[enbee-ai]

@its-your-mind this is for you

here are my notes on malevolent's season one, episodes one through eight

considering my history with eye-related imagery podcasts, it was only obvious that one day i'd get around to malevolent as well. so here it is:

the two things i knew going in are as follow:

one of them is named john, while the other's name is arthur. i have no clue who is which

lots of the aforementioned eye imagery. i think at least one of them might be coded yellow, although as far as i know they are... sharing a body, perhaps. one of them is not human. and he's EVIL

i didn't jot down many notes while listening to the first bunch of episodes, but i have some general thoughts.

the setup is really smart. it's a really good idea to have arthur suddenly go blind and having john describe his surroundings, the people they come across and the actions arthur himself is going to take, but it also almost feels like a dnd campaign as far as descriptions and the dialogue goes (good, i'm very passionate about taz), especially when john gives arthur a description and arthur asks him questions, or when john lays out the possible courses of action they could take and leaves the choice to arthur. also why are there dice sounds sometimes when john notices some detail or other? what's up with that

part 1 "the dark world", part 2 "the missing girl", part 3 "the mansion", all in rapid fire:

(at this point i was convinced this was all taking place in england. podcast protagonists love being named john, and british)

i love stories that start in medias res, but this isn't even that. this is directly after the res. intriguing

peter... a private detective's partner in investigating... mmh nureyev i am constantly reminded of you come back home

the mystery seems straightforward enough, at least as much as a mystery can be, but arthur's detective skills really shine through here. he seems quite level headed.

it's really funny that he tells the voice (this is what i was calling john until episode five) to shut up and calm the fuck down he's so right for that, you go you funky little detective! 

i wonder when he's going to break down

DRIVING? WHILE BLIND???

creepy rotting abandoned mansions and mystery babies, love it, nothing to complain about

part 4 "the voices"

is the guy (kellin) the one who can actually hear the voice? is the severed head just a lifeless thing? does he think ! he can't hear the voice while his sister's head can, because he's unstable? is this what's happening? how would this guy (kellin again, i had no idea how to spell his name before looking it up i apologize) even be able to talk to the severed head in the lake?

oh this is GOOD horror

part 5 "the gift"

what? how did that happen? what? (i'm apparently referring to how arthur got in a hospital, according to the time stamp i left next to this note!)

is that the dream world the book guy was talking about in his notes?

did they actually have this kind of medical technology back in the 1930's?

oooh john

OO FRIEND

thank you for the recap of the previous five episodes i have just listened to

I KNEW SHE WAS DEAD!! CONSEQUENCES (of being asleep for a month)  (i'm talking about amanda / sarah here)

part 6 "the hill"

john seems to really like saying arthur's name

"arthur" "what?" "it's closed." hah

alright yes i s'pose i could yeh

how come john keeps asking arthur to play the piano? is there a reason beyond the obvious?

oh oh his reaction!! it's so lovely!!

gingerly walking into a gun shop and buying a gun like the real americans do. yeehaw

"you know how to [pick a lock]?" "many times, friend" "friend"

!!! john is so surprised to be called arthur's friend!! he didn't even notice it when they were in the hospital but arthur's been calling him that for a while now, back before the coma :)))

"more than telling (turn right) more than telling—"

part 7 "the island"

abandoned houses, severed heads, creepy lighthouses in the middle of a foggy lake, hitchhiking with the wrong guy. cults

all of my favorite things

we fucked up, you fucked up

who's john????????? what 

what do you mean who's john. what's happening to him, why doesn't he remember his own name that he picked out for himself kind of

part 8 "the caves"

"once more in the abyss, john" "once more, friend"

first time john's called arthur his friend! it's even more meaningful knowing how much he likes calling him arthur

john hates rhetorical questions, i see. although i'm pretty sure they're an integral part of being a PI and reasoning stuff out

the coffins were removed... and the widow wasn't alone... this is the thing that fucks me up the most 

more dice sounds

"if they are a cult, who or what are they worshipping", i see john's the one asking the rhetorical questions now

a woman? the widow? why has she gone feral

counting? what? the coffins? time? (about the signs they find on the cave's walls)

ah

john 😳 i need you with me on this 😳

the black goat, the king in yellow (arthur and john? is that why they're coded yellow? is john the king in yellow? could that be?)

is john hiding something? why is the fact that he left the severed head behind continually brought up? is it going to be relevant, was the head actually... supernatural?

does john know something he isn't telling arthur?

antoine's final plan and henry's sacrifice ?

"the one who wore, yellow?" "yes the king in yellow"

the one who tried to kill arthur in episode one? (i think this might be referring to the one who killed sarah, or the one who was following her)

"FUCK YOU JOHN" "FUCK ME? FUCK YOUR EYES"

well john is obviously worried that arthur's lack of empathy for the creatures they've come across up to this point will translate in a... rejection of some sort (fear, disgust, or anger) towards him if and when they find out where john came from and what he is

he's also aware that the time he spent in the dark world must have greatly influenced him, both in his actions and his mind. i think this is why he is showing so much empathy for the widow (was she really?) getting sucked into the cult, he knows how much the environment you're in and the company you are with can influence a mind

i mean, this is just speculating. i hope whatever malevolent veteran is reading this is having a laugh

this also makes me think that john might be having quite the influence on arthur's mind, to an extent, one that arthur is not aware of, at all

well, shit

[enbee-ai]

season one, part two; episodes nine through twelve

part 9 "the boat"

strangers to friends to enemies to begrudging teammates to friends again to... i shan't say

EYES ON THE WALLS????

"i think something is watching us" what, other than the hundreds of drawings of eyes covering the walls and floor?

eyes? gouged out? where have i heard that one before

all queer horror podcasts know is the bone deep fear of being watched, those bloody eyes, and lie

is this a queer podcast??? am i being delusional? i just kind of assumed it was considering the kind of media this is and who it's popular with

"it doesn't matter what i say arthur, we both know you're going to pull it out"

being stuck in his body is the fastest, most efficient way to grow to care about the man you're forced to work with to save the world

us...

"i may not be seeing your way of thinking, arthur, but i do see you.

(i see the way your mind works)"

i'll maybe elaborate later

is john killing peter the thing i thought john was hiding from arthur? perhaps, however i'm not entirely convinced that is everything there is to it

"i feel that warmth within you" ohh well

the scorpion, the frog, and their nature :/ might this be foreshadowing (IT WAS)

metaphor for I WONT KILL YOU, ARTHUR (FUCK PAST ME)

a man thorn in half, nice

there's something moving in his mouth... white worms crawling... ok

he's not wearing his uniform anymore? is the officer butt naked?????

ah no he's wearing a diving suit

"i'm scared— the dark world..." "i'll meet you there, friend" (FUCK YOU)

is this turning into tentacle porn, just like in taz

"just, let it go. you are not alone" :(((

"don't start coming loose on me now" "i won't" (MIDDLE FINGER)

the voice arthur heard calling him from the dark world sounding like john's could mean a number of different things (FUCK ME)

DAUGHTER? (YEAH)

part 10 "the hotel"

is arthur not remembering emily just a way to reintroduce her in the story and remind the listeners of that plot point or is there an in fiction reason, and is it the same reason why he seems to have forgotten eddy twice already? is it guilt or is his mind slipping from this reality?

whiiich is perhaps why arthur was so hung up on that baby they found, and why he wanted john to describe her for him (i'm referring to the daughter reveal. fuck this version of past me also)

hello master?

anyway i was so wrong about the head. i'm so upset, i knew it had to be plot relevant but i had such a strong gut feeling!!

it's interesting that john can't hear her, and that he fears her so much

its about time you got excited about something??? JOHN :))) that's so lovely

i feel like it is about time i say that i imagine arthur as a classic PI in a beige a detective coat and a black hat, while john's metaphorically and metaphysically got his feet on arthur's shoulders and he's folded on himself so he can talk to him directly in arthur's ear. do you see my vision

john wants to get to know arthur better 🥰 (arthur is yelling at him)

part 11 "the sect"

butt naked king in yellow

sorry right that's not the king in yellow, but it would've been funny. butt naked pallid mask guy

i'm still convinced the yellow king is actually john (FUCK YOU)

they got to the mask guy themselves, they walked in his liar, oh my god, why does he have a suitcase? was he following them? did he anticipate their moves this far into the future, from when they first met in episode one? just like that? all the way from arkham?

*dice sounds* there's a business card

DONT GO LIMP ON ME NOW

IT SOUNDS SO BAD. LIKE I GET WHAT HE MEANS BUT IT SOUNDS SO BAD

them moving the mask guy's body reminds me that we still haven't had the answer as to why john killed peter in the first place

what the fuck (<– guy who just got to the part were arthur pretends to be the dead mask guy and the other cultists ask him those fucking questions)

ARTHUR. WHAT A FUCKING GENIUS (<– guy who just listened to arthur put the mask on too try and see if something appears on the empty sheets of, mhm, flesh)

the cultists are running a dnd campaign...? (WELL)

john??? calling arthur a sheep???

"way to be your own person" sjsjs (WITH WHAT AUDACITY)

ALL HORROR PODCASTS KNOW IS SPIDERS AND LIE

what's he hidingggggg "more things" what do you remember that you're not telling him

after all he's trying to protect arthur, telling him not to trust him, that he could get the chance to take as body and that he isn't sure he wouldn't (FUCK HIM FUCK THEM AND FUCK ME. YEP. GOOD FUCKING PODCAST BUT AT WHAT COST)

(rereading the shit in these notes is so painful. past alice you were so naïve)

part 12 "the end"

*laughs evily* why's john evil

italian hand gesture 🤌🏻, sorry i had pizza for dinner

are killan talking about the dream world in a psychiatric hospital and arthur being in one while he himself was in the dream world two related facts, somehow?

you're not alone, for what it's worth :) (🖕🏻) (<– it's a miffed finger emoji btw)

it's interesting to note that out of all the podcasts with a focus on eye imagery (tma, wtnv, tpp kind of, taz with john hunger) this is the first time mirrors are getting a central role as well, that i know of. malevolent seems to be both about others seeing your perspective, seeing you, AND seeing yourself as much as it is about being watched, followed and known by something which is unknown to you (as in the case of the cultists, and particularly the specific questions they asked arthur)

still, i'm not entirely sure this take of mine is worth anything, maybe i'm wildly misinterpreting

also tunnels and underground caves and basements and the dark. what's up with that (WHATS UP WITH THAT HUH)

oh! and laundry shutes

oh shit the ancient elevator only goes down

at least we know now what that hotel was for! a win for the gays today (A HUNDRED THOUSAND LOSSES FOR THE GAYS TODAY)

what if i didn't want to see the secret tho. have you thought about that

is it a good time to say that i'm scared of elevators?

GOD through the ceiling of a huge cavern nonono please no

A CITY ! OH ! AN UNDERGROUND CITY ! why does that sound familiar, have i read something about it before? this is FASCINATING

is this were the masked cultists went? how do they get out?

the elevator looks broken. i see

we are home? what do you mean

a reminder, somewhat, of the dark world perhaps? is this a place in between?

the eyes are unmoving. they follow us. they're waiting for us.

"john don't break on me now. i need you" nice (👎🏻 THUMB DOWN)

so much water so many boats!! what does it mean! is it because water reflects, does it tie in with the mirror motif?

and the unknown, of course. there are creatures living in the water (<– guy who's about to find out there are creatures in the water, and is in for a surprise)

why are you touching it what the fuck what the fuck (<– guy who doesn't know yet)

"tell me if we see something in the water" we

all of these audio dramas about the horror of eyes and yet they're all so incredibly unique <3 it really is true that everything's been already done, but never by you <3

good call!! get those hands outta the fucking larvae swarm infested waters

IT'S IN HIS ARM IN HIS FLESH WHAT THE FUCK

ALL PODCASTS KNOW IS WORMS AND LIE

the eyes of a creature slowly following them just above the surface of the water... themes and motifs

*monstrous amphibian creature attaches its stomach to arthur's* is this a good time to appreciate john referring to parts of arthur's body as "our"? (bad bad no good very bad but also foreshadowing. i guess)

the creature was draining blood from him? is this connected to the cult taking a sample of his blood, too? does the test they were talking about have anything to do with this creature, or is it quite unrelated?

"our stomach is bleeding quite a bit" our stomach

the peak truly of codependent homoeroticism

also, green light. what's up with the green light

"we're a team" "yes we are"

"a place that is thin between those worlds" guess i was right! nice

separate them?? right now? when they are both saying "we" and "our" and "us"? that's interesting

everyone in the amphitheater is watching them <– themes and motifs

two (2) voice actors in this podcasts <–and i love them both (do i) (i do..) (JUST ONE??? JUST ONE VOICE ACTOR – 23-03-23 addition)

is the cult... about them? (<– guy who's about to get their whole world turned upside down)

A PIECE OF THE KING WAS TRAPPED IN THIS WORLD IN A BOOK I FUCKING

I FUCKING KNEW IT

THEY WERE TALKING TO JOHN ALL ALONG HE IS THE KING IN YELLOW AND I KNEW IT

SO HE IS EVIL

mmmh my face is mine again this vessel is yours again my king

no more us it seems like!!!

aaaaand this is why the king's influence was following them so closely. anyway do you remember when i

"this also makes me think that john might be having quite the influence on arthur's mind, to an extent, one that arthur is not aware of, at all"

anyway

the end indeed

"this... part of me, that you've stolen, it has lost its way. my fractured soul has become entangled in yours. i'll simply kill you and reclaim it"

OH! patrons choose arthur's path! this is a glorified ttrpg campaign after all!!! i knew something was up with how the decisions were being made that's so cool

which is also why they air one episode per month, makes sense!

[gaybichon]

LMFAO

[gaybichon]

[thebreakfastgenie]

Quand il faut expliquer la pâtisserie à un Américain: imaginez un hamburger

[toddsolondz]

i’m like a clown that no one hired or pays

[toddsolondz]

i’m like a clown that no one hired or pays

[toddsolondz]

i’m like a clown that no one hired or pays

[fforsythiaaa]

Once when I was in undergrad, someone described something as “problematic” in class and our professor was like, “That’s cool, but ‘problematic’ doesn’t really mean anything. It means that the thing you’re describing has a problem, and in and of itself that’s not bad. Art, especially, should always have problems, or else it’s not interesting and not art, either. It sounds like you’re trying to say that this is bad, but you don’t want to say ‘bad.’ Is that right?”

So from then on whenever one of us called something problematic, he would make us talk it out until we could name the “bad” thing we were hinting at. In this particular class, 7/10 it was some type of oppression, and the remainder was like, “I’m uncomfortable because this is very new/confusing/pushing boundaries that made me feel safe.”

Once we stopped calling things “problematic” and stopping at that, class got way more interesting and... we all had to say, like, “that’s racist” or “that’s misogynistic” or “ew capitalism gross” out loud, which a lot of us had never done in a classroom before. Or we had to be like, “Uhhh... I’m not sure what’s so bad?” and confront our own beliefs and that was maybe even more useful.

Anyway. Whenever I see the word problematic, I can’t help but think of this professor being like, “Good starting point, now let’s get specific.” I think when we have to commit to saying “that’s ___” it requires a lot more careful thought about the truth and impact and complexities of whatever we’re claiming. Sometimes there really is some bullshit afoot, and also sometimes it’s art, and it should be full of problems, because that’s what art is.

[hypokeimena]

#'this is present in the text' is often a good first step #but those second and third ones (naming it; describing its function) are vital (via @elucubrare)

[dragon-in-a-fez]

when a government bans young people from using social media, and then categorises messenger apps like Signal and WhatsApp as "social media", they are pushing those young people toward using text messages, a fundamentally insecure form of communication. texts are not encrypted in transit and can be read by both the sender's mobile carrier and the recipient's. that also means they can be leaked in data breaches, subpoenaed, or just handed over willingly to law enforcement at the carriers' discretion.

hmm. I wonder why governments might want this

[dragon-in-a-fez]

this is not JUST about destroying kids' privacy by the way, although that is bad on its own! but think about it: if you can push everyone to spend their formative social years communicating through an insecure protocol, most of them are not going to do the work of moving to a secure one the moment they're legally allowed! banning everyone under 16 from Signal and WhatsApp creates a whole population of people more likely to continue, for the rest of their lives, to communicate using a tool the government can access at the drop of a hat

[smashcut]

[teaboot]

Acclaimed author John Green

[ur-favorite-fishgirl]

if you vote me for president i vow to make everything the ocean again. no more land only ocean. this will solve all of our problems and replace them with new, far more interesting problems

[deadartistposting]

I'm soooo late to the mid offs hype but I'm watching Jumper's win and the differences between her and Couriway's videos are hilarious. On hers she's like "I trained for 1000 years like a shounen protagonist, Couriway is my sensei and his wisdom is unmatched" and then I watch Couri's pov and he's like "I have never made worse calls in my life, I was lying to Jumper constantly, I need to be put down like a sick dog"

[sailorbrazil]

thursday..... and i bet you wish you were her

[molive-0]

There are many benefits to being a marine biologist

[baddywronglegs]

By this point Loch Ness is probably the inland body of water we can be most sure doesn't have a monster in it.

[sailermoon]

this is how new yorkers @ mamdani

[sailermoon]

[whatthehellisthis-world]

"theyfab" "theymab" how about I theystab you in the theychest

[fuchsianreactor]

(to the tune of mary had a little lamb): mary had a little lamb

[lorkhanagendaposting]

"A society that separates its lore masters from its horny posters will have its headcanons written by prudes and its erotic fanfic by fools."