#it's so hard to do exposition without it being boring

[kazz-brekker]

argh writing today feels like pulling teeth why is this so hard

[dumbgoondog]

Jealous, Much? (P1)

Cw/Tw- Jealousy, possessiveness, threats

Tags- GN!Reader, pre-established relationship

Ft. Gojo, Geto, Nanami, and Choso

First chunk is exposition, then it’s the boys. What happens when your man sees you being flirted with?

PRELUDE

When a guy slides up next to you at the bar, grinning like he’d just won the lottery, you didn’t immediately brush him off. Mostly because he wasn’t annoying—yet—and partly because you were curious to see how far he'd go before he took the hint.

“Did it hurt?” he asked, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

You blinked. “Excuse me?”

“When you fell from heaven,” he clarified, finger-gunning with zero irony. You actually laughed—not with him, more at him, but he didn’t seem to notice the difference.

“Wow,” you mused. “That’s vintage. Do you dust that one off for special occasions?”

He chuckled like you were flirting back. “Only when I see someone who makes it worth it.”

You rested your elbow on the bar and gave him a look, still smiling. He wasn’t threatening, just... kind of ridiculous. He probably meant well. Or maybe he was just drunk enough to think he stood a chance. Either way, it was easier to play along with a few sarcastic quips than to go full shutdown mode. You figured he’d get bored eventually… He didn’t.

“I’m serious,” he went on. “You’ve got this whole mysterious vibe. Like... someone with stories. I could listen to you talk all night.”

“You don’t even know my name.”

“Then tell me.”

You tapped your fingers on your glass, swirling the last bit of your drink. “That’s usually how conversations go, huh? I tell you my name, then what? You try to guess my favorite color?”

“Let me guess—black,” he said confidently, eyes flicking to your outfit.

You snorted. “Wow. You cracked the code.”

He leaned in a little closer, clearly not getting the hint—or maybe refusing to. “You’ve got a great laugh, y’know that?”

You smile and roll your eyes, your boyfriend should have been here by now, and glancing to the clock? Oh he should’ve been here 10 minutes ago! Where is that-

SATORU GOJO

“Hey baby.”

The hand snakes around your waist and you feel that familiar sensation of what you’d describe as wind whipping past when riding a bike. Infinity. You’re straightening up though now, the nickname a giveaway that Toru isn’t as amused as you are with this guy.

“Huh? Who’s this, Angel?” The guy asks maybe starting to realize or maybe thinking it’s another guy to hit on you. Toru’s cursed energy prickles and spits at the nickname, like a mosquito just bit him. You were going to say anything but Satoru is already speaking, looking this guy over with a raised brow and his lips in a unamused pout.

“Who’s this?” Satoru repeats, his voice deceptively light. The kind of light that means someone might be about to have a very bad night. He doesn’t even glance at you, all his attention zeroed in on the guy like he’s calculating how many ways he could erase him from the planet—and which would be the most entertaining.

You recognize the look in his eye. It's not rage, not jealousy exactly. It's territorial. Protective. That unshakable confidence wrapped in smug arrogance that only Satoru Gojo can carry without getting punched in the face—most of the time.

The guy’s smile falters. “I was just talking to them, man. Didn’t know they were taken.”

“Mmm,” Gojo hums, pulling you tighter against him. “They are taken. Very taken. As in, point and home run taken.”

You elbow him in the ribs for that one, but it only makes him grin wider.

“Hey, no hard feelings,” the guy says, holding up his hands and starting to back off. “They didn’t say anything about a boyfriend.”

Gojo’s head tilts. “Well, maybe they were enjoying watching you crash and burn in slow motion. They do have a sense of humor.”

You bite your lip to hide your laugh, but it doesn’t go unnoticed.

“And for the record,” Gojo adds, slipping off his blindfold so the guy gets a clear look at those glowing blue eyes, “next time you use a pick-up line like that, make sure the person you’re talking to doesn’t already have the strongest sorcerer in the world wrapped around their finger.”

“Wha—?” the guy mutters, clearly confused now, staring between the two of you like maybe he missed a step.

“Oh,” you say, finally speaking up, resting your hand over Gojo’s. “This is Satoru Gojo. He’s... complicated. And very dramatic.”

Gojo gasps. “Rude! I bring you flowers once and now I’m dramatic?”

“You got them from Italy, Satoru.”

“Romance isn’t dead!”

The guy is already gone by now, muttering something under his breath as he retreats. Gojo watches him go with narrowed eyes, then finally turns to you, lips tugging into a pout that’s almost convincing.

“I was only ten minutes late,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to your temple. “And look what happens. My sweetheart gets hit on by guys with middle school flirting skills.”

“More like fifth grade,” you mutter, but you’re already smiling again. “You’re lucky I was just bored and not tempted.”

“Tempted? Tempted?!” Gojo gasps again, hand clutching his chest like he’s been shot. “You wound me, angel.”

“Keep calling me that and I might actually leave with someone else next time.”

He leans in, lips brushing your ear. “No you won’t. Because no one else makes you laugh like I do.”

You roll your eyes, but your fingers lace with his anyway. He's right. And he knows it.

“C’mon,” he says, dragging you off the barstool like it’s the most natural thing in the world. “Let’s go somewhere less... pedestrian. I owe you a real date.”

“You owe me two.”

“Fine. Two dates. And dessert.”

“And flowers?”

He grins. “You drive a hard bargain.”

You don’t look back. Neither does he. And the night, finally, starts to feel like yours again.

SUGURU GETO

“Hey.”

The voice behind you is calm. Unhurried. But it settles like a weight in your chest, immediately familiar—low, smooth, and with just enough edge to make your skin prickle.

You glance back, and there he is: Suguru Geto, dressed down but somehow still managing to look like power incarnate in a black button-up, sleeves rolled to his elbows, dark hair tied back like he hadn’t rushed at all… even though he absolutely did.

His eyes flicker past you to the guy at the bar, not bothering to hide the calculation in them. And just like that, the easy buzz of the night turns thick. The air shifts. Tense.

You open your mouth to say something—maybe a casual “Hey, you’re late,” maybe a warning not to hex the guy into another plane—but Suguru moves first. Not with violence. Just presence.

He steps in close behind you, hand sliding around your waist like it belongs there—because it does—fingers splaying firm over your side. There’s nothing showy about it. It’s not possessive. Just final. Like a signature.

“Oh,” the guy says, straightening up, smile faltering. “Didn’t realize you were, uh… waiting on someone.”

“I was,” you nervously chuckle, “And he’s very late.”

Geto doesn’t break eye contact with the guy. His mouth curves into something polite, but the warmth doesn’t reach his eyes. “Traffic.”

“Traffic,” you echo dryly.

“There was a... delay.”Translation: Gojo. You sigh internally.

The guy shifts awkwardly. “Well, uh, I wasn’t trying to step on any toes.”

Suguru smiles now, slow and knowing. “you stepped on mine anyway.”

The man goes pale. “Right—uh—yeah.” He slides off his stool and makes a hasty exit, muttering an apology to no one in particular. Silence lingers for a beat after he’s gone.

“You were late,” you say, turning slightly to face Suguru, your hand resting on his chest. “And you missed the pick-up line of the century!”

“Let me guess,” he murmurs, brushing a knuckle under your chin, lifting it just enough to meet your eyes. “Something about heaven?”

You laugh. “You did hear him!”

“I didn’t like how close it was,” he murmurs into your ear. “Didn’t like the way that monkey was looking at you.”

“You don’t like anyone looking at me.”

“Touché,” he laughs, lips brushing the shell of your ear.

You raise an eyebrow. “So, what, if he hadn’t backed off, you were gonna sick curses on him?”

Suguru hums, noncommittal. “Wasn’t sure yet. I was weighing options.”

You laugh now giving a smack to his chest, “You're lucky I was bored and not tempted!”

His gaze flickers to yours again, sharper this time. “I’m not worried about temptation.“

You search his face for a second, and something softens in you. He doesn’t need to say it aloud, but you knew if you asked—“You're mine. I’m yours. That doesn’t change.”

“Good,” you chirp, kissing his cheek. “Because next time you're late, I’m making that guy buy me two drinks.”

Suguru grins. “Next time let’s just have Larou or Miguel cook for a home date hmm?”

Then he pauses. “Actually… next time, I’ll just bring you with me.”

You smile. Yeah. That sounds more like him.

KENTO NANAMI

“Apologies.”

A new voice cut through the noise. Calm. Deep. Precise.

You didn’t need to turn around. The shift in the atmosphere was immediate. Your shoulders relaxed. Your drink suddenly tasted better.

The guy blinked in confusion as Kento stepped into your space, not quite brushing you, but close enough that you could feel the warmth of him. His hand resting on the back of your chair.

Nanami adjusted his tie with one hand, gaze directed firmly at the man beside you. Not angry. Not even annoyed. Just... done.

“I believe you’re in my seat,” he said simply.

“Wha—?” the guy stammered. “I was just talking to them.”

“So I gathered.” Nanami’s expression didn’t change. “And now you’re done.”

The guy laughed, weakly. “Hey, look, no offense, man. I didn’t know they were with anyone—”

“They are.”

You didn’t even need to say anything. Nanami was already calmly intercepting, laying down the boundary like it was protocol. Professional. Efficient.

The guy raised his hands and stood up, clearly deciding not to argue with someone who looked like he could file a tax return and break your wrist in the same motion. “Alright, alright. Chill, man.”

Nanami didn’t respond. He waited until the guy disappeared into the crowd before turning to you. His expression softened marginally.

“Sorry I’m late.”

You gave him a dry look. “That was almost twenty minutes, Kento.”

“There was a call from the higher-ups,” he said, and you could already hear the disdain layered into the words. “It ran longer than necessary.”

“You didn’t pick up when I called.”

“I didn’t want to answer in the middle of a meeting just to say, ‘Yes, I’m still being held hostage by incompetence.’”

You huffed a quiet laugh, then let your fingers slip over his wrist, tugging him into the seat beside you.

“You looked like you were enjoying yourself,” he noted as he sat. “Am I interrupting?”

“Oh, absolutely. He was this close to asking me my name after 15 minutes of failed pick up lines.”

Nanami arched a brow. “Wow.”

You raised your glass in mock toast. “And he still didn’t even get it.”

A faint smile touched his lips as he reached for your hand under the bar, lacing his fingers with yours.

“Next time,” he said, “you’re not waiting alone.”

“I can handle myself.”

“I know. Doesn’t mean you should have to.”

You didn’t argue. Not because you agreed, necessarily—but because Nanami didn’t say things he didn’t mean. And behind every calm word, every small gesture, there was always care. Consideration. The kind that said: you matter. I saw you. I came for you.

And just like that, the rest of the night felt right again. Not loud. Not dramatic. Just... steady. Safe.

CHOSO KAMO

“Your name, is it Mine?” he added, leaning in like that would help his case. You were seconds from telling him your very large, very intense, sometimes-blood-covered boyfriend would be here any minute, when—

“Back away from them.” The voice wasn’t loud. But it didn’t need to be. Low. Flat. Final.

Your shoulders dropped in relief even before you turned. The guy next to you froze, his smile faltering as Choso stepped into view.

He wasn’t glaring. Not exactly. But something about his presence—the stiff set of his shoulders, the way his eyes never left the man’s face—spoke louder than any threat could.

“Uh,” the guy said, eyes flicking between you and Choso. “Hey, man, we were just talking—”

“No.” Choso's tone sharpened like a blade. “You were talking. They weren’t interested.”

You placed a hand on Choso’s arm, trying to gently keep him from escalating. Feeling your hand his gaze flickers briefly down to you, then back up like he was recalibrating how mad he could get with you so close.

The guy laughed nervously. “Alright, alright. Didn’t realize they were taken.”

“You did. You just didn’t care.” Choso’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment, the cursed energy rolled off him in a low, unseen pulse. Not enough to draw attention—but enough to make the man shift uneasy.

“Okay,” the guy muttered, backing off. “I’m gone.”

Once he was gone, Choso turned to you, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” you said softly, brushing your thumb over the fabric of his sleeve. “He was just annoying.”

Choso nodded slowly. “You shouldn’t have had to deal with that.”

“You’re late,” you said not to accuse, just to shift the mood. “I thought you got lost.”

“I didn’t,” he said, glancing down. “I stopped by the market. I thought you’d want these.”

He pulled something from his vest—a little bundle of dried flowers. They weren’t pretty in a traditional sense. No roses. No bright colors. But they were carefully chosen: yarrow, mugwort, something fragrant and earthy you couldn’t quite place.

“Protection,” he murmured. “Old ones. For wards.”

You blinked. “You brought me spell herbs instead of regular flowers?”

“Yes,” he said, completely sincere. “Why would I not?”

Your mouth twitched. You took the little bundle from him and held it to your chest, “I love them,”

Choso visibly relaxed. The last of the tension left his shoulders as he pulled you in gently, like you were something he could still break if he wasn’t careful.

“I should’ve been here sooner,” he whispered.

“You’re here now,” you said, resting your forehead against his. “And you brought me anti-creep herbs. I think that evens it out.”

He didn’t smile exactly—but his eyes softened and when his arms wrapped around you, shielding you from the rest of the bar, the world finally felt quiet again.

[nevadancitizen]

-> CH. 1: A SILENT DOG & STILL WATERS

synopsis: the soviet union has been producing robots for a long time based on a miracle compound: polymer. but that was invented in 1941. the current year is 2038, and, due to rising tensions in the arctic, americans aren't as kind to soviets as they once were. it's too bad you're a russki, and it's really too bad that you work in cybersecurity. and honestly, with the case fowler has put you on, you're at risk of losing your job. it doesn't help that you're stuck with lieutenant hank anderson and some new android apparently called connor.

word count: 2.6k

ships: Connor/Reader, Hank Anderson & Reader

notes: based on an au i literally had a dream about. it's basically d:bh with elements of atomic heart :P this ch. is half exposition and half hank being an alcoholic lolololol

HEAD OF FALSE SECURITY MASTERLIST

The Soviet Union had always been very good at spying on and stealing American technology. They did so with the atomic bomb, the B-29 superfortress, and the space shuttle – with no lack of effort on America’s side of trying to keep them secret. 

But one thing set the USSR above the rest: polymer. A miracle compound that formed the backbone for every technological evolution that came after. It mimics a human neuron, including its ability to interpret input signals. With tinkering from top Soviet scientists (and a whole lot of luck), a gigantic neural network was established, the maximum computing power of which was orders of magnitude higher than the power of a conventional network.

With polymer, the Soviets reigned supreme as the only real international superpower. The other countries could play at being powerful, but the USSR was top dog – and she wasn’t keen on letting the others forget.

But that was in the past. And the past is boring. That was in 1941, and something you learn about in history class. Polymer is now regularly sold and traded and built upon and shared. After the Cold War ended, it was expanded outwards and is no longer a precious commodity. It was even needed to build a modern technology – androids. Ones that could pass the Turing test, unlike the TER-A1 Tereshkova (which was a human-looking robot, sure, but one that had an unsettling, unmoving mask for a face). 

And androids are simply better than Soviet bots. They’re versatile and able to be mass-produced without specialization development. They’re not big and clunky like the chimpanzee-esque MA-9 Belyash and can still accomplish the same installation, plumbing, and welding work. They can do the same agricultural work an ARU-31/6 Rotorobot can do without the risk of accidentally endangering humans while in use.

Again, they’re simply better. In the current year of 2038, American androids just trump similar Soviet tech in every way.

But that doesn’t mean that the Soviets aren’t still trying. They’ve invaded the Arctic with intent to claim the land, heavy with NA-T256 Natasha bots and the claim that the “heavy-duty ground-based loader bots can squeeze up to five liters of blood from a human body in under twenty seconds,” as a deterrent to American forces.

And this action has made your workplace a hell away from home.

Even though you immigrated from Chelomey, Russia to Detroit, Michigan in 2027, before all this business went down, people still eyed you warily – like you secretly enjoyed living under communism and the ever-watching eye of the Kremlin. Like you were just itching to get your grubby little paws on American secrets so you could report them to Comrade Molotov and a beautiful girl back home called Katya. Yeah, right.

These small, under-the-breath and glance-of-the-eye accusations weren’t helped by your current occupation: as a screen jockey for the Head of Cybersecurity of the Detroit Police. They acted like you hadn’t worked just as hard as everyone else for your position – for your polymer glove and the privileges that came with it.

Polymer gloves have come a long way from their prototype in 1955. They’re a single fingerless glove – one glove, as a person doesn’t need two – with an adjustable wrist strap. In the middle of the palm is a small silver star that can retract to expose prehensile, tentacle-like wires that can interface with terminals and other technology. 

But it doesn’t stop there – with a single gesture (holding your hand out and making an “L” shape) the glove can scan the surroundings of the user. Paired with an artificial polymer retina, the user can have information about the environment that they otherwise wouldn’t have. 

And, of course, you’re outfitted with the top versions of both – on the precinct’s credit card, obviously. 

But, again, you’re just a screen jockey. One of the best, but still just a worker bee that reports to a higher-up. There’s little to no interaction with the other departments, as cybersecurity is mostly isolated without any related crimes. Maybe cyberterrorism, but cases of that are few and far between. 

And you thought that’s all you’d ever be until you heard Fowler’s bellowing voice call your last name.

When you pop your head up from behind your terminal, you see him standing halfway through the glass door to his office. You swallow and trot over, a nervous idea tickling the back of your mind. Is he mad? Did you do something wrong? Shit… did you accidentally leak something?

You push open Fowler’s door and slowly shut it behind you. He’s sitting behind his desk, stark against the blue-grey backdrop of the wall behind him. His constantly furrowed brow and permanent frown lighten a little when he sees you.

You fold your hands behind your back politely. “Yes, sir?”

Fowler gestures to the seat in front of his desk. “Go ahead and take a seat.”

Oh, fuck. Oh, shit. You definitely did something wrong.

You walk over and sit in the chair. It screeches with a horrible sound.

You lean back in the chair and cross your arms. “What is this about, sir?”

Fowler leans back in his chair and drags a hand down his face. Immediately, the worst things pop into your head. You fight the urge to worry your bottom lip. 

“You have experience with androids, yes?” Fowler asks, but it doesn’t sound like a question – rather, a statement.

“Yes, sir.” You nod.

“And you have experience with Lieutenant Hank Anderson?” 

Your eyebrows furrow a little, but you still nod. “Yes, sir.”

Fowler turns to his terminal. “How do you feel about him?”

You bite your bottom lip as you think, then let it slip from your teeth. “I don’t know what you want me to say. He’s my friend. He is still a valuable member of the force, even if he has presented a few problems in the past couple of years.”

Fowler laughs. “A few?”

“Ah…” You smile, but it’s a bit forced. “More than a few. A lot. More problems than solutions, if I’m being honest.”

“That’s just how it goes sometimes.” He shrugs and sighs. “Do you know about the new case he’s been assigned?”

“Yes, sir,” you say. “He won’t shut up about it.”

He hums and leans forward, resting his chin on folded hands. “Always one for discretion, that one.”

You duck your head, instead looking down at your lap. “Yeah. But I think he can do better – be the cop he was before.”

“An optimistic Soviet.” Fowler laughs lowly. “That’s a new one.”

You just clench your jaw and meet his eyes. “What is this about? If you’ve called me in just to poke fun at me and gossip about Hank, I’d like to go back to my desk. Uh, sir.”

“No, no.” He holds a hand up. “Tell me what you’ve heard about Hank’s case.”

You think for a second. “Deviant androids murdering their owners. It sounds like it would’ve been labeled self-defense if it was a human-on-human crime, but…” you shrug. “I’m not in Homicide. I’m in Cybersecurity.”

“Well, you’re getting some experience.” Fowler pulls a cord from his terminal, one you recognize as a port compatible with a polymer glove. “You’re on the case.”

“I’m on the case?!” You repeat in disbelief. “Sir, I – I don’t –”

He holds up a hand for the second time. “I don’t want to hear it. You’re the best screen jockey with the most field experience I can spare.”

He gestures with the cord still in his hand. “Now, c’mon. Jack in and download the files.”

You swallow your objections and outstretch your gloved left hand. The thin metal of the star retracts, and the prehensile wires extend towards the port, waving like blades of grass. The ends of all six find their homes in the port, still wiggling like black tapeworms. 

Documents appear in the corner of your eye, one after another, like pop-up ads. You blink hard to dismiss them, then disconnect.

Fowler feeds the cord back into his terminal, then leans back in his chair. 

He looks over at you. “What’s that one saying you Soviets say? Something about champagne.”

You look up at him, then down to your glove. The star retracts, then goes back to its original position, like it was winking at you. “He who doesn’t take risks won’t drink champagne.”

“Well, I hope you have a taste for harder liquor,” Fowler says. “Hank’s at having a drink somewhere nearby. Go find him.”

And Lord, did you know right where to find Hank. 

On the door to Jimmy’s Bar is a firm warning, reading: NO ANDROIDS ALLOWED – OWNERS WILL BE PROSECUTED. You just hope that they don’t extend the same kindness to russkis. 

When you open the door, everyone in the bar turns to look at you. You nod and, once they see who you are, turn back to their conversations or nursing their drinks. 

You spot Hank at the bar with what looks like a Tennessee whiskey. You sidle up onto the barstool next to him, easing into the creaky seat. As you drape your rain-speckled coat on the back of the chair, you glance at the clock on the wall. It reads just before twenty past eleven.

“Bartender?” You call. Your thick accent immediately catches his attention, and so does the money you slide onto the bartop. “Vodka, please.”

The bartender, presumably Jimmy, picks up a bottle of Stolichnaya from the shelving behind him. “This good?”

You nod. “More than good.”

He pours vodka into a tumbler glass, then pushes it across the bar. You accept it readily, and the tiny sip you take gives your throat a nice burn on the way down.

“A Soviet and vodka,” Hank mumbles against the lip of his glass. “Like a moth to a flame.”

“It’s what my mother served with dinner,” you say. “I’m just glad Jimmy’s got enough sense not to keep us from his bar.”

Hank chuckles and raises his glass to that.

“Fowler’s gone beyond the pale.” You sip at your drink. “Have you heard?”

“Yup.” He sighs, setting his drink on the bartop harder than necessary. “Don’t know why a kid like you has business with an old timer like me.”

“Oh, believe me,” you say, your voice heavy with sarcasm. “It’s nice to visit, but it’s better to be home. I don’t know what he’s thinking. A Cybersecurity worker partnering up with someone in Homicide? Next, we’ll have androids doing our thinking and philosophy instead of our laundry and dishes.”

Hank snorts into his drink. “Hell, with all these runaways? They might as well be.”

“I mean, I can see his line of thinking.” You swirl the vodka in your glass, watching the way it catches and reflects the low light of the bar. “Cybersecurity, androids… makes sense, but me? A russki? With all that’s happening in the Arctic? If we don’t do well, my job is on the line.”

Hank sips his whiskey. “It really sounds like Fowler’s settin’ you up to fail.”

“Setting us both up to fail.” You correct and mirror him, sipping at your vodka. 

The sound of the door opening and the rain outside cuts into your conversation. Nothing you’d usually take a glance at, but what puts you off is the sudden silence of the bar. Bars shouldn’t be silent – especially not Jimmy’s.

You look over your left shoulder and see a nice looking man that’s just walked through the door. He looks a bit dorky, sure, and a bit like a lost puppy dog, but that could look nice on certain guys. And the asymmetrical tuft of loose hair that’s escaped his hair gel looks –

There’s a blue triangle just above where his left breast pocket would be. On the other side of his blazer reads RK800 in even, white text. He’s an android, not a man. He meets your gaze and you inhale sharply.

Your eyes return to your drink, and so does Hank’s. This isn’t what you want to deal with right now – or ever, actually. It’s Jimmy’s establishment, so it’s Jimmy’s problem.

But still, as soon as the android saw you, he started making a beeline for you. His footsteps are quick, measured, and even. 

“Excuse me,” he says, putting a hand on your shoulder. He addresses you by your title, and your gut clenches.

“No.” You try to wave him off. “No English. Sorry.”

“Officer, you passed each of your TestEaFL’s with flying colors,” he says, narrowing his eyes a little. “You can speak English perfectly fine.”

You cringe a little, but then a thought strikes you – how would this android have access to the scores of your Test of English as a Foreign Language? But before you can ask, he’s turned to Hank and started speaking.

“Oh, Lieutenant Anderson.” He moves so that he’s standing beside Hank. “Just the other person I was looking for.”

He glances between the two of you. “My name is Connor. I’m the android sent by CyberLife. Captain Fowler said that you were both having a drink nearby. I was lucky to find you at the fifth bar.”

You snort and your eyebrows shoot up. If you didn’t know better, you’d say that there was a hint of… something other than monotone indifference in his voice.

“What do you want?” Hank grinds out.

“You were assigned a case early this evening. A homicide, involving a CyberLife android.” Connor glances at you, like he’s reminding you that you were also assigned this case. “In accordance with procedure, the company has allocated a specialized model to assist investigators.”

“Well, I don’t need any assistance.” Hank jabs a thumb at you. “I’ve got all the unwanted assistance I need right here, and I don’t need any more. ‘Specially not from a plastic asshole like you. So just be a good lil’ robot and get the fuck outta here.”

“He’s right,” you chime. “And it doesn’t really look good to have androids investigating androids. What if you snap, too?”

“I will not.” Connor meets your eyes, and you can almost see the switch flick in that little android brain. Great, now it’s your turn to be grilled.

He circles so that he’s standing beside you and leans down a little, putting his hand on the bartop. You keep your eyes down, firmly on your drink. 

“I’m sorry, Officer, Lieutenant, but I must insist,” he says. “My instructions stipulate that I have to accompany both of you.”

“You know where you can stick your instructions?” Hank chimes in with a throaty laugh.

You glance over at Connor, who looks thoroughly confused. You smile and bring the glass to your lips. 

“No,” Connor says. “Where?”

Your throat seizes around the sip of vodka you were trying to take, causing you to cough it out as you try to suppress your laughter. You slam down the glass (effectively spilling most of it) and bring a hand to your chest, trying to ride it out as Hank pats your back.

“чёрт возьми!” You wheeze, your voice hoarse. Your chest burns. “Oh, fuck.”

You wipe your eyes as the burn dulls, still coughing slightly. Connor purses his lips before coming to a conclusion. 

“You know what?” He offers. “I’ll buy you both one for the road.”

“You better,” you say. “You made me spill mine.”

“Bartender!” Connor calls, and slips money onto the bartop. “The same again, please.”

“See that, Jim?” Hank says. “Wonders of technology. Make it a double.”

Jimmy pours a healthy amount of Jack Daniels into Hank’s glass, and starts to pour Stolichnaya into yours. You cut him halfway with a raised hand and a “Someone’s gotta drive us home safe.”

You knock back your drink, then let out a low whistle at the nice burn. Hank follows soon after and sighs heavily. 

He leans back and looks over at Connor. “Did you say homicide?”

[thewebcomicsreview]

So, Gunwild, the writer of Cassiopeia Quinn, made a comment on that post about webcomics turning into illustrated prose

gunwildversuseverything said: I was hoping this would prompt a discussion about formats and expression, but no, it’s about artist versus writer workloads and “amount of story” being reduced to equations and word counts and update schedules. Figures.

And you know what, it's a good point. So instead of getting into the Artist vs Writers debate for the millionth time, let's take a look at how you, and artist and/or writer, can get a story told on the internet. For the sake of this discussion, lets assume you don't have any actual preference for a given medium that might influence you, you just want to know what's right for your story and will learn whatever skills you need.

TRADITIONAL WEBCOMIC

Comics are the most visual-heavy medium that a solo project can realistically do. This has several business advantages (pictures do better on social media), but it's also a good fit for stories with a bunch of things that are interesting to look at. Cassiopeia Quinn is a story heavily featuring weird alien races, cool spaceships, and attractive young women with extraordinarily casual dress codes. These are visual things! And visual things can be conveyed super quickly and subtly using visuals. Imagine just the "Cassiopeia doesn't wear pants" gimmick, if this was written out. If Cassiopeia gets a description of her appearance the first time she shows up in chapter one and then it's kind of glossed over, the reader would forget. If every time Cassiopeia entered a scene Gunwild had to go

Cassiopeia sauntered up to the motorcycle rack. Her own rack was barely contained by a dangling strip of black fabric, visible through an open orange jacket. Black elbow-high sleeves, covering her hands, matched her thigh-high stockings, separated from her black panties by her thigh pouch.

Somehow it's a lot less cute when it's written out like this, huh? And it also takes way longer to read that then it does to just look at her on the page, which increases the chance your readers might get bored. Comics are the medium that takes the most time to make and also the least time to read, which makes readers a lot more likely to put up with exposition or a plot tangent that doesn't really connect with them. Even if your comic has bits that don't grip your readers, they can grip themselves if you show them interesting bits.

The main downside of comics is the "equations and update schedules" part. They take a looooooong time to make, even compared to everything else. It's also got issues with how people read it. A comic that looks good on a desktop often looks too small on a phone.

TEXT UNDER A PANEL

This style is so strongly associated with Homestuck that a lot of people who weren't making explicitly Homestuck-themed comics seem to have been scared off it. But it's a perfectly cromulent format. It reads well on both desktop and mobile, and lets you use art for all your visuals while using text for dialogue and character thoughts. It's not, however, the best fit for every story. Because each panel is separate, it can be hard to make an exciting action scene this way, which is part of why this format is also associated with special animated pages (I mean, besides "Homestuck did it"). The panels don't really flow into each other, and there's a constant switching between looking and reading.

ILLUSTRATED PROSE

Distinguished from the Text Under a Panel Style mostly by the ratio of text to art, without a hard line demarcating the distinction between them. This style also reads well in desktop and mobile. Well, it should, but a lot of webcomics who switch to this style tend to stay in their webcomic format, meaning it's a picture of text that doesn't resize legibly, grumble grumble. I don't....I don't know if I need to explain the concept of "text" to people. You know what words are, and if you don't there's nothing I can say to explain it.

VISUAL NOVEL

I'm not going to claim to be a visual novel expert, but the main advantages are that it's the most art-efficient medium of any of these (because you can flat-out reuse art), the main disadvantages are that you'll usually need music, it's maybe not as well suited to long monologues, and most importantly that it's not a good method for drip-feed three-day-a-week updates. You kind of have to release the entire thing all at once, or at least in large episodes.

ALL OF THE ABOVE

A comic like Out-of-Placers is mostly traditional, but uses illustrated prose for lore updates. Prequel is text-under-a-panel but not always, and of course Homestuck is the absolute king of format switching, even ignoring the animations. The upside is that you can use the best format for any given scene, and that you're constantly keeping your readers on their toes. The downside (besides having to learn to do all this shit) is that you kind of have to commit to the bit and get your readers on board early with the idea that you're going to just be doing whatever this week. It's also harder to take full advantage of any one medium if you're constantly switching them up

I'm sure I'm forgetting about two hundred formats, but what are the biggest ones I'm missing?

[lakecitysilenceme]

my digested thoughts on the reboot trailer!

ALFEA & FAIRIES

Starting off, i want to say that the animation looked very hard, and what i mean by that is that there is a lack of natural motion.

When bloom was riding her bike, it just didn't look very natural;

Also, in this scene the skirts and hair looked very stiff [but i won't take that much into my heart because it's a paused frame]; otherwise, i really love the textures!

And, Stella has her "staff' back! I guess it's not much of a staff now, as it's very small so it would be more appropriate to call it a Wand or a Scepter, but it's there!

I'm a little dissapoited with the background characters here because they all look very bland. Characters in the original were all so fun and unique that even background fairies, who never even spoke, were people's favourites because of their designs.

Through design, we got the gist that they had different personalities and that they all came from different planets all over the magical dimension, where different types of clothing were trendy. It breathed life into the universe without needing tiring exposition about it.

Here, their styles just look very similar to each other, and they all are quite boring.

On another note, i think Alfea looks very stunning as always, and i really do like the design of the castle. I just think it looks a little bit less unique to the original.

Also, this fairy's design looks extremely simple compared to the winx's transformation. This just lowkey makes me upset because, at least for the modern fairy transformations, the background girls always looked top-notch and even had more complex looking desings when compared to the winx.

+ a clearer look of her scepter > I think the intention behind this design was to make it look like the Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross or Queen Mary II's Orb, but the colour choices and star at the bottom make it look a bit tacky. I don't hate the idea of the design, but i think a different colour scheme would have made it look more regal. And I say this because thinking back to her original staff, it was quite sleek and luxurious looking because of it.

THE SPECIALISTS!

The scene where they appear is so blurry and quick that there's not much to talk about, but i definitely enjoyed what could be seen during those 2 seconds.

Brandon being with his full body upside down, you go king! We can't see any of them that well, but Sky looks cute, even if he's blurry, and Brandom, they could never make me not like Brandom. Riven looks like he's scowling, so that's good for him.

Also, I think the details of the uniforms look very cool, but something about the Board is giving plastic toy for me. The ship also look alright and other then that, I love that they had some falir whilst coming out of it.

some quick design commentary

I still don't love their daily outfit designs; actually, i think i'm starting to dislike them even more.

Musa and Stella's faces still look very weird (I think for Stella using yellow eyeshadows really was a BAD choice)

I like that their exploring outifts hate different-looking bottoms and that all of them have their hair tied up in different ways [not sure what's going on with Bloom's bangs tho];

Also still on the exploring scene i love that Aisha is the one leading even tho Bloom is on scene :p

The Trix are honestly so iconic that i get very happy just by seeing them, even though i don't love theirs looks. They still look good, and I like that the bit with their initials looks that way, but something is off about the texture for me.

That was all from me. I didn't want to be very negative, and overall, i do think that it looks fine, y'know. And i do have high hopes for the storytelling and for it to be good!

Also, i don't think it needs to be just like the original series for it to be good, but I have set expectations. Because Winx Club was my childhood show, and now, as an adult looking back at it, I can see so many great aspects of the show that still hold up to this day.

And for me it just doesn't make sense how people back then could do such great things, and nowadays they can't produce something that's up to the same standars y'know [Winx Club Seasons 5-8, I'm looking at you].

Anyway, i'm very excited to watch it when it comes out. What are your thoughts?

[evilphrog]

Watching Wheel of Time without reading the books: Season 2, episode 1

I'm at it again! I know I never posted the season 1 finale review, and maybe I will go back and do that later. But for now, I just finished the season premiere, and I have to say, Perrin is 100% correct. The five of them are much more impressive together than apart. Which isn't to say I disliked it. They are all on the struggle bus, but that is where character development is at its peak, and where we get to see their true inner strength. Which is to say, I LOVED it. Bring on the angst!

The season opener with the round table of evil plotters was a fun and clever way to deliver some exposition without boring us. Having a little girl crawling under the table, disturbing the Very Important Shadowy Cloak Meeting really humanized every single one of them, and seeing the Fake Dark One be so gentle and patient with her gives some insight into how people can become dark friends. They are just concerned parents. I am now calling him Nancy Reagan, since he is their leader. I also definitely want to pet a trolloc. They look much cuter when they aren’t being ordered to kill everyone in sight. Are they tamable? Or...redeemable? I am still not sure of their level of free will/sentience, so I am not sure which word applies.

The first scene post-credits is Moiraine working hard to take her Very Sad Alone Time Depression Bath. Just one woman, chilling in a hot tub, cuz the water gets cold without magic. It was a very good idea to show the first hot tub scene in the recaps, so I could get the full emotional subtext here. Bathing is a communal activity in this culture, but she can’t handle having someone else see her in such a vulnerable position when she already feels so vulnerable all the time. But the longer she spends isolated, the more alone and vulnerable she will continue to feel.

She and Lan are hiding out with their friends, Sassy Twin, Serious Twin, and Tom. Tom is married to one of them, but I forget which one. Without the warder bond, Lan must have lost the rapid healing that allows him to withstand his severe clothing allergy. Good thing the Sassy Twin is there to helpfully point out additional clothes that might be hurting him, and to reassure him it would be fine to remove them in her home. She truly speaks for all of us. I’m glad Lan has these three friends around to support him as he supports Moiraine. This poor man is having to learn, at the tender age of forty-something, to use his words to describe how he feels. He is afraid for his best friend, he is hurt about being pushed away at a time when he would expect to be leaned on even harder, I am pretty sure he blames her for blocked bond because she had put the block up prior to being shielded, and he feels like he is losing his only purpose in life.

And in the face of all that, he has to exhibit so much patience as Moiraine acts like every insecure teenager ever and tries to push him away. His previous experience with teenagers taught him what this behavior is like, but not how to handle it. Her “I am so aloof and do not care at all about the feelings of others” routine was incredibly transparent to everyone except Lan. He really needed his friends to lovingly slap him in the ego and remind him that the only way to truly help her is to let himself be the vulnerable one, so she can see how it' it's done, and realize it's something she can live with.

But now he has to do it the old fashioned way, by walking upstairs to check on her. Good timing, too. Slightly worse timing for Serious Twin, but at least she could handle all the Eyeless. Hopefully one of the twins does healing.

Meanwhile, at Aes Sedai High, Nynaeve and Egwene are in novice training. Egwene is dealing with a bit of culture shock. She accidentally witnesses an actual, honest to Light, bisexual orgy on screen. She is going from being a big fish in a small pond to being a big fish in an ocean surrounded by other big fish, but she is handling it better than I expected. Nynaeve is handling the entire thing exactly as I hoped she would. While Egwene focuses on adding extra challenges by learning to weave with both hands tied behind her back, Nynaeve is semi-consciously stopping herself from doing any magic at all. Polly tries playing on her pride, by saying she is just scared, and Nynaeve responds by drinking dirty dishwater while making direct eye contact. Such a power move, there. Unfortunately, it leads directly to an unwanted face-to-face discussion with JK Rowling, which quickly turns into a surprise duel. I thought JK was torturing Nynaeve by hurting her, but my husband said she was only making the air too thick for Nynaeve to move through. And really, nothing could possibly torture Nynaeve more than placing an unwanted restriction on her. She did end up shielding her, temporarily, and that was described as one of the most brutal forms of assault. Pretty sick, but also pretty consistent with boarding school hazing rituals.

Later, Nynaeve and Egwene read the letter from Perrin, where he hopes they will all stick together. And JK Rowling goes down to her secret Man Dungeon For Men to read a heavily edited version of the letter to her prisoner, New Mat. And, to this I have to say, come on JK Rowling! Why do you go and pull a stunt that the actual JK Rowling also used in her own book? Your name is getting more and more accurate as time goes on, and that is not a compliment. Anyways, Mat responds in pretty much the same way Harry Potter did, by trying to break out of jail. I’m not sure how I feel about New Mat so far. He seems a bit like a soggy bed sheet, but he is also in the exact circumstances that would lead to soggy bed sheet behavior. His puckish attitude was mostly a mask he put on to lift the spirits of those around him, and his private moments were entirely spent dwelling on his own misery. Presumably the only person he has interacted with for months now is someone who actively feeds on that misery. JK Rowling is a cursed dagger unto herself.

We get a brief glimpse of Rand, with his new haircut. He is sad and has no lines. I assume he will be more present in future episodes. He lights a lantern, presumably for his mother, but maybe for the innocent version of himself that will never exist again. Maybe for his friends he thinks he can never see again. They light the lanterns for those they lost, which might not necessarily mean the ones who died.

Perrin, meanwhile, is on a quest to find Padan Fain and steal back the magic horn. He has found another Wolf guy, who seems to be teaching him how his wolf powers work. Apparently he can see the past? Maybe he is smelling the places where things used to be, like Angua does in Discworld? So then, is he a werewolf? This is a very confusing power that has still not been explained at all. I would have liked to see Perrin get a training sequence similar to Egwene and Nynaeve, but the defining trait of wolf guys is that they aren’t a chatty bunch. They find a bunch of bodies of the traitors from the final battle, presumably disposed of once they were no longer useful. The group holds a proper funeral for them, which confuses Perrin. He doesn’t understand how they can go to such effort for the people responsible for the deaths of hundreds. The prince guy responds that if his people spent their time seeking revenge on those who betray them, they wouldn't have time for anything else. It is more helpful to the ones left behind to let it go and focus on the mission. Sort of the way of the leaf, but with a more productive twist. Perrin is really on a quest for a moral philosophy that he can live with, and this one seems slightly more compatible with him.

At Bel Tine, he lights a lantern for his wife. The first time he has to do so. He places his wedding ring on the lantern, but takes it back at the last second. He isn’t ready to let go of his own guilt just yet, but at least he can move forward while carrying it now. Loial seems good for him. And Perrin is good for Loial. He’s way more likeable now that he has gotten used to the wonder of living in the human world, and stopped condescendingly and incorrectly explaining how it all works. They are both figuring that out together. I am not sure how he survived being stabbed with the cursed dagger. By all rights it makes no sense. So I guess… Loial returned somehow. And we are also moving on from it and focusing on the mission, even if we carry our confusion with us.

Other episode reviews

[bleachbleachbleach]

You've mentioned you Headcanon Yumichika as the one actually keeping squad 11 going behind the scenes as it were, and that him threatening the squad 11 lackies about cleaning properly vs Ikkaku going “lol loser don’t get caught next time” was proof, I totally agree,

And there’s more supporting subtext in the Post-TYBW chapters; like Ikkaku might be the one to bring up that “hey isn’t the ceremony at the 1st not the 13th?” to Kenpachi, but he looks to Yumi for clarification who's like “wtf that’s your job (lieutenant) to know not mine (3rd seat)?” And the joke is that haha Kenpachi STILL gets lost, while also giving time skip exposition (aka the new ranks of the 11th). But it’s also Yumi foolishly thinking his Captain and lieutenant could at least READ an invitation that is addressed to THEM, not him. Also! Notice Squad 11 is the only one there with a +1/non Captain&Lieutenant in attendance (Yumichika) and no one is like hey what are you doing here? (like not even Ichika or Hanataro got an invite to Rukia's big day lol, or at least the Official Biznezz part). Like Yumi is the official 14th lieutenant

(I think it was mentioned in one of the light novels that Lisa's first choice for her lieutenant was Yumichika and she did ask but he said no. Love that he’s the #1 pick for a promotion but is always turning it down haha even without his Shikai powers truly being known! Also, Lisa and Yumi would have been an iconic Captain/Lieutenant duo y/n?)

and in the Hell Chapter, Ikkaku gets the “honey you are going to be late…what do you mean ‘late for what?’?” treatment from Yumichika. Like Yumi has learned from the last time! He’s gonna keep track of all the ceremonies Ikkaku and Kenpachi gotta attend because clearly Ikkaku being promoted changed nothing and he was a fool for taking his eye off the ball last time lol

(Also, can I say I love how Yumichika and Ichika interact here? She calls him Chika-san! That’s so cute! Do you think they are called the “Chikas” when they hang out together? And she immediately tells him he looks very pretty today and he compliments her right back. idk if it’s cuter that 1. she genuinely thinks he’s very pretty and knows he likes to hear it 2. she’s sucking up to her teacher by sucking up to teacher's SO or 3. she’s trying to stay on Chika-san's good side because she’s scared of being on his bad (she could tell a scolding for SOMETHING was about to happen and she wanted no part lol). Also, Yumi looks AMAZING in this chapter <3)

I also vaguely recall there being a filler arc scene/omake where it’s revealed Yumichika got sent on a mission because he was sorting documents while everyone else was fighting/sleeping/training and either Yaruchi or Kenpachi was like, booo boring go have fun fighting something.

A Lisa/Yumichika division would serve so hard the Gotei wouldn't know what to do with itself. But it would also cease to have a functional 11th, so they will never know the majesty. I'm imagining a Paris is Burning division. Then they'd really know the Gotei under Kyouraku was on a different path than previous!

As to your last paragraph I feel like that might've happened to him a FEW times, ahaha. The one I remember is from the Cake Episode, and it's Hitsugaya who throws him under the bus:

[Bleach e134]

Somehow, in all of Bleach--yes, including main plotline Bleach--the thing that most canonizes Hitsugaya's vindictive streak for me is the fact that in this instance, he does not express or act in deference to one single iota of sympathy for the situation Yumichika has found himself in, despite most certainly having experienced it himself.

Also worth noting that the episode right before this one was *Ikkaku terrorizing a high school kendo team* so no one was doing shittttttt lolol

[mdhwrites]

If you really don't like Amity having bad parents being a reason why she became antagonistic initially, what do you think would've been a better reason for why she acted the way she did initially? After all, no one is born mean.

So first: Sometimes kids are just mean. Not everyone comes from a broken family or has some sort of trauma that caused them to be an asshole. My twin brother is a narcissistic, abusive dick while my sister is incredibly selfless and caring and SHE is the one who has gone through real abuse and a failed marriage while my brother's biggest whine to make is... Honestly not much. Hell, I don't have some big trauma to explain why I have depression. I just hit adulthood and my brain's reaction to the stresses and changes was to shatter like glass. Humans are complicated like that

BUT to be fair, in a narrative no one needs to be evil just for the sake of evil. It's part of why Belos is boring. Even with Sasha, she's made more interesting by the fact that she doesn't think she's in the wrong for two entire seasons. So what could have been a better reason for Amity to be antagonistic?

Easy: The reason they gave in Covention and then expanded on in Lost in Language. It's actually the Willow stuff, the stuff that is more tied into her parents, that sucks way harder for Amity's character. Amity, early on, is an overachiever who deeply cares about her craft and takes things very seriously. That is just generally opposed to who Luz is in general. The fact that Luz wants to be a witch when there should be no way for that to be possible, made worse by how Luz treats it like something that should be fun. The fact that Luz is constantly messing around while she's working herself into an aneurysm. These are very natural conflicts that could have been explored more by the show but they made a severe mistake.

They made Amity an over the top, practically OOC, villain when she first shows and they show this by having her bully Willow and say this is what she normally does. The problem for Amity is that now she NEEDS an explanation to be such a bitch. It's not something a little understanding can deal with because it's not friction that causes her to be mean or standoffish, it's that she just straight up enjoys torturing this one girl. And mind you: It was still her choice because she only had to stop being friends with Willow. She didn't have to target her for extra bullying as we see is the present status quote.

It's also bad for Luz. Part of why I don't buy that she's some tortured outcast who has been mistreated is because she doesn't blink when it comes to Amity. One moment of cuteness and Luz is immediately going "Let's live out my fantasy and befriend her!" despite Amity being the absolute epitome of the sort of girl who supposedly would have made Luz's life hell back home. By the end of Lost in Language though, their third major episode together, they're effectively friends.

Honestly, with how little of characters Gus and Willow are, mostly serving to let Luz into Hexide and closer to Amity, alongside the fact that Dana herself said she wanted a queer romance as fast as possible... I just wouldn't have given them an antagonistic relationship. Bare minimum, not enemies to lovers (not that the show really tries that hard). Their personalities are enough to make an interesting, classic dynamic without making them hate each other at first.

Honestly, if I were to try to suggest a rewrite: Make it so that Covention is the third episode, Luz forces Eda to take her there because she sees a sign and tortures Eda like in the episode, Gus and Willow don't do anything besides exposition and introduce the concept anyways and then have the episode go the way it was originally but instead of it being because she's comically evil that she steps on King's cupcake, have it be for King's actual personality. She doesn't like the freeloader who she sees as mooching off of things and so stomps his cupcake. Gets across her serious attitude and that she is a pretty severe person. Luz makes her challenge, they have their duel where Luz finds out about Eda's sister and Amity being Lilith's pupil and after their heart to heart (because Luz in S1 had no reason to chase Amity in Covention anyways besides empathy for a crying girl), Luz gets an idea: She's going to befriend Amity and in the process, mend the rift between Lilith and Eda. This gives an actual plot purpose to getting closer to Amity.

Then you don't have the episodes wasted on Gus and Willow, nor the episodes wasted apologizing for Amity's behavior but instead can focus on Luz breaking into Hexide to say Amity. While Amity doesn't like the methods, she appreciates hard and dedication and doing it so as to be nice to her? That... That touches her and she's willing to see what the human does, especially if maybe she can learn some of that glyph magic to supplement her own? Make her a better witch too achieve her own goals?

And as they grow closer, it becomes less transactional. Grom can still happen like it did with Amity expecting Luz to want something for helping but nope! It's just because Luz is nice. And then for the finale, Luz doesn't have to be alone in her heist because while it puts her future in jeopardy, Luz has taught Amity enough about being a good person and doing the right thing that while she'll still want a disguise, she'll come with to try and save Eda's life. An act of early rebellion against what she believed in, the morals taught to her, so as to be able to properly show she's changing to not just blindly accept the EC as the best option. This also allows for the betrayal of Lilith to mean more to Amity if their mentor and student relationship has meant more to the series. Suddenly, her dance with anarchy becomes more fervent because her teacher, the one she saw as the best proof of how great the EC is, was lied to and tricked by the Emperor and now against the coven.

And for S2, if her parents aren't the main pressures on her, if it's just because she's a kid who cares about success, you don't need Escaping Expulsion and can spend half of that episode and the entirety of Looking Glass Ruins exploring Amity trying to figure out rebellion, potentially not wanting to put Luz at risk after she almost died in the S1 finale, but justifying it as her always doing things on her own. They have a big adventure climax against Belos that's also exploring rebel Luz and afterwards, Amity gives Luz a peck on the cheek for always being there. Always helping her figure things out when she'd be too stubborn to see clearly herself. Then go into Knock Knock Knocking with little changed if you want to keep that moment of them getting together the same.

It's not a perfect outline but it's what I came up with while writing this. And if you're thinking this is too much time spent on Amity, you need to remember that she already consumes a third of Luz's time during episodes in S1 and 2. Sure, TOH claims to not be a romance but then the original way it's written is unjustified because Amity already has more time dedicated to her as a pure romance without ANYTHING to do with the plot and barely anything to do with the themes at best.

But I will also admit that this is with hindsight and a more indulgent rewrite than I normally allow myself to. After all, I removed two entire characters for this. Characters that hardly matter to TOH anyways but if I was really trying to keep to it, I wouldn't get rid of them. The deck is stacked in my deck regardless to make it 'better' and that's not fair to the show.

But I hope that my point stands clear that Amity didn't need to be a real villain, even if only for an episode. She could have been a light antagonist, if she even needed to be that. Nothing is really gained by it in the grand scheme of TOH besides the Twitter posts who make shallow claims on her arc by using the angry face in episode 3 versus her smiling with purple hair and going "Can you believe this is the same person?"

And my response every time because of how shallow her villainy is, which makes her arc shallow, is why should I care? Because blaming her parents doesn't make me care.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

[bisexual-yuri]

My poems?! america is the best bullshit

"Kunta Kinte" So sweet than chocolate happiness Revolutionary ex boyfriend in the ward Crazy things can happen when I'm bored Pan-african Jesus, blacker than sugar Molasses y caña reunited, separate but better Together Stand outside smoke weed in all kinds of weather Refugees of wars of many kinds They killed her in the hospital of minds Hummingbird learned sweetness through cacao I will move on stronger, but how? A song of myself for my pendulum man My calculator, calculated lover who never once put hands where he wanted I hope he runs my numbers and is satisfied I can never be counted fully, accountant He makes me safe even when I cry Refugee camp on an island of islands Black and white homeless in Manhattan Happy endings for nobody, too many refugees Gotta move on and out to make progress Plants growing towards the sun and away from the blue chair of death Don't we all love the feel of the yellow sun? Forgive me for being an ocean soul I loved your volcanic depths I wanted to boil alive inside of you But what is the truth? I want to bathe with you in hot springs I want to plan a honeymoon I want to walk roosevelt in the moonlight You forever my cherished sword I never again broken as your shield

[7:08 AM]Mushroom Fallout Sharper than a knife, I loved you like a cloud We were born together, exploring the night Panamerican exposition with the Buffalo girl Mexican food over mota smoke and lots of laughs in the heights Jackson’s that is, although we don’t like genocide men Your bestie and you, doing drugs at my house with no regard You test me my love, you fucked me hard Without even touching me! Bastard, you at least could’ve sealed it with a kiss You and me are very hit or miss Poetry writing and avoiding fighting with you, because I know you can’t take me at my worst The fact of the matter, my love, is you fucked up first Not that I ever cared to keep track until you did I loved you long before I wanted you to pound me into a mattress I wanted you to see me in a wedding dress I wanted your hand in mind walking along the waterfalls I want to be up at 2am answering your calls I wanted to see the world through your glasses I am always happy when I sit in on your classes I’m all poetry to your algebra, but you used to come and watch my Spanish class You and me, we could teach the coolest science class The momentum went splat I broke and it all went black I begged you and you won’t take me back in any ways that I care about I went to jail and you never visited me I was in the hospital and you refused to see how much I needed you I buzzed like a hornet, looking for a place to sink my stinger You refused to return love to your favorite singer Why, because she’s a sinner?

[coulsonlives]

Finished all eight episodes and well, that was underwhelming. Here are my main impressions.

Clothing was too clean and looked like it came out of a cosplayer's closet instead of being actual, lived-in clothes (if there's one thing the failed movie did right, it was the clothes)

Zuko was decent

Sokka had an a+ personality but was missing some nuance

The Sokka and Suki meeting was boring and had typical teen romance cliches galore

Appa and Momo were cute

Not sure how I felt about them starting with 100 years ago, and the cut between that time and the present day was jarring, I feel like the title card should've been there instead to break it up. And just the title card, none of that weirdly glowly, oddly-colored narrative with the bending examples and stuff, it looked so odd

If Katara were a spice, she'd be flour, if she were a book, she'd be two books, where the heck was her fire and spunk and generally just. differentiating traits because I didn't see any and it was so boring to watch her

Like honestly! She didn't have her motherly/parental role thing going on, even in a toned-down way, and she was missing her passion, I just. What else is left

Bumi was scary af man

Lots of the compositing was blurry as shit and it was distracting, probably a lot of newbie, abused comp artists with pay cuts given dneg was working on it

Aang revealing himself all mystically with the intense music, then two seconds later the music stops and he slides down on the ice with a thump made me lol, and I don't think that was the intended reaction

They're in the arctic and you can't see anyone's breath, why is that, tell me

Suki removes her makeup in like 2.4 seconds without missing a single bit of it, teach me your ways gurll

Momo is actually cute and not a demon, praise raava

The fire nation armor is pretty brutal, the shoulder pads are like obvious cardboard that isn't even trying to look like metal (I still can't really tell if it's supposed to be metal? That's not a good thing fam)

Way too much exposition and 'telling, not showing', some of the convos dragged on for wayyy too long

The fox thing was unnecessary, but I liked Yue's added motivation to help Aang as well as her people

What the f did they do to Azula, the foundations of her character are totally different from the og show and she barely even feels like a villain. Some of her lines about being inadequate or 'not good enough' felt really contrived too

Lots of strange cuts and camera work, more than a few times there was a person talking and the camera was looking at their waist or something else for no reason lol, and there wasn't an establishing shot when there needed to be, so things were just disorientating a lot of the time

Lots of things happened but the show just. didn't give any time for them to marinate. Sokka telling Aang he abandoned his people, he knew it, blah blah in one of the early episodes? It's poignant but it lasts like five seconds before the scene totally changes, I got major whiplash, fam

The lion roaring sound effect every time someone firebent, please stop I beg

Azula being defiant was interesting and the lightning scene was cool but I still miss Daddy's Pet Azula

Sokka screaming on Appa was funny

My favourite scene was probably the dude going 'but we're the forty-first!' and Iroh telling them, 'and you're all alive because of his sacrifice'. Like dang that hit hard and I loved it. I liked how they added that

Avatar Roku was like ?? um. I know he and Sozin were goofballs but cmon man

The shots with Koh capturing Sokka and Katara were cheesy as shit especially with the sound effects lmao, it looked like horror movie jumpscares from a b-movie

Some of the acting was hammier than a ham sandwich. Even Zhao gave me that impression at times especially with the dang spirit fish scene

Pippinpaddleopsicopolis the third

I know they had to condense a crap ton of episodes, but it really felt like the show was just checking off boxes at times instead of (like I said earlier) letting anything marinate

The opening scene with the earthbending and firebending was cool, it's a shame the rest of the show didn't live up to that

The bending vfx looked good. The choreography did feel a bit disconnected though, and not as martial arty as I would've liked

I felt like I could blatantly see some of the reasons the og creators left the show

Grumps tbh I'd give it like 4/10.

[macawritesupdates]

Hey you wrote my prompt for the court of vipers sequel! Thank you!!! I loved it so much it was beautifully written ❤️ 💖 💕. You did a wonderful job bringing the idea to life. Oh my goodness, it became so much more than i ever could have hoped. I feel like just seeing how you take prompts and expand them into full chapters and interweave lore into the narrative in a way that feels natural and not like boring exposition is soo cool I almost feel like a better writer by proxy just by reading your work. I had given up on being a writer myself for a while but idk something about seeing how you do it makes me want to try again. OK gushing about the way you do things done now on to the actual chapter, loved seeing Sukuna's morning routine she's great and I loved toji adding himself to the narrative 😀 I think that's why he kept appearing in cannon jjk so often that man wants to be written lol. I loved Yuuji being a good boy and solving people's problems while completely unaware of all the assassination attempts. Oh my boy, thank goodness you have Sukuna, your scary wife has your back. Man putting the failed assassins in the garden of the people who sent them is hard core Sukuna does not fuck around or rather Sukuna fucks around so much that it loops back around to being serious and all her enemies get to find out. It was great to see Sukuna casually stopping the attempts but damn i did feel a little bad for that poor servant. Those nobles must have been so terrified sitting through that meal knowing that she knows they tried to kill her husband. Aww the end scene was both funny and hot like damn. Awww wait Sukuna wants him to stay in bed with her a little later thats so cute. I do love seeing Sukuna in an environment where she gets to use her extreme murderous intelligence for good it's like enrichment for her. She's like a wild tiger she needs to hunt and protecting Yuuji gives her the opportunity to do that without any guilt or self hate over being just a monster because she's doing a good thing by keeping him safe. She's got terrible claws and teeth, but she's putting them to good use she may not be a traditional hero but without her the real sunshine hero would definitely get murdered. Who would have thought the best way to get Sukuna to stop being a calamity on the land would be to give her a cute little husband and let her loose on his enemies. She's focused, she's happy, and she's getting laid all the time. She doesn't have time to mess up some random village she's already juggling so many scemes and making good on all these covert threats while trying to get her and her husbands throne back. Man Sukuna benefits from this marriage as much as Yuuji those two really are perfect for each other. They balance each other out so well her greatest strengths are his greatest weaknesses, but the reverse is also true. So long as they have each other for support they can thrive and be happy in a way that they just could not manage on their own. He has too much compassion and good will but she'll protect him and prevent him from giving too much so he doesn't burn out. Meanwhile she gets to bask in that good will more than anyone else which let's her have all the love she was denied growing up, love given freely to her just because of who she is. She is not unlovable but it takes someone uniquely kind and strong and stubborn like Yuuji to really give her what she needs. Basically both of them are super super lucky. Anyway great work as always!!

I always say keep on writing! It is a good way to relax and it took me many years to let go of tying my worth as a writer to comments/kudos/subs/ect. It is a hard habit to break, but doing so, I feel your art just gets more your own voice! Also glad you enjoyed the chapter! Sukuna seems to behave if he is given the enrichment to be awful in contained situations XD He just wants to be a violent bastard, let him have room to cook! Sukuna will get Yuuji his throne back, one way or another, then gleefully protect it for sure XD

[anthrotographer]

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Set in the modern day, the film follows the Sandfords. A family that takes a spontaneous trip from the city to upstate New York. They soon realize, that rash decision might’ve saved their lives. The U.S. is soon to be in the throes of a cyber attack from foreign adversaries. Drones are dropping leaflets on both seaboards that read “death to America”. Planes are falling out of the sky. Wild animals are congregating together to send a message to humanity about impending doom. With all that happening why does ‘Leave the World Behind’ feel so flat?

Most of this two hour + movie feels like we are watching these people on a lavish vacation instead of dealing with their country being attacked. The family rents a mansion for the weekend but the first night there is a knock at the door. Because of the blackouts in the city, George (Mahershala Ali) and Ruth Scott decide to come back home. This leads to a lot of animus from Amanda directed at the Scotts, which considering the circumstances really shouldn’t have been a big deal. They mostly sit and talk trying to piece together what might be causing all the service outages, for example. Lounging and waiting around when what’s happening in the world would seem to inspire more action to occur. Amanda Sandford (Julia Roberts) especially, but the film in general, is a lot of talk and little show. Her lines are full of exposition telling us what is going to happen, what she and they are about to do and it feels like Roberts is just reading lines. Mahershala Ali’s character was similar with the exposition but his character felt like a more real personality. The fault was mostly in the writing but the acting performances all fell somewhere on a scale from mediocre to great. 

Amanda is a very confusing character and hard to like. She says she “fucking hates people” but also says she feels lucky to be part of the world where so many are out there making something of themselves. She constantly states her disdain and distrust in others, but contradicts herself at points in the film where she says she misses people. I know people are hypocritical and can change their minds but she comes off as an inconsistent character. For the majority of the film she is combative, unreasonable and on the back foot wanting desperately that others solve problems for her. And then in the third act Amanda delivers this monologue; “We fuck each other over all the time, without even realizing it. We fuck every living thing on this planet over and think it’ll be fine because we use paper straws and order the free range chicken. I think deep down we know we are not fooling anyone. I think we know we are living a lie. An agreed upon mass delusion to help us ignore and keep ignoring how awful we really are.” A description of humanity this discerning feels really out of place coming from her. This line and many others like it feel too scripted. 

Ruth says Friends is a show “nostalgic for a time that never existed”. This is a scripted line that rolls off her tongue better seeing as Ruth is setup as a character that is socially and culturally conscious. She mentions this about Friends because Rose, Amanda’s daughter, is obsessed with the show. Rose finally gets to watch the series finale of her favorite sitcom when in the movie’s closing scenes she finds a fallout bunker with a grand collection of DVDs. I sort of found this ending to have a nice symbolism with Ruth’s context because as the bombs are falling outside, signifying the dark reality, Rose has one last chance to fall into that ideal, fictional world.

The Friends music, juxtaposed to the previous chilling scenes of NYC getting bombed, felt off. The soundtrack in total did not flow or sound like they were the right songs for the film. The choice of using up-beat hits clash with most of the imagery of a boring high end AirBnb get away. 

The camera work is technically impressive at points where the camera traverses cars or rooms in acrobatic tracking maneuvers. The technique does get overused though. Are the multiple upside down shots supposed to signify how the world is being turned upside down? I suppose. Like the music I didn’t find these choices to fit well. Maybe they are both in effort to enliven the scenes introducing the film’s unstimulating setting. If so, either a change of setting or a change of style might’ve worked better. 

It seems like the movie is trying to point out many different things about society without totally dissecting any of them. A few themes you notice while watching are; can we live without the internet, blissful ignorance of the decline of the empire, humanity’s cause of environmental collapse, selfishness vs selflessness. I agree with many of the ideas the film is alluding to, yet like many Hollywood movies today I don’t think it explores the ideas deeply or effectively enough. One of the more provocative things the film brings up is the idea that we are in part responsible for any attacks thrown our way.

Our government and military claims that all of its excursions around the world are defensive, but these things that they do in our name more than likely are at our expense. The U.S. empire leaves us less safe. “We’ve made a lot of enemies around the world. Maybe all this means is that a few of them teamed up.” This is the most interesting quote in the film where Danny (Kevin Bacon), the rural survivalist, points out different cues he’s picked up examining national affairs that led him to think we were susceptible to attack. The empire’s hubris allows it to believe it’s untouchable. We think we are safe, even George/G.H. (Mahershala Ali) mentions that he never thought ‘we’ could let this happen. As if multiple world powers have never allied together to stop a blood hungry empire an ocean away (and the U.S. is blood hungry, just look at our pursuits in Palestine, Yemen, Ukraine, Iraq, Vietnam, etc etc etc). I respect that the movie brings this up for American viewers to contemplate the vulnerable position we can be put in. Now, the harder pill to swallow that naturally should follow is the fact that as citizens we are not all just innocent bystanders. We have culpability for the machinations of the United States. We have agency to speak up in mass and change the actions our country takes, and still the majority of us haven’t. I suppose the Sandfords and Scotts are meant to represent the passive, oblivious, well-to-do, American family existing in an imaginary bubble of safety. Is everyone equally vulnerable though?

One among the many things that bugged me watching this was how it characterized the elite of the world. George repeatedly references one of his investor clients who is part of the “evil cabal that runs the world” /s. It is meant to be sarcastic but the client works in defense contracting so it’s not really. Because of his existence in the upper strata of society he was privy to the fact that shit was about to go down. So its inferred that the client was able to get away to safety. And G.H. says, in a weighty moment in the plot, “No one is in control, no one is pulling the strings. Sure there are those like my friend who might have the right kind of access to the right kind of information. But when events like this happen in the world, the best even the most powerful people can hope for is a heads up.” First, as if these powerful people aren’t the one’s creating the international disasters (ex; fossil fuel execs in the case of climate change or defense contractors in the case of Middle East invasions). And second, this paints the elite just as blue as everyone else. We know there are different rules for the rich and powerful in this world, so to pretend that they only have marginal advantages is laughable. Yes it’s hard to escape a country wide assault but some people can afford to be in a second home abroad or an underground bunker as we saw in the closing scenes. 

Rating: 6/10

[kingdarkstalker]

do you like the movie legend of the guardians: the owls of ga’hoole?

i do! i honestly think it was a pretty good reinterpretation of the plot, i understand shortening and combining parts of the series for one movie, as much as i would have loved the first movie to just be the first book. but for what it is i think they did it pretty well. the animation is fucking STUNNING. its possibly my favorite visualization of a book series ive ever seen in a movie adaptation. its simply everything i imagined and more. the detail put into the worldbuilding, the tools used and the environment. not to mention the character expressions, it tows the line JUST right to make a realistic talking animal. i already loved Happy Feet, and i feel like the studio really found their golden ground here. i know zack snyder gets memed on for his slow motion shots but i'm honestly a big fan of how they're used in the movie, cause its always in some sort of breathtaking moment where you can soak in the the animation and feel the magic of the world

things i dont hate but could do without:

them being knighted as guardians at the end, the time skip felt a little too fast for me. like yeah we like won a whole war and stuff but damn it felt a little too soon maybe?

Soren and Eglantine do deserve to have their parents alive, dont get me wrong, but it sortof detracts from the found family theme of the original book story. like part of how Soren, Gylfie, Twilight and Digger all bond is that their families are dead lol

things i actively dislike or would prefer removed:

the echidna was pointless. he's exposition the character, and it annoys me that he just kindof tells the characters and audience "oh you're The Band! heres all your roles! you're going to Be This! im saying this now because there's not actually enough time for this movie to spend naturally establishing it!" like girl just DONT say that shit. it's fine to depict these characters at the beginning of their journey. no need to squeeze this nonsense in

Soren having a crush on Otulissa still makes me laugh so hard to this day like WHO PITCHED THIS??? were they desperate for some kind of straight coded romance subplot???? did NO ONE read the first book and go "hey guys he actually genuinely can't stand her ass. like its not even in a cute flirty way like she's annoying as fuck" ???? I DONT UNDERSTAND?? AND GYLFIE BEING JEALOUS IS SO??? LMFAOO???? just absolutely baffled by the inclusion of this.

and finally WORST of all, Digger is completely mischaracterized. like idfk what even happened. the same dipshit who decided Soren should crush on Otulissa was probably the same person who decided that a thoughtful, philosophical Digger would be ToO BoRiNg FoR thE KidS and we need a fucking quirky comic relief character. it literally just feels like they were forcing in tropes where they thought the book was missing it, as if they book NEEDED these things at all. oh no we're missing the boring cishet love triangle and the annoying jangling keys "funny" character!!!! because kids movie!!!!!! god DAMNIT!!!!!!

........... but yeah im otherwise pretty happy with it. i think the character design is top notch except for Otulissa. why did they make her a short eared owl instead of a spotted owl i will never fucking know

i do wish we got a sequel. as a Coryn kinnie i wouldve loved to see if he had a screen adaptation and how his story was done :")

[amoebab22]

Hard agree on this. Also wtf is Bellara's class?? Mage? Rogue? Why can't she do mage stuff in battle?? Does she just have a cool magic pip boy or....

Really only Davrin, Bellara, and Harding's personal quests make sense.

Analysis of each in no particular order below the cut.

Bellara has to go do calibrations initially (classic Bioware) but you get the sense she does this on the regular because of Cyrian's death, so the fact she "waits" for Rook makes sense because it feels like she does this weekly or whatever so we could just tag along one time. We also find this magic archive with important knowledge which somehow is not a Chekov's gun, but initially I was like okay this is a little forced BUT this could be so useful!!! (But then it's just like, not at all.) So of course we're gonna go help her figure it out but then we run into Cyrian and he's working with yet another evil ancient mage and well, shit, we should probably take care of that. Sure, his funeral might not be necessary, but because he sacrifices himself to defeat the forgotten one, I can see Rook feeling an obligation to him.

(Also, what happened to the Dalish burying their dead because it was more like uthenera? Also why are the Dalish up in Tevinter and Antiva where they could be enslaved? Also why are Tevene magisters not up in Arlathan forest doing their fucked up magic PhDs by stealing Elvhen shit??)

Anyway, then we have Harding, who can SUDDENLY CONTROL ROCKS??? Yeah, that's PRESSING to figure out. And yeah of course she's waiting for Rook to come in case she needs help cuz fuck if she knows how this rock shit works. Going to Kal-sharok (sp?) also makes sense cuz well fuck they've somehow survived the Blight alone for a thousand years (side note, the dude says they had to do terrible things to survive but then I didn't see that explained? I assume cannibalism. But did I miss that explanation? I was ready for some Broodmother shit. I was READY. That quest fucked me up in DAO), which hey, the Blight is different now, but these guys are the Legion of the Dead on steroids. If I was Rook I'd be begging for their help.

Then her whole quest kind of unravels for me. I admittedly got bored. Once she could control the stone it just felt like a ton of exposition that could have been done in a more engaging way. Also why is she going camping in Ferelden with Emmrich when the entire country is basically dead? It would make more sense for us to use her powers to rescue her parents or something? Something hyper personal that's really urgent.

Finally we have Davrin, the most obvious choice to join up. He's a goddamn Grey Warden (Wardens, my morally grey beloveds), and Wardens are sworn to fight the Blight at any and all costs. That's why Clarel could be convinced to do what she did. That's why Isseya was ordered to blight the griffons and ultimately did it, despite hating it and knowing it was evil. That's why the Wardens forced Hawke's father to do blood magic. And that's why a few Wardens followed First Warden Genevieve into the Deep Roads in The Calling to find her brother (which, good book other than the fact that Maric has a weird elf fetish and had never learned not to think with his dick. Loghain was holding Ferelden together tbh). The Wardens are compelling because they're the ultimate "the ends justify the means" group, who are unknowingly weakening the Veil each time they stop a Blight, which could ultimately unleash all of the Blight.

And Davrin is up against this Architect-like blighted creature so yeah, he's not taking that shit on without some back up. And Rook really doesn't want the Gloom Howler or her calling-addled Wardens rolling around. Seems bad when the gods control the Blight. So waiting for Rook makes sense, and a harder fight when you ignore his shit also makes sense.

We could have had Emmrich join up and speed up his timeline on being a Lich supposedly because the power would help the fight, only to find out it's really because he's terrified of dying.

Lucanis should have been more like Zevran: an unwilling Crow who volunteers so they can have some goddamn agency for once in their life and because fuck it, they were gonna die anyway. Much like a Warden, they would have accepted death.

A Shadow Dragon would be down to kill Venatori and super powerful mage slaveholders. I mean, my Shadow Dragon Rook killed slavers too hard for the group. We could take another one of those. A former slave Shadow Dragon would be extremely conflicted about fighting Solas (if he'd been characterized correctly and not retconned into an asshole) because Solas is a former slave who freed slaves. Hell, without sufficient loyalty to Rook, they'd JOIN Solas in a final battle.

Or, frankly? Dorian could join us again. Solas made Dorian a better person. Dorian has an amazing, genius level understanding of the Veil and magic. He kept up with Solas's discussion of magic every time. Yeah yeah, it has to be a new leader, but uh, Lace is there. Dorian would immediately be like oh, another world threatening evil mage? Two this time?? Well, looks like I'm coming out of retirement. Dorian would *struggle* to kill Solas. Solas is the reason (along with possibly Inky) that Dorian is fighting to end slavery in Tevinter. Solas maybe wasn't his friend, but Solas was *right* about so much. And Dorian would have felt the Veil weakening. He'd know. And I think he'd really sympathize with Solas's story of being coerced into being something he's not, into doing things he doesn't believe in, by people that say they love him. That would hit home. And without high enough loyalty to Rook, an Inquisitor who vowed to save Solas and Dorian could turn on Rook in the end. They could side with Solas, see that his place actually makes sense (because it does, in an 'ends justify the means' way. In a 'this is inevitable, and doing it in a controlled way is better than a chaotic collapse' way).

But then we'd have to sympathize with Solas and we'd want to take down the Veil. Which would end the story, and by god EA and Bioware are gonna milk that IP until it's a desicated corpse.

Ok fine you guys twisted my arm (I say to a completely empty room) here's why I think Mass Effect 2 worked and Veilguard tried to copy it and failed.

First up is the complexity of the goal/plot. In ME2, the end goal was simple: Stop the Collectors from harvesting humans. Blast off through the Omega 4 Relay and probably die. Take down as many Collectors as possible before you die. Basically, shoot stuff until it explodes. It made sense that half of the squadmates were just "legendary badass", "legendary badass (green skin version)" and "legendary badass (huge tits version)." You need to kill dudes, so you pick people who are good at killing. There are a few who are better at tech or science, but they use tech and science to, you guessed it, kill dudes. Then you have a few who join due to aligning goals (Legion) or loyalty to Shepard (Tali, Garrus) or humanity/Cerberus (Jacob, Miranda), or they're literally getting paid to be there (Kasumi and Zaeed). But all of them have reasons to stick around, of various importance.

The specificity of the main plot is also relevant here, because everybody in the galaxy is like "oh humans are getting kidnapped? sucks to suck dude rip in piss ://" so it makes sense to recruit whoever you can get. You need help for an issue that (according to everyone who would otherwise help) only concerns you. So you're like "hey are you good at killing? and do you mind dying?" and most of those freaks go "yeah lmao whatever." They're self-selecting, because the cause is so specific and explicitly suicidal.

The suicidal thing also helps explain the loyalty missions, btw. They're not presented as "hey can you umm help? or I'm gonna be distwacted 👉👈" but as "hey man, these people are willing to die on your command, you should probably help them with their unfinished business at the very least." And yeah, the mechanic of "if you don't help they'll fucking perish" remains the same, but the framing is different. In ME2, you're basically helping a bunch of professionals to do this final thing before they die for your cause. It's both a sign of respect and of consideration for them as people, and strengthens your bond with them and their loyalty to you. The way it's framed means that you don't have to do this in order for them to do their job, but doing it helps strengthen their belief in you.

And because the stakes are relatively low (as far as everyone knows), of course the squadmates will respect and appreciate a Shepard who takes care of them more. Of course it builds loyalty. This person isn't just using you as a meat shield for their pet crusade, they're genuinely trying to do what's right and don't want you to die for nothing.

In Veilguard, you're literally told multiple times that you have to do their dumbfuck busywork or else they're gonna throw in the towel. Hey man can you do this thing? Or else I'm not saving the world :3c The stakes being SO HIGH while their issues are SO NOTHING makes most of them look really immature and incompetent, which clashes against the whole "gang of experts" thing. You're telling me this couldn't wait? I have to go into Lucanis' mind and figure out his traumas or else he won't ... hold a knife good? And that will doom the world because he's the only guy who can hold a knife? Okay???

ME2 presents everybody as professionals and experts in their field, but at the end of the day, they're just there to kill stuff. Remove one, and another will be found. The mission is (as far as everyone in power knows) not galaxy-threatening yet, so finding new guys to help would be easy. That's why Shep taking the time to solve their final issues means something and why it earns their loyalty. It shows that Shep cares about them as people.

Veilguard presents these people as experts in their fields, too. They're considered irreplacable in this conflict. And the conflict is saving the whole entire fucking world. And YET, that has to take a backseat to them figuring out what happened to a work colleague or Lucanis' grandma, because none of these experts can take a fucking chill pill to SAVE THE WORLD.

ME2 offers "low" stakes for the conflict and high stakes for the characters, so when it focuses on the characters' stories, it makes sense. You get the impression that it's character drama with a common goal that brings them all together. Veilguard offers high stakes for the plot and low stakes for the characters, but still focuses on the characters, so you get the sense that we're fucking around playing therapist while the world is on fire in the background, and it's presented as totally logical, because these guys can't save the world without a clear mind!! Despite being ... experts in their fields.

That's why, to me, Rook feels like a therapist while Shep feels like a leader.

Anyway, this is the formal end of the post but I wrote more on the specific character motivations of the Veilguard and why they don't work/feel trite to me and how that adds to Rook feeling like they're a therapist but it didn't fit with the rest of the post so under cut.

Another thing is that, while sometimes the problems of the Veilguard are technically higher stakes than the problems of the ME2 squad, there is a sense of "Hey do you actually need me for this?" And that I think is in part to the lacking motivations of the Veilguard. It's so unclear why some of them stick around that it becomes difficult to justify why they wouldn't just leave to fix their own issues.

(For example, Garrus asks us to help kill a guy. The guy isn't dangerous, he's not out there killing people or in possession of a superweapon ready to destroy a city. He's just an asshole and Garrus wants revenge. He could, technically, leave and just kill the guy himself. He knows where the guy is, so what's holding him back? Well, the job is. And Shepard is. Garrus wants Shep's help, because he doesn't trust himself to finish it on his own. He needs somebody to rely on, but he also knows that he can't just leave without Shep's permission, and that Shep needs him, too. Everything is on Shep's schedule, and there's no real time limit. His revenge can wait until Shep is ready to offer their help.

Neve is hunting an old rival who is a blood mage threatening to enslave her favorite city in all da world. It's pretty damn high stakes. But in my playthrough, Neve wasn't counting on Rook's help at all. In fact, she explicitly mentioned several times that she didn't. Yet, she still sat around and waited for their help. She didn't leave to deal with this on her own, didn't even consider it. But why not? What about Rook or this cause is keeping her there, especially since there's canonically time before the next big move and the issue is so high-stakes and pressing? People will die if she doesn't do something, yet she's sitting on her ass waiting for Rook, whose help she isn't counting on, to step up? What???)

Neve is introduced as being hired by Varric to find Solas, which she does. In the tutorial mission. She sticks around after Varric dies because ... she's in too deep now, I guess. She has to help save the world, you see. Even though all she wants is to go back to Minrathous and protect the people there. She wants your help to. Figure out some stuff. The famous big city detective needs the help of a person who's introduced as somebody who "thinks in straight lines" and whose nickname is probably a play on "rookie." She is not getting paid for this. She's doing this out of the kindness of her heart, even though most of her time on screen is spent dreaming of her favorite city in da world. She's not an expert in anything that has to do with the current plot, so she's in-fiction not really vital to keep around. Her role as a mage is made entirely pointless by the existence of Bellara and Emmrich. Supposedly her area of expertise is in blood magic ... despite hating it and not actually practicing it, on account of it being bad and evil. So she's an expert in killing blood mages, then?

Well, no. That's Lucanis. He's the resident mage killer ... who we find in an underwater prison, guarded by blood mages. I get there is a reason for why he was defeated, but the optics aren't great, ya know? We don't really free him as much as we lightly distract his guards, so he can bust out of the prison fully clothed and armored. He's suuper eager for revenge, but he's also been forcefully possessed. But that's okay, because we need his expertise for um. Killing mages. Which is what the Evanuris are. So this random possessed human guy will know better than anybody else how to kill the Evanuris. Sure. He decides to stick around on account of ... the Crows always finishing a contract. Who is paying him? Who is paying the Crows? His gam-gam ordered him to stay, she's basically offering us his services for freeing him. Guy is an indentured servant but acts like it's his choice, like it's an honor thing and not his grandma putting him in the toilet. And when it's time for him to show/offer his expertise in the field, he says "How am I supposed to fight a cloud?" which is fair enough, sure. But have you not fought mages before? Do you not have any reference for them doing weird shit at all? Do you not know how to disrupt rituals, break barriers? In the end, all he can practically do is hold the special knife and attempt to stick the pointy end into his target. Which my rogue Rook or Davrin or Taash chould've done. But gam-gam says to sit so he sits! It's not a very compelling motivation for this epic expert mage killer to just kinda. Stick around out of obligation. It could've been interesting, if he chafed against it or had to be won over, but he's just fine with it. It's treated as natural that this dude, who isn't even slightly an actual expert and is just a glorified knife holder and who isn't practically useful in any sense of the word, is still in the group. It's treated as natural that Rook has to go out of their way to help him clear his mind so he can hold the knife better next time, instead of just finding another guy to hold the knife. Maybe the spirit in him makes him stronger and more capable of fighting mages? No, the spirit is what made him miss in the first place, actually! So you have to help him figure it out or he'll miss again. DON'T ask somebody else to hold the knife though. It HAS TO BE Lucanis. Because he's the mage killer expert. Who missed. And can't handle mages.

Then we have Taash, who we need to kill the blighted dragons. They're the only dragon hunter around and have an encyclopedic knowledge of said dragons. Unfortunately the blighted state of the dragons that are actually necessary to kill are behaving in unexpected and different ways from normal dragons. They're literally manipulated by the Evanuris to be harder to kill. Making Taash's expertise moot. I didn't even have them in my party when I took on two dragons at once, and in fact the only dragons that Taash is presented as capable of killing are ones that they want us to kill. So this expert we recruit mostly introduces more dragons for us to kill that aren't actually threatening us in any way. The main time Taash has to show off their knowledge is when we use the dragon trap ... which was fashioned by Wardens. Who are all trained specifically to fight Archdemons. Who are dragons. That are blighted. Do you uh. Do you see my problem here. Taash also sticks around the Veilguard for inexplicable reasons. Mostly it seems they don't want to go home to their mother, which is fine, but this is a whole-ass adult, supposedly. They could go back to hunting dragons for the Lords, because they're written as too self-absorbed to really care about stepping up to the fight just for the sake of it. So despite them not really being useful in any way to the overall plot, we still have to help them figure out their gender identity, or else they won't be able to ... fight the blighted dragons. Which they couldn't fight. On account of the blight. Cool cool cool.

Then we have Emmrich, who is a professor and has shit to do. He is also presented as a Fade expert, while Bellara is somehow not, despite doing most of the Fade-related and artifact-related magic on-screen. Emmrich joins the Veilguard on account of um. Well we asked nicely, and he's a good guy, so he has to help save the world. Despite the fact that he's terrified of dying. Which he's far more likely to do after leaving his job. And the thing is, yeah, "the world might end so we need to stop that!" is a valid motivation, but if we accept it as the motivation of a central character whose plot we must find compelling, then why is it that it's only a few guys trying to save the world? This conflict is prestented as bigger than all the previous games combined, bigger than (the) Inquisition, which had literally entire armies and different branches and infrastructure for it's "smaller" conflict, and people were still volunteering and joining in droves, but here we're 8 guys? Are we meant to believe Emmrich's willingness to join the Veilguard is somehow unique to him, and that nobody else in the world would volunteer to join? When Harding exists, on the same team?

Speaking of, Harding is a character who can really get away with "I wanna save the world", because her joining the Inquisition is literally how she got into the plot in the first place. She's a joiner. She joins heroic causes. So her having this sort of bare-bones but noble motivation works. Same with Davrin. Bellara seems to join out of both curiosity and guilt, which are interesting enough reasons and come through visibly in her subplot and characterization, but more importantly, she doesn't have anything holding her back that might take priority until she finds out her brother is alive. Her sticking around also makes some sense because she's ya know. An elf mage Fade expert. Or sorry an elf artifacts expert.

I'm not saying "somebody's gotta do it!" or "it's the right thing to do!" aren't valid motivations, they clearly are, but there's gotta be more to it, especially when it comes to characters who have something to lose like Emmrich. My guy is terrified of death but he's such a good dude that he jumps into this life-threatening conflict without a second thought? But then gets so "distracted" by his wacky scientist former colleague that he needs our help figuring it out? Huh???

Um. I didn't have a conclussy for this part of the post so. bye

[theskeletongames]

How did you make other people gain interest? My friend's making this awsome comic but is losing motivation because its getting no attention whatsoever....

Honestly, if your content is good, it'll get noticed. I actually get lectured by other artists because I post my stuff at the worst times in the middle of the night and don't try very hard to get seen. People will do the work of passing your stuff around if it's good. Extra tricks can help, I think, but I've never really relied too heavily on them, so I can't tell you how to do anything besides believing in your own content. As far as the content, perhaps the struggle and lack of engagement is coming from the story telling side. I see a lot of comics with interesting concepts but bad exaction. Have you ever tried to tell a funny story to someone, only for it to fall flat? Is the problem that the story isn't entertaining, or is the problem how you're telling the story? In my experience, you can make any story entertaining so I'm apt to think it could be the way in which the story is being told.

Without seeing the comic, I can't really say for sure if that's why it's not getting engagement online, but I always double down on the basics. -Write a solid script.

-Make sure the dialog is good and flows nicely without being too wordy.

-Pick panels that have interesting angles that heighten the action or emotional state of the characters.

If you have any trouble doing these things, know that I practiced for a few years before before doing my comics, and I'm still constantly learning. I'd suggest researching other comics you like and figure out how they make their stories engaging using dialog, panels and angles, ect... (Seriously, read them with the intent of breaking the pages down bit by bit) Don't reinvent the wheel, learn from the masters (People you like) and seriously look at your work and ask yourself if you are fully engaged and interested at all times. I've rewritten or cut out entire sections in both my writing and comics because they were boring. The idea was fine, but if it's told in a bland way, people are going to skip it, or even worse, stop engaging with the media.

Sorry if this is not the answer you are looking for... Some other advice is that maybe there just isn't enough there. People like stuff they can binge and really soak into, so if you only have a few pages that hardly get into the meat of the thing, people aren't going to be engaged. The other thing to assess is the hook. If people have to read exposition from the beginning they'll get bored. Give them a good hook, a real attention grabber that makes them want... no must, turn the page. Hell, if the page is missing or out of order, they'll hunt across the whole internet for it because they have to know! Start mid action if you must, then go back and do some exposition later if you got explaining to do.

[downatfraggleblog]

Riley’s Fraggle Rock Reviews!

Season One, Episode One- Beginnings

Beginnings are always hard, aren’t they? Even if you have a vision for what you want your project to be, it can be hard to get to that point from nothing. You have to start *somewhere*, while making sure everything makes sense for your audience and keeping them entertained and promising that “This will be great! Really!!”

...Admittedly, this is more for me than for Jim, Jerry, and the incredible team of performers, puppet builders, crew members, songwriters, and gorg wranglers who worked their baloobiuses off to get Fraggle Rock made (because *surely* the work of one woman typing reviews about a decades old show is harder than actually making the show was). I’m not sure how to start things here myself, so I feel a little better seeing the crew of Fraggle Rock is in the same spot that I am on this one... more or less.

So! Without further ado, I want to welcome you to the review series! (If you’re looking for more information on the series, check the ‘about’ page.) If for some reason anybody reading this does not know anything about Fraggle Rock, I will be highlighting the names of all the major characters and groups in this episode. There are a lot of elements at play here, but I’m sure you’ll do just fine. Now, I know what you’re here for- let’s start the episode! How does Beginnings begin?

We begin with a dark workshop. *The* workshop, actually, as we see old handyman Doc and his loyal dog Sprocket begin settling into this old, dusty room. I always assumed the workshop was the front room of the house, as we often see Doc bringing in groceries and talking to neighbors, but he explicitly says he is converting an “unused room” into his workshop. Did they always live here? My personal theory is that Doc inherited the house from an old friend or relative, who simply used some other entrance to the house, as I simply can’t believe Doc just had a whole room lying around for who knows how long. He doesn’t strike me as a man to make waste of a whole room like that. Besides, I find more whimsy in him settling in here just as things begin stirring in the world just below his feet.

Speaking of which, just about five feet down and ten feet to the viewer’s right is fraggle explorer Matt, who is lamenting the end of his journeys charting out the caves of Fraggle Rock.

(I can see where Gobo gets his sense of style from!)

His wish for more adventure is quickly granted when a magical force (Doc) penetrates the cave wall (moves a box out of the way), opening a portal to the mythic “Outer Space,” a legend to fragglekind. The exposition from Doc in this scene is kind of flat, but I quite enjoy Matt’s antics here. He quickly rushes home to prepare for this new adventure.

Here we meet Matt’s nephew Gobo, who suffers from protagonist syndrome but has a healthy dose of eccentricity to balance the mixture. Matt trusts Gobo with his papers as he begins to pack (along with one of my favorite bits of physical humor in the episode).

“I am leaving my books and maps with you for safe keeping!” he says as they thud on the cave floor. (Look at his arms— he’s rod handed. I wonder how many takes it took to get this shot perfect…)

Gobo pages his uncle’s (presumably now damaged) tomes and here comes our first song of the series, “Hip Hip Hooray!” Despite the name, I’m not quite fond of this sequence. I feel like it’s mostly here to showcase some of the new puppetry tricks still being toyed with for the series, but we will see just about all these tricks honed much better in later episodes (swimming fraggles, waldos, fraggles “balancing” things on their nose). Admittedly, I am quite a fan of the one fraggle just before the song balancing on one foot atop another’s head, but I’ll let you find that one for yourself ;) Otherwise, the song is boring and so is the staging. Anyways, let’s meet some more fraggles!

(I find it adorable that Wembley comes out following Boober in their very first shot onscreen together. Just something I appreciate!) 

Enter gloomy Boober, silly Wembley, and daredevil Red. After an endearing slapstick sequence, the trio all find themselves tripping over one another in Gobo’s room. This scene doesn’t really forward the plot in any way besides establishing these three as characters, and I honestly don’t mind too much.

After the brief visit from his friends, Gobo sees his uncle off on his newest adventure in what is probably my favorite sequence of the episode, and our second musical number, “Follow Me”. Not only am I getting a wave of nostalgic pathos, but the interactions between uncle and nephew are very charming to watch. Gobo’s interactions with Matt in this song and the sequence that shortly follows are endearing because of how natural they feel. There’s genuine chemistry between these performers, having worked together on the Muppet Show and first few Muppet Movies, but beyond that the relationship between Matt and Gobo feels like a real family. They are by no means perfect, but there is clearly a lot of love for one another. It’s a shame that a lot of relationships highlighted in Season One fall to the wayside as the writers figure out their footing.

Matt tasks Gobo with receiving messages he will send back home as he explores Outer Space, and while Gobo says he could never, his uncle doesn’t quite hear that last part. Gobo, feeling a sense of obligation to his elder, sees no way out of it, and wishes Matt goodbye. “Think of me as Uncle Travelin’ Matt,” he replies, and a music cue tells the audience (and, seemingly, the fraggles onscreen) that this name will be important. With that, he’s gone out the door, and Doc is none the wiser. Sprocket, on the other hand, is freaking out at the discovery of these strange little creatures coming out of the mysterious hole in the wall. 

We catch up with Gobo a little later, when the nurturing and dreamy Mokey asks him why he’s been so down. Gobo doesn’t know how to talk about his feelings, which Mokey interprets as needing space to process things. Gobo announces to nobody in particular that no, he needs *help*, and Wembley (unaware of his friends anguish?) eagerly calls Gobo to look at a musical construction made by the diminutive, formic Doozers. We get an instrumental sequence here as Doozers build a new bridge with tiny construction tools. (Sequences like these are quite common in the earliest episodes of Fraggle Rock, and while they often can be fun, they can really stop an episode in its tracks...)

By the time Wembley finishes his song, the Doozers have trapped him in with the new bridge they just assembled, as Gobo glumly comments. “It’s a good thing I’m hungry,” Wembley proclaims, as he begins devouring the highway before him.

(If you’re new here, no this isn’t just a Wembley thing. All fraggles do it.)

Wembley asks Gobo what’s wrong, and Gobo again cannot elaborate, so he heads out to go get some wisdom from Marjory the Trash Heap (Again, if you’re new here, she’s their oracle. And yes, she is a talking pile of compost.)

In order to get to her, however, he must cross the Gorg’s Garden, guarded by the titanic Junior Gorg. His blundering mammoth size proves no match for a fraggles’ speed, however, and he misses Gobo as the latter makes his way to the oracle in question.

Her heralds (sons?), the murine Philo and Gunge announce her presence and the pile of compost awakens. She declares that Gobo has “Troubles,” and breaks into the highest energy segment of the episode, our last new song, “I Seen Troubles”. I adore this sequence, especially with how much fun everybody seems to be having and how high energy it is. It’s a spectacular contrast to the rest of the episode, in the best possible way. 

Gobo explains that he doesn’t know how to do what he promised his uncle, and that he feels alone and scared of the terrible monster (Sprocket) that he will have to contend with. “Alone? Then don’t be alone!” Bring some friends, Marjory says, friends help. Philo and Gunge declare that to be all, and Gobo goes back to recruit his friends to tag along and help him out. Boober finds the request terrifying, and Red doesn’t believe a word of it, but the group agrees to go.

The sequence where they enter the tunnel to Outer Space has great scoring, and establishes a few running jokes, such as Wembley here bumping his head on a pipe. Everybody is subsequently stopped by a ‘Hideous, Round Thing’ (a red ball Sprocket lost down the hole) blocking up the doorway to Doc’s Workshop.

I hope this wasn’t bothering any of you before, but I just can’t help but be irritated by the fact the Hideous Round Thing is floating about six inches off the ground. Come on! Couldn’t they just have one of the Fraggle Five bend offscreen and pick it up? Couldn’t be bothered to do that?

Regardless, Gobo bravely ventures out of the Fraggle Hole and into Outer Space, past a sleeping Sprocket, only to find his uncle’s message when Doc comes in with the mail, various magazines and… a postcard for one Gobo Fraggle? Doc puts the errand card in the trash (...instead of checking with his neighbors? Perhaps more proof Doc just moved in.) and Gobo makes for the safety of Fraggle Rock. Only problem is the commotion woke up Sprocket, who now has Gobo by the collar of his cardigan, and everybody is freaking out. Mokey finally decides to throw the Hideous Round Thing at the monster to get it to let Gobo go.

This of course works, as dogs love their balls, and Gobo zips back into the tunnel with a “whoosh” sound- another running gag in the making. Red apologizes for not believing Gobo, and they head back home, singing a reprise of Hip Hip Hooray. That night, Gobo reads the message proclaiming his uncle is okay, and finally the young fraggle can rest easily.

(In actuality, Matt almost got hit by a car, ran into a fire hydrant, and mistook a bunch of children playing baseball for horrible warriors. He simply thought Gobo would find Outer Space too preposterous to put all that in his letter back home.)

We end the episode back on Doc and Sprocket, who have just finished setting up shop (literally). Sprocket barks down the hole at his new ‘friends’, and Doc declares that one of these days he’ll get around to boarding up that revolting crack in the wood paneling.

Final Rating- 6/10

Song Score- 3.5 radishes out of five “I Seen Troubles” and “Follow Me” are both spectacular songs, and I like them both in very opposite directions. I Seen Troubles provides a great energy boost to an otherwise meandering episode, and the fun everybody had during it is infectious. Follow Me is a wonderful lullaby for the soul, and one of the series’ classics for a reason (Oh yea, it’s coming back!). “Hip Hip Hooray,” however, brings the score down for its mediocrity, both times it comes about. It’s not horrible, but it’s weak as cardboard.

Story Score- 3 radishes out of five I admire the determination of the writing crew, getting every main character and group on screen with ample time to shine. However, the episode feels both very busy and very hollow at the same time, and the actual plot of the episode is kind of short compared to all the little side bits we run into (Gobo’s friends visiting his room, Wembley playing his song on the Doozer construction, etc.). None of these little bits really push the episode forwards either, but I do think all of this can be forgiven by a writing team that is still figuring themselves out.

Performance Score- 3.5 radishes out of 5 Everybody seems to be having fun! The quick establishing moments of Mokey, Wembley, Boober, and Red all do a good job giving the audience a nice feel for each character, and the physical comedy in this episode is very good, better than I remembered. The puppetry stunts are mostly standard for the series going forward, with many of them improving greatly beyond this episode, but there are a few novel ones as well, such as Matt dropping his books. Score is also a little low for this episode due to it being in what I like to call the “Glum Gobo” era, before Jerry really figured out the light inside Gobo’s character. Don’t worry, it’ll come with time.

That was Beginnings! It’s not perfect, but that doesn’t surprise me. The show is still getting its footing. This is by no means an episode I’d skip in future watchathons, but it’s not one I’ll go out of my way to see when I’m thinking about the Rock. Part of me fears I rated it so middle of the road because I don’t have much to review it on other than memories of other episodes, but I think it is still a fair rating. I apologize if this one was a little wordy too, there was a lot to cover! Next episode up to bat is “Wembley and the Gorgs”. I’ll see you there!