#Writing's a bit wonky and something's lost in translation

[mystalwartheart]

Since not everyone who follows this blog now may know Jill, Patricia Ja Lee or her work outside Resident Evil I decided to start sharing some of my favourite highlights from her acting career for anyone who wants a little more immersion or context for my face and voice claim.

Jill is a featured character in the Capcom crossover game TEPPEN, and PJ returned to voice her for the first time in eight years. Jill's story mode campaign begins with a quick recap of the events of Resident Evil (2002) and features nods to both Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and Resident Evil 5 as Jill sets out to bring Albert Wesker to justice for his betrayal and murder of their team and foiled plot to kill her.

[gondalsqueen]

Fic Writer Review

Tagged by @findswoman. Thanks, ma’am! I hadn’t stopped to look at the stats of my writing in...ever. This was enlightening.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

48 currently

2. What’s your total AO3 wordcount?

366,990, yikes!

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Uhm...let’s count. Star Trek: The Next Generation when I was 10 (and I have another one for that fandom in the works). X-men in middle school. Xena: Warrior Princess, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Star Wars (Original Trilogy stuff), Star Wars: Rebels, and Castlevania. That’s seven, I guess? 

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Predictably:  Close Only Counts (600) (earlyish kanera) En Route (541) (Han/Leia)  Next Season (503) (Hera-centric, post-Rebels) Lean (407) (Ghost crew)  Continued (297) (Rebels fix-it fic) 

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

The only reason I write is to talk about these fandoms with people, so yes, and I am not above begging for comments (that was the question, right?). If I haven’t responded to yours it’s because I’ve overlooked it in the day-to-day, and you should poke me and tell me so! 

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Probably The First Night, which was written in the aftermath of “Jedi Night,” before the series even ended. Most of my stories have plenty of angst in the middle, but little at the end. 

7. Do you write crossovers? If so what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I have not written crossovers. Hyperfixation does not allow me to think of more than one fandom at the same time. 

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

No, which I take as a testament to how lovely the Rebels fandom is. 

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Ahahaha! I mean...in my defense... not ALL my stories are smut. 

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I don’t think so. Guys? No, right? 

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not for A03, but the childhood fanfics were ALL co-written. We had these spiral notebooks we’d carry around and pass off to each other in the halls between classes. Ah, middle school. I also lived that roleplaying life for many years, though I’m not counting those as stories. 

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

kanera, oh you came and you gave without taking...  Runners-up:  Trevor and Sypha (Castlevania)  John and Aeryn (Farscape) (though I don’t write them because I’m not sure fanfiction can improve upon the show, which is already...pretty much fanfiction)

14. What’s a wip that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Uhm... I think I will finish all of my works in progress eventually, barring unforeseen disaster. None of them feels abandoned. I would most like to get working on Fault Lines (the big Castlevania fic that’s barely started), and I have a gorgeous Picard story that I wrote 4,000 words for in three hours and then haven’t had a chance to go back to again. 

15. What are your writing strengths?

characterization and dialogue, I think. Probably smut? I’m not sure that’s something to brag about. 

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Plot? What plot? Also pacing/phrasing at the sentence level, which is sometimes okay but sometimes wonky. 

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I say if it feels good, do it. 

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Probably Star Trek: The Next Generation, in terms of things that I actually wrote down. 

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I don’t knooooow! Uhm...  Next Season is not my best writing (it was written at breakneck speed and needs a heavy edit), but it really hits the spot sometimes. Feels real. (Side note, after I dedicated a story to my husband to troll him one time, my son said, “Hey! Would you ever write a story for me?” and my husband told him, “Buddy, Mommy wrote 40,000 words for you.” He doesn’t get to SEE this story, of course.) We also lost multiple men in our family to suicide, unexpectedly and horrifically, just before I wrote this story. It exploded everybody’s sense of reality in some ways I don’t think we’ll ever recover from. So...there’s a lot of real energy in this one.  I think Scenes from Yavin IV is underrated.  Fade to Red is smutty garbage in a lot of ways, but it’s been a huge investment, and it’s really made me think about how and why relationships work--and writing Kanan and Hera at the same time as Trevor and Sypha has made it clear that there are REALLY DIFFERENT ways of having healthy relationships, so that’s cool. Fade to Red has been a massive amount of work for a modest achievement, and I both resent it and am attached to it for that reason. It will end in a 8,000 word blowout next week, and I think I’ll be sad to see it done.  I think Mastery’s doing some interesting things, though it’s a bit retconned now.   

Tagging: @veritascara, @worriedaboutmyfern, @spaceasianmillennial, @amilynh, if you’re interested

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 255: "Hospital”

Previously on BnHA: Aizawa and Present Mic found out their dead best friend Shirakumo was necromanced by All for One and Ujiko and turned into everyone’s favorite villain mom bartender M.D., Kurogiri! Gran Torino and Naomasa were all “hey you guys should talk to him and see if you can restore his memories through the power of friendship” and so they all sat down together to do that. Kurogiri was all “so tell me how is my son Shigaraki Tomura, I love him so much, he is so emo and I must protect him” and Aizawa and Mic were all “THIS GUY HASN’T CHANGED ONE IOTA” and Aizawa started crying and was all “SHIRAKUMO LET’S GET MARRIED AGAIN AND BE HEROES TOGETHER LIKE WE ALWAYS WANTED.” Oh and also we found out Aizawa only fake expelled his previous students and it was just so that he could PREPARE THEM FOR LIFE!! and afterwards they got to go back to U.A. again and live happily ever after. And so basically I’ve lost track of how many hugs Aizawa needs here now but it’s a lot.

Today on BnHA: Shiraguri’s brainwaves start going all wonky and everyone is like “OH SHIT IT’S WORKING” and Aizawa and Mic decide it’s time to shift this drama into overdrive, so they get right up against the glass and start shouting “YOU’RE OUR FRIEND!!” and stuff over and over until IT FINALLY WORKS!! and Kurogiri’s face shifts into Shirakumo’s. Somehow the effect is incredibly sad and moving rather than terrifying as fuck, but unfortunately all Kumo can manage to get out is “hospital” before his mind overloads and he passes out. Fortunately for our heroes, “hospital” is actually an awesome clue which can totally lead them to Tomura and Ujiko’s location if they play their cards right, probably! Or at least Hawks seems really psyched about it, idk. Anyway so the chapter ends with Ujiko going FULL MAD SCIENTIST and wreaking havoc on Tomura’s body in order to -- I’m pretty sure, anyway -- turn him into some kind of fully sentient ultimate high end Noumu. Welllllll shit.

so that sure was a fun little wrinkle last week, huh. the two biggest scanlators deciding that in the spirit of the holidays, they were going to stop translating WSJ series and instead support the official releases out of the goodness of their hearts and definitely not at all because Shueisha was eyeing them threateningly and making little throat-slitting gestures. that was a ride. these are interesting times lol

but at any rate, if this is how it’s going to be for now then I’ll adjust! it is nice to have everyone support the official release, and obviously the image quality is way better, and Caleb’s translations are by and large pretty good. and obviously we’ll get used to reading the chapter on Sundays instead of Fridays (hell, I remember when the SJ leaks still came out on Wednesdays, so it’s not like we haven’t done this same old song and dance before lol). but Friday did happen to be a more convenient day for my schedule personally, so it might take a bit of adjusting for me to figure out what my posting schedule is going to be moving forward

anyways so I’m sorry this recap is so ridiculously late, but here we go at last!

so the Tartarus guard, who by the way is very clearly Seiji’s dad (WHEN ARE THE SHIKETSU KIDS COMING BACK), is tapping frantically at his touch screen even though it’s not doing anything, and he says he’s detecting unusual brainwaves. omg

WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK IT MEANS, OBVIOUSLY THEY UNLOCKED THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP, MAN! THEY DID IT

omfg. the guard just says “he’s agitated.” I’m going to need you to have more hype than that my good sir. please

holy shit Nao

attention everyone, HAS ANYONE SEEN NAOMASA’S FUCKING CHILL, BECAUSE HE SEEMS TO HAVE FUCKING MISPLACED THAT SHIT. someone please explain to this man that there is a time and a place to play good cop bad cop and this is not it. “oh, Shirakumo is starting to recover his memories? well then [busts into the prison cell and grabs him by the collar and slams him against the wall] WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR!?”

(ETA: so apparently Nao’s detective instincts are cleverer than mine. he saw that Kumo was potentially going to emerge, but probably not for long, so he gave him the most important question so he could focus on answering that. good job! still not a lot of chill but hey.)

meanwhile Aizawa is all “if what they said is true I’m looking at my friend’s corpse”, while still crying by the way, and yeah, so MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE. this year Santa decided to change it up and just make everyone real sad. happy holidays

lord he’s leaping to his feet and shouting “WHO DID THIS TO YOU”

meanwhile I can’t stop staring at Present Mic with his tongue sticking out. why are you sticking your tongue out. why are anime characters like this. you know, Stain also used to stick his tongue out. Present Mic U.A. traitor confirmed

also!! so many people have beef with Ujiko, though! pretty soon they will have to take a number and get in line

oh no Kumogiri is malfunctioning

Aizawa’s all “ANSWER ME SHIRAKUMO” and OH MY GOD LOOK AT THIS

I HAVE NEVER SEEN AIZAWA SHOUTA SO INTENSE AND I CAN’T TEAR MY EYES AWAY FROM THE SCREEN AHHHHH

so there’s some more of “WE WANTED TO BE HEROES TOGETHER” and “YOUR NAME IS SHIRAKUMO OBORO” and all of that other “SNAP OUT OF IT ALREADY” stuff, and you’re damn right I am eating ALL THAT SHIT right up, hell yes. IT’S A TROPE FOR A REASON PEOPLE

oh my god

bwo...hh...?

(ETA: I feel like I should explain that although I have a subscription to Viz, I really hate how their chapter viewer is set up, so I read the chapter on one of the vertical scroll-to-read sites instead. I prefer scroll-to-read for a lot of reasons, but the biggest one is so that I can read the chapter slowly (since I’m writing as I go) without spoiling what’s in the next panel. that being said, this next page is one of the few where Viz obviously got it right, so I’ll be posting the full image.)

SDFLSDLFKHSDLKJGOISDJFOSK

（┐° o °  ┐） ( ｣｡╹o╹｡)｣

feelingsfeelingsfeelingsFEELINGS

(ETA: on a reread I am fascinated by the fact that that bandage on his nose actually seems to be A PERMANENT PART OF HIS FACE APPARENTLY lol what.)

READ THE FUCKING ROOM, DUDE. also look how tiny Gran Torino is. he thought we wouldn’t notice through all of our tears. but we did. would you like me to fetch you a box

ha ha ha so now back to the drama

heh so anyway, the fact that this smoke Shirakumo face still looks like a child is straight up destroying me. how are you guys. how is everyone. feliz navidad

FKSLDJSLK HOLD UP

IS HE TRYING TO SAY “SHOUTA”, I CAN’T, I’M?!?!!!!

ADSLFKJALSKDJW

(ETA: I think you can see Shirakumo’s eye rolling back here as he fights against the brainwashing omg. this chapter’s fucking art, though.)

YESSSSSS you keep on ticking off that checklist of clichés, Horikoshi!! I’m so weak for this shit it’s not even funny. actually that’s not true, this plotline is usually hit or miss with me, but I’ll tell you what though, if there’s one guaranteed way to have me freaking the fuck out rather than sighing and rolling my eyes, it’s to have AIZAWA FUCKING SHOUTA be the one pounding on the wall of glass and screaming at his former lover to fight the layers of conditioning waging war on his mind. ohhhhhh god

lol the brainwave detecting screen is losing its fucking shit also and beeping like crazy. this tension is so thick you could plant a flag in it yeesh

is this Kumo remembering stuff??!

(ETA: thank you to the anon who pointed out I posted the wrong image earlier lol.)

why do shounen characters always recall events from a third-person camera view. curse this ambiguous flashback

AHHHHH

HOSPITALLLL ahh what??? “SHOUTA, HOSPITAL.” oh my god. Shirakumo I commend you for not having your first words after dying and being brought back to life and brainwashed for 15 years and then waking up in a straitjacket in a prison cell be, “FUCK ME OH FUCKING SHIT WHAT THE FUCK.” you and I are very different people but I respect that

HOLY SHIT HIS HEAD EXPLODED

so now everyone’s freaking out and we’re zooming in on Kumo’s eye again. by the way this is going to kill me when it’s animated oh god

OH NO THE PANEL WENT BLACK AND IT GOT ALL SILENT

(ETA: hmm I don’t think Caleb Cook knows what “whump” means nowadays. whump is what I wish we had here. instead it’s just lots of hurt but very little comfort. JUST LOTS OF PAIN AND SADNESS.)

Horikoshi please have mercy oh lord. also I see their hands touching, you. they honestly should be gripping each other fucking white-knuckled, this is all very traumatic. I think that if Shouta was holding Mic’s hand while his other hand was pressed against the glass I would probably start sobbing for real

what the fuck

did they knock him back out?? they seem really calm and optimistic about all this lol

oh godddddd

HE’S NOT CRYING YOU’RE CRYING SHUT UP. GOD, MIC, WOULD YOU PLEASE JUST GIVE HIM A HUG ALREADY??

so now they’re bidding farewell to Nao and Gran -- and HOLY SHIT --

okay hold up -- I just realized -- Kumo was trying to give them a hint about Ujiko’s location. holy shiiiiit. PLEASE START INVESTIGATING HOSPITALS, NAO AND GRAN. holy shit the Noumu arc is heating uppppp

Aizawa’s asking what’s happening with Kurogiri now, and I feel like he maybe should have asked that immediately after the fact rather than as an afterthought while they were getting ready to leave but okay

Nao says he kind of “short-circuited or something” and yeah that tracks with what we saw. though it sure does make that “THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY FOLKS, GOOD JOB BOYS, YOU GET A GOLD STAR” business just SUPER WEIRD though, but let’s be real, Nao has been swinging and missing with striking the right tone all day today

and now Gran is apologizing to Mic and Aizawa for the exquisite emotional torture he just put them through, but he says something is bound to come from it. WELL YEAH NO SHIT IT HAD GODDAMN BETTER

Aizawa apparently hasn’t run out of sad/tired/haunted expressions yet, if you can believe it

pretty soon everyone is going to be sad, tired, and traumatized! heh. it’s going to be so fucked up hahaha crying smiling emojiiiii

oh hey and we’re cutting to another flashback of AFO doing what he does best, being callously dismissive of human lives!

this guy. right here. is a rat bastard. for real. also Horikoshi sure picked a hell of a chapter to go all out on the art again, jesus. this is probably the first time I’ve looked at AFO’s fucked up face and actually thought “yep, that’s a mutilated human man” rather than “shouldn’t you be out floating in space with your asteroid friends trying to smash the Millennium Falcon?” so anyways yeah this panel is a big NOPE from me, thank you

but on the other hand, when Horikoshi uses those art powers for good, such as carefully penciling in every last individual hair of Aizawa’s perpetual five o’clock shadow, that I don’t mind so much!

yes. yes good

so now they’re vrooming off, and we’re hanging back with Gran and Nao for a minute

YESSSSS GOOD JOB NAO!!

looooool it’s ringing up the head of the HPSC and her phone’s buzzing and she’s giving it this hella dramatic look. like this is some patented Todoroki-level dramatic whooshing right here

that’s just how dramatic this entire arc is going to be, hopefully

WAIT WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW

IS THAT A CODED MESSAGE FOR HIM TO GO CHECK OUT THE HOSPITAL. AND HOW BUSY ARE YOU, HAWKS. ARE YOU THE “I AM IN SOME DEEP, DEEP TROUBLE” KIND OF BUSY, OR JUST THE STAYING-IN-CHARACTER KIND OF BUSY. YOU CASUAL BASTARD, WHO CAN EVEN TELL WITH YOU, I’LL JUST HAVE TO SCROLL DOWN TO SEE

oh hh my go

“LITTLE LATE TO ASK ABOUT THIS STUFF” so he comes from the Bakugou Katsuki school of tutoring, eh

I love that he actually followed through on explaining the PLF’s philosophy to Twice. and Twice is such a good boy. he’s studying so diligently. look, he didn’t ask to join a doomsday cult, it just kind of happened so now he’s just doing his best to figure it all out

and it definitely was a coded message, then. smoooooth, HPSC lady, smooth. so I wonder if the fact that she gave him a specific hospital implies a time jump. because I don’t think she’d have him investigate just any old hospital until they had a better lead and/or a more solid idea of what they were looking for

lol what the fuck

well I sure do not have any idea what this man is talking about

-- HOSDFLKJDLY SHIT WE’RE CUTTING TO UJIKO WE ARE CUTTING TO FUCKING UJIKO RED FUCKING ALERT!!!

HE’S TALKING ABOUT TOMURA I’M NOT CALMMMMMMMM AHHHHHH

FUCCKLKL FUCK THE WHAT HOLY SHIT WHAT DID HE DO

oh my god oh my god oh m

he made Tomura a Noumu. holy fucking shit that’s what he did. of course. so he’ll be able to possess multiple quirks, but because he benefits from Ujiko’s years of high end Noumu research, his sense of self will remain intact

AND DOESN’T THIS PROCESS JUST LOOK EVER SO PLEASANT. jesus christ. he’s not even allowed to lie down, for some reason this procedure can only be done while he’s hovering over the bed Exorcist-style with his mouth locked open in a silent scream (ETA: or is that actually his laughter we’re seeing?? because this panel wasn’t raw enough already I guess??) while random spurts of blood come chucking out all over the place. well that’s just

and Tomura fucking volunteered for this. how many scores of others didn’t?? holy fucking shit Ujiko. it’s not easy to be the most evil man in a chapter where a foil-wrapped potato with eye holes started waxing poetic about all the children he harvested and killed like some kind of bloodthirsty sommelier, but YOU FOUND A WAY. dancing a fucking jig while your so-called masterpiece is being gruesomely tortured in the foreground. man if there’s any justice in the world, we’ll find out in this arc that Ujiko used science to make himself immortal so that once he’s finally captured they can just keep killing him over and over again. I do not like him!!

so that’s it! we really are doing this thing, holy shit. Noumu arc here we come. see you guys next decade har dee har

[inktrailing]

I stole this from @the-kaedageist because it looked fun.

(Also me: “I’ll do this meme quickly...” ... *loses track of time*)

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

78 to my greatest surprise. I guess the only favor 2020 did for me was in writing.

2) What’s you total AO3 word count?

355,868. Holy...

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

10. Critical Role, CWDC, Men in Black (movies), Supernatural, Doctor Who, PotC. Spattering of some other stuff.

4) What are your top five fics by Kudos?

Unconventional, Men in Black, Jay/Kay, 1211 kudos... somehow

Fish Tales, Men in Black, Jay/Kay, 336 kudos

meet us where the night ends, Critical Role, Essek/Caleb, 298 kudos

I see death cresting over the hill, Critical Role, Essek/Caleb, 276 kudos

message, Critical Role, Essek/Caleb, 273 kudos

5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I AM REALLY BAD ABOUT THIS. It’s literally on my AO3 profile that I’m bad about it. I try every now and then but I so often just get flustered and then don’t end up responding. Oftentimes I’m at work and just flailing during the rest of my shift and yeah /)_(\ Words Are Hard, says the writer.

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

OH THERE’S A COUPLE. I would say Caught in the Wires (MIB, Jay/Kay); and you know my soul (CRc2, Essek/Caleb) probably are the two worst for bad end future fics. follow me into the golden wild (DW, Rose & the Moment) is my favorite of my bad end fics though lol. I fucking love that fic hahaha, and it’s one of my least read stories XD

7) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I don’t really. Not fic wise. A lot of my thought processing goes through basically using an RP format with myself (because I like icons, okay) so sometimes I’ll take wild concepts and play out scenarios with a bunch of characters and sometimes I’ll get shit out of it that I can actually use but other times I’ll have fun things that will not translate well to fic.

My fav of those was a Pokemon AU that y’know basically dragged a bunch of characters in and eventually they had to deal with a Problem like ya do while still ending up stranded. I enjoyed throwing Dean/Lucifer at that because Dean just ended up “ghost hunting” aka freeing/helping/catching ghosts and ending up with 70+ and Lucifer really only traveling around with a Zoroark and still hating humanity but helping mistreated and scapegoated pokemon.

I just really like Dean and his ghost army lmfao.

An actual crossover fic I have (and maybe one day could finish) was Arrow/The Dresden Files only because Paul Blackthorne except it uses book canon instead of TV canon because of Winter Court Bullshit so like whatever, I do what I want some days I guess \o_O/

8) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I don’t... think so? I sometimes get minor disagreements on characterization but I typically write for myself and am pretty set in my ways so it’s like okay I accept your opinion but it’s not going to change anything.

9) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I cannot write smut to save my life.

10) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

If I have I definitely haven’t noticed.

11) Have you ever had a fic translated?

stood too close to the flames (LoT, Mick/Len) was translated.

12) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No.

13) What’s you all-time favorite ship?

I ship so many things at the drop of a hat and so frequently go back to old ships to find new things to read even if it’s been a looooong time. I would say Jay/Kay since I’ve shipped and written them for the greatest length of time without it fading.

I do genuinely enjoy writing Dean/Lucifer though so go rarepairs I guess.

14) What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I fucking love I’ll Stop the Whole World (DW, Doctor/Master, 47k words) as I’ve pulled it up again after idk months to skim through but I suppose I learned a lot from writing lost in the lapse again and going backwards to any of my longer WIPs just hurts a bit? I want to figure it out because there’s so much I adore in it but there’s a lot of work to be done and having two monitors helps now but... I don’t have the energy to tear it apart and sew it back together.

15) What are your writing strength?

god idk

I’d like to say I’ve gotten better at I guess... balance? Juggling dialogue and action and scenery. I forced myself to work on scenery descriptions awhile back and I think it paid off?

I learned to take good notes, especially if it’s something with multiple plot threads that I need to keep track of. That’s what has made some of my older WIPs such a bitch because I didn’t do that and I’m like ????? Hey? Past Me? WHAT?!?! And retroactively trying to build a timeline is REALLY DIFFICULT ACTUALLY.

I do also think I keep my narrative parallels pretty tight. I’m sure a lot get missed because people aren’t staring at the same story that I am for months combing things over, but it delights me okay ;)

16) What are your writing weaknesses?

Finishing shit?! Well, I’ve gotten better at that over the course of the last year. Critical Role reaction fics helped A TON with that. Just spitting things out immediately after an episode.

I am a fucking perfectionist though. Like I’ll canon divergence all I want but mentally I need the basis of canon to weave into my writing even if it’s just for a single line. I like willfully breaking canon not ignorantly.

This means I either never get things done because I need to rewatch or I too meticulously obsess over something.

While I think I’m good with writing scenery I’m SUPER BAD at character descriptions?? I’m trying to?? Work on it?? But that’s one thing I’ve finally just been like okay I know I’m bad at this I just need to accept it and go on because if I get hung up on it then again, nothing’s gonna get posted.

I’ve learned that I vehemently hate the words “still” and “probably” because I white noise them even when doing intensive editing and I use them so damn much and now that I realize going back to read old things hurts my soul.

17) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Look I grew up primarily on writing Yu-Gi-Oh! fic. I had my Time with poor use of Japanese in fic. While I don’t have any fandoms now that I write for that it would be relevant... I can’t do it anymore. However, reading it doesn’t bother me, and it generally doesn’t jar me out of anything. Like it feels normal reading it in MDZS fics for one thing.

18) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

I want to say some super wonky ~new cards~ Cardcaptor Sakura fic. But I think the first fandom I published for on FFN was likely YGO. Anything early than that I would have blacked out of my memory ahahaha.

19) What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

lost in the lapse again took up my life for MONTHS and was really my pride and joy. It was the longest thing I’ve ever written and edited to my liking. I’m so so happy with how it came out and I’m shocked honestly that it has 118 kudos now because I really expected it to get maybe half that, tops. But it was definitely one of those I’m writing this for me, this encompasses what I want, and if others enjoy it that would be really nice!

Otherwise I think I’d say I see death cresting over the hill because it has so many elements I just enjoy rereading. I think it’s my favorite of my Critical Role fics too.

[hopeamarsu]

M. I know you said to ignore that word vomit post, but after sleuthing my way through google translate, I just couldn’t stop thinking about it.

I did the thing you’ve thought about. Deleted my blog, disappeared without a word. I understand the temptation, and the frustration between your true rational self and the nonsense your brain can spit out.

The place I found myself in was... bad. Triggers arrived, the worrying blips in my thoughts occurred and ultimately it led to behaviour that I thought I’d moved past. And the safest thing was for me to go.

I honestly thought people wouldn’t care. I was wrapped up by my brain telling me I was useless, nothing, I didn’t matter, and neither did my silly little blog, so the concept of people even noticing my departure was so foreign to me.

And I was wrong.

I don’t regret what I did. I needed the break. But gosh, I regret how I did it. Because people did worry. And people missed me. I didn’t the give my wonderful friends enough credit to understand the true depth of what was happening, which wasn’t fair. And by deleting everything, I also lost what people had so lovingly sent me, all those comments and conversations that had brightened my days are gone forever.

Anyway, all this to say, I’m so sorry you fell in that darker place. Really. I hope if you ever have the feelings you described again, me, or anyone you feel comfortable reaching out to, will ALWAYS happily let you vent and purge them all, no judgement, and give you the reassurance that you are valued, you are loved, and would ABSOLUTELY be missed.

And don’t be afraid to celebrate your milestones. If they are something you are proud of, shout it to the world! Those who love you will celebrate with you, because they want to see you happy. Seriously, they do. You think they don’t, but the people here are supportive as fuck, probably more so than the people I know in real life.

I hope things get a little brighter friend. Wishing you lots of warmth and contentment 💕

Sarah, sweet, sweet Sarah 💜 Let me start by saying how happy I am to see you here again, I made a happy squeal when I noticed that you were back! I am also so happy to hear that the break did you good. Sometimes it’s the best thing you can do, give yourself a little room to breathe and just... be.

I’m so sorry that you lost all those wonderful things though, but I hope we can create some new, amazing memories and conversations for the future 💜

I’m being an emotional bean again, but this touched me really deep. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Truly. 💜😭💜 I just sort of, lost my way for a little while.

Writing it all out (even if it was mainly a stream of thoughts in this silly, wonky, hard mother tongue of mine), making my way to the sea yesterday and having some wonderful talks has helped a lot. I’m not sure if I’m in the “good place” yet, at least not when it comes to celebrating something, but I’m feeling a bit better.

I can definitely underline your words about people here being supportive, because that is true. So so true. And I hope I can pay that forward and back to all the lovely people here.

I’m sending you the biggest hug, my darling friend, and wishes of warmth and happier days ahead for all of us 💜

[makumii]

Good Omens Angst

I am kinda drunk but apparently this didn’t stop me from writing a small angsty thing for those two dorks.

This hasn’t been proof read and I am sorry for wonky grammar

Just a warning: this is ficlet takes place right after Az got discorporated and how Crowley deals with the loss of his best friend. So it’s pretty much all sadness and grieve.

Maybe I’ll upload it to ao3 once i get my account back

The bookshop is currently burning down, and he was gone. His best friend. His angel.

Crowley sank to his knees in middle of the flames, shoulders hanging in defeat. The firefighters outside were shouting in panic, since they didn’t expect a civilian to just run inside the brightly lit building. The demon ignored them. He also ignored the flames that started feeding off his jacket. ‘So, this is what it feels like’, he thought, ‘what it feels like when you lose someone dear to you’.

Next to him a bookshelf collapsed and sent another wave of sparks through the room. Crowley dared to look up from the ground to observe the once so beautiful bookshop. The flames swallowed everything. From rugs to ancient books. Nothing was spared. Not even his angelic companion, who he shared thousands of years with. Pain struck Crowley again. It felt like he was hit by a bus repeatedly, so he screamed. He was sad and furious and struck with grief and if it wouldn’t have been in his best friend’s sanctuary he was currently in, he would’ve lashed out, thrown stuff, set more things on fire. Right now, his only option however was to get out, to get away. He couldn’t take it any longer, so he ran. Out of the remains of the shop, out of Soho. He didn’t pay attention to the confused firefighters or pedestrians or cars. He just ran.

 When Crowley stopped, he found himself in St. James’ Park. ‘Fuck’ he said. Memories of their time together in the park took away his breath. The picnics, the completely-unsuspicious meetings every other week, but also the times they fought. ‘Had minor disagreements.’ He corrected himself. Crowley shook his head and slowly walked along the familiar gravel path. Some ducks eyed him, hoping he would throw them some crumbs. The ducks are smart, they remember who feeds them. The park was surprisingly empty, Crowley noticed, so he sat down on their regular spot. As he watched the ducks swim around, he felt a tear slowly trickling down his cheek. He blessed himself. Since when did he cry. Since when did bloody demons cry. He swallowed hard and once more shook his head. A couple walked by and looked at him with pity in their eyes. Crowley took a second to look at himself and couldn’t blame them. Ash covered him and his jacked had burns all over. Usually he would just miracle himself into a presentable state again but this time he couldn’t care less about his appearance.

Hours have passed, or it could’ve been mere minutes, since Crowley sat down. The serpent didn’t care. Far away he heard some glasses clink and loud laughter and he knew what he needed right now. Extraordinary amounts of alcohol. He reached behind the bench and pulled out a bottle of wine. ‘Why.. just why’ He took a big gulp, the wine leaving a bitter taste on his tongue. ‘Are you happy now?’ Crowley shouted facing the darkening sky. It’s nearing dinner time. Some days he would just skip it, but other times he tempted his angel to some nice dinner at the Ritz. Crowley appreciated these moments. They both could forget about their sides and the rules and just enjoy a nice evening out, being themselves. Occasionally the angel would even invite Crowley over for dinner and they’d prepare a nice meal together. The human way, no miracles involved. ‘No more meals together.. no more angel.’ Another gulp. By now the bottle is half empty, the alcohol doing almost nothing to Crowley so far.

He decided to relocate to a more private place. With heavy steps he started walking in the direction of his own flat.

 The next few hours involved lots of alcohol and blessing and screaming. Crowley didn’t know what else to do. The place where humans had hearts physically hurt. It pulsed and tugged and tore him apart. When it got almost too much to bear he would scratch and claw at the nearest piece of furniture. When he had nothing but walls within reach, he would dig his nails in his arms and throw himself against the solid wall. He wrecked the entire place and it would need more than just one miracle to get this place cleaned up.

As the sun started to rise, Crowley cowered in a corner surrounded by a dozen emptied bottles and wrapped in his wings. At one point it just took too much to keep them in. All the anger and sadness and grieve got replaced by a feeling of emptiness. Crowley didn’t want to get up. He didn’t want to leave his cocoon and face reality. Maybe if he wished for it hard enough, he would get Az-..his angel back. But Crowley knew better than anyone that She didn’t answer wishes. She always played her own game.

He lingered in this position until late afternoon. Slowly he pushed himself up the wall, every limb and wing stiff from being in the same spot for too long. Shuffling through the bottles on the floor the demon made his way to the bathroom to take a shower. He avoided looking at the mirror, because as confident as he was with his current look, he also knew he must look like shit in that moment. Turning the water as hot as possible he stood there, staring at the wall. Memories from long ago hit him again. Memories of the first rainfall, the first storm. But also, how the angel shielded the serpent from said rain with one of his wings. Crowley caressed his own wings, feathers all ruffled. Not as neat as usual. On time he proposed to his angel the idea of grooming each other. Crowley knew his friend almost agreed to it. Almost. He turned off the water, dried the heavy feathers and put his wings back where they belong. Once he was done in the bathroom, he finally dared to look in the mirror. He truly looked terrible and not in a ‘I’m a big scary demon’ way. More in a ‘I lost all hope and will to live’ way. He took a quick tour through his personal space and decided he really didn’t want to stay in this miserable place any longer. So, he headed out and made his way to an old pub he once discovered in the middle of the city.

 When he entered the shabby building, he earned a few distrustful glances, but also a sympathetic smile from the bartender, a middle-aged woman who knows the look of a heartbroken man all too well. She also made sure the drinks were coming and Crowley never had an empty glass. So, Crowley sat there, drinking and thinking. He sat there for hours. Once the pub closes the bartender politely kicked everyone out, except Crowley. This would hardly be considered a miracle, Crowley thought.

So, he sat there, getting more and more drunk. Slowly the feeling of emptiness got replaced by despair. No matter how much he drank this feeling would get stronger with every passing hour. At one-point Crowley stopped keeping track of time and just focused on not falling apart.

On the third day he finally broke. It was early in the morning and no one was at the pub yet, when the tears started streaming down his face and uncontrollable sobs echoed through the empty room. He cried and cried and couldn’t stop. Occasionally he stuttered words, unintelligible for humans since they were spoken in a tongue not known by men. But they would roughly translate to ‘They took my beloved’ and ‘why him’ or sentences of equal meaning. For the first time in days he also spoke his friend’s name out loud. Just a small word against the loud sobs. ‘Aziraphale..’

In his sadness he reached out to something invisible, hoping he would be able to somehow take a hold of his angel. But nothing. Crowley let his hand fall flat on the table and just started out of the windows he was facing with an empty look. It all had no point. What was he supposed to do without his angel, his literally better half. Tired he rested his head on the table, arm still sprawled across the table. He could almost hear the angel. ‘Oh, my dear boy’ He would say. He would also gently touch his hand.

Crowley’s eyes snapped wide open. ‘Am I going insane?’ he thought to himself. He felt just the slights hint of an hand on top of his own. He didn’t dare to look up. It was surely his mind playing tricks on him. But he heard the voice again ‘Crowley, dear’ it said while his hand got gripped a bit firmer. The demon took a deep breath and prayed, for the first time in eons, that this wouldn’t be another one of Her cruel tricks.

Slowly he rose his head and turned to the window. Sitting there, beautifully illuminated by the setting sun, was his angel. His Aziraphale. A gasp escaped Crowley’s mouth as he gaped at the ghost-like appearance in front of him. ‘What happened to you? Oh, I am so sorry’ Now the hand gently cupped Crowley’s face, who was still pretty much in shock. Slowly he got a hold of his senses and stammered out ‘I.. you…. the fire!’. Aziraphale only looked at him confused so Crowley tried again. He removed his shades and looked at his partner with swollen eyes that held all the world’s sadness and pain in them. And Aziraphale understood. ‘Out of all these years we’ve been friends I don’t think I’ve ever seen you cry’ His thumb caressed the demon’s cheek, as if he was trying to wipe away the tears. Swallowing down a big lump in his throat Crowley replied: ‘I never had a reason to. It may not have been easy for me all the time, but never ever has someone killed my best friend.’ The angel just gaped at him with wide eyes, realizing what his partner just said. Crowley grieved because he thought he was dead. ‘Oh, Crowley dear, I got discorporated. But now I’m back, see?’ he put his second hand on the other cheek of the demon ‘I just need to find a new body, my dear’ Crowley nodded slightly, slowly calming down and processing what has happened and that he got his angel back.

For the first time in eons he thanked Her.

[disabled-queen-hc-blog]

Autistic!john HC's. Him not getting what hes being told when the band says stuff like, "Its too slow" instead of being explicit about what they want. He just doesnt get why they keep saying it's too slow and not doing anything about it. He knows what their saying, he just doesnt know what hes supposed to do, he doesnt realize their asking him to play faster. It's something I struggle with way too much. Also, your blog is a blessing. I've got autism and projecting this is such a nice outlet. Thx

Thank you! I’m autistic too and that is why I made this blog. Projecting in a safe environment. I felt bad bc these are real people but...they’re all old and probably not internet savvy. We can project in peace I believe, haha.

“It’s too slow,” Roger whines, for the 9th time. John counted.

They all sigh, drumsticks going down, guitars being held slack, headphones slipping off. Writing songs can be a headache, but recording them can be a real pain in the ass.

They’re all tired and most of all, annoyed.

“Deacy, you’re going way too slow. You’re nearly two beats behind us,” Roger adds, in that bratty tone he gets only during recording sessions.

John nodded, eyes down at the strings of his bass. He didn’t realize he was going slow. He hadn’t wrote the song and was still a bit wonky on how to play it. 

“Let’s try again,” Freddie says into the mic, counting down from 3 with his fingers. 

The song starts out okay, but as expected, John begins to slow down at the bridge. They all break off, more annoyed sighs filling up the tape that was recording them.

“Come on,” Brian, usually the cooler headed of the 4, said, eyes heavy.

John saw that all of them were looking at him. He could tell they weren’t happy. But he wasn’t sure why. He started to chew his thumbnail, looking at all of them, confused. Were they mad at him? They never said anything besides being too slow. They never said to pick up the speed. It couldn’t be his fault. Could it?

“We’ll run out of tape if we keep doing this. C’mon, John, get your head into it,” Roger complained, irritably twirling his drum sticks on his hand.

John touched his head at Roger’s words. His head was on all right. He didn’t get it.

 Freddie rubbed his eyes, clearly tired of this dance they were all doing. He walked over to John and quietly said, “We’re just tired of all these recording sessions, John. We’re not mad at you or anything. You just need to play faster at the bridge. In this song, you’re following Brian’s guitar, not Rog’s drums,”

Oh.

Play faster.

Why didn’t anybody say that?

Allistics were so weird with how they phrased things.

“I can play faster,” John said with a nod. “Why didn’t anybody say to do that?” he asked, puzzled at how they all just assumed he could read their minds.

Brian laughed, shaking his fluffy hair. “You’re right, mate. We’ll be more specific next time,” he said, chuckling at how things got lost in translation between them and John. But John was important to them. They would always try their best to understand him.

“So, shall we try again, dears?” Freddie asked, standing by the microphone again. They all gave the affirmative. And now John was in the loop.

“1, 2, 3!”

[jaggedwolf]

For the meme! The tscosi hogwarts au ficlet. I think the entirety is around 500 words.

You are probably correct, haha. The ficlet is here

“Looks like your admirer’s here for the show again,” said Brian. The only indication of a direction was a quick dart of his eyes in the direction of the broom shed at the opposite side of the field. Then he went back to his Ancient Runes reading like he hadn’t said anything at all. He was only a fourth-year and he studied like it was him who had O.W.L.S to take this year. Well, only if it was Ancient Runes.

In which I forgive myself for the recurring awkward sentence structures/flows that happen with ficlets, because the whole point is that I write them with little thought and for fun. Also, will find a way to translate Brian being a linguist into any universe. 

Sana rolled her eyes. She ran her wand over her broom, finishing up the last layer of the new enchantment. “Not an admirer. Honestly, she’s probably been showing up to see Krejjh make another attempt at the Wronksi Feint.“

See: adapting Sana tinkering with her flying device. And my fervent desire to see Sana and Krejjh be adrenaline junkies together, because it’d be so good.

“I’m telling you Captain Tripathi, this time’s the charm.” Krejjh grinned, already floating in the air on their own broom. “And then we’re gonna crush you Hufflepuffs this year.”

Sana raised her eyebrows. “As long as our Seeker doesn’t literally get crushed. Though, honestly, he should know better by now than to follow you into a dive like that.”

Krejjh and Sana would be friendly opponent captains and you can’t convince me otherwise - they are good sports! I think Krejjh in this AU only addresses Sana as “Captain” when it’s fun trash talking time.

The Gryffindor team had Krejjh, sure, but no other stand-out players. And as great a Seeker they were, Sana had a feeling that Krejjh mostly thought the responsibilities that came with the Captain title were 1. Be really good at Quidditch 2. Schedule practices. So, Sana wasn’t too worried about Gryffindor this year. She swung a leg over her own broom, ready to take off. 

I imagine having Krejjh as your sportsball team captain is very fun and inspiring and exhilarating! But not particularly consistent! (In Krejjh’s defense - I also picture this being their first year as captain. Sana, while also a fifth-year, has already had a year under her belt, because she’s just Like That and the ‘puffs recognize a good thing when they see it.) 

Sana is very ready to win this year :)

“Also, she hasn’t been watching Krejjh at any of these practices. Mostly you.” Brian said out of nowhere.Krejjh’s grin grew wider. “Jeeter. Were you concerned I had an admirer?”“Wha-no,” Brian sputtered. “Sometimes I finish the work I bring with me before you guys are done, so I started trying to figure out why a third-year would skip Hogsmeade weekends to watch you two.”

Are these two already dating in this ficlet??? They don’t know either, pal. I just like the idea of Brian doing his homework in the stands while Sana and Krejjh practice (in addition to their regular house practices, mind you). Brian’s also bad at letting inconsistencies lie. 

“That is a good point about the weekends.” asked Sana, glancing over at the broom shed. It stood far enough away that sound didn’t carry, but close enough that Sana could spy the corner of a red-edged robe peeking out from behind one of its walls. “Krejjh. She is in your house. Any ideas?”

As may be very obvious, I went with everyone’s primary houses from my sorting post. 

“Sorry, fellas, I’ve only really passed by her at meals and the common room.” Krejjh shrugged, now slowly looping around Brian and Sana on their broom.

Krejjh in any universe: mmm jock brain flying good (stole this phrasing from @shrimpeggroll​). They’re not really paying attention to random tiny third-years. (Sana, however, you may note, already knows Arkady’s name.)

“Maybe she wants to talk to a prefect? I haven’t heard great things about the Gryffindor ones this year,” Brian ventured.

Sana frowned at him, and then sighed knowingly. “Violet?”“Yeah,” he said uneasily. “I think she’s okay now, though? Even if the prefects weren’t much use.”She hadn’t seen Brian’s new third-year shadow recently, so that was good news. An implied subplot of lonely Muggle-born Violet possibly getting hassled by some Gryffs while the Gryff prefects didn’t do much. It’s resolved, so she isn’t constantly trailing Brian anymore. Also, c’mon, isn’t the image of fourth-year Brian taking third-year Violet under his wing the cutest - bet those nerds spend a lot of time the library. 

“It’s going to get dark soon.” Krejjh had transitioned from horizontal loops to vertical ones, their expression looking like that of the world’s most impatient child.

“Sorry, let’s get going.” Sana shot up into the air without a beat. The wind rushing past her face, the feel of the new charms she added, the familiar quick gain in altitude were all the only things on her mind. Nothing about the team or O.W.L.S. She’d missed this. She leveled out at the top of the hooped goal posts, waiting for Krejjh to catch up so they could do their usual race. Sana took in the view. Brian was watching Krejjh’s ascent into the sky with rapt attention, as always. More and more of the red-edged robes behind the broom shed creeped out till Arkady herself was leaning on the front of the shed. Couldn’t make out much of an expression from this angle and altitude.

These two just like flying :D 

Sana was midway through going over her knowledge on the Patel family when her broom jerked. And then jerked again, and again. Sana gripped tightly with one hand as she went anything that could have gone wrong with how the new enchantment interacted with the broom’s magic, simultaneously reaching for the wand within her sleeve. Always good to have a quick way to undo things.The wand slid into her hand and then just as quickly out of it, latching itself to the broom of it’s own accord. What? The broom stopped a jerking for a brief moment and Sana tried to scrape the wand off of it as well as guide the broom down. Neither attempt seemed to do anything.The broom dove.

I fully confess action/description is the weakest aspect of my writing, haha. And yeah, Sana’s aware of the risks of her messing with the magic a broom already has, but she’s gonna do that anyway.

She held calm even as the bright green of the field rapidly came closer, going over everything she knew about the field’s cushioning charms and crash landings.Then the broom stopped so suddenly she lost her grip, flying head over heels off of it. She was still really high off the ground. Not good. Wind rushed past her as she fell, and out of the corner of her eye she could see Krejjh changing course to fly towards her, but Sana had a feeling even Krejjh couldn’t close this gap.

Sana: realistic and not prone to panic even as she’s about to crash into the ground. 

“Arresto Momentum!” yelled a voice she didn’t recognize, and suddenly instead of plummeting she was floating downwards instead. Sana swallowed a gulp.

Way to save the day, kid. (Who again, you might note, Sana has never heard, thought she knows of her family.)

Arkady wasn’t by the broom shed anymore, instead she was right on the field, arm outstretched and wand pointed right at Sana. Arkady was breathing heavily, and also…scowling? At Krejjh? Who had finally reached Sana and flew next to her as she slowly came to a stop on the ground.Sana turned to Arkady. “Oka-”“I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be all ‘honorable’ and ‘chivalrous’, what’s so honorable about hexing someone’s broom to hurt them?” interrupted Arkady, shifting her wand from Sana to Krejjh, her oversized robes swinging a little as she did.

Arkady hates a hypocrite, even more so as a kid. (Has perhaps witnessed some of the Gryffs-behaving-badly nonsense that Violet dealt with? Will latch on to suspicion at the clearest potential suspect?) Also has hand-me-down robes bc the idea of the Patels as a scrappier version of the Weasleys in this AU makes me cackle with glee. 

“What? Sana tries out new enchantments all the time, and sometimes they go a bit wonky. I don’t even know how you hex a broom,” said Krejjh, looking confused.“Krejjh wouldn’t hex my broom,” Sana leveled a look at Arkady, wondering what on earth she had to do with anything, and also what level of house baggage they were dealing with. “But something did grab my wand away from me, which is making me thinking that a side-effect of my enchantment isn’t the right answer here.”Brian ran up to them, panting. “Is…everyone…okay?”

Sana’s firm but honest about her assessment of the situation. Poor Brian, he just had a gazillion different heart attacks at witnessing all of that happen in the sky, realizing too late to do anything himself.

Arkady paid no notice to him, still pointing her wand at Krejjh. “I’m not saying you did it. That’d be stupid. Having the Captain do it, even if you have regular access to her broom since you hang out. I’m saying you got your teammates to.”A rare flash of anger crossed Krejjh’s face. “I wouldn’t-”“I heard them talking about sabotaging the Hufflepuff captain, I followed them, and I saw them break into the broom shed.” Arkady’s scowl deepened.

What a tiny distrustful spy! Weirdly effective! (Krejjh does not appreciate the suggestion that they would hurt Sana. Also, they play fair, how else can glorious victory be an accurate assessment of one’s skill and talent?) 

“Dude,” said Brian, “that’s not really proof Krejjh told them to do anything.”Arkady deflated a little. “You saw all that, and decided stalking Sana and Krejjh’s practices was the best plan?” continued Brian.Arkady dropped her wand arm, muttering something indecipherable.

Brian’s here to point out Arkady’s ridiculousness. Arkady talked over her plan with absolutely no one. Just went full speed “Make sure unsuspecting Hufflepuff captain doesn’t get hurt”.

“What?” asked Sana.“I didn’t have any proof,” grumbled Arkady, crossing her arms. “I didn’t know how to figure out what they did or undo it, and I figured it’d make sense for them to activate the charm in one of these sessions instead of the Hufflepuff team practice because there’d be higher chance of you getting injured with only one other flier.”Brian’s jaw dropped. “Okay, I know she saved your life, but I’m a little scared of this third-year now.”

I don’t know that I’m a fan of this Brian line anymore - I just wanted to communicate how truly thrown by this level of quidditch conspiracy and paranoia he was.

Arkady glared at him. Sana shook her head, and smiled at Arkady. “So, this is a mess. For the record, Arkady, you could have told me.”Arkady squinted. “Why would you have believed me?” “Why wouldn’t I have?”Arkady kept squinting at her, saying nothing.

Sana is pretty impressed. Arkady has no words for Sana-patented honesty and openness XD.

“Pals, I don’t know about you, but I am starving!” said Krejjh. “What do you say we grab some food from the kitchens, and then our new friend and I can discuss who exactly I need to have a little Captain-y chat with?”“Sounds good to me,” said Sana.“I’m in,” said Brian.They turned to Arkady, whose arms were still crossed and expression was still suspicious. “I am kind of hungry.”

Yay friendship and conspiracy-cracking and food! And uh, Hufflepuff Prefect and Captain Sana Tripathi may have gained a new tiny shadow. It’s fun to think about an AU where Arkady being the last to join the gang.

Also fun to think about - Krejjh looking at Brian-Violet and Sana-Arkady, and going: when do I get a underclassmen trailing me when is it my turn. (Somewhere, in the Slytherin dungeon, second-year RJ sneezes.)

Finally, I like the idea of Sana’s prefect partner being Park. What a pair, y’know? Golden girl Sana alongside Park who is…Very Tired. 

[emritcheson]

Is Mortimer Beckett and The Book of Gold Really That Bad?

(Full disclosure: this post contains mild spoilers for discussion’s sake.)

So I am a big fan of the Delicious series and the many spin-offs that have launched from its universe, now formally known as GameHouse Original Stories.  Yes, they sometimes seem like they’re hyper-marketed at that Hallmark Channel crowd, but they are the cream of the crop of modern casual games, I promise.  That said, not every game that comes out of GameHouse Studios is a masterpiece.  But just because it’s not a masterpiece doesn’t mean there isn’t good to be found or fun to be had.

Enter Mortimer Beckett and The Book of Gold, released in 2017.�� For those unaware, Mortimer Beckett was not originally a GameHouse IP, instead starring in his own series of hidden object games developed by Paprikari from 2007 to 2012.  I played the first in the series, Secrets of Spooky Manor, and dabbled with others, but I am by no means an aficionado on Mortimer Beckett lore.  Actually, I’m not big into the hidden object genre period.  I can tell you, though, that this game feels very different to the traditional Mortimer Beckett series.  Paprikari still worked as the developer for Book of Gold, but the overall style and flavor is extremely influenced by GameHouse.

I can only assume GameHouse acquired permission to use Mortimer’s character around the same time they acquired Sally from GamesCafe’s Sally’s Salon series.  These were two fairly well-known faces in casual gaming for many years, and for those characters to suddenly be picked up by a new company and breathed new life was a strange move to witness.

Not to say it was a bad one.  I was an am a dedicated Sally fan and Sally’s Salon - Beauty Secrets blew my expectations out of the water.

Book of Gold on the other hand...well, that’s why we’re here.

Before I even played the game, the first things I noticed were the consistently negative ratings it received across distributing websites.  Now all things considered, I wasn’t expecting perfection, but these scores were abysmally low.  I thought, “it can’t be as bad as that, right?”

And after playing through the whole thing in one night, I will proudly go on record to say that this game does not deserve these low ratings.

Buuut it’s not perfect, either.

So let’s talk.

First, the elephant in the room - the gameplay itself.  As previously stated, Mortimer Beckett is a hidden object series.  GameHouse is best known for their time management games that occasionally have hidden object mini games sprinkled through the levels.  Mini games and main gameplay mechanics are two very different things, mind you.

That said, I think the translation of the gameplay went very well.  Better than I was expecting, at least.  You’re given a scene in which you must find pieces of different objects that will help you in your current situation.  Then, once those pieces are put together, you can use those objects in the scene to complete small puzzles.  Even with my limited hidden object experience, I can tell that this style of finding pieces of things is quite unique.  

In fact, this was my biggest complaint back in Secrets of Spooky Manor: the pieces that some objects broke into seemed arbitrary and unnatural, making it harder to find what I was looking for.  In Book of Gold, the objects are broken up where they naturally have different “sections” (for example, if you’re looking for a screwdriver, it would be in two separate pieces: the handle and the bit) and gameplay is smoother as a result.

There are also three different kinds of challenge levels throughout the game in which you have to complete certain tasks within a time limit.  These provide a nice sprinkle of adrenaline rush as the main levels have no time limit and you’re welcome to stare at and contemplate them as long as you wish.  So all in all, the gameplay is pretty solid.

Let’s discuss the plot.  Mortimer Beckett moves to Snuggford after inheriting a museum from his Uncle Jerome (a staple character of the series until now, I understand).  In his last letter, Uncle Jerome mentions something called the Book of Gold which apparently possesses mystical qualities, and warns Mortimer to keep it safe.

Even as someone with very little preexisting attachment to this character, I found Mortimer very charming and enjoyable, in that “I don’t really know what I’m doing but I’m going to make the best of it anyway, and probably embarrass myself in the process” kind of way.  It was also refreshing simply to play as a guy, as GameHouse Original Stories pretty much exclusively feature women protagonists.

Speaking of which, while this is happening, Kate O’Malley (Delicious Emily’s sister-in-law) is having something of a life crisis and desperately looking for some kind of adventure to get her out of her “boring” hometown.

This is good for two reasons.  One: Kate is a character seen very little of in the Delicious series.  Other than she’s Patrick’s sister and she used to work as a perfume salesgirl, we didn’t know much about her until Book of Gold.  The writers really gave her some agency this time around, where previously she felt kind of cardboard.  And two: Snuggford is often viewed as a very idyllic small town with emphasis on supporting local businesses and fostering community with others.  It’s oddly refreshing to see a protagonist character have a negative view of this place.

Anyway, the two run into each other, shenanigans ensue, and an adventure does indeed begin.

Now if GameHouse is known for anything besides time management gameplay, it’s their heterosexual romantic subplots.  And as much as I was hoping for a platonic partnership this time around, I have to say I ended up liking Kate and Mortimer more than I expected.  It is a bit tropey and shoved down your throat at times, but I think their personalities play off each other quite nicely - Mortimer the somewhat bumbling scholar and Kate the confident risk-taker.  In the end I was genuinely rooting for them.

The story itself as a whole is...fine.  Not amazing, not terrible, but fine.  It has good intentions but, as I said, falls into tropes and shenanigans rather than raising the stakes.  And when the stakes are raised, it fails to explain why and generally lacks urgency.

The best parts of the story in my opinion are the more character-driven scenes.  Stemming from Kate’s desire for adventure, there is an underlying emotional theme about whether or not you’re satisfied with your life and where you are in it.  I think this is handled better than the immediate plot, but could still use some tweaks.  Overall, the writing has the same wonkiness I would expect from any story that hasn’t truly found its groove yet, but it does enough to keep you intrigued.

I absolutely cannot knock GameHouse for trying to do something new, especially in this cash cow of a universe they’ve built for themselves.  They’ve been using basically the same formula for the past ten years or so, and it makes sense that they would want to branch out into other things while still attracting their core audience.

Unfortunately, this game has some very apparent growing pains.

My biggest issue without a doubt is the art.  It’s inconsistent, there’s no other word for it.  Some sprites are completely 2-D, others are completely rendered in 3-D.  Sometimes it’s 2.5-D.  Sometimes it’s 2-D heads stitched onto 3-D bodies.  Some characters look very disproportionate when standing next to others.  Not to mention a lot of reused assets from other games.  I can’t show it for spoiler reasons, but there is a scene near the very end of the game where the character cutting-and-pasting is so painfully obvious and so sloppily done that I almost had to close my computer and take a lap around the house to compose myself.

Also, this game has far less music than I expected.  Despite a swingin’ noir-style theme song written by Adam Gubman, most cutscenes carry out with only generic background white noise for company.  And let me tell you, when a dramatic scene is going down and the only thing you can hear is the muffled voice of an airport intercom?  It feels wrong.  And also lends to that lack of urgency I mentioned earlier.

And as much as I hate to, we have to talk about the “exotic” themes.

For the most part, I would describe GameHouse as having “lukewarm sensitivity” to cultures that are not North American or European.  They have good intentions and for the most part their characters are pretty well rounded, but their research still leaves a little bit to be desired.  I think the Inuit tribe from Delicious - Emily’s Hopes and Fears is the best example of what I’m talking about.

However, I would not put Book of Gold in that same sensitivity tier.  During the third chapter, Mortimer and Kate travel to South America (it’s never specifically stated but since Machu Picchu is clearly visible in one of the scenes, it’s pretty safe to say they’re in Peru) and end up getting lost in the jungle.  Kate is more or less kidnapped by a group of natives, whose leader speaks what can only be described as “cave man English” and invites her to join his harem.  When she refuses, he threatens to kill her if she doesn’t complete the puzzles set before her.  Then, when Kate manages to escape, the tribe leader leans over to one of his guards and says, “Those tourists are so gullible,” indicated that it was all an act.  I still have no idea what to think about this entire section.

There’s also a great deal of Arabian influence in the second half of the game, as the main villain claims to be a sheikh, but I would say that it’s more there for visual interest than anything else.  The side characters you meet in this arc aren’t particularly memorable, and aside from avoiding a sandstorm and racing camels at one point, the desert setting is just kind of...there.  It’s not as bad as it could have been, but it certainly wasn’t doing the game as a whole many favors, either.

To wrap this up with a bow, if you disliked this game simply because it was different and not the “signature GameHouse experience” you’ve come to expect, I feel sorry for you.  If you disliked this game because it doesn’t feel as polished as it could have been and the graphics are a bit of a train wreck?  Yeah, I get you.  But I still found this game enjoyable despite its flaws.  And if you’ve been avoiding this game because the bad ratings scared you off, pull on your big girl panties and manage your expectations.

I really hope that GameHouse sees Book of Gold as a learning experience and not a failure, because I think there’s some genuine potential here.  With some tweaks and polish (and clearer art direction), I would happily accept another game like this.

[justasmallbloginabigklainefandom]

Rec This Thing: Panic! At The Disco Pray For The Wicked Europe Tour at AFAS LIVE

Panic! At The Disco Pray For The Wicked Europe Tour at AFAS Live 

My story: Look, in the span of less than a year I became a huge fan, so when they announced their show at AFAS Live, I was in.

Story: It’s a concert.

Rating (1 to 10): 10

Why?: After Hayley, and Troye, it was time for Panic! and lemme tell you something.

This was my favourite.

Once again, I was on my way to Amsterdam with Sammy in tow. We originally planned on going with Maikel, but tickets were sold out in seconds and he didn’t manage to grab them.

The road towards Amsterdam was wonky due to a possible terrorist attack in my country and due to faulty trains. On our way, we met up with two strangers who were also on their way to the concert. We talked about fake vegan burgers and airport security fails and of course Panic! At The Disco.

We parted ways at the entrance. It was packed. We were lucky we got there after the doors opened, because the line was so damn long that they added a second line. That line also happened to be shorter. That was our line. We still queued for a small half hour (and the police kept driving by because... y’know... possible terrorism) (it really was a terrible day for my country).

We bought merch and I got the long sleeved white shirt with High Hopes lyrics and then it was time to find a spot in the venue. Eventually, we got great balcony seats. Third row, close to the middle aisle. We had an amazing view.

*record scratch*

Wait. Hold on? You’re telling me that you could’ve found a standing place almost up front, like you did with Troye Sivan’s concert, and you didn’t?

Nope. I didn’t. For a few reasons actually:

We didn’t have to use the wardrobe.

The show was a very visual show and you could see it best from the balcony, since you could see the entire stage.

After all, Sammy and I are relatively small, so we wouldn’t be able to see shit unless we were completely front row.

I don’t like being stuck in crowds.

And the crowd was massive. It’s really confusing, cause both Troye and Panic! played sold out shows at AFAS Live but Panic!’s crowd was double the size. Ever since it got announced that Panic! got AFAS, I was very confused, because if you look at other venues of the PftW tour, they have massive venues sold out. Panic! easily could’ve played Ziggo Dome or whatever, but nope, they got AFAS. Hmmmm.

Anyway, I did consider going all the way up front so that I could hopefully give Brendon an ace flag to wear during Girls/Girls/Boys, cause that would mean the world to me, but the cons outweighed the pros and besides, I have nothing to complain about my seats. 

Especially now that I’ve seen YouTube videos from the people down at the standing room. It got hectic and loud and woah, at least I could still hear Brendon Urie himself.

The opening band was A R I Z O N A. The band, not the state. They’re from New Jersey. I wasn’t familiar with them, but by now I’ve listened to their entire discography and they’re good.

Then, it was time for an half hour long break and it was time for people to get annoying. Yup, as I mentioned, I had a great seat on the third row on the balcony. I was the first seat of that row, so no one blocked my view. It was wonderful.

But during A R I Z O N A’s set, people started leaning against the banister (is it called a banister?) of the balcony and people were crowding the steps in the aisle, aka people were blocking our views.

Sammy and I got so pissed.

Luckily, we weren’t the only ones cause the man in front of me actually told some people to leave, because they were blocking our view, but the moment those people left, new ones arrived.

So yeah, Sammy and I were pretty annoyed and then the countdown started, so we had a “well, shit, if we have to” moment, but three minutes before Panic! came on stage, security wiped the entire aisle. Everyone had to go all the way to the back to stand there behind the rows of seats.

A part of me felt a bit bad that all those people got pushed to probably the worst places in the entire venue, but man, on the other hand, Sammy and I were so damn glad.

And so, the countdown counted down (wow) to zero, while Toto’s Africa was playing, and the show started. I actually took a small video of all numbers and I put them together in a complication, excluding Girls/Girls/Boys and Bohemian Rhapsody. Those were long enough to have videos of their own.

Now, if someone’s reading this (hi), get something to drink cause this is gonna get long. When I talk about concerts, I write down the entire setlist and my thoughts on the performances, and wow, Panic!’s show was almost two hours long. 

How long? Well, someone put the full show online and it’s 1:48:20 long.

So yeah, the gorgeous purple lights turned on and Nicole (I’m gay), Mike, Dan, the horny boys and the wicked strings (I’M GAY) started playing and then Brendon arrived to start off with...

F**k A Silver Lining: We had one of those smaller stages (cause again, Ziggo Dome who??? I don’t know her!) so all those extras like Brendon jumping out of the stage didn’t happen. Luckily, the wonderfully beautiful visuals and lights were there. Silver linings came out of cannons and the show started. It was a beautiful sight, although it took me a while to realise that the images on the projections were supposed to be “motherfucking” cherries, not dicks.

Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time: Ah yes, Brendon Urie showing off his vocal range by singing random parts in falsetto. I love it and I sang along.

Ready To Go (Get Me Out Of My Mind): So delighted to hear this one, since it’s my favourite V&V song and once again, Brendon killed everyone with those high notes. They also put Mike in the spotlight, and it wasn’t the last time they did that during the show.

Hey Look Ma, I Made It!: Ah yes, Beebo. He actually showed up before the countdown. He was just chilling on stage. Anyway, I fucking loved the song.

LA Devotee: Nicole and Mike got front stage and bam LA Devotee, my favourite song from Bachelor, started playing. It was awesome.

Hallelujah: The girls in front of us lost it when the first note started playing. Brendon did his classy falsetto again and it was great.

Crazy = Genius: Hey look, fire. Anyway, this song is amazing and is it underrated? Idk? I love it so much.

The Ballad of Mona Lisa: People went apeshit when the first notes started playing. I really liked it.

Nine In The Afternoon: Where did Brendon go? Oh, he’s at the piano, aka it’s time for Nine In The Afternoon. I loved that you could hear the strings at the end so clearly.

One Of The Drunks: Ah yes, they added this song for the second leg and boy am I glad they did, since I absolutely love this song.

Casual Affair: Wow, okay. The visuals and the lights were amazing in every damn song, but Casual Affair had by far one of the best. AFAS Live became a big laser show. And nearing the end, a laser circle appeared on stage and Nicole and Mike joined Brendon in the circle. And then Brendon started singing very, very high. Probably the highest notes he’s had all evening. I was in absolute awe.

Vegas Lights: I am also so happy they did this song. I’ve loved it ever since I first listened to it and the energy in the room was so high.

Dancing’s Not A Crime: Annika from Plurk said that this song was so much fun live, and I am inclined to agree with her. This was so much fun! They did change the lyrics from “MJ up in the clouds” to someone else and the ending was also done in falsetto, which was great. Yup, yup, yup, Annika was right.

This Is Gospel: Brendon got a guitar and it was time for This Is Gospel. Now of course, this song is great and the added high notes were wonderful, but the very end was the best. After the song ended, Brendon, Nicole, Mike and Dan just jammed for one whole minute. Just music. I knew it was coming, so I filmed it.

Death Of A Bachelor: No surprise here, but Brendon told everyone he wrote it because he wanted to be Frank Sinatra. Since this is a smaller venue (... still... why...), he didn’t have to do the Death Walk, which is a good thing. It was just him and the horny boys on stage and the funk part was so much fun. Heh, horny boys. What a great pun.

It was time for a silent moment. The horny boys left the stage and Brendon started talking about he tried to learn Dutch at 3AM but he couldn’t get very far. Well, he got “Hartelijk bedankt” and “Ik hou van jullie allemaal”, and he thanked Google Translate. Anyway, he moved to the piano and he talked about how he hated it that his mum tried to teach him piano, but that he learned this song. The wicked strings returned and he started playing.

I Can’t Make You Love Me/Dying In LA: In the middle of the song, it transitioned into Dying In LA. Again, smaller stage (wtf), so the whole floating piano thing wasn’t there, but the music was obviously the same.

The Greatest Show: From a slow piano ballad to BAM this. I was not as disappointed by Panic!’s version of The Greatest Show as others, but I definitely agree that the song is much better live. Brendon sounded a bit raspy, which was great. He’d been raspy the entire show and it was great, but here it was amazing.

Girls/Girls/Boys: YES. IT’S TIME TO GET GAY. THE ONE I’VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO. Sure, I didn’t get to show off my ace flag, but Brendon still got flooded by flags, including 2 pan flags, 1 bi flag, and 1 trans flag. He commented on how it was the most flags he’s ever gotten. I saw even more flags in the audience, so he didn’t even get all of them. The Panic! Hearts were lovely, even though there was no rainbow. There was no assigned seating, so colours were everywhere. I had an orange heart and Sammy had a blue one. It still rained glitter and I almost cried when the rainbow love banner appeared. After the song, the rainbow laser lights appeared and Brendon gave a small speech. I want to relive this moment again.

King Of The Clouds: Smoak clouded (pun intended) the stage and it was time for King Of The Clouds. Not much to say, apart from the usual: it was great and the visuals were beautiful. The purple/green/blue colour scheme at the end was mesmerising.

High Hopes: CAN I JUST SAY THAT THAT MOMENT WHERE THE WICKED STRINGS BEND BACKWARDS IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOMENTS EVER? And also, oh boy, there were some high notes at High Hopes.

Miss Jackson: Brendon lost his golden jacket and Miss Jackson started playing. He did a backflip as well.

Roaring 20s: Another song that got added for leg two and just like One Of The Drunks, I welcome this change. Yup, I was one of those “*shoves 20$ to Brendon* Add Roaring 20s to the setlist!” people. NOW ONLY THE OVERPASS AND OLD FASHIONED LEFT.

Bohemian Rhapsody: How can you not sing along with this song? It’s iconic. I love the “ending”, so I filmed that (see link above). It’s 3 minutes long.

Emperor’s New Clothes: This is the one song in all of Panic!’s discography that I have mixed feeling about. Like, there are some songs I just dislike, and some I like, and some I love. But this song? Bruh idk. I sing along from the top of my lungs, because I like the energy, but do I like the song? Well, this time I fucking did cause it was a blast to hear it live and the lights were beautiful.

Then it was time for the encore. Some poor unfortunate souls behind us left. I heard another woman saying: “Don’t ever do that. Oh, this is so stupid.” The band slowly came back to the stage and Brendon lost his shirt.

Say Amen (Saturday Night): HE HIT THE HIGH NOTE HECK YEAH. I LOVE THIS SONG.

I Write Sins Not Tragedies: Ah yes, Sammy’s favourite song, since it’s a banger according to her. Well, she’s right. I am kinda glad that Brendon didn’t ask an audience member to sing with him.

It was time for the last song. Brendon said that he’s not the smartest guy (”I didn’t even go to college”), but that he knows that everyone is important due to, well, biology. He gave one of those inspirational celeb speeches about how everyone is important to him, but also to themselves. We were all born as winners, and that stuff.

Victorious: I knew they were going to end with Victorious and it’s the perfect song to end the show. It rained confetti and it was time for them to go. I didn’t want it to end.

They all waved goodbye and Mike and Dan threw stuff to the audience (probably guitar picks and those things). The girl in the seat behind me dropped her heart before Girls/Girls/Boys and she couldn’t find it. I found it after the show. I wanted to return it, but she was already gone, so I now also have a yellow heart.

And yeah, that was it.

Overall thoughts? Well...

I can’t go into detail about the visuals, but they really added something to the overall experience, so I actually recommend getting a seat that allows you to see the full stage in its glory.

Also, Sammy said: “I can no longer listen to the recorded versions now that he’s added all those amazing high notes” and that’s a big ass mood.

To quote Sammy some more, she said something about the beautiful intermission instrumentals between songs and how she’d even buy an album filled with those. That is also a big ass mood.

To continue this trend of quoting Sammy, I agree with her that watching Brendon dance was so much fun. I like that he’s having fun.

Anyway, it was time to go. Some girls complimented me on my ace flag, which was so fucking cool. Just like with Troye, the train station was flooded and there were still many flags.

Sammy and I got the train back home and we briefly saw the girls from before, so I said hi.

And that was it. What a day.

Recommend?: Please.... I want to do this again... oh god....

[kae-karo]

Writer asks: 12 and 13, 30, 31, and 32?

AEWIN HELLO HI THANK U 🙏🙏 and thank u as well dear anon !!!! for context (x)

12. Are there any tropes you used to dislike but have grown on you?

u know if u had told me before encountering zhongchi that i would fall in love with eggs/ovipos i would've told u u were out of ur mind but here we are lmao

ngl i think i also wasn't super into the idea of enemies to lovers in my og fandom? which makes sense cause i wrote phanfic and for me it just didn't make sense that they'd be enemies at all to begin with? but then i got hit with dabihawks and hoooooo boy now i adore enemies to lovers lmao

13. Are there any tropes you used to like but don’t anymore?

honestly i don't think i've lost my taste for anything in particular that i didn't already dislike? like i am truly struggling to come up with anything i liked at one point and now am not so into (even just like a shift to neutrality over liking it) and i am entirely at a loss lmao

30. Have you ever written something that was out of your comfort zone? If so, what was it, and how did it affect your approach to writing fic thereafter?

yes absolutely !!!! the first time i wrote smut was a huge jump outside my comfort zone, and we all know how that turned out over time lmao. i tried out a bit of a wonky sci fi tale many moons ago and i think that really helped me solidify a base to build my emotional writing skills on.

near the end of my first fandom writing stretch, i switched from first person to 3rd person, and that basically...became my entire mode of writing from that point on. coincidentally, it helped me build new skills in eliciting strong emotions without relying on the benefits of first person narration

then when i switched fandoms, i tried my hand at my very first multi-ship fic, which sort of became the basis of some of the works and worlds i'm most proud of, and helped me flex my muscles with integrating relationships beyond just the main pairing into a story

this was also the first fandom for which i wrote stories that didn't have a happy ending (after living in a world where i promised happy endings, always) - ultimately i think this let me feel more comfortable exploring less wholesome emotions? not that everything i had before was wholesome, but being able to tell a story and be okay with it not having a happy ending was an interesting door to prop open [insert 'this is a surprise tool that'll help us later' image lmao]

i also pushed my worldbuilding limits in this fandom to produce what i consider one of my most complex fics from a worldbuilding perspective, it really tested my skills both in the art of translating canon lore to a unique world and investing in another multi-ship fic with 4 prominent romantic ships and at least 2 prominent platonic relationships, plus a myriad of less intensive platonic and familial relationships - overall i think that really helped me get a handle on worldbuilding in less complex scenarios? as well as incorporate tangential relationships to enhance a story or world

i also stretched my skills in canon-adjacent worldbuilding/future fic, which was a new territory to try to worldbuild in, so i had a lot of work around problem-solving within canon based on the path i was trying to go with the story. it ended up being an interesting dive into character study and analysis that lent itself well to what i consider a 'standard' method now for testing out new ships - starting in canon, with a scenario that interests me but wouldn't be wildly out of place in canon, and using that as a jumping point to get a handle on the dynamic. this was also my first attempt at ot3 fic, so that was good practice for future 3somes :)

shortly after i started writing genshin fic, i had an idea that really tested me quite a bit, partly because someone actually left quite an unkind comment and it made me reflect on the story - and what upset me wasn't their comment, per se, but that they discovered something about my story that, once i saw it, felt lacking. i think that although it was an uncomfortable situation, ultimately that helped me reflect more on my character arcs and motivations, and it's actually very much standard practice now when i get stuck somewhere while writing to pace out a character's motivation to help me keep my focus on their arc

long after i got into genshin, i wrote a fic for a character without a name. like. a whole entire almost 7k of a story where the pov character has no name. this taught me nothing cause i literally did it again lmao

i will also toss in my general cop-out commentary that any time i write a new pairing, it's outside my comfort zone! and it's always a good way to stretch my thoughts and approaches as i consider the nuances of a new dynamic, and i think it helps me too in looking at characters and dynamics i've written before with new skills in my pocket

31. What’s your ideal fic length to write?

hmm probably in the ~15k range? i feel like that's where i have enough range to really fully flesh out an idea and go through a broader story but not so long that there's complex worldbuilding involved? not that i don't love writing longfic, but the time and investment that goes into them can sometimes be overwhelming and it's not something i want every fic to entail lmao

32. What’s your ideal fic length to read?

under 10k!! this is like the super sweet spot for me to look at it and go 'yeah i'll leave that open in a tab to read during a short break or while i'm eating lunch or-' etc etc. more than that and i default to going 'oh i should mark that for later' and unfortunately those often disappear into the aether lmao

[send me fic/writing asks from this list!]

[murasaki-murasame]

I wasn’t entirely sure if I wanted to do entire posts about each episode of :re season 2, but episode 14 was really good and I have a lot of things to say about it, so here we are, lol.

It still might crash and burn later, but for now I’m still enjoying it, even though I’m clearly in the minority.

Anyway, the rest will be under a cut since it’ll be long and also spoil the entire series.

In a lot of ways, I ended up being pleasantly surprised by this episode, even though a lot of it technically went the way I expected. Like how they decided to end on the note of Arima slitting his throat. But a lot of the stuff in-between was interesting.

I was kinda surprised that they actually included Yomo’s entire backstory flashback about how Hikari and Arata got killed. I kinda figured they might cut it out, or at least heavily condense it, but they kept it pretty intact. I’m glad they did, though, since it gave this arc some much-needed thematic content.

On a more minor note, I appreciate that the anime doesn’t bother with some of the little things the manga did in order to set up chapter by chapter cliffhangers. In the Yomo-Arima fight in the manga, there was a whole cliffhanger where it looked like Yomo got killed, but that doesn’t really work at all in an anime when you don’t have to wait a week to see how the scene progresses, so thankfully they don’t even bother with stuff like that. On the one hand, it probably contributes to the overall feeling of the fights being less ‘intense’ than they were in the manga, but on the other hand, I very quickly got burned out by the constant, unnecessary cliffhangers in the manga. So this is much more pleasant in my opinion.

The other big change, from what I remember [beyond the fact that this episode just focused on continuing the Cochlea arc instead of swapping between it and the Rushima arc like the manga did], is the stuff with Hide. I feel like I’m gonna need to sit on it for a while to sort out all of my feelings about it, and in general I’m very curious to see how they handle his character later on once he actually returns to the main story, but my immediate reaction is that I think I actually prefer this to how the manga handled it.

As much as I love Hide as a character and basically everything surrounding his relationship with Kaneki, I never actually liked how Ishida handled the whole plot point of how Kaneki ate part of Hide’s face at the end of the first series. At the very least, it was executed very haphazardly, and a lot of it felt kinda clumsy and unplanned, with the flashbacks that Kaneki had to it at this point in the manga being some of the more glaring examples of it. It still to this day bugs me that, in the manga, we never got any clear answers for why Hide knew to find Kaneki there, why he knew to lead him to Arima, why he was willing to let Kaneki eat him, etc etc, and I feel like even once he came back into the story, there was no real impact to it, and the story spent absolutely zero time exploring the concept of how Kaneki’s feelings of guilt would change after knowing that Hide’s actually alive. And the specific way that the initial flashback to the sewers was handled always felt like a blatant retcon in general, and it just didn’t really cleanly fit with how the scene was initially portrayed in the first series.

So honestly I can totally live with the anime heavily changing how it handles this entire plot point. It’s always been a bit of a thorn in my side, so I’m glad they pretty much cut out the stuff that annoyed me the most, and kept the really nice stuff.

And also, I think that the whole detail of Kaneki being suicidal in this arc still makes total sense even without the whole lingering thread of him thinking that he murdered Hide. It’s pretty consistent with Kaneki’s personality in general to be suicidal and want to throw his life away to protect others, so I think it still works totally fine. And it also avoids the kinda awkward dissonance the manga had where the idea of Hide’s self-sacrifice got unironically glorified by the narrative and never criticized or explored at all, but it was used to say that Kaneki’s self-sacrificial attitude was bad and stupid, which still feels kinda hypocritical to me.

I wish the hallucination scene could have been a little longer, but it was still really nice and effective to see Kaneki finally open up about how severely he misses Hide. I still think that it’s a very effective scene even if you remove the context of him thinking that he killed Hide in the first series. Also, the :re character designer’s take on Hide is cute as hell and I can’t wait to see more of him later on.

We’ll see how it goes, but I’m really hoping they change things a bit later on so that he shows back up again a fair bit earlier than he did in the manga, since it felt like by the time he became relevant again, he was immediately overshadowed by everything else going on, and there was no time to do anything with him. So I hope they bring him back into the main cast a fair bit earlier, so they have more time to work with.

I’d actually kinda forgotten about it at first, but I guess they also skipped over Kaneki’s flashbacks to being kept prisoner in Cochlea, and how he lost his memories. To begin with, it’s entirely possible that they’ll just bring it up later, like during Arima’s whole dying monologue or something, but honestly I don’t think it’s a huge deal. It doesn’t tell the audience anything that couldn’t be easily pieced together. It also put an even more overtly off-putting slant on Kaneki and Arima’s relationship. It reminds me a little bit about how the manga outright spells out that Akira is intentionally acting as a mother figure to Kaneki because she was told to do so by her bosses to manipulate him more effectively, but I prefer how the anime cut it out and just let the audience think on their own terms about Kaneki and Akira’s relationship.

Other than that, I don’t think there’s too much to say about this episode itself. Although I did quite like the choice of translating that one line from Furuta as ‘teeth-hee!’. That was pretty good.

I know this post is mostly just about episode 14, but I’ve been thinking a lot over the last week about the writing choices made in episode 13, in terms of how it dives straight into the Cochlea/Rushima arc, and the more I think about it, the more I think I really like it. It’s not completely perfect, but still.

I think people forget that the overall start of the whole Cochlea/Rushima arc in the manga was where the pacing of :re in general started getting notably unbalanced and wonky, and a lot of things just kinda happen or get introduced with very little set-up. For example, the manga doesn’t exactly give much more of an explanation for how the CCG found out about the Aogiri base on Rushima. We just kinda find out soon after the time-skip that they’ve already started their raid on the island. And even the introduction to the second generation Qs was basically just ‘here they are, here’s their names and a few personality-establishing lines, OK now we’re going to do other stuff now and forget about them’. It basically ended up being a running joke that the Qs got more and more unimportant as more of them were introduced.

I’m at least assuming that some of the details like the way that Urie and Mutsuki in particular feel betrayed by Kaneki abandoning them will get touched upon once we properly go back to the Rushima arc, but that’s really most of the relevant stuff that episode 13 skipped over. It was also a bit sad to see them cut the dinner party scene with Urie and Matsuri, but honestly I’d prefer the anime not do anything with Matsuri at all as a character, if the alternative is them handling him as badly as the manga did in the long run.

Also, another important detail is that the manga also intentionally took us out of Kaneki’s head for a while after the time-skip. There was a good like eight or nine chapters or so where he was basically just being moody and we had no idea what was going on with him. So it’s not exactly a surprise that episode 13 also involved us not getting a look into his head.

I also really like that the anime is way more focused in how it’s just showing one arc at a time, whereas the manga was a lot more liberal with how it kept jumping between Cochlea and Rushima. And as someone who was reading the series as it came out by that point, trust me when I say that it was pretty agonizing. This is WAY smoother. To put it into perspective, Kaneki’s hair turns white at the end of :re chapter 75, but after that it doesn’t really return to his fight with Arima until around chapter 82, which ends with Arima slitting his throat. So the pacing here really does feel WAY more satisfying.

It’s also part of why the anime probably feels faster to people than it actually is, since it’s front-loading the Cochlea arc much more heavily than the manga did, and pushing back the Rushima arc to later.

And on that note, it looks like we’re actually going to have a Rushima arc episode next week, which is a little bit surprising, since I thought they would go through the entire Cochlea arc at this rate before going to the Rushima arc. But this is fine. We left off on a pretty satisfying cliffhanger with this episode, so I’m down with the anime shifting to an entirely Rushima arc-focused episode now.

I’m curious to see exactly how much of the arc they cover in the next episode. Considering that about half of volume 8 and all of volume 9 of the manga was focused on it, I think it’d take some substantial cuts for them to cover it all in one episode. The preview/synopsis for it seems to focus mostly on the Suzuya-Kurona fight, and the Tatara-Houji fight, but it also looks like it’ll also include some of the stuff with Takizawa, and at least some of the Mutsuki-Torso stuff. But even aside from that, there’s still stuff like the flashbacks to the time Amon and Takizawa spent with Aogiri, the raid on Kanou’s lab, and the whole scene where Marude assassinates Yoshitoki, so I don’t exactly think they’re going to get through all of that in one episode.

So after the next episode, I suppose it’s just a question of if they can wrap up the remaining threads of both arcs in one episode, or if they’ll need two. I guess we’ll see.

In the long term, I still have no idea exactly how the anime will be paced after this whole arc ends, but either way it looks like we’d effectively be left with seven or eight episodes to adapt the last seven volumes of the manga, so I’d expect there to be some substantial cuts and changes to make it work. Hopefully it’ll work well.

[smokeybrand]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Bring the Heat

Finally had the opportunity to sit down and check out Raya and the Last Dragon. Disney Animation is kind of hit and miss when it comes to their new flicks and this incredibly transparent push for diversity profits has had mixed results for me. I enjoyed Tangled and Soul for what they were, and Zootopia was an excellent look at prejudice, but Moana was basically just Pacific Islander Pocahontas and the less said about the Frozen franchise, the better. I know all of this focus on diversity coming out of the Mouse House is strictly performative but it’s still dope seeing other cultures represented by the biggest studio in the land, even if that doesn’t translate so well to live action leading roles. Raya is the newest attempt by Disney to cash out by presenting or, as my more cynical self would say, pandering, to the Southeast Asian markets. Let’s see how well they pulled this sh*t off

The Good

This movie is gorgeous. Raya is easily the most beautiful film out of the Mouse House in a while. It definitely gives Soul a run for that tile and kind of sh*ts all over Frozen. That stands to reason considering it’s been a few years since the last Elsa outing, even though Sisu is just Dragon Elsa. Disney got that anime sameface problem.

Kind of an addendum to the previous note, Raya is beautifully animated. The facial movements, that audio sync, the f*cking hair, those action scenes; All of it is exquisite! I'm not going to say it can give Pixar a run for their money when they are a the top of their game, no CG animation company can, but Raya is definitely a contender.

The world of Kumandra is an interesting one with a truly unique feel, even if it’s kind of a homogeneous, Asian, conglomerate. I would have liked to see more of a focus on a specific Asian culture that doesn’t necessarily get the spotlight as often as China or Japan. Something like Thai, Hmong, Filipino, or Vietnamese would have been dope but i guess Kumandra had to hit all the bases to make all of the money. I dunno, it’s fine that there is Asian representation but creating a fictitious catch-all instead of actually building on something comes across as real tone deaf and a little disingenuous.

I like that there’s no singing in this thing. I’m not a fan of musicals so when the rare Disney animation comes through and it's not one, i tend to pay closer attention. That's probably why i love Atlantis so much. Also Maleficent but that's more because I just genuinely love the character of  Maleficent. All that said...

What little music we did get in this thing, was lovely. Like, it felt distinctly ethnic and fit the narrative perfectly. It went a long way to lend a bit of authenticity to a movie that is basically a soulless cash grab

These fight scenes are dope. Wonderfully telegraphed and visibly punishing, they’re great examples of choreography, especially considering how a lot of this is mocap. It’s a fine line between a fight and a dance but Raya traverses that gap with real aplomb.

Solid performances abound. I genuinely enjoy the vast majority of this cast and it's super-dope that it's almost all Asian actors in these parts. Sandra Oh, Izaac Wang, Daniel Dae Kim, Benedict Wong, Lucille Soong: This flicked is stacked with that Eastern excellence. It's a shame this thing didn't get a theatrical release. I'd be curious to see how a mass audience would have received this film if it was properly released into theaters, especially after witnessing how films like Paradise, Crazy Rich Asians, and The Farewell were so well received.

Sisu is adorable. I kind of love this little dragon scamp. She might be one of my favorite Disney characters in their library. Nora Lum does a great job giving Sisu life with her performance. The more I see, and hear, of this chick, the more I love her as an actor. Also, getting Awkwafina to voice the Water Dragon is not lost on me. I See you, Disney.

I really like Namaari, too. Gemma Chan does an exceptional job making her compelling. I don't really agree with her motivations but I understand them. Some of that has to be credited to the writing but Chan's performance goes a long way to making her believable. Seriously, I thought  Namaari was a much better protagonist than Raya and that has everything to do with Chan

The Meh

Kelly Marie Tran was a little dry for me as Raya. Like, she was good, don't misunderstand, but the character of Raya, as written, was kind of an idiot? Tran is excellent in the role as a performer, but Raya, herself, is real hard to identify with. She was scripted as the low energy straight man to Awkwafina's uber-kinetic Sisu, and to that end, Tran captures the character perfectly, she just comes across as kind of a dumbass. Her chemistry with Awkwafina, though, goes a long way to making Raya tolerable.

The Bad

It's kind of ridiculous to me that this entire film can be solved with honest communication. The fact that Sisu blatantly points that out means this movie is aware of it. Sh*t's kind of absurd but that might be the point. This thing is made for kids so I understand it can't be super nuanced with it's themes but I can kind of see this being a sticking point for other people.

The pacing is a little wonky. It feels really start-and-stop. Like, it took me this long to finish this flick because it was so slow in the beginning and then stalls kind of partway through, and then again toward the end. It's definitely a contradictory thing to say because this movie really moves overall. Like, it's totally a brisk watch but, at times, stalls to a near stop.

Now, I found Sisu adorable but I'm a fan of Spider-Man. He's super quippy, just like her, so that was right in my wheelhouse. However, I can totally see people frustrated with her character. She has the potential to be incredibly annoying to some.

Could have done without the extra supporting characters. In a lot of ways, this movie felt like a video game where you traverse several levels, acquiring mcguffins, picking up party members, all for the ultimate goal of defeating a powerful enemy force. And, just like video games, some supporting characters are better than others. I liked Boun, though. He was kind of hilarious.

The Verdict

Finishing Raya and the Last Dragon after, like, six false-starts, felt like an accomplishment. Turns out, it's a pretty good movie. Raya does start a little slower than i would like, and can definitely stumble in pacing at times, but it's still pretty fun to watch. The performances re strong, the characters are endearing, an the world is rich with intrigue. Awkwafina and Gemma Chan turn in some excellent performances and even Kelly Marie Tran does her best with what she was given, which wasn't much. Not going to sit here and claim it to be one of my favorites but it's better than i initially gave it credit for. Raya and the last Dragon has a ton of potential but I think Disney played it too safe and missed out on something great. Still, it's a fun watch that I think kids will enjoy. I mean, don't pay any extra loot for it but, if it's on Disney+ or if you wanna fly that Jolly Roger, it might be worth.

All that said, this sh*t feels a lot like the plot to Breath of the Wild, complete with kind of a Calamity Ganon as the principal conflict. I'm curious if anyone else got that same vibe.

[comicweek]

Secret’s Out

SECRET WEAPONS #1 (of 4) Written by ERIC HEISSERER Art & Cover by RAUL ALLEN $3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+ | VALIANT PRESTIGE | COMING IN JUNE!

The government has dispatched Amanda McKee – the technopath codenamed Livewire – to investigate the ruins of a secret facility formerly run by Toyo Harada, the most powerful telepath on Earth and her former mentor. In his quest for world betterment at any cost, Harada sought out and activated many potential psiots like himself. Those who survived, but whose powers he deemed to have no value to his cause, were hidden away at this installation. But Livewire, having studied Harada’s greatest strengths and learned his deepest weaknesses, senses opportunity where he once saw failure. A young girl who can talk to birds… A boy who can make inanimate objects gently glow… To others, these are expensive failures. But, to Livewire, they are secret weapons…in need of a leader. Now, as a mechanized killer called Rexo seeks to draw them out, Livewire and her new team of cadets will be forced to put their powers into action…in ways they never could have imagined…

“Much like Faith before her, Livewire is a comics icon in the making. She is beloved by fans and adored by creators,” said Valiant CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani. “Finding the right stage for her to shine has been a top priority at Valiant for some time now and, with SECRET WEAPONS, Eric and Raul have crafted something truly special. Not only is this a story quite unlike any Valiant has told to date, but Eric and Raul have created a host of new characters unlike any others in comics. This series is the first step in a long-term plan that will be more than worth the wait, and will have major ramifications for all quarters of the Valiant Universe as we build toward HARBINGER WARS 2 in 2018.

“Without a doubt, Raul is one of the most talented artists in the industry, and every page he sends in leaves jaws on the floor,” he added. “Eric – one of the great storytellers anywhere in entertainment today and one of the sweetest people possible – is able to effortlessly jump between mediums with a passion and intensity that is virtually unrivaled. Together they make an amazing team, and we can’t wait to share their work with the world.”

In addition to his 2017 Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for ARRIVAL, Heisserer has received a host of high-profile awards and nominations for some of the most prominent institutions in entertainment, including the BAFTA Awards, the Writers Guild Awards, the Humanitas Prize, the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the Chicago Film Critics Association, the Austin Film Critics Association, and more. His next projects will include a key role in shaping Valiant’s five-film slate of major motion pictures at Sony Pictures as the writer of the upcoming HARBINGER and BLOODSHOT feature films – currently scheduled for release in late 2018.

“My path to Secret Weapons is a bit wonky,” said Heisserer. “I started writing for characters like Pete, Faith, Livewire, and Bloodshot in the film adaptations of their stories. When I am given the opportunity to translate a property to screen, it’s like adopting someone else’s child for a while. I put in my time, try to respect all the hard work of the original authors, and sooner or later I’m on my way.

“The Valiant characters were different, especially Livewire. I kept thinking about her, long after my official writing services were complete. I wanted back into that world. I had crazy ideas for her powers, and the hard choices ahead of her. So, I asked to build a new book for Valiant, with a new group of faces, all led by Amanda. To my relief, Dinesh and Warren said yes.

“Of all the writing I’ve done in the last year, my heart is most in SECRET WEAPONS and its collection of freaks, misfits, and outcasts. And I think a story of a woman who’s shouldered such great burdens, now trying to rescue some lost souls and form a surrogate family, may be one of the most emotional stories I’ve put to paper.

“And where this story goes? Oh man, buckle up.”

[nadrojsmada]

Naksansa Temple Stay

At the end of June, I traveled to Naksansa Temple in northeast Korea to take part in a temple stay. Temple stays had been mentioned to me by many people in the States as something they thought I would like to do and they were definitely right! My attending this temple stay was very last-minute. I saw the event posted on Facebook and looked into it. I have been craving such experiences lately in Korea, as a lot of my day-to-day life doesn’t seem to incorporate a lot of “traditional” Korean culture.

An early morning bus that took six and a half hours to reach my final destination traveled along the eastern coast of Korea. It really was a beautiful ride along the ocean, though it was an incredibly humid day so you almost couldn’t tell where the ocean ended and the sky began.

Once I reached Naksansa, I joined 10 other foreigners. We were asked to change into monastic clothing and then sit together while a Buddhist nun and her translator introduced us to the program called “Finding Your Bluebird”. We learned about proper prostration techniques and all were asked to come up with a “name” for ourselves which was what we were called throughout the weekend. Mine was “Intention”.

Most of the rest of Saturday was spent touring the temple grounds and listening to a few monks tell us their stories about living a monastic lifestyle. We ate delicious vegetarian food in silence and enjoyed an evening tea ceremony with a venerable monk. This was my favorite part of the temple stay as the monk was incredibly insightful, humorous, and kind. During the tea ceremony, we were asked to write on a small piece of colored paper more about why we chose the name we were being called during the program.

I chose Intention as my name because of a very dear friend of mine who passed away last summer. The last time I saw and spoke with him, I was moving away from where we both lived and he was imparting old man wisdom to me. He told me that he admired my desire to live life with intention. At the time, I had no idea what he really meant and I was also in the midst of a very tumultuous time in my life and didn’t feel much intention in anything that I was doing. Being at the temple brought back this memory for me. Life has been a bit wonky for me the last couple of months in Korea and I realized that I’ve lost sight of my “intention”. This temple stay helped remind me of it and also of my friendship with Stimp. The temple stay also coincided almost exactly to the one-year anniversary of Stimp’s death.

After the tea ceremony, we went to view the statue of Avalokiteshvara that Naksansa is known for. It was brightly illuminated in the evening and candles were lit all around. I spent some time on my own before retiring to bed. We all were sleeping in a traditional hanook on the temple grounds. My roommate and I decided to get up around 4:30 to go and see the sunrise over the East Sea. It was a beautiful morning!

The rest of Sunday included a couple of hours of individual exploration after breakfast. During this time, we had been told to please leave our colored paper scroll in a special glass vase in one of the temple buildings after doing 3 prostrations. My scroll, elaborating my intention, along with many others’ scrolls, is now at the base of another statue of Avalokiteshvara.

Once we came back together as a group, we walked to the temple’s farm and harvested blueberries. We met the Abott monk of Naksansa, who is an avid farmer, and learned about their sustainability programs. We were encouraged to pick each blueberry individually and with awareness, rather than mindlessly and in clumps. We were also encouraged to consume as many blueberries as we desired. :)

Following lunch, we joined the venerable monk back at our hanook where we made prayer bead necklaces. Normally, one would complete one prostration for each bead on the necklace (108 total), but we were told just to listen to a CD of 108 prostrations. After each one, we bowed and strung on a single bead.

A short concluding ceremony ended the temple stay and then we were all on our way back home! I was the only one who had traveled so far to attend this temple stay, but I’m so glad I did it! It reminded me of many things I had learned and experienced during my time in China and the re-connection to my memory of Stimp was an unexpected, yet wholly embraced surprise.

You can see some photos from my trip below and a link to Naksansa and my temple stay can be found here: https://www.templestay.com/temple_info_gallery_view.asp?idx=16564&page=1&t_id=naksansa

[pastramination]

Eric Heisserer Brings Livewire to the Limelight with Secret Weapons from Valiant Entertainment

By Staff Reports

As revealed today at Vulture, Valiant is proud to announce that Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Eric Heisserer, writer of the internationally acclaimed, smash-hit motion picture ARRIVAL, as well as the upcoming HARBINGER and BLOODSHOT feature films from Sony Pictures, will join Harvey Award-nominated artist Raul Allen (Wrath of the Eternal Warrior) with Patricia Martin (Bloodshot Reborn) for SECRET WEAPONS #1 (of 4) – an all-new, Valiant Prestige format limited series starring the much-demanded, super-charged hero Livewire, in June!

The government has dispatched Amanda McKee – the technopath codenamed Livewire – to investigate the ruins of a secret facility formerly run by Toyo Harada, the most powerful telepath on Earth and her former mentor. In his quest for world betterment at any cost, Harada sought out and activated many potential psiots like himself. Those who survived, but whose powers he deemed to have no value to his cause, were hidden away at this installation. But Livewire, having studied Harada’s greatest strengths and learned his deepest weaknesses, senses opportunity where he once saw failure. A young girl who can talk to birds… A boy who can make inanimate objects gently glow… To others, these are expensive failures. But, to Livewire, they are secret weapons…in need of a leader. Now, as a mechanized killer called Rexo seeks to draw them out, Livewire and her new team of cadets will be forced to put their powers into action…in ways they never could have imagined…

“Much like Faith before her, Livewire is a comics icon in the making. She is beloved by fans and adored by creators,” said Valiant CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani. “Finding the right stage for her to shine has been a top priority at Valiant for some time now and, with SECRET WEAPONS, Eric and Raul have crafted something truly special. Not only is this a story quite unlike any Valiant has told to date, but Eric and Raul have created a host of new characters unlike any others in comics. This series is the first step in a long-term plan that will be more than worth the wait, and will have major ramifications for all quarters of the Valiant Universe as we build toward HARBINGER WARS 2 in 2018.

“Without a doubt, Raul is one of the most talented artists in the industry, and every page he sends in leaves jaws on the floor,” he added. “Eric – one of the great storytellers anywhere in entertainment today and one of the sweetest people possible – is able to effortlessly jump between mediums with a passion and intensity that is virtually unrivaled. Together they make an amazing team, and we can’t wait to share their work with the world.”

In addition to his 2017 Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for ARRIVAL, Heisserer has received a host of high-profile awards and nominations for some of the most prominent institutions in entertainment, including the BAFTA Awards, the Writers Guild Awards, the Humanitas Prize, the Critics’ Choice Awards, the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the Chicago Film Critics Association, the Austin Film Critics Association, and more. His next projects will include a key role in shaping Valiant’s five-film slate of major motion pictures at Sony Pictures as the writer of the upcoming HARBINGER and BLOODSHOT feature films – currently scheduled for release in late 2018.

“My path to Secret Weapons is a bit wonky,” said Heisserer. “I started writing for characters like Pete, Faith, Livewire, and Bloodshot in the film adaptations of their stories. When I am given the opportunity to translate a property to screen, it’s like adopting someone else’s child for a while. I put in my time, try to respect all the hard work of the original authors, and sooner or later I’m on my way.

“The Valiant characters were different, especially Livewire. I kept thinking about her, long after my official writing services were complete. I wanted back into that world. I had crazy ideas for her powers, and the hard choices ahead of her. So, I asked to build a new book for Valiant, with a new group of faces, all led by Amanda. To my relief, Dinesh and Warren said yes.

“Of all the writing I’ve done in the last year, my heart is most in SECRET WEAPONS and its collection of freaks, misfits, and outcasts. And I think a story of a woman who’s shouldered such great burdens, now trying to rescue some lost souls and form a surrogate family, may be one of the most emotional stories I’ve put to paper.

“And where this story goes? Oh man, buckle up.”

On June 28th, 2017 Oscar® nominee Eric Heisserer and visionary artist Raul Allen follow in the footsteps of HARBINGER and FAITH to forge a new vision of 21st century superheroes as Livewire steps to the fore with an all-new team of heroes in the waiting, only in SECRET WEAPONS #1 (of 4) – coming soon to a comic shop near you!

For more information, visit Valiant on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and ValiantUniverse.com.

For Valiant merchandise and more, visit ValiantStore.com

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SECRET WEAPONS #1 (of 4) Written by ERIC HEISSERER Art & Cover by RAUL ALLEN $3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+ | VALIANT PRESTIGE | COMING IN JUNE!

Arrival’s Eric Heisserer Leads Valiant’s Secret Weapons #1 with Visionary Artist Raul Allen @valiantcomics @HIGHzurrer @allenraul Eric Heisserer Brings Livewire to the Limelight with Secret Weapons from Valiant Entertainment By Staff Reports…