#honestly it ties into the whole concept of teammates

[mcytegg]

anyone else ever think abt how each individual lifestealer struggles in some shape or form w the concept of vulnerability and feel like eating a lush bathbomb . or is it just me 🥹

[shiroi---kumo]

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ He can't say he's not concerned and the more Kain speaks - the more questions he asks - the more the engineer's heart starts to seize a little on his chest. What does he mean the Maken is chipped?

If the Maken is chipped then - Kumo is - then Kumo's soul is - Oh no.

"Yes, Kaze is tied to the Magun like Kumo is to the Maken. Almost more so I think. It's complicated when it comes to Kaze. The Magun is his heart and it's integrated into his biological system. It can't be removed from him in the same way Kumo could possibly be separated from the Maken."

A pause as he thinks about the concept entirely.

"Not that I ever would. I can only imagine the consequences Kumo would suffer by doing such a thing and I can't imagine any of them would be good."

There's a sign and shift and he ne da to think about this. The Magun could - did it repair itself? It was broken at one time, yes - but it doesn't seem to be now. Did that have anything to do with Kaze's ability to be in the same room with Kumo without the man growling his name and brandishing a gun in the Misterican's direction on sight? It had to.

Kaze's calmed down so much since their face off against The Earl...Kumo on the other hand seems to just keep slowing down physically with each and every new injury a little more each time.

And now he's got a report that the gem at the Maken's hilt is chipped. He can't bring himself not to think that such a thing doesn't have anything to do with Kumo's new found inability to stay awake. He's been sleeping so much in recent days...

He knows the swordsman wants to help the Amestrians but he needs to take care of himself too.

He sighs again.

"The Magun was broken once, yes. About a year or so ago when we first met Kaze. The Magun couldn't be fired at will. It hence has seemed to have repaired the issue on it's own but Kaze's temperament has changed drastically too.

You see when we first met Kaze he was obsessed with finding Kumo for reasons we still don't know but he was so furious with him and he would call Kumo "his mortal enemy." He spent that whole year trying to kill him. Kaze would get crazed whenever Kumo would show up.

But within the last year - ever since they fought The Earl, Kaze's been different. He seems very subdued when it comes to Kumo now and over the course of the last year they've become practically glued at the hip. Kumo follows Kaze around every where and Kaze hasn't made any move to be violent against him. In fact it's the opposite. Kaze gets defensive and aggressive if someone else is aggressive to Kumo. He doesn't take well nowadays to Kumo getting hurt or killed. It's a complete 180."

And he doesn't know how to explain it. He doesn't know what part of him changed so greatly that he is no longer shoving the barrel of his shotgun in the swordsman's face at every given opportunity, but something changed and he assumes the Magun being in working order has something to do with it.

Something major.

There's another sigh as his shoulders fall and he thinks about it. He can't say the Maken can repair itself - he honestly doesn't know. He doesn't even know how the Magun did. So he doesn't want to give him false hope but he also doesn't want to tell him all the wild thoughts that are running through his mind at the information of the Maken's gem being chipped.

"Honestly, I don't know." He explains. "Far as I know, the Maken's never been chipped and I didn't even know it could. So I'll have to ask Kumo about it. Truly, thank you for telling me Kain. I - I'm worried too." '

||| @forgotten-teammates

The comment about tech makes Kain laugh a little, for just a split second. He understands exactly what Cid means there.

"I mean, objectively, it can get confusing - we've got a million abbreviations and most of those are made of jargon anyway, right?"

Kain takes in a deep breath, letting it out in one huff against Cid's chest as he waits for the explanation he's not sure he wants.

Well, if anyone gets it, Cid gets it. Kumo can say he's immortal all he wants but Kain still knows he can feel pain. He has a working nervous system and a conscious mind and so therefore he can still suffer just the same. Cid doesn't want his friends to be hurt, Cid says it does something to him and Kain finds himself silently agreeing.

And maybe there's a limit, maybe Unlimited isn't entirely an accurate word, because if Kumo is slowing down... if Kumo is not healing quickly, if he is intrinsically tied to the Maken-

"... Does... does the Magun work like the Maken, Cid? Is it part of Black Wind just like the Maken is part of Kumo?"

He never said he wouldn't tell anyone about the condition of that blade. He never promised that. And even if he had, it's something he'd be willing to break right now because if the Magun is still in perfect condition then something is deeply wrong and he needs to tell Cid about it. He can't just let Kumo get hurt worse and worse and worse.

"And- and is it... damaged like the Maken is? Because... because I... Kumo left the Maken alone with me for a minute, and there's a chip on one side and... I'm really scared about it. Does the Maken heal itself too?"

There was no denying the presence of that blade, contained in brilliant crystal. He had never believed in any specific deity, not truly, until he had been left alone with her. And though he is not made of Mist, though Lady Tiamat is not over the domain of people like him, he has thought of her and worried for her every night since then. He did not understand whatever was conveyed by her while he was reaching for the handle, but that chip... is she hurting too? Is Kumo in pain?

He can barely stomach the thought. Hopefully Cid will have a better answer, but... he's starting not to think any of Cid's answers right now are good news.

"I'm worried too."

[dittomander]

What Pokémon do you think the four amigos would start with

hey anon? I want you to know that this is literally one of my favorite asks i've ever gotten. I love it so much I'm answering it twice - once on the assumption that we're restricted to actual Starter Pokemon, and once selecting from any unevolved Pokemon:

Starter Pokemon Only

Gabe, Mateo, and Naomi: Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie, respectively. the Kalos starters' final forms are based around the concept of the fighter/mage/thief trio, which I'd say fits the vibes of the amigos minus Elena pretty well. the typing also fits - Naomi with a water starter is kind of a gimme, and the more grounded Gabe vs. the more impulsive Mateo with grass and fire respectively also works well (as does Mateo's starter having a type advantage over Gabe's, given that whole S3 arc with Gabe struggling to keep up with his magical teammates)

Elena: honestly, gonna go with Fennekin as well. like she was obviously gonna get a fire type starter, and I tossed around the idea of some of the fire/fighting types, but none of Torchic, Chimchar, or Tepig really feel very "Elena", and I tossed around the idea of Litten bc of her affinity with the jaquins, but I think Fennekin is the best bet here. She is still primarily a spellcaster herself, after all, and with Fennekin being based off a fox, it can also serve as a visual reference to Zuzo. Also, I do kinda like the idea of all 4 of them getting a starter from the same set, and if any of the amigos were to pick the same one, it'd be Elena and Mateo, let's be real here.

No Restrictions Apply

Naomi: oh, Eevee, easy. what better Pokemon to tie into an arc about indecision and trying to figure out what you want from life than the manifestation of choice paralysis? Just take her season 3 arc and add in "oh no what do I evolve my Eevee into" as a metaphor and boom. (Vee votes Vaporeon, btw.) Also, giving her a normal type that can end up as virtually any type works well with her being the party's token "normal" person, just a girl from the port, that often tends to have whatever random skill is needed to solve the problem-of-the-day.

Gabe: he. he literally has a horse named "fire". Ponyta. but that's such a gimme, so I'm gonna toss some others in the hat. I considered Honedge since, y'know, sword, but a ghost sword is also pretty much exactly what El Guapo is, and Gabe definitely didn't start with that. Growlithe is another possibility - in the Pokemon universe, Growlithe is used as a police dog, and Gabe's family is shown as having a dog in Team Isa. And honestly, I could see the argument for still Chespin, actually, since if anyone in this party could have the whole array of every possible unevolved Pokemon available to them to start with and still end up with one of the more "standard issue" starters, it'd be Gabe, and I do think that Pokemon fits him. Catch me in the club, building an entire team for him at this rate lol. But critically, not Treecko. Anything but Treecko.

Mateo: as the party's resident barrier boy, a more defense-based psychic type seemed like a good fit. my first thought was Wynaut, since what are Mirror Coat and Counter if not ximocu, but Pokemon moves? But I think I'm gonna lock in Mime Jr.. It might not learn the former two moves, but that line is still based around set-up and shielding, it ties in with how Mateo is more prone to mirroring and mimicry than the other amigos, and it makes his being a clown in Elena's dream that much funnier. (I could also argue Abra, since I think it'd be cute if Alacazar's grandson started with Alacazar's Alakazam's grandson.)

Elena: Riolu! In the absence of fire, giving her a fighting type feels right (especially since it picks up a steel typing later and her particular brand of fighting involves swords), but far more important are its dex entries. Riolu and Lucario are incredibly loyal, have a very strong sense of justice, and can both sense other people's emotions and project their own, which both just vibes with Elena's personality and also honestly seems like a Pokemon that'd be really good and grounding for her to have around. And then the aura thing - in the games, it's just the emotion sensing thing and the move Aura Sphere, but in the anime, aura use also manifests as the ability to interact with special aura-using objects and supernatural awareness of ones' surroundings, which I feel like Elena's "seeing ghosts" thing would fall under. Basically what I'm saying is that in a Pokemon crossover, Elena would aura-sensitive, so giving her an aura-sensitive Pokemon makes sense. Oh yeah also in the 8th movie a Lucario got trapped in temporal stasis in a crystal for a really long time so....

...although really, Elena can start with literally anything but the Hattrem line lmao

[daandyli0n]

y’know what? random p0psy enderman lore time!

(some of this could be tied to the dsmp in some way)

-endermen are typically between 8′0″ and 11′3″. the average height is about 9′7″ (from what i can find). this would technically mean that c!ranboo is either just slightly below the average height (8′5″), or Very below the average height (6′7″). it depends on which one you believe is canon.

-endermen, design and somewhat behavior-wise, are pretty much just weird anthropomorphic cats.

-enderspeak is their language.

-endermen have slits on the side of their mouths. this is where the jaw unhinging can happen. usually these are closed. they can open these up when eating larger amounts of food or when screeching. they can also unhinge their jaws to yawn. it looks like even more horrifying cat yawning.

-endermen are omnivorous. they can also eat almost anything without any disgust, pain, or added side effect.

in the end, their natural diets are endermites, chorus fruit, and, if they can manage to get them out of their shells, the shulkers.

in the nether, almost anything is fair game honestly: warped fungus, nether wart, crimson fungus, the shroom lights, and even porkchops from hoglins (typically given to them from piglins)

in the overworld, they pretty much eat whatever players eat, but with the added bonus that their diets are a lot more...varied than a normal Player’s.

endermen who have become Players typically use this ability to shock and horrify their other Player friends. they have picked up silverfish and swallowed them whole while maintaining eye contact. they just eat spider eyes like they’re nothing more than berries while their teammates look like they’re about to have a stroke. they just casually eat rotten flesh without so much as making a look of disgust and without the added effect of hunger. the most normal thing they could do is eat a raw fish that they had just caught whole while not even batting an eye.

and yes, i do like to think that c!ranboo has done this to his friends before. just ate random stuff to see how much they can scare people. it works almost every time. c!tubbo and c!tommy have gotten used to it at this point. no one else has, however.

-endermen have great memories, and an enderman who has memory issues is seen as odd. hybrids, while it is still rare for them, are more commonly born with memory issues.

-related to the above point; enderwalking. enderman hybrids born with memory issues are typically born with another condition known as enderwalking. while the exact causes aren’t known, what is known (to endarians, at least) are the symptoms. occasionally, when they are stressed, anxious, or even sometimes while they are sleeping, hybrids will suddenly slip into a state where they behave similarly to a semi-feral enderman (basically, they still act like a regular person, but they still seem to run on other instincts; they want to protect family members, they get even more irritable when stared at, etc.) while normal Players haven’t exactly figured this out, endermen have figured out a way to get hybrids to work in harmony with their condition. basically, you try to activate a hybrid’s enderwalk state when that hybrid needed help with memory. this would eventually make it so the hybrid’s enderwalk state is more easily controlled and that the hybrid could switch between their states more easily. of course, that’s only if the hybrid is raised for most of their life around their enderian parent. if a younger hybrid were to, let’s say, get seperated from their enderian parent from a very young age, then they won’t get to learn the skill.

i’ll let y’all try to figure out how that applies to c!ranboo

-endermen, similarly to piglins, have absolutely no concept of gender. they don’t even have concepts similar to gender roles. they do, however, know about pronouns (or, at least, the concept of how they work).

-there is another species in the end, known as the [redacted]s. they’re like endermen, but much shorter and unable to teleport. other skills they have is that they have the ability to touch water, they can’t be burnt in fire/lava, and are immune to most types of negative potion/status effects (with the exception of weakness, harming, and wither). it’s like they’ve gotten more protection to stuff than endermen, but at the cost of physical strength, height, and teleportation. oh yeah, they’re also much fluffier.

-OH YEAH, ENDERMEN ARE ALSO CRAZY STRONG. THEY CAN LITERALLY RIP SOMEONE’S ARM OFF WITH NO ISSUE. THIS IS WHY FIGHTING ONE IS VERY DANGEROUS.

-oh yeah: they also just. go very fast. not only are they fast on two legs, but they can also just start sprinting even faster on all fours.

-ender pearls function as the heart and soul of an enderman. they also hold the teleportation powers and strength of an enderman.

-in the nether, the warped forest vines are known for creating symbiotic relationships with dead/dying endermen by helping keep them alive.

-the amount of fur an enderman has, as well as their general style, depends on where they’re from.

in/from the end: long, flowing robe-type clothing, as well as having long hair in braids. their fur is also typically longer. they look regal.

in/from the nether: piglin-esque clothing, but in more warped forest colors. they might also have warped vines covering their body. their hair is either very, very short, or insanely long hair that might occasionally be in a ponytail. their fur is obviously going to be very short, but they’d also have dark teal markings. they look meaner, in general.

in/from the overworld: in general, it typically depends on climate/location. how they look depends on where they are/where they lived.

-endermen give birth to their children by laying eggs, which then is birthed into a slightly furry infant (think like how a platypus works).

-the [redacted]s and endermen are very friendly with each other. the type of hybrid c!ranboo is actually very common in the end. not in the overworld, obviously.

-endermen like holding blocks. it’s comforting.

-endermen actually do know how to hold weapons, and can learn to use them very quick. even quicker than a player even.

-the only reason that endermen as a species aren’t considered Players is because they don’t have inventories. upon getting an inventory, they are then considered a player.

that’s all i have off the top of my head. if you have any questions, let me know.

[djsherriff]

Here’s redesigns of the other 3 new warriors , more in depth comments under cut 

B-negative is now Blood Saint!

When he was born ,instead of being a bundle of life ready to take on the world, he suffered from extreme blood due to complications from the labour, meaning he had to have a blood transfusion.

Though unaware at the time, doctors actually used the blood of a vampire to save his life, causing him to become a living vampire of sorts. (So yes he can still age)

It’s his life long mission to learn who his mysterious blood donor is and master his dark powers, but it would be much easier his parent stopped bugging him about him wearing 4 layers of leather in the summer and his loud music. “augh , my parents are the REAL blood suckers around here”

You’re probably curious why he would go by “blood saint” , well besides sounding cool, it’s also a bit of irony for him.

See , unlike other vampires Saint can actually heal people when he bites them rather than turn them, which also works cause he actually can’t stand the taste of human blood (no matter how much he loves to push the brooding vampire aesthetic), he eats foods like any other kid his age, though his diet consists of more meat than the average teenager.

Besides that , he has the standard vampire traits like turning into a bat, weak in sunlight , can’t stand garlic , you know like the classics!

Artist comment:

Since Marvel has a bunch of other vampires they rarely use, I rewrote his backstory a bit so he wasn’t tied to a well known superhero , as well as have a chance to have more original vampire characters in the marvel universe.

The only thing I really pushed design wise was tone down the red/pink and use it more sparingly throughout to make it pop more (hence his hair colour being changed), as well as add a few more punk aesthetics to it such as spikes.

I imagined that his your standard punk teen who trying way too hard to rebel against everyone and everything besides what he personally likes, you know the “its not a PHASE mom” kinda teenager. I thought it be hilarious if besides the vampire thing he has going , his got the most normal home life outta everyone on the team and thus the most “boring”. Yes he totally makes up ridiculously tragic backstories for himself when meeting strangers , his a complete drama queen and is definitely a theatre kid.

Speaking of hilarious, I also made him the team’s medic with his healing bite, cause I also thought that was funny and also a great opportunity for both good comedy and some good character development for him.

His greatest character flaw is his tendency to overdramatise EVERYTHING and he needs to learn that sometimes , life is that simple and that’s not a bad thing.

Trailblazer is now Void Caster

Void Caster is a young teeenager from a family who regularly travels through the universe to explore the wonders and to gain a living , though her mother decided she needed to stop having her head up in the stars so much and return to Earth- literally.

She comes from a long line of space witches : witches ...... but in space! The deeper history is that her ancestors were witches who came into contact with aliens and decided to use their magic to explore beyond the world of earth , which lead to a brand of magic that’s more “sci-fi “ aesthetic than its earth counterpart.

Thanks to a life full of space adventures, Void Caster is what most people would describe as “quirky” as she very new to a lot of concepts on earth , like selfies! She always has a smile on her face and a sparkle in her eyes, though those sparkles can be seem almost forced sometimes. But she generally curious to the world around her and always open to learning new concepts!

You wouldn’t think it , but Void Caster’s seemingly mundane mother has a lot more in common with her daughter than either of the two release, though what remains a mystery.

Void Caster main ability is to create worm holes to transport to one place to the other, which is the main form of transportation for the whole team, she is also capable of making items shrink and grow whatever size she wants and effect gravity of those said items. The limits of her powers though is that she can only effect the size of an object as long as she can see it without straining (so she can’t turn people into the size of an atom or make someone be big enough to sit on the sun) she also struggles to change her own size (she’s very self conscious of it) her portal powers also have a similar size limit (she can’t make a planet size portal but making one a size of a tank would be possible, but straining for her)

Artist comments:

So with Trailblazer’s redesign I could’ve went with one of two options:

Make her a Native American and very likely make her a stereotype due to my lack of knowledge on the culture.

Or

An obvious Dora the Explorer knock off

I went with making her an obvious Dora the Explorer knock off , with a bit of a sci- fi twist to her. Her hair being a short bob is an obvious nod to Dora, as well as sticking with a pink and purple colour scheme which was also a way of ditching the all neon palette she originally had.

While she still has pockets , I completely ditched the bag all together and instead made it so she had space themed powers instead. I went with the weird idea of “witches but from space” since I didn’t want her to be a mutant as there were already 3 mutants on my redesign of the team, but adding onto the weirdness I also made it so her style was more “quirky” in comparison to her teammates , as well as stand out as the leader of her team.

I like to think that she’s a very outgoing girl but doesn’t grasp social ques all that well and usually ends up feeling like an annoyance to people when she tries to connect with others, though she also struggles with her more negative feelings and tries bottling them down to avoid bothering people , only for those feelings to explode at the most inconvenient time.

So naturally her biggest character flaw would be that she tries too hard to please people and fit in and that she’ll have to learn that she can find friends without sacrificing her own quirks, and that expression negative emotions isn’t a burden to anyone.

Screen time is the worst so I made him Brain scan

With the others I made in depth backstories and such for them as well as some notes on their rewritten character.

But here I didn’t, I honestly hate screen time , his the worst character outta everybody if you ask me and the first I would throw off a cliff if given the chance.

This is less of a redesign and just me making up a straight up oc here cause what the hell is “internet gas”???

Soooo uh, Screen time is now brain scan.

His an autistic kid who spends most of his time online cause his power of telepathy makes it extremely difficult to be around people. He learns to control his peers and socialise more

I’m sorry , that’s literally all I could do here.

(If I do turn these redesigns into my own ocs, I would 110% make “him” a “she” ;) )

[logo-comics]

Hood Collection

I found myself wanting to illustrate the development of Miss Hood as a character, so here are the steps along the way from left to right, as well as The Cloaked Figure, all drawn in a complete replica of the style in which they were drawn, which is both similar and different. I might do the same for the rest of the heroes at some point. To begin, Miss Hood was not the original character design. As you can see, the original design went through some pretty drastic changes... To begin, the character on the whole was meant to be part of a comic that was intended to essentially poke fun at Watchmen and the concept of government-backed superhero teams. Strongman was supposed to be a superhero that had superstrength, flight, and I believe invulnerability, but, as a result of his already superhuman strength, he was never able to develop a workout regimen that was able to let him build up the muscle mass. He wound up getting scrapped after my first attempt to draw him led to him having his arms bending in a way that didn't look possible, so I had to design him from scratch for this, based on my style at the time. His hands look like blocks as a result, and he has a pair of sunglasses because I liked drawing those at the time. The hairstyle was the only one I knew how to draw at the time and he has no ears because I didn't draw any back then. The red cape is specifically because I wanted to make him match the group and he would have had no color otherwise. He is, incidentally, the only one of them with a face designed that isn't a mask Concept Art Miss Hood is the basis of all those who came after. a cross between cynical and childish, she had the exact same powers as Strongman, but was a small child. Armed with a scalpel and a handgun, her cloak was a neat and tidy cloak. Her mask was not the one that seemed to be her face at this point, as illustrated by the two black dots on her cheeks, which were to show where the strings on her mask were tied off, and the eyes of the mask were larger than they are/were in subsequent designs until Cloak. She was supposed to eventually go on to become Time Skip Miss Hood, who will be discussed when it gets to her. Original Comic Miss Hood was a much darker version of the character. With tiny pinpricks for eyes and a more streamlined scalpel and pistol, her personality could have been described as "supervillain that happens to be on the side of good" for just how dark I went in an attempt to go over-the-top. Honestly, she was just sorta evil, which is why I wound up creating characters to balance her out. Originally, that was going to be Sparky, since I'd already created him for a storyline involving her teammate Mr. Machine, but by virtue of his passively accepting nature, he just didn't do the trick. This led to the creation of Miss Fire, who was her spiritual opposite, a supervillain that was too good a person to be a villain. We'll get into that when we get to her evolving design. Also noteworthy for Original Comic Miss Hood is that her cape is ragged and messy on the bottom, which is a carryover from Time Skip Miss Hood. She is also the first Miss Hood design to not have the mask string dots and she was the one who I first wrote dialogue for, meaning she's the original rhymer of the set. Time Skip Miss Hood was meant to turn up when the original comic showed what happened years after the team would get let go in the original series. Unlike the others, she'd go back to her old ways, being an illegal private investigator, albeit one that was a lot more cynical after being cast aside in favor of a new team. She had a similar mask to the original Miss Hood, but she'd gotten rid of the skirt and replaced it with a belt. This was around the time that I'd started redesigning the hood, which is why it's covering her neck and has those two bits hanging down. It also has three tears on the bottom and a string hanging off so that it can look messy and worn. The belt is because it ties the costume together, and, as you can see, the mask still had the mask string dots. Finalized Miss Hood is the design that she has had ever since I made that choice. There were a couple steps in design for the collar, from a simple triangle to a bow, to the clasp-styled black amulet that it shows now. Currently a kid hero, but older and taller than her previous child incarnations, she's also got a different power-set from the rest. Where the others had superstrength and flight, her power is actually not either, properly speaking. Her power is the ability to manipulate the air, itself, which is how she flies and how she steers her bullets, among many, many other uses she has for the power. Her design is more birdlike, particularly in how I draw her movements, with the peak of her cowl meant to be reminiscent of a barn owl. She also tends to perch when she isn't hovering or flying. Her gun is fairly bulky and she lost the scalpel, as that became Miss Fire's weapon when I had her backstory changed. Finalized Miss Hood is also the only character or object to have that exact shade of red. Even her alternate forms do not have that particular red, using a red orange for their red. The Cloaked Figure, meanwhile, is literally just the cloak and the mask, with sleeves and gloves that turn up from time to time, because they are the combination of all versions of Miss Hood up to the Finalized version, from whom they takes the amulet. Their cloak, when made in Paint, is darker, but the style when drawn on paper is accomplished with the red orange combined with mahogany for the sake of giving it a rundown look, an affect that is made more apparent with the jagged base of the cloak and all of the stitches on the cloak. They have the powers of the versions that came before Finalized Miss Hood and the same weapons, but they has no body beneath the cloak because of the various designs.

[daily-dose-of-naruto]

team 7 birthday surprise party headcanons?

Team 7 surprise birthday party headcanons

Hey! I went ahead and assumed you meant their reactions to being thrown a surprise party, at least that’s what I think would be the most fun to write. I threw in context too, I hope this is what you wanted. I wrote it during the timeline where Sasuke was away from the village, except for his own birthday. I also included Sai bc I love that boy

Naruto Uzumaki

Sakura takes Naruto out for ramen while everyone hides in his apartment. Although he’s a little suspicious (after all, Sakura never goes out for ramen with him), he’s soon slurping back noodle bowls like nobody’s business. Sakura pays, making Naruto think that this was his whole birthday treat. After all, everyone in the village already nodded at him and gave him birthday wishes. Sakura walks him back up to his room, and he thanks her for the nice time. Although he’s very happy he got to spend time with Sakura eating his favorite food, he’s a little sad. The night is still young and his apartment is so quiet at night.

He opens the door and wonders why Sakura hasn’t left yet. But before Naruto can put two and two together, the lights flip on all at once and EVERYONE jumps out from around every corner and piece of furniture yelling “SURPRISE” loud enough to shake the building. Naruto jumps out of his socks; he’s shocked seeing to many familiar faces crammed into his tiny room. A warm feeling spreads from his fingertips to his toes and he can’t stop smiling. His eyes are watering, but no one mentions it. From the corner, Iruka’s eyes are wet too. He, Kakashi, Kurenai, and Gai are the only adults there, but they all feel a sense of family and pride, surrounded by their students.

There’s a cake waiting on the table in the kitchen that Choji can’t stop eyeing. Everyone huddles around as Kakashi cuts the cake. Naruto can’t stop talking a mile a minute, he hugs everyone at least twice (even Shino, who goes stiff but doesn’t resist) and eats a LIBERAL amount of cake. Everyone’s playing cards and talking and laughing and Naruto’s right in the middle of that warm glow. The party goes late into the night until the neighbours file a noise complaint, and even then the fun continues in a whisper. It’s not until the morning birds start chirping that people start to trickle out, starting with Rock Lee and Gai, who are devoted to their training regiments and have already sacrificed four and a half hours for Naruto’s birthday. Shikamaru claps Naruto on the back, Kiba gives him a big ol’ hug, and Hinata works up the nerve to squeeze his hand on her way out. Every touch is special, and it’s written on Naruto’s face for everyone to read how much this means to him.

Iruka is last to leave. Naruto thanks him; he can’t put into words the swelling feeling in his chest. The whole evening was a soak of acceptance, validation, and love from the village that was his home, the stuff he’d been hungry for since he was a very small child. Suddenly, Naruto hugs Iruka. Iruka’s surprised, but accepts. They stand there like that for a minute, both silent. Then Naruto steps back with his usual cheeky grin, and waves. “See ya tomorrow, Iruka-sensei!” After the door closes, Naruto flops into bed, floating on cloud nine. Still, he can’t escape the niggling wish that Sasuke had been there to celebrate too. 

Sakura Haruno

It’s not really a surprise, she’s pretty slick to catch on when someone’s acting weirdly around her, and Naruto cannot stop fidgeting and stumbling over his words. After the day is over, training or a mission or whatever, he keeps interrupting Sai and shooting him dirty looks whenever Sai brings up “the secret”. Sai’s a bit confused on the whole concept of keeping a secret for a positive reason. “Why should they hide the surprise party from Sakura? She’s going to enjoy it anyways.” – Sai, 2017. Poor boy really doesn’t understand, and it’s not long before Sakura’s sniffed something out. She’s pleasantly surprised that her two teammates were so considerate to plan something for her birthday, but seeing as it’s Naruto and Sai, she figures the big surprise surmounts to a coupon off one bowl at Ichiraku’s.

And honestly, Naruto and Sai did have that as a part of the plan. Everyone enjoys a steaming bowl of good thick ramen, and Sakura finds it adorable how thoughtful her teammates turned out to be. They chat, but Naruto still seems to be on the edge of his seat. He’s glancing at Sai and sweating like a pig in August. Sai’s mouth is full of ramen, and for a moment Sakura relaxes, but then he looks at Naruto and says, “When are we going to go to Sakura’s h-”. Dropping his chopsticks, Naruto clamps a hand over Sai’s mouth, who looks bewildered. Naruto musters an awkward laugh, “Haha, oh Sai, always saying the weirdest things. Aren’t ya?” He gives Sai a friendly punch, but from the way Sai winces, Sakura can guess he’d revealed something he wasn’t supposed to. She lets it go, suppressing a giggle as she drinks her tea. 

Unsurprisingly, Naruto and Sai offer to walk Sakura to her house. Now, she knows something is planned, but she’s not sure as to exactly what Naruto and Sai have up their sleeves. When she opens the door, she notices how Naruto can’t manage to hide the grin on his face. With a sigh and a small smile, she flips on the light and steps inside.

Of course, all her ninja colleagues are waiting inside, throwing their hands up and shouting “HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAKURA” at the top of their lungs. Although she had guessed so much would happen, Sakura still laughs and hides her face. “You guys are so sweet!” she gushes to Naruto and Sai, giving them a bear hug with an iron grip. There’s laughing and talking and cake-eating, and most of the presents Sakura receives are well-thought out, medicine-related tools that could prove invaluable to her practice, her favorite being an incredibly powerful microscope that fixes to the eye like a monocle, courtesy of Shino Aburame and his clan’s detailed knowledge of insect eye lenses. Sai gives her a portrait of herself; it’s beautiful and realistic, and he assures her several times not to worry, it won’t come to life. At one point in the night, Sakura and Ino find themselves giggling and sharing a piece of cake much like they might have before they were even genin. 

At the end of the party Sakura is glowing with light, but exhausted. She’s about to wave Naruto and Sai out when they reveal they have one last present for her. Sai hands Sakura a slim piece of paper. Sakura feels a rush of affection when she sees it’s a free soak at the hot spring. Naruto beams. “You deserve a break, you’ve been working so hard!” Sai nods seriously. “I can’t imagine how stressful it must be, being our teammate.” Naruto shoots him a looks, but Sakura laughs and hugs the two of them. She can’t think of a better way to end the day than with a private soak by herself.

Sasuke Uchiha

Naruto and Sakura are the only ones to plan it, because they know Sasuke isn’t a fan of big social gatherings. He finds them annoying and draining, and when he voices his mind about it, everyone just gets offended. So Naruto and Sakura devise a plan where in perfect tandem they’ll split up and give Sasuke one of the best birthday’s he could possibly ask for. 

Sakura goes in first. She finds Sasuke by the dock where his clan used to live and sits down beside him. They make small talk until Sakura asks Sasuke if he’d like to walk her home. He complies, still distant, but Sakura can sense how grateful he is for the company. She can’t imagine how lonely his previous birthdays must have been. The sun is already setting in the sky, and the village is calm.

Along the way, Sakura feigns forgetting an errand she was supposed to run for Lady Tsunade. She tells Sasuke “it’ll only be a small detour, I’m so sorry for the inconvenience”. Sasuke replies that it’s fine, it’s not a problem. But he does frown when he realizes the path Sakura is leading him down tingles with old nostalgia. Something strange surmounts in Sasuke’s chest, but he still follows Sakura as eventually she leads him to the old training grounds, the first place ever where Team Kakashi worked together. Naruto’s perched at the top of the old wooden post, the very same one Kakashi had tied him to as punishment back when they were all genin. The memory is faded and frayed at the edges, and Sasuke can hardly believe it had happened only a handful of years ago.

Naruto leaps down to greet him, beaming. He holds out a bento box full of omosubi with okaka and tomatoes, Sasuke’s favorites. In the middle of the center omosubi is a single burning candle stuck in the rice. “Since you don’t like sweet stuff,” Naruto explains as Sasuke takes the bento box. He hasn’t said anything, and Naruto and Sakura exchange nervous glances. Naruto scratches his head. “We figured you wouldn’t want cake, since it’s sweet, y’know, so we did this instead.”

Sasuke doesn’t move, and Sakura and Naruto are terrified for a moment that they did the wrong thing, that something like this was too soon after everything that had happened. Then Sasuke takes a breath and blows out the candle. Pale smoke trails in the air, and Sasuke wears the barest hint of a grin. Naruto immediately protests, “You didn’t even make wish!” “Actually I did,” Sasuke replies, taking a bite of one of the omosubi. “Well, what was it?” asks Sakura. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” says Sasuke with a smirk. Sakura looks about to protest, but Naruto laughs and she joins in. In that moment she could almost trick herself into believing Sasuke had never even left the village.

The rest of the evening is calm and quiet. It’s just the three of them, and Sasuke cannot believe how lucky he is, after everything, to still have these two friends by his side. They stoke the long burnt out coals deep in him, encouraging the smallest of embers to catch. He knows one day, it’ll grow strong enough to melt the ice. 

Sai (as a bonus)

You KNOW baby boy Sai hasn’t had so much as a birthday wish, let alone a full-scale surprise party. Naruto and Sakura know this full well and plan to take complete advantage of his innocence. They plan the most elaborate out-the-ass party they can think of, recruiting everyone they can find to help. Choji bakes this MASSIVE cake comprised of seventeen different flavours, including (but not limited to) chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, red velvet, coconut, marble, lemon, and confetti. Hinata, Lee, and Tenten spend hours hanging streamers and blowing up balloons, fucking Lee’s face turns red he’s huffing and puffing so much and the balloons turn out to be the size of watermelons he’s so over-zealous about it.  

So they’re all crouched in position (party’s at Naruto’s, I’m not sure where Sai lives and Naruto isn’t either, so they decide it’s easier) waiting for Naruto, Sakura and Sai to walk through the door. Naruto and Sakura ask Sai to come over for cake, which he agrees. Sai is surprised to find that he actually feels warm, but he wonders if it’s just his body’s natural reaction in expecting to consume a ton of sugar. So he awkwardly agrees, trying to show his teammates he appreciates the gesture. It’s obvious to Naruto and Sakura that Sai has no idea what’s in store.

Sai steps through the door and everyone pops out shrieking “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” like the fucking apocalypse is about to go down. 

Immediately Sai flies into the air like a fuckin’ startled cat, you can practically see the ears laid flat, fur puffed, fangs bared. He goes for his shuriken until he hears Naruto absolutely losing it next to him. Seriously, the boy is laughing so hard he’s wheezing.

Then he notices the familiar faces, Shikamaru, Lee, Tenten, every other ninja his age is there. Poor boy’s completely confused.

“Why…are they here?” “For your birthday!” “…Why?” “….uh…”

It charms the fuck out of everyone how confused Sai is, but he brightens up as soon as the cake’s brought out. There’s the regular party noises, chatting and laughing and eating, and Sai stands in the middle of it all holding a piece of cake on a paper plate. He turns out the sound and takes a bite of cake. The flavour is unfamiliar, but Sai finds he really enjoys it. He takes another bite.  

Sai forgets to say goodbye to everyone until he’s prompted by Naruto, but he takes the initiative to ask Choji if he might be able to take home the rest of the cake for later. After everything is done, he decides he didn’t mind surprise parties. But if Naruto and Sakura ever throw him another one, he wants them to tell him first. 

[samy-bct]

Studio VI- Reflection

The illusion of Time?

Every journey comes to an end and with every end comes a new beginning, It is scary to see what I was when I first my creative journey to what I am now. The ups and downs through my journey have to lead to me coming in terms with the openness and values of creative technologies allowing me to explore, analyze and synthesize.

This semester was on a whole different level then the others as the impending stress of future of graduation made it seem so that every decision had the weight of the World. The start of this semester I was so confused and going through all the external provocations, sushi and I teamed with her base idea of using innovative means to transform properties of  Light.

Formulating this project was quite a challenge for myself in the initial stages as my teammate and I were from different disciplines so it made it difficult to communicate and understand each other. That said, this allowed me the best opportunity to change my way of thinking and explore elements and disciplines that were otherwise not a high priority in my goals.

To get past this hurdle of miscommunication I resulted in having to adjust my thought process in such a way that allowed me to think in a proper multidisciplinary domain. This was the best development for my personal growth as it allowed me to step past my own inclinations of “what is possible and what is impossible.”

This realisation cleared my views and opened up various possibilities in the field of 3d visualization and granting me the ability to experiment with aspects that I wouldn't normally have, with a really positive outcome. Through this, I have come to the conclusion that my step towards innovative 3d visualisation was not without substance.  (Samy, Concept/Context/Reflection, 2019)

This semester has been a challenge as I was working with disciplines that I wasn’t too familiar such as engineering, heating systems etc, Honestly, I initially thought when my team member was talking about this discipline I thought she was making them up, she just assumed that I would understand everything she was saying. This was a huge impact on my workflow as I didn’t just have to do research on the topic at hand and also look for precedents to what my teammate was saying. 

This ate the majority of my time at the initial stage of the project as the existing co-desgn dispute between us lead to friction, taking this ti decided to alter y way of thinking as I discovered that I was lacking the fully developed capability of working with Mulitidiciplanry approaches.

It was a very steep learning curve the resulted in altering my way of thinking and working allowing be looks as an idea from all different perspectives at a more detailed level than in my previous projects. That said with this on the way, m the timeline of the project did suffer as I had difficulties in getting my ideas and inspirations across to my team member due to her dominating nature, Which I found an around method but made me lose a little time and decline in psychological status. 

My experience in this whole semester was unique and allowed me to look through a focus glass and finally compile all my interests into 3D Visualisation /Creative designer. All my time in BCT one of my greatest concern was whereas I stand in the worlds that are Creative technologies and this semester the project Lumiere allowed me to discover and come into terms with focal for my career. 

If I were to dow this project, there a few things I would do differently,  at the first we took too long in determining if we would VR or not and if we have made the decision we could have made a physical prototype of the artefact (Which did suggest to my team member and was shot down as to how long it will take us to develop it). Secondly, I would take my time and do user testing for the 3D visualization as with looming time I didn't have time to a much as UT as I wanted. This semester was a rollercoaster, to say the least, but it allowed develop not such as a creative technologist but also as a person.

[echoeternally]

Birthday Gift!

Oh geez, the month’s practically over, and I’m very, very late! But, here is a belated birthday gift to my friend, @starlys! (I had no idea we had birthdays in the same month!)

It’s short notice, but I whipped up a one-shot fanfic for her based on a cute pair of Pokemon that she likes. I tried to base it both on the Mystery Dungeon series, as well as my fanfics, so they were loosely tied together.

It’s a bit jumpy with the pacing, but I didn’t want it to take forever. Either way, the story is below, so I hope you enjoy!

Years ago, teams of Pokemon would work together in order to rescue others and explore the world. It was back in the beginning, when these teams were still a new concept, and still had much to prove, in a world filled with knights and magic. Nevertheless, they persisted in the development of such teams, in attempts to provide peace for those that were outside the safeguards of royalty.

 A small town of Calfuray had progressed quite well with its teams, leading their country with surprising amounts of successful missions. More surprising, however, would be that their teams completed these missions at their base stages, with numerous members feeling that evolution would hinder their smaller form’s flexibility at performance in the field.

 Operating from the Lunar Fortress at the edge of their town, the teams are dispatched on a variety of missions. This is also the home for many teammates, who reside here between their adventures.

 Running up the stairs within the worn stronghold, a small orange chicken and a blue mudfish hurry along them, and rush through the halls of the upper levels. They collide with one another and stumble into the main meeting room, the remains of a grand hall from three generations prior. An owl and a parrot watch as they pick themselves up, while a penguin eyes the chicken specifically. Two small dogs whisper to each other, as do four yellow and white rodents, while a red pig merely yawns.

 “Late again,” a flower creature calls out. She shakes her head and places her small hands on her leafy hips.

 “Sorry Boss Bellossom,” both apologize.

 “Oh, for…I am demanding that Miss Cinccino works with me on new titles for us,” grumbles Bellossom. “How ridiculous.” She sighs and picks herself back up. “Never either of you mind, Torchic, Mudkip. We’re just assigning each pair their own missions now, so you missed little as it is.”

 “Thank you, madam.”

 “Hmm. Maybe that’s better for a title…” She rubs over the flower petals on her head before blinking hard and straightening her posture. “Ah, that is, yes! Let’s get everyone assigned for today’s missions. Remember, as always, the world is looking to us, as well as the other teams around the country, to prove that these teams are a benefit and quite helpful in forming and safeguarding the world.”

 “Yes, ma’am!”

 “Good. Let’s get to assignments, then.” Bellossom gazes over the teams and nods. “This group will be splitting rescue and exploration details. Chatot and Rowlet, you two ladies will be guides for a timid Noibat that somehow was placed in charge of an expedition route to the recently discovered Lost Chamber of Queen Bastiodon.” Both birds nod as Bellossom rubs her cheek. “Chatot, please do make some time to help Rowlet familiarize herself with the routes, as she recently moved here.”

 “Absolutely, Madam Bellossom.” Chatot winks as Bellossom giggles. Rowlet huffs and shudders to herself.

 “Much better, yes. Head below and Sandshrew will help prepare you two with equipment you’ll need.”

 “At once, ma’am.”

 Chatot nuzzles Rowlet, who quickly calms herself, and the two fly from the room. Bellossom checks over her teams and counts them out.

 “Right then. Plusle and Minun, you two shall be on a rescue team…”

 Torchic shivers as a blue penguin slides over to her. He lowers his eyes and clears his throat, soft enough to only gain her attention.

 “Better late than never, milady. After all, it’s always good to see you.” The penguin hops a little closer, as Torchic lifts her leg to hold him back. “What’s wrong?”

 “A thousand times over and again, Piplup: I’m not interested.”

 Mudkip snickers beside her as Piplup fumes. Torchic lowers her leg and hops closer to her partner, but Piplup persists.

 “Honestly, you’d really gain a whole level of greatness working with me,” insists Piplup. “You and I, together, well…we could make all kinds of magic.”

 “That’s why we’re not on a team,” reminds Torchic. “Oh, and because it’s better to balance each pair.”

 “But—”

 “Piplup, if you’re done embarrassing yourself for the day,” calls Bellossom, with the penguin’s face flushing over, “you’ll be working with Tepig on rescue detail, opposite to Pachirisu and Emolga’s exploration of a recently ravaged town. Little Crina, I believe. More details are below with Sableye.”

 “Sure, fine,” grumbles Piplup, sulking as he trudges away with Tepig. Mudkip struggles to keep a fit of laughter in, while Torchic nudges her teammate.

 “That leaves Rockruff and Growlithe as the final exploration team, and Mudkip and Torchic for the remaining rescue team,” assigns Bellossom. “Boys, you’ll be helping archeologists with Gol Caverns. Ladies, you’ll need to rescue Chingling, local singer Chimecho’s lost baby sister.”

 “That should be fairly simple,” determines Mudkip. “Will we have anything else to take care of today?”

 “It will be along the Kielo Gorge,” explains Bellossom, “so, no, that will require some travel time for the two of you.”

 “What if we’re quick about it?” Torchic tilts her head. “Nothing for when we’re back?”

 “Unfortunately not.” Bellossom shrugs. “By that time, it will be sunset, which is when our nocturnal teams take charge. That will be all, so you are dismissed for your missions. See Sandshrew and Sableye for useful equipment regarding your respective assignments below.”

 Both teams nod and exit the meeting hall, venturing back down the fortress stairwell. Mudkip bursts out laughing, as Torchic jumps from her partner’s sudden chortles.

 “What—?”

 “That idiot penguin,” laughs Mudkip. “He…he really keeps…trying with you…!”

 “Oh, please.” Torchic sighs. “It’s like he has no idea what I’m even looking for.”

 “He’s missing out on the partner dynamic around here,” jokes Mudkip.

 “Clearly.”

 Down to the lower levels, both wander past an open door for exploration supplies. Sandshrew waves as Plusle and Minun giggle to each other, waving back to her. Ambling onward, they stop as Piplup and Tepig exit a room.

 “Aha, you’re a rescue team too.” Piplup smirks. “You know…if our missions happen to be located nearby—”

 “Unless you’re going to a gorge too, they’re not,” interrupts Mudkip, rolling her eyes. “Just keep walking, Pip.”

 “Excuse you, I was speaking with—”

 “Come on, Pip,” teases Tepig. “The sooner we complete the mission, the sooner we get back to rest.”

 “Oh…fair enough. Let’s go.” Piplup shivers. “Anything is better than being with that creepy ghost.”

 “I heard that!”

 Both scurry off, as Torchic and Mudkip peer inside of the room. They wander in, as Sableye smacks his counter.

 “Ugh. I hate rescue detail.” He folds his arms. “Nothing pretty comes out of this, and I get insulted more here than on exploration duty.” He rubs a ruby on his counter, muttering to himself as Mudkip and Torchic approach.

 “Um.” Torchic shudders as Sableye turns to her. “H-hi.”

 “For goodness’ sake, I’m not going to eat you or steal your soul or whatever,” complains Sableye. “That penguin was enough of an insult.”

 “Sorry.”

 “We just need some supplies and information on rescuing a Chingling in the Kielo Gorge,” explains Mudkip. “Can you help with that?”

 “Ah, that one. The poor dear.” Sableye sinks back. “I’ve been so worried about that one. She’s gone missing while her sister is just a mess, afraid to perform for tonight’s show and everything.”

 “Yep, it’ll be up to us to rescue her.”

 “You’d better!” Sableye grins, as both Torchic and Mudkip steel themselves from trembling. “I’m counting on you two to do well! That poor sweetie needs the best we can offer, in my book!”

 “Speaking of,” pipes up Torchic, “should I take a tome for spells?”

 “Huh? No, that’s certainly too much for you to juggle.” He ducks beneath his counter, and pops back up, opening a small black box, with a gold and silver medallion inside of it. “You should use this, it’s a Sorcery Amulet. This imbues you with ability to utilize magic spells. Just recall any that you’ve learned, and it helps you take care of the rest.” He smirks at the chicken. “Not that Fire types usually need it, since spitting fireballs takes care of most obstacles, but maybe you’ll watch out for the environment.”

 “Of course I will,” promises Torchic, as Sableye slips the necklace around her. “Thank you.”

 “You’re welcome.” He digs behind the counter, and produces rope and a dagger. “And you seem tougher, some light muscle definition going on there, so you’re likely her warrior partner.”

 “Ha, I don’t know about warrior…” Mudkip giggles and takes the equipment, strapping the dagger around a belt on her stomach.

 “That’s easier for quadrupeds to grab the blade with their mouths or forearms,” details Sableye. “Hopefully you won’t need that much, but it could come in handy in a pinch. The rope is obviously in case you need repelling of any kind. Valleys do involve ups and downs, somewhere along the line. Though, I’d imagine that you’d be towards the bottom.”

 “Yep, I do like bottoms,” jokes Mudkip. “But you, on the other hand—”

 “Think you’re funny, huh?” Sableye folds his arms, but chuckles. “Actually, I could use a joke right now. The other teams here today have been such…rude cretins, I can’t even think of a better insult. Ugh!” Sableye buries his head on the counter. “Anyway, there isn’t much activity down there, so you two just have some searching for the baby bell. Nothing else of much interest, so you’re good to go.”

 “Thanks again!”

 “Sure, sure.” Sableye picks his head up and waves as the pair hurries off. “Be safe!”

 “Hey, hey, race you from the town,” challenges Mudkip, rushing ahead of Torchic from the fortress.

 “What?! Wait, Mudkip, stop!”

 Bolting after her partner, Torchic chases Mudkip from the stronghold, as they set off from violet-filled town and onto their mission.

  After traveling through a forest for several hours, Mudkip and Torchic make their way to the base of the valley, hopping down stones to enter the gorge, treading lightly through the stony stream and watching the rocky walls rise around them.

 “It goes on a lot further than I was expecting,” observes Torchic. “We’d better stay close, or we’ll have to go searching for one another.”

 “Keeping close to you is easy,” teases Mudkip, tapping her tail against Torchic’s side. She smirks as Torchic blushes lightly. “I’ll take that as a mutual feeling, then?”

 “Hush. We’re looking for a baby, not…not—”

 “Flirting?”

 “That.”

 Giggling, Mudkip slows to control herself, as Torchic huffs and storms ahead. Mudkip jumps and hurries after her.

 “Hey, you just told me to stay close!”

 “Well then, behave!” Torchic shivers. “Acting like I’m just some silly town maiden waiting to be swept from her feet isn’t what we need right now.”

 “Ok, ok, I’m sorry.” Mudkip frowns. “I just…I don’t know, we don’t get a lot of time together, so I thought we’d spend some of it out here.”

 “Maybe after we find Chingling,” suggests Torchic. “Mission takes—”

 “Priority, yeah.”

 With a sigh and a roll of her eyes, Mudkip continues on, with Torchic lagging back a bit. They stroll ahead for a while, calling out for the missing baby, with no luck or response. Further along, Mudkip slows and pushes Torchic back.

 “What’s wrong?”

 “Ahead, the stream gets deeper,” reveals Mudkip. “If we keep going, you sink and drown on me.”

 “Well, I’d hope that I would be a bit smarter than that,” mumbles Torchic.

 “We could have you climb on my back, but I don’t want you falling into the water at all,” decides Mudkip. “There has to be another way.”

 “Kielo Gorge goes on further than just the shallow side of the stream,” reminds Torchic. “If we stop here, then we don’t reach Chingling.”

 “Ok, then you’ll wait right here, and I’ll go ahead.”

 “Absolutely not!” Torchic ruffles her feathers. “I’m not some helpless princess that stops because there’s water in the way!”

 “Listen, I’m not letting my best friend since childhood drown because she thinks she has something to prove,” Mudkip snaps. “So, just wait while I explore ahead.”

 “And I’m not waiting while my partner does all of the work and ends up finding trouble,” rants Torchic, “and gets herself hurt or killed, just because she was too stubborn about me going with her!”

 Silence overcomes them, as they glare into one another’s eyes. Torchic’s legs shudder and she plops down on a stone. Mudkip blinks and jumps up, as Torchic falls back over.

 “Ah, I’ve got an idea! I can use the rope, tug you through the water, and we’ll make some kind of raft for you to sit on!” She pauses and giggles at Torchic. “And you could stay flopped over just like more often.”

 “Hush up!” Torchic forces herself back up. “Exactly how are we supposed to make a raft?”

 “Give me a few minutes; I’m sure there are branches and twigs around here that can help me make one.”

 Hopping into the stream, Mudkip swims around, and dives under to search for useable wood. She gasps as a stone rockets from beneath her, forcing her back up to the surface. Pivoting around, she faces Torchic, as the chicken releases her amulet from her beak. Glancing back, Mudkip sees a full strip of stone stretching down, creating a bridge for them to venture across.

 “Actually, I realized that this would be easier,” resolves Torchic. “You know, because I can make magic.”

 “Yeah, we should have led with that.” Mudkip chuckles. “Lead the way, then.”

 Torchic nods, and walks ahead, as Mudkip checks over the bridge before following. She waits as Torchic reaches the end, and sinks the bridge behind her while raising more stone walkways ahead of them.

 “Chingling, are you there?” Torchic steps to the edge of the bridge’s side; Mudkip is quick to her side. “Can you hear us? We know your sister, Chimecho.”

 “No we don’t,” mutters Mudkip. She is met with a rough nudge from Torchic. Aloud, she calls, “Yeah, your sister sent us to come find you. So, are you out there?”

 Again, they continue onward, with stone columns rising and falling from the waters below. The pair progresses fairly quickly through the length of the stream, though as Torchic creates her eighth walkway, she pants and plops onto the ground. Mudkip lies beside her, nuzzling her.

 “Where could she be?” Torchic shakes her head. “We’ve been searching for a while now.”

 “Don’t panic,” assures Mudkip. “We’ll find her.”

 “Right, but—”

 “Just take it easy,” Mudkip persists. “Let me check the water, and make sure that she didn’t get hurt or anything.”

 Diving below once more, Mudkip swims beneath the stream. Torchic worriedly watches the waters until Mudkip resurfaces, wildly shaking the water from her face.

 “Ok, yeah, I found nothing.” She climbs back up by her partner and sprawls out. “Do you maybe, I don’t know, have a spell that can just track Chingling?”

 “Something to locate her?” Torchic shakes her head. “I don’t think that even exists. This medallion can help me shift the world around us, and channels magical powers, but it doesn’t do anything like establishing links between others.”

 “Hmm.”

 “This is making me uneasy,” admits Torchic. “I know you told me not to, but it’s dreadful that we haven’t found her.”

 “Maybe we underestimated the difficulty,” relents Mudkip. She sighs and pokes Torchic. “Doesn’t matter, though. We’ll find her, especially because we have to.”

 Both scoot closer together, and take a few moments to rest together, as Torchic rubs against Mudkip, who nudges her back with her head. They watch the stream momentarily before Mudkip pushes herself up, and prods Torchic.

 “Come on. We can’t give up yet.”

 “You’re right.” Torchic rises. “Ok, so…maybe if I can get a good spell from what I’ve learned…”

 “Hey, I was wondering,” Mudkip sidetracks. “If you evolve, won’t your concentration be better focused on physical combat instead?”

 “Um, perhaps? Or maybe I’ll keep up using spells.” Torchic shakes her head. “Hey, we have to focus on finding this child.”

 “Sorry, sorry.”

 “It’s fine.” Torchic taps the ground with her talon. “If we could just come up with something.”

 “Wait, what’s that?”

 Mudkip spots a flower floating in the stream, a long stem with several bell-shaped white flowers on it. Torchic blinks, and glances further along, with several plucked flowers floating in the waters ahead of them.

 “That, my dear Mudkip, would be our trail.”

 “Took long enough.”

 Ready to run ahead and after the floating flowers, Torchic and Mudkip only get a slight way along the path before a purple shadow rises from behind them. Screeching rings out, and both travelers groan as they attempt to block the noise. Once it ends, they spiral around to find a ghost floating just a little above them. Behind her is a purple bubble, with a small, golden bell-shaped creature inside of it.

 “Is that—?”

 “That’s her, that’s the baby!”

 “Good guess,” a voice chimes out from the ghost. “Too bad this is as far as you go.”

 “Who are you?!”

 “Mismagius is my name,” whispers the spirit, “and cursing is my—”

 “Game?” Mudkip raises an eyebrow. “You were going with that one, right?”

 “…Specialty,” sharply corrects Mismagius.

 “Oh.”

 “Just what do you want with that baby, anyway?!”

 “Feisty little bird,” taunts Mismagius. “Can’t I simply want to steal an innocent soul for some measly curses and hexes?”

 “What?!”

 “Were you expecting something more complicated?” Mismagius snickers. “The child wanders into my river domain, comes where all lost souls end up, and expects to get back to picking flowers with no worries?” She slowly shakes her head. “Not how life works, darlings.”

 “Hey, you’d better give her back,” snaps Mudkip. “Or…or…” she glances down at her dagger.

 “Or you’ll try to stab a ghost with a tiny knife?” The witch spirit rolls her eyes. “How terribly frightful indeed.”

 “Hold her off,” whispers Mudkip. “I have an idea, but I need to cut this rope and get it ready.”

 “Uh—”

 “So, what will it be, my precious interlopers?” Mismagius floats lower to the team. “Shall I swipe your souls for additional curses? Nothing works as well as a child’s, I’ll admit, but I’m certain we can try something new and creative with the two of you.”

 “…How about ‘no?’”

 Grasping the medallion in her beak, Torchic raises it up, and creates a flash to blind Mismagius. Releasing it, she spits fireballs at the ghost, who wails and flies back from the duo. Scowling, she channels a psychic wave, and fires it at Torchic, who jumps away from the blast.

 Mudkip uses her dagger to cut up the rope, twisting it around and fashioning a lasso from it. She secures it with her forearms and glances up at the bubble that floats away from her, gazing at the baby Chingling inside of it. Pulling back, she tosses the rope, but it sails right back at her. Mismagius floats before her, smirking.

 “Did you really think I would make it so simple?” She drifts closer to Mudkip, who trembles and steps back. “Aw…you’re a cute little pet. Maybe I’ll have some fun before I twist and slice your soul.”

 “First off, gross,” calls Torchic. “Second off, she’s taken.”

 Spitting another barrage of fireballs, Torchic repels Mismagius, but the specter mutters chants and incantations. The gems on her body glisten, and she swoops at Torchic, but disappears as she comes close.

 “Hurry up, Mudkip,” instructs Torchic.

 “R-right.”

 Appearing from behind, Mismagius strikes at Torchic, who flies forward and crashes against the ground. She skids to the edge of the stone bridge, and struggles to rise, as Mismagius rushes over to her.

 “Tell me, how does a nice dip in the water on such a hot day sound?” Mismagius laughs, as she swoops at Torchic once again.

 A spray of water knocks the ghost off instead, and sends her slamming into the rocky walls behind Torchic, before dropping into the stream below. The chicken hops up as Mudkip tosses her rope lasso again, wrapping it around the orb.

 “Uh…right, ok…” She blinks and turns to Torchic. “If I yank this down, will it shatter and free Chingling, or—?”

 “Just do it.”

 Complying, Mudkip hurls the orb down, and it breaks open. Yelping, the baby bell-like Pokemon bounces from the ground and into the air. Floating a bit, she shakes herself before plopping down between her rescuers.

 “Hi pretty ladies!” Chingling bounces and smiles to the duo. “Is…is my Big Sis here anywhere?”

 “We’re friends of hers,” quickly explains Torchic.

 “Yeah, just follow us,” instructs Mudkip, “and we’ll get you back home to her.”

 “Oh, but my flowers for her,” realizes Chingling. “Big Sis needs her flowers!”

 “Kid, now really isn’t the best time.”

 Screeching rings out from the water, as Mismagius bursts above it. Torchic and Mudkip flinch and shiver, as they struggle to face the ghost.

 “You two think you can simply enter my domain, steal my victim, and just tear me apart?! Not likely, not with you leaving here alive!”

 Nodding to each other, Mudkip and Torchic jump up and fire a combined attack of fireballs and water blasts. Mismagius floats around some of them, but slams back from the combination, and sinks back down. She struggles to stay afloat, as Chingling bounces over to her.

 “Hey, you’re the creepy lady!”

 “W-what?”

 “Creepy, creepy, creepy!”

 Bouncing around and floating up, Chingling’s body glows with a light blue aura. The same encases Mismagius, who wildly shifts her eyes, unable to move. Flying forward, Chingling forces the ghost back into the rock walls. She then raises her hands up, and Mismagius rockets into the air, disappearing from sight.

 “Bye-bye, creepy lady!”

 Both Torchic and Mudkip are left to gawk at the child, who floats back to the ground and hops around happily. She spots her flowers floating in the water, and flops on the floor, sobbing. Mudkip nudges her, and Torchic huddles close to the baby, as the two quietly comfort her. In a short matter of time, the child calms.

  Beneath the sunset filled sky, Mudkip and Torchic finally return to the Lunar Fortress. Several of their group’s nocturnal teams are roused and stroll about, preparing themselves for their missions.

 Picking at some flowers near the entrance, Mudkip gives a bouquet to Chingling, as the child excitedly bounces around.

 “Please, they were supposed to be back by now,” moans a faint voice. “You can’t just have me wait here.”

 “Miss Chimecho, we must,” insists another voice. “My wi…uh, M-Madam Bellossom is confident that her teams deliver with the best results.”

 “But—”

 “Big sis!”

 Shaking her body and ringing, Chingling bounces around the main level of the fortress. From above, a bluish white fūrin wind chime bursts from a door and swoops down to the rescue team. Her tag-like tail scoops up the baby and cradles her close.

 “Chingling! Oh thank heavens, you’re ok!” She pulls her bell-shaped sister away from her, staring worriedly into her eyes. “Don’t ever wander off from me again, not even for a second, understand?”

 “Sorry, Big Sis,” murmurs Chingling. “But the flowers were pretty, and I wanted you to have some. Like these.”

 Lifting her violets to show her sister, Chimecho blinks and gazes at them. Chingling droops in her grasp, sniffling.

 “Mom and dad used to get you flowers before your shows, so I just…I wanted to make sure…”

 “Oh, Chingling, come here.” Chimecho nuzzles her sister close to her. “Thank you. It’s exactly what I needed before the show.” She sighs and holds her sister a little longer before finally pulling herself away. “And thank you two, I assume.” Chimecho smiles to Mudkip and Torchic, both returning her expression. “I’m so sorry to have put you out of your way, and then I fly down here without even explaining anything—”

 “No need to worry miss,” insists Mudkip. “We’d act the same way.”

 “Yeah, we’re just happy to help,” assures Torchic.

 “Thank you both so very much.” Chimecho cuddles Chingling again. “Come on, we have to get going. I’ve got a show to perform in less than an hour.” She returns her attention to her heroes. “And I owe you two some kind of reward, so I’ll have to get you one in the morning. Unless you’re interested in the show?”

 “We would be, miss, but we’re exhausted and—”

 “Yes, no, that’s fine. I figured as much.” She beams again. “I will be back here first thing tomorrow, then.”

 “Miss, there’s no need—”

 “Nonsense, I’m insisting.” She drifts away and from the fortress. “Come along, Chingling, we’ll be back for your friends tomorrow, ok?”

 “Yay!” Chingling turns back to Mudkip and Torchic. “Bye pretty ladies! See you soon!”

 Laughing, both wave back to the pair as they float into town. Someone sighs behind them, and the pair whirls around to see a chinchilla fixing her messy fur.

 “Goodness, I’m glad you two finally arrived when you did.” She nervously chuckles. “This Chimecho was ready to really ruffle my fur.”

 “Our apologies, Madam Cinccino.”

 “None of that, ladies, you did fine work.” She smiles and nods. “This is what will help our work flourish, and our teams grow ever stronger as we gain more missions.” She yawns. “Incidentally, it’s almost time for me to gather the first groups for the late missions, so if you two don’t mind, I’m off to find my—um, find Bellossom.”

 “That’s ok, ma’am.” Mudkip shakes her head. “We’re ready to get some rest ourselves.” She smirks as Torchic yawns.

 “Right, rest. Well, off you two go.” Cinccino lowers her eyes. “And don’t forget that you have work tomorrow.”

 “Yes, of course,” promises Torchic, as she follows Mudkip up the stairwell. “Goodnight.”

 Together, the pair retires to the bedchambers of the teams that would stay in the fortress itself. They enter a room of their own and close the door, as they stroll to the crafted nest bed in the middle.

 “So, the kid wants to give us some real competition,” jokes Mudkip. “Think you can keep me interested before she’s old enough to make a move?”

 “Not sure,” determines Torchic. “After all, she’s very good at it already.”

 “Aw, you should have more confidence in yourself,” advises Mudkip. “After all these years, you’re still as cute as ever.”

 “Ha…think you can sweet talk me like that?”

 “It’s worked for me so far,” points out Mudkip. She yawns, and Torchic yawns after her. “Come on…let’s get to bed on time tonight. Then we won’t be late again tomorrow.”

 “But I like spending the night…talking with you.”

 “Sure, sure.” Mudkip crawls to their nest of a bed. “Let’s talk right over here.”

 “Ok.” Torchic trudges over, and nuzzles herself into Mudkip. “Love you.”

 “Love you too.”

 With a peck on the cheek, Mudkip cuddles into Torchic. Both yawn once more, before falling into a quick yet quiet slumber, fading away in their nest of twigs and violets.

Yay, cute couple by the end! Can you believe that Mudkip/Torchic has no ship name? There’s a variation of them that does, but for a plain pair of these two, nothing exists on the lists. So strange.

Anyway, this is sort of loosely based on an image that @starlys showed me of hers, which features some cute little girlfriends! So, I wanted to make her a fanfic that starred those two together.

It was fun to write adult versions of base stage Pokemon; I don’t do that very often. But, they do make a really cute couple. Also, I included a few other pairings, all between lesbian couples. (Did you get that Bellossom and Cinccino were waifus? Was that obvious at all?) Also, lots of flower symbolism stuff, especially violets for lesbians. (That’s an official flower meaning, you know.)

Anyway, I do hope that you enjoyed the fanfic, @starlys and additional readers, and I’m sorry it was late! I’ll need to try harder in the future. Again, hope you liked it, and take care!

[comicteaparty]

March 4th-March 10th, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from March 4th, 2019 to March 10th, 2019.  The chat focused on O Sarilho by shizamura.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Week Long Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on O Sarilho by shizamura~! (http://sarilho.net/en/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Remember, though, that while we allow constructive criticism, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic. Below you will find four questions to get you started on the discussion. However, a new question will be posted and pinned everyday (between 12:01AM and 6AM PST), so keep checking back for more! You have until March 10th to tell us all your wonderful thoughts! With that established, let’s get going on the reading and the chatting!

QUESTION 1. What has been your favorite scene in the comic so far? What specifically did you like about it?

QUESTION 2. What do you think happened to the ancient people who left their satellites and other lost technology behind? Will the people of the present be able to recover this technology as they strive to do? Alternatively, are they going to find out secrets better left forgotten?

Capitania do Azar

Howdy everyone! I'm Shizamura and I'm the creator of O Sarilho and I'm very excited

varethane

I love all the scenes with the augur

it's such a creepy concept but the way they all handle it as being totally mundane and normal is gr8

Kaldra

agreed ^

varethane

also, the initial scene with the alien waking up, as the eyes light up and then gradually focus before the thing starts moving-- chilling. I love it.

Capitania do Azar

Augur is just a regular job for these guys, he

March 5, 2019

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. At the moment, who is your favorite character? What about that character earns them this favor?

QUESTION 4. Who or what are Argon and Xenon, the gods in the comic’s world? What do you think their original purpose was? Why do you think only Augur’s can deal with them?

RebelVampire

1) the scene where nikita realizes mikhail is, umm, not going to be joining him for anymore adventures. i liked this scene for two reasons. a-the framing was really great because it was fairly normal. like hes injured, of course hed be resting and of course nikita would have to shake him. no reason to suggest anything is off at first until it was all off. b- the pacing was also great. like everything was pretty speedy and then just wham, its like everything got halted for that beautiful moment of horrible realization. A+ adventure retirement scene. 2) I think the ancient people did what all dumb humans do: war against each other until they destroyed themselves. partly cause that be what humans do, partly cause the sense of war in the story seems very ancient and ingrained and i just get the feeling this has existed for longer than anyone can remember. i think eventually they will recover a lot of tech, but i also think theyre going to find out the true price that tech kind of comes at. and that the universe is more than their brains are ready to accept or comprehend.

3) Franquelim. I find him interesting and just in general I like his portrayal. Like you don't even need to know his job to take one look at him and go "this is the weird employee who doesnt fit in and is potentially hated by his superiors despite probably being good at his job." and to me, that makes him a lot of fun. i think he also adds some shenanigans to an otherwise serious and grounded group. and everyone needs some shenanigans in their life. 4) I want to assume Argon and Xenon are AI's that were created in order to advocate for the prosperity of humanity. Granted, probably damaged AIs or incomplete ones since they don't know everything there is to know. As for why only Augurs, I assume its as it was implied: only they can understand them. Which want to go on a limb and say maybe no because magic? It might just be Augurs got the right studying. Like they learned how to read C++ while everyone else only got taught Ruby.

Capitania do Azar

Ah @RebelVampire , these are all very interesting guesses!

varethane

....Franquelim is my favourite too LOL(edited)

Capitania do Azar

He's apparently a fan favourite I suppose it makes sense, he does have a strong personality!

varethane

he stands out in all the scenes he's in

Capitania do Azar

he loves the camera

stealing the show

snuffysam

I'm on team Franquelim as well

like he's just chillin

plus he's one of the few who (rationally) wanted to avoid getting ambushed by the lusitanians

daria is also a fav of mine too though

just, cuz... look at her. every scene she's in she's got the stage presence of someone who just tied a teammate's shoes together

RebelVampire

yeah i have to agree part of the reason i like franquelim is despite his shenanigans, he also is kind of the most grounded in the way. the dude who is like "maybe we shouldnt get ambushed." the dude whos like "hey maybe we should call for backup given the circumstances." he is the beautiful voice of reason in a world gone mad.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 5. What has been your favorite illustration in the comic so far? What specifically about it do you like?

QUESTION 6. How do you think Nikita came to be a “slave” of the Empire, and what else happened that makes him so sensitive about the topic of his past? Will Nikita be able to overcome this obstacle of his life?

5) http://sarilho.net/en/arquivo/comic/ch03p06 This page in its entirety. The contrast here is fantastic between the clean and normal art and the chaotic presence of the piece of god. It's also a fantastic demonstration of pushing the page and website capabilities to bring about a specific feeling, in this case uneasiness and horror. I also like this illustration because it's very well suited to the dialogue. Franquelim is trying to express his ardent belief they need help and this is beyond them. And this sort of illustration really helps connect you to his concerns because you can see with the imagery why he is freaked out. Thus, emotionally it connects you stronger with his emotional state in this moment and scream "YES YES GET THE HELP GET THE HELP." So all in all, I think this illustration has great contrast, pushes the envelope, and does what I think an illustration should do in a comic: make itself so both the story and illustration are needed together to create the full effect.

Capitania do Azar

Frank has had his share of battles and he's not keen to get into newer ones

Steffano knows that if they are caught (or bring an army in), war is bound to happen (again) and he's got his own selfish reasons for not wanting that. He's also not a particularly experienced leader and has trouble making these kind of decisions

The rest of the team kinda reflects what the empire thinks of itself, as Mikhail puts it "we're better trained, we have better resources and we're more talented". That attitude gotta interfere with decision-making as well

RebelVampire

at least mikhail is "retired" now and can no longer preach that sort of thinking? XD

Capitania do Azar

LOOK WHERE THAT SORT OF THINKING TOOK HIM

They're army kids, it's not like they ever had any change of thinking in other terms

Doesn't change the fact that MISTAKES WERE MADE

RebelVampire

6) Maybe some sort of empire betrayal? Like their dad got found guilty of a bad crime or something. As for his sensitivity, I honestly just think it stems from the fact he wants to move on and create his own path and life. And it doesn't help when everyone keeps reminding you and asking questions. That and if he doesnt talk about it, he doesnt have to face the reality himself. As for overcoming the obstacle, I don't feel it'll be solved in a tangible way? More I just feel like the bigger fish that need frying are going to dominant and more and more ppl will just stop caring. Cause again, bigger fish.

Capitania do Azar

ahha I guess people do remind him of that fact a LOT, I never really looked at it that way

what the other soldiers say about Nikita is right for the most part: he does keep a lot to himself and the part where he clearly can't control a lot of things in his life is a point of stress he'd rather ignore(edited)

(I hope I can bring up in the following chapter just how much he internalized his own social situation to the point that he almost forgets that other people can quit their jobs if they so desire)

mangalho

QUESTION wapy can you do a corno/not-corno alignment chart with your cast?

Capitania do Azar

didn't I do that already rsrsr

mangalho

did you????

Capitania do Azar

wait

keep up mango https://twitter.com/Shizamura/status/1096141513514536960

capitania dos azares (@Shizamura)

@Ulisaypo

mangalho

finally

Delphina

Gahhhh, just finished reading, such a good comic! I really liked Shizuka, even though she stayed behind (which turned out to be a SUPER GOOD CALL BECAUSE HOLY DANG). She seems fun, though!

mangalho

How the FUCK is Pimenta in the Corno area @Delphina SAME shizuka is good and also really relatable

Delphina

Daria's scene around the car (http://sarilho.net/en/arquivo/comic/p032) is my favorite fun scene because I love her whole-hearted quest to torment Timoteo. My favorite serious scene is where Mikhail gets his arm shot off because it was such a shocking transition between "here's a squad of kids making jokes and bickering" to "oh shit oh shit oh shit they are in so much trouble for so many reasons" (http://sarilho.net/en/arquivo/comic/ch02p29)

Capitania do Azar

Daria takes self-assigned clown job very seriously!

snuffysam

5) my favorite illustrations in the comic so far have been this page: http://sarilho.net/en/arquivo/comic/oh-nao and the page following it. not necessarily because of the drawing quality itself (these are good, but there's a couple better), but because of how the emotions are conveyed through the pages literally falling apart.

RebelVampire

the page was too strong and murdered my comp with lag XD

i really liked that page too tho

especially the angle

i think the angle really helps express like a sort of feeling of distance

like in the sense youre no longer connected with a person

Capitania do Azar

OMG maybe I should drop the resolution a bit hehe

RebelVampire

QUESTION 7. Which characters do you enjoy seeing interact the most? What about their dynamic interests you?

QUESTION 8. What do you think happened in Franquelim’s past that has him so terrified of being captured by the Lusitanians “again?” How might this affect his judgement in whatever situations are to come?

ShaRose49

Gah I didn’t realize this had started already I only barely got past the prologue! Really nice art and lots of character profiles

Delphina

The character profiles are SO HELPFUL, I also appreciate the role call at the end of the last two chapters.

Capitania do Azar

eheh I really like coming up with silly descriptions for characters, so figures it's a good idea to add them

ShaRose49

I just made my first character profile sheet a couple days ago and it’s not as in-depth as this one

Capitania do Azar

It's not that hard! I make most of my characters by making up a number of random facts, which eventually become the text

The stats are mostly out of comparison like this character is more talented than this one, but also slower..and so on

RebelVampire

QUESTION 9. What sorts of art or story details have you noticed in the way the comic is crafted that you think deserve attention?

QUESTION 10. What is the strange entity that Nikita and company discover, and what do you think its purpose is? Also, is it really a piece of God somehow? What implications do you think that has for the story in general, especially given Lusitanian involvement?

RebelVampire

7) Well I did enjoy seeing Nikita and Mikhail. I found their dynamic to be interesting due to the contrast. they were just both very different ppl who viewed themselves differently, viewed the empire sort of differently, viewed their place in the empire differently, etc. This kind of made their conversations really insightful into getting two diff perspectives on "the way things are." its too bad mikhail retired. 8) I assume torture at best, hardcore torture at worst. Though for him torture might have consisted of just keeping him eternally connected to god? cause thats be torturous info overload that probably wouldve hurt a lot. As for affecting his judgement, I def think he's the most likely to do something stupid based on it. Like do some drastic thing like set off a bomb just so he doesnt have to get caught again.

9) I want to say i really love the more rampant use of narrative boxes that specify the location in the most recent chapter. TBH, I really struggled to follow the second chapter because the transitions were hard to catch just cause matching uniforms. So in the third chapter this helped out immensely and i think its a detail that deserves to be appreciated. 10) If I stick with my Argon and Xenon are just AIs theory, then yeah, its probably a piece of god. A piece that got disconnected from the network but was original like some waypoint for vast interstellar communication. As for its purpose, I don't think it has one. I think it's gone bonkers cause being disconnected from teh core has made it unable to access primarydirective.exe. As for implications, I think it's going to spark a war at the rate things are devolving. even if nikita and then somehow disappear into the night, the lusitanians are clearly hiding something that cant stay hidden forever.

Capitania do Azar

Your theories are very interesting @RebelVampire!

Also I really appreciate that you enjoy Mikhail's and Nikita's relationship

Capitania do Azar

Mikhail's got a lot less pressure on him, so he gets to be more chill about some things (but not all the things, since he snapped at Dária anyways)

snuffysam

yeah i think you're spot on with the AI theory, rebel. if I may make a prediction - i'm thinking that once this specific incident is over, not only will a war break out, but nikita will be put into action against his will 'cause he never catches a break(edited)

RebelVampire

QUESTION 11. What do you think are this particular comic’s strengths? What do you think makes this comic unique? Please elaborate.

QUESTION 12. What do you think the Lusitanian Eurico wants to talk to Nikita about (or is it a ruse to fight some more)? How might the subsequent events affect the mission further?

Delphina

I think Eurico's goal is probably just to get this squad out of their lands. I expect some level of "you don't know what you're dealing with trying to interact with this God-level technology, so leave now or you're seriously going to get hurt" conversation.

Delphina

Regarding strengths and unique points, O Sarilho's very good at establishing extremely human-feeling characters very quickly. I like the fact that I know Nikita likes astronomy. I like the fact that Daria, Pfeiffer, and Timoteo have a dynamic and history of teasing each other. I like that Franquelim relies on drugs and coffee because he's Seen Some Things. The details brings a lot of personal stakes and heart into what could otherwise be a very dry military post-apoc story, and that's hard to do with a cast this large. I'm looking forward to learning more about the characters! It feels like we're just at the tip of the iceberg for worldbuilding, but I can tell that a lot of thought and care has been put into how technology affects their lives through big things like religious views and small things like what kind of curse words they use. I'm also looking forward to learning about the power/class dynamics that are happening with the military and Houses like Steffano's and Daria's. The integration of web design and animation for impact is also extremely well-executed wherever it's used, but it's not overused to the point where the reader becomes used to it, which is important for giving those scenes emphasis.

snuffysam

For me, the strongest and most unique part of the comic is the visual aspect. Like, even putting the animated and panel-busting pages aside, the colors used are outstanding at conveying the proper emotions. Like even on this early page: http://sarilho.net/en/arquivo/comic/prologo-8 Franquelim's colors are brighter, they're bleeding off his body, and they give off this aesthetic that's the perfect mix of computer-y and mystical. Right off the bat something seems unusual about this comic's universe, yet the other characters barely glance at him. That's great visual conveyance.(edited)

RebelVampire

QUESTION 13. What are you most looking forward to in the comic? Also, do you have any final thoughts to share overall?

QUESTION 14. Given everything that’s happened, how do you feel Nikita’s team will deal with the mission’s outcome so far? Also, will what has occurred affect the peace treaty with the Lusitanians in a negative way? Lastly, are more people doomed to die?

Capitania do Azar

Guys... You're too kind

RebelVampire

11) i agree with everyone else so far in that i think the comic's strengths are the usage of color and the use of animation and web design effects. every choice where these are concerned feels purposeful and really enhances the atmosphere of the moment. i feel they are what give a lot of the scenes their unique punch, as well as also add some visual context to characters' emotions where relevant. 12) Eurico just wants to have a tea party and needs to know if Nikita is game. But joke aside, he probably wants to tell Nikita some truths that Eurico thinks Nikita wasnt told. So that way maybe everyone can leave and nobody else has to die and no wars have to start. Which that last one is wishful thinking imo XD 13) I'm looking forward to more Franquelim doing his weirdo Augur things and everyone being like, "Sure my dude." But really, I just want to see more of that bundle of joy and fun. 14) I think the team is going to deal somewhat poorly. Cause not all of them seemed to take the mission all that serious and I think the hit of seriousness is gonna have some longterm PTSD affects. I mean I'm sure theyll play it off like theyre fine. But itll just be an army of Nikita's in that if they dont talk about it, they dont have to think or deal with it. XD As for the peace treaty, yes and no. I don't think Nikita and company will be responsible, but I think the piece of god might. And yes, yes more people are surely doomed to die. I'd even go so far as to say just assume everyone is gonna die by the end XD RIP

Capitania do Azar

ahaha oh no that is so bleak !!

I can't vouch that they won't die, but I hope they won't

Delphina

If you assume everyone is going to die, you'll be pleasantly surprised when some of them don't!

Capitania do Azar

WELL SOMEBODY'S GOTTA STAY ALIVE IF I WANT THE STORY TO KEEP GOING

(btw thank you for pointing out the big GIF files, I have changed their resolution so hopefully they won't kill more computers with lag )

varethane

Pls dont kill Franq plz plz plz

Capitania do Azar

>:)

Capitania do Azar

your theories are adding years to my life

Delphina

I gotta imagine the peace treaty is going to get affected, though. They're going to try to keep it quiet, but it's gonna get out somehow. Steffano's got a sinister aura around him, so maybe he'd spin the situation in a way that would benefit his political position.

(I could be wrong, but I adore it when people have ridiculously wrong theories about my comic so I'll just throw it out there.)

Also, was it Fausta that the "Foreigner" was trying to communicate through? I wonder if she's got some affinity for that and if she's going to be further used in that capacity

Capitania do Azar

Yes! Fausta is lusitanian-born, so she is naturally empathic and that's why the foreigner picked her out of the crew

snuffysam

it's interesting how the empath was affected rather than the augur. like, from my understanding, fausta's thing is reading people's emotions, while augurs can read the word of the gods/computers. so on the one hand, if the foreigner is communicating with fausta, does that mean the foreigner is human? but on the other hand, franq said that the foreigner's speech feels exactly like what connecting to the gods is like...

Capitania do Azar

I'm gonna throw ash into the fire and say that people tend to compare new things to things they already know ;D

It's past midnight for me, so I guess my time here is over!!

But thank you everyone who dropped by and had the care to read my comic and comment ;u; You make it all worthwhile

Delphina

Thank you for making an awesome comic!

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about O Sarilho this week! Please also give a special thank you to shizamura for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked O Sarilho, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: http://sarilho.net/en/

shizamura’s Store: http://sarilho.net/en/loja

shizamura’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Shizamura

[tarry-beatrice-blog]

Dear Chocolatier Letter

Hi, hello author, thank you for checking this out and suffering through what is surely long-winded rambling about my tastes. 

DNW: D/s, daddy kink, cheating/infidelity, dubcon/noncon, mpreg (and/or pregnancy in detail), coffee shop AUs, high school AUs, underage, unbalanced power dynamics, teacher/student relationships or AU, watersports, A/B/O (unless subverted) and first person POV

LIKES: road trips, time loops/fix-it fics, magic AUs, female friendships, soulmate/soulbond AUs, height difference, threesomes/moresomes, polyamory, found families, requited unrequited love/mutual pining, epistolary exposition, fake dating, woke up married, reincarnation, enemies to friends (to lovers), subversions of regular tropes especially with soulmates, dry humor, bed sharing, casual affection like holding hands, hugging, etc, five things fic, eventual happy endings, and awesome worldbuilding.

SMUT: enthusiastic/explicit consent, praise, biting/marking, breathplay, women on top, pegging, overstimulation, light bondage

Bend It Like Beckham (2002) Jess Bhamra/Jules Paxton

It’s been MONTHS of intense nostalgia for this ship and I missed out on yuletide so here I am requesting it for Chocolate Box. Bend It Like Beckham was honestly a game-changer for me as a film and I identified so much with Jess and her drive to do something she loved in the face of familial disapproval. 

The Ship: I love love love their friendship even with the pitfalls of you don’t understand how my culture effects my life but try your best to support and sometime put your foot in it BUT man, was I disappointed in later years that they left it hanging with a weird love triangle and the great beyond of American College. I’d like to see how their relationship develops after the movie, how Jules deals with Jess being better at the thing that ties them together and possibly blinds her to wow-i have-not-so-straight feelings. OR what if Jess is the one who realizes it first and panics because this is exactly what she had been swearing up and down wouldn’t happen to her less than support relatives (a new situation does not lead to new feelings, so much as understanding herself away from what is familiar) Really, I just want to see them in a happy relationship together because I was denied by the movie.

Some prompts: 

Jess gets hit on a distressingly high amount of times in front of Jules. Good thing she’s mostly oblivious to it. 

Future!fic retiring from the England Women’s National Team together or separate and the impact it has on the world around them. Jess imparting some words of wisdom to her younger teammates 

Codependency in college special edition: Everyone thinks they’re dating (and their team is their number one fans or they have a BOATLOAD of evidence to justify their misconception)

Just a good old-fashioned introspective OHMYGOD i have feelings for her now what do I do?? Bonus points for a sweet slowburn realization.

How does their: First Kiss? Coming out to family? WEDDING?? Go. In what situation would Jess defend Jules instead of vice versa? getting drafted for different teams and having a long distance relationship/reunion/eye opening? Being rivals instead of friends? getting called up to their National Team for the first time? A different first meeting?

The Good Place Tahani Al-Jamil/Eleanor Shellstrop

I haven’t regularly watched a TV show since the 90s so TGP was a complete surprise but here I am, delighted at the innovative take on dead people in the afterlife. The humor is really my favorite thing and Eleanor’s not quite quest to be better than she was when she was living. 

The Ship: The sexy skyscraper and the short troublemaker. There’s so many complementary aspects to Tahani and Eleanor and I just need everyone to get on board the Bi-train for the good of the people. I like that they’re both self-serving at their core, except Eleanor does it to prove she doesn’t care about anybody else, and Tahani does it because she cares immensely about what everybody else thinks. The height difference is also a fun dynamic. 

Some prompts: 

Get as wacky and wild as you want with it if you want to do an AU, just keep the dynamic of animosity to friendship to something more between them. Superheroes with unconventional powers? Star Trek-esque AU? Spy vs Spy?

A game show type-esque match making with surprising results for Tahani

Eleanor and the five times she denied caring about Tahani’s feelings

Tahani’s over the top love confession and Eleanor’s aversion to feelings come to a head

Eleanor being Tahani’s booty-call and being unable/oblivious on how to turn that into a relationship

Sense8 Felix Berner/Wolfgang Bogdanow

This show was just the right kind of weird and I’m sad they didn’t manage to continue it because the concept was really cool. Now I just have a bunch of unanswered questions to hang onto like what happened with Wolfgang after the Whispers capture.

The Ship: Pardon my language, but I fucking adore these two. Their loyalty to each other is my absolute jam. They would literally die for one another and it chokes me up because it’s completely the antithesis of the view the world has of them, which is like....vaguely criminals and amounting to nothing beyond the shady world they grew up in. I also have a TON of feelings about Wolfgang and Felix being east berliners, growing up in the aftermath of the unification and being completely aware that not everything was as rosy as Germany wanted to portray to the world. Also, their Conan the Barbarian thing? Precious. 

NOTE: I totally ship Kala/Wolfgang as well so you don’t have to write her off by any means. I just focused of felix/wolfgang for this. 

Some prompts:

PLEASE give me Wolfgang coming clean to Felix about the sensates and how crazy his world has become on top of the general mayhem that comes from being a Bogdanow. CANON tells us Wolfgang doesn’t lie so why does it take him so damn long to tell Felix the truth? 

The weird experiments Felix comes up with to see Wolfgang not be Wolfgang or times when Felix notices someone else “in” Wolfgang and how he takes that.

Pre-sensate, Wolfgang always felt Felix like a second limb. Felix called it his “wolfy-sense”

Anything pre-sensate dealing with the misadventures of Felix and Wolfgang, growing up together, falling into sleeping together, and in love?

Wolfgang’s first lie to his uncle is that Felix is just his sidekick and not much more. Steiner knows better than to take his word for it. 

AU of a different meet up: Wolfgang is reluctantly forced into being a king of Berlin, Bohn sends one Felix Brenner as a liason for a favor owed (or Felix finds his own way to meet this King of Berlin)

Felix finally meeting the other sensates especially Kala: the two most important people in Wolfgang’s life in the same room.

Westworld Maeve Millay/Hector Escaton/Teddy Flood

Westworld tickled my fancy for all things sci-fi and robots learning what is to be human and humans being gods with terrible consequences. Maeve tickled my fancy as a WoC on the show and naturally became my favorite because I’m predictable.  I’m a complete sucker for the philosophy behind what the TV show is setting up, what it means to be human, what is the next step, how we in creating the hosts have possibly made our own destruction and somehow advanced ourselves. The Maze pointing to the need to suffer to be human or suffering because of your humanity is gr9.

The Ship: I think Maeve is the new force of good (in her quest to find her daughter and possibly exploring the other worlds/the outside world) to foil Dolores’ possible descent into a “rogue” element in Westworld. And Hector and Teddy will be in crosshairs of that tug of war.  Hector, is the character who Maeve chooses to bring with her as an asset or something more, I think the choice behind the action is important as her whole arc is discovering what is fake and what is true behind who she is. Teddy, is part of the hero’s storyline, he’s a do-gooder but we get so many throaways on his proficiency to kill and his death is well, popular. Maeve and Teddy circle each other a lot in Westworld and I wonder what side he’ll choose, Dolores in the Host Rebellion or will he choose a different ally in Maeve? 

Some prompts:

Did their repurposed lives every cross? How does that shade into their interactions now? How does Teddy view Hector and vice versa?

Maeve has to sway Teddy and Hector to her side after they get reprogrammed again, trying to spark some sort of recognition of what they already had

Gunslinging 101 for Maeve by Teddy and Hector, or how they become an Outlaw Trio in the midst of a Host rebellion 

The Defenders Claire Temple/Colleen Wing

This is pure self-indulgence because they have minimal interaction in the show but I absolutely loved how they played off each other. #colleendeservesbetter and Claire is totally it. 

The Ship: I like how they’re always sidelined and yet aren’t defined by that, like they know perfectly well how useful they are and aren’t afraid to get creative. As a team-up, it’s the whole healer/fighter thing that they’ve tried like multiple times with Claire (no offense to Luke and Daredevil) and that bit where they reassure each other about being the stable rocks of the Defenders??? That was the moment I really thought these two could work. 

Some prompts:

Gimme all the fluff and comfort and trying to be normal in a world where superheroes show up at your door to pull you into stupid adventures every week. Bonus points for including other supporting cast members such as Foggy, Trish, and Misty

Five times The Defenders cockblocked Colleen and Claire with their unnecessary drama

A kidnapping attempt by the clueless idiot of the week underestimating both of them. 

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015) Illya Kurakin/Gaby Teller/Napoleon Solo

I’m still waiting for the sequel that will never happen for this movie. It was a great spy movie and I loved all the details from the villainess to undercover fiances to daring escapes and drinking on rooftops.

The Ship:My perfectly tailored spy ot3. i absolutely came out of the movie saying they needed to simmer in some UST before finding inappropriate situations to tease each other. Illya actually getting to choose for himself instead of holding on to this ideal KGB agent. Gaby being fiercely protective of both men and wanting them both without a doubt. Napoleon having something steady and real for once in his life without strings attached

Some Prompts: 

Casefics that are frustrating exercises in why won’t you just bang each other already from all parties involved, bonus if they have to keep a cover from getting compromised

Using their talents to show affection in non-ordinary ways and someone being oblivious, while the other is slowly catching on to the game

Just a good old casefic because at least one of them has to have a competency kink

A different meeting: they’re all crooked as they come and have no problems with it

Where they go in their down time between assignments and how they manage their relationship (or hiding it) 

Gaby’s not the damsel in distress, Napoleon is. 

DC Cinematic Universe Diana Prince/Lois Lane

Two ladies who know what it is to lose a hero who is consequently the man they love. Also, Diana’s bisexuality is into the whole I’ll eat your balls for breakfast thing because hello, her mother raised her on an island full of Amazons.

The Ship:Height difference! Ladies who can handle themselves in diametrically different ways and yet still know the importance of being vulnerable and affectionate and the power of love. I do like the dynamic of Lois being this extraordinary human to all the supes because she never gives up and is bravely stubborn about her goals and morals and not afraid to call anyone out on their bullshit.

Note: I ship the entirety of the DC Trio together and with Lois so you can also play with that if it strikes your fancy. 

Some prompts:

Lois interviews Diana in the months after Superman’s death. Diana tries her best to console her

Lois learns some sort of self-defense from Diana and gets to surprise the Amazon as well.

“So if you’re a god, could you be prayed to or is it like Clark’s super-hearing?” or Lois’ never-ending curiousity on how the whole Themyscira thing works

Somewhere along the way, Lois is the one Diana comes home to.

[highschoolharrier]

Matthew Richardson is the head coach of the Troy High School girls cross country team in Michigan who recently won the Division 1 state championship over former NXN team Northville.

High School Harrier: Coming off the victory in the Michigan D1 girls race, how were you expecting your runners to perform?

Matthew Richardson: I felt like we could be in the hunt. We were pretty comfortable with what we thought our top 2 were going to give us point wise. If my 3, 4, and 5 stuck really close together I felt like we might be able to put 5 in front of any other teams 4 and that would give us a great chance. At our league meet they had 20 seconds between them. I pulled them aside one day in practice the next week and just said that wasn’t going to be good enough. They responded by staying within 8 seconds of each other at regionals and an amazing 1.7 at the state meet.

HSH: What went well in the race in order for your team to come away with the win over Northville?

MR: We saw them at The Coaching Legends meet at the end of September and they and Ann Arbor Pioneer both put 2 in front of our number 1 and Northville put 3 in front of our number 2. After that we talked about how we were going to have to be better up front and at least split that up a bit to let our 3, 4, 5 girls work their magic. At the state meet Northville still put 3 in front of our number 2 but we split up their top 2. Combine that with the amazing effort our 3, 4, and 5 girls put out there and it was enough to bring it home. I also felt like our girls did a great job of getting out there early and getting position. We wanted 5 in the top 50 by the end of the race and they put themselves there almost right away and fought hard to stay there. Ended up with all 5 in top 44. Incredible since our highest finisher the year before was 35th and our second was 70th.

HSH: Had your team had a chance to practice their race strategy in any meets leading up to the state meet?

MR: Well, we had been working hard all year at getting out and establishing position early and then just being patient thru the mile mark. After that it’s time to move up and get out of our comfort zone and compete for every spot.

HSH: Did any girls have a breakout year which allowed your team to be in a position to win?

MR: They all had PRs this year but a couple really stand out. Megan Worrel from 18:42 to 17:57 and Meghan Monaghan from 19:47 to 18:44. Great senior years for both those ladies. Kind of blows out of the water some people's theories that girls slow down as they get older.

HSH: What did the team do to prepare for the meet the day or two leading up to competition?

MR: We did our last workout Wednesday before. 3 x 1k, 3 x 400, 3 x 200. 5 or 6 miles and some real short sprints on Thursday, and running the course and strides on Friday. We actually didn’t taper a whole bunch other than cutting our long run down on Monday. I felt like they were in such a great rhythm the last month of the season that I wanted to just try to make it as close to a normal week as possible.

HSH: How did the tragedy of losing a teammate affect the team and what did the team do to keep positive thoughts moving forward?

MR: It was definitely a challenge and continues to be. We had just come off a great day the Thursday before at our league meet where the girls won and our boys were a surprise 2nd. You go from everything being about the upcoming regional and state meet to totally forgetting about those things and just trying to support each other and be there for the kids and get through the day. That Monday we found out was definitely the hardest and darkest day in my coaching career. Just seeing how devastated some of the kids were was just gut wrenching. We talked to the kids about supporting each other and looking out for each other. Just really tried to stress that they were all going to mourn in their own way and to find someone they trusted to talk to if they needed to. The rest of the week was just a challenge to get through emotionally. That Friday afternoon when both the boys and girls qualified for the state meet was the first time I felt like the kids thought it was okay to smile again.

HSH: Did the team enter the season with expectations to compete for the title?

MR: We talked about it a bit for sure but it wasn’t something we obsessed about. Really stressed that we thought they could be in the hunt in every meet all season if they just went out there and worked together and trusted each other in practices and in races.

HSH: As a coach, how do you cultivate a positive winning attitude that allows your team to compete at such a high level?

MR: We try to set the tone early but at some point, they have to take it on themselves. I can’t want it for them. They have to be willing to put in the work in the summer and on the weekends when other kids are lying in bed. We try to talk about being competitive in races and trying to win the battles out there instead of just going out and time trialing. Try to get them to buy into the team concept first and individual goals second.

HSH: What do you do to allow your top or older athletes to develop their leadership?

MR: I think that they learn from those that come before them. Sometimes good and sometimes bad. We try to encourage the good. A lot of the summer practices are led by the captains and seniors. This is the time that the foundation for the season is really laid. If we have a good group of leaders we tend to have a good summer and come into the season ready to get going.

HSH: Does your team have any traditions they look forward to each year?

MR: Cross Country Camp is something a lot of the kids really look forward to. We usually take about 30 to 40 kids up to a state park in the northern part of the lower peninsula for 5 nights. It’s a great team bonding experience. Some tough running followed by volleyball and hanging out around the campfire. It’s usually one of the kids favorite memories. I know my own kids talk about it all the time.

HSH: What does a regular week of training look like for your varsity athletes?

MR: Long run Sunday. Mileage varies but this year the varsity girls would do 8 to 10. If we had a race on Saturday we try to keep it really easy. If no race Saturday then we will try to get rolling a bit the second half of the run.  Monday is a medium distance day of 6ish followed by fast strides.

Tuesday will be our big workout. Usually mile or kilometer repeats a bit slower than race pace followed by some quicker 200s. 5 x mile is biggest volume older girls got up to this year. Thursday is same as Monday. Friday will 5 or 6 and some lighter strides. Saturday race. For the experienced kids we try to hit 40 to 45 a week. Maybe up to 50 for some of the top end kids.

HSH: What is your favorite workout with the kids or what is a go to work out you do when you feel your team needs to feel good?

MR: My favorite workout is 6 x k with pretty short rests. Usually 5 or 10 seconds slower than race pace so it doesn’t empty the tank too much. I f we can follow that up with 4 or 5 100 meter sprints I’m happy. Kids feel fairly fresh and confident and with warm up and cool down it can be an 8 to 10 mile total day.

HSH: In your opinion, how important is success on the track in the spring tied into success in cross in the fall?

MR: Well I’m the track coach so of course I like them to run track and keep advancing their fitness. We’ve had great success with some of the soccer players through the years and more recently with some of the lacrosse players. Honestly, as long as they are doing some school sport in the spring I’m happy. If they are doing nothing in the spring then that’s usually pretty evident in the fall with a lack of progress. If those doing other sports can get out a couple times a week and get some decent runs in then I’m even happier.

HSH: The Northville girls team went to NXN a few years ago despite the state association originally telling them they couldn't.  Do you think that softened their stance for MI teams to make the trip to compete at Nike?

MR: It doesn’t seem like it has. The girls would love to go down to Terre Haute and throw down with the best teams in the Midwest and see how they match up but we’ve known since the beginning that that probably wasn’t going to happen. Even if they were allowed to I would set up the season the same way and really aim at the state meet for our peak race. They’ll be heading down there to run as individuals and trying to keep improving. Hopefully in the future Michigan teams will be allowed to compete as teams and to show that we are truly one of the best states in the country for distance running. I feel like Michigan boys and girls teams get overlooked in the regional and national ranking based on not being able to compete there and that takes away exposure for the Michigan kids.

HSH: What advice would you have for coaches looking to put together a successful program?

MR: You have to be passionate about the sport and take the time to get to know your athletes. They need to know that you care about them as more than just a time or a place. And it has to be genuine. Kids can spot someone who isn’t genuine quicker than most. You have to be willing to put in the time to help them achieve their goals. The best compliment I have ever gotten from a former athlete is that I wasn’t a 2:30 to 4:30 Monday thru Friday coach. That I was willing to be there on Saturday or Sunday mornings for a long run with them. That I was available to stick around after practice if they needed me to. My last piece of advice I can give is to find a spouse or partner that is supportive of what you do and wants to be involved. I’m fortunate that my wife ran in college and she gets all the extra time it takes during the season and out of the season. She is completely supportive of me and the team. We try to get our kids (ages 5 and 7) involved as well. The kids come to cross country camp with me and some practices and meets when they can. They love being around the team when they can but they also know the team pulls me away from them at times. I brought my kids up on the stage with me to get the trophy because they were really excited for the girls and I wanted them to be a part of it but also because they sacrifice a lot too.

Photo courtesy of Paula Pasche/The Oakland Press.

[junker-town]

Jordan Hicks is the best NFL player nobody’s talking about. That’s about to change.

The Eagles’ interception magnet is ready to take a leadership role in 2017.

Jordan Hicks may not be a household name, but he’s come up big for the Philadelphia Eagles in his short career. Hicks has become an interception magnet -- he led the team with five in 2016 -- and in his third year, he should be an even bigger contributor, on and off the field.

At the middle linebacker position, Hicks is responsible for identifying formations and putting his teammates in a position to make stops. He’s grown to be the more vocal and confident leader that comes with the experience of a full regular season under his belt. But more importantly, he should also have a clean bill of health.

There was cause for alarm earlier this month, when the linebacker injured his hand while on his honeymoon in Greece. The Eagles haven’t confirmed if his hand is actually broken, but even if it is, the team doesn’t expect Hicks to be out for more than four weeks, marking his return right around training camp.

Hicks is heading into the 2017 offseason with a leg up over previous years. For the first time in his career, he hasn’t had to incorporate significant rehab into his training. With his time and energy instead focused on improving on an already impressive year, Hicks is poised to break team and league records in the months ahead.

Hicks can building off a league-leading season

Hicks gained momentum throughout the year as a clutch player, especially against division rivals. He capped off the season with a two-interception game against the Cowboys in Week 17. With most of the Dallas starters resting in preparation for the playoffs, Hicks’ picks came against former teammate (and buttfumble legend) Mark Sanchez — to the delight of Eagles fans.

Pretty impressive play for Jordan Hicks' seventh career INT. #Eagles http://pic.twitter.com/6mtOwpaDvT

— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroCSN) January 2, 2017

Hicks became the first NFL linebacker with 11-plus takeaways in his first 24 games since Hall of Famer Jack Ham in the early ‘70s. He was sidelined for seven weeks at the end of his rookie season with a torn pectoral muscle, or he might’ve earned that record a little sooner.

Overall, the middle linebacker has recorded 100 tackles, 14 passes deflected, seven interceptions (including a pick-six), four fumble recoveries, 2.0 sacks, and one forced fumble.

And he’s just getting started.

Hick’s is ready to have yet another career year, and that won’t come without hard work in the weight room and the film room.

“Obviously last year I was able to make some plays. Again, I’m just trying to build off of that. Being able to be in the same defense will help a lot, and to be able to really work on the intricacies of the defense,” Hicks told Bleeding Green Nation.

That undersells the real value he added to the Eagles defense. Not only did he lineup for 95.2 percent of the defensive snaps, but he ranked No. 7 on the team in snap counts, behind only Malcolm Jenkins, Rodney McLeod and Nigel Bradham on defense, and Jason Kelce, Carson Wentz and Jason Peters on offense.

The sophomore player didn’t just stand out among his teammates, but also throughout the league. He led all linebackers with five interceptions last season (tied for No. 3 among all position groups), along with the most passes defended (11) and most plays on passes (16) Hicks was also ranked by Pro Football Focus as the toughest linebacker for quarterbacks to face in the league in 2016.

No linebacker was tougher on opposing quarterbacks than @JordanHicks of the Eagles. http://pic.twitter.com/BKEAEGU2Lv

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) May 10, 2017

The most exciting thing about Hicks’ performance last season is that it set the perfect foundation for 2017. He entered the offseason more confident and with a full year of experience in a new defensive scheme. Building on what he did last year will set him, and the Eagles defense, up for a havoc-wreaking year.

In what quickly became a bright spot for the team in 2016, the defensive side of the ball gained momentum throughout the season. Despite a few light position groups (like at cornerback), as a whole, the defense was on the cusp of being among the top 10 in the league — finishing 2016 at No. 13 of ESPN’s total defense rankings.

With Hicks firing on all cylinders at the end of last season, in addition to his offseason motivation, he’ll be pivotal in making the Eagles’ defense one of the most aggressive in the NFL.

He’s embracing a leadership role

Heading into just his third year in the league, Hicks is already stepping up to save a sad 2015 draft class for the Eagles. Hicks and wideout Nelson Agholor are the only two picks still with the team from the final draft class of the Chip Kelly era. Agholor has struggled his first two seasons, but Hicks has become an exciting young leader for the defense.

“At middle linebacker, I feel like I have to be [a leader]. I think honestly we have quite a bit of guys who are considered leaders,” Hicks told Bleeding Green Nation.

Despite being only 25 years old, he’s not afraid to speak up. The Eagles released footage of a mic’d up Hicks throughout the 2016 season, and it’s easy to get excited about a guy who is all-in so early in his career. It isn’t just the defense he’s riling up and supporting, but quarterback Carson Wentz and head coach Doug Pederson too.

He's played just two years in the league, but @JordanHicks is already a leader on this #Eagles defense. #FlyEaglesFly http://pic.twitter.com/wL27fE4Tdn

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) March 21, 2017

He understands the value of consistency, and having the same defensive scheme -- and defensive coordinator — two (healthy) seasons in a row will go a long way to get there.

Hicks already has a plan, telling BGN, “We’ll be able to see [the same route concepts] and take specific film and figure out the steps and drill work. Work on what we weren’t really good at last year. That’s how you take the next step.”

Still playing under his rookie contract, Hicks could cost the Eagles big money when he becomes a free agent following the 2018 season. But, if he keeps flying around the field, making big plays on opposing quarterbacks, and contributing to an upward-trending defense, he’ll be worth every penny.