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rsmrymnt-tea · 2 years ago

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it takes some figuring out and a willingness to maybe be at least a little uncomfortable and very vulnerable.

even more confirmation that dolasach definitely fits the bill for “#1 satan appealer” and “#1 validator of whale anon's TEDthoughts” !(•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑

i find that using multiple forms of symbolism to inspire character creation, especially if you take inspiration from animals, makes workshopping feel so much more effortless? too much of it can cause one to spiral and lose sight of who their oc is when they direct their focus molding them into the symbols rather than the other way around. like you, i think it's just so much more easier to let things be instead of forcing myself to fit a status quo.

tbh with you i didn't even mind that you didn't stick with the assignment of only explaining dola's feelings! as someone who is notorious for being able to shamelessly lore dump and engage in oc conversation up to 7 hours on and off it makes me feel a lot more relieved knowing that other people are willing to go above and beyond the assignment they were given 😭 (/pos).

although, this is also my weakness when it comes to sending in anonymous asks ;w;; i want to say so much but i must do it in a way where it's comprehensible and condensed instead of giving you 38924923 paragraphs, which i can only wish i could do.

and i mentioned this before (or maybe it's buried deep in the response im typing up atm..) but it warms my heart that there's also someone who has difficulty explaining their mc in brief terms!!

i often get stuck between “ah, so you only view my mc on a surface level despite all the information i've given you” and “this is a good conversation starter for someone who doesn't know my mc”. the other day i teased someone into telling me who they believe would be the most likely to be romantically paired with my mc, and i had such a visceral reaction to it that i didn't know whether to be offended or to outright laugh .. but i just?? couldn't blame them??? like yeah i get it on paper it seems like my mc would be romantically involved with simeon but holy shit she would not have a good time if that were that case KJNDFKFJS

the way i present her to people is based on what others have told me once they've gotten to know who she is from her youth up until her late twenties (and soon to be, accidental immortality that has been creeping up on her from before the story of the devildom began . . .), is something that i've come to realize really isn't the best course of action skfnkskjf so i'll be using you as my guinea pig i hope you don't mind 🙏

which is why i think it's taking so long for me to respond? i'm trying to present you all the important details in a condensed manner, but even then, it isn't enough (｡•́︿•̀｡) but i'm not one to give up i think it's pretty fun lolol [side eyes my two self-indulgent 40+k fics that are purely for her most important relationships]

back to our beautiful dolasach! the way mc is presented in-game sends sickening chills down my ribs and forms a tight knot in my stomach, so whenever i see issues rising between other mcs and the obm cast i get really giddy! it says so much about them, from how they choose to behave or respond, to how much they choose to say . . . aaa what a dream come true <3 and it's exceptionally rare to find a mc like yours and i mean that sincerely. it's not often you see an author dive into the ugly parts of a character and still make it not inherently beautiful, but rather make it feel bittersweet.

and i really adore how you mention immortality because a while ago i went on a “what does immortality mean for immortals but specifically solomon because i said so and not in the way where he grieves but in the way where his traits have over-ripened and his relationship to trauma has become over-developed” spiel and it reminded me of something i wrote so [gently hands you this]

Is this a flaw of immortality, that everything transient seems so frail by comparison, that you’ve lived so long you’re weighed down by the memory of everything that has passed before, that you find it impossible to just live, to let things be?

and after all of the posts i've stuck around for i don't believe i've pieced together what dolasach's goal would be? there is the situation of separating themself from the identity that is inherently attached to her parents, of becoming satisfied in general, of redemption for herself . . . hm! ＿〆(。。)

also i took a peek at your TEDthought of dolasach's name and all i can say is that hi hello that is a perfect parallel to satan who wishes to separate himself from lucifer and it also makes sense that she'd have another name for when she becomes immortal <33 a start of a new era, one that she will mold herself.

agsjsha Honestly I’d be disappointed in myself if Dola was suddenly not that compatible with Satan after making her just for him 😭

Big agree on having many places to pull inspiration from as something that makes workshopping easier, but not fully relying on them to shape a character. I like to think I take just enough to have some sort of loose guide for where I want Dola to be? Of course my process isn’t perfect since I tend to self-indulge often (like with me being adamant about Dola getting her immortality from Thirteen purely because the original Dolasach is a necromancer with a specialization of reaper) and I can’t really be sure that I’m keeping my own OC 100% in character all the time but you know. Real people aren’t 100% in character all the time either <-personal copium lol

I also think I tend to shift the canon characters’ personalities a little to make things a little easier and more entertaining for myself? But I will defend myself by saying that it’s not like game canon does a stellar job of keeping it’s own characters in character. And also I just take issue with some Choices™️ >.> ehem.

Anyway anyway >.> Semi-rant about game canon aside—

You 🤝🏼 Me -> not being able to keep things short. There is too much I want to say!! And when enabled and given the impression that someone gives a shit I will overdo it lmao >.> I also find that I figure things out better and faster when I’m using someone’s ask to rubber duck. Something about having to actually present my ideas to someone makes it easier to decide on what I want and where things should go, which tends to make my answers really long because I prefer to present everything in the form of actions, feelings, and thoughts more than simple description.

Personally, I don't actually like having to describe Dolasach in single, simple adjectives? Or any character, really, much like how I personally do not enjoy being asked to describe myself in five words during those stupid questionnaires and interviews for school and employment. I don't find it easy to find the right way to describe someone because I think people are too complex to simply leave it at a handful of adjectives, even more so when everyone's perception of a description can end up wildly varying.

So pls omg, don't worry too much about perfectly presenting every single thing about Godtongue to me in the span of one or two asks >.< I will inevitably misunderstand or miss something, which will just have you spend more time clearing things up—it may be better to show me small snippets at a time until I get a solid enough idea of them to work off of. It's impossible to truly condense someone into a few simple paragraphs when you know them insanely well due to having created them dfgkjh and I also don't want to frustrate you when there's things I don't get after you've gone through all the trouble of trying to figure out the perfect way to introduce more of her to me.

Because even then, I feel like because we don't think exactly alike, I'm not going to land on something truly to your satisfaction in just one or two exchanges. Literally every take I have on both Dola and the OM cast has taken a while to reach, and all the times people have told me I've been accurate with guessing what their OC/MC would be like have all been educated guesses that I'm shocked I've gotten right; I am fully expecting and also prepared to be told I'm wrong each time I post something about what someone thinks their character's relationship with Dola would be like tbh and I welcome that fully).

So like!! Don't worry about your response too much nonnie sdfhjkdg I'm not forcing you to rush, take your time; but know that I think that we'll get somewhere faster with getting to know the similarities and differences between Godtongue and Dola if we have a discussion? ;w; Especially if I'm going to be your guinea pig for trying out different way(s) of presenting her, because contrary to what a lot of people seem to think here, I'm not actually that smart when it comes to learning about a character >.>;;

Anyway uh, back to Dola?

I'm honestly so super flattered that you think all that sdhjkd Like it makes me feel like I'm doing something right with writing Dola, y'know? Because whenever I write her I tend to hope that I'm showing people someone very flawed and very human. There is plenty that she struggles with, and I don't want people to think that those struggles are in any way beautiful or to be romanticized. Bittersweet is a nice way to put it, yeah. I think there's something both wonderful and horrific about how she goes about trying to make the most of her life throughout the eras of it because honestly, I don't think she has any major long term goals beyond just trying to have a happy existence.

You mentioned not having pieced together what Dola's goal is, and I'm assuming you mean a long term overarching goal that bears some significance and influence to her actions overall.

The thing is, I think many of her goals fall into place throughout the course of her very long life. She does eventually find an identity separate from her parents both as a person and as an artist—something that becomes easily the more of her life she lives away from them (and also, well, spoilers but they die before she's 40 so she definitely outgrows them in many ways); she eventually becomes a sorcerer of high enough skill to stand alongside Solomon and even excels beyond him in certain fields; she eventually even comes to terms with accepting that allowing oneself to breathe will not undo all the work she's done. Like, she does reach points of satisfaction throughout her life, but it doesn't exactly take very long until there is something else that she wants, something else that grabs her attention and points her to direct her efforts and growth towards whatever it is.

But in immortality, I think she does eventually run out of things to aim for. I mean, the most impossible thing out of everything she wanted to achieve actually turns out to be possible—where does she go from there?

The lack of anything to aim for does eventually get to Dola. There are definitely times when she struggles, like really struggle, when it comes to dealing with her immortality. But she refuses to call for death and die. She knows there is nothing for her after death (or at least thinks it—I may or may not do something with the demon!Dola AU who knows) and still finds a lot of joy in simply living her life with her found family. There is still plenty to learn, plenty to discover.

In her crisis I think it occurs to her that perhaps she must imagine Sisyphus happy. And it's a strange change, but is enough to keep her sustained in between the times when there is nothing grand to chase.

(Of course, I think there is a goal of some form that she doesn't quite recognize in the form of a devotion to the one other human who understands what she's going through. Like, as much as it feels weird to admit on here, even though she and Satan have been through so much together and well, even though I made her for Satan, in the long run I think it's Solomon who becomes a source of major comfort that Satan just can't offer because immortality is inherent to him and his society. Solomon is human with a much greater capacity for empathy than Dola has, and has been through the some of the worst of immortality already all alone. And when humanity ends and the earth is consumed by what was once the sun, and the Devildom has offered asylum for the two, it just... Bonds them together in such a crazy way. Idk.

I mean, she still loves Satan with all her heart and the two have a special bond that is completely different from what she and Solomon have. But it's hard to deny the differences, and I can see the two tearfully discussing their feelings regarding it in private at some point far down the timeline of Dola's life. Btw I don't think the brothers + royals ever die unless killed. Because I said so.)

Ah, re: her name tho! I don't think it's ever an intentional choice for 'Dolasach' to become the only name she's known by over the years—it just happens. In my head half her family all go by similar single-word aliases when working, and some of them also choose to just introduce themselves as their art alias because they like the sound of it better. Fully think her father's side started the tradition with like, the great-grandmother and then the next generation, then the next, then until Dola and her cousins. I don't think there's any deep reason as to why she started introducing herself as Dolasach either cause I fully believe her father + his siblings all helped pick out possible aliases for her and her cousins to choose from at some point and she thought 'Dolasach' sounded best and started using it everywhere that didn't need her legal/birth name. From there it just stuck as she doesn't really see much difference between her as an artist + her as herself.

Is it weird? Kinda but idk, they're artists that's my their excuse lmao

(Before I end this very long answer, I like to think that this is where Satan and Dola's problems with their identity differ. I think Satan's stems from not wanting to be thought of as a mere fragment of Lucifer and a deep dread of any confirmation that that's all he is, that his efforts are inevitably pointless because his origin means that his life will always revolve around the fact that he was born from Lucifer's wrath; he will always be less, he will always be linked, he will always be questioning whether he is merely the part of Lucifer that loathes himself personified. Dola's issues stem from her knowing she is different and wishing so desperately that people would see and recognize that. That the fruits of her labor stop being attributed to being part of her family that she loathes and dismissed as something inherent to her bloodline. She's also sick of being seen and used as a gateway to accessing her older relatives because it makes her feel like no one gives a shit about what she does.

I guess in short, I think Satan's battle is more with himself because I honestly think he's likely already killed everyone who's so much as whispered about comparing him to Lucifer so mostly, the main voice left belittling him the most is his own (and sometimes the brothers I guess, who seem to endlessly favor Lucifer more despite Satan being considerably nicer and more active in helping them out on the day to day?); Dola's battle, least by the time she's in the Devildom, is more with everyone else, and that's why she was able to help Satan deal with his issues. She's already been through the whole 'am I just them but shitter/what is my inherent worth/who am I without them' ordeal and can help him to some extent, at least.)

#chat & colloquy #🐳 nonnie!!#dolasach #hsdjk very very long #but whatever i think we've established that we both are into long replies hsjkhdfkjghdkfgh

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alittlewhump · 3 years ago

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Unbidden - Act 1, chapter 7

Masterlist | Previous | Next

Content warnings: death mention

Morgan was surprised to return to consciousness. He hadn't expected that to happen again. He was lying in a rough bed, covered by thin sheets. His eyes wouldn't quite focus, but sunlight was shining through a window and giving everything a golden cast. It smelled familiar, like healing herbs - maybe Akara's cabin? Someone must have arrived just in time to save them from Andariel's clutches. His efforts certainly hadn't bought enough time for an enthralment to wear off. He made to sit up, but the pain that lanced through his arm cut that plan short. He cried out before he could stop himself, biting down on his lip to muffle the sound. Even that hurt more than it should have.

The priestess appeared beside the bed. "Finally back with the living, are you? Good. We've been worried. Drink this." She pressed a cup to his lips. He hadn't realized how thirsty he'd been, but he gulped back the water quickly. The cool liquid soothed his raw throat a little. It still hurt to swallow, probably to speak as well.

He risked a soft "Thank you," barely more than a whisper. It felt like his throat was lined with sand, and he grimaced.

"Just rest, hero." Hero? The confusion must have been plain on his face. The expression of concern had been out of character, but this was much stranger. Akara gave him a sympathetic, slightly worried look. "Don't you-"

Blaise burst into the small room at top volume. "You're finally awake! The great hero rises at last! I've been telling everyone how you defeated Andariel and saved us all. They'll be so glad to see you've pulled through!" She was making an unusual amount of eye contact. This was a cue, then. Despite the confusion of the situation, Morgan found himself relaxing a little. It was good to see her alive and well, although she continued to baffle him. Why would she lie about what had happened?

"It would be a treat to hear the tale from your point of view for a change," Akara murmured. Blaise's smile froze. She was, Morgan realized, banking on him playing along with the version of events she'd laid out. He'd already told her he didn't lie, so why would she involve him this way?

"I, ah..." He cleared his throat and regretted it instantly, wincing. "I'm afraid I... don't remember that," he said carefully. It wasn't a lie - he couldn't remember what had never happened.

Akara clicked her tongue. "I've seen this happen before. Poisons can wreak havoc on the memory. It's a shame." Blaise looked relieved. "Anyway, now that you've made it through the worst of it, I can get out and replenish my stock." She was already slipping a cloak over her shoulders. "Blaise, you'll keep an eye on him, hm?" It was not a question, and she did not wait for a response before leaving.

Blaise watched the door until the sound of footsteps faded away, then she turned on Morgan with a ferociously angry expression. "You're a complete fucking idiot and I don't care if you don't remember any of it. I'll sum it up for you: you decided to just jump up on Andariel like she wasn't going to destroy you in one second. Then - of course - she did. We're both fucking lucky that I managed to shake her stupid demon mind control and put a whole quiver of arrows through her ugly skull. Now tell me what in fuck's sake you were thinking when that seemed like a good idea to you."

Her sudden switch from cheerful to enraged was confusing and overwhelming. "You were enthralled, I had to try something," he blurted. He didn't know what she wanted to hear, but evidently it wasn't that.

"You should have tried going back for some fucking help! That's what any person with a brain in their idiot head would have done!"

That hadn't even occurred to Morgan. Given the prevailing attitude toward his brotherhood, asking for help from others was not usually an option. He would have rejected the idea anyway - it would have spelled her doom, which would have been an unacceptable outcome, especially when the likelihood of receiving help from the others was so low. They'd both managed to survive somehow, so why was she so upset? Maybe if he just explained. "As a follower of Rathma, my sworn-"

"Your sworn duty is to maintain the Balance. I know. I've heard your little speech. What does that have to do with anything?"

"The forces of darkness are gathering. I must do what I can to hinder evil and preserve good." Blaise just kept staring. Was that not enough explanation? Time to take it down to basic facts, then. "You're a good person, Blaise."

He was not expecting the series of emotions that crossed her face, most of which he couldn't identify. She settled on anger, which was recognizable but still confusing. He was also not expecting the slap that stung suddenly across his cheek. He winced. She was fast.

"What about now, huh? Do you still think I'm good?" Blaise's voice was low and dangerous. Morgan's eyes narrowed, searching her face for anything that would make sense of this. He found nothing. Why was she reacting so strongly to such a simple observation? Maybe - oh. Cain had mentioned Andariel's influence extending to emotional anguish as well, not just physical. That... well, that might explain this volatility but it wouldn't help him navigate it. He wasn't going to lie to her. It wouldn't matter anyway, since it felt like neither answer was going to be correct.

"Yes."

Another slap, harder than the last one. Morgan bit back a yelp. She had managed to hit the exact same spot, and he could already feel it beginning to swell.

"How about now?" Her voice trembled with anger. This was going nowhere.

"The answer -" here he flinched, closing his eyes in anticipation of the next strike. "- will continue to be yes, no matter how many times you hit me." Nothing. Maybe he'd gotten through. He opened his eyes hesitantly, only to be met with another slap. He made a soft grunt of pain, despite himself.

"You're a fool," Blaise spat. So she didn't believe his assessment. This could definitely be solved with more explanation. He just had to choose his words carefully. His cheek throbbed.

"I have spent enough time around you," he began slowly, looking at a spot on the wall. It felt safer than making eye contact. "To observe that you are loyal, brave, kind, and fair." He didn't dare risk looking over at her, so instead he continued. "I am an outsider with... few social graces. I keep company with the dead. You were ordered to escort me on an unpleasant and dangerous quest, which nearly got you killed." He paused to swallow, grimacing. His throat burned painfully, but he wasn't finished. "All things considered, it is reasonable for you to hate me. That does not change your nature."

Something else was beginning to occur to him. Blaise wasn't saying anything, so he forged ahead despite the discomfort. "And yet, despite all the trouble I've caused you, you still went to the effort of bringing me back here. To your healer. It would have been easier to leave me. Where I fell."

She snorted at that. So at least she had been listening. "And what do you suppose I would have told everyone then, huh?"

Morgan turned his head to look at her again, searching for some sign - was this a trick question? What was the answer supposed to be? He decided to go with the factual. "That I died. You don't mark the passing of outsiders here."

That earned him another scoff. At least it wasn't a blow. "Yeah, that would go over great. 'Hey, everyone! We defeated Andariel! Where's Morgan, you ask? Oh, he died in battle and I just left his corpse down there in the monastery.'"

A deep-seated emotion coiled around his ribs, squeezed like a snake. That wasn't what happened at all. Wasn't what would have happened. All the pieces of it were wrong. He could feel himself scowling, a visceral reaction to the feeling in his chest.

"See? That wouldn't be right," Blaise said.

"No. Not in battle," he spat. Ridiculous. It hadn't been a battle. He'd barely put up a fight at all. "He died a coward," he corrected, half snarling. "Screaming. Writhing. Helpless. Like a worm on a hook." He wished the poison had taken his memory as Akara had suggested. Instead, he remembered each terrible second with crystal clarity.

Tears had sprung to his eyes. Apparently he was also feeling the emotional effects of Andariel's influence. Recognizing that didn't help. He drew a shaky breath and raised his hands to wipe away the tears. A searing pain shot through his injured arm as he moved it and he choked back a cry, pressing the limb back against his side where it hadn't hurt so badly. He scrubbed at his eyes with his good hand, but when his fingers brushed the spot on his cheek where Blaise's hand had connected, he made another soft sound of pain. Gods above, why did everything have to hurt so much? The anger and frustration and embarrassment all boiled over suddenly, without warning. An animal sound bubbled up from inside him, a growl that opened up into almost a howl before being overtaken by violent coughing. That hurt too, of course.

Strong hands gripped Morgan's shoulders, sat him upright and rubbed his back as the coughing fit subsided. Shame burned hot across his face. He was supposed to be able to control his emotions, but evidently he hadn't completed his training as well as he'd thought. To lose his composure so completely, then get treated like this - like a child! By someone who barely even tolerated his presence, probably compelled by pity. He closed his eyes and lay back, wishing he could just disappear.

Blaise spoke softly now. "You're not a coward, you know. You were actually really good down there." A hollow feeling settled over Morgan. Now he was definitely being pitied. This was worse than the anger, harder to accept. People were often angry at him, and he was at peace with that. But this... this made him feel so small, and he hated it.

"Don't," he rasped.

"What?"

"You don't have to... soothe my pride." His lip curled. "I know what I am." Weak. Pathetic. A burden. "I will leave as soon as I am well enough. It should be easy to avoid me until then." That ought to please her, the promise of seeing him gone. He was certainly looking forward to being alone so he could work on regaining his emotional control.

"Listen, Morgan." Blaise's voice was quiet, serious. She sighed. "I don't hate you."

That... no, that didn't make any sense. Most people disliked members of his Order on principle, and she had more reason than most to hate him. Morgan opened his eyes to peer suspiciously at the woman seated beside him. He couldn't read her expression. Was this a joke? Sarcasm? Did she really mean it? A long moment passed in silence. He broke it with the barest whisper, "Why?"

"You saved my life, idiot. You almost died trying, I thought - Anyway, I didn't hate you before that either. I wouldn't say I like you, exactly... I mean, you're... not normal. But it's obvious you're trying to do what's right, and I respect that." She made a face like she'd tasted something sour. "I haven't been... I mean, I know I've treated you - fuck, and just now..." She trailed off, ran a hand through her hair, and tried again. "Look, I'm sorry I hit you. I shouldn't have done that. I just don't... why would you say... why would you think I'm a good person? I've never even been nice to you."

"You don't have to be nice to me to be a good person," he explained tiredly. Nice was surface-level, easy for people to fake. Besides that, impartiality was a central tenet of Rathma's teachings. It was essential to the Balance. Personal feelings and experiences could not be permitted to colour a priest's judgment. Removing oneself from the equation had to be second nature. Being treated nicely, or not, had nothing to do with it.

Blaise was making that sour face again, and Morgan didn't have the energy for any further explanation. He didn't feel like he had the energy for anything. Everything hurt and he was feeling a lot of emotions, most of which he was not at all comfortable with. He closed his eyes again. "I need to rest." He paused. "Thank you. For saving my life." No response came. That was fine. Silence was easy. So was slipping back into unconsciousness.

#my writing #story: unbidden #death mention tw

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fluorescencefuture · 3 years ago

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Hwayugi / A Korean Odyssey Episode 3 Thoughts

Overall Feelings About the Show So Far

Good god, why did they put so many effects without the budget for them

This is the worst Wukong outfit design I have ever seen

Why is every episode 1 hour 30 minutes I mean episiode 1 and 2 could've totally been one episode just saying

Not really feeling the chemistry yet

K-dramas use Vine boom sound effects and I cannot take anything seriously because of that

I’m saying it now, I hate the soundtrack

I use Samsung phones so I feel a visceral reaction every time I hear the ringtones in K-dramas. That Morning Glory alarm will forever haunt me

The Main Leads

Wukong couldn't just blow on blood to get rid of it in the original but it's not out of character for him or the novel to pull a bullshit power out of nowhere so I’m cool with it. He can also magically control traffic now, which I accept as canon

I don't like Samjang that much. I feel like they haven't quite struck the balance between headstrong and put together with bewildered and scared of the magical realm. I mean the latter is really accurate to Sanzang in the book but Sanzang in the book is horrible so

Is it the actress? I really don't vibe with the character of Samjang but looking at it again I feel like the script are totally fine. I think it might actually just be a miscast actress, or odd direction

Ehh, the double tsundere thing isn't really working as well as it did in What's Wrong with Secretary Kim, the other K-drama I half-watched

Honestly I wish they went the A Chinese Odyssey route and used White Bone Demon or Original Character Do Not Steal for Wukong's love interest because a version of Sanzang is too obvious of a choice for me and also this one’s kinda boring

Guanyin would totally have a version of the headband that inflicts emotional pain ahah. Making someone fall in love with you by using a device (like a love potion or gadget) is a trope I find egh but it's a little less awful here since Samjang didn't know it would do that and Wukong still has some free will

Rejecting his love gives him physical pain, wonderful. And hey, they've got that part right, the only wounds that actually hurt Wukong are emotional ones. And also Red Boy's fire

The Supporting Cast

I honestly really love Mr. Lee, the employee guy. He doesn’t deserve to be caught up in this.

"Even someone as boring as dogs and cows can become a celebrity?" he says unknowingly to the dog and cow demons

Demon Bull King is kind of overacted at times but he can be funny too

"Sha Wujing tweeted that Bull Demon King found Samjang" oh my god, he got destroyed by Twitter

That "time travel doppleganger" photo, I love that. And the dog demon secretary pointing at the fluffy doggo and going "hey it me!"

Oh shit, imperial Japanese flag, we in the occupation?! And the lady who got shot in front of him was Princess Iron Fan? Holy shit, that's one hell of a backstory for Demon Bull King

Bro, he loves his wife :'(

So DBK's plan was to hire Samjang to make Wukong do exorcisms and he would take the credit? That's...brained. Not small-brained or big-brained, just brained.

Hey look, it's the OG trio all together. ...It doesn't feel the same

Okay even if Bajie is too attractive he's still the same old Bajie inside so it's all good. DBK calls him out on being a coward, ahah. I also love that Bajie's still delusional over his power level compared to Wukong

Little Things I Liked

Wukong dropping off a monkey plush for her to hang out with when she's alone, that's fantastic. "This is Sun Wukong Jr. If he makes you cringe, please take this bracelet off me."

Wukong points out that he lived on a volcano island and actually though, is that why Wukong liked the snowfall so much in that one arc of the book? It never crossed my mind that being from a rather tropical region, he'd of course be a little sensitive to winter cold and amazed by snowfall in general

Wukong parks like a douche which is totally in character since he'd just walk into places and tie the horse up without any permission

"I don't have to take my heart out and show you right?" He can actually physically do that by the way

Wukong stocked the fridge full of Tupperwares of sauces and side dishes for when he eats Samjang I love that

What is that wand thing he's wielding? Is that what the staff is in Korean interpretations?

How are you still cold you bitch you're wearing that ugly ass fur coat all the time

Y'know, it is pretty nice to see a modern Journey to the West that focuses on exorcising more modern type ghosts and demons, I mean that'd be Wukong's best job in modern time

Turns around in bed, Wukong lying in a "paint me like your French girls" pose, he goes "Hey", I should steal that and turn it into a gag comic ahah

In this episode Wukong goes “Damn bitch, you live like this?” and “Alone on a Saturday night? God, you’re pathetic”

Demon Bull King implying that Stephen Chow and Angelina Jolie are demons

Who's this peacock demon?! There's no peacocks in Journey to the West! But for real heh, an Indian animal, keep referencing the original book please

That episode had more shit going on than the previous two, thank god for that cause the last two did NOT need three hours. I mean, this one's still too long but at least shit's happening.

#Hwayugi #A Korean Odyssey #Journey to the West #hwayugi liveblog #Fluor speaks

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comicteaparty · 5 years ago

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March 9th-March 15th, 2020 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from March 9th, 2020 to March 15th, 2020. The chat focused on HoverGirls by Geneva Bowers.

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Chat:

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on HoverGirls by Geneva Bowers~! (https://hovergirls.com/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace until March 15th, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Discussions are freeform, but we do offer discussion prompts in the pins for those who’d like to have them. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic! Whether you finish the comic or can only read a few pages, everyone is welcome to join and chat with us!

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 1

1. What did you like about the beginning of the comic?

2. What has been your favorite moment in the comic (so far)?

3. Who is your favorite character?

4. Which characters do like seeing interact the most?

5. What is something you like about the art? If you have a favorite illustration, please share it!

6. What is a theme you like that the comic explores?

7. What do you like about the comic’s story or overall related content?

8. Overall, what do you think the comic’s strengths are?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

It's so eye catching!

The bold color scheme immediately creates a strong identity for the comic

The contrast between the two MCs is

I'll comment more when I've read past literally just the first page lol

eli [a winged tale]

Wow I love the art! Very beautiful palette and interesting characters right off the bat (pun intended!). Great dynamics between our two mains and love the magic so far!

mcapriglione (Falconhyrste)

yall I heard you were talking about hover girls and I came running

I just caught up like yesterday because I'm sick so I've spent the whole day reading comics, also I picked up a physical copy from geneva at c2e2 and that's what got me started on the series!

What stands out to me so much is the characters, jalissa and kim are total opposites, and it's really interesting to see them interact with each other. also the little things in the background that tell more about the characters, like jalissa's love for soap operas and kim's references ahaha

RebelVampire

So time for me to jump into the chat. What I like about the beginning is that it starts you off with this sort of beautiful artwork and magical feel, only to drop the mundane on you with the coffee shop and the obsession with ranking on social media. Something about how this starts really gives me this sort of more modern day magical girl feel that usually isn't quite there. Like it's a bit gritty feeling cause life is gritty, and I like that. As for favorite moment in the comic so far, I'm partial to when the girls discovered their powers. I like how it just sort of happened, and the different reactions they had to it. It was both magical and funny. Also for the reasons below. My favorite character is Jalissa, no content. Jalissa is basically my spirit animal. Doesn't want fame, just wants to catch up on the soaps, but somehow winds up with more energetic people. All of Jalissa's reactions to everything are great and I love it. For characters interacting, really it has to go to Jalissa and Kim. They're such polar opposites I think you'd have to try to NOT enjoy it. But either way, that opposites thing really just makes their interactions endearing and interesting since going in you know they'll disagree and yet somehow wind up doing the same thing together anyway. So I really enjoy that about their relationship.

As for the art, I really just love the color design combined with the style. It has a very whimsical feel that works for the abundant blue schemes and I really just adore every bit of the atmosphere it creates. For themes, I like that the comic explores ego. Like that moment where Kim asked if she was getting too full of herself really hit home. And I like that the comic kind of explores that even if you know that you might get egotistical and all high and mighty, its not the easiest thing in the world to stop either. For the story's overall content, I'm just gonna point to what I liked about the beginning. I like that its a bit more mature, modernized magical girl story where the magical girls are adults. That's probably just bias in that I'm an adult so I relate more to adults.

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 2

9. What do you think Jalissa’s backstory and relationship with her family is? How do you think Jalissa will continue to change as the story progresses, and what will Kim’s role be in it? Further, how will Kim change?

10. Why do you think Kim was suddenly possessed, and how dangerous are they? Can Kim be saved from it? Additionally, why was the person who possessed Kim surprised Jalissa also had powers?

11. Do you think Jalissa and Kim will succeed as magical girls and become popular? Why or why not? Additionally, how might this change the future plans each has decided upon for their career?

12. What do you think this comic teaches us about pursuing our dreams and responsibility? What has been your favorite moment in the comic so far that deals with these themes? Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

gee

Hello CTP! This is the creator of HoverGirls c: I want to thank you all for taking the time to read and discuss this comic! I bet you're all pros at what makes a good story, so it's really humbling to know that it's liked so far. I'll be happy to answer any q's about story, chars, etc. And it was super nice to finally meet you @mcapriglione (Falconhyrste) and hope you feel better!

mcapriglione (Falconhyrste)

Aaaaa hey welcome to the chat @gee !

Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight)

Ok I just finished reading the entire comic start to finish. I have to say I'm not only impressed by the wonderful art and refreshing color scheme that makes me think of wild summer, but amazed that I find myself invested in this story! Usually it's not my cup of tea at all, but Hover Girls are going to clearly be the exception. I'm adding this to my comic bookmarks The first thing I have to give my kudos for is the sheer character design and characterization. I had sincere, and in Kim's case, almost visceral reactions to both girls, and the Korean guy (his name sounds Korean). While Jalissa intrigued me from the start, Kim got under my skin to the point I found her insufferable! It is only in the last few pages with her backstory flashback that I somewhat feel sympathy for her. I love the interaction between these two, and also how the story is paced so that we get to gradually become aware of more layers and nuance in the relationship they have. Jalissa's love and concern for Kim was clear to me from the start, while Kim's not so much. She (Kim) came across to me as immature, self-centered and inconsiderate. Later, when we see more of their history, I got to see the concern and love from Kim's side too. That's excellent writing to go with the excellent art. I also really like the premise with the alien creatures! I am intrigued and want to know more. Finally, I want to talk about the humour in the dialogue and the art in general. I love how there's a streak of black humour throughout the comic. My favourite character is (in case you didn't infer it yet) Jalissa, but I like the entire cast. They need each other to organically bounce off each other and develop. And lastly, I have to mention the really fun brand names and soap titles. Always makes me grin. Wonderful work @gee !(edited)

RebelVampire

I get the impression that Jalissa was a typical delinquent and that her parents werent around much - hence the delinquency. And so I imagine it's a bit strained at the best of it. I think Jalissa moving is her attempt to turn things around, and I think that is what will happen. Jalissa will become more responsible, take more of a sense of duty, etc. Which is what I think will happen with Kim, along with a healthy dose of gaining some humility. As for why Kim was suddenly possessed, maybe the weather? Regardless, 100% I'm sure Kim can be saved. Only bad villains monologue so Kim got taken over by a bad villain. As for why Jalissa's powers are a surprise, probably a lack of communication due to alien bureaucracy. Jalissa and Kim will definitely succeed as magical girls if you tone down expectations to be heroes who fight crime as opposed to what we see in every anime where they fight and just are completely fine and sparkly. As for becoming popular, maybe for a bit, but honestly, probably not. The internet is fickle so sure they might get a viral video....but then everyone will move on. I think it will mostly only change Jalissa's plans as she's finds there are more important things in the world than soaps. As for what the comic teaches about pursuing our dreams is that it's hard. My favorite moment is actually Kim checking if anyone liked the pic and it was just Jalissa. The world is saturated with talent, and even if you have the drive, the skills, etc., getting noticed is kind of a slog. But I think Kim shows us at least might as well keep trying.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

I had the opposite reaction as @Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight) ! Jalissa irritated me at first, while I liked Kim. But then, when I saw Jalissa's genuine kindness, I liked her more, and when Kim started showing her flaws- how she's kind of self-centered and naive, I started to like her less. That's not to say I think this comic has bad writing, though! I like how the author has given everyone such realistic flaws. I went through a lot of cycles of liking and disliking the characters, and I think that reflects how it feels as you get to know some people irl. These characters are complex!

Seeing stoic Jalissa get truly angry at Kim was powerful.

I like the detail of Jalissa keeping her bat in her backpack's water bottle holder

"Only bad villains monologue so Kim got taken over by a bad villain. "

Rebel, that made me laugh

I think it's true too(edited)

chalcara [Nyx+Nyssa]

+ü´´´´´´b n#ä+ß

Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight)

@Eightfish (Puppeteer) it's exactly that we get different and real reactions to these characters that is the proof of excellent writing. We react differently, but we react as if they were real people and that's an absolute win!

mathtans

Woo, my schedule's eased a bit and this looked interesting. For the discussion prompts...

1. The beginning set things up well in terms of a quickie fight and then the characters and city situation. There was humour in that too. Good tone.

2. Fave moment, as far as plot was probably Jalissa interacting with blonde boy (sorry, forget the name) in particular because it seemed to be foreshadowing. Fave moment for relatability was the phone message with "Get to the point" because I SO relate to that.

3. Tough call on character. Both mains have good qualities and I don't feel I know the others well enough yet. I suppose Jalissa for her straightforward nature and sticking to her guns (like about dresses).

4. I liked Jalissa and Blonde Boy interacting, funny enough, as I said earlier. The cousin banter is good but the former stood out somehow.

5. The art's a neat blend of emphasis in some places and less in others; also interesting how the hair is done. Not sure why that sticks out.

6. I'm very bad at noticing themes. It's neat showing what "magical girls" do in their off hours. Also the troubles with getting noticed.

7. Story's clever, and I felt suspicious of Blonde Boy from him being around during the powers acquisition, which seems to be paying off. Nice to see ladies of colour too.

mathtans

8. Comic's got a bit of everything. Magic, mystery, slice-of-life... a reader can probably gravitate to something.

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 3

13. What are you most looking forward to seeing in regards to the comic?

14. Any final words of encouragement for the comic? Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

mathtans

9. Jalissa seems to be someone who grew up in a difficult situation and needs to blow off steam sometimes. I'm reminded of the time she punched the wall - but then within a day went to get the materials needed to fix it. I feel like she had an unhappy home life with no real outlet or people to talk to about it. Maybe the fighting evil will help, or at least give her a sense of accomplishment. Kim needs to be a bit more grounded in reality, and I suspect will, although at the same time you kind of hate to see it happen, like the death of innocence or something.

10. I wondered if possession was always part of the plan against Kim (once it happened), and that's why the water beings were around, like they're trying to get access to the powers... though it's seeming like it was always something inside her, she was simply able to suppress the feeling for a time. Until she was at a low point emotionally.

Actually, I always thought BlondeBoy had something to do with the attacks, and in the scene between him and Jalissa (the earlier one in the alley) you saw hint of blue in the art, and one wonders whether he was acting normally. I wasn't sure if it was a subconscious thing or a conscious thing. Now I wonder if Kim wasn't manifesting the items herself on some subconscious level, wanting something to defeat. Though maybe he still had a hand in it too.

Of course, maybe the weather has something to do with it too, as Rebel remarked on.

mathtans

11. I feel like their power as magical girls is possibly tied to the presence (or at least strength) of the enemy, otherwise why wouldn't it make the news more? (Granted, could be obliviousness by the populace, but this seems to be reinforced by the current plot elements.) As such, their magical days seem numbered... unless they could fight against regular mundane foes? I dunno. The world doesn't seem to care much about supernatural either.

mathtans

Maybe they should change their name? Hovering doesn't sound too aggressive, and I don't think they do it that much anyway. Granted, DampGirls isn't catchy, and H2OGirls is a bit clinical. ^.^

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

I love this comic! The two main characters play incredibly off each other, and there's lots of great comedic moments. My fav is Jalissa.

I wonder if it is the weather that's causing these possessions? Because, like, the flying fish attacks in general are tied to the rain. Maybe particularly rough rainstorms cause possessions? I feel like the thing that possessed Kim and the boy was what brought about the powers in the first place - the energy that came down from the sky on the beach. It's odd how the blonde dude didn't seem to use powers but got possessed first, while Kim uses her powers the most and got possessed second... maybe Jalissa has an easier time resisting because she has the strongest will?

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

@snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights) I don't think Jalissa can get possessed- Bob said that his soul was split in two, and Jalissa got the powers while Korean guy got the mind

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

ah yes, that's true

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

@mathtans I like "Hovergirls"! It's cute and catchy

gee

The title I still don't 100% like, TBH. I legitimately thought on it for a week before starting on this comic and still couldn't think of anything better XD

RebelVampire

What I'm most looking forward to in the comic is probably just more Jalissa in general and finding out why Jalissa is the way Jalissa is. Overall though, this is a beautiful comic with a great combination between modernization and magical girls with just the right hint of maturity that makes it more appealing for an adult. Definitely would recommend to adult fans of magical girl stories!

mathtans

To be clear, I had no issue with the title of the comic... with some comics there's only an offhand reference too. I guess I was more picturing the ladies arguing, were Jalissa to get more into it.

As to the rest of the questions, I think the comic can show that reality is somewhere between the two of them (though they do play off each other very well) as far as dreams and responsibility go. I'm vaguely curious to know whether the alien might be having a positive (or negative?) influence on BlondeBoy, who seemed a bit of a jerk from the lens of the others.

The world building is well done too, like I could even see spinoffs... these aliens apparently just sent a couple emissaries to Earth, maybe there's some sort of space force out there fighting too. Maybe they see Kim's videos and want to recruit her. Or hire her for public relations. idk.

Anyway, looks great, definitely an interesting read and nice showcasing of things you don't see other places, best with it!

gee

Huge thank you all CTP group for giving HoverGirls a read! I cannot thank you enough for giving your time and thoughts on this story and it’s been incredibly helpful and encouraging!!

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

It was a great read, gee!

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB END!

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

Read and Comment: https://hovergirls.com/

Geneva’s Store: https://gdbee.store/

Geneva’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/gdbeeart

#ctparchive #comics #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #book club #bookclub #webcomic book club #webcomic bookclub #comic tea party #ctp #hovergirls #geneva bowers

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itsclydebitches · 6 years ago

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I can’t help but notice that when you look at the characters who get the most visceral hatred, it’s not usually the villains but instead the inherently flawed yet good at heart characters who are trying their best. I’ve never understood that with this fndm (examples being, Ozpin/ Jaune / Tai )

It’s super fascinating to my mind because it’s kind of the opposite of what tends to occur in most fandoms? Keep in mind I’m only now trying to articulate something I’ve been thinking vaguely about for a few years now—no real arguments or supporting evidence yet—but in my experience fandoms tend to focus their efforts on excusing the villains/non-traditional heroes. Whether it’s justifying Sherlock’s horrifying behavior towards John, claiming that Bakugo isn’t at fault for his violence, or just going on about how wonderful Kylo Ren is, it’s a fandom tradition to take the worst character in the series and bend over backwards to woobify them. Why this happens is a whole other complex conversation covering the 100% legit “I identify/am interested in this villain for a variety of reasons—often because they’re coded as queer, neurodivergent, etc.—and my enjoyment of them is separate from any real life feelings I would have about their actions” to the much more serious “You’ll note that most of these characters are hot white guys and it says something about our culture that we go to such lengths to excuse their objectively horrifying behavior, but chuck anyone else under the bus for the slightest mistake.”

Now yes, when it comes to RWBY we do see this dynamic playing out to an extent. Adam is a prime example of a villain whose actions are excused because he had a Sad Childhood. Abusing Blake for years? Cutting off Yang’s arm? Continually trying to kill them? Well yeah that’s bad but you can’t hold him responsible after all he’s suffered! That’s a pretty classic fandom reaction. Where things get more interesting is with Salem, someone whose actions are also excused… but not because she was locked in a tower and screwed over by gods. The fandom excuses Salem’s murder of her children (I’m still in shock over this holy shit) and her genocidal plans (again: holy shit) not because they adore HER, but because they despise OZPIN. Defending Salem is more of a byproduct of hating Ozpin. It’s not so much that people seem to actually believe she’s blameless, but it comes across that way because they want to blame Ozpin for something. So if he’s in the wrong for not stopping her, leaving her, trying to take the kids, whatever, then by extension Salem must be “right.”

Which brings us to RWBY’s fascinating gender aspect. It’s no secret that there aren’t many U.S. shows out there with such a large female cast. Let alone shows outside of specific genres like comedy dramas. Let alone shows that have gained this much notoriety. RWBY is… kinda rare. Granted yes, there are plenty of animes out there with all women teams that RWBY is clearly drawing inspiration from, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s an American produced series and, particularly six years ago, it felt really fresh. Having a kick-ass team of women who were given fantastic characterization, and agency, and weren’t nearly as sexualized, resonated with people and in time I think the feminist leanings in the show became a core part of many fans’ love of it… to the extent that (as always happens in fandoms) things grew extreme and it became a “Men are evil” sort of deal.

So what does this mean in regards to your ask, anon? Just that I think gender plays a crucial role in the fandom’s reaction. Normally women would be the ones crucified for the tiniest mistake and the hot guys would be defended; in RWBY there’s such a focus on women that they get all the excuses and the hot guys are thrown under the bus. To my mind, RWBY’s specific culture and focus have caused a bit of a reversal of traditional fandom dynamics. It’s no surprise to us now that Raven can abandon her daughter and straight up murder people but is still beloved, while Tai cares for Yang in a way she as an individual needs and is crucified for it. It’s no shocker that Salem is adored as a complex character while Ozpin is one of the most hated across the whole fandom. It makes perfect sense that in a group of 8 the 6 women are faves, the one man coded as feminine (Ren) is also loved, but the other more traditionally masculine guy (Jaune) is despised. Jaune is seen as a threat to what RWBY is “supposed” to be.

In the end none of these fandoms prioritize what the characters actually do. Most of the time you see hot guys defended because they’re just… hot guys. In RWBY’s case the focus is so heavily on women that now any guy is seen as a potential threat and is immediately treated with suspicion, if not outright hatred by the fandom. Like most women in other series, they exist under a “one strike and you’re out” policy.

(and we can also think about that “threat” in terms of shipping and how normally women are despised in fandoms because they’re “getting in the way” of slash ships, but RWBY has so many women in it—thereby dominating all the major ships—that suddenly guys like Jaune are “getting in the way” of relationships like whiterose, increasing the fandom’s vitriol, and what I’m SAYING is it’s all fascinating and I’m kinda tempted to write a paper)

#rwby #mymetas #Anonymous

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bloodswap-advice · 7 years ago

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spill that #tea about red dead virgo

Alright. God. Here it goes. This is just going to be word vomit fueled by my absolute hatred of this godforsaken fanadventure, so please excuse me if I repeat anything.

I’m putting everything under a cut.

Red Dead Virgo is possibly the most popular of the “bloodswap” stories, where the same character are used but trading their histories and upbringing. It started with a sprite-edit of Kanaya Maryam to have the mutant candy-red blood, and how this made for a harder life in the rigid chromo-caste system of their world. Then short scenes of fanfiction were written by the sprite artist, adamantApoplectic, and this alternate universe took on a life of it’s own. The RDV episodes were published in pieces on Google Docs, and advertised on the fan *chan boards.

This is the description of Red Dead Virgo from the only website that I have ever read it on. At first, this au sounds promising. Until you realize just what trading their histories and upbringings mean. This au was starting sometime in 2010/2011, and it shows. You can smell the horrible fannon tropes and lack of understanding the characters in this horrendous, steaming, pile of shit. It is very clear that the writer of this has very minimal understanding of what the quirks are supposed to symbolize. This is visible just in the first conversation, where Kanaya starts screaming out of nowhere and Vriska uses Tavros’ emoticon. You know, the emoticon that is supposed to symbolize Tavros’ horns? The horns that Vriska does not have in this au? Yes. Absolutely no understanding.

This comic confuses me greatly. The choices that were made in this adventure are just, mind boggling. At the moment, I’m rereading this cursed piece of fiction, so consider this to be a liveblog of sorts. Why does Vriska have a snake-esque lisp if she has a tinkerbull lusus? Why does Vriska have a tinkerbull lusus? Why are Vriska’s glasses broken? Why the fuck does Vriska use Tavros’ emoticon?

After meeting Vriska, we have a brief moment of not meeting Terezi and encountering… Equius. He has red and blue glasses. He bakes honey cookies, for some reason. He made Kanaya… pretend to be a robot? The entirety of Gold Equius is an ocd stereotype with weird fetishes. People applaud this fic.

After Equius, we meet Olive Gamzee. I want to put that thing back where it came from or so help me. He’s Fannon Nepeta. He’s fannon Nepeta who raps. Something about seeing Olive Gamzees horrible, wicked lion face paint causes an intense and indescribable visceral reaction. I think, just by witnessing this cursed image, I’m going to throw up. I wish I was joking.

Another snippet, this time for Eridan. Oh, this is a locationswap as well. Good to mention that. Now we’re at Feferi’s treehive. She likes social justice, because she’s a tealblood. As we all know, every single Tealblood must like some form of Justice. Ha ha. Oh, something is ‘off’ about her apparently. Meaning she is going to murder everyone for some reason, because that is something Feferi would obviously do. Obviously.

Oh look, Karkat has vision eightfold and breaks eightballs! Eight Eight Eight Eight Eight Eight Eight Eight! He’s a jackass! He has a Spiderlusus! Oh, he’s a romance counselor for some reason. We never see this, we’re just told. This is sort of how this entire story works. Tell vaguely and never show. What great writing! Oh, Aradia is here too. Either the author hates Aradia or loves her so much that they would spare her from this mythical trainwreck, because we never see her. She’s probably just Equius. But a bitch. We all know how this works by now.

Oh, Tavros. High as a kite and apparently a party animal. That’s Tavros alright! Apparently Tavros had Kanaya pretend to be a highblood, which could be very interesting if done well. It’s not done well. Do you want to know why? Because we’re told it, never shown it! We never see Kanaya interact with any highbloods. Just her sweating? Any good idea in this fanadventure is wasted. Let’s move on.

Sollux has disassociative identity disorder. He dresses like a pathetic grape pirate. Nothing about him is distinctive, outside of the fact that he is another neurodivergent stereotype. I don’t like this Sollux. We also see Nepeta on the next page, but it’s essentially the same as Terezi and Eridans appearances. She glubs. Now Vriska has made Kanaya a jacket. Okay.

Oh great! The ableism is back! The r-slur, how charming. I got nothing out of that pesterlog. Oh, Kanaya likes grubloaf now. Okay. Kanayas mad now. Okay. Kanaya is at Vriska’s hive now. Okay. She just passed out. Okay. She’s in Vriska’s recupracoon. Okay. More things happened, and me just telling you and saying ‘okay’ isn’t really interesting.

Nepeta types in the wrong color. So does Terezi. Kanaya is about to die or something. I long for the sweet release of death.

Olive Gamzee is why people drink.

Doc Scratch is here too. Normal Doc Scratch. Nothing different. Oh, Kanaya is going to start bleeding to death. Maybe on this reread she dies and the adventure stops.

No, it continues. Now we’re in Sgrub. Land of Snow and Sanguine. Heir of Blood. Here we really see just how old this work is. Twin Bitched Mothercunting whorecock. When will this thing be over? Oh, pillows. Okay.

Christianity! Christianity! Repent your sins in the name of Vriska Serket! Have you accepted our lord and savior into your life? Serious question, who on earth uses crosses to signify graves? I’m writing this at one in the morning. I’m very tired. Oh look, they won the game! That happened. Apparently. Oh, Bec Noir! Okay.

I’m very tired.

Tangle buddies.

I’m very tired.

Oh jesus fuck, who even is that? Is it John? I’m confused. I’m very tired. It’s fascinating how this fanadventure manages to be so exhausting considering how little actually goes on. For some reason this fanfiction is now the thrilling Jade and Eridan Adventure Hour. It is incredible how little I care. Witch: Rise. With the Heir god tier. Fuck, this work is really old. But that isn’t relevant now. We’re almost done!

Oh look, now Feferi is murdering everyone! Thank god. I think she’s my favourite character now. She’s freeing everyone from this horrible hellfic! Oh, something else happened. I think. It’s really hard for me to parse whatever is supposed to go on in this fanventure. Kanaya is now in Maui.

I fail to understand how this work garners such attention. While I can understand that this fanadventure was probably one of the first few bloodswaps out there, that doesn’t instantly make it good. I don’t think it deserves the praise that it gets at all. The only affect that I have seen in my time doing bloodswaps is sprouting out horrible and unusual cliches. I honestly want someone who likes this work to explain to me why. Is it a guilty pleasure? Is it something else? I think the fact that people like this abysmal fanfic confuses me more than the comic itself.

I might write up something better explaining how I feel about Red Dead Virgo, but It’s late and I don’t think I could write anything else right now.

#Anonymous #Homestuck #Bloodswap #Blood swap #Red Dead Virgo

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drink-n-watch · 5 years ago

Text

I’ve come to realize that last week I was feeling this show out. I mean that’s to be expected as it was the first episode after all. That’s what you do in a first episode, you feel things out. It had a few nice technical elements in it’s favour (colours, backgrounds, voices) and it manage to do a couple of unexpected things so I was pretty happy.

I’ve since come to realize that my expectations for the series were fairly low. Not abysmal but basically, I just wanted a show that didn’t annoy me and I could pass a pleasant if uneventful 23 minutes or so with. I wasn’t looking for exceptional characters and deep developments or any type of captivating storytelling. Maybe that’s why this second episode of Woodpecker Detective’s Office left me with the impression that it did.

So what is it with historical Japanese settings and the almost constant presence of prostitutes. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against it at all but in Rakugo and even the cutesy and innocent We Rent Tsukumogami, there is a very prominent inclusion of prostitutes. What I’m saying is that classical Japan looked like a real fun place and I’m sort of sorry I missed my chance for a visit.

I haven’t even gotten into the episode at all. I guess I just betrayed my priorities. Oh well…

Let me say it right now, I really loved this episode of Woodpecker Detective’s Office. I loved it because I would never have imagined that this is what a second episode of this show would be like. I honestly wouldn’t have dreamt up an episode like this at all, but even if I had, I would have placed way later in the series. It piqued my interest in all sorts of ways. I also suspect that it is not going to be for everyone and a lot of viewers that were already on the fence after episode 1 will consider this a good place to stop. Not me though, I’m sold!

SPOILERS HUGE SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN EPISODE 2 YOU MIGHT WANT TO TAKE A LOOK FOR YOURSELVES BEFORE READING THIS!!!

First of all the episode opens with police informing Kyosuke that he is the prime suspect in a murder that happened the previous eve. What’s more, his accuser seems to be Ishikawa. Then it flashes back to the previous day. Just like last week, where the episode started by informing us that the lead character is long dead, this week also starts on death and a hook. It’s interesting to place your cliffhangers at the beginning of the episode. I like it.

Ok, let me set out the mystery we are dealing with today and why I thought it was delightfully genre defying. The set up is that experienced and slightly devil-may-care Ishikawa has decided to drag his friend Kyosuke down to the red light district to give him a chance to experience some carnal pleasures and because he thought it would be a laugh. Kyosuke is pretty petrified at the thought but goes along because he’s a bit of a doormat. At the brother, it turns out they are the two only customers for the evening and they each get a girl and a room one next to the other. Ishi evesdrops and overhears bits of the conversation. It seems to be going well but suddenly some type of dispute breaks out. Moments later, the lady is dead with a knife in her neck. Ishi swears that when he stopped hearing noise, he decided to sneak a peak in their room and saw Kyosuke sitting by the body. Meanwhile the other says he left before that with a very much alive lady and didn’t see Ishi at all, however he does mention a stranger.

The manager having stepped out for a bit, is sticking by her testimony that they were the only two customers on the books.

I should say the mystery isn’t resolved yet. That’s probably going to be next week.

So what did I like so much about it. Obviously it’s this mystery guy, it’s not like we’re going to stick either one of the two leading characters in jail for the rest of the series. Si although the mystery is well constructed and had me saying what exactly is going on here more than a few times, there are no real stakes or suspense about the outcome. That’s not what marked this episode as special to me.

The non linear structure of the narrative, with a few 12 hour time jumps and flash backs throughout the episode kept everything moving. And the sequences where each man recounts his own memories and mixes in his own theory about what happened added a layer of two different unreliable narrators to booth making this fairly simple and straightforward story suddenly very complicated indeed. Instead of a picturesque Slice of Life with some light mystery elements, where the viewers could happily idle along and get some mild satisfaction out of solving simple puzzles, the writers seem to be purposefully obstructing the whole picture at the risk of frustrating those that were seeking the experience I described. Or delighting me…

I was convinced that episode 1 was a bit of a bang. That the series started with a murder to give us a feel for the possibilities but would now take a step back and maybe have the fellows help a neighbour girl find her lost dog or something. No, it escalated considerable with another murder, much more visceral this time and directly involving the main cast. Are we going to have mass killings, human trafficking and large scale Yakuza operations every single episode by the time we’re half way through the season? Cause that sounds kinda cool.

However, at least for me, the biggest subversion was in the characters’ reactions. Anime is fairly strong on the friendship can win over anything trope. Moreover, characters are for the most part unbelievably righteous to the point that it sort of skews the perception of some fans. These two however, turned on each without a second thought!

Ishikawa didn’t hesitate to blame Kyosuke. He never doubted what he saw, in dim light and having drunk quite a bit. He didn’t think to himself that his dear friend would never be capable of such a heinous act. He never even tried to confront Kyosuke to get to the bottom of it. He went straight to the cops without a word to his friend and then refused to even entertain Kyosuke’s theory about a mysterious stranger also being present that night. It’s almost like he wanted his friend to be guilty.

As for Kyosuke, it did take him a bit longer to succumb to pressure but after being so blatantly accused, he also dropped the stranger angle and directly turn the accusation on Ishikawa, even claiming that the prostitute told him the he was “not who Kyosuke thought him to be” insinuating something dark and foreboding! Was he lying about the stranger? Did he accuse Ishikawa as a means of lashing out or for petty revenge. I’m not sure what the punishment for murder at the time was but I doubt it’s a small fine or anything. That’s a pretty awful thing to knowingly do to someone even if he did start it. After all, Ishikawa may truly believe what he saw, while Kyosuke is just accusing out of assumption.

So both are definitely unreliable and what’s more they are untrustworthy. They will gladly and quickly betray even their closest friend. Now there a rare characterization in anime. These aren’t some troll side characters or anti villains or something. These are our heroes. And they are both very compromised.

I’m having too much fun with this, aren’t I? Like I said, I know it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but boy did I have fun. It really spruced up my Monday night.

Just as I was giggling to myself because I apparently get giddy at the idea of watching slightly jerky characters having somewhat grimy adventures. I just used the term “adventure” to describe murder. That can’t be good… Woodpecker Detective’s Office had one last hilarious twist for me. As Kyosuke was being led away by police, a confident tall man in western clothes and a smaller delicate author with pale hair and traditional Japanese clothing announced that they were detectives and would take the case on! Did we just throw in some soft 4th wall break parody in this grim murder story? Ahhh yeah!

I had fun with episode 2. I hope we get some more of this calibre. Are any of you enjoying the show? Are some of you disturbed that I call murder and “adventure”? I wouldn’t blame you.

amazing!

Woodpecker Detective’s Office Ep.2 – Red Light I've come to realize that last week I was feeling this show out. I mean that's to be expected as it was the first episode after all.

#anime #episodic #historical #Mystery #Woodpecker Detective&039;s Office

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