#look at my friends art dangit

[egophiliac]

I want your opinion on something. Do you think it's better to try and the the cards of the character you like or skipping some to brench out? Like, say you're a fan of Leona. Should you try to get all of his bday card and stuff or stick to one and get other characters ssr?

personally, as much as I would like every single card...I gotta ration my keys, so I focus on my favorites!

which isn't to say that I only pull for certain characters no matter what! more that I take a good long look at every card that comes out and go "do I really want this one? like...really really want it?" (the answer is usually yes, but -- look, the art in this game is very pretty, okay)

honestly, from a gameplay standpoint, I think it doesn't matter too much whether you focus on pulling for specific characters or not. there are very, very few points where actually having a good mix of characters is important (Those Two Stages in episode 6, where I think you can use retry tickets for the easy mode? and also guest room battles if you care about those) and you'll probably end up with at least one halfway decent card per character just from doing 10-pulls and events. so even if you're only pulling for Leona cards, you'll still end up getting a bajillion other characters as well. follow your heart! chase that grumpy lion bliss! ✨🦁✨

[codylabs]

Dangit, I just finished one giant metroid comic now I'm inspired to start like half a dozen more. Maybe typing them out here will get them out of my head but probably not.

One about Samus waiting out a rainstorm alongside some federation soldiers. They ask her why she wears yellows and reds all the time and she tells them a little about Chozo culture, and their philosophies on war and pride and prophecy.

A retelling of Dread's events showing Raven Beak's perspective and tactics, and Samus's misadventures after an E.M.M.I. actually manages to shank her.

One of Samus's many duels with Ridley, in the middle of a battle, in the bottom of a crater knee deep in mud. Pirates watch from one ridge, and federation soldiers from the other, cheering for their champions and helping out with sniper shots. Sam and Rids brutalize each other for pages upon pages, each and every blow leaving a mark, every tool and weapon gets used, both of them covered in mud until their shapes and their bodies get lost in stylized pages and it just looks like two indistinct monsters tearing into each other with teeth, flashes of their backstories with roles and species and shapes and people mixed and jumbled in a misremembered haze of savagery. The art style finally normalizes when they're both too exhausted and wounded to keep fighting. She staggers over to him, shatters open his skull, sinks a fist into his brain, and pulls out a cybernetic chip that's just finished backing up his mind to a clone somewhere. She vaporizes the chip in rage, and sits down in the mud, exhausted. The Feds rally and the pirates are routed, and when all its quiet she asks his corpse if he ever grows weary.

One about her and Anthony's friendship, played out in bits and pieces over many years and the stories of many games as they grow together during military service, and then, over long years, slowly apart. He's one of the few to visit her whenever she's down for the count (in Fusion and Corruption) and he comforts her when Zebes is destroyed. Both of them visibly age as the story continues, and her suit breaks and adapts and grows visibly, and finally she (now an older lady, perhaps considering romance for the first time) asks her oldest friend he ever thinks about settling down. He reveals that he already has long ago, and shows her a picture of a wife and kid.

An cunning trap is laid for her by an infamous and wealthy (Jabba-the-Hutt-expy) slave lord. She shows up in the middle of his den, and he offers her alliance and a job. When she refuses, an enormous trained monster leap from the shadows, grab her arm cannon, and pins it into a custom steel clamp that's bolted to the floor, just to keep her gun facing down a hallway. Other underlings wheel out a massive laser, which begins cutting into her suit, and draining her energy. The slave lord continues to gloat. She tries every attack and weapon, and when none of them work, and the clamp too durable for her to break in time, she does the only thing she can, and tears her arm cannon off its hinges. She finishes off the lord and his men with her fists, then frees her cannon and the slaves, and flees into the desert.

One about Samus waking from a dream of the Chozo temple on Zebes, and seeing her old, worn out and dusty suit leaning in its bay. In a fit of determined inspiration she stays up all night cleaning the suit, buffing its scratches, and polishing its plates, and dressing it up in Chozo ceremonial garb (similar to the ones Raven Beak wears, but with Zebesian alphabet). When she finishes she stands to look at it, and it's beautiful. A tear smears her warpaint. When she falls again asleep, she has another dream of the temple packed wall to wall with her people, all dressed in armor in hundreds of colors, arm cannons and spears raised in salute, as they cheer her triumphant return back home.

[starknife-starmimi]

Good day! It's New years anon again! I kinda thought of something which is inspired by your recent art so have mercy on me and it has a little twist.

Okay:

Near the beginning of their relationship, Mimic would check Starline's video memos in secret out of curiosity (mainly so that he can hear him ramble)

Starline would catch onto this, but instead of confronting him he would leave little hints that he knew Mimic was watching them.

When they actually see each other, Starline acts normal and sort of waits till Mimic is ready to admit.

So in conclusion, I really like the idea of Mimic falling for a theater kid who rambles a lot

Good Day! It's nice to see you in my inbox again, New Years Anon!

I don't see why I wouldn't give you mercy. You're fun to chat with :3

In conclusion, we both really like the idea of Mimic falling for a thearter kid who rambles a lot.

Starline leaving little hints in the recordings, like he says something he knows Mimic will be annoyed by and mutters :

" And don't give me that look "

Before continuing his explanation.

Imagine if Mimic had always been listening to Starline's recordings from the very beginning so he could make sure Starline wasn't trying to manipulate or use him.

( I headcanon Mimic to be very paranoid when it comes to trusting others and often expects the worst from others right off the bat. )

Wait- What if Mimic actually found out Starline had a crush on him by listening to his recordings cause Starline, whether intentional or accidental, confessed he had been growing feelings in the middle of a ramble and forgot to cut it out the recording. 👀

I think a friend brought up a similar concept or something to me already, but still, dnxbbfbfhfhf aaaahhh

Dangit, now I'm rambling !

Thanks for the ask, Anon!

[nompunhere]

BEHOLD, AN ART! HUZZAH (click for higher quality. or open the image in a new tab, that usually helps in my experience lol)

not much of a title, but it’s saved in my files as “Beverage,” lol. I’m reasonably satisfied with how it came out, but mostly, it was fun to draw, and isn’t that what really counts?

X/ero gets his nap interrupted because his boyf is thorsty. poor X/ero. eh, he’ll get over himself. oh, and M/arkoth is showing off his proboscis, good for him~

since I (apparently) can’t get enough of these two, I made some littol comicks for them, which can be found under the cut. they’re all G/t, but no vore. there’ll also be another thing or two related to the above piece ‘cause I like how it looks

1. Kissing a giant or a tiny is hard when you don’t have lips. And when you get too involved and your proboscis gets stuck to your partner’s face, that doesn’t help either.

2. I heckin love drawing bug hands. All segments and curves and sharp edges—much easier than human hands. Oh and Xero has scars because hecc u, he’s a warrior. He may or may not be a little self-conscious about them. Why are they in places that would be unreachable with the helmet on? Uhhhhhh well that’s why he wears a helmet now, so there. gog dangit I forgot to go back and add them into the colored pic

3. Markoth, being a moth, is very impressed by his friend’s ability to pick up a nail longer than he is tall. Better not let him see what Sly can do, lmao. Also Mark’s moth status is relevant because they’re a pacifistic race and his fighting style is self-taught. Thus, no one taught him how to properly take care of his nails. and Xero has his helmet on for this because there’s no reason to have it off and it’s way easier to draw than those freakiNG MANDIBLES- -oh yeah, and the background. I start drawing organic repetitive patterns and autopilot go brrrrr

anyway! the other things I wanted to share, regarding the first drawing:

whenever Mark sticks out his proboscis, the tongue goes with it. thought it was a fun little detail to include. Markoth, of course, would vehemently deny that this habit is adorable, but Seer and Xero both disagree

and then we have this lineless version, because I was messing around with the layers and thought it looked neat

okay I promise I’m done rambling now, eheh. I’m always open for feedback, if you wanna share your thoughts!

———————————-

DNI NSFW blogs, blogs that post exclusively hard and/or fatal vore, weight gain blogs, proshippers, TERFs, ace exclusionists, etc.

[pashminalamb]

BELLEEEEEE!!!!! I’ve missed you so much 😭😭😭😭😭!!!!! Typing this as I’m sitting in my car after getting out of my last class. FINALS. ARE. FINALLY. OVER. And I passed all my classes with As!!!! Final exams went really well too!!! I feel like I’m gonna fall and pass out for 12 hours. Which I actually did yesterday because I had finished all my exams/classes but I had one more class to go to today.

BUT ENOUGH ABT ME HOW ARE YOU MY DEAR SWEET BLUE PUNK FAIRY FRIEND??? Have you been eating and drinking water?? Resting??? Taking breaks??? Isabelle. If you haven’t. *gently bonks head* Oliver would reprimand you too yknow? And not the fun bedroom scolding. TAKE BREAKS LOVE!!!! 😭😭❤️ Taking regular breaks is a responsibility to yourself that everyone forgets sometimes when they get lost in all their other responsibilities. Multitasking writing different works too much can cause headaches, speaking from experience sweetheart. And going to the gym is great but your body needs to relax and rest too. Water and a good meal and a hot shower/bath do wonders after a long session do wonders trust me. So please rest okay?

CONGRATULATIONS ON 1.6K 🎉✨🥳!!!! The numbers keep climbing so fast and all these milestones are amazing!!!! I’m so proud of you love 🥹✨❤️!!!

I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHOS WATCHED KUROKO NO BASKET. Seriously the fandom is almost completely dead 😭😭💀. I knew it was a oldie but a goody but I didn’t think it was dust and tumbleweeds out here 😭😭. So glad you like it too!! Haikyuu will always be my favorite sports anime and one of my top favorites in general, it holds a really special place in my heart, but KnB was still a really fun watch.

ASFKKFFKJFHKHJG. THAT OLVER ART. Pls he’d hate getting out of bed and just become a complete octopus in the mornings. You gotta wake him up for practice and it’s such a chore. He’s such a big baby pshhhh. But there are some upsides like him saying the only way he’s gonna get up is if you place exactly 100 kisses all over his face, more than half of them end up being on the lips when he actually starts to get up, and you relent every money with a roll of your eyes and and huff and a fond smile he misses cause his eyes are closed. The first thing you do is wipe off that smug smirk from his face. Also hc that Oliver is actually really ticklish and it’s your weapon. Don’t get up even after the kisses? His sides are looking very open rn. Wont get off after flopping on you on the couch? You’re in the perfect position to reach his armpits. Wont stop clinging to you while you’re trying to do a new eye makeup style for your guys’ date? His neck is literally wide open cause he loves smushing his face into the crook of your neck.

What video? Did you post it on your other account? Because I couldn’t find it. Dangit I wanted to simp for Oliver too 😭😭.

Seriously I’m an introvert what are you gonna do? Lock me inside your house? Great free access to your clothes. Still me seeing friends? What friends babe? Take me everywhere with you? Nice let me grab my book and coffee and we’re good to go. Adjkgfhnjhhhv 💀💀.

That girl shoving into you was so rude. All it takes is a simple excuse me dude. And ISTG PEOPLE WHO SPOIL THINGS WHEN NO ONE ASKED 😤😤😤. They seriously piss me off and ruin the experience. See it’s different when I intentionally spoil myself because I’m too impatient. Someone else doing it? Oh heck no. Its the same feeling as someone taking the last of your favorite snack from the vending machine.

Also just a heads up. I’m gonna sending in multiple asks cause there’s just too much I wanna talk abt and breaking it into parts sounds better. So this is the first one. *sends aggressive virtual hugs that feel like they squish all the exhaustion out of you*

- ✨ anon

Starry! Omg- All As! That's great! And it's a good thing you took rest too- ik that i'm bout to pass out when i finish exams. I hope you're doing alright tho! Sorry it took me long to get to your ask; tumblr is being weird cause i can only see it when i get on my pc... and not on the app. yeah no I'm moving to ao3. i saw the rb of which character i would interpret the best and you said- Oliver Ofc. he's my husband but he doesn't know it yet ૮꒰ ˶> ༝ <˶꒱ა Well, I've been doing pretty good! I finished a jar of nutella (in 2 days) and i'm planning to buy a bigger one; i did drink a lot of water, ate some pasta, taking rest too made a wedding playlist for me and aiku and lowkey enjoyed it *the way i laughed when i saw : And not the fun bedroom scolding.' I'd like to see Oliver reprimand me (truth : he can't. Cause he knows at the end of the day even if he's bigger and stronger than me, he is gonna be beneath me) but yeah he'd probably say something like "you're gonna get sick, doorbell." But yeah i've been taking rest, dw starry! i'm actually giving myself a treat. with ao3 i can take things slow and easy tbh, which is another reason i'm moving there. The blog will be up ofc; to answer asks and for anons who wanna talk to me abt my work, but yeah my activity on ao3 is gonna be very irregular... THANK YOU!! 1.6k is such a big number, past me would have been like 'huh... never thought i'd make it this far.' BUT YEAH I DID ! T.T But actually it’s you guys who got me there so thank you everyone 💓

I think everyone thought that they were the only ones who watched knb; me included. I used to have the BIGGEST crush on aomine, i even found an asmr of his. (and yeah i do listen to asmrs btw) And yeah the fandom is almost dead (｡ ́︿ ̀｡) and I didn’t even get to read that many aomine works too…but yeah I really liked that anime! Haikyuu made me cry after clannad and also made me laugh the hardest, does hold a special place in my heart as well, Bokuto was my fav and rn… no one really. I like all of them cause they’re so unique yk?

As for the Oliver art, pretty sure he would hold you down to the bed. He would demand kisses! He is such a smooth talker- but since I’m me. When he expects a kiss *places hand on his lips before you kiss* “good morning. It’s time to get up” and he just groans when you have a tiny smirk and walk out of your shared bedroom, and his brain just going ‘god woman. You’re gonna be the death of me.’

How- I think I’m getting too predictable with my writing cause I do have something to do with eye makeup in Ocean hues… 👁️ *but we don’t talk abt that cause no spoilers!*

The video! Starry. I BLEW A FUSE CAUSE OF THAT REEL. so story time, I was checking my insta in the morning after I woke up and this gym based reel popped on my feed. And the moment I saw it - I thought of Oliver. Like alright fineeeee this is a guy Idek on the internet just doing his own thing and posting fitness reels but his body. IT LOOKED. LIKE. OLIVER. AND HIS HAIR WAS LIKE AIKU’S TOO! I’m not even joking - The shaggy hair down at the back minus the green highlights - it’s like the way I imagined Oliver’s body to be like. And- I really wasn’t expecting to see THAT in the morning. So it was a really great start to my day- and I couldn’t stop thinking about it for a whole day so I had to save it. I posted the link for a bit so that blue (💙 anon) and other Aikuists could check it out and we were just fawning over this guy. I took the link down soon after cause I didn’t want anyone reblogging it and creating chaos. I’ll put the link again and take it down in 10 mins. I’m telling you though. IT. WAS. FUCKING. HOT. (i'll be putting up the link in a bit and taking it down too you should totally take a look at it- cause the content is not mine neither do i know the guy but FUCK. THAT LOOKED LIKE OLIVER.) The free access to clothes 😭 Happy relationship = yandere bf + a very introverted partner oliver stealing my oversized clothes in the corner I'm an introverted person as well introverted enough to terrify a yandere as well istg- idk who that was, but it was rude to push shove someone and not apologize for it or even an excuse me. and the girl who spoiled wednesday, never saw her again. i get that someone's enthusiastic about a show, but at the same time... some consideration for people around you 😭 anyway, that times gone and i got a lot of better things to move onto like movies, working out and just overall, making myself happy and having a good day yk? *Sending hugs back*

[escapeism-s]

Idk if you know anything about Danganronpa, but I love it so much rn. I've only just gotten into it, and I already love it just from the first game lol

If you can't already tell just but my pfp, my main F/O rn is Leon Kuwata. I love him, his voice, his design, even some of his sprites are hilarious or just appealing. I felt like he deserved so much better, and I know that when I actually watch the anime, his death will destroy me.

I was already sad from when it happened in the game, but in the anime, I know it'll be worse.

Anyway, I just hate that I don't know many Danganronpa fans besides @toasty-self-shipping & @ava-ships .

In fact, Ava is the reason I wanted to learn about Danganronpa! I wanted to know who her F/O was, plus know more about the other characters. I only had F/Oed one person in the beginning, which was Sakura, because I love big muscular women lol, but that was just based on her looks.

I love her still, but even more after the game. But now I have 4 Danganronpa F/Os! Two being polyamorous.

Leon had been on my mind the longest, and he still is! I wish I knew how to draw him and the other characters so I could make ship art and other things.

But, anime style is hard to replicate. Especially since they have such small details that I might forget.

Though, I still want to make a self insert, even though I haven't had many ideas for one.

Anyway, sorry for rambling, I just really love the game & characters!

OH OHH MOSS YOURE GONNA BE HAPPY TO KNOW THAT IVE PLAYED AND REALLY LIKE DANGANRONPA

At least!! The. First one. I only got through half the second one and haven’t touched the third one fhdjd BUT!! YEAAA I have noticed and honestly it made me pretty happy and nostalgic seeing Leon from you! Please this ultimate baseball player would say some cheesy line like “heh, really hit the home run finding someone as great as you”

Honestly, looking back, if talked into it I would definitely bring back Kiyotaka and Naegi to the f/o mix bc honestly, I remember I really liked them! I’d be absolutely down to join you guys in the dangit grandpa f/o pool

And hey! Don’t apologize for rambling, I like it, it makes me happy! Always down for a moss ramble >:) (or rambles from any friends or mutuals)

[pikkish]

whats your favourite praetor suit design (and why)? my friend and i cant agree on which ones the "best" lmao

I lean towards Eternal's suit, but tbh it's pretty close between Eternal's and 2016's. The 2016 suit is cleaner, meaning more simple to draw, and despite how I always think his arms and hands look small, it's more realistically proportioned. I also like 2016's shade of green better, too Meanwhile, Eternal's suit is sO COMPLICATED and his arms and hands are inhumanly big, but they're also more proportioned to my art style anyway lol. Eternal's suit is also the 'current' one, so it usually ends up being the one I draw more.

If you're talking about cosmetics, not the canon suits, though, some of my favorites are

Doom II skin (he hold bnnuy,,)

Doom 64 skin (I like the intro/victory animations)

The gold, gold maykr, and skullface skins (I WORKED HARD TO EARN THOSE DANGIT)

Wetland Warrior or Retrowave (paired with the UAC pedestal for Glowy)

Mom Made my Costume Halloween skin (I just start laughing whenever I think about it)

[always-wayfinder-blog]

AU where Xehanort tells Aqua she can see Terra if she becomes a nort…Desperate. She does. aqua-nort: “I finally found you…” xemnas: “…”

[janmisali]

nobody asked about this because nobody cares about warioware lore but dangit I care about warioware lore so uh, here’s the timeline of the events of the warioware series, as interpreted for my fanfic Wario Faces Consequences for His Actions. “let’s we go, amigo!” (wait, wrong series)

Mega Microgame$: this one has to go first because it’s when wario first created warioware, which consists of him and his friends. most other games with wario in them take place before this (and also are video games that canonically exist within the warioware universe). also, the ending of this game doesn’t happen yet. we’ll get to it later.

Mega Party Game$: this game doesn’t really have a “plot” so much as it has a bunch of surreal cutscenes that show uh. things happening. I think it’s safe to say that this stuff all happens concurrently with the events of mega microgames

Twisted: dr crygor creates a new game system with motion controls, and warioware develops a bunch of games for it. this game also shows how 9-volt and 18-volt became friends so it goes before any later game with 18-volt

Touched: wario steals a high-tech handheld that looks like a ds but isn’t a ds, warioware makes a bunch of games for this thing too. this one has to go after twisted because when wario sees that the ds-like system doesn’t have buttons his first guess for how to play it is motion controls

Smooth Moves: wario steals a Form Baton, warioware makes a bunch of games that use it. this is a common plot for warioware games.

Mega Microgame$ (epilogue): after months of development (it’s still 200X. this whole series takes place over the course of a single year, because none of the child characters age between games), warioware releases compilations* of microgames, which sell extremely well. wario hasn’t paid any of his employees for any of the work they did, and they all get mad at him. characters who were introduced in later games (18-volt, ashley, mike, cricket & mantis, penny) were also there, but you can’t see them in the final cutscene because they’re just out of frame.

*just becomes it’s funny, I say every microgame is also released separately as a standalone product. however in canon these microgames are part of compilations, seen at the end of mega microgame$ and touched. so uh, can’t ignore that.

Snapped: wario starts a theme park, and gets a few of his friends to go along with the idea. it doesn’t take long because canonically wario has the means to make infrastructure stuff happen very quickly, seen with how his house was upgraded into the warioware hq, and the wario bowl later. nobody cares about this game

D.I.Y. (prologue and tutorial): while wario was making a theme park, dr crygor develops the makermatic engine, which makes game development much easier than it ever has been before. it becomes the warioware universe version of unity. wario decides to get back into game development, and penny teaches him how programming works (which he previously didn’t know)

Gold: wario starts the wario bowl, a massive game tournament, he gets the gang back together to do all the work for him. (”those saps fall for it every time!”) the tournament mostly features microgames that had been released by warioware in the past year, but also has some new ones. wario also steals a gold artifact (I’d say what it is but spoilers!!) from luxeville, which lulu, a new character, heroically is able to reclaim. then uh, the employees of warioware seize wario’s wealth and redistribute it amongst themselves! that’s canon. that literally happens in this game

Get It Together: okay so I don’t really like putting this after gold. but I want this to be canon compliant and (spoilers???) lulu is in this game, and wario knows who she is. since wario was introduced to lulu in gold, this has to take place after. and not only is lulu present in this game she’s also, apparently, an employee of warioware now, which means after the events of warioware gold, wario hired this baby girl who just absolutely hates his guts to work for him. and that’s just canon! anyway uhhh the warioware devs all get sword art onlined into a game they’re working on. this game doesn’t end with that game being completed, so it’s still in development after this story is over.

and that bring us to the “present” in my fanfic! after everything that’s happened to them, wario’s employees decide that wario needs to face consequences for his actions.

D.I.Y. and D.I.Y. Showcase: warioware has been split into two new companies: Diamond Software, and a new, much smaller “WarioWare”. how exactly this happened is something I intend to explore. (notably, “Wario-Man” develops games for this new WarioWare, but not “Wario“!)

there’s another period of time here that I want to explore to explain the significant difference in the status quo between these games. exciting!

Game & Wario: a wii u-like system that isn’t a wii u is released. wario and the gang all completely independently from each other come up with ideas for games to make for this system, all of which are much larger in scope than any of these characters have previously dealt with. (ie. they’re minigames, not microgames) they don’t work for wario anymore, but appear to be on good terms with him.

[aerequets]

can you give me some webtoon recommendations? name some of your favorites! :)

i am here to answer folks 😎

all of these webtoons can be found on webtoons.com! I'm not sure about the whole daily pass thing they've got going on (which sucks tbh) but like,,, you could probably find it online illegally. NOT THAT I CONDONE ILLEGAL ACTIVITY HAHAHAHA ᵖˢˢᵗ ⁱᶠ ʸᵒᵘ ˡᵒᵒᵏ ⁱᵗ'ˢ ᵗʰᵉʳᵉ

I'll split these up between completed and in progress :) most are still in progress though

COMPLETED

1) Gourmet Hound (166 chapters)

this is like, my all time favorite webtoon. it follows Lucy and her quest to find all the chefs that left her favorite restaurant, Dimanche! it’s a really heartfelt story and the food illustrations make you really hungry, so make sure you have a snack before you sit down to read it. each character’s name is also food-related, so that’s pretty cool too! and the diversity in this webtoon is AMAZING. it’s the only webtoon i’ve ever read that has a hijabi character in the main cast. the development is done really well and it explores themes of loving and letting go. all in all, it has a bit of everything. i personally love food-related things, and this centers around it, so i was set LOL

(also a bonus is that this webtoon has NOT succumbed to daily pass hell, so you can binge read the whole thing. legally.)

2) Hooky (200 chapters)

if you like stories of witches, this is the one! the summary and beginning chapters are deceptively lighthearted. DO NOT BE FOOLED! the story really develops further on and explores numerous conflicts, a big one being (if i remember correctly) witch vs. nonwitch. if you like to see struggles between two sides, not a good-and-evil but just people-who-want-the-best-for-themselves-and-their-loved-ones type of thing, this is good for that. also, sibling love! the two main characters are Dani and Dorian, and while there is someee romance, i like how this story centers around the siblings first and foremost. ALSO THE ART??? I LOVE HOW THE AUTHOR DRAWS SETTINGS SO MUCH and am unabashedly jealous because i am completely incapable of doing so   just like,,,, even if the story doesn’t pull you in, you can at least stare at each panel for long stretches of time.

(unfortunately succumbed to daily pass, but you can read it on mangaowl or manganelo!)

3) Spirit Fingers (167 chapters)

aww, this one is cute. Amy is 18 and lacking in self confidence (her family definitely doesn’t help). but HEY she joins a wacky art club!! without her parents knowing!! HECK YEAH!! unfortunately it takes more than joining an art club for her to learn to love herself (it is a long journey after all!). i love this webtoon because it explores the problems of multiple people, not just amy: her high achieving brothers, her mother who had to give up her dream, the different members in the art club, Amy’s girl friends. the art is unique and has a cool watercolor-y texture! and the main couple is just adorable, too. if you’re an artist especially, i recommend this because that’s a big theme and you get to see these characters expand their art styles! which is very cool!

(you can read this one fully on 1stkissmanga)

now here’s where the majority of my recs are:

IN PROGRESS (all can be read on webtoon.com)

1) The Makeup Remover (currently 71 chapters)

i look forward to this every tuesday and friday because oh man!!!!!!!!! idk about you guys, but i am thinking about beauty standards A Large Amount of the time, especially when i consume media. and this webtoon is all about beauty standards (specifically in Korea, but still applicable like. everywhere). Main character Yeseul ends up having to partake in this beauty competition and, with her experiences through it, she begins seeing makeup and beauty standards for the huge role they play in society. i said it already but i LOVE LOVE LOVE this webtoon because it really challenges you as a reader to think about your own perspectives. why do we find the things/people beautiful that we do? what shapes our perception? how much of it is marketing, and how much of it shows in our daily lives? what assumptions do you make about people based on how they look? AGHH im sounding like an essay prompt instead of a reviewer but man. if you like webtoons that examine society through a critical lens (gosh i sound like an english teacher), this is the one. 

2) Odd Girl out (currently 261 chapters; on season 2) 

okay, first and foremost: if you’re NOT into long winded drama, this probably isn’t it for you. i will admit im not a fan of long problems that get dragged out, especially in a school setting, but i did keep reading this webtoon and i am glad that i did! the character development here is amazing and ONE CRUCIAL THING is that the whole first season (which is many, many chapters. at least over 100) focuses on the friendship between our main 4 girls. if you don’t wanna wait for a romance storyline (which comes in season 2), then you’ve gotta have the patience of a saint. i loved this though because lots of romance webtoons cast friendships aside or use them to further the romantic plot. platonic relationships are great to read about and this one does it masterfully! main character nari is resilient and emotionally strong, and it’s great to see her ruin her enemies

3) Cursed Princess Club (currently 110 chapters; on break before the final season)

this is another one about beauty and societal expectations, but in a fantasy setting! it’s really funny and the cast of characters is heartwarming. Gwen is a princess, but she doesn’t look like the typical princess. she accidentally stumbles upon the Cursed Princess Club, which is exactly what it sounds like: a club for princesses that have been cursed and are trying to find their self worth despite not being conventional princesses! now that i think about it, this is like a lighthearted mixture of Makeup Remover and Spirit Fingers. although while i do say “lighthearted”, this webtoon has its fair share of mysteries and exploration of deeper topics. but its funny throughout

4) Brass & Sass (currently 83 chapters)

ahh this one is really cute and the art is cute, too! i also like how this has a diverse cast. high schooler Camilla kinda sucks at band, but dangit if she’s not passionate. Victor is some type of musical prodigy but he’s a brass-hole (hahaha get it. no that’s not original i ripped it from the summary). now i KNOW I KNOW, the whole “perky girl and asshole guy” is so overplayed BUT DON’T FRET! this isn’t the type of story where the girl “fixes” the guy, or where the guy is an asshole to everyone except the girl. believe me, the character development and relationship development in this story is SPLENDID. there’s no real antagonist. it’s just a bunch of high schoolers trying their best to make themselves and everyone else happy, and that’s hard! the story is carried more by the characters than by the plot, but it works well in this case since the characters are strong and each one has a presence. 

5) Surviving Romance (currently 10 chapters)

this one is relatively new compared to my other recs but it’s by the author of the Makeup Remover so yaknow i had to hop on it. BUT IT IS VERY DIFFERENT! first off, it’s a horror, so keep that in mind. the best way i can describe it is a mixture of the standard “girl falls into a story” genre, Groundhog Day, and zombies. Yeah. Bascially, Chaerin is our main girl and she’s in a romance story that’s she’s read a bajillion times, so she knows the day has come for her male lead to confess his love! except he doesn’t! because he becomes a zombie instead! hahaha well that sucks! it’s only got 10 chapters but i am very into it, and it seems to be taking an emphasis on platonic relationships, so i am very closely watching 👁👁

6) The Witch and the Bull (currently 60 chapters) 

another witch story! and the art is GORGEOUS. more witch + nonwitch conflict, too! our main dude, Tan, is the royal advisor and he’s hella bigoted against witches. our main girl, Aro, happens to be a witch. and Tan needs her help to make him into a human again (because he got turned into a bull. that is worth mentioning). this is a very barebones summary and there’s a lot more that goes on, but that’s the general gist of the beginning!

ANYWAYS. this got very long, predictably, and i rambled for each title, predictably. i’ve got more that i’m reading, but i really like these 9! i also made comments on the art for a lot of them, which might not matter to some people, but i feel like my art was very impacted by each webtoon i read. if you’re an artist i recommend finding a webtoon you like and studying the art; try implementing parts you like into your own style! 

anyways, i am FINALLY done talking. bye yall 

[jaypsnax]

Another post! Ranging from oldest to newest, yet again. Which is actually a bit sad, since I think some of the earlier stuff came out better. Suppose that might be a consequence of trying to get so many ideas out(I drew most of these today), since my brain’s just been FLOODED with them. Kind of. Not all of them are the ideas I want at the moment, but I just work with what I’m given. Also I think this format of post with big chunks of art and then commentary below is one that kinda fits me well, but also makes me really impatient, since sometimes I make something I feel the need to show immediately. Yet at the same time... it’s easier to click that post button when it’s just one over several individual posts. Also feel like bad putting things in the tags that way. Which is a bit contradictory, considering I end up having to tag more characters and such... just brain logic, go with it. Lots and LOTS of thoughts below the cut, mostly about Beffica.

1st: Just another Buddy here, really. I was a bit in between ideas and couldn’t figure out what I really wanted to do. Plus it was practice for adjusting their design. Messing with the teeth primarily, and the bag just kinda... happened. Replacement for the Snaxscope that I’d previously been drawing there. Dunno if I’ll keep it... on one hand I like shoulder strap looks and messenger bags are sick as hell, but it’s rather disruptive for the character silhouette. We’ll see what happens. Also my fine detail stuff for them is really inconsistent and I feel like I kinda lost something that made me rlly like the design before??? So that’ll be a thing to hash out in the coming days. If I can get myself to focus, of course. 2nd: Here’s a favorite of mine that took some real doing. I was working on it most of yesterday and most of the brainwork came down to figuring out how the hell to pose everyone. I found the thought of them all splayed out in bed super damn cute, and while it ultimately came out less goofy than I actually wanted it to... I still like it. Shoutout to drawing along the edges too much and making fitting in Big Tall Filbo difficult. Maybe I can fudge it by saying I can see him as the sort of person to hang his leg off the side of the bed :p Especially if it’s hot. Fan on, leg stickin’ outta the side. Then aside from that, Buddy being too tired to actually fully take everything off and just plop down w the hat and loosened collar ‘n tie... fucking yum. It’s not a detail I intended originally, but I wanted to kinda... maintain the design I’d kept for them while also not having them straight up in bed fully decked out. Compromise! 3rd: Heere starts the Beffica focus... at least for a little while. Dunno what it is, but she’s always appealed to me. Despite the mean girl schtick, or perhaps because of that schtick, I gravitated towards her. After the initial slight wincing at the first drops of “Zonk off”, “Squeeb”, and the abbreviations she uses. Seems to be fairly common for me to find a character I initially dislike or is just a jerk, and then turn around and say “Actually no I LIKE them dangit”. And see, the thing about her is that she has those nuggets of tasty character that shed a fair bit of light on why she acts the way she does after the initial negative opinion. A shared trait with Floofty. She’s made mistakes that drove the people she considered friends away, and ended up sticking to the very habits that likely caused such rifts on Snaktooth as well. Which is exactly why, well, she isn’t really in a good relationship with anyone. But you. And she admits that even your own relationship is tenuous at best ‘cos she just started calling you bestie from the outset and you ran with it. She figures it’s probably only a matter of time until she drives you away too. Despite how she acts, it seems like she still really doesn’t... like herself that much. Doing her quests is just going further down that rabbit hole and continually indulging her bad habits. Y’know, like most of the other inhabitants. Beff sees what she’s doing as a GOOD thing and believes the worst of people. And starts off seeing the worst with Wiggle betraying Gramble’s trust like she does, but then as things go along there’s less and less for her to find. Cromdo just... dances and sings at night. Chandlo is a perfectly nice guy, but she completely denies that he doesn’t have any deep dark secret. Otherwise it’s furthering her reliance on Bugsnax, which you could say she’s one of the worst cases of. She’s not the most likable character, but she is definitely one of the most interesting. I reckon she probably did see some pretty bad shit to make her think the way she does. It doesn’t justify her actions, but taking the time to understand her offers a lot of insight. It’s ironic too that despite Floofty’s shaky at best morality... Beff takes the cake on the grey morality and is probably up there with the hardest Grumpuses to sympathize with. And despite that, I latch on. Then, of course, once you get to the end of the game... it seems she’s been doing some thinking. And intends to do better for herself, which presumably means doing better by the people she’s friends with too. Which I personally have thought of developments for. Like actually forwarding her relationship with the Journalist and, of all Grumpuses, Filbo. For how much she seems to address him personally and the focus on interactions between those two. Which lead into all my thoughts about either close friend group or straight out poly w em. I had more ideas for developments with her which I’ll expand on shortly, aside from mentioning that I very explicitly thought of her actually apologizing to some of the people she wronged. Especially Snorpy. But to actually address the damn drawing and not talk forever on character analysis... obviously there’s something different here, yeah? The idea for the triple heart locket thing admittedly just came to me on spur of the moment while I was thinking about Buddy, actually. How I wanted to adjust their design and such. Absentmindedly drifted over @/Yejomo’s(I hope they don’t mind me mentioning them by name?) take on them with their post-Snaktooth design change. I thought “What if Beff’s design changed and she got extra lockets for the two people she’s hooked up with? And so it was done. 4th: HAHA HEY SPEAKING OF @/YEJOMO.... this piece was shamelessly inspired by the Beffica and Floofty art they did yesterday. Or was it the day before yesterday? I don’t know time <3 But yeah just two unlikely pals talking it up over some tea. (”You drink tea? I thought you’d be like... more of a coffee type or something.”) (”Mm, well. You would be half right in your assumption. Coffee for work, tea for pleasure. You may be able to envision how little I get to have of the latter as of late.”) That’s not what would be in the dialogue bubbles. Just what was in my head. Also inspired by the Floofty/Beffica dynamic of that one fic I’d mentioned before, with them becoming friends and collaborating. It’s not what you would expect, but surprisingly, I think I could see it work. Maybe. Anyway, you can really tell I’m not used to structuring scenes or drawing things that characters are actually... interacting with in some form. But it’s decent enough. Poor right leg on Beff though. I think that’s gonna need some medical attention. 5th, 6th, 7th: Now.... we get to the final stretch. Good on you if you’ve made it this far and no shame if you haven’t. I’m just writing chapter length posts for the sake of it out here. These draws stem from one of the previous discussion posts I made about Buddy going freelance after losing their job. Journalism kinda basically turned detective work. In my brain, it makes total sense of Beffica to participate when: 1. She already had a background in Journalism, and explicitly in digging up dirt on people. 2. Despite her cynicism of people, it seems like she does still have a fairly good judge of character. 3. She has some sense of justice probably, considering the fact that she goes out of her way to expose Cromdo’s crimes and tell him that she won’t let him get away with doing those sorts of things. 4. In my way of things, she... y’know, hooks up with Buddy and that’s just extra motivation. I see it as a way of Buddy continuing to do what they seem to have a real knack for, and after the whole Grumpinati affair... maybe even keep up to date on potentially relevant information and up to snuff on their skills. And also as a way for Beffica to exercise the skills she has in a setting where they can be used positively. Keep an eye on Buddy too, for personal reasons and for Filbo. In this instance, it’s about Buddy conducting and interview and by the end, Beff calling that she can easily smell there’s some covering up. There was going to be extra panels of her saying “I don’t know WHY they’re lying. I just know that they’re not telling the truth.”, but I didn’t quite get around to it and I burnt my brain out a little. And that’s it!

[dredreadsdrawing]

Oc-tober Day 14: Au

I’m uh. Doin a bit of a cheat for today lol. I had already started drawing these designs like, almost as soon as I posted my fanfic but I never finished Flug’s cuz his pose was giving me troubles. I’m still not too sure on it but, yet again, I AM PRESSED FOR TIME >:V

I am not one to really go hard on sticking with fanfic ideas. I usually end up making them original works with my own ocs. But there are two specific ones that I’ve never converted because... idk i grew close to the characters as they are. Sure they may still be ooc, but dangit, i write them with the intent of me exploring their characters. Their dynamics!

Anyways, one of them is this Villainous fanfic of mine that I finally posted this year. It’s called Vive to Vida and I’m linking it here.  To further sell you to check it out, I’ll tell you a bit about what’s going on.

Flug gets sent to a boarding school in Mexico for ‘troubled youths.’ He meets Demencia. Demencia forces her way into being his friend. They confide in one another and agree to find a way out of their hellhole school togehter. Flug looks to science for this, and Demencia looks to the dark arts. Shennanigans ensue.

Im uh. Not explaining it right but there u go. Beware of dark themes and a shift in writing style as the first chapter takes its time setting the scene, and the second chapter... im just doing what i always do and posting a summary of the rest of their highschool stay. Im an impatient mother-trucker, if I kept stalling trying to write long detailed chapters, Id never get through sharing what i had planned ;o; UGH its just better this way :,/

.... yee Imma update the second chapter in just a second after I post this. 

...... damn its 5 am and i didnt sleep from all this writing XD ugh.

[teamsarawatshusband]

Word Of Honor - 1st watch insta thoughts - Episode 4

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

In case you haven't read my previous episode summaries, you should know that I now refer to alcoholic tanned tragic hero lord guy as Baby Xu (because he gave the name Zhou Xu), Wen Ke Xing is Smirky Xing, Ke Xing's female travelling companion is referred to as purple love of my life (because she rocks).

Alright let’s get started with Episode 4:

:O WHAT? Smirky Xing is qi-gong-balling nuts? Is he the red masked nut guy??? WTF? Is that why he said he's terrifying? Is that why he wasn't there at first during the fight in the dusty place? Waaaahhhh

Aww, he stilll wants Baby Xu and himself to be on first name basis. Giving horses as gifts. He's so determined.

Oooh the beggars caught up. And they openly state they're with 5 Lakes and want to bring the kid back to... some guy, I already forgot. Hmmm. The kid is instantly scared and hides behind Baby Xu. Baby Xu looks worried too. Nobody trusts 5 Lakes. Smirky Xing also doesn't trust them.

Wow, that's a lot of beggars.

Oh no, Smirky Xing insulted the talky beggar guy. And now they wanna fight.

Woahooooo, Baby Xu is pissy at Smirky Xing, but he trusts him to take care of the kid while he throws himself into the fight. Nice.

Less than 6 minutes in and we already have a million times more action than in the last episode. Thank you.

I see what smirky Xing meant when he called Baby Xu elegant. He is a VERY elegant fighter.

Offering nuts again, lol. Doesn't he know that the kid never wants to eat?

But jokes aside, the way Xing and the kid don't even go far but stay close enough to watch shows really well that smirky Xing is super confident in Baby Xu's fighting skills...

Oh no, they broke the alcohol jars, Baby Xu is gonna be so pissed.

And Smirky Xing is kind of an ass, teasing Baby Xu about his promise to keep an eye on the kid, while the beggar is chasing the kid around and Baby Xu is doing all the work.

Ahhh, it's cause he wants Baby Xu to admit that he needs him. Hehe, smart. Evil but clever.

:O The beggars got swords in their sticks! Cheaty little fuckers.

Baby Xu is fighting a bazillion beggars at once, no problem while the kid is almost caught.

Oh no, Baby Xu is mouthbleeding. That's never a good sign.

Oooooh, Smirky Xing notices and instantly steps in. No more teasing.

Oh how the turntables. Baby Xu and the kid flee, while Smirky Xing takes on the beggars. Nice. Sharing the workload. Like good husbands. Smirklord ftw!

Oh no, Baby Xu is worried about being a loser. And now he's doing the smelly meditation thing again. Awww :(

Meanwhile Smirky Xing has killed all the beggars, and it's not even shown on camera. Like... he probably did it with a determined look, some nut throwing and a snap of a finger or something. Impressive.

LOL, the purple love of my life comes on screen, looks around and has this, "Aww, dangit, he's on a killing spree again" look on her face. So this happens a lot, I gather.

She's concerned about the cleanup and the aesthetics, lol. My queen.

Whoa, what's that? Two tied up girls on a boat. And a jerk. I don't even know him but I know that much. Character introduction 101.

Oh wait, my purple love stops him. She knows him. He's one of the mountain ghost guys? And she knows him? There's a connection. That probably means that Smirky Xing really is nut guy. :O :O :O

She's striking a deal. And I didn't catch what she asked jerk guy to do in return for keeping him tying up girls a secret. But he leaves to do it.

Wow, Baby Xu knows how to cook. And offers the fish to the kid. And the kid ACTUALLY TAKES it. Impressive. I thought he hates food.

Ah, no, he spit it out. Okay. My worldview has been restored. And Baby Xu is not a good cook after all, lol.

My purple queen shows up and explains how to cook fish, lol. Yeah, they wish they had her cooking skills.

Oh, and baby Xu actually asks about Smirky Xing's whereabouts and looks longingly towards the boat where my queen points to.

Very lovely scenery, with Smirky Xing plaing the flute on the boat, and the two girls (who were previously tied up, I think, I still suck at recognizing faces) are enjoying his company, preparing drinks and listening.

Clearly Smirky Xing is playing just for Baby Xu. And then jumps off the boat with a flute twirl (clearly a Wei Wuxian fan, and who isn't?!) and then fly-jumps over the water to the beach and Baby Xu.

Heh, tempting Baby Xu with alcohol and good food, Smirky Xing is really trying everything.

LOL, you can't sit with the cool kids Smirky Xing.

But he never gives up and recites poetry again. Okay, now some story about historic white cloth. And a sword. Wait, is the "white cloth" the sword? Oh, and Smirky Xing is hinting that Baby Xu's sword is so bendy that it might be the legendary sword.

Always digging for info. Always noticing everything.

Oooh, Baby Xing compares their relationship to the fish he threw away, calls it "raw/unrequited". Nice pun. BUT, the fish wasn't raw, you literally discussed with the kid that is was cooked through, you little liar. I see what's going on there. Unrequited my ass. Smirklord setting sails.

Baby Xu explains that he doesn't know himself and couldn't care less about knowing Smirky Xing.

Smirky Xing is such a sweet talker. This whole "I hurt when you hurt" spiel... blergh.

He called him "My A-Xu" awww, cute. Also super invasive.

Some dark figure is playing headach inducing music. Huh? What is going on?

My purple queen and the kid are affected and Smirky Xing, stops them from running off by placing his hands on their backs. How? What?

Wait, Baby Xu plays the flute as well???

Everybody's a musician.

Oh, it's a music fight. The acoustic waves are hitting each other.

And the girls on the boats are jumping off, because they don't have Smirky Xing's hands holding them back.

Whooooooo, Baby Xu's flute sound lawnmowers the grass and the other musician down. Nice skills.

Oh, it's an assassination skill. The one that the dark figure used. :O A music assassin!!!

LOL, Baby Xu apologizes for getting Smirky Xing's flute dirty. Honey, he 100% won't mind your spit.

Why is the kid puking? He hasn't even eaten anything. Oh, he's lacking martial arts skills to defend against the attack, got it, got it.

Awwww, the one who dislikes you is the one who is really good to you. Of course you would live by that motto Smirky Xing, you lovesick boy.

Okay, the kid wants to learn martial arts now. Wants to be Baby Xu's disciple. And he's kind of agreeing, even though reluctantly, because he... doesn't wanna look good in front of Ke Xing?

Oh a camp of assassins. Pretty girl assassins. One of them is getting a leg massage. Nice. Being an assassin has perks, it seems. Ooh, and she gets touchy with some victim guy.

Did that guy just kill the several-times-stabbed victim by throwing a bone at his head? lol

Oh, the music assassin is one of this group, k, got it.

What? Smirky Ke Xing playing this special meditation song means he has a pure mind? I'm with Baby Xu, I would never have thought so. So, he's not nuts guy? WHAT IS GOING ON?

Dude, he does NOT look like of pure mind while playing that flute at all. It looks very... not pure. This looks like a mating ritual to me.

Wait, is he telling my purple queen to kill the two girls she saved? I'm so confused.

Aww, he LIKES Baby Xu. Not that it's a surprise. But he admitted it. Heh. And, once again, my purple queen gets it.

Aww, Smirky Xing plays for his boy all night long. And Baby Xu finally gets some rest. Nice.

And Smirky Xing finally gets to sit next to his crush after all.

But he doesn't get to hold his hand yet. I see how it is.

LOL, tough women can't resist clingy men, what? Is Smirky Xing ever talking about anybody other than himself and Baby Xu?

Ahaha, Smirky Xing is such a bad liar. But really good at making Baby Xu feel guilty. Yes, yes, you poor man driven off the boat, aching from all the flute playing, riiiight.

LOL, he ends up the coachman. Nice.

Oh no, the grandparents are fighting nice undies tree master guy and the mini Wangjis. Why can't they be friends?

Why are they all after that stupid glazed armor, this is so annoying.

Oh no, now pleated skirt soldier boss guy is joining in as well. Which side is he picking?

Okay he's fighting the grandparents, but is he on friendly terms with undies tree guy? Because I don't think so. But the mini Wangjis knew him and seemed to trust him. So confusing all of this...

Okay and there's another new guy. In green and gold with a tiny mustache. Is he the one they were supposed to bring the kid to? Ah yes, okay. Uncle Zhao.

Wait, the leader of the something something sect is chased. Who was that? Undies tree master? I need a name chart mind map or something. I should make one and add on to it as I go along.

Anyway, end of episode.

Okay this was interesting, what have I learned? Baby Xu can't get rid of Smirky Xing, no matter what. The kid wants to be his disciple. My purple queen is 100% a smirklord shipper. There's a bunch of assassins out there to hurt... I don't know, everybody, possibly. Everybody seems to want the glazed armor. Except for Baby Xu who just wants to be left alone, and Smirky Xing who just wants Baby Xu. I feel like I'm getting the hang of this. Except I STILL don't know how everybody is truly connected. And Smirky Xing might be nuts guy but also maybe not because he's pure, but I mean, who are you kidding?

Goals for future episodes: I should really actually make that character name chart mind map thing.

Also, we have officially reached the moment, where I wanna continue watching, even though I'm tired and have other stuff to do. I bet the point of no return strikes during the next episode. I can feel it coming.

[ryttu3k]

Already finished Coteries of New York, so on to Shadows of New York! I’ve seen the first bit in an LP, at least, but the bulk of the story will be new. This will have two playthroughs, one for each ending, since at least it has them XD First up - the ‘good’ ending!

Oh dang I like the music.

Julia is a bit on the edgy/cynical side XD

Yeah, she’s got a shit deal :-\ And what’s worse is that it’s all planned out.

Interesting note - at Lodestar, there were shadowy figures in the background, but you could rationalise it as people on the other side of the windows. On the train, you only see the shadowy features, and it’s otherwise empty, so no obvious figures casting them...

I guess if you choose the ‘don’t shoot’ option, Julia gets drained and it’s an early game over?

God that Embrace scene is intense. I got goosebumps!

Spirits, huh? Oh yeah, Obtenebration became Oblivion and is now connected with necromancy, IIRC?

I’m glad she had a good few nights XD;;

Valerie Duval, she was... the scourge in CoNY hunting down the Red Hook killer?

Nice to meet you, ‘Katherine Wiese’ XD

Cool ponytail, Qadir! I really dig the relationship between him and Julia, it’s fun. ‘sup Aisling, how’s Agathon? A blood hunt, really? Y O U. Okay yeah probably better for Julia’s long-term survival for Arturo to ignore her XD;; Samira’s so pretty. Ooh this guy is Hope’s sire, yeah?

“You wanted to hear about which member of New York City's Camarilla I dislike the most?"

"Yes?"

"Too bad. They're all my dear colleagues, and I deeply respect every single one of them."

"Sure you do. Wouldn't want to blurt out something that could lock you out of Mr Vanderweyden's legal services, would you, you ass-kisser?"

"I do expect to find myself in need of a good defense attorney when my broke, incompetent, and foul-mouthed assistant finally pushes me over the edge."

THEMST.

Benoit hi!! “Got any news about Sophie Langley?” *sharp intake of breath* Benoit backstory, that’s rad. I wonder if it’ll be uncovered in-game? Like we know Arturo is still around, Panhard is still around. Presumably Adelaide Davis is still around. Callihan... well, I know what happens to him. I think Torque ditches the scene before Sophie dies?

Father Leonard seems like a good sort. I wonder what his deal is?

Dakota is adorable. I’m going to do the ‘good’ end first even though I know it’ll make me feel horrible, but dangit, the ‘bad’ end is totally going to be my canon.

...Vin Diesel? XD

DING DONG THE DOUCHE IS DEAD. ...Deader than usual, I mean.

jfc Panhard that is pretentious as hell. Both the party description and the costume, actually XD Qadir’s mask is kind of funky. Oh my god Arturo you are a Toreador is that the best you can come up with?! Nice horns, Aisling.

...Thought, given their clans, Samira/Aisling could be interesting as hell.

Man, Arturo and Panhard must be pissed off XD Unless they’ve already picked their replacement stooge?

And here’s where the plot starts! Hey, isn’t that the priest’s house? Ohh, they’re meant to be meeting with Mia. I guess they’re just reusing assets.

“It’s a list of four names. ‘D’Angelo. Hope. Agathon. Tamika.’“ *SHARP INTAKE OF BREATH* Okay, that could be the list Sophie gave the fledgling. Which one did Callihan get it from?

Oh criminy Dakota don’t tell me you’re into that Q-Anon shit XD;; Ooh okay that makes more sense. Neat.

Ahhh man I was hoping to get a lead and instead Julia has to punish this poor fuck XD;; Yeesh. Okay, Bunny as a Reporter it is, then.

Almost run over by a limo, huh? *chinstroke*

Oooh this is the lead to Hope! Yeah, I’d say she has a connection with a Montgomery XD Wonder if she did end up eating her? Huh, contact used LeakyGutSyndrome... didn’t Hope end up having to retire that one, or was it the other one? Let’s just... Dominate this guy. Sorry dude it’s for your own good.

Agathon’s missing? :( Damn, he’s like one of the only decent Tremere. Oho, a diary! Oh sweetheart :( Oh, Silvia died :( Damn, interesting past, though... and a reference to CoNY again.

Fucking shadows, I literally glanced over my shoulder.

S C H E M E S. And yeah, looks like I’m on my way to the ‘good’ end :-\

Oh shit, Adelaide or.... whatshisname, Kaiser’s dude? Oooh man who to meet first... Kaiser’s dude. Oh. That was a bit anticlimactic XD

On to see Hope at Double Spiral. I think this is one of those choices that leads to one of the endings, so what’s more ruthless and Camarilla... busting in it is.

Nastya isn’t having a good night, is she XD;; Also Hope’s suit is badass.

...huh. Sounds like she’s actually managed to get shit sorted decently XD

Interesting... the coterie members were a list of heroes for hire that multiple people had, including Sophie. Well, that widens the scope a bit! Anonymous information broker, shall I assume that’s Kaiser? OH. No, it’s her sire!

“The story going around is, he left me alone and I hate his guts. Well, at least half of that is true.” Which half, though...

Aww man I wish I had saved some of those websites! I miss SciFiVine...

You know, I’m not 100% sure Carter’s the murderer (my main suspect is Arturo at this point tbh) but damn, the bit about Stern’s show kinda makes me want to slap him anyway XD;;

Queer Catholic blues, huh :-\

“Haven’t you noticed what’s going on in the news? People are going absolutely insane about this virus, cancelling trips and orders and --” Ahh. We’re in that 2020 XD;;

Okay the scene with the kid meeting his girlfriend was cute but then spooky time?? jfc was that the Abyss?!

Ooooh did she just find Tamika solely by accident? Thanks, Abyss XD I love how Julia’s first response is ‘shit, she’s hot’. And she took out a whole SI squad herself? Nice. Calebros mention! Huh, so the SI are maintaining the status quo... they became an issue because the Camarilla tried to sic them on the Anarchs and Sabbat and it backfired, maybe it actually succeeded here?

Ooh, a history with Torque. Neat. Also not sure with the art, but are those tattoos on Tamika’s arm, or fur? I mean, Gangrel beast marks and all.

Sorry Torque I’m just trying to get the ‘good’ end :(

Mention of the fledgling! Officially ‘disappeared’, that leaves it fairly ambiguous at this point.

Oof. The Circulatory System are... not cool. And yeah Julia’s just been called tf out, I do look forward to this scene in the ‘bad’ end XD;;

COVID strikes back. The Big Beat Burger is closed :( Charlie is sweet, at least! I hope his mom is okay.

Well that rat bit was weird. Hi D’Angelo! Oh my god blood doll rats? Drunk blood doll rats?! Still a damn good detective, though, that’s good shit. On to Kaiser and some answers! ...Yeah, okay, he’s a prime suspect too.

Kaiser, you are a deeply unpleasant person :-\

...good to know pepper spray still works. And, uh, probably satisfying to beat him up XD;; And yeah, there’s the last choice for the ‘good’ ending. Sorry dude.

...huh. Okay, I was at least partially right XD;; Oh Qadir, not you too :-\

Well that’s a bit... weird of Dakota, yes.

lmao oh Benoit you absolute mess. Religion as A E S T H E T I C XD I have a theory he’s from Michael’s line and I also quite sincerely believe that Michael would take one look at him and bitchslap him into the next millennium. He’s a Path follower, isn’t he?

Father Leonard is okay. I wonder who the ‘friend’ is?

This is very Agatha Christie, revealing the killer in the midst, except I have the horrible feeling Qadir’s going to go with ‘it was suicide’ and not ‘it was everyone’.

Denouement! Before it ends, Julia’s traits:

Loyal only to myself

Glass half-empty

A little abuse of power never hurt nobody

You can’t be a writer and not lie

The ends justify the means (duh)

Honestly she may have just blackmailed her way into power, set up Carter to take the fall, and sent poor Dakota to final death, but the drama was impeccable XD Good luck not ending up in the Abyss, Julia!

[potatoes-tomatoes]

So about the finale of Netflix!Pucca season 1....

I'ma be upfront, this show ain't deep and Pucca just isn't a brand that can ever get deep.

But I have a shovel, dangit. I wanna dig.

This iteration of Garu is loyal as hell. He's devoted to his martial arts, his found family at sooga village, and his job as a food runner. I get a sense that he's dependent on how others see him as a result. He loves to be praised (maybe even to unhealthy levels, such as taking advantage of tobe's lackeys when he and tobe switch bodies) and takes criticism to heart and is constantly worried about living up to his role as the silent, headstrong ninja. Because he's so controlled in his actions, he comes across as cold and seems to bottle up his deeper passions. Oh wow he's a One on the enneagram He's formed his identity around his job and the people of sooga... So why was he so ready to betray them for Don King?

Yes, Garu immediately regretted helping him afterwards, but the deed was done. He was so desperate to cling to the first guy who claimed his heritage that he was willing to leave his friends behind. That leads me to wonder exactly what the story is behind Garu never knowing his family and why he'd be so eager to follow them. Is it linked to his martial arts? Or is martial arts Garu's way of proving he is competent and able to defend himself in a way he maybe wasn't (or believed he wasn't) before? Idk, when Garu ran off in shame, it seemed like he used his martial arts as a defense mechanism against his inner demons and criticisms manifested as the villagers, so this made me think of it like that. Not to sound cruel, but I loved seeing his intense expressions during that scene. Garu always had the best expression in any incarnation, there's something about a stoic character suddenly showing a large emotional range. I love 👏 seeing my faves in pain.

Anyways, I wished Pucca, Ching and Abyo hadn't forgiven Garu so easily. Imagine knowing your best friend as the most selfless, loyal and well-mannered person you've ever known, only to have them work against you with the rival restaurant's power-hungry owner who's put your entire way of life on the line. They'd get some heavy whiplash, it would've been nice to see some tension (drama was clearly what the finale was going for), the gang deserved an explanation for Garu's actions but instead just kind of... Let him off the hook in hopes that he'd help them out at the last second. Tho, I do like how at the final cook off we literally see Garu's true devotion and love for everyone in sooga village, even Pucca! It's super cute how Garu's still reluctant about his feeling for Pucca, and maybe a bit cold that she's literally the last thing on his mind.... But she's still on his mind so 👀 it's like the soup he prepared, simple, honest and hearty like himself. Already complete with important ingredients. The Egg (Pucca's only personal touch to Garu's dish) really shows that while the bowl can be just as good without the egg, the egg is the final garnish to make it complete. And it's visible, on top of every other ingredient. It just looks right with the soup. I thought it was a lovely visual to their funny love.

ALSO POOR RING RING can you imagine pining over a guy you've only known for a few months in a new town only to find out he's your brother??? Dang. The writers went there. Now that I think about it, she single handedly saved sooga village simply because she heard sweet home Alabama playing in the distance and said No. Not today. We Stan a queen 👏

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #221: ... New Blood!

July, 1982

A semi-famous somewhat imitated cover!

Can you guess ahead of time which two will be joining the Avengers?

No cheating.

Actually, what’s funny is that I can imagine a Young Bendis looking at this cover, seeing Luke Cage, Spider-Man, and Wolverine all in a row like that and whispering to himself ‘one day... one day...’

Spider-Woman is even on this! This is almost the roster meme that Bendis would have selected his team out of.

Just as soon as he cleared the way by killing off Ant-Man and Hawkeye.

Anyway, I like the cute touch that there’s just a completely blank square for Sue Storm. And is she really still going by Invisible Girl at this point?

-google- Ah, Invisible Woman is still a few years off.

And at risk of spoiling, I like the cover pretending that Rom (Space Knight) could feasibly join the Avengers. Although that would have made a hilarious mess when the rights lapsed. A whole swathe of Avengers comics unavailable.

So, where are we at?

Last times on Avengers: Captain America decided that the Avengers had become too unwieldy. They’d settled into a filler rut and Cap wanted them to be lean and mean.

So the old order changeith’d! And Moondragon meddled, causing half of the old team to quit. But Cap got his lean team of himself, Thor, Iron Man, Wasp, Yellowjacket, and Tigra.

And then Yellowjacket Hank Pym had an ‘attempted murder out of insecurity’ breakdown and tried to murder his friends and was a very bad husband to Wasp as well.

So Yellowjacket was out and Wasp took some personal time.

It was just Cap, Thor, Iron Man, and Tigra. And then Tigra quit.

Wasp rejoined but the trim team of six had become anemic at four and after some space mishaps, its finally time to try to do something about that.

As Iron Man declares in title-of-the-issue font they need some ... NEW BLOOD!

And Wasp declares ‘yes we all know that already we’ve just been putting it off.’

(And they finally got the big meeting table back from the cleaners or wherever its been. Thank goodness)

But the question that Chairperson Wasp poses the team is should they re-induct some ex-members or go looking for some truly new blood?

Thor is brooding on the recent events, where Moondragon manipulated the Avengers previous roster shakeup and later when Moondragon took over a planet and got Thor to fight his friends.

So Thor’s point, by way of dwelling, is that they should be careful with who they choose.

Thor: “Thus can no action, no thought made by any of us in the last weeks be truly, absolutely claimed as our own. Not even... mine.”

There we go. There’s that good Moondragon induced paranoia I was hoping for.

And character wise, I do like that there’s fallout from the Ba-Bani misadventure. Whether being forced to fight his friends or being made to fall in love with Moondragon or being convinced to side with her plan to bring mandatory peace to the universe. Thor has been affected by what happened.

Cap suggests that they clear the slate and just judge potential members on their current qualifications.

So what qualifications should potential Avengers have?

Captain America: “Compatibility. Someone who can work in a team.”

Iron Man: “And technical expertise. Perhaps someone good with weaponry.”

Thor: “We’ve enough strength, methinks. But courage is important. Aye, and a noble heart.”

Wasp: “Well, I know exactly what this group needs. More girls!”

Good suggestions. All good suggestions. But very good suggestion from Wasp.

I know that two women on one team is the low bar that Avengers tends to reach but you know what’s worse? One women on one team. And you know what’s better? Three.

Think about it.

The meeting gets cut short because Jan has to go do Jan things like show off fashion at the Tavern on the Green but she tells the others to figure out who they’d like as new Avengers and then they’ll all decide at their meeting next week.

As the Avengers all head off, Captain America mentions to Iron Man that hey remember how Hawkeye used to be an Avenger all the time? Weren’t those good times? He worked well on the team, was real into being an Avenger.

Iron Man agrees that sure is a Thought but flies off thinking more about Jan’s suggestion to have more women on the team, albeit probably for less than pure reasons.

Thor meanwhile doesn’t have anywhere to be so sits down in the sitting room and reads a Time magazine.

Jarvis brings Thor some mead and Thor asks who Jarvis would enlist for the Avengers if Jarvis was given the choice.

Jarvis is surprised to be asked but does his best to speak off the cuff.

Jarvis: “Why, I - I really hadn’t given it much thought! But since you ask, I feel that some of the best Avengers have started as the most unlikely candidates. For example, those with strongly individual, independent natures seem to have worked out surprisingly well.”

You’re a good guy, Jarvis.

And you’ve got a good point. Since the Avengers were pretty much everyone who wasn’t on a team jammed onto a team together, the Avengers kind of have as foundation strongly individual independent superheroes managing to do a teamwork anyway.

And Thor just so happens to be reading the Time magazine that has a picture of Spider-Man on the front (along with “Friend or Menace?”) and thinks huh individual and independent??

Oh boy!

Spider-Man going to be offered a spot on the Avengers? Is it 2005 already?

Goofs aside, this is an interesting callback maybe.

All the way back in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #3 (November, 1966) which I didn’t cover but probably should have if this was a more comprehensive Avengers blog but then I may have died under the enormity of the task.

Uh, that sentence got away from me.

Anyway, in that Spider-Man Annual, the Avengers debate whether to recruit Spider-Man for their team. Thor is the one there to find Spider-Man and bring him to the mansion. The Avengers decide to test him and (after Spider-Man tries to beat up the entire team because that’s what Spider-Man thinks proving himself is) they send him to bring the Hulk back with him.

He finds the Hulk and fights the Hulk but Hulk turns back to Bruce Banner and Spider-Man feels bad for Bruce and doesn’t want to turn him over to the Avengers (not knowing that they want to help Hulk). So he comes back and says welp couldn’t find him guess I’m not Avengers material byyyyyye.

The other Avengers go huh I guess he wasn’t Avengers material but Thor seemed to suspect what had really happened.

So my rambling point is that its appropriate that Thor again thinks to recruit Spider-Man for the Avengers because of that previous story.

Later in the day, Iron Man calls Captain America.

Although as Cap points out they know each other’s civilian name now so why be formal?

Iron Man: “Captain America? This is Iron Man.”

Captain America: “Hey, Tony, let’s make it ‘Steve,’ okay? I’m off duty.”

So Tony “Iron Man” Stark has managed to stop thinking about more woman on the Avengers and has actually started to think about having Hawkeye back on the Avengers and has to admit, it sounds good to him!

So Captain Steve says they should go together tomorrow and see what Hawkeye thinks.

This is a nice sequence.

Its nice to see how the two learning each other’s identity plays out like this. Tony trying to stick to how they’ve known each other and Steve making a not subtle overture for them to become more familiar.

This is probably good shipping fodder, I realize!

But it is also good friendshipping fodder. It can be both.

Elsewhere and meanwhile, at the Van Dyne residence, Janet puts her own recruitment drive into... drive?

She’s invited every super-heroine in the country she can think of to brunch but she has no idea how to get a hold of She-Hulk.

Not even her state of the art computer system can find her! Granted, the state of the art computer system is for analyzing fashion forecasts and not news reports about She-Hulk sightings.

So Jan decides that if you want a She-Hulk you’ve got to spend a little green.

She has her assistant take out a bunch of full-page ads in all of the major west coast newspapers. And heck, buy a bunch of commercial time too!

Jan is going to do some I Want You (to Join the Avengers) ads!

She is ludicrously wealthy.

I went and checked and her original inheritance was ‘only’ three million dollars but the way that she throws around money I’m pretty sure she has managed to get some lucrative investments. That or she’s just super good at being a fashionista.

Granted, blowing a bunch of money for a chance to have brunch with She-Hulk is a pretty good reason to blow a bunch of money.

Later, as twilight comes, Thor is flying around Central Park because he has no idea how to find Spider-Man but hears that he’s often around “the meadow-lands called Central Park” and happens upon three goofuses who just robbed a pawnshop.

These goofuses are such goofuses that one of them is wearing groucho glasses as a disguise. Another one is wearing a clown mask.

Which, like a moth to fire, aggros Spider-Man just to mock the guy.

I’m pretty sure rather than flying around aimlessly, the best way to find Spider-Man is to create the perfect quip opportunity.

A clown: “I’m gonna kiss every dime o’ my share -- just as soon as we get to the hideout so’s I can take off this stupid mask!”

Spider-Man, suddenly: “Aw, c’mon, Bunky, leave it on! I’ve always wanted to bust a bozo who looks like a bozo!”

Groucho: “S-s-spider-Man!”

S-s-spider-Man: “But enough of this clowning! Wanna give up?”

Dangit, Peter. Good wordplay.

But before can catch these thieves just like flies, down came the rain and washed the spider out.

A sudden, inexplicable (cough cough Thor) localized storm tosses around the thieves until they surrender.

After the police lead away the goofus thieves, Spider-Man comes dripping wet and with a bone to pick.

Spider-Man: “Do you have any idea what it’s like running around in wet tights?”

Thor is like sorry bro but I’ve come to talk so Spider-Man agrees but they’ll need to go off somewhere private because the press is honing in on him to ask him bonkers questions about whether he came in a flying saucer.

I think they’re thinking of a certain emissary of hell.

That darn press!

Spider-Man and Thor relocate to a high rooftop for their talk.

Spider-Man: “Now, Goldilocks, what’s your beef?”

Thor: “Thy protective demeanor is unneeded, my friend. I have no ‘beef’ -- only a proposal. The Avengers are seeking new members, and I wouldst offer thee such position.”

Spider-Man: “You... Thor... want me as an Avenger?

Spider-Man is still not sure if it would work out (reflecting on Spider-Man Annual #3) but he’s also really flattered by the offer. And presumably how the offer wasn’t accompanied by “BUT FIRST YOU MUST PASS OUR TEST!”

So he can’t just accept the offer off-hand but he’s definitely going to think about it.

Even if you don’t join the team, even just being considered is an honor.

The twilight turns into night turns into day, and Cap and Iron Man show up in Hawkeye’s place of business to bug him.

Don’t know if you remember but Hawkeye has a cushy job as head of security for Cross Technological Enterprises. And he actually does take the job seriously which is why he’s a little concerned, at least for his professional pride, that Cap and Iron Man got past his guards.

Cap: “Avengers priority -- never leave home without it. In fact, we’ve come to offer it to you.”

Smooth. Smooth, Cap.

Although I do like that they can just march up to the guards of this company and go ‘hey let us in we’re avengers’ and its not even a ‘ok i’ll clear it with head of security hawkeye’ its ‘yeah sure go right in and do you want any paperclips?’

Anyway, Hawkeye has his pride so he tells Cap not to expect him to come crawling back after the Avengers booted him out (actually Gyrich because Gyrich wanted the Avengers to have some ding dang diversity. Its weirdly the least assholeish thing he’s ever done although he approached it very much in an asshole way).

Point being, they kicked Hawkeye out and he has a new super cool job now.

Iron Man takes this show of wounded pride in wounded stride, just asking that Hawkeye consider it and let them know when he makes a decision.

But Hawkeye doubts he’ll decide to come back to the Avengers because he’s got a good thing in this steady, respectable paying job which comes with job security and respect!

And then, suddenly struck by the realization that he, Hawkeye, is turning down a drama implosion like the Avengers to do the adult thing?? Hawkeye doesn’t like what he’s become.

And he stares in horror at the trappings of power and respectability. The sex and the drugs.

Or a Playboy magazine and a personalized coffee cup, at least.

And he decides to give Iron Man his answer right then and there.

Which, of course, involves shooting arrows. This is Hawkeye we’re talking about.

What’s amazing is that we’ll learn later this issue that he’s going to keep his security job and do Avengers on top of that (and in fairness most of the Avengers don’t have Avengers as their only thing). But he just shot an arrow through a glass door in his place of employment.

But you don’t hire Hawkeye if you don’t expect that kind of thing so I can see why it wouldn’t impact his job.

So that’s Hawkeye as a YES and Spider-Man as a ‘I’ll get back to you.’ And as the weekend arrives, it’s time for Janet van Dyne’s superheroine brunch.

And on the hill above the van Dyne house, its our old pal Fabian Stankowicz.

Remember? The Mechano-Marauder? Built a robot suit to beat up the Avengers, none of them took him that seriously? Iron Man beat him up solo without trying very hard and then got angry about Hank Pym?

Anyway, he’s back, somehow, and he’s salty about the less than dignified experience he had in issue 217. But this time, he has a new plan!

Fabian Stankowicz: “They laughed at me! Mocked me! But I’ll show the Avengers that the Mechano-Marauder is not to be toyed with! I’ll attack their weakest member when the others aren’t around! She’ll be helpless! *Heh-heh-heh*”

Well. Good luck with that, my dude.

Sue Storm-Richards, the Invisible Girl, arrives and Jan introduces her to the other prospective Avengers: Dazzler, Spider-Woman, and Black Widow.

All good candidates, really.

Especially Dazzler.

Well, Beast left and Tigra left so somebody needs to be the new funny person.

Apparently, Spider-Woman doesn’t like puns because she immediately starts getting catty with Dazzler.

Spider-Woman: “Nice going, Blaire! You’re showing all the polish and poise of a real pro!”

Dazzler: “Oh? And I suppose crawling on walls like some yucky insect is ‘professional’?”

Spider-Woman: “I sting, too”

I guess, they have some history in Dazzler’s own book that didn’t go over well. Black Widow has to lean over and tell them to cut the shit out for Jan’s sake.

But then the last invited guest shows up.

ITS A SHE-HULK!

She saw the ads and she’s come for the free food!

Relatable.

Outside, Jan’s chauffeur Mr. Carrothers sits on the limo taking a smoke break and reflecting how good he has it working for the Wasp. Good pay, casual hours. The most he can complain about is that it gets a little boring sometimes.

That’s probably tempting fate because the All-New All-Different Mechano-Marauder stomps up to the house. Remember how Fabian threw the limo last time? Mr. Carrothers remembers.

He panics and runs into the house and tries to warn the assembled heroes.

And yet.

They didn’t really leap to action, huh? I mean, I get it. Brunch.

Even after the robot fist has punched through Wasp’s frankly ludicrous window and kidnapped Dazzler, Wasp is more annoyed than anything.

Wasp: “Fabian Stankowicz, you get that thing out of my living room!”

And then has to explain to her guests that Fabian is some chump that Iron Man beat up and that he wants to make a name for himself by defeating the Avengers. And Sue is like ah yes I understand completely.

But chump or not, Black Widow decides that they should rescue Dazzler.

Dazzler: “I don’t think I need saving, folks! This guy’s just holding, not squeezing!”

And so much for the brunch bunch taking this any amount of serious.

Sue just puts up a quick invisible dome to keep Fabian from getting to the rest of them which the Mechano-Marauder instantly bonks into and bangs on impotently demanding that they let him in.

Careful, Fabian.

You’re memeing yourself.

Dazzler saves herself when she gets tired of being carried around. She does her Dazzler thing with the bright pulse of light, blinding Fabian.

He drops Dazzler but she’s caught by She-Hulk.

The blinded Mechano-Marauder drives around blindly, thinking “These women aren’t even Avengers! They can’t beat me!”

Alas, Dazzler decides the same decision she decided in #211, that she’s a singer, not a fighter.

And Sue also decides to head off, saying that she’s too busy with the Fantastic Four anyway.

Shame.

But can we talk about the sheer audacity that Jan had of trying to poach Sue from the Fantastic Four to the Avengers? The nerve! The verve!

So that’s two of her candidates declining but that still leaves Spider-Woman, Black Widow, and She-Hulk.

And unfortunately for Mechano-Marauder, the first two are the two that have decided to kick his ass a little for entertainment reasons.

Spider-Woman’s venom blast damages one of the giant robot fists and Black Widow swings around Hoth-style and trips the Mechano-Marauder into the ornamental pond.

Alas, after literally dunking a giant robot into a pond, both Spider-Woman and Black Widow turn down the offer to join the Avengers.

Black Widow has private business that are keeping her busy. And Spider-Woman doesn’t even offer an excuse.

In fairness, she has her own solo book over in California and that’s a heck of a commute. I’m actually impressed that she came all this way for brunch.

Fabian is fed up with being treated as an after-thought in his own fight scene and bursts out of the pond, yelling how he’s going to destroy them all!

All.... uh, two that’s left at this point. Yup, he sure is going to destroy all two of them.

She-Hulk has been fairly low-key this whole story, especially for She-Hulk. I’m pretty sure she came to the brunch just for the food and she hasn’t reacted much to Fabian, even when the others were. She caught Dazzler but she hasn’t had much to say since arriving. She’s mostly been standing with her hands on her hips, watching things play out.

But I guess she’s gotten tired of Fabian. Or maybe it falls to her as the last guest.

She tells him to shut up and breaks his robot suit with one punch.

Fabian has one last trick up his Mechano-Marauder sleeve but its a dumb one.

His ejector seat is actually a backup robot suit. Annnd, its so heavy that it sinks into the ground. Trapping him.

Good job, Fabian.

She-Hulk goes to give him one more punch but Wasp stops her. Because she wants a shot at him.

And wow! What a shot!

At full not small size she crosses the streams to focus her bio-power stings into one concentrated beam and blows a hole in Fabian’s escape suit.

I’ve talked before about how Wasp’s pew pew stings have seemingly gotten souped up under Shooter and I think this is another good example. I mean, she’s not blowing up a house but combining the blasts to do precision boring is another cool application we haven’t seen before.

Anyway, now Wasp goes teeny and flies into the hole she made and up into the helmet to blast Fabian in the face. So hard his helmet flies off.

Wasp: “That’ll teach ‘im for ruining my party!”

And that’s that for brunch.

Days later, Jarvis calls the State Department to request official clearance for two new members.

And we see part of the process of that. Interesting if you’re interested in the logistics of an officially recognized superhero team.

I guess what’s interesting is that Henry Peter Gyrich is still part of the process.

You’d think he’d have been replaced or something after the Avengers very publicly embarrassed him and got emancipated from him. I guess he keeps doing the necessary liaison stuff without ever talking to them.

The requests for the two new members cross Gyrich’s desk and he takes it to the White House where the request gets signed by Ronald Reagan.

(The two new members are Hawkeye and She-Hulk by the by. We see it on the paperwork. Guess Spider-Man is still thinking it over.)

Anyway, I guess its interesting that new Avengers are a matter that goes all the way up to the president.

God, I’m glad that for the modern team, Cap told the US government to fuck off because I don’t want to even think about that still being a thing.

The next day after the paperwork is signed, Hawkeye is on his way to Avengers Mansion in a cab. He’s reading a Time magazine about the change in the Avengers’ roster and reflecting that it’ll be hard to hold down two jobs but worth it because he’s missed the adventure.

Check out the Time magazine though.

The cover of this comic book issue is in-universe the cover of Time magazine! That’s neat.

But Hawkeye’s cab is suddenly cut off by a pink Cadillac.

And Hawkeye being Hawkeye doesn’t just grumble and go about his day. He commits assault. Because this is Hawkeye.

The guy that Cap and Iron Man wanted back for being a good team-player.

So he gets out of the cab and shoots the pink Cadillac with an EMP arrow that fries the car’s electrical system.

Really abusing that Avengers Priority Status already, huh, Hawkeye?

The one mistake he made is that the pink Cadillac belongs to She-Hulk. She in fact earned it by doing a car commercial for Wacky Willie’s Wheels-And-Deals so you might imagine she’s fond of it.

So she picks up the cab with Hawkeye in it and leans it against a lightpole.

And then she picks up the Cadillac on her shoulder and walks off with it.

She-Hulk knows how to make a lasting impression, I’ll say that.

But soon after he gets down from the taxi and stops in at an ER to make sure he’s not concussed, Hawkeye arrives at Avengers Mansion to rejoin the team.

Hawkeye: “Okay, folks, life can go on -- Hawkeye’s here!”

Iron Man: “And it’s about time! We were starting to get worried. What happened?”

Hawkeye: “Oh, nothin’ much -- not ‘til some freaky Amazon tried to play dominoes with my taxi!”

She-Hulk, lurking silhouetted by the window: “‘Amazon’, eh? I don’t suppose it could have been -- a green Amazon?”

That is a powerful energy you have there, She-Hulk. Powerful energy and a power move in a power suit.

And that’s how Hawkeye’s day was ruined. Also how the two new additions to the team start with bad blood.

Conflict! We gotta have it!

Wasp: “Hawkeye, She-Hulk. I’d like to officially welcome you both. From now on -- you’re one of us. We’re one of you. And we’re all -- THE AVENGERS!”

Jan’s trying a new thing where she kisses every new member. And they both have to bend down a little for her.

Also, another new Wasp costume! Wasp gonna Wasp!

This is another good, light-hearted decompression issue. The Moondragon two-parter had some yuks but also mind-control sex and Drax’s brain melting. So this time Wasp throws a brunch and Cap and Iron Man help Hawkeye escape the drudgery of an adult job.

There’s a lot of what could have been with Wasp’s guest list. What if she could convince Sue Storm to take a break from the Fantastic Four to try being on the Avengers.

She’ll join later, in the Worst Roster but she’ll join with Reed. I’m thinking more of a thing where Sue gets some time away from the family. I don’t think it could last long and it would need the Avengers and FF writer to be on the same page but I think it could be interesting - Sue getting to be on a team where she doesn’t have to be the adult in the room and doesn’t have to work alongside the family.

It’s a similar reason to why I’d like to see adult Cyclops join the Avengers. He’s so tied in with X-stuff and being the leader of X-stuff that I want to take him out of that context and see a new side of him.

Spider-Woman and Black Widow also could have been interesting. They’ll both become Avengers later. I don’t know that Dazzler ever did and she presents interesting opportunities.

The Avengers have had Wonder Man who was also trying to break into acting while being an Avenger. So Dazzler trying to pursue her singing career might just be a retread of that but what if she were more successful and was a celebrity on the team.

The Avengers kind of are celebrities but I think it’d be a different feel if they had a famous (disco) singer on the team.

Interesting stuff (for me) to think about, anyway.

Something else to talk about is the creative credits. Jim Shooter is credited for plotting but Dave Michelinie as writer. And looking ahead, Shooter is not going to be the solo writer again in the near future.

I think we’re getting to the point where Shooter’s going to be too busy with EIC duties to keep up writing the Avengers. He’s going to get plotting credits for a few more issues, probably loose threads he’s handing to other writers.

So the second Shooter run is going to end soon. Shame. Very much a shame. It wasn’t a very long run but he put a lot of energy and humor into the book.

Next time: Egghead’s back and he’s bringing a new Masters of Evil. Wow, it’s been a while since we’ve had them and they’re supposed to be the Avengers’ evil opposite team.

And Egghead is the not very impressive criminal mastermind who couldn’t beat Hank Pym so instead framed him for crime. Hopefully the new Masters rise above that level of menace.

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