One of the main complaints of the Melon Arc is that its been dragged out for far too long, and that Melon basically has way to thick of plot armor. That also this arc has been too Action/shounen oriented, and that it has been far too long since we had character driven/Slice of Life arc. Where the main protagonists don't interact. And to an extent i agree. Since for example, both Haru and Juno are main characters in the series. But at this point, especially for haru. She has ne effect on the plot, has no real development, and only really serves to be a trophy for Legoshi to achieve. Also, for another example, i feel like the stretch between chapters 158-161 was just an unwanted mandatory training arc, with that wierd shit from Kyuu. But im here to defend the melon arc, and why i think if you read through it, it is actually a good arc.
So Ch. 154 was when i first was fully caught up in the series. That means i was able to read the first 30 chapters of the melon arc without having to wait a week for the next chapter.And i got to say, binge-reading through those 30 chapters. The melon arc didn't feel drawn out at all. Granted at the time, i was just excited how the series went from being a furry high-school romance anime to an epic crime/murder mystery/action thriller. and hell to show how far away from a furry high-school romance anime, here you basically have heath ledgers joker. And i just love it whenever a series subverts expectations like that.
Anyways back to melon. In one sitting, going through the melon arc, it doesn't feel like the arc is over-staying its welcome at all, and remains gripping throughout. But here is the thing. That is when you are new to the series and read the first 30 chapters of this arc without having to wait. But based on my experience after Ch. 154, when it's one chapter per week. THIS ARC IS SLOW. and just drags on. The melon arc doesn't fit well for the one chapter per week schedule. because in one sitting binging it through, the story is much more dynamic as a detective crime-drama. Where the lack of SoL content is much less noticeable as we have continuous action of legosi being thrown into the ocean and getting resuced by a shark none the less, louis reuniting with the shishigumi. And legosi, louis, and the shishigumi visiting kopi luwak to name a few.
The Melon Arc is far better optimized for an anime layout rather than an Manga Layout. Where in an anime layout, Paru can get away with Melon being one-step ahead of legosi much better, then in weekly releases of the Manga.
As for Melon constantly getting away
You know a lot of people think that with melon always pulling some bullshit allowing him to escape legosi, that Paru is just dragging out this arc either because someone is forcing her to make a shounen, or that she is starting to become uncreative. But while at work yesterday. I realized that Melon constantly escaping Legosi is actually has a logical progression if you consider what Melon what information melon would be receiving on a moment by moment basis, as well as things he would already know.
Melon notices Legosi is much larger than the average wolf => Melon asks and learns that Legosi is a quasi-hybrid => Knows as a result Legosi is likely extremely empathetic to the struggles Hybrids face as a result => Legosi is easy to manipulate. => Melon escapes and shoots Legosi.
And learning how Empathetic and easy to exploit Legosi is. Melon puts forth a plan based off of what he learned to kill Legosi to set up a trap, and cover up his trail. Because logically, any criminal would not want to be tracked down and caught.
So Melon knows legosi is extremly empathetic => Melon decides to use Legosi's empathetic nature to his advantage => Melon also knows he needs to cover his trail, since legosi is going after him => Leads legosi to Tattoo parlor => Sets up a ruse through Holgers delayed response as a sloth. =>Melon chooses to appear as if he is lonely and no-body understands him, since it would sppeal to legosi's empathetic nature. => Leads legosi to the sea, where he and the shishigumi were waiting to ambush legosi.
Everyone on this sub often agrees that the first Melon escape was well written, and really set up melon as a character. But everybody seems to hate the second, thinking that Melon fooling Legosi a second time is basically an ex machina for Melon to fool legosi again. Where when compared to the first encounter, seems like a plot twist for the sake of a plot twist. Where it looks like paru asked "What is the cheapest way to make melon look like a evil mastermind? INSERT AN "I PLANNED THIS ALL ALONG!" SCENE! BWAHAHA!" But if you carefully look at it. The planning melon did behind the second encounter has just as much logic as when Melon escaped Legosi in the night club. Where duping Legosi a second time isn't really that much of a stretch, and realistically wouldn't take that much to set up. Also, while Legosi is strong. He is still very much an amateur when it comes to planning. Because the only think Legosi does at this point is blindly chase and hope to catch up. Much like a real wolf chasing prey. With that in mind, Melon is the chess master who knows every tactic strategy in chess, and Legosi is the novice who only knows the basic rules.
Now for the socio-politcal thesis for Melon escaping Legosi for a 3rd time
As for the third confrontation. It really isn't much of a specific train of thought. More so a general fact about the beastars world and how high the racial barriers are there. Because yes, the cops here in this occasion have both a case of the big dumb, where they are basically storm troopers in terms of effectiveness. And when it comes to evading police, as well as luring victems. As a hybrid, Melon has no choice but to know how to exploit racial prejudices to his advantage. Where he would always have "Pose as a gazelle escape plan" tucked away in his head. Because with the fact that racial profiling is so strong and systematic against carnivores. Considering that for a Carnivore, getting into an argument with a Herbivore is enough to get them arrested. It makes Melons disguise just that much more effective.
Of course, one would think. "How could police in Ch. 151 be this dumb? Can they at least pause for a second to hear Legosi out?" Well, if you look at history. Particularly in my home country in the US. the Police automatically assuming Legosi is at fault and trying to eat Melon. Wouldn't be to far from reality.
It's much like how in America when we think of "Man robs a convenience store" people subconsciously think of a Black man, in a ghetto neighborhood. But rarely do they ever think of a rich-white spoiled teenager robbing a convenience store in a rich neighborhood. And if you go further back in American history, you have even worse examples of racial profiling and police brutality against minorities like the L.A. race riots in the 1990s, and even further back ever after the civil rights act was passed in 1964, police would often actively frame members of many Black political rights activists. Hell, the reverse is true as well. If i say Cop, you would think of a white guy, if i say racists, you would think of a bunch of white guys. But back to the main point.
With the level systemic racism against carnivores. Think of Legosi and Haru running away from the cops. And that law enforcement is so fixated against predators. Much like how in the 1960s the police had a very strong "Law and orde don't do the crime if you can't do the time" mentality would brutally crack-down on African Americans. Police in Beastars would never bat an eye at a herbivore or think they were guilty. Or they would catch a herbivore in the act. But then give a herbivore the slip, letting them off the hook. It would be bad writing if Melon didn't take advantage of this, bolting for the city center knowing that police would go after Legosi instead of himself . Especially considering how many times the police would leave Melon alone after questioning. By that point, it's common sense melon would know about the racial-prejudices in the Beastars society.
As with the rest of the story. Racism is a very present obstacle Legosi has to navigate when catching Melon, and an obstacle Melon would use to put in Legosi's way. But cops being dumb isn't just plot armor to allow Melon to get away. Neither is Melon tricking Legosi for a second time by the ocean plot armor also, and still falls within realistic boundaries. Now i know that those two moments are there to mainly spur Legosi's development. But to say melon constantly escaping is a bad thing, i just believe flat out not true, and for Legosi to realistically catch a criminal like Melon. It has to happen this way, where the only way gets to a level where he could catch Melon. He needs to fail multiple times, in reality it's only realistic. In the end, the Melon arc is really a mental chess match between Melon and Legosi. And this chess match, going week by week for each chapter looks drawn out. But im certain once it comes to an end, and then once the anime catches up to the Melon Arc, it would feel much more gripping and compelling than waiting every week for the manga.
submitted by In the beginning, everything was absolutely perfect. He was exactly the boyfriend I have always dreamed of. He is the kindest, sweetest, affectionate, and most loyal boyfriend I ever had. He calls me the most beautiful girl in the world, his angel, and his goddess. All of our dates were amazing and he treats me like a princess. I met his parents, stepmom, and his two friends, who are all very nice people (he hasn’t met my family and friends yet due to coronavirus). We are both huge movie buffs and we like to discuss every movie we’ve seen, unleashing our inner film critics. I was on cloud nine. Since the lockdown, we haven’t been seeing each other in person so we text and/or FaceTime everyday. As we start to get to know each other a little more, I’m starting to notice some red flags popping out at me.
Early in the relationship, he told me that he has several mental illnesses: ADHD, anxiety, depression, PTSD from a nonfatal car accident in early childhood, and possibly bipolar based on his black and white thinking. I really appreciated him opening up his problems to me and I was more than happy to help in any way. He’s also hostile towards his dad and stepmom and he claims that their kindness towards me is just a facade (although he does seem to get along with his mom pretty well).
Later on, he admitted that he has only dated two other women before me and neither relationship lasted longer than three months. From the start of our relationship, he has been very clingy and borderline obsessed with me. He hopes to be engaged by this Christmas (we’ve known each other for less than a year). He has been asking me questions regarding marriage, children, living together and even if I wanted to be buried or cremated after I die. No joke.
What concerns me the most is how he’s so obsessed with violence. His favorite movies include: Scarface, Anything with the Joker, Kill Bill, House of 1000 Corpses, and the The Halloween Series. He recently admitted that one of his guilty pleasures is watching graphic torture movies, which I absolutely despise. I do enjoy some scary movies but I just can’t deal with extreme graphic violence. I should have seen this a lot sooner than I did. I’m also alarmed of how he idolizes the Joker (the Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix versions), who is his all-time favorite movie character. He has a big Joker tattoo on one of his forearms, a couple of Joker-related posters adorn his bedroom walls, and he frequently quotes both of these Jokers. Sometimes he laughs when he recites them. He seems to really enjoy the death scenes, especially ones that involve mass killings.
Just before the lockdown, we decided to watch the Joker (2019) together at his place. He loudly laughed when the Joker fatally shoots a character in the head, with blood splattering everywhere. I didn’t think much of it at first since I assumed that it was nervous laughter but now I’m not so sure. He also said that he doesn’t care for Batman or any other superheroes and he seems to love the idea of a movie when the Joker defeats and/or kills any members of the Justice League. When I asked him why he’s so enamored with the Joker, he told me that he’s an excellent example of not caring about what others think of you and that he looks up to him. This is driving me crazy.
Thankfully, nothing bad has happened yet and he still acts like the kind and gentle boyfriend who I love. I am starting to have second thoughts about our relationship and my feelings for him have changed. My cop uncle even checked for any criminal records but nothing was found. I don’t want to end the relationship just yet, but I’m very worried about his behavior. The most heartbreaking part is that I’m still in love with the sweet, caring guy I’ve always known. I really hate to break someone’s heart like that, especially someone who’s madly in love with me. But, I’m honestly scared to dump him because I have no idea how he’ll handle it.
I feel like I’m dating two very different guys at the same time. I understand that lots of men like violent movies and/or video games but he seems to take it to the next level. It’s so hard to believe such a sweet, sensitive, loving guy like him would be so obsessed with brutal violence. Should I be concerned about this?
submitted by I would like this to be in color (as that's what I'm planning for the actual tattoo), but I'm willing to look at black and white sketch work to get an idea too.
It's something of a crossover between a few characters/movies.
Cheshire cat (the live action, teal and gray one) Cheshire cat (American McGee's Alice video game) Joker (the Heath Ledger version from The Dark Knight)
Optional quote(s) that could be added/included:
"Why so serious?" "Were all mad here" Others would be potentially discussable.
How I came to want this if it helps for some design inspiration:
I've like Alice in Wonderland for a long time, cheshire cat is my favorite. Teal is my favorite color. As for the video game cat, I like the style, it's dark and unique as far as cheshire cat goes. I also really like Batman, in particular the Dark Knight rendition. One time I watched the film and the scene where Joker refers to himself as a "dog chasing cars" seemed to click for me.
In essence it's kind of the dog vs cat parallel, and the general lack of sanity, also the large smiles on the characters.
I'm really hoping to get a feel for what other people come up with for these characters and how to fit them into one piece.
submitted by Part 5 Sorry for the long absence. I’ve mostly come back due to a huge number of redditors sending me messages, including
this member, others asking about
this thread,
this thread, and a number of others who claim to have come into contact with Butcherface or his media, as well as others wanting to know more about what‘s been happening. A few of them have even somehow gotten a hold of my email and have been sending me questions and notes about Butcherface and his followers. The thing is, I’ve been trying to stay away from him and his media. I’m going to continue my story mostly because you guys have asked for it. Strange stuff is still happening and I’m hoping that recounting these events may be “therapeutic”. But, in saying that, I haven’t, and wont be, deciphering Butcherface’s messages and media for the most part. You guys are welcome to do it, though. I also will not give proof, as in pictures or articles surrounding these events. Sorry. I just wont.
And, sorry about the length. This may be the longest chapter yet.
After the events at the end of the previous chapter, almost five months ago, my life has changed a lot, and I have been dragged deeper down the “rabbit hole”. The morning after Chris claimed I was falling under Butcherface’s spell, we went outside and found “They all wound, and the last one kills" gouged into the wall of our house in the backyard. I then made my way into the woods to retrieve my car. The back window and the windshield were spared, but all of the other windows had been smashed.“10 is time to tell a tale” was also scratched into the passenger-side door. Shortly after this, Chris essentially stopped talking to me. I occasionally chatted with his ex, but it always seemed strained. The worst part was that Emma would refuse to come over after being chased by Butcherface, or one of his followers, in the previous chapter. Thankfully, she was still willing to see me and I’d hang out at her house. I hadn’t been sleeping very well, though. It didn’t seem to be my normal case of insomnia. Usually, I would just lay in bed and not be able to fall asleep. But, now, I felt like there was some thought gnawing at the back of my mind. It was like I was forgetting something. This would make me feel restless and I’d pace back and forth around the house. I would sometimes take a sleeping pill, but I didn‘t like to use them too often after the last time I used one.
After a few days of doing this, I started feeling cooped up in the house and started taking walks outside at night. The problem is that these nightly strolls would ultimately lead to me staying up later and later. This obviously led to me waking up later and being late to work on more than one occasion. Chris was also spending less time at the house. I had no clue where he was going at the time. One night, shortly after this, I had been taking one of my nightly walks when I, all of a sudden, realized I had walked farther than I ever had up to that point and found myself at the town park. It is small, with the generic assortment of playground recreational equipment (swingset, seesaw, sandbox, merry-go-round, etc). I sat on one of the swings and started tossing small rocks at a nearby tree. I eventually got into it and really started throwing them at it. I actually found myself hacking into it with a sharp rock. I was disrupted by the sound of a car door slamming across the street. I stepped behind the tree and watched as a couple were getting out of their car and sat on a porch swing near their front door and started talking. I decided I wanted to listen to their conversation, just for the hell of it and snuck to a tree nearer to their location. I quickly got bored with their conversation and got more interested in finding out how close to them I actually could get. So, I doubled back to the first tree I was throwing rocks at and made my way into the woods and turned back in their direction. Getting back to the road, I could see them off in the distance, being out of their view in the dark. I ran across the street and made it to their backyard. Sneaking around to the backdoor, I jiggled the doorknob just out of curiosity and actually found it unlocked but left it alone since I don’t break into houses… that aren’t connected to Butcherface. So, I continued around the opposite side of the house and got to the porch, right next to the couple. They still didn’t know I was right next to them. It was at this point that I realized I still had the sharp rock that I was using to hack into the tree in my hand. I quietly dropped it into the grass and was relieved that they didn’t hear it, but I was interrupted by clattering behind me with loud barking. I spun around and found a big dog barking at me from a window that was right next to me. It scared the crap out of me and I just booked it into the woods and ran all the way home.
I didn’t make it home that night until about 4:30 in the morning and I didn’t get up until around noon. I was extremely late for work and tried to get there as soon as possible. I stupidly tried to just sneak in, but my boss found me almost immediately, said I had been coming in to work late too much and I should just go home. An anger welled up in me. I now realize that that anger was already there and had just gotten stronger at that moment. I was angry almost all the time at this point in time. But, I held it in and just walked out. Although, I did flip off the security camera at the door on my way out. I spent the rest of the day watching TV until Chris got home and I informed him that I had been fired. He wasn’t too happy about me losing my job, saying I wouldn’t be able to pay rent. We had a fight and he stormed out, saying he needed to cool down. This was pretty normal around this time, he barely spent any time at the house. Though, I still didn’t know where he was going, which piqued my curiosity, and a couple days later, I followed him and found out he was going to his ex’s house. I got the distinct feeling that she wasn’t exactly his ex anymore. Although, I wasn’t happy that he felt he had to hide that from me. A few days after this, after getting home from looking for a new job and getting the mail, I found that one of the letters had writing smeared across it in what appeared to be either red paint or nail polish. All it said was “The line was crossed at 9“. It was another random message that seemed out of character from Butcherface. But, it was even more random for him.
Feeling alone and still strongly interested in Butcherface, I stopped looking for a new job and essentially became a recluse. I hadn’t left the house for a week and a half, hadn’t seen Chris for even longer than that, and hadn’t seen Emma for almost two weeks, that’s when I decided to go back to the house we found in the previous chapter, which we started calling the “House of Butcherface“. I wanted to know what was in the box we found in the barn. I left just as the sun was setting. Once getting there, I glanced through one of the windows of the house. It was dark, and it appeared mostly the same, except for what looked like hundreds of two foot strands of yarn of multiple colors hanging from the ceiling. I had no interest in entering and exploring the house further. I walked around the house and headed straight for the barn. Opening the door, it also appeared to mostly be the same, the brick “tree” was still there, except for more art on the walls, the bright lights were no longer on, and the glass sculpture that resembled fire was also missing. But, the box was still there. It was in another position, as if it had been moved, though. I walked right up to it and reached for it, but froze. My hand was inches from it, but I start thinking about why I was doing it. I realized I had fallen into his trap. This is what he wanted me to do. I was acting just like Chris was when he was obsessed, maybe even worse. I left the barn and walked into the field that sits behind it. It was dark now and the field was full of fireflies. I started pacing around it, much like I had been doing previous nights, but this time it was because I was deep in thought. I realized that my interest in Butcherface was displaced. I had been doing exactly what we said Butcherface wanted us to do. To become obsessed with what his message was and follow him in an attempt to find out what the answer was. I still had questions, though. The obvious one being what his message was. It was at that point that I realized that I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. I then thought of another question. We’ve gone to multiple places that we suspected Butcherface was living in or had been living in, but we never caught him by surprise. We’ve never walked into a dilapidated house and found him snoring away on a pile of trash. It’s as if he always knew we were going to be at one of his hideouts. I then remembered the hidden cameras we had found around our house a while back. Was he still watching us? I then got a chill down my spine when I realized he could be watching me right then. I suddenly felt extremely exposed at that moment, in the middle of the field. I looked into the dark woods that surrounded the field and got the overwhelming feeling I was being watched. That’s when I decided I didn’t want to do this anymore. Butcherface hadn’t helped any of us. I was done with him.
A couple days later, I had just gotten home from looking for another job and found Chris girlfriend’s car in our driveway. I pulled up just as she was stepping out of it. It turned out she was meeting Chris after work. We walked into the house and I told her about what happened at the House of Butcherface, but admitted that trying to get away from the obsession wasn’t easy. I was still finding myself thinking about it a lot. Having ADD, I’m used to having my attention wander, but it was happening more than usual and was automatically focusing on trying to decipher Butcherface media. She said that it may be time to admit that I needed help. I instinctively got mad, but then realized she was right. I apprehensively agreed, but admitted that I had no idea where to start. She then told me that she had had a psychiatrist while in high school. I asked if it worked and she said it really did and she didn’t even have to see the doctor anymore after a while and she agreed to give me the doctor’s number. Chris came home soon after and they left without saying a word. She gave me the number the next day and I set up an appointment.
A week later, I was sitting in the doctor’s office. Lets call him Dr. Fidem. It started very awkward, with him asking a bunch of probing questions. I told him everything, finding the Butcherface media, the stalking, the break-ins, Chris’ obsession, Jesse’s falling toward obsession, the House of Butcherface, my growing obsession with Butcherface, and other problems. He would just nod and jot something down on a pad of paper. We then had a good, long, talk. I’m not sure if he believed any of it, but he prescribed me Zoloft and we set up monthly sessions. As I was leaving, he asked me if I could produce any proof of Butcherface. I said I didn’t think that was a good idea, but he said he just wanted something to corroborate my story. I set off for home feeling good. I felt like I was taking a step closer to being free from Butcherface for good. My life was getting too dark. I was looking forward to hanging out with my friends and girlfriend again, instead of falling into dark analysis of some psycho’s art. Then, I pulled into my driveway and found my front door wide open. I cautiously got out of the car and walked to the open door and saw wide streaks of some dark red liquid leading from the door, through the living room, and down the hallway toward my room. I slowly followed it through the house and found it led to the room next to my bedroom, where I keep my collections of movie memorabilia and sword collection, with the door slightly ajar. I kicked the door open, not wanting to be jumped by someone on the other side, and found the room empty. The red streaks led into the room, took a right turn and stopped close to the wall and ended in a circle smeared onto the carpet. Sitting in the center of the circle was the box that was in the barn at the House of Butcherface. Crudely written in red on the wall above it was “Count to 8 at the last gate”. An empty can of paint sat tipped over in the corner in a pool of dark red paint. My collection of swords had been stabbed into the wall as well, with the blades jutting out of the other side of the wall, in my room, where my head would be on my bed. I picked up the box and brought it into the living room. Putting it on the coffee table, I sat on the couch and just stared at it, fighting every urge to open it. One side of my brain kept saying “Just a peek. It wont hurt anything”. The other half kept bringing up the fact that I just came back from a therapist’s session in an attempt to stop this obsession. I really don’t know how long I sat there, staring. It literally could have been hours. But, I ultimately decided to put it on the floor and slide it under the coffee table, deciding to figure out what to do with it later. Although, while sliding the box under the table, I noticed some writing on it’s back. I turned it around and found “Fratres Rutilus Phasma” carved into the wood.
The Zoloft Dr. Fidem gave me wasn’t fun. I was pretty much stoned off my ass because of the serotonin flood, which was a feeling I wasn’t a fan of. I just kept giving feelings that Butcherface was watching me. Infact, the first time I took it, I was sitting on the couch in the living room and seem to remember seeing the front door slowly open, and that’s it. The memory fades out after that. Although, I slowly got used to it. After a while, when I decided it was working for me, I made plans to go to dinner with Emma at an expensive restaurant in the city. I hadn’t seen her for a while and we wanted to celebrate, of sorts, my transition away from Butcherface. Just as I was walking out the door, I got a call from Jesse, who I hadn’t seen since we found the Butcherface mask in his desk. He wanted to meet up for dinner as well. I told him my plans with Emma and he said we should meet him at his loft, which is in the city as well, and added that he had a much more interesting activity planned. I was apprehensive, but agreed to do it. After picking up Emma and arriving at Jesse’s loft, he jumped into the drivers seat and told us our destination was a surprise. We were nervous, but we agreed to go. As a side-note, this was actually the first time Emma and Jesse had met. During the drive, he talked the whole trip. Just about random topics, art projects, new tattoos, people we didn’t know, altering his Bane mask to make it his own, and something about an underground art exhibit.
After a while, he said “We’re here” and turned around a corner, into the parking lot of a zoo. It was 10 o’clock at night. What are we going to do at a zoo this late? He got us out of the car and as we walked to the gate, he called someone on his phone and only said “Hey, we’re here” and hung up. After waiting at the gate for a minute, we were met by a man me nor Emma knew, but who was friends with Jesse. He opened the gate and escorted us through the zoo and opened a gate sitting in the back, letting us into an area intended for employees only. It was at this point that I started to get really nervous. I could tell Emma was nervous too. This was beginning to feel like a bad idea. We were then ushered into a large, grey, cube-like building full of people. A balcony above our heads was also full of people. There were large doors on the opposite wall and I believe this is where they usually kept the elephants, but instead, the large cement floor was made into a makeshift racetrack. Animal noises could be heard in a room nearby. Jesse had been chatting with his friend the whole time and we were still confused as to what was going on. We had apparently gotten there just in time because the door to the room making the animal noises soon opened up and a number of people walked out with small monkeys on their shoulders and directing a group of small pigs toward the racetrack. The entire building burst into applause. I grabbed Jesse by the shoulder and spun him toward us and asked what the hell was going on. He informed us that most of the people here worked at the zoo and they had trained the monkeys to ride the pigs like little horses. It was a very “What the hell?” moment, but I must admit that I wanted to see it. The riders were placed on their steeds in the racetrack and money began quickly changing hands. Everyone began chanting “Three!”, “Two!”, “One!”, “Go!” and someone blew a blow horn, which echoed in the large building, and the riders were off. The whole building burst into more applause as the race began. After making three laps around the track, the race finished and the animals were given treats, picked up and brought back into the room, only to be replaced by a new group of pigs and monkeys. This continued for about two hours. One of the winning monkeys even raised his fist in triumph, as if he knew he had won, and everyone cheered. We lost Jesse in the commotion after a while, but we continued to watch the games. Shortly after I realized Jesse’s absence, his friend who greeted us at the gate tapped me on the shoulder and said “Your friend asked me to give you this” while handing me a folded piece of ripped paper. Expecting it to be from Jesse, I unfolded it and found “7 Gateways have already been opened, and not to heaven” written on it at a steep angle. I quickly asked him who gave him the note. He pointed over some heads and into the crowd, saying “He did”, and after a pause added “Oh, he’s gone”. Looking around, he said “I’ll see if I can find him” and left. I grabbed Emma by the hand and led her through the crowd to the wall near the door we came in, so we could have something against our back and called Jesse. He picked up and the first thing I asked him was if he had asked his friend to give me a note. It was hard to hear him through all of the commotion in the room, but he said no. I then told him we were leaving. He asked for us to stay, but I refused, and since we were his ride, he agreed to leave too. Me and Emma then went ahead with our original plans, to have a dinner at a nice restaurant. The problem was that most of them were closed at midnight and we ended up at a McDonalds, where the mood soon lightened. We were laughing and telling stories. Emma lighten up to Jesse too, and they seemed to get along. The night ended on a better note than it started and we all agreed to hang out again.
About a week or so later, I was back in Dr. Fidem’s office. He said he really wanted to find the source of my obsession. Finding the source could help in aiding my recovery. He went on to say that an obsession, or fixation, can often have a sexual connotation, which made me thoroughly uncomfortable. He most likely noticed this and went on to mention the images in Butcherface’s media being violent. Violence has deep sexual connections, such as sadomasochism, which is getting sexual gratification by causing pain to yourself or others, as well as rape, which is actually more of a form of control than being sexual. After a while my gaze had made it’s way to looking at the floor. It was getting close to the end of the session and the conversation had gotten really deep. I heard him open and close a drawer from his desk and I glanced up at him to see a burlap mask looking back at me. I gave out a yell and instinctively began climbing up the back of the couch, trying to get away. He quickly took off the mask and calmed me down, explaining that he had made the mask out of the description I had given of it during our first session and was attempting to use it as a part of the therapy. A sort of "curing arachnophobia with spiders" kind of thing. He ended the session by asking if I had any evidence of Butcherface, like he asked during our first session. I showed him the envelope and ripped paper I had gotten over the past few weeks as well as pictures of the writing on my car and wall at my house, and left. Later that day, Chris’ brother, Evan, stopped by, looking for Chris, who was still spending most of his time away from the house. I told him he’d most likely be around soon and said he should wait for him. We sat down in the living room and I told him about my therapist sessions and Emma, who he still hadn’t met. It turned out he was finally moving out of his parents house. He still wasn’t sure where, yet. I asked if he wanted a drink and went into the kitchen. I was filling up a glass of soda when he asked “Hey, what’s in here?” I asked what he was talking about and he answered “This box under the coffee table”. I realized he was talking about Butcherface’s box I had slid under the coffee table a while back. I dropped the glass I was filling with soda, causing it to shatter on the floor, and ran back to the living room, to find Evan looking into the open box. From my angle, I couldn’t see into it. He looked at me and asked “What the hell is this?” I tried to stammer an answer, but didn’t have one. He then added “This is that box Chris told me about, isn’t it. The one you guys found at that house?” I tried telling him I found it and I haven’t looked in it. He slammed the box shut, got a disgusted look on his face, stood up, and headed for the door. I tried to explain, but he was already out the door, getting to his car. Finally, out of anything else to say, I asked what was in the box, but he slammed the car door and drove away. I turned around and slowly walked back to the box. Something in it had made Evan leave. I reached out and grabbed the latch that had been closed when Evan slammed the box shut, and froze. I stood there for a second, said “Nope”, picked up the box and threw it into the trash.
A couple days later, while I was out, still looking for a job, I got a call from Dr. Fidem asking if I had come across anymore Butcherface media. I awkwardly said no and he said “Okay” and hung up. Pulling into my driveway, I found my trash canister tipped over into the street with the trash bags ripped open and garbage strewn all over the street. I poked through the trash and noticed that Butcherface’s box was now missing. I spent the next fifteen minutes ignoring the glares of people driving by, and removing the trash from the street. I finally got into the house, made myself a lunch, mindlessly took my meds. I tried not thinking about the missing box and what was in it. It was just another attempt at a push by Butcherface to follow him. The good thing about that it that it shows he knows he’s losing. I soon began to feel lightheaded. It got worse and I couldn’t keep my balance anymore. My head felt too heavy to hold up and my fingers got numb. Thankfully, I was sitting on my couch and I fell sideways, lying flat-out on the couch. I had just enough coherence to glance at the coffee table and notice my medication and realize someone had switched it with some sort of sedative. Everything then faded to black. I don’t know how long I was out, but I did momentarily gain consciousness and found myself lying on a dirt floor of a dark room. I could hear some people screaming off in the distance, as if in a fight. I opened my eyes to find the girl we saw on Chris’ ex’s camera we named False Face about ten feet away from me. Her hair was now short and red, and she was wearing a papier-mâché mask that resembled Heath Ledger’s Joker makeup in The Dark Knight, white with black circles around the eyes with a big, wide, red grin. A glint of metal caught my eye and I looked to her hands and saw that they were covered in a strange assortment of small metal bars that came together to form metallic gloves with four or five inch metal claws extending off the fingers. She was dressed in a pink tutu, which was fitting because she slowly ballet dancing, as if the screaming was music to dance to. It’s needless to say that she was too busy to notice that I was awake, but it didn’t matter because I lost consciousness again. I seem to remember muffled talking, an animalistic screeching sound, being moved again, and the sound of a door slamming. I gained consciousness again and found myself in an even darker room. A faint glow dimly lit the room around me, and it looked familiar. I tried to sit up and found something heavy on my face. I reached up and felt something metal was over my head. There were eyeholes and various shapes protruding from it. I realized it was a mask. I sat up, slipped the heavy mask off my head, and found myself back in the Butcherface’s barn. I was lying on a thick wooden table sitting up against the brick tree that’s in the middle of the room. I looked in front of me and saw that the faint glow was coming from a laptop on the tall crate we originally found the mysterious box on. I looked at the mask in the dim light and saw that it was chunks of rusted metal welded together into the shape of a pig’s head, with sharp, spear-like points for ears and a bent metal cylinder for the nose. Throwing the mask onto the floor, I set my hands on the table, ready to heave myself off of it, and felt something under my hand. I picked it up and noticed it was Chris’ girlfriend’s camera. I put the camera in my pocket and slid off the table and made my way to the laptop. It was open to the Butcherface website me, Chris, and his ex, saw in the previous chapter. It was on a page that had pictures of people wearing masks of different designs. I began scrolling down the page and it just kept going. Picture after picture rolled by, but I stopped at one. It resembled a Bane mask, but different enough that most people probably wouldn’t have even recognized it as a Bane mask. The only reason why I knew it was is because it was Jesse’s Bane mask.
I pushed the laptop off the crate, causing it to fall to the floor, the screen going black. I just wanted to get the hell out of there. Still feeling lightheaded, I stumbled across the barn to the doors and attempted to push them open, but they were locked. I stood there, trying to think of a way to get the doors open, maybe a tool, or I could try kicking it. Then I remembered the hatch in the floor I noticed in the previous chapter. I found it in the darkness and pulled it open and climbed down the flight of stairs. It was pitch-black in that basement. I couldn’t see my hand right in front of my face. I took a step forward and bumped into something wooden. I wasn’t going to get out of here without some light. I then remembered the camera in my pocket. I turned it on. Remembering what had happened previously with this camera, I checked to see if any pictures had been left on it. The first one was a hand holding a piece of paper in the shot. One the paper was crudely taped words cut from magazines. All it said was “The 6 will fix”. I deleted it and saw that the rest of the pictures were normal pictures of Chris’ girlfriend. I then used the flash of it to light my way through the basement, which appeared like a maze. Crates and trash was stacked up, creating makeshift walls that twisted and turned, never going in one direction for very long. Trash and other objects littered the floor, like mannequins, old clothing, furniture, objects also hung from the ceiling by string. Logs with the bark still on them were used as pillars, to prop the barn above it. The basement seemed to have been dug out, widening what was essentially a cave, now. I don’t really know how big it actually was, since I could only get what I saw through the split-second flashes of the camera. With all of the corners and stuff leaning against the crude walls, it was very confusing. I came to dead ends many times and had to go back. These things also created shadows in the flashing light as if I had caught something moving. I had the feeling of being watched even more. It’s like that feeling you get when you have to keep your eyes closed while washing your hair in the shower. That feeling that something is standing right behind you. I was getting nervous, making myself more lost. I tried to push a wall of crates over, but it was surprisingly sturdy. I remember turning around a corner and finding an ornately carved bookcase blocking my path. There was only one book on the shelf. It looked extremely old and was falling apart. I picked it up and looked at the worn cover and the title was “Ad Vertere Rutilus Phasma”. I put the book back on the shelf and went back the way I came. I found a straight pathway along the dirt wall that led through a doorway dug in the dirt that descended deeper into the ground and around a corner to somewhere larger and darker. I backtracked and followed the dirt wall until I was cut off by another wall of crates and followed that. Getting to it’s end, I turned the corner and finally saw a beam of moonlight shining from around another corner. I ran around the corner and found the door. I ran up a small flight of stairs and threw the door open, finding myself finally outside, in the woods near the barn.
Finally being free of whatever labyrinth I just emerged from, I avoided the House of Butcherface, which appeared to have some sort of faint firelight coming out of the windows, and ran to the road and started walking in the direction of home. That walk would have taken days without a car, so I called the only person who was talking to me, and was actually close enough to pick me up, Chris’ girlfriend. I continued walking until she pulled up and picked me up. On the drive home, I told her what happened, and how I ended up back at the House of Butcherface, admitting that it did seem suspicious, but I truly was trying to stay away from him. Butcherface wasn’t making it easy. I don’t think he was trying to kidnap me. He knew exactly what I would do and what I would find. It was obvious that he wasn’t done with me either. She asked how it was going with Dr. Fidem and I brought up the strange call I had gotten from him the day before, and I noticed a nervous look on her face. I gave back her camera, which she didn’t even know was missing and thanked her for picking me up. She smiled and said it was no problem, and added that she wanted to get me and Chris talking again.
The next day, she successfully got me and him in a room together, where I told him everything that had happened and showed that I truly was trying to fight it. I also told him about his brother’s visit and he said he’d check in on him. At one point, I noticed that Chris’ girlfriend was acting distant again and when she left to go to the bathroom, I asked Chris what her problem was, since we had gotten along so well the night before. He told me that after she had dropped me off at home and drove herself home, she got curious and looked at the pictures I had taken while using the camera’s flash to find my way out of the barn’s basement and found something in some of them that she thought was disturbing. I asked what it was and he told me he didn’t know. I didn’t believe him and told him to tell me what she found. He said he was telling the truth and really didn’t know. When she came back, I asked her what she found in the pictures. She looked at Chris disappointedly and said it wasn’t important. I stood up and demanded she show me the pictures. She told me I was getting obsessed again and it would help if I stopped trying to see them, and added she deleted them anyway. I knew she was right and calmed myself down. Me and Chris began talking about Butcherface again, not as obsessed possible disciples, but as two people who had gotten a deep understanding about how strange, and interesting, it can be the deeper you go. We still wondered how he draws people in, deciding that the better we understand the obsession, the better we can fight it. Our original assumption was that his media and attacks were a sort of brainwashing. But, brainwashing requires a constant sleep deprivation, partial sensory deprivation, psychological harassment, and group social pressure. Butcherface’s actions had all of this, but it could be spread out over weeks, even months. For brainwashing to work, these actions would have to be done constantly, almost nonstop, and behind closed doors. His media seemed to be more of a subtle encouragement or persuasion to change his potential disciples psychology, with some pushes by Butcherface and his friends. He wants everyone to WANT to wonder what his message is and his media is the way to do that. He liked to repetitively use the CV symbol to drill something familiar into our minds, like some sort of brand symbol or logo. That’s when I realized it. Butcherface isn’t using his media to brainwash people, he’s advertising. But, what is he promoting? Personally, I don’t want to know.
Part 7 coming soon.
submitted by Summary – Top 5 Kids Name Tattoo Designs. So in this article we have shown you 101 name tattoo designs for men that you should have a look at. Whether an arm tattoo, chest tattoo or back tattoo. Whether you are planning to book your tattoo appointment soon or just getting ideas this list of 101 tattoos will help you choose.. The Joker Why So Serious Chest Tattoo 12. Heath Ledger Joker Tattoo on Side: Heath Ledger’s face has been inked on several hundred bodies now, so this design isn’t something unique or new. Yet, it sends a chill down your spin every time you look at it. it sports Heath Ledger’s face, holding a joker card with his famous joker expression all over his face. Joker Tattoo From The Cards. The joker card tattoo can be exactly as it is called. A card with a joker on it. This is perfect for anyone who loves the strategy that comes with playing a card game. Add some shading to the card to give it more depth. The whole tattoo can be done in black and white with the word Joker written on the side of the card. Nov 24, 2019 - Explore Barry Von-Breen's board "Joker Tattoos" on Pinterest. See more ideas about joker tattoo, joker, tattoos. Jul 9, 2017 - Explore Tattoomaze's board "The Joker Tattoo Drawings", followed by 9825 people on Pinterest. See more ideas about joker tattoo, tattoo drawings, joker. It sports Heath Ledger’s face, holding a joker card with his famous expression all over his face. The tattoo being totally black adds to the charm. Placement Suggestions. The chest is one of those best places to get tattoos. The design looks complex going by the features utilized and how they connect. Joker Dragon Tattoo. The dragon is an ... This joker tattoo is in black and white. It shows the face of the Joker, grinning. He has on the typical hat of the court jester or the clown, with balls at the end. There are lines at the ends of his eyes and he is seen to be bearing his teeth with malicious satisfaction. Indeed, he is an evil Joker. 4. Beautiful Heath Ledger Joker Portrait Tattoo On Arm. Amazing Heath Ledger Joker Tattoo On Half Sleeve. Awesome Heath Ledger Joker Tattoo On Right Sleeve. Back Shoulder Heath Ledger Joker Tattoo. Black Eyes Red Lips Heath Ledger Joker Tattoo. Color Ink Heath Ledger Joker Tattoo On Shoulder. Colored Heath Ledger Joker Face Tattoo On Leg If you are looking for Sketch black and white heath ledger joker drawing you've come to the right place. We have collect images about Sketch black and white heath ledger joker dra
The Joker is the archenemy and symbolic antithesis of the Dark Knight first introduced in the 1940 Debut issue of Batman. The character was the main villain ... With Joaquin Phoenix joker movie out I have found some of the rarest clips of heath ledger joker acting behind the scenes.https://www.moviehdkh.com/movies/in... Another Joke Murray? I have created this video using DF. Enjoy*Channel description* BbyZone is a channel that provides unique videos, game mods, high quality... Start listening with a 30-day Audible trial. Choose 1 audiobook and 2 Audible Originals absolutely free. Visit https://www.audible.com/nerdstalgic or text ne... Hand drawn, hand painted Joker pop art painting using acrylic paints onto canvas. For business enquiries please contact me at [email protected] To keep up ... Time lapse of me transforming Heath Ledger's portrait with Photoshop. I do not own the copyright for the background music. For anyone interested, this is a small novelette I wrote about a Western with a drunken hero that has to save a bunch of Chinese immigrants by learning Drunk... Hit the like Button And Subscribe to my Channel. Another black and white drawing, Heath Ledger as the Joker. Please rate and comment! Materials: a standard HB pencil and a black marker (I believe it's called an indian ink pen? I dunno). Draw ... How The Dark Knight's iconic villain came to be (and what it cost).For more awesome content, check out: http://whatculture.com/ Follow us on Facebook at: htt...
