#this is for a larger comic i will never post because it is suggestive regarding a character other than mint

[mittenscatgod]

hes so likeable. the silliest of guys.

[imaginary-regret-608]

Artfight Attack Updates, My Take on Maryverse (Non-Undertale/Deltarune) Overworld Sprites, and SwilTaett 'FANART FEATURE' Version Two!

The Second Attack was for @butterrbee , featuring IGNEO MALICE (who I also attempted to make a palette for in this artwork) interacting with Patchwork, an original OC who was chosen because of their similar aesthetic to Ripper and shared interest in pranks and trickery!

Because the original image didn't have much context for it, I'd decided to do an improv recording of IGNEO Malice talking to Patchwork after reading the Reference Sheet.

The tone and stability of voice, as well as accuracy of the laugh is consistent to other Voice Tests, but because of it being improvised (which I don't have much experience with yet) I wasn't able to keep IGNEO MALICE's pattern of rhyming like Jevil does in Deltarune.

Here's what the original Reference for Patchwork looks like, in case anybody else was wanting to make Fanart of him for butterbee, whether it's for Artfight or not!

LINK:

The Third Attack was for @marnielovesyouu ! Featuring Mary Rosemary and PeePee, who are both Cast Members from Marnie's 'Maryverse' Project, which already has concepts and animatics for a Theoretical TV Series, where the three members of 'Catgirl at Heart' (Mary Rosemary, Sasha Tones and Skylar McMilliwood) have to compete against bands of different music genres to play at the Tower of Melodies in the middle of Kitty City!

LINK:

As this attack also needs context in order to make sense, Mary has been described and shown as being afraid of cats, despite many elements in Maryverse being cat-like in theming or names (such as with Kitty Citty, the Pawprint Amphitheatre, Straycay Suburbs, and the potential name for the Hot Topic-Inspired Shop that Mary works at for her dayjob).

Although the reference image underneath uses the Old Version of PeePee's Design, it is what was used as inspiration for Mary's scared expression, with larger eyes and an alert stance.

"PEEPEE he’s a sort of comic relief cat that always gets in the way of Mary and scares her shitless" - marnielovesyouu

LINK:

The other character who I haven’t referenced yet is marnielovesyouu whenever drawing herself with a sona, who I'd chosen to present in the attack itself as well as in the Artfight Description as being godlike (as she was responsible for creating Maryverse, as well as also having experience in making very good Concept Art for other projects like Andromedia and Vision Crew's Deltarune Takes).

I'm not sure whether she canonically exists in Maryverse, but the two have been drawn together multiple times:

'You haven’t experienced the true joy of creating if you’ve never drawn yourself and your OC having fun'.

'I know you meant the Pokémon Marnie but I scribbled this once…'

So if Marnie does exist in this world, her and Mary definitely seem to be friends (although one of the tags did say about them and how 'We're dating for real' despite both already having partners). But because the earliest version of Mary's Design also being described as a sona before Marnie had her own, it would mean that the Maryverse Version of God is an AU Mary, which would make sense as Mary was the first Cast Member made for the project.

Finally, in regards to the 'FANART FEATURE' segment of the SwilTaett MASTERPOST, the post has now reached its Image Limit, and I'm not able to add any more recent images since mrchaosman's Scamcair and Grimpula Fanart. because of the most recent SwilTaett Fanart, which was also made by butterbee as Revenge for my Patchwork attack in Artfight!

If anybody has a suggestion for how they would want this issue to be fixed, please do say!

Also, I apologize for this being later of an Announcement than it should've been! However, it's because I've been working on a Non-Undertale/Deltarune Theory now that I've been able to interact with the project's creator. It's planned to be a longer post than usual, with two smaller and less theories attached to it underneath the 'Read More'.

I've also been thinking of a scenario where the Cast Members across my different projects have in-character interactions with eachother (with as much as had been written before them beforehand, and with some projects that I've never made reference to before)! So if you're reading this and would want to see that, please do say!

[elkian]

I was gonna do a “missing the point”-style meme but I’m honestly not sure that would even work tho so:

Harry Potter and My Hero Academia/Boku no Hero Academia have similar issues with introducing and then immediately ignoring ENORMOUS issues re: ableism.

I think these two series in specific come to mind bc it’s ableism within a specific empowered community, and in both cases the series are pretty well-known and the community (Wix/Heroes) are immediately identifiable to many audiences.

[WARNING: Discussions of ableism, child harm, and abuse on multiple levels.]

What’s the problem?

SQUIBS.

[This post got stupid huge SO here is a tl,dr for all you lovely people who understandably have no time for this.

TL, DR: Both Harry Potter and Boku No Hero have a bad tendency to implement or imply a level of disability regarding unempowered people in empowered societies. They then continue on to completely disregard important conclusions to these implications, such as how heavily it is implied that these unempowered people (Squibs) are so ‘worthless’ to those societies that their very deaths are merely a byline rather than an actual tragedy.

This is especially troubling in MHA/BNHA when so many other political and worldbuilding considerations HAVE been planned out, and seems to be less-discussed in the fandom as a whole, so that’s a much larger chunk of this post.]

That’s your tl, dr!

Here’s the Harry Potter angle:

HP has a bit that I’ve seen people discussing already: Neville’s magic was discovered when his uncle dropped a literal child a potenial lethal distance. 

Neville activating his power and surviving is celebrated, and then JKR immediately glosses over the glaring issue this has introduced: the heavy implication that a Squib dying from this incident would have not have been mourned or even really commented on.

The few adult Squibs (and isn’t that a whole new slice of wonderful /j) are generally disliked and ridiculed for some reason or other. Now, while obviously there are plenty of places where the Venn diagram of “disabled” and “asshole” intersect irl, when your ONLY presentation of a disabled character or group is, every time, an asshole or a fool or both, boy! That’s bad!

Neville (who is generally presented as magically, physically, and mentally weak and often treated as comic relief) is a bit better via the POV Character constantly having positive interactions with him, but this is still a mess. Yes, Neville canonically is not a Squib, but it’s not subtle that he’s on the cusp OF being a Squib, and that is a key element of ridiculing him in many situations (also the whole trauma thing multiple times, like if I really get into it I could do a whole double-size post of how Neville was done dirty or nearly dirty by JK all the time but this isn’t that post).

This isn’t even the point of this post. Let’s move to MHA/BNHA

Hero Academia has differing but honestly even worse issues. And I’m aware that different countries handle ableism and accessibility in different ways, but if you think too hard about it this is an absolute clusterfuck.

What is the problem now?

Squibs! Or rather, the main character of the series, Midoriya Izuku.

Deku (a nickname meaning “useless”! Imparted after his disability is recognized! hilarity!!) is also born without powers. Even worse in some ways, he is born without powers in a world where the overwhelming majority of the global population has some kind of empowerment. I can’t recall if it’s outright stated or only implied that someone with a functionally useless (and hoo boy, usefullness to society is its own post nope not today i do not have that much energy) Quirk is still more of a person than a Quirkless human.

That sink in? Okay, let’s move on.

In a narratively not-uncommon turn of events, Deku gains power. This is partially a product of, and directly tied to, his own work and determination, as well as his willingness to help even when physically outmatched.

To an American audience (NOT the intended audience though I wouldn’t doubt it if Horikoshi meant to have international appeal more or less from the start), this is a deeply satisfying narrative. Who doesn’t love an underdog story? And we even learn that the strongest hero of all time (til this point, anyways) was ALSO born Quirkless!

However, from here, things take a nosedive.

The key problem is a combination of story progression and overall thought put into worldbuilding. Horikoshi’s efforts may not be the MOST thorough, but he has put a great deal of work and thought into his creation (he at least understands the concept of implications and sometimes plans accordingly, looking at you JKR). However, that tied with story progression and personal repercussions actually works to the detriment of the matter.

Especially given recent turns of events.

 [BIG MEGA SPOILERS FOR FAIRLY RECENT PLOT

 STOP HERE IF YOU’RE NOT CAUGHT UP

 SERIOUSLY]

 What I mean by this is the current state of events re: two particular recent/recent-ish plot arcs.

First, Quirk Removal, and second, Endeavor’s comeuppance.

Quirk Removal/Loss was the start of my realization to what the narrative was doing regarding Izuku’s Quirklessness and the state of being overall.

This arc was a perfect time to bring up Midoriya’s past! A lot of Western works certainly would have done so! And yes, it may be bordering on done-to-death, but many elements of Hero Academia put new twists on common themes and cliches; it wasn’t unreasonable to hope that he might do it again.

Instead, little to NOTHING is discussed during this time! In fact, iirc I’d go so far as to say Midoriya straight-up never considers his past at any point during this arc!? If I’m wrong then it obviously made little impact.

NOW, not every disabled character needs to incorporate their disability and/or skills gleaned from living with it in every narrative. In fact, it would get tedious and questionable if they did (note: this does NOT mean ignoring/forgetting the character is even disabled when convenient. Like, I’d like to think that’s the obvious point of this post but... *gestures at tumblr*). 

But the complete lack of it here feels really weird. Like, almost hollow. I think Midoriya makes some kind of suggestion to Mirio of his former Quirklessness at the end of the arc, but nothing that made any kind of impact.

Let’s move on.

Endeavor.

Now, the problem with Endeavor’s arc is not the arc itself. Or, rather, it’s the fact that Endeavor’s Comeuppance is pretty good.

This is a problem because someone else should be getting this exact same arc, yet the issue is never even RECOGNIZED, let alone addressed.

Endeavor’s abuse of his wife and children, all in the name of creating a Heroic legacy, is publicized and tanks his popularity. The general public is now aware of what he’s done to the people closest to him, which aside from giving him a more correct reputation, means they can’t trust him to protect them if they can’t trust him to protect his own family.

This isn’t the goal of this post and I’m no expert regardless, but up to this point (around chapter 290) this was handled in an interesting way. Endeavor is humanized and often shown interacting with people in a way that, while often domineering, isn’t always aggressive or abusive. He runs a Hero Agency for crying out loud! But abuse in the real world often isn’t constant, nor happening to everyone in contact with the abuser. So this is a surprisingly good lead up to the reveal, where you can understand how most people never realized this was an issue.

But here’s my main point. Let’s examine some traits and actions that come up:

physically abusive to a child (often dangerously so) to the point of permanent trauma and severe scarring in some cases

target of abuse was weaker (physically and/or regarding Quirk power)

often abused victim emotionally/psychologically, bringing this weakness up again and again

own immense power led to rising in the world of Heroics

comrades, fellow Heroes, UA teachers etc. not aware of prior abuse issues

Who does this sound like?

Endeavor, who has a whole fucking arc dedicated to this reveal and repercussions?

Or Bakugou?

Reminder: This isn’t a hate post. This isn’t a character post, or even an abuse post. This is about ableism.

Bakugou exhibits many, many traits and actions that Endeavor was literally just punished for. So why does the treatment of these characters in-universe differ so drastically?

Two primary reasons I can think of, which feed into each other:

1) Bakugou was a child (still technically is a minor, remember! Still a first-year high schooler!) when this started. This doesn’t mean he’s strictly innocent, but it’s an important point, because it leads us to

2) Bakugou Katsuki’s abuse of Midoriya Izuku is socially accepted.

Reminder of the audience’s first encounter with Katsuki. The very first page with him is him and his grade-school posse picking on a kid that Izuku is trying to protect. His posse is showing off their Quirk powers and mocking Izuku’s lack thereof.

Then we flash forward to late-middle school versions of the kids. Bakugou, in front of a fucking teacher and entire class, is verbally, physically, etc. abusive to Izuku. He trashes his stuff, threatens him, tells him to kill himself (which, as Izuku notes later, is a fucking felony in Japan too).

No one stops him.

No one criticizes him.

We don’t even get a shot of like, some more ‘regular’ students being like “man Bakugou’s kinda fucked up but we’re too scared to do anything about it” NO. NO. Everyone more or less either backs Katsuki up or straight up doesn’t care.

Remember that this started when Katsuki and Izuku were four. Remember that Katsuki’s power is absurdly dangerous, ie. LITERAL. GODDAMN. EXPLOSIONS.

Izuku has scars. He probably has hearing loss! He may have gotten at least one concussion which can cause serious neurological issues and open him up to further risk!

He could have died.

And?

NO ONE. DOES. ANYTHING.

THIS is the point of the post. THIS is the value placed on Quirkless people in this society.

And yet. Despite Endeavor’s comeuppance. Despite All Might and Izuku’s blatant ‘value’ to society through Heroics. Despite so many other political implications and quandaries address in the Hero Academia series.

Nothing. Nothing. Nothing about this is addressed. The nearly-lethal ableism towards Quirkless people in this society is never ONCE brought up properly once Izuku receives One For All.

There is so much potential here! There is so much worth talking about! And yet we’ve moved into what feels very much like the Final Battle without it being addessed, despite numerous, numerous opportunities for a meaningful conversation about it along the way.

Mirio losing his power! Hell, Mirio’s powers’ drawbacks (and pretty much every Quirk’s drawback! if acknowledged properly!) border on a disability-analogue, and even more when Yuga’s laser comes up, and yet again and again we fail to truly engage with the matter in a meaningful way.

At this point, even if it comes up in the finale, I’m going to be disappointed in this particular aspect of the series due to the complete and total shut-down it’s been given so far.

What the FUCK, Horikoshi?

[aspenflower17]

Wrath is The Cat

Hey everyone! This is my first completed fan fiction. It is very long, but I want to make sure I don’t leave you guys hanging with an unfinished fic. It is for Obey Me! and I had fun writing it. Know that I have finished Lesson Twenty regular and Lesson 15 Hard, so there might be spoilers. It also talk about Fruits Basket in this fic, though I don’t think there’s any major spoilers for that (also, if you haven’t read it or watched the new anime, you should!).

I am posting this at midnight, so I apologize if there’s formatting problems or such. Please comment or DM me with anything major you see and I will attempt to fix :)

Satan / Reader

Word Count:  3960

[some angst at the end]

“Are you reading that again?” Satan asked, eyeing the newest volume of My Hero Academia Mc had.

“Technically,  this is the first time I’ve read this volume, but yes, I am reading My Hero Academia.“

"Why?”

“Huh?”

“Why would you read that when you could read real literature?”

“Hold on just a minute,” Mc said, fully shutting the volume so she could face him, “What did you say?”

“Come on. You can’t tell me you find that more compelling and as well written as A Portrait of Dorian Grey.”

“I never said one was superior to the other. Just because on is good does not invalidate the other. By that mode of thinking, no one should make new literature because it would never be as good as the classics, which is, simply put, a stupid idea.”

“Well, what about the issue of the art itself. These over idealized figures that couldn’t actually look the way they do in real life. ”

“Says one of the prettiest men I’ve ever met,” Mc muttered under her breath.

“Hmmm… what was that?”

“Are you talking about uber-boobs and uber-muscles?” Mc asked, hoping he honestly hadn’t heard her.

“Among other things, yes,” Satan said, though she could feel him trying to figure out what she’d actually said.

“Not all manga and comics are like that! It’s a trope in both genres. Before I started reading them, it’s something I thought too,” Mc said, not realizing that her voice had gotten very loud and fervent. Satan sat there, looking as if he was deciding whether to continue the conversation. Mc took a deep breath, her inner fan girl needing to quiet down in order to get through to him, “Have you read any?”

“Yes… Well, I tried once. Levi begged me to read one, so I conceded. Long story short, it was not to my liking.”

“Which one?”

“I believe it was called, That Time I Accidentally Fist Fought A Monster.”

Mc pinched the bridge of her nose, a habit she’d subconsciously picked up from Satan. He smiled softly as he recognized the imitation. That was a terrible anime or manga to start someone off on. It had a pretty good story, but it had far too many silly anime tropes for someone like Satan.

“That… That is not the one I would’ve started you out on.”

“And just which one would you have started me out on?”

Mc stopped, and started to think. Most of the anime and manga she liked were romance, and she wasn’t sure if those would be a good fit for him, especially since most of them didn’t have much of a story line besides the relationship. Although, there was one she had been able to get her brother into…

“My first instinct would be Fruits Basket. I’m not sure how much you'd like it at first, but I think if you give it a real chance and read until… the third volume, probably… I think you’d really end up enjoying it.”

“What do you think I’d like about it?”

“Hmmm… You’d probably really appreciate the dynamics between Kyo and Yuki. I also think you’ll appreciate the character depth and development. There’s also a lot of plot intricacies and plot twists. I also agree with a lot of people online that it’s a good introduction to anime and manga.”

“I’ll try it then.”

“Wait… What?”

“I have a feeling you’ve had more success introducing people to new things, especially since you have specific elements you think I would enjoy. So, I will try out your suggestion.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with my impulse reaction? I probably know of one’s you’ll enjoy more,” Mc asked, suddenly feeling a little vulnerable. Fruits Basket was one of the first anime she’s found on her own, and it still stood as one of her favorites. If Satan, who’s opinion she really valued, ended up hating it…

“I find I can trust your intuition most of the time. We also have similar tastes in regards to literature.”

“Oh… Well, I do have a copy of the first volume in my room if you want.”

“You have a copy here in the Devildom?”

“Mmmhmm. I ordered the whole set off of Akuzon after I found out Levi hadn’t read it.”

“I see. In that case, sure.”

“Okay. I’ll be right back.”

Mc smiled to herself the whole way back to her room. Though she was still a bit nervous, but after hearing Satan praise her tastes in literature, she was feeling more confident, “If I can at least get him to acknowledge it’s worth, I’ll feel accomplished.”

After grabbing the first volume, she thought for a second and grabbed the second. She put them in her book bag, and started on the familiar route to his room. All the brothers had a defined smell to their room, though Satan’s had always been the easiest for her to find. The smell of books started the moment you turned down the hallway his room was on. Standing in front of his dark wood door, she took a deep breath, knocked, then entered.

Satan was not where she had left him, which was kind of odd to her. Carefully avoiding a stack of books she had knocked over on a previous occasion, she started looking around, “Satan?”

There was some shuffling, and then his voice came from above, “You’re back quicker than I thought you would be. Come on up.”

Wait… What? Up the spiral staircase? For real? Everyone knew how rare it was to be allowed up to the second story of Satan’s room. No one went up without express permission. Even Mammon stayed out after being hexed so many times he’d lost feeling on the side of his big toe. Mc had only been up there once, and that was because Satan had wanted to show off his newest rare book. She had only been allowed to sit in the single armchair he had up theorem and she couldn’t touch anything, and for good reason. Satan kept his oldest, rarest, and most important books up there. He had even put a spell on every book up there to preserve them, and, if rumor was correct, a barrier that stopped him from going up there was he was upset. Aside from the few grimories and numerous magic books he had up there were rare human finds as well, all originals or first editions. One of Shakespeare’s folios. DaVinci’s Codex of Leicester. The Babylonian Talmud as well as an exemplified copy of the Magna Carter, both copies that the rest of the world didn’t know existed. A Gutenberg Bible, though his brother’s had no idea he had it. A collection of Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Even an original copy of the Kama Sutra, which Asmo had given to him as a birthday present.

Getting to the top of the stairs, Mc stopped, not wanting to get too close to any of the books. Looking around, she couldn’t repress the sigh that emerged unbidden to her lips. Soft lighting that was perfect for reading with the spines of all the ancient books facing the world. Scrolls rested in their holders on the far wall. And there was the fourth eldest, crouched near one of the shelves, hand to his mouth and a furrow in his brow, thinking hard about something. His blonde hair had an almost golden hue in the light and his green eyes sparkled.

At the sigh, he looked up and smiled, “Go ahead and have a seat.”

Mc nodded and started over towards the chair she’d sat in the one other time she’d been allowed up here, but stopped halfway. The chair she sat on last time was still there, but now there was another chair. They looked fairly similar, being big reading chairs, but the new addition was much less worn and was more feminine in design. Having found the book he was looking for, Satan walked past Mc, and sat in the larger of the two chairs, effectively showing Mc which chair to take. After sitting down, she had to take a moment. It was by far, the most comfortable chair she’s ever sat in.

“I take it you like the chair then. Good, I’m glad,” he smiled, “I made sure it was large enough that you can curl your feet up on the seat like you do when you’re reading.”

“Wait… This is for me?”

“Of course. You need your own place to sit and read when you’re up here.”

Mc was at a loss for words, the gesture speaking volumes, “I don’t know what to say.”

“Just promise you’ll keep coming over for our reading nights; that’s all I ask.”

“That’s the easiest promise in the world to keep! Of course I will!”

Satan smiled again, one of the real smiles she’d been gifted with more and more frequently, “That’s what I was hoping you’d say. Now, where’s this book you were talking about?”

“Yes, hold on,” Mc turned and grabbed it from her bag, “So, these are collector’s editions, so I’m sure I don’t have to tell you to be careful, but…”

“No problem,” Satan replied, taking the book, “If you’d indulge me, I also have a story I want you to read,” and he grabbed the book he had gotten from the shelf, “Do you remember the mystery author I told you about?”

“Yeah. Isn’t his name A. Cohen?”

“That’s the one. Well, I was wondering if you’d read his books while I read yours? I know mystery isn’t necessarily your favorite genre, but -” Satan cut off, looking down at Mc’s hand on his arm.

“I’d be more than happy to,” Mc beamed.

Satan smiled, “Glad to hear it. Now, these books are hard to come by in the Devildom. Please be careful with them. I happened to find a box set of his complete works, so replacing it would be pretty hard. The first one is Blind Intrigue.”

“Got it. Not that I wouldn’t be uber careful with anything you have up here.”

Satan laughed, “Well, I appreciate that,” and he opened the manga volume.

“Oh, did anyone tell you the way to read manga?”

“You read it right to left, correct?”

“Yes, including the speech bubbles. So, you’d read a page like this,” and Mc proceeded to show the way a page should be read.

“Ah. That would have been helpful last time. Thank you.”

“No problem,” and with that, they both started reading. Mc found Blind Intrigue very intriguing, enjoying that it wasn’t just another run-of-the-mill murder mystery. As she got further into the book, she subconsciously slipped off her shoes, and curled her feet up next to her. She almost forgot about the demon next to her. A sudden shift next to her brought her back to reality.

“I finished it.”

“Ah… W… What do you think?”

“It is much better than Levi’s suggestion. I am interested in continuing the series.”

“… If you want, I did bring the second volume with me…”

“You did?”

“Mmmhmm. I was hoping you’d like it enough to want the second volume…”

“Well, you did ask that I read until the third volume, so sure.”

“Mc beamed as she grabbed for the second volume, after safely tucking the mystery novel between the chair and her legs.

“So, are you enjoying Blind Intrigue?”

“Yes! It is really good. I like that it’s an actual mystery novel, a lot like the Sherlock Holmes stories. Most mystery novels revolve around a murder, but since this one dpesn’t, I like it more.”

“Very good,” Satan said while handing her the first volume back, “So, who’s your favorite character?”

“Huh? In Blind Intrigue or Fruits Basket?”

“Fruits Basket.”

“Ah, Momiji.”

“He reminds me too much of Mammon.”

“I… Guess? Just… give him some time. He’s really great.”

“So… who’s your second favorite?”

“Well, Momiji is my favorite favorite. Kyo is my main character favorite.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I have a feeling you’ll really end up liking him.”

“Ah, well, good to know,” Satan said, as Mc handed him the second volume.

There was silence for awhile until Satan burst out laughing. Mc looked up expecting him to share, but he kept reading; a sign he really liked the story. Pretending to go back to reading, Mc snuck a glance at Satan. He had a content smile on his face, and was even further along in the book than she had thought he would be. She smiled, feeling satisfied and a little vindicated in her choice.

Mc was about halfway through Blind Intrigue when she heard Satan shift on his chair. She looked over to find him sitting with the second volume closed and eyes on her. She in turn closed his book, waiting for him to speak.

“If the rest of the series is this high of quality, I definitely want to finish it.”

Satan helped Mc transport the rest of the volumes to his room that day. Though he really loved the series, he would only read it when Mc was around. As she now had a chair upstairs, Satan suggested they read up there, and he began sharing all the amazing books he had up there with her. It was nice for Mc, especially since none of the other brothers knew she was allowed up there. Satan finished Fruits Basket fairly quickly, not quite gushing about how much he loved the characters and story, asking Mc if she had any other manga recommendations. She was more than happy to oblige. Soon, Satan was reading manga whenever Mc was in his room, but only when she was in his room.

He didn’t like manga that were all trope and no substance, but he would try anything Mc brought him since she usually brought “good manga”. One of his favorites was Jo Jo’s Bizarre Adventures. It came as a surprise to him when, one day he declared a series to be his second favorite, after Fruits Basket, and Mc told him it was a series that Levi had gotten her into.

“You know, I’m sure he’d love discussing it with you…”

“Wait. You think I should go waltzing into his room and say, ‘Hey Levi, I really enjoy The Watchman’s Spell and am all caught up on it. We should talk about it’?”

“Well, yeah, basically. I’ll be there to referee, so I can help if needed. I almost never see you two hanging out together, and I actually think you two have more in common than you realize.”

“He just gets so long winded about… whatever. He also acts childish at times.”

“I do those too.”

“You will apologize though. He will not,” Satan paused a second, and then continued quieter, “Plus, it’s different when you do it.”

“Have you ever considered that he doesn’t back down or stop because he feels like no one cares what he thinks or what his interests are?”

Satan stopped, his retort lost. Was that really why? He considered again, and then turned to Mc, “Okay, I’ll do it, but he’s not invited to our reading nights.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi didn’t take the news the way Mc would’ve liked.

“Wha… Mc, w-w-what are you t-talking about?”

“I’ve been showing Satan some manga and he’s liked some of them. I think you should show him some too since you know waaaaaaay more than I do. He really loved Watchman’s Spell.”

Levi seemed scared but also irritated, “You had him read Watchman’s Spell?! Why?!”

“I… I thought he’d appreciate it and when he did, I thought you’d be excited to have someone new to talk to about it…”

“I have the entire internet to talk to about it, plus you. Why would I want-” Levi broke off, scowling as he turned away, but then rounded back on Mc, “Are you doing this to make fun of me? Are you tired of me, and so you’re trying to pawn me off on someone else? What, are you using your pact to make Satan act like he’s interested in talking to me?”

“No, Levi, listen to-”

“Glad to hear it, because you’re not getting rid of me, ya normie! You’re the one that wanted to make a pact, so you’re stuck with me! We’re also best friends so you better-”

“Levi!” Mc grabbed his face with both hands, worried as she saw his tail appear. She had expected some jealousy, but nothing this bad.

Levi stopped. Having Mc this close to his face made his mind go completely blank.

“Just because I expanded Satan’s literary horizons does not change the fact we’ve already discussed our wifeoo’s. It doesn’t erase all the time we’ve spent watching and discussing TSL. All the raids we’ve gone on, owning all the noobs… Though I’m kind of a noob… The point is, Lord of Shadows, your Henry is trying to get the Lord of Masks and you to become friends, just like with the Lord of Fools.”

Levi screwed up his face, bringing up his hand to hide behind. Mc let go, feeling the tension leave the room.

After turning and composing himself a bit (Did Mc just hold my face?!?!?!?), Levi turned, lifting his eyes to Satan, who was simply watching him, “Who’s your favorite character?”

“Zeke.”

“He’s actually my second favorite.”

“Who is your favorite then?”

“Brielle.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just that she seems like the type of character you’d enjoy. She’s not bad. In fact, I enjoy the dynamic she brings to the tower.”

“Well, she became my favorite when she stopped the entire colony from starting an uprising against Charles when they thought he was keeping them from going home.”

“That was chapter 5 right?”

“Y-yes, actually!” Levi smiled, his eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree, as he started discussing the plot and fan theories with his brother. Satan responded to all his prompts or listened quietly, occasionally adding his own thoughts. He was being more patient than Mc had ever seen him be with Levi, and even seemed to be enjoying himself.

Good, Mc thought, watching the two bond, They both needed someone to get them out of their own head. At least I know I can leave these two without too many regrets.

Mc hadn’t brought up the fact her year was almost up to any of the brothers. She didn’t know if any of them had realized how close it was. She was not looking forward to leaving, but she knew she couldn’t let them just revert back to the way they had been, especially Satan. They had all come too far.

“Mc has an interesting thought on this subject actually. Mc, what are you doing over there? Come over here!”

“Coming!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Satan traced his fingers along Mc’s chair. Of course he’d gotten the chair for her so she could be more comfortable, but also to have a piece of her after she’d left. He hadn’t realized how much it would come to mean to him.

He pulled out his DDD, starting to flip through all the photos he’d snuck of her. Her, next to him. Her being so careful with his books. Her, sleeping in his bed, hair splayed across the pillow. He couldn’t count the number of times her scent had kept him from going after one of his brothers since she’d left.

He knew he was being reclusive, and she wouldn’t have liked that. But, weren’t they all being reclusive?

He sat down, head sinking into his hands, DDD put on the arm of the chair. Why did she have to leave? She had been such a breath of fresh air, so willing to discuss anything and everything with him. He had been able to open up to her, and she’d accepted him just as he was. No strings attached. For the first time in his life, he’d felt unique. Wanted. Needed. No longer alone.

He knew she’d been that way with all of them, but… It felt like she’d specifically picked him. He hadn’t been particularly interested in the human living with them, other than to see what she was doing to his brothers. She had been the one to approach him about books. She had been the one to pick his brain. She had read almost every book he’d suggested. He was special… Right?

He hadn’t noticed the tears until he opened his eyes and only saw a blurry floor, “If I’m special, why didn’t she…”

Mc had given each brother a gift when she left. When it was his turn, she’d whispered something in his ear, but she’d been crying so her words had caught. He couldn’t make out the words then, and even though he’d run them through his head more times than he could count, he couldn’t figure out what she’d said. She’d been so beautiful standing there, fresh tears ready to fall. And then… she was gone.

He had isolated himself for a week afterwards. He hadn’t been in the House of Lamentation though. Too many memories. In some small shack in the middle of nowhere. Somewhere he could release all his feelings and hurt no one.

As he was about to get up, a white blur caught his eye. Blinking, he bent over and picked it up. It was a letter. He turned it over, his heart jumping when he recognized Mc’s handwriting. He traced the letters of his name, hands shaking. He then carefully opened the letter and started reading,

My Dear Satan,

Seems you were able to hear what I said when I left. Good. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to get it out.

Anyways, I hope you don’t mind that I didn’t give you your gift in front of everyone else. Not only is it too heavy, but you’re too special to me for them to be part of the gift.

I wish I could tell you everything in my heart right now, but I don’t want to cheapen anything. I will return to you so please be patient and wait until then.

If you would, please go check on Levi for me. I can tell you right now, he’s not okay right now. He gets so lost in his own head and I worry about him. I leave him in your stead until I get back.

Satan, always remember: You are important. You deserve every ounce of love you can get. You also have the right to feel whatever you are feeling. You are not your brother, and I never want you comparing yourself to him, because you are an individual. I may not always be there with you, but never forget: you may not have had control over your birth, but that is not what defines you. You are so much more than a word.

Love,

Mc

P.S. I just realized you never told me. Who is your favorite Fruits Basket character?

Satan had never moved so fast down his staircase. Why had he chosen a spiral staircase? He was so eager, he almost knocked over the book pile he was looking for. When he saw what was behind it, he sank to his knees and gathered every Fruits Basket volume in his arms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi was moping around his room when there was a knock on the door. For a second he thought it was Mc, but then realized she was gone, making himself sad all over again. He shuffled over to the door, and opened it.

There stood Satan with… manga… and, puffy eyes?

“Hey, can we hang out?” Satan asked.

“Sure. I’d like that.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Update: I now have a part two to this story and here’s the link

[365daysoftododeku]

2nd August 2019

Author: Kenyoda

Admin’s Note: Another oneshot of @ebonyphd​‘s Internet Friends AU! You can read the rest of the series over here!

________________________________________________________________

Unexpected Friends

Shouto had known that this was a bad idea from the moment Natsuo had suggested it. But he was too shy to actually ask Midoriya out on his own, so he leaped at the rather neat solution that his brother had offered at the time. His current partner - a guy this time - had been dying to meet Shouto. Natsuo claimed that Tenko was also a high nerd and that he and Shouto would get along like a house on fire. 

Shouto was unconvinced. 

The last partner his brother had was a snobby ableist that had also been “dying” to meet Shouto. They had spent the whole date “lamenting” over Shouto’s “misfortune.” They had no idea he could read lips. He had spent the whole time fuming: he was deaf, not dying. They were also super rude to Natsuo. He was quite glad when Natsuo dumped them. 

Natsuo had suggested that Shouto and Izuku tag along on his date with his boyfriend to see a movie. That way, if things went well, Shouto could ask him on a real date. Shouto had reluctantly agreed, pretty much because he had no idea what to do otherwise. So here he was now, waiting for Izuku and this ‘Tenko’ to show up. When Tenko made an appearance with a blonde girl that looked like she walked out of a vampire manga, all of Shouto’s alarm bells rang at once. 

He, presumably, was dressed in black from literally head to toe. If he did not know any better, Shouto would swear the open jacket they were wearing was from Empire Souls, specifically from Company XIII, one of the main antagonists of the game. Under that there was a black t-shirt with red lettering that said,

                                The Number of FXXXs I give today: 

                                                            0

houto internally snorted at that. This was Natsuo’s boyfriend, huh? This was completely different than his usual dates. They were usually somewhat intelligent, sociable, but ultimately shallow. This guy screamed anti-social. As the two approached, Natsuo grinned. The hood of the jacket was thrown back, revealing white hair and red eyes. A devious smirk was etched into his face, but his eyes softened when they landed on his brother. 

“Hey Nats!” greeted the blonde as they came to stand before them. Tenko just gave a halfhearted wave and mumbled something. Natsuo did not seem to be offended - in fact he smiled wider.

“Hey Tenko! Glad to see you made it! How did the competition go?” Natsuo asked as he stepped forward and hugged the shorter man. Shouto blinked in surprise when he hugged him back.

“Good,” was the only thing Shouto could make out from the angle. Suddenly, there was a tap on his shoulder. He turned to find a bright Izuku bouncing next to him. Shouto couldn’t help the grin that stretched across his face. He hugged his friend tightly, Izuku doing the same. It had been nearly 2 years since the two had become friends. They were both in high school, Shouto attending a school for the deaf and blind and Izuku one closer to his home. But they met often at each other’s homes, and they spoke all the time on Unplug. Izuku beamed at him again. Shouto’s heart jolted in response. He had also been pathetically crushing on him for the last year.  

Shouto had tried on numerous occasions to tell his friend, but he always lost his nerve at the last minute. What could he offer Izuku? He couldn’t hear him - sure, Izuku never minded that he had to sign when they were together, but he could not expect him to want to do that forever, right? Izuku was clearly popular among his peers, and becoming more popular since his friends encouraged him to start the HeroTube channel to supplement his forum ramblings. He had seen personally that his friend was pleasant and attractive, especially after he bulked up to do a Valor cosplay. Izuku discovered that he loved working out and that Uraraka did too, so they continued. Sometimes Shouto would join them on runs. 

Shouto had little to offer in return, so the thought of admitting his crush was a little daunting. Both his siblings had been insisting that he at least attempt to talk to Izuku about it but Shouto refused. He didn’t want to lose the easy friendship he had with the other boy. Izuku was currently rambling to him about some post he found regarding a potential TV serialization for Altered Reality Academia. Izuku’s facial expression turned curious and then he told Shouto that his brother was trying to get his attention.

Shouto turned to see Natsuo and Tenko standing in front of them, Tenko looking a bit curious. Natsuo formally introduced everyone. The vampire girl’s name was Toga Himiko. Then he was introduced to Shimura Tenko. He and his brother apparently met at the hospital where Natsuo was currently doing a hands on internship. Shouto, through Izuku’s helpful translations, asked the teen whether he had ended up there due to the vampire girl and Tenko laughed heartily. Natsuo scowled. 

“No. I did not. I am apparently more of a vampire than she claims to be… I am actually allergic to the sun,” he said, surprisingly in sign language. When Shouto must have given him a surprised look, he explained that his sister was Hard of Hearing. Shouto found that it felt a little less weird now. That is, until Toga said that he looked good enough to eat; then he was momentarily afraid for his life. A sneak glance at his friend’s pale face said that Izuku felt the same. Tenko rolled his eyes and assured them that she had already “fed” and that they were safe. 

Shouto was still dubious.    

“So what are we seeing again?” Natsuo asked his boyfriend, signing for Shouto.

“Sako-chan is debuting his movie at this festival, neh neh— Ten-chan?” Toga said, her lips and curls moving rapidly. Natsuo stumbled translating a bit but Shouto got the idea. Ah, another friend is debuting a movie, huh? Interesting. Apparently, it was part of an independent film festival. It was called  DartMan: The Dark Midlife Crisis. It was supposed to be a parody of edgy superhero films.   

As the group made their way towards the building, he and Izuku caught up on their week. Shouto told Izuku about his thoughts on becoming a social worker or a lawyer. His friend thought that was an amazing idea and had no doubt that he could pull it off. When Izuku said that, Shouto couldn’t help the flush that washed over his face. He wanted to tell Izuku how much his support meant to him, but he couldn’t begin to form the words. His hands were shaking too bad. So he settled for a probably broken but vocal ‘thank you.’ Izuku beamed back. He then surprised Shouto by saying he was still thinking about what he wanted to do. This was unusual as Izuku had talked about being a comic artist for the longest time. 

Izuku had always talked about his want to be the next Yagi Toshinori. His writing was excellent and his art was amazing. Shouto was sure he was a shoo-in for the art school he wanted to go to. It was part of a larger university. What had changed? He had entertained the notion of them going to that very same university together. He had thought that maybe mentioning it would not be a bad way to approach the crush problem. Start simple. After all, most people would probably run the other direction if someone suddenly blurted out that they would ‘dream of kissing them and never leaving their side ever again’ out of nowhere. But Izuku’s change in direction had thrown him.  

“Why did you change?” he asked as they stood in line. Izuku looked thoughtful for a moment. 

“Well, partially because of my mom and partially because I tried commissions for a while. Sure, it was nice getting the money and I did not mind drawing for people, but suddenly what I loved doing became a chore. I— I don’t want to lose what I love doing for money. So, I have been thinking lately that I should do my art for myself on my own time and find something else to do…” Izuku said, his face clearly saying he was not sure about it. “I still want to go to UA, though. They have good connections,” said the boy with a shrug. 

“That doesn’t sound like you, though,” Shouto pointed out immediately. Izuku cringed. Shouto pounced on that, nerves be damned. His friend needed help and Shouto was going to give it. “What is really bothering you? Someone leave nasty messages about your work again?” Shouto asked. Izuku resolutely shook his head, even as he moved forward in line. “Then what is it?” 

“My mom was talking with one of the neighbors and they said some things about how I was wasting my potential and that I was such a ‘smart boy’ and that mom was a bad parent for letting me waste my time,” he finally admitted, shoulders slumping. Shouto inwardly seethed. How dare they make Izuku feel bad about what makes him happy?!

“That’s bullshit! You are smart! That is what makes you so good at what you do! You would not be half the analyst you are if you weren’t! Sure, being a comic maker is not the first thing that people would think of for you, but that doesn't mean it's not what you are destined to do. Tell them to go pack sand,” Shouto argued. Izuku laughed, out of shock more than likely. 

“Thanks Shouto, I just… I worry that I am not cut out for it… if I am not living up to my potential,” he said, forlorn. Shouto took the distraction to buy their tickets for the movie before Izuku could even protest. He then beckoned his friend to come along. Izuku pouted, saying it was not fair. Shouto just grinned.

“Don’t worry about it, you can pay next time,” he said with a grin, before turning scarlet. Way to be a pretentious ass! he berated himself. He was no better when he caught Izuku sporting a similar shade on his cheeks.  Shouto decided to find another distraction. His eyes landed on his brother and Tenko walking together.

It was strange. 

He had never seen Natsuo so relaxed around a date before. Most of the time, he was overdressed and drawn as tense as a bow string. Now though he was in a simple polo and a pair of jeans. He was walking with his arm around Tenko’s shoulder as they talked. They quietly laughed at some inside joke as Toga flitted around them all bouncing curls and energy. 

He wondered if he and Izuku could ever be close like they were, so secure in their relationship. His eyes cut to Izuku and the boy seemed lost in his own head. But that was Izuku, forever dreaming. A soft smile pulled at his lips. Izuku’s eyes suddenly bugged and he turned red. Shouto was confused at first until he felt Izuku squeeze his hand. Then he felt his face heat. 

When had he taken Izuku’s hand?!

But his friend only smiled bashfully as he stared at the floor. He did not let go of his hand. Shouto’s heart kicked in his chest. It was a lovely feeling. Maybe he had a chance after all? Shouto held his hand a little tighter. They settled into line for snacks and Shouto felt eyes on him. He looked up to see Tenko eyeing him as his brother talked with Toga about something. The ethereal looking teen gave him a kind, teasing smile. 

‘Nice job,’ he mouthed before eyeing their joined hands then looking at him again. Shouto blushed again, but felt grateful all the same. Tenko had definitely been a nice surprise. The boy was strange and had equally strange friends but so far he had been nice. Far nicer than most people he had met since he had finally started escaping the house. Shouto smiled back and mouthed, 

‘Nice jacket. Empire Souls?’ 

Tenko nodded before mouthing, ‘made it myself.’ 

Shouto gaped. Okay… maybe Natsuo was right. He was going to have to speak to his boyfriend more… maybe if he plucked up the courage… he could go on a real double date with them in future. That could be fun. He felt a tap on his shoulder. 

‘What are you smiling about?’ Izuku mouthed. 

‘The jacket is Empire Souls inspired. He made it,’ he mouthed. Izuku’s eyes lit up. He immediately started drilling Tenko for details. Shouto laughed, but he was keenly aware that despite his enthusiasm, Izuku still hadn’t let go of his hand.

_______________________________________________________________

Would you like your work to be featured in the 365 Days of TodoDeku Project? Apply here! (≧∇≦)/

[thebiblesalesman]

Storm Rising Plot Threads

I wanted to write about Mercy but I needed to clear my head of all this stuff first. These are plotlines and characters that Storm Rising either intersected or introduced for the first time.

1) Reinhardt’s Retirement

Although Reinhardt’s hero profile always implied that his retirement was due to his age, his character comic Dragonslayer centers on him suffering from hallucinations, what Brigitte calls an “active imagination”. That concept was echoed by Chris Metzen in the 2014 Overwatch Unveiled panel, where he indicated Reinhardt “is not always together there after all these years”. 

Storm Rising does not describe what Reinhardt did to earn his mandatory retirement, but Reinhardt’s end with Overwatch has been mentioned more frequently since the release of Brigitte. Brigitte has an interaction with Pharah where she says she had no interest in joining Overwatch after how they treated Reinhardt. Storm Rising has an interaction between Tracer and Mercy about how badly Reinhardt has taken everything.

Bastet mentions a mission in Prague that went awry because Commander Morrison thought Reinhardt could be stealthy, but I don’t think it was “the” mission that led to the forced retirement because it involved Jack and Ana personally rather than the Strike Team.

2) Dr. Chao and the Space Station

Presumably Dr. Chao is the current head of Lucheng Interstellar and began work on a new space station 6 years ago. A headline on the Lijiang Tower map indicates that in the present day the Lucheng Interstellar Space Station “Journey” has suffered an emergency failure.

Lucheng does not have very good luck with its space projects. This interaction also tells us Dr. Chao probably suffers some physical detriment after her time on the Moon. That’s a fair amount of detail for a random person who has never been mentioned before. Surely not important in any way! 

3) Blackwatch - Out of Action (But Not Really)

There are two mentions of Blackwatch in Storm Rising and they at first appear contradictory. It’s not clear if Blackwatch is still under suspension or not. It is possible that they are continuing to operate without official sanction, ala Retribution and Uprising. There are also multiple interactions regarding Commander Morrison being under pressure to disband the Strike Team (this might have stemmed from the incident with Reinhardt) and the possible reassignment of Overwatch, so it’s safe to say the entire organization is under threat at this time.

Storm Rising is also the culmination of gray area events started when Morrison first allowed Blackwatch Commander Reyes to undertake Retribution without official sanction. During Uprising, Morrison finds out that Reyes is still utilizing Blackwatch agents without official sanction and while under suspension. Storm Rising is the first mission during which Morrison and Reyes are arguing about the fate of Overwatch, but notably the Overwatch Strike Team is still happy to use Blackwatch intel.

4) Humanitarian Crisis in Egypt

The Bastet short story was the most recent touch on the issues in Egypt, but they have been previously mentioned in Mission Statement, Are You With Us, and Uprising.

Let’s recap our Egypt timeline real quick:

2066: Overwatch intervenes in Cairo, Egypt and shuts down the Anubis Project, quarantining the A.I. This intervention ultimately decimates Egypt’s population, suggesting Anubis’s original purpose was infrastructure-related.

2069: Mercy mentions the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Egypt. At the same time, Director Petras orders an investigation into an incident in Cairo (it’s not exactly clear what the incident is, but directly above the headline about the investigation there are some Widowmaker scope views and another headline that says “Overwatch official murdered”).

2070 - Storm Rising: Overwatch requests a medical assessment from Mercy on the Egyptian crisis.

2070 - Doomfist Origin Story: The Strike Team, minus Mercy, deploys to capture Doomfist in Singapore.

It seems likely that Mercy was deployed to Egypt while the rest of the Strike Team went to Singapore. This may also explain why Mercy survived the destruction of the Overwatch HQ in Switzerland. When Mercy appears in Recall years later, her location is near Egypt in the Middle East. Ana notes Mercy’s proximity in Bastet, and if the follow-up animation Bastet Rises is to be believed, Ana ultimately brings Soldier 76 to Mercy.

Where does this put us in terms of future story? I’m not sure. Maybe the dialogue in Storm Rising was just ensuring all the Egypt threads are connected, but why develop it at all if there is no payoff? There is one other point about Egypt that’s notable: it’s the location of the meeting between Doomfist and the Mystery Omnic in Storm Rising.

5) Mystery Omnic

I already wrote a whole post about this guy so I’ll just link that - https://thebiblesalesman.tumblr.com/post/184262814469/3-popular-storm-rising-mystery-omnic-mo-theories

I would be surprised if MO turned out to be something other than a Null Sector operative, though him meeting Doomfist in Egypt with all the emphasis on Egypt in other recent media is making me shake in my boots a little...

6) Sojourn

Sojourn is a veteran Overwatch official with the rank of Captain. She has an extensively modified cyborg body. Michael Chu cited her as existing in a historical photo where only her arms appear mechanical, but additional modification happened between then and the time of Storm Rising (McCree, Mercy, and Pharah are all in the photo as well, so the additional mods must have taken place in the latter part of Overwatch’s history). Sojourn is the one who had the idea to target Maximilien in the first place. While we know quite a bit about her personality from various mission interactions, we don’t know much about her history at this point. She appears on one of the agent IDs in Recall.

7) Maximilien

The Storm Rising teaser sees Sojourn refer to Maximilien as “Doomfist’s accountant”. In Retribution, Commander Reyes could barely think of Maximilien’s name when asked about known Talon operatives. In Masquerade Max told Doomfist “we have history”, so it may be that he was literally Doomfist’s personal accountant before entering Talon. Doomfist is the heir to a prosthetic technologies company, so he does have finances to manage (I wonder if his company provided parts or technical guidance for any of Overwatch’s cyborgs?).

Maximilien sold out his boss at the end of Storm Rising, leading to Doomfist being jailed and his plans being put on hold for 6 years. When the two of them meet again in Masquerade, Doomfist notes he doesn’t trust anyone, but Maximilien’s betrayal isn’t specifically addressed. A few pages of Masquerade are dedicated to rooting out Talon members who have strayed from Doomfist’s ideals, but Maximilien is left with a spot at the table. 

One of Doomfist’s targets is Vialli, who became obsessed with profit over the organization’s larger goals. In Storm Rising Maximilien certainly seems like the same archetype as Vialli- even the Strike Team members note his “expensive tastes”. But apparently money is not the only thing on his mind. Maximilien notes in the comic that he respects Doomfist as “a man with vision”. What he hopes to gain out of Doomfist’s human-omnic war still isn’t particularly clear.

It would be very poor of me to go through Maximilien’s section and not mention again that he has Twelfth Night fanfiction (or maybe it’s a chat roleplay?) on his computer in Don Rumbotico. It’s still there in the modern Havana map, so feel free to go ogle if you wish.

[comicteaparty]

June 24th-June 30th, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from June 24th, 2019 to June 30th, 2019.  The chat focused on Drugs & Wires by Mary Safro & Io Black.

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 Drugs & Wires by Mary Safro & Io Black~! (https://www.drugsandwires.fail/)

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 PDT), so keep checking back for more! You have until June 30th 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. Who do you think made the Worm and for what reason? Why does it seem to mostly be affecting Stradania and not other places? Do you think Dan’s implant can ultimately be fixed, or is he stuck forever away from VR?

RebelVampire

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

QUESTION 4. What aspect of the world’s cyberpunk setting interests you the most and why? Alternatively, what aspect are you hoping to see explored a bit more in regards to how it affects the characters?

RebelVampire

1) Gonna be a bit depressing when I say the bridge scene where Dan almost threw himself off it. Which I'm gonna spoiler tag the rest of this just as a suicide trigger warning precaution. I was 100% right there in the moment with him during that scene. Like I understood why he'd arrived at that conclusion, and it didn't come off as patronizing as I feel a lot of similar suicide scenes often do in comics. This is a man who even I felt really had nothing to live for, as sad as that is to say. Not that I wanted Dan to die, of course, but I get absolutely why he would. And then when he's saved, I liked that he is angry about it. Cause that is a dark reality I feel too many comics shy away from. And just all that gritty realism really hit me in the heart. 2) I don't know who made the worm and I don't think it matters all that much. Rather, I think the reason is more important, and the reason I think is to either kill VR or draw attention to Dan's shitty country. Which I kind of want to believe the latter, that this is somehow politically motivated. Or even if its the former, the idea is to get ppl more politically involved. That being said, I do think it's someone in Stradania who made it. As for Dan's implant being fixed, I don't think so. I don't think he'll be let off the hook that easy, and that he will continue to have to face his awful world for what it is, garbage and all.

3) Dan because he is the delicious epitome of a flawed protagonist. He's not mean, but between his drug problems, his crappy attitude towards most people, and so forth, he's got some real issues to work through. But that's great, cause at least that makes the few steps forward he's taken more satisfying. Since he's not getting those steps easy. He has to basically crawl through metaphorical lava to gain even 2 cm. 4) I really like the world's integration of VR and cybernetics. Like it's not on the level it's just there, but there's businesses around it, slang around it, and so forth. It's presented as this super ingrained culture thing, and that is super hard to play off. And it's just really well-done to see all the ways that those aspects bleed into their lives, whether the invention was intended to do so in that way or not.

Historical Jesus

I'm about to catch up. gimmy some time

RebelVampire

itll be going for the rest of the week, so theres no rush.

snuffysam

1) My favorite scene is the basement wake. It's a cool way to introduce those side characters (especially Vlad), and we were shown how our protagonist is seen through other people's eyes.

Like, we as the readers get to see Dan's struggles first-hand, but seeing the way Dan's "friends" think of him as a mindless junkie is really eye-opening

Re-reading the wake chapter made me think of something regarding question (2). Rebel, you suggested that the worm may have been made to kill VR. Could the reverse be true instead? Vlad has this speech about how the victims of the worm are martyrs, and the rest of the cast groans... but maybe he's not so far off.(edited)

My favorite character is Lin. On the surface, she's a terrible, shady person, but she's got heart where it counts! (in a trunk with a bunch of other organs)

Though I also really like Dan, for the same reasons as Rebel. He starts off in such a terrible place, and watching him take baby steps towards improvement is... honestly, uplifting, even if he does sometimes take some big steps backward.(edited)

RebelVampire

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

QUESTION 6. Do you think Dan will manage to find Eve again? If so, how might that affect him? Further, what do you think Dan’s past history is in general with his family and others that might play a role in the story?

Historical Jesus

Is the person writing this comic Russian

RebelVampire

cant speak for Io, but while not from Russia, Mary does speak Russian

Historical Jesus

SHe might have had family immigrate from Russia. This story just feels very Russian in the sense that everyone is down on their luck

But yeah. This story is freaking great!

Cryo

Hey, Mary here! I'm a Russian from Latvia, Io's German but I usually consult him on any Russian bits we have in the comic : D thanks so much for reading, loved seeing all the replies so far!

Historical Jesus

It's you

@Cryo Do you have experience with information security or bug hunting?(edited)

I mean, you sound like you REALLY understand hacker culture(edited)

Historical Jesus

ok I finished

1: Favorite scene? Hard to tell honestly. I like them all for different reasons. It's the continuum of the story I appreciate. The fact I'm always wanting to see what happens next? 2: Who made the worm. I've noticed that people who were infected had illegal copies of software. From a cybersecurity perspective, worms only work when either (A) someone finds a vulnurability that has never before been seem or (B) people don't update their shit for whatever reason. Hence why most software schedules mandatory updates. This could just be the inevitable conclusion to using pirated or older software. 3: Favorite character: Dan. I can relate to him the most. I don't do party drugs, just psycodelics.

4: Favorite aspect of cyberpunk. Historical relevance. In our past, rulers were privileged to rule because humans believed they were "ordained by God" to rule. European philosophers then said that the right to rule belongs to those who become the height of natural selection/ The premise being that there is no god and that we are "free agents" with "free will." No one is entitled to anything unless they produce something of value. This made perfect sense when manual labor was relevant and everything had to be done by hand. This includes pen and paper math. Hence why pay is exclusively based on labor value. Enter the age of technology fucked this up. Capitalism today is STUPIDLY efficient. We WHOOPED natural selections ass. We also learned that humans can't simply "change their outlook at will." Humans are mortal and are not much different than machines. The have needs and all that pesky human stuff. Some people could argue that healthier people have more free will than others, but poverty is the inevitable conclusion to this "free will" "labor value" mindset. But people think principles are sacred and set in stone. So what we are seeing is devalued labor and everyone becoming more poor and the formation of corporate oligarchies and dependences. Cyberpunk was WAY ahead of it's time in seeing this. We need to revisit this genre because I sure as shit don't want to live under a global illuminati with hard line cultural segregation.(edited)

Cryo

No, no real hacking experience here, I'm a 3d modeller by trade. We do our research when we can but our readers are a lot more technically minded than we are :p

Historical Jesus

I love 3D modeling

Attila Polyák

I'll be totally honest your work didn't really catch me at first, but I kept reading. Aaaaand dang that was a good decision. This is genuinely well made. I'm only at the end of chapter 4 but that bridge scene was great. I'm pretty sure it'll be my favourite scene but I need to read the rest first.

Historical Jesus

I have one of two options in life. Make high detailed models to sell on Gumroad or make comics. Gumroad will require constant adaptation to new software, but I already have my comic story structure fgiured out

Cryo

@Attila Polyák thanks for giving us a chance! Hope you enjoy the rest ( though chapter 5 is a lot less dramatic in comparison!)

Historical Jesus

Do you have a resolution in mind or are you just making it as you go?

Cryo

Yeah, we know where we're taking the story, but how it gets there can vary. Lots of the scenes we wrote years ago have to be tweaked or redone entirely to work

Historical Jesus

If the "free will" capitalist have their way, then we can expect the future to look very similar. Lots of poor people using lots of old tech. All software and hardware is closed sourced and locked down.The division between rich and poor will be larger than ever. Many of the zero days will be state sponsored much like they are now and they can use this to legally infect people and categorize them and use their own information against them if they ever become a threat to the state or the rich tech oligarchy

When I read this I got sense of creepy forcasting

More kids are playing with the Linux Kernal than smoking cigarettes so we might be ok

Historical Jesus

5: Favorite illustration? Anything that involved gif animations. That's not to say it should be overused but it was used at the right time

6a: Will Dan find Eve again? Probably. Since Cryo has a conceptual end in mind, I imagine she serves a key purpose in the plot. If they don't then it's likely that their actions will effect each other in some way.(edited)

6b: What is Dan's history with his parents? Let's look at who Dan is now. He's a poor drug addict who has had a dead end job. Yet he is not an overly angry person. Just depressed. He hangs around computer poetry people and other drug people. As a person who has experience with drugs, I noticed three types of people who do the dangerous drugs. At least in the US. They are... -People who have had repressive or needlessly strict parents. Thus overdoing drugs becomes associated with freedom and eventually a point of rebellion. But you can do too many of them. -People who are poor and need to sell them because they are poor. Naturally many of them do the drugs themselves so they naturally become addicted. -People who's parents are drug users themselves. The people who teach are schools will tell you it's that "people are trying to be cool" and it has nothing to do with that. Truth be told, they are hiding something. There is also a lot of dark racial history behind enhancing substances and the law and that can influence people's decision to take them, but I don't want to get into that because I don't want to get booted from this server.(edited)

Historical Jesus

Actually, @Cryo, would you be willing to give us a brief personal biography? Also, if you are, then can you tell us about your parents, what they did for a living, and the income situation you had growing up.(edited)

Why am I asking this? I think we can come up with more interesting answers about the comic if we know YOU as a person and how that influences your writing. I was able to infer that this story sounded Russian as fuck. Since the setting was Russian, I figured you were either from there or had family there

We can give more interesting answers that can help you come up with more interesting writing

RebelVampire

@Historical Jesus Your questions are getting a little personal, and while I understand the logic behind them, keep in mind we're here to discuss the comic and not the creators' personal lives.

keii4ii

Yeah... I feel even if the creators are okay with discussing it, this stuff is best left to DM

Historical Jesus

I understand. I would like to give her the choice. If she chooses not to then I understand. Biologically speaking, I think art is meant to be personal.

keii4ii

(and of course, if they don't want to discuss it, no one should pressure them about it )

RebelVampire

yeah if @Cryo wants to answer that's fine. Just for the future please keep those sorts of questions to a minimum and watch the wording on them. Cause that statement did sound overly pressure filled.

Historical Jesus

of course

keii4ii

I don't think we should be getting further into this territory?

RebelVampire

Agreed. This isn't a really appropriate topic for #week_long_bookclub, @Historical Jesus and has little to do with the comic.

Historical Jesus

I understand. I'm trying to demonstrate the the relevance and the benefits of understanding the author as a person. And again, it's her choice to choose what she discloses.

RebelVampire

And again, I get the logic. But just not appropriate for this discussion.

Historical Jesus

fair enough. I just want it to be known

I rephrased the question so it's less assertive. I apologies, I suck with social skills. Hopefully by the time she reads it, then it will be more inviting for her.

RebelVampire

thats better wording for sure, thank you.

Historical Jesus

no problem

art was definitely designed to be personal. The reason why a lot of big budget art feels bland is because it's meant for everyone and they have to not get too deep into offending people. Because it has to make money. That requires the work of a true genius. D&W is specialized and it will attract a certain group of people. Mostly people who value anonymous culture like myself. Or so I imagine.

RebelVampire

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

QUESTION 8. Will Lin actually go through with her plan to get into politics? If so, do you believe she can actually make a difference? What obstacles do you think she might run into, and do you think Dan will be of any help to her?

Cryo

(i would appreciate not having to talk about my life and anyones political beliefs neither here nor in DMs, thanks for understanding)(edited)

Historical Jesus

Understood

Historical Jesus

7: Dan, primarily because he is relatable. He would interact the way I would. Not having money sucks.

Historical Jesus

8: Will in go into politics? Probably not. She strikes me as a neroatypycal character. I could be wrong though.

RebelVampire

@snuffysam If the worm was designed to improve VR, I really want to meet the person who decided that making ppl martyrs was the way to go. Cause that's some backwards thinking, imo at least XD

5) There's a lot of really great ones, but I'm kind of fond of the illustration of Dan puking up rainbows. It's this cool mix of gross, psychedelic, and not what I expected. It expressed a lot of mood somehow for something that's less grand than I usually pick. 6) I think Dan will find Eve again, if only cause from a technical perspective she was introduced super early on to not be important. However, I think meeting her again is just gonna make him feel bad about himself as he realizes how little his baby steps of improvement are. In regards to his family, just gonna be bold and say my theory: his dad is part of that political group that took control and really hates cyborgs and technology and all that. Thus they were probably not the most open-minded and rejected Dan in multiple ways both through emotional abuse and neglect.

7) I like seeing Dan and Troy right now. Everyone else in the comic is kind of...shitty towards Dan. Like i know Dan isn't the greatest person, but I would hate to be in the situation where I'm constantly being told I'm a junkie who won't amount to anything. Which I mean don't get me wrong, those are interesting interactions. But Troy? Troy is this new person whose only experience with Dan is kind of a nice if not high tension one. Troy comes with a fresh, no prior knowledge of Dan perspective, and I think that's really interesting and gonna be a good way to shed new light on Dan's more positive traits. 8) I think Lin will try to go through with it, but I think Lin is fighting a losing game. Short of stuffing the ballot, I don't think those she's trying to help will vote for her. Instead they'll just bitch and be complacent to the world around them. But on that same vain, Lin probably could just stuff the ballots to win. I umm...honeslty don't think Dan can help her in anyway. Dan is really busy helping himself to suck less at the moment. XD

RebelVampire

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

QUESTION 10. What do you think Sandman and Fixer will find in regards to the Worm as the story continues, and what does the VR cafe Sandman has been hacking have to do with anything? How will Nate tie into this given he’s looking for Fixer?

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. Overall, what role do you think Troy will have within the story? Additionally, how will she get out of her situation with having no ID, money, or much in the way of people she knows?

Historical Jesus

9: The art against the web design literally looks like something we would see at Def Con

10: I image he has a lead. After all his motivation is revenge

11: it’s strength is that it's good at making people empathize with characters even if you can't relate to them

12: I don't think Troy will get out of her situation. If she comes back to the states empty handed she will be fired. It might be in her best interest to get wrapped up in finding the worm programmer

Typically speaking large scale worms are state sponsored but it's not clear how far this thing actually spreads.

RebelVampire

9) My favorite details so far have been the small things in the background. Like the random graffiti on the walls, the cracks and dilapidation of the buildings, all the small do-dads in Lin's place. Like none of that needs to be there to create a complete background, but it adds so much character to the setting and each character. So I really appreciate the extra mile taken for that. 10) I think Sandman and Fixer are gonna find that some corporation or someone high up on some food chain made it on purpose. As for the VR cafe? Honestly, I think it's a red herring and Sandman is making an excuse to target them just cause he hates them. As for Nate, I think Nate is gonna join the investigation team but also kind of serve as a negotiator between Fixer and Dan. Cause I don't think those two will get along without help.

11) I think this comic's strengths are a) the setting both visually and story wise, as it's a really strong and vivid setting. then b) Dan. It is very, very hard to write a character like Dan. There are so many things he does that could immediately make him unlikeable, what between the drugs, self destruction, and general assholeness to some of the ppl around him. but yet he is likeable. you do want to see him succeed and not suffer. yet you also still can acknowledge hes unreliable. its a great dynamic that lesser writing could not pull off. 12) I think Troy is gonna be their viewport into the corporate world. Which I think will play a role since there is a themeing here about evil corporations. Plus, she at least knows some stuff better than they do, as she already showed off at the VR cafe. But getting out of it? Nope. Shes stuck and probably gonna make another panicked call to Dan at some point. And Dan will be an angel and help again.

snuffysam

I'm going to go out on a limb here. Not only will Lin go through with running for office, she'll win. And she won't even have to stuff the ballot that much. But... I'm not sure her fight will be over there. After all, there's more than just one corrupt person in the country. I agree with you on the investigation into the Worm, @RebelVampire . I think someone up the corporate ladder is responsible. With that said, I don't think Sandman is targeting the VR cafe for nothing. I think he's trying to draw more attention to their security flaws for... some reason. I guess to get more people involved in investigating? I doubt he foresaw Troy showing up and offering to upgrade the cafe's machines though, so I that probably isn't part of his plan. I think a major part of Dan's character arc going forward will be accepting that he doesn't need Eve. Like, accepting that he doesn't need her help to get better, and that he's the only one he needs to prove his progress to.

Dan's character writing is absolutely my favorite part of this comic. In a weaker comic, I would absolutely hate how a self-destructive character like Dan is portrayed. Like, often characters with addiction/other mental health problems in fiction come off as unlikeable, or too cartoonish, or too depressingly stagnant (at least, from what I've seen in other works of fiction). But Drugs & Wires strikes a great balance where character progression isn't always linear, and isn't always positive, but it's there, and that fluidity makes you want to root for him more each chapter.

Attila Polyák

Now that I finally read all of it... 1, The bridge scene at the end of chapter 4, that was really done. 2, Dan's implant... I'm pretty sure it can be fixed, but I have doubts if Dan will ever have the resources to have it fixed. As a matter of fact I feel like he'll never have the money or influence to have it fixed and the way it is he can't really replace it either, so... He's probably stuck without VR. 3, Lin! She's awesome! 4, Probably the grey market implant dealers, even though that's kinda bog standard cyberpunk stuff. :) 6, Yes, they will probably meet again. And yes, I do feel like we'll need to see more of Dan't past history especially about how he got involved in... well in everything that's his current life. 7, Nagy, as surreally odd, is a great addition to Dan. Like at times I thought his absurdity would actually help Dan. 8, Ofc she will, you don't forge that much "voter trust" for nothing. And Dan, tho probably seemingly unwillingly, will likely help her one way or another.

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. Do you think Dan will ever be able to kick his drug habit, or will he continue to fall back into it forever? How will this affect his relationships? Further, how will his habits shape his future role in the story?

RebelVampire

13) I'm looking forward to getting more info about the worm. Cause right now I dont feel any more knowledgeable than I did at the start, and I'm itching to see Sandman, Fixer, or Dan to somehow get a bigger clue to what's going on. 14) I think both will apply. In that Dan will kick the habit eventually but will always be at risk because addiction is not really something you just completely cure. It's a battle he'll have for his entire life, even if he learns to manage it. As for for his relationships, I don't think it'll have much affect, tbh. Maybe things with Lin will improve, maybe Eve. But everyone else is kind of a jerk who already writes him off. Dan is in need of a fresh start somewhere far away.

Historical Jesus

13: Same here. I would like to know more about the worm. I hope that Cyro puts a cool technical characteristic into the worms behavior so that creates interesting and unique challenges for the characters 14: Statistically speaking most people do not kick their drug habit's. Especially not in the position he is in. Based on the story's cultural nature, I doubt the ending will be happy. But I am sure it will be interesting

Cryo

Thanks so much for picking and reading our comic this week! I've had a great time reading all the replies, especially since we don't hear from new readers often, and it's gonna come in handy when we get back into writing more stuff for the comic.

snuffysam

I had a great time reading it, Cryo!

Io.Black

Just wanted to add my own thanks to everybody who took the time to read and comment this past week. As a writer, it’s always incredibly valuable to get a sense of what people are taking away from your work, as well as where they think it’s headed.

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Drugs & Wires this week! Please also give a special thank you to Mary Safro & Io Black for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Drugs & Wires, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: https://www.drugsandwires.fail/

Drugs & Wires’ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/drugsandwires

Drugs & Wires’ Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/Cryodraws

Drugs & Wires’ Merch: https://www.hellovoid.online/

Safro’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/marysafroart

Io Black’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/b_iologic

[schtroumpf-a-lunettes]

ok so NOW while we keep the disclaimers I made in this post in mind, there’s something I’d like to discuss...

“You’ve all been behaving like human beings!”

This is a post I’ve been meaning to make for a while but I’m making it now because it’s also partly in response to a comment @shiruvue made to me recently where they made reference to this line of Papa’s :)

The book Sapiens talks about how one of humanity’s defining traits is our ability to cooperate on a massive scale. You put hundreds of humans in the one spot, and they can learn to cooperate and function fine. We humans have learned to cooperate around the world. You put hundreds and hundreds of apes in the one spot? It’s chaos, they just can’t have a functioning society with those sheer numbers. Their societies need to be lower in scale or it just won’t work, and bigger groups will tend to split up and become smaller, separate societies that can get along fine. But they just can’t... climb into the higher numbers range.

Yeah, among humans, there is a lot of war and violence, and that is what Papa here is extremely critical of and is appalled by the idea of the village mirroring those kinds of things.

Smurfs live happily and peacefully, right? But we also know that the number of smurfs in canon that get along so well, that must cooperate with each other in order to have a functioning society is only around 100. So yes, I’m going to draw a kind-of parallel to what I mentioned about Sapiens earlier. What would happen if hundreds and hundreds, possibly thousands of smurfs lived in the one society together and needed to cooperate with each other? Could they pull it off? Could they pull it off like we humans do?

Well, it’s entirely possible that they could. I’m not actually going to say one way or another. Here’s another thing though: smurfs don’t seem to be able to control their own population numbers either. The fact that the smurfs seem to have lived pretty consistently with around 100 smurfs, more or less (dubious claim because we don’t really know Anything about previous smurf generations but the dance of 100 smurfs needs to be done every 600 years or so iirc, so there would have needed to have been 100 smurfs ~600 years prior to canon, according to comic book canon at least lol) anyway - the fact that they seem to consistently have these low-key numbers POSSIBLY suggests that smurfs are best-suited for cooperating in small numbers and their society may not be able to cooperate as effectively on a larger scale (although, that sounds kinda Essentialist in tone and I’m just about as Societal Influence in my theories as they come lol).

Anyway, what I’m getting at is this: Papa Smurf and the smurfs can stand there criticising humans and their violence and wars as much as they want, and that criticism is justified because those things are Bad and Suck. But smurfs, as a species, seem to have Never needed to operate on the same massive scale that humans have. So they don’t actually have any moral high ground in the sense of “Oh, we SMURFS would NEVER. We don’t have your awful human violence and war!” because YEAH, YOU DON’T HAVE THE LEVELS OF VIOLENCE THAT HUMANITY DOES BECAUSE YOU DON’T HAVE THE NUMBERS FOR IT. They probably look at a war being fought by thousands of humans and criticise it and say they would never have this level of awfulness, which.. yeah? Because you don’t even have thousands of smurfs in the first place, it’s literally not possible. Smurfs fundamentally lack the numbers needed for violence and war to become any kind of issue or problem so obviously they don’t have to worry about it. Here’s my “challenge” to the smurfs lol: set up a fully functioning, peaceful society with hundreds and/or thousands of smurfs, and then we’ll talk. I don’t doubt they can do it, but, y’know... put ur money where ur mouth is (ohwait, they don’t use money either, that’s also a Human Thing, etc)

Like, listen. The smurfs live in a mostly enclosed, harmonious society that rarely interacts with the outside world in a meaningful way (as in, they don’t have to constantly engage in trade or broker treaties or anything like that apart from the most minor things such as Woolly getting wool), they just keep to themselves. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve never heard about a full-scale war breaking out within an Amish community. The lack of war in the smurf village... aint that impressive in that sense. Relatively small community, you know?

Therefore, to a certain extent, the smurfs occupy a false moral high ground when they compare themselves to humans. Papa Smurf, being the leader who likes to trot out the good old “you’ve been acting like human beings!” is especially guilty of this. (But, they do very well from themselves, I’m not going to deny that. Honestly, they’re still seemingly much, much better than humans tend to be a lot of the time, so they have some moral high ground in that regard, lol.)

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! No violence and war in the smurf village, unlike those Awful Humans? Well, turns out they couldn’t even get that right! We can take a look at the comics first. Chuckletons has mentioned before how, something which tends to stand out in the comics is that, the smurfs are a lot more predisposed to violence. They’re always Ready To Fight very easily, there are canonically Instruments Of Torture in the village... If you really really make a smurf mad in the comics he’s not going to shy away from getting violent, yeah, comical and non-serious violence because of the lens through which it is intended to be viewed from and the format, I’m not denying that, but violence nonetheless. It has been pointed out in the fandom before how you also have, say, let’s just straight-up smash a mallet into Brainy’s head and then turn it into a running gag! This ISN’T restricted to the comics though, because we have the same running gag with Brainy getting thrown out of the village in the cartoon. And there are shades of this other kind of undercurrent of violence in the show, I would argue. Fights have broken out among smurfs in the show (the comical kind where it’s a Big Ball of Violence). What was that about no war? Yet there’s that episode where, sans Papa Smurf (because these things always are), everyone is just like LET’S GO TO WAR WITH THE FAIRIES!!!!!!! THE FAIRIES ARE OUR ENEMIES AND THE VILLAGE IS UNDER POTENTIAL THREAT, LOAD UP THE CANNONS!!! hmm. And like, I don’t think I need to go into King Smurf. That’s where Papa’s “acting like humans” quote is from, after all. And I think there’s probably more evidence that would prove this point, this is just off the top of my head.

For a society that specifically prides themselves on being peaceful, there’s an awful lot of predisposition towards violence in canon.

And this notion of fundamentally peaceful kind smurfs is mostly due to Papa imo. He is the one in charge, he is the one teaching and putting these ideas in everyone’s minds and making sure everyone is peaceful/good. I do think there is an aspect of Fundamental Goodness to the smurfs but I also believe that Papa.. greatly exaggerates it when he talks about it, and this exaggeration contributes to the level of goodness that they exhibit. Like even if there’s a note of truth to “we smurfs are like [good quality], we don’t do [bad thing attributed to humans]”, Papa has actively raised them to be that way so.. most of it is just Papa raising them, not an inherent quality.

[aion-rsa]

15 Superhero Games That Should Never Have Been Canceled

https://ift.tt/3yhDWFZ

We’ve been blessed with a surprising number of great superhero video games over the years. From Batman for the NES to The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction and Marvel’s Spider-Man, developers have often shown superheroes the love it took them years to consistently receive in other mediums.

Yet, I understand why it’s so easy to focus on the superhero games we almost got rather than the ones that we did get. There’s an entire section of gaming’s digital graveyard devoted to canceled superhero games, and it’s filled with projects that could have been contenders or, at the very least, would have given comic book fans everywhere the chance to spend time with characters that still haven’t gotten a proper video game adaptation to this day.

So brace yourself for disappointment as we look at what could have been and 15 of the most notable superhero games that should never have been canceled.

15. X-Women: The Sinister Virus

As the name suggests, X-Women was based on the idea that all the male X-Men team members have been incapacitated by the Genesis Virus. It’s not only an interesting concept that would have put characters like Storm and Jean Grey in the spotlight, but the project was even being developed by Clockwork Tortoise: the studio behind the excellent Sega Genesis version of The Adventures of Batman & Robin. This game seemingly had a lot going for it. 

So why was it canceled? Well, according to those who worked on the project in the late ‘90s, X-Women got off to a rough start that it never really recovered from. A combination of technical shortcomings, studio drama, and Sega’s desire to start moving away from the 16-bit era pretty much doomed this game before it ever had a chance to become more than some vague ideas. 

14. Spider-Man 4

Well, the name of this game should probably give you a hint as to why it was eventually canceled. It is, after all, hard to make a game based on Sam Raimi’s fourth Spider-Man movie when Sam Raimi’s fourth Spider-Man movie was, itself, eventually canceled. 

Interestingly, though, a working version of the Spider-Man 4 prototype was discovered on an old Nintendo Wii devkit in 2019. While it’s obviously not fair to judge a half-finished prototype too harshly, everything we’ve seen of this game suggests it would have been…pretty much just ok. It’s doubtful we missed out on anything better than a pretty good rental when this one was eventually canceled. 

13. Marvel Chaos

I’ve actually heard conflicting reports about this game over the years, but most accounts of its development suggest Marvel Chaos was supposed to be a Marvel fighting game modeled after the Def Jam series. Needless to say, that idea had a lot of potential. 

That makes it all the more depressing that nearly every report about this game’s development agrees that it was canceled simply because it wasn’t very good. EA decided to cancel this project rather than invest more money in it, which ultimately led to EA Chicago’s closure and the end of EA and Marvel’s partnership (at least for a time). 

12. Superman 64 (PS1)

Apologies for the confusing title, but it’s pretty hard to talk about this game without eventually getting around to the fact that it was essentially supposed to be the PS1 port of the infamously bad Superman 64. However, because the PS1 couldn’t quite handle some of the free-roaming mechanics featured in the N64 game, this port was essentially redesigned by developer BlueSky Software to be its own thing. 

Do you know what’s really funny? A recently leaked prototype of this canceled game suggests that it actually might have been kind of fun. At the very least, this port’s emphasis on linear combat looks a lot more enjoyable than…whatever Superman 64 was going for. In a world where most Superman games are bad, it’s a shame this one didn’t get the chance to at least be decent. 

11. Marvel Universe Online

An MMORPG set in the Marvel universe made by the City of Heroes team? How did this game ever get canceled when it’s seemingly a license to print money that might actually be more valuable today than ever before?

Well, some reports suggest this game simply wasn’t coming along as quickly as some hoped it would, but according to Microsoft, the game was ultimately canceled largely because they looked at how every non-WoW MMO on the market at that time was performing and felt that Marvel Universe Online had a slim chance of making enough money to justify everyone’s investments. 

10. The Flash

The rise of the open-world genre has also meant the rise of superhero fans wondering why more game developers just don’t put their favorite characters in an open-world playground. That formula has certainly worked numerous times in the past, and it could have also worked for this Flash game that developer Brash Entertainment worked on starting in the mid-2000s. 

While Brash went under in 2008, they took this potentially amazing project with them. Reports about this game’s development, as well as some early test footage, suggest it was an appropriately fast-paced open-world epic that dove deep into the Flash’s lore and even featured a kind of Sunset Overdrive-style navigation system that would have let The Flash pull off elaborate tricks. Someone really needs to mine this project for its best ideas and revive them in some form. 

9. The Dark Knight

We’ve talked about this game extensively in the past, but what you really need to know is that there was supposed to be a game based on Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight film and that game was shaping up to be pretty ambitious for a licensed title intended to debut alongside the film.

Unfortunately, The Dark Knight’s ambition may have gotten the best of it. The game missed its initial release windows and was ultimately determined to be more trouble than it was worth. While I’d still love to play this game, I don’t know if it would have been nearly as brilliant as Rocksteady’s Arkham series. 

8. Green Lantern (SNES)

Aside from cameos in DC fighting titles and the so-so Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters, the Green Lantern hasn’t exactly gotten a lot of video game love over the years. That makes it that much more of a shame that the Green Lantern almost starred in a SNES action game that was not only almost finished at the time that it was canceled but actually looked pretty good. 

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Actually, the game’s cancellation seemingly had nothing to do with the quality of the game itself. Reports suggest that the game was ultimately canceled due to the rise of the Sony PlayStation (and the start of next-gen gaming) as well as conflicts between DC and developer Ocean Software regarding how this game should handle ongoing aspects of the Hal Jordan storyline. 

7. 100 Bullets

Well, “comic” is probably more appropriate than “superhero” in this instance, but it’s hard to have this conversation without mentioning the 100 Bullets game we never got to play. Not only was this game based on a hot (at the time) comic property but everything we’ve ever heard about it suggests that it could have been a worthwhile entry into the post-Max Payne era of third-person action titles. 

Sadly, the decision to cancel this game ultimately came down to money. Publisher Acclaim Entertainment’s rapidly deteriorating financial situation spelled the end for 100 Bullets and most other projects the company planned to publish at that time. There was brief chatter about a possible revival, but nothing ever came of it. 

6. Ghost Rider (PS1)

In the late ‘90s, Neversoft Entertainment (developers of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater) started working on a Ghost Rider action/adventure game that combined elements of 2D and 3D design. It was basically a Castlevania-style action game from the studio that eventually brought us that amazing PS1 Spider-Man title. The only known footage of this title is pretty rough, but it certainly looked promising. 

In fact, this is another one of those instances where the game’s eventual cancellation has nothing to do with how good it was. Ghost Rider was supposed to be published by Crystal Dynamics, but reports indicate that Crystal Dynamics decided to get out of publishing before the game could be completed. Neversoft apparently tried to approach them to work out a new deal, but rumors suggest the company just wasn’t interested in funding a 2D action game at that time.

5. Justice League: Mortal

Remember that Justice League movie George Miller was supposed to direct that was ultimately canceled due to budget concerns? Well, it turns out that developer Double Helix once worked on a loose video game adaptation of/tie-in to that film. It was going to be a third-person action game with a DMC-like combo system that, you guessed it, was canceled around the same time as the George Miller Justice League movie. 

What’s really interesting about this one, though, is that elements of this project were eventually spun off into the Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters game we mentioned earlier. While that title offers a rough look at what this one could have been, reports suggest Justice League: Mortal was a much larger and more ambitious game. 

4. Daredevil

It’s hardly a surprise that Daredevil is arguably the most talked about canceled superhero game of all time. After all, an open-world Daredevil game that properly utilizes the character’s abilities while diving deep into his comic book lore is something a lot of fans would probably still play today.

With this one, though, the story isn’t so much that it was canceled but rather that the project made it as far as it did. Reports about this game’s development suggest that it wasn’t only an overly ambitious technical nightmare, but that the stress of working on this title led to a sharp decline in morale at developer 5000ft Inc’s offices and may have even resulted in a rise in substance abuse issues among the studio’s employees. Marvel eventually decided to pull their support for this one due to a litany of problems and disagreements. 

3. Gotham By Gaslight

Yes, there was a time when someone was bold enough to pitch a steampunk Batman action game based on the famous Batman story of the same name. Early footage of the prototype for that concept even suggests that its gameplay would have fallen somewhere between the Arkham titles and Bloodborne.

“Pitch” and “prototype” are ultimately the keywords to keep in mind here, though, as it sounds like Gotham by Gaslight never made it further than those very early stages. This feels like the kind of game that would be easier to find funding for today, but at this point, it sounds like it will forever be a “what could have been” situation.

2. Superman: Blue Steel

Throughout the…dodgy history of Superman video games, most fans of the character have cried out for an open-world Superman title that captures the awesome potential of the character’s abilities without reducing Superman to a wrecking ball. Well, developer Factor 5’s Superman: Blue Steel was supposed to be that game. 

In fact, Blue Steel lead designer Salvatrix recently shared new details about the game via Twitter that all confirm reports people had been hearing for years regarding this project’s potential. Unfortunately, she also confirmed that this game’s cancellation ultimately came down to the market crash that hit at the time and how it left the team without the resources and support they needed to complete their vision.

1. Spider-Man Classic

What you really need to know about Spider-Man Classic is that it was supposed to be the follow-up to the largely underrated 2009 game Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. The basic idea is that it would have seen Spider-Man and Wolverine team-up to battle new and old foes as Spider-Man relieved some of his most memorable moments from the comics throughout the years. Yes, it probably would have been amazing.

Spider-Man Classic was unfortunately canceled when developer Shaba Games was shuttered in 2009. While we ultimately ended up getting the incredible Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions as a result of this cancellation, I chose to believe there’s enough room in this world for both.

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The post 15 Superhero Games That Should Never Have Been Canceled appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[carridine-blog]

The Perfect Stereoscope

This post features a collection of images that I’ve labelled “stereoscopes” over the years.  Some are conventionally, some are unconventionally stereoscopes.  Before jumping in I wanted to offer the chance to appreciate the perfect stereoscope.  This stereoscopic image was constructed of no less than ten individual photographs.  They were combined in photo-editing software and together compose an image both visually pleasing and analogically philosophical.

Stereoscopes:  How to Make a Finger Hotdog

A stereoscope allows the perception of three-dimensions from two dimensional images.  How it works: two images show the same thing from slightly different points of view mimicking binocular vision.  One image for each eye.  The two images unite in the mind and create the perception of depth.  Many people people have difficulty seeing the desired effect.  This most often turns out to be because they have difficulty allowing their eyes to see independently one from the other. If you have trouble see the depth here is a brief how-to do that.

1. 2. 3.

Starting simple:

This shape is excerpted from this larger one.  I like the image because the high contrast makes it almost calligraphic which makes the sudden appearance of three dimensions all the more dramatic.  Calligmagic!

You can make stereoscopic images simply starting with a video clip.  A panning shot traveling roughly 10 centimeters (the space between the eyes) will provide the two images needed.  Take screen captures until you find the ones that work.  Here’s one I did of a bust of Dante I saw in a little cabinet in a big antiques place.

The following caption is a bit repetitive but repetition is good for learning, no?  The difference in the screen grabs in the next one though

  Here is the possibility of seeing William Blake’s life mask in three dimensions without being in its actual presence. I constructed this stereo-image by screen-grabbing two images from a video featuring the mask.  The video camera was moving just enough during the shot to provide these two aspects. The two slightly different aspects simulate views from two different eyes.   The video is for Patti Smith’s cover of “Smells like Teen Spirit.”

  Here is a stereoscope or comic strip I made with  Blake’s Lifemask and two of Messerschmidt’s sculptures.

This is from a post originally named “to stay near the well spring.”

Commenting on an old my post of mine,  Nick Mullins said, “Looking through artists’ websites, I sometimes see a thumbnail that looks really interesting, but when I click on it to get the full-sized image, I find that the real image is nothing like what I thought I was seeing in the thumbnail. Sometimes I have gone back and tried to do a sketch from what I thought I saw in the thumbnail. Your discussion of the fish that became a man in a tarp reminded me of that. Sometimes an accident of vision is more interesting than the reality.”

(Here’s an elaboration of what I replied to him:) Yes my efforts have always included either accident or collaboration — you get to new places faster. Plus, employing accidents it’s easier to appreciate what others might see in my work.  It’s only in recent years that I’ve realized that what I simply straight-forwardly produce is a new place to a person seeing it for the first time. It was the most obvious thing but it hit me like a thunderbolt.

Generally I like to think that the accident or other kind of unexpected input points us to a reality we wouldn’t have conceived without it. I don’t mean that in any mystical way. I mean in just the same way a new sound of music will direct our attention to or express a mood we’ve never heard expressed before. Novelty and re-cognition are wrapped up together. Our ability to invent ways to express our experience, to share our experience, always lags behind experience itself. When someone finds a way to say something new about something true, its like a gift we already possess.

I totally get the thumbnail experience. Very often I screen capture a thumbnail at the resolution I like it and then blow it up in photoshop.   The resolution might be fuzzy but most times it retains the thing I saw in it.

It’s true of my own work. I like to work really small: I tend to make less marks and their interrelations are clearer. Then when I blow it up — used to be on xerox machines or cameras, now it’s scanners mostly — I work to catch the rhythms evident in the little one. Yeah, without projectors, cameras, etc., most of my work would be postage stamp sized.

Speaking of stamp-sized:

The first image in this post, which I’ve renamed “At the Waterfall”  is based on this one here. This one is reproduced at it’s original size.  I got the larger image from this small source by a kind of divination.   I used to use this process all the time.  It combines the two things we just talked about: seeing things in small things and seeing things accidentally. The larger image is a painting mind you: I started with a penciled-in grid and painted all those little dots myself.  So there.  The smaller image is from a photo from a black and white newspaper which I hand-colored and amended with pen. It is hard to tell now but the original photo was of a boy staring at the camera from behind a fence. The fragment I used shows (or used to show) his fingers poking through chain links in the fence.

  Stereoscope: Artaud et le Momo.

  William Blake and Robert Crumb:  Neither Two Nor One

Blake illustrates a passage in Dante’s Inferno, Canto 25 describing a six legged snake attacking a thief,  which Dante modeled after a passage in Ovid’s Metamorphosis.

Inferno XXV 58-69.

“Ivy was never so rooted to a tree as the horrid beast entwined it’s own limbs round the others; then, as if they had been of hot wax, they stuck together and mixed their colors, and neither the one nor the other now seemed what it was at first: even as in advance of the flame a dark color moves across the paper, which is not yet black and the white dies away. The other two were looking on, and each cried, “oh me, Agnello, how you change! Lo, you are already neither two nor one!“.”

Charles S. Singleton translation

“So never did the barbed ivy bind/ A tree up, as the reptile hideous/ Upon another’s limbs its own entwined;/ They clave together, — hot wax cleaveth thus, — / And interfused their colors in such wise/ That neither now appeared the same to us: / Just as in burning paper doth uprise / Along before the flame a color brown / Which is not black as yet, and the white dies. / The other two each shouted, looking on, / “O me, Agnello, how thou alterest! / Lo, thou’rt already neither two nor one!”

Melville Best Anderson translation

Style: visual identity & equivalence

I made this post card to send to James Kochalka when his daily comic AMERICAN ELF  reached the ten year mark. My image is based on a photo of Kochalka and his kids and on a somewhat famous painting by someone else.

Here’re the same elements presented as a comparison, bits of multiply reproduced (degraded) GUERNICA and grid paper atop pages from Kochalka’s THE HORRIBLE TRUTH ABOUT COMICS.   This is from a series of photographs I took: videotaped collages I made while I was designing a previous version of this web site (no longer extant.)

And here again a comparison involving the GUERNICA baby: this time posed against Minnie, Vinny,  and some Mayan Glyphs.  I appreciate glyphs, especially with regard to their foreignness. I am always looking to achieve in my drawing and writing the formal quality I appreciate most readily in markings that are illegible to me.

And finally, GUERNICA baby and some grafitti I copied from a barrier on the side of southbound Route 17, around Allendale, NJ. (Graffiti no longer extant, except in the series of photos I took.  I believe this tag says or originally said, “Messiah.”)

Another Stereoscope: Bill and Lynda B.

Stereoscope juxtaposing Plate XI from William Blake’s ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE BOOK OF JOB (1826) and Panel 2, page 74 from Lynda Barry’s THE FREDDIE STORIES (1999).  Separated by 173 years, sharing a similar vision.  I’m sure Lynda Barry has seen this image of Blake’s.   Does that make her’s a copy of  his?  Not necessarily. Blake himself found the poses and compositions for his divine visions in reproductions of Renaissance Masterworks.

I find this likeness wonderful and marvelous.  I have notes for an essay I’d like to put up as a permanent page here. For now, though, I will suggest the direction the essay would take with a quote from Paul Piehler’s THE VISIONARY LANDSCAPE (pps 19-20):

“The major poets of medieval visionary allegory regard themselves as part of a cumulative tradition, in which each allegorist recapitulates, refines and develops the thought and imagery of his [sic] predecessors, exploring new dimensions of traditional topics, and, most important, attempting to integrate earlier thought and imagery pertaining to the topic into a coherent whole …”

Is 173 years a long time? A bit too long, I guess, for any one of us to endure.   Whatever the number of years, Blake seems irrevocably long ago, from the age of revolution, the mythical time of our era’s origin. His words, images and ideas shine through history like a dead star.  He has, it seems,  joined history — that flat offensive significance of human life which the living are barred from entering.

Meanwhile, Lynda Barry has such a knack for the voices of adolescence and childhood she seems to resurrect a reader’s own past.   The memories she stirs live again.

That makes THE FREDDIE STORIES all the more a marvel: in it Freddie undergoes a “journey to the underworld” which employs imagery familiar from Dante’s journey, even Virgil’s journey. But she builds Freddie’s journey of ” psychic redemption” out of such recognizable, contemporary stuff that she invites us to our own inside of a visionary landscape that has floated along with people for thousands of years.

Style Coloring Page.

“The deeper the influence of the formal, decorative element upon the method of representation, the more probable it becomes that formal elements attain an emotional value.  An association between these two forms of art is established which leads, on the one hand to the conventionalization of representative design, on the other to the imputation of significance into formal elements.  It is quite arbitrary to assume a one-sided development from the representative to the formal or vice versa, or even to speak of a gradual transformation of a representative form into a conventional one, because the artistic presentation itself can proceed only on the basis of the technically developed forms…”

— Franz Boas, “Representative Art,” pps. 82-83 Primitive Art (1927)

  Stereoscope: Blake of the Shtetl.

Here is a stereoscope I’ve had in my possession for over 10 years. On the right is an illustration by Maurice Sendak (1928-2012).  It is one of Sendak’s illustrations for Herman Melville’s PIERRE. Under the image is a caption that reads, “an unbidden, most miserable presentiment.”    On the left is a doodle from a private letter by Henry Fuseli (1741-1825) an artist to whom William Blake admitted a debt.  In the Tate Gallery’s catalog of Fuseli’s work this drawing is titled “Caricature of the Artist Leaving Italy.”  The naming of Sendak as the “Shtetl Blake” I take from Margalit Fox in her obituary of Sendak in today’s New York Times. (May 8th, 2012)

  Blake:  Stereoscope as Comic Strip.

These are plates 9 & 10 from William Blake’s little book FOR THE SEXES: The Gates of Paradise.  I grabbed them off of the wonderful site The Blake Archive.   One way to read them is as adjacent comic book panels: ‘this happens and then this happens.’  Another is to read them as slightly different views on the same thing, as in a stereoscope.  Another possibility is that they are completely unrelated.

  One day in the maze …

the rat met the minotaur.

Seriously though

Style and Stereoscope.

Human creators do not have access to the atomic level (artists anyway) and must discover their own smallest building block.  Each must innovate an idiosyncratic [mark] to which a life’s work can be devoted. Rilke speaks of it in terms of Cezanne, Rodin, and his own poetry: “Somehow I too must discover the smallest constituent element, the cell of my art, the tangible immaterial means of expressing everything…”  After this discovery the artist is free to become a laborer and to spend every minute of life working at “expressing everything.”

I figured I might as well post one of my favorite all time comparison lessons on that style discovery.   Above are two well known paintings by Van Gogh.  One is painted by the artist we know Van Gogh becomes and one is painted before Van Gogh fully realized that transformation.   I think the chief difference between these two paintings is how each painting relates to itself.  The difference between these two painting styles is in the relation between what the painting conveys and how it is rendered. In the first, the smoking skull image, an idea of something is conveyed, however vaguely, without regard to how it is rendered.  The idea is communicated then we notice how it is communicated, the calligraphy in which it is written.  In the second one, the sunflower, what the painting conveys is conveyed through how it is rendered.   It contains no abstract-able message by which we can paraphrase it and do without the painting.  The painting is all.   I like to think that both paintings have the same thing to say.  They are both Van Gogh expressing something, but only in the second painting is the artist mature enough to say what he means.  In that maturity he became capable of “expressing everything.”

When Worlds Collage.

This is a collage in white grease pencil (china marker) of drawings I copied from Lynda Barry and Robert Fludd.    I chose Fludd’s drawing, which I saw for the first time on the front of a book catalog, because it uses the phrase “mundus imaginabilis.”  I mistook his drawing  as a diagram of Sufi mystic experience which I had just been reading about in books by Henry Corbin.  It turns out that Fludd’s ideas were a bit different but by the time I found that out, the drawing had been made.   I combined the drawing of the mundus imaginabilis (which now that I think of it may be the mundus imaginalis in Corbin) with drawings from Lynda Barry because it suited my abiding interest in the difference in accounts of visionary experience in different periods of history.

The Lynda Barry drawings I took from her 100 DEMONS, one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read. These panels come from the introduction where she describes the writing exercise which gave rise to the book (and the title of the book): intending nothing, leaving her brush free to record her every stray thought, she captures the demons that enter her mind. If you haven’t read 100 Demons, I’m not sure what you’ve been doing. You must read this book.

I did this drawing initially as a card for my friend Avy’s 30th birthday. I liked it so much that I made three prints of it, giving one to Avy, one to my friend Kat, and one to someone else (OF).

I post this drawing today because I spoke to Kat on the phone and because today, after years of waiting, I received my copy of Lynda Barry’s latest,  THE NEAR SIGHTED MONKEY BOOK.  Years ago, I put my name on a list so that I could have it as soon as it was available but its publication was repeatedly delayed. I kept getting little e-mails from Amazon saying, “Sorry, not yet” and “oop wait a second.”  So the book finally arrives — with $7.50 due COD — and Kat  tells me Kyle bought the book for her a week ago from the bookstore!

Kat and I spent the rest of our conversation talking about writer’s block, ways of breaking it and how Lynda Barry is the coolest.   Always good to talk to you, Kat.

Two without captions.

  And finally here’s a stereoscope of me

A life mask taken when I was 30 years old.  Twenty three years ago.

A Variety Of Stereoscopes The Perfect Stereoscope This post features a collection of images that I've labelled "stereoscopes" over the years. 

[mulattafury]

i wish there was a way to kind of like, tactfully ask people to consult with u re: character development research in a way that’s not objectifying or generalizing

i’ve been thinking about this a lot as i work on snakeladders because i have a cast of characters that represent an array of experiences that i obviously don’t share and don’t always feel comfortable speculating on. none of these elements are particularly central to their characters or arcs -- i think the representation is important, but I also think it’s inappropriate to tell stories about marginalization that you don’t experience, since that’s not your story to tell

still I’d like to retain an element of authenticity in my portrayals of these people. i never feel confident in my independent research without at least being able to ask someone if I’m on the right track.

so please, if you represent any of the following identities or circumstances, would you mind reblogging this and giving me some advice, even if it’s just to point me in the direction of resources I can read myself that are accurate and appropriate?

basically, i want to know:

- things that people representing these types of characters don’t often consider - suggestions for small details i can include in my portrayals of these characters that people of similar backgrounds will recognize and identify with - whether or not you’d be comfortable with me asking you questions down the line. i won’t be offended if you say no, especially considering that we likely don’t know each other at all! i don’t need any direct consultation at this time but i would love it in the future as i delve more into these characters’ personal stories and motivations.

Characters:

- Friday: Friday is mixed and was raised by her (black) mother but her father is/was Samoan. I haven’t made any hard decisions about this character, his influence on her life, or his inclusion in the story, but I do have some larger concepts related to him regarding the shifting geopolitics of future-earth re: climate change and the fallout of late-stage capitalism and stuff and there are some topics involved where I need to tread lightly.

- Southpaw/Santiago: Afrolatino, trans, a cyborg. Southpaw was born on Earth and is Dominican. Both he and Anjel speak spanish as their primary language. I’m back on this duolingo jam with the vague thought that it might help me portray these characters better in the future (and mostly because by now it should be a requirement to learn spanish in this gotdamn country but that’s neither here nor there), but anyone willing to help me out with an occasional translation for these characters would be amazing, and I’d absolutely pay you for your services.

What I want to be sure to get right with this character is, obviously, that he’s trans. While he does struggle with confidence, vanity, and reliance on a meticulously-sculpted image/persona, he doesn’t struggle with gender identity at this stage in his life. I want to find ways to communicate this clearly, tastefully, and fairly early-on so that people who are looking for this representation will want to read the comic. I’ve posed the question before to my followers whether this information is appropriate to include in character profiles, and my response was about a 50/50 yay/nay split, so I’m up in the air about it.

Another topic I want to be sure to handle well with him is, not romanticizing or exploiting his disability, but also not ignoring it. This is a character who survived a traumatic accident that a loved one did not, and carries a lot of guilt with him because of it.

Anjel: Southpaw’s younger brother. Gay, cyborg lite. A lot of the same as Southpaw, but Anjel was born on Ganymede. The complex of space stations/colonies on Jupiter’s moons are referred to as the Galilean Complex, and considered an independent nation, making Anjel Dominican-Galilean. Jokes that he’s an alien, actually feels like an alien sometimes. His dad teased him a lot about being gay when he was younger. The kind of stuff that’s not meant maliciously, but still stings when you’re a kid, so he resented him when he was alive and now feels robbed of the opportunity to reconcile with him. He feels overshadowed by his brother in a lot of things. He’s shown more aptitude than his brother in Red Storm, but has no interest in pursuing an independent career. He’s just there for Southpaw, feeling both intensely protective of him as his only family on Ganymede and a living memory of his father, but also resentful of him for holding him back and being their father’s favorite.

I feel like I have a decent grasp on this character for the most part (beyond the cultural differences expressed in the entry about Southpaw) but I just want to be careful to show nuance to the gay boy/black boy with daddy issues trope. Anjel and his dad loved each other but never got to develop a healthy relationship, and it’s a wound that will never fully close.

- Roadrunner: Roadrunner grew up on Earth, spending his early childhood travelling and his adolescence trying to figure out how to emulate being a “typical” suburban teenager in Nevada. His mother is Lakota and his other mother is indigenous Mexican -- I’ve been researching Nahua peoples in Mexico to try to inform this character’s background but I don’t know much about it yet. The cultural influences that inform his personality and values are pretty complex considering his upbringing, but I’m sure that he would identify with certain spiritual or cultural practices of his parents. I just don’t know yet what those would be. I’m interested in developing his parents as more important characters later in the story. I’m also interested in the concept of his Lakota parent being two-spirit, but this is definitely a topic I would prefer to speak to a primary source about rather than trying to research it on my own and risk running into wrong information.

The concept of trying to force the western framework of gender onto a culture that identifies it differently is a subject I actually do intend to explore with Raze, but Raze is a pretend alien and the ways this affects real people needs to be handled with more respect.

- Mastodon: Donnie is Filipino and was raised by his older sister, a tattoo artist in Manila. I don’t have a ton of framework for his background or his home life, but again, I just want to make sure I don’t overlook anything.

There’s a lot more but this is my core cast as revealed so far. I might reblog this later with more stuff but yeah! Sorry for such a long post but yeah, let me know if you would like to help me out!

[felicezhukov]

:: Dear Nicolas Jaar ::

Its one of those days, I’ve just spilled my second pint of water, the first was earlier when I was waking up, lowering myself back into bed to write this letter to you, I called myself a stupid bitch when it happened in lieu of the fact my ex wasn’t there to do it, no shouting resounded or escalation occurred, I was alone. I’m clumsy, I break stuff, knock things over, get caught on women’s scarves on buses, or stuck in my ear phone wires at Tesco’s counters, laugh so loud sometimes that people look at me in shock, a couple of days ago my ex said this to me regarding my angel: “You haven’t scared her off have you? The monies still there?” The final countdown before my exodus has started, its less than a week till I move, less than a week till I, probably, throw the majority of my possessions in the bin. I guess when I mentioned the week had been extraordinary in my Friday letter it might not seem to the typical observer that anything particularly special has taken place but my soul and my state of mind have undergone transformative journeys, spiralling left, right, up and down, through anxiety, heavy almost flabby contentment, absolute jubilation, scuttling fearful tremors, in the gaps between these ferocious states I find myself crying, it’s overwhelming. I filmed a performance on Sunday night that seems to encapsulate my current state, which I’ll go in to more detail about a little later, it charts this emotional instability, despite that not being the plan, within it I am every facet of myself, hopefully it’ll be online by the end of this mammoth admin session I’m undertaking today. 

As a performance artist I think thats my schtick, my performances aren’t really so much dedicated enactments but instead just me, raw, frank, channeling all my elements, now I’ve poured over my past in detail to put it all online I notice it’s been the theme throughout my oeuvre. 

Right now I’m paralysed, I can’t do anything I normally do, no dressing up, no reading, no flaneurism. I keep getting the bus, I feel a resistance to my usual routes through the city, there’s something painful in the prospect of walking through Victoria or Haggerston park at the moment, I see shadows in the tree’s of these cherished spaces. Shadows of anticipation, shadow’s of love and savagery, shadows of loss. Give me a week and this should all be a memory, a shadow in its own right, at least I hope so.

It need’s to, and will, change dramatically, last time I moved away from my ex things dipped though and my fear is this will happen again. I’m going to have to start balancing my finance’s, something that takes a lot of discipline for me, I have this issue with money, it causes a violent reaction in me when I have it, a physical repulsion, a need to expunge and rid myself of it, like I’ve been overcome by a demon that needs to be exorcised. The concept of accumulating this hateful element fills me with dread and desire, which must somehow in part explain why I’m so useless at selling what I create and pushing my wares on people. 

There’s this absurd sense of nobility coursing through my veins, I see it in my father as well, I find it the whole concept of marketing myself and pushing myself on others scandalous, I’d much prefer people come to me of their own free will, heart and soul aligned. In a society where the normality is to be the sum of our buying power I feel a sense of pride in this, so much is being sold to us on various levels of our consciousness, cookies, buses swathed in posters, soundcloud adverts, asos emails, suggested everything, marketing is the very air we breath, especially in a metropolis where the eyeline is never not inundated with messages of potential happiness, just a tap away.

But thats not to say I’m not happy to share, that must already be clear in these letters, all my insides are out and on display in various walled gardens across the internet. This sale is just causing me a lot of internal bleeding, now I’ve catalogued the 190+ items it incorporates and uploaded them, I’m drowning, how do I rid myself of these objects in a diligent and respectful way? The restful mornings of self guided education have been replaced by incessant letters to you (these are important for giving this whole thing a soul), answering messages, nagging, tagging, planning, photographing, uploading, editing, despairing, the saving grace of this upward struggle is that I’m allowing myself to do yoga and categorise it by writing everything to you, I need soul food right now. 

As an example this is my to do list today:

* make 6x animations / 6x written pieces / 6x mini videos from pre recorded footage to upload on to instagram (this has been on the list for days, it keeps getting pushed back)

* go to studio, take more detail shots of items I want to put on ebay as this will increase their chances of being sold, items on list include my wedding ring, larger paintings, designer clothes then come home, pay my ebay fee’s so my access is unrestricted and upload everything including necessary details – then post this to my social media accounts

*promote my sale on facebook by linking from twitter and poss instagram, adding to community groups, messaging friends

* pay rent to my studio’s then email them to ask about my move and if I will need to hire a skip

* type up this letter, post to facebook and screenshot, post to twitter, tag you

*answer and correspond with all the beautiful people that are messaging me about the sale, answer questions, like comments and reply

* edit the film I made on Sunday, render, upload to youtube, share on social media platforms, post on my site

* eat? drink?

* do yoga

* wash hair?

* put together synopsis and brief for arts programme I am curating for a meeting tomorrow, consolidate the idea

This is the bare bones of my itinerary, I’ve done 2 of the tasks so far, I know its not unusual for a Londoner to be so busy and I bet your schedule looks like this sometimes, but really I’d just like to crawl in to bed and read and write a little and then fall asleep. This is probably the apex of my project now and there will be a brief reprieve, but before I cast everything asunder I have to do my life some justice so I’m not cursing myself in future years, and I’m working for the next 4 days, 12 hour shifts nearly daily so its the last push before the major haul the beginning of next week.

Relentlessness. 

So then…. Part 3 // Sunday

On Sunday night I filmed myself performing for 6 hours plus, by all rights is was as demanding as the mermaid descent, but it was impromptu, I wasn’t naked, covered in paint, fucking 2 cucumbers, so it didn’t quite have the same edge.

I came to on the studio of my floor rolled up in a blanket on a duvet cover I use as a rug of sorts, thick white make up and glitter caked in my eyes, permanent wine coloured lip stick still reverberating over my lips. I’d passed out re-watching the footage I’d taken of myself staging 7 scene’s, dressed in variously important pieces from my wardrobe, singing some of the my most treasured songs, or stumbling over them in the case of witness the fitness by roots manuva. In the background the sonic landscape was shaped by various mixes of yours I’ve found on soundcloud, bleating from my i phone speakers.

Firstly I crawled around the central space in a turquoise swimming costume, shooting myself coming towards the camera from various angles, trying to make creative use of the runway like black borders which are the echoes of the descent installation. Then I shimmied and pulsated in terracotta sequins, attempting to channel my inner seductress, envisaging jessica rabbit, whilst adorning myself in the bloodletting costume pieces. Following that I hit things with ping pong bats and comically attempted to mc, stumbling over gorgeous lyrics and twerking in my adidas, I was with the mermaids for this and I’m sure they were silently mocking me. Next the black lipstick and adventure time sweatshirt were paraded around, as a backdrop to me turning myself into a human display case, though the actual performance was probably the best. I then threw on my big white shirt (not the alexander wang, but the one I wore to my little brothers wedding), I hugged the unicorn, blew bubbles and sang behind acrylic glass. The penultimate scene saw me dress in preppy tan vintage adidas shorts and a pink silk bomber, clumsily adorning myself in all my jewellery and gratingly bursting through lyrics. Finally at 2am I somehow managed to strap myself in to my wedding dress, read a harrowing letter from my teenage self and blurrily cry through the lyrics of one of the most potent songs I’ve ever met. But I didn’t pass out in my wedding dress, though that’d be a more aesthetic turn. 

The film is as if you’re watching a young girl raid her mums jewellery and clothes collection and film herself in her bedroom, except this girl has the weight of adulthood clearly marked on her shoulders. The developed pains of experience, etched on her face. Having your mixes as a background noise wasn’t intended that night, and in a way it really detracts from my singing, but I was all alone in my studio building and having your music on made me feel less scared. 

It might be that I could of made better use of my time on a more organised aspect of this project, but these performances are the legacy of my life thus far, I’m manically creating them as documentation, because very soon it will all be gone.  I want proof for myself that it did all really exist, and it was beautiful. 

That video should be uploaded later today.

I hope you have something like yoga in your life to centre you when things are chaos. 

[aion-rsa]

Pénélope Bagieu is California Dreamin’ About Mama Cass

French cartoonist Pénélope Bagieu has established herself as a creator to watch for in her native country — her series “Josephine” was adapted into two popular French movies, she’s collaborated with French cartooning legend Joann Sfar, and in 2013, she was honored as Chevalier of Arts and Letters at Angoulême. Her first work to be translated into English, “Exquisite Corpse” in 2015, garnered strong reviews, and she returned to U.S. shelves earlier this month with “California Dreamin’: Cass Elliot Before The Mamas and The Papas.”

At nearly 300 pages, “California Dreamin’” chronicles, as the subtitle suggests, Elliott’s adolescent family life and pre-fame struggles for recognition and respect among her music peers. In fact, it ends with Elliott finally hearing her song on the radio, commercial success on the horizon. Following its September 2015 French publication by Gallimard, “California Dreamin’”s English translation and distribution will again by handled by First Second Books, who previously published Bagieu’s English-language debut.

RELATED: Pénélope Bagieu Introduces Her Exquisite Corpse to the United States

While on a signing tour of the States, Bagieu spoke with CBR, discussing the early appeal of Mama Cass’s voice and presence, reinventing her illustration style, and why this book is more about getting her audience to feel something about Cass rather than know her factual biography.

CBR: Pénélope, what got you started on a comic book biography of Mama Cass?

Pénélope Bagieu: I remember discovering their best-of album (a cassette!) in my parents’ car and quickly stealing it away because I loved every song. I listened to it about a million times. Back then, the stereo of my room had a broken speaker, so I had only half the sound, and in particular, it isolated one of the voices. It was Cass Elliot’s, who made the song, most of the time. And then her image fascinated me too, on the cover: she was twice the size of the others, and she laughed with her mouth wide open, while the others looked mysterious. My fascination with Cass goes way back!

Then I started investigating about her… She grew up in a modest family in Baltimore, but she tackled everything at 19 [by setting out] for New York, all by herself. She was destined to take over the kosher deli from her parents, but she wanted to be a rock star. She was overweight but pictured herself on a Broadway stage. The whole world swore by Joan Baez, but she hated folk music. All men friendzoned her but she fell in love every ten minutes. The members of the Mamas and Papas did not want her in the band, but she sang so well that they were forced to take her (and to make a career largely thanks to her presence). I can’t believe she doesn’t have ten biopics by now.

Each chapter is from a different supporting player’s perspective, which allows different perspectives on her life. Why did you decide on that approach? And how much work went into getting details about how each of these narrators saw Cass?

I wanted Cass’s character to be revealed bit by bit, from different perspectives: people who knew her, loved her, hated her, but never through her own eyes, so that she would remain a mystery that the reader alone would have to solve. Like I read interviews of her family, band members, artists, while trying to figure out the Cass puzzle myself first. Her own interviews are very opaque, because she always put on that act of the joyous fun persona, while I think she was broken inside.

You give a lot of time to her adolescence and home life, which is often given short shrift or completely skipped in favor of the lascivious details of the Mamas and the Papas. Why did you opt for that approach?

This is exactly why this work was never a biography to me: I chose to end my story exactly when the song “California Dreamin'” hits the radios. When Ellen Cohen becomes Mama Cass. When she becomes that public figure, with that famous band, with the career that we know, the sordid details of John Phillips and the myth of the choking-on-a-sandwich. That part didn’t interest me much. But the little girl, the teenager, the young woman, the path to becoming that rockstar that we all know, that’s the kind of stories I love to read (and therefore, write). I don’t like to read biographies; I like to read captivating portraits, that I can relate to.

You do an excellent job balancing her larger-than-life, outgoing nature against some of her insecurities, particularly regarding her feelings for Denny. Was it a challenge to find the proper balance of those aspects of her personality?

That’s exactly what I have in mind when I say I’m not interested in biographies: I like to put myself in a character’s shoes and imagine how I would feel. All the interviews I’ve read from people who knew her, they all praised her cheerfulness, her jokes, her Like-I-care attitude towards people who judged her. But labels wouldn’t sign contracts to her unless she lost weight, and told her to her face, without any care. The man she loved the most ran away with her best friend. She went through so much. Of course she must have kept so much inside. The challenge of never giving her the speech in my story, and letting the reader understand all these inner-wounds for himself, forced me to a lot of empathy.

As we might expect, the book is peppered with celebrity cameos. Was there anybody who showed up in her life that surprised you? Anybody you wanted to fit into the book, but didn’t quite work for this story?

In so many stories of that time, she will appear in the background, of the blue! “We were at a party at Cass Elliot’s”, “Along comes Mama Cass with tons of free drugs for everybody,” etc. In most of the photographs I’ve found, she’s lying on a sofa backstage, giggling with Jimi Hendrix or having a beer with Mick Jagger. The parties at her mansion (in the hammock !) in Laurel Canyon were the place to be, apparently. But yes, there is one story I had to let go and would have demanded that I kept telling the story ten years farther [than I did]: Cass was a huge fan of John Lennon. More than a fan, she had a real crush on him. The Mamas and the Papas covered “I Call Your Name,” that Cass wanted to sing because of her love for the Beatles. During the break of the song, she whispers “John…”. Years after that, the Ms&Ps played in London and went to party afterwards. But Cass was sick and in bed. And when they returned, they told her “You’re gonna be mad when you learn who we met and spent the night drinking with!” (the Beatles, that is). And apparently, John Lennon asked which of the two girls whispered his name in the song, and when he heard that it was Cass, he said, “Too bad.” (nice.)

Don’t get me started on rock n’ roll anecdotes, I will never stop.

How long did you research her life?

Not too long. Colossal amount of dates and facts tend A) to paralyse me B) bore me. I’m not a journalist, nor a historian. The only thing I want to make extra sure of is that nothing I say is not true. The whole thing would collapse if I made up reality. But when I have this backbone of checked facts, actual dates and events, then I can start doing my real job, which is connecting the dots, giving personality to people and tell a story. I really think you shouldn’t read this kind of story to learn something, but only to feel something strong, and discover someone, and want to know more.

“California Dreamin’” was published last fall by Gallimard in France. Do the Mamas and the Papas have a strong French following?

Depends on the generation! But usually, even younger people will immediately light up when they hear the first notes of the song. This song is so timeless and universal that, of course, if you turn on a radio station in France right now you will hear “California Dreamin’” sooner or later before the end of day. Not that you need to know (nor like) the song to read the book.

Your previous book in English, “Exquisite Corpse,” was full of bright blocks of colors. How does working black & white change your approach to your artwork?

It was a very long piece and I knew I would need a challenge to keep myself entertained in the process. Also I wanted to create a unity between all these chapters that go from the 40s to the 60s, with all these different outfits, cars, hairstyles. But mostly, I wanted to free my drawing, and a simple cheap pencil, compared to my usual big Photoshop+Wacom industry, [allowed that] – without any going-back or correcting (I never used an eraser in this book), [showing] possible stains, fingerprints, coffee drippings once in a while [when] working from coffee shops. [Drawing] without a safety net, I really loved it, and it changed my way of drawing. It felt like a giant sketchbook, where all my characters (especially Cass) were moving, living, in a very vibrant way. And I also loved the feeling of having dirty hands like a kindergartener at the end of the day!

What’s next for you?

The next book that I will publish with First Second is called “Brazen.” It’s an anthology of extraordinarily cool women (again) who changed History but never made it to History books. They are mermaids, rockstars, spies, astronauts, shamans, actresses, bandits, empresses, rappers, criminologists, all of them practically unknown and yet so amazing. It came out in France a few months ago, and will be out in English (along with 8 other languages) next year, so I can’t wait!

“California Dreamin'” is currently available from First Second Books.

The post Pénélope Bagieu is California Dreamin’ About Mama Cass appeared first on CBR.

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