#anyway yeah the comic is definitely kind of a super zeroes sort of thing… and that episode def did this concept better

[bugeyedfreaks]

Have you seen the new ppg comics? I love these outfits they have on, especially Blossom ❤️

I have, I’ve been collecting them! I’m kinda meh on the characterization and stuff so far but they aren’t the worst things in the world, and I loved their little outfits in this one.

[in-tua-deep]

Ok I totally want to hear more about this survivors au/Delores is real! How do the siblings handle having this different version of Five? Five may be better adjusted but he still has to heard his family around like a bunch of stray cats. What happens when Hazel and Cha Cha show up? How do they find out that Vanya causes the apocalypse and how does Five handle that revelation?!

here is the thing, i think the survivors au has the potential to be HILARIOUS

no one knows how to handle a well-adjusted five, and this absolutely includes the commission

So you mentioned Hazel and Cha-Cha?? Five in this au was not nearly as absolutely feral as he is in the show bc he knows how to interact with people - he was raised by a competent adult and a weird best friend and they occasionally saw other survivors as well

please picture old Five hanging around the water cooler and chatting with Hazel

the other funny thing is that Five is competent passing - he is well adjusted emotionally but functionally?? Hazel is out there complaining about dental being cut and office parties and budgets and Five is there sipping his drink having never filed taxes in his life. Five doesn't know what the fuck a dental plan is, he was a child soldier and then lived in an apocalypse.

So please picture for me Hazel being like "okay I know corporate wants us to keep what we're being paid to ourselves but fuck that, workers unite, what do you get paid as a legend old timer?"

and five is like "you're getting paid? i get to not get tossed back into the apocalypse, I think"

"but what about expense forms? what about medical care?"

"I'm like 80% sure i'm being experimented on, actually." Five says nonchalantly, "Don't get me wrong, my idea of medical care is fucked by being a child soldier but I'm pretty sure regular people don't have electrodes attached to their heads every time they get a checkup. Could be wrong though! My ex-dad used to monitor my brainwaves while I slept so like, my idea of appropriate shit is fucked, you know?"

This is a Five who was raised by Rick, he is polite to his coworkers. If Dot asked him if he wanted to grab lunch, Five would have gone and grabbed lunch with her or politely said that he couldn't.

Cha Cha only ever talks to Five when she wants to talk shop, so they've had a couple of conversations about weapons but not much else tbh, Hazel just tends to be more personable

So when they're sent after Five, Hazel is much more hesitant to kill who he perceives as a "work friend" and also is definitely thinking about all the times Five casually revealed a way the commission was being highkey shady about him, such as the potential experimentation, no pay, working under duress etc. He's much more easily turned against the commission because he's even more primed to say "fuck the commission" than he is in canon

Hazel out here like "how did Five break his contract when Five wasn't even being paid? I kind of want to read it."

Hazel out here like "I would unionize if I didn't think the commission was anti-union enough to send literal assassins after me if I suggested it :/"

meanwhile with the siblings

Five just. talks over them a lot and makes so much sense that it's actually really hard to argue with him, and he's weirdly considerate of his family's obligations

Like Diego is like "i have to go see Patch" then Five is like "that's great I'm proud of you buddy, it would actually be really handy to have some law enforcement read into the situation if you think she's up to the task. that goes for everyone by the way! If y'all have people you trust, more bodies would be super helpful I think"

the entire family, collectively, who have like zero trusted social links: uhhhhhhhh

Diego, with this weird permission, probably?? Does? Awkwardly attempt to read Patch into the situation? Patch is, obviously, like "what the fuck, Diego" but probably goes with him to the mansion (????????) because she's concerned and then meets his fucking whacko family with their superpowers and suddenly everything is 100% more realistic

Five is just like "yes hello I'm aware I look like a child, i'm actually in my late 50s or early 60s (apocalypse time amiright) because of time travel stuff. Yes I am Five Hargreeves who went missing in like 2002 or whatever. anyway it's lovely to meet you, i'm so glad diego has someone he trusts, and considering my sibling's shifty looks when i told them to invite anyone they trusted this genuinely makes me concerned that Diego is the most socially well-adjusted of them."

"That cannot be possible." Patch says, like someone who has met Diego Hargreeves.

"You haven't met the rest." Five says sympathetically, "In our defense we were raised in isolation as child soldiers."

"That... explains so much." Is all Patch can say to that, "But you seem..."

"I'm adopted." Five waves away.

"We're ALL adopted." Diego grits out, very aggrieved by this and also not sure if he likes the fact that Patch seems friendly with Five, or at least is listening to him?

"I'm double adopted."

However! With the recruitment of Patch, herding Diego becomes like 90% easier.

Honestly the worst to herd are probably Luther and Allison? Luther because he's Number One and resents Five taking charge and also resents Five's casual dismissal of Reginald and also suspects that Five (or at least the commission) has something to do with Reginald's death?

Allison because she is torn between following Luther and helping him and helping Five but also calling Patrick and Claire at every possible moment while ALSO trying to repair her relationship with Vanya. She's flighty - she'd bail on a Five-apocalypse-assignment if Vanya mentioned being hungry or if Luther called or anything like that

Vanya likes to be included and, if asked, would probably drop as many current obligations as she can. Like she would probably cancel her teaching if Five genuinely and sincerely asked her for her help, which he does because he's 100% sure Dolores would manifest in front of him and smack him if he dared even imply someone without powers wouldn't be helpful

Vanya is like "I'm not sure if i'll be helpful - I don't have powers ):" and Patch is like "wtf are you talking about - my superpowers are Gun, Backup, and Reading Comprehension and i am like the most useful member of this team right now"

Vanya gets a confidence boost just from hanging out with Patch honestly, I think they should be friends

Klaus is thrilled to be included are you kidding?? He says he does it for money but he's just happy to be there and also as one of the most emotionally intelligent siblings he is mildly concerned about the fact that Five looks like he's about to cry and also emotes

Five also gives Klaus positive reinforcement, hugs, and Five absolutely weaponizes the I'm not mad, but I believe that you can do better and I'm going to give you more chances because I love you and fully believe that next time you'll be amazing way that Rick used on him.

I feel like Five ends up saying something along the lines of "I understand that x is really important, and we're definitely going to look into it. Is it something that needs to be addressed right now, or is it something that can wait until after April 1st? If it can wait, I can write it down here on this list so we don't forget. If it can't wait then we can figure out a time to address it and help you" a lot

Like Grace malfunctioning and potentially killing Reginald?

"We don't have to make this decision right now." Five says patiently, "Because Grace is a robot, we have some options. Living with a robot who is potentially malfunctioning and homicidal is dangerous, but Luther saying that means admitting that Reginald might have made a mistake or error with Grace's programming or upkeep. I haven't been here for a long time, but I remember Reginald being very precise. Regardless, this isn't a choice between permanently shutting her off or not. We can shut her down temporarily until we can fully address the issue. We can ask and see if there is a 'system reboot' option or some sort of system check that Grace can undergo. We can try find and hire an expert to take a look at her programming to find the issue."

Five gives this speech while like, organizing the weaponry in the house on a table very nonchalantly

Five out here making buzzer noises at his siblings arguments like "yeah no that's a false dichotomy and a strawman's argument, want to try again?"

(Look apocalypse nights were long and they had games that were literally about arguing pointless shit like ranking types of chairs or the best way to break out of a prison without powers and things could get heated)

"Who died and made you boss?" Luther demands.

"Uh, the world? Were you not listening?" Five asks, looking very purposefully confused.

It gets even MORE delightful when Five reads Rick into the situation because a) he promised and b) his siblings really have like, no connections jeeze

Rick fully believes that this is his son from the future, like Five introduced himself, but Five skipped out on a few key details. Such as being adopted.

So Rick spends a solid chunk of time just staring at Five, who looks basically nothing like him, trying to think like, who is his mother ???? if we save the world will Five stop existing? why would I name my child 'Five'? Does everyone have powers in the future? was there like... a radioactive apocalypse? would radiation give future humans superpowers? when did my life turn into a comic book? am i even allowed to ask these questions? will knowledge of the future fuck things up?

and then when Five comes back and is like "what is up everyone this is my dad Rick who will be joining us, he doesn't have any memories of me thanks to time travel but if anyone is mean to him i WILL kneecap them"

"Your DAD?"

Five does kidney punch Klaus for saying that Rick is a DILF but otherwise everyone just is like, warily looking at this Normal Dad Man in confusion because?? This is the dude who raised Five, who they watched take out like an entire commission team by himself yesterday? He looks so. Normal.

Rick is very confused and like, wonders if he's supposed to be the team mascot? But Five keeps involving him and asking his opinion and in return Rick enforces snack breaks and makes everyone sandwiches and has gentle talks with everyone

Every time Five notices someone about to blow he just lovingly makes sure that that person is alone in a room with Rick

Luther ends up crying on the sofa with Rick gently patting his back as Rick calmly states that Luther seems like he's put a lot of time and effort into his family and making his father proud and that since Reginald isn't here to say it, Rick will have to be the one to say that he's proud and that they've been dropped into a difficult and stressful situation - so soon after Reginald's death when they're still grieving! - and he's doing so well

Luther, experiencing unconditional positive paternal regard for the first time in his life: i don't know why i'm crying so much

honestly this is just a comedy of juggling the gang, having impromptu therapy sessions and discussions, investigating the apocalypse and the eye, leonard trying to meet vanya continuously and failing because she's constantly surrounding by family or rick/patch, the commission trying their best to bust up the dream team/isolate Vanya/kill or remove Five, while Hazel lives out his romcom dreams with Agnes and also says "fuck the commission"

[amazing-spiderling]

5, 6, 11, 23 🙃

What character that you’re writing do you most identify with?

Perhaps this is going to sound strange or narcissistic even... but whoever I tend to be writing at the time? ^_^;; Since I'm just writing for fun for myself anyway, I think I naturally gravitate towards creating fanwork for characters that I can empathize with on some level, or at the very least, explore the parts of their personality that resonate with me. I think that's why I tend to use some of the same themes or ideas (even if the plots are different) or come back to the same core characterization when building a story.

Four example, four of the characters I've spent the most time writing recently are Peter Parker, Wade Wilson, Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson. All pretty different characters, but there's something about each of them that pings with me. For Peter, it's that constant hum of anxiety he has about needing to be doing more, putting his own needs on the back burner to take care of others. For Wade, it can be feelings of outsider-ness, feeling like you have a specific value to those around you, but aren't needed outside of that. (And oof let's not get into body image stuff!) With Matt (especially TV characterization) there's the idea of having to be self reliant and doing everything on his own even when there are people around willing and ready to help. And then Foggy has that "only sane man" vibe a lot of the time, or at least what resonates with me is the feeling of having to keep a level head when people around you are having much more dramatic and unstable moments. None of these things are the SINGLE defining characteristic for any of these characters, but they are the things I think I tend to zero in on because I "get" it, and I think I'll be more effective at exploring those themes in a fic.

What character do you have the most fun writing?

Gosh... You know, I think probably Deadpool? Which is a shame, I don't think I do enough of it. I think it's just easier for me to make myself laugh when I'm writing him. I will go back during editing and go, "yeah, that's still funny" and it makes me smile.

What do you envy in other writers?

The ability to craft rich, lush descriptions. I think it just comes down to how my brain works. I think when I try to describe things (even in speaking) I fall back on the idea of shared experiences more than descriptive language. "I saw that sunset and it made me feel like (something relatable I can't think of right now)" as opposed to describing the blending of colors. I'm sort of having to force myself to do this now though, as I venture into the Daredevil fandom and have to try harder to explain things from Matt's point of view and how he understands things. I have definitely been overwhelmed while reading descriptions of things because I think, wow, in a hundred years with a hundred dictionaries, I would never have thought to describe mountains that way. But I think that's one of the neat things about writing.

What’s the story idea you’ve had in your head for the longest?

Gosh, this is dumb and it's been kicking around, I don't think I really want to write it anymore? Or if I did it would need some severe rewrites and an entire crew of sensitivity readers. But I wanted to write a comic book (or YA book? IDK) about a group of people who were "ordinary" in a world where basically everyone is augmented with some kind of super power, whether it's biological or cybernetic etc. It was like a rag tag bunch of misfits who all had various reasons for not being enhanced, but because enhancements are what are registered with the government, this essentially means that they don't exist. So they come together and form this little squad that operates off the radar to get shit done (mostly helping people that can't work within the system for reasons). They all had they own skills that would come in handy, but they were all things they had to learn and practice (although I remember a few of the members were neurodivergent but that helped them like a pair of twins with the same synesthesia that used it to develop an unbreakable system of code words between them and yes I know that's not how synesthesia works but also I came up with this idea like 20 years ago cut me some slack).

[purplesurveys]

755

Was your childhood wasted by something? It was wasted by the fact that I had to grow up faster than all the other kids so even though I kept up with all the trends, had all the cool toys, and knew which shows to watch, I still spent a great chunk of my childhood silently stressing out about stuff happening at home. Would you rather die during an adventure or die like a normal person? LOL ‘like a normal person.’ I’d want to pass harmlessly, which I guess is under normal. I’d hate to be killed by something that was meant to be an adventure, like skydiving gone wrong or falling off a cliff. Those would hurt exponentially more too, so no thanks. Have your parents ever put you on a diet? No, I’ve never had to be on one.

Have your parents ever tried to commit suicide? [trigger warning] No but one time my mom had a strange breakdown and verbally threatened me and my dad that she was going to do it. It remains one of the weirdest, eeriest few seconds of my life and I don’t really like thinking about it. Do you have a gag reflex? I don’t know, but I probably do. I haven’t...tested it lmao. Do you ever fantasize about trying drugs? No, fantasize is a loaded term. I think about the possibility sometimes, but I’m not obsessed with the idea of acquiring weed or anything like that. Have you ever put gum in someone's hair? Nope. That’s a hilarious prank to do to someone being shitty though, hah. Would you rather have sex before you're married or wait till marriage? I can be eitiher, I’m not picky about this kind of stuff. I've been having sex in my current relationship. Have you ever not gone to school, just because? I only did this in high school because my former school had events that I found irrelevant and that I didn’t want to go to. In college, if I wanted to cut an entire day’s worth of classes I had to have a very good reason why. Do you know anyone who can play the bagpipes? No, but lol this question reminded me of the Friends episode where Ross learned the bagpipes to play for Monica and Chandler’s wedding. Have you ever let someone hit you? [trigger warning] No. In the few times my mom put her hands on me I was always in the fetal position to protect myself. Do you own a hand warmer? A what? I’ve never heard of that but we don’t really need that here. Do you have friends in other states/countries? Used to. When I was in different fandoms throughout my teenage years I gained friends from North and South America and Europe; I also have Filipino friends from grade school and high school who’ve migrated to the US and Canada. As for locally, I do have tons of friends who came from different provinces/islands. My school has a very diverse community and we have students from all 81 provinces, probably. Do you ever pay attention during church? No, unless the priest says something ridiculous then I start listening to see how even more stupid his homily gets. Otherwise I’m daydreaming, fantasizing, and imagining for that whole hour. Do you have self control? Funny you should mention this while the song playing on my Spotify is Hayley Williams’ Sudden Desire which is precisely about self-control, hahaha. Anyway, it depends on the situation and how desperate I am for something. My self-control is probably the worst when it comes to food though; I’ll always end up picking up whatever I’m craving no matter how late it is, how far the restaurant is, or how much money I have left. Have you ever broke a window? Nope. When was the last time you freaked someone out? Idk maybe this afternoon when I was playing with my dog and squishing him and talking to him in all sorts of voices lolol he always looks so freaked out when I do it to him. Have you ever gone on a date with a weirdo? No. I don’t really do dates. Who's the last person you called a bitch? I’ve never called anyone a bitch directly, but I did call my mom that when she was out of earshot yesterday. Do you drink kool-aid? I don’t. Have you ever dropped something hot on your foot? No. I’d hate for that to happen, I’m scared of getting burned. Do you watch porn? Less than before, but yeah I do; though a big reason why I watch it less these days is because the government blocked a whole chunk of porn sites off of our internet networks at the start of the year haha. The content in the remaining sites aren’t as impressive as the ones I was used to, so I stopped watching. Have you ever missed someone you hated? Sometimes I’ll miss the good times I have with Athenna, but I just have to remember that her attitude never improved in college and I’ve heard other people call her weird so I’m guessing she still acts shittily. Is anyone in your family disabled? Yes, I have an aunt with Down syndrome. What do you want for Christmas? That’s a long time from now. It depends on what I need by December. How many moles do you have? I don’t know if I have some that I’ve never seen yet but I’m aware of 5 that I have. Do you make your bed everyday? Yes. It’s much more relaxing to come back to a neat bed after a long day. Do you know how to ride a bike? :( No I don’t. My dad is super encouraging though and will always cheer me on to try getting on a bike again every now and then. Do you own any comic books? I own a couple, from back when I wanted to get into comic books because my favorite wrestlers CM Punk and AJ Lee were both comic book nerds. I tried so hard to like them, but at the end of the day it just wasn’t my thing. What is the nastiest dare you have ever committed? Probably the time I dropped my siomai on the ground and a friend or two told me to eat it while the rest of my friends told me not to. I went with the unpopular opinion and put the siomai in my mouth only to feel the small dirt/rocks that have gotten on it, so I promptly spat it out haha. Do you know anyone who has been raped? I don’t think so. Are you an atheist? Yes.

Have you ever owned a goldfish? Yes, I had several of them as my first pets. Our old house was very crowded and chaotic and definitely not conducive to bigger pets, so my parents would get me fish so I can practice having pets.

Who was the last person to call you beautiful? Gabie, I think. How many times have you been stung by a bee? Zero. I run away from bees when I see one. What was the last flavor of gum you chewed? Spearmint, I think? That’s always the kind JM brings to school and I usually ask him for a piece of gum. When was the last time you used tape? February. My org was hosting an orientation for interested applicants in the college auditorium, so we posted arrows all over the building so guests would know where to go. When was the last time you said fuck? Ooh I’m not so sure. Probably last night when I had a video call with Gabie since I curse around her the most.

Have you ever stolen something? A pen or five, yep. What's the last movie you watched? Two for the Road. Who's the last person you watched a movie with? Just myself. But the last time I did see a movie with someone, it was with Gabie. Where were you yesterday at 5 PM? I was in the dining area, probably. Who would you like to kiss right now? MY GIRLFRIEND

When was the last time you had tic tacs? Ages ago. I don’t get to have it a lot. When was the last time you ate chicken? We had wings for dinner two nights ago. Who was the last person you told to 'Shut the fuck up' to? Probs Gabie, in a joking manner. Why were you last nervous? My parents were fighting last night and I heard some banging upstairs. Whose pants did you last take off? Again, my girlfriend’s. When was the last time you were disturbed? Also last night hearing that ^ Why did you last feel awkward? Been a while since I’ve had a reason to feel that way. When was the last time you got in a fight with your best friend? With Gabie, two nights ago. I haven’t had a fight with Angela in over a decade. Have you ever asked someone for a tampon? Nope, because I don’t use them. Who was the last person you read a book to? I don’t read books to anyone. Who is the person you say the most naughtiest things to? Hahahahaha. Dirty talk isn’t my thing but the last time was Gabie, probs three years ago when I tried it for the last time and still didn’t dig it. Who was the last person to send you a letter? I forgot the last person to greet me on my birthday... I think it was Patrice. How do you feel about war? Not a fan. Do you like cupcakes or muffins more? Cupcakes. Have you ever pushed someone on purpose? Just my siblings when we were younger. Have you ever slapped someone in the face? My brother, after he slapped me first. This was shortly before I stopped talking to him completely.

[magsdomino]

@bnha-rarepair-month

Day 20: Sweet

"I Love Rocky Road"

Ochako Uraraka stared at the menu with wonder and impatience. Her stomach growled, demanding a sacrifice. There were just too many flavors to choose from. Dairy might not have been as big in Japan once upon a time, but the young gravity hero absolutely loved ice cream. She loved candy. Heck, she lived sweets in general.

It was a perk of forming at UA. There was food courtesy of the epicurean crusader known as lunch rush and resident cake boss, Rikido Sato. Plus her best friend/ sort of crush Izuku wasn't too shabby either. Being a bit of a mama's boy helped in that regard, she supposed.

She had moved away from her parents to become a hero at UA, hoping she could bring in some money to help them out.

Alas, she was broke too, which brought her to her current situation. The rosy-cheeked brunette had just enough for a single scoop, but she also needed that money later in the week.

"Ugh. I shouldn't have left my birthday money at home" Ochako lamented. She could even visualize it, in her piggy bank, next to her book of constellations.

"Need help?"

Ochako turned with a gasp. The voice seemed familiar but she couldn't place it. The owner if the voce was a tall, muscular boy with messy black hair and an infectious smile.

"Oh. Wait! You're that sneaky guy from Ketsubutsu. The one who seemed super nice at first!" The eccentricity in her voice was palpable, as she felt herself on edge.

"Ouch. Fair I guess. Cool your jets, Zero G. Just out to get some ice cream. I'm just out for ice cream. Saw a girl who looked short on cash. What do you want?" He smiled.

Ochako's eyes narrowed, causing him to sign.

"Look. You first years at UA don't want to get too big for your damn britches, but we're all aiming to be heroes and you seem to be broke. Let me get this, then you can glare suspiciously at me later over whatever you order. Not in the mood to troll you kids anyway." A hint of smugness crept into the boy's smile.

The brunette pouted and exhaled. He was a jerk, but he certainly wasn't a villain. Plus she did want ice cream and this boy was offering to pay. Plus, he was kind of cute in a douche sort of way.

Ochako shook her head and pouted more, hoping to squeeze that last thought out. She was just getting over one crush. She didn't need another distracting her. Plus he wasn't as sweet as her last one.

"Right. Sorry. Thanks."

"Any time. Name's Yo Shindo, by the way. Not that it's easy to forget, rookie."

"Never heard of you. That ego seems recognizable though." Ochako huffed. "Ochako Uraraka."

"Well, Uraraka, be careful with those barbs. I'm buying your ice cream."

Shindo was enjoying this. He liked messing with people. This girl in particular was cute though, in an underclassmen sort of way.

"Maybe I don't want it if you're gonna make that creepy face."

"My face is not creepy, you pain in the...what are you gonna order? I already made up your mind."

"Right. Sorry. Thank you. You could be nicer."

"Pardon?"

"Nothing....OH!" The girl's face lit up. There were so many choices and combinations, her head was spinning like a planet. Once it stopped, it landed on one choice. She pointed to it, trying to curb her enthusiasm.

Shindo smiled. "Rocky Road for Uraraka. Good choice. Likin' you more, kid."

"I'm a year younger than you. You're a kid too."

"Still your Senpai." The black-haired boy rolled his eyes and took out his money, placing his order.

"Two rocky roads, garcon."

"My name is Keiji, Yo. We went to middle school. Please stop calling me Garvin."

"Nah. Hard pass. And give the McChef my regards.

Ochako rolled her eyes. She wasn't big on this sarcastic shitkicking. It was a bit mean spirited and not very heroic.

Then again, she knew some people with that personality type who would make great heroes, and her initial inspiration for heroics might not seem too noble either.

Besides, she was giggling. Oh god, was she actually finding this jerk...charming.

Nope. It was gratitude for the ice cream. Definitely that.

"Ok, space case. Ground control to Uraraka. I got your ice cream. You wanted it in a bowl, right?"

"Ack! Sorry. Yeah. Bowl is fine. Um, Shindo?"

"Yo."

"I can't. We're not that close."

"What the hell? Oh. Nah. I was just saying...forget it. Don't worry about it. Now enjoy your urarocky road, Uraraka. I gotta her. Got mine to go."

Hiding how flustered he was, the boystretched out and started to walk away.

His joke was corny and rudely delivered. He was like Bakugou, but worse in a way. Still, he seemed to pose as tact.

"Hey wait."

"What?

Ochako was grateful. Though his personality might not have been great, his actions were sweet and the younger girl was appreciative. She offered a hand, which he stared at.

"Thank you."

"Sure, no problem."

He went to brush off her hand, but she grabbed it again, blushing as she realized what she was doing. Ochako averted her eyes.

"Want to eat with me."

He could have lied. He could have said he had stuff to do. His school might not have been as prestigious as UA and its breakout class of distasterprone children, but he was working hard and had his own things going on. Unfortunately, his day was free. Besides, UA's freshmen were pretty impressive, he supposed.

"Sure. Guess I'll babysit."

"I liked you better when you put on the fake nice act."

"Too bad. You're actually alright, so you get stuck with the real me."

Ochako groaned. She supposed, however, that it wasn't all that bad. Shoveling the ice cream into her mouth, she was on cloud 9, and even Shindo couldn't help but genuinely smile.

"Sorry for being snippy earlier. I guess I was just hungry. You really are super sweet for offering to buy me ice cream."

"No sweat. I'll add it to your tab." He smirked. The girl nearly fell out of her chair.

"Relax. Man, you're so easy. Your name might as well be "Mark".

"Mean!" The brown-haired girl claimed, mouth covered in chocolate.

"Sorry. Couldn't resist."

(Sorry if this was rushed. I had the idea if a little Shindo x Uraraka date once and that one Shindo x Momo comic by @blamedorange rekindled it. I am better at writing than drawing so I decided to give this a go. Anyway, tomorrow will we a return to the gay. Fret not, my children)

[comicteaparty]

June 14th, 2018 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on June 14th, 2018, from 5PM - 7PM PDT.  The chat focused on Obelisk by Ashley McCammon.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

COMIC TEA PARTY START!

Good day everyone~! This week’s Comic Tea Party is now officially beginning~! Today we are discussing Obelisk by Ashley McCammon~! (http://www.obeliskcomic.com/) For those new or in need of a reminder, discussions about the comic are freeform, so please feel free to bring up whatever you wish. However, every 30 minutes I will be dropping in a discussion question to help those who would like a prompt. These questions are totally OPTIONAL to answer, and you can pay them no mind if you wish. If you miss out on any though, they’ll be pinned for the duration of the chat once they’re posted~! Remember, constructive criticism is allowed, but the primary focus here is to have fun and appreciate the amazing comics that the community makes~! As a bonus, each chat a top comment will be picked and featured in the archives and on an ad for CTP! All that being said, let’s get started and have a great discussion!

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

🌟Draco Plato🌟

The story has flowed so smoothly so far that it'd be hard for me to pick a certain scene as a favorite. I've really enjoyed the fluidity of the art, with it's beautiful backgrounds and very human seeming characters. Evie has been quite interesting to get to know so far and I'm looking forward to learning more about her as the story goes on.

Her hair has been particularly fascinating to me, I adore how it's drawn.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i appreciate how shes been drawn with a variety of hair styles and clothing. its one of those unnecessary details that can add a lot of life and make everything feel less like a video game.

but man the backgrounds. those are some heavily detailed backgrounds with a lot of love and care put into them and they really express the world so well

if i had to pick a favorite scene id pick when we meet margot. i really like the slight additions of red because something about the wispy way its drawn expressives a hint of...something sinister

🌟Draco Plato🌟

I really enjoyed that too, it also I think was the point where the real feel of the story came into play

and I think we really got a much better grasp on evie(edited)

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yes though for eve's character i enjoyed the current page aftermath a bit more. if only cause i like that she kind of had a really human reaction to being told to butt out of things that weren't her business XD

🌟Draco Plato🌟

oh yeah, for sure!

I'm really looking forward to seeing where the current story arc is heading(edited)

zestwitch

I love the whole comic so far but I gotta say the way the party scene was drawn is so memorable for me, the panel variation is so creatively done and makes each page feel so energetic

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I liked the scene where Eve was partly hung over and came into the kitchen and her brother regaled her with all the info off a casual remark. I think part of what made that stick too was realizing in the post-script how it was based on REAL history.

🌟Draco Plato🌟

the party scene was especially well done I thought too! Really captured the feeling of what being there would be like

zestwitch

The comic also has so many small details in the sidelines that make the world feel incredibly well rounded and rich like I can tell a ton of research was put into this and that makes me so much more excited about where it's going

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Speaking of how things are drawn, fascinating plan to really only have red be the outsider colour. Definitely makes certain things pop.

Yeah, I have no idea how much research was put into fashions and trends of the time period, but I have to imagine a ton.

🌟Draco Plato🌟

yeah i've researched that time quite a bit and you can really tell that the creator put a lot of work into accuracy

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Speaking as someone who has almost zero knowledge of the time period, I find I can still appreciate it.

In modern day, they'd be all over that concussion issue from falling off a stool.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i liked eve being hung over too just because how it was draw i think had subtle details other comics dont really capture when its depicted. like just the way her face is like "what is life i hate this damn sun why am i awake."

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Interesting how it led into the flashback memories too.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Oh hey there

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

hey super~!

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Glad to be here!

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yeah i thought it was interesting how the flashback memories were juxtaposed with that scene.

and how it transitioned to it

i also enjoy the hangover scene just cause i can relate to eve being partly aware of a thing but having no interest while the other person just rambles on passionately

and youre just like yeah okay

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

That may also be part of why I liked it. ^.-

I wonder if we'll meet this Alice.

🌟Draco Plato🌟

I really liked her hair and nightgown in the hang over scene

saetje

I agree the story flows so well it’s hard to pick a favorite scene- it’s also so early! But, if I’m honest? Margot’s introduction b/c dayyuuum

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

She did have a commanding presence.

saetje

my gay heart can’t handle her

I so appreciate all the research into costume and setting design as well! I simply adore period pieces so I appreciate the effort on that front

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Daww~

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

QUESTION 2. Throughout the comic we meet an interesting cast of side characters, from Eve’s friends to the seemingly criminal Peter Murphy to Agostino. Was there any side character that caught your eye, and if so why? When it comes to Peter and Agostino, do you think we will be seeing more of them? If so, in what way? Will Agostino’s interaction with Margot affect him in some dire way? What do you think will happen if Eve meets Peter? Why do you think Eve isn’t fond of her brother’s new fiancée? Are there any other character details you think the comic might explore?

saetje

I really liked Agostino’s reaction to Margot, it’s so foreboding. I most definitely feel we’ll be seeing all the characters that have introduced so far, again. I must say the story so far has so seamlessly and entertainingly set up many relationships, varied characters, and intrigue to delve into that it’s exciting waiting for what comes next!

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I admit, I'm curious about seeing Eve and Alice... wondering what it is she's not fond of, whether it's something about personality or just the way she dresses and talks to her brother...

saetje

I just feel like they’ve set up a lot of questions we want answered all wrapped up in a varied and entertaining cast

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Agostino may be all hypnotized now.

saetje

yeah it’s possible- going a sort of Renfield on us?

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yeah i do think weve got an interesting plate of characters going on here who are gonna have some future interesting and interactions with eve thatll take the story to unexpected places.

i really loved the way whatever happened to agostino was depicted

i can see why he freaked

though im really curious why only he was effected

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

I do want to add in this story looks like it could be fun as a live action flick, seems like it could work

especially for it's early 1900's setting

saetje

I could see it adapted fairly well!

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I'm pretty sure he was affected because it was his blood left behind when he moved the crate into the place initially. They've already got a sample of him.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Glad you agree, Saetje.

saetje

But the comic as the media for the story itself here is still done really well. I like how the author plays with visual narrative and panel flow

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Yea, it's done extremely well

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Interesting that the owners (possible vampires?) are into antiques. I'd figure it'd be something that they could collect more blood samples from.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

especially all the markerwork

saetje

Oh yeah. That was my take too, they already have some blood from him. But time will tell

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Though I guess if you've got all those children's toys left over from 300 years ago... ^.^

...Then again, they came overseas with only the one box. So idk.

Do you think all the sites being investigated are owned by the same group?

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

lol

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

To tie it back in, maybe that Peter guy is their broker.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

http://www.obeliskcomic.com/comic/chapter-1/p43/ OMG CUTE KID

Some quality family time. I hope everyone celebrating has a lovely holiday, and if not, I hope you have a lovely day anyway. I’ll see you all next week!

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

maybe it wasnt so much that it was a blood connection thing but in that the blood told margot hed been to the shop before and therefore wanted him to gtfo. since he helped with delivery.

on a different note i do want to say im in math's corner and super want to know why eve doesnt care for alice O_O

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I'm pretty sure she was gtfo-ing him, but I still feel like it was through the blood somehow.

Related to what SJ posted, maybe it's because Eve helped to raise her brother, and doesn't like that the status quo is being messed with? Though Alice could also be real shallow, who knows.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Perhaps

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Maybe Alice is also a vampire!

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

that could be. and again could just be personality. maybe alice just tried to get eve to do lots of thing eve wasnt comfortable with in an attempt to bond. or maybe alice aggressively tries to set eve up with ppl

the mystery increases!

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

The town is going to be completely taken over by vampires. Eve will be the only real woman left.

It's like that old tv show about the pod people.

draculing

(I will confirm or deny nothing but I love seeing everyone's thoughts and theories so far )

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Hey there!

Pleased to see ya!

saetje

Welcome! Thanks for the lovely comic

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

And thank you as well~

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Hihi draculing! I like tossing out crazy theories, don't worry about me.

draculing

Hi~ I'm in and out a bit but it's good to be here

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

also omg Marghot looks so handsome~

draculing

The comic is still so early on its cool to see that people are already guessing at stuff

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

thanks for being here draculing~!

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Eve will win Margot's heart by teaching her to ride a bicycle.

draculing

And yes Margot is the Most handsome

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

She is and I love her (edited)

Everything about her looks and personality(edited)

she's so(edited)

dandy

draculing

She's a lady ;D

saetje

Yeah Margot is actually I was under the impression Margot is female? Or they-them?

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Well that's not the first time I'vewgotten my genders confused

draculing

Margot is a butch woman, dw i definitely get that a lot

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

lmao

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Heh. Probably the pants, I don't think ladies wore them much, but I know little to nothing of the time period.

saetje

Ok well I love Margot as I’ve said throughout this chat UM I can’t wait for vampire intrigue romance adventures

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

heehee~

And I made it to the end of the story so far

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I get the vibe that Eve is into the ladies. The way she blushes sometimes, and is upset about not being married herself yet.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

It sure has come a long way since it first started~

saetje

I... completely read Eve as queer? She also hangs out with a cast of LGBT folks yes?

draculing

They wore pants (or bloomers like eve's bike pants) if they were doing sports or being tomboyish but it was still pretty rare and not looked on fondly

Actual men's clothing was not a thing for women yet except for in theater/music halls

saetje

Er- that being what her friend circle is/the party scene as about

draculing

Or yknow... gay circles

Yeah pretty much!

saetje

I appreciate all the research you’ve done into period clothing and setting!

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Oh really?

saetje

I really love horror/romance time periods and I love seeing all the different props and outfits

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Cool about the info. I'd ship Eve and Alice, just to be contrary, except we know they don't get along. Unless... that's just what they want others to think. (edited)

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

I was actually about to ask how much you researched 1900's/1910's society and such

draculing

I wanted to establish that Eve has a social circle of other queer people and they aren't miserable or self hating

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

ooohhhh

saetje

I really appreciated the party scene tbh

draculing

Cuz thats all we ever get from historical settings usually

With lgbt characters

saetje

Yes!

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

LGBT characters are always welcome

saetje

As a queer person it meant a lot to me

draculing

Yeah its really personal to me and I'm glad it resonates!

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

I'm pro-LGBT to the end.

saetje

Because I love time period pieces but so many gay romances or lgbt characters are so depressing in that setting. I enjoyed that Eve has a friend group that celebrated themselves and seemed happy

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

^

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

QUESTION 3. As Eve hunts down a lost property, she runs into the mysterious shop owner Margot who somehow bought one of her father’s properties. Who exactly is Margot do you think? Why do you think Margot has moved into the property now of all times, and why do you think Margot chose to run an antiques store? Why do you think Margot was so defensive about Eve’s questions (despite there being simpler, more polite answers as Eve points out)? Do you think Eve will continue to interrogate Margot for information, and do you think she will succeed? Do you think it’s even safe for Eve to interact with Margot given what happened to Agostino? Do you have any other theories about Margot?

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Margot is secretly a werewolf.

saetje

And I think it (the party scene) was a nice way to set up Eve as queer, it was, to me, obvious her preferences after the party scene without being voyeuristic or over the top of that makes sense? Just enough.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Seriously though, she must be part of some syndicate or something. To get that shop set up in so little time.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

I have a feeling it may have something to do with that ring.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Or the djinn/genie inside it.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

If it's not her well-sculpted legs

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Or those of the djinn/genie.

So, actually, it's probably a bloodstone or something. I wonder if Eve will research.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Maybe.

I never thought "bloodstone"

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Actually.... is it possible that Margot or her syndicate killed Eve's father in the first place?

saetje

I get the feeling there’s going to be some romantic Margot/Eve back and forth and I look forward to that, but I think ultimately Margot will be dangerous- or at least as it’s set up now, every storytelling sign points foreboding when it comes to Margot(edited)

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

"Sign over this property. Good, excellent. Oh no, you fell down a flight of stairs."

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i feel like if they were responsible theyd know he was dead and not have the reaction that was had over it.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Yea

Thankfully he lived

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Well, we only know Margot's reaction.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i definitely forsee eve pestering margot more. cause im willing to bet shes either 1) going to run into a dead end making margot her only option for answers or 2) shes gonna find peter and peter is going to make her super duper suspicious by saying things like "you dont want to know nun ya business."

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

"I'm not a nun!"

Eve strikes me as the type who might lurk outside the place to see if other leads show up. That could make Margot decide to just tell her stuff to get rid of her, since "just go away" failed.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

oh i hope eve comes back and is like "im here to buy something you cant kick me out."

but yeah. margot is....isnt doing a good job of making her go away. there were so many better answers then the shifty eye nun ya business XD

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

That would be a clever way of doing things too. "The customer is always right." To be fair, Margot was pretty nice up front too, remarking on how she should have heard someone come in... it's only the details of how they got the place that seems to have vexed her.

saetje

Maybe she WANTS Eve to come back I feel like Margot knows how to throw a line and reel em in with intrigue and mystery

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Also, did Margot arrive in the box? Or was she simply hired to deal with some other dude who now lives upstairs who is a vampire? Maybe SHE'S under control, thanks to the ring. And Eve frees her from the evil spell.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Maybe

The personality seems to hit at it

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

"Only a kiss can save me from this vampire ring."

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i assume margot was in the box. i think margot is too commanding of a presence to be someone elses mindslave.

and thats true

it could be margot wants eve to come back

alternatively maybe margot hires peter and peter tells eve its in her best interest to stay away or something might happen to her brothers fiancee O_O

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

There is that, or at least not be taken in quite as quickly as seems to have been the case.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

and eve will be like "great good thing i dont like alice"

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

"You don't want to kiss me? Oh, I guess I'll simply have to get Alice to do it..." "You wouldn't dare."

Eve's brother walks in and is all, uhhhhhh....

saetje

I get the feeling it’s going to be Hattie/Eve

I felt like that was hinted at too in the party scene?

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

That's possible. I admit I'm bad for the names, as usual.

Also, I like going for the improbable ships.

saetje

Hattie is the blond friend who took her to the party and there was a panel where it was like their hands almost touched/had been holding and left etc. just feels like it’s possible we might have a romance starting with Eve and Hattie with Margot in there messing it up. But again- so early rn hard to make predictions!

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Yea.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Makes sense... was she the one who opened the old wine?

saetje

Yes I think so!

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

'kk.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i would like to see more of hattie before i put my eggs in that basket. i feel of all the friends she was the one i feel most distant from sadly :"D even though i thought her design was snazzy

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Yeah, it could be a one way relationship there.

Maybe that's why Eve hasn't been hanging with them as much...? I think that was implied.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

maybe although i assumed its cause shes still not quite over her father's death

grief does take time

QUESTION 4. As we learn from Eve, some documents on her father’s properties seem to be missing. Further, he seemed to know possible criminal Peter Murphy and mysterious Margot. Why and how do you think Eve’s father got involved with such people? Was it blackmail, some sort of under the table charity, or something else? Do you think his co-worker Alex knew about the dealings, or was it something private to Eve’s father? If it’s the latter, why do you believe he’d keep it a secret? Do you think Margot’s shop is the only missing property, or do you suspect Eve might find even more? Even if Eve finds the answers to all these questions, do you think she can or would do anything about the situation? Lastly, do these missing properties have anything to do with her father being dead?

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Right, that's a good point too. Though you'd think that you'd want others to help console you.

Her father was apparently really good with records and bookkeeping. Maybe he was doing some work on the side that turned out to be shadier than he thought... the flashback seemed to imply that they might have had money troubles. What with Dad not being able to pay the nanny enough wages to keep her on.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

could be. it was implied in that scene that he was also a single father too at that point right?

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

It was, yes. Maybe the mother died in childbirth?

So Dad took on shady business deals to help make ends meet. Probably why he sold off properties and kept it all locked in that box.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

that seems very plausible for how he got involved. albeit alternatively, maybe thats why they have money troubles

is that he was secret selling properties for a low cost and had to cover it up so it wouldnt be discovered

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

True, hard to say which came first. Oh, that's a good theory.

Maybe Peter knows him... just went into business for himself after the death...

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Maybe so.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

peter and the dad were clearly best friends from primary O_O

im curious about his death cause i feel like it must have been unexpected? cause he certainly didnt clean up his affairs. in the sense that ya know he never said "eve by the way i sold some properties to vampires. surprise."

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Yeah, that's a good point. Things were left in something of a disarray at the business too.

Interesting how his daughter has been able to take over.

"She has a ... STAKE, in the business."

draculing

(Re: research question way earlier, I have a lot of 1900s fashion catalogue reprints and PDFs of 1890s-1900s sears catalogues!! I love.. clothing as personality.. so details are important to me)

Lmao niceee

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Oh wow, nifty. Is that part of why it's been set in the States, like that's where the catalogues are from?

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Oh nice!

That sounds like a good way to get research, all those old catalogues~

Make sure you keep em safe! I bet they'd be considered collectables in this day and age.

draculing

Nah I'm just from New Jersey ;; i grew up going into NYC and went to school there so I have a big attachment to the history and feel of it

Aw i dont have anything original sadly, it would be real cool if i did

saetje

I own a few Edwardian sears catalogues too and it’s such a treasure trove tbh. As I’ve said, I appreciate all the detail you’ve put into your costume and setting design. Every character’s clothing choices really does say something strong about them

draculing

Its also a good setting for like.. the immigration/othering themes often attached to vampire stories

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Aah

and yea that's understandable

saetje

Ohh that’s a cool take

draculing

It's not at the forefront of the narrative but each character's sort of.. class and life situation is involved in their design and that plays into it

Hopefully I'm not derailing the convo too much by jumping back to that!

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

That makes sense. Nope, just thinking theories over here.

Alice is secretly behind everything.

saetje

yeah we’re mostly just speculating based off what we have so far, it’s nice to get insight into the creation a bit!

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

nah your fine.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Seconding saetje

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I was also trying to think about when the New York World's Fair was, but it was like, 1939, so never mind. I don't know historical details.

draculing

I've had a lot of stuff where I've realized "wait this hasn't happened yet how weird"

Like... the titanic sinking

If my comic hits 1910 will it address that? We just don't know

*1912

saetje

is there anything like prop wise you’ve wanted to put in and then had to go “oh wait. Not invented yet”

draculing

Ohhh yeah for sure

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

XD

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Sliced bread?

saetje

Because I imagine there’s so many little things we take for granted now that they didn’t have back then

draculing

Or like.. finding references for very specific things??

saetje

Haha the bread point was too powerful

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Napples likes the historical bread.

draculing

Like "what does a cereal box in 1908 look like"

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

I'm curious now too lol

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Gotta watch out for cereal killers.

draculing

Its little stuff that gets you

A lot of finding the closest approximation and then winging it like "hopefully some big history expert won't swoop in and yell at me"

The historical fiction police

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Heehee

Gotta keep all your facts 100% authentic

(and accurate)

draculing

It's a worry even though probably no one minds at all

saetje

Because vampires sure are real ha but I get it! You really want that authentic feel

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Yea All that matters is your readers have a good time and enjoy the story(edited)

saetje

But yeah unless someone is just being pedantic I don’t think you’re going to get mobbed for a small historical mistake

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Anyways seems like we're heading into the final minute of the CTP

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

tbf tho does happen. historical fiction police do tear things apart but theyre in the minority. i think you do a really great job and pay more attention to detail than a lot of other historical fiction ive seen.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I don't notice such things at least. I enjoyed it.

Including the hairstyle, just to circle us all the way back. Nice crazy hair.

draculing

it's very cool and encouraging to see all your ideas about what's going on

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Anyways, thanks for the comic, Drac~! It was a fun read and I hope it grows nice and strong.

saetje

Fair fair. I just think people who call out details like that on indie creators are lame

draculing

Thank you for reading it!

saetje

And yeah! It’s a gorgeous comic!

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

^

saetje

I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Me neither~(edited)

draculing

Can't believe we already spoiled that Margot is definitely a werewolf, the whole time

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

COMIC TEA PARTY END!

Unfortunately, the scheduled Comic Tea Party time is now up~! Thank you everyone so much for reading and joining this week’s chat~! We want to give a special thank you to Ashley McCammon, as well, for making Obelisk and volunteering it for our reading queue. If you liked the comic, please be sure to support Ashley McCammon’s efforts however you’re able to. All that being said, if you would like to continue discussing this week’s comic, we highly encourage you to do so~!

For next week, Comic Tea Party will focus on Fate by Anthea West. As always, please use the next several days to read as much of the comic as you would like. We hope to see you next Thursday on June 21st from 5PM to 7PM PDT for the chat~! Until then, happy reading~! Comic: http://www.fatecomic.com/

[handstitchedcircuitboards]

Okay, I am totally digging your idea of the shimada dragons being eldritch horrors. How do they work besides being total agents of destruction? Can they converse with their hosts? Do they feel affection for them? Pls tell me ur headcanons. And hanzo having two dragons, oh boy. Is this still sticking with canon or is it veering off to au territory where the clan uses hanzo as a weapon? If we stick w/ the original timeline, obvs hanzo is still alive and kicking. But hes already nearing forty...

HELLO MY NEW FAVORITE PERSON PULL UPA CHAIR. YOU’RE LOOKING LOVELY, WOULD YOU LIKE  A DRINK?

So, I tried to explain some of thisin a fic about Genji getting his dragon, but it’s not done because it’s beingsuper uncooperative. Imagine that, Genji being uncooperative. Anyway.

The whole exercise was essentiallyme and my friend trying to figure out how the fuck blizzard gets off havingliteral magic dragons in their (admittedly al-dente) sci-fi universe, and yeah,I’m trying to make it not directly conflict with canon or the current timeline.Luckily canon is pretty vague about a lot, so I have a big sandbox to play in.If it becomes explicit lore that they’re literally magic, I invite Chu orKaplan to fight me behind the nearest Denny’s. I’m pretty sure I can take them, what I lack in height I make up for in sheer rage.

So, I looked at the dragons, andbeing a terrible person who loves sad things, my first thought was “Those definitelygive you cancer. That’s some high energy bullshit. These Shimada guys are turbofucked.” Next question, what the fuck do weird glowing cancer snakes care abouta random subset of the Japanese population? Well there’s something, probablygenetic because it’s only just them, about them that’s of interest, there hasto be. 

Enter, two of my favorite things,multiverse and aliens! This shows up a little bit in the Hellboy comics, Tanis, and The City at the End of Time(which should have been so much better than it was). Also, uh, cough, a fandomthat I spent waaay to much time in despite the many, many problems. Anyway, ifthe dragons aren’t from this universe and need some kind of conduit to comehere for Dragon Reasons, then the Shimada clan could be that conduit. Eitherit’s something about their genetics or something about the place they’re allliving, but something about these people made them more attuned to whateverwavelength the dragons are on. So I think the Shimadas themselves representthin spots between their universe and ours, with the Well being the crossoverpoint where it’s easier for the dragon and the host to entangle, and the entanglementlasts until the host dies. (Sidebar: That all grew out of the antenna model forontological dualism) (Sidebar: I think they’re only dragons because the ancientShimadas expected dragons so that’s what they got. They could be anything, and theyinhabit more than just 3-space. This is kind of the vibe I’m thinking of. If they’d shown up in medieval europe, they’d probably look like angels or saints.) It seemed weird to me that they’re just hereto kill. They could be eating people, or some facet of people (heat, electricalimpulses in the nervous system, etc.) but that seems super inefficient. There’senergy everywhere here, once the meat people let you in, why would you let thembe your gatekeepers? But that got me thinking, what if they’re here to getsomething and the Shimadas are acting as an antenna or foothold for them? Is theirkilling for the Shimadas more of a side effect? If they do need the Shimadas tobe alive, then it makes sense they would protect them.

Circling back to multiverse for amoment, what if their universe is dying, undergoing its heat death?  They seem to be beings made of energy, atleast partially, (pulling from CatEoT, there were beings there whose minds transcendedmaterial form and were fucked whenthe heat death began.) Point of interest, there are supervoids in our universethat just seems weird. Fun fact, Earthis in the largest supervoid known to science, the KBC Void. What if the dragonsare actually here to strip mine energy and entropy and take it back to theiruniverse to keep it alive longer? A heat death is just the end of alldifference in energy levels, so if they’re stealing more energy from here tomaintain differentials to keep going, that would be a reason for them to behere that isn’t a weird crush on the Shimada clan.

Okay, but, uh, they’re killing thehosts. They give them cell-degrading radiation exposure when they manifest, becausethe Shimada doing the summoning is at ground zero for a second, roasting alive.Well, I don’t think the dragons actually grok that point! They’re beings madeof energy, and I think they mostly view the Shimadas as a web of heat and electricalimpulse and chemical activity, but I think very few of them understand them asconscious creatures because the way they think is so divergent. It’s like wonderingif your car has feelings. It’s real damn complicated, but is it thatcomplicated? Maybe, but probably not. So, like when your car squeals and you dosomething to fix it, that’s kind of like what the dragons are doing when themantra is repeated. But in using your car, you are damaging it through wear andtear, and that’s what the dragons are doing through repeated summoning. TheShimadas understand this as a kind of tit-for-tat, obviously the spirits wouldwant something so their lives must be it. And if this all started in prehistory youcan’t really blame them, when the conceptual framework for talking about the multiverse scientifically is so recent.

I don’t think they communicatelike humans do, through body language, touch, and vibrating the air withspecialized organs. I think they communicate feeling and intent more directly, probablywith energetic impulses. So, the mantras that the Shimadas recite (which varyfrom person to person) act as a sort of trigger or alert. Thinking about specific thingsexcites parts of the brain in a specific way, and there is some low levelelectric current involved. If the dragons learn to recognize that, kind of inthe way we recognize our phones have low battery because the meter changes,then they manifest and attack to protect their host. If the host dies theylose their foothold in this universe, so they do what they can to keep them alive.I don’t think the Shimadas grok that this is a side effect, I think theygenuinely believe them to be spirits. (My understanding is that a thought likethat wouldn’t be out of line with Shinto. A very devout Christian would believein angelic interference, for instance.) I do think the dragons recognize otherhosts, and try not to attack them generally if they’re in the line of fire, andthat the dragons, after a while, learn to pick out what their host thinks of asfoes. So, Genji’s dragon wouldn’t attack a friend (let’s say McCree is standingbeside him, providing covering fire) because it’s learned that the kind ofattention Genji is paying McCree is good attention, but will attack the guyjust as close trying to stab Genji, because that’s bad attention. It does takea while for that to set in, and some dragons are less discerning than others.

They can, however, learn to ‘talk’.They mostly just don’t bother. It’s a pain exciting the aural nerves in theright way, learning what the right way is, and they usually misinterpretfeelings when shared directly and dump a bunch of cortisol and freak out. Imaginetrying to learn to talk to your cat. (Spoilers for a fic I may never finish, Ithink Genji’s does talk to him. I think Genji has a very close relationshipwith his dragon, and that is basically unheard of. He’s a natural adorcist andlearned more from his dragon that the clan had in hundreds of years. Genji’sdragon is enamored with him, and Genji with her. It’s part of why he’s stillalive, she shielded him from a lot of the damage Hanzo’s dragons would havedone and shunted a lot energy away from his vitals because she learned from himwhat to protect. Genji would probably have just been burnt to a crisp if she’donly been on the offensive. She also helps soothe some of the phantom pain bypulling strings in his nervous system.)

(Okay, this section is pretty dark.)

Hanzo’s dragons think there’ssomething wrong with him. He keeps hunting down other hosts, making it harderto do their work, and keeps getting damaged. I don’t think Hanzo thinks hedeserves to do the honorable thing and kill himself directly, but I do thinkonce or twice he’s thrown down his weapons to let someone kill him, right afterGenji. His dragons won’t let it happen, they come on their own and attackeverything around him. They do not trust his judgement, and they’re harder forhim to summon and sometimes come when he doesn’t want. They don’t understandthe family politics that when into attacking Genji and then attacking the others,they think he’s just a malfunctioning machine they have to put up with.

(Uh, that’s over)

So, with two dragons, I do think theclan wanted him to be their weapon. I think, in the lull after the Crisis,there had been a kind of status quo with the various yakuza clans and Sojirowas content to maintain it. Others, now that they had a WMD in their pockets, wantedto expand territory and influence. Sojiro was like “HARD FUCKING PASS” and as long as he wasalive, he prevented Hanzo from going on more assassinations than necessary, and kepthim to more administrative things, even if that meant doing more work withdragons himself and dying faster. (Sidebar, I think the assassination thing iskind of a secret. Only people in the know would ask, and they don’t take money,they take favors. Money can be tracked. Favors can’t. Only the family is involved at any stage of planning orexecution. The client families and client organizations and random mooks haveno idea, because the rest of the clan’s business is grey market brokering or smuggling.) That’s also part of the reason the elders were so adamant Genji getin line, because if Hanzo died young they needed him to take charge. Sojirokind of let Genji be a useless fuckboy because it would keep Hanzo safer if hewas the only viable heir. It broke his heart to do it, because it ruined hisrelationship with Hanzo and the brothers’ relationship with each other, but hewasn’t going to bury Hanzo. Hanzo never puts it together, he thinks his dadjust liked Genji better and he wasn’t a good enough leader to bring him in line. Genji didn’t fuckingcare, because he was a spoiled brat, but kind of kens the truth in Nepal afterhaving to sit down and actually sort through his life and his choices.

So, because Hanzo has fuckeddirectly off, he’s done less damage to himself with the dragons than he wouldhave otherwise, but he’s still getting sick. (For a long time, it was a realworry of Genji’s that Hanzo would die before he could kill him. And then, whenGenji forgave him, that’d it’d be too late.) Nobody in the clan actually doesanything to fucking TREAT the cancer, because they think it’s part of somemagic bargain. The dragons do not fucking care if you get chemo, Genji knows asmuch. So, Hanzo’s bought himself some time by running away (and killing otherShimadas by being sneaky rather than dragon fights when he can, since hisdragons are flaky, per the dark paragraph.) If Genji can bring Hanzo to Dr.Ziegler, she can absolutely get it under control. (He’s probably got someconcerning nodules, but not full blown malignant tumors in all of his him.) Hermethodologies could absolutely target and destroy cancerous cells and repair thedamage, if Hanzo will accept the treatment. So he’s not doomed, if he doesn’twant to be. (He’s trying to race liver failure and cancer on his own though, soGenji needs to get the lead out if he’s gonna put out this tire fire.)

I think I answered most of yourquestions? I love talking about this, so if you weren’t clear I’m happy toelaborate! Please forgive any spelling/grammar fuck ups, I wrote this all downkind of stream of consciousness.

[katsu-sauce]

Tanaka Minami WUG Blog: 08/02/17

Title: Eternal Blue...

Foreward: Hey guys, so I translated Minami Tanaka's latest blog post and a majority of it is about her time spent at the FGO 2nd Anniversary event. As some of you may know, she also hosts the Chaldea Radio program with Rie Takahashi and they are both known to be pretty avid/hardcore fans of the Fate franchise. I'm a beginner translator and there may be quite a few discrepancies from the source text, but I hope I'm able to convey the emotions that she felt when she attended the event. 

Hello, it’s me Minami!

So the first week of the month has already arrived!

On the 28th of July, Wake Up Girls had some R&R! Airi, Nanami, and I went over and played at New Minna no GOLF! I never played mini-golf before but I had tons of fun anyways! In the beginning I was doing splendidly well in 1st place, but during the second half I had no idea what was going on!

Then on the 29th and 30th I got to attend the Fate/Grand Order 2nd Anniversary celebration event!

On the 29th: The Chaldea Radio Stage Show started at an early 10am, however so many people came to watch the event, especially on Nico Nico! Thanks to all the people who made it!

The guest that joined us on the show was the voice of Arturia and Anne Bonnie from Fate/Grand Order, Ayako Kawasumi-san! Our first guest of the show really was the best possible one! ✨

During the Gesture Game I felt pretty confident since I’ve been playing with Passion Lip a lot lately. I thought I expressed her pretty well. It was a such a short time on stage, about 30 minutes, but I was so happy to hear that ArchTuria came home (to Kawasumi-san w).

I stayed till the end of the anniversary event while watching it from under the stage but… THE FGO STAGE PLAY PORTION WENT BY SO FAST! It really felt like time was accelerated! Rie-chan screamed “I NEED TO GET THE BLURAY FOR THIS!!!”

Finally with the last stage event, Fate Memorial, I could hear the gates of Heaven calling my name… Once Zero and Unlimited Blade Works became connected, his story began… If I ever have the time, I need to look back at it all. Yup, I really do love  UBW Shirou’s hotblooded battles.

All in all, what seemed like a dream before became a reality with this stage event. But wait there’s still one more day left! What to do?!

Then came the 30th:

Our guest for the Chaldea Radio Stage that day was the seiyuu for Arjuna, Edmond Dantes, and Fujimaru Ritsuka, Shimazaki Nobunaga-san! Finally! FINALLY! I was able to talk a TON about Fate. However, it was really unfortunate that there wasn’t enough time to talk more! There were so many more things I wanted to hear too. I’ll definitely make sure to talk about the things I wanted to talk about on the next radio show!

The FGO Chaldea radio show! I feel really blessed to be a part of it. I was so nervous when I first appeared as a guest, but regardless I’m glad I was able to share latest information with you all! Even though I was a nervous wreck, I’m glad Rule Breaker blessed me with its magical effects.

After the broadcast I was able to pull Sherlock Holmes! As soon as I saw Holmes’ Noble Phantasm animation, I screamed like a little girl. In addition I drew another 5 star servant with a 10 pull, Davinci-chan! I was so glad to pull 2 Servants with amazing Noble Phantasms! But honestly, the hype from the FGO Stage Play still persisted especially since Davinci returned to me in some shape or form.

Now that the news has been revealed I can finally talk about Swimsuit Nitocris! Yaaaaaaaaaaaay! I’m happy! I’m so so happy!!!! I honestly didn’t expect such amazing news! I’m also really looking forward to Nobu and Maid Saber Alter! I wasn’t the only one that thought that Maid Saber Alter was reminiscent of that one episode of Carnival Phantasm, haha.

The last day of the FGO Memorial Stage... It really was wonderful…

Even after the event with the FGO Radio Stage show, I couldn’t stop the tears when looking back. While on the train back home, I was listening to Eternity Blue (FGO ED song) and the lyrics really made me cry. I’m so glad to have come across this amazing franchise called Fate, and pour so much love into it. Being able to talk about Fate for 2 days with everybody just filled me with so much emotion that I couldn’t stop the tears.

Here’s just a portion of these wonderful memories!

I also had the pleasure of getting inside the Fate/Apocrypha itasha car! Ahhh what a moving experience! The time to have made use of my driver’s license finally arrived! Check out Nitocris’ formal clothing! It’s so cute!

I told myself I wouldn’t talk about the FGO Radio show again, I do apologize. However, I do want to say that it was an incredible event! It was so much fun! I’m so thankful!!

And then… At that same day and location, Run Girls, Run made their debut! I really wanted to see them ;_; It really didn’t seem like Coco-chan’s, Yuuka-chan’s, and Nanami-chan’s first time on stage. It really was an impressive stage performance! We haven’t met in person yet but I sent them a comment video. I sure hope they were fine with it.

But I really hope I get to meet and talk with them soon~! I really wonder what I can do for them. I never thought there’d come a time where I would become a senpai. I really want to know more about them! You guys do as well right? I really hope to meet with them during after-recording sessions! I’m really looking forward to the next project! I’m really curious to see what kind of relationship Runga and WUG will have.

That’s that for that day! It really was packed full interesting things!

In another mobile game, “Tenka Hyakken”, I took the role of Onimaru Kunitsuna. She seems cute and innocent, but she’s insanely strong! She’s one of the Five Heavenly Swords. Even as a UR, she’s still really mind-bendingly strong! Ahh, I really hope to save my gems and be able to get her on my next pull. Her story is such a tearjerker too. So brave and gallant, while adorable at the same time! And when she removes her eyepatch?... Well, I hope you’ll listen closely to her shouts when performing her deadly special technique!

Also in ANOTHER app game, “Seisen, Excalibur!” I took on the role of Fiola. She’s different from the other character I played, Perseus. Fiola is sort of an airhead but also a sweet and lovely girl! She must be protected! So yeah, she’s that type of girl heheh~ I encourage you all to try and get her! ♪♪

So I completed my last day with the WUG All Nighter broadcast special! My last time with the show was just with me talking by myself so it was sort of lonely! However, I did enjoy myself to the very last minute. When I first started doing the broadcast special by myself, I thought I’d have some trouble trying to come up with things to talk about. Now that so much time has passed, I hope to think that I’ve maybe grown a little with that experience.

On November 23rd, WUG will be performing at Animax Musix 2017 Yokohama! Yo yo yo YOKOHAMA~~~!!!! I’m so overjoyed (TT_TT) Yokohama Arena… Amazing… As a person from Kanagawa, this just feels like a dream. I’m so glad I’ll be able to set foot on the stage of Yokohama Arena! Even though we’ve performed so many times in Tokyo, I’ve always felt some longing to do so in Kanagawa. Since this’ll be during the next chapter of WUG’s journey, I hope lots of people will come to see us!

The first chapter of Wake Up Girls Eternal Senses manga has also been released through Comic Clear! I hope you’ll read and enjoy it!

On August 5th, TV MX will be broadcasting the first episode of Kakegurui with special commentary by the cast! The special will include, Hayami Saori, Tokutake Tatsuya, and myself! Even though it’s supposed to be an organized TV special, I still got to talk very eagerly. I hope you tune in to hear what I had to say!

This Friday, Jurassic World will be broadcasted! And I got to do a voice over role of a girl in the movie! It’ll be a super tense and exciting 2 hours! I hope you have an exciting time watching it!

Finally, next week I’ll be joining the internet broadcast program, FIVE STARS, in order to promote the release of the new Wake Up, May’n single! The host of the program will be Date Arisa-san, who I’m looking forward to working with!

Alrighty, this weekend WUG will be having their tour through Sendai, so it’ll be super busy! I’m looking forward to having a fun time with you all!

-Minami

Source: https://ameblo.jp/wakeupgirls/entry-12298173537.html

[onestowatch]

Q&A: How A R I Z O N A Found Success From The Studio To The Stage

Photo: Jimmy Fontaine

“We’ve just been doing it for other people. It hasn’t worked for them, but the minute we did it for ourselves, it started to work,” chuckled Zach of A R I Z O N A as we began chatting at Lollapalooza. Funny how that works, right? To give Zach’s quote a bit more context, let’s rewind and share a bit more about A R I Z O N A’s background. 

Zach Hannah (vocals), David Labuguen (keys), and Nathan Esquite (guitar) of A R I Z O N A came together by complete happenstance during their college days in Boston, a time when all three performed for various bands and produced for other artists. They casually chose the name A R I Z O N A, added the spaces for comic effect, and continued to create the catchy indie electro-pop style they’d always owned--with zero expectations of the success that was about to come their way. Signed to Atlantic Records and Artist Publishing Group in 2016, it became clear that the trio was onto something special as listeners and fans came rolling in the hundreds of millions. The whirlwind continued in 2017 with major festival slots at Governors Ball, Lollapalooza, Firefly, and Hangout Festival, plus the announcement of a headline tour in the fall. All the while, A R I Z O N A have maintained an air of humble confidence, claiming that ultimately, “We were the dudes who created those records that gave them to people to go play on stages and for us, we’re just driving the vehicle now.”

Get to know the band in our exclusive Q&A below, where we discuss David’s relationship with the Jonas Brothers, Nate’s Pop-Tart obsession, Zach’s artists to watch, and more.

OTW: How has Lollapalooza been so far? What are you looking forward to seeing here?

Nate: I’m super super super stoked for Arcade Fire. That’s like the biggest reason I’m even coming Sunday. I’m so stoked to see them; I’ve been trying to see them for years.

David: Lolla’s been good. It was hot yesterday, then it rained at night, and now it’s cold, but it’s allowing me everything I want to wear, so I’m cool.

OTW: You like the warm clothes?

David: I think I do best in Fall. Fall’s a good season--this is a little fall vibes, so I can wear something a little heavier.

Zach: I wish I had gotten the memo, because I would have dressed differently.

OTW: How was your guys’ set?

Zach: It was good. A lot of fun. Big turn-out, big party. It was just more than we expected, and it was awesome–everything about it.

OTW: Are you noticing more fans turning up and singing your songs?

Zach: I mean, yeah, as time goes on, we notice a natural incline of that. It’s also hard to gauge at the festivals, and that’s what makes them so cool. At venues you can kind of see the size of the rooms, and festivals sometimes look one way and end up being another way. I think the main thing with festivals is that everyone’s always there to have a good time, so it always ends up being one big party--always.

OTW: So you guys first came together in Boston. How did that happen?

David: I was going to school at Emerson college. Nate and I met in church one day. Nate went to Berklee, and the next school year we were roommates. Zach and I have known each other for the better part of 12, 13 years now, so Zach would come and crash at our place. He would eat Nate’s tortillas, and at some point, we all started making music together, so that’s kind of how it all started. But that’s not how A R I Z O N A started; that’s just how our group dynamic started.

Zach: We were producers, so our job was to make music for other artists. That was what we did for a long time--producers and song-writers.

OTW: What kind of artists did you produce for?

Zach: Literally everybody. I lived in L.A. for a long-time. Nate came out to live with me. Dave was back and forth. We were all back and forth quite a bit. We kind of got our start--like that’s a weird story…

David: I grew up with the Jonas Brothers. Their dad was my pastor. So, one of their songwriters took us under his wing. So that’s how Zach and I got started, and then Nate came into the fold, and we were all living in Boston.

Zach: Years after the Boston thing, we were in L.A., and during a long down period of not much going on, we just made some music just by ourselves for fun. Just to be like, “ah whatever.” I was literally going to become a history teacher. Dave was working at Al Jazeera news network. Nate and I were living together in England at some point. There wasn’t really much going on, so we said before we totally give everything up, let’s just make a few songs for ourselves, and it’ll just be fun. But that ended up being the thing that went online and this is what happened. It was really weird.

OTW: Did you start with this sound or did it evolve?

David: It’s funny, because people who knew us when we were producing for other people were like, “You have been doing the A R I Z O N A sound forever. Like this has just been you guys.”

Zach: We’ve just been doing it for other people. It hasn’t worked for them, but the minute we did it for ourselves, it started to work. It’s weird.

OTW: Why A R I Z O N A?

David: Iced Tea was taken.

Zach: Funny enough though, during that time when we started to make those songs for fun, we had one or two of them and we were FaceTiming between LA and Boston. We had a FaceTime call about this one record we made called “Let Me Touch Your Fire.” It was our first song, and we were like “Oh this is fun, this sounds cool. Who is it for?” It’s for nobody. And that’s when we had the idea, well maybe we should make more of these and maybe we could make it a “band.” It was like a really, really funny idea for us. So much so, that we had been so strung out on being in the industry that you just get so sick and tired of taking everything so seriously after awhile. So, Dave was like, “Bro it doesn’t matter what we call it. No one’s going to hear it. It’s never going to be a thing, so you call it whatever you want.” And Nate on FaceTime happened to be wearing a hat that said Arizona on it, so he said yeah call it Arizona.

OTW: Did it have the spaces?

Zach: No, no no. Furthering that joke, we were just like, “Yeah we can make it look hipster. We could space it out. It could be cool.” Dave does all of our design anyway. He’s our visual artist guru. He made it look really cool, as a joke. And after we got done laughing, we just kept it. It was something we just liked. It was the spirit we appreciated about it.

OTW: Do you think spaces are the new not having vowels?

Zach: [laughs] Those are two very, very dumb things.

David: That was something that passed through our minds for a split second. I was like if we do A R I Z O N A without vowels, but with spaces..it was too much.

Zach: It would just be like R Z N. Like, “What’s the name of your band?” “R Z N, it’s pronounced Arizona.” It’s a dumb thing people do these days, and I think it’s just something we like to make fun of in a “don’t take yourself seriously” way. It’s tongue in cheek for sure.

OTW: You released your debut album, GALLERY, this year. What was the process for it? Were there any themes that bring it together?

David: We started out on a course to write an EP, and when we got to the stage of presenting all of that, we were working with our A&R and our label very closely and collectively decided to do an album. Because we didn’t have some high-concept album, we actually named it GALLERY. For us, all these songs have real touch points in our lives, and so it’s us on display.

OTW: What kind of touch points?

Zach: Everything that’s happened the past ten years of our lives. We have enough momentum, we have enough material to do it, we should make a full album. It made sense on paper all across the board in everybody’s mind. But for us, it was a little bit more than that, because we went from taking this huge scary step to becoming the ones performing, singing, and playing on the song. We’re not going to make it for other people-- it went from making one song ourselves in the studio, low-key after-hours, to us making a whole album. And that’s the intention, everyone’s intention--“you guys are an artist and you’re going to make your whole album right now.” It was just an opportunity for us to look back at the ten years that had just passed and view it in a different way, third-person, and take those experiences and reshape them in a form of creation that was completely brand new for us.

OTW: Is that an amazing feeling?

Zach: It was a lot of things, obviously, but that’s how this past year unfolded. It was just going through the motions of dealing with that, and at the end of it we came out with GALLERY.

OTW: And are you working towards a second album now?

Zach: Oh yeah.

David: It’s been considered. [laughs]

Zach: We’re definitely not not making music. It’s what we do. We make music.

OTW: You’ve been playing some pretty major festivals. How has the live side been?

David: It’s funny, because we’re so used to being on the other side of the glass or the other side of the soundboard, so we’ve been coming into our own since the top of the year. I think if I look at how I was performing at the top of the year, I’ve gotten a lot less stiff on stage--that’s for sure.

Zach: Same.

David: For Zach, especially. Nate and I grew up in church playing live music, so we had a little bit of experience, and Nate had a lot of hardcore bands.

Nate: Yeah, I grew up playing in a ton of bands, so performing wasn’t new for me at all, but Zach--his first performing in front of other people was with A R I Z O N A.

Zach: Yeah, I don’t want to see those videos. [laughs] It’s funny, but it’s become something that you love, because the love goes straight to you. It’s one thing to see the numbers, like oh ten million people on Spotify, it’s a crazy number, but at the end of the day that’s sort of a disconnect. But when you’re standing in front of those people that are like shouting your lyrics back at you--a bunch of dudes who never imagined themselves being those guys, and then being those guys, it’s an odd feeling.

OTW: Does it make you feel more confident as a person?

Zach: No. I think I speak for most of us when I say I don’t think it affects our confidence as people just because we know what it is. We were the dudes that created those records that gave them to people to go play on stages and for us we’re just driving the vehicle now. So, it doesn’t help your confidence as a person; I think it just makes you feel nice. It makes you feel like, “Wow there are people that actually care”--you just have to find them and go talk to them. It makes the world a little smaller, that’s all.

OTW: Nate--we heard your fans bring you Pop-Tarts. OTW: Any flavor recommendations?

Nate: Brown cinnamon only.

Zach: That used to not be my favorite, and then I was converted. I used to love the s’mores one. I still do like those, but the brown sugar cinnamon has an emotional connection to me.

Nate: It’s a classic, clean favor.

Zach: It’s a staple.

OTW: What do you wish for the future A R I Z O N A? How would you define an ultimate success point?

Zach: World domination.

Nate: I think if we ever sell out a room and every single person there brings us Pop-Tarts, then we’ve succeeded.

Zach: Also, world domination as supreme galactic chancellor.

Nate: Also, owning Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts. Re-invent breakfast.

OTW: Who are your Ones To Watch?

Zach: Kaytranada.

David: The funny thing is I’ve been on such an old-school kick lately, like super old-school, so I’m like, “Ah what am I listening to that’s up-and-coming?”

Nate: I’ve been really, really into Warpaint lately. They’re pretty up there already, but I still love them. Fickle Friends. Joan.

Zach: I was just going to say being here at Lolla helps us, because we get to discover, cause we’re so trapped on the road, in the basement sometimes making records, being out here and discovering is what we love too.  

Photo: Jimmy Fontaine

[dorkforty]

So it’s time to get back to the funnybooks. After two weeks of talking movies, I’ve got a nice little backlog piling up, including the conclusion of Heroes in Crisis, the beginning of the end for Ed Piskor’s X-Men: Grand Design, and new issues of Stray Bullets and Criminal. But first, the comic I enjoyed most from the last two weeks…

The Green Lantern 8 by Grant Morrison and Liam Sharp

Y’know, just about any issue of this book is likely to be filled with ridiculous fun. But this one… Holy crap.

From the cover alone, you know you’re in for a wild ride. This issue is an homage to the classic Denny O’Neil / Neal Adams run of Green Lantern / Green Arrow, complete with Liam Sharp doing his best Adams impersonation throughout. But once you start reading the actual story, you swiftly realize it’s WAY crazier than that.

First, we’re introduced to Hadea Maxima, a (possibly other-dimensional?) hell-planet inhabited by a race of space demons for whom murder is not a crime, but an accepted cultural norm. One of the leaders (I guess?) of this place is a demon space-mobster named Lord Brotorr (!), who’s very very angry that rival demon space-mobster Glorigold DeGrand (!) is cutting in on his profits with a new drug that’s connected in some way to Earth. So Brotorr orders the murder of not just his rival, but also of THE ENTIRE PLANET.

Cut to Earth, where Green Arrow’s dealing with a deadly new street drug that leaves its users in a blank, zombie-like state. Green Lantern shows up to help, and we’re off to the races. Before it’s all done (without getting into too many spoilers), we’ve had twists, turns, psychedelic trips, drug dealers in pointy black hoods, and what may be only the second-ever appearance of Jack Kirby’s Xeen Arrow (the Green Arrow of Dimension Zero, which is of course an other-dimensional world inhabited by telepathic super-giants).

It is complete insanity, a frothy mixture of Silver Age goofiness and 2000 AD attitude that somehow manages to maintain the heroes’ dramatic dignity while still playing things for laughs. It’s a tightrope walk of an approach, and it’s not easy to pull off. Too far one way, and it all gets too cute for its own good. Too far the other way, and you’ve got the idiocy of a Rob Liefeld comic. But when you hit that sweet spot in the middle, you’ve got a potential classic.

And though it’s not perfect… Though sometimes Morrison’s scripts lean so far into dream logic that they don’t quite make sense even as comedy… I’m leaning toward this being a classic.

Immortal Hulk 18 by Al Ewing and Joe Bennett

Another classic in the making is Al Ewing and Joe Bennett’s Immortal Hulk. This one’s been gathering quite a buzz, picking up readers as it goes along, to the point that the early issues (which had low-expectation print runs) are now going for a pretty penny on the collector’s market. I’m sure the prices will eventually level out, but it’s nice to see a comic going for big bucks on the basis of actual reader demand, instead of the usual “it’s worth this because we say it is” reasons for that sort of thing.

The buzz it’s getting is deserved, too. Al Ewing’s horror take on the character has been quite a bit of fun. It dragged a bit during the Hell storyline a few issues back, but otherwise this has been great stuff. Joe Fixit (aka the gray Hulk) recently reappeared, and this issue we discover that he’s been in control of Banner’s body for quite some time. It’s not entirely clear how long, or what he’s been up to, but he’s definitely had time to amass a little money. And grow a mustache.

As the story moves on, we also get a crazy new version of the Abomination WHO HAS A FIST FOR A FACE.

So, yeah. This one’s a lot of fun, too. Not as good. But a lot of fun.

X-Men: Grand Design: X-Tinction 1 by Ed Piskor

My favorite X-Men book since Grant Morrison left in a huff has begun its final chapter here. If you’re not familiar, Grand Design is Ed Piskor’s attempt to cover the history of the X-Men as if it was all one long story that was planned out from the beginning. The first volume covered the original series, and the second covered the first 100 issues or so of Chris Claremont’s long run.

This time around, he’s really got his work cut out for him, because he’s covering what might be the absolute nadir of the Claremont run: the Trial of Magneto through Inferno. This was the period when I started losing interest in the book, and finally stopped reading it entirely. These stories left a bad taste in my mouth that’s still lingering 30 years later, and I found that I didn’t enjoy revisiting them any more than I enjoyed reading them the first time through.

Piskor does his best with them, though, condensing and conflating events in a way that streamlines some of Claremont’s more over-extended plotlines, and completely skips the more forgettable stories in favor of the stuff that continued to have repercussions down the line. His one misstep in that regard, I think, is the short shrift he gives to the Trial of Magneto, which I’ve always though of as the real climax of the first half of Claremont’s run. But I suppose that ultimately had more of an impact on the New Mutants book than it did X-Men proper, so maybe he was right to only mention it in passing. This is really Storm’s issue, and he rightly focuses things on her character arc (which might be the one really interesting thing from this period of the book).

Still. Holy crap. The latter two-thirds of this issue is concerned entirely with demons and Mr. Sinister. And just when you think you’re done with the demons, MORE demons show up. It’s interminable. And there’s only so much even Ed Piskor can do to save it.

Still, though, I have high hopes for the next issue. Because I have no idea whatsoever where X-Men goes next, and I can only think it would have to be better…

Ed Piskor’s Grade for Trying Hard:

Chris Claremont’s Grade for Writing Such Execrable Source Material:

Heroes in Crisis 9 by Tom King and Clay Mann

On the one hand, it’s comforting that this book died the way it lived: telling a story that I liked in some very important ways, but hated in others.

On the other hand… DAMMIT, Tom King! Why do you have to be so good and so bad at the same time?!

I don’t care enough to go into great detail on what I liked and didn’t like in this final issue. So I’ll just hit the highlights. On the down side, King engaged in some time travel shenanigans to change the solution we already saw to his locked-room mystery, and that feels like a cheat.

But on the up side, that cheat gives us an ending that’s messy but life-affirming, rather than neat but tragic. And that ending, unsatisfying as it is from a narrative perspective, feels very real. Because life is often messy and unsatisfying. “Nothing ever ends,” as Alan Moore once told us. But this ending also fits the book better than the neat ending would have. Because the ending we got (Wally West lives) offers a chance at healing and a hope for redemption. Which is what Heroes in Crisis has been about from the outset.

So I suppose I shouldn’t complain.

But I do.

Because, dammit.

Stray Bullets: Sunshine and Roses 41 by David Lapham

With the Lodger side project over, David Lapham gets back to his (or maybe my) first love, Stray Bullets. And, holy crap, things are really getting out of control.

click to embiggen

It would take far more time than I have tonight to explain the vast web of plots that are coming together here. So suffice it to say that the entire huge ensemble cast, which Lapham has spent the last 40 issues meticulously establishing, is finally converging, and I have no idea how any of them are going to survive.

Except that I know most of them do.

Because this entire series essentially takes place between issues seven and eight of the original Stray Bullets series, published more than 20 years ago. And I know what happens afterwards. In most cases, that would take some of the… excitement, I suppose… out of seeing how it’s all going to end. But not here, really. Lapham’s done a sufficiently good job putting this story together that, even though I know that Beth, Orson, Nina, Spanish Scott, and so many other characters will be surviving this bloodbath, I want to know how they’re gonna do it. And then there’s a handful of other characters who seem conspicuously absent from future events, and I’m dreadfully worried about all of them.

Or, if not worried, per se, at least really curious.

Because honestly… Annie probably deserves whatever she’s got coming. Unless, of course, Lapham finds a way to make her fate even worse than I can imagine. He’s good at that…

Criminal 5 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

This fifth issue begins what Ed Brubaker has said will probably be the longest Criminal story arc to date. Which is a little weird for a series that he’s also said would feature more short pieces. But Brubaker’s a criminal at heart, as we’ve already learned, so you kind of have to take his proclamations about this book with a grain of salt.

Anyway. This new arc’s called “Cruel Summer.” It’s set in the summer of 1988, and it involves a private detective being hired to find a woman, but getting in a little too deep. Pretty standard noir premise there, and though the story’s well-told, I won’t tell you that Brubaker and Phillips really offer that much in the way of new twists on it. Where things get interesting is at the end, when Our Hero gets whacked on the head with a wrench by none other than Teeg Lawless.

That’s the same Teeg Lawless around whom every story in this current volume of Criminal has in some way revolved. Or if not revolved, INvolved. Even if it’s only in a spectral, influential sort of way. And next issue, we’re told, is all about Teeg. And, I would presume, this mysterious woman we meet this time around.

Which is just a really long-winded way of telling you that this story’s much like all the others in this series: clever, well-constructed, and more complicated than it looks on the surface.

A Walk Through Hell 10 by Garth Ennis and Goran Sudzuka

Garth Ennis’ searing look at the horrors of the Trump era continues, with an issue that calls into question the value of empathy when you’re dealing with people who have none themselves. It is not a cheerful or especially pleasant read. But it is a compelling one. It questions liberal values even as it presents the rich and powerful in a very ugly light. While it’s clear who the biggest monsters are, it doesn’t let anybody off the hook. Which is horribly unfair, but there’s also a grain of truth in it. Maybe more than a grain. Maybe. Probably. Maybe.

It’s into that opening of doubt that Ennis shoves his pry bar, and starts applying pressure. And that’s where the real horror comes from. This is a story about evil men taking advantage of people’s doubts. But they have those doubts for a reason, and sometimes that’s enough to break them.

And that is Hell.

Or at least, that’s my reading of the book at this point. I withhold the right to change my mind in light of future evidence.

And on that cheery note, it is time to bid you adieu.

Xeens and Things: FUNNYBOOKSINREVIEWAREGO!! So it's time to get back to the funnybooks. After two weeks of talking movies, I've got a nice little backlog piling up, including the conclusion of Heroes in Crisis, the beginning of the end for Ed Piskor's X-Men: Grand Design, and new issues of Stray Bullets and Criminal.