Next Door Villain

Tiana embodies Two-Face by doing a coin toss to decide whether to do a good or bad action. Questions arise like - Is there duality of good and evil within you? What if manipulation has its positive moments? Mental health, the shadow self, loving the vats of acid, & more is also discussed as we empathize with Two-Face from na na na na na na BATMAN! At the end, Tiana performs her Two-Face poem, “Two-Face Hits on You at the Bar”

The elephant military state, Bengal Tiger insights, bears that go to Coachella, who would win in a fight, and more is discussed as we empathize with the Bengal Tiger villain, Shere Khan, from Disney's The Jungle Book (1967). At the end, Tiana performs her poem, "The Creator Speaks to Shere Khan OR This poem kind of asks, are you the Bengal Tiger today?" as a way to love the Bengal Tiger and its hunt for nourishment under the sunset. 

It's officially Christmas season and we are revisiting Krampus with special guest Nicole Cooper, organizer of The Naughty Run, a Krampus themed virtual 6.66k run. Nicole combines her passion for Krampus and running in this annual event which raises money for local charities. This year they are raising money for Ursula's Cafe, a pay-what-you-can restaurant in Roanoke, VA. More information on all of these awesome things in the links below!

Would you get punished by Krampus for being naughty this year? Y'know, dragged to hell, eaten, swatted with a switch, and the like? You might have a better idea after listening to this episode. We talk: mysterious facts about Krampus, St. Nick companionship, how a little darkness in the holiday season is spicy, and much, much more. *In the tune of the song, Let's Get Physical*: Let's get devilish! Devilish! I wanna be deviliiiiish!! Also - Joe recites Tiana's juicy poem written from the perspective of Krampus.

Don’t think Janice is the villain? We agree! We defend Janice, explain why we should embrace the “annoying” parts of ourselves, talk about times we were annoying around our friends, do some good ol’ fashioned Ross-bashing (que machine-gun-fire-like laughter), & more. At the end, Joe recites Tiana’s poem, “Letter to Janice from Chandler.”   

We’re Friends fans and we’re ready to get into the nitty gritty at the Central Perk. Oh and beware of the… interesting Janice impersonations. How YOU doin’? I hope better after listening to this episode!   

So, would ya transfer your soul to a doll to survive? When was a time you spontaneously believed in something strange? We attempt to, um, empathize with and relate to Chucky, the murderous Good Guy doll from Child's Play (1988). Words were said on this podcast episode... that ended up being freaky, silly, personal, and serious all at the same time and they all revolved around a... murderous toy. Woo hoo! At the end, Tiana shares her horror poem, "A BFF Bumble Friendship Meet Up with Chucky." Disclaimer: Poem at the end of the episode is VERY HORRIFIC. Listener discretion is advised. 

With Halloween approaching soon, we're replaying an episode about one of our favorite horror movie villains. All the hormones and theories make it surprisingly easy for us to empathize with Freddy Krueger. But that's not to say he's not a killer; he's still not your average, friendly neighbor. Confidence, morality, and dreams - oh my! Also, why is it so hard to get help from adults these days? Don't let A Nightmare on Elm Street be your nightmare.

When was a time you "killed a god," or took on something much bigger than yourself? Is adopting Lady Eboshi's philosophy to have a lack of fear good for our lives? These questions and more are answered as we dive DEEP into relating to, empathizing with, and discussing Lady Eboshi from Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke! AND we do it with a special guest - Annie Prafcke from the podcast, Misfits! We also have some general discussion about the film Princess Mononoke, get real about the wilderness and coyotes (?), and have an all around great discussion that could cleanse your inner demons and hatred. At the end, we all share our own "Tinder Bio"s that we've written for Lady Eboshi (because we definitely learn more about who she is when we hear her very own Tinder Bio amiright?!). 

What would you sell your soul for? Apparently Rasputin sold his soul in order to… take out an entire royal family (kind of intense). We try to understand Rasputin from the 1997 animated film, Anastasia. Does your mouth randomly fall off your body like Rasputin’s? I hope not. We also talk: Some history about the real life Rasputin, being in limbo, and more. At the end, Tiana shares her poem written from Rasputin’s perspective - it's like a letter to Bartok, the random albino bat. 

Guest episode with Katelyn Henagin! Together, we understand the perspective of Hades from Disney’s Hercules. We talk: why Hades isn’t yucky, humor, sibling rivalry, knowing the future, what we would do if we were Hades for a day, & more. At the end, Tiana shares her poem written from the perspective of Hades called, “Hades and the Souls.”   

Katelyn Henagin is a Taurus Sun, Scorpio Moon, and Leo Rising. She is a middle child and an accidental villain. You can find her on Tik Tok, Instagram, and Twitter at @capslockndropit  

Something different this week! This week, you're listening to a podcast episode from The Super Hero Show Show called "#439: The Umbrella Academy and Best Villain of the Year"! In this episode, Joe and I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Ryan, one of the hosts of The Super Hero Show Show podcast. You'll listen to discussion about The Umbrella Academy, the best villains of the year, Harley Quinn, the Next Door Villain podcast's origin story, why we gravitate towards fictional villains, and more. We had a good time and thanks for having us on the show, The Super Hero Show Show!

OoOoh have you healed from your trauma? Vecna can tell you haven't. We talk: Vecna & vines, why music helps us get out of Vecna's grasp, how Vecna motivates you to heal your trauma, what our "Vecna songs" are, whether our chosen "Vecna songs" would also stop Vecna himself, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, & more. We try really hard to understand Vecna from Stranger Things season 4 - sometimes we understand, sometimes we don't. At the end, Tiana shares her poem written from Vecna's perspective, "Vecna in the Coffee Shop." 

Doin' weird things to mice, the greatest and harshest aspects of "the chase," a time we literally or figuratively chased someone, & more is discussed as we relate to and empathize with Tom the cat from Hanna and Barbera's Tom & Jerry. At the end, Maid Corbic recites his Tom-inspired poem, "STATE FORCES AT ANY COST" Hissssss meow. *Explosion* *Running into a swinging door that swings you into the abyss, the haunted, cold ether*

Commodus: Thumbs up or thumbs down? We talk: Commodus' list of bad things, the importance having different virtues, mind-bending Commodus quotes, & more in an effort to understand the perspective of Emperor Commodus from the film, Gladiator (2000). At the end, Tiana shares her poem, "Emperor Commodus Goes to Pizza Ranch." 

Get ready to sing like your mother depends on it. We talk: weird basement vibes in an opera house, giving in to illogical desire, what we use to hide what others don't want to see about us, & more in an effort to understand the Phantom from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, The Phantom of the Opera. In sleep he...podcasted (?) to me. At the end, Tiana shares her Phantom poem, "The Phantom of the Walmart." 

Pull the lever, baddies! We empathize with Yzma from Disney's The Emperor's New Groove. We talk: Inca Empire, what it's like to get fired like Yzma, a time we were "scary beyond all reason" & more. At the end, Tiana shares her poem written from the perspective of Yzma. 

Somebody once told us the world is gonna roll us, we ain't the sharpest tools in the shed. Neverthless, we attempt to empathize with Lord Farquaad from the Dreamworks animated film, Shrek (2001). We discuss whether or not size really matters, fairytale displacement, and the logistics of stacking 20 mattresses on top of a pea.

We revisit Cruella de Vil with special guest, Erik Thompson aka Gay Cruella. Gay Cruella embraces Cruella with all his heart and soul. He and Joe talk all about Cruella de Vil - her origin, evolution, how they empathize with the fierce lady and more.

You can find Erik on Instagram @gaycruella 

Tiana goes solo for this episode and talks about our groovy Saiyan Prince, Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z/Super. Majin Vegeta, Vegeta-related performance poetry written and performed by Tiana, what Tiana's learned from Vegeta, & more. Hhhrrahhhhh!!!!! "You may have invaded my mind and body...but there's one thing a Saiyan always keeps: his pride!"

We discuss Margaret White, AKA Carrie's mom, from the film Carrie (1976)! We talk: Telekinesis, the boys sniffin' and dating you, hyperreligiosity, things we believe in that others might find weird, and much more as we attempt to understand and relate to Margaret White. At the end, Tiana shares her horrifying poem written from Margaret's perspective. This episode is almost as horrifying as the movie Carrie itself and beware of...the blood!!!!!!!!

Heads are rolling! The Queen of Hearts from Disney's Alice in Wonderland (1951) is a red, temper-y spectacle and we love it. We talk: the wildness of the Wonderland world, failure, when there was a time we couldn't take a joke, and much more as we try to empathize with and relate to the Queen of Hearts. If you don't listen to this episode, off with your head! Just kidding. Totally kidding!! At the end, Tiana shares her acapella poem-song written from the perspective of the Queen of Hearts.
Disclaimer: This episode was recorded on March 26, a day before the 94th Academy Awards. When we talk about "taking a joke" in the episode, we are in no way implying any opinions about the actions of Will Smith or Chris Rock. Lol. 

Special guest episode with Annie Prafcke, host of Misfits! Annie and I relate to, empathize with, and learn from O-Ren Ishii from Kill Bill Vol. 1. Cottonmouth has sliced and diced our minds in more ways than we thought. Wooooeeee. We talk: O-Ren Ishii and identity, violence as a way to maintain power, Tarantino, what our villainous traits are, and much more. At the end, we share haiku and tanka poetry written about and from the perspective of O-Ren!

Annie Prafcke is a writer and podcaster based in Austin, TX. Her most recent podcast is called Misfits, a show about people who feel like black sheep in their communities because of their identities.

Hello, Hap. Special guest episode! I, Tiana, talk with mega-passionate-fan-of-The-OA, Mandy Paris, about the real evil scientist, Hap from The OA! We talk: the necessity of Hap, the implications of finding out what happens after you die, what YOUR "shadow" is, OA shenanigans, and much much more. Plus we share a poem written from the perspective of Hap! #SaveTheOA 

Mandy Paris is a a wedding photographer and marketing and communications professional based in Minneapolis, MN. To take a look at her amazing (oftentimes OA-inspired) photography and book a session with her, check out https://mandyparis.com/. Her Instagram is @mandyparisphotography. Episode cover art of Hap is also done by the amazing Mandy Paris. 

What would you do if your toys just, like, came alive? We answer what we'd do & we discuss: blowing toys up, where smithereens go, what toys we would be, weird activism vibes from Sid, and more all in an effort to empathize with and relate to our favorite punk-kid-that-blows-toys-up, Sid from Toy Story. Things get silly and weird. "Time for lift off!" - Sid 

We discuss Alien aka Xenomorph from Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986); we reference Prometheus (2012) a tad. We try to relate to, understand, and empathize with Alien from our perspective and get creepy! We talk: cats, a mother's rage, placing human-like emotions onto beings like Alien, and much more. Can Alien have human emotions? Should Alien be considered an animal like those on Earth? Uhhhh we get into some weird discussion.

In this episode, we feature a hard-hitting poem written from the perspective of Alien and Echidna from Greek Mythology and written by Levi Stallings. Levi Stallings is a writer, journalist, and documentary filmmaker based in Northern Arizona.

Would you get punished by Krampus for being naughty this year? Y'know, dragged to hell, eaten, swatted with a switch, and the like? You might have a better idea after listening to this episode. We talk: mysterious facts about Krampus, St. Nick companionship, how a little darkness in the holiday season is spicy, and much, much more. *In the tune of the song, Let's Get Physical*: Let's get devilish! Devilish! I wanna be deviliiiiish!! Also - Joe recites Tiana's juicy poem written from the perspective of Krampus. 

Yippee Ki Yay ~ it's time to get our "Very Merry German Holiday Month" on by attempting to learn from and relate to the very German villain, Hans Gruber, from the movie Die Hard (1988)! If you thought it would be sehr hard to do this with Hans, you are correct. We talk: Holy moly - Han's plan was insane in the membrane; learning from Hans that sometimes things need to [figuratively] explode to eventually work; the importance of preparation; and much more. Joe shares a blackout poem of his that relates to the mysterious Hans. To create a blackout poem, you cross out words/sentences in an existing text, book, or other prose to create a poem. 

Home Alone is the story of a sadistic child who attempts to torture and murder a couple of lowly criminals. This week Joe and Tiana empathize with the infamous Wet Bandits aka Sticky Bandits aka Harry and Marv.

Listen to this, Potteh! We "slytherin" to do a deep dive talk on the light-haired meanie, Draco! It's not easy to relate to and understand Draco, but we do our best. He's just a warlock youngin'! Even if he is one of the more frightening ones. It gets so heated that Tiana starts yelling (-ish). We talk: whether Draco is a coward, Draco's emotional suppression, occlumency, ferrets, and more! Come listen, Potterheads!
Mild correction: Narcissa Malfoy says, "He's just a boy," not "He's just a kid" like I claimed in the episode. Both sentences have the same meaning and point, though :) 

We feature literary art written from the perspective of Draco Malfoy and written by María Ferenaz! María is a 19 year old student from Argentina. In her free time, she likes to write, read and crochet!

Disclaimer #1: This episode is Explicit like all of our other episodes. Disclaimer #2: Do NOT - DO NOT - do the actions we talk about in this episode without first consulting a medical and/or sexual health professional. Lmao. Happy Halloween! We talk about a forefather of villainy, Dracula. We pull from Bram Stoker's Dracula novel (1897), the movie Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), and Netflix/BBC Dracula (2020) to discuss! We talk: Dracula's despair, why he doesn't like garlic, why he fears entering homes and his insecurities, what it's like to be alive -err, undead- for so long, Dracula's grief, Dracula being pro-sex, and more! 

We also feature my poem at the end, "Dracula has her period" by moi, Tiana Hennings. 

It's Harley Quinn time, puddins! The color, the spaz, the theatrics of Harley Quinn - we love it! We attempt to empathize with Harley Quinn from the Batman series. We talk relationships, random things we may or may not have done in our past, our own Harley Quinn-ness, our critique of the Joker, and more! 

PLUS featuring an excerpt from a literary piece written by Marie Bélanger and written from the perspective of Harley Quinn! Marie Bélanger is a UX designer, but also a multidisciplinary artist and a french canadian (Yes! That exists!). Find Marie on YouTube at Marie Be and Instagram at @marie.be.creature. 

We try to empathize with Maleficent, so we worship the green fire, think about FOMO, ponder dragons, and more. We also share a poem called, "actions have consequences," written from the perspective of Maleficent and written by writer Linda M. Crate. 

Linda M. Crate's poetry, short stories, articles, and reviews have been published in a myriad of magazines both online and in print. She has eight published chapbooks: A Mermaid Crashing Into Dawn (Fowlpox Press - June 2013), Less Than A Man (The Camel Saloon - January 2014), If Tomorrow Never Comes (Scars Publications, August 2016), My Wings Were Made to Fly (Flutter Press, September 2017),  splintered with terror (Scars Publications, January 2018), More Than Bone Music (Clare Songbirds Publishing House, March 2019), the samurai (Yellow Arrowing Publishing, October 2020), and Follow the Black Raven (Alien Buddha Publishing, July 2021) and two micro-chapbooks Heaven Instead (Origami Poems Project, May 2018) and moon mother (Origami Poems Project, March 2020). She is also the author of the novel Phoenix Tears (Czykmate Books, June 2018).

Is Sasquatch real? Definitely probably yes. Joe and Tiana try to empathize with Bigfoot, the scientists studying the magnificent creature, and those who think Sasquatch might actually be in the trees you drive by in great ol' Washington State. Tiana travels to a fifth dimension in her brain and says weird, awkward things. Joe does great as always. At the end, Tiana recites her performance poem written from the perspective of Bigfoot.

Look Away! Look Away! We bring you the low-down on Count Olaf - his dashing acting abilities, his reasoning for getting the Baudelaire fortune, his understanding of the world, his FIRE, and more. We also become "conspiracy" theorists for a bit as we also try to solve some remaining mysteries in A Series of Unfortunate Events. Be afraid! Be scared! Remember -- anyone in a disguise could be your friend or enemy.

And we are taking this time to showcase some of our favorite kick-ass poems written from the perspective of fictional VILLAINS. We have a mix of our favorites from the podcast as well as some never-before-heard poems. Experience the poems written about Cruella De Vil, Freddy Krueger, the Witch from Hansel and Gretel, and Plankton.

A never-before-heard poem on the show is Ellen Huang's "Stomach, Sugarcoated," written from the perspective of the Witch from Hansel and Gretel. Ellen Huang is an ace writer of fairy tales and horror with a BA in Writing and Theatre from Point Loma Nazarene University. She recently celebrated her 100th publication, and her work is included in places such as From the Farther Trees, Wrongdoing Magazine, Lumiere Review, Not Deer Magazine, horse egg literary, Full House Lit, Sword & Kettle Press, and more. She reads for Whale Road Review and enjoys the sweeter things in life with a side of dark humor.

GET IN LOSER, WE'RE GOING PODCASTING! Did we wear pink? Yes. Did we make fetch happen? We couldn't make anything happen without the Earth shattering Regina George - you know it, I know it, we all know it. We originally recorded this live and it's in audio for you all to hear. We discuss Regina's strategies, Janis Ian being on the offensive, and more. We also BURN ourselves in our own burn books. 

This episode is what dreams are made of...and apparently dreams are made of poorly thought out plans and bad lip synching. We get really deep about teenage stars and uh...Justin Bieber?! Where are Paolo's parents? What did Paolo get himself into? Yes, there are some vaccine side effects contributing to the doozy-ness of the episode. We also share our own rendition of cheesy quotes such as the awe-inspiring one that the immaculate Paolo shared: "you shine like the light of the sun." So take a listen as we attempt to empathize with Paolo Valisari from The Lizzie McGuire Movie.

We have a special guest - Sid from the podcast Wayward Artists in a Wayward World! Sid and Tiana go deep into Grandpa Joe - he's not really the clear villain of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Or is he? Stealing Fizzy Lifting Drink, yellin' at Willy, suddenly dancin' after 20 years of being bedridden (fraud?!)...the list goes on and on. What can we learn from Grandpa Joe? Anything? Find out here. 

SAVE THE OOMPA LOOMPAS! Anywho, we talk about Willy Wonka and how he is Big Sugar, bends reality, puts children in danger (is it for a good cause or nah?), and more. This episode is almost as wild as Willy Wonka himself. We also spend some time talking about Roald Dahl. Oh, we sing our own self-written Oompa Loompa diddies at the end of the episode. 

Let's take a walk in Stay Puft's big, white plump shoes....are those shoes? Eh. Is Stay Puft an okay thing to happen to New York City? Let's find out. Tiana goes solo on this episode about Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, the notorious, awe-inspiring, and horrendous villain from Ghostbusters. 

What would you do on a sinking Titanic? Would you steal a kid to get on a lifeboat like Caledon Hockley? We try to empathize and relate to the villain Caledon Hockely from the hit movie Titanic (1997). Oofta, it's a packed episode! One of our listeners sharing her rendition of Cal Hockley quotes, we hear an awesome poem written from the perspective of Cal Hockley, discuss whether stealing a kid on a boat is okay, and more! And special thanks to Billy Zane for his beautiful performance of this dashing, fascinating character. 

No Face, a lost soul looking for a friend. Yubaba, a lady who knows how to give you customer service chills. Also, a very short crash course in the elements of Shintoism that are beautifully placed throughout the film Spirited Away. How can we use Shintoism to further understand these characters? Featuring a nice short contemplative poem at the end. 

All the hormones and theories make it surprisingly easy for us to empathize with Freddy Krueger. But that's not to say he's not a killer; he's still not your average, friendly neighbor. Confidence, morality, and dreams - oh my! Also, why is it so hard to get help from adults these days? Don't let A Nightmare on Elm Street be your nightmare.

Nurses have never seemed so sly. Was Nurse Ratched being manipulative or just keeping order? You decide. We also get into the nitty gritty of the harshest scene of the film (poor Billy). The power of voice, control, and eery calm has never looked so interesting. Tiana also shares a trippy literary piece written from the perspective of Nurse Ratched. 

We do almost an episode by episode analysis on: what made Jan spiral into the Dundie throwing, credit card using, boob job doing lady that we saw in The Office? Good therapists are needed, y'know. Dunder Mifflin Paper Company is much more interesting when Jan and Michael are dating. We also share "Letters to Hunter," poetry written from the perspective of Jan. 

No one....seeks to be loved like Gaston. Got a danger in your life? Gaston would like to defeat that for you. We also get into the origin of Gaston and explore how more than one story of Gaston shapes his character. We also feature a poem written from the perspective of Gaston and written by Erik Belmer.