2023 Inktober 9 - Beowulf and Jack

Beowulf got the lion's share of his charisma and skill from none other than Jack Skellington. It was Severus Snape and Darth Vader that convinced me to make Beowulf a more sympathetic character, but Jack helped me make Beowulf more fun.

 

 

I always have so much fun writing Beowulf's dialogue. You never know what's going to come out of his mouth, he's the King of Sarcasm, and he's got a wicked sense of humor. At the same time, he can be a perfect gentleman, even when he's on all fours. He's quite the acrobat, too.

 

And if there's any song out there that could serve as Beowulf's theme, "Jack's Lament" would be it. All you really have to do is swap a word here and a word there: 

 

There are few who'd deny at what I do, I am the best 

For my talents are renowned far and wide 

When it comes to surprises in the moonlit night,

 I excel without ever even trying 

 

With the slightest little effort of my beast-like charms, 

I have seen grown men give out a shriek 

With a flash of my fangs and a well-placed growl, 

I have swept the very bravest off their feet

 

Yet year after year, it's the same routine 

And I grow so weary of the sound of screams

 And I, Beowulf, the Werewolf King,

 Have grown so tired of the same old thing

 

Oh, somewhere deep inside of these bones 

An emptiness began to grow 

There's something out there, far from my home 

A longing that I've never known

 

I'm the master of fright, and a demon of light
And I'll scare you right out of your pants
To that poor, foolish ducky, I'm Master Unlucky

I shall seize them before they see their chance

And if they end up dead, I can take off their head
To recite Shakespearean quotations
No animal nor man can scream like I can
With the fury of my recitations

But who here would ever understand
That the Werewolf King with the glistening grin
Would tire of his crown? If they only understood
He'd give it all up if he only could

Oh, there's an empty place in my bones
That calls out for something unknown
The fame and blame, come year after year,
Does nothing for these empty tears

So, should Beowulf's path ever cross with Jack's path, the two would get along beautifully. One legend to another. One master of fright to another.