#thought this might be a fun way to chronicle it for the curious

[havinganormalone]

Me Reviewing my own fanfic (old stuff only)

This fic is like, not full 'self-insert in the author notes' levels of cringe, but you can tell I haven't written fanfic since the ffn days and am still adjusting to the new fandom culture of ao3. I wrote this shortly after getting back into the homestuck fandom. I really like the premise of the fic: having the plot in the foreground be purposely lower stakes than the plot happening in the background. The Erisol interactions are very low stakes, while the DaveKat is life or death and you only get to see it secondhand. That sort of narrative prank is very "Homestuck" to me. I am proud of that. However, Dave comes off as super OOC to me. All of them to some level are a bit OOC, I'm forcing them to fit into this hackneyed scenario for the bit, and I haven't quite motivated them properly. I had to skim a little at times to deal with how cringe that was.

4/10, one of my weaker works.

[sapphicteadragon]

Link Click season 3 untranslated text

Hey yall! Since the subs on the new season of Link Click are ass (who would have thought) and also don't translate any of the on-screen text, I figured I'd just compile my translations of all of it in case anyone's curious.

These are all the texts from episode 1, as follows:

"Partner, let's play basketball together again tomorrow~" (the 啊 gives it a cutesy/friendly tone)

Top: But you do know

Bottom left: that once the contract is established, no matter whether you succeed, you will have no way of going any further into the future

Bottom right: After it is complete, your soul will dissipate, and regret will be to no avail.

Hmm... in order to do my utmost to save the things I treasure, what is there to regret!

Bilibili Message

"Ranxi Chronicles" The signing event will begin next Saturday at 15:00. Every person will have three minutes of interacting time, and must book a slot in advance to obtain a signature or drawing. The order is determined based on the on-site queueing order.

BILI SEARCH (these are the same characters as bilibili, which is a fun easter egg)

"How to become a comic artist" (search)

1: how do I become a comic artist? Suggestions from those in the profession

Not only must you have a grounding in basic skills, you must also unceasingly practice and learn. You can do this by drawing sketches, and practising tracing lines until your foundation in drawing skill improves.

2: How do I become a qualified comic artist?

You first must set your mentality straight and clearly set your objectives. Your objectives must be established on the foundation of a strong mentality. If you want to become a comic artist, there is no harm in first asking yourself why you have this kind of goal.

3: How to become a comic artist? The state of comic artists in the profession

This specialisation is not as bright and pretty as it appears on the surface. The living and working conditions are also not as satisfying as you might imagine; right now they truly are frugal. (the word used here means skinny/sparse) So, listen to my advice:

SKY5690: There's no future in it, you won't earn any money in the first place

RAIN1352: Run away fast

CAT7931: Haven't slept in 3 days

Shen San Shui (lit. sink in three waters)

Today I went to a comic con, and joined a signing event for my favourite comic artist. I was inspired in no small measure, and from now on I plan to advance courageously on the path of becoming a comic artist! Fortunately a demon girl-jiejie (jiejie means sister, but is also used to refer to an older female friend/acquaintance) helped me find something very important, and if it weren't for her, I definitely wouldn't have been able to muster the courage. But this demon girl-jiejie left something of hers with me, and I have no way of finding her. If anyone knows this jiejie, please contact me anytime!

Description: wearing a demon girl cosplay, around 160cm tall, shoulder-length black hair

Top: My sister was hospitalised again today, the doctor said

Middle: My sister's treatment costs are accumulating. If the investment path is good, and you choose the right one, then the path will naturally be magnanimous

Bottom: Today's profits are in. I rarely do anything luxurious, can't forget to reward myself with food and drink while rushing about~

V: Xun-ge, the profits you entrusted me to handle before have arrived in the account <3

X: Heavens, you're impressive

V: Hehe, next time I can try investing a little more, and can earn even more <3

"Sorry I couldn't get there yesterday, can we meet up again? I want to chat with you"

That's all for episode 1, there weren't any in episode 2 that I saw. If I missed any please tell me and I'll add them, and I'll keep an eye out for any text in the upcoming episodes!

[fozmeadows]

Hi! I just finished reading the Tithenai Chronicles, and I love Velasine and Cae so much! They are so fun and adorable! I was curious to ask, do you imagine that Velasine would ever end up meeting his family again? I love the idea of his and Cae's happy marriage getting rubbed in their faces after all they did to him.

Thank you so much! I do have periodic thoughts about a married Vel seeing his Ralian family again; I don't know if I'll ever get the chance to write that particular story, but I have multiple versions in my head of how it might play out. All of them, though, are extremely bittersweet and complicated: even if certain hurts might conceivably be worked past, they cannot be fully undone, and as cathartic as it could be to show his new success to the people who cast him aside, until or unless they value Vel's new life the same way he does, he can't impress them with it. But at the same time, family is a curious and complex thing, and where some have turned away, others will step forwards :)

[uraberika]

ok new vicro stuff reaction here i go, beware of spoilers under the cut

ppl might be tired of it but i'm glad they seemed to take the girly route with shinohara's design, she is already my fave

YESS THE FEMALE COACH PRAYING CIRCLE WORKED!!

oooh more minigames, i'm curious to see them

ok Fei's adult design kinda eats, this might just make me watch chrono stone lol

MIND EATER?? WHAT?? i'm glad we have a plotline but WHAT??

ok Vic is giving major LBX vibes

ok wait does this mean that we get basically two stories in one game? like the vicro plot and then this chronicle plot which has all inazuma matches to ever exist wrapped in it?

the T-Pistonz songs slap as always

covers every match from all anime series?? damn, no wonder they kept pushing the date back and back

ok but having to recreate the exact ways the matches took place is actually such a fun idea, like i can already see myself ragequitting lol

ok seeing scenes from ep 1 in the new animation style is so weird tho, i gotta get used to that

this bond thing looks interesting, this is the biggest acknowledgement of shippers by LVL 5 haha

OK THE GOAL KEEPER IS A FAVE ALREADY

you can customize your team in story mode? that is so cool

MORE FEMALE PLAYERS I AM SO HAPPY

there is so much to unpack in this image: a possibly all-female team with a stunning coach? my jaw is on the floor. second: IS ONE OF THE TEAMS COACHED BY A LITERAL DOG?

I AM LITERALLY SPEECHLESS THIS IS LEGIT LIKE AN ANIME WITH ALL THESE ANIMATED SCENES, THERE ARE SO MANY NEW CHARACTERS AND THEY ALL LOOK SO INTERESTING I NEED TO LIE DOWN TO PROCESS THIS

they are adding realism?? into my inazuma game? (tbh i don't mind, i won't be playing much with the competition mode anyway I think xd)

omg they added so many features it lowkeys seems a bit overwhelming and i have doubts if they could create a balanced gameplay with so many features that are unique to specific characters but at least all fans are appeased i guess

the tournaments sound fun tho

oh yeah i forgot about the inazuma OC creator, big W for ppl with ina OCs

literal mini Animal Crossing in Inazuma, I am intrigued

i don't mind the digital only release but i know some ppl will be sad about that... but tbh it's fair that with all these cross platform things, a physical release would be risky

Final thoughts: This all sounds so great but I have two primary concerns: 1) How many of these features will be working fully without any issues and bugs from the first day of release? 2) With all these features, basically 4 games packed into one, how much will the price be?

Otherwise I AM VERY HYPED AND CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE FINAL PRODUCT!!!!

[erisenyo]

I think you've answered an ask about reading 'Embers' by Vathara a couple months back, but I can't find it.

Sooo, have you checked that fic out? I kinda like the take on spirits and culture.

And in the same vein: care to share some ATLA longfic recs? Outside of your own masterpieces and the works if muffinlance (who is SUCH a classic and shouldn't have to be named)

Hello anon! I also now cannot find that ask...

I have not yet checked out Embers--unfortunately I've been swamped with work the back half of this year at the IRL job :/ I love fics that dig into culture and the spirit-world though, when I have the headspace to appreciate the world-building!

(I'd also be curious your thoughts -- I've heard the fic's rather Aang-critical? I am an Aang lover so I may be hurting for my guy...)

As for ATLA longfic recs, in no particular order...

The All's Fair series by @lovelyelbowleech is a MUST, amazing characterization, so many different interpersonal and plot threads that come together in such a satisfying manner

Two Drama Queen's on a Shirshu by mindbending is a delight, very much crack treated seriously and blending comedy with punching you right in the feels

While Mighty Oak Do Fall by @a-witch-in-endor delivers so much world building and cultural exploration goodness, on top of delightful character arcs and a wonderful take on Zuko (Where the Stars Do Not Take Sides is also an excellent more Azula-focused fic)

Fighting Evil by Moonlight by @sword-and-stars is an EXCELLENT modern superhero AU, I am absolutely obsessed with it

Unchained Melody and Another Brother by avocadolove are excellent, they really run with their canon AU premises and bring them to such fun places

hey, batter, batter, what? and the Boo Chronicles by @ofherlionheart are super fun modern AUs, really great characterization and great writing

Boomerangs and Rainbows by mindbending may seem heavy based on the tags, but its also so so clever and funny and so much fun. I think about the ending and giggle regularly

Mark Time by foil definitely *is* heavy, I stayed up for too late reading it and it absolutely broke my heart and the moments of catharsis were wonderfully done

At the Top of the World by Lady_of_the_Flowers is an excellent modern AU that is a really great exploration of colonial dynamics and the Zukka relationship within that (also, Epistles I always shout out as the Burning Bright inspiration--BB started basically as a fic of a fic of Epistles, and its a must read imo)

And I'll Do Anything You Say (If You Say It With Your Hands) by @goldrushzukka is EXCELLENT, its everything my "lovers to oh know this might be feelings" heart could want, with amazing Gaang friendships throughout

Feels Like We Only Go Backwards by @oldpotatoe is a wild ride, the emotional high are incredible and the narrative tension is amazing and you will scream and it will be wonderful

Will We Last the Night by VSFic and CSHFic is a super fun canon AU that spends such good time building the Zukka relationship and really delivers

And because you said "ATLA fics" and not Zukka fics, I'm also going to recommend the Substitute series by Dracze (modern AU) and People in the Mirror by Nele (canon-verse). Both are Jeeko, both build out Jee's character in amazing ways, and both do such fun things with narrative irony and outsider POV when it comes to Zuko. (The things Nele can do with a single sentence truly blow my mind, I cannot recommend it enough, especially if you love worldbuilding and cultural exploration and fun with bending. PitM is one of THE foundational, influential works in the ATLA fandom for me)

[oceansssblue]

~ RARE PAIR MASTERLIST:

1. HUNTER/VENTRESS (both trans) > "NOT WHAT I EXPECTED" 🔥

They had never seen this coming. But oh well, they were going to have some fun with it.

2. TECH/JAR JAR BINKS > "LOVELY CHAOTIC" 💖

Tech is naturaly curious about everything. That includes the gungan Jar Jar Binks.

3. CAPTAIN REX/PADME AMIDALA > "HAPPY TO FOLLOW" 💖

Rex is always aware of everything; taking in little details that for others may pass by unnoticed. Senator Amidala's behaviour has definitely been changing. He's about to find why.

4. OMEGA TBB/REEVA > "TEMPTATIVE SMILES" 💔💖

Reeva is tired of being left behind. But perhaps staying in Kamino isn't so bad, huh?

5. FOX/YODA > "REST, YOU MUST" 💔💖

Fox has a lot on his plate. Master Yoda tries to give him a little break.

6. BAYLAN SKOLL/HUNTER > "OPEN FOR YOU" 🔥

Hunter hadn't thought about men that way before. But fuck, he wants to be railed by the General.

7. DOGMA/TUP > "A FEW EXCEPTIONS" 💖

Dogma is one for the rules. Fraternalization with another vod is forbidden. Is he going to stand by as Tup flirts with Fives, though?

8. HUNTER/ECHO > "FAN BOY" 💔💖

Hunter has had a crush on Echo for a long time. It's Crosshair who pulls the cat out of the bag.

9. CROSSHAIR/MAYDAY > "THE POWER OF ANOTHERS TOUCH" 💔🔥

Crosshair is hurt. Mayday helps him. That first touch of the older trooper on the sniper's skin changes things.

10. ECHO/REX > "VIDEO CONFESSIONS" 💖

Rex agrees for a fellow rebel to interview him as part of her "war chronicles" ideas for posterity. It's during that interview when he suddenly realises he's in love with his friend.

--

[townofcadence]

⭐i am so excited with artair and mortem but i am also curious af to hear your other thoughts

Send a ⭐ for Muse Combinations!

Okay well to start off, I AGREE!! I love Artair and Mortem's dynamic from what we've talked about, and I adore Mortem as a character in general! Artair has as lot going on and I definitely see them connecting in ways that are going to be meaningful in their own way, and I am jazzed for it :D

BUT! On to others!

Personally, I think Jace and Mortem could be fun. I think Jace has some weirdness given his dead state but not realizing it yet, and how he has an ability to warp reality that's very empowered. At the very least I think it could be interesting, how much he clearly has a love and thirst for life given what he is, and how he believes himself to be alive with so much conviction that he breaks how things work around himself to account for what he believes. I don't know what would happen with the two, but i could see her think it's at least neat since he is oblivious xD

Opal i think could be fun, but i think mostly because i think they'd have some flirtatious banter with one another potentially, and opal likes taking down people who deserve it. If mortem found someone she felt had no potential who was basically a rich jackass, opal would totally be down for the two of them being a curse to befall them xD

Saffron--- would probably not be necessarily an extensive interaction, but Saffron is so terrified of the supernatural stuff, that i think it'd be at least a little funny if at least once Mortem scared him just for the lols. Two other muses have done this and he's the kind to be like 'nope' and run with a little cloud behind him so i think it could at least be a little silly one off thing at the very least. But also, as an apothecary, his access to plants and what he has could be really helpful and they could potentially connect in some way (even if she still scares him shitless because he's a weenie lol)

Mortem is more than allowed to meet trimst if she wants, though trimst is mainly just a little mischievous eldritch cat thing xD

Alyx i think could be interesting, if only because i think his ability to chronicle the future could be at least interesting for her to take note of, though i don't know how they'd get along in person so far xD

Atlas might be interesting, because of them being a fae but likely not like any Mortem has seen. They are a physical being and she is also not like what little i know of Mortem's patron, so it could be neat. Micah would be in a similar vein, but also because of his own survival of hardship and his harshness in some situations and protective ferocity could affect what she sees in them, and he has a connection to Atlas so they could appear together at some point

Dr. Salem Conner could be interesting because he has almost complete control over the body and all components in it. He's always seeking knowledge, so there is capacity for them to engage out of interest to the ways she's changed herself.

Maneki and her might have a strange interaction because of maneki's power over luck and mortem's over potential. they're not the same but in the same vein they kind of play into each other in a sense, so it could be interesting lol

With as often less than human as Mortem has the capacity to be as a witch, I think she would be given the chance to partake of weaver's carnival. I think it would be interesting, though it's difficult since weaver is a lower activity muse who is .... definitely on the villainous side. IT might not end well for the ringmaster xD

Alistaire could be interesting , due to the fact he is trying to learn magic and how to cleave a soul. As a magic user, that could definitely intersect with Mortem :D

They are low activity, but Nimbus, Eden, and Alistair/Aria could be interesting! they're like artair but they are true embodiments. These three are related to artair actually, but i think given the similarities between witches and the ethereals (name subject to change) there could be an interesting interaction there at some point in the future :D

[earlgreytea68]

So I know you wrote it in 2019 but im curious based off of Pete's stage designs for tourdust if that spurred any thoughts of the stage design for the Stumped Musical in your musical au fic 🐉

I wrote that musical fic very early on in my FOB fandom. I feel like it might have been the first long fic I wrote for them? And the longer I spend on FOB fandom the more I'm like, "God, Pete Wentz would looooove to write a musical" hahahaha. And also Patrick Stump would ALSO love to write a musical, I think. So I have no idea what is holding them up! Except I do think I'm probably right that Pete would write something completely incomprehensible that would totally make sense to him and to Patrick and to absolutely nobody else. And then they WOULD send a librettist in and Pete would hate it the way he hated having an editor on his actual book (another reason I love Pete Wentz lol). Like, Pete only wants one beta and that's Patrick, no one else is allowed to edit Pete Wentz. So I think, sadly, we never WILL get a musical out of them.

But! I actually think Pete has such wide-ranging interests and likes that it's impossible to predict how he would go for stage design. Tourdust is extremely whimsical and I adore that, I love how it's over-the-top and full of life and color and drama and I think that would suit their Morpheus retelling well, he would light the Underworld so luridly fabulously, I think. But then I think of, like, the aesthetic of Youngblood Chronicles, which feels on the other end of the spectrum in some ways, like, still over-the-top but in the opposite anti-whimsical direction lol. Like, YBC has the most ridiculous things happen but they're all dressed up in this hard debauched tone that doesn't land as softly as the Tourdust stuff does. And their videos likewise run the gamut in a lot of ways.

That said, if I had to put my money on it, I think Pete Wentz leans more whimsical Tourdust in general. He might love horror movies and sci-fi and stuff, but I think inside he's just full of pink cotton candy and bubblegum at heart. Like, most of their videos are light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek, comical affairs and I think Pete would go that way for staging my fictional musical, it would all be a tad too much in a fun way.

I spent way too long considering this entirely fictional question lol but thank you for it!

[navree]

I’m almost afraid to ask: what is the Sara Snow debate? Do I need to brace myself for another Jonsa vs Jonerys type showdown 😱

SPOILERS INCOMING for anyone who wants to kept in the dark and experience the story naturally:

So, as we know, Jace starts off the Dance by going to Winterfell, where he meets with Cregan Stark and asks him to pledge his sword to Rhaenyra. According to one of the chroniclers who makes up the narrative of the Dance that we get in Fire&Blood, while there Jace meets Sara Snow, Cregan's bastard sister, and immediately falls passionately in love with her, and the two end up sleeping together, which pisses Cregan off until Sara reveals that she and Jace were really in love and had gotten married in accordance with the old gods in front of a weirwood tree, and then promptly got down in the Winterfell godswood.

All well and good, except for one minor catch: we don't know if Sara Snow ever actually existed. The only person who writes about her is Mushroom, a court fool who is seen as notoriously unreliable, and often embellished or just flat out made stuff up, and any of the more salacious rumors about the Dance was likely shit he wrote down for the fun of it. In particular, the Archmaester Gyldayn, who's "writing" Fire&Blood (given that it's an in-universe history book), seems very dismissive of the fact that Sara Snow ever existed, or that Jace would ever break his vows to Baela for her (though he does concede that if Sara did exist Jace likely could have had sex with her, but not married her), but he also doesn't help himself from sounding biased due to describing her as a "half-wild, unwashed Northern bastard" of "uncertain virtue", which, like, dude OK then.

So the big debate is a) does Sara Snow exist (and as such will she be in the show) and b) is Jace going to fall in love with her? There is one side who says no, that Sara was an invention of Mushroom's and that Jace would never do Baela like that, and another side who says that Sara could exist and Jace could well have fallen for her. For reasons that absolutely baffle me, the side that absolutely hates Sara and any thought of her existing, let alone having an affair with Jace and being the other woman to Baela's betrayed spouse, tend to be Jonerys shippers, while the side that's really into Sara and her potential relationship/love story with Jace are Jonsa shippers, and I'm very confused because, like, again, it's the prototype for Jonerys, it's hitting the same notes just at a different octave, and I don't understand why the roles aren't reversed here.

I think they might go with Sara, just for a few more female roles, and whether or not they go with the Mushroom account or switch things up is debatable (they've eschewed a lot of Mushroom stuff, but not all Mushroom stuff), but I think it would make Jace a bit more interesting, because right now the younger generation for the Blacks is the most boring, cardboard cutout group of people in this show, name me one personality trait either Baela or Rhaena have, or anything about Luke that we didn't learn in episode 10 when they remembered that they needed people to feel literally anything for him before he died.

(Personally I'm just over here casually curious and praying furiously that the Helaena/Aemond people stay calm when Alys Rivers shows up, power to all ships and y'all do y'all but I'm here to watch Aemond ride-or-die in love with his hot witch wife and I would like for there to be no insane rivalries or people getting weird or referring to women as "unwashed" for no reason other than you don't like that they might get in the way of a ship)

[pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer]

Games in 2023: Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection (1/2)

This one almost feels like cheating, being a collection of games that’ve been out for 20 years now. (Yikes, 20 years…) Battle Network was my introduction to Mega Man, so as soon as it became apparent that Legacy Collections were going to continue being A Thing, I began to speculate what one for this series might look like.  In some ways the final product is as expected, and in some ways it exceeds expectations; there’s a reason people have been saying this is the best Legacy Collection yet.  So cheating or not, I want to try to compile some of my thoughts on the collection and the various games that make it up.  Battle Network is just too important to me to not do it.

If you’re a newcomer to the Battle Network series and want a spoiler-free tl;dr: While these games do show their age, the collection provides excellent ways to mitigate the negatives, plus there are two decades worth of in-depth guides across the internet to help you along.  What holds up is a bundle of very unique and fun mechanics set in a world overflowing with both charm and heart.  I absolutely recommend it.  The collection has two volumes (that line up exactly with a major pivot in the series)—if you only get Vol. 1, I would recommend starting with either BN2 or 3 (BN1 is largely foundational and understandably rough around the edges), and if you only get Vol. 2 I would recommend starting with BN6 (it’s remarkably well-refined and far less divisive than BN4 and 5).

If you don’t care about spoilers, I’ve got a LONG post of detailed thoughts below the cut.  Let’s set one more routine…execute!

You probably know the basics, but for the curious: Battle Network takes place in a world of near-futuristic network technology.  Well, near-futuristic at the time the games were made, mind you.  Everything is connected to the internet, and everyone carries around personal terminals (or PETs) that are comparable to modern smartphones; though this may seem standard to us now, back at the turn of the millennium, these concepts still seemed like a dream.  Dial-up was still a thing!  Anyway, the “cyber-world” inside the internet is presented more akin to an alternate dimension, and is populated by AI programs known as Net Navigators, often shortened to NetNavi or just Navi.  Everyone has their own Navi who lives in their PET, and they help humans with their daily lives while also fighting off the many viruses that try to infect all of these commonplace smart devices (personified as cute little critters you’ll either find adorable or mind-bogglingly frustrating).  The games follow Lan Hikari, resident shounen protag and grandchild of the man considered the father of net society, and his NetNavi MegaMan.EXE, the responsible one.  Some way or another, the duo repeatedly find themselves caught up in the chaos caused by various net crimes, each game chronicling their battles with various cyber-terrorism organizations hellbent on destroying the world as we know it.

Before getting to the games themselves, I want to talk about the features of the collection.  Both volumes are largely similar, but each focus on one half of the series: Vol. 1 on BN1-3, and Vol. 2 on BN4-6.  Those familiar with the series may remember that 4 introduced many new mechanical changes which then informed 5 and 6, so Battle Network was already considered two trilogies by many and it only makes sense that the collection leans into that.  For games that have two versions, both are available with their own separate save file, which contributes a lot towards making it feel complete.  As with all Legacy Collections, both volumes have music and art libraries pertaining to their respective trilogy, though here there’s also a “Mystery Data” section for art relating to the various Battle Network spin-offs not included in the collection.  It’s nice to see their inclusion, though it does highlight the one asterisk on calling this the definitive way to experience these games: the collection does not include features from the updated DS re-releases of BN1 and 5, only a few associated pieces of art.  How glaring this omission is, well, that’s for you to decide for yourself; personally the only part I haven’t entirely coped with is not having Sol Cross (*sigh*...), but I could see it being a bigger issue for some.  There’s also an achievement list, and for games that put so much focus on their post-game grind to 100%, I find it interesting that these achievements only really ask you to beat (both versions of) each game and smell a few roses along the way…with two exceptions.  If you want all the achievements in Vol. 1, you have to 100% BN1; this is frustrating even with the collection’s additional tools, but at least in this game you can cheat the Chip Trader to get those last few chips.  If you want all the achievements in Vol. 2, you have to get all Soul Unisons in both versions of BN4.  We’ll, uh…we’ll get into the issue with that when we get to BN4.

In both volumes, the main menu features what’s essentially a MegaMan VTuber; he’ll greet you, make some comments or perform some actions if you idle long enough, and you can press the L button to talk to him just like in the games.  The intent is, obviously, to recreate the feeling of having your own PET and Navi, and it’s an inclusion I personally adore.  They even got back Andrew Francis, the guy who voiced MegaMan in the English dub of the anime!  I loved watching that as a kid!  I do wonder how those without as much nostalgia feel about it, but it doesn’t seem all that intrusive, and there’s an option to silence MegaMan if you really have a problem with him.  For me, the only negative is that if you don’t play a volume for a few days and then start it back up, MegaMan says he was getting tired of waiting for you, and that made me die a little on the inside.  Anyway.

Aside from the gallery there are two other recurring features in Legacy Collections: some sort of easy mode or assistive mechanic, and an additional gameplay mode.  In the case of the former, this collection offers Buster MAX Mode, an option that can be toggled at any time using the collection pause menu or when launching a game.  It multiplies the damage done by basic buster shots by a factor of 100.  Yeah.  I won’t get into all the nuances of its implementation, but being able to take down virtually any enemy by spamming a few shots can be real nice for getting through long areas and dealing with particularly annoying viruses.  It’s really fun, but isn’t always an automatic win button, so it maintains an interesting balance of sorts.  Each game also gives you the option of adding chips that were previously only available through in-person events into your inventory, many of which can be game-breaking when you draw them, but you have to choose to use them.  It’s great to have these rare, Japan-only additions readily available, and Vol. 2 takes this a step further by granting full access to the plethora of eReader cards (or Patch Cards) that were released alongside the second trilogy!  These give you a lot of freedom to modify your game and customize your experience, and never made it overseas due to the eReader flopping here.  You can play through all of BN5 as Bass Cross!  The various item cards especially make this feel like a second Number Trader, you know, something that’s basically in-game cheat codes you can just use freely if you know about them.  It’s a whole new dimension to the experience, and that’s a wonderful option to have in a collection like this!

As for an additional gameplay mode, there’s nothing that’s accessed through the collection’s menu, but instead, every single game has online capabilities for their multiplayer functions!  Originally you needed a GBA link cable and nearby friends to access these features, but now, as long as you can get online, you can battle and trade with people all over the world, with functional ranking and some new tweaks to game balance.  I’m still floored by this.  Can you imagine how much work this took to make it happen for ALL six games?  The dedication!  I’m actually considering buying Switch Online for the first time because of this.  Now…I will say.  You do HAVE to play online ranked battles (and risk losing chips!) in order to truly access everything in most of the games.  BN2 and 3 require you to get chips only found through multiplayer to reach 100% completion, and that really sucks—especially considering the Wii U Virtual Console releases of the games simply gave you these chips along with the event-exclusives chips.  Like, this was a solved problem.  I guess I can understand reverting to the old way with the reintroduction of multiplayer, but…I’m locked out of completing BN3 White unless I buy Online and find someone willing to give me the BowlMan chips.  That makes me sad.  It’s not as bad in Vol. 2 at least, you need to play multiplayer to get all the Secret Chips but Secret Chips are not tracked for 100% completion.  I would like to get an Otenko chip, though.

After all that, let’s finally get on to the games!  Starting with Battle Network 1…you know, this is the only game here that I hadn’t played at all prior to the collection.  I started with BN3 and never went back to the beginning because it seemed players only ever talked about it with sheer dread.  Like I said earlier, BN1 is foundational: this is a very unique sort of game, especially compared to the platforming of Classic and X, so I think it only makes sense that it didn’t entirely come together on the first attempt.  Yes, this does mean it’s not an ideal first impression, and I understand why so many advocate skipping it.  However, I don’t think that means one should never play it.  If you turn on Buster MAX, dump all your PowerUPs into attack, and have a guide and map on standby, you can muscle past quite a bit of the jank and really see for yourself the earliest stage in this series’ evolution.  Automatically healing after battle?  Pretty nice!  The elemental armor system?  Not incredibly robust, but it’s the seed that grew into the various transformation systems that are so iconic!  Every game has arbitrary gates, but the ones in BN1’s net are most often unlocked by another person giving you access—your world literally expands by meeting new people!  A big part of my newfound appreciation for Lan is because in BN1 his relationship with his dad feels just a smidge more nuanced, where he’s proud of his dad and what he does, but really wishes they could spend more time together (like most kids would!), even if he consistently tries to hide his excitement over the time they do spend together (again, like a real preteen boy!).  It’s not exclusive to this game, but boy does it fade as the series progresses.  Start with another game, for sure, but if you do end up liking the series, give this one a try.  Even if it’s rough, it’s important, and we shouldn’t overlook it.

Now, when people do tell you to skip BN1, they usually also say there’s one important plot development you should still learn about.  At the end of BN1, you discover that MegaMan is no ordinary NetNavi: he’s the result of Lan’s father’s research on creating Navis as human-like as possible who can truly bond with their human operators.  That research was in an inescapable failsafe until his wife gave birth…to twins.  One of the boys was born with a heart defect, and died very young, so young that Lan doesn’t even remember he had a brother.  His father refused to let his son die, however, and so he turned the boy’s DNA into code and incorporated it into a NetNavi…MegaMan.EXE.  It’s revealed to Lan that his Navi is actually his twin brother, Hub, reborn in the cyberworld.  My feelings on this are…I dunno, kinda complicated?  Later games emphasize that Hub’s soul moved into the MegaMan body, and that was always a real sticking point for me—it didn’t make sense, I thought, nor could I comprehend why Lan and Hub having identical DNA causes them to synchronize and share wounds and such.  And I mean…it still doesn’t make complete sense to me, but I’ve come to think that maybe it doesn’t really matter if it makes sense.  It allows for some really great moments, so maybe I shouldn’t be such a stickler about “suspension of disbelief” or whatever.  At the very least, I’ve finally accepted it.

I had played a little of BN2 before, but I don’t think I ever even made it halfway before getting distracted.  It’s kind of staggering just how many improvements were made just one entry later: * code chips, a dedicated button for running from battles, the Style Change…you know, why don’t I start with the Style Change?  Here’s where transformations start to become BN’s bread and butter, and they immediately knocked it out of the park.  Appearance-wise, the Style Changes are subtle yet distinct, striking a very fine balance which I really appreciate and no doubt sold many, many toys. (I think Heat Guts is the only one that came stateside?  I bought it ofc.) Mechanically, it’s a great idea to give the player a power-up directly informed by their own playstyle, letting them do exactly what they want to do even better, and the four core Styles are each suitably unique to ensure each is its own experience.  Not to mention how cool it is to have a secret fifth Style that combines all their powers!  My main gripe is the one you probably expected: the core four Styles come with Elements, but which Element you get is entirely random.  Heat Guts is a spectacular Style…until you have to fight FreezeMan!  Let’s try Elec Guts…better not get hit once by SnakeMan!  It isn’t really a huge thing, but it can be frustrating to have a random handicap against certain bosses, or have your charge shot replaced with a weapon you don’t really enjoy.  I will say it’s nicely mitigated in BN2 when you can store 2 Styles. (*cough*)

And the improvements aren’t purely mechanical.  The internet design in BN1 is needlessly labyrinthine, exacerbated by every area looking exactly the same; but here in BN2, paths are easy to follow and have a unique aesthetic for each group of areas.  The story is also a step up in many regards, feeling a bit more coherent, and ambitiously builds the world with a few new countries.  I also appreciate that they showed some restraint in regards to Wily, only indirectly referring to him at the very end and not specifically revealing his involvement until next game.  Classic and X can both get frustrating with how they constantly shoehorn Wily and Sigma into every endgame, but Battle Network finds ways to tie everything back to Wily without having him hog every single spotlight.  Lord Gospel, or Sean, is given a real chance to stand on his own.  And he, uh…well…here’s how I see it.  They had two very good ideas, and unfortunately tried them both without realizing that they weren’t truly compatible.  Lord Gospel being a ruthless enigma whose identity is a surprise reveal at the end (and it’s not Wily)?  Great!  But that doesn’t give you the time to properly craft a backstory for a character that gets us invested in him and makes us really want to see him redeemed.  Sean being a kid with a hard life who retreated into the internet and getting manipulated by someone online who abused his trust is a horrifyingly resonant idea in the context of Battle Network!  …But you can’t just wait to dump ALL of that on the player until AFTER we’ve already beaten the final boss!  It only gets worse considering he’s barely in BN3 and just vanishes by the second trilogy.  I love Sean in concept, but it is a bit frustrating to see the execution play out this way.  All this to say, it makes perfect sense why BN2 is held in such high regard…though perhaps not as high as another game in the series…

Now BN3!  BN3 is the one you’re most likely to see at the top of someone’s list, and that also makes perfect sense.  Nearly everything in BN3 is further refinement upon BN2, and the brand new stuff works very, very well. (Some caveats, we’ll get to that.) This was also the first game to be released in twin versions Pokemon-style, although design documents show this idea was always on the table even when BN was but a twinkle in Eguchi’s eye, and the versions aren’t so much “equal” as “a game and then an updated version of that game”.  BN3 White was my very first Mega Man game, though, I won’t tolerate any slander from Blue elitists!  …Anyway.  Style Changes make a return from BN2, but with heavy alterations, largely in service of one of the new mechanics: the Navi Customizer.  Now obviously I really appreciate what the Navi Customizer brings to the table, and I think its initial outing is one of its absolute best thanks to Mod Tools.  Getting new programs each time you level up a Style is rewarding, certainly moreso than a simple damage increase to your charge shot like in BN2, and it’s fun to mix abilities using Error Codes. (I don’t think I’ve ever had a file where I got two Styles with compatible program colors lol) Still…you can only put in one Error Code at a time, and that really limits just how much mixing you can do.  And it’s a bit of a bummer to see the basic abilities of each Style nerfed (though I do like that Guts Style can rapid-fire now).  Especially considering you can only store 1 Style at a time…like, I’m sure this was all done in the name of balance, but part of me can’t help but wonder about the unexplored potential.  There’s also the unique chips you can get while using Custom and Team Style, which is an interesting way to expand their abilities and further differentiate the experience of each Style.  It becomes a bit of an issue when you realize ALL of those chips are required for completion, though…unless you get real lucky with the BugFrag Trader.  Anyway, we do get new Style Changes in addition to the core four!  Having now used Ground Style, I can see it being incredibly useful, I just don’t usually fight strategically enough to make the most of it.  I’ve still yet to use Shadow Style, but it seems to benefit players with precise timing, and uh…that ain’t me. (Also FloatShoes don’t protect from poison panels in this game.  What’s up with that?) But Bug Style!  Bug Style I like a LOT! (Yes its appearance in the anime influenced this shut up) The positive bugs seem to typically outweigh the negative bugs, making this feel like a particularly strong gimmick.  And with HubBatch being a Navi Cust program in this game, and Bug Style getting you Bug Stop which even negates HubBatch’s HP cut…you can be pretty freakin’ strong.  I like that.  Oh, while we’re on the Navi Cust, did you know that when you’re on the MegaMan screen in BN3, you can press the L button to test your buster and see if it’s bugged?  I think this is the only game that does this for some reason.  I don’t know why they got rid of it, it’s cute.

Another major shakeup that set the bar going forward was dividing chips into different classes: Standard, Mega, and Giga.  Mega Class is mostly made up of Navi Chips, and so gets the same restrictions those have always had; there are several non-Navi Mega Chips though, chips that are just a little too powerful and so are restricted to balance them out a bit.  Team Style doesn’t distinguish, just upping your Mega limit, which is to its benefit.  Giga Chips, of course, are super-powerful chips you need to work to get, though BN3 actually doesn’t require you to collect all of them for 100%! (You’ll still end up with most if not all of them as part of the process though.  I talked about this before: basically, BN3 treats Giga Chips more as rewards than as tasks when compared to later games.) Again, I started with BN3, so for me it was always this way, and going back to the first two games where every chip is in one big library was kinda weird.  This game also revised BugFrags, a limited item you could exchange for prizes in BN2 which are now infinitely generated and accepted as currency by multiple shops.  Vol. 2 mostly follows this example, except here, you get BugFrags by countering viruses (which gets repurposed for the Full Synchro mechanic in Vol. 2), and this makes BugFrags far, FAR easier to obtain/farm in this game than in later ones. (I recommend the Armor Comp in Ura Inn—nothing but Mettaurs and Mettaur2s, easy counter timing.) This is great for a lot of reasons, including a feature totally unique to BN3: the Virus Breeder!  By finding special encounters in specific locations, you can send certain families of viruses to a comp in SciLab, where they just chill out and wait for you to put BugFrags in their food bowls.  You receive a Battle Chip for each family of virus you send here, letting you summon them much like a Navi Chip, and the strength of their attack is directly proportional to how much you’ve fed them.  I never really investigated the mechanic until now, but it is incredibly charming to examine your pet Spikey and be told that it starts wagging its tail as soon as it sees you.  I love my fire doggos.  The closest thing we got to this in later games is the Virus Battler in BN6, but while the inspiration is clear, the execution is very different…we’ll get to that.  BN3 is interesting for setting a lot of standards but also doing a lot of things completely unique to it, which I think is why it’s so beloved…though, there is one thing BN3 puts a unique spin on which annoys me, and that’s Beta Navis.  You know how it goes: you beat a boss, their V2/Alpha appears on the net as an invisible fixed encounter, and then their V3/Beta becomes a random encounter.  In every other game, the Beta is a random encounter in the same area where you find the Alpha—which makes sense, right?  Well in BN3, the Beta becomes a random encounter in a completely different area.  And worse, a few of the Betas can only be encountered when specific conditions are met, like your HP being in the red, or your Navi Cust being bugged.  Fun!  I don’t know why they did this, but I’m glad they didn’t do it again…well, until SF3, but that’s for another day. (I’ll also point out that BN3 has Security Cubes in the Undernet that are unlocked by beating each Beta boss, that’s really cool and I wish it had continued being a thing.)

Damn, all this and I still haven’t gotten into BN3’s story.  Though, I mean…what more is there to be said?  Even people who love to dunk on Battle Network’s writing think BN3’s story is pretty good.  The whole tournament subplot was great.  Wily goes from completely unhinged to frighteningly intelligent.  We get Bass’s backstory after some tantalizing buildup, and his involvement helps retroactively tie the first three games together a little better.  We get backstory for the Undernet of all things, and it’s never been more fleshed out before or since!  And Mamoru…Mamoru.  Who would’ve ever expected Mamoru?  I can absolutely see this being a sendoff for the series—the creators really hit their stride.  There’s certainly plenty to bemoan, from the annoyance of plot-required Navi Cust Programs to the high percentage of bosses who are dreadfully frustrating (BubbleMan, FlameMan, DrillMan…), but all the good raises it so high up that still managed to stand above.  BN3 is peak Battle Network.

[the-savage-garden]

ACOMAF rant

You’re probably wondering, why am I not talking about ACOTAR first? Well, I don’t have as much of a problem with it, I thought it was alright. It was a little boring sometimes and some choices that confused me (also why weren’t there any Celtic creatures? why are we given the Naga of all things!? ugh). Tamlin was ok, sometimes he felt inconsistent at times but that might be because it’s written in 1st POV. I liked that he played the violin (or was it a fiddle?) it reminded me of a favorite character of mine from the Vampire Chronicles, Lestat (who’s also a blond violinist).

I actually read ACOTAR not that long after I got TOG because I was worried SJM was a bad author. She is but ACOTAR gave me hope and I got curious about ACOMAF, people on the internet said it was good. Oh, how a fool I was. ACOMAF was probably worse than TOG for me, if I had the physical book of it I would’ve thrown it so many times.

I’ll be real honest I’m so confused why people like ACOMAF? I’m guessing because of Rhysand but why? Don’t list a bunch of his non-existent traits or I swear... He was alright as a villain in the first book but here? He reads like he’s been neutered than anything. I guess the idea of an abused villainous sidekick could’ve been interesting to explore but not as a love interest, especially one that’s actually abused the protagonist he gets with (WTF!?).

Actually I should probably start from the beginning. For some reason Tamlin and Feyre are engaged not long after the 1st book. This actually confused me because it seems WAY too soon for them to reach that stage of their relationship. I guess this was done because of that stupid interrupted wedding trope, the only time I’ll ever like that trope is if it’s used for comedy.

Velaris was boring to me, actually all of Night Court was boring. I hate the “it’s only beautiful during the night” or whatever stupid excuse it was to make it not permanently night, that would’ve been too fun! Ugh. I also hate that magical creatures are only in the background, I thought that we’d get to to see pixies and dragon and unicorns now that we’re not just in Spring but NOooOoO

Summer was ok, I liked Tarquin. What I didn’t like was that Tarquin was used to put “tension” between Feyre and Rhys. Ugh. I hate that Feyre was giving excuses for not being with Tarquin instead of Rhys, she doesn’t even know Tarquin and she assumes he’s never had to kill innocents before! Unbelievable. Why do we have to be stuck with Rhys? You have no idea how much it angered me.

Don’t even get me started on Hybern (for those that don’t know it comes from Hibernia, another name for Ireland). It angers me that SJM just decided to butcher Ireland for who knows what reason. I have Irish in me so that’s why it bothers me.

This is getting too long, I think I might have to make a part 2.

[zippityzap]

Sonic Tarot Card Project: explanations for character picks

Recently I completed a summer-long project where I created Sonic themed versions of the tarot major acana. I put a lot of research and thought into what characters to assign to which cards, and I wanted to explain my rationale behind each one! (Everything’s under the read more cut because this is a very long post!)

To start off, let me explain why I did this project in the first place. This summer I watched Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure for the first time, and in Part 3, Stardust Crusaders, the majority of the stand abilities are named after the tarot major arcana. Thanks to cultural osmosis I vaguely knew the meanings of a few of the cards and I realised that one of the characters suited his assigned card pretty well. I was curious if this matched anyone else and so once I finished watching that part, I did research on tarot and found that yeah, a lot of them do match! That got me interested in tarot and since I like combining things I’m interested in, I decided to make Sonic versions of the cards.

I do want to note that while Jojo did inspire this project in a lot of ways, I tried not to let my character picks be influenced by Stardust Crusader characters, although there did end up being some picks that did coincidentally happen to match nicely anyway. Also, I’m not gonna lie, ever since picking these card choices I’ve been highly tempted to draw Sonic as Polnareff.

Anyway, on to my explanations for character choices!

0: The Fool (Charmy Bee)

The Fool represents innocence, spontaneity and recklessness. I believe Charmy’s happy and carefree nature, along with the simple fact that he’s essentially just a little kid who likes to have fun makes him a great fit for this card

1: The Magician (Infinite)

The Magician represents creation and strength, but also manipulation and narcissism, a good match for Infinite and the powers of the phantom ruby. (I was also very pleased to notice that the traditional art for the card has an infinity symbol- everything lined up very well!)

The Rider Waite version of the card also depicts a sword, a wand, a cup and a pentacle; the suits of the minor arcana. I have attempted to depict these with various objects from the Sonic series, namely Infinite’s sword from the IDW Forces prequel comic, the sceptre of darkness from '06, a chaos emerald, and a ring respectively.

2: The High Priestess (Princess Elise)

The High Priestess represents secrets, repression, and the unknown, which I believe fits with Elise’s initial desire to control her emotions and her sadness. (Admittedly this is one of the looser character/card connections for this project, but my two other picks for this card I felt were better suited to different cards)

3: The Empress (Vanilla the Rabbit)

The Empress represents nurturing, fertility and childbirth, all traits that I believe make this card a good pick for a kind, caring mother like Vanilla

4: The Emperor (Dr Eggman)

A card fitting for the leader of the Eggman Empire! The Emperor represents authority, power, and tyranny, all traits Dr Robotnik desires, if not possesses in many continuities.

5: The Hierophant (Espio the Chameleon)

The Hierophant represents wisdom and tradition, and in both upright and reversed forms it has large connections to the concept of social conformity. Perhaps I’m drawing more from the various comic versions of Espio, but he comes across to me as someone who is hyper-aware about how he presents himself.

Fun fact: a hierophant is essentially another word for a religious leader, although I’ve never seen it used outside the context of tarot. I assume the religious connection is the reason why in the OST of the Jojo part 3 anime, Kakyoin’s theme is called Noble Pope.

6: The Lovers (Amy Rose)

The Lovers represents love, communication, and passion; and Amy is certainly a character who wears her heart on her sleeve! She’s a good example of a character who I feel fits a number of different cards, however there are no other characters who suited The Lovers quite as much as her.

7: The Chariot (Sonic the Hedgehog)

The Chariot represents journeys, wanderlust as well as the ambition and willpower to achieve your goals, which I believe is the perfect match for Sonic’s adventurous and heroic spirit. This was one of the first cards I decided on and it’s probably the one I’d defend my interpretation of the most.

If you’re wondering why there’s dark and hero chao in the artwork too, it’s because the original card art depicts the titular chariot being pulled by black and white sphinxes, and this is my way of calling back to that.

8: Strength (Maria Robotnik)

This card pick might seem unusual at first if you take the word ‘strength’ at face value, however considering the original card art depicts a maiden peacefully taming a lion, perhaps the Strength card represents inner strength, courage and determination rather than physical strength. These are traits that I believe Maria possesses.

9: The Hermit (Knuckles the Echidna)

The Hermit signifies awareness and independence but when reversed can mean isolation and resignation, traits that parallel well with Knuckles and his duty to be the protector of the Master Emerald

10: The Wheel of Fortune (Big the Cat)

The Wheel of Fortune represents fate, karma and luck! This is admittedly a bit of a cheeky dig at myself since I’m awful at the Big fishing levels in SA1 and mostly got through them through luck. But that’s not to say the card doesn’t apply to Big himself! His frequent cameos do have a bit of a fate/destiny vibe to them and in IDW Big is lucky enough to manage to avoid the metal virus for quite a long time.

11: Justice (Vector the Crocodile)

The meaning of the Justice cards is… pretty much what it says on the tin: fairness and clarity. Of course the Team Chaotix detective agency represents this as a whole, but that trait especially shines through with Vector himself. He may be a little money oriented, but doing what is morally right always takes priority.

12: The Hanged Man (Shadow the Hedgehog)

The thing about Shadow is that he’s a fairly complex character which means there are a number of cards in the Major Arcana that match him well, but I knew early on when tackling this project that I wanted to assign Shadow to The Hanged Man. This card represents change, release and sacrifice, which all align well with the character arc that Shadow goes through during the course of SA2 and beyond.

13: Death (Tikal the Echidna and Chaos)

Despite the morbid name of the card, (and the admittedly macabre scene I’ve depicted) the Death card is not an inherently negative card to draw. Yes, it can mean endings and grief, but it can also mean letting go and new beginnings. The story that Tikal and Chaos go through in SA1, their anguish and how they later find peace, is something that I think pairs well with this particular card.

Fun fact: this is the only card in this project that has two significant characters on it rather than just one. I felt I needed both of them to be on the card in order to fully represent its meaning

14: Temperance (Blaze the Cat)

The Temperance card signifies balance, harmony and patience, which matches Blaze’s very poised and graceful demeanour. Admittedly I had a little bit of trouble deciding on a card for Blaze since the High Priestess and the Hierophant are also good matches for her.

15: The Devil (Rouge the Bat)

The Devil card represents temptation, seduction, and materialism and well… look, Rouge is one of my favourite Sonic characters, I’d be one of the first people to tell you that there’s a lot more to her than what initially appears, she is so much more complex than just sex appeal and a gemstone obsession. However, I felt there was no other character that matched the traits of this specific card better than Rouge, and so my choice was decided by that.

16: The Tower (E-123 Omega)

The Tower card represents a number of things; disruption, disasters, sudden changes etc, however the trait that made me believe that Omega would be the best selection for the card was violence.

17: The Star (Miles ‘Tails’ Prower)

Tails’ character arcs normally centre around him gaining independence and self-confidence and learning to believe in himself. He is also largely characterised by his unyielding faith and trust in Sonic. These traits are the reason why I believe The Star card represents him well, as it symbolises hope and faith.

18: The Moon (Shade the Echidna)

The Moon card symbolises mysteries and the unknown, and when Shade is first introduced in Chronicles, she and the rest of the Nocturnus Clan are certainly presented as mysterious. The Moon can also represent misconception, which fits well with how Shade was initially unaware of the true nature of Ix’s plans.

19: The Sun (Cream the Rabbit)

The Sun, when drawn in an upright position, has a lot of positive meanings! Freedom, fun, happiness, good luck etc. Cream’s cheerful and optimistic disposition makes her a good match for this card

20: Judgement (E-102 Gamma)

The Judgement card symbolises liberation, awakening, redemption and second chances, all of which I believe represent Gamma and his character arc in SA1 well

21: The World (Metal Sonic)

In the upright position, The World card symbolises triumph, completion, strength and happiness while in reversed position can mean failure, anxiety, lack of self-confidence etc. I had both positioning of the card in mind when connecting it to Metal Sonic; he is devoted to the tasks given to him and is self-assured in his belief that he is the true/superior ‘sonic’ yet he repeatedly finds himself at the hands of failure. But he doesn’t let previous failures hold him back, thus starting the cycle anew. (Another connection to the World card as it also symbolises cycles)

[druidgroves]

jealousy

fandom: the wayhaven chronicles pairing: morgan x f!detective (adelle duval) notes: prompt from this meme was “OH you’re jealous!”

* this is a repost from my old blog *

The bar was fairly crowded, even for a Friday night in Wayhaven.

Adelle had managed to convince Unit Bravo to go out, if not for a few drinks, then at least for some fun. Farah was doing her best at darts (a few people had to duck at her latest throw), Nate had convinced Adam to try a game of pool, and Morgan was attempting to get the next round from the already overwhelmed bartender.

She liked it when the group went out together. It allowed her to see a different side of the unit, one that rarely came out whenever they were working together on a case. She always seemed to know when it was time for the gang to let loose and just live it up a little. Well, as much as someone could live it up in Wayhaven.

As had become habit to her, Adelle’s gaze fell back to Morgan. She was facing the bartender now, giving him the drink order for the group, and Adelle couldn’t help but let her eyes drift to appreciate her backside, just a little. She was teetering just on the edge of tipsy, a warm, fuzzy feeling starting to bloom at the back of her head, so her thoughts were starting to wander to less than wholesome places the longer she stared. She was sure that if she had the guts to ask, Morgan might have been thinking the same.

The chain of thought seemed to overtake her for a brief moment as she tried to get the woman’s attention when she seemed to be looking Adelle’s way. She did that Thing Tina had taught her to do, where she would try to catch Morgan’s eye then look away and bite her lip, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear as she did. Tina had said it was a fail-proof move, but as Adelle watched Morgan look away from the booth, and instead to a group of girls at the end of the bar, she wasn’t too sure. There was something oddly familiar about the situation.

The girls looked to be about college aged, home for the weekend it seemed. They were doing their best to make it look like they weren’t ogling Morgan, but failing miserably by the way they broke into laughter and whispered conversation whenever she looked back at them. Something settled in the pit of Adelle’s stomach that made her frown into her drink as she pulled it up to her lips.

From the corner of her eye she could see Farah walking back to the booth, her game of darts having apparently come to an end. The young vampire seemed rather pleased with herself, though the new holes in the wall beside the board might have told a different story.

“I think I’m getting pretty good at darts!” Farah grinned as she sat down beside her, unaware of the bitterness starting to emanate from her friend, “We should play later! We’d make a great team if your aim with the paper airplanes is anything to go by.”

“Yeah, maybe later,” Adelle muttered, lowering herself into the seat of the booth, eyes still trained on Morgan at the bar. She didn’t seem to be paying attention to the still-fawning girls after having given them a curious glance, which made Adelle feel slightly better.

“You alright?” Farah asked, head cocked to the side as she waved a hand in front of Adelle’s face.

“I’m…fine,” she replied after a beat, slowly sinking further into her seat.

“No offense, but you don’t sound fine,” the other woman replied. She followed Adelle’s line of sight until it fell upon Morgan and the group of girls at the bar. One of them, a tall redhead with flushed cheeks, seemed to be scribbling something onto her napkin before walking over to Morgan with an air of confidence that almost made Adelle’s teeth grind. She forced herself to look away, deciding to down the rest of her drink while she was at it.

Farah looked back to Adelle, then back at Morgan, then to Adelle’s white-knuckle grip on her glass before that ever-present, mischievous smile spread across her lips.

“Oh!” she laughed, “You’re jealous!”

Adelle nearly choked on her drink, “What? I’m not jealous, don’t be so loud—“

“Who’s not jealous?”

Morgan was suddenly standing in front of the table, putting down the drinks in her hands onto the table and Adelle could feel the tips of her ears turning red.

Farah gave one last look between the two before sliding out of the booth, “I think I’m gonna see if Nate will teach me how to play pool. Bye!”

And with that, she was gone, Morgan sliding into the now vacant spot beside Adelle.

“So are you going to answer my question?” she asked, raising an eyebrow, lips pulling together into a smirk.

“I’m not jealous,” Adelle muttered, reaching out to take the new drink before her, still glowering at the bar.

“Not jealous of what?” Morgan looked to where Adelle’s eyes were still fixated. “What, them?”

The group was still huddled at the end of the bar, though the red head seemed to have disappeared.

“Tell me you’re joking,” Morgan continued, shifting to look back at the blonde woman beside her who was now twirling the straw in her glass and avoiding her gaze.

“I’m not jealous,” she repeated again.

“Sure,” Morgan with a huff of a laugh.

“I’m not!” Adelle protested, perhaps a little louder than she should have as a few people began looking her way. She sunk back into the booth.

“Whatever you think went on over there, you’re wrong,” Morgan said, taking a small sip of her beer and trying not to flinch at the intensity of it.

“So you didn’t accept one of their numbers?”

“Why would I want it?”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“Why would you care if you weren’t jealous?”

Adelle bit the inside of her cheek, crossing her arms as Morgan’s smirk grew.

“Okay,” she finally relented, taking a drink, “Maybe I am jealous.”

She felt the fabric of the seat under her shift as Morgan moved closer to her, slinging an arm over the backside of the booth and letting it ghost above her shoulders.

“Surely you’re smarter than that,” she said, voice low and close enough to her ear that the heat from her breath made a shiver run down her spine, “You really think that low of me? That I would take the number of someone who couldn’t possibly be as appreciative in bed as you? As loud?”

Adelle’s eyebrows nearly shot into her hairline at the comment, almost making her spit her drink back into the glass. She could feel the heat of her cheeks as much as she could feel the heat of Morgan’s breath against her neck.

“If anything, they should be the jealous ones,” Morgan continued, the ghost of her teeth grazing Adelle’s jaw, “They don’t get to be as lucky as you.”

A hand reached under the table to rest on her knee, slowly making its way up her leg before stopping on the inside of her thigh.

“If you keep this up, we’ll be kicked out of the bar,” Adelle said, voice hoarse enough that it earned a wolfish grin from Morgan.

“That’s the goal,” she replied, nipping at the skin of her neck just hard enough to elicit a small moan from the detective, “C’mon, sweetheart, show me how jealous you can be.”

At that, Adelle slid out of the opposite side of the booth, face red but with a determined expression on it. Morgan trailed close behind her, a cocky smirk gracing her lips.

[moved-to-void-kissed]

"Avalon (Japanese: アーサー, Āsā) was a Special Rare Blade in Xenoblade Chronicles 2. They could grant tremendous power to their Driver Aline and her allies. Avalon used the light element, wielded a Glaive Dirk, and acted as a Healer in battle. He was renowned for his ability to crystallise ether and use it for multiple purposes, including healing Core Crystals.

After the events of Torna ~ The Golden Country, Avalon’s Core Crystal was passed down through Aline’s family as an heirloom known as the Brilliant Core Crystal, and was eventually broken 500 years later by the impact of a shipwreck in the mouth of the Urayan Titan. Sapphire ended up acquiring some of Avalon’s powers when fragments of the Brilliant Core Crystal entered her body."

Avalon is a Blade OC I created for Xenoblade Chronicles 2! They mostly came about as a way for me to provide reasoning behind Sapphire’s abilities, but I’ve now figured out a way to make them important and relevant by incorporating them into TTGC - including doing so alongside my other XC2 self-insert, Aline - so that’s been very fun to work on and use to develop them both! ^-^

(Please note that the image above isn’t accurate to their clothing, although it is accurate to their physical appearance, and was also not drawn by me; instead, it was created using a Picrew by Nase_Nikyuu, linked here! A lot more information about Avalon, their story, and how they might work in-game is under the readmore, if you’re curious!)

As promised, here is some more information about Avalon that isn’t just restricted to the Xenoblade Wiki’s structure (which is what I was trying to replicate up there above the readmore):

Just to clarify, Avalon is nonbinary, and uses both he/him and they/them pronouns interchangeably! ..I didn’t necessarily intend for his colour palette to have all the colours of the nonbinary pride flag on it - I picked the purple eyes and blond hair since I thought they looked neat on him, then only realised after the fact what would happen if I made his outfit mostly white with black accents (albeit the Picrew image doesn’t show that since it’s more for showing his physical appearance than his outfit) - but, that has also happened.

Avalon’s character:

Avalon is Aline’s first and only Blade during the time of TTGC. She awakened their Core Crystal unexpectedly after unearthing it in the middle of a crop field, and she did not realise she had the aptitude to become a Driver, so she picked it up without expecting anything to happen. Except it did. Oops.

Aline recognises that he is a very powerful Blade (not only because light-element Blades are so rare but also because of his special crystallisation ability), and so sometimes worries that her aversion to combat is holding Avalon back from his true battle potential. However, he seems content with taking a more supportive role, given his proficiency and role as a healer.

In terms of personality, I would say he is fairly calm, but determined to do what is right, and is protective of his teammates; I imagine him getting on well with Aegaeon in particular, but maybe not as well with someone like Minoth (which I suppose arguably makes sense, given that Minoth is dark-element which opposes Avalon’s light-element). Given my relative lack of knowledge about TTGC’s characters, this isn’t particularly set in stone.

Avalon’s ability - Ether Crystallisation:

As was mentioned before, Avalon has the unique power to crystallise ether out of the atmosphere in their local vicinity; these crystals are always white in colour, because of their status as a light-element Blade. This has many potential applications - for example, on a large scale, they could do this enough to create walkable platforms (possibly as a unique Field Skill that’s used similarly to the Ice Mastery bridges in the main game of XC2, but for TTGC instead?). They could also use the ether crystals as projectiles to attack with during Specials, or maybe shields to defend with in combat.

However, on a smaller scale, Avalon can also repair damaged Core Crystals by restoring the crystal, regardless of whether it is unresonated (so a fracture can be healed, allowing the Blade in the Core Crystal to be awakened again) or already-resonated (so an awakened Blade with a damaged Core Crystal can be healed, and although no such examples existed in his time, Blades whose Core Crystals had been eaten to create Blade Eaters can also be stabilised and further enhanced by his power.) This allows them to be a very effective and appreciated healer for the forces fighting against Malos, since they can heal both humans and Blades thanks to his ability.

(This is also the only aspect of Avalon’s powerful that Sapphire “inherited”, since she can’t crystallise anywhere near much ether as he could in one go, due to the source of that ability - i.e. Avalon’s Core Crystal inside her body - being incomplete and fragmented. Sapphire’s not a Blade, after all.)

Avalon’s fate:

Speaking of Avalon’s Core Crystal - which has a special name, the Brilliant Core Crystal (like how Kasandra’s is called the Lucky Core Crystal) - it is passed down through Aline’s family after her death because of the exploits the pair achieved together during the Aegis War. Whenever Avalon is awakened, their Core Crystal is shaped like a medieval sword on their chest.

The inheritance process continues for almost 500 years before the Brilliant Core Crystal is passed down to Sapphire’s mother, who does not have the aptitude to become a Driver. She was keeping the Core Crystal safe as a family heirloom, intending to let Sapphire try to resonate with it once she was old enough, but it ended up being destroyed in the shipwreck that caused Sapphire to wash up into the mouth of the Urayan Titan.

The Brilliant Core Crystal was shattered into fragments by the impact of the shipwreck, and Sapphire ended up being flung against a wall and landing on top of its shards. This caused them - and subsequently, some of Avalon’s power as a Blade - to enter Sapphire’s body and become integrated into her (essentially turning her into an unofficial/unintentional Blade Eater), and the enhanced regeneration that all Blades have allowed Sapphire to survive the awful injuries she sustained before Vandham and his crew found her and brought her back to Garfont Village.

Avalon’s hypothetical playstyle:

Avalon wields a unique weapon type, the Glaive Dirk. Essentially, it’s a long-bladed knife (i.e. a dirk) that can also turn into a spear (i.e. a glaive), because.. the pole is made of ether, or something. This was mainly just an excuse to classify them as a healer, since combat roles are tied to weapons in XC2 (and I want them to be a healer because of their unique power but also the fact that there are no light or dark healer Blades in XC2), but I didn’t think any of the pre-existing healer weapons really fit them. And it kind of makes them more special, which they deserve!

If he was playable in the main game of XC2, his animations would probably work like a mix of Megalance and some kind of one-handed Knuckle Claws (since.. too many other unique weapons use Twin Rings’ animations), with maybe different Drivers favouring either the glaive or the dirk aspect more for their Arts and auto-attacks (e.g. the taller the Driver, the more they use it as a glaive, since it’s so much longer?). A very versatile weapon because it’s essentially two pre-existing weapons from our world rolled into one.

In terms of their playstyle, Avalon would be more able and willing to take aggro compared to other healers, to fit the fact that they’re supposed to be inspired by an archetypal “knight in shining armour” despite not being classed as a tank (since.. their name is Avalon which is a paradisal island from Arthurian legend, their Japanese name is supposed to be read as Arthur as in King Arthur, and also they’re light-element).

I was thinking that maybe one of their battle skills would be some kind of damage absorption mechanic, so they actually have more defensive potential than their stats would suggest and there’s merit to them having aggro? Or maybe they provide a small constant healing effect to the party - it’d have to be small so as not to be too overpowered, but still enough to have a noticeable effect and improve party survivability while they’re on the field. That might make more sense, actually.

I think that’s everything for now, and if I want to add more then I always can later. I know I still need to figure out what their outfit would look like, possibly incorporating some kind of knight’s armour (though trying to do that without making it look tank-like and bulky will be tricky), but I wanted to post this now since it’s been in my drafts for a long time.

Thank you so much to everyone who has read this far, because I realise that I wrote a lot but it means a lot that you would read it all if you did so!

[shadlad24]

Tumblr Master Post

(Third Mensiversary)

Hey, guys! So, instead of the usual monthly post, I decided to consolidate everything. From now on, I will update the following list and reblog it every 22nd. Enjoy!

Please note that Tumblr either cannot or will not preserve my formatting. So, I have used Google Docs as well. Please click on this link if you’d prefer that. It’s open to all. Thanks!

My posts are almost XWP-related and can be categorized into eight main categories (The pic below is merely for record-keeping and visualization purposes; scroll down for the actual links):

Questions

Curious— Why does everyone think Gabrielle/Renée O’Connor has green eyes?

A Favor to the God of War?— What in the world was the favor Ares wanted from Gabrielle during “Sacrifice”?

Smoking Gun?— Why did Hope knowing Solan’s name give her away as his killer?

Good Luck, Kid!— Why was security so bad in “Maternal Instincts”?

The Love of Your Love— Wasn’t the second verse of this song frustrating and hurtful to Gabrielle?

The (Many) Problem(s) with Ares— Why does so little about Ares’s character make sense?

Hard Ask— Can I PLEASE get a willing, able, AND reliable beta-reader for my Xena fanfic???

The (Many) Problem(s) with Ares [Reblog]— Three more questions about the god of war

No Way— Is the titular image of “Xena: Warrior Princess” what it seems?

Episode Reflections

Random Thoughts While Watching XWP— funny moments from “A Family Affair,” “Them Bones, Them Bones,” “Married with Fishsticks,” and “Coming Home”

Observations from “Sins of the Past”— fifteen things I noticed while watching the episode for the second time (first after completing the series)

Running Commentary on “A Family Affair”— just what it sounds like XD

Concluding Thoughts on “A Family Affair”— a defense of Hope and Gabrielle

Echoes Across the Years— how Solan’s last conversation with his mother echoed Gabrielle’s first with the warrior princess

Redeeming “Fishsticks,” Part 1— how the adults and themes in Gabrielle’s dreamworld held great significance

Redeeming “Fishsticks,” Part 2— how Crustacea’s monstrous children were re-imaginations of Hope and The Destroyer

Fault— my thoughts on the series finale

Good Luck, Kid! [Reblog]— a fun little extension of the original post showing the impression Gabrielle made on Hope

Original Fanfic Excerpts

The Mother of Hope, a collection of one-shots exploring Gabrielle’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences with/about her daughter

Disparity— Hope’s and Gabrielle’s conversation during the final commercial break of “A Family Affair”

Somewhere— Gabrielle searching Tartarus for Hope while Ares was harassing Xena and Solan in “God Fearing Child”

Super Challenge— the entire Rift Arc summed up in a single conversation, the lines of dialogue coming from each of the twelve Rift episodes of season three

Aperture— Gabrielle’s thoughts the night of her wedding

The Daughter of Duality, Hope’s life story from her perspective

My Great Hope— Seraphin prepares her goddess for childbirth

Hope Rising— Baby Hope makes a terrible mistake

“Tears of a Goddess: Blood Rain,” a one-shot exploring “Motherhood” from the goddess of love’s perspective

Useless— Aphrodite agonizes over what to do when alone with Gabrielle and Eve

Tears of a Goddess, a story in which Aphrodite comes clean about the large part she played in Gabrielle’s life behind the scenes

Gabrielle Rages against Xena— the bard finds herself at Aphrodite’s temple, heartbroken and lost after the series finale

Aphrodite Ribs Gabrielle— Aphrodite complains about Gabrielle’s mishaps throughout the show

Rapprochement, a story about Xena and Gabrielle hashing out The Rift Arc before finally coming together as a couple

The Answer— Xena reminds Gabrielle of who she is

Divine Intervention— Aphrodite blesses Xena and Gabrielle’s union

Adventures in Moving Forward, a chronicle of Aphrodite’s and Gabrielle’s adventures together post-AFIN and all my other XWP stories

Stranger— Aphrodite protects Gabrielle from a mob in Brittania

The Betrayer, Gabrielle's untold experience during “The Deliverer.”

Disturbance— Xena makes an unexpected suggestion on how to stop Gabrielle’s recurring nightmare

Deception— Khrafstar fills multiple voids in Gabrielle’s heart

Defilement— Reality slips away from Gabrielle with the loss of her blood innocence

Desecration— Gabrielle becomes one with darkness

Dissolution— The return of Gabrielle’s hero brings about only more tragedy

Fan Theories

Soul Orbits and Psychic Echoes— how Xena and Gabrielle got their children through equal and opposite people and circumstances

Shazam!— how Xena might be able to come back after the series finale

Man-Killer— what really happened to Toris

An Unsung Hero— Aphrodite being Gabrielle’s guardian angel throughout the Rift Arc

Infamous, Infuriated— why Xena engaged in the GabDrag (and BardBraining)

Solving Some Problems with Ares— answering two of my own questions about the god of war

Odd, Sort of Beautiful Symmetry— how we ended up with Annie and Harry

Soul Orbits and Psychic Echoes [Reblog]— an extension of the original theory that focuses more on Solan and Hope themselves

Solving More Problems with Ares— answering my next questions about the god of war

Episode Cracksubs

The Comedy of Amphipolis— “The Haunting of Amphipolis”

What in the Gurkhan?— “Who’s Gurkhan?”

Them Bones and Boneheads— “Them Bones, Them Bones”

TL;DRs— cliff-notes version of longer posts

TL;DR #1: Soul Orbits and Psychic Echoes

TL;DR #2: Infamous, Infuriated

TL;DR #3: The (Many) Problem(s) with Ares

Funny Little Moments— (Five:) a series highlighting overlooked silly things from each episode, illustrated in pictures and cracksubs / (More:) summation posts showcasing additional funny moments from each episode, in half-season chunks

Five Funny Little Moments #1: “Sins of the Past”

Five Funny Little Moments #2: Chariots of War

Five Funny Little Moments #3: Dreamworker

Five Funny Little Moments #4: Cradle of Hope

Five Funny Little Moments #5: The Path Not Taken

Five Funny Little Moments #6: The Reckoning

Five Funny Little Moments #7: The Titans

Five Funny Little Moments #8: Prometheus 

Five Funny Little Moments #9: Death in Chains 

Five Funny Little Moments #10: Hooves and Harlots

Five Funny Little Moments #11: The Black Wolf

Five Funny Little Moments #12: Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts

Miscellaneous

Golden Ticket— Renee O’Connor’s initial responses to me on Instagram

Bath Time— a fun self-challenge involving making a story from recently downloaded/screenshot images in just a few minutes

Mensiversary— review of my first month on Tumblr

Confirmation/Affirmation— Steven L. Sears’s essay of support for my Furies theory

K.O.— Renée O’Connor liking my comment about ^

Hooray!— The Mother of Hope is finished (kinda)

Aww…— a quick picture post to try something new while I was bummed about the deadly tech bug that obliterated my posts for weeks

Second Mensiversary— review of my second month on Tumblr

NOOO!— a lamentation related to The Mother of Hope

The (Many) Problem(s) with Ares [Reblog/Response]— answering a reader

More Funny Little Moments #1: Season 1, Episodes 1-12

*Other

Black Hole— a poem about depression

It’s Nothing— a poem on invalidation

What the?— the beginning of the bug :(

[liunaticfringe]

(via Lucy Liu's Independent Woman - Interview Magazine)

There have been many great sidekick pairings in the history of modern literature. Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, Phileas Fogg and Jean Passepartout, Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet…the list goes on. Yet, it seems there has never been a delightfully tumultuous relationship that comes close to echoing the one embodied by rogue detective Sherlock Holmes and his faithful friend and assistant Dr. John Watson. Written in the form of short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the opium-den loving Holmes would terrorize London with his intellectual, astute, and stubborn prowess, with Dr. Watson providing medical expertise and chronicling their entertaining exploits along the way.

Doyle’s works have now long been entered into the public domain, with many film and television adaptions cropping up every few years. Still, when CBS announced in 2012 that it would be turning Doyle’s works into an hour-long crime-drama series titled Elementary, it elicited an unusually high response—this was mostly due to the news that a woman would, in fact, be portraying Watson. Her name would be Joan, not John. And she’s now a fallen from grace surgeon-turned-sober companion and private detective, forfeiting her “Dr.” title in the process. The woman chosen to take on this exciting, contemporary role of Joan Watson was none other than seasoned actress Lucy Liu.

Liu, who’s best known for her roles as a fierce and ill-mannered lawyer in Ally McBeal, an ass-kicking “angel” in the rebooted Charlie’s Angels, and an equally ass-kicking bad girl in the Kill Bill series, certainly provides the yin to the yang of Jonny Lee Miller’s gritty portrayal of Holmes. Elementary chronicles the duo’s relationship as they consult for the NYPD on various criminal cases while living in a shared brownstone in Brooklyn Heights. Initially starting off in Season One as a substance-free friend to the fresh-out-of-rehab Holmes with a keen interest in solving crimes, Watson quickly transformed into a sharp and observant right-hand woman who now clearly has the aptitude to work on her own. And it appears she’ll be doing just that—the end of Season Two left viewers witnessing Watson’s decision to move out of the brownstone and start a new career as a solo private detective, seemingly fed-up with Holmes’ erratic behavior.

The warm and delightful Liu recently called up Interview from her home in New York City to discuss Elementary’s upcoming third season.

DEVON IVIE: Were you on set today?

LUCY LIU: I was running around like a maniac, yeah. It’s beautiful today, it started getting a little bit cooler again. But of course I’ve been bitten by the two mosquitos that are still alive in New York City.

IVIE: I know you were recently at New York Comic Con. How was it?

LIU: It was amazing. It’s such a spectator place. Not only do you get super fans, but you also get people who are curious and inventive and imaginative. It’s fun.

IVIE: Did you run into any cosplayers dressed as Joan Watson?

LIU: Oh, no, I don’t know about that. That’s funny! We did a panel with a huge audience so I couldn’t really see if anyone was wearing anything specific, but it’s an excuse for kids and adults to get dressed up and just be crazy. You know you’ve made it when you have super-fans out there.

IVIE: When you first read the scripts for Elementary, what was it that attracted you to the role of Joan?

LIU: I liked the fact that it was going to be about [Joan and Sherlock’s] relationship and their friendship, and bringing that into modern times. And I thought it was wonderful to change up the gender.

IVIE: Did you immerse yourself in Arthur Conan Doyle’s work as preparation at all?

LIU: I did, I did! I started reading the short stories. I never read them before so it was a really great excuse to read them. I can’t believe it was written so long ago, because it’s so current. The characters are so colorful, which is why I think there are so many incarnations of Watson and Holmes.

IVIE: Do you have a favorite story? I love “A Scandal in Bohemia.”

LIU: There were some pretty amazing stories. The one that stood out to me, which was a Watson story that I got to know him a little more through, was “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” He really is on his own in that. Of course it turns out that Holmes has been there all along, but it’s interesting looking into his interior.

IVIE: Yeah, the entirety of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” is narrated just by Watson. And his diary and letters, too.

LIU: Yeah, I think it’s really cool. We started incorporating that into the show, too, the letters and journals.

IVIE: Has this detective genre always appealed to you? Did you grow up watching or reading detective whodunits?

LIU: I remember more of the old school Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys sort of thing. I also grew up with the Scooby-Doo mysteries. Remember when the villain would go, “I would’ve gotten away with it if it weren’t for you rascal-y kids!” Those were the kind of the things I immersed myself in. I have to say that my mother has always been a huge fan of Columbo and Murder, She Wrote, so this show was her dream come true. I don’t think she totally understood what was going on with Ally McBeal. [laughs]

IVIE: I’ve enjoyed witnessing Joan’s evolution throughout the course of the show, starting off as a sober companion and eventually ending up as a trusty sidekick and confidant to Sherlock. What can we expect from Joan in Season Three?

LIU: When you see them in the third season, you see some friction between the two characters. Joan is now on her own, she has her own detective agency, has a boyfriend, and has been without Sherlock for eight months. She’s got her own apartment, she’s settled, and he shows back up. I think she’s a little bit hurt by what happened and how their relationship and partnership ended, which was basically his decision and his choice, and he left it all in one little note for her. I think she felt that their relationship was much deeper than that, and that he was dismissive in the way that he handled that.

IVIE: How would you define the relationship between Joan and Sherlock?

LIU: I think that it’s a really positive and good relationship, overall. They really have a good chemistry together, work really hard together, and understand each other. They acknowledge each other and respect each other, which is a really important way to have a friendship. And they can learn from each other, you know? She’s very curious about him and I think he sees that she’s a very smart person—that’s vital for him in having respect for someone, having them be intelligent and thinking for themselves.

IVIE: Do you see any of Joan in yourself?

LIU: I do to a certain degree. She’s a lot more measured and patient, for sure. She’s a very curious person, which I think I am, and I think she isn’t afraid of change. She was a doctor, and then became a sober companion, and then jumped off and became a detective. I think sometimes it’s good to make big leaps.

IVIE: You’ve probably been asked this question many times, but do you think a romance between Joan and Sherlock could ever fittingly happen?

LIU: It’s a question that’s often asked and I think it’s really up to the executives. Rob Doherty, the creator [of Elementary] really feels incredibly strongly about keeping their relationship platonic. He has already taken great strides to keep the relationship as clean as possible according to the literature, but he has also changed so much of it by changing the gender of Watson. To have them have a romantic involvement would turn the whole thing upside-down in a way that might really jump the line. [Doherty] felt really strongly about it and I think that’s the one thing he really wants to stay true to.

IVIE: I totally agree. Even on the BBC’s Sherlock, there are campaigns to get Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock and Martin Freeman’s Watson to become romantically involved. It’s like, enough already, no!

LIU: No way, that’s so weird! People do have that level of friendship oftentimes, but it doesn’t mean it’s physical. I think that everyone just assumes because there’s chemistry the next thing should be happening. I would vote “no” for a romance. I think for sure the creator would vote no on that, too.

IVIE: I’ve talked to both women and men who watch Elementary, and they all consistently mention how well dressed and fashionable Joan is. Do you collaborate with the wardrobe department on styling decisions at all?

LIU: That’s awesome. Yes, I collaborate with Rebecca [Hofherr], who’s the costume designer, who’s wonderful. She’s very easy to work with. One thing we try to maintain about Joan and her style is that she’s a bit wrinkled, you know what I mean? Sometimes it looks like things are really put together, but we always want to make sure things aren’t too tight and are comfortable, kind of like she throws things together. We don’t want it to seem so business-y, so we go away from suits. Chic, but not corporate. Also just to make her seem like her outfits aren’t so put-together all the time. But I’m glad that people really seem to like it, it’s a relief! We don’t splurge a lot on the show, we try to do cheaper things, like things Joan would wear a lot. She wears the same white jacket and shoes frequently.

IVIE: Will we be seeing more of the infamous Clyde the Turtle in the upcoming season?

LIU: Clyde will indeed be in it again. We have to share custody of Clyde.

IVIE: Is it true that Clyde is actually two tortoises? Pulling a Mary Kate and Ashley in Full House on us?

LIU: Yes. It’s just like having twins on a show. Just in case one is crying and screaming and passed out or something.

IVIE: You made your directorial debut for an episode of Elementary last season [“Paint It Black”]. Do you have plans to direct an episode again soon?

LIU: That was so exciting. I’ll be directing another episode again very shortly in December, so you’ll be seeing it in a month and a half.

IVIE: Where did your interest in directing come from?

LIU: I guess I was curious about it. Having been in this business for a while, you kind of see and get a glimpse of everything doing film and television. I think it seemed like a natural progression to go into directing, and I hope to explore more of it, because it’s very exciting and a really good way to collide all the things that you’ve known and experienced in the business and put them all into one.

IVIE: Is there an ideal guest star that you’d like to see on the show in the upcoming season?

LIU: I would love to see Mycroft come back. I really think there was a wonderful tension for Mycroft and Sherlock as well as the triangle that occurred when Joan became involved with him. There’s something very deep about that relationship, and I also think that Rhys Ifans is a fantastic actor. He commands the screen, but off-screen he’s incredibly lovely. A real treat to have on the show.

IVIE: I remember the first few episodes that I saw Rhys in, I was like, where have I seen this guy before? So I looked at his Wikipedia page and it became obvious: he was the crazy guy from Notting Hill!

LIU: Yes, the roommate! So good! Everything he does, he just kills it, no matter the role.

IVIE: And it’s always good to have some MI6 action on the show, which Mycroft provided. Some international flair.

LIU: [laughs] International flair, exactly, some added spice. Just throw some spy stuff in there to throw people off their game. You just don’t expect it, you know? It came out of nowhere.

IVIE: That whole three-episode arc at the end of the second season…

LIU: That was awesome. I was lucky enough to direct one of those episodes, which is more narrative in tone. It’s more fun in some ways, too.

IVIE: You’ve done a range of acting work for both television and film. Do you now find yourself preferring one to the other?

LIU: I love both of them equally. The lack of predictability with television is something that’s constantly changing what your perception of who you think your character is. Suddenly I have a father that’s schizophrenic, or I discovered something else, or I have a relationship with Mycroft. The things that pop up and change the game for you and always keep you on your toes. The wonderful thing about film is that you have something that has a beginning, middle, and end, and you have a concrete amount of time to shoot it. And the process of that can be longer, like editing and advertising and testing the movie, so it’s very different. Television you just continue going, no matter what’s happening outside of your world. You get lost in that vortex a little bit.

IVIE: It’s interesting that America is now embracing the “mini-series” format that has already been so heavily utilized overseas, where there are a set amount of short episodes, and that’s it. In a way, it’s kind of like a cinematic experience.

LIU: I like that, too. It allows you to have a freedom of creativity and at the same time you don’t feel like you have to be contracted to something for that long; you’re really working on a piece of art. And then you’re done and you move on, or it comes back, like Downton Abbey. You don’t know. Those things become little masterpieces. The thing about television is that you see a range of actors now that you may not have seen five years ago even, 10 years ago absolutely not, and I think now there’s no wrong about doing television. There’s no definitive category for what kind of department you fall into anymore.

IVIE: What’s a fun, secret fact about your costar Jonny Lee Miller?

LIU: A fun fact about Jonny Lee Miller is that he oftentimes does handstands on a wall before he does a take, sometimes with pushups, to get blood to his brain and get him geared up for a long monologue that he may have. He stays there, hangs a little bit, and then turns around and does the scene. Most of the time in the brownstone more than anywhere else. He’s in full costume and everything. That’s trivia!

IVIE: I wish I could do wall-handstands by myself.

LIU: Oh my god, I need someone to push my legs up and then hold me there. I’m a cheat!

ELEMENTARY PREMIERES THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30 ON CBS.