Ever since you forgave him, he has definitely been happier. You came back to the Lounge, and he was often completely captivated by your dancing skills. Not only that, but you often spent your breaks together, with him clinging onto you like a koala and telling you about his day. It’s gotten to a point where Azul begs you to move into Octavinelle with Floyd so he wouldn’t be pouty at night.

So you moved in, and Floyd was in a giddy state 24/7. You came to his games, you spent your work breaks with him, you lived with him… it was all he could ever ask for, really. The next step was meeting his parents, and he was especially excited for you to meet his mom.

Kalim Al-Asim

You both were opposite sides where societal and financial class is involved. However, some would think that this is why your relationship worked. He loved spoiling you, even before he became your boyfriend. You always felt bad about it, but he reassured you that it was perfectly fine and that he would just spend more money on you if you tried to argue.

Unfortunately, when it came to Jamil, you were very wary of him. Sure, you both came from poorer backgrounds, but you were able to see the Vice-Housewarden’s plan. If only your boyfriend believed you. However, it was only a matter of time before Jamil overblotted and threw all of you to the ends of the dunes.

To say you were angry not only at Jamil, but Kalim as well for not listening to you, was an understatement. As you all swam back to Scarabia, Kalim looked like a kicked puppy as you avoided each and every one of his touches. Djali was very torn, since he loved both you and Kalim, which made Kalim even sadder.

When the entire ordeal was over, you went back to Ramshackle and just gave Kalim dry responses, which shattered his heart and nearly made him cry. So, he asked Yuu how he could make it up to you. Needless to say, when you got back to your room at Ramshackle, your entire room was flooded with bouquet after bouquet of your favorite flowers.

You forgave him quickly, especially as he hugged your knees and begged until he cried. Unfortunately for your lips, you had to smooch the sadness out of Kalim. From that point on that day, he was very happy, and so was Djali. He didn’t have to be a child of divorce anymore.

Jamil Viper

You both came from familiar backgrounds… and by that I mean you came from familiar classes. Born as lesser-thans, trying to make names for yourselves. However, you were not born into servitude. You served yourself, and Jamil envied you for it. He was born with the job of serving Kalim, which made you pity Jamil.

Anyway, you both officially met when you were paired together for an assignment. Turns out, you both were a lot more alike than you thought. So, you started hanging out more often. You showed him a lot of fun things that you do in-town right below NRC for low prices, and he swears that he has never had more fun than when he was with you.

Unfortunately for the two of you, life is not all peaches and cream, so he overblots. However, since you were his partner, he keeps you with him as a sort of ego-stroke. You were heartbroken at being used by him in such a manner, and when everything was dealt with and Jamil’s overblot was stopped, you cried in your dormitory and didn’t answer his calls.

Your boyfriend felt like absolute shit for treating you as though you were some worshiper rather than his beloved partner, so he came with a bouquet and a meal he prepared to apologize. He walked into your room quietly and set his gifts on the desk before sitting on the floor next to you to beg for your forgiveness… and because you are who you are, you forgave him. Djali had a bit of a rougher time doing that, though.

From that point on, you both had dates where you spent time together, and he reassured you that he genuinely loved you and it was the overblot telling you that he saw you as someone to worship. You attended each of his basketball games, which he appreciated since he loved having his partner there to cheer him on.

Silver

He had met you during one of your dancing gigs at the Mostro Lounge. He was meeting up with a project partner at the Lounge to discuss a few last-minute details when he saw you. To say he was entranced would be a complete understatement… until you tripped and fell off the stage. He rushed to catch you, and he was very glad he did.

From that point on, you often called him your ‘Knight in Shining Armor’, much to his embarrassment and his father’s delight. Often, you both could be spotted on campus with him laying his head in your lap and sleeping… and Djali lays on top of his stomach to nap as well while you finish up some homework. Sebek did not like you very much, not just due to your status as a human, but also because he thinks you joke around too much. Lilia loves you as a child-in-law and often jokes about asking when the wedding shall be. Malleus enjoys your company as a friend and as a sort of sibling-in-law, if that makes sense.

You eventually moved into Diasomnia, opting to cook for everyone so that they didn’t have to suffer through Lilia’s cooking. Silver’s room became yours as well, and you often put in little pops of color everywhere. Not only that, but Silver often carried arround the handkerchief you gave him which added more color to his usual outfit. Besides, every knight carries a favor from his partner.

Silver loved you a lot, to be honest. You always stood up and argued Yuu’s case to Headmaster Crowley, often using your connections inside and outside of school to gather power and support. After all, the bird would rather not get news of his mistreatment of a magicless student to get out to news outlets. Ramshackle has benefited from your willingness to fight against unfair treatment, and so has Silver.

[sketching-pasketti]

Oh hey look it's the longest fucking post I'll ever make

Proxy Headcannons

——————————————————————————

General Headcannons:

All of them hate Slender but literally can't do anything about it cause he controls them

Everyone hates Tim but love Brian

Toby is a gremlin

Individual Headcannons (Masky/Tim):

"Oh I'm a whore for red velvet cake" "Yeah, Tim you say that everytime we go get cake"

Smells like cologne and cigarettes

Tired 24/7

Probably hates Slender the most out of all of them

Loves Five Guys a lot for some reason

"Uh, half of y'all have criminal records and the other half are supernatural creatures, no shit Slender won't let y'all work"

Says "y'all" a lot even though he's not southern (me too tho)

Cannot stand county music

A metalhead

Coffee addict

Calls people nicknames sometimes (example: Kate;Katie, Lulu;Lu, Lazari:Lazii, Kate:Katester)

"Ow? My ass?? What the hell, Katie????"

Speaks 4 languages

Can't stand Jeff

"You smell like cigarettes and it's really repulsive" "Okay?? You smell like weed, shut up"

Kicks ass at Mario Kart Wii

Also kicks ass at Wii Sports

Individual Headcannons (Hoodie/Brian):

"I pay for all of you guys' food so I don't think you get to say anything"

Is always either in his room or out at the store

Disappears for literally months and then comes back like nothing happened

Low-key has a (b)romance with Tim

Babysits Sally

A swiftie

Really likes Hits Different

Assigns people random emojis to their names

Examples are Tim(🚬), Toby(👹), Kate(🥺), Jeff(🔪)

Plays visual novels in secret

Not really though, cause Slender knows

Really good friends with Jane and her wife

Doesn't like how itchy his mask is

Wants to run Offender over with a car

Individual Headcannons (Toby):

Screams Taylor Swift lyrics at people who piss him off (*cough cough* Tim *cough cough* ex; "LET'S FAST FORWARD TO 300 TAKEOUT COFFEES LATER" "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU RODGERS??")

Also blasts music at ungodly hours

Heavily annoyed that Tim is the only one that Slender trusts to help with his tic attacks

Heard Jeff snort crack once and now that noise is a tic of his

Names his hatchets

"oh no"s randomly

Threw an egg at Slender once

Screams the lyrics to the songs he listens to

Has a collection of shiny things he's stolen from his victims

Honks (goose or car, you decide)

5'8"

Ate glue on multiple occasions

Didn't even notice it was glue actually until Brian told him

Tastes Jane's candles (she gets very upset at this)

Bites people

Forgets he chewed the side of his mouth off and gets shocked when he looks in the mirror

Rare whisper boy

His grandparents taught him German and now he has an accent and everything

Drew on all of his Converse

Perches on the stair railing

Sleeps in the starfish position

Individual Headcannons (Kate):

Also draws on her Converse

Draws everyone and everything

Painted most of the pictures Slender has in his office

Helps Toby collect shiny things

Hunches over like the hunchback of Notre Dame whenever she's doing something

Her back hurts constantly

Mapped the house so she wouldn't get lost

Whisper girl

Pierced her nose by herself (and made a huge fucking mess)

Let's Sally do her makeup

Slaps Tim's ass everytime he walks past her

Eats crayons on purpose

Vomits each time though

Has a large vinyl collection

And a Funko pop collection

Uses "🥺" unironically

Can ice skate

[snootlestheangel]

WolfShifters!GhostSoap AU

Different kinds of wolves. Based on cycles of the moon (not actually, it's just how they've been classified)

The most common is New Moon wolves: larger than Waning Wolves, have very disproportionate paws that are almost hand like yet still very paw like. Mild mannered, docile, tend to be very nurturing, form strong pack bonds with other wolves, will pack bond with people but those bonds aren't as strong.

Next are Waning Moon wolves: Smallest of the wolves. Look like large, slightly disproportionate real wolves. More unpredictable in nature than their counterparts, the New Moon wolves. They're stronger, form the strongest pack bonds with anyone, humans and wolves alike. Loyal to a fault. Most common to find in the military: definitely used and manipulated. Bullied by Full Moon and Waxing Moon wolves

Then Full Moon wolves: look like a lot of the hunchback humanoid wolves you see in movies. These guys are the most unpredictable, almost feral in nature. Very animal like when shifted. Aggressive towards Waning Moon wolves during breeding seasons. Have been known to kill Waning Wolves during these seasons. Form pack bonds with other wolves, mostly Full and New moon, rarely pack bond with Waning. Do not pack bond with humans.

Finally Waxing Moon wolves: massive creatures, very wolf like but with dexterous front paws. They're the most aggressive, usually. Rarely form pack bonds with humans, will pack bond with any wolf that will associate with them, only forms strong bonds with mates. Very intelligent and also the strongest of the wolves. Can be bullies, not as bad about it as their Full Moon counterparts.

Waning Wolves are relatively common in the military, but become harder to come by at the level the 141 operates at. This is because the government views them as a liability. Full Moon wolves and Waxing wolves normally cannot reach certain positions/ranks.

Ghost is a Waning wolf, Soap is Waxing.

Soap's abilities impressed higher ranking officers so much he was given special permission to join SAS and make Sergeant. It's probably as far as he'll be able to go.

They met several years prior to the events I'm thinking of, and got along really well. Ghost was impressed by Soap, especially since finding another wolf at their level was difficult, and they ended up hanging out/speaking outside of work. Soap integrated into Simon's small family pack

They are mated, and they got married but keep it quiet due to fear of that information being used and manipulated

Soap absolutely makes Small Dog syndrome jokes to Ghost due to the size difference in their wolf forms. Ghost kicks his ass every time. It's their weird way of flirting/courting. They are mentally unwell and I love them

Gaz is a certified Wolf Behavior Analyst. The only way Ghost was allowed to keep moving up was that he was always assigned with a Behavior Analyst after the events of Roba. Gaz is the newest one and they get along great. Price got permission to form his own task force with the two of them. He's looking into recruiting a new member.

He has an opportunity to recruit Soap but they're required one mission together, not allowed alone in a room together, and must be monitored at all times by Gaz (Behavior Analyst), due to Ghost being Waning and Soap being Waxing

Idk anything else right now except some shenanigans where GhostSoap secretly agree to mess with Price and Gaz, mostly Gaz.

Gaz catching them one time in shifted forms and just by watching their body language he realizes something. He's borderline traumatized lol

I have nothing else currently for this, it's just something I might work on as like a fun project

[super-hero-confessions]

I'm so glad that if one good thing came from that miserable Snow White movie (the actual shit quality of which had nothing to do with Rachel Zegler btw), its that it bombed hard enough for the Disney execs to scrap the plans for Tangled.

Hallelujah! At least one good Disney animation made it out of the plague of live action remakes unsullied!

Aside from Cinderella and Jungle Book, which kind of understood the assignment more, the live actions remakes have all been made to 'fix' the classics. None of those movies needed fixing, and that's why the updates are all terrible shells. Mulan didn't need to be a goddamn stone-faced superhero. Belle didn't need to be a self-righteous Mary Sue inventor. Pinocchio didn't have to be a victim of circumstance instead of a little boy making mistakes while learning about morality. Little Mermaid didn't need the Prince's adoption papers narrated to us to justify the difference in setting. FFS, we KNOW these are fairy tales and that most of them can take place anywhere.

Removing the flaws from these classics and sterilizing them is just wasting money on what may as well be AI 'art.' There's about as much soul and effort put in. Thank the gods Tangled was saved. I hope they nix the plans for Hercules and Hunchback next. SAVE THE CLASSICS!

[mentha-vacciniumrainbow]

hiiiii

Who are your ten favorite characters?

Hi!!!! Nice to read you! Only in Hazbin Hotel or in general?

If only in Hazbin:

1-2) Carmilla Carmine and Zestial, no explanations needed. He gets second place only because she wins it all, I'm sure he would agree with me.

3) Clara and Odette, equally (yes, even if their screentime is tremendously short)

4) Vaggie. The lesbian energy is strong with this one

5) Charlie. She's naive, but I hope we will see her "grow into her throne"

6) Luci. He's depressed and duck obsessed, and he's trying his best. I get the struggle.

7) Rosie. Hell's best mum right after Carmilla

8) Angel Dust. I sympathise with him, and the incredible fanarts won me over

9) Cherry Bomb. Her design hits hard.

10) Last place is always hard to assign, because it's the last chance not to let someone out... so I'll go with Bonfire (the skull overlord). While people question my questionable choice, I'll have the time to run 😆

💜

If in general:

1) Still Carmilla Carmine

2) Still Zestial

3) Esmeralda (the hunchback of Notre Dame)

4) Jinx (from Arcane)

5) Vi (from Arcane)

6) Raven (from Teen titans)

7) Jinx (from Teen titans)

8) Sai (from Angel's Friends)

9) Tyco (from Angel's Friends), but only because Sai would be sad without him

10) Peridot (from Steven Universe)

[agbpaints]

Valkyrie Galaxy is one of the Rasalhague Dominion's most prestigious aerospace formations. Originally formed as the close defense lines for Clan Ghost Bear's warship fleet, in the modern era they are tasked with protecting Rasalhague and other key strategic worlds. In general only the best new pilots or very decorated veterans are assigned to its clusters.

The Xerxes is the Hunchback IIC of the skies- originally built by Clan Smike Jaguar but having proliferated to all Clan militaries, the 85 ton aerospace fighter mounts two leviathan Ultra AC/20s and a pair of ER Large Lasers, along with a truly mammoth carrying capacity for bombs and other externally mounted ordinance. The fighter has extremely poor heat management and very thin armor, but it generally only requires a single pass to totally obliterate a target.

Mmm tasty tasty countershading

[orthodoxadventure]

Saint John the Russian

Saint John the Russian joins Saints Ephraim the New and Nectarios of Aegina among those ordained by God to be good friends to modern-time Christians.

Saint John was taken prisoner during a war by a Turkish military commander and taken as an enslaved person to a city in Asia Minor. The young Christian soldier did not deny Christ despite the threats and scorn of those around him. He led a humble life, where he was assigned to work in the cattle shed. The nights spent there were graced with his prayers and vigils.

In time, his master’s heart softened, and he grew fond of him. He realized that because of his servant’s holy life, his household flourished.

Saint John reposed in the Lord as a young man, and his relics ended up on the island of Evvia in Greece following the conflict of 1922, when Asia Minor came under Turkish rule, and the Greeks were forced to leave.

St. John’s interventions were quick in various situations: He healed children who could not speak, hunchbacked women who left their staff at his reliquary as a testimony, a priest who suffered from bleeding and could not celebrate the Liturgy, and numerous other miracles recorded in books.

[creadigol]

*Warning: This snippet contains thoughts of unhappiness about ones body. Please be safe my darlings! Love y’all!

Hey all! Here’s a little snippet I thought of today! Hope y’all enjoy!

New Hero had many things going for them in the field.

Their skills were unparalleled and many agencies had rallied to get New Hero on their payroll and in their city. They were unmatched in strength, their intelligence was superior to most (except maybe Hero themselves), they had a kind heart and a pure soul, and overall they were an all around great hero.

If only it wasn’t for their looks.

New Hero was ugly, like unbelievably ugly. The hunchback of Notre Dame was more of a biography for New Hero than a fiction novel.Their back was hunched, their eyes uneven, and their arms an unusually large size. It made them intimidating, it made them unapproachable…it made them scary.

Children would run after just one look, mothers would frown in disapproval, and men would look one step away from reverting back to the pitchfork and tar days. New Hero didn’t mind that so much, after all they had dwelt with that their entire lives; what really hurt though, what truly cut deep, was when their own team would have the same reactions.

New Hero had hoped, expected really, for other heroes to accept them for who they were and their skills, seeing past the looks and onto what really mattered.

No such luck.

New Hero dipped their head as they walked through the agency’s hallway. After every turn and every doorway they heard the gossip being spoken about them.

God, have you ever seen anything like it?

I can’t look, not if I want to eat lunch today.

Those eyes! It’s like they see everything yet nothing…it’s creepy.

A monster.

Maybe we should warn Hero…I mean we can’t have someone like that seen with our Hero…

God, they didn’t even try to say them under their breath anymore. At least when New Hero first started the others had the courtesy to say those awful things after work or behind closed doors.

Not to mention the last comment, spoken by Other Hero while standing in the control room…Hero, the great and perfect Hero, was coming back from a long mission today. Hero had been gone the entire time New Hero had been there and the two had never met, but New Hero had heard enough to know what to expect.

Hero was, for all intents and purposes, perfect.

Hero was everything a hero dreamed of being and more. They were lithe, strong, kind, brilliant, confident, a born leader, and…and…simply beautiful. Hero was aesthetically pleasing in every way. Strong, but not too bulky. Tall, but not too towering. Eyes bright, but not too intrusive. Skin flawless, but not in an artificial way. Hero was the perfect poster-person for the agency…Hell, for any agency. Not only were they charismatic and handsome on screen, but their work as a hero was unparalleled. They got the hardest assignments and gave back the best results. New Hero knew that pretty much every agency in the world was vying to get Hero in their city, even though Hero had pledged to be in theirs.

Hero really was perfect.

And they were coming back today…to the agency…after months of undercover…and they were going to see New Hero…the exact opposite of Hero.

Shit, New Hero wasn’t looking forward to this. They could handle the mockery and slander from the rest of the agency, but if Hero…THE HERO…agreed with them…well that would just prove it, wouldn’t it? New Hero was a monster.

“Hey freak!”

New Hero closed their eyes in resignation.

“Freak! Yeah you! I have something for you.” New Hero turned and saw three lower level heroes standing behind them.

“Yes?” New Hero asked, ice in their voice.

The Low Hero who was in front spoke, “SuperHero has a new assignment for you. Said we need to bring you to the training room for the debrief.”

New Hero furrowed their brows, “Why the training room? Why not the war-room?”

The other two heroes scoffed.

“Because the systems are down in there! God, don’t you know anything or do those eyes and clay ears only pick up the occasional piece of information?”

“I…I knew that! I just forgot is all,” New Hero countered. Well, that was a lie. In truth New Hero had no idea about the systems being down, but they had been out on patrol all morning and the systems were always on the fritz.

God, just because they looked like a nightmare didn’t mean they were stupid.

The three led them down the stairs to the underground training room. Well, room was an understatement. It was more like a vast cavern the size of several football fields.

New Hero looked around for SuperHero, but couldn’t see them. Actually they couldn’t see anyone. Only the emergency lights were on in the room, casting long shadows and filling the corners with darkness. If SuperHero was here, then they must have been standing in one of the shadows, but New Hero doubted it.

Dammit, they really wouldn’t go this far would they?

The door closed behind them.

They would.

“You can’t really think we would let you be seen during Hero’s homecoming,” Came a voice from the other side of the reinforced door. “The News will be there. We want Hero smiling and looking confident, not like they’re holding back disgust. Just stay down here until it’s done.”

New Hero heard them walk away from the door. They tried to open it, but of course it was locked. Not only locked, but designed to hold back even SuperHero powers during training. There was no way out. They would have to wait it out.

The emergency lights cut off.

Oh…oh that changes things. New Hero disliked the dark, it was mysterious and who knows what was hiding in it, but they absolutely could not handle pitch darkness.

The training room was underground, no windows or they couldn’t contain heroes’ powers when practicing.

No, no, no! They really couldn’t handle this! So many memories of complete darkness…so many terrors lurking within…all to hide their face!

New Hero felt their control slipping, their fear taking over…and next thing they knew they were pounding ruthlessly on the door with all their immense strength. Screaming obscenities, begging for light, freedom…anything to escape.

They stayed in that state for what felt like hours. Nothing but fear, screaming, hitting, and darkness. All consuming darkness. They felt their mind falling into it.

But, then suddenly, it was broken.

A stream of warm light sliced through the darkness accompanied by the sound of the heavy door opening.

New Hero squinted in the light. They knew they must look even more terrible than usual, tears covering their blotchy face, blood all over their fists…but they didn’t care. They scurried into the light as quickly as possible.

It was then that they noticed something coming out of the light. A figure that seemed to give off light themselves. Surrounded by the warm glow a person New Hero didn’t recognize at first, stood tall in the doorway.

“New Hero?” Came a soft voice came from the brightness. “It’s alright. Everything’s alright.” It was a nice voice, the kind that instantly calmed and disarmed. Melodic.

The figure crouched down to New Hero’s level. A hand came up, holding a pure white handkerchief. It was slowly wiped across New Hero’s dirty, tear covered face.

“I’m sorry,” the voice continued. “I didn’t know…I’m sorry.”

The handkerchief was put down once New Hero’s tears were dried and soft hands clasped theirs and brought up their bloody knuckles.

“Oh my,” the voice said. “How scared you must have been.”

Then, slowly, non intrusively, arms were wrapped around them. The warm embrace was something New Hero was not expecting, yet they melted into it instantly. There was something welcoming about these arms. Something which just radiated unconditional caring.

“Let me know when you’re ready and we can go upstairs.”

New Hero stayed in the arms for longer than what social convention would strictly allow, but after a few minutes they pulled back. Now that their senses were back to normal, they wondered who in the world was with them. Everyone at the agency flinched back when New Hero approached. Some even sanitized the keypad after New Hero typed in their pin…no one would willingly touch them, let alone hold them like this.

They leaned back and looked into the strangers eyes.

Hero’s eyes

Oh god it was Hero! The Hero! The beautiful, perfect Hero. Still in their uniform, though their gloves and mask had been removed. They had a look on their face which didn’t suit their good looks. They looked kind, yet angry, with a touch of sadness in the corner of their eyes.

“You want to go up now? I’d understand if you wanted to wait,” Hero said. They must have been confused at New Hero’s staring because then they said, “Are you okay? Do you need anything? I have a weighted blanket and water in my room…would that help? That usually helps me…maybe something hot? Or perhaps food…”

“Why are you here?” New Hero interrupted.

“What?” Hero leaned back more, though kept their hands on New Hero’s elbows.

“Why are you here? Talking to me? Letting me out?”

Hero scrunched their eyebrows together, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

New Hero looked down, “It’s not good for you to be seen with me…you have an image to maintain.”

“Nonsense.” New Hero looked up at Hero’s tone. “Can’t be seen? I have an image? Is that what they told you?”

New Hero nodded.

“New Hero, I’ve read your file. I read all the files of those who come to this agency…and I have never seen one as exemplary, as caring…” Hero took a breath, “New Hero, I don’t care what the other’s have told you or what they said about me… I would be honored to have someone like you seen with me. You’re a fantastic hero.”

New Hero felt their tears come anew. Only this time it wasn’t in fear.

“You think you’re ready to go upstairs? Your face isn’t as red anymore.”

New Hero nodded and Hero helped them up.

“Sorry about that,” New Hero said when they saw the dirty hanky on the ground.

Hero shrugged, “Don’t worry about it. It’s only cloth. And I get it. You would not believe how I get in enclosed spaces…not so pretty.”

New Hero smiled at that. They never thought Hero would be so personable. It was nice, it made them seem human.

As they walked up the stairs, Hero commenting here and there about stuff in New Hero’s file or what their mission was like, New Hero felt a sense of kinship they had never experienced before.

Let’s just say, if anyone ever tried to put Hero in an enclosed space, they would answer to New Hero.

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: Hellfire

As IF I was ever going to skip over this video!!!!

Voiceplay's cover of Hellfire was released on the 7th of October, 2023 (being their Halloween upload for the year), and, fun fact, it was the first Voiceplay video I watched after a sort of personal "hiatus" of 1-1.5 years, where they had somehow fallen off my radar for a while (which can happen when A, you weren't originally subscribed to them and mostly just relied on the Youtube algorithm/recommended section, and B, you previously only watched videos for songs you were already familiar with (I know better now though, obviously), plus a few other random factors). Geoff's cover of Jack's Lament was the first from his channel I had seen in quite a while (thank you YouTube algorithm for actually being helpful!), and I stumbled upon Hellfire the following day. And man what a video to bring me back into the fold!

Both video and arrangement were done Layne, and although this is another "guest feature" for J None (he did 5 full-length videos with Voiceplay in 2023!), he's only a backing vocalist for most of this one. Who took lead vocals? Geoff! Apparently Layne was wanting Voiceplay to do a cover of Hellfire for quite a while, and had always envisioned Geoff as the main singer for it, but Geoff, for a long time, said no. I don't know/can't remember what his exact reasoning was; whether he just thought the song was too dark or he thought he wouldn't be able to do it justice, but obviously Layne eventually managed to persuade him (made him an arrangement he couldn't refuse, I'm guessing, because seriously this arrangement is STUNNING), and quite frankly I am forever in Layne's debt for it!

I have no estimate of how long this post might be or how much I'll actually have to say about the screencaps I share, but I'll try to make this worthwhile, and so without further ado, let's get into this!

Pretty "basic"/"simple" visuals here, but honestly that's all that's needed for this one! For one thing, the vocals/arrangement are amazing enough to shine on their own (kinda like with Nothing Else Matters), and for another thing, this may be a Disney villain song, but at the same time it's not really a "Disney Song", y'know? This ain't Friends On The Other Side, or Poor Unfortunate Souls, or Be Prepared; this is a song about deep internal conflict, "burning desire", and attempts to suppress said burning desire, which only leads to more trouble. This is a villain song taken completely seriously, and boy oh boy do Voiceplay nail it!

(I feel like I should also mention that I've never actually watched The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, but I know the characters, I know the story, and this song speaks for itself tbh.)

I mean of course all the guys understood the assignment for this one but Cesar really Understood👏The👏Assignment!👏

I can't believe I'm having one of my "hang on a minute-" moments on freaking Hellfire of all videos, but somehow I never noticed the purple gemstone ring that Eli is wearing here before now! (And Cesar is wearing a red gemstone ring as well, which I only just spotted in a previous shot).

Yep, Layne's got a gemstone ring on as well!

I'm guessing J has got a matching ring as well, but I'm fairly certain Geoff doesn't, because he's got this gemstone necklace instead, which of course helps to further identify him as the lead vocalist/"main character" in this one.

(And even though Voiceplay seem to wear black/dark colours a fair bit (and Geoff does a lot), I still really freaking love the costuming in this video. They all look so good!!!!!)

Yep, there it is! J has a ring as well!

"BURN IT"

((If you've been reading/paying attention to all my Voiceplay Visuals posts, you might have picked up that usually, Geoff is the only one who gets bold font for quotes, but I'm more than willing to make an exception this time, because goddamn))

"This fire in my skin"

The way he looks down at his hands and arms as if feeling himself changing, as if there really are flames coursing right underneath the surface of the skin!!!!

"This burning desire, is turning me to s i n"

Not here to make fun or tease this time, certainly not! Geoff did a fantastic acting job in this one, and his delivery of every single vocal line was just absolutely *chefs kiss*

Everyone else was brilliant in this too, and Cesar absolutely had some attention-grabbing moments of his own! 😄

The "it's not my fault!" section of the song is really cleverly done here imo. (it's technically visual as well! I can talk about it!) It gives other members a bit more of a chance to shine, in a song which (aside from the Latin chanting in the background) is only meant to be a one-man performance. And the video (arrangement included) does this by turning Layne, J, Eli, and Cesar into a sort of Greek Chorus, or more specifically, a "singing chorus" (yes, that's a real thing, which I learned about when I was double-checking to see if I actually remembered the correct meaning of Greek Chorus). Singing choruses are sometimes incorporated into musical theatre and grand opera, and are "used frequently to interpret the mental and emotional reactions of the principal characters, after the manner of a Greek chorus." And while Eli and Cesar are taking over the lead for this bit here, Geoff becomes a little bit more subdued, head slightly bowed, just doing some little self-conducting hand movements as he holds down the bassline (I'm assuming, though I can't really hear him at all in the background until his arpeggios(?) when J takes over (look, sometimes you really can't fully describe/talk about what's happening on screen without talking about the audio that goes with it!!!))

Cesar with the sick air guitar! (Not all reactors seemingly noticed this moment, which is a damn crime tbh (you can actually see him doing it in the group shot just a few seconds before this too, though that part I myself didn't pick up on till just now))

I can't remember seeing a single reaction video (out of the ones I've watched at least) that actually figured out who the Guard was, even though it's in the description of the video! (Though I guess those who were watching from Patreon have more of an excuse). It's Tony! (Also, this means that this video featured 4 "generations" of Voiceplay baritones - Layne, Tony, J, and Cesar!)

I've heard one or two reactors say they wish they could have seen the guard's face, but nah, I don't think it's necessary. He's there to provide Relevant Information for progression of the plot/song/scene, and that's it! His identity is irrelevant!

(But still, shoutout to Tony!)

"what" (hhhhhh)

"I'll find her,"

"I'll find her and I'll find her if I have to burn down all of PARIS!"

(He did so well! <3 <3 <3)

At first when I watched this video I was like "wow I really love this video, but should I like this video so much? Considering the context/meaning behind the song and all that?" That lasted for like maybe a week maximum. I adore this cover and this video and I make no apologies about it!)

*swoon*

Very cool flame effect in the eyes! According to one reaction video I watched, that likely was not easy to do, but it's a great addition to the already-very-awesome video!

The zoom-out on Geoff is done brilliantly for dramatic effect here as well!

Do I even need to say it at this point? 😂😅

Well anyway, obligatory "he's so pretty!" comment

(Here's a slight shot of Cesar's ring btw)

Man I love it when he belts <3

Firstly, the absolute power and feeling that Geoff put into this, like it's absolutely amazing to watch and it delights me to no end. Secondly, I wasn't going to include that third pic above, but turns out Geoff is wearing a gemstone ring as well! (maybe more than one?) I knew he was wearing rings in the video, but I just assumed they were his wedding/engagement rings, as he pretty much always wears them in videos (unless he can't for costuming purposes), one on each hand, but now I wonder if he was in fact wearing them at all in this video?

Excuse me while I just- *muffled yelling into pillow*

As I type this, Voiceplay's cover of Hellfire is just 4,700 views away from reaching one million hits on YouTube! I hope it gets there, it certainly deserves it (and more!). (UPDATE: As of the morning of the 20th of February (AEST timezone), it's now at one million views! Can I hear a wahoo!?!) (SECOND UPDATE: and it's now at over 1.1 million, as of the 25th of March!)

It's not exactly a typical Halloween-type video for Voiceplay, no super-elaborate character costumes or coloured face/body paint, but just like practically everything Voiceplay did in 2023, this was EPIC!

But anyway, I'll be skipping over Whiskey In The Jar, and I'm not doing any posts about Christmas videos (for now), which means that I'm finally onto the first two full-length uploads of 2024! (And I really would have expected there to be a third 2024 upload by this point, but it seems we're just gonna have to keep on waiting.) Stay tuned!

[constantinosbrakusurl]

The role player for constantinos: Your choice on what musical wether it’s something animalistic like Lion King, human fantasy like Peter Pan or Aladdin, a combination of both like the jungle book, or grounded to reality like Hunchback if Notre Dame. (Yes I watch a lot of classic Disney movies🤭)

[synergysilhouette]

Imagine if for every Disney musical remake, we got a concept album like "The Gift"

IDK how everyone else felt about it, but I think Beyonce understood the assignment. I could see it becoming a trend to help generate more excitement for upcoming remakes. For example...

Billie Eilish with "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"--Let's call it "Revelations." She always knows how to make introspective music that's sad and hopeful and dark, which I think really fits the vibe of a "Hunchback" concept album. Finneas would also be involved, of course.

2. SZA with "The Princess and the Frog"--I could really picture SZA going in a wonderful direction with this soundtrack. I know next to nothing about jazz and if SZA has used it in her music before, but I know the RnB aspects would be exquisite. I like the idea of it being called "Almost There..."

3. Olivia Rodrigo with "Hercules"--Originally I was gonna say Dua Lipa due to her music sounding trendy and thus how I picture Hercules' music sounding (as he rises to the top and thus becomes more mainstream), but I really love Olivia's pop-rock sound and how she's had her own record-breaking, meteoric rise to stardom. Perhaps the album could be called "Meteor" (or "Constellation" since it ties into the Greek culture better). No idea how she'd feel about being in charge of a concept album for a major motion picture, though.

4. Taylor Swift with "Snow White"--I fear for this remake SO MUCH because it's a turning point to show whether Disney is gonna appreciate their OG film or just tear it to shreds. Many of Taylor's albums have a delicate, romantic touch that I'd love as a concept album for it. I'd call it "Apple Blossoms."

You may disagree with my pics, but you gotta admit it'd be refreshing and something to look forward to if you were uneasy about the remakes (unless you don't like any of these artists).