#but yeah this issue makes it very clear what the current creative team thinks of THAT and I can’t wait to talk about it

[age-of-moonknight]

“Soldier, Rich Man, Scoundrel,” Moon Knight (Vol. 9/2021), #14.

Writer: Jed MacKay; Penciler and Inker: Alessandro Cappuccio; Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg; Letterer: Cory Petit

[wisteria-lodge]

lion primary + badger secondary (bird model)

ie A HOUSE MATCH !!

Hellooo, I’m sorry for bothering you but I’ve found this blog and I absolutely love your character analysis and overall thought about the SHC system, and I could use some help?

I’ve known the system for a while now, since the old SHC tumblr times, and while understanding my current primary situation has been quite easy, I’m having A LOT of trouble with my secondary and it’s becoming a bit of a issue for me because the more I think about it, the more confused I become, to the point where it’s upsetting me a bit.

First thing first, my Primary is a very “standard” Lion, the whole “you feel if something is right or not and if you do something that’s not right to you you feel bad/ill/it’s wrong” is extremely me. I had some doubts about a Badger model, but I think it’s just that my personal ideals and values align a lot with a Badger worldview, since I grew in a very Badger society and family (very leftist, a lot of emphasis on equality and valuing and creating communities). Reading various description/interpretations of primary Lion always feels right, while reading primary Badger always makes me think “yeah, this is all good and nice, BUT…” so this was quite easy to sort out (no pun intended).

Are you me? So far... I could have written this. It’s possible I *might* be biased going forward. 

When it comes to secondaries, I see a lot of myself in Bird descriptions: I make spreadsheets for everything.

 Pretty Bird.

I am a crafter with an apparently endless supply of books and tutorials and supplies ready, and the enthusiasm to share them. 

That sounds more Badger. 

I am the mom friend 

Badger.

who always has what’s needed in their bag. 

Bird.

I am that one person you can count on knowing a funny or interesting anecdote about almost any topic, from the mundane to the truly obscure. Learning new things, about any topic, is literally one of my biggest pleasures in life. 

Bird [model?] Whichever one isn’t your secondary is a model you clearly love.

I take pride in all these things, but I honestly have trouble understanding if I like using them as tools because they help me with my ADHD and so I received a very strong positive enforcement using them and I kept the ones I like, or if I started doing them because they are what I like doing and coincidentally they help me managing my symptoms or better navigate the world in my day to day life.

Could be either, but modeling Bird because you’re neurodivergent is very much a thing.

Also, while I love planning, when it comes to making decisions I tend to gather all information and summarize it in a way that makes sense to me so I can visualize the issue in my mind as complete and detailed as possible, but the final decision tends to feel a bit… impulsive, to me?, there’s always A LOT of gut feeling involved, and when I don’t follow it usually it ends up being a wrong or subpar decision. I do need to gather all the available information about the issue/situation/item/people, but rather than making my decision by comparison, I use the information to make sure that I’m “seeing” the truth (or as close to it as it is possible) and then once I feel safe that I’m not overlooking anything important I just KNOW what is the correct decision.

That’s a Lion primary making a call. 

Could this simply be a very strong primary interfering with the decision-making, even when it’s not about ideals but more mundane things?

Decision making is always a primary thing. Mundane stuff included. Mundane stuff is important. 

On the other hand, I am an extremely hard working person (I am changing jobs right now because I feel like my old bosses are making more and more difficult for me to just do my job properly and without needing to cut corners, and it just feels wrong to me). 

Oh good lord. I am ready to sort you as a Badger secondary solely on the basis of THAT. 

People tell me I’m a very good listener and that I am especially good at helping others unravel their thoughts when they’re all confused and tangled because I ask the right questions. I seem to gain other people’s trust easily and often I get told gossip or secrets before others. 

Badger. Also DAMN but that’s relatable. I think you might house-match me. 

I got told several times by previous bosses that I should look into becoming a team leader because people like me and I make them get along better. 

Sounds like a Lion/Badger combo. 

People get attached to me very quickly and when I have problems the stream of folks asking if they can help or just checking in is always way more than I expect.

Isn’t it weird how that happens? 

This all sounds like Badger stuff, from the descriptions I read, but many of them are not things I actively enjoy doing, I just.. do them because it would be weird to do otherwise? Or it feels like they happen to me with no effort on my part.

Because they’re just you. It’s just who you are. 

I think they might be simply a result of me growing up in a society that values hard work and being kind to others, or just me being a likeable person

Not everyone finds this easy. Not even close. I have read so many testimonials written by people in Badger secondary households killing themselves trying to fit into this model. Wanting isn’t enough. Having examples around you isn’t enough. 

or maybe coping mechanisms I had to learn in order to “pass” as neurotypical but as I wrote the more think and read about Birds and Badgers and their differences, the more I get confused and frustrated.

Now I know I’m projecting, but all my neurotypical coping mechanisms come out of the Bird secondary toolbox. 

But it would make sense since I burned out badly in my teens from trying to always try to be perfect for my family, my friends, my teachers, society 

That sounds like a young Badger secondary, more than a young Bird secondary.

and when I finally found who I really wanted to be I resolved to never let anyone define what or how I should be ever again (hello there, Lion primary!)

I hear that. 

After a lifetime of beating myself up for not living up to the absurdly high expectations I set up for myself, I have decided that the only way to stay sane for me is to do the groundwork, be as prepared as I can

Bird

 put in the work I should

Badger

 but once I’m in the thick of it just… ride the wave. And now I got to the point where I have the confidence that I am smart enough to learn the basics of a new skill on the fly, if needed.

To me, this is so fundamentally, so spiritually Badger secondary. You don’t have tools. You are a tool. You made yourself into one. And that moment where you can just trust yourself to catch the world, absorb it into yourself, and become whatever it needs you to be... it’s ecstasy. 

I’d say that lack of time is my worst enemy, but due/thanks to the ADHD that’s not true most of the time, since lack of time is what enables me to get past the executive dysfunction in the first place, so I’ll say I have a love-hate relationship with it. Doing things just before a deadline is it’s own kind of high, after all (I’m not saying it’s healthy).

At the base of your soul, you’re not really a Bird prepper/planner. 

A practical example: I usually don’t like platforming games much, but I am LOVING Immortals: Fenyx Rising because in most situations, there is a “best” way to do things but you can also get creative by using different skills, using specific items, finding loopholes, or a combination of all of them.

Sounds like a Bird secondary having fun. [a fun model?]

When I fail a level/combat I don’t get frustrated because I know that I just have to try a few more times until I find the solution that feels right FOR ME, even if it’s not the most efficient ones. And when I do it feels great, even if I look a at guide afterwards and there’s a waaay easier solution! I usually feel a bit silly for not “seeing it” but also think something like “well, I think MY way is more fun!”

Oh yeah, a Bird secondary would not have that reaction. That is the sacred Badger consistency of method. How you do something matters equally as much as the final product. 

When I cook, I usually find a recipe I like and try it as written, then I make small adjustments to improve it, see how it turns out, and so on until I have a recipe that is MY recipe, one I really like and that I know well enough to use as a basis to be changed if needed, knowing exactly how the change will affect the end result. I think this is why I prefer baking to other kinds of cooking, since it’s much more akin to chemistry I feel like I have more control over what a change will do. 

On it’s own this could be a description of rapid-fire Bird. And you clearly have Bird, you have a lot of it. You love it. 

So I guess that what really matters to me is being able to do things my way so that I can enjoy the process and live up to my standards instead of external ones? 

But then you say something like this... it’s about the process... it’s about the method... it’s about something coming up to your own personal standards. And that’s so Badger. 

This ended up being very lengthy… I’ve tried shortening it but English isn’t my first language and I was afraid I might come across not clearly. 

Your English is perfect, and insanely clear. You’re clearer than I am. 

Thank you again for the blog, I especially like your DS9 characters’ analysis and I am low-key hoping for more :)

I’m particularly proud of those ones. I’d love to do more, but before that I would have to go back and re-watch the show, or at least key character episodes. I’m not going to sort from memory. That would be doing a show I love, and a number of extremely complex characters a disservice. And it wouldn’t be nearly as fun. 

(it’s that whole Badger integrity-of-method thing, you know how it goes.) 

[arrow-guy]

Talk to Me

Original request from @scrawlingwithstyle: Here's a request I've been sitting on for a bit. ClintxReader; Clint is deaf and most people rely on his lipreading skills, but Reader knows some ASL from when her family thought her autistic younger sibling would never speak (they became vocal close to seven years old). They have secret conversations across the room, thinking no one else on the team understands. . . . They're wrong. Adjust however you like!

A/N: Okay, it’s taken probably close to a year to actually get around to this, but i kind of breezed through writing it? And it was a whole bunch of fun to finally put down in a document. I didn’t change much about your request, but I definitely added to it, and made it a little romantic? Idk if it’ll come off as romance, it’s kind of goofy (it’s Clint, there needs to be a goof somewhere.) I really hope you like it, though!!

Page dividers by @carryonmyswansong

Pairing: ClintxReader

Word Count: 5.5k

Warnings: None

“Are you sure about this, Bruce?” I ask. “Ross let me go as soon as you went AWOL. I haven’t worked with people like this in years.”

“Of course I’m sure! You were the best back in the day.”

“Back in the day,” I laugh. “You make it sound like we’re ancient.”

“We’re not as young as we used to be,” he says. “But that’s the point. You’ll bring some much needed experience to the table.”

“But I’m not a spy and I definitely don’t have any powers.”

“Trust me, (Y/N), superpowers are not all they’re cracked up to be, and both spies have long since ceased their spying activities.” I cock one eyebrow and he laughs. “For the most part.”

“Saying a spy stopped being a spy is like saying you misplaced the hulk.”

“Ah, very true.”

“I’ll do it, though.”

“You will?”

“Well I can’t very well leave you to fend for yourself, now can I? As it stands, I’m already a shitty friend, working together can’t hurt things.”

Bruce grins and grips my shoulder. “I’ll see you Monday, then.”

I roll my eyes, but can’t fight back my smile. “Do I need to pack a bag, or will I be allowed to go home at the end of the day?”

“Not sure yet. Might as well bring a change of clothes and a toothbrush just in case.”

“Alright, then. I’ll see you Monday.”

“I can’t believe you actually pulled it off, Banner,” Stark says. “You wrangled a counselor for the team?”

“What,” I say. “Like it was supposed to be hard?”

Bruce laughs and reaches out to place his hand on my shoulder. “I’ve known (Y/N) for just about as long as I can remember. I’m sure she’ll be a good fit.”

“As long as you can remember, huh?” I look past Captain Rogers and find a sandy haired man. He grins when I meet his eyes. “Just how long?”

I bob my head from side to side. “Somewhere between twenty years and most of our lives.”

He whistles. “Pretty long time, then.”

“Mhm.”

Bruce clears his throat. “I’m sure (Y/N) wants to see where she’ll be working, so I’ll just show her to her office.”

Everyone in the boardroom waves and Bruce leads me out of the room. As soon as we’re out in the hall I sigh and bow my head, finally able to let my shoulders relax.

“That was a lot.”

Bruce chuckles. “Trust me, it’ll either get worse or stay exactly the same as time goes on, depending on who you’re talking to.”

“The blond guy who spoke up, that’s Hawkeye, right?”

“Clint Barton, yeah.”

“Will I be seeing much of him?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t really know much about the guy. He seems pretty happy-go-lucky and stable most of the time, though.”

“Huh.” I shrug and hitch my bag a little higher on my shoulder. “You never know with some people.”

“True. I’m sure you’ll deal with him at least once more after this. He’s the curious type.”

“I guess I’ll have to look forward to that, then.”

Bruce hummed in agreement and leads me to the elevator bank and takes me down to what will eventually be my office. He gives me a basic rundown of the facilities and shows me which restroom is closest to my office. I ask for a baseline reading on everyone on the team and Bruce rattles off what he’s noticed about the main five.

“Steve will most likely drop by to make small talk, but it may take some time for him to open up in any way that counts. Tony will joke about therapy, but once he warms up to you it’ll be impossible to get him to leave.”

“Oof, that bad?”

“He’s long-winded.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to enforce appointments with him when he starts to take interest.”

“Probably wise.”

“And Natasha?”

“I doubt you’ll see much of her. She has her ways of working through her issues on her own.”

“Do they involve murder?”

“Don’t know, and I don’t care to.”

“Got it. None of our business. I’ll let her come to me if she needs anything.” I plop down behind my new desk. “What about Thor?”

“Who knows. He shows up when he wants and tends to be a pretty jovial guy.”

“Ah. Is there anyone else outside of the tower I can expect?”

“Wanda, Sam, and Rhodey will be around from time to time. If Steve has his way, Bucky will move in at some point, and Wanda is currently in the process of moving into the tower, so you may see her more after that. I’m not sure how often she’ll drop by. She’s fairly private due to her powers.”

“Energy manipulation, right?”

He nods. “That, and other mind tricks.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“But that just leaves Clint, and we’ve already gone over what you can expect from him.”

“It doesn’t just leave Clint, Bruce.” I fold my hands on the desktop. “I expect to see you in here at least once a week. Ideally twice.”

Bruce scowls. “(Y/N), you know how I feel about that.”

“Yeah, well, I listen to your opinions on that stuff when I’m just your friend. Now I’m your therapist, and you’re going to listen to me because I know what works for you. So I expect you to get your pasty ass in here when you’re scheduled.”

“You’re making appointments for me now?”

“Until I’m sure you’ll come to me on your own, yes.”

He rolls his eyes. “Fine. Send me the schedule. I’ll see you at my appointed time.”

“Wonderful.” I relax my shoulders, letting my professional mask slip. “Thanks for this, Bruce. I mean it.”

“I know you do.” He cracks a smile. “You’re the only person I trust to get to the root of our issues.”

“I appreciate that. I’ll try not to let you down.”

“Believe me, (Y/N), if anyone’s gonna let me down, it’ll be the team.” I laugh and he heads for the door. “I’ll see you later. Good luck with your first day.”

“Thanks, Bruce. I’ll see you later!”

“So, (Y/N),” Tony says, spreading out on the couch across from my chair. “What’s your deal?”

“My deal?”

“Yeah, what makes you tick? What motivates you to try and heal the fragile minds of the Avengers?”

“I’d say a decent paycheck is a pretty good motivator, Mr. Stark.”

He seems disappointed with my answer. “Is that it?”

“Well, that, and I want to make sure Bruce is doing alright. He’s struggled with therapy in the past, and I want to make sure he’s getting the kind of help that he needs.”

“I see.” He presses his lips together and folds his arms. “You’re not even curious about the rest of the team?”

“Of course I’m curious, but nothing discussed in this tower will be shared with anyone outside. I take my patients privacy very seriously.”

“You sure you don’t just fear for your life?”

“Living in New York, I fear for my life constantly. That doesn’t mean that I’m worried about getting merced if I get a little loose lipped outside of work.” I sigh and lean back in my chair. “That being said, I won’t be sharing your confidential information with anyone you haven’t specifically given authorized access to your records.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah. It’s almost like I’m a professional, right?”

He smiles. “I’m really starting to like you, (Y/N).”

“Then I guess I have a lot more of this to look forward to, then, don’t I?”

I laughs and hauls himself up from the couch. “We’ll see.”

I make a note of his response in my open document. “Sounds like a tentative yes to me, Mr. Stark, and I’ll be here so long as you deem my services necessary.”

He nods and exits my office. He leaves the door open.

“How are you liking it here so far, (Y/N)?”

“It’s been quiet, Captain Rogers. It’s a bit like pulling teeth trying to get anyone to make use of their resources.”

“I guess it would be. We’re a relatively private bunch.” He pauses a moment. “And, please, call me Steve.”

“Right, Steve. Is there anything that I can do for you today?” I ask. “It’s entirely alright if you just want to make small talk.”

“Oh, well, uh…” He awkwardly clears his throat and shifts uncomfortably on the couch. “I guess I just wanted to get a lay of the land.”

“I understand.” I glance around my office. “I should probably bring in some art and plants. Make it a little less sterile in here.”

Steve laughs. “That might help.”

I smile. “Maybe an area rug?”

He shrugs. “Whatever you think would be best.”

“I appreciate the creative freedom.” I close my laptop, set it to the side, and settle back in my chair. “Is there something on your mind, Steve?”

“No,” he says quickly. He immediately looks conflicted. “I… well, kind of.”

“Feel free to speak. Nothing you say will leave this office.”

“You hardly know me.”

I shrug. “I know how stressful this environment can be. And, while your team is very good at what they do, they’re also the ones who are causing your stress.”

“I don’t know if I’d say that.” I watch him chew the inside of his cheek. “I guess I’m just concerned that things might not get better, even when Bucky’s moved in.”

“Why’s that?”

“I don’t know. I’m worried that it might not be a good fit for him, or that the team won’t accept him, or that he might not even want to be around me.”

“Those are all valid concerns. Have you mentioned any of this to him?”

“God no. I don’t want to stress him out more than I already have with all of this moving business.”

“I might suggest bringing it up. He might be having similar worries himself, and, as helpful as it is to work towards what’s troubling you with me, I won’t be able to settle your nerves.”

“Maybe you’re right…”

“If nothing else, it might open up a new line of communication between the two of you, which couldn’t hurt.”

Steve stays for another hour, just talking. When he leaves, he asks if I want the door open or closed. I don’t give him a definite answer and he leaves it open, just a crack. I laugh and start on his profile.

Someone knocks on my door and I glance up from my paperwork to see Clint standing in the doorway.

“Mr. Barton,” I say. “I was wondering when I might see you.”

He shrugs. “Here I am.”

“After two weeks, I was starting to think you were avoiding me.”

“If I was?”

“Then it’s none of my business.”

The corner of his mouth lifts in a smile. “I like that answer.”

I rise from my desk and gesture to the couch. He raises his eyebrows, but takes a seat anyway. I sit across from him and watch as he tries to decide just how he should sit. In the end, he leans heavily on his knees. Nothing about him is relaxed.

“I’m starting to think Bruce was wrong about you.”

“What’d the green bean tell you about me?”

“Nothing concrete,” I answer. “He just mentioned that you seem to have a positive outlook on things most of the time.”

He snorts. “Great.”

“Mmm, I see. It’s a facade, then?”

He frowns and presses a finger to his right ear. “Could you say that again?”

“I said, it’s a facade, then?”

“Sometimes.”

I nod. “Interesting.”

He barks out a laugh. “Yeah, interesting.”

I watch him look around the room, examining the art on the walls and the stacks of paper on my desk. When he turns his head to the left, I notice his purple earpiece and something suddenly clicks. He tilts his head to the side when he sees me staring.

“What?”

“Would it be easier if we signed?” I ask, signing along as I speak.

He looks surprised. “You sign?”

I laugh. “Yes. My little brother is on the Autism spectrum. When he was a kid, he was almost entirely nonverbal. Mom taught him sign, and the rest of the family learned along with him.”

“That must’ve been really nice for him.”

“It was nice to be able to communicate with him when he couldn’t vocalize what he wanted to say. He eventually started speaking when he was about seven, though.”

“And you still held onto the signing skills?”

“Of course! It’s not like he just, bam, started talking. It was a long process, and he still has nonverbal days sometimes.” Clint starts to actually smile and it warms my heart. “It’s come in handy in my particular line of work too. Deaf and hard of hearing folks need counsellors and therapists too.”

“Which brings the topic of conversation back to me.” He shakes his head and leans back against the couch and signs, “You’re a tricky one, (Y/N).”

“I’m not tricky!”

“Then what?”

“I’m accommodating.” I speak again, but continue to sign along. “You don’t have to tell me everything, or anything, really. But I’m here to help, if you need me.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course, Clint. Any time.”

“Seems like you and Clint are getting close,” Bruce says.

“I don’t know what you mean, man.”

“He’s in here all the time, (Y/N). There’s no way Barton needs therapy five times a week.”

“It’s not always about therapy, Bruce. I strive to make my office a safe space where everyone knows that they can speak freely. He knows that he can come here and chill out without worrying about the rest of the team.”

“Barton doesn’t really worry about anything, though.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”

Bruce stares at me, eyes narrowed, and snaps his fingers. "You like him."

I roll my eyes. "I do not like him, Bruce. And you're not even here to talk about Clint, you're here to work on yourself and managing your stress levels."

He rolls his eyes. "I'm sure there's something we could talk about aside from me."

I sigh and hold my head in my hands. "I've been here for two months. I haven't been around long enough to form anything more than tentative relationships with the rest of the team. I'm more concerned about whether or not they can open up to me than I am with my love life."

“Right,” Bruce clears his throat.

“Thank you.” He looks thoroughly ashamed and I have to laugh. “I appreciate the interest, but it’s just not something that you need to worry about.”

“No, I understand.” He smiles and shrugs. “I guess I just miss having that easy rapport with you.”

“I mean, we still have that, Bruce. It’s just not something that I want to talk about in the workplace. It’s one thing to shoot the shit over lunch on a Saturday, it’s another to discuss my patients with another patient, all of whom are my coworkers.”

“I didn’t think about it like that.”

I smile. “It’s fine. Did you want to pick up where we left off on Tuesday?”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

“(Y/N)?”

I’m startled by the woman in the doorway. “Ms. Romanoff?”

She shakes her head and steps into my office. “As long as you’re not a government official, it’s just Natasha.”

“Ah, right.” I sit a little straighter in my chair. “What can I do for you, Natasha?”

“Clint’s said you’ve helped him a lot.”

“I don’t know about that. We just talk. He does all the helping.”

“I figured you’d say that.” She moves quickly across the room and takes a seat on the couch. “I’d like to talk to you, if you have the time.”

“Oh.” I scramble up from my desk to sit across from her. “What about?”

“I need help working through a recent case.”

“Are you sure I’m qualified for that?”

“Well, you said Clint does all the helping. Maybe what I need is a sounding board.”

“Fair enough. Where are you caught up?”

Natasha rattles off the details of a recent mission. I do my best to follow her, but she loses me when she starts explaining the intricacies of a piece of Hydra technology they discovered. Eventually, she perks up, almost looking like she wants to jump up from her seat and run from the room.

“I think I’ve got it.”

“That’s great!”

She calmly gets to her feet and walks to the door. “Thank you, (Y/N).”

I shake my head. “It was my pleasure.”

“Even so, you helped me.” She flashes me an unexpected smile. “I appreciate that.”

“It’s not a problem, Natasha. I hope that we can speak again at some point.”

She nods and heads for the door. “I’ll see you around.”

In the hall I hear, “Oh, hey, Nat.” and Clint pokes his head in soon after.

I smile. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He leans in the doorway and folds his arms. “What’d Nat dump on you?”

“Doctor patient confidentiality, Barton,” I say. “I can’t tell you.”

His arms fall to his side and he dramatically slumps into the room. “I thought you trusted me!”

I laugh. “I do trust you, Clint. But it’s not my information to give.” He drapes himself across the couch and grins at the sight of me fighting back my smile. “If it were, Bruce would have full access to what we talk about in our sessions.”

“That’s private information, (Y/N)!” He laughs. “I see your point.”

“Good.”

“Did you want to grab lunch later? That weird little cafe down the street started serving some kind of coffee burger.”

“Ugh, and you want to eat that?”

“(Y/N), it’s a coffee burger.”

“With all the heinous shit you put in your body, it’s a wonder you’re still alive.”

“If you think I’m bad, you should meet my dog.”

“Is that an offer?”

“Maybe.” He shrugs. “Guess you’ll have to stick around long enough to find out.”

I roll my eyes. “It’s been four months, Clint. If I haven’t run for the hills yet, I’m pretty sure it’s not gonna happen for a while yet.”

Something twinkles in his eyes. “That’s good to hear. I was worried I might scare you off.”

“If anyone were to scare me off, it’d be Tony.” I shake my head. “That man is a handful.”

“What happened to patient confidentiality?”

“Since when is Tony being a handful a secret?” He laughs and I relax in my seat. “But, yeah, I’ll get lunch with you.”

“Really?”

“Someone has to make sure you don’t keel over from physically eating coffee.”

“Oh come on! It’s not like they solidified the coffee and stuck it on a bun!”

“How do you know they didn’t? Maybe they turned the coffee into jello, passed it through a meat grinder, and threw it on a griddle.”

His face scrunches up in disgust. “Ugh, that’d just be burnt coffee.”

“I’ve watched you drink an entire pot of burnt coffee.”

“Desperate times, (Y/N). They call for desperate measures.”

I sigh and shake my head. ”I guess it’s fine, so long as you’re not addicted to caffeine pills.”

“Those don’t do anything for me.”

“That’s terrifying.”

He laughs, hauls himself up from the couch, and offers me a hand. “Shall we?”

“Shall we what?”

“Head out for lunch.”

“Now? I thought you said later.”

“It’s been like five minutes. It’s later now.”

I laugh. “I can’t just go now. I have an appointment with Steve in twenty minutes. We can leave after that.”

He pouts. “Fine.”

“Don’t give me that look, Clint!”

He sighs and trudges towards the door. “I guess I’ll just have to make a reservation for one thirty.”

“That’d be great.”

He flashes a brilliant smile before disappearing out into the hall. I shake my head and move back to my desk.

“That man is gonna get me in trouble.”

“I thought you said you weren’t involved with Clint?”

“I’m not, Bruce.”

“Then what’s this?” He places his phone on my keyboard.

I pick up the phone and find an article titled “Hawkeye’s New Flame, or Just a Fling?” pulled up. A picture of Clint and I at lunch the other day sits just below a paragraph speculating who I could be. I snort and hand him his phone.

“Clint and I went to lunch. That’s all.” I sit back and fold my arms. “What’s the problem, Bruce?”

“I don’t want you getting dragged into some kind of media storm because you work with us.”

“It’s one article!”

“There’s at least four more like it that I’ve seen.”

“I’m not worried about it, Bruce. Clint just went out for lunch and some pap caught us talking. That’s it. There’s nothing more to it, but I can’t stop people from talking.”

“You shouldn’t have to deal with it.”

“No one should have to deal with anyone plastering their personal life all over the internet, but you know what? I’d rather get caught out in public with Clint than Tony.” I laugh. “Can you imagine the shitstorm that’d kick up if that happened?”

Bruce tries not to laugh. “I guess you’re right.”

“It was bound to get out that the Avengers brought in a counsellor at some point. It’s better that it’s like this instead of some media outlet picking up a rumor and deciding that you’re all unstable.”

“Well…”

“I’m not saying you’re the most sane bunch, but that’s no one’s business but yours. Regardless, don’t worry about this. It’ll be fine.”

“Alright.” He pockets his phone. “You’d tell me if something was wrong, right?”

“Of course I would, Bruce. If something comes up, I’ll let you know.”

I sit on the floor of the gym and lift the collar of my shirt to wipe the sweat from my face.

Clint plops down on the floor beside me and tips his head to the side.

“Definitely didn’t expect to find you in here,” he says.

“What, I can’t work out?” I groan and lay back. “Ugh.”

“You okay?”

“No. I knew I should’ve just stuck to the treadmill.”

“What’d you do to yourself?”

“Weights.”

He laughs. “Why did you do that?”

“I don’t know. Is wanting to be able to lift a very large dog a good reason?”

“I wouldn’t say it’s a bad reason.” He lays beside me and props himself up on his elbow. “I could help you, if you want.”

“I don’t know how I feel about being all sweaty gross around you.”

He pokes my stomach and I laugh and shift away. “I don’t know, (Y/N), sweaty’s the new sexy.”

“Aw, that’s sweet.” I laugh and scrunch my nose. “Also kind of gross.”

“Sweet and kind of gross, I think you’ve pretty much summed me up perfectly.” I laugh so hard that I snort and he grins. “So, do you want help working out?”

I press my fist to my mouth to quiet my giggling. “If you’re willing to, I really would appreciate it.”

“Then it’s a done deal.” I thank him and his smile softens. “Sorry about those articles last week, by the way.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

“I should’ve warned you, at least. I’m used to it, but you didn’t sign up for pap shots and gossip columns when you took this job.”

I scowl. “Honestly, Clint. If you’re not gonna read my lips, read my hands. It’s totally fine. I don’t care. I had a nice time at lunch. A few dumb articles won’t change that.”

“You mean that?”

“Well, yeah. I like spending time with you outside of all of this,” I say, gesturing to the tower in general. “With, y’know, no expectations of maintaining all of the professional bullshit.”

“Pretty sure you’re the most professional one here.”

“Thanks, I’m glad that comes across in the day to day, but do you understand what I’m saying? Like I genuinely do not care about what a shitty news outlet says. At the end of the day, the only opinions that matter are ours.” I sigh and settle on the floor. “Sorry.”

“Sounds like we’re not the only ones who need therapy.”

I hum. “Maybe I do.”

“No shame in it.”

I smile at him. “I know.” I sit up and get to my feet. “It’s getting late, I should head out.”

“You’re in tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll be around till noon. I’ve got a wedding later in the day.”

“Not yours, right?”

I laugh. “No, definitely not mine.”

“Cool,” He smiles up at me. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Since when do we have staff meetings?” Clint asks.

“Since we brought on a counselor,” Tony says.

I frown. “I’ve been here six months and I’ve never been to any kind of meeting.”

“I’m going to ignore the fact that you brought that up and just keep moving with the meeting.”

I snort and shoot Clint a look. He laughs and signs for me to stop. I wave him off and turn my attention back to the head of the table.

Tony rambles on for about half an hour before Steve cuts in and the two of them start going back and forth. They bicker for twenty minutes before Thor swans in, greeting everyone with his bright, booming voice. I was stuck in my office the last time he was on Earth, so our paths never had a chance to cross. Steve takes a moment to introduce the two of us and Thor vigorously shakes my hand, unintentionally jostling me around the whole time. He takes his seat on the other side of Bruce and the conversation picks up again.

I catch Clint’s eye twitching in my peripheral when Thor speaks a little too loudly. I gesture to get his attention and he raises his eyebrows when he meets my eyes.

“You good?” I sign.

He nods. “Can’t pay attention to save my life in these meetings.”

“I’ve never known anyone to compliment your attention span.”

He mouths, “Oh, ha ha,” and I laugh.

“You’re mean, (Y/N).”

“And here I thought you liked me.”

“Never said I didn’t.” He grins. “The way things are going, I’d say you’re probably just my type.”

I shake my head and hide my smile behind my hand. “Stop.”

“Aw, you're cute when you're embarrassed." I flip him off and he laughs. “That's a compliment!"

I snort. “Pay attention, Clint.”

We manage to make it through another hour and, by that time, someone has turned off the lights and started giving a presentation. I fold my arms on the table and rest my chin on top and beg myself to stay awake through this meeting. I’m sure it’ll only be a little while longer.

Clint’s hand creeps into my line of sight and he taps the table to get my attention. I shoot him a quizzical look and he lifts his eyebrows.

“You still with us?” he signs.

“No.”

“It’s going longer than I thought it would.”

“I’m honestly about to fall asleep.”

“Aw, (Y/N), no.”

“This is how I go out. Avenge me, Clint.”

“No!”

“It’s your job. You have to.”

“But who will help me through the trauma?”

I cover my mouth to muffle my laughter. “I’d be dead, that’s none of my concern.”

He shakes his head. “And you call yourself my friend.”

Natasha clears her throat, startling me away from the conversation. I try to pay attention to the presentation, but I just can't wrap my head around what they're talking about and Clint easily distracts me again.

"Quick question."

Surprised, I sign, "Shoot."

"Would you want to go out with me?"

My brain stops working for a second. "Wait, what?"

"I said, will you go out with me?"

My heart hammers in my chest. "Like as friends, or on a date?"

He sighs. "We've been hanging out as friends for months now. I'm asking you on a date, stupid."

My face heats and I sit back in my seat. “Oh.”

He laughs. “Did I break you?”

“A little.” I frown.

“Just say yes!”

Startled, I glance up the table, only to find Natasha glaring at Clint and I. Everyone is looking at us and I suddenly want to disappear.

“What’s the problem?” Steve asks.

“I’m sick of watching the two of them flirt with each other,” Natasha says. “You’ve been mooning over each other for months. Just say yes and be done with it.”

“Nat, they haven’t said a single thing since the beginning of the meeting.”

“They’ve been signing at each other the entire meeting.” She looks directly at me and signs, “I see everything.”

“Sorry.”

“Just say yes.” She looks very pointedly between Clint and I. “You’d be good together.”

“I thought you said you didn’t like him!” Bruce says.

“That was months ago, Bruce. Things change.”

“Don’t be hard on her,” Natasha says. “Clint’s an acquired taste.”

“I’m just gonna, um…” I gesture to the door. “I’m just gonna go.”

I see Tony and Steve nod and I shove my chair back from the table and make my escape. The door shuts behind me, and I’m free. I sigh, relieved to be free of the weight of everyone’s eyes on me, only for the embarrassment of having my crush exposed to my coworkers to settle deep in my stomach.

I press my fingertips to my temples and walk down the hallway. “I knew he was gonna get me in trouble.”

I make the decision to just go back to my office. Maybe I can at least get some work done or, at the very least calm down. I turn as the elevator doors close and catch a glimpse of the conference door opening at the end of the hall. I shift slightly so that it’s not in my line of sight.

The elevator ride feels like it’s too long and I immediately flop down on my couch as soon as I’m in my office. I can't get comfortable and shift around until I'm upside down with my legs over the back of the conch, staring at the ceiling. I press the heels of my hands over my eyes and groan out of frustration.

“I left without even answering him,” I mutter.

The door suddenly opens and I freeze, pulling my hands away from my face, waiting for whoever it is to announce themselves.

"(Y/N)?"

"Clint?" I try to sit up and smack my head on the edge of the coffee table. "Shit."

"Are you okay?" he asks.

I rub my forehead and sit up a little more carefully. "I'll live."

He takes a seat on the coffee table and watches intently as I sit upright on the couch and face him. He reaches out and gently touches my forehead, only to jerk his hand back when I wince.

"Sorry."

"Don't, it's fine."

"Okay." He sighs softly and shuffles awkwardly on the table. He stills when I touch his knee and takes my hand in his. "I'm sorry about the meeting. I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that."

"Honestly, Clint, you don't need to apologize," I murmur. "I got flustered and then embarrassed when everyone else got involved."

"I know. I probably like pushing your buttons a little too much."

"That's not it."

"But I do push your buttons."

"Yeah, but only 'cause I let you." He smiles and I squeeze his hand. "But I'm a deeply private person. To have Natasha butt in like that, no matter the good she meant by it, really set me on edge."

"I had no idea."

"I don't feel like I have to keep everything close to my chest when I’m with you. You tease me, but it’s never from a place of malice and you know me well enough that you never take it too far.”

“I mean, you give as good as you get.” He doesn’t meet my eyes as he runs his thumb over my knuckles. “But still. I should’ve just asked in private, but you know me.”

“Yeah. You’re sweet, but kind of stupid sometimes. More than a little impulsive. And way too fond of coffee.”

“Aw, I thought that was endearing!” He smiles when I laugh. “The invitation still stands, but you don’t have to say yes.”

“What’re you talking about?” He meets my eyes and I shake my head. “I’m not about to turn you down. You haven’t introduced me to your dog yet.”

“Oh, I get it, you only want me for Lucky.”

“Mhm.”

He shakes his head and kneels on the floor in front of me. “Shoulda known.”

“I know, I’m pure evil.” He grins and takes my face in his hands. “I should be fired, right?”

“Without a doubt.”

I hum softly and lean forward to bump my nose against his. After a moment’s hesitation, Clint closes the distance between us and gently kisses me. I place one hand on his forearm and tilt my head to the side to kiss him back. He smiles against my lips and pulls away, his eyes flitting over my face.

“So… about that dog.”

I have no idea what would happen to them after that, but I’d like to think they’re having a great time, petting dogs and continuing to mess with each other, all whilst falling in love.

I’d love to know what you guys thought of this little one shot. Did you love it, did you hate it? Did you breathe out through your nose a little bc you kind of laughed but also didn’t? Be sure to like, reblog, comment, or shoot me an ask and tell me all about it!

If you’d like to be tagged in future fics, please let me know!

Tag list:

@ghostlyhamlet, @claws-of-vibranium, @creaturefeatures101, @buckysendoftheline, @imagine-assembling-the-avengers, @ptprocrastination, @1950schick, @amayasymone23, @arfrona-and-marvel, @ek823, @fanaticfangirl001, @furrywerewolfcollector, @kissofvenom922, @dawn-phantomhive, @fangirlwithasweettooth, @mairhof1, @starryeyesbadguys, @trap-house-homiecide, @buckywhitewolfbarnes, @kaepm981, @howdoesoneadult, @pcdmesamidala, @thefandomplace, @sian22redux, @skeletoresinthebasement, @lady-thor-foster, @jazzcutie, @gaytonystark, @geeksareunique, @nyxveracity, @breezy1415, @feelmyroarrrr, @darling-loki​, @lemonadeorange73​, @princess-unicorn124​, @hermionie-is-my-queen​, @tofeartheunknown​, @queenoftheunderdark​, @avengerscompound​

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Movie Review: Cruella

Disclaimer: This is my non-spoiler review for Cruella, posting either the day or the day after the movie is released in the U.K, so if you are yet to see the movie and want to go in with a clear head do not read on until you do.

General Reaction:

Cruella however, I knew from the first trailer I was determined to see in cinemas and the fact it was my first time back in cinemas seeing a movie, I could not think of a better opening play.

It has been a while not only since I have been to the cinema, but also since I watched a new movie. Anything new that has come to me through the lockdowns have been older movies that are new to me. I haven't watched movies on PVOD or Premier Accees because I don't want to pay for them while in my bedroom on a small television and also they don't interest me enough to pay for them.

And that's what this movie is, an origin story. It's a Disney live-action adaptation of a beloved Disney villain's origins, sound familiar? That's what fans originally believed Maleficent to be before it became a redemption story of sorts.

Cruella was the villain of One Hundred and One Dalmatians because she wanted to skin puppies to make a coat, but this movie isn't about that, despite there being some excellent foreshadowing and even reworking as a prequel to the original story, this movie is about how Cruella became Cruella, not necessarily how she became a villain but making the character more three-dimensional and layered.

Here, without going into spoilers, we do see the reasoning behind Cruella being the villain we love her for and it is very much a nature vs nurture style of moral, but it isn't done to the detriment of the villainy Cruella is known for.

What Disney and the creatives behind Cruella have done with this movie is not only take note with everything great and bad with the more recent Disney live-action movies and filter out the bad, but also the potential of movies like Maleficent and even Mulan to a degree which failed to live up to their promises creatively, have seemingly been reworked for this origin story.

Does that mean she's not a villain in this movie? Well while she's not the movie's primary antagonist, Cruella stays true to herself and doesn't compromise why fans love the original character, if anything she amplifies why she's such a great character.

Cruella is such a love letter to the 1970s punk rock era while also managing to not just be style over substance but deliver on story and character as well, that I can't imagine anyone having that much of a problem with it.

It's what I would honestly call an artisan's delight, I'm not creative in a fashion sense, I love fashion and it's a reason I connect with Cruella so much, but I couldn't do what she does. I'd possibly be the Artie of her gang if not Horace and honestly I'm okay with that. But the way fashion, music and visual storytelling is used in this movies rivals the 1996 live-action 101 Dalmatians in that sense when scenes largely focused on the dogs selling the scenes without speaking. A picture paints a thousands words and Cruella's eccentric fashions were scene stealers.

It's funny, it's dramatic, it's well acted and directed. The writing is brilliant with maybe one exception with the Baroness which we will discuss in the spoiler review.

Speaking of spoilers. Way back when this movie was first announced I believe in 2016 I was adamantly against it, I thought it was sacrilege and that it would not be a patch on the original movies.

That being said, since seeing that first trailer and that stunning dress reveal I was hooked and have since watched pretty much every single trailer and TV spot this movie could churn out to the point where I feel I saw the entire movie already...but I was wrong.

From the trailers if you think this movie is going to end at a certain point you'd be wrong. I could kinda tell when the movie was going to end based on how the scene was set up, but even then there's more to the story.

I mentioned how this movie foreshadowed to the original One Hundred and One Dalmatians story as a prequel of sorts but also how it rewrote history so to speak, again the mid credits scene blows my mind as a Dalmatians fan and it cries out for a sequel.

However, to sum up, the original 1961 animated One Hundred and One Dalmatians is to this day my favourite movie of all time. Dalmatians are my favourite dog breed despite the fact I currently own a frenchie pug and Cruella De Vil I believe to be my spiritual mother.

Usually in these reactions I'll give a quick recap of my opinions of the movie or franchise the one in question is a part of, but I feel I've spoken about my love of all things Cruella De Vil and One Hundred and One Dalmatians enough in the past to get the point across.

All that being said, I am trying to compartmentalise my thoughts and be unbiased in my opinions for this movie. But honestly if this movie was bad I'd be coming down the hardest out of any critic on it because of what the property means to me personally.

So yes, I am going to big this movie up because pretty much every single element in this movie is 99% perfect. There is room for improvement, but that's where a sequel comes in to not only capitalise but better itself. And keeping the same creative team and bringing back the same cast, I feel this will be the Disney sequel to break the mould just as Cruella is the Disney movie to break the mould

But I have hyped up the lore and the character enough, what do I think of the movie? Well as much as I praised the creatives behind the movie for such a fabulous movie, director Chris Gillespe is partially to blame for how the movie looks. It’s still a visually orgasmic movie in terms of how it portrays its artistic choices, but in terms of those scenes and shots that could’ve been and should’ve been as visually pleasing as the fashion and art shots, just don’t leave as striking and lasting an impression as those shots and scenes.

Cast:

Honestly upon the announcement, to the point where I made a rant session post about it, Emma Stone as Cruella just didn’t land with me upon said announcement. However, as I said since seeing the first trailer, Emma Stone is young Cruella for me.

Glenn Close for me is Cruella De Vil in live-action. Victoria Smurfit on Once Upon a Time was fabulous but in opinion an elseworlds version of Cruella because she had magic and her story wasn’t really in line with the source material. Now, without spoilers but because it’s an origin you kinda can guess, Emma Stone’s version isn’t really in line with the source material either and up until seeing the movie I was all for viewing this version as an elseworlds story. even after seeing it I am all for viewing it as an elseworlds story from the original source material.

But does that mean it’s bad? No it’s just different. As I said earlier this is definitely a more fleshed out three-dimensional version of the Cruella that the original animated version and Glenn Close’s adaptation delivered, but honestly I’m excited to know where this Cruella goes from after seeing this movie. This is my favourite Emma Stone performance to date.

As for the other Emma, Emma Thompson as the Baroness, well she and Stone’s Cruella not only capitalize on Meryl Streep’s The Devil Wears Prada performance, but also adds that extra layer that make both characters not only believable as people but also villains. There’s no mistaking Thompson’s Baroness is a villain, but she does it in the best way and has never looked more fantastic doing so.

This movie also humanizes Jasper and Horace for me, I’m still unsure as to their relationship, if they’re friends or brothers, but based on the fact Jasper is race-bent in this movie and Hotace is still caucasian I’m going with not. However, without spoilers, based on how they meet Cruella I’m in favour of them not being related and simply lost souls coming together. But yeah they’re both funny, you believe they’re Jasper and Horace there’s no thinking one should be the other, and the chemistry between Jasper and Cruella is so electric that it demands a pay off in a sequel and actually speaks to a problem I know some male fans (including me) may actually have with Cruella as a character.

The other biggest breakout in this movie is John McCrea as Artie, who is not only Disney’s first clearly openly LGBT character but a scene-stealer in every shot that he is in. I said I would probably be Artie or Horace in Cruella’s gang and I stand by that because I think Artie is who I’d want to be (aside from Cruella herself) but Horace is physically who I would be.

Then as for the side characters, the movie does an interesting turn on the Anita/Roger origin story, Mark Strong as the Alonzo substitute is mysterious and brilliant, and the dogs are again scene stealers. Aside from 3 dalmatians (who are still alive at the end) there are two completely original new dogs who are part of Cruella’s gang and whether or not it’s because I’m a dog lover and own a dog or just because of the dog’s direction, they just pull focus every scene and make the characters more sympathetic because of how they interact with them.

Is this a knockout movie? Unfortunately no, I feel mistakes are made that leave holes for trolls to swoop in, however, I don’t think they should/ Honestly uou cannot make the “live-action” The Lion King a billion dollar flick and then complain about this movie, this is original, brilliant and 95% well executed. Yes I’ve dropped from 99 and we will discuss the issues in the spoiler review.

Recommendation:

But honestly this movie is worth the watch, it deserves the watch. As for seeing it in cinemas vs. Disney+, I could say it’s worth the £20/$30, but to get a true feel of some of the bigger and better artistic scenes it demands a big screen viewing. Also support local cinemas and all that jazz.

So that’s my non-spoiler review for Cruella, what did you guys think? Post your comments and stay tuned for my spoiler review hopefully coming soon, meanwhile you can check out other Movie Reviews and posts.

[popculturebuffet]

New X-Men Xtrospective Part 1: E is For Extinction “They Will Need Us”

I am SO fucking excited for this one. As might not be obvious to ALL of my readers but should be obvious to some, I fucking love the X-Men. They are one of my favorite superhero teams period as are several of their spinoffs such as X-Factor (All versions), New Mutants, and Marauders. I love the wide cast, the hugely vast universe within the already vast and wonderful marvel universe, and the sheer amount of GREAT stories. I own all 11 movies, have several action figures, and two posters from Jonathan Hickman’s current and utterly dynamite run right above me right now as I work, as well as a marvel 80′s themed poster behind me that’s at least half x-men for good reason. I love this gang of mutants and I have not talked about them enough. 

I”ve done some X-Men stuff sure: I’ve talked about hickman’s time as head writer of the books a year in earlier this year, I did a few scattered reviews back when I did single issues of comics, and then we get to the one I beefed big time: covering ALL of X-Men evolution. While it’s a noble endeavor I freely admit to overexerting myself: I recapped the episodes way too closely, gave myself no real schedule and did so while I was already covering two shows a week at the time. My point is it was a good idea, but the timing was REALLY fucking bad and if I do it again, I intend to do it right and iwth a proper place in my now properly paced schedule. I also planned to do the movies which, unlike evolution, I have solid plans to do once I clear out some of my projects. Point is I burned bright and then exploded and took a whole projecet with me phoenix style. 

I had until this moment yet to do a really big x-men project, something digging into the comics, something that could help fans both of the comics and not get familiar with something really good, and help me dig into both the good and bad of something. I jsut needed the right start. 

Then Christmas gave me that spark, that project that gave me the idea for a butload more x-men content on here and was the perfect starting point for some. See my friend Marco lives in Honduras, and so since i couldn’t afford to send him anything for christmas in the mail, as i’m not exactly rich, I instead offered him three reviews of anything.l He still hasn’t taken up two of them, nor one I gave him for graduating college, but the first one was a doozy, something he hadn’t read due to not liking the art, which is fine as I have some art in comics I don’t like everyone has diffrent tastes, at least for the first arc, and something VITALLY important to x-men as a whole and that’s the backbone of hickman’s current run: the first arc of new x-men, e is for extinction. And given New X-Men is one of my faviorite comics of all time I not only lept on it.. but decided fuck it I’m covering the whole thing. So every so often on here from now until I finish, i’m going to be covering Grant Morrisons ground breaking, mind shattering, status quo destroying run on the children of the atom. This.. is going to be fucking awesome. Buckle up. 

New X-Men came about in 2001. Stop me if you heard this one: The X-Men, once marvel’s best selling title and one of i’ts most beloved, had been set adrift in a seal of editorial bullshit, bad writing, bad storylines and a stale continuity where not much could change or grow and things always reset to about the same place it was last week. If this sounds familiar it’s because it somehow happened AGAIN thanks to Ike Perlmutter’s bullshit, hence the current hickman run, but we’ll get into all of tha tsome other time. Point is as it was in 2018, so it was in 2001: The x-men were in bad straits and marvel reached out to a host of various creators to swing for the fences and find a new direction, something to bring sales and life back to the book. To my shock they actually took a LOT of diffrent pitches in before Morrisons won and from huge names: Geoff Johns, who had not yet returned to DC never to leave, Alex Ross, Keith Giffen.. all huge creative types. but in the end the best man won.

For those unfamiliar with him, Grant Morrison is a gloriously batshit scotsman with a long, storied and delightfully insane history in comics, mostly at DC before and after this comic. This is for good reason: DC scouted Morrison specifically because of his early work at 2000ad. See at the time Alan Moore had hit it really big with Swamp Thing, taking a d list, so so book and making it into an utter masterpiece and giving it thoroughly interesting mythology. Given it was a blockbuster hit that’s still widely loved and discussed, as it should be today, DC decided to repeat the strategy of asking British indie comics creators to come do the same to another property. This same experiment is why Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman exists, so.. yeah it was actually a great strategy and naturally Grant had their first big hit with Animal Man, a metafictional take on a b-list hero that made him a loveable family man, while also putting him through hell and playing with the medium and dc’s vast history, the last two being Morrison’s trademark from then on out.

 They’d next go on to reinvent one of my other faviorite teams: THE DOOM PATROL!  The patrol are a bunch of victims of strange accidents who got powers out of them that are basically curses... and Morrison solidified that concept, taking over after a weak run that ironically enough was trying to imitate the x-men’s success at the time. Instead Morrison just went all out with his weird shit for the first time and made them a team of broken but likeable people with weird powers fighting just the weirdest most incomprehensible shit, a run i’ll likely be digging into eventually along with the team as a whole. It’s also, along with Gerard Way’s recent run, the bedroock for the current and utterly masterful doom patrol series I need to catch up on. They also apparently once wrote a satrical comic starring and lik mocking hitler... a fact I somehow JUST learned but naturally doesn’t surprise me at all. 

Morrison’s career at dc, after doing some creator owned stuff there when Vertigo opened up, hit it’s peak in the late 90′s as they were given the go ahead to reinvent the Justice League, with the wildly successful and awesome JLA, another book I probably need to take a look at that put the big 7 back into the team.  And by now your probably getting the point of me covering his career pattern.. besides giving morrison the praise they deserve, and they’d have some really great runs after this.. and some terrible ones but no one’s perfect. My point is that at this point in their career Morrison’s greatest skill was taking something that had grown stagnant or been forgotten, blowing it up and reworking it into something glorious and new. Taking what worked, scraping away what didn’t and on the whole making something fucking glorious out of it. So here we are. The X-Men needed a new coat of paint and uncle grant had their lcd laced psycadelic paint bucket and brush shaped like a pidgeon at the ready. And for better, way better and admitely sometimes here and there worse,they changed the x-men for good. Some changes were rolled back out of spite, others finally got their chance after said rollback recently, and some were just outright thrown on the grown and smashed with a hammer. But for the most part Grant left a huge impact on the x-men and i’m here to show you why, warts and all. To me my x-men, this is new x-men.  Now naturally there’s even more exposition but i’ts more in what COULD’VE been. Originally while Wolverine, Cyclops, Jean Grey and Professor X were all part of the team the other two members of the slim roster for this run, Beast and Emma Frost.. weren’t. Originally Morrison was going to have Colossus and Moira Mactaggert, long time team ally, token human until very recently, and now thanks to hickman one of the most important x characters peirod and long before that a fan favorite of mine, on the team, with Moira taking over for beast. 

This.. didn’t pan out since Marvel apparently either didn’t give a shit about their plans or already had things in motion as the climax of the longtime legacy virus storyline killed both off. Colossus until Joss Whedon, bastard he may be, brought him back for his terrific Astonishing X-Men, and Moira SOMEHOW stayed dead until House/Powers of X. See this speaks to one of the big roadblocks morrison faced: Jonathan HIckman currently has absolute power and all his writers working in concert, a new way of doing things comic companies shold honestly copy en masse as it’s really working wonders. Grant.. was just one of many writers and one of three main x books the others being Chris Claremont’s XTREME X-MEN, basically “let the legend do what he wants since he can’t get freedom on the main book” and another writer on uncanny... before eventually chuck austen took over and I will tackle that horrible mess some other time. Point is while Morrison was setting the tone, costume style and making the big waves, they still didn’t have full power and thus had to play nice with eveyrone else.  So their next idea was Rogue, making mer more like her x-men evolution version.. except Chris wanted her, so that was out, though being a decent enough guy he willingly gave up Beast since the moira thing meant Morrison needed a science person. As for Colossus replacement, as it turned out a fan had suggested Grant do something with Emma Frost since Gen X was canceled and while Morrison had zero intention for it clearly Emma clicked with hthem and she was soon both a main part of the cast and one of their biggest contributions to X-Men as a whole.

As for what I think of the needed changes.. they ended up being for the best. I do like Moira... but Hank ended up being a much better fit for the team dynamic wise and power set wise, while Emma was the same. While Colossus, Rogue and Moira are all fantastic characters, I think what we ended up with was just a better mix overall. I DO think the team is incredibly white, but that’s a general x-men problem, even with having an assload of diverse and intresting characters, so it’s not entirely his fault. All in all it’s a fantastic roster: four of the x-men’s best, their leader in the field for the first time in forever, and a new and intresting wild card. IT’s a nice ballance of characters and we’ll get more into it as we go. Now all the expositions done, we can finally dive head first into new x-men. I hope you survivie the experince under the cut. 

After an utterly gorgeous and striking cover, the one used up top, we get one solid page to introduce us to Morrison’s mission statment, how  they feel and how good Frank Quitely’s art looks

I cropped it best i could for tumblr but this one image immidetly says a lot. Our heroes are just.. easily taking down this sentinel, an old model... the same one we’ve seen a dozen times. What were once the grim, possible destroyers of an entire race of beings in days of future past and devistating killing machines in the present.. had become stale easily defeated murder bots There had been noble attempts to really make the sentiinels work again like the horrifying omega sentinels, humans forcibly converted into sleeper agent killing machines, during operation: zero tolerance, but otherwise they were mostly just a prop for the x-men to knock down. And that.. really is morrison’s whole point. Lampshading and mocking the fact the x-men had grown stale, things hadn’t really progressed.. and that it was time to move on. But to Uncle Grant’s credit, they not only uses this as a mission statment but it’s plot relevant: this mission will both be explained soon and explains why Logan and Scott are out and about enough to end up where the plot will soon need them. It also helps, via the sight of the syndey opera house establish something Morrison made a staple of their run: the X-Men going global. While the x-men were never really NOT global post claremont, Morrisons run has them handling rescue missions and what not worldwide far more often than most runs before it sans Claremont, and really made it feel like they weren’t just another super team but a global force of good with a specific goal and mission. More on the global aspect next time, as that’s where it really comes in but I felt it was important to show it was there for minute one. 

So yeah before we move onto the first full scene of the run, let’s talk about the costumes. 

We’ll talk about Emma’s later since she’s not introduced to the story for a while but yeah. There’s a sharp, obvious and immediate change just in the outfits, which take after the movie’s more military look, having the x-men not only look more like a unit but more like a professional orginization. Someone to come and help when needed. While this would take on more siginifigance in a bit, we’ll get to it, it also fits Morrisions own views that the x-men were less of a traditional superhero team and more something different on the edges that fought things out there, sorta what like he did with doom patrol. And it’s honestly a valid interpretation as the x-men are often seen as outlaws and misfits by society for beingn well.. mutants. Not as trusted as the avengers. So having them adopt this look played into that: Having them look more professional and focused as The X-Men have a less blanket mission statement than the avenger.. but also mildly threatning. Something to alarm the humans. It’s an utterly brilliant look thrown best together by the big yellow x’s, still giving it a nice flash of color to show off and show this is still a comic and this is still damn colorful.. this just isn’t your AVERAGE supherhero comic or the x-men your used to. IT’s a real shame the only fox x-men movie to use it was fucking dark phoenix.. a film where it didn’t even fit as xavier was getting flashier and more reckless so why wouldn’t he have more garish and colorful and more traditional superhero outfits. They did look good in their variants in first class though. Props there. Point is this is a classic, utterly stunning look, and tha’ts coming from someone whose fine with goofy superhero outfits and perpetually bitter hawkeye is almost never allowed to wear his actual comic outift and is instead stuck with shades instead of you know.. a mask. Or anything resembling an actual good looking costume. This though this is how you do a less superheroy costume: practical and realistic, but still cool looking and comic book friendly. 

We cut to a mysterious lady, we’ll come to know her as Cassandra Nova and while I know her origin... i’m saving it for later as the comics themselves explain it eventually, and a simpering dolt she brought with her, Donald Trask, a distant relative of the creators of the sentinels who, via holograms she’s showing cro magnons slaughtring the neanderthal. Her point is that Mutants are going to do this and she’s clearly fearmongering him and trying to talk him into genocide: to wipe them out before they wipe out humanity. And it’s here we get one of hte most important plot points of Morrisons run and one of the most intresting: according to cassandra’s research Humanity will be no more in 4 generations. Mutankind is on it’s way to overtaking them at last.. i’ts still a few decades off.. but it’s coming. It’s sometihing that the whole decimation nonsense sadly snuffed.. and John Hickman has thankfully brought back. I’ll get to his run once i’ts complete in a few years, but point is it’s an utterly marvelous plot hook: Humanity, whose already attempted genocide a few times, is now in real danger of what their petty, racist, fearful attacks have been about: being replaced. It’s one of the central themes of the work the other two being “Just what IS mutantkind and what will it be”. WHat are they as a people? We’ll dig into these as we go but the threat of exctincion is the backbone of this arc... and will lead to something truly ghastly. 

It’s then we get our title page.. which nothing really to add it just looks really good and helps show off who are cast is and what they can do with striking simple art. 

And since we’re already talking the art of the book, let’s take a moment to discuss an intresting detail of this run: despite it’s short length there’s quite a few diffrent artist, who we’ll talk about of course as we get to each one. The most common and notable though is Frank Quitely. Frank Quitely is one of Morrison’s closest and best creative partners, having a unique, squishy art style.. i.e. the one my friend didn’t like which is why i’m covering this. And while I like the art style quite a bit, I do get why it’s not everyone’s cup of tea: His art is squashed, weird, and admitely some faces can be good god no incaranate. But it’s also why I like it: his characters feel unique, each body and figure feels like it was custom made and thus feels.. real. Like this is a person before you. And given comics can often surrender to having everybody look the damn same, this is nice. His faces may sometimes look similar but his bodies are where the action is. But while having a realistic feel his work also has a weird alien quality that perfectly fits Morrison, and thus his run on x-men. I will say while I love All-Star Superman, his art fits less there in the more hopeful silver agey story, so he’s not an artist for EVERY STORY OF EVERY TYPE.. but when it comes to sci fi weridness, he fits it like a glove so i’ts unsuprising he and morrison are practicaley soul mates, nor that his art sets the tone perfectly for the run: this is something new, diffrent and strange.. and what says x-men at it’s best more than that?

So after our opening titles we cut to the mansion where Hank is showing off his latest and greatest invention: Cerebra. Cerbebra is a massively upgraded version of Cerebro, aka Professor Xavier’s iconic helmet that allows him to track mutants to help them out.. and covertly backup their conconousness for his long game plan, but shhhh, don’t tell anyone yet that’s not going to be retconned in for a few decades. Though i’m damn certain if Morrison has heard about the current era of x-men and how it both builds on what he built, shatters the status quo and is incredibly weird, he’d be damn proud. As for how it’s diffrent Cerebra not only has a large dome around it but said dome allows the machine to amply Charles powers to a global reach. He can now see mutants all over the world anywhere in the world, something I didn’t realize wasn’t ALWAYS a thing because it seems so simple. It’s also likely to bring it more in line with the movies. And while marvel has done TERRIBLE with bringing things in from the movies or in line with them in recent years, i.e. making star lord more like his movie self while forgetting that’s how he already used to be in canon before later writers thankfully did hte better step of merging the two, Hawkeye’s outfit, Cap’s outfit or Nick Fury Jr.  But for every mistep there’s also been tons of times it’s worked out really well such as here, as well as bringing hulk into the avengers for the first time since the founding, making tony stark more like the mcu version and less like a nightmarish self righetous dicktator who rightfully gets beat up and called out a lot, making Scott Lang prominent since he became prominent in the MCU, Wakanda being a major force in the marvel universe as it always should have been and various titles that have popped up to tie into movies, often bringing back a team or property that hadn’t had a book in some time like Ant-Man, Black Panther, and Shang Chi just to name a few. It’s not always hawkeye looking all jeremy renner is what i’m saying.. though thankfully comics clint isn’t that uninteresting. Hopefully the series will change that. 

So yeah along with a bigger shinier cerebro we’re also introduced to a big change in Hank whose taken on his lion form rather than his classic gorilla with a weird haircut or his return to that except bald. Here he’s more like aslan in a human body and I.. love it. It looks great, helps sell hanks delima of being brilliant while looking like a beast and makes sense: he kickstarted what was likely his own secondary evolution by drinking the potion that made him bestial, so it only makes sense his body wouldn’t be all that stable even if it took years to change again. And even that makes sense as hank was breifly turned back to his original hairless ape mutation during x-factor, easily one of the books.. worse decisions honestly and one that louise simonson thankfully later undid. That probably bought him some time hence why it’s only mutating further now.  It also adds an intresting wrinkle which the run will explore further: how far does this go? Will he regress? and how much hank will be left? And how will society treat his new form? 

For now he’s actually extatic. While he’s going through hormonal changes, and giving out some excellent banter with Jean

Which also includes one of the greatest lines in comic book history, one that’s been in my head for decades and made me absolutely love henry mccoy. 

He’s just great is what i’m saying. As you can tell it’s stuff like this why i’m glad Moira fell through. While I love her.. Morrison’s hank is just a delight and one really questionable subplot aside, we’ll get to that, he’s one of the highlights of this run with an intresting internal struggle, and great chemistry with EVERYONE. And that is the main reason i’m glad Moira fell through as his history with everyone but Emma, who he still has a great raport with, means each interaction has weight. He’s close friends with both scott and jean and thus serves as their needed confidant, while still being able to buddy and banter iwth good old weapon x, and speak with his mentor charles as an equal. While I love moira... Beast just fits into the cast too perfectly and I 100% suspect Morrison was only using her because, while she’s awesome, Claremont wanted her and thus gladly snapped her up when he no longer had a science person. I’ll get into his Jean soon enough but she’s likewise fantastic and easily my faviorite version of the character.. not that until very recently there was much honest competition. 

So Cerebra fires up showing a massive cloud of mutants, showing just how much of a huge spike theirs been with Xavier wondering what it all means.. and Hank seeing a weird flare on the mointor for just a second with his special eyes. But since Xavier isn’t stupid and isn’t the kind of idiot who just dismisses it as a fulke, and since Scott and Logan are in the field, he decides to confrence call them in to see if they can go take a look. 

And naturally we get to see what their up to and get context for what the hell happened in the first page. Our heroes were on a rescue mission to save Ugly John, tha’ts what people called him, a three faced mutant who ends up passing out as they head out of the atmosphere for a second. Wolverine is regenerating and smoking out of his neck becaue he could still smoke back then before marvel decided “he’s setting a bad example”.. in a comic meant for teens and adults. 

I mean I get it on some level as the x-men cartoon was a huge thing in the 90′s and Ben Grimm is basically a giant children’s toy with the mind of a surly 40 year old jewish man from yancy street, but stilll it’s just.. why. I may not like smoking but it’s not like it was SPIDER-MAN saying

It’s a grown man.. whose not a sterling roll model and who Claremont went out of his way to have Logan point out his healing factor means it really dosen’t hurt him in the long run and when Kitty, an actual teenager, tried one of his cigars she choked. I know it’s a weird thing to get hung up on but while i’m all for keeping kids from smoking, this was a really clumsy way to try and hehlp that that made no sense and will never make any sense. 

One tangent later we find out that Cassandra was showing Trask a simulation on a flight to, unsuprisingly, south america, to a sentinel blacksite. Between covertly funding civil wars as they do, the US Goverment naturally founded an experimental sentinal project, and a second master mold during the production of the first line... when larry trask asks where it could possibly be well...

Subtly was not the trasks strong point.. or common sense... or.. not realizing their creations would dominate humanity too or not dying. 

Anyways we then cut back to the x-men, as their having a psychic zoom meeting with Charlie giving one of his patnted big speeches.. and like a lot of this comic it’s too damn good not to use 

The reason I couldn’t should be obvious: This one speech sums up the x-men, why their great and why their necessary in a nutshell: in a world full of prejucided morons.. there’s plenty of scared kids who NEED the x-men to protect and guide them, and with a surge in the mutant population, their needed now more than ever. We also get a good explanation in universe for the uniform change: Charles had them in the superhero outfits hoping humanity would accept them if they were packaged as something they know. Since that clearly hasn’t worked he’s trying new ways to reach out and thus going with a diffrent more rescue team approach to the uniforms. He assigns Wolvie and Cyke to go check out the flair as you’d expect and the meetings over. On the blackbird we get our first hint at a subplot as Logan noticed Cyclops couldn’t wait to get out of there, and is being a tad distant to his wife. He actually has reasons for being kind of cold for once instead of just bad writing as he just came back from being possed by apocalypse. Yeah that happened. So the experience has rattled our boy some what. More on that as we go. But Jean ducks the subject with hank but does breach the fact that Charles has been going kind of crazy with the spending, new uniforms and ambition lately. Hank explains it perfectly: After all the death, suffering and misery the x-men have endured lately, the aforementioned deaths I talked about that took Colossus and Moira off the roster, have lionzed Charles to make sure it was all worth something and look towards the future. 

But enough hope time for horror as Cassandra makes her first direct move, trying to take over Charles brain , make his body her own and use cerebra to kill lots and lots of mutants. We then get one of the best moments of Morrisons run with Charles response to a horrifying monster trying to take his brain

While it is shocking to find out Charles has a gun..it’s a grim but kind of understandable precaution. The guy once got fully taken over by a brood, assembling the New Mutants in part because the brood wanted to create more of i’ts kind with more super powers. You’d be paranoid too if some of your beloved students were brought together partly due to your good intentions and partly because a space monster wanted to make more space montsters out of helpless teens, and even horribly gaslighted one of them. We’ll get to that some day. Point is Charles brain is one of the greatest weapons on earth and if the wrong person got a hold of it, it’d be the end of said earth. Thankfully Charles does not need plan gun, as Jean yanks Cerebra off him but the sheer HATE Charles felt from Cassandra, the sheer power has rattled him.. and also told him she’s in Ecuador and his X-Men need to be warned NOW. It’s a great way to set up just HOW powerful Cassandra is.  Speaking of which as our first issue of the arc ends, we find out two things: Cass faked being int he government but really just used dead soldiers as prop.. and just what kind of sentinels are out there.. wild sentinels. Easily my faviorite variant of the old killing machines and one that’s barely used despite being really damn awesome. Their adaptive killing machines, designed to mutated just like their pray and take tech from around them, as a result they look like a jumble of guns and parts.. but not only does it give them a unique, cool look.. but it makes them ten times deadlier as instead of being big bricks of robots that while intimidating, the x-men know how to kill... their unpredictable variable killing machines. You can figure out how to kill one sure.. btu the next might be entirely diffrent. They are one of morrisons best creations and I hope someone uses the idea again.. aka hickman. Please use it jonathan I know your focused on nimrod but come on. 

And we end on one of the best lines of the entiire run as we close out the issue

Yeah it goes without saying but i’ll say it anyway; Morrison is really damn good with dialouge and being damn quotable. 

So we open with another great quote “When I got up today I didn’t expect to kill 20 million people”... and Cassandra being aware Wolverine and Cyclops are on their way and sending the Wild Sentinels to dispatch them. Also our heroes brought Ugly John along while while a dumb move, Wolvie does point out how dumb it was to divert to Ecuador with a civlian in tow.. after the plane crash of course. As for “wait what plane crash’, the sentinels attack and start picking it apart... and since letting them have such good tech is a terrible idea, Scotty blows up the damn plane. So to recap our heroes are stuck in ecuador, surrounded by murder machines, and oh look their there and knock off cyclops viser. Fantastic. So yeah our heroes are fucked. And naturally captured by the enemy.

The rest of the x-men are doing SLIGHTLY better. While beast makes a note for his girlfriend, more on that later on, Charles is in bed, half alive, explaning the rationale I gave for why he has the gun with Jean refusing to let him get back out of bed and you know.. put on the device that just nearly killed him. But when beast announces they lost contact with our boys.. yeah that ceased being an option. 

Back in the Ecuadorian Genocide Factory, Cassandra does the obvious and kills donald trask as his real purpose..was to stick around and be stupid for a bit while she copied his dna so she could have full control of her new murder toys.She soon uses them, having a horrifying death chamber slaughter john.. or at least flash fry him. Wolverine takes it how you’d expect and since the sentinels need to “perserve trask dna”.. they can’t fire on him without killing her. Scott escapes.. and in a heart wrenching scene mercy kills john.. before getting badass. 

To anyone who says Scott Summers is boring, unintersting, or a stupid asshole idiot head I present exhbit shut the fuck up. Morrison gets scott just right, deconstructing his emotional suppression, while showing him off as a dedicated, companionate man who gets the job done and who seconds after tearfully having to mercy kill an innocent mutant whose death was partially his fault, wastes no time making it painfully clear to the person responsible she WILL die if she tries that again. Logan however realizes she’s already won in some fashion as she’s grinning.. and yeah never a good sign when a genocidal madwoman is grinning like a loon.. and when we find out why.. it’s even less good>  We cut to Genosha. A lot of you probably know what happned to Genosha but in case you don’t know what it is it was once a horribly racist country that genetically enslaved mutants and used them for slave labor. It was freed, but still struggled to truly move on.. till Magneto showed up, took the country for himself and made it a home for all mutants. When we last saw him he once again tried to take over the world leading to Logan seemingly killing him. Right now though Emma Frost finally enters the scene teaching some mutants.. when a young one named Negasonic Teenage Warhead.. yes that one and yes she was entirely chosen for deadpool for her name, reveals, via precognition, that their all going to die.. right as the sentinels attack. 

Genosha.. is gone. In an eyeblink 16 million mutants are dead, a possible future gone, and one of their greatest leaders is no more. Yeah Magneto WAS alive.. but paralyzed so he could do nothing when his island was utterly slaughtered. Only a handful of mutants will be revealed to survive. Humanity had done a lot to mutants before .. but for once.. they’d succeeded in wiping a massive chunk out. What was an x-men location for DECADES at this point.. was now a smoldering crater. A what could of been that would hant the x-men ever after, even now into utopia it remains the darkest day in mutant history outside of hte decimation. It is a truly horrific moment.. and if the changes already hadn’t made it clear this is morrison saying “NO character is safe, nothing is safe, and nothing will be the same and I damn well mean that”. In one act of hate the world has changed. And it hasn’t finished changing yet. 

Issue Three opens hammering in things, as Jean and Beast are in the ruins of genosha, with Xavier having found ONE surivor among the rubble, and our heroes sturggling to find even them, though Jean eventually picks them up and uses her TK to sift through the rubble. 

They find Emma who emerges from a bunker in shock, clutching NTW... and not realizing she’s dead until later and revealing she now has diamond skin, her own secondary mutation. Secondary Mutation was a birlliant idea, new powers sprouting up within established mutants.. it’s just morrison barely used this great idea as did hardly anyone else. Only X-Men Blue ever really dug into it and those were artifical at that. IT’s a great idea..it’s just barely used and at most heavily implied to explain changes in powers like Jamie Madrox Multiple Personalities later on or Doug Ramsey’s vast increase in power. Disapointing. 

While Charles takes in the tragedy and the fact his old frienmie is dead, the x-men wonder what the fuck Cassandra is and what to do with her.. why did she kill 16 million people, and what the fuck is she. I mean I know, but as I said i’ll explain that when the story does.  IN the other room Beast tends to Emma who wants none of not fucking killing Cassandra.. and is utterly right. Bitchy, because i’ts Emma, but right: she killed 16 million people. Say what you want but while it may not be up to the x-men to kill her.. she shoudln’t be living much longer. She commited genocide. Emma decides fuck that and prepares to leave summoning a cab and making peace with being a glorious living fabrige egg. Emma did apparelty change in generation x.. but Morrison is responsible for returning her not only to being a bitch, but a gloriously delightful one And really I don’t think they reset her character entirely: she’s not the heartless monster she started out as: she has empathy, grace, and caring.. she just buries it under a lair of absolute bitch and after you know, surviving a fucking genocide who can blame her? And honestly.. I love their verison of her. She provides a nice contrast to the more idealistic, even logan, x-men and a nice contrarian voice in the room without being obnoxious and her style and sacrastic swagger makes her endlessly entertaning. Thanks to morrison she’s stuck around to this day and went from a pretty good character.. to a great one. And what makes her this way, or as jean puts it “such a bitch?”

With that settled, Hank explains what Cassandra is: a competing species. As he puts it sometimes evolution takes a quantum leap forward.. and Cassandra is the result. Thus she wants to wipe out the compettition and is so far above humanity, she dosen’t need them... especially since she knows what Hank now knows: humanity is at an end. As hank puts it we have an E Gene, one that basically shuts off a race.. and thus the x-men now know what we learned earlier and that cassandra wasn’t lying: in 4 generations there are no more humans and something has to repalce htem. And Cassandra wants it to be her. 

Before Logan can do what he does best, and asks why she looks like charles, Cassandra escapes, and Scott briliantly urges them to fight only on instict as she’s a telepath. A damn awesome fight insues including Cassandra donning Charles Psoonic battle armor, Scott being put in his black bug room and the general good looking chaos you’d expect from a superhero fight. While this goes on Emma has an ephinany and realizes she likes to teach, the x-men have a school.. and she shoudln’t give up on helping kids just because of what happened and turns around. 

Cassandra is near victory, slipping her way to Cerebra.. and planning to kill only one mind before getting to the millions she wnats, a horrifying slug manifesting around her.. only...

So the x-men accept this and cassandra rises.. seemingly saying “I am charles” Huh... and then charles uncaracteristiacally shoots her saying things must change

We’ll get to what all of that means next time as we close on Jean and Scott in bed. Scott explains why he’s been so distant as what I said earlier: fighting off apocalypse stripped away a lot of illusions about himself and he’s having a hard time walking back from that but Jean is willing to help.. but before they can resolve their  issues.. charles has an annoucnment to make and grant has one last whopper of a suprise to end his opening arc on, and just like genosha...it’s a game changer of titanic proportions

No longer is Xavier’s School hidden. Their walking into the light now and so is charles. Hope they surivive the experince. Obviously this move is brilliant: while it removes the veil of saftey the x-men had it also brings on tons of new possiblities and unlike secondary mutation, this one not only stuck but would impact the x-men for good: no longer would they hide and cower.. their mutant and proud.. and their here to stay.  E For Extinction is one of the best x-men stories period. Blisteringly paced, full of great character, great concepts and utterly terrifying and terrific moments that would impact the x-men all the way to present day. It’s beautifully drawn, well paced, and a masterwork. I highly recommend it and it’s a great kickoff to a great run. Shame the run couldn’t of ended on this kind of high but.. we’ll get to that. For now this is a masterclass in how to start a run and if you haven’t read it do so NEXT TIME ON NEW X-MEN: A bunch of weirdos try to harvest mutant organs, the x-men get a brain in a jar and a new teamate, and Scott maybe cheats on his wife. Until then, goodbye goodbye goodbye. 

[astro-break]

Quick first thoughts on the first ep of the Hypmic Anime. Spoilers beware (and im writing this as I watch so :p)

Otome’s speech is.... questionable from a persuasive point of view. Manga did a great job of introducing her (which you can read here) but they really cut out the more terrifying parts of her speech and how she uses force to show people that she's not to be messed with

Its cool seeing everyone in their respective environments though. thats cool. Though they could have added Sasara and Kuuko (shhh i know why they didn’t let me dream)

I love how poppy the typography is. Its amazing how the visuals just leap out at you. The OP does a great job of this. The first few seconds before the title really gives me Persona 4 OG OP vibes with the influx of information given. The rest is a clear concise and streamlined way that still gives character. Animation is sparse but still carries across a general idea of each character and shows off each character object. Rendering is really nice and pays a bit of homage to the posing artwork thats done for the MVs. They also do their division hand signals and thats cute

Love how the OP has blatant HifuDoppo and DRB matchup foreshadowing

so far I really like what theyre going for. BB is about brotherly familial bonds and they show the goods and the bads. Jiro and Saburo bickering right out the gate really cements the fact that they get along like cats and dogs but you can still see that they love each other, working together when the situation calls for it

Now the 3d models. Theyre... not great but usable if you don’t look too hard. They serve their purpose and don’t actively detract from the viewing experience.

Visual typography in the rap itself are fun and poppy but they dont.... speak to me? like theyre there yes and I appreciate them but the only ones that got me excited were from Ichiro’s rap

I take my words back the group portion was kickass and I apologize

I love how they interpret the Hypnosis Speakers though. Esp. Saburo’s organs. That was super creative and I love it! If there was one thing that I felt was missing from the franchise was a deeper exploration of the speakers but the anime puts a new and fresh spin on it! Love it, especially with their attack patterns!

If the production team ever feels inclined to, Id love to see those info sheets on Otome’s desk released. There seems to be very interesting info and stats written out about each member (like capabilities, personal status etc.) They all seem unique too so I really really really hope they release images of those sheets

OOOOOOOOKAY MTC. I have such a big biased for them so Im very torn to see what unfolds

Rio striking out on his own is interesting. Out of everyone in MTC hes the biggest team player yet here he trusts his teammates to go ahead. This either displays Rio’s willingness to trust his teammates or it becomes very OOC if the anime wants to set him up as a lone wolf like character

I love how they specify its a drug deal. It means that Jyuto surely will show up and it also shows that Samatoki knows Jyuto’s motives and willingly gives black market info that he knows aligns with Jyuto’s goal. Thats A+ detail writing there and a great establishing characteristic for both of them

OOohhhhhhhhhhhhh man Asunama-san’s voice acting is god tier his work as Samatoki is phenomenal. He pulls of Samatoki’s threatening voice so well with those almost calm words before his voice becomes loud and confrontational. Those rolling syllables in contrast to Komada-san’s almost lyrical and airy speech and Kamio-san’s strict and enunciated words is such a delight to hear. It just speaks to how amazing and great these Seiyuu’s are in order to pull of such amazing work

Im so biased but MTC has such a better rap than BB im so sorry. Just by watching Samatoki’s part, the imagery is amazing. Even the arrival of his Hypnosis Speaker was awesome and sent a shiver down my spine. using the lyrics to form blades and blood was such a great thing to do. Theres so much more variety that just him standing there and shots of his hypnosis speaker. The old fashioned vignette shots, the four panel spread, the nods to old Kurosawa era films are great and I love these small details. Even the typography looks better.

Again, the interpretations with the speakers is fresh and new. Its great and I love the different imagery and attack patterns. Each one is so unique but carries across each different style of rap.

The 3d modles aren’t any better tho lol

(Hi this is Astro who is reading over their assessment again and making a note. Yeah I’m a bit harsh on BB’s rap. I’m not going to change it since I still stand by it and this post is supposed to be a documentation of my first impressions. I think one of the reasons why I’m so harsh on BB is because of their dynamic as a trio of brothers. They Have to have a more uniform approach than the other divisions. Which in of itself isn’t a terrible thing, it just doesn’t catch my eye as much as MTC did. Thats all! I definitely don’t hate BB, they’re maybe my 3rd favorite division out of the current lineup [not including TDD era teams like Kujaku Posse, MCD, and Naughty Busters] its just that their rap was pretty meh)

Samatoki crouching like a real gangstar and the cigarette kiss killed me

sadjkhfjkasdghsadjkcsdjhsdfsjhf im dying i love these trio of dumbasses so uch oh y fod someone save me aaaaaaaa (Astro note here! yeah i died when the jyuto and samatoki’s stomach growled im weak please. Samatoki’s face is just so precious and funny I might set it as a profile pic somewhere)

But also my initial assessment of Rio possibly being characterized as a lone wolf is very much jossed and im very thankful for that. It seems that Rio was simply trusting his teammates to carry out their part of the plan while he carried out his own. I like that, it really shows how much of a team these three are and that they genuinely trust each other. He’s also comfortable enough around them to invite them to dinners after work casually and not just for special occasions.

I really love MTC guys

Oooh! we get Ramuda on his design process which is really cute. the inside of his studio is super cute and retro and i love it. the poppy old music you would hear in a cafe or 90′s resturaunt is also really cute (astro note: yeah i know that in ARB you see the interior of Ramuda’s office but its kinda different seeing it animated)

the translation i have has gentaro speaking in early modern english (Shakespearian english for those who aren’t english nerds like me) but from what I can hear, he doesn’t speak in a particularly old fashioned way? Its more formal than old? and hes speaking without any of his character persona lying thing that he likes to do (as he refers to himself as “Shousei” throughout the segment where hes in Ramuda’s office which is kind of his default pronoun of choice). so its kinda odd for the translation to go in that direction but im not complaining

Gendice banter is gold but it feels... flat? a little? it doesn’t have the same impact as in the drama cds or in the manga? i feel? Also Ramuda using gratuitous english is??? idk how to feel about that

kjshf thats against the rules Ramuda omgggg,,,,,,,, (astro note again: while watching i was under the assumption that using your hypmic for monetary gain such a as buskering [which is what FP is doing] is against the rules. May not be the case but whatever)

FP’s rap might be my favorite in terms of tune and lyrics though. It’s a nice laid back bop and really gives of chill vibes. the integration of 3d and 2d is really nice and i love how they play off each other in the rap. The wordplay is so fun with little nods here and there and the beat is poppy too so it really energizes me.

Ramuda’s rap concerns me slightly since he makes very subtle and small nods towards his past (being created in a laboratory, warfare, and his overall very unpleasant life experiences) but spins it into something cutesy. It could be a coping mechanism, it could be me overthinking it. But it does make me worry a bit. Gentaro and Dice’s rap really play off each other with Gentaro sticking to stories and Dice taking up the baton by carrying on that same imagery but putting his own spin on it.

the self awareness of how scattered they are as a team is interesting though. It doesn’t seem like something you’d speak about in a rap? but i guess since its not really a do or die situation they can afford to be looser on things like this.

Right off the bat, i don’t like how they handled Hifumi and Doppo in relation to Hifumi’s fear of women. Slug made a post once talking about this and I echo many of his sentiments. Hypmic has never been very tactful about tackling this particular issue and while I didn’t have high hopes that the anime would be any better it hurts to see Doppo take away the one thing that allows Hifumi to function within society.

Doppo’s breakdown mirrors a lot of my own mental state when I spiral though its shown a lot quicker than what happens to me oof. that hits close to home. though Jakurai’s advice is. Questionable. Its not the best advice to give to someone but we have no idea what kind of doctor Jakurai is so ill let it slide

Jakurai’s pose looks like hes going to do a mahou shoujou transformation lmao

I don’t have many thoughts about the rap though again. How they visualize the rap is interesting. the different imagery is quite interesting for each of them and the typography is nice a distinct but im still on the fence about the visuals here

The sound is in the same boat. The sound effects either drown out the rap or are too quet but some parts are nice at least. When they talk about Tokyo’s beating heart, the heartbeat sound is a but distracting especially since its only played once. But the imagery is at least nice

I wonder if for the eds they’re going to take a similar approach to what Enstars did and have a four different endings, one for each division. I love the blend of styles here and it really accentuates that although they’re different they mesh well together.

Ramuda’s silhouette though is hilarious. Love it.

:p and thats it. Uh not bad for a first episode. Established all 12 characters really nicely and their dynamics. I had some problems with it but then again nothing is perfect. I look forward to what they show us next week

[greekletters]

who likes elevators?

hey everyone! back again today with a new one shot. 

Prompt: We are trapped 

-------------------

That meeting couldn’t have gone any worse than it had. Your presentation was flawless. It was more of an issue with the audience. Just a bunch of old men sitting at a boardroom table, listening to you drone on about technology and how introducing more of it will advance the business they’ve been keeping in the dark ages for years. 

Instead of being praised for the innovative thoughts you had, your boss had spent the last half hour shaming you for progressive thought. 

Honestly, you don’t know why you keep this job. You absolutely hate it. It makes you feel creatively stunted. Sure, the pay was decent. It allowed you to live comfortably. But you had watched too many of your male coworkers ascend the corporate ladders of this company and many others for accomplishments far less than your own. 

So when you step your first solemn footstep into the elevator, you release a heavy sigh of defeat. As the elevator begins to hum and pass from the nearly highest floor down towards the lobby, you start to replay the meeting over in your mind. 

What was keeping you here at this trash job? Was the money really enough to compensate for your ambitions? Hardly. 

The elevator begins to slow about midway through the journey. When the doors slowly pull apart at the eleventh floor, there it is. The one thing that you want to stick around for. The one thing that made it worth coming to this building for all week. Something that made the menial work you do worth tolerating. 

Weiss Schnee. 

The Schnee Company took up floors five through eleven of the building. And every now and again, you got a glimpse of the most beautiful person you’ve ever seen in your entire life. In this elevator. And you just weren’t ready to give up this elevator yet. So when Weiss Schnee steps into the elevator with you, you politely nod and step to the side. 

“Good afternoon.” She greets you, her voice slightly nasally. 

The doors slide shut once again, and the humming of the elevator resumes. Tenth floor, then the ninth. Then you hear something that resembles the sound of the air brake on a bus and a loud grinding sound. And the elevator comes to a slow stop. 

“What is going on?” She leans forward and repeatedly presses the button for the lobby. 

“I think the motor in the elevator blew. Or at least that’s kind of what it sounded like.”

“Are you some undercover elevator technician,” she looks at the ID badge clipped to your jacket pocket “Blake Belladonna?”

“Um no, definitely not.” You reach across her and hit the emergency alarm button on the panel. 

“Hello?” A voice echoes through the intercom. “What is your emergency?”

“Other than being trapped in this damn elevator?” Weiss answers back, annoyance ringing clear as crystal in the metal box. 

“We are aware that the elevator has ceased to function as expected. Please don’t be alarmed. We are currently looking into it, Miss Schnee.”

“How do you even know who is in the elevator?”

“You have to scan your ID prior to being able to summon the elevator, for security purposes. Are either you or Miss Belladonna hurt? Will you need medical attention?”

“I’m fine.” You say, leaning against the far wall. 

“I require no medical attention. Assuming you are getting us out of here sooner, rather than later.”

“We are doing our best to get the two of you out of there as soon a-“

Before he can finish, the ambient lighting in the elevator cuts out. Leaving only the emergency track lighting at the ceiling edges. 

“Great. This is just great. We are, we are-“

“Trapped.” You can’t help but notice the irony of your situation. “We are trapped.”

You are trapped in an elevator with only ambient emergency lighting, with the girl of your dreams, after the literal worst day of work you’ve probably ever had. How could this get any worse?

“Hey!” Weiss starts banging on the door of the elevator, and grasping at the crack where the doors meet trying to force them apart. Crazy. The girl of your dreams might be crazy, or at the very least, claustrophobic. “Get us out of here!”

“Would you like me to help?” You know there’s no point, but you offer anyways. 

“With?” She looks at you, questioningly. 

“The door?” You point a finger to where she’s been standing and take a few steps toward her. 

Carefully, you wedge your fingers in the doorframe and pull with all your might. But the doors don’t budge. Not really surprising. Taking a few steps back, you take your original place and slide down and sit. You have a feeling this isn’t going to be a quick rescue. 

“You’re giving up? Already?” Weiss continues trying to pull the doors apart, with no success. 

“Well, even if you got the doors open, where do you propose we go? We are in between floors.”

“Perfect.” Her shoulders slouch and she moves to sit a few feet from you. “How do you know so much about the mechanics of elevators?”

“I don’t know much about them. But I do know the motors have a safety feature that keeps the doors from flinging open or slamming shut too quickly. And if the motor is blown, we won’t have enough leverage to override that feature and get the doors to open.” 

“What exactly is it that you do here, Blake Belladonna?” She squints her eyes and it makes you a little nervous and uneasy. 

“Well um, I work for Ironwood Communications.”

“Doing?”

“Right now I assist the Chief Technology Officer and oversee about 75% of the companies technical support teams.” 

“Right now?” She quirks an eyebrow. 

“Not sure how much longer that will be the case. I had a huge presentation for technological expansion today and I’m pretty sure it totally bombed.”

“I don’t know much about you, but you seem fairly thorough at risk assessment.” Motioning up to your surroundings. 

“Well, the last thing that happened before stepping into this elevator was a reprimanding from my boss about needless changes, the exhaustion of resources and being misaligned with company goals.”

“It couldn’t have been too bad.” Waving her hand to dismiss the notion.

“They didn’t even let me finish the presentation. Told me they would ‘circle back.”

“Ah.” She nods. Knowing full well what that means. The two of you sit in silence for the next few seconds before you hear her clear her throat. “I have an idea. Pitch it to me instead.”

“What?”

“Your presentation. I assume you reviewed it enough to be able to present at least some of it from memory.”

“I suppose I can, if you’re really interested?” This honestly wasn’t the first conversation you had imagined having with your beautiful elevator dream girl. 

“Go on.”

And so you give the same presentation, in its entirety, that you gave an hour prior. It takes almost 45 minutes. But this time, Weiss engages with you, asking questions, all of which you answer. After you complete your makeshift presentation, Weiss takes a few moments to ponder something. 

“You know, the Schnee Company is currently looking for a new Chief Technology Officer, our current one is looking to retire.” She looks back up at you. 

“I heard some people talking about that in the cafeteria the other day.”

“How would you like the job?” The blood in your veins runs cold. 

“Wh, what?” You shake your head. “Forgive me, I’m so sorry. But are you offering me a job? In the elevator?”

“Now that sounds foolish, doesn’t it?” She laughs. “But yeah, I think I am.”

“You smiling is unfair.”

“Why is that?” The lights flicker and come back on. And you grab the handle lining the walls and pull yourself off the floor. 

“Makes my judgement feel a little clouded, is all.” Extending your hand to help her off the ground, she takes it and hops up, coming face to face with you in the confined space. 

The elevator begins to move slowly. 

“You want to know one of the best perks about being the Chief Technology Officer of the Schnee Company?” 

“The stock options? Or the retirement?”

“When the Chief Financial Officer asks you out, you won’t have to say no because of a conflict of interest with your current company, or due to a fraternization policy. Unless you just really want to say no, which I doubt. And I will also make sure that they compensate you properly for your work.”

The doors slide open and Weiss Schnee steps out into the lobby in front of you. 

“Two weeks.” You take a step from the elevator and follow her into the lobby. 

“Excuse me?” She tilts her head slightly to one side. 

“I would love to accept the position, but I would ask that I can provide proper notice to my current employer.” She shakes her head as though to clear her thoughts. 

“Of course. Not a problem.”

“You seem surprised.”

“I honestly didn’t think it would be that easy.”

“Oh, it is the only easy thing about me, Miss Schnee.” She quirks an eyebrow before turning and walking away. And you realize what you just said. “Wait!” You trot after her. “That came out completely wrong.”

“Oh it’s fine, I’m completely up to the challenge.”

She winks at you before walking out of the doorway and to where ever it is that Weiss Schnee goes. Hopefully, you will soon find out. 

[kevkesblog]

Full Translation: Julian Brandt media day (July 29, 2019)

Julian Brandt…  

…about Marco Reus role during his transfer to Dortmund:

 „He was one of the reasons… not THE reason [laughs]. There were other aspects as well. Yeah what did he say to me? He said why he cares about the club in a very authentic and honest way. Where he thinks I could develop further. He said the club could help me develop in that way. Of course he just said positiv things [laughs]… for sure. Yeah but we talked about it in a very relaxed way in the looker room. But whatever he said, I believed it.

 „I do not have a career plan in my life, where I thought about every step. Like ‚this is how it hast o go‘. I usually do stuff where I have a certain feeling about something. That was the case here at Borussia Dortmund. So thats how I decided in favour of Dortmund. It’s not like I compare and weigh certain options. Like „here are some advantages and here are some disadvantages“… I just go with my feeling. And that was the best.“

 …about his position on the team:

 „If the coach says „centre-back“ I would probably say „ok, maybe the team isn’t the right one for me“ [laughs]. I do know that currently there is a question whether I play center, left-wing… my honest answer is, I’m happy to play by the end of the day. That’s the most important thing for me. Sure, if the coach approaches me this afternoon and says „you have a choice. You can play wherever you want. Do you want to play left-wing or center next to Marco“. I would probably say, I feel the best playing center. Just because I played that position the last half year and I dont have to get used to the new position. But if it comes down to me playing left-wing, I would be just as happy as the center position.

 …about the differences between Leverkusen and Dortmund:

 „I have settled in very good so far. But the team made it very easy too, because the guys brought us into the team very well. I knew many of the guys already. Which made it easy for us. The ones I didn’t know before are very easy-going and cool as well. So that wasn’t really a problem.”

 “One difference I notice is, that we have great and big team here in Dortmund with alot of talent. Especially individual talent, but also as a team. There is a lot that fits together already. I we played many good games throughout our pre-season. Not everything was perfect. But you could already see alot of good quality. Which shows I think who good the new guys have settled in here - or were introduced into the team. So there aren’t many negative things here to report.”

…about the 4-1 win against Udinese:

„Sure, it’s a lot of fun. If you score four goals in the first half, you pass the ball alot, I dont think Udinese had alot of desire by the end anymore – that’s the kind of football I like. Being dominant and sure playing football, but also just to I call it „to gamble“. We just want to have fun on the pitch and to enjoy the game. I think it’s something alot of people forget sometimes. There is pressure, you are stuck in some sort of commericalization. In the end you do what you love to do since you are a kid and that’s playing football. I have some issues with parts of my adductors since the last game. So we have to see from day to day. We dont want that something more serious happens that puts you down any longer. Thats why we are careful.“

 …about season goals:

 „We want of course…. [pauses] What we want in the end is pretty clear to everyone. I dont really have to make a secret out of it. I hope and I expect of us, to continue were the team stopped last year. And yeah, that we are able to top last years result. Just to develop as a team. I’m excited. Pressure is high and I dont want to put more pressure on us. To develop further and to see whats possible with the team. Quality is there. To set exclamation marks in all three tournaments. I’m excited.“

 …about Marco Reus:

 „Marco is a player who never really plays on a fixed position. Its more like him swimming all over the pitch. Which is why he is so difficult to grab and to capture as a defender. Thats one of the reasons why he probably has the feeling of having alot of space. And everybody knows Marco. Usually not one defender tries to block him – sometimes two… so you can make additional space on the pitch. And he can create unbelievable situations, by him touching the ball with one contact; creating situations where you can get into a great shooting position afterwards. So I can just add what Paco [Alcacer] said.“

 …about Thorgan Hazard:

 „I think Thorgan showed his talent in Gladbach. I would say our transfers have been really good so far. Regardless of certain players. Everyone will help us. Bure sure especially Thorgan is still a young player – perhaps two or three years older than me – but anyway someone who still has alot of potential. And he gives us flexbility, variability. Good moments, because he is a creative player. And yeah, I hope he can get past his issues with his foot and gets back on the pitch soon. I think it will be fun to play with him.

 …about the importance of the Super Cup [against Bayern]:

 „Sure, the benchmark is pretty high already, like with every of those cups even in other countries. I dont think we will treat this as a friendly game. We want to give everything in this game and to win the Super Cup – thats for sure. Just because it’s like a „rehearsal“ for the Bundesliga season. For me personaly, I never played a Super Cup. So this makes it interesting for me too, experiencing something like this. And I dont have such a throphy in my vitrine [laughs].“

…about other Bundesliga teams fighting for the championship:

 „I think we have alot of great teams in the Bundesliga. We got Leipzig. They basically have established themselves as number three. And they… well you have many teams that are in the „shadows“ of Bayern and Dortmund – but surely Leipzig. They got a new coach. Many promising transfers. Definiately Leverkusen. Just because I have been there for 5 years and know the coach. Two teams that havent really played their best during the pre-season games, but those are always teams you have to count on. And then you got teams…. I mean Gladbach has a new coach with Rose. New transfers. There is alot that can develop and you always have one or two teams – like Frankfurt last season. They played a fantastic season. I think it’s not only Bayern and Dortmund – there will be five or six teams among the top tier of the Bundesliga.“

[justheretobreakthings]

Remember Me - Chapter 18

(First Chapter) (Previous Chapter) (Next Chapter)

Word Count: 3,386 (Total Word Count: 71,103) Read on AO3

Story Summary:

It was strange enough for the paladins of Voltron to have found another human this far from home, locked in a Galra prison. But it was stranger still when this human insisted that he knew them, and even that he was the former red paladin of Voltron.

That couldn’t possibly be true, could it? After all, if this Keith was actually a part of the Voltron team, then why does nobody remember him?

Chapter Preview:

“Something wrong, Lance?” Shiro asked.

“Nah,” Lance answered. “Red got spooked because she thought Keith was too close to her flamethrower, I think.”

“Really?” Keith said, sounding genuinely surprised. “She - was she, like, worried, or - ?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, pretty sure she just didn’t think the newbie could handle the heat.”

“Very funny. I’ve landed at least as many shots as you have in this battle, and I’ve been dodging just as well.”

“Yeah, easy to dodge when you’re that tiny a target.”

“Should be easier to hit the other ships when you’ve got that big a weapon.”

“Red says you’re a weenie, Keith.”

The first stop on their dreaded tour of new planets who seemed to be good potential sources of vehicles and transportation technology for the Coalition came around all too soon, and it wasn’t easy for any of the paladins to keep their eyes open as Coran went over the choreography for their air show. Sure, there had been a bit of a gap since their last one, but the basic structure of the show was so ingrained in all of their heads that it would probably take years for them to forget. Lance still occasionally found Coran’s charts popping up in his dreams at night.

“Coran,” Lance finally groaned, cutting Coran off mid-sentence after he’d been talking for what felt like phoebs on end. “We already know all of this. We’ve done these show-of-arms things before.”

“You don’t know all of it,” Coran said. “If you hadn’t interrupted me, you would know that this show includes almost a full twenty ticks of new choreography for you paladins to learn.” Pidge and Hunk joined him in groaning this time, and Coran harrumphed and turned back to his chart. “You know,” he said, “Back when we first did these shows you all were plenty enthusiastic about them. Especially you, Lance.”

“Yeah, but we were like little kids being excited about school on the first day of kindergarten,” Pidge said. “We didn’t know what sort of horrors were in store down the line.”

“Kindergarten?” Coran repeated, brow furrowed.

“It’s school for little kids,” Hunk said.

Lance nodded and added, “They put like thirty little six-year-olds together in a pit armed with rocks and make them fight for dominance to teach them the laws of the jungle.”

“Good gods, that’s barbaric!” Coran cried, his face instantly turning a shade paler.

“He’s joking, Coran,” Shiro said hastily. “Lance, what have we said about scaring Coran like that?”

“That it boosts creativity,” Pidge answered.

“No, Pidge.”

“Hmph,” said Coran. “Let’s get back on topic, shall we?”

“How come Allura doesn’t have to be here?” Lance asked.

“Because, Lance, she is currently piloting the castle,” Coran replied. “Besides, I already went over the new choreography with her while you were all on your sleep cycle. Honestly, the amount of sleep you humans need is utterly absurd. How you lot manage to fall asleep every single quintant is beyond me. In any case, I need you to stay awake for the time being. Thotirn will be invaluable to us as an ally - their spacecrafts and the fuel to run them are the chief intergalactic exports of their whole quadrant, and they’ve got plenty to spare. But they’ll only let us dip into their supply if we put on a good show! Now, back to where we were before I was so rudely interrupted. I want Yellow and Blue to be mirroring each other in a bell tailslide right here, so Hunk, follow closely…”

Lance sighed and slumped back into the couch cushion as Coran continued, only adjusting himself to keep from leaning against Keith’s shin. The latter had perched himself on top of the couch, feet on the cushions, in his armor, although still in the Altean armor rather than the paladin armor the rest of them wore. He wasn’t part of the air show, of course; Coran had asked if he’d be interested in taking a turn with the microphone, but Keith had declined, although he had still, after some hesitation, accepted the invitation to join them at the dinner party scheduled to take place afterward. In the meantime, he had joined them in the lounge for Coran’s choreography lecture simply for lack of anything better to do.

Lance noticed, though, that Keith’s eyes were just as glazed over as the rest of them, and didn’t seem to be following Coran’s movement, just staring off into space instead. “Bored?” Lance asked, quietly enough that hopefully Coran couldn’t hear him.

Keith nodded. “A little,” he muttered.

“You remember having to do these in your version of Voltron?”

Keith shrugged, by now long past the point of physically flinching whenever ‘his’ reality was brought up. “Some,” he answered. “A lot of the shows were probably after I had left, though. And before that, I kind of, um, missed some due to - I was busy.”

“You got to skip them?” Lance huffed. “Lucky.” Keith didn’t reply, so Lance continued, “So was it for Blade stuff or other missions or, like, ‘personal’ issues or - ?”

Keith shushed him and nudged him with his foot. “I can’t hear Coran,” he whispered.

Lance raised a brow. It wasn’t as if Keith needed to know any of this stuff. Still, assuming that it was just Keith’s socially incompetent way of ending the conversation, Lance moved his focus back to Coran and his holographic charts.

After another quarter of a varga that dragged on for an eternity, Coran finally turned off the charts, declaring that it was time to move to the bridge, as they would be reaching Thotirn shortly. The paladins stretched and did their requisite amount of grumbling before following him, moving to take their usual seats around the bridge.

“Do we have an estimated arrival time?” Shiro asked Allura where she stood at the castle’s controls.

“We’re on course to break their atmosphere in just under ten doboshes,” Allura answered. “After that it’s just a couple more to get the Lions to our planned landing site and - ”

She was cut off by a loud beeping as something red popped up on one of the holoscreens before her. Coran rushed to join her at the controls, and the other paladins were immediately on the alert, all their former boredom forgotten. “What is it?” Shiro asked.

“Is something attacking the castle?” asked Hunk.

“Not the castle, no,” said Coran. “But something’s attacking Zondrivis. The Thotirnian city we’re visiting,” he added in response to the paladins’ puzzled expressions. “We’re getting a distress signal from them. I’ll see if I can get a visual.”

“You think the Galra knew we were coming?” Pidge asked. “Is this an ambush?!”

Another holoscreen expanded from the control panel with a magnified view of the surface they were flying toward. “Hmm, doesn’t seem to be an attack for us,” Coran said. “Those ships look like Holvarthan craft. I’m sure if they’d known Voltron was going to be making an appearance here, they would have sent Galra ships after us.”

“Holvartha is currently under Galra’s thumb, though,” Allura said. “So they’re certainly no friends of ours.”

“Doesn’t look like they’ve got too big of an invasion force going here,” Coran said. “No reason Voltron can’t take care of this.” He turned around to face the others. “All right, paladins, looks like there’s been a change of plans. That distress signal was only just sent, so the Holvarthans probably haven’t done much damage yet. Thotirn has a large vehicle supply, but little by way of weaponry, so taking them down will be our job. Focus on pushing the invading forces away from industrial areas and civilians, then we’ll take them out. All in all, should be a fairly easy job.”

“Oh, this is wonderful!” Allura cried in delight, clasping her hands together with a smile.

The others stared at her.

Face reddening slightly, she hurried to say, “I meant, it’s wonderful that this should be a relatively simple victory. And, of course, taking down an invading force will be a far more productive way of demonstrating our skills to the Thotirnians than the air show… which we, erm, won’t have to do now…” She cleared her throat. “I wasn’t calling the attack itself wonderful, because, of course, a potential ally being invaded is… it’s not wonderful - ”

“Good save, Princess,” said Pidge. “We heading to the Lions or what?”

“Yes, yes, the Lions,” Allura said with a fervent nod. “To your hangars, all…”

Lance got up from his seat and started toward his zipline, and the others all did the same, save for Keith, who approached Shiro and tapped on his shoulder. “Um, Shiro?” he said. “The, uh, the cruiser’s been fixed up, and - and you and Allura said once I’ve done some training with, um, with you guys, that I could join on the - ”

“On the missions, yeah,” Shiro said. “Sure, go for it. This should be a good starter mission for you.” Keith’s face lit up, and he turned to the bridge’s exit before Shiro grabbed him by the arm. “But if I, the team, or Coran gives you an order, you follow it, okay?”

Keith nodded. “Yeah, I will.”

“And no unnecessary risks.”

“Okay.”

“Intentionally crashing your ship into another ship counts as ‘unnecessary’.”

“Shiro!” Allura said. “We’re going!”

“Right, right.” Shiro released Keith’s arm, and the latter raced out of the bridge with what Lance was almost certainly would be classified as a spring in his step.

Lance got to his own zipline, sliding down the wire until he reached his seat and sank into Red’s cockpit. Her dashboard lit up as he put his hands onto the controls. “All right, girl,” he said. “Ready to get some exercise?”

He interpreted the speed at which she bolted out of her hangar as a ‘yes’.

Red was the first in the air as usual, but the other Lions were quick to follow, with Keith’s little cruiser joining the chase after an extra half a dobosh before the castle returned to its own route to find its landing site. “Got a visual on a couple of them,” Lance announced into his comm as his viewscreen zoomed in on the moving ships on the horizon. “What’s our strategy?”

“Don’t do anything until we’re close enough to aim more precisely,” Shiro said. “We don’t want to hit any Thotirnian crafts by mistake.”

“Well, duh,” said Lance. “I meant, in a minute or two, when we’re closer, what’s our strategy?”

��We’re aiming to get the Holvarthan ships away from any areas where a proper battle could harm industry or civilians,” Coran said. “I’ve no doubt any Thotirnian ships current holding the fort are doing the same. The fighting seems to be concentrated near Zondrivis’ eastern border, so if you can push them eastward, you’ll have the space to take them down fully. Hunk and Shiro, your Lions are big and sturdy enough to push them physically; Lance and Keith, try to either corner them or see if any will give chase. Allura and Pidge, you can do the same, and disable any exterior weapons or thrusters if you’re able. Disable, don’t destroy.”

A chorus of assents sounded over the comms, and by this point they were close enough to the battle site to start splitting off and facing the various Holvarthan crafts head-on. Coran was right in that the Thotirnians had a few of their own ships in the air as well - judging by the blue-green accents on some of the ships as opposed to the purples that indicated the invaders’ Galra affiliation - but they wouldn’t have lasted long on their own, as those ships were outnumbered and absurdly tiny, looking to be merely half the size of Keith’s cruiser.

The Thotirnian ships made way as the Red Lion entered the fray, and Lance couldn’t help but let a little grin spread across his face. It was hard not to feel a bit like some sort of superhero whenever the Lions of Voltron entered a battle, the almost mythical presence swooping in and saving the day with apparent ease.

“Hello, little mouse,” Lance muttered as he set his sights on a Holvarthan ship that was racing toward one of the Thotirnians. “Kitty wants to play.” He shot Red’s flame out in front of the ship, blocking it from the smaller vessel it had been pursuing and turning its attention toward him. Immediately he sent another beam its way, careful not to actually hit its nose, but get close enough to force the ship to alter its course.

The Holvarthan fired back, and Lance easily ducked Red under the blast. “That really the best you got?” Lance asked, pulling Red around and firing again, forcing the ship to sharply bank left and still catching a bit of its wing. “Ooh, you’re gonna have to be faster than that if you wanna - ”

“Lance,” Pidge cut him off. “If you absolutely must trash talk this much, do you think you could turn your mic off first?”

“Oh,” said Lance. “Sorry. Just having a little fun with this one. I’ve got it chasing me.”

“Attaboy, Lance,” Shiro said, and Lance took a moment to be glad their conversation was audio-only, as otherwise Pidge and Hunk would never stop ragging on him for the way his chest instinctively puffed with pride. “We’re pretty close to some open space on your two o’clock, so you can take it down once you’ve got it readied.”

“On it,” Lance said. Tongue between his teeth in concentration, he set to toying with the other ship, keeping Red close enough to let the other think it could catch up to him, occasionally sending blasts back toward its tail as a little shove of encouragement to keep its sights on him.

Once he had lured the ship sufficiently into the safe zone, he rounded on it, positioning Red to take it down in one final rush of flame. Right before he had the chance, though, another sharp blast shot toward the ship from his nine, splitting the Holvarthan’s vertical stabilizer straight down the middle and knocking it off its center. The ship rolled in mid-air, then a second blast caught its impulse engine dead-center. The engine burst and took the surrounding craft down with it.

“Keith!” Lance snapped into his comm as the little cruiser darted across his viewscreen.

“What?” said Keith.

“You just stole my kill!”

“What are you talking about?”

Lance huffed. “I’m the one who got that guy over here! You shoot down the ships you push out here, I shoot down mine.”

“What the hell does it matter? As long as the ship is taken down, what’s the difference who hits it last?”

“You can’t just - ”

“Keith, Lance, not the time to argue,” Shiro said. “Keith, Lance has a point, you’ve got to be sure to communicate with us so we know what the team is doing.”

“Sorry.”

“And Lance, Keith has a point too. Our priority is just getting these ships out of commission quickly, so it’s not the time to call dibs or keep score. It’s not a competition.”

“If sort of is,” Pidge said. “The Holvarthans are losing.”

“Not a competition between us, I mean,” said Shiro.

“Eh, whatever,” Pidge said, and Lance could practically hear the shrug. “On the topic of communicating positions, got a big one here and we’re approaching Red, wanna help bring it down?”

“I’m on it!” Lance said, swiveling Red’s gaze until he spotted the Green Lion approaching, dragging behind her with a mass of thick vines a decently large Holvarthan ship, the cannon atop it frozen over with Blue’s ice.

“If you need any - ” Keith started.

“Nah, we’re good, you take care of your own targets,” said Lance. “Go ahead and move Green out of the way, Pidge, I got this guy.”

The ends of the vines broke off from Green as she flew off, and Lance sent a stream of flame toward the ship from Red. He let out a whoop as it hit the target dead-on, the flames moving along the vines to curl around the ship as they brought it down. “Nice!” he said. “I get bonus points for style on that one! Game highlight right there.”

“Lance,” said Allura. “Please keep in mind that there are real Holvarthan people piloting those crafts. Taking down invading forces is a necessity, yes, but let’s not be crass about it.”

“Right, uh, sorry Allura,” Lance said.

“They’re Galra allies,” Pidge muttered. “Seems like a waste of politeness.”

“Uh, if we’re not too busy arguing about battle decorum,” Keith said. “Some of these ships are trying to make a break to the west.”

“Not on my watch, they’re not,” Lance grunted, veering Red around to take off toward the escaping Holvarthans.

Overall, the remaining battle managed to be more or less uneventful - or as uneventful as an airborne battle on a foreign planet between an invading alien armed force and a bunch of giant magic lion robots can be expected to be. There was one minor incident, during which Lance had set to fire a blast from Red’s flamethrower toward an oncoming Holvarthan ship, only for her not to respond.

“C’mon, Red,” Lance growled. “I thought we were past this! Why are you - ”

In the back of his mind Red redirected his attention toward movement on his viewscreen, where Keith’s cruiser was pulling around from behind the ship. “Are you kidding me?” Lance muttered, trying the flamethrower again, and relieved to see that Red was cooperating again now that Keith was out of the line of fire. “He would have dodged that, no sweat. What’s your deal?”

“Something wrong, Lance?” Shiro asked.

“Nah,” Lance answered. “Red got spooked because she thought Keith was too close to her flamethrower, I think.”

“Really?” Keith said, sounding genuinely surprised. “She - was she, like, worried, or - ?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, pretty sure she just didn’t think the newbie could handle the heat.”

“Very funny. I’ve landed at least as many shots as you have in this battle, and I’ve been dodging just as well.”

“Yeah, easy to dodge when you’re that tiny a target.”

“Should be easier to hit the other ships when you’ve got that big a weapon.”

“Red says you’re a weenie, Keith.”

“Must you guys do this now?!” Hunk finally interrupted.

They both gave their requisite apologies and brought their focus back to the battle at hand, and said battle wrapped up fairly smoothly not too much later. Once the sky was clear of threats the Lions and the cruiser went back to make their landing near the castle ship, the pilots worn out but otherwise unharmed and the Lions no worse for wear.

It was usually nice to get a bit of rest and quiet in after a battle, but descending from the Lion’s jaw to be greeted by the applause of a gathering crowd of the population you’d just saved was a pretty decent substitute, as Lance was reminded as he and the other paladins disembarked. He removed his helmet and waved to the spectators, beaming brightly. “Yes, thank you!” he called. “You’ve been a great crowd! Don’t forget to tell your friends about Voltron!”

“Take it down a notch,” Shiro’s voice said in his ear as his human hand landed on Lance’s shoulder. He smiled politely at the onlookers, lifting his Galra arm in his own perfunctory wave.

“It’s the adrenaline, Shiro,” Lance said. “These the people who were here to watch the air show?”

“Seems like it,” Shiro said. He gestured with his thumb, and Lance looked to see that Allura and Coran had approached a couple of particularly well-dressed Thotirnians and were in conversation with them. “I think they’re seeing about rescheduling the show.”

“In the meantime, then…” Lance trailed off to blow kisses toward the crowd and begin waving again.

His wrist was just a little sore by the time Allura and Coran returned to the others and gestured for them to gather around. “We spoke with the directors who had been overseeing Voltron’s press appearance,” Coran said. “This whole affair with the Holvarthans ran clear through the time we’d blocked out for our show.”

“However, the dinner and fellowship gathering is still right on track,” Allura said. “So we’ll want you to remain in your armor for that, but feel free to take the time to eat up and stretch your legs.”

“Hang on,” said Hunk. “Does this mean we’re definitely not doing the air show?”

“Correct,” Coran answered with a nod. “The Thotirnians seemed to agree that our taking down the Holvarthan invasion was sufficient performance from Voltron.” He smiled. “They seem quite eager to see about joining forces. Congratulations, paladins, you put on an excellent show.”

“So,” Lance said slowly. “That whole giant review of our flight choreography…”

“Was a total waste of time, yes,” Pidge finished with a solemn nod.

“Fantastic.”

[calliecat93]

Top 5 Things I Disliked About RWBY Volume 1

(Top 5 Likes)

Welcome to the first installment of this little series of mine! So with Red vs Blue, I’ve done these ‘Top 5 Things I Like/Dislike/ posts regarding the recent seasons. So I thought ‘well, why not do it for RWBY to lead-up to Volume 7′! Sure, I thought of it at the last second and have to do two posts a day in order to be done by Saturday, but hey! it gives me something to do, so yay!

Anyways, here’s how these works. I’m going to release two posts a day. One for dislikes, one for likes. I want to say this about Dislike sin particular. As far as Volumes 1-5 go, the dislikes are things that I find weak about the volumes, but are NOT relevant to where RWBY is now. Volume 6 will have my relevant issues, but that’s about it. These are also gonna be nitpicky cause honestly, I have very few things that I dislike about each volume. Yes, including V5. Anything I bring up here I’ll do my best to explain, and same with Likes though obviously that’s gonna be more positive/happy. Dislikes are gonna be first cause I wanna get them out of the way.

Okay! Let's do this!

#5 - Chapter Runtimes

As of now, we RWBY fans are used to chapters bing about... 12-15 minutes on average, and longer than that on certain occasions. If it goes past 20 minutes, then we know that it’s a biiiig deal. Volume 1 though was... bizarre. Aside from Chapters 1, 8, 15, and 16 they ranged from about 6-8 minutes. Sometimes even four minutes. Now, this may not seem like that big a deal, especially since it is Volume 1 so they were still figuring the show out. So there's no reason to harp on them... but it is still an issue for this volume in particular and while I came into it after all the chapters were out and was able to just binge it in one go, it was a frequent complaint that I saw regarding it.

The issue is that many of the episodes would end up being two-parters when may of them would just be one episode nowadays. I’m gonna get to the Jaune Arc in another section, so let's take say... The Badge and the Burden for example. It’s a two-parter that I really like... but Part One is five and a half minutes, and Part 2 is seven minutes. Combined, they equal a total of around 12 1/2 minutes, reaching the current standard. I really feel that this could have improved pacing, especially for the Jaune arc since if it only went two episodes, IDT it would have annoyed as many people as it did. If you combined all the two-parters, V1 would ave a total of ten episodes. Now I assume that the episode order would have been cut down, so if they went with 12 then that gives them two episodes to do more things like showing more of Team RWBY growing as a team, showing more of how Beacon works, setting up things like Weiss’ racism towards Faunus and Blake’s Faunus status, etc. 

As I said though, this was the first volume. I think that they were trying to go with how they did Red vs Blue episodes since that was what they knew, and that format just didn’t work for RWBY. It was a critique that they listened to, and fixed accordingly in V2 and beyond. They were still finding their feet with the show and nowadays since you can just binge the volume, any pacing issues aren’t as big a deal. But I do feel like some things could have been better established or fleshed out had they gone with the current format here, so it is still something about the volume that I don’t care for. But it is certianly not an issue anymore.

#4 - Length of the Jaune Arc... Arc

Oh Jaune, the shit that you got for these four episodes...

So in V1, there are these two parts titled Jaunedice and Forever Fall. In it, Jaune is being bullied and struggling in his classes. Pyrrha offers to help, but Jaune refuses and we find out hat he cheated his way into Beacon. Cardin finds out, blackmails him, Jaune grows a backbone, Grimm fight, and Jaune finally accepts Pyrrha’s help. It’s more than that. We have Jaune opening up about how worthless he feels and how he hates being the Butt-Monkey that he had been made as over the course of the volume. He’s doubtful of his role as a leader, with Ruby giving him encouragement that later helps him stand up to Cardin. We see how caring Pyrrha is as she tries to convince Jaune to let her help him, how disappointed she is when he rejects her, and her using her power to help Jaune and give him a confidence boost. It’s a good story that especially helps with the bond between Jaune and Pyrrha and without this plot, the things that happen later wouldn’t have been nearly as impactful, especially during V3.

That being said, however, the issue here is that it’s four episodes long. In a 16 episode season where the runtime for each was under ten minutes. That meant that four weeks straight, instead of focusing on the actual main characters of having cool fights, people spent essnetially a month watching this ‘Jaune gets bullied’ storyline. Now I want to make this clear, I love Jaune. He's one of my favorite characters and I think that him hating being a fool and wanting to be a hero but having this kinda macho mindset about it makes him an interesting character. They subvert the ‘loser hero who becomes greater than everyone’ cliche by having Jaune have to man up, but he doesn't ever really become this ultra-badass hero. He has to learn to accept help and pays consequences for cheating his way into Beacon by having to actually work to prove his worth. 

Jaune had a very good character arc here... it’s just that the season’s structure makes it feel like he took the spotlight from other characters, especially Team RWBY. It being kind of a standard bullying story that isn’t out of place in any teen drama also didn’ make it very interesting, it just sets up more interesting things in later volumed. Even the Grimm fight at the end, compared to every other fight this volume, isn’t all that great and only serves to both reveal Pyrrha’s Semblance and to end the Cardin conflict. Had this been in the current format and just two episodes, it probably wouldn’t have annoyed as many people. ut as such, it’s just kinda... meh compared to the high fantasy that we get later and maybe gave aune a little too much attention. They do a much better job of giving Jaune time when prominent, but not letting it override other characters. But I will stills ay the arc is good character stuff for Jaune and Pyrrha, sets up Jaune training to become better, shows Pyrrha’s selfless nature, and without it, anything that happened later wouldn't have been nearly as impactful. So I don’t hate it, but it ain’t perfect.

#3 - Cardin Sucks

Okay, this is gonna be brief, but Cardin sucks. Okay yeah, I know that he’s supposed to suck, but he’s just... a bad character. He is a one-dimensional bully who exists solely to make Jaune miserable. After this arc, he has no prominence and in side stories like the manga or comics, they only use him to have a hate sink against other characters. He’s boring. He has no reason to be an asshole. We know nothing about him or why he’s that way. Which makes him utterly uninteresting, especially compared to later villains. Like say what you want about CInder or Adam, but at least they have actual motivations and impact. And it looks especially lame when you have Roman in this volume, who is one of the most beloved villains from the show because of how charismatic and fun he is. 

Sure Cardin's not supposed to be this great villain nor do I want him to be, and yes sucky people who suck just because are a thing. But Cardin just exists for the Jaune Arc... arc, which really with a couple of adjustments you could write him out completely. Like did we really need to have Jaune get blackmailed to make his arc work? There is nothing interesting about Cardin’s character. he’s just... a bully, and that’s it. I get it, he's made to be a hateful bully, but it also makes him a poor character and I just want him to vanish form all material because he’s not good for anything really.

#2 - Penny Fight

Let's get this out of the way before I say anything else. Monty was an incredibly talented animator who clearly had a love for his work and was incredibly creative and passionate. His fights were always amazing, this one included, and he gave us a show that I have loved for several years now. Even now, he is greatly missed but will always be remembered as an amazing animator, and as an amazing person. That being said though, Monty was not perfect and I think that this moment from the finale shows that sometimes he let his love for cool action scenes go too far.

Monty sometimes had a bad habit of making the characters more powerful than they really should be. This could look bad in stories where the characters would lose fights and people would get upset due to it. Like with how Adam was made out to be this badass... and we’ve ALL seen how people keep trying to use that argument for how Miles and Kerry ruined him, even though they didn’t. Then we have things like Penny. Now originally, Miles didn’t want the Penny Robot reveal to happen until V2. Now admittedly he and Kerry... kinda made it obvious that enny was at least not normal during her intro so everyone pretty much figured it out by the finale, but still, there was room for speculation. But Monty decided that he wanted a badass action sequence with Penny... and in doing so it gave the reveal away. And apparently, no one bothered to inform Miles and you can tell on the V1 Commentary that he was pretty surprised to see the sequence.

Monty was a great animator and he created a fantastic world. But like anyone, he had his flaws. I’m still annoyed at how that fight, as cool as it looked, gave the reveal away and went against the writer’s intention. I do not like it when stories get messed with just for coolness, and this is a prime example. IDT it annoyed people as much as the V2 finale where Monty definitely went overboard with cool action scenes. but this is still very much an example of the problems with doing that. V1 still is my least favorite finale for this and one other reason that we’ll go into in a bit. It’s not a big deal now and again, most people already figured the twist out due to the lack of subtlety. But it still pretty much ruined any build-up that it could have had, and that is a shame. Nevertheless, it was a very badass sequence by Monty and shows off just how crazy talented that the man truly was. Monty was a mad genius, and his memory still goes on even today. So for that, I can give it a little bit of slack.

I cannot give a much slack for Number One though...

#1. Weiss at the end Black and White was poorly done

To be honest, The Stray and Black and White is... not a strong finale. Yes, it brings up the Faunus oppression and introduced the White Fang as well as Sun. But the Faunus stuff had very little build-up. Sure, we had Cardin bullying Velvet... but it was Cardin, who bullied everyone so not a great example. Wiss worked better as, why this was her bitch phase, he wasn't a bad person and we saw her kinder side earlier. Plus she had a reason that wasn’t just racism and helped build-up to her problematic family life. But I find it hard to believe that Weiss hadn’t been showing her anti-Fuanus stances before The Stray, which is what it felt like so I feel like a better job could have been done regarding her.

Then we get to the ending of Black and White, and it feels... forced. Really forced. At the end, Weiss suddenly did a 180, telling Blake that she doesn't care that Blake is a Faunus, asks Blake to open up to her team more, and tries to hold back on any derogatory terms against Sun. It’s nice to see Weiss trying to be better, and later volumes very much show how much that she’s improved... but there is no build-up to her reaching this epiphany. Sure Ruby and Yang call her out on how horrible she’s acting towards Blake... but that was before they knew that she was a Faunus with Penny having to spell it out for them. Yeah, Yang makes a snide remark towards Weiss later about Weiss not caring which Weiss rebukes... but that’s it. We don’t see Weiss learn anything or see her view shift whatsoever over the course of these two episodes. I guess you can argue that the revelation is what made Weiss reconsider... but since she was calling Blake a criminal before the revelation, it kinda makes it hard for me to believe that. I guess it was meant to be implied, but even when I watched it the first time, I was baffled by it.

It just kinda cheapens the ending when Weiss did a 180 out of nowhere. Now Om glad that she had the revelation. As I said, later volumes show that she meant in with V2 having her stop Blake from closing up in Chapter 2 and get her to open up to them. V3 has her defend Velvet, a Faunus, and shows concern for her safety. V6 had her get pissed at Cordovin when she made a racist motion at Blake with murder clearly in her eyes. And I expect that V7 is going to show us more of this. it’s also clear that Weiss’ racism was due to a hateful mindset that she was raised into that she knows is wrong and had to grow out of. So I can see Weiss growing out of it in the finale and am happy for what we see later... but we don’t see her start to break out of it here. She says that she had 12 hours to think about it... and we’re just supposed to assume that she came to the conclusion because we were told that it happened. ‘Show don’t tell’ has been a frequent critique of the show, and sadly this is one of the best examples. Maybe if we saw Ruby and Yang call Weiss out after the Faunus revelation or saw Blake and Weiss interacting before Weiss’ racism became known it would have worked, but... no. We don’t. Again, it’s V1 so it’s not gonna be perfect and we do see that Weiss was genuine. I just wish that they did a better job of letting us experience that growth with her.

________________________________________________________________

Okay, Dislikes are done. Again, many if not all of these are no longer relevant to where RWBY is now. It’s just a little trip down memory lane. If anything, it really shows how much that everyone has improved over the years, which is a great thing. The good news is that now we can focus on the good things for VOlume 1. That post will go up later today... after I sleep. So thank you all for reading, and be on the lookout for the Top 5 Things I Liked About RWBY Volume 1~!

[fanfictionandmore]

The Dueling Professor | Gellert Grindelwald

Chapter One | An Ilvermorny Girl in a Hogwarts World

Sapphire's POV:

     'Merlin help me!' I thought inside of my head as the Hogwarts Express appeared in front of me. I was a little shook up about having to run at a seemingly solid wall to reach a magical platform. The place was filled with witches and wizards, sending their children off to school. My parents didn't come along even thought it's my first year at Hogwarts. I'm not a first year student, though; I'm actually going into my sixth year of magical learning. 

     It's just... my parents and I had to move to England due to a job offer they had accepted. I was proud of them, especially since it took them so long to actually make a name for themselves as Aurors. The Ministry of Magic were impressed by their skills, and wanted them to join their team. In a way I sort of hoped I could have stayed with my aunt and uncle, so I could continue my learning at Ilvermorny. But... on the other hand... maybe it was best that I was going to a new school. 

     Maybe this fresh new start is exactly what I need. I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind as I rolled my trolley up to the loading dock and then quickly boarded the train. 'I hope I get a compartment all to myself.' I said inside of my head, but I doubted that was going to happen. To my surprise I actually found an empty compartment and hurried inside before someone else could take it. 'I wonder if my professors are gonna be nice... I hope they're nice.' I said inside of my head as I settled in my seat. 

     I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone so I could plug my headphones into it. A couple of years ago I ended up charming my phone so I could listen to music while I was at school; I'm probably the only person in the wizarding world with a cellphone, and the only no-maj with a phone that has endless battery life. I scrolled through my extremely long song list in search of a song to listen to. After a few minutes I finally ended up choosing Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. Suddenly, the train started moving. Honestly, I was shocked that someone hadn't opened the door and asked if they could sit in here with me. 

     I guess no one really likes sitting with strange people from America. I smirked in amusement at the thought as I stared out of the window and focused on the music I was listening to. Before long, the urban scenery faded into more rural areas. It was actually very beautiful. My stomach started growling slightly, and a snack trolley came by as if on cue. "Anything from the trolley, dear?" An elderly looking woman asked me curiously. 

     I took an ear bud out and got up to get a couple chocolate frogs and licorice wands. As I ate the snacks I had bought I went back to zoning out. That's when I decided I probably should read something so I didn't fall asleep. I shut my phone off and put it away before reaching into my school bag to retrieve the current book I was reading. By the time I read a couple of chapters it was time to change into my robes. 

     Unlike the ones I had to wear at Ilvermorny, these ones were black. I actually liked that better than the blue ones we were issued back in America. After I was dressed I sat back down and continued reading. But I still made a few alterations to my uniform; I got a pair of pants rather than a skirt. Skirts and dresses never were my thing, and I hoped that the headmaster didn't mind me wearing pants instead. 

     Especially since I'd rather be expelled than wear a stupid skirt. The ride on the train was quite lonely, but I didn't mind. It gave me the time to read quietly and clear my head a bit. On top of everything else I was nervous about, I was terrified which house I was going to be sorted in. In the letter I received from Hogwarts, it stated that they had four different houses I could he sorted in just like Ilvermorny. 

     I had the options of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Both of my parents said they think I'll be placed in Ravenclaw, but I wasn't too sure. I was a Pukwudgie at Ilvermorny; I kinda thought I might be placed in Hufflepuff. All I hoped for is that people would be kind to me in whatever house I was sorted in. The sky outside had been dark for about an hour before the train started slowing down. 

     That's when the nerves really kicked in. Once we were completely stopped, the doors started opening and students filled the small hallway. I was near the back of the train, which meant I was the last one to get off, but I didn't mind. It meant I didn't have to cut through all of the chaos. When I finally got off of the train, I filled my lungs with fresh cool air that calmed my nerves a bit. 

     "Miss Vander, I presume?" I heard a friendly British accent say. I looked to my right to see a woman with black hair that was tied up underneath a pointy hat. "Yes, that's me." I replied shyly. "Professor McGonagall. Welcome to Hogwarts, it's a pleasure to meet you. Please follow me; quickly now, or we won't make it to the Great Hall before everyone else does." She said as she ushered me into a large carriage. I only got a quick glimpse, but I noticed that the carriage was being pulled my a couple of thestrals. The two of us sat in silence as we were quickly taken up the path towards the school. 

     "So... how exactly will I be sorted into my Hogwarts house?" I asked her curiously, breaking the quiet atmosphere. "Right when we arrive, actually... hence the rush." She replied as she whipped one of the thestrals with a whip. I winced at the loud crack and nearly fell out of my seat when the carriage suddenly jolted forward. "Oh." I replied, not really sure what to say. A part of me breathed a sigh or relief, because I really didn't wanna get sorted with the other first years; that would have just been embarrassing. 

     I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind as we passed other carriages on our way. Some students started and pointed as we passed them up and it made me a little uncomfortable. When we came to a skidding stop, we hurried out of the carriage and she lead me through a set of large doors. I was amazed at how massive and grand it looked. I wondered if it looked as beautiful on the outside during the day.

     'It probably does.' I said inside of my head. I followed professor McGonagall down a hallway to a large stone griffin. "Lemon Drops." She said before the griffin began to move upwards, revealing a set of steps that went up as well. She lead me up the stone steps, which lead to another doorway; this one was smaller than the other one though. A group of witches and wizards of all ages and sizes were staring at me when we walked into the room. 

     A bunch of metallic, mechanical looking objects were steaming, ticking, and clanking softly on a near by table. As I took in my surroundings I realized that I was standing in the headmaster's office. Professor McGonagall introduced me to professor Dumbledore who was holding an old and dusty looking hat. It was a muddy brown color, but there were signs to let you know the hat once was black. "Welcome to Hogwarts Miss Vander. Say hello to your heads of house professors." He said as he introduced them to me. Professor Sprout: Hufflepuff, professor Flitwick: Ravenclaw, professor McGonagall; Gryffindor, and professor Snape: Slytherin. Once introductions were over, Dumbledore asked me to take a seat before he placed the raggedy hat on my head. 

     "Ah, a mature mind for me to sink my teeth into." A whispy, yet gravely voice said inside of my head. It sort of scared me a bit, and I hoped no one noticed. "You have a bright mind, and a creative personality. A kind, yet damaged heart... and a thirst to prove yourself. Hmmm... this is a difficult one." The voice said, and my heart started pounding in my chest. I almost thought the hat had given up before he spoke up again. "Must be... Slytherin!!" He yelled, which surprised me. 

     My parents were wrong and so was I. The professors clapped happily, but professor Snape seemed to clap with the most enthusiasm. Dumbledore took the hat off of my head and clapped as well. "Very good. Very good indeed." He replied with a sparkle in his baby blue eyes. His dark hair and beard was a huge contrast to his light colored eyes. The Hogwarts crest on my robes suddenly changed to the Slytherin crest. 'I hope my parents don't mind that I'm a Slytherin.' I thought inside of my head. 

     Professor McGonagall and the others lead me towards the Great Hall. I wasn't surprised to find that half of the place was filled with students already. Professor Snape showed me which table I had to sit at and then left to follow the other teachers. I took a seat at the long table and made sure that I wasn't invading anyone's personal space. "So... you're the transfer from Ilvermorny, huh?" A male voice caught my attention. 

     I looked towards the direction the voice was coming from, and a bleach blond haired boy came into view. He had blue eyes, and he gave off the vibe of a spoiled rich kid. The kind that get zero love from their parents, but are loaded with money. "Yeah, I am." I replied. "Well, I'm glad you got placed in Slytherin rather than Gryffindor... even if you are an American." He said. 

     I wasn't quite sure if that was a complement or an insult, so I just sort of nodded and turned my attention elsewhere. I looked around and admired the beautiful stained glass windows, along with the amazing architecture. My eyes scanned the staff table and spotted a few professors that weren't in Dumbledore's office. One of them caught my attention more than the others. A man with spiked up bleach blond hair was sitting next to professor Snape. 

     I couldn't really see him too well, but his hair made him stand out more than anyone else. 'I wonder if I have any of his classes.' I said inside of my head. The first years began getting sorted, and I desperately hoped that it would move along quicker. My stomach was growling, and I didn't want anyone to hear it. When the sorting hat's song ended, Dumbledore stood up and began making a speech. Most of what he said were new guidelines and rules, etc, etc. 

     "I'd like all of you to welcome Sapphire Vander," He said, and I stood up so people would know who I am. But I quickly sat down after a few seconds. I just felt uncomfortable with everyone looking at me. "Please make her feel welcome here at Hogwarts." He said before he wrapped everything up. The table suddenly filled with plates and bowls of food. 'House elves.' I said inside of my head as I began filling my plate. 

     I remembered someone telling me that house elves prepare the food and clean the school at Ilvermorny, and I figured it was the same here. I ate and drank as much as I could without feeling miserable and uncomfortable. The whole time I was being asked questions about Ilvermorny, and it was kinda annoying. But at least people actually wanted to talk to me for once. I also noticed that students from other houses were glancing at me every once in a while. 

     Before long, we were dismissed from the Great Hall, and we followed the head boy and girl out into the hallway. As we did, I noticed that we had walked into the dungeons of the school. The head boy stopped in front of a moving portrait and said "Acromantula Venom." The portrait came apart from the wall and reveled a doorway. Apparently this was the Slytherin common room along with the boys and girls dorms. The place looked like my room at home. 

     Black furniture, taper candles, books, and skulls everywhere. It looked really cool, and I was suddenly glad that I was placed in this house. I went straight up to my dorm, which was all the way at the top of the stairs. The best part, is that I didn't have a roommate. I had the whole room all too myself. I changed into my pajamas and climbed into bed to listen to some music and draw a little in my sketchbook. After a while I got ready to go to bed, because I didn't wanna feel like a zombie when I woke up for my classes tomorrow morning.

++++++++++++++++++++ A/N: Thanks for reading!!

[angelinarecs]

*Updated* The Librarian Recs

Don’t mind me casually logging back into tumblr to rec more fanfic after being out for a while. 

Enjoy some updated fic recs for The Librarians (which I recently got my spouse addicted to). Still mad that this show gave me so many emotions. If you want to follow the full rec list, here’s the link. 

Gen

Anytime - Episode tag to “And the Fangs of Death”. What was Ezekiel feeling and thinking at the end? Hurt/Comfort/Family. Ezekiel’s thoughts while facing the prospect of losing himself completely and the surety that his friends will do what they have to do for him. One-shot.

Bite the Bullet - When Ezekiel’s shot during a mission, will his family be able to save him in time? Ezekiel whump. Hurt/Comfort/Angst. What is says on the tin, pure Ezekiel whump and his team worrying after their resident master thief. It’s short and the composition isn’t the best, but the writing is alright. Three-shot, complete.

Escapades - Jenkins is careful when he drops the Australian onto the bed, moving to haul the blankets back and over the weary figure thats curling around one of the fluffier pillows. “Now, sleep, and hopefully tomorrow you’ll be well enough to explain to me what he hell you were doing getting shot at.” He snips.

“Fine…but we n’ver tell Baird bout this, eh?” Ezekiel mutters, eyes slipping closed as exhaustion crashes over him. Hurt/Comfort/Friendship. Ezekiel manages to get himself shot and poisoned. Jenkins is there to pick up the pieces. Lots of snark, a little bit of swearing, and tons of angst to go around. One-shot.

Ezekiel Jones and the Silver Coin - When a wealthy woman is murdered by a thief who broke into her home to steal her most prized possession, the Librarians are sent to Dublin, Ireland to investigate, despite the appearance of it being a normal theft and murder. After their first run in with the monster, everything changes for the Librarians’ own thief as he begins to second guess his decision to become a Librarian. Fantasy/Hurt/Comfort. A series centering around the search for an artifact and Ezekiel’s own personal battles as he meets up with unexpected and unwelcome people from his past. I always enjoy stories that look to flesh out what the Librarians-in-training were like before the Library called them. Complete.

Flight Risk - Ezekiel never meant to do a lot of things: Get caught. Get caught by Flynn. Have Baird find his file, etc… He also never meant to let a sad looking gargoyle steal his heart. But you know, accidents happen. Fluff. Another Stumpy fix-it, because dammit guys, that gargoyle and Ezekiel deserved better! One-shot.

Home - A life-threatening incident in the library makes Cassandra and Jake realize just how much Ezekiel means to them and how much they mean to Ezekiel. In the after-math, Cassandra must learn to overcome her guilt and Jake must learn to appreciate those around him. Hurt/Comfort/Family. An accident injures Ezekiel and forces those around them to consider how much the thief has changed and how much he has changed them. A fairly standard use of hurt/comfort to force emotional introspection and touchy-feely confessions, but still a good read. One-shot.

In My Nature - A collection of stories fleshing out my ideas for the mysterious origins of Ezekiel Jones. Not based on any spoilers just my imagination. Drama/Angst. A series of stand-alone one-shots that each tell of a different origin for the resident thief. Some of these are very creative and I really appreciate the diversity of examples and the move away from the tropic “tragic past” that so many of these characters invariably end up with. WIP, a series of one-shots with no unresolved story arcs.

The Boy and his Gargoyle - Jacob notices how Ezekiel feels about Stumpy’s demise and recruits Cassandra to do something about it. Because someone needed to write this. Family/Fantasy. Poor Stumpy was honestly a really cute edition to the show and I really enjoyed seeing Ezekiel care about a magical item so much. The story is definitely s Stumpy fix-it that serves to showcase the friendship of Ezekiel, Cassandra, and Stone. One-shot.

The Feeling is Mutual - Ezekiel shut his eyes as the pressure and pain in his head began to ebb away. Ezekiel had to admit, he was a little disappointed. When his mind had first hatched the haphazard idea, a large part of him had been hoping he’d lose those memories. But, he supposed, nothing ever worked out like that. Just his luck. Hurt/Comfort/Family. In the process of defeating a magical creature, Ezekiel reveals to his team that he still remembers the events of the video game loop. In turn, his team helps him deal with his memories. One-shot.

Ezekiel, Stone Friendship

And the Returned Favor - Ezekiel sneezed. This, in and of itself, probably wouldn’t have been very dramatic. At least, not for normal people. Ezekiel Jones was not normal people. He did nothing by half measures; if he couldn’t do something right, then he wasn’t going to make a point to do it at all.  Hurt/Comfort/Drama. Ezekiel gets sick, and then nearly kills himself fighting off an intruder in the library. Or, the time everyone finally realized that the resident thief was a self-sacrificing bitch. A good story with a really weird paragraph structure. Seriously, it seems the majority of this story is one sentence paragraphs. One-shot.

Hero Material - “What do you mean the amulet could kill me!” Ezekiel is not having a good day. Hurt/Comfort. Ezekiel nearly sacrifices himself trying to save his friends and he is not happy about it the entire way through. Poor Stone has to try and couch him through the ordeal without losing his friend. One-shot.

Of Oubliettes and Other Obstacles - Broken bones, a concussion, and a hole in the ground. Yeah, no, this assignment was completely awful. Or: Jake and Ezekiel tumble into an oubliette and have to keep each other alive until help comes. Shouldn’t be a problem, right? Lots of whump and hurt/comfort abound! Hurt/Comfort. Pretty much what is says on the tin, Jake tries his best to keep everyone alive and the situation as under control as he can manage. Purely hurt/comfort and friendship for a rainy day. One-shot.

Remind You of Someone You’ve Never Met - Ezekiel’s been doing well, all things considered, with the aftermath of the time-loop. Honestly, a bad day was bound to happen. Just his luck it was in the middle of a case. Drama. Ezekiel has a flash back and Jake coaches him through it. This story highlights Ezekiel confronting his memories and making small-steps towards acknowledging that they are issues and that he isn’t alone. I really appreciated that this story didn’t set out to fix everything and simply dealt with that first foot forward. Two-shot.

Running Hot - Jake and Ezekiel get a new understanding of one another. Of course, it’s brought on by intense fevers and a shower. Not a pairing but if you squint I suppose.  Hurt/Comfort/Friendship. An illness helps to expose Ezekiel’s backstory and his vulnerability causes Stone to reconsider some of his opinions regarding the other librarian. Not a bad use of hurt/comfort, even if it is a fairly standard use. One-shot.

Jake/Ezekiel

And the Behavioral Side Effects of Lycanthropy - After being cured of temporary lycanthropy, Ezekiel has some lasting behavioral side effects. The compulsion to chase balls, the compulsion to chase cars, being on edge for no reason. Oh, and not being able to sleep alone anymore. But Jake’s got a fix for that. In a friend way. Just a bro helping a bro. Fluff. This is solidly pre-slash, but the boys are adorable, confused, and just trying to figure out cuddling in the aftermath of Ezekiel’s near transformation. I appreciate the little touches of Ezekiel having to remind himself he’s human and not a wolf. And Jake’s ‘no-homo’ attitude even though it is very much homo is hilarious. One-shot.

While the Bars of Sunset Hold - Sure, he might still be able to be Ezekiel Jones: World Class Thief, but what if he was no longer good enough to be Ezekiel Jones: Librarian? Hurt/Comfort. Ezekiel is tortured and is left wondering whether or not he can continue to be a Librarian in his current state. Jake clears up any confusion and shares a heartfelt moment with the “World Class Thief.“ One-shot.

Jake/Ezekiel/Cassandra

And the Proximity Addiction - When they start dating, Ezekiel isn’t a fan of touching. That changes, and boy, when it does, it changes. Romance. A fluffy one-shot concerning Ezekiel’s proclivity for cuddling and how his partners view it. Told through a conversation between Eve and Cassandra over milkshakes. One-shot.

Charged - With the tilt of a head the evening star, Venus, came into view. She looked down at the three tangled hearts on earth with her bright shine and pride. Or: Sunsets and Subtext. Romance. A slice of life short story about the relationship between Jake, Ezekiel, and Cassandra as seen through an evening of joy. One-shot.

Getting Warmer - Ezekiel Jones doesn’t lose to the cold. But Jake and Cassandra might just lose him to it. Hurt/Comfort/Angst. During a mission, Ezekiel nearly dies from hypothermia. Jake and Cassandra are forced to think over his stupidly self-sacrificing ways and what they would do without their friend. Eve just wonders when they will all stop being so blind and just get together already. One-shot.

The Best Kind of Medicine - Ezekiel has a cold and the other Librarians come to the rescue. Fluff. Seriously just reccing this story for these lovable tree idiots and the their sleepovers/snuggles. One-shot.

Tread Lightly - “Everyone wants a taste,” He tells them, laughing it off as if he couldn’t care either way. “But nobody really wants the bill.” Romance/Angst. Jake and Cassandra want to bring Ezekiel into the fold of their relationship, Ezekiel is unsure how to move forward. A tender and in character story of how Ezekiel is brought into Jake and Cassandra’s romance. One-shot.

We’ll Catch You While We Can - Each of them have different relationships with personal space. Fitting them all together is a little weird, a little rocky. But they figure it out, in the end. Fluff/Angst/Hurt/Comfort. A look into the librarians’ past, emotions, and developing relationship through the lens of physical touch. This was honestly a very clever framing device that allows for the reader to engage with both the characters and the unfolding relationship on a similar theme. It’s cute and heartwarming and angsty in all the right places. Three-shot, complete.

[davidmann95]

I haven't been able to tolerate a comics news site since ComicsAlliance shut down so what news out of SDCC is actually worth knowing about?

I’ve gotten so many questions regarding SDCC-related news that I figured I’d just do one big post, and this seems as opportune an ask to build that off of as any. To kick off, in terms of news that’s not for me but is a big deal, there’s a trailer for the next season of Doctor Who, and Star Wars: Clone Wars is shockingly coming back for a final reduced season years after the fact. Congrats to the fans of both franchises! Plus yesterday we got the announcement of Orlando and Foreman’s Electric Warriors for DC (as well as Orlando’s Dead Kings with Matt Smith at Aftershock Comics) and the Wonder Woman/Justice League Dark October crossover.

So first and foremost in terms of the reaction it picked up, OH MY GOD:

It’s like the Bat In The Sun team handed over their production to their shitty kids but made them work off a third of the budget. I kept seeing the jokes about it on Twitter, and I kept thinking they were surely hilarious exaggerations, AND NOT A ONE OF THEM EVEN SLIGHTLY WAS. At least it now makes sense why Hawk and Dove is here, given the Liefeld connection: this is 90s as helllllllllllllllllllllll, and while a part of me hopes it swerves unexpectedly in a couple seasons into Fun 90s DC with Starman and Wally West and an Electric Blue Superboy and Titans One Million, I can’t pretend I wouldn’t gleefully hatewatch this if it wasn’t behind a paywall. What it really comes down to is that, as I saw someone mention, the over-the-top content warning at the beginning isn’t actually by any means to get rid of anyone under 18, but specifically to appeal to them over anyone over it: there is nothing about this show not precision-crafted to appeal to teenagers watching something they technically aren’t supposed to, since anyone older than that will just laugh until the stars grow cold. And while it’s one line in particular that’s rightfully drawn all the attention, to me the clear defining moment is Beast Boy taking his big goofy dramatic leap, and you expect him to transform, but that ain’t happening (I fully expect he’ll just have claws and growl and do assorted Wolverine shit instead), because that kind of thing is for STUPID KIDS, whereas this is RAD. 

RAD, dare I say…to the EXTREME.

Also, the pilot Robin’s scene was presumably drawn from was written by Akiva Goldsman, Greg Berlanti, and Geoff Johns. So was it the guy behind Batman & Robin, the guy behind the CWverse, or the recent President of DC Comics who ushered FUCK BATMAN into the world? Because all three of those possibilities are equally hilarious. In any case, the rubicon has been crossed: easily one of the top ten, probably one of the five or so most iconic superheroes of all time said fuck in a piece of mass media. Where we go from here, nobody knows. But at the very least I’ll take the L for my original certainty that this would take place in the CW DCverse, because that clearly isn’t going to be the case. Though boy, imagine if it was. Personally I like to imagine this is a totally normal DCU, and suddenly going full 90s and murdering a bunch of people is their universe’s version of normal teen rebellion.

Additionally, it’s now seemingly set in stone that the fourth DC Universe live-action show alongside Titans, Doom Patrol, and Swamp Thing will be a Stargirl show where Courtney Whitmore learns about her legacy and tries to track down the Justice Society, described as in the flavor of Superman ‘78 and Wonder Woman. Again, if it wasn’t behind a paywall I’d check it out.

And before turning to comics proper, we learned from WB itself that there are no plans to idiotically pour millions into making a functional Justice League Snyder cut a thing, unsurprisingly making some of the worst people on the internet be just the absolute worst (I’m interested myself in it artistically even if I don’t think it would be very good, but at this point it would feel like a validation of some really rotten people’s behavior if this happened). Meanwhile the first trailer for the Dragon Ball Super movie dropped, and yeah, I’m still happy to see Broly. This looks big in a way Dragon Ball for all its action rarely gets, and seeing Paragus suggests Toriyama understood what worked about the original flick, which is a very good sign. Did they swap out Vic Mignogna as Broly though? Wouldn’t blame him, I know he’s said he hates the part, but surprising nonetheless. And the Spider-Man game dropped another trailer, along with a ‘Velocity’ bonus suit designed by Adi Granov.

The big comics news of the day was of course the long-awaited confirmation that Green Lantern is being relaunched - apparently as The Green Lantern - in November by Grant Morrison and Liam Sharp. What’s surprising is that Morrison’s currently insisting that since the last decade or so of the franchise has dealt with constant upheaval and cosmic apocalypse, his run is going to scale back down to a character-focused study of Hal (“He’s a loner and a drifter and he’s an unreconstructed man. It was nice to do that and to go a little bit old-fashioned with it. He doesn’t belong here at all, you know? He’s longing for the heavens, and to be back up as a Green Lantern. We’re doing Hal Jordan where, you know he’s a good cop, but is he really a good guy? And we’re looking into his relationships and how he deals with people. And also the fact that, if you’ve got a job as a space cop, it’s hard to be stuck on the planet Earth. He has other lives on other planets.”) amidst him going about his duties and dealing with weird alien crimes and space threats, such as stopping aliens from ‘parking’ a planet-sized artificial megastructure near a sun and causing damage to nearby worlds, and solving the murder of a gaseous lifeform.

I doubt it’ll necessarily stay there forever - his Batman and Action Comics runs, after all, were both initially marketed as staying on the smaller side by his standards, and the one idea we know of Morrison having once had for the Green Lanterns back in the day was making them a multiversal force. But it’s remarkable how, well, normal this sounds coming from Morrison. Clearly this must be a passion project if he’s doing a monthly again for the first time in 5 years, especially since DiDio mentioned he had to be persuaded (ultimately persuading himself as his attempts to brush off the proposition led to him thinking about the possibilities and rapidly talking himself into it) to make time for this amidst an incredibly busy schedule of surely more profitable and creatively unshackled projects, but on the surface level? This sounds like the closest Morrison has come since his JLA days to writing a regular superhero comic. At this point in his career, I’m very, very curious what that’s going to look like. Just hoping he read the King/Shaner oneshot on whatever reread he surely went through to catch up on current continuity. And also hoping this guy was right that it’ll turn out “the REAL construct that was limited by our willpower and imagination all along was…REALITY.”

On smaller notes:

* Kelly Sue DeConnick and Robson Rocha are taking over Aquaman, with an opening arc that shows him washing up amnesiac on an isle of forgotten sea gods. DeConnick seems to be like the Jeffs Lemire and Parker where my appreciation of their work is limited to very, very specific slivers: none of her Marvel superhero stuff I’ve read did anything for me even if I could see the talent behind it, but her Lois story in the last issue of The Adventures of Superman was pitch-perfect (and also had a great Aquaman bit!). This gets at least an issue from me.

* DC announced new titles for DC Ink and DC Zoom, including Cassandra Cain, Oracle, Dick Grayson, Creeper, and Wonder Woman books, while also announcing some artists for the existing titles.

* Geoff Johns is doing (ugh) Shazam with Dave Eaglesham, who showed off a really great, fun cover suggesting the possibility of a tonal shift away from Johns writing the absolute worst version of that character imaginable. On the likelihood of said possibility though, I think @intergalactic-zoo put it best. I might just check it out in trade if word of mouth is overwhelmingly positive, but then, lots of otherwise rational people liked or at least saw merit in his original crack at it with Gary Frank, and you were all deliriously, impossibly wrong back then, too.

* And finally, speaking of Johns, he’s doing Batman: Three Jokers as a 3-issue mini with Jason Fabok, a smart move given that is precisely as much as I’m willing to invest in this out of morbid curiosity. What’s really baffling though is that it’s being released under Black Label. It would seem to destroy the stated purpose of the line by immediately releasing Very Important Continuity Comics under it, but maybe this means Batman’s gonna follow in his protege’s footsteps and say a fuck. Anyway, I’m mostly just hoping it isn’t revealed Fun Golden Age Joker is actually not the original in order to rub out the prospect that he was ever truly anything but a terrifying sidekick-butchering murder machine at the center of very serious stories, because that feels to be like a real possibility. And absolute no question one of the three is gonna turn out to be the lost child of Marionette and Mime in Doomsday Clock.

[canvaswolfdoll]

CanvasWatches: The Dragon Prince

Netflix is making a live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series.

Just… no? I realize time and development has been put into this. People are employed. But… the first series was magic, stop trying to recapture it.

Netflix has this problem where they want to propel themselves forward with original content, but that content is very mediocre. They try reviving old series and produce productions that disappoint.[1] The original concepts mostly fade into obscurity, are Stranger Things (which had one pretty good season, and then a mediocre second season), or is BoJack Horseman which I haven’t watched but haven’t heard a bad word about.

Then there’s their irritating handling of Anime.[2]

Netflix is willing to experiment and let creators do what they want. I admire that. But (and trust me, I hate to say this), they need focus testing. They need a stricter format. Edges for creators to bump up against and work around.

A standard season length, for one. An allotted time per episode maybe. Make production a puzzle to solve.

Instead they say ‘Let’s do the live-action Avatar series no one asked for, and is a passive insult to the original!’[3]

Which drags us into The Dragon Prince.

Spoilers! You might want to watch it for yourself (it’s nine episodes), but if you don’t mind spoilers, go ahead. I’m not the City Watch.

So, I think we’ve finally figured it out. We had Avatar: The Last Airbender, which was great. Then we distilled the creative staff, ran experiments and isolated elements.

Legend of Korra was good. Had the creators produce it, but not the head writer. The world was the same, but evolved in interesting ways. Good character concepts and real heart, but still missing the magic and character relationships that resonated so well in the first series.

Now, with The Dragon Prince, we get to see what happens when you isolate AtLA’s head writer, Aaron Ehasz.

You get a cliche fantasy setting, weak main plot, and a lot of cheap AtLA mimicry. But you also get some super charming child characters, intriguing (if not currently complex) villains, and small details that could build up to something great.

Which is to say: go to Bryke for the world and myth arc, go to Ehasz for the character interactions.

There it is! The ultimate break down! Let’s pack this up and…

Okay, fine. You want to hear my opinions on The Dragon Prince. That’s… fair, I guess.

So, in this setting, magic comes from six source: The sun! The moon! The Stars! The Ocean! The Earth! I think the sky?[4]

However, then humanity created a seventh magic! Dark Magic! Ooo, so evil, so dastardly!

Sigh.

Just once, I’d like dark magic to just be misunderstood. If they called it Life Magic, they’d probably have better PR.

Anyways, humanity went to war with the elves, but the Dragon King got sick of the fighting, so he sent the humans west, elves to the east, and divided the continent in half with a lava river.

Humanity didn’t really like this, so they killed the dragon king and his egg. So that’s vengeance.

Except this upset the elves because, y’know, murder’s bad. So they send a party from the assassin elf faction: The Moon Shadow Elves! They turn invisible under moonlight![5]

They’re gonna kill the Human king and his son to make things even. Because suddenly murder’s not so bad?

However, a member of the group is a child who couldn’t will herself to kill.

Basically, that cool and exciting setting you created when you were fourteen? Good news, it’s a Netflix Show now! Yay!

Also, the first season is Book 1: Moon.

And the title card is formatted exactly like Avatar, but with white text on a black background.

So the world isn’t special, and they’re deliberately aping some Avatar trappings. But that’s fine, there’s still the characters and plot. We could bicycle this!

So, what do we have with the humans? A beloved king with a dead wife and two children? Okay… both are sons,[6] so at least it’s not the usual nuclear structure. And, hey, the eldest prince is the king’s step son! Nice change.

Who else? King has an advisor that uses dark magic, suggested killing the dragon king and the egg, and talks above his station. But, hey, Lord Viren has two charming children, and he seems genuinely concerned about his king’s survival and the good of…

Oh, he gets a magic makeover in the final episode to make him look more inhuman, and spends the season plotting to take the throne.

Ugh. Of course.

Well, what about Viren’s children? Claudia is a mage like her dad, and is a cloudcuckoolander. Good choice. And she doesn’t do much that’s actively evil. We’ve got Ty Lee in Zuko’s role. I’m game.

Soren is… well, he’s going to be Azula. He doesn’t have her sadistic streak, but he’s been given the job of eliminating claims to the throne, is a competent combatant, and Viren motivates him with being in line for the throne.

He could turn, but my money’s on just being Azula.

Now, to be clear, Viren wasn’t obviously evil. There were plenty of early moments that hinted that he could be sympathetic and non-evil. However, he does spiral into torture and deceit, so once the season is over, there’s no ambiguity. Sorry.

Hey, what about the main cast?

Prince Callum is voiced by Sokka! Awesome! Jack De Sena needs more work. This time, he gets magic and impressive artistic skills! But he had to give up his sword abilities, and kept the daddy issues. But there’s still that snarky edge and loving brother personality, though the weight of them have been swapped.

He’s the half brother of Prince Ezran, who is the heir apparent of the kingdom. He’s… a goofy young boy. I dunno. Aang light. No overt talents. He’s fine.

So those two are hanging out at the castle, when suddenly their father tries to send them off to the winter cabin, despite it being not winter. He suggests made making a dirt man or going mud sledding.

Callum finds this suspect, and eventually logics out that King Harrow expects to be assassinated and wants to get his sons a safe distance away.

Meanwhile, the Moon Shadow Elves are planning their assassination, making a vow on a magic ribbon that will amputate a limb if they fail. Two targets: King Harrow and Prince Ezran to make up for killing the Dragon King and his egg. Even, you know?

Of course, they dragged a literal child along and had her make the same oath with the same ribbon, so screw ‘em. Child soldiers are bad.

This girl is Rayla. She’ll be the rogue of the main cast! Yay![7]

However, after making this promise, they find out she let a guard go so the humans know they’re coming. You’re off the mission Rayla! Turn in your fancy switchblades and ribbon!

Except the ribbon is magic and won’t come off until the job is done, so keep that I guess. And it’d be mean to take away your knives, so… look, stay at camp while the five adults go murder a dude and an actual kid.

Please remember, these jerks wanted to murder an innocent child.

Rayla decides to redeem herself, and sneaks into the castle. She finds the two princes, Callum attempts to martyr himself for Ezran, shenanigans occur in secret tunnels, and… oh, look, it’s the Dragon King’s Egg. Guess they didn’t actually kill that?

Well, let’s call the whole thing off!

Oh, nevermind. Rayla’s Uncle still wants to kill the king and prince. What a jerk.

So our three heroes escape the castle with the egg, planning on returning to the Dragon Queen. We got our mission!

Oh, and the elves killed King Harrow. So… that’s fun.

To be honest, I wouldn’t discount Lord Viren using dark magic to sidestep this. But he’s also trying to claim the throne, so maybe the king is actually dead.

Could go either way.

The kids head off to the royal cottage, where they stumble onto Callum’s aunt. She’s mute! (Maybe deaf, not one hundred percent on that, since lip reading was referenced but also some ambiguity…)

She’s a military General, fights with a shield, is super awesome, and I’m sad how Callum didn’t bring her into the scheme.

Like, yes, for the plot to work, Lord Viren needs to know the princes are alive and the boys have to be careful and having General Amaya know and supporting the boys would’ve caused other troubles.

But… c’mon Callum, literally signing to Amaya that Rayla is a monster and forcing the elf to do a Blue Spirit act is terrible. Like… they’ve established a sweet way for Callum to communicate a secret past her soldiers, and they didn’t use it for a sweet twist?

Ugh. Intentional miscommunication and unnecessary secrets. They are hitting a bunch of my hated tropes.[8]

The children run off and… don’t really do anything very interesting for a couple episodes.

The villain side of things is where the real fun is! General Amaya goes to the castle to report on the survival of the princes and stop Lord Viren from taking the throne.

However, Lord Viren offers her the throne. Again, how the scene is written and acted, I still found myself doubting what role Viren’s supposed to take. He seems genuinely concerned for the general populace, and offers compromises at every turn, and communicates honestly and…

I want Lord Viren to be a misunderstood good guy. I really want Dark Magic to not be an irredeemable evil. A story without a Big Bad, just factions with cross purposes would be great. There’s so many good escape routes for a more interesting story.

Then Lord Viren throws the man Amaya chose (her interpreter, Gren. He’s neat! I like him!) to lead the Prince Recovery Team into a dungeon, where he can watch Viren torture Rayla’s uncle for information.

Yeah… this is who our villain is.

In Gren’s place, Viren sends his children. Soren is given secret instructions to insure the princes don’t make it home alive, and Claudia is given secret instructions to prioritize the safety of the egg. So that’s our Zuko and Azula doing the Avatar hunt.

They have a fun dynamic as Soren doesn’t put much stock in magic and Claudia is an adorable dark magician girl![10] I look forward to more of them.

Now, back to the D&D campaign of the kids: Callum is trying to learn magic after stealing Claudia’s storm magic orb, and he’s pretty good at it. Rayla is worried about the ribbon cutting off her circulation and is an awesome rogue. Ezran… needs to learn healing magic so we can have a Cleric.

They accidentally drop the egg into a frozen lake and are afraid the baby dragon within is dying, so they head off to get help at a town. There’s a fun kid moment with Rayla turning a snowman into a snow-elf (it was a cute moment and Rayla needs more).

Then the group picks up a girl, Ellis, so abruptly that she might as well have been a player that joined between sessions. Ellis rides a giant puppy named Ava, so we’ve got a beast-master fighter!

Ellis tells the boys about a magic healer on the top of a scary mountain filled with scary monsters. With no options, the four go to the mountain.

They fight one monster, have some self reflection, get to the mountain, learn Ezran can talk to animals,[11] and the monsters there are illusions.

They get to where to where the healer is, only to learn that, nah, she’s just a powerful illusionist and Ava only has three legs.

The only way to save the egg is to hatch it. But they need a storm to do so.

Thus, Callum shatters his magic orb to release a storm, the egg hatches, and the titular Dragon Prince is able to gently bite off the magic ribbon Rayla couldn’t cut off with a magic sun knife.

(Either the dragon is magic enough, or saving the baby dragon was considered equal to assassinating Ezran).

Soren and Claudia use a spell to pinpoint the group!

Lord Viren inprisons Rayla’s uncle in a coin and transforms into an eviller looking form!

Also, there’s some mystery with a magic mirror? Cliffhanger stuff.

So… The Dragon Prince is not amazing. The dialogue and character interactions and relationships are great, but the story and world is paint by numbers.

The next season has plenty of room for subversions and interesting experiments, but… until I see it, I honestly think the show’s skippable in its current form. Filler episodes to build the world and characters would do a lot to help, and committing to nuances hinted at for Lord Viren would be great.

Also, hopefully they improve the animation. I’m not normally one to care about frame rates, but boy did the animation stutter a lot for a finished product.

It’s average.

Thanks for reading this review! Consider checking out my other writings, sending me comments and questions, check out my webcomic or RPG Blog, or whatever. Next time, Netflix is releasing an Anime I’ve been excited for nearer the end of the month. Keep an eye out for that, which will post to my Patreon first. I’m also slowly rolling out a Review of Digimon there!

Until we go flying with dragons,

Kataal kataal.

[1] Admittedly, modern fandom is filled with loud obnoxious people, but I haven’t heard anything good about Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, even from my less frothy-mouthed sisters. [2] If you’re gonna simuldub series in Canada, you can do it in the US, you jerks! [3] Everything can be improved. But actually remaking something just says the original wasn’t good enough. That’s why people hate reboots. [4] Can’t remember if that’s under the purview of the stars or not… [5] Which is Warcraft, Ehasz. [6] Unless there’s a spoiler with Ezran’s voice cast. [7] Canvas likes playing rogues. [8] Let’s see if season two can get inappropriate student-teacher relationship![9] Then they can get a free sandwich. And my eternal ire. [9] For the record: when Claudia inevitably defects and starts teaching Callum magic, that’s not going to count. The two are close in age and it’s not an institutional power imbalance. [10] I want a show about Claudia, Rayla, and Amaya on awesome adventures. [11] He’s a druid! Learn to heal, nerd.

[vorthosjay]

Let’s Talk About Return to Dominaria Episode 9

This one is a fast one, because it’s late, but I feel like there’s a lot to talk about. Here’s the story link. I got exactly what I wanted from Jaya and Karn, but the compressed timeframe for the story and some transitional problems become apparent here. Sorry it’s late, but it’s been a super busy week at work and I wasn’t able to fit it into my usual lunchtime routine.

Chandra’s Outburst by Yongjae Choi

Chandra paced back and forth on the loose dirt near Karn's crater, waving her hands. "Are you kidding me? You've been lying all this time? Why?" They were surrounded by piles of smoldering trees and pieces of wrecked automatons, the air heavy with smoke. Furious, she faced Luti. Or Jaya. Or whoever this was. "Why would you do this to me?"

"Not everything is about you, Chandra." Jaya was annoyingly calm.

I already love Jaya. I’m very, very happy with how this reveal was pulled off, and I’m glad Jaya is way more than her Mother Luti persona.

Jaya sighed. "A long time ago, I went to Regatha, helped a few people, got drunk, talked a lot, apparently did some very impressive pyromancy, then left. Two hundred years later, I went back and found they'd started a religion based on me." She folded her arms and admitted, "It was all a little embarrassing, frankly."

This is quite possibly the best quote ever.

"I didn't want to be a religious icon, but I had to make sure they weren't misrepresenting me!" Jaya said, as if it was obvious. "And I thought I owed them a little guidance. Where do you think the monastery kept getting those 'long-lost writings of Jaya Ballard' from?"

This is EXACTLY what I called out in Jaya Ballard Returns. I love that this blows Chandra’s mind.

Jaya laughed. "Oh, don't look like that." She sighed and her expression turned serious. "I felt guilty. I never meant them to take me that seriously, but there they were, years later, treating me like an all-knowing deity. But I liked the work they were doing, helping young pyromancers. I'd been aging for sixty years, and I wanted to do something worthwhile for what was left of my life." She eyed Chandra. "You have some idea of how hard it can be to help those kids. They're impatient, reckless, refuse to listen to anyone . . ."

THE SHADE. Jaya is like

"And now I'll let you tell me what I need to know to be a more powerful pyromancer."

Jaya took the goggles, and her expression turned hard as stone. "Absolutely not."

"When I was Mother Luti, you dismissed me as a useless old woman. As Jaya Ballard, suddenly I'm worth listening to."

"What are you digging for?" She had been so busy arguing with Jaya yesterday, she hadn't even thought to ask.

"The Cylix," he told her. "It was created by Urza to help defeat the Phyrexians. I intend to take it to New Phyrexia and detonate it there."

"So it's like a bomb? A giant bomb?"

"Exactly like a giant bomb," Karn said.

A couple notes here.

Urza did not create the Golgothian Sylex. I can absolutely see why history would think he did.

“Sylex” is not a real word. Everything after antiquities has used Cylix. This is not an error but the fixing of an error.

"Yes, to help protect the excavation from Multani's attacks. In his semiconscious state, he senses that the Cylix is being uncovered, brought closer to the surface, and he fears it. For good reason; it caused great damage to him.

Ha! I apparently called this one, almost exactly, last month.

"Yeah." Still watching Karn, Jaya shook her head a little. "Everyone I've talked to thinks the Phyrexians aren't a threat anymore, but . . . He needs to do this. I just wish he didn't."

Chandra frowned. "They destroyed a whole plane, so why is destroying them a bad thing?" The problem with interplanar threats was that by the time you realized you were in danger, it was generally too late to do anything about them. Or that was how it had worked with Bolas on Amonkhet.

"Because it means he'll have to go back there." Jaya grimaced. "And that could be a disaster for a number of reasons."

It could be! We don’t know what effect it will have on New Phyrexia. A mission to New Phyrexia, in general, is fraught with dangers, not the least of which is Karn’s recapture.

But Chandra looked back at Multani. Karn had said he was semiconscious, that he would never do any of this if he was awake and aware. She didn't want to leave him like that. And she thought she knew a solution. "No, you two go. I want to try to fix this."

"Fix it?" Jaya asked, startled. "How?"

"Something a friend of mine showed me."

They’re leaning into Gruulfriends here a bit, aren’t they?

She said, "I know you can hear me. I know you don't want to be like this, you don't want to hurt people. That's not what you are. Think about water, still cool water. Flowing over your skin, your bark, into your branches and leaves. You're a light, floating on that water."

Just saying the words like Nissa had, visualizing them, made Chandra feel calmer. I miss her, and I don't know if I'm ever going to see her again. Chandra imagined the light floating on the water herself and let her emotions still into a calm sadness. She remembered what Jaya had said about knowing your true self and added, "I know you don't want to hurt anyone. Sink into the water, find your true self waiting there. Remember—remember who you are . . ."

"I don't want to fight with you, Jaya. I'm sorry about how I treated you and I understand why you don't want to help me. I wouldn't want to help me, either. But I hope we can still be friends."

Jaya eyed her, a small smile tugging at her mouth.

Hey, more character growth for Chandra, that’s not all that common so I’m happy with this.

Teferi lifted his brows. "Karn could help. But you forget, I'm no longer a Planeswalker. Unless Bolas comes here . . ." He trailed off as Jhoira lifted her pendant and opened it. His eyes widened.

"I'd never forget that," Jhoira said, watching him gravely. The Powerstone in the locket was reflected in Teferi's eyes. He had recognized it immediately, felt its call to him.

Karn leaned forward to look. "It's your spark?"

Teferi's brow furrowed. "How?" he said.

"The Mana Rig." She held it out to him. "Will you take it back?"

Lol, okay, so this makes it pretty clear we’re not getting the metaphysics for how this happened. Just accept that it did. That’s fine, I doubt any attempt to explain the metaphysics of it would actually help in any meaningful way.

Teferi expended his spark on Shiv to restore it. I’m sure that if Jhoira could detect the dispersed power, she could charge a powerstone with it somehow. Not a big deal.

"He didn't tell you about the Black Blade," Liliana said, with an irritated glance at him. "It's a sword that slew an elder dragon, and Gideon is too delicate to allow us to use it."

I’m pretty sure this ends with Gideon using it (which we know from the flavor text) because he doesn’t want anyone else to make that sacrifice.

A thump of displaced air made him flinch, then with a sudden blaze of blue light, someone else stood in the compartment.

Gideon shoved out of his chair and grabbed for his sword. Jaya was already on her feet, Liliana threw herself back against the wall and lifted her hands to cast a spell, and Chandra vaulted on top of the table, fire already crackling around her hair. Then Gideon froze, recognizing the aether trail almost before he recognized the newcomer's face. "Jace!"

This is heavily incongruous with the time frame presented in the Ixalan story, where Jace has been for about five months.

The time from HOU to this story, as presented for Chandra, is less than two weeks.

That’s not a small discrepancy. A few days are whatever, a few months are... significantly confusing. 

I talk a bit about my unhappyness with this continuity error here.

Basically, I’m of a few minds about it. I don’t like being the continuity police, and I’m willing to overlook quite a bit. Dominaria is weird because there is a lot of deliberately misremembered history, too, so it’s not always clear whats a continuity error and what characters don’t actually have their facts straight.

I think what happened here is the timeline for developing Dominaria and Rivals of Ixalan’s stories overlapped, and some details were lost in translation. It’s entirely possible that, simply, no one realized the timelines didn’t match up. Ixalan was a labor of love by Kelly and Alison, along with editor Gregg Luben. Those credits show an incredibly short staffed creative team that’s only gotten more so. It’s possible that simply put, no one had time to triple check for continuity errors like that. The Jace scene, as written, isn’t a big deal because that kind of thing happens all the time in serialized stories like this, but there are a few other questionable bits of continuity in the stories for Dominaria that I’ve mentioned in this series as ‘huh?’ moments.

Ultimately, I’m going to chalk it up to growing pains. I’m looking at getting an interview with the new Senior Narrative Franchise Designer so we can get a better idea of what the story development process looks like these days.

*STRONG LANGUAGE WARNING, SKIP AHEAD IF NECESSARY*

And honestly, I’ve thought about it a lot, and you need to understand how much of a continuity clusterfuck most of Magic’s history is, especially regarding early Magic history. The difference of a few months is a big continuity error to us today, but that really just speaks well to the current creative team because once upon a time timelines didn’t line up, characters existed in different forms across different novels centuries apart, and the same location existed on completely different continents, among other shenanigans.

Dominaria’s issues are incredibly minor by comparison.

Jhoira smiled faintly. "I don't know what the future holds, and this might be a moment we both regret later. But this is a weapon you should have." She pulled the pendant off her neck and dropped it into Teferi's waiting palm. "Welcome back."

How does he get his spark back out, though? Does he eat it? I imagine this is going to be another one that’s just not explained.

[oguild]

Scrum Master Interview Questions

The role of Scrum Master in the IT industry is often hard to understand. There is also a lack of clarity in the responsibilities and set of tasks that a Scrum master must perform. Below is an excerpt from an interaction where Saket talks to one of the Scrum professionals and clears few core concepts regarding the role of Scrum masters and how the Scrum masters should present themselves during an interview.

Scrum Professional: I got through many interviews lately, and there are some of the critical questions asked to every person applying for this role. Since facilitation is considered the crucial role of Scrum master, people are willing to know: What is your daily routine? Now, most of the time as a scrum master goes in communicating with the team, reviewing various dashboards, attending ceremonies, etc. What do you suggest can be the best way of answering such a question?

Saket: That sounds interesting. What do you think the interviewers might be trying to find by asking such a question?

Scrum Professional: I think there can be two reasons for asking such a question:

• The interviewers might want to know: How, as a Scrum master, we fill our eight hours of work at the job. What is our contribution in these eight hours?

• Second, the interviewers might want to test the waters of Scum master. They might be interested in knowing whether the person is just operational and only resolves the issues posted to him, or he is a proactive person and takes self-initiatives in a forward-going manner. It may be a second perspective to it.

Saket: Perfect! So, I think the first point you mentioned automatically gets taken care of if we focus on the second one. My understanding is more aligned with your second point. See, the title and designations are organization-specific. So when somebody tells me that I am working as a Scrum master, I get about 30-40% of clarity of what this guy might be doing at his job. Only when I get a view of his daily routine will I come to know about all his roles and responsibilities. The interviewer is trying to extract what you do to facilitate your team to become an effective team. How do you make them high-performing? How are you helping them grow and deliver something that they are supposed to provide? Also, a critical perspective here is that the interviewer is indirectly trying to find out your efficiency in managing the team. The kind of activities that you perform as a Scrum master also reveals the health of your team. For example, if you say I remind my team of filling their JIRA activities, it tells a lot about your team. To me, it is an indicator that the team is at an elementary level. They have not yet crossed the first boundary, and they are still struggling with the basics of Scrum. They are still struggling in communication and collaboration, and you, as a Scrum Master, are working on a very superficial level to manage the basics of Scrum get done. Another example: If you say there are many conflicts in the team and resolve them regularly, it shows what might be happening in your group. Again, to me, it shows that there is a lack of transparency. The team is struggling in communication, and you, as a Scrum Master, are working as a bridge between various members to help resolve the issue and get the delivery done. Take another instance; if you say I keep myself busy discussing with the Product owner, it might pass on an impression that the team is talking less to the product owner. You, as a Scrum Master, are not responsible for discussing requirements alone. It is the responsibility of your team. So it again put a question on your role, efficiency, and above all on your understanding of the SCRUM.

Scrum Professional: Ok. I think I get it now! The interviewer is trying to get the perspective about the team to understand my role in a better way. So what do you suggest? How should we frame our answer to this question?

Saket: While it is essential to talk about your role in the scrum ceremonies and daily routine activities, I suggest emphasizing forward-looking things. As you mentioned earlier, the interviewer might be interested in the kind of self-initiated activities that you might be taking up apart from the bookish definition of a Scrum master. You can try to reflect more on the team development and product development activities. For example, You conduct a one-to-one discussion with each team member in every iteration. The purpose of such a discussion is to understand the clarity that every person has at any moment.

Another thing that you can reflect upon is the discussion that you have with the product owner, not regarding the current sprint tasks or upcoming requirements but as a holistic approach to design and shape the product in a better position than it currently is. So, a forward-looking approach is a way to present yourself in answer to such a question. Another important thing while answering such a question, your response should reflect on your aspirations and the kind of work that you want to do in the future, even if you are not performing those tasks entirely in your current position. The job should meet your aspirations if you are going to perform well.

Scrum Professional: Great insights. That was detailed and made perfect sense. The next question that I have is around the client expectations. In a country like India, where most industries are service-based, the client is regularly pushing for deadlines. Sometimes, the scope is changed even after the sprint planning. So, the question, "how do you manage the client expectations in such cases" is asked?

Saket: We need to balance our answer so that we do not look too idealistic as well as it does not look that we will just get carried away in the situation and unable to take care of our team. We need to find a balancing act. We all face such problems many times when there is a conflict between the client's expectations and the project timelines. In my understanding, two key points can help:

• Empathy

• Transparency

You relate to the person, make him understand the pain of the other person. It is more about you empathizing with the customer, product owner and making the product owner empathize with you and your team. It would help if you created a sense that only by empathizing with each other can we achieve something. You need to make the client understand that pushing will not alone bring the results. It is creative work to think, design, code, test, and execute many other processes. Quality is also an important aspect. You cannot just afford the delivery at the cost of quality. A healthy environment for the team is also essential. A healthy environment is a must for delivering a healthy product. Once you have empathized with your client about these things, things get easier to tackle. Secondly, transparency is of paramount importance. It would help if you were transparent with the client regarding all your processes and challenges. Clarity brings mutual trust, and that is the key to a long and healthy customer relationship. Make things transparent and have confidence because, without these, two shows cannot run.

Scrum Professional: I agree with you. I recently faced a similar situation where negotiations and teams indeed came up with the best possible solution. I have also seen examples where the team recommends the items those need to be picked from the backlog, which can be delivered effectively based on the team's current situation.

Saket: Yeah, that is a perfect example. We can always share insights into internal development with the product owner or client. It will increase the team's confidence and reduce any conflicts with the customer's expectations.

Scrum Professional: Right. So that is that. Another point that I want to discuss is regarding the Job description of a Scrum master. I have worked as a Scrum Master in 3 different domains, and I found that I could manage each one of them well. However, most of the time, the Job description is so domain-specific that it becomes to get even shortlisted. Even if you land at an interview, it is hard to convince the interviewer of your capabilities due to cross-domain concerns. What do you think of such a situation?

Saket: I understand that. Often, the organizations can be looking to sort out a specific problem, and therefore the team is framed with particular skill sets in mind and might also want a Scrum master from the same background. However, this problem...

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