#ill do more with yaki in the future

[nomstellations]

Splatlandian Street Food

Having just gotten off the train to the Splatlands, Seirche busied himself with taking in the sights. He had heard plenty about this place and came out as soon as he could, but he wasn't expecting it to be as chaotic as it was now. The streets were busy with inkfolk and jellyfish alike, chattering and buying food and simply hanging out. It was all kind of overwhelming for the inkling, who had a more relaxed and slower-paced lifestyle. He had to wonder how anyone found time to relax like this...the city lived up to its name. Maybe he'd get used to it after a day or two.

All the bustling was starting to stress him out, so Sierche opted to find someplace a bit...quieter, to sightsee. His plans to try some battles out could come later, he felt. Wandering towards a quieter part of town, he followed the scent of food through a side street. Seems like street food must be pretty popular...a bite to eat sounded good right about now. Devon would probably like some local cuisine to try, too! If he likes something here enough, he'll bring it back home to him.

He wasn't counting on the relative silence around him to be broken, though.

Hurried and heavy footsteps were quickly approaching him, and thankfully his days as an agent made him quick to turn around. All he could make out was a long case of some kind, and a head of curly coral colored tentacles before he was slammed into full force.

"OUGH- oh shit, dude, are you alright?! I'm sorry, I..."

From how fast they were running and their size, Sierche was knocked over from the force of the blow. Dazed and forced into squid form, the pink Inkling opens his eyes to see a worried octoling hovering over him. The first thing Sierche noted was the obnoxious-looking pompadour and his thin frame, but the octoling seemed pretty genuine enough as he carefully prodding at him. "Okay, didn't knock you out...uh, m' sorry about slamming into you like that. I just got out of some turf and I'm running late to my food stand, and you were just...hey, are you listening?"

He wasn't. Getting practically body checked knocked the wind out of him and he sort of wanted to just...close his eyes again. He could feel the tall octoling lifting him up, and he thought for a moment he heard....growling. "Yeesh, I hit you hard....uh, I don't want to just leave you here out on the street, so...mm..." He tilted his head, debating on something.

"Uh...don't freak out about this, alright? I've got work n' all, but...you'll be safe, okay? And I haven't eaten at all today..."

That last comment was said pretty quietly, but judging by the squid's lack of a protest it should be fine...as Sierche closed his eyes, he felt some of his surroundings grow more warm and...wet. It was a familiar feeling- Devon made sure of that with how often he enjoyed doing it, so he felt relaxed even as the telltale sounds of thick swallows rang out around him. Maybe he should've felt more concerned being swallowed by a stranger, but that was a problem for a more conscious Sierche.

It was slow despite the hungry gulps- even in squid form he was a bit larger than what the octoling was used to. He got him down all the same, and Sierche could dimly feel his alleged captor walking once more, albiet much slower. The warmth and attention from his clearly eager stomach was nice enough to get him to doze off. When he did come to he still seemed to be inside, with the darker orange walls burbling and churning around him. Vaguely he could hear the sounds of the busy street outside over the steady heartbeat...where were they?

"Oh, you're up! Bet you're feeling better after some rest, huh?"

There was that octoling's voice, accompanied by a few pats to his stomach. "Gotta say, you're really filling....almost couldn't tie my apron over you, heh! Uh, is that a weird compliment...? Either way, the name's Yaki and I'll let you go when I close up shop here, alright? Hey, I'll even make it up to you by making you something to eat! Perks of running a food truck, heheh!" He seemed nice enough despite clearly having a taste for more...lively seafood. Sierche decided against giving him any trouble, as local food was what he came here for originally...it was just a matter of letting the time pass now.

[aion-rsa]

Batwoman Season 2 Episode 3 Review: Bat Girl Magic

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This Batwoman review contains spoilers.

Batwoman Season 2, Episode 3

In this week’s episode of Batwoman, a contract killer is let loose on Gotham, and Ryan has to stop them before they set their sights on Mary. I want to first give kudos to the writers for being intentionally inclusive with their verbiage but not self-congratulating when they are. Victor Zsasz (Alex Morf) calling themself a hitperson is a small but not insignificant thing. Zsasz, the killer in question, is a fun creep of the week, just committing murders all willy nilly and not bringing any politics or personal feelings to the job. Safiyah sends them after everyone who’s had contact with the Desert Rose—the magical healing plant that Alice stole and used to cure Mary after poisoning her—and they work their way through the kill list efficiently, before being thwarted by the newly re-wigged Batwoman. I love a good one-and-done baddie as much as I enjoy a recurring one, and finding a good balance between servicing the season-long arc and giving us something different episode to episode is tricky. This episode manages to find that balance, moving the central story forward without getting stuck in a loop repeating the same questions.

That said, the question of whether Kate survived the plane crash has been asked anew. Safiyah abducts Alice and Sophia and brings them to her secluded island to apparently not kill them, but instead to tell Alice that she didn’t take down the plane and that they have a common enemy who is responsible. This could have been a phone call, a Zoom perhaps, but dramatic flare is an active choice given Safiyah’s extreme responses to any and all perceived slights—hence Zsasz. Safiyah offers Kate’s necklace as proof that Kate wasn’t on the plane but is safe and alive somewhere. Then she lets Alice and Sophia go, tranq-ing them and taking them back to the alley they were taken from in Gotham. Again, dramatic.

Sophia takes the new intel directly to Jacob Kane, which all but assures the search for Kate will continue in earnest. I am a little peeved by this. They probably won’t find her, unless miss Rose is planning to make a cute little cameo, and I’m hoping they do not prioritize Kate’s story more than is necessary to provide the closure they think we need (we do not). But if Kate does make a reappearance, however brief, I’m willing to forgive them for not letting it go, even when “dies in a plane crash” works as a definitive ending without the hoopla.

Outside of meeting Safiyah, we also learn more about her relationship to Alice, which gives welcomed context for things that have happened and are yet to. Discovering who Safiyah is to Alice and to Julia lets us imagine how those relationships will influence their behavior going forward. If Safiyah isn’t the Big Bad the Gotham Girls and the audience have been led to believe, there are more opportunities for future twists and interesting reveals. My only hope is that all these women aren’t sidelined by a male villain. Please for all that is dark and brooding, do not let a man usurp all of the fantastic femme characters. 

My favorite exchange in this episode happens when Ryan questions Mary about being a multi-billionaire and only paying Ryan $12.50 an hour (which has got to be below minimum wage for New York-esque Gotham, right?), after Ryan hires herself at The Hold Up to placate her parole officer. This show, and pretty much all of the Berlanti-verse shows, have refused to acknowledge money in any real way. Rich people literally never have to contend with what they could otherwise be spending their money on (like addressing any of the socio-economic issues they benefit from which create the circumstances that lead to the violence in their cities, but I digress). Oliver Queen in Arrow lost his fortune and it had zero impact on his lifestyle or ability to play vigilante in the finest leathers. I forgot how STAR labs (The Flash) makes money since nobody trusts them—patents, I guess?—but there is never a deficit. Ryan asking this basic question puts all that into the forefront. Y’all are rich as hell!

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Batwoman Season 2 Episode 2 Review: Prior Criminal History

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Ryan being a convicted criminal and having associations with people in life have proven to be a helpful tool. This is what I hoped would happen when they gave her that backstory and I’m glad that the value of her experiences is made clear at every turn. I want her to get justice for being framed or betrayed, and I want Luke to climb up out of his feelings about her replacing Kate, so we can all move on to productive superhero-ing. After Batting around in Kate’s ill-fitting shoes and red synthetic number, Ryan finally makes the suit hers and dons a curly wig made from the finest yaki. Wigs are a sore point for most productions but this season is better about it. The curly cowl is a marked improvement over the regretful red situation Kate assailed us with and I’m glad to see the Bat looking every bit the Black woman she is.

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I was hype throughout this episode, it was just… fun. Sometimes these shows get too caught up in being “real,” and “grounded” and lose the zaniness that makes them comic book shows and not just procedurals. There’s nothing wrong with those elements, mind you, but when the procedural plot is leaned into too heavily, well, we might as well be watching an NCISVU. “Bat Girl Magic”—a play on the term Black Girl Magic— is a really solid episode that solidifies Ryan by having the entire city of Gotham acknowledge that there is a new Batwoman, and that she is Black.

The post Batwoman Season 2 Episode 3 Review: Bat Girl Magic appeared first on Den of Geek.

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