#I had to edit it slightly because another character was overlapping so it may look a little wonky but i tried.

[thatmiraclecupcake]

thank you to @queen-of-the-nerdlords and @curry-demon12 for giving me both halves of this idea. The recent (like. 3 days ago) remake of Misao means that the Misao and Mad Father overworld sprites are almost proportional to the Angels of Death overworld sprites! I say "almost" because. uh. I had to make Danny shorter. sorry.

actually no I'm not sorry. I'm not. I'm putting their asses in the French Press after this. lol. lmao.

[author-a-holmes]

Yooo, for the writer asks: 1, 21, and 23? :O

Evening darling, thank you for the asks! ^_^

Answering asks 1, 21, and 23 from this ask list.

1. Is there a story you’re holding off on writing for some reason?

Yes, actually! Right now I'm holding off on completing my Stolen Stories.

In the previous ask I mentioned that I completed the first draft of Book One in my Stolen Stories series between May and October of 2020.

My plan was to continue with that series and write Book Two while doing the first round of edits on Book One, so that I'd be writing Book Three while sending Book One out to Alpha/Beta readers. There's a full 6 books planned for that series, so I wanted to overlap them all slightly, and then eventually publish Book One sort of around the time I started writing Book 4.

But...

When I started looking into the publishing side of actually being a self published author, the reality of the process kind of hit me a little harder than I expected.

The first time you do something, anything, you're bound to make mistakes. I only have to look back at my first story to know that and, for all my years of writing practice, I've never hit the publish button on a book.

And 'Stolen' is my baby, for lack of a better term. Stella Korazon and Reilly Mosswolf are the darlings of my heart. I'd die for them, I'd kill or them. I do not want to "practice" the art of publishing a book with their story.

So Stolen, and it's sequels are currently on hold, and that's why I'm working on the Fey Touched novels right now. That's not to say I love Lizzy and Andric and Booker any less, but I have to split my mind into author and self-publisher. As an author, I love Fey Touched just as much as Stolen, but as a self-publisher a trilogy of 90k books failing is better than a 6-book series where each book is 140k+ failing.

Fey Touched is where I will hit publish for the first time and, hopefully, discover all the mistakes I'll inevitably make so that I can more effectively promote and market Stolen, when that monster of a series is ready for the world at large.

21. What do you think when you read over your older work?

That entirely depends on how old the work is :D

If it's something I've written within the last 1-5 years, then most of the time my reaction is something along the lines of;

"Oh wow, that's pretty good."

"Damn, that's an evocative line. Did I actually write this?"

"I FORGOT ABOUT THAT PART!!"

If, on the other hand, it's something like my first manuscript from when I was age 8 or 9, my reaction is usually something closer to;

"Oh no... that's... oh dear."

"Oh gods, please tell me I didn't say that..."

"Umm... That word doesn't mean what I thought it meant..."

"Bloody hell, I'm glad no one else will ever read this."

Having said that, @faelanvance takes great delight in digging through my old manuscripts and reading them back to me aloud for my ultimate mortification :D

23. Any obscure life experiences that you feel have helped your writing?

Probably too many to fit into a single tumblr post, honestly.

I'm constantly drawing from my own life experiences to put my readers into my characters positions. I can take pain and terror or Joy and Laughter from one set of experiences and then Copy/Paste it, for lack of a better term, into a different situation, but that direct knowledge lets me bring the descriptions to life for the reader. At least, I certainly hope it does!

As for specific situations that I feel have helped my writing... Let me just pick a couple.

(A) My Terrible Health

I mentioned in the previous ask that I was born with congenital talipes. Anyone can google it if they want more information, but it's also known as club foot. As a child, all this really meant to me was that I was constantly in and out of hospitals for operations and physiotherapy and that I wasn't physically able to run, jump, climb trees, or even walk long distances without my feet and legs hurting.

Also, because of the operations I spent a great deal of time in bed, or sitting in wheelchairs, while I recovered.

None of this is said in a negative light, in fact, in terms of my writing I'm rather grateful for all that free time to sit and think and imagine. I was and am a voracious reader. I was reading Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, and David Eddings' The Belgariad by myself at the age of 7 and 8. If I was only going to be allowed one book in hospital, I was going to make sure it was the longest book I could lay my grubby little hands on.

I could lay for hours on the children's ward while other patients yelled and fought over the single playstation or the jigsaw puzzles, and I could create entire worlds in my head. I could bring to life characters that could explore Middle Earth or go on adventures with Belgarath, and I only needed myself and my mind.

Books were a popular gift for me, because I was physically restricted, and then once I began picking up a pen, notebooks, journals, and fancy pens were quick to follow.

I think I would still have found writing, I can't imagine what my life would be like if I hadn't discovered this passion, but I'm not 100% sure I'd have discovered it as early as I did if I'd not been forced to stay still for so much of my childhood.

(B)

Another specific scenario that I feel really helped my confidence in my writing was my High School English teacher, Mr Reck.

I was bullied through most of my schooling, mostly for being on crutches, but this really didn't bother me. I just ignored them.

But one day we had been given a task in class, and I'd already finished, so as I usually did I pulled out my notebook and started writing a story while I waited or the next task.

One of the students thought to get me into trouble by telling Mr Reck that I wasn't doing the work. He came over, looked at my completed work, looked at what I was actually doing (writing an original story), and then told me that if I ever wanted someone to read over my writing and check it, I could always leave it on his desk during lunch... and then he calmly walked away.

This was, for 14-15 year old me, mind blowing.

I didn't care about the bullies, they really didn't bother me. I also wasn't self conscious about my writing, both my parents are and have always been strong supporters of my creative work. The reason this stood out to me at the time, and continues to stand out to me as one of the defining moments of my high school life was because it was the first time someone outside of my immediate family not only read my work, but thought it was good enough to actively encourage.

Mr Reck also got me into a writing workshop that year, that was only supposed to be available to graduating students. I've no idea how he managed it, but he did and I'll be forever grateful to him. I intend to add his name to the dedication page of the first book I publish, and I'm in the process right now of trying to track him down to send him a copy.

I think I've found him, I've just got to get the nerve up to send a private message to confirm!

If there are any teachers out there reading this though, please take note of this final story. I don't know that some teachers realise just how important one, single, non-family member showing a genuine interest in a students work can affect that students entire life.

[stellahibernis]

Lan Wangji: the Model Student Edition

AKA Lan Wangji’s costumes in the Untamed, part 1/9 

I got it in my head to write about Lan Wangji’s costumes in the Untamed for a couple of reasons. One, they’re extremely beautiful and worth paying attention to (as are all the costumes in the series!) and two, they do an excellent job of reflecting his mental state and where he is on his journey as a character. Hence, I’ll always look at them from two points of view, what’s actually happening in the costume, and how the choices made tie to what’s going on while he wears it. Note that I’m not going to even attempt to touch on how they connect to actual historical clothing (you’ll need an expert for that, which I’m definitely not).

I decided to make separate posts for each outfit rather than try to cram all of them in one post (or a few posts). I suspect this’ll be long enough anyway, since I’ll cover some common elements in his outfits in this one, and the images also add to the length. I tried not to go too crazy with the number of the images, although I suspect there’ll be more in the latter posts that cover some of his more elaborate costumes. I had a bit of fun with my image choices as you’ll see (also several times I forgot I was meant to capture stuff and just kept watching, as one does 😂).

Without further ado, let’s start with the outfit Lan Wangji had on when he walked into Wei Wuxian’s life. This outfit was worn mainly in episodes 3-7, briefly in episode 8, and also in WWX’s memories in episode 1.

The Costume

In my head this goes in the simple-but-formal category of LWJ’s outfits, meaning he has the full amount of layers on, and the fabrics are of the usual high quality, but they have no particular texture, and there’s not much embroidery. This almost feels like the basic Lan disciple outfit upgraded to a higher level, which goes nicely with the fact that even though he is the Second Jade of Lan, he’s also a student among the rest of them.

First some basics about the robes the Lan Sect members wear, possibly obvious stuff, but I’ll cover it anyway. They are usually made of fairly lightweight fabrics (that move beautifully in action scenes, I might add), although those of higher rank also have robes made of fabrics with more texture and weight. They’re always white or shades of blue, again more blue for those of higher rank (if they so choose), and the cloud pattern is usually embroidered at least somewhere (significantly LWJ has two outfits with no cloud embroidery).

Innermost layer consists of the white pants and the undershirt that seems to be standard for everyone, we see LWJ (in episode 43), LQR (in episode 33), and WWX (in episodes 42-45) all wear similar shirts. The actors aren’t necessarily wearing all the layers due to heat, but we’re meant to believe they’re always there and that cultivators are just immune to the sun or something. (In that bts video where they bicker on the boat we actually see Wang Yibo wearing the undershirt when he pulls back his sleeves, meaning he’s in five layers and somehow looks cool as a cucumber, while Xiao Zhan is dying of heat 😂). Next come two or three sets of robes, possibly always meant to be three, since the Lans are formal like that, but we don’t see that many with every costume. Then comes a sash to keep the robes closed, and for those of higher rank optionally another robe on top (which LWJ and LXC don’t always wear).

Here’s another look at the costume, with a bonus WWX. This was obviously chosen solely because it shows the silhouette very well.

As I mentioned earlier, this outfit has all the elements listed above, including a robe worn over the sash, but there aren’t too many details. The fabric is certainly meant to be silk, and possibly even is. Whoever did the hemming of the robe definitely struggled enough for it to be silk (modern detail that one, btw, you wouldn’t sew it like that by hand. I’m a bit surprised they didn’t just do that, making an invisible hem isn’t actually that slow, but maybe it’s still significant when you need to make so many costumes). The sash is very basic, with no decoration at all, but he of course has the waist ornament with the jade pieces and tassel, which is one of the two things he always wears, in addition to his forehead ribbon. The white shoes are maybe the biggest flex from the Lan Sect, just imagine how much time would be needed to clean and replace all of them, especially since the climate at the Cloud Recesses is definitely rainy, and then there are the night hunts.

Above is the top seen in detail, we have his first head ornament (which is very cute, IMO), and the forehead ribbon. Interestingly it’s pale blue rather than white (as I believe it’s in the book). Blue is slightly less stark against the skin, so that may have been the reason. Then there’s the embroidery on the lapels, the Lan Sect clouds done with white on white, basically the least extravagant you can get and still have them. We only see one more layer, I believe. There’s blue and white in the collar, but looking at how it overlaps I think it’s just one robe with two colors. But hey, a teeny tiny bit of color on him at least!

Another detail to note is that if he has narrow sleeves visible, there are always fabric bands wrapped around the wrists, yet another bit of complexity and formality to his outfits. He also has them with this costume, you don’t see them that many times because the big sleeves cover them pretty well, but we get a nice glimpse of them when LWJ and WWX are tied together with the forehead ribbon in the cave, see below. 

Yes, I capped the moment where they collapse to the ground after getting out of the cave. I have to get my amusement somehow, but it was actually the one where you can see the detail best. 😂 (I also tried the part where LWJ ties the ribbon but all the caps came out blurry, so this one it is). LWJ’s hand is the top one, obviously, and WWX has just a regular sleeve end there.

The Context

When LWJ first walks into the scene in episode 3, he’s at peace with himself in that his world makes sense, he has a clear understanding of who he is and what his responsibilities are. I’m not saying it has come without struggle considering everything to do with his mother (I bet LQR was just thrilled when he moved to the Jingshi, which all things considered probably hadn’t happened that long before the start of the story), but it looks like it’s something that’s been worked out. Also, when I say his world makes sense, I don’t mean that he’s completely happy about everything (if I had to define it, I’d go for comfortably neutral), just that there are no particular issues that he doesn’t know how to react to until WWX comes and turns everything upside down.

Much of the past timeline for LWJ is about his struggle between his loyalty to his sect and what he perceives as his duty, and his connection with WWX. This can be seen reflected in his costumes as well. Broadly speaking (obviously individual scenes can shift the focus for a time), when he wears predominantly white with wide sleeves (his more formal outfits) it signals that he’s particularly conscious of his duty and his upbringing, while his blue outfits with narrow sleeves (arguably more casual ones) come to play when he’s more forcefully pulled by his connection with WWX. Notably, he also wears one mostly white outfit with narrow sleeves, but we’ll get to that later.

At this point of the story, the real struggle hasn’t yet started for him, he’s (mostly) the perfect model student that he was taught to be literally from birth, and his outfit reflects that. He’s definitely thrown by the effect WWX has on him, as it’s most likely a completely new experience, but he also considers it nonsense that he intends to drop (or boring, as he has a tendency to say). When he sets out alone, I’d say it’s with the idea that he can just leave what happened in summer school behind and focus once more on his responsibilities. Clearly there’s some regret that he feels because of it, as we witnessed his undoubtedly warm feelings toward WWX when hearing his resolution in the lantern scene, but right after that moment he focuses on the Yin Iron once more and maybe chooses that road (only he doesn’t get to walk it alone, WWX is stubborn like that).

Next time, blue robes and the point of no return for LWJ just whooshes on its way behind them.

(You can find the rest of this series via “lwj costume series” tag below, or through my blog contents page. I’d link for ease of access but the links made it disappear from tags, so. 😒)

[myriadimagines]

Savior

Star Wars (Sequels) One Shot

Pairing: Reader x Poe Dameron

Other Characters: BB-8, Leia Organa, Kylo Ren, Temmin Wexley, Finn

Warnings: mild swearing, violence, mentions of death, injury

Requester: anonymous

Request: “hi love, i hope you’re having a wonderful day. 💖 can I request a poe dameron x fem!reader one shot where the reader is also a pilot and secretly crushes on Poe. When he gets taken by the First Order, she becomes overly worried and begs General Organa to let her go rescue him. When the General asks why, maybe she yells..“because I need to tell him that I love him!”..or something along those lines. And she and Poe have a heartfelt reunion at the end. Sorry if this was too long ahh🤧”

Word Count: 3,378

A/N: y’all im so fuckin mad!!!!!!! i swear to god i queued this request and now it’s fuckin GONE!!!! thank god i had the actual fic saved somewhere else but i already deleted the ask with the original request so i’m so sorry i couldn’t include what the original request was. im still boiling over about this @ tumblr stop deleting my shit!!! EDIT: omg i hate this the original post just published at a completely random time despite disappearing from my queue and i had to delete it before it got notes. UGH! at least it had the original request in it so i could put that in. anyway, @ the requester, this was not too long at all and a super cute idea!!! i hope you like it!!

please reblog/leave comments, they’re very much appreciated!

Your name: submit What is this?

You crowd around the console, the air of worry that fills the room almost suffocating as your fellow pilots look to you expectantly. The radio shakes in your hand as you bring it up to your lips, and you stare at the screen in front of you, Poe’s ship coordinates blinking at you as other red flashing lights rapidly approach — the First Order. 

He’s surrounded, stranded in Taunul, a desolate desert village in Jakku. Leia had sent him to retrieve the map to Luke Skywalker, a crucial solo assignment which was supposed to be simple and quiet. You weren’t even worried when you watched Poe leave, despite always being worried for Poe when he goes on missions. 

How the hell did the First Order find him, all the way on a planet you had never even heard of before the mission?

This is it, you think, watching the First Order close in on the village, with no signs of Poe’s ship making an escape. This is your absolute worst nightmare. 

“Poe,” you urge, your fingers gripping the radio as you can hear his labored breaths on the other end. “Get the hell out of there!”

“I’m trying, I’m trying!” Poe exclaims, and you can hear the engine of the X-Wing firing up, can hear Poe flicking on switches as he prepares for takeoff. You’re almost about to feel a sense of relief, to relax ever so slightly, but everyone startles at the unmistakable sound of a blast. There’s a low rumble, and you can hear Poe curse under his breath before he informs you, “I’ve been hit, my engine’s down!”

Your chest tightens as you heard murmurs of worry around you, everyone nervously looking amongst one another. You desperately try to rack your brain, try to come up with any solution you can to help him, but your thoughts are interrupted as Poe tells you, “I’m giving the map to BB-8, it’s safer with him than with me. BB-8, get as far away from here as you can, you hear me?”

“Poe, don’t!” you try and stop him, already knowing he’s refusing to run. Poe ignores you as BB-8 bleeps in response, and you try and interject, “You’ve got to get out of there—”

“I’ll come back for you!” Poe tries to reassure BB-8. “It’ll be alright!” 

You look up at your squad, catching Leia’s gaze from across the console. She can see the clear torment in your features, and you run a hand through your hair, flinching as you hear the loud sounds of a blaster being fired. Shaking your head, you look up as you plead, “General, we have to help him—”

“No, it’s too dangerous!” Poe interrupts, his voice barely audible over the loud static from the radio. He ducks behind a dune, watching as the villagers are rounded up while none other than Kylo Ren descends from his ship. “I—”

Poe’s voice is quickly drowned out by static as the connection temporarily falters, and you clutch the radio, eyes wide as you exclaim. “Poe? Poe!”

You turn to Leia, utterly powerless as you silently beg her to do something, the radio clattering onto the table as you drop it. She frowns, shaking her head slightly as she knows there’s nothing either of you can do but hope that the First Order doesn’t find BB-8, that Poe can somehow get himself out of the mess he’s been dragged into. 

There’s a muffled voice, and you pounce on the radio, feeling a tiny flicker of hope as you wait to hear Poe’s voice. 

Back on Jakku, Poe is yanked to his feet after being caught and brought before Kylo. The stormtroopers search him at Kylo’s orders, and one digs the comlink out of his pocket. Poe helplessly watches as he hands it to Kylo, shaking his head as he informs, “Nothing, sir.” 

“Put him on board.” Kylo orders, before crushing the comlink in his gloved hand, letting the metal slide out of his palm and into the sand. You lean up against the table, about to collapse, as everyone seems to slump in defeat. It’s the last thing you hear before the radio goes dead. 

—

Your head snaps up as you force yourself to stay awake, and you tiredly rub your eyes, failing to fight off sleep as your gaze fixates on the map in front of you. You reach forward, zooming in on the screen as you run a scan on the system, desperately trying to find any sign of Kylo’s ship, where Poe is imprisoned. The glowing colors begin to blur together as fatigue sets in, and you let out a sigh, rubbing your eyes again as you blink, trying to focus your vision. You look down as your droid, R0-Y7, hums beside you, and reach out to place a hand on his head.

“I have to find him, Roy.” you mutter to the droid, who shifts closer in an attempt to comfort you. Your trusty R0 unit had spent all night by your side, and you smile down at him, grateful to have some company in the otherwise empty room. Resting your elbows on the console, you continue, “I have to save him.”

You can see the first stray beams of the morning sun through the windows of the control room, and you straighten, stretching your arms above your head before rolling your shoulders back. Despite the exhaustion that weighs you down, you refuse to sleep. You know you won’t be able to, anyway, until Poe is back in the Resistance base, safe and sound. It’s been two days since his capture, two torturous days of worrying about what unspeakable acts First Order is doing to him, who are no doubt torturing him for the map. You hate how no one seems to be doing anything, how you feel as if you’re the only person in the entire Resistance who’s desperate to have him back.

You try and tell yourself it’s because you refuse to leave anyone in the clutches of the First Order, but deep down, you know it’s so much more than that. This may very well be the end for Poe, you realise, and you never got the chance to tell him how much you love him.

And something inside you so painfully aches at the mere thought.

Tears sting your eyes as you shakily lower your head, the scan coming back empty with nothing more than some small cargo ships. Zooming the map back out, you begin to expand your search to the neighboring system before the door hisses open, and you startle before looking over your shoulder. You squint, letting your eyes adjust to the bright light that floods in from the hallway, and you recognize Wexley lingering in the doorway. You immediately sit up as Wexley says, “General Organa sent me to find you. We found Kylo Ren’s ship.” 

Your eyes widen, and you jump to your feet, rushing past Wexley with R0-Y7 whizzing besides you as you make your way to the main conference room. You push past the pilots and spies that intently listen to Leia’s instructions, and you manage to maneuver your way to the front just in time to catch the end of Leia’s debriefing. 

“While the Alpha Team are rescuing Poe, I want the Beta Team deployed to find the droid. We need to find BB-8 before the First Order does.” Leia insists, and everyone nods, studying the map of Kylo’s destroyer that’s projected in the center of the room. Leia’s gaze locks with yours, and she continues, “Let’s move. Time is of the essence” 

Everyone quickly scatters, scrambling to make preparations as you make your way to Leia. Something inside you feels invigorated, finally able to do something instead of sitting around feeling utterly powerless. Nodding at her, you say, “I’ll go with Alpha Team—”

“No,” Leia stops you, shaking her head as she lays a gentle hand on your arm. Despite how desperately you’re trying to hide your feelings towards Poe, Leia can clearly see how distressing his capture has been for you. You frown, not understanding what’s happening, and Leia insists, “It’s best if you stay here.”

You struggle to maintain your composure as you can slowly feel yourself coming undone. Keeping your shaking voice steady, you reply, “With all due respect, General, I should be on this mission. I need to help rescue him—”

“y/n,” Leia interjects, noticing your trembling hands and your breaths becoming shallow. Trying to be as gentle as possible with you, she continues, “You haven’t eaten or slept since Poe’s capture, and you’re not in the right state of mind. I can’t risk anything going wrong—”

“Please, General Organa, I have to go with them.” you’re begging now, your voice overlapping hers, and you can’t hold back your tears anymore as they stream down your face. “You don’t understand, I need to be on the team—”

“Why, y/n?” Leia asks, somehow managing to keep her voice calm as you feel yourself falling apart, piece by piece. She holds your hands in hers as she continues, “I don’t doubt your skill, but—”

“Because I love him, and I need to tell him!” you suddenly exclaim, and the entire room seems to freeze, everyone around you halting in their tracks. Leia’s eyes widen, and you’re suddenly grateful for the fact she’s holding you, as your sudden confession suddenly takes all the energy out of your body. Your voice lowers, and in a quiet whimper, you repeat, “I love him.”

You feel simultaneously lighter and heavier with the truth out in the open, finally coming to terms with your feelings and accepting them. But your confession raises the stakes that much higher, and you feel the weight of your new burden crashing down on your shoulders. 

You have to save him, or else you’ll never forgive yourself.

Leia sighs, giving your hands a small squeeze. She knows it’s a bad idea, knows she should insist you stay at the base and just wait for the teams to come back, but the desperation and heartbreak in your eyes softens her. Silently nodding at you, she whispers, “Go.”

You let out a quivering sigh of relief. Nodding gratefully at her, you pull your hands away, turning to sprint towards the hangar as your heart pounds loudly in your chest. 

You’re going to save the man you love. You don’t even give yourself the option of failure. 

—

You watch as Beta Team’s ship navigates its way towards Jakku, and you lean forward to press your communications button before speaking into the radio, “Good luck, Beta Team.”

“Right back at you, Alpha Team.” a voice responds, and you take a deep breath as you see the First Order ships in the distance. Both teams are hiding in transport ships, Beta Team in a salvage freighter intended to blend in with the scavengers on the planet, while your team is in a transport ship supposedly delivering weapons to the First Order. 

You look over your shoulder at your squad, some of which are disguised in First Order uniforms as they prepare to infiltrate the ship. Nodding at them, you ask, “As soon as you find Dameron, you radio back to me, and I’ll get the ship ready to escape. Got it?” 

The team nods in agreement, and one pipes up, voice full of determination, “Let’s get Dameron back.”

You look forward, punching some numbers into your monitor as you prepare to communicate with the Destroyer in order to get inside. You flinch as you see a TIE fighter swoop out of the hangar, and you feel yourself tense up as you immediately go on the defensive. The TIE fighter suddenly ducks under the destroyer, and everyone jumps back in alarm as you watch the cannons activate, rapidly firing at the rogue TIE fighter. Your brow furrows in confusion, and you turn to see your copilot equally as perplexed at the scene unfolding before you. The TIE fighter opens fire, destroying the cannons, but it’s not long before missiles suddenly dart through the sky, heading straight for the TIE fighter. 

On the TIE fighter, the newly named Finn frowns as Poe pilots the ship back towards Jakku, and Finn asks, “Where are we going?”

Poe flicks on a switch above him, attempting to figure out the ship’s communication system while trying to steer the ship. He grins as a light flashes green, and he presses a number sequence for the Resistance into the screen in front of him as he replies, “We’re going back to Jakku, that’s where.” 

“No, no, no, we can’t go back to Jakku!” Finn yells in protest. “We need to get out of this system.”

“I gotta get my droid before the First Order does.” Poe responds as Finn stammers in disbelief. Before he can protest more, Poe turns on the radio, yelling, “This is Poe Dameron, I repeat, this is Poe Dameron, does anyone come in?”

Back on your ship, you lunge forward, scrambling to press the communications button as you hear Poe’s voice in your radio. Around you, you can hear the sounds of disbelief and confusion, and you lean forward as you splutter, “Poe?”

“y/n? Oh, thank God, y/n!” Poe recognizes your voice instantly, and tears of relief and joy well in your eyes to hear his voice. The connection is jumpy, his voice barely audible, but it’s him. 

“Roy, hone in on the frequency.” you urgently instruct, and beside you, R0-Y7 quickly plugs into the control panel. You anxiously watch as the droid’s arm spins, manipulating the frequencies as Poe’s voice becomes briefly garbled before the audio crispens, his voice is loud and clear. 

Interrupting you before you can ask your endless stream of questions, Poe says, “I’ve escaped the First Order on a TIE fighter, and I’m heading back to Jakku for BB-8—”

“We’re in the Jakku system, we were coming to rescue y— wait, a TIE fighter?” you exclaim, stumbling out of your seat to lean forward, peering out of the cockpit window to see the TIE fighter on your right, the missiles still hot on its tail. “Please don’t tell me you’re in the TIE fighter that’s about to be shot down.” 

Despite the wildly inappropriate timing, Poe chuckles, and you hate how you can’t help but smile upon hearing his laugh. You always seem to find yourself in these situations, with Poe somehow managing to crack a smile out of you no matter how dire the circumstances. Nodding, Poe replies, “Yeah, that’s m—” 

You gasp as the ship is suddenly hit, the wing exploding, and the ship begins to spiral out of control. You jump back into your seat, swerving the ship towards him as you yell, “Hang on, Poe!” 

Your ship is bulkier than you’re used to, not as fast and sleek as your X-Wing, but you’ll have to make do as you watch Poe’s TIE fighter burst into flames as it enters Jakku’s atmosphere. You grip the steering mechanisms of the ship as you watch the TIE fighter careen towards the sand, but not before a parachute suddenly bursts out of the cockpit, and you can see Poe strapped to the seat. The parachute is tattered, tangled in the wind as Poe is thrown in the opposite direction, and you steer the ship towards him, not seeing the second parachute being released as Finn narrowly manages to escape the TIE fighter before it crashes into the sand. 

You practically crash your own ship into the sand, the ship unsteadily rocking as you land. You snatch a blaster hanging off the wall, just in case, before slamming the button for the ramp to open. You sprint outside, your team quickly following suit, and you run towards where Poe has fallen, unconscious as he lays on his side in the sand. You crouch beside him, gently rolling him onto his back, resting his head in your lap as you caress his face in your hands. The side of his head is sticky with blood, matting his dark curls, and there’s cuts on his cheek and bottom lip. You gently brush his hair out of his face, urging, “Poe, please wake up, come on—”

You let out a sigh of relief as Poe’s eyelids flutter open, and he squints at you as the sun bears down on him, blinding him as he can feel a dull pain throughout his body. His eyes slowly adjust, making out your face hovering above him, and he can’t help but think you look angelic, the sun shining behind you, and your relieved smile makes his heart swell in his chest. 

“y/n…” he croaks out, trying to sit up, but you quickly stop him.

“Wait, wait, careful.” you insist, gently holding him down. “You were in a pretty bad crash, and you’re all banged up.”

You look over your shoulder, gratefully nodding at your squad as two of them have already brought out a stretcher from the ship. The rest of the team help you load Poe onto the stretcher, and he frowns as he starts, “We have to find BB-8—”

“Already on it. There’s another team who’s searching Jakku now.” you reassure Poe, offering him a smile which he returns, despite all the pain he’s in. He weakly reaches out to you, and you immediately reach for his hand, clinging to it as you jog next to the stretcher, helping to load it onto the ship. Your copilot quickly fires up the engines as soon as the door closes, and you nod at one of your squad members as you instruct her, “Tell General Organa we’ve got him, and see if Beta Team has any updates.”

“Got it.” she nods at you, securing the stretcher in the back corner of the ship before giving you and Poe some privacy. 

You finally let yourself relax, and you feel heat settling into your cheeks as you realise you and Poe are still clinging to each other’s hands, his fingers interlocked with yours as he refuses to let go. His smile is gentle as his gaze meets yours, and he gives your hand a little squeeze as he softly greets, “Hey.”

You smile, instinctively leaning closer towards him. “Hey.” 

“Thanks for coming to rescue me.” he says, shifting towards you, and you try your best to ignore how his arm ever so slightly grazes yours.

“It’s my job, at this point.” you tease, biting back a grin. “You’re always getting into trouble, aren’t you, Dameron?”

“Yeah, but I know I’ll always have my savior.” Poe nudges you. A smirk makes its way onto his face, a smile that makes your heart flutter, and he jokes, “I mean, I did have everything under control…”

You scoff, and Poe can’t help but laugh at your reaction. His smile is so goddamn beautiful, and  happy relief expands through your chest as you jokingly roll your eyes in response. “Don’t, Poe. Don’t even go there.” 

Poe is still laughing, shaking his head as he musters up enough strength to prop himself upright. His laughter dies down, and your breath hitches as he looks at you, his gaze so full of tenderness and unspoken things, and you can see his eyes flicker ever so briefly down to your lips. Your lips part, as if words are trying to escape, but you’re suddenly rendered speechless as you realise no words can fully express how much you love him.

So you lunge forward instead, reaching your other hand up to caress his face as you kiss him, and Poe doesn’t even hesitate to kiss you back, running his hands through your hair as he pulls you closer to him. You feel yourself dissolving at his touch, instantly melting into his lips, and when  you break away, breathless, you finally tell him, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Poe replies, with a smile spreading across his face that’s brighter than the sun. It’s more glorious than everything you’ve ever seen in your entire life, and nothing across the entire galaxy can make you happier than seeing his smile. 

And you’re even happier knowing he’s smiling because of you.

tag list: @proudchocolateaddict​​​ / @myfriendmagislit​​​ / @dragon4123​​​ / @fire--pheonix​​​ / @gofandomsandotherstuff​​​ / @natalia-helena-alianova-romanov / @fairytalesforever​​​ / @emmacata​​​ / @hauntedpocdreamer / @fangirlsarah16​​​ / @adaleya​​​ / @floup-doodles​​​ / @batfam16​​​ / @multifandomwriter121​​

[fuckyeahisawthat]

Fic meme

Tagged by @primarybufferpanel. My AO3 is here.

Fandoms I’ve made fanworks for:

Mad Max (78)

Venom (6)

Good Omens (8)

I tend to only be able to write in one fandom at a time. Each one was kind of a surprise when it hit me, since they are all very different in tone. Although...someday I’ll post the Venn diagram I drew of all their weird overlaps.

Number of fics: 92

Fics I spent more time on: It’s hard for me to judge this since my time and mental capacity for writing have varied wildly since fall 2015 when I first started writing fic. Closer is definitely my longest-running WIP, although I do intend to finish that last chapter...some day.

Fics I spent less time on: Most of the things tagged “Originally Posted on Tumblr” were written in one burst of inspiration with minimal editing.

Longest fic: Salvage and Scrap, a survival genfic featuring two minor characters from Mad Max: Fury Road, based on a prompt by @primarybufferpanel. I still really like the way this one turned out, particularly the central conversation between these two characters who have such different worldviews but both care about Furiosa.

There is also a great podfic of it!

Shortest story: Provisions, a little Maxiosa ficlet.

Most hits: Midnight Snack, Venom smut, by a significant amount.

Most bookmarks: Midnight Snack was on top there too for a good long while, but has recently been displaced by The Human Way, the first Good Omens smut I wrote and a fic I’m really happy with.

Fic you want to rewrite or expand: If I had had the patience at the time, I would have extended Equinox another chapter or two in the middle. I feel like the characters hit an interesting conflict and then I wrapped it up pretty quickly and neatly, in a way that’s still slightly unsatisfying to me as a writer, but may be very satisfying to you as a reader, if that’s what you’re looking for.

Total words combined: 214,602, about half of which was written during 2016, the year I was on a Maxiosa tear and had lots of time due to being severely underemployed. About 127k of that is part of Together, my main Max/Furiosa series.

Fav fic you wrote: I cAn’T CHooSe bETweeN MY cHiLdrEN!!! Seriously, though, when I write multiple fics of the same characters I feel like I’m putting together a mosaic, with connections between the fics emerging gradually, so it becomes hard to separate them.

That being said, I’m quite fond of some of my later Mad Max fics, that maybe didn’t get as much attention because the fandom was cooling off a bit--particularly Her Reputation Precedes Her, Things Unsaid, and Hard Run.

Share a bit of your WIP or idea if you have anything planned: 

From one of like 3.5 Ineffable Husbands WIPs I have floating around:

“Anything,” Crowley breathed. “Anything you want.” And Aziraphale knew it was true. He could do anything he wanted with, or to, Crowley, and Crowley would let him.

It was a lot of responsibility.

He’d never really liked it, power. Which made him the right sort of person to wield it. God had said that once, a very, very, very long time ago. He supposed he could see Her point, but it still made him uncomfortable.

He would have to be very careful.

All right, then. He could be careful.

Tagging @thebyrchentwigges, @v8roadworrier, @lurkinghistoric and @bethagain--only if you want to, of course!

[chaoticluxraydesign]

Planning

Our group initially planned on creating a guide about dating for Millennials in Singapore. We first came up with the overall content and sketched the layouts of our assigned pages. I was tasked with the Cover, a Comic as the Premise and Content Page. 

I first came up with 2 comic strip drafts and explained the story to the group to get feedback. They liked the story on the left, which depicts a main character finding a date through a dating app. This established the art style that we were going to use as a cute, cartoon-ish style. Then, I proceeded to draw out the more concrete draft, with a proper layout and text:

Next, I worked with my group to come up with a general colour scheme. We knew we wanted to use soft colours, and the initial palette was based on pastel pink, purple and blue.

After Feedback 1:

The first feedback was that the comic may be too time-consuming to do. Hence, I decided to scrap it for a much shorter premise for the book. I felt that was enough to introduce our main character, as well as convey our idea of a said main character wanting to find a date. 

Our e-book underwent some restructuring in terms of content and flow of pages. We brainstormed and researched for content together to determine the final content flow. We decided to combine the content page with the “comic” so that pages 5-6 could remain a spread of a map. Hence, I came up with a second draft of the content page:

I next worked on character designs. I got inspiration from Pinterest for the stylistic direction of our e-book. I especially liked the style that utilises minimal colours, with cute, hand-drawn, cartoon-ish characters and objects.

My initial idea was to make the main character androgynous, as seen in the first comic sketch. However, I noticed that classmates were more likely to see the character as a girl and suggest adding a male character as a counterpart in their initial feedback. With these references and feedback, I proposed the main character (coloured):

Whilst creating the cover page, I felt that the colour of the girl’s hoodie did not stand out because the cover had a lot of pink and white elements. So I chose a darker shade of blue instead. I also did up the graphics for the content page:

Art Direction and Graphics

With my pages settled, I begin my role of maintaining the art direction of the e-book. I compiled a list of graphics of the girl that my members needed for their pages so that I may start to draw them. I also devised a way to keep the style of icons as similar as possible. Because there are many people working on the design, having everyone submit their own completed graphics would have been rather disastrous for the art style. Since most of the group enjoyed creating flat icons, I proposed that they sent me the vectors of their icons and I would add colour to them.

I did this by importing the vectors (without fill) from Illustrator to Photoshop and colouring on a layer beneath the vector outlines. We decided to standardise a basic black stroke for our icons. By standardising the colour palette to just 3 colours and applying colours in a stylised manner, I managed to achieve a style that worked coherently despite different people handling the outlines. The colours chosen were analogous colours that complemented each other and of different tonal values to ensure that the coloured icons did not look too flat. 

We encountered the problem of different art styles when one particular line work stood out more than the others. It did not really follow the cutesy style we had going. To solve this, I worked with the groupmate to select some references from Google and redid the graphic in a more suitable style:

Compiling the e-book

Whilst the rest of the group were working on their pages, I set up the InDesign document to be used and inserted completed graphics first. I created a border made of red-pink lines and a ribbon and included page numbers and a Snow background in the Master page. I also set up character and paragraph styles to standardise the text in the e-book.

After my group members transferred their Illustrator files to me, I coloured and exported the icons in .PNG as it preserves transparency. Most of the graphics were done in 72ppi as the e-book was not meant to be printed, and that resolution was good enough for web-browsing. However, I found that some icons lose a lot of quality when exported and recoloured them in 300ppi instead. (It is a bit difficult to tell from the image below, try this link instead)

Our group met up on Zoom to work on the e-book together. Since only one person could work on the file at a time, I shared my screen with the group and started compiling all the content. Everyone chipped in by giving feedback on where edits should be made to improve the design. For example, the content on page 3 was divided into 2 sections but did not have a clear-cut distinction between the sections. Some groupmates pointed this out and I added a pink divider to solve it. This was a team effort.

I utilised the text wrap function of InDesign to subtly give text boxes a more interesting look. Since the initial idea was to have a lightbulb overlap a text box, I decided to wrap the text around the lightbulb’s bounding box.

After exporting the e-book to .pdf, I opened it on my macbook preview and found that the colour had changed slightly. I did a bit of research and learnt that different software rendered colours differently. I then tried to open it on the Google Chrome browser and the colours looked correct. Remembering that our e-book was to be viewed on both laptops and mobile, I opened the file on the Google Chrome browser on my iPhone, and it seems the colour looked different as well. The page was more yellowish and the pink was duller. This could be due to the settings for my device’s screen. Therefore, I concluded that the e-book should be viewed on the browser of a laptop or desktop.

After Feedback 2:

One main feedback we got concerned the map page. The outline of the map appeared to be too light and difficult to notice, and the legend looked too much like the bubbles accompanying the geotags. To fix this, I worked with my groupmate to come up with a few edits to the design of the map. We removed the waiter graphic and shifted the legend down. We also added more content to explain the 3 different categories we had. Finally, we changed the colours of the corresponding geotags on the map to further emphasize that they belonged to their respective categories. 

Another feedback we got was the inconsistent spacing between the heart-shaped bullet points and the text beside it, which I promptly fixed. 

Challenges

One of the biggest challenges I faced was collaborating on the style for the e-book. Up until now, most of my design works have been solo projects which gave me full control over the design. However, with groupmates, we have to adapt to each other’s styles and sometimes that involves sacrificing our own preferences.

To make things easier, I proposed the workflow and a simple style that I felt was both appealing and easy enough to work with given our project constraints (deadline, inability to have physical meetings, lack of software for some members). I was lucky to be in a very helpful and accommodating group, though keeping the style consistent was a rather persistent problem we faced. Since I was in charge of compiling most of the pages and graphics, it was extremely time-consuming. 

Another problem we faced was broken links when passing the InDesign documents around. We did minimal transferring of files. When we did, we found that links sometimes got broken. To fix this, I suggested using InDesign’s package function and explained to the group why links broke and how to fix them. We zipped the packaged folders before sending them to other groupmates. Since I am working on an earlier version of Indesign, I learnt that I should use the .idml files to open the document instead.

Design Document 

I helped out with the Design and Layout, Production, and Reflection sections of the design document. Since I handled most of the InDesign and compiled graphics, I helped to add the more technical parts of the design document. I also explained the design principles our group used in our e-book. 

Workspaces

Better quality gifs can be found here: ID | PSD

[comicbookuniversity]

Lessons for the MonsterVerse

by Bunnypwn Gold

I have always been a big fan of Godzilla. I’ve been watching the movies since I was a kid. Now that they’re making new movies again, there’s a lot to be excited about and look forward to. Recently, I re-watched the newest one from the American MonsterVerse, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, as well as the last film from the Millennium era, Godzilla: Final Wars. Both films are big, ambitious, and include some major flaws, one of which they have in common, or at least they have flaws with overlap. While the MonsterVerse, so far, is great and is on track to continue that trend, Final Wars suffered greatest from this shared flaw, and so I am here to set out what the MonsterVerse needs to do to avoid self-destruction: take itself seriously.

Briefly, I want to provide a review and synopsis of King of the Monsters. So spoilers, it’s really good. Five years after Godzilla made landfall in San Francisco and fought against the parasitic MUTOs, Monarch is struggling to figure out what it wants to do with the Titans, as the monsters are now known, while the government and military are pressuring Monarch to kill them all. At the same time, one of their own scientists, Emma Russell, betrays them to assist ecoterrorist Alan Jonah in awakening the Titans with a bioacoustics device called the ORCA so that the Titans can spur regrowth in the environment and undo anthropogenic climate change. They revive Ghidorah in Antarctica, who then awakens all the other Titans still sleeping around the world at once, thus precipitating a conflict with Monarch and Godzilla for the crown. The film sets out to cover a lot of narrative ground while introducing several important elements to the series, and all the while it held together some solid character work for its main cast. Based on the new, expansive mythos that this film lays out—with the many new Titans and the abandoned Hollow Earth society discovered in vast underground caverns which used to live in harmony with the Titans—it looks like things will only get more exciting, and the future of the MonsterVerse is set out effectively and in grand style.

Godzilla: Final Wars is also about a large amount of monsters fighting for control of the Earth, feature monsters trapped in Antarctic ice, and ends with Godzilla fighting Ghidorah, but that’s where the similarities end. Final Wars was released in 2004 as the commemorative 50th anniversary film for the franchise. In it, the Earth has been defended from monsters for decades by the Earth Defense Force, who managed to trap Godzilla in ice in Antarctica years prior. All the other monsters around the world attack at once in the present, and the EDF was unable to keep up until the Xiliens arrived from space, removing the monsters and promising to make a peaceful alliance with humanity. In reality, the Xiliens were invading the Earth in order to herd humans like cattle because they need to eat human mitochondria to survive, and they were secretly controlling the monsters. So the heroes free Godzilla so he can help them fight the aliens and their army of brainwashed monsters. The plot also involved mutant humans and a fake rogue planet that was also somehow an actual asteroid that Godzilla later blows up. It’s a mess of a movie. That aside, it’s clear the film is trying to borrow elements from the three previous eras of Godzilla movies. It took an edgier look from the majority of the Millennium movies (from 1999-2004). The use of serious, formidable super vehicles is like the various super planes from the Heisei era films (1984-1995). However, the element borrowed from the Showa era films (1954-1975) is where it falters: campiness. The difference in this film compared to the Showa films being that they purposefully made Final Wars campy, despite the opportunity they had and despite the tone of the Showa era movies.

The original film, Gojira, is a very serious and tonally heavy film depicting the horrors of the modern era, with rapid industrialization in post-war Japan, the advent of the Cold War arms race, and the reason for that arms race, nuclear weapons, with the one man capable of killing Godzilla horrified by the devastation such an ability would grant. This movie and its first sequel were the only Godzilla films made in black and white, which impacts the way they look and how their special effects come across. After a several year hiatus, Godzilla returned to the screen to fight King Kong, this time in color. Seeing those monster suits and the limited special effects capabilities in 1960 of a B-list sci-fi flick in color really emphasizes how phony it all looked at the time. Throughout the Showa era, Godzilla shifted from an entirely villainous character to an erstwhile hero, and though the movies never stopped being presented as dramatic, they were made with an acknowledgement of how they look despite the drama and seriousness the creators otherwise wanted them to have.

Over time, of course, special effects improved. Starting with the Heisei era of films, Toho was able to produce much better suits and visual effects, and so they resumed making their movies with the kind of drama and seriousness that they had wanted all along. The Millennium era began in response to the 1998 American Godzilla, which depicted the titular monster with CGI, in contrast to the Toho tradition of using suits. The Millennium era was the last hurrah to suitmation effects, and these films, overall, looked great, probably the best that a giant monster movie can look with people in suits. Accordingly, they also hold up the more dramatic tone of the Heisei era while allowing each creative team the freedom to make the standalone Godzilla movie they wanted to make. The exception to this is Final Wars, which, as previously said, was not serious at all. Despite the successes of making serious, dramatic monster movies since 1984 and the ambitions of the Showa era’s large and imaginative canon, Final Wars decided to celebrate five decades of filmmaking by using cheesy comedy, camera work that screams “we had to edit heavily to make our actors look like action stars,” and what may very well be the least convincing acting of the entire series. The only person on set who seemed to understand any of this is alien commander X, who looked like he was being goofy on purpose, instead of on accident like the rest of the cast. Final Wars had the same opportunity as the rest of the Millennium era had to present a serious, dramatic battle for the fate of the Earth, and wasted it with aliens that seem completely unqualified to invade another planet and cramming most of their monsters into throwaway fights with Godzilla that lasted on average less than a minute.

This purposeful camp and goofiness of Final Wars is presumably meant to provide a lightness and humor to the film. This is where it overlaps with King of the Monsters, which ventured into the modern era of ironic, self-aware humor to provide levity. Borrowing from the MCU, King of the Monsters cracks wise during dramatic moments relatively often, in an attempt to lighten them up. Unfortunately, the jokes they go with are the weakest material in the film, and they do more to undermine the dramatic tension than enhance the film or provide levity. It’s like the scene in Thor: Ragnarok when Korg says they can rebuild Asgard, and then it blows up more, so never mind; or Hawkeye explaining how ridiculous his fighting robots with a bow and arrow is to Scarlet Witch in Age of Ultron. Maybe those are funny jokes, but they do more to undermine the dramatic tension than they add in humor, and both have the capacity to turn parts of the audience off by poking holes in the premise. It’s rather insecure and shows a lack of confidence in the work to stand on its own merits despite critics or easy jokes from the peanut gallery. This brand of humor gave us moments in King of the Monsters like Sam Coleman mishearing Ilene Chen saying “Ghidorah” as “gonorrhea.” It’s really not that funny, it wasn’t a moment that needed lightening up, and there’s no reason he would have misheard her since he was standing within ten feet. It ultimately undermines a moment in the film for an Asian woman to demonstrate her expertise by locating vital information about the threat at hand. But yes, Sam, I guess monsters sometimes have slightly silly-sounding names, like Ghidorah, which is based on the Japanese pronunciation of hydra, a very popular and well-respected mythical dragon.

The 2014 Godzilla film that started the MonsterVerse was enjoyable, but didn’t quite live up to its potential. That’s part of the reason I delayed seeing Kong: Skull Island far longer than I should have. When I did see it, I was amazed. I expected it to be good, and I heard great things about it, but it was far better than anything I could have imagined it to be. It was a truly great movie. After seeing it, my hopes and expectations for the MonsterVerse skyrocketed. I don’t think these expectations have been let down yet, and I expect them to be satisfied moving forward. However, the one thing I wanted most going into King of the Monsters was for them to lean into the tone and style of Skull Island more. In certain respects, I think they did, and the ambitious mythos being built here is far more substantial than anything in the Godzilla franchise so far, which usually has stuck to “monsters keep showing up and fighting.” The dramatically absurd tone, though, was what they lost by using the ridiculousness of what’s happening to make quick, weak, sometimes self-aware jokes instead of to highlight the intensity of the drama experienced by the characters. In Skull Island, when the squad had to fly their planes through a permanent thunderstorm, Sam Jackson’s character started quoting a speech about how the righteous men will win by not backing down and so inherit the Earth. The speech makes the whole thing feel even more ridiculous than a permanent thunderstorm already is, and in doing so amps up the drama and tension. This ultimately makes the arrival of a giant gorilla, which the audience is expecting to see, much more impressive and intense. That’s what I wanted for King of the Monsters. Yes, there are ridiculous aspects to giant monster movies, but the characters are living it, not watching it and thinking, “This crazy.”

Having this more serious tone is also important in really hitting the audience with the larger thematic power of the film. In Skull Island, the way Sam Jackson didn’t want to back down from killing Kong, even after seeing that it’s pointless and even detrimental to the troop, is reminiscent of the way America is currently stuck in multiple seemingly never-ending wars. At least part of the reason people don’t want to leave Iraq and Afghanistan is because they don’t want to create another Vietnam, the war that this film centers around on purpose. Having that tension of a dedicated army colonel who was just forced to “abandon” his war amplifies the drama of the other characters wanting to understand the problems of the natives and come to a real solution to their problems, and it all works because of how it resonates in the current political climate. The Godzilla side of the MonsterVerse so far is focusing on climate change, which, while abstract for far too many, is also a very real and pressing concern for a lot of people, paralyzing at times. Seeing the dramatic steps needed to fix the problem almost makes Alan and Emma’s plan in King of the Monsters feel heroic. The film is filled with images of crumbling, flooded American cities, and Ghidorah, an alien creating imbalance in nature a la humanity thinking itself separate from nature, is literally a living hurricane. There’s a lot of strong, serious, intense potential to make such a movie really meaningful. If they had taken themselves more seriously, it would have had this level of impact. It really is sad that they squandered this potential on silly jokes and a story arc for their generic, useless white man hero, Mark Russell. Like I said at the beginning, it’s still a good movie, but I can so clearly see how much better it could have been, too.

To me, dramatic movies making fun of themselves in important scenes always comes across as insecure, like filmmakers can’t simply make their movie first, they also have to preempt the internet to protect their egos. As the MonsterVerse moves forward, my biggest piece of advice is to do what Skull Island did and take itself seriously. We live in a time when a lot of previously niche franchises and genres are getting more spotlight due to the demands of studios wanting more high-action, effects heavy movies to sell huge on the international market. As these genres, once mired in cultural neglect and seen as silly and childish, come into the limelight, they both prove they always were to be taken seriously and poke fun at themselves to prove they know they shouldn’t be. I get the appeal of ironic, self-aware humor and wanting to be silly at dramatic high points, because it can be very fun and, when used properly, be incredibly funny; look to Thor: Ragnarok for an overall great example. But besides issues of improper use, this kind of humor is arguably at saturation at this point. It’s being misused and overused to the detriment of otherwise good movies in an attempt to compete with Marvel, who remains the poster child on this. So MonsterVerse, let Marvel, Disney, and all those imitators try to outdo each other by proving they can make more fun of themselves before Honest Trailers get to them. Just have fun making movies about giant monsters with the kind of drama and seriousness only modern special effect can give them, and use the ridiculousness of it all to amp up that drama instead of undermine it. Get over people calling you a nerd and just do your thing. As they say, being cool is all about confidence. 

[the-nysh]

The Will to Power

A comprehensive theory of the core concepts within opm, and its relevance towards future character development. Here it is: a breakdown of the explanations provided within canon, connected through consistent character examples, and applying that towards how Genos can grow stronger too. Aka: formally presenting the long-awaited GENOS POWER THEORY.

Disclaimer: subject to revisions as more gets revealed within canon. Contains lore combining both manga and webcomic spoilers.

Words: ~5500

The often overlooked, yet most vital component

As of the manga’s chapter 92, we now have two explanations for the pathways of power within the world of opm. From Dr. Genus’ explanation of his genetic research and the mechanism of limiters, to Psykos’ experimental method of monsterfication…both sides have spent ages and countless sacrifices attempting to find the secret to greater power, to ‘break through the limit of growth,’ but one of the most vital components they’ve always failed to account for was the individual’s inherent willpower.

Which is the inner, mental drive that compels one to keep going, the tenacity to stand up again and fight for one’s convictions, despite all other hellish external factors endured. The ability to consistently survive the absolute worst and then miraculously overcome what would otherwise become fatal. Both scientists can experiment to induce change indefinitely by forcing outward pressures upon their specimens all they want. But if the individual never had the drive or mental fortitude to endure the stresses to being with, the will to change for themselves (to truly desire it at their cores), or if they end up losing the will to live by giving up partway during the torturous process, then of course they will always fail, either by succumbing to compromised mediocrity or merciless death on the path towards greater power.      

The exemplary outlier

Saitama will always remain the original successful exception. So far, he’s the only example of one who’s achieved limitless power (successfully broken through his limiter) through the merits of his own willpower. He persevered through an uncompromising training regimen, personally tailored to his own skill level (a personal hell scaled to his ‘ordinary’ limits; aka it would not be enough for those with higher potential), all for the sake of a simple, yet dedicated goal that aligned with the core values of who he truly wanted to become. An undefeatable, strongest hero with the ability to win in one punch. Yes, he had the focused (will)power to change and improve himself, to keep pushing himself with the intent and effort to achieve what he wanted without ever giving up, no matter how hard it got, and it was strong enough to break past his average body’s given limitations. That achievement is miraculous, remarkable and praiseworthy.

The important key distinction is that Saitama is NOT a monster. Dr. Genus explained why: monsters are those who have fully forsaken their humanity and succumbed to their base complexes, so they are transformed/mutated/reborn into another being with a whole new limiter. Saitama has retained his original self and his humanity, but at the cost of his baldness and the growing feelings of alienation and boredom apart from all others who don’t sit at the same pinnacle as him. (With the extra meta layer on whether or not it was even worth it to burn that much effort into achieving the pinnacle of his craft when the results became personally unsatisfactory.) Unless others can figure out how to successfully break their given limiters too, Saitama will remain peerless in power and will never find the fulfilling, challenging fight he’s always longed for. (His ongoing dilemma and search for life’s fulfillment will then need to be found elsewhere, such AS…genuine relationships with others.) All of this will remain canon until ONE presents information otherwise to either further or challenge the lore of these established explanations.

‘Limit,’ ‘willpower,’ ‘half-assed,’ ‘compromised,’ ‘goal,’ ‘mindset,’ ‘seriousness,’ ‘spirit,’ ‘determination,’ …they’re all important and consistent, reoccurring keywords to keep in mind through the entirety of the story. Whenever they pop up in panels, declared in chapter titles, or are offhandedly mentioned by Murata or ONE in streams/interviews (look where Murata mentions ‘will’), then aha! Those moments become clues worth paying attention to that link back to the overall core concepts of the series itself.

Given explanations within canon

One of those core concepts (aside from the limiter concept) is that of 気合 (Kiai), chi, aura, willpower, fighting spirit…they’re ALL synonymous names for the same general, encompassing idea: one representing the inner strength/energy that everyone in the opm world naturally possesses, the only difference is in the potential/ability to hone, channel and manifest it over the course of people’s lifetimes. Existing varying levels depending on individual effort, training, or natural gifts. This energy is also closely tied to psychic power, where psychics can learn to directly manipulate this energy against one’s will. HOWEVER those with a strong enough willpower/spirit become ‘unbendable’, or ‘too heavy’ and can resist such psychic effects. ONE explains it all here (webcomic ch102):

Tatsumaki: “Even non-psychics have energy flowing throughout their body. Scholars call it things like ‘chi’ (気) or ‘aura’…I couldn’t bend them (Garou and Golden Sperm) either.”

Fubuki: “Strength of will is directly connected to psychic resistance. The reason (her power) doesn’t work (on him) is thanks to Saitama’s unusually thick spirit.”

This spiritual ‘power’ is therefore something internal, originating in the mind, that’s neither inherently good nor bad, and that everyone has the capability to possess (even non-psychics). But when channeled and/or honed correctly, its resulting force can manage to surpass beyond the body’s own physical limitations. The House of Evolution arc proved that one’s biology or physical status doesn’t matter. One’s level of intelligence or talent doesn’t affect its strength either. What does matter is having the persistence to endure, with the determination/mindset to never give up or falter, towards a serious goal that’s true to oneself. (Moral alignment doesn’t matter either, but only in the case if it conflicts with one’s true self/desires, as we’ll see.) One also cannot be held back by regrets, wavering second thoughts, or lapses in self-confidence. (Examples of this would be both Mumen and Fubuki’s complexes thinking they’re aren’t ‘good enough’ to compete and progress past a certain hero rank, so they are mentally limiting themselves on top of their current capabilities.) In essence, it’s like the liberation to freely set out and achieve what you truly want to do, without letting anything else limit hold you back (which is precisely what Saitama did). 

Applied character examples within canon

This webcomic content (ch102-104) explaining the mechanics behind ‘strength of will’ came out from Sept-Nov 2015, the same relative timeframe the manga introduced the similar concept of ‘fighting spirit’ in the Metal Bat vs Garou fight:

(THESE definitive manga pages came out in Dec 2015, just slightly later than the webcomic’s). This publication overlap was not just coincidental; ONE was likely covering his bases through both mediums, by adding foreshadowing to the manga based on what he’d developed at the same time in the webcomic. (Which is also why reading BOTH at the same time is fun to catch writing parallels like this. :D) Establishing concepts that would only become relevant in the manga again much later. And this fight, which does not even exist within the original webcomic, is important for introducing this physical application of mental strength: every time Metal Bat tanks damage, even severe enough to take him out, he gets stronger. Why? It’s him channeling his willpower to keep going, aka ‘fighting spirit.’ Visualized though the literal aura effect steaming off his body...and bat, as an extension of himself. (This will become important. Also keep a lookout for whenever Murata repeatedly uses this same visual effect on other characters too.)

Some may say this ‘fighting spirit’ is an ability only unique to Metal Bat, but that’s not true. Because ch102 of the webcomic had already immediately established that everyone possesses this energy within them. So it is a universal trait that has the capability to be honed, channeled, and potentially even manifested as psychic power. (The latter would be fascinating if true!) And we SEE a combined application of this mental power come back in full swing in the manga’s ch92: where Garou now demonstrates his growing psychic resistance and ‘fighting spirit’ (気合): 

To make this recollection even more blatant, Murata even went back to edit in a panel of Metal Bat where Garou remembers this:

To clarify, this is not Garou somehow simply ‘copying’ or ‘absorbing’ Metal Bat’s ‘ability.’ Even Psykos is surprised at what’s happening here and doesn’t understand it either (despite all her research, she’s failed to account for this key component). Just how is Garou able to move and resist her psychic bindings? Yup, it’s precisely that same mental ‘power’ as introduced in the webcomic’s ch102: his own strength of will, aka ‘fighting spirit.’ Even Garou did not fully understand it when he faced Metal Bat, but now, after enduring so much sustained lethal damage himself, adapting and coming back stronger each time, he recognizes it as the same thing happening to himself.

But it was no easy feat for Garou to even survive everything’s he’s been through up to this point! He’s fought and endured it all: fevered, outnumbered, poisoned, gunned down, beaten, sliced up, impaled, incinerated...all in rapid succession with little to no pause for rest. (Fun fact: note the keywords used in the ch titles during all those events.) He could have died any number of times (very dangerous, even called out as recklessly ‘suicidal’ at points), but according to Psykos’ observations, overcoming all of that is the contributing factor towards his rapid growth in physical strength. But forcing external stressors on him isn’t everything; the reason why he’s survived it all isn’t just plot armor, but rather because of his tenacious willpower to never give up. He’s never succumbed because his adaptive level of ‘fighting spirit’ has honed enough to resist both psychic powers and endure sustained physical torment. Truly, his stubborn resilience towards everything thrown at him has become so extraordinary that even Garou wonders (on several occasions) how his body has been able to keep up and endure it all too. This is the concept of ‘strength of will’ at work here, enabling him to persist past his body’s expected capabilities. When continuously put to the test under harsh conditions, it steadily adapts and grows stronger. If he keeps it up, he has the potential to eventually break through his limits, just like Saitama did.

However, Garou won’t be able to achieve it the same way as Saitama, because while that method was plenty to push past Saitama’s ‘average’ capabilities, the same muscle training (especially for someone already thoroughly trained in martial arts) won’t be anywhere near enough to breach the ceiling of Garou’s prodigious potential. While the story has set many similar parallels between them and their growth, they have different set limits. For Garou to even succeed the same, his tailored ‘personal hell’ to overcome must be scaled comparatively harsh and ravaging, as we have seen... 

Its internal, driving source 

Then, the only missing factor is just...where is the source of Garou’s tenacity, his willpower, his drive that compels him to keep standing up, coming from? Both the manga AND webcomic (double bonus: same ch92!) ask the same thing: 

Psykos: “This determination of yours, where does it come from?”

Genos: “Where does he get this blood-curdling tenacity from...?”

WHERE indeed. And it does matter. Because while the origin for a strong willpower exists in everyone, for its strength to persist and adapt further, it must be sustained or based on something in the first place... Fueled by some unwavering conviction, ideal, belief, mission, feeling, desire, or goal that’s important enough to commit one’s life towards, up to the extent one would rather risk certain death than fail to achieve. Ranging from what drives us to get out of bed every day, all the way towards a potential willpower (essentially, a life force) so tenacious enough, it can best the pull of death. Otherwise without that motivation behind one’s actions, there’s nothing to channel into the eventual superpower that can miraculously move mountains. No prospect to succeed at breaking past one’s limits to achieve the otherwise thought impossible. However, it’s something that can’t be simply granted/received from the outside or others (exception: the powers granted to Homeless Emperor from ‘God’); the influence or spark of inspiration can, but the answer for the willpower itself, the driving force to act upon, must birth from somewhere genuine deep within.

SURELY, for Garou to have endured all that he has, by overcoming so many tortuous near-death experiences so far, there exists some origin for his ‘fighting spirit.’ And yes, we’ve seen the basis for his convictions formed since his childhood, with him assuming a role he believes is most appropriate, and then adhering to a misguided method he thinks will influence the change he wants to see in the world...but he (manga Garou especially) is still in the process of defining precisely who he is and what he fights for. The more he experiences, ‘it’ gradually gains in strength while steadily rising in clarity.

He’s always had genuine, strong feelings that motivate him (absolutely no doubt!), but there’s always been a lingering contradiction between what he says he wants to do and how he applies that into actual action. Like a mental set-back (hmm, another so-called limiter?) from all his stubborn denial that’s preventing him from realizing who he actually is, and therefore not fully understanding where his deeper feelings lie... Fortunately and interestingly enough, the incidents that forcibly put those feelings and his character to the test the most – the times that push him further beyond what he ever thought possible, resulting in his greatest bursts of strength – are actually those where his true self is brought to light in sharper clarity. Namely...all those impressive feats he’s chosen to overcome for the sake of protecting Tareo. Shielding him from a bullet rain, shrugging off getting stabbed and sliced to death, resisting absolute incineration...each time, Garou never had to risk himself that far to face any of that, yet he conjured the resolve (the willpower!) to stand up and fight for what he truly cares about. Compelled to risk his life for the sake of something that runs deeper than he can fully comprehend...truly, that kind of unconditional sentiment channeled into an unstoppable force is strong indeed. 

But, protecting what he cares about (Tareo) isn’t the only thing that drives him. His personal ideals and worldview get further challenged the more he fights alone in the MA base. Repeatedly pitting his life against any injures or opponents he faces, as he comes to a greater understanding of what brought him here in the first place. Defining his determination and raison d'être as he goes, such as in his important fight vs Darkshine (webcomic ch68):

Now, it’s possible ONE may rework what happens in the manga’s version of this fight entirely (and beyond; EDIT: except for the narration, the manga’s adaptation has kept most of Garou’s words here intact!), but at least here, Garou solidifies a conviction worthy enough to bet his life against, overcoming his lethal injuries and absolutely refusing to lose no matter what...but will the reason he concludes bring him accurate enough clarity for the path he swears to take? Enough to forge a will strong enough to succeed at breaking past his limiter? (Manga edit: presented as, “Garou’s limiter seems to be breaking!”)

To simplify an analogy of the mechanics behind this mental process would be like finding the proper fuel to push the horsepower of a car/vessel past the output of its own frame. Where the key components are 1) fuel: goal, 2) horsepower: willpower, 3) frame: limiter. Compromise the fuel as an unfit source for the (will)power, and the overall performance either becomes substandard or falls apart entirely. And what do we see happen?

The consequences of a ‘wrong’ path

Fast-forward to his arc’s conclusion in the webcomic, and we see the consequences of settling for a compromised goal that conflicts in accordance with one’s true self/desires. Garou gets so close to breaking his limiter, but ultimately fails. Why? He showed so much promise and unshakable resolve to get here, so where on his path did he go wrong? As we learn, he fought so hard (continually risking his life!) not for the benefit of monsters, but rather to unite and reform society enough (through fear) to incite the arrival of a true hero. Choosing the contradictory role of the ‘evil’ aggressor to bait one out, when Garou himself was never truly evil at his core. As Saitama perceptively puts it: he was always a rather ‘soft guy’ with an ideal image of a hero in mind all along, but thanks to all his deep-set stubborn denial, he never allowed himself to fully realize this. (In this case, all his stubborn tenacity became a blinding fault that ended up holding him back from realizing the truth.) So Saitama calls him out for taking an indirect (half-assed) approach for his goal, rather than directly work towards becoming the ideal of a true hero himself:

Saitama: “It was a mistake to lower the hurdle right before the goal. A half-assed objective can’t succeed.”

Saitama’s words give Garou the wake up call, reality check, and clarity he’s always needed to hear...but the harsh truth becomes will shattering. Thankfully, all hope isn’t lost, because the one who actually picks him back up again, and ‘saves’ him by resparking his will to continue, is Tareo. By finally getting through to him and vouching for the heroism Garou’s always shown...Garou gains the basis to try again ‘next time’ in a more appropriate, constructive manner that’s truer to himself. He still has the potential and power to succeed, but now without being bound limited by the misguided mindset from his childhood anymore. 

Garou’s arc shows us this huge, sweeping, in-depth example of what it takes and then ultimately what NOT to do (can’t end up choosing the ‘easy way out’) to truly succeed at something. And he’s not the only character to which this applies. Everything presented thus far will now culminate with Genos, and the speculative steps he can take to achieve greater power too.

The next who can succeed: GENOS POWER THEORY

(The following has been in the works since 2016, but nothing since then has disproven it – on the contrary, waiting for more content has only built on it – so now is as good as ever to finally present what I’ve had in mind for him this whole time. Everything ONE has shown only leads me to believe that the possibility is there for Genos to have his ‘next time’ to succeed too.)    

From the panel above, ONE framed it in a way so that Saitama’s words apply to Genos’ situation as well: in his desperate haste to gain power and seek revenge against the Mad Cyborg, he chose to forsake his fleshy body and become a cyborg himself. Essentially, like choosing the more enticing, easily available approach with the quickest results (not unlike monster cells by the way, which are confirmed unsuccessful methods too), by looking outside for the solution (looking to both Kuseno and Saitama for the answers to power), instead of working hard to achieve that goal within himself directly. Without the logistics of his cyborg transition/rehab into account, it’s like in his young mind’s insatiable impatience for power, he sought the equivalent of instant gratification. Logically, now his choice appears like a short-sighted, fatal mistake that’s permanently screwed himself over, since now his body’s performance will always be limited (on top of his given limiter) by the output of his technological parts and Kuseno’s knowledge on how to improve them. (Kuseno won’t live forever to keep up with him either.) Time again, he’s faced with the bitter reality that he cannot rely on parts those alone.

So then, where is his hope? What about his own power? This is precisely why I believe ONE designed him as a cyborg in the first place. (His struggles facing personal weakness and powerlessness were never just for the sake of reoccurring gags, and ONE would never keep him stagnant as the deuteragonist either.) Because now, Genos is forced to figure out the correct solution the hard way, by overcoming THIS extra physical limitation imposed on him, to realize the answer he’s always sought MUST come from within. It shouldn’t matter that he doesn’t have his original body anymore, because in the opm world, greater power doesn’t come from having the chosen biology/genetics, specialized parts, or even natural born talent/gifts (remember the House of Evolution arc)...it comes from the process of strengthening one’s inner willpower itself. The remaining key to all of this lies in the fact he still has his organic brain, the place where everyone’s capability for this mental power originates, so that means Genos still has the potential to utilize it too.      

Then, why hasn’t he? (Or has he but never realized?) What is his problem? What can he even do to reliably harness that kind of power? That same power as demonstrated by others (if Garou can develop it and figure it out, then why can’t Genos)? Intelligence, battle experience, reacting and analyzing are strengths he’s currently working on that will help, but shouldn’t Genos already have enough determination for a set goal in mind? If that’s not enough, then what is it exactly that he lacks?

As it turns out, Genos is not just limited by his cybernetic body, but also by the mindset he carries himself. His main problem has always been a mental one. (Doubled down by the frustrations caused by his self-defeatist attitude and disappointment when things go wrong too.) No matter the shinier upgrades or battle experience he receives, he cannot progress past this vital barrier if he always treats himself as a replaceable, disposable weapon. It’s then no wonder his body always turns so inexplicably frail, prone to breaking and losing limbs all the time, when he jumps headfirst into battle with such a lifeless disregard for his own being. Such a hollow shell for armor can’t possibly stand up to greater opponents with the will to pierce right through that.  

But then, it’s curious to me that his head remains his literal strongest defense.

(Genos no, that’s recklessly dangerous!) Now, why would this be? Did Kuseno only reinforce the encasing of his brain (his most vital part), while purposely leaving the material of the rest of his body more vulnerable? Sending him out in the field with only substandard weapons and armor as his defense? While Kuseno giving his brain extra protection is smart, him lapsing in thorough efficiency for the rest of him seems unlikely to me. It becomes a much different picture when realizing this is likely not Kuseno’s doing or fault at all (or even just ONE playing with Genos’ plot armor). Because if Genos only sees the body granted to him as a replaceable tool, then where does he keep his sense of self, if he doesn’t even regard himself as human anymore? Hmm, it’s like all his desperation, resolve, and internal feelings are suck inside his mind without getting anywhere. Like his will itself is trapped within the cold metal encasing of his chassis without getting properly channeled.

Channeled? Yes. Remember back to what the Metal Bat fight showed us. Not just the introduction of ‘fighting spirit,’ but THIS as well:

Where Garou even makes it a deliberate point to emphasize just how much power such a simple, metal weapon holds. Of course, later in a bonus chapter, this is said:

Hmm, the explanation for an ‘unbreakable’ metal bat, huh. Conveniently provided for by the HA whenever requested/needed too. Now that feels like a red herring to me. Instead, even if he’s not consciously aware of it (his intelligence is rated a 3 in the databook after all), the likely reason why he’s able to turn his bat into an unbreakable weapon is because during his increased moments of desperation, he can channel his ‘fighting spirit’ through it as a natural extension of himself. While Genos, who’s entirely built from metal that Kuseno could manage to acquire from various ‘unbreakable’ sources too, but who is still fighting with such flimsy defenses, is most definitely not. Any willpower/fighting spirit that Genos has is still pent up within the confines of his hard head without correctly reaching the extremities of his own limbs. He’s not effectively using his body as an natural extension of himself when he can’t even see himself as human anymore. Again, he’s mentally bound. Oh, Genos...    

Metal Bat is just one example allowing for the possibility of strengthening the inorganic, Garou is another for showing the grueling process of developing ‘fighting spirit’ too, while Saitama is the ultimate example of everything coming together in a complete package. For Genos to successfully develop the same, to the point he can push past the output of his own frame and achieve greater power too, we need to reexamine his key components: his fuel (goal), willpower, and limiter(s).

Just how exactly can Genos improve?

First, what fuels him to keep going? For whenever he flings himself into battle, with deadly precision and almost an entire lack of self-preservation, what does he have that’s so important to him, it compels him to resist and keep going no matter the hopelessness of the situation? He’s already established upfront that his mission in life is to become strong enough to find and defeat the Mad Cyborg that destroyed his hometown and family. For 4+ years, he’s been running on those intense, pent up feelings of hatred, rage, frustration and grief…manifested into the desire for revenge, and by dedicating his remaining life and humanity for the sake of the dead. Without having a proper emotional outlet or time to grieve and heal from his trauma, he’s essentially been running around this whole time chasing intangible phantoms from the past. Is that even a goal viable enough for the long-term? (It’s definitely not a very healthy or constructive one, that’s for sure.) What about his plans after?

Ch108 of the webcomic even asks the hypothetical questions, what if the Mad Cyborg’s already dead, what would Genos do then? Or if he’s still alive, how can Genos even gauge if he’s strong enough to defeat him as he is now? He can’t know. Based on memories he can barely remember and leads that are virtually nonexistent, it’s still too fuzzy and inconclusive of an objective to adhere all his efforts towards or use as a guidepost for his progress. He needs something with much more reliability, clarity, and viability, because in the desperate throes of the moment, something vague won’t help him when his actual life depends on it. So Genos, what else is there? Attaining the S Class top 10? Still not strong enough, or even with enough personal value to risk his life for, when it’s incomparable to the heights of Saitama. Ah. There it is. Saitama. As Genos progresses over the course of the story, his priorities have started to shift as he reflects on what is most important to him. Rather than focusing all his intent and efforts on those who are already dead, it’s much better to live and fight for those who are still alive. For those who matter to him: Kuseno and Saitama, who are now part of his new makeshift family, they allow him the chance to finally heal emotionally and find new inspiration to live for. By living with Saitama, Genos has even started to form another goal that’s worth striving for that will sustain him through the long-term even after the Mad Cyborg: to become strong enough to remain by Saitama’s side.  

Next, his willpower. Some of his most defining traits are his dead-set seriousness and determination. (To the point it’s comically and affectionately referred to as ‘no chill.’) He should have loads of useable willpower/fighting spirit at his disposal, yet his performance still turns up short. Having a viable goal to work towards and sustain it, and then being able to correctly channel it (as mentioned with Metal Bat’s example) are important, but so is overcoming the subconscious mental barriers holding him back. For one, is Genos even aware of the current power he holds, without attributing the credit to others or his special parts? Because there is at least one instance where he demonstrates the willpower to achieve the otherwise thought impossible:

Not just a moment to simply dismiss as a freak incident, because here (during the fight he was directly inspired by Saitama by the way), his refusal to be dismissed compelled him to fuse his severed body back together again. A feat previously thought impossible for him (just how on earth could he ‘heal’ severed metal?!), yet right then, he momentarily gained the power to surpass his body’s limitations. And yet, the incident practically goes by unacknowledged by him, as he’s shortly taken down by acid and distracted by Saitama’s answer for ‘more power.’ But the potential is still there for him! He can do it if he only perseveres and realizes! (And not by asking or relying on others to just give him all the answers either!)

So what is ‘more power’ to him? How can the willpower he already has be developed and trained even further? We’ve seen what Garou’s had to endure to get stronger, but to Genos, suffering the same physical pain won’t have the same effect on him. Instead, his tailored ‘hell’ to endure and overcome must come significantly much more from the psychological side. Through stressors that repeatedly tax and test his mental state to the brink rather than just his body. (The mental factors for Genos just keep piling…) And so, much of the growth we’ve actually witnessed from him over the course of his development comes from overcoming the torment of repeated failure.

A harsh punishment that could discourage and/or break the will of anyone, so it’s quite miraculous that even after all his losses, he’s still never stopped coming back to try again later or permanently gone off the deep end by now. It’s a strength that he’s never mentally succumbed under the relentless frustration and pressure. Instead, he always analyses what he did wrong, learns from his mistakes, and applies that into how he can improve next time. Little by little, by comparing him from the start of the story to now, he’s definitely improved. By becoming more aware of himself and his surroundings (to not always let his guard down!) and utilizing more efficient battle tactics, he’s turning into a much wiser fighter. Even coming to acknowledge the value of his own life much more than before.        

^Yes Genos, be aware of your limits, because in this story, you are forcibly bound by many that you’ve yet to overcome.

Then what are his limits? Can Genos eventually break his limiter too? Does he still even have one? It’s a question often debated. His brain certainly still has one (along with many compounded mental barriers), but if his curious placement on the monster side of the spread during Dr. Genus’ limiter explanation means anything (EDIT: Murata’s since edited that spread for the published volume), would his similar ‘transformation’ into a new body make him gain a new limiter EACH TIME it’s replaced? Then uhoh, Genos needs to slow down and stay with one to acclimate as his perceived, natural ‘body,’ or he’ll be stuck in an endless loop trying to surpass his rebooted limits every time. (And he won’t get anywhere like that!) If that’s not the case, and his cyborg body doesn’t even have a limiter anymore (unlikely, because the output of his physical frame is always limited), then his brain’s still applies anyway. In either case, he will need to learn to fully accept, cherish, and value himself (as human!) first.

That’s why it’s so important he remains in contact with Saitama. Saitama’s calming influence is extremely vital to the stability of Genos’ wellbeing. Before they’d ever met, Genos was heading down such a self-destructive path, he really could have gone off the monstrous deep end to no return… ONE could still take his character arc down many dark possibilities, since Genos will likely have to endure much more psychological torment to grow stronger… (And then his once hidden placement on the monster side of the limiter spread becomes that much more ominous. But ONE won’t simply make his story a rehash of Garou’s either; he’s got different, long-term plans for Genos.) His road will be long and arduous regardless, as a gradual slow burn over the course of the story rather than neatly contained within any single arc. But no matter what happens, Saitama will be there.

If Tareo is Garou’s important link to his humanity, preventing him from fully becoming a monster, then Saitama (and Kuseno) are that vital link for Genos to remain in touch with his humanity as well. Vital enough to bring him new inspiration and newfound purpose in life to the point he will no longer have the necessity to think of his ‘self-destruct’ option as his last resort anymore.  

Therefore, the words Saitama gave at the beginning of the story:

Where he mentions the familiar terms of ‘mental strength’ and ‘spirit’ in his advice to Genos...have actually always rung true. What the reader was originally supposed to take away as a throwaway line within Saitama’s bs, has in fact been a relevant chekhov's gun all along. This whole time, ‘a change in mindset will yield to greater strength’ has always been a viable approach in the path towards achieving greater power. :’) 

Thank you for reading, and always keep an open eye out for what ONE has in store next! :D

[sol1056]

I think all yall choreograph the asks or something. I seem to get the same topic in batches. This time, two non-anon and one anon (not counting DMs even), so I’m just going to wrap it all up together since there was a lot of overlap. 

behind the cut: where I get ideas, beta readers, writing ahead, writing fast, editing fast, dealing with OCs, writing emotional scenes, and how I learned to write. questions about publishing and agents will be in the followup.

where do you get your ideas

the ‘what if’ questions. the source might vary -- a story if it’s fanfic, or history if it’s profic. by what-if, I mean a throwaway comment, implication, plot hole, gap, or missed chance. what if the characters end canon with this other dynamic, what if the protagonist goes left instead of right at a crucial moment, what if Lý Chiêu Hoàng hadn’t been deposed as queen regnant, what if Nobunaga had survived the attack at Honnō-ji, what if Nyi Roro Kidul had founded her own people, etc. 

from there, I stage that moment in my head like a fractal, seeking out the most interesting ways everything could go wrong. what I'm looking for is an image, a bit of dialogue, capturing that moment of sacrifice, betrayal, a twist in some way. this either ends up as the precipitating event, the midpoint, or the finale (basically one of the three pivotal emotional points). then I work backwards from there. for ffic, I need to figure out how characters get from canon to that point; for profic, I figure out what kind of characters would end up there. 

do you have a beta reader

uhm. not really? I’ve asked for help a few times, when I’m not sure of a particular characterization, but other than the first chapter of Bonds (for reasons I’ll explain in the followup), I don’t usually bother. after all, it’d be horribly rude to send off a chapter and then expect anyone to respond inside of a week. let alone a few days. I envy people who have the patience to wait on a beta reader ‘cause I feel like their stories are tighter as a result, but since there are small amazonian frogs with more patience than me, I figure what I write must stand or fall on its own.

however, I do tend to bestow snippets liberally on whomever’s talking to me online while I write, and I pay attention to their reactions. in fanfic, I’ll also sometimes run a scenario past a few people to see if their gut instinct on a characterization matches mine. that might be a kind of narrow-focus beta reading, maybe.

do you write some/all before you post

nope. I totally post-as-I-go (and yes that does mean at some point I was writing about 6K nightly, I’m not proud). if you said I had to write the entire thing, edit carefully, review, even let it sit for awhile before posting, I’d probably hurt something. or I’d just explode from the enforced waiting.

for profic first draft (or fanfic final draft, same thing), I plan 2-3 chapters in advance. then I write until the word count hits 6K or so, call it a chapter, post, and start on the next chapter. I do that until I run out of plan. then I assess again, figure out the next few chapters’ plan, and repeat until the story feels done.

how do you write so fast 

because a) I type fast, and b) you’re reading what’s effectively the first draft. writing that first go-round is always quick. I just sit down and spit out words. it’s polishing it into profic-levels, that editing phase, that can take weeks, even months. I’ve written pivotal scenes from scratch five, six, seven times if that’s what it takes. you’re just benefiting from my laziness with fanfic, basically.

how do you edit so fast

actually, I don’t. I tend to do it in fits and starts. even fanfic, if you compared first version posted with the current version, you’ll find changes here and there. mostly smoothing choppy parts, disambiguating, or just clarifying a muddy description. sometimes readers report a phrase felt wrong, or didn’t make sense, and I’ll tweak the offending line. 

there are tricks to make it easier, though. 

for profic, I write in scrivener, with a font of Open Sans, Lato, or Avenir, depending on my mood. a first pass of editing for the glaring issues, then I shift to full-screen display and change the font to Baskerville Old Face, Perpetua, or Oregon LDO. the radical font-change means sentences don’t end visually where they did before, and the serif element means I have to slow down slightly to read, a lot more will leap out at me. with fanfic, I write in google docs and post in AO3, but otherwise the font-changing process is similar.  

how do you keep OCs from taking over

an OC is just a character who was -- or might’ve been -- in canon but had no lines. they’re third person from the left, in that crowd scene in episode 17. they occupy the same world, and they have a story of their own -- it’s just not this story. they have a goal, but the core question is: does their goal support or conflict with the protagonist? there’s the tension those OCs can provide. 

on a more basic level, just don’t give them POV, and remember they exist to push the protagonist forward, or hold the protagonist back. if the reverse happens -- the protagonist pushes the OC forward, or holds the OC back -- then you’ve made the OC a major character and now the story’s warping to suit their goals. the focus must remain on the protagonist; it’s their story, after all.  

how do you write a character’s emotion so the reader feels it

use restraint. a scene’s strongest emotion lies in the gaps between what the characters are telling and what they’re showing. restraint is how you create those gaps.

avoid the impulse to ever say the character feels anger, feels joy. instead, have the character do something or say something that expresses the emotion. 

also, either we acknowledge an emotion, or we don’t. the first has no conflict, kiss of death for tension. the second, though, that’s basically a fight scene: the conflict is between the character and their own emotions. the key is choosing between word and deed to show the character’s purpose (narration or dialogue vs action). whatever’s left becomes the other half of the conflict. 

use scent, taste, sensation, sight, sound to project the emotion, distance it from the character. like, they can breathe fine but the air is stuffy. their hand isn’t shaking; the paper just won’t hold still. leave it to the reader to draw a line between the narrative’s tone and the character’s mental/emotional state.  

second, keep the sentences relatively short. think of the jump cuts in a filmed fight scene (or sex scene) -- you don’t need to see every move. that gets boring, fast. show only enough for the reader to connect the dots; what they put in the gaps will always be far more powerful for them than anything you'll achieve when spelling it all out. 

here’s the real challenge, and one of the hardest kinds of scenes to write (but so satisfying when you nail it) -- a character who acknowledges one emotion while denying the truth beneath. this is the character who’s furious but refuses to admit the hurt powering that anger. or the character who’s happy on the surface but jealous or broken-hearted beneath.  

my advice: overwrite the scene, take it to eleven... and then go back and cut one line in every four of dialogue, then do the same in the narrative. keep only the strongest lines. do another pass. keep going until the scene is down to a quarter the original length, and see what you’ve got. 

how do you write so well

err, okay, setting aside the discomfort of being asked that -- ‘cause I see flaws all over the place, starting with just plain overwriting, srsly, is that word count really necessary -- whatever skill I do have, I learned in one simple way.  

by critiquing other writers, and getting critiques in turn.

not beta-readers -- my experience with beta readers is that they don’t really tackle the story, though they may comment on characterization. mostly I’ve only ever gotten line edits (spelling, grammar, punctuation) and... that’s not really a critique, that’s a copy editor’s work. it’s valuable, but not what I mean.

a critique analyzes the work. they mark illogical or unrealistic dialogue, note missed opportunities for rising tension, point out potential plot holes or discrepancies. a good critique is sensitive to spikes and lulls in the pacing, and at a line-level it’s often attuned to repetition or ambiguity in word choice, muddy metaphors, even the ‘sound’ of the prose.

for every critique you do, you’re training your inner editor. I don’t catch everything (certainly never on the first pass), but having a stronger inner editor means being able to reflexively identify weaknesses. plus, exposure to other stories teaches you ways to fix those mistakes. to the point I sometimes edit as I write ‘cause I can already see what needs fixing.  

lastly

if you want to write better, read better. critique everything. 

this is not criticism, this is critique. this is why I post meta about whatever I’m reading/watching. by approaching a story through that analytical lens, I can peel apart what works (for me) and what fails (for me) and study my reaction. the goal is to duplicate what works and avoid what doesn’t.

you can’t learn to build a car engine just by looking at the outside of a car, after all. you gotta get in there, get the dirt and grease up to your elbows. take it down to the bolts, understand how it got put together. the same goes for writing. never be afraid to take apart anyone’s stories to see how they work. 

and then, go write.

[fini-mun]

@jdscanvas

I really really don't want to come off as a dick, but unless the commission person said to do it a certain way, that looks way too much like Vector to stand out. Color choices on the other hand are perfect. Can't critique the drawing quality though, you always succeed with that.

Not being a dick, you have your own opinion and feedback is always interesting because it helps to see something from another’s perspective. I’m going to talk about my choices under the read more, since I’m a bit worried.

I get where you’re coming from because there is a lot of ‘Vector like’ traits to the character, but I did so because they were a very similar species- crocodile and alligator. However, I did put an effort into making the two different, since I dislike ‘cloning’ characters if I can help it.

I tried to give him as many details to make him different from Vector as Shadow is to Sonic. Without having an image of Vector right there to compare to, the differences may not be immediately obvious-

This character is shorter/stouter. Vector holds most of his ‘weight’ in his chest, while this character is more oval shaped. He’s not buff as much as he has a thicker build.

This character has a shorter/more bulbous muzzle. Vector’s muzzle is pretty long and thin. For Ellis, as an alligator, I gave him a shorter snout and made the end much more round and bulbous. I also gave him a thicker chin, and a bit of an underbite (only his lower teeth show at the end, unlike Vector’s top and bottom)

Different back scales- Vector has a single set that starts at the ‘neck’. They start out slightly larger than shrink slightly as they go down the back. Ellis’s has two lines of scales that start small at his head, grow bigger midway, then shrink again. He doesn’t have scales going down the entire length of his back, either, as they stop at his tail with the exception of a single scale at his tail.

This one is really subtle, but the shape of the eyes. Vector’s eyes are really angular, I made Ellis’s more rounded (and gave a marking around the edge). If you compare the two, you can see the edges of Vector’s eyes are basically a straight edge, while Ellis’s is a curved one. This is about a big a difference in the eye shape as Sonic and Shadow, I’d think?

Markings- I mentioned the one around his eyes, but I also changed the chest scaling. For Vector, it goes straight across. For Ellis, it’s an overlapping V pattern.

Compare to Shadow where his differences from Sonic are his spines, eye shape, chest/fur tuft, and markings- it’s about equal.

I think in part it’s an uphill challenge to make a character similiar but different to Vector because Vector has such a strong design that’s sat unopposed for so long. We have so many hedgehog characters that we allow it as a ‘given’ that ‘oh yes, hedgehogs just have x y and z traits’. While for crocodilians, we’ve had just Vector for so long that it may be more difficult to consider any of his traits as being ‘baseline’ or standard?

That’s my thoughts on why I did what I did, I don’t know if that changes your feelings on anything.

Edit- Tumblr but an unnecessarily dramatic spacing into my post because it freaked out at the italics, should be fixed now.

[crystalnet]

Mystery Corner #3 The Shinji Ikari Detective Diary

As All-Hallow's Eve approaches rapidly, mystery and murder enthusiasts everywhere are getting extra revved up for this most sacred of seasons. If you happen to be of an Otaku persuasion, then your options for consumable media around this time include one of the many more gothic-tinged bodies of lore out there like D-Gray Man or Full Metal  Alchemist. Maybe Witch Hunter Robin. Or one of the more grizzly cases in Case Closed would suffice. Hey some people even claim Nightmare Before Christmas as anime, and who am I to argue.  But if your favorite series happens to be something like NGE-- a series that is certainly dark-as-fuck at times but couldn't quite be described as gothic or even all that spooky-- Have no fear, because that's why this double-volume mini-series exists-- for the sweet spot of a certain Venn diagram that tracks those who are NGE-heads versus those who crave all things Mystery, and if you are the overlap, then click right on through!

My interest in these NGE spin-off manga started back when I recently got re-obsessed with the anime and was consuming everything I could. The series after all only amounts to 26 measly episodes, a movie-length remix/recap, a minor masterpiece of a feature length, and three re-telling/remaster/re-animations films (which are controversial among deep fan circles). That might actually sound like a lot, but what I'm saying is that it might be easier to be obsessive about a Shonen, so that you don't have to worry about ever even being able to see all the episodes due to the sheer amount (Case Closed is my example of a series that feels Infinite due to its sheer size). It's kind of like some other big animes like Cowboy Bebop-- if you've seen all 26 episodes and watched the big movie, then what next?

Well the answer is the manga. For one thing, the series was adapted into manga by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, and it's excellent and offers a more in-depth look at certain characters and plot-lines which the anime's length didn't allow time for.  It spans 14 volumes and didn't wrap until 2010 and I highly recommend it, but if you aren't in the mood to retread the same story-line once again (especially if you just watched the Rebuilds..) then you still have options. Enter the spin-off manga. It's a weird breed of manga that only seemingly exists only for this franchise. I am probably wrong, but at least as far as selections of manga at American retailers go, I've never to my knowledge seen another series spawn multiple spin-off manga series. 

First of all, the biggest one is the Shinji Ikari Raising Project manga. This is the lowest-brow of all of them and is outright soft-core porn. I could see picking up one issue maybe, but it's literally just a light-hearted romp through what I would describe as a slice-of-life version of the NGE universe. The focus here, instead of on angels and psychological meltdowns, is the camaraderie, and sexual energy between Shinji and his various classmates. Read this only if you're really into this thing and have an anthropological interest. 

Next is the Campus Apocalypse series. This one was serialized into four volumes and an Omnibus, all put out by Dark Horse (most of these are, I assume they sense there is a market, and that's why these are even released here). Written by a certain Mingming, this one is much more serious in tone than SIRP, and focuses on transforming the lore from one centering around mechs and aliens to one that centers around demon-slaying teenagers and powerful visitors from another world. It has a gothic feeling, and so it'd fit in well around this time of year in addition to the one I'll be focusing on. 

(Legend of Piko Piko is just the latest odd-ball spin-off put out by Dark Horse...)

Besides these, there is the Comic Tribute edition put out by Dark Horse, a collection of NGE satire and the similar light-hearted volume written by a Tony Takezaki. The latest series being released is the Legend of Piko Piko Middle School (two volumes)-- a version of the lore in which the young pilots must hone their skills using video games. And then there is the Detective Diary series. So why so much of this stuff exactly? Well like I said, if you find yourself going down an NGE rabbit hole, then this kind of stuff can be irresistible despite better judgement, and clearly Dark Horse is aware of that. I'm personally grateful for these editions though, despite the fact that a lof of this stuff amounts to fan-fiction that happens to be fully illustrated with often-times lovely artwork. While I recommend the mainline manga series the most, I can also say that both Campus Apocalypse and the Detective Diary are solid, if insubstantial. Detective Diary's tone is somewhere between the seriousness of Campus Apocalypse and light-hearted tone of the comedic and overtly sexual manga series previously mentioned, which puts it squarely in breezy but not-devoid-of-narrative territory. Basically, this version of the universe involves Shinji coming to work for a detective agency run by Kaji, who he starts living with in order to pay off a debt. Instead of mechs, the eva are revealed to be spirit/djinn-type figures who can be summoned by the characters a la Shaman King. 

In the two volumes that make up the series, Shinji interacts most heavily with Kaworu, and the specific kind of yaoi-type energy between them is played up very heavily, so that this almost functions as the coded, gay version of the Raising Project manga. It never goes that far though, and the students are mostly busy solving low-stakes mysteries, none of which get nearly as involved or complex as something in say Case Closed. 

It's still a relatively fun--if light and low-calorie-- read though. I wish that this was on-going, and that they really honed in on what an NGE detective series could be, because if it had mysteries that were as satisfying as Case Closed, that'd be something I'd be willing to come back to again and again. As it is, this is low-ambition enough to go through once and that's about it. I was left wanting it to have been even just slightly more serious, and wouldn't have minded if it was a little closer to Campus Apocalypse, but I can't complain. 

This is one of the more satisfying re-imaginings of the NGE lore, and while I'd rank it third-place overall (behind the mainline manga and Campus Apocalypse), I can't deny that I got a kick out of seeing Shinji, Kaworu, Rei and Asuka and the rest of the gang (Toji and Kensuke are here too) in a more light-hearted setting, and it's fun to see what all the evas look like when rendered as humanoid spirit-beings. If you're just a mystery-fan and not so much a hardcore NGE-head, then I'd stay away from this, but if you like NGE too much and also sort of like detective/mystery-type narratives, then this is a fun distraction. 

Anyway, next week we'll be talking about my favorite historical fiction/mystery series but for now, I hope everyone has a great week on this most spooky of weeks, and as for our spotlight detective this week, it's going to none other than Inspector Zenigata of Lupin the Third fame!  Zenigata-kun has always made an excellent cat to Lupin's mouse (or is he the mouse?) and his skill as a detective is just adequate enough to keep him hot on Lupin's tail, but never hot enough to actually catch the guy. In fact, some of the more interesting pathos in the series revolves around the feeling that if Zenigata could actually catch Lupin, that it might not actually be as satisfying as the chase itself. Indeed, the man's entire raison d'être seems to be chasing after Lupin and in a way, his sheer verve for catching Lupin seems to be the thing that has kept him going all these years, just as Lupin's desire to escape his grasp similarly becomes a way-of-life for Lupin.

I'm just fascinated by these cat-and-mouse relationships in which two figures are thrust into an unending rivalry by which their lives are both threatened and also preserved-- like a nemesis and their prey locked in an endless waltz, desiring only the destruction of their opponent while also loving the enemy for the very unending purpose which they provide one another. Batman and Joker, Sherlock and Arsene. Cicero and his dear Catiline. And of course, Lupin and Zenigata. We see it time and again, and Inspector Zenigata sure makes one great side to the coin that is the Lupin/Zenigata dynamic.

Last week's spotlight on Goro Akechi had us talking about the great Kogoro Akechi of Japanese mystery fame, and Zenigata is similarly named after a character from another big name in Japanese mystery novels-- Kodo Nomura. His wildly popular stories starring a certain Zenigata Heiji are set in the Edo period of Japan, with Zenigata being a crime-solving policeman who throws coins-- or zeni-- at the criminals he investigates in order to subdue them.  

That will tie in with next week's look at the under-rated historical-mystery genre, but for now let's give a tip of the hat to Inspector Zenigata, and wish that his designs may always be adequately foiled! Happy Halloween Detectives~

[the-100-meta-library]

Dear followers and meta fans!

Today, we present you the first segment of a series of interviews that will feature the brains and minds behind all those wonderful analyses floating around The 100’s tumblr tag.

For our first interview, we are pleased to welcome Elizabeth, also known as the lovely @hawthornewhisperer!

We connected with Elizabeth back in May, before Season 4, Episode 12. So this a little bit of a blast from the past. Read to see how right-- and wrong-- we were about some speculating. 

We’d like to thank Elizabeth again for her time, and the supporters of the Meta Library who encouraged us. Keep an eye out for the next interview!

The 100 Meta Library (bellamysfern):    The first questions are just about some background info. Anything you feel comfortable releasing to the internet. Who are you, what do you do, how does that affect how you write meta (if it has any effect at all), and your level of fandom experience.

Hawthornewhisperer: Okay, well, first of all, thanks for interviewing me! This is an honor and I appreciate you guys doing this.

You can call me Elizabeth, and I'm a writer-slash-historian living in Minnesota. I teach college courses on European history and write romance novels on the side (second one should be out this year!)

In terms of how that influences my meta, I've found that both of my jobs dovetail very well into analyzing the show.  

As a historian, my main lenses of analysis are gender and imperialism so I tend to apply those to the show as well-- in what ways do characters fulfill our expectations of femininity/masculinity, and in what ways do they challenge it? What does that tell us about the characters?  

My imperialist/colonialist focus also helps me sort out what the writers are saying (either intentionally or unintentionally) with regards to hegemonic cultures, etc.

As a writer, I try to think about the choices the writers room is making and what that tells us about the story

Oh, and fandom experience-- I wrote fic for The Hunger Games (Gale/Madge, mostly) but The 100 is probably the first fandom I've been very active in.  But my first true fandom is probably Star Wars.

BF: That's absolutely amazing. I feel like anything with fandom can be trivialized, but so much work goes into writing meta and thinking about the choices made on the show.

HW: Yes, definitely!  

I have very strong feelings about the importance of fandom, particularly transformative fandom (fics, headcanons, etc) as a primarily female space and how important that is to protect and take seriously.

BF: Right. And I know you write fanfic too (very good fanfic, btw).

Do you think writing meta influences how you think about fanfiction? They are two different ways of interacting with a show, but both require authors to really understand the material.

HW: Oh yeah, definitely!  

I see fic and meta as two sides of the same coin-- writing meta

helps me understand characters better, because if I can explain why Bellamy or Clarke would make a particular choice in a particular episode that helps me craft their characters in fics in a way that feels true (or I hope so, at any rate.)

And writing fic helps with meta, because I have a little insight into how writers make decisions.  In particular it makes me slightly more sympathetic to plot twists that seem to have no clear resolution because I frequently write ficlets with cliffhangers and then have *no idea* where it's going after that, because sometimes I just like to raise the stakes for myself.  Of course, there's a major difference in that my fics are only limited by my imagination and can go in any direction I choose, whereas the show has actor contracts, studio pressure, budgets, filming limitations, and a dozen writers working on one story, and they’re getting paid to do this so they should be really be better at it than me.

BF: Is there anything you've ever read (fic or meta) that surprised you? Any interpretation or theory that influenced the way you thought about the show?

HW: You know, most of my favorite metas and theories come from the Meta Station podcast, and I wouldn't say it's *surprising* but I do think my favorite theory this season is probably Erin's suggestion that Bellamy will be key to brokering peace between all the clans.  (I think we got the start of it in the most recent episode, actually, with his faith in Octavia).  It wasn't a direction I'd initially considered for his character, but it fits very well with the story they've been telling thus far this season and I hope we see it come to fruition.

In terms of influence, one thing I really enjoy about fandom is how *collective* it all is-- lots of people come up with complementary ideas that fit together and overlap in really intriguing ways, which makes narrowing down influence kind of difficult.  But on a personal level, I do toss ideas back and forth with @reblogginhood a lot, which probably shows in my writing.

BF: Haha, my fill of meta usually comes from Meta Station too. I just listened to the segment talking about fic and fandom with Chash and thought "Wow, this is great interview prep".

HW: I can't wait to listen to that!  Those are three of my favorite fandom people, talking about my favorite topics, so I'm excited.

BF: I know, I was so excited when I saw the announcement. It was super cute and funny. Anyway, back on topic.

So for you, meta is a more collective thing. Do you have a writing process and need to go through the same steps every time, or does it vary?

HW: It varies, for sure.  Sometimes I realize something and can just throw it all together very quickly, and sometimes my idea is very vague and I have to write and write and write (and talk it over with people) before I really figure out what I'm saying.  But after writing a dissertation I'm pretty used to writing six different versions of the same idea before I feel like I've found it.  I just edit those metas very heavily as no one needs to read four false starts. 😉

BF: So the amount of time it takes to write metas varies too.

Are there any characters/themes that come easier than others?

HW: Oh definitely.  

Bellamy is probably the easiest for me to understand, followed by Clarke. There are other characters that just don't *speak* to me/I have less interest in writing meta on, but that doesn't mean I dislike them.  

Roan, for instance-- he's probably my favorite minor character in the whole show but I don't have too much desire to get into his headspace for some reason.

The-100-Meta-Library (parapluiepliant): We could have had it all. Still in denial about Roan by the way.

HW: I'll always be in denial about Roan, but he will live eternal, shiny, and chrome in all of my fics so at least we have that.

PP: Yippieh! Something to look forward to!

BF: I am still in real actual denial because I thought I saw something about Zach coming back for season five.

HW: I would totally be fine with time travel becoming a thing on the show if it meant someone could go back in time and save Roan.

PP: Talking about time travel: let's go back in time.

I just scrolled a bit through your The 100 meta tag and came upon "Bellamy Blake, Clarke Griffin, and The Iliad". It was one of your first metas, or am I wrong? 

Even though that referred to season 3, would you say that some of it still holds true for season 4?

HW: It probably wasn't my first meta, just the first one I bothered tagging-- I'm terrible about that, and I apologize to everyone for my poor organizational skills.

BF: I'm right there with you with the tagging.

HW: You know, I'm not sure it does hold true for season 4?  The core of the Iliad is hubris, rage, and war between nations being manipulated by the gods, and that doesn't seem to be the story they're telling in season 4.

I will say, in retrospect I do think both Clarke and Bellamy were the Achilles in season 3 -- Clarke for separating herself from the fight, and Bellamy because it was his anger over Mount Weather 2.0 that incited a lot of the conflict.

(But I also doubt they were doing a straight parallel, so take that for what it's worth)

PP: Okay. Just a thought. I am not that familiar with the Grounders (and to the Arkadians to some extent) might still be an entertaining thought.

HW: Ooooh yes, that would work very well, especially since I suspect conflict between Becca and Cadogan is at the root of a lot of problems the societies are facing.

BF: I did find it interesting that the brought the Iliad in so explicitly. And there was a lot of speculation based on it, when maybe so much worth shouldn't have been placed on the Iliad/Odyssey.

But we won't know until the end, I guess.

HW: Yeah, it's tough to know what is meaningful and important and what's just a fun, throwaway moment until you've got a complete narrative to examine.  But I do enjoy how fandom can take something like "Bellamy gets a present that probably just means he's a Big Ol' Nerd" and turn it into a coherent, unifying gloss on the season.

PP: One of the most entertaining and enlightening things in the fandom for me.

HW: Yeah, me too.  

Fandom is such an enriching experience in so many ways.

PP: Another question in that regard: Is there a meta of yours of which you are most proud of? Or which you thought of as the most fun to read/the most clarifying in regard to certain aspects?

HW: I think the one I'm proudest of would be the one I wrote about Bellamy undercutting the Alpha Male trope, because I find "how we perform and understand gender" to be a really interesting topic, and I think Bellamy as a character really complicates our understanding of what it means to be an alpha male.  

And I think some of that is directly intended by the writers, but I also think some of it comes from the performances (Bob in particular, but also Ian, Eliza, and Mike Beach because he's not just reading what's on the page, he's reacting to their performances as well.)

It makes Bellamy into a really interesting and nuanced character in a way that draws me in.

PP: Absolutely! One of the reasons I love him so much.

BF: Do you have a lot of interaction with your meta? Do people mostly reblog or like it, or do you get some conversations going?

HW: I think mostly people just like and reblog posts, but every so often someone will add something to my meta that I hadn't considered/seen before and it'll just blow my mind. I love it when that happens.

And sometimes people send PMs to respond and I end up having long, in depth conversations about characters with people I've never met before, and I *also* love that. I've made some really great friends that way.

BF: Fandom friendships are so interesting that way.

HW: Yeah, definitely.  

I really treasure the friendships I've made in fandom, and I know they'll outlast the show itself, which is wonderful.

BF: Yeah, definitely contradicts everything people told you about everyone on the internet being dangerous. But I haven't met an axe murderer yet.

HW: Haha right?  *fingers crossed*

PP: Who says that I am not one?

HW: Oh no! Haha!

BF: You are on the other side of the ocean. I think I'm good. Well, that was all questioning that I had. Laura?

PP: I would have one last question.

Can we hope for another meta pretty soon and if so, can you already tease it a bit?

HW: You know, there's nothing that I'm currently writing, I think because most of the stuff I'm interested in from 411 (the Bellarke fallout) seems to be on hold until 412, but I also tend to work best in response to prompts/questions.

So is there something you'd like me to talk about/you're interested in discussing?

BF: What’s your Becca/Cadogan speculation?

HW: Oooh, good one!  

I think Cadogan's messed up childhood (Jaha mentioned an abusive father) is going to resurface, and I suspect it was a conflict between him and Becca that set things into motion. I have my fingers crossed for a flashback!

PP: Definitely. Oh, I missed that with Jaha because my stream didn't work properly. I really need to watch it so I can catch up!

HW: The Jaha-Cadogan mention was just a throwaway line, however, so I might be putting too much weight on it. And as for the Bellarke fallout, I do think Clarke holding a gun on him and then being unable to pull the trigger, even though she truly believed the human race might die if she didn't pull it, is going to carry a lot of weight in their relationship.

Clarke has consistently been shown as willing to put her own wants and needs and loves aside in order to save people, and this is one of the first times we see her make a heart choice instead of a head choice, if that makes sense.

But Clarke's decision to not shoot Bellamy was really big, and while I'm disappointed we didn't get the fallout immediately, I think 411 was a really busy episode and I have hopes that it will be addressed in some respect in 412.

BF: Thanks so much for taking so much time to talk to us!

HW: Of course!  Thank you for interviewing me-- this was really fun!

[pklovesdwsart]

Art Minor 2 (Nature & Environment)

This time, no stories to tell (well, maybe one, but I didn’t put it here, haha)! But a whole bunch of stuff I made instead, whoo boy! The theme of this minor was Nature & Environment. I had lots of fun, honestly! I’ll divide it in the 4 subjects I took :). It’s a long post, beware, haha.

Ceramics:

Aaaand the last bit I made! I’ll post a few more :). Especially the glazed ones~!

And that’s about it for ceramics!

Painting & Drawing:

So, this is actually a(n) (abstract) portrait of one of the students. It’s a one-line drawing :). It was, ah, interesting to make for sure....

We also had a session on how to draw “real” portraits.... with, like, the proper proportions and everything. It was interesting for sure!

This is the “self-portrait” I made! There is a lot to be said about this one (also because it is a self-portrait). I’d like to start with the mask. One of the reasons I used it is closely related to an Instagram post of mine (I’ll write it out). Sorry, it’s lone, though. “Lately, I have been forced to think about something I had been thinking years back. About the fact that in this individualistic society, you HAVE to stand out one way or another. I don’t want to. What’s wrong with simply being average and not special at all? What’s wrong with wanting to live a simple life with no particular interesting skills? (yes, I do realise I have some, but it doesn’t make me feel special or like I have to/want to brag about it...). This was something I noticed in particular 2 weeks back (in May, 2019), when my minor started again. We had to draw a realistic scene in the park. Afterwards, we would “redraw” this scene as we felt, heard and saw the things we encountered while drawing, changing the initial drawing drastically. So I did. However, the teacher told me he wanted to “see more of me” in the drawing. But how come he didn’t? The things I felt, saw, heard and fantasised about were all things that came from me and were pictured in the drawing. How is that not me?! Yeah, sure, the girl in my drawing looked manga/anime like. But is that honestly so wrong...? If that’s how I draw, if that’s me, how can you say you want to see more of the “me”? Honestly, I am so sick of this individualistic society that forces you to be “special”, “interesting” or “talented”. Is it so wrong to want to live simply? Is it wrong to not want to be seen as “different from the rest”? Can I just live with a blank face, trying in my own way, on my own conditions?” The mask used in this picture (and the Instagram rant, haha), has the Japanese characters: じ    へ  へ        の の         も        へ (henohenomoheji). They are commonly used to picture a (blank) face. As such, they are mostly used for mob characters, or those of little significance. So the mask itself already symbolises the wish to blend into the masses. On the other hand, the mask can also signify the ability to be flexible. As in, if you have a blank face, it means you are able to “paint over it”. To make yourself be who you want to be. And that clues into my hobby, which is cosplay. I can be whoever I want to be (with the proper means, haha), and that enables me to transform completely. So, yes, the mask signifies a lot to me. And that’s why I decided I wanted the picture to be like this. Because this is me in so many shapes and forms. Continuing on! Photography:

Let’s just say photography is not my thing... Luckily, we had two classes this block period anyway, so I didn’t have to suffer for very long.

Finally! The last subject!

Design:

Ohhhh, I loooooved design! There’s so much I did~ Sooo, we had to gather 5 objects we could find outside (in nature), and we had to take 3 pictures (the top one is said picture). Then we had to write a story based on the object/photograph (mine was a feather, by the way). You had to hand the story over to friends/family/etc., and they had to say one word about the story. So, my two words were “pessimistic” and “inspirational”. Based on those two words, we had to find a new (existing) “picture”. Then we had to bring items that had something to do with the story. So, I brought a ceramic “mountain” (one of the words used in my story) I made last block period. So based on that item, we had to design something around that concept and things that prefferably had to do with the (human) body. Sooo, I went to Wikipedia, and took a look at the words written there. So, that’s when we got to the word “relief” (or terrain, mayhaps). Then I started thinking how that was created (e.i. mountains, and its “relief”). So, that’s when we reached our tectonic plates. And then I started thinking about the fact that a mountain was basically a “print” of the earth (in a way). Okay, got all that? Then hopefully the next part will make sense as well, lol.

So, the first thing I did was woodcutting! I really wanted to try my hand at this, mostly because of my overlapping interest in Japan. I had a lot of fun, honestly! (I’ll put all the prints at the end ;))

Bad lighting is bad.... But after the woodcut, I tried my hand at linocut! Which went a whole lot smoother.... (I bought my own gouge set <3 - absolutely in love with it). I had a lot of fun with these, honestly!

Ah, yes, then I once more did some etching! I intentionally “messed up” the feather one (the stripe in the middle does kind of bother me...) to try and see what happens. I really liked the result of that one a lot! (once more, prints will be put down here~) Finally! I tried my hand at this:

screen printing! I really liked doing this! It’s very interesting to do, yet less intensive than any of the things I had done previously... I really had fun! And you can experiment a lot! Which I didn’t, really, by the way.... (slightly regretted it, but time restraints...). Also, putting Timcanpy on my daily gear is like a dream come true <3. Lovely. Now, time for all the prints!

Because wood is a natural material, it kind of soaks up the ink. So you get a grainy kind of print. It’s spotty, but that’s kind of charming in its own way, I guess?

I made loooots of prints for the linocuts, lol. They are way less spotty, and I really liked them! (the stuff in the very back isn’t mine, by the way).

I also really liked the ink colours I used! I also printed everything on postcard format.

The print is even more interesting in real life!

A very clean print for this one. Such a contrast with the previous one! I like both of them, honestly.

What would we be without a little Timcanpy in our lives~

I also used a natural “print”. Don’t worry, it’s not actual snake skin... But it is actual snake skin shed/moulted skin. It’s from my own snake, Sora <3. So it’s kind of an endless supply, lol.

So, that’s all for the practical subjects! Now, it wasn’t all I did, and I have many, many more photos of the process... But the post wil get waaaaay too long if I want to show everything... So I mostly posted the endresults :).

There is one last thing I want to post here! Which are the “extras”.

Extras:

The sketches we had to make for capturing real life (mentioned at my self-portrait). I do have to mention that on that day it was bloody cold, it was raining, and we didn’t even know we had to be there... So I had a shit day, honestly....

I haven’t finished it, sooooo, I don’t have a very good picture, unfortunately... But this was the drawing I got a loooot of hate on, basically....

Ahhh, here’s the sketch, where you can see it a bit better... So basically, he wnted me to draw it bigger. Which I did. Then he suggested I made a selfportrait (instead of using a manga/anime like character......). Which I did. But don’t have a picture of, I believe. Well, I have a lot of issues with all of this, so I kind of want to drop it. Though I will finish the initial one for sure. I don’t care much for the second, the large, one.....

We also had workshops on drawing a naked model! Which was very interesting! I had never drawn a human/humanlike full-model, well, model. So I had many, many issues at first.... I especially had many issues with (human) proportions. But in the end, I had a lot of fun! I attended a second session (not the third, unfortunately), but I don’t have a picture of it (yet). I might edit it in later, buuuut, not sure...

So, I believe that was all! I had so much fun this period, and I’m super glad I decided to stay (I was only obligated to follow one minor). If I hadn’t, I don’t think that in the end I would be this satisfied. Also, this period was, like, 2 or 3 weeks shorter than previous one... So we were short on time, I guess... I learned a lot, I worked with many different materials, and in the end, I’m very happy. So, here are the final pictures of the ENTIRE table :).

[namitaylor1-blog]

Group Presentation

For the group presentation I partnered up with two girls, Anastasia and Bronte. We first started to brainstorm, looking specially at video media. We knew that we wanted to create an installation exploring the theme time, context and situation. In doing so, we came up with a simple video idea of capturing a mundane activity, eating ice cream. To add a more complex appeal to the artwork we decided on printing out the setting of the video on to a clear white sheet of fabric in front of the video (projecting on a wall). We question the criteria of what should be included or excluded from photographic visions: what deserves to be an artwork? The idea of waiting, expecting, anticipating is overridden. Entertainment is replaced with contemplation and the banal, the everyday becomes art. 

Inspiration

We have drawn inspiration from Jan Svankmajer’s Lunch. Svankmajer uses the mediums claymation and pixilation to captivate the audience with humour and hyperrealism. The film depicts a business man and a vagabond, unable to get the waiter's attention. They begin eating everything they can lay their hands on (the vase of flowers, the table). This consumption then becomes a greedy competition and one character eats the other. The elevator soundtrack creates a light mood to contradicts the dark horror. For our project we wanted to reflect this sense of humour and playfulness. Instead of dark suspense drawn from cannibalism however, we have created suspense through futility: our film does not have a resolution as such, and the only change that is witnessed is the disappearance of the ice cream.

Slovakian photographer Evelyn Bencicova inspired us through her use of controlled compositions characterised by aesthetic sterility. A bleak mood runs across each of her still life images. We arranged our setting to resemble a still life, but it is not a concrete situation, disturbed and changed in the duration of the film. Our video ends with an empty table setting, a similar situation to the beginning. The only record of change is the empty bowl. Bencicova’s dull and unsettling images create an intriguing appeal that draws in the audience using a simplicity which we attempted to mimic through our minimal setting. 

(An)Organic by Evelyn Bencicova 

Music

We used the song ‘The Name of Life’ from the film Spirited Away to amplify the antic subject of the video, also creating a light-hearted mood an humorous suspense with the dramatic sections of the track. We could also explore Charlie Chaplin music or other ways to draw attention to film as a medium being explored “for film’s sake” in our artwork.

Filming and Editing 

Before we started filming we had to find a somewhat large room within the facility and set up the overall composition of the video. We eventually found a well lit room and placed a white sheet of cloth over the table. We also put the ice cream into a glass bowls with a tiny spoon and an empty wine glass to add a sense of confusion and humour. 

Here is a link to the finalised edited video on youtube. As you can tell we wanted to make the video a square for aesthetic purposes and we also added a soft boarder around video to create a vintage atmosphere. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImPM5IDIYPs 

The beginning and the ending of the video. 

Overall my group and I are very pleased how the video turned out for it wad exactly how we wanted it to look. Now we had to figure out the hard part of the overall project, printing on to the fabric and how it would look infant of the image. 

Printing on the fabric

This part of the process was ultimately a downfall because the image printed backwards on the fabric, causing the image to look jaggard and out of place. We were unable to print out a new one due to the lack of resources and time we had. 

However we came up with the idea of flipping the sheet and outlining the image at the beginning of the video with a black marker. This ultimately helped maintain our conceptual idea of time, it in fact made our overall installation artwork stronger as it was vividly clear of what we had done and aded a light-hearted style with the uneven lines and crooked edges. 

WEEK FOUR

Today, our group presentation was due but before we had to present we needed to find a large black room that would be contrasted by the white sheet of fabric. Once finding one we set up our projector and line it up with the white cloth. 

Below are images of the set up of our group presentation. 

Here is a photograph of what it looked like with the black outlines over the video. As you can see it is not perfectly lined up but that it what we were trying to achieve as it creates a new layer of an imperfect reality / a distorted present. 

Overall, my group and I were very pleased on how the project turned out as we came up with solutions with each individual problems and solved them as whole. During the actual presentation everything ran smoothly except we didn't have a speaker to project the two sources of sound but it was loud enough for everybody to hear. It was an enjoyable task and working with friends made it a fun experience as we were able to create a successful installation. 

Artist Statement 

Our video and still image installation explores time, context and situation, recording the mundane act of consuming a bowl of ice cream. We overlapped a simple, playful outline of the setting done in black marker on fabric, with video footage, to highlight the playful and humorous nature of the work, and create a shift in focus from analogue line art to digital moving image.

We wanted the audience to feel amused, slightly confused at the work and yet we also hope to raise questions through the tension of art and banality. Eating ice cream may seem trivial or cause a search for some deeper hidden message behind the mundane, but we really ask for a close examination of composition, scene and situation. We question the criteria of what should be included in photographic vision. Waiting, expecting and anticipating are overridden. Entertainment is replaced with contemplation. The banal, the everyday becomes art.

This tension between traditionally ‘meaningful and meaningless’ can be related to Jean Baudrillard’s ideas in Simulacra and Simulation:

“We live in a world where there is more and more information, and less and less meaning.”

“The futility of everything that comes to us from the media is inescapable … there is no alternative but to fill the screen”

“At home, surrounded by information, by screens, I am no longer anywhere, but rather everywhere in the world at once, in the midst of a universal banality”

We drew the outline of the tablecloth, glass, bowl and ice cream in simple lines with black marker. In this way, the outline is one trace of the situation, and the video is another. They have been overlapped, slightly misaligned and as the figure enters our video, we are reminded of the different abilities to record time, place and context in still and moving medias.

Our body of work playfully explores the limits of human-constructed time and its measurement against simple habits and rituals. As such, the piece begins with a still arrangement of daily objects (a table, chair and bowl of ice-cream) which is outlined onto a piece of cloth. We intend to question the relationship between human beings and situation. Further, the melting scoops of ice-cream atop the table comment on the idea that time initiates as many changes as humans do. Our decision to construct a multimedia work enables the viewer to experience two situations simultaneously – both past and present. Thus, transience and timelessness conflict with each other prompting us to consider a situation, a context’s durability, and understand the human condition for what it really is – as fragile and fleeting as ice cream.

Here is the link to our group presentation. Enjoy :) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8bJENqbskA&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR1BFQR8nIhJi9NyADY8uWG1W8eDGgtugif9lgNSyVCwd3sW0ylG96gw1pE 

Bibliography

Svankmajer, J (1992). Food Pt. 2 ‘Lunch’. Retrieved from Vimeo https://vimeo.com/12680446

Daluiso, G (2015). Artist of the Week: Evelyn Bencicova. Retrieved from Kaltblut website https://www.kaltblut-magazine.com/artist-of-the-week-evelyn-bencicova/

Cowan, Scott J (2013). STYLE AND INTERPRETATION: THE INEVITABILITY OF BANALITY IN A ‘CONTEMPORARY’ ART. https://thanassuming.wordpress.com/2013/02/18/196/

Maltz, R (2018). Art of the Banal. http://leiaopalma.com/english/art-of-the-banal/

Behrmann, K (2012). William Eggleston: Taking Pictures of the Banal. https://artofcreativephotography.com/famous-photographers/william-eggleston/

Calirman, C (2015). Art and the Banal.

Baudrillard, J (1994). Simulacra and Simulation https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=9Z9biHaoLZIC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=jean+baudrillard+simulacra+and+simulation&ots=3NUcdWbsrV&sig=Ibf6r8oV_JINV5sDTAO0x09DaV4#v=onepage&q=jean%20baudrillard%20simulacra%20and%20simulation&f=false

Music

Hisaishi, J (2001). Spirited Away. Instrumental Piano: Tokyo, Japan: Miyasaki

[naruto-oc-critiques]

Hagiwara Sengen

(welp guess who??? feel free to be blunt, I wanna know how she appears to other people. Also tell me if you like her design, Is it too impractical? Sorry if its repetitive or has bad grammar, I edited it at like 12am rip)

Name: Hagiwara Sengen

Gender: Female

Era: Pre-Konoha, Wartime Era

Personality: Reserved, Charismatic, cautious, hesitant and loyal.

Ln: there’s a little overlap of personality here with the charisma part, but if you’re planning that as her public persona, it’s fine. from this she sounds like the kind that would separate her public and private life.

Values: Loyalty, strategy and Filial Piety.

Ln: These are all great values! as extra information, are there instances where these come into conflict? It would lend depth to the character.

Fears: No one needing them, becoming crippled or unable to reproduce.

Ln: how did these fears come about? the last two are easily justified since it’s a shinobi society with high death rates, but the first, is it taught, or a clan value?

the ‘loving to talk’ thing is my only gripe with this. you previously said she’s ‘reserved’ and ‘hesitant’, these traits seem to disagree with ‘talkative’. unless it’s another two-faceted thing where she likes to talk to her friends, or to herself, but that would be a personality characteristic then. perhaps you can consider changing ‘loves to talk’ to ‘loves to discuss’? I have no idea, but right now it’s contradictory.

Likes: -Frog/critter catching (As achild this led to a lot of ruined kimonos. Later in life she gained the sense to change into more casual clothes at her retainers relief) -Loves to talk (Though she hardly ever gets the chance to) -Running in extravagent and expensive Kimonos (Though she’d never let anyone see her do it) -Yokan  -Summer (Yokan is traditionally eaten in Summer so she gets excited when it comes around)

Ln: maybe expand more on her childhood? it wasn’t laid out below, and it sounds like she was a real firecracker, so how did she turn out the way she did, was it the upbringing, or something else?

Dislikes: -Long battles (anything that involves endurance) -Writing (She has notoriously bad handwriting and even has an aide to write/respond to things for her) -Hates fish (They’re too slimy and she hates looking at their dead, lifeless eyes.) -People who hold grudges

Family: Asama

Weapon: Hachiwari/Kabutowari

Ln: cool! I’d love to see how she wields it — can’t help but notice she doesn’t have it its holder in her character design?

Group: Hagiwara

Role: Clan Head (Direct Ancestor {Kohana} was founder)

Sexual Orientation: Straight Height: 174cm

Ln: that’s pretty tall. maybe you should have a height comparison thingie (like with a cat or tree or something) in the character design so that the above-average height is clear. rn she looks short in the art, ‘cos of the short length of her clothing.

Appearance: -Body type: slightly pear shaped -Skin: Pale and appears unmarred -Hairstyle: Bun with Sakura petals -Hair colour: Bright green -Eye colour: Red/pink

Ln: one gripe. why sakura petals? Is it the vanity part mentioned later? does it stay on in a fight? 

Clan Info: Clan founder: Kohana Speciality: crushing the enemy with skilled and lethal attacks Clan size: Large (Though their civilian population has always seemed to outweigh the warriors) Clan colours: (not limited to) Golds and blacks General hair colours: Whites, greens and browns (though there has been blondes) General eye colours: reds, blues and greens General chakra type: (not limited to) earth, fire

Ln: are there reasons for the color choices, or is everything in honor of Kohana? I’d also say that having such diverse colors for hair and eyes isn’t quite feasible gene-wise, since stuff like red eyes and green hair would most likely be recessive genes, or else we’d see more of them in the series, but this is pre-village, so, I’d say come up with a good reason (maybe chakra or something) and it’ll fly. But it’ll still be good to hammer it down to one or two colors, like the red-hair-is-Uzumaki thing or black-skin-is-Cloud.

-The founder Kohana was said to have been a villager that fought alongside Ootsutsuki Asura against his brother Indra.

-Kohana wielded a bow

-Filial Piety is core teaching within the Hagiwara because when Kohana was young, she left her poor father to follow Asura but when she returned found her father had died of exhaustion. She blamed herself for his death and instilled into her children not to make the same mistake.

-The Hagiwara then say that she became an ‘Onna-bugeisha’, that was known for charming looks but deadly skill. She eventually caught the eyes of a wealthy man and married. It was said he had a flower garden built in her name and she in turn trained their children in Ninshu. 

-Hagiwara women are generally named after flowers/related things and often care a lot for their appearances (It was supposed to be in honour of Kohana, but it quickly progressed to a tradition fueled by vanity)ooo I like this one!!-Hagiwara were known for horrible stamina and so most of their taijutsu and jutsu is based around lethal and explosive strikes.

-Because the Hagiwara joined battles near the end they had quite a few enemies. (The enemies hated them because they exhausted themselves wearing down the opposing side only to have a new fresh set of warriors take the battlefield to crush them. Similarly, allies sometimes got angry because it felt like the Hagiwara were stealing their victory)

Ln: nice!! so rare to see actual human emotions like jealousy and envy in the construction of OCs and clans, this is great!

-Like other clans, the Hagiwara didn’t necessarily take sides unless they were paid. 

-The Hagiwara have fought the Senju and they only managed to save themselves from defeat because the Uchiha were hired as back up in response to the Senju.

-The Hagiwara may have a large clan but very little of them are warriors. (This lead to it being almost exclusively civilian by the time of Boruto)

-The Hagiwara were fierce supporters of peace and did not take long to ally themselves with the newly founded Konoha. (This happened while Sengen was in power) The idea of a village appealed to them greatly as it meant their civilian population could be safe.

-The Hagiwara were pinch hitters, and were mostly only hired to make sure to drive a battle home quickly.

-The clan/group (Hagiwara) was not known for their stamina and weren’t hired too often, so they established a merchant business under the founding family’s name (Asama)

Ln: hang on, so, what’s ‘Hagiwara’ if that wasn’t Kohana’s surname? what does the Hagiwara name refer to if it’s not the surname of the founding family?

Also maybe explain a bit more of the core principles. If the clan is so big on peace and even has a merchant empire, why did they develop such a decisive fighting style, and how? Were they like the Shaolin monks, who observed, but didn’t participate in most worldly happenings?

Trivia!!

-Sengen is one of the many names Kono-hana-no-sakuya-hime is known by (Sengen name comes from the depiction of the Flower goddess scattering Camilla petals)

-Botan {Tsuyu, Ryuu and Yosho’s sensei) is one of the last ninja descendants of the Hagiwara

-Sengen’s name was originally Senben xP A site mistranslated the name

-Sengen likes wearing heavy/detailed/traditional kimonos in her spare time

-despite her friendly and easy to approach attitude, She didn’t have many friends because being the head of a clan often meant most saw her as untouchable.

-Sengen was a REALLLLLY lonley character

I really like Sengen! I love the values and traits of the clan and your exploration in roles of females in both the social and biological way. The detail about vanity is especially appreciated, though how does it apply to men? How is the lineage passed down, is it through female, in honor of the female founder, or is it patriarchal?

Another aspect that you might want to look into is her childhood. I know you said Sengen finds it ‘hard to establish any honest friendships’, but is that consistent throughout her childhood, or did that happen after her induction as leader of the clan? There are also many political angles that you could consider from having Sengen as the leader of a clan. Are there inner disputes, on what, and how does Sengen solve them? What about inter-clan relations? The Hagiwara doesn’t sound like a particularly popular clan, and they also manage a trade empire on the side. Surely that racks up enemies, how does Sengen deal with that?

Setting the OC in the pre-village era gives you a lot of freedom for creativity! You might not have been able to say everything here since it’s a character submission, so you could very well have answers to those questions already. You’re on great track!

You mentioned a design review? ^^

The outfit is pretty, very much so, which totally fits, since her clan is beauty-oriented, but if that is her clan-head attire, then I’d say it’s not extravagant enough. I headcanon that pre-village era is one of huge disparities, so imo Sengen’s official attire should be more lavish, with way more layers, more makeup, more elaborate hair and ornaments, all over her. And preferably with some huge, un-manageble-without-an-aide trail.

If the attire is her combat attire, then I think that the clan head’s current attire is a little too not-useful. Since she’s so tall, and her clan specializes in lethal, game-ending strikes, clothes should actually be more close-fitting to avoid trailing bits getting in their way, and short fabrics like Sengen’s current bottom piece would be scaled up in size and be both flappy and not much protection. Since they use lethal strikes, I actually think it’s viable that they would incorporate lots of padding into their attire so that the force of their hits doesn’t rebound, which would mostly be around the lower leg, feet, upper arms and hands. And that would eventually morph into decorative+functional padding.

Though, this outfit is okay for her super-causal, everyday wear, and I say that because the Warring Clans era would be quite conservative outside of the battlefield, and allowing even a clan that emphasizes beauty to walk around with so much leg revealed could be scandalous. Or you could just spin it as Sengen’s personality to go against societal norms.

Also, I read this somewhere, that the kimono shows sexuality not through showing leg (that too, but) but showing the neck. So you can think about keeping the open-collar sleeves but changing the undershirt to a tank, so Sengen shows a lot of neck and shoulders.

Another interesting idea is the possibility of Sengen, being clan head, using fabrics and fashion choices to hide battle scars/wounds. It could help to explain away some hanging bits of fabric, like her asymmetrical sleeve could actually hide some scar or blemish on her arm that otherwise could be called out for in the beauty-centered clan culture.

That said, your character is very well-developed, the story is logical and makes sense, and you even made such a great drawing of your character! A lot of effort must have been put in, so if you just go that little bit further she would be so much better! Keep up the great work!

- Ln

[lunishelgame]

Warning: May contain Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 spoilers...

After beating Mass Effect and then going into Mass Effect 2 I am starting to remember the various things I did not like about each.

The ally cover system for example: In Mass Effect, I hated how they would often not get behind cover on their own. If you tried to command them to go to a spot, often only one of them would do it. Unless you commanded both individually (which requires opening a menu and clicking on an icon for each one of them. However some times it was pretty awesome because you could order them to move to a spot and they would split up and go behind two different objects (seems to only work if they are like two walls facing the same direction and both directly across from each other). In Mass Effect 2, they will go behind cover on their own but they move around so much that it gets them killed. So you still often have to tell them where to go (which to me, having to do it constantly is just too much micromanagement. I do like the option but it is basically a requirement). If you order them behind cover and they get hit with something that knocks them back, they will just stand there until they die unless you reorder them to go behind cover. Some times when ordering them to go behind cover they also do a very poor job of it and instead stand next to the cover.

The equipment system: In Mass Effect, you have all kinds of different weapons and mods to make them work differently. It was amazing. The only thing I did not like about it is having to clean out my inventory so much as it has a limit in place. In Mass Effect 2, you have two weapons of each type (unless you pay real money to unlock more) or you play this one mission on hard mode to unlock a Geth rifle, or if you like did some promotional thing. Or if you finish the collector ship mission. Which potentially allows you to unlock 1 additional weapon out of a selection of 3. Beyond that, you have 2 weapons of each type. And you have to play through the story a good ways to even get that. There is also no weapon customization aside from through character skills... (which is another downgrade as well). And even that is limited.

Character skills: Mass Effect, skills are vast and wide and you have all kinds of abilities  you can unlock and upgrade quite a bit. In some ways it really does a lot to make you feel more like you are progressing. However, I kind of hated the way Charm/Intimidate was under skill listing because basically in order to not miss out on something the main character has to pour everything into that in the beginning and also into decryption/electronics (or have someone else do that) in order to open boxes. But once you get past that, I much prefer the wider range of abilities and just how the system works and everything. Where each ability has its own cooldown and such. In Mass Effect 2, each character gets like four abilities. I think the main character can get like 6 or something. But either way it is still pretty low in comparison to the previous game. Also I have found that pretty much every playthrough of the game that I have done, I have not been able to max out like 1 ability on half the characters that I wanted because of some prerequisite that I did not want. The biotics in number 2 no longer make for crowd control because the enemies are just never close enough together. It is more just another form of damage. Shockwave sometimes works as half decent crowd control. And some of them work pretty good on husks since they tend to charge ins a straight line but otherwise it does not seem to be that useful beyond just another form of damage output. The ammo type variants that were in the first game are now abilities and they are just a form of increased damage. No special effects anymore. One does more damage against one thing and another does more against another. No more shield bypasses and knockback rounds or anything.

Character armour/appearance: In Mass Effect, you had many armour designs to choose from as well as protection types and utility additions on each one. This made it much more interesting I thought. One thing I also liked was the helmet/no helmet option. In Mass Effect 2, you as the player only have one basic design and you can just change the colors. No utility upgrades of any kind. Also you can not turn on or off the helmet for your allies. Which I always thought looks weird to have someone fully covered in armour and then no helmet. On top of this, Samara and Jack just look ridiculous with their breather mask on when in places with not atmosphere. Grunt looks pretty bad ass with his helmet on. For the most part, the other characters do not actually wear armour. Just clothes. Even less in Jack's case.

Hacking Systen: In Mass Effect, I thought the hacking system was pretty cool. It was not too hard and it was kind of interesting. Also, if you failed, you could always just spend some Omni Gel and unlock whatever it is. In Mass Effect 2, I thought the hacking and bypass systems were kind of cool at first but eventually they became very tedius and they take much longer to do than the Mass Effect ones. I actually got a mod that would auto complete them because I just could not stand them anymore.

Paragon/Renegade system: In Mass Effect, these choices did not seem as vital and you could more pick and choose your answers without completely and utterly screwing yourself over choice wise.Or it at least seemed that way. In Mass Effect 2, you pretty much have to choose the one path the whole way or balance them very closely or you are not going to be able to make some choices and you are going to get people killed. To me it just seems like your character is either pure good or corrupt as hell. But I like to be able to do things like be good but still take out Cathka at the gunship because how is that really bad when I am going to be shooting down like 50 people in a bit reguardless. Maybe it is just me but it makes the character feel rather one dimensional.

Exploration system/mining: In Mass Effect, you would select planets and click survey and you would find something or you would go down to the planet and drive around and find stuff. The exploration system in Mass Effect 2 was kind of cool. I thought it was interesting you could fly around and manually explore other systems but then there is the fuel problem which with my resource conserving nature, I did not explore far from the relays much. Also just scanning planets all day is very tedius. Although mining Uranus was a pretty hilarious addition.

Relationship options: In Mass Effect, you can romance two characters of three. Liara allows a femshep to go girl on girl which is nice. But the options are limited. Kaiden aside from not being interesting because I am a lesbian, he is not even interesting as a character. I never bother saving him because he is just kind of boring. Ashley at least has some uses. Then again she is also racist. But her character is slightly more interesting than Kaiden. In Mass Effect 2, you get a number of other choices. But Liara is no longer with you so you can not really go lesbian anymore because there are no other girl on girl options unless you go for Kelly but like that did not really seem like much of a relationship to me. Or you could go for Morinth but she is just using you and just kind of tries to talk you into letting her fry your mind and murder you so... It does not really count. I am not sure why but I tried it but I did try to do Garrus and he had a kind of adorable awkwardness to him. Which I guess is something. I tried all the others and they were kind of boring.

Crew conversations: In Mass Effect, you pretty much talk to someone one time and cover all their options once and they will never have anything new to say unless you hit some relationship mark or something significant. In Mass Effect 2, multiple characters seemed to have something new to say after each mission. Especially Joker. I would always go to him after each mission to see what he would say. It was always great.

There are many other things that I could add to this, like the sudden change in the controls set up of Mass Effect 2 from Mass Effect that is just a weird and less effecient set up that can not be rekeyed to work like the previous one or even in a different more effective manner because they now have keys overlapping and such and you can not split them. But this is already long enough as it is I guess.

Edit: I just read back over this all and realized how many holes I have in this. I mostly worked on it while getting ready for work over multiple days and forgot that I did not finish sections so several areas are missing a lot of content. Which is perhaps a good thing in some respects.