The Snark on Alchemy Podcast "Demon Smackdown: When Humans Fight Back"

2 days ago4 min read

Demon Smackdown: The Five Ways to Fight Your Demons (Or At Least Try)

Welcome, brave souls, to another riveting episode of Alchemy, where Tim and LeeAnna take on the deepest, darkest forces of humanity. Today’s episode, “Demon Smackdown: When Humans Fight Back,” promises not just one, not three, but five smackdowns! That’s right—five ways to tackle the toughest enemies of the human spirit, including inner demons, evil people, and spiritual forces trying to drag you down into the abyss. But first, we have a little bit of wild-west drama to start things off, courtesy of LeeAnna’s brush with a bolting black horse. Spoiler alert: white horses might be more her speed next time.

A Frenchman, Two New Words, and the Power of “Prepone”

But before we dive into demons, Tim wanted to share some exciting new vocabulary. He recently encountered not one, but two words that nearly gave him an Oxford-induced heart attack: “dedramatize” and “prepone.” And yes, apparently, these are real words. Because what would an Oxford education be without a couple of bizarre new terms to confuse everyone around you?

LeeAnna, ever the skeptic, wasn’t thrilled by "prepone"—which, let’s be honest, sounds like something you’d use to describe how to ruin a dinner date. Still, it’s a real thing. Use it next time you need to move a meeting forward, and watch your colleagues squirm in confusion. (Pro tip: It’ll probably also confuse you.)

Fighting Back: Five Smackdowns for Your Inner and Outer Demons

Now, onto the real heart of the podcast: demon-smashing. Tim kicks things off with his take on good characters, explaining that writers should aim to create characters who are not only virtuous but also scarred by their experiences. Because, let’s face it, perfect characters are boring. The interesting ones have been tested in the fires of temptation, and hopefully, they came out the other side a little more human.

LeeAnna agrees, but, of course, she’s a sucker for happy endings. When she read a short story about a good character who tragically turned to the dark side, she was absolutely devastated. Let’s be real—who wants their character to actually make bad decisions? We all just want them to win. But, alas, not every story ends with puppies and rainbows. Sometimes, it’s demons and disappointment.

Good Characters Aren’t Born—They’re Made (But Also Screwed Up)

Speaking of good characters, Tim delves into the secular virtues that make a person "good." Spoiler alert: most of them are the same things your grandmother would have preached to you if she wasn’t too busy throwing you $5 bills for no reason. Empathy, integrity, generosity, patience, respect for others, and forgiveness—all those little things that make people worth knowing. But let’s be real, these traits are also hard to pull off.

LeeAnna admits her patience is... lacking. No patience with technology, less if it involves a stubborn champagne bottle. So, let’s just say she’s working on it—but she’s not judging anyone who’s a little impatient with their computer, either. In other words, some virtues are easier to have when they’re not under the pressure of needing to open champagne bottles in under five seconds.

Spiritual Virtues: So Similar, You’d Think They’re the Same Thing

Now, if you thought spiritual virtues would be radically different from secular ones, you’d be mistaken. Empathy, integrity, generosity, patience, respect, and forgiveness—surprise!—they’re all basically the same. But Tim gives us the real kicker: spiritual virtues are often tied to a higher power. So, if you're secular, maybe you just call it “being a decent person” instead of “being enlightened.” But hey, whatever works.

LeeAnna believes that evil is out there, lurking around the corner, ready to jump out like a terrifying clown. Spiritual warfare is clearly the star of the show, but LeeAnna offers a twist—if you’re writing about spiritual warfare, you might want to seriously think about demons slipping into dimensions. (Who’s with her on that?)

And Then There’s Exorcism (Yup, We Went There)

Let’s wrap this up with a truly classic smackdown: exorcism. Because nothing says "good versus evil" like invoking a little bit of holy intervention. According to Tim, Christians believe in the power of exorcism to remove actual demons from a possessed individual. And the rituals involved? Well, they're not exactly going to be your next DIY project—unless you're prepared to confront spiritual evil in the most dramatic fashion possible. Tim throws in an interesting tidbit about the origins of the Ouija board, which, in case you didn’t know, literally means “Yes, Yes” in French and German. Because why not?

Writer’s Takeaways (And A Bit of Snark)

Now, for all the writers out there struggling with good characters, here's a gem: Your characters need a journey. What makes a good person good? A little pain. A little failure. Maybe a few bad decisions along the way. But, ultimately, their journey makes them worth rooting for. So, writers—get ready to dive into your character’s past. What made them good? Were they born this way, or was there a moment of redemption after they almost turned into a total monster?