don’t mind me

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OOOOOOOOHHH YEAH! So that’s The End of Malevolent Season 1, episode 12. Good payoff. Great payoff. We’ve got callbacks from all over the season and I’ve got a ton of thoughts.

The writing did a great job of hiding the fact that John was the King in Yellow, I mean there were a bunch of clues and I was pretty sure it was him but they made it just tricksy enough to be a great reveal anyway.

Kellin my boyyyy. So either the cult had agents in the Arkham psych institute or they just sort of kidnapped Kellin and told him they were government. Either way I can appreciate that he tried to make it sort of comprehensible, you were a legend to the end man (unless we meet him in the Dreamlands? He’s apparently gone before.)

Arthur have you learned nothing about listening to John? His gut instincts are usually pretty helpful, you need to stop going, “that doesn’t make any sense we’re not doing that” because nothing makes sense today and it probably won’t for a while just let the crazy wash you away.

Oh do I have things to say about the city. If you worship something whose power stems from the multitude, the millions of little minds that can be broken with a whisper, you do not make a temple to that power something isolated or quaint. Even the guardian in the river is more about the collection of small larvae than the adult monster in the water. So of COURSE a temple to the King in Yellow would be a city to rule, laden with offerings of silver and gold with every building housing a person who has sacrificed their mind in devotion. I clocked it really quickly but it was so cool to hear each detail confirm that concept that’s awesome.

CASSILDAAAAA OOH THE PART OF ME THAT READ THE ORIGINAL KING IN YELLOW WENT NUTS AT THAT BIT.

and don’t even get me started on how we get to hear a part of the actual King in Yellow manuscript being PERFORMED ON A STAGE I WAS YELLING SO LOUD

John: Arthur don’t lay down on the cultist’s surgery table

Arthur:

John: Arthur no.

Arthur: (laying down on the cultist’s surgery table)

John: OURTHURRRRR

Not to judge too hard but when Arthur thought he was getting freed he was like “don’t hurt John :((“ and when John learned he was getting his power back and Arthur would be erased he was like “hippity hoppity your body is now my property” and yeah John eventually decided to rebel against his source’s will which was probably really hard for him but this friendship must be exhausting for everyone involved y’all

Small thing that matters to me so much: I WAS RIGHT??? Last post I was talking about how the paper having every detail of their adventure might be because everything they had done was like foretold by a prophecy or something and it was always going to happen because that’s the King’s story and I WAS RIGHT?? THEY CONFIRMED THAT??? I’m almost never right about these things!

Not a huge fan of the fact that Arthur somehow went from playing piano with his daughter to being a PI with no contact with her that’ll probably mess me up down the road won’t it.

And we’re in the Dreamlands now. How? Maybe John got tired after taking back his seat of power and just sort of blipped out mid-nap. I imagine all of those cultists must be tremendously angry right now. Gave their lives for an eldritch monster and it doesn’t even have the decency to do as foretold and grant them untold power in their submission.

Going nuts. Hey y’all ain’t this just a great show. I’ll be honest, there were parts of this first season that lost me. There were parts that felt a bit tedious. The part that set up Shub-Niggurath and this Lovecraftian cult only to plot twist “oh wait no that was just an unrelated mystery cult worshipping an unrelated dark god and ours is across the street” tested my patience a bit (hoping that comes back.) But having been through it all it feels like a net positive and I’ll definitely be giving Season 2 its fair shake since people tell me it’s way better. Excited to see where this goes.

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Malevolent episodes 10 and 11!!!! Yeahhhhh (woo)

I have a lot of great thoughts but I also have a question for any fans who have been through this before so if you know I would appreciate an answer. To start off:

Please tell me it was a mole. I am begging you on my hands and knees to tell me when John was describing something “the size of a cat with a tentacled nose” in abject horror and utter confidence that it’s an otherworldly monster that he was just. Seeing a mole for the first time lol. And of course Arthur wouldn’t know, he’s BLIND! John’s got the scary horror movie music playing in his head I wouldn’t question it either! It would just be so funny I really hope that was it.

John can’t hear the head? Probably wouldn’t make any sense but it would be funny if Arthur is the one the head’s calling, “Master.” Then again if I was an eldritch horror serving a British PI with anxiety I’d probably keep it under wraps too.

Sort of a moot point but Arthur sounded so happy when he was talking about getting a hotel. Maybe getting to take a shower. My poor wet cat of a man it’s gotta happen soon don’t worry.

John keeps getting really, really distracted by King in Yellow stuff. It’s tough because I want to believe he can change but it seems like as soon as he reads a letter or holds a mask we’ve got, “Who’s John?” Like I just don’t know if character development can hold up to amnesia like that. AND now we’ve got Arthur being like “I trust you,” and John being like “That’s stupid man that’s gonna get you killed,” which better not be foreshadowing or else I’m throwing spiders around.

So… the Paper of Existentialist Prophecy is a factor now. I found the fact that it had past events on it cool but I found the fact it had the future written on it utterly delightful. I know it’s probably not this, but it would be interesting if John was the King in Yellow and his cult has had this like, prophecy that he would take a human vessel and navigate through the events of the series. Like they don’t know what Arthur’s been doing because they’ve been watching him, these are just the standard questions for joining because they line up with what the King is foretold to do.

We’ve got a deer monster and a spider monster in this hotel, typically I would be going for symbolism here like how the deer was a standin for prey and bait (what got Arthur moving and in position for the spider, maybe he planned to kill it or something) and the spider, the one who creates vast, intricate plans and things beyond most understanding is the true hidden threat/predator, but it probably wouldn’t be accurate with the current information so I’ll just let it be.

It’s criminal that Arthur was presumably a physically fit British man capable of getting into a fight and doing cool stuff and then the narrative Jon’d him with a coma. Now my pathetic sweetheart is all skinny and gaunt like I’m so sorry king you couldn’t even keep your muscle.

Okay so about the question I would really like a fan to be able to answer: I’m noticing the next episode is titled, “The End.” And on top of this I am noticing that after, “The End,” the background/thumbnail changes pretty drastically and never goes back to this original black and white one. So like, I don’t know if Malevolent is broken up into seasons or chapters in any meaningful capacity but these seemed like good enough indicators to ask: Am I coming up on the Season 1 Finale of Malevolent? You guys can tell me because it seems like good information to know.

Anyhow, this was great. If I am coming up on the end of season 1, oh what a ride it’s been. Thank you to everyone who’s been interacting with my posts as I make my way through this show, it’s been really cool to see. You guys have been really nice so I have to give you fandom kudos for that. See y’all later!

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😭😭Episodes 8 and 9 of Malevolent😭😭

my boysssssss… okay so much happened in so little time on the one hand I think I hit the really good stuff but turns out the really good stuff is really bad for my heart.

We got to the King in Yellow stuff! Gonna be so honest, I’ve already seen fanart so I knew it would be coming somehow but the reveal was still fun. As someone who actually has read the original Chambers stories I got really excited about stuff like the Pallid Mask and I look forward to where that goes in the future.

Hearing Arthur and John fight HURT. Like I didn’t even know that I cared so much about their relationship until they’re yelling at each other and I start tearing up. The ways they fought while sharing a body were actually really fun and creative and I like the notion that Arthur blaming John for everything actually hurt John’s feelings. You don’t typically get that from an eldritch horror.

Southern accent character! I don’t know what it is, a few years ago I was all about British accents but here when the older police officer was talking I got so very happy. That being said, rest in peace Southern accent, you didn’t stick around very long at all but you sure were charming.

John killed Parker lol okay. Like I had my suspicions but to hear him say it so blatantly to try and make Arthur mad REALLY threw me off. John has generally been gaslighting a lot lately so maybe to get more truth out of him Arthur just needs to keep ragebaiting him.

The boat was a fun setting, and I liked the reveal that unlike the other locations there wasn’t actually a monster prowling the boat, just the younger police officer being controlled. The real monster was under the water.

Arthur diedddd I wasn’t ready for that todayyyy I mean at least the wraith revived him so the power of being a decent person paid off this time but ohoho how devastating it was to hear.

These were GOOD episodes, very enjoyable indeed, can’t wait for more.

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Just finished Episode 7 of Malevolent, this was a neat one. Some standout bits:

Can we please just meet someone at one of these locations that doesn’t immediately die in a terrible way? RIP Lighthouse Man, your accent was funny but unfortunately you went the way of Kellin. And Eddie. And Parker.

Arthur’s confidence dried up really quickly once the Lovecraft started coming back into play, I would feel bad but really Arthur you need to wait longer than one chill-ish episode to let your guard down.

Arthur lost a foot! Regrettable but I mean it could be much worse. You don’t really lose that much because you don’t even predominately use your feet to walk it’s your legs doing all the work. The worst I can imagine the result of this would be is that since Arthur’s blind, half of his steps don’t feel like anything which is disorienting. Honestly though I expected worse, I kept thinking the next thing to go would be Arthur’s mouth or something, then he’d be the head voice and John would be the one doing dialogue with everybody.

Sara has a friend named, “A,” a friend that she expected to find the note. And she only died a few days ago as of our dysfunctional duo getting out of the coma. Might be an obvious red herring but was Arthur a contact of hers? Would he have forgotten something like that when he picked up the book? Questions questions.

Hey John? Buddy? You were doing so good a second ago with the whole being a human character that’s nice and understanding bud what happened. It’d be nice if John just got like really zoned in on the letter and absentmindedly forgot his name for a second but I really don’t think that’s it and I’m sort of spooked.

I thought I was putting the piece together between the Cummings’ and Shub-Niggurath and the Dark World and everything but as more pieces are added the less my original theory seems to hold together. This is exciting though, I’m optimistic for what comes next.

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I just needed to share this art because the person did insanely well for roughly 2 minutes

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Just wrapped up Episode 6 of Malevolent, I have thoughts:

Arthur being in a coma for a month and John just having to sit there and take it is actually insane. My poor sweethearts.

I think Episode 5 is what really sold me on the idea of John and Arthur as a duo, as friends. John is genuinely a lot nicer after a month marinating in thoughts and kind words from the nurses, we love to see it.

The nightmare doggo getting cooked was a bit sad. Give it treats maybe it’ll be charmed by the pleasures of Earth.

Is it a plot hole that Arthur was able to play the piano when John still has control over one of his hands? Or did Arthur play that piece with one hand? Maybe one of the nurses left a conveniently placed How To Play Piano book in the room that John memorized in the coma month.

Arthur periodically being confused when people react appropriately to his weird behavior never stops being funny. Bro walked into a gun shop asking for an automatic weapon and a way to crack a lock and tilts his head like a puppy when the clerk looks suspicious. I’d say “never change, Arthur,” but the plot might demand it.

The old woman in Amanda Cummings’ building is so Corruption coded I was practically humming with familiarity. Could you imagine the detour if Arthur just popped into the 1930’s Archives to give Jonah Magnus a statement about the dirty old lady he met one time while John is just rolling his eyes internally going, “shut up, for a PI you’re a real blabbermouth.”

It’ll be neat to see how the podcast goes from here, the story feels a little rough so far but I’ll give it a while longer.

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So, midway through Episode 4 of Malevolent (Kellin I love you) but I just have to say that it’s so, so funny that The Entity is like, “Arthur this guy is crazy,” when…

Brother.

You guys are the most unlucky PI ever and his parasitic seeing-eye horror, Arthur absolutely looks crazier than Kellin here. Leave this icon of a man alone to sing his tunes and rasp his breaths before you two get him killed or something.

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So um. Finished Episode 4. That, uh, that was. Yeah uh. That is deeply unfortunate.

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So, midway through Episode 4 of Malevolent (Kellin I love you) but I just have to say that it’s so, so funny that The Entity is like, “Arthur this guy is crazy,” when…

Brother.

You guys are the most unlucky PI ever and his parasitic seeing-eye horror, Arthur absolutely looks crazier than Kellin here. Leave this icon of a man alone to sing his tunes and rasp his breaths before you two get him killed or something.

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Just started the Malevolent podcast (no spoilers please) and I just need to say: The Entity deserves to be a DM. Every time he starts describing a given room or environment I can’t help but smile knowingly like the headmaster of a prestigious school for children about to turn to his parents like “He’s a prodigy, we need to get him a Monster Manual and a D20 ASAP.” Go off king tell me more about the sour color of the carpet from your aluminum lamp or whatever you talk through.

[toldasor]

can she sleep on your dash for a bit?

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Well hello there, Siren and Lockboy tumblr folk. I’m here because I am very aware that Siren is a robot and so there are tells about how she works and things in her design and how they tell a story so. Figured I’d share. Fair warning I get into some gross, messed up implications here about non consensual, really bad irl things but what’s this show’s bread and butter if not messed up implication? You’ve been warned.

So the main reason I wanted to make this post was because do you notice something off about this picture?

Creepy posing for a reveal, but nothing more to it, right? Well… Siren is shut off here, right? Right… so why’s the arm still up? Most machines go limp and submit to gravity immediately upon shutdown, and there need to be special brakes or parts of the design that freeze the machine in place like this without power. I hear you saying, “where are you going with this” and to that I say… I have another picture for you.

Same deal. This time we see Lockboy shut Siren down and her whole body locks up, freezes in the exact position that it’s switched off at. That would take a lot of special braking systems to pull off, especially when you take into account that her posture is off balance so she should realistically be falling over. Now here’s the kicker: why? Why would Damalion have Siren designed this way when it detracts from the illusion of her being human (human bodies do NOT do this) and it likely took way more time and effort than necessary?

Well, Siren was designed to be human-like second and an instrument for sexual gratification first. We see how Damalion pimps her out to other people, how he himself takes advantage of her. To go off on a quick tangent, there’s evidence that Siren was given knowledge of how to appeal to different types of kinks. When she sees Lockboy trying to take control of her with the book, she starts using BDSM language and steps into the role of a sub frighteningly quickly, having seen him try to assert himself as the dominant one in the interaction and seeing an opening.

So, if there’s evidence that Siren was made with several different fetishes in mind to appeal to a broad range of people for Damalion to pimp her out to AND there are special systems that lock Siren in a position when you shut her off… look, not everyone’s kinks are consensual or even acceptable things to do to another person. Humans can be attracted by things like rape, the asleep, the unconscious, any number of things. That’s why so much horribleness happens IRL. But the point being: I believe that Siren has these special braking systems in place for necrophiles (people who are attracted to corpses) as well as people who wanted to simulate sexual activity with someone who was drugged, knocked unconscious, asleep or paralyzed. People who wanted her frozen and valued the look of a human over the behavior of one. It’s sick but there’s evidence for it and if you had any sympathy at all for Damalion I hope it just tore itself to pieces.

Anyway, to move on to (slightly) less detestable things I noticed:

Siren’s feet were specifically molded with high heels in mind, the arch is way more pronounced than on a normal person’s and it’s for the shoes I’m pretty sure.

Siren has claws for the same reason a lot of animatronics or robots have claws: they’re more durable and easier to maintain than making a full human hand out of metal, which seldom works for long. It’s just that there is a mechanical reason, just in case anyone thought there wasn’t.

This is more of a lyrical thing than anything, but Siren’s song has the backing vocal lyric “I won’t recognize my face” in it, and yet when she was breaking herself and tearing the skin off, her face is one of the only things she mostly left alone. I wonder if she couldn’t bear to part with it, or if in the future Lockboy can design her a new face as character development.

So yeah. That was my ramble about the things I noticed about Siren actually being a robot and having robot design considerations and implications and effects and all that. If you liked the insight… cool! I may make other posts about the other characters because I have analyses on them too, to a certain extent. Cya!