#this one has some things written for it but its def further down the line

[rosemaze-reveries]

During an interview, the manor guests suddenly get a question about you.

this is def an experimental format!! i got this idea while reading the character letters. in the POV of an unknown interviewer (not reader). reader uses they/them.

🔗⚰️📰🔮❤️‍🩹💉🌪️✂️🍀🩰🔫🪡🤹🧲🦋🐍

Q. Could you describe your relationship with (Y/N)?

🔗 Ada - "Yes, that's my lover. I would say our relationship falls within the typical scope of that sort of thing. Of course, I believe we share something special, but everyone does when they're in love, don't they?" She covers all her bases in one decisive breath, leaving little room for me to comment.

⚰️ Aesop sits perfectly upright, fingers threaded at his knees. His eyes drift to the side and he seems to begin speaking mid-thought. "I had... cautioned myself not to upset their perception of me," he explains. "But they pried, and stayed, regardless of what they found... For that, I'm grateful."

📰 Alice has kept a sharp eye on me the entire time, but it's at this question that she drops the formalities. "I wasn't aware you would be prying into my personal affairs. Where did you learn that name?" Her frankness pins me in place. For some reason, I end up apologizing.

🔮 Eli can't help a sheepish smile from blooming across his face. "Well, truthfully... I don't use this term lightly, but they might be the love of my life." He has been consistently grounded with his responses, so I'm surprised to catch him flustered, however subtle it is. Personally, I'm touched.

❤️‍🩹 Emil considers for a moment. He doesn't meet me in the eye, instead pinning his gaze on nowhere in particular. A faint smile ghosts his lips. After a while, he answers, simply, "Safe."

💉 Emily's hands are folded neatly on her lap. At the mention of that name, her shoulders tense, but she otherwise maintains her composure. "Someone I trust." Her answer is vague and cautious, but acceptable. I'll try to uncover a deeper meaning behind that 'trust'.

🌪️ Ithaqua - "Mine." He is curt and to the point. Yours? I echo, hoping he'll elaborate. His head tilts to the side, and while I can't see the face behind his mask, a sense of dread suddenly overcomes me. I decide not to press further.

✂️ Jack stretches out his hand of blades, flexing each finger in front of him. I can't deny the cold sweat that drips down my spine just by being in his presence. "May I respond with a question of my own?" he says to me. "Suppose a butterfly loses its way, and winds up caught in a spider's web. Wouldn't you agree that the more it writhes and struggles, the more exhilarated the spider becomes?" I don't have the courage to hear out the rest of this analogy.

🍀 Lucky - "I've always been known as a pretty lucky guy, but the luckiest day of my life was when I met them! I remember it was the—" He drags me down a long-winded story about their life together. I get the idea. Eventually I'm forced to cut him off.

🩰 Margaretha twirls a curl of hair, a meek blush dusting her cheeks. "Have you ever been in love before? You're never prepared for the magic of it all. I feel a new rush with them everyday. I know, realistically, all good things come to an end, so I tried to remind myself to expect the worst, but they've proven over and over that... I'll never feel safer than in their arms." After rambling for some time, a look of surprise flashes across her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go off like that. Oh, but I've just never met someone who feels so much like true love before."

�� Martha doesn't miss a beat. "Sorry, I don't know anyone by that name." I look down to double-check the name written in her file. Her watchful gaze follows my line of sight. Are you sure? I try. "Must've been some confusion somewhere," she insists. The next day, I realize all my files on her and (Y/N) have gone missing.

🪡 Matthias - "Wh-What?" he starts, but keeps going before I can repeat the question. "Oh, uh, an ally, I guess." Well, I gathered that much. When I press for more details, his head sinks low, fingers grasping at the armrest. "I don't know what they saw in me. Was it out of pity?"

🤹 Mike's eyes light up and he blinds me with a contagious smile. "(Y/N)'s a sneaky one, and I mean it—they've got me under the trickiest spell of all. Guess what happens every time I think about them?" Egged on by his grin, I take the bait. You get lovesick? I guess. Suddenly, he tosses a handful of butterfly glitter in my face. "I get butterflies!" Very funny, I sigh, exasperated with these carnies. Why did he have that on hand in the first place?

🧲 Norton leans back in his chair, scowling. "What's that got to do with anything?" He snaps a couple times in my face, urging me to "stay on topic." It's hard to say if this question struck a nerve, as he's been uncooperative for most of this interview, but my suspicions point me to prod further. After all, it'd have been much easier if he just said he didn't know them.

🦋 Vera's face contorts into a leery, hostile glower. "Why do you ask that?" Before I can say anything to mitigate the rising tension, she catches herself, and her expression softens slightly. "I'm sorry. That's... someone quite dear to me, so your question took me by surprise."

🐍 Yidhra's follower goes pale, clearly unnerved. "She won't answer that," she tells me through shallow breaths. "Th-This isn't my place to say, but I'd advise you not to involve yourself with that person." As if on cue, I get a sensation I can only describe as a hand slowly wrapping around my neck. It disappears when I move to scratch it. Must've been my imagination.

Part 2

[applejee]

'fuckoff multimedia monstrosity WIP' sounds hilarious pls elaborate 👀

oh i am glad u asked!!!! basically, its my own take on a more modern, online tim who decides to blog about him randomly figuring out the batman’s identity. or does he? regardless, its an undertaking for sure, especially since i want to incorporate various tweets, reddit, forum mockups etc from the gotham, or general in-universe internet. it’s inspired by this which basically encapsulates how i envision tim’s style of humour anyway.

here’s the current beginning of the doc:

–

When you find Batman through the infamous #DoTheButtsMatch conspiracy boards

The real treasure was the <s>friends</s> family we made along the way

May 27, 2019

–

if you’d like to know more about my wips, send me an ask!

[wild-aloof-rebel]

I read most of the fics you recommend and I love them but I'm too nervous to comment on things because I feel like the authors will think my comments are dumb. I try to kudos everything I like because I feel like the least I can do is hit a button, but do you have any advice for getting braver about commenting?

just starting out, the easiest thing is to keep it simple, straightforward, and positive with comments like, i really loved this story! or wow, this was great! authors def get lots of comments just like this, so you’ll be in plenty of good company even if you never do anything more complicated than that. (def no one is going to think your comment is dumb.) if you do want to say something more extensive or meaningful though, here are some general dos and don’ts...

DO

be positive. tell them you enjoyed the fic. how you do that is up to you, but that’s always the baseline starting point.

make this author and this work the central focus of your comment. you’ll see some examples of how NOT to do this in the don’ts section below, but the entire point of commenting on a fic is to tell this author that you like this particular thing, so make sure that’s what you’re actually talking about.

express how it made you feel. i couldn’t stop laughing when ___ or my heart broke when ___ or even just a straightforward this fic made me so happy.

quantify your reading experience in a way that shows how much you enjoyed the fic. i was up till 6 am finishing this story or i read this for 4 hours straight or this is at least my tenth time reading this fic.

give short anecdotes about your reading experience. i was reading on the train and got so involved in the story that i missed my stop or i squealed so loud at ___ that i woke my dog or i read this on my porch in the sunshine, and it made for such a perfect afternoon.

highlight your favorite parts. it can be lines of dialogue, plot points, characterization, whole scenes... you can just say that the part was a fave, or you can also talk more in-depth about what makes it a fave.

point out things the author does particularly well. if there is something about the writing that stood out to you as something that an author is really good at—maybe their prose is really sharp or their characterization is really spot-on—tell them so. it’s even better if you’ve read multiple works from them and can point out things you consistently love throughout their complete oeuvre.

ask questions about things you enjoyed. most authors enjoy talking about how they write their fics, so if you want to hear more about the things you liked, ask open-ended questions about them. wow, i love that you had them do ___, how did you come up with such a unique idea? questions are an obvious way to start an actual conversation and maybe even make a new friend! (i’ve legit made friends this way)

say what comes next. if you’re now going to go shout the merits of this fic from the rooftops to recommend it to everyone you know, or if you’re going to go read everything else the author has written, or if you’re immediately going to start reading it all over again, let them know. 

DON’T

give criticism or corrections, even if you think it’s constructive, unless it’s expressly asked for (and even then, be exceedingly gentle). you don’t want to be the “mean comment” that’s the reason someone gives up on writing entirely. the one exception i will make to this rule is that if there’s a problem with formatting that’s making the story difficult to actually read (like coding has broken somewhere and so suddenly halfway down the fic, everything is written in a tiny column), most authors will appreciate you pointing it out, as kindly as possible. and still, in that instance i would try to message them privately rather than post a public comment, if at all possible.

spill all the details of your personal life. giving a quick example of how you relate to something in the fic is usually totally fine, but if you find yourself going in-depth about your life in the comments, pause and ask if it’s something that the author really needs to know. with fics dealing with heavier subjects, for example, an author might like knowing that their fic about grief has helped you with your own or really resonated with you in whatever way, but it can be a lot to deal with when people are pouring out their own trauma into your comments in response. and it’s not just heavier fics where this is a don’t. i’ve def seen people do this with PWPs, too, and that’s also often Very Awkward for the author. (just because we’re writing sexy things, it doesn’t mean we need to know about your own sex life in response.) and in fact, there are consent issues with all of that—an author can’t consent to bearing your trauma or reading the details of your sex life or whatever before you write about it in their comments—so it’s best to just avoid getting too personal in most instances.

compare the author to others you’ve read. even if you’re doing it in what you see as a positive way—this reminded me of ___’s story, which is one of my all-time faves—that may not seem like a positive to the author. maybe they don’t actually like the other author you’re comparing them to. maybe they’ve never read the other author’s works and therefore your comparison won’t really mean anything to them. or maybe the other author is their friend and you’ve just said this is WAY better than the one by ___ about this same idea. there are just a lot of ways to put your foot in your mouth by comparing authors, and all the interpersonal dynamics of it aside, it doesn’t show appreciation for the fic on its own merits, which is what you should be aiming to do.

disagree with an author’s choices or ask questions about things you don’t like. if you find yourself frowning as you ask, why would you choose to write it THAT way or what makes you think that character would ever do ____, it’s best to just say those out loud to your cat or your significant other if you need to and then let them go. don’t ask authors to defend choices with which you disagree. you can either ignore those parts in your comments or just choose not to comment at all if you can’t come up with anything positive to say, and that will always be better than making an author feel badly about what they’ve written.

demand updates or sequels. you can definitely show your excitement for further chapters of an in-progress story with comments like i’m loving this story so far and can’t wait to read the rest or for completed stories with things like i’d love to read more set in this universe if you ever want to write more, but comments like when are you going to post more? or are you ever going to finish this? or even you need to write a sequel to this because i need more, while perhaps well-intentioned, can come across as pushy and demanding. it’s just a matter of being careful in how you phrase things; you want to show your appreciation, not make the author feel like they’re a dancing monkey who is supposed to perform when and how you please.

none of these, of course, are hard and fast rules. authors all have their own personal preferences, and things definitely become more flexible when it’s an author with whom you already have a rapport, but this is still a good general starting point. 

if you’re really worried, you can always take a look at what other comments an author has gotten on the fic you’ve just finished to get a better idea of how other people have responded to it and, if the author has replied to their comments, possibly what kinds of comments they seem to respond particularly well (or poorly) to, and then model your own comments after that.

[solidburnreturned]

by popular demand, here is my oc chatter regarding stuff like relationships n random character traits. its rly long oops but i divided it by character at least lmao,, these are all things that i think id also wanna use if i ever use these characters as humans (which i def will at some point honestly)

- i thinkkkk i want toad and pike to date. toad would come across pike in their lagoon one day while hes wandering around on another wonked exploration and pike is like hey lol :B with their pointy teeth and long ass hair and toad is like :0 he just sits and talks with pike for hours and comes by a few times a week to hang out with them. they fall in LOVE

- fred and lani are def gonna date too. two butches who use he/him pronouns fuck yeah? they have a powerful relationship. mega BDE. power couple. not a lot of pda but alone together theyre both very loving and tender, its a vulnerability thing for both of them. like lani is very cool and can be either stoic or borderline obnoxious while fred is punkish. fred is very head over heels for lani tho 

- mardi n berg.....complicated....i gotta figure out how they actually end up together. berg is a jogger and mardi is a piercer/tattoo artist so that doesnt....make them line up very much in that department. ill think about it more and figure something out. itll probably have something to do with berg’s nose stripes and eye rings

- also side note on mardi......i want his backstory to include a grey period set off by his brother being eaten when they were both young at the troll tree. like he becomes angry and depressed, sorta like branch, his tattoos that he gives himself the only color on his body, until he learns to let go and his colors come back (high key this was inspired by 21 savage, mardi’s voice claim, and the line in his new song A Lot “my brother lost his life and it turned me to a beast”). ill develop this idea further but i just wanted to get it written down

- bismuth.......unsure. they had a crush on pepper and kept trying to ask her out until she came out to them as a lesbian, then they were like :’) but theyre ride or die theyre not gonna be an ass to her because they cant date her. they just care a lot about her. its like icarly

- gazpacho and jupiter CUTE two small trans trolls in That Love. i need to develop them more but. theyre just cute 

- talia is still a little too new for me to develop her......but im thinkin about it...

- kinda same with ernie and olive. they kinda mostly just exist as cute babby characters right now? if anything olive is a trouble maker and ernie is a chatterbox

- clem and thursday also fuckin cute as hell......clem was a nervous wreck asking thursday out but theyve been together like ever since, which is more than a few years. they have a rly cute gentle lovey dovey relationship. thursday is usually hanging around up on her gf’s shoulder giving her kisses on the cheek

- bea and crystal.......adorabl relationship......crystal is another character thats kinda nervous but bea is so chill n confident is helps calm her down. theyre both trans and love the hell out of each other. rly slow n steady relationship, bea is very patient

- pj and marcus!!!! dumb mlm rep relationship. pj is so so gay for marcus he can barely comprehend it. its a dumb ego boost for marcus but hes also very in love with pj, he just expresses it in a weird cocky way idk marcus is a nerd. i need to make more content for them i think about these two way more than it seems

- dwight!! he has a boat. he lives on the boat.....ive thought about maybe pairing him with toad and pike. deciding on his voice claim has been the most difficult thing ever

- kass and current HELL yeah buff gf and tol gf......they spar with swords and wrestle for fun and hang out at the beach a lot. kass fuckin loves the gem on current’s back. i gotta make more content for them 

- celia......i wanna do more with celia. friends with berg probs theyre both sporty. shes just a sweet giant troll who loves mushrooms. i gotta pair her with someone whose palette goes nicely with her pastels 

- carrot and harriet are literally cricket and tilly from big city greens just older. yeehaw siblings. havent thought about relationship stuff with harriet yet.....i think she also needs ANOTHER redesign her colors are just too heavy still. maybe if i can make her colors compliment celia’s that could work as a pairing? hm hm.....carrot tho is dating ford’s oc rye theyre gentle country gays

- rainer. hm. i dont think theyre rly the dating type......theyre just chill with being them. they just wanna swim and be funny

- hammond and andromeda are probs two of my least developed characters.....hammond still needs a redesign. he might be cute to pair with walter, theyre around the same age. andromeda tho i have no idea. she might be a nice pairing with eve? if i ever feel like pairing her with someone...who knows. eve is very carefree and might find andromeda’s energy too intense

- radish i wanna make more content for!! i rly like her a lot....i think shes another troll who isnt interested in dating. shes very focused on being a chef instead. loves her friends a lot!

- mack and pepper 2gether 4ever obvs......they have a relationship that gets richer with age for sure

- im just gonna ramble about mack. i thinkkkkkkk i wanna make her half latina? columbian specifically. she doesnt quite read as white and i didnt make her with the intention of making her white. anyway i love mack a whole lot and should really develop her backstory more. its not rly as like...””tragic”” or whatever as pepper’s i know that but she def has layers. i wanna give her whole family more depth. she has a very complicated relationship with her own feelings and motivations that i need to think about more fully. my powerful femme tho i lov her

- mack’s parents, robin and champagne, i need to like....think about them more. they have kinda a comedic relationship thats sorta inspired by roger rabbit and jessica rabbit. robin is a very caring, gentle troll who’s very smart and cares a lot about his nursing responsibilities in the village. champagne is very relaxed and the “voice of reason” character of the family. she loves a good party and has her party planning down to a science. both are very successful power parents. kickass family

- i already talked about topaz and marney in a separate post but i still love them both so much. big wesbiabs

- pepper....pebber. im gonna talk about her the most obviously gfhjdkrs i wanna talk about her mental health i feel like i think about it a lot but i never write about it explicitly? this is gonna be long oops hgjfksd she has depression and ptsd stemming from the trauma of her crash...im thinking she also has adhd and thats just something shes always had. her depression rly got heavy during her recovery and right after like...she hated being bed/housebound and felt rly powerless to her situation and just let it eat at her until her personality had actually changed considerably. like extroverted wild child rebel to introverted, soft-spoken sulker. this got better with time but she still is pretty introverted, just turned her moodiness into chill energy. 

- she has bad depression habits like letting dishes, old food, laundry, or just stuff pile up in her room until it gets overwhelming and she spends like two days just manically cleaning; or staying in bed for way longer than she should and messing with her hygiene; or eating way more or way less than she should eat in a day. just stuff thats hard to completely break out of when youre recovering. her color is pretty consistently the dark red but if shes having a particularly rough day she might look a little paler, or like a muddy brick color at her worst. thats kinda rare tho

- her ptsd is the thing she hates the most. for a while it made her feel very weak and she’d beat herself up over being traumatized by the crash which was obviously not helpful to her mental state but she was really all over the place during her bodily recovery. its part of the reason why she started working out, she wanted to reclaim some sort of feeling of strength and power that she felt she’d lost completely. she still gets really frustrated with this feeling of loss but she gets a lot of support from loved ones which has helped her not self-blame so much. her ptsd manifests mostly as nightmares/insomnia, chronic headaches/stomachaches, intrusive thoughts and sometimes flashbacks. the nightmares are what rly get to her, she really doesnt get a lot of good sleep and it can get to the point where she just doesnt want to sleep sometimes and she’ll stay awake until she crashes hard

- her scars used to be a big trigger for her ptsd, which is why she has her bangs covering the one on her face and wears long pants (her knee braces are too bulky for pants and would force her to wear shorts which would force her to expose her scars). she just. really really hates them. this is something she struggles with for a majority of her life

- once she and mack start going steady with their dating and start consistently sleeping in the same bed, pepper starts to sleep better. she still has nightmares that wake her up at least weekly, but having mack there to comfort her (whether she wakes mack up accidentally or if mack is already awake) helps a TON with getting her back to sleep soundly. it also just helps her sleep in general to have that comforting, loving presence in her bed snuggled up to her ;w; mack is a big help in general with pepper’s mental health, pushing pepper to make better, healthier choices and get out in the village more and have fun. mack for sure does not “”cure”” pepper of anything but shes a very positive light in pepper’s life that helps her pull thru tough times!

- i love all my goofy trolls so much. its so fun to just chill and blab about them to relax between working on big projects ;o; ty if u cared enough to read this whole thing ur so rad

[jq37]

OH MAN THAT NEW EP. Lou's nat 20. I'M DYING. What do you think is going to happen next week based on the trailer

That nat 20 was peak Fabian and peak D&D. Sometimes crap just lines up and it’s awesome. 

Anyway, to summarize the promo:

The bad kids seem to be under arrest for the murder of Johnny Spells (which is a thing they def did)

Fig has mommy issues maybe

Bill Seacaster yells at Fabian

Someone is shooting at cops

Riz invites his mom to prom

Siobhan asks if she can cast detect thoughts on herself

Everyone’s phones start pinging 

My guess is them being under arrest has to do with whoever was threatening them at the end of the episode trying to get them out of the way, because they seem to be the person who knows what’s really going on here.  (Sidenote, Adaine’s parents are out of the country by now, right? So threatening to burn down the empty house of her family that she hates isn’t much of a threat).

The mommy issues comment makes me feel like either the other shoe is gonna drop re: where the hell Sandra-Lynn is or Fig is just gonna be back on her flirting with full adults nonsense.

Maybe Bill is yelling at Fabian upon bailing him out of jail? Because a good pirate wouldn’t have just surrendered like Fabian does along w/ the rest of the group in the promo. I’m also not surprised he’s in the promo because he has to be in the ep to tie up the loose ends about KVX bank and whatever’s happening there.

I don’t think Brennan was speaking in his Cubby dad voice but man I hope it’s him shooting up the cops. 

PROM! I knew it! I knew a prom finale was inevitable! More on that later. Also, why do I feel like we’re gonna get some capture the crown battle mechanics? 

Siobhan asking to cast detect thoughts on herself is what threw me the most for a loop. My three best guesses are (1) It has to do w/ the people stuck in her jacket (which is such a weird side thing that’s currently happening), (2) she also has patches of her memory cut out like Biz does and she’s trying to find a way to circumvent that, or (3) she suspects that she’s being possessed or something and she’s trying to check.

And everyone's’ phones going off probably just means another threat from whoever’s threatening them. BUT that scene could also be happening during prom and when he says everyone he means the whole student body so that could be a signal of some major wildness.

So, we’re heading for a prom finale. That seems clear now. It also seems like the gang is about to get arrested. So a couple of things:

Where are we in the timeline? I know we time jumped but I didn’t think we were late enough for prom yet. If we’re not, then I guess there could be a further time jump between getting arrested and being out in time for prom, but let’s just assume it’s prom time now. 

If it is prom time, that means either they get arrested and get bailed out the same day basically, or they just freaking break out of jail to stop whatever’s happening. I think option B seems pretty likely considering the shootout scene in the promo. So it’s possible they get arrested, bust out, Riz finds his mom and is like, “Let’s do this.”

Last episode, Brennan made Emily say a very specific line while possessed. He wrote it out and she had to do it verbatim. That’s the only time he’s done that so I feel like it has to be significant, right? If it was just for comedic effect, he wouldn’t have used a line from the first episode. 

Not that I know what that means. Like, was Mr. Gibbons a big bad? Was he possessed by a big bad? And, like, I’m sure Brennan didn’t plan for 2 characters to die in the first fight so I’m sure he didn’t plan for Mr. Gibbons to die then either. So where was he supposed to fit in? Was he supposed to be evil but manipulate people in his role as guidance counselor? But he didn’t actually go to hell, remember? He went to orc heaven which indicates that he’s not a bad guy. But that was still his line. Was he under the influence of someone/thing when he said it? Who the hell knows?

At this point, I think all roads lead back to Penelope. She seems to be the only person with connections to all the disparate bad things going on (except maybe the Harvestmen stuff, which may or may not have been a red herring). But what exactly is going on?

Honestly, I don’t think Emily was super far off with her eternal prom queen theory. Like, it’s off the wall but wouldn’t it sort of make sense? Wouldn’t it make sense that the main villain of this kind of campaign would be a crazy high school kid who agreed to help some ultimate evil with their evil plan in exchange for being prom queen of the world?

Or I guess Kal Vaxis literally could have turned himself into a baby to enact this evil plan in a form no one would expect, but that’s literally the last 25 minutes of Sky High so it’s not *That* crazy, OK?

And it would make sense for it to be her too, right? Because she was one of the first NPCs we met so it would be full circle. And what was she doing when we met her? Campaigning for the reinstatement of prom king/queen. So the set up is there.

Oh, my crazier theory is that Kal Vaxis needs royalty of some sort to break a curse or cast a spell and because of the way it’s written, technically prom royalty counts which is why the team up with Penelope. That’s based on nothing other than what I might write if I were Brennan. 

We pretty much know for sure Biz was a pawn and, despite her coming up again, Aelwen seems to be to. Whatever she did, I’m sure it was at Penelope’s behest. She talks a big game, but the fact that she was hanging out w/ the Hudol nerds and Penelope even though she talks about Aguefort like it’s beneath her makes me feel like she’s actually be pretty easily swayed. 

I’m looking at the wiki now and it says Penelope was upset when Sam disappeared but I don’t remember the context of that. Like, was it in public so she had to act upset? Was that not something she agreed to like she was down but her friends were supposed to be off limits?

What was the point of trapping the girls? Like, we know Biz probably wanted to do it for a creepy reason, but why did the other person want them hidden beyond divination? And, assuming Biz wasn’t lying, what good are just the downloads of the girls since they apparently went back to their bodies? And where exactly are their physical bodies? Will they just bust out of the palimpsests they’re in like Riz did? We know the cops have the one with Ostentasia in it, but where are the rest of them?

They’re all Penelope’s friends so maybe she wanted them for like her court or something? Idk man.

It could also be for some classic virgin blood spell kinda thing. Very traditional.

Anyway, that’s what I got for now. Lemme know if I forgot to touch on something.

Also every time I try and type the name of any Abernant, my computer shakes its head at me and does a red squiggle and it’s like, yeah I know computer but it is what it is. 

[actualbird]

hey, so, this is gonna sound like a weird question, but how did you get to be so well known for your writing? i've written a lot of bmc fanfic and i'd like to think i'm pretty good (i'm actually on your fic rec a couple times) but I feel like it's way harder for fanwriters to get noticed than fanartists. Do you have any advice on how to get word out about your fics? Thank you so much and have a great day!!

not weird at all and in fact ive gotten this question a lot (albeit in dms/private convos) i absolutely agree with you that fic writers have it tougher concerning getting noticed. it’s definitely not because the production of one is harder than the other, but it’s simply by virtue of creating content via a medium that takes longer to consume on social media platforms that are inherently fast paced. on that note, getting “well known” is a mixture of things you Can Control and things you Cant.

Can Control is based on what i guess we can call quality which youve got cuz if ive recced you then i LOVED whatever it is you wrote!!! and im a little bit of a picky reader kjfhkdsjf. but theres also the intricacies of making sure your fic has a good, enticing summary (ive grown quite fond of the “excerpt + actual fic summary line, possibly witty, possibly vague, you’ll have to read to find out” formula, since it works wonders in getting people to Click), well tagged, well titled, no author’s notes that go “sorry this is crap” (number one turn off is an author who apologizes for quality. if you dont believe in your work, how do you expect anybody else to? that isnt to say all writers should be sure of themselves, but def keep it out of the summary/notes. youre tryna sell yourself, so make it look Good). now that that’s done, make sure to post and promote your fics well. post it on ao3 at a time when people are most likely to be reading (ive assumed this to be in the general morning of the western hemisphere since ppl wake up to check ao3 like a daily newspaper), and make a post on tumblr too if youve got one. tag that post well and reblog that post a bunch of times too. stand on a table and yell at followers to read your fic. i did this sneaky thing where i’d link my other bmc fics in the endnotes of some chapters of forest, kinda like a netflix recommended page, but the only thing i was recommending was Me. perhaps slightly narcissistic but hey, if it works, it works. assuming youve already got all that down and good and your fics still arent getting noticed, this is where things unfortunately lapse into the realm of things you Cant Control.

you Cant really control stuff like what the audience wants. i got well known in bmc because the fic i was writing just so happened to coincide with the thing a lot of people wanted. they wanted boyfs and pining and i just so happened to be writing exactly that. there was a demand and i had supplied it. you Cant really control timing either, something i got super lucky with because i entered the fandom at its mid-early first surge. there wasnt that much fic yet but many people wanted to read, so people flock to whats there. economics or something. you Cant really control the amount of “well known-ness” you already had prior. i’d been writing fic for a long time and picked up a lot of followers bouncing around fandoms which def helped with my fics getting off the ground. you also Cant really control how your fics spiral after that. sometimes somebody else with a lot of followers will like it and rec it, sometimes that wont happen. my fics ended up getting fanart which i am so eternally grateful for and still stare at lovingly from time to time, and that also helped with promoting the fic further. but that was something out of my control. in short, i was pretty goddamn lucky

a lot of “getting noticed” is really not up to you at all, and it makes me really sad to see wonderful works and wonderful writers not getting the recognition i feel they deserve. it’s why i keep making ridiculously annotated fic rec lists and reblog fic posts of fic i enjoy. the only thing you can do as a writer is write what you want to the best of your ability and hope things go well. but for the fic readers, it really goes a long way to show your appreciation through reblogs, comments, bookmarks, and recs. come on guys, we do fuckloads of words for free. throw us a bone. 

anyway, i hope this….helps? this isnt advice so much as me shaking my fist at Circumstance, but i hope your fics get more attention and love. i also hope you have a nice day!!!

[missytearex]

Monthly Favourites - July

Hi! So I’ve decided that I wanted to do a “what I read this month” post, however, I realized that list is just gonna be too fuhking long so...I’m gonna choose a favourite of each pairing from everything I’ve read this month! 

Here we go!

Larry

Walk That Mile by purpledaisy | @daisyharry (149k)

Summary: Harry stares at him, the line of his jaw standing out scarily. “I wanted to get the most out of this trip so I planned it carefully.” His voice is low and steady and somehow that’s worse than when he was yelling. “So far, you’ve put your sticky fingers on everything I’ve tried to do.”

“Sticky fingers?” Louis repeats, offended. “Are you saying it’s my fault you got stung by a bee? Had you been alone you would have gotten halfway to the Dotty Diner and ran the car off the road because of an allergic reaction, so don’t go blaming me.”

“Polk-A-Dot Drive In,” Harry spits before getting out of the car. He slams the door shut with a deafening reverb and Louis rolls his eyes. - A Route 66 AU where falling in love was never part of the plan.

My comment: Ok so I probs haven’t been in the fandom long enough to say for sure but THIS IS MY FAVE LARRY FIC EVER! The whole thing is just so well written and perfect. My attention span isn’t that great, so I usually have some trouble with fics this long, but not with this one. It’s just so easy to read. Road trip fics are the best tbh. 

Lilo

I Only Come Alive Under the Moonlight by remivel | @remivel  (54k)

Summary: Louis knew he hadn't seen action in months, but this was just the universe making fun of him, he was sure of it. Because when he woke up in the middle of the night, he discovered that his new dog was missing, and standing in its place was a very confused, very fit... and very naked man.

Or a romantic comedy with a furry twist. Liam turns into a dog at night, Louis tries to help him get back to normal-- and ends up falling in love somewhere along the way.

My comment: Guys! This one had me laughing out loud! I found it quite unpredictable and it was fun constantly wondering what would happen next. And the entire thing is just bizarre and SO CUTE! Also lilo writing songs together is my favourite thing ever.

Lirry

Even When We Fight by threeturn | @valencing (30k)

Summary: University AU. Liam's the star of the debating society until Harry shows up and steals the spotlight. Meanwhile, Niall's in love, Zayn lives while he's young, and Louis looks after his friends.

My comment: I’m kinda cheating with this one as I read it in June, but SO WHAT SUE ME. It was such a fun one to read! I thought the whole debate club thing would stress me out, but it’s so interesting to read about the whole process. It also features boys being unable to deal with their feelings, which I really love.

Narry

move your world a little closer by countthestars | @moondoggiestyle (45k)

Summary: In which Niall is a bit lost, Liam and Louis can't seem to get their shit together, and Harry is literally out of this world.

(aka: alien narry)

My comment: What’s not to love about alien!harry?? Such a quirky character and he fits it so well tbh. PLUS! side!lilo is what I live for!

Niam

If It Makes You Less Unhappy by cmdf (19k)

Summary: “Listen. You can do whatever you’d like, but you told me that you were going to be taking a year of your life living here— in Italy, right?” He looks into Liam’s eyes for confirmation, squeezing gently into his shoulder. “Right?”

Liam nods. He shivers at the realization that he’s going to be here for a year. His pilgrimage has only just begun. He hadn’t really thought about how much a year could change a person—perhaps even a week. He can already tell by the end of this conversation with Niall, change may come more quickly.

___________________________________

Or: Liam travels to Italy and gets more than he ever anticipated.

My comment: In my experience, niam is defs the hardest pairing to find good fics for. That being said, this one is absolutely wonderful! Liam’s character is so well done, I just wanna give him a hug!

Nouis

shooting stars and satellites by temerity (forsanethaec) | @whoatherepickle | @1dgaf (12k)

Summary: "Is that what it says it's like?" Louis points vaguely to Niall's phone. He doesn't want to say the name of the thing.

"It says, um." Niall's mouth twists as he tries to figure out the words. “When you're bonded with someone, you’re for each other, after that. You’re -- like, you and me – you’d be the person I’m happiest with, all the time. Who I.” His toes curl on the tiled deck of the pool between their chairs. “Who, you know. Who I end up with.”

"Niall," Louis says, and has no idea where to go from there.

My comment: I feel like everyone has a slight kink for soul bonding. I certainly do. I really lived myself into this one and empathized with everything they were feeling. I think I even got a headache at some point...but don’t mind me, I’m just being dramatic. 

Zarry

Ready, Now by zarah5 (15k)

Summary: AU. Maybe Zayn shouldn’t have told Louis about his crush on the fit boy from the supermarket. Because the thing is, Louis likes to meddle.

My comment: Features one of my favourite things on the planet which is awkward!zayn!!! I really really love fun little lighthearted fics like these. Also really appreciated Louis’ unsubtle meddling. 

Ziall

Not Forgetting Who I Was by slashter | @slashter (40k)

Summary: Niall wakes up in a world where he's brunet, tattooed, and not in One Direction. In fact, no one's in One Direction--it doesn't exist. Determined to find out what's going on and if any of the other boys are as confused as he is, he leaves whatever life he's built so far behind in Ireland and sets off for London, his mind set on reuniting the five of them and reclaiming their spot in music history, no matter what it takes.

But the boys don't know who he is. The boys don't know anything about their other lives. They've got jobs of their own and goals they've set, and not everyone is ready to drop it all to chase some wayward dream, regardless of how good it may sound.

So now, for Niall, doing the seemingly impossible's just become a lot more difficult.

[Or the one where Niall has to bring One Direction back together, even if it means breaking his own heart in the process]

My comment: Where do I even start?? I LOVE parallel universe fics and this one is SO GOOD! The whole group dynamic, brotherly love thing throughout the story is something I REALLY appreciate in a 1D fic. And the idea of Niall being the one to bring them all together is so sweet! 

Ziam

Underneath by secretswekeepxx | @theficwritersblock (17k)

Summary: “And this is how fucking horror movies begin. I’m in the middle of fucking nowhere, taking a right onto ‘Payne Lane.” He mutters to himself as he flips his turn signal on and starts making his way slowly down the bumpy lane.

He’s surrounded on both sides by expansive, fenced fields with sparse trees, randomly placed sheds and lean-tos, and various breeds of livestock grazing about. The grass is long and rustles in waves with the dry, late August breeze. There’s a beauty to it, though Zayn’s momentarily unable to appreciate it because the further along he goes the stronger the urge to turn around becomes. It’s as the lane opens up and he can finally see a house materializing in front of him that he sees the sign for ‘Payne Farm’.

It's finally Zayn's last semester of graduate school, and the only thing standing in between him and his freedom is his thesis project. Deciding to live off campus for some peace away from the hustle and bustle of university life seems like a good idea in theory. That is until his best option is living on a farm that's owned by the very rude and boring Liam Payne.

Maybe this wasn't the best idea after all...

My comment: This one contains ~misunderstood!liam~ which, come on, that’s the BEST! I love the setting and Liam’s beautiful kind soul and Zayn realising he was wrong and it’s just...the best.

Zouis

we go together by aliferuined (7k)

Summary: T-Birds are forever. Very, very, very loosly based on Grease. It's basically a whole bunch of pining and quiffs.

My comment: I am an absolute SUCKER for friends to lovers. And this one is so cute! Liam not being allowed to wear the jacket, Louis’ pink car, Niall drooling over Demi...I could probably go on forever as I just love everything about this fic.

Tomlinshaw

loose lips sink ship all the damn time (not this time) by MediaWhore | @mediawhorefics (39k)

Summary: “Louis Tomlinson is gay,” Fiona announces and she sounds calm at least. “That’s not a scandal,” Nick replies automatically even though he feels slightly sick. He needs to call Louis back. Now. “No,” Fiona agrees quickly. “But his underage gay sex tape is.” The one where Louis is outed via a sex tape he made before the X-Factor and Nick can't resist flying to America to give him a shoulder to cry on. Told through flashbacks, this is a story of getting together and getting back together.

My comment: There’s something about Tomlinshaw that I absolutely adore. I can’t quite put it into words. Anyway, I really loved how quickly Nick dropped everything and got on a plane when Louis needed him. Such awww.

So that’s it for now! If you’re interested in keeping up with what I’m reading, I have a blog where I bookmark everything like the obsessive person I am ---> @niccihoranson

[backtothestart02]

Things to note if you’re following this blog as a westallen/Iris West stan:

FIRST, A NOTE: I know there are some commonly held beliefs in the westallen/Iris West fandom. For the most part I agree with them. However, b/c I tend to multiship and love all the characters on most shows I watch, my opinions can run down the middle occasionally instead of on just one side or the other. Some of you have been following me a long time and know where we differ on opinions and are okay with that. But others of you are recent followers. You don’t know what’s up, and you get high key displeased w/ me as a blogger and wonder what in the world made you decide to follow me in the first place when I post unpopular opinions from our fandom that stray from what you believe is acceptable.

This post is a head’s up to unpopular opinions that I have. After reading if you still feel I’m worth the follow, keep on going. Just be aware that on the rare occasion, these opinions may crop up. If not, feel free to unfollow/blacklist and move on to more worthy blogs. I promise you I will not be offended. I don’t want you to come across something that upsets you on my blog, but there’s no way I can please everyone and still feel like I’m able to post everything I want to post. Also, I’d rather not have countless asks streaming into my inbox whenever I post something that may offend you that you weren’t expecting to see. The list below details some (at least what I can think of atm) of those things, so you can be prepared if you do decide to stay.

Last thing, this is not an open invitation to come attack me in my inbox for the opinions I have listed below. This is just me helping you be more aware of my thoughts and feelings on show matters, so you’re not taken off guard for the very few posts where I actually share said opinions. That is all.

1) In the first couple episodes of the Flash, I couldn’t decide between who to ship - snowbarry or westallen (i.e. I thought Grant had chemistry with both ladies and his potential story with both of them appealed to me.) It was the snowstorm backstory in 1x03 that killed any SB romantic feels. I haven’t shipped even the potential of snowbarry ever since.

2) I hardcore shipped spallen while they were together and was sad when Patty left. Even though I didn’t want them to be together long term, I did want them to reach Iris/Eddie status. It should also be noted that I thought Grant and Shantel (as much as I’m disappointed in her irl due to her remarks about Candice/Iris the following summer) had a ton of chemistry. I doubt I’d have shipped Barry with Patty if I hadn’t felt that, because I was not looking forward to Barry having a love interest that wasn’t Iris after season 1.

3) Due to my loving spallen so much, I wasn’t overly aware of Iris being sidelined in 2A, and I didn’t consider Barry a bad friend to her for that reason. (I’ve seen the light since then, but it’s still not an opinion I’m firm on, and I definitely didn’t start out thinking the worst of Barry for what was written.)

4) I didn’t appreciate Iris sneaking off with Wally in 3x11 and deliberately lying to Barry about it (and then that very fact not being addressed whatsoever). Again, I’ve come to an understanding about this as well, but I still didn’t appreciate the lying.

5) Before the “We are the Flash” scene actually happened, I was not a fan of Iris taking on the role of team leader at all - at least not after Barry came out of the speed force. I’m now a huge fan of it, but I didn’t start out liking it.

6) For AU I’m open to almost any pairing in many cases. For instance, I’ve seen SB AU vids that look really good. (I really just love how people are able to create AU SLs in such unique ways w/ unrelated scenes tbh, esp in vids.) In those instances it just looks like Grant and Danielle are starring together in a romantic comedy or whatever, and I have no problem with that. As long as Iris/Candice aren’t also in the scenario and Barry/Grant is refusing her for Danielle/Caitlin (b/c that I’m def not a fan of), I’m pretty open to scenarios that are completely separate from canon as we know it. (At least with vids. It might be a tough pill for me to swallow to read a fic that was SB, even if Iris wasn’t a character w/in it.)

7) I can buy Caitlin having a little bit of a crush on Barry in season 1. I really don’t think Barry ever shared that feeling (though some scenes they shared were clearly ship bait), but b/c Danielle played up those scenes towards an SB romance occasionally, I think it’s totally legit to have shipped them together in that season or shipped the potential of what they could have been. There was ship bait there. If there are feelings on one end, it’s not a crack ship. After season 1, however, (esp after 2x01) there’s absolutely no sign of it. And especially now the delusion is ridiculous. Barry & Caitlin had plenty of opportunity to get together, but they never did. And whatever Caitlin may or may not have felt for Barry even in season 1 never trumped the very deep love she had for Ronnie, so in the end it’s irrelevant.

8) I didn’t like Barry and Linda together. I didn’t buy that they had chemistry either. (Though to be fair, I didn’t even try to be open to it, because I didn’t want it. lol.) Iris was getting jealous, and Barry was shutting her down. With good reason, but still. My bb Iris was finally realizing her feelings, and she was hurt b/c Barry wasn’t responding to them the way she wanted when she couldn’t even say what they were b/c she was in a relationship of her own. It’s not Linda’s fault in the slightest, but - esp given Malese has come btwn two of my ships on two separate shows, one of them being my otp - that ship just rubbed me the wrong way. They were getting in the way of westallen finally happening and that bothered me (b/c it was such terrible timing and proves further why I fully expected to hate spallen before it even happened).

9) I love Felicity (though not a fan of that wedding interruption, obvs), and especially Barry & Felicity’s friendship. So, while I didn’t approve of everyone continually keeping Iris in the dark about Barry’s identity in season 1, I didn’t come away from Felicity’s 1B crossover where she encouraged Barry not to tell Iris about his identity (I don’t even REMEMBER that part of the advice she gave him tbh). I came away being pleased that he was going to fill in Caitlin and Cisco with what he was feeling, and I loved that Felicity was there for him as counsel outside of the people involved with his current struggle.

10) I love love loved what has been called the ‘original’ team flash - Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin. Because of that reason I love platonic snowbarry, and I was sad when they stopped having that many scenes together post-s1. I know it’s because Iris was no longer in the dark, but I really thought they had a special bond, just like he and Cisco do. She’s clearly the person he’s least close with of all the people in his life, but I do really appreciate when we get snapshots of their friendship, and specifically the Barry/Cisco/Caitlin dynamic. That threesome is special, and I like when it’s highlighted. For example: Caitlin actually being a part of Barry & Cisco’s game of laser tag at the beginning of 4x03 brought me so much joy. Also, 3x07 is one of my fav episodes of season 3 b/c not only did it showcase westallen beautifully - and killervibe - but also snowbarry. Iris’ pep talk to Barry and Barry saving Caitlin from herself in almost the last scene are just about on equal significance to me. The WA scene rises above for obvs reasons, but I really truly loved the SB through-line in that episode. It annoys me to no end that I cannot find purely platonic SB vids to watch, b/c that is all I want in life for them. Their relationship is sufficient enough on its own. It doesn’t need to be more, and it’s not canon that is. I think there should be more appreciation for what is canon, rather than what is not.

11) I don’t hate Caitlin Snow. There have been several points in the show - whether it be an arc (her falling for “Jay” so soon after Ronnie’s second alleged death) or a couple episodes (3x15 - her selfishly keeping part of the philosopher’s stone for herself and not only not ever using it to try and get rid of her powers, but keeping it a secret and having basically no consequences for that fact). But in general? I liked her in season 1, and I like her now. It’s true that I’m conflicted now, because she hasn’t apologized to Iris about being onboard team Kill Iris w/ Savitar last season. But the Caitlin she is now is reminiscent of the Caitlin I loved in season 1, so mostly I’m good w/ her. (Besides snowstorm was my second top ship and killervibe is my fav friendship on The Flash. She’s obvs a huge part of both of those relationships.)

12) I don’t hate Danielle Panabaker. I high key disapprove of a lot of the things she said in season 1/2 interviews, and even when she maintains SB was on the verge of happening in season 1, I raise my eyebrows and scoff. But generally speaking, she seems like a sweetheart. I don’t believe it’s a facade the way I do with Shantel. I don’t think Danielle is a bad actress either.

*I’m sure there are more unpopular opinions I have, but these are the only ones that are occurring to me at the moment. I will think of more and reblog when I do.

[comicteaparty]

February 14th, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on February 14th, 2019, from 5PM - 7PM PST.  The chat focused on Earth in a Pocket by Jabbage.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Earth in a Pocket by Jabbage~! (http://earthinapocket.spiderforest.com/)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

perhaps not a full scene, but im really fond of this page in general http://earthinapocket.spiderforest.com/comic/2019/01/22 where the socio economic development stuff is broken down. theres just something so elegantly simple about how its shown. not to mention i appreciate the injection of humor, because i think it makes everything really grounded.

Delphina

The badger page is perennially endearing (http://earthinapocket.spiderforest.com/comic/2018/08/11), but I also like the most recent one where Little One is encouraging Halisi to be proactive and set up some long-term solutions for herself: http://earthinapocket.spiderforest.com/comic/2019/02/05

RebelVampire

im really curious why she thought of badgers at all. unless she had the badgers badgers mushroom song stuck in her head. XD

Delphina

@Jabbage please make that canon

Jabbage

makes it so

(Hi! I'm going to be here for a little while! :D)

RebelVampire

thanks for coming, Jabbage!

Jabbage

I figure that if you're on a road trip with a small child who is prone to ask a billion questions, eventually you're going to end up talking about badgers

Delphina

I just really appreciate how even after all she's been through, Halisi still has so much love and passion for her studies, and it's what she reaches to when she's looking for ways to console Little One and solutions for herself.

Kabocha

Hmmm, my favorite scene probably was the Witch bottle explanation http://earthinapocket.spiderforest.com/comic/2018/08/15 It was a good bit of information I hadn't really been aware of :D I also just... enjoy her interactions with the little jellyfish - even though she's in a bad spot, she's still taking time to tell him stories.

RebelVampire

i like the element of logic there is to it too. like she's not panicking, but using what she loves to calm herself down in a way. and i think thats a really great showcase of her character without needing to be told shes like that.

its a characterization via the action versus the telling

mathtans

Here for now, the little one seems extra fussy tonight. Yes, I call my baby daughter the little one. So comic was a bit surreal.

RebelVampire

hi math!

at least your little one isnt old enough to ask yet "are we there yet?"

Kabocha

Right? I mean, she could have just given in, accepted that she might die here... But nah. And she's still kind, even though this entire situation is awful

mathtans

The Witch bottle thing reminds me, I liked the way the art moved through the centuries on that one page, but with people who looked kinda similar. I thought that was clever.

True. Little one could save us some time by specifying what her issues are though. ^.^

RebelVampire

ironically though another of my favorite scenes is the one where halisi sets up the signal and kind of ditches her new jellyfish child to just go despairingly collapse in front of it. i like this brief moment of her giving into despair cause theres something really raw about it. like at first she doesnt say anything even, and i think it makes it really powerful because the silence just adds this immense weight to the sorrow. you know shes super suffering for that moment and feeling the weight of everything finally hit her.

Delphina

Yeah, the comic does a good job of showing a lot of conflicting emotions(edited)

mathtans

Yeah, honestly the very opening was a heck of a kick in the pants. Like, I have no idea what I'd do in that sort of situation. It's very problematic.

RebelVampire

yeah theres def a lot of stressful situations. but i kind of appreciate the lighter moments. like her trying to start a fire but ultimately failing. i mean its kind of scary and sad for her survival, but the way its handled is still pretty funny

also that moment where shes trying to fix the machine at the beginning and it just flat out basically bursts into flames XD

Jabbage

I'm pleased to hear that! I'm always aware that it could be quite a bleak story, but I want it to ultimately feel hopeful and positive, so the silly moments are important for that!

kayotics

I also liked the badger scene, but I think the scene that had the most prominence for me is when she finds out that someone else landed on the planet 80 years ago

i think that scene really set in how dire her situation is

khkddn

the portrayal of emotions really is great. it's really interesting to see someone going through such a crisis and only surrounded by beings who can't relate at all

Delphina

Oh god yeah, and the aliens just going "Something happened to the human we don't know what cause death isn't a thing that happens here???" was scary.

kayotics

"it's hibernating!"

G (Title Unrelated)

I felt something in the scene right after where they tell her dad "we haven't heard from her yet"

Delphina

collective tentacle shrug

kayotics

yeah i really feel for her dad

this isn't a scene, but I appreciate that all of the characters are middle-aged or older

RebelVampire

agreed. but i appreciated the realism of the ppl on the other line being like "meh its probably fine my dude" to the dad. cause that really uses reader knowledge to an advantage to create sympathy for him. because we know its not fine, and that he is right to worry. and that makes it sad hes the only one worried in that moment.

G (Title Unrelated)

Yes I agree

kayotics

Also agreed. It's a good example of dramatic irony

RebelVampire

although i like the most recent page with the followup where hes basically enlisted an army of students to find her. abuse of power, probably. but makes him the sweetest dad? yes.

QUESTION 2. Much of the comic revolves around Halisi telling stories based on things in her pocket. Which of Halisi’s stories impacted you the most and/or taught you something new? What do you think is to be gained from Halisi telling these stories to an alien race with no real connection to humanity? How do you believe the stories and knowledge she has might help contextualize her current situation for her? What, to you, does it mean to have “Earth in a Pocket?” Further, if you were in Halisi’s position, what objects would you pick in 10 seconds to represent the sum of human existence? Lastly, what other cultural or past history aspects do you think Halisi might bring up? How might they be contextualized to add a new viewpoint to Halisi’s situation?

Delphina

I liked the Dancing Plague story a lot http://earthinapocket.spiderforest.com/comic/2018/08/06

RebelVampire

this is the point where i say the witch bottle scene. I think it was beautifully illustrated, and as a story it was not a cultural thing i was aware of. but i like how suitable and unsuitable it was for the situation. but overall it just made me think about humans are weird and can make fear out of nothing at all if the minds decide it to be so.

unless the plot twist is there really was a witch in that bottle

ive always found the dancing plague fascinating because again, humans be weird. minds play tricks.

khkddn

the witch bottle scene is kind of like a story about the power of storytelling, pretty fitting i think

the idea of a witch meant so much to people, like how halisi's stories mean so much to the jellies

G (Title Unrelated)

so she's got a single seed, too, which is also super symbolic

kayotics

I really like the agriculture story, because, like it was mentioned before, it was very concise, but also it shows a lot about Halsi's personality and what she thinks is important about understanding humans on a basic level

mathtans

Back. Know what you can't do when you have a little one? Have a life sometimes. >.<(edited)

G (Title Unrelated)

I wonder what kind of seed it is

RebelVampire

oh man what if the seed wasnt even food. like she winds up growing a rose bush or something XD

mathtans

I was going to say, one of my fave moments was actually comedy, when Halisi first goes off with the inhabitants, thinking about ditching them, and they're all "we can see the thoughts".

RebelVampire

i appreciate the jellyfish didnt just ditch her at that point. cause i would not be as forgiving as them XD

mathtans

And yeah, the hope and sudden crash of the human who was there before was powerful too.

Delphina

I hope it's like... a nice fruit tree. She seems like she could use a nice fruit tree.

mathtans

The framing of the witch bottle scene was cool too. With the whole "not helping me be less afraid" thing (and asking for that term).

kayotics

i just really like the little jellyfish aliens, because they're written in a way that's much less human-centric. I like aliens that are just kind of weird for being weird and don't follow human conventions.

mathtans

Though props for the "pot-reon" in the agriculture bit too.

RebelVampire

yeah im really appreciating the jellyfish for that reason. theyre a nice blend between humanistic traits while still being super alien. its always nice to see when theres kind of a basic gap of understanding where the way each species thinks is quite different

anyway, for me personally though, while she does literally have some of earth in her pocket, i think earth is more about the stories that have traveled with her. because oral traditions reach immensely far back and is the main platform by which we teach and learn about ourselves as a species. so imo they are more representative of humanity than the objects. thus how she can fit earth in a pocket, even though she doesnt need the pocket.(edited)

G (Title Unrelated)

Yeah, I think you nailed it!

mathtans

Also, random question/thought. Halisi didn't have to dig too deep to get "well" water (I liked that one too)... yet was able to bury a guy? The water must be specific to locations or something?

Agreed on the alien-ness people have been speaking about.

G (Title Unrelated)

I mean it's an alien planet

mathtans

Good point about the traditions, Rebel. She's her own pocket.

It helps that she mostly just has to think things rather than even speak them aloud too.

Jabbage

AHAHA yeah, I realised that after drawing it. It's on a list of things i might tweak one day, although I do also like the idea that it is just an alien planet and it's strange and unpredictable like that. So much of our own planet would seem strange and random if we didn't understand a little bit about it's geology, the water cycle etc.

kayotics

on that note i like the idea of halsi going around trying to find ground that doesn't immediately fill up with well water

"okay let's try this spot. Hm, nope, that filled up. can't bury him here"

G (Title Unrelated)

haha!

RebelVampire

yeah it didnt particularly stick out to me just cause i wrote it off as like a change in elevation or something like that. but basically alien planet does alien things XD

mathtans

Fair point.

Could just drag dirt over from another place too, though I guess it would be raised more then.

kayotics

I think if it needs to be tweaked in the future, Jabbage, you could always just change it to a mound rather than a hole. same concept but it avoids going below the dirt

mathtans

Fixes the w"hole" thing.

G (Title Unrelated)

also digging a hole IS hard work

Jabbage

Yeah, or using rocks

kayotics

digging is a lot of work

mathtans

Also whistling while you use rocks, to get rock music.

I'll stop.

kayotics

if she plants that seed she may have to make a mound for that too, it would probably get too waterlogged otherwise

mathtans

I wonder if the soil has the right nutrients.

RebelVampire

yeah i was thinking that too

that her next challenge is finding a not well spot for that seed

cause unless its a crop that specifically needs to be waterlogged, shes gonna have a bad time

mathtans

The jellyfish said the mushrooms could talk, right? Maybe they know a place.

Does rice have seeds?

G (Title Unrelated)

I think if the planet has breathable air it might have a similar balance of elements and whatnot to earth?

kayotics

i think most rice is planted from splitting an existing plant, but i'm sure there's a seed that starts it all

Delphina

What do the jelly aliens taste like

kayotics

DELPHIE NO

Delphina

MAYBE THEY GROW BACK OR SOMETHING

Jabbage

Whether or not the mushrooms can talk is a fun thing that's not really ever going to get expanded on, but which I had in mind for how the jellies work. I figure that they don't have many ways of getting external sensory information about the world - no eyes, ears, sense of smell etc. They are psychic though, they share thoughts and ideas and information about the world. I figure that the mushrooms have some kind of consciousness and run through the planet, and the jellies can draw from that somehow to orientate themselves and know what's going on

G (Title Unrelated)

that's what I kinda assumed!

I mean, that is basically how forests work on earth. XD

RebelVampire

so basically the mushrooms can function as gps

Jabbage

@Delphina ~ I mean I'm sure Big One has some spare limbs... ~(edited)

mathtans

Oh, wow. Cannibalism-like issue didn't occur to me.

Jabbage

Me neither honestly

mathtans

I think the jelly was a bit broken and said she'd regenerate over time...?

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. Story wise, the comic deals with Halisi crash landing on an alien planet and all but being stranded. Do you believe Halisi will learn to farm with the little she managed to salvage and find a way to survive? What obstacles might prevent such an excursion on the planet? How will Halisi deal with the obstacles? Further, how do you think Halisi will deal with managing her mysterious illness, and what is she sick with for that matter? How might her actions be hindered or helped by the native alien life? In what ways do you think her actions will change how the alien life lives their own lives? Finally, do you believe that Halisi will be rescued at some point? If so, how will this come about?

mathtans

I like the mushroom consciousness idea.

RebelVampire

i do think the jelly child said as such.

G (Title Unrelated)

Q3: These are... all questions I have, myself. XD

mathtans

That illness thing is probably the immediate concern. Withdrawal itself is an issue, whether the pills were life saving or not

G (Title Unrelated)

I was wondering if they were antidepressants or something

RebelVampire

yeah for all the optimism in this plan, the pills are gonna be problematic. but i did wonder if they were antidepressants

khkddn

the flashback scene after she takes her last pill makes it seem to me like she was waiting for medical test results

kayotics

it's also a future time, so it could be a pill that prevents a life threatening disease from spreading.

mathtans

That's a good thought. The whole not accomplishing anything in her life is pretty bleak. Maybe that's a symptom.

G (Title Unrelated)

oh I didn't realize that scene was about her somehow

kayotics

my hope is that she's rescued well before she even needs to worry about this single plant producing any viable food options, since even if the plant grows, it's not likely going to sustain her

G (Title Unrelated)

yeah exactly

RebelVampire

not to mention depending on what plant it is it could take forever to grow. plant growth really varies a lot from crop to crop

kayotics

as for the pills, it seems like her illness has a vague timeline. Like a degenerative disease or something cancerous.

G (Title Unrelated)

P.s., I want some rainbow space maize.

RebelVampire

yes i second this

rainbow space maize for everyone

mathtans

It's a maize-ing.

khkddn

a few pages after she takes the pill she wonders "why are red pills better stimulants" and the pill she took was red. but then again if it were antidepressants i would expect a flashback that looked more like a therapists office than a doctor with results

Jabbage

Oh gosh I don't want to interrupt all the amazing discussion about Halisi's mysterious malady but I was so pleased to find out that there's actually multicoloured corn like that

I thought I made it up for a gag but it's reaaaaaal

kayotics

i have the link, if you'd like it

khkddn

oh i love the corn page

kayotics

https://www.sciencealert.com/this-rainbow-corn-is-the-coolest-way-to-eat-your-veggies (rainbow corn)

mathtans

It wasn't too corny.

kayotics

Honestly? corn, rice, and wheat would all be things I'd say should be brought to an earth colony.

G (Title Unrelated)

yeassssst. XD

unless there's naturally occurring yeast.

Man, we don't even know what it would be like to visit another living planet

RebelVampire

if we have rainbow corn, clearly were meant to go into space right now.

thats a good catch with the red pill, @khkddn

i actually hadnt paid attention to the pill color

mathtans

As to the question of Halisi being rescued, I foresee two possible outcomes. First, that she's found still alive, and she's learned enough about the planet natives to further space research or something, or second, that she's found dead, but the natives were so taken by her stories that her name will live on forever in the history books of first contact.

G (Title Unrelated)

I didn't associate the pill color musing with her situation but maybe it IS related!

RebelVampire

though i leave it open shes on some sort of mental health related medicine, i do feel its more likely its a degenrative disease of some sort. cause it makes her wanting to go to space make more sense. cause i feel its one of those things where youd be more willing to do it if you knew that you had a shorter time than most to live

math no, that second one is too dark

XD

although not implausible

khkddn

if halisi is not reunited with her dad at some point i'll be so sad

or at least they speak to each other

Delphina

Yeah, I'm just gonna say I don't think Halisi's gonna make it back to Earth. I think we're probably looking at a "she finds peace and purpose with the remaining time she has" situation.

RebelVampire

im gonna believe in the rescue efforts cause her dad seems to be a determined dude. and tbf they probably know her flight path so unless she was super duper off course they can probably guess a reasonable area she might be.

mathtans

I don't know that it's necessarily dark... it's kind of a happy end, just not for Halisi.

Also, maybe the pills help her speak. But that's a thing she won't need with the jellys.

I do think that receiving a message from an 80 year old spacecraft is probably something worth investigating.

RebelVampire

thatd be mighty convenient. tho in some au shed get so used to the psychic stuff shed go back to live among humans and be like "oh shit thats right they cant just see my mind pictures"

mathtans

That's an interesting point, about readapating to civilization.

Crazy theory time: Eating the mushrooms constantly ends up turning her into a jelly-creature. When the humans arrive, they won't recognize her.

RebelVampire

i do think shell have some affect on the jellies though. cause i think at the very least shes gonna teach them the important of oral traditions and theyll start telling their own stories and collectively grow as a species. i think shes really setting the jellies on the path for this.

LOL

i was thinking earlier about what if the mushrooms are semi psychic cause thats what happens to the jellies when they die

they dont die and just come back as the mushrooms

mathtans

Ooooh, that'd be an interesting twist.

Like maybe Halisi gains some psychic powers too.

(Though we may have ended up back at cannibalism...)

G (Title Unrelated)

not to shoot down anyone's fun speculation, but it doesn't seem like that kind of story, tbh. XD

kayotics

haha

we don't even know if the jellies can die i mean, I'd think they would, since they apparently come into existence somehow

mathtans

Also they haven't overrun the world.

kayotics

maybe theyre very slow at growing

or they just become the water

G (Title Unrelated)

slow-growing seems very likely

mathtans

I figure before they die they just kind of stop transmitting. Maybe run off somewhere. So no one is aware.

(Maybe they're like lemmings?)

G (Title Unrelated)

(that is not how lemmings work, sorry. XD)

mathtans

(I would worry if lemmings could read my thoughts.)

G (Title Unrelated)

(the suicidal lemmings myth was created by disney)

mathtans

shakes fist at mouse

G (Title Unrelated)

(or did you mean something else lol)

mathtans

I free associate. I mean what you want me to mean.

RebelVampire

yeah ive been wondering if the jellies are immortal. although ya know what, we have immortal jellyfish on earth so thats not that ridiculous to imagine.

kayotics

man, jellyfish are messed up

mathtans

There can be only one! hands out swords

kayotics

i can only imagine that the Jellies in earth in a pocket feel the same too. I was able to touch the bell of a couple at an aquarium once and man, that was a weird feeling

G (Title Unrelated)

I've been watching PBS Eons on youtube, I wonder if they've done one about the origins of cnidarians yet...

RebelVampire

honestly im putting money on immortal just cause they didnt even know what death was. unless they do die and just dont understand the hibernating jellies are never coming back

QUESTION 4. One topic resounding throughout the comic is humanity connecting to the past while also embracing the future and expanding. In what ways do you think reconnecting with humanity’s origins have changed Halisi on a personal level? How might they continue to change her? Why do you think Halisi so strongly believes in bringing the past to humans as humanity expands into space? In what ways do you think she’ll think it will help humanity as a whole? How might Halisi’s experiences on this new alien planet change the way she thinks about humanity’s past? How might it change how she conveys humanity’s past to other humans? Overall, what do you believe the story has to show us in regards to balancing the past, the future, and why both are needed?

G (Title Unrelated)

immortal jellies make for a good contrast to Halisi's fears of her own mortality

mathtans

They can be injured though, like the one who had a thing fall on it. It'd suck to be immortal that way.

RebelVampire

that is true. and contrasts like that are good.

Jabbage

(imma point out, Little One also notes that they're going to get better one day, although Halisi is a bit incredulous about that)

mathtans

The connecting to the past thing makes me think of that society. Which didn't seem to have a lot of members. Also, it took them, what, ten years to decide on things? (I was amused by "say that to my face" because, um, I think that's what the person is doing.)

Delphina

Totally saying, if I had a bunch of tentacle arms that would grow back and my weird human buddy was dying, I'd let her eat a couple to survive.

G (Title Unrelated)

I assume their tentacles don't have stingers. XD

RebelVampire

for me itd depend on how fast theyd grow back. cause if i had to spend like 500 years waiting for tentacle arms to grow back, that doesnt sound pleasant

mathtans

If so, they must have turned the stingers off to crawl around on her.

RebelVampire

they probably wouldnt have stingers cause their planet seems peaceful. like none of the jellies are like "oh no predators who will destroy us" so theres no need for their evolutionary track to lead to stingers in so far as i can see

kayotics

in response to the question: There's a lot of parallels to humans expanding to other planets and our own planet's history of colonization. There's a lot of cultural pain that comes with leaving your home and leaving your country (whether by force or by choice), and reconnecting to that cultural heritage is something that decedents often go through to feel like they belong in the world. I can see that being a driving point for delivering some of these artifacts to other planets.

G (Title Unrelated)

IRL Jellies mostly use their stings for catching prey?(edited)

Delphina

Do we even know if they feel pain?

mathtans

Wait, do they eat?

khkddn

they seem to have difficulty understanding when a human is unhappy or feels pain

kayotics

they might not need to eat in the same way

they might just kind of absorb what they need

Jabbage

I'm not sure it's going to come up specifically, but I think they probably dont' feel pain like we feel it? Just because i don't think they have the same sensory capabilities. Little One is frustrated that they can't move around as fast as the others, but I don't think they're in pain as such

G (Title Unrelated)

yeah. I was thinking about the Question and I think... it's interesting how it's framed as this thing where they've decided the colonists NEED this, but like, they can't agree on what's actually important

mathtans

Maybe Halisi will make a tiny scooter for Little One.

G (Title Unrelated)

I think it's the stories, not the objects, that are important.

And like... All stories are important???

RebelVampire

i think that is true, that all stories are important. cause stories are subjective and whats personally important to one person isnt important to someone else

kayotics

i think a few cultural trinkets to go with the stories can help, like... like I remember being a kid and my family having a christmas wooden carousel from germany or something, which is where my family emigrated from, so it was like "oh that's my people" I think having something to connect to some of the stories is important.

RebelVampire

thus why its worth preserving them all and no agreeance is needed really. because any single story can have an affect on someone

Jabbage

@kayotics I really like your point about our history of colonization, and it's something that I've tried to be careful with and approach thoughtfully, because I think that IS a driving factor in Halisi wanting to share people's cultural heritage with them. One of the things that sparked this story is thinkign about how current issues with repatriating cultural objects and deciding who has control over them would translate into a world where we don't even all live on the same planet any more

Delphina

The beginning showed that humanity has VR technology to "experience Earth", but it's several very comfortable degrees apart. I like that normally, being so advanced would make the hardships of the very distant past feel less real (just vaguely amusing/educational) But having Halisi have to figure out how humans lived and survived kind of brings that back and grounds her in a way that establishing Cookie Cutter Terraform Colony Number 14792 wouldn't.(edited)

So in that sense, the physicality of it is important

RebelVampire

i do think @kayotics has a point. especially in this story because of that vr scene where they were touring the roman thing. cause its not like they dont already have stories and ways to view historical things. and the actual objects can really tie that together. but i also think the stories are just as important via the scene where theyre shown to be able to print 3d objects. in essence the object means nothing without the story, but the story is made more powerful by the object. its a symbiotic relationship in a way.

kayotics

I'm glad it's something you've thought about!

I can't help but think about how colonization has affected the planets that the humans have landed on, and how it'll effect the planet that Halisi has landed on as well, no matter how small.

G (Title Unrelated)

I was thinking about that, too!

mathtans

Maybe she'll want it purged from the records to preserve it. And since Dad was just using grad students, he can oblige.

Jabbage

I thought long and hard about what race to make my astronaut because when they were a random white academic, the whole thing had a very different feel. Landing on some planet and educating the rather silly native denizens. I also wanted someone who grew up around the earliest archaeology created by anatomically modern humans so it made sense to make her black and from South Africa anyway

but then I'm white and British and so... yeah, I've basically had a lot to think about and juggle on that one

mathtans

Jabbage: Well, damn. I hadn't considered that, but you make a good point.

At least she's not building churches and asking the jellys to worship.

Incidentally, speaking of growing up, I liked the flashback image with her and dad looking youthful.(edited)

RebelVampire

im interested in the idea of who has control over the cultural objects we deem important, especially in regards to technology. because the comic touched on it a bit with the 3d printing and it really starts getting into the ship of Theseus issues of identity for those objects

mathtans

"Fax me your statue. No, I'm not paying you for it, I'll display it on Planet X for the Xposure."

Jabbage

And is seeing a reproduction ever 'the same?;

Even if it's identical in every way?

mathtans

Probably not, which is why they haven't figured out teleporters.

kayotics

if it's identical in every way i feel like maybe it is the same

but... wait maybe not

mathtans

Just to sum, pretty grand scale for this one, and a powerful beginning. Here's to Halisi and the Jellies.

Sounds like a strange band name.

RebelVampire

see its a really interesting philosophical question to explore. is whether cultural significance relies on the exact object or if we can transfer that as humanity spreads into the stars

mathtans

(I wonder if we'll learn more about jelly civilization.)

G (Title Unrelated)

Also, what stories do we remember or forget...

kayotics

I feel like there's something to be said about the energy that we as humans put into things. Like there's something there in the reverence we give something. like when you see a giant statue that's been prayed to vs a huge statue to commemorate someone, those have different feelings.

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to Jabbage, as well, for making Earth in a Pocket. If you liked the comic, make sure to support Jabbage’s efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: http://earthinapocket.spiderforest.com/

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Jabbage’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jabbageart

[junker-town]

Bret Bielema's Arkansas brand is strong, but where are the wins?

“How are the Razorbacks doing?” is one of college football’s trickiest questions heading into 2017.

How should we judge how a coach is doing?

We know how fans do it. It’s a combination of wins, rivalry wins, linear improvement, and how often his offensive coordinator calls the touchdown play. We don’t deal well with setbacks, and we don’t tolerate much context. And the short-term fan view probably isn’t something the long-term administrator should use.

(Of course, it’s hard to ignore this view when the richer fans threaten to remove their support if said offensive coordinator doesn’t call said touchdown play more often.)

I ask this because I’m finding it difficult to evaluate how Bret Bielema is doing.

Bielema has brought a strange stability to a program that lived in an all-or-nothing universe.

From 2004-13, Arkansas became one of the most volatile programs you'll ever see. The Razorbacks had three top-15 finishes and 10-win campaigns in this span; they also went 5-7 or worse five times. They averaged seven wins per year without ever actually winning seven games in a year.

Bielema has gone 7-6, 8-5, and 7-6 the last three years. The first seven-win season was unlucky, and the second was lucky, but steady it has been.

After a first-year reset, Bielema has fielded, per S&P+, a top-10 defense, a top-10 offense, and two top-20 teams. Granted, he hasn't gotten both sides of the ball figured out simultaneously — his defense surged while his offense occasionally labored, then his offense surged as his defense regressed — but the spikes have been impressive.

Bielema has established a true brand, which is hard to do in college football. He called one of his team’s best performances, the 2014 Texas Bowl romp over Texas, “borderline erotic” in the way that the Razorbacks dominated the clock (41 minutes of possession) and played impossibly physical football. He recruits the meatiest linemen and builds his team’s identity from there.

Actually, let’s back up. This is an identity he has sold.

He would be well-served to better establish it.

His identity has been one of a powerful run game that keeps the chains moving with efficient rushing and girth in short yardage. This style will supposedly wear teams down and allow you to control the late stages of a game. But practice doesn’t match theory:

In four years, Bielema's Hogs are 6-12 in games decided by one possession. They were 0-7 in his first two years and have improved to 6-5, a smidge over .500.

Last year, they ranked 74th in Rushing S&P+, and that was bolstered by explosive plays. They were dreadful at staying ahead of the chains on the ground: 102nd in rushing success rate, 109th in stuff rate, and 128th in power success rate. Out of 128 teams.

Dear lord, was Arkansas an awful second-half team last year. On offense, the Razorbacks were third in first-quarter S&P+, 14th in the second quarter, 119th in the third, and 57th in the fourth. The defense was below average in every quarter but hit rock bottom at 107th in the fourth quarter. They outscored opponents by 87 in the first half and got outscored by 100 in the second. They led Missouri 24-7 at halftime and led Virginia Tech 21-0; they lost both games.

Despite the identity, Bielema's best moments have come when he had an unstoppable passing attack (first in Passing S&P+ in 2015) and a reckless defense (seventh in Def. S&P+ and havoc rate in 2014).

If the Hogs end up really good in 2017, it could be because of those things. Quarterback Austin Allen returns for his senior season after flashes of brilliant play (22nd in Passing S&P+, 3,430 passing yards, 14 yards per completion).

Meanwhile, after watching his defense slip to the mid-60s in Def. S&P+ for two straight years, Bielema brought in coordinator Paul Rhoads. Rhoads couldn’t bring enough talent to Ames as former Iowa State head coach, but he had a few strong defenses at ISU and was a tremendous coordinator under Dave Wannstedt (whom I must point out was also awful in close finishes) at Pitt.

Will they be able to run the ball, though? They lost their best running back (Rawleigh Williams III) and best lineman (left tackle Dan Skipper), and while just about everybody else in those two units returns, it’s counterproductive to lose your best pieces while trying to restore a run game that slumped so thoroughly.

If the run game isn’t better, will the Hogs suffer the same fate as the last few years, putting themselves within shouting distance of great but settling for solid? And if that happens again, at what point does Arkansas decide that’s all Bielema’s going to do?

2016 in review

2016 Arkansas statistical profile.

The record has been steady, but that was about the only thing you could label with that word in 2016. The Razorbacks’ brilliant performances were as brilliant as ever — 97th percentile in a 31-10 win over Florida, 89th in a 42-3 win over Texas State, 84th in a 58-42 win over Mississippi State — but each seemed to be preceded or followed by a drastic letdown.

Following the Texas State win, the Razorbacks hit only the 33rd percentile in a 45-24 loss to Texas A&M. Before the win over Florida was a humiliating, eighth-percentile, 56-3 loss at Auburn. And following A&M was a 30th-percentile performance in a 38-10 loss to LSU.

At the end of the year, the Razorbacks squeezed both the brilliance and the letdowns into single games. The season had seen them blow a 13-point halftime lead against TCU before they rallied to win in overtime, and the A&M letdown happened all after halftime (it was 17-17 at half). But the first halves of the Missouri and Virginia Tech games were sheer dominance; the second halves were dreck.

If the Razorbacks end up strong again in 2017, we’ll say 2016 was a product of youth. Allen was taking over for his brother Brandon at quarterback, and the run game was learning to live without 2015 leading rusher Alex Collins and three long-term starting linemen. The defense was too experienced to get away with stagnation, but if the offense had a few more tricks up its sleeve, maybe that would have chased away the second-half demons.

Maybe they’ll have those tricks this year?

Offense

Full advanced stats glossary.

That chart almost couldn’t stray further from the Bielema brand. The Razorbacks were run-heavy on standard downs but awful at actually generating standard-downs yardage. Allen, however, was capable of occasional passing downs brilliance — he had a 170.7 passer rating on second downs, and while he completed just 43 percent of his passes on third-and-4 or longer, 28 of his 37 completions in those situations generated first downs.

If the run still hasn’t completely clicked, maybe Arkansas should give Allen more passes in friendlier downs and distances.

Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Devwah Whaley

Granted, the run might click. As strong as Williams was, his per-carry production was almost duplicated by true freshman backup Devwah Whaley. The blue-chipper averaged just 3.5 yards per carry in his first four games and had just five carries for one yard in the bowl game. But in between that, he averaged 65 yards per game and 6.4 yards per carry. He carried 19 times for 112 yards in the shootout win over MSU.

If Whaley continues to develop (as most sophomores do), he could be tremendous. And in that way, the loss of Williams might be about the loss of Whaley as a second-stringer — do the Hogs have a decent backup? Bielema yanked South Carolina graduate transfer David Williams away from UConn at the last minute, but Williams has yet to prove himself to any major degree. And if he doesn’t stick on the second string, it’ll likely be high-three-star freshman Chase Hayden.

If Whaley gets hurt, the Arkansas run game is every bit as iffy as it was. But with Whaley perhaps growing more consistent (only 39 percent of his carries gained at least five yards, slightly below the national average), perhaps the line will take a step too. Six linemen return with starting experience, and young four-stars like sophomore Jalen Merrick and redshirt freshman Jake Heinrich are waiting for their turn in the rotation.

Those short-yardage numbers, though. Yuck. Even considering youth, there’s no excuse for a team this big, with this many former star recruits, to rank last in short-yardage execution. This offense can’t approach its ceiling if the Hogs don’t improve to at least average in this regard.

Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Jared Cornelius

There’s another reason why Arkansas will need its run game to be more consistent: a brand new receiving corps.

Six of last year’s top eight targets are gone, including a pair of 700-yard receivers in Drew Morgan and Keon Hatcher. Hatcher and fellow departee Dominique Reed combined to average 16.6 yards per catch, and half of Hatcher’s 44 catches gained at least 15 yards.

I’ve written quite a bit on the effects of continuity in the receiving corps. Your percentage of returning production at receiver has as much of an impact on your overall S&P+ ratings as any other production category. But if you’re an Arkansas fan looking for a reason why the Hogs may be able to buck this trend, you’ve got evidence.

First, there’s Allen. He looked every bit as effective as his brother at times and could be ready for high-caliber play no matter who he’s throwing to.

Beyond that, you’ve still got senior receiver Jared Cornelius, who led the receiving corps with 10.7 yards per target and produced a solid 52 percent success rate. You’ve got some high-ceiling youngsters: Whaley could be a home run hitter on check downs, four-star sophomore tight end Cheyenne O’Grady had three catches for 63 yards over the last three games, and sophomore La’Michael Pettway and freshman Koilan Jackson have been early fall camp stars thus far.

So yeah, the potential may be as high as ever. But having this many new pieces is a recipe for massive inconsistency.

Defense

You never know for sure how a guy will do in returning to an old role. The game has changed enough that Rhoads is not automatically going to do great things for Arkansas simply because he fielded some fantastic Pitt defenses between 2000-07, and simply because he was able to drag a two-deep of low-three-star recruits to three straight Def. S&P+ top-50 performances (2010-12).

At the least, though, you know why he might do well. Lord knows the bar’s low at the moment.

After ranking seventh in Def. S&P+ in 2014, the Razorbacks slumped to 65th in 2015 and 64th in 2016. The 2016 unit rushed the passer pretty well (45th in Adj. Sack Rate) while doing a reasonable job of preventing big pass plays. They got their hands on a lot of passes — 39 percent of opponents’ incompletions were due to either an interception or breakup, 14th in the country. That Rhoads was Arkansas’ DB coach last year is maybe a good sign, then.

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McTelvin Agim

The biggest story for this defense in 2017 is not the change in coordinator; it’s the change in structure. Bielema requested a move to a 3-4 defense, in part because “you naturally become more athletic with eight guys on their feet.”

You could assert that he made the move because he has a lot more natural linebackers than linemen. Five of last year’s top six linemen are gone, though there’s plenty of potential among the returnees. Sophomore blue-chipper McTelvin Agim could develop into something spectacular, giant senior Bijhon Jackson is a decent play-maker for his size, and fellow sophomores Austin Capps and T.J. Smith combined for three tackles for loss in backup duty. Plus, there seems to be enough size to translate from 4-3 to 3-4 — at 339 pounds and semi-agile, Jackson is a custom-made two-gap nose tackle, and Agim, Capps, and Smith are all at least 286 pounds. Still, that’s a lot of turnover.

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Ryan Pulley

If the line holds up, you can see a lot of other pieces falling into place. Six of last year’s top seven linebackers return, including junior Randy Ramsey, who was maybe the Hogs’ best play-making linebacker. At 6’4, 228 pounds, he looks the part of a 3-4 outside linebacker. And perhaps a slight shift in responsibilities will create play-makers out of guys like Dwayne Eugene, Dre Greenlaw, and De’Jon Harris, who played lots of snaps but didn’t do a ton with them.

Arkansas also returns one of two disruptive corners — Jared Collins had 12 passes defensed but departed; Ryan Pulley had 15 and returns — and basically every safety. That’s could give Rhoads confidence to attack up front. And if the DBs only occasionally get burned, it might be worth it.

Special Teams

Arkansas had bailouts in place for its inefficient run game. Allen was pretty good on passing downs, and punter Toby Baker basically provided an extra half a first down with each punt. Baker ranked fourth in the county in punt efficiency, averaging 44.4 yards per kick and allowing returns on only 18 of 57 punts.

Baker’s now gone, which — combined with the turnover in the receiving corps — takes the training wheels off for Whaley and company.

Without Baker, Arkansas’ special teams were hit and miss. Connor Limpert’s kickoffs rarely resulted in touchbacks, and Deon Stewart’s kick returns were inconsistent, but Cole Hedlund was a decent place-kicker, and Jared Cornelius was strong in punt returns. They’re all back.

2017 outlook

2017 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 2-Sep Florida A&M NR 54.4 100% 9-Sep TCU 21 -1.8 46% 23-Sep vs. Texas A&M 19 -4.8 39% 30-Sep New Mexico State 124 27.0 94% 7-Oct at South Carolina 36 -0.7 48% 14-Oct at Alabama 1 -27.9 5% 21-Oct Auburn 9 -8.9 30% 28-Oct at Ole Miss 26 -4.7 39% 4-Nov Coastal Carolina 114 23.6 91% 11-Nov at LSU 4 -17.2 16% 18-Nov Mississippi State 30 2.5 56% 25-Nov Missouri 53 7.2 66%

Projected S&P+ Rk 32 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 29 / 51 Projected wins 6.3 Five-Year S&P+ Rk 9.0 (32) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 26 / 31 2016 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* -4 / 3.1 2016 TO Luck/Game -2.7 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 57% (55%, 58%) 2016 Second-order wins (difference) 5.6 (1.4)

After rousing success in his first year at Wisconsin, Bielema hit a funk. His Badgers fell from 12-1 to 9-4 in 2007, then to 7-6 in 2008, and with the standard Barry Alvarez had set, there pressure was growing. Bielema responded with a 10-3 2009 and then went to three straight Rose Bowls, with two top-10 finishes. His record in one-possession games, meanwhile, oscillated drastically: 6-0, then 2-5, then 10-2, then 3-9.

Don’t count Bielema out just because he’s hit a frustrating patch, in other words.

Bielema’s timing hasn’t been right yet. For all we know, it might never be right, but it’s not hard to see Arkansas putting all the pieces together soon. The main problem: the prevalence of big-time underclassmen suggests a team-wide surge in 2018, but since Allen’s a senior, this surge would coincide with a new QB.

But we’ll talk about 2018 in 2018. For now, you’re looking at a team that is projected 32nd overall in S&P+, with two likely losses (at Alabama, at LSU), a probable loss (Auburn), three slam-dunk wins (Florida A&M, NMSU, Coastal Carolina) ... and six relative tossups.

S&P+ gives the Hogs between 39 and 66 percent win probability on half the schedule, which means close-game operation and the ability to finish will determine whether we’re looking at another 7-6 season (as S&P+ basically projects) or something greater.

Things have turned around for Bielema before, but it’s hard to assume it until we see it.

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How to set up your new 4K TV for the best possible picture

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How to set up your new 4K TV for the best possible picture

Getting a new TV is exciting, especially when you had to battle the Black Friday crowds to get it. But, if you want the best out of your new display, you’ll need to make sure you’re setting it up properly. Here are some tips to help you avoid crucial television mistakes.

Make sure your media source supports 4K playback

A fancy TV is only as good as the content you push into it, which means that Roku box you bought back in Obama’s first term isn’t going to cut it for your new Ultra-HD setup. If you bought a smart TV, its native apps should stream at high quality, but here are some stand-alone boxes that can take full advantages of your new 4K set:

Apple TV 4K ($179): It’s a pricy box with no Amazon content playback at the moment, but it offers extremely high quality audio and video, as well as UHD movies in the iTunes store for $5.99 to rent or $19.99 to buy.

Roku Ultra ($99) or Streaming Stick+ ($49): Not every Roku supports UHD, but these two will push out the proper number of pixels for your new set. Get the Ultra if you want an ethernet jack for internet, a USB port for media storage, or a microSD for expandability.

Google Chromecast Ultra ($54): If you watch a lot of YouTube content in 4K, this is the best choice. it’s also a good choice if you want to show your own photos or videos on the big screen in high-res. Google Home Assistant integration is also nice if your TV doesn’t have native voice control.

Nvidia Shield ($149): This powerful content box puts a focus on gaming—it even comes with its own Xbox-style controller. Voice search and tight Google integration also make it useful as a smart home hub.

Amazon Fire TV 4K ($69): This low-priced option is adept at streaming Amazon content and using Alexa (obvi), but it also has a full suite of the most common streaming apps and even some games.

4K Blu-ray player ($150 and up): If you prefer physical media that won’t tax your internet with high-def streaming, opt for a compatible Blu-Ray player.

Gaming consoles: The Xbox One S and X both do UHD playback via streaming and disc. The same goes for the PlayStation 4 Pro. The base model consoles and Nintendo’s scrappy Switch will leave you with upscaled 1080p.

Make sure your internet connection is ready for the onslaught of data

Streaming or downloading 4K content taxes internet connections hard. Netflix recommends at least 25 Mbps for UHD streaming, while Hulu demands a lighter 13 Mbps connection.

Set your TV up in the right spot

Ideally, you should consider the distance you’ll sit from your TV before you go out and buy one. THX recommends a viewing angle of 40-degrees, which requires you multiply your distance from the TV by 1.2. You can use this online calculator and move your seat closer or further from the display to make it work. It doesn’t have to be spot on, but position it too close or far and you’re going to hinder your experience.

When mounting your TV to the wall (or sitting it on the stand), you want the center of your TV to line up with your eyeballs. Putting it above the fireplace or on the floor may work on home design TV shows and dorm rooms, respectively, but it’s bad for viewing.

Pick the right HDMI ports

Not all HDMI ports are created equally. Right now, you’ll commonly find HDMI 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 ports on a TV. To pass 4K content, the port, cable, and source need to be compliant with a protocol called HDCP 2.2. If your TV won’t display 4K content, it’s possible you’re plugging into an incompatible port. Try another one or check the manual on your TV to see which ports you should be using for UHD.

Pick the right settings

Now that we turned the TV on, it’s time to get the picture looking good.

When stores display TVs on the massive wall, they crank the brightness to the max in order to attract the eyes and wallets of the shoppers below. This is often called “display” or “vibrant” mode in your TV’s menu and you should avoid it like the plague if you want a picture that resembles reality in any way.

The most accurate mode is often called something like “cinematic,” or “movie,” but it varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Vizio, for example, typically calls this mode “calibrated.”

Picking the right preset is tricky because when you compare them to one another, the brighter modes can look appealing. Pick the mode that you think might be the most accurate and leave it on for a while. Go do something else and come back to it after a while. What may have seemed slightly dark or less contrasty before might seem just right without the memory of the “vibrant” setting burned into your brain.

Note that “game mode” and other similarly named settings typically turn off things like motion smoothing in order to cut down on response time. You might notice the benefits when gaming, but don’t keep it on for everyday viewing.

Figure out your TV’s motion smoothing

Does your new TV make everything look like a soap opera? It’s probably because of motion smoothing. If you want an in-depth explanation of what’s happening, you can check out this link, but from a practical standpoint, your best bet is typically to leave motion smoothing on and set to its lowest possible setting. This will cut down any jittery appearance without pushing things into General Hospital territory.

Again, if you’re going to be gaming, turn off motion smoothing because it’s going to tax your TV’s performance and make your overall gaming experience frustrating and slow.

Enable HDR

If your TV has a fancy new high-dynamic range mode, you want to take advantage of it, so make sure it’s turned on in the menus.

Be weary of the other picture adjustments

If you go into the menus on your new TV, you’ll find a bevy of different picture adjustments, things like brightness, color, and gamma. The trouble with these is that they’re not very standard from set to set and messing with them can introduce new problems that you didn’t have before.

Adjusting gamma, for instance, can make the display brighter overall, but you’ll start to lose details in the highlights. The brightness may also be desirable during the day, but overpowering when the room gets dark at night.

Color is similarly risky. This slider typically adjusts color saturation and it’s easy to overdo it and make things look cartoonish if you’re just adjusting it with your subjective taste. If you’re having a specific problem like dull colors or weird noise in the picture, check out the TV’s manual for the specific fix before you go messing around with random sliders. Unless you have a specific reason to move a slider, leave it where it is.

Written By Stan Horaczek